DISCLAIMER: Law & Order: SVU and its characters not mine, etc, I just borrowed these two briefly. Casey/Olivia for those that might want to know.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like everything else I've written this story is also available at my own fic site, http://ryufic.blogspot.se/
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To rosmari.karlssonfaltin[at]telia.com
Movie and Ice-cream?
By Carola "Ryûchan" Eriksson
It had been one of those tiring days where it felt like nothing went their way, the latest in a series of such days in fact, and Olivia Benson was feeling the weight of her long years in law enforcement rather keenly tonight. At least it was not one of those disaster days where everyone involved would just go home, feeling raw and torn apart inside, and dull the pain by whatever means available. No, at least it wasn't one of those.
As tired as Olivia was she had intended to drag herself by the tiny grocery store on the corner of her building before finally going home, to an evening of zoning out in front of a cheesy movie with a spoon and the largest carton of rocky road ice-cream that she could find. If the spirit moved her there might even be some fudge in there somewhere, she suspected.
Yes, this was the great plan for the evening... so why instead of being on her way home did Olivia find herself threading the path down to a certain D.A's office? Not only that, but Olivia had first taken the three-block detour to buy Casey's favourite coffee before finally zeroing in on the by now well-known path down to that certain office and a tall blonde whom had somehow worked herself under Olivia's skin.
Despite Olivia not wanting her to, Casey Novak had walked right into her life, befriending Olivia and, in a professional sense of course, just plain taken over. None of them were quite sure of how it had happened, really, but when Casey walked into the room all eyes turned to her, and her orders were obeyed by the entire team, usually with very little question. To be fair though, the blonde had come through for the team again and again, and no-one could question her dedication... she was, quite plainly, one of them.
Which was all well and fine, except... Olivia did not walk three blocks in pouring rain to get Elliot or Fin their favourite coffee, now did she? Nor did she find herself unconsciously seeking out either of them in situations like these, or scan the crowd for their presence the way she often looked for a tall figure in usually colourful clothing.
Great, just great. Falling for someone at work... wasn't that exactly what she had vowed not to do?
A light tap at a glass pane and then she opened the door, not really waiting for the call to come in after all this while. A little embarrassed suddenly by the familiarity by which she moved around in Casey's space, proving somehow how often it really was that she found herself there, Olivia hefted her offering with a small lopsided smile.
"I come bearing coffee."
The blonde that looked up from her desk at the light tap grinned and sent such a hungry look in Olivia's direction that it made the brunette's heart skip a beat, even though the look was directed at the coffee and not at Olivia herself. "You are a godsend, Olivia... give me give me!"
"Bad day?" Olivia gave Casey a sympathetic look as she handed over the coffee to the blonde that was staring at her cup with almost feral intensity before lifting it to her lips. Absently she opened the lid to take a sip of her own, barely tasting it in her observation of the blissful look that passed on Casey's face at the first mouthful.
Casey replied with a small grunting sound that was open for interpretation before she, after another blissful sip, replied in actual words. "A tiring one, anyway. But you know what?" A mischievous look in Olivia's direction that made the dark-haired woman grin a little. "As soon as I've finished up this" A gesture to the folder open in front of Casey. "I'm going to call it a day."
She eyed Olivia searchingly, making the detective want to squirm a little under the sharp gaze that usually didn't miss much. Fortunately she had better self-control than that.
"You?" The question was simple but the interest and concern in the face turned towards Olivia genuine, bringing a warm sensation to the area of her heart. Olivia did a small head tilt and eyebrow movement that meant, yeah, something like that.
"Mm... a tiring day. I'm heading home to a cheesy movie and more ice-cream and chocolate than the human body is meant to consume in one night."
"Oo, that sounds heavenly." Casey sighed and pulled a hand through her blonde tresses, unaware of the interested look sent her way by Olivia before the other woman caught herself and looked elsewhere. "Say that the ice-cream contains pecans and you've earned yourself a stalker tonight."
The flash of white teeth that was directed her way had Casey rather spellbound for a moment, though of course she made sure not to be too obvious about her staring at her friend.
Olivia chuckled. "Is rocky road ok?"
In reply Casey lay her head down on her desk and groaned. "Run. I'll give you a head start."
Abandoning her coffee in favour of the far greater allure of the figure by the desk, Olivia got a bit closer. "No need for that, I'm pretty sure I can track down a second spoon if you want to come along?"
Casey looked up. "Olivia Benson, you temptress. First coffee, now ice-cream?" A devilish grin and Casey sat back up, handing Olivia her cup. "Hold this will you?"
With a mischievous look that made Olivia stare in fascination Casey attacked her file, putting aside the 'can wait until tomorrow' and going over the few papers that were left. By the time she had finished and filed away her work with a flourish the coffee had cooled just enough for her to down it all in one large gulp, tossing the cup away with a negligent accuracy of aim before grabbing Olivia's arm.
"Don't let anyone see you run." Casey whispered conspiratorially, grabbing her jacket and purse before dragging Olivia off down the corridor, the brunette struggling hard to contain her surprised and delighted laughter at the other woman's bout of playfulness.
While sitting in Casey's car the playful mood slowly gave way for something else, some kind of rising anticipation that while nerve-wracking was in no way unpleasant. Olivia eyed the woman behind the wheel, wondering if she should say something or not. After all, Casey had never been to Olivia's apartment before, yet the blonde had drove out of the parking lot and headed the right direction without a sound, much less a request for directions.
Feeling Olivia's gaze on her Casey answered the unspoken question. "Yes... I know where you live." She seemed uncomfortable with the admission and blushed ever so faintly. "I've driven by, intending to visit you... once or twice."
Muttering under her breath she added. "I'm not really a stalker, you know that right?"
"If you came by, why didn't you come in?" Olivia wanted to know as they approached the first intersection. Casey shrugged a little.
"Before today you've never invited over. It seemed a bit rude to just barge in."
A warm hand brushed Casey's arm for a moment, doing funny things to her nerve endings in the area and being just a bit too distracting for what she was doing. "Well, in that case I am inviting you now... stop by whenever you want. If I'm home, you're more than welcome." The hand was retracted and Casey made herself focus on driving again.
"Thanks, that's good to know."
They slowed down as they came up to a red light, Olivia taking the opportunity to turn around and lean in towards Casey, making the blonde blush again and stare at her with wide, amazed eyes.
'Oh my god, is she going to kiss me for the first time right here? In the car?' Instinctively Casey leaned in towards Olivia as well, despite her passing thought not about to refuse the attractive detective that had pulled on her heartstrings ever since they met.
Noticing Casey's reaction Olivia blushed somewhat darkly, eyes darting from wide eyes at close range to red, slightly parted lips. 'She wants me to kiss her! Is it ok if I kiss her?'
Even as the thought passed through Olivia's mind, the rest of her had apparently already decided the answer and leaned close enough that Casey's hot breath ghosted across Olivia's lips, and...
A loud, brash honking of the horn on the car behind them broke the moment as effectively as anything. Snapping back to their respective seating positions like attached to them with invisible rubber bands, Casey was embarrassed to find a bright green light pointing at her like an accusation, and Olivia just plain embarrassed, period.
They glanced at each other as Casey put the car in gear and started off, chuckling as they were suddenly hit with the humour of the situation. They had managed to be strictly professional with one another this far, and now they were impatient enough to get caught in the car, in traffic, like a pair of teenagers? Casey shook her head, amused, and Olivia put a hand over her eyes, grinning.
"Do you know the grocery store on the corner just before the parking lot on my building?" Olivia managed to ask, smiling still and generally feeling a lot better about her day. She was going home with a gorgeous, witty and intelligent woman whom had just shown some pretty incriminating evidence that Olivia was not the only one feeling the attraction between them, after all. "I'll pop in and pick up some ice-cream... unless you want something else? Maybe you want to come with and pick out a movie?"
They were already turning into the parking lot when Casey had the chance to reply. "Oh you can pick the movie, but I think I'll come with anyway, just to keep you in my sight." She flirted playfully and winked at Olivia whom decided she was rather feeling like a teenager tonight as she got out of the car.
Casey made good on her flirtatious comment and watched from a place by the counter as Olivia sauntered into the crammed back of the store where the admittedly meagre selection of movies for rent were located. Was it Olivia's imagination that she felt Casey study the fit of her tight and worn black jeans as she walked over? Grinning a bit wider Olivia glanced at the movie display. Hmm, inane potty-joke comedy or cover-your-feet remake of a foreign horror movie? Ahh, decisions decisions... at least she hoped Casey knew her well enough to know that Olivia was not a 'chick-flick' kind of woman and not expect her to go for a tear-jerking drama or romance with some straight couple that seemed even more inappropriate than usual, all things considered.
At the counter Casey tore herself from her appreciative study of the shorter woman's backside just long enough to give the bored-looking teenager facing her an unintentionally intense look, in fact it was the look that made criminals quiver at the witness stand, and spoke in a very quiet voice so that her words would not reach over to the woman who was by now humming to herself as she moved over to the freezer. "Give me one of those travel toothbrush and toothpaste kits quickly and discreetly, before she gets back, and you can keep the change."
The startled teen was nowhere near discrete, but he was quick, handing Casey the small package and pocketing the bill she handed him fast enough that Olivia never saw the exchange. The transparent package wound up in Casey's pocket as she casually turned around to continue her new hobby of Olivia-watching in time before the brunette strolled over with her prize in hand, both of them doing a good job of ignoring the speculative looks of the no longer as bored teen as he rang up the items Olivia handed him.
In all honesty Casey couldn't care less what Olivia had rented. The film could be what it may, Casey fully intended to curl up with Olivia and cuddle, regardless... granted, some movie types made that a bit more plausible, but even if Olivia had rented Disney's Greatest Hits Casey would cuddle, there was no getting around it. Maybe they could even have some fun sharing that ice-cream, or so Casey hoped as they made their way up to Olivia's front door at last.
The small item in Casey's pocket was insurance, that's all. Just in case... because if Olivia would let her, Casey had no intention of going home tonight.
The End