A/N: "When someone shows you their true colours, don't try to paint a different picture."
Beta'd by the very wonderful, helpful, and patient Britt_pknapp. All remaining mistakes are my own. This is based on Earth's Mightiest Heroes' version of these characters only.
"Hank, you are literally my favourite person in the whole world!" Jan tells her… partner. Best friend. Boyfriend. Maybe. It's hard to describe. She loves him. Knows he cares about her, without a doubt. But… she can learn to write grants and sweet talk investors for hundreds of thousands of dollars. She can make deals for some of the best equipment science has to offer. She can ensure and arrange entrance to the most clandestine countries into the world and fight off supernatural criminals whilst the size of a… Wasp. But she could never quite get Hank to define what they were to each other. Or even get him to admit out loud he has any feelings of affection for her at all. One of the many flaws of this overly passionate pacifist she's so fascinated with.
Right now, she's trying to get him to leave his precious lab and hang out with her, just be with no danger, no weight of the world, and above all, no science.
Just for a night.
It's not going so well. He responded to her requests by telling her she should find other people who enjoy going out on the town. She's beginning to believe he's starting to confuse people with his insects or his robots because he seems to think each person is just as interchangeable as another.
Which, given his belief that no criminal is beyond help and reform, is a bit ironic.
That's okay.
Mostly. Jan sees it as her job to remind him that there's an entire world full of things just as important as… mapping insect genomes. Some might even argue that there are things even more important than learning about the more than 2 million or more species of insect on Earth.
For instance, people like those who had attempted to infiltrate Wakanda, one of the African continent's most guarded secrets. People who need to be stopped, even if they can be saved. Which- she has her doubts, but she believes in Hank the way Hank believes in rehabilitation.
"Hank," she tries again, "come on. You can take a few hours off so we can get out of this lab." He was readjusting his helmet, determined to communicate with his ants about something. It was probably warning them of the dangers of cinnamon when it came to their anthills.
"Hank!" she hears her voice raise, just enough to try to get his attention.
"Jan- this is fascinating!" he exclaims, looking through his microscope lens excitedly.
She stands behind him, sliding her arms around his chest, resting her head between his shoulder blades.
"This isn't- Hank. " She stays behind him in the familiar pose. "I'd rather go out with you than anyone else, but if you won't go with me, I'm not going to stay in here waiting for you to look up from your microscope," she declares, sighing when he gives no indication he even hears her.
"All right," she concedes with a long exhale, breathing out and grabbing her coat, leaving the card of the place she's going right beside him in the vain hope he'll change his mind. She spares a glance back at him excitedly taking notes in a laptop sitting next to him as she walks out the door.
That night, when she finally gets home, Hank is passed out on her sofa. She feels her lips quirk up, and she covers him with a blanket.