Chapter Text
"Surprise!"
Jake's jaw dropped in fake-shock.
"Aww guys, you shouldn't have! How unexpected!"
Real convincing, Peralta, Amy teased him from across the bar. Jake never could lie to save his life.
Eh, I think I sold it, he shot back.
As usual, though, Amy was right. Rosa saw straight through him.
"Boyle told you, didn't he?"
Jake nodded, shooting Boyle an apologetic look.
"It was quite literally the first thing he said to me once we were done."
The squad groaned, but by now it was mostly for show. Honestly, would it even be a 99 surprise party without Boyle spoiling it ahead of time? It was practically tradition.
Amy giggled, and Jake shrugged.
"If it makes a difference, I was genuinely surprised by the banner?"
Said banner was large, glittery and garish, proclaiming its message to the whole bar in increasingly-cramped letters: We Hope Your Recovery Has Been Tolerable; Your Absence Has Been Noted. Intriguingly, Jake noticed, it was slightly charred around the edges.
"A Captain Holt special?" he asked.
"I composed it," the Captain nodded, "Gina provided the glitter glue, and Boyle did most of the actual writing."
Well that would explain why Boyle's hands were so glittery. Jake had wondered.
"Amy distracted you, Rosa dissuaded Boyle from adding drawings, and Terry was first on the scene when Hitchcock set fire to it. So you could call it a group effort," Captain Holt concluded, with no small amount of pride.
Jake looked round at the squad and felt a sudden surge of affection.
"I love it. It's beautiful. One-of-a-kind."
And Jake smiled, because that was the squad all over, wasn't it? One-of-a-kind. They were oddballs, sure, but they were his oddballs, and weird banner or no, he wouldn't trade them for anything.
Getting teary-eyed there, Jake?
Ever the mature adult, Jake poked his tongue out in reply.
"Something you'd like to share with the class, Peralta? Santiago?"
Jake tried his best to look innocent, all the while furiously willing Amy not to betray his moment of sappiness to the Captain.
Ames, I have a reputation to uphold as a stone-cold badass, think about my reputation! Amy! Please!
Naturally, she ignored him. Jake was too hung up on the whole "lone wolf" shtick for his own good, anyway, if you asked her.
"Oh, Jake was just getting sentimental about you all. He's an idiot, so he doesn't always say it, but he loves you all dearly and would appreciate a hug right now."
Her tone was sugar-sweet, but the look she shot Jake was pure smugness.
I should have known giving you unlimited access to my brain was a bad idea, Jake thought, mock-irritated.
You know you love it, Amy countered, and damn it, Jake did, especially when Captain Holt actually followed through and gave him the world's stiffest hug.
Oh my God, this is my new favourite thing, it's like hugging a lamppost, Jake gushed, and Amy just smirked.
"I'm glad you're back," the Captain said, pulling away. "And I must extend my congratulations to you and Amy. Officially, I believe I am supposed to warn you about the consequences, should your bond affect your working relationship. But off the record, it's about damn time."
Then everyone had to give Jake a hug, of course. First a hug from Boyle (clingy), then from Terry (crushing), then from Gina (fake-reluctant), then from Rosa (actual-reluctant), and then, finally, from Amy (perfect, of course).
Okay, maybe I did need a hug or six, Jake admitted, feeling himself relax. Amy squeezed him tight before letting go.
"Thanks guys," Jake said, and this time, if his voice sounded a little choked, he didn't try to hide it.
The squad laughed, and soon they'd ordered and were crowding round their regular table. They fell into an easy conversation, and Amy leant into Jake, thinking about the last time they'd been here, when she'd drank all the tequila. It seemed so long ago, like another lifetime.
In hindsight, we should have just kissed then and saved ourselves all the pining, she thought.
No arguments from me there, Jake shot back. Seriously, how did we not get together sooner?
You were a cynical mess and I was holding out for a fairy tale?
Oh yeah. That sounds about right. Still, we were such idiots. I mean, all the evidence was right there. All those years and you were right there.
Some detectives we are.
They sat for a few seconds more before Jake's mouth quirked upwards in a subtle, mischeivous grin.
I guess we'll just have to make up for lost time, then.
Amy caught his eye, and they both looked around, almost furtively. Boyle and Terry were talking toaster irons, Captain Holt was studying the menu intently and Gina and Rosa seemed to be having some kind of internal conversation of their own. Nobody was paying Jake and Amy any attention.
They glanced back at each other and Jake's grin intensified.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Almost certainly, Amy shot back, but go on?
I know we've never done it in public before, so if you don't want to, that's fine-
Jake, hun.
Yeah?
Shut up and kiss me.
Why, I thought you'd never ask.