Lots of tension here. This feels like the usual tension between Roy and Jim has been turned up a notch. The way I viewed Roy in S1 and S2 was that he knew Jim and Pam were good friends, but he was never threatened by Jim. Roy's ring was on Pam's finger so what was there to worry about.

This chapter though seems like Roy is flexing his muscle a bit. Literally and figurativly. The trash talk, popping Jim in the face, cuddling with Pam on Jim's desk. In a subtley that usually seems rare for Roy, it seems he's at the same time challenging Jim to try something and also threatening Jim that any challenge from Jim won't go anywhere.

Considering this if from Jim's POV that's great writing to bring that out. Or maybe because it's Jim's POV, that's the feeling we get from Jim who is more subtle than Roy. So could it be Jim is reading into things that the usual Roy is doing by accident?

Maybe it's both. What is true is this was a great chapter to bring all that out. Well done my friend.

Author's Response: Thank you! My personal read on Roy is that after The Alliance (and this is just after that episode) he gets a little more wary until Jim gets a girlfriend in Hot Girl (which we will absolutely be getting to very soon). And here I think he's also jealous, both of Pam noticing Jim (the prank activates that a bit, I think) and of Jim getting to be lazy. So that's how I got to where you see him. Thanks for the review!