Work Text:
Trudy Platt
She didn’t become a sergeant, get to where she is today, without being a skilled cop. And, frankly, it’s insulting that anyone even thinks that they can get anything past her. She greets them every morning when they walk through the doors and up the stairs of the precinct, her words accompanying a subtle smirk on the days the two of them walk in together. And those days are often—except lately, she notices the slight difference in the gait of their steps, in the closeness of their arms brushing one another as they walk into the 21st district.
She wonders if she imagines it, but scoffs the idea right out of her head because, come on, she’s Trudy Platt and she knows what she sees, when she sees it. She’s known Jay Halstead for years, and although she may have met Hailey Upton when the blonde was just a little girl, Trudy’s grown close to and has come to know her even more over the years she’s been at Intelligence. So she sees, she notices the subtle shifts in their smiles early in the morning, the lingering looks when Jay opens punches the code and opens the gate leading up the stairs to the Intelligence bullpen, holding it open as he smiles down at Hailey before she walks up, following her in immediately after.
Hell, she saw it before the two of them got their heads out of their asses and did something about what was going on in their hearts. She saw it when Jay was doing his best not to mope when his partner had been shipped off to New York, seemingly trying to get through the weeks until Hailey was back in Chicago—where she belonged. Trudy had half a mind to tease him relentlessly over it—especially after hearing from Randall how Jay would wind up at Molly’s after shift with the others, grumbling about the lack of Hailey and wishing the next few weeks would just fly back so he could get his partner back already.
Trudy’s pretty sure it was the alcohol that made his lips more loose than normal.
Funnily enough, she feels proud, in a maternal way, of Jay. It didn’t take long after Hailey’s return from her stint with the feds for the two of them to finally give into whatever had been brewing between them—arguably for years. Guess they both got a taste of what life was like without the other, after being side by side for years, and finally decided to do something about it.
They’re living in a bubble of privacy, Trudy knows, and she respects that. They’re professionals, and she knows both Hailey and Jay’s history with dating co-workers. But Trudy can’t help but think, when she glances up at them from her front desk and notices their easy banter and soft smiles and shoulders more relaxed than she’s ever seen either of them, that this thing between the two detectives was one that was going to last.
So, of course, she can’t help but let them know they have her support, in true Trudy Platt fashion: casual in the way she drops the bomb that she knows.
It’s a late Friday night when she buzzes herself up to Intelligence, ambling up the stairs. One corner of the bullpen is lit up, being Jay and Hailey’s desks, and the gentle echo of their easy going chatter and laughter is soft against the walls. They’re the only ones here, the others having left already, their computer screens glowing and papers and files piled on their desks.
“Burning the midnight oil?” Trudy asks by way of greeting.
Jay looks up from the paperwork he was hunched over while Hailey glances over her shoulder. With a lazy smile, Jay responds, “Par for the course for the only two detectives in the unit.”
Trudy comes to stand by their desks as Hailey’s lips upturn into a smirk, glancing at Jay before looking up at Trudy. “It’s only taking us this long ’cause I have to double check Jay’s grammar,” she innocently teases, causing Jay to roll his eyes at the playful jab.
“Riveting way to spend your Friday night,” Trudy muses. “I’m sure you two would prefer some fine dining as opposed to this.” She watches them blink in confusion, their gazes meeting only briefly, and she suppresses a smirk. “Eh, who am I kidding? You’re more of a beer and pizza kinda couple, aren’t ya?”
It’s when she drops the couple that they both seem to freeze up, ever so slightly but enough to put a pause on their pens working on the paperwork, the subtle widening of both of their eyes giving them away. Trudy has the urge to laugh. Two of the best detectives in the district—hell, in all of Chicago—and they can’t seem to keep their cool when she blatantly calls them out on their relationship. Maybe they needed to go through undercover training again.
Jay breaks the amusing silence first with a clearing of his throat as he shifts in his seat, grip on his pen tight as his gaze darts from Hailey to Trudy. “Uh, Sarge, what are you—”
Trudy waves him off with a roll of her gray eyes. “Oh, don’t even try to come up with some half assed excuse. You think I became a sergeant because of my youthful good looks?” She quirks an eyebrow at the two of them; Jay’s blinking up at her and Hailey’s chewing the corner of her lower lip, and Trudy thinks she’s trying not to laugh—whether it’s out of nerves or amusement, Trudy can’t be too sure. Maybe a bit of both. “The others may not have picked up on it, but it’s cute that you thought you could keep it from me.”
Jay lets out a breath, sinking back into his seat, looking at Hailey for help. The blonde folds her arms on top of the desk, looking up at Trudy. “We’re just—it’s still new, between us. Telling people isn’t really a priority, you know?”
And Trudy does know. She’s seen too many relationships start and end because of the complications that come with working together. Jay and Erin. Kim and Adam. Kim and Sean. Hailey and Adam. Lots could go wrong, but Trudy looks at Hailey and Jay, recalls all of their terribly hidden smiles and endearing looks, and she has a good feeling about them. She’s only ever had that feeling about one other couple, but Kim and Adam are a matter of their own.
So she smirks—or, well, at least she tries to, but she’s pretty sure it comes off as an encouraging smile. Which is fine, because both of them relax when she says, “Don’t worry—your secret’s safe with me.” They share a smile and Trudy tries not to shake her head at that secret language thing they’ve got going on with their eyes. She steps away from their joined desks. “Anyway, we’re debating downstairs on ordering either Chinese or Thai. What’re you two in the mood for?”
“Thai,” they both answer simultaneously. Then, Jay quickly adds, “Just not from the place on Pulaski. Hailey got food poisoning last time she had it.”
Trudy glances at Hailey, who blinks at Jay before a small smile tilts her lips, like she’s softened at the fact that he remembers, and if Trudy was anyone else, she may have aww’d at the small act of adoration between them.
Instead, she just nods and continues towards the stairs, throwing a, “Call down your orders. I’ll let you know when it’s here, lovebirds.”
She smirks because she’s pretty sure Hailey chokes on air as she returns a strained, “Thanks, Sarge.”
Kim Burgess
The diner smells like fresh coffee, bacon, and pancakes, all of which sit on plates on the table in front of her, with the addition of waffles. Utensils clink against plates and the bell at the kitchen window rings every so often with a new order up, a low clamor in the diner, but Kim finds peace in it. She’s sitting at the table with Makayla and Hailey, a little girls breakfast to start off their Sunday morning.
She feels content as she and Hailey talk about things that don’t have to do with work, especially for Makayla’s sake. So instead, they chat about the new show Kim started watching, and the new pairs of shoes Hailey bought for herself yesterday as an impulse buy because she never buys nice things for herself, and Hailey even asks Makayla how school’s going. It’s easy going and casual and pleasant, even when Hailey’s phone buzzes and when she glances at the screen, she lets out a low groan.
“Is everything okay?” Kim asks, eyebrows raising as she lowers her cup of coffee.
Hailey quickly glances at her, blue eyes bright as they sit by the window, a half smile quirking at her lips. “Yeah, everything’s good,” she answers with a chuckle, unlocking her phone. “Jay just sent me a game of Archery to play. Y’know, on iMessage.”
The knowledge of that amuses Kim far more than it probably should. “Oh, yeah? And, what, you have a thing against games?” she asks with a light laugh.
“No,” Hailey says with a roll of her eyes, giving a quick toss of her blonde hair behind her shoulder, since it was the rare occasion where she has her hair down. “He’s just freaky good at it. I’m pretty sure it has to do with him being a sniper,” she adds with a scrunch of her nose.
As if she can’t help herself, Hailey accepts the request, and Kim and Makayla watch, both amused, as Hailey’s eyebrows furrow in concentration as she tries to make her shots. She huffs a couple of moments later, lips twisting as she puts her phone down, shooting them an apologetic look, probably feeling guilty for using her phone while they were at breakfast.
But Kim didn’t care, instead, she indulges. “Last time I checked, you were pretty good with a long gun, too.”
“Against a professional sniper?” Hailey snorts, cutting a piece of her syrup drenched waffles. “Not a chance.” She shoves the piece into her mouth, chewing for a moment before swallowing and pinning Kim with a gaze. She points her fork at the brunette and little girl, eyes darting between them. “Don’t ever tell Jay I said that.”
Kim raises her hands in defense, sharing a secretive wink with Makayla, who giggles before biting into her pancakes. The conversation digresses to other topics, with Hailey grunting in frustration when Jay sends his turn back, both Makayla and Kim leaning over to see his play. Kim lets out a low impressed whistle when he hits the center of the target on all three turns, earning a withering stare from Hailey before she sends her turn back. She does not, in fact, get all three center targets, but pretty damn close. Not close enough for her, though.
Eventually, Jay wins, which makes Hailey turn her phone subtly away from Makayla because Kim just knows she’s sending back a bunch of expletives to the other detective, which makes Kim chuckle in amusement. Putting her phone down, Hailey finishes off the rest of her waffles before letting out another huff.
“I need to wash my hands. I have syrup all over them,” she comments, frowning at her fingers like she’s wondering how it got there.
Makayla giggles. “You’re a messier eater than me.”
Hailey smirks at her. “Yeah? I’m still taller than you, kiddo.”
This time, Kim smirks into the rim of her mug as she hums, “At least you’re taller than someone.”
Hailey shoots her a glare, though it lacks any real anger as she gets up and walks off in the direction of the bathroom. Kim and Makayla continue with their food, and as they do, Hailey’s phone, which she left on the table, buzzes with a new message. And Kim doesn’t mean to accidentally glance at the screen, doesn’t mean to read the message that lights up the screen, followed by another that comes through right at that moment, but when she reads that one, she damn near chokes on her sip of coffee.
Jay Halstead: Don’t be mad, Hails. We can play a round of Word Hunt so you can kick my ass.
Jay Halstead: If that’s not satisfying enough, come over after breakfast and I’ll make it up to you.
Kim didn’t need to be a detective to know what he meant by that.
Her eyes widen, gaping at the screen until it blackened, and she’s pretty sure she looks comical in the way she’s staring, trying to process what she just read. It’s not until Makayla asks, “Are you okay?” that Kim blinks herself out of her stupor.
She clears her throat, glancing at her kid as she flashes a smile. “Oh, yeah, I’m super okay.” She tries not to cringe at her words, but Makayla doesn’t blink twice, going back to her food.
But Kim, oh man, she’s reeling. Jay and Hailey. Hailey and Jay. They’re together. They’re so, so definitely together and Kim can’t believe it but, God, at the same time, she totally can. In the time it takes for Hailey to get back, Kim thinks of the last few weeks, moments she may have missed because she was either not looking for them or because Jay and Hailey were just that discreet. Which, you know, wouldn’t be surprising because they are detectives, after all. Hell, they came to Molly’s, but there were some nights where they were nowhere to be found, but Kim assumed they were too tired to hang out after work and headed home. It hadn’t clicked that they went home together.
A disbelieving smile tilts Kim’s lips up, leaning back in her chair as she gazes at the seat Hailey had occupied.
No wonder the two of them had seemed so light lately, walking with a pep in their step. She can’t believe she missed it.
When Hailey returns, Kim schools her features, not wanting to give her newfound knowledge away. She watches, discreetly, as Hailey checks her phone, catches the way her jaw feathers and lips purse for the briefest moment, like she’s trying to suppress her smile. Kim has a hard time fighting off her own.
Unable to help herself, Kim lightly says, “You wanna join us at the park?” Hailey glances up at her and Kim innocently adds, “Unless you, like, have other plans.”
Kim almost misses the way Hailey looks down at her phone, so quick it was barely noticeable, but now she knows what to look for, and it’s right there. “Uh, no, no other plans,” Hailey says, flashing a smile. “None I can’t push back, anyway.”
Kim’s fighting the damn smile. “You sure?” she asks, trying not to let on that she knows more than she should.
“Mhm,” Hailey nods. “All good.”
This is just too good. Kim’s not gonna push Hailey, because if she and Jay want to keep their relationship under wraps, that’s their business. But, damn, that doesn’t mean Kim can’t have some fun.
Hopefully Jay can wait a little longer until Hailey goes home to him.
Kevin Atwater
“Kev, you good? You good?!”
“Yeah, yeah—you?” Kevin asks, dark eyes sliding over to Jay as the two of them slowly, cautiously rise to their feet.
Kevin’s heart is pounding, an aftermath of the rain of bullets they just dodged, as Jay nods while looking around the scene. Pieces of glass are shattered around them, thanks to the cars they had found cover behind in the abandoned lot. Shady place for a meet, even shadier place for two undercover cops to get lured because they got made.
“Yeah,” Jay huffs, lips curling in annoyance as they look around the scene. He gave a shake of his head. “What a mess.”
“Hey—you two okay?” Kim’s voice sounds, and the two of them look up to see their team making their way over.
Kevin and Jay give their affirmatives, and Kevin watches as Hailey’s blue eyes run over Jay, like she needs to check for injuries rather than just taking his word. And, at first, Kevin thinks it’s just partners being partners, but his eyebrows quirks, ever so slightly, when he sees Jay just lightly touch her arm as he flashes her a smile. It seems to relax Hailey, and there’s just something about it that has Kevin eyeing them suspiciously.
But then Sarge walks up and they have to work the scene, so Kevin doesn’t think about it again.
Until later, when they’re back at the district, and he’s walking down the hall towards the locker room, stopping short when he hears the familiar voices drift down, as quiet as they’re trying to be. He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but he stops by the open doorway as Jay’s voice sounds from inside.
“Hails, I promise, I’m fine,” he’s saying, his tone light yet gentle.
“Can you blame me for being worried?” comes Hailey’s response, a sigh following her words. “You’re a bullet magnet. It’s stressful.”
Kevin hears Jay chuckle shortly, as if he’s trying not to add to Hailey’s worry but he can’t help himself from letting the sound loose. “Isn’t that part of the job description?”
“Cute.” Her voice is dry, making Kevin’s lips quirk up in amusement. “But if you get shot again, I’m gonna be very upset, and you’re gonna have to get reacquainted with your hand.”
Kevin does a double take at Hailey’s words, coated in sweetness he recognizes as cunning, blinking in bewilderment. He’s pretty sure he hears Jay choke on air and Kevin’s mind is reeling, wondering if he heard Hailey right—wondering if he understood her unmistakable statement properly.
When Jay’s voice lowers as he says, “I think that punishment’s a little too severe—” Kevin knows that, yup, he most definitely heard things right.
And that’s when he turns right back around and walks back the way he came from, shaking his head at himself as he tries to both come to terms with what he just heard and erase it from his head, too.
Jay and Hailey. He wants to say he’s surprised but, hell, he’s not. Not at all.
He spends the rest of the day, and the next, focusing on the case, and it’s not until it’s wrapped up, the bad guys behind bars, that he finally unwinds at Molly’s with everyone else. When he spots Jay and Hailey sitting at the bar, chatting with Severide and Stella, Kevin suddenly remembers the conversation he’d overheard in the locker room, and he raises an eyebrow as he takes his drink and walks over to a table that’s occupied by Kim.
Only, her gaze is directed to where Kevin’s had been, and his eyes narrow as he sits down and says without preamble, “What’re you looking at?” Of course, he knows what she’s looking at. Who she’s looking at.
Her brown eyes dart to him, blinking before she quickly says, “Nothing,” while taking a long sip of her beer.
Oh, she’s lying. Kevin leans forward on the table, excitement sparking in his gaze because now he’s wondering if Kim knows something that’s also the something Kevin knows. He watches as her gaze, as if without her permission, slides over towards the detectives of their unit, and Kevin purposefully follows her gaze, watching as Stella and Hailey laugh at something a grinning Severide said while Jay rolls his eyes, though a smirk dances on his lips. And even from where he sits, Kevin sees the way Jay’s eyes linger on Hailey, smirking as he watches her laugh, definitely not at all how just a work partner looks at another partner.
Kevin’s eyebrows raise and he looks back at Kim, but she’s already looking at him, her eyes widening in realization the second their gazes connect. Kim’s jaw drops as she leans forward, gaping at him before hissing, “Do you know something?”
“Do you know something?” he shoots back just as quietly, an air of conspiration brewing between the two of them. Kim narrows her eyes and Kevin suppresses a sigh. He’d been partners with her for too long to know this isn’t a battle he’s going to win. So Kevin discreetly ticks his head over to the bar and asks, “Are Halstead and Upton—”
“Dating?” Kim finishes, that spark of excitement returning in her eyes as a grin grows on her face. She’s practically bouncing in her seat, which is all kinds of amusing. “Oh, my God, yes, I’m pretty sure they are.” She leans forward again, practically half on top of the table. “I accidentally saw a text on Hailey’s phone from Jay a couple weeks ago that tipped me off.”
“Weeks ago?” Kevin rebuts, eyebrows shooting up once more. He glances back at the bar, where Jay is now talking to Matt, leaning his back against the bar as he remains sitting on the stool, arm resting on the countertop, very close to where Hailey’s was. Could mean nothing—but Kevin was looking at them with new eyes. Gaze swinging back to Kim, he asks, “How long do you think they’ve been together?”
“Probably a month or something, I’m guessing,” she says. “Maybe a little longer? They’re good at keeping it under wraps.”
“They’re detectives. Are you surprised?” Kevin quips, smiling into his glass as he takes another sip of his beer. He scoffs then, putting the glass down as Molly’s stays lively around them.
Kim rolls her eyes, tapping her fingers on the table. “Okay, they’re not that good.” She motions a finger between them. “We found out.”
Kevin’s smile widens. “Maybe we should be detectives.”
Raising her glass, Kim clinked her bottle with Kevin’s glass. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
Adam Ruzek
There are three instances that occur that have Adam wondering about the relationship of the two detectives in his unit before his assumption is confirmed.
The first is when they’re at a charity event that Deputy Miller forces all of Intelligence to attend. They’re in their blues, standing tall and proud as Chicago officers, and Adam can’t wait to untuck his shirt, unclip the tie, and sit down for a beer rather than the fancy liquor pouring in the glasses. Adam’s never been one to booze and schmooze, and while he knows the event is for a good cause, he also knows it’s mostly politics and rich people showing off their, well, richness.
He’s walking back into the banquet hall after taking a bathroom break, and he spots Jay and Hailey standing at the bar, talking amongst themselves. When Adam had last caught sight of them, they were pretending to look fascinated by the speeches going on, hiding their boredom well. Now, though, their grins are genuine as they talk. About what, Adam has no clue. But he sees Jay has his phone out, directing the screen towards Hailey as he shows her something, and Adam sees the way Jay’s gaze is fixated on Hailey. He sees the smile that widens his normally stoic buddy as Hailey laughs, shaking her head, and Adam is pretty damn sure Jay’s eyes fucking sparkle.
When the hell was the last time Jay Halstead’s eyes did that?
It’s a small moment, mundane to the unassuming eye, but Adam clocks it in and tucks it away for another time anyway.
The second instance is much more severe, driven by concern and adrenaline. Amidst racing after two persons of interest in a silver Honda, another car had—purposefully—crashed into Jay’s truck, and it’s later when the team realizes that their suspects seem to have a third member in their small home invasion crew, who had crashed into the truck as a distraction. But that’s for them to deal with later.
When Adam arrives on scene in his jeep with Kim in the passenger, he hops out, concerned gaze flickering around. He winces at the sight of the truck, the backseat door on the passenger side done in from the collision. He then looks for his team members, gravel and glass crunching under his boots, and he’s pretty sure he can hear the sound of Jay’s voice over the chatter of the other officers on scene.
“Guys, I’m fine—I’m fine. Let me go check on Hailey.” And then Jay appears, walking around the ambulance he had been treated in, and before Adam can call out his name, he watches as Jay’s quick walk breaks into a jog towards the other ambulance. “Hailey!” he calls, and Adam hears the barely constrained worry and panic in his voice.
Adam slows his walk as Jay approaches the back of the ambulance, Hailey sitting on the edge as she gets treated by a paramedic. From where he stands, Adam sees the cuts on her face, the blood a little cleaned up, blonde hair escaping from her ponytail as she lets herself get treated. But her gaze flickers to Jay as he runs over, and Adam watches as the detective hovers over the other as the paramedic turns away.
“You okay?” Jay asks, green eyes flickering all over her face, and Adam catches the way his jaw clenches at the sight of her cuts. Jay is sporting a few of his own, but Adam knows that Jay knows how lucky Hailey got. The collision had been on her side, and if she comes out of this with only some cuts and bruises, it’s nothing short of a miracle.
“I’m fine,” Hailey nods, head tipped back to look up at him. “What about you?”
Jay scoffs. “Don’t worry about me. You’re the one who took the hit.” And Adam’s eyebrows flicker up as Jay’s hand reaches out, his fingers just barely brushing against her cheek, and Hailey’s leaning into his touch as he eyes the bruises and cuts. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Hailey chuckles softly. “I’m sure,” she nods, giving him a gentle smile that Adam sees relaxes Jay’s shoulders just a little bit. “Sorry about the truck, though,” she adds with a wince.
Jay shakes his head, releasing a sharp breath like he can’t believe she thinks he cares more about his truck than her. His hand goes from her cheek to clasp the back of her neck, and Adam doesn’t miss the way Jay’s thumb brushes against her pulse point, like he needs to feel her heartbeat even though she’s perfectly alive and well in front of him. “I don’t give a shit about the truck,” Jay says, and if Adam wasn’t as close as he now was, he probably would have missed it. “So long as you’re okay.”
And, okay, maybe that’s just partners being partners. Adam would have believed that—if it wasn’t for how the two of them jump apart when he makes himself known, looking like they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t have been. Interesting, indeed.
Finally, the third and last instance is Makayla’s birthday. The weather outside was great, so they invited their unit, all of Makayla’s friends from school, and both Kim and Adam’s sisters and their kids to the park, as per the birthday girl’s request. Picnic tables were set up with loads of food, balloons were dancing in the wind, and the air was filled with the sounds of children screaming and laughing as they played. There’s juice for the kids, beer for the adults, and Adam stands by with a smile on his face as he watches Makayla play with the widest grin.
Everyone has already arrived, Adam notes—or, well, almost everyone. He squints against the sun as he takes a sip of his beer, catching sight of Jay and Hailey crossing the street where his truck is parked, a colorful gift bag in Hailey’s hand as they approach where the party is. The two of them are chatting, laughing animatedly, and Adam thinks nothing of it except that he’s glad they made it. Not that he thought they’d miss it. They love Makayla too much for that.
“Hey, sorry we’re late,” Hailey says breathlessly with a smile as she greets Kim with a hug, while Adam clasps his hand with Jay’s and pulls him in for one, too. “Jay misplaced Makayla’s gift in his ridiculously messy apartment.”
Joint gift, huh?
Adam raises his eyebrows at Jay, amused, while Jay rolls his green eyes and Kim snickers. “Is that why you’re holding onto it for dear life?” she asks teasingly, nodding down to the gift bag in Hailey’s hand.
Before Hailey can answer, Jay pipes in, “She trusts me with her life but not with a gift,” and shoots Hailey an exasperated look for good measure.
That only makes the rest of them laugh as Hailey smiles up at him sweetly, her dimples popping and blue eyes sparkling against the sun. “Gotta draw the line somewhere.”
Jay huffs out a breath, meeting Adam’s gaze and raising his eyebrows pointedly. “I need a beer.”
Adam instantly gestures him over. “Oh, yeah, come on, man,” he says, leading him towards the coolers where the drinks were. He bends down, pulling out a beer for his friend, and as Jay pops it open, Adam inquires, “Do you and Hailey ever arrive anywhere without each other?”
He poses the question innocently, joking in good nature, and Jay’s gaze meets his as he sips his beer before answering with a shrug, “Her place was on the way here from mine.” He shoots Adam a shit-eating grin. “Carpooling’s good for the environment, Ruze.”
They gather around with others, chatting away as they enjoy their drinks and the food that Kim and Adam ordered. At one point, as Adam stands with Jay and Kevin talking, he watches as Makayla runs up to their group, and Adam watches as she runs up to the ladies and exclaims, “Hi, Aunt Hailey!”
Adam smiles as Makayla hugs Hailey, who laughs and returns the hug. “Hi, sweetheart. Happy birthday!” Hailey grins.
The two of them dissolve into a conversation, and when Adam looks away, he sees the way Jay’s gaze is lingering on Hailey and Makayla, and Adam is kind of enthralled by the look in his friend’s eyes. There’s a softness in the detective’s green eyes, a small curling of his lips as he watches Hailey talk with Makayla, the sound of her laughter dancing in the air towards them. Adam’s eyebrows raise and he’s almost certain that there’s nothing that could pull Jay’s gaze away from the blonde of the group.
Adam recognizes the longing on Jay’s face, and he doesn’t know how, but he can tell it’s not a longing for just Hailey, but a desire to have this with her. A kid. A family of his own. Adam realizes, then, that he recognizes the look because he can feel it on his own face whenever he looks at Kim and Makayla, and he has it, in their own special Kim-and-Adam way. And as he looks at Jay, he sees that the longing isn’t a sad kind of thing—it’s hopeful. Like Jay knows that this future is one that is actually in his grasp, the small smile dancing on his mouth.
And Adam knows.
He knows, the confirmation striking him like lightning, that Jay and Hailey are together. And in that moment, the last few months flash across his mind, moments between the two detective partners that Adam glossed over because he thought it was just them being, well, partners—but now he knows those moments seemed softer, more intimate, because they’re partners. The realization of it is, somehow, both surprising but also not. Because Jay and Hailey—they make sense. They balance each other out in the field, and of course that goes home with them, too.
Frankly, if he really thinks about it, he’s not that shocked as he thought he was at first. It really was only a matter of time for Jay and Hailey, wasn’t it? Adam smiles into the lip of his beer bottle as Jay forces his gaze away from Hailey, prompting his eyes to meet Adam’s, and the officer watches as Jay wipes whatever look he wore and replaces it with a stoic look, returning to his conversation with Kevin.
But Adam saw. Adam knows. And even though Jay doesn’t have to say anything, Adam is happy for him, for them.
A couple nights later, the whole unit is at Molly’s, winding down after a case successfully closed. Music plays and chatter is consistent, as always, and Adam’s muscles are eased after a couple of beers. He sits on a high stool at a table with Kim and Hailey, talking about anything but work, ready to leave it behind as they venture home after this.
“I thought this week would never end,” Hailey says with a sigh, running her fingers through her hair. The blonde locks are out of their usual ponytail, falling in waves over her shoulders. “I’m ready to knock out, if I’m being honest.”
She finishes the rest of her drink and Kim raises an eyebrow. “What, already?” she asks, shoulders dropping as she pouts. “Aw, come on, Hail, stay for one more.”
That’s when Kevin and Jay approach them, and Kevin raises an eyebrow as he looks at the blonde of the group. “You’re heading out?”
Hailey smiles up at them, her own shoulders slumping where she sits across Kim and Adam. “Yeah, I’m so tired, you guys,” she tells them apologetically, chuckling lightly.
Jay, who had been watching her, downs the rest of his beer and sets the bottle on the table. “Come on,” he says, nodding his head over to the door. “I’ll drive you.”
Adam’s eyebrows flick up as Hailey offers him a smile, getting off the stool. Her smile widens slightly as she looks at the rest of them and says, “I’ll see you guys in the morning. Have a good night.”
They all offer their goodbyes, and Adam watches as Hailey and Jay walk out, close together to the point their arms press together as they go. Kevin slides into Hailey’s abandoned seat, and once the door closes behind the two detectives, Adam turns to his two remaining friends and declares, “So, those two are definitely together, right?”
Kevin and Kim’s gazes meet for a split second before they nod. Kim’s eyebrows pull together, eyes closing as she puckers her lips and nods knowingly. “Oh, yeah, definitely,” she answers.
Kevin grins at Adam. “Took you this long to figure it out, Ruze? Kim and I found out a while ago.”
Adam’s bewildered at that, looking between the two of them in offense that they discovered this big thing and didn’t tell him about it before he shakes his head. “I wanted to make sure, thanks very much.” He blows out a breath then as the two of them grin, and Adam shakes his head as he raises his eyebrows. “Unbelievable.”
“Is it, though?” Kim hums, quirking an eyebrow. “More like inevitable.”
Kevin nods in agreement. “Definitely inevitable.”
“We can’t say anything to them, though,” Kim says, sitting up as she looks at the two men pointedly. “They’re keeping it low-key for a reason. Let them have that.”
They both nod at that, totally on board. Adam understands. There’s been plenty of in-office dating, himself obviously included, so he gets why Jay and Hailey are keeping their relationship to themselves. And as much as he’d like to tease his two friends about it, he respects them even more to keep quiet, to let them enjoy what they have without other people’s eyes on them, their whispers breaking the barrier that keeps Jay and Hailey secure in their relationship.
Adam smiles into the rim of his beer, taking another sip. If anyone deserves to enjoy the intimacy of a private relationship, it’s Jay and Hailey. They were years in the making, weren’t they?
Inevitable. He mouths the word, smile widening slightly. Yeah—it fits them just right.