I like to think that Bernard is very knowledgable about magic, or at least with magical artifacts.
In the first film, he is the one to gift Charlie the magical snow globe. I wonder why he was carrying around in the first place? It's a very old snow globe and is clearly magical.
He is also able to appear/disappear at will. When Curtis came down from the North Pole to get Scott, he had to use a jetpack. Even the ELFS had to use jetpacks in the first film. Bernard however can just..magic himself there and away again?
In the second film, he says he was the one who did some work on Santa's watch, which now reads how much magic Santa has left. So clearly he can tinker with stuff and make things magical.
In the disney+ series (which im not taking as canon) he uses a magical clicker to freeze Scott's family.
dont get me wrong i love bernard the elf with my whole heart, but i strongly believe all david krumholtz characters deserve the same love we have given bernard! Barry Schweiber from Freaks and Geeks?? CHIEFS KISS! Charlie Eppes?? What I would do for that man!! Micheal Eckman? The actual love of my life! Don't even get me started on Bruno Verma or Ben from Slums of Beverly Hills! Billy Kulchak is the sweet guy-
dont get me wrong i love bernard the elf with my whole heart, but i strongly believe all david krumholtz characters deserve the same love we have given bernard! Barry Schweiber from Freaks and Geeks?? CHIEFS KISS! Charlie Eppes?? What I would do for that man!! Micheal Eckman? The actual love of my life! Don't even get me started on Bruno Verma or Ben from Slums of Beverly Hills! Billy Kulchak is the sweet guy-
ok this is a long request so pls bare with me haha
So the reader is an elf in the very depths of the workshop underground, and they work as the head elf for the potions department which hasnât been needed for centuries, then Bernard accidentally stumbles down there and the reader tries to get him to leave. Bernard wants to know whatâs going on so the reader teaches him how to make potions and explains stuff but is kinda reluctant?
Or an enemies to lovers w Bernard either one lol
K bai love u <33333
Hi, really loved this request did my best to kinda mix the two! If you guys want another great enemies to lovers @neils-weenie-whistle has a great one, they are a fantastic writer!
Story of us
Summary: Bernard and you had always been close, Until an accident in your department forced a rift between you. Worried about your influence over Charlie, Bernard gets over himself long enough to talk to you. He ends up getting over himself enough to discover that what happened between you two wasn't for the best.
Truth be told, Bernard and you had been friends at one point in time. Long ago when you were both young, but ended quick and fast like a birthday candle being blown out by an eager child. You never wanted it to end, but all things do.
Bernard and you were around 1,000 when your long friendship had ended. It was many, many Christmases ago and you had just gotten the job you wanted, Head of Christmas Spirit and Cheer! Every elf has a role at North Pole, many have been training for that role their whole life. Bernard and you certainly had.
Bernard had always been more ambitious than you. Instead of settling for a head of department position, his eyes were fixated on the head elf position. No one could deny how perfect he was for the job. Even if someone did speak out against, which did happen once in a while, you always supported him.
Then one faithful Christmas, it fell apart like some crappy, human-made toy. Working in the Christmas Spirit and Cheer was never easy. Elves in the Department dedicated their lives to keeping the magic of Christmas alive. It was your job to keep kids believing for as long as possible, and sadly, that year, lots of parents decided that telling their kids that Santa wasn't real was just a great idea!
You, as Head of the department, had rallied a team of your best elves to go to the human world and bring Christmas cheer back to children! It was a risky mission, but something had to be done.
It was the last house and the mission so far had been a success, so you could have never expected it to go so wrong so fast. Making it through the sleeping house was easy, even with the family's 3 dogs. Your team had made everything timed out perfectly, every possible situation thought out beforehand.
The plan was to visit the family's oldest daughter and give her the sweetest Christmas dream! The kind of dream that when you woke up, you'd do anything to fall back asleep. Well, you had reached the room and saw the peaceful girl bundled up in her cozy covers. Slowly you made your way to her bed, watching every step you made with careful and calculated precision. As you softly placed the pads of your fingers on her temples, when it happened. She woke up in a fearful scream and when she saw a group of 4 short elves wearing all black, her poor mind took all the unknown pieces and twisted the scene. Thankfully your team made it back safely, disappearing into a cloud of glitter before her parents could see.
That didn't mean everything was good though. The girlâs mind told her that you and your team were evil creatures of the night. The fear that had crept into her mind kept her up sobbing in her mother's arms all night. That might have been salvageable with a perfect Christmas day, but she went to school and told all her friends of evil elves and dark magic. That completely tainted your reputation, and your relationship with Bernard.
You remember how mad he was at you, how he had screamed at you. Bernard had never raised his voice like that, especially not at you. You remember when he threatened taking your position away. Saying how you weren't deserving of it. Like he hadn't watched you study magic for years, like all those nights where he had to come over to put you to sleep cause he knew you'd stay up all night practicing a new enchanting spell, never existed. It was your fault, nothing from your training had prepared you for it. The girl didn't look like she was having a nightmare.
No matter how many times you apologized, how many times you bit your tongue and let him talk down to you, nothing would fix it. Nothing could fix it. In Bernard's eyes you had ruined Christmas. Even if every other elf had forgiven you, which they had, he wouldn't. You knew why, It was his first year as Head Elf and you ruined Christmas. In his eyes, that was a failure on his part and you would have to deal with it.
Many Christmas had passed since then, you had even gotten a new Santa. Scott Calvin was his name. His son Charlie was just the cutest. Every elf loved him to death and Charlie loved him just as much. However, Charlie had taken a certain liking to you. That very first night at the Pole, Charlie begged you to show him every spell you knew. You simply explained how you didn't have enough hours in the day to show anyone everything you could do. Bernard scoffed at that. Thinking of you as arrogant, a show-off who didn't even need to show off! You let it slide.
What you didn't let slide was Bernard telling you off about how Charlie told all his friends about all the cool things you could do. You just couldn't see the problem with Charlie being excited about Christmas, about him getting over kids to believe.
âY/N, how can you not see the issue here?â Bernardâs scolding office followed you through the workshop as you desperately tried to escape it. Every turn you took you prayed you'd lose him. Your unit was in the bottom floor of the workshop, it gave you space to brew special potions and teach your teammates new spells. Sadly, the journey there was confusing enough to lose the Head Elf that followed your every move like clockwork.
As you reached the large door which led to the laboratory, you sharply turned around. Your action must have caught Bernard off as he took a wary step back, confusion flooded into his eyes. âYou're so right, Bernard!â Your malicious voice filled the corridor, âI don't see the issue with it!â crossing your arms as you scoffed.
Bernard stood there frozen, you had never raised your voice at. No matter how frustrated you seemed, you kept it to yourself. Bernard went to rebuke what you had said, but you cut him off sharply. âIf you haven't noticed, since Charlie has become friends with me, belief rates in kids have skyrocketed! You should be happy!â A cunning smirk graced your lips, bitterness oozed with each word you spoke.
âIâŚ.Oh! So I should be thanking you? Is that what you want? To be praised?â You rolled your eyes at his sarcastic words. You didn't want him to thank you, you wanted an apology. Yet, you'd never say that, never confess to how you stay awake at night wishing he'd show up at your door telling you how sorry he is for everything.
Instead of asking for a simple apology, you sneered at him. âI'm not you, Bernard. I don't need to be constantly uplifted and petted to know my worth.â You knew it was a low blow. He was just adding diesel to the fire. At times, you truly felt that Bernard had forgotten about how close the two of you had once been. It hurt more than a thousand cuts.
You didn't want to feel sorry for the words you spoke so indignantly, you wanted it to hurt. Then you saw the confused pain in Bernard's warm eyes, and you want to drop your mask and this meaningless rivalry. âI don't need praiseâŚâ Bernard's voice was meek, he seemed so unsure of the words and his body defense didn't help. Bernard looked small, smaller than normal. He was crouched over himself, hands on his hips.
âAre you sure about that, Mister Head Elf?â You retorted, your cold gaze meeting his puzzled face. âCause last time I checked you have to make everyone love you so much, but then you leave them to rot once they've stopped benefitting you.â The words came from somewhere deep within your heart. Perhaps the place you held all your bittersweet sorrow, most being caused by a certain curly haired Head Elf.
Bernard's puzzled face contorted into dumbstruck disdain. âNow you're just saying stuff! I would never leave an elf behind, you know that!â
âOh, do you?â
aching pain broke through and interlaced itself with your words. Bernard felt the raw emotion course through him like a wildfire, as if it set the whole North Pole ablaze.
âCause last time I checked, you left an elf behind when they needed you the most. You left when I felt like the biggest failure ever! In fact, you only made it worse, Bernard!â Your voice echoed through him, making him feel hollow inside.
The words rung throughout his head. He had meant to leave you, had he left you? Bernard thinks back to how close you two had been when the incident happened. He felt that if he took a step back, stopped acting like your friend and started acting like your boss, You'd get better. The longer he stood there before you, your piercing eyes never leaving him, he realized how had improved. You ran probably the most successful department at the North Pole and your magic radiated off of you. Bernard also realized it was because you two had stopped being friends, It was because he left you feeling alone. He remembered how mad everyone was at you for that Christmas, and the following. Bernard left you when you needed him the most, that wasn't what friends were for.
Truth be told, Bernard was more than just a friend to you. You were then just a friend for him! All the other Elves saw how you looked at each other, it wasn't hard to see the love behind your eyes. Bernard was gonna tell you how he felt that Christmas, but then everything happened and he felt like that would have worsened it all. Now he realizes that it would have been for the best if he told you.
You watched Bernard's eyes swell up, it flushed the bitterness off your face almost immediately. âY/NâŚâ Bernard's heartbroken tone never failed to make you forget whatever he had said or done that made you angry. When you were friends, the two of you would argue from time to time; The moment you saw a single tear roll down his freckled cheeks, you'd cast all your anger aside. You opened your mouth, but only his words met the air.
âWhat I did was so wrong. I never meant for it to go this farâŚâ If how heartbroken he sounded just calling your name wiped the bitterness from your face, how soft and scared he sounded just then cleansed you of all your years worth of built up anger and hurt. His eyes moved from the ground, which he had been once staring so contently at, to scan your face. He looked to be searching, searching for something you guessed to be forgiveness. If it was forgiveness, he had found it.
âI just didn't know why you left, Bernard. I knew I messed up. I ripped myself apart every night thinking about it, but what you did was just as dark.â You hadn't noticed you had teared up until you tasted the salty tear hit the side of your lip.
âI know! It hurt me too, I just felt like- like if maybe I left- maybe if i stopped being your friend or whatever we were- you wouldn't be t-tied down.â Bernard's words were fast and tripped over themselves, but so genuine it hurt. You couldn't help but wanna smile at the mention of Bernard and you being more than friends. You had liked him so much back then and you felt like he liked you too, but then you just felt tolerated- some days, not even that.
âBernard, you weren't tying me down. That mission didn't go sideways because you and I were friendsâŚor whatever we wereâŚ.It went sideways âcause I scared a little girl. I got cocky and moved too fast. I've come to live with that.â Biting your lip, you turned your gaze away from the Head Elf. You were now the one who felt his hot gaze pierce into you. You let out a shaky breath, âI, however, could never live with the fact that you didn't want me anymore. I'm sorry that I made this break harder on you, I hadn't realized youâŚdidn't hate me.â
Hate you? You thought Bernard hated you? Bernard wanted to throw himself on you, tell you how he could never, ever hate you. Tell you how much you had meant to him, how much you still meant to him. His eyes rolled, something you found them often doing, but this time it wasn't out of sarcasm or spite- It was something you couldn't name. âI could never hate you, Y/N. You mean far too much to me, I only wanted you to grow. standing before you, I have realized that I could have watched you grow right by your sideâŚI didn't have to watch from afar.â
You smiled softly, your nose scrunching up. It was a smile that could make your cheeks hurt if it didn't go away, and you had a peculiar feeling that it wouldn't leave anytime soon. âYou watched meâŚfrom afar?â it was warm, your words felt like a warm embrace, something Bernard that felt from you in a long time.
âMaybeâŚYou're just so graceful when you do all your magic stuff. Charlie really likes watching it, and I just want to keep an eye on him!â If you weren't looking right at him, you could hear the cheery smile in his voice.
âMhmâŚ.look after him? You know I'd never hurt him! You just liked watching me!â retorting playfully, your hands fall onto your hips, mocking Bernardâs pose.
âYou're rather enchanting when you do all your cool hand motions and magic and It's just soothing! You have this way of just drawing people in, I always find myself just caught in your haze and it's not m-â Bernard's mindless ramble, with his hands speaking just as just as fast as himself, made you chuckle to yourself, causing him to catch himself. He bit his lip, a nervous action he did when he felt as if he's said too much.
You reached out to grab his nervous, fidgety hands. âI caught myself watching you too. You get so in the zone when you oversee the workshop, sometimes I'd sneak up to watch you. Curtis always tended to catch me, he wanted him to get over myself and say something. I just couldn'tâŚâ Bernard smiled, now knowing his âunrequitedâ feelings weren't totally unrequited, in fact they were the opposite.
Somehow you convinced Bernard to take the day off, telling him how Christmas was still months away and everyone was right on track. He let himself have the day, he couldn't miss the opportunity of getting to call you his for a second time.
hi, so as a new written who wants to get foot in on fanfic tumblr, i wanted to take fanfic requests! so id love you to read my fandom list and then send any ideas or just prompts you wanna see. I write male!reader (trans inclusive ofc!!) and gn!reader, aswell as ships!!
Fandoms I Write For
(Fandoms i really wanna write for **)
X-Men **
MCU
Criminal Minds**
The Santa Clause **
Paul Dano character
David Krumholtz characters**
Star Wars
What I Write
I will write pretty much anything expect for smut at the moment, I'm new to writing and it just scares me! everything else in on the table!!
Summary- Bernard is overworked, but you make him feel better.
Inspired by Taylor Swift's Sweet Nothings, love that song so much and it just feels like such a Bernard song. Let's be real, he is a swiftie!
Bernard was known for his on time and upright behavior. He had always been that way. The elf knew that if he ever wanted to raise amongst the ranks within the workshop, he'd have to do what was right. what was right was being on scheduled and showing other's that you were dependable. Bernard did everything in his power to make the other elves, and of course Santa, like him. However, Bernard never knows when to take a break.
For instance! The year before Scott became Santa, the workshop was running as smooth and on time as possible. In fact, it was October and the elves had surpassed their quota! Everyone was thrived about, everyone but Bernard. Bernard, in stead of letting himself celebrate, felt as if this meant bad luck was coming. Bernard had spent all day and night worrying himself sick just thinking about all the things that could go wrong before Christmas.
That's where the lovely Y/N comes in. Y/N had a way of calming not just Bernard, but everyone in the workshop. See, Bernard was Head elf, but there are actually various head elves all belonging to their own department. Like Judy was the head of baked goods and hot cocoa mixologist. Y/N was head of North Pole security and the Effective Liberating Flight Squad unit (E.L.F.S for short). Everyone felt safe knowing Y/N was there watching over them, making sure nothing went wrong. The North Pole had its fair share of experiences with research groups, archaeologists, and other interferences. Y/N had it all under control. What none of the other elves knew, was how Y/N could calm Bernard down with on look!
Bernard currently pacing up and down they workshop, checking in on everyone and the toys. This would have been fine, even nice, if it wasnt he 4th rotation around the workshop in an hour. The elves knew it was his job and he was just making sure everything was running smoothly, it was almost November so they couldn't blame him! However, everything was going smoothly. This year had been the most productive since Scott to over! Bernard had nothing to be concerned about.
That's why Scott went to Y/N. Just as all the elves knew, Santa knew of your spell over Bernard. Once he noticed Bernard going to make his 5th workshop check-up, Scott went to find Y/N. The H/C elf stood calmly in their security room. The walls covered in monitors, each showing a different angle of the Pole. Y/N had always found their job calming, even if it wasn't always calm. They had the unique job of assuring every elf, and occasional human, that they were safe! Y/N was talking to Danny, a E.L.F.S agent, about grabbing hot cocoa for the unit when Scott came in.
"Y/N, are you busy?" The sudden, new voice caused the E.L.F.S to look towards Santa, each giving him a wide grin to greet him 'hello'. Y/N looked to Santa, matching their agents smiles.
"No, I'm not! Everything is running smoothly, did you need me for something?" Confidence laced the elf's words as they stood tall, well as tall as an elf could stand!
"Yes, would you follow me?" Santa's question was met the a sharp 'of course' as Y/N followed his lead out of the security unit and to the workshop.
"It's November and all of you guys are doing fantastic- as usual!" Scott praised, but his face showed a different story. He sighed, his hands had go to reach the grand workshop door's golden handle. Yet his hand never made it. In stead, he turned back to Y/N with worried eyes. "Bernard is on edge, more than usual. He needs to calm down. You're the only I know who can get him to take a break."
The elf softly smiled at Santa, their hands reaching up to rub their eyes gently. "I told him he needed to sleep in today, sir. He was so overworked last night, he came home and passed right out...couldn't even bare to eat..." Y/N thought that when they told their lover to sleep in a bit, relax a bit in the morning, he would! Y/N wasnt asking him to take the day off completely- just a break in the morning! Bernard was gonna be the death of them.
"Please get him to take a nap or something before one of these poor elves snap at him. I think he'd fall over from being shout at right now." Scott was just as worried as you were, you knew that. The Jolly man reached to open the door, allowing you to walk through.
The moment the door had opened, every elf in that workshop had their eyes on Y/N; However, they were only looking at Bernard. Y/N quickly walked down the spiral staircase as the elves went back to work, they all knew why Y/N was there. Bernard looked scared at the sight of his lover. He knew he should have listened to them. Sure, his partner was the sweetest elf in the world, but Y/N wouldn't hesitate to drag Bernard's ass back to their home and force him to sit down. Bernard had a funny feeling that everything was about to happen.
Y/N grabbed his boyfriend's arm, Bernard had never seen him so worried. his lover's anxious look was painful for him to look at, Bernard felt sick when he realized he cause it. He never meant to stress Y/N out, they didn't deserve it.
âHave you slept?â Y/N soft voice made Bernard break, thankfully no one saw him tear up as his lover was already dragging him out of the workshop. âI mean, I know youâve sleptâŚbut like really slept!â Y/N exclaimed as they let go of Bernardâs arm and turned to him. Their heart breaking at the sight of a misty eyed Bernard. âOh snowflakeâŚIâm sorry. I didnât mean to yell at youâŚI'm just worried.â
âI- I kn-knowâŚâ Bernard choked out causing Y/N to pull him close into a tight hug, their hand rubbing his lower back. The two stayed like that for awhile, Bernard softly weeping in Y/N arms, until Y/N slowly pulled away.
Their soft eyes looked to their lover, âYou need to tell me whatâs going on? Everything in the workshop is going great, darling. Talk to me.â
Bernard looked at his feet. He didnât really know how to put all his thoughts and emotions into words. A shaky breath left his lips, âThatâs the issuesâŚâ He heaved out, looking to meet Y/N confused face. âI-I donât know, everything is going like to wellâŚâ Y/N hummed softly at what Bernard said. Bernardâs fear wasnât silly and Y/N knew he just wanted to have a good Christmas this year. Itâs a big job being head elf. Christmas was the last major holiday of the year, beside the New Years Eve. Bernard carried a heavy weight, his lover knew that.
âI see, youâre scared something is gonna go wrongâŚâ Bernard nodded softly as Y/N took his hands in theirs, rubbing their thumb across Bernardâs calloused hands. âI understand where youâre coming from, love, I doâŚbut nothing bad is gonna happen. Itâs gonna be okay. Let yourself have this one, celebrate.â Y/Nâs smile brightened up Bernardâs life, and their words never ceased to comfort him.
âYeahâŚyouâre right. Maybe I was being a little toâŚmuch.â Bernard softly chuckled, looking at his feet once more, and then back to Y/N.
âI donât think you could ever be too much, or maybe Iâm just biased.â Y/N soothed, letting go of one of Bernardâs hands so they could wipe his tear stained cheek. Bernard melted into the soft touch, his eyes fluttering close.
âSometimesâŚeverything is just so muchâŚâ Bernard murmured, his eyes slowly opening. âWhen I try to take a break, something always tells me how I should be doing moreâŚâ The head elf looked up to his lover with soft, tired eyes. âIâm just too soft for all of it.â
Y/N looked to Bernard, his eyes just as soft and tired as their lovers. âItâs okay, Iâm right here. Whenever you need to run, just run home to me.â love pouring out in their words like sweet honey.
ah- so this is my first Bernard x reader!! i hope you all enjoy. i wanted to say how this could take place in 90s-2000s but its definitely more of a modern kinda au as it has progress trans ideas (Character is on T)
summary - The reader hasn't visited the North Pole since the fateful Christmas his dad became Santa. Turns out coming home for the holidays is easy to do, even with unspoken feelings, if it means coming home to Bernard.
enjoy!! merry bernard season!! I hope this man never finds this.
Scott Calvin, the man you called your dad and the rest of world calls Santa, has been delivering presents to kids all over the world for about 3 years now. 3 years ago Charlie woke you up from your bed cause he heard clattering on the roof, 3 years ago you found yourself freaking out about how you killed Santa, and 3 years ago you found your tripping over your feet as your father fought with the north poles head elf about how he wasn't Santa. A lot has changed in 3 years. Scott moved to the north pole for good, still being allowed visitation rights. Neil and Scott had grown to respect each other, he comes for dinner on thanksgiving each year. Your dad and mom have to bribe your little brother Charlie to not fuss about how he cant just skip school all December to stay in the North Pole.
However the biggest change was how your once bittersweet family grew into a warm and loving one, though it certainly did help. 3 years ago, you were a scared 17 year old who had the wrong name. you had the wrong face and hair, you weren't yourself. Now, you were closer than before. 2 years ago you had come out to your family about being trans and they welcomed you with loving arms as their son. It was a new playing field for everyone and it was easy forever at first, it still isn't; However, everyone tries their best and that's all you could ever ask for. Neil helped with it a lot, you respected him a lot more after he helped explain to everyone what you felt. Neil works with a lot of trans youth and when you came out, he was a great comfort. Scott had a hard time with it, not cause he didn't believe in it or didn't like it but because you never hold him. You're dad and you had always been close, so it hurt him that you didn't tell him first thing when you found out. You were young though, didn't know who to say it.
 You were 19 now, Charlie had just turned 11. It was hard for him when you went away for college, you moved out of state and hadn't come back for Christmas the first year cause of a horrible blizzard. Charlie was better now, especially when he found out how you were coming home for a whole basically 2 months. College had eased up and you hadn't been home in awhile, so you decided that talking to your teachers getting about lecture notes ahead of time and taking your midterms early was the best idea.
You had come home the Friday before thanksgiving, tired and jet lagged from the long red eye you took home. Yet when you saw Charlie running down your mom's stairs hug you, ever ounce of energy came back. You spent that first few days before thanksgiving doing Charlie's favorite things and when thanksgiving rolled around, Charlie was still buzzing with energy.Â
"Dad- Dad! We'll have to show Y/N the new invention's added to the sleigh! And the- the new ice skating rink!" Bouncing up and down in his sit, Charlie explained all the new things that had been added to the North Pole since the last time you had been there.
"Y/N! It's so cool! We have a new ice skating rink that circles like the whole village!" Charlie went on, leaving his turkey untouched as you listened intently. Even if none else was listening cause they were to busy talking about the ending football season, you were there to listen all of Charlie's new favorite places and things about the North Pole. Plus you really did love ice skating, so you didn't mind his excitement.
"Really? all around the North Pole?" You asked intently before going to grab your drink.Â
"No- not the whole North Pole! The North Pole is huge! Just Christmas Town!" Charlie corrected you, still bouncing up and down with excitement. Laura, Neil, and Scott had previously decided that Charlie and you could leave thanksgiving night with your dad- as long as Charlie had good grades, which he did, and did his work at the North Pole.Â
It felt weird going back to the North Pole, you had been a completely different person when you first touched down in the workshop. You weren't too worried though, you had Charlie. When you came out to Charlie he didn't really understand right away. Overtime though Charlie saw you as his brother who he loved with all his heart, and you loved him just as much.Â
"Alright!" Scott barked from the living room before rolling into the kitchen where you and Charlie had been, his hand on his lower back as if he had just finished stretching. It had taken time getting used to seeing your dad with bright white locks and a matching bread, he cheeks rosier from the cold weather he had grown to love, but your dad was happier now than ever. Wouldn't be to good if Santa Claus was jolly.Â
"Who is ready to head up North?" Scott asked with wide grin that only caused Charlie to jump out of his chair and run to grab his coat, happiness radiating off of him.
"He hasn't changed one bit." you hummed. It wasn't a bad thing. No, it wasn't a bad thing at all. You were glad Charlie never lost his love for the Holidays, the love for Santa.Â
"No, no he hasn't!" Your dad smiled down at you before letting out a breath of contentment, "Y'know, you haven't changed at all either, Y/N." You looked to him with a knowing smile. Scott always got you and you always got him, like father like son.Â
"You know who hasn't changed at all either?" You threw your dad a cocky grin.Â
"Who?"
"Neil!" You exclaimed causing your father to crack up, "No! No! Literally, that is the same sweater he wore last Thanksgivings! I truly believe he hasn't taken it off since then!" Scott shook his head in laughter as you went on. Neil and hideously great sweater's was a family joke that just never got old, one that had grown from something so laced with venom into a warm hug- Much like your family itself.
eventually, with bags loaded in your dads sleigh and goodbyes all in order, you were all on your way. The cold night air blowing through your hair as you flew. The air ,which only got colder and colder, couldn't compete with the warm glass of Judy's famous hot cocoa. The nerves that once run off with the help of your father's loud, jolly laughter, came back as the sound of Christmas songs grew older and the smell of warm cookies filled the air. You didn't know why you were so scared. It wasn't like everyone had forgotten about you, Scott talked about Charlie and you every chance he got! You just didn't know how everyone would react to the new you. When the sleigh finally landed and slowly descended into the hidden world of Christmas, Charlie grabbed your hand to comfort you.
Turning to him, your weak smile was met by his genuine one. His knowing eyes told you that you were gonna be okay. Soon the cheers of elves flooded your ears and the warm scent of cookies and peppermint helped Charlie comfort you. A chorus of 'welcome home's greeted you as Charlie pulled you out of the sleigh. A smile greeted your face as Judy walked towards you, three hot chocolates in hand.Â
"It was colder than usual tonight, I hope the weather wasn't too bad though!" Judy stated as you took 2 of the hot mugs off her hands, giving one to Charlie.Â
You hummed softly as the warmth engulfed from the Christmas colored mug you, "It was too cold, just cold enough! The perfect amount." You replied before taking a long sip from the mug.Â
"Good, I was worried about you and weather!" Judy smiled brightly at you, "You haven't been here in so long, I was unsure how you'd take to the cold again!" "
Oh...yeah I hadn't even thought about that..." It was strange how it never accrued to you, "I guess living in Illinois and then moving to New York for school will set you up for worst of colds."
Judy and you had grown close your first Christmas here. Where Charlie was helping out Bernard with ways to keep your dad safe, you were baking and brewing with Judy. She told you all about the North Pole and the girl she was dating in wrapping. You answered all her questions about high school and told her about the things you and your friends do for fun. She scoffed at how fun you made summer break out to be, saying how âno one could have fun in 100 degree heat!â and she wasnât completely wrong, so you laughed it off and told her about the lake house Neilâs family owns. Even after that Christmas, you visited her and when you could visit her, you wrote to her.Â
Judy went to speak, but was cut off my the sound of your little brother calling out the familiar name of a certain elf. The commotion cause Judy and you to turn to the direction your brother had run off too, and ,low n' behold, Bernard was walking towards him with a warm, welcoming smile.
Bernard hadn't changed much since the last time you saw him. He still wore warm, Christmas colored sweaters and the same beret as 3 years ago. His once braid hair was let down in tight, neat curls that framed his face rather nicely. Bernard looked as if he had grown am an inch and his face had sharpened up, much like yours. He looked liked a proper young adult, just around your age, and not like a grumpy teen. It made you think about how old he really was, especially in compression to the other elves. One thing that hadn't changed was how handsome he was. Looking at him now, even at a distance, you could tell he had only gotten more gorgeous. You must have let your thoughts show a little too much as Judy had let out a soft chuckle which drawn your attention away from Bernard and back to her. "You're a little red!" She smirked softly cause you to roll your eyes playfully. You knew she wasn't someone you could trick into think you didn't have a crush on the head elf, so you confined in her. You threw Judy a joking wink as you explained how you were just "cold" cause her to roll her eyes back at you.
"What! I am! It's cold here, even for a cold weather lover such as myself!" Jokingly, you scrunched your nose showing her how you were trying to warm your face back up. As Judy and you laughed at your silly gesture, the two of you were blissfully unaware by the growing presence of your brother and Bernard. It was only until Charlie called your name that made Judy and you snap back to reality. Your eyes meet Bernard's, and warmth definitely rushes back into your face.Â
"Y/N, you remember Bernard right?" Charlie asked unaware to how much you thought about the elf in question. It was probably unhealthy how much you lay awake at night wondering if Bernard ever thought about you or even remembered you outside of just his boss's kid! You weren't like Charlie, who had visited the North pole as much as he could! However, you would also admit to yourself how the though of Bernard not remembering you hurt.
"Of course I do, Char..." You respond affectionately to your brother, not taking your eyes off of Bernard. Bernard smiles at you and you feel like you're about to melt. Cause when did it get so hot in here? And why were Bernard's so dreamy? It truly wasn't fair how handsome he was.Â
âHey, Y/N.."Â
And god he knows your name, your real name, and it feels so good to hear him call you that and you definitely shouldn't be this whipped over an elf who works for dad. You know it would never work. Firstly, cause Bernard would never think about you the way you think of him. Then secondly, causes he works for your dad! Even if in your wildest dreams come true and Bernard liked you back, your dad would never allow that! So, you swallowed your sorrow and smiled.Â
"Hey, Bernard....Uh long time, no see?" Your words felt heavy and unsure as the fell from your lips, but Bernard didn't stop smiling at you- that made you feel a lot better about yourself.
"Y-yeah, it has. Your dad told me how about everything, but I didn't know what to expect!" You watched his eyes glace up and down your frame, taking you in. His hands, which once were effortlessly placed on his waist, were now folded into his body as his arms crossed at his chest. He looked back at you, swaying back a bit before realizing that what he said. "No, wait! I didn't mean that in a negative way! You look good, really good!"Â
You could tell he also didn't know realize what said right then till after the words left his lips, his cheeks hard grown dark and his eyes widened when he finally processed his own words. You didn't wanna get your hopes up, but you had never seen him this uncollected and unsure of himself and it definitely made you think. No- Bernard didn't like you. He couldn't. Bernard just was expecting you to have changed so much, and you got that! Within 2 years you had cut hair, changed your name, started testosterone, and changed up your style completely. You looked like a completely different person.Â
"You're fine, Bernard! I knew what you meant! I've changed a lot!" You scoffed playfully, a smile spread across your face.Â
"Bernard is right though!" Judy's excited words grabbed not just your attention, but your Brother's and Bernard's. "You look really good, a lot happy and more like yourself! Plus you've really grown into your looks..." Judy's gaze turned from you and to Bernard, the smile the once graced her face turned into a smirk. "...hasn't he, Bernard?"
And just like that, Bernard was bright red in the face. You're skin felt hot under the fluorescent lighting of the workshop. You're hands, which once awkwardly stood on either side of your body, eased into the pockets of your warm leathery jacket. Judy rolled her eyes at how obvious the two of you were. Charlie stood beside Bernard with a confused frown. Sure he was older now, but 11 was still so young and Charlie hadn't really talked about liking anyone yet. Bernard eyes, which unbeknownst to you, had wondered off to glare at Judy while you were focused on Charlie. He was only met with a playfully confused looked, as if she didn't know what she had just said!Â
"Y'know what! Why don't we get you two to your rooms?" Bernard chirped, his normal flush returning back to him. You hadn't really realized how late it was and sleep had felt like a foreign thought to you. With all your papers, work, and friends, sleep often escaped your mind. There was only so much you could do in one day, and sleep was the last thing a college student could do.Â
âHow does that sound, Charlie? Iâm gonna go ahead and take him-â Before Bernard could finished, Judy had grabbed your brotherâs hand and pulled him towards her.Â
âActually, I have a few hot cocoa related questions Iâd like to get his answers on! Why donât you take Y/N to his room?â Judy was skating on thin, thin ice and she knew it. With pleading eyes, wordlessly begging for Judy to ask you any and all of her cocoa related questions.Â
But before you, or Bernard, could speak out, Charlie and Judy were off to her bakery. In a rather petty way, you felt betrayed by your elven friend. You knew she had no ill intent behind her actions and you knew you could never truly be mad at her, but that didnât stop you from feeling stranded in a snow storm of loud, awkward silence. Normally talking to people came easy to you, but Bernard was like everyone else and everything you tried to say got lost in your throat. You wanted to run. To just say âHey, itâs okay I remember my way around here. You have things to do!â, even if it was a flat lie; You decided that sleeping in the sleigh would be easier than talking to Bernard.Â
âSoâŚI can show you to your room,â Thankfully Bernard spoke up first. You dragged your eyes away from the direction your brother had run off to and met Bernardâs. He, surprising, wore a warm smile and his eyes werenât filled with pure anxiety. His body was relaxed or as relaxed as you could get with Bernard. His arms had fallen from his chest, his fingers now played with each other around waist. You softened at the sight. Something about the way he looked in this light- or maybe it was the way he seemed so small, it made every ounce of anxiety your body had vibrated with completely disappear.Â
âYeah, that sounds nice.â
As Bernard guided you out of the workshop, the chatter filled the air as elves worked on toys and it made you remember the first time you walked through these halls.Â
âI remember the first time I was here and my dad kept on calling anything but Bernard. I remember how nervous I wasâŚlike if I said or touched anything, the whole place would just disappearâŚâ You tried to hide the anxiety laced within your voice, but it still peeked through. Your eyes scanned around the workshop. Bernard, who walked by your side, looked to you with something you couldnât quite place. You could tell it was soft, but you couldnât bring yourself to meet his eyes to find out what it really was.
âYou havenât been back sinceâŚâ Bernardâs soft voice caught you off guard. You werenât expecting him sound soâŚalmost hurt. It made you weak, your knees suddenly felt like jello and every step was like walking on eggshells as you left theÂ
âIâve just been so busy with school.â It was the truth. Once you graduated Highschool and moved away, home felt so far awayâŚand the North Pole even farther. You meant to tag along last Christmas, but time had a funny way of catching up to you. Just like the mound projects you had due by the end of fall semester. âI missed it up here.âÂ
âI missed you- We missed you.â Nothing anyone could never say would make you grin harder than Bernard saying how he missed you.Â
âNo, no, no.â You halted to a stop causing Bernard to follow in suit. You turned to him, it was quiet and the realization that the two of you were alone in the hall sunk in. âYou missed me?â your voice was weak, not sure if you wanted to press any further.Â
A red flush creeped onto Bernardâs face. He looked away in embarrassment, âI really wished youâd let that slideâŚâ he wished to himself, barely loud enough for you to hear.Â
âI donât knowâŚif I wantâŚto let it slideâŚâ The words, just as soft as his, hesitantly left your lips like sap seeping from a tree. The words hung in the air, stubborn and unmoving, as the Bernardâs warm eyes met yours. you both knew that if you chose not to press further into the meaning of your honey filled words, that you would be missing out on each other.Â
âIâŚI was hoping you wouldnât let it slide.â Bernard felt greedy for wanting to push further, you did too. He was the right to your father after all, it felt wrongâŚyet something about it fit. Something about it made sense.Â
âReally?â You smirked softly, his words giving you a new found confidence. âCause I was under the impression,â you swayed back, shoving your hands in the pockets of your jacket. âThat you did? Or did you not mean what said? I think that moves you to naughty list!â Your smirked spread into a dopey grin.Â
âOh myâŚYâknow elves arenât actually on the list, weâre above it.â Bernard jested back, wearing a grin almost as dopey as yours.Â
âAbove it? Now that definitely moved you to the naughty list!â You both laughed, content in the world the two of you had made. Bernard smiled lovingly at you, his tired eyes soft at the sight of you.Â
âYou havenât changed.â His words hit bluntly as he moved closer to you. You watched as his hands reached up towards your face. His hands, calloused from work, felt strange on the soft of your cheeks, but it also felt like home.Â
âYou havenât eitherâŚyou're still grumpy and overworked, but still some how practically prefect in every wayâŚâ If Bernardâs smile could grow anymore at your words, it would. He was beaming, and his beaming because of you. It made you melt, you felt like putty in his hands- like if his hands left your face youâd just melt away like snow on a warm spring day.Â
âYouâre still stupidâŚâ You knew Bernardâs words were nothing but affectionate. The gap between the two of you slowly disappeared, your lips met his. Youâd like to believe that time had stopped in that very moment, but the racing of your heart told you otherwise. No matter how hard your heart pounded in your chest, you only found yourself truly focusing on how soft his lips felt against yoursâŚand now perfectly you melted together.Â
Itâs safe to say that Bernard had followed you to your room, where the two of you melted into the safety of your bed. Neither one of you wanted to get up that following morning, both were to content in holding each other.Â
