Midge and lenny's first real fight because I'm just a sucker for the drama - requested by anon

The vibrating silence filled Midge's chest as she leaned against the just slammed door. There was a bump as Lenny's body leaned against the wooden boards, and she briefly pictured them from an outsider's perspective; her back against the door, with his hands pushing against the other side. It was almost cinematic.

"I don't ask for a lot," Midge insisted in a whispered tone. She couldn't decide if she wanted him to hear her words or not.

She felt a little lost on this side of the door. This wasn't even her apartment, and Lenny wasn't her husband or her… anything, really. But that didn't mean that she cared any less. He'd reached out for the help that he clearly needed so desperately. She was there to answer the call, or the letter, or whatever. For better or worse she was there.

Except right now 'there' was on the wrong side of his bedroom door with boards separating her from the one person that understood her more than any other person in the world.

"You'll be the death of me, Midge."

She leaned her head back until it thumped against the wood as well. His voice filled the empty space between their words, but she knew they were not truly meant for her to hear. Much like the words she had spoken moments earlier.

"People care about you," she wanted him to have these words. To let them sink into his skin so he felt warmer on the lonely nights that weren't filled with laughs and drinks. "I care about you."

"Midge?"

He knew that when that door slammed shut between them, that a very important decision lay on the other side. The chipped white paint fell to the floor with even the slightest of touches, but he chose to ignore it when he leaned back. He heard her muffled sniff when they couldn't see each other anymore.

When that door opened (and they both knew it would have to eventually) he was going to have to make a decision about whether he was going to let her in, or if he was going to let her leave his apartment forever.

"I don't ask for a lot," he heard her whisper through the door.

Miriam Maisel was a lot. She had a loud voice and a large smile. Her personality filled a venue like none he had seen before. Her jokes knocked people on their asses and made far lesser men want to be better. She made him want to be better.

Midge Maisel was a lot, but she didn't ask for much.

She wasn't his wife. She didn't belong to him in any way that would matter to someone outside of their little bubble. The connection was still there though; others had seen that, at least. Something that has never really been spoken, but kept pulling them together. Whether it was on stage, backstage, or far away from any stage at all, Lenny and Midge kept finding each other.

But she wasn't his wife. He wasn't her keeper.

"You'll be the death of me, Midge."

He hadn't even realised that he said the words aloud until her head thumped against the door. He didn't really mean it… or maybe he did. If she was going to kill him, it was only the parts that were already broken. The parts that needed repairing and taking care of, and the bits of him that kept falling out on jail cell floors. He had heard her talk about her children and her parents. Midge was always flitting about, holding umbrellas for playdates and swiping up spilled milk like it was an afterthought.

"People care about you." It had been quiet for longer than he realised, and yet not long at all. "I care about you."

Lenny knew then, as he listened to her whispered words and short breaths. He knew that if he wanted the life she was trying to offer, that he could have it all. People would say that he didn't deserve the happy ending that was currently wearing a blue dress and too tall heels. He would agree with them–tenfold.

But this wasn't about what he deserved. This fight had actually been simply about the fact that she'd wanted to know if he was going to be out of town for an extended period of time. They were close enough without a romantic relationship that he knew she was right in this argument. A phone call really was the least he could offer her at this point.

This was about what she deserved. Lenny didn't have a lot to offer this world beyond his words and a specific talent for making people think while they laughed. But if he was what she wanted, then he…he loved her enough to give her every part of them that was left.

"Midge?"