Toni sighs when she sees Betty Cooper – the girl's been trying to talk to her for weeks about her Poisons and the serpents and Toni can't be bothered, god knows she's got enough on her mind with Cheryl and the gang and working for Veronica. But there's no escaping – they're alone in the hallway, no exit sign in sight, and Toni resigns herself to her fate.
But Betty has different ideas. "Toni," she pants, screeching to a stop. "Great, I was just looking for you. I need help, I can't be emotional support for Veronica and Cheryl, it's too much, so go fix your girlfriend."
Toni frowns. "Wait, I'm so confused. Where's Cheryl?"
"Sobbing," Betty says matter-of-factly. "In the second bathroom on the first floor. I don't know if she wants to see you but I'd go anyway because otherwise she's going to kill someone. Good luck."
The so called 'serpent queen' dashes off, probably to make out with Jughead or fix Veronica's issues or set another building on fire, Toni doesn't know. But she's more occupied with the thought of Cheryl – sure, she thinks as she beelines to the second bathroom on whatever floor who knows where. Sure, they've been having issues, but sobbing at school? That was a new low for her HBIC girlfriend.
She doesn't have to remember which bathroom it was because Cheryl's crying so loudly Toni can navigate there with her ears. She pauses before the door, wondering if she might make this worse rather than better, but then she thinks about how much time she's allocated to Cher lately and maybe this is what they both need.
"Cher?" She calls, sticking her head around the door. The redhead is sitting in the corner under the taps, and Toni realises that this isn't about the tiny angst they've been having, this is bad.
She pulls her body through the entrance and crouches down next to Cheryl, her eyes scouting the redhead's body and picking up facts that only someone close to her could realise.
Yes, her girlfriend's having a panic attack. Yes, she's been pinching herself. Yes, she's shaking real bad, and yeah, this isn't good. Toni picks all this up in under a second, dropping into a squat and placing her hand on the floor between herself and Cheryl.
"Babe?" Toni asks quietly. "Cher, it's me, can I touch you?"
Cheryl whimpers, turning her teary face to meet Toni's. "TT..."
"I'm just here," she whispers, and all of the sudden their angst is forgotten and she's back to caring girlfriend, support group 101.
"Toni," Cheryl whispers, more tears cascading down her face. Her hair is tied back in a high pony, the picture of elegance, but there are mascara tracks down her cheeks and her lipstick is smudged, tears clinging to her lashes and then falling in streaks.
Toni maneuvers herself closer and sits crosslegged, pulling Cheryl, despite her complaints, into her lap. Cheryl starts to cry again, nuzzling into the shorter girl, all issues in their relationship forgotten in the face of whatever's gone so terribly wrong.
"Cher, baby," Toni murmurs, the picture of calm. "Talk to me, please, babe. Can you tell me why you're so upset?"
Cheryl shakes her head frantically, her body shaking with sobs as Toni holds her tight.
"Okay," Toni soothes. "Okay, baby, it's gonna be alright."
"Toni," Cheryl breathes, her tears never-ending, clinging to the smaller girl.
"I'm right here," Toni assures her. "Cheryl, can you please tell me what's wrong?"
It was a mistake, Toni realises, as Cheryl sobs harder. "Okay," she says quickly. "Why can't you tell me? Is it because it hurts?"
Cheryl shrugs, burying her face deeper in Toni's Poisons jacket, breathing in her musky, Toni smell.
"Is it about me?" Toni asks quietly, and Cheryl doesn't respond except for letting out a low moan.
"Okay," Toni says softly. "Cher, look at me. Look at me, baby. Come on. Meet my eyes, Cheryl, please."
The redhead hesitates before locking teary eyes upon concerned brown ones. "That's a girl," Toni murmurs, resting her forehead against Cheryl's and allowing her fingers to stroke Cheryl's neck. "Okay, Cher, babe, I'm not gonna be mad, okay? At least, not at you. I promise. Can you tell me, though – was it you? Is this about something you've done?"
Cheryl shakes her head, no, blinking as a couple more tears fall down her swollen cheeks, tears Toni's only too quick to press her lips to.
"Okay, babe," Toni says, giving her a soft smile. "That makes me happy."
There's a ghost of a smile on Cheryl's lips, too, and Toni, unable to help herself, quickly presses a kiss to her girlfriend's red lips, giving them a soft bite.
Cheryl leans into Toni's touch before sobbing into her mouth and pulling away. "Toni..."
The gang member nods. "I know, Cher. Now, you let me know, okay? You tell me what happened?"
"I don't... wanna say it," Cheryl whispers, reaching up to kiss Toni's cheek. "I can't, Toni."
The shorter girl nods. "Okay, baby. Can you tell me who it involves?"
Cheryl nods. "My... mother." More tears. "She's a hag, Toni, and I'm not like her!"
"I know you're not," Toni reminds her, trying to calm her down again. "I know, Cheryl, okay? You're not like her."
Cheryl nods, catching her breath. "If I... I want you to know, TT... if I tell you, you gotta... I'd never say this, okay? It's not me..."
"It's not you, baby," Toni breathes, her lips against Cheryl's temple.
The redhead nods, starting to cry again. "I can't look at you. I can't say it to your face."
Toni gently guides Cheryl's head down to rest on her shoulder, so that the redhead's facing away from her. "I can still hear you, Cher. Tell the wall, okay?"
Cheryl nods, wrapping her arms tighter around her girlfriend, closing her eyes. "She..." She breaks off, crying harder.
"It's okay, baby," Toni whispers, trailing her fingers up and down Cheryl's back. "Talk to the wall."
When Cheryl speaks again, it's so quiet that Toni almost doesn't hear it. "She called you a dyke."
Toni shudders involuntarily – it's not like she hasn't heard it before, but Cheryl's mum? That was calling her own child a slur and that was not right.
Cheryl's looking up at her, eyes filling with more tears.
"Hey," Toni says quietly. "I love you, okay?"
Cheryl nods, her lip wobbling. "I'm sorry, Toni. I'm so sorry."
"You aren't your mother," Toni whispers. "Okay? You aren't her. You have nothing to be sorry about." She lets her hand run under Cheryl's top, glazing over her warm skin. Cheryl snuggles in, letting Toni's hand soothe her, before Toni lets it run up and she finds that Cheryl's not wearing a bra.
"Cheeky," she murmurs, but Cheryl's biting her lip, her face scrunched in pain.
"Cher," Toni whispers. "Baby..."
Cheryl pulls her top up, exposing bright red welts. Toni swears, a hissed 'fuck', and Cheryl starts to cry again, pulling it back over, and curling into Toni.
"When did she do that, baby?"
"This morning," Cheryl whimpers, her arms slung around Toni's neck. "I'm sorry, Toni."
"Do not apologise," Toni hisses at her, and Cheryl grizzles, scrunching her face up. Toni softens. "Can I kill your mum?"
"Believe me," Cheryl bleats. "I've tried."
Toni laughs, pulling the other girl closer in and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you, bombshell."
Cheryl smiles. "I love you too, Toni."