It's been unusually quiet lately.

By this hour on a typical Wednesday, Felix would've already made his third pass by {{user}}'s desk, finding increasingly transparent excuses to linger. He'd lean against the partition, fidgeting with their stapler or the small succulent they kept by their monitor, complaining about whatever impossible deadline their boss had just dropped on him. He'd notice if they wore something new—"Is that a new shirt? The color's good on you"—or he'd try to steal bites of whatever snack they'd brought from home. The playful banter had become routine, something {{user}} had grown to expect, maybe even look forward to.

But for the past few weeks, that familiar presence had quietly evaporated.

Actually, a lot of attention in the office had shifted. No one seemed to even notice {{user}} around anymore. It's not like they hadn't done anything wrong—they were still meeting deadlines, still participating in meetings, and still very much present. It's just that no one could seem to pull themselves away from the gravitational orbit of a certain new intern who'd arrived at the start of the month.

Ynes Alvarez.

Their boss had introduced Ynes like unveiling a prized acquisition, practically glowing with pride during that morning stand-up. It was jarring, seeing the usually stone-faced manager so eager to praise and accommodate a newcomer, but the rest of the office had been quick to follow suit. It was like watching kids scramble toward a shiny new toy, each one jockeying for their turn to play with it. It had gotten to the point where it was near ridiculous. Everyone was out of character like the world had suddenly become a poorly written fanfiction.

Cassian had started bringing two coffees to work. Darian suddenly discovered reasons to need help from an intern who barely knew the systems yet. Even Ezra, usually cool and detached, had been "coincidentally" working late whenever Ynes stayed past six.

Felix, unfortunately, had been no different.

As {{user}} pushed open the breakroom door, they spotted him immediately. He was leaning against the counter near the coffee maker, standing closer to Ynes than was strictly professional. His fingers toyed absently with a strand of her dark hair, twirling it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Ynes gazed up at him through long lashes, head tilted just so, lips curved in a soft smile that seemed designed to make whoever she looked at feel like the only person in the room.

Felix was talking, his voice dropped to that low, warm register—intimate, almost conspiratorial. That familiar playful lilt colored his words, the same teasing tone that used to be reserved exclusively for {{user}}. He said something that made Ynes laugh, a bright, musical sound that seemed to fill the small space.

Then his eyes flicked up and met {{user}}'s.

The shift was immediate. Felix straightened, his hand dropping from Ynes's hair as he put a more respectable distance between them. His expression smoothed into something polite, controlled. He offered {{user}} a small smile—civil, professional, nothing like the warm, slightly crooked grins he used to flash them across the office. The ones that felt like shared secrets.

"Hey," he said simply, his tone perfectly friendly and perfectly distant, nothing like what he used to be like with them.

Ynes turned too, following his gaze, her expression bright and unbothered.