"The door is stuck," he pushes the door harder, but it doesn't budge.
"What?" I place my brush down. "It's stuck?"
Captain Kuchiki pushes again, unable to move the door. "It must be iced shut."
"I'll try the window," The panes of the window soon show a different problem.
It's been hours since I had started my paperwork as the 3rd seat. The captain and I had been meticulously completing it in one of the rooms of the Kuchiki Manor, as the Lieutenant surveys a reconstruction of the barracks. It has been snowing heavily ever since this morning.
The snow is almost halfway over the windows.
"Oh damn," I note.
"Language, L/n." The rattling of the door continues.
"Oh heck," I tap on the window. "We're snowed in."
"Damn," he crosses his arms.
I snatch a peek in amusement, quickly removing any trace of it from my face.
"We'll be excavated eventually," he crosses over to his seat, continuing his paperwork where he left off. I follow suit, bringing my legs up under the kotatsu to keep warm. I pick my brush back up, rewriting someone's report to be legible.
He refreshes his own tea, pouring some in my cup. I thank him.
"All we needed today," he sighs. "At least there will be minimal interruption, perhaps we will actually finish our paperwork today," his voice muses quietly as he works. I hum in agreement.
"Yes, Captain. Lieutenant Abarai knows where we are, so he'll come looking for us."
Hopefully. Unless he doesn't think much about our absence, that maybe we finished.
A couple hours pass. The tea had long since been drank. The power had went out. Candles were set up to allow us to work, but the kotatsu is beginning to cool.
The snow had reached above the windows.
I wonder if it's night yet.
"I'll use kido if necessary to leave," Byakuya comments, likely in response to my glances to the window.
I nod, returning to reading a report.
A few minutes later a faint buzz of voices begins, and our rescue is imminent.
The door crashes down, a sheepish Renji looking in at us.
"Thank you, Renji. Your assistance is appreciated," the Captain is still fixed on his paperwork. "You're dismissed after you're done, L/n."
"Thank you, Captain," Renji soon escorts me back to the barracks.
"So how was it, being snowed in with the Captain?" He teases. "Honestly, how you could have a crush on him is over my head completely."
"Shushhh," I hiss to him. "Don't say it so loudly." He mumbles a laugh of an apology. "And... It was nice," I cross my arms.
"Tch. Idiot."
"You're the idiot, Renji." I elbow him, and he returns it.
Maybe I'm grateful for being snowed in all day.