Winter Dream (Bernard the Elf x Reader)

Chapter 19- Watches and Worries

"They're all waiting. Are you ready?" Bernard asked, re-entering the room I had been waiting in.

I took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."

Less than an hour ago, Curtis created a toy copy of my Dad, and now, my real Dad wanted Bernard and I to try and convince every single of the elves that said toy was really my Dad.

I groaned.

"You alright, Snow Angel?" My boyfriend asked, gently taking one of my hands and intertwining our fingers.

My (ec) eyes met his brown ones. "I'm just feeling guilty about all of this. Sure, some of the elves get on my nerves sometimes, but I love them all the same. I don't want to lie to them."

He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Believe me, I know. But this is our only option. Granted, it's not a very good option, but it's the only one we've got."

I sighed. "You're right." I pecked his cheek. "Let's do this thing."

We walked out of the room, hand in hand, towards the stairs that led into the workshop. All of the elves were gathered around, some holding toys while chatting with one another. Bernard took a deep breath. "Attention elves!"

The chattering continued, and Bernard and I exchanged a knowing glance. Bernard brought his fingers to his lips and loudly whistled, getting the room's attention.

"Listen up!!" I exclaimed. Once I was sure that I had the elves' attention, I began speaking. "Recently, my Dad...had a bit of a makeover. He...uh...was getting bored with his old look, so he switched it up for funsies!" I mentally facepalmed. 'Funsies?' I had never been good at lying but this was ridiculous! Nobody was going to believe this falsehood! Bernard nervously looked at me and I sent him and panicked expression.

He got the idea and took over for me. "I myself think he looks absolutely terrific!" He plastered an overly cheery smile on his face and waved his arms around. "Better, and fresher somehow than he has in years! There's now a more...supple veneer to his skin and an added luster to the thickness of his hair. You could almost say there's a..." Bernard struggled to find the words.

"... Toy-like!" I piped up.

Bernard looked at me with an expression that spoke: Really? But he rolled with the punches. "Yes! A 'toy-like' quality to him. Most importantly, he's very happy with his new look, and I would caution you all not to point, or stare, or use the word 'plastic!'" Bernard continued to smile at the elves, who actually seemed to be buying our lie. "Okay? Okay. Thank you, that's all. Back to work please." He said, dismissing them.

As the elves scurried away, the two of us breathed a massive sigh of relief. "Thank St. Nick that's over," Bernard muttered, beginning to walk back up the stairs.

"Tell me about it..." I spoke. "Wait, where are you going?"

Bernard looked back at me. "Oh, I was going to make some adjustments to Santa's watch for his trip. Do you wanna help?"

"Of course!" I smiled.

Bernard had slowly been teaching me how to tinker and build things, but I was nowhere near as good as he was. I wasn't sure if it was just an elf thing, but Bernard was amazing when it came to working on machinery. Even though I wasn't the best at tinkering, I was constantly in my boyfriend's office while he worked, keeping him company, which he loved.

As we arrived in Bernard's office, I breathed in the scent of wood and ink that I knew all too well. I loved the way Bernard's office doubled as a regular office for paperwork, but also a mini-workshop. Behind the head elf's office was a spare room hidden behind a bookcase, where Bernard kept his secret workshop.

Bernard led me to the back of the room and pulled a book off the bookcase. The shelf moved to the side all on its own, and we entered the workshop. I felt all giddy inside, as I did whenever I entered the secret room. The dark wood walls had intricate carvings on them, and two tables that matched were on either side of the room. Special lights, magnifying glasses, and even a machine that could calculate the magical energy an object had were scattered throughout the room. The tool chests were stocked to the brim with tools that could be used to build just about anything. Old-fashioned model airplanes and ornately decorated hot air balloons hung from the ceiling, and several papers, blueprints, and shelves with various machines were mounted to the walls.

Bernard watched as my face lit up upon entering the workshop and grinned. He loved seeing me so joyful. Bernard sat on one of the plush green stools and scooted it up to the desk. "Can you please grab me a screwdriver?" He asked, turning on one of the desk lamps and propping up an old watch to make alterations to.

I gave him a thumbs up and headed to one of the tool chests and grabbed the screwdriver. I strutted over to my boyfriend and propped my forearm on his shoulder. As I waved the screwdriver in front of his face I mischievously smirked.

Bernard extended his arm towards the tool, but I swiftly pulled it out of his reach before he could grab it. I giggled. "Sorry B, but if you want this screwdriver, it's gonna cost you."

Bernard playfully rolled his eyes. "And what would that be, Snow Angel?"

I pretended to contemplate the idea for a moment. "Hmm...maybe a kiss?"

My boyfriend chuckled a bit as he looked at me. "Well, seeing as I have no other choice..."

I smiled and leaned towards his face, lips puckered ever-so-slightly. Bernard's lips met mine, and within seconds, a playful innocent peck on the lips turned into a passionate one. As Bernard's fingers ran through my (hc) hair, I blushed and melted into his warm and loving touch. I gently wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning as close to him as possible. My actions were driven by my fear of the unknown, fear of the future, and fear of a world without Bernard. We both longed for one another, as though we were the only two beings in existence. Our lips locked away a secret promise of love.

After a few moments, we finally parted, both of us blushing and panting for air. Our sparkly cheeks were equally red as we stared into one another's eyes. Our foreheads touched and we simply stayed like that, just basking in one another's company.

"I love you," I spoke, my voice barely going above a whisper.

Bernard gazed at my eyes like they were his lighthouse in a stormy sea. "I love you, too."

I looked down at our hands and slowly intertwined our fingers. "We have to make sure this plan is flawless, B. I-I can't lose you." I whispered, my voice breaking as I tried to hold back tears.

He took a deep breath, and gently pushed a strand of hair off my face. "This will work...it has to."

I slowly nodded and placed the screwdriver in my boyfriend's hand. "Okay. Let's fix that watch."