All For Show [The Office; Michael/Jan]
TITLE: All For Show
CHAPTER 2: Knockout Performance
FANDOM: The Office
PAIRING: Michael/Jan
SPOILERS: "The Client" (and Webisode #1)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
Michael sighed as he wandered over to the reception desk, hands in his pockets as he leaned on the desk and looked forlornly at Pam.
A brief crease indented the skin between her eyebrows as she asked softly, almost sympathetically, "How did it go?"
He blew a raspberry through his pursed lips and frowned, shaking his head. "Not great. Like it's my fault there's money missing." He huffed.
Pam just nodded, her expression solemn. "Yeah. Right."
"But whatever, that's just Jan, I guess. She's upset from denying the chemistry between us, so she has to make me her scapegoat." Michael shook his head, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "God, I so don't get women."
"I'm sorry," Pam replied softly, and glanced down at her computer again, which Michael knew was her silent 'go away' signal.
He tapped a brief rhythm on the desk with his fingertips and smiled at her. "Later, Pamcakes." Then, he went back to his office, dragging his feet.
Once inside, the grin broke out on his face and he propped his feet up on his desk, crossing his legs at the ankles and lacing his fingers behind his head. "Jan, Jan, Jan," he whispered to himself, and pulled out the small picture he kept of her in his wallet.
It was taken shortly after he'd bought his digital camera. It was still fall, and he had somehow managed to convince Jan that a date on a playground would be super fun. She had reluctantly agreed, but as soon as she realized they had the playground near his house all to themselves, she began to enjoy herself. He remembered he had given her an 'Underdog' push on the swing -- the kind where you run under the person as you push them up.
He remembered how she had shrieked briefly in worry -- she was concerned she would accidentally kick him -- before suddenly busting out laughing. Michael had quickly grabbed his camera and snapped a picture, and now it was his favorite picture in his entire collection -- her eyes were closed, and she was laughing, hanging on to the chains of the swing while her hair blew all around her. That may have been the first time Michael knew for certain that he was in love.
Part of him agreed with Jan -- disbelieving he'd kept their secret for nearly seven months. It nearly killed him having to stay quiet whenever she was around. He still got to have his fun, though -- continually dropping innuendo into conversation and dropping hints that they were lovers or were dating, just to see if she would break. But Jan surprised him with her acting skills. She never broke. She still portrayed that corporate hardass with ice running through her veins. Without the cameras, however, she was anything but.
*****
Michael smiled and waved at Pam as she headed out for the night and noticed only momentarily how she ignored Jim. Weird. They were normally attached at the hip. He just barely noticed Jim was the last one to leave, shuffling out like a sad puppy, before Michael shut himself in his office and picked up the phone. When it picked up, he grinned. "I meant what I said, you know."
"That you didn't get me drunk?" He could hear Jan's smile through the phone lines. "I know."
"No, that I missed you. I do."
"Michael, that's... not really rational."
"Do you miss me?"
"...It's not rational."
"That wasn't what I asked, Jan. Do. You. Miss. Me?"
Michael's grin got wider the longer she stayed quiet. He had to strain to hear her as she finally responded, "Maybe."
"You do."
"Only a little."
"A lot, Jan."
"No. Not a lot, Michael, but I admire your confidence."
He laughed, and was overjoyed when she laughed back. When they had quieted, he told her, "So you did a fantastic job on the phone this morning, m'lady. Really bangup knockout performance. I was impressed. We should take an improv class together."
"Michael," she chuckled, and he envisioned her putting her hand over her eyes. "Don't get too excited about this, please. That's how slip-ups occur."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Jan sighed. "This is going to be hard, isn't it?"
"That's what she said." He couldn't resist.
"Ugh. What did I get myself into?"
"That's what-- oh no wait, maybe that doesn't work."
"Can you do this, Michael? Can I really count on you to keep this quiet. It's a very sensitive thing. ...Don't say it."
Michael grinned and pressed his lips tightly together. "Wasn't gonna."
"Yes you were."
"Oh you know me too well already, Jan. Should we be picking out china patterns or what."
"Goodnight, Michael, I'm hanging up now."
"Wait, wait, wait... you wanna come over?"
There was a long pause, and Michael hoped she was really seriously considering it, before she told him, "I can't tonight. I'm in meetings all day tomorrow, so it would be in my best interest to get a full night's sleep."
His eyebrows raised. "Jan Levinson. Were you thinking my intentions were less than pure for having you over?"
"Of course," she responded simply.
He grinned. "Good girl."
She chuckled. "Let's face it, Michael. We went... pretty far last night. If we try to share a bed again, who's to say we won't... go all the way?"
Michael grimaced. "'Go all the way?' What are you, fourteen?"
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do. So... what about this weekend? And really, Jan, we don't have to do anything. Honestly. I mean... don't get me wrong, I'd love to have all kinds of crazy sex with you, but... I'd love to just spend time with you. Catch a movie, or something." He listened to the silence he got in return and imagined her biting down on her lower lip. God, that lip... "Please?"
"Okay, Michael. Sure. That sounds nice."
"Great! Okay."
"We'll be seeing each other before then, you realize."
"Jeez, Jan. Can't get enough of me, can you?"
"Performance reviews, Michael, remember?"
"Ohhh, right. Well, great! Then, it's a date."
"Just remember--"
"I know, I know. Act for the cameras." He grinned. "Wait 'til you see the performance I've got planned."
"Oh God. Well then you'd better prepare yourself, Michael. I'll be throwing quite the performance back at you."
"With the stomping and yelling and buckets of feminine fury?"
He heard her grin in her voice again. "Absolutely."
"Now I really can't wait. See you on Thursday, Jan."
"Goodnight, Michael."
After they hung up, Michael smiled to himself in his office for a few more minutes before he got up, collected his jacket, and headed out. He grinned all the way back to his condo.
TBC
{x-posted to michaelandjan}
CHAPTER 2: Knockout Performance
FANDOM: The Office
PAIRING: Michael/Jan
SPOILERS: "The Client" (and Webisode #1)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
Michael sighed as he wandered over to the reception desk, hands in his pockets as he leaned on the desk and looked forlornly at Pam.
A brief crease indented the skin between her eyebrows as she asked softly, almost sympathetically, "How did it go?"
He blew a raspberry through his pursed lips and frowned, shaking his head. "Not great. Like it's my fault there's money missing." He huffed.
Pam just nodded, her expression solemn. "Yeah. Right."
"But whatever, that's just Jan, I guess. She's upset from denying the chemistry between us, so she has to make me her scapegoat." Michael shook his head, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "God, I so don't get women."
"I'm sorry," Pam replied softly, and glanced down at her computer again, which Michael knew was her silent 'go away' signal.
He tapped a brief rhythm on the desk with his fingertips and smiled at her. "Later, Pamcakes." Then, he went back to his office, dragging his feet.
Once inside, the grin broke out on his face and he propped his feet up on his desk, crossing his legs at the ankles and lacing his fingers behind his head. "Jan, Jan, Jan," he whispered to himself, and pulled out the small picture he kept of her in his wallet.
It was taken shortly after he'd bought his digital camera. It was still fall, and he had somehow managed to convince Jan that a date on a playground would be super fun. She had reluctantly agreed, but as soon as she realized they had the playground near his house all to themselves, she began to enjoy herself. He remembered he had given her an 'Underdog' push on the swing -- the kind where you run under the person as you push them up.
He remembered how she had shrieked briefly in worry -- she was concerned she would accidentally kick him -- before suddenly busting out laughing. Michael had quickly grabbed his camera and snapped a picture, and now it was his favorite picture in his entire collection -- her eyes were closed, and she was laughing, hanging on to the chains of the swing while her hair blew all around her. That may have been the first time Michael knew for certain that he was in love.
Part of him agreed with Jan -- disbelieving he'd kept their secret for nearly seven months. It nearly killed him having to stay quiet whenever she was around. He still got to have his fun, though -- continually dropping innuendo into conversation and dropping hints that they were lovers or were dating, just to see if she would break. But Jan surprised him with her acting skills. She never broke. She still portrayed that corporate hardass with ice running through her veins. Without the cameras, however, she was anything but.
*****
Michael smiled and waved at Pam as she headed out for the night and noticed only momentarily how she ignored Jim. Weird. They were normally attached at the hip. He just barely noticed Jim was the last one to leave, shuffling out like a sad puppy, before Michael shut himself in his office and picked up the phone. When it picked up, he grinned. "I meant what I said, you know."
"That you didn't get me drunk?" He could hear Jan's smile through the phone lines. "I know."
"No, that I missed you. I do."
"Michael, that's... not really rational."
"Do you miss me?"
"...It's not rational."
"That wasn't what I asked, Jan. Do. You. Miss. Me?"
Michael's grin got wider the longer she stayed quiet. He had to strain to hear her as she finally responded, "Maybe."
"You do."
"Only a little."
"A lot, Jan."
"No. Not a lot, Michael, but I admire your confidence."
He laughed, and was overjoyed when she laughed back. When they had quieted, he told her, "So you did a fantastic job on the phone this morning, m'lady. Really bangup knockout performance. I was impressed. We should take an improv class together."
"Michael," she chuckled, and he envisioned her putting her hand over her eyes. "Don't get too excited about this, please. That's how slip-ups occur."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Jan sighed. "This is going to be hard, isn't it?"
"That's what she said." He couldn't resist.
"Ugh. What did I get myself into?"
"That's what-- oh no wait, maybe that doesn't work."
"Can you do this, Michael? Can I really count on you to keep this quiet. It's a very sensitive thing. ...Don't say it."
Michael grinned and pressed his lips tightly together. "Wasn't gonna."
"Yes you were."
"Oh you know me too well already, Jan. Should we be picking out china patterns or what."
"Goodnight, Michael, I'm hanging up now."
"Wait, wait, wait... you wanna come over?"
There was a long pause, and Michael hoped she was really seriously considering it, before she told him, "I can't tonight. I'm in meetings all day tomorrow, so it would be in my best interest to get a full night's sleep."
His eyebrows raised. "Jan Levinson. Were you thinking my intentions were less than pure for having you over?"
"Of course," she responded simply.
He grinned. "Good girl."
She chuckled. "Let's face it, Michael. We went... pretty far last night. If we try to share a bed again, who's to say we won't... go all the way?"
Michael grimaced. "'Go all the way?' What are you, fourteen?"
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do. So... what about this weekend? And really, Jan, we don't have to do anything. Honestly. I mean... don't get me wrong, I'd love to have all kinds of crazy sex with you, but... I'd love to just spend time with you. Catch a movie, or something." He listened to the silence he got in return and imagined her biting down on her lower lip. God, that lip... "Please?"
"Okay, Michael. Sure. That sounds nice."
"Great! Okay."
"We'll be seeing each other before then, you realize."
"Jeez, Jan. Can't get enough of me, can you?"
"Performance reviews, Michael, remember?"
"Ohhh, right. Well, great! Then, it's a date."
"Just remember--"
"I know, I know. Act for the cameras." He grinned. "Wait 'til you see the performance I've got planned."
"Oh God. Well then you'd better prepare yourself, Michael. I'll be throwing quite the performance back at you."
"With the stomping and yelling and buckets of feminine fury?"
He heard her grin in her voice again. "Absolutely."
"Now I really can't wait. See you on Thursday, Jan."
"Goodnight, Michael."
After they hung up, Michael smiled to himself in his office for a few more minutes before he got up, collected his jacket, and headed out. He grinned all the way back to his condo.
TBC
{x-posted to michaelandjan}