"Where's Nico?" 

"He's selling merch out in the lobby. Since he was in Newsies, they wanted him to!" 

"Go get him! He's on in five!" 

Hazel looked down and, much to her horror, realized she was wearing Calypso's costume instead of her own. They were halfway through the show! 

"No, no, Frank, you have to go on for Nico!" 

Hazel watched in horror as Frank was pulled from the lighting booth - which, for some reason, had been moved behind the stage - and handed Nico's spandex cat suit, which, for some reason, had been dyed puke green. There was no way he would even try to put that on, Hazel just knew it. 

"Actually, no time to change, get out there!" 

A crew member shoved Frank from the wings onto the stage, where he was met with silence from the audience. No doubt his purple t-shirt and faded blue jeans were a shock in comparison to the actors in cat.... and newsie, for some reason, costumes on stage. 

"Will knows Nico's lines! Will, get out there!" 

Next thing Hazel knew, Will was onstage with Frank, dressed in a suit, complete with bow tie and boutonniere, like he was headed to his wedding as soon as he left the theatre. 

Had Hazel missed her invitation? 

"This is a disaster! We're closing the show!" The director yelled from somewhere Hazel couldn't see. 

Hazel opened her eyes to complete darkness. her neck soaked with sweat. After a few deep breaths and one touch to her face to ensure she wasn't in costume, she ran her hand along the nightstand in search of her phone. What an odd dream. 

The phone screen brightened under her touch, a photo of her, Nico and Calypso and the time 4:42 a.m. nearly blinding her. She quickly turned the brightness down through squinted eyes, hoping she didn't wake Calypso. It was opening night; everyone needed their rest. 

And then it hit her: it was opening night. 

Suddenly too nervous and excited to even dream of going back to sleep, Hazel rolled over and swiped into Instagram. Her feed was mainly photos of the night before - Nico and Will, or their friends gushing over Nico and Will. Connor had changed his profile photo to a selfie in which he was fake-sobbing with a piece of confetti falling into his mouth. In the background, Nico and Will were embracing each other. Hazel stifled her laugh with her pillow. 

Even Frank had shared a photo of the group at dinner to his story. 

Congrats to @nico.di.ang and @sun_will_rise! Engaged! 

Hazel grinned at the story - and then frowned when she saw the posted 4m ago label under Frank's username. Why was he awake? 

Blame it on the opening night excitement, but before she could think it through Hazel had typed and sent a story reply. 

hazel.grace: this is a cute picture, send it to me please! Also, why are you up? 

She stopped suddenly and cringed. 'Why are you up?' Come on, Hazel! 

Frank took it well, though, and immediately replied. 

zhang.frank: Texting it your way now! Call it opening night jitters. Thought I might go for a run.

Her phone buzzed again against her palm as she reposted Frank's story to her own. 

zhang.frank:  Why are you up this early? 

hazel.grace: Same. Nerves lol

zhang.frank: Are you hungry? There's a 24 hour waffle place about a block from here. 

Just the thought of waffles made Hazel's stomach growl. Apparently she was hungry. 

She let her fingers hover over the keys for only a second before replying: 

hazel.grace: meet you in the lobby in 10? 

As quickly and as quietly as humanly possible in a pitch black hotel room, Hazel brushed her teeth, washed her face, quickly braided her hair and threw on a pair of leggings and her favorite NYU Medical sweatshirt. She technically had an NYU Med alum for a brother now, so she felt no shame in wearing a shirt for a school she didn't go to. 

After a quick spray of her favorite perfume and scrawling a hopefully legible note for Calypso - grabbing breakfast with Frank, I'll bring back coffee - she pulled her bag over her shoulder and slipped out the door. 

•

As promised, Frank was waiting in the lobby in his usual blue jeans. He'd traded the t-shirt in for a crewneck. His hair was a little messy, and his eyes looked a little sleepy. It gave Hazel butterflies. 

"Thanks for inviting me," she grinned sleepily. "I think I'm subconsciously worried about officially opening tonight. I was having really weird stress dreams." 

Frank laughed. "I think that's normal." And then, "Thanks for saying yes." 

They walked side by side down the street, making small talk as they entered the cafe, and Hazel was almost certain she wasn't imagining things when their hands brushed together a few times. Once they were seated, Hazel ordered a vanilla latte and double waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. She was pleasantly thrilled when Frank replied with, "I'll have the exact same,". 

"This place is nice. I thought 24-hour waffle places were supposed to be..." Hazel began as they waited for their meals. 

"Sketchy?" Frank supplied, which caused Hazel to bark a single laugh. 

"Yes!" She replied, regaining control of herself. "Our friend Leo, back in the city, used to work at a place called Waffle House before he moved to NYC for school, and the running joke is that if you get Leo started telling Waffle House stories, he'll never stop." 

Frank chuckled. "Working a job like this, I've definitely been a few places like that. I think it's a rite of passage. Like, you have to have been once." 

The waiter dropped two steaming white mugs on their table with a smile. 

"So you've toured before?" Hazel asked, not meaning to turn the conversation but genuinely interested, pulling her sleeves over her hands to grab her hot mug. 

Frank nodded, taking a sip from his own mug and wincing. "Hot," he commented on the coffee. "But yes, I have. This is my third tour. Well, second Broadway tour."

Frank's cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink, and oh, Hazel had to ask: "What was the other tour?" 

Frank looked down, hesitating. "It was... don't laugh. It was this one-hit wonder boyband a few years ago. If you think theatre kids are dramatic..." 

Hazel laughed, and even Frank chuckled, looking slightly less embarrassed. 

"I like boybands!" She admitted. "Although, you sort of have to when Will Solace is one of your best friends. I swear he still has a One Direction poster in his bedroom." 

Frank laughed again at this. "Oh, he's never living that down." 

Their waffles arrived at that moment, gloriously topped with mountains of cream. Immediately, they both dug in. 

"It was good experience, though," Frank said after a moment of companionable silence. "I really enjoy what I do, and it definitely got me here." 

Hazel nodded in agreement. "I love this, too. I'm so excited for so many places we're going. Calypso and I have already bought our Disney World tickets." Frank grinned at this as Hazel took a sip from her mug. "I think, though," she continued, "I'd really like to end up back in New York. Permanently. Maybe have a place near Nico and Will, maybe with a 24-hour breakfast place just down the street." 

Hazel's heart lurched in her chest, and, oh, the butterflies were definitely back when something soft and warm flashed in Frank's eyes. He smiled softly as he held her gaze and replied, "Yeah, I'd like something like that, too." 

On the table next to them, Hazel's phone buzzed. 

nico.di.ang replied to your story: girl why were you up in the middle of the night posting stories 

---------

eeeep a sort of breakfast date! 

hi friends! thanks to those who have asked for updates. warms my heart knowing someone's still interested <3 

again, I'm not promising regular updates, but we'll see what happens... 

there are only a handful of regular readers of this fic, i think, but i'll ask: what are you interested in seeing here? do you want more solangelo, more hazel/calypso/sherman friend shenanigans, etc? 

as always, thanks for reading!