Work Text:
It’s been a busy few days at Themis Law Firm, though sometimes you wonder if there are any other kinds of day. You’ve just finished a piece of paperwork that has taken over your morning when Celestine calls for everyone’s attention. You look up.
“Just a quick announcement,” Celestine says. “As usual, you’ve all been working hard. To make sure we all take care of ourselves, I’ve signed us up for trivia night at Sid’s Coffee.”
“When is it?” you ask.
“Tonight.” Celestine’s smile is innocent, but you know she means you’re all participating. She’s always taken team bonding seriously. “I’ve already assigned most of the teams, except…”
Artem walks in. He looks vaguely tired, as he usually does whenever Celestine has a new, grand plan for the team. You offer him a small smile of greeting. He’d been busy when you arrived at the office, so it’s the first time you’ve seen him today. The corner of his mouth turns up in reply.
“Artem, perfect timing. I was just telling everyone about how we’re participating in tonight’s trivia night at Sid’s. The prize is a gift card.” Celestine consults her phone. “I did my best to set up our teams, but because of the rules for team size, the math didn’t quite work. I don’t have anyone for you to compete with, Artem—”
“That’s fine,” he says. “I have paperwork to—”
“—but I know with some shuffling, we can have everyone set up.”
If anyone deserves a break, it’s Artem. He’s the only one that can rival you in terms of overworking. Before you can think, you’re speaking.
“I can partner with Artem,” you say decisively. “I don’t know what team you had me on before, but this makes the most sense anyways.”
You sneak a glance at Artem. There’s a definite pink in his cheeks, and his eyes are slightly widened at your confidence in the idea.
“That’s an excellent idea.” Celestine taps away on her phone to make the update. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. Okay, everyone, here are the teams.”
As she reads off the groupings, you find yourself sitting up straighter. You and Artem make a great pair at work—who’s to say you won’t do the same at trivia night? He walks to your desk, smiling down at you.
“Why don’t we prepare for the competition during lunch?” he suggests.
“That sounds like a good idea, Mr. Wing. I want to be as ready as we can be.”
He nods. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours, then.”
Lunch arrives quickly, perhaps because of your excitement about the competition. Regardless, you take your microwaved lunch up to Artem’s office. You knock before opening his door.
“That smells good,” he says, looking up from his own lunch—it looks like something he’d made and brought in.
“And yours looks good. Maybe this good food is a sign for tonight!”
“Perhaps.” With a small smile, he gestures at the chair on the other side of his desk. You take a seat. “Have you done one of these events before?”
“Just once. Kiki thought it would be fun, and one of the possible prizes was tickets to a concert of one of her favorite idols.”
“How did you do?”
You laugh. “Not well. Most of the questions were pop culture related, which isn’t really my thing. And Kiki kept overthinking the answers, so we were too slow.”
“If tonight’s theme is pop culture, we may be in trouble. I don’t follow it much outside of my reviews.”
“Well, if it is that theme, then maybe the firm can still get a win with Kiki’s team. I bet Celestine will keep her on time.”
Artem chuckles. “Maybe.”
“It would be nice if someone from Themis wins. But hopefully it’s us!”
He makes a sound of agreement. As you stir your noodles to help them cool, you scroll through your phone for ideas. How are you supposed to prepare for a trivia night that could ask about anything?
“Why don’t we look at common trivia themes and questions, and brush up on some facts about the city?” Artem suggests.
“Oh, good idea. This is why you’re the senior attorney, Mr. Wing.”
With a smile and shake of his head, he begins scrolling on his tablet. “I don’t think ideas for trivia night have anything to do with that.”
“Well, it just means you’re good at coming up with ideas. And you’re smart!”
“And you wouldn’t be here at Themis if you didn’t have the same qualities.”
The matter-of-fact way he says it brings a blush to your cheeks. You quickly look down at your phone and meal so he doesn’t notice. It doesn’t take you long to settle into your work routine of swapping knowledge.
Trivia competition, here you come.
Your phone buzzes. A text from Artem appears on the screen, saying that he’s arrived. Right on time, as always. Earlier, even. You shove your phone in your bag, then hurry down to meet him. His car is parked at the curb, and you let yourself in.
After swapping greetings, you ask, “Are you ready?”
“I believe so,” he says, “but we won’t truly know until we hear what kind of questions they’ll be asking.”
“That’s true.”
“What about you?”
“As I’ll ever be,” you say. “I’m glad we got that practice in, though.”
He makes a sound of agreement. You’re not sure what else to say, so you settle in for the drive. As you draw nearer to Sid’s, your nerves buzz. There’s nothing important at stake with this competition, and Celestine clearly just wants everyone to have a good time, yet you can’t help but fear being a disappointment. To the firm, to Celestine, to your coworkers…
To Artem.
“Are you feeling okay?” Artem breaks the silence.
“I’m fine…” But if he’s asking, he’s noticed, and you don’t want him to think you’re hiding things from him. “I’m just nervous.”
“Nervous?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to let the firm down, but I really don’t want to let you down.”
“You’ll never let me down as long as you do your best.”
Your cheeks turn warm. You glance up at him, and because you’re at a red light, he’s able to look back. He’s as serious as ever, but there’s a softness in his eyes too.
“Thanks, Mr. Wing. That does make me feel better.”
“Good. And besides, a trivia competition isn’t a measure of someone’s worth. We all have our strengths, even within quizzes. And it won’t show how hard-working you are, or your dedication to justice. That’s what I see every day at work, so don’t think tonight is going to change my opinion of you.”
If you weren’t blushing before, you certainly are now. With a flustered smile, you look away, unable to find a suitable reply. You’ve already thanked him, after all. The light changes to green, and Artem refocuses on the road. The silence is more comfortable now, his words wrapping around you like a blanket.
Artem pulls into the parking lot. It doesn’t look too crowded, so the two of you can grab a good table and make any final preparations you need.
“Are you here for the trivia night?” a man asks as you enter.
You nod.
“Perfect. We just finished setting up the tables. Go ahead and get one, and feel free to write a team name on the nametag.”
A team name? You follow Artem to the back, mind already spinning.
“Do you prefer any table?” he says.
“No, they’re all the same to me.”
“Let’s just take this one, then.”
You sit across from him at the nearest table. A tablet and stylus rest on the wood, ready for your answers. Another small screen is at the edge of the table. It displays the number three.
“What do you think about having a team name?” you blurt out.
“If you have any ideas, I’m open to them. But if you want to just stick with the number, I don’t mind.”
“I’d like a name if we can think of one. The NXX has a name, so why can’t we for trivia night?”
Artem smiles. “That’s a good point. Why don’t we think of ideas while we wait?”
It doesn’t take you long to realize coming up with a team name is hard. As you think, more participants arrive. Celestine and Kiki, other groups of coworkers…people you’ve only seen in passing…to your slight surprise, even the Baldr trio arrives. (You note both Howard and William don’t look particularly pleased, and even less so once they spot you and Artem. Ingrid just smiles.)
“Trivia night will be starting in five minutes,” the host announces.
You widen your eyes at Artem. “But we haven’t come up with a name yet!”
“Whatever you decide will be perfect,” he assures. “Don’t worry so much about it.”
Taking a breath, you look down at your notes. All the ideas you and Artem had bounced back and forth. How can you pick between them? As time ticks away, you do the only thing you can think of: you mash the words together and scribble out your team name on the screen.
Justice’s Ace Liberators
“Welcome again, everyone,” the host says. “I don’t want to take up too much time by explaining how this works, so I’ll make it fast. I’ll ask a question, and you’ll write the answer on your tablet. Once you’re done writing, tap the green button at the bottom to send it in. The first team to get the question right gets the points, and the team with the most points at the end wins a gift card.”
You look at Artem. He gazes back.
It’s time to win.
“And the first question is…”
Time flies by. You and Artem work as seamlessly as always, trusting the other’s judgment if they pull the tablet to them first, or speaking in low voices about the answer if you’re not sure.
“It’s time for our final question,” the host says.
You blink. How can it be that time already? You glance at the scoreboard at the front. You and Artem are tied for first with the team from Baldr—if not for your stress, you would’ve laughed at how perfectly the event is playing out. Kiki and Celestine are just behind. It all comes down to this one question.
“What movie, blending the genres of romance and crime, made it in the top ten of annual view counts in just three days?”
Oh! Your mind flashes back to your studying with Artem, when you’d become slightly sidetracked by a conversation about movies. Specifically, Blossom on the Wind. As your gazes meet, you see that he’s remembering the same. You nod to give him permission—he’s the faster writer. He scribbles the answer on the tablet, and the second he lifts the stylus, you slam your finger on the green button to submit. The familiar buzz rings through the room. A few more from other teams sound in succession.
“We have our first answer,” the host says, “from Justice’s Ace Liberators. If they’re right, they’ll win. Otherwise we’ll check the answer of our second team that answered.”
Crossing your fingers under the table, you wait for the verdict. You think you and Artem are right, but until the host says so, there’s no way of knowing for sure. Maybe you can use your interrogation skills and read his face for some clue as to his next words.
“And I’m excited to announce the winners for tonight’s trivia night: Justice’s Ace Liberators!”
Polite applause—your coworkers are a bit louder in their celebration—provides the soundtrack for the host pointing to your table. You look at Artem with a broad grin. He responds with a small smile.
“Well done,” Artem says.
“You too!”
You’re trivia champions! The host sets the gift card on the table, congratulating you. Artem stores the card in his wallet. Both of you stand, preparing to go over to Kiki and Celestine’s table. On the way, Artem lightly takes your hand and lifts it to the level of his chest. Your hands are grasped in victory, and you won’t have it any other way.
Before work the next morning, you and Artem sit at a table in Sid’s once again, this time to use your gift card. Neither of you saw any point in waiting to use it.
“This is a nice way to start the day,” you say, taking a bite out of your muffin.
“I agree. Celestine said we could come in later, but…”
“I don’t want to lose any work time either. Besides, we came here early enough that we can take our time without being late.”
Artem nods as he sips at his coffee. You’re glad that you’ve both settled down. When you’d first arrived at the shop, you’d had a split second of nerves...
You stare at the door of Sid’s. Memories of coworkers discussing cafe dates come to your mind. And here you stand, with Artem, preparing to have breakfast. Something about this seems different from the other times you’ve been in a coffee shop together. He even seems to be avoiding your gaze.
Well, this won’t do, you think.
“Come on, Mr. Wing,” you say cheerfully, grabbing his arm. “We can’t let anyone beat us to our drinks and food—we’re the trivia champions!”
As a startled smile comes across his face, you pull him forward.
“Is your muffin good?” he asks, breaking you from your thoughts.
“Very.”
“I can try to bake you muffins sometime, if you want.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, that sounds amazing.”
“It’s not trouble if it’s for you.”
You’re still getting used to his willingness to cook for you. “Just make sure that you leave some for yourself so you can enjoy them too.”
“I will.”
“And your coffee? Is it good?”
“Very,” he echoes. “It’s a nice change from the brews we have in the office.”
Another mention of the office reminds you of just how lucky you are to have him as both a mentor and a partner. A surge of appreciation—affection?—goes through you.
“I’m happy that we’re partners, Artem,” you say quietly, opting for his first name.
His smile warms your heart more than the coffee. “Me too. Just as the firm and NXX wouldn’t be the same without you, neither would my life.”
You giggle as he coughs and looks away. It seems like he hadn’t expected to say anything like that, but you’re glad he did. You’re glad that you’re here together, enjoying the spoils of your victory in each other’s company.
But most of all, you’re glad that you’re partners in everything, be it lawyers of Themis or competitors at trivia night.