Work Text:
It was late afternoon, turning evening, and Priya had a few things to do in the lab before heading home. Jeremiah was doing the same in the office with her, and Sarah was working on something in the main lab. It had been almost a year since she’d started working here but she still felt slightly weird calling her Sarah instead of Dr Truong, but as her boss, she’d insisted.
The three of them were working in a comfortable silence, when Detective Hudson walked into the room she and Jeremiah were in. His presence in the lab was certainly not uncommon. He always came to talk with Sarah, getting updates on the case, sitting on her desk, bringing her food and coffee, and many times he’d come just to spend time with her, not talking about work. Priya had long since suspected that they were a couple, or at the very least, had some feelings for the other, but perhaps she had been reading into things considering she had recently met Sarah’s boyfriend, Michael.
All the times the detective had come into the office or lab, he’d greet everyone working there or smile to acknowledge them, but right now, he seemed to be so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even seem to see them standing there.
Huh. That was kind of weird.
She looked up to see if Jeremiah, working next to her, saw the same thing. Meeting her eyes, he glanced at Charlie with a slight frown before looking back at her with a slight shrug and continuing his work.
Fair enough, it wasn't their business, and Priya shrugged as well before doing the same.
She didn’t hear him greet Sarah either, however, and as he suddenly said, “you were right,” into the silence that fallen across both rooms, Priya couldn’t help but look up, noting that Sarah seemed surprised as she turned around to look at the detective who was now hesitantly standing in the doorway of both rooms.
“About my judgement,” he elaborated as Sarah gave him her full attention. Turning back to her work, Priya thought that this seemed slightly personal when, before she could think anything else, Detective Hudson added, “abou- about… kissing that witness.”
Priya snapped her head up, meeting the wide eyed, jaw dropped face of Jeremiah.
Detective Hudson had kissed a witness?!
What?!
Jeremiah stared at her, face blank in complete shock.
She felt that hers was probably the same.
Had the detective even realised that she and Jeremiah were in the room and hearing every word?
“You liked her…” Sarah slowly replied, “enough to… risk your job?”
Priya had never heard her confident boss so hesitant and unsure.
There was a long pause, but Priya found herself rooted to the spot, Jeremiah feeling the same, because neither one moved even an inch.
The detective finally moved, resting his hand on the doorframe.
“It was never… it was never about her,” he finally said, unspoken meaning in his last word.
Priya’s mouth dropped even further down.
Were they about to hear a love confession?!
Reality suddenly hit her.
This was a conversation between her boss and basically a superior, not one of the reality shows she loved to watch.
This was a way too personal conversation and she was certain that they wouldn’t want it to be overheard.
“We should go,” Priya mouthed to Jeremiah.
As much as she wanted to give in to her curiosity, she felt guilty about listening in on her boss’s private conversation.
Jeremiah, now clearly invested, sharply shook his head, but as she stealthily started walking out in an effort not to attract the attention of Sarah or Detective Hudson, Jeremiah reluctantly followed her. Slightly reluctantly, Priya was about to walk away from the lab when Jeremiah, standing just to the side of the open door, touched her arm.
“We really shouldn’t -” she started to whisper.
“You know you want to,” he instantly whispered back.
Priya sighed, because she really did, and walked to his side to hear Detective Hudson saying, “when you… want somebody who… isn’t available, you do stupid things.”
He had kissed the witness because… he wanted Sarah?
What?
“You’ve been feeling this way for that long?” Sarah’s voice slowly replied, still unsure, slightly timid and maybe even a bit afraid.
“Since you started talking about London -” she and Jerimiah stared at each other in shock. “Maybe… before.”
They were both completely and utterly gobsmacked at the detective's confession. Sarah had mentioned the opportunity she had turned down quite some time ago, and the fact that he had been feeling things for her before that…
Damn.
“It doesn’t matter,” the detective quickly brushed off, Jeremiah incredulously mouthing ’doesn’t matter?!’ to her.
She quietly shushed him, completely and utterly hooked on what was happening inside.
“I’m happy for you,” Detective Hudson softly continued. “You and… Michael,” he elaborated, seeming to stumble slightly on Sarah’s boyfriend’s name. “I just want you to be happy.”
Why was that so sweet and so heartbreaking at the same time?
Jeremiah shook his head, silently whispering, “stupid selfless romantic.”
Priya shushed him yet again, just as she heard a light tap and footsteps coming towards the door.
Looking at each other for a split second, eyes wide with panic, she and Jereiah sprinted away from the door, not wanting to risk even being seen near it by the detective. Almost in slow motion, they saw the starting of his body start to appear from the door, just as they turned around the corner into the safety of a different hallway, but turning back ahead, Priya couldn't help the slight squeak she let out as she and Jeremiah almost crashed into the Superintendent.
Surprise flashed across his face as she and Jeremiah fought momentum to force themselves to stop, and he slightly jokingly asked, "what are you two running from?"
Jeremiah blankly stared at their boss then at her, and in a desperate effort to fill the growing awkward silence, she started saying, "there was…"
She had a PhD but couldn't come up with a much needed excuse? Think!
"There was a… wasp! A wasp was flying near us and we don't like wasps."
The Superintendent's eyebrow rose slightly, probably more at how she was telling the reason than the reason itself, but though Jeremiah may not have been able to improvise, he certainly had her back. Violently nodding, he confirmed, "yeah, there was a wasp," and as the Superintendent started to open his mouth, he added in a rush, "I'm actually allergic to them!"
"You are?" their boss asked, slightly incredulously.
"Yeah," Jeremiah confirmed, still nodding. "Not deathly allergic but I get huge rashes over my face which are really itchy which is really not ideal…" he trailed off, another awkward silence about to start, so Priya nodded, backing his words. It certainly wasn't the case but they were too far into this reason and it was too late to back out now.
Sure their explaining hadn't been the most natural but they were scientists, not actors. Besides, Jeremiah had backed her up so she was doing the same for him, even as the Superintendent silently studied them with an eyebrow raised.
Thankfully, he believed them, or didn't want to ask, because he just said, "okay," and before walking off, added with what Priya swore was slight amusement in his eyes, “and be careful when running away from wasps. We don’t want an accident in the hallways.”
She and Jeremiah both managed to get out a meek ‘yes sir’ as he walked away.
After they had turned the corner on the other end of the hallway, Jeremiah finally broke the silence.
“Do you think he bought it?”
Priya scoffed.
"Not a chance."
Jeremiah let out a huff of laughter before replying, “well, as long as we weren’t caught listening in by Detective Hudson, I don’t care if the Superintendent thinks we’re strange.”
Priya laughed as well.
That was certainly true enough.
They walked past the glass doors of the bullpen, having taken the long way round. She glanced inside and saw Detective Hudson slowly packing up for the day, seeming, understandably, completely lost in his thoughts. Rex, the all-knowing dog that he seemed to be, was looking up at his human with what Priya swore was concern.
"I have a feeling things are going to be interesting for a while," Jeremiah whispered, seeing the same thing that she was.
She nodded. It certainly seemed like it would.