#hailey's sick beats

[ghost-proofbaby]

"just walk away, no use defending words that you will never say."

[certifiedtrashmouth]

"i thought the plane was going down, how'd you turn it right around?"

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 1

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T (Not expecting the rating to go up, but this is me we're talking about, so who knows, lol.)

Story Summary: You are a journalist working for the NY Bulletin when you get assigned to interview multi- Michelin star chef Matthew Murdock, co-owner of Daredevil, the hottest new restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. Unfortunately for you, however, Chef Murdock isn't exactly trusting of journalists. As you work to peel back the layers of the closed-off culinary genius, you find yourself becoming interested in more than just his cooking.

Chef Matthew Murdock is struggling to rebuild his culinary reputation after being burned by his former flame, renowned food critic Elektra Natchios. So naturally, when a journalist from the NY Bulletin comes around for an interview he isn't exactly welcoming... Until he finds himself starting to fall for you.

Can two hearts learn to trust one another or will your budding romance go up in flames?

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, more tags to come as the story develops

Word Count: ~900

A/N: Thank you to everyone for all the excitement over the teaser and I hope you enjoy my self-indulgent Hallmark rom-com chef AU!

And extra thanks to the ultra-talented @theradioactivespidergwen for the adorable divider she made for this! 🥰

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock

…And the secret to such a long life?

"Lots of love and laughter," Beth replied with a cheeky smile, "and just not giving a damn what other people think."

You nodded to yourself as you finished reading over your latest story for the New York Bulletin, the newspaper that you worked for. Perfect.

You sent it off to your editor, Mitchell Ellison, for final approval then looked up from your desk as you heard him call your name. "Yeah?"

"I've got a new assignment for you. Walk with me."

You scrambled up from your chair as Ellison passed by your desk, excited to hear what your next assignment was. "What is it?"

"I want you to interview the executive chef at this new restaurant that just opened. Apparently the chef is a big deal in the culinary world."

Your smile fell. You were hoping for a good investigative assignment this time, not another fluff piece. "But Kelsie covers the food and restaurant beat."

"Yeah, well, Kelsie is out sick with food poisoning -- and before you say anything, yes, I do realize the irony." Ellison sighed as the two of you entered his private office. "I really need you on this one -- apparently the chef doesn't usually do interviews but his business partner promised us an exclusive, and besides, you're the best reporter I've got. You'd really be saving my ass here."

You folded your arms and looked at Ellison pointedly. "If I'm the best reporter you've got, then you're gonna start paying me like it. I want a raise." 

Ellison narrowed his eyes at you. "What kind of raise are we talking about here?"

You did some quick mental math. "Twelve percent."

Ellison balked. "Twelve? Are you insane? We could maybe do six."

You shook your head. "Ten, plus I want to move to Lauren's old desk by the window."

After Ellison remained quiet, you shrugged. "You know, maybe I should call that person from the Times back about the position they offered me..."

You turned to leave.

Ellison groaned. "Okay, okay, wait, fine. You've got a deal."

You turned back and shook his hand. "Okay, so who am I interviewing?"

Ellison picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to you. "Guy's name is Matthew Murdock. He's the owner and executive chef of Daredevil, just opened up on 44th."

You scanned the name and address. "What's my deadline?"

"Two weeks -- we need it ready to run in the New York Restaurant week edition."

You nodded. That was pretty tight, but doable. "So when's the interview?"

Ellison coughed. "In 30 minutes."

You looked at him incredulously. "30 minutes? I have zero time to do any research or prepare any questions!"

Ellison shrugged. "If anyone can wing it, you can."

You shook your head and turned to exit his office once again. "You're lucky I'm so good, Ellison!"

You hurried back to your desk and typed "Matthew Murdock chef Daredevil NYC" into your search engine, eyebrows raising at the photograph that popped up. Chef Murdock stood in front of Daredevil, arms crossed and lips turned up into a smirk. He had dark, wavy hair and was wearing a red chef's coat with black trim and round sunglasses with red lenses. Damn, he's hot. 

You quickly made a few notes based on his (very brief) bio on the Daredevil website before dashing out of the office, praying that you would make it to the interview on time.

"You did what?" Matt hissed as Foggy Nelson, his business partner and sous chef, stood in the doorway of his office.

"Scheduled you for an interview with the food writer from the Bulletin," Foggy replied. 

Matt shook his head. "You know I don't do interviews. Not with wannabe food bloggers, not with TV reporters, not with writers for culinary magazines, and certainly not with food critics for newspapers."

"I don't think she's actually a food critic, she just writes for the food section of the newspaper." Foggy huffed out a breath. "Come on, Matt, you know we need the publicity. The opening hasn't gone as well as we'd hoped and if we have too many more slow nights we're gonna already be in trouble."

Matt scowled. Unfortunately, Foggy was right -- business had been way slower than they had hoped in their first month of opening and a front-page interview with the Bulletin during Restaurant Week actually would be great publicity. "Then you do it."

"You're the culinary genius behind the food, I'm just your business partner and sous chef." Foggy sighed. "My point is that it's your name attached to all those Michelin stars, not mine."

"So what am I getting out of this?"

"The editor promised us the front page of the Restaurant Week kickoff edition."

Matt huffed out a breath. "I hate you so much right now, you know that, right?"

Foggy chuckled. "Thanks, Matty."

"When's the interview?" Matt wanted to do some research on the Bulletin's food writer before he sat down with her just to see if she actually understood the culinary world or if she was just a glorified 'foodie'.

"In 15 minutes."

"What?" Matt shook his head and got up to put his chef's coat on and get ready. This had better be worth it.

[smolwritingchick]

Smol Brainstorm: The Tattoo Artist

Author's Note: Smol brainstorm with some smol angst regarding Jungkook and the tattoo artist scandal. Not sure if I will keep it but I was playing around. Jen would be on facetime with Amity about it.

--------

Jennie sighed loudly as her name was getting dragged into the big mess that was occurring with her boyfriend. She was getting sick of social media these days. One day she was going to never come back. She felt it coming. You can't do anything without someone speculating something. Social media was going crazy over the fact that Jungkook was seen with some tattoo artist and leaked photos of him hugging her.

The public was already speaking out on their opinions:

'Here we go...men embarrassing black women once again. Jennie, I am so sorry...'

'Jennie, it's time to leave him because wtf is this?'

'Is JenKook about to be no more!? Love ain't real!'

'Jennie is about to beat both of their asses!'

'Y'all are blowing this way out of proportion...he isn't cheating.'

'Omg Army Twitter is so annoying. That man is crazy about Jennie. There is no way he'd cheat,'

'Y'all did this with Jennie and now it's Jungkook's turn? Leave them both alone! They are not cheating on one another!'

'I need Jennie to speak up about this. What is her reaction?'

'Y'all are so damn toxic.'

'I stan BTS because of their music. Not what they do in their personal lives.'

'Remember when Jennie took a long social media break because of your toxicness regarding her relationship with Kook? I don't blame her if she deactivates again,'

On a group Facetime call with Angelina, Layla, Trinity, and Hailey, Jennie explained the situation.

"Did he call or text yet?" Trinity asked.

"Nothing," Jennie answered.

"What? Maybe you should break up with him,"

Jennie frowned at that. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think? It's a misunderstanding. You know how the media twists shit,"

"I dunno, I have to agree. Because why would he have his arms around her like that?" Layla added.

"Men be hugging me like that sometimes," she countered while Layla and Trinity were still skeptical.

"You should trust him," Hailey brought up. 

"Hell froze over because I agree with Miss Snob over here," Angelina replied. 

"I'm glad you and I agree on something, bitch," Hailey chuckled with Angelina.

"Really? You guys are fine with him hugging up with some girl?" Layla asked.

"It looked like a friendly hug," Angelina replied. "I hug people like that and so do others with me,"

"It didn't look friendly to me," Trinity said.

The discussion was beginning to overwhelm Jennie as she listened to them go back and forth.

"Jen, talk to him," Angelina said. "Whenever he sees you, you two need to have a long discussion,"

"Yeah, I personally don't think he would cheat on you. This gotta be a misunderstanding," Hailey added.

"Jen, are you really fine with this?" Layla asked.

"I hug my guy friends, I don't think it was that big of a deal," Jennie answered.

"I dunno, you're not mad enough for me. I'd be pissed," Trinity frowned.

"Is this why your relationships failed?" Hailey called out.

"Wow, that was low," Trinity replied to her.

"Because you have no trust in anyone. The smallest shit happens and you get insecure,"

Trinity rolled her eyes. Hailey had hit a nerve and she was right about it.

"Just because you feel this way doesn't mean she has to. Her relationship with Jungkook has been built on trust. This is just a misunderstanding and social media is blowing it out of proportion," Hailey went on.

"Wow, Hailey is making sense and using her brain. How about that," Angelina praised.

Once Layla, Trinty, and Angelina left the call, Hailey stayed on.

"You alright?" she asked as she watched Jennie sigh and run a hand over her hair.

"Yeah...I just...I just want to talk to him face to face. But I'm in New York while he's in Korea,"

"Do you trust him?"

"With all my heart,"

"Do you love him?"

"With all my heart, yes,"

"Then keep trusting in him. Keep loving him. You two will get through this. Talk with him when you get a chance so you two can clear this up. And do not retaliate online. Don't be like me. Don't be like how I was when I lashed out on social media. Handle this privately. This is nobody's business but you and your boyfriend's.

Before Jennie could reply, she heard a series of knocks on her hotel room door.

"Okay. Thank you. I gotta go. I'll keep you updated,"

"You better. See you, JW," she smiled softly and hung up.

Getting off her bed, she opened the door and was surprised to see Jungkook standing there.

"K-Kook," she said in surprise.

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't answer, I was on a flight straight to you. Can we talk?"

[torreshalstead]

On a crowded street in 1944 - Chapter 12

Summary - The four walls of Upton’s General Store were all Hailey knew although she longed to see what else life had to offer. When a handsome soldier walks through the door, she thinks he might just be the answer to the life she wants to have. But it was 1944 and the country was at war. Would fate smile on her or would her heart be another casualty of the war?

Chapters - 12/15

Notes - sorry for all the pain and yelling last chapter but hopefully this one starts to make up for it! Happy Reading ❤️ AO3 Link

August 1945

6 weeks, that’s all that stood between Hailey and her marriage to Oscar.

The date had not been her decision, Oscar Senior had made the call and she had no reason anymore to fight it. She had no reason to fight anything any longer, she simply went through the motions every single day, plastering on a smile for her family and the customers in the store who were all excited for the wedding of the century.

That was how the newspapers were framing it anyway. A young couple who had put the needs of their country above their own desire to be together and postponed their wedding until the brave boys were back on home soil. They were pitched as heroes, self-sacrificing saints - it made Hailey sick to her stomach every time she read it. It was selling the papers and giving both Upton’s and Farrell’s a boost commercially as well. So it was a happy ending all around.

Though not for Hailey.

Her tears had dried up, she had stopped reading Jay’s letters, had folded them up neatly and placed them in a box in the bottom of her closet. The words that had been a lifeline for her throughout the past year, now caused her nothing but pain when she read them. Her copy of The Mysterious Affair at Styles was tucked away with them. She should have felt sad putting them away, but inside her chest was nothing but emptiness, her broken heart beating alone.

If her mother had noticed that she was not excited for her wedding, what should be the most anticipated day in a young woman’s life, she had not said a word. On occasion Hailey would catch her mother looking at her with an expression she could not quite read, but still she said nothing. And Hailey had given her word. She would not go back on it now.

In six weeks she would be Mrs Oscar Farrell. The title left a sour taste in her mouth.

Oscar came to pick her up one morning, apparently there was a discussion at his house that required her input. She doubted that was the truth, all the decisions regarding the wedding had been made without her, not that she minded. The less involvement she had, the less she had to try and force a smile and excitement over the guest list full of names she did not know or a menu with food she didn’t like. The wedding was a party that held her name only.

‘Mother wants your opinion on china patterns,’ Oscar said warmly, offering Hailey his arm when he greeted her. She wrapped her hand round the crook of his elbow, engaged couples could walk arm in arm without inviting comments from the elders of the community. To not do so could possibly warrant more questions so Hailey dutifully accepted every time it was offered.

‘I am happy with whatever she wants,’ Hailey said flatly. She really could not care less about which china patterns Mrs Farrell wanted. She was more concerned with a memorial that was due to be erected in honour of the towns fallen and she didn’t know who to ask to see if a certain name would be included. It had been on the front page of the local newspaper, a tribute to the brave and fallen. Hailey imagined it would give people a place to grieve, she just didn’t know if she would be among them yet - would his name be listed?

The boys from the front had been returning home in groups, some in much worse states than when they had left, though their sweethearts still ran and greeted them, thankful they had come home at all. Lists of missing were still posted daily to the papers but she had stopped checking. She knew in her heart she wouldn’t see Jay’s name there.

He had lost his life in battle, and no one had told her.

According to the paperwork and all official records that the army had to go on, she was nothing to him, so didn’t warrant a letter or a notice to let her know her loved one had died.

He was just another man who wouldn’t return home with no one left to mourn him. No one to miss him or to remember the good man that he had been.

‘She’s picking between a blue one and a red one,’ Oscar continued, clearly oblivious to Hailey’s less than interested attitude. ‘Patriotic she thought.’

‘Mhm,’ Hailey hummed, he wasn’t listening to her anyway so what was the point in talking.

She let her focus drift, staring unfocused at the shop fronts they walked past, all hanging Stars and Stripes banners and celebratory placards. It should be a joyful occasion.

Her eyes focused on a figure at the end of the street.

A familiar figure with dark hair and green eyes.

She blinked hard and shook her head a little before opening her eyes again.

There was no one there.

She must have been mistaken.

She was tired and was hallucinating.

But it had looked just like him.

As if someone had walked into her memories and projected an image of him in front of her.

But it couldn’t be.

And it wasn’t.

The figure, if it had even been a figure and not just a shadow, was not really there. The end of the street was empty.

Oscar was still discussing his mother and her incredibly difficult decision of which flowers were more appropriate for their wedding. He hadn’t even noticed her heart had jumped into her throat or that her blood had run cold.

——————————————————————————

Hailey should have known her presence was not needed. Angelica Farrell never stopped talking long enough to let her get a word in, and after three attempts, Hailey ceased even trying.

She could tell the woman was excited for the wedding, and seemed to be pleased that it was Hailey who was marrying her only son. Hailey wondered how much she had been aware of her husband's influence in the arrangement or if she thought it was truly a love match. That her son had found someone to share his life with.

Hailey let her continue with her excitement, the older woman continuing to talk at her rather than with.

If this was what it took for her to have a quiet life, she would take it.

From what she knew, Oscar was not a cruel man and he would do his best to provide for her and any children that they would have. But still Hailey did not think she would ever love him.

Her heart belonged to Jay, whether he was walking this earth with her or had gone on to another plain. It was his and she hadn’t had the chance to ask for it back, so he had taken it with him.

He had promised to keep it safe, but it had shattered into thousands of pieces, those pieces fracturing inside her and stabbing her from the inside out. Her wounds and pain were not visible to the outside world, but the agony was true. It was with her always, waking or asleep, in the store or in the street. She imagined it would stay with her forever, although after some time, it might melt into a dull ache.

Part of Hailey wished it wouldn’t, wished it would remain as painful today as it would in years to come. The pain proved to her that it had been real, that her love for Jay and his love for her had been true. If the pain ever disappeared, the love they held for each other might disappear with it.

‘Mother, I think it is time I walk Hailey home,’ Oscar said, strolling into the front room where the pair were sitting. Apparently china patterns had not needed her fiancé’s input, it was a woman’s job.

‘Oh is that the time?’ Angelica said, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner. ‘Time flies, doesn't it, Hailey.’

‘It does Mrs Farrell,’ Hailey forced a smile and a nod. The hours she had spent in this room today had anything but flown by. ‘Thank you for hosting me today,’ she said warmly.

‘Our home is your home Hailey,’ Angelica said sweetly.

The sun had not quite set as Hailey and Oscar walked down the street, the warm summer heat had stayed in the air so there were still bystanders out enjoying the last of the warmth.

Oscar was quieter on the return than he had been before, he had once again offered Hailey his arm but had chosen not to provide a running commentary as they strolled. Hailey was thankful for the peace and quiet if she was honest.

Glancing to her left as they passed the bookstore, she saw a man talking to Mrs Richards.

She yanked her gaze away.

Her brain was playing tricks on her again.

Because once again, the man looked so incredibly similar to the man who filled her dreams and her waking thoughts.

She just needed to sleep.

That would stop these visions, these lies her mind was trying to persuade her were truths.

She didn’t allow herself another look. She didn’t need to.

Another look would just prove what she already knew.

That she had imagined it.

Because why would Jay Halstead, her Jay Halstead, be in the bookstore talking to Mrs Richards? It made no sense. No sense at all. She pushed the thought from her mind as she walked down the street back to the store.

——————————————————————————

Although her father had allowed her to spend the afternoon at the Farrells, that didn’t mean he hadn’t left all of Hailey’s chores for her to do when she returned. He had closed up the store but the floor still needed to be mopped, the proceeds counted up and marked in the ledger and the trash needed to be taken out onto the street.

She wondered who he thought was going to do these things when she wed and moved out. Although the wedding didn’t bring her an ounce of joy, the thought that she could finally get away from the store brought a modicum of hope for her. A shining light in an otherwise grey sky.

She busied herself mopping the floor, trying to comprehend why her mind had decided that today was the day to provide her with hallucinations of her true love, when she should have been planning a wedding to a man who was not.

The sun had long set by the time she had put the mop away, she might have gone over the same spot multiple times as her thoughts were anywhere but in the store with her. Still, her father couldn’t complain that she hadn’t done it thoroughly. The floor was practically gleaming.

Deciding to take the trash out now, the ledger could wait until the morning so she wouldn’t have to do it by candlelight and risk dripping wax on the sheet. She grabbed the large bags waiting by the door, because taking them actually outside would have been too much for her father to do.

She only took two steps out of the door before the bags crashed to her feet.

Underneath the lamppost, his features unmistakable, was Jay.

‘Hi Hailey,’ he said.

[negative-speedforce]

Your OCs find themselves face-to-face with a fairy-tale trickster! They're told they have to perform one song of their choosing, and it must be suitably entertaining to the trickster, or they'll lose their greatest skill forever! We're talking superpowers, Max's ability to design tech, Hyun-Ki's kills with performance (how ironic), whatever it is that makes them stand out.

What song do they pick, and how do they make sure the trickster is entertained by their performance?

Siv: Shows off their years of guitar lessons with a half-decent performance of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

Jay: Can't sing to save his own life, so he gives backup vocals for Cassandra's performance.

Cassandra: Sings "Texas Hold 'Em" by Beyonce, and while her performance by itself would have impressed the trickster by itself, she ends up making them leave because they got uncomfortable when Jay and Cassandra started making out.

Hailey: "Jokes on you, you can't curse me, I'm dead."

Ember: Uses his powers to make gemstones rain on them from the earth as they lipsync to P!nk's "Raise Your Glass" in her glitteriest outfit.

Arya: Mostly impresses the trickster with the fact that every songbird and squirrel was falling out of the trees around them because of their siren song, rather than their performance of BlackPink's "As If It's Your Last"

Gina: Asks if the trickster can wait like ten minutes, and she calls a few of her choir friends over and they perform "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" together.

Esme: Performs "Work Bitch" by Brittany Spears, and impresses them with the fact that no one should be able to dance that well while wearing heels that high and a skirt that short and tight

Cat: Joins Gina and her choir friends for "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" because they're gonna need someone for the alto line (or potentially the tenor line, if Freaking Travis doesn't show up again).

Max: Takes the microphone and starts singing Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" while slow dancing with Kyle and looking longingly into his eyes.

Kyle: Gets his old turntables from when he tried to learn how to DJ and makes a sick remix of Mad Love by Mabel

Eric: Pulls out his violin and performs "The Devil Went Down To Georgia".

Jacob: Serenades his husband with Elvis Presley's "I Cant Help Falling In Love With You".

Khalil: Sings "Daniel In The Den" by Bastille, attempts to impress the trickster by using his magic to create illusions to go along with the lyrics

Ameerah: Growls out a passionate cover of Hell's Coming With Me by Poor Man's Poison

Reggie: Manages to get through Rap God by Eminem without missing a single beat, impresses the trickster because xe's just this tiny kid who can rap that fast.

Antonio: Follows the trickster around for two hours playing The Song That Never Ends on kazoo until they promise not to curse him (yay psychological warfare)

Rania: Sings "Can't Catch Me Now" by Olivia Rodrigo and manages to impress the trickster with the sheer emotion coming through her performance (she is actually crying tears of rage by the end)

Kelsie: Sits the trickster down and pulls out a pad of paper and her glasses, and begins digging down into why they feel the need to do things like this. They feel much better after this impromptu therapy session.

Torryn: Just steals the trickster's magic and runs off with it.

Cory: Impresses the trickster with her fry scream and midair acrobatics while singing Monstarrr by Ennaria

Meredith: Starts signing aggressively about how she's "deaf and mute, dipshit, how is she supposed to perform music?" until the trickster feels bad and goes away.

Director Hawke

Onnie: Disintegrates the trickster before they can curse them and then she goes on with her day to day life.

Pippa: Sings a dreamy cover of "Flowers In My Hair" by Wes Reeve while daydreaming about kissing that mysterious Thawne girl she's only met a few times...

Jessi: Performs one of her own hit singles, puts on a really great show, and attracts a crowd of people because "OH MY GOD IS THAT JESSI JUNO???" (if you're looking for a real-world song with a similar vibe to her music, try "Bitches" by Tove Lo)

Hyun-Ki: Sings a haunting cover of Ave Maria, because no one expects the K-Pop star to be classically trained.

Marie: Screams out Girli's "More than a Friend" while useless lesbian-ing out over Qiara's existence, until she's blushing so bad that her face is bright green.

Liah: Dances to "Bombay Dreams" by KSHMR and shows off her skills from her former job as a Bollywood star.

Qiara: "No." *vanishes*. Jokes on you, you can't do that to an omnipotent space god.

Soraya: Asks for a religious exemption, since she's of the school of Islam that doesn't allow music or singing, so therefore she doesn't really know that many songs.

<note: for the Star Wars OCs, just assume it's the space equivalent to the song>

Thalia: Sings Elastic Heart by Sia (Space Version), actually does a fairly good job.

Reyna: Thinks she sounds great, but actually sucks so hard as she quite literally screeches out Space Demi Lovato's "Cool For The Summer".

Laila: Sings "Trouble" by Space Halsey, very obviously singing it to Athena. Stabs the trickster for even daring to suggest cursing her once she's done.

Athena: Manages to capture the trickster in a sack and then takes them back to her lab, where she decides to vivisect them to see how they work, all while singing a very sultry, seductive cover of Space Ariana Grande's "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored"

Pyrrha: Screams out "Weapon" by Space Against the Current (which is basically her theme song), and impresses the trickster with her dance moves, since her cybernetic limbs have higher strength and range of motion than her natural ones.

Samira: Duets "Rewrite The Stars" with Aldrich, since it's their song as a vampire/human couple (BIG taboo on that one)

Aldrich: Duets "Rewrite The Stars" with Samira, taking Zac Efron's part while Samira does Zendaya's part.

Sohelia: Sings "Snakes" By PVRIS, all while visualizing Mr. Head of the Hunters' Guild, immortal alchemist, and accidental creator of Vampires everywhere, Thaddeus St. James, so she puts far more vitriol into her performance than necessary.

Dolores: Sings "Which Witch" by Florence + The Machine and impresses the trickster with her powerful belting and the sheer emotion behind the performance (living your life at risk of being hunted for sport will do that to you)

Victorie: Plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons on violin, since that was new music when she was alive.

Matt: Sings "Believe" by Cher, can't really do anything that special with his performance with his EDS and everything, so he makes sure and puts some extra "oomph" in with his voice.

Vanessa: Sings "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri, while slow dancing with Victorie, putting special emphasis on the line "Beauty is all she is".

Ellis: They're an angel, so they sing the Hallelujah Chorus with the voice of one. Probably go into the full "be not afraid" Biblically Accurate Angel form too.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Just a hundred percented Spider-Man 2

Here are my thoughts on the side-missions and little quests.

The Flame story was pretty great as it was nice seeing Yuri again and her Wraith costume was sick as SHIT. I question how she's able to fight so well since that...never seemed to be established in the first game, but oh well. Also, the Carnage set-up felt nice and I'm excited to see what comes of that.

Finding Sandman's memories was worth the feeling that I was helping Flint Marco. It's the most Spider-Man thing to do by helping a villain with their insanity and the ending to the mission is pretty warm, I won't lie.

The drones were a pain to follow, mainly because I'm not the best with the Web Wings. I'm fine when I'm swinging on my own and just want a light glide, I'm good. When I have to follow a strict line, I'm all over the place. But the reveal that Kraven was hunting down the Chameleon was pretty cool and I'm excited to see what comes of that in the future.

The Brooklyn Visions requests SHOULD have been more cute, but they felt tedious if anything else. I WANT to like helping a gay student ask his boyfriend out to Prom or something, but, like...it didn't feel fun. Nor was it fun to do that scavenger hunt around the school, looking for places that I have NO IDEA where they were. Maybe if the school was more relevant in the game, it'd be no sweat to find stuff, but as is it's...rough.

Finding the instruments for that Harlem museum was nice, I can see Spider-Man doing that, but the "big twist" was pretty predictable and it didn't need to be a big side quest.

I couldn't hunt down those Spider-Bots without looking up guides. I'm sorry. I don't have the patience to swing around the city looking for them, especially with those crime alerts popping up every five seconds, distracting my search. Yeah, I could ignore the alerts, but...would Spider-Man? I'm also really curious what that last cutscene with that PS1 woman was about. Oh, well, that's for a future game to decide.

The Mysterium's were fun, quick challenges. I didn't even know I was beating them with the top score because of how easy it was to get through them. And the final "Mysterio" boss fight was a pretty great way to end it.

Howard's final request got to me :'(...

I liked Hailey's little adventure, especially when the game tries to simulate being deaf by cutting out the volume to near silence and how you could feel sound through the vibrations of your controller. It's pretty cool.

The Heal the World quests felt tedious too. I felt like I was doing great work, but it was not fun to do some of those things. Especially when the game tries to force how some big crimes were going down around them and it just...doesn't work.

The Prowler hideouts were a bit tedious too, but it was sweet to hear stories between Aaron and Jefferson, making it feel like I was getting a bit more of a reward for doing it all. Plus the ending is pretty warm too, and I'm into warm endings.

I liked getting photos for Robbie, especially for the stories he gave with them, offering a real New York experience (I assume). Could be a little tedious at times, but Robbie's one of my favorite Spider-Man side characters, so I don't mind.

I feel like the Hunter bases would have been more fun...if the stealth in the game was fun. I liked the stealth in Spider-Man 1, it created an extra challenge. But with how overpowered Miles and Peter are, you can blow through each base no sweat as long as you remember to shut off the reinforcements computer. It actually creates a funny visual that in the middle of this giant fight, Peter/Miles goes "Hold on a sec" before shutting off the computer. And I guess the fight is fun and exciting, but in this game, stealth is pretty much worthless.

And the Symbiote Nests were the best kind of intense. It got frustrating when I died with ten seconds left on the clock, but rewarding when it finally ended. For me, it's better to go as Peter because it actually feels like his Anti-Venom powers do more damage than Miles' abilities. Also, don't waste all your abilities on the brutes. You'll need them all fully charged for real emergencies and with the brutes it's better to just use one at a time if you could.

And that's it. That's my thoughts on every thing in Spider-Man 2. I'll admit that the game didn't feel as ADDICTING to play as the first one was. When doing all these little missions and side quests in the first game, I was down because each one was so fun to play. Here, there's a lot of...tediousness in these quests and the rewards aren't always as strong. I do like the story beats that come with them, primarily the Mysteriums and the Flame stuff. But for the quests themselves, there could have been more polish to them.

[anna-justice]

like i’m gonna lose you

summary: my take on the fall out of 8x16.

read on a03 

...

“Get your hands off of me” 

Hailey stirred in her chair, her grip on Jay’s hand tightening a bit. They couldn’t bring themselves to care about appearances as they sat in the waiting room of MED, anxiously awaiting news on Kim. Hailey had dozed off on Jay’s shoulder pretty quickly, not that he minded. He was sure she had had a rough few hours, despite her vague responses. 

“You knew exactly what to expect when you came here.” 

There was a soft moan from beside him and Jay looked down to find his girlfriend’s eyebrows laced together. Her knee shook slightly, grabbing his attention. “Hailey?” He whispered, earning no response. 

“This is what it feels like.”

Hailey flinched hard in her sleep, her bottom lip beginning to quiver, Jay’s heart dropped into his stomach. She was having a nightmare. He shifted slightly, bringing his free hand to her hair and tightening his grip on her hand. “I’m here Hailes, come back to me.” He said softly in her ear as he ran his fingers through her hair. 

The movement startled her, causing her to flinch again. “I saw.” She muttered - still asleep - a stray tear falling down her cheek, “I saw-” Before Jay could react, she shot up, grabbing the attention of too many people around her. 

Jay’s hand immediately found her shoulder, “Hey, you’re good. It was just a dream, you’re safe.” He took note of the half nod she gave him, the fake smile, the way her blue eyes were clouded with tears. Hailey looked down at their intertwined hands, pulling hers close to her body. “Hailey?” He asked, a little hurt. 

She looked like she had seen a ghost, and honestly, she felt like she had. The only way to describe the feeling in the pit of her stomach was absolute terror: she was scared that Voight would walk through the sliding glass doors, she was scared of what she had become, she was scared of what Jay would think of her. She was absolutely terrified of the shell of a person he would leave behind when he finally came to his senses and walked away. “I-uh-I,” She stuttered, standing slowly, “I need some air.” She barely got the words out before running out of the building. 

Jay stood to follow her, he had always been good at giving her space, letting her handle things on her own first, but this was killing him. She was spiraling, he could see it. She had spotted it in him so many times before. He was sick of standing on the sidelines while she fought alone but she wouldn’t let him in, not this time. And as much as he wanted to be her husband, he knew the proposal was only a product of whatever the hell had happened, he just never got the chance to ask what that was. 

“I don’t want to be without you.” Hailey said, her sad eyes locked on his. He knew (or at least he thought he knew) what she was getting at. He remembered the way he felt when she was kidnapped, he remembers the panic that set in on her face when he was shot. 

Jay felt the tears forming in his own, squinting a bit. It almost wrecked him to see her like this, so scared of losing what they had. He understood, he felt the exact same way, but it was different. He knew that no one else had ever stayed for her, no one else every cared, and he was determined to be the one that did. “You’re not gonna be.” He said, because how the was he supposed to say everything that he tried to push into those 4 little words? How could he make her believe that she was it for him? 

Hailey searched his face for any sign of regret or inconsistency, but she found none. Somehow though, she still wasn’t one hundred perfect sure. She couldn’t bear to lose him, she wouldn’t survive it. How could she ever feel secure when she had so much to lose? The second the thought crossed her mind, the words tumbled from between her lips, shocking her as much as him. “Maybe we should get married.” 

Jay looked at her blankly, obviously in shock. She could see it all over his face, he couldn’t believe what she was saying, she couldn’t either. “I’m serious, let’s get married.” 

In a split second, Jay saw it all. The life they would have: the white wedding, the lazy saturdays, the holidays, the kids, the house, the dog, the years they would spend growing old together, the family trips to the cabin. He saw it all, and it was in reach. He never believed that he would could have any of it, but with Hailey, he wanted everything. He would marry her tomorrow, but not like this. Not when the love of his life was standing in front of him so broken down that the only way she thought she could keep him was through a meaningless certificate. 

Hailey watched his smile fade, causing the panic to set in. “Jay, we can elope. We don’t have to wait. We can fly to Mexico or Hawaii or anywhere. Hell let’s do it here, I just want to be with you-”

“Hailey, breathe.” He said delicately, placing his hand on her cheek to keep her grounded. He leaned in, kissing her gently before pulling away to look her in the eyes, which were focused on anything but his. “Look at me, please.” She did - reluctantly - taking a deep breath when she realized his soft smile had reappeared. “I love you. And I will love you for the rest of my life. Nothing is going to change that. All I want to do is be with you, please believe me.” 

Hailey shook her head, tears beginning to fall. “I love you so much-” 

“Baby, tell me what’s going on. I want to help. Let me help you.” He was practically begging her.

She shook her head again, “Jay,” She gasped, “I can’t. Not until you say yes. I need you-” 

Suddenly, his phone began to ring. If it was any other day, he would ignore it, but today was not any other day. “It’s Kev.” 

Jay talked quietly on the phone for a minute or two. Hailey took the time to compose herself, to prepare for the worst: the end of her relationship. By the time Jay turned back around the light in her eyes was gone and there was a fake smile on her face, one that only he could see through. “Is she okay?” Hailey asked.

“Uh yeah, he just wants us to come so that he can go switch with Adam.” Hailey nodded, grabbing her phone off the table along with her keys. He cautiously followed her to the door. “We’re gonna be okay Hailes, no matter what.” He said, knowing full and well that this conversation was far from over. 

Hailey nodded, “I know.” The left the apartment, and Hailey did her best to ignore the feeling of dread deep in her chest, but it was inescapable. No one could walk away clean from she had done, not her, not even Voight. 

Hailey leaned against the wall outside of MED, trying to catch her breath. Her heart was racing and her eyes were burning, she clenched them shut to dull the ache, but every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was a gun pointed in her face. 

“Just because your stomach can’t handle it.” 

Hailey gagged, doubling over and leaning against the concrete wall. 

“Cause you’re scared.” 

She emptied the content of her stomach into the grass, choking and coughing violently as tears continued to stream down her face. Her vision clouded again, images of Voight’s face splattered with blood as he approached her running through her head. It felt so familiar. 

Maybe it was her father’s reappearance in her life, but she felt like she was a child again. Hiding behind the couch or in her room, him screaming at her and her brothers as they ran scared. Her past was taunting her, like it was trying to prove to her that she would never be rid of it. That history would always repeat itself. 

Jay followed her, watching from the doorway as she threw up. He rushed to her, “Hailey-” His hand touched her shoulder and she gasped, pulling away quickly and facing him, her arms shielding her face. Jay took a step back, caught off guard by the terror clearly shown on her face. She was frozen, panting hard.

“I-I’m sorry-I,” She said softly, slowly bringing her hands down to her sides. Jay watched as her gaze fell to the ground, his heart dropping into his stomach. He took a cautious step forward. “I’m not, I’m not afraid of you, I-” 

Jay’s expression softened, “I know, I know. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He was hurt, sure, but this wasn’t about him. It was so much bigger than him. 

Hailey wasn’t sure what emotion was more overwhelming: the fear, the guilt or the physical pain she felt in her chest. He looked so defeated, and it was her fault. He thought she was afraid of him. 

He took another step forward, “Can I?” He motioned to his outstretched hand, holding it out to her. Hailey nodded, slipping her hand into his. He slowly pulled her into to him, her arms snaking around his waist and her cheek pressed against his chest. She took a deep breath, instantly calming her. “Hailey?” She hummed in response. “Can you please tell me what happened? You’re starting to scare me.” 

Hailey took a step back, looking him straight in the eye, memorizing the way they were looking at her, in case it was the last time they ever showed that much love. She nodded, grabbing his hand and pulling him to a bench further away from the hospital. This was the last place she wanted to tell him, but he obviously couldn’t wait any longer, he shouldn’t have to. She couldn’t be selfish with him. 

They sat down, facing each other. Hailey let her hand fall out of his, folding hers in her lap. “Voight did find a lead.” She said, shrugging. “Ruzek and I didn’t know, he gave us the legit addresses. Adam, he um, he kind of lost it so I told him to go be with Mackayla, and he did. So, I went to find Voight.” 

Jay’s eyebrows were cinched together, listening intently. “He was at some warehouse, he had Roy. I walked in and he, uh he, he pulled his gun on me.” Jay’s jaw clenched, but he kept his cool (barely), letting her continue. “He was beating information out of Roy, then you radioed that you found Kim, but-but he was going to kill him anyway. We fought.” Hailey took a breath, but continued to ramble, “I convinced him to bring him in. I wanted to do it the right way, we were going to do it the right way, like you. I wanted to do it right, like you, Jay. But then, then-then he reached for Voight’s gun and, Jay I swear he was going to shoot Voight, so I-” Hailey choked out a sob, unable to look her partner in the eye. 

Jay slid his hands in Hailey’s lap, wrapping them around hers. Hailey’s head shot up, shock written all over it, “So you shot him, to protect your Sargeant.” Jay finished for her. She risked her career to protect him even though Voight had no care for hers.

Hailey shuddered, “I promise, I tried. I told him to drop the weapon. I saw him, he had the gun in his hand. I wanted to do it right.” 

“Shhh,” Jay said, pulling her to him. “It was a good shoot Hailes, you did it right.” He held her as her tears soaked his shirt, running a hand through her hair. He was trying to soothe her, but he was seething. He couldn’t believe Voight had put her in that situation. Voight had been on the job a long time, he knew better than to come into close contact with a violent offender with an exposed weapon. 

Once he wrapped his brain around his anger, it hit him. 

“No Jay, not until you say yes.”

Hailey was scared that he would blame her, or leave her over this. He held her a little tighter, his own tears gathering in his eyes as he held her. “I love you.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

That grabbed Hailey’s attention. She peered up at him, her blue eyes filled with tears and hope. “Really?” She asked quietly, her voice breaking. 

Jay nodded, not trusting his own voice. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Hailey’s eyes fluttered closed, this time, no flashbacks plaguing her mind. His hand settled on her cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheek. Jay pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “Really,” He whispered 

There was a cough beside them, and Jay looked up first. Hank Voight was standing before them. “How’s she doing?” He asked. 

Hailey stared at him in shock. He looked like he always did. He was no longer wearing his tactical gear and his face was no longer splattered with blood. He was Voight, like nothing had happened. For a split second Hailey envied him, his ability to walk away unscathed, like it was any other Wednesday night and the only thing wrong was Kim’s life was hanging in the balance. Then she looked at Jay, whose jaw was clenched and his eyes were stuck on sergeant. He was just as strong, maybe even stronger, and he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. If he could do it, so could she. 

Jay stood, looking like a force to be reckoned with. “You need to leave.” 

Voight scoffed, quickly glancing at Hailey, “Excuse me.” 

“You heard me Sarge, leave. Now.” Jay said. His voice staying low, but intimidating nonetheless. 

“I have a right to be here Jay, to see Burgess,” Voight said, his words becoming louder as he took a step forward. 

“Then go, be the leader you’re supposed to be, but don’t you dare go near her.” Hailey’s breath caught in the back of her throat, her heart swelling at the sight in front of her. Voight glared at Jay, nodding shortly. Jay took another step forward, so that their faces were level, “And if she is brought into this, in any way, I will bury you.” He never raised his voice, or made any move to physically escalate the situation. The last thig he wanted to do was scare Hailey more than she already was. 

“Understood,” Voight said, with a trace of venom that could have been deadly. 

They parted ways, Voight entering the hospital doors and jay turning to face his girlfriend, who had been silent. “Are you okay?” He asked. 

Hailey nodded, “Yeah, I’m okay.” She met his concerned gaze. “Thank you.” 

Jay gave her a soft smile, “Of course.” She glanced between him and the hospital doors, a nervous look on her face. Jay held out his hand, which she gladly took. “Come on, we can come back in the morning.” 

Hailey sighed in relief, standing. He guided them down the sidewalk, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her temple. “Let’s go home Hailes.” 

“Hold on.” Hailey said, her anxiety getting the best of her again. She turned to face him, their eyes locking. She felt tears gather in eyes once again at the look in his, the one she had memorized, that she had prayed would never disappear. She smiled as he eyed her. “Ok, I’m good.” She grabbed his hand, pulling him in the direction of his truck. “Let’s go home.” 

…

A/N: I couldn’t help myself, I had to haha. I can’t believe the premieres are only a month away! Thanks for reading <3

[upsteadhq]

butterfly kisses - 4

happy easter everyone! sorry it’s been a while, i’ve been meaning to update but every oneshot i start kinda gets abandoned. anyway, i hope you enjoy this little upstead family easter drabble!

also posted on ao3 and ff @/halstexds

"Mace, can you come in here please?” Jay shouted from the living room, and not a beat later Macie’s small but heavy footsteps could be heard running toward the room from the kitchen. He braced himself for impact and sure enough, when Macie ran inside, she threw herself into her father’s side, earning a groan from him in return and it made him take a step back to keep his balance.

The toddler shot him a toothy smile “Sorry.”

Jay shook his head and bent down, placing his hands under his daughter’s arms and lifting her up, spinning her round so she was lying upside down. Macie let out a long string of giggles as she swayed from side to side as Jay carried her around the room.

“Tickle me!” Macie’s shouts and Jay was just transferring her weight to one arm so he could when Hailey came into the room, their one-year-old son sat quietly on her hip, and called her husband’s name, stopping him in his tracks.

She’s trying to hide the smile on her face. “She’s just eaten.”

Macie moans loudly as Jay puts her back down and she lifts her arms, asking for Jay to pick her back up again.

Jay places his hand on top of her head, ruffling her already messy hair as he sighs. “Sorry, kid, but you don’t wanna get sick again, we’ve got a busy day today,” he says, earning another groan in return as he looks back up to meet his wife’s gaze. “Is it all ready?”

Hailey nods. “All done.”

Jay gets Macie’s attention again and points her in the direction toward the couch. Once she’s sat, he perches himself on the coffee table and sits opposite her, tapping her knee as he says, “Okay, I’ve got a game for you.”

The pouting lip is gone instantly and her face lights up at that. “A game?”

“Yeah, it’s a little egg hunt around the house, and you’ve gotta work with your brother and find all the little eggs in the rooms and then you get candy as a prize.”

Macie gets to her feet on top of the couch and jumps a few times. “I want candy!”

Jay points to Hailey in the doorway, who smiles and holds out a small woven basket. “Then you better get going then.”

The four-year-old darts her gaze between her mother and father for a beat before she jumps off the furniture, running over to Hailey and thanking her as she takes the basket away, hopping in one spot.

“Where do I go?” She quickly asks.

Hailey jerks her chin down the hallway. “In the garden.”

Macie doesn’t need to be told another time and she takes off running back into the kitchen and the door into the backyard could be heard swinging open moments later.

“Be careful on the stairs!” Hailey shouts after her.

Not seconds later could they hear the faint noise of a bang on wood, which made both Jay and Hailey widen their eyes but they didn't have the chance to move before Macie shouted. “I’m okay!”

Jay and Hailey both breathlessly chuckled and took a small breath each as they prepared to head outside and chase their daughter around their backyard first thing on the Sunday morning. After which they headed out there just as Macie yelled at finding one of the brightly colored hard boiled eggs that Hailey had hidden around the garden.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Hailey placed Alfie to the floor, who took a few wobbly unaccompanied steps before dropping to the floor and deciding crawling was the faster way to go. The one-year-old quickly caught up with his sister, by this point she was on the opposite side of the garden digging through the bush and he circled her feet, curious as to what she was looking for and almost causing her to trip up.

After that, Jay kept Alfie occupied and out of Macie’s way as Hailey helped their daughter search the garden. They lapped the garden multiple times hunting, Macie shouting out with excitement every time she found one. Her behavior transferred over to her brother when he stumbled across one of the colorful eggs, him raising the egg above his head as he let out a shriek before trying to eat it.

Ten minutes later, Macie was sitting back at the dining table with a large smile on her face, digging through her candy basket as Jay picked the leaves out of her hair. She tilted her head to the side slightly.

“Can we do another egg hunt?” She asks.

Jay smirks slightly, squeezing her shoulder softly. “You’ll do another one after church.”

She turns her head upwards and looks up to her father with a bright glimmer in her eyes. “Will I get more candy?”

This makes him chuckle. “I think so.”

Macie turns her attention back to her basket, whispering under her breath, “Yes!”

[justmypartner]

Make it Work: Chapter 8

Summary: When offered a permanent position with the FBI, Hailey agrees to take it under one condition: Jay comes too. As their personal lives and work lives begin to change, the two partners find it increasingly difficult to navigate their complex relationship and manage their feelings for one another.

Writer’s Note: This is my favorite chapter so far. I cried, I smiled, I felt a lot of emotions while writing it, and I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. There are a few warnings for this chapter, so see those below. Not to give anything away, but if you didn’t like Walker before, you really won’t like him after this chapter. Thanks to everyone following this story, I appreciate each and every note so much! Prepare your tissues and please enjoy!! 

TW//: mentions of assault and attempted sexual assault

Tagging: @angelsjedi , @brookerz122493 , @cpdfan2014 , @the–carousel , @maya-asturias , @itsdesiree86​ , @tvshowsaremyhappyplace 

Read on AO3 or below

A light patter on the window woke Jay long before his alarm did. He threw his duvet from his body and rose from the bed, stretching out his tired limbs before moving to the window to watch as rain fell from the sky. It was his first rainy New York City day, and his mood certainly matched the weather. Unlike the day prior, he was hangover free, but he had a strange dismal feeling in his chest he couldn’t explain. He chalked the feeling up to the dreary weather and slowly began to get ready for the day.

He walked to work, maneuvering through the sidewalk traffic carefully as his umbrella bumped into those around him. When he made it to the office, it was uncharacteristically quiet. He went to the break room to make a cup of coffee before settling into his desk. He had been quietly catching up on things when Walker walked in. Jay’s attention shot up when he noticed the red and purple bruises scattered across his face.

“Dude, what the hell happened to you?” Jay questioned, suppressing a snicker that leapt out from the back of his throat. Walker only replied with a scowl and a shake of the head. Jay threw his hands up in surrender, but he wasn’t planning on fully letting it go. Whatever happened, he figured must have taken place sometime after he left work the night before. Then it hit him, Hailey went out with him and would surely know the story.

Jay pulled out his phone, clicking on her contact and typing her a message.

Cannot wait to hear about what Walker got into last night. He’s being tight-lipped about it, but I’m sure it’s a story you’re just itching to tell ;)

He sent the text with a concealed smirk before slipping his phone back into his pocket and bringing his attention back to his computer. Not long after Walker showed up, Daisy walked in, immediately taking note of the bruises on Walker’s face and chuckling to herself.

“What happened Burrows, sleep with the wrong guy’s wife?” she mocked with a sneer as she settled into her desk. He silently shut her down the same way he did Jay. Daisy’s eyes met Jay’s, widening with curiosity and amusement. He shrugged, shaking his head with an entertained grin.

After a while, Hailey still hadn’t shown up, causing him to worry. She was never late, so he decided to call her. No answer. He texted her again, this time asking if she was alright. By the time Drake had come in to brief the team on the day’s case, she still hadn’t shown up and she still hadn’t responded. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew something was wrong. After the briefing, he pulled Walker aside.

“Do you know where Hailey is?” He asked him. The man twitched at the sound of her name, causing Jay to look at him crossly.

“No clue,” Walker replied bluntly.

“Did something happen last night?” Jay questioned, anxiety building as he surveyed the man’s beaten face, his imagination beginning to run unhinged.

“Look, Halstead. I have no clue where she is, leave me alone,” he spat, pushing past him to end the conversation. Something was up, and every word that left the man’s mouth only made Jay more concerned. His gut told him her absence and his bruises weren’t mutually exclusive, the thought sent a hot anger through Jay’s body. Before Walker could get far, Jay grabbed at his arm, pulling him back around to face him.

“What the hell happened?” He hissed. Walker tried to yank his arm away, but Jay tightened his grip, preventing him from doing so.

“Back off, Halstead,” he bucked up, trying to get in his face.

Daisy noticed the scrap, rushing over and inserting herself between the two of them.

“Woah, okay what’s going on here?” she raised, pushing against each of their chests to separate them. Avoiding the question, Jay shook his head, moving towards his desk and snatching his jacket from the back of his chair.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll go find out myself. It better have nothing to do with you,” Jay threatened, pushing a finger into the man’s chest.

He turned to Daisy. “Tell Drake I had to take care of something. Also, don’t let him out of your sight,” he told her softly, nodding his head towards Walker. She nodded skeptically, and he turned to make his way towards the elevators.

His heart practically leapt out of his chest as he trudged through the rain on his way to Hailey’s apartment. In his rush out of headquarters, he left his umbrella, leaving cold rain pouring over him, soaking in his clothes down to his skin the entire walk over. Yet, it did nothing to cool down the fire that filled his body with rage. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but the twisted feeling in his abdomen went from bad to worse after his confrontation with Walker.

He reached her building, desperately punching the buzzer for her apartment. It took several minutes, but eventually, she answered.

“Yes?” her soft voice echoed through the speaker, causing him to lean a hand into the building in relief. The comfort of hearing her voice dwindled quickly when he realized the defeated tone she carried.

“Hail, it’s me. Let me up,” he said as calmly as possible, raising his voice slightly to be understood over the thrumming of rain around him. There was no response and there was no buzz. He repeated his words once again.

“Let me up, please. I need to see that you’re alright,” he begged, the rain continuing to seep into his suit and cling to his skin.

A few moments later, there was a buzz and the lobby door opened. He made his way through it, ignoring the slippery mess he was creating all the way into the building and rushing up the stairs to her apartment. When he made it to her door, he took a beat, preparing himself for whatever he was about to see on the other side. He knocked. The sound of light footsteps approached before the lock clicked and the door opened slowly.

His heart fell in his chest the second he caught sight of her. His eyes travelled up and down her body, taking in every heart-wrenching detail. She wore an exhausted, somber look on her face and her eyes hopelessly avoided his. Her curls were a tangled mess framing her face, her bottom lip was split, the low cut of her tank revealed bruises along her neck and collarbone, and despite the way the long sleeves of the open flannel she wore covered her hands, he made out defensive wounds along her nails and knuckles. Without thinking, he reached out his hand, trailing his fingers gently along the red and purple bruises lining her neck and chest. The cold rain dripped down from his sleeves and onto her skin, sending visible shudders through her body.

“Hailey…” he whispered. Something broke in him when he noticed the way her eyes slowly fluttered closed as she relaxed under his touch.

“I’m okay, Jay,” she muttered, continuing to avoid eye contact with him. “Let me get you a towel, you’re probably freezing,” she said, moving away as he became aware of the way his body was shivering, the rainwater dripping down into a small puddle in her doorway. He stood there frozen, his eyes taking in the room from her door, noticing the knocked-over lamp and shattered picture frame on the floor.

What the hell happened here? He thought to himself before she reappeared in front of him, holding out a towel for him to wrap into. He stood a statue, only his eyes moving from the room and back to her, tears blurring his vision as the image of her battered body tore him apart inside. When he didn’t take the towel, she moved toward him, rising on her tiptoes to wrap it around his shoulders. She stepped back out of the way, and he stepped inside, just enough for her to close the door.

“What did he do?” he questioned, trying to remain soft with her even though his ire toward Burrows was spilling over inside of him. She sighed a shaky breath before turning around, finding a spot on the arm of her couch, flinching in pain lightly when she crossed her arms. He remained in the entryway, waiting for her to speak as rain droplets from his hair left trails down his face. He watched as she bit down hard, clenching her jaw as she concentrated on her thoughts.

“We went out last night,” she began, Jay taking note of the way she avoided saying his name. “It was getting late, we had a lot to drink. He had way more than me, way more than usual, but I didn’t oppose when he offered to walk me home. When we got out front, he emptied his guts into the bushes and asked me if he could come up for some water. I agreed, and he came up to my apartment. I pulled a glass from the cupboard, and when I turned around he was pressing me against the counter,” she said, the shakiness in her voice building up as she continued. Jay felt like he was going to be sick himself.

“He was trying to kiss me, holding me against the counter with one hand… groping me with the other. I told him to stop, that he was drunk, that I wasn’t interested. I tried pushing him away, but I was drunk myself… weaker and clumsier than I usually am. His hands were still on me, pulling, squeezing…” her voice trailed off as tears rolled from her cheeks. Jay was fuming with anger, ready to go kill the man with his bare hands that second.

“The more I struggled to get away, the more he laid into me. Punching me, choking me, putting his entire weight into my body as he forced himself on me,” her breath shuddered and she groaned as tears escaped her eyes. Jay’s head was pounding from holding back tears and vexation. The more she said, the angrier he became.

“Did he?” He asked fearfully, unsure of whether or not he wanted the answer. He felt that same heart sinking feeling he had when he asked her the same question so many years ago when he found out what Booth did to her. The same way it did back then, his voice broke with the words. He only hoped she didn’t notice the way he was completely falling apart with her. She shook her head as her puffy eyes blinked closed, sending tears down her cheeks.

“I was yelling at him to stop. Telling him no and pushing with every part of my body to get him off. He was so drunk he wasn’t even registering my words, but I was able to get a hit in, leaving him vulnerable for a split second. Long enough to catch him off guard. I laid into him until his face was so swollen I didn’t even recognize him. He got up and stumbled towards the door, falling into that table. I was able to shove him out of the apartment… and I just... I’m okay. Really. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” she said, looking down into the floor. Her words stung deep because he knew it really wasn’t anything she hadn’t had to endure before.

She was quiet for a moment, swallowing hard almost like she was trying to stomach every emotion that had to be consuming her. She stifled a series of whimpers and despite her best attempts, she fell apart completely. She clutched at her body with her arms as deep sobs shook her entire being. He wasn’t sure if he should approach her, wasn’t sure if touching her would trigger her, wasn’t sure what she needed in that moment.

So, he slowly made his way towards her, close enough to touch her, to remind her he was there and she was safe, but holding back as sobs continued to escape her mouth. She reached an arm out, trying to steady herself as she attempted to catch her breath. That was the affirmation he needed, so he carefully grabbed her by the arms, wrapping her up in his body slowly. She nestled into him and despite the cold and soggy mess he was, she clung tightly to him. They dropped to the floor as she fell apart. He rested his chin against her head as his arms squeezed her as tightly as they could. The rain droplets fell down his face and blended with the tears that spilled out of his eyes.

“Shh. I’ve got you. You’re safe. He won’t hurt you again. I got you,” he said, repeating the last three words over and over again in whispers. He felt her fingers clench tightly around his back and they sat like that for a while, huddled together on the floor until she had come down from it all.

She pulled away from his hold, keeping her fingers gripped against his back as he cradled her in his arms.

“I’m sorry,” her voice cracked with the words, and Jay responded instantly by shaking his head.

“No, don’t do that. You have nothing to be sorry for,” he whispered tenderly.

She reached a hand up, brushing a loose, wet curl from his forehead as he lost himself in her glossy blue eyes. Her eyes steadied him, casting out all of the rage that previously filled his body, and bringing him into an unexpected state of peace despite everything that just happened. She was all that mattered. Regardless of the trauma she had went through, in that moment, she was okay, she was safe, and she was in his arms. As she looked up at him, the pain and sadness that filled her eyes somehow coexisted with that familiar glimmer she only reserved for him, sending a fluttery feeling in his chest and a stroke of courage through his body.

“I love you,” he whispered, the words escaping his lips before his brain could even realize it. Her face fell with surprise, and tears refilled her eyes as he brought a hand to cup her cheek. His thumb swiped fragilely against her jaw as silence filled the room.

“I love you, Hailey” he said again, almost like he didn’t believe he said it the first time. Her mouth fell slightly agape as deep breaths sent her chest up and down steadily. Her watery eyes travelled from his eyes down to his lips, training themselves there for a moment as he took in every movement, every reaction to those words in the silence of her apartment.

In a flicker, she reached her head up and closed the space between them as her lips connected with his. She kissed him slow and steady. Her lips moved meticulously, delicately connecting and disconnecting from his as they each remained mindful of the wound on her bottom lip. It was a short kiss, but the feeling of her lips against his lingered long after she pulled away. She rested her forehead against his and stayed there as they each caught their breath. Silence surrounded them, and he felt like she could hear his heartbeat broadcasting loudly in the quiet.

“I didn’t sleep last night,” she blurted out as her eyes remained closed and her forehead stayed pressed against his. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his as she pulled away ever so slightly. The interruption caught him by surprise, and he became nervous. He worried that it was all too much, that he had ruined things by confessing his feelings, that the kiss was just a reaction to her emotions, and that her next words would be to send him away.

“Would you lay with me?” She uttered. He breathed out a sigh of relief. In any other context, he would’ve teased her for the suggestive nature of the question, but in that moment he knew exactly what she meant. She needed rest, a moment to forget about everything that happened, and just as comforting as it was to have her in his arms, he realized the feeling went both ways.

“I don’t mean-“ she began before he interrupted.

“I know,” he told her, nodding his head softly.

“But my clothes…” he said, becoming suddenly aware of the way his damp suit was stuck to his skin. She stood, offering him a hand to stand with her. His heart stopped in his chest when she pulled the towel off of him and moved her hands to his shoulders, sliding her fingers under his blazer and dragging it down his arms. Her small hands moved to the buttons on his shirt. He nodded when she sent him a silent question of consent. His breath came out in nervous shudders when her fingers slid across his bare chest, peeling his wet shirt from his body and letting it fall onto the floor. She continued undressing him slowly. It wasn’t sexual, it wasn’t awkward, and to his surprise, he didn’t even blush when he was left standing before her in only his boxers. It was intimate, sweet even, and his breath remained unexpectedly stable through it all. She grabbed the towel from the ground with one hand and his hand with the other, leading him to her bedroom. She settled him at the end of her bed and she brought the towel to his head, gently drying the loose droplets from the ends of his short, unruly curls. His gaze remained on her eyes the entire time, trying to convince himself that what was happening was real. She climbed into her bed and he climbed in on the other side, feeling an unexpected sense of comfort despite it being their first time sharing a bed, in just his boxers no less. Under the covers, she curled her body into his side. He wrapped his arm protectively around her and her hand came to rest against his chest. He grasped it in his, noting how small it was, rubbing his thumb gently over her bruised fingers.

“Thank you for coming here... making sure I was okay,” she whispered into his chest.

“Thank you for being okay,” he muttered back. She looked up, bringing her lips to the side of his jaw briefly before settling her head back on his chest. They laid like that for a while, and eventually she succumbed to sleep.

He laid awake with her head against his bare chest, staring at the ceiling, in complete disbelief of everything that had happened. Part of him was still full of anger, ready to find Walker and put him in the ground for what he did. Another part of him wanted to lay there with her in that moment forever. Walker would get what was coming to him, but in that moment she needed him, so that’s where he’d stay. It didn’t go unnoticed that she didn’t say the words back, but he didn’t care. He finally told her how he felt. He confessed his love for her with nothing but emotion and sincerity, and he finally knew what it was like to be kissed by her, to be wrapped in her warm body, and consumed by everything she was. They certainly needed to talk, to figure out what everything that happened would mean for them, but for him, for that moment, being there with her was enough.

[certifiedtrashmouth]

"i keep thinking maybe if you let me back in, we can make it better, breaking every habit."

[aprilsrant]

Happiness.

Harry Potter x Slytherin!Fem!Reader.

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: mentions of the war, mentions of death/dying (promise nothing too serious), kind of angsty but fluff in the end. Enemies to lovers (kind of). Loosely based on the song Compass by The Neighbourhood.

A/N: This is a gift for my amazing girl Val, @minty-malfoy, I hope you can enjoy this fic, it was really fun to write. Happy Holidays to everyone reading this and to all of my followers, I love and appreciate all of you so much!

English is not my first language. Pictures are not mine. Open for more quality.

“I'm lucky you've been keeping me around

You're the star I look for every night

When it's dark, you'll stick right by my side.”

                                      Compass, The Neighbourhood.

Harry had never been one to believe in luck or chances, but there was no denying that ever since he was born, his entire destiny had been written in stone by someone who wanted nothing more than to destroy him; there was no denying that it felt like years of bad luck and a curse strong enough to affect everyone around him had been placed on his shoulders even before he could walk. 

After years of fighting Voldemort and his followers, Harry had the tendency of thinking that the norms of normality didn’t apply to him. Every new term at Hogwarts meant a new danger, threatening his life, his friends and the rest of the Wizarding Community that wasn’t part of the elite group of blood supremacists. 

Therefore, finding someone never did the top of his list when the number one was surviving through it all. Finding someone meant, at least to him, a glimpse of ordinariness and a sense of home, things that he never remembered of experiencing outside of Hogwarts and the Burrow. That being said, not under any circumstances Harry had believed encountering her would have been possible. 

(Y/N) was someone he had ignored and bound in a cage of old prejudice because of an ancient — and unhealthy — rivalry, one started centuries before they set foot on the castle. Their relationship wasn’t one for the romance movies the Muggles loved, those where the protagonists fall in love the moment they see each other. Instead, Harry and (Y/N) loathed the other ever since the first Potion class in their sixth year. 

For a Slytherin, dreams and ambitions are what you hold closely to your heart and anyone trying to defy them, or achieve them first, is waving a battle flag right in front of you, too loud to dismiss — or perhaps, the receiver of the message is too proud to ignore —. For (Y/N), seeing Harry Potter get all of Slughorn’s attention and praise when she had been the best on the subject for the last five years, was a slap in the face interpreted as a sign to unleash the rabid dogs of war.

If anyone had told Harry that he would grow to love her, to adore every piece of her, he would have laughed while claiming the person was mental. But, what was once a feud quickly transformed into a weird, unpredictable friendship. After that, it was only a matter of time for feelings to blossom.

Neither of them wanted to admit it, but deep inside of their chests and hearts, both knew that the sweaty hands, the longing stares, the intimacy of their jokes and the tenderness of their touch wasn’t the part of the play that friends acted.

It was then that the idea of bad luck and cursed for life appeared on his head again. How could he be so selfish to let her into his life when a real war was coming for him and for everyone who dared to choose his side? How could he pretend that the claws of death weren’t reaching for him, that his life didn’t depend on the shaky and ancient hands holding the scissors? Harry knew pulling Hermione and Ron, and his whole family, into the mess was already bad enough, but doing it to the girl who had become an unexpected beacon of light would make him even more guilty. It wasn’t fair that he had to worry about whether being with her or not would endanger her life, but Harry hadn’t been born for normality.

“Why are you ignoring me?” Harry heard her voice from behind him, strong but trying to cover the anger and hurt. It was only the two of them in the corridor since most of the other students were still in class or using their free period to study. The distance separating them gave the sensation of facing an endless ocean, one you could never cross. “Did I do or say something upsetting? Is it because of your friends? I know Ron doesn’t particularly like me but I promise I’m trying.”

“It’s not that and I’m not ignoring you,” Harry responded shortly, not stopping his walk or daring to glance back at her, afraid of giving in with only seeing the expression plastered in her face. The cold words escaping from his mouth and his attitude, rising the fire in the pit of her stomach.

“What do you mean you are not ignoring me, Harry?,” she scoffed while the pace of her footsteps increased to chase after the boy,  “you can’t even look me in the eye and say it to my face.”

“I’m answering your questions, am I not? In what way is this ignoring you then?” (Y/N) had admired Harry’s tendencies to sarcasm or ironic responses ever since they became friends — and perhaps even before —, but now she wanted to slap him for acting so unfaced.

“Well, I don’t know, maybe because one day you look like you’re finally about to ask me on a date but the next one, you avoid me as if I were sick!”

Harry’s steps faltered, his chest tightened at the thought of (Y/N) reciprocating his feelings.

“Please, just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it,” she whispered, putting herself in front of the boy.

“You did nothing wrong.”

“Then why are you acting like this? Is it because I’m a Slytherin?,” (Y/N) insisted. Now, Harry could see the ache and a hungry desperation in her eyes to know the answers, only there because of him. “Just don’t leave me, I- I can’t bear it. We can go back to hating each other if it makes it easier, but don’t do this, don’t leave me like this.”

“I don’t hate you, (Y/N), but I can’t give you what you want,” Harry said watching as her hands took hold of his owns, making his heart skipped a beat, “I’m not someone that can live a normal life, not with Voldemort threatening me and everyone I’m close with.” Harry didn’t miss her efforts to not flinch at the mention of the Dark Lord.

One of her hands travelled all the way up to his right cheek, the feeling of Harry’s skin and the way the boy had leaned into the touch of her fingers, forgetting for just a second all the worries plaguing his mind, had (Y/N)’s stomach almost bursting. 

“I don’t want nor need a normal life, Harry. I want you, I couldn’t care less about the rest,” she confessed.

“But I care! I care about what’s going to happen to you!,” He yelled (?), “you can get hurt, you can die, (Y/N)!”

“And so can you! Let me remind you, you’ve been there a couple of times now, Harry.” She was glad of choosing the empty corridor to confront him, not having to endure the hushed whispers and the stares, pointing at her as if she wouldn’t notice. “If there’s a war coming then I prefer to spend this few minutes of peace with you.”

“But if you-”

“And if I die, then I got to be with you in the end,” (Y/N) interrupted him, “I’m not afraid of dying, Harry, but I would love to live a little before doing so.”

He closed his eyes, releasing a shaky breath before embracing her figure and resting his head against her shoulders, smelling the signature and familiar fragrance of her perfume. A small smile appeared on (Y/N)’s face while she let herself enjoy the feeling of being in his arms, guarded from the evils outside the castle and loved by the boy she once used to loathe.

“We all deserve some happiness, and maybe even a tad of normalcy, Harry,” she whispered in his ear before looking at his green eyes and closing the distance between their lips.

Taglist: @vivianweasley @feetoffthetablee @gcdric @shadowsinger11 @thisismynerdyself @cappsikle @idont-knowrn @theweasleysredhair @aesthetically-hailey @slytherinsunrise @bannerbubble @lilac-wrists @storyisnotover

[haileyyanneupton]

fairytale 🧚‍♂️ 🪄

in which Hailey realises that maybe — just maybe — love isn’t a complete scam after all. 

upstead oneshot (hailey upton x jay halstead)

warnings: mention of sexual assault

masterlist | series masterlist 

Hailey had always found it disgustingly cheesy when the books she would read would describe falling in love as something that happened "hard and fast." She just didn't believe in it. Maybe it was because she had never really been in love — at least not in the way that the fairytales made it out to be — or maybe it was just some ploy to set every little girl's expectations far, far too high.

They were sitting in his car one day, checking out a suspect that looked good for a double homicide when it happened. He had made some stupid joke and of course, Jay being Jay had cracked up laughing at his own sense of humor. It wasn't the joke that made her fall, but the way his eyes lit up in amusement and happiness — genuine happiness too, not that knock off shit. It was the way his head turned to face Hailey without any hesitation to see if she was laughing too; the way to him, she was the only person that mattered. It left her a feeling little winded and a little bit like she was floating, but she didn't mind. Right there, in the passenger seat of his car with binoculars in her hand is where she realised that sometimes, with the right person, you could indeed fall hard, and you could fall fast. The first time she met him, it was no secret to anybody that she wasn't too fond or Mr Jay Halstead to say the least. He had that cocky smile that could piss her off to no end, but what bothered her most was just how hard it was to hate him. She'd be lying if she said she didn't have a vendetta against attractive detectives in the CPD — every time she had allowed herself to like them, even if it were just platonically, she'd always wind up getting hurt. That was why she tried to keep her distance from Jay to begin with — but alas, just as fate would have it, Erin's unexpected departure had left Hailey partnered with the detective she had told herself she would stay away from at all costs. Her painted hatred didn't last long. After even just their first proper shift together, Hailey found herself bending over backwards to make her new partner's life a little bit easier after a case they had been working had gone sideways, Jay's 9mm behind the death of a young girl that had hit him pretty hard. She managed to get a read on him right away — he was so scared, so broken — even Hailey knew that the unfortunate ending to a case had to be just the tip of the iceberg. She wasn't going to fix him — that wasn't her job — but she was going to fight like hell until he could do it himself. She knew what it was like to be there, she remembered how awful it felt; she wouldn't wish it upon anybody, much less her partner who she was becoming strangely fond of with each passing moment. Their first few months working together flew by, but that didn't mean that it had been uneventful. Hailey and Jay had grown close relatively quickly, their personalities gelling together like no other. It was nice to know that someone had your back, but for Hailey, who had somewhat left an entire life behind her when she joined intelligence, their first major challenge as partners came when Ronald Booth inserted himself back into the scene. Really, she knew that she should have expected Jay to do what he had and dig up all that he could find on Booth the second he got a whiff that something had gone on between him and Hailey, but alas; all she wanted was to be seen as who she had worked her entire life to become. Someone who was strong, independent — not someone who allowed themselves to be taken advantage of, someone who ended up in the hospital because she couldn't fight off some old guy. When her stubbornness had reared its head and landed both her and Jay back in Booth's warehouse for a last ditch attempt at undermining him, things turned ugly — and fast. It all happened so fast. One moment, they were about to make the exchange — the next, she was being shoved into a car door while being checked for a wire. His hands against her — god, she could still feel his dirty, disgusting touch from that New Years Eve party like it was yesterday. She had gotten so close to forgetting, so close to pushing it down just far enough so that she wouldn't have to think about it, but when he ran his hands up and down her legs and groped her with such a hunger that her breath hitched in her throat and bile rose, burning her oesophagus and leaving a bad taste in her mouth, she simply couldn't forget. She almost let herself slip back to that night — him on top of her, his weight enough to keep her from moving — but the sound of Jay's voice behind her kept her anchored right where she was as she breathed through it. One more second, and it's over. That's all. Just one more second. "Come on, man. You don't gotta do it like that." There was silence for a moment. You know the kind. The kind that fills the air in the eye of a storm, right before everything goes from bad to worse. Still, no matter how prepared you are for everything to turn to shit again — it's never really ever enough. "Gun! He's got a gun!" "I don't have a gun, man —" she could hear the panic in Jay's voice. "Take it easy! I don't have a gun!" "Back it up!" "I don't have a gun!" Booth was distracted. His hands were still on her, but his grip had loosened. His hand was resting on her hip now rather than grabbing it, and with his attention diverted to the situation unfolding behind them, she took her chance and ran with it. Her elbow collided with his nose as she twisted his arm back in a shape that arms were definitely not meant to go in, a distinct crack echoing through the air for a split second before the sound of two much louder pops overpowered it. She had pulled the trigger faster than she had been able to process, and before she knew it, Tyler had hit the ground and was gasping for air he wouldn't get no matter how hard he tried. Hailey couldn't even turn around before Booth was gone — but she wasn't about to let him get away that easy. He found her before she found him, which was definitely not the way she wanted it to go. Her back hit the wall first, followed by her head hitting the railing of a staircase as he threw her around like a ragdoll. What infuriated her more than anything was how easy it was for him to do it, her body hitting different corners of each stair as she fell down them. Hailey's legs were flailing around methodically, aiming for all of the weak spots as she tried everything she had been taught (and a bit more) to get the upper hand. Finally, she regained her footing, but it wasn't long before he had her by the shoulders and was slamming her up against every wall he could find yet again. Bang. "I knew you were a cop!" Booth growled dangerously, his tone venomous with fury. "I just didn't want to believe it!" Bang.

"Believe it!" With a quick and smooth movement, she finally had some kind of control as she took the position of the slammer, and not the slammee. She was so angry, the adrenaline rushing through her veins so quickly that she threw punch after punch without feeling a thing, a small smirk curling the corners of her lips upwards as it was Booth's turn for a little trip down the stairs. He was halfway unconscious by this point, but she didn't care — he was right where she wanted him now. "Admit you killed Garrett!" Booth smiled a sick grin as he let out a hearty laugh that made Hailey nauseous. "You'll never find him." She felt the anger and white hot, blinding rage bubbling up inside of her, choking her, clawing at her throat as she held the gun to Booth's face. She would never forget the feeling of her finger brushing up against the temptation of the trigger over and over and over again, or the myriad of thoughts rushing through her head. One squeeze of the trigger, and he's gone, Hailey. You could end this right here, right now. Garrett. What about Garrett? Booth is the only one who knows where Garrett is, Hailey — don't kill him! But he's right here, and the gun. . . it's right here in my hands and —

"Hailey!" Jay's voice started out loud, but faded into a whisper. "Hailey. Hailey." Her breathing was heavy, and even though his voice had snapped her out of whatever rage she was in, part of her wanted to jump right back into it and finish the job. Hailey's blue eyes were trained on Booth like it was life or death, never flicking away from the man for even a second. "Hailey —" Jay tried to coax his partner this time; he knew if this continued on the way it looked like it was going to, things wouldn't end well.  "He wins if you do it. This is not how you beat this." His hand was on her shoulder, following the rapid rising and falling of her chest as she held the gun firmly in place. her fingers were trembling but she showed no fear, a ferocious, burning flame in her eyes. She was not done yet. She wasn't. "Please, Hailey, please." He was desperate now; she could tell by the way his grip tightened ever so slightly at the same time that his voice changed. "Please. This is not the way. You — You gotta trust me." It was the pleading that struck her hard enough to really realise what she was doing. It was the pleading that gave her the strength to fight against the rage and finally swing her right leg off of the scum beneath her and growl at him to get up, the sight of him struggling providing her with a secret, visceral pleasure that she would never be able to explain. But when he sat up a bit too quickly for Hailey's liking, the woman deciding that the awful man hadn't suffered quite enough yet, her boot collided with his face one last time before walking her right out of the stairwell. If she stayed, she knew one person would be coming out in a body bag and the other in handcuffs.  She had a feeling she knew which she would be in.

Jay and Hailey's relationship shifted after that night, but neither of them viewed it as a bad thing. There was something about trauma and tragedy that tends to bring people together in some bittersweet way, and despite the fact that they each had their own perspective of what had happened in that warehouse, both of them knew that without the other, things could have ended much worse. It was soon after that that their 'thing' started. Drinks at whichever bar was closest quickly became a regular occurrence, but during the summertime when the crowds got a bit too crowded for either of their liking, they found themselves more and more often bypassing the bar all together by picking up a 6 pack of beer and retiring back to one of their apartments instead. 

After a few times, Jay had compiled a bunch of clothes that he either did wear anymore or that no longer fit him and had left them folded up in the dresser of the guest bedroom for Hailey, who frequently would crash in her partner's guest room after a long night. She secretly loved the scent of his cologne on the neckline of his hoodies that she'd sleep in, though she'd never admit it to her or anybody else — especially once she noticed how much better she slept when she had one on.  

Fast forward a few months, and that's when it happened. That was when her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach from the realisation of what had just happened in a matter of seconds as she sunk back down in her seat ever so slightly, her brain screaming with a million different emotions. She had been quick to mask it, turning her head to look out the window until before she knew it, she was looking back at the dark haired man so intensely that she thought if she looked away for even a second, he'd disappear. Looking turned into kissing, and kissing turned into a personal hour which lead to a little bit more. The whole time though, in amongst everything else, one thought stuck out more than the rest. 

This is your fairytale, Hailey, she thought. This right here is your happy ending. It's him.

a/n: sorry it’s not very long, and that the ending reads kind of rushed, but i’m actually sorta proud of this one aaaa???? i hope you all like it!! might do a part two 👀 

tagging: @ruzek-halstead @detective-buttercup @lissethsrojas @justanotheronechicagofan​ did y’all ask to get tagged? no but i’m tagging y’all anyway bc i value each and every one of u and my tags are reserved for awesome ppl only so 🥰

[julieloveupstead]

"I'm Never Leave You" - Upstead

Chapter 4

- "Detective Rollins," she heard a female voice on the other end.

- "Hello, this is Detective Upton with the Chicago Police Department." - Hailey called the detective who had handled two similar cases to the one she and the team were handling a few years ago.

- "Hello. How can I help you, Detective?"

- "Today we started on a double murder case, similar to the one we found that the state was investigating a few years ago." - she explained to the woman on the other end. In the meantime, Sergeant Platt brought her, the autopsy results of the murdered boys.

- "Which one specifically?" - the voice on the other side pulled her from her reading.

- "It's about the beating, sexual abuse and then murder of two young men. We found drugs in the building with a similar tag. We think the two cases are connected." - Hailey elaborated.

- "And that's how I remember that case. We had a case like that, but we didn't have a suspect. When the son of one of the diplomats was murdered, the FBI took over the investigation, but as far as I know they didn't even catch anyone either. Practically, the investigation came to a standstill." - Detective Rollins said. But listen, email us with what you've found so far, and we'll compare it with ours and let you know." - suggested the Detective on the other end.

- "Okay, we'll send you everything we have right away, and I look forward to hearing from you." - and after a brief goodbye, Hailey hung up.

She went back to reviewing what she got from Trudy and then decided to call the FBI some more, who as Detective Rollins told her had taken over the investigation.

At the same time, Jay in Voight's office. Since the Sergeant wasn't there, he figured nothing would happen if he stayed there for a while, and If the Sergeant returned unexpectedly, Jay didn't care. If anything, after what he found out, he didn't care what opinion he would have of him or how angry he would be with him. As far as Jay was concerned, Voight might not be coming back. Back on the case, Jay had just spoken with an officer from the LAPD, and they also arranged to share information.

After the call, he returned to the bullpen, where Hailey was still talking. He sat down at his desk and watched her. He may have looked like a stalker, but he loved watching Hailey passionately do every single thing, even when they weren't together yet, the passion with which she gave herself to her work was remarkable, and he always appreciated that very much.

Hailey could feel Jay's burning gaze on her from the start and had to really try to keep her attention on what Agent Anderson-Li was saying.

- Jay, don't look at me like that," Hailey whispered as she ended the call.

- How am I looking? - Jay asked in an innocent voice, getting up from his seat and walking over to Hailey's desk.

- Well, like this - she pointed her hand at him. Jay sat down on her desk as usual.

- What do you mean? - he asked again, leaning over her.

- Like I'm your whole world - she whispered huskily.

- I can't help it if you're my whole world, Angel. - he whispered back.

Hailey gazed into his eyes and saw the loving look in his eyes until her heart beat a thousand times more, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was sitting, she was sure that she would have fallen intimidated by such great affection. She felt like she would never get used to how much Jay loved her.

For many years, she thought she didn't deserve to have a guy love her for who she was. Her father had admirably proven that for many years of her teenage life, and then the guys she'd been with when they found out what baggage she had left her behind. The exception was Garrett, but before things could get serious with him, he died at the hands of Booth and now that she's with Jay she can't believe that after everything he's learned about her and everything she's done he's still here looking at her with the same tender, loving and lustful eyes.

Since the day they started being together, Hailey thinks she's been dreaming and doesn't for the hell of it ever want to wake up from it.

- Jay, please don't say that - she couldn't help but have fears in addition to all the wonderful emotions she was feeling. Because what does he really see in her? After all, she's no one special. And after what had happened a few days ago, and not only that, all her pushback to cross the boundaries of the law, it all didn't look to her advantage. She was broken, and she knew that Jay accepted her like this 100 or even 200%, but she couldn't quell the fear that someday Jay would finally realize that there was nothing to glue together, or would he just be tired of it all and just walk away?

She used to think that the thing that kept her from telling Jay how I felt about him was the fear that he wouldn't feel the same way about her, but now she thought it was the fear that she would finally realize how complicated it really was and his leaving.

- Hailey...

- Guys, I found the owners of the house where we found these two boys. - Adam entered the bullpen, preventing Jay from finishing. They both turned towards him and waited for further information from their friend. - The owners are Margaret and Joseph Tremblay. - He walked over to the board and pinned up a photo, then walked over to the two detectives and gave them some cards. - Two years ago Margaret died after a months-long battle with cancer, shortly afterwards Joseph left for a retirement home. They had no children. - He explained.

- And do you know who he sold it to? - Jay asked.

- No one, Joseph was just renting it out, not to some Richard West guy. - replied Adam. - And I checked that no one with that name had rented the house recently. - He added when he saw the questioning look from his friends.

- So he was cheated? - asked Hailey.

- It seems so. - answered Adam. - The only question is by whom - said Jay.

- 'Okay Adam, we'll wait for Kevin and for Sergeant Smith and Officer Wilson, and we'll be done for the day, because we probably won't find one today anyway. - Jay sat down at his desk.

- Adam, do you know anything about Kim? - Hailey dared to ask her friend.

- 'Mhmm, her parents are sitting by her, and her sister texted me that her condition is stable, but the doctors are afraid to wake her up yet. - He replied, sitting down in his seat. Jay and Hailey looked worriedly at Adam, who, though he tried to hold back, had tears in his eyes. - I'm so scared for her. - He hid his face in his hands.

The pair of detectives looked at each other. They felt very sorry for their friend. Hailey knew exactly what the friend was talking about. After all, it had been over a year ago that Hailey had been in his shoes, and she remembered well the fear when she found out Jay had been kidnapped, and then waiting in the hospital waiting room for him to get some information and for him to finally wake up. It was like a nightmare. For months, she couldn't shake the images of Jay full of blood lying on the concrete floor and even to this day in her nightmares reliving it all over again.

She stood up and put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed in a gesture of support that Adam needed so much right now. Adam nodded in acknowledgement, Hailey smiled some more and went to the coffee room with a mug in her hand.

However, instead of making coffee, memories entered her head. She thought she had gotten over it, that she had accepted what had happened and moved on, but apparently this whole thing with Kim had caused the unwanted memories to return.

When Jay went missing, the worst part was the fear of not knowing where to look and that going around in circles was awful, and then the thoughts of whether she would make it in time or see him again. She was also angry with herself that something like this had happened, and until now she could not forgive herself that she had let such a situation happen at all. And when she finally managed to find him and saw his battered face her heart was breaking, but the fact that she found him beaten and bloody but alive helped give hope that all was not lost yet, that maybe they still had a chance. When Jay said he still had to come back for Angel, she barely held back the tears that started to appear at the corners of her eyes because it was all him. Jay Halstead, a man with a huge heart who always thinks of others first and himself last, even if it would cost him his life. And just when she thought the worst was behind her, it got worse. And waiting in that bloody room in the hospital waiting for any information about his condition and the emerging thoughts that this would be the last time she would see him was even worse. That's why he knows exactly what he might be experiencing right now.

Because knowing that the person you love so much is suffering, and you don't know if this is the last time you will see this person, is indescribable. Those things that you were afraid to tell him about, you may now not even have the chance to say anymore.

She closed the door and sat down on the couch. She brought her knees to her chest and just let go. She doesn't know at what point tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she didn't know if she was crying because of the memories, or because of Kim, or because of what happened in that damn warehouse, or maybe because of everything at once. She had to admit to herself that she felt tired of keeping herself in check in front of everyone, but most of all herself. She was already sick of it all. She felt a complete confusion in her head and did not know what she should do now. She knew that she would not be able to stand this way for long, that finally, after so many years, she had reached the limit of her endurance and did not know how to turn back.

When Hailey closed the door behind her, Jay still looked after her for a moment. He was worried, and he was worried a lot. He knew that the memories from over 1.5 years ago had to come back to her now because of Kim. Until now, Jay couldn't forgive himself for what he had done. When he was sitting in that basement and when they beat him and then after he was shot, his only thought was Hailey and her smile and how she would be mad at him. After that, he promised himself that he would never let something like that happen, that he would never let Hailey suffer. That's why he was so hurt by what Voight had done to her.

- Is Hailey okay? - Adam pulled him out of his thoughts.

- Mhmm, this whole Kim kidnapping thing has cost everyone a lot. - Jay didn't know how much he should say or if he should say anything at all, so he answered evasively. Adam just nodded.

- I remember when you were missing and Hailey was losing her mind. If it wasn't for her and what she did, I don't know if we would have found you. - Jay was puzzled by his friend's words and didn't know what to say, just stared at his companion.

He had never wondered how they had found him, he didn't know the need to revisit the subject. He was afraid that it would bring back bad memories and for him and most of all for Hailey, who he knew was going through a lot. - I know Hailey won't dare to do this, but I know her and I know that she loves you very much, you know that? - After a moment of silence Adam spoke again and again the honesty of his friend's words clobbered him. Now that he and Hailey were together to know that this wonderful person loved him was surreal, but in a positive sense of course, but when he heard it from an outsider, a person who doesn't even know they're together, it made his heart beat harder.

- I... Emm - Jay didn't know what he should say now, not to give too much away, and he was tempted to say out loud that he knew and that they were together, but he knew it wasn't something he should say himself.

- Jay - Desk Sergeant Platt came into the bullpen, delivering Jay from further conversation. Both men looked in her direction. - Nathan Robertson's parents had just arrived.

- Adam, will you come with me? - Jay looked at his friend, who nodded without hesitation. Before going downstairs, Jay took another look at the door to the break room where Hailey was staying and then approached Sergeant Platt. - Trudy, can I have a request? - The older woman just nodded, waiting for the young police officer to finally say something. - Could you sit with Hailey for a moment? - he asked quietly so that Adam, who was waiting for him by the stairs, could come over. Although he knew Hailey wanted to be alone, he didn't know if that was a good idea.

- Did something happen? - The Sergeant asked herself, surprised by her subordinate's request and most surprised by his worried look.

- You could say that. Serge, Hailey probably won't want to talk and will want to push you away but ... - He paused and looked away from Serge and looked in the direction his girlfriend was and then again at the older woman who was looking at him with a worried look. He realized suddenly that he trusted the woman standing across from him more than anyone on this command, much like Hailey, for whom Trudy was an important authority figure, and that was the only reason he'd dared after asking the Sergeant. - There's been a lot going on lately, and I'm just worried about her and I know she trusts you Serge like no one else and I trust you too. Hailey needs someone like you right now. - It was the first time he dared to say such a personal thing.

- Of course I'll sit with her. - Sergeant Platt hadn't been as moved by Jay's words in a long time as she was at that moment. The way Jay was worried about Hailey was heartwarming. It was the first time Trudy had seen, Jay so in love, and she was so happy that both of her best men were now happy.

- Thank you - Jay was grateful and sent the Sergeant a slight smile before joining his friend.

- Jay - before they went downstairs, though, Platt stopped them for another moment. - She almost forgot, I managed to identify the other boy. His name was Harry Bartel. He grew up in an orphanage and then was sent to a reformatory for theft and battery, where he had just met Robertson. - Jay nodded his head in understanding in passing, and then he and Adam finally went downstairs to the dead boy's parents.

Left alone, Trudy walked up to the locked room where she knocked on the closed door, and when she heard a quiet "please" after a moment, she entered.

Hailey was sitting on the couch and when she looked at the Desk Sergeant entering the room, she quickly wiped her wet cheeks and tried for a warm smile, but unfortunately a grimace came out.

- What's up, Trudy? - she said in a voice hoarse from crying, which she tried to mask with a grunt.

- Hailey, what's going on? - Trudy immediately noticed that she must have been crying, which immediately worried her.

- I don't know what you're talking about. - Hailey tried her best to sound normal and hide everything, hoping that the Sergeant would let it go. However, seeing the expression on the older woman's face, she knew she wouldn't succeed.

- Hailey, who are you trying to fool? - Platt sat down next to her subordinate and watched her vigilantly, sitting down at the table so that she could look at her. - Your boyfriend said it would be like this. - The older woman laughed, causing a puzzled look on Hailey's face.

- Did you talk to Jay? - Hailey asked herself in disbelief at the Desk Sergeant's words.

- Chuckles just confirmed what I've been seeing for the past few weeks, and I'm not talking about you, I mean what's going on with you. - She looked at her with a watchful, bone-penetrating gaze, making Hailey feel as if the older woman was reading her mind.

- Serge, it's all right, really - Upton tried again to convince the woman sitting next to her, and above all herself, that nothing was going on, but to no avail. With all her might, she did not want to let on that it was wrong, that something was going on. It's enough that he sees her so broken all the time, and that shouldn't be the case. Hailey doesn't like to show her weakness, that something hurts her, that there are millions of demons swirling around in her head that she can't deal with.

- You're a lot like me, you know? - said Platt in reply to Hailey, who was surprised by her words and waited for her to elaborate further. - From an early age I was taught that emotions are weakness, that if I am not tough, that if I show even the slightest weakness I will get nowhere. So I was like that at work and at home, which meant I was alone most of my life, but I didn't care too much because I worked in the police force, which was my dream, so as long as everything was going well professionally I didn't care that I had no boyfriend, no friends. At work, this frigidity helped me to survive in a world dominated by men. But then it started to bother me and when Mouch came into my life, everything changed. - It was a surprise that the Sergeant entrusted her with such private matters. She didn't really know why the older woman was telling her all this. - Look, Hailey, I'm not going to get you to confess to me, but I do want to tell you that if you want to talk to someone, and you don't necessarily want to tell Detective Chuckles, you know where to find me. - she assured Trudy.

Those words touched Hailey deeply. She closed her eyes and let out two deep breaths to calm herself. She wanted to tell Sergeant Platt the whole truth about what happened that day in that damn warehouse, but she was afraid that not only would she lose her job, but that Jay and the rest of the team would get in trouble, and she couldn't let that happen.

- Trudy, I appreciate your frowning at the truth, but I can handle it. - She turned her face towards the Sergeant. - But if something were to happen, or I wanted to talk, I know where to report. - she sent the woman a grateful smile.

- Okay - Trudy nodded, knowing she wouldn't convince Hailey to confide in her.

- Oh shit - Hailey looked at the clock hanging on the wall - I should send the documents to New York. - She stood up abruptly and without waiting for the Sergeant, she left the break room to meet Jay and Adam entering the bullpen at the same time.

- Do you guys have anything? - she immediately asked the men while crossing her arms over her chest.

- Nothing in particular. - Ruzek was the first to speak up.

- 'I don't understand how you can turn your back on your own kid,' snorted Jay as he dodged Hailey and sat down in his seat.

- What do you mean? - Hailey asked, looking at her boyfriend.

- Robertson was 15 when he first went to juvie and since then his parents had forgotten about him, and now they didn't even shed a single tear. Disbelieving. - Hailey could see that Jay was angry, at these people, and she wasn't surprised at all. She herself couldn't fathom why parents did so much evil to their children, it was incomprehensible. She walked over to Jay and put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in a gesture of support. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, Hailey smiled slightly assuring Jay that she was fine and that she didn't need to worry, Jay returned the smile.

- 'What about Kevin? - Hailey asked, stepping slightly away from Jay.

- And with me, two pieces of information - as if on cue, Kevin appeared in the bullpen. - First of all - he went straight to the board and started to explain what he had found. - There are no drugs in our warehouses with that tag, nor any narcotics cop any dealer dealing the same amphetamine we found in that house.

- But? - spoke up Hailey sensing that Kevin was not telling all.

- But one of my informants heard some time ago that a big player had recently appeared in town, but he doesn't know who it is. He said as soon as he finds out something, he'll let you know.

- And that's all you've agreed on for five hours? - said a sergeant from the Homicide and Burglary department with a commanding tone, appearing out of nowhere together with his subordinate, who Hailey thinks looks at Jay too often.

- I don't understand? - said a visibly irritated Jay, standing next to Hailey.

- I mean, detective, that ...

- Sergeant, is there a problem? - unexpectedly in the room appeared Sergeant Voight and in truth Hailey, really tried, but she couldn't stop herself from violently drawing in air and instinctively moved closer to Jay.

- 'Your people haven't established anything for five hours,' Sergeant Smith explained in a smug voice. She felt Jay's muscles solidify and then felt his hand on her back, at which she instinctively moved even closer to him. She needed to feel the contact with his skin, to feel that he was there because that was the only way she could keep from giving in to the impending panic attack.

- Okay, Jay get all the information together and then you and Hailey will come to me - at that word I swallowed my saliva nervously and felt Jay clench his fists tighter. I stepped back so that my back was touching Jay's chest, to calm my nerves, to keep from being plunged into panic.

She wasn't ready to face their Sergeant yet.

- Sergeant Smith, welcome to my office. - and with that Voight entered his office, followed by the Sergeant from Homicide, to talk behind closed doors.

❁❁❁

- Adam go to the hospital and sit with Kim. - spoke up Jay after some time of work.

- What? - asked a surprised Adam.

- You stare at that phone for 30 minutes - said Hailey, turning towards him.

- Go Kim needs you - added Jay.

- Thank you - Adam started to pack his things and a moment later he was gone.

- You too - Jay turned to Kev.

- Thank you, but I will stay and help you. - protested the officer.

- Okay, whatever you want - replied Jay, shrugging his shoulders. - Hailey - Jay turned to his partner, who looked at him with a questioning expression on her face. - We've already sent everything to New York, and we'll probably have to wait a few hours for an answer anyway, so you can go home. - Come on. I'm not leaving you guys. - she said confidently.

- Hailey - Jay walked over to Hailey and sat down on her desk. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment and communicated only in their own way, without words.

- Jay, Hailey come to me - a grey-haired man leaned out of the office and Hailey regretted her decision to stay on District. Jay put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and whispered to her to go home after all, then got up and walked over to the Sergeant.

- Hailey has to do one thing with Kevin, so I'm going to have to suffice you myself,' Jay said in an unobjectionable voice. Hailey could see how angry he was and how hard he tried not to show it in front of her and Kevin, who completely didn't understand what was going on.

Hailey didn't want to go out and leave Jay alone, but on the other hand, she was afraid that she would lose control of her emotions as soon as the door closed behind her and the three of them stayed in that office.

- That's how one of my CIs spoke up, wanting to meet. - Kevin spoke up, trying to support his friends.

- 'Okay, go ahead - Voight spoke up after a moment, then walked into his office, followed by Jay, who closed the door behind him and sent her a smile to let her know that everything was okay. Hailey tried to smile as well, but for some reason she couldn't do it and a grimace came out.

- Come on, Hailey - she was pulled out of the shock she was in by the touch of a hand on her shoulder.

- Yes, I'm coming - she shook her head to get rid of unnecessary thoughts. She quickly gathered her things and a moment later she was already in Kevin's car.

She didn't want to talk and Kevin didn't press the issue, although Hailey could feel his worried look on her and knew he had a lot of questions. She laid her head against the glass and watched the passing streetlights. She closed her eyes and let a few tears run down her cheeks. She knew this was the first time Kevin had seen her like this, but she no longer had the strength to pretend to be strong, and she knew Kevin was one of those people she wasn't ashamed to show emotion around, and she also knew he wouldn't ask any questions if she wasn't comfortable. So now they were driving to her house and in silence, punctuated by street sounds.

[negative-speedforce]

how do your OCs handle a sick or injured loved one?

Siv: Stays out of the way and lets the professionals handle it, and, if applicable, beats the shit out of whoever hurt them.

Hailey: Helps in any way she can, but tries to stay out of the way.

Jay: Tenderly nurses them back to health

Cassandra: Obsesses over keeping them alive (even if they are in no way dying).

Ember: Visits constantly and brings little presents like food, meds, or a troupe of comedian drag queens to make them smile.

Arya: Sends them a package with a glitter bomb full of dick-shaped confetti to cheer them up

Cat: Tries to help out by doing little things for them, like feeding their pets or washing laundry, brings over her pet lizard to cheer them up.

Gina: Tenderly nurses them back to health

Esme: Visits them and tells them all kinds of wild stories from her travels, visiting various nightlife scenes all around the world.

Rania: Isolates herself in her lab and comes out a week later with a cure for whatever was ailing them.

Kyle: Visits, but tries to stay out of the way as much as possible.

Max: Builds them a mech suit so they can get around without weakness/pain

Eric: Tries to stay out of the way

Jacob: Visits constantly and tells terrible dad jokes

Liah: Tenderly nurses them back to health

Marie: Aggressively nurses them back to health

Qiara: Warps reality so they're no longer sick/injured

Soraya: Tries to stay out of the way

Thalia: Obsesses over keeping them alive to the point of being annoying