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They’re three drinks in when Daisy decides she’s going to be Jon’s wingman for the night.
She announces this when she catches him staring sadly into the middle distance again, slaps her hands on the tabletop and says, “Right, then, let’s go hunting.”
Jon makes some weak protests, sounding confused, but Basira gets a big grin on her face and nods encouragingly. Daisy drags Jon towards the bar and orders another drink to shut him up for a minute while she looks around the busy pub.
Does she go for someone who looks like Blackwood or someone who doesn’t? She doesn’t know what the Archivist likes besides Martin but it wouldn’t do to rub salt in the wound either. Maybe she’ll go on vibes instead; Jon and Martin share an awkward energy, maybe she can find someone similar but with the confidence to take the lead because Jon sure as hell won’t.
“Daisy, what- what are you looking for?” Jon asks.
“Someone attractive,” she says. The answer comes out of her so easily she wonders if Jon compelled her, but it’s not like she planned on lying anyway.
Jon just sounds even more confused. “I thought- well, I thought you and Basira-”
Daisy rolls her eyes. “For you, ” she says. “Hush up and drink your beer.”
Jon almost says something but obeys her instead.
She spies a man with a round, soft face like Martin’s at the fringes of a group, smiling at the people talking but very clearly not participating in the conversation. Co-workers, she guesses, bringing along the awkward guy because it was too impolite not to, and him not having the courage to decline. Certainly not unfriendly with the group, but not noticed either, easy to pull away from the rest.
“Wait here,” she tells Jon. She musses his hair in an attempt to make him look more- flirtatious, maybe? But he looks like he’s just rolled out of bed instead, so she smoothes it back down. It doesn’t look any better but it doesn’t look any worse, she thinks. “Try to look…seductive,” she says, and she walks off while Jon chokes on his beer.
As she approaches the man, it occurs to her that she doesn’t actually know how to be a wingman. But she’s seen films, she gets the gist of it. “Hi,” she says, startling the man. “I’m Daisy.”
“Um- Adam.” His cheeks go pink. He’s reasonably handsome, in a boyish way similar to Martin, though Daisy’s never been a good judge of male attractiveness.
“My friend over there,” she nods in Jon’s direction, “thinks you’re cute, but he’s shy. But I think he’s really interested.”
Adam blinks. “What, really? Well, that’s- sorry, did you say he? Sorry, I’m not, um, I’m not-”
Ah, shit. The part films always ignore: the incompatible orientation. “Never mind,” she says briskly, and she turns back to Jon without another word, ignoring Adam’s confused “oh, um, bye?”.
Jon is staring at her, bewildered, when she returns. “What was that? ”
“I forgot that people are straight,” Daisy answers. “D’you go for women at all? Should up your chances a bit, and I’m better at talking to women anyway.”
“What? ”
“We could move to a gay bar, Basira would be fine with that, but the ones I know would be loud with lots of dancing, and I get the feeling that’s not quite your style.”
Jon appears to try and say several things at once, gives up, drains the rest of his beer (nearly half the glass in one go, Daisy’s almost impressed), and says, “I need a cigarette,” heading quickly to the door.
Daisy returns to Basira, who is grinning wickedly. “How’d it go?”
“I don’t actually know how to flirt and I doubt Jon does either.”
“Yeah, that’s gay culture for you.” Basira wraps an arm around Daisy’s waist. It feels really nice. “What brought that on, anyway?”
Daisy sighs and leans into Basira. “He keeps moping ,” she says. “He’s got to try and get over Martin at some point.”
Basira laughs. “I didn’t realize he actually felt the same way, I kind of thought Martin’s crush was a little hopeless.”
“What? No, they were dating, they-” She breaks off, realizing she’d never actually seen or heard about Jon and Martin doing anything romantic besides pining dramatically. “Were they not dating?”
Basira, clearly trying to hold back more laughter, shakes her head.
Daisy groans and buries her face in her hands. “Christ, no wonder he’s such a mess. Broke up with someone he was never even with.”
“Yeah, that’s…” Basira’s giggling dies off, and she sobers. “Yeah, that sucks, actually. Damn. And I thought watching Martin fret over him was painful.”
Daisy grunts, and rests her head on Basira’s shoulder. “Idiots.”
“No kidding.” After a moment, Basira starts to gently pet Daisy’s hair. “That was a nice thing you tried to do, though,” she says softly. “Trying to set him up. Dragging him out of that dusty old office in the first place.”
Daisy shrugs, a little embarrassed at the direct praise. “Can’t say I know how to thank someone for rescuing you from a bloody nightmare pit. Don’t think they make cards for that.”
Jon comes back inside, after a little while. He pauses, seeing them; Daisy can’t recall if he’s ever actually seen them being outright affectionate like this. “I should go, probably,” he mumbles, pulling out a wallet. “I, uh, I’ve probably got cash, I’ll pay you back if I don’t-”
“No, no,” Basira says. She taps the table, indicating he should sit down. “We’re not done with you yet. One more round before you even think about leaving, yeah?”
Jon hovers next to them awkwardly before nodding and slowly sitting down. “One more,” he agrees.
“Do you suppose you can still get hungover, with everything?” Daisy asks. “Or do- avatars or whatever get immunity?”
“Now that’s an idea,” Basira says, grinning.
Jon laughs- actually laughs, short and a little rough, but it makes Daisy smile. “We’ll not be experimenting with that tonight, thank you very much."
“But some other night…”
“I don’t think I could stop the both of you, I’ve resigned myself to this fate.”
They stay for more than one round, Basira and Daisy telling non-Section 31 stories, Jon eventually sharing a couple from back in university. It’s a good night.
(Jon can still get hungover, it turns out. He’s inordinately pleased by this discovery.)