Winter Dream (Bernard the Elf x Reader)

Chapter 10- Lost in Thought

As I walked down the hallway towards the entrance to the workshop, every single elf that passed by greeted me. Even though I've only been here a week, the elves already adored me and treated me like one of their own. It was such a different atmosphere than what I had to deal with at home, and it took a lot of time to get used to it.

I already was in love with this place.

As I entered the workshop, the elves smiled at me. I walked up to one of the elves who was delicately painting a doll's face, her tongue slightly sticking out from her concentration. "Hey, Holly." I gently said, making sure not to startle her.

She grinned when she heard me, but didn't look away from her work. "Hello, (Yn). Do you need something?" She asked in her usual peaceful voice.

"Yeah, actually, do you know where Bernard is?"

I could hear the growing smile in her voice. "Bernard, hmm?"

My cheeks flushed pink. "I-I need to ask him about something..."

"You'll find him in his office." She giggled.

I nodded. "Thank you, Holly!" I said before I dashed away.

I quickly made my way to Bernard's office and knocked on the door. "Bernard? May I come in?"

No reply.

"Bernard?" I knocked again, but I still didn't hear a response. "Bernard, I'm coming in," I warned, slowly opening the door and peeking my head in.

I sighed to myself when I saw Bernard at his desk, fast asleep. His head was resting on one arm, and the other arm was holding a quill in his hand. The quill was clearly mid-sentence which told me that he had fallen asleep without meaning to. I noticed a calendar on the wall; it was completely filled up with meetings, check-ins, and even more meetings. He had been constantly working until his body got so exhausted that he fell asleep against his will.

"Oh, Bernard...you've been so busy taking care of everyone else that you forgot to take care of yourself..." I softly whispered to myself.

I gently tapped his shoulder, and he awoke with a start. "HUH?! I'm up!!" He quickly exclaimed, sitting up. His eyes widened when he noticed me. "Oh! (Yn)! H-Hey!" Bernard stuttered, quickly straightening his hair and hat when he saw I was standing there. "How can I help you?"

"I don't think I'm the one who needs help, B. You look exhausted!"

"W-What?!" Bernard chuckled and waved me off. "I'm fine...I'm as awake as a kid on Christmas Eve!" He said before he yawned.

The bags underneath Bernard's eyes begged to differ. "Bernard. When was the last time you slept?" Bernard opened his mouth to reply but before he had a chance to say anything, I held my finger up to stop him "-in a real bed?"

Bernard closed his mouth.

"I thought so," I spoke, crossing my arms over my chest.

"(Yn), Christmas is less than a month away! There's still so much to be done!" He said in a defiant tone.

"You can't do anything useful when you're like this, B!" I gestured to his groggy state. "You need to rest! You'll be so much more productive if you give your body time to recharge."

Bernard pouted. "No! I'm fine."

I sighed, walked over to him, and interlocked our arms. "C'mon." I gently said, as though I was trying to coax a scared animal towards me.

"Please, Snow Angel?" He practically whined.

I almost stopped in my tracks. I had a hard time saying 'no' when he called me 'Snow Angel.' Though it was a challenge, I stayed strong and continued to lead Bernard back to his room.

When we arrived, Bernard kicked off his shoes and yawned again. I slowly took off his beret and set it on his nightstand. The elf flopped onto his bed, causing it to bounce a little on impact. I pulled the covers over top of him as Bernard snuggled into his pillow, finally falling asleep. "Good night, Bernard," I whispered, leaning down close to his face. My fingers found their way to Bernard's black dreadlocks and gently pushed them off his face. I slowly leaned down and softly kissed his forehead.

Bernard smiled in his sleep.

I gradually exited his room and closed his door, making sure to gently shut it so I wouldn't wake up Bernard. As I turned around I gasped.

A dozen-or-so elves had crowded around the doors and were intently staring at me as though they were waiting for me to drop some big secret.

"What?" I asked.

The elves all glance at one another and don't say anything for a moment. Finally, one of them spoke up. "We were trying to listen to see what you said!"

Another elf elbowed him. "Jamie!" She scolded.

"You know I can't keep a secret!" Jamie replied.

I held my hands up. "Wait, Wait, Wait. Why were you guys trying to hear what we said?"

"Because we want to know if you and Bernard are dating!" Jamie piped up. The elf girl elbowed him again. "Hey!" He whined.

"We aren't dating!!" I exclaimed.

An elf named Sam crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, please. We've seen the looks you two have given each other."

I waved her off. "What are you talking about?"

"It's obvious Bernard likes you! Have you seen the way he blushes around you?"

"You think so?!" I quickly mentally scolded myself. "I-I mean...I'm not discussing this with you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be. Somewhere away from here." I spoke, already walking away.

As I walked down the hallway, the words echoed in my mind. "It's obvious Bernard likes you!" I refused to believe it. It almost seemed too perfect, and that's what scared me. I thought my last relationship was perfect, but look how that ended. My thoughts were swirling around my head, so quickly that I didn't even realize that I collided with Dad. I fell backward onto my butt with a loud 'thud.'

Dad looked down at me. "You okay? That was quite a fall." He chuckled, holding out his hand to help me to my feet.

I laughed along with him as he pulled me up. "Sorry, Dad. I guess I was lost in thought."

"What's on your mind?" He questioned.

"I...uh...it's not important."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

"Alright..." Dad patted my shoulder. "If you ever want to talk about it I'm here, okay?"

"Okay." I hugged him. "Thanks, Dad."

As Dad hugged me back I felt my heart grow warm and fuzzy. If there was anything the Santa Clause changed for the better, it was our relationship. We had grown closer thanks to the whole thing, and I was grateful for that. It was nice to finally have a father figure to talk to.

As we parted, Dad looked down at me and grinned. "I love you, (Yn)."

I smiled. "I love you, too."