Work Text:
You have a date today—with someone you’ve been texting back and forth for a while. You wanted to keep it a secret, but the news soon came out after Boyle took your phone from you and started reading your texts aloud. You couldn’t gather the energy to be mad at him for it. Besides, according to Gina and Rosa, you had been acting rather distracted for most of the day anyway. Somehow, the entire precinct now knows you have a date tonight. To your surprise, everyone is extremely supportive and wishes you well. Rosa gives you pointers on how to dispose of a body, which you pretend not to hear. Gina tells you to insist that the other person pays, because your presence “deserves monetary compensation.” The sarge tells you to be safe, and Hitchcock and Scully…. Well, you don’t let them finish what they were going to say to you. That seems to be a wise choice, because Hitchcock later admits that his remark wasn’t tasteful.
Somehow, Jake Peralta is the only one who you don’t see at all. For a moment, you wonder if he’s avoiding you. You then remember that the two of you have a sort of strange relationship. You’re work nemeses and the two of you usually bicker back and forth instead of having a genuine conversation. Therefore, you’re not exactly surprised that Jake doesn’t approach you to ask you about your date. You don’t think the two of you are close enough to have that kind of conversation.
That notion is proven wrong later that same evening. You’re getting dressed for the date when your phone vibrates a few times. You check your notifications, only to find an unknown number texting you.
Unknown Number: hey
Unknown Number: oh it’s jake peralta btw
You: oh hi
You: what’s up?
Jake Peralta: u have a date 2day right
You: yes, why?
Jake Peralta: where is it
You pause for a moment. Why does he want to know where it is? Whatever. It’s not like any harm will come to you if you tell him. You decide to send him the name of the restaurant, and the two of you text back and forth for a bit longer. You can’t quite discern the purpose behind the ensuing discussion.
Jake Peralta: lmk how ur date goes
You frown in confusion. Why does he want to know? You decide to bite the bullet and just ask.
You: why?
He leaves you on read; you frown. It seems Peralta doesn’t want to answer that question. Ah well. You give up on the idea of interrogating him for further information.
You: okay, i will.
He leaves you on read again—interesting. You don’t know Peralta very well, but it almost appears as if he’s… angry. Did you do something? You scroll up through the conversation one more time, trying to look for what you could’ve done wrong. You don’t see anything. You get another notification—this time, though, it’s from your date. The conversation with Peralta falls to the back of your mind as you finish getting ready for your date.
Approximately thirty minutes later, you find yourself sitting in the restaurant by yourself. The place is rather fancy, to your chagrin. You certainly wouldn’t have chosen this place for a first date—that’s for sure. The hostess leads you to a table and you sit down, bouncing your leg restlessly.
There’s no sign of your date. You’re beginning to feel everyone staring at you with sympathy, and it makes you sick to your stomach. You can’t help but feel horribly embarrassed. Have you been stood up? As time passes, you begin to think that’s the case. It’s now a full thirty minutes from the time you were supposed to meet and you’re forced to come to the conclusion that your date ditched you. You’re humiliated. You’re moments away from crying and getting up from your seat when you see someone out of the corner of your eye.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, babe.” You look up, only to find Jake Peralta walking over to you. He’s dressed rather nicely and there’s an embarrassed smile on his face. “Traffic was horrible.” His voice is a bit louder than it needs to be. You stare at him in confusion. Meanwhile, Jake leans towards you as he takes off his jacket, whispering in your ear. “You never texted me.”
“Peralta…” you break off, beginning to realize what’s happening here. Jake is saving you from any future embarrassment—diverting everyone’s attention by pretending to be your date.
“He didn’t show up?” You nod silently. Jake’s expression turns from suspicious to absolutely indignant. His fists clench at his sides and, for the first time, he looks unspeakably angry. You’ve never seen him look so serious before, and it’s a huge juxtaposition to his typical goofy nature. You suddenly feel the need to break the tension settling in the air.
“It’s fine,” you reassure him. Thankfully, outside attention is finally falling away from you, as the couples around you lose interest in your predicament.
“It definitely isn’t,” Jake says with a sigh. “But, whatever. I’m here now, so you don’t have to worry.” He grins cheekily. You roll your eyes, although you’re sure the relief on your face is evident. The two of you stare at each other for a moment and you realize that this entire situation feels wrong. It’s not Peralta’s presence that throws you off—it’s the restaurant. Your date picked it, and you’re starting to realize that you feel pretty out of place.
“You want to get out of here?” you eventually suggest. Jake looks up from the menu he had been frowning down at. “I’m not really in the mood for this kind of food, anyway.”
“Sure,” Jake shrugs, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and moving to put it on again. He turns to look at you expectantly. “What’re you in the mood for?” Well, that’s rather courteous of him to ask. You stop to think for a moment.
“Greasy fast food?” you suggest.
“Hell yeah,” Jake grins mischievously. He extends an arm and you take it, allowing him to lead you through the restaurant and outside. Once the two of you are successfully outside, you let your hand fall from his arm and take a deep breath. Jake rattles off a few food places nearby and eventually, the two of you decide to go to the closest one. What follows is a rather enjoyable meal and interesting conversation. Because of your unofficial work rivalry, the two of you had never quite talked to each other except to bicker. It’s nice to learn more about Jake. He’s pretty goofy at work, but you know that he has other things going on under that immature exterior.
“I’m sorry your date ditched you,” Jake says some time later. There’s sympathy written all over his face and you suddenly feel deeply, profoundly embarrassed. You bite your lip. You’re thankful for his concern, of course, but…
“It’s fine,” you lie through your teeth. Silence descends in the air for a few moments and you can feel Jake’s gaze burning into the side of your face.
“You sure?” Jake’s expression is so concerned that you can’t help but feel guilty at the thought of being the reason for his worry. You inhale shakily. You had tried your best to push aside any thoughts about your original date, but now, they’re rushing back in full force. Why did he ditch you? Were you not worth the effort?
“No,” you admit with a whisper. Jake doesn’t respond to that, instead extending his arms and inviting you to hug him. You wrap your arms around him and bury your head in his shoulder, hoping he doesn’t notice the tears falling down your face. You quickly wipe them away. Jake’s grip is firm and reassuring.
“Thanks, Jake,” you say, once you’ve regained your composure. “I really appreciate it.”
“Any time,” Jake responds, with a frightening amount of sincerity. The two of you part ways soon after that, with the promise to talk more tomorrow. Jake tells you to text him when you get home and you do so. That night, you fall asleep with conflicting feelings. On the one hand, you’re extremely grateful that Jake stepped up to support you. Plus, your night with him was very enjoyable. On the other hand, well, being stood up on a date makes you feel rather sad. You have to push aside the pointless questions you’re asking yourself—if you had done things differently, if you did anything wrong, etc.—and just go to sleep.
“What was the guy’s name?” Jake asks the next day, once the two of you are in the precinct. You raise your eyebrows at him and he scrambles to explain. “Your date? I’m asking for a friend. Definitely not for any other reason.” You glance at him in knowing amusement and he sighs in defeat. “Hey, it was worth a try.”
“Thanks anyway,” you say, unable to hide the fond smile growing on your face. “And, hey, if he hadn’t ditched me, we wouldn’t have had such a great night.”
“You had fun?” You’re unsure how Jake can seem so surprised about that.
“Of course,” you respond. “Did you?”
“Yeah,” Jake responds without hesitation. He then pauses, as if trying to search for the next words to say. “Can I ask you something?” You nod in agreement. Jake averts his eyes for a moment. He seems uncharacteristically nervous. His gaze flits about restlessly. “You want to go to dinner tonight?”
“Sure,” you answer, with no hesitation whatsoever. Jake is evidently surprised by your quick answer and he seems to be on the verge of saying something else, so you decide to clarify. “Like a date?”
“Say yes, Jake,” Charles says, popping out of literally nowhere. You flinch in surprise and then stare at him in disbelief. Had he been listening to your entire conversation? And where did he even come from?
“Sorry, he found out about last night—” Jake tries to explain to you, only for Charles to cut him off.
“I have great news for you lovebirds!” Charles grins. Dread coils in your chest—that mischievous smile never means anything good coming from Boyle. Jake seems to think the same thing, if the apprehensive look on his face is any indication. “You now have a reservation for my favorite Japanese restaurant-!”
“The one that serves octopus balls?” Jake interjects, shuddering at the thought. You feel the same. You’re not a very adventurous eater to begin with—which was part of the reason you suggested fast food last night. “Thanks, buddy, but no thanks.”
“Please?” Charles begs. “The restaurant is really hard to get reservations for! Their waitlist is several months long! That’s why I’ve had to order to-go the past few times…”
“If the waitlist is so long, then how did you get reservations in the first place?” you decide to ask. Something feels wrong about this, but you can’t quite tell what it is. You decide to wait for Charles to explain further.
“I made them a while ago,” he says excitedly. “I’ve been wanting to eat there for months!” Charles seems unaware of what he’s revealing by saying that. Jake and you exchange a look, before Jake decides to say something.
“…Charles?” Jake asks. Charles turns to look at his friend. “The reservation is for three, isn’t it?” That seems to be the likely conclusion, the more you think about it. If Charles wanted to go so badly, he wouldn’t just make a reservation for two people—he’d include himself in the reservation, too. You look at Boyle and await his answer.
“Of course, Jake,” Charles responds, squinting at him. Jake and you sigh. Charles just grins infuriatingly. “I’ll pick you two up at seven!” He then disappears. You blink at the space he had occupied. That man needs to wear a bell or something, so that he doesn’t give you a mini heart attack every time he mysteriously appears.
You take a deep breath and turn to Jake. “He’s going to be third-wheeling the entire time, isn’t he?”
“Yep,” Jake says, shaking his head in disbelief. You can relate to the sentiment. Charles is quite crazy, sometimes.
“Well, that’s okay—our first date wasn’t exactly conventional, either,” you then acquiesce with a shrug. Jake freezes and stares at you with wide eyes. You immediately feel self-conscious. Did you say something wrong? “What?”
“First date?” Jake repeats, a strange expression on his face. It looks to be a mix of guardedness and hopefulness.
“Yesterday,” you blurt out, before you can realize your mistake. You had characterized it as a date, but you never confirmed that with Jake. You glance at him for reassurance. “...Right?”
“Yeah,” Jake remarks quickly. “Cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.” The two of you are staring at each other and he takes a step forward to close the distance between you. Jake’s hands come up to bracket your face and he leans forward—
“I’m loving this tension.” You flinch and Jake freezes, before you turn to look at the new presence. Charles is standing next to the two of you once more, a starry look in his eyes. Jake sighs in exasperation and you look at Charles expectantly.
“Just pretend I’m not here,” Charles smiles, backing away a foot before continuing to stare at you. Jake’s hands are still cradling your cheeks, but evidently, neither of you are comfortable with kissing in front of Charles.
“Buddy—” Jake breaks off.
“Fine,” Charles sighs dramatically, wisely taking several steps back as he registers the annoyed look on Jake’s face. “See you at seven!” He exclaims, before running back to his desk and smoothly avoiding punishment.
“Now, where were we?” Jake says hesitantly. You roll your eyes and lean forward to kiss him, valiantly ignoring Boyle’s excited shrieks in the background.