An Unexpected Kiss that Shocks the One Receiving It
When it comes to playing beer pong, Detective Sarah Jones is a total pro. Her reputation goes back to her days at the academy, and everyone at her precinct knows she'll never back out from a game if she's invited to play one (that is, when she's not the one initiating it herself – or directly asking to be part of it).
This is why, when she and her colleague walk into Detectives Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago playing against one another during another of the Buffalo P.D. parties at one of the annuals Tri-State Police Officers Convention, she doesn't hesitate to suggest she and Detective Matthews should join the game as well to make it more interesting thanks to a little competition between their two precincts.
She knows Peralta pretty well – enough to know how competitive he can get, even more so after a few drinks. As for Santiago, it's only the second year she's meeting her, but she can already tell Peralta has found a match in his still fairly new partner, if only from the way she gloats and teases him when she suddenly throws the ball right into his last glass.
This little victory of hers doesn't intimidate Sarah one bit. Both cops look completely hammered (she could easily tell Santiago's shot came out of pure luck rather than true talent) while she's still seeing everything clearly. She doesn't feel tipsy at all, despite the few drinks she previously downed. There's not a doubt to have, then – she and her own partner are gonna destroy them.
What she didn't plan though – what he didn't say –, is for Matthew to be so bad at it and their opponents to make such a good team. They seem as determined to prove they're the best as she is and don't look so drunk anymore; they're rather very focused on the game and in complete sync. They who were acting like rivals mere minutes ago are now hyping each other up when it's their turn to play and high-fiving every time they score a point (which unfortunately for her, happens more often than Sarah would like). They even get a cheerleader in Charles Boyle, one of their friends and colleagues who joins the small group at some point.
The only thing that remains the same is how they still blame each other when they miss their shot. Although if you ask her, it sounds more like flirty banter than true insults.
Actually, the longer the game lasts and the more drinks they have to down, the more flirty they become around one other. Not that Sarah cares much about it – if anything, it mostly annoys her, as it makes them waste time instead of keep on playing.
For a while the game remains a tie, with only one glass left to hit on each side of the table. That is, until Peralta finally throws the ball in the last of Sarah's team glass, and she is the one who needs to throw it back into his and Santiago's if she doesn't want to lose.
The atmosphere becomes heavy all of a sudden as she focuses on the red glass in front of her and she can feel all pairs of eyes staring at her.
"You can do this!" Matthews tries to show some support but she quickly shushes him.
She can't have anyone distracting her right now – especially when Peralta and Santiago are already doing a great job at it, acting like they already won. She really can't miss this one shot.
She's Sarah fricking Jones, queen of beer pong. There's no way she's gonna be defeated tonight and become the shame of her precinct for not being able to defend her squad against the Nine-Nine.
She needs to show these New-Yorkers what they're capable of, back in Buffalo.
She takes a deep breath, never losing sight of her goal despite the noise her opponents can make, and finally throws the ball… only for it to land on the floor.
"Shit!" she curses in desperation, while in front of her she witnesses Santiago turning her attention away from the game and throwing herself into Peralta's arms with excitement. She crushes onto his chest with a huge victorious grin on her face. She encircles his neck with her arms, looking up at him before she kisses him on the lips without a warning first.
It makes Sarah frown – she didn't know the two were that close.
They did flirt a lot for the past hour but she never imagined they would actually act on it at some point. And, from the way he reacts to the kiss – even though it's nothing more than just a peck –, with his eyes opening big and staring at her in shock, it seems that Peralta wasn't expecting that either. For a second his gaze switches towards Sarah; it seems like he's trying to seek into hers some proof that what just happened wasn't a drunken hallucination he had.
She nods at him with a small smile and he turns around.
His grip on Santiago's back is loose, barely touching her as he hugs her back. The cockiness he was previously showing is now completely gone. He doesn't seem to care that much about his victory anymore, lost in his thoughts with a small blush covering his cheeks.
On the other hand, Santiago doesn't seem the least disturbed by her partner's change of attitude – she doesn't even seem to be aware of what she just did.
All she cares about is they won.
"We crushed you!" She draws away from Peralta's arms as suddenly as she threw herself into them, now looking into Sarah and Matthews's direction with a proud, daring glare. "Nine-Nine!" she then shouts to Peralta's attention, raising her hand into to air for him to clap with his.
It takes him a few seconds to go out of his trance and high-five her.
"You're the best, Jakey!" Boyle joins in from behind them, drunkenly half-asleep on a chair.
The two teams part not long after for the rest of the night. Sarah quickly loses sight of the two friends (soon-to-be-lovers?) and the game and what followed is never talked about again once in the next few years. Peralta and Santiago weirdly never tease her and Matthews about their victory; Sarah's not the one who will do so on her own – she'd rather forget about this shameful moment for her.
She doesn't talk about it even to know whether or not the two partners hooked up after the kiss or even dated – they're not a couple when they come back the next year, which means if something did happen between them, it didn't last. She doesn't want to say something wrong then.
Then she kind of forgets about it.
It's only years later, when Santiago and Peralta announce they're getting married that the night is mentioned again. Sarah's standing with Matthews and some of the fiancés' colleagues when he congratulates them.
"I knew from the moment you guys first kissed after winning against us at beer pong all these years ago that you were made for each other," he says with a soft smile.
In front of her, both Santiago and Peralta frown as they share a confused look – their reaction prevents her from glaring at her partner for bringing that topic back.
"We didn't first kiss here at the convention."
It's Sarah's turn to frown at this new piece of information.
"Oh, sorry. I just assumed it was the first time, y'know, since you seemed pretty surprised she'd kissed you," Matthews goes on as he looks at Peralta.
"Wait, what are you talking about?! When was that?!"
"About 6 years ago. We played beer pong and Amy kissed you when you guys won the game?"
The look the couple gives each other is priceless. It's clear they don't remember the night – it makes sense then they never mentioned the game and gloated about it in the previous years.
"You guys kissed 6 years ago and never told me?!" Boyle is the first one to say something.
"I… don't remember it. Do you?" Peralta turns to his future wife. He looks really lost.
"Me neither," she acknowledges.
It makes Sarah chuckle. The situation is truly amusing to her. "Well, you did. And you were there too, Boyle," she adds to the fire.
"WHAT?!" he screams. "Jake and Amy kissed in front of me and I don't remember it?!" He sounds desperate – which only makes Sarah laugh more.
She's about to say something but Peralta beats her at it.
"So wait." He ignores his friend's ramblings. He looks like he's trying to put the pieces together. "You're saying we first kissed all these years ago here at the convention?!"
"Yep. Santiago straight up jumped into your arms and kissed you. You looked stunned for a few seconds after that, like you didn't know if what just happened was real. But it was."
"Aww, babe. I didn't know you had a crush on me so early after we met, it's so cute," Santiago teases him as she puts a hand on his chest with a smirk on her face.
"Well, you're the one who kissed me apparently. So if one of us had a crush on the other, that's probably you," he answers in a same tone.
It makes Sarah roll her eyes, faking annoyance in front of their cheesiness. She can't retain the small smile that forms on her lips, though – just like her colleague, she always thought these two were made for each other, especially as years went by and she witnessed them getting closer and closer during the conventions' parties. She was truly happy when they arrived here as a real couple one year – it was about time they finally got together.
And she's even happier now they're about to tie the knot.
"And so we won at a beer pong game against you, uh? Tell us more about it." The two fiancés take her out of her reverie when they're done teasing each other and bring their attention back on her and Matthews.
Instinctively, Sarah tries to deny it. "Actually, what Matthews meant to say is that we won. Like, a crushing victory. Maybe that's why you don't remember it. It was too embarrassing for you."
It doesn't work, obviously; and quickly the idea of playing another round is thrown into the air.
(Sarah and Matthews do win, this time. But even if they lose, Amy still kisses Jake once the game is over – and this time, his only reaction is to bring her closer to him and tenderly kiss her back.)