Chapter Text
It was a warm Friday evening and with a tough case finally having been wrapped, there were more than enough reasons for celebration at a bar. It was noisy enough already without their team, but still it was comfortable. With the buzz of a couple beers already running through his veins, Adam was feeling relaxed while listening to the other members of the small group sharing the table - all his friends and coworkers.
Taking a sip from his now warm and almost empty bottle, he watched Morgan chattering away with Daphne and Oz. Also having taken a couple beers already, it was no doubt with the help of the alcohol tuning down the smart brain of hers, she seemed happy and relaxed. A sight that left a warm feeling washed over him.
"Wait, do you think the Fosters are gonna get off easy?" Morgan asked, changing the subject, returning back to the topic of their case.
"The Fosters would have to have a great lawyer for that." Turning to look at Morgan, he replied, giving his serious answer to the question with his brows furrowing slightly. "I don't think they can afford it."
"But what a waste though, right?" Daphne chimed in while snacking from the small cup on the table that was filled with peanuts. "If I had that kind of money, I'd buy a Malibu mansion or a WNBA team."
"Oh, no. I'd start my own animal rescue." Oz said, interrupting with his own thoughts on how to spend the money.
"Okay, now I feel bad." Daphne responded, turning to look at Oz with a slightly offended look on her face.
Next to him Adam could hear Morgan chuckle at the accusation. "He did that on purpose."
"Yeah!" Daphne agreed enthusiastically.
"He definitely did. I'll get more drinks." Morgan offered, and started walking towards the bar.
Adam couldn't tear his eyes off her as she left the table. A constant static buzz in his veins, a warm feeling in his chest, a tightness in his stomach was there whenever she was next to him. A small void seemed to be where she was seated, the absence of her visible only to him. He wasn't entirely sure as to when the change to this had happened.
At first she'd been nothing but a nuisance - one he had wanted to rid himself of. So sure of himself, he'd been so sure that he was much better off and he looked forward to the end of the day where she'd left the precinct. But slowly she'd started to earn her own place not only in the team, but also in his heart. They were friends, sure, but also they had grown to be something else that he couldn't name yet. It was something he was afraid to explore and give a name to - forcing him to acknowledge his feelings.
He turned back to Daphne and Oz before either of them could call him out on his staring. Despite still talking about what they would do with all the money, Daphne was giving him a knowing stare that he decidedly ignored.
"He could live at my animal shelter!" Oz continued on, drawing a chuckle from him.
"You'd come back to the precinct in no time."
"You don't think I could last at least a month without solving crimes? I could come in during the weekends, or on some days off to help around."
"So you'd just be another Morgan, but worse. At least she pulls her weight more than you would if you only dropped by a few times a week."
Daphne laughed at the accusation and Oz's disgruntled face. "He's right. You'd never make it with all those animals. Why don't you start with getting a dog?"
"With this job? I'd need the insurance money first." Oz replied with a snort, drawing another bout of laughter from Daphne.
Taking another sip from his near-empty bottle, Adam was about to say something to the conversation, but was stopped by something that caught his attention at the edge of his vision. Turning his gaze towards the bar where Morgan stood, he could now also see their new captain standing much too close to her to his comfort.
Something was said, something that he couldn't hear over the general noise of the bar, the distance between them, and his own table companions talking, something that made Morgan laugh. The sight made his stomach churn.
He still wasn't too happy with Wagner being chosen captain over Selena, and there was something about him constantly seeking Morgan out that really irked him. His jaw tightened and the grip he had on his bottle tightened slightly as he watched the two chat and ignore their surroundings. Of course he was happy that he didn't lose partnership with Morgan, but more than anything he hoped that Wagner would simply disappear both from their precinct and their lives.
With a small frown he recognized the jealousy he was feeling, only making his mood worse as he was unable to tear his eyes away. They weren't anything but work partners and Morgan was completely free to see anyone she wanted, but even the thought of her doing so set heavy in his stomach.
In a small, distant and hidden part of his thoughts he could imagine himself being the one next to Morgan, being the one making her laugh while sharing a beer with her. But it was nothing more than a fantasy, and he needed to get a grip. So when Morgan started making her way back to the table with new bottles of beer, he pushed all the bitter feelings down and started making his way to her.
"Here, let me help." He said, and grabbed a couple of the bottles from her.
"Why, thank you." She replied with a smile, seemingly oblivious to his inner struggles. "What a gentleman."
He only hummed in response, not trusting himself to say anything that would reveal anything that he was feeling.
"Thanks. Hey, what did the captain want?" Daphne asked after taking the bottle offered to her, apparently also having spotted the two by the bar. Adam sent a silent thank you to her for asking about it, having decided not to ask anything of it himself so it wouldn't seem like an interrogation. Morgan only waved her hand in response.
"Oh, nothing. Just telling me that he wasn't going to fire me and wanted to talk about the case. He seemed to have some thoughts about it."
Adam frowned at the response. It was a high profile case, but everything had been wrapped up on their part, and there was nothing else to do or say about it. Even Daphne and Oz seemed slightly puzzled about it.
"But never mind that. Have you decided what you would do with the money yet if you could get it, Karadec?"
"Probably invest it." He replied almost immediately. It wasn't something he'd actually thought about, but investing his money was already something he did, so using some of it for stocks and such wouldn't be too far invested.
Morgan snorted in response, but was giving him her full undivided attention which helped him start to get over from the patch of sour mood from earlier. "Figures. Sounds something like you would do."
"It's better than Oz's idea, though." He grinned, his mood getting better by the minute.
"Hey!" He could hear Oz protest.
The rest of the evening went by smoothly, and even Wagner had left the bar without interrupting them. Even with some drinks to help him loosen him up, he couldn't help but feel like his skin was set on fire every time his hand brushed against Morgan's. Every time she laughed at some joke, he couldn't help but smile along and watch how she seemed to almost glow in the soft light of the bar. He wanted to bottle up her laugh and treasure it forever.
Even when the evening came to an end and their small group started heading home, he made sure that Morgan got into a cab safely before he got into one that would take him home.
"Text me when you get home safe, OK?" Keeping a hand on the door and leaning down, he looked at Morgan sitting in the back seat of the car. Her safety was of the utmost importance to him.
"I will, don't worry." She replied with a kind smile, and it took all the willpower in him to not lean in and kiss her. But even in his buzzed state he knew how bad of an idea that was. "Good night, Adam."
"Good night, Morgan."