Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The drive to work was, unsurprisingly, quiet.

Between ____ taking advantage of the calm before the storm of daily chaos, and being too exhausted to listen to music, it was quiet more often than not.

She kept her eyes on the road, hands steady on the wheel, though her mind was somewhere else entirely. The familiar route blurred past her in pieces, muscle memory doing most of the work as her thoughts circled back to the same point.

If Selina actually followed through with what she had said days before, if she really did leave, everything would change. Everything she had done to claw her way up the ranks under the woman's leadership would have been for nothing.

The thought settled uneasily in ____'s chest.

She had options. She wasn’t naive enough to think otherwise. Three years in the vice president’s office meant experience, credibility. She wouldn't be left with nothing. She would just have to restart much, much, further down the ladder.

Her jaw tightened slightly.

She could land somewhere. Another campaign, another administration, maybe even a private sector, if there was nothing else. Maybe this was a sign to move on.

It'll all be fine, she told herself, for what felt like the hundredth time.

The car rolled to a stop at a red light, and only then did she realize how tightly she’d been gripping the steering wheel.

Because the truth was, it wasn’t just about finding another job. It was about losing this one. Her gaze flicked briefly to the side, watching pedestrians cross before the light changed.

Sentimentality was far from an appealing trait in this line of work. If anything, it was a liability. One she’d spent years trying to manage, if not fully shake. But, despite her best efforts, it was hard to deny she'd grown attached to the team. They were basically her closest friends at this point. Hell, she might even miss Jonah.

She huffed quietly under her breath. She didn’t want to start over with a whole new group of assholes. She liked her assholes.

The light turned green.

Her foot eased back onto the gas, but the thought that followed hit harder than the rest.

Kent.

If Selina stepped away, there was no guarantee that ____ would even stay in the same sector, let alone find another job practically down the hall from him. No shared meetings. No hallway run-ins. No easy, built-in excuses to text him in the middle of the day or grab coffee between disasters. Nothing.

She took a breath, gripping the wheel again.

No guarantee they wouldn’t drift apart like they had before.

____ swallowed, shaking her head as though physically banishing the thought from her mind. It’s a crush, she told herself firmly. That’s it. Not something worth factoring into career decisions. Not something worth this level of concern, for god's sake. It was ridiculous.

And besides. They were friends. Good friends, sure, but still just friends. Adults with their own careers, their own lives. People drifted all the time. It was normal. It shouldn’t feel like her heart was on the verge of being torn out.

The car pulled smoothly into the EEOB parking garage, the familiar structure coming into view as she parked and killed the engine. She sat there for a second, unmoving, then let out a quiet breath and reached for her bag.

“Get a grip,” she muttered under her breath.

____ stepped into the office just in time to see Jonah being banished from it.

“You need to fuck off and go back to Westworld,” Selina snapped.

“But, ma’am-”

“You need to fuck off.”

“But, ma’am,” Jonah tried again, somehow managing to sound even more insistent, and pathetic, at the same time. He turned sharply as ____ walked in, immediately trying to pin the target on her.

“____’s like an hour late, why do I have to fuck off and not her?”

“I said fuck off,” Selina repeated, not even glancing at him. “Three fucks, you’re out.”

Jonah grumbled under his breath, but didn’t push it further this time. “Yes, ma’am,” he muttered, sulking as he shuffled out of the room.

The second he was gone, Selina turned her attention to ____.

“He’s right, though. Why were you late?”

“Meeting with Leon West, ma’am,” ____ and Sue answered in perfect unison.

“Double-checking the approved photos from the fun run,” she added smoothly, dumping her things unceremoniously onto her desk. “We don’t want a repeat of the texting photo.”

Selina cringed at the memory.

“Good thinking. Yeah,” she nodded. “Okay, guys, everybody in my office, please.”

They filed in quickly. ____ lingered just half a second behind the others, staring blankly at the open door. She already knew what was coming, but that didn’t make facing it any less disappointing.

So this is it.

“Okay,” Selina began, glancing around the room. “I’ve already told Amy and ____, but I have something I need to tell you all.”

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I’ve decided I’m not going to join POTUS in the next election. I’m gonna get out.”

And there it was.

____ glanced around, taking in the reactions. Amy's gaze was fixed steadily on the floor. Dan looked like he’d just been handed an opportunity. Mike blinked, stunned. And Gary, unsurprisingly, looked like he'd just gone into shock.

“Ma’am, you have my deepest, deepest sympathies,” Dan said after a beat.

Selina gave a small, awkward laugh.

“Okay, well, I'm not dead. My plan is that I'm gonna leave in two years, but then I'm gonna run for president four years after that."

____ nodded, offering what she hoped passed for a supportive smile.

Selina continued, more serious now. "But in the meantime, I obviously can't keep everybody on. So if you need to look for other jobs, then you need to be thinking about that."

And there it was. The part that mattered.

____ pressed her tongue against her cheek, the words settling in. Around her, the team rushed to reassure.

“No one’s thinking about that right now, ma’am.”

“Furthest thing from our minds.”

“We can deal with that later, ma'am.”

“I’m still digesting the information,” Dan added, already pulling out his phone. “Although, I should probably take this call.”

"Well, your devotion to this job, it's just inspiring, Dan," Selina deadpanned.

Dan barely reacted as he slipped out of the room.

Selina dismissed them moments later. There was something fleeting in her expression, something almost like regret, but ____ didn’t linger long enough to think about it too hard. She stepped out into the hallway, taking a slow breath.

This isn’t a bad thing, she told herself. This is an opportunity. The Meyer administration was chaos. Always had been. This was a chance to move on to something better. She started down the corridor, mind already shifting into gear as she ran through possibilities.

Danny Chung. Bill Ericsson. Jeff Kane. Hell, even Roger Furlong, if she got desperate enough.The list came easily. Name after name that could benefit her career. And then, unhelpfully, her thoughts snagged on another name.

Kent.

Maybe he had a place for her on his team. Dream Metric, or whatever the hell he called it.

She frowned, physically shaking her head at the thought

No.

A crush wasn’t enough reason for her to willingly do math every day. 

The next few hours passed with far less success than ____ would’ve liked.

Her first call had been to Danny Chung’s team. It had felt like the safest option, an easy choice, really. He was also, if she was being honest, one of the few figures in D.C. who wouldn't test her morals on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, she was too late. Dan was already there. ____ had frowned at that, irritation flickering briefly under her otherwise composed expression.

Oh well. No point dwelling.

She moved on.

Three more senators. Three more rejections.

By the third meeting, her confidence had started to waver. By the fourth, it was hard not to resent Selina for tying ____'s name to a bad image.

And, even more annoyingly, her thoughts kept returning to Kent.

It happened in the quiet moments. Waiting outside offices, sitting in lobbies, staring at her phone while some assistant "checked availability." She found herself daydreaming, unhelpfully, about what life would be like if she were to work alongside him every day.

No time for that right now.

Bill Ericsson was next, and to her mild surprise, he’d agreed to meet in person. That alone had lifted her spirits slightly, enough to make the trip across town feel worthwhile.

It didn’t last. The moment she sat down, she could tell something was off.

Ericsson didn’t waste much time before admitting it—he was already looking for a way out himself. Called it a “sinking ship” with a bitter smile that didn't reach his eyes. They talked for a bit anyway, old friends catching up. Her mind flickered briefly back to Kent, that first night almost a year ago when he returned to the White House. She chose not to dwell on it.

In the end, she and Ericsson wished each other luck, and went their separate ways. ____ gritted her teeth as she made her way back to the parking lot, the earlier optimism dulled.

This is fine, she told herself again, a little more firmly this time. There are other options.

Stress was setting in. At this point, she was willing to do almost anything to secure a job.

Almost anything. Not humiliating herself with statistics. Not just yet.

Next. Jeff Kane. They’d only met a handful of times, but he hadn't been subtle about finding her attractive. She wasn’t above using that to her advantage.

“Mr. Kane is unavailable at the moment,” his assistant on the other end of the phone informed her politely. "You got lucky, though. He is in D.C. right now, and could meet for coffee within the hour.”

____ smiled, already reaching for a pen. “That works perfectly.” She jotted down a restaurant address, thanked the woman, and hung up. For the first time that afternoon, something like real optimism flickered back to life.

No point wasting time. She shifted the car back into gear, pulling out of the lot and heading toward the other restaurant, one hand tapping lightly against the steering wheel in time with the radio.

By the time she parked, her mood had lifted noticeably.

She checked the time, then glanced at herself in the rearview mirror, adjusting her hair and ensuring no makeup had smudged.

She paused.

Then, with a small, knowing grin, she reached up and unfastened a button on her blouse.

He’s a perv. Might as well play dirty.

Her steps were confident as she made her way inside, the quiet murmur of conversation and clink of glasses greeting her as the door shut behind her. It wasn't a fancy location, just a simple place with a casual atmosphere that ____ was almost grateful for. It took some of the pressure off, in a way.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded, plenty of empty tables scattered throughout. Her attention drifted lazily over half filled tables and quiet conversations, more out of habit than interest— until it stopped, abruptly, on a familiar face.

Kent. And he wasn't alone.

____’s eyes shifted, just slightly, and she had to stop herself from gasping.

Sue, of all people, sat opposite Kent at their small table.

____ had never seen Sue as competition. If anything, she had a quiet kind of respect for the woman. They weren't friends; Sue had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't friends with anyone from the office, but ____ had always enjoyed her company.

And yet, a sharp, sudden wave of jealousy hit her before she could fully process what she was seeing. It swept through her so quickly she almost made a noise, freezing her in place mid-step. Her fingers tightened around her bag as she stared for too long, something small and involuntary escaping her under her breath.

Just as quickly as it hit, the feeling was gone, replaced by shame and reason. ____ blinked, shaking her head slightly, more unsettled by the intensity of it than anything else.

Sue was probably looking for work. Of course she was. That's what ____ was here for herself. Why would this be any different?

Clinging to that thought, she forced herself to move, slipping into a small table by the window, deliberately positioned out of Kent's line of sight. The last thing she needed was to be seen hovering awkwardly across the room, staring at a man she had no right to be jealous over.

God, get a grip.

She looked down at the table, smoothing her expression back into something neutral, just in time for the door to open again.

Jeff Kane entered like he owned the place. Loud, self-assured, with his presence filling the room the way all the higher-ups in D.C. did. ____ straightened, grateful that he wasn't the type she needed to put on a classy act for, with a practiced smile settling onto her face as she stood to greet him.

“Mr. Kane,” she said smoothly, extending a hand. “Thank you for making the time.”

“____!” he replied, already grinning too wide. “Jeff, please.”

His eyes dropped almost immediately, and lingered as he shook her hand for slightly too long.

There it is. Gotcha.

As the man greeted her loudly, ____ caught Sue's eye across the room. A silent look between colleagues, an unspoken agreement to never speak of this with each other.

She didn’t react beyond that, adjusting her posture just enough to lean into the advantage she’d been handed. If Kane was going to be predictable, she might as well make it useful.

“So,” he said, looking her over again, interest clear. “What can I do for you?”

____ crossed one leg over the other, posture relaxed, but intentional. “I’m exploring new opportunities,” she replied, keeping her tone light. “Figured it was worth seeing what’s out there.”

Kane hummed, tapping a finger idly against the table. “And you thought of me.”

She smiled, just enough to suggest flattery without overplaying the character. “That I did. You’ve got a reputation, sir.”

“Do I?” he asked, amused.

“Effective,” she clarified, letting the word linger slightly. “Not afraid to get things done. Among other things, of course.”

He grinned wider at that, clearly pleased.

“Yeah,” he said. “That sounds about right.”

As he spoke, ____ let her gaze drift again. Kent had shifted slightly now, one hand resting near his glass. Across from him, Sue's expression was, as always, unreadable. ____ couldn’t hear what he was saying, but Sue’s faint nod suggested something business-related.

That was a good sign.

She forced herself back into the conversation.

The conversation slipped into an easy rhythm, if “easy” meant mildly inappropriate and heavily laced with implication on his part. The man was exactly as she remembered: blunt, crude, and admittedly quite entertaining at times. Like working for Furlong, with a bit more innuendo and slightly less hurtful verbal abuse. ____ could handle that.

She mirrored him gracefully. A teasing remark here. A vicious expletive there. Just enough to keep his attention without allowing him to get too dirty. Every time she gave him something, he'd wrap himself around her finger a little more. It was almost too easy.

Occasionally, her eyes would flick past him, peering over his shoulder in the direction of Kent and Sue. Sure, she wasn't above playing a bit dirty to land a job, but she also wasn't keen on the possibility of either of the two watching her do it.

“So, what exactly are you looking for?” he asked eventually, gaze flicking down to her chest again.

____ fought the urge to cringe away from his gaze, filing this entire interaction away to share with Kent or Amy the next time they got drinks.

“Something where I can put my strengths to use,” she replied lightly. “Somewhere I won’t get overlooked. I don't want to be someone's Mike, no offense to him.”

Kane let out a short laugh at that. “Trust me,” he said, voice dipping slightly, “you wouldn’t be overlooked in my office.”

There it is. ____ smiled, tilting her head just slightly. “I’d hope not.”

He leaned forward then, elbows on the table, lowering his voice as if they were sharing something confidential, though the smirk on his face gave it away.

“I might have an opening,” he said. “For the right person.”

The implication hung there, barely disguised.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the glass. ____ had compromised her values for Selina time and time again, but this felt different. She had built her success on competence, on proving she deserved to be where she was. It took skill to go from an intern to one of the vice president's advisors in so little time. The idea of trading that in, of knowing that any opportunity handed to her would come from doing “favors” of her own, left a sour taste in her mouth.

She took a breath. If Dan can fuck his way to the top, you can manage this.

She laughed softly, leaning in just enough to meet him halfway. “Well,” she replied, her tone just as suggestive, “I’m sure you could find a way to put me to good use.”

He seemed delighted by her response.

Hook, line, and sinker.

“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head with a grin. “I think we could.”

They wrapped shortly after that, the understanding between them settled. He stood as she did, reaching out for another handshake that lasted uncomfortably long once again.

“I look forward to whatever opportunity your team can present me,” ____ said with a smile.

“I'll be in touch,” he replied easily.

And with that, they parted—Kane looking far too pleased with himself, and ____ walking away with the strong urge to douse her entire body in hand sanitizer.

By the time she stepped outside, Sue and Kent were long gone. ____ didn’t let herself dwell on that, as her phone buzzed a moment later.

Amy: Veep needs us back at the office ASAP

____ shot back a thumbs up and returned to her car.

Back at the office, something had shifted. ____ barely made it through the doors before spotting Roger Furlong storming past, Will scrambling after him. She raised an eyebrow, slowing as she watched them go.

Inside, she caught Amy’s eye, silently questioning what she had missed. Amy gave a small shake of her head.

Don’t ask.

Noted.

Selina, meanwhile, looked… oddly pleased.

“Okay, where are my beautiful veeple people?” she called, bright with energy. “There’s one. I need my veeple to come into my office, please.”

____ made a face, glancing toward Dan, who looked just as confused as she felt. Before either of them could comment, the moment was interrupted, as usual, by Jonah's sudden arrival.

“Hey, it’s J-Diddy. Ladies get giddy,” Jonah announced as he strutted in.

Selina didn’t hesitate, stepping towards him.

“Jonah,” she said sweetly. “Settle something for me.”

“Okay…?”

“You like to have sex and you like to travel?”

He blinked. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Then you can fuck off.”

____ snorted, unable to help herself, lifting a small wave as Jonah was promptly dismissed. God, that never got old. The door shut on his offended expression, and Selina turned back to them, barely containing something electric.

“I have something to say.”

“I’ve literally no idea what you’re gonna say,” Mike offered.

____ shot him a look. Selina ignored him completely.

“…I’m not leaving,” she finally said.

The room stilled.

“POTUS is leaving. He’s not running again.”

A beat. ____ felt like she couldn't breathe.

“I’m running.” Selina's excitement broke through all at once as she looked between them, practically glowing. “I’m gonna run for president!”

Time seemed to stop.

____ just stared at her, jaw dropping before she could catch herself. “Are you fucking serious?”

"Boom! Let’s go to the fucking moon!” Amy whooped, punching the air.

“I was this close to living on my boat,” Mike exclaimed.

"Oh, my God. I'm just—"

"Congratulations, ma'am."

____ blinked, turning toward the unfamiliar interruption.

Ed.

Right.

She’d forgotten he was there.

Selina looked just as confused, stammering out a "can you give me some time with my core team? Um, Br— Br—"

"Ed," he interrupted.

"Bre— Ed."

"Of course," he replied, quietly slipping out of the room.

The chatter picked back up immediately, Dan pacing the room, Gary standing there in shock, and Mike moving to hug ____. At the center of it all, Selina was practically glowing.

"Okay, now listen, so. You guys don't need to take other jobs. You're here with me," she finally spoke, still smiling.

Dan went still.

“…I’ve accepted a number of posts.”

Selina blinked. “A number?”

“Currently four.”

She shook her head, incredulous. "Wow. You're gonna cancel them, right?"

"Oh, clearly. Yeah. Oh, yeah."

He didn't meet her eyes. ____ giggled quietly.

Across the room, Gary had started rambling about a job with his awful girlfriend, and ____ took the opportunity to step back, pulling out her phone.

Jeff Kane’s contact was still open. For a second, she hesitated, fingers hovering over the screen. Was staying with Selina really the smarter move?

Kane had power. Influence. Objectively, it made more sense. But the thought didn’t sit right. She liked Selina, was proud of what she'd accomplished working beneath her. Flirting her way up the ladder wouldn't feel nearly as satisfying.

She pressed her lips together, then exhaled sharply and started typing before she could overthink it into oblivion.

____: Hi Jeff, thank you again for the opportunity you offered me today. That being said, my current situation has shifted, and I’ll be remaining with the Meyer administration. All the best, ____.

She read over it, hesitating once more, before hitting send anyways.

The reply came quickly.

Kane: That’s a shame. I had a few ideas about where I could put you to work.

Her eyebrow lifted slightly, a quiet sense of validation settling in. If nothing else, at least she was staying with a superior who wouldn't push for sexual favors.

Another message followed shortly after.

Kane: Still, offer stands. I’m sure we could find something… mutually beneficial. You’ve got a skillset I’d be happy to put to good use.

She breathed a quiet laugh, shaking her head as she typed back.

____: I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, sir.

The three dots appeared almost instantly.

At the same time, Selina began yelling at Gary about something ____ didn't care to involve herself in. Something about cheese?

She made a face, turning back to her phone. Honestly, the pervy old man in her phone was easier to deal with than whatever nonsense was happening across the room.

Kane: You do that. And if you change your mind, I’ve got plenty of ways to keep you busy.

Yuck.

She snorted, locking her phone without responding further. Leaning against her desk, she half-listened as Sue stood from her seat, telling Selina something about a science fair. Selina waved a hand dismissively, delegating the problem to Mike, who then took the Leviathan from Gary.

She paused for a moment, then turned to ____.

“You go with him,” she added. “See if you can Mike-proof this thing.”

“Of course, ma’am,” ____ replied automatically, but her mind was already elsewhere.

As she pushed off the wall and followed Mike toward the door, Sue’s voice lingered in the back of her head, dragging her right back to the restaurant. Suddenly, the relief that her job wasn't in danger was overshadowed by the satisfaction of knowing that Kent wouldn't be working in close-contact with an admittedly attractive and incredibly capable woman.

Jealousy settled low in her chest once again, lingering as she walked beside Mike through the halls and down toward the parkade. He talked the entire way. Something about the boat. Repairs. Costs. ____ barely heard a word of it.

She liked Sue. It was irrational and immature to feel anything about her meeting with Kent.

By the time they reached the car, she hadn’t said more than a handful of absent responses. Mike, mercifully, didn’t seem to notice. She slid into the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt before resting her head lightly against the cool glass of the window.

God, this was ridiculous.

They were at a restaurant. A shitty restaurant, at that. Sue was probably job hunting. Kent wasn’t—

She stopped the thought before it could finish forming, jaw tightening slightly. Kent wasn’t anything. Not like that.

Not hers.

The thought hit harder than she expected. She exhaled slowly, watching the blur of the city pass by outside the window as Mike kept talking, oblivious.

It wasn’t just jealousy. That would’ve been easier to dismiss.

God, was she actually sad about this?

"…Isn't that awesome? ____?"

She blinked, Mike’s voice cutting through her thoughts. Turning her head, she found him already looking at her, smiling giddily.

"…What?" She asked, a beat too slow.

"Wendy. The wedding. Isn't it great?" He asked again, smile not dropping.

____ blinked again. Wedding? Since when was Mike getting married?

“Yeah—yeah, Mike, that’s fantastic,” she said, offering a smile, even if it was visibly confused.

Mike beamed, satisfied with the response.

“Yeah, we haven’t told a ton of people yet,” he continued, launching forward without hesitation. “Still working on the guest list, figuring out venues, the whole thing. But you’re invited, obviously. You and the rest of the office…”

He kept talking—rambling, really, and this time, ____ found herself smiling for real.

It was nice. Grounding, in a way. It felt good to be genuinely happy for someone else.

“That’s amazing, Mike,” she said more sincerely, glancing over at him. “Congratulations to both of you.”

They pulled into a high school parking lot a moment later. ____ stepped out of the car, stretching slightly as she glanced around at the building. “So what exactly are we doing here?”

Mike shrugged, already slinging Gary’s bag over his shoulder.

“I guess just stall for time?” he replied, following ____ up the steps to the door. “She’ll show up eventually.”

____’s eyes dropped immediately to the bag. A slow grin spread across her face.

“I cannot believe Gary let you take the Leviathan.”

Mike followed her gaze, then looked back up, a matching, mischievous spark lighting in his eyes.

“…Wanna put weird school shit in it?”

“Absolutely.”

They barely held in their laughter as they made their way inside.

After signing in at the front office and informing a mildly overwhelmed receptionist that the vice president was on her way, they were left to wander the science fair on their own.

Tables stretched out in neat rows, poster boards, construction paper lettering, surprisingly well labeled graphs, and an unsurprising number of paper-mache models. ____ drifted between them, hands tucked loosely into her coat pockets, scanning each display with polite interest.

They paused at a table where a group of elementary school-aged kids sat clustered together, hunched over paper and markers, clearly more interested in drawing than anything scientific. Younger siblings, ____ assumed.

She slowed, then glanced sideways at Mike, nudging him.

“Hey,” she said, crouching slightly to the kids’ level, voice lowering conspiratorially as she held up the White House pass dangling from her lanyard. “You guys wanna help us play a prank on the vice president?”

That got their attention immediately. A chorus of “yes” and “really?” erupted, little eyes lighting up with excitement.

Mike was already pulling out his phone. “Okay,” he said, flipping the screen around to show them a picture. “See this guy?”

Jonah’s face stared back at them in all its unfortunate glory. The kids burst into laughter almost instantly.

“He looks weird!” one of them giggled.

“Exactly,” Mike nodded seriously. “We need as many drawings of him as possible. Really capture that energy.”

“Like… ugly?” another kid asked.

“Especially ugly,” Mike confirmed. As he spoke, ____ quickly silenced any notifications and pulled up an album in her gallery that seemed to be specially curated for this moment. The children squealed as she passed the screen to them, letting them swipe through bad photo after bad photo of Jonah.

“Make it mean,” she added helpfully, giggling alongside the children before taking the device back. "Maybe throw some hearts around the border. Make it clear how much we love this guy."

The kids nodded enthusiastically, already reaching for markers.

“We’ll come back for the drawings,” Mike said, stepping back. “Top priority.”

“Your government thanks you,” ____ added, straight faced.

As they walked away, she let out a stifled laugh, shaking her head. Mike let out a quiet, impressed whistle.

“That’s evil.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a wicked grin.

They moved on to the next set of tables, slowing again as an older boy eagerly waved them over.

“Do you wanna see my project?” he asked.

____ smiled, stepping closer. “Of course. Whatcha got here?”

He launched proudly into an explanation, something about plant growth and light exposure, gesturing at a slightly lopsided display.

“Very impressive,” she said, nodding along.

“My dad helped me with this part,” the boy added proudly, gesturing to a complex model.

"Oh yeah?" ____ smiled softly at that. “That’s really nice of him.”

For a split second, and very much against her will, the image slipped into her mind. Kent. He'd make a good dad. The thought caught her off guard. She blinked, the image dissolving just as quickly as it had appeared.

“You did a great job,” she smiled, straightening. "I'm sure the vice president will find this very interesting when she arrives."

Mike had already wandered a few steps ahead, predictably distracted, and ____ followed after a moment, giving the boy a thumbs up as she left. They looped back around the room, weaving between tri-fold boards and proud parents, until they found themselves back at the table of children from earlier.

The moment the kids spotted them, they lit up.

“We did it!” one of them announced proudly, shoving a stack of papers toward Mike.

“Oh my god,” Mike breathed, immediately flipping through them. “Oh, these are— these are phenomenal.”

____ leaned in beside him, pressing her lips together to keep from laughing out loud.

The drawings were brutal.

Stick-limbed, bug-eyed caricatures of Jonah stared back at them, each one somehow worse than the last. One had exaggerated his height to the point of absurdity, limbs stretching off the page. Another gave him fangs. A third had labeled him ‘Frankenstein man’ in messy handwriting. Another just said 'ugly.'

“Oh, you guys… These are incredibly accurate, very nice work,” ____ said seriously, nodding in approval as she crouched slightly to the kids’ level. “This is perfect.”

The kids beamed.

Mike snorted, barely holding it together as he gathered the stack. “You guys are artists. Real talent. The Smithsonian would be lucky to have this.”

____ picked one up, studying it more closely. It was, without question, the worst of the bunch: Jonah drawn with wild, uneven features, a crooked jaw, cat ears, and what looked like flames behind him for no apparent reason.

Wait, no. She paused. There was a definite reason for those flames.

Her composure cracked instantly.

A laugh burst out of her before she could stop it, loud and unrestrained as she doubled over slightly, clutching the page. Mike blinked, confused, then leaned in to get a better look, only to lose it just as quickly.

"Is that what I think it is?" He managed between laughs, still howling.

One of the kids stepped forward, peeking over ____’s arm, his grin stretching even wider as he saw their reaction. “Someone lit his fart on fire!” the boy announced proudly, pointing enthusiastically at the flames behind Jonah.

"Oh, you guys did such a good job," ____ wheezed, trying to compose herself. "These are going right in the vice president's assistant's bag. These look like something the vice president's assistant would draw, right?"

The kids cheered in response, each giving Mike a high five before he nudged the Leviathan open. ____ snorted at the final drawing in her hands, staring at it a moment longer before folding it up and tucking it into her own pocket.

Mike glanced at her, still grinning. “What are you—”

“Personal use,” she said lightly, patting her pocket.

He chuckled in response, saying nothing more as he stuffed the rest into Gary’s bag with absolutely no regard for organization.

“Perfect,” Mike laughed. “He’s gonna lose his mind.”

“Worth it,” ____ replied.

She turned back to the kids, smiling warmly. “Seriously, though, these are great. Have fun with your drawings, 'kay?”

They chorused their thanks, already turning back to their markers and papers as Mike and ____ stepped away. She opened her texts as they walked, and felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of Kent's name, notification front and center.

Kent: Is the Vice President still set to attend the science fair?

She smiled, thinking about the drawing of Jonah in her pocket.

____: Yep, all set over here. I've got something fantastic to show you later, by the way.

As she typed, Selina's name lit up at the top of her screen.

Selina: Almost there. Is this thing a disaster?

____ hummed under her breath, fingers already moving.

____: All set, ma’am. Kids are in place, projects look good. You’re ready to go.

There was a brief pause. Then—

Selina: Good. Make sure no one ugly stands near me.

____ smiled to herself, locking her phone. Yeah, staying with her was the right move.

“Showtime,” she called in a sing-song voice, stepping closer to Mike.

He glanced over. “She close?”

“Mhm.”

He winced. “Alright. Let’s, uh, look busy.”

____ nodded, scanning the room quickly. It was a high school, they weren't going to have any kind of fancy setup for Selina, but there was a wall free for her to perform her speech. That would have to suffice.

Selina launched into the speech Dan had prepared for her without hassle, smile plastered on for the crowd as she looked out around the sea of eager faces. To her credit, and to Dan’s, it was a good speech. ____ folded her arms loosely, watching from the side with a faint, amused smile. Amy could complain about Dan all she wanted, but the man knew how to bullshit with skill. It was impressive.

Out o the corner of her eye, ____ saw Mike nudge a kid in front of him. He leaned forward, whispering something about a charger. The boy turned, looking confused.

____ stared at him, before elbowing him gently in the ribs. "Shut up."

Mike winced, shooting her an offended look, but did as she said. Selina wrapped up the speech cleanly, landing on the final line with a proud gleam in her eye. She stepped around the mic stand, heading straight for ____ and Mike.

“Alright, you guys,” she said, scanning the room, “what have you got for me?”

“Right this way, ma’am,” Mike said quickly, slipping into a professionally cheerful tone as he gestured toward the nearest table. “Let’s do this one first. This is a, uh, a mappable social media cloud for pets.”

Selina nodded as if that meant anything at all, masterfully disguising her confusion as curiosity as she approached the girl's project.

 “Wow,” she said, leaning in slightly. “That is… fascinating.”

____ bit the inside of her cheek, falling into step beside them as Mike guided Selina from table to table, rattling off project titles and student names with ease. She found herself mildly impressed, watching Mike perform well at his job. It was, unfortunately, not the most common occasion.

By the time they reached a table covered in cut-out paper ants and construction paper diagrams, she was actually nodding along, half-listening, half-watching the rhythm of it all.

All of a sudden, a loud burst of laughter and high-pitched squealing cut through the room.

____’s head whipped around toward the entrance. There, framed in the doorway, stood a deeply disgruntled-looking Jonah. The group of younger kids who'd been tasked with drawing him looked ecstatic to see their model in real life.

Jonah, visibly confused, started making his way through the crowd.

“Would you excuse us for a moment?” ____ asked quickly, already stepping away as Mike caught on and moved with her.

They intercepted Jonah before he could make it more than a few steps inside.

“What the fuck was that about?” he demanded loudly, glancing between the cackling children and his coworkers. “Hey, Joe fucking Slow, either of you ever think about answering your phone?”

Mike frowned. “Chill out. I lost my charger. You got one?”

Jonah blinked at him, incredulous. “You’re at a science fair. One of these kids could probably build you a charger.”

Then he turned to ____. “What’s your excuse?”

She stared up at him, confused. “What? No one’s called, what are you—”

She stopped. Her expression soured instantly.

“…Shit.”

Her hand went to her pocket as realization hit. She’d never taken her phone off silent after handing it to the kids earlier.

“What's the problem?” Mike asked, looking between them.

“Ben's been trying to get in touch with the veep all day,” Jonah said, irritation bleeding into every word.

“All right, well, she's busy,” Mike started, but waved Jonah toward Selina anyways. They wove back through the crowd toward Selina, who was still mid-conversation at one of the tables.

“Sorry there, Todd, just real quick. Matters of state,” Mike said quickly, cutting in with a strained smile.

Jonah was already on the phone. “Sir, yes, I have the vice president for you,” he muttered before holding it out. “It’s Ben.”

Selina's smile dropped, and she took the phone with a grimace.

“Give her a little space,” Mike muttered under his breath, stepping in front of her like a human barrier. ____ followed suit, positioning herself just enough to block curious glances, her back to Selina as she tried to catch snippets of their conversation.

The call was short, but tense. ____ couldn’t make out every word, but Selina’s voice tightened immediately, losing every trace of the warmth it may have held earlier.

The moment the vice president rose from her chair, the three turned towards her at the same time.

“I’ve got to get out of here before I set fire to one of these nerds,” Selina snapped, already storming out. ____, Mike, and Jonah scrambled after her.

“Madam Vice President—” a student called after her.

“No,” Selina shot back without breaking stride.

"We're so sorry. She really likes it, but unfortunately she's out of time, you guys," Mike frantically apologized, smile plastered across his face.

“But this man right here is gonna take over,” ____ added brightly, gesturing to Jonah.

Jonah looked horrified.

"Don't fuck this up. This is a public relations nightmare waiting to happen. Promise them everything," Mike hissed, leaning close to Jonah before pulling away with another smile. "Thank you, kids."

“The vice president thanks you all for welcoming her today!” ____ called over her shoulder as she hurried out the door.

Outside, Selina was already halfway to the car.

The drive back was silent. Selina didn’t say a word. Not to Mike. Not to ____. Not to her security team. She just stared straight ahead, jaw tight, radiating fury.

Once back in the EEOB, the elevator ride to was no better. No one spoke. They all knew better than to try.

____ glanced sideways at Selina, taking in the rigid set of her shoulders, the way she held herself just a little too still. She knew that posture.

Fuck me, ____ thought, unable to stop herself from making a face. She’s gonna run.

With a quiet sigh, she slipped off her heels preemptively, hooking them in one hand. Selina didn’t seem to notice. Or, at least, didn't care.

The elevator dinged. The doors slid open. And, as ____ expected, Selina bolted.

“Ma’am—” ____ started, already moving after her, speeding along the polished floor as she broke into a run.

Mike swore loudly behind her, struggling to keep up as the security team scrambled into motion.

“Ma’am, are—” she tried again, seconds later, but Selina had already reached her office. The door slammed shut in ____'s face.

She skidded to a stop just short of it, staring at the closed door in disbelief. A sfew seconds later, Mike and the security detail caught up, equally out of breath and just as confused.

____ blinked, wide-eyed. “What the hell did Ben say to her?”

Mike didn’t answer. He just let out a long, exhausted sigh and turned away, shoulders slumping as he dragged himself back toward his desk. He muttered something under his breath, collapsing into his chair .

The security team exchanged a look before quietly dispersing, their job, apparently, done for now. ____ stood there for another second, then glanced down at her empty hand.

“…Goddammit.”

At some point amidst the chaos, she had lost her shoes. She turned on her heel and headed back toward the elevators, the adrenaline wearing off just enough for the absurdity of the situation to sink in. Once again, her mind flicked back to Jeff Kane. Maybe she made the wrong decision. How regularly would she have to chase after her boss while working for him?

She huffed, returning to the hallway Selina had sprinted from. Her heels been kicked to the side of the hallway in the chaos, one tipped over, the other badly scuffed. ____ almost groaned, then remembered that here, she just lost her shoes. Mr. Kane would probably try and find a way to fuck them.

She shuddered. This was better.

By the time she made her way back to the office, things hadn't improved. Mike stood a few feet away from Selina’s closed office door, joined by Amy and Gary, who the Leviathan had now been returned to.

All three of them looked tense.

____ slowed as she approached, glancing between them. “Any news?”

Amy crossed her arms, jaw tight. “Nothing. It sounds like she's throwing things."

____ frowned, folding her arms loosely. “Okay. Then we wait. This isn’t our first tantrum.”

Gary nodded, still visibly on edge, and Mike gave a half-hearted agreement, though he looked less confident than usual. The three of them fell quiet, their attention fixed on Selina’s closed office door.

The silence stretched.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door creaked open. The three of them straightened instinctively. Selina stood in the doorway.

She looked terrible.

No one said a word, waiting in silence for the vice president to make the first move. And eventually, she did.

“…Sue, come here.”

Selina’s voice was quieter than expected, lacking its usual bite. Her eyes moved slowly across the room, searching, until she realized the team was missing one member. A flicker of confusion crossed her face.

“Where’s Dan?”

Amy cleared her throat awkwardly. “He stepped out.”

Selina nodded once, distracted. “Okay… Um,” she inhaled, steadying herself. “POTUS has decided that he is staying, and he is going to seek reelection after all."

The words landed heavily. A collective sense of dread settled over the room as everyone processed it.

“...Of course he wants to stay,” Mike started weakly.

“Could you just not—” Selina cut him off, waving a hand dismissively. She closed her eyes, taking a breath. "So he's running for a second term, which means I won't be running for a first term. So there's no point in my staying. I'm just gonna leave."

A beat.

Amy shook her head bitterly. “So he changed his mind again?”

Selina gave a humorless, defeated nod. “Yeah.”

Amy let out a breath. “Jesus, the inside of his head must be like an Escher drawing.”

____ didn’t say anything. For the second time in less than twelve hours, she had lost the job she lived to do. It was hard to be optimistic about a fresh start when it was forced on her, retracted, then forced on her yet again.

“Ma’am, Andrew is here to see you," Sue interrupted, cutting through the disappointed chatter.

Selina let out a hollow laugh.

“Oh, good. More hurt and disappointment. Exactly what I needed.”

____ barely reacted as Selina turned, already bracing for the incoming argument. Instead, she pulled out her phone again, her thumb hovering over Jeff Kane’s contact.

Again.

Maybe she would actually have to fuck him to get the job back. God, that was bleak.

As Selina and Andrew ignited, voices rising harshly, ____ didn't bother to tune it out.

“Are you really talking to me like this right now?” Selina snapped. “Honestly, it’s so out of line. You get fucked by everybody in DC—your friends, your enemies, your colleagues, your fucking family—that’s Washington, DC. District of cunts.”

Amidst the argument, as if summoned by the worst possible timing imaginable, Jonah appeared.

With children.

“Ma’am,” he said, entirely too cheerful for the situation, “you remember Sally, T.J., and Paul. This is my nerd herd. And I mean that affectionately.”

Sue moved instantly, stepping in front of the kids like a barrier. “Jonah, this is a restricted area. We’re like Area 51, except more restricted.”

Selina, somehow, managed to plaster on a fake smile.

"Jonah, can you come here just for a second?" She asked, voice threateningly steady. "Do you want to fill me in as to what's going on right now?"

Jonah nodded, gesturing to the children behind him. "Yes, ma'am. Your abrupt exit from the science fair. Mike needed a PR fix, so you have to give these guys a West Wing tour."

“Uh, ma’am?” A new voice cut in.

____’s head snapped up.

Kent stood just inside Selina’s office, partially obscured by the doorframe. He must’ve slipped in through the side entrance.

“…You should be aware that the President is on his way.”

Jonah quickly turned back to the kids, ushering them toward a group of chairs across the room while Selina approached Kent, ____ following closely behind automatically. She hovered by the doorway as the rest of the team followed, crowding around behind her, before slipping into the room along the wall.

“What did you say?” Selina demanded, shocked. “The President is coming here?”

"Yes," Kent replied evenly.

"Why? He never comes here," She pressed, stepping towards him.

“I don’t know,” Kent said. “Information-wise, I am becalmed.”

“The President is coming here?” Gary echoed, craning over ____’s shoulder just as Sue crossed briskly to her desk.

“Gary, Dana just cleared security,” Sue said, her tone slightly tighter than usual. Which, for Sue, bordered on panic. “This is anarchy.”

Gary spun toward her, then back to Selina. “Hey, ma’am, is now a bad time to talk to Dana?”

“Yes,” Selina snapped, cutting him off. He bolted immediately.

Selina turned back to Kent, ignoring everything else unraveling around her.

“Is he gonna drop me from the ticket? Is that what’s happening? He’s gone postal.”

“I have no idea,” Kent replied as she continued to talk over him.

“Ma’am,” Amy stepped in carefully. ____ winced. Brave.

“What?” Selina snapped.

“You’ve got to mellow yellow.”

Selina rolled her eyes, pacing now. “Don’t tell me not to panic. I know how to freak out, okay? Everybody just shut the shit up.” She gestured sharply. “I’ve got to think.”

Kent raised his hand in mock surrender. “Okay,” he said, slipping past her to stand beside ____, backs against the wall. Despite it all, she smiled warmly at his presence, biting back a laugh when Selina banished Mike without saying a word.

That lasted all of five seconds.

"Mike? Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike!"

____ pressed her lips together, shoulders shaking slightly as Mike scrambled back into the room.

"Ma'am, I'm coming. I'm here, I'm here," Mike stumbled over his own shoes rushing back to the office.

“Come here. We’ve got to make a statement,” Selina said, breathless with urgency. “Because I think POTUS is coming here to kick me off the ticket, and I’ve got to make a statement saying I’m leaving before he drops me. I’ve got to jump before we get stabbed in the back.”

“Danny Chung is making an announcement,” Amy cut in, already pointing at the TV.

"What?" Selina asked, all heads in the room turning to look at the screen.

"I was proud to serve in the military. I'm proud to serve as a governor…" Chung's voice carried through the speakers. "Today I've set up an exploratory committee to look into whether in a couple of years, I might be of use serving at an even higher level."

Selina sank onto the couch, staring at the screen.

"…I know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna run against Chung."

Then she stood again, determination—or maybe mania— flashing across her face.

"Okay? I'm gonna take myself off the ticket. I'll run against Chung and I'll run against POTUS. It'll be like a political massacre."

"Quit freaking out. You need to get your head together," Amy replied pointedly, Mike nodding alongside her.

“What do you mean? The president’s gonna be here any second—”

She cut herself off as Gary reappeared, clutching what looked like an entire basket of cheese.

____ exhaled slowly, gaze drifting across the absolute disaster of a room.

Well. It’s not like this could get any worse.

Might as well have some fun with it.

Without looking away from the chaos, she slipped her hand into her pocket, fingers brushing the folded paper she’d tucked away earlier. Silently she passed it to Kent, who took it without question. She kept her expression perfectly neutral, eyes forward, biting back a smile as she heard the faint rustle of paper unfolding.

Then, from beside her, A strangled, entirely un-Kent-like choking noise. ____ bit the inside of her cheek, fighting the immediate urge to laugh as every head in the room snapped toward them.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Selina snapped in their direction.

Kent straightened instantly, nudging ____'s foot sharply with his own. “Nothing, ma’am. My apologies."

Selina, preoccupied with her own issues, turned her attention back to Mike, ____ taking the opportunity to look at Kent. He was staring at the the drawing incredulously, an image that she found almost as funny as the drawing itself. Slowly, his gaze drifted upward to meet hers, and she nearly lost it at the pure disbelief in his eyes. He was looking at ____ like she had just handed him the holy grail's demented cousin.

"Is that Mr Ry—"

"KENT."

"Sorry, ma'am"

An innocent smile tugged at ____'s lips, waving playfully as if she hadn't just handed him the most hideous image to ever enter the building. Kent's jaw dropped, and she had to turn her head to keep from laughing outright.

The moment shattered a second later as Jonah burst back into the office.

“I have POTUS incoming! I have POTUS incoming!”

Selina looked to Mike, unmistakable panic in her eyes. "Make a statement, Mike," she stammered.

"About what? About what?" Mike echoed, already spiraling. ____, finally seeing the severity of the situation, rushed to Mikes side, placing a hand on the man's shoulder and focusing her attention on the Vice President.

"Everything. All possible statements that you can even think of," she stumbled over her words, looking between the two of them for help.

“Okay, I’ll come up with something,” Mike said, rushing off toward his desk.

“It’s gonna be alright, ma’am,” ____ said, softer now, stepping closer to Selina. Without waiting for permission, she reached up, fixing a stray piece of hair, wiping carefully at the smeared makeup under her eye. Under any other circumstances, Selina would’ve swatted her away. Now, she barely reacted.

Amy placed a steadying hand at Selina’s back, guiding her forward. “Let’s go say hi to POTUS.”

Selina shot her a look. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a crazy person.”

“I didn’t mean to. It came out weird,” Amy apologized, straightening herself behind Selina. ____ joined her moments later, heart pounding.

“Make a hole, yo! POTUS coming through, make a hole!” Jonah yelled again, sprinting across the room again.

There was a pause.

For a moment, everything was still.

Then, a figure appeared in the doorway—

“You’re not the president,” one of the kids announced bluntly as Ben stepped inside.

Ben paused just long enough to look at him. “No, but you’re not Justin Bieber either, are you, sport?”

He continued forward, all business. “Ma’am. POTUS is here.”

Selina blinked, visibly thrown. “Where? Has he been miniaturized?”

“He’s right in that room,” Ben said, pointing toward the office they’d just vacated. “Would you care to join him?”

"Uh..." Selina looked like she was about to pass out, looking from Ben, to Amy, to ____, and finally settling on Gary.

"Am I about to get whacked?"

"No, no, no," Gary rushed to reassure her, though he didn't look entirely convinced himself.

The door opened again, Andrew stepping out, his expression unreadable.

“Your boss wants to see you,” he looked at Selina pointedly. “Don’t keep him waiting.”

Selina looked desperately at ____ one last time, before turning on her heel and walking into the office. The door shut behind her with a quiet, final click.

Dan chose that exact moment to walk in, stopping short as he took in the tension in the room. “What’s going on here? Is it Bring a Disparate Person to Work Day?”

_____ crossed the room without responding, moving to stand beside Kent again. He sidestepped once, making room for her between himself and one of the many secret service agents filling the room.

She didn't have time to dwell on that one right now.

Jonah didn’t miss a beat. “Uh, Selina is about to get a potal bullet through the head, and you are all about to be unemployed and homeless.”

Dan shut his eyes, processing.

“We’re so fucked. We’re so fucked. We’ve fucked DC in so many different ways, no one’s gonna hire us.”

“How am I gonna pay for my fucking boat?” Mike muttered, dragging a hand through what was left of his hair.

“Enough about the fucking boat, Mike,” Amy snapped, rounding on him. “Take a flare gun, put it in your mouth, and blow your head off.”

“Listen to yourselves,” Ed cut in from nowhere, as usual. “You people are monsters.”

Sue turned on him instantly. “Ed, you really need to can it right now. Do not comment on this office, okay?”

He scoffed. “Hey, Sue, don’t talk to me that way, okay? You’re the secretary to the vice president. That’s like being Garfunkel’s roadie, okay?”

“Hey, okay, you can shut the fuck up,” ____ snapped, stepping forward before she could stop herself. “Those are all big words coming from the poster child for Marfan syndrome. Who the fuck are you, Slenderman? Why are you even here?”

Ed seemed to like that even less, stiffening as he turned his attention toward her.

“Who the fuck are you, ____? What is your actual role here? Let me guess, eye candy for whatever lucky senator has the displeasure of wandering through this office?”

She stared at him, disgusted. “Oh, go f—”

“You do not have the right to speak to any member of this administration that way,” Kent cut in sharply, stepping forward. “Let alone Miss ____.”

____ froze, turning to look at him with wide eyes. She had never heard him raise his voice like that.

An unhelpful voice in the back of her mind told her it was kind of hot.

From somewhere behind them, Andrew let out a low, amused laugh. “So this is Selina’s team in action. That explains a lot.”

“Likewise,” Kent replied coolly, his tone just as cutting.

"Yeah, well, they're actually better than my team," Ben added dryly from the sidelines. "My team is just fucking horrible."

And at that, the office door swung open once more, Selina emerging quietly The room went silent. Every head turned to look at her.

Shit, ____ thought, sharing a look with Gary. Selina looked bad.

Amy stepped forward first.

"…Ma'am?"

"…Hi," Selina's entire demeanor changed with a single word. All of a sudden, she was smiling, tense with anticipation rather than despair.

"I think I know what you're gonna say, but I don't wanna jinx it," Mike said, sounding somewhat reminiscent of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

And at that, Selina was beaming.

"POTUS is not gonna be running for a second term. I'm gonna run."

“Oh my god,” Gary breathed, his voice already breaking.

Dan lurched forward, eyes wide. “Whoa, whoa, ma’am, give me the straight poop here. Is this for real?”

Selina was practically buzzing at this point. “It’s totally for real.”

And just like that, the room erupted.

Dan pulled her into a hug, thanking her like she’d personally resurrected his career. Gary was fully crying now, clutching at his chest like this was the happiest day of his life. Mike laughed in disbelief, moving in next, while Amy let out a sharp, triumphant exhale.

____ felt the energy hit her all at once, and before she could stop herself, she was jumping excitedly in place, hands wringing together as she beamed at Selina. This was it. What they'd been working for for so long, coming several years earlier than expected.

Selina moved from Mike to Andrew, who caught her mid-motion and kissed her instead. She didn’t protest. Somewhere amidst the chaos, caught up in the celebration, ____ turned and threw her arms around Kent's neck without thinking.

The movement surprised even her, but there was no taking it back now. She hugged him tightly, the adrenaline of the moment carrying her straight through the hesitation she usually clung to. Then, just as unexpectedly, he leaned in. His arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her clean off the ground. ____ let out a small, startled laugh, gripping his shoulders tighter in the moment of weightlessness.

When he set her back down, they stayed close for just a beat too long, eyes locked, both smiling. Then, almost at the same time, they stepped back, unable to meet each others eyes.

Selina, still looking beyond satisfied, moved across the room to flop down on the couch. ____ pulled away from Kent, hurrying to join the rest of the group, who were settling around Selina.

"POTUS, he knew the gig was up because Doyle, Furlong, Chung all turned the party against him, Selina spoke confidently, enjoying having an audience. "I mean, it was just, you know, RIP-OTUS. Just complete sinking shit."

"No, he had to go," Amy agreed, nodding alongside Selina. "Together, we are going to make history."

“We’re going to the White House, ma’am,” Ed added from across the room, entirely too pleased with himself. “Boom, boom, pow.”

Selina's smile faltered, confusion flickering across her face. Ed's presence seemed to make her uncomfortable more often than not.

“Oh! Yeah. Yeah. Wow,” she said finally, letting out a short, almost disbelieving laugh.

“My brain is at your service, ma’am,” Kent offered, stepping forward as professionally as always.

Selina waved him off with a flick of her hand. “We’ll see.”

A ripple of laughter passed through the room again.

“Ma’am, I am so psyched,” Dan said, leaning in with a grin. “And the science fair speech was plagiarized from Chung. Just wanted you to know that up front.”

Selina's smile dimmed. "What? What what what?"

"Yep."

"You're kidding."

"No."

"And so it begins," Kent announced to no one in particular.

“Yeah,” Ben added dryly, “with a kick to the tits.”

____ laughed quietly, letting her gaze drift around the room as conversations splintered off in different directions again.

"Gary, call Dana. She's called 90 times. Talk to her, then sedate her," Sue said briskly as she passed by.

"Shit," Gary mumbled, scrambling up from his seat.

“Wait, Gary, before you go, can I have that list of—” Selina started, but he was already fumbling into the Leviathan. He yanked out a sheet of paper, handed it to her without looking, and darted into the next room before she could finish the sentence.

As he disappeared, Ben and Kent bickered lightly with each other on the way out of the room, neither of them particularly interested in sticking around for the aftermath. Selina watched them go, unimpressed.

"That was POTUS's problem. Because he relied on those two guys. One a burnt-out loser, the other a conniving r…"

She trailed off mid-sentence. Her face twisted as she looked down at the paper in her hands.

“Gary, this is not what I wanted,” she said, squinting at the paper. “What the fuck is this?”

____’s eyes widened instantly, and she pressed her lips tightly together. Across the room, she locked eyes with Mike. He looked just as delighted as she felt, maybe more so.

Selina held up the page. The drawing of Jonah with a stick bug body stared back at her.

“…Is this—” she squinted, turning the page slightly. “Is this supposed to be Jonah?”

Mike coughed, making a strangled noise. Selina flipped the page over. Another one. Worse.

“Oh my god,” Amy said, stepping closer. “Look at the Leviathan. Are there more?”

Everyone's attention turned to where Gary’s bag sat abandoned near the couch, zipper half open, revealing what looked like dozens of increasingly unflattering portraits of Jonah.

“What the fuck?” Selina repeated, a bit louder, bewilderment lacing her voice. “Why are there multiple Jonahs?! Gary, did you draw this?”

Dan lunged toward the bag, yanking out the stack of papers.

“Holy fuck. Holy fuck, guys, look at all of these,” he said, already laughing as he rifled through the drawings.

Papers. So many papers. He pulled out another handful, each drawing worse than the last.

“Oh my holy shit,” he wheezed. “This one has horns.”

“That’s not even inaccurate,” Amy cackled, grabbing a few for himself. She howled in delight, passing one of Jonah in a tutu over to Selina, who was laughing herself now.

Selina was still flipping through her own few drawings, increasingly entertained. “This one has a tail.”

“Gary!” She shouted toward the other room, laughter still lacing her voice. “Why is your bag full of Jonah propaganda?!”

Gary reappeared in the doorway, mid-phone call. “Ma’am, I’m on with—” He stopped short when he saw what she was holding. “What is that?”

Selina waved the drawing in the air. “You tell me, Gary. Why didn’t you mention you were such a gifted artist?”

Gary looked like he might collapse. “Ma’am, I swear, those were not in there before.”

He paused, eyes narrowing as realization dawned, then slowly turned toward Mike.

“You,” he accused, pointing sharply. “You had the Leviathan today. You did this.”

“I did not do that,” Mike said immediately, holding his hands up, already grinning.

____ gasped, pressing a hand to her chest in mock offense. “Wow. You think we’d do something as horrible as commissioning multiple portraits of our dear Jonah from a group of innocent schoolchildren?”

Gary looked between them, utterly scandalized. “You put Jonah in the Leviathan!”

“No,” Mike said quickly.

“Not at all,” ____ added, nodding along.

“…It came like that,” Mike finished, promptly doubling over with laughter.

“Well, they’re in there now, Gary,” Selina said, still smiling despite herself. “And frankly, I’m glad. This is the kind of initiative I like to see.”

Gary made a strangled noise of protest, clutching the bag to his chest.

Before anyone could recover, a small face peeked cautiously around the doorway. ____ inhaled sharply, the realization hitting all at once that the children from the science fair had been waiting in the other room the entire time.

Selina turned instantly, every trace of chaos replaced with charm as she swept toward the door.

"Oh, hello, kids, come on in. Oh, my God, have you been here this whole time?"

The children filtered in, wide-eyed and curious, their attention darting around the office. Selina greeted them warmly, slipping easily into conversation as she waved them in, asking questions like nothing had just happened.

____ watched, a small smile settling onto her face as Selina launched into an impromptu tour, Gary rushing after her in quiet distress. Strangely, watching the vice president walk with the children, barely able to conceal her excitement for what was to come, all the stress of the day felt worth it.

____ felt optimistic. Really optimistic.

As her gaze drifted across the room, watching Selina and the children walk out of view, ____'s future didn’t feel like something slipping through her fingers anymore. For the first time in a long time, her thoughts weren’t tangled up in how she felt about Kent, or whether their paths would cross again. They were on herself, Selina, the rest of the team. On what came next.

For once, she was genuinely looking forward to it.