Surprisingly, it’s not being chased by a group of nuns that does it.
It’s not running through some disgusting sewer tunnel, or running through the forest for what feels like their lives that does it either.
It’s actually just the sound of the truck’s door locks engaging once they’re safely inside that finally makes Cheryl burst into tears.
Toni immediately frowns, and she murmurs, and she coos, and she gathers Cheryl carefully into her arms so that Cheryl’s legs are draped over her lap, and she can cradle her close to her body.
Veronica can’t hear anything that’s actually being said over the rumble of the engine once Kevin takes off, but she finds the scene unfolding in the backseat oddly fascinating, and she can’t really make herself look away.
She’s suddenly reminded of the night after the river when she and Betty had huddled close to Cheryl in the backseat to try to keep her warm. And then the night after the SoDale Gala, when she brought Cheryl back to the Pembrooke, Archie carefully depositing Cheryl’s passed-out body onto her bed. And while they’ve certainly had their differences, she prays this is the last time she will she have a broken, crying Cheryl Blossom in the backseat.
“Where to now?” Kevin asks quietly from the seat next to her, glancing back with the same sort of heartbroken expression on his face.
“Five Seasons,” Veronica says. “I don’t want Monster Blossom to find them until they’re ready, and I got them a room for a few days, so they can figure out their plan.” She digs through her purse and holds up a sleeve of plastic key cards. “They’re already checked in.”
“You’re okay, baby,” Veronica hears from the backseat, and when she glances back she watches Toni trying to help Cheryl into her Serpent’s jacket.
She reaches back to try to help as much as she can with her seatbelt in the way, earning a grateful smile from Toni in the process, but the sight of it breaks her heart nonetheless. Cheryl’s been through so much, and to add another awful tragedy to the list is heartbreaking.
Rather than just drop the girls off out front where they’d have to face the harsh lights and probing staff in the lobby, Kevin parks in the underground parking deck, so they can take the private elevator up to the fourth floor.
Kevin puts the truck in park, and he and Veronica turn in their seats to address the other two.
“Where are we?” Toni asks, finally pulling away from Cheryl for long enough to take in their surroundings once she realizes they’ve stopped.
“Hotel,” Veronica says. She steps down from the truck and moves to the door behind hers, pulling it open to help Toni with Cheryl. “I got you guys a room for a few nights.”
“Thank you,” Toni sighs, knowing that’s at least one thing she doesn’t have to think about tonight.
Honestly, she hadn’t thought much beyond the part of the plan where they went in and got Cheryl out. She hadn’t really thought about the fact that she’s locked out most nights, and on those nights, she’s camping on someone’s couch.
The fact that she doesn’t have to worry about all of that with an emotionally destroyed Cheryl Blossom in tow is a huge relief.
Toni turns to Cheryl, who is looking like she could crash at any moment. “Cheryl, can you walk?”
Cheryl turns glassy eyes up to them. The adrenaline has obviously worn off, and she looks absolutely wrecked. Veronica frowns looking at her, because this clearly goes far beyond being tired. Cheryl’s movements are clumsy and lethargic, and Veronica’s jaw clenches when she realizes she’s seen this before. The night Nick drugged Cheryl. And while she’s fairly sure the Sisters aren’t using Rohypnol to keep the kids in that awful place in line, they’re certainly using something to the same effect, and that means Cheryl and Toni are probably in for a long night.
She frowns deeper, because it could be the totally horrible fluorescent lighting casting an odd hue over them, but Veronica thinks that Cheryl suddenly looks a little green.
“I’ll get her,” Kevin says softly, coming up behind them.
“Wait.” Before he can scoop her up, Veronica steps forward, running one hand over Cheryl’s hair to smooth it back, while pressing the other under her chin, gently guiding dark, glassy eyes to meet hers. “Cheryl, are you going to be sick?”
And, as if the words have summoned the action, Cheryl presses a hand over her mouth and lurches forward, pushing past Veronica and out of the backseat, falling painfully to her hands and knees on the concrete, her stomach finally heaving, though not much actually comes up.
“Oh shit.” Toni crouches down beside her, holding her as her body wretches, and she’s nearly in tears, glancing at the other two helplessly as Cheryl sobs beside her.
She whispers to Cheryl through it all, calm, soothing words to try to put her at ease as much as one can be throwing up in a parking deck in the middle of the night.
Veronica reaches into her purse, pulling a small bottle of water out and she kneels next to Cheryl as well. She waits until Cheryl’s body stills and hands the bottle over, producing a small handkerchief from her bag as well, which she hands to Toni. “Rinse, sweetie.”
Veronica helps Cheryl rinse her mouth out and Toni gently wipes her face off before they help her to her feet. She sways unsteadily, tripping over her own feet, and Kevin steps forward when her head lolls forward.
“Oh, Cher,” Toni murmurs, brows pinched in a deep frown.
“Should we take her to the hospital?” Kevin asks, looking from Cheryl to each of the other two.
“I would love to,” Veronica says, her pretty features turned down into a deep frown, “But the first thing they’ll do is call her mom.”
“No,” Cheryl moans. Her face crumples, and she starts to cry. “Please don’t make me go back.”
“No, sweetie,” Veronica hushes. “We’re not taking you back.”
“Cheryl, I promise you’re not going back there, okay?” Toni says softly, waiting for glassy eyes to meet hers. “Kevin is going to help you. Okay?”
Cheryl blinks slowly, and she sniffles as Toni swipes carefully at her tears. She finally nods.
“Let’s just get her upstairs and into bed,” Toni says.
Toni and Veronica exchange a worried glance because they’re both praying they’re making the right call.
“One of you lock the truck, and the other get the elevator.” He approaches Cheryl slowly and holds his arms out to her. “Let me help you, Cheryl.”
She presses a shaking hand to his shoulder and nods weakly, collapsing into him when he scoops her up easily.
“You’ll need these for the elevator and the room. Let me get my bag.” Veronica hands the keycards over to Toni. “Fourth floor,” she says as she grabs a duffel bag, closes all the truck doors and locks the vehicle, reaching the others just as the elevator doors slide open for them.
Cheryl is nearly passed out in Kevin’s arms, her head tucked under his chin, and wrapped in Toni’s Serpent Jacket, and they’re relieved when no one else boards the elevator while they’re on it.
Once they reach the door to the room, Toni swipes the key and holds the door open for Kevin, so he can step into the spacious room and carefully deposit Cheryl onto one of the beds, and Toni immediately tugs at the blankets on the far side of the bed to cover her up.
Toni sits next to her, carefully threading long strands of red hair back behind the sleeping girl’s ear.
She’s a mess of emotion.
She’s mad as hell and she wants to rage and throw things because she knew Penelope Blossom was a monster, but never thought she would lock her daughter up.
But as mad as she is, she’s equal parts sad.
She’s so sad for Cheryl, because while she won’t claim to know everything about the other girl, she knows enough to know she’s been through hell and everyone around her always seems to just abandon her at the first sign of stability, forcing Cheryl to put herself back together each and every time.
“Thank you both,” Toni says softly, finally tearing her eyes away from the form sleeping next to her to look up at them. “So much. There’s no way I could have done this without you.”
“Of course,” Veronica says.
“Any time,” Kevin agrees.
“Do you need anything else before we go?” Veronica asks. She sets the duffel bag on the floor at the foot of the other bed. “I packed some clothes and toiletries just in case. You’re booked for two nights, but if you need longer let me know. And charge anything you need to the room.”
Toni rises to her feet to pull the other girl into a tight hug, unable to say how grateful she is for everything she’s done, and she’s not sure she’d be able to speak past the lump in her throat even if she could find the words.
They share a warm, understanding smile when Toni pulls back, and she hugs Kevin as well, suddenly feeling a surge of affection for them both.
“We’ll get out of your hair,” Veronica says. “Take care of her, and call me in the morning to let me know how she is?”
“I will,” Toni says. “Can we keep all this between the three of us? Our location included?”
“Of course,” Veronica says softly. “Not even Betty will know.”
“Thank you both. So much.”
Cheryl wakes with a start and bolts upright a few hours later. She looks around wildly, the fog of her nightmare still clinging to her. But she remembers. Toni, Veronica and Kevin breaking her out, and taking her somewhere, but she has no idea where, and for a moment it makes her panic. Then she finds Toni watching her from the other bed and she sighs audibly, tension seeping from her body the moment she spots the other girl.
They honestly barely know one another, and things between them are so new, but the pull between them is undeniable, and she certainly can’t deny the overwhelming sense of safety that comes only with the other girl’s presence either.
“Where are we?” she croaks.
She turns her head to glance at Toni, who is pushing a glass of water across the bedside table to her, and she catches sight of the clock which reads 12:57 a.m.
“We’re safe, Cheryl,” Toni assures her.
Cheryl reaches for the glass with trembling hands, ignoring the way her head swims with every movement as she drains the glass with several long gulps.
It feels a little like she drank too much.
Or a little like the Jingle Jangle had felt.
Or a lot like the Rohypnol had felt.
She nearly panics, because feeling so out of control is quite possibly the scariest thing on the planet for her, and the last time she felt like this she’d nearly been raped, but she glances up and Toni is sitting on the edge of the bed watching her with a warm gaze, hands tucked under her legs, and she feels the panic recede, feeling suddenly like nothing bad can happen as long as the other girl is with her.
“How long was I out?” Cheryl asks, a hint of a whine in her voice, dropping back to the bed. Her stomach rolls traitorously, so she tries to breathe through it. She presses a hand over her eyes for a moment, before peeking out from under her palm with a pouty sort of frown. “And why are you all the way over there?”
Toni can’t help the smile that tugs at the corners of her lips and she slides off the bed to crouch down next to Cheryl’s head. “I wanted to give you some space. You’ve been out for a few hours.”
“Space?” Cheryl repeats, frowning deeper, her voice thick and eyes still drooping. “I’ve literally had days of space. I want you.” She turns onto her side and reaches out to grab a fistful of Toni’s top to slowly pull her close. Her watery eyes track over Toni’s face slowly. “Are you really real?”
Toni’s face breaks out into a sad smile and her hand runs over Cheryl’s hair. She swallows back a fresh wave of tears. “Yeah, sweetie. I’m really real.”
Cheryl’s eyes close the moment Toni touches her. “And you’ll probably never be seen with me again in public after witnessing this atrocious ensemble.” Her fingers loosen from where she has a death grip on Toni’s top, but she lets her hand rest along the curve of her neck, not ready to let her go.
Toni’s hand presses softly against her cheek, thumb tracing over her cheekbone and fingers pressing gently against her nape, almost like she’s as desperate for a physical reminder that they’re actually both here as Cheryl is. They’re both safe. Together.
“It is sort of tragic,” Toni agrees, trying (and succeeding) to get a smile out of Cheryl. She nods her head towards the foot of the bed. “Veronica left a bag for you with some stuff.”
“Hmm,” Cheryl hums, eyes slipping closed for a moment so she can rub them with the hand not keeping Toni so close. “You’re positive my heinous mother won’t find out where we are?”
“We’re safe, Cheryl,” Toni promises softly. “No one but Kevin and Veronica even know we’re here. And they promised to keep it that way.”
Cheryl nods, and almost seems to want to drift off again with the knowledge that no one will be coming for them tonight, but her eyes open again and blink slowly. “I need a shower.”
Her nose wrinkles rather adorably, and Toni feels it tug at every one of her heart strings, and in that moment she knows she has it so bad for this girl. And she knows Cheryl is being serious, but she honestly can’t help the adoring grin that breaks out across her face at the expression, because Cheryl is still sort of out of it, and while the reasons for that make her mad as hell, she’s sort of adorable all passive and sleepy.
Cheryl’s eyes narrow playfully, almost as if she can read Toni’s thoughts, but she remains silent, eyes sleepily tracking over her face.
“How about a bath instead?” Toni suggests, still trying (unsuccessfully) to hide her adoring grin. “I don’t want you breaking your neck in the shower because you can barely keep your eyes open. I just got you back, Bombshell.”
“It’s the drugs,” Cheryl says with a deep sigh. “They’re awful.” Before Toni can even comment, she says, “A bath sounds amazing.”
“Let me,” Toni says, sobering instantly, and tabling the drug discussion for the time being. As she stands, she presses a lingering to Cheryl’s temple, making her smile again and hum quietly under the affection, so Toni lingers a moment, just breathing her in before she presses another soft, slow kiss against Cheryl’s skin. “Stay put.”
Toni enters the bathroom and heads for the stand-alone tub in the corner. She twists the knobs until the water is as hot as she can stand it. Cheryl’s been shivering all night, and if it was her, she’d want the water nearly scalding.
She searches under the cabinets for some scented oils or bath salts, but all she’s able to come up with is jasmine scented bubble bath, which seems sort of odd, but she dumps some in the water anyways.
She turns down the glaring overhead lights, leaving only a few sconces on over the sink, and she lays two white, fluffy towels and a robe out over the warming rack next to the tub.
As the tub fills, she goes to Cheryl again, crouching down next to her, watching her dark eyes, glassed over but focused on whatever infomercial is on the TV. She waits until those eyes meet hers and she offers Cheryl her hand.
“You ready?”
Cheryl nods and sits up slowly, eyes closing as a wave of dizziness and nausea threaten. Her jaw clenches several times and she presses a hand over her mouth.
Toni reaches for a small trashcan nearby with one hand as they other tries to help steady Cheryl. Cheryl’s eyes close and she breathes in deeply a few times.
“I’m okay.” She frowns. “But I really need to brush my teeth.”
“Okay.” Toni nods. “One sec.” She moves to the bag at the end of the bed and rifles through it until she locates one of the two toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. She sends up a silent prayer for Veronica Lodge thinking of literally everything.
“Well, you’re not quite as high as you were earlier,” Toni says, looking into her eyes, and letting her thumb swipe gently over the curve of Cheryl’s brow, watching as dark eyes close with the touch. “Think you can stand?”
Cheryl meets her eyes and nods, reaching her hands out silently for Toni to take, which she does, and she carefully guides them both to their feet, where she can wrap an arm around Cheryl’s middle to help her across the room.
Toni leads her into the pristine bathroom and guides her carefully to the sink, where Cheryl leans heavily into the dark marble countertop with one trembling hand. Toni presses toothpaste onto the brush and hands it over, letting Cheryl lean into her as she brushes her teeth.
She stands with one hip propped against the counter and Cheryl’s side pressed into her front, letting one hand reach out to twirl the soft red hair pulled back at the nape of her neck as the other hand drops over Cheryl’s on the counter, where her thumb traces over pale knuckles softly. She watches Cheryl slacken under the attention, slumping into her body further.
Cheryl rinses the brush and sets it on the edge of the sink, but she doesn’t budge. She presses her other palm into the cool marble, and she leans forward on both hands and stares. Toni watches her stare at her own reflection, jaw clenching and tears pooling in her dark eyes.
“I’m burning these clothes.” Cheryl mutters darkly. “Then I might go back and burn that hellish nunnery to the ground.”
She tears her eyes away from her reflection with a scowl, but Toni watches the expression melt away the moment brown eyes settle on her, and it makes her heart flutter against her ribs.
“I’m totally helping,” Toni tells her, earning another heart-stopping half-smile from the other girl. “You okay?” she asks.
Cheryl nods tiredly. “I’m okay.”
Toni guides her over and sits her on the edge of the tub. She shuts off the water, pleased with the steam billowing from the tub and the sweet, pleasant scent of jasmine in the air from the layer of bubbles.
“Bubbles, TT?” Cheryl teases, a hint of her usual personality finally appearing, though it’s softened with a tired sort of smile.
Toni smirks back at her as she kneels down to slip off the shoes covering her feet. Cheryl tries to help, pulling the cardigan down her arms, but she sways unsteadily and has to brace one hand on Toni’s shoulder to keep from toppling over.
Her eyes are certainly clearer, but her coordination is still off.
“Just let me,” Toni says softly. “Promise I’ll keep it on the up and up.”
“Well, that’s no fun,” Cheryl quips tiredly, a teasing pout pulling at the corners of her lips.
“We’ll have plenty of time for fun once you’re feeling better, babe,” Toni says, another term of endearment slipping out easily. She can’t seem to help herself tonight. She’s so relieved to have her back and she’s feeling sort of ridiculously over-affectionate, and Cheryl hasn’t seemed to mind so far.
Cheryl’s pale complexion gives her away easily, a pink hue tinging her cheeks, and Toni is grateful for it. She’s looked too pale, and too washed out since they found her.
“Promise?” Cheryl asks softly.
“Absolutely, Bombshell,’ Toni promises. “I just got you back, and I’m not going anywhere.”
After muddy shoes and socks are removed, Toni helps Cheryl to her feet. She removes the cardigan and softly rubs the pad of her thumb over the bend of Cheryl’s elbow, where she can see evidence of the needles they used.
“That was the only thing that really hurt,” Cheryl mumbles, watching Toni carefully, toying with the ends of pink hair with her free hand. She shrugs one shoulder up far too casually for Toni’s liking. “Physically at least.”
Toni’s face sort of crumples and she presses a soft kiss to the skin there, making Cheryl suck in a sharp breath. She blinks back her tears, because right now she has no right to them. There will be time for Toni to fall apart later. After she’s taken care of Cheryl.
The bruising around each wrist is the next thing to draw Toni’s attention, and it breaks her heart even more when Cheryl swallows hard and says, “I fought back the first few days.”
Toni blinks back a fresh wave of tears and presses soft kisses to the inside of each wrist, and she tries to make quick work of helping to remove the rest of Cheryl’s clothes, all while keeping her eyes above shoulder height, because the taller girl is shivering. She ignores the teasing smirk sent her way when her eyes never wander.
She offers a hand to help her step into the tub, then exits the bathroom again to push the room temperature up a few degrees (and not at all because being that close to a naked Cheryl Blossom is torture, and the moan that had spilled from her lips as she settled into the water had been nearly criminal), and to try to find the room service menu. She’s starving, so she knows Cheryl must be too. She finally spies it and swipes it, sliding to the floor at the foot of one of the beds next to the bag that Veronica had packed for them, where she flips through the pages to give Cheryl some privacy.
She snaps the book shut and presses the soft leather front against her forehead as everything finally overwhelms her and a few tears manage to leak from her eyes. She bites her lip and her face crumples with the force of trying to keep the rest of it from spilling out of her, but it’s no use. She drops the book, covering her mouth with both hands when a sob bubbles up her throat and threatens to spill out.
“Toni?” Cheryl calls softly after a few minutes.
“Just a sec,” she calls out, her voice thick and trembling. She swallows hard, focusing again on making sure Cheryl is okay as she swipes at her eyes and stands from the floor.
She steps back into the bathroom, where Cheryl is reclined in the large tub. A hand emerges from the bubbles and is held out to her, fingers wiggling impatiently when she stands in the doorway for longer than probably necessary.
Toni approaches, grasping the hand gently and crouching down to Cheryl’s eye level, arms crossing on the top of the tub. “What’s up?”
Toni’s chin rests atop her crossed arms, and she watches Cheryl simply look at her for a few moments, watches the way dark eyes soften as they take in her features. Her eyes close when Cheryl’s thumb swipes softly over the curve of her cheek.
“Don’t cry,” Cheryl says quietly. “I hate to see a beautiful girl cry.”
Toni’s chin and lips tremble with the force of keeping the tears back again. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m alright, darling,” Cheryl murmurs, her thumb swiping one more tear away. “But can you please stay close?” she asks, curling a few long, pink curls behind Toni’s ear. “I know you said that all of this is real, but the drugs still have my mind a little foggy and –“
“I’ll stay,” Toni promises softly, pressing Cheryl’s hand between both of hers so she can drop a kiss to the back of her damp hand. “Of course I’ll stay.”
She sits and turns so her back is against the tub, trying to give Cheryl privacy, but staying close, shivering when Cheryl’s fingers absently twirl a few strands of her hair as she soaks.
“Are you hungry?” Toni asks, holding up the forgotten menu. “V said to charge everything to the room.”
“I’m actually starving,” Cheryl says. “I literally had dreams about Pop’s burgers while I was stuck in that hellhole.”
“Burger? Check.” Toni smirks, glad to see some of the old Cheryl coming back. “Want fries and a shake too?” The moan that comes from the tub behind her makes Toni’s insides flutter. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Cheryl remains in the tub long after her fingers prune, after emptying and refilling the tub three times. It feels like hours, but Toni would gladly sit on this bathroom floor for as long as Cheryl needs, if it means she’s safe.
Toni offers to wash her hair, gently unwinding the elastic holding her hair back. She carefully runs her fingers through beautiful red locks a few times to work through any knots before Cheryl dunks her head under the water.
As Toni works shampoo and conditioner through her hair, Cheryl tilts her head back every so often, staring and smiling up at her so warmly that Toni’s heart stutters and trips in her chest, and with Cheryl’s face wiped clean of the dirt and dust from before, and also clear of the makeup she usually wears, Toni isn’t sure she’s ever looked more beautiful.
And she tells her so.
It makes Cheryl blush, because no one has ever called her beautiful when it wasn’t a means to an end. A way to try to get into her pants, or to butter her up for something else they needed. Until now, until Toni, affection had always been a currency. A way for someone to buy what they needed from her.
Cheryl’s eyes close at the feeling of gentle hands in her hair, and she finally feels warm and safe. The drugs are starting to wear off, and she’s starting to feel much more like herself.
A while later, the food arrives, so Toni holds up a large fluffy, warmed towel and wraps it around Cheryl’s body the moment she steps out of the tub, then she helps wrap her in the robe a moment later. She guides Cheryl to sit on the edge of the bed so she can eat while Toni runs a towel over her hair before she runs a comb through it, working out any knots with a careful concentration that warms Cheryl from within when she sees it reflected back at her from the mirror hanging opposite the bed.
Cheryl remains there while Toni retrieves some pajamas from the bag Veronica left. She helps Cheryl dress before she props up some pillows, tucks her in and kisses her forehead.
“Will you be okay if I take a shower?” she asks as she sets Cheryl’s food tray on the bedside table, stealing a fry, and ignoring the way her stomach rumbles with hunger.
Cheryl gazes up at her and nods, but Toni isn’t entirely convinced.
“Are you sure?”
Cheryl swallows hard and forces a smile. “Keep the door cracked?”
“I’ll be five minutes,” Toni promises. She presses her palm to Cheryl’s face carefully, searching her eyes for a moment before she leans in. “Can I kiss you again?”
“Yes,” Cheryl replies instantly, a smile tugging at her lips.
“I’m sorry I didn’t really ask the first time,” Toni says in a rush. “I never should have done that without your consent, but I just-“
Cheryl cuts her off with the press of her lips against Toni’s.
It’s slow and soft, and almost the complete opposite of the kiss they’d shared when Toni found her, when their kiss had been equal parts relief and desperation.
“Please don’t ever apologize for that kiss,” Cheryl tells her softly.
Toni grins and presses another kiss to her lips. She points to the plate of food with her other hand. “Finish your food.”
Cheryl’s hand closes over hers across her cheek, and when Toni tries to step away, she’s pulled back and down for another chaste kiss. Toni lingers, grinning as her nose nudges Cheryl’s as she tilts her head and steals one more kiss before she steps away.
Toni steps into the bathroom, keeping the door halfway open, knowing that Cheryl’s need to know she’s really there is sort of outweighing her own need for privacy.
She steps under the spray, shoulders finally slumping under the weight of the evening, and she lets herself cry silently for one minute for Cheryl, because it’s not fair. It’s so ridiculously not fair that she’s suffered as much as she has, and Toni finds she has to bite into the heel of her hand to keep from sobbing.
When her minute is up, Toni washes her face and her hair quickly, soaping up and rinsing off in record time. She steps out of the shower, pulling a towel around her tiny frame before she steps into the bedroom to gather her own clothes.
Cheryl literally does a double take, a French fry frozen comically in the air on its way to her mouth. Her lashes flutter beautifully and mouth falls partially open, making Toni smirk. She feels dark eyes watching her as she gathers her bundle of clothes. She slips panties up her legs under the towel and a faded t-shirt on over it so she can discard the towel when she steps back into the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth.
When she’s done she stands between the beds, twisting another small, fluffy towel in her hands like she isn’t sure what bed to crawl into.
“What are you doing?” Cheryl asks, scooting back from the center of the bed to pull the blankets down for Toni to climb in with her.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted…”
“I want you here,” Cheryl says softly. “Please.”
“Of course. One sec.” Toni nods, turning to double check the locks on the door, and shut out the lights, except for the bathroom light, which she leaves on, cracking the door so they’re not left in total darkness.
She finally drapes her towel over her pillow and crawls into bed with Cheryl, opening her arms only to have Cheryl immediately crawl into them. Their legs tangle and Cheryl presses her ear against Toni’s chest, wanting to fall asleep to the sound of her heart beat.
“God, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Toni whispers into her hairline, pressing a kiss there softly. Cheryl’s damp hair slowly seeps into the thin material of her t-shirt, but she honestly couldn’t care less. She’s so fucking relieved to have her girl back.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” Cheryl admits quietly, sighing deeply when the arms around her tighten just enough to notice. She nuzzles into Toni’s neck, her nose trailing along Toni’s jaw before she presses her lips there. “I’m not sure I could ever thank you enough for rescuing me.”
“Always, Bombshell,” Toni promises, barely suppressing a shiver at the way Cheryl’s lips feel against her skin.
“You should eat, Toni,” Cheryl tells her. “Your food is surely cold by now.”
“I don’t care,” Toni murmurs, tightening her hold.
“Toni,” Cheryl sighs.
“No,” Toni replies, pulling her closer. “I’ve finally got you in my arms, and I’m not moving.”
Cheryl relents and snuggles closer to her. “I really missed you.”
“Shh,” Toni shushes her softly. “You’re here, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”
At Toni’s words, Cheryl finally seems to settle. It’s warm and dark in the room and they’re pressed together so close. Cheryl can hear the gentle thud of Toni’s heart against her ear, but the moment she closes her eyes she sees those horrible movies running against the backs of her eyelids, making her shudder and open them again.
“Babe?” Toni murmurs softly, feeling Cheryl’s body tense against her own. “What’s up? Do you need another blanket?” Toni is up and off the bed before Cheryl can even reply, and it makes her ache that Toni is trying so hard for her, almost desperate to do whatever she can to make sure she’s okay.
Toni drapes a spare blanket over the bed and climbs back in, pulling Cheryl close again, where they’re silent, just enjoying the closeness.
“The worst part was the drugs,” Cheryl says a little while later. “They made me fuzzy, and so sick. It was awful.”
They’re bundled under a few spare blankets with the heat on high, and Toni has her wrapped up tightly and safely in her arms, propped up with some pillows against the headboard. She presses her lips to Cheryl’s forehead, but stays quiet, sensing her need to get everything out.
“They would pump us full of them right before movie nights,” Cheryl continues softly.
“So you would associate the images with the feeling of being sick and loopy, no doubt,” Toni muses. “How the hell is that still legal?” She’s not expecting an answer, but she can’t hold it in.
Cheryl is quiet for a moment. She picks at a loose thread in the sleeve of the worn shirt covering Toni’s body, her brows pulled together in a frown.
Again, Toni swallows back her tears, because stripped of the makeup and the designer clothes and the salon-worthy hair styles, Cheryl looks so small and so, so young, and it makes Toni ache for how much she’s been through.
“When my head was clear I was fine,” she continues softly. “I spent most of my time imagining what you all were doing. But the drugs…”
Toni presses a kiss to the side of her head and bites her lip to keep from sobbing. Cheryl was being drugged and abused, while Toni and their friends were at Vixen’s practice and having stupid student council debates. Her guilt is nearly consuming.
“They reminded me of –“ Cheryl cuts herself off, brows pinching together.
“Of what, baby?” Toni prompts softly, praying that Cheryl ignores the way her voice wobbles. It seems like Cheryl is preoccupied by what she seems to want to get off her chest, but she can’t quite form the words.
“When I was roofied,” Cheryl says with a heavy sigh. Her eyes close and her body trembles.
Toni sucks in a breath, because that’s the last thing she expected to hear, and it’s just one more thing that breaks her heart for Cheryl.
Cheryl looks up at her with watery eyes, and Toni presses their foreheads together. Her eyes close and she can feel a few rogue tears slipping over her own cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Cheryl.”
“Nothing happened,” Cheryl insists softly once Toni opens her eyes again, and she reaches up to swipe the tears away gently with the pad of her finger. “Veronica and the Pussycats got to me before he did.”
Based on Cheryl’s expression alone, Toni wants to protest the idea that ‘nothing happened’. She wants to scream actually. But she literally bites her tongue until she tastes blood to keep herself from opening her mouth. What Cheryl needs is her to be strong right now.
“You can say it,” Cheryl mumbles. She looks into Toni’s eyes. “That I’m damaged? If you want to run, now’s your chance. I wouldn’t be able to follow you very far. Not in my present condition anyways.”
“That’s not at all what I wanted to say,” Toni promises her softly. “I swear.”
“So say it,” Cheryl says.
“I was going to say that just because someone roofied you and didn’t touch you doesn’t mean that nothing happened,” Toni says gently.
There’s a twitch between Cheryl’s brows and just the smallest quiver of her chin, and dark eyes pool with more tears, but there’s just a hint of relief that spills into her expression, like finally someone sees how badly it had hurt her.
“Don’t cry, baby,” Toni whispers, gently thumbing away one tear that’s splashed over the curve of her cheek.
“My mother insisted nothing happened, but she took hush money from that cretin’s family so I would keep my mouth shut,” Cheryl says, voice wobbly.
Toni’s jaw clenches and unclenches, desperate to keep the worst of her thoughts to herself. Cheryl doesn’t need more drama tonight. She doesn’t need Toni flying off the handle wanting to murder her mother. She needs her strong and sane and sweet and soft. So she keeps her mouth shut.
“I’m so sorry, Cheryl,” Toni whispers against her skin. “You’re so strong, sweetheart. I don’t know anyone that could go through everything you’ve been through and still have the capacity to be close to someone.”
Cheryl shakes her head, snuggling closer.
“What can I do?” Toni says softly. “To make this easier for you?”
“This,” Cheryl murmurs, somehow curling closer to Toni’s body. “Just stay.”
“I swear.”
The TV remains on and Toni’s eyes stare unfocused at the screen for what feels like hours. Cheryl’s breathing evens out after about ten minutes, a clear sign that she was absolutely wrecked with exhaustion, but she keeps startling herself awake, breathing in huge gasps of air and looking around frantically until she realizes she’s safe, like every time she wakes she expects to find herself back in that place.
Toni talks her down off the ledge each time, with soft hands and softer words and the press of lips to her cheek or her forehead or her lips, until finally she settles and sleeps deep again.
Toni remains awake. Even as her eyes burn and droop under the lethargy of remaining awake all night, but the sounds of Cheryl’s whimpers and cries in her sleep keeps her from falling asleep. She refuses to let Cheryl wake even once in a panic of not knowing where she is and not be there for her.
She glances at the clock, noting it’s just after 4 am when Cheryl finally seems to settle completely in her arms, but she still remains vigilant, determined to make sure that Cheryl is alright.