[252] Trade-Offs (Law & Order: SVU)

[ilthit]

Title: Trade-Offs
Fandom: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Characters/Pairings: Olivia Benson/Alex Cabot
Rating: teen
Words: 150
Notes: Closet angst.


Nothing about Olivia's life is safe. She's gone through things no-one should have to go through, and she's come back and got on with the job. Becoming a mother was probably the bravest thing of all.

But the way you survive a dangerous job is by building up safety nets wherever you can. Set up protective measures around your social network, your identity, your mental health. Catch all the bad shit, process it, throw away what you can't use.

So what do you do when one safety measure is beginning to wear down another?

She can't be gay. She's too old to turn gay now. She's got a kid, and she's got her identity, locking her into who she has always been.

But fuck, she just wants Alex to touch her, to tell her it's going to be okay, to kiss her better. Just for a little while. To breathe.