"I am reluctant to trust a third person. I don't know who is involved in the conspiracy in the Institute, and I don't know if the conspiracy is benevolent or not. If it's not benevolent it could be a really bad idea to let people know we know about it."

He blushes a lot at Lev liking to make him laugh. 
“Right. Yeah. That... makes sense, yeah. So. What is the plan? ...Do we...have...a plan...?”

"I don't really have a plan! --I wonder what we would see if we looked at Artefact Storage's records, or the library."

“We could find out!”

"Because if my hunch is right what we'd see is... Artefact Storage does experiment after experiment after experiment and records the results but they're not... trying to test any hypotheses or learn anything. They're just seeing what happens in different situations. Collecting data without a theory. Cargo cult academia." He shivers.

“That... sounds about right, as far as I’ve heard from the people who work there full-time? There’s a lot of outside researchers who use Institute resources too, and I assume at least some of them are probably legit?”

He presses his face into Martin's chest for a long time and then says:

"...my plan should be for me to quit."

“....................................oh.”

And then: “Should be?”

"I mean think about it." (Lev is getting excited, and also kind of loud.) "If the Magnus Institute is a malicious conspiracy, then continuing to work for them is not only dangerous, it's advancing the cause of something that-- judging from the rest of the statements-- wants to murder people all the time. If the Magnus Institute is a benevolent conspiracy, then they didn't tell anyone for a reason, and by continuing to work there while I know that it's not really about research I could be exposing people to danger. And if it's just kind of incompetent I could get a better job elsewhere with an actual research org and not a cargo cult org."

“I..... guess that follows, yeah. That. Makes a lot of sense.

....That all applies to me, too, and I... kind of need a job? Sorry. I know I should probably—quit with you—but.” He’s staring at the floor. 

"Yeah, I guess I'm used to the 'live in a studio, eat ramen' life and you're not. --It'll probably take two, three weeks for me to build up a tutoring business to the point where I can pay my rent and cover food for two people?"

He looks like he’s about to say something, but then he realizes something else and he just stands there gaping for a moment.
“...Cover food for two people?”

"I mean, if you wanted to quit."

“I guess if I’m quitting there’s no reason to not— I mean—

I, um. Am pretty used to living in a studio apartment and eating ramen, actually? But my mom’s sick, really sick, has been since I was in high school—she’s in a home now but it still costs money, you know? For her to be in a nice one? 

...And. Since it is kind of. Relevant to this whole thing. You should probably know that, uh. I lied on my resume? I know everyone does, kind of, but I said that I did have the training, that I had a college degree, it wasn’t their incompetence that they assumed I had it. I’m, um, I dropped out of school when I was 17. I knew it was—probably relevant—but I didn’t want you to fire me if you found out—stupid, I know, but. I needed the job, like I said.

So. Uh. Three people. I’m, uh. Sorry. I know you didn’t exactly ask for that.”

There are lots of different things he could say but the thing he says is, ".....okay, three people one of whom is in a nursing home. That'll be harder. I could call up some of Asher's old friends and see if they can get me clients because they feel bad for me that my fiance's dead."

“.....Thank you. 

And, um, sorry again. I can just keep my job, if it doesn’t work out? I don’t mind the danger too much, just, if you think I shouldn’t stay—and that other people might get hurt too—“ 

Staring at the floor. Also: hugging Lev very tightly. He repeats “thank you”, quieter this time. 

"We should probably live in the same studio because I won't be able to cover two people-- we are going to have to figure out some sort of bed solution-- you could probably get a job at a different paranormal organization, you have work experience and that matters more than a degree, but applications might take a while-- do you have savings, can you work, I don't know, retail or something--"

“I have some savings and I can work retail—I can cover myself fine, really, if I’m all I have to worry about?”

And then, a bit shyer: “We could... share a bed, if you were okay with that? It’s fine if you aren’t, I‘m fine sleeping on couches and you fall asleep at your desk half the time anyway, but. If you were, and just weren’t mentioning it for my sake?”

"Well, I can't fall asleep at my desk if I don't have a desk! --Sure, I mean, I just didn't want to assume."

“Right! And probably you will be less likely to fall asleep during tutoring. It’s weird to think of you doing a different job? I mean, you’d be a great tutor, just, it’s weird to imagine you not accidentally working all night.”

"I'm a great teacher," he says with the air of a person announcing that the earth is round. 

He’s so good.

“Well, you’re wasted on that at the Institute. I guess you’ve taught me some stuff? But, well. I hope tutoring is better.”

"I can teach you more things. Math. Neuroscience. Whatever you want although if you want to learn business you'll have to give me a few weeks to teach myself it first."

Mmmmm Martin has hair and Lev wants to run his fingers through it. 

Small laugh! Happy noises! “Well, I don’t know that I’m smart enough to learn neuroscience. But I’ve, uh, been claiming to have a master’s in parapsychology for... five years now at least...? and, well, you have a doctorate in the normal sort of psychology, so.” Lev is getting very very hugged. 

"Bet you are and you've just had crap science teachers."