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14. The Microphone Adjustment Catastrophe
Live panel. Packed audience. Cameras everywhere.
They step out, waving at their audience and Ariana’s microphone wire gets caught against the back of her outfit as she’s trying to sit down.
She twists awkwardly, laughing as she tries to fix it herself.
Cynthia watches for approximately two seconds before stepping in.
“Hold still,” she murmurs.
Simple enough.
Except the entire thing becomes unbearably intimate almost immediately.
Cynthia’s fingers disappear briefly behind Ariana’s back, carefully untangling the wire near the zipper line of her dress while Ariana goes completely still under her touch.
Not tense.
Not embarrassed.
Just… still.
Watching her.
The action spurs on a few wolf whistles from the crowd, earning a series chuckles from the rest of the cast.
Cynthia finally frees the wire with a quiet little “there.”
And then.
THEN.
Her hand smooths once down the center of Ariana’s back afterward.
Not AT ALL necessary in front of a live audience.
Just there.
Ariana visibly swallows.
The clip spreads across social media like someone released spores into the atmosphere.
Internet reaction:
why did fixing a mic look like foreplay
THE BACK TOUCH AFTER??? HELLO???
that “hold still” had some interesting EXPERIENCE behind it
i need everyone involved arrested for emotional damages
15. The Water Bottle Incident
Behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage. Innocent. Mundane. Deceptively lethal.
Ariana is talking animatedly to Jonny about a new creative piece on set while trying to open a stubborn water bottle.
She struggles for a few seconds, and Cynthia silently reaches over from her place on the couch beside them.
Takes the bottle.
Opens it effortlessly.
Hands it back.
Totally fine. A normal human interaction. Happens every day.
Except Ariana smiles at her in a way that suggests Cynthia just returned from war.
And instead of taking the bottle immediately, her fingers slide against Cynthia’s for a second too long.
Cynthia notices and glances up from her book.
You can tell because her mouth twitches like she’s fighting a smile.
Then Ariana drinks from the bottle without breaking eye contact.
A crew member in the background physically turns away.
Internet response:
not the eye contact while drinking PLEASE
that crew member saw god and rejected him. the fool.
the sexual tension in this clip could power several cities
they flirt like people who already KNOW
16. The Coat Tug
Leaving an event crazy late at night (technically morning).
For some reason, Paparazzi and photographers are alert and shouting at this hour. Security moves them along. The rain decides to make an appearance, falling in thin silver streaks.
Cynthia is slightly ahead, talking with her assistant over her shoulder.
Ariana, slightly behind and on the phone, reaches out absentmindedly and hooks two fingers into the back of Cynthia’s coat near her waist, tugging gently to get her attention.
Just to keep close.
A tiny gesture.
Microscopic, even.
But the way Cynthia reacts?
Immediate.
Her entire expression softens before she even looks back.
Like her body recognized the touch before her brain did.
She slows automatically so Ariana can stay beside her.
No words exchanged.
Just movement adjusting around movement.
The internet catches a four-second clip even through the darkness.
That is more than enough.
Comments found:
that was the lesbian equivalent of “come here”
she tugged her over like a SIMS interaction
i live for these crumbsssss
Cynthia stopped IMMEDIATELY your honor
they move like magnets. don't separate bro.
17. The Thumb Rub Seen Around the World
It happens at a small award show.
They’re seated side by side in the audience, their hands CASUALLY intertwining mid audience applause after a winner’s speech.
Completely normal (for them).
Except the camera angle changes.
And suddenly the world can see Ariana’s thumb slowly rubbing back and forth across Cynthia’s knuckles.
A tiny motion.
Thoughtless.
Automatic.
The kind of touch people do when they’ve done it so often their body no longer asks permission before proceeding.
Ariana notices the camera a split second too late.
Her expression changes slightly.
Not guilty.
Worse.
Fond.
She bites back a smile and looks back at the stage while Cynthia keeps talking, completely unaware she’s accidentally detonated social media.
The clip reaches six million views by sunrise...
The internet had a field day:
THAT was muscle memory
you do not thumb-rub your coworker be SERIOUS
the intimacy of absentminded affection is actually ruining my life
that’s not flirting anymore that’s habitat behavior
18. The Phone Check
They’re photographed walking through an airport together.
They make their way to their reserved area with the help of security and settle in since they had some time before their flight was called.
Ariana is looking at something on her phone with the concentrated expression of someone reading deeply important information.
Cynthia glances over and away from her LIVE.
Her INSTAGRAM LIVE.
Then frowns at Ariana's screen.
“Baby,” she says absentmindedly, pointing at the screen, “that’s the old one.”
Silence falls over them after that.
Cosmic.
Immediate.
Cynthia freezes.
Ariana freezes.
Their assistants definitely heard it.
And so did the internet.
Because unfortunately for everyone involved, the audio is crystal clear.
Cynthia recovers first.
Smoothly, somehow.
“That's...the old link,” she says calmly before returning to her live.
Instagram and somehow X promptly explodes:
BABY??????????????????
not her trying to patch it afterward PLEASE
the recovery attempt deserves an oscar
Ariana trying not to smile is taking me OUT
that was NOT a coworker word your honor
Guys...what is up? WhAt iS acTuALly Up?
19. The Second “Baby” Incident
At this point, the internet is already armed and dangerous. Ready to draw up references, links and pictures when any new evidence surfaces.
So really, this happening again feels less like an accident and more like fate deciding to entertain itself.
They’re backstage during a livestream, getting touch-ups between segments.
Ariana is searching feverishly around the studio while Cynthia is halfway through a conversation with someone from production.
Without looking up, Ariana sighs and asks, “Do you know where my headphones went?”
Cynthia answers immediately.
“In your bag, baby.”
Ariana perks up instantly and walks over to check her purse.
Silence falls over the room.
Not from them.
From literally everyone within a five-foot radius.
The makeup artist stops blending Cynthia's signature green.
Someone coughs directly into their fist to hide a smile.
Ariana slowly looks up from her bag, headphones now in hand, and the smile that spreads across her face is catastrophic.
Not surprised.
Not embarrassed.
Just warm.
Bright.
Entirely too pleased.
She bites her lip like she’s trying to contain it, but the damage is already done.
Cynthia realizes approximately three seconds late.
Her eyes widen slightly.
Ariana, traitorously delighted, goes:
“Thanks Cyn...”
Cynthia presses her lips together so hard they nearly disappear.
“Don’t,” she mutters.
Ariana’s grin becomes positively lunar.
The livestream chat moves so fast it becomes unreadable.
SHE SAID IT AGAINNNNNNN
Ariana smiling like she just got proposed to HELP
the “don’t”????? OH THEY’RE SICKENING
baby????? not Ari or something normal but BABY????
that makeup artist and crew deserve extra compensation
why does it slip out so easily
I'd give anything to hear Ariana say it back. ANYTHING.
20. The Injury That Wasn’t
Rehearsal footage.
Dangerous already.
Ariana flops dramatically onto a nearby couch, clutching her forearm with the energy of a Victorian woman succumbing to consumption.
“Ow,” she complains weakly. “I’m injured.”
Cynthia barely glances up from her script.
“From what?”
Ariana thinks about it for exactly half a second.
“Glinda's emotional distress.”
A snort escapes someone off camera.
Cynthia shakes her head, finally walking over with the long-suffering expression of a woman who has dealt with this exact nonsense before.
“What happened to your arm?” she humors.
Ariana holds it out toward her solemnly.
“Karma.”
Cynthia rolls her eyes so hard they nearly leave orbit.
And then, because apparently public restraint is a myth now, she takes Ariana’s arm gently in both hands and presses a soft kiss directly against the “injury.”
The room erupts instantly.
Someone screams.
Actually screams.
Ariana goes completely still.
Then impossibly smiley.
Like every thought in her head just dissolved into glitter.
Cynthia realizes what she’s done only when Ariana stares up at her looking devastatingly fond.
“Better?” Cynthia asks, suddenly suspicious of herself.
Ariana nods immediately.
“Much.”
The internet does as it does:
EXCUSE ME?????????????
SHE KISSED IT BETTER LIKE A HUSBAND IN A PERIOD DRAMA
the way Ariana looked at her afterward i am DECEASED
They have to be joking...they cannot be serious
there’s no heterosexual explanation for this type of medical treatment
someone PLEASE tell me what's going on
21. The Synesthesia Moment
They have to attend a huge event for Wicked.
Too huge.
Music pounding through the venue walls. Camera flashes firing endlessly. Layers of conversation folding over each other until the room feels electric.
For most people, it’s exciting.
For Cynthia, whose synesthesia occasionally turns overwhelming environments into a kaleidoscope with violent intentions, it becomes… a lot.
Not visibly.
Not at first.
But Ariana notices anyway.
Of course she does.
Because halfway through a conversation, Cynthia’s responses slow slightly. Her posture tightens almost imperceptibly. Her eyes lose focus for half a second too long between flashes.
Tiny things.
Things nobody else would clock.
Ariana does immediately.
She steps closer without interrupting the conversation around them.
One hand settles quietly against the center of Cynthia’s back.
Warm.
Steady.
Grounding.
Then she leans in close enough for only Cynthia to hear.
“Hey,” she says softly. “Stay with me a sec.”
The tone alone changes everything.
Ariana then turns her gently, so they're facing each other and rests her hand lightly over her ears.
Cynthia exhales shakily.
Ariana keeps talking to her in that same low cadence, voice smooth and even beneath the chaos around them.
“You’re okay.”
“Just look at me.”
“I’ve got you.”
Nothing dramatic.
No spectacle.
Just gentle anchoring.
Her thumb slowly rubs once against Cynthia’s cheek and Cynthia visibly eases beneath her hand, shoulders loosening little by little as Ariana keeps her attention fixed entirely on her.
The noise of the event continues around them like weather.
But the space between them becomes strangely quiet.
Contained.
Safe.
A nearby camera catches exactly seven seconds of it.
The internet, for once, goes a little softer.
the way Ariana noticed IMMEDIATELY…
This radiates girlfriend energy like CRAZY
aweeeeeeeee
“i’ve got you” actually shattered me into particles
take care of your girl Ari
they know each other in the quietest ways possible
ThEY ArE sO cUtE OMGGGGG
the intimacy of being understood without asking is unreal