Work Text:
Tess
Tess glares, well almost, at Hayes, refusing to back down or retract her words. She watches as Hayes slightly raise an eyebrow and a corner of her lips curls slightly upward in a smirk as if impressed, but knowing Hayes, it could easily be that she was amused by Tess’s boldness. Whatever it was, Tess bloody well knows that Hayes wasn’t about to back down from the challenge either.
The conference room was heavy with tense silence. Tess was well aware eyes were mainly on Hayes and her. Next move on Hayes and Tess hopes Frankie stayed where he was till that move is made. It was a matter of seconds but it felt so much longer before Hayes slightly tilts her head in Frankie’s direction and addresses him.
“Well Frankie, the Bitch is asking, in or out?”
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The bright screen of her phone illuminates the room, mainly just her face really, but that was all that she needs. She hadn’t bothered herself to turn on the lights since she got in, slumping herself on the couch for the last couple of hours, looking back on the day and assuaging the guilt that had crept up her head the moment she sat down.
Tess finds herself letting out a sigh. She knows the call has to be made if she fancies any chance of sleep at all or risks the extra time in the morning trying to conceal her eye bags. Time she would have in the world and Tess wonders if that’d file under irony or fucking irony. She’d go for the latter. Guilt has never been a good friend of hers even though it has been a stubborn relentless companion all her adult life. So, no, she doesn’t really want another one tagging along.
The phone in her hand has gone to sleep again, leaving her in utter darkness, trying to search for words in the recesses of her mind. Again Tess knows it’s futile, all she’s doing is avoiding the inevitable. As her phone suddenly lights up and vibrates in her hand, Tess lets herself have a small smile of relief when she sees the name flashing across the screen. Apparently, inevitability has come looking for her first.
Tess swipes a finger across the green button and lets out a small, “Hi,” as soon as the phone hits her ear.
“You didn’t show up,” the other voice greets her, sulkily, it seems.
“No, I didn’t. Where are you now?”
“Outside.”
“Outside of where?”
“Your door.”
Tess got up from the couch and head towards her door, illuminated only by the lights coming through the windows, off the building across the road. She simply said, “Okay,” and ends the call. She peered through the peephole but didn’t see anyone but opens the door anyway and Hayes was sitting on the floor, back against the wall beside the door, legs stretched out and red heels lying beside her wiggling feet. Tess leans against the door frame and studies Hayes who was looking up at her, wearing a weary smile and eyes heavy, almost burdened, an indication of the day they’ve had and most probably set to go through again when the sun rises. Tess didn’t miss the glint that seeps through the clouds of those irises and the smile that seems to relax by the seconds. Tess lets a smidgen of relief course through her body, releasing the tension she’s been holding slightly.
Well, Hayes is here, isn’t she? She’s made the move to make things right, even though Tess is well convinced that it’s a move that she herself should have made.
“Are you coming in?”
“Not yet.”
Tess weighs her next step as she knows exactly what Hayes was thinking and needs them both to do. They have both agreed at the start of whatever they’re doing, when they started getting together not that long ago is that after every work day, they’d meet up and talk over their grievances or unpleasantness with each other that might have occurred at work. ‘Put everything to bed before we get into bed,’ were Hayes’s exact words, and Tess couldn’t agree more. The work they do, more often than not, usually results in high emotions and flaring tempers with five strong individuals stomping principles, all these mainly invoked by the feisty Former First Daughter. A day like today.
Tess takes a step forward and crosses over Hayes’s sprawled legs and settles herself down beside the brunette. Tess arranges herself as close as she can get to Hayes, shoulder to shoulder and arms touching. The contact gives Tess the warmth that she craves and reassurance that she never know she needs. An involuntary sigh of contentment slips through her lips and Hayes must have felt the same as she follows suit barely a second after.
They shared a smile before Hayes took Tess’s hand closest to her and laces their fingers together. “Hi, you’re good?”
Tess simply nods her head in reply and near whispers the question back to Hayes, “And you?”
“All the better for seeing you. You look great,” Hayes follows her words with a little peck on Tess’s cheek and Hayes’s smile turns into a grin as Tess feels her face flushing.
“And you look wrecked,” Tess remarks teasingly, waving her other hand to indicate Hayes from her head to her feet.
Hayes sniggers and bumps her shoulder against Tess’s, “Exactly the look I was going for at the end of the day, shows everyone how hard I’ve work. But of course there are no cams when you need one. The pap’s are only ever around when I’m in my glad rags or when the gutters swallowed me whole.”
“You poor thing,” Tess can’t help herself from teasing Hayes, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. They sat in silence for a while. Tess lets herself be soothed by Hayes’s presence beside her, her hand being stroked by Hayes’s thumb, calming and soothing.
She adores this side of Hayes. Tender. It belies the other Hayes that Tess adores in equal measures. The Hayes Morrison that wrecks and bulldozes through the day, inciting reactions from those around her. Smart, sharp remarks that sometimes could be aggressively harsh, challenging the minds that work alongside hers, questioning their beliefs and principles, but Tess knows why Hayes does it. The job that Hayes landed as the head of CIU was not one she wants, not the way she was blackmailed with anyway. But Hayes takes pride in her work. It has always been about the truth and justice; it is up to Hayes to remind everyone to shed their personal vindication at the door and to approach every case they’re working on with an open mind. Even if it means releasing a bomb exploding maniac, a dangerous racist bigot free into the world. Tess shivers as she reaches that thought.
Tess feels her hand being gently squeezed. Hayes turns to face Tess and places her free hand on Tess’s cheek, “Hey, you okay?”
Tess looks Hayes in the eyes and simply said, “Landon.”
Tess caught the uncertainty that fleets through Hayes’s eyes, and it somehow reassures Tess in a way, the fact that Hayes doesn’t like the way the case is going either, finally getting the real perpetrator and unleashing a beast that has plans to kill hundreds of Muslims with a mosque bombing.
Hayes momentarily dropped her eyes and when she brought them up again to meet Tess’s, Hayes speaks with conviction, “I’ve spoken to Wallace and he ensures me that the Counter Terrorism Unit will be on Langdon twenty four seven. Otherwise, let’s just hope we don’t find whatever we’re looking for on the Imam’s wife. Honestly, there was never a time I want to be more wrong than on this.”
“Hayes Morrison getting it wrong? That’s massive coming from you. Front page worthy.” Tess knows Hayes had solved their case again. There is no way that Hayes has got it wrong and there is little that can be done at this stage; they’ll just have to wait till tomorrow. But for tonight, one more thing for Tess to accomplish. Apologize.
“What is it, Bambi?” Hayes asks, before Tess could say anything.
“That’s a new one. Is Tinkerbell off?”
“Well, I’m getting a Bambi from your eyes. What is it?”
“I’m sorry.”
Hayes didn’t say anything but her eyes conveys a questioning look, an encouragement for Tess to continue. “I’m sorry for calling you a bitch and I’m sorry for not showing up tonight.”
“You don’t have to apologize for calling me a bitch, everyone knows I am one. You just got there before someone else did. But as long as you understand why I do what I did. I can’t let Frankie or anyone for that matter, to just drop things when it doesn’t suit their agenda. We’re supposed to be a team fighting for the same truth; it’s not just a popularity cause. But I’m really glad he’s hanging round. I like him.”
“I know, and you’re not a bitch. Not really. You’re infuriating, maddening, stubborn, yes. But bitch, no. I just lack my vocabulary juice earlier and that’s the only word that jumps in the moment. Saying the boss is being a Hayes lacks the impact and could be confusing.”
Hayes lets out a little laugh and Tess soaks in the sight before her. The twinkle in Hayes’s eyes, the crinkly little lines around them and the upward curl of those lips. Not a sight you see often on Hayes Morrison, not as genuine and warm as this you don’t. Pretty. Tess feels a sense of pride being the one to create that look and one to witness it. Very pretty. Tess leans forward and plants a chaste kiss on Hayes’s lips.
Hayes’s smile widens before she flushes her body against Tess’s, “And that earns you forgiveness for not showing up for our after work rendezvous, which by the way, I had thought because of something I had done. I do have a knack for those.”
Before Tess could know it, Hayes has captured Tess’s lips with her own. Warmth flushes throughout Tess’s body, a gentle, probing kiss, silky and smooth, one like no other. Tess feels safe, and warm, and dare she say it? Loved. Everything that she feels, being close to and being kissed as she is in that moment is bordering on overwhelming. Hayes Morrison without a doubt in Tess’s mind has the utmost ability to be the one to break her heart but for now, Hayes Morrison’s lips are all that Tess needs.
Tess finds herself breaking into a smile when Hayes finally pulls back. “Tess?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we go in now? I need the bathroom and I’m hungry. You have any tasty consumables in there?”
“Plenty of Chinese leftover, but very little wine.”
Hayes scrunches her face at the mention of lack of booze and Tess can’t help herself but to plant a kiss on Hayes’s nose. “Hayes?”
“Hmm?”
“I dare you to take all of me on with no Dutch courage. How do you feel about that?”
Hayes lets out a low growl at those words, and breathes in Tess’s ears, “Well, well, well, Tinkerbell. Challenge accepted and just so you know, I feel fucking great about that.”
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Hayes
The view from behind her desk of her office gives Hayes a direct line to the conference room and the entire floor of the CIU offices. There are a few blind spots here and there due to the pillars of the building, but never really substantial if there is a sudden urge for a game of hide and seek. There are times when she wishes hard for the solid four walls of unadulterated concrete where she can slam her office door whenever she feels the need to emphasize her anger to anyone around her. Or when she wants to drag Tess in, lock the door and let Tess do naughty, naughty things to her.
The bathroom is really the only place she seeks refuge in whenever there is a need for a modicum of privacy. Lately, with everything happening between closing the Penny Price case and Jackson and Tess and her frustrations at her own inability to control her emotions, there has been quite a bit of crying involved on these refuge seeking exercises. Tess caught her once and all she did was to drag Hayes into a stall and just held her and plants soft kisses in her hair and stroke her back. They didn’t stroll back out till a packet of tissue, Tess’s of course, and half a toilet roll later.
But on a time like this, Hayes appreciates being able to keep her eyes on the going ons around her. Well, one priority, really, but so far the object of her affection hasn’t showed up, which is kind of a surprise since Tess is usually at the table she shares with Frankie, deep into her research or digging for a pitch by the time Hayes walks in through those glass halls.
The object of her affection. Hayes scoffs at herself with that thought. The term seems somehow misused by her, but for lack of a more appropriate choice, that’ll have to do for the moment. Jackson hasn’t made any comment since Hayes told him a couple of days ago she’s met someone. Hayes doesn’t really like pushing Jackson at the moment, what with their relationship being on the mend, if there’s anything Hayes wouldn’t risk, it’d be what she has with Jackson. And in a way, Hayes has a feeling she might have put whatever she has with Tess on the line, in her quest to set things right with Jackson.
The last week has been very trying for Hayes and she knows something was bothering Tess but Hayes was too absorbed in her own disasters that she fails to look out for Tess. The one night that Tess has come looking for her when Hayes has been using her office couch as a makeshift bed, Hayes only has the memory of drunkenly rambling and crying and falling asleep on Tess’s lap. Tess was gone at some stage in the middle of the night and showed up the next day with eye bags under her eyes.
Hayes was going to give in and stay with Tess but Jackson shone his light of forgiveness and she found herself back in her own bed. Hayes hasn’t really connected with Tess in over a week, their nightly meetings put on hold. Their end of the day chats doesn’t always ends up with them in the same bed, they do sometimes go their separate ways, but it’s the connection and the time that they shared with only them in the bubble, that had meant something to Hayes. A lot of something, if Hayes was to be honest and she finds herself missing those chats, and again, in all honesty, she misses Tess. And now, their only interaction has only ever got anything to do with Porscha Williams, at which the case should and could be closed soon. All she needs to do is head upstairs to Wallace’s office and gives him an update. Hayes wonders if Naomi will be there as well, and suddenly dread is all she feels.
Hayes finds a reason to shake off those dreary thoughts and perks up when she sees the petite figure she’s been waiting for all morning making its way into Tess’s office. Hayes trains her eyes on Tess and watches as Tess took off her coat and neatly placed it over her chair and picking up the gift wrapped package Hayes had left on Tess’s table this morning.
Tess had a quick look around the floor but suddenly turns her body towards Hayes’s office. They were quite a distance away from each other but Hayes could feel the gaze Tess was sending her way. Tess gave her a small wave and Hayes could make out the questioning look on her face. Hayes simply replies their silent conversation with a smile and a shrug.
Hayes never takes her eyes off Tess, as she watches the blonde unwrap the package. Patiently and meticulously as if it holds the most precious thing, and as if Tess has plans for that wrapping paper. A very Tess thing to do. Even if the paper is to meet its end in the bin, it’ll go neatly folded and perfectly laid amongst the other used paper rubbish, waiting for its life to begin again, recycled. That’s what Hayes suddenly realises she wants with Tess. Begin again.
Hayes suddenly feels anxious. She has never really stop to think what Tess might feel about them. They’ve never discuss anything to do with what they’re both doing. Sure, the first couple of times had been about the sex - which to Hayes’s surprise has been unbelievably good after the first time, which was why there was a second, which by the way was even better and hotter, the name Tinkerbell has a whole new meaning in Hayes’s dictionary- but for Hayes, it’s been something more after. Hayes wonders if anyone in Tess’s contacts knows anything about her existence, more than being Tess’s boss. Hayes has always prided herself in her ability to read people, but Tess knows how to play her cards close to her chest. Sure, she readily shares some things but apart from that Hayes usually has to blindly stab in the dark.
The pinging of her phone shakes Hayes off her thoughts. A message from Tess. All on it was just a ‘?’. Hayes looked up back to Tess who now has her phone in one hand and supersize box of Kleenex in the other, looking intently at her.
‘Just thought I’d replenish your stock in case you have to come to my aid and help dry my eyes in another unforeseeable breakdown?’
Hayes watches closely as Tess reads her message and when Tess looks back at her, she got a tiny shake of Tess’s head and the unmistakable rolling of eyes before Tess got distracted by Frankie who had just walked into their office. Hayes allows herself a grin at the reaction she got from ‘the object of her affection’. That’ll do.