All For Show [The Office; Michael/Jan]
TITLE: All For Show
CHAPTER 1: Behind Closed Doors
FANDOM: The Office
PAIRING: Michael/Jan
SPOILERS: "The Accountants" Webisode #1 (not sure where in the season that was supposed to be, so I decided it was immediately post-"Casino Night")
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
"Obviously we do need to find it -- quickly -- to ensure that it's not a criminal action-"
"Absolutely, Jan."
Jan wanted out of this meeting. Unbelievably bad. Not that she had a problem meeting with the Dunder Mifflin employees, but it was about an accounting issue. One of the higher-ups in accounting should have been dealing with it, not her. "But um... I guess that's it. So, call me when you, uh... have news. Okay?"
She was almost to the door when she heard Angela's monotone. "Michael says to stop by on your way out."
She sighed and peered at the camera in her peripheral vision before leaving and shutting the door loudly behind her, the weight of the world suddenly on her shoulders. Pam looked up at her from behind the reception desk and repeated Angela's message. "Michael says--"
"I know," she sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. "Thanks."
"Y'know, Jan," Pam glimpsed quickly at Michael's closed office door and closed blinds, "I could always... tell Michael that you had to run."
She shook her head. "No. Then he'll call. I might as well see what he wants." She widened her eyes slightly and smirked at Pam, who smirked at her in return. Then, Jan set her purse down on the chair outside Michael's office, stared at the door as she took a deep breath, and turned the knob, opening the door. Her tone was brusque, curt, as she addressed him, "What, Michael?"
"Jan! Come on in."
Jan turned to shut the door softly, and slowly spun on her heel to face him again. "So..." She quirked an eyebrow. "Any reason the blinds are closed, Michael?"
He quirked an eyebrow right back at her, "Maybe," and tossed the pencil he'd been holding onto his desk. He stood up slowly and sauntered over to her, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
Jan couldn't help but return the smile, "C'mere," and she tugged on his tie when he got within a couple feet of her. Her grin only disappeared when Michael's lips covered hers and they sunk against the wall. Then her fingers went to his hair, his arms went around her waist, and they held tight to each other in a proper greeting.
It had been their little secret for over six months and no one had known; not Pam, not Dwight, not Jim... most certainly not the camera crew. No, for the cameras they played their little parts -- Michael, the bumbling buffoon, and Jan, the icy corporate bitch. Off-camera they were completely different people -- they were themselves. Michael was sweet and considerate, and not nearly as dumb as he came across. And Jan was kind and supportive, and smiled much more than she did on camera. They balanced each other out and complemented each other splendidly. Complete opposites on paper, but when they were together... it worked. Seamlessly.
Since Chili's they had been careful not to expose their relationship. It had been bad enough that their inadvertent, drunken first kiss had been caught on film. And after realizing the cameras had been there with them the entire time at Chili's -- when the drunken haze had dissipated -- they spent a good couple hours discussing how they would handle this, should they want to continue the relationship.
That had been immediately followed by another hour of intense making out and the mutual decision that they should explore whatever this was between them. But that they would treat it with caution and act like adults -- play their parts to the best of their ability to fool those around them. Jan had told Michael that if it was important enough to him, he would keep the secret. And he did.
"How was traffic coming in?" Michael asked when he had broken away and wrapped her in a tight hug.
And whereas Jan normally rebuffed any kind of embrace (from anyone including relatives), with Michael she learned to appreciate it -- welcome it, even. She squeezed him tight around the neck and sighed against him, "It wasn't bad."
"Hmm, that means it will be bad when you leave, so... maybe you should just stay. Y'know, to avoid the traffic." He pulled away from the hug with a goofy grin, and Jan couldn't help but respond with a giggle.
Yes, Michael made her giggle. And unlike her on-camera persona... she didn't mind in the slightest. "Very subtle, Michael."
"I try." His smile was going to be her undoing, surely. "But seriously, Jan. I'd like for you to stay."
She sighed and tilted her head, smiling at the sensation of his fingers lacing with hers... playing with them. Hers played back. "Alright." She pecked his lips slowly, sweetly. "I'll stay."
"Good. Tomorrow's our seven-month anniversary, anyway."
Her eyebrows raised, and Michael read her mind.
"You didn't think we'd last for seven months, did you?"
Her mouth opened slightly and one corner of her lips upturned in a half-grin. She exhaled a chuckle. "Honestly, Michael, I didn't think you would last for seven months. I kind of thought the secret would've been out already. You've been a remarkably good actor."
Michael raised his eyebrows in interest. "'Good' actor, or... the greatest actor in the world?" He smiled hopefully.
She blinked... "A good actor, Michael."
He tilted his head at her slightly and replied, "Well this is important to me, Jan -- the most important relationship I've ever been in -- so I kept my mouth shut." He tilted his head the other way and leaned to kiss her. "Because that's how I roll."
She smiled against his lips and closed her eyes, returning the kiss with fervor as her hands found his shoulders and his found her hips. They pulled away rather reluctantly, their lips continually catching and then breaking with a smooch -- each peck more rapid than the last, until she finally muttered against him, "I should go. If I stay much longer -- without any yelling -- it might arouse suspicion."
"Right you are. Meet me at the condo, then."
"'Kay." With another peck, Jan had composed herself, and settled her expression into an icy glare as she reached for the door handle, telling Michael loudly over her shoulder, "I expect to be notified right away, Michael, the next time this happens!" She flounced out of his office and grabbed her things off the chair, knowing that all eyes -- and all the cameras -- were on her once again.
Michael followed, his expression carefully neutral, as he shrugged facially and gave one polite nod. "Will do, Jan." He shoved one hand in his pocket and waved to her with the other while she stomped out, throwing an exasperated glance in Pam's direction.
She stomped all the way to the elevator, her heels clicking on the tile; and when she stepped onto the elevator and turned to note that there were no cameras there to film her... Jan allowed herself to smile. She bit down on her lower lip softly, grinning to herself, and thought back on their seven months together as the doors slid shut.
TBC
{x-posted to michaelandjan}
CHAPTER 1: Behind Closed Doors
FANDOM: The Office
PAIRING: Michael/Jan
SPOILERS: "The Accountants" Webisode #1 (not sure where in the season that was supposed to be, so I decided it was immediately post-"Casino Night")
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
"Obviously we do need to find it -- quickly -- to ensure that it's not a criminal action-"
"Absolutely, Jan."
Jan wanted out of this meeting. Unbelievably bad. Not that she had a problem meeting with the Dunder Mifflin employees, but it was about an accounting issue. One of the higher-ups in accounting should have been dealing with it, not her. "But um... I guess that's it. So, call me when you, uh... have news. Okay?"
She was almost to the door when she heard Angela's monotone. "Michael says to stop by on your way out."
She sighed and peered at the camera in her peripheral vision before leaving and shutting the door loudly behind her, the weight of the world suddenly on her shoulders. Pam looked up at her from behind the reception desk and repeated Angela's message. "Michael says--"
"I know," she sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. "Thanks."
"Y'know, Jan," Pam glimpsed quickly at Michael's closed office door and closed blinds, "I could always... tell Michael that you had to run."
She shook her head. "No. Then he'll call. I might as well see what he wants." She widened her eyes slightly and smirked at Pam, who smirked at her in return. Then, Jan set her purse down on the chair outside Michael's office, stared at the door as she took a deep breath, and turned the knob, opening the door. Her tone was brusque, curt, as she addressed him, "What, Michael?"
"Jan! Come on in."
Jan turned to shut the door softly, and slowly spun on her heel to face him again. "So..." She quirked an eyebrow. "Any reason the blinds are closed, Michael?"
He quirked an eyebrow right back at her, "Maybe," and tossed the pencil he'd been holding onto his desk. He stood up slowly and sauntered over to her, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
Jan couldn't help but return the smile, "C'mere," and she tugged on his tie when he got within a couple feet of her. Her grin only disappeared when Michael's lips covered hers and they sunk against the wall. Then her fingers went to his hair, his arms went around her waist, and they held tight to each other in a proper greeting.
It had been their little secret for over six months and no one had known; not Pam, not Dwight, not Jim... most certainly not the camera crew. No, for the cameras they played their little parts -- Michael, the bumbling buffoon, and Jan, the icy corporate bitch. Off-camera they were completely different people -- they were themselves. Michael was sweet and considerate, and not nearly as dumb as he came across. And Jan was kind and supportive, and smiled much more than she did on camera. They balanced each other out and complemented each other splendidly. Complete opposites on paper, but when they were together... it worked. Seamlessly.
Since Chili's they had been careful not to expose their relationship. It had been bad enough that their inadvertent, drunken first kiss had been caught on film. And after realizing the cameras had been there with them the entire time at Chili's -- when the drunken haze had dissipated -- they spent a good couple hours discussing how they would handle this, should they want to continue the relationship.
That had been immediately followed by another hour of intense making out and the mutual decision that they should explore whatever this was between them. But that they would treat it with caution and act like adults -- play their parts to the best of their ability to fool those around them. Jan had told Michael that if it was important enough to him, he would keep the secret. And he did.
"How was traffic coming in?" Michael asked when he had broken away and wrapped her in a tight hug.
And whereas Jan normally rebuffed any kind of embrace (from anyone including relatives), with Michael she learned to appreciate it -- welcome it, even. She squeezed him tight around the neck and sighed against him, "It wasn't bad."
"Hmm, that means it will be bad when you leave, so... maybe you should just stay. Y'know, to avoid the traffic." He pulled away from the hug with a goofy grin, and Jan couldn't help but respond with a giggle.
Yes, Michael made her giggle. And unlike her on-camera persona... she didn't mind in the slightest. "Very subtle, Michael."
"I try." His smile was going to be her undoing, surely. "But seriously, Jan. I'd like for you to stay."
She sighed and tilted her head, smiling at the sensation of his fingers lacing with hers... playing with them. Hers played back. "Alright." She pecked his lips slowly, sweetly. "I'll stay."
"Good. Tomorrow's our seven-month anniversary, anyway."
Her eyebrows raised, and Michael read her mind.
"You didn't think we'd last for seven months, did you?"
Her mouth opened slightly and one corner of her lips upturned in a half-grin. She exhaled a chuckle. "Honestly, Michael, I didn't think you would last for seven months. I kind of thought the secret would've been out already. You've been a remarkably good actor."
Michael raised his eyebrows in interest. "'Good' actor, or... the greatest actor in the world?" He smiled hopefully.
She blinked... "A good actor, Michael."
He tilted his head at her slightly and replied, "Well this is important to me, Jan -- the most important relationship I've ever been in -- so I kept my mouth shut." He tilted his head the other way and leaned to kiss her. "Because that's how I roll."
She smiled against his lips and closed her eyes, returning the kiss with fervor as her hands found his shoulders and his found her hips. They pulled away rather reluctantly, their lips continually catching and then breaking with a smooch -- each peck more rapid than the last, until she finally muttered against him, "I should go. If I stay much longer -- without any yelling -- it might arouse suspicion."
"Right you are. Meet me at the condo, then."
"'Kay." With another peck, Jan had composed herself, and settled her expression into an icy glare as she reached for the door handle, telling Michael loudly over her shoulder, "I expect to be notified right away, Michael, the next time this happens!" She flounced out of his office and grabbed her things off the chair, knowing that all eyes -- and all the cameras -- were on her once again.
Michael followed, his expression carefully neutral, as he shrugged facially and gave one polite nod. "Will do, Jan." He shoved one hand in his pocket and waved to her with the other while she stomped out, throwing an exasperated glance in Pam's direction.
She stomped all the way to the elevator, her heels clicking on the tile; and when she stepped onto the elevator and turned to note that there were no cameras there to film her... Jan allowed herself to smile. She bit down on her lower lip softly, grinning to herself, and thought back on their seven months together as the doors slid shut.
TBC
{x-posted to michaelandjan}