A/N: Hey guys. This one came to me while I was in bed, and I smashed it out on my phone before going to sleep, then edited it this morning... I hope you like it! It's currently just a stand-alone, but I could be persuaded to make it a series if people are interested.

Left. Left. Left. Carisi kept swiping out of boredom, though the act itself bred boredom, which resulted in more mindless swiping, accompanied by swigs of beer. He was barely even paying attention as he continued swiping left, pausing every so often on someone attractive enough to catch his eye, before swiping left on them too.

"What's the point in having Tinder if you're just gonna reject everyone?" he could hear Rollins saying in his head.

"Because," he muttered to himself, emptying the last few dregs of the beer into his mouth, "you made me download the damned thing and now I'm forced to attempt to enter the dating scene when, really, I'm not sure a dating app is the way to go at all."

A soft meow came from the armchair across from him and he frowned at his cat as she stretched, judging him with her piercing green eyes.

"What?" He questioned, sighing as she curled back up, head buried into the cushions of the armchair

He was tossing up between bed and another beer. Loneliness made him wonder whether meeting an attractive stranger for a drink wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"Alright, Josie, if the next person's good looking enough, I'll grab another beer and actually swipe right." He poised his finger over the app, preparing to swipe left to reveal his fate, though no response came from the small, purring mound across from him. "Yeah alright, alright, I know I'm an idiot."

He laughed to himself, hanging his head slightly before swiping left. On instinct, he nearly swiped left again before he caught himself, thumb hovering above the screen. His mouth hung open slightly as he clicked the picture to browse the other photos and full profile for confirmation. And sure enough, staring back at him from the second picture was a laughing Rafael Barba on a yacht, arm wrapped around a tall, attractive man in all white, holding a glass of scotch in his spare hand.

Carisi laughed out loud, causing Josie to jump up and leave the room in search of peace. His thumb hovered above the green tick, a nervous excitement bubbling up inside him.

"Oh, wait until Rollins hears about this," he muttered out loud, laughing to himself.

He sighed and settled comfortably back into the sofa, a small smile playing on his lips as his eyes studied the only two photos Barba had on his profile. After a few minutes contemplation, he tapped the green tick. When the match wasn't confirmed, disappointment settled in his stomach.

He might not even have come across you yet, he reasoned with himself, trying to push out the disappointment he was feeling. Hell, he probably doesn't even use the stupid thing.

That thought cheered him considerably. Really, he couldn't imagine the sharp, cool ADA playing around with something as silly as tinder.

Shaking his head, he rose from the sofa, deciding it was definitely time for bed.

As everyone left to tend to their duties, Carisi lingered by the table, watching as Barba packed up his things. Carisi watched as he grimaced, swallowing the rest of his now-cold coffee, actions pausing as he caught Carisi staring. He stared back, completely still for just a moment, before setting the empty mug down.

"If you're waiting for a word of encouragement you're wasting your time - I actually think what you did was stupid, even by your standards. You simply got lucky."

Carisi felt the dejected look cross his features, the playful air he'd bought with him dissipating, causing the smirk forming on Barba's face to stop half-way.

"Luck always is in your side, though," he conceded with a sigh, dipping his head lightly as he met Carisi's eyes with a smile that could have almost looked like an apology, if Carisi didn't know better.

He huffed out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Because, really, what was he thinking? Over the past week since he'd found Barba on tinder he had spent more time than he'd care to admit imagining what Barba was like outside of work. And somehow, in his mind, he'd made him softer, kinder, more like the photo of him laughing as opposed to the man he knew.

"You're uncharacteristically quiet today," Barba said gently.

It wasn't a question, nor was it a clear invitation, but Carisi could hear the added 'are you okay?' tagged to the end of it, and he appreciated the gesture.

"Been a long day," he shrugged by way of an answer, feeling somewhat foolish despite the fact that there was no way Barba could know what was going on inside his mind.

"That it has. And thankfully, it's over, because I'll be running late if I don't leave soon," Barba responded, heading for the door.

"Got a date?" Carisi couldn't help himself, a light blush forming on his cheeks as Barba turned to face him again, looking somewhat bewildered. "Someone swipe right?"

Carisi instantly wished he could take that last bit back as he watched confusion morph into understanding as Barba's lip twisted into a crooked smirk.

"I don't have the time, or the need, for dating apps, Detective," he said, eyes raking slowly over Carisi's lanky frame, causing him to shrink in on himself a little. "Unlike some people."

There was absolutely no venom in Barba's words (and actually, if Carisi hadn't felt so self-conscious, he would have caught the playful tone and the way Barba's eyes twinkled slightly), yet Carisi felt their sting all the same, as he watched Barba. His neck was still warm with shame as he headed back to his desk.

Normally, when Carisi needed to take his mind off something that was bothering him, he'd go to Rollins' house, cook up his best spaghetti, play with Jesse, and eventually get whatever was bothering him off his chest. But tonight, Rollins was pulling a double, so he was, once again, stuck with Josie and a beer.

He was flicking through the same channels on repeat, unable to settle on something, when his phone pinged. He frowned, glancing down at the screen, double-taking when he realised it was a match notification from tinder. His fingers clumsily swiped the notification, Barba's picture popping up alongside his own when the app opened. A chat window opened, then, and he hesitated, unsure of what to say. He needn't have bothered - his phone vibrated almost instantly.

Of all the people in New York City, and I match with a barely competent detective.

Carisi rolled his eyes, punching out his reply before he could think on it too much.

I thought you didn't have time for dating apps.

I'm also a lawyer, I'll have you know.

Oh don't worry, everyone within a 5-mile radius has heard.

And I suppose you think you could do better?

Carisi frowned, wondering if Barba could hear the humour in his self-deprecation via text - did Barba know him well enough for that?

If I could, would I be here?

Carisi was still thinking on how to respond when the next message came through.

More to the point, if I wanted better, would I have spent the last two hours swiping through swine just to find you?

Carisi felt himself blush, despite the fact there was no one around to bear witness. He couldn't imagine Barba being so candid face to face, and he was suddenly very grateful for the stupid app.

I dunno, Counselor. Surprised you'd waste time on someone as incompetent as me ;)

Carisi was testing him now - fishing for a compliment, really.

I said barely competent. You're practically Sherlock Holmes compared to the fools I work with on a daily basis.

I'm sure the Lieu would love to hear that.

Don't even joke about that, Carisi.

Carisi felt himself grinning. Not just a small, private smile. Not even a fully-fledged 'I've just been sent the cutest photo if a dog ever' smile. It was a genuine, face-splitting, dorky grin.

What do I get in return for my silence?

Your life.

Carisi laughed, shaking his head, the goofy grin still in place.

I was hoping for something a little more exciting than that.

Life's not exciting enough for you? Well, that speaks volumes to the kind of life you lead.

Carisi took a deep breath as he pondered his reply. He could hear Barba's teasing tone, and while he had no idea how Barba flirted, he could easily imagine this was it. Snark and cool collection, as though he could literally be doing anything else at that moment and it would be of no consequence. But he worried he was reading too much into it, seeing simply what he wanted to see. He bit his lip, deleting the request to meet up for a drink that he'd already started punching out. He wished he could be quicker and wittier, like Barba, so it felt like an even playing field. But, to put it simply, he was smitten - there was no way he could play this cool, and Barba had to know that.

Stop thinking – you're giving me a headache and I'm not even looking at you.

You could be.

That wouldn't help with the headache.

Then, almost instantly:

A drink might, though. If you're paying, of course.

The next message contained an address of a bar on Broadway, and Carisi couldn't have moved faster if he tried, grin threatening to engulf his face the entire way to the bar, and well into the night, despite Barba's merciless teasing.

He supposed dating apps weren't so bad after all.