Work Text:
Those had been a very frustrating five months.
First of all, working on the merge wasn’t the only thing Brienne was doing. No, each morning she had her regular emails to reply to, and lines of numbers to look at, and weird ideas of her co-workers to comment on, and so on, and so on. And - since she had a soft spot for their newest addition to the firm - on top of everything she also helped Podrick navigate new tasks given him by others. He had learned so much since he had started working here and Brienne felt slightly like a proud mother-hen when he got his first bonus. But she still felt responsible for him, so whenever she saw him blink tiredly at his screen she’d come over and offer some piece of advice.
Second of all, the damn merge . It was indeed going somewhat painlessly, numbers and law wise. But Brynden himself had to get down to their office and have a very long conversation with Cat - and Robb - about, well, acting civil, or that’s what Brienne had assumed happened since after it Cat had acted less coldly towards the other team. Still, the atmosphere whenever two teams met was stifled, at best, making the long hours of discussing details even more tiresome.
Add to it all the damn work she had to take home every week . Not that it had never happened before but Brienne couldn’t remember the last time she had the whole weekend off. Thankfully, the end was coming near, so she was looking forward to maybe even taking a few days off and taking a short trip to Tarth. Or, let’s be real here, to sleep for twelve hours straight and take time to make an intricate meal just for herself.
And, since Brienne was a little bit tipsy right now, she could also admit that her sex life also wasn’t the best.
“I’ll get us the next round,” Robb said as he stood up, a little peace offering and a thank you for inviting him to the night out. It was their first unofficial outing for drinks since their and Dayne’s teams had begun working together. Addam had been talking about grabbing drinks for some time now but it had only been this week that Brienne had actually thought ‘to hell with it’ and had agreed. Pia had called her fiance, Jaime had asked Robb if he wanted to join them, and here they were.
But back to her little disaster of recent months.
After learning that Jaime was actually GoldenLion, Brienne hadn’t touched his recordings. She had unsubscribed from the mailing list, deleted the address from her favourite tabs and gone on the quest to find a good replacement.
There was none. Everyone else was shit.
Well, not shit. There were things that piqued her fancy. She had found blogs that had a good tagging system, people with nice voices, etcetera. But another problem had emerged.
Jaime was so interesting .
His voice and appearance aside, he was damn good at what he was doing. Even if he weren’t, he would probably find it easy in his job, since he could smooth-talk almost anyone, and Brienne had found herself wanting to spill all of her secrets to him on more than one occasion. Moreover, from the short conversations they sometimes had during the breaks, she had learned that he was a very interesting guy. He had plenty of recommendations for podcasts or sites with good audiobooks, liked to watch curling and soccer but not baseball, attended farmer’s market every now and then (they had almost been late to their meeting one time as they had discussed fish vendors) and agreed that homemade cleaning detergent was better than a store-bought one.
So now whenever Brienne put on a recording of another maker, her mind would still try to conjure images of Jaime. Seven , even when there was no audio stimuli, he still appeared in her fantasies. Which often left her frustrated and angry at herself.
“And then,” Addam continued his tale. “This idiot,” he pointed his finger at Jaime and the other man laughed. “Got stuck on the roof of the shed, without a proper winter coat and with no ladder in sight.”
“That wasn’t true!” Jaime disagreed passionately, making Brienne giggle. His eyes traveled to hers and he smiled even wider. “I did jump off.”
“And broke your leg!” Addam was relentless. Brienne had learned that he and Jaime had known each other since they had been teenagers, and apparently had plenty of stories to share.
“Twisted my ankle!” Jaime corrected then turned back to Brienne. “He’s lying.”
In that moment Robb came back and Peck scooted over to make more space for him and the drinks. They were occupying a round table that was meant to host four people, but somehow had seemed like a good idea for their group of six.
Oh, yes, Brienne had forgotten that Jon wasn’t with them anymore.
Two months into this whole ordeal he had gotten relocated to the Winterfell office. He would be working with his cousin there, so he had told Brienne not to worry that he’d be alone. The reason for moving him so suddenly had been unclear, and Jon himself hadn’t shared, so Brienne had never asked for details. It was good to know, though, that he wasn’t too sad about the change. Apparently, he and Sansa were on good terms, and he even missed her, ever since she had moved up north.
Which meant the person she knew best in their little outing was Robb, with whom she barely interacted. He seemed like a nice guy, even if he tried too hard to please his mother, but their circles at work just rarely overlapped.
“Smoke break,” Addam declared and nudged Jaime. “Come on.”
“I don’t smoke,” Jaime protested, looking at his friend.
“You don’t smoke unless you drink,” Addam argued with ease of talking to someone he had known for over a decade. “Come.”
“I’ll go,” Robb offered and stood up, reaching for his coat to pat the pockets.
“No need to for that. My treat,” Addam told him and both of them grabbed their coats and started to navigate through the crowd.
“When did the place become so crowded?” Jaime asked her, grinning over the rim of his beer glass. The moisture was beginning to gather on the glass surface and Brienne watched it drip down as he picked the drink to take a sip.
“No idea,” she replied, afraid that she had kept silent for too long, and took a drink from her own glass. A glance to the side told her that Pia and Peck were immersed in some animated conversation, both gesturing with their hands and shaking their heads about something.
“I’m really happy we’ll soon get a meeting with both Arthur and Brynden,” Jaime started again, their conversation going back to the topic of work.
“Do you know Dayne well?” Brienne asked, positively curious. Jaime’s eyes fell to her lips briefly so she licked them then wiped them on the back of her hand, hoping there was no foam left on them.
“Oh, I know him well .” He saw her curious gaze and rushed to clarify. “Not like that. Not that I never wanted that .” Jaime ran his finger up his glass, gathering the moisture, then touched it to the rim. “I started working for the company in my last year of college - and my first job was interning for him. Not usual, but Arthur always liked to mentor. And I had the biggest crush on him back then,” he said, sending Brienne a boyish smile. Neither Arthur nor Brynden had ever hidden their sexualities - and were open about their long friendship and long-coming relationship. Brienne found the pictures they posted on instagram pretty sweet, and their answers to homophobes even sweeter. “But he took me aside and told me that a college boy like me has nothing to look for with an old businessman who is his boss. I was hurt back then but now I understand that it would never work. So I moved onto one of the other interns but he dumped me after just a few weeks.” Jaime took another sip of his beer and looked at Brienne, waiting to see if she would judge.
“I wish everyone would handle things in such a manner,” she replied, somewhat awkwardly, but held his gaze. He held it for a moment before nodding slightly and smiling at her.
“Not that I heard about anyone using their power to get something at Brynden’s firm, no,” Brienne added, wanting to clear that.
“I didn’t get that impression from your words, don’t worry,” Jaime said, waving his stump in the air.
The silence that fell was slightly awkward but it also wasn’t silence, per se - the people chatting around them were becoming louder, and mixed with the music, it forced Jaime to lean closer to Brienne as he spoke his next words. “But I am excited for you to meet him. He will love you,” he said with certainty that made Brienne smile in return.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you!” Brienne exclaimed suddenly, almost spilling her drink onto the table as she moved her glass suddenly. “I saw Jeyne on instagram,” Jeyne’s father was one of the farmers who sold their vegetables on farmer’s market. She was responsible for his instagram and many buyers were thankful to be notified of what fresh produce would make an appearance this week. “And they are going to finally have the rainbow carrots!”
Jaime’s eyes lit up at that. They had been discussing their mutual dream of making them one day, and it seemed like it would finally come true.
“Okay, it means we have to get there before everyone else. Or can you write to her and ask her to leave some for us?” Jaime asked, as if they were going to prepare them together. Of course they wouldn’t, but Brienne’s stomach still did a flip.
“I haven’t thought about it but I could try.” Brienne didn’t know Jeyne that well, but every customer could write to her, right? It wasn’t as if it was her personal profile - just the business account.
“May I?” Jaime asked and extended his hand. Brienne took her phone out of her bag and handed it to him, curious about what he would do.
“But don’t write to her on my account,” she told him and he looked at her fondly but shook his head no. It was the only reaction she got from him, as then he proceeded to turn on her front camera and take a picture of his smiling face. The bar was dimly lit, but there was still enough light to make it work it seemed, as Jaime smiled down at his selfie - but hesitated before giving Brienne her phone back.
“Can I add myself to your list of contacts?” he asked softly. Brienne barely heard his words, and even though she had heard them, her brain needed a moment to comprehend them.
“The photo is for Jeyne, if she needed one to recognise me so I could pick up the carrots put aside,” Jaime added. He looked as if he wanted to add something more but held back.
There was no logical reason to tell him no. Brienne doubted she would often call or text him, since all work-related things came through Catelyn, but, she reasoned with herself, now she’d be able to notify him if Jeyne would put some carrots aside for them.
“Yeah, no, sure,” she answered and he raised an eyebrow, his smile back on his face.
“So which one is it, Brienne?” She could swear his teasing tone had a cheeky vibe to it and could feel her face heat up in response to that.
“Add your number. I need to go out and get some fresh air,” she told him before reaching for her glass to finish her beer. It was beginning to get warm but it still tasted nice, a light brew with a touch of honey.
Her phone was small enough for him to be able to type in his number and name one-handed, and once done, he handed her the phone and stood up. “If you don’t mind, I’ll join you. It’s getting a little bit suffocating in here.”
“Exactly. Come on,” Pia and Peck were still discussing something at their end of the table, and Brienne didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, as they had smiles on their faces. She reached for her coat and began to put it on - but once it was on her one arm, finding the other hole wasn’t as easy. Brienne wiggled in place and huffed, but suddenly she could feel some of the weight disappear and the other arm hole appearing right before her hand, so she twisted her head just in time to see Jaime smiling at her.
“What are you doing?” she asked him, then held her breath. He was standing close to her and she could swear she could smell his cologne even amidst all the bar scents.
“I’m helping you put your coat on,” he explained with a smile, but she could say he was unsure as his eyes avoided hers.
“Thank you,” Brienne told him, turning to look straight ahead as she wasn’t sure she could keep her face so close to his and not do anything stupid.
She did her buttons and picked up her bag as she waited for Jaime to put his coat on before moving through the crowd to get outside. Even though he had been very proper and didn’t touch her as he helped her into her coat, Brienne still felt warmth run up and down her back and arms.
Addam and Robb were still there, clearly done with their smoke break but still talking. They were standing to the left from the entrance, under an old lamp that was giving out warm light. Their red hair shone copper in places and they could almost be mistaken for brothers in that moment - both ginger, light-skinned and handsome.
The weather must have decided it was high time to bring out the winter charm, as the first flakes of snow were falling from the sky. They swirled around them, creating a very thin layer of white over everything. Brienne turned around, admiring the sparkling ice crystals in the air.
“Jaime! Brienne!” Addam beckoned them closer. They were the only people in the alleyway right now.
But when the newcomers crossed those few steps separating them, Addam and Robb, Addam actually took a step towards the door.
“We’re all done here. Now this wall is yours.” Marbrand pointed towards it dramatically then extended the package of cigarettes towards Jaime. The blonde glanced at Brienne and only when she nodded her head did he take one.
“Thanks,” he told his friend. Addam then took out the lighter to light Jaime’s cigarette before grabbing Robb by the arm and pulling him inside.
“Very rude of him to not offer you one,” Jaime pointed out, extending his cigarette towards Brienne. She hesitated a moment before taking it from him and taking a drag. “So she smokes!” he exclaimed, gleefully.
“Only if I drink,” Brienne blew out the smoke and replied teasingly, throwing Jaime’s words back at him. Which only made him grin wider. Surrounded by falling snow and smoke that were both illuminated by the warm light from above, he looked almost angelic. “I don’t remember when I bought my last pack. I never made a habit out of it, not even during college,” Brienne explained.
“I understand.” Jaime leaned his back - and his expensive-looking coat - against the brick wall and exhaled, his breath looking like smoke in the low temperature. “Neither did I. But it does taste good during parties.”
“This is not a party,” she pointed out, leaning her side against the wall as well and praying that the rough brick wouldn’t destroy her coat.
The sounds from the inside were muffled now, as someone had decided to close the door to keep the warmth in. Someone exclaimed something jovially and it was followed by a group of people shouting and laughing.
Jaime reached out to take the cigarette from her. Their fingers brushed briefly and Brienne blushed furiously, hoping he’d write it off to the cold. All the time, he kept looking at her, his eyes never leaving her face. His green eyes were intense but not in an unpleasant way, so she kept staring back at him, smiling softly.
“No, this is not one.” His words confused her, and it must be apparent on her face, since Jaime clarified. “Not a party. Just a bar outing. Co-workers having a beer after a long but successful day at work.” He looked down and drew a semi-circle in the little bit of snow surrounding them with the tip of his shoe - which wasn’t much, since they, Addam and Robb destroyed most of the snow from this spot.
“Will you be attending a party soon?” Brienne asked to break a silence. Jaime looked up at her, as if startled from his own thoughts, then chuckled.
“Actually, I will. My sister is throwing a charity gala, as is expected from her,” he said with a grimace. “And all Lannisters are expected to come. I’ve heard your office also got some invitations,” he added, his eyes curious now. A streak of hair fell down the front of his face and covered his eye. While Addam and Rob’s hair shone copper in this light, Jaime’s were so golden Brienne wondered if they were a shade on their own. She didn’t doubt if that was the case, it would be called ‘Lannister’ Gold’.
“I don’t know anything about them,” Brienne replied truthfully. “Probably the Starks will go.”
“I see,” Jaime replied, taking another drag from his cigarette. It was almost half-done, so he flickered the ashes before looking back at her.
“No, you don’t.” She wasn’t drunk. She wasn’t even tipsy. Yet at that moment it seemed like a perfect idea to reach out and brush the hair off of Jaime’s face so they wouldn’t block his eye. Brienne pushed the golden curl behind Jaime’s ear and only then did she realise how close they were - or how inappropriate it may look. The joke about him seeing now died on her lips.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” she said, taking a step back - and colliding with the door someone had just opened. Jaime let go out the cigarette and reached out to catch her, but it was too late - the doorknob bit into her back and she let out a painful ‘oof’.
“Hey! Watch out as you open the door!” Jaime glared at the couple leaving the bar, before turning back to his companion. “Are you alright? Did you hit your head?”
“I’m perfectly fine.” Today Brienne had chosen one of her warmer and less fancy coats, so pressing her hand to the spot that had suffered didn’t help with the pain much. Which was ironic, since she had felt it very clearly when her muscles and the iron handle had met. “It will pass in a moment.”
Jaime’s hand hoovered close to her but he took a step back as she took one forward, moving away from the door.
“Really sorry for touching you without asking,” Brienne repeated, her aching back preventing her cheeks from colouring even more.
“It’s nothing. I really don’t mind you doing that,” Jaime said, then looked down to search for the cigarette on the ground. It was unusable now, so he crunched it under his shoe then picked it up and threw it in the cigarette bin on the other side of the door. “Really, Brienne, it’s fine,” he assured her as he saw her doubting gaze. “But thank you for apologising.” His hair was back in his eye and he threw his head to move them out of the way. When it didn’t help, instead of reaching with his hand, he raised an eyebrow at Brienne and smiled teasingly. “Not gonna do anything now?” he asked, taking half a step towards her.
“Oh, shuddup,” she said but she reached out to push the hair out of his face. “I will get you hair pins for Sevenmas,” she murmured.
“I am looking forward to it very much,” Jaime was back to full on grinning. Instead of going back after she had fixed his hair, he remained close to her.
And that’s how their friends and colleagues found them a minute later.
“We need to take him home,” Addam announced, Peck’s arm wrapped around his shoulders and most of his weight leaning on him.
“What the heck happened?” Brienne demanded. The young man had seemed just fine when she had left the bar moments before.
“He’s drunk,” Robb explained, unhelpfully.
“Yes, but how ?” As three sets of eyes looked at her, she almost groaned. “He was sober moments ago.”
“Oh, he’s like that,” Pia started to explain. “He’s good, good, good, and then the alcohol hits him.” Her cheeks pinked. “Usually, he knows how to pace himself.”
“I’m sure he does,” Brienne smiled warmly at her, trying to make the girl less nervous. “We had quite a few drinks today. Do you need help?” She had planned on going back by the train or the bus - and so had Pia and Peck. But now Peck was in no state to go back on his own and Pia didn’t look like someone who could hold him up in that state.
“I’ll drive them home,” Robb offered. No one was surprised, so it must have been settled before.
“I’ll help you get him inside the car,” Addam said and Robb nodded gratefully. “And then go my way. We’ll go out again next time?”
“We’ll see.” Jaime patted his friend on the shoulder and him and Brienne watched the group go away and disappear behind the corner. “Soooooo….” Jaime started.
“I should get going as well.” Brienne smiled regretfully at her companion. “I had a lot of fun but it’ll take me some time to get the bus home.”
“Or you could share a cab with me,” Jaime offered.
There were so many reasons to say no. She had a city card already so she didn’t have to purchase a ticket. They could live on the opposite ends of the city. Who knew how she would act in a small, confined space with Jaime right next to her and no bar patrons or friends to keep her in check. But he was smiling hopefully at her, his curls becoming more defined as they got wet from the snow, and she didn’t have it in her to say no to a quick and warm car ride.
“That sounds like a plan.”
His answering grin lit up his whole face.
Jaime took out his phone and ordered them a ride, then went inside to make sure all their drinks had been paid. Brienne took that moment to check out her phone. There were no new messages and only a few notifications from instagram - but she saw the row of emojis Jaime texted himself from her phone and smiled at the ridiculousness of it.
“All is good,” Jaime said, exiting the bar. “And this seems to be our ride,” he added, pointing to a bright red car slowly driving their way.
The car indeed stopped and the driver rolled down the window to ask them if they were the ones who ordered a lift. Jaime opened the door for Brienne and waited for her to get inside then closed them and walked around to sit next to her - giving her enough time to have a mini freak-out over it and tell herself he was just being polite.
Brienne had already given his address to Jaime as he had ordered their ride, and the driver informed them they would stop at her place first. The late hour was great, since there were barely any cars on the road, so the drive only took around 15 minutes. 15 minutes of silence, as Jaime stared out of his window the entire time and Brienne didn’t want to be the one to say something first, since she didn’t know what to say. Yet it felt comfortable, to just sit next to each other in the backseat of a car and watch city lights pass by.
When the car stopped in front of her building, Jaime asked the driver to wait for him a moment “To walk the lady to her door,” then silently looked at Brienne until she nodded in agreement. They both exited the car and walked towards the building, then Brienne led them straight to the elevator.
“We should do it more often,” Jaime said as they moved up the floors.
“We definitely should,” Brienne replied, then added. “I’ll text you Jeyne’s reply.”
The elevator signaled they were on the right floor and the door opened. Brienne walked out first and Jaime followed a few steps behind.
“Thank you,” he replied, then hoovered awkwardly by her side as she opened the door.
Should she invite him inside? Was it why he was here?
As if reading her thoughts, Jaime cleared his throat and spoke. “I don’t want to stand here like a creep who expects to be asked inside. I just wanted to chat for a moment longer and say goodnight, as I kept silent in the car. Walk you up to your door and all of that,” he added quietly.
Brienne unlocked her door but didn’t open them, choosing instead to lean her side against them and look at Jaime, imitating her pose from outside the bar. “I’m not getting any creepy vibes from you,” she told him with a small smile, which made him chuckle in return. “We really should all go out the next time we meet. I really had a great time,” Brienne repeated again. The whole evening felt warm, intimate and a little bit awkward and Brienne really didn’t want to admit what that mix of feelings brought up to her mind. It was a group outing, not a date.
“I had fun too.” Jaime was beaming at her, his hair once more falling onto his face. The snow must have weakened whatever product he used to keep his mane in place.
The comparison made her chuckle and Jaime raised an eyebrow in a silent question.
“It’s nothing. You just should have a hat on you the next time,” Brienne explained, not wanting to give out that she knew . Or what she used to do, before they had met.
“Oh?” Jaime’s hand traveled to his hair and he winced at how wet they felt. “I’ll remember next time.”
“And thank you for sharing the cigarette and keeping me company outside,” she added, pushing herself up and off the door. If she stayed like that for longer, they would probably talk for hours - at least she could talk for hours with him, today’s awkwardness aside. Their conversations from work proved to her that they had many things in common and they were quite passionate about them.
“I live to serve,” Jaime replied in a smooth tone that should be illegal, and that caused a shiver to run down Brienne’s spine. Oh, such phrases shouldn’t be uttered in public. “I should get going,” he added, pointing towards the elevator.
“Oh, year, the driver is waiting. Text me the details and I’ll pay my half.”
“Buy me a beer next time and we’ll be even,” Jaime replied, grinning. “I also have some things I need to work on tonight.”
Brienne glanced at her phone. “So close to 11 pm? And I thought my work was keeping me up late,” she added in a lighter tone.
“No, nothing like that. Just a side project of mine,” he explained.
Oh. Oh . Could it be…?
“Let’s say I got inspired tonight,” Jaime said as he began to make his way towards the elevator. Thankfully, the corridor was only lit by the city lights, as the lightbulb had gone out last week and hadn’t been replaced yet - otherwise Brienne was sure her blush would give her away. “We should go to a bar where you can dance next time. Could be fun.”
“Maybe,” she replied. “Get home safely!”
“I will. Goodnight, Brienne,” he said, then disappeared inside the elevator.
There was no point in standing there and looking at the elevator, so Brienne went inside her apartment and closed the door - then pressed her forehead to the cold metal. Her traitorous mind kept replying the line ‘I live to serve’ over and over and over again and she groaned loudly, trying her best not to imagine Jaime living by that line. She already had a somewhat good idea what he could mean by that, as she had listened to those fantasies also.
Brienne let out another groan then turned over to rest her back against the door instead.
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Meanwhile, Jaime sat in the cab, scrolling through his work playlist in search of a song that reminded him of today - and of a fantasy he had just decided not to share with anyone.