Just like that the day had gone from content to one with an awkward tension in the air. After they had gotten coffee, Rafael just sort of froze. Sonny noticed it about four steps later when he had finally thanked him for the coffee and realized he hadn't heard a snappy remark.

"Barba, you good?" Amanda turned around and looked at Rafael in the same spot he had been in for about a minute.

Rafael absentmindedly licked his lips, eyebrows furrowing as he stared at the younger man Robert stood with. He had to have been about twenty-five, twenty-seven tops. He looked at Robert and began to shake his head as he pondered the age difference. Suddenly, Rafael snapped out of his trance when he felt a hand on his upper arm. His eyes darted to Sonny who stared at him with a perplexed visage.

"Counselor?" Sonny looked over Rafael's shoulder to see if he could pinpoint where he was looking. Nothing popped out aside for the dude hugging a guy that could probably be his kid. He rolled his eyes; that couldn't be what stunned Rafael- could it?

"Carisi, Rollins. Go to the precinct." Rafael attempted to regain his composure. He felt an unwelcome blast of heaviness overtake his chest when he cleared his throat. The others looked back at him more confused than they were when he stopped. Rafael had to work quick- get these guys out of here so he could drop the whole professional act for a moment. "Look, I just noticed a client speaking to a perp, so I better go in before I have to declare an attempted induction of perjury." Amanda nodded, starting to move on and Sonny stayed behind.

"But you don't have any proof." Sonny still had his hand on Rafael's shoulder, which neither seemed to acknowledge. "And what case is this? You're off." He looked around, noting the two men had parted and were moving their separate ways. "You can't just assume things, Barba. Innocent 'til proven guilty, you know."

Rafael looked as Robert walked away and then to Sonny's arm. "Fordham Law, if you don't know get your hand off of me, I swear to god I will sue you for harassment."

Sonny's eyes widened before lifting his arms up into the air in a defensive motion. He shook his head and started to walk away- stopping only to turn. "Where's your proof?" He smirked thinking he had played Barba at his own snarky game; but he didn't and Rafael scoffed before jaywalking to the opposite sidewalk.

He weaved through the morning rush of people, following a tall bald spot that seemed to take longer strides than he could. He moved quickly, briefcase slamming into his side with every step. As he muttered 'pardon me,' 'excuse me,' 'sorry, and all his expletives he usually waited until 11 to shout, he gained on him. Thank god for the stoplight because it was too early for this shit. He stopped just behind Robert who turned and did a double take, noticing the ADA behind him.

Shocked, he blurted, "Rafael?"

Rafael took a deep breath and furrowed his eyebrows. "What the hell was that?"

Robert perked an eyebrow and folded his arms, sighing. "I honestly don't know what you were talking about.'

"There. Back there. I saw you and that little twink-" Rafael's eyebrows jumped at the rarely used word.

"Rafi, don't play this game-" The walk sign appeared and the crowd moved across the street leaving the two men behind.

"Don't tell me what to do and certainly don't call me Rafi," he hissed back at him. Verbal venom seethed from his expressionless face. If years of courtroom banter taught him anything, he knew not to show emotion when arguing. It would display as though he had some vendetta, some-

"I told you not to make this weird, Rafael." Robert scoffed and topped it off with a smirk. Robert looked down at the man; Rafael was the shorter of the two. He sighed as his peripheral took notice of a clock. "I have to go."

"No. No, you're not. Not until you explain just what the hell is going on." Rafael spoke fast and raised his chin; his hawk like gaze zoning in on Robert. Truth be told, he felt a hit in his stomach after hearing that phrase again. I told you not to make this weird. Could he not feel jealous? Was that not justified?

"Rafael." Robert scratched the back of his neck in an annoyed manner. "Look. You know our agreement. Please. Settle down and we'll talk this over at lunch, okay?" He forced a smile and lifted his hand up to touch Rafael's shoulder, which was quickly swatted down.

"Don't you touch me."

"Raf-"

"Don't." Finally, some readable expression exuded itself on Rafael's face as he shook his head. "Don't touch me. Don't call me. Do not think of me. If you intend to pursue me further, I fully intend to install a restraining order." His face screamed back off and he took a step back. Robert sighed and looked back at him.

"You're making a mistake." Robert took a step forward and Rafael instantly stepped back.

"I said no." And with that, Rafael was gone.

Sonny was in the middle of a jovial conversation with the precinct's newest intern when Rafael appeared from the elevator shaft.

"Sorry, I have to go." Sonny speed walked away from the new girl to Rafael's side and kept up with his quick pace. "Barba. Hey, how'd it go?' Rafael's legs were slightly shorter than Sonny's but he definitely moved quicker.

"Still on that harassment suit idea, Detective."

"Ah, come on. Liven up a bit! Just another fun day at SVU, Counselor. Cheer up!"

"Carisi, do your job." Rafael stopped and turned to Sonny, sighing. "Please?" For the first time in a while, Sonny detected defeat on Rafael's face. He knew this wasn't going to be his day- they both knew.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Rafael nodded before stepping away and Sonny called out: "let me know if ya need anything!" He grit his teeth. Could he be anymore of a kiss ass?

Sonny bounced a rubber band ball off of his desk and squinted as he once again zoned out in thought. Was that the guy from the night before? Tall, older guy. Thick head-a-hair with a bald spot on the back. Was that Barba's boyfriend? His sidetracked absentmindedness led the ball to Amanda's desk smacking her in the face.

"Ow- Sonny, what the hell?" She looked up and Sonny snapped back into reality.

"Shit. Rollins, I'm so sorry."

She threw a hand up and waved it off with a shake of her head. "What's up?"

Sonny shook his head. "Mind's wandering. S'all good." He faked his best smile.

She smirked, "Nah. I saw you. Something Barba said has got you rethinking your career, isn't it?" She let out a little laugh and it died offwhen she noticed Sonny's increasingly pale face. "Oh… He got you good, huh?"

Sonny leaned in across the table, looking around skeptically before clearing his throat and speaking in a low voice. "Hey uh… Barba. He's not uh, he's not you know-" Sonny shook his head a bit looking for an appropriate word and lowering his voice to an almost impossible whisper, "queer, huh?" He swallowed thickly.

Amanda's eyebrows went as her head lowered a bit before she burst into laughter.

Sonny pulled away and dragged his thumb against his lip with a shake of his head. "Yeah, okay. Alright, alright." He sat back in his desk and chewed on the inside of his cheek. Why was his imagination getting away from him? Maybe it was all in his head. He'd be going out for drinks that night.

Sonny didn't change his outfit when he got off of work. He ditched the jacket though and loosened his tie, his black vest on for all to see. He just couldn't figure out where he'd be drinking tonight.

Sonny had had a few drinks with his Fordham buddies the night before and they had all gotten pretty tipsy when they decided to roam a bit deeper into the nightlife. That's when Sonny had noticed Barba go into O'Flanagan's with the possible boyfriend. God, why did he care so much?

Sonny knew why.

About ten minutes after Sonny had spotted Rafael that night, he felt himself being watched. He was surrounded. Men, drag queens, "executive transvestites" roamed the streets; all their eyes were glued on him. Sonny and the guys found themselves in the 'Northern Gay District' and they decided it was time to turn around. Sonny hesitated.

"You gay or something, Carisi?" One of his buddies asked with a growing smirk.

"Me? Nah." He looked over his shoulder. "I've driven through here before." He looked back to the guys and nodded his head a little bit. "There's a sports bar- a straight one- and they got a late runnin' happy hour. You taggin' along?"

His buddies laughed and shook their heads. "You're on your own, pretty boy." They waved goodbye and turned around, keeping their heads down as they left the area. He waited for them to turn the corner and a small smirk grew on his face. He lied. There was no 'straight' sports bar, but there was a bar he had intended on going to.

Sonny did in fact know why he cared so much; he liked ADA Barba. The first time he had told him his suit was nice, he knew he was in too deep. One of Sonny's personal heroes was in fact Harvey Milk. Sonny knew he was like that all along. Didn't mean he didn't want to address it. A gay New York cop? That's like writing a racist slur on his chest, and he didn't want his mom and sister coming to a parade in his honor. That's why he grew the mustache in. Thought maybe if he upped the masculinity, the squad wouldn't have given him as much shit as the last few had. But when he saw Rafael, he realized maybe he could open up. Just a bit, though. Those SVU cops seem ruthless- but he had seen the headlines, he had heard the water cooler rumors. The SVU cops all had their personal flaws but they all still were at the precinct- still going. The squad wouldn't judge.

So now he knew about Rafael but there were still some things he needed to uncover. He needed to put in some good old-fashioned detective work.

The city had its gay bars but it also had its gay bars. People knew how tough it was for some guys in the city, so a few rich uppity Wall Street investors set up a few bars in town where it was subtle. Usually the high-class type, three-piece suit guys with wives would frequent. Newly divorced guys, older experienced guys would make the rounds- and from a friend, Sonny now knew a certain assistant district attorney.

Once he was in, he flattened his vest lapel and took a deep breath as he scanned the room. Everyone in here fit the bill. He was sure he recognized some attorneys and doctors from previous cases and some high profiled politicians. If word got out these people were here, their careers would be over. That's what Sonny feared most.

After a look around or two, he noticed Barba sitting at the counter chatting with the bartender looking… relaxed. All the tension and caffeine that usually had his posture straight up like a board was gone; he slumped with his chin on his hand. Sonny smirked. A woman carrying a tray of glasses stopped by him and offered him up. Some hotshot won some sort of election and bought a round for the entire restaurant. He took a sip and his mouth opened in shock. This was good stuff, who the hell has that kind of money? Sonny remembered his plan and realized that if he was going to go through with this, he'd have to be a little bit more drunk. He took what he was sure was a $200 swig and shook it off, taking a moment to let the oxygen soothe the burns at the back of his throat. He made his way to the bar.

"No, I'm telling you that I could put you away for life without parole because that tie is a capital felony." Rafael laughed drunkenly sipped on his drink. The tall, dark bartender smiled at him softly- he must be a regular here.

"Strict dress code, honey." He looked up at Sonny who smiled softly at him and nodded to Rafael. Sonny mouthed for a beer and the bartender smirked. "Looks like you have yourself a client, Rafí." He set an amber pint out on the counter at the seat next to him and Sonny reached out and touched Rafael's shoulder.

"Erich, I'm not coercing Sond-" Rafael started to turn around and to his surprise, Detective puppy dog was smiling at him with a big stupid, probably drunken grin on his face. He froze. "C-C-"

"Hey, counselor. Come here often?" Sonny mentally noted to punch himself in the face when he got home.; another first impression blown.

"Carisi? What the hell are you doing here? Do you know where you are?" The shock must have sobered Rafael up pretty quickly because his face had grown red and he was back to his erect posture.

"I could ask you the same question, Barba."

Rafael's eyes widened and he buried his face into his hands. He groaned and muttered into his hands, "¡Dios mío!" His head jerked up. "Look how did you know I come here? Who do you plan to tell? Who's informing? Unless… Unless you're stalking me and if you are, I'm inclined to inform you that in a matter of three phone calls I can have your ass in-" Rafael's eyes closed and his mouth opened, stuttering; he was speechless. "Why are you laughing? This isn't funny. This is a serious matt-"

"You realize that I'm in 'ere for the same damn reason you are." Sonny smirked and sipped his beer, his face expressing the delight of luxury. He rested his cheek on his fist and watched Rafael gaging him for any reaction. Finally it came. Rafael's expression went from shock to what can only be classified as a shit eating grin.

"You mean you're-"

"Yup."

"You're totally sure?"

"Have been for a while."

"Like positively, one hundred percent?"

Sonny closed his eyes fondly and nodded, lips pressing into a soft smile.

"You're kidding me."

"I certainly am not. You're an attorney, you can tell if someone's lying."

"No." Rafael smirked. He totally called it. "Say it."

"What?"

"Say it. Say you like guys," he egged on, amused grin still plastered on his face.

"Seriously?"

"Come on." Rafael playfully shoved Sonny's shoulder. "You're totally, one hundred percent, absolutely, positively, tremendously-"

"Gay." Sonny interrupted with a laugh. "Shocking, huh?"

Rafael's mouth formed an 'o' as he looked away. When he looked back to Sonny, he had happy but horrified look on his face. "But that mustache."

Sonny rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer. "Figured I had a chance but once I saw Fin, I knew I was out of my league."

Rafael just thought that this was just the greatest thing. Even better than the time he had caught a denying child predator in his own words and scared him so much, he pissed himself on the stand. He smiled at Sonny before holding the glass in front of his mouth. "Does the squad know?"

Sonny choked on his beer and Rafael took that as his definitive answer. Sonny pushed his sleeves up and shook his head. "Pretty sure Rollins and Amaro can smell an office scandal from a mile away."

"That's because they have their own." Rafael's eyebrows perked up in amusement.

Sonny looked back, dumbfounded and grinned. "Nuh-uh."

Rafael nodded and laughed. "Liv told me about a week ago. Said Fin caught 'em 'demasiado cerca para la comodidad.'"

Again, Sonny looked back dumbfounded. "Too close for comfort." He smiled. "Sorry, sometimes while tipsy, I forget I'm not around Spanish speakers."

"Hey, I took it in high school!" Sonny retorted with a grin.

Rafael shook his head. "You're kidding yourself. If you think two years of-" and then Rafael did a terribly Southern accent butchering a simple Spanish phrase, "counts you as fluent, then you're un tonto."

Sonny decided maybe it was best to focus on his beer for the time being.

They talked for two hours, and proceeded to get drunker in those two hours as well. By three a.m., they were outside of the bar walking back towards their normal stomping grounds. The two were getting a little bit touchy and they laughed it off. Rafael had called a cab a few blocks later and turned to Sonny. "I-I really needed this." He smiled drunkenly. Sonny just grinned like the tall human form of a golden retriever he was. Rafael laughed. "Why you smilin' like that?" Sonny smirked.

"'Cause you're cute n' tolerable when you're drunk." They both laughed and Rafael reached his hand out and ran the back of two of his knuckles down Sonny's bicep.

"You're sweet. Hm." He hummed contently and looked back up to him.

Sonny watched as Rafael's mental gears started working. Maybe it was the booze but he knew something was going on in there."Can I kiss you?"

Rafael grinned and drunk-mumbled, "what?"

"I'm totally want to kiss you right now and I think I'm gonna do it."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yup."

Before he knew it, he had no control over his body and leaned forward and pressed his lips to Rafael's before retracting and looking almost horrified. But just as he was about to apologize, Rafael swooped in, grabbed his waist and really kissed him. It lasted a moment before Rafael pulled away, hearing the taxi engine slow down to a halt behind them. He looked at Sonny with a devious grin. "You ready to take this to trial?" What the fuck kind of proposal was that? Rafael reminded himself to erase this memory from his brain before he was sober. His mind was partially numb, but he felt that embarrassment.

Sonny smiled and kissed Rafael on the lips quickly before smiling at him, eyes moving all around his face, "you've been served." He opened the cab door and Rafael laughed at him before entering the cab.

They'd have fun that night.