Work Text
jon was furious.that wasn’t uncommon anymore, of course. but it was so… annoying. standing infront of his new boss, this.. peter lukas fellow, who clearly was not comfortable having a conversation with him. all he wanted was an answer, something he could use to try and find answers. anything.who he was, WHAT he was, what he was supposed to be doing? martin was off… doing whatever, melanie and basira were both having several layers of a mental breakdown, and daisy was in no shape to help anyone. that left jon, and he wasn’t even sure where to start.“jonathan, i wish you’d stop looking at me like that.” peter’s voice was soft, and wispy, and gave jon a headache.“it’s just my face.” he snarled. “and it’s because you’re not answering my questions.”“i told you, i don’t have any answers for you.”“than why are you the new boss?” which peter didn’t seem to have an answer for. jon hummed, as if that was confirming a suspicion he had. “i just.. i need something. anything.”“i told you—““and i know you’re lying!” jon’s voice was loud. he didn’t mean it to be. he was vaguely aware of the door behind him opening, and closing. “i just need something! a person, a place, a fucking— just. something, peter, please.”there was a gentle hum behind him, and jon glanced to see who was there.martin blackwood stood there, holding some files in one hand and the other was in his pocket. his hair was still in his eyes, it was always in his eyes, jon knew he needed to cut it but martin was stubborn and wouldn’t.jon’s lungs felt dry just seeing him. it had been so long since they were in a room together, let alone had anything close to a conversation. he missed it, seeing martin around the archives. drinking his tea. annoying him, seeing that little scrunch of his nose, and getting annoyed by him… he missed martin. so seeing him here…“peter.” martin’s voice… god, jon missed it. “you know jon is stubborn. he’s not going to leave until you tell him what he wants to know.” though he sounded distant, and jon didn’t like it. he felt a lot of static in his mind, his brain aching as both martin spoke and peter sat back in his chair.peter didn’t speak. which just made jon even angrier. he moved his curls back from his eyes, his jaw hurting from clenching it. he needed to invest in some hair ties. him and martin both.and then he heard the martin he knew, less distant and more present and there and alive. “jon, what are you even asking him for?”“i’m asking for information.” the words spilled from his mouth, and as far as he knew, martin didn’t have the call. he couldn’t make him tell anything he didn’t want to, but jon… trusted him. and he knew martin may judge, but he wouldn’t tell him it was a terrible idea unless it really was.“i should’ve known that.” martin laughed warmly, which just made jon’s throat dry.“i just need something. anything.” he rasped out. “you’re off… doing important work, and i feel i’m not doing anything. i need to do something.”martin sighed through his nose, his blond hair swaying over his eyes. jon tilted his head, noting the white roots. those weren’t there before. martin opened his mouth, like he was going to speak, and jon nearly interrupted to ask about his hair again. (god he needed to leave martin’s hair alone. martin needed to cut it and tell him immediately where the white came from.) but martin closed his mouth, not saying whatever came to his head.then he said, “peter, just tell him. whatever it is, he’s not going to let up unless you tell him something.” which just made peter huff in irritation.jon felt vindicated, at this. martin taking his side. they hadn’t talked in a long .. time, and having someone actually encourage his behaviour made him feel.. you know, better. and pissing off peter lukas was always fun, so jon kind of smirked.“fine.” peter huffed, gently leafing through some papers on his desk. the static grew louder, and jon visibly winced. he hoped he didn’t imagine martin doing the same. “well….. you..” he paused. “you aren’t.. the only avatar, of the ceaseless watcher.”“i know that.” jon crossed his arms. “elias is… unfortunately one as well.”“no, that’s not what i mean.” peter spoke soft, like he was talking to a child. it made jon irritated. “there’s another one, one almost as powerful as elias. any questions you have, i’m sure he could.. answer them. but he’s.. you know, eccentric. and hard to track down.”jon’s jaw set. another avatar of the eye? of course peter would want to hide that from him, elias too. elias was so… not willing to answer his questions. he wanted jon to ‘figure all this out in his own time’, but jon didn’t even know WHAT he was supposed to be figuring out. maybe this.. other avatar was a fake. maybe lukas just wanted him to leave him alone, and was lying, but jon’s chest and head and body didn’t buzz when he spoke. therefore he was being honest, or at least as honest as he knew how to be. even if this avatar couldn’t tell him everything, he could tell jon something. maybe just somewhere he could go to get some information. anything.he balled his hands into fists, shifting a bit as he answered, “i want to try. to track him down, at least. i found gerry, im sure i can find him too.”peter shrugged. “up to you.” he mumbled, shifting some papers over.“…. you said he’s eccentric?” martin cut in, his hands trembling a little. “.. how eccentric are we talking?”jon also cut in, “like jude perry or—?”“oh, no. he’s harmless. well, ‘harmless’, he’s mostly just … not willing to hurt anyone. you’ll be fine.” peter seemed to be getting uncomfortable again.“okay. so.. where can i find him?”peter sighed. he looked up at them, at jon’s determined face, his curls falling back into his face, and martin standing so close to jon it was almost painful for peter to even look at.“his name.. uhm…”“..his name is Cecil Palmer. i think ..he lives in a desert town, called.. Night Vale?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“martin, please—““absolutely not, jon.”cecil palmer. cecil… palmer, the name felt good on jon’s mouth. just a name of probably some insane, eccentric man, but it felt good to have a direction. somewhere he was supposed to go.and right now, trying to convince martin to come with him was the hardest challenge.“you always tell me not to run off and do things without you! so.. so here i am, asking for help!”martin sighed. they’d left lukas in the office after hearing about this weird avatar, in this weird town, and jon.. wanted him to go. he wanted martin to accompany him, and martin knew he wasn’t supposed to. he was supposed to help peter with whatever this big plan is. he was already ruining it by talking to jon, but jon was following him and it was rude to ignore him.“i’m very busy with mr lukas, jon—““oh to hell with him!”martin jumped when he felt jon touch him. jon had grabbed his hand, gently holding it, as he looked at martin with an expression that was almost unreadable. like it was nine different emotions at once. jon didn’t interrupt him, he never usually interrupted martin. martin was always allowed to speak his mind around jon, but this time, he was interrupted. it felt okay, oddly enough, being interrupted and having his hand held like this by jon.“martin, i can’t do this alone.” he whispered. “i could, but im… ill be honest, im scared. i’ve done so many of these missions alone. and i want you to come this time. i trust you. you’ll watch my back, you’ll.. take care of it, you know?”and god, martin has always had a soft spot for those eyes. maybe it was telling, jon being an avatar of the eye. this conversation felt familiar, almost, like when jon was begging him to run away with him. how badly martin had wanted to agree, to kiss jon silly and tear their eyes apart so they could run far far away from this world.but he didn’t. he didn’t then, and while it meant he could still look into jon’s beautiful eyes and push the black curls from his eyes, it meant they were trapped. and all jon wanted was answers, something to tell him what he was supposed to do.and martin knew, he knew he should say no and tell jon to fuck off and leave him alone, and then back to his work and ignore him. for his own protection, martin should shut him out.but he also knew jonathan sims. and he knew jon was a small, stubborn man who would go with or without him. and jon WANTED him to come. he wanted, he wanted, he wanted. he was practically begging him to come. it kept playing in martin’s head, again and again. he wanted martine. he wanted martin. he was … wanted.and martin was a weak man when it came to jonathan sims. “… fine.” he mumbled.watching jon’s face light up when he agreed, martin almost threw his paperwork down and kissed him on the spot. he wasn’t that weak, though, but the thoughts nearly took him over for a second there.“really?” jon seemed taken back. like he didn’t think martin would cave so easy, if he even caved at all. “oh, well.. wonderful. i uhm. i would like us to leave as soon as possible, i have.. many questions for this.. cecil.”“i have a few of my own.” martin grabbed jon’s arms. “but first, i want to make sure we are on the same page: you cannot go off and get yourself injured. or killed, for that matter. if you get hurt im .. im gonna..”jon raised an eyebrow.“.. leave you there.” martin finished. and clearly jon didn’t believe him, but he let that go, thankfully.“fine. we’ll do it your way.” jon held his hands up in surrender. “only because i fear you’ll actually back out if i don’t.”“you are damn right i will.” he wouldn’t. “when are we leaving?”“as soon as possible.” jon put his hands on his hips. “i’ll send you all the information. i have to go do some.. research on this town. this.. night vale.”“fine.” martin said simply, and watched him move to the door. he swallowed the lump in his throat, catching jon’s sleeve. “jon. uhm…” he sighed, rubbing a hand on his eyes. “… thank you. for trusting me, i won’t let you down.”jon looked at him. and then, the tiny grin on his face, martin was sure he was imagining it. “.. you could never disappoint me, martin.” as he left.as martin sat there, digesting what the hell that meant, he kind of realized what he just agreed to. a trip, alone, with jon. jonathan sims. the love of his life. he would be sitting beside him on the plane or bus or in the car, and maybe jon would sit close to him and he’d listen to him breathe while he slept.and oh… no.martin blackwood was absolutely smitten. and absolutely fucked.cecil palmer, you better be worth the trouble.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS ON.][THERE IS SHUFFLING, LIKE SOMEONE GETTING COMFORTABLE. THEN, A SIGH.]MARTINi don’t know why you had to bring that thing.ARCHIVISTwell… i have no idea what this.. Cecil person is going to say. i need to make sure it’s.. [pause.] recorded. in case there’s anything important.[IN THE BACKGROUND, THERE'S AIRPORT CHATTER. THE ARCHIVIST AND MARTIN ARE SPEAKING QUIET, AS IF NOT WANTING TO BOTHER THOSE AROUND THEM.]MARTINwhat if he doesn’t say anything? most people don’t move to the desert because they want to be around people, jon.ARCHIVISTaccording to… what little i was able to find, apparently night vale is a real place, i was worried peter lukas made it up. it’s a small town near somewhere called Hudson's Valley.MARTIN[sounding exasperated.] oh absolutely wonderful. not just a single person living alone in a cave, it’s probably going to be a whole town of.. [trails off, sighing again.][THE ARCHIVIST ALSO SIGHS. THERES A SHUFFLING SOUND AGAIN, AND MARTIN SEEMS TO HUM.]ARCHIVISTyou didn't have to come. you can still go home, i’ll pay you back for the ticket. you know that.[SILENCE.]ARCHIVIST, CONT’Di’m glad you’re here though. i think this one is scaring me more than the others. [he hurries to finish before martin interrupts.] because he’s also an avatar for the eye. and the only other one of those i know is elias, and hes…MARTINinsane?ARCHIVISTi was going to say… [voice lowers to a monotone voice, sounding oddly like peter lukas.] ‘eccentric.’[MARTIN SNORTS ENDEARINGLY.]MARTINi’m glad i’m here too. i couldn’t let you run off to this… hudson’s valley city without me. knowing you, you’d get yourself hurt. or even worse. [uncomfortable laugh.] i can’t have you dying on me, now can i?ARCHIVISTit just makes it easier with you. [fond.] i like having a travel partner that i can trust.MARTIN[sputtering.] me? i– i- me? i’m someone you trust?ARCHIVIST[in a tone like he cannot believe martin just asked that] of course? i wouldn’t have asked you yo come otherwise. do you see melanie sitting here? with her pocket knife, waiting to cut my throat when i’m asleep?[MARTIN MAKES A NOISE LIKE HE IS ABOUT TO OBJECT, BUT SEEMS TO DECIDE OTHERWISE. THERE’S A NOISE LIKE SOMEONE SHIFTING AGAIN.]MARTINwell… [softly, and very fond.] i promise not to cut your throat while you’re sleeping.ARCHVIST[just as fond.] thank you.MARTINi would like something in return though. [talking over THE ARCHIVISTS’ objections] i want to be the first to talk to Cecil.ARCHIVIST[suspiciously] why?MARTINi thought you trusted me. [chuckle.] i just- i always let you do all the talking. i want to make sure Cecil is kind, or at least not going to incinerate the both of us for going all the way to america to bother him. which, by the way, i’m going to america for you, jon. when have i ever wanted to go there.ARCHIVISTwell, Martin, for letting me drag you all the way to america, i will let you talk to Cecil first. but i would like assurance that you’re not going off and getting yourself killed. if i can’t do it, neither can you.MARTINwell that’s just not fair, is it?[BOTH THE ARCHIVIST AND MARTIN LAUGH. IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO SMOTHER THE NOISE, BUT NEITHER IS SUCCEEDING.][THERE IS THE TRAILING OFF OF THE LAUGHTER AS BOTH CATCH THEIR BREATH. THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS, SOUNDING HAPPY. MARTIN SHIFTS, AND NOW HIS VOICE IS A LITTLE FARTHER.]ARCHIVIST… [voice shaking.] why are you leaning on me?MARTINi’m already exhausted.ARCHIVISTour flight is like, ten hours. sleep on the plane.MARTINi didn’t bring my neck pillow.ARCHIVISTyou’re already pretty much asleep on my shoulder. just… don’t- don’t interrupt my movie, you can sleep on me.MARTIN.. what movie did you download?ARCHIVISTi thought you were exhausted.MARTINi’m always awake for a movie.[THERES A DISTANT SOUND OF A LADIES VOICE. SHE IS CALLING FLIGHT NUMBERS AND BOARDING TIMES, FOLLOWED BY MARTIN CURSING QUIETLY, AND SOUNDS OF PAPER BEING HANDLED.]MARTINi think thats our flight.ARCHIVISTand after this, we have to find a bus that goes to a city in the middle of nowhere, Hudson. [softly, teasing] think you can handle that?MARTINtoo late to back out now.[SOUNDS OF THE RECORDING BEING HANDLED, FOLLOWED BY SHUFFLING AND MOVEMENT. THERE'S MUFFLED SPEAKING.][IN THE DISTANCE, PLANE ENGINES BEGIN HUMMING TO LIFE.][TAPE ABRUPTLY CUTS OFF.][END RECORDING.]
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
jonathan sims was not prepared for the sight of night vale.getting off the bus was hard enough for him, clutching martin’s hand from the bumpy ride, as martin helped him from the bus doors.and then they had a little to walk from there. which only made them both anxious, and not prepared. because jon was thinking again.what if martin was right? people don’t live in small desert towns because they like being bothered. and martin wanted to make their first introduction? jon was biting the inside of his cheeks so hard he almost thought he could taste blood. he didn’t want martin getting hurt.not after what elias did to him. and yes, jon knew. he’d heard the tape. (it took every part of his small frame not to march to elias’s jail cell and strangle him with his bare hands.)dragging their suitcases, martin startled a little when the road just. seemed to end, and there was suddenly a sidewalk. when both him and jon lifted their heads, they were standing at the edge of a city. one that.. neither of them remembered a sign, or any sort of introduction to. it just felt like the city started.and everything almost had an eerie, purple glow. not to mention just. everything about the city set jon’s ‘bad idea’ mentality wild.oh yea, this was a great idea.martin held onto jon’s hand as they walked slowly. people stopped, as they did, and a few stared. and well if that didn’t make them think that this was an even worse idea? martin absently pulled his sweater down over himself more, and jon turned his head away.passing by, they tried to find the most normal looking person, maybe someone who didn’t move like their bodies were full of rocks. or someone without a hood obscuring their entire face. they settled on a man, who they gingerly approached.martin used his kind voice to speak. “excuse me. we were hoping to locate um.. cecil palmer. would you be able to tell us where he is?”the man, who jon hated that he knew this, was named kareem. and kareem smiled. he looked to the two men, almost with interest, as he sipped his drink. at first, jon thought it was coffee, but it seemed his cup was full of orange peels. how does one drink orange peels?“he’s at the radio station.” kareem laughed, regardless of the oranges. “it’s probably best not to bother him while he’s there, though. but he’s always there, it’s weird you wouldn’t know that.”“we, uhm..” martin glanced to jon, who shrugged because he was as useless as a bag of ham.“you must be new. that’s fine. the station is over there, i can take you if you’d like.”“.. that’s kind of you.” jon said, his voice full of suspicion. he’d learned the hard way that not everyone who was kind was a good person.“i’m an intern. i’m there anyways.” he shrugged as well. he finished his cup, and placed it on top of the nearby trash. jon watched the cup begin to melt, and martin yanked him away before he could find what happened next.-[TAPE RECORDER CLICKS ON][SOUNDS OF WALKING, AND TALKING. WHEN EVERYONE SPEAKS, ITS MUFFLED, AS IF RECORDER IS IN A BAG OR POCKET.]ARCHIVISTthis feels more and more like a bad idea.MARTINmaybe. [nervously chuckles] maybe this is a terrible idea, but ..KAREEM[interrupting, as if he didn’t hear them speaking] he’s in there. he’s probably on the air, though, he always is.MARTINthank you, uhm.. its okay for us to go in?KAREEMknock yourself out. [his voice makes it feel like he’s grinning.][MARTIN SHIFTS UNEASILY. THERES A KNOCK, AND THEN THE GENTLE CREAK OF DOOR HINGES.][THERE IS ANOTHER VOICE. IT SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE IN THE ROOM AND NO WHERE AT ONCE.]CECIL—and that’s how to get pigs blood out of suede. this has been: kids fun fact science— [trails off. there’s a really long silence, and then he speaks again.] hello. listeners: i have guests in the studio. i do not know them!MARTIN[speaking quickly, to avoid THE ARCHIVIST speaking first] hi, uhm. are you… are you cecil palmer?CECIL[cheerfully] i think so? that’s the name my mother gave me when i was ripped out. cecil gershwin palmer, an interesting name don’t you think?MARTINah.. yes. interesting.ARCHIVIST[interrupting, upon seeing cecil is not attacking them on sight.] we want to talk to you. it’s… important.CECILoh i love important things! [he speaks in a way that sounds condescending. THE ARCHIVIST knows he just sounds that way. MARTIN does not.] i would love to talk with you.ARCHIVISTreally?CECILyes! oh- [clears throat.] listeners! we have… jonathan sims and martin blackwood in the studio today! they want to talk to me about something important, isn’t that always exciting?(MARTIN AND THE ARCHIVIST STARTLE. THEY DID NOT TELL CECIL THEIR NAMES.]CECIL, CONT’Dwell, while i find what our new friends want, why don’t we go… to the weather?[A PLEASANT MUSIC BEGINS PLAYING OUT OF NOWHERE.]CECIL, CONT’Dgentlemen. what did you wish to speak about?ARCHIVISTi. uhm? [uneasy.]MARTINwe think you may have some … information that’s important to us? and we were really hoping you’d want to share it.CECILwell, i’m no carlos. that’s my husband, he’s a scientist.MARTINwell that- that’s lovely, cecil, but i—CECILhe moved to town.. oh, a long time ago now. i knew he was here before anyone else did, at first i thought it was because of love, but now im unsure. my mother, bless her, always used to tell me i was creepy. ‘cecil, stop telling me when the rabbit outside has babies. ‘cecil, i don’t want to know any secrets about the neighbours, stop telling me things.’ ‘cecil, stop showing me your creepy third eye. i don’t want to see it’ ‘mirrors are evil, cecil, don’t look at them.’ did you know my neighbours used to—[THE ARCHIVIST HAS BEEN SILENT, WATCHING. HE INTERRUPTS.]ARCHIVISTyou knew secrets about your neighbours?CECILoh yes! i would ask them how their day had been and they just told me all their secrets without me prompting. isn’t that fun! and now i host the radio, so i learn lots of secrets.ARCHIVISTcecil.. uhm. what do you know about.. smirkes fourteen?[CECIL HUMS. THERES A SMALL BIT OF STATIC EMANATING FROM THE ARCHIVIST.]CECILi don’t know anybody named smirke. we have lots of people with odd names here in night vale! and some names without people! and fourteen is a number, if numbers even exist. i can never be sure.[MARTIN SPUTTERS.]ARCHIVISTif numbers… okay, i’m not- that’s not important now. i know fourteen is a number, cecil.CECILwell, good. it’s important to know things, but not too many things. the vague yet menacing government agency hears everything.MARTINeverything?ARCHIVISTalso- not important. listen, cecil, do you know what the ceaseless watcher is? the.. the eye?[CECIL IS SILENT. THERES NO SPEAKING, JUST BREATHING. IT SEEMS NONE OF THEM WANT TO BREAK THAT SILENCE.]CECIL[sincerely] … and if i said i don’t have any idea what you’re talking about?ARCHIVISTthen i think you and i need to talk about… some things.CECILi’m happy to talk. after my show.MARTINyour radio show?CECILthe weather is almost over.[THE MUSIC IS COMING TO A CLOSE AS CECIL CLEARS HIS THROAT.]CECILi will finish my broadcast. then we can talk.ARCHIVISTi thought you said we could speak now—CECIL[a little more forcefully] after my broadcast.MARTINyou want us to talk..here?CECILat my home, with carlos.ARCHIVISTdoes carlos need to be included?CECIL[snorting.] your boyfriend is here, so my husband will be too.[MARTIN AND ARCHIVIST CHOKE. THEIR VOICES ARE OVERLAPPING THEIR OBJECTIONS. IT SOUNDS AS IF CECIL IS NOT BELIEVING THEM.]ARCHIVISTwe aren’t-MARTINhe’s not my—CECIL[interrupting.] after my show. now, if you’ll excuse me. oh, and if you choose to stay, i need quiet. if you choose to leave, just stay away from station management.[MARTIN MAKES A NOISE TO SPEAK. IT SEEMS AS IF CECIL EITHER HOLDS UP A HAND OR ARCHIVIST STOPS HIM, BECAUSE THE WORDS NEVER COME.]CECIL, CONT’Dlisteners, while the weather was playing.. i had some thoughts..[SHUFFLE OF CHAIRS. CECILS VOICE BECOMES SOFT BACKGROUND NOISE, AS THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS.][THE VOICES BECOME LESS DISTORTED FOR A MOMENT AS THE ARCHIVIST REMOVES THE TAPE FROM… THE POCKET OR BAG IT WAS IN.]ARCHIVIST[whispering] recording ends.. for now.[END RECORDING.]