~The Shy and The Stubborn~ (the santa clause)

Chapter 25: hand over the armour

"So you're telling me that that whole fistfight with Jaime and Max wasn't some elaborate stunt to take the attention off of you and the boss man last night?"

Justice sighed softly, pinching the bridge of her nose beneath the clear frames of her glasses. For someone so emotionally intelligent, Joey could be a bit of a himbo at times.

She had been making her usual rounds that morning, checking in with the heads of all the departments to gather overall feedback, ask if they needed anything, etc., making her list as she went. Naturally, after the dance debacle, she got many more stares and strange looks than she would have liked, no doubt after she snogged the head elf on the dance floor, but that was the least of her worries at the minute. Her rounds always brought her to the delivery department, something which made her gut turn unpleasantly. If it weren't for Jaime, she wouldn't mind so much. Joey and Harry were good enough company.

"Honestly, at this point I would have rather had everyone just talk about me and Bernard," Justice sighed, slumping a little as her clipboard fell at her side.
"Love, you should've told me you were in the middle of a weird love triangle," Joey hummed, tilting his head at Justice as he offered her a sympathetic pout. "Been there, done that. I would've helped."
"The only way you know how to help is by seducing people, mate," Harry snorted, giving Joey a playful elbow to the side.
"Eh, Jaime's cute enough, I would've coped," Joey shrugged, shooting both Harry and Justice a playful smirk as he ran a hand through his wild curls. "I sorta always figured the fella had it bad for you, didn't think he had the heart to pull off a stunt like that, though."
"You and me both," Justice sighed, glancing over her shoulder, briefly looking at Jaime who was in the corner of the room, packing a trolley with his earphones in, before she looked between Joey and Harry again.
Joey followed her gaze and let out a low whistle. "Well, he looks like a man who just tanked his own love confession with a right hook. Poor lad."
Harry folded his arms, brow quirking as he added, "If you ask me, it didn't feel like a stunt. Jaime's not subtle, but he's not that reckless, either. He's been off ever since Bernard started hovering around you more." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "Speaking of, where is your boyfriend this morning?"

Justice groaned and rubbed her temple.

"Don't call him that," she muttered, cheeks warming. "And he's in a meeting with the board, I think. Which is lucky for me because I really didn't want to have this whole conversation with him in the room."
"So you are together," Joey drawled with a grin.
"We're...figuring it out," Justice told him sheepishly, holding her arm as she felt her face get a little hot.
"Oh yeah. That's code for 'we've seen each other naked but we don't know if we're allowed to hold hands in public yet,'" Joey quipped, nudging her shoulder. "Classic slow-burn energy."

She let out a dry laugh despite herself. "That's...disturbingly accurate."

"I'll say again, darling: been there, done that," Joey hummed, giving her that stupid, charming grin of his. "Now, you got work for us, hun?"

-

"Ah- shit, that hurts Cindy!"

"Stop squirming so I can finish!"

As per the schedule, they had all made their way to the Thursday spot. Ever since the dance, Tobi and Felix had made it official with a casual little dating status, and even now they sat side by side on the bench, eating their lunch. There was Kory and Iris too, playing punchies much too casually for a workplace environment, while Cindy sat in front of Max, treating the still healing wounds on her face, attentive as ever to this woman who couldn't seem to take care of herself for the life of her.

With her pinky finger did Cindy gently dab a disinfectant balm on Max's lower lip, busted and scabbed over from the night of the dance, a topic Justice couldn't seem to escape as she watched Max squirm like a two year old, gently gripping Cindy's wrist to give herself the illusion of control in this situation.