#hawstead

How the turntables have turned 🤣

Doctor Charles may have nicknamed Connor ‘Rambo’ the day he rolled into the ED on that stretcher over three years ago, but the truth was: Connor was just a regular - talented - surgeon next to Conrad Hawkins. The newcomer and acting Chief of Emergency had walked into Med as if he owned the place, wearing cargo pants and only half a scrub rather than the usual suits preferred by chiefs of departments. Ethan pegged him as a vet as soon as he saw him and Will was inclined to agree. The question was: why would Gwen Garrett choose to appoint a man that seemed even more reckless than the already established staff to alleviate the ED’s financial situation? It made no sense to Will. Which was what he was saying to Connor when Hawkins joined them at the counter of the nurses’ station:

“Rhodes and Halstead, right?” the man said, holding out his hand. Will took it. “Wouldn’t happen to have a brother who served? A ranger?”

Will’s eyebrows flew up as he studied the almost stranger in front of him.

“As a matter of fact,” he answered, not without hesitation.

A bigger smile stretched Hawkins’ face as he kept his attention on Will while he shook Connor’s hand, who looked more curious than offended.

“Small World,” Hawkins said. “Jay, right?”

“Yeah,” Will replied. He was frowning ever so slightly. “You served with him?”

“Nah. Was a Marine. Only met him in passing.” Hawkins shrugged before a med student called his name and he started walking backward towards a consulting room: “But I never forget a pretty face.”

He winked at Will before he turned around and disappeared behind the curtain while Will stood half-frozen where he stood. He hadn’t seen that one coming. Not that Jay talked much about his time in Afghanistan nor that there was necessarily more to the story than the fact Hawkins thought Jay was… hot or something. After all, Will was aware Jay was good looking and his brother probably had his fair share of admirers. He just didn’t expect an ex-Marine to be so open about something like this.

“I have to be here when you tell Jay about this,” Connor commented.

Which brought Will back to the moment at hand but didn’t spare him from jumping slightly when Maggie appeared next to him:

Coming Soon, probably.

Sooo I hate writing this with so many works on my wip list but I probably won't be posting any Rhodestead (nor Hawstead) fics until january, maybe even february.

I'm still having an affair with Thorki and mostly, sadly, I'm having hardcore MaDD episodes which makes it really freaking hard to write. (+ I may be moving at the beginning of next year for a job).

TW: homophobia (not from main characters)

People were idiots. Jay knew that. He had known for a very long time already but it still amazed him sometimes how dumb they could be. Justin Voight was definitely one of these people. Jay had tried to be nice despite the other guy’s attitude. He really did. But when Voight’s kid walked back into their gym and gave Conrad and him a look before opening his mouth, Jay knew he wasn’t going to be able to let it slide this time. Because it was one thing to ignore the guy’s jealousy regarding his close relationship with Erin and it was another one to accept this particular kind of shit.

“You’ a fag?” Justin said.

And the whole gym seemed to fall silent at his words giving him the first clue he had made a mistake. Jay, who was standing with an arm around Conrad's shoulders and one of his boyfriends wrapped loosely around his back, far from any sort of heavy PDA, watched him as Voight’s kid looked around from the corner of his eyes. Ruzek, Al, and Antonio had fallen silent a few feet away and so had the other guys passing by.

“I’m sorry,” Jay said. “What did you just call me?”

His question was only met by silence until...

“He asked you a question, Justin,” a familiar voice said.

Voight himself was standing behind Erin and his son who turned around to look at his father, an obviously annoyed look on his face.

“In the ring. Both of you. Now,” Voight said after a beat.

“Voight,” Erin tried.

She - and everyone else - knew damn well Justin couldn’t take Jay.

“I said now,” Voight repeated.

And that was how Jay ended up standing in the ring, facing Voight’s son. They circled one another for a moment. Neither of them made the first move. Mostly because Jay didn’t want to lose his job over his boss’ douchebag of a son.

“Stop looking at me, Halstead, and fight already,” Voight added after a beat. “Unless you want me to kick you out.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. When Jay moved, Justin didn’t even see him coming and fell on his ass before he could try and do anything.

“Up, now,” Voight ordered his son.

Jay was exasperated and slightly disappointed. It was the second time that month Will bailed on him despite their plans being supposedly set in stone - aside from work-related emergencies. But Will was ‘tired’... and Jay wanted to call bullshit because, when were they not? Their lifestyles were exhausting. However, he never got to answer Will as someone called his - their - name, a few feet away from where they stood near the nurses’ station. And Jay wasn’t expecting to recognize the man who was walking towards them:

“Hawkins?” he asked despite already knowing the answer.

A bright smile stretched the other vet’s lips as he offered his hand to Jay who took it and rapidly turn the handshake into some sort of half-hug.

“Wasn’t sure you’d remember me,” Hawkins joked.

“Yeah, I don’t usually forget people who patched me up and saved one of my guys in the field,” Jay said, voice filled with sarcasm. “You are working here now?”

As if on cue, someone - non-urgently - called the ex-medic, now doctor’s name and Hawkins started backing towards them, his gaze still focused on Jay:

“Looks like it,” he said. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Yeah, you too,” Jay answered immediately, then paused before he added on a whim after the man turned around and away from him: “Hey, Conrad, wanna grab a drink later?”

“Sure, I’d like that,” Hawkins shot back over his shoulder.

He disappeared into a room a second later but not before addressing another smile and a wink to Jay who couldn’t help but smile as well, mostly amused and maybe, possibly, charmed by the other man’s attitude. Not that he was self-aware enough to notice that last part. All he knew was that his day had taken a turn for the better.

“And he meant that,” Will said.

His brother’s tone more than his words caught Jay’s attention and he frowned slightly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that the first thing he asked me was if I had a brother who happened to be a ranger,” Will replied. “Ranger he remembered because, and I quote, he never forget a pretty face.”

Jay’s eyebrows flew up at that but he kept his body language nonchalant:

“So? I have a pretty face.”

“I’m just giving you a head’s up,” Will said after shaking his head.

“Because you are the relationship expert,” Jay ironized.

I haven't! I know Buck is a character from 911? I haven't seen the show (yet) and I have only seen a handful of episodes of Chicago Fire (I remember liking Severide and Casey as a pairing, back when the show first came out lol also I hate how Severide always talked to Connor on Med 😅) but, I'll keep this in mind for when I come around to watching Fire & 911!