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Upon arriving in Somewhere Else, Jon has had to deal with a lot of new health problems, both mentally and physically. Being ripped away from the Eye after being so dependent on it did quite a bit of damage to him, and he was probably lucky to even be alive. Not to mention, all the painful and traumatic experiences he went through in the process of becoming an avatar.
However, he unfortunately couldn't blame all his health problems on the things he experienced during his time as The Archivist. Some of them started well before he even started working for the Magnus Institute.
His migraines were one such thing.
He had gotten his first migraine when he was 18, and they steadily became more and more frequent as he got older. Not frequent enough to be put on prescription medication for it, but enough that he usually brought medicine with him wherever he went. Sounds and light tended to be the biggest triggers for his migraines, so he became used to working in dim, quiet places when he could. That was part of what he enjoyed about working in the Archives.
Now, though, with most of his vision gone, sound was the only thing he really had to worry about. Sounds weren't generally a problem at home, considering he and Martin both knew what sorts of sounds to stay away from, and were always quick with the volume button should things become too much for Jon. Since Jon worked from home as well, that meant it was only something he had to worry about when he went out. And, usually, things were fine.
Usually.
Unfortunately, today was not one such day. Jon and Martin had gone out shopping, and while they were in the middle of the store, the fire alarm went off. It was loud and piercing, and had Jon not needed one arm for his cane and his other to hold onto Martin, he would've been covering his ears. But as it was, he was subjected to that repetitive, piercing noise against his will for apparently too long.
He could feel it when they were away from the noise. The way his head buzzed and swirled, the way his ears still rung even when the noise had stopped, the way he wanted nothing more than to curl up and hide away forever. He hoped it would go away, that he was just a bit sensitive to the noise was all, and just needed a few minutes to recover. Maybe after sitting down in a quiet place the feeling would go away, and he could continue his day as normal.
It didn't help.
Even after he realized he should take medicine before the feeling got worse, to prevent the discomfort and lightheadedness from turning into throbbing pain, the feelings didn't go away. They lingered uncomfortably, making him feel like he was going to topple over at any given second. Every sound felt like it pierced his skull, and his head felt like it was going to explode.
Needless to say, the two had cut their shopping trip short.
As soon as they made it home, Martin guided Jon to their bedroom and quietly pulled out his comfiest pair of pajamas (which happened to include one of Martin's jumpers). He handed them to Jon and planted a gentle kiss to his forehead.
"Do you think caffeine would help?" Martin asked gently. Jon took the opportunity to lean against the taller man, face planted in his chest. Martin wrapped his arms around him firmly, rubbing his hand up and down his side soothingly. The two stayed like that for a few moments as Jon pondered the question.
Sometimes, caffeine helped. Other times, it made things worse. It was always hard to tell, and some times Jon just wasn't willing to risk it. Today, though, Jon had a feeling it might help. He hadn't had much caffeine today, and since it wasn't what triggered this migraine, he felt it would be okay to try.
"Maybe," He finally mumbled. Martin gave him a careful squeeze.
"Alright, I'll go make you some tea then."
Martin planted another kiss on his forehead before leaving the room. Jon swayed in place for a moment, before starting the slow process of changing.
The thing he probably found most annoying about his migraines wasn't the pain, but the weakness. Every action he took made him feel like he had lost all his strength, like he was liable to fall over and collapse at any second, like any amount of exertion was simply too much, no matter how small. He wasn't even in that much pain right now- the medicine had, luckily, prevented that-, yet he still felt the uncomfortable pressure in his head that made him feel like it was going to explode.
He felt sick, but without much nausea. Just a general feeling of being unwell, of having no energy, and a vague sense of wanting to cry. It was annoying and he felt miserable and pathetic. Even without much pain to complain about, he still felt totally and utterly useless.
Christ, he hated migraines.
As soon as he was changed, he plopped onto bed and curled up underneath the covers. Laying down helped, but he could still feel the uneasiness and tingling in his head. Still, it was nice to curl up in a quiet, dark room. He could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the bedroom soon after he lied down.
He could hear as Martin gently set a mug down on the nightstand, and the sound of rustling fabric as he presumably changed into his own pajamas. It was still relatively early in the evening, but migraines almost always guaranteed Jon was going to call it an early night, and sometimes Martin joined him. Jon then felt the bed shift as Martin carefully slid under the covers next to him. Then, there was a warm hand brushing the hair out of his face, and Jon leaned into the gentle touch.
"You do have to sit up to drink your tea, unfortunately," Martin said quietly. Martin was always very careful with his voice when Jon had a migraine, and it made Jon's chest all warm and fuzzy every time. Jon let out a groan, before he slowly sat up. He reached over, carefully finding the mug and picking it up. Next, he carefully scooted closer to Martin, who luckily met him halfway.
Jon leaned into his side, Martin wrapping an arm around his waist. Jon curled up as much as he could, half sitting in Martin's lap at that point. The two were quiet as Jon nursed his tea, Martin a comforting warmth and presence. Physical touch had always been important to Jon, but especially when he was sick, it was something he desperately craved.
He felt so weak, like he might fall apart at any moment. While logically he knew he could, it felt like he couldn't even support his own weight, like even sitting up was too much effort. It felt like his body could give out on him at any moment. Leaning against Martin, having Martin support most of his weight like this and hold him close, helped. It didn't get rid of the feelings, of course, but he at least wasn't as worried about falling over. Not with Martin there to hold him up, should he need to.
The tea was also, of course, delightful. About halfway through the mug, Jon was relieved to realize some of the pressure in his head seemed to be easing up. It was still very much there, of course. It was rare anything would ever make his migraines go away fully in such a short amount of time, but it helped. And the fact that the tea was made to absolute perfection also helped. He didn't care if he was biased in that opinion.
When Jon finally finished his tea, Martin took the empty mug and placed it on his nightstand. Jon took the moment to start shifting down to lay down again. He could practically feel the question on Martin's tongue, even without the man making any actual sound. Luckily, Jon already knew what the question would be, as well as his answer.
Jon lied on his back, and opened his arms. And like that, the question disappeared without even being spoken, and Martin shifted next to him. He lied down on top of Jon, a very comforting weight, and nuzzled his face into the crook of Jon's neck. Jon wrapped his arms around him, letting out a content sigh at the feeling. Martin reached a hand up to stroke the side of his face and run his nails along his scalp. It was absolutely perfect.
Like this, Jon could feel a lot less concerned about the strange weakness of his body. The unpleasant fuzziness was still there, of course, but it was manageable like this. The two lay in a comfortable silence, and had this been a more normal day, Jon probably would've fallen asleep. But, as it was, sleep didn't come to him that easily.
He drifted somewhere between unconsciousness and reality, yet always aware of the pressure in his head. Yet, he was also just as aware of the lovely man lying on top of him, the feel of his fingers running along the side of his face, and his soft breaths along his collarbone. The comforting scent of his partner, that luckily wasn't strong enough to be an issue, and the all encompassing warmth he found himself in.
Migraines made him utterly useless, leaving him feeling weak and pathetic, and he would much rather never get them at all, but at least he had a lovely partner here to take care of him. Martin might not be able to take away the discomfort, but at least Jon could feel warm and cared for when he was feeling totally miserable otherwise.