〔𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 ; 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦〕
〔𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭.〕
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"HEY, YOU READY?" Michael asked Jim. He held up a red duffel bag.
"All right, all right, secret sign. Hey, Ryan." Michael pointed over to the temp, who also held up a bag filled with clothes.
"Very good. Excellent, excellent."
"Michael!" Dwight exclaimed, holding up his own duffel bag. Michael grimaced at him before entering his office.
♡
"Today at lunch, Michael, Jim, Ryan and a few others are gonna play basketball with some of the warehouse staff." Willow explained to the cameras.
"I'm not excited at all. Also Dwight has been begging Michael non-stop to let him onto the team, which is fun." Jim added.
"I kinda feel bad for the guy, Michael should just let him play so we don't have to hear him talk about not being on the team all the time."
♡
"So we need a couple people to work this Saturday and I think they should be Willow and Jim." Dwight said as he held a giant calendar in front of him.
"God, this is so sad. This is the smallest amount of power I've ever seen go to someone's head. Willow, can you believe this?" Jim exclaimed over-dramatically.
"This is why Michael should have let you on the team, Dwight. I'm not coming to work Saturday." Willow grumbled.
♡
"I actually do have plans this weekend, and I really hope that Dwight doesn't make Jim and I work. Maybe I should sleep with him. Oh god, I'm kidding, I'm totally kidding! Unless-"
♡
Michael came back inside the office after going down to the warehouse to talk to the foreman, Darryl Philbin, about the game.
"Are we ready for the game?" he asked excitedly. The employees 'cheered' halfheartedly.
"Yeah, yeah. I know, grumble, grumble. But you would follow me to the ends of the earth, grumbling all the way. Like that, uh, dwarf from Lord of the Rings."
"Gimli." Dwight added.
"Nerd, that's why you're not on the team."
"Just trying to be helpful."
"Uh, I'll help, Elwyn Dragonslayer, uh, ten points, power sword." Michael said in a nerdy voice. Jim silently laughed.
"Boys." Willow muttered.
"Okay so, let's put together a starting line-up, shall we? Stanley of course." Michael continued.
"I'm sorry?" Stanley asked, looking up from his work.
"What do you play, center?"
"Why 'of course?'"
"Uh, I don't know. I don't remember saying that."
"I heard it." Jim interjected.
"So did I." Willow added.
"Well, people hear a lot of things, guys. Um, other starters. Me, of course. I heard it that time." Michael continued. Willow and Jim looked at each other in amusement.
"I'd like to play if it's just for fun. I played basketball in school." saleswoman Phyllis Lapin chimed in.
"Um... Yeah. Who else? We have Jim. We have Ryan, the new guy, right? Untested. Willing to prove himself now. A lot of passion, a lot of heart." Michael continued, ignoring Phyllis.
"But I'm getting paid to skip lunch, right?" Ryan asked.
"Yes. This is business. The business of team building and morale boosting. Uh, who else?"
"I can help out if you need me." Oscar said.
"I will use your talents come baseball season, my friend. Or if we box."
"I have a hoop in my driveway." Kevin chimed in.
"No."
"I have a sports bra." Phyllis said. Willow looked into the camera and raised her eyebrows.
"No! No, ridiculous."
"Michael, look!" Dwight called out as he threw a crumpled piece of paper into the garbage can.
"Close. All right, uh, me, Stan the man, Jim, Ryan and Dwight. Sorry Phyllis." Michael declared.
"Yes! Can I be Team Captain?" Dwight asked.
"No, I'm the team captain."
"Can I be teem manager?"
"No! I'm the team manager. You can be assistant to the team manager."
"Assistant team manager?"
"No."
"Okay, we'll see who's working this weekend then."
"Jim, you're in charge of the vacation schedule now. Threat neutralized."
♡
"Off the backboard!" Michael exclaimed as he threw a piece of paper at Pam.
"Please don't throw garbage at me." Pam said.
"Oh, Pam with a zinger. Hey, Pam, how would you, like to be our cheerleader today? You know, some, ah, pigtails? A little halter top, you could tie that up. And you know, something a little youthful, for a change. Just this once? And Willow, you can do it too!"
"Yeah, not happening." Willow said.
"Me neither, I can't cheer against my fiance."
"I'll do it. Wear a little flouncy skirt if you need." Jim added. Willow looked over at Pam, a hand over her mouth hiding a smile.
"Yeah, I bet you would. Just try not to be too gay on the court. And by gay I mean, um, you know, not in a homosexual way at all. I mean the uh, you know, like the bad-at-sports way. I think that goes without saying." Michael said defensively.
"Sure." Willow muttered.
"Maybe Angela would cheer lead." Pam suggested.
"Yeah right."
"I'll do it." Phyllis chimed in.
"Oh, yuck, that's worse than you playing. 'Cause we need you as an alternate in case somebody gets hurt. That's where we need you. Blessed be those who sit and wait. You made it, suit up, you're on the team! All right, cool! Very good."
"Damage control." Willow mouthed to the cameras.
♡
The entirety of the upstairs workers of Dunder Mifflin Scranton made their way down the stairs of their building and into the warehouse. The team were already changed and preparing for their game. Willow noticed Dwight in the corner of the warehouse, struggling to put on some sort of eye mask. She looked around a couple times before jogging over to him.
"Hey Dwight, how's it going?"
"Fine. I can't really get this stupid mask on. I need it, uh, for my eyes."
"Lemme try. Give it." Dwight handed Willow his mask. She sat in front of him and adjusted the straps of the mask over his face.
As she put the mask on, Willow saw Dwight in a new light, studying his features. He looked a lot different without his glasses. As goofy as he looked with the mask on, she felt sort of drawn to him. His blue eyes bore into her hazel ones, a slight squint present due to the lack of glasses. She stood and went behind him, securing the Velcro on the mask to ensure it wouldn't fall off.
"Uh, I think it's good now." Willow scratched the back of her neck and looked down at her shoes, hiding a blush that made its way onto her face.
"Thank you Willow." Dwight said, making his way over to the rest of the guys at the court.
"Good luck!" Willow called out. She cleared her throat before going over to sit next to Pam.
♡
"Have a good game, man!" Jim said, shaking the hand of Pam's fiance, Roy Anderson.
"Yeah, you too. Should be fun." Roy replied. Willow and Jim locked eyes, the female giving her brother a small thumbs up before he went over to Michael and his other team mates.
After a quick stretch, Michael brought his team together to decide who gets who.
"Okay Ryan, you have Darryl. I have Roy." Michael explained.
"Really? I thought I'd take Roy." Jim added.
"Actually I think Roy is their best player, not Lonny. So, Dwight, you uh, have the East German gal."
Once all the players got into position, Willow saw Dwight pull his shirt off.
"Okay, we'll be skins!" he exclaimed. A bunch of the spectators groaned in disgust, while Willow's eyes widened a bit.
He wasn't the most fit, but she paid no mind to that. For some reason she felt really attracted to him at that moment.
"Aw, come on Dwight!" Michael called out.
"What? Shirts on or off?"
"On, just put it on!" Dwight scoffed before putting his shirt back on. Willow looked down at her hands, folding them together.
♡
Throughout the duration of the game, Willow couldn't take her eyes off of Dwight. She'd cheer whenever he score a basket, and just studied his every move. She didn't even notice when the cameras panned toward her looking at him. She didn't even realize what she was doing until she heard Michael yelling.
"Ow! God! Hold it!" Willow snapped out of her trance and noticed Michael stepping away from one of the warehouse workers, holding his face in pain.
"I'm sorry!" the worker exclaimed over Michael's groaning and repeating of the word 'foul.'
"What's your problem, man? Gah, just clocking me for no reason!"
"Take your shot, man!" Darryl called out.
"No, no, no, no. That was a flagrant, personal, intentional foul. Right there." Michael whined, pointing to the worker who 'hit' him.
"No it wasn't!"
"Yes it was. You know what? I'm just being fair."
"Oh really? I just put my arm up!"
"Oh my god. I've never seen anyone his age act this immature before." Willow muttered to Pam.
"Welcome to my world." the receptionist replied.
"Game over! That is it! I'm sorry, you know? I hate to do it this way but, you know, that's just... We're having a friendly game. It's a shame. This is a damn shame, but we're like a family here and that just, that won't fly." Michael complained as Angela walked over with an ice pack.
"This is a cold pack."
"Here, give me that. You have to break the interior bag." Dwight snatched the ice pack away from Angela and started to squeeze it for Michael. Quickly, the bag exploded all over everyone in his immediate vicinity.
"Thanks Dwight." Michael scoffed.
"Wait, what does this mean? What is it, a tie? What's going on?" warehouse worker Lonny asked Michael.
"Well, let's say that whoever was ahead won."
"That was you." Darryl chimed in, referring to a score Angela gave earlier.
"It was us? Really? I didn't, I didn't know. Great, I mean, I guess you guys are working Saturday. Your face."
"No no no. I'm not coming in on Saturday." Roy said. Darryl and Lonny agreed as they all surrounded Michael.
"Um, well, you guys, you know, I'm the boss so..."
"So we're coming in Monday, right?" Lonny asked.
"You guys believed me? Come on. Dogs, you know, you should know me better than that. Do you think that would've been good for morale? No. I'm embarrassed it was even that close though. So of course, we're coming in Saturday." Michael said.
"Of course." Willow groaned. The rest of her co-workers collectively sighed in defeat as they went back upstairs.
♡
"Overall, I'm bummed we have to come in Saturday, but it was a good game overall. Jim did well... Dw-Ryan did well... I think Dwight did okay. But good game for them. Good for them..." Willow said, her mind (and eyes) on Dwight.
♡
"Hey, what a game, huh?" Michael said, trying to bring the employees' moods up.
"What time do we have to come in?" Oscar asked.
"Come on. Let's not be gloomy here man. We're all in this together. We're a team. You know what? Screw corporate, nobody's coming in tomorrow. You have the day off. Like coming in an extra day is gonna prevent us from being downsized. Have a good weekend."
♡
Willow and Jim were the last to leave the office. Jim had just finished making a final sale as Willow grabbed a bag of microwave popcorn from the kitchen.
"Movie night? My place?" Willow asked as she pulled her coat on.
"Uh huh." Jim said halfheartedly.
"Come on, Jim. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm fine." Jim signed off his computer and made his way out of the office.
"Jim, I know you. Is it about Roy?" Willow asked, jogging after him as they met at the elevator.
"It's always Roy, Willow. What did you think?" Jim snapped.
"Whoa, okay. Sorry I asked."
"Hey, I didn't mean it like that. It's just..."
"I get it, Jim. Don't worry." Jim quickly pulled his sister into a hug.
"I'm sorry. I just don't get why she stays with him."
"It's okay Jim. It's okay."
♡
The elevator doors opened up and the Halpert siblings walked out, shouting playful banter at each other about the game and whatnot.
"Meet at mine in an hour?" Willow shouted as she went to her car.
"Obviously!" Jim replied. The siblings bid each other goodbye as they went their separate ways.
In the car, Heart's Barracuda blasting through the stereo, Willow hummed along to the song, Dwight Schrute sprinkled in her thoughts. She replayed their moment from earlier in her mind, a flutter in her heart sparking a realization.
She was attracted to Dwight. And somehow, she liked it.