Jay checks to make sure he has everything before leaving the airport security to make his way to the boarding gate of flight 104 from Chicago to Fort Benning.
He is heading back for his third tour in Afghanistan and Iraq. If given a choice, he would still be at home sleeping in his warm bed, but he is the Squad Leader of his Rangers unit so there was no option in the matter.
Sighing, Jay looks down at his army issued boots after having been stopped every few minutes to be congratulated and thanked for his service on the way towards his terminal.
Of course, Jay is proud to serve his country, but he'd seen and been through a lot during the time he'd served, and it was finally getting to him, emotionally and mentally.
None of that could affect him as a ranger though because it's his responsibility to keep his team safe so they could come home to their families.
Keeping that in mind, he holds his head high and pushes his problems to the back of his head to be dealt with when or if he makes it back stateside.
Giving the lady his plane ticket as he passes by, Jay makes his way onto the plane to find his seat. He glances around for his seat before fixing his eyes on the man who he would be sitting next to on the aircraft.
The man is average height, lean, with pale skin and the brightest blue eyes Jay had ever seen. Jay notices his leg is jumping up down from where he is typing furiously on his laptop and can't deny the fact that the man is attractive.
At the age of sixteen, when Jay was on the track and swim teams, he discovered that he preferred the same sex. It's not that he doesn't like girls, he just prefers boys more.
When changing or showering in the locker room, he'd find his eyes drifting, and he panicked when this first started happening because he thought there was something wrong with him.
However, through online research, which his mother would hit him upside the head if she ever found out about, he discovered that he was bisexual.
Walking up the aisle to his seat, he reaches up to put his army duffle bag in the overhead compartment before taking his seat next to the attractive man.
Getting comfortable, he looks over at the guy who had yet to notice him because he is too busy typing and listening to music through his headphones.
Jay sits there awkwardly for a minute, trying to find his nerve, before finally getting the guts to introduce himself to the man he'd be sitting on the plane with for a few hours. Lifting his arm off the armrest to wave in the man's face, Jay causes him to jump slightly in his seat.
"Uh…I'm sorry for scaring you." An embarrassed Jay quickly apologises when the guy takes his headphones out. "I just wanted to introduce myself to the man I'll be sitting next to for a few hours." He smiles and extends his hand for a handshake. "I'm Jay, Jay Halstead."
The man silently glances at Jay's hand and then at Jay for a few seconds.
"It's all good, nice to meet you, Lieutenant Halstead; sick fatigues, they suit you." He reaches his hand out and clasps Jay's in a handshake as he starts to ramble.
"I'm Greg Gurwitch, but most people call me Mouse. So I guess you can call me Mouse too if you'd like."
Jay chuckles at this guy's, no Mouse's, rambling. "Nice to meet you too Mouse."
He grins, realising that Mouse is still shaking his hand. A confused Mouse looks down and blushing; he quickly let's go and scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"Uh, sorry…yeah sorry about that. I'm not the most socially gifted person." He mumbles looking at his laptop before glancing back at Jay under his eyelashes.
Jay sucks in a breath looking at Mouse, knowing that he isn't trying to be sexy, but god damn, someone like him doesn't have to try.
He bites his lip and shakes his head to get rid of these thoughts before giving Mouse his 'Jay Halstead Charm' smile that his brother Will said makes people weak at the knees.
Mouse's cheeks turn a soft pink, feeling the charm, and he turns away trying to hide how flustered he feels.
Jay smiles softly at Mouse and to make him feel more comfortable, he motions to his army fatigues. "So, since you know what I do for a living, do you mind telling me what you do for a living, Mouse?"
Now comfortable because he has something to talk about, Mouse turns slightly in his seat so he could get a better look at Jay. He smiles when Jay does the same and gestures towards his laptop, speaking with pride.
"Well, I work for the Chicago Police Department, Intelligence Unit. I'm their tech guy."
Jay grins. "No way, you must know my buddy Antonio Dawson then! Small world. I want to get into Intelligence when I leave the army for good. Who knows, maybe one day we could be working together." He huffs happily. "I've already passed the police exam and the academy; I did all that after my first tour."
Mouse's smile grows when he notices how giddy Jay is talking about the Intelligence unit.
"The team is pretty great, a tough guy like you would fit right in. Antonio is great, how long have you known him?" Mouse asks.
Jay's smile, if possible, got even brighter. "God, Antonio and I go way back. I met him when I was eighteen and was in a grocery store when it got robbed. One of the guys had grabbed me and had a gun to my head, and Antonio came flying in like a knight in shining armour and took him out. If he hadn't been the arresting officer, I might not have made it out alive."
Even though Antonio was a decade older than Jay, it turned out Antonio was also bisexual so the two of them had gotten together for a few months before they both decided they would be better off as friends.
They still had sex on and off before Antonio met his now wife and called things off. Jay was happy for them, and now he and Antonio were just friends.
Mouse nods along, listening to Jay gush as he tells him all about how he met Antonio. "Sounds exactly like Antonio." Mouse laughs.
A minute later the flight attendant walked into the aisle to announce that their plane would be taking off and to buckle their seatbelts. Once the aircraft took off and was safely in the air, Jay and Mouse continue to talk before Mouse announces that he has to do some work on his laptop, unfortunately.
Jay smiles in response, but he is sad that they had to stop talking because it took his mind off the impending war he would be heading to in two days' time. Mouse notices the decline in Jay's mood and the fake smile he put on to mask momentary slip of a frown.
Mouse sighs sadly, for he'd love nothing more than to talk to the handsome soldier sitting beside him.
However, Hank Voight had strictly told him he had to keep working on a case for the unit while he went to visit his mother who was ill and currently in the hospital because the team couldn't afford to lose their suspect who was murdering and raping young school girls.
Mouse had officially been awake for twenty-two hours straight so he couldn't fault himself for accidentally falling asleep half way through the plane ride.
Jay had been attempting to watch the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie, but was too busy trying not to panic at the thought of going back overseas.
All of a sudden he feels something warm and cumbersome fall onto his shoulder. Glancing down, he smiles softly while his neck and face turned a dark shade of pink.
Mouse had fallen asleep, and his head had fallen onto Jay's shoulder in the process. Jay didn't dare move to wake him up because it looks like Mouse is comfortable and needed the sleep.
Also, if Jay is honest, Mouse was a comforting weight that brought him out of his growing panic. It's freaking Jay out at how easy Mouse, someone he had just met, could make his fear and dark thoughts disappear.
Finally, Jay can focus on the Star Wars movie he had been trying to watch, and before he knew it, the movie was over, and the flight attendant is announcing that they would be landing shortly and for them to please buckle their seat belts.
Jay turns off the movie and packs his headphones away before glancing at Mouse, who is still asleep on his shoulder. He gently shakes Mouse awake to let him know they are going to be landing shortly.
Mouse's eyes slowly blink open, and it takes him a second to realise that he had fallen asleep on the handsome soldiers shoulder. Sitting up his eyes widen in horror and Jay chuckles upon seeing Mouse's horrified expression.
"Oh, my God! I'm so, sorry man. I didn't mean to fall asleep on your shoulder!" Mouse groans out.
This is so embarrassing and has never happened before I swear I've never fallen asleep on someone. I've been awake for twenty-two hours straight…I know that doesn't excuse the fact you had some random dude fall asleep on you; you should have woken me. I wouldn't have min-" Mouse is cut off from his ramblings as Jay covers his mouth with his hand.
Mouse glances at Jay.
"It's honestly fine, Mouse," Jay smiles softly as he removes his hand from Mouse's mouth. Mouse blushes as he glances at Jay who flashes him a smile that makes his knees go weak and makes him thankful he was sitting.
Jay remembers why he had woken Mouse in the first place "We're landing so we should probably buckle up." He announces as he clicks his seatbelt into place and watches as Mouse followed suit.
It finally hits Jay that this could be the last time he would ever see Mouse, although he doesn't understand why the thought of never seeing the gorgeous man seated beside him is causing his chest to ache.
Jay glances down at his hands sadly; he chews his lip before his breathing starts to pick up. The taste of sand starts to fill his mouth and the sound of bullets whizzing past his head and explosions from bombs and grenades begin taking over his senses.
Mouse notices Jay's eyes go blank and his breathing picking up and getting harder. Mouse reaches over and uncurls one of Jay's hands that were clenched in a fist, not caring that he had only known the man for a few hours, most of which he was asleep.
Mouse entwines their fingers together, his eyebrows rising at how right it feels to hold Jay's hand and the warmth that is spreading through his body.
Mouse begins to whisper comforting words to Jay to bring him back to the present; he knew a panic attack when he saw one.
Jay slowly comes out of his flashback as a comforting voice and warm hand in his own draw him back over the sound of bullets and explosions whizzing in his ears and the taste of sand and the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.
Jay finally blinks away the remnants of the flashback before looking down at the hand entwined with his own.
Mouse notices when Jay finally came back to the present as Jay glances down at their hands. Embarrassed, Mouse goes to untangle and pull his hand back, but Jay clutches his hand tighter.
"Please, don't," Jay manages to rasp out, throat dry from his panic as he looked at Mouse, eyes wet and pleading. Holding Mouse's hand tighter, he repeats. "Please, don't."
Mouse nods and squeezes Jay's hand as he leans forward and pulls Jay into a warm hug that Jay desperately needs. Jay wraps his free arm around Mouse's waist and squeezes softly.
"Thank you, it's not often someone is there to bring me back to the present when that happens." He whispers against Mouse's shoulder.
When the plane lands, they finally have to pull apart, and Jay reluctantly lets go of Mouse's hand. "Sorry." Jay quietly apologises as the plane pulls up to the gate.
Mouse just smiles at Jay, in understanding. "Nothing to apologise for Jay, don't mention it." Mouse pats Jay's shoulder before moving to pack up his laptop and belongings into his backpack.
After exiting the plane, they walk side by side through the airport before coming to a stop at the airport doors. Jay clutches his duffle in his hands and looks over at Mouse.
"Guess this is where we part," Jay says with a sad smile as he kicks at the floor softly.
Mouse sadly nods. "I suppose so…" He pauses to reach over and grab Jay's arm before continuing.
"Stay safe over there Jay. I know we only just met, but I'd love to catch up over a few beers sometime." Mouse blushes.
Jay smiles happily. "I will try and stay safe if you add dinner to those beers."
Jay looks into Mouse's bright blue eyes that light up at the implication of a date. Mouse straightens up feeling his confidence rise and grins. "It's a date."
Jay pulls out his phone and hands it to Mouse. "Here, put your number in and I can keep you updated on my safety," Jay says with a wink.
Mouse blushes as he types his details into Jay's phone before passing it back. Mouse watches as Jay fiddles on his phone before his own buzzed in his pocket.
Reaching, he pulled out his phone and before he could see what the text said, Jay snatches his phone and quickly taps away before handing it back with a large smirk.
Mouse glances at his screen before throwing his head back in laughter. A few seconds later he looks up at Jay, who is grinning at him. "I guess we could do that too- Jay Halstead: Mouth-Watering Sex Bomb Soldier." Mouse laughs as he read what Jay had written his name under aloud.
Jay smiles as he listens to Mouse's beautiful laugh. He glances down at his military issued watch before looking back up at Mouse. "I gotta head out, but I'll be seeing you for that date soon."
He took a few steps closer to Mouse, not caring that he was standing in the middle of a busy airport, and closes the gap between them, pressing his lips against Mouse's soft lips.
Mouse's lips immediately move against his own; Jay had something to fight to come home to now, and he isn't going to let this opportunity pass, not without a fight.
He pulls apart after a minute of kissing those sinful lips, not even trying to pretend that he didn't notice how their lips fit together perfectly.
Taking a step back and straightening his uniform he looks at Mouse one last time. "Bye Mouse," Jay says with a soft smile as he turns around to start walking towards the doors.
He glances over his shoulder to wave goodbye to Mouse one last time before disappearing into the crowd outside the airport.
Mouse stands in the same spot for a few more minutes staring in the direction Jay had just gone from with a goofy smile on his face. Mouse lifts his fingers to touch his still tingling lips.
"Bye Jay…" Mouse says with a whisper, hoping to see the handsome soldier one day soon for that date.
