A PRETTY SAPPHIRE WATCH
OLIVIA CHECKS THE NOTE ON HER PHONE ONE LAST TIME, THEN TUCKS IT INTO HER BACK POCKET. She repeats the name under her breath as she pushes open the building’s door, stepping up to the reception desk with a confidence she doesn’t really feel.
“Hello,” the receptionist greets, flashing a friendly smile. “Are we visiting today?” Olivia nods.
“Yes— um, his name is Orville Brown?” she adds, doing her best hopeful smile. The receptionist types for a minute, then looks up at Olivia with a smile.
“Just write your name here please,” she hums, holding out a clipboard with a sign-in sheet on it. Olivia nods, taking it and signing. “Alright Miss…” she pauses, squinting at Olivia’s signature, “Lucy. Mr. Brown should be in room 204; you’re just gonna go down that hall and turn left, it’ll be the third door on the right.” The receptionist gestures to the right hallway.
Olivia nods, smiling with what she hopes is an appropriate amount of relief.
“Thank you,” she replies, waving a quick goodbye before she absconds down the hall. She glances at the room numbers as she passes, despite knowing that they’re not the right one. She finally turns and arrives at 204, taking a steadying breath before she plunges in.
It’s a clean room, and Odin is sitting in an armchair in the middle. He’s watching Family Feud; it’s such a normal scene that it jars her for a moment.
“Um… Mr. Brown?” she prompts awkwardly, shutting the door behind her. He turns to look at her, looking a little dazed. He smiles, confused.
“Is it that time already?” he wonders. Olivia forces herself to smile, shaking her head.
“No, no, no,” she assures him. “Sorry— no, I don’t work here. I’m your son’s fiancée; he was too busy to come, but he sent me to check on you.” Every part of the sentence except ‘I don’t work here’ is a lie.
He doesn’t seem to realize that in the slightest.
“Oh—,” he realizes, “yes! Theo’s girlfriend.” He apparently missed the part where she identified herself as his fiancée.
“Leo,” she corrects. “Your other son.” His brows furrow in confusion; Olivia wonders if Loki removed his memories of having another son entirely.
“…Leo,” he repeats. “I didn’t know he…” he trails off. Olivia snaps up the chance, moving in with a hopeful smile plastered onto her face.
“Leo told me your memory was a little fuzzy,” she claims, humming. “We’ve met before— I’m Lucy, remember?” His brows furrow, and his confusion grows a little. She feels kind of bad for lying to him while he’s under a spell like this, but he’s got to think he knows her if she’s going to be checking on him like this.
“Well… alright,” he relents. “Why did you say you were here?”
“Leo sent me,” she repeats, lying through her teeth, “to check on you— and to tell you he’s sorry he hasn’t visited yet. He’s been very busy.” Odin’s shoulders slump a little.
“Yes,” he huffs, looking at the TV like it’s the reason he’s here, “I’m certain he is.” Olivia wants to feel bad for him, but then she remembers what a jerk he’s been to Loki.
There’s a momentary pause, and Odin glances at her.
“Well, if that’s all,” he decides, “then you may leave. I can assure you, I’m not a child, and I don’t need to be checked on like one.” Olivia smiles dryly, but nods.
“Alright,” she agrees, “I’ll tell him you’re doing fine— and I’ll see you next time.” He says nothing in return, and Olivia leaves.
The second her feet hit the sidewalk across the street, she heaves a long, agitated sigh.
“The only cure for bullshit is coffee,” she grumbles to herself, climbing into her car and chatting a course for the nearest Starbucks.
***
When Olivia arrives at her apartment, the first thing she notices is that someone is standing in front of her door. The second thing she notices is that it’s Loki— or maybe Leo, more accurately?
“Thought you said you couldn’t come over all the time,” she calls out once she’s close enough, immediately snatching his attention. He grins at her.
“I can’t,” he agrees, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it sometimes.” Olivia shrugs, relenting the point to him.
“I appreciate the surprise, but as you can tell, you didn’t come at the best time. How long have you been here?” she wonders. He shrugs.
“Not long,” he claims, “thirty minutes at most.” Her eyebrows fly up.
“Thirty minutes?” she repeats, incredulous. “That’s a long time to wait for me to get home.” He rolls his eyes, gesturing to the door.
“Will you let us in anytime soon, or should I invest in a garden chair?” he prompts sarcastically. She pushes him aside a little.
“Well I’d have opened it by now, but you were standing in front of the lock,” she points out, as the lock clicks and the door pushes open to allow the couple in.
“Where did you go, anyway?” he wonders, immediately making himself at home on her couch and dropping into his own face. She picks up his ankles, sits down, and drops them on her legs, sighing.
“I went to check on your dad,” she replies, a grimace twisting her face at the thought alone, “make sure he didn’t die or break your spell or something.” Loki makes a face.
“I didn’t tell you to do that,” he points out. She hums.
“No, but I did it anyways because you’d be pissed if you needed to ask him something in a few years, only to find out he died of negligence or some stupid shit like that,” she replies. “He was grouchy, I was uncomfortable; great first meeting. Went for coffee after.”
“With the Allfather?” Loki wonders incredulously, blinking at her like she just told him she has a horse hidden in her bathroom. Olivia laughs.
“No, obviously not,” she snorts. “I went for coffee. Alone. By myself.”
“Well you could’ve invited me,” he points out. She looks at him like he’s a lunatic.
“The fuck do you want me to do, text you? Do you have a phone?” she inquires, making sure to look him dead in the eyes. He sighs.
“You’re insufferable,” he decides. “I suppose if you’re like that, then you must not want,” he pauses, reaching into his pocket, “this.” He pulls out what looks like a jewelry box.
“Is you getting me jewelry that’s worth more than my entire apartment going to become, like, a thing between us?” she wonders aloud. “Because that feels unbalanced.”
“What? No. Well—,” he reconsiders. “Maybe,” he admits. “But you’ll like this one— it’s sapphire. And it doesn’t tell time. It points towards danger.”
“So… are you danger?” she prompts flatly, gesturing to the watch, which is pointing at him. He rolls his eyes.
“Well no one’s wearing it now,” he points out. “It doesn’t work yet.” He turns the jewelry box to prove a point, and the needle stays as it is, not moving to point at him again. He holds it out, and she takes it, putting it on. Instantly, the needle swivels, pointing at some place in the distance.
“You know,” she sighs, “I’m gonna regret saying this later, but you’re a really good gift-giver.” His brows quirk up at her.
“I’ve only been filling in gaps of desperate need in your life,” he replies frankly. “If that qualifies as good, then I would truly hate to know what kind of gifts you’ve been receiving.” Olivia rolls her eyes, but smiles.
“I was trying to compliment you,” she advises him.
“And yet,” is all he says, pursing his lips with an implication. The implication is enough for Olivia to chuck a couch pillow at him.
“Damn, somebody really wants greasy mall pizza for dinner.”
“No, wait—“