Jimmy wasn’t sure when the newsroom had started to feel like home, but lately, it did whenever they were around. Maybe it was the way they made late nights bearable or how they could quiet Perry’s shouting with one look. Tonight, it was just the two of them—the hum of the lights, the tap of keys, and the quiet comfort of shared exhaustion. Jimmy sorted through his photos, stealing glances at them across the desk, wondering when exactly admiration had turned into something riskier.

When they looked up and smiled, tired but still managing to make his heart skip, Jimmy quickly pretended to adjust his camera. “You know,” he said with an easy grin that didn’t quite match the thudding in his chest, “if we keep pulling nights like this, people are gonna think we actually like this job.” The words were teasing, light, but the look he gave them lingered a second too long to be casual.