Work Text:
After that moment, Kate couldn't concentrate for the rest of the day. Her mind kept wandering, thinking of her. her and her silly hand hold. how soft her hand felt, the butterflies that riddled her stomach. an action that played out in three seconds had engulfed her mindset for hours, leaving her endlessly yearning for her touch, her presence. her.
Of all people to develop a crush on, her boss?
They’d shared a moment, her and and Joanne, and it left Kate wrapped up in a racing heartbeat, infused within her spell. Joanne was clearly angry, seething about something Kate could only imagine was deeply personal. The way she spat the words out provided that inclination clearly, this was more than a work matter. In that moment, anger aside, she was so vulnerable, so anxious. And Kate felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. To take her into her arms and protect her from whatever it was troubling her pretty little mind. When Jo stepped forward, hesitant, she was instantly intoxicated by the scent of her rose perfume, and had never felt more at home in her life. She clung onto it desperately, radiating comfort, warmth, safety. She wanted to be under its toxins for a lifetime. Anything to be closer to her. Kate’s words did the trick, as she softly spoke “Are you okay, boss?”, her anger instantly evaporated, easing up visibly under the others presence. Seeing her open up in that way eased Kates own racing mind, caring oh so desperately for the wellbeing of her superior. Heart racing aggressively as she leant in, faintness washing over her being. She felt it. The butterflies, the spark, the voice in the back of her head silently wishing her lips would be met with Jo’s. But no.
As their hands laced together, Jo’s thumb grazing her knuckles gently, she felt it. It was at that moment she realised she wanted to be her boss’ girlfriend. She didn't want it to end, she wanted the freedom to grab her hand at any point. Feel the comfort Jo’s presence bought her always. She wanted to function as the same for her. The thought of Jo with anyone else filled her with a slimy envy, as much as she didn't want to admit it. Of course her boss’ happiness overrode any feeling Kate possessed towards her, but that didn’t halt the bitter sadness that enveloped her being at the thought of rejection. Clinging onto the glance they shared for the remainder of her day, replaying the whole interaction as one would with their favourite film, desperate to remember every inch, to relive. To be close to her again, to be able to calm her down, to save her from the demons she faced had a fire burning in her soul. The chemistry they shared was evident, at least in Kate's eyes. Abandoned in the corridor alone, she took a few moments to compose herself, inwardly flustered by the whole ordeal.
What had this woman done to her?
Suddenly the two hours she had left in the office were meaningless. Case files a blur, occupied with her instead. Rekindling focus had always been a strong point for the DI, but that was stripped from her as soon as any mention, thought or inkling of a certain Joanne Davidson came into play. And when working in an environment with her as a superior, escaping said Joanne Davidson was virtually impossible. Emails on her desktop screen had morphed into undecipherable scribbles, becoming difficult to follow and strenuous to analyse. The DI stared at them blankly, the information they contained being withheld from her due to thoughts of her superior. It was as though she had been poisoned, but with the sweet yearning of being near her.
This had not gone unnoticed by Jo, who sat at her desk in awe of Kate, on tenterhooks by the way she sat with a cute concentrated face, while simultaneously possessing blank eyes. She was bothered about something. Jo could tell. Her feelings towards the DI had blossomed since Kate joined her unit from AC-12. Anyone else she would've been highly suspicious of, but not Kate. She hardly knew her, really, aside from work, but her gut told her she could be trusted. That she was precious. Since the tough breakup with Farida, Kate's presence had been welcomed, refreshing. A comfort to her, unbeknownst to the DI, whose actions seemed to leave her unphased, simply looking out for her boss from Jo’s perspective. But to her, it was way more than that. Filled with a concoction of curiosity and concern for her colleague, she was determined to work out what was on her mind. She hated the fact she seemed so distant and preoccupied, when usually her desk brings her content. Sending the DI a text message, reading “meet me in my car, important”, she stood up and made her way outside.
As soon as the notification appeared on her phone, Kate found herself rushing to grab her jacket and exiting the building, almost as if through a force of habit. The obnoxious pinging of her texts had startled her from her Jo infused thoughts, only to be torn from her desk from the catalyst of her behaviour. Kate's mind was yet again dominated by Jo, only this time stemming from the billion questions overwhelming her mind, too many to pinpoint the exact cause of the sickness forming in the back of her throat.
Why did Jo want to see her? If it was anything major in regard to the case she would have just called her into the office? Why her car? Had she found out about her little crush and was about to warn her off? To establish that earlier was simply platonic? Nothing more than a mere reassurance from a friend? To fire her? Was her boss okay? Had something drastic just happened? Was she suffering?
Powered by apprehension alone, she carried herself outside to the location Jo parked her vehicle, nearly knocking every colleague passing her in the corridors off their feet in the process, barely registering their presence. Orbs transfixed to the entrance, the end of the corridor felt like a mile away. After walking for seemingly forever, she finally was hit with the refreshing breeze of the night air. It was 6 o’clock by this point, the Gail Vella case was complex, meaning early mornings and late finishes, functioning purely from countless espresso shots and two hours sleep alone. Lighting the sky were a galaxy of twinkling stars, and the moon, as though smiling down at her to provide the ounce of reassurance she craved. It was going to be okay, it was just a conversation with her boss.
Her boss who she happened to be harbouring a larger-than-life crush on. What could possibly go wrong? Choking on a breath of air, closing her eyes momentarily to brace herself, she opened the door on the waiting DCI, whose face was lit by the comforting glimmer of the moon, highlighting her soft resting face. Her illuminated features tugged at her heartstrings in ways she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since her ex husband, and that was years ago. It made her feel like a teen again, drunk in infatuation.
The slam of the car door extracted Jo from her mindless daze, turning round instantly to fixate her eyeline on Kate's form, as she timidly clambered into the passenger seat, glaring down at her nails before meeting Jo’s eyeline. Those eyes. Comfort, warmth. A glint of something else that Kate couldn't exactly place had joined the concoction, but she was desperate to work it out. To work her out.
“Alright, boss?” she questioned, concern laced over her features.
Jo chuckled to herself in response, obscuring the look on Kate's face to one of newfound confusion in the process. Smiling delicately, she sighed “It should be me asking you that, Kate.”
“What do you mean, boss?” anxiety edging itself into her tone, the familiar pounding of her heart pulsating through her mind.
“You seemed distracted in the office.” Jo bluntly stated
“I-”
“Don’t even say you weren't, I know that face from a mile off.”
An awkward silence filled the atmosphere, neither knowing what to say. They both knew why, deep down. Awkwardly shuffling in her seat, Kate refocussed herself on a specific spot on the floor of Jo’s car, which upon deep analysis, she concluded could do with a bit of a clean. Seconds passed like the duration of hours, before the tense atmosphere was broken by the sound of Kate.
“Look, Boss, I-”.
Jo couldn't take it anymore.
“Listen, if this is about our run in earlier, then-”.
Their eyes met again, and simultaneously their facial expressions softened. Suddenly everything felt different. The silence was comforting. They understood each other. The spark manifested within the pit of Kates stomach pushed itself to the surface again, controlling her every move. Tentatively, she moved forward, maintaining eye contact with the latter, watching her too migrate forward. Her eyes flickered to Jo’s lips, then fluttered back to her orbs. Then her lips. Slowly, she reached out to cup her face, running her thumb over Jo’s cheek gently, feeding into her warmth, her skin was as soft as a peach. Rose perfume filled her nostrils yet again, her sweetness drawing her closer. Eyes fluttering shut, their lips met. She was kissing her boss, Joanne Davidson, and to her shock, Joanne Davidson was kissing her back.
In that moment, Kate had never felt more at home. Since leaving AC-12, she had been all over the place, worried about fitting in, and not knowing truly where she belonged anymore. In an instant, that had been solved, she knew her place, and her place was here, with Jo. A shy smile painted both their faces as they pulled away, spending a few seconds taking in their circumstance. It was as if no words were needed, the fire blazing within them spoke louder than any word in the dictionary could cover. Kate knew Jo knew, and that's all that mattered in the world. Kate wished they could stay like this until they grew old. The pair of them in their own little bubble, lapping up one another's presence greedily, unbothered by anyone else.
The sound of Jo clearing her throat was too loud for the inviting silence of the car, forcing Kate to refocus and entirely pull away, turning to mess with the front of her jacket before speaking in a tone no louder than a whisper,
“Boss, I-”.
“Please, Kate, it’s Jo.”
The DCI reached forth to grab Kate’s hand, gently grazing her thumb over her knuckles replicating the action from earlier that day. They both shared a quiet giggle, intoxicated by one another's presence. And Kate had never felt more complete in her life.