Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni Tease ‘Law & Order’ Fans With Steamy Photo

No one loves teasing fans as much Law & Order: Special Victims Unit stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni. The two got fans even more excited by sharing a steamy on-set photo on Saturday, with a month to go before the two stars return on NBC. Hargitay stars as Capt. Olivia Benson on SVU, while Meloni returned last season to play Det. Elliot Stabler on SVU and his own spin-off, Law & Order: Organized Crime.

On Friday, a fan shared older photos of Meloni and Hargitay together on the Law & Order set, appearing to kiss as they hugged. “Can y’all imagine if one day [Meloni] and [Hargitay] posts a picture like this pretending they are kissing with the caption #Rehearsing? It would be the end of us and the end of the internet,” the fan wrote.

This tweet first caught Meloni’s attention, so he did exactly that! He posted a photo of the two stars with their noses touching, looking like they were about to kiss. “#Rehearsing what, [Hargitay]?” he wrote. Hargitay then retweeted the post, adding, “Are you blushing? It’s getting hot in here.” The picture drew the expected response, with fans hoping that we see them actually kiss during Law & Order: SVU Season 23 or Organized Crime Season 2.

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In the first season of Organized Crime, Stabler and Benson became closer than ever before in the wake of Kathy Stabler’s death. In the OC episode “The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of,” Benson and Stabler’s children held an intervention to help him. Although he didn’t think he needed it, Stabler showed a surprisingly vulnerable side to himself. “I love you,” he surprisingly told Benson, whose eyes widened before she looked away. Stabler then told his children he loves all of them before he left the intervention.

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In the penultimate episode of OC, Stabler’s nemesis Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) even figured out that Kathy was not the love of Stabler’s life. Organized Crime‘s first season ended in a shocking finale that did not tie up the story involving Wheatley, who will return in Season 2. Angela Wheatley (Tamara Taylor) was also almost killed, but Benson and Sgt. Ayanna Bell (Danielle Monae Truitt) were there to help keep her alive. The season ended with Stabler asking for help in the hospital hallway.

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Both SVU and OC will return in the fall. SVU Season 23 will kick off with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. ET, with Organized Crime Season 2 following at 10 p.m. ET. NBC had plans to debut Law & Order: For the Defense this fall as well, but that show was canceled before filming started. Scroll on to see more responses to Meloni and Hargitay’s steamy photo.

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“OMG. Let this happen. I have waited years. XX The episode when he held her tight after his wife delivered their son after a car crash still gives me chills. Love them,” one fan wrote.

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“You are abusing your power over us!! I am dying here! Hopefully, you are rehearsing for a real scene that will literally send us to the hospital!” one fan wrote. “Oh! How I love you guys!”

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“Give a girl a warning next time,” another fan wrote. “Might need someone to call a bus for these heart palpitations. I love you guys so much.”