Pam's first day at the office, and it's nine-thirty and she's already made too many mistakes to count. She can't figure out the filing system and has a hard time keeping everyone's name straight. She has to ask Angela how to work the copier, and of course Angela makes her feel like the world's biggest idiot as she walks her through the steps. She accidentally hangs up on a customer when she tries to transfer a call to Dwight, and he tells her that her bumbling incompetence will likely lose the company several thousands of dollars and that she will probably be fired. She spends most of the day dreaming of the various ways she'd rather be spending her time.
(She sticks with it though, and things slowly improve. She learns the ins and outs of the office and the various eccentricities of the people who work there. She goes several days without any major mishaps, and one day Angela grudgingly invites her to be on the party planning committee. Pam starts bringing in extra yogurts to leave in the fridge, claiming one corner of the top shelf as her own. Michael praises her work in front of everyone, and she's pleased in spite of the comments he also makes about her outfit and breasts.)
**
Jim's first day at the office, and it isn't until they're at lunch that she realizes he's flirting with her. Her side of their easy conversation immediately becomes difficult. She picks at her food, drinks all of her water in three gulps, and fumbles the salt shaker. She feels an unsettling combination of pleasure, anxiety, and guilt. She wants to keep up the game but doesn't quite know how. She makes a tentative joke at Jim's expense and her whole body flushes when he throws back his head and laughs, the look in his eyes driving heat down into her belly.
(A different kind of heat burns there when she thinks of Roy, and she finds a way to slip his name into the conversation. Jim's smile falters only for a second, and then it's back as strong as ever as he asks her all about him. He keeps joking with her for the rest of the day, and she's so relieved that she grins the whole way home, imagining all the ways that work will be better now that she has a friend in the office.)
**
Their first time, and Jim reaches into his bedside table and grabs a condom. He rolls it on before she can think of a way to tell him that she's been on the Pill for nearly a decade without sounding clinical and killing the mood, and so she just smiles and pulls him close. As he slides into her she thinks about how long it has been since she felt the slight tug of latex against her skin and she remembers awkward prom dates and drooping corsages, but soon they are both gasping, and Pam's back arches again and again as she comes in waves.
(She tells him later, after. It doesn't take long for him to put the information to good use. They're kissing when he comes, and he groans into her mouth so loudly that it's almost a shout. His hands, grasping convulsively at her thigh and wrist, feel like affirmation. The next morning he throws away the few condoms he has left, and she giggles uncontrollably at the gleeful look on his face.)
**
Her first day of art school, and as they go around the room and take turns talking about themselves Pam realizes she is the least qualified person in her class. Her classmates have all been artists from the womb, it seems, and she feels like an impostor when she stumbles through the explanation of how she came to be there. She feels small and nondescript in her jeans and knitted shirt. She trails off once she realizes she's rambling, and takes her seat as her cheeks flush.
(During the first week, she discovers that experience and talent are two totally different things. She is far from the best but she is hardly the worst, and the confidence she felt when she learned she was accepted returns in spades. By the end of the third week she stops comparing herself to her classmates and instead just draws for herself, and her instructors and the other students all notice the improvement in her work. She feels strong and tall when she leaves class that day, and Jim comments on the change when he sees her that weekend. She smiles and grabs his hand, thinking about the sketchbooks that she has filled since she last saw him, and she can't wait to show him.)
****End.
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is my first fic in years. It's short. The whole thing was basically just an excuse to write one line that I kept imagining in my head. I've been up all night trying to pluck up the courage to post this. Please let me know what you think.
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