ROSE-TINTED GLASSES? WHERE?
OLIVIA IS EXHAUSTED. It’s been a long, migraine-inducing day of going around in circles with an argumentative client who just would not listen. For hours on end, they demanded to know why Olivia wouldn’t use screenshots they took from a Disney movie in their advertisement. She was forced to explain how extremely copyrighted they were a minimum of 13 times.
After nearly 4 hours of constant back-and-forth emails, and 3 more of creating a non-copyrighted equivalent, the stubborn client eventually decided to take their business elsewhere. Olivia was too exhausted to explain that ‘finding someone who will’ would just end up creating more problems. If there ends up being a problem, she can always just settle it in court.
Such is the life of a semi-popular freelance graphic designer, she supposes.
Beats working for the mob.
When she opens her eyes to the familiar dreamscape she’s been seeing for the past week, her shoulders drop a little in disappointment.
Over the past week, Loki has been frustratingly dismissive— cold, even. She’s honestly not looking forward to that after the day she’s had. Loki is fine company and all, but she really does prefer him when he’s not being an ass.
Instead of getting off the couch to greet her soulmate, Olivia shuts her eyes again— is it possible to just… go to sleep? Dream within a dream, maybe? That would really hit the spot right now.
A long moment passes.
…no, she definitely can’t sleep in her sleep, and she’s starting to get very bored trying.
Olivia reluctantly heaves herself to her feet and trudges over to her bookshelf.
“Well, well, look who’s finally decided to show up,” Loki remarks, looking up from his book to raise his eyebrows at Olivia. “Let me guess; spend the whole day with the Captain, did you?” She frowns, irritated already, and turns to look at something else.
“Please don’t start,” she sighs bitterly. “I’ve had a shitty enough day already.” Loki blinks in surprise.
“Really?” he wonders, looking a smidge confused. “What, did you really spend the day with the Captain?” She groans, her eyes landing on the door.
“Don’t get me started,” she sighs, starting towards it. “I had this stupid client who apparently cannot comprehend what the word ‘copyright’ means, and my landlord said the repairs aren’t gonna be done for another two weeks, and honestly, I really just want to take a nap in my own—,” she halts as she jolts forward unexpectedly, the door’s handle twisting.
It opens, revealing the bedroom of her apartment, entirely whole and extremely inviting.
“…bed?” she finishes hesitantly. “Well, uh; that’s new.” Something brushes against her arm slightly, and she jolts a little in surprise. Her head whips to the side, revealing Loki, obviously enough. He’s peering through the door with confusion.
“I thought that door didn’t open,” he observes. Olivia shrugs.
“Me too,” she agrees, closing it and opening it up again. As expected, the room is still there. “Convenient that it opens to my bedroom, but there are way cooler places it could go. Like, for instance,” she closes the door again, “there was this Denny’s back in Ohio—,” the door opens to reveal, surprisingly, not her bedroom. Instead…
…yeah, that’s a fucking Denny’s, alright.
“This one,” she confirms with only mild surprise, her eyebrows raising. “Okay; so I guess it takes you where you wanna go.” Loki looks into the scarce (but not empty) Denny’s, mildly perturbed.
He finally frowns, turning away into the room.
“I will never understand why you mortals insist on referring to the restaurant by its company name. It’s a diner,” he huffs. “They’re all alike anyways.” Olivia narrows her eyes at him, instantly offended.
“Completely incorrect,” she denies at once. “I’ve been eating at diners my whole life and they’re all different. Denny’s and Waffle House might as well not even be on the same planet.” Loki shoots his soulmate an incredulous look.
“They all serve the same three breakfast foods,” he insists, “most prepared in the same way.” Olivia crinkles up her nose.
“They‘re technically the same food, but they don’t taste the same,” she refutes. “Besides, their other options are different, and that’s not even mentioning the atmosphere and interior design.” Loki looks absolutely bewildered.
“What does the interior design have to do with eating your breakfast?” he demands, looking at Olivia like she’s insane. She shakes her head.
“It changes the entire experience— like how Waffle House is best at night, and Denny’s is best when it’s really early and there’s one right across the street from your hotel,” she insists. “Even location matters.”
“I’m sorry? Did you say you’re eating breakfast at night?” he wonders, all of the comprehension in his expression vanishing.
“You’re not forgiven,” she bites back. “Everybody knows about breakfast for dinner; it’s, like, a whole subclass of the meal.” He shakes his head, glaring at Olivia.
“Mortals!” he exclaims, throwing his hands up. “You’re all insane!” Olivia shakes her head, the stress already setting back in.
“Just because you don’t get it doesn’t make it insane,” she scoffs. A frustrated sigh escapes her. “Whatever. Did you check your door? Does it work the same?” Loki rolls his eyes.
“Obviously it does,” he snaps back. She shoots him a look, but chooses to be the bigger person and not reignite the argument.
God, it’s like Bruce all over again.
“I didn’t know that,” she reminds him. “For all I knew, mine went wherever wherever we wanted and yours went to just… normal dreams.” Loki watches her for a moment, and she looks back unabashedly.
“…okay,” he finally sighs. “I suppose I understand your caution. There truly is no knowing after the island.” He narrows his eyes at his own mention of the island. Being trapped in the clearing for way too long and then watching the pond fill with coffee was more than a little annoying.
“Yeah,” Olivia chuckles. “I swear, that whole night was a fever dream.” Loki nods his agreement, and the pair fall into a slightly tense silence.
“…what woke you up so suddenly?” he wonders at last, not looking at Olivia. Her expression sours with annoyance.
“Bruce,” she replies with a sigh. “It’s always Bruce. He wanted to return my picture, but apparently forgot he didn’t have to wake me up at 7 in the morning to do it.” Loki’s nose crinkles up sympathetically.
“Thor has done the same thing to me on many occasions,” he sighs. “Once, we already had plans to go riding that day; yet, he still felt the need to wake me.” Loki shakes his head in secondhand annoyance, from the memory alone. Olivia makes a distasteful face.
“Brothers,” she muses disdainfully. Loki nods emphatically, and they settle back into a slightly awkward silence.
Luckily, the night is over before too long.