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sheetsonfire · 2 months

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Five Times and A Date

Fandom: Chicago Fire

Pairing: Matt Casey x Reader

Genre: Meet-cute, romance, fluff, drama

Warnings: Trapped underground, brief descriptions of injury

Word Count: 5774

Summary: Five times Matt Casey and the reader meet, and one time they go on a date.

A/N: Part of @resanoona's #resa.3kfiestabingo! This fic fills the "5+1" square! It was going to be my Coffee Shop AU but it took on a different life of its own, haha.

The First Time

The first time you meet Matt Casey, he’s a total stranger.

He’s approaching your spot on the sidewalk, you stand in front of a coffee shop, seemingly looking for a key to get in. He’s about to go past without another thought, but he takes note of the way you’re rifling through your bag, purposeful and desperate. He can hear you muttering to yourself as you come to a terrible realisation.

You let out a disgruntled whine of frustration that was quickly escalating into anger with yourself. You knew this day was coming, and here it was. The loose clasp on your keychain that held all of your work keys had finally come untethered, separating the main door key from the rest of the herd. That key was now nowhere in sight, possibly stuck in your bedroom or by your own front door, or even riding around on the L Train next to someone’s feet.

Now you were left locked outside the coffee shop as the shift opener, with another hour to go until someone else would or could show up. Instantly your brain begins to whir with thoughts of how delayed you and everyone else would be because you hadn't replaced the keychain sooner.

In the midst of your internal anger, you hear a quiet clearing of a throat, with hesitant footsteps approaching closer. You spin sharply to glare at the stranger who had intruded on your spot outside the shop, this morning of all mornings.

At first glance, your brain rather embarrassingly notes, perhaps too fast, how handsome the stranger is. Neatly kept hair, kind eyes and a disarming air about him, his hands already out in a placating kind of gesture.

“Good morning, uh, couldn’t help but notice you seem stressed. Are you locked out?” He asks, and it feels like you’re talking to Captain America himself, he’s polite and apparently eager to help.

Of course, you can’t know for a certainty that this stranger is any of the things your sleep-deprived and underpaid brain is telling you he is, especially in such a short space of time. You sigh, hesitating before you answer.

“I might be… Who’s asking, and how do you know I’m not trying to break in?” You’re defensive and you don’t know why, it was hardly the man’s fault you were in your major pickle. Besides, the soft smile and hint of amusement on his face really didn’t scream ‘nuisance’.

The stranger scratches the back of his head, looking for an answer that would satisfy your scepticism.

“Well, uh, I’m Matt Casey, I’m a firefighter over at Firehouse 51, and I happen to work construction on the side - so I know a few things about locks like those.” He points to the door that remained firmly locked and shut, its lack of openness mocking you silently as you hoist your bag back up your shoulder, the rest of your keys clutched in your fist.

Matt, as you now know him, continues, “As for how I know you’re not breaking in, well, no offence but if you’re a thief working in broad daylight, with no mask, walking around in hospitality clogs that aren’t great for running, and you’re trying to break in with keys you apparently know won’t work? That’s kinda weird.” He shrugs, smiling in a slightly teasing fashion.

You roll your eyes, allowing yourself a noise of amusement. He had several points and you weren’t going to deny the man any of them. The laughter bubbles out of you before you know it, covering your face with your palm in slight embarrassment. Your defensiveness had gotten the better of you, and you can’t find it in yourself to keep giving this guy a hard time.

Matt seemed genuine, looking him up and down you could see that he was indeed in station gear, wearing what looked to be a CFD jacket with a goat on the emblem.

You’re about to say something when he nods his head across the street, “That’s my truck over there, it has my construction details on the side…Just in case you wanted to take down the info. I appreciate being approached by a stranger whilst you’re alone at 6 am isn’t exactly a comforting prospect.” He stops talking, and then, “Sorry, now I feel like I’m trying too hard to earn your trust, I’ll just-” He moves to walk away, giving you extra space.

Instantly you don’t want him to go, there’s some kind of pull in your mind that seems to mean more than the need for an emergency locksmith.

“Matt.” You blurt, stopping his worried ramble. “Matt, is it?” He nods, and you hold your hand up in apology.

“Sorry, yeah, you caught me off guard but I can see you’re just trying to help, and I’m so desperate to get into this godforsaken building, I’ll take whatever help’s passing.” Your lips turn up into your own teasing smile, “Besides, there’s like a bajillion cameras around here, and how could you have possibly known I’d be here unless it was pure luck?” You stop, then, “Great, now I’m overtalking.”

There’s a pause between you both, locking eyes with each other as you smile stupidly. Matt can feel his cheeks heat up ever so slightly at your scrutiny, he shakes his head with a chuckle, “Start over?”

You share the laughter, shaking your head at the both of you. “Start over.”

Matt clears his throat, gesturing to the door behind you, “So, I couldn’t help but notice you’re locked out. Need help?”

You’re enjoying this little charade, but then you feel a flurry of panic in your stomach, realising you don’t have the cash to pay for the work. “I think I’d really appreciate that, Matt, but I’d have to figure out payment, so-”

Your new acquaintance very quickly protests, “Hey, come on, who said anything about money? Now that would be an ass move, offering my help and presenting you with a bill after? Not my style.” He stops, realising he hasn’t got your name in return. “What’s your name, if I can ask?”

“Oh! Sorry, yeah, it’s uh, it’s Y/N.” You offer, realising that with every passing exchange you’re finding Matt extremely approachable.

“Okay, Y/N, nice to meet you. Let me just get my tool bag, alright? See what we’re working with.” He offers a reassuring smile now.

“Nice to meet you, Matt. Thanks, that would be great.”

You exhale, feeling excited that your problem was going to be over soon, folding your arms over your chest as you watch him move to the truck. Already deciding you would thank your saviour with hot coffee, a sweet treat and an invite to come back any time, on the house.

The Second Time

The second time you see Matt Casey is on the local news saving a kid from a high-rise building in a very daring rope rescue. Of course in his brief interview with the news crew, he is reluctant to take the applause or gratitude, drawing attention to his fellow firefighters and the joint effort all of their work requires.

You kick yourself for not getting Matt’s number after he had sorted out the lock, it wasn’t as though you didn’t have the chance when he was sitting at a table with you, drinking coffee and indulging in the raspberry and vanilla creme danish you’d given him.

You consider swinging by his Firehouse, but you’re not really sure what you’d say or do. You thought there had been some kind of rapport there when you’d first met, but your self-confidence had since dwindled, enough that you felt you couldn't justify the visit without feeling like a stalker.

You sigh as you taste the pasta sauce in your pan, checking for the right amount of flavour and seasoning. If the universe gave you another opportunity to see Matt Casey in the flesh, you’d get his number.

The Third Time

The third time you see him it’s in a way that had not even remotely been on your wheel of fortune. You were trapped in a derailed subway car, with no major injuries but pretty banged up. There's a sizeable lump on your forehead and a gash on your arm that wouldn’t quit leaking blood. It was a less-than-ideal end to your shift.

“Fire Department! Call out, and let us know where you are if you can!” At first, his voice is just a voice, you’re not totally focused on him in the haze of darkness and smoke, haphazardly thrown between two sets of seats, besides the smashed glass of a window.

The sound of people’s distress and the emergency alarms in the tunnel are a distraction. The lights on the firefighter helmets feel like alien beams coming down the subway car to take you back to the mothership.

“Fire Department, call out!” There that voice is again, why did it make your stomach flip? Why did it make you feel safe?

Oh. Oh. Yeah. He’s a firefighter, that’s Matt!

“Matt?” You try calling out, realising you hadn’t spoken since before the accident. Your voice crackles in the hubbub, making you inaudible. You try again.

“Casey, I’m here! Matt?!” You cough in the smoke, wincing with a small groan as you knock your arm against one of the support poles, aggravating the swollen and stinging flesh.

There’s a beat of silence, only the sounds of machinery and boots stomping, and then, “Y/N? Is that you? Y/N, call out!”

“Here!” You try again, your voice is loud but strained.

The boot steps are moving faster now, until a frantically moving beam of light lands on your face, moving quickly out of your eye line when Matt realises he's burning your retinas.

His worried eyes look you over, noticing the grease and grime as well as the blood, the bruising on your face and forehead is apparent. He crouches in front of you, gentle gloved hands outstretched to assess quickly. “Y/N, where else are you injured? Can you stand?”

Your voice shakes, the adrenaline of everything that had transpired firing your thoughts a mile a minute, the reality of the situation sinks in now that a familiar and caring face was in front of you. “Uh, j-just my head and my arm, I think, they’re the worst. I think I could stand.”

Matt nods, gently squeezing your shoulder. “Listen, Y/N, I have to keep looking for people, but my buddy Otis is gonna help you get out of here and to safety, okay?” He nods over at another firefighter, the one you assume is Otis.

You wished Matt was coming with you, but you weren’t so totally wrapped up in your desire to be close to him to protest or show your need. Whoever Matt trusted, you trusted.

Brian, or ‘Otis’ as he was apparently nicknamed, was fun to talk to, he had kept you distracted from looking at any of the horrors in the other subway cars or on the track. All in all, a very sweet guy who made sure you felt safe and supported the entire journey through the tunnel, eventually handing you off to the paramedics with minimal stress or jostling.

When you’re in your treatment room at Chicago Med you spot Matt talking to some of the nurses and doctors in the ED. You smile to yourself, your nerves somewhat ebbing away at the sight of him, he made you feel calm and protected without even trying.

As if he could sense your eyes on him, he happens to look up and right at you sitting on the bed with your arm now patched up. You were waiting for the results of your CT scan to come back. Dr Halstead had assured you it was probably nothing to worry about but he needed to be sure.

Before you know it Casey had made his way across the ED and was now standing in your treatment room, again checking you over with eyes full of worry.

“You okay?” He asks, stepping in closer to you, almost on the verge of reaching to hold your hand.

His face is also smudged with smoke, he had stayed another hour after your rescue looking for victims and helping with debris, before being told to take a break and check in at Med.

You nod. Not really sure what to say, your lip wobbles. You were okay by all accounts, your arm had been stitched, and you were getting treatment for your head, but at the same time, it had been a pretty freaky experience.

The next thing you know you’re tucked in the embrace of Matt, your tears soaking into his jacket as your body trembles. The shock of everything escaping in one fell swoop. He’s warm, a steady palm rubbing in soothing circles on your back, soft hushes “You’re okay, it’s alright.” as you sniff.

“I’m…sorry…I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” You half laugh and half cry some more, looking up at him as he remains holding you, feeling silly for crying in front of him.

His face is serious, making sure you understand, “Hey, you don’t need to be sorry, it happens in situations like this, okay? You don’t need to feel embarrassed, Y/N, trust me.” Offering you a reassuring smile as he squeezes your shoulders.

“I do.” You murmur, looking up at him.

“Do?” He asks, confused.

“Trust you.” You state with a weary smile, your heart lurching in your chest, not sure why you just let that out of your mouth. You could at least hopefully put it down to your scrambled brain.

His face breaks into his own smile now, eyes lighting up at the comment, he’s about to say something else to you when a man with a salt and pepper head of hair pops around the curtain, another firefighter. “Case, we gotta head back out, let’s roll.” The head disappears again and Matt turns back to you, apologising with a dismayed expression.

“I’m sorry, I-”

You smile through your still watery eyes, sniffing. “It’s okay, you go, I’ll be totally fine, thank you for everything, Matt. Seriously.” You reassure, giving him a gentle nudge in the direction of the exit.

“Be safe,” You instruct, giving him a stern look. He nods, amusement on his face at your bossy well-wishing as he leans in to give you a small kiss on your cheek.

He utters a soft, “See you around, Y/N.” before leaving you sitting awestruck with goosebumps rushing across your skin.

It’s when you get home in the early hours of the morning that you realise you still don't have Matt’s number.

The Fourth Time

The fourth time you and Matt cross paths is back at the coffee shop, it had been a few weeks since your subway incident. This time he’s in his construction gear, much like the station gear and the turnout gear he looked handsome and ready to help anyone in need.

This time, however, you’re not locked out, nor are you stuck underground. With all of your tasks up to date and a little in the way of custom, you arrive at the conclusion you’re bored out of your mind.

The sight of Matt in his slightly worn jeans, heavy tan boots, and a navy blue plaid shirt is already causing an uptick in your rating of today. His lighter tufts of blonde hair peeking out from his beanie, and the dark brown jacket with the borg collar altogether make him look like the cosiest lumberjack in the middle of Chicago. Something you would neither confirm nor deny finding extremely attractive.

He enters with purpose, already looking around for something or someone, and it’s beyond your control to not feel the butterflies scatter in your stomach when his eyes land on you. Not missing the way he smiles excitedly as he moves in your direction.

He eyes the few customers dotted around the space, noting they were already sipping from their respective mugs and cups. “Hey! You’re here, I was hoping to catch you. How’s the arm and the head?”

You lean forward on the counter, helpless to not return the excited energy. You had been wondering when you’d see him again, if ever. You always expected the next time to maybe be the last time, just a fleeting stranger who made your heart race. You kicked yourself for not getting his number the first time and then again forgetting on the third time, this time was going to be the moment, the universe was clearly trying for you.

“Hey! I am indeed here, and I’m glad you caught me. The head and arm are good, nothing to complain about. How’re you?” Your bruises are fainter now, your head only slightly discoloured from the swelling and bruising, but otherwise okay. Your arm was beginning to scab over.

Something about Matt Casey made you so inherently giddy, and you didn’t mind in the least when he moves in closer to keep the conversation just between you.

“I’m just glad to see you're okay, and I'm good, I’m just doing some work on a house around the corner. Thought I’d visit my favourite person…” Matt realises instantly how it comes out, trying to recover, “My favourite person who makes coffee.” He laughs awkwardly, feeling the squeeze in his chest as he becomes a little self-conscious.

“Oh, just your favourite coffee maker, huh? And here I thought, after what we’ve been through, that we were ready to become good friends.” You know he didn’t mean to let it come out so strangely, but there’s still a slight pang of disappointment when he recovers. Yet, you still choose to tease him, deciding that was a more entertaining option.

“Sorry, Y/N. Sometimes my mouth doesn’t work. Of course, I was happy to see you, and to get coffee from you, two separate positives to my day.” He exhales, eyes rolling at himself in a comical manner. You let out a small snort, giggling.

“Matt, seriously, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself every time we talk. You’re doing better than 90% of the people that interact with me on a daily basis. What can I get you?”

Matt grins, eyes twinkling, “I’ll have a latte please, one pump vanilla if that’s okay… and only 90%?” He quips.

You pretend to think about the question, “Hm… okay, I can be pushed to 93%.” You grin as Matt chuckles, riding the confident wave you were on, slotting the handle beneath the grinder as you talk, “Might even be persuaded to 98% if you finally give me your number.”

Matt’s eyes widen, his smile permanently affixed to his face. Your smile drops, however, realising he may not want to give out that information, so now it’s you who hurriedly corrects yourself, “Only if you want to of course.” You flatten down the grounds with the press, smoothing them off before putting the handle into the coffee machine itself, letting the shot pour into Matt’s cup. You move to steam the milk ready for the coffee.

This prompts Matt to snap out of his excited trance, “No, no! Sorry, Y/N, of course, I want to give you my number, I was just surprised that you’d want it, is all.”

“Why is that so surprising?” You ask, raising an eyebrow inquisitively, adding the vanilla to the coffee before pouring the milk.

“Well…” He hesitates, scratching at his neck subconsciously.

You let out a slight noise of amusement, Matt had never been so shy around you. “You can say whatever it is.” You slide the cup towards him, ignoring his attempt to pay with a push of your hand against his, shaking your head. “Go on, say what you were gonna say.” You encourage, resuming giving him your attention as you lean forward with your arms resting on the counter.

“Well, most people we meet will come to find us if we’ve made an impact on them. Whether we rescued them, a family member or otherwise, they, uh… they usually stop by the Firehouse. So I figured maybe I was picking up the wrong signals, I didn’t want to presume that because I did you a favour that you’d want to see me again. Otherwise, you’d have had my number since the first time we met.”

Your eyebrows go up in surprise. You thought you'd felt something there, but you never realised just how on your level Matt was.

“The first time, huh?” You repeat.

“Yep, the first time.” He answers, sincere with a glint of something mischievous in his eyes.

You’re about to ask the question when the door opens and a group of 6 pile in towards the counter. You struggle to not sigh loudly and exasperatedly.

Really? Now? Come on.

Matt reaches out to press something in your hand, picking up his coffee cup with the other as he begins to depart from your company.

“See you around, Y/N, let me know if you’re free later?” He shifts out of the way to let the group approach you, smiling apologetically as you give him a small wave. You quickly look down at the small business card Matt had pressed into your hand, it had his construction information on it.

More importantly, it had his number on the back.

The Fifth Time

The fifth time you meet Matt is outside his firehouse on an off-duty day, there were various cars and trucks parked along the street with a hubbub of chatter just to the side of the entrance.

Among the small crowd, you could see foam fingers in the shape of blue and orange bear faces, blue and orange balloons and a variety of jerseys and t-shirts sporting the Chicago Bears logo. This was the meeting point before travelling together to Soldier Field.

Matt had invited you to a game with his friends, all of them from first responder backgrounds. There were plans for a pre-game meetup, a barbeque and then the game itself, complete with post-match drinks. A spare ticket had become available and you were his first point of call. Or rather, text.

You had been texting for the last week or so, discussing your days, your interests, things you had both been wanting to try or places you wanted to visit. It was going well, and it made you all the more optimistic when you got the game invite.

As you approach the party on the sidewalk, you hear his voice bright and excited. “Hey, Y/N! You made it.” Matt jogs over to greet you as you wave, wearing an old Bears jersey you’d found at a thrift store, complete with a navy cap and sunglasses on a wonderfully sunny day in the city. He brings you in for a hug and you get a waft of his aftershave and sun-soaked skin, his embrace is secure and comfortable, and you smile into his shoulder as you give him a small squeeze.

You pull back with a grin, “Hey, Matt. It’s good to see you.”

He winks, making your heart skitter, “It’s good to see you too. I’m so glad you’re here. I want you to meet some people.” You’re still reeling at how happy he seems to have you around, putting a gentle hand on your back as he guides you to the small crowd of laughing and joking people.

You rode with Matt in the front of his truck, he had all of the BBQ equipment and some chairs loaded onto the truck bed. Both of you discussed the day ahead, what your game predictions were, what you wanted to do after the game, and what you thought of Matt’s friends.

There were only positive things to say about the group, each of them had been so kind and welcoming already. Stella and Kelly had been especially sweet, but you really liked meeting Matt’s friends from the CPD. Hailey and Kim were practically making moves to adopt you as their companion for the day, instead of allowing Matt to keep your company.

Now you were hanging out with the others, nestled into their part of the parking lot.

You thanked Hailey as she passed you a sweetcorn tamale from Mama Garcia’s van, holding it in your mouth as you caught Jay’s throw of the football, passing the ball to Matt as you take a second to eat the tamale properly, laughing at Kelly’s disgruntlement as he watches everyone suddenly eating before his BBQ was ready.

Just as you receive another throw from Jay you hear a commotion coming from behind Matt, brows furrowed in confusion and worry as you start to hear screaming. Watching as everyone from your group downs tools go to investigate, following their instincts as responders. You can only watch with concern as you keep an eye on everyone’s things, trying to figure out what was happening without getting in the way.

It takes a while for anything else to happen, feeling anxious at the crowd that had followed Matt towards the incident.

You started to hear a few people talk about “some guy” looking dead, and that he looked really sick before he fell to the floor. Watching with a gnawing feeling in your gut that something could be deeply wrong, especially as you started to see police, fire and ambulance services trying to move in on the crowd and disperse the congregation.

Eventually, you see Kevin heading back in your direction, jogging towards you.

“Hey, uh, Y/N. We’re really sorry but we got something serious going on. Casey said to make sure you could get a ride home, and he said he’d call you as soon as he could.”

“What’s happening, Kevin?” You ask, your fear carrying in your voice.

Kevin scrubs a hand at his beard, his eyes filled with an emotion that seemed to be his own trepidation that he was trying to keep under wraps. “We don’t know yet, Y/N, it’s not looking too good but I can’t say much more than that. Are you good to get back home?”

You nod, swallowing, “Yeah, yeah, of course. I can find my way back, it’s not a problem. Just be safe out there, okay?” You reach out, squeezing your new friend’s arm.

He rests a hand on your shoulder, “Stay safe, don’t go near anybody that you think looks sick, just call 911 and let someone come. If there’s anything you need, call Casey or me, alright?”

There was something on Kevin’s face that told you it had become all too real too fast, even for him and the others who were used to it. You could only confirm with an “Okay, Kevin, I will.” before he gets called back to the crowd of responders, disappearing from your view.

Matt is nowhere in sight and your stomach squeezes in anxiousness, you knew he would throw himself into danger if it meant helping others. You were worried for everyone caught up in whatever was going on, but you were particularly fearful for Matt’s safety. You hadn’t realised just how much he already mattered to you until now.

It’s almost a day and a half before you hear from Matt properly again. You had seen on the news about the serious bacteria affecting so many people in the city, about the labs that had suffered damage. You knew Matt, Fifty-One and everyone else would be on the front lines of dealing with whatever was rife in Chicago.

There had been little option other than to hunker down in your apartment and hope for the best. You had received a text from Matt the night before, reassuring you that he was alright. It had gone some way to alleviate your relentless pacing and sighing.

Now your phone buzzes again, and you feel another exhale of relief escape you.

{Matt}: Hey, I think we’re coming out the other side of this thing. The people responsible have been apprehended. I’m sorry our date got ruined, let’s make plans soon if you want? Hope you’re okay, Y/N.

{You}: Hey! Thank you for letting me know you’re alright, I’ve been driving myself crazy. I’m okay, just relieved this might finally be over. I want you to be safe, and I want your friends to be safe too. Of course, I’d love to make plans. Maybe we can call later, to talk about ideas? No rush, whenever’s good for you.

P.S. Didn’t realise the game was a date. But I’m so ready for a new date that has no infections involved, ha!

{Matt}: Well, it was meant to be a pre-date date, ha, didn’t go to plan though. Glad to hear I haven’t totally put you off with the chaos. Would love to call you later. Thank you for being so understanding, my friends all love you. Glad they can see what I see.

{You}: Put me off? After our already hectic start, our underground adventure and now the last few days? I think we’re good, cowboy. I know you’re out there being a brave and generous person, not much to hate about that. I’m so relieved your friends like me, and I really like them. I can see why you all get on so well. Talk to you later, Lieutenant.

You’re not surprised when Matt doesn’t reply to your text, you knew he was still tying up loose ends. You simply potter around your apartment, occasionally re-reading the messages as you start to see the foundations between you and Matt cement themselves. It makes you crave it all the more, so keen to know all of him and keen to share yourself with him in return.

A Date

The sixth time you meet Matt Casey is at a restaurant by the river, it’s an official first date with him.

He’s in a grey button-down and dark jeans, a black jacket and boots, ones that aren’t steel-toed or covered in paint. His hair is neatly styled as always, and there’s a glint in his eyes to match the warm, bright, smile he sends your way as you approach him outside the restaurant.

This time you move confidently in for the hug, squeezing him tight as you relish his warmth and presence, thankful he seemed to be healthy and in good spirits. As you stay in the embrace you feel yourself melt a little, almost happy to stay in it for the rest of the night.

“Hi.” Matt greets, chuckling softly when you reach to kiss his cheek, finding himself reciprocating almost instantly.

“Hi.” You breathe, your own amusement clear on your face. The giddiness was palpable.

“Let’s try this again shall we?” Matt inquires, offering his arm to link with yours.

“Let’s.” You nod, tucking yourself against Matt as you walk the steps to the front door of the restaurant.

Matt drinks beer, and you choose from an array of cocktails. Both of you find a merry buzz as you catch up on each other’s lives from the past few days.

You shared your love of baking with him, regaling him of how you’d started stress-making brownies, cookies and cupcakes when you’d seen the news, now having entirely too much cake for one person. It led to a promise to bring some of your goods to the firehouse for the others.

Matt shares his interest in cooking, you can tell from the way he talks that food had become a way of inspiring camaraderie at the firehouse and at home. His enthusiasm told you of the love language that it was for him, something you made a mental note of.

You also get to hear about his adventures fishing with his Chief and Kelly, making you laugh at the times they’d either caught something totally bizarre or tipped one another overboard.

He tells you of his upcoming construction projects, one of them being a community project that he had started up to help a victim that they’d rescued on a call last month. You wasted no time in offering your services to help, whether that was going on coffee runs, fetching, carrying or painting, you were happy to be there.

The night flies by in a blur of free-flowing conversation, sincerity and intimacy, finding yourselves to be one of the last pairs in the restaurant before closing time.

As you walk hand in hand along the river, you’re drawn to sidle close to your date, enjoying how he wraps his arm around your shoulder and pulls you in. Bringing you to sit on a bench facing the river that reflects the twinkling lights of the city.

“It goes without saying that I really enjoyed tonight, Y/N. Thank you for being here.”

You wrap yourself around Matt’s waist, it felt natural to be in his personal space and have him in yours. Resting your head on his shoulder, “You don’t need to thank me, Matt, this was the loveliest first date I’ve ever been on.”

Matt glances at you, a smug smile on his face. “Oh yeah?”

You shrug, already half laughing as you speak, “Absolutely. Would recommend totally recommend on TripAdvisor.”

It gets Matt chuckling, “I’m not sure my date services are for the public.”

You lift your head, looking at him with something akin to being smitten, “Well, that’s their loss, my gain.”

Matt nods, confirming, “Oh, it’s all yours, Y/N. If you want it to be, you’ve got exclusive access.”

“I think I’ll take it.” You sigh happily, putting your head back on his shoulder.

Your stomach flutters when you feel his lips press to the top of your head, “Sold.”

Between the back and forth of playful talk, there’s that telltale moment for anyone about to kiss. The cold of the air shows the warmth of your breaths, both of you inching together on the bench as your thighs press to each other.

Matt glances at your mouth, and you at his. Dipping your heads to meet each other’s lips in a slow, wanting, kiss. Finally allowing this time to be your time together, with no interruptions, no dramas, and no chaos.

As you break away, cupping Matt’s cold cheek with your warm hand, you think about your work key and the first time you’d met the man in front of you. Thanking the loose clasp on your keychain in the past, you move in for another kiss in the present, relishing the times you’d got to meet Matt Casey and hopeful of all the other times ahead.

Fin.

tags: @resanoona @dumb-fawkin-bitch @elius-learns-to-write

#i'm reblogging my own fic because i just re-read it and you know what??#GOOD JOB ME

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sheetsonfire · 9 months

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Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Requested: no

Summary: Jay notices something is wrong with Y/N's mood over the phone

Word Count: 1.5K+

Tags/Warnings: mentions of (workplace) harassment

A/N: I know I haven't written in months so starting off slow/small to see if maybe I haven't lost my touch... also @halsteadlover may have threatened me to post this.

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

You glanced at the last message Jay had sent you a few hours earlier and smiled.

You got this.

Three simple words that somehow warmed your heart even though you were miles away in another city.

You rarely had to travel for work even though you’d worked as a translator at this company for some time. You mostly dealt with inbound foreign clients who came to Chicago but this time, they’d needed a translator for a conference outside Chicago and you were the only available one. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far so you didn’t even have to take a flight and the company had arranged for a car for you to get there.

Which was all too well, since Jay had also had his hands full and had to go undercover for a few days.

So it was even more heartwarming to see the message from Jay when you hadn’t really been expecting a reply.

Even though you had only seen the message after the conference, it still felt comforting to feel the last dredges of work nerves and anxiety leave your system.

“Y/N, come on.” One of your colleagues from another team called out to you and you stuffed your phone back into your pocket, before following her toward the private room of the restaurant where you were all supposed to be having dinner with a huge client.

You didn’t even like having social dinners with people you weren’t close with, not to mention dinners like this.

Dinner had barely started when you were proven right.

“Thanks to your team, the conference went very well.” The client smiled, looking around. “Of course, we have to thank Y/N for ensuring all communication went smoothly.”

You’d just smiled when you felt his hand slide onto yours from under the table and the smile froze on your face.

Instinctively, you pulled your hand away, bringing your hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and grabbing your jacket from behind you and draping it around you, smiling.

“Just doing my job, Mr. Saunders.”

You saw the look on his face and knew he’d taken offense, ridiculous as it was.

You chose to ignore it, pretending like nothing had happened. After all, he’d probably have gotten the hint.

He hadn’t.

The client made a few more passes at you - a hand on your knee, trying to take your hand again, and the most outrageous one was holding up food to feed you in front of everyone.

The action wasn’t lost on everyone who was there but no one spoke up.

You swallowed. “I’ll help myself.”

It was like something snapped in him and he glanced at you coldly and said, “Guess if you’re not hungry, you should go out and wait for everyone to finish.”

You glanced helplessly at your team manager who gave you a look to ask you not to make things worse than they already were.

You gritted your teeth but bit back any sort of response, getting up and leaving the room, a mix of anxiety, humiliation, self-doubt, and every other negative emotion swirling in the pit of your stomach.

Jay sighed, stretching as he sat up from the couch.

The apartment was uncharacteristically quiet since you were away for work.

Jay looked up at the clock. It was slightly past 10 which was weird because he hadn’t heard back from you.

Getting up to get himself a glass of water, Jay glanced at his messages before he decided he’d try and call. Even if you were still with your colleagues, you could probably still answer the phone since the conference was over.

There were two rings before you answered.

“Hey, still having fun with your colleagues?”

There was a slight pause before you answered.

“Jay.”

Jay frowned, immediately picking up on the fact that something was wrong.

“Y/N? What’s going on? You okay?”

Jay’s voice was gentle and so comforting, you felt the prick of tears again.

You cleared your throat. Honestly, crying on the street in the middle of the night was the last thing you wanted to do. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Have you eaten?” Jay’s worried voice sounded through the phone.

You smiled to yourself even as a tear escaped and slid down your cheek.

“Yeah, told you there was good food waiting for me after the conference.”

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” Jay pressed.

You shook your head even though he couldn’t see you. “I’m fine. I just… miss you.” You managed to keep your voice steady.

“I’ll come and get you,” Jay answered.

“Jay, it’s late and you probably haven’t had enough sleep for the past few days. I’ll take the earliest bus out to Chicago tomorrow.”

You heard the reluctance in his voice even though he agreed and after reassuring him not to worry, you hung up.

The wind felt even colder now as you sat by the side of the road, your carrier bag sitting next to you.

Technically you had another night at the hotel but you hadn’t felt like staying there for even a second longer. Other than the fact that the client knew exactly which room you were in, your team manager had left a message for you berating you for how you’d handled the situation which made you even more disgusted than you already were.

You didn’t know how long you sat there but as you felt it turn colder you thought you should get up and maybe find somewhere else to sit for the night. You didn’t care if you had to sit up all night at a 24-hour cafe but you weren’t going back to the hotel.

You’d barely gotten to your feet, reaching for your carrier when a familiar truck pulled up right before you.

You froze, as Jay appeared right before you like magic.

“Jay… you…”

Jay’s green eyes appeared even brighter than usual as he looked at you with a mix of exasperation and worry. “I came to take you home.”

You’d clearly been sitting out here for longer than you thought, but it didn't matter because when Jay finished speaking you felt the tears well up in your eyes as the security that Jay always made you feel flooded through your entire body and finally gave you enough courage to cry.

Jay stepped forward, wordlessly enveloping you into his arms.

You dissolved into sobs as you felt his arms around you and he pressed you gently into his embrace, his hand over the back of your head protectively. Jay didn’t say anything, just standing there quietly with you in his arms until your sobs gently died down.

"I…”

Jay pressed his lips against your temple and whispered, “Let’s go home.”

Jay didn’t ask you anything on the way home, and you must have fallen asleep because the next thing you knew Jay was pulling into the parking lot in front of your building and your stomach gave a tiny rumble as Jay killed the engine.

You glanced at him and Jay just let out a chuckle.

“Come on, I’ll order us a pizza and you can get comfortable.”

By the time you got out of the shower, the pizza was here and you got comfortable on the sofa as Jay handed you a slice and curled in next to you.

You didn’t say anything and Jay didn’t push you as you finished your first slice before you glanced up at him.

“I’m sorry.” You said in a low voice.

Jay raised an eyebrow.

“You must be exhausted.” You added.

There was a silence which made you look up and you felt the rare surge of insecurity from not being able to read the look on Jay’s face.

“Did you think I’d be able to go to sleep when I could hear how upset you were?” Jay said quietly. “Y/N, listen. You don’t have to worry about asking me to go out of my way for you. In fact, if it was possible, I hope you’d always do it. I’d go to the moon and back for you if you needed me to.”

You felt the tears well up in your eyes again, this time from an overwhelming feeling of being loved by someone.

Jay just quietly pressed his lips against your temple.

You leaned into him, the rest of the pizza slices forgotten on the table.

“Will you tell me what happened?”

You bit your lip, sitting up a little before you recounted what had happened that night as vaguely as possible, with bare details.

Even so, you could literally hear Jay grinding his teeth beside you.

You glanced at him. “Jay.”

“I’ll kill him. I will literally break his hands.”

You snuggled back into his side. “No, you won’t.” You mumbled. “But I needed to hear that.”

Jay sighed and pulled you tighter against him. “You did the right thing, you know that right? No matter what anyone says.”

You nodded without looking up and Jay patted the back of your head gently, ruffling your hair gently in the process.

You leaned deeper into Jay’s embrace before turning your head up gently to glance at him.

Jay smiled and leaned down to press his lips gently against yours. The negative feelings of the entire night were long gone because you were right where you belonged - home with Jay.

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

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#omg i needed this I'm gonna go cry now because i miss jay so much #resa's fics #deanstead #!!! SO CUTE AS ALWAYS !!!

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