the golden boy

Adam Connelly. 36 years old. Republican. Representative for VA-10.

[adamconnelly]

miketconnelly​:

For once, he’d welcomed his son into his office without any schedule conflicts or excuses, well aware of the upcoming dates.  “The middle row, good reads.  Take one, if you want it.”  Mike nodded, though hadn’t read many, but he did know they belonged to his father.  Haunting the corner of his office like they had in the bookshelf in his parents’ room at one time or another.  Mike couldn’t stand them at the house so he’d brought them here.  Maybe as a way to shine his metallic title block in the face of the old man’s ghost.

“Saw her the other day, she’s doing good,” he lied, or well Charlotte had gone in his place last week.  He’d last seen his mother about a month ago and their conversation hadn’t exactly been pleasant.  So he’d avoided another visit until the holidays.  “Making friends, keeping busy,” he further claimed, knowing at least the nursing home was a good one.  “Lot of meetings today?”  He asked absently, prodding at the conversation Adam seemed to want to have with him.

“I’m okay. Haven’t got the time for reading,” he insists, flipping a few pages in the book - some law text that’s painfully outdated. He doubts his father has ever actually read it, but it makes a good look on the shelf if nothing else. “Wish I did.” He closes the book again and glances up at him, nodding distantly in understanding. Truth be told, as much as he loves his grandmother, the words nearly go in one ear and out the other. 

You’re a grown man. Just say the words. 

Putting the book on the shelf, Adam shakes his head. “No, not really. Rare.” He huffs a laugh and then finally comes closer to Mike’s desk, still standing in front of him - too restless to sit down. “....I’m thinking of dropping the re-election campaign.”

[leepacesource]

LEE PACE @ Van Sarki | Interview Magazine

[adamconnelly]

@hans-starke

“I don’t understand how anyone lives here.” It’s an idle observation, really, made as they’ve wandered away from the main event. It seems to be that time of the evening - people full of food and now they’re more or less exploring the state floor of the White House, the rooms that are all made for this purpose. He’s caught himself trailing after Hans, using it as an excuse to avoid having to socialize with any more diplomats for the time being. “It has to feel like living in a museum.” He sighs, looking up at a giant portrait of one of many dead presidents. “....And if you even joke about trying to get me to run, I’m divorcing you.”

[adamconnelly]

@miketconnelly

He was not looking forward to this day - but it was something that needed to be done, whether he liked it or not. Just him and his father, in Mike’s office in the house (one of several, truth be told), Adam standing and surveying one of the bookshelves, packed with volumes he doubted Mike had ever truly read. 

“Some of these are granddad’s, right?” He plucks a book off the shelf - stalling as he looks down at the pages, which is a bit silly since he was the one who asked to talk in the first place. Things like this are always about ripping off the bandaid - it’s just a matter of getting up the nerve to start. “Have you seen grandma lately?”

[adamconnelly]

socialsecretarylockwood​:

   “See I don’t consider myself a politician, but I certainly have known enough of them to know that it is nice to be able to laugh at yourselves, and yourself. Besides, believe it or not, the ability to laugh at yourself makes you more electable, nobody likes a stiff after all.” For who his father was, Adam was turning out to be rather friendly. Adrian was certainly enjoying his company as they both sought to get fresh air and a fresh escape from the crowds inside. 

   “The pleasure is all mine, Congressman. Congratulations on the passage of your bill, by the way, I think it’ll certainly do good for the world, and it would have had my vote.” Nodding a little, “That or you just know me from my dad or granddad, they’re sorta Democratic big whigs. They’ve held a few different positions.” Chuckling the mention of his job and how it should be interesting. “Well thankfully when it comes to the internet, I do very little. Sure I try and cultivate the image of the First Family, but they make it rather easy. The real hard stuff is planning all the events. You’d be surprised how many things actually happen at the White House in a year.” Giving him a friendly tap on the arm. “That’s the real part you shouldn’t be envious of.”  

“No kidding. I guess that regardless of party, that’s one thing I could say about Berkeley that you can’t really say about Bell.” Is it wrong to say that to someone who works in the White House? Maybe, but it’s not as if it’s a particularly controversial statement to say William Bell was a stiff shirt in some respects.

“Oh - thanks.” He’s surprised that it still gets noticed, all these months later, but he’s genuinely flattered all the same, a smile on his face. “I appreciate that. And - sure. I guess that’s something that follows you around, family legacy an’ all that. I get it.” He was certain he didn’t have to specify, since Adrian already seemed aware. He nods at Adrian’s words, smiling warmly. “I guess that’s fair. Doesn’t surprise me. They do make it look easy, and I mean - the family’s just about shaped for the perfect politician look.” Wife with a successful career who also cared about kids? A son and a daughter, equally adorable? It was hard not to see how that scored some points. “I’ll take your word for it. I’m real lucky I have someone to help me out with things like that. Believe me, you guys don’t get nearly enough credit for making it all run smooth.” He nod his head back toward the hotel. “I don’t even wanna guess the headaches something like this can give you.”

[adamconnelly]

hans-starke​:

“Yeah, I won’t.” It’s half teasing, half honest. Such a moment still feels way too far off, so speculation is still all they can run on. 

Hans closes his eyes for the short moment their lips meet, exhaling hard. “I can,” he offers. “Whenever you want me to.” 

There’s understanding in that silence, but it’s equal parts expectance. While Hans didn’t wait on for a solution to solve all their problems, he’d expected something.

Hans’s fingers are wrapped tightly against Adam’s waist under the tuxedo fabric, the white shirt bundling up there, under his grip. Next year. He can barely fathom the though of such a change. Which is worse — progress into a more normal way or living, or this? He couldn’t tell. But for now, he says, “I know. Y’could be going by a different name, for starters.” Mine. “Or you could—” Hans’s palm works its way away from Adam’s waist and towards his hip, lowering to the beat of his speech. “—Be okay with this.” It’s only the two of them, and darkness all around. They’re ever so close, nerves rising, and Hans knows as such; pushing every boundary they’d set as of yet. “…Y’wanna get a cab?” 

“A different name, mm?” His head tips to one side, but the thought makes a smile pull on his face - a distraction enough from the words that follow, a reminder of the simple thing that he still hasn’t been able to do. “I like the sound of that.” They’ve already had this conversation, but he’s just tipsy enough that it’s forgotten and he’s simply honest. “....Won’t mourn leaving Connelly behind, if ‘m honest.”

He closes his eyes for a minute, breeze on the back of his neck that makes him shiver, just a little and he nods. “Sure. S’go home.” Not yours or mine, just home, which is foreign, in a way, but comfortable too - he’s never realized out loud  before how he’s come to consider Hans’s apartment home, but it feels right in the moment as he pulls back to take his hand, tugging him toward the sidewalk. “I’m ready when you are.”

[adamconnelly]

henryxsanford​:

“I think that was one of the reasons. How could anyone not respect him for that, when he was the only vocal voice?” He said, pridefully speaking about his father, and it was clear from the way he spoke that he truly believed what he was saying. Henry didn’t flatter his father; he believed in the myth that the man had made. He wondered why other people couldn’t see admirable what his father did was.  He listened closely, a thoughtful expression coming over his face. Henry wanted to do good in the world, which is what he was doing with his company, though of course the business side came first. He always had felt a strong bond with the company, as it was his legacy, though even now after so many years he doesn’t feel like a businessman in the way others were. And to be a politician? He couldn’t imagine it for himself, having to do everything his father did. Not to mention what high expectations there would be… “Well, you certainly make it look easy.,” he complimented, and he thought the same about his father. Then he gave a light laugh. “Feel like I’ve only talked about the campaign. Tell me what’s new with you since we last saw each other. I know you said you were single for Valentine’s. but I can’t imagine that you haven’t had someone show interest since then.” 

“Right. And very vocal. Which - I respect that too. Even if we don’t always agree on everything, I can appreciate someone who sticks to their principles.” That, at least, was true. He didn’t agree with Silas a number of things, but he could appreciate a talented politician when he saw one.

Adam smiled at the offered compliment, although admittedly it didn’t entirely light his eyes, not entirely genuine. “Thank you. I have a good team of people behind me, I think, that really help make it look easy - and no one ever talks about that. I’m sure I don’t have to explain it to you, but, in some ways, we’re just the face behind a ton of people who make us all look good and keep us going.” It was habit, in some ways, to never quite accept a compliment - to never quite take the credit. The question Henry asked next threw him, and he chuckled quietly, fidgeting for a moment with the watch strapped to his wrist - a gift from Hans, he realized, with no small sense of irony. “Well - I mean, on occasion. It’s just about timing, I guess. Maybe after the election’s done with, then I don’t have to worry about that as much, and going out for coffee won’t feel like such a time commitment.” He shrugs, still smiling. “...What about you? No pretty Southern belles? Though I guess you’ve been travelin’.”

[adamconnelly]

isaaccdaniels​:

Isaac nodded at the pleasantries. Vocally, he might not have been the biggest supporter for Adam’s Tobacco bill back in 2019, but he respected the other politician across from him. And another young face in a sea of what often seemed to be a much older crowd was always nice. “Not quite clockwork, but almost so, with the amount of work that picks up during election season,” Isaac nods, confirming that he too has been kept busy. “Doing pretty well… Between the election, the new bills that are being proposed, our own election years for most of us… It’s been busy. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything, yknow?”

“You’re tellin’ me. I’m just sick of having to spend so much time on the phone trying to fundraise for campaigns. My Chief of Staff’s been on my ass about that lately. Quotas to make.” He fiddles with the napkin draped across his thighs. He isn’t sure, really, that he can relate to what Isaac says: I wouldn’t trade it for anything. That’s the problem, Adam figures, but he can play along. “Have Bell and Sanford come knocking on your door yet? They’ve really started making the rounds, it sounds like.”

[adamconnelly]

charliekeeting​:

Charlie nods, thankful they’re in a constituency that bleeds blue (and with the endorsement from their retiring incumbent, it was more of a passed down title than one that they really had to fight for. It certainly made it easier to actually put time and money into resources that could use it instead of campaigning to beat an opponent. The money Charlie would have spent on advertising, on media coverage, went into resources to help register people to vote, to active action instead of flyers outlining platforms and wasteful plastic memorabilia. 

Charlie hears what Adam says. It’s a valid point, they concede in their head, but they also know the answer to it. “Ideally, in a perfect world, I’d be pushing for a bigger bill. Something with more of a punch to it. Or, in a different kind of perfect world, the DoT increases the budget for projects like this. That two billion from BUILD is already being eaten up by certain cities in certain states. So it’s not really about the two billion right now. It’s about setting a precedent that we have to invest in these kinds of projects. If we keep saying its optional, we’ll never invest money in it. And I  don’t know how I’m supposed to bring kids into this world when I don’t even know if we’re going to make it to 2030 because we keep calling climate change an optional problem,” Charlie shrugs. “But that’s besides the point. Every city can invest in something, and no city has to do the exact. It could be bike racks and city-rentable bikes or repaving damaged sidewalks and pathways, or an entire streetcar system. Maybe townships work together to make a transportation line between cities. The options are endless. It’s just a matter of looking at it through the lens of each individual location. Not ever city needs a subway system, but every city can do something.”

All things considered, it’s not a hard sell for Adam personally. He’s not stupid enough to deny climate change - hell, William Bell isn’t stupid enough to deny climate change. But he’s not here to make decisions based on what he wants, that’s been clear since before he ever took office. He’s here to work out what his constituents want - and to a lesser degree, what the party wants.

“Well - I’ll be talking with constituents later this week in Manassas, so - we’ll see what they think. I don’t think it should go over too badly. But - It’s something that works for you ‘n’ me - but how are you gonna sell it to the rural population? I don’t know if rent-a-bike or new bus routes are gonna have the appeal for coal miners or rural farmers, and they’re the bread and butter.” He shrugs, looking back at Charlie. “Everyone’s first question is ‘what’s in it for me?’ And my guess is that just saying ‘saving the environment’ isn’t always gonna be a good pitch, or we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

[adamconnelly]

@oliverzafar

Oliver had always seemed sort of a distant figure, in a way. They rarely communicated, and even less so on any sort of official communication. It did give Adam pause to be invited to talk to the man directly - if only out of a sense of why me? He didn’t imagine there was anything Oliver could want from him that he couldn’t get elsewhere, from people that lined up more with his own thinking, at least on paper.

Still, he had ended up at the office, waiting politely outside and straightening his tie before he was called in - feeling a strange desire to impress, even though he almost-kinda-sorta knew him. “Mr. Vice President.” He was cordial as he extended a hand, his dossier in the other. “I have to confess I was - surprised by the invitation. But it’s always an honor.”

[adamconnelly]

hans-starke​:

“Well, yeah,” Hans says. “Not the same day because I’d need to find a nice tux, and then find you a nice tux,” he smiles, of course at the joke between the lines. And the next joke is, of course, that Hans himself is actually thinking of it as a possibility, not just make-shift pillow talk. His first yes had been shaky at best, thinking the moment far away. His second a little more sure of the decision, almost wishing it to come true. Almost. Like Hans had almost wanted to be with him once, like he’d almost meant his first I love you. After months and months, he’s admittedly grown attached to the idea — of this. He feels pathetic admitting to it out loud, so he doesn’t. (Isn’t that always the case?)

There’s no party, where they are. Surely something’s happening inside, but the welcoming air of this chilly night is all Hans can feel where his skin is exposed, everywhere else either shielded by his – yes, tux —, or where he’s touching Adam. He’s not as drunk as him, but he could easily pass as such now. “You should,” he breathes. “Make your own rules. It feels fucking great.” 

Hans would know. He’d grown from helpless to the one in charge, and he knows what difference the new-found power makes. Not that he wants Adam to be like him — God, no, he’d never wish that —, but a more certain version of himself, if he could. Not that he wouldn’t take Adam in any form. 

Admittedly, Hans had been afraid of the answer. A no would’ve turned their night around, brought all too many questions forward. But this shakes him just as badly. “…Yeah?” He asks him, again taken aback, the same way he surely had long ago, when Adam had first admitted to wanting a kiss. “Yeah. I am, too.” 

He eyes Adam and bites down his lip, not ever innocent. “Last time we were here you just wanted to be my boyfriend.” 

“Guess that’s true. Feel like findin’ one for me is gonna be a lot harder. God knows you won’t marry me if I don’t look good.” He’s teasing, and in doing so somewhat spoils the joke that Hans had been implying anyway, but he’s just over the line of drunk where he doesn’t really notice just yet.

“I’ll bet it does,” he agrees, close to him and wavering closer, and he drops his head down for just a moment to catch Hans’s lips in a light, lingering kiss. “You’ll have to show me,” he offers after a second. “Guess ‘m lucky I have the best to learn from.”

The plausibility of what he’s offering is the biggest question - it’s easy to say, and he suspects it’ll be much harder to do. Where could he begin? But then, he didn’t have to think about it right now. It could wait until tomorrow, until the idea settled more comfortably in his bones.

He smiles, a sort of lazy smile. “Mm. I remember.” He traces his hand up and down slowly. “...Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? What we’ll be like next year.”

[adamconnelly]

isaaccdaniels​:

Isaac adjusted his suit jacket as he took a seat at the restaurant they had just entered, taking up a table near the back of the formal establishment. A small meeting with a couple of his fellow Congressmen had turned into a business luncheon between some Republican GOP members to catch up and inform each other on the current workings of the House and Senate. It was always nice to cross the bridge and connect with members of the House. He smiled as he took a seat across from Adam Connelly. “Representative Connelly,” he smiled gently. “How are you doing today?”

[ @adamconnelly ] 

“Senator - nice to see you.” Adam had always liked Isaac well enough, the other man the type who held the mantle of model young Republican alongside him and the small handful of others. Sitting at lunch, he unfolded his napkin to put into his lap, polite. “I’m doin’ alright. Just - keepin’ busy, you know the drill.” He reached for his water glass and sipped from it slowly. “Yourself? How’s the other side of the Hill treating you?”

[adamconnelly]

estherdanvers​:

“No, we most certainly aren’t. An effect of living in the digital age,” she said. “If something happens here, I need to know it for tomorrow, that is. And I’m sure everyone’s here paying attention to who they’re talking to and what they’re saying.”

“Of course,” Esther said gently. “There’s always support at Fox for the GOP, especially a Connelly,” she nodded, taking a quick look at her watch. “I should really be getting back inside, I have a few more people I need to chat with before the night is over-” she really was never off the clock - “but it was lovely chatting with you, Congressman. Please do reach out.”

“Right. It’s kinda like high school,” Adam quipped, smling as he nodded in agreement. “News travels fast and all that. Especially in your world.”

He nodded at her offer, though of course it did bristle, just a little. It was always there - he could never really just be himself, he was always just one of the Connellys. He could fake a smile at that though, nodding as he moved to open the door for her, polite. “Lovely talking to you, Mrs. Danvers. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

[adamconnelly]

charliekeeting​:

Charlie smiled gently at Adam again as he began talking. “Oh, doing well, same goes on my table… With election season just around the corner… It’ll certainly only get busier from here,” Charlie said as they shrugged, adjusting the sleeves on their top ever so slightly. “Committee meetings this morning as well, except I have more this afternoon. It’s days like this where I’m more than thankful there’s a team behind me,” they said gently, a smile reaching their lips. 

“Right. It’s hard to think about anything else. Especially when my staff’s got me doing so much call time. Fundraising, and all that.” He smiled at the mention of Charlie’s team, nodding. “Sure - and you must be busy, what with that bill you just proposed. It’s - an interesting proposal.” He nods, the two of them slowly walking and talking. “Guess I’m just wondering - what’s the solution for cities that can’t make this.... multi-modal thing work?” He shrugs. “Old cities with narrow streets, or smaller cities? Wouldn’t the bigger cities eat up 2 billion just like that?”

[adamconnelly]

henryxsanford​:

He nodded along to the explanation, though a little disappointed that he couldn’t do something for his friend. But he understood the logic; though Henry tended to be intimidated by most people his father’s age. “He and my father make a good team,” he said, as from what he’s observed, Will was more a military man than a politician, but he didn’t think that was a bad thing. In his mind, they balanced each other out.  Quietly, Henry had reflected on a conversation he’d had with Alfred. A… suggestion of the possibility of him running. And the fear that he would have to do it. “Do you enjoy it?” He asked, watching him. “Being a politician?” Henry had struggled with social obligations his current job came with. Being a politician seemed out of his league.

“Yeah - I buy that. They seem like they’ve got a lot in common. Bet Bell was all behind that Filibuster for Freedom thing.” Adam smiled, a little wryly. “You must get tired of hearing about that. But it got people’s attention.” He strongly suspected it had won him a lot of positive press among the more conservative Republicans - a lone figure standing up to do what others wouldn’t.

He considered Henry’s question for a minute, with a slight roll of his shoulders that was almost a shrug. “I... For the most part,” he agreed. “I like feeling like I’m making a difference in some little way. That people chose me because they believed I could do the job.” He wondered, more and more, if that was was really true, but kept telling himself that, at least. “And it’s rewarding, getting to meet people and speak up for their issues. But it can be...” He tried to think up the right word. “Challenging. There can be a lot in the way, y’know? There’s always battles. And it does get tiring, sometimes.”

[adamconnelly]

lolavillarin​:

“Oh.” She didn’t expect him to ask. “Marisa and Armando Villarin. Good people, awesome skin, great genes.”

Adam takes out another cigarette, which somewhat validates her own millennial addiction — so Lola takes another drag. Camaraderie, right? “Lola. Dolores, actually, but it’s a depressing name and I’m not depressing, most nights. I, uh, really liked your tobacco bill… Sir. I like it because I can use it against people one year younger than me, and that’s one hell of an advantage.” Her thin eyebrows raise then, and she’s quick to correct herself: “But it’s a great bill. Health first, fuck your mango cartridges, yay!, second.” Lola stares down at her blunt then, and decides to press the flame away into ash upon the balcony’s edge. “’…I think ‘M good.”

“Oh - sure.”The names rung a distant bell, but not enough that Adam could comment on it without actively exposing how little he knew and embarrassing himself. “Must have kept things exciting. Movin’ around a lot, I guess?”

Lighting up his fresh cigarette and then pocketing the packet and the lighter, Adam nodded her way. “Well - it’s nice to meet you, Lola.” Her comment on the tobacco bill makes him laugh a little, a slow exhale of smoke. “Sure - that wasn’t what I was intending, but...” He trails off to let her correct herself on the bill. “Well thanks. I’m proud of it, I guess. If it’s the only legacy I end up leaving behind on the Hill it’s not a bad one. I could be happy with that.” Another drag, and he watches her put out the blunt calmly on the stone balcony edge. “Well. If you ever need anyone on the Hill to lend an ear or anything, I’m around.” He suspected he wouldn’t be her first choice - or anywhere near it - but it was worth making the offer, anyway, if only out of a people-pleaser’s sense of politeness.

[pastaandprose]

send me a song and i’ll tell you what memory it brings up or who it reminds me of.

ask memes 1/? (via oceansrps)