Chapter summary: In hopes of catching a high profile rapist, Y/n goes undercover in a Broadway production of one of her favorite musicals, helped along by her close friend and love of her life, detective Carisi
Content/warnings: This chapter is more of an introduction to the story, but there’s definitely some fluff with Sonny in here
Word count: 1,895
Y/n Y/l/n was not a coward. She fought through abuse, homelessness, abduction and the day to day stressors of being an SVU detective, each struggle forcing her out the other side stronger than before, using music as a crutch, so it was no surprise to Sonny Carisi that she fought for the chance to go undercover performing on broadway, in a sequel to her favorite musical no less.
The case was nothing too out of the ordinary for the squad, simply a rapist drugging performers and assaulting them backstage, but the suspect being somewhat high profile made it so being caught in the act by a cop would be the best way to ensure conviction, a fact that Y/n was quick to convince the squad of.
She sat quietly that morning, mentally going over her proposition and knee bouncing as the soundtrack to Mamma Mia 2 played softly through an earbud tucked discreetly behind her hair.
"Hey Liv, you said that one of the girls who was attacked quit the production, right?” Y/n called to the Sergeant as she walked in the door, turning in her desk chair to face her superior.
"Good Morning to you too, Y/n, but yes she did quit, I don’t blame her in the slightest but i admit it's pretty unfortunate for the crew, the play opens in a week and she was a main character"
Liv smiled politely at the detective as she spoke, a little shocked by the eagerness to jump straight into work on a saturday morning but questioning it, instead choosing to hang her coat on the rack outside her office and pick up the case file in question.
Y/n took a breath, hesitating slightly before offering up her idea.
"Well, what if I took her place? I've done a fair share of undercover work, and I used to do musical theatre when I was in school. Plus, it's the role of Donna that they lost, right? I can make myself look kinda like her, at least enough that they’d take me on to help with the case" Y/n looked nervously at her hands, fearing the probable rejection, but before Liv could reply Sonny cut in, walking over to Y/n's desk and plopping himself down on the corner.
"Ya know Sarge, that's not a half bad idea, we could get up close and personal with the cast, and it’ll be way easier to keep the girls safe and get some physical evidence against the guy. Plus, I've heard talk that Y/l/n's a damn talented singer."
Y/n grinned up at Sonny, thanking her friend for the compliment while silently praying that she'd at the very least get the chance to talk to the director about it.
"Well if you're sure you're up for it, I could definitely make a couple calls. I’ll warn you not to get your hopes up, seeing as this is a broadway production and they might have an understudy already, but I absolutely agree we should have someone undercover with the girls.”
Olivia replied, turning to her office to go make the call.
15 minutes passed, leaving Y/n waiting in anxious silence for the verdict and a supportive Amanda and Sonny hovering by her desk. It had been almost half an hour when Liv emerged from the office, and Y/n stood up with hopeful eyes turned to the Sergeant, who's face broke into a smile.
"Good news Y/l/n, it turns out you earned yourself quite a reputation within the musical theatre community, and she says if you can be ready for opening night next week without letting the fact that you’re a cop slip, you’re in!"
Y/n beamed at Olivia, thank you's spilling from her lips as Amanda cheered and Sonny clapped her on the back.
This is gonna be so good for her, he thought to himself with a smile, transfixed by his friend’s joyful smile.
“We should head down to the theatre as soon as possible to work out the details with her, if i’m gonna be wearing a wire, what happens if and when we catch him, that type of stuff” Y/n said, a quickly adopted professional appearance masking her excitement.
The performance isn’t the focus here y/n, this is only happening because the women in the musical are in danger and this is the best way to keep them safe. She thought to herself while sliding out of her chair and grabbing her phone, following Sonny, who had oh so graciously offered to accompany her to the theatre, towards the front of the building.
Of course, my performance is important too, can’t risk messing up and blowing my cover in rehearsal or, god forbid, screwing up in the middle of the performance. Jeez, the NYPD would never be trusted to work alongside a Broadway show again.
Y/n shook the final thought from her mind and shot her friend a smile as they climbed into a squad car, driving the short distance from the precinct to what somewhat coincidentally, was named Broadway Theatre. Parking in an open spot along the curb, Sonny climbed out of the car and upon rounding the car and stepping up onto the sidewalk was met with a starry eyed Y/n, who was staring up at the bright blue sign advertising Mamma Mia: Here we go again, opening in 7 days, starring Y/n Y/l/n.
Sonny stared up at the sign in both shock and pride, firstly feeling more than impressed at how fast the crew had managed to get his partner’s name into the adverts, and secondly thrilled at the look of awe plastered across her face, the lights surrounding the poster reflecting beautifully in her eyes.
“Congrats kid, looks like you made it! Don’t forget about all us little people once you’ve become one of those big broadway actresses”
He clapped her on the shoulder as he spoke, Y/n giggling at the detective’s joke, but couldn’t drown out the little voice at the back of her head wishing that his words would come true.
Turning her attention back to the entrance, Y/n shot a playful “shut up” towards Sonny and made her way to the doors, leaving her grinning friend jogging to catch the door before it shut in his face.
The hours flew by as Y/n was walked through everything that would be happening over the next few weeks.
First she and Sonny were introduced to the director, the three of them working out the best course of action pertaining to the suspected rapist, the group deciding after a lengthy debate that if they didn’t make an arrest before opening night, Y/n would come up with a discreet signal between herself and the SVU detectives who would be in the audience and backstage that would let them know who to arrest and when during the performance.
Next, Sonny was left behind in an office while Y/n was brought to the main stage and rehearsal area, where she was introduced to the rest of the cast who welcomed her with open arms, immediately jumping in to run lines and teach y/n the choreography for the musical. By the time everyone called it quits for the day, the sun had begun to set and Y/n was absolutely beat, her cheerful mood quickly beginning to sour now that she had stopped singing.
Tucking her script into her bag, Y/n took heavy steps up to the exit, groaning as she realized she’d have to take the subway back to her apartment. The thought of having to sit on a loud, crowded train while this exhausted drew a sigh to her lips, trudging outside and fixing her hair before turning towards the nearest station, expecting to find a quieting street but being pleasantly surprised by the sight of her partner and best friend leaning up against a streetlamp and holding a paper bag from her favorite bakery, bringing a relieved smile to her face.
“Sonny Carisi you are a sight for sore eyes. What are you even doing here, it’s been hours!” Y/n called as she approached the man, who righted himself and wandered towards her with a smile on his face at the sound.
“Couldn’t just leave ya here after a long day doll, I'm here bearin’ snacks and a ride home” Sonny chuckled as she smiled gratefully and threw her arms around his shoulders in a quick hug, pulling away to take the bag from his hand.
“It’s cannoli, not as good as my mom’s but i hope it’ll do for tonight. Now c’mon, let’s get you home”
Y/n beamed and thanked her friend, who smiled back and gestured a little further down the street to where what y/n assumed was Sonny’s car was parked and she followed him to it, thanking him again but this time throwing in a sleepy mumble of “shotgun” before sliding into the passenger seat, which caused Sonny to let out a snort of laughter as he joined her in the car.
It wasn’t long before the rumble of the engine lulled Y/n into a deep sleep, head rolling to the side to rest against the car’s window. Sonny smiled softly at her sleeping form, careful to avoid the potholes in the road.
It took him nearly ten minutes driving towards his own home to realize that despite their years of friendship, Sonny had never actually been to Y/n’s apartment, and couldn’t remember her ever mentioning an address
Stopping at a red light, the detective reached over to the right side of the car, gently nudging y/n’s sleeping form. She didn’t awaken right away, needing a few more nudges from Carisi’s side of the car, but eventually sleepy eyes fluttered open, staring groggily at her friend.
“Sorry doll, but i don’t know where you live, you gotta gimme your address” Sonny whispered, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen in front of y/n’s face away.
“too tired, dunno.. can’t r’member” She mumbled, head falling back against the window as the light turned green and Sonny drove forward. The car was silent again, Y/n too exhausted to speak and Sonny debating what he should do.
“...D’ya just wanna crash at my place tonight?” He was hesitant to ask, worried that Y/n would think he was taking advantage of her, but to his relief she gave a slow nod, a smile creeping across her face before passing out again.
Sonny smiled too, and the rest of the drive was quiet, him pulling into a back parking lot a few minutes later and unclipping his seatbelt. A look over at Y/n, fast asleep and softly snoring in the passenger seat brought a smile to his face, and quietly he got out of the car and moved around to her side, carefully scooping his friend into his arms bridal style and locking the car.
The smile didn’t leave Sonny’s face the whole trip across the lost, up the elevator, and into his apartment, where he gently laid Y/n’s sleeping form across his couch and draped a warm blanket over her. She looked peaceful as she slept, the layers of stress usually hardening her face having vanished, and it warmed Sonny’s heart. Pulling another blanket over her, Sonny crouched down to press a soft kiss to Y/n’s forehead, and with a whisper of “sweet dreams, doll”, he clicked off the light and left her to sleep.
