scripted_sra | Fake News (FPF) | Mirror, Mirror | PG-13

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Fake News (FPF) | Mirror, Mirror | PG-13 | Gen

Title: Mirror, Mirror
Fandom: Fake News (FPF)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: None, shockingly.
Warning: It’s stylistic. Bear with me.
Summary: liberal!"Stephen" and conservative!"Stephen" are mirror images of one another.
Word Count: 1,028
Disclaimer: All copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. This work is not created for profit and constitutes fair use. References to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
A/N: I have written one other fic in a similar vein (quite awhile ago, in another fandom entirely) and I thought it was the perfect format for this one. Involves the liberalverse, in which

sailorptah has a few things written (go check them out, for they are fabulous). She is evil and commands an army of nefarious ninja attack bunnies; therefore, this is all her fault. Thank you for the beta, Abigail. Oh, and in case you're wondering: hell yes this was a bitch to code.

“I have to look perfect,” he says to his mirror,

absently stroking at his beard and looking smugly at his unruly head of hair.

examining his clean-shaven face and looking critically at his perfectly-coiffed hair.

His reflection is the only person he can talk to, the only one who gets him, who allows him to be honest. It’s far too dangerous to trust anyone else, and he’s made an art of keeping people away by

pulling them too close, stepping gaily across their boundaries and sending them fleeing as fast as they can in the opposite direction.

erecting impenetrable barriers, lashing out at any who dare attempt to break them down, scaring them away before they even get started.

Other people don’t understand. They question why he acts this way, pretend as if they know better, as though he’s oblivious. Like

Jon! Spineless, middle-hugging, golden-mean-fallacy-loving coward, nowhere near bold enough to take a firm side, as though that’s something to be proud of.

Jon! Spineless, bleeding-heart, elitist-fact-loving coward, too wimp-willed to even shout back, as though being “reasonable” ever made any difference.

He knows Jon means well, knows that Jon cares, but Stephen also knows what he’s doing. He knows he can’t allow Jon to see any deeper than he already does; he can’t let him see how afraid he is, that he’s terrified of

snapping one day, of allowing his anger to swallow him whole, of being consumed by it, letting it run him, making him push things too far, making him violent, making him doubt himself.

losing his steam, of not being able to keep up the steady current of rage, of having to stop, slow down, being forced to think, to consider, making him wonder, making him doubt himself.

He can’t tell Jon what he needs; he can’t tell anyone. That secret is too shameful, too off-putting, too utterly mortifying. How would anyone react if they knew that he

wants to enforce the restrictions and boundaries he decries every day, to be in control, to dominate.

wants to be ruled by the restrictions and boundaries he claims he’s created, to be in someone else’s control, to submit.

Even if they didn’t react with disgust, with horror, or revulsion, what’s to stop him from taking it too far? He’d let it get out of hand, let on that he’s

drowning in greyscale.

trapped in the rigidity of black and white.

His reflection won’t judge him, at least, will give him the support he needs. He can get this out somewhere, in a way that’s safe. He knows it’s best this way, because after all, how horrible would it be if something changed, if he became someone new, someone who

never saw any nuance and missed the most important pieces of all?

saw nothing but nuance and missed the big picture entirely?

He looks again in the mirror, concentrating this time, because he needs to get on with the day, with his life. He needs to get ready, to start the illusion, and he’s expecting to see

a smile on his lips, the light in his eyes, knowing emotion is the key, that he’s better than everyone else (and he’ll tell them if they doubt it, because he’s worked hard to be elite, though of course it’s just so obvious).

his lips pursed into a firm line, his eyes expressing sternness, knowing that stoicism is the key, that he’s better than everyone else (not that he’d say so, because he’s a regular guy, but it’s just so obvious).

Instead he sees lines that shouldn’t be there, a weariness etched on his features. Why does he look tired, unsure, and possibly just the tiniest bit sad? It doesn’t make any sense. This isn’t the carefully crafted image he’s trying to show to others; this is something else entirely, something that exposes him for the

monster he is, with the bubbling anger simmering, surging abruptly and violently, waiting for the right moment to strike, to unleash itself, waiting for him to let it boil him alive.

sissy he is, with the near-freezing current of repressed emotion running through his veins, waiting for the right moment to seep out, to leak themselves, waiting for him to let it drown him entirely.

He knows that pretending isn’t exactly easy, but it’s necessary. He can’t show this kind of expression to the world, most certainly not; it gives far too much away. He won’t let it happen, not now, not ever. He’ll keep it in check if it kills him, and he thinks that is what it’s threatening to do, but he won’t let himself panic. The best response in this situation is

factiness, telling himself the facts of the matter, in a calm, disinterested tone, because surely that is the way to stop the churning of anger beneath the surface.

truthiness, telling himself over and over again that things are okay, because if he says it enough it will be, stopping any emotion bubbling up in its tracks.

Maybe the mirror isn’t helping him. Maybe he can’t trust his reflection after all. Instead of an ally, perhaps he’s a foe, someone who will betray his secrets, who will let slip that he’s living a lie, who will tell everyone that he doubts, sometimes, if he’s doing the right thing. Maybe his reflection is trying to trick him, trying to get him to confess.

He won't let it!

He won’t let it!

In an instant, the face in the mirror blurs, and maybe he’s seeing himself or a reflection of a self that has a resemblance but isn’t his—

because he would never use that much hair gel, or conform that rigidly to the ridiculous, constraining structures surrounding a man’s appearance.

because he would never let his hair get that wild, or refuse to shave for so long, because men were not supposed to run around looking like unwashed hippies.

—and then the mirror shatters.

He manages to be surprised, even as the blood from his hand falls in perfect little droplets to the basin of the sink below, the bright red color contrasting sharply against the stark white of the porcelain.

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THIS FIC IS LIKE THE ULTIMATE BRAINFUCK AND I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE

ALSO, THIS PART?

He can’t tell Jon what he needs; he can’t tell anyone. That secret is too shameful, too off-putting, too utterly mortifying. How would anyone react if they knew that he

wants to enforce the restrictions and boundaries he decries every day, to be in control, to dominate.

wants to be ruled by the restrictions and boundaries he claims he’s created, to be in someone else’s control, to submit.

I NOW WANT FIC WHERE EITHER

1) THEY FIND EACH OTHER AND HAVE AMAZING D/s SEX

2) THEIR JONS FIND EACH OTHER AND COMMISERATE AND SWITCH PLACES FOR THE AMAZING D/s SEX THEY HAVE BEEN HAVING WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE STEPHENS AND TALK ABOUT IT AFTERWARDS OVER COFFEE LIKE THEY ARE SUBURBAN HOUSEWIVES AND IT WAS LAST NIGHT'S DANCING WITH THE STARS

EXCELLENT! :D

...OH GOOD LORD YOU ARE HURTING MY BRAIN. WHY AM I ENJOYING IT SO MUCH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

(Holy crap but I reeeeeeally I want #2 to happen. Like, right now. This needs to materialize.)

(Also it's still really mindfucky for me to realize that there exists a world in which "Stephen" is a secret dom. IT IS THOROUGHLY BRAIN-BREAKING AND YET MAKES SO MUCH SENSE AT THE SAME TIME I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO THE WORLD IS SO BEAUTIFUL HOW I DON'T UNDERSTAND!)

THANK YOU BB <3

(Also it's still really mindfucky for me to realize that there exists a world in which "Stephen" is a secret dom. IT IS THOROUGHLY BRAIN-BREAKING AND YET MAKES SO MUCH SENSE AT THE SAME TIME I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO THE WORLD IS SO BEAUTIFUL HOW I DON'T UNDERSTAND!)

DUDE IKR AND I THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT SO

Oh man this is weird though. So in this universe, Jon deliberately loses control so that Stephen can set limits and he's all like, reluctant about it, but if Stephen needs to hit him then he guesses they can give it a try and damn this is weird.

And yet, he would still be doing the same thing by setting limits on Stephen's behavior even if he's doing it from the other side this time around and holy cow my head hurts but this is glorious.

And yet, he would still be doing the same thing by setting limits on Stephen's behavior even if he's doing it from the other side this time around and holy cow my head hurts but this is glorious.

THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF IT. Especially because while secret!sub!Stephen is terrified that his letting go will be THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT because he is supposed to be PUT TOGETHER AND IN CONTROL AND A LEADER, DAMMIT, secret!dom!Stephen is terrified that his taking control will be EQUALLY DESTRUCTIVE because he doesn't trust himself not to be horrible, or violent, and he thinks he will RUIN THINGS FOREVER. So Jon in the first universe has to set limits in order to make Stephen feel as though the structure around him is still stable, and Jon in the second has to allow Stephen to set limits in a way that will make him feel as though he is a stable leader.

THIS IS JUST THE SURFACE OF THE GLORIOUSNESS MY FRIEND.

YES THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY OMG TU

I actually have a feeling that Jon ends up doing a lot of post-coital comfort cuddling in both universes, (FOR LARGELY THE SAME REASONS OMG) to reassure him that yes, his kinks are okay and that they don't freak him out and that he's there to protect him in secret!sub!Stephen's, and to reassure him that no, everything they did was okay, they didn't go too far, and that he's there to protect him in secret!dom!Stephen's.

...The thing that gets me about this the most is that even sub!Jon wears the relational pants. Crazy.

I actually have a feeling that Jon ends up doing a lot of post-coital comfort cuddling in both universes, (FOR LARGELY THE SAME REASONS OMG) to reassure him that yes, his kinks are okay and that they don't freak him out and that he's there to protect him in secret!sub!Stephen's, and to reassure him that no, everything they did was okay, they didn't go too far, and that he's there to protect him in secret!dom!Stephen's.

YES. YES. YES TO THIS. ALL OF THIS. IT IS EXACTLY RIGHT YES.

...The thing that gets me about this the most is that even sub!Jon wears the relational pants. Crazy.

Which is basically the perfect cheery on top of the perfect scoop of ice cream in the bowl that is the perfect sundae.

The meta levels involved in this are so staggeringly awesome my nerdy, nerdy heart almost cannot take it!

IKR IT'S ALL SO AMAZINGLY META AND I WANT TO NOM IT WITH A SPOON

Omg I keep looking through all of your Needverse stuff and imagining it with the roles flipped and it is staggering to behold

HAHA FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION THAT BECAUSE I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE TOTALLY STARTED A NEEDVERSE STORY SET IN THE LIBERAL!"STEPHEN" UNIVERSE.

HOW COULD I RESIST, THOUGH. REALLY. REALLY.

GOD YES I WAS HOPING THAT YOU WOULD THOSE THINGS ARE LIKE CRACK COCAINE

I AM HAPPY TO HEAR THEY ARE BEING ENJOYED. :D :D

NOW THAT MY WRITER'S BLOCK FINALLY BROKE, I CAN ACTUALLY FINISH SOME THINGS!

I PROBABLY COULD TOO

BUT I'M "WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER"

PFFFT SCHOOL.

DON'T YOU KNOW THAT META-Y SLASH FIC IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT IN LIFE?

IKR

FUCK 25% OF MY FINAL GRADE I'M WRITING GENDERSWAP ANGST/CRACK

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So in this universe, Jon deliberately loses control so that Stephen can set limits and he's all like, reluctant about it, but if Stephen needs to hit him then he guesses they can give it a try and damn this is weird.

Stephen keeps trying to give him little orders and then qualifying them. Like, "You're having eggs for breakfast today. Um, but if you don't want eggs, then that's cool too." And Jon is all "Stephen, it's fine, you can dictate my menu all you want," until finally one day Stephen tells him what to eat and Jon says, "Make me." And Stephen is all "*flail* I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, you don't have to do anything you don't want!" and Jon is all, "No, no, I didn't say I wasn't going to eat it, I said make me."

(He pulls on the ropes to make sure that they're tight, and sure enough, he's helpless, and Stephen thinks it is possibly the hottest thing he's ever seen but has to stop and say "Are you really, really, really sure you're okay with this? I mean. You can't move." And Jon smiles up at him and says, "I trust you." Which rocks Stephen's world, because he has never trusted himself -- that's why he never dares take sides on any issue, is never willing to stand up and say that someone else's belief is wrong.)

@~@ oh, boys. <3333333

Oh, that's it exactly, oh my god, it's that. c!Stephen and l!Stephen are both horribly, terrifyingly afraid of their own fallibility, the only difference is that c!S deals with it by drowning out all dissenting opinions until it removes most of his cause for self-doubt, whereas l!S is too afraid to ever take a side on an issue in any definitive way.

And Jon smiles up at him and says, "I trust you." Which rocks Stephen's world

LOL ERIN WHAT THE HELL THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN AS MANY DAYS THAT YOU HAVE BASICALLY PREDICTED WHAT I AM WRITING.

ARE YOU PSYCHIC OR AM I BEING WATCHED?!

*LOOKS AROUND ANXIOUSLY*

*OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS*

BECAUSE YOU ARE SECRETLY MY SOCKPUPPET. OBVSLY.

(More detailed replies later - am spending a few days on a connection that charges, not by the byte, but by the minute. Just when I didn't think things could get worse D:)

D: D: D:

BY THE MINUTE? WHAT FUCKERY IS THIS?

THAT IS SERIOUS DO NOT WANT.

(BUT OH YES I FORGOT I WAS YOUR SOCKPUPPET FOR A MOMENT THERE. PHEW. CONFUSION CLEARED UP!)

I CALL FOR BOTH OF THEM RIGHT NOW!

Also, that was amazing. This line- "drowning in greyscale"- made me squee. Ok, weird thing to squee about, I know, but I have spent so much time wishing that I couldn't see both sides of every issue, and wishing that there really was only one answer and everyone else was wrong and I could yell at them instead of trying to understand and accept them. Because it would be so much easier, and less vulnerable.

Also, the last part? Gah. You win at life.

Thank you!

You know, I actually stole that line from myself, from a fic I wrote awhile ago involving a completely different fandom. Interestingly enough, there are a lot of similarities between my pet character in that fandom and "Stephen". Apparently I have a fondness for repression. =P

I have to admit to being especially proud of the ending, so I'm really happy it's resonating. :D

THEY FIND EACH OTHER AND HAVE AMAZING D/s SEX

I imagine that c!Stephen is all "I have to be in charge, damnit!" and l!Stephen is all "'Saright, I'm cool with it, I'm cool with everything", until something pushes him a little too far and he snaps at c!Stephen and c!Stephen goes into "Sorry, sir, I'll be good!" mode and it suddenly hits them both that they're going at it all wrong.

The problem, of course, is that having a sub like c!Stephen (completely unable to say no to authority) would, over time, turn l!Stephen into the kind of abusive dom he's afraid of becoming (because he would keep saying "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, remember?" and c!Stephen would keep being like "Of course I'll do it, I want to be a good boy" and eventually l!Stephen would stop asking and c!Stephen would never protest).

THEIR JONS FIND EACH OTHER AND COMMISERATE AND SWITCH PLACES FOR THE AMAZING D/s SEX THEY HAVE BEEN HAVING WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE STEPHENS AND TALK ABOUT IT AFTERWARDS OVER COFFEE

Oh, that would be SO MUCH FUN. Because each Jon is happy the way he is, really, but still he's kind of intrigued by the possibility of trying something completely different :D

also i want the fic where the jons do each other but let's not talk about that

oh, no, no, let's.

(although I don't even know what that would be like. Jon would be all "...so," and other!Jon would be all "...yeah," and one of them would say "You know, if we don't have sex, we'll probably spend the rest of our lives wondering what it would have been like," and the other would go, "You make a compelling argument, sir. Have at you.")

lol and i bet it's like really bad and they're all "wtf me, you are me, how do you not know what i like" so they just smoke a bowl in ironic, cynical, self-deprecating celebration of being officially the worst lays ever

Oh, that would be SO MUCH FUN. Because each Jon is happy the way he is, really, but still he's kind of intrigued by the possibility of trying something completely different :D

This is kind of the joy of Jon. He is able to change just enough to perfectly fit what "Stephen" needs, and he's willing to do it because at the end of the day he just wants to see him fulfilled and happy. It is a beautiful thing. :D :D

But seriously now the Jons need to meet and talk because um hi this is amazing how has it not just spontaneously started existing yet I don't understand.

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