#jay halstead fic
Request: no.
A/N:I saw this TikTok of this woman lifting her boyfriend onto a counter and immediately thought about the scenario with Jay. I feel like he seems like he should be really “traditional” about being the dominant one in a relationship but he’s actually totally okay with letting his partner take control.
-Reader is mentioned being midsize/plus size.
Warnings: none.
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When it came to signature moves, Jay had a few that he always relied on. Some of them you were sure he didn’t even realize he was doing, like the little half smirk and the eyebrow raise. But others, you knew he did on purpose. Especially what you had decided months earlier was your absolute favorite.
It didn’t matter what you were doing in the kitchen, whether you were making food, washing dishes, getting a cup of coffee; Jay would come up behind you, turn you around, and lift you onto the counter. You weren’t sure if it was some macho masculinity thing or some ‘look how strong I am’ flex that he needed to prove to you that he could physically lift you off your feet. You knew you were neither petite nor thin and you definitely didn’t pull off that whole ‘wearing his shirt like a dress’ thing Gabby or Erin probably had but you were far from insecure about your relationship or yourself. You were a firefighter after all, you ran into burning buildings and hauled people out of them, you didn’t need a boyfriend who treated you like a delicate flower. And Jay never did but you knew he liked showing off (and liked taking you on the counter).
You’d dated guys in the past who always wanted to prove they were somehow tougher than you. Whether it was undermining your job, being condescending, or being oddly competitive with you, you were used to shitty boyfriends thinking it somehow threatened their masculinity to date someone who could probably kick their ass. Jay showing off wasn’t about showing you up though, it was simply about impressing you which is what made it so endearing in the first place. Like a funny quirk, it was a habit he didn’t seem willing to break.
You loved it honestly, even when you knew it was coming. The feeling of Jay leaving you slightly breathless as he lifted you onto the kitchen counter, caged you against the cabinet, and littered your thighs with kisses, gently pushing your legs apart…it was a good way to start your morning, especially when you were on shift and wouldn’t see him again until the next day.
“What are you watching?” It was Sylvie, or rather her new obsession with watching couples on TikTok, that sparked the idea.
“This woman did this video,” she passed the phone to you, “it was so cute and wholesome.”
You watched the woman in question lift her boyfriend onto their kitchen island and you almost laughed out loud, the image of you doing the same thing to Jay immediately coming to mind. Despite it feeling like your own personal inside joke you were surprised when the idea didn’t go away, instead nagging at you for the duration of shift until you finally decided to do something about it.
-
By the time you got home it was nearing 8am. Coffee was already brewing in the kitchen and you could hear the shower running from the en-suite bathroom. Jay was up, getting ready for work and reminding you why you hated off days more than shift days.
It didn’t take long for the shower to shut off, the quiet padding of Jay’s feet in the bedroom filling the silent apartment. You were sure he knew you were home, whether it was years of detective work or just a sixth sense he had, you very rarely managed to sneak up on him.
“Hey, you eat yet?” Jay asked, catching your attention as he walked into the kitchen in his boxers, grabbing his toothbrush off the counter. He wasn’t shy about the appreciative once over he did of you while he brushed his teeth, waiting for your answer. Your schedules didn’t always sync up the way Jay would’ve liked but he tried to be intentional about the time you did have. If he could get an extra hour of time with you before work he’d gladly take it.
“Not yet. But I’m not making you breakfast.”
“I wasn’t gonna ask you to make breakfast!” He insisted, toothbrush bobbing in his mouth as he spoke, “that was one time and I was incredibly hungover, to be fair.” Jay spit out his toothpaste, wiped his mouth and leaned against the kitchen counter, your mind immediately wandering to the video Sylvie had shown you. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to grab something before I head in.”
“Okay,” you agreed, closing the distance between you to kiss him. The sharp mint taste still on his lips made you scrunch your nose.
Without giving him any warning, you bent your knees just enough to wrap your arms around Jay’s waist and lift up, lifting your very solid boyfriend onto the kitchen counter the same way he’d done to you a hundred times.
“Holy shit!” Jay practically shouted as he grabbed at the butcher block counter. You couldn’t help laughing too, leaning forward into him, pressing your face into his thigh as you tried to catch your breath. You hadn’t honestly expected to be able to lift him that high and you were genuinely as surprised as him that you had hauled him onto the counter successfully.
A second later Jay was grabbing at your arms, pulling you away so he could see your face, hands moving to cup your cheeks, “what are you doing?” He asked, still amused.
“I was trying to be sexy,” you laughed, “you always do it.”
“Yeah…” he nodded, looking at you with that raised eyebrow like he was trying to figure something out, “I kinda liked it.”
“You’re so full of shit.”
“No, I’m serious, that was…hot.” He admitted, a light blush obscuring his freckles. He leaned forward enough that he could kiss you, tilting your head back as you leaned against the counter between his legs. You were convinced that Jay had a natural gravity about him, something that always drew you in, urging you to be as close as possible to him. If you were out somewhere together you always wanted to have a hand in his or his arm around your shoulder, when you kissed him, even at this height difference, with the counter more in your way than anything, you tried to be as close as possible, hands on his bare thighs, his knees caging you in, kissing him with your whole body leaning into his touch.
When you finally pulled away Jay hopped off the counter, backing you up to the island only to kiss you again. He kept his hands on your waist, squeezing just above the hand of your yoga shorts. “I thought we were getting something to eat,” you mentioned once he broke the kiss.
“I was distracted by you manhandling me first thing in the morning,” he teased, “just came out here to get some coffee-“
“I did not manhandle you,” you laughed, “get dressed, nobody needs to see all that this early in the morning.”
“Look who’s talking.” Jay’s hands left your waist, running over the spandex of your shorts to your ass.
“Get dressed,” you huffed, pushing him away from you.
-
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Request:You were in the army with Jay and Lindsey finds out your back after answering jays phone and it being jays brother will, so Lindsey lies and tells Jay it was nothing an then after his shift he goes to see his brother after work an will brings it up an says Lindsey said he would tell him an he puts it all together an realizes Lindsey knew how he truly felt for you an ends up seeing you at the bar he’s in with his brother and you were drinking
A/N: I ended up making this kinda sad or something…
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You had thought about reaching out to Jay when you found yourself back in Chicago but you didn’t know exactly where he was in his life, aside from what you’d heard the last time you’d been home five years ago, and you didn’t want to come crashing in when he didn’t really need you there stirring things up. But a trip home to Chicago, especially one that was turning out to be more long term than you’d anticipated, was too tempting a reason to see Jay to pass on, especially when you’d run into Will at Med.
“Look, if you don’t wanna call him, I will, no sweat.” Will promised, typing a report on the computer in front of him while you leaned against the nurses’ station. “He’ll be happy to hear from you.”
“Yeah, he was happy to hear from me last time too, and then his whole relationship with Abby imploded and I literally took off on him.” You replied, cracking your knuckles to relieve the tension in your body. “I don’t want to see him and screw him over again.”
“Do you plan on screwing him over?” Will asked, honestly, looking as though he might actually be reconsidering reaching out to his brother for you.
Of course you weren’t planning on screwing him over but then, who plans that sort of thing anyway? You’d really wanted to stay last time but things with your mom had been so strained after your dad’s death, it felt suffocating even being in the same state as her. Now here you were, back home to take care of her, in the ED, waiting for her doctor to discharge her with an all-clear.
“No, I didn’t plan on it last time either I just…Will, you know I love your brother but, if he’s got someone or if he’s in a good place, I don’t want to be the reason that fails on him. Jay deserves the world, regardless of who gives it to him.”
“I’ll give him a call.”
Will left out the part where Jay was in a relationship for the first time since you left. Maybe not the healthiest one at times but a relationship all the same and Will knew he was putting all his effort into trying to make it work. And it wasn’t like Will didn’t like Erin, he had nothing against his brother’s partner turned partner, but he couldn’t deny that a small part of him still rooted for the two of you.
So he didn’t mention Erin and he called his brother for you, early in the morning before his next shift. The one person he didn’t want to talk to answered the phone, Jay having been in the shower at the time, and Will left a message with Erin that you were in town (giving only your name and that you’d been in the rangers with Jay).
-
“There he is,” Will clapped his brother on the shoulder, sliding onto the barstool next to him and flagging Herrmann down with his other hand, ordering two beers, “so?”
“So?” Jay asked, an amused look crossing his face as he swiveled just enough to look at his brother. Will was smiling like he was in on something that Jay imagined he was supposed to be in on too. The only problem being that he had no idea what it was.
Will’s smile slowly faded as he realised that Jay had no idea what he was hinting at. Taking a sip of his beer first, he asked if Jay had reached out to you, “I called and said they were in town…Lindsay said she’d let you know.”
“Oh,” Jay stuttered for a second, hesitating over an answer that wouldn’t make it seem like his girlfriend had lied to his brother and withheld information, “yeah…I just, haven’t called yet. Work’s been crazy.”
“Well listen, I saw them in the ED with their mom yesterday, said they’re in Chicago permanently.”
“Permanently as in temporarily?” Jay replied, unable to conceal the slight edge to his voice. He’d heard that line before, straight from your mouth after he left Abby for you. Chicago was it for you back then and he’d stupidly believed that you were telling the truth only to be burned when you left, apologizing up and down like it would do any good.
“Look, I know last time things didn’t exactly work out-”
“More than that Will. I’m with Erin, I’m in a good place. I’m not digging up the past just because they rolled back into town.” Jay drank the last of his beer and then swiveled his chair away from his brother, “I gotta go.”
“Come on man, I just got here. Just stay, I won’t mention them again, I promise.” Will urged, looking somewhat apologetic though he really wasn’t at all. He didn’t want to push Jay and he definitely didn’t want to tell his brother that he at least could let you explain yourself, so he just rolled back on his hardline, choosing to drink and be happy rather than drink and be alone.
“Fine,” Jay sighed, “I don’t wanna hear about it again though.” It was bad enough that his mind was running through all the reasons Erin had withheld her conversation with Will from him, circling back to the same one again and again. He’d never told her but she was good at her job, it didn’t take much for her to figure it out.
Will shook his head, mild amusement overtaking his features as he glanced again at the table in the back. Whatever kind of serendipity that was, “don’t turn around then.”
Jay did exactly what his brother told him not to do, spinning around in his chair and looking behind him to one of the booth-style tables. There you were, drinking with Mouse of all people. He should’ve known that Will wasn’t the only person you’d reach out to, though it stung more than he cared to admit to know that you’d called Mouse before you’d called him directly. Whatever Will kept saying, whether it was true or not, it seemed more like you wanted to see everyone but Jay.
“Just go say hi,” Will urged.
Without saying anything else Jay got up for the second time, not headed for the door but your table instead. He set his beer bottle down first, both you and Mouse turning to look at him, the conversation dying down.
“Jay,” you stood up, hesitant for a moment and then wrapping your arms around him in a hug. He wrapped one arm around your waist. “I didn’t know if you got my message-”
“Will told me you were here,” he replied as you pulled away, not mentioning anything about Erin. It wasn’t relevant anyway, not right now. Though he couldn’t help wondering if Mouse had said anything.
“Sorry I didn’t call you…I wasn’t sure you’d really want to see me,” you explained.
Mouse offered Jay a knowing smile, as if he was in on something that Jay wasn’t completely sure he understood, before standing up and patting his best friend on the back, “I’m gonna go get a refill, let you guys catch up.”
You watched Mouse walk to the bar before turning back to Jay, “Greg looks good, he told me you got him a job so he’s legit now.”
“Yeah, he really fits in.”
“Jay look, I know last time things didn’t exactly, work out-”
“Didn’t work out? You up and left Chicago and I didn’t hear from you for a month and then it was just a ‘sorry I bailed’ text.” Jay replied.
“I know, I just…it was hard for me to be here.”
“And it’s easier now?” He asked. When Will mentioned you being home there was a part of Jay that just wanted to see you but there was another part of him, the part that was still angry, that wanted you to know how much you hurt him.
“Just different circumstances. I wasn’t gonna tell you I was even here I just wanted to see you,” You explained.
Jay took a sip of his beer, glancing toward the door as it opened and Erin walked in with Burgess. He looked back over to you, “I’m just not sure I’m ready to see you yet…sorry.”
“No, it’s okay…I understand.” You nodded, “I’ll let you, get back to everyone. Tell Greg I said goodbye.”
