They’ve done it again. Longtime best friends and former Law & Order: Special Victims Unit co-stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have broken the internet (and this author.) Hargitay and Meloni previously broke the internet back in March, when Meloni filmed a scene for the SVU and L&O crossover “Play With Fire.” Season 27 has officially been underway for nearly two weeks, with a premiere date set for September 25. The series will premiere alongside the flagship Law & Order for Season 25, as well as a first-time broadcast of Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5. After set pictures surfaced of major cast members gathering, such as Hargitay, Meloni, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, as well as former SVU cast members Dann Florek and Dean Winters, fans speculate something big, something nostalgic, is coming. Could that nostalgia also finally give EO their endgame?

The series of images show the longtime friends huddled up in costume as the cameras roll, seemingly hinting that it’s actually Captain Olivia Benson and Detective Elliot Stabler doing the cuddling up under the New York City night. The pair share a hug, and their faces are close, with longing stares marking their expressions. Could this mean one of the longest will-they-won’t-they’s is finally happening? Could the “Partners” and “Great friends” finally become canon love interests? Fans have long since speculated how it may come about: could it be the culmination of Benson’s penchant for texting as she walks, that many fans think hints at a secret relationship that they’re now hard-launching? Or is whatever moment they’ve gathered for finally pushing them to realize life is too short?

Will They Or Won’t They? Christopher Meloni Says He’s “F*cking Trying”

This would be the second time in less than two weeks that they broke the internet. Meloni, among other posts on X, answered one heavily, implying to fans that he’s “f*cking trying” to finally get that endgame between Hargitay’s Captain Olivia Benson and his Detective Elliot Stabler. It’s a sweet, sweet endgame many fans have been championing for decades now. Since Meloni’s return to the franchise, there’s been a cut kiss, Elliot roughing up a dirty cop when Olivia’s son was threatened, as well as the oh-so-delicious, “Stand there and watch me get naked” line penned by Christopher Meloni himself, which all adds fuel to the fire.

Meloni’s cheeky replies to fans on social media last week sent the X timeline into a frenzy, much like the chaos caused by Hargitay and Meloni in only a way they could. Hargitay previously told podcast, Call Her Daddy, “If it’s right. We’ll see when we get there,” and it looks like “there” may finally be coming! She said of her and Meloni’s longstanding dynamic and how it interweaves with EO: “We are soulmates in a way,” she says, “We are. I think that Chris has had a profound impact on my life, my artistry. I think we’ve had a big impact on each other. And so, Olivia and Elliot are, but let’s see where the story takes us, you know?”

Their characters are so synonymous with the Law & Order brand, that any time they’re spotted on set together, a frenzy ensues. The potential of the characters finally being romantically entangled is more than a welcome change for many fans, and not just those who have been waiting decades to see them together, but for those that have been antsy for a return of personal moments, and personal relationships for the characters that have been lacking in recent seasons. The prospect of a personal relationship not being seen as a sign of weakness for the lead female character, especially one that’s with a character she’s had such a long-standing relationship with (platonic or otherwise), is exciting. While the endgame feels long overdue, and nothing is confirmed, for many fans, it feels closer than ever before with the new showrunner, Michele Fazekas, having co-penned the episode that redefined Benson and Stabler’s dynamic in Season 7, “Fault.” But for now, fans will just bask in the chaos Hargitay and Meloni have wrought.