Joe Velasco (ft Platonic!Bruno): Detective work
Companion piece to First Meeting
Terry Bruno considers himself a smart man and a damn good detective, so it didn’t take him long to notice that some things weren’t adding up in the precinct. Everything was running behind in the forensic lab because of some corruption and the cover-up of some of the lab techs. Higher-ups were breathing down the neck of labs rerunning most of the evidence that had already been run. It had caused a slowdown and even a bit of a backup for SVU cases. The wait times were longer, and the information sharing was slower. Even time-sensitive evidence seemed to be shifting to the backburner as the forensics lab went through piece by piece with a fine-tooth comb.
While this was upsetting and downright frustrating at times it wasn’t at all odd in a situation like this. No that wasn’t what had radars going off in his head. It was the strange back and forth between the labs. Sometimes it was like pulling teeth, they would go on about policies and being backed up with no compassion for the detectives who were also just trying to do their jobs. Other times it was like miracles came through without any prodding. Evidence testing came through in an hour when they had been quoted ten. Time-sensitive evidence is processed quickly and sent to their work emails. The longer time went on the more it seemed strange to him. And now this.
He and Churlish had gone to the labs to try to put some pressure on a rape kit that needed to be processed. The man at the front desk had brick-walled them and given them the normal spiel. Now Velasco was walking into the bullpen looking at his phone and informing the rest of the team that the results were up less than an hour later. That was when he started noticing the pattern. They always got their evidence back quickly when Velasco was on a case. He would disappear for a half hour to an hour and somehow, like magic, evidence would come back shortly after. If they hadn’t been so busy, his curiosity would have forced him to discover what was happening. Instead, it just festered in the back of his mind slowly. It only came to his mind when something triggered it.
He hadn’t followed Velasco- he was in the labs for a different case. He only hadn’t let the other detective know he was there because he was in the middle of signing something into evidence. Everything clicked into place when he saw the scene unfold and it was like that irritating scratch of a missing piece had been soothed. Velasco walked up to the front desk, a frozen drink in one hand and a coffee and a paper bag in the other. He had just made it up to the side of the desk when you came out from the locked doors of the lab.
You smiled at Joe as he set your boba down and slid it over to you before offering you the lime green straw. “You know you don’t have to keep doing this right?” You stabbed the straw into the lid before taking a long drink humming at the flavor.
“Does that mean I don’t have to do this either?” He smiled back at you before offering up the bag of cookies he had in his other hand. Your eyes lit up. Joe had teased you for your sugar addiction admonishing you on several occasions on how bad for you all that sugar was. It didn’t seem to stop him from bringing you sweets though. You pout at him before taking the bag. “Just say thank you.”
“Thank you,” You take a cookie out handing it to him before fishing another out for yourself. You chat for a few minutes about nothing in particular. It had been almost three months since your eventful first meeting. You trusted Joe and you had built a sort of friendship. A pattern had formed naturally. You did your best to help fast-track the evidence for his cases when the lab was backed up and he brought you treats. You exchanged numbers for easier communication. At first, the talk had been mostly work related but it had progressively gotten flirtier but there was a line that had yet to be crossed. You had yet to get together outside of work. You can’t tell if he just has a flirty personality or if he is actually interested in you.
You finish your cookie before brushing the crumbs from your lab. You pull out a notepad and pen from your pocket and click the pen open nodding to him. “Okay, who is it today?” Joe’s charming smile gets a little bashful, but he keeps eye contact.
“No, there’s no case. You just seemed stressed when we were texting earlier, thought you could use a pick-me-up of caffeine and sugar.” You stare at him stunned for a moment feeling butterflies take flight in your stomach.
“Seeing you always makes my day better.” You say reaching out to touch his arm. His skin was warm, and it sent a pleasant zap of attraction through your fingertips. Before you could do or say anything else the other girl at the table walked by eyeing the two of you. You dropped your hand and offered her a cookie hoping that the treat would keep her silent about you taking a break when you shouldn’t have. The lab needed to settle down with its micromanaging before you lost it and quit. You had come to help after the scandal had surfaced and you were just about over the higher-ups' constant scrutiny.
Bruno couldn’t hear the conversation from a distance away, but he could read the body language. Detective Velasco had a pretty little secret. Velasco was on his way out Bruno met him halfway across the room to exit with him. “You trying to push for evidence on a case Velasco?” Joe didn’t lose stride as Bruno came over to him.“I didn’t know we were waiting on any. Then again with a lab tech like that, I would probably be coming here pretty consistently to check on evidence too. Not that you seem to have to wait on it often.” Joe stopped turning to look at Bruno. The man was a good detective and Joe trusted him but.
“You have something you want to say, Burno?”
“She’s a pretty girl, I’m happy for you man.” Joe looked at the man trying to sort his thoughts, “Your secret is safe with me for now but make sure you don’t take too long to disclose your relationship. There is nothing against dating and it’s not worth risking your job.”
“We’re just friends,” Bruno smirked and started to walk again telling his fellow detective,
I love Bruno and this again was very self-indulgent. If you have any requests I'm open. I actually have time to write for the first time in a really long time.
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