Work Text:
It was, for once, a strangely quiet day in the St. John’s Major Crimes Division. Charlie was sat at his desk, reading over an old file to have something to do, though he occasionally turned to Rex to gift him a treat or a pat to the face.
Jesse was typing away on his computers, an online game open on one of his monitors as he waited for his coding program to crack through a collection of encrypted files discovered on a recent case. His gaze was focused firmly on the screens, and every few moments he’d adjust his glasses on his nose to keep his eyes strain-free.
It didn’t take long before Sarah soon appeared, the lab too having a quiet and slow day. She approached Charlie’s desk, leaning against the free space in the way she usually did. Her arms folded comfortably across her chest as Sarah ducked her head, catching Charlie’s eyes with a smile. The pair soon devolved into a muted conversation, one that Rex was following very carefully if his perked ears were anything to go by.
The Major Crimes Division remained that way for nearly another hour before Joe finally returned from his meeting with the higher-ups. He groaned lowly under his breath, always finding such meetings a drag, and he rolled his shoulders as he re-entered the Major Crimes bullpen.
Pushing open the glass doors, Joe greeted his team before he tiredly trudged towards his office, seeking sanctuary and reprieve there for at least a few minutes. It wasn’t until he passed Jesse’s desk that a thought sparked in his mind, and he turned to Jesse to ask, ‘Jesse, did you send through those videos from the McManus robberies?’
Upon hearing his name, Jesse had closed out of his online game to look up at Joe. Nodding his head, Jesse replied, ‘Yeah. I cleaned it up as best I could, but it’s still a little grainy. McManus hasn’t updated his security systems since the Stone Age.’
‘Great. Good work, Jesse.’
Joe nodded his head, genuinely impressed by the young man’s skills, but he hadn’t expected the next words out of his mouth.
‘Thanks, Dad.’
The Major Crimes Division froze, but not Jesse. He returned to typing away on his keyboard until he slowly realised that the hustle and bustle of the room had ebbed away. Hesitantly, he turned in his seat to see everyone looking in his direction. He swallowed as he felt that familiar feeling of exposure before Jesse cleared his throat, eyes darting across the room.
‘Why’s everyone staring at me?’
It was Sarah who broke everyone else’s stupor, biting her lip as she smiled, trying to squash the laugh she could feel in her throat. ‘You just called Superintendent Donovan "dad".’
Jesse immediately felt his face turn red and his ears burn wildly. Wetting his lips, he shook his head fervently. ‘Wait, what? No--! No, I didn’t.’ He stammered out, though he was internally cursing himself. How was this even more embarrassing than the time he’d called his fifth-grade teacher ‘mom’?
Charlie tried less to hide the amusement on his face and in his voice. ‘You called him "dad", Jesse.’ He backed Sarah up, unrestrained in the slight laugh he gave. In return, Jesse shot the older man a glare.
‘No, I didn’t!’ He retorted petulantly. ‘I said, "thanks, man!" You know, like a professional grown-up.’ Jesse huffed, leaning back in his chair as he willed the world to swallow him whole. He also made a point to adamantly avoid looking at Joe, pressing his lips together in a firm line. Despite Jesse’s silent pleas, Joe didn’t stay out of the conversation.
‘Jesse…’ He started, his voice soft and calm as he talked. ‘Do you see me as some sort of father figure?’
Jesse felt his jaw tick as he sunk lower into his chair, desperate to wake up and reveal this was all some sort of terrible, embarrassing dream. ‘No.’ He said, his face still a bright shade of red. ‘If anything, you’re a bother figure. ‘Cause you’re bothering me.’
After a beat, Rex barked loudly and looked over a Jesse — the young man could have sworn that the German Shepherd was all but glaring at him as if to say, Show your father some respect!
Jesse, in all his seriousness, glared back at Rex, telling the dog, ‘I didn’t call him "dad", Rex!’ The canine remained unphased as his tail thumped against the floor in content at his contribution.
‘Jesse, you don’t need to be embarrassed.’ Joe cut in, his voice still calm and controlled, and Jesse finally spared the Superintendent a glance. ‘I take it as a compliment. Thank you.’
Even as he ducked his head, huffing in further embarrassment at the situation, Jesse let out a soft grunt of assent under his breath. Joe smiled as he caught the words, and he nodded his head.
'Alright, back to work, everyone!'
The Major Crimes bullpen soon bustled back to life under the command of their Superintendent, and once he was sure everyone was focused back on their respective tasks, Joe slowly approached Jesse's desk, his voice even softer as he could clearly see the discomfort and mortification on Jesse's face.
'Hey.' Joe said, then waited until Jesse slowly lifted his head to meet Joe's eyes. On the older man's face, Jesse couldn't see any mockery. Instead, all he could see was gentle sincerity. Swallowing down a lump that formed in his throat, Jesse waited, his heart hammering wildly in his chest. 'I meant what I said, okay? I take it as a compliment. I care for you a lot, Jesse.'
Jesse soon felt his body unfurl, losing the tension, as he listened to Joe. His eyebrows furrowed. 'Really?' He couldn't help but ask, his face covered in disbelief as Joe nodded his head once more.
'Really. You've become like a son to me, Jesse, and I wouldn't ever be offended for you thinking the inverse.'
The smile that split Jesse's face was uncontainable, and he looked up at Joe with appreciation. Joe returned the smile with one of his own, and he rapped his knuckles against Jesse's desk. 'Dinner at mine starts at eight. You need to eat more vegetables.' And with that, Joe shuffled away from Jesse's desk and off towards his office, closing the door behind him. He didn't need the glass to know that the grin on Jesse's face became unshiftable.