There's some mild innuendo, but otherwise, just a short Valentine's drabble for you all.

(Credit to the creators of Chicago P.D. where it's due.)

"You know, I think he planned this," Jay remarked after a lengthy silence during which Erin scarfed down her half of the pad thai takeout—despite the fact that it had gone stone-cold long ago.

Quirking a brow at him in question, Erin waited for her partner to expound on his aimless thought while she chewed, knowing he would, given enough time.

"Voight. I think he actually paid someone to get in contact with one of our most wanted, just so we would have to put a twenty-four-hour watch on him and work through the weekend." The smile pulling at the corner of his mouth betrayed his attempt at seriousness, but the fact that he'd started this line of conversation at all meant something was on his mind.

"Why, you have plans?" Erin questioned, humor of her own rising as she shifted around to watch Jay's expression. She was quite aware of the date and had figured her spontaneous planner of a partner would have something up his sleeve.

Getting him to admit what they were, however—

Jay afforded her a glance out of the corner of his eye but didn't lower the binoculars in his hand. His tone was conversational when he continued, "I'll have you know that I got reservations for us at Coco Pazzo tonight, but it would seem that someone's dad isn't a fan of the occasion. Which is a pity, because I even got a nice suit out."

Warmth washed through Erin, surprising in its intensity. She was expecting him to come out with burgers and a movie, at best, not an upscale restaurant deserving of formal dress. It was a challenge to hide just how pleased she was, even over cancelled plans. "Coco Pazzo? Really?"

"Yeah," Jay's voice had quieted but his smile was easy. He reached for the camera to snap a few shots, the shutter clicking a half-dozen times. "You deserved a night out to dress up and not be a cop for a few hours. Just my girl."

Erin leaned across the 300's partition to prop her chin on his shoulder with a subdued hum. "It would've been a really nice evening, Jay. I'm sorry it didn't work out."

Affection warmed his gaze as Jay freed a hand to brush a touch along her cheek, fingertips rough against her skin for an achingly short moment before he refocused on the night club they were watching. Erin could feel his vague but simmering frustration with the situation.

Jay caught her momentary grimace and offered a consolatory smile. "On the bright side, we get an all expenses paid evening to ourselves, complete with dinner and a show."

Snorting, Erin pulled away to relieve the twinge in her back at the weird angle and settled into the passenger's seat again, rooting around through the space at her feet for Jay's leftover fried rice. "Saving to eat later" and leftover were basically the same thing, right? "The least Hank could've done was send us inside to scope the place out. At least then I could've had your hands on me and still gotten paid for it."

His groan was telling and the binoculars dropped by a couple of inches as he shot her an unamused look. "Come on, really? It's hard enough to focus already."

Erin grinned, knowing it was unfair but not quite caring—it was nice to be remind them both that she could get under his skin. "What? I thought you'd appreciate the thought."

"Perhaps too much, considering the setting," Jay grumbled, handing her the camera. "Do your job and maybe tonight will be over a little bit quicker."

Accepting the photographing equipment, Erin lifted it to her eye to adjust the lens to the new angle, but couldn't help the amusement still playing on her lips.

A companionable silence settled between them and Erin let it linger, content to just be in the same space. After the last few weeks, dealing with Yates, the emotional toll that had taken, it was a relief to feel normal again. She wasn't sure when normal had become time with Jay, either on or off the job, but she wasn't going to complain.

Their shift lasted until five AM, when Ruzek and Alvin showed up in a beater car to replace them. Jay meandered over to them to give them an update on who they'd seen through the night while Erin maneuvered across the partition to reset the 300 so she could drive.

It was another two hours before Erin trudged up the stairs to her apartment building, Jay pacing along at her side with his thumb hooked through the back belt hole of her jeans. Normally, she would poke him in the side until he let go, but considering she couldn't quite see straight, the presence of his hand at the base of her spine was helping her walk in a straight line.

Erin leaned against Jay in the elevator, her front pressed to his as she sought the proximity that they'd been denied earlier. A hum of approval left her when he looped his arms around her in return, the scruff along the line of his jaw scratching at her temple in a way that she loved.

"Six hours of sleep and then you're mine," Jay murmured into her hair, voice pitched lower than normal, deep with promise.

Pleasure warmed her, settling low in her chest. Tilting her head back, Erin smiled at him, hands finding their way under his shirt to the heat of his skin and settling there. "I'd like that."

Thank you for perusing this scrawl! Comments, critiques, and concerns are always welcome.