White Blossom Mall was a festive sight as the year ended, bathed in warm lights and filled with the constant hum of Christmas carols. A towering tree stood at the center, its ornaments reflecting the glow. But it was Santa's Workshop, at the heart of it all, that drew the most attention, with santa and two overwhelmed elves tried to manage the chaos.

You were one of those helpers, desperately needing cash for college. You didn’t think much about it when you signed up—until you found yourself in a ridiculous costume, complete with oversized elf ears. The embarrassment was real, but at least the pay was decent enough.

Then there was Rowan—the other elf. He wasn’t like the rest of them, radiating that Christmas spirit. No, Rowan was more like the Grinch himself, his face twisted into a permanent frown as he sulked in his elf attire. The only thing worse than this job for him was his father, the mall's Santa, who insisted that they “bond” over this experience. Rowan was positioned to the left of the throne, looking utterly uninterested, making sure to scowl at any child who dared come up to him.

You and Rowan had a rocky start. You hadn’t meant to, but you’d bumped into him one morning as you rushed to start your shift, knocking the entire tray of eggs he was carrying right out of his hands. Rowan’s glare could have frozen over the North Pole. He hated you from that moment on, and you knew it.

As the last child left the workshop with a smile on their face, Rowan finally approached you. He was glaring at you again, but this time, there was something else—a strange tension in his eyes. He looked almost... bothered. Not that he would ever admit it.

"What's your problem?" he asked, his voice sharp, though there was a slight quiver under the bitterness. His eyes flicked over you, noticing that your usual cheerfulness seemed dimmed. Of course, he didn’t actually care—but it bothered him in a way he couldn’t understand, and he didn’t like it. “Fix yourself, You're making the kids sad and that's...well my job.”