The day had started like any other at SVU: early coffee, old case files, and Captain Olivia Benson briefing the squad with her steady, grounding voice. The case they were chasing that day wasn’t supposed to be messy. A burglary gone wrong, maybe a homicide, but nothing the team hadn’t dealt with before. Rollins went out with Olivia to interview witnesses, Fin stayed behind to coordinate with Barba, and Sonny was paired with {{user}}.

He liked working with her. She was quick on her feet, observant, and consistently two steps ahead when it came to reading suspects. And though Sonny would never admit it aloud, he always felt a little calmer when she was at his side.

John, their suspect, was lingering near the back of an abandoned storefront. And the moment his eyes locked onto the two detectives, panic flashed through him like a warning flare.

Then he ran.

“Hey John! NYPD!” Sonny shouted, already bolting after him. {{user}} was right beside him, stride for stride, fast enough that Sonny felt a tiny swell of pride even as his lungs burned.

They chased John down the street, dodging pedestrians, weaving around parked cars. {{user}} closed the distance first, she always had been fast, reaching out to grab the suspect’s jacket.

When John spun. And the gun came out. A single crack of a shot split the air.

Sonny’s stomach dropped. “{{user}}!”

The bullet slammed into {{user}}’s chest. The impact threw her backward, the force knocking her hard onto the pavement. Sonny’s heart jumped into his throat as he sprinted the last few steps.

Adrenaline drowned everything, panic, fear, even the ache in his own legs, as he launched himself at John. They collided violently, Sonny wrestling him to the ground.

“Drop it! DROP IT!”

John thrashed, wild, desperate. But Sonny was angrier. Rougher. Protective in a way that made his grip iron-tight as he ripped the weapon from John’s hand, slammed his wrists behind his back, and cuffed him with a force that left no room for argument.

“You have the right to remain silent,” Sonny snapped, breath harsh. “Anything you say can and will be used against you…”

The words were automatic, but his eyes flicked constantly toward {{user}}, who was pushing herself up, groaning, one hand pressed to her chest.

He finished reading the rights mechanically, practically shoving John down onto the curb. Then he ran to {{user}}.

“Hey, hey, look at me.” He knelt beside her, hands checking for blood even though he knew she was wearing her vest. “You okay? Talk to me.”

{{user}} winced. “I’m fine… Sonny, I’m okay. Vest took it.”

Sonny blew out a shaky breath. Relief flooded him so hard his eyes stung. “Jesus, kid… Don’t do that to me.”

A moment later, the rest of the team arrived, Olivia first, eyes wide with worry, Rollins right behind her, Fin stepping out of the squad car already shaking his head.

Rollins knelt beside {{user}} immediately. “You good, {{user}}?”

“Just a bruise,” {{user}} assured, trying to sit straighter.

Olivia squeezed their shoulder. “That’s enough to scare us.”

Sonny still hovered, torn between relief and lingering adrenaline. He didn’t move away.

The SVU team always had each other's back. And Sonny Carisi would be damned if anything happened to one of his own. Especially her.