Oh, to Sleep in a Comfortable Bed: a Magnus Archives fan-fiction

The only thing Jon wanted in that moment was to hold Martin as tight as he could and never let him go. But he couldn't risk waking him up.

Martin had been quite sleepy ever since they left the Lonely. Once the initial adrenaline wore off, it seemed like Martin would start to nod off any time he got the chance; even just standing still for long enough, his body would start to go limp and his eyes would grow cloudy, as Jon struggled to keep him upright.

For the first day, Jon tried his best to shake him awake whenever it happened, as it appeared to be an effect of the Lonely — his gaze drifting away to some other place, returning to that gentle dissociative oblivion. But over time, it shifted to seem less like Martin was fading away and more like he was just plain exhausted. Jon was, too, but sleep had never come naturally to him. Even if it did, there was no chance he was going to abandon Martin now.

Jon took Martin's hand and squeezed it gently, leaning into his soft frame, reassuring himself of Martin's physical tangibility, comforted by the warmth in Martin’s hands that, just a few hours ago, was nowhere to be found. Jon closed his eyes, focusing on Martin's quiet breathing amongst the rhythmic ka-klunk of the train tracks.

Later, as the train pulled into their stop, Jon gently shook Martin awake.

"Martin," Jon said.

"Mm?"

"We're here."

Notes and credits

Thank you to my mom for beta reading!

Title from the song "Head Home" by Midlake.

Originally shared on Archive of Our Own, on June 30, 2023. If you liked it, feel free to leave kudos and/or a comment over there (You don't need an account to do either)!