Work Text:
“So... how do you wanna play this?” asked Kim.
“What do you mean?” Adam replied, a confused frown on his forehead.
“Well…should we tell everyone? At work, I mean?”
“It’s not really anyone’s business…but I mean, sure, I guess. Let’s just see how it goes. I think we need to tell Mak before anyone else, don’t we?” he asked.
It had been a week since their explosive night, and six days since they’d officially decided to do this. Be together. To be fair, the only thing different about their new status was that he got to kiss her whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted…have her in every way, really. In the bedroom. On the kitchen counter, once. In the shower. On the couch in the living room. Makayla was observant and so they’d had to be careful about what she saw, but other than that, Kim and Adam had taken to this new era of their relationship very naturally.
“Yeah, you’re right. Although sometimes she’s so observant, I think she already knows everything,” Kim said. Adam chuckled.
“You know, you’re probably right, she may have already figured it out,” he replied.
It was a rare day off for the both of them. With Mak at school, their only responsibility that morning had been to feed her breakfast and drop her off, and then they’d spent the rest of the day lazing around in bed. They’d eventually ventured outside for food, and were now sprawled on the couch, the TV playing a random movie in the background, both of them barely paying any attention to it. Kim was almost sitting in Adam’s lap, her left leg curled over his thighs, his arm around her drawing circles on her skin.
“Why don’t we invite Kev over for dinner? That way, we can tell him together,” Kim suggested.
“Yeah, let me text him. Mak will be excited to see Jordan,” he said.
He quickly texted Kev, getting a reply almost immediately, telling him they’d be over. Must be a slow day at work. With the dinner plan confirmed, they decided to be productive and went over to the fridge to examine what they were working with.
“Well…so we’re gonna have to run to the store,” Kim said wryly.
They laughed before getting dressed and getting into the Jeep to drive to the store. Kim remembered Kevin talking about a marshmallow dessert that Jordan wanted to show Mak, and against the part of her brain telling her it would be hell to clean out the microwave, she thought Mak would have fun and this would be a good buffer for the grownups to have a conversation. After removing half the sugary snacks that Adam had grabbed and then going back for a few of them, they finally got in the checkout line and were soon loading everything into the truck. They then drove over to Mak’s school to pick her up.
“Mom! Dad!” Mak was yelling as she ran over to them. They laughed, Adam getting down on his knees so she could crash into him.
“Hey, kiddo, how was your day?” he asked. Kim smiled down at them, accepting a hug from her next.
“It was fun. My friend Gianna got this chocolate chip muffin in her lunchbox and split it with me, and it was so yummy. Mom, can we make some at home?”
“Sure, sweetie, we can make them one day. But tonight, we’re calling your Uncle Kev and Jordan over for dinner. How does that sound?”
“Yay! Uncle Kev told me that Jordan wants to show me a new dessert that I’m gonna love,” she said.
“Oh he did, did he,” said Kim wryly. Adam grabbed her book bag and the three of them headed over to the Jeep. Once they’d buckled her up, they drove home.
“Mom, what are we having for dinner? Is there gonna be broccoli?” asked Mak cautiously.
Kim had to purse her lips to stop from smiling.
“Why, do you want any broccoli?” she asked.
“NO! It’s yucky,” she said.
“Mak, come on, it’s not that bad, especially–” Kim started.
“To be fair, darlin’, I’m with the kid on this one. It’s pretty yucky,” Adam interjected.
“Oh yeah? Just for that, the next time we do broccoli, you’re both getting extra big servings. But you’re safe tonight, I actually haven’t decided on the sides yet. Maybe we could do mashed potatoes? Or garlic bread?”
“Both!” Mak exclaimed.
“Alright, we’ll decide later,” Kim said as she rolled her eyes. They reached home just then, Kim telling Mak to help them with some of the lighter bags and simultaneously scolding Adam for trying to bring all the groceries inside in one trip.
“Honestly, it’s like living with two children,” she muttered as she walked in.
“I heard that!” Adam yelled.
“You were supposed to!” she yelled back.
~~~
Later that night, dinner was in full swing. Kev had brought over wine for her and beers for him and Adam, while Jordan and Mak were busy watching a hockey game in the living room. Dinner had finished a while ago and the three of them were sitting and talking about their patrol days with Platt.
“Ugh. That woman scares the crap out of me, but I would do anything for her,” Kev was saying.
They all agreed. They didn’t see or work with Platt as often as they used to these days, but she was always there, ready to help no matter what the case was. Kim had come to see her as a sort of mother figure, thinking about all the times she’d thought her life couldn’t get any worse and Trudy had been there for her through it all. When she broke off her engagement with Adam. When she’d lost the baby. When she’d been shot. When Mak had been taken. When Adam had been shot. She remembered those early days with Adam, sneaking around the bullpen, thinking they were being so slick, only for Platt to call them both out with the straightest face, telling them their voices really carried and they should do something about that. She smiled, shaking her head.
“Whatchu thinkin’ about, Burgess?” Kev asked, noticing her smile.
The perfect segue for the conversation they wanted to have. She glanced at Adam, before looking back at Kev.
“Well. Adam and I, we have something we wanted to tell you,” she began.
“Oh yeah? So you’re telling me you didn’t just invite me over because you like my awesome company?” he teased.
“No, of course not. How could you have ever assumed that,” she joked back, rolling her eyes.
“No, but seriously, we do have something we wanted to tell you,” she started again.
“Could this thing be that you and Ruz have finally figured your shit out and have decided to just be together for real?” he asked.
Both Adam and Kim froze for a few seconds, before turning to each other. There was a poignant pause, before the three of them burst out laughing.
“Oh my god, how did you know?” Kim asked.
“Oh come the hell on. You two still think ya’ll are so slick, but you ain’t fooling anyone,” Kev replied.
“Bro, if you knew, why didn’t you say anything?” asked Adam.
“What, and deny myself this delightful moment of ruining your grand speech? Hell no. Plus, I figured ya’ll would tell me when you were ready. I was quaking in my boots though, cuz ya’ll sure took your own sweet time,” he said, laughing.
Adam laughed, leaning forward and raising his beer up.
“Well, now that you know, here’s to us. Our friendship. Kim and I are lucky to have you in our lives, and we’re grateful that now Mak gets to have you in her life too,” he said, in a rare moment of a candid outpouring of feelings for them.
“Yeah, I should be heavily compensated for being the only person who had to watch you two being idiots for like, a decade now,” he said with a smirk on his face.
“Wow, it has been a decade, hasn’t it? That’s crazy,” Kim said. “And Adam’s right, Kev. We’ve all been friends for over ten years now–although you were my friend first, so back off, Adam–and we are so lucky. And you know Mak loves her Uncle Kevin so much. You’re our family,” she said, getting a bit teary eyed.
“Ahhhh you guys need to cool it with the mushiness, it’s getting to me,” Kev said, looking up and blinking rapidly.
The three of them clinked their drinks, cheersing to a decade of friendship.
Their moment was interrupted by Mak running toward them, with Jordan trailing behind her.
“Uh oh. What are you up to, bear?” Kim asked.
“Nothing! Well. Jordan said we have to make the dessert now, because it takes some time to make, and I need to try it before bedtime,” Mak replied.
“Yeah, Burgess, we have to make this dessert that’ll take ten years off your life to clean up. Let’s go, kids!” Kev said, following Mak and Jordan to the kitchen. Kim and Adam got up too, heaving twin sighs of apprehension.
“Wanna bet how long her bedtime will be delayed because of all the sugar?” Kim asked him.
“Well, I say an hour, tops. Then she’ll have a magnificent crash, and all will be well,” he said.
“Ugh. You’ll probably win, again, so I’m not losing any more money to you,” she said with a huff.
“Oh, I wasn’t gonna bet any money for this, baby,” he replied.
“Oh? Well, what were you thinking of then?” she asked, knowing where his mind had headed toward.
He pulled her closer, his arms caging her in, moving lower and lower. He trailed his lips tantalizingly close to her lips, making a path from her jaw to her ear so he could whisper to her.
“Wellllll. How about–” he started, but Mak barreled into them.
“Mom, Dad, you’re missing out! Come on, let’s go! You can kiss Mom later, Dad. Jeez,” she said.
Kim sputtered, a furious blush spreading on her face, while Adam almost burst his gut laughing.
“I told you, darlin’. Our daughter is way too smart for her own good. Come on, let’s go see just how bad the damage is. Kev, I swear to god, bro, if you’ve trashed our kitchen, I’m gonna make you stay here and clean the whole thing up,” Adam called out. Kim shook her head, sending a silent prayer up to save her from the craziness, but knowing she wouldn’t trade it for the world.