[ID: A Magnus Archives comic about Jon and Martin setting boundaries in the safehouse. It is set on a parchment-textured background and colored in parchment tones. It opens on Jon dropping a duffel bag into the bed with a “fump.” The title, “Less Awkward,” is written on the wall, as is the credit “by LaMaery.” Jon flops onto the bed with a sigh as Martin appears in the doorway. He asks: “Jon?”
Jon sits up a little and asks, “Hm?” Jon sits up more as Martin sits beside him. Martin looks away, expression nervous and awkward as he says: “I… um… I heard from Melanie that you don’t–” Jon, looking a little annoyed, asks: “Yes?” Martin abruptly turns to him and rushes out with a blush: “With you and me being here and sharing a bed and everything, and I just thought it important to talk about boundaries!” Jon sits up fully, looking surprised.
Martin looks serious and sad and says: “I don’t want to do something wrong and make things awkward between us.” Jon looks at him with some surprise, and chuckles. He says wryly: “We’re in hiding from the police and eldritch forces and you don’t want to make things awkward between us?” Martin exclaims emphatically: “Yes!” He looks down and, more quietly, says: “I mean… I want this to work.” He looks up again and asks: “Can it?”
Jon looks forward and asks: “Why me?” Martin frowns and asks: “What?” Jon turns to him and asks: “Why me, Martin?” He hunches his shoulders as he looks away and says, “I know I am not a… a necessarily easy person to be around…” A shot of him gripping his wrist. “… and I’ve been pretty condescending towards you. So why me?” Then a shot of Martin’s hands loosely holding each other as he says, “I don’t know. Why does someone fall in love with another person?”
Martin looks away with a blush and says, “Maybe I just liked that you are a lot of things I am not: keen, self-assured, brave. I admired that. I still do.” He turns away, blush strengthening, and adds: “I guess it helps when you find someone attractive.” Jon looks at him, face open, and says: “I think you are pretty brave, too…” Martin looks back at him, looking surprised.
Jon leans forward, eyes wide and hopeful, and asks: “Can… Can I kiss you?” Martin looks stunned and exclaims: “Of course!” They lean closer together, and they kiss softly. They break apart, looking at each other with quiet joy.
Jon leans his head on Martin’s shoulder, expression falling a little. He says: “To answer your earlier question–I don’t really care for… being touched on and around my… um, private parts.” Then he smiles and says, “Kissing and hugging is fine.” He sits up to meet a smiling Martin’s gaze and says, “More than fine, actually.”
Then he starts to get up, surprising Martin. “As for your… err.” He pats Martin’s upper thigh with a very condescending smile. “I’m sure we can figure something out.” He stands up, straightening his back as Martin stares at his thigh. “And now, I am going to take a shower. It’s been way too long since my last one and six hours of car ride can’t have improved that.“
Martin smirks. "It did not.” He then looks curious when Jon puts a hand on his shoulder and says, “We can’t all smell like tea and doilies.” Martin looks annoyed as he repeats: “Tea and d- Are you telling me that I smell like an old lady?!” Jon, walking out of the room, shrugs and says, “Only in the best possible way.” Martin does not look impressed, but then his eyebrows raise, and he smiles and laughs fondly. The last panel focuses on the painting above the bed, now revealed to be of a Highland cow. Above it are the words “The End.”
The last image is a solo panel of the moment where Jon and Martin smile at each other after kissing. Their heads are still inclined towards each other, and their expressions are soft and delighted. End ID]
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