Office ficlet!
Title: but we’re still losing
Pairing: Ryan/Michael, kinda
Word count: 742
Summary: When Michael snaps out of it he mainly sticks to looking at Ryan with a wounded look on his face, as if he’s going to burst into tears every few seconds.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one.
Author's Notes: I started this like, two days after the finale. Yes, it took me this long to write less than 1000 words, shut it. SPOILERS for The Office finale. (oh, and any realism for such circumstances surrounded what type of place you’d be in for that certain.. act, I threw out the window. Cause otherwise, I wouldn’t be me, and the ending wouldn’t be the ending.)
*
Ryan isn’t in jail for 48 hours before Michael shows up.
He’s led to the visiting section and, you know, he kind of assumes that maybe it will be his family there to see him. It really shouldn’t have surprised him.
“Michael.” It’s a sigh, part resigned and part frustrated and for some reason, a dash of guilt. Like he should apologise or something even though he is (was) Michael’s boss, and so what if the last time they were in the same room, Michael was promising to help ‘Ryan’s friend’ in whatever way he could?
Michael doesn’t say much that first visit. He seems a little preoccupied in ways that have nothing to do with Ryan. But when he snaps out of it he mainly sticks to looking at Ryan with a wounded look on his face, as if he’s going to burst into tears every few seconds.
Ryan’s kind of impressed when he doesn’t.
*
It isn’t until the second visit that Ryan hears about Jan’s pregnancy. He’s a little stunned, a little disgusted, and even though he can’t stand Michael, he’s able to call Jan a bitch when Michael says he’s not the father.
“Hey, don’t-don’t talk about m’lady that way,” Michael says, but it’s half-hearted at best and it’s the first time he has smiled since.
*
Ryan’s parents come once, disappointed and embarrassed. Kelly shows up once, too, ridiculously dressed up and carrying a picture of Darryl; she looks down her nose at Ryan and flips her hair and when she leaves, she swings her hips like she’s on a runway.
Michael visits every single week. No one else comes at all.
*
Ryan wants to say that prison isn’t so bad compared to being at Dunder Mifflin everyday. But the truth is that those visits are the only outside contact he has and anyway, Michael’s sometimes okay when he’s not by a camera.
That doesn’t mean the visits are great, either. It doesn’t take long before Michael’s asking if the prisoners are declaring Ryan their bitch.
Ryan rolls his eyes, says, “Michael, this isn’t a movie.”
“I just don’t want them messing up that pretty...face.” Michael waves vaguely down and up Ryan’s body and Ryan cuts that visit short.
*
Michael brings Ryan care packages with random things from Scranton, as if Ryan missed it so much to begin with. Plus, what is he supposed to do with a keychain? The guards take most of it away anyway and when Michael tries to convince them not to, he comes close to getting arrested himself.
After that, Michael starts trying to plan ways to break Ryan out, mostly by repeating what he’s seen on Prison Break. He even offers to try to find the blueprints to the place for a tattoo and it’s unclear whether Michael means for himself or for like, Dwight, probably. Either way Ryan thinks he would go crazy, if he hasn’t started to already.
*
Turns out that detox in jail is every bit as fun as it probably is out of jail, which is not at all. Ryan manages to get the worst of the withdrawal over with between Michael’s visits. He’s glad for that, because lately Michael’s constant worry has become less tedious and annoying, and more of something Ryan’s a little thankful for.
Because he’s not used to anyone worrying about him. Because he kind of doesn’t want to make Michael worry more, like there’s a limit to be reached and once it is, it’s done.
Ryan will be alone.
*
When Michael tells story after story about the new HR rep, Ryan feels this sting of something, like maybe Michael shouldn’t be gushing about someone else when he’s there to see Ryan.
A rare show of self-awareness seems to make an appearance after the tenth time Ryan almost growls in reply to Michael’s babblings. Because Michael, he stops and says he misses Ryan, simple as that.
And before Ryan’s able to say that they haven’t even worked together a whole year, visiting hours are over. He nods a goodbye to Michael, who gives him that hurt puppy look and, movie-montage-slowly, puts his hand flat against the glass.
Ryan can’t do much more than blink at the dramatics. Then he’s close to laughing outright at Michael, but instead he rolls his eyes, says goodbye again.
And just for a second, he places his palm to the glass over Michael’s.
end.
Pairing: Ryan/Michael, kinda
Word count: 742
Summary: When Michael snaps out of it he mainly sticks to looking at Ryan with a wounded look on his face, as if he’s going to burst into tears every few seconds.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one.
Author's Notes: I started this like, two days after the finale. Yes, it took me this long to write less than 1000 words, shut it. SPOILERS for The Office finale. (oh, and any realism for such circumstances surrounded what type of place you’d be in for that certain.. act, I threw out the window. Cause otherwise, I wouldn’t be me, and the ending wouldn’t be the ending.)
*
Ryan isn’t in jail for 48 hours before Michael shows up.
He’s led to the visiting section and, you know, he kind of assumes that maybe it will be his family there to see him. It really shouldn’t have surprised him.
“Michael.” It’s a sigh, part resigned and part frustrated and for some reason, a dash of guilt. Like he should apologise or something even though he is (was) Michael’s boss, and so what if the last time they were in the same room, Michael was promising to help ‘Ryan’s friend’ in whatever way he could?
Michael doesn’t say much that first visit. He seems a little preoccupied in ways that have nothing to do with Ryan. But when he snaps out of it he mainly sticks to looking at Ryan with a wounded look on his face, as if he’s going to burst into tears every few seconds.
Ryan’s kind of impressed when he doesn’t.
*
It isn’t until the second visit that Ryan hears about Jan’s pregnancy. He’s a little stunned, a little disgusted, and even though he can’t stand Michael, he’s able to call Jan a bitch when Michael says he’s not the father.
“Hey, don’t-don’t talk about m’lady that way,” Michael says, but it’s half-hearted at best and it’s the first time he has smiled since.
*
Ryan’s parents come once, disappointed and embarrassed. Kelly shows up once, too, ridiculously dressed up and carrying a picture of Darryl; she looks down her nose at Ryan and flips her hair and when she leaves, she swings her hips like she’s on a runway.
Michael visits every single week. No one else comes at all.
*
Ryan wants to say that prison isn’t so bad compared to being at Dunder Mifflin everyday. But the truth is that those visits are the only outside contact he has and anyway, Michael’s sometimes okay when he’s not by a camera.
That doesn’t mean the visits are great, either. It doesn’t take long before Michael’s asking if the prisoners are declaring Ryan their bitch.
Ryan rolls his eyes, says, “Michael, this isn’t a movie.”
“I just don’t want them messing up that pretty...face.” Michael waves vaguely down and up Ryan’s body and Ryan cuts that visit short.
*
Michael brings Ryan care packages with random things from Scranton, as if Ryan missed it so much to begin with. Plus, what is he supposed to do with a keychain? The guards take most of it away anyway and when Michael tries to convince them not to, he comes close to getting arrested himself.
After that, Michael starts trying to plan ways to break Ryan out, mostly by repeating what he’s seen on Prison Break. He even offers to try to find the blueprints to the place for a tattoo and it’s unclear whether Michael means for himself or for like, Dwight, probably. Either way Ryan thinks he would go crazy, if he hasn’t started to already.
*
Turns out that detox in jail is every bit as fun as it probably is out of jail, which is not at all. Ryan manages to get the worst of the withdrawal over with between Michael’s visits. He’s glad for that, because lately Michael’s constant worry has become less tedious and annoying, and more of something Ryan’s a little thankful for.
Because he’s not used to anyone worrying about him. Because he kind of doesn’t want to make Michael worry more, like there’s a limit to be reached and once it is, it’s done.
Ryan will be alone.
*
When Michael tells story after story about the new HR rep, Ryan feels this sting of something, like maybe Michael shouldn’t be gushing about someone else when he’s there to see Ryan.
A rare show of self-awareness seems to make an appearance after the tenth time Ryan almost growls in reply to Michael’s babblings. Because Michael, he stops and says he misses Ryan, simple as that.
And before Ryan’s able to say that they haven’t even worked together a whole year, visiting hours are over. He nods a goodbye to Michael, who gives him that hurt puppy look and, movie-montage-slowly, puts his hand flat against the glass.
Ryan can’t do much more than blink at the dramatics. Then he’s close to laughing outright at Michael, but instead he rolls his eyes, says goodbye again.
And just for a second, he places his palm to the glass over Michael’s.
end.