The Youngest in the Precinct

The Captain's Birthday Party

It was almost immediately obvious to me that Kevin was not getting along with the rest of the 99. In fact, let me rephrase, it was obvious that Kevin was purposefully making the 99 feel uncomfortable. I watched from afar, examining the tall ginger who was verbally walking circles around my team, I skipped from room to room, seeing the different levels of discomfort that everyone was suffering through. The only people who seemed like they were enjoying themselves were Hitchcock, Scully, Rosa, and Gina. Hitchcock and Scully were making a mockery of the supposed feast that the Captain, Kevin, and I had laid out on the dining room table. Gina was in her element, fielding questions from tens of psychologists who were veritably blown away by the amount of admiration and love that Gina reserved for herself and Rosa stood in the doorway, amused by the ridiculousness of Gina, with a glass of some kind of alcohol in her hand.

I made my way back along the hallway, determined to separate Jake and Kevin, seeing as that seemed to be the situation causing the largest ruckus. Stepping into the room, I approached Jake, who was stumbling over his words. Kevin stood before him, eyebrows raised, and a small smirk on his face, clearly pleased with himself as he had caused Jake to become stumped. I swept around to Jake's front and wrapped my arms around him, my back to Kevin.

"Let's go." I grasped Jake's hand tightly in mine and began to lead him away from the awkward situation. I looked up at Jake to see him shoot me a grateful smile, to which I responded with a sympathetic one. I pulled him through the crowd and out the front door to stand on the top step of the patio with me, we both sighed in relief, escaping the weight of the occasion. Jake moved closer to my side, our arms brushing each other as we stared down the driveway in silence for a while. "I feel so out of place here, Jake. Everyone is so smart, and they make me feel so inferior. Most of the team is miserable, and I hate it because all I want is for all of you to be happy. How could this have gone so wrong?" I sat down on the step, curling my arms around my knees and allowing myself to dwell in my own misery. Jake sat beside me, looped his arm around my shoulders, and released a huge sigh.

"I really wanted Kevin to like me, but I think he hates me. I tried to impress him by talking about a New Yorker article that I was told he liked, but I've never read that magazine, so you can imagine how that went." He mumbled, his head laying on top of mine, cheek pressed to my hair. "I made a fool of myself, and by extension the 99, maybe I should leave."

"Don't go, I have to stay." I rushed out. He hummed for me to go on, and so I decided to disclose a little of my life to him. "Captain Holt thought I wouldn't come unless he drove me. He took me to my home first to collect things for me to stay the night. My clothes and - " I cut myself off before I spoke if my stuffed animal. "Can you keep a secret, Jake?"

"'Course." He responded.

"I have a stuffed lion that I can't sleep without. It's in the back of Holt's car." I told him my shoulders tensed as I waited for him to start laughing, but he only squeezed me tighter into his side and turned to kiss the crown of my head.

"Thank you for trusting me." Jake whispered.

"Thank you for being trustworthy." I retorted, my shoulders untensed as he began to chuckle softly. "This is really nice, actually, just being together under the stars." I looked up at the sky full of stars with a soft, dopey smile. "You think the rest of the team would like to join?" I nudged Jake.

"If you don't mind, I'd like it to just be us for a little longer. The quiet is helping me."

"For sure, we can stay as long as you need. It's not like anyone's gonna miss us." I chuckled.

It was mere seconds after we'd settled into the silence when the door was hurriedly opened and the party guests began to stream out past us. Terry and Amy were positively running to get out of the house. Holt arrived at the door, pushed Hitchcock and Scully out of it, and let out a grunt. He seemed frustrated, a hand rested atop his head, and the other pressed against the door.