Chapter Text
The first time they see him, they know they are lost.
He is hard not to notice - his clothes shimmer in the light, changing from one color to the other, holographic and maybe a bit too revealing.
The man himself is eye-catching, too, and not only because of his height. His hair looks messy in an intended way, the front of it pulled into a charming little ponytail, the rest falling freely over his shoulders, curling a bit to the sides. He moves in a carefree way, almost gliding through the room, which is ironically rare for warlocks. Jan, in their butterflies-inside-heart-beating-wildly frenzy, thinks that he is the most beautiful person they've ever seen.
They try not to stare too obviously as they commit every detail to memory, in the brief amount of time it takes him to cross the library and disappear into the office department.
They are stunned, and distraught at not asking for his name, and they need to know who he is as if their life depends on it.
(Judging by the still frantic beating of their heart, it may as well be)
---
"Oh, him? That's Frye," Soma says, casually, but their posture looks a bit stiff as they say it, "Why do you ask?"
"Um, it's just," Jan stutters, fiddling with the pen in their hand, "I think I'd like to ask him on a date."
Soma, almost comically, lowers their sunglasses to give the other hunter a meaningful Look.
Jan doesn't know what it means; it falls flat.
Soma sights and frowns at them, considering.
"Are you serious about this?"
"Yes," Jan clicks the pen a few times, avoiding eye contact, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about him for a week."
Soma is quiet for another moment, putting the sunglasses back where they belong, but still evaluating Jan from behind them.
“Okay,” they finally say, “I can ask him to drop by sometime this week.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but…”
Soma motions for Jan to get closer, which they do, almost excitedly.
The excitement dissipates the moment they see Soma’s expression.
“If you hurt him,” the other hunter looks deadly serious, which is a rare look on them, “I will kill you.”
Jan nods, sufficiently intimidated.
“That is the last thing I want to do.”
----
When the day finally comes, Jan can’t stop checking their reflection every few minutes.
They wore their best shirt, and took extra care in styling their hair, and even used a bit of makeup, despite being way out of practice.
Their tie feels unusually suffocating, or maybe that’s just the nerves, but either way, they keep adjusting it.
Any and all work that they had for today lays half-forgotten in favor of their phone, which they keep checking for a message from Soma.
In short, Jan feels like an absolute mess.
When the message finally arrives, they almost spill the coffee they’ve been nervously sipping on. They put it on the table, immediately forgotten, as they all but sprint towards the main entrance of the building, per Soma’s instructions.
Opting for the stairs instead of the elevator isn’t even a question in their mind - they skip up to three steps at a time in their barely contained excitement, which makes reaching their destination way faster.
Jan sees him immediately - Frye is sitting on one of the couches in the waiting area, looking bored, flipping through a magazine he must have found on the coffee table in front of him.
He looks just as stunning as Jan remembers.
After taking one more look in the nearest reflective surface, they finally approach.
“Uh, hi! Frye, is it?”
The warlock looks up, languid, and smiles in much the same way. Jan’s heart skips a beat.
“Jan, I take it?”
“Y-yeah. That’s me, um,” they laugh nervously, unsure of what to do, and extend their hand for a handshake, “Nice to meet you, officially, I mean, um-”
Frye laughs at that, himself, but shakes the offered hand. Jan feels their face heat up.
“Nice to meet you too,” he pats the space beside him on the couch, “Sit down, will ya? No need to be so formal”
Jan obliges. An awkward silence follows.
They try not to stare, but it’s near impossible with someone so dazzling in front of them, so they start fidgeting with their tie instead, desperately trying to think of what to say.
Frye, for his part, looks incredibly amused.
“Soo,” he begins, “Soma told me you wanted to ask me something?”
“Ah, yes, um, that is, would you- I mean,” Jan sighs, looks at Frye apologetically, “Sorry. I’m really nervous, um...”
“It’s okay, I have that effect on people,” the warlock says, nonchalantly leaning back into the couch, bumping their knees together.
Jan almost loses the gift of speech for a second time.
“So, I was wondering if you’d like to, um. Grab some dinner together? Sometime?”
They say it while looking away, which is why they are surprised to find Frye much closer once they finally turn back. He is still at a comfortable enough distance, but it is close enough that Jan can smell a hint of cologne from him. Fruity, almost like bubblegum. They are very glad they’re sitting already.
Frye, meanwhile, still looks amused, almost sly.
“Oh, I know exactly the kind of dinner you have in mind,” he says, leaning onto the hand he has draped around the back of the couch, exposing the long line of his neck, looking at Jan with half-lidded eyes. The hunter keeps their eyes firmly on his face.
“Oh, do you have a place in mind?”
“ Your place, maybe,”
“Oh, I’m not that good of a cook, um…” Jan looks around, thinking, “How about the restaurant across the street from here? Tomorrow at 8pm?”
For the first time during their conversation, Frye looks confused.
Then, he shrugs, and the lazy smile returns to his face. He leans back into the couch.
“Sure, I’m free.”
“Great!” Jan, in their excitement, almost shakes Frye’s hand again, but restrains the urge just in time, “I’ll...see you there?”
“Sure, sure. Wouldn’t miss it.”
“I’m, um. Really looking forward to it,” Jan stands up, almost bumping into the coffee table, “My break is over, so, um, I need to- wait, do you need my phone number? Just in case something-”
Frye waves his hand dismissively, still lounging.
“Just have Soma call me if something comes up.”
“Ah,” Jan tries not to sound disappointed, “I will, yes. Good idea.”
They wave, awkwardly, and leave without looking back.
They keep a very calm and controlled pace on their way to the archives, and definitely don't run, fueled by nerves and excitement.
---
Jan gets to the restaurant about half an hour earlier. They opted for something more casual than their work-wear, but now, standing in front of the building with the biggest peony bouquet they could buy, they feel underdressed and nervous.
They are so absorbed in overthinking that the slight tap on their shoulder makes them jump. They’re glad they’ve been gripping the bouquet for dear life, or else they would have surely dropped it.
Behind them is Frye, looking overjoyed at their reaction.
“I didn’t think you’d jump. ”
“I, uh. I was...distracted,” Jan says, fidgeting with the flowers in their hands, before remembering who they’re for, “Oh, right, um. Here,”
They extend the bouquet towards Frye, who looks confused.
“For me?”
“Yeah. I think they, um. They suit you.”
The warlock takes the flowers in his hands, hesitantly, like they’re something unfamiliar to him.
Then he shrugs again, and any trace of hesitation disappears from his face and body language.
“Well, to each their own.”
“Haha, yeah,” Jan agrees, despite not understanding the comment at all, “Shall we, uh?”
They gesture to the restaurant entrance.
Frye smiles, easy and radiant.
“Lead the way.”
-----
The dinner, Jan thinks, goes great. Frye is a good storyteller, even if half of his stories are better left unheard in public places. But he is a good listener, too.
(Not to mention the in-depth discussion they ended up having about Golden Age-era music)
They both leave the restaurant laughing, just a bit tipsy, and, at least for Jan, high on joy.
Once they're a few meters from the entrance, Frye stops walking and turns to look at his companion, one hand propped on his hip, the other holding the bouquet carelessly.
"So," he says, voice low, "what now?"
"Oh, I… Can I walk you back to your house?" they offer, hopeful.
Frye steps closer at that, puts his hand on Jan's chest, keeps it there.
"I was thinking of going to your place, you know," he leans close enough to whisper in their ear, which makes Jan freeze and overheat all at once, "to stay the night."
It takes a moment for them to remember how to speak, with Frye being too close for their brain to function, but they manage a weak "okay" once the warlock leans back a bit.
"Don't die yet, handsome, I've got big plans for tonight," he says, amused, finally removing his hand after giving their chest a few pats.
Jan barely registers what he says after 'handsome'.
They barely register the entire walk home, too, but their autopilot gets them both to the apartment without issue.
(Except for the two minutes it took them to open the door, on account of their shaking hands)
"Okay, well," Jan says once they both step into the apartment proper, avoiding looking in Frye's direction, "Um, the bedroom is over there and, um, I'll go change the sheets for you and…find something for you to sleep in, and-"
"No need for all that," Frye interrupts, casually stepping into Jan's field of view, hand on their chest again, "we can just go to bed as is."
"Oh, um. I'm sleeping on the couch."
Frye’s hand leaves their chest.
"...What"
"And I can't imagine that sleeping in your current clothes is comfortable, so no worries, I'll find you something."
They are aware they're talking too much, but that is all they can think to do in the situation. Frye's reaction isn't what they expect; it's almost as if there's no reaction at all, like he's frozen in place.
Jan carefully takes the flowers out of his hands.
"I'll go put these in a vase, um," they gesture deeper into the apartment, "you can use the bathroom meanwhile, since I still have to change the bedsheets and… There's a bathrobe there, but I will also leave the spare clothes outside the door for you, is that alright?"
Frye, still looking stunned and confused, nods slowly. Jan smiles nervously.
"Just call if you have any questions"
---
By the time they come back from putting the flowers in the water, Frye is already in the bathroom. Jan sighs in relief, trying not to let the implications of the latest events get to them.
They get busy with preparing the bedroom for Frye, instead, picking the best bedsheets they have, and the least embarrassing shirt and pants they own.
Jan is in the middle of changing the blanket cover when they hear the bedroom door open, and definitely do not jump at the sound.
In the doorway is Frye, wearing the bathrobe, his own clothes in hand. It doesn't seem like he took a lot of care in tying the robe, as it looks about ready to fall off his shoulders. He gives Jan a long, meaningful look.
The hunter starts working on changing the covers faster.
They hear Frye sign in frustration, and then they see him getting comfortable on the unused bit of the bed. Whether intentional or not, the movement leaves his legs completely uncovered, and Jan quickly looks away, offering his guest the finished blanket.
"Um, yeah, I hope your shower was nice," they gesture to the clothes laying on the bedside table, "You can change into that, and-"
"Are you sure you don't want to join me?" Frye interrupts. He doesn't look at them.
"Um, yeah, the couch is just fine," they laugh awkwardly, "not my first rodeo, you know?"
Frye nods.
Jan shifts their weight from leg to leg, unsure.
"I'll let you be, then," they say, heading for the door, "I'm in the living room if you need anything, um… Good night?"
All they get is a quiet "yeah, you too" as they close the door.
---
It is the middle of the night, and Frye cannot sleep. He didn’t plan to sleep tonight in the first place, but not like this .
He could leave, of course, it’s one of the things he’s best at, and yet...a mix of disappointment and unmistakable anxiety keeps him pinned in place.
Alone, in the comfiest bed he’s been in for the last couple of months, he is at a loss.
The first few hours he expected Jan to come back, quietly slip below the covers, take him up on his offer, because why else would they go through the trouble of flowers and restaurants and changing the bed and-
It would be so much easier if that happened.
“Lili,” he calls out, but his Ghost is already near him even before he finishes.
“Want a transmat out?” she offers immediately. Frye laughs.
“As confusing as this whole thing is, I don’t think I want to be sleeping in the ship again tonight.”
Not that he was getting much sleep anyway, but it’s always better to mope on a comfortable mattress than in the driver’s seat.
“Then what is it?”
“Was I too subtle?” he asks, falling back into the pillows dramatically. Lili sighs.
“You rarely are,” she says it with the disapproving tone used for criticizing his usual one-night stands. Somehow, he finds it comforting.
“Then why am I here , and they are on the couch ?”
“I don’t know, maybe you finally found someone decent.”
“You know that this isn’t-” he sits up again, almost angry. Reigns it in, because she only wants what’s best, “I’m not looking for a relationship, you know this.”
“You don’t have to date them for them to be decent.”
With a grumble, Frye disappears below the covers. Lili flies closer, flicking her shell uncertainly.
“You can ask them in the morning?”
“Maybe they’ll fuck me then,” comes a muffled, irritated reply.
“Traveler, you are impossible .”
----
Morning greets him with blinding sunshine and the smell of something sweet and delicious in the air. Frye rises, still groggy from the few hours of sleep he’s had, and looks around.
Still alone, still in a comfortable bed. A cursory glance at the floor reveals his clothes, still where he dropped them the previous day. Jan never entered the bedroom in the night. This never happened before.
Unsure how to proceed, he leaves the bed. Considers going out in just the t-shirt he slept in, but decides to put his own clothes on - for ease of leaving, if need be.
Leaves the bed unmade.
The smell is even more delicious outside the bedroom, and the sight that greets him in the kitchen makes something stir in his chest (he tramples it down without mercy).
Jan’s back is turned to him, busy attending to something on the stove. Their hair is untied, and this is the first time he’s seeing them not wearing a dress shirt. Somehow that makes them more attractive, and he mourns the way the night could have gone.
The peonies, standing big and beautiful on the kitchen table, give the scene a domestic feeling, mocking him.
Frye clears his throat.
“Oh!” Jan almost jumps again, turning around. Their face is immediately lit up in a warm smile, “Good morning! I’m making breakfast.”
Frye takes a seat at the table, spitefully moving the peonies to the side.
“I can see that much,” he props his head on one hand, giving Jan a lazy smile and a wink, one last-ditch attempt at flirting, “what’s on the menu?”
“Oh, I thought this would be funny,” Jan looks gleeful as they put something on two plates and bring them to the table, “It’s french toast”
Frye laughs, surprised. The food looks amazing, and his stomach gives an involuntary growl.
“That’s pretty funny, yeah,” he agrees, tone flat.
“Try it! I hope it’s good, I don’t really cook much, but I found this recipe recently and-”
Frye takes a bite. He doesn’t look at Jan, who is still babbling on. The toast is good, but the situation is almost overwhelmingly sweet , and he is getting impatient.
“I know I said I’m not a very good cook, but french toast is easy, so, um, I decided to try making it for you, and-”
“Why didn’t you sleep with me?” Frye interrupts.
Jan seems to choke on air, and their expression would be funny in any other situation. He waits for their answer, taking another bite, not breaking eye contact.
“I’m, uh,” the hunter manages, “I don’t, um...”
They fidget with their fork, looking away, blushing. Frye keeps quiet.
“I just...I want to do this right,” Jan says when they meet his eyes again, hopeful.
Something cold grips Frye’s insides.
“I don’t date.”
“Oh.”
Jan’s posture sinks, and their expression loses any amount of joy they had previously. Despite himself, Frye finds that he can’t stand to look at them like that.
“But I don’t mind being friends,” he says, rushed, unthinking.
Jan looks at him like he just delivered the best news of their life, and he knows he won’t be able to bring himself to take the offer back.
“I don’t mind that,” they say, reassuring, “You’re great company either way”
He wants to laugh at that, because he’s only great at being a mess, but the sincere, fond smile on Jan’s face doesn’t let him. He takes another bite of french toast instead.
“Can I still give you flowers, though?”
Frye wants to say no, wants to tell them it’s not worth the effort, that he isn’t worth the effort, and where would he even put them on his ship , but he just nods instead.
Jan smiles, delighted, and Frye thinks this is the biggest mistake he’s ever made in his life.
(He can’t bring himself to correct it, though)