#( 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 ; asks (( lydia ))

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

retrograderesemblance asked : ✿ lydcoe!

SEND “ ✿ ” FOR 2 HEADCANONS FOR OUR MUSES’ RELATIONSHIP. / @retrograderesemblance -- accepting

One. I think Lydia already had a decent shot with a gun. Still, during their time together hunting Rogers Simcoe helped her practice to perfect her aim with a musket/flintlock, and maybe some general fighting techniques? Whether this was a good idea or not is up for debate.

Two. More of a general headcanon, but I imagine when Christmas came around when they were in Setauket or traveling around, Lydia put together a dinner because most of the QR couldn't return to their families. She might've tried to get Simcoe to help her with this.

Three. (Honorable mention, since I felt like the last one was pretty general and not dynamic-specific), We already talked about this before, but when they were dealing with their feelings they stared at each other a lot. At the time, this annoyed Lydia more than anything (while she was trying to deny her feelings), but now it's this weird wholesome thing where Lydia enjoys being looked at by him and/or watching him.

[shxrp-teeth-after-dark]

honorhearted asked : Pillow Princess or Power Bottom? (Lydia)

This Or That Meme. / @honorhearted -- accepting

        ❝ I don't believe I'm the greedy sort, ❞ Lydia clarifies to begin with, wanting to cover all her bases. ❝ I believe the best part of intercourse is the chance to observe your partner's reaction from the pleasure you're giving them. Especially if my partner is over me. Would that make me a power bottom? ❞ She asked with a tilt of her head and a scrunch of he nose.

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

pagetreader asked : [AMNESIA] a starter where my muse has lost all of their memories and doesn't remember your muse (Nicholas @ Lydia, except they haven't met prior and she could potentially give away sensitive info if she starts to randomly maybe)

Can't find the meme. / @pagetreader

    𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐋𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. She wasn’t as familiar with York City’s streets as she was accustomed to Philadelphia, but New York was the closest resemblance to home when it was compared to the Patriot camp. Much like the Patriot camp, Lydia was thankful for the way she was swept away from the busy streets, given the recent change of scenery at Nicholas’ estate. She wasn’t one to find many things to be thankful for when it came to the British Army, but she appreciated the gesture of being invited into someone’s home for the time being. The long halls and the chance to have a Major by her side, all in the comfort of his home, was a brilliant opportunity for intelligence; it all depended on how much Nicholas was willing to divulge to Mrs. Barnett.

    As a widow, she had a rare opportunity for sympathy. The widow aspect of her act was true and it was always crucial to string along some truth with a lie, but she might’ve played it up a bit in a way to devoid suspicion. She was a widow, traveling through York City to get to her in-laws in Philadelphia in time for her husband’s funeral. A simple lie that would hopefully keep her around long enough to gather some intel, but not too long to cause suspicion. 

        ❝ Thank you for inviting me here, Major. ❞ Lydia looked up at Nicholas beside her, taking in his visage for any reaction she could pick up on. ❝ Your estate is very extravagant. Have you been in New York for long? ❞

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

honorhearted asked : ☎️ for Lydia, if you have a modern verse?

Send ☎️ And I Will Tell You. / @honorhearted -- accepting

What My Muse Has For Your Muse's Contact Info: Ben <3 (or some cheesy, cringy childhood nickname Caleb gave him at some point, also she changes it to husband when they get married), his address and his email, place of work (idk if they are asking this specific but lmao)

What Their Ringtone Is: She asked him for the name of his favorite song and she put it as his ringtone, usually what song she hears often in his car.

The Last Text They Sent Your Muse: You'll be excited to see what I have at home (she purposely left this suspenseful lmao)

What Image My Muse Has For Your Muse In Their Phone: (giving me excuses to look up the turn actors, I see)

[shxrp-teeth-after-dark]

honorhearted asked : “I mean…KIND OF” (@ Lydia, lmao...and thankfully not your other muses -- though he'd never admit if he did for Astrid.)

Put “I mean…” in my inbox if your muse has m.asturbated thinking about my muse. / @honorhearted -- accepting

        Embarrassment was an understatement for the way a blush crawled onto her cheeks and burned her skin, rooting her in place as Ben fumbled through his admittance of… what was it? Thinking of her in his private matters?

        As the idea entered her mind, all she could imagine was the way his voice would tighten with want and urgency in the dim candlelight. She imagined him at his desk, the glow shining onto his desk as a reminder of how late and how wrong it was for him to remain at his office after hours. She could imagine her name leaving his lips in an excited release of breath, through gritted teeth, through strain and enjoyment. Through the motivation of getting to his release, he had thought of her. More than once. And if Lydia was to be honest? she didn’t know whether to feel a sense of pride or embarrassment at the blatant admittance. It was better than him thinking of someone else, right?

        Embarrassed coiled deeper in her stomach for what she planned to say next.

        ❝ Can you show me how you touch yourself to the thought of me? ❞

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

honorhearted asked : 😍 for Lydia (apologies in advance, haha)

Send me 😍 if your muse finds mine attractive. / @honorhearted​ -- accepting

       ❝ Your compliments are well appreciated, the feeling is mutual, and don’t disagree with me on this. You are very handsome. ❞

[shxrp-teeth-after-dark]

retrograderesemblance asked : morning after starters 15. for our muses to wake with no recollection of the night before // from simcoe to lydia

Morning after starters. / @retrograderesemblance​​​ -- accepting

       𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐰𝐨𝐤𝐞, the sun peeked perfectly through the holes in the shoddy cabin to keep her from falling asleep again, poking through the closed-off windows (if you could call them windows). Luckily for Lydia, she didn’t need to sleep upon the hard surface of the earth for another night and get any more dirt into her hair, but that didn’t mean the bed she now resided in was preferable to home. The blankets were as restricting as her sleeping bag was, there was at least one area of the bed where there was an extreme dip with a lack of straw and filler. This wasn’t the cozy, comforting multiple blanket bed she had back in her home in Philadelphia where she had more pillows than she knew what to do with.

       It was still early and the air was still and quiet, no bird song reached her ears, and Lydia twisted in her blanket to free herself of this contraption. She kicked and turned and slowly the blanket loosened, but there was still a strong hold on her middle. Thinking it was just the blanket she wrapped snugly in just under her shoulders that was giving the extra weight, she hardly opened her eyes as she attempted to loosen that as well. Only instead of the soft threadbare fabric, her finger didn’t get caught on any of the split fabric, but instead her index finger ran across a soft, slightly hairy surface.

       She opened her eyes and looked down at the new feeling, her body stiffening when she realized that it was not the wrapping of the blanket that restricted her but an arm. The pale of John’s arm, precisely.

       She looked over her shoulder to spot the sleeping Queen’s Ranger, breath slow and steady as no attention was drawn to their new predicament. He always kept to his own bed, the two usually arguing about who would get a chance to sleep in the bed that night. But no argument came to mind. Nothing came to mind of what occurred last night. Did he sneak into her bed during the night? Surely, he would’ve brought his own blanket than shared hers, if only to keep hers intact.

       There was no sleep in her eyes as she allowed his arm to rest along her middle, sinking back into her pillow. The fact she couldn’t remember anything that led to this unsettled her. Part of her job as a codebreaker was remembering: remembering patterns and techniques. Her eyes wandered over the cabin, looking in all of the areas the sun shone on, and recognized the white pants strewn on the floor. The legs bent in odd directions as if it was tossed carelessly aside, the sun brightening the white as if to give her small hints of what occurred in her blurred recollection. Maybe he dressed down to sleep in her bed? But even that idea was strange if he was the gentleman he claimed to be.

       Lydia gained a new curiosity and soon put together the green jacket right by the fireplace, her skirt laid in a puddle with her stays right next to the chair. If only her surprise couldn’t get wider, she found that she and John were naked; which was practically laughable on how she never caught onto this when she woke, being so used to dressing in some manner to sleep with John as her companion. 

       Her gaze is cast down on the arm again, retreating from the way she wanted to sink into the feeling of how it pulled on her heart strings. It felt comforting, didn’t it? Maybe because she sought the touch of another with Laurence’s absence, it had to be that reason. She and John were on their own for what stretched on to a month; it was only normal for her to seek some affection she was ultimately used to before the sudden disappearance. Her body stiffened again and she jumped slightly in her place when she noticed her fingers trailing over his forearm.

       She shut her eyes and moved her hands to rest under her head, trying to will some sleep she knew was not going to come after this discovery.

[shxrp-teeth-after-dark]

niksnarration asked : [wall slam] - Your muse pushes mine roughly into a wall, their faces only inches apart - or, if your muse pushes mine chest-first, my muse can feel yours’ breath on the back of their neck. // *snorts* you pick which of our muses!

Some sexual tension / attraction prompts. / @niksnarration​​ -- accepting

      𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲. The exact reasoning for how they ended in this predicament is lost in her recollection, unrememberable as a new feeling of passion clouds her thoughts. She looked up at him bravely from under her lashes, eyes shifting back from one eye to another and then to his lips. She never once denied that her superior was attractive. She would be a fool if she didn’t notice his attractive features but never had she paid attention so closely to the emotions brewing under that consideration of his features. It was lust, surely, but something in her told her it was much, much more than that. It was normal for a to-be wife to feel love, attraction, and lust for her destined husband, the widow would know this extremely well, but as most things went in her life: this marriage was intricate. Andre was one of the redcoats she could stand, and even could see herself being friends with him if the war wasn’t at their doorstep, but surely it would endanger her mission as a spy if she grew any other affections than just respect for him.

      This is why she bit down on her tongue to pull her thoughts away from the man in front of her. His unwavering gaze might be settled on her, his grip might be tight and tempting, and the space between them was limited. He couldn’t be easily ignored, not when she felt the stirring of passion within her, but she couldn’t put any more risks onto her real responsibility here. 

      But wouldn’t giving in to her temptations only enhance her act? They were going to be married soon if Lydia couldn’t find another reason to prolong their engagement; the belief of sex only being after marriage was seemingly thrown out with the real possibility of her being found out as a spy. Though she never saw John as the pushy type, it would be only natural for her to toy with his lust if she wanted to keep him from suspecting anything.

      Lydia placed a finger under his chin and lifted his head up slightly, a small smirk on her face. ❝ Is there something you wanted, Major? ❞

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

anoseforrottenapples asked : “?”--for Lydia from either Mary or Troy (I'll decide when we get there if that works for you XD)

Send me “?” and i’ll write a starter for you that includes one of the following sentences. / @anoseforrottenapples -- accepting

        ❝ Where are we? ❞ (72)

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

honorhearted asked : 😘 for Lydia, if you'd like!

It’s international kissing day. / @honorhearted​​ -- selectively accepting

      𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐫. 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐲, she thought it was another one of his jokes on his best friend being in a relationship. Caleb wasn’t supposed to know about Lydia and Ben’s secret relationship and Lydia was vaguely aware of how Caleb liked to tease before she really knew him, but when he stumbled into Ben’s tent after a night Lydia sneaked into his tent, he spotted the pair and quickly connected the dots when he saw them too close for friends on his cot. Ever since that day, he always had some quip to make about his friend’s relationship, as secret as it was.

       ❝ I’m serious! Ask the ladies in camp, they’ll know what I’m talking about. I know more than just sailing and trading, y’see. I learn things. ❞ When a smile started to curl on Caleb’s face, Lydia immediately started to doubt his claim of an international kissing day. How he would even come to learn about the day was lost to her.

       ❝ You learn things? ❞ she humored him with a smile of her own in return, which only earned her an eye roll and another reply from Caleb himself.

       ❝ Now that’s just cruel. ❞

      Upon learning of the two’s relationship, Caleb seemed to have more of a reason to be around Lydia than just spy business. It mostly consisted of jokes and teasings from the bearded man than any intellectual conversations, but Lydia started to grow a fondness for Caleb and wasn’t stuck in an acquaintanceship with him.

      As she settled in Ben’s lap later that day, her conversation with Caleb was recalled in her mind as she ran a hand through his hair, loosening the tie of his ribbon to allow a few strands to fall next to his face, shaping his face in the process. She wasn’t sure what time of the night it was, whether it was still the sixth of July or the day after, but it hardly mattered when Ben’s hands held onto her waist and their faces were inches away from one another.

       ❝ Ben, ❞ she started in a soft tone, lifting his chin with her fingers as a smirk crossed her lips. ❝ It’s international kissing day, just to let you know. ❞ It sounded childish for her to announce such a thing. She didn’t need any reason to kiss him, and Ben knew that, but as she tilted her head and Ben’s face drew closer to hers, the soft familiar sensation of his lips on hers made all of the embarrassment drift away from her thoughts. She removed her hand on his chin, instead wrapping her arms behind his neck to press into the kiss more. The kiss lasted longer than it needed to, but it made her heart thrum in her chest all the same as if it was the first, and she pressed a much shorter kiss to his lips once they pulled away.

      She chuckled, a hand running down his arm. ❝ Caleb told me about it and I hardly believed him at the time, but if it is true, I didn’t want the day to go to waste. ❞

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

honorhearted asked : For Lydia ☎

Put ☎ in my ask for your muses info in my muses phone:

NAME: Major Tallmadge (y’know because of their secret relationship if anyone was to snoop in on her phone)

^ If married and post-war: Ben <3

RINGTONE: Soldier, Poet King by the Oh Hellos (... for no reason)

PICTURE: 

LAST TEXT RECEIVED: Dear Lydia, thank you for the intelligence report. Yours truly, Benjamin Tallmadge.

LAST TEXT SENT: You’re very welcome, Major. :)))

[shxrp-teeth-after-dark]

anonymous asked : Lydia: Ben and Laurence (but hopefully he's alive here)

Tell me who you think my character should have a th.ree.some with. -- still accepting

      𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐋𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞, the ink ran ruthlessly across the page of her half-finished intelligence decoding. For now, the stain went undetected as she pondered what exactly made someone ask such a cruel question at this time of day. The sleep hadn’t left her eyes yet and here she was expected to give an answer on whether or not she would sleep with both her departed husband and her recent lover.

      If Laurence was still with the living, as given in this scenario, she wouldn’t have been with Ben. That was the cruel part of it and if Laurence went against fate and common sense with a miracle that he was alive once again, she couldn’t supply an answer for what she would do then. Wouldn’t it be right to go back to her previous partner? The man she was initially wedded to? Their marriage was assumed to last for an entire lifetime, so would she be a sinner to deny him? Lydia didn’t think she could break either of their hearts, but if that imaginative scenario did come to be, she would--

      It didn’t matter. This was a question that demanded an answer from her in the present. Thankfully, the person was sympathetic enough to only ask one question regarding the two.

      It was hard to imagine how this would play out and she doubted the two knew each other enough to not be awkward around one another at first. Laurence was always open to ideas, but he took monogamy more seriously than he took most things. He wouldn’t have taken up such an idea, and she assumed Ben wouldn’t want to be in the same place as--

      Here she was again with her whirlwind thoughts. She was giving it more thought than what it was worth and her time was being wasted here each second she looked more into it. None of this was possible, thankfully, for her to truly consider what she would do.

       ❝ If both were willing, I would be open to it, but I fear jealousy might arise between the two. ❞ And that’s all the question required: a yes or a no answer. She squeezed her eyes shut and took in a breath, trying to quell her mind from reaching into those dark depths again.

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

anonymous asked : Lydia: Courageous, kind, even-tempered (for the most part), and an invaluable member to the ring.

Send your muse’s thoughts about mine on anon. -- accepting

        𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, it took a few moments for her to blink the blurriness out of her vision to focus back on the parchment before her. As sleep fatigued as she was, she managed to get through a decoding report this morning, even if she managed to trudge through it at a slower pace than usual. The war never sleeps, and holding true to the expectations that fell over her and the other camp followers, she thought that she was going to spend the rest of her day doing laundry with the promise of supporting the army. With the hard labor, it would have guaranteed her some rest tonight and if she was persistent, it wouldn’t be long until the sun would lower to night time. Then in the cold blanket of nightfall, she could rest her weary form.

        Until the flap of the tent opened and in a rushed tone, a woman had passed along a parchment folded in the resemblance of a bird. A swan, it seemed.

        ❝ Don’t know who wrote this, but I was told it needed to be brought to you immediately. ❞

        The tiredness that had clogged her brain had momentarily dispersed as the daylight punctured through the opening of her tent and a chill ran along her form with the urgency of this letter. However someone managed to fold this into this shape, Lydia wasn’t certain she could figure out how to remake it, so she slowly went through the motions of unfolding it. With its bent edges, she tried to remember the manner it was folded in, but that remembrance was lost on her as her eyes looked over the words. No author and certainly there was no urgency about it. The message was more wholesome than she expected it to be.

        Depending on who you asked, Lydia might fit this description or not at all. Abraham Woodhull might not say these traits are the most notable of Mrs. Barnett, but he would disagree with the idea that she was even-tempered. Her mother, with all of her love and adoration influencing her intense protectiveness of her daughter, would find the claim that Lydia being even-tempered as a contrast to how Lydia was as a child. But Lydia found it to be true, for the most part. She had surely grown more patience and had a better sense of when to hold her tongue than when she was younger. Still, the words felt almost too kind. She didn’t feel as if she  didn’t deserve them, but they felt… out of place. What did she do to owe such a compliment? And why was it seen as an urgency for her to look over it?

        She had a few people in mind: that one woman's chores she took care of when she was sick, Anna, maybe, but Ben seemed the most prominent culprit. Though, she would think he would be less lenient when it came to judging her temper. But in the last few months, there hadn’t been any arguments between them, so perhaps Ben had changed his tune regarding her.  Maybe.

        Regardless, even as she couldn’t figure out how to fold it back to its original shape, she stored it away under her inkwell. She had neatly folded it, even as creases ran across its surface, memorializing its original formation.

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

honorhearted asked : The only discourse Lydia would bring is being too good, too pure for this world, and thus fans would get mad at anyone who crossed her even a little (RIP Ben). Though she might inspire jealousy in female fans, cuz that's just how fandoms roll lol.

For OCs: what fandom discourse would there be surrounding my character if they were canon? / @honorhearted​​ -- accepting

       I have thought about how Lydia would be perceived in the fandom, and definitely there would be some jealousy and hate towards her (generally and if she gets into a relationship with Ben). Not so much towards the end of the season and recently, but women characters in T.URN are hated for various amount of reasons (some more justifiable but others not so much). So I feel like Lydia would get backlash anyways tbh, but I do think she would get some fans and have a few gifsets made on her character. Some posts analyzing her character, etc, especially if she’s dating Ben in this scenario. 

       I do have this weird idea that there would be a flashback of Laurence in the show and people would start simping for him (if the fc I use for him is used in this scenario).  Like “I know he only had one scene but I love Laurence already”.  Then there would probably be this scene in the show where Lydia calls out Abe on his bullshit and people gif it to the high heavens lmao.

       I do think Lydia would be one of those characters that has haters and fans alike, both for various reasons. I love that Lydia would have her own defense squad in the fandom though lmao, I can see it happening for her.

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

honorhearted asked : "It's nothing, really…" Unable to look Lydia in the eye, Ben held a gift wrapped in cloth and twine, fumblingly turning it around and around between his hands. "I'll admit I had to consult with Anna for a bit -- I did get it from her sutler cart, after all -- but my eye drew to it first. I only asked her if…i-if she found it suitable."

Slowly, a hint of pink filled his face, as it often did whenever he was unsure of himself. "I've never bought...I mean..." Sighing, Ben extended his arm and handed her the gift, squirming beneath her gaze. "I figured you'd might like it...that it might return a sense of normalcy to your day-to-day routine."

Inside was a silver-plated hairbrush. Although Ben didn't much care for fripperies, the moment he saw it in Anna's cart, he'd immediately thought of Lydia's fine, ebony hair -- of how it would suit her unlike any other. She, too, wasn't one for extravagance, but after all they'd been through in the past several years, Ben wanted her to have it. He felt Lydia deserved something fine to call her own -- that she deserved a token of his unyielding appreciation.

Discomfited, he softly added, "I hope you like it."

Aside from his mother, she was the first woman he'd ever given a gift to before, and he hoped and prayed that it was well-received.

Lydia’s Birthday Weekend. / @honorhearted​ -- accepting

       𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭. But so far, Lydia had been lucky that their secret relationship only existed by the mouth of gossipers, not in the mouth of anyone with real authority like Washington who would have more leverage to end the relationship then and there. But with each of Ben’s appearances, she knew there was always the possibility of it being the last.

       As she heard the tent flap lift, Lydia hadn’t raised her head. She had no need to, there was nothing incriminating in front of her. Just a single piece of parchment in front of her, a letter from her mother, but there was sneaky suspicion in her gut that it was Ben. Before she would get her confirmation, she opened her mouth to speak and found her words overlapped with that of Ben’s low voice. Upon hearing the familiar tone, the hair on the back of her neck rose as if a breeze from outside went through her tent, and her stomach twisted with a feeling of excitement. 

       As she turned, an object with a slim, but round, handle pressed against her palm. It had more weight to it than she expected, but it wasn’t difficult at all to hold. As Ben spoke, collecting his thoughts, with his loose tongue, she turned the objects over. It was familiar, in an tip-on-the-tongue way, but nothing came to mind as she looked over both sides of the covered gift.  If her mom hadn’t sent her a letter with the mention of her birthday, Lydia would’ve been confused about why Ben was so adamant about giving her a gift. Going so far as to confide in Anna. She trusted both of their judgments, but she thought she hadn’t done anything overly spectacular to receive a gift wrapped in cloth.

       Lydia’s smile warmed her cheeks as she imagined Anna’s laugh and extended the object to Ben with the cloth and twine soon after, assuring Ben that she would like whatever it was. Her stare lifted from the object with a crease between her brows at his interesting word choice. “ Normalcy? “ Whatever this was, she was eager to find out. Camp was not home, but for now, camp wasn’t an unfamiliar setting to her after all of these years. She soon knew the ins and out of gossip, grasped her responsibilities, and the death tolls that were reported were nothing new, but an unfortunate effect of war. It still didn’t ease the stab of guilt she felt when she witnessed the grieving wives in camp.

       As Ben finished and stood still in the silence, Lydia found it a reasonable time to finally untie the item that was giving Ben so much nervous tension. She broke apart the twine and unfurled the cloth with a gentle touch, pulling back all of the wrapped layers to find her eyes settled upon a blonde cluster of bristles. It was a hairbrush in much finer condition than her current one with its cracking handle and chipped backing. Ben might’ve never seen it, but the fact this item hadn’t been picked up at all in Anna’s cart was a treasure in itself. However long he’s been eyeing it, he picked it up in time as her current hairbrush began to show its age. 

       ❝ Ben… it’s… ❞ A new light shone in her eyes as she turned it over, catching sight of all of the wave-like patterns on its backing. The curled patterns added more character to the silver brush, it made it unique, and it was the exact reason why she felt so stunned over having the item in her hands. Its finery shouldn’t be in camp, she didn’t require such a delicacy.

       She lifted her head, rising from her chair and practically falling into his hold with the boldness of her embrace as she clutched the hair brush in hand. She squeezed and squeezed and didn’t realize how much she squeezed Ben’s body until she moved out of his hold and took in the sight of him. 

       ❝ It’s beautiful. ❞ She lifted the hairbrush in her hand and gently tapped his shoulder, not feeling guilty about stealing some more of his time for now. ❝ Do you think you would have the time to brush my hair for me? ❞

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

honorhearted asked : 👀 + Ben for Lydia :' )

Send me 👀 + a character name and i’ll bold all that applies. / @honorhearted​​ -- accepting

i would compliment them  /  i would hug them  /  i would hold them ( *looks at our angst thread*)  /  i would lift them  /  i would let them lift me  /  i would nuzzle them  /  i would caress their cheek  /  i would wrestle with them (playfully... unless?)  /  i would stare into their eyes  /  i would admire their body  /  i would kiss them on the cheek  /  i would kiss them on the lips  /  i would kiss them on the neck  /  i would sit on their lap  /  i would let them sit on my lap  /  i would rest my head on their lap  /  i would let them rest their head on my lap  /  i would steal their clothes (his jacket!)  /  i would let them steal my clothes  /  i would cook food for them  /  i would steal food from them  /  i would let them steal my food  /  i would share a drink with them  /  i would talk to them all night  /  i would laugh at their bad jokes  /  i would play footsies with them  /  i would cuddle with them  /  i would spoon with them  /  i would sleep next to them  /  i would hold their hand  /  i would pet their hair  /  i would let them pet my hair  /  i would give them a massage (because Ben needs one tbh)  /  i would let them give me a massage  /  i would bath or shower with them  /  i would make out with them  /  i would give them hickeys  /  i would let them give me hickeys  /  i would pin them  /  i would let them pin me  /  i would touch them  /  i would let them touch me  /  i would have sex with them  /  i would be gentle  /  i would be rough (if Ben wanted her to)  /  i would let them be gentle  /  i would let them be rough