Aww, that was unexpected, indeed. Interesting to see Michael's hidden sensitive side show up at Sheryl's gesture. She went easy on him, but that was understandable given the back story.
It's a very nice what-if for Michel and Sheryl, giving more insight to the very little interaction they had in the series. They may not end up together romantically, but I think the two of them understand each other 8D and they have a very interesting dynamic, which this fic showed 8-D