Wanted to preface this story by saying the OC tag is not a self-insert or an original character. I couldn't find a Doctor tag and this works the best! Hope this doesn't take your enjoyment away from the story! Have fun reading!

The Doctor sat in his office with his pen sprawled out on the tabletop. His restless mind whirled in uncertainty while the paperwork stacked on his desk gazed at him, taunting him for his lack of speed compared to the constant stream entering his office every hour. While everyone told him to take a break or offered him a hand, it just didn't feel the same without a certain someone's presence in the same room.

Margaret Nearl was someone who worked in silence until words were a necessary part to communicate with him, but by then the Doctor was itching for some small talk between them, so he would end up spilling what was on his mind to her. And she would just laugh at his attempt to strike up an engaging conversation with her, but it always seemed to work because she also opened up and joined in.

He wanted to find a new assistant who could aid him in his work, but at the same time, he hoped that Margaret Nearl would come back sooner than later to be with him, which wouldn't be the case because of her work at Kazimierz. It was an absurd wish, but one he held onto for now while days slowly diminished whatever sanguinity he had gathered.

Besides, it was his selfish mistake he didn't assign a new assistant to stay by his side right away to control the disarray of the endless white sheets littering his desk. Maybe he could entrust a portion of his work to the members of Pinus Sylvestris, but it would be odd, yet amusing to see four new assistants scurrying around in panic as they pestered him to aid them in understanding their roles in his office.

He continued his trek through the mountains of paperwork, only for it to amount to nothing, which fed into the exhaustion building up in his body. Setting the pen down one more time, his gaze wandered around the office until it settled on a certain book he had read with Margaret one night.

He didn't know what came over him, but he stood up from his desk and walked over to where the book was sitting, and raised his hand up. He gently touched the spine of the book and pulled it out from the shelf to get a good look at it.

Despite his somewhat hazy mind, he smiled. If his body didn't demand a break, he might have read the entire book on the spot.

The Doctor stared at the book in a stupor until he heard the mechanics of the door echo through his office. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, but it must have been a while. The Doctor hid the book behind his back and turned around in shock to see Margaret Nearl staring at him with a hint of perplexity written on her face.

"How are you doing, Doctor?" Margaret asked while keeping her eyes trained on his hand concealed behind his back.

"Uh... You're back so soon?" The Doctor coughed, suddenly feeling nervous and wide awake around her. It was unbecoming of him, but when someone he was thinking about not even a second ago, walks through the door, it was difficult to stay calm.

"Doctor, you're the one who said I was always welcome on Rhodes Island." Margaret reminded him as she set her swordspear down next to his desk.

"Right, but I didn't expect you to be back so soon. And nobody told me you would come over today." The Doctor explained, trying his best not to look suspicious, but the way Margaret kept glancing down told him as much.

"That's because I told them to abstain from announcing my arrival, so I could surprise you. You could compare it to a birthday gift or something!" Margaret quietly strolled over to where he was and peeked behind his back, despite his efforts to intentionally obscure her view. Once she got a good look at the book, her cheeks turned slightly red. "I missed you too, Doctor."

"Likewise." The Doctor replied, keeping his composure despite his heartbeat racing faster than a horse could run.

"I'm back and I'll be staying for a bit before I return to Kazimierz. It's just to stay with you for a little while longer since I can see you are drowning in paperwork and haven't replaced me with anyone."

"Thank you for your observation and your offer to help, but I'll find someone who can assist me soon enough."

"Doctor, you said that last time I was here," Margaret recalled from her prior visit to Rhodes Island.

"Did I?" He couldn't remember the last time she was here. Time flew by in a blur and he didn't have the luxury to savor it. Such was the life of the Doctor, to whom everyone entrusted their lives.

Margaret just nodded her head as her eyes traveled around the room until they stopped to marvel at the recent additions to the bookshelves in his office. Another bookshelf had appeared since the last time she was here and it was only half filled, but it captivated her.

The Doctor laughed as Margaret made her way to the books to pick a new one up. "It's grown a lot since you were gone. If you want, you can borrow a few books and take them to Kazimierz. Just bring them back whenever you get the chance to return or when we need your help for a mission."

"I wouldn't dare. It would be a shame to taint Doctor's books from my long leaves to Kazmierz..." Margaret protested, only to be interrupted by the Doctor waving her excuse away.

"Don't worry about it. It'll be a fond reminder of me while you're gone. I'm sure you're lonely as you push to do your best to transform Kazimierz into a better place."

From one glance, the Doctor could sense Margaret's joy from the way her ears flickered around in excitement and the way she held the book right over her mouth to hide her smile. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll make sure to bring it back in pristine condition as if it never left your library in the first place."

The Doctor just nodded his head as his eyes drifted over to study her. She had transformed so much since he first met her. Her soft, yet fatigued features revealed just how much she was going through. It was a never-ending battle for the Radiant Knight, though he wasn't anywhere better off than she was.

In fact, it was possible he had more responsibilities than her, but he wasn't here to compare his burdens to her. They were all enduring harsh realities for a better future.

While the Doctor was dazed in reverie, Margaret flipped to the first page of the book and glossed over the prologue, mesmerized by the words that drew her in. Once she was satisfied with the contents of what she read so far, Margaret skimmed through the brief summary written on the back of the cover. "Perhaps I should give this to Maria to read as well... It might have some valuable lessons she could implement in her life." She murmured.

"I could recommend it to her after I finish the sea of papers... Unless you want to give it to her yourself." The Doctor said, taking notes on how she explored the last page of the book to see if the ending was up to her standards.

Margaret's eyes gazed into his, instilling an emotion of warmth within him he hadn't felt in a while. It looked like she was about to say something when a thought intervened at the last second as she stared at the cover of the book. "Wouldn't it be better if we both went down to visit her?"

"Oh, that sounds like a great idea since I have a feeling someone will barge into my office soon to tell me to take a break." The Doctor looked back at his desk and shrugged his shoulders. "I presume you'll help me with it soon?"

"Of course, Doctor. You'll find me by your side when we get back together. But before we go, I have a request." Margaret vocalized as she set the book down on a table in the middle of the room.

"Yes?"

"Would you care to join me for a dance?" Margaret asked, extending her hand in his direction.

"What? I..." The Doctor faltered, but the expectant expression on her face convinced his heart. "But of course, Margaret."

The Doctor slowly reached out until his hand rested in her open palm. Margaret accepted him by wrapping her hand around his and guiding him closer to where she was standing. The warmth radiating from her body enveloped him, causing a powerful sensation to run excitedly amid his chest and melt any trace of stress away.

It was a perfect, serene moment. However, there was still one thing he was guilty of being incompetent in that he had to let her know.

"I have something to confess, Margaret. I'm not the right person you would want to dance with because of my lack of knowledge about dancing."

"I wouldn't worry about such trivial matters," Margaret said to comfort him, though mirth was present on her face. "Let me take the lead and we'll take it slow to ensure you don't embarrass yourself."

The Doctor laughed nervously but focused on Margaret as she used her right hand to lift his left hand up in the air to the side at the level of their eyes. Next, she guided his right hand to her left shoulder blade and rested her left hand on his right shoulder. From there, she initiated the first few steps of their silent, yet blissful event.

She slid her feet to one side, and the Doctor mirrored her actions, logically concluding this was the next stage of the dance without a single word from her. When she added a few more steps to her pattern, the Doctor imitated her with little trouble, and the mistakes he made were flawlessly corrected in the next set of moves she performed. It was impressive, but the Doctor had to admit that it required little effort to memorize everything he had to do.

As he got comfortable, the Doctor raised his head to match her gaze. Margaret's face lit up with happiness as she guided him around the room, spatially aware of the furniture that surrounded them.

Margaret slowed down to a stop and beamed at him. "I didn't realize you lied to me, Doctor. I thought you said you were bad at dancing, but imagine my surprise when you adapted to everything I did. Did you perhaps practice with someone? And who was the lucky lady?"

"Ah, wait, that isn't or wasn't the case, Margaret!" The Doctor pointed out, waving his hands about frantically. "I thought it would be difficult to learn, but you really taught me well by taking it slow as you said you would... Even with no words of instructions, I just assumed copying you would be the best course of action, but I digress... So, the lucky lady would be you."

Margaret blushed from the sudden spotlight landing on her with her ears following suit by tilting downwards bashfully. Her effort to tease the Doctor ended up falling on her, but from the looks of it, it didn't bother her. "I'm honored to be the first one to dance with Doctor."

"I guess the pleasure is all mine, but now that we're done, should we visit your friends and family? I'm sure they miss you." The Doctor asked, strolling towards the door with the book she put down on the table in his hands.

Margaret smiled as she accompanied him. "Gladly."

As they walked down the hallway, Margaret found the Doctor sticking close to her side, much to her amusement. "Doctor, did you miss me that much?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?" The Doctor asked innocently, unaware of how close he was to her.

"Let's just say it's a feeling," Margaret answered with a giggle as she gently bumped into the side of the Doctor.

Even if Margaret couldn't see past his mask, she could sense his embarrassment. It was almost adorable. Margaret would be lying if she said she wasn't lonely without the Doctor by her side, but it was tranquil moments like this that made her appreciate him just a little more.

Maybe they could dance longer next time.

Author's Note: I can't get enough of Margaret Nearl! She's so fluffy and beautiful that I had to write another story dedicated to her in honor of what she did in the Near Light story! This time Nearl, the Radiant Knight version!

It was a great event if I say so myself, though I do sheepishly admit I finally finished the story a bit late! But I don't think any recent stories have latched onto me as much as this one because of how well it was written! I loved, yet disliked the ending for making me feel sad when Nearl said goodbye to Doctor, but this was seriously amazing!

With that being said, I'm definitely going to be trying my best to release more Arknights stories later down the road! I hope you come to enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Also, just in case you guys haven't seen my other Doctor X Nearl fanfiction, give it a read! It's called 'The Remedy For Sleeplessness.'

With brilliant love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!