I'm still not over 8x11, so here's a short little one-shot! I've also gotten a few requests for a day-off/waffle date-inspired one-shot, so be on the lookout for that (because, really, there can never be too many fics based on 8x11. That episode is gold.)
Title from "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift
Tears sting in her eyes and her brain is pounding, yet, somehow, she thinks this is the safest she has ever felt.
She has lost track of how long they have been standing in the middle of her living room, her head resting on his shoulder, his arms protectively around her. His neck must be sore from the way he cranes down to her level and there are tears that have rolled down her face that are asking to be wiped away, but they don't move.
She is safe. It is such a foreign feeling, safety. It is something she never experienced as a child and even as an adult, her safety came from her job, her gun, herself, never from another person. Yet, here Jay is, holding her tightly as she cries, providing her the safety and the calm she has never known.
She pulls back first because she knows if it were up to him, they would never leave this position. As she looks up at him through glassy eyes, he moves his hand from her back to cup her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the remnants of the tears that she cried just moments ago.
"You can take off your jacket," Hailey says with a water chuckle. "I'm not gonna leave again. You're not gonna have to chase me or something."
His lips curl up in a small smile and it makes something in her belly flip. "Well, you know I would follow you anywhere."
She does know, now more than ever. He will follow her and he is not going anywhere.
"Do you want to go to bed?" He whispers in a low voice.
She shakes her head. After the day they have had, she should be able to sleep. It has been exhausting physically, mentally, emotionally. She is tired from running after suspects and she is tired from crying in Jay's arms but she knows that her body is far from being able to sleep.
"Can we just go lay down?" She suggests and he gives her a reassuring smile before kissing her forehead gently.
"Of course."
He holds her hand as he leads them to the bedroom and they make quick work of changing out of their day clothes to get ready for bed. Jay strips down to his boxers and Hailey finds an old t-shirt that she is unsure if it belongs to her or him and throws it over her head, wasting no time trying to find shorts as the hem of the shirt already grazes her mid-thigh.
Jay lays down first and the sight of him, so comfortable in her space, waiting for her in her bed with open arms, ready to hold her until the pain of the day fades away, it is overwhelming. It is yet another reminder of how much she loves him and how much she wants to do this.
She crawls onto the bed, not even bothering to get under the blankets, and presses her body against his, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as his arm wraps tightly around her, anchoring her to him just like he did in the living room.
They stay like that for a while and she just listens to the beating of his heart as she traces absent-minded patterns on his bare chest. Every now and then, her fingers graze the red scar on his skin from when he got shot over a year ago. She chuckles as she gently brushes her hand against the faded scar, remembering the words she almost said in that hospital all that time ago.
If only she knew then what she knows now.
"What are you laughing at?" He asks quietly, breaking the silence of the room.
Her eyes stay trained on his chest, her finger tracing the circle of the scar. "Just thinking about how I love you."
"And that makes you laugh?"
There is no malice or teasing in his voice. He is gentle, just like how he always is with her.
Somehow even the tone of his voice is safe.
"Just thinking about how far we've come, you know?" She whispers, pulling her eyes away from his chest and tilting her head up to look up at him. "None of it was particularly easy, but we still figured it out."
By the look in his eyes, he gets what she is not saying. Nothing about their relationship has been quite conventional. They were partners with a rocky start that somehow developed a strong bond that led to an even stronger love. They figured that all out, together, and they will figure out this next step too.
"And we'll keep figuring it out," He presses a soft kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment before he pulls back and whispers. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I know you're not," She lifts her hand from his chest to trace his jaw, running the pads of her fingers over his stubble. "I'm sorry for insinuating that I thought you were going to leave. I know you're not, I just-"
"Hailey," He cuts her off gently. "You have nothing to apologize for. Not with me."
"Not even for ruining our day off?" She tries to play it off as teasing, even though there is a twinge of guilt in her stomach, and he gives her a sweet smile of his own, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her lips.
"Not gonna lie, wasn't exactly how I planned on spending my day, but you did tell me that you loved me, so I'll still count it as a win."
She glances up at him and chuckles, thinking about how she is eternally grateful for his man who can make her laugh just mere minutes after she cried in his arms.
"You seemed pretty excited about our plans though." She hums.
He chooses that moment to tighten his grip around her waist, pulling her closer so half of her body is laying on top of him.
"I wasn't gonna tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise," He says in a low voice. "But we have the morning off.
"A surprise, huh?"
"Yeah," He hums in confirmation. "Voight said we can't take the whole day because of paperwork, but he thinks we can all use some rest after the day we had."
"And you weren't planning on telling me this?"
"I was gonna wake you up all sweet and then let you freak out a little bit thinking we were late." He murmurs, a sweet loving gaze in his eyes "And then I would save the day by telling you that we had the morning off and that we could just stay in bed."
Hailey rolls her eyes at his silly little plan, but it still sends butterflies flying through her stomach. "What a romantic."
"What can I say?
"What time do we need to be in?" She asks him.
"One."
She hums, wiggling closer to his body, wrapping her arm around his torso. "Well, we might not have enough time for the gun range tomorrow….but we can probably get to some of the other things we were going to do today. Maybe have waffles for breakfast?"
He raises his eyebrow playfully, a devilish grin on his face. "That the only thing on the list you want?
"I mean, I'll probably want coffee."
He chuckles at her teasing and responds by just kissing her, making her hum contently.
"Might want you too," She breathes out as they separate. "We'll see."
"Hmm...I can probably convince you."
She scoffs, even though she knows he is probably right. "I don't know about that."
He rolls them onto their sides and tightens his grip on her back, wrapping his other arm around her and enveloping her in much the same way he did that morning. There is quiet for a moment, as she relishes in his warmth and how his body feels against hers.
"I feel like I could," He hums. "I'm not sure if you know this, but you love me."
She could very easily play into the banter they have going, teasing him about what could give him that idea and really pull it out of him, but no part of her has any desire in denying that she loves him.
Because she does love him. So much.
"I know I do." She whispers out the words as her hand moves to gently cup his face. "I love you. More than I can say. And I can't thank you enough for all that you have done for me."
No words will ever be enough to articulate how thankful she is for him. Thankful that he is her partner and he keeps her safe day in and day out. Thankful that he continues to see the best in her when sometimes, it is hard for her to see that in herself. Thankful that he is choosing to stay when so many others have run. Thankful that he is not going anywhere and that he is fighting for her, for this, for them.
"I appreciate that, but I don't want thanks, Hailey." He looks down at her tenderly. "I just want you."
He wants her: scars, demons and fears, and all. He wants her in the way no one has ever wanted her before.
"I want you too," She whispers. "And I want this."
"Well, that's good," He murmurs, pulling her closer and then moving his hand to brush the hair that is starting to fall in her face. "Because I want this too. And we're going to figure this out. Just like we figure everything out."
"I know you said you didn't want thanks," She starts softly. "But thanks for staying. Even when I kept pushing you away."
"You're not getting rid of me that easily," He chuckles, before turning somber. "I mean it, Hailey, I'm not going anywhere. I love you. More than anything. And there is nowhere else I would rather be than right here with you"
"I love you too."
It almost feels like deja vu, them laying here in this bed, wrapped up in each other's embrace, him softly telling her that he loves her. But, unlike this morning, she does not feel a course of fear running through her veins. She does not panic and she is not waiting for the punch.
His confession of love makes her feel safe, safer than she has ever been, and she knows she will always feel protected here in his arms.
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