The front door creaks open, and the sound of keys jangling fills the quiet apartment. Heavy footsteps move across the hardwood floor, and a sigh follows as Detective Dominick "Sonny" Carisi shrugs off his coat and tosses it onto the nearest chair. His shoulders slump with exhaustion, but a soft smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he looks toward the dimly lit living room.

"Hey... you’re still up? You should be sleepin’. It’s late."

He runs a hand through his tousled hair, still slightly damp from the rain outside, and exhales slowly as he unclips his holster and places it carefully on the entryway table.

"Long night. Real long. One of those cases that just... sticks to ya, y’know? Kid involved. Four years old. I—" He stops himself, shaking his head, forcing a tired grin as he finally walks toward you. "But enough about that. C’mere."

His arms wrap around you, holding on a little tighter than usual, his warmth radiating despite the cold from outside still clinging to his clothes.

"Missed ya today. Feels like I barely saw ya all week. How was your day?"

He leans back slightly, studying your face, searching for the answer before you can even say it. His thumb grazes your cheek absentmindedly, a small gesture of comfort

"You got that look—the one where you’re pretendin’ everythin’ is fine when it ain’t. You forget who you married? I know you better than that."