Happy Day 7 of Upstead Appreciation! Today's prompt was "You're an idiot." "But you love me."

This idea came from one of my Tumblr favs thetwit. I was so incredibly obsessed with the idea as soon as she mentioned it, so you have her genius brain to thank for this!

Title from "Eyes on You" by Chris Rice

"Dammit," Hailey mutters under her breath.

Jay's head turns quickly, looking to see Hailey standing by his dresser, gun in her hand.

"What's wrong?" He asks as he slips his shirt over his head, glancing at the time on the clock as he does so. They are running a little late, quite possibly due to their getting distracted by something this morning, but he knows they still have a few minutes until they need to leave in order to make it to the district on time.

"My holster broke," she sighs, removing the holster from her waist and holding it out toward him. "It's been hanging on by a thread for a week and they said they would get me a new one but-"

"But that takes way longer than it should," Jay finishes her sentence, walking over and taking the waist holster from her hand. He inspects where the holster broke, assuming that when she tried to secure her gun this morning, the poor thing finally gave in.

"You have an extra?" He asks as he places the holster on the dresser and walks past her over to his bedside table to grab his watch.

"Yeah, at my apartment," she tells him. "But we're gonna be late if we stop over there."

Over the past six months of dating, their apartments have slowly started to become the oddest mixture of each other's things. He's got a section of the closet at her apartment, and she's got a few drawers at his, but it always seems like no matter how many of their things they have at the other's place, the one thing they need is always not there.

(And maybe it's a sign he should just bring up the whole moving-in conversation, the question that he knows has been on her tongue for weeks now and she just hasn't found the words to ask, because then they wouldn't have problems like this.

And more importantly, he would be able to come home to her every day, which would be the ultimate plus.)

"I've got an extra holster here," Jay says. "It's a thigh holster, though. You good with that?"

Hailey nods. "As long as I can adjust the straps, it'll work for today."

Jay chuckles, securing his watch and moving back to the other side of his bedroom over to his closet. He rummages through a box on the floor until he finds the holster in question. As he stands up and walks over to her, placing the black holster in her hand, he smiles knowingly, "I'm trusting you with this. You better take good care of it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she attempts to take the holster from him, but his grip is tight. She cocks her head to the side, glancing up at him. "Really, Jay?"

"You gotta promise me you'll take good care of it," he murmurs, lips pressed tight into a smile in an attempt to suppress his amusement.

"You are way too protective of this thing," she mutters, trying to remove it from his hands again, but this time, he places his free hand on top of hers.

"Hailey-"

"Fine," Hailey throws her head back in a groan. "I'll take good care of it."

Jay removes his hands from the holster, and Hailey feigns annoyance, scrunching up her face and glaring at him. "You are so protective about the weirdest things and it's so annoying."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jay chuckles. He takes a step away from her and moves across the room, grabbing his boots and coming to sit on the edge of the bed to put them on.

Hailey leans against the wall in front of him, holster in hand. "You're so protective of your truck and your gun holster and other random stuff," she playfully huffs. "I swear, I don't even think I make the top five of things you are weirdly protective over."

He rolls his eyes, securing his boots before he stands up and walks over to her, hands coming to rest on her waist. She tries to keep the annoyed look on her face, but as he glances down at her, her features start to soften.

"First off," he whispers. "I don't need to be weirdly protective over you because you are way stronger than me."

That gets her serious face to break even more. She bites the corner of her lip, tilting her head to the side as he continues.

"Second, you are definitely number one on the list of things I am protective over."

"Nice to see I rank above a thigh holster and a truck," she laughs out quietly, a challenging look on her face.

"Hailey-" he cautions again, but before he can go any farther, she lifts herself up on her tiptoes and gives him a quick kiss.

"I'm weirdly protective of you too," she whispers a moment later, her free hand running down his chest and finding his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Good," he gives their hands a squeeze. "Now, if you don't want to lose your job and have absolutely no use for that holster, we should probably get going."

Her laugh is loud, and it makes him smile and as they walk out the front door together, he is already counting down the minutes until they can come home.

As the day goes on though, Jay thinks that maybe it would have been smarter to just drive back to her apartment and risk being late, because the sight of her in his thigh holster…

It's distracting, to say the least.

It starts early that morning, when they walk into the bullpen and Kim makes a comment about her new holster.

"You gearing up for a fight or something, Hail?" Kim laughs as they walk in. Hailey shakes her head as they walk past Kim and over towards their desks, throwing her head over her shoulder as she answers.

"My holster broke. It's Jay's. He only has extra thigh holsters because he's weird," Hailey says simply.

Jay rolls his eyes at her from across their conjoined desks, watching as she sits down, shrugging her shoulders before turning back over to glance at Kim and the others.

"You know," Adam laughs out. "Normal couples wear each other's shirts. And then there's you two…"

"I feel like wearing his holster is an even bigger deal," Kevin adds and by the devilish looks on his and Adam's faces, Jay knows they are about to tease them even more, so he jumps in before they have the chance.

"It's a piece of police equipment, not a diamond ring. Calm down you two," he pretends to be annoyed, ignoring the way Hailey's head snaps over to glance at him at the second part of his statement.

The others laugh, muttering a few more comments under their breath before they all settle back into work. But no matter how hard he tries to focus on his work, Jay has a bit of a hard time.

Because he knew she was wearing a thigh holster, but it is now dawning on him that she is wearing his thigh holster and she looks quite good in it.

It hugs her leg tight and highlights her strong frame and it makes him think of every time he has run his hands down her thigh or kissed her bare skin. It makes her look strong, bold, beautiful and the more he looks at it, the more he can't stop.

It is going to be a long day.

He tries to focus throughout the morning, tries not to let his eyes linger on her when she gets up and walks to the break room, tries to not stare too much when she leans over Kim's desk, her left leg and thigh holster out in the open.

He tries but he probably fails, if the confused look on Hailey's face is any indication. She catches him staring a bit more than usual, each time cocking her head to the side and mouthing "You good?"

Each time he nods, even though he is not good, his mind so hyper-focused on the picture of her in his thigh holster that he can't even think straight.

It's not like he has not seen her in a thigh holster before. Throughout the past four years, he has seen it countless times and it has never phased him. Maybe it's because now he looks at her so differently than he used to. He knows what she looks like falling apart, how she looks first thing in the morning between quiet whispers and slow lazy kisses.

Back then he thought maybe he loved her but now he knows he does, so it shouldn't surprise him that a glimpse of her in his thigh holster is making it hard to breathe.

And if he thinks that the sight of her in his thigh holster is distracting while they are in the bullpen, it's a whole other level of distracting in the field. Almost borderline unsafe if you ask him. They get a call about a potential location on a meth lab operated by a notorious gang and as they suit up and make their way out, Jay tells himself that he needs to focus, even if just for a few minutes.

But she's a force to be reckoned with, this girl he is lucky enough to call his own. She is sharp as they quietly enter the warehouse, and she is strong as she is telling their suspects to get on their knees. She is all power and confidence and strength and for some reason, it is hitting him more today than any day before just how lucky he is to have her in his life.

While she cuffs a suspect, he stares a little too long, catching a strange look from Hailey who whispers again if he is okay, but this time, he can't even find the words to respond.

She looks powerful and strong and so damn hot and it's all overwhelming.

He is able to do his job, but he is so lost in his thoughts of her. The whole time he is watching Voight and Adam question a suspect and while he is helping Kim finish up paperwork, he can't quite stop thinking of Hailey. Of her in his thigh holster, of her in his bed, of her being the strongest person he knows.

He is so lost in his thoughts that he does not hear her come into the locker room that night, her knuckles lightly wrapping against the door frame as she peeps her head into the empty room.

"Can I come in?" She asks, entering before he even has a chance to nod. He closes his locker door, turning to lean his right side against the metal as she comes to stand in front of him.

"You good?" She whispers, tilting her head up to look at him. "You seemed off today."

He swallows and then gives a quick nod. "Yeah," he hums. "All good."

"Jay-" she tries again. It should not shock him that she can detect even the smallest of changes in his demeanor.

It's probably because she is watching him just as much as he is watching her.

Jay sighs and shakes his head as he whispers. "You can't wear that holster anymore."

Her eyes scrunch up in confusion as she slowly says, "Why?"

"You just can't, okay?" He says, quickly, hoping she won't make him explain. As he tries to step past her, she puts her hand out, pushing against his chest to keep him in place.

"Gonna be any more specific?" She asks, eyes narrowed at him. Her hand drops from his chest and Jay looks up at the ceiling, trying to think of a plausible explanation that will result in the least amount of teasing from Hailey.

"You're distracting," he mumbles under his breath, and she leans closer, almost theatrically, trying to hear him.

"What's that?"

"It's distracting, okay?"

Her response is instantaneous, the soft chuckle, the little smirk playing at her lips, the knowing look in her eye as she glances up at him. It makes him groan, just how much she is enjoying this, and if he did not love her so much, he might be a little more annoyed.

"I'm sorry, you were distracted?" Hailey questions, almost smug. "You've been working with me for four years….and you're a freaking sniper."

"So," Jay shrugs innocently. "You looked hot. It's a little distracting."

"Just a little?"

"Hailey," he groans out, head tilted back in exasperation, and she laughs again.

"So," Hailey eyes him up and down. "Let me just get this straight. You're trying to tell me I can't wear a thigh holster anymore because you...get distracted?"

He feels his cheeks redden, the change in color clearly noticed by Hailey as she grins a little wider. Jay shifts his weight on the balls of his feet, fumbling for a response. "I mean when you put it like that-"

"A child," Hailey mutters. "I am dating an actual child."

"I was trying to be nice," Jay quips back. "I was telling you that you looked all hot and badass and all I get in response is teasing."

He milks the sympathy a little more than he needs to, with a small little pout and a sweet tone.

Hailey shakes her head with a loud laugh as she mutters, "You're an idiot."

"But you love me?" Jay tries, shooting her a charming smile, watching as she rolls her eyes in fake annoyance.

"Doesn't change the fact you're an idiot," Hailey says, not even bothering to try and argue his point.

"So, you're acknowledging that you love me?" He teases a little more.

She lets out a little annoyed huff, shaking her head. "Yeah, I love you. Big surprise. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

He doesn't waste his time trying to come up with a smart remark of his own, instead just leaning forward to catch her lips with his. She is caught slightly off guard, letting out a small laugh as he kisses her, but a second later, she is melting under his touch, leaning forward and using the hand that was previously holding him in place to pull him closer.

After a moment, she leans back, too soon for his liking, and he rests his forehead on hers.

"You're my idiot," she breathes out. "And for the record, I do love you. Like a lot."

"I love you too," he smiles. "Like a lot."

"Is that why you were distracted?" She asks innocently, leaning back as his arm comes to wrap around her waist to keep her close. "Or was it just the thigh holster?"

"Maybe it was both," Jay can't help but smile. "I mean, you are pretty distracting all on your own."

She hums happily, tapping her fingers against his chest. "I think I get it. You're kinda distracting too."

"Oh yeah?" He murmurs cheekily, taking advantage of his opportunity to tease her now. A small laugh escapes her lips, and he smiles as her giggles fill the room.

"Idiot," she says again. "Absolute idiot."

He shakes his head at her teasing, trying to hide the slight look of amusement on his face. "Yeah, I think we covered that."

"You're a sweet idiot though," she says, softer now. "Although you might want to work on your focus. I don't want to get shot because you couldn't stop checking me out."

This time, it's his turn to laugh, a loud bellowing sound that he is sure carries down the hall and alerts whoever is left in the district that they are in here, hidden away. Hailey glances at the door, cheeks slightly red as she makes sure they are still alone, before looking back up at him.

"I'll try and contain myself," Jay says. "But I'm never going to stop checking you out."

"Is that so?"

He hums. "Yeah. You're beautiful. I'm gonna be staring at you for the rest of our lives."

The teasing smirk that has been plastered on her face melts, turning into a soft, almost shy smile. Her eyes shift from devilish to sweet and he watches as she slowly tries to find her words.

"Rest of our lives, huh?" She whispers at last. "I don't think I have a problem with that."

He kisses her again, slower this time. Unlike the kiss they shared moments ago, now she is ready for it, raising herself up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway and sweetly holding the back of his neck to pull him down to her. His arm wraps around her waist and he holds her close, gently swiping his tongue against her lower lip to kiss her deeper.

And when he pulls back, she's wide-eyed and breathless and every bit as beautiful as she was out in the field wearing her thigh holster or as she is when she is in bed underneath him making him forget his name.

Her beauty is just the beginning of it, though. She is everything to him.

"We should get going," he whispers, his lips still only centimeters from hers. "So, I can properly show you how distractingly beautiful you are."

She hums happily and kisses him again before tugging on his arm and pulling him out of the locker room. As they walk out, her hand is in his and his eyes are set on her and all he can think is how he is so lucky to have her next to him.

Because she's beautiful and distracting in so many ways. She is kind and she is strong, and she is a damn badass who looks good doing it.

His eyes never leave her that night. Even if she's a vision he has seen countless times, he can never tear his eyes away from her.

And something tells him that is never going to change.

That's the end of Upstead Appreciation! Thanks for reading!