"Prepare yourself," Fin grunts, pressing the right floor to Barba's apartment. The elevator groans upward while Carisi looks on in confusion. He's new, he gets it. But prepare yourself? For what?
Disturbing Barba at his home is a rare conundrum mostly because it seems the attorney is never there. Carisi expects him to answer the door with a biting remark and maybe a sigh but not much else.
"For what?" he asks finally as Fin lands three hard raps on the door. "I mean he can be an asshole sure but it's for the case and –
Oh. Oh.
A man who certainly isn't Barba is standing in the doorway. Clad in a pair of sweats and a snug white T-shirt. His lips a starlet pink, his beautiful face framed by messy black bangs, rounded cheeks. He appears to be very young and freshly awake. He looks up at Carisi from under a thicket of lashes and asks, his voice like a calm wave,
"Can I help you?"
Carisi staves off a blush, wondering why his voice is suddenly rushed and shrill.
"I, uh, we're detectives," and fumbles around for his badge.
"I figured," the angelic man says with a small smile, "Nice to see you again Fin."
"Always a pleasure doc," Fin says, and there's something remarkably genuine about the timbre of his voice that has Carisi feeling even more off kilter than usual.
"I guess this is about your case?" He doesn't wait for an answer, simply opens the door wider and lets them inside.
It's much of what Carisi expected. Ultramodern, stainless steel appliances, dark woods, neutral or earthy paints.
"I'll see if I can rouse him," he says around the edges of a yawn and disappears down the hallway.
"Who is that?" Carisi demands as he and Fin stand somewhat awkwardly in Barba's living room.
Fin makes himself at home, sitting on the barstool at the counter in the kitchen, looking like owned the place. He looks the younger man over as he follows suit, a knowing amused smirk dotting his lips before answering.
"George Huang. Criminal profiler and psychiatrist for the FBI."
"FBI?" Carisi says disbelievingly. He seems too gentle for such work. Too…well…nice. And attractive, he mentally adds, too damn attractive to do anything other than be stared at and cared for and –
"Wait," Carisi says, and shakes his head. "What is he doing here?"
Fin gives him a look that could make Einstein feel like an idiot. Oh.
"He'll be out in a minute," George announces as he reenters, running a hand through his hair. He joins them in the kitchen and looks them over. "Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?"
"Coffee would be great doc," Fin says as Carisi seems to have lost the ability to speak.
George busies himself reaching into cupboards, unearthing coffee grounds, sugar, creamer. He fills the overused coffee maker with water, flicks it on. All done so calmly, so efficiently. He whistles under his breath as he reaches in the dishwasher for clean coffee cups.
Carisi tries in vain to not stare at his ass and only half-succeeds. The doctor's head pops up and the detective pretends to find a painting on the wall very interesting and requiring his full attention.
"How is Ken?" He hears the doctor ask Fin and instead of getting defensive, the older man simply smiles.
"He's good. He got engaged."
"I heard," The doctor says smiling as well, and pouring coffee in a cup. "His fiancée and I have mutual friends. I'm sorry about what happened to him," and he slides the coffee cup across the table.
"Yeah, me too," Fin says wearily before taking a sip. "We caught the bastards though. And if they can survive that together, they can survive anything."
George nods, looking at him compassionately, before pouring another mug.
"I'm sorry," he says, and turns his brown doe eyes to Carisi who is still determined to not meet his eyes. "I realized I never asked for your name."
"This here is Dominick Carisi," Fin says, "he's replacing Amaro for a bit."
"Ah you're the one that wants to be an attorney," George says and the detective can only nod. "Well it's nice to meet you. Would you like sugar? Cream?"
"Black is fine, thank you," he says, gaze cast downward before he looks up and sees the mug outstretched in the doctor's hand, his face one of expectancy.
It takes a full 5 seconds of absolute silence for him to realize the doctor is extending the cup to him.\
He reaches for it, their hands touch, "be careful it's hot," Carisi eyes his lips, and the ceramic mug shatters as it hits the floor.
Of course, Barba comes in at the exact moment. He's still in his suit which further leads Carisi to believe the attorney lives off nothing but coffee and subpoenas and dry wit.
Barba looks at them, eyeing the spilled coffee and shards of ceramic and then the inexperienced detective as if he just knew. But Dominick doesn't notice. He's already spitting out apologies and reaching for paper towels.
"It's alright Dominick," George says, and wow no one has ever said his name like that before, "accidents happen. I'll clean it up don't worry." And his nimble fingers scoop up the large smithereens of the coffee mug and toss them in the trash before he mops up the spilled chicory with paper towels.
"I assume you came here for something other than destroying my dishes?" Barba drawls.
"It was an accident Rafi," George says, rinsing his hands in the sink. They share a look of shared silent dialogue. George smirks. Rafael's lips twitch.
"Yes querida but if Carisi can't even hold a cup without dropping it, that doesn't make me very confident in his detective skills."
Fin chuckles, the bastard. "We need a warrant." And he goes into the details, the suspect, the probable cause, all the little justifications for doing the job and Barba just stands there and nods, looking between Fin and Carisi until the talking has ceased.
He glances at his watch and tuts. "You do realize even the most liberal judges are asleep at this hour correct?" He isn't really seeking an answer and they don't give him one. "I'll make some calls. You'll have your warrant by dawn. "
"It was nice seeing you again Fin. Nice Meeting you Dominick," George says and Fin nods his goodbye and Carisi wants to say he doesn't really like his first name but he does like it the way George says it but of course he can't say that either. So he says nothing. Just follows Fin out the door and into the hall where he can breathe again.
The elevator doors open. They both step inside, Carisi leaning against the wall nearly panting.
"What just happened?" He asks the open air, running a hand over his face.
"You just got Huang'd," Fin says smugly and presses the button to the lobby with a shrug, "happens to everyone. You should've seen Amaro the first time they met."
The doors close and they begin their dissent in silence.
Carisi thinks it's a little strange that he wants Barba's job and his boyfriend but everything about Manhattan SVU is strange. He just adds it to the list and prays Barba never finds out.