Heather slammed her car door shut in frustration, taking a second to lean against the side of her Porsche to try and calm down, yet before she could even take a single deep breath, the incessant whining continued from the inside of the car. Letting out another groan, she stormed around the side of the car, throwing the passenger door open. The quick movement startled the source of the whining—Veronica, of course— who had previously been heavily leaning up against the door, was now half way falling out of Heather’s Porsche.
“Will you quit it with the whining!?!” Heather hissed, glaring down at the small heap of blue now fully splayed out on the ground. The brunette slowly turned up to look at her, seemingly too out of it to understand what the blonde was saying. It made Heather slightly guilty of her previous actions, hell it wasn’t really Veronica’s fault that her drink had been tampered with, just the fact that she wasn’t paying enough attention. In the end, Heather had luckily been close enough to get her friend away from the creep, but not fast enough to prevent Veronica from finishing her drink.
Said girl let out another whimper, wrapping her arms around Heather’s legs and curling up into a ball on the ground.
“Oh no you don’t. Come on, Pillowcase. We have to get you inside.” Heather ordered, pulling her legs away from Veronica’s hands.
“Don’t wanna move….” She mumbled, curling in even further on herself, still on the concrete.
“Ronnie please. You’re not staying there on the ground, let's go. Now. ” Heather offered a hand out, then rolled her eyes when Veronica made no move to grab it. After another moment of waiting in hopes the blue girl would get the message and sit up, Heather decided to loop her arms under the brunette’s shoulders and hoist her up. They began walking up the mansion steps—well, more like Heather using all her strength to drag her counterpart, with Veronica’s arm draped across Heather’s shoulders to make it easier for her to trudge along. Opening the front door was a struggle for the two, with almost all of Veronica’s weight pressed into her side, and Heather not grabbing the right key a few times. Once the door was finally open, though, Heather all but shoved Veronica in, then turning her back to her while she closed the front door, a feat easier tenfold than opening it. When she turned back around, Veronica’s hand was clamped over her mouth with wide eyes, already rushing to the bathroom closest to the front door. Heather let out a heavy sigh, but was grateful that Veronica would at least have it out of her system.
At least she remembers the floor plan…I hope. Heather thought, neatly placing her jacket on the rack by the door.
She began slowly walking towards the light spilling out into the darkened hallway, wincing at the sounds of retching, which somehow were worse than Duke’s. As Heather drew closer, her frown grew deeper at the sounds of soft crying. She nudged the bathroom door open with her shoulder, leaning against the doorframe looking in.
Veronica was hunched over the bowl, her hands gripping the sides while her face hovered over it. She began to look over at Heather but was cut short by another wave of heaving. Her cries grew louder, morphing into small sobs, and Heather felt even worse.
Grabbing a hair tie out of one of the drawers, she approached the brunette and knelt down to her level, a firm but gentle hand placed on her back. Veronica seemed to appreciate the touch, her shaking form calming ever so slightly. Heather removed her hand a moment later, using both to tie the girl’s hair back. Once she was finished, she patted Veronica’s shoulder, then began to leave the bathroom.
“I’ll be right back with some water, okay?” She spoke softly, a tone that was rarely used even in the safety of her own home, “It’ll just be a moment”.
Veronica seemed to have heard her, but didn’t give much of a reaction regardless.
Heather made a point to pour a glass of water quickly, using some of her Mother’s fancy foreign bottles that were supposed to be “better for the body” or some bullshit. Whatever. She rolled her eyes at the sound of her mother’s pretentious tone filling her mind, swiftly making her way back into the bathroom to the more pressing matter.
Veronica seemed to have finally cleared the contents of her stomach, now leaning back against the wall. Her eyes were tired and dazed, her mouth hung slightly open. When Heather re-appeared, the taller girl merely followed her form with her eyes, not even bothering to move her head.
“Here, I got you some water. Take small sips, okay?” Heather advised, holding the glass out to Veronica, who took it with a shaky hand.
“Thank you” She croaked out, taking one then two sips of water, like Heather had said, then set the glass on the ground between them. “It tastes different, is this one of your rich people things?”
“Ah, you caught me. That’s my mother’s secret water stash from Spain or some bullshit, don’t tell her I let you have some.” Heather responded, winking at Veronica, who set the class on the rim of the tub beside her.
“My lips are sealed…for a price.” Veronica laughed wearily, careful not to trigger another bout of sickness.
“Haha, very funny, but I’ve already paid you in fancy water.” Heather shot back, smiling at Veronica in a brief moment of silence before speaking up once more.”Do you at least feel slightly better?” She asked, sitting against the wall beside her and staring up at the mirror mounted on the wall.
“Yes and no. Yes because my stomach doesn’t hurt anymore, but no because now my throat does”. She laughed lightly, now turning her head fully to look at Heather.
“Well, that’s better than nothing. Are you able to move? You should shower upstairs in my bathroom to freshen up.”
Veronica nodded, standing slowly with her glass, glancing over disdainfully at the now cleared toilet before following after Heather.
“Can I take a bath instead?” She asked in a grainy tone as they made their way up the numerous steps, Heather taking care to prevent the taller girl from slipping. “The warmth usually helps my stomach”.
“If you want, then sure. I’ll start washing your clothes in the meantime, and get you something to borrow for the night” Heather responded, opening the door to her room for the both of them. Veronica silently thanked her with a soft smile, dragging her feet towards the bathroom. Heather waited for the sound of running water to relax, sliding down against her closet door. She really didn’t want anything to happen to the brunette, but taking care of her was exhausting, and hell, she wasn’t even being difficult. Just…dependent on Heather. It wasn’t something the blonde was used to, to say the least. If one of the other Heathers ever got like this, well shit, then the other one could just take care of her, not Chandler’s problem. But with Veronica… well Heather knew that she was capable of taking care of anyone else—and would probably be the best at it out of the four of them—but to let someone else take care of her instead of the queen bee herself? It didn’t feel like a good choice.
Rubbing her face, she stood back up, opening the closet and stepping inside, immediately making a beeline for her hoodies and sweatpants. While it was clear that Veronica had little to no sense of style, she would be allowed comfort clothes to sleep in tonight given the circumstances.
Heather smiled upon spotting a few of Veronica’s own hoodies in the stack, items often left behind after their many sleepovers, unclear if it was intentional or accidental. Selfishly deciding against giving Veronica back one of her own, she pulled out a worn Westerburg hoodie, along with a black pair of sweatpants.
The water was still running when she re-emerged from her closet. Quietly, she propped open the bathroom door, setting the clothes on the edge of the bathroom counter. Just before she stepped back out, she fought the urge to glance down at the girl through the steamy air.
Just to make sure she’s okay … Heather told herself, slowly letting her eyes rise to the body huddled up in her bathtub.
A dark blush formed across Heather’s face, rising all the way to her ears as her eyes met Veronica’s figure. Her dark brown locks were pushed back out of her face, clinging to the tanned skin on her neck, her head pressed against the side of the tub with her eyes closed. She looked so small and weak, a stark contrast to the usually confident and witty Veronica Sawyer. It worried Heather, to see her friend so upset and in pain. Next time she was at a college party, she was hunting that freak who did this down and ending him.
Veronica seemed to finally sense the pair of icy blue eyes lingering on her form, her dark brown eyes revealing a hint of relief, or was it a bit of relaxation? Same difference really.
“Hey” Veronica let out weakly, smiling sheepishly over at Heather
“Hey…” Heather parroted, pausing to open the door wider. “S-sorry for barging in, but I put some clothes on the counter for you. I’ll uh…I‘ll just go” Heather pointed back into her room, beginning to retreat into the space.
“Wait” Heather turned. “I just, I wanted to say thank you for looking out for me, and that I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? You didn’t know an asshole would try to lace your drink.”
“I- I know that, but, I’m just sorry you have to see me like this. I didn’t-I don’t want you to have to take care of me. It’s not your fault either, so you shouldn’t have to deal with me. I’m sorry”
Brown eyes glassy with tears threatening to spill, and an unnatural sense of remorse grew around Veronica. The sight alone left Heather’s heart aching for Veronica. Someone who had no control over what had happened to her, yet still felt bad that Heather was looking out for her. All previous uncertainties and disgruntlement about caring for Veronica disappeared, and suddenly she was kneeling over the edge of the tub, at her closest friend’s side.
Heather ignored the fact her top would get wet, and pulled Veronica into a tight hug.
“Veronica Sawyer, you dumbass. I said It’s not your fault. You aren’t burdening me by being here, I want to take care of you. I want to make sure you’re okay. Alright?”
There was no verbal response for a moment, Veronica simply burrowing her face into Heather. They held on tightly to one another for a long moment, V out of gratitude, and Heather out of a want she wasn't sure she wanted to address just yet. Eventually the warmth of the water seeping into her shirt and onto her skin made her aware of what was happening, and she pulled away slightly.
“W-well uh, I’m gonna go get ready for bed. If you need anything, just…l-let me know” Heather stumbled over her words as much as she stumbled out of the bathroom, shooting a weak smile that faltered when she saw the confused, saddened look in Veronica’s eyes. Heather did her best to ignore the look and continue out into her room.
It’s just because she still has some alcohol left in her system. Her mind concluded, but it didn’t make her heart hurt any less.
Still lost in thought, she subconsciously changed into sleepwear, sitting at her vanity to clear the makeup left over from the party off her face. While tedious, going through the motions had become second nature to her. So much so that she could probably do it in her sleep.
Just as she finished clearing and cleaning her face, Veronica stepped out of the bathroom, her hair still damp and sticking to her face in a few places. Though before Heather could comment on it, Veronica had pointed to her and asked.
“Is that my old track hoodie?” Heather looked down, blushing at not noticing that that was her choice in sleepwear for the night.
“Oh…Yeah I guess it is. Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“No, it’s okay, you can keep it, it looks good on you. And to be honest I’d completely forgotten about it”. She said with a half chuckle, scratching at the back of her neck.
“Well it’s not like you do track anymore anyways, thank god for that.”
“Ah, yeah. It wasn’t anything I’m going to need later in life, and it got kind of boring to be honest” She responded, climbing into what was essentially her side of the bed, a thought that made Heather’s heart leap. On the rare occasion that the four of them ended up in the chandler estate for the night, it was known by all that Veronica gets the right side of the bed. That’s just how it was.
“What, you don’t think running will be a good tool for the apocalypse? You’d be able to outrun all the zombies or scrounges or whatever we end up against.” Heather smiled as she turned to face Veronica, propping her head up with her arm.
“Oh no, did something nerdy just come out of Heather Chandler’s mouth??? Where’s the real Heather? What have you done with her!?” Veronica cried out dramatically, gently shaking Heather by her shoulders.
“Hah, clearly it’s a good thing you never joined theater, you would have been terrible, Ronnie.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?? I’d be great on the stage.” Veronica grumbled, poking Heather’s cheek.
“Sure sure, whatever you need to tell yourself”. Heather laughed again, lying flat once more to settle in. She could tell Veronica was still looking at her for a long moment, but finally decided to follow suit. She pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, turning to face Heather on her side. They merely stared at each other for what felt like hours, yet it still seemed to be cut too short when Veronica spoke again, inching closer.
“Hey Hess?” Heather’s face burned at the nickname, it felt too intimate, more so than her own use of nicknames, at least.
“Yeah V?” She responded quietly once the burn faded, but it wouldn’t matter in mere seconds, because Veronica leaned in, pressing a hasty but gentle kiss to Heather's lips, and retreating just as fast.
“T-Thank you again, for everything. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to watch out for me like you do. I hope you could trust me to do the same.” She smiled sheepishly, beginning to turn around, but was stopped when the blonde pulled her close once more, their lips clashing a bit harshly.
Nevertheless, neither pulled away. Veronica melted instantaneously into the kiss, wrapping her arms tightly around Heather’s waist while her counterpart snaked her hands around her shoulders. At the moment, air seemed like an irrelevant thing, but of course they’d have to pull away eventually. Heather gasped for air once they did pull away, jealous of how Veronica made it seem so easy to catch her breath. All that running in years prior, she supposed.
“Hess?”
“Ronnie?” Heather answered, her eyes closed.
“Can we do that again?” The impish grin was clear in the brunette’s voice, and Heather did her best to suppress another laugh.
“In the morning. I’ll let you do whatever you want, but for now you need to rest. Okay? Come here.”
“I can do… anything I want?” She snickered, sliding closer to Heather once more, and draping half her body across the blonde.
“Don’t push your luck, handsome. Rest well, okay?”
“Okay.”