Work Text:
Lana mushed her toes into golden sparkly sand, hot from the harsh sunlight. Her shoulders were bare and cool, protected from sunburn by her large white-and-red striped umbrella and several lathers of sunscreen for fragile skin. Her case files were kept in sturdy folders, held still in the wind by a one litre water bottle filled to the brim. There were four more just like it in her cooler. Of course, a dedicated worker bee like Lana would bring her paperwork with her. And if she didn’t get to a single page, if she afforded herself the freedom to get swept away by salty waves, then everyone she knows would consider it a successful vacation. Even Detective Skye slacks off they’d happily cheer. It might help boost morale.
Instead of paperwork, a love-worn paperback lay open on Lana’s bare stomach. She’d read through a few more chapters before she was caught by distraction. A little kid playing frisbee jolting her o ut of the story ; a horsefly that wouldn’t leave her alone; the distant thump of Damon Gant’s hearty laughter, welcomed into a family tossing a beach ball around in a circle. He was far away, but he caught Lana’s gaze and waved to her in large strokes. She scuttled out from under the shade and waved back. Lana hugged her knees close and rested a flushed cheek on them, watching Gant climb up onto his bright orange inflatable. His muscular back glistened with water droplets and his grey/ white hair drooped downwards and clung to his neck.
She’d never seen the Deputy Chief so calm, floating around off the coast. Nobody else at the precinct saw every part of his work process like she did. He always was trying to find a little bit of extra time to get one more thing done. Work hard, play hard: it really was his motto, as cliche as it is. By her own admission, Lana wasn’t good at work-life balance. She hoped that one day Gant would teach her how he managed it.
Lana tip-toed into the water , avoiding pointy rocks and seashells. She shivered as her body adjusted to the cool temperature, but the minute the water met her waist she dipped under and swam into the deep, breaststroke-by-breaststroke until she reached her destination. She placed a hand on Gant’s shoulder and nudged his eyes open.
"Finally decided to join me, eh?” He said, turning around to let his belly see some sunlight. He smacked his stomach as an invitation for someone to sit upon him. That got her flustered. “ There’s no way that thing can hold the both of us” Lana argued. He laughed and pulled and prodded. As soon as she put the weight of her hands on the edge of the inflatable Gant tumbled into the water, sending the big orange thing into the air.
"Grab that--” Gant shook his head out of the water, coughing and laughing. “I paid good money for that!"
So she swam quickly to retrieve the rectangular rubbery plastic, pulling it behind her by one of its handles. Her eyes squinted in the sun – salt water droplets were a tiny ounce of refreshment soaked into her flushed face, until she submerged her head under the waves again.
“I’ll just wrap it up and use it like a pool noodle,” Lana decided, “I don’t feel like sunbathing.”
“Because you can’t get enough of my face, right ?” He beamed. Jokes, all jokes, Lana reassured herself. Her face was hot again, but the water didn’t help this time. She almost felt like drowning right there when Gant noticed her bikini straps had come loose. He did the helpful thing and swam behind her to tie them back securely. Neck deep in embarrassment, she had no choice but to let him fix her dishevelled suit for her.
And once Gant finished putting her back together, he had no choice but to accept Lana’s decision to spin around and kiss him. Maybe it was because it seemed like the ideal opportunity. Maybe it was because she’d been thinking about how much she loved him ever since their trip got started. Maybe it was both, and some other third and fourth things. But ever since they became investigative partners , there was this invisible line drawn that both of them rarely crossed.
Now, she’d finally let it float away.