A Gay Vibe From Me?

Chapter 5

The ordinarily tough and sound Lieutenant Olivia Benson finds herself currently undergoing an out-of-body experience of sorts; earnestly wondering if she has gained the supernatural power to peer down from the heavens from an outsider's point of view as she processes this peculiar situation between herself and her younger detective. Olivia notes that her arms have broken free of their formerly crossed position and have subsequently, without her permission, wrapped themselves around her drunk and presently emotionally unstable colleague.

The older woman finds herself just now recognizing the harsh winter winds ripping against her body, filling her with chills down to her bones; in addition, her head begins to spin with stress, her heart starts pounding, her underarms feel sticky with budding sweat, and her legs sway from side-to-side. She takes a quick moment to feel her pulse on her wrist without disturbing the hug with Amanda; she judges that her heart rate is almost certainly over 100 beats per minute. It's all happening so fast that she almost loses her balance as a result of the developing panic attack but remains safe in an upright position thanks to her subordinate's even firmer grip around her. Olivia sucks in a ragged breath, comforted by Amanda's strong embrace, and struggles to breathe deeper to fill her lungs with oxygen as she seeks the will to speak. She is suddenly distracted by sloppy words that are presently spilling out of the younger woman's mouth, a mouth that is so tightly and inappropriately placed against her own chest—each utter producing a dull vibration that sends itself all throughout Olivia's body.

"Livvyyy...ready...to go homeee..." the younger detective repeatedly slurs, carelessly breaking the looming silence, as if she has already forgotten the seriousness of their situation and has allowed the alcohol to regain control of her mouth. "I'm c-c-cold and my tummy hurts..." she further announces in an abnormally, extra-whiny voice; a voice the superior is not used to hearing come from her usually tough and stubborn detective. "It hurts so much, I think-" she adds, before rapidly liberating her entangled upper extremities from around Olivia's back; and proceeding to briskly sprint over to the curb before kneeling down to empty her stomach of its poisoned contents.

Without any hesitation, Olivia sprints over to Amanda, consciously noting that this is the fastest she has run in years. As the blonde woman continues to vomit, Olivia gently towers over behind her to collect the inconveniently placed golden strands, gathering them into a makeshift ponytail. The older woman smears the residual chunks that have already found their place in Amanda's hair onto her dark jeans, briefly grimacing at how sordid their current situation is, but overall finds herself appreciative that she is the one here, aiding Amanda throughout her time of need.

When Amanda is done getting sick, she makes a wobbly attempt to stand back up, arms now wrapped back around the lieutenant, holding on for dear life. The younger detective's freshly washed hair is now caked with grease and sweat, she smells foul like stale cigarettes and a mix of tequila and beer and the circles that have so quickly formed underneath her puffy eyes send Olivia into further alarm.

"Yuck," Amanda grumbles, as she removes an arm from around Olivia's back to wipe a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, Liv. Guess I had a little more than I thought," she snorts, as she slips a hand into the pocket of her own jeans, fumbling around the tight space before grabbing ahold of her car keys.

"Amanda, you are not about to drive home!" the lieutenant ferociously reprimands, with feelings of disbelief and unease pasted across her face.

"I'm not?" the younger detective lightheartedly inquires, clearly returning back to her currently immature self. With a smirk tugging at each corner of her dried lips, Amanda proceeds to condescendingly jangle the keys in front of Olivia's stunned face. "Who's gonna stop me?"

"Absolutely not," the older woman confirms with a slight raise in her voice. As she snatches the cold keys out of her detective's fingers, she relishes in a moment of brief gratitude that Amanda's hand-eye-coordination has been severely lessened, making the theft of her car keys quite easy. She proceeds to remember that Amanda is defiant in nature; her current state of alcohol-induced irrationality only is bound to make matters worse.

Olivia loosens her posture, in an attempt to appear more approachable. "I don't think that we should stay here," she calmly explains, "but I am not letting you get behind the wheel. I can drive you back home; or, actually-" she clarifies, before promptly cutting herself off, feeling hesitant yet again to voice her next thought.

"Or..." she continues with false confidence, and stammering lightly, "you can stay at my place tonight."

"Are you trying to get me to come home with you, Livvy?" the younger woman immediately chuckles in response, not seeming to notice the blush that has crept across the older woman's olive-toned cheeks.

"Uggghhh," Olivia mumbles right away, pausing briefly to scrub her freezing, avascularized hands over her face as she ponders this strange, seemingly flirtatious exchange. She knows Amanda is most likely just speaking to her like this because of the booze; although the younger detective has trouble remaining professional at times, she's never toed the line of flirtation. Olivia remains paused, further identifying the blooming heat that has taken up residence in her chest and between her thighs. She mentally refers back to her previous declaration of "letting loose" tonight, before she ran into an angry Amanda, and decides to toe the line right back.

"Yes, Mandy, I'm trying to get you to come home with me; I've secretly been waiting for this opportunity since the day I met you," she admits with a patent sarcasm and a roll of the eyes; desperately attempting not to blow her cover and flinch at just how true the pronouncement actually may be. She expects Amanda to be shocked by this aberrant reply, and even feels slightly embarrassed, even though Amanda will surely think she's joking.

"Yup," Amanda immediately responds, nodding in an outwardly omniscient confirmation, like she knows this is the truth. "But..." she trails off, a look of devastation speedily covering her soft features. "Frannie."

"Shit," Olivia mutters aloud without a second thought, realizing that any ounce of clarity she formerly possessed has now completely abandoned her; she has forgotten about the needy, furry creature herself. In an attempt to regain some control of this spiraling situation, the brunette states, "I'm driving you home, Amanda. And I'm spending the night at your place. I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone right now, especially since we haven't gotten to talk about the 'demons.'"

Amanda's face instantaneously lights up at her boss' resolution. Comprehending this, Olivia strictly adds, "I'll sleep on the couch," in an attempt not to completely cross over line of professionalism that has undoubtedly already been blurred.

"Yay! A sleepover!" Amanda gasps in excitement, as she reaches around the older woman's upper body yet again, trapping her in a snug embrace, definitely intent on never letting go.

"Yeah...a sleepover..." the older woman cautiously mutters, as she unintentionally sinks her already-enveloped body deeper into the tinier woman's embrace.

"Hey guys..." Olivia grudgingly states to her two fellow squad mates who are presently babbling drunkenly back-and-forth with each other as they sit on two rickety bar stools, "Amanda isn't feeling so well, so I'm going to make sure she gets home safely. Sorry I couldn't stay long or at all, for that matter."

"Uh huh" Fin replies, an arched eyebrow indicating he is instinctually aware that something peculiar is going on between the two women. "Feel better, 'Manda."

Carisi, who is still attempting to recover from his boss' previous admonishment, warily utters, "Sounds good, boss...I'm sorry about earlier...Amanda, if you need anything, let me know please, you have my numb-" before Olivia punctually cuts him off with a dismissive wave of her hand again.

As they are swinging the door of the bar open, Olivia adds, "Night, guys. See you Monday morning—bright and early and on time without any hangovers."

"What am I going to do with you, Amanda Rollins?" the older woman playfully asks as she buckles her now very sleepy colleague into the car. Once she is seated in the driver's seat, Olivia blows some warm breath into her hands, silently praying for the return of a normal amount of blood circulation that will allow her to clutch the steering wheel with confidence. As she turns the keys into the ignition, she hears Amanda mumble a response so softly, that she has to ask her to repeat herself.

"Anything you want, Liv...you can do anything you want to me..."