Work Text:
“How’s it going, Miss. James?”
Sasha carefully avoids looking up, pretending to focus on her paperwork. “Something the matter, Mr. Stoker?”
Tim laughs, pushing the stack of papers (extra work from Jon; punishment for something that had been entirely Tim’s fault) to the side so he can sit down. “I was just thinking…”
“Funny that, me too.”
“Oh? Care to share?”
“Yes, actually. I was thinking that whatever you’re planning is a terrible idea.”
“I have great ideas.”
Sasha finally looks up, fixing him with a glare that she hopes is suitably withering. “I’m still dealing with the fallout from your last ‘great idea.’”
“Alright, alright, I can admit that one was flawed.” He runs a hand through his hair, seemingly unbothered by her best glare. Maybe she should work on that.
Maybe she should work on making him fear her a little more, though she has a suspicion that any attempt would probably start a prank war, and she is not looking to get fired any time soon.
“But this new one is great!”
Sasha groans. “I don’t suppose you could just leave me alone? I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
“You haven’t forgiven me? Me, your best pal?”
“Yes. You.”
Tim sighs, dramatic and long-suffering. “What cruelty. Do you want to hear my idea or not?”
Sasha groans again, smacking her head into her paperwork. She can’t admit she’s interested, though her curiosity is going to be the death of her one day.
“Fine.”
“Perfect!”
“So? Hit me.”
“Archival pride trip!”
Sasha sits up, staring at him. “Are you actually serious?”
“Yeah! London Pride is in a couple of weeks, and it would be a great bonding experience, don’t you think?”
“I think you’re mad if you think Jon will agree to that.”
Tim flaps his hand around. “I see no reason why he wouldn’t. It’s a bonding experience!”
“You said.”
“God, you’re boring. Wouldn’t it be fun, though? Just you, me, Jon, and Martin. Maybe they’d even kiss!”
Sasha snorts. “Tim, you’re living in a fantasy world.”
“Maybe we’d kiss.” He waggles his eyebrows at her, and she can’t quite suppress a smile.
“How about this,” she says, because she can’t deny she’d like to watch Tim get shot out of the sky by Jon telling him going to pride would be ‘unprofessional’ or something. “If Jon says yes to us going to pride then I’ll kiss you there, alright?”
Tim grins and throws his arms around her shoulders, nearly knocking them both onto the ground. “I knew you had it in you. I’m going to get that kiss, mark my words.”
Sasha laughs and shoves him off. “I don’t think so.”
Someone clears their throat from behind them and Sasha freezes. It’s Jon, she knows it’s Jon, and if he gives her more paperwork she is going to murder Timothy Stoker.
“Hey, boss!” Tim says, standing up and brushing himself down. Sasha turns around in her chair to watch.
“You’re not on a break, Tim,” Jon says, giving him a disapproving look. Theirs is even less intimidating than Sasha’s, and unsurprisingly Tim does not cower. “Please stop harassing Sasha. I’m sure you both have enough work to be getting on with.”
“Sure,” Tim says, wandering over and slinging an arm around their shoulders. Sasha cringes a little, but surprisingly enough Jon doesn’t shove him off. Just sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“What is it?”
“I’ve had a wonderful idea for a group bonding exercise,” he says, steering Jon towards their office. “I’d love to talk to you about it.”
“You have five minutes,” Jon says, and then the door to his office bangs shut.
Sasha snorts. There’s no way in hell that Jon is going to agree to this.
“Hi, Sasha.”
“Hi, Martin,” Sasha says, leaning back against her desk and grinning at him. “You’re never going to guess what Tim’s trying to arrange.”
“Oh dear,” Martin says, brow furrowing. “Is it a prank war? I’m really not any good at pranks, you know. I would put salt in people’s tea, but that just seems really predictable, you know?”
Sasha laughs. “Oh, god no. I don’t think he’d announce that, just start … filling Jon’s office with plastic spiders or something. No, it’s not that.”
“Bar crawl?”
“Nope.”
“Some sort of competition?”
“Nope. I told you, you’ll never guess.”
“Fine. Tell me.”
“Archival pride trip.”
Martin laughs, almost nervously. “Jon’s never going to agree to that. Right?”
“I hope not. I’ll have to kiss Tim if he does.”
“Oh, really?” Martin frowns, getting a look in his eye that Sasha doesn’t completely like.
“Yes. What’s that look for?”
Martin gives her a little smile that she really doesn’t like. “Oh, nothing. Is Tim talking to them now?”
“Yes,” Sasha says, narrowing her eyes. “Martin Blackwood, what are you planning?”
“Nothing!” Martin says, and he’s such a bad liar. “I’m just going to, um, take Jon their cup of tea, alright?”
“Don’t encourage Tim,” Sasha says warningly, as Martin starts backing towards the office. “I mean it! You’ll make an enemy for life!”
Martin just laughs and disappears into Jon’s office.
God, why had she told him about her crush on Tim? He’s going to use that knowledge against her, she knows it.
She growls to herself and turns back to her paperwork. Might as well get something done, right?
“Sasha!” Tim announces, almost five minutes later, and she can tell by his tone of voice that he’s won. Somehow. “You’ll never guess what we, as an archive, are going to do in two weeks’ time.”
She groans and turns around slowly, not wanting to see the smug grin on his face. “Oh, I couldn’t guess. Please, enlighten me.”
“Our wonderful boss has decided that it will be a fantastic bonding experience if we all go to pride.”
Sasha shakes her head, turning to give Martin, just emerging from Jon’s office, her withering glare. Unlike Tim he actually shrinks a little, giving her a smile that might be apologetic, from a certain angle.
“Did you encourage him?” she growls, and Martin laughs nervously.
“I just suggested it, that’s all.”
“You are the worst,” she tells him. “I’m never trusting you again.”
Tim laughs, triumphant. “He’s my partner in crime!”
“He’s going to be your partner in suffering for this.”
“Oh, stop it. We all know you want to kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.”
“The thought makes me feel violently ill.”
“Shame, because these lips are going to be on yours in two weeks’ time.”
Sasha turns to glare at Martin again, only to find that he’s already disappeared. Probably wise, really. Maybe she should instigate a prank war.
Tim actually brings flags into the archive over the next two weeks, and the worst part is that Jon actually lets him hang them up. She’s considering going into his office and demanding to know who’s stolen him and replaced him with a boss who actually lets Tim carry out his dumb ideas.
She has to admit it’s kind of nice, though, having the flags around. Tim has bought himself and Jon bi flags, Martin several little rainbow pins, and an enormous trans flag for all four of them that he’s somehow managed to tape to the ceiling. There’s even an ace flag on Jon’s door, and she’s considering letting him bring her a pan flag. Considering.
(She lets him, in the end. It’s not like she doesn’t have one at home, but it’s her home flag, and having one on her desk is nice, actually.)
She still doesn’t understand how he convinced Jon to let him do this, but she has a suspicion that he bribed them, though what with she isn’t sure. Maybe the flags are the bribe.
The morning of pride is … exciting, actually. Jon’s given them all the whole day off work (she thinks he must have bribed Elias. Maybe with whatever Tim bribed him with) and they’re planning to meet at Trafalgar Square. Maybe she goes a little overboard with getting dressed, but what’s the point of pride if you’re not going overboard?
Tim has gone even more overboard than she has, to be honest. He’s painted his whole face blue, purple and pink like he’s going to a gay football game, and he’s wearing a trans flag as a cape, complete with a he/him broach. It’s kind of cool, really. Not that she’d tell him that.
Martin has, predictably, gone pretty simple, just a few badges on his shirt (which reads ‘come to the gay side, we have rainbows.’ Sasha’s certain Tim bought it for him) and a little paper flag.
Jon, to her surprise, isn’t quite as straight-laced (ha) as they usually are. They’re wearing a skirt which wouldn’t meet the institute dress code and honest-to-god fishnet stockings.
“Looking good, boss!” Tim calls, when they arrive, and they give him a small, almost embarrassed smile.
“Thank you, Tim,” they say. “You too.”
Martin is, predictably, staring, and Sasha elbows him gently. As cross as she is that this is at least partially his fault she doesn’t want him to embarrass himself.
It’s a good day, actually. A really good day. Tim has brought a polaroid camera, and he insists on documenting everything. Martin has to keep the photos safe, as the only person who’s brought bag, but Tim doesn’t seem to mind.
“Right!” he says, after a few hours, and hands the camera off to Martin. “One of you owes me a kiss.”
Sasha rolls her eyes and walks over to him, perhaps a little more eagerly than normal. “I’ll try not to be sick.”
“Like you haven’t been looking forward to this for the past two weeks.”
“Talking to yourself?”
Tim laughs, pulling her closer. “Shut up and kiss me.”
And she does. He’s a good kisser, actually, and it’s nice. It’s really nice.
“See?” he says, when he pulls away. “That wasn’t so bad.”
She rolls her eyes and kisses him on the cheek. “There. That’s all you get.”
“What do I have to do to get a date as well?”
She huffs, glancing over at Martin. He grins and waves a fresh photo at her.
“I’ll think about it,” she says, finally. “Come on, let’s go.”
“That’s not a no,” Tim says, gleefully.
“Come on,” Jon says, rolling his eyes, though Sasha imagines it’s rather fond. “We can’t stand around here all day.”
“Coming, boss,” Tim says, and grins at Sasha.
And if she reaches out to link her fingers through his, then that’s nobody’s business but her own.