Author's Note: And let the sparks continue flying…

Tony leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms up, letting out a groan. He was finally done. And to his credit, he had barely glanced in Michelle's direction the entire time, though he'd been tempted. Lifting up his hand, he glanced at his watch. It was past time to give himself a break and grab something to eat. He had been so focused on getting all the paperwork done that he hadn't even realized how much time had passed. His stomach grumbled to further demonstrate just how hungry he was. Giving his stomach a light pat, he got up from his chair and headed to the break room. Before he left his station, he cast a subtle glance in Michelle's direction but saw that her chair was empty. Probably in IT, he thought to himself.

As he had predicted, Michelle hadn't come up to him for help even once. He knew that he had gotten her hackles up with his remark; and although he slightly regretted it, it was probably for the best. He should keep his distance: he didn't want to make the same mistake twice. But still, it wasn't as though he wanted her to dislike him.

Expecting the break room to be empty, he was taken aback when he saw Michelle in there, leaning forward on her tiptoes as she attempted to grab a mug from one of the shelves. She blew her bangs out of her face in frustration as she barely skimmed the handle with her fingertips, inadvertently pushing it further back.

Wordlessly, Tony moved within inches of her and handed her the mug. He was close enough to smell the light dab of perfume that she'd put on her neck. Michelle's heels clicked as they made contact with the floor, and she looked up at him with those huge brown eyes.

"Thanks," she said, breathlessly.

"You're welcome."

Neither of them moved for a moment, their bodies almost touching. Finally, Michelle took a step back and went to the watercooler to pour herself some water. Tony's eyes automatically went to her backside before he could stop himself. His stomach made another noise, reminding him why he had come in the first place, and he walked to the fridge to grab the sandwich he'd gotten on the way to work that morning.

"So, how's your first day going," he asked her while he closed the fridge door. Michelle leaned against the counter with mug in hand. She took a sip before answering. "Just fine. I've already run analysis on the data you've given me. And you should have my report in less than an hour."

"Great." Tony took a huge bite out of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully, wondering what to say next. He swallowed. "About earlier, I'm sorry if I came off a bit rude. It's just that Mason had me doing all this paperwork and … yeah."

Michelle smiled. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't want to babysit the newbie either, if I had been in your place. Thank you for the apology. I really appreciate it."

Tony rubbed his forehead in minor embarrassment. "Yeah, I didn't want us to start off on the wrong foot, seeing as how we're going to be working together."

Michelle could see that Tony was having a hard time looking her in the eye, so she took pity on him. "Anyways, I'd better get that report on your desk ASAP. Enjoy your break."

Tony watched her walk away and couldn't help smiling. He was glad that he'd made things better between them, even though it would probably make it harder for him to keep things platonic. Plus, it wouldn't have been conducive to a good working environment if they were constantly at odds with one another. Now, if he could only convince himself of that reasoning.