Chapter Text
Andy walked into the royal suite, careful not to make any sound.
Emily's words still echoing in her mind
“You do not talk to anyone, do not look at anyone. This is of the utmost importance, you must be invisible.”
At first Andy had thought Emily was exaggerating, but then she had caught her boss in the middle of a private and particularly animated discussion with her husband, and had almost lost her job at Runway.
So now, determined not to repeat the same mistake, Andy followed Emily’s orders.
Just as she had managed to carefully place the myriad of gifts that ten different designers had given Miranda, Andy deluded herself into thinking this time she had actually succeeded in making herself invisible. That was until she turned the wrong corner and found herself face to face with an oddly weary-looking Miranda.
Andy froze, as she watched Miranda raise her gaze and meet her eyes.
“Oh there you are…” said Miranda while fidgeting with her glasses.
Andy had never seen her like that, the woman almost looked…
human?
Nah, not possible.
The Miranda Priestly acting like a human being? showing emotions instead of acting like a cold hearted bitch as per usual?
Couldn't be.
Andy's thoughts were interrupted by Miranda's voice.
“We need to go over the seating chart for the luncheon…”
Andy snapped back into reality.
“Oh, yeah sure, I have it riight here…”
She replied as she started rummaging through her bag looking for the seating chart. She cursed herself under her breath for not being able to find it swiftly, as she knew her boss’ patience, which was basically nonexistent, was about to run out.
Her worries were confirmed just a few seconds later by Miranda’s comment
“by all means move at a glacial pace you know how that thrills me”.
Fortunately, by the time Miranda had stopped talking, Andy had managed to find the seating chart and handed it to her boss.
“Okay, so… first of all we need to move Snoop Dogg to my table”.
Andy looked up, confused
“but your table is already full”.
"Stephen's not coming…”
Miranda replied, actively avoiding eye contact.
“Oh, Stephen's not…so I don't need to fetch Stephen from the airport tomorrow?” Continued Andrea, now even more confused.
Miranda quickly glanced at her before going back to her glasses, which she apparently found quite interesting, and started talking.
“Well if you speak to him and he decides to rethink the divorce then yes, fetch away”.
Andy froze, Miranda looked genuinely upset.
As much as Andy had hated the woman in the beginning, she had now started to get used to her snarky remarks and sarcastic comments, some of them she even found funny. And now, seeing Miranda in such a state, Andy couldn't help but feel bad for her.
Just as the assistant was about to offer a word of comfort, Miranda continued talking.
“Another divorce… splashed across Page Six.”
Andy looked at her.
“Just imagine what they’re going to write about me” continued Miranda.
“The Dragon Lady, career obsessed Snow Queen drives away another Mr. Priestly”
She chuckled bitterly.
“Anyway I don't really care what anybody writes about me”
“…but my girls I just-
it's just so unfair to the girls”.
Andy stood there trying to understand what the appropriate thing to say would be.
She had never seen that side of the woman before; right now she wasn't the frightening boss she had met on her first day, the intimidating editor in chief of Runway. Right now in front of her there was just Miranda, without all of those masks she had built throughout her career.
Out of nowhere Andy got the sudden urge to hug her.
Maybe it was because of how vulnerable she seemed, maybe it was because Andy had grown up in a household where there was nothing a good bear hug couldn't fix.
Or maybe the worrying scarce amount of sleep Andy had had in the last few days was finally winning her over and she was now losing her mind.
Initially, Andy had dismissed that thought straight away, as only someone with a clear death wish would deliberately trespass Miranda’s boundaries like that.
But as time went by, the tiredness slowly got a hold of her and as she finished writing down the changes to the seating chart her boss was making, the idea of embracing the woman before her crept again in Andy’s mind.
After considering the pros and cons for an embarrassingly long time, Andy decided to just stop overthinking and go for it.
Best case scenario, Miranda would tolerate it and Andy would at least feel a bit better knowing she hadn't just stood there watching her boss wallow in sadness.
Worst case scenario, Andy would be put in the dog house for a while.
As Miranda finished dictating her new orders, Andy got up, with every intention of following her plan, but as she was about to walk up to her boss, a new, frightening thought conjured up in her mind.
What was she thinking?? Miranda is a very private person, Andy should consider herself extremely lucky the other woman trusted her enough to show her in such a vulnerable position. If Andy forced her hand too much, being in the dog house would be the least of her problems, Miranda had fired previous assistants for much less.
No, Andy was way better than the other assistants Miranda had had, and if her boss was really going to fire her over a single hug after she had worked her ass off for months, then Andy wasn't really sure she wanted to keep working for the woman anyway.
After all this was supposed to be a temporary job, Andy wanted to be a journalist.
She certainly didn't want to be a damn servant her entire life. If this was how her career at Runway would end, then so be it.
Andy managed to make her legs move towards her boss, despite everything she had just told herself, she was still awfully anxious.
As she walked towards Miranda, Andy didn't really get the chance to overthink her actions yet once more, cause as soon as she sensed her presence near her, the other woman raised her gaze and met Andy’s eyes.
“Is there anything else or do you just find it amusing to stare at people?”
asked Miranda.
At the sound of Miranda’s voice Andy woke up from her trance.
“Oh- uh no- no, there’s nothing else Miranda”
“Then go” ordered Miranda coldly..
The woman would’ve almost looked completely unaffected by everything that had happened if it weren't for her glossy eyes.
‘Fuck it’ thought Andy, and she lowered herself to embrace her boss.
“Andrea what on earth are you doing?”
hissed Miranda.
The tone of the woman itself was enough to scare Andy shitless, but she didn’t back down, her heart pounding in her ears.
As soon as Andy wrapped her arms around Miranda, she felt her freeze.
“Have you completely lost your mi-“
“Oh for the love of god Miranda, drop the act.”
Snapped Andy, now sure she was going to lose her job, as no one in their right mind would cut off The Miranda Priestly.
Nevertheless, Andy kept talking.
“Miranda you’re clearly not ok, and it's fine, no normal human being would be ok if they were in your shoes. I get that you have to act as if you’re made of ice in public, as if nothing can affect you, that’s the character you’ve built for yourself and I respect that.”
“But now you’re behind closed doors and I won't say a word, I really have zero interest in ruining your reputation as a Snow Queen.
And you just can’t suck it all up like that.”
“I’m a second assistant, I'm easily replaceable, so if you really find my behaviour so appalling you can fire me tomorrow first thing in the morning, but right now you’ll accept this hug.”