#The Office fic

[prettyyoungandbored]

I Wanna See You - Danny Cordray

Pairing: Danny Cordray x Fem!OC

Author’s Note: Oop I did it again.

NOT MY GIF

Rays of the Saturday morning sun blinded Tessa as she grumbled awake.

She looked over to see Danny fast asleep beside her. Memories from last night flooded into her mind.

Public School was flooded with people. The people from the office who showed up were Andy, Oscar, Meredith, Erin, Gabe, Kevin, Ryan, Kelly, and Phyllis who went with her husband, Bob Vance of Vance Refrigerations.

She was relieved the camera crew didn’t show up, despite Danny inviting them.

She greeted her co-workers briefly before making her way to the bar. She made her way through the crowd, keeping an eye out for Danny. She spotted him on the other side of the bar helping one of the bartenders. He wore a flannel shirt over a grey tee.

She made her way to his side of the bar and gently slapped the table.

“Hey Cordray!” she called out.

How he heard her over the blaring music and crowd was beyond her, but sure enough he turned to her and grinned.

He leaned on the bar. “Nice of you to show up.”

“Well, I was promised some Looney Tunes but all I see are some stupid sports games,” she replied. “So, I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

He tilted his head. “Let me show you something.”

She pushed through the crowd again to meet him near the entrance to what was behind the bar. He pointed ahead.

“This way,” he directed.

She followed him into the pool room where on the television was an old episode of Looney Tunes.

“I told you,” he remarked.

She grinned ear-to-ear, nodding in approval. “It’ll do.”

She pulled up a seat at a nearby high table. Danny leaned on the table.

“What do you want to drink?” he asked.

“Mojito.”

“Stay right here.”

She contemplated whether or not she should stay in his bed any longer, fearing regret of any kind. She wanted to stay, but she remembered who he was.

Still, the sheets were comfy and he was awfully warm.

She laid her head back down and closed her eyes, figuring she’d go back to sleep and deal with it later. Just as she closed her eyes, she felt a weight wrap around her waist and a soft touch on her bare shoulder. Her back was met with a warmth as small breaths his the back of her head.

“Stay,” he whispered, nuzzling his nose in the crook of her neck. “I’ll make you breakfast.”

She froze in his embrace, wondering if he was sleep talking or if he was actually awake.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” he pressed.

She turned her head and sure enough, both eyes were wide open.

“I can stay for breakfast,” she said. “What are you making?”

She turned her body over to face him as Danny pulled her close to his chest. His nose nuzzled against hers.

“I make the best French toast,” he mumbled.

“Oh?”

He hummed in response, his lips grazing over hers.

“I guess I could stay for a taste,” she whispered.

She closed her eyes as his lips grazed over hers. It felt almost exactly like their first kiss.

“Can I ask you something?” she inquired.

They were sitting on the empty back patio outside the bar. They moved there after Kevin and Andy began hounding them in the pool room.

“Go for it,” Danny replied.

“What made you not want to be tied down?”

“My dad worked in an office and he hated every minute of it. Always had something negative to say. I just never wanted to be like that. Plus, you know, I like traveling so I figured I’d might as well get paid to do so.”

“Where does the bar factor in it?”

He shrugged. “Just a dream my buddies and I had. Some of our best memories happened at bars and we figured we have our own. My buddy, Pete, is the manager but we all step in and help.”

“Like bartending?”

“Yup. I did it in college and was pretty good at it.”

“You do make a damn good mojito.”

“Glad you like it.” He paused. “Can I ask you something now? Why have you stayed at Dunder Mifflin this long? Don’t get me wrong, it seems like a decent gig. But still, it’s definitely…something.”

She nodded her head. “I actually like the people. Yeah, they’re weird and some of them are a pain in the ass, but I like being around them. They make work more tolerable. Once you get to know them more, you’ll see what I mean.”

She pulled her lips back. “It was really nice of you to invite everyone.”

“Yeah, I’m glad they came out.” He paused. “I’m also glad you came out tonight.”

“I am too,” she agreed. “I told you dorks were pretty fun.”

He cracked an embarrassed smile. “Yeah, I deserved that one.”

“For what it’s worth, Pam encouraged me to come tonight,” she said. “She thought your apology was genuine enough. It also might have helped that you wrote my name for the costume contest.”

“I told you you had my vote,” he reminded her.

She pursed her lips, nodding. “You did.”

Their eyes met, staying on each other for a moment as the sounds of the other bar patrons inside and Better Than Ezra’s “Good” faded out.

His finger lifted her chin up as his lips press against hers, giving her the sweetest kiss she’d ever had in her life.

And yet, it left her wanting more.

=======================================

“Ok, this is some excellent French toast,” she complimented.

“I told you,” he remarked, sipping his coffee.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin and leaned back in the chair. “Let me get this straight - you’re good at sales, you’re good at making drinks, you’re good at kissing, you’re good at sex, AND you’re good at French toast. What can’t you do?”

He chuckled. “That’s nice of you, but could you elaborate on the good sex part?”

“No, I’m being serious,” she continued. “Like what can’t you do?”

He thought for a moment before setting down his coffee. “I can’t come up with a clever way of asking to see you again.”

Her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me? Danny…seriously?”

He shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

She leaned on the table. “You really wanna see me again?”

He nodded. “You free tonight?”

“Not anymore apparently,” she answered.

[raviposting]

Helloooo friends! I finished my Oscar/Andy fic and will be posting it sometime this week. I know this is a asdfjkl small ship so if anyone wants to be tagged in the fic please comment or like (or otherwise let me know lol) this post for when I post it. :)

This is a roughly 12k fic and spans the entirety of The Office timeline/canon events through an Oscar/Andy lens!

A snippet of the beginning of the fic below:

March 25, 2005

"All right, uhh, Oscar," the interviewer - Steven, Oscar thought his name was - said, looking down at his paper. "We're just going to ask you a few questions that we're asking everyone, get to know you a little, that sort of thing. How about you introduce yourself, let us get to know you?" 

"Sure," Oscar said. "I am Oscar Martinez, I am an accountant, I work with Kevin Malone and Angela Martin." 

"That's great," Steven said, although Oscar noted that he seemed less than riveted by Oscar's answer. "But we want to know about you. Do you have any hobbies? Anyone you're seeing?" 

"I love to read, my book club and I meet up every Thursday to go over classic literature, and...no," Oscar said. "No, I don't have a girlfriend," he clarified, trying to ignore the guilt that was making its way up inside him, as if it were bile. 

But it wasn't a lie, not technically. It was just...electing to not state the full truth. This documentary probably wasn't going to air - who would want to watch a documentary about a failing paper company anyway? - but at the very least, they may show it to the office and he did not want their reactions to "Yes, actually, the man in my book club, Gil? I'm pretty sure we're hitting on each other and I think I'm going to have sex with him tonight. By the way, I think I may be gay." 

Kelly would probably shout and scream, "Oh my god, Oscar, that's so cute!" Jim and Stanley would probably ignore the comment, save for raised eyebrows that probably meant very different things to both of them. Michael - oh god, Michael - his reaction alone was why nobody in the office would ever find out, and it was thinking of Michael Scott that let Oscar squash his rising guilt. 

Steven didn't seem to notice this mini-battle that Oscar had just won. He was back at his paper, jotting down a few notes. "Okay, and how about relationships here? Who's your closest friend in the office?" 

Oscar thought. "Well, there was Tom, I suppose, but he well...you know," he trailed off, and though Steve didn't say anything, Oscar saw his eyes light up with interest, because Oscar had said the trigger word.

[atlafan]

Everything You Want 〜 An Office OU

a/n: I’ve been driven to write a jim x pam fic. I just needed to get this out of my head! Soooo there’s an episode in the third season where Jim and Pam talk on the phone for the first time since he went to the Stamford branch. They get interrupted, and it always bothered me that Pam never just called him back. So that’s really where the “other universe” aspect of this comes from because I have her call him back. What happens after that? Read to find out! Please reblog and leave notes in the tags! I’ve never written for this pairing/fandom before and I want to know what yall think!! Warnings: angst, fluff, smut Words: 11.6K

Masterlist I Patreon I Ask

When Jim started at Dunder Mifflin three years ago, he never expected to fall in love. He wasn’t quite sure how or why it happened. Maybe it was the bright smile that greeted him. Maybe it was the giggle being hidden by a dainty hand. All he knew was that his heart stopped within five seconds of meeting her. He had never been in love before, but he knew how it felt. Especially when he found out she was spoken for. She was freshly engaged, but he had no idea because she was waiting for her ring to be resized. Jim’s heart sank into his stomach. It hurt, and it hurt badly.

Here was this perfect girl. This girl who he could joke around with. This girl who he could have a real conversation with. This girl who enjoyed being silly and pulling pranks to keep the day interesting. She was taken. Jim was a little confused at first because she hadn’t even mentioned her boyfriend now fiancé. Jim didn’t know he existed until about a three weeks after he started working there.

Roy works in the warehouse. Jim thought that was how he met Pam…at work, but it wasn’t. Pam and Roy have been together since high school. Pam went to college. Roy didn’t. When she graduated, he told her he heard of a position opening up in the building where he works. That’s how she got the receptionist job she currently still has. Jim never understood how people could stay together for so long when you’re that young, especially while in college. He had three different girlfriends while he was in college.

“We actually didn’t get together until my freshman year of college. We knew of each other in high school, but he was a jock, and I…well, I wasn’t exactly a cheerleader.” She laughed while explaining to Jim one day over lunch. “We happened to bump into each other at a party. He had come to visit a friend, and I had a friend who was friends with his friend. We sort of got to talking since he didn’t know many other people. The next weekend he came back to visit so he could ask me out.” She smiled fondly. “We’ve been together ever since.”

As Jim got to know Pam more over time, he couldn’t understand how or why she was with a guy like Roy. The chemistry just didn’t seem fitting. He was never in a good mood when he’d come up to get Pam at the end of the day. Jim chalked it up to Roy doing manual labor all day. He also understood that people were just different at work. You never know what two people are like when they’re alone.

Pam was in a very committed relationship, so Jim tried to just be her friend. He could do that. He was always one of those guys that had a lot of friends that were girls. He wasn’t sure why, but he never complained. They ate lunch together most days. When Dwight started to get on Jim’s nerves, that’s when the pranks started. Pam told Jim of a few ways to get under Dwight’s skin. Jim couldn’t help but pull pranks. He liked making Pam laugh, so messing with Dwight just had to be done.

The days Roy came up to have lunch with the two of them were the worst. It was always awkward. She acted different when Roy was around. She got closed off, wouldn’t talk as much, and she certainly didn’t smile or laugh as much. It baffled Jim because Pam had no problem talking and laughing with him. They never hung out outside of work. Pam didn’t talk about the ins and outs of her relationship. And Jim never really spoke about his personal life. He dated of course. He wasn’t celibate. But as time went on, it just got more and more difficult to date. He compared every girl to Pam. It was miserable.

A stepping stone was when Pam had to drive Roy’s truck into work because Roy was out sick. Now, Jim knew how to drive stick, but when Pam told him about her being able to drive stick, he told her he didn’t know how. So, at lunch, and after work, they got in the truck and Pam “showed” Jim how to drive stick. It was the most fun Jim had had in a long time. He let himself have his little delusions. He let himself think that she’d leave Roy at some point and go out with him.

When a year went by and they hadn’t set a date yet, Jim was beginning to get hopeful. Pam told him they were just taking some time to save up, and that setting a date would be too much pressure. But then another year went by, then another. Three years of being engaged. They had set a date at one point, but they had to move it. Now it’s just TBD. And in those three years, Jim had grown exponentially close with Pam. He spent a lot of time goofing around at her desk, and she had no problem with it. She could be oblivious sometimes. Roy would come up to visit her, and they’d flirt and kiss and be cute. It always made Jim immensely uncomfortable.

Pam couldn’t understand how Jim hadn’t had a serious girlfriend in the time that they’ve known each other. He’s tall, funny, attractive, and has a good job. He’s a total catch. She even mentioned that she had a friend she could set him up with a while back, but he said he was all set. He told her he had been seeing a few different people, that right now just wasn’t a good time for something serious. They hadn’t had another conversation about his love life since.

There were times where Jim thought he was over Pam, that his crush had been squashed. But she always found a way to pull him back in. He had heart eyes for her. He’d run interference for her when Michael was being especially dickish. He never turned her down when she asked him if he wanted to hear some gossip from the meetings she’d sit in on with Michael. They were best friends. Jim was Pam’s best friend, and she felt lucky to be able to say that.

What really bothered Jim was that Pam never had the chance to hang out outside of work unless Roy said it was alright. Jim would invite Pam out for drinks after work, and she’d have to ask Roy first. Pam didn’t talk about it much, but Roy could sometimes have a temper. And Roy could sometimes be controlling. But he took care of her, so she never really minded. She’d stand up to him when she really needed to. She wasn’t afraid to let him know when she was upset with him. It wasn’t a perfect relationship, but what relationship is ever perfect?

**

When Jim would talk about Pam to his friends, they always asked him what it was about her that drove him crazy. On the physical side, it drove him crazy when she’d sit on the edge of his desk. It wasn’t like she was wearing mini-skirts and thigh-high stockings, but it was just the alluring position she was in. The way he could look up at her. He wouldn’t tell his friends this, but he’s imagined all the ways he could be looing up at her like the way he does at work. Some of those ways involve him on his knees in front of her. Some of those ways involve her on top of him in a precarious position. And not that he’s a pig, but anyone would be an idiot to not notice that Pam has a great set on her. Jim often wonders what types of bras she wears. He often wonders what it be like to be the one to unclasp it, kiss on her shoulder and down her chest until one of her nipples is between his teeth.

On the emotional, mental side of things, Jim would tell his friends that they make each other laugh. He would tell them how smart and curious she is. He would tell them about her art and how talented she is. He would tell them that she’s secretly  very good at volleyball, but she doesn’t want Michael to find out because he’d find an excuse to have a staff volleyball game just to see her in a pair of spandex shorts. Jim wouldn’t mind seeing Pam in a tight pair of spandex shorts, but he’d only want to see her like that if it was her choice.

His friends tell him all the time to just go for it, but he doesn’t want to tell Pam how he feels. He wants her to realize she has feelings for him. He’s not going to put himself out there unless he knows for her sure how she feels about him. There are times it feels like she wants to be with him, but other times she can be distant and cold.

**

The day of the basketball game between the office staff and the warehouse workers is one of the first times Pam feels different when she looks at Jim. She’d never seen him play basketball before. Sure, she’d seen him compete in the various games at the yearly company picnic, but there was something different about him today. He was so confident. She enjoyed watching Roy, of course, but her eyes kept going to Jim like they were magnetized. After he dunked one of the baskets, he smirked and winked at her. They had been talking earlier about whether or not he was actually any good.

She’d never say it to Roy, but Jim was a better player than him. Pam was impressed that Jim was holding his own. Roy is sort of beefy, and Jim is sort of lanky. Pam also kept looking at Jim because he kept pushing his hair out of his face. Normally, someone being sweaty wouldn’t turn her on, but something about Jim working up a sweat was making her feel something. It was making her heart race.

Jim felt like something was happening between them. Every time he and Pam made eye contact her face flushed. His stomach fell out of his ass, though, when he heard Pam say to Roy, “Let’s get you into the tub when we get home,” after he came up to get her later that day. The thought of Roy fucking Pam in their bathtub…it wasn’t a visual that Jim needed. When he showered after work, he imagined what it would be like if Pam was there with him. He imagined how nice it would feel to have her wet, soapy chest pressed up against his, how nice it would feel to have her fingers in his hair, how nice it would feel to have her tongue in his mouth. He wasn’t proud of it, but the orgasm he gave himself in the shower due to those thoughts was sensational. He hated that he whined and whimpered her name. He hated even thinking about her that way. She’s his friend. It’s gross, and he shouldn’t be objectifying her like that. But all he has is his imagination, so what else can he do?

**

Watching Jim flirt with Katie when she came to sell purses in the office was…interesting to watch. Pam thought about her interactions with Jim, and how he was interacting with Katie, and it seemed awfully similar. Except for when Jim leaned in and whispered something into Katie’s ear, and she giggled. He took her out that night. When Roy initiated some intimate time with Pam later that night, she told him she was too tired.

“You’ve been too tired a lot lately.” He huffed.

“Sorry, Michael’s been running me ragged these last couple of weeks.” She turned to him and smiled softly. “Maybe in the morning? You know how I like it in the morning.”

“Yeah.” He smiled back.

The following Monday, Pam waited until lunch to ask Jim how his date was.

“It was good.” He told her.

“Are you gonna see her again?”

“Yeah, we actually saw each other again on Saturday for breakfast.”

“So, you went out for drinks on Friday, and then you met up again on Saturday morning?” She furrowed her brows as she looked at him.

“It wasn’t exactly a hassle since she spent the night.”

“Oh! I thought you had a roommate.”

“I do.”

“He didn’t mind you having someone sleep on your couch?”

“Pam, Katie didn’t sleep on my couch.” He leaned in to speak a little quieter since others were in the breakroom eating lunch.

“Then where did she…oh. Ohhhh.” She nodded as her cheeks flushed. “Well, good for you.” She gave his shoulder a nudge.

“Um, thanks?” He made one of his classic Jim faces, and continued eating his sandwich. “I’m actually going to her place tomorrow night. We’re gonna have dinner and watch a movie.”

“That’s great, it’s nice that you’re dating again.”

“Again? I never really stopped, I just don’t talk about it often. You know I like to keep that stuff private.”

“Right.” She nodded and took a sip of her water. “If things go well with you two, we could double date sometime.”

“Sure.” He nodded. “Sounds like fun.”

**

The night of the Dundies was one of the best nights of Jim’s life. Not only did Pam come back after leaving with Roy, but she sat and had dinner with Jim. She had way too much to drink, but Jim was also drinking. They laughed so hard they cried, especially after Pam won her Dundie. She was so excited, that she not only hugged Jim, but she kissed him. She kissed him right on the lips. He was in shock. He took her to the bar after to get her some water. She kept looking at him and giggling. Was she waiting for him to say something?

She seemed to sober up some after her fall. She was going to ask him about their kiss until she remembered that the camera crew was there watching. Even though it was a drunken kiss, it was still a kiss. Jim could work with that. He knew what it felt like to hold her in his arms now. He knew what it felt like to have her lips on his now. Yeah, he could definitely work with that.

He saw Katie sporadically. He liked taking her out on dates. He had fun with her. But he didn’t call her as much after Pam kissed him. He felt bad for picturing Pam whenever he’d kiss Katie. It wasn’t fair to her.

**

So much happened throughout the year. Pam and Roy finally set a date, which meant Pam was really starting to make wedding plans. The night of the booze cruise he was going to tell her how he felt. He had reached his boiling point, but then Roy announced that he wanted to set the date. Pam had a new pep in her step after that.

It just got more difficult for Jim. It was killing him from the inside out. So, he applied for the open position in Stamford. He got it, of course, but he didn’t tell anyone. He wanted to try one last time with Pam before making his final decision about transferring.

“Hey, can I talk to you about something?” They were standing outside. Roy had just driven away. It was now or never.

“About when you want to give me more of your money?” She grinned.

“No, I…”

“Did you wanna do that now? We can go inside. I’m feeling kinda good tonight.” She smiled brighter, which just broke Jim’s heart more.

“I was just…I’m in love with you.”

“What?” Her whole world just came to a standstill.

“I’m really sorry if that’s weird for you to hear, but I needed you to hear it. Probably not good timing, I know that. I just…” His eyes became glassy. He was fighting off tears.

“What are you doing? What do you expect me to say to that?” Her heart was racing faster than it ever had.

“I just needed you to know. Once.” He takes a step closer to her.

“Well, I um…I…I can’t.”

“Yeah.” He looked off and shook his head.

“You have no idea…”

“Don’t do that.”

“…what your friendship means to me.” She’s fighting off tears too.

“Come on. I don’t wanna do that. I wanna be more than that.” His heart is breaking.

“I can’t. I’m really sorry if you misinterpreted things. It’s probably my fault.” Her heart is breaking.

“Not your fault. I’m sorry I misinterpreted our friendship.”

He walked off, away from her to try to catch his breath. He needed a second to cry and let it out. Pam raced inside the building and up to the office. She felt childish, but she needed to call her mom. She talked to her mom about Jim all the time. She dialed the number, and she told her what happened.

“No, I didn’t know what to say. Yes, I know. I don’t know, Mom, he’s my best friend. Yeah, he’s great. Yeah, I think I am.” Jim came in and made his way over to her. “I have to go. I will.” Pam hung up the phone and stepped toward Jim. “Listen, Jim…”

And that’s when he did it. He cupped her cheeks and he kissed her. It was only for a second, but when he pulled away her hands came flying to his face to keep him in place. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close. They both tasted salty due to their tears, hints of the alcohol they had consumed an hour prior. They parted when they both needed to breathe. Both of their chests were heaving as they looked at each other.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” He told her as he took her hands in his.

“Me too.” She admitted. He leaned back in for more, but she stopped him. “Jim. We can’t.”

“You’re still going to marry him?” All she could do was nod. She couldn’t form words. “Okay.”

He let her go. He let her go both physically and emotionally.

**

Months went by without contact. Jim announced he was leaving via a memo. It was a classic thing for him to do. He wouldn’t have wanted a going away party. Pam cried for weeks. She called off her wedding. She broke up with Roy. She got her own car and her own apartment. It wasn’t easy. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do. Every day she wanted to call Jim to see how he was doing.

There was one night that Pam had to work late because Michael took his sweet time getting some contracts signed. She was about to leave when the phone rang. She sighed and answered.

“Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.”

“…hey.” Jim’s voice was as deep and gentle as she remembered.

“Oh my god.”

“Hi, uh…I was calling to leave a message for Kev…fantasy football thing. I forgot his extension, so I was just gonna go through the system.”

“Right.” She nods and sits back down at her desk.

“What are you doing there so late?”

“It was pretzel day.”

“Ah, so Michael didn’t do anything until the last second because he spent the day waiting in line for a sugar-loaded pretzel?”

“Yup.” She chuckles. “You actually would have gotten a kick out of it. The sugar rush he had this afternoon was like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah? Well, don’t leave me hanging, Beesly.”

She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. They talked on the phone for almost two hours. She told him all about her new place, and some incident she had putting together a bookshelf. He told her about his new co-workers. She laughed so hard at one of his stories about this guy Andy that she couldn’t breathe.

Their conversation ended abruptly, though, when Dwight and Ryan came back late from their sales call. Jim thought Pam was saying goodbye to him, but really she was saying goodbye to Dwight and Ryan. It was so awkward. When Pam got into her car, she grabbed her cellphone and put in the number Jim had given her for his cell. As she added the contact she realized she could just call him back. They could continue their conversation. It was so nice to hear his voice. She chews on her bottom lip. She thinks about it the whole way home. She changes into her pajamas and puts something on her TV, but she still can’t stop thinking about Jim. Hearing his voice in her ear…she snatches her phone and dials his number.

“Pam?”

“Hi.” She presses her palm to her forehead. “Are you home yet?”

“Uh, yeah, I just got in. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just…we got interrupted before. I wasn’t saying…Ryan and Dwight got back late. They were on a sales call. I…I didn’t want to stop talking to you.” Being this honest and upfront was so hard for her, but she knew she needed to say it.

“You didn’t?”

“No. Did you?”

“No.”

“I really miss you.” She does her best to not let her voice crack. “I know I don’t really have the right to say that to you after everything, but…I do…I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too. But I couldn’t be there anymore, Pam.”

“I know, I understand that.”

“Why did you call off your wedding?”

“There were a lot of reasons. I think I knew for a long time that I shouldn’t be with him, but we were so complacent. I didn’t care enough until you came along. I’ve been reflecting a lot. I thought I’d miss him more, but all I could think about was you. I should have been more brave earlier on. I…I’m so sorry that I hurt you.” She starts crying. “I hated myself for turning you away the way I did.”

“Don’t cry, Pam.” He tells her softly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not.” She swallows. “It’s not okay. I…I let myself lead you on. I let you become my work boyfriend because my actual boyfriend didn’t have the mental capacity to fulfill all my needs. I let myself flirt with you, I let you flirt with me. I…let so much happen, and I shouldn’t have. It wasn’t fair to you…it wasn’t fair to anyone.”

“I let myself do a lot of things too. It wasn’t just you. There were times I knew I took things too far. Neither of us made things easy for the other.” He pauses for a beat. “It’s only been three months…I don’t think now is a good time for us.”

“But-“

“No, just…please listen for a second. You’ve been with the same person for a long time. This is the first time you’ve ever really been on your own. I don’t want to be your rebound, and that’s what I’ll be if you jump into something too soon. I want you to take the time to just be with yourself.”

“Can we still talk?”

“Of course we can. I’ve missed the sound of your voice. I hope that’s not weird for me to say.”

“It’s not.” She smiles. “I’ve missed the sound of yours too.”

“Hey, do you wanna switch to our landlines so we don’t eat up our minutes?”

“Yeah! I’m dying to hear more about how terrified you were after Andy freaked out about the jell-o.”

“It was so scary! I had to tell the camera crew not to say anything to him!”

“That’s insane!”

**

Pam wasn’t sure when she’d see Jim in person. They texted and talked a lot. It felt like old times. On weekends they would talk for hours at night. One night, Jim was regaling Pam of how awful of a player he is at Call of Duty.

“I can’t believe it’s okay for you guys to play a video game as a bonding exercise, but we can’t watch thirty minute installments of movies every Monday.” She rolls her eyes. She’s laying in bed, snuggled up to her waist with blankets.

“Right? Josh gets away with way more shit than Michael. I don’t know how he does it.”

“I get the feeling Josh is much more discrete.”

“He definitely is. He’s an alright boss, but there are times I miss having Michael as a manager.”

“He certainly keeps things interesting.” She yawns and stretches.

“Are you getting tired?”

“No, I was just getting a little more comfortable. It’s weird, I’m not sharing a bed with anyone anymore, and yet I still only sleep on one side of it.”

“I do the same thing. Sleeping in the middle just doesn’t seem right.”

“Exactly! Good, I’m glad I’m not alone in this.”

“Do you usually lay in bed when we talk this late?” Jim can’t believe he’s starting to take things to this place, but he’s curious to see if Pam will catch on. She’s bashful when it comes to these things.

“Yeah, don’t you?”

“Sometimes. It’s kind of cute that you get all cozy in bed before we talk.”

“Don’t tease me.” She whines slightly. “It’s my favorite way to fall asleep.”

“So, you go right to sleep after we say goodnight?”

“Most of the time, yeah. What do you do?”

“Sometimes I go take a shower. Sometimes I go grab a snack, or some water. But other times…”

“Other times…?”

“It’s hard not to think about you after we hang up. You sort of just stay in my mind. And then my mind wanders…”

“To what?” She asks innocently.

“To us. To you being here with me.”

Pam sits up slightly. She can feel her cheeks getting warmer. “What, um, what does your mind wander to us doing together?”

“Do you really wanna know?” Jim sits up slightly as well, plucking at his bottom lip. “Might be too risqué for you Beesly.”

“I’m not a prude.” She laughs. “Just say it Halpert, what do you picture us doing? What would you do if I was there?”

“I’m going to deviate a little, and answer your question with a question of my own.”

“Go for it.”

“When was the last time you had an orgasm?”

“Jesus, Jim.”

“Just answer the question.”

“What does it matter?”

“I’ll tell you after you answer.”

“I…I don’t know. I haven’t done anything since my prior relationship.”

“You haven’t taken care of things yourself?”

“Oh my god.” She sighs and runs a hand down her face. “Not really. I can never…I can never get there on my own, and then I just get frustrated and give up. I know it’s lame that I’m twenty-seven and I can’t even get myself off, but I’ve never really had the time alone before.”

“You do now.”

“That’s…true. I guess I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Do you wanna think about it? I could help.”

“Are…are you asking me if I want to have phone sex with you?”

“I’m asking if you want to have an orgasm. I wanna know what you sound like. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to visit, or when you’ll be able to come here. It’s been driving me crazy for a long time.”

“I’m not really good at talking dirty.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to say much. Just answer me when I ask you a question, that’s all. Other than that I can just guide you through it.”

“You’re going to tell me how to touch myself? That’s a little arrogant, Halpert.” She smirks. “You think you’re that good?”

“I know I’m that good.”

“Alright, let’s see what you got.”

“You’ll listen?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He lets his eyes drift closed. “Are you comfortable? I want you to lay flat on your back.”

“Okay.” She shifts down in the bed.

“Do you have a spare pillow to put under your hips?”

“Yeah.” She grabs one and puts it where he said. “Done.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Done.”

“Take a deep breath, in and out. Clear your head.” He listens to her as she breathes. “Good, you’re already doing so good, Pam.”

“What now?” She asks with a shaky breath.

“Now I want you to let your hand drift down between your legs, spread them a little. Are you wearing underwear?”

“Yes, should I take them off?”

“No, leave them on for now. Tease yourself over them.”

“Are you touching yourself too?”

“No, we’re focusing on you. Do you feel yourself? Is your underwear wet?”

“Yeah.” She licks her lips as she feels herself. There’s a wet patch where her sex is. She drags a finger up to her clit, still over her underwear, and rubs around it with slow circles.

“Spread your legs a little wider, and slip your hand inside your underwear.” He hears her breath hitch. “How wet are you?”

“I’m…I’m like really wet.”

“Run your fingers between your folds, keep teasing yourself.”

“Tell me…tell me what you would do if you were here.”

“God, I’d…I’d dip the tips of my fingers inside you and drag it up to make sure you’re wet all over. I’d spread you apart and find your clit.”

“What would you do after finding it?”

“Do you really wanna know?”

“Yes.”

“I’d spit down on it and rub it with my thumb while I slip a finger inside of you.” He hears her whimper softly, and it makes his cock twitch. But he’s not touching himself until he’s gotten her off. “How many fingers do you think you could take? You’re probably really tight due to your lack of activity.”

“I am.” She groans. “I’m really tight. I’d…I’d need a second finger.”

“I like to use my index and middle, it makes it easier to keep rubbing you with my thumb. I bet you’d open right up for me. I’d pet your front wall, and I just know you’d tighten back around me.”

“Your hands are so big, it would feel so good.”

He can hear her moving around. He wishes he could see her swiveling her hips while she’s touching herself. He wishes he could see the sweat forming on her forehead. He wishes he could just see her face.

“Are you getting close?”

“Yes.”

“Take your hand away.”

“What?” Her eyes burst open.

“You heard me, take your hand away.”

“D-done. I don’t understand why, though.”

“It feels better when you let it build up. Besides that, I didn’t tell you to come yet. You have to wait until I say.”

“O-okay.”

“Good girl.” He waits to see if she’ll say anything, if she didn’t like that he said that, but she doesn’t. “Okay, you can start touching yourself again. I want you to just focus on your clit. Rub it in tight, little circles.” He hears her moan softly, and it’s music to his ears. “You still wet?”

“Yes, very.” She pants.

“Keep going, pretend it’s my fingers touching you.”

“J-Jim, I-“ Her back is arching and her feet are digging into her mattress.

“Don’t come.”

“But I-“

“Don’t, Pam.” She groans out with frustration, making him chuckle lowly. “Did you stop?”

“Yes.” She huffs.

“Good. Now, go clean yourself up and go to sleep.”

“What?” She sits up and turns her light on. “I thought you wanted me to…to…”

“I changed my mind. You can wait until we’re in person. I don’t want the first time to be over the phone.”

“That’s fair.” She nods.

“Sorry. I’m not trying to be-“

“No, it’s okay. I…I actually kind of feel the same way. It makes sense.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m…I’m gonna, um, go…do what you said.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Pam.”

“Night, Jim.”

**

These last couple of weeks have been insane. Everyone thought the Scranton branch was shutting down because Michael said it was. Then it turned out that Stamford is closing. Which means some people from Stamford are coming to Scranton. Jim is confirmed as one of the salesmen coming to Scranton. Pam was copied on an email sent to Michael briefing him on who’s joining the Scranton team. Andy and Karen are the other salespeople coming. Jim’s mentioned Karen a couple of times. He admitted that they became good friends, and there were some feelings there, but he assured Pam that he doesn’t want to be with Karen.

On the day of, Pam is downright giddy. Jim needed a couple of days to get settled in his new apartment, so they weren’t able to see each other until his first day back. It’s fitting. They’re starting fresh. One by one, a new person comes strolling in. Michael greets each person in his own special way. Luckily, he’s not by her desk when she sees Jim approaching.

“Hi, I’m Jim, I-“

“Oh my god, it’s really you.” Pam smiles brightly and rushes over to Jim to hug him.

“See, you ruined my bit. I was pretending I’d never been here before.” He looks down at her and melts at the way she’s beaming up at him.

“I know, I don’t care.”

“Jimbo! Look who’s back!” Michael says cheerily. Jim lets go of Pam to greet Michael.

As Jim settles in he notices Ryan sitting where he used to sit. Because Jim’s a nice person, he takes the spot across from Dwight. He won’t be able to steal glances of Pam as easily, but maybe that’s a good thing for right now. He’s about ready to burst, and he needs to keep his composure. He’s been given a promotion. He’s the new number two. He’s also the only one who has worked for both branches, so he knows he needs to be a resource for his Stamford colleagues. As much as he wants to fall back into older patterns with Pam, he doesn’t want to go back to exactly how things were. He’s almost thirty-one, he wants to try to grow up a little.

That lasts all of five seconds, though. Dwight and Andy are two sides of the same coin, and Jim needs to keep that under control. So, he has no choice but to mess with Dwight. Hearing Pam hold in her laughter is also a boost to his ego.

It’s an eventful day. One of the Stamford people has already quit. Michael just isn’t great with onboarding and integrating. Pam and Jim haven’t gotten to talk much since there was so much going on. She has no idea what the plan for tonight is, if there even is one. He finds her in the kitchen later. She’s snacking on her berry yogurt. Jim refills his water bottle.

“Hey.” He says to her.

“Hi.” She says back.

“Are you free for dinner tonight?”

“I believe so.” She licks the yogurt off her spoon, sending a shiver down Jim’s spine. Whether it was intentional or not, that was hot.

“I was thinking we could go out after work.”

“Sure.” She nods. “I’ll want to change first, though. So…maybe you should follow me to my place after work, and then we can just take one car to wherever we decide to go.”

“That sounds like a great idea. Carpooling is much better for the environment.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

**

Pam’s stomach is full of nerves. Jim’s driving behind her to her apartment. He parks next to her, and she holds out her hand for him. They walk with their fingers intertwined into the building and up to her floor.

“This is even better than how you described it.” Jim says as he looks around Pam’s place. “It’s very you.”

“Thanks.” She smiles. “So, I’m just gonna go freshen up, and then we can head out.”

“Pam.” Jim loops his fingers around her forearm. He pulls her into his embrace, cupping her cheek with his other hand. “Let’s eat later.”

She nods and lets her eyes flutter closed as his lips brush against hers. It’s so tender and soft at first. She sighs happily into the kiss. Jim’s hand tightens around the material of her sweater, pressing her harder against his chest. His tongue swipes along her bottom lip. She opens up for him, and relishes at the way he moans into her.

“Bedroom.” He mumbles against her lips.

Pam tugs Jim backwards towards her room, desperate to stay kissing and in his arms. His lips moves along her jaw as he grips the hem of her sweater. Her fingers make work to undo his tie and the buttons on his shirt. She lifts her arms up so Jim can get her sweater off. He reaches around her to take her hair out of its elastic. He runs his fingers through her hair and kisses her. Her hands go for his belt buckle, and he lets her undo it. Jim kisses along her collarbones and down her chest. He kisses down her belly. He loves how soft she is. He helps her out of his shoes and she unzips her skirt. It falls to the floor and pools around her ankles.

“You are so beautiful.” Jim says as he runs his fingers up and down her smooth legs. He’s on his knees, and he’s sure they’ll hurt later, but he doesn’t care. He thinks for a moment. “Don’t you usually wear tights?”

“I…I took them off in my car to save time. I thought this might happen. Tights don’t look sexy in the light, trust me.”

“You’re so cute.” He chuckles. He presses his lips below her naval, and kisses along the band of her underwear. “Can I take these off?”

“Yes.” She nods. “Do you want me to get on the bed so you’re more comfortable?”

“No, this is how I want to do it.”

He hooks his fingers into her underwear and kisses on her pelvis as he slowly drags them down her legs. She steps out of them as he kisses along her hip bones. She’s shaking a bit. She’s nervous. They shuffle backwards so she can lean up against the door of her bedroom. She’d probably lose her balance otherwise. Jim moves one of her legs over his shoulder. He kisses on her inner thigh. She runs her fingers through his hair as he gets his fingers on her. He spreads her folds apart and leans in to kiss her. He sucks his fingers into his mouth, coating them, then brings them back to her.

“Mm.” Her head rolls back against the door as his fingers rub around her entrance. His mouth comes into contact with her clit, and licks over it. He puckers his lips around it and sucks on it while he slips his middle finger up inside of her. “Fuck.”

“Did Pam Beesly just say a curse word?” He smirks up at her.

“I save them for special occasions.” She smiles down at him.

“Yeah?” He gets a second finger inside of her, and her mouth falls open. “I’ve been dreaming about this, seeing you this way…because of me.” She bites on her bottom lip and her eyes screw shut. “Pam, look at me.” She opens her eyes slowly and looks down at him. He starts pumping his fingers in and out of her, curling and twisting them. “I want you to watch me.”

“Okay.” She nods.

He gets his mouth back on her, sucking on her clit. He nips at it carefully a few times. He’s giving her lazy strokes of his tongue, getting distracted by the sound of her arousal as he fucks her with his fingers. He uses his free hand to spread the thigh over his shoulder wider. His thumb is definitely going to leave a bruise with the way it’s pressing into her skin, but she doesn’t care. She’ll take all the marks he’ll give her.

It's getting more difficult for her to keep her eyes on him. She’s starting to pant and whine. Her fingers are tugging at his hair, pushing him closer to her. He looks up at her (to the best of his ability), and watches as her face contorts with pleasure.

“J-Jim.” She groans, thrashing back against the door. “C-can I? I’m gonna…can I?”

“Mhmm.” He hums against her as he continues to relentlessly suck on her clit. His fingers are so deep inside her. He’s making the come-here motion against her.

Her back arches off the door, and she cries out as she comes around his fingers. He fucks her through it before slowly taking his fingers out of her. He sucks them into his mouth and moans.

“You taste so fucking good.”

“I’m glad, um, that was…wow.” She places her hand on her forehead as she catches her breath. “I’ve never…that hard, I…”

“Can’t even form a cohesive sentence.” He stands up slowly, rubbing at her sides until his hands are gripping her hips. “Do you want to keep going, or do you want to stop there?”

“I wanna keep going.” Her arms wrap around his neck, going up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He lifts her up off the ground completely and carries her over to her bed, placing her down gently. “You’re not naked enough.”

“Let me fix that.” He smirks. His button-up slides off his shoulders, and he gets his t-shirt off immediately after. Pam runs her hands up and down his torso as he undoes his pants, letting them drop to the floor. Her eyes widen when she sees the outline of his erection through his boxer-briefs, a small wet patch where his tip is. He takes one of her hands and places it over himself. “This is what you do to me. Only you could get me this hard and ready.”

“I…you’re huge.” She looks up at him, almost worried.

“Aww, was Roy’s not as big as mine?” He asks, guiding her hand to move up and down to palm and stroke him.

“N-no.” She shakes her head. “No, he…it wasn’t…” She just looks up at him and shakes her head again. Another boost to his ego. “Can I take it out?” He nods, and she grips the band of his boxers, dragging them down. His cock springs out and slaps against his lower belly. A string of his pre-come keeps his tip and belly connected.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He tells her as he moves her hair back for her.

“I want to. Could you just…you took my hair out.”

“I’ll hold it for you, don’t worry.” He makes a makeshift ponytail for her with his fist.

She grips his shaft, dragging her thumb over his tip and rubbing his pre-come down to his base. She wants him wet all around so it feels better for him. She leans in and licks over his head. His breath hitches, which is all she needs to take the full head into her mouth. Both of his hands card through her hair to keep it back for her. He also just needs something to hold onto. She knows she won’t be able to take him too far down her throat, so she doesn’t even attempt it. Instead, she focuses on sucking and licking his head while her hand pumps the rest of him. Her free hand comes up to gently palm his balls.

“Oh, Christ, Pam.” He gasps. “You’re so good. I knew you would be.” She moans around him, encouraging him to keep praising her. “Your mouth is incredible.” He tugs her off of him. She looks up at him in shock. “I don’t want to come yet. You can suck me dry another time.” He knees onto the bed and reaches behind her to unclasp her bra. He’s mesmerized by her breasts. He cups them and runs his thumbs over her nipples, getting them hard and pebbled. “Still doing okay? I won’t be mad if you want to stop.”

“I don’t want to stop, Jim. I want this…I want all of this with you. I’m…I’m finally ready for you, for all of you.”

“You don’t know what it means to me to hear you say that.” He leans in and kisses her, having her lay on her back with him on top of her, his hands groping at her breasts. He nips at her bottom lip before pressing his forehead to hers. “I am going to treat you so much better than anyone else ever has.”

“Jim.” She whimpers, cupping his jaw to lick into his mouth.

He moves to kiss on her chest, sucking a good amount of her left breast into mouth before letting it go with a pop. He does the same to her right before kissing down her body. He spreads her wide apart and spits down onto her pussy, watching it slide down her slit. He shuffles down between her thighs and licks into her. Pam squirms under him. He licks up her slit and kisses on her clit before sitting up.

“I needed to taste you again.” He admits sheepishly. He runs a hand through his hair to get his matted locks off his forehead. “I had condoms, but I left them in my car. I’ll just-“

“It’s okay, we don’t need one.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” She nods. “I’m good about taking my birth control every day, and I’m clean…are you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m okay with it if you are. I…I’m sort of desperate to feel you.”

“Just sort of, huh?” He smirks. He moves to sit up against her headboard. “I’d like you on top first, is that alright?”

“Yeah, I actually prefer being on top.” She straddles him, resting her hands on his shoulders as he guides himself in. He paints the head of his cock around at first. She slowly starts to sink down onto him. She bites down on her bottom lip. He has to do the same with his.

“You’re so fucking tight.” He groans. “Should I have used my fingers longer?”

“N-no.” She pants. They both moan out once he’s all the way inside of her. “No, this feels so good.”

“Fuck, Pam.” He wraps his arms around her back, pulling her to chest.

She rolls her hips forward as she slots her lips over his. They kiss sloppily as her hips continue rolling back and forth on him. He starts to thrust up into her slowly. Her mouth falls open and her forehead presses against his. His hands splay on her back as they move in sync with each other. They both moan into each other’s mouths, unable to hold anything in. Her nails dig into his shoulders, leaving crescent indents behind. His lips move to the spot just below her ear, kissing and licking and sucking at the tender skin. She grips his hair and pushes him harder against her. He slips a hand between them so he can rub her clit with his fingers.

“Ohhh.” She whines. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”

Her breaths become shallower, and she slams her hand against the headboard as she comes around him. She bites down on his shoulder as they continue rolling their hips together. He cradles her cheeks and kisses her forehead, then her nose, and then her lips. He adjusts them so Pam’s on her back and he’s on top of her.

“Good to keep going?” He asks as he nuzzles his nose along hers.

“Yes.” She smiles. “I told you not to stop, remember?”

He smiles too. He can’t stop smiling. He stays close to her, taking her hands in his and pinning them on either side of her head. Their hands stay together, fingers clasping together. Jim thrusts in and out of her nice and deep. Pam wraps her legs around his waist to pull him even closer, wanting the friction from his pelvis on her clit. He lets go of one of her hands in favor of entangling his fingers in her hair. Her nails scratch at his back. Jim can feel himself getting closer. He lets go of her other hand and slides his arm under her back to hold her tighter in his arms. Her hands grope and grab at the plushy flesh above his hips.

“Pam.” He moans into her ear. She tightens around his cock. “Pam, I’m gonna come soon.”

“Yes.” She nods, lost in a state of bliss as she can feel that coil in the pit of her belly forming again.

“Where do you want it?” He grunts.

She hadn’t really thought about it. She doesn’t want him to stop what he’s doing. Selfishly, if he stopped, it would ruin her potential orgasm. And she’s honestly not sure she could to having another building up because she’s starting to get too sensitive. This next one is definitely going to be her last of the night, which she’s more than fine with. She never came this many times with Roy in one go. Sometimes she wouldn’t come at all.

“Inside me, I want you to come inside me.” She tells him. “Keep going, don’t stop. I…I’m…”

“Fuck, I’m so close.” He moans.

“Me too.”

They both start panting uncontrollably. Jim fucks into her hard, deep, and fast. The speed pushes her over the edge thanks to the added pressure and friction to her clit, and the fact that his tip is beating up her g-spot. The burn of the stretch he’s giving her is all consuming. As she’s making a mess of his cock, Jim finally lets himself go, making his own mess inside of her. He tugs harshly at her hair, coming harder than he ever has. This is something he’s wanted for so long. It’s not just his imagination anymore. It’s not a fantasy anymore. It’s better than all of that because it’s real. Tears come to his eyes and he starts trembling. He pulls out of her and moves to rest his head on her chest. She whimpers at the emptiness.

Pam can feel a wetness on her chest. She cups Jim’s cheeks and makes him look at her. She panics when she sees his bleary eyes. Her thumbs run along his cheekbones to catch his tears.

“Was it not…was it not…” She can’t even finish the sentence.

“Oh, Pam.” He pecks her lips. “It was everything. You…you were so good. You were so fucking good.” He kisses her hard, surprising her, but it’s welcomed. “You were so good for me.” He nuzzles into her neck. “M’just a little emotional, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay.” She runs her fingers through his hair, and sighs with relief. “It was…that was…I’ve read stories about this kind of passionate sex, but I never thought I’d ever get to experience it for myself.” Jim chuckles softly into her neck. “I’m serious! I’ve never felt so wanted before. And…and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone as much as I’ve wanted you.”

“That means so much to me to hear you say that.” He moves to look at her, and snakes a hand between them, running his fingers through her messy folds. She winces from the sensitivity, but relaxes at the way he gently strokes her entrance. “Made a mess of you. We should get you cleaned up.”

“Good idea, except I’ve lost all feeling in my legs.”

“Music to my ears.” He grins. “Do you have any washcloths in your bathroom?”

“Mhm, in the cabinet below the sink.”

“Be back in a second.” He gets up, and snatches his boxers from the floor. He disappears into the bathroom, and runs warm water over a washcloth. He cleans himself up and pulls his underwear back on. He comes back to Pam shortly, and gently cleans her up with the warm washcloth. She winces again, starting to feel a little sore. “You’re alright, I know you’re sensitive.” He coos as he continues to gently clean up the mess he made. “Put this perfect little pussy through a lot tonight.”

“Jim.” She laughs, covering her face with her hands.

“What?” He laughs with her.

“I didn’t know you could be so…”

“Vulgar?”

“No, vocal.” She looks at him, and he looks at her.

“Think you just bring it out in me.” He comes around to her side and sits on the edge of the bed. He leans down and pecks her lips. “Why don’t you finish cleaning yourself up, and I’ll order us some takeout?”

“Chalk full of good ideas today.” She beams at him. “What do you want to eat?”

“You pick, I’m sure I’ll like whatever you want.”

“Hmm.” She thinks for a moment. “Chinese?”

“Works for me. You still like scallion pancakes?”

“Like them? I love them.” She scoffs, and reaches for one of her blankets to wrap herself up in as she stands. “And dumplings, and-“

“House rice with shrimp.”

“Good memory.” She gives his cheek a pinch and kisses him before making her way into the bathroom.

Jim throws his T-shirt on, but forgoes putting any of his other clothes back on. He orders the food and goes into the kitchen to get himself and Pam a glass of water. She shuffles into the kitchen, now donning a pair of pajama pants and a long-sleeve bed shirt. Jim throws an arm around her and kisses her temple.

“Food should be here in about forty minutes.” He tells her.

“Sounds good.”

“You feel okay everything?”

“Yeah! Do you?”

“Course.” He smiles. “I don’t think we should tell people right away, though. The teasing…I can already hear it.”

“I think I agree. I can picture Michael making lewd gestures towards us.” She wraps her arms around his waist and looks up at him. “How about this: let’s go out on some actual dates, hang out outside of work more often, and if it all goes well, which I strongly believe it will, we can tell the office.”

“I think that’s a perfect plan, Beesly.”

**

It’s tough keeping things a secret during the hot and heavy phase. Stolen glances, brushes of hands…it’s not enough during the day. They still eat lunch together, but there’s no real privacy in the break room or the kitchen. And it would be too suspicious if they were both sneaking out at noon together every day. Jim also didn’t want Pam to think that he only wanted to spend time with her just so he could touch her. He’d be fine if all they did was cuddle and talk. Honestly! And she feels the same way. She loves the connection they have.

The toughest part? Roy. He’s been trying to get Pam back basically since they broke up. He comes upstairs a lot, going to the vending machines as an excuse to see Pam. And Jim can’t really step in to tell him to back off because as soon as he does everyone will know. Things have been going really well for Jim and Pam, but it’s only been a little less than a month. Things are still new. There are things they’re still working through.

“Hey, Pammy.” Roy smiles as he comes over to her desk.

“Hi.” She hates that nickname. And she knows it goes right up Jim’s ass whenever Roy calls her that. “What’s up?”

“The guys in the warehouse have been missing you. We’re going to trivia at Poor Richard’s. I thought you’d like to come.”

“I can’t tonight. I have my art class after work. But maybe another time? I miss hanging out with all those guys too. How’s Madge’s grandson by the way? I haven’t had a chance to get down there to ask her how it’s been going with him living with her.”

“It was a pretty smooth transition from what she’s told us. Her husband’s retired so he’s able to do the school drop off and pick up. Then Madge helps him with his homework.”

“Oh good. Well let her know I can babysit any time she needs a breather.”

“I will.” He smiles softly. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

Jim gets up from his desk and comes over to Pam’s, taking a mint out of one of the bowls she has out. She gives him a different smile, a more knowing smile, a more mischievous, devious smile.

“How often did you hang out with Daryl and all of them?” He asks her.

“We would all go to Poor Richard’s a lot for trivia or open mic night. Daryl is very musically inclined.”

“No kidding?”

“He plays the keyboard, and he’s actually a really good singer. Him and the guys would sign up and do a little something every once in a while. We used to have him and his daughter over for movie nights. And then usually if we were out I’d end up talking to Madge since I was the only other girl.”

“Hm.” Jim nod, taking the information in. “You know you can hang out with them any time you want. I mean, you were with Roy for a long time, it’s okay if you still want to be friends.”

“I didn’t realize I needed your permission.” She scoffs quietly.

“You don’t, that’s not what I meant. I just want you to know it doesn’t bother me because I trust you, that’s all.”

“Well…thank you. Maybe I’ll go meet up with them after I get out of class later.”

“Go for it.” He smiles. “You can tell them about your art show that’s coming up.”

“That’s right! Good idea.”

**

Pam got out of art class early, so she decided to go to Poor Richard’s. She told the guys all about her art show and gave them the information. It was nice to be around them again. She ends up sitting at the bar with Roy later on.

“Can I ask you something?” He says to her, and she nods. “Have you been seeing someone?”

Shit.

“Um, Roy…”

“I know it’s not any of my business, but I can still read you like a book, Pam.” He smirks. “I can tell when something’s up with you. You’ve been different lately.”

“Yeah, yes…I’ve been seeing someone. But it’s really new so I haven’t told anyone yet. We’re seeing how things go for now before we bring it all out in the open.”

“It’s not that new guy Andy, is it? I heard he hit on you one day.”

“Oh, no, it’s not him.” She laughs. “And that was just a prank Jim pulled. Andy was asking him for advice on who he should ask out, and Jim thought it would be funny to tell Andy how to win me over, only what Andy didn’t know was that Jim told him about everything I can’t stand. So, Andy comes to my desk and asks me if I want to play disc golf with him, in pig Latin, and then later serenaded me with a show tune while playing a banjo.”

“Holy shit.” Roy blinks. “I didn’t know any of those things rubbed you the wrong way.”

“Jim just knows me really well.” She shrugs.

“Yeah, but I’ve known you way longer.”

“You’re not the most observant person, Roy.”

“So, if it’s not Andy, then who is it?”

“I…well, I’m seeing Jim.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, why is that so hard to believe?”

“I don’t know, I thought he was gay or something. Which is fine, being gay is great.” He clears his throat, knowing the cameras are watching him. “When did it start?”

“Technically, when he moved back here.”

“Why do you technically?”

“About a month before we were supposed to get married…at casino night, Jim and I kissed.”

“What?”

“He told me he was in love with me, and-“

“You called off our wedding for Halpert?!”  

“No there were a lot of reasons. Can you please lower your voice? I can explain more if you just calm down and listen.”

“Calm down and listen?! You cheated on me!”

“I didn’t cheat on you.”

“What do you call kissing someone else?!”

“It was one time for a fraction of a second, and I turned him down.”

“I can’t believe this!”

“Don’t yell.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Pam!” Roy throws a glass at the mirror behind the bar.

“I’m leaving.” Pam gets off her stool and rushes out of the bar while Roy continues to throw glasses and break things. She has tears in her eyes as she gets into her car. She know she did a bad thing. She knows she hurt Roy, but this isn’t the first time he’s had an outburst like this. Down the line she knows it would have gotten worse, and eventually he would have hit her instead of a wall.

**

“So…Roy knows about everything?” Jim sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose as Pam explains things to him the next morning in the break room.

“Not everything, but he knows we’re dating, and he knows we kissed while he and I were still together.”

“And then he got violent and started breaking glasses at the bar?”

“Yeah.” She nods, folding her arms over herself for comfort.

“Did he ever physically hurt you?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “But he could have a temper from time to time. I’ve never seen him that angry, and I had never been so scared to be around him. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone last night. I shouldn’t have told him anything.”

“No, it’s good you did. Maybe it’ll give you both some extra closure.”

“He was really mad.”

“Come back with me to my place after work tonight. He doesn’t know where I live, so I think it’ll be better you stay with me until he’s able to calm down a little from this.”

“You just want me to spend the night.” She grins.

“Only because I love to see you in my bed.”

Pam opens her mouth to give him a cheeky response, but Kelley comes in with Ryan. They’re having a heated discussion.

The day goes by like normal. Michael did something outrageously horrendous. Dwight and Andy blindly followed him. Jim made them all look stupid by pulling a prank. All in all, it was a great day, and Pam forgot all about the incident with Roy. That is until he came storming into the office at the end of the word day.

“Halpert.” Roy charges towards Jim.

“Roy!” Pam yells out, not wanting him to hurt Jim.

This isn’t the first time Roy and Jim have gotten physical with each other. They got into a little scrap that time Pam wanted to do the art program Jan told her about. Roy said no, but Jim told her she should, and Pam told Roy what Jim said, so Roy pushed Jim and Jim pushed him back. It was down the warehouse and Daryl broke it up.

Jim isn’t stupid. He knows Roy could probably kill him. But one of the advantages of sitting by Dwight for so long is that Jim has learned a thing or two about self defense.

Roy gets close enough to throw a punch at Jim, and Jim ducks. While Jim is ducking, Dwight sprays Roy in the face with pepper spray. Everyone in the vicinity starts tearing up and coughing.

“Pam, please call security.” Dwight says through his tears.

**

Since the incident happened at the end of the day, Toby said he would take everyone’s stories the next morning. He wanted to make sure Pam was alright, and then he added wanting to make sure Jim was alright too. A few others had already left for the day as it was. So it just made sense for everyone else to go home and process what happened.

“I’ll understand if you don’t feel like having me spend the night.” Pam says to Jim in the parking lot. “I know this drew a lot of attention to us and that people are going to be asking a ton of questions tomorrow.”

“Beesly, you’re insane if you think I don’t want you to come over tonight. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.” He smiles and kisses her cheek.  

The two decide to go out for burrito bowls and margaritas. They laugh about what happened earlier. It wasn’t funny, but they’re more so laughing at how crazy it all was. Pam just wanted to be honest with Roy, and Jim couldn’t fault her for that. Neither one of them wants to carry secrets into their new relationship.

The two drive to Jim’s. They enjoy a pint of ice cream while they watch some TV in his living room. Pam holds up a spoon full for Jim. He happily takes it, holding her wrist up in place with his hand. He kisses on her hand and up her arm, making her giggle. He gets to her neck, lingers there, then kisses along her jaw until he reaches her mouth. She clumsily sets the ice cream down on the coffee table and lets Jim lay her down on the couch. He wedges his leg between hers and groans.

“Can we just kiss for a while?” He asks her.

“Yeah, course.” She nods.

Jim kisses Pam so tenderly, and it makes her melt every single time. Her fingers card through his hair, making him smile against her. They adjust so she can get her legs around him. She has to hike her skirt up around her waist, but eventually they’re able to rest comfortably against one another. His thumb rubs circles into her hip while his other hand cradles her cheek. She rolls her hips up to his, and he presses harder against her. He pulls back to look at her, and she giggles.

“What?” He giggles with her.

“Your lips always get all swollen and pink whenever we kiss. It’s cute.” She runs her thumb over his lips, and he nips at the pad of it.

“So do yours.”

“Do they really?”

“Mhm.” He nods and pecks her top lip and sits up. “It’s late, should we go to bed?”

“Yeah.” She nods, and he helps her up, adjusting her skirt.

“Fuck it.”

He picks her up and carries her to his bedroom. He’s quick to get her naked. He just needs to be close to her right now. She feels the same way. She likes the way he pins her down, but she also likes way he makes her feel safe and comfortable. He’s always checking in, asking her if she’s okay with what he’s doing, if she likes it.

Even though the bed is right there, Jim brings Pam into his bathroom. She knows he prefers to shower in the evening. He explained that he likes showering after work to help wash the day away. So it clicks for her that he wants to have sex in his shower. She has not problem with it.

The water cascades over the both of them. They fumble around a bit, knocking various bottles of body wash and shampoo over. He lifts Pam up and presses her up against the shower wall. Pam wraps her legs around his waist and guides his cock inside of her. They both moan out. His fingers dig into the meat of her ass to hold her up and fuck up into her. She’s got one hand fisting his hair, and the other is wrapped around his neck. Jim slots his mouth over hers. It always amazes Pam how calculated his kisses are. She likes how much Jim likes to kiss during sex. She and Roy never really kissed during sex. It makes her feel even more wanted than she already does.

“You feel so good.” He presses his forehead to hers. One of his hands comes up to clutch at the tile. “Oh my god, I’m gonna come.” He looks at her. “Are you close?”

“Yes.” She nods frantically. “Yes, just don’t stop. You’re hitting it.”

Pam tightens and pulsates around Jim as she comes, driving him over the edge to his own release. He sets her down slowly and kisses her.

“This weekend, I was thinking we could go to the Evehart Museum.” He says to her as he grabs the shower head to help clean up between her legs. “Look at some of the art pieces, you know, if you want.”

“I’d love to. There’s a new exhibit I’ve been dying to see. You wouldn’t be bored?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were the only person in Scranton that likes art, my bad.” He smirks.

“Shut up.” She laughs and nudges him. “I just don’t want you to think we always have to do things that I like. I wanna do things that you like too.”

“Alright. This weekend we’ll go to the art museum, and next weekend we’ll go to that tavern I told you about that that local band I like plays at.”

“Wow, you’ve got me locked in for the next two weekends. What’s your game, Halpert?” She wraps her arms around his neck. “Trying to make me your girlfriend or something?”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” He wraps his arms around her back and kisses her forehead. “And when I officially ask you to be my girlfriend, trust me when I say, it’s going to knock the wind out of you Beesly.”

“Looking forward to it.”

The two finish up in the shower, and watch some TV before bed.

Jim lays on his back while Pam rests her head on his chest. He keeps his arms wrapped around her while she drifts off into sleep. Having the privilege to kiss and touch and hold her is all he’s wanted for the last three years. Now that he has it, he couldn’t be happier. He wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.

[femininomen0n]

The Times They Are A-Changin': A Post-Apocalyptic Office AU

Rating: Mature Pairings: Jim/Pam, Erin/Pete, Dwight/Angela Warnings: non-graphic violence, mentions of death, injury, and assault, general post-apocalyptic misery. Warnings are subject to change- please check the tags and the author's note on each chapter for up-to-date TWs! Summary: Two years after the world fell to pieces, the former employees of Dunder Mifflin and their families now reside in the Schrute Farms Community. Dwight's careful planning and agricultural know-how keeps their stomachs full and the house warm, but other dangers lurk both inside and out of the ancient stone walls that guard them. Between two recent arrivals, brewing unrest, and the struggles of post-apocalyptic existence, life is a far cry from what it once was. The tides of change come for everyone, and their fledgling clan is no exception.

read the prologue and chapter one now on ao3!

[leveragehunters]

CoPilot in MS Word

I opened Word yesterday to discover that it now contains CoPilot. It follows you as you type and if you have a personal Microsoft 365 account, you can't turn it off. You will be given 60 AI credits per month and you can't opt out of it.

The only way to banish it is to revert to an earlier version of Office. There is lot of conflicting information and overly complex guides out there, so I thought I'd share the simplest way I found.

How to revert back to an old version of Office that does not have CoPilot

This is fairly simple, thankfully, presuming everything is in the default locations. If not you'll need to adjust the below for where you have things saved.

Click the Windows Button and S to bring up the search box, then type cmd. It will bring up the command prompt as an option. Run it as an administrator.

Paste this into the box at the cursor: cd "\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ClickToRun"

Hit Enter

Then paste this into the box at the cursor: officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.17726.20160

Hit enter and wait while it downloads and installs.

VERY IMPORTANT. Once it's done, open Word, go to File, Account (bottom left), and you'll see a box on the right that says Microsoft 365 updates. Click the box and change the drop down to Disable Updates.

This will roll you back to build 17726.20160, from July 2024, which does not have CoPilot, and prevent it from being installed.

If you want a different build, you can see them all listed here. You will need to change the 17726.20160 at step 4 to whatever build number you want.

This is not a perfect fix, because while it removes CoPilot, it also stops you receiving security updates and bug fixes.

Switching from Office to LibreOffice

At this point, I'm giving up on Microsoft Office/Word. After trying a few different options, I've switched to LibreOffice.

You can download it here for free: https://www.libreoffice.org/

If you like the look of Word, these tutorials show you how to get that look:

www.howtogeek.com/788591/how-to-make-libreoffice-look-like-microsoft-office/

www.debugpoint.com/libreoffice-like-microsoft-office/

If you've been using Word for awhile, chances are you have a significant custom dictionary. You can add it to LibreOffice following these steps.

First, get your dictionary from Microsoft

Go to Manage your Microsoft 365 account: account.microsoft.com.

One you're logged in, scroll down to Privacy, click it and go to the Privacy dashboard.

Scroll down to Spelling and Text. Click into it and scroll past all the words to download your custom dictionary. It will save it as a CSV file.

Open the file you just downloaded and copy the words.

Open Notepad and paste in the words. Save it as a text file and give it a meaningful name (I went with FromWord).

Next, add it to LibreOffice

Open LibreOffice.

Go to Tools in the menu bar, then Options. It will open a new window.

Find Languages and Locales in the left menu, click it, then click on Writing aids.

You'll see User-defined dictionaries. Click New to the right of the box and give it a meaningful name (mine is FromWord).

Hit Apply, then Okay, then exit LibreOffice.

Open Windows Explorer and go to C:\Users\[YourUserName]\AppData\Roaming\LibreOffice\4\user\wordbook and you will see the new dictionary you created. (If you can't see the AppData folder, you will need to show hidden files by ticking the box in the View menu.)

Open it in Notepad by right clicking and choosing 'open with', then pick Notepad from the options.

Open the text file you created at step 5 in 'get your dictionary from Microsoft', copy the words and paste them into your new custom dictionary UNDER the dotted line.

Save and close.

Reopen LibreOffice. Go to Tools, Options, Languages and Locales, Writing aids and make sure the box next to the new dictionary is ticked.

If you use LIbreOffice on multiple machines, you'll need to do this for each machine.

Please note: this worked for me. If it doesn't work for you, check you've followed each step correctly, and try restarting your computer. If it still doesn't work, I can't provide tech support (sorry).

[dcxdpdabbles]

Tim: Can I help you? Four-year-old Danny: No, I'm fine, thank you for asking. Tim: I doubt that bud. Why are you here? Danny:What's it to you? Tim: It's MY office???? Danny: It is? You're Timothy Drake-Wayne? Tim: Yes Danny: Great. My mom told me to give you this. *hands over a sealed file envelope* Tim: .....This says you're my son. Danny: Yeah Tim: I'm nineteen, that means you were born when I was fifteen Danny: Yeah Tim clicking phone intercom: Tam, can you please call my lawyers, a team of DNA analysts, and oh, an ambulance for me? Tam: Why boss? Tim: I'm going to faint. Hey can you also get Bruce in here to babysit his grandson? Thanks, you're the best. *THUMP* Danny: I like you, unconscious father.

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Police Officer Wes

"Excuse me, sorry, Mr. Batman, sir!"

That's definitely not a voice he knows. Bruce halts in his steps, aborting his usual retreat into the shadows, and turns back around. Commissioner Gordon, who was still in the process of wrapping up his small talk with Tim - the term 'grumpy banter' would describe their conversation more accurately at this point, but Bruce knows better than to argue with the two over semantics - also turns around, pausing in the middle of the sentence.

A ginger haired boy, wide-eyed and obviously either nervous, starstruck, or both, is staring at him from a few feet behind the Commissioner. Bruce can see a few more faces peeking from behind the half-opened door to the roof, all of them filled with anticipation. He knows two of them: detectives that work directly under Gordon, Isaiah Vasquez, and Tasha Kuznets. The third one, a black man in his forties, also looks vaguely familiar, but Bruce can't recall a name.

Yet, he knows absolutely nothing about the ginger, who hasn't blinked once since Bruce noticed him and is now biting on his lips. But he is wearing a police uniform, so, possibly, a new hire?

"Weston, get out," Jim sighs, waving a shooing hand at the boy with a look of barely concealed exasperation on his face. Definitely a new hire, then. That's the level of annoyance he reserves only for the overachieving rookies that he begrudgingly likes but never admits to.

"I-" newly named Weston starts but cuts himself off. Then, he takes a deep breath and straightens up, "Just one question, sir!"

"Weston, I swear to God," Commissioner pinches the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses up a bit. But Tim tilts his head to the side, looking in the ginger's direction and raising his eyebrows. His domino mask hides it, but Bruce knows his menagerie of kids well enough to see that he is at least a bit curious about the boy. So he turns back around fully and inclines his head, giving Weston his attention. He doesn't mind talking with those rare few members of GCPD that Gordon likes.

Weston perks up like a very eager dog at the sight of a treat. In the contrast lighting of the BatSignal, his hair looks like it's on fire.

"If you don't mind, was the 'Smiling case' relevant to Joker in any sense?" The boy asks, loud and clear - maybe even too loud - with his unblinking gaze still glued to Bruce. Like he is afraid that if he closes his eyes for a moment, Gotham's vigilantes are going to disappear without a trace.

It's not a question Bruce expected, to be honest. The 'Smiling case' was closed just a few days ago, Gordon was still not done with the paperwork, as far as Oracle's records went. A murder of three, where all victims had some badly drawn clown makeup on them - post-mortem makeup, as it turned out, the murderer tried to deceive the investigation by trying to cover it up as Joker's doing. Only, he didn't do a good job at it, all the Bats were way too familiar with the Mad Clown's signature style. Not to mention that Joker was still securely sealed in his Arkham cell.

Bruce turns to look at Red Robin. He was the one working on the case, so Bruce gives him the choice of answering or not. Tim jerks his shoulder, looks the ginger boy up and down, and then shakes his head.

"Aside from a poor attempt at leading the investigation in the wrong direction, no, it wasn't," Tim shrugs, "The guy isn't even a Gothamite, he knew of Joker only from the rumors and media. And the clown faces were a makeshift cover-up."

Weston visibly deflates at the answer. Bruce watches in a slight amusement as Tasha nudges the other officer, one he doesn't remember the name of, in the shoulder, and stage-whispers, "Pay up." The older man huffs and disappears behind the door, followed by Isaiah.

"Thank you, Mr. Red Robin," Wesley nods politely and takes a step back, his eyes darting to Gordon. Tim snorts a laugh but doesn't correct him. Commissioner, though, gives the boy a long, dreadful sigh.

"Is that all, officer Weston?" He asks, not even bothering to hide his 'tired dad' voice.

The ginger nods again, "Yes, Commissioner Gordon."

"Then get out of my sight before I make all your shifts double," Jim commands, and Weston nearly runs back to the door with a speed that makes Bruce involuntarily think of speedsters. Must be the red hair.

Tim turns to look at the Commissioner right as the door to the roof slams shut behind both Weston and Kuznets.

"Who is he?"

Bruce is also a bit curious now. New recruits in the GCPD are nothing out of the ordinary, but Jim seems to know this one personally, and Kuznets, who is one of his trusted detectives, seems to also like the officer.

Gordon briefly huffs and stuffs his hands in the pockets of his coat. It's quite chilly today; Bruce makes a mental note to switch everyone to their more insulated suits. Scarecrow is currently out on the loose. It won't do any good if any of the Bats went down with a cold.

"Wesley Weston, fresh out of the Academy," Commissioner sighs, but, somehow, Bruce gets the impression it's not a sound of simple exasperation over a new officer eager to prove himself. Jim proves his assumptions by looking around the shoulder to make sure the door to the roof is still closed, and continuing, "Born and raised in the middle of nowhere, Illinois, but GCPD was his first choice. He explained it as having a few friends living in the city, which, unfortunately, proved to be right."

Bruce frowns and grunts, alarm bells ringing in his mind. Deliberately choosing to work in Gotham despite not being from here can be caused by many reasons, and nearly none of them are good reasons.

"Unfortunately?" Tim inquires suspiciously, also with a slight frown, but Jim waves them both off.

"No, he's got nothing to do with any of the criminals. It was the first thing I checked when he mentioned 'friends'. If anything, he's quite on the opposite; he'd make a great detective one day, what with his countless conspiracy theories, determination and the insane urge to dig up every single detail known to mankind," he laughs a bit, and Bruce notices a slight, teasing twinkle to the Commissioner's eyes behind his glasses. "On his second day here, the boy went and plain told me he knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne and that he's saying that because he knows I know and he is aware we're working together."

The alarm bells in Bruce's mind turn into sirens. They never discussed the matters of Bats' real identities with Gordon - Bruce had his suspicions that the man knew it and simply kept his status quo. In all fairness, James Gordon didn't make it to Gotham's Commissioner by sheer dumb luck, so all the Bats kind of expected him to figure it out one day.

But Jim knowing who's behind the cowl is one thing. A new, out of town officer is quite another.

"What did you answer?" Tim asks with an easy smile, but Bruce sees the barely noticeable tension in his shoulders.

Gordon nearly grins, "I didn't believe him, which turned out to be exactly what he expected. He also told me of some kind of a familial curse - he called it 'Cassandra's curse', I believe you're aware of what it means. And then, when I naturally expressed my doubts, proceeded to show it in action. Believe me, it works. Sometimes, it even works too well," the man looks to the side with an amused huff, "That's why officer Weston is strictly prohibited from voicing his opinions on any of the ongoing cases outloud. Detective Kuznets almost missed some critical evidence because of his input once."

Cassandra's curse, Bruce has heard of that saying before. Granted, he never thought it could be a real thing, and he is not intending on starting now, not before he investigates the matter thoroughly. But he does trust Jim - years and years of working together would do that to people - so he simply nods in understanding, leaving the matter of supernatural aside for now.

"What about his friends?" Red Robin asks again, and that causes Gordon to wince momentarily.

"That, I believe, was the cause of his performance just now. One of his friends runs an occult shop, and the other one loves to hang around our forensic scientists and coroners occasionally," the man waves their immediate frowns off again, "I don't go into the morgue often, but I heard he's good at finding out the causes of death by a few looks at the body. And they run a lot of bets between them three," Jim shrugs nonchalantly, "The last one was about the 'Smiling case', I take it."

"Any reason to worry about them?" Bruce can't help but ask. It's not unusual for people to be weird in this city, and running an occult shop and hanging out with pathologists are not exactly reasons to go through background checks when they've got much more pressing issues on their plate. Namely, Scarecrow: it's been more than a week since his escape, but none of the Bats have heard anything about him yet. Oracle is already busy enough with that and the current uprise of gang activity in the Narrows, there's no point in piling even more work on her shoulders just because of some gossip that rubs Bruce the wrong way.

Gordon, thankfully, doesn't take his question lightly and pauses, scratching his chin.

"No," he finally concludes after some thought, "They are a bit strange for non-Gothamites, I'll say that, but in terms of this city? They are no stranger than my neighbors from upstairs." Gordon doesn't tell them to leave it alone, Bruce notices. However, it's probably not because of any doubts he has; the Bats just have a habit of tripplechecking everything anyways, and who would know that better than Jim Gordon?

A quick glance to Tim proves Bruce's thoughts. Red Robin, despite the mask, looks thoughtful. How many cases is he already working on, seven? Bruce makes another mental note to ask Alfred to cut his caffeine intake. It might be a bit hypocritical of him, what with his own plans to send a few messages to JLD about the 'Cassandra's curse', but Bruce excuses himself as the adult in the family.

Commissioner Gordon clears his throat.

"Do you want me to turn around so you can make your mysterious escape, or-" he starts, but both vigilantes are already gone by the time he finishes, "-or not, okay."

[stervrucht]

[ghostbsuter]

"I can see dead people." He mentions with a shrug, using the chopsticks to fish more noodles into his mouth.

Dick stares at him. "Huh."

"Is that why you help?" He asks, getting more spring rolls.

"Yeah. Once someone becomes a ghost, word gets out quick, and they come to me. Always tatling about unfairness and justice." The kid waves the words around, rolling his eyes.

Dick just pretens to he uninterested, despite his mind racing at the new info. He is piecing past moments together, every shadow leaping away, every note with tips, leads and—

Huh.

"Do you... like it? Doing all that?" Richard approaches thus carefully, brows furrowed at the kid opposite of him.

Danny moves his head, giving a 'so-so' answer. "It's not much to like, I can see ghosts, and they know it and use it. If it brings them to peace or whatever– well, that's just a plus."

Dick stares. He places his chopsticks down and looks at Danny worried.

In turn, the kid sighs. "Sometimes gifts become curses the longer you have it."

And Dick understands.

Mind made up, he throws a pair of keys at the kid, watching fondly as the other catches them with confusion.

"Next time use these, instead of entering through the window."

Danny mock-salutes with a shit eating grin. "Yes, Officer grayson."

[time-woods]

cue the meet-cute ! (cosmic office romcom))

first introduction !

[restinsodaroni]

I always kinda headcanon how Moon “sings” is through his music box, idk it just seems like a neat idea haha. If you’re curious what I think Moon’s music box sounds like, it’s this.

[prettyyoungandbored]

Dork - Danny Cordray

Pairing: Danny Cordray x Fem!OC

Author’s Note: This was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever written. I love this show so much and never did I think would do write an Office fic. So, because this is The Office, yes the OC will have a camera interview. Anything that is bold and italicized is her giving the on-camera interview. I hope you enjoy!

P.S. Any direct quotes from the show belong to the writers.

NOT MY GIF

Surprisingly, Danny Cordray being handsome was the second thing people were talking about. The first was the fact that he and Pam went on two dates two years ago.

And man, did the office run wild with that. Even if somehow Michael Scott strangely didn’t.

For Tessa Connelly, she felt bad that it was all people were talking about. She was friends with Pam and Pam was happily married with a kid. She moved on. Why couldn’t everybody else?

“I wanna say they’ll get over it, but you and I both know that will take forever,” Tessa chuckled, as the two women stood in the kitchen. “How were the dates though?”

“I had fun,” Pam replied. “But he didn’t call me after the second one so, I don’t know. Guess he wasn’t having as much fun.” She paused. “Not that it matters.”

“No, but I would question it too,” Tessa assured. “I’ve been in that position before and it’s the worst. How’s Jim handling it?”

“He’s frazzled but won’t admit it.”

The brunette chuckled. “Color me shocked. He’ll get over it. At least he will before everyone else does.”

Just as Pam was leaving the break room, Danny entered and his eyes met Tessa’s. She gave him a small smile.

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met yet,” he said, holding out his hand. He flashed a million dollar smile that elicited butterflies in her stomach. “I’m Danny. I just joined the sales team.”

“Tessa,” she said, shaking his hand.

“And what do you do here?”

“I’m a customer service rep.”

He hummed, leaning on the counter. “Well, I can promise you you’ll only get glowing reviews about me.”

Her lips pursed as she nodded.

She pointed at him. “Lemme guess, salesman.”

“Traveling salesman,” he corrected politely.

She hummed. “Not much of a desk guy, huh?”

He shook his head. “I don’t like being tied down a whole lot.”

Ok, NOW I get why he only went on two dates with Pam. It all makes sense now.

She raised her mug. “Well, Danny, it was nice to meet you.”

“It was really nice to meet you as well,” he replied.

She just nodded and continued walking.

=================================

The next day was the Halloween party. Tessa decided to keep it simple with a basic cat costume. She had the ears and drew the nose and whiskers, donning a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black pencil skirt.

She walked into the break room to get coffee at the same time Danny was.

“Nice costume,” he remarked. “I, uh, didn’t realize people took Halloween here seriously.”

“There’s a costume contest today,” she said, pouring coffee into her mug.

“I assume you’re entering?”

She shook her head. “I don’t care to.”

“But you’re dressed up.”

“Thats the fun of Halloween,” she said. “You dress up to be whoever or whatever you want.”

He nodded. “I didn’t think about that. Then again, I’ve never been a costume guy.”

“You’re missing out.”

“Well, for what it’s worth I’d vote for you in the costume contest.”

She couldn’t help but notice Danny Cordray’s smile and how it complimented his overall charming demeanor. She wondered if his looks was what made him a good salesman. He could sell meat to vegetarian with one single look.

Then she remembered his words. “I don’t like being tied down a whole lot.” He was obviously flirting with her just to get her in bed and then continue on to the next woman.

The worst part is how much she liked it.

“MeOW! Look at you dressed as my favorite thing in the world!”

She groaned, knowing damn well who that voice belonged too.

“Packer, I will stab you with my pencil,” she retorted.

Todd Packer, dressed as a pregnant nun, meddled in between her and Danny.

“Fiesty and violent, just how I like ‘em,” he smirked.

Before she could say something, Danny stepped in between.

“So, I need help finding the conference room for the meeting,” he said, looking at Tessa. “Can you show me where it is?”

She smiled at him gratefully. “Sure. Follow me.”

She walked out into the office with Danny right beside her. Once they were out of Packer’s sight, she turned and said, “Thanks for that. He’s a traveling salesman who truly has no business being in this office. Or even just existing.”

“No problem,” Danny chuckled. “I can promise you, not traveling salesmen are like that.”

She smiled. “I sure hope not.”

“So, um, I already told everyone else but my buddies and I are having a Halloween thing at our bar,” he said. “You should come.”

“You co-own a bar?” she asked. “Why am I not surprised?”

He made a face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing at all. You just have a bar owner vibe about you.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Yes, it is,” she laughed. “Don’t overthink it. What’s the name of the bar?”

“Public School.”

She cocked her head back. “That’s quite a name. I’ll definitely-.”

She turned to see the office staring at her, including Pam who was the only one smiling.

She looked over back at Danny. “I’ll think about it.”

Just because I’m being nice doesn’t mean I’m flirting with him. You can talk to an attractive man without flirting with him.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s cute. But I just…I mean…guys like him, you know. He’s a bachelor. He prefers the bachelor lifestyle. And it seems to suit him. Like he seems nice and he smells really nice and has a great smile-.

Oh [BEEP] off!

=======================================

“You going to Danny’s bar tonight?”

She glanced up from her computer to see Andy and Kevin standing there.

“I don’t know yet,” she shrugged.

“Is it because he went out with Pam two years ago?” Kevin asked.

She sighed. “Ok, you guys have got to cut it out with that.”

Andy laughed. “Sounds like someone’s a little bit jealous.”

“How am I-you know what?”

She got up from her desk and walked into the break room where Danny was talking with Jim and Pam.

“Do you honestly wanna know why I didn't call her back on a date over four years ago?” Danny asked.

“Hey, she had a nice time,” Jim said defensively.

“I did,” Pam chimes in. “Yeah, and it's one of those things that's just gonna keep gnawing at me. Like, gnaw, gnaw...’Why? Why didn't he? I have no idea why.’”

“Okay, honestly,” Danny sighed. I didn't call you back because I just thought you seemed a little dorky.”

Silence fell. Tessa’s heart sank to her stomach as she watched Pam’s demeanor soften into embarrassment.

“Hey, man,” Jim stepped in.

“Thank you!” Pam cut him off, over enthusiastically. “Thank you. I got it. Now I know. You thought I was a little dorky.”

Tessa couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.

“You know what, I don’t think I should come tonight,” she spoke up.

Danny, Jim, and Pam looked over at her.

“I don’t want to be around people who don’t appreciate how awesome us dorks are,” she snapped.

Danny opened his mouth to say something when Tessa turned around, heading back to her office.

I said what I said. Look, yes, he’s gorgeous but…it’s not worth entertaining. Not with someone like him.

====================================

Tessa spent the rest of Halloween in the annex working. She figured with the costume contest and whatever conflict Michael and Darryl were dealing with, she could get her work done and slip out of here without dealing with Danny ever again.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

She looked over to see Pam standing by Tessa’s desk.

“It wasn’t right,” Tessa shrugged. “Besides, if you’re a dork then I’m a loser.”

Pam chuckled. “He actually apologized to me and Jim. It was actually really sincere.”

“That’s nice.”

“Tess, cmon. You should give him a chance, you know. He means well, and he clearly likes you. And I know you like him too.”

She sighed as she set her pencil down. “It’s not worth it and quite frankly, I don’t see it ending well.”

Pam pulled out a folded scrap of paper. Tessa unfolded it, revealing name written on it.

“I didn’t even-.”

“He wrote it,” Pam said. “It was the only handwriting I couldn’t recognize.”

Tessa sighed, the knot in her stomach tightened.

“Don’t not do it because of me,” Pam said. “Just…you know, think about it.”

Tessa nodded as Pam grabbed her arm. “C’mon. Jim brought Cece and she’s all dressed up.”

===================================

When Tessa walked out to the office, the first thing she noticed was Jim, dressed as Popeye, holding baby Cece.

“Oh my god, she’s Sweet Pea!” Tessa beamed.

She made her way over, holding out her arms. Jim handed her the baby as she continued to coo at Cece.

“What a cutie you are in your costume!” she said. “Best one I’ve seen today!”

“I actually like the Popeye cartoons.”

She looked over to see Danny standing there. He continued. “I always liked cartoons. Still kind of do. The old school Looney Tunes make me laugh.”

Tessa pulled back her lips. “What if I were to tell you that sometimes I still watch those cartoons? Is that too dorky for you?”

He smiled. “I would say that sometimes Public School has the old school Looney Tunes playing on one of TVs and if you don’t believe me, you should come check it out for yourself.”

Tessa looked at Cece.

“You know, Cece,” she began, “Danny here really wants me to go to his bar. Give me a smile if you think I should go.”

Cece smiled and began babbling. Tessa looked over at Danny.

“What time should I be there?” she asked.

I guess I figured I’d been too judgemental. Besides, Pam gave me her blessing. I’m just going to go for a couple drinks. See what happens.

[gothamite-rambler]

Harley smirked, "I earned my psych diploma, boys." (Batfamily Chronicles Microfiction Series)

Harley (analyzing the wayne boys): You have depression, daddy issues, mommy issues, chaos issues, insomnia, attachment issues, anger issues and a constant need to make people happy even if you struggle with it.

Dick, Jason, Damian, Tim looked at each other wondering who's she's referring to.

Harley (tight smile): All of ya, it refers to all of ya.

Dick: I don't have attachment issues!

Harley: Jason and I talk a lot, you do. Tim and I talk a lot too, you do. It's perfectly normal though.

Dick glared both his brother who averted eye contact with the man.

Cass: What about me?

Harley: Oh you're perfect.

Dick: She has all of the shit you told us we have!

Harley: She doesn't have insomnia or anger issues, and she's fixed her daddy issues thanks to Bruce.

Cass clapped happily.

Duke (pausing a show on his phone): I was good with my mom and dad, but what would you give me?

Harley: Traumatized, social anxiety, no parent issues, but guilt for not savin' them and a tad bit of depression.

Duke (happy): A tad? I'm doing good then!

Duke returned to watching his show.

Tim (bothered): That's not fair.

Harley: It's not my fault you and ya brothers deal with cripplin' depression brought on by numerous traumatic episodes which leads ya to being easily startled at times, avoiding specific situations and leaves the three oldest sexually confused due to switchin' your pain to pleasure.

Damian sighed relived at the last part while the three oldest Wayne boys blushed because she was right. Duke chuckled slowly, turning into loud laughter.

Duke: Didn't miss a beat, did she?

Dick (blushing): I'm not... that into pain.

Harley (doubtful expression on her face): Don't lie.

The brothers left annoyed that Harley was right, while the therapist pats herself on the shoulder for her therapy skills sticking.

Harley: Joker insanity or not I still got it! I'm getting accepted by better help soon enough.

Duke laughed harder causing Cass to shake her head with a smile.

pt 2

[jeonstudios]

dextrocardia | 15

Dextrocardia. Originally a medical term, but also a way to describe someone who's got their heart in the right place.

"She's been moved to another operation to help out. This pairing is necessary because you'll be undercover as spouses. I know you two can be professional about this."

"What?!" It's Jeongguk's upset voice that sounds, and for once, you share his displeased opinion.

Spouses.

pairing: cop!jk x f detective!reader

genre: undercover cops, fake marriage, e2l au, angst, fluff, (smut?)

word count: 6k

warnings: self-esteem issues, feelings

rating: NC-17 – Adults Only

masterlist

part 15/? 

<previous | next>

© dextrocardia is copyright jeonstudios. this fic can not be modified, re-posted, or translated without my permission.

The ride home lasts ten minutes, during which you’re holding back tears the entire time. It’s only when you’re finally inside your own apartment that you let them fall. It doesn’t help to see Fenrir’s collar and leash hanging next to your jackets, or his bowls still on the floor. In a way, it feels like you’re back at square one. 

You know you promised Jeongguk you’d call Jihyo, but you don’t, knowing she’d disapprove of you being on your own probably just as much as he does. Still, realizing that sooner or later you’ll need to either get back to work or find another job, you send her a text, asking if there’s any case for you to work on remotely until you’re ready to return fully.

The first night back is emotional, but you’re relieved to finally be home.

“I don’t think it matters how hard you throw it,” a worried Jimin watches Jeongguk hurl a dart at the dartboard. “Actually, I’m pretty sure you’d see better results if you didn’t throw it like an Olympic javelin thrower.”

Jeongguk doesn’t reply, just rolls his eyes and grabs another dart. The music around them is surprisingly quiet, drowned out by the chatter of the bustling bar.

“So, care to tell me what’s up with him?” Jin asks, nodding toward Jeongguk as he sets the three pints of beer on the table and takes a seat. 

“His little lady left him,” Jimin explains sadly, sliding one of the pints closer to Jeongguk.

“Oh. Why? You weren’t a couple, were you?” Jin asks.

“No,” is all Jeongguk mutters before he heads over to the dartboard to retrieve the darts. He has three of them, but only one actually hit the board; the other two embarrassingly stuck to the wood-paneled wall. From the marks already there, he’s at least not the first terrible dart-thrower. When he returns to the table with all the darts in hand, he pushes his designated pint back toward Jimin. “Can’t drink.”

Jimin meets his eyes, looking defeated. Jeongguk already explained that when you’re not with him, he can’t risk being drunk in case you need him. If you called, saying Hoseong had found you, Jeongguk would not hesitate to get on his bike or in his car, no matter how much he’s had to drink, and driving under the influence is something he’d rather avoid.

“She’s scared of me,” he repeats what you told him a few nights ago. Hearing the words from his own mouth stings less, but his heart still aches and his blood boils. He throws another dart but misses the board, and it sticks to the wall a few inches left of it. 

“Wait. What do you mean?” Jin asks, confusion written all over his face.

“Yeah. Although I’m pretty sure she hasn’t ruled out that I’ll just snap one day and kill her, she’s mostly scared that I’ll want to hurt her emotionally.”

“But why would you? I thought you two were doing alright? I mean, she’s been living with you for, what, the last month?”

“We were. Or at least, I thought so. She kissed me, and we were… getting closer, but I guess it freaked her out.”

“Why?”

“Remember how I told you I was horrible to her before I found out what Hoseong had done? Yeah, the things I said… they were inhumane.”

“What did you say?”

Jeongguk throws another dart, swinging his arm and using way too much force. “What haven’t I said? I’ve told her that she’s too ugly for me to look at, that she needs to stop eating, that she’s incompetent, and that she basically deserved being trafficked if only the traffickers would take her. That’s the short version.”

“Fuck, man,” Jimin breathes in disbelief. Jeongguk told him what happened ages ago but not explicitly what he’d said to you.

“Yeah. I just… I wanted her to hurt, to pay for what I thought she’d done, but she never seemed affected. I’d call her something, and she’d flip me off or glare at me or call me an idiot or whatever, but she never… I thought she didn’t care, so the next time I saw her, I said something worse. But I wouldn’t have, obviously, if I… If I… knew.”

Jin puts his glass down, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. “I mean, I haven’t met her, but isn’t she, like, objectively very pretty? From what I’ve heard?”

“Yeah, she is,” Jeongguk sighs. “Which is also why I didn’t think she’d take it to heart, ‘cause what I said isn’t true in the slightest.” 

“But can’t she see how pathetically in love you are? No offense,” Jimin asks. “I mean, I take it you’ve apologized and probably told her what you really think? She doesn’t trust that?”

Jeongguk falls silent as he retrieves the darts again, shamefully avoiding eye contact with his friends on his way back.

“Wait, you haven’t apologized?”

“Of course I have,” he argues before lowering his voice. “I just kinda… fucked it up.”

He feels the confused stares of his friends. “I’ve apologized many, many times for how I treated her, and she seemed to kinda accept that? But I never explicitly apologized for the things I said. Nor have I told her how I actually feel about her.”

He sees how Jimin is about to tell him exactly what he thinks about that, but Jeongguk cuts him off before he's able to.

“After I somehow convinced her to stay with me, I thought carefully about how to act around her. I thought that it would be better to apologize for… everything. I thought ‘I’m sorry for how I treated you’ would cover it. And I didn’t want her to second-guess my intentions, so I didn’t actually tell her what I really think.”

“You mean ‘second-guess your intentions’ as in…” Jin trails off.

“As in think that I chose to help her because I was interested in her. I didn’t want her to think I had an agenda or to feel like she’d owe me in any way. She hasn’t had the best experience with men—men in law enforcement, especially—so I wanted to be as… safe, I guess, as possible for her. I didn’t realize she was still thinking about it, taking what I said as the truth.”

Jimin sighs. “So she thinks you might still consider her the ugliest creature to walk the earth is what you’re saying?”

“Apparently. I tried to convince her before she left, but of course, it didn’t seem genuine. I don’t blame her.”

A bit more optimistic, Jin tilts his head. “You don’t think she’ll believe you if you just tell her exactly what you just told us?”

But Jeongguk lets his shoulders slump. “I don’t think so. She told me I scare her because I have a desire to hurt anyone who wrongs me, and she doesn’t feel like she can read me. And I believe her. I wanted to hurt her, and during the mission, I had to pretend to love her when I really didn’t, so I kept switching up on her.”

The atmosphere shifts from frustrated and sad to just sad as Jeongguk runs his thumb over the dart in his hand.

“I lose either way. If I tell her that what I said back then was true, then I think she’s ugly, and I wanted to hurt her by saying so. But if I say that I lied and that she’s really the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, then I still wanted to hurt her. And after everything she’s been through, she doesn’t want a man with a desire to hurt.”

“But like you said, you didn’t mean to hurt her to that point, more so to be taken down a notch? And it got out of hand?”

“Is there a difference? I’ve hurt her, probably beyond what is salvageable, and she thinks I’m still capable of that; that if we disagree on something, I might turn on her.”

With a deep breath, you pull open the doors to the police station one chilly Monday morning, the sky outside gray and heavy with the threat of snow. It’s been three weeks since you came home, and though Jihyo put up a fight, she eventually agreed to let you stay.

Since months have passed, and you still haven’t caught Hoseong and his crew, you figure you might as well try to get back to normal. So you started planning your return to work, but then Christmas came, which you spent at your mother’s, two hours away.

Jihyo also agreed not to tell Jeongguk about your living arrangements, per your desperate request. You’d rather not deal with his savior complex, and you know he’d park outside your building if he thought you were in danger. You scoff to yourself, but almost immediately, guilt settles in. A savior complex isn’t why he’s worried about you; he’s just a good guy. You know that. Still, you don’t want him to know.

Walking through the station at nine a.m.—on your way to Jihyo’s office to discuss your new assignment—you almost hold your breath. Some officers glance your way, still not used to seeing you back, and maybe even less used to seeing you without Jeongguk. Or maybe they know you had a “falling out?” Would he tell anyone here? Jihyo, maybe, if she didn’t already know, but you’re not sure if he’d tell anyone else; his closest friends besides Jimin don’t work at this station anyway. And Jimin probably wouldn’t gossip about you either.

Jihyo is waiting for you when you reach the door to her office, calling out for you to come in as soon as you knock.

“Hey,” you say, closing the door behind you.

“Hey. Want a donut?” she asks from behind her desk, happily pointing to the open box, a half-eaten donut in hand and what you assume is part of the other half in her mouth.

“Nah, I’m good,” you grin, sitting down in front of her.

“Alright,” she says, swallowing and wiping some crumbs from her lap. “So, I’ve been looking over your request and proposed methods.”

You watch as she pulls her laptop in front of her, setting the donut down on the table, and starts scrolling.

“And I’d say it’s very reasonable if we’re okay with the risks.”

“I don’t think there are any risks at all, actually,” you argue softly. “We parted on good terms.”

“Yeah, I know. And they played a part in your survival. But I’m still gonna need to have a risk analysis performed. Who would you want to go with you? I could assign Sana, I think, if you want her? She’s on an assignment right now, but we’re hoping they’ll be done by Wednesday, give or take.”

“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”

“No problem. I’m glad to see you back and wanting to work on what matters to you. I know the chief—ex-chief—did his best to be a pain in the ass for you.”

“Yeah. I can’t wait until the investigation’s finished, honestly. He deserves to rot in jail.”

“Agreed. I haven’t heard anything else from the higher-ups, so they’re probably still elbow-deep in it. Anyway, if you have any details you’d like to show me, I’m all ears.”

Your smile grows, and you reach into your bag for your laptop and notebook.

“Thanks,” you smile, standing up an hour later with your bag in hand. But before you exit her office and close the door behind you, you glance back at Jihyo. “By the way, I’m so glad you got the job. You deserve it more than anyone.”

“Thank you. It’s been… rough, these last couple of months. A lot to do and a lot of stress and pressure, but I think it’s worth it. And I’ve had help, making it easier for me to adjust.”

You know who she’s talking about; you don’t need to hear a name.

“He asks about you, you know.”

Holding onto the door, you look away. You’re well aware of what Jeongguk has done for not only you but also Jihyo, Sana, and the entire police station. 

“Let me avoid him for at least another month. Then you can tell him whatever you want, and I can try to be a better colleague. But now? I can’t… I don’t…”

Jihyo looks at you, seeing the pain well up in your eyes when you think about the reason you left his house that night. If you can just have another month to force the warm, yet invalid and hurt feelings you have for him back into the box they broke out of when you first kissed him, you can try to be more civil with him. Hell, you’ll even work with him if he can keep it professional as well.

Jihyo nods, sad but understanding. After all, she had a front-row seat when he used to tear you bloody.

For another hour, you sit at an empty desk, excitedly looking over the preliminary plan that starts on Thursday. You can’t believe it’s about to actually become reality.  

Step one:

Preliminary timeframe: Thursday. 

Possible obstacles and risks: Low risk of hostility or danger. 

Safety measures: Two detectives, civilian clothes, civilian car, concealed firearms.

Step two: Plan A or B, depending on what you find, if anything.

With your notes full of prepared questions, you rise from the chair, deeming it time to leave the station for the day. As you stand there, organizing your papers, movement catches your eye, and you look up just in time to see Jimin enter the big room. And of course, who does he have in tow if not Jeon Jeongguk, dressed, like so often, in the academy's navy crewneck and uniform pants?

Meeting both of their eyes, you’re saved by your phone’s ringtone, a sound that seems to stop even Jeongguk from taking an impulsive step toward you.

Fishing the phone out from the pocket of your black pants, you swipe your finger across the screen to answer. It’s Sana.

“Hello?”

“Hey! So I talked to Jihyo, and she said that your request got pre-approved? I’m a little busy at the moment and for the next few days, but send me anything you’d like me to look over in preparation.”

“So you’re up for it?” you ask, a wide smile forming. Out of the corner of your eye, you watch Jeongguk reluctantly follow Jimin further into the room, where they start talking to two other officers with their backs turned. If you were more of a hopeless romantic instead of a realistic one, you’d describe the glances he sends your way as… yearning. To avoid his gaze, you focus on the notebook lying on the desk.

“Of course! You and me, just like old times.”

“Old times? It’s only been like a year since we worked on a case together.”

“You know what I mean. Anyway, I gotta go. See you.”

“I’ll send the info tonight. See you.”

Discreetly, you end the call and gather your things, quickly but quietly heading for the exit. But in the corridor, you hear a call of your name. You shut your eyes for a second before turning around. It hurts to see him, to walk these halls, avoiding him just like you used to. Only this time, it’s a different kind of pain.

The shame creeps in at the same rate Jeongguk approaches. It’s the same shame for how he sees you, but also for how you’ve reacted. You can barely look at him, yet you’re ashamed for not giving him a chance, even though he’s the one who made the bed he’s now tossing and turning in. He's so handsome, looking so warm and strong as he approaches, his black hair looking soft, shiny and just a little longer than last time. A part of you wishes he’d close his eyes so that you could throw your arms around his neck and breathe him in.

“Can you please leave me alone for a while?” is what you ask instead, clutching your notebook to your chest.

Now standing right before you, he looks down at you with sad, desperate eyes. “I’ll be quick, I promise. Two minutes is all I need.” 

You’re not sure why, because you’re not an immature person, but you press your lips together, trying to suppress a smile. Noticing the shift in your expression, Jeongguk thinks back to what he said, smiling as well. “I set that one up pretty well, didn’t I?”

You turn your head, trying to stifle the smile, but you find that it fades easier than expected. 

“And you think I’d wanna fuck that?” he snaps, eyeing your body with disgust. 

Your gaze locks on the lower part of the wall. You wish someone would lend you the cloak of invisibility so that you could hide yourself from him and the world.

“Look at me,” he instructs, but you don’t. The more you think about his eyes on your body, the more you want to leave. 

“Look. At me,” he repeats, firmer this time but still without sounding angry. 

So you do.

“I get it if you don’t want anything else to do with me, but I can’t have you walking around, believing what I said is true.”

Although you don’t cry, you reluctantly let him see just how hurt you are.

“You were right. I wanted to hurt you. I said those things because I was angry, and I wanted just… some kind of justice. When you instead seemed so… unfazed, I let it get the best of me, and somewhere along the way, I lost myself. But I was wrong and although I wanted payback, I didn’t mean to hurt you to this degree. I was only looking for a reaction, anything that showed me that you were paying for what I thought you’d done. If I’d known how I really made you feel, regardless of if you were innocent or not, I would’ve stopped.“

“So you’re just a man, after all?” you ask, and maybe it’s uncalled for, maybe it’s not.

Jeongguk takes half a step back, appearing lost for words, and with enough pain in his surprised eyes for you to think he looks hurt.

He blinks and lowers his voice. “Yeah. Just a man. But listen to me—the things I said were. Not. True. Okay? You hear me? I cannot let you go around thinking you’re anything like what I told you.”

“I find that hard to believe. How else would you know exactly where to hit? What to say to cause maximum damage? Talking about my cellulite and my… weight and…”

“I said what I figured any woman would be scared to hear.”

“Yeah, sure,” you dismiss. 

It doesn’t matter what he says now—he did know exactly what to say, which means he must have looked at you, inspected your body and found every single one of your flaws. It makes you nauseous, as if some of those flaws didn’t exist to the world simply because no one other than you had noticed or mentioned them. Then Jeongguk and his friends scrutinized every inch of you, uncovering them all and putting them on display.

“I think you’re gorgeous.”

“You would’ve told me.”

You really think he would have. The Jeongguk who wants you to sleep in his bed, holding you from behind, who asks to hold your hand, and who puts frosting on your lips as an excuse to kiss them—he would have told you if he liked you. If he thought you were beautiful.

“I didn’t. I thought–incredibly dumbly–that if I told you what I really think of you, you’d think I was hitting on you. If things were different, if we ran into each other somewhere without all this… baggage, I would’ve hit on you, but all I wanted at the time was for you to trust me as a friend and to trust that I just wanted you to be safe. I didn’t want you to think I was looking to get laid or that I would… that I was anything like Hoseong. I didn’t know that you took my bullshit to heart—because again, it’s just not true—and so I chose not to say anything.”

“But we’ve been past that point for a while, haven’t we?” you ask, finding his explanation a little too weak to believe. “I trusted you enough to tell you about the worst moment of my life, I kissed you, and I told you how pretty I think you are, yet you couldn’t even…”

Frustration boils in your veins, mixing with the raw disappointment and hurt which cools you back down. You feel so… small, so defeated. “I don’t need compliments. Just… something. Something that would’ve shown me you weren’t being sweet only because you felt guilty.”

Jeongguk doesn’t know what to say to that. In retrospect, yeah, he should’ve told you, and thinking back to his joke about pretty being for girls makes him cringe with both shame and regret. Especially since he’d used multiple occasions to taunt you with the fact that you’re not a pretty girl. But it had been hard, finding a balance in showing his affection without scaring you off. When you reacted the way you did that night during the power outage, he... didn’t want to risk making you more uncomfortable or afraid. He’d decided to take a step back, let you lead, and he would follow. Of course, that backfired horribly.

You look at him, hurt still brimming in your eyes.

He searches for words, trying to explain himself better. “I should’ve told you, but I… I didn’t want to risk making you uncomfortable. I wanted to follow your lead and let you decide everything. You wanted me handcuffed and blindfolded—of course I realized you were nervous. But I thought you were more worried I’d do something to you, rather than what I would think of you. I didn’t want to influence you to do anything you would’ve regretted.”

You’re clearly not convinced, and you shake your head slowly.

“You could’ve just given me a ‘you too.’ That’s all I would’ve needed.”

Jeongguk can only watch as you leave, obviously still very much hurt by him. Ten seconds after your footsteps have disappeared, he heads back to the desk area, his head hung low.

Jimin looks at him, JJ and Min gone. The unasked question hangs in the air, and Jeongguk can see Jimin realize that no, it didn’t go very well.

“You gotta remember that she’s had a hectic few months and maybe wasn’t really able to process everything. You being an ass was probably the least of her worries for a while—until it wasn’t anymore. And healing isn’t always linear. I’m sure she’ll come around one day.”

Jeongguk sighs. “I don’t think she will, and I can’t expect that of her. I just… hate myself for what I did to her. I never even realized she was just walking around, bleeding from my words.”

You haven’t fixed your car since the last tampering, but fortunately, Jihyo agreed to lend you one of the station’s unmarked cars. A discreet black thing that you park outside the station at ten a.m. on Thursday to pick up Sana, who needed to retrieve some things and told you to meet her there.

Getting no reply, you lock your phone and step out of the car with a sigh. The ground is powdered white, your shoes leaving tracks as you walk up to the station’s main entrance.

Warm air envelops you as you step inside, the doors falling shut behind you.

“Good morning!” Sana rushes over, a coffee in hand. “Sorry, I’ll be done in a minute, I just gotta ask Mark something.”

She gestures for you to follow, and you do, trailing behind her into the sea of desks. The place is unusually crowded with officers, so you decide to wait near the wall, leaving her to weasel her way into the middle on her own.

There usually aren’t this many people here when you’re around, but in your case, the problem isn’t necessarily people; it’s big, strong, law enforcement men. Though they’re not paying you much attention—they must be preparing for something big—you still can’t will your body to fully relax.

By instinct, you tug at your clothes, wishing you hadn’t left your jacket in the car. Since you decided to wear civilian clothes today, you thought you might as well dress somewhat according to your original mission’s dress code. Except adjusted for winter, of course. 

You’re wearing winter boots that reach your upper calves, a pair of those invisibly fleece-lined pantyhose you’ve seen all over social media the last few months, and a cream-colored knitted turtleneck dress. It’s been in your closet forever, but unfortunately, you didn’t try it on before you had to leave.

It feels too tight on your body. Not to wear into a ‘strangely religious neighborhood,’ but too tight to wear here. You pull at the hem where it ends at your mid-thigh, keeping your eyes down when people pass you and hoping no one is looking at you and taking note of how awkwardly shaped your body is.

You stand there for a while, avoiding people’s eyes while you wait for Sana.

However, when you—out of the corner of your eye—notice a uniformed man walking toward you, you look up. Jeongguk’s eyes flicker between you and the people walking past you, as if he’s seen exactly the shameful way you carry yourself around men—these men—nowadays. It’s gotten worse since you left his house; you know that, but when all of your confidence was fueled by anger and then denial, removing those leaves… not much left.

He comes to stand in front of you, looking down at you with frustrated eyes. He’s so broad, so imposing, and it’s very evident when he wears his navy uniform, the sleeves rolled up his veiny forearms.

“Listen to me—”

You look away, about to step back, but he grasps your hand—not just to stop you but to guide the two of you a few steps away from the path of officers and behind the tall panels of a cubicle.

“No. Listen to me. I’ll leave you alone after this if that’s what you want, but I need you to know that you are so incredibly beautiful.”

You sigh, looking at him and wordlessly begging him to just give up already. He’s quiet for a few long seconds, his frustration seemingly growing.

When he speaks again, his voice is calm, more earnest. “Do you remember the first time we met?”

“No,” you shake your head. You can’t recall the very first time you met him.

“I do. It was a rainy day—my fourth at the station—and I ran into you at the main entrance. The rain had wet your hair, and I held the door open for you. You thanked me, but you didn’t really smile much, just politely. I think you also bowed your head slightly. I remember thinking that you must’ve been cold from the rain, but I realize you were wary around the men here, even if you and I didn’t know each other.”

Sounds about right.

“And I thought that you were just so beautiful.”

You look down. It’s humiliating, and you feel like shit, hearing him throw compliments your way just to make you feel better. You can’t tell if he’s lying or not, but what else would he say? You can’t exactly say you expected him to approach you today to call you ugly.

Noticing your hesitation, he appears to be searching his mind for something, and you glance at him. 

Suddenly, his eyes widen slightly, and he reaches into the pocket of his navy uniform pants. It’s his phone that he pulls out, and he starts to scroll. He scrolls, and he scrolls, until he finally finds what he’s looking for.

“Look,” he says, handing you the phone.

Although you’re not too keen on entertaining whatever this is, you can’t help but be a little curious. What could he have on his phone that would convince you?

Accepting the device, you start reading the words on the screen. They’re text messages from an old group chat, dated years back, and though you can’t remember the exact date Jeongguk first showed up at the station, you assume it was right around then. The chat seems to have consisted mostly of him, Ryung, Hoseong, Seunghwan, and Junseo.

Seunghwan: Yeah, we’re excited to have you, just let us know if you need anything.

The next few texts are from the following day.

Jeongguk: So I just met the most gorgeous woman I think I’ve ever seen??

Jeongguk: Quick question, is there a work dating policy here? I can’t remember. 

Jeongguk: And if not, where do I find this woman again? Is she an officer? I’m not even kidding when I say that I’m absolutely head over heels from a three-second interaction, and she didn’t even really say anything. 

Jeongguk: I’d love to ask her out.

Ryung: If it’s who I think it is then you better stay away, man.

You read on, seeing how Ryung goes on to describe a woman’s features, which happen to align with yours. The length, color, and style of your hair, the color of your eyes, and your height. But also a very generous way of describing your face and the shape of your body.

Jeongguk: Yeah! Is she with one of you already? In that case, I apologize!

Ryung: No, but Hoseong did her briefly, and she’s absolutely mental. Pretty, but crazy

The next words are not very nice, the men urging Jeongguk to stay away from the woman who could only ever be you, promising to tell him what happened the day after.

“See,” Jeongguk says, “Even Ryung knew exactly who I meant; I didn’t even have to describe you, just say that you were the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.”

You’re not sure. Yeah, the evidence points to that, and you can’t deny that you’re definitely feeling some form of relief, but… you can still hear his voice in your ears, see the anger and hatred in his dark eyes.

You hand the phone back, and Jeongguk looks around, sighing before turning his attention back to you. “You want me to be completely honest? Tell you exactly what I think of you?”

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion. “No? That’s the point? I know that I’m not your type. I’m full of flaws. I don’t have a body fat percentage in the negatives like you, I don’t always have the energy to shave every inch of my body, and I’ve never gotten flowers. No matter what you say now, I’m not someone you want.”

“You think I’m someone who would care about any of that?” he asks, his voice tinged with hurt.

“You look like someone who would.”

Jeongguk looks away, taking a second to gather his thoughts.

“I… wanted to ask you out that day, after I first met you. You looked so pretty out there in the rain, and I think my heart stopped for a while. I think that you’re cute—really fucking adorable—and charming, and you’re smart and kind, and you’re absolutely breath-taking and sexy as hell.

"Which was another reason I was so angry at you; I saw this… stunning woman, who appeared to live a very privileged life, yelling ‘sexism’ whenever something didn’t go your way to… I don’t know, avoid consequences and get ahead, not realizing what sexism truly meant for other women. I didn’t think there was that much harm in what I said because I thought you knew very well how goddamn pretty you are, so I gripped at every straw, trying to get a reaction.”

You listen to every word he says, still unable to decide. You want to believe him, but the deep wounds he carved into your skin are still bleeding.

“I was so conflicted during our mission. On one hand, I had to pretend to like the person who had shot one of my best friends, who got away with it and refused to be held accountable for it. On the other hand… I liked seeing you pretend to like me too. First, out of spite, but then I realized that I liked seeing you smile, and how nice you were to the people around you, except for me, of course, but I guess I always started it. Then you fell asleep in my arms at the barbeque, and I knew I was fucked. I felt like I betrayed my friends for… feeling something other than hatred for you. 

“But this little thing, that hated me so much, let herself be so vulnerable as to sleep in my arms. And I guess I looked at you differently after that. The more I realized that you might actually be a pretty decent detective; a decent person, the harder it was for me to be mean to you. After everything, and after I’d found out what had happened, I wanted to tell you how much I liked you and how pretty I thought you were, but I was scared you wouldn’t come with me if I did. I was scared they’d look for you at your apartment, so I kept quiet.

“Even after you came to stay with me, and it seemed like you started to trust me, even just a little bit, I had to convince myself to wait. And the more I got to know you, the harder it became. Do you have any idea how much I wanted to bury you in flowers? Hold you and kiss you silly? And you know why I was always up before you—or at least I tried to be—when you slept in my bed with me?”

You shake your head because you don’t know.

There's something else in his eyes when he holds your gaze, “Because I dream about you, and I wake up hard. But I remembered how I freaked you out when we made out back at the house, when you were on my lap and I got hard. I didn’t want to scare you or make you uncomfortable, so I made sure to wake up before you, just in case.

“I wanted to kiss you and hold you and really, it would’ve been my pleasure if you’d wanted to sleep with me. But more than that, I wanted you to be safe and feel safe, never doubting why I was doing what I was.”

He shuts his eyes for a short moment. “I guess that’s all I can say. I don’t need you to forgive me, I just need you to know that all I wanted was revenge; nothing of what I said was true.”

He opens his eyes again, looking into yours with his soft, brown ones and a gentle sincerity. Though it’s overshadowed by something else. “I have many regrets, but you are my biggest. What I did to you.”

Regret.

As if she’s been waiting for the right moment to make her return, you hear Sana call your name. When you turn around, you spot her approaching.

“I gotta go,” you excuse yourself.

Sana looks between you and Jeongguk, but when no one says anything, she shrugs and turns her attention to you. “So, Jihyo said you had a problem with your apartment? The door, was it? Cause I can call my brother, and he’ll fix it for free next week if you want?”

“You’re living in your apartment? On your own?” Jeongguk questions, his voice upset.

You turn back at him, “Yeah. Have been since I left your house. It’s fine.”

Despite the clear worry his eyes display, he makes no effort to follow you and talk you straight, probably realizing that there’s nothing else he can do; that was his last chance.

<previous | next> author's note: so there's that! thanks for waiting for it <3 this was the last puzzle piece of their past, i think, and i'd love to hear your thoughts on everything, but especially him lol <3<3

[femininomen0n]

"The cameras are nowhere to be found, but he still feels watched. Exposed. Vulnerable. Like he’s crossing some invisible line, looking into Erin’s doe eyes and telling her all about his ex." or: something definitely happened when erin and pete went out for burgers in 9x02. featuring flirting, pining, and a whole lotta romantic angst.

read now on ao3, written by yours truly!

[scealaiscoite]

coworkers to lovers prompts ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍊 ꒱

¹⁾ “hey - in case no-one else’s said it, you’ve been doing some really great work lately. i really apprec- i mean, all of us really appreciate it.”

²⁾ “if you keep putting in nights this late, i think [boss] is gonna start charging you rent.”

³⁾ “stop jumping in whenever you think i need saving! i don’t need defending, and i don’t need you!”

⁴⁾ “you remember how i take my coffee?”

⁵⁾  “you don’t need to keep pushing yourself so hard, you know. we all know how hard you worked to get here - it’s okay to let yourself breathe now.”

⁶⁾ “if you don’t wanna spend the night in a empty house, you could always come over to mine.”

⁷⁾ “normally when you invite me to lunch, it’s with everyone else too. what’s so different about this time that you needed me alone?”

⁸⁾ “don’t tell anyone else, but i like working with you the best.”

⁹⁾ “hey, why are me and [name] being split up? you know we do our best work when we’re together.”

¹⁰⁾ “i figured you wouldn’t have the time, so i went and picked up lunch for you.”

¹¹⁾ “wow, someone’s looking good. who’re you trying to impress?”

¹²⁾ “[other coworker] told me you nearly lost it when they all tried blaming me for what happened. why did you care so much?”

¹³⁾ “do you make house calls to all of your coworkers when they call in sick, or am i just that special?”

¹⁴⁾ “why are you freezing me out all of a sudden? I thought you were happy I was dating again, and now you act like it pains you to hear about it.”

¹⁵⁾ “until such a time as the two of you can prove that you can work as well on your own as you do together, you’re going to be put on different schedules.”

¹⁶⁾ “why didn’t you tell me you were up for the promotion? did you seriously think i wouldn’t be happy for you?”

¹⁷⁾ “you do know you’ll be seeing me first thing in the morning, right? what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until then?”

¹⁸⁾ “one date, that’s all i’m asking for. one night to let me show you how good we could be together.”

¹⁹⁾ “i think people are starting to notice that you spend more time at my desk than you do at your own.”

²⁰⁾ “no, you don’t get to do this. you don’t get to make me fall in love with you, and then tell me there’s no way for this to work because of the job!”