Disclaimer: Law & Order SVU/OC and its characters don't belong to me. This story has been written for fun only, not for money.
Spoilers: SVU24xOC3
Summary: During a hard week, Elliot forces Olivia to take a break. Set S24/S3, but no particular spoilers.
Feedback: I always love to have feedbacks on my work so I can improve my writing. Any advice, constructive comments and suggestions are welcome.
Enjoy and please review!
A Different Kind of Love
By musical-Aven
Stabler enters the bullpen of the 1-6, focussed on his mission. He passes the guard officer and nods at Fin who looks up at the same time. The two men don't need to exchange words, as Elliot walks towards the Captain's office.
Muncy is about to ask out loud, when Fin shakes his head. Let it go. He silently orders.
Elliot knocks on the door with his free hand, the other is holding a coffee and something in a small brown paper bag. He lets himself in without waiting for the Captain's answer.
Olivia looks up at him over her glasses and frowns.
"Elliot?"
"Hey." He says casually, closing the door behind him.
She doesn't register his offerings yet.
"I'm sorry but we're pretty busy today," she sounds exhausted. "I don't have a lot of time, what is it you need?"
She doesn't sound mad, just really busy. Elliot smiles and sits on her couch, putting the coffee and the brown paper bag on the table in front of him.
"Come sit with me." He asks as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Olivia takes a moment to look at him. He seems determined, yet relaxed. She tries to resist to his invitation. She really is swamped with work and McGrath is on his way. She also knows exactly what her partner is doing, asking her to pause her day, to relax for a moment. Her eyes finally goes to the food he brought.
"Is that for me?" she asks, already knowing the answer.
"Come sit and find out." He smirks.
Olivia can't help but roll her eyes and comply. Elliot looks a bit too pleased with himself for her liking but she lets it go. Once seated at his side, she picks up the brown bag and fetches a glazed donut from it. Her stomach growls at the lack of food from her day and Elliot laughs. Sending him a glare, Olivia takes a bite of the desert and hums.
He lets her eat a few bites in silent. They are sitting close on her couch, his arm extended on the back of it, not quite touching her shoulders, but close enough to make her feel warm.
"So, now will you tell me what brings you by?"
Elliot shrugs.
"Fin told be you were having a long week and that you refused to take breaks. I'm here to force you to."
Olivia sighs, not really surprised at his answer. Still, she isn't used to Stabler just showing up without a reason.
"That's it?" she asks, her mouth full.
"Yeah." He replies softly, making her understand that he is here for her, nothing else.
Olivia finishes her bite, contemplating his answer.
"You gonna share that or what?" Elliot changes the mood by teasing her.
"I thought it was for me?" She teases back. This feels good, normal. They smile at each other.
The Captain's phone dings and she picks it up with her free hand to look at the notification, leaving the donut in the air. Elliot wants to keep her attention away from the work and so he uses that excuse to go for the pastry. He lunges forward and takes a bite out of her hand.
"Elliot!" she exclaims, half in surprise, half laughing.
She's quite sure her scream reached her squad's ear, but she chooses not to care right now.
"What?" he asks not so innocently, his mouth full.
Olivia thinks he's so cute in that moment.
"You could have asked!" she reprimands without force.
"I did ask!" he answers her back.
They both relax on the couch then, enjoying the moment. It feels easy, nostalgic. After a while, Olivia eyes the coffee on the table.
"Is that for me too?"
"That's mine. You had the donut." He playfully answers.
But she sees right through him.
"That's mine, Stabler. You only drink fancy espresso now." She says, reaching for the definitely-larger-than-espresso cup, bending over his legs to do so. Elliot doesn't mind the proximity.
When she sits back with the coffee in hand, she eyes him defiantly as if he is going to say anything else. Elliot laughs and smiles fondly at her. Satisfied with his non-answer, Olivia takes a sip of the hot beverage. As the taste hits her tongue (this was great coffee!) she hums loudly and closes her eyes in delight. Sighing in satisfaction, she finally rests her head on the back of the couch, hitting his arm softly.
"Oh my god, I love you for this…" she exhales, bringing the coffee close to her chest.
Elliot registers what she says a moment before she does. When she does though, her eyes open quickly but avoid his at all costs.
"I mean-"
"I know what you mean, Liv. I'm just glad you're enjoying the coffee." He cuts her, reassuringly, leading her away from the tension and awkwardness that was about to overcome them.
Olivia doesn't say anything else, seems to relax but doesn't rest her head back on the couch either. Elliot doesn't move, as not to scare her and also to reinforce the fact that he did understand what she said.
Their relationship had always been complex. Love had always been part of it, but in various forms which most people never understood. It was the kind of love that resided in their deep appreciation of each other. In their unique connexion, their way of communicating. It wasn't the kind of love you saw in movies, it was more than that. Romantic love was not their thing, not yet. It was on the horizon though, but her previous comment wasn't about that and they both knew it.
They sit in silence again, but it isn't uncomfortable. After a while, Olivia speaks, half in need to steer the conversation in a new direction.
"You want the last bite?" she offers the donut in front of him.
"Oh so now that you don't want it anymore, you're offering huh? Typical Benson…" he teases.
"You want it or not, Stabler?" she teases back and the potential tension is completely cleared from the air.
"I do." He answers, his expression suddenly getting serious.
Before Olivia can register his movements, Elliot grabs her wrist (instead of the rest of the donut like she thought he would) and brings her hand to his mouth, his eyes never leaving hers. Everything seems to slow down for the next minutes. He takes the rest of the pastry in his mouth, his lips softly touching her fingers at the same time.
Olivia freezes, she doesn't think she even takes a breath. His eyes are intensely blue, his movements are slow and careful. It isn't as sexual as an outside observer might think though. For them, it's mostly deeply intimate.
Once he gets all of the donut in his mouth, he chews on it, her writs still in his hand. He refrains from licking the sugar off her fingers, as he knows this would be crossing a line too far right now. But Olivia reads him like a book and her eyes darkens as she knows exactly what's he's thinking.
As much as their earlier exchanges felt familiar, this definitely feels new.
"Thanks." Elliot says, gently bringing them out of their moment.
He releases her wrist and she feels the loss of his warmth right away.
"Sure." She manages to say, her voice difficult to find.
They are brought back to reality when they hear the commotion in the bullpen. McGrath has arrived. Elliot smiles as he gets that this is his cue to leave.
They both stand up from the couch.
"Thanks for the donut and coffee. I…I needed it." She settles for, knowing he will understand that she needed his presence more than anything.
"Anytime." He replies fondly.
Elliot turns towards the door and Olivia moves toward her desk. Before he opens it, though, Elliot is dying to tell her.
"Liv."
"Yeah?" she raises her eyes to his.
"I love you too." He says, his eyes are sincere and affectionate.
Again, they both know this isn't the big declaration of love from the movies. This is their understanding that love and care are present between them. It's a deep, unconditional love that has been there from the beginning and would continue to evolve with time.
Still, hearing the words makes Olivia's skip a beat. She feels something explode in her chest. She smiles blushingly in response and Elliot exits her office. Her eyes follow him until he reaches the elevator and is out of her view.
Olivia is still in their moment when McGrath enters her office like a tornado, Fin following him. Benson tries to focus on what her chief is saying. She feels her fingers still sticky from the donut and half consciously brings them to her mouth to lick the sugar off. But the sensation makes her mind go right back to Elliot's mouth and she lingers a bit too long, the tip of her thumb in between her lips.
"Captain?!" she jumps at McGrath's voice. "Are you even listening?"
"What?" she sees Fin smirk behind her boss but forces herself not to think about it.
The Chief repeats what he said and she catches up on the conversation. After a while, McGrath leaves and Fin stays behind.
"You okay?" he asks, a hint of teasing in his voice.
"Fine." She closes the door to any conversation involving her earlier reaction.
Of course, her Sergeant knows her better than that. He laughs.
"That look on your face before…" she glares dangerously at him. "I haven't seen it in over a decade." He's not subtle about it.
"Fin…" she warns him.
"It's nice to see it, is all I'm saying." He looks genuinely happy for her. "I might have to call Stabler to the rescue more often."
She doesn't say anything as he leaves her office, satisfied with his words. Olivia stands there a moment, not completely back from her emotions from her time with her partner. Yeah, something definitely changed today.
The end!
Musical-Aven
October 2022
