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Every year, KriegTech held its annual Winter’s Crest party, and every year, Percy stayed for one drink and took Keyleth (who could have three drinks in the time he had one) home early, and that was that. Make some polite conversation, have a drink, say goodbye, and be home in time to have a lonely dinner for one.
This year- this year was shaping up to be very different.
Percy nursed his second drink quietly and stared out at the crowd of his coworkers. They’d reached that point in the night where people were tipsy enough to dance to Scanlan’s band, and there was an awful lot of giggling and chatting going on.
Most of Percy longed to be home, curled up on his couch with a book, but there was a piece of his brain that was waiting, hoping to see him- the man from the mailroom.
It was ridiculous, really. He didn’t even know the man’s name, and here he was at this painfully awkward office party, hoping to run into him. What would he say if they actually saw each other? Hello, we’ve worked for the same company for a year now and I am infatuated with you, also, what is your name? Oh, yes. Percy frowned into his drink and shook his head. What a brilliant plan this was.
Keyleth had been the one to insist he try this. Percy wasn’t sure why he was taking dating advice from a girl who had never, in fact, dated anyone. Perhaps, Percy noted sourly, it was because they were in the same boat on that, and at least Keyleth knew most of their coworkers’ names.
Three years he’d worked here and he still barely knew anyone besides Keyleth. Everyone he did know he met through her. It wasn’t that Percy was shy, or anywhere near as socially awkward as Keyleth, but he found it hard to get close to anyone with the memories of Whitestone still lurking overhead.
Even more appeal for the stranger from the mailroom. Who wouldn’t want to date the engineer carrying around loads of trauma he couldn’t talk about? What a catch he was.
Gods, he needed something stronger than this eggnog.
“Percy!” Keyleth half-stumbled up to him, grinning, and tugged on his shirt sleeve. “Percyyy.”
Percy sighed. “Hello, dear. I don’t suppose you’re ready to go home, are you?”
“No! No no no- Percy, he’s here!”
Percy glanced up, and- oh. Yes, there he was.
The mailroom stranger was across the room, talking to someone Percy vaguely recognized, and laughing. He looked rather more put together than usual, his hair falling long and loose over his pointed ears, past his shoulders instead of its regular messy ponytail, and he was wearing an actual button-down shirt. Either way, he was as handsome as ever, and Percy felt his mouth go dry.
“You have to go talk to him,” Keyleth stage whispered. “It’ll be romantic!”
“Romantic- Keyleth,” Percy sighed heavily. “I don’t know if he likes me, I don’t know if he’s attracted to men, I don’t even know his name-”
“It’ll be a Winter’s Crest miracle!” With that, Keyleth gracelessly pushed him forward, nearly bumping him into a dancing couple.
“Er, sorry,” he said as he found his footing. “Sorry, excuse me.” He glared over his shoulder at Keyleth, who gave him two thumbs up and an excited grin.
Well. If nothing else, he could get another drink and hopefully wait out this potential public humiliation.
The band quieted down for a moment, and Percy crossed the room in search of a stronger drink. For just a second- the briefest second -he looked away from where he was walking, wondering idly where his mysterious stranger had gone, when he collided with someone in front of him.
“Ah, fuck, watch where you’re- oh, it’s you.”
Percy stared down into a pair of warm, dark eyes. Mailroom Boy smirked up at him, hands on his hips. “O-oh.”
“I’ve seen you around, yeah? You work in engineering.”
“Y-yes.” Percy attempted to stand up a little straighter. “I believe we’ve run into each other before. But not quite so literally.”
He laughed, and it made Percy’s heart thump wildly against his chest. “Yeah, I guess I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“Nor was I. My apologies.”
“Brother, dearest,” a voice singsonged from nearby. Another half-elf, a woman who looked remarkably similar to Mailroom Boy- Percy thought he recognized her from finances -clapped her hands together and grinned. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it seems you’ve found yourself under the mistletoe.”
The pair of them looked up simultaneously, and yes, there was a small sprig of greenery hanging from the ceiling above them. Percy felt his face go bright red.
“Well.” Mailroom Boy chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Only if you want to.”
It suddenly seemed as though all eyes were on them. Well- it was now or never, wasn’t it?
Percy gently tilted his companion’s chin up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, to the apparent delight of the whole room. He was fairly certain he heard Keyleth whoop with joy.
“I’m Vax, by the way,” Mailroom Boy said after he pulled away.
“Ah- Percival. A pleasure to meet you.”
Vax smiled and Percy thought his heart was going to fly right out of his body. “I don’t suppose you’d like a drink, Percival?”
“That would be lovely, actually.”
Vax’s sister squeezed both their shoulders, an enormous grin on her face. “I’m so glad you both value holiday tradition so highly.”
“Vex.” Vax rolled his eyes and gently pushed her away. “Gimme a minute?”
“Darling, you can have hours.” Vex gave Percy a saucy wink as she walked off, a skip in her step.
Vax smiled sheepishly as they walked towards the bar. “Sorry about her,” he said. “She’s been on my ass about dating.”
Percy was fairly certain his face was still as red as it could possibly get. “Sisters are like that, I know,” he said, keeping his voice as level as he could.
Vax took two glasses of wine from the bartender and handed one over to Percy, who took it gratefully. “I hope that wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.”
Percy wasn’t entirely sure that this was actually happening. Might as well make it a good fever dream. He took a sip of wine and said, “Rather the opposite, in fact.”
Vax blinked and his cheeks went pink as he smiled. “Looks like we have something in common, then.” He clinked their glasses together lightly and held out his hand. “Will you come with me for a second?”
Percy nodded, not trusting himself to say something stupid, and he slowly took Vax’s hand in his own. Vax led him out of the room and down the hall, down towards one of the executives’ offices.
Vax pulled something out of his pocket and began fiddling with the door. Percy belatedly realized what was happening and started looking around the hallway for witnesses. “What are you doing?” he hissed.
“It’s fine,” Vax said. “I do this all the time.”
Percy thought that ought to bother him more than it did, but instead it just seemed charming. He was really in deep.
There was a quiet click, and Vax opened the office door. “After you,” he said, giving an exaggerated bow, and Percy snorted as he stepped inside.
He wasn’t sure whose office this was, but they were definitely far beyond Percy’s paycheck. It was rather nice, compared to some of the other executive offices he’d seen in his time here; it was old-fashioned and cozy, as opposed to the ostentatious, modernized wrecks of the others. It reminded him a bit of his father’s office, back in Whitestone, with its great oak desk and flaming hearth.
“This way,” Vax said, and he led Percy through the office to an outer door that opened up onto a balcony.
Emon shone brightly beneath them. Snow was falling lightly, and Percy took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air. It couldn’t compare to winter back home, but it was beautiful all the same.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Vax leaned against the railing, peering down at the city below. “I like to come out here and enjoy the view when the big bosses are out. Nobody’s seen me but the cleaning staff, and Laina likes me enough that she doesn’t say anything.”
Percy nodded, staring out into the night. Yes- Vax did seem like the type to know everyone’s name. The de Rolos had passed that advice on to their children, and Percy had been decent at it, for a time- but it was hard now. He could scarcely keep his own thoughts in his head, let alone remember other people's names.
“I have a confession to make,” he said, confidence bolstered slightly by the view, and perhaps the alcohol as well. “I’ve been…interested in you ever since you started working here, but I was too afraid to try and get to know you.”
Vax gave him a curious look. “Well, there’s no time like the present.” He extended a hand, apparently waiting for Percy to shake it. “Vax’ildan Vessar, mail carrier, possible felon, undisputed king of daddy issues. Your turn.”
Percy took his hand, smiling softly. “Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the third. Engineer, inventor, runaway…the list goes on.”
“I think we’re going to get along just fine.” Vax gently bumped his shoulder against Percy’s. “That’s one mouthful of a name.”
“You can call me Percy.”
“I think I will. Let’s see- I’m from Byroden, originally, then Syngorn, then a little bit of everywhere. Yourself?”
Percy took a long drink of wine. “Whitestone,” he said. “Up north. It is- a very long story.”
“I won’t ask unless you want me to.”
“I’d rather you didn’t, actually.”
“You got it.” Vax stretched languidly like a cat, still gazing at the city, and Percy found himself distracted just looking at him. His features were sharp and handsome, and the line of his jaw made Percy’s fingers itch for his sketchbook. He carefully brushed his hand against Vax’s hair.
“Sorry,” he said when Vax looked at him. “You had snowflakes in your hair.”
Vax looked practically angelic in the evening snow. “I’m afraid I can’t tell for you,” he said, voice gently teasing.
“It is my greatest curse,” Percy deadpanned. He still hadn’t pulled his hand away from Vax’s hair.
Vax laughed. A brisk wind blew across the balcony, and Vax stepped closer, shivering slightly. “I’m glad you’re not as stodgy as you look.”
“I don’t know if I take offense to that or not.” Percy set his wine down on the railing and slowly, uncertainly placed his other hand on Vax’s side. “I feel like I should tell you,” he said, “I’m a bit of a mess. I’m terrible at putting down roots.”
“That’s okay. My sister and I are sort of a codependent nightmare.”
“I make a lot of very bad decisions.”
“So do I.” Vax took Percy’s face in his hands. “Let’s make a good one.”
Their second kiss was much longer than the one under the mistletoe. It was tender but chaste at first, but someone opened their mouth and the kiss grew deeper. Percy didn’t know how long they stood there in the snow. It felt as though time had frozen around them, granting them as long as they needed.
Vax pulled away from the kiss very slowly. “I’m not really big on parties, as nice as this one’s been,” he said. “I know a good coffee shop down in Abadar’s Promenade. I’m friends with the owner. Would you maybe like to duck out of here and get something warm?”
“I think I would like that very much.”
“Excellent.” Vax took Percy’s hand again and smiled widely. “Happy Winter’s Crest, by the way.”
“It’s technically not for another two days.”
“Well, maybe I can see you for the real thing.”
They stepped out of the snow, hand in hand. Percy made a note to thank Keyleth; apparently there was such a thing as Winter’s Crest miracles.
