likealighthouse's museum

fandom: elementary/fringe
ship: joan watson/olivia dunham
rating: gen
additional info: exes
words: 220
notes: written for the sapphic summer prompt joan/olivia - classified
— original post date: summer 2023

Olivia has been hunched over, staring with such intensity into coffee that her mind is clearly not even in the same realm as the cafe, for three minutes.

Yes, she kept track.

“So how was your trip?”

Olivia startles, looks at Joan like she'd forgotten she was sitting across from her. Hell, she looks like she'd forgotten where they were, “Sorry?”

“Your trip to Florida. The reason we had to reschedule in the first place, remember?”

“Right,” she nods, that same apologetic smile that Joan's so used to. “It was uh—it was good.”

“Oh, a work trip then.” That explains the spacing out—Olivia has trouble keeping work off her mind at the best of times.

A quick laugh, the only kind Olivia seems to give lately, “How'd you figure that out?”

“When you say, 'It was good,' like that you always mean—'Sorry, Joan, it's classified.'”

Joan smiles, gives a little shrug to show she's not put off by the deflect.

“You know me too well,” Olivia grins, runs her hands over her hair in that nervous way of hers.

At that, Joan's expression thins, “Just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean I don't remember.”

And she gives another little shrug, to show it doesn't hurt—hopes Olivia's forgotten how to tell when she's lying.