A/N: Inspired by a tweet incorrectjisbon posted on May 12, 2021. Thanks to heclosescases for beta reading this because lol I almost did not post this. Thanks in advance for reading (and reviewing if you so choose)!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thankfully, crime rates were down over the last month. While that was good for humanity, it was bad for CBI business. As such, the agents had a lot of time on their hands. Worst: it wasn't like Lisbon could get on them for being off task. There wasn't a task for them to be on!

So that's how they found themselves in the bullpen sitting and reading. The CBI had them on contract for forty hours a week, so they were here and ready to go. Though, the CBI was less clear on how they were meant to spend weeks with a low case volume. She was sitting with Jane on his couch while the others were at their desks.

"So did you guys know about this whole top and bottom thing?"

Cho did a double take before sitting his book face down on his desk. Obviously, he was gearing up for a good conversation.

Van Pelt also looked over at Rigsby. "What are you reading, Rigsby?"

"Oh, I'm on Twitter. There's this huge discussion over who's a top and who's a bottom. I never thought it mattered that much. I thought things just...were. You know?"

Cho shook his head. "Twitter. That's sure to get your thought processes really working. You might want to check out mental gymnastics."

She could see Rigsby was thinking about it, but decided against doing what Cho told him to do. "So what are you, Cho?"

Without hesitation, Cho answered. "Top."

"Van Pelt?"

Jane chuckled as he got up to go make his tea. It's not like they didn't all know that Rigsby already knew the answer to that question. It was just an open secret that they didn't talk about.

Van Pelt folded her arms over her chest, indicating that she would not be answering the particular question. Rigsby moved on.

"Personally, I am a top."

"So then, is that just something that all men just say to feel manly?"

Van Pelt asked a very pointed question, bringing a smile to Lisbon's face. Officially, she did not know Van Pelt and Rigsby hooked up from time to time. Unofficially, she was amused at the call out.

Rigsby made eye contact with Cho. "What? Don't drag me into this, man."

Rigsby shook his head. "No, it has nothing to do with being manly! Alright, Lisbon. What about you?"

She lowered her book, thinking quickly about how she would answer the question. Usually, they didn't drag her into things like this on account of her being the boss. Though, it was a rather slow news day.

"I'm a threat."

"A threat?"

"Yeah, a threat to contact professional responsibility." She winked at Rigsby as his face went red. Of course, she was just screwing with him.

Jane, who was munching on a donut as he walked back toward the couch, called out. "She's a bottom!"

"Jane!"

She wanted to throw her book at him as he sat down on the couch. "What? Come on, you know I can tell you what each of you are right now. Lisbon is a bottom. Look at her. All prim and proper. She'd be too scandalized to be a top and taking on too much of an active role in the...activities."

Now, her own face was red. "Jane, I'd appreciate it if…"

"Cho is definitely a top, like he said. Rigsby is a bottom, and really, there is no shame in that. Letting the woman do the work and getting things just right is a brilliant move. Van Pelt, I think that makes it clear which you are."

He abruptly stopped talking and started sipping his tea while the agents turned their eyes on him.

Rigsby finally got the courage to ask. "So what about you, Jane?"

"Oh, I'm definitely a top." Cho and Van Pet laughed as Rigsby shot up and walked away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After work, she hit the gym before coming home to shower. Not long after she got out of the shower, there was a knock on her door.

"Just a second!" Dressing quickly, she got to the door.

Opening the door, she saw Jane standing there holding up a paper bag. "Dinner from that Italian restaurant you like."

She ushered him into her house. She went to get plates and forks out for them to use. Suddenly, he was behind her. He snaked his arms around her waist as he lowered his mouth near her ear.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you, Jane?"

"About earlier."

"Oh you mean when you commented on my sexual preferences in front of my team? No, Jane, why would I be mad about that?"

"You know sarcasm…"

"Is the lowest form of whit. Yeah, I got it."

"Would you have preferred that I told them the truth? How you like to get me naked? How sometimes you like to blow me before you climb on top of me and ride me until you finish? How absolutely wild and absolutely commanding you are? What a messy little lover you are?"

She smiled at that. "No, but no comment at all would've been nice."

"It was a nice little misdirection when I read everyone, don't you think?"

"I'd rather they not think of me-you know, their boss-like that."

He shrugged. "You're a beautiful woman. Without a doubt everyone knows you have sex."

"But not with you."

"And they still don't."

"Really? Even with your little misdirection?"

"Yeah, they've not got a clue. Rigsby and Van Pelt are way too wrapped up in each other. Cho cares-but minds his own business-as to what others are doing. Our little secret is, well, our little secret."

She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Since you're the one who reads people, I'll take your word for it."

"Besides, you were being very cruel to Rigsby. You were never going to report him. You just wanted to silence him. Very state oppressive machinery of you."

She swatted his chest. "Well, I am still the boss."

"Don't I know it!"

"You don't show it."

"I think I do well enough."

"And besides, you picked up right where I left off when you left him hanging. No shame in being a bottom, huh?"

"Absolutely no shame but every pleasure. And you know, while you're taking my word for things, would you take my word on reheating those leftovers in a bit? I'd love to bury my head between your thighs right now."

She grinned. "Why do you think I let you in?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "The dinner you knew I was bringing."

"Oh, I can make my own food. Believe me: if I were actually mad at you, I would have. But I can't make the magic we create alone."

She leaned in and captured his lips before taking his hand and leading him toward the bedroom they shared most nights. At first, he held her until she fell asleep but would be gone by the time she woke. Over time, he grew more comfortable with staying there-and eventually, sleeping-through the morning. Some weekends, he just stayed the entire day, sipping his tea on her couch while she knitted, read a book, or watched something on tv.

As she started to unbutton his vest, he took her hands into his. She looked up into his eyes, questioning why he'd stopped her movements.

He held her gaze for a moment before asking the question he had wanted her to answer for quite some time. Perhaps even for him, it was sometimes difficult to get the answers to questions he hadn't asked.

"What if I said I love you?"

"I don't know. You haven't said it yet."

He nodded. "I love you."

She kissed him. "I love you, too."

"I want to be something more. You know, something more than the guy who just comes over and stays the night sometimes."

She smiled softly. "I don't want to jump the gun here, but I feel like 'something' happened when we weren't paying attention."

"I know, but I don't know how far I can push the bounds before…"

"He doesn't dedicate what we do with our lives."

He knew exactly who "he" was. They had two unwritten rules for whatever they were doing: not in front of the team and never mention Red John here. Not in her home. Not in their place.

"I realize that."

She bit her lip. "So then, what do you want to do about it?"

Those green eyes looked at him with something that resembled hope. He had responsive, affirmative answers to her question: start a life with you, marry you, hold you close to me, and never let you go.

But he felt the ring still on his left finger. Angela's ring. When he first started coming here, he wondered if he had let his family down by seeing Lisbon. Was he losing sight of the mission? But he also noticed little things. He started smiling a bit more. When he was here, he definitely felt like he had a purpose beyond revenge. Sometimes, he even felt joy and hope-hope that maybe there could be something in his future. Looking into her eyes, it was hard not to feel. Maybe Angela wouldn't mind that he started to be a human again.

It was just here where he could remember what it was like to feel touch, to love and be loved, where he didn't enter the equation. Once they were outside of this house, their objective remained the same: find Red John.

And of course, he feared he was putting Lisbon in danger. That thought never left him, and it was another reason he felt guilty early on until he realized she was already in danger. By being the CBI Lead Agent on the case, she was already too close to him.

Looking at her right now, he didn't feel like that mattered much. Red John always wanted to make his life a living hell. It was his whole goal. But one way or another, Lisbon would always be too close to him. And he would rather be holding her.

"I want to be with you."

She flashed him a wide, toothy smile. "Then, let's be together."