#drugs are the only thing ive ever gone above & beyond my own comfort level just to acquire

[lailaliquorice]

for the longest time

part two is here!! in case you haven’t, please read ‘I have been a fool’ first c:

this is pure undiluted fluff and I love it so much. proof I can write something other than angst/hurt/comfort lol. and maybe it makes up for the angst I left you with this afternoon. these two are so s o f t and I can’t deal

tw for general hospital things again 

The TV in her room was playing dimly as Cathy dozed lightly in the midmorning sunlight, not quite asleep enough that she couldn’t hear it but not awake enough that she was paying any attention to it. It felt too quiet without something making noise in the background, too used to living in a house with five not particularly quiet people to feel comfortable in silence anymore. The staff had been around with breakfast a little while ago, with Cathy feeling well enough to eat a proper meal for the first time since she was admitted thanks to the anti-nausea medication that she’d been given through an IV for the last 24 hours.  That drip had been disconnected along with the heart monitor, but she still had her oxygen tube and fluids drip hooked up while she waited out the last of the drug’s effects.

All the queens had spent most of the previous day with her, only leaving to do their evening show, and even though Anne had been granted another night off Aragon had practically dragged her home with them so that she could shower and sleep in a proper bed. They’d texted throughout the evening though, with Cathy grateful for Anne’s refusal to leave her feeling lonely even though she wasn’t there in person. She’d promised that she would come in as soon as they let her the following morning though, so Cathy was content to sleep the time away until her arrival.

The sound of the door opening made Cathy open her eyes and glance over, smiling when she saw Anne stood almost hesitantly in the doorway. “Hey you,” she said, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed. Cathy quickly noticed that she was clutching something behind her back, but decided not to call her out on it until Anne revealed it herself. “How are you feeling, sleepyhead?” she teased, though her genuine care still shone through.

“Oi,” Cathy said good-humouredly, yawning as she sat up slowly and changed the bed’s incline settings so she could still lean against the pillow. There had been chaos the previous day when Anna had discovered that the bed had a remote control, resulting in Jane confiscating the remote when she returned from the café to find Cathy, Anne, and Kat sat on a mattress that was above Jane’s eye level. “I think I’m allowed to be sleepy, thank you very much. But I’m feeling a lot better, thank goodness.”

Anne nodded with a smile. “Good good. What have the doctors said?”

Cathy hummed for a moment as she thought back to what she’d been told when she was reviewed the previous evening. “They think that I’m almost clear since I’ve stopped feeling nauseous and the ‘hangover’ is nearly gone,” she said, doing the finger quotes motion at ‘hangover’ with her un-tubed hand since it wasn’t really a hangover in the technical sense. “My memory hasn’t come back yet but they said it’s a typical case of drug-induced amnesia and will improve over the next few days. And I should be able to come home this afternoon.” She smiled brightly at that, looking forward to getting back to her own bedroom.

“That’s nice to know, I’ve missed having you around,” Anne said, ducking her head a little as her cheeks flushed a light pink. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, wringing her hands together nervously, but before Cathy could ask her what was wrong she inhaled deeply and spoke all in a hurry. “Look. There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a bit, and after- after what happened I want to tell you now because what scared me the most was that I thought I’d never be able to tell you it again.”

She looked like a deer about to bolt when she finished, prompting Cathy to reach out and take her hand. “What is it? I’m listening,” she said softly, running her thumb over Anne’s knuckles when she let out a shaky breath.

“Thanks,” Anne muttered, squeezing Cathy’s fingers as she pulled the mysterious item out from behind her back. It was a torn out page from her notebook which she unfolded as she explained “I’m not good with words sometimes so I wrote it down. I know I said it accidentally yesterday but I want to do it properly,” she said, glancing up to meet Cathy’s eyes. When Cathy smiled encouragingly at her she returned it weakly before beginning to read aloud.

“Cathy. I don’t even really know what to say, because you’re the one who’s so amazing with words and all I can do is try to keep up. I wish I could have known you in my old life because I know we’d have been friends for sure, but I’m glad I know you in this life because this time round we’re allowed to be more than that. I think you’re amazing. You have the most lovely singing voice and your message in the show is really powerful but there’s more to you than that. I love how much you care about your work and how much you smile when you talk about it. I love how you always know what’s going through my mind. I love that snort you do when you’re laughing really hard. I guess I just love you. And maybe this is silly and a bit creepy because you’re elegance and beauty and I’m just an awkward mess who can’t deal with feelings but you’ve always been able to see that there’s more to me than just that. So maybe there’s hope that you might feel the same. Yours if you want me, Anne.”

The hand held in Cathy’s was trembling as she finished, hanging her head and sighing roughly before she looked up at Cathy with tearful eyes. “So yeah, that’s it,” she finished, looking at her with the same unguarded hope that had shone in her eyes when Cathy had first held her in her arms. Her voice wavered a little as she added. “Say anything. Please just say anything.”

“You are silly, y’know.”

Anne looked up in horror at Cathy’s words, but Cathy just continued to stroke Anne’s hand as she smiled at her. “You’re no awkward mess. You’re witty, you’re clever, you’re kind, and you’re braver than you’ll ever give yourself credit for. I’ve admired you for nearly five hundred years and it’s an hour to call you my friend, but I’d like to call you something more because the only thing that can make me feel giddy is you smiling at me. You’re beyond brilliant, and I love you too Anne.” As she spoke, she watched as Anne’s terror turned into a beaming grin that could have outshone the sun.

They were both still for a moment, the air heavy with the weight of their confessions, before Anne abandoned her letter and moved closer to Cathy. “Oh just shut up and kiss me you poetic idiot,” she said, still grinning as she cupped Cathy’s jaw with a tentative hand.

“Coming from you,” Cathy quipped before leaning forwards to meet Anne’s lips.

The oxygen tube beneath Cathy’s nose bumped against Anne’s upper lip when they kissed, causing them both to laugh as they drew apart. Anne watched with wide eyes as Cathy unhooked the tube from around her ears and abandoned it next to her before tugging Anne’s arm to pull her in again, one hand buried in Anne’s hair and the other resting on her shoulder as they kissed.

Anne’s hands lingered at her jaw when they slowly parted for the second time, and Cathy felt like she could have drowned in her beautiful eyes as Anne slowly ran her thumb over her cheekbone. But then she gave an embarrassed smile and dropped her head to rest on Cathy’s chest, letting out a quiet “Hnnnnng” as Cathy laughed softly.

“What?” she asked, her hand running over Anne’s hair to rest at the nape of her neck.

“Told you ’m not good at feelings,” Anne mumbled into Cathy’s chest, wrapping her arms around her before almost whispering a quiet “Love you.”

Cathy beamed at that, overwhelmed by her own rush of emotions for a moment at the sight of Anne with every single defensive wall taken down. “I love you too,” she said, mindful of the tube in her hand as she adjusted her position so they were both lying down in the same position as they slept in the previous morning.

But this time Anne leaned up to kiss her cheek before resting her head in the crook of Cathy’s neck, and Cathy didn’t think she’d ever been happier.

#THEY'RE SOFT AH #six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #parrlyn #anne boleyn #catherine parr #laila's writing