#tmmm fanfiction

[theycallme-thejackal]

I fixed the finale because that was some fucking bullshit.

[phoebeprufrock]

Midge gets to show off her language skills in front of Lenny like idk translating English to Russian or Polish or something, and Lenny just stands there and is like “Yep, what she said.”

Let's put this somewhere Comics!-adjacent, a few days before Midge and Lenny's date in London.

They had just left the bar after their show, and the London weather was as glum and wet as it had been all week. Ingrid hadn't come out at all, Chase had left with a young French tourist, and the others were standing just outside the door, trying to figure out their next move.

"I could go for some food," offered Alan.

"Shocker," Cooper snickered.

"I'm hungry too. Let's see if we can find something nearby." Midge took charge of the group, and they began walking aimlessly down the large street. It was past two in the morning on a Thursday, and there wasn't much still open; they popped in a few pubs, only be told that the kitchens were closed. Eventually, as they were almost about to turn back around and go back to their hotel, Lenny pointed to a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the other side of the street.

Well, restaurant was a bit of an overstatement, thought Midge as they walked in. There were three small tables, and the entirety of the place was half the size of her (tiny) hotel room. Also, it was completely deserted.

"Hello...?" Cooper said, his voice slightly louder than necessary.

A tall, potbellied, menacing man wearing a checkered shirt and grimy apron came out of a small side room, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Are you open? Could we eat?" Alan asked.

The man answered in a sharp, fast language, his large hands moving quickly around.

To everyone's surprise, Midge flashed him a bright smile and answered in kind, although she seemed to be speaking a little slower than he was. The exchanged lasted a while, and the other comics were staring in amazement. No one, however, was watching quite like Lenny: his eyes were fixed on Midge, his body leaning subconsciously towards her, a soft expression of genuine admiration on his face. He startled slightly when Midge clapped enthusiastically and pushed them toward the chairs around the small tables.

"Hope you like Polish food!" Midge announced as she sat down.

"You speak Polish?"

"I can get by. Thankfully he didn't seem to mind the random Russian thrown in."

"Scratch that, you speak Russian?!"

Cooper seemed particularly fascinated by these new revelations.

"Pretty standard KGB training," Midge answered with a wink.

The restaurant owner approached their table, holding a small notebook; he looked straight at Lenny and asked him a question. Midge answered, from the other side of the table, seemingly listing off things on her fingers. When she finished speaking, Lenny just nodded.

"What she said," he agreed with a laugh.

He didn't speak much for the rest of the night; he let Cooper and Alan carry most of the conversation, too busy paying attention to Midge to really care about much else.

Eventually, the (excellent) dinner was over, and they were back at the dingy hotel; Midge made up an pretext to talk to the night clerk while Alan and Cooper went up, and then they were finally - blissfully - alone, the soft light of streetlamps coming in through the windows in Lenny's room.

"You were amazing tonight," he said as he helped her out of her coat.

"Please," Midge replied, waving off the compliment with a quick hand gesture. "You've heard that set a hundred times by now."

"I wasn't talking about that," he replied, his voice slightly lower, inching a little closer to her and depositing a slow kiss on her neck. "If you ever wanted to pull out you foreign language talents in private, I wouldn't be against it...""

[its-elsie-snuffin]

Imagine Person A of your OTP really getting attached by how warm Person B makes the bed when they fall asleep together/cuddle so when Person B comes home from some trip Person A yells at them because their bed was so cold. 

He lets himself in the apartment quietly, closing the door with a snick behind him.

He doesn’t turn on any lights, feeling his way to his bedroom door. It’s open a crack, probably so Midge could hear the kids if they woke up. He gently puts his suitcase down in the hallway before pushing the door open and closing it behind him.

Quickly and quietly, he sheds all his clothes except his undershirt and boxers and slips under the blankets, wrapping himself carefully around her. “You’re home,” she mutters, half asleep, entwining her fingers with his and pulling his arm closer around her.

“I’m home,” he whispers in confirmation, kissing her shoulder.

“It’s been cold without you to keep me warm at night,” she murmurs, shifting slightly to get comfortable.

“I vaguely remember you once complaining about me being a clingy furnace,” he says in amusement, pulling her tighter against him.

She hmmm quietly. “That was before. Now I’m used to my personal heating pad.”

He smiles into his hair as he responds, “Personal heating pad sounds sexy.”

A big yawn escapes from her before she says, “That’s because it’s fuck-all o’clock. Sleep now.”

Nuzzling his nose into her back, he falls asleep quickly.

[harrietmjones]

Okay, so recently, my dreams kind of turned towards the show (again).

I dreamt that it was the 70’s in New York and Midge met Debbie Harry from the band Blondie, who then invited her to go with her to Studio 54.

It was an eye opening experience for Midge, though there was plenty of material just there for her to use in her gigs.

Something I imagined that she would definitely have to include, would be mentioning of the whole guests of the club, being divided into four categories, ranging from the "No Goods" (who could never be admitted) to the "No Fuck-ups" (important clients who were admitted instantly).

Though she was older than most of the guests allowed in, as she would be in her early to mid forties, she was instantly let in, alongside her new friend, Debbie.

There, she probably bumped into the likes of Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, Andy Warhol and a variety of other people of that particular crowd.

After having the dream, I looked up Studio 54, just to see what I could glean about the place and this snippet made me think, that the bouncers of the club would definitely wind up in some of Midge’s material:

‘The club's doormen could be extremely selective, sometimes to the point that "they propelled themselves into a comedy universe" according to Haden-Guest. Rubell once told a "ravishingly beautiful woman" that she could enter for free if she took off all her clothes; the woman was later hospitalized for frostbitten nipples.’

It probably partially all stemmed from this behind the scenes photo of Rachel in character, looking very 70’s esque to me (even if that’s not the case):

Anyway, thought I’d share. 🖤

[thedreamer-of]

(Ops, I did it again. Sorry for every grammatical mistake, sorry for the fight but I need to see a content like this.)

I’m sorry.

This is a fight. This happens after New Year's Eve, when the newspapers talk about a flirt between Midge and Gordon. Midge and Lenny had not seen each other since a very sad day at the airport where he simply told her that he could not stay and that she will miss him, but Kitty needed him in LA.

One night she sees him. He talks to a girl. He laughs with the girl. The girl touches him. The girl kisses him. He smiles, the girl goes to the bathroom, he sees her.

They look at each other, motionless, Midge clutches her bag a little tighter, turns around and leaves the club. The tears she is trying to keep in struggle to stay in. She walks quickly as she hears someone running behind her

"Midge...wait!"

"It's okay, leave me alone Lenny."

Lenny sighs and touches her to stop her, finally succeeding.

Midge wipes the tears from her face before turning around "you were having fun! What are you doing here! Go back inside!" She says it in a tone louder than she should, bright eyes that don't go unnoticed.

She looks at him, the cigarette in his hands trembling a little as he drops the ash on the ground, brings it to his lips touching his eyebrow nervously, a nervous laugh escapes him

"What did you expect?"

Midge looks at him and is speechless, Lenny is nervous, agitated, the cigarette keeps shaking in his hands.

“I’m sorry, what?!” She said.

"We didn't say it was an exclusive relationship ours, and I got confirmation of that by seeing the papers how they talk about you and Gordon and your fucking kiss on the ice!"

Midge sighs nervously "there's nothing going on between me and gordon."

"Sure! There's nothing between me and who I sleep with, either if that's any consolation...I didn't sign any contract by sleeping with you"

Midge's eyes fill with tears, she tries to hold back from talking and breathe by calming herself down, Lenny is not even looking at her face and starts pacing back and forth giving two puffs to the cigarette now and then, she can notice the trembling hand. He looks just as agitated as he did that morning at her house.

"I'm not a good guy, I'm not what you want, you..you need to be with someone like Gordon! I….I would only hurt you Midge."

Midge instinctively takes a step backward, the sound of her heel makes Lenny look up and remain broken by the sight, tears are streaking her face, she is pulling at her lips not to burst

"I...Midge..." he reaches out to grab her arm but Midge pulls him away

"Don't touch me Lenny Bruce...you, you're used to making decisions for everyone, you don't care about anyone's opinion, you can have opinions and yell at me as many times as you want apparently, but if I see you flirting with another woman and find you drunk, and probably high, I can't say anything to you."

Her trembling voice leaves Lenny completely paralyzed, but she continues, "I don't want my former life! I don't want to be a fucking lady from the Upper west side! I want to be a comedian, I am!!! And as much as you can't stand it, it was you who pushed me here too! Forgive me Lenny, I didn't know you had the exclusive, I didn't know you could worry about other people's careers and health and I didn't!!!" She cried out.

Lenny sighs "we made a mistake."

Midge shakes her head "oh no...you don’t do that, it wasn't a mistake and you know it" she points her finger at him "look me in the eyes and tell me I was never anything more to you"

Lenny looks at her, sighs "you...you midge.."

He brushes her arm causing her to lower her finger, she remains still, now it is he who is fragile, tears in his eyes "you...you are the most incredible person I know. You are Marvelous. If only I could really fucking do this...I, I would love you every day of my life, but, I'm a mess, and in fact look now at how bad I'm hurting you, I could only get worse."

Midge remains incredulous at those words "you would love me..."

Lenny brings two hands to his face to rub his eyes and recover, a nervous laugh sweeps over him "God, fuck...I can't control myself! I can't have you, I would destroy you!!! Please Midge understand that."

Midge looks at him now with a determined look, and really, really angry "I decide, I've always decided Lenny"

"You can't decide that too. I am a bad person!!! I've fucked women whose faces I can't even remember! I...I am terrible." Lenny cried out.

"Remember My of face...remember my of face that night Lenny? Do you remember?"

Lenny smiles and runs another hand over his face "Oh, Midge please"

She reaches over and tugs at him "so what! Answer me!!!"

He looks her straight in the eye "how, how could I forget that night? I remember your face every time I thought..."

"What? What did you think?"

"I thought that..you were perfect..."

He caresses her face at that moment "I remember all the times I should have kissed you and didn't."

Midge remains lost in that gaze "it's...enough for me...enough for me not to be all the others."

Lenny moves a lock from her face "no..you are unique, how could I confuse you?"

Midge lowers her face "someone might think this is love"

Lenny lifts her face back up "probably even a blind man would notice.."

Midge smiles, their eyes catching as always "will you remember this moment too?"

"I will remember it as the moment I kissed you..."

[fridayisbestday]

-This is both my first ever Mrs Maisel and Gilmore Girls fanfic, as well as my first fanfic I’ve ever posted on Tumblr, so please go easy on me I hope you like it!

After this morning's meeting with the Harvard Alumnus, it's time for the infamous Gilmore Friday Night Dinner.

Lorelei stood there in front of the door, dreading to knock it, every time she arrived at the door she's always reminded of how much she's failed as a daughter and as a mother. After all, she did come crawling back and begged her parents to pay for her daughter's tuition, despite running away from them, their life, the frugality, the irony of it all.

After a while, she turned to her daughter, "Rory, how about we go back home, order some pizza and watch Casa Blanca for the 34th time?" Lorelei suggested with a smile and her eyebrow raised.

Rory however couldn't stand the stalling anymore, so she knocked on the door and stuck her tongue out cheekily at her mother.

Her mother scoffed at the utter betrayal, but before she could do anything about it. The maid opened the door, introduced herself and offered to take their coats, they began to take off their coats when an older woman turns the corner.

"Oh hello Rory." Emily greeted her granddaughter with a smile, "Lorelei." Her gaze flickered down then back up, as if studying her daughter, a stark contrast between the way she greeted her granddaughter.

"Hi mom." She greeted through her teeth, as they handed the once again new maid their coats.

"Would you like a drink?" Emily asked as they sat down.

"Yes, I'll have a Martini."

What Lorelei's learnt through the years, is that, a stiff martini is always what you need if you want to survive the Gilmore dinners. Especially, when you have no idea why Emily Gilmore suddenly has it out for you.

She began to brace for the bombardment of questions about Rory's visit with the Harvard Alumnus or Alumni? Even after the meeting she still couldn't remember which one was singular and which one was plural.

"And I'll have a soda, grandma." Rory answered cheerily, ready to answer the questions her grandma has prepared for them.

"So, tell me Rory, what did you learn in your meeting with Mr Springsteen." Emily asks as she poured the drinks.

Despite Lorelei's annoyance over the attitude she's already receiving from her mother for no reason at all, she was still undoubtedly proud of her daughter, her eyes twinkled with proud motherly love, nudging her daughter with her shoulder.

"Did you ask all the questions you wanted to ask?" Handing Rory her soda and Lorelei her martini, or as she would call it, the Elixir of Life.

"Well he did fill in some blanks, and—" Rory answered, looking over to Lorelei to finish it.

"He said that Rory is just the candidate Harvard's looking for." Pulling her daughter into a proud side hug, not the answer Rory was expecting, but she received it with a sheepish smile and a slight blush cross her cheeks.

"That's very good, and very nice of him for saying that." Emily sat as she drank a sip of her own drink.

"We also learned that he doesn't have a brother named Bruce." Rory remarked.

"Bruce?" Emily questioned before realising that trying to understand the two was futile, so she just sighs as the girls giggled amongst themselves.

Emily was about to ask another question, but then her expression changes from mild disappointment to a pondered look, tilting her head slightly to the side, "Bruce...where have I seen it...?" She pondered aloud, then her eyes lit up as the gears finally clicked in place, "ah-ha!"

Emily quickly stood up and made her way towards the stairs to the basement.

"Did she just-"

"I think she did."

They quickly set down their drinks and followed her downstairs where she kept all the presents from Trix over the years, which included a weirdly shaped coat hanger and a MASSIVE obsidian jaguar statue (the mother daughter duo still had no idea how it was ever moved up and down the stairs pre and post Trix's visit).

They came upon a wall of shelves filled with vinyls hidden away in a corner not far from the large obsidian cat, "Ah ha! Here." She pulls out a vinyl and studies it.

Lorelei gasps as she realises who was on the cover, "No. No way..." she took it out of her mother's hands.

"Grandma! I didn't know you were into Lenny Bruce!" Rory exclaimed as she looked over her mother's shoulder.

The cover depicted:

‘Lenny Bruce standing in his famous black suit with his arms crossed, a cigarette hung in between the side of his lips that lifted his smile into a smirk; his eyes gazed down into those of the short Burnett next to him.

The lady wore a simple black dress with a crew neckline accessorised by a thin necklace that made it look very chic and modest. She stood next to him, poking his cheek into the opposite direction, attempting to turn his head towards the camera, she had an eyebrow raised and a serious look in her eyes, but her playful smirk gave her away.'

‘FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY!

At the Gaslight Cafe -1964'

"Oh, so he was someone then." Emily Gilmore remarked as she took a sip of her drink.

"He was and still is! And is that-" Rory's face lit up, looking up to meet her mother's eyes as if asking 'are you thinking what I'm thinking?'

"Mrs Maisel!?" Lorelei finished.

They both ignored the snarkiness of that remark that came out of the older woman's lips, opting to focus on the priceless album in their hands, "Oh my god, mom! No way! Grandma got his signature!" Her daughter exclaimed, her eyes bulging out, the grandmother stood to the side taking another sip of her drink, wondering how their eyes haven't popped out of their sockets yet.

"My mother, Emily Gilmore, was into an obscene-! A sick and obscene comedian!? And got him to sign it to..." She tries to read the writing, "Mrs Miniver?"

"Something, something, hair?" Rory tries but fails to decode.

They both try to deduce what the chicken scratch said, before stumbling upon.

"And something about brother...or," Lorelei paused, trying to make sure if she read it correctly, "husband?!" They both exclaimed astonishingly.

"Grwandpa?" Rory babbles jokingly towards her grandma, her grandma simply rolled her eyes as a response and tugged the vinyl away from the two fiends. "Sigh, give me that!" Snatching it away from them.

"Ahem, it says," She clears her throat to give herself a bit more time to decipher the enigma, also know as Lenny Bruce's barely legible handwriting. But after years of trying to understand the handwriting of her husband's accountants' and lawyers' notes, she's learnt how to read chicken scratch almost fluently.

So she begins to read the writing carefully,

'To Mrs Maisel's friend with the nice hair,

Hope it wasn't too blue for you, but either way I saw a smile. You dug it.

From her brother and or husband,

Lenny.’

[leavemeslowly]

Lenny sees Midge’s breakthrough performance during a rerun of the Gordon Ford show. He lights a cigarette and raises his eyebrows seeing how Ford interviews her, and only later invites her to do a set. When she finishes, Lenny realises he completely forgot about his cigarette, and tears stream uncontrollably down his cheeks. He wipes them with his sleeve and smiles, looking at his Midge and her bright, expressive eyes filled with pride. Lenny thinks he is just one more fool among millions loving her now.

[mythroom]

Reunion Pt.2 - Midge & Lenny

ੈ♡˳ℙ𝕥. 𝟙 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖

ੈ♡˳ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥: Fluff, Comfort, a little bit of angst, mention of drug use/ addiction, cursing

✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥

As he held her the snow came down on them. He rested his head on her soft hair, taking her in. She smelled like soft floral perfume and cigarette smoke, just as he remembered her, he thought as he smiled into her hair. The worry that filled Lenny on the flight melted as he held her. He was worried she would hate him, scream at him, refuse to see him. But how could he think that? He knew that wasn't Miriam, it was just the common worry that filled him when reconnecting with his old life, especially a part of it that was as important to him as her. So he brushed all that worry aside and held her as tightly as possible, taking in the moment like it was his last on Earth.

His enjoyment of this moment was only broken when Miriam started to shake. He pulled her away just enough to look into her face, and thats when he saw tears streaming down her beautiful face. Her voice came next, cracked and shakey.

"Lenny...I... I thought you were dead." She paused between her words, as if scared to say the next. "I thought that you had overdosed. That I would never get to see you again." After this last sentence she burried her head back into his suit. He responded in kind by placing his hand in her hair. They stood in silence once more before Lenny finally spoke.

"Midge I'm so sorry. I know I told you not to break my heart but I think I did the same to you." He began to sway, taking her with him in his arms. "I was worried I'd never get to see that show corset of yours again and here you were worrying if you'd ever see me alive again. That was foolish of me." He tried to joke, but it came out flat, this reunion was anything but light. "Let me make it up to you okay Midge?" He pulled her away from him once more to look her directly in the eyes. He was captivated by them, those stunning blue eyes, beautiful in the streetlights, and emphasised by the tears that rolled down her face. "Sweetheart please. I promise. We can go to a diner and I'll fill you in on all of my misadventures." She smiled at that and wiped her tears.

"Alright Lenny. I'll pay. It's time I pay you back for the chinese food." Midge said as she straightened her hair, before pulling at him, suggesting they walk.

They walked through the gentle snow, shoulders gently brushing eachother as they went along. Lenny lit up a cigarette, and offered Midge one as well. They walked and smoked together in silence for a little bit. Lenny wasn't sure where they were headed but he also wasn't sure if it mattered.

Midge was the first to break the silence, "Where is Kitty?"

"With her mother. What about yours?"

"With their grandparents. Do you miss her?"

"Who?"

Midge gave him an incredgible look. "Who. The queen of England. No. Kitty of course."

Lenny laughed looked uncomfortable with this conversation but figured it would have to happen as some point. "Well yeah, I miss her with all my heart, yknow? But she is safer with her mother and that gives me some sort of comfort, dig?"

★・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・★

She smiled. He was still the same Lenny she remembered, still talked the same. Acted the same, looked the same, well for the most part. He was thinner, eyes a little more sunken. He looked sadder. But that mattered minimal to her, she was just so incredibly happy that he was here. Alive. Next to her. When he held her he was so incredibly warm. She missed being held my him. No one held her like he did. Joel was a good runner up but Lenny, no, he was perfect. Even with his addiction he was still here, he still managed to see her show. That ment the world to her, and she hoped he'd enjoyed it.

"So, before all this doom and gloom talk that is going to be you telling me how the fuck you got here and how you aren't dead, tell me what you thought of the show." Midge grinned.

She saw a slow smirk spread across his lips, "You're the same Maisel. Never change."

"But what of the show?"

He stopped to look at her, taking her hands in his and kissing it. "I was knelt before you and your show corset the entire time." She smiled at his response. A wonderful callback to a line that made her never want to leave his side. The one man that she never wanted to leave, her mentor and lover, the man she thought died, standing next to her, looking at her once more.

"Boy, I wish I knew you were coming. That way I could have thrown in some Lenny Bruce jokes into my show."

He smiled at her, a smile that warmed her soul, a smile she thought she would never see again.

"Well everyone thinks that he is dead, so that may not go over that so well."

She smiled back at him before pointing at the resturaunt they had stopped at. "We're here Mr.Bruce."

"Ah Midge you know Mr.Bruce is my mother come on now darling." He says going to hold the door open for her and gesturing her inside.

She followed in, and was seated at a nice table. Miriam was easily recognizable now, being a famous comedienne was a perk when it came to seating in resturaunts. They sat comfortably in the booth, picking up their menus and looking over everything before ordering two strong drinks.

"I think we might be needing them." Midge grinned to the waiter before turning her attention back to Lenny. "So tell me Lenny, where have you been?"

He smiled a slow sort of sad smile. "Its a long story, can you answer a question for me first?"

Midge nodded.

"Were you there, the night that Susie reached out to me about being her manager?"

There was silence as Midge lit up another cigarette. "Yeah Lenny, I was. Right outside the door. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I had heard you fell hard into your..." She trailed off.

"My addiction. I know. I appreciate the worry." He said before putting his head into his hand. Midge could tell he was exhausted, drained from the years before him. He never caught a break and it was evident on his face.

"I was so worried Lenny. I was afraid. I was afraid I'd never see you again." She spoke, feeling her eyes well up with tears.

"You almost didn't." He sighed out. "Listen Midge. It got real bad." She noted to herself he couldn't look her in the eye. "I did...I was in the hospital for a long time there. This addiction. It had me real bad, up until it did have me. The doctors in California saved my life, but word to the news was that I was dead. And for some reason they never wrote about me coming back." He was interrupted by the food they ordered coming in. That was the end of the topic for a little while. They drank and ate and joked like nothing had ever happened and by the end of the night Midge didn't want him to leave, she was afraid that if he left again she really would never see him again.

"Come back with me tonight Lenny."

He laughed, "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"

"We both know my place is better then yours." She giggled.

"I don't know Midge I don't want to rush into anything."

"Come on Lenny, you can stay in the guest bedroom if you really want."

"That would make me feel worse." He smirked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Okay well then how about just a drink for now?"

"For now?"

"For now."

✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥༻∞✧༺♥

𝔸/ℕ: I know that this one was a little rushed but I am still really happy with it. I made Midge cry a little more in this then she did in the show because I feel like Midge needed to cry a little more lol so sorry if it feels a little out of character. Part three will be posted soon.

[alixinwwonderland]

TMMM Fic Masterlist

I’ve been meaning to put all my fic in one place for a while now! Will do my best to keep this up to date.

Please note: as of June 2023, several of these fics are available to logged-in AO3 users only, in response to concerns over data scraping for training AI. The fics that remain unlocked are the ones that have been posted in their entirety or near-entirety here, so locking them (at the moment) felt moot.

midgelenny clickbait

a collection of interviews, listicles, tweets, and more, all revolving around all the different universes in which midge maisel and lenny bruce collide.

extra extra read all about it

Rating: T Three interviews, three years, three times Mrs. Maisel talks about Lenny Bruce in public.

20 Reactions to Midge Maisel Revealing THAT in Her New Memoir

Rating: M Midge Maisel's second memoir drops a bombshell. Buzzfeed is here to round up Twitter's thoughts.

Midge Maisel and Lenny Bruce Answer the Internet’s Most Asked Questions

Rating: M When Wired's Autocomplete interviews start going viral in 2016, a couple of comedy legends agree to take a crack at it.

Lenny Bruce and Midge Maisel Read Thirst Tweets

Rating: M What would a clickbait series be without one (or more) thirst tweet features? Featuring two universes: modern-day Midge/Lenny and comedy-elders Midge/Lenny

The Costume Institute Presents: Comedy & Couture

Rating: M The Fall 2000 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute pays homage to a century of comedy icons.

add his initial to my monogram

How do you move on from Carnegie Hall? A post-S4 universe.

to my heart he carries the key

Rating: E Midge stops planning and starts working, but there's still someone she needs to see. (It's Lenny. Obviously).

the melody lingers on

Rating: T While Midge and Lenny aren't speaking, a chance encounter helps Midge figure out her own feelings.

what am i gonna do if you turn me down

Rating: T Gordon tries to be a good friend. He regrets his choices immensely.

nice work if you can get it

Rating: T (may raise to M in the future) Midge makes amends and (re)makes a friendship.

season 5 fix-its

i never heard them ringing

Rating: M What happens if Lenny calls, and everything that comes next.

no one in the place except you and me

Rating: E Midge lives half a lifetime in the blink of an eye, then vows to make it different this time around.

four minutes (and then a little more)

Rating: T What's really happening in Midge's life, just outside the frame, throughout Season 5 (aka the post-finale fix-it that can slide right into canon).

the crashes are heaven for a sinner like me

Rating: T At first, Midge doesn’t quite believe what she’s seeing — it can't be him. But, it is. (or, how history sometimes bends in different ways)

miscellaneous

Fics that don’t fit into any series (yet...)

you’ve got troubles (i’ve got ‘em too)

Rating: T Being in the spotlight is hard. Sometimes, you just need a pal.

[wonderlandleighleigh]

They’re a motley crew at the table in the audience at Upstairs at the Downstairs.

Lenny, Nate, Chana, Joel and Mei sit with their drinks as Midge performs her set. Some of the more complicated concepts, Nate leans in and quietly translates them in Yiddish for Chana, who laughs hard, but quietly behind her hand belated at the jokes. 

Lenny finds that he likes the two of them. Nate is his usual calm, jovial self, and Chana is a quiet woman, around Nate’s height with curly black hair and big, observant green-brown eyes. It hits Lenny in a funny way that she has similar features to himself, while Midge and Nate both sport brown hair and big blue eyes. Weird coincidence he supposes. 

“Very funny,” Chana says happily as she finishes applauding with everyone else. “Nate, you have a funny friend.” 

“Yes, I do,” Nate says proudly. 

“So, Chana, how long are you in the States?” Mei asks. 

“Two weeks,” Chana responds. “Maybe longer. Maybe.” 

“I think you’d like it here,” Lenny encourages. “Lots to do, lots to see.” 

“What do you do back in Hungary?” Joel asks.

“I work in a book shop,” Chana tells him. “I would like to own my own one day.” 

Midge walks over and settles into Lenny’s lap, wrapping her arms around him. “If you opened one here, I just sat on your best customer. His book collection is insane.” 

“It’s not so bad,” Lenny defends. “It’s just a closet.” 

Nate laughs. “Lenny, I think you downplay this. How big is the closet?” 

Lenny laughs sheepishly. “You caught me. It’s a walk-in.” 

“Aha, A fellow bookworm!” Chana crows.  

“Guilty,” Lenny grins. 

“Miriam, I do not know how you have such courage to say all those things to so many people,” Chana says. “So funny, I could never.” 

“Most people can’t,” Joel comments. “And she sometimes says stuff she really shouldn’t.” 

“He’s just sour because Midge talks about him sometimes,” Mei smirks.  

“It is funny that you left with her suitcase,” Chana giggles. “You could not tell the difference between the two?” 

Joel opens his mouth and then closes it. 

“I think maybe it is a sore subject still,” Nate chuckles. “I bet it was a very pink suitcase, though.” 

“The inside was,” Midge informs him. 

“Well, everyone needs something pleasant to look at during hard times,” Nate comments, and it makes Lenny snort into Midge’s shoulder. 

“Oh, good, it’s pick on Joel night,” Joel grouses, crossing his arms. 

Nate reaches out and claps the other man’s shoulder. “You are going to have to come to terms with the fact that your mistakes have to be laughed at, or else they will only be sad. We are Jews! If we did not laugh at our misfortune, we would just curl up and weep.” 

“Too much weeping causes old age to set in too soon,” Chana says. 

“You said it,” Midge grins at her. “Laugh lines over worry lines any day of the week. Although no lines are preferable.” 

“I meant to ask, Miriam -” Chana says. “Your make-up is wonderful! How do you get your foundation so smooth?” 

“Oh, we are so going make-up shopping,” Midge promises. 

“And Lenny and I can run and hide somewhere with very strong coffee,” Nate adds. 

“I do like coffee,” Lenny concedes with a smirk. 

[americanvampyre]

   written for @bullyapologist

   The bar is loud, but his gaze on you was soft. It made the drumming of noise that surrounded you deafen, tired, worn out eyes with experiences hidden within them scanning your being.

     "It's a little loud in here," he said in a hoarse, local accent, "let's continue this discussion outside."

[theycallme-thejackal]

One MidgeLenny x TSwift Fic Per Day

143. Sparks Fly

This is a bad idea.

He knows better. He wishes she could have been just a beautiful one night stand, that they could have gone back to how it was before. Friends who always toe the line between friendship and more, sustaining themselves with flirtatious banter but never being fully satisfied.

She saw his little bag of vices. Part of him had hoped it would send her running in the other direction - save him from himself. Because the more they do this, the more likely it is that he’s going to forget not to tell her the truth.

That he loves her.

If only she’d let him go. She could have stepped back to the other side of the line, but instead she decided that they were going to do this for real.

And it’s…amazing.

His experiences with Midge had been limited to smoky bars and dingy nightclubs and that one incredible night in his hotel room, and being with her in the daylight, in the morning, before they fall asleep together, even when he’s forced to spend Passover with her insane extended family…it’s everything he’d ever wanted.

So while part of him is still panicked over the inevitable shitstorm that will happen when he fucks this all up, the majority of his being just longs to see her smile, the one that lights up her eyes and makes sparks fly between them.

He’s still fucked up, still hears the siren song of oblivion calling his name when he hasn’t seen her for a couple of days, but he finds it getting easier and easier to resist the urge to find one of his dealers. He’s substituted one addiction for a much healthier one, and maybe - just maybe - one day she’ll have kissed him enough to take away the pain.

[phoebeprufrock]

Midgelenny smut prompt…maybe au after his Steve Allen show or the Benjamin date where they see him?

She's watching him from the sidelines, enjoying every second of his set. It's funny, and sad, and brilliant. And he looks good. Lenny Bruce is a very, very handsome man.

It's not like she hadn't noticed before; but it had been sort of a clinical interest, a detached observation. Now, however, as she watches him move across the stage, watches how the spotlight seems to to love him, lust after him, she begins to feel an irresistible pull towards him.

And so, when he comes off stage and the lights get dimmer, when Steve Allen says goodbye and they're out on the sidewalk, when Lenny lights a cigarette and says "thank you for coming", the words come out of her mouth before she has a chance to stop them.

"Do you want to get a drink?"

-

They don't actually talk much.

He looks at her with such intensity, such all-consuming attention that she starts to wonder she's ever felt as seen by a man as she has now. She's finding it more and more difficult to maintain her composure under his gaze the longer he looks at her, and soon, she's sitting closer and closer to him. The smell of his aftershave is enticing and dizzying, and she's never wanted a man like this before.

She'd expected him to be suave, or outright seductive, or so used to having his pick of women that he'd just get her to his place as quickly as possible; but he seems content with just staring at her, his lips wrapping around a cigarette with such intention that Midge's head is filled with thoughts of those lips elsewhere.

-

And then it's a few drinks later, outside, bar closed, sharing a smoke. His arm wraps around her waist as if it was the most natural gesture in the world; the feeling of warmth and closeness makes her weak at the knees. She stubs out the cigarette, and the atmosphere between them is immediately suspended in time. A drumroll, the ground disppearing under their feet, that almost painful, inescapable pull as they look into each other's eyes, knowing what's about to happen --

They kiss.

They might be destined to be all alone, but tonight it doesn't matter: all that matters is their own private world, where nothing exists outside of their kiss, the way Midge's hands are gripping his lapels and the way Lenny holds her tight against him.

-

She allows herself a moment to think about it, as they're standing in front of his hotel room door. It's career suicide to sleep with Lenny Bruce, but consequences are the furthest thing from her mind. His set has unlocked something in her, a sort of desperate acceptance of her circumstances: she knows now, finally, that she can't be with Joel, or Benjamin, or anyone - it's just her, chasing her dream, no matter the cost to her personal relationships.

And if there's anyone who can understand, it's the man standing in front of her. He's not pressuring her to come in, not trying to coerce or convince her; he's just waiting for her decision, a devious grin half-hidden behind his hand and that flaming look in his eyes.

The moment of reflection is over. She steps in, a hungry smile forming on her lips.

-

He undresses her with care; she's down to her underwear before he's even taken off his tie. He kisses her gently, slowly. She can tell he's making an effort to be a gentleman, because there's a barely contained febrile energy to his movements. But his fingers are trailing on her exposed skin, his lips are finding the softest spots of her neck, and Midge no longer cares about stroking a man's ego or looking like a girl you'd want to marry.

She undoes his tie, unbuttons his shirt and starts working on his belt buckle quicker and more furiously than she's ever done before; everything she wants is a few layers of fabric away and she's tired of waiting. Her fingers find his skin, and he chokes back a moan when they grip around him.

"Please, Lenny," she pleads, the need to feel him closer more and more unbearable.

-

Somewhere halfway between her girdle and the bedsheets, Lenny has completely demolished the walls of restraint and self-control that she spent years building and maintaining. For Midge, sex has always been about pleasing a man, and occasionally about a man pleasing her; but tonight, she's chasing her own satisfaction.

It's desperate, rough, loud. Their nails dig into each other's skin, their sweat-covered bodies run hot like a fever, they are too breathless for their curses to be intelligible, and they're holding onto each other as if letting go means letting the despair win.

It's intimate, too. She feels more vulnerable with him than she's ever felt with Joel; they don't need to be sharing a house or two kids for him to understand what she needs, what she wants. He doesn't look away for a single minute, staring deeper into her eyes with every motion, kissing her like his life's purpose is to see her and aknowledge her.

-

When it's all over and Midge is leaning against the headboard, Lenny reaches towards the bedside table, pours a glass of water and wordlessly hands it to her. He's breathless, sweat dripping from his brow, hair a mess and chest heaving; she's probably in a very similar state. He doesn't rush her out of the room, and she doesn't run to the bathroom to fix herself up. They drink some water in silence. They share a cigarette and watch the sun come up, trying to delay the morning.

As long as they don't go to sleep, it's still tonight. Tomorrow they'll go back to the loneliness, the alienation, the isolation of the spotlight; but tonight can still be a few more hours of respite.

Tonight, they're alone together.

[its-elsie-snuffin]

Midge x Lenny: another snowy night.

(Whoops, got a little blue at the end, thus earning it an M rating.)

“What is it with us and snowstorms?”

Lenny has to shout it for Midge to hear over the wailing wind. They’re running to Lenny’s apartment in Greenwich Village from the jazz club where Lenny had opened for Lindsey Trent and the Hot Three.

Midge is laughing as she struggles through the snowy sidewalks, ruining yet another pair of heels but not caring because shoes can be replaced and she’s high off the joint she had shared with Lenny and the band, as was tradition. “I don’t know but you still won’t carry me!” she shouts back.

“You are still a strong young woman,” he hollers back, tugging Midge’s hand as he trudges a path through the snow for her.

Thankfully, his apartment building with its dark red awning appears and he drags her inside. They brush the snow off each other’s hair and shake out their arms, snow falling haphazardly on the lobby floor. “At least this time you’re wearing a proper coat,” he says, fixing the collar of her wool peacoat before leading her up the two flights of stairs to his apartment. They’re on the last set when the lights flooding the stairwell with light go out and they’re thrown into darkness.

“Well, great,” he half grumbles, half laughs as they feel their way up the remaining steps. He grabs Midge’s gloved hand and counts the number of doors he feels with his other hand on the far wall. He counts four and then gropes for the doorknob on the fifth door so he can unlock it.

Midge giggles the whole way. “I am starving. Please tell me you have food,” she says.

“Yes, I do have food. Once the lights come back on, I’ll make you pancakes,” he promises, twisting the unlocked door and opening it.

He holds the door open to let Midge in first. She saunters in, still giggling. “Your place is so nice,” she deadpans, getting her laughter under control long enough to sound almost serious. They can barely make out the silhouettes of furniture from the dim light of the street lamps out the window.

He tries to remember where he put the candles, but before he can figure it out, she’s kissing him, pulling on his coat before she remembers the buttons and redirects to nimbly undo them. Her kisses are needy as she continues stripping him in the dark. Midge on pot is giggly, hungry, and horny. He makes a mental note of this as he works, less successfully, at removing her clothes.

Before he can unzip her dress and pull it down, she sinks to her knees, deftly undoing his trouser button and zipper and pulling his pants and boxers down together. “Midge,” he murmurs as she puts her mouth on him, licking and suckling gently.

“Shh, we’re doing an activity,” she whispers.

[harrietmjones]

Makes me think of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Discord. 💖

You’ve all been doing too quality work. You all know who you are! 👏👏👏

Gif by: drawonethree

Based on my reblog here.

[thedreamer-of]

How to explain a leap in time

Midge, finally on a break from filming the Gordon Show, finally able to devote herself to something else, Susie had summoned her to the office that morning to resume the talk of the evenings, and to let her know that she had news. 

She arrived at the office quite late 

"What the fuck Midge, if you're not at least 30 minutes late it couldn't be you." 

"Sorry Susie, but every time I take the subway to come here, it always ends up that someone recognizes me, I like to stop and talk to young women who compliment me." 

Susie grins "Look at you, the Gordon Ford notoriety is starting to pay off, before long you'll be more famous than Lenny fucking Bruce." 

Midge gives a slight smile "I'm sure it wouldn't bother him."

 "I'm sure it wouldn't bother the hell out of him about you, that's why his agent called here this morning, he told me that Lenny has been trying to contact you for the last two weeks, but he doesn't have your home number, do you know what he wants from you?" 

Susie stretches her gaze toward Midge, waiting for any reaction, which does not wait to show itself, Midge's eyes wide open, her cheeks beginning to turn pinker than usual 

"Well, I think he wants to talk to me, we haven't talked for a long time, he could have written me a letter." 

Susie lights a cigarette and holds out one "Now you're going to tell me what the heck is going on with Lenny, since he performed at Carnegie Hall you haven't told me about him." 

"I really don't want to talk about it Susie, and then...it's been months." 

"Months in which he was apparently kicking his shit..." 

Midge exhales her cigarette and stops to look at her, standing with her mouth slightly open at that statement

 "W..what? What happened to him?" 

"Oh, I think he wants to talk to you about it in person but, he was in rehab, he's cleaning up his act apparently, he has too many problems with the justice system and he wants custody of his daughter, but I know this through the grapevine, his fucking agent would never tell me....I think you should talk to him, whatever happened, I think it's time to work it out." 

"Nothing happened, I'm not suddenly Lenny's best friend, we just saw each other occasionally." 

"Yes, but you were always talking about him, suddenly you don't do that anymore, I'm not stupid, you two have been chasing each other for months." 

Midge sighs exhaling smoke.

 "Well, we had a discussion after Carnegie Hall, that's all." 

"and...?" 

"And.....ok, he was the one who told me to put my brain together and keep working, okay? And so I did." 

Susie slams a hand on the desk 

"I knew it! You got boned!" 

Midge looks around avoiding his gaze 

"no...that's not true" 

"oh yes that's right, it can't be that I tell you that I'm sick and tired of following what you say and you walk away angry continuing to do your own thing, Lenny Bruce tells you so and the next day you come in here begging me to find a new place for you to perform! It felt weird to me that day, you were weird! I knew something fucking happened, I'm never wrong Miriam, never!" 

Midge put out her cigarette and resigned

 "Yeah, okay, we fucked, all right? But that wasn't why I put the pieces back together Susie...I had to do it simply....well......I realized I said no to the Copa.." 

"Yes you said no to the Copa Miriam...I'm going to have to send a fucking thank you basket to Lenny Bruce, thank God." 

"Well now don't be blatant, there's nothing between Lenny and me, it was just for that night, and it's not for ... I mean we're nothing." 

"Sure, now this is his number, call him, if you don't, he’ll do it because I left him the home number, put your fucking jokes together again and solve your problems, now, another point, Alfie is doing a show tomorrow and he needs an audience, I ask you and your whole family to be there, we promise it won't be Rose who will be on stage, okay?" 

Midge nodded, still looking at the card with Lenny's number in her hands

 "Midge?" 

She looked up 

"Don't worry, if he wants to talk to you, he's not mad at you.....he's really cleaning up." 

Midge nodded and stood up "See you tomorrow Susie." 

__________

 The next day came quickly and the whole Maisel and Weissman clan gathered at Alfie's show, the hall filled up quickly and everyone seemed to be buzzing, Rose seemed quite frightened. 

"Come on, take it easy, Susie promised me that you won't be called on stage mom..." 

Rose nodded 

"Yes, of course, please just in case he calls me to take me by force and make me come down the moment I start talking bad." 

Abe shook her hand

 "I can assure you that that show was one of the best I have ever seen in my life..."

 Joel interjected himself into the discussion

 "What show?"

 "A few months ago Mom was called and started doing a set of mine on stage while she was under hypnosis." 

"oh shit, that must have been hilarious." 

"it was!" 

Moishe intervened

"I would have liked to see him, may I ask to see him again, Rose?" 

 Shirley pressed the argument

"Magicians only have tricks, tell the truth Rose was all set up." 

and as Rose denied it with her head the lights went out and the show began 

 There were explosions, juggling, rabbits disappearing, it came time to call someone on stage, and Alfie spun around a few times before stopping his finger straight at Midge, who swallowed and denied 

"No, I'm sorry." 

Moishe pushed her forward "Come on Midge, you're a bad actress, we'll know if things are fake or real." 

Abe "You are used to speaking on a stage, why are you afraid of a magician?" 

Midge looked around and saw Susie signaling for her to get up; she took a breath and stood up. 

Alfie "Well well well, ladies and gentlemen here is Mrs. Masiel."

 the audience applauded enthusiastically, and Midge with her best smile made her way to the stage 

"Good evening everyone, I promise I won't do a set tonight." 

the audience laughed and Alfie signaled for her to take a seat on the crib at his side, Midge did so and looked at him surprised

 "What's a session at a shrink?"

 Alfie smiled "Your humor is relentless Miriam, have a seat and let's see, I want to see your inner self, I want to find out what's in store for you.... watch me." 

Midge sat on the crib and looked at him "You look very good in that tie." 

Alfie "do not resist Miriam..." 

Midge became serious, a thousand shivers ran through her body, nothing could go wrong, she thought, until she began to see everything black, closed her eyes and collapsed lying on the crib.

 "Can you hear me Midge?" 

"yes, I'm listening." 

"Well, now, meow like a kitten." 

"Meow...Meoww..." 

The audience laughed and applauded, Susie looked interestedly at the scene 

"Now Midge, I want to find out a lot about you, I want the audience to get to know you, I want to see your past, your present and your future..." 

"you can do it..." 

"Well, now you are a child, tell me what you are doing." 

"I'm in the park, I'm with my father, I'm on my bike."

"Are you happy?" 

"Yes, very much, my father will buy me ice cream later, I'm pedaling very hard."

 "be careful Midge." 

"My father is telling me that too........ Auch!" 

Midge touched her arm and began to cry, 

"I fell down...Dad...Dad!" 

Abe in his place was speechless, he remembered that day, and it felt like he was reliving it, Miriam broke her arm that day. 

"Midge stop crying, you are a teenager now..tell me what you want to be when you grow up." 

Midge stops crying and starts smiling 

"my mother and father will be proud of me, I will get married, have three children before I'm 30, have a perfect life, go to college, study Russian literature, and live on the Upper West Side." 

"is that what you really want Midge?" 

Midge became serious "Maybe not...maybe I would like to be independent, I don't want children, I want to think about myself." 

"You would disappoint your parents." 

Midge nodded, silence fell in the room 

"Midge, you are now 29 years old, you are at a performance in a theater." 

Midge smiled, "I'm watching a very funny comedian, it's Lenny Bruce." 

Alfie frowned, he wanted to bring her back to the present, in his subconscious Midge did not want to 

"tell me about this night." 

"He is telling about what it would be like to marry a very very black woman, or a very very very white woman." 

"Are you married Midge?" 

"Oh thank God not anymore."

 the audience laughed 

"Do you think you have let your parents down?"

 "Maybe, maybe not...but I let Lenny and Susie down." 

"Why?" 

"Because...because I don't have to hide anymore, Lenny is right, I don't want to break his heart, I will work harder." 

"Why would you break Lenny Bruce's heart?" 

"I don't know, he didn't tell me. He wants me to work more." 

Alfie looked at Susie, signaled for him to change the subject. 

"Midge, you are now 39 years old, where are you?" 

Midge let out a sigh, "Oh, it's the 70s, there are a lot of people, I'm at a party." 

"Are there any important people?" 

"I don't know, maybe I am important, so many people want to talk to me." 

"What do they tell you?" 

The flashes in Midge's mind became clearer and clearer, she is at a party, drinking martinis, signing autographs, people are complimenting her, she tells of seeing her very elderly parents, she tells of seeing her older children, she sees Susie, they all seem to be happy. 

"Well, you will be successful in ten years Midge, you won't break anyone's heart." 

Midge smiled, "it's a beautiful evening." 

"You are now 60 years old Midge, tell me where you are, what you are doing." 

Midge has flashes in her mind again, sees the shadows move, sees her skin change 

"Oh fuck I've aged" the audience laughs 

"Tell me where you are" 

"It's an event, it seems important, there are no more beautiful clothes like now, people are dressed strangely, I don't know all these people, oh here's Ethan and Ester, they are beautiful, I'm proud of them, they seem proud of me too, they hug me." 

She sees the scene clearly now, she tells of having her two children near her, she tells i see Gordon Ford and his agent in one side of the room, it seems there are several people she knows, she no longer sees Susie, she no longer sees her parents, she is looking around, everyone is applauding her, she has an award in her hands.

 "Everyone is proud of you Midge, you will have a bright future, all the people you love are celebrating you." 

Midge smiles, then a tear falls "not all, the man I love is not here" 

Alfie remains speechless, the audience whispers, Joel in his place feels taken aback and begins to break out in a cold sweat, loosens his tie, the idea of dying young does not appeal to him at all 

"why isn't he with you?" 

"I.. I decided to be rich, happy...." 

"Did you leave him?" 

"He has been dead.... many years ago....I miss him so much, but I'm very angry with him, he promised me he would stop, he didn't, and he died of an overdose..." 

"You should forgive him..focus on yourself." 

"I, now, am happy, but I am all alone."

 Susie waves for him to stop and Alfie claps his hands, the audience is breathless and applauds, Joel turns to his parents who are looking at him very badly 

"I swear I don't do drugs, I swear!!!" 

Abe and Rose look at each other silently realizing she was talking about Lenny 

"She's not talking about you Joel, be quiet." 

Midge snaps to her feet on the crib "What have you done to me, why am I crying?" 

she is completely shocked, Alfie smiles "You will have a stellar career Mrs. Maisel let's give her a round of applause.Thank you all, good night!"

 The audience applauds, Midge goes next to Susie "what did I say? Why is everyone looking at me wrong!" 

Susie runs a hand across her face 

"I swear, fuck, Alfie needs to stop being monstrously good, it's nothing, you said some things, you didn't offend anyone be quiet" 

"What did I say, Susie?" 

"nothing" 

"Susie..." 

"You're fucking in love with Lenny Bruce Midge....you didn't say it but I know it, go fucking call him." 

Midge was speechless and looked at her family members, Joel was wiping off his sweat, Rose ran to hug her, "What the fuck is going on?" wondered Midge in her mother's arms. 

Alfie got off the stage "It's not necessarily going to happen, all you said Midge is what you saw in your past, in your present, in your future....even if you don't remember it. But nobody knows the future, so, I can only tell you that if you keep working as you are doing it will be a good career and you explained how you think it will be....you were crying because you had feelings, feelings matter a lot in this experiment."

 "What did I say Alfie?"

 "nothing. Just....Work, work and keep working." 

Midge remained motionless. She realized that somehow she had mentioned Lenny, perhaps he would not be there in her future? She shuddered and decided she would call him that evening.

END

I’m sorry, I’m not English, but I want share this my “point of view” for this casting calls in 70s-90s.

I hope you enjoying.

Forgive me for every mistake, if you want, you can continue it, you can fix it, improve it!

Be kind, thanks.