Cupiofray: being cupio- in a fray- way (or being fray- in a cupio- way), or experiencing a mix of the two, or being in the midway between both fray and cupio.
For example, desiring certain forms of relationship while not feeling attraction, then they feel attraction but loose it after an emotional or deep connection with a person; desiring a specific form of relationship even when they are not attracted anymore in the attraction associated with the type of relationship.
It includes mesi/grey areas, depending on the perspectives it could be allospec, aspec, pomospec, quoispec, etc. or simply cupiospec.
Summary: Logan is not having a good time during the week leading up to his first valentine's day since he came out, mainly cause of his a-phobic mother who insist he has to find a partner. Janus comes to his rescue with a rather unique offer.
General background: this one shot takes place a few months after the end of my 'Coming To Term With Ourselves' series on AO3 but I'm pretty sure this could be read without context. Logan is AroAce here and Janus is Frayromantic and Fraysexual (you can look it up if you don't know what it is, I don't want to be inaccurate in trying to explain it).
Pairing: queerplatonic Loceit
Warnings: mentions of a-phobia, Remus being Remus, not so possitive commentary on romace and valentine's day, mentions of sex.
Janus is about to knock on Logan's familiar apartment's door, when he suddenly hears shouts… in Logan's voice…
Janus frowns, Logan very rarely raises his voice, something's up.
"....been over this! No, I don't want to meet any of your coworkers' sons! Just because this date was decided to be about love and couples doesn't mean who I am will suddenly change- no, I'm not just stubborn and picky- mom will you listen for once in your life- this conversation clearly leads us nowhere, goodbye."
Janus shakes his head and finally knocks on the door. "Logan? It's your favorite a-spec friend!"
He hears shuffling from the inside, almost as if Logan is practically running to the door, before it swings open. Revealing a clearly relieved Logan, slightly out of breath.
"Janus!" He exclaims between breaths. "Thank god, a person who makes sense." He grabs his wrist and pulls him inside, shutting the door behind him. "I think the world's gone crazy."
Logan is still holding on to his wrist, as if he fears he'll fall if he lets go.
"You're saying it as if the world's been sane up until now." Janus smirks, trying to cheer Logan up with his signature teasing but it doesn't seem to really work as Logan sighs deeply.
"You know what I mean… I'm pretty used to it by now but… suddenly it's so much more. All because of this foolish 'valentine's day'. Everyone's suddenly so stressed about finding a partner, god forsake they'd be single on valentine's day" Logan rolls his eyes, bitter sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Janus allows himself a little credit for that, since Logan was always confused about sarcasm when Janus first met him, but now he seems to be using it almost without thinking.
"Is your mom still a total aphobe?" Janus asks, looking at his friend with concern as he sighs again.
"You heard that didn't you? Yeah… and she says I'm stubborn. How many times must I repeat myself until she understands? I don't need her approval but I just want her to 'get off my back', as I believe is the term." He finally lets go of Janus' wrist so he can bury his face in his hands, clearly frustrated. "And now she has managed to become even more overbearing. I just… I don't know what to do anymore."
Janus takes a deep breath, unsure if it's the right time to bring up this subject but… he just has to know. "Hey… Logan?" He asks, voice uncharacteristically hesitant, making Logan look up and turn to him at once.
"What is it, Janus? Something wrong?" Logan asks with concern when Janus didn't continue.
"Do… do you ever get the feeling like um…" he trails off, Janus has never been comfortable with being vulnerable and, while it is a bit easier with Logan, this question feels so heavy. But he has to ask, and has to know if he feels the same.
Janus takes a deep breath as Logan looks at him with a raised eyebrow. Brow slightly furrowed with worry.
"Do you ever feel like… what we have together is um… more than friendship?"
There was a beat of silence as Logan thought this over, not more than a second but it felt like eternity to Janus, who held his breath.
"Yes, actually." Logan finally says, nodding slightly and Janus feels his entire body relaxing.
"Well, I'm not sure about the use of the term 'more'... but rather… different. It's nothing like what I have with Patton, for example. But, yes, it does not feel like a simple friendship." Logan clarifies.
Janus nods. Alright then… time to ask the real question… the one he's been thinking about since Logan first mentioned the subject to him.
"Good because… I've been thinking… Well, we don't have to label it if you don't want to. I was just wondering um…" Janus' cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he stumbled over his words. It's so unlike him that Logan frowned, looking at him with confused worry.
"What, Janus? You're acting very strange… dare I say… nervous? You know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is, you'll face no judgment from me." Logan says, trying to reassure his friend.
Janus can't help but smile at that and, while he did know this before, it did reassure him a bit.
"Remember, a few weeks ago? At my place? You were telling me about the new things you discovered on your a-spec community research?" Janus inquired, knowing Logan will remember the event perfectly well, just the same as anything else.
And sure enough, Logan nods. "Yes, I do. Where are you going with this?"
"Well, you mentioned some a-spec individuals that choose to be in a special relationship that doesn't confirm to hetronormative expectations such as it having a romantic nature or sex involved." Janus continued, chest tightening as he got closer to the question he's leading up to.
Logan perks up. "Oh yes. I believe the term you refer to is 'QPR', short for 'queerplatonic relationship', a truly fascinating concept, the idea of having a committed relationship without the pressure of it being like relationships are often portrayed to be like. I-"
"Yes… that." Janus confirms, cutting Logan off before he'll go on one of his endless rents. Not that Janus doesn't love those, love seeing Logan so excited, but he feels like he'll burst if he doesn't voice his question soon.
"So, what I'm trying to say here is… would you be interested in that… with me?" Janus asks at last. He watches Logan's face carefully, and feels warm relief washing over him when it breaks into a grin.
"Oh! That's such a great idea Janus! Can't believe I haven't considered it!" Logan exclaims, so excited that Janus can't help but smile fondly at him.
"I'm… really glad you think so." Janus said, though Logan seems to be too focused on this idea and its potential to acknowledge his words.
"We can set our own set of rules and decide how we want it to look like, what we want from this relationship-" Logan cut himself off with a gasp as a new thought occurred to him, grabbing Janus' hand with excitement. "Janus… we can make a contract."
Janus snorted. Logan said that like a child who just thought of a fun, new game to play with his friends would. "I don't think we need to go as formal as that." Janus said with a small smile playing on his lips.
Logan caught himself and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Right… apologies I appear to have gotten over excited. But, yes, I would very much like to be in a QPR with you, Janus."
Janus shook his head, still smiling. "Remus was right, you are a dork." Janus' smile turned into his signature smirk.
"And yet, you asked me out… platonically, but still. I will take that as sufficient evidence that you like me." Logan returned the smirk.
"Like you? Now where did you get that idea?" Janus teased further and Logan rolled his eyes.
3 days later - valentine's day
"How do I look?" Logan asks his roommate, turning around so he can take a look at his full outfit.
Remus shrugged. "As dorky as ever. Why do you even bother dressing up? Not like you two fuck or something."
Logan frowned. "Isn't that usually without clothes?"
Remus snorted at that. "I meant that you don't need to try and look hot for him."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Is that why people dress up for romantic dates? I don't think I'll ever understand allos." Logan said as he shook his head.
Remus giggled. "I don't understand how you survive without a daily dose of dick but you don't see me looking at you funny for it."
Logan rolled his eyes. "I'm very lucky I'm sex indifferent rather than repulsed or I would have puked all over the floor by now. Must you be so crass all the time?" He asked, exasperated.
Just then, Logan heard Janus' gentle knocking on the door. "Coming!" He said as he made his way to the entrance, ignoring Remus' snicker.
Logan opened the door to reveal Janus, leaning casually on the wall, his usual smirk on his face, and dressed very nicely. With a black suit with a yellow dress shirt underneath, complete with a black bowtie and black pants with black dress shoes.
"Look at you all dressed up, you almost look like a state of the ark allo going on a date, could have fooled me." Janus smirked.
Logan rolled his eyes. "I can say the same about you, my dear mellowfriend." Logan returned the smirk, using the term they found online for QPR partners and decided they both rather liked it.
Janus shook his head with a smile and produced a heart shaped box from behind his back. "Baked you some Crofters' cookies." He grinned, shaking the box teasingly in front of Logan's face.
Logan swallowed, using all his self control in order to not snatch the box right out of Janus' hand, and instead take it calmly.
Janus snickered at his obviously barely contained excitement and offered Logan his hand. "Shall we go and confuse all the allos in the restaurant, my dear?" Janus smirked.
Logan laughed lightly and accepted his offered arm. "I believe the phrase is 'I was born ready' "
They both laughed as they walked down the stairs and out of the building and Logan marveled at how they managed to turn this dreadful day into what's sure to become one of Logan's best days.
Moreover, Logan realized that, as long as he has Janus with him, everything will be okay.
Frayromantic culture is battling codependency by avoiding starting any relationship until the romantic feelings have stopped. And setting boundaries with my partner, so they understand the types of romantic gestures that enable my codependent personality.
frayspec/fray- spectrum (or ignotaspec/ignota- spectrum): an umbrella term used to describe anyone whose experiences are close to or aligned with those who are fray-. a frayspec person may not fully identify as fray-, but feels that fray- partially or nearly describes their experiences.
for anon! the top four and final bottom stripes are adjusted from the fray- flag. the other two stripes are yellow and red, since the blue and cyan of the fray- flag were chosen because they were the opposites of red and yellow, to show how a frayspec person’s experiences might not 100% align with those of the original fray- definition.
flag id: a flag with 7 stripes. in order, they are dark grey, blue, cyan, white, yellow, red, and dark grey. end id.
[image description: ten digital, simple images of long arrows with grey triangular heads, brown wood shafts and single-coloured feathery fletching, designed to serve as section breaks between text. Repeated bands sit along the shaft in the colours of various aromantic spectrum and related attraction/relationship pride flags. Flags depicted are, in order from top to bottom: aconiromantic (black/purple/lavender/white/light green/green), aegofictoromantic (dark green/light green/grey/black/grey/light green/dark green with pink circle), analterous apl-aro-ace (black/grey/white/yellow/green/blue/violet), aspectusromantic (maroon/coral/white/black/white/coral/maroon), bellusromantic (purple to pink gradient), cass aro-ace (black/olive/peach/coral/blue), cupioromantic (lime/light lime/white/pink/coral), demi aro-ace (black/navy/white/grey/black), fray-spec (grey/blue/cyan/white/yellow/red/grey) and pomoaro (black/pink/dark green/grey/dark green/pink/black).]
𝗺𝗲: i only like characters that i know. i never fall in love with a character before i know something about them. i need deep, consistant characters, that have been around for a long time.
𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘆: [proceeds to absolutely simp for rook from nevermoor immediately after she shows up]
Fray- or ignota-: amative orientation where the individual feels attraction to someone after meeting, although the attraction fades as the emotional bond strengthens; attraction towards those that they are not deeply connected with, and lose that attractions as they get to know the person. Considered the reverse form of demi-.
Gay man: experiencing homo attraction to men; being gay for men; male homosexuality/similisexuality/simulsexuality or homo-orientation (homorientation/homoorientation, homospec or simulorientation/similiorientation).
