Chapter Text
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Elliot stood by the counter, tapping his fingernails against the surface frenetically. He would check his watch from time to time as if the hands would slow down ticking if he kept his gaze on it for too long. The air smelled an aroma of coffee and flour-based pastries, enough to soothe everybody’s senses, but not Elliot’s.
“Black americano and a latte for Elliot and Olivia.” The bartender pushed the cups across the surface, towards Elliot. “Tough morning?”
Every morning, for the past 4 years– except on days when he’s too sick to come to the office– Elliot has been a constant presence in the very cafe that he’s in. He’s memorized the shade of brown that covers the panel wall on the counter, the number of warm, yellow lights on the ceiling, even the color of the tip jar that he zones out on when he’s lacking sleep.
Each worker in the cafe has had their own encounter with him, mostly small talk about his job and his boss. Safe to say that he’s become their favorite customer because of his exemplary communication skills that leaves the bartenders and staff entertained while he’s waiting for the same order every day.
The corner of Elliot’s lips pulled upwards resentfully at the bartender’s question, his baby blues half rolling in their sockets. “She texted “COFFEE” in a caps lock. It’s gonna be more than a tough morning.”
The bartender chuckled as he wiped the surface. “Good luck with that.”
Elliot grabbed the cups of coffee in both hands, a folder jammed on his armpit. “Thanks. I’m gonna need that,” he said as he turned on his heel, striding out through the glass doors in big, hurried steps.
The bustling city made it impossible for Elliot to make it to the building without almost spilling the coffee or dropping the file that he’s been pinching between the side of his ribcage and his bicep. All hell will break loose if either one of those two important things didn’t make it to her desk by half past seven.
As he reached the fifteenth floor of the Prestige Realty Group building, he was greeted by chatterings from different cubicles, some employees sitting on the table of another colleague to catch the latest gossip, some sharing a cubicle.
“Hey, Elliot,” Dani, one of the members of the management team, greeted him cheerfully.
Elliot was only two months in the job when Dani Beck entered the scene, being one of the most proficient employees of her batch. She would always catch him in the pantry or out and about the hallways, bringing a document to the executive floor, and she would always corner him into a conversation. He doesn’t hate it, only when it slows him down.
“Hey,” he greeted back.
She wondered why Elliot’s always in a hurry to accomplish Olivia’s tasks, sometimes it annoys her how he’s making a fool out of himself for a boss who doesn’t even notice when he enters the room or leaves the office.
Her eyes shifted down to the cups of coffee in his hand, a knowing smirk rising from her lips. “Coffee for Olivia? You know, she should learn how to use a drive thru.”
He leaned in and whispered, “Drive thrus are waiting lines. She hates that,” he said before walking away, straight to the last door of the hallway.
Olivia Benson
Managing Director
That sign on the wall next to her door has haunted him in his dreams at night more times than he can count.
He pushed open the frosted glass door with the side of his arm and headed to her desk, placing both cups on the surface. Her office is as plain as it could get, with only plaques and certificate awards decorating one side of it. The rest looks like a room straight out of a fever dream. Empty. Cold.
Like her soul.
“You weren’t replying, I thought you were dead,” her voice was flat, and Elliot has already gotten used to its sound by now. It used to strike fear in him but after years of working closely with the devil, he figured he had to get used to it or he wouldn't last the job.
Her stilettoes clacked against the tiled floor, her strong scent permeated the room in less than a split second. Elliot turned around and watched her make her way to the desk, arriving exactly on time like clockwork.
“Alive and kicking. Just didn’t bother to check my phone after getting your coffee,” he replied nonchalantly.
She’s made up in her usual pantsuit with a white buttoned up shirt inside that’s got the first two buttons undone. Her brunette hair is up in a half tight ponytail with wispy bangs framing her face. As usual, her chocolate brown eyes are accentuated by the tightline on her waterline and her lips are a dark shade of red.
She’s attractive and beautiful in whichever angle they look at her, it’s just the attitude that becomes the dealbreaker for most people.
Olivia grabbed the cup, taking a sip before her face ultimately grimaces at the unusually sweet taste coating her tongue. Elliot looked down at the cup that’s been left on the surface which was actually Olivia’s. He poached the one Olivia was holding and exchanged it with the other.
“That was my latte,” he casually said.
“Tastes like it belongs on the child’s menu,” she mumbled underneath her breath which Elliot absolutely caught in his ears.
“Thanks,” he sarcastically replied as he looked at the red lipstick stain on the lip of the cover. It’s got the grooves and creases of her lips stamped on the plastic lid.
Olivia took a sip from her cup, the taste instantly streaking down her throat like tequila on a Sunday morning. “That’s better.” She slid on her swivel chair, her hands gripping the edge of the table so she could pull herself closer to it.
“Finished the presentation?” she asked while flipping open the pages of the thick file folder next to her.
If he didn’t know her and her incredible corporate skills, he would think that she’s just flipping the pages to make it seem like she’s actually working. She scans them so quickly, he found it impossible that she understood what she was seeing on the pages.
“Yep. Already sent to your email. Ready for this afternoon’s meeting,” he reported in his professional tone.
His feet were shuffling nervously for no reason as he stood in front of her desk. Olivia noticed him sticking around so she lifted her head up, meeting his gaze for the first time today.
“Do you need anything?”
It amazes him how little to none her face could express emotions. It’s almost as if her face was designed by robots and the remote control went missing.
Elliot shook his head, his lips in a downward shrug. “Do you?” he asked in return.
She stared at him, still with no expression. “No. You can leave.”
He pressed his lips together and nodded his head, turning on the balls of his heels to the direction of the door. The first interaction of the day with his boss was over with minimal damage. He’s off to a great start.
While walking to his desk, he unconsciously brought the coffee cup up to his lips to take a sip but streaming with the sweetness of the latte was the bitterness of the lipstick residue on the lid. He completely forgot that his boss had first dibs on the cup earlier.
“How does she live with her lips tasting like wax everyday?” he mumbled to himself as he turned on the computer on his desk.
He placed the coffee cup on the table and once his computer had finally turned on, he began checking emails.
Olivia, inside her office, was keeping herself busy by going over the details of her afternoon presentation in front of the board. She’s been the managing director for Prestige Realty for about five years now and even if her face doesn’t show it much, she enjoys her job more than anything else. The numerous awards on the walls and the wall-mounted shelves says so. Her four-cornered office is where she finds solace most times, which is why she prefers staying late finishing reports and reviewing proposals and negotiations instead of coming home to her brownstone home.
Closing deals and winning over negotiations are her expertise that’s why just after two years of working in the company, she’s been unanimously decided as the perfect person for the role that she’s currently taking on.
While she’s engrossed in the presentation file on her laptop screen, Donald Cragen, one of the executives of the company, pushed open the glass door and stood by the doorway, his stance exuding authority.
Olivia’s eyes instantly shifted to him, her lips curving into a professional smile. “Good morning! Come in,” she invited.
He slid his hands in his pockets and threw her an unreadable glance. “Actually, we need you upstairs in 5.”
Olivia’s eyes flickered with curiosity upon hearing his statement. The details are incomplete and it’s not like Donald Cragen at all to inform her with incomplete details.
“Did we move the presentation?” she curiously asked, her hand hovering over the touchpad of the laptop.
“Just come upstairs,” he said, tight lip, as if it wasn’t up for negotiation before leaving Olivia clueless and distraught.
Her sight lingered for a few minutes on the spot where Cragen stood earlier as she tried to process and recall what might’ve been the reason for a sudden meeting upstairs at the executive floor, this early in the morning. Working in the same company for years has built up her confidence and grit to not be shaken by sudden announcements such as this one.
She shut her laptop screen and stood up from her seat, carefully smoothing her clothes and pulling the opening of the suit tighter around her body. She pressed the intercom that leads exactly to Elliot’s desk and left a message.
“Follow upstairs.”
Elliot received the message instantly but he was too caught up answering emails so he shrugged it off for a while, given that Olivia still hasn’t appeared in his line of sight so his hunch tells him that she’s still in her office.
Her presence was almost too impossible to ignore when the clacking of her heels and her swift strides that left only a shadow on her trail became an indicator that she passed by. No one can miss that.
Elliot flew off his chair, a gust of wind following him as he practically ran after Olivia.
They reached the elevator at the same time, Elliot pressing the button to the executive floor, closing the door with only the two of them as passengers.
“They moved the presentation?” he asked as he threw a quick glance at Olivia before focusing his eyes on the monitor on top of the door that flashes the floor level in white pixels.
The two of them stood next to each other against the cold metal wall of the cabin, the humming of the elevator ascending through the hoistway softly ringing in their ears.
Olivia adjusted the cuff of her suit and shrugged. “I don’t know,” her low voice filled the space.
Once the steel doors opened, Elliot pressed the hold button out of habit to avoid a previous incident years ago when the door closed in on Olivia. He followed soon after her.
The executive floor echoed with the quiet clicks of the front desk keyboard and the soft hum of the air conditioning. Its glass window concept lets the bright morning rays streak through the pane, giving the space natural lighting.
Olivia’s red-soled stilettos kept on clacking uncontrollably against the floor, Elliot wished he could attach a silencer to it because of how anxious the sound of it makes him. He had already memorized the sound of her footsteps– the heaviness of it when Olivia’s day is nowhere near good, the smoothness of it when she lands a great proposal, even the rhythm of it when she’s pacing nervously versus when she’s confident. He knew it all like the back of his hand.
“Good morning, Ms. Benson,” the lady at the front desk spoke as Olivia passed her by, not even throwing a single glance at her.
Elliot smiled at the front desk attendant to compensate for Olivia’s behavior, something he has always done ever since he became her assistant. Though many of the employees have been dreaming to call her out on her behaviour, none of them could actually go through with it because of her competence. They all know she’s an asset to the company.
As they entered Donald Cragen’s office, they were greeted by him sitting on his swivel chair and two more executives, one sitting on the edge of the table and one standing on the opposite side like they were in a freaking movie poster for a corporate action film. She, however, was unfazed, flashing a perfect teeth smile at her superiors.
“Good morning, everybody. Early morning, huh?” she chuckled despite feeling a thick cloud of tension building above their heads.
None of them reciprocated the light mood. Cragen stood up from his chair and walked around the side to get to the front. “Olivia, we called you up here to discuss an important matter.”
His tone and flat expression was already speaking volumes, it was enough to spark nervousness in Olivia, but not enough to show on her face.
One of the executives clasped his hands together in front of him, his lips pressed flat before speaking. “Olivia, I think we all can collectively agree that you are beyond outstanding and excellent at what you do for this company,” he began, but Olivia could already feel a “but” waving dangerously close to her face.
The man averted his gaze on Elliot as his lips lingered open. “Do you want him in here or you’d like him to step out for a moment?” he asked Olivia.
“He can stay,” Olivia answered. “You were saying?”
“As I was saying, you are an incredible asset and I have never seen such talent and commitment from a young woman such as yourself in my years in the industry. However, you are an Italian citizen on a work visa–”
Her ears immediately perked up at the last few words he spoke and all she could think about was if this was them firing her then they’re really bad at it.
“And immigrations informed us about your work visa…expiring work visa,” Cragen finally dropped the bomb, emphasizing the word “expiring” a little too hard.
Olivia’s eyes widened for a split second in surprise before reverting back to her professional expression. As far as she could remember, she had already processed that specific document but from the looks of her superiors’ faces, it seems like she actually didn’t.
Then it dawned on her that it might’ve slipped her mind to notify Elliot about that, so it’s highly possible that she has actually forgotten about it after being piled with work.
Of all things she could forget.
She flashed a calm smile. “I’ll process it right away. You have nothing to worry about.”
Cragen’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her, something he does out of habit when he’s about to say something important. “Olivia, they will have to deport you and you can begin processing another visa from there,” he informed her.
She let out empty chuckles as her mind began going through the next possible words that her boss could utter out of his lips. The two sips of black americano that she took earlier weren’t enough to help her calm her way through the situation.
Elliot watched the whole thing go down while standing beside her. He knew that if Olivia’s position in the company was put at risk, his job would be compromised, as well.
“But how can I work from Italy? That’s going to be a tough challenge.”
“You won’t be working remotely.”
It only meant one thing. They’re firing her.
Olivia’s hand flayed as she began to talk defensively. “That can’t be. I’m managing the Brooklyn project. I’ve already closed the deal–”
One of the executives cut her off. “Someone will take over for you. We can’t risk the reputation of Prestige by having a high level employee working with an expired work visa.”
Olivia’s heart began thumping loudly against her ribcage and as much as she wanted to protest, she knew there’s little that she could do to convince them. It’ll be against the law to keep her in New York under an expired visa.
But her competitive self won’t allow it. She can’t let her months of work go down the drain and be picked up by someone less proficient than she is.
Her eyes frantically roamed around the room as she tried to process the news. She has the steadiest eye contact which she utilizes well during work conversations. That's why her uncontrolled eyeballs are a sign that she’s distraught.
And when all hope seemed lost, her eyes landed on the gold band in one of her bosses’ left ring finger. It caught the sunlight streaking in from the glass window, casting a blinding shine against her chocolate brown eyes.
And as quickly as her wits worked in deal conversations, her mind gears began turning like a well oiled machine once her cognition picked up the signal.
“Actually…uhm.” She glanced back at Elliot who was slightly behind her, gesturing to him to come closer.
Elliot, clueless but willing to jump in the conversation for any input, immediately stepped closer to Olivia’s side. He shifted his glances between the executives and Olivia, but landed ultimately on her.
“We’ve been trying to keep it under wraps but…” She looked at Elliot, flashing a smile that he had never seen before. Something that’s within a mix of playful and “I-have-an-idea, you-better-not-ruin-it”.
“We’re getting married.”
Elliot nodded his head absent-mindedly, the message failing to sink in immediately. “We’re getting…”
“We’re getting married,” Olivia repeated as she awkwardly clung her arm on his and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her hair didn’t even touch the surface of his suit.
Elliot gulped, his throat bobbing. He knew better than to go against Olivia’s ideas especially in front of three executives.
“Yes, we’re uhm…we’re getting married.” He faced them with the fakest proud smile he could possibly do at seven in the morning as he wrapped an arm across her back, pulling her closer despite her setting the awkward space between them.
Cragen’s poker face riveted into a relieved smile as he exchanged glances with his colleagues, who all seemed delighted with the news because none of them actually wanted to give Olivia up. There’s no one from management who can do it quite like Olivia, and anyone who could possibly replace her can never measure up to her advanced skills which brought them millions of dollars in the last year.
“Well, that’s great! Congratulations!” The three men simultaneously exclaimed. “Why’d you only tell us now?” Cragen followed up.
Olivia giggled and Elliot’s fighting the urge to furrow his brows because of how weirded out he’s gotten with his boss’ behaviour. He knew she had something planned up her sleeve and it scares him more than it should.
“Oh, you know…” she gripped his tie, pulling his face closer, and grinned like a teenage girl. “We didn’t want people spoiling our relationship. You all know how crazy gossip can get in this building, am I right?”
Elliot chuckled nervously. "But it's hard to keep it a secret when you're in love with this one," he added to heighten the act.
“If that’s the case, I guess we’d have no problem after all, as long as you make it legal soon,” one of the executives said, in which Olivia acknowledged with a fake smile and nod while tapping Elliot’s arm.
As much as Elliot wanted to break away from Olivia’s grip, he couldn’t because one thing’s for sure.
He’s effed up.