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Adam's shoulders ache. Across from him, Morgan stares at the board. He doesn't think she's blinked for five minutes. Beside him, Oz and Daphne murmur in front of the computer, frustration in the lines of their faces. Soto perches in a chair beside Morgan, reviewing files for at least the third time in the last two hours, an extra pair of eyes they'd asked for with the importance of this case.
While they have a BOLO out on a suspect, Morgan is convinced he's not the real killer.
They're stumped.
It was bound to happen with how exhausted they all are. The last two months have had them pulling weeks of overtime, high-profile case after case landing on their desks. Once upon a time, Adam would have relished the chance to do nothing but put pieces together and solve cases for hours on end.
These days, he's starting to see the appeal of work-life balance, just a bit. And more importantly, his team is fracturing under the stress.
Morgan lets out a groan. Soto places a supportive hand on her back as she digs the heels of her hands into her eyes and guides her to sit.
"Take a break," Soto says, pressing Morgan's coffee into her hands.
"I'm missing something," Morgan says, glaring at the cup. "It's right there and I'm missing it."
"Maybe we need to switch places again?" Oz suggests half-heartedly. They've already done that twice.
"What we need is sleep," Soto sighs. "All of you, go home no later than 3pm today." Soto glances at Adam pointedly. Adam purses his lips, but nods. "And once we solve this one, I'm going to make sure we all get a proper break."
Morgan grumbles under her breath, then stretches. "You think the captain will be okay with that? Even if we get another big case?"
"Oh, he will be," Soto says. "I'll make sure of it."
Morgan pauses. "You know," she says slyly. "You should get Karadec to ask him."
Under his breath, Oz mumbles, "Oh, this should be good."
Adam squints at her, picking up his water bottle. "And what do you mean by that?"
"You haven't noticed? It's so obvious," Morgan says. There's a gleam in her eye that Adam decidedly doesn't like. He shoots her a warning look over the lip of his bottle, even though he doesn't exactly know yet what the warning is.
Daphne catches it, too, and her smile turns mischievous. Out of everyone on the team, no one likes to egg Morgan on like Daphne.
"What's obvious?" Daphne asks, leaning forward in anticipation.
Morgan grins. "Wagner has a crush on Karadec."
Adam spits out his water.
"What?"
"Morgan," Soto says, disapprovingly. But to Adam's horror, there's a spark of amusement in her eyes.
"No, no, listen," Morgan says. "Every time he goes out into the field, he only ever picks Karadec. No one else. I mean, I thought at first he was just, like, sexist—"
"Jury's out on that one," Daphne mumbles. Soto visibly grimaces.
"Fair point," Morgan says sympathetically. "But he doesn't really pick Oz, either."
"Okay, you're overthinking this," Adam says. Morgan shoots him a look that says, duh, that's what I do, and Adam crosses his arms. "I am competent in the field, and I have the most experience." That's flimsy, and he knows the others know it. "No, he just…he does not…like me! He's—" Adam grasps for a reason. "He has an ex-wife."
Bad excuse. Even he knows that was a bad excuse.
"Whoa, boss," Oz says, shaking his head in mock-disapproval. "People can be bisexual."
"I feel offended," Morgan says, theatrically placing a hand over her heart. "Is this workplace discrimination?"
Okay. Wow. Not information that Adam had known about her before.
"If it is, I'll go to HR with you," Daphne says, surprising Adam even more.
"Hey!" Morgan says, delighted. She holds up a hand, and they give each other a loud high-five.
Adam is learning way too much about these people.
"Alright, enough, you two," Soto says. "This is inappropriate workplace conversation."
"Thank you," Adam says pointedly.
"What's inappropriate workplace conversation?" Wagner asks.
Adam stiffens. Oz swivels abruptly in his chair towards his desk, and Daphne masks a squeak with a cough, turning to her computer. Soto's expression smoothens in an instant, her hand curling around Morgan's shoulder. Morgan pats her hand and stands gracefully, stepping out of her hold.
Wagner's brows crease with a faint frown.
"Just arguing about who's getting the first round of drinks this weekend," Morgan chirps. "We decided it's going to be Karadec."
Adam rolls his eyes. "As always," he mutters, striving to sound normal. Because he is entirely normal. He is, and this absurd, bizarre conversation is not going to make him tiptoe around his captain.
Not when he has bigger worries about what Wagner is doing in this department, anyway.
Wagner looks between them, his eyebrows rising. Adam watches him decide whether the obvious lie is one he wants to pursue. There's nothing Wagner likes less than not knowing something, after all.
Eventually, Wagner nods. "Right." He meets Adam's eyes. "Detective Karadec, when the BOLO comes back, I'll be going with you to apprehend him."
Adam freezes. Oz and Daphne exchange a wide-eyed look.
"Uh, that isn't necessary," Adam says. "Oz can go with me."
"I can," Oz confirms faintly.
Wagner shakes his head. "No need. I can spare the time. You know what I always say about a captain needing to spend time in the field."
He meets Adam's eyes, intent and probing. The memory of their conversation rises in Adam's mind, and he blows out a short breath. This has to be a keep-your-enemies-close situation, something Wagner is doing at the behest of…whoever is ordering him to be here. It has to be. There's no way Wagner actually…
"Yes, sir," Adam says with a nod. He waits for Wagner to leave.
Wagner does not leave.
Instead, he just stares harder. Jesus, his gaze is intense. "Also, Karadec, a word in my office?"
Behind Wagner's back, Morgan elbows Soto, mouthing, "What the fuck?"
Soto gives her a look, but her teeth dig into her lip. She covers her mouth with one hand.
Adam grits his teeth. "I actually have an important call to make," he says, lying blatantly for, regrettably, not the first time since Morgan joined this team. "Can you just, uh, tell me now?"
Wagner's eyebrows climb higher. He nods shortly. "Walk with me."
"Sure. I'll just get my things."
Adam busies himself with packing his files, waiting until Wagner steps into the hallway.
Then, he straightens up and meets the four stunned pairs of eyes boring into his skull.
"Don't you dare," Adam tells them.
"Karadec," Morgan says, voice shaking with suppressed laughter. Her face is lit up with delight, her eyes shining, exhaustion washed away by her amusement. Adam forces himself not to stare.
"Okay, I didn't think Morgan was serious," Daphne says. "But…Karadec, that was…"
"Weird as fuck," Oz hisses. "Did you see the way he was staring at you?"
Soto's shoulders tremble. She gives a hiccup, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"Selena, please," Adam says, closer to begging than he would like. "Not you, too."
"I'm sorry," Soto wheezes, taking enough pity on Adam enough to ignore his uncharacteristic slip-up in using her title. "But this is just so funny."
Morgan finally gives into her own laughter, cackling breathlessly. "Wagner and Karadec, sitting in a tree," she singsongs under breath.
Daphne lets out a loud snort and within seconds, she and Oz are goners, giggling into each other's shoulders, tears streaming down their faces.
Adam heaves a sigh. Children. He is working with children.
But for the first time in weeks, the fatigue and tension in his team's shoulders have lightened, replaced with sorely-needed joy and camaraderie. The fact that even Soto is partaking in it speaks to just how much they've all been going through. They need more breaks, more times of levity, but Adam knows they'll be few and far-between.
He decides that just this once, he's alright with being the butt of the joke.
Adam joins Wagner in the hall. To his relief, Wagner only asks him to get in touch with the lecturer for the Detective Training Academy to provide updated materials for a new section that will be added this year.
"Karadec," Wagner says. "What were you all talking about in there?"
Adam sighs. He should have expected Wagner to be unable to let things go. In some ways, he's just like Morgan.
That thought rankles Adam more than he'd expected. He remembers, suddenly, that he isn't the only one Wagner looks at with that intensity. Wagner watches Morgan like that, too.
Adam's stomach twists. Somehow, the thought of Wagner liking him isn't as disturbing as Wagner liking Morgan.
Which isn't true, in either case, Adam reminds himself. But the pit in his stomach doesn't go away.
"Morgan was just theorizing, and it led us down some rabbit holes," Adam says. "Not work-related. It won't happen again."
Wagner tilts his head. "She can be a distraction."
Adam forces himself not to react. "Sometimes," he says. "But she's what the team needs."
"The team," Wagner says. "Right. Well, you remember my offer. If there's anything I need to know…"
"If there is, you'll be the first one to know," Adam lies. He meets Wagner's eyes without remorse until the other man accepts it and walks away.
It's perhaps one of the only lies he'll never regret, Adam thinks. There are some things in defense of Morgan—in defense of his team—he'll take to his grave.