fic: cupcakes (the office; jim/pam; rating:g)
Title: Cupcakes
Author: lily
Pairing: Jim/Pam
Rating: G
Spoilers: set during S2 before Conflict Resolution
Summary: The slight shuffle of paper behind him alerted him to his surroundings, “I mean, I redacted it”. His protests of innocence to the unspoken allegation fell on deaf ears.
Word Count: 2,000
Author's Notes: written for semby in the 2006 Yankee Fic Swap
She fidgeted all morning, waiting for her opportunity at lunch. After seeing Jim eat his sandwich, she decided it would be better to wait until after lunch. She ate at her desk and waited until the clock reached half past two before trying to get his attention.
“Hey”
Jim swivelled his chair to meet Pam’s eye line.
“Yeah?”
“Guess what?” She kneeled on her chair, propping her up above the desk so she could see more of him.
“You are going to join the circus? You realised that you’ve been left-handed all your life and you are bitter and defiant in the face of the right-handed dominated world? You plan on answering your phone for the rest of the day in only a British accent? You-“
“Shut it!” She laughed. “What if I told you that I’ve got a way to get us both out of here early?”
“Sounds good, but how, Miss Criminal Mastermind, are you going to accomplish such a daring feat?” He got up and walked to her desk in order to keep his tone down.
“It’s all about teamwork...I trust my team completely, they are the reason I’m here at the championships.”
“You ready to give one hundred and twenty percent?” He asked, holding a lamp-microphone out for her.
“You ready to go to your sales call that you need me to take notes at?” She smiled up at him, reaching for a jellybean.
“What sales-“ He looked at the devilish gleam of her eyes and smiled.
“I mean, yes! It’s been the only thing I’ve been looking forward to today.”
“I see you wore a clean shirt and everything.”
“I think I brushed my teeth too!”
“The buyer will be so impressed!”
They said their goodbyes to Michael, who was too distracted by an alleged sighting of Jan’s license plate numbers outside of Chilli’s last night by Dwight. On the way to the parking lot they wondered about the possible ways Dwight had managed to get her license plate number, and what he was doing spying on Jan. Michael was in such despair at the thought of Jan in Scranton
at ‘their’ restaurant with what he assumed was another, buff man that they put on their coats to the sound of his muffled tears into this shirt sleeve.
“So where are we really going?” He asked as he got in the passenger seat.
“You mean you don’t want me to take notes?”
“Oh, I’m sure you would take superb notes, I’ve studied your penmanship, nice flourish, but it’s not really what I had in mind today.”
“Well, one my dreams since working at the office is to be paid for eating cupcakes.”
“Phyllis and Angela make cupcakes for every office party.”
“Let me correct that, I want to be paid for eating good cupcakes.”
“Point taken. You’ve found a way to accomplish this staggering goal, I mean, Pam, don’t you think you should tackle something a little less challenging first before you dive headfirst into cupcakes? Everest perhaps, dare I say...muffins?” His raised eyebrows garnered the desired laugh and Pam found it hard to keep her eyes on the road.
“It’s to find a wedding cake. I read in a magazine that bakeries will give you free cupcake samples of their cakes and then you can choose the taste and color of your wedding cake. It’s one of the last things I have to do on my list.”
“Oh.” He looked down at his wristwatch, and started searching for a radio station to fill the silence.
***
Jim sits uncomfortably in the chair in front of the cameras; he straightens his tie and looks forward to answer the question.
“Yeah, Pam and I are friends. I mean, nothing has changed. I just...I don’t know. I don’t really like cake. So...”
He looks up at the lights, they seem brighter today.
***
“You okay?” Pam asks, looking for her turn.
“Just looking for a radio station. How far away is this bakery? I mean, we should get back soon.”
“Oh, right. Umm, we don’t have to stay long. Just, well...I wanted your opinion.”
“Okay.”
He settles on a fuzzy pop station and they make fun of the lyrics for as long as they can stand them.
***
She crosses her legs when she sits down, smoothes her skirt for the camera.
“Why did I take Jim?”
“He’s my best friend. Why wouldn’t I take him? I mean, I value his opinion so much.”
“Plus, who else am I going to take? Can you imagine how fast Kelly would talk on a sugar high?” She giggled, then stopped suddenly, a hand flying to her mouth and her eyes wide.
“Was that mean? I like Kelly, really I do!” She gave a nervous smile, looking down at her nails. Her shoulders slumped slightly before she looked at the camera again.
“I’m just so tired with the planning.”
***
“We’re here.” She turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt.
“Great. I’ll just get us some coffee to wash down the icing. Meet you inside.”
“Oh...okay. I could come too.” She stood on the opposite side of the car, wanting to edge closer to him, but something keeping her by her door. She could see Roy’s CD’s on the dashboard.
“No, that’s okay; you fill them in on what you want.”
“Right, good idea. Umm...see you in there?”
“Definitely.”
Pam watched Jim walk away, and sighed as the bell above the door chimed to mark her entrance.
She explained her budget and time line to a grandmotherly woman, complete with soft grey hair and kind features. She wore a pink, ruffled apron and ushered Pam around like a princess. She wanted to know her thoughts on rosettes and piping and Pam got so into the designs that she almost forgot to stipulate that because of Roy’s family there could be no traces of nuts.
She was looking at the dolls that would grace the top when the bell rang again, overshadowed by the clunk of the door closing behind Jim, his hands full with two steaming cups of coffee.
“Here, let me grab one.”
“Yours is the milk-one-sugar.”
“Thanks.”
They stood around, shuffling the mud off their feet onto the rugs of the store, looking intently at their paper coffee mugs.
Pam broke the silence first, determined that things wouldn’t be weird.
“What do you think?”
“In general? Because I have some pretty controversial thoughts on the career of Bruce Willis.”
“I mean what do you think of the dolls?”
Pam pulled his elbow closer, forcing him to lean against the glass counter, looking down at the plastic displays of marital bliss. She didn’t move her hand from his elbow.
She tapped the glass, pointing out the three possibilities for the Pam doll, making jokes about their disproportionate breasts and wild blonde hair.
Jim was quiet a long time before pointing at a miniature doll in the right corner, her hair down, with a stunning train and perfect eyes. “That’s you.”
“C’mon, she looks like Barbie on crack.”
“Really? Because I had no idea I worked with a crack head.”
“Shut up, my hair doesn’t look that nice.”
“It did on Valentines Day. You could do it again.”
“Roy’s mother would probably have something to say. I mean, the sash is green. Green isn’t really the theme of the wedding.”
“You could probably have them customise it a bit. I mean, they need to change the colour of tiny black dots they are trying to pass off as eyes, but the nose and chin are all you.”
He looked at her, studying her face. “Besides, it’s your wedding, no-one else’s.”
There was finality to his words, as if he was confirming something in his mind for the first time.
“Your and Roy’s wedding I mean.”
“Right.” She said, trying to envision a green sash and how it would compliment the centerpieces they would have used if she had gotten her way.
They were interrupted by the bakery owner exiting the kitchen, her arms laden with two trays of cupcakes.
“This the lucky man?” She asked, her eyes sparkling.
“He’s the one helping me test the cakes, but my fiancée is still at work.”
The woman lowered her eyes and set down the trays on a side table, motioning to them to slide the chairs across so they could sit down.
“Fiancée doesn’t like all the work going into a wedding, right?” She nudged Pam, winking.
“Yeah, he just cares about the honeymoon.” Pam laughed, eager to talk with this veteran of marriage.
“Where are you going?”
“Well, we were thinking-“
Jim coughed and she looked over at him.
“Umm, we don’t know just yet.”
“Can I just dig in?” Jim asked, rolling up his sleeves nervously.
“Help yourself.” The lady said, her eyes wrinkling as she smiled up at him.
They spent the next half hour stuffing their faces with chocolate, vanilla and marble cake with everything from butter cream to double fudge icing.
There was even a mint chocolate green cupcake that Pam ate three of, savoring the taste in her mouth as long as possible.
In the end, they decided on the cheapest cake, a double vanilla design with three layers. Pam stared longingly at the counter displays, but knew that her budget couldn’t handle anymore strain.
The owner gave them a fifteen percent discount 'on account of how sweet they seemed' but Pam thought it was the jokes Jim made because she laughed so hard she started coughing. When she hugged Jim goodbye, Pam saw her give him a light pinch, surprising him into squeezing her back.
Jim finally found a good radio station on their way back to Scranton and they listened to the easy flow of some classic rock station in mutual silence until Pam dropped him off by his car.
“Thanks, it’s not everyday that I get paid for eating cupcakes.”
“Was it everything I advertised?”
“You left out the part where I almost get molested by a senior citizen.”
“I thought that was a perk!”
“It was! You should have made it your selling point!” He smiled down at her, ruffling his hair self-consciously. He jingled his keys, lightly, motioning towards his car. “See you tomorrow.”
“Jim?”
“Yeah?”
“Want to help me next week? I’ve got some fittings and I could really use a man’s opinion.”
“Actually, I’m probably really behind in work, missing today and all, and Michael’s got this new venture he wants me to look into with light toner. I just...I probably shouldn’t skip out again.”
“Oh...right. Yeah, I bet I’ve got a million voicemails.”
“Well, then...see ya Pam.”
“Later, alligator.”
He was too far to hear the final syllable of her answer, the 'crocodile' sticking to her tongue like heavy sugar.
***
“Why did I talk to Toby? I mean, it’s just disruptive to the whole work environment. I’m not the only one she’s distracting. I mean, I’m all for a good distraction, but planning her wedding isn’t really fun.” He looked down with this last sentence, muttering into his collar.
The slight shuffle of paper behind him alerted him to his surroundings, “I mean, I redacted it”. His protests of innocence to the unspoken allegation fell on deaf ears.
His eyes moved to the ceiling tiles, under which dreams grew dusty from too much time in the dark and his lips sagged into an exhausted frown.
“And I was just venting.”
Author: lily
Pairing: Jim/Pam
Rating: G
Spoilers: set during S2 before Conflict Resolution
Summary: The slight shuffle of paper behind him alerted him to his surroundings, “I mean, I redacted it”. His protests of innocence to the unspoken allegation fell on deaf ears.
Word Count: 2,000
Author's Notes: written for semby in the 2006 Yankee Fic Swap
She fidgeted all morning, waiting for her opportunity at lunch. After seeing Jim eat his sandwich, she decided it would be better to wait until after lunch. She ate at her desk and waited until the clock reached half past two before trying to get his attention.
“Hey”
Jim swivelled his chair to meet Pam’s eye line.
“Yeah?”
“Guess what?” She kneeled on her chair, propping her up above the desk so she could see more of him.
“You are going to join the circus? You realised that you’ve been left-handed all your life and you are bitter and defiant in the face of the right-handed dominated world? You plan on answering your phone for the rest of the day in only a British accent? You-“
“Shut it!” She laughed. “What if I told you that I’ve got a way to get us both out of here early?”
“Sounds good, but how, Miss Criminal Mastermind, are you going to accomplish such a daring feat?” He got up and walked to her desk in order to keep his tone down.
“It’s all about teamwork...I trust my team completely, they are the reason I’m here at the championships.”
“You ready to give one hundred and twenty percent?” He asked, holding a lamp-microphone out for her.
“You ready to go to your sales call that you need me to take notes at?” She smiled up at him, reaching for a jellybean.
“What sales-“ He looked at the devilish gleam of her eyes and smiled.
“I mean, yes! It’s been the only thing I’ve been looking forward to today.”
“I see you wore a clean shirt and everything.”
“I think I brushed my teeth too!”
“The buyer will be so impressed!”
They said their goodbyes to Michael, who was too distracted by an alleged sighting of Jan’s license plate numbers outside of Chilli’s last night by Dwight. On the way to the parking lot they wondered about the possible ways Dwight had managed to get her license plate number, and what he was doing spying on Jan. Michael was in such despair at the thought of Jan in Scranton
at ‘their’ restaurant with what he assumed was another, buff man that they put on their coats to the sound of his muffled tears into this shirt sleeve.
“So where are we really going?” He asked as he got in the passenger seat.
“You mean you don’t want me to take notes?”
“Oh, I’m sure you would take superb notes, I’ve studied your penmanship, nice flourish, but it’s not really what I had in mind today.”
“Well, one my dreams since working at the office is to be paid for eating cupcakes.”
“Phyllis and Angela make cupcakes for every office party.”
“Let me correct that, I want to be paid for eating good cupcakes.”
“Point taken. You’ve found a way to accomplish this staggering goal, I mean, Pam, don’t you think you should tackle something a little less challenging first before you dive headfirst into cupcakes? Everest perhaps, dare I say...muffins?” His raised eyebrows garnered the desired laugh and Pam found it hard to keep her eyes on the road.
“It’s to find a wedding cake. I read in a magazine that bakeries will give you free cupcake samples of their cakes and then you can choose the taste and color of your wedding cake. It’s one of the last things I have to do on my list.”
“Oh.” He looked down at his wristwatch, and started searching for a radio station to fill the silence.
***
Jim sits uncomfortably in the chair in front of the cameras; he straightens his tie and looks forward to answer the question.
“Yeah, Pam and I are friends. I mean, nothing has changed. I just...I don’t know. I don’t really like cake. So...”
He looks up at the lights, they seem brighter today.
***
“You okay?” Pam asks, looking for her turn.
“Just looking for a radio station. How far away is this bakery? I mean, we should get back soon.”
“Oh, right. Umm, we don’t have to stay long. Just, well...I wanted your opinion.”
“Okay.”
He settles on a fuzzy pop station and they make fun of the lyrics for as long as they can stand them.
***
She crosses her legs when she sits down, smoothes her skirt for the camera.
“Why did I take Jim?”
“He’s my best friend. Why wouldn’t I take him? I mean, I value his opinion so much.”
“Plus, who else am I going to take? Can you imagine how fast Kelly would talk on a sugar high?” She giggled, then stopped suddenly, a hand flying to her mouth and her eyes wide.
“Was that mean? I like Kelly, really I do!” She gave a nervous smile, looking down at her nails. Her shoulders slumped slightly before she looked at the camera again.
“I’m just so tired with the planning.”
***
“We’re here.” She turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt.
“Great. I’ll just get us some coffee to wash down the icing. Meet you inside.”
“Oh...okay. I could come too.” She stood on the opposite side of the car, wanting to edge closer to him, but something keeping her by her door. She could see Roy’s CD’s on the dashboard.
“No, that’s okay; you fill them in on what you want.”
“Right, good idea. Umm...see you in there?”
“Definitely.”
Pam watched Jim walk away, and sighed as the bell above the door chimed to mark her entrance.
She explained her budget and time line to a grandmotherly woman, complete with soft grey hair and kind features. She wore a pink, ruffled apron and ushered Pam around like a princess. She wanted to know her thoughts on rosettes and piping and Pam got so into the designs that she almost forgot to stipulate that because of Roy’s family there could be no traces of nuts.
She was looking at the dolls that would grace the top when the bell rang again, overshadowed by the clunk of the door closing behind Jim, his hands full with two steaming cups of coffee.
“Here, let me grab one.”
“Yours is the milk-one-sugar.”
“Thanks.”
They stood around, shuffling the mud off their feet onto the rugs of the store, looking intently at their paper coffee mugs.
Pam broke the silence first, determined that things wouldn’t be weird.
“What do you think?”
“In general? Because I have some pretty controversial thoughts on the career of Bruce Willis.”
“I mean what do you think of the dolls?”
Pam pulled his elbow closer, forcing him to lean against the glass counter, looking down at the plastic displays of marital bliss. She didn’t move her hand from his elbow.
She tapped the glass, pointing out the three possibilities for the Pam doll, making jokes about their disproportionate breasts and wild blonde hair.
Jim was quiet a long time before pointing at a miniature doll in the right corner, her hair down, with a stunning train and perfect eyes. “That’s you.”
“C’mon, she looks like Barbie on crack.”
“Really? Because I had no idea I worked with a crack head.”
“Shut up, my hair doesn’t look that nice.”
“It did on Valentines Day. You could do it again.”
“Roy’s mother would probably have something to say. I mean, the sash is green. Green isn’t really the theme of the wedding.”
“You could probably have them customise it a bit. I mean, they need to change the colour of tiny black dots they are trying to pass off as eyes, but the nose and chin are all you.”
He looked at her, studying her face. “Besides, it’s your wedding, no-one else’s.”
There was finality to his words, as if he was confirming something in his mind for the first time.
“Your and Roy’s wedding I mean.”
“Right.” She said, trying to envision a green sash and how it would compliment the centerpieces they would have used if she had gotten her way.
They were interrupted by the bakery owner exiting the kitchen, her arms laden with two trays of cupcakes.
“This the lucky man?” She asked, her eyes sparkling.
“He’s the one helping me test the cakes, but my fiancée is still at work.”
The woman lowered her eyes and set down the trays on a side table, motioning to them to slide the chairs across so they could sit down.
“Fiancée doesn’t like all the work going into a wedding, right?” She nudged Pam, winking.
“Yeah, he just cares about the honeymoon.” Pam laughed, eager to talk with this veteran of marriage.
“Where are you going?”
“Well, we were thinking-“
Jim coughed and she looked over at him.
“Umm, we don’t know just yet.”
“Can I just dig in?” Jim asked, rolling up his sleeves nervously.
“Help yourself.” The lady said, her eyes wrinkling as she smiled up at him.
They spent the next half hour stuffing their faces with chocolate, vanilla and marble cake with everything from butter cream to double fudge icing.
There was even a mint chocolate green cupcake that Pam ate three of, savoring the taste in her mouth as long as possible.
In the end, they decided on the cheapest cake, a double vanilla design with three layers. Pam stared longingly at the counter displays, but knew that her budget couldn’t handle anymore strain.
The owner gave them a fifteen percent discount 'on account of how sweet they seemed' but Pam thought it was the jokes Jim made because she laughed so hard she started coughing. When she hugged Jim goodbye, Pam saw her give him a light pinch, surprising him into squeezing her back.
Jim finally found a good radio station on their way back to Scranton and they listened to the easy flow of some classic rock station in mutual silence until Pam dropped him off by his car.
“Thanks, it’s not everyday that I get paid for eating cupcakes.”
“Was it everything I advertised?”
“You left out the part where I almost get molested by a senior citizen.”
“I thought that was a perk!”
“It was! You should have made it your selling point!” He smiled down at her, ruffling his hair self-consciously. He jingled his keys, lightly, motioning towards his car. “See you tomorrow.”
“Jim?”
“Yeah?”
“Want to help me next week? I’ve got some fittings and I could really use a man’s opinion.”
“Actually, I’m probably really behind in work, missing today and all, and Michael’s got this new venture he wants me to look into with light toner. I just...I probably shouldn’t skip out again.”
“Oh...right. Yeah, I bet I’ve got a million voicemails.”
“Well, then...see ya Pam.”
“Later, alligator.”
He was too far to hear the final syllable of her answer, the 'crocodile' sticking to her tongue like heavy sugar.
***
“Why did I talk to Toby? I mean, it’s just disruptive to the whole work environment. I’m not the only one she’s distracting. I mean, I’m all for a good distraction, but planning her wedding isn’t really fun.” He looked down with this last sentence, muttering into his collar.
The slight shuffle of paper behind him alerted him to his surroundings, “I mean, I redacted it”. His protests of innocence to the unspoken allegation fell on deaf ears.
His eyes moved to the ceiling tiles, under which dreams grew dusty from too much time in the dark and his lips sagged into an exhausted frown.
“And I was just venting.”