#Dwight fanfiction

[serenefreakgeekao3]

I have one!!!

Jim Halpert x gn!reader with fluff prompt

“Sad…I have a blanket with all this room and no one to share it with.”

With that episode ‘After Hours’ (yes I looked it up 🥲) where Jim is trying to get Cathy out of his hotel room so Dwight helps, but then Jim gets stuck with Dwight. So R comes to Jims rescue and offers him to stay with them in their room.

Summary: Jim is sent on a business meeting along with a few other prospective candidates for Vice President. When everything begins to spiral out of control, Jim doesn’t know who to turn to next //AU where Jim and Pam never got together, Pam went through with her marriage and the two children she has are with Roy, Pam is a sales associate, and Reader is the receptionist / being used as Nellie’s personal assistant Warnings: Use of Y/N, switching POV (between reader and Jim), use of the word ‘whxre’ (not at anyone), Author's Note: I’ll be completely honest my friend, I’ve completely forgotten who Cathy is! If she worked as the receptionist for Dunder Mifflin Scranton, then no she didn’t! In fact she’s not from Scranton at all cause reader doesn’t know her so how about that, there we go. Did I go back and rewatch the episode you mentioned? Yes. did i hate myself for it? Maybe a little bit. But it was during work so what else was i supposed to be doing? Work? Nah (ok look i wrote literal notes for this fic like it was a damn english project in school ok pls love this for me) Also on a side note, there needs to be more fics of Jim Halper x Reader ok I am literally dying without them. picture im like a dehydrated person in the desert just dragging my body around ok I need more fics

Arriving at the hotel in Tallahassee should’ve been a lot smoother than it turned out to be. They were all told that Dunder Mifflin had it ‘handled,’ which should’ve been your first clue. What really tipped you off was the number of rooms available.

“What do you mean? There should be one extra-”

“That’s all the rooms we have on record, sorry.”

“No,” You sighed, rubbing your face with your hands, “No, I know. It’s not your fault at all. Just- do you have any extra available rooms? I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket.” It’s not as if you were being paid millions to be a receptionist at Dunder Mifflin, but you’d rather not have to ask to bunk with anyone. Everyone here were adults, and half of them seemed dead set on performing some sort of sexual act for the evening.

You had driven over with Nellie after she insisted you both carpool to cut costs. Then you had to suffer an entire car ride about how pent up she was, how she just wanted to get laid and she wasn’t above using her decision on who will be the new VP to get herself into bed. You tuned out before she could start listing names since there was nothing in the world you wanted to know less than what kind of guy Nellie was into.

“I’m sorry, it looks like we don’t have any extra rooms available.”

You were about to speak when you were bumped into, turning around to see the large crowd of Dunder Mifflin employees lining up behind you. You start handing out the proper keys to their proper rooms, having Dwight snatch his key cards out of your hand before immediately pouncing on Nellie. You were extremely thankful when Jim finally squeezed his way to the front. You hand over the card you labelled with his name, then sighed, looking back to the woman behind the counter.

“It does seem like there are a few rooms that have been reserved but haven’t been checked into yet. Their estimated check-in times are varied, so if you wait here there is a possibility that I could get a room for you at some point tonight.”

“I would really appreciate that, thank you,” You mumble over to her, then lean closer to Jim when he starts insistently tapping your shoulder.

“Can you be my new Tallahassee buddy? Stanley keeps going on and on about how we’re both bachelors and I’m pretty sure he’s wanting to get laid tonight. And I’m so not about to be around all of that anymore.” You chuckle at the similarities, shaking your head.

“That’s horrible. It’s like there’s something in the air here. Nellie was saying the same stuff during the car ride!” It was hard to talk with the loud crowd, but you weren’t complaining about how close Jim was standing next to you. “Unfortunately, I won’t be much of a buddy today. I would, but the company messed up, they didn’t reserve enough rooms!”

“They didn’t mess up!” You jump at the foreign voice, spinning around to see Nellie sliding up close to you, practically hanging on your shoulder. She already had Dwight and Packer trailing her closely from behind. “I told them the correct number of rooms, I swear it!”

“There’s not one for me-”

“Yeah, because I told them you didn’t need one!” You furrow your brows in confusion, watching her for a moment. “I figured you’d bunk with me! We’d be bunk buddies!”

“Nellie,” You hesitate, eyeing the men behind her before leaning forward, “There is absolutely no way in hell I’m sharing a room with you, considering what you talked about on the way up here.” Nellie stood there for a moment, obviously confused before suddenly jumping and spinning around to see the men trailing her. She laughs loudly, winking at them before turning back to you.

“Oh! Good idea!”

You watch Nellie just say this, then turn and leave. You sigh again, shaking your head and turning toward Jim. “If things can get settled in time I’d love to, Jim, but I-”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear,” A woman sidled up close, brushing herself against Jim’s arm. You watched the man jump, then turn and furrow his brow at this woman.

“Cathy?”

“Yes! It’s so good to see you, Jim! If you need a new Tallahassee buddy, I am willing and available.” You choked on your spit at the innuendo, watching her practically rub herself again Jim. You watched him try to take a step back, then bump into the counter behind him. You could feel something burning your chest at the way she was acting toward him. Much too forward, in your opinion, though maybe that’s what Jim likes? Should you do that, would that gain his attention?

“Oh, well, that sounds fun-”

“Great! So we can-”

“Hello?” You turn quickly at the receptionist’s insistence, raising your eyebrows toward her in a gesture that you were listening. At this she smiles back, looking back to her computer. “So the first one that may be available should be checking in within the hour. If by the top of the hour they don’t get here, I can make a phone call for you.”

“Oh, thank you so much. Really, I appreciate it.”

“Of course!”

You turn back to Jim, watching the woman walk away with a sway to her hips. You chuckle, shaking your head. “So you know her?”

“Oh, she works with the company.” He tears his eyes away from her, smiling down at you once more. “She’s willing to sit with me so I don’t have to deal with Stanley all weekend.”

“Oh good!”

“Of course, unless you would like to sit with me?” Jim smiles, and you could tell he was trying to charm his way into the seat next to you. If only he knew you would do anything for him.

“If I’m there in time, definitely. But this whole hotel business is turning into a real-” You’re interrupted by a phone call, cursing quietly and smiling apologetically to Jim. “I’m so sorry- I’ll just be a second,” You answer the phone, stepping aside to deal with some business for Nellie. You miss Jim giving you a longing stare before he finally turns around and begins making his way toward the bar.

  Jim felt lonely. He was almost excited to go on this trip, to get away from Scranton and all of the normalcy and monotonous days and maybe even spend some time with you outside of work for once. Or, as outside of work as he could get. But instead, he was sitting at the bar while nursing a drink and wishing you weren’t busy. Your hotel room hullaballoo lasted throughout the entirety of the company meeting, Nellie having complained that she had to take her own notes, and they still haven’t found a spare room for you.

Jim even offered to bunk with you, but then you had mentioned that there was only one bed in every room that was given out, and you had asked with raised eyebrows whether he was fine with sharing a bed with you. Jim- who obviously was more than okay with sharing a bed with you- had stuttered and mumbled and eventually the consensus landed in the field of no, you wouldn’t end up rooming with him. Nor did you have time to be his Tallahassee buddy. Which was extremely unfortunate, since the majority of the reason he had been excited about this trip was you.

Jim jumped at a weird noise, glancing over to see Packer blowing onto Nellie’s face with Dwight making what was probably supposed to be seagull calls into her ear. Sighing, he finished the rest of the drink he was nursing and mumbled something to himself before getting up and heading for his room. Maybe the sooner they’re back in Scranton, the sooner he’ll be able to talk to you again at the receptionist desk like normal. That would be 100% better than anything that was going on in this hotel at the moment.

When he got to his room he had turned on the tv, flipping idly through until he landed on the channel showing an NBA game. He leans back, watching for a little while. He’s not really sure what else to do, he didn’t exactly plan anything aside from ‘See what Y/N is doing and follow them around while they do it’ except you had said waiting in the lobby of the hotel room was extremely boring and you wouldn’t want to put him through that. He had acquiesced- for some reason- and had wandered back to the bar. Thinking back on it now, if you were bored down there then the best thing he could do would be to sit with you and entertain you. How had that thought only just crossed his head?

He was reaching for the remote to turn the tv off when he heard a knock at the door. Redirecting his attention, he left the remote for a moment and went to go see who could possibly be visiting him.

“Hey!” Jim’s brows furrowed seeing Cathy standing there in front of him. “The heating in my room is going a bit wonky, do you think I could hang out here while they fix it?” Without waiting for an answer, Cathy pushes past Jim and into his room.

“O-okay,” Jim drags out the word, closing the door slowly and hesitantly following Cathy into his room.

“What do you have on? Some kind of game?” She jumps onto his bed, scooting near the middle with her back against the bedframe. Jim hesitates, nodding toward the tv.

“Yeah, y’know. The NBA.”

“O-oh, sounds fun,” She sings back, patting the spot beside her. Jim slowly lowers himself onto the corner of the bed, then lets himself continue sliding until he’s sitting on the floor in front of the tv.

“Yeah. Fun.”

“So how’s the night going? Retiring early already?” Jim felt a tap on his shoulder and glanced up to see Cathy laying on her stomach, her head at the foot of the bed and close to Jim. He clears his throat, subtly trying to scoot away. “Didn’t know you were such an old man, Halpert!”

“Yeah, well. You know me. Old man Halpert.”

“Maybe we could stay up a little longer together? Have a little fun?”

Jim jumps up, taking a few steps back from the bed with a stutter. “Oh, you know, actually I was planning on heading down to the lobby-”

“I can come?” She asks, pushing herself up to sit on her legs.

“No, I just meant-”

Another knock on the door interrupts him, and thanking god under his breath he practically ran to the door. “Stanley! You do not know how glad I am to see you!”

“Mmhmm,” Stanley hums, pushing past Jim and walking into his room.

“You should stay! We’re watching the NBA, it’ll be like a party!”

“I’m just here ‘cause I ran out of refreshments in my room.” Stanley straightens up, carrying every single little bottle of alcohol that the hotel provided Jim’s room. Jim watched him look directly at Cathy, then back at Jim with raised eyebrows. Stanley immediately begins his exit, calling out behind him, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Jim glanced back toward Cathy on his bed, who only taps the bed beside her in an indication to sit down. Jim takes a big sigh, looking back to the tv immediately. He wanders over slowly, taking his position back on the floor.

“Oh! I wonder if you have-” Jim doesn’t hear the rest of it, glancing over to see what Cathy was doing only to be met with her rear-end as she completely bends over at the waist, digging through Jim’s closet. He turns his eyes to the ceiling of the hotel room. What was he supposed to do? Just kick her out? Why was he such a nice person that he didn’t want to hurt her feelings about all of this?

After some time, and Cathy making herself comfortable on Jim’s bed once more, Jim begins to stand and attempt his well-thought-out exit strategy once more.

“Actually, Cathy, I think I’m going to head down to the lobby-”

“Why?” Cathy stood on her knees on the bed, walking over toward the edge and placing a hand flirtatiously on his chest. “Is something the matter with your room?”

“Well- uh, no-”

“Then everything’s good! Come, sit with me!” Cathy jumps back once more, throwing the covers back and settling back in her spot, patting the open area next to her. Jim chokes for a moment, unsure what to do before pulling out his cell phone, and holding a finger up toward Cathy as if asking her to wait.

His plan to call Dwight into action, claiming he had seen a bed bug, hadn’t really worked out exactly as planned. If the plan had been for both Cathy and Dwight to be naked in his hotel room, then it actually went exactly as planned.

Jim was stepping outside of his room for a breather when he finally spotted you. He let out a long sigh, a fond smile lighting up his face without his permission. He wasn’t too worried about it anyway when a matching smile appeared on your face. You were standing near some person who looked to be wearing a hotel uniform, and he jogged over as the person entered the hotel room. “Hey! Did they get you situated finally?”

“Not completely sure?” You hesitated, shrugging at him. “They said they’ve been having some sort of appliance malfunctions on this floor so they need to make sure the room is okay for me to stay in. I asked to tag along, just in case.”

“Well, I hope it works out! Then you’ll be just down the hall from me!”

“Yeah! You could have a visitor for once!” You tease unknowingly, giggling. Jim’s face crashes though, and as he raises a hand to rub his face you begin to grow concerned. “Is everything alright?”

“Well if you count having a naked Dwight in my bed as alright-”

He’s cut off by your laughter, though you’re clearly trying to hold it back. You raised a hand to cover your mouth, and Jim can’t help but smile seeing you act so cute. You finally speak through your laughter, trying to hold yourself together. “Oh, well congratulations I guess? I gotta say, I didn’t see that coming. You and Dwight-”

“No, no, no,” Jim interrupts, laughing himself and shaking his head. You finally dissolve into laughter, and Jim lets the moment last a bit longer before finally explaining. “No, Cathy came into my room.”

“Cathy came by, and now you have a Dwight naked in your bed?” You seemed curious but confused, and Jim could feel his nose scrunch in adoration for you.

“Well, Cathy is naked in my shower so-”

“Oh!” You interrupt, and he could see your cheeks lighting up red. “Oh, I didn’t realize. You two-”

“No!” Jim calls out, probably a bit too loud and too quickly. He clears his throat, leaning closer to you and slumping his shoulders. “No, I mean, she obviously wants to. She told me her room was having heating problems and then has done everything in her power to flirt with me since pushing herself into my room. I’ve tried everything to be polite, I really don’t know what else to do.”

“And,” You begin, narrowing your eyes at him, “I’m still failing to see how a naked Dwight comes into play.” He laughs, then watches as your smile widens as he does.

“Well I kept trying to tell her I needed to leave, but she kept insisting I stayed. Then Stanley came by and stole my alcohol, and he was absolutely no help at all. So I called Dwight. Told him I saw a bed bug in my bed. He came through tearing my room apart, and Cathy said she was going to go take a shower in my room?” He rubs a hand across his face, shrugging. “Everything kinda devolved from there. He started stripping, saying he needed all the skin access he can have, that his body heat was going to attract the bed bugs to his body.”

“The bugs that- aren’t there?” You question, raising an eyebrow. He nods along and you laugh, shaking your head. You’re both quiet for a moment before you take a step toward him. Jim could feel his heart rate beginning to spike at your closeness. “But, help me out here. All this just because what? You don’t want to have sex with her?” Jim watched some sort of emotion cross over your face, though it was brief enough that he couldn’t quite catch it. “I mean, she seems like a good person?”

“She’s not the one I want though,” Jim mumbles, staring into your eyes. ‘Woah there, Jimboy,’ He thinks to himself, taking a deep breath to calm himself but only inhaling more of your scent, setting butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “I- I just mean, well. I like someone. And it’s not her.”

You were just opening your mouth to say something- ‘Anything, say anything,’ Jim pleaded in his head- when you were interrupted before you could even start.

“I tried my best, but I couldn’t get it to work. I don’t think this room is hospitable. I’m sorry.” You had turned around, taking a step away from Jim. He could finally breathe normally now, though he would still much rather be in your orbit than face the possibility of going back to his room to deal with things.

“Oh, that’s alright. I guess I can go see Tara back at check-in and see if she has anything else.” The disappointment in your voice had Jim’s chest clenching, and he reached forward to take your hand before you could walk away.

“My offer is still open, you know.” You laugh at him, shaking your head and pulling your hand away gently.

“What, stay with you and your two naked roommates?” Jim could feel his face begin to blush, and you shook your head once more. “Go have fun, Jim.” You walk away with an audible sigh, and Jim knew he would have done anything to make you happy again.

  ‘Go have fun, Jim,’ You mock back at yourself, shaking your head. ‘Yes, just tell your crush to go have sex with someone ‘willing and available,’ that’s the exact thing you need to be doing.’ You were currently sitting on the uncomfortable furniture in the check-in waiting area, balancing your briefcase on your knees and hoping desperately that everyone in Scranton that wanted your attention via phone had finally gone to bed. You hadn’t received a ‘super important’ not-so-important phone call for the last thirty minutes, so your hopes were beginning to look up.

“Excuse me, Y/L/N?”

“Yes?” You stumble as you stand, fumbling with your briefcase before finally catching it and dropping your phone. Thankfully, Tara waits patiently for you to pick up your phone as well before you rush over to her desk. She had been so helpful, and it had only taken you an hour of being in her company before remembering it was polite to ask about names.

“I’ve just got off the phone with-” She hesitates, glancing at her computer and scanning it before huffing and turning her attention back to you, “Well, doesn’t matter. They aren’t showing up, they told me as much. So we finally have a room available to you! I sent Max back up to check the room again, but if I remember correctly then this isn’t one of the ones having problems!”

“Oh, Tara, thank you so much!” You lean across the counter, and thankfully Tara meets you halfway for an awkward hug. She giggles as she backs away, leaning over and placing a card key on the counter.

“And it’s on the house, darling.”

“What? No, I couldn’t do that to you, Tara!”

“Look, with the whole misunderstanding, and then you having to stand here for hours and just wait around while that cute guy kept coming back trying to get your attention-”

“Wait, who, Jim?” You ask breathlessly, sliding the card into your hand. You laugh, though Tara seems unconvinced. “Oh, no, we’re just friends. It’s nothing like all that-”

“Sure, darling. Just take the room.”

“Thank you again!”

You back up, turning to quickly run into the room and almost knock directly into the camera guy that seems to have taken the position of following you around constantly. You sigh, nodding at the guy behind the camera before taking off quickly.

Your room was in the same hallway as Jim’s, and you weren’t sure yet whether you were going to curse the fact or thank Tara with an entire fruit basket. You were about to find out, though, now that you’d set your briefcase down and had taken a cursory look through the room. Making sure to have your card key on you, you exit the room at the end of the hallway and begin what felt like a walk of doom to where you knew Jim was staying- the room he had exited earlier in the night when you had almost been given a room and he had seen you.

As you were getting closer, you started hearing some kind of commotion. It sounded like muffled yells- then extremely loud screams as Jim’s door is flung open. A woman- Cathy- comes running out with a bedsheet held around her body, screaming and waving her free arm around her head as she pushes past you and runs down the hall. You hesitate, then take a few steps closer, just in time to hear Dwight’s mumbled voice.

“It’s not safe in here, Jim. I think you should room with Cathy for the night.”

You knock on the open door, peaking your head in to see Dwight with a facemask and large rubber gloves, holding two different spray bottles with some weird coloured liquids inside. Dwight was practically in Jim’s face, though at your knock they both turn to look at you. Dwight with exasperation, and Jim with nothing but relief.

“Y/N! Yes, please, save me from this nightmare.” He rushes toward you, taking one of your hands with both of his and practically drowning you with puppy dog eyes. You take in a quick breath before Dwight begins to crowd the both of you.

“No! Nope! No more bodies need to be added to the situation, go flirt outside.” Dwight slams the door closed behind the two of you, and you couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbles up.

“So, naked Cathy and Dwight turn into-”

“Naked Cathy running away clutching a bedsheet and a fully decked-out Dwight spraying my room with mysterious chemicals? I guess so.” You both laugh and you could feel your cheeks heating up at Jim’s attention. “But, seems like I just lost my room.”

“Oh, what a shame,” You mumble, waiting for him to look back into your eyes before your smile grows wider. “So sad… I have a blanket with all this room and no one to share it with.”

Jim’s face lights up and he starts looking up and down the hallway as if your room number would just jump out in front of him. “Wait you finally got a room? That’s amazing, Y/N!”

“We finally got a room,” You insist, then hesitate as he locks eyes with you again, “I mean, if you’re still-”

“Yes!” Jim jumps in, grinning. “I would love to. Should’ve said that to begin with.” You both laugh, and you lead him down the hall to your room. Once inside, Jim begins to take a look around while you grab the remote, pushing yourself onto your bed and settling your back against the bedframe. As you turn on the tv, you start flipping through the channels.

“Shouldn’t you go back and rescue your stuff from Dwight’s wrath?”

“I think I’ll give it a night to air out,” Jim mumbles, settling himself slowly at the head of your bed, scooting in to sit next to you. You settle your channel-flipping on some sort of basketball game. You didn’t know much about it yourself, but nothing else seemed interesting and you knew Jim liked the game.

“So,” You begin, turning your position to face Jim fully. “Tell me all about what happened.” He laughs in response, raising a hand to rub the back of his head.

“Oh, well. I basically told you everything already. After you left I went back to my room and Cathy had apparently decided not to put on any clothes and just jumped under the covers on my bed like she owned the place. I got really sick of all of her flirting, so I tried telling her straight to her face, ‘Cathy, I’m sorry but I’m not interested.’”

“Really? Appropriate, given the circumstances.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. She just looked at me like I was crazy and asked if that’s what I thought of her. If I thought she was a whore.” You gasped at the name and Jim nodded, turning to look at you more directly as well. “Of course, I said no. Then she just said ‘Okay good, that’s settled,’ and then continued to flirt with me!”

“No!” You gasped, laughing again. “You did everything including telling her you weren’t interested and she still kept pressing on!”

“Yeah! So I called Dwight back. He came running in with those spray bottles and she tried insisting she didn’t see anything, but when Dwight asked ‘Where’s the bug?’ I didn’t even think about it, I just pointed straight at her.” You widened your eyes, unconsciously scooting closer. You watched Jim track your movement, his grin widening. “She screamed when he started spraying her and jumped off the bed and I thought to myself, ‘Well she got that far, I wonder if she’ll go all the way?’ So then Dwight asked if I saw it and I kept pointing at the sheet she was clutching around herself and-”

“That’s why she ran screaming from your room!” You blurt out, placing your hand on his arm, and then you both begin laughing. “That’s horrible!”

“I know! How could Dwight do something like that!” You laugh harder, shaking your head. After you both manage to calm down, another thought strikes your mind.

“So,” You begin, biting your lip and unsure how to phrase this. “You kept saying that you were sending signals that you obviously didn’t want to do anything with her, right?” You look up toward him, watching his eyes track your lips, realising you're biting them again.

“Uh- well, yeah. Yeah, I did that. It was like she was blind or something.” Jim mumbled, the tips of his cheeks were turning pink and it looked way too nice on him. “Or just, y’know, deliberately ignoring them.”

“What were they?” You ask- mumble, more than anything. Jim hesitates for a second, tilting his head.

“What?”

“What were the signs?” You could see the moment it registers what you’re asking in his eyes when they slightly widen.

“Oh, well. When she originally came in, she jumped on my bed and patted the spot next to her. I ended up sitting on the very corner of it,” He turned to point at the corner of your own bed as if you needed an explanation, then turned back toward you. “But even that felt a bit too much like giving in so I just ended up sort of sliding onto the floor. The entire time she was there I was either standing or sitting on the floor at the end of the bed watching tv.”

“Oh,” You whisper, trying to keep a smile tampered down at the fact that Jim had unflinchingly sat right next to you at the head of the bed. “Well, what else?”

“She tried to bend over directly in front of me.”

“No,” You gasp, laughing again. You hear Jim chuckle a bit before he continues.

“Yeah. I just looked up the whole time, I didn’t want to disrespect her or anything. Then there were the innuendos.”

“O-oh,” You drew out, smirking at him. “Saying innuendos to one Jim Halpert. I’m surprised you could resist her.” He’s quiet after, staring into your eyes. You begin to worry you said the wrong thing before he finally speaks up, his voice sounding a little rough.

“Yeah, maybe if it wasn’t her saying them.” You bite your lip, watching him momentarily before looking away and pretending to watch basketball.

“So what kinds of things did she say then?” As you finally glance back Jim just shrugs, looking quickly at the tv. Was he trying to pretend he wasn’t staring at you? Had he been staring at you? You bite your lip once again, thinking hard. “Ohh, I’m just so cold.” You tried to push your voice into a sultry tone and felt satisfied when Jim turned suddenly, his eyes wide and cheeks red.

“What?”

“That was one of the things she tried, right?” You asked, indicating what you had meant by saying that. You could feel Jim slowly relaxing against you and- wait, against you? When had the two of you got so close that your arms were resting against each other? Your faces were even closer than you remembered and you were beginning to get lost in his eyes.

“Y/N?” You blink a few times, realizing you had zoned out for a moment. If he had answered you, you had definitely missed it.

“Yeah?” You couldn’t help how breathless your voice sounded, and you could only hope that Jim wouldn’t realize why and then leave.

“Are you cold?” His voice was low and rough again and distracted you from the words he said for a few beats too long. Even after, his words had your brain scrambling to a halt, and you could feel your mouth opening and closing- gaping like a fish. How attractive. And yet, through all this Jim maintained how close he was to you. How he was slightly hunching over, his face closer to yours than it maybe should’ve been.

“I- yes,” You answer, nodding your head slowly, in obvious disbelief. “Yes, I’m cold.”

“Would you like help to warm up?” Jim was already shifting slowly, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you in closer to him.

“Yes, I- I would,” You stutter out, pushing yourself slowly down to lay your head on his chest. Once the both of you were settled, you were essentially laying together on your hotel bed and were cuddling. You were laying on Jim, you could feel his chest rising and falling with breath, and you had your arms wrapped around him to hold him close and he was letting you.

Maybe this trip didn’t turn out so bad after all.

[mlmxreader]

All That's Holy | Dewey Riley x m!reader (🍋)

summary: Dewey's been waiting all day, and you haven't stopped thinking about him all day.

tws: anal sex, masturbation, swearing, religious imagery, Daddy kink

MINORS DNI

support your fanfic writers by reblogging what you read & enjoy

Home alone, Dewey hummed as he flicked through the channels on the television, looking at the open window every now and then; it was so childish and silly, but even though you had a key to get in, you still crawled through the window. If only just to see him smile.

He was just waiting, wondering what type of mood you would be in when you saw that he was shirtless, just in his boxers and spread out on his bed; he hoped that you would be up for a little fun, but he wouldn't mind if you weren't either. He finally settled on a channel showing the old war films, when his wish finally came true.

You looked great, wearing one of his shirts with only the lower half of the buttons done up; his eyes went wide, breath hitching in his throat as he watched you take your belt and shoes off. All too eager to welcome you as you moved to straddle his waist, too eager as he gripped your thighs and brought you as close as he could. A chaste kiss here, a soft bite of your lower lip there, a buck of the hips here, a quiet groan there, before you pulled away, grinning from ear to ear.

"Fuck, I've been thinking about you all day," you breathed out, trailing a hand down his chest. "Couldn't get you out of my head."

Dewey smiled, his grip on your thighs tightening as he moved to pepper your neck in kisses. "I've been waiting for you… I missed you."

You wanted to say that you felt the same but when he snuck his hand between your legs and started to palm your cock, you couldn't help but to allow the moan from the back of your throat to cut you off, grinding into him as you growled his name softly; still kissing your neck, Dewey moved to pin you beneath him, his free hand coming to your torso and struggling to get the buttons of it undone.

You laughed softly, pushing him off of you so that you could do it for him; you didn't waste time, throwing the offending garment aside before getting out of your jogging bottoms and kicking them off of his bed. His mouth was soon on yours again, soft and quick kisses all open mouthed and needy as you pulled him on top and ground your hips against him; you needed to feel him, needed to be given that release that only he could give you. Aching for it.

"I'll be back," you murmured against his lips. "But I need you to fuck me, Dewey."

"Go," he whispered, smiling as he moved to lie on his back. "I'll be waiting."

You couldn't stop grinning as you grabbed the bottle of lube and started to apply it to your ass, watching with a dry mouth as Dewey stroked his cock, soft mumbles of your name coming from the back of his throat; you hurried up, and once you were sure that you were ready, you got back on the bed, and straddled him again, your hands on his chest as you swallowed thickly.

"Ready?"

"Yeah," Dewey nodded, licking his lips. He moaned your name when you took his cock, biting at the inside of your lip as he waited for you to move; on edge as he gripped your thighs so tightly, his mouth going dry at the sight of your hard cock. You were so tight, so warm. Fuck. "C'mon, baby, move for Daddy… please?"

You put your hands on his chest and started to bounce your ass on his cock, making him growl as he bucked his hips; you were fucking holy, he was convinced of it. A slight taste of the divine every time you whimpered, softly begging for him like a sinner asking for forgiveness; begging for just the smallest piece of sanctuary, of divinity and for repentance.

Heaven could not help him, he would be more than happy to lose himself and to drown in your divinity; the smell of your sweat, the feel of your hole around his cock, the feeling of your hands on his chest. Fuck. He moved his hands, gripping into your hips so hard that both of you knew that there would be bruises; soft prayers of his name leaving your mouth.

The call of an angel. He was cleansed of his sins just by hearing you call for him; everything, from his body to his soul, was yours for the taking. You were his midnight Messiah. The saint that he would turn to, the saint whose glory and whose heavenly touch could rescue him. Heaven was a place on Earth, Dewey knew that much, and he knew that his heaven was when he was with you.

When you went down on your knees for him, it was enough to give him something to believe in, but when you rocked your hips and allowed him to buck his hips into your ass, he found more than religion; he found a saint, a Messiah.

Fuck.

"Just like that, baby," Dewey breathed out, a soft and sweet prayer littered with gentle moans. "You feel so good, you're doing so well for Daddy."

You were panting heavily, his divine saint coming undone just for him, whimpering and moaning his name as you continued to work your hips; his Messiah. "Fuck… I don't think I'm gonna last long, Daddy."

"That's okay," he nodded, bringing your hand to his mouth and softly kissing it. "Fuck, you feel so good, baby."

He would never desecrate you, never take your name in vain, never sell his soul to another; you were all that was holy, all that was divine, you were the one thing getting him so close to seeing heaven for all it really was. The back of his head hit the pillows as he moaned your name, begging for repentance and forgiveness; for you to cleanse him of every sin.

He was so close to touching the gates of heaven, and when he felt your cum on his chest, the sweet prayers of his name that left your aching mouth, he couldn't stop himself, and finally reached the gates that he was searching so desperately for.

"Please," you whimpered. "Daddy please, fuck your cum into me."

Fuck.

The beg of an angel, that which was truly divine and holy.

How could he ever say no?

He didn't stop fucking your ass, not until he had cum inside it yet again, and only when he knew that you had both had enough did he stop; full of bliss, Dewey watched as you got off of him and grinned.

"Fuck," you breathed out. "Dewey, I love you."

He nodded, breathless as he smiled back and licked his lips. "I love you, too… but, maybe we should shower."

You knew what that meant, and bit the inside of your lip as you nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Deputy."

Fuck.

Dewey really did love you.

[klarissalove]

....

[creeppostss]

hey folks!

i have gotten zero requests recently, and zero motivation to write. and I've been getting new followers! so i want to provide them something. if you have requests for the following fandoms/characters/categories, send them in!!

Dead by Daylight

- Danny Johnson/The ghostface

- Frank Morrison/Joey

- Dwight Fairfield

- Steve Harrington

- Nancy Wheeler

Creepypasta

- Jeff the killer

- Eyeless Jack

- Masky/Tim Wright

- Hoodie/Brian Thomas

- Bloody Painter/Helen

- Ticci Toby/Tobias Rogers

Scenarios

- NSFW (anything, anything at all. give me extremes.)

- Angst

- Fluff

- Yandere

- Headcanons I luv writing headcanons

[twoturtlesinabathtub]

Chapter 8 of my Ghostfield fic, no context

[whogirl2011]

Lost and found (the road trip) | Dwight X Gretta | One shot | a little over 3.8k words | Rated: T for light romantic themes and kissing.

A Dwight in shining armor Fanfic

Summary: After graduation Dwight and Gretta go on their first ever roadtrip together to see places outside of Woodside.

This was made for @shiningsmoochweek a prompt week of favorite couples in Dwight in shining armor set up by the lovely @dwightinshiningarmorfan. It might be a little late but I'm happy to get this one out there. 🥰

Nana was doing a once over with Dwight, taking note of the few duffle bags and other items he was busy rearranging in the back seat of his recently acquired SUV. He opened the front door of his car, leaning over and checking for possibly the tenth time in his glovebox that he had his registration, insurance information, and a road map with a pack of multicolored pens. 

It was a plan for after they’d graduated. Dwight wanted to take Gretta to places neither of them had been–which, for both of them, turned out to be a lot. He was a small-town boy from Woodside, never experiencing the open road for himself full of bright lights, highway signs, and traffic so busy it could take any destination they chose and turn it into miles of moving inch by inch.

Gretta had never seen famous landmarks across the nation like the depths of the Grand Canyon in the Arizona heat. She had never been surrounded by palm trees instead of great oaks with sand between her toes, looking out into a steady ocean, the waves lapping at her calves. 

This road trip was going to change that.

“I think that’s everything,” Dwight said, coming out of his maroon vehicle, assuring his grandmother with a smile. She pulled him into a tight hug.

“Make sure you stop every few hours for a  stretch,” Nana told him. He opened his mouth to say something while still being held, but she continued, “And don’t try to drive more than eight hours in a day if you can.” He pulled back and nodded, attempting to speak again, but Nana carried on, “And make sure you check in from time to time to let me know how things are going.”

“I–”

“But not if you’re driving and need to keep your eyes on the road.”

“Got it,” Dwight blurted. He understood why she was being like this. Nana, after all, had been his sole guardian since losing his parents when he was only a toddler. He wondered if her worry for him was similar to when they had left for Alaska. The thought made him hug his Grandmother tightly one more time.

“I’m gonna miss you honey bear.”

“I’ll miss you too,” he spoke warmly, rubbing her back, “I’ll call you later when we hit a pit stop.” They released their embrace when they heard Baldric’s voice.

“And you remembered your tooth-cleaning brush?”

“Yes,” Gretta confirmed, following before they appeared from around the corner with Hexala and Chlodwig in tow. She was carrying a bag over her shoulder made of cloth enwrapped by rope. Chlodwig had a quiver over his shoulder, filled to bursting with arrows, and held a bow in one hand. Baldric had another bag made of cloth tied together with rope that looked much heavier than the one Gretta was carrying. An axe and multiple sheathed swords were tucked under his arm, clanging with each step.

“Nope! Hold up!” Dwight raised a hand with his palm out, gesturing a stop. “There’s no way you’re putting all that in my car.” Baldric dropped the weapons and the bag of armor at the curb giving out a huff. Chlodwig rolled his eyes, laying down the quiver and bow. “We’re going on this road trip for some sightseeing, not driving into battle with an army.”

“Wha–” Gretta began to argue, dropping the bag hanging off her shoulder beside the car.

“You can bring one sword.” Dwight put his pointer finger up. “One.” He dropped his arm and shook his head, picking up the bag that Gretta had set down, and leaned into the back of the car to place it on the backseat.

“One?” she mouthed, brows furrowing, looking down at the weapons on the ground. Gretta shrugged at the magician and prince and crouched down, pulling the array of swords from their scabbards to check them over.

“Here, Sir Dwight,” Hexala spoke, appearing at Dwight’s side as he came back out. She pulled a tall, narrow glass bottle from her bag. “Take this.” 

The cork in the top was sealed in by melted wax that dripped down the neck and shoulder. The knight squinted, looking closely into it. There were small rocks at the bottom and various dried herbs stuffed in with purple and silver powder sprinkled throughout.

“Uh, thanks?” he said, taking the bottle and rotating it around in his hands. “What is it?”

“It’s for good fortune on your travels.”

“Oh!” Dwight glanced over to where Gretta stood. She was holding a sword in each hand, studying them with her court magician and cousin. He let out a nervous ‘heh’ and nodded, quickly raising the bottle in thanks. Tucking the bottle in the back pocket of the driver’s seat, he knew he could probably use all the luck he could get. He checked his watch and spoke while exiting the car’s interior, “Come on Gretta, we’re burning daylight here.”

“Quickly Sir Dwight! What sword would you choose to bring along for our adventure? This one? hm?” She held one up and then the other. “Or this one?”

“I suggested she go with that one,” noted Baldric, pointing to the sword that had a circular arc curving upward on the guard, the sphere on the pommel was nestled into another arc facing the opposite way.

“And I that one,” added Chlodwig, pointing at the sword with a crescent moon framing the blade’s base. The pommel was another crescent moon, mirroring the guard.

“Anyone else wanna throw in their two cents?” asked Dwight, looking over towards Hexala and Nana.

“I think I'm gonna stay out of this one honey,” replied Nana. 

Hexala nodded her head in agreement next to her. “Swords aren’t this witch’s forte.”

“Well, Sir Dwight? Which one do you prefer?” Gretta raised the swords up again so he could look them both over.

When he took in the way she eagerly awaited an answer, the realization dawned on him how significant this decision was for someone like her. He couldn’t simply pick one at random just because he was beginning to get impatient. This was Gretta’s sword they were talking about–the very thing Gretta took pride in choosing whenever they’d faced danger during an adventure or while they were on a quest. And they were about to embark on a brand new adventure together. Just him and Gretta. 

Not only that, but a sword wasn’t just a weapon to the Princess. Sure, it was something she’d used to fight with for her own survival since she was little, but it also held sentimental value. It was a reminder of home, a comfort she’d beheld since she was two years old. In a way, it was kind of like Dwight’s stuffed sock monkey, Mr. Mooks. Was it practical to compare a weapon to a cuddly toy? No. Was he going to reveal to anyone, especially Gretta–he had Mr. Mooks secretly stashed in his bag for the trip? Also, no. 

“Sir Dwight, daylight is burning,” Gretta stated, using his own words against him. Now he was the one stalling.

“I’m thinking,” Dwight replied. “Which of these swords has helped us out of a bad situation before?” 

“Both,” she answered, holding them up proudly with a smile.

“Kay…” Dwight trailed, “Well, which one belonged to your grandmother?” 

“Both.” 

“Alright, just–get them both in there, then,” he told her, jabbing a thumb behind him towards the car. She smiled giddily, sliding the swords back into their scabbards, and wrapping a belt around one of them. She kissed his cheek, holding the swords closely to her chest and she was off to pack them into the car. The girl could be absolutely impossible and exasperating at times, but he couldn’t help the smile curving his lips now when he looked over at his Princess so happy.

Chlodwig approached next as Gretta rejoined her knight. The prince reached out to cradle their faces in his hands. His thumbs rested at the front of their ears while his fingers curved around the nape of their necks. “Do not forget to send me something amongst your travels to share with our guy club assembly.”

“Don’t worry buddy, we’ll send you a postcard from the road,” Dwight said smiling at him

“Safe journey, dear cousin Gretta, dear brother Dwight.” Chlodwig put an arm around both of them and pulled them in closely. The Princess patted her hand against her cousin’s shoulder. Chlodwig let them go and nodded quickly when there was a sudden gruff clearing of a throat. He backed away as Baldric approached them.

“Everything ready?” The magician asked.

“Yeah, I think so.” Baldric placed his heavy hands on top of Dwight’s shoulders “Safe journey, Sir Dwight.” Suddenly, Dwight was pulled in for a bear hug, lifting him up off his feet, practically squeezing the air out of him. “Promise me, you and the Princess will return safely.”

“Will. Do. Prom…ise,” Dwight strained. 

Baldric let him go and looking at Gretta, he bowed his head. “I will keep you informed should any important matters arise in your absence.”

“And I shall keep you informed of our well-being during our travels.” Gretta raised her hand towards him where Baldric held it in between both of his. “Please take care of yourself and the kingdom while we are away.” 

Baldric nodded, releasing her hand after saying, “As you command, Your Royal Highness.”

“Upon our return, we shall share many pleasant tales, self mes, and spritely songs of our journey.”

“I’ll bring you back some souvenirs big guy,” added Dwight. 

“You must return home safely, Highness.” his eyes grew softer.

“Baldric, you mustn’t worry.” she placed a hand against his cheek. “With Sir Dwight and his high-bred steed to protect me on our travels, I shall.” Gretta hugged the large man, standing on her tiptoes. She breathed in deeply, attempting to fight the tears threatening to form as she inhaled the scent of his magician’s robe.

“Safe journey my child.” The words made Gretta hug him tighter. After a few moments, she released her embrace and nodded towards him, determination on her face.

When they made sure everything they needed was packed in the car and they were ready to go, they climbed into the car and put on their seat belts. Dwight started the car and they waved yelling farewells with the windows down before turning out of the cul de sac. 

As they drove through the familiar streets of Woodside towards the edge of town, Dwight had found it easy to breathe in the summer air. But with it being only him and Gretta in the car, nearing the sign ‘Leaving Woodside’, he could sense the atmosphere around them already starting to change. It was charged with electricity and anticipation, not knowing where this adventure would take them. 

Gretta turned to look behind them, her eyes on the opposite side of the sign welcoming people to their hometown. It became smaller and smaller as the distance grew. She turned back around, looking down at her hands in her lap before the sign could disappear completely from view. A hand came down and tapped the top of hers. It was a comfort, a reassurance that regardless of what fate had in store for them during this newfound wanderlust, he would be there by her side. 

“Do you believe everyone will be alright while we are away?” Gretta asked.

“They’ll be fine.” Dwight glanced over with a smile. “This is going to be a new experience for all of us,” he spoke, squeezing her hand, “but that’s a good thing.” 

A smile spread across her face, “I look forward to this new experience with you, Sir Dwight.”

With his eyes still on the road, he brought her hand towards him, kissing the top of it. “I’m looking forward to this with you too.”

He tried to keep travel similar to their smaller journeys the best he could in what Gretta called his trusty high-bred steed; it was a hybrid SUV. The windows were partially rolled down, and music played from the car stereo. Dwight hummed to songs from his playlist, tapping along to the beat with his thumbs on the steering wheel while Gretta would tap her thigh or use her foot to tap at the floor mat under her feet. She was familiar with the spritely ballads he listened to, catching lyrics of love, adventure, and becoming someone’s wildest dreams.

For hours, the scenery changed and passed by. Woods with tall trees were to either side of them, fading into flat plains of grass with rolling hills in the distance. On vast fields of farmland, cows, horses, and sheep roamed and grazed without a care in the world in their fences built to keep them safe and away from the roads. 

Driving along straight roads for miles made him more at ease to take his right hand off the wheel. Gretta would often use the opportunity to reach over and claim his unoccupied hand, entwining their fingers, or casually thread her fingers through the soft dark hair at his nape. And when they would stop at a red light, he made a habit of taking her hand and pressing his lips against her knuckles.

They took breaks at rest stops and gas stations, stretching together after sitting in the car for long periods of time. They checked in with loved ones on their beckoning devices, used the bathroom, and refueled. At a few places, the pair drew the attention of people around them, curious of their story roaming small aisles and fridge sections to replenish their snacks and water. Store clerks, on the other hand, were either complacent or friendly at their job, continuing to perform their tasks as usual, seemingly unfazed by the girl in medieval-style clothing. They exchanged pleasantries with one another at the counter and soon after grabbing their supplies, Dwight and Gretta were back out on the road.

Late into their journey for the day, Dwight and Gretta found themselves in a cozy diner, sitting in a booth, looking over the menus. The aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air and made Gretta’s stomach growl in impatience. She reached over and took a sip of orange soda from her glass to keep it at bay. A sweet lady with a smile warm and welcoming approached the couple. She wore a light blue waitress uniform and had a white apron tied around her waist. The shiny silver name tag on her uniform said ‘Sarah’. 

“So, What can I get you folks tonight?”

“Ladies first.” Dwight gestured towards her.

“I will have the chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy,” Gretta said, hooking her fingers together, and sitting up straight.

“And I think I’ll have the grilled salmon and steamed vegetables, please.”

The waitress nodded and scribbled down their orders and took their menus. “I’ll be back soon with your food.”

When their meals arrived, Gretta didn’t hesitate for a second to dig into her mashed potatoes. Their creamy texture and buttery flavor melted in her mouth and the gravy carried the essence of cooked meat. She couldn’t help the groan that escaped when she swallowed.

“That good huh?” Dwight asked, forking some of his broccoli along with some carrots to put in his mouth. 

“It is absolutely exquisite.”

“Well, we haven’t exactly had much in the way of actual meals since we left.” Dwight shrugged, taking his bite of food for the first time and closing his eyes. The vegetables were cooked to perfection, he flaked a piece of salmon with his fork and ate it. It was the closest thing to a home cooked meal he’d had all day. “Okay, not gonna lie, this is pretty good.” Gretta cut into her chicken and ate a piece, Dwight was sure he caught her eyes rolling into the back of her head. “Maybe we shouldn’t eat so many snacks and actually stop for the three square meals we’re supposed to be eating.”

“I agree,” Gretta replied. “We must keep up our strength if we are to endure long hours of traveling.” Dwight nodded, drinking some iced tea in his glass. His eyes watched the lemon slice bob in the liquid.

“How’s everything?” Sarah asked, appearing at their table a moment later.

“Everything’s great, thanks,” responded Dwight, placing his glass down on the counter.

“You two not from around here?” Sarah asked.

“No, we’re…” Dwight pulled out his phone from his pocket, “About 400 miles from home.”

“Sir Dwight and I are on a road trip,” Gretta stated. Sarah looked between them. 

“You two going to some Renaissance fair I don’t know about?”

“Uh, yeah, you could say that!” Dwight spoke up. “But we decided to leave early so we could enjoy the sights on the way.”

“Oh, how exciting!” she smiled. “Well, I’ll leave you two to finish your meals. I’ll be back to take your plates when you’re finished.”

“Excuse me, miss?” A voice boomed from across the diner. A stocky man on a barstool with a coffee had his hand raised to get her attention. Sarah scurried off towards the man and Gretta and Dwight continued talking and eating their food.

When they finished Sarah came back over and stacked their plates to carry them back to the kitchen.

“Would either of you like to see the dessert menu? I can make a real mean milkshake.” 

“Ooh,” spoke Gretta enticed. “What flavors do you have for milkshakes?”

“Let’s see, we’ve got your standard chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla but I can also do a peanut butter, banana, or a mint chocolate chip.” Dwight noticed the way Gretta’s eyes brightened at the mention of mint chocolate chip.

“I will have the mint chocolate shake if you would be so kind.” Gretta bowed her head towards her.

“Would you like that regular size or sharing size?” 

“How big is the sharing size?” Dwight asked.

“A sharing size is in a bigger glass with two straws but you get some extra in the malt cup.”

“Sounds good. We’ll take that then.” she took her notepad out and scribbled the order in pen.

“Whipped cream and a cherry?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Dwight pulled out his phone and began to type away with his thumbs. “We should probably start looking for places to stop at for the night. There’s a premier inn about twenty minutes away from here. I could book us in, I mean, if that’s okay.” 

“Yes of course.” Gretta agreed, her hands secretly fidgeting under the table. “We must get ample rest if we plan to continue our journey on the morrow.”

Sarah appeared a moment later with their mint chocolate chip milkshake. The milkshake glass was filled to almost the rim along with whipped cream swirled into a peak topped by a cherry. She placed the paper-wrapped straws and the malt cup containing the leftovers of the milkshake on the counter, scurrying back off to help other customers. Dwight looked out the window at the sunset’s orange and pink hues, tapping the end of the covered straw on the counter. A light thwack of something hit him in the forehead. Gretta was giggling, about to put the cherry from the top of the milkshake into her mouth. He glanced down to see her paper straw sleeve at his side of the table. 

“What was that for?”

“It was a distraction so I could have the cherry.”

“You didn’t need to make a distraction to have the cherry, you know. You could’ve just asked.”

“True, and yet this way was much more fun,” she snickered teasingly, placing her straw into the milkshake and having a taste. Her eyes grew wide. “Oh. Sweet. Heaven.”

“Good?”

“It is simply divine.”

“Not as good as my blackberry cobbler though, right?”

“Dwight, nothing compares to your blackberry cobbler.”

Dwight grinned at that, placing his staw in with hers in the milkshake and sharing sip after sip all the while their eyes met. They spent another half hour there, deep in conversation taking their time drinking their milkshake, trying their best not to get brain freeze. Dwight paid their check, thanked Sarah, and wished her a pleasant evening. Sarah watched the pair leave hand in hand from the diner. She returned back to their table to clean up the dishes and found three gold coins sitting near the scribbled check for her tip.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Gretta’s gaze of the road passing by in Dwight’s headlights shifted to the passenger side window to take in the stars that were beginning to appear. She rolled down her window fully, dragging deep breaths of the summer night air into her lungs. Gretta didn’t seem to mind her hair getting a little windswept, watching the night sky as they passed by other cars, illuminated overhead highway signs, and exits. 

“You okay?” he wondered, hoping she wasn’t getting car sick after their hearty meal.

“No, no. Just embracing what little we have left of our first evening on this journey.” Gretta turned to see Dwight lowering his window all the way down too. The wind swept through his dark hair. The boy carried a sweetness in his eyes, all warm gooey brownies just out of the oven at night and honey hues flecked across them when the sun rose. She wanted to keep this. To keep him. Always.

He took in a breath and enjoyed this shared moment, glancing over. She had stopped looking at the sky and was looking over at him. A smile radiated from her before she turned to look back out the window.

Moments like these were what Dwight was secretly looking forward to the most. Witnessing Gretta’s bright eyes and the smile playing upon her lips; she was taking in a sense of freedom she’d never had before. It made his heart flutter with a swarm of butterflies while lightning bugs lit up his soul.

The fact that she had said yes to this idea in the first place spoke volumes. Now, she was beginning to map out her own life the way they were marking roads and places of interest from Dwight’s phone onto their folded map with circles, stars, and even hearts. She was showing him just how truly safe and happy she felt when they were together. 

Dwight really wanted to kiss her. 

He parked at the inn, beneath the warm glow of a lamppost. Their luggage was on the ground next to the SUV, forgotten. Gretta stood under the humming light, gazing into his gentle brown eyes. He cupped her face gently in his hands, brushing strands of hair behind her ears that were now all tousled from the wind. She moved slowly with him for his lips to brush against hers and when their lips met, everything simply melted away. It was the greatest feeling in the world.

And he couldn’t wait to show her more of it.

[loverofallthingsfandom]

GAYS IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM - THE OFFICE

The Scranton branch has officially absorbed the Stamford branch, and as a show of good faith, Michael calls everyone into the conference room to explain why [Oscar] being gay is okay.

WC: 734 words

Song Inspo: I Can See You by T. Swift

The staff were sitting in the conference room. A beige table was set up in the center with tan chairs inside it and around it by the three, beige walls. The fourth wall had a whiteboard, inches apart from the open door. The gray carpet was well-vacuumed and the white window shades were shut. Self-explanatory, the room made for an exciting meeting.

"Oscar is a good person." Michael spoke as he paced in front of the whiteboard. "You know, it should've matter if he's gaaayy or normal," Jim side-eyed the camera, "he's a human being, man. I...," Michael sighed and grabbed his hips, "I just don't understand how people could be so hateful."

"Michael," Kevin's deep voice rose from somewhere behind Karen. "We don't hate Oscar because he's gay... At least, not all of us." The large man mischievously glanced at Angela.

"Hmph." Angela crossed her arms, Bible in hand. "I don't support that lifestyle. It's impure, ungodly, unsanitary..."

"Unprotected- that's what he said!" Michael chuckled then caught himself. "No. No! I meant that as in unprotected because they are unprotected in this country. So anything you took from that is anti-gay. Case closed."

Dwight nodded along and took notes. Andy stroked his protruded chin and squinted with pretend intrigue. Stanley did his crossword puzzles in the far-left corner. Meredith's mouth hung agape and her eyes were red, clear signs of early intoxication. Pam looked uncomfortable between Karen and Jim but said nothing. Jim condescendingly smiled and did routine stares at the camera. Erin sat closest to Michael and the door, in clear view of Karen. While Michael went back-and-forth with Angela, Karen watched Erin doodle in her notepad. Fillipeli's cheek found her shoulder and her eyes found a tranquil lowness. Amongst all the speel and chaos, nothing seemed to matter then.

"-I refuse to give my American right to practice religion. Seriously. Whatever happened to freedom of speech? My first amendmant right-"

"Second." Dwight coughed.

Angela eyed him then returned to Michael. "If you can't afford me that right, I'll just have to pray for you." She smirked and patted her Bible.

Phyllis looked at her with terror and sadness, having the displeasure of sitting right next to the blonde woman.

"Can I ask," Karen turned around to her, "what type of Christian are you?"

"Excuse me?" Angela raised a brow.

"Catholic? Mormon? Jehovah witness? Baptist? Born-again?" Karen listed off the sects.

"I'm a devote Christian, old testament." She specified, enunciating the last part. She looked around the room with a finger up, as if expecting someone to oppose her.

"I grew up Catholic. Read the Bible every Christmas."

Angela smiled a bit, then cleared her throat, lifted her chin, looked at the floor, and raised a brow. "Favorite passage?"

"Easily Psalms 139:7." Karen scoffed. "Arguably the best passage, aside from Leviticus and Luke, of course."

Angela pouted a smile, almost holding back delight and disdain for not needing to correct Karen.

"Wow, Karen, I never pegged you for a Bible thumper." Kelly stated what the room was thinking.

"That's because sinful women like you wouldn't know a real holy woman from your left elbow, Kelly." Angela spat at her, making the Indian woman gasp.

"Ryan!" Kelly called for her boyfriend's aid, but he just shrugged.

"Invite Oscar back if you want. Invite the AID's epidemic right along with him. I don't care anymore." Angela shrugged. "As long as I have this," she held up her Bible, "and my undeniable faith, I'm safe."

"From gay people?" Jim replied. "You think the book wards off gay people?"

"I do." Angela said matter-of-factly.

"What'll happen if I say I'm gay and I touch it?" Kevin asked on top of his question. "I'm not." He addressed the room. "But it'd be funny if I was, right?" He laughed throatily.

"You'd burst into flames." Dwight answered.

"Not accurate." Andy counteracted.

"Oh, how do you know, Cornell?" Dwight looked him up and down.

"Can I see it?" Karen cut him off. "It's been so long since I've held one that wasn't mine."

"Sure, Karen. I trust my fellow God warriors." Angela sneered at Jim as she outreached her black little book to Karen. Granted, this was Angela, so she never let go, but Karen did stroke it's cover.

"Whoa. Leather. Very nice." Karen complimented her.

The scene cut to Karen's interview.

"I'm also a lesbian."

[an-angry-ant8]

Dwight Shrute canonically writes x-man fanfiction. More specifically smut. that is all

[marmie-noir]

A Good Girl

AKA Dwight being a perceptive ass.

For once I was the one behind the bar. My arms were crossed and I gave the man before me a rather unimpressed look, taking in the New York Italian man that seemed to be a regular more often than not these days. He sipped his drink, bourbon that I myself had poured, looking back at me with a raised brow. 

It wasn’t quiet. While it was early it wasn’t dead, the bar had a few people in it, and the kitchen was loud behind the door, but I didn’t speak as I stared down the mobster. Dwight took another sip before setting the drink down, clearing his throat. “Have I done something to offend you?” “Why would you think that?” I asked, shifting my weight and my lips thinning to a line. 

“Cause you are looking at me like you wanna decorate your walls with my insides.” He said bluntly, dark eyes meeting mine. I didn’t blink, didn’t speak for a few moments before taking a step towards the bar and leaning on it, leaning in towards him. “You are bad news. Men like you are always bad news. I don’t like you around this place, around Mitch.” 

He hummed, looking down at his drink a moment before glancing back up at me. “So that is what this is about. You and Mitch, hm?” I narrowed my eyes, fighting off the blush that threatened to spread up my neck to my cheeks. “I certainly did not say that.” I snapped back, knowing right after it left me that was sign enough. I was showing my hand to this man, all but confessing that I cared about Mitch. That this was personal. Fuck. 

“Didn’t know you two were together.” He said, not with malice but with a genuine carelessness, as if it didn’t really impact him. Not that it would. He nudged his glass forward, empty, and I huffed but grabbed the bottle to pour him some more. “We aren’t together, not that it’s your business. He’s just a good guy, and men like you use good guys.” I explained, putting the bourbon bottle back into it’s spot, annoyed that I was now in this situation. I wasn’t about to pour my heart out to this mobster, to let him know that Mitch was my safe place, that this bar and his house and pops had become home in a way that four walls and a roof never could be. I felt safe. Secure. I wasn’t going to let that slip through my fingers. 

“Sweetheart, I can promise you. I have no intentions of hurting or using that man any more than he is me. We have a mutual interest, a common understanding. We are going to make some money together and that will be that.” His deep voice and heavy accent had a tune of honesty but I didn’t trust it. I distrusted men like that, men who saw all situations as options to get richer, to do things regardless of law. 

“I don’t give a damn what you say,” I said quietly, nails tapping on the bar top as I leaned in. “I can’t stop him from making decisions, but I’m warning you Dwight. Don’t you dare hurt that man.” 

“Darlin’, table 5’s food is in the window.” That familiar voice made me straighten, looking over to see Mitch standing there looking amused, his blue eyes jumping between me and Dwight with a small tilt of his head. Curious. I blushed and ducked my head, walking past Mitch towards the kitchen to grab the food for my tables, leaving Mitch at the bar. The two men watched me duck behind the wall and Mitch looked at Dwight with a raised brow. “Do I even want to know what you two were whispering about?” He asked, grabbing himself a glass for a splash of bourbon himself, topping off Dwight’s at the same time. 

“Got yourself a good girl there, Mitch.” Dwight responded with a little smile, lifting his glass in a small cheers. “Don’t you let that slip through your fingers. Trust me, it will be the greatest mistake of your life.” Mitch gave him a raised brow before glancing over to where I was passing out chicken strip platters and burger baskets, smiling at the customers while checking for if they needed anything else. Without another word he tossed back the rest of his drink, looking at Dwight with a half smile. 

Read more Sunny and Mitch here

[serenefreakgeekao3]

Ambivalent Days

Jim Halpert x Trans Man Reader (PART TWO) Can be read alone, but I do reference part one, so read that HERE if you want to be caught up!

Summary: You’ve finally come out as trans to the entire office. It’s gone a lot better than expected. But now you’re faced with a serious problem- or rather, a serious crush. On none other than Jim Halpert, leading supporter of your transitions and quickly becoming your best friend in the office. But are you willing to risk that friendship just for some silly little feelings?

Tags: FtM!reader, Gay!Jim (for narrative reasons, I think i wanted him to be bi in the first part but switched it around, whatever), implied gay!reader (all i said was ‘not straight’), trans supporter Dwight, peacekeeper!Pam, supportive!Kelly Kapoor, bisexual!Kelly, drinking in moderation, happy ending Warnings: Michael being absolutely ridiculous and attention-hungry to the point that he does bad things (so, like, normal episode?), some general swearing

A/N: This has been requested so many times, both in asks and requests. I’ll try my best to tag everyone who asked for this, sorry if i forgot any! I was excited to write this because I loved the first part, but figuring out where to start was the trickiest part. I hope you all enjoy!  (this entire fic ended up just writing itself once i got going. I had no clue what i was gonna do until it happened so… enjoy lol)

Life was great, working as a Customer Service representative for Dunder Mifflin paper company. Wow, you never thought you’d say such a thing, but it really has become something appealing, something that had you smiling and willing to come to work every single day. Of course, it had its own ups and downs, times when you felt overwhelmed or frustrated at certain people. You still ended up enjoying the majority of the day, and sometimes the rough days turned out to end up better than the rest.

It had absolutely, wholeheartedly nothing to do with James Duncan Halpert, otherwise known to his work colleagues as ‘Jim.’ You continued to lie to yourself, nodding along to this thought process on your drive to work. It was rainy, just like most days, and you were bored out of your mind waiting in the traffic. You just enjoyed going to work, because… Because of all of your friends, that’s why! Sure, that might include Jim, but that also included Pam, and Oscar, and god forbid, even Dwight. He’s certainly grown on you over time, having completely accepted your identity, even defending you against anyone who said anything. You couldn’t be sure, but you suspected that Dwight had even lost a customer through those actions- but when Mr Dellicker had called for customer support and you had answered the phone, saying his name out loud, Kelly had rushed around the divider and ripped the phone from your hand, immediately transferring it to her own phone. You tried to listen in, curious why this was so important to her, but you kept hearing her say the same thing over and over.

“Thank you for your consideration, but we no longer want your business with us. I completely understand that you think so, but we no longer want your business with us. While that may or may not be true, this whole conversation is futile considering we no longer want your business with us.”

Mr Dellicker had become a hushed topic around you, but you had managed to catch a private whisper among your friends one day when he was brought up again. They’d ask Kelly if he had called yet, and she assured the situation was handled. Pam had whispered, “I can’t believe some people’s views on trans people. It makes no sense.” So, while it wasn’t likely due to you specifically, you were almost sure that you were the only trans person they knew. If they were defending trans people, they were defending you alongside it all.

You pulled into the parking lot finally, shaking your head to rid yourself of those thoughts. Mr Dellicker’s whole deal had been a problem a month ago and was no longer an issue. You shouldn’t dwell on those thoughts, you weren’t likely to ever have to worry about it again. You managed to snag a semi-decent parking space. It was only the second from the front, but it happened to be right next to Michael’s own car, and as you placed your car into park, you glanced over to notice he was still sitting there. You tilted your head in confusion, watching for a moment.

You couldn’t tell if he was psyching himself up, or singing along to one of his weird songs. He seemed ready to open the door, then leaned back once more without actually doing it. He lowered the visor on his car, flipping open the little door to reveal his mirror and looking at himself in it. He continued, probably, speaking to himself, and you just shook your head and decided to leave it be. You reached for your suitcase and umbrella, then began making your way inside.

You were stuffing your umbrella into the little holder by the door after you entered the office, taking off your long overcoat and hanging it on the coat rack by Pam’s desk. She smiled, asking about what you did over the weekend, and you answered that you didn’t really do much besides binge the next season of your current obsession. You agreed to tell her about it later, moving toward the break room for your normal cup of tea. You pat Jim on the shoulder on the way, and he reaches up quickly to touch your hand before you slip by. It causes a smile to cross your face as you continue on your path, a happy feeling welling up inside.

“I. Am a girl.” You spin around quickly, eyes widening in fright. There stood Michael Scott, wearing a short, pleated pink skirt with his normal yellow button-down dress shirt, as well as a crooked ginger wig that he had most definitely not been wearing in his car. The room falls completely quiet, and you hear two people put their calls on hold. Jim stands, and you can’t see his face from this perspective, but you hear a hardness in his voice.

“Michael, this is not a funny joke-”

“It’s not a joke!” Michael yells out, crossing his arms. He purses his lips before speaking again in a higher tone. “I’m a girl, and so I decided to say it. That I am.” He looked around the room as if expecting something, but no one moved a muscle. Pam broke the silence, clearing her throat and talking in a tone that was both cautious and unbelieving.

“Alright, so what would you like us to call you, then?” Michael sputtered at the question, throwing his hands outward and looking around the room again. His eyes settle on me, and Jim sidesteps to block off his vision. You can no longer see Michael, but the image of him has burned into your mind anyway. You could feel yourself panicking, your heart trying to beat its way out of your chest. This had to be a prank right? He was making fun of you? Now? After all this time?

“What do you mean- Y/N didn’t change his name when he came out!”

“This has nothing to do with Y/N,” Jim quickly tries to interrupt him after hearing your name, but you heard his sentence all the same. Jim walked closer to Michael, leaning down to whisper, but even you could still hear his words in the silence your boss caused. “How about we talk this out privately and continue this announcement later?”

“But-”

“I think that’s a fantastic idea, Jim,” Pam calls out quickly, circling her desk and corralling Michael into his office. He was putting up a fight, but not much of one. Jim followed closely behind, closing the door behind him. You could see multiple faces turn to look at you- as their current entertainment had been dragged away- out of the corner of your eye, but you were still there, shell-shocked. Before you realized what you were doing, you were standing directly outside Michael’s office door, peeking around the side to look in through the window. You could hear them talking still, considering the rest of the office was waiting to see what you would do.

“No, no, no!” Michael yelled out, plopping down into his seat. “I’m serious about this you guys!”

“Alright, let’s assume you are,” Pam begins, but Jim looks at her with an aggravated look.

“Pam-”

“Let’s assume you are,” Pam repeats, pushing Jim away and leaning closer to Michael. “How did you come to this decision?”

“I-” Michael hesitates, looking at his computer, then back to Pam. “Well, I really like girls a lot.”

“Sure, sure, but sexuality and gender are different.”

“I know that, Pam! God!” Michael starts flipping random pens on his desk, trying to distract himself. “I just like their clothes a lot.”

“You like to wear the clothes, or see them on women?”

“See them-” He stops, looking up to her. “I mean, wear them! Yeah, that’s what it is!” His stuttering and determination caused Jim to huff in a humourless laugh, no longer just standing by.

“What’s really going on here Michael?”

“And,” Michael begins, ignoring Jim’s question, “What was that question about what I wanted to be called? Y/N didn’t change his name when he came out?”

“Sure,” Pam agrees, trying to maintain the peace, “But Michael isn’t a very feminine name. Doesn’t that make you feel a little, I don’t know, dysphoric?”

“What does that word mean?” Michael asks, causing Jim to huff again, moving forward to slam his hands onto the table.

“What is really going on here, Michael?”

“Fine!” Michael yelled out, throwing up his hands, his fake hair swinging around wildly. “I don’t think I’m a girl! I don’t like wearing dresses or skirts or-” He spits, swatting away the fake hair that had managed to catch itself in his mouth, “And I’m so uncomfortable in this,” He pulls the wig off finally, throwing it onto the ground. He stands next, reaching for the skirt he was wearing, “Or this-”

“No, no, no!” Pam calls out quickly, keeping him from ripping the skirt off in front of them. “I’ll fetch you your spare pair of pants here soon, it’s at the desk. Just,” She sighs, shaking her head, “What could’ve possibly made you think this was a good idea, Michael?”

“Well!” Michael huffs, pouting as he sits back down. “Y/N got all sorts of attention when he came out. He became cool, and popular, and now I’m not even allowed to make jokes about him! Everyone hates me now, he took my thunder!”

“You can still make jokes about him,” Pam continues cautiously, raising her hands up in a plea to calm him down. “Just, not about the fact that he’s trans.”

“My thunder Pam!”

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Jim begins, reaching forward and grabbing hold of Michael’s shirt. “That stunt you pulled was mean-spirited and heinous. Do you have any idea how you could’ve made Y/N feel? How hard it was for him, not only to accept himself for who he is but to become confident enough in himself to come out to the entire office? Do you realize how much you probably just put him back?” Michael’s face was terrified, and Pam was too stunned at this action to do anything at first. By the time Jim was done talking, she reached forward quickly and pulled him back.

“Jim, that’s unnecessary.”

“I feel it was completely necessary, Pam.”

“He doesn’t realize what he’s doing, he just wants attention.”

“He gets attention every single day Pam! He demands it, hell, he goes out into the office and-”

“Jim,” Pam interrupts, nodding toward Michael. You watch Michael visibly sniff, raising a hand to rub at his nose.

“No, no, he’s right. I’m a nuisance, everyone hates me.”

“No one hates you, Michael,” Pam starts, and Jim scoffs.

“You’re babying him.” She shoots him a threatening look, and he just shakes his head and crosses his arms. Pam moves closer to the desk, looking down at Michael.

“Hey,” When Michael looks up, his eyes are red and glossy. “What you did just now, was that a good idea?”

“No,” He whines out, drawing out the vowel.

“Good, that’s the correct answer. And why was it a bad idea, Michael?” He huffs again, moving to play with a different toy on his desk and avoiding her eyes.

“Because I lied for attention.”

“And?”

“Because I probably made Y/N feel bad. And Jim.”

“So what are you going to do?” Pam asks, and you can’t see her expression but Michael finally meets her eyes and breathes in a deep breath.

“I’m going to tell everyone that it was a horrible prank and that I’m sorry.”

Even Jim startles at this, both Pam and Jim- even you, yourself- having never actually heard Michael apologize for one of his many failed pranks or skits. Pam straightens up, glancing quickly at Jim before looking back. Her voice was full of surprise as she nods, “That’s right. That’s completely right, actually. Good job Michael.” You could see him smile before looking down at his lap, then back up at Pam.

“Can I do it after I change?”

“Of course,” Pam moves quickly to the door, and you don’t think fast enough to move out of the way. The door swings open wide and you are revealed to be standing there, right outside of it. All three occupants turn to look at you with varying expressions, but they all share a similar surprise. You swallow hard, locking your eyes with Michael. You are about to speak but can feel eyes digging into your back, so you take a few steps into the office, past your two friends.

“What you did just now,” You begin, sucking in another deep breath, “Was horrifying- for everyone involved. I’m sure we want to see you in a skirt just as much as you want to be in one.” You lean forward onto the desk, watching Michael shrink away from you. “But let me ask you, how does it feel to wear that skirt?”

“What?” He looks startled at the question, looking to Jim and Pam for help. None arrived for him.

“How does it feel, wearing that skirt? Why aren’t you wearing a blouse with it? Couldn’t find one that fit, or did it feel too uncomfortable? What about the hair?” You nod down to wear the wig laid on the ground. “Was it annoying? Kept getting caught in your mouth, right? Drooped in front of your face, obscuring your vision?” You leaned forward, your breath coming out harsher. “Imagine you had breasts attached to you- and push past your sexuality. Imagine you had them and they couldn’t be removed.” You whisper this last part, your own eyes tearing up. “How would you feel?’

You hear Jim say your name softly behind you, realizing what you were referencing. Michael shook his head for a few seconds before he stopped, widening his eyes. You nod, continuing your speech. “Yeah, exactly.” You lean back, picking your hands off of his desk to rest by your side. “That’s how I feel every single day. Or, did. Until I came out.” You take a deep breath, steadying yourself. “I became confident because I was finally comfortable with who I was. I’m sorry if you can’t find that confidence in yourself. But don’t try to steal mine. Don’t make a mockery of my struggles.” You turn, heading toward the door, toward your desk- to anywhere but here. But Michael’s voice stops you before you’re able to leave.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” You turn, looking into his eyes. He seemed genuine, but you knew he didn’t really understand.

“Think about why you are. Then get back to me.”

You pushed your way past Pam, who stood in the doorway with shock and pain written across her face, and ignored Jim’s call of your name as you kept going. You wanted away from these stares, this was not what you meant by loving this damned office. You continued past the breakroom, ignoring your daily cup of tea. You enter into your side of the annexe, seeing Kelly on the phone and hearing a whispered but high-pitched, “What? No! He didn’t?” Before she suddenly looks up, widens her eyes, and quickly says, “Gotta go,” Before slamming the phone down. You sigh and walk around the divider, taking your seat.

Kelly has more social sense than most people in the office, you’ve come to realize. It was why she had applied for customer service- unlike you, who had just taken up an ad from the newspaper. So, she knew better than to try to ask you what happened. She remained quiet on her side of the partition, something that was extremely odd, and it almost felt like you were in your own little world, in your tiny corner. Your desk was pressed against two walls, and the partition blocked the other two sides except for the small gap for your entrance. The partition walls weren’t very high, but sitting down they reached above your head. You felt isolated- something you first loved, then hated, and now feel grateful for once again. It gives you time and privacy to calm down.

After some time, you hear a throat clear nearby, and Kelly’s chair roll as she likely stands to leave. You look up at the top of your divider, waiting for a face to come into view. Luckily, it’s Jim’s face. He smiles softly at you, and you can tell he’s trying to keep the pity from his face, but it's not working very well.

“You didn’t make your tea?” He raises a cup- your favourite cup, no less, that no one else has used since your incident with Dwight- and offers it to you. “I figured I’d make you some. Can’t go a day without your tea, right?” You can tell he was trying, and it warmed something inside of you. Trying for a smile, you reach out to take the cup, taking a sip. It was made perfectly.

“I’m sorry about that,” You begin, sighing and placing the cup aside. “I kinda went a little overboard, didn’t I?”

“Not at all,” Jim rushes to comfort you, circling the divider completely to be inside your little cube. He rests himself against your desk, looking down at you with earnest eyes. “If anyone was overboard, it was Michael.” You just shrug, looking away.

“I mean, what did I expect, really? Everyone in the office has been so good about the whole thing. Ever since I’ve come out, it's been nothing but positivity.” You bite your lip, shrugging. “This office isn’t exactly a positivity-friendly environment.”

“You being trans should have no bearing on your workplace,” Jim insists, leaning forward toward you. “I know the world is fucked, but I want to make sure that at least your world isn’t.” You huff a laugh, shaking your head.

“Oh, c’mon Jim. Don’t be too hard on yourself.” You look up, meeting his eyes with a self-deprecating smile. “It’s not like it's because of you that all of this ended up so easy until now.” Jim’s eyes widen slightly, then wander away as he wiggles his head and bites his lip. You wait for him to agree, then narrow your eyes. “You… Didn’t tell everyone to be nice to me, did you?”

“Well,” He begins, drawing out the word and wincing. “I didn’t quite do that. But I did explain that they shouldn’t act any different, what jokes they shouldn’t make about it, and to look something up before asking any questions. If they couldn’t find the answer online, then they could ask me, and then I would allow them to ask you.” You blink a few times, tilting your head.

“But no one ever asked me anything?” He nodded along, sucking his lips inside his mouth before popping them, sighing.

“Yep.”

“Did they have questions?”

“Oh,” Jim scoffs, laughing. “So many.” He places his hands between his knees, palms together. You couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“Like what?” You feel curious but also dread at the prospect.

“Oh, y’know,” Jim shrugs, moving to mess with some pens on your desk idly, not meeting your eyes. “Just the usual dumbest shit on the planet. I told them all they were absolutely not allowed to ask you, of course, and had to explain why sometimes.” You nodded along, huffing out another laugh.

“I suddenly don’t want to know.”

“Oh, no, you really don’t.” You laugh softly along with him, feeling your chest bloom open, your crush developing further. For the second time today, you were moving before realizing you decided to. You stood, then reached forward and pulled Jim into a hug. He had straightened when he noticed you standing, then stood stiff as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders. You hesitated, about to pull away when Jim moved quickly, wrapping you in his arms and pulling you in tighter. You relaxed once more, laying your head against his chest and closing your eyes.

“Thank you, Jim,” You whisper, turning your nose to brush against his dress shirt. He smelled clean, with a hint of cologne that you couldn’t place. His arms were warm and strong- comforting in a way that you hadn’t felt in so long. He moved one of them up, cupping the back of your head as he straightened up more, pulling you in closer.

“It’s nothing,” Jim stutters out, and you can hear his heart beating under your ear. “Someone’s gotta make sure these folks don’t chase you away.” You laugh, leaning back to look him in the eye. He seems sincere, solemn, as he adds, “I think I would be devastated if you quit.” You chuckle once more, shaking your head as you pull away.

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“No,” Jim lowers his head, trying to catch your eye once again. “I’m completely serious. You are probably the only reason I still show up.” He laughs, shaking his head. “I mean, I’m this old and stuck in this job?” You laugh along, shaking your head.

“You make good money here, Halpert, don’t deny it.” You feel slightly upset you had pulled away from the hug so soon, but you had to look at him after he said that. You had to see if he was serious- Jim is hardly ever serious, always joking around. It was part of the reason your crush developed so fast, and also why it’d always remain a secret. He was so funny, making you laugh constantly. But he was also a bit of a jokester, and you didn’t know if he had a serious bone in his body. Today was showing he certainly did.

You weren’t sure if you’d be able to handle it.

You both spend some more time chatting, and his presence is a balm that soothes your panicked heart. He tries his best to make you laugh- which you do, often- and you finish your morning cup of tea in the meantime. You were sure you could’ve talked to him forever if only your phone hadn’t rung. You shrug with helplessness, reminded that you’re technically at work and still have a job to do. You reach to pick up your phone, apologizing to Jim who waves you off. You watch him walk away as you answer the phone, “Dunder Mifflin paper company, customer service representative speaking.”

It ended up being a quick call, with someone complaining that their shipment was late. You only had to find their account to let them know that the delivery was scheduled for today and the time. Once you placed the phone back in its slot, you raised your cup to your mouth before remembering it was empty. ‘Eh, might as well,’ You think to yourself, pushing to stand and make your way to the breakroom. Kelly is back at her desk as you circle around, and you make sure to say a soft greeting to her to make up for your earlier rudeness. She says a polite and short greeting back with a gentle face, still conscious of your rough morning.

You’re about to pull the door to the breakroom open when you notice the back of Jim standing at the counter. He was hefting a freshly brewed pot of coffee, and you couldn’t help but stand there and watch his arm flex as he hefted it with no problem. You didn’t see the other door open, but suddenly Kevin was walking directly into Jim’s space.

“I have another question.” Jim sighs visibly, shaking his head.

“Haven’t I told you enough-”

“No, this is a different question, Jim!” Kevin seems adamant, and after Jim puts the coffee pot away he takes a side step to regain some personal space. “And you said yesterday there’s a limit of stupid questions I’m allowed to ask a day so I couldn’t ask yesterday!”

“You have until I finish making my coffee.” You’ve never seen Jim quite so indifferent and snappy before, raising your curiosity. For some reason, you still stood there, barely peeking through the window of the door, still holding your empty cup.

“Ok, so if he still wanted breasts-”

“Nope.” Jim was already shaking his head, stirring sugar into his coffee.

“Alright fine, but also. Can he sow a penis-”

“Nope.” Kevin huffs in frustration, flapping his arms for a split second.

“Why do you keep saying no to all of my questions?” Jim finishes stirring his coffee, placing the spoon in the sink and turning to look directly at Kevin finally.

“Because all of these questions are way too personal.”

“How are they personal?” You tilt your head, furrowing your brow. How would they not be personal? Jim seems frustrated, running his free hand through his hair.

“You can’t just ask someone about their breasts or genitals, Kevin. You wouldn’t want anyone asking about your dick.”

“Actually, it’s kinda itchy-”

“Nope!” Jim pushes away from the bar, leaving immediately. You’re stuck between sympathy for both of them. You don’t think Kevin actually knows any better at this point, but you also just felt too awkward to even try to come up with an answer to those questions. However, were these the types of things that Jim had to put up with daily just to vet the office for you? Why would he put himself through all of that?

“He’s really trying, you know?” You startle from your thoughts, turning to look at Kelly still sitting in her rolling chair. You tilt your head in confusion, but also shifted on your feet, hoping to play off the fact that you’d been standing there this whole time.

“Who?” Kelly just gives you a look you can’t quite decipher, continuing.

“Jim, obviously.” She sighs, pushing herself away from her desk and standing. “He’s even asked me for help on occasion. Little things here and there, but he recruits the allies where he can find them.” You purse your lips, leaning back against the wall next to the door, crossing your arms while holding your cup upright still.

“Asked you for help? Doing what? Who else has he asked?”

“I knew you’d figure it out at some point, I just didn’t think it’d be when someone slipped through his fingers. Though, Michael is pretty unpredictable like that.” She shrugs with a smile like she’s trying to hold back a laugh. “His main ask for me was just to intercept anyone trying to bother you- most likely to ask the dumb questions. I just had to send them right back through the breakroom over to Jim’s desk.”

“Did that happen often?” She shrugs again, wiggling her head.

“Not often, but a few times. Mainly Kevin, he has a lot of questions.” You nod, glancing briefly toward the breakroom’s door before resting your eyes on her once more. You study her posture, then try to make a guess.

“The other was Mr Dellicker, wasn’t it?” She winces but nods nonetheless.

“He was a real ass.” She sighs dramatically, moving to lean against the wall next to you and bunching up one of the random, typical office posters that hang around throughout the floor. “He was Dwight’s client, actually. The moment Dwight heard him be even a small bit transphobic, he hung up the phone. This, of course, caught Jim’s attention. I mean, have you ever known Dwight to drop a client? Like, ever?” You shake your head in agreement, and she nods with you. “Yeah, right? Anyway, Jim asks, Dwight answered. To Dwight, that was the end of the entire thing. To Jim, however,” Her smile begins growing as she leans closer to you, “Well, he knew that Mr Dellicker would call back to complain. And who would be picking up the phone?”

“Customer service,” You mumble, absorbed into her story.

“Exactly!” She giggles now, unable to hold it back. “It was adorable, really, the way he begged me to make sure I took his call. He actually asked me to call the man first, but I told Jim I wouldn’t go out of my way just to aggravate someone who, as far as we knew, wouldn’t be calling back after such a rude hang-up. But he wouldn’t let up, so I agreed to keep an ear out.” She huffs now, widening her eyes with a far-off look. “Good thing I did, too. He was such an ass.”

“Thank you,” You say softly, bringing her back to the present. She tries to brush it off but you just shake your head, placing a hand on her arm. “No, not just for Mr Dellicker. For agreeing to help out at any point, just for me. For not making a big deal about my whole coming out, for never treating me any different or- just-” You hesitate, shaking your head. “Just everything, Kelly. You’re an amazing coworker.” You watch her eyes begin to water, and she lets out a wet laugh.

“Wow,” She raises her hands, wiping the corners of her eyes. “You’re going to make my makeup run.” She pushes up from the wall, circling you and entering into the breakroom, heading straight for the girls’ bathroom. You widen your eyes at this reaction, unsure, but take a deep breath and enter into the breakroom yourself. You still had some tea to brew.

You didn’t mean to idle, standing near the exit of the breakroom toward the annexe, but stuck in place watching Jim lean against Pam’s desk through the door’s window on the other side of the room. They were talking back and forth- a lot of laughing involved- and you couldn’t quite place the feelings whirling in your chest. It felt similar to jealousy, but you knew that wasn’t it. Envy? That perhaps she was his type, and not you after your transition? Insecurity?

You startle as Jim suddenly meets your eyes, watching him straighten up quickly. You try to act nonchalant, moving out of his line of sight to grab your lunch from the fridge, and sitting at the break room table. You’d finished your second cup of tea hours ago, and you were a tad overdue for your lunch break considering you had a whole host of emails that you usually respond to in the morning, but had to answer during your second cup of tea since you’d been just a tad distracted that morning. You bite your lip as the events from that morning fly through your mind, a whole host of emotions attached to them.

The door across the room opens, stopping your train of thought in its tracks. Jim walks in with a smile, moving toward the fridge. “Hey,” He greets you, scanning you with his eyes while you just sat there, slowly removing your lunch from its brown paper bag. “Was starting to worry you’d forgo lunch.” You laugh, then proceed to explain your lateness. As he sets his own lunch on the table, you begin to wonder if he waited for you. Then your eyes flicker back toward the door you’d been staring at him through.

“So, how’s Pam?” Jim seems a bit taken off guard at the question, turning to look at the door himself before looking back to you. He shrugs, taking his own lunch out of his lunch box.

“Uh, good, I guess?” He raises his sandwich, ready to take a bite before hesitating and adding on, “She’s excited to hear about that one show you mentioned this morning.” You nod along, watching as he begins to eat his sandwich. You take your own small bite, looking toward the door again.

“She’s cute, isn’t she?” Jim’s eyebrows furrow immediately, and you watch him swallow. He seems to be planning his actions in his head before he performs them, placing his sandwich down.

“What?” He looks around the room aimlessly, wiggling his head. “I mean, yeah of course. She’s cute.”

“You two get along really well.” At this he chuckles, shrugging.

“We’ve worked together for a long time.” You both fall silent, taking more bites of your food. Jim breaks the silence with a resounding, “I’d probably have developed a crush on her by now if I wasn’t gay.”

Gay.

You end up lightly choking on your bite from surprise, playing it off with a cough and a sip of your water bottle. You can see Jim staring down at his sandwich at the table, taking a deep breath. “So, I can see why someone would develop a crush on her. If he was straight.” He glances briefly up at you, then back down to his sandwich. You tried your damndest to keep the look of shock from your face, that it takes an extra minute before you understand what he’s not saying. Did he think you were asking because you had a crush on Pam? You take another sip of water, letting your eyes wander away from him.

“Yeah, same.” Out of the corner of your eye, Jim glances up at you quickly, a look of concentration on his face that indicates his thoughts roaming a million miles an hour. You shrug for show, moving your own food closer so you can take a bite once you finish speaking. “I’d probably have developed a crush as well if I was straight.”

You only recognized the signs of Jim choking since you’d just gone through the same thing, as the man turns to cough into his arm as if to play it off. At least the poor man hadn’t been chewing food like you were. By the time Jim finished drinking from his own bottle, and moved to lean forward and say something, he was interrupted by the door opening and someone entering inside. He leans back, looking self-conscious, and you feel such a deep curiosity about what he was going to say that it burns in your chest. You don’t even register who walked in until she was taking a seat right next to you.

“I don’t know how you can stand it, Jim,” Kelly begins softly, and you look at her with confusion. Kelly never talks softly? “Working right next to the receptionist's desk all day. How do you get any work done?” Jim’s eyes flicker between you and Kelly, clearing his throat.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she’s so hot!” You and Jim meet eyes suddenly, listening to her continue to talk in a soft voice. No wonder, considering she was essentially coming out to the both of you. “When I first started and had to work over in that area, I was getting nothing done. Toby had to ask me what was wrong, and I sorta kinda told the truth that I was extremely distracted. He moved me to the annexe-” She pauses here, resting a hand on your arm with a sympathetic expression, “Sorry, Y/N, that’s why you’re confined back here as well.” You shake your head quickly, rushing in.

“No, it’s fine. I like it back here.”

“You do?” Jim asks with a smirk, and you give him a look essentially saying ‘Shut the fuck up Halpert I’m trying to console her.’ He just laughs noiselessly, his chest shaking as he moves to take another gigantic bite of his sandwich.

“Anyway, it’s so distracting. I had to go get something copied and I stood there an extra five minutes trying not to stare too directly at her. Oscar literally had to nudge me and remind me what I was doing!” She groans, letting her head fall onto the table. “So embarrassing.”

“Oscar knows?” You ask gently, unsure whether she actually realized she told you both. She lifts her head with a sigh, seemingly unfazed.

“Well, yeah. Oscar knows about everyone.” You hear Jim scoff softly, mumbling quietly under his breath.

“Not everyone.” This only causes Kelly to raise an eyebrow at Jim, smirking with humour.

“Oh, he knows about everyone, Jim.” His head was quick as it whipped toward Kelly, leaning in.

“Wait, what?”

“I mean,” She shrugs, glancing toward you briefly before meeting his eyes again. “You’re kinda obvious, Jim.” You can see his eyes widen, but you only feel confusion.

“Wait, how many people are gay in this office?” Kelly only shrugs, refusing to meet your eyes.

“Not my place to say.” You nodded along, obviously that being true. You meet Jim’s eyes once again, and you can see red peppering his cheeks.

“I’m sure it’s fine, Jim.” He nods as if agreeing, flicking his eyes between you and the rest of his sandwich throughout the rest of lunch. Kelly takes the initiative in the ensuing silence, talking about everything yet nothing at the same time. Just as you and Jim are both cleaning up to get back to work, Kelly sighs loudly with an eyeroll before looking toward you and plastering on a smile. The look only made you feel wary.

“So, Y/N, what are your plans for after work?” You swallow roughly, glancing at a wide-eyed Jim, then back to her.

“Uh, nothing really?”

“Oh,” She draws out, reaching forward and placing a flirty hand on your arm. “So you’re free tonight? Want to go out for drinks?” You stutter, pulling away from her arm, your head already shaking as you try to come up with an excuse. ‘Didn’t she just say that she found Pam attractive? What the hell is going on?’

“Uh, Kelly-” Jim tries to intercept, but she pulls away as if nothing happened, shrugging.

“I just meant with the lot of us. Jim will be there too, won’t you Jim?” She looks directly at him, raising her eyebrows as if she was expecting something from him. You look between the two as an awkward silence settles before Jim startles, trying (and failing) for a normal smile.

“Oh! Those drinks!” Jim laughs awkwardly, looking back and meeting your eyes. “Yeah, we’re all going out for happy hour at Poor Richard’s Pub, you should join us!” You relax slightly as Jim was the one offering, no matter how weird this entire interaction ended up being.

“Oh, uh,” You hesitate, still slightly wary. There’s obviously something you’re missing here. “I mean, sure. I have nothing else to do. Who all will be there?”

“Just a couple people from the office,” Kelly quickly answers, standing and moving to throw her own trash away. She turns to look at both you and Jim, still sitting in your chairs. “Well, c’mon! We have work to do, people!”

“I know why I’m sorry now.” You startle at your desk, turning to look directly at Michael Scott with wide eyes. You hadn’t even heard him approach. He circles around your desk, motioning for you to stop your work as he leans against your desk- an unknowing imitation of Jim that morning. “If you’re willing to listen?”

You can feel yourself swallow roughly, the beginnings of a familiar panic starting in your chest. You’re unsure what to say, so you just nod. He nods as well, taking a deep breath before continuing. “At first, I had no clue what you meant. I knew I was sorry, and I knew it was because I had hurt you.” He looks into your eyes, regret deep within his own. “But that wasn’t enough for you. So I started thinking.” He chuckles softly, leaning back on his hands and letting his own gaze roam the walls behind your desk. “And when that didn’t work, I remembered something Pam said when she tried to play along with my- well, yeah. A certain word I didn’t recognize. Dysphoric.”

You feel yourself tense, suddenly remembering the tightness around your chest where the binder lays under your clothes. You can feel the tie around your neck like it was trying to choke you. Michael, unaware of your inner struggles, continues on. “That search was enlightening- it was like everything you had expressed to me. And everything I had felt, trying on those clothes.” He hunches inward, his expression becoming stormy. “I felt so wrong wearing that skirt. And you were right- I had tried a blouse on. I bought one at the store that fit and even brought it home, but it just felt so weird when I tried to walk out of the door with it on. So I switched to my normal shirt.

“Then I was sitting in the parking lot, and I knew that the moment I placed my foot out of my car, everyone would see the skirt. I was-” He laughs humourlessly, shaking his head. “I was terrified. I tried to ignore it- like it was just stage fright, something I had to talk myself into.” You began to nod, intrigued by his story. “I don’t know how I convinced myself to get out of the car- I guess something along the lines of, ‘Well, I’m the boss. The ship will sink without me in there.’” He takes a deep breath, patting his legs loudly. “Anyway, I was jealous.” He shrugs, looking at you with wet eyes. Was he really getting emotional over this? “I mean, you did kinda steal my birthday away from me.”

Memories of that night flash quickly through your head. You’d come out during a party- a party you didn’t know the purpose of. That pink quinceañera cake… You didn’t get to taste it, but they could’ve gotten it because it was his favourite flavour? You hadn’t even seen Michael there. Was he trying for a grand entrance? Memories from this morning flash through your mind’s eye, Michael yelling at Pam, ‘He stole my thunder! My thunder, Pam!’

“It wasn’t planned, Michael,” You try to assuage, wincing despite yourself. “I’m sorry, though.” Your apology causes Michael to blow a sigh out roughly, then laugh and slap his thighs again.

“Wow! I didn’t know how much I needed to hear that.” You’re both silent- you studying Michael’s face, and Michael looking anywhere but at you. Then you start laughing.

“Michael,” You try to talk through your laughter, but you just shake your head and try to get it under control. You wouldn’t want him to think you were making fun of him- you only found him ridiculous- so you try your best to calm down. “Michael. You were upset that I ‘stole your thunder’ on your birthday, so your response was to… Pretend to be a girl? Instead of, oh I don’t know,” You try to hold back your laughter again, choking lightly on your words, “Throwing another party?” Michael seems to take a moment to absorb this- then begins to laugh alongside you.

“Well, that would’ve only been easy, Y/N. When have you known me to do things the easy way?” You both laughed again, and you began to shake your head.

“Never.” When your laughter finally dies down, you meet his eyes once again. Staring at each other, it's like you both finally understood. You thought he was just ignorant, but you had been missing out on important information as well. He began to nod, glancing over his shoulder toward the nearby wall clock.

“Well, looks like I kept you long enough. Time to clock on out!” He jumps up, shooting finger guns before backing up. He trips over the edge of the divider, tries to play it off, and then groans loudly when he sees Toby walking by. “God, every time!”

You chuckle to yourself, then begin the process of shutting down your computer and packing up. Kelly skirts around the divider quickly once the door closes behind Michael, leaning into your space. “Let me drive you.” You hesitate, widening your eyes.

“I’m sorry?”

“To the pub! Let me drive you!” You laugh nervously, beginning to shake your head.

“Oh, uh, no. I have my own car, but thank you-”

“If you drink, you won’t be able to drive home.” She counters, raising her eyebrows at you. You laugh again, shaking your head.

“Well, if we’re all drinking, wouldn’t you drink too?” She shakes her head immediately, crossing her arms.

“I don’t drink at all.” You still feel hesitant, and it must show on your face as she sighs and then leans in. “I’ll tell you Jim’s whole deal.” This catches you, looking back at her to study her.

“What do you mean…?”

“I’ll tell you if you let me drive you!” You huff a laugh, smiling despite yourself. “Yeah, alright. But if I don’t drink, you gotta’ take me back here so I can drive myself home.”

“Deal! And if you do, then I’ll drive you home and pick you up for work tomorrow morning!” You laugh again, shaking your head as you pick your briefcase up, finished with closing down your desk for the day.

“You seem excited about this.”

“Absolutely! I’ve been waiting forever!”

You were still unsure what she meant but followed along with the hyperactive girl as she burst through both of the doors to the breakroom. You watch Jim straighten where he had been leaning against Pam’s receptionist's desk, and smile toward you as you made your way to the exit.

“You know,” Jim starts, huffing a soft laugh and smiling in a way that took your breath away, “I was thinking.”

“Oh,” You draw out, smiling despite yourself, “Dangerous territory there, Halpert.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jim begins, laughing again. He takes a discreet look around before reaching forward to almost take your hand, his fingers tangling with your own but not quite grasping. “I was hoping that maybe I could drive you down to the pub? I know you have your own car and all, but I just want to make sure you’re safe with getting home, y’know?” Your face falls just as you hear Kelly’s voice behind you.

“Oh, don’t worry Jim! He has a ride already.” Jim looks toward Kelly over your shoulder, then back to you with wide eyes, pulling his hand away.

“Already?” Jim looks back to Kelly, confusion clear across his face.

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a twist, Jim!” You feel her small hand wrap around your bicep, pulling you toward the door. “We’ll meet you there!”

You take one last look at Jim through the glass doors as Kelly drags you along to the elevator. You hesitate, mind trying to catch up, before you finally clear your throat and look at her. “No offence here, Kelly, but I honestly think I would’ve preferred riding with Jim?”

“You’ll have the rest of your life to ride with Jim. Just let me tell you what I need to tell you without the risk of Jim hearing us.” You both step onto the elevator, as Kelly begins mashing the button for the lobby.

“Uh,” Your mind is stuck, repeating ‘rest of your life’ and ‘Jim’ over and over. “This feels… Is this nefarious?”

“‘Nefarious,’” Kelly mocks, pulling you once the doors open again. “You say the oddest things sometimes.” You didn’t know which car was hers, but considering she was dragging you along, you didn’t have to guess. She pulls your briefcase from your hands, finally letting go of you, and you just stand in place. She throws your suitcase and her purse into the backseat, then opens the driver's door with a look up at you. “Well, get in!”

It was quiet for a long portion of the drive. You didn’t know what to ask, or how to even broach the subject. Did it seem too eager, to ride along with her just because she promised to tell you about Jim? And what was she even talking about- how would Kelly know more about Jim than you? True, you both hadn’t been friends for very long just yet, but you didn’t know Kelly and Jim were friends?

“So, it started when you started transitioning,” Kelly said, bursting you from your whirlwind of questions. “We all got pretty curious. I was the one who had the theory you were trans first.” She winces, looking over to you. “Sorry. I didn’t know at the time how true I was. I honestly didn’t even know if you knew about it, but- well, obviously you did.” You tilt your head, brow furrowing.

“You all were talking about me before we were friends?”

“Well, you know how the office is. You were changing, and people were noticing. Especially Pam and Jim. Pam, who is such a sweetheart and just wants everyone to be comfortable. She had a feeling you were never quite comfortable at the office but didn’t know how to help. Jim found you hot, which was throwing him for a loop considering he is gay, and normally not attracted to-” She hesitates, tilting her head. “Well, we did think you were a girl at the time.”

You nod along, unoffended. “Right, but-” You scoff, shaking your head, “I don’t know if I believe this story now. I mean, Jim? Finding me-” You almost say the word, then scoff softly and look down to your lap. “Attractive?”

“Well, you are hot,” Kelly confirms, and you look up quickly at her. You aren’t sure what expression is on your face, but Kelly just laughs. “What? Don’t look at me like that! You were hot when we all thought that you were a girl, and you’re even hotter now that we know you’re a boy!” You laugh in disbelief, shaking your head. Kelly continues on, pushing through your awkwardness. “I mean, c’mon! Confidence is sexy as hell.”

You look away, feeling a blush rise to your cheeks as you remember Jim saying something similar. “Sure, but-” Kelly interrupts you, continuing with her story.

“So once you finally came out, Jim had his own little freak-out because it wasn’t just a theory anymore. It is true, you are a dude, and Jim didn’t know if he could handle you getting hotter and hotter every day.” You flashback to another scene in your head, Jim saying something similar to Pam and you laughing, accusing him of finding Dwight attractive. Was he talking about you at that time? Kelly’s voice brings you back.

“Anyway, I finally told him that he needed to get his act together and ask you out already, or I’d do it first. Either ask you out for myself or for him, but either way. I don’t know if I could stand any more of him spewing about you, I mean- all I heard was Y/N this, or Y/N that, or ‘Wow he’s wearing the tie I gifted him!’ I mean, that man can talk.” You hold back a laugh, shaking your head. The one and only Kelly Kapoor, complaining about someone talking too much. That’d be hilarious to tell Jim- if you ever got the nerve together to tell him about this little conversation.

“Ok,” You huff out, shaking your head, “You’re asking me to believe that Jim not only finds me attractive but wants to date me?”

“Well, that’s where we’re going now! So you better believe it.”

“Going now- but you’re here? The office will be there, how would it be a date?”

“It’s going to be a date,” Kelly starts slowly, looking at you with a grin, “Because it’s not an office hangout. I’m going to drop you off and leave, and then Jim can take you home. I only did this to get you both together outside of work, you’ll be all alone with him.” She huffs, squeezing the steering wheel around her hands. “And I’m telling you all of this before the date because I don’t trust Jim to admit anything to you without pushing him for it. If I’m not there to pressure him, then-”

“Woah woah woah,” You interrupt, shaking your head quickly. “I’m not about to pressure my best friend for- for some wild hope that he might feel the same. And I-” You can feel the panic again, pulling at the seatbelt around your torso. “I don’t know if I can do this, I didn’t know it would be just us, I mean-”

“Calm down, it’ll be fine. It’s just Jim, remember?” ‘It’s just Jim,’ You repeat to yourself as Kelly turns the car into the pub’s parking lot. You take a few deep breaths, nodding your head. ‘Yeah, I can do this. It’s just Jim, just normal ole Jim.’ Kelly backs her car into a space, waiting for Jim’s to arrive. It doesn’t take long to notice Jim’s car pulling in, parking in one of the front parking spaces, directly in your line of sight. You take another deep breath, nodding.

“I can do this,” You whisper, and Kelly reaches over to squeeze your arm. That’s when you watch two of the car doors open, Jim and Pam stepping out to take a look around. You hear a squeak beside you, Kelly’s hand tightening on your arm. You look over with concern, watching panic written across her face.

“Oh, Jim, you bitch,” Kelly whispers, shaking her head.

“This wasn’t part of the plan, was it?”

“Absolutely not,” Kelly whispers, then moves to get out of the car alongside you. You both approach the other two, smiles on your faces. They finally notice you, and it’s almost like you and Jim have locked eyes and thrown away the key. You’re unsure what’s really happening between the two girls, not registering the words exchanged. You walk a little closer to Jim, smiling up at him.

“Hey,” You whisper, and his smile widens, reaching his hand out in an imitation of earlier, tangling your fingers together.

“Hey.” He glances over to the other two girls, wincing and looking back to you. “I wasn’t sure- is it okay that I brought Pam?”

“Apparently,” You whisper, leaning closer and glancing briefly at Kelly to make sure she’s sufficiently distracted, “That wasn’t part of the plan. She told me she was throwing me out of the car and driving off.” You note the blush lighting up Kelly’s cheeks as she talks with Pam, before turning your attention back to Jim. You hadn’t realized you leaned in this close- or did he lean in as well? His face was next to yours, close enough to share a kiss.

“Shall we head inside? Guys?” You both jump apart, and you look guiltily over to Pam, who spoke. She only smiled in response, throwing a thumb over her shoulder. “We could grab a booth?”

The night was going well. It didn’t really feel like a date like Kelly had hoped it to be, but instead a nice get-together of a couple friends. You all laughed constantly, telling stories and jokes from the office, while also sharing your own life’s stories. No one really talked about their own life outside of the office while they were working, so it was a refreshing twist on things. You felt drawn even closer to the lot of them- Jim, especially, as he couldn’t seem to drag his eyes away from you for too long. You weren’t sure, but you thought it was Jim’s leg under the table pressing against your own. You hoped so, anyway.

“But, yeah, Toby is so weird! You guys don’t get that vibe?” Pam continues, giggling as she sips her mixed drink. Jim and Kelly were the only two keeping away from the alcohol, but you had ordered your favourite mixed drink and had slowly been sipping on it. You knew you weren’t drunk yet, but you were pleasantly tipsy.

“No?” You hesitated, trying to think back over the times you’ve interacted with him. It was more often than most since you worked in the annexe, but he always seemed like a nice, if tired, man.

“It’s cause he has a crush on you,” Kelly nods, laughing alongside Jim. Pam blushes, shaking her head quickly.

“Oh, no, of course not.”

“Well, Kelly would know,” Jim points out with a grin, raising his glass to his mouth and taking a large gulp. You watch confusion rush across Pam’s face, while Kelly’s turns a bright shade of red. She mouthed his name behind her cup, giving him a stern look.

“What does he mean by that?” She asks, looking between you and Kelly, then back at Jim. “What do you mean?”

“Oh,” You begin, laughing under your breath. “Just that Kelly has a lot of experience talking with Toby. He was the one who moved her into the annexe, after all. It almost seems like they have a lot in common?” You end it with a question, trying your best to be vague. Jim almost spits out his drink with his laugh, turning to cough into the crook of his arm.

You hear Pam question, “Yeah, why were you moved into the annexe?” Right as Kelly mumbled from beside you, “Not that much in common. Like one thing.” You and Jim meet eyes, trying to keep the humour from your faces.

The rest of the night passed in much the same way. You still were unsure about the whole ‘Jim liking you’ bit but found yourself pleasantly hopeful. And it seemed like- if that was true- maybe Jim was trying to get back at Kelly by teasing her about liking Pam. You began to wonder if that was his plan all along, showing up with Pam randomly. Honestly, whether this was a double date or just a hang-out with friends, you found yourself enjoying the time immensely. But the night was wearing thin, and all four of you had work in the morning.

As you and Pam were helping each other out of the booths, making sure she hadn’t forgotten her purse, Jim and Kelly had run off to pay the bill. You glanced over at Jim- probably with a longing look since you can’t exactly help it, being slightly inebriated- and watched him lean in close to Kelly as they began whispering back and forth.

“He’s a good guy, y’know.” You look back over to Pam, eyes widening. “I don’t know you well enough yet to know your thoughts on him, but he is a good guy. And he deserves the world.” You chuckle softly, nodding.

“Yeah,” You say breathlessly, looking back over to him. He glanced up at the same time, and you can’t help the smile crossing your face. “I think so too.”

“Then tell him,” Pam insists, and you look back down to her. “He deserves to know that. He thinks he’s not worth your time, apparently.”

“That’s ridiculous-”

“What’s ridiculous?” Jim asks as the other two rejoin you and Pam. Pam smiles brightly leaning over to take Kelly’s arm.

“That you have to drive all the way across town just to drop me off, Jim!”

“Actually, we were just talking about that,” Kelly mumbles, and you smile watching her attempt to hold eye contact with Pam unsuccessfully. “If it’s okay with you, then maybe I could take you home? And Jim can take Y/N.”

“Yes!” Pam practically yells out, and you chuckle softly. You look over toward Jim, seeing him already looking your way.

“If that’s alright with you?” He whispers, and you nod immediately.

“Of course it is, Jim.”

“Good,” Jim says, releasing a breath as if with relief.

“Good,” You parrot, reaching forward boldly to take his hand. “Lead on, then.”

Once you and Jim make it to his car, you both wait before getting in to make sure Pam and Kelly are in their car safe and buckled. Once Kelly begins pulling out, Jim turns to you and leans in closer. “I had a fantastic time today.” You laugh, nodding along, leaning against his car and gravitating toward him.

“I did too. ‘Was surprised that Pam showed up, though.”

“Well, Kelly did say it was ‘the office’ going out for drinks. I thought it’d be fine.”

“Well, she didn’t actually mean the office, apparently. She was just trying to get us alone.” You shrug, smirking up at him. His deer-in-headlights look was gone now, for some reason. He seemed bold, leaning closer and taking your hand.

“And if it was? Would that have been fine?” You laugh again, nodding slowly.

“That would’ve been perfect.” His face slowly loses his teasing look, turning serious- but soft.

“Y/N,” Your name is husky in his mouth as he begins leaning closer, and you can smell his cologne in the air. Everything was so much, his smell, his body heat, his honey-brown eyes as he took up your entire vision. “Can I kiss you?”

“Please,” You whisper in return and meet him halfway as your lips crush together. He pulls the hand not holding yours to your face, lightly caressing your cheek throughout the heated kiss, and you grab hold of his hip with your own free hand, pulling him closer. You can feel him moan through the kiss, turning his head to deepen it. This was nothing like you’ve dreamed of- but oh, so much better.

When you two finally part, breathing heavily, he’s pressing you against his car with the length of his body. You both pant as you stare into each other’s eyes, and your grip slowly loosens on his hip. Eventually, he pulls away, clearing his throat with a blush. “Wow,” He whispers, a smile growing as he looks at you bashfully.

“Yeah,” You agree just as quietly, and Jim moves to open the passenger door for you. “Oh, right. Thank you.”

As you sat down in Jim’s car, ready to be driven home, you can’t help but think: ‘Man, I love working for Dunder Mifflin. Even the bad days can turn into the best ones.’

Tag List: @ltnoscara @zombieboyevan @cursedashes

[queenvidal]

The Girl Who Never Cries

Negan x Reader (Rick's Daughter)

(Not my gif - found it on pinterest. If it's urs, contact me for proper credit)

Chapter 5: I Am Negan

Chapter Summary: You have to come face to face with a demon of your past, seducing you to actions you'll most likely regret.

Wordcount: 2314

Notes: I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes or wrong spellings, English isn't my first language. - Part 1 of the The One And Only Series - Takes place during the beginning of season 7.

Chapter Index: Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 (End)

Masterlist / Negan x Rick's Daughter Series

“Home sweet home.” Sasha's joyful voice sounds over the radio. You slowly open your eyes to peer out of the window. A familiar suburb is passing by you. From here it should only be about 20 more minutes until Alexandria comes into view.

With a low grunt you force yourself to sit up right again to stretch yourself. You yawn for a long moment, gaining Daryl's attention. “You awake?”

“Yeah,” you sigh while rubbing your eyes. “You didn’t wake me for the switch.”

“I’m fine”, he explains. “You need the rest more than I.” 

After four hours you two would switch places, so the other can sleep and rest a little. Daryl being Daryl, he put your comfort over his, letting you sleep in on your driving shift. You look into the rearview mirror to see Sasha and Carl in the car behind you. Your brother is sleeping himself, his head resting against the window.

The trip was exhausting, you are all tired beyond belief. But it was worth it. Not only is the back of the truck filled to the brim, you also found medications you needed for the cut and your cold. Both got better within the weeks on the road, though you’re still feeling a little tired and weak.

“Jesus, can’t wait to finally hop under a shower.” you murmur, when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the rear mirror. There is not one inch on your body that is not covered by dried blood, except for the left side of your face, of course. You were pernickety about keeping the cut clean. Your new set of clothing is also completely blood-spotted, even your hair is crusty from all the guts you had been wearing for the last few weeks. Same goes for your friends, we must be a sight to behold, you muster. 

There is no doubt in your mind that you all are reeking, luckily you lost your sense of smell about two days after you arrived, a welcomed side effect from being covered in rotten flesh non-stop.

You pull out a piece of paper from the pockets of your new and already ruined jeans. There are 23 lines drawn on it. One line for every day you guys were outside. The Saviors' last pick up must have been two days ago, meaning you will have enough time to hide all the stuff you guys found, once you’re back in Alexandria. 

“I hope the other team found something in the meantime, we are due over a week,” you speak quietly to Daryl. He just lets out a grunt in return. 

Your father must be driving up the walls by now. You definitely would, if one of the teams would be missing that long. 

Hopefully they found the drugs Negan wanted. It’s been weeks, but you’re still beating yourself up for what you’ve said, he was so pissed. It’s not like it wasn’t true what you’ve said, you’ve just been stating the obvious, but still. 

Negan has a short temper, that's for sure. It’s like walking on eggshells around him and you were stupid enough to step on some. Of course you want to remain on his good side, but oddly enough not only for the obvious reasons. It’s strange but you kind of liked the way he looked at you, almost like he cared. 

“Shit, we’re having guests!” Shasha curses over the radio, tearing you away from your thoughts.

Alarmed, you turn in your seat to look behind you. “No way,” you mutter in disbelief. Saviors. Two trucks are following closely behind Sasha.

“Fuck!” You yell, recounting your lines on the paper. “Did we misscount?” You yell, starting to panic. “Did we fucking misscount?!”

“Not by two days!” Daryl hisses, while his eyes switch between the road ahead and the trucks behind. “Fuckers must have been waiting.”

You let your face fall into your hands in despair, all the work for absolutly fucking nothing. That's what you get for provoking Negan, you think to yourself. 

Finally Alexandria's tall walls come into view, but instead of relief, you feel terror. What if team A didn’t find anything, what if Tara and Aaron came back with nothing, either? Maybe the Saviors waited for you, because Alexandria was fucking empty. Shit, hopefully no one got killed, if that was the case.

The gates open and all of you drive inside. Many swarm out of the houses but stop dead in their tracks, when they see the black trucks behind you. Daryl pulls over and cuts the engine, Sasha follows behind shortly.

Anxiously you jump out of the truck, your hands shaking. Quickly you scan the crowd that had formed at the parking lot, searching for your father but before you can find him, an all too familiar and hated voice catches your attention.

“Well, well, well. Look who kept us waiting for weeks, guys?”

You turn your head, wrinkling your nose. Dwight, that son of a bitch. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Ab? Daryl? Anyone for fuck sake?” You whispered harsly into the radio. 

Everything happened so fast. In one moment, you drove with your Mini between Daryl and Sasha and Abraham, with the walker horde following behind. In the other, you found yourself blocked off by trucks with a large number of assholes shooting at you.

With nowhere to go, you jumped out of your car and took off into the woods. Luckily no bullet hit you on your run. Stormtrooper-aim, you thought, when you hid between large bushes.

Whoever was after you run past you, eventually losing their trail, but you waited patiently, just to be sure they were gone. You don’t know how long you’ve been lying on the ground, not moving a muscle. After what felt like a long while, you got up again and searched for the goddamn road. When you ran, you did not pay attention to the direction you were running. The result was you getting lost.

“Guys, are you there?” You tried again, hoping your friends were still within range.

“Y/N, you okay?” You released a sigh of relief at the sound of Daryl's voice.

“Yeah,” You confirmed, looking around. “But lost, they blocked the road and I ran into the woods. No fucking idea where I went. Are you alright?”

“Where are you?” He dodged your question, he was not alright. “What do you see?”

You scrunched your face for a moment and annoyed you replied, “Trees, Daryl. Trees.”

“Are they scorched by any chance?”

Your frown only intensified, “What? No, what are you talk-”

A shrill squeak tore through your throat, when something pierced through your shoulder blade. Before you could react, a large hand covered your mouth and someone tackled you to the ground.

“Where are they?” The man questioned you with his blood-dropping blade pressed against your throat. “Did he send you?”

You had no idea what he was talking about and you absolutely didn’t care. Despite the agonizing pain in your shoulder, you started struggling and managed to hit him in the face. Stunned by your action, he stilled for a moment, allowing you to fight the knife out of his hand. 

“Fuck off!” You spat, this idiot must have mistaken you for someone else but you didn't intend on finding out what his fucking problem was. He hit you, making you see stars for a long while. You had no time to recover, because he grabbed your neck and squeezed your windpipe.

The lack of oxygen made you panic and you clawed on his arms and face but it was in all vain, the guy was determined to kill you and too strong for you to fend off, especially with your useless shoulder. After long and tormenting moments, the world around you went dark and your body finally limp.

You must have laid on the ground for at least a day, until Daryl found you. He was injured himself and after you regained consciousness and got your bearings, he told you about the same guy you've met. He attacked Daryl as well but he let him live as a bargaining chip, if he and the women he was with got caught. 

Weeks after the incident, you, Daryl, Rosita and Denise went on a run. Everything went pretty well until it didn’t. Denise felt the need to prove herself and just barely survived facing a walker.

After Rosita washed her head for being so careless, Denise broke into a big speech. She was sick and tired of being helpless and useless and confessed she aspired to be as brave and strong as Daryl, as capable and confident as Rosita and as ungodly stubborn and selfless as you were. 

You couldn't help but feel sorry, because you had no idea she felt that way. The two of you worked together in the infirmary but never talked about that. Sadly you never would get a chance to do so, because all of the sudden she stuttered and you noticed an arrow sticking out of her eye. She fell forward and you tried to catch her. When you laid her on the ground carefully, you noticed several men approaching.

“Fuck me, I’m seeing a ghost.”

The familiar voice made your head snap up. While one side of his face was havely scared, you still recognized him as the one who almost murdered you in the woods. Slowly you stood up again, your eyes not leaving his.

Eugene was held captive by him, used as a meatshild. The man, Dwight, you later learned, shifted his attention to Daryl. He ordered his men to disarm you, while talking to Daryl. “Well, here we are. Guess you just have to take my word for this but the girl there, I wasn’t actually aiming at her.”

While you tried to stay focused on whatever Dwight was saying, you noticed Ab behind a bunch of barrels. You two exchanged glances, plotting an ambush without words. Eugene noticed as well and kept his eyes trained on you for your signal.

“What's your name, didn’t really catch it last time we’ve met?” Dwight asked you.

You narrowed your eyes at him before hissing, "Next time make sure I'm fucking dead! NOW!" Ab started shooting and before Dwight could have reacted, Eugene bit him in the junk. In the resulting chaos, you and the others grabbed your weapons and started firing as well.

With most of his men dead, Dwight ordered the remaining ones to retreat. He and his men took off, with you and Dayl chasing after them. You launched one of your knives at him, but missed Dwight’s head by only one or two inches. He was lucky that Eugene was injured in the fight, if not for Rossita calling you back, you would have hunted him down until either one of you were dead.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You feel your blood boiling and the speed of your heart beat increasing  by the sight of that asshole. Daryl appears close behind you, rediating the same rage. Dwight smiles brightly at you two, enjoying the power he now has. 

“Jesus, you two look like shit.” He jokes, while eying you up and down. “You made us wait quite some time, let’s hope it was worth it.” 

While you still stand behind your no-killing sentiment, Dwight is the only exception. You will kill him, even if it would kill you, too.

“Don’t,” Daryl whispers in your ear, carefully grabbing your wrist. You have been so focused on Dwight that you didn’t even notice one of your throwing knives resting in your hand.

He orders his men to take a look at your truck and the loaded goods. “Hey, Darly, Y/N? How about you lazy shits help my men unload the truck?”

But neither of you moves. Dwight huffs at your display of disobedience. With large strides he comes closer towards you, stopping right in front of your face. “I’ve just given you a goddamn order.”

You sneer at him, “I don’t take orders from you, only from Negan.”

“I am Negan.” He states defensively.

“You wish.” You whisper with a grin on your face. “You’re no one.”

His face is morphing into a dark grimace and he grabs you by your jacket to push you against your truck. With his knife against your throat, he grunts. “Maybe I should teach you some respect!”

It’s deafeningly quiet in the town and the tension in the air is high. 

His eyes are glaring into yours but despite the rather dire situation, you can’t stop a smile from growing on your face. Confusion flickers over his eyes and then you start to giggle and finally to laugh. 

Everyone, Alexandrians and Saviors alike, watch the scene unfold in shock, while your laughter's roaring over the place. Once you have to take a breath again, you crook an eyebrow at Dwight, “I’ve been walking among the dead for weeks, do you really think you can frighten me?”

The man is just looking at you with wide eyes, his grip on you slightly weaker now. 

“Okay, that's enough.” Simon interrupts the silence. “Dwight, my friend. Leave her alone, will ya?”

He does as he’s been told, finally releasing you. You keep grinning at him until he turns on his heels. While mumbling something you don’t catch, he pushes past the crowd and Simon, who is making his way towards you.

“A well-intentioned advice, Y/N,” Simon addresses you quietly. “Don’t push your luck.”

Daryl reaches for your hand and starts tugging. “C’mon,” He urges you to get moving. “Let’s go home.”

Even though it’s not necessary, you let him guide you from the parking lot and through the still in shock staring crowd. This will definitely have repercussions but you just can’t stop smiling. You’ve just humiliated Dwight in front of his own men and words can not describe the satisfaction.

Chapter Index: Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 (End)

Masterlist / Negan x Rick's Daughter Series

[mlmxreader]

Tell Me All About It | Dewey Riley x gn!reader

anonymous asked: Hi! I hope you’re doing well! I was wondering if I could request “You’re an idiot… and I’ve always loved that” with Dewey Riley? Maybe with like the reader confesses their feeling to him after being so obvious about them and Dewey never noticed it? I hope you have a good day/night! ^^

summary: it's not easy to try and drop hints about how you feel when Dewey doesn't pick up a single one.

tws: none

support your fanfic writers by reblogging what you read & enjoy

Snuggled down on the sofa, you and Dewey were quite content as you watched a horror film about an urban legend that said that after watching a video tape, the viewer would die; he was pressed into your side, just shy of pressing his face against the side of your neck as he whimpered and flinched at the film.

It made you smile, you couldn't deny it, wrapping your arm around his shoulders and humming softly; he had seen horror films before, and had even gone with you to watch The Town That Dreaded Sundown when it had played at the drive through a while back, but this one was different. It unsettled him and made him nervous, jumpy even.

Certainly it was the cutest you had ever seen him. But there were other things on your mind, and if you were honest, you didn't entirely focus on the film itself. Your head was swimming with dozens upon dozens of thoughts, and every time Dewey pressed himself that little bit more into your body, you couldn't help but to get slightly lost in them; you weren't sure if he ever even noticed.

The blatant flirtatious comments, the fact that you only ever invited him out with you and no one else, the valentine's cards, the fact that you told him that you would marry him in a heartbeat if he asked - he didn't seem to take any notice of a single thing, and quite frankly, you were starting to wonder if he ever actually would.

You waited, though, until Dewey managed to push you over in a vain attempt to escape the film, burying his face against the side of your neck as he held onto you tightly; you couldn't stop yourself, laughing as you wrapped your arms around him tightly, manoeuvring him so that the tip of your nose was just and just touching his.

It wasn't like you had not been close before, intimate even. You grew up together, you were inseparable from the day that his mother introduced him to you when you were just toddlers; physical intimacy was just the natural way that things were, had been for years and years. An arm slung over the shoulders. Resting your legs on his thighs. Cuddling throughout the night, especially when you stayed over at his house. Kisses and hugs practically constantly. You and Dewey had always, always been so close, even before you had begun to drop hints as to what you really thought about him.

Sure, some of the guys down at the station teased him for it, and he would be reduced to a stuttering and blushing mess; it wasn't like he didn't have the biggest crush on you. He had done since secondary school, and he could remember the day as clearly now as if it had only happened hours ago; sitting in the history classroom after school to get some homework done.

You were working hard, writing page after page on the first world war; you were scruffy, shirt untucked and tie halfway undone, and Dewey had never thought that he had ever seen someone so good looking. You had ink stains on your fingers from the leaky pen you had been using, but somehow managed to keep it from the pages. But then you had spared him a look, your cold and determined glare softening, and a smile coming to your lips; it was at that moment that Dewey realised he loved you, and every day since, he had realised it again and again and again.

You sighed, pulling Dewey back to reality as he blushed and started to splutter out an apology, but when he caught you looking at his lips, he swallowed hard, and let out a shaky breath; your hand trailed up to his hair, grabbing the soft dark locks as you smiled and tugged it softly. He planted his arms either side of your head, steadying himself as he brought his hand to your cheek, and softly ran the pad of his thumb against your skin. You were so warm, he couldn't help the gentle whimper that came from the back of his throat.

"Oh, Dewey," you breathed out, and the way that you said the silly nickname made his head spin. "Dewey, Dewey, Dewey."

He could have listened to you say his name like that for years and years, melting against you as he licked his lips and hummed so softly, under his breath; you were so warm, your skin was so soft and you looked so good in the low light. Voices and screams rang from the television, but he couldn't look up, knowing that all he wanted was you. All he wanted was to be with you.

"I, uh, I'm-"

"Shut up," you whispered, grinning as you dared to kiss him so harshly.

Dewey couldn't stop it, couldn't fight back the whimper that escaped his throat before he came to his senses and kissed you back eagerly; he was clumsy, a little unfocussed thanks to the burning excitement in the pit of his stomach. But he wouldn't have had it any other way, as even a clumsy and unfocussed kiss was better than none at all, and he knew he was doing something right when you let go of his hair and splayed your fingers at the back of his head to keep him close. He knew he did something right, at least.

Even if it wasn't perfect, you still had a grin on your lips when he pulled away, gently tracing his bottom lip as you allowed him to straddle your waist. You couldn't stop yourself, holding onto his hips as you let out a harsh sigh to try and catch a little bit of extra breath; you felt dizzy, and fuzzy, like you had just gotten absolutely wonderful news. Winning the lottery.

"I love you."

Dewey grinned, raising his brows as his blush turned an even deeper shade of pink and coated his nose, ears, and cheeks. "More than a friend?"

"Yes," you laughed softly. "You're an idiot... I've always loved that about you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," you gave his hips a soft squeeze. "I love you, Dewey... I can't believe you didn't pick up on any of the hints that I'd dropped."

"You did?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

But you only laughed, so hard that you pressed your face against his body and allowed the vibrations to go right through him. "I love you, I'll tell you all about it later."

[klarissalove]

Eternal warrior

The warrior's rest...Multidimensional journey.

[dwightinshiningarmorfan]

Outlining is happening. Had an extra few mins while in the parking lot. If I have time to go to the Laundromat today, I hope I'll have the mental power to get more done.

[undiscoverable-words]

You're such a talented writer! I'm so invested in your Dwight x reader series I can't wait for more. Keep it up ❤️❤️❤️

this is so sweet 😭 I will get back to it one day, I'm so sorry I don't even know how long this has been in my inbox thank you so much for the love and kind words and patience 🥹

[whogirl2011]

Okay, So I really need to work more on the chapter i'm supposed to be getting out, but the inspiration to work and flush out more of the love confession chapter has really been kicking my butt. So here's some more of it flushed out:

"You would have left behind everything you knew. Your home, your friends, your family, for us." She hadn’t asked the question, but it hung unmistakably heavy in the air. Sage eyes, deep with wonder, with tears, begging to pool at the edges. 

Why choose that over a normal life?

He didn’t know if he could ever express how much she truly meant to him, how much she had irrevocably changed his life. Not only had he found a best friend and someone he cared deeply for, but through her, he also gained a family in the others.

And then, in an instant, it was all gone when Gretta and the rest of her family went through the scrying pool. The world forgot about them ever being there and continued around him. He was surrounded by other classmates and friends, but making his way through school and places around Woodside, all he found was a loneliness he never knew existed.

When he thought of the house they were in now being completely empty, he realized what that void in his chest he’d felt in Woodside High’s maintenance room really was. Because of them, his heart experienced so much and had become so full. And when they were gone, a part of that heart had broken away and disappeared with them.

There were no more magic spells, adventures, or even guy club meetings. There were no more opportunities for his romantic hopes with Gretta, to share a first real kiss, or to tell her the three words he wanted to until it was already too late. 

After feeling that loss, that heartbreak, that ache — he never wanted to go through that again. Not when she was brought back to him by some miracle, by fate, or both. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but how could anyone possibly understand what a distance of a thousand years could do?

"The only reason I needed was you.” He moved Gretta’s hand where he could put his hand in hers. “I didn’t care that it would’ve been before the champion spell. You already had me til’ the end.” His fingers glided between hers to interlock their fingers, caressing her hand with his thumb. “I knew what I was signing up for, whether that meant breaking the champion spell again, making up a crazy plan to stop some enemy of yours, or deciding what memories I kept. Whatever happened, I would’ve chosen you.” He gave out a heavy breath before his eyes met hers again. “I'm always going to choose you, Gretta." Leaning forward, he closed his eyes, pressing his forehead gently against hers. His heart quickened at the next three words to escape. "I love you." It was spoken closer to a whisper but the three words echoed in his chest, like Dwight had shouted them from a mountain top with his arms outstretched.

Time seemed to stand still, and so did Dwight. All it took was for his heart to momentarily take control and the words went out of him into the ether like someone had given him a truthberry. He felt her fingers pull while tangled with his, causing nothing but panic to start sinking in. Suddenly, her hand sat warmly against his cheek. The sensation was electric, grounding him in the moment moving in slow motion. Their breaths intermingled and their noses tenderly brushed against each other before their lips met, soft and tentative. A slow drag of kisses, savoring every tick of the large grandfather clock in the entranceway, unhurried and unapologetic. Small caresses with Gretta’s hand made their way down his neck and shoulder, finding harbor against his chest. He held her hand there, hoping she understood just how much his heart beat for her. She didn’t need to say it back, not this time. It was enough to ease the heavy weight in his chest every time he stopped himself thinking it was too soon, too fast. When they parted, Dwight opened his eyes and found a gentle warmth in the sparkling depths of hers. Her cheeks held a delicate blush, and a smile played upon her lips.

"Would you… like to see my chamber?" 

Dwight’s eyes widened and blinked, taken aback at the invitation. He quickly recovered with a quirked-up smile and nodded. “Sure, lead the way.” Her smile widened and instantly she was up on her feet, taking his hand to pull him up the stairs. 

“Gretta, are you sure this is okay?” Dwight asked looking around the upstairs hallway as they stood in front of the Princess’s closed bedroom door. 

“With all the times I have been in yours, I know I can trust you enough to allow you in mine, Sir Dwight.”

“I know. What I mean is, this isn’t breaking any rules, right? I don’t want Baldric and Hexala coming in and turning me into some vegetable.”

“If it’s any consolation, I believe you would look rather charming as a parsnip.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” he asked bemused, as her door was opened and he was pulled into her room by the collar of his shirt.