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alive-forever · 7 days ago

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I was rewatching the movie because I hadn’t seen it again in a minute and I saw that Madeline wears glasses to read. She squints at like three different things to try to read it within the first 20 minutes of the movie. I feel like musical Madeline would just struggle to read shit until Helen makes her get a pair. Lets explore that a little.

(these shorts aren't as heavily edited as my ao3 stories because its just me getting the bees out my brain like I said before. Apologies if it's a lil wonky)

She’s getting suspicious. They’ve been living together for the past five months and Helen’s started to notice a pattern. Every time she points it out Madeline always has an excuse for it. Like why does Madeline have to hold her phone so close to her face when she needs to read something? Oh, of course it's just because she’s tired.

Whenever they're cuddled on the couch, more often than not Madeline has to squint a little to see what's happening on the TV. But that's just because it's so far away, anyone would struggle to see it. Helen doesn't, but then again she wears her damn glasses. She's also seen Madeline bump directly into a wall that was clear as day. Madeline says she just wasn’t paying attention, she can be so clumsy. Even when that happened a fourth time, Madeline had the same excuse.

Yeah something's up.

Helen hoped she'd bring it up on her own but that clearly isn't going to happen. The patience she has runs out as they make their way from their seats while the credits to the movie roll.

“That was amazing, I wish we hadn't missed the first half hour.” Helen grumbles as they leave the theater in the crowd of people moving sluggishly.

“Oh my god, I'm sorry! The tickets said 8:30! I swear.” Madeline can only say sorry in so many different ways.

“If they said 8:30, we wouldn’t have been a half hour late.” She grits out through her teeth.

“You’re acting like I did this on purpose.”

“Well it feels like it because you didn’t even want to come in the first place.” Helen holds the door open so Madeline can walk through. In a flash her arm sticks out, just before Madeline can run directly into a metal post between the doors.

They share a silent look that Madeline chooses to ignore and continues, “You’re right, I didn't want to come. Historical fiction is lame. But I said I would, and I did! I just thought they said 8:30!”

“And you thought that because you can't see! You need glasses Madeline.” Helen's words make her gasp.

“I. Do. Not.”

“Yes you do, Mad. I know you do.”

“How?” She folds her arms like a child.

“I'll show you.” Helen looks around the theater lobby. “Alright. If you can see so well, then what color is that guy's tie?” Helen turns Madeline towards a group of people a little ways away.

“You can't be serious?” She scoffs.

"If you don't need glasses then just tell me and we'll be done with it.” The challenging look on Helen’s stupid perfect lips makes Madeline want to flip her off. So she does before looking back across the lobby, and tries to see what color the tie is. She can’t even take a guess. Gray? Blue? Fuck, she can’t tell from here.

“....Green?” She says high pitched and unsure.

“Wrong.” Helen deadpans. Her eyes search around the space again, landing on a sign that has some information about the theater. It's only a few feet from them. “What about that sign right there? What's it say?” Helen watches as Madeline squints at the sign for a few seconds before huffing.

“I don't know why I'm being quizzed right now.” She averts her eyes, looking anywhere but the sign. Because she knows the answer. It's blurry as hell, she can't read shit.

“Just admit you need glasses.” Helen sighs.

“No!” Madeline pushes through the last set of doors that lead outside, stomping her way towards the car.

“Madeline! You drive sometimes! You need to be able to see the road!” Helen chases after her, catching up in a few strides. “Whats the big deal? I wear glasses."

“Yeah but glasses work for you. You look like a hot librarian. I'll look stupid.” Her head hangs in defeat when she stops under a flickering street lamp.

“You haven't even tried, can we at least try so you can see. We're dead Madeline, your sight isn't going to get any better.” Helen holds Madeline's shoulders gently with a soft look until she relents.

“Fine…I'll try.” It did suck to have to squint at everything all the time.

“That's all I ask.” A kiss is pressed to Madeline's cheek while she attempts to hold onto her irritation. Another is pressed to the tip of her nose, then to her other cheek, and her forehead. The doting makes a smile break across Madeline's face again. Helen loops their arms together once the pouting is done. The two of them start making their way back to the car. “So are you thinking circle frames?”

“That is the most disrespectful thing you've ever said to me.” The horrified look on her face at even the concept of circle frames makes Helen burst out laughing.

It still takes a few days of convincing and Madeline dramatically throwing herself onto different furniture around their house for them to finally go out to get a pair. The optometrist seems baffled at Madeline's eyes just like the poor doctor she'd seen about her neck. Thankfully he doesn't keel over but Helen sees him standing by a window with a thousand yard stare as she and Madeline head out the door.

“Dead eyes.” He whispers to himself softly. One of his concerned looking coworkers offering him a glass of water. He'll be fine…probably?

The glasses Madeline picks out aren't used immediately. They sit on her dressing room table for two more days until she feels brave enough to put them on.

Early morning rays of light filter in through the sheer white curtain, casting the room in a warm glow. It's a lazy Sunday, they had no plans for today so no one would see her if she looked stupid in the new glasses. The case is clicked open, she holds them up, eyeing the clear frames she decided to go with. The lenses are thicker than she thought they would be. Madeline's head falls back and she groans.

“Might as well sign me up for AARP while we're at it.” She whines, looking at the frames again. “Just do Madeline. You can do it.” She says to herself, sliding them onto her face. Her eyes stay squeezed shut, a slow breath leaving her until she finally opens them again.

Well this is a pleasant surprise.

Madeline turns her head side to side, trying to get all her good angles.

She looks cute.

She looks good.

She looks hot.

They don't make her look ancient at all. If anything she likes the cougar energy she radiates now. Ooo! Maybe a sexy secretary? Madeline sits straighter in the chair, getting into character and putting on a dramatic airy voice.

“Oops, sorry the boss isn't here today. Can I help you instead? I'm sure we could squeeze you in.” She tosses her hair over her shoulder before grinning at herself. Yes, this would do just fine.

Besides looking cute, Madeline can see. She can see. Has the world always looked this clear? Surely not? She would have noticed if her vision had gotten that bad over the past few years. It had to of because it feels like someone just turned on the high definition setting in her eyes. Some of her hair is tucked behind her ear, a little smile playing on her lips as her eyes roam over the brightly colored clothing in her closet. Today is absolutely going to be a dress up day. There are so many outfits she needs to see herself in now.

“I take it you like them?” Helen's voice drifts over to her, drawing her out her thoughts. With a grin Madeline turns in her chair to reply.

“Hel, I love them so–...” It feels like her brain stops working when she sees Helen leaning in the doorway in her soft blue robe.

“They look really good on you, Mad.” The loving smile on Helen's face would make her dead heart stop if it could.

Madeline should have gotten glasses sooner. She's been missing out.

Yes she knew Helen was gorgeous. She could admit that now that they weren't trying to kill each other most days. Even when she's dressed in her long skirts and beige, Helen is beautiful. But Madeline doesn't think she has seen her this clearly in a while. The warm light coming in from the morning sun highlights Helen's fiery hair. It's like Madeline is lured from her seat just at the sight of her, she's on her feet making her way across the room before she even realizes she's doing it.

“Give me a twirl.” She asks and Helen gives her a weird look.

“What?” A brow arches.

“Humor me?” Madeline puts on the puppy dog eyes, Helen can never say no to.

“Okay werido.” With one more mildly confused look to her, Helen slowly starts turning and tries not to feel self conscious under Madeline's unwavering gaze.

They aren't painted today since they have nowhere to be so Madeline can see her pale lifeless skin. The robe she's in slips off her shoulder a little when her back is to Madeline.

She knows it's hard for Helen to believe but she likes her without the paint that makes them look alive. Especially now that she can see all the little freckles that dot across her back and shoulders. Madeline's eyes wander over every detail until Helen is facing her again and she can look into her eyes. Those gorgeous green eyes have a little brown around the iris that look honey colored under the morning sun. There's freckles on her face too. Madeline used to give her shit about them when they were younger (and she could see better) but she's always loved them. It feels like she can't get enough of looking at Helen.

And she thinks she's fallen in love all over again.

“What? What are you looking at? Is something wrong?” Helen pats her face nervously.

“No. Everything's fine.” The silly grin on Madeline's face doesn't let up.

“Okay, you’re freaking me out. What?”

“Nothing. You’re just pretty.” The honesty in her voice tugs at Helen's heart strings.

She laughs awkwardly. “Thanks?” It's still new to hear compliments from Madeline. True ones, ones that make her knees weak. Especially when Madeline looks at her like she's going to devour her right here.

“Like, really pretty, Hel.” Her hands slip around Helen's waist, pulling her closer. She's never loved getting anyone flustered more than she does Helen Sharp.

“We should have gotten you glasses sooner if this is how you act when you can see.” If she could Helen knows she'd be blushing.

“We should have.” Madeline purrs, sliding her hands under Helen’s robe, gliding the tips of her fingers lightly over smooth cool skin.“I wonder what else I can see?”

“Guess we'll just have to find out, hum?” Helen smirks back, the two of them giggling as they make their way back into the bedroom.

#death becomes her #madhel #love this fic <3

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alive-forever · 9 days ago

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THOSE BITCHES ARE BURIED NEXT TO EACH OTHER! Not just in the same place, not just the same row, next to. At the same place Ernest and his WIFE are being buried next to one another?? Right. Right. Right. How’d that convo even go????

Walk with me. It's not my best work but I gotta get the bees out of my brain. *jingles keys* its gay *jingles keys* and its pride month

She sits up against the headboard, glasses sliding down to the bridge of her nose. It feels unfair how Helen only got to enjoy 20/20 vision for four years until Madeline blasted a hole through her. Now it feels like her vision is worse if anything. She pushes them back up her nose, eyes reading over a few paragraphs of options.

“We could get you a mausoleum?” She says, scrolling through the website of a cemetery.

“Ooo that could be fun!” Madeline lays on her stomach next to her, feet kicking in the air while she scrolls through her phone. Their pinkies are hooked together in the middle of the bed, both of them focused on their own screens. Helen has been combing through a few cemeteries in the area that would be a fitting place for Thee Madeline Ashton to be buried. Did you know she was a two time Oscar nominee?

Helen has already done this once for herself four years prior and Madeline cried like a baby at her fake funeral. She couldn’t understand why for the life of her. She was standing right next to her during the service. “But it still feels like you died!” Madeline had sobbed into her chest while Helen soothed her…at her own funeral.

“Jesus this is expensive.” Helen’s eyes go a bit wider when she sees the range of costs for mausoleums.

“Who cares! We'll get a big statue of me right on top. No one will ever forget this beautiful face.” She flutters her lashes looking up at Helen who just rolls her eyes with a soft smile.

“Whatever will the world do without you.” She hums out, scrolling a little further. “Are we doing the whole casket thing for you?”

“Duh! I don't want a boring urn like some people.” The words have Helen shooting a glare her way.

“Hey! My urn is beautiful.”

“It's gold and black Helen, it looks like my grandmother's.” She sticks her tongue out with a grossed out look.

Helen yanks her glasses off in annoyance, “I'm doing research for you, I can stop right now. You only wanted to plan the fun part of your death.” She says, thinking back to the absolute nonsense that was Madeline's fake death.

“Don't act like you didn't have any fun with that! I saw your face when we blew that yacht up.” The two of them had sat side by side in the middle of the night on a little dinghy with enthralled matching grins as the yacht went up in flames. Madeline’s fake body going with it. It was a little romantic, the soft glow of boat flames in the back ground on the gentle sway of the ocean.

“That was pretty sick.” Helen had to admit. Rigging the boat to blow had been one of the most fun yet insane things she’d done in her life…and she’d scaled the wall of a mental insa–health spa. “But you have to pick a place soon, your funeral is going to be in a couple weeks.”

“Stop worrying, I already have.” The words are said almost nervously but Helen doesn’t pick that up just yet.

“Then why the fuck am I still looking for you right now?” Her laptop is snapped shut with a little too much force. She'd been perusing cemetery websites for the last hour!

“Because…I didn’t know how to tell you.” Madeline puts her phone face down on the bed, not meeting Helen’s eyes.

“Is this about the drone thing again? We CANNOT spread fake ashes with a drone over Broadway.” That’s one of Madeline’s tamer options.

“No not that…killjoy.” Madeline grumbles under her breath.

“Well, Hollywood Forever said no to having your own fountain installed.” She still can’t believe she had to call and ask about that.

“One, fuck them. Two, it's not there either.” Still she won’t make eye contact.

“Then where is it, Mad?” Helen sighs exasperated, not in the mood for a guessing game. It takes a few more moments of silence for Madeline to finally speak again. She picks her phone back up and Helen gasps at the cemetery on the screen.

“With you.”

It's the same place Helen is buried.

“What?” She can’t believe it.

“The spot next to you is still open. I thought a lot about it, and all the other, much cooler places my headstone could be but I don’t think I want that. I want to be next to you. If you’ll have me.” Her eyes are trained on the pattern of the sheets as she speaks. Did she think Helen would say no? That she wouldn’t like that? How on earth could she think that? They were spending eternity together already, not by choice but Helen thinks they might have found their way to one another eventually, potion or not.

“Mad, I would love that. Are you sure though? You said the cemetery I picked was for and I quote, 'Boring nobodies’. ”

“Did I say that?” Madeline winces, feeling a tiny bit guilty.

“Yes, yes you did.”

“Then I guess I don’t care anymore. I want to be boring with you forever.” She finally looks up at her with that adoring look that always makes Helen’s brain stop working.

“That’s a backhanded compliment.” Helen says with a sniffle, feeling her emotions get the best of her. God she was always such an easier crier. It doesn’t help that whenever she starts up Madeline can’t help but cry too.

“It's what we do best.” Tears well in Madeline's eyes, the two of them meet in the middle of their huge canopy bed, wrapping their arms around one another. Madeline pulls back slightly so she can look into those pretty green eyes, cupping Helen’s cheek.

“I can be boring in death with you over there but here, Hel?” She kisses her gently. “I’m never bored.”

Her words only have more tears spilling from Helen. Madeline has the terrible habit of making Helen want to strangle her most days and yet she still manages to say the most romantic heart stopping things Helen has ever heard. “Besides, I already have a memorial being built for me in my home town.”

“You’re paying for your own memorial to be built?” It shouldn’t be shocking, that’s such an on brand Madeline thing.

“Mmmhmm.”

“Are we going to have to fly there to keep that one pretty too?” She asks, cuddling into Madeline’s side.

“Maybe once or twice a year.” She shrugs, resting her head on a shared pillow.

“Oh great.” Helen sighs but she doesn’t really mean it. She’s up for anything as long as Madeline is with her.

#LOVE THISS 😭😭😭#madhel #death becomes her

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