Hey, everyone. Here is a short little Rufus x Sheryl story. It was inspired by the scene where Jim kisses Pam at the end of season 2 of The Office. Hope you all like it!

Warnings: Some OOC ness

Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts.


"You're still going to marry him, aren't you?" He asked without using his usual way of speaking. "You're really going to marry him?"

"Rufus, I'm sorry." She said, her voice tinted with sadness. "I have to do this, and he isn't a bad guy. He loves me." She looked as his face dropped. It wasn't the answer he had been expecting.

"Dost thou love him too?" His usual talk had come back, but he was still upset. He watched as she nervously moved around. She was weighing the consequences of what she was going to say next.

"Does it really matter?" She asked him. She wouldn't look him in the eye. She stared down at the ground in front of him, and he watched as her hair fell around her face and over her shoulders. He must have undid her bun earlier.

He took a step closer to her, but she backed away. He reached out to touch her face and said, "Tis the whole reason to marry. For love." And he loved her alright. Sure, it took until she said she was getting married for him to admit it, but he loved her long before then. Sure, they always argued and teased each other, but that only made his affection grow.

She knocked his hand away. "No, it isn't. Sometimes you have to marry because it's your duty. Not everything can be a fairy tale, Rufus!" She yelled. She was angry now. Her hands were balled into fists, and her lips were twisted into a frown. She wished that Rufus would grow up and act like adult. Sometimes adults had to do things they didn't want to.

He stepped closer again and grabbed her hands. "Sheryl, I shall take thou hand in marriage! We'll wed and produce many heirs and be happy. I shall love you until you die!" He declared excitedly.

"Rufus, I can't marry you. My family will never accept that." She stated. "I need to marry a nice, normal man. I'll have children with him, and life will go on."

"I shall become a nice, normal man!" He yelled. "I shall do anything for my Sheryl." He wrapped his arms around her and held her.

She started to cry and pushed him away. "No, Rufus! I can't marry you!" She yelled at him. "It has been decided already. I am marrying him, and that's final."

"Why didst thou kiss me then?" He asked.

"You kissed me, Rufus. You kissed me." She said, clearly upset.

"But thou kissed me back." He stated. "I felt passion in our kiss! Real love!" He hadn't planned on kissing her. He was just going to tell her how he felt, but when she turned around to face him, he grabbed her face and kissed her.

"Rufus, it was just in the spur of the moment. It didn't mean anything." She replied as she turned away from him. To be honest, it had meant something. She really liked Rufus. Rufus, though, was a foreigner and a strange man. Her family didn't approve of him.

"Dost thou feel that when kissing him?" Rufus asked.

She was caught off guard by the question, but she knew that she never felt anything when she kissed her fiancé. It was nice, but there was no real spark. When she kissed Rufus, she felt that spark.

"Yes, I do, Rufus." She lied. "He is going to be my husband. Just accept that."

He looked at the Sheryl standing before him. It was the stubborn one that argued with him, and he knew he was never going to be able to change her mind.

"Very well." He said. "I shall leave." He turned away from her, but she reach out and grabbed his arm before he could walk off.

"Rufus, I don't want you to leave me. I just want you to understand that I can't marry you." She stated.

"But canst thou love me?" He asked as he turned around to face her. He stared at her, waiting for an answer.

"Rufus" She whispered. She wanted to say yes, but she didn't want to complicate things between them.

"Please, Sheryl. Be honest. Dost thou love me?" He asked.

"I may love you, but I can't do anything about it." She stated.

"Tis fine. I just desire to know." He stated. He just had to hear the words. He just had to know how she truly felt about him.

"I love you, Rufus Barma." She said. "And there is nothing you can do about it." She stuck out her tongue at him and then laughed.

Rufus couldn't help but laugh too. He would accept that. Just knowing Sheryl loved him too would be enough to keep him going.

"Then I shall be here whenever thou needs me, Sheryl. When thou tis old and grey, I shall be there. I shall always love you and care for you." He stated as he kneeled before her like a man about to be knighted.

She couldn't help but smile a little. Rufus was so strange.

They never talked about that night again. Life just went on as normal. Rufus always asked her to marry him even though he knew she would say no. He just wanted her to know that he still loved her. She would sometimes give him a quick kiss on the cheek, but it never went further than that. Rufus didn't mind though, because he was just glad to know that she loved him.


Thanks for reading!