Chapter Text
Doctor Ari Lavand turned the key to the cabinet, glad to be done with the day. They turned to their collections volunteer with a smile. "Thanks for your work today. You have zero idea how much of a pain in the ass those item description cards were before you fixed 'em…" they said with a groan.
"Of course, anytime. Within reason," the volunteer replied with a slight smile.
The curator laughed and clapped a hand over his shoulder. "Yeah, I know you're busy, Mister Military."
Captain Thomas Norland almost laughed. He'd only been at the museum for a few months, skillfully talked into it by the curator currently escorting him out the door. For a while, he'd only known them as 'the pretty archeologist with the glasses and braids behind the glass'. It got worse when he'd attended a virtual talk and actually heard them speak. Proving that there was a lot more going on in that head than he'd expected. From then on, he'd tried to avoid all chances of interaction, planning his visits to not coincide with their scheduled interpretive talks. But they caught him one night at an after-hours event and he was done for.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey! Mind if I pull your ear for a second there?"
Thomas startled at the sudden call, quickly turning towards the sound. He wished it had been anyone else. "Oh, Doctor Lavand, I'm sorry, I need to go-"
"Ah, come on, it'll be less than five minutes," Ari said with a smile, fidgeting with their braid.
Thomas tightened his grip on his car keys. "Fine."
Ari clapped their hands together, "Great, cool, cool, cool. Anyway, you visit, like, a lot . My colleagues say you're really well-read with material culture and have a great eye for detail. Have you ever considered volunteering with us?" they asked, subtly pushing their glasses up on their nose.
That was not the question I was expecting. He deflected a little. "Apologies, I don't think my work schedule will allow—"
"You can come in as you please!" Ari stated enthusiastically. "We're really looking for help with accessioning this new collection, even an hour a week helps!"
The curator's enthusiasm was starting to slip through Thomas' detached veneer. It didn't help that they were even prettier on this side of the glass. I suppose it can't hurt to try it for a bit. He slipped his keys back into his pocket and sighed. "Alright, tell me what I need to fill out."
~~~~~~~~~~
Ari waved to the security officer before turning back to the man next to them. Ah, fuck, he is so nice to look at, ugh, tall men. They took a drink from their water bottle. "Oh, yeah, never thanked you for dinner and the gallery the other week. Had to leave in a hurry and I hadn't seen you since."
Thomas looked away, a slight flush coming to his cheeks. "It was nothing."
Nervously laughing, Ari started speedwalking to their car. "Cool, great! It was fun," they started. "Spending time with you and all."
"Likewise," the dark-haired man replied, avoiding eye contact at all costs.
Shit, shit, shit, change the subject. Oh! Yeah! That. The archeologist stopped once they'd reached their vehicle and fully turned to face him. "You're coming to field camp this summer, right?"
"What does that entail? Please remember I'm a very busy man," Thomas said, hoping there was something there to dissuade him from being around the archeologist even more.
Ari shrugged, leaning against the passenger side door. "20 hours in a van, three weeks at a field station in the Colorado desert with 12 hour days, 20 hours in a van. Nothing worse than what you have on deployment, I'm guessing."
Thomas looked over at them, interested, but knowing there was only the slightest possibility. "Do you really think I swing that, that far from the ocean?"
They fished around for some kind of justification for a moment, gnawing the inside of their cheek. "It's working for a National Park, surely that can count towards your uh…service to the country or whatever. And if we go to war, all you need to do is catch a flight."
At that, he did laugh, and Thomas saw Ari's eyes light up behind their lenses. He sighed a little. "I'll see what I can do. No promises."
"All I'm asking for," Ari said as they unlocked their car and threw their bag in. "Well, see you when I see you. Let me know about field when you can."
Thomas put his purely confident air back on, swallowing his nervousness. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to go get a drink or two."
Ari laughed for a moment to stifle the embarrassment before their face fell. "Oh, you're serious?" they asked, bewildered.
A knot started to form in Thomas' gut. "Is that a no?"
There was a long pause where Ari lost the words that had been on their tongue. "...I um…no, it isn’t. Sure! Why not? It'll be fun," they managed to vomit out.
"Chimaera?" Thomas asked, raising a brow.
Ari smiled and slipped into their car, giving him an almost mocking salute. "Meet you there."
Thomas got there first, taking his usual seat at the bar and biding his time. If they stood him up, it wouldn't be the first time someone had. But it would be the first time he'd been stood up by someone with a doctorate.
Karyn, the bartender, absently cleaned a glass. "The usual?" she asked, not looking up from her task.
Thomas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm waiting on someone."
She raised her gaze and cocked a brow. "You finally asked out that cute guy from the museum?"
He shifted a little in his seat. "I don't think they've picked up on my intentions," the sailor lamented.
"They'll come around," Karyn said, leaning against the back of the bar.
Thomas set his elbows on the counter and sank his face into his hands. "I hope they do."
A few very long minutes passed before Ari sat down next to him in almost a panic, looking frazzled. "Ugh, I am so sorry, parking in this city is such a shitshow and nobody can drive and—how are you doing?"
He looked over to them with a smile. "Better now that you're here."
Ari laughed nervously and reached for their phone, but quickly stopped themself. Don't. Don't lean on it. You're an adult. A deep breath before stealthily squinting at the bartender's name tag. "Hey, uh, Karyn? What ciders do you have on tap?" they asked, trying to seem casual.
Karyn came back to attention and gestured to a chalkboard covered in imagery of mythological monsters, framing the rotating menu of drinks on tap. "Got a spiced peach and a marionberry from Ascendant Sea up the road, then your basic Angry Orchard."
It took a moment for Ari to decide, wanting to keep up the public-facing masculinity by not getting something pink and fruity. "Spiced peach sounds interesting, I'll go for a pint of that."
Thomas masked his surprise at their choice and turned to the bartender. "The usual."
"Coming right up," She said with a smile and added under her breath—"lovebirds."
Thomas heard it, but he could tell Ari didn't, obviously too engrossed in people-watching. The dim neon light from outside hit their skin in a way that made his heart pound faster. He cleared his throat, catching their attention again. "So, anything planned for the rest of your night?"
Ari tapped their nails on the counter, a nervous tic they quickly caught and ceased. "Nah, probably just finishing up grades and then sleeping. You?"
"Catching up on work. Not sleeping," he said back, trying to be humorous.
The archeologist gave him a polite chuff. "Bad for you, ya know."
Thomas shrugged before taking his rocks glass from Karyn. "I don't think I've gotten a full eight hours in over a decade."
Ari gave a nod of thanks as they took their glass as well. "Me either, but come on, man. Your coffee bill must be insane."
Thomas raised a brow. "I've seen your office. Those fascinating pillars of energy drink cans are very damning. I'd like to see you make a stratigraphic column of them."
"Okay, fine," They conceded, taking a long sip. "We both have garbage habits."
"Too old to change now, I suppose," Thomas said, a hint of melancholy in his voice.
Ari took another sip, starting to feel a small warmth in their cheeks. "Teaching wears you to the bone, Tom."
He swirled his drink in his glass, looking down at it. "So does the Navy."
There was a stretch of silence as the two drank, reflecting on what to say next. Ari laughed quietly and raised their half-empty glass to the man next to him."To middle age and stable careers?"
He gently tapped his glass to theirs and downed the last of his scotch. "To middle age and stable careers."
They finished their drink as well, feeling more heat in their cheeks, but not sure if it was from the light on his cheekbones or the alcohol. "Well. This has been nice, but I still need to drive home and teach in the morning."
"Of course. I'll cover your tab," Thomas said, stopping them from going for their wallet.
Ari remembered all the other times he'd paid for joint activities, like the Chihuly Museum and the symphony. "Oh, no, you don't have to, you've covered—
Thomas set his card firmly on the bar top. "Too late. Have a good night, Ari."
The curator blushed a little, hoping he couldn't see it in the dim light. "Thanks, Tom. You're the best. Drive safe, okay?"
Ari left quickly, immediately regretting calling him 'the best'. Their thoughts raced a million miles a second on the walk back to their car. Was that supposed to be a date? Was the other thing supposed to be one too? And before that, and before that…oh, oh no, I'm such an ass! How did I not pick up on that? I'm so stupid. But he's way too handsome for me. He should get some higher standards with a jawline like that. They sighed and turned the ignition, praying that their commute home would be quick. Every red light meant the tightness in their chest grew stronger, and their eyes kept darting to the phone clipped to the dashboard. It would be so easy to just text him and ask for clarification, but they didn't want to seem weird or clingy. His number was only in their phone for professional reasons, not asking about what felt like a middle school crush. But they got home without incident, barring the chaos in their head, and managed to get inside before realizing something bad. Shit. My bag. With the projects I need to grade in it.
Thomas had watched them leave it behind on the floor, unsure if it was purposeful or not. He grabbed the bag and set it down next to him, waiting for the check to process.
Karyn brought back his card and noticed, a smirk crossing her face. "Seems like you have something chivalrous to do."
"I'm not sure where they live," Thomas admitted, almost sheepishly.
"Please tell me you have this guy's number," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
He got up, slipping his wallet back into his pocket. "Of course, we're friends."
Karyn groaned, tilting her head back now in exasperation. "You're in here five nights a week pining over them. More than friends. Just ask where they live."
Thomas was already on it, quickly typing on his phone. You forgot something. Can I bring it back to you?
Ari made sure to respond normally, a herculean task in their current state. Yeah sure totally :) my address is xxxx xxx st, seattle, wa
He quickly input the info into maps and scanned the route. Perfect. I'll be there in a half hour.
They almost regretted it. But they needed to keep their job at the university. Thank u :)
The smiley faces were new. Giving his friend behind the counter a farewell, and slinging the forgotten object over his shoulder, Thomas headed out, trying to stay calm about the situation. He had no idea what their house would look like. Nor was he prepared if they invited him in. That's unlikely. I'm only going there to drop something off, and then I'll go home. Simple. Easy. Won't even have to look them in the eye if I don't want to. Ignoring the very primal urges at the very back of his mind during the drive was hard. Thomas wasn't exactly sure where it had come from, but he suspected it was probably the second and third drink he'd had after Ari left. No. Whatever fantasy situation you're trying to imagine isn't going to happen. You don't even know if they share your feelings. Pull it together, Norland.
He was glad to see a driveway long enough to fit both cars. A luxury in the cramped city. The lush garden of native plants in the yard was something he'd kill for though. But the house itself looked only about as big as his condo by the base, just with a second floor. Not surprising for the area. With a deep breath, he plucked his phone from the holder and shot them a text. I'm here. Can I bring it to your door?
yeah totally :) do you wanna see my axolotl? Ari flinched, cringing at the fully lowercase reply.
Thomas stared at the message for a moment before responding. Sure.
He grabbed the bag and got out, subconsciously running his fingers along the threadbare spots on the strap. Some kind of connection with this person's life. A life that he really wanted to be a bigger part of. Taunting words called from the front porch.
"Any slower and you're gonna miss your ferry."
Thomas looked up in surprise. "Just admiring your garden."
Ari leaned hard against the doorframe, continuing the teasing lilt. "I got kids who want grades tomorrow, the plants will always be there."
Thomas met them there, handing over the worn messenger bag, making sure his fingers didn't touch theirs. "Is that an invitation?" he asked haltingly.
They laughed, taking their bag from him and gesturing inside. "Come on. Take your shoes off. Still looking a little red there."
"Oh, no, it's alright, you don't—" Thomas started, a slight tremble in his voice.
Ari wouldn't hear no for an answer and pulled him in by his sleeve. "Nah, I said drive safe, I'm holding you to that. Last ferry's at like 12:30, right?"
He nodded, speechless that they had grabbed him so brazenly. His heartbeat sped up while he took in his crush's living space. Large maps with pinned locations and pictures covered the walls, bones and preserved specimens lined numerous shelves, and nearly every space in between was filled with plants or books. Not very different from their office back at the museum. But the fact that it was their actual house made it different.
They closed the door and went back to their desk, gesturing at his shoes as they passed. "Not one more step until those are off, bud."
Ari trusted him to follow their rules, so dug into the much-treasured bag and pulled out a stack of work to grade, quickly busying themself. Why did I do that? I should've just let him go. He's not like…actually bad to drive. I guess I feel bad for being oblivious. They flipped open a student's folder and leaned back in their chair. "Did you eat on your break today?"
Thomas had started to sit down on a couch and paused, resuming the movement once he remembered. "I did."
"Cool. You can turn on the TV and watch something if you want," the archeologist said, almost dismissively while they dug into the task of grading.
He leaned back into the couch, crossing his legs. "I'd rather talk."
Ari slowly closed the folder, a little irritated. "About what?" they asked, turning toward him.
The captain fished for a second, looking for an appropriate question. "Tell me about these maps. What do they mean? "
They smiled and looked around, remembering fond memories of field sites. "Just places I've been. You've been to a lot of places too, shouldn't be that weird."
"You've got more of a choice." Thomas said quietly, his relaxed posture stiffening a bit.
"Ah…yeah…" Ari said before creating a swift change in topic, figuring that he didn't want to talk about work. "Oh! Remember that fox skull you found a while ago on that hike we went on? The one with the cool halite encrustation?"
"Of course. Did you find a place for it?" he asked, interested.
Ari swived to the side, to show where the gift was prominently displayed on their desk. Is this obvious enough? Is this making it obvious enough that I like him too? This whole 'Hey I put this nice thing you got me right next to where I sit every day' approach? They carefully picked it up to show it off and set it back down with similar caution. "Yeah! It's pretty and I like looking at it, so, right there."
Thomas smiled brightly for the first time that night. "I'm glad you like it."
Just fucking say it, Ari. "I like more than just the nice things you do for me."
Thomas blinked, leaning forward. Did they just admit what I think they did? "...What do you mean?"
"Maybe I just realized on the drive home that you've been taking me on dates for the last few months, and well," They explained with a smile. "I wish I had noticed sooner."
He relaxed a little, feeling more relieved than he had in a long, long time. "And?"
Nervously, they rolled their chair over, wringing their hands in anxiety. "I guess I'm asking if you wanna be my boyfriend? In a really weird roundabout way involving me saying you're not good to drive and keeping you here so we could—"
"Yes," Thomas replied with no hesitation.
Ari's face flushed with heat, tinting their cheeks red. "What?"
The captain leaned forward slightly. "My answer to your question. Yes, I do."
Ari inhaled sharply. "Oh fuck, I wasn't expecting you to say yes."
Thomas took their hand, looking down at their sun-baked skin. "You're the one that needed to have the epiphany, not me."
They squeezed his hand before drawing him into a rather chaste kiss. "Well, um, in that case, what's your weekend look like?"
He smiled, kissing them again. "I think it looks like you, Ari. Now, you said something about an axolotl?"