Start again A Dwight in shining armor fanfic

Bowling and boyfriends

Dwight was standing in front of his locker, cleaning out the last remnants of papers he had inside. He wanted to finish tidying up early so he could leave before the school day ended. His intention was to spend some time with Gretta until he had to go to the senior center with Nana. Gretta hadn't been at school that day, and his text to her from that morning had never gotten a reply. He decided not to bother her since she'd passed all of her classes, earning a well deserved sleep in. One of the school bells rang as he picked up the last handful of papers from his locker and shoved them into his backpack. It was signalling a changeover with classes. At that moment, he was supposed to be going to his English Literature class. However, for him and some other students that day, the changeover was optional. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he only ate a slice of avocado toast this morning before leaving for school. He had skipped lunch period, hoping to leave early enough to have lunch at home. He picked up a spray bottle and a rag from the floor, spraying the inside of his locker and wiping down all of the shelves and recesses. He gave out a sigh of relief as all of his cleaning duties in school were now completed, meaning he could go home.

A short time later as he entered his house, Dwight was greeted with the sound of laughter. He closed the door before looking into the living room. He was surprised to see Gretta and Nana sitting there on the couch. Nana had one of Gretta's hands in hers, helping her apply the electric blue nail polish they had gotten at the mall the day before. The nails on one of her hands were already painted. Spread across the coffee table, were supplies for helping Gretta with her nails. A small nail kit in a pink zippered case was next to a bottle of top coat, nail polish remover, and a pack of round cotton pads. At the far end of the coffee table, were a few photo albums stacked high, varying in sizes, designs, and colors.

"Hey." he said. Both women looked at him with a welcoming smile.

"Sir Dwight! How was the last day of peasant school? " Gretta asked, not trying to move much as Nana stroked the nail polish brush along her thumbnail, coating it in the electric blue color.

"Boring." he stated, placing his backpack against the side of the couch. "I was hoping to be done by lunchtime, but I ran a bit behind thanks to some paint that spilled in the art club room." Dwight's stomach let out a loud rumble, freezing him in place out of embarrassment.

"I take it you skipped lunch?" asked Nana.

"Yeah." he confessed, "I was just about to go make something."

"I'll do that for you." Nana offered, putting the top of the nail polish back on the bottle. She let go of Gretta's hand, letting her blow on the painted nails for them to dry quicker. "Why don't you take over for me and help Gretta?"

"Sure." Dwight gladly accepted.

"You know how to use nail polish?" Gretta asked, rather surprised.

"Sort of comes with the territory when you help out at a senior center." Dwight joined Gretta on the seat next to her, taking Nana's place on the couch as she went to the kitchen. The smell of fresh nail polish permeated the air around them as he turned his body towards Gretta, taking her hand in his. The gentle hold and warmth of their hands together made Gretta's cheeks flush. Dwight diverted his attention the best he could, seeing the rosy pink appear on her cheeks back to finishing her nails. "Nana and I help at the annual makeover day there every year. There's some professionals that volunteer for hair, makeup, and fashion. I'm usually the one helping on nail duty and taking pictures of everyone all dressed up." He said, using the small nail brush on one of the remaining fingernails not painted. She watched as he put an even coat of paint onto her nail.

"Do you not have a professional to help with nails that day?"

"Well, yeah, but some of the elderly there don't trust just anyone. They see me and Nana every week, so.." Dwight trailed before letting go of Gretta's hand. Gretta brought the hand close to her lips to blow some of the nail polish dry before she said anything.