I totally started this one-shot weeks ago right after 8x11 aired, lost my motivation, and then randomly had a spark of inspiration. So, it's super late, but here's some upstead fluff to help us keep getting through hiatus.

Title is from "April 7th" by The Maine (which coincidentally, is the day 8x11 aired, so it's totally the perfect song for this one-shot)

It is so rare for her to wake up before him.

Hailey swears, his eyes spring open the minute the clock strikes 6:00 am on most mornings. Jay attributes it to some odd combination of being a natural early riser and his old military days and in the past few months of sharing a bed with him, it's one of those little habits she has had to adjust to. Even on the weekends, she is lucky if Jay will sleep into a respectable 7:30 am. Thankfully, on those mornings, though, he is often content enough to stay in bed a little longer and just lay with her.

But today, she somehow manages to wake up before him and she is secretly glad. Because while it is normally him waking her up with a kiss, today she can return the favor and it only seems fitting for what day it is.

Their day off.

Their first day off, in fact, since the day he told her he loved her, and she panicked and caught a case.

Hailey has been secretly excited about today because she wants it to be everything they planned for that day and then some. She knows he harbors no anger or disappointment about losing their last day off, but she wants to make it up to him. She wants today to be a thank you for him staying, for him continuing to love her.

A thank you for that day, for showing her patience and love when most wouldn't, for being willing to listen to her, for making her fall a little deeper in love with him.

Like most mornings, she wakes up with his arm securely wrapped around her, holding her back tight against his chest. It makes Hailey laugh because when they first got together nothing in her thought that the big bad detective would be one to cuddle in his sleep, but here they are, wrapped up so tightly that she is not sure where she ends and he starts.

Gently, she turns over in his arms, trying her best to not wake him, and kisses his bare shoulder. When he does not respond, she moves her lips to his jaw and presses another light kiss there, earning her a sleepy hum from Jay.

She giggles softly and his head lolls to the side, his eyes slowly opening. "Why are you stopping?"

Instead of responding, Hailey just catches his lips with hers and properly kisses him good morning. It's slow and there's no rush, even as hands start to roam and he starts to pull her closer, both of them knowing they have nowhere to be.

"Good morning," she murmurs against his lips.

"Morning."

"It's our day off," she whispers with a smile. "No work, no bad guys, no anything."

"I wouldn't say no anything," he chuckles, raising his eyebrow suggestively at her. "I seem to remember some plans for our last day off that we did not get around to."

She taps the pads of her fingers against his shoulder and pretends to be thinking about what plans he could be referring to.

"Gun range, right?"

He tightens his grip around her back, gently tickling her bare sides with his hands, making her squirm.

"Stop or I'm not doing anything with you today."

The face he makes, he knows she's not serious and it makes it hard for her to maintain her composure. As much as she wants him to have a good day, she is looking forward to spending the whole day with just him as well. They spend every day together, small talk in the truck or glancing at each other from across their joined desks, but she is still looking forward to this: to slow kisses with nowhere to be and not having to hide that she loves him more than she can explain.

"I seem to remember you saying you wanted me more than coffee," he cheekily says. "And that's quite an honor because I know how much you love coffee."

"I think I said I wanted you before coffee," Hailey corrects him. "Because I definitely love coffee more than you."

"Well, if that's the case-" he removes his arms from her back and makes a show of slowly peeling himself out of her embrace as if he were getting out of the bed. She laughs at his theatrics, grabbing his arm and tugging him back into bed with her.

"I love you more than coffee," she says, earning her a satisfied smile from him. He wraps his arms tightly around her again, hooking his leg with hers under the covers.

"That's good to hear," he murmurs.

"Real question is, which do you love more? Me or the rifles at the gun range?"

Jay rolls his eyes with a chuckle. "The rifles. No question."

She attempts to playfully swat his chest, but he is quicker, grabbing her hand and pulling her on top of him until she is straddling his waist.

"Obviously I love you more than the rifles," he whispers as he looks up at her. "I love you more than anything."

His sweet words are enough to get her heart racing and she leans down to kiss him softly, relishing in the way his hand comes to rest on her back, steadying her against him.

"I love you too."

A few weeks ago, those words scared her, but with every passing day, the fear lessens. With each passing day, he proves he's not leaving, shows her the type of love she deserves, and the words start to fall out a little easier.

He hums, giving her another quick kiss before he pulls away and shoots her a playful look. "I know we have plans for our day off, but I think it would be a shame if we didn't spend a little more time in bed. Get some rest and all that."

She lets out a breathy laugh at his boyish charm and the fact that it still always has the same effect on her. "And all that?"

"Yeah, well-"

"Jay?"

"Yeah?" He questions.

"Just kiss me already."

He kisses her quickly and any conversation of what they love more, coffee or gun ranges, is long lost, both of them getting their answer.

"Babe, I'm not entirely convinced this was a good idea."

Hailey shoots him an unamused look, sticking her tongue out at him before returning her focus to the task at hand. They spent quite a bit of time enjoying their morning activities before they decided to move on to plans two and three for the day: coffee and waffles. Jay brews their coffee while Hailey gets started making waffle mix, stating that since it was so rare for them to have a day off, they are doing this right and making waffles from scratch.

"Are you doubting my ability to make waffles?" Hailey challenges him. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see him scoff as she cracks another egg into her mix.

"I would never doubt you, you know that," he says sweetly as he takes a step closer to her. Her kitchen is small and there is not much counter space, so with her making waffles and him making coffee, they are practically on top of each other, not that either of them minds.

"Good," Hailey hums. "Can you measure the flour for me?"

Jay nods and slips behind her to grab the flour. Hailey focuses her energy on pouring some milk into her mixture before calling out, "Flour is in the-"

"First cabinet on the left, second shelf," he finishes her sentence, and she twists around to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hailey I'm here like 90% of the time," he says with a chuckle, grabbing the flour and making his way back over the counter where she is standing. "It would be weird if I didn't know where it was."

She rolls her eyes with an amused huff as she hands him a clean measuring scoop. "How could I forget that you are practically freeloading at my place?"

It's nothing more than a teasing comment and while she knows they are a little ways away from having that particular conversation, she knows it is inevitable that he is going to move in here at some point. Not that she minds, though. The idea of not splitting their nights at each other's places and not having the strangest assortment of their belongings split between two apartments sounds nice and knowing that she is coming home to him each night sounds even nicer.

"Hey, I've got a pretty good deal here," he tells her as he scoops out a cup of flour and pours it into a separate bowl she has set aside for the dry ingredients. "Wake up with a pretty girl and then she makes me waffles? I would be an idiot to stay at my apartment."

"Oh, you are lucky I like you."

"Oh yeah?"

It's a clear challenge and before she knows it, he is taking some of the flour he just poured into the bowl and flicking it at her face. She scoffs in surprise, looking down to see specks of flour on the gray t-shirt she is wearing. She would be a little more annoyed if this was her shirt, but it's his and she picked it up off the floor this morning, so she is not all too concerned about getting it messy.

But the thing she is concerned about, though, is not letting him win.

Before he can stop her, she reaches past him and grabs the bag of flour, quickly using one of her clean spoons to scoop out enough flour to throw some of it at his face. She smiles proudly as it lands in his hair, and he dramatically coughs.

"That was rude."

"You started it," she sticks her tongue out at him for the second time in five minutes. She sees him slowly reach for the egg carton and she instinctively swats his hand before wagging her finger in his face. "I swear to you, Jay. If you do anything with that egg besides put it in the waffle mix, I will break up with you."

He raises his hands in surrender, making her shake her head as she grabs the bowl of dry ingredients to start mixing it into the wet ingredients. He reaches past her to grab the bag of flour and she raises a skeptical eyebrow at him, earning her an annoyed chuckle.

"I'm putting it away, jeez," he mutters under his breath.

"Grab the waffle iron while you're over there, will you?" She ignores his complaint.

He sighs and scrunches up his face at her in fake annoyance as he goes to put the flour away. With her back turned to him, she can hear the slight rustling of pots and pans as he tries to find the waffle iron that has been hidden in the back of her cabinets for months now. When he returns with the waffle iron, there is a devilish smile on his face. "Anything else you need?"

He says it sweetly enough that most would take it at surface level, but she knows him, knows that boyish charm and that teasing grin, and she knows he is up to something.

"Jay-"

"You wouldn't actually break up with me, would you?" He takes a step closer, invading her space.

"Don't tempt me," Hailey teases, but they both know her words hold no weight.

He waits until the second her hands are free to grab her waist and spins her around, pulling her back tightly against his chest and slowly spinning them around the kitchen, his hands poking and tickling at her sides as he kisses at her neck.

"Jay, stop-" she pleads, breathless as he finds the spots that make her squirm.

"Say you're not going to break up with me," he tries to sound serious, but she can hear the smile in his voice as she continues to writhe in his grasp.

It goes on for a minute or so, her trying to escape and him telling her to take it back before she sighs in exasperation and gives in.

"Fine. I won't break up with you."

He spins her around, a content smile on his face, and lets his hands come to rest gently on her hips. "Good," he hums, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

She scans him up and down, getting a good look at the damage she did when she threw the flour at him moments ago. She laughs, making him raise his eyes in question.

"What?"

"Oh, we are certainly going to need a shower before we even think about leaving this apartment."

There is white flour streaking his hair and on the side of his face. Unlike her, he is not wearing a shirt, but there are flakes of the white substance on his chest. It almost blends in with his pale skin but it is quite evident in his hair and she chuckles at the sight of the serious detective looking like a mess.

She is sure she looks no different. She can feel the dryness on her face, and she is sure she has a fair amount of powder sprinkled in her hair as well. There is a bright white streak of flour on her (his) shirt and if she was actually wearing shorts underneath this long t-shirt, they probably would be the only clean item of clothing she has on right now.

"Like we weren't gonna take a shower together anyway," he states simply, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before slipping away from her to grab something out of the fridge.

She's got no real argument to his words, so she just busies herself with preparing the waffle iron, an amused smile on her face.

"You still doubting my ability to make waffles, Halstead?"

He rolls his eyes at her playfully and she knows deep down he does not doubt her abilities in anything, but she can't help but take the opportunity to tease him, just a bit. They are quietly enjoying their breakfast at her small table for two by the window, just enough room for their plates, their mugs of coffee, and a bottle of syrup.

"My girlfriend, a cop and a chef," he picks up a piece of waffle with his fork and raises it in the air towards her before eating it, dramatically savoring the bite.

"Remind me why I put up with you?" She chuckles as she grabs the syrup and pours a bit more on her breakfast.

"I'm pretty sure it's because you love me."

"No, that can't be it."

He chuckles at her comment, eyeing the way she gives the syrup bottle one last squeeze before putting it back on the table. "I don't know how you can eat that much sugar this early in the morning."

"Because it's good. Not all of us want boring waffles like you."

He likes his waffles plain. No butter, no toppings, no syrup. Nothing. No matter how many times she tries to get him to try something new, he just says he wants plain old waffles. She doesn't get it, but she has given up trying to persuade him.

"I'm a full-grown adult, Hailey," he laughs in between bites. "I don't need my breakfast swimming in sugar."

"Are you worried I won't think you're as tough if you use a little syrup?" She teases and he shakes his head, reaching for his mug and taking a slow sip of coffee.

"Did you learn to make waffles at your parent's diner?" He asks, completely ignoring her comment about his toughness.

Hailey laughs, finishing the bite in her mouth before answering. "We were a traditional Greek diner. This isn't exactly Greek."

He shrugs, taking a few more bites of his food as he waits for her to respond.

"My mom used to make waffles with us when we were really little," Hailey explains. "It stopped when we got older, but it was always my favorite thing. Vanessa and I used to do this a lot when we were living together."

'My mom did pancakes with us," Jay tells her with a small chuckle. "Used to let Will and I put in the chocolate chips."

Hailey raises her eyebrow at him in surprise. "You mean you used to actually eat something unhealthy? I'm shocked."

He kicks her gently under the table, causing her to let out a loud laugh. There is a dopey smile on his face when she looks over at him and she can tell he is suppressing a laugh of his own.

"Were you as reckless as a kid as you are now?" She teases and he groans, trying to feign annoyance, but clear amusement written all over his face.

"I broke several bones and got stitches many many times," he informs her with a grin. "You think you get mad when I get hurt, you should have seen my mother."

"I can only imagine."

"Will also tried to fix a lot of my injuries when we were kids," Jay continues. "So, I guess nothing has changed."

Hailey lets out a loud belly laugh, imagining a smaller version of her boyfriend injured and being "treated" by a smaller version of the infamous Dr. Halstead. She is sure these two boys wore their mother out more often than not.

"Oh, I am sure you two were trouble. Adorable, but trouble."

Jay leans forward with a smirk, resting his elbow on the table, mindful of the plates and mugs. "Oh, you think I'm adorable?"

"Also said Will was adorable," she teases.

Jay leans back in his chair with a pout. "That's rude, you know that?"

She shakes her head, taking one last bite of her food before hopping down from her chair. Before she grabs her plate to take it to the sink, she moves over to his chair and stands in front of him. He turns in his seat so she is standing in between his legs and his hands come to rest on her hips.

"I always think you're adorable."

He smiles that same dopey smile, the one that she loves, the one that is always reserved for her. "Adorable? Couldn't I be handsome? Or sexy? Or-"

She leans forward and cuts off his ramblings with a kiss, chuckling as she feels him hum against her lips. It's a mixture of sweet maple and bold coffee and that particular taste that just is Jay, something she does not think she will ever tire of.

"Adorable it is then," he murmurs as they separate, resting his forehead on hers. He keeps his hands on her hips, his thumbs tracing nonsensical patterns against the fabric of her shirt.

She closes the little bit of distance there is between them, steadying her hands on his shoulders, a devilish smile on her face. "You know, I seem to remember something about taking a shower before going to the gun range?"

He nods slowly as if mulling over the thought. "I do remember something about that."

Before she can come up with any witty response, his lips are on hers and his hands are grasping at the hem of her shirt.

The dishes can wait.

Out of everything today, Hailey thinks her favorite thing is how much he has smiled.

There was that sweet smile when they woke up and the devilish smile while they were in the kitchen and of course the many smiles he threw her way as they tried to wash the flour off of them, but she thinks her favorite smile might be the childlike one he has at the gun range.

It should make her a little jealous, the fact that his smile beams so bright over sniper rifles, but she loves seeing him like this. Carefree and relaxed and out of his head. It's rare and it's real and it's honestly her favorite way to see him.

They do some target practice with Glock 17s and she challenges him to a competition when they get their hands on the .44 mags. She laughs proudly when she realizes she beat him, only by one point, but she beat him nonetheless, and she absolutely loves his response.

The way he rolls his eyes, the exasperated look on his face, the sweet, proud little smile he tries his hardest to suppress. She would do anything to see those responses all day long.

"Alright hotshot," he says, voice low as they put away the .44 mags. "Why don't we set you up with a sniper, see who wins then?"

"Do they have the same kind of sniper rifle that you use for work here?" Hailey asks sweetly, batting her eyes up at him.

"I'm sure they do," he steps closer to her with an amused chuckle. "You saying you want to be more like me?"

Hailey places her hand on his chest and looks up at him with a wide smile, dimples on full display. "I'm saying I want to beat your ass using your own rifle."

He throws his head back in quiet laughter, rolling his eyes at her before tugging on her wrist. "Come on, let's go see what they have."

They go to the counter and Hailey shoots Jay a smug grin when the clerk tells them he does in fact have the rifle in question. He gets them all set up and Hailey and Jay return back to their shooting station and begin preparing their rifles.

"You gotta load it like-"

"This," Hailey cuts in off as she proceeds to load the gun the way Jay was about to suggest. "You're bossy when it comes to rifles, you know that?"

"Just making sure you do it right," Jay mutters playfully under his breath, earning an amused scoff from Hailey.

"You do realize I know how to shoot a rifle, correct?" She challenges as he finishes loading his own rifle. "You've seen me use one at work."

"Oh, trust me," he says as he points his rifle down the firing range and looks through the barrel. "I'm well aware of your ability to handle a rifle."

The way he says the words, it's so simple, but there's a dangerous undertone to his voice and it makes her face tint red as she continues to try and ready her own rifle.

"Is it making you nervous?" She asks.

He is about to respond, but instead, he just steadies his attention at his target. Hailey smiles as she watches him, how his finger brushes against the trigger and how he seems so calm and in his element, and if it wasn't for the loud bang that goes off a few inches from her, she would not even realize he pulled the trigger.

Jay lowers the rifle and shoots her a smug look. "Not that nervous," he says as he nods towards his target sheet.

A perfect shot.

"Alright, Mr. Confidence, we'll see about that," Hailey says and she is about to set up her own shot when the door to the gun range opens and three loud men enter, walking past Jay and Hailey to the open shooting stalls.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hailey sees the last man eye Hailey up and down with a surprised look, and just as he is walking away, she hears him scoff and mutter, "That guns bigger than that girl."

Jay makes a face at her, and she can tell he is ready to turn around and mouth this guy off, but she shakes her head. This is their day and the last thing she wants is some sexist idiot ruining it for them. And it's clear that Jay gets her message, and he is about to return his attention back to shooting his own rifle when the guy talks again.

"Hey man," he calls out, looking at Jay's target sheet. "Nice shot. You trying to teach the little lady how to use one of those?"

It's clear by his tone that he doubts the "little lady's" ability to hold the rifle let alone fire it and he thinks it's a joke that Jay would even waste his time teaching a girl like Hailey how to fire a "man's weapon."

And while she is sure everything in Jay wants to turn around and rip this guy a new one, he turns around, calm as ever, and looks at the man.

"Hey man," Jay starts. "I would really love to punch you right now, but she doesn't need me fighting for her. So why don't you just shut up and watch her shoot? Because she certainly does not need anyone teaching her how to shoot a rifle."

And with that, Jay just turns around and whispers, "Knock 'em dead, babe."

She steadies her rifle and ignores the snickering of the three men standing a few feet away, instead focusing on Jay's supportive smile and then, on the feeling of her hand on the grip and her finger on the trigger.

And then, she unloads her clip.

She has seen Jay smile a lot today, but nothing quite compares to the proud smile he shoots at her when they bring her target paper forward and it's a near-perfect score.

The three men are silent, and Hailey knows that Jay is biting his cheek to keep from laughing or saying something else. Hailey just motions for them to start packing up their rifles and as they are leaving the shooting gallery, Jay pops his head out and looks at the three men.

"Any of you want shooting lessons from her?

The three men don't laugh, but Hailey does.

"Think that's their last time being sexist idiots?" Hailey says with a laugh as they walk through the door of her apartment that night.

"Doubt it," Jay murmurs as he kicks the door closed with his boot, shifting the pizza box he is holding from his right hand to his left. "At least you shut them up for a few hours, though."

Hailey quickly peels off her jacket and hangs it up before whispering "here" and taking the pizza from Jay so he can take off his jacket and boots. She goes to the kitchen and gently places the pizza box on the counter before going to grab some plates for their dinner.

'I forgot to mention it at the range, but you looked really hot earlier," Jay says in a husky tone as he comes to lean against the kitchen island.

"Which part?" She throws her head over her shoulder as she reaches up on her tiptoes to grab two plates. "Shooting the rifle or showing up those idiots?"

She walks back over to the kitchen island and sets down the plates but before she is able to start readying their dinner, he gently grabs her wrist and tugs her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and looking down at her.

"Both, obviously."

It's instantaneous the way she raises herself up on her tiptoes again, but this time, she is not reaching for the plates, but rather, she is reaching for the back of his neck and pulling him down to her lips. He hums against her kiss, and she lets out a small moan as she feels him bite her lower lip.

"You enjoy our day off?" She breathes out, almost incoherently, when she pulls back. She raises her hand up to cup his face, her thumb running against the disappointed look he is wearing now that she is too far away for him to kiss.

"Definitely one of the best days I've had in a long time," he murmurs.

Against her back, she can feel his fingers tracing nonsensical patterns, his fingertips brushing against the bare skin underneath her shirt every now and then. On his face, there is an almost dazed look, but still, he is happy. They're all such simple details, but somehow, they still seem to overwhelm her, even after all of these months.

"Better than our last day off?" Hailey asks softly before she can stop herself and she watches as his expression changes to one of confusion, not the look she was expecting.

"Do you feel bad about that?" He whispers and before Hailey is able to respond, he continues. "Hailey, I already told you, I'm not mad about it."

The memories of their last day off her crystal clear in her mind. Him waking her up with a kiss, the look on his face when he told her he loved her for the first time, the way she ran out of the apartment.

The way he came when she asked him to.

And then, there's them standing in the middle of her living room, his coat still on and Hailey terrified out of her mind that was it, that he was going to leave. And then, he stayed.

She remembers how good it felt to finally let those words roll off her tongue, how it felt seeing his face when he heard them for the first time.

That night, he held her hand and led her into the bedroom, and held her on top of the comforter as they shared whispered conversations until they fell asleep.

In the quiet of her bedroom, she jokingly asked if he was mad that she ruined their day off. Of course, he told her that he wasn't and the conversation was dropped.

Until today.

"Jay, I was kidding," she brushes off his concern and she attempts to peel herself from his embrace, but he tightens his arms against her waist.

"You know I'm not mad, right?" He says again, locking his eyes with hers "I get it. I'm never going to be mad about you needing to do things on your own time."

"Jay, I know," she says, and this time, it's not her brushing things off because she really does know. By the way he looks at her and how patient he has been this whole time, she knows.

"We're figuring this out together," he continues softly. "And I mean it when I say I'm not going anywhere."

"I know you're not," she whispers, and she raises her right hand to come and rest on his chest, slightly above his heart. "I just wanted you to have a good day, that's all. You deserve that."

"Hailey," he murmurs. "Any day I'm spending with you is a good day."

It could be so easy to pass off his words as sweet talk, but she knows deep down that he means it, that all he needs in this life is her standing by his side. And normally, she would think it's maybe a little early or a little much, but when she feels the exact same way, she thinks it's right.

"My best days are with you too," she whispers.

He leans down to kiss her again, sweet and slow, and it feels just like the kisses they exchanged this morning while still were wrapped up in the safety of her bed or the kisses they exchanged in the kitchen while trying to make waffles or countless others. It feels like every happy day where he's standing right there next to her, sharing in her joy, and every difficult day where he's the shoulder to cry on.

His hand slips under her shirt and he starts walking her backward towards her bedroom. It's not the first time they have done this, slow kisses and frenzied touches that have led to more, not even the first time today, but every time, it feels like the first. And something tells her, it's never not going to feel like this.

He is never not going to be the thing that makes her smile, and her best days are never not going to be spent with him.

The pizza is cold by the time they make their way back to it and they eat it in bed instead of having a proper dinner like they planned but honestly, it does not matter. Nothing they do matters, as long as she's with him.

Reviews?

(I also know nothing about guns, so sorry if the details are vague/incorrect.) See you for the next fic!