#upstead fic

[imjustwritingg]

like you wanted it forever - chapter 20

Happy Hockey Jay Day! I know the last chapter was brutal, but this one might make up for it. I did make some changes while editing so there’s no ice skating in this chapter, but it’s coming later. 🥰

Hope you still enjoy this one! Happy reading! 🏒📸✨

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[torreshalstead]

what if your eyes looked up and met mine (one last time)

Summary - She must be hallucinating, he couldn’t really be here could he?

But the stranger at the bar was so incredibly familiar; the wave in his hair, the slope of his shoulders, his jacket. She knew that jacket. It used to hang in their apartment.

When he turned around she realised it wasn’t a figment of her imagination.

Jay Halstead was here. In D.C.

Notes - This is set in a slightly different universe to the previous fix-it I posted but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless 🫶🏻 also this is my 30th Upstead story! Happy Reading! ❤️ AO3 Link

It didn’t quite feel like home yet but she had started to settle in.

Hailey had been in DC for 3 months, she had found an apartment that fitted her perfectly and was well within her budget so had managed to move out of the government funded accommodation a month ago and if she never saw a mattress that thin again it would be too soon. Apparently memory foam was not something they had ever heard of. She had fallen in love with the coffee from a little shop round the corner from her new place and had quickly become a regular who no longer needed to give her order when she entered. She had continued with her running and had swapped the Chicago Lakefront Trail for the Mall, the early morning sun hitting the white sand just right as she tallied up the miles although now she was running because she enjoyed it not to keep her mind busy. A small change in mindset now allowed her to find the joy in the activity and look forward to the times she was able to pull on her running shoes and head out the door. She had made an effort to get out and explore on her weekends rather than sitting inside by herself and had ticked off a couple of the museums already.

No, it didn’t feel like home yet, but she was happy.

She had lived in Chicago all her life but here no one knew who she was, she was just another agent on a case or just another customer in a shop. The name Hailey Upton didn’t have anything attached to it, no history with her father, no ties to a unit with a less than pristine reputation, no failed marriage. Here, Hailey could be whoever she wanted to be.

She had tried to be more approachable and friendly at work, taking up her coworkers on their offers for after work drinks or sitting with them in the cafeteria at lunch time. It was baby steps but it was working - she had even been added to a group chat that she still hadn’t muted which was an achievement within itself.

When Hailey went home each day to the apartment which was still sparsely decorated but was purely her own, she knew she had made the right decision leaving her old life behind. Sure the goodbye’s had been difficult, walking away from everything and everyone she knew for a new city had been a lot but she had never once regretted it. The age old saying that a change is as good as a rest seemed to be ringing true, at least for her.

Hailey was just tidying up her desk, the stacks of files were threatening to topple over if they didn’t get returned to the filing cabinets soon when she glanced a look at the clock on the far wall.

6:30pm

And she was the only person left in the open plan office space. If this was Intelligence they would all still be there, ignoring the want to go home, pushing the thought of a home cooked meal to the back of their heads when the takeout was ordered or the vending machine raided. Kim would be on the phone to the sitter apologising again that the case had run long and they wouldn’t be home as early as planned. Intelligence had taken over every aspect of their lives and it wasn’t until she started her new job and had the opportunity to see what a work life balance was supposed to be that she even realised it. It was like they had been wearing blinders for years and she had finally been given the opportunity to take them off and see everything that had been hidden.

She was still learning not to be the last one out the building every night, but it was a learning curve.

Hailey remembered she had agreed to meet some of her colleagues at a wine bar downtown tonight. It wouldn’t have been her first choice of venue but it was all part of her new mantra to say yes to things and to expand her social horizons so she had agreed to go. She probably should have remembered an hour ago and then she would have had enough time to go home and get changed into something more appropriate for the location but she had gotten distracted and now it would be cutting it a little close to the time they were supposed to meet as it was. Still, she pulled the hair tie out of her hair and shook out her loose waves, took off her blazer and draped it over the back of the chair and headed out the door. Small steps she thought as she made her way out of the building and down the street.

Maybe they’ll serve whiskey at this wine bar, she thought.

That had been wishful thinking but she had been greeted with a large glass of Pinot Noir when she had arrived and Sandra, the loud and bubbly brunette who worked two desks over from Hailey, had ordered some olives and nibbles for the table which was well received.

The wine was nice, the company was pleasant and even Hailey had to admit the bar had a nice atmosphere. It was busy, most of the high top tables were full and there were people standing around just enjoying the music that was echoing from a duo of string players in the corner who were playing softly. In Chicago it would have been the sort of place that Hailey would have walked past and never dreamt of going in, she may have even scoffed if someone had suggested it but as she accepted a second glass of wine from the waiter, she realised she was enjoying it.

Maybe she could be a new version of herself in this city, one that enjoys wine over whiskey she thought as she listened in to the conversation about two people that she had only met once and whether they may or may not be starting a relationship.

Hailey was just thinking she should probably call it a night, she had planned to run a few miles in the morning before her shift when someone sitting at the bar caught her eye. It was a familiar head of brown hair, the slope of the shoulders, ones she would never forget thanks to how many times she had run her hands over them, a brown jacket that used to hang by the door in an apartment she used to share.

Used to share with her husband.

Her ex-husband.

Who was still in South America and wouldn’t be in DC.

But as he turned his head slightly, and her eyes locked on his, she felt her stomach drop onto the beautiful roman tiled floor.

She ripped her eyes away from his and stared at her empty glass, the dregs of the maroon liquid doing nothing to still her mind from the realisation that Jay, her ex-husband Jay Halstead, was sitting in the bar with her.

Should she go over and speak to him?

Surely if he wanted to speak to her, he would have approached her.

But then maybe he wasn’t sure she wanted to speak to him.

Hell, she wasn’t sure herself.

Her mind was running a mile a minute, scenario after scenario pulling to the surface only to melt away and be replaced with another one before she had time to comprehend the first. A huge part of her wanted to run. To turn and exit the bar, return to the relative safety of her apartment and wash her mind of ever seeing him again.

But another part of her wanted to see him, to speak to him, to confront him. To find out why the hell he was in her new city, in the very bar she was enjoying drinks at and just staring at her from across the room.

There was an aching in her heart, a tightening with each beat that couldn’t believe he was almost within touching distance. That if she just walked across the room, at most 10 paces, she could reach out and touch him, feel his skin against hers for the first time in years. And she wanted that more than she had ever let herself believe. She had told herself, lied to herself that she was over him. That the longing she had felt for months after he had left had disappeared, fizzled out and if she ever did get the opportunity to see him again, she wouldn’t want to, she could be the stronger person and turn away. She knew, as she looked at him in that moment, that she couldn’t do it, she couldn’t turn away.

‘I’ll be right back,’ she whispered to Yvette, the older lady who reminded Hailey of Trudy who was sitting next to her. She nodded in acknowledgment before returning her attention to the conversation which had now shifted to a local musical festival they were all thinking of attending the following week.

Hailey slid off her stool and walked over to the bar. To Jay. It felt like she was walking through molasses on the coldest day of the year when the snow was 3 feet deep. Each step felt harder, heavier and longer than the last, like it was an optical illusion and she wasn’t getting any closer to her intended target. In both less time and more time than she hoped though, she was just a step behind him.

As if sensing her presence, he turned around.

‘You grew your beard out,’ she said quietly, her eyes roaming over the familiar but unfamiliar features.

‘You cut your hair,’ he said, his own eyes locked on her face.

‘It suits you,’ she said.

‘It suits you,’ he echoed.

They stayed staring at each other in silence, essays of unsaid words hanging between them, speeches that neither wanted to start but both wanted to speak.

It was Jay who broke the silence. ‘I understand if you want to say no, but can we talk?’

‘It’s loud in here,’ was all Hailey said, she still wasn’t fully able to comprehend the situation she had walked herself into.

‘Tomorrow?’ He suggested, his eyes wide in hope but his voice gentle without any pressure. He was leaving the ball firmly in her court.

She nodded before the brain cells that controlled her speech had time to wake up and realise what the ones controlling her movements had done.

‘Outside the Natural History?’ He offered, his shock at her acquiescence obvious. ‘We can walk, maybe grab a coffee?’

‘Okay,’ she said, not louder than a whisper but he heard her. ‘Before work, 7.’ She added flatly and he nodded in agreement.

‘7 it is,’ he smiled and Hailey had to battle every part of her that wanted to fall into his arms at the look of that smile, every part of her that wanted to ignore every moment of the last two years, every tear, every unanswered phone call, every angry thought and just feel his arms around her again.

She turned around and headed back towards the table with her colleagues on it, feeling like she was a character in a video game that someone had just made walk in this direction, her movements not her own. And then when she turned back towards the bar and saw the empty bar stool and untouched whiskey glass on the counter, she wondered if she had imagined the whole moment entirely.

Because why would Jay Halstead be in DC?

Why would he be in this bar?

Maybe the two glasses she had drunk had been stronger than she thought, because the chances were just too slight. It must have been a hallucination - it was the only explanation.

——————————————————————————

‘I didn’t think you’d show,’ Jay said as she approached where he was sitting on a bench outside the Museum. Considering it was now 7:45 and they had agreed to meet at 7, it was a fair assumption. With anyone else she would have been shocked they had waited that long, but not with Jay.

‘I wasn’t sure I would,’ she admitted, her shoulders raising in a small shrug. She stood awkwardly a couple of feet away from him, unsure if she should take a seat and still not certain she had made the right decision to show up this morning anyway.

‘I’m glad you did,’ Jay said, his voice thick with honesty and genuine thanks. ‘Shall we walk?’ He asked.

Hailey nodded and the pair fell into step with each other quietly walking up the mall. The early summer sun was reflecting off the sand and Hailey wished she had had the forethought to grab her sunglasses on the way out of her front door. She had been slightly frazzled this morning so they hadn’t even factored on her radar, she had been more concerned with what she should wear. What did one wear when meeting up with your ex-husband who you definitely still had some sort of mixed up feelings for and hadn’t seen in two years and had appeared out of the blue? It wasn’t exactly something she could google - she didn’t imagine many people had the same issue.

She had settled on her navy blue work slacks and a pale grey short sleeved shirt with pleats running down the front. It was relatively non descript but it was also completely new. It was part of her DC wardrobe and as such meant it had no memories of them or their relationship weaved into the stitches. It was clean.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Hailey broached the topic that had kept her awake and staring at her ceiling for half the night.

‘Why are you here Jay?’ It wasn’t accusatory, it wasn’t angry, it was simply matter of fact. A question she wanted to know the answer to.

‘Guess I should lead with that,’ he said. She could feel him looking at her, a glance of his eyes and a slight head movement every couple of seconds but she kept her focus straight ahead. It gave her the grounding she needed. ‘I went back to Chicago, to find you but you weren’t there.’

Of all the things she had expected to come out of his mouth, that wasn’t it. It shocked her to the point she came to a stand still, her eyes leaving their spot on the horizon she had been focused on to stare at him, her mouth a gasp. He smiled bashfully before continuing on their walk, Hailey a step behind him as it took her a moment to regain the ability to continue forward motion.

‘I went back and Trudy told me where you were. Took a little bit but she said you’d got a new job, she might have threatened me a little before telling me. So I got on a flight and came here.’ He spoke as if it was a foregone conclusion, like why else would he have done anything else. ‘I didn’t call because I didn’t want to impose on your new life.’ He added after a beat.

‘So you stalked me instead?’ Hailey quipped back.

‘You make it sound nefarious, but it wasn’t like that. I just thought if it was meant to be then I’d run into you, I went to a couple of bars close to where you worked and then I saw you.’

Hailey was trying to take in what he was saying but she was struggling to understand.

‘It was meant to be? Since when do you believe in fate?’

‘Since it led me to that bar and back to you.’

Hailey’s breath hitched in her throat, his words washing over her like a cold front.

‘What would you have done if you didn’t see me in a bar?’ She asked.

‘I hoped I would.’

‘And if you didn’t?’

‘I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet,’ he admitted, his boots scruffing lightly against the sand as they continued their way south on the mall. The silence was thicker now after his reveal that he had come here to find her. Before that moment Hailey could have written it off as purely a coincidence, that it had been just one of those moments that you couldn’t explain when you ran into somebody from your past in a place you least expected to see them.

‘What did Trudy say?’ Hailey asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

‘Told me I needed to be sure of what I wanted before I saw you, that if I got on the plane to you it needed to be for good this time, I couldn’t leave again,’ he echoed the sergeant's words back to her. ‘And I am Hailey, I am sure.’

She swallowed and nodded her head - he might be sure but that didn’t mean she was. She didn’t know what she was.

‘So you’re back?’

‘I am,’ he agreed.

‘Did it work? Getting away?’

‘No,’ he answered without taking a breath, without a single hesitation impacting his gait. ‘It made me lose you.’

‘You lost me when you walked away,’ she said without bitterness. The bitterness had ebbed away after the first few months, it was hollowness now that took its place.

‘I know I did, and I have never regretted anything more,’ Jay said, his voice cracking slightly.

‘Why didn’t you come back?’ She asked, hating the brokenness that tinged her voice, the pain that was still evident in her words. ‘Why didn’t you fight for us?’ For me.

‘I was a coward,’ Jay said. She stole a glance to her left, to see the man who for years she had known better and more intimately than anyone else, have genuine pain etched across his face, even the newly grown in beard couldn’t disguise it - his eyes told her everything she needed to know. ‘Didn’t think you’d want me and before I had plucked up the courage, the strength to reach out to you and be honest and admit my mistake, you filed for divorce.’

‘You stopped fighting, I had to too.’

‘And I never blamed you for it, I understood. As much as it hurt, I understood Hailey. I still do.’

‘You signed them,’ she said, the question unasked but obvious.

‘Of course I did,’ he said surely. ‘You asked me to.’

His words were true enough, she had asked him to. When she had filed and knew that the papers had been sent to him she sent him a text, a singular line and asked him to sign them. She had assumed he had wanted to and he never responded. Her message sitting on read until she had stopped looking at their previous conversations and had hidden them from view.

‘But you came anyway.’

‘I tried to be happy without you, to move on, you clearly were so-’

‘I was a mess Jay,’ she interrupted him. She needed him to know the truth, she didn’t know why but that she knew for certain. She couldn’t have him believe that she had brushed him off and that his leaving hadn’t left a deep hole in her that she was still healing day after day.

‘You left Chicago.’

‘I did, I got a new job and came here and I like it, Jay. I really do.’

‘Are you happy?’

She took a moment to respond, to consider his words, the question he was asking. ‘I am.’

‘That’s all that matters,’ Jay said lightly. She wanted to look at him again, to see if his face matched the words that he was speaking but she couldn’t do it, she kept her focus down at the ground, watching as their feet walked in tandem.

‘Where will you go now?’ She asked, her mouth voicing a question she wished she didn’t care to hear the answer to. But she did.

‘That depends,’ Jay said.

‘On what?’ She asked, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

‘If I burnt every bridge with you or if there’s even a slight chance I can earn your trust back.’

The belt that had been tight around her chest since she had seen him last night constricted even further, the breath in her lungs vanishing and her heartbeat quickening in an attempt to make up for it.

‘I don’t know,’ she said honestly, her thumb absentmindedly rubbing the spot on her ring finger that she still hadn’t got used to being empty.

‘That’s not a no,’ Jay spoke slowly, a voice she had often heard him use with children or people in pain on multiple cases. The voice he used when he didn’t want to spook them.

‘I need time Jay,’ she said breathlessly, the tightening not offering her any reprieve.

‘I’ll give you all the time you want, Hailey.’

‘I can’t be the only thing keeping you in DC,’ she said quickly. ‘You can’t stay here just for me.’

‘I’ve got an interview tomorrow. Training Academy with the feds. Thought it was time to try something new’

‘Good luck,’ she said and meant it. Jay had always excelled when training recruits, she had often imagined him taking up a position at the CPD academy when he decided field work wasn’t what he wanted anymore.

‘Can I let you know how it goes?’ He asked gently.

‘I’d like that,’ she felt the corners of her mouth upturn in a small smile. The first smile she had felt since spotting him on the bench and swallowed her pride to walk over to him.

‘And Hailey?’

‘Yes Jay.’

‘I truly am sorry.’

‘I know,’ she nodded. ‘I am too.’

‘Is it enough?’

‘It might be,’ she said. ‘I hope it is.’

‘Me too. Me too,’ he said and the silence fell over them again except this time it wasn’t as heavy or raw. It felt hopeful. Like the future she had once envisioned was coming back into focus again, a little changed, a little different but a possibility.

[go-to-two]

A Little Bit of You and a Little Bit of Me

Hailey has had pregnancy scares in the past- one or two, over the years- but none have felt like this. This is different. She wants this.

--Seven snapshots in becoming parents

Hello! This is very unlike anything I have really wanted to write in the past, but the idea rattled around in my head until I just went for it. I'm going to blame the multiple pregnant people I have had in my life this year. If you're not into a pregnancy story, this probably isn't the one for you! I have some very, very vague descriptions of medical stuff, but never graphic. It's broken up into seven sections, and I'll put the week of pregnancy as the header. It is set in the universe of the show, but the details don't really matter. Canon is unimportant here. Happy reading!

Read on AO3

[fank0ne]

THE BEAR — 1

Summary:

"What about Jason?"

"Jason Halstead?!"

The two of them shared a serious look that soon turned into an amused one, the soft grin on their mouths quickly replaced by a loud snicker that echoed within the walls.

"Might as well call him Loser," Jay mumbled once they calmed down, watching Hailey cross that name off the list with her pen.

"That's mean," she commented, "But you're right," she couldn't help but agree with him.

They were not naming their son... That.

— or, Hailey and Jay's unexpected journey to parenthood.

A/N: hello, Upstead cubbies! 🧸 Chicago... The Bear... I had to make it about Upstead somehow! I'm so excited to share this fluffy short-fic with you, and I hope you enjoy it. Can't wait to read what you guys think of it 🤗

• Click here to read it.

[anniesardors]

come on, mess me up - chapter 1

Summary: Hailey doesn't believe in love at first sight but she's pretty sure she just fell in love with Jay Halstead with a single glance. Too bad he's the brother of the person she's actually on a blind date with

Surprise! I’ve got a new mini fic up 😊 this is a fic I started sooooo long ago that I recently fell in love with again and I’m so excited to share! Hope you all enjoy!

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[agent-bash]

It Doesn't Always Stayy (In Vegas)

Bt’s an age-old story. A guy takes a trip to Las Vegas. He meets a beautiful stranger in a bar. And after that, well…what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Doesn’t it?

Hey, look at that; it's an update! After way too long, life is finally slowing down, and the brain fog from literal months of studying has lifted, so I'm dipping my toe back into this one. Enjoy.

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[spiridakos]

fragile things (15865 words) by bookishgypsy Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Chicago PD (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton Characters: Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead, Trudy Platt Summary:

She tries to get by without him, but he's everywhere. No matter where she looks, all she sees is him and them and their entire relationship flash before her eyes. She tries to hold on to all the good memories she has of him to get her through the months without him, but she's starting to doubt if that hope she's holding on to is enough for him to come home.

[justmypartner]

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔

Summary: She’s chasing ghosts, he’s chasing a case. Hiding behind disguised intentions and false identities, their paths cross, only to realize their objectives might be one and the same. Will they let each other be the way forward, or will their pasts stand in the way?

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[daydream-wordflow]

Closure

I have been working on this since January. I guess I had a feeling it wasn't going to end the way I hoped it would. I stared at a blank page for days before I wrote the first sentence. I couldn’t believe that I was about to write a more worthy ending for Hailey, and consequently, Jay and Upstead, while trying to make sense of what was displayed on the show and my personal beliefs, to find closure for their story. I hate what they did to Jay, Hailey and Upstead, especially because they had all the conditions to do better. I know this is simply a show, but it makes me sad that this is the path they chose for what could be one of the most beautiful, celebrated and loved ships of television, and what were fan favourite characters. Honestly, I have no idea what I would do if I were in Hailey’s place, I think I too would try to move on, but what I know is that I chose to believe in love, I chose to believe in Upstead because I saw, since day one, and with my own eyes, that they were meant to be together. I believe they will find their way back to each other, because Jay would never, ever, leave without fighting and they would, eventually, work things out. Although there were many ways to write this, this is the one that made the most sense to me. This is my way of bringing justice to them.

Chapters: 1/3

Fandom: Chicago PD (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings

Apply Relationships: Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton

Characters: Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead, Trudy Platt, Adam Ruzek, Kim Burgess, Kevin Atwater, Dante Torres, Hank Voight, Natalie Manning, Will Halstead, Bojana Stamenov

Summary:

A collection of (possible) offscreen scenes, that show how Hailey and Jay find their way back to each other. Starting at the end of season 10, continuing throughout season 11, plus an epilogue. * “No matter how many times I think about what I would change if I could go back in time, I always choose to make things work between us.”

I only need to make sure that the story fits in with the events of last night's episode. The first chapter will be out on 05/27/2024. Available on AO3.

[lady-rhaesnow]

"Say goodbye"

Saying goodbye is always difficult. She had always wondered what it would feel like when the time came. She just never imagined it would feel like this.

[Upstead family fic]

Read it on AO3 and FFN

A very big thank you to @girlinlotsoffandoms for the wonderful support and loving Ella as much as I do!

[imjustwritingg]

like you wanted it forever - chapter 17

Happy Hockey Jay Day!! Thanks so much for all the love for these idiots. Here’s the next chapter for you.

Enjooooooy. 🏒📸✨

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[torreshalstead]

How hard could it be?

Summary - She was regretting even thinking she could get the room painted and put back together before Jay got home. So much for being an independent woman, she thought as she leant with her back against the bathroom door, taking in the mess in front of her.

AO3 Link

Her hair was sticking to her head, splatters of white gloss paint freckled her cheeks, and she was regretting even thinking she could get the room painted and put back together before Jay got home. So much for being an independent woman, she thought as she leant with her back against the bathroom door, taking in the mess in front of her.

Today had been her compulsory day off - a new initiative that had been implemented in the past few months. Having noticed that the Intelligence team very rarely took any of their paid leave, the powers that be had begun prescribing a fixed day off once a month that unless the team were in the middle of an all hands on deck type case, you were unable to ignore it. When Jay had walked out the door this morning, pressing a kiss to her cheek and throwing her a wink, Hailey had decided she would use her day off to do something productive. The en-suite off their bedroom had needed a fresh lick of paint ever since they had moved in but for various reasons had kept being pushed down to the bottom of their to-do list. But no longer.

She had called into the hardware store and picked up the paint for the walls and also some gloss for the woodwork. Next stop was Target for some new towels because they were adults with good paying jobs and they could afford to have a matching set of towels rather than the mismatched set from when they had combined their apartments and moved in together. With her trunk full of all of the tools of the trade and their new towels, she had picked a deep crimson colour, Hailey headed home with a plan to get it all sorted before Jay got home, or at least a good enough head start.

She had decided against painting the ceiling, that seemed like far too much work for very little gain so she started with the walls. She painstakingly taped up all the electric sockets, the light switch and around the skirting boards with blue painters tape before getting to work cutting in with the light grey matte paint that she had loved upon first glance when she picked it up in the store. At least, she had loved the colour on the side of the tin.

She should have stopped almost immediately but she ignored the feeling in her stomach that the colour on the outside of the tin didn’t quite match the inside. It wasn’t until she took a step back, hands on her hips and surveyed her work that she groaned. The paint had been called coastal grey. Emphasis on the grey.

The edges of her walls were distinctly green.

Green.

Neither she or Jay were particularly colourful people, she knew it had even been a step to get towels that weren’t cream or grey when she had bought the crimson ones. She had had a vision though that with the pale grey walls, the deep towels would compliment them perfectly and she knew that Jay had a framed print of the city that was backed with a similar colour red that she had planned to put up above the towel rail to bring it all together.

Now it was green.

Green and red.

It was like Santa Claus had thrown up in their en-suite.

And she’d already painted too much of the walls to stop now.

She rubbed a hand over her forehead as she rattled through her options; she could continue to paint it green and tell Jay it had been the colour she had aimed for because who didn’t want to look at Christmas everyday. Second option was to stop now and go back to the store and pick a new colour. Or she could just do a single coat, leave it as it was today and then on her next day off, sort it out after another trip to the hardware store.

The last option seemed to be her best one. It would mean that she would have to admit her mistake and face the possible laughter that Jay would try to hide, but it also meant she wouldn’t have to get changed out of her paint covered clothes and go back to the store today. She had wanted it to be a one day project but that idea was already out of the metaphorical window.

So, kicking herself for not getting a paint sample first and actually checking the colour on the wall, Hailey gritted her teeth and got the roller out, rolling the clearly un-grey paint onto the walls.

The more she painted, the greener it looked.

When all the walls were covered in the offending colour, she decided it was time for a lunch break, she had ignored the grumblings from her stomach for long enough. Shutting the door onto the bathroom and padding across to the kitchen in her socks, it was only when she had closed the fridge retrieving the ingredients to make a quick sandwich she noticed the paint splotches across the floor.

Squeezing her eyes shut and praying that it wasn’t what she thought was happening, she opened them again as she looked down at her feet.

‘Fuck,’ she muttered, the green paint obviously staining her right sock that had left footprints from the bedroom into the kitchen.

She didn’t know who she had pissed off today but clearly she had done something that warranted this level of punishment. She grabbed off her sock, throwing the paint covered material into the sink where it landed with a dull thud. It had even soaked through and her foot bore evidence of the paint crime. She quickly grabbed a dish cloth and wiped her foot clean, she then got to work scrubbing the marks on the floor and silently thanked herself for noticing them now whilst the paint was still wet and could easily be wiped off.

Not trusting herself to not end up with a arse shaped paint mark on the couch considering her luck today, Hailey scoffed down her sandwich whilst standing over the sink. Not the most relaxing of lunch breaks but it was food for energy not for the delight of having a ham and mustard sandwich on wheat bread, not the most interesting of lunch options on any given day.

Leaving her paint covered sock in the sink, I’ll deal with it later, she thought, she made her way back to the bathroom and got stuck into dealing with the woodwork.

The guy at the hardware store had recommended a solvent based paint because apparently it dried quicker but the smell of it as soon as she opened the tin made her wish she had picked the water based option and just dealt with the fact it took over 24 hours to dry. She quickly pulled out one of the disposable face masks left over from Covid from their bathroom cabinet and tugged it on over her mouth and nose. It didn’t completely block out the smell but it helped enough that her eyes weren’t watering anymore.

It was painstakingly slow work, using a small brush to go over all of the skirting boards, desperately trying not to get it on either the floor or on the freshly painted walls. She may hate the green but if it ended up with messy white edges, it was going to look even worse. It didn’t help that because the bathroom was small, she ended up twisted into awkward pretzel-like positions trying to reach the areas she needed to paint.

And some people said painting was relaxing, Hailey mocked at the thought.

She didn’t know how long she spent sitting, lying or kneeling on the bathroom floor trying to get everything as neat as she could. She had wanted to paint the door as well but that idea was looking less and less appealing as the hours ticked by.

She let her head thud against the door, as she leant back on it, making a mental note to never try and paint a room in one day but herself again. She may be a lot of things, but a decorator was clearly not one of them.

The walls were streaky, the paint very clearly needing at least two coats to provide a thick enough coverage. The colour was even worse now it was dried. That wasn’t really fair, it was a nice colour, a pale green with just a tinge of grey but it was so far removed from what Hailey had been hoping for she struggled not to laugh.

No matter how hard she had tried to keep the woodwork neat, the paint had gotten everywhere. Not only was she covered in it but she had ended up with it on the shower mat, small splotches on the wall - it looked like a child had done it. And truthfully she thought Makayla probably could have done a better job.

She had decided not to take the towel rail off the wall thinking it would be easy to just paint around it, that had proved to be another error of judgement and the chrome towel rail was now dotted with the greeny grey paint.

Hailey was so busy noticing all of the issues with the freshly painted room that she didn’t hear the front door open and close. It was only when a familiar voice called out from the kitchen she realised she had been in the small room all afternoon.

‘Hails, do I want to know why there’s a paint covered sock in the sink?’ Jay said, and Hailey could hear the smirk on his lips even if she couldn’t see it.

‘If I said it wasn’t mine, would you believe me?’ She called back with a groan.

‘Can I come in?’ Jay asked softly from the other side of the door.

‘If you promise not to laugh?’ She shifted so her back was now against the shower screen and he could tug the door open.

‘Why would I laugh?’ He asked curiously, opening the door slowly.

Hailey saw his eyes widen as he took in the room that was no longer a creamish white like it had been when he had left that morning and his wife that was sitting on the floor covered in enough paint to be in an art gallery.

‘Don’t say it,’ she muttered, her eyes closing again. She knew she had made a mess of it, wasted her day off in the process and now she would need to spend even more time fixing it.

‘Say what?’ He asked. ‘I like it.’

‘You like it?’ She asked, opening her eyes if only to frown at him. ‘I’m a big girl Jay, you don’t have to lie to me.’

‘I’m not lying Hails,’ he said, ‘I really like it, I think we need a second coat to really make the colour smooth out but I can help with that at the weekend.’

Hailey sat there in shock. She had really expected him to laugh at the mess she had found herself in, but here he was, saying that he liked it without even a hint of mockery to his tone.

‘This doesn’t really explain the sock,’ he said after a moment, grinning as he reached down a hand to pull her to her feet.

‘I may have stepped paint through the apartment when I went to make lunch,’ she admitted with a small blush, as his hands came to rest on her waist.

‘Ahh,’ Jay nodded. ‘Well, I personally think the one sock thing is a look,’ he grinned as he reached down to press a soft kiss to her lips. ‘And the paint on the face,’ he kissed her again, ‘really sexy.’

Hailey smacked him playfully on the chest but let him pull her closer into him as he covered her paint covered face in kisses, his lips telling her all the places she had managed to get paint.

‘So you don’t hate the green?’ She asked, pulling back to look up at him.

‘Why would I hate the green?’ He asked, genuine curiosity pulling on his cheeks.

‘Because it was meant to be grey,’ she admitted.

‘Oh,’ his mouth formed a small o. ‘Well it’s definitely not grey.’

‘No shit,’ Hailey chuckled. ‘And I got red towels so it’s going to look a bit like Christmas in here.’

‘Good thing I love Christmas then,’ Jay said quickly, smiling from ear to ear.

‘So you don’t want to paint it another colour?’ Hailey asked.

‘Do you?’

‘I guess it’s growing on me,’ she shrugged.

‘And here I was thinking you were trying to match my eyes,’ he chuckled warmly. ‘Well your hair is definitely a shade of green now too,’ Jay’s fingers played with the pieces of her hair that had fallen out of her messy bun.

Hailey groaned, letting her head thud against his chest. ‘Turns out decorating is not my forte.’

‘We can’t all be talented at everything Hails,’ Jay’s arms slide around her back, keeping her close to him.

‘I’m going to get paint on you,’ Hailey murmured into his shirt but made no move to pull herself out of his arms, it was one of her favourite places, the safety of his arms wrapped around her, his heart beating in time with her own.

‘Then we can save water and shower together later to get it all off,’ he dropped a kiss to her head and she felt his chest rubble with a small laugh.

‘That’s the best idea you’ve had since you walked in the door,’ she said, letting her hands reach around his back to slide up under his henley and run across his bare skin.

‘Should we order dinner first?’ He suggested but Hailey shook her head as she let her fingers trace a familiar path around his front to undo his belt buckle.

‘Shower and you first, dinner can wait,’ she looked up at him through her lashes.

‘Excellent idea,’ he whispered, sealing his lips to hers and starting to tug her shirt up over her head and letting it drop into a paint covered pile on the floor by their feet.

Maybe her day off wouldn’t be such a bust after all, Hailey thought as she pulled Jay into the shower with her, turning on the water and ridding themselves of their clothes just as quickly. And they were conserving water too.

[go-to-two]

Collision Course - Chapter 7

"The way I see it, we’re all on a collision course. Some paths will cross, some won’t. Some collisions will be bigger than others, some will cause other collisions- but at the end of the day, everyone is just on their own path and bumping into other people on theirs."

--or, Jay and Hailey's paths cross in the best, worst, happiest, and most painful of ways

This was the chapter that underwent the most editing, and I'm still 50/50 on where it landed. Maybe 60/40. Writing is always the most interesting to me when both parties are at fault for something, and they're navigating that. That's the balance I was aiming for here, and I think I got close. Who knows. Either way, here's chapter 7. Chapter 8 will be done… *gestures vaguely to some unknown date in the future*

Read on AO3

[fank0ne]

stuck on my body (like a tattoo)

Summary: Jay has never really cared for tattoos until he sees Hailey's, and they become the only thing he can think about—they're stuck in his mind just like they are on her body.

A/N: hello, Upstead nation!

Blame Maroon 5 for whatever this thing is and... Enjoy! 😈

• Click here to read it.

[anniesardors]

come on, mess me up - chapter 2

Summary: Hailey doesn't believe in love at first sight but she's pretty sure she just fell in love with Jay Halstead with a single glance. Too bad he's the brother of the person she's actually on a blind date with

Hey all!! Thanks so much for all the kind reception to chapter 1 of my blind date fic! It’s been so fun to write so I’m glad you enjoyed. Chapter 2 is up and now, we’ve got Jay’s POV. Hope you enjoy!

Read on AO3

[rexferguson]

Happy OOTW Sunday! Take a little look at the new tag if you're curious about what's in store for this chapter or take a deep dive on your own. This one is filled with banter and gentleness, and... not so gentleness, too. I hope you enjoy chapter eight! 🤍

(As specified in the beginning chapter notes, it's up in the air as to whether or not I'll be able to post next Sunday since I'll be travelling and more than likely still in Chicago, if not heading back to Wisconsin, but the best place for updates on that will be on twitter. You can find me at: hailsuptons )

Read chapter eight here or if you're new and want to join the ride from the very beginning you can read the whole work starting here!