Fic: Empty Spaces (Law & Order SVU, Fin/Munch, G, Prompt #446: Emotion(al))

[sidewinder.livejournal.com]

Fandom: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Pairing: John Munch/Odafin Tutuola
Rating: G
Words: 500
Summary: Change was inevitable, and Fin inevitably hated it.
Disclaimer: All characters property of NBC/Dick Wolf. This story is purely written for fun and not for profit.

Fin hadn’t expected to get so emotional today.

However it hit him as he walked into the bullpen at the 16th and, for the first day since he had transferred to SVU years ago, found John’s desk vacant.

Cleaned out. Bereft of possessions, personality. His books, his American flag, his bust of John F. Kennedy…all of it was gone, moved to his new office at One Hogan Place.

Fin sighed.

Back when John had been temporarily transferred to Cold Case, he’d left most of his knick-knacks behind (“So they don’t end up disappearing in an evidence box in the bowels of Brooklyn storage,” he’d said.) But now his was merely another empty desk, save the phone waiting for someone new to answer.

No, Fin hadn’t thought it was going to hit him this hard. He was glad he’d arrived to find ’Liv and Nick out on a call and Rollins running late, because he wasn’t quite ready to deal with any of his coworkers yet.

John’s retirement hadn’t come out of nowhere, Fin reminded himself. They’d talked about it at length, at home, for some time. He knew why John had decided he’d had enough, and he understood entirely. Him, Fin, ’Liv and the captain—they’d all been in Special Victims for longer than most anyone would say was healthy. But they did it because few others could truly handle this job.

Still, there came a time when you had to move on. Like Elliot had, some time ago.

Fin tried to shake off his unsettled feelings. When he got home tonight, he knew that John would be there for him. Probably full of stories to share about his new job at the DA’s office—problems and bureaucracy he would bitch and moan about, lurking conspiracies he’d find everywhere. They were still partners in life, if not on the job. Hell, they hadn’t officially been work-partners since Rollins and Amaro had joined the unit.

But Fin would miss his presence here, where no matter what he’d known John was close, ever ready to lend support with a few words, a momentary touch…even just a look filled with over a decade of understanding.

Change was inevitable, and Fin inevitably hated it. Though he had to remember that making a big change himself had initially brought him to SVU and meeting John, and leading him down a path in life—and love—he never would have otherwise known.

So maybe change wasn’t always that bad.

“Morning, Fin.”

“Mornin’, Captain.” Cragen had stepped out his office, and Fin caught him casting a pensive glance at John’s former desk as well.

“Ready for the week ahead?”

“Ready and waiting for that first call.” And as he waited, Fin took out one thing he’d brought from home that morning. It was a framed photo of him with John, taken during their honeymoon the year before. He placed it on his desk, sat back to appreciate the good memories, and allowed himself a smile.

Comments

[bk_forever]

This is lovely!

[sidewinder.livejournal.com]

Thank you! <3