Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Though to be honest, Shawn had no idea what had made him suggest it in the first place. When Feeny had started explaining John Howard Griffin's premise for Black Like Me, the words had just come out before he even knew what he was saying. Of course Cory ate the idea up as soon as he learned of Griffin's success following the book's publication. Any chance to garner some journalistic notoriety. 

Cory dragged Shawn to the mall after school to, as he put it, 'aquire the proper female accoutrements.' He looked on with skepticism but Cory just looked so pleased with himself as he gathered a selection of dresses that Shawn could only call stylistically questionable. 'Whatever makes Cory happy,' Shawn thought, shaking his head as he smiled at his best friend.

They tried to sneak straight up to Cory's room with their loot but Mr Matthews just had to choose that day to be inquisitive. Cory explained their plan to his parents. Amy was curious and supportive. Alan looked more concerned about their son's sanity by the second. And then Amy pulled out the bra. Shawn did his best to hide a snicker as Cory's dad made a sarcastic quip to his wife.

The back door opened and Topanga joined them in the kitchen. She wanted to apologize to Shawn for the way she had reacted to his comments during their conversation with Debbie that morning. He honestly hadn't given it that much thought after the fact. It just hadn't made sense to him that Debbie might not want to make out with a guy if she had decided to go out on a date with him. Sure, he liked talking and stuff but he would never go out with someone he wasn't sure he wanted to kiss too. It was cool that Topanga was willing to concede that maybe he'd had a valid point.

As it turned out, Shawn may not have had the heart to tell Cory the dresses he had been so proud of were fashion fails but Topanga had no such reservations. She agreed to help Cory channel his inner woman and the trio made their way upstairs as Mr and Mrs Matthews looked on warily. 

Shawn and Topanga couldn't help but cringe when they were finally able to coax Cory out of the bathroom. Everything about him screamed 'awkward.' After trying - and failing - to assure him that he looked fine, the pair decided to just move on to how he presented himself and work on his appearance later.

Cory's walk was ridiculous. It was like he was imitating a character from a movie in the 60s that had just gotten off the bus in the Big City and was ready to start her exciting new life as a career girl. He practically skipped across the room, arms swinging comically at his sides. Shawn and Topanga scrunched up their faces in disapproval.

Shawn tried to explain how girls move but it made no sense to Cory. Topanga, however, was impressed by his interpretation and suggested that he show Cory what he meant. Shawn shrugged and gracefully crossed the room. When he spun on his heel to turn back to his friends he could see the glint of a scheme brewing in their eyes.

They wanted him to be their 'woman on the inside.' His first instinct was to protest as they looked at him like hungry sharks circling a baby seal. A knot was forming in his stomach and he wasn't really sure what emotion was behind it. Fear? Excitement? Both? He tried to keep up a casual facade as he rolled the idea back and forth in his mind. "Yeah, fine," he said with a sigh, hoping that they couldn't hear the trembling he swore he could feel in his voice.

"Great!" Topanga exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I think I'd better supervise the shopping this time. Cory, I love you," she told her boyfriend with a small smirk on her face, "but you have zero fashion sense."

Cory cracked a smile of his own. "Topanga, your words hurt me, dahling. Truly," he said with feigned sincerity. "I guess I'll just have to settle for wearing the pants in this relationship."

"You go right ahead and keep thinking that, mister," she teased. Topanga grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. "Now go get changed. Aubergine is definitely not your color!"

While Cory washed his face and changed back into his jeans and tshirt,Topanga addressed Shawn. "Okay, tomorrow after school you and I can head back to the mall and check out a couple of great stores I know. Oh! We'll have to pick up some makeup and a new wig too. No offense but that one you guys got for Cory isn't going to work."

Shawn averted his gaze and focused on his boots. "We actually still have a bunch of Stacy's old clothes and stuff packed up at the trailer. I can just raid that and it should be fine," he told her.

Topanga furrowed her brow. "You think it'll fit?"

Shawn continued to study his feet. "Uh, yeah. Pretty sure, I think."

"Okay, great," his friend said with a satisfied smile. "I guess if you want I can just pick up the makeup and wig and bring them over to your place tomorrow. I could even help you do your hair if you want? Just us 'girls?'" she joked.

Shawn nodded slowly as he half listened to Topanga. As they had continued to talk, he had started to sink deeper and deeper into a complex pool of emotions. He found himself agreeing to Topanga's agenda without really taking it in. His place. Tomorrow. Hair. Makeup. It was fine.

Still mostly lost in his own thoughts, Shawn said goodbye to his friends to make his way home. Once he was out of the Matthews' house he leaned against the cool door and let his mask of calm slip. He was about to unpack a lot of thoughts and feelings that he had spent too long trying to keep hidden away. He wasn't so sure this had been a great idea after all.

He came home to an empty trailer. Normally, he would have been annoyed that his parents were AWOL, but this time he was thankful for the peace and quiet. The privacy.

He opened his closet door and pushed away piles of dirty clothes, magazines, and whatever else he had shoved into the small space over time in an effort to keep his room 'company clean,' as his mom had always called it. When he got to the back of the closet, he pulled out a battered old cardboard box that had rarely seen the light over the last four years. 'STACY' was scrawled across the box in Shawn's messy twelve-year-old self's handwriting.

God, he missed his sister. When he was little they had been so close. She was more than just his big sister. She had been one of his best friends and his fiercest protector. When Chet was stumbling down drunk and lashing out at the nearest target, she would put herself in the line of fire so he would take his aggressions out on her instead of Shawn. She taught him how to stay out of their father's way and how to sneak out without his parents noticing. She was the one who saw Shawn's fascination for things their man's man of a father would be less than approving of and she was the one who let him explore those things in safety and without judgment.

When Chet was gone for weeks on end chasing after easy money - or easy women - Stacy and Shawn would spend all night playing dolls or dressing up and experimenting with her makeup. Shawn loved those nights. He would beam at his big sister as they looked at their colorful reflections in the mirror.

She had been the same age he was now the last time he'd seen his sister. Stacy had been seeing an older guy, some tattoo artist she'd met after sneaking into a club downtown, and after a major fight with their dad one night she had packed up what she could carry and taken off with said boyfriend. She'd left him a note and this box.

Shawnie,
You might not get it yet but one day you will and I hope you'll forgive me. This place is no good and I had to get out before I wound up as miserable and stuck as that drunk bastard passed out in the recliner. When you're old enough I hope you get out too. Don't let yourself get trapped here and don't let them dull your shine. You're too special for that. I love you so much, kiddo.
-Stace

Without Stacy to watch over him, he started to shy away from his more feminine interests. Cory wasn't interested in those things and Shawn knew better than to suggest they try them. So he devoted his energy to his more acceptable interests. Basketball, learning how to work on motorcycles at his uncle Mike's shop, and getting into trouble.

When puberty hit, things started to change. People started to change. Girls he had never given a second look to made his heart beat a little faster. He loved their soft curves, their shiny hair, the way they presented themselves to the world. He loved girls and they loved him.

Of course as much as he loved how those girls had changed, he despised the changes he saw in his own body. He hid under layers of baggy clothes. Refused to wear shorts so no one would notice how he diligently shaved his legs to keep them smooth and bare. Would let his dark locks grow out to as long as was acceptable before his parents insisted that he get a haircut.

He tried to be the son his dad expected him to be. He watched his father and his uncles. They were all 'guy's guys.' Drinking beers, betting on sports, slapping each other on the back sort of men. Shawn emulated their behavior and nobody ever questioned it. But he never quite believed it himself. It was just part of the image he projected to the rest of the world. But sometimes, when no one else was there too see, he would take out the box, try on the pretty outfits and makeup that Stacy had left for him, and bask in the glow of feeling beautiful and feminine. Of feeling more himself than he did anywhere else.

He sat on the floor with his back against his bed. He hadn't volunteered to dress as a girl. He'd been outnumbered. Outvoted. His friends wouldn't look at him like he was nuts when he showed up with a face full of makeup and clothing that hugged his body. It was all in the name of Journalism, after all. At least that's how it would appear to anyone else. For him it was something deeper. It was a chance he'd never gotten before to let go of the mask he wore for the rest of the world. To be the person he was when it had just been him and Stacy, pretty and carefree.

Eventually he put the box back into his closet to deal with the next day. He was exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions he had experienced that day. He curled up in bed, staring up at his ceiling and listening to the traffic from the highway before finally falling into a fitful night's sleep.

Chapter Text

Veronica shyly rounded the corner. She was a walking panic attack. Heart racing. Stomach churning. Everyone could see her, really see her, for the first time. And she was sure that they all knew. Knew that this was about more than just some high school newspaper article. She had almost chickened out a dozen times between home and the double doors into John Adams High School but to have the freedom to walk the halls the way she had wished she could for so long meant too much to her.

She eyed the busy hallway. This was it, no backing out now. She could feel the eyes of what seemed like the entire student body on her. It was a kind of attention no one had ever paid her before. She felt naked and vulnerable. Even Cory seemed to be looking at her more intently than normal. Then he admitted to her that she was 'kind of a babe.' She wasn't sure what to make of that but when he offered to carry her books she happily accepted. At least she didn't have to walk the gauntlet of curious students alone.

As they headed over to meet Topanga at their lockers, Veronica started to relax. She felt beautiful as she glided down the steps in her tight black turtleneck, tiny red skirt, and black boots. When Topanga called her 'Shawn' her stomach lurched. She shook her head. "No. Not Shawn," she said warily. They agreed that she needed a new name. Cory suggested 'Janet.' Veronica frowned. Janet? She wasn't a Janet. How could Cory not see that? She quickly shot down his suggestion.

Then she felt Topanga's shrewd gaze upon her. "You've thought about this before, haven't you?" She asked Veronica what name she had chosen.

She fidgeted and bit her lip nervously. Now was her chance. She told them she wanted to be called Veronica. It was the name she had called herself when she and Stacy would play dress-up. She'd thought it sounded so cool and grown up. Cory seemed perplexed by the whole thing but Topanga gave Cory a warning glare and assured her that the name was lovely.

Of course Feeny would breeze by and greet them at just that moment, stop, and do a double take. Her heart sank that he had barely looked her way yet immediately called her out. At least he was kind about it. She avoided his gaze as he circled back to her. She tried to explain that it was just part of an article that she and Cory were working on but Feeny just assured her that he was there to listen without judgment if she needed to talk and briskly continued on his way.

While the intereaction was oddly comforting, she didn't have much time to think about it before Gary, the creep whose behavior had helped spark the idea for their article, had locked his sights in on her. Her nerves flared up again. This wasn't going to work. No way. He was going to see right through her and the whole school would see a freak in a skirt. Luckily for her, Gary was oblivious to pretty much anything other than a pretty face and a short skirt and Veronica had both.

He seemed completely awestruck by her from the moment he first saw her. He distractedly told Topanga he'd had a nice time when she asked about his date with her friend Debbie the previous weekend as he made his way over to Veronica. When Cory introduced them Gary smiled at her warmly and she felt a flutter of butterflies she wasn't expecting. When he offered to take her out she just gaped at him in surprise, unable to form an answer. But when Cory began to speak for her she quickly became annoyed. She was her own person with her own voice and she didn't appreciate him bulldozing over her like that.

Then Topanga chimed in and suggested the pair go out on Saturday, further irritating Veronica. That was her date night and she didn't much care to waste it on Gary. She wished Topanga had chosen a closer day so she could just get it over with. Instead, she plastered on her most enthused smile and agreed to meet him at Chubbie's on Saturday. Satisfied, Gary left the trio and headed to his next class with a little extra bounce in his step.

How they managed to get their teachers to agree to go along with their ruse was beyond Veronica but they did. Certainly, having the backing of Mr Feeny and Mr Turner helped. It also seemed to help that quite a large number of girls were happy to play along. It turned out that Debbie wasn't the only one sick of guys constantly trying to make an unwanted move on their dates. They embraced the shy and pretty transfer student, Veronica Wasboiski, as one of their own and made sure the rest of the student body did too.

She tried to avoid Gary as much as possible for the rest of the day. If she saw him first she would turn tail and disappear into the nearest flock of girls. When he happened to see her first she gave him a small wave and an apologetic smile before ducking into the girls' bathroom.

Lunch was the only time she couldn't avoid him altogether. When she arrived at the register after getting her tray she was told it was already paid for. She was confused at first but she also wasn't going to turn down a free lunch.

When Gary sauntered up to her table, she suddenly realized the downside of that free lunch. "Hey, Veronica, " he greeted her cheerily while paying Cory and Topanga no mind, "I know our date isn't until Saturday but I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me?"

"Oh that's really sweet of you, Gary, but I've got all these new classes to get caught up in. Cory and Topanga offered to give me their notes and help me study while we eat." She picked up her notebook and waved it at him to emphasize her statement. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. " I'd hate to be responsible for you falling behind. Besides, the wait will just make Saturday even more special." He winked at her and it took all her willpower to not make a face at him. The three friends waved sardonically at Gary's retreating figure before bursting Into a fit of laughter.

"You should have gone for it. A little preview of the dazzling evening you have to look forward to this weekend," Cory said playfully.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Nice try. One meal with that guy will be more than enough for me. You're just trying to get me to give you extra dirt for your article."

"That obvious, huh?" Cory asked.

"Only because you're my best friend," she chuckled.

Topanga redirected the conversation. "So what's it like being the new girl at John Adams High, Veronica?"

She shook her head. "Overwhelming. It's so weird to feel like everyone is constantly studying me. Is this what it's like all the time, Topanga?"

"Sometimes," the other girl admitted, "but not all the time. Unfortunately you get used to it and just sort of learn to ignore it when it happens."

Veronica looked dismayed. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to it."

"Well lucky for you, you won't have to. Come Sunday you can go back to normal and we'll have a name-making news article ready to go to the printers," Cory said excitedly.

'Right. Normal,' Veronica thought. She wasn't even sure she knew what normal meant anymore. Yeah, all the extra attention made her self-conscious and uncomfortable, but she didn't want to go back to hiding either. She knew that that was what she'd have to do though. She couldn't stay Veronica forever - not if she wanted to make it through high school without getting her ass kicked - so she was going to enjoy it while she could.

Every morning for the rest of the week she would walk to Cory's house and get dressed for school. She luxuriated in doing her makeup and changing into an outfit that made her feel beautiful. When she was finished getting ready she would take a few minutes to admire the young woman beaming back at her before she rejoined her friend and they headed to school.

When she and Gary locked eyes in the hall between periods, he made no move to leave his friends to talk to her. A pretty blonde came up to him, clearly in a flirtatious mood, but Gary brushed her off, instead waving to Veronica with a wide grin. Surprised, she gave him a confused smile in return before stuffing the supplies she needed for her next class into her bag and hurrying off to class.

Her lunch had been paid for once again but this time she received no tableside visit. Given everything that Debbie had said about her own date with him, Veronica was surprised at how he was respecting her space. 'Maybe he's not as bad as Debbie's making him out to be?' she mused.

On Friday Gary made another appearance at lunch. "I hope I'm not interrupting," he addressed Cory and Veronica. Topanga had left them to dine alone in favor of doing some research in the library. He towered over the pair, hands casually resting behind his back.

Cory perked up and Veronica shot her friend a suspicious look. "Of course not, Gar! Please, tell us what brings you to our table on this most joyous Friday afternoon?"

"Uh, sure," Gary responded uncertainly. "Veronica," he began more confidently,  "I just wanted to say that I'm looking forward to our date tomorrow and give you this." He brought his hand forth to present her with a single long-stemmed red rose.

Veronica's cheeks burned as his fingers brushed against hers when she took the rose from him. "Thanks," she said quietly, avoiding looking at him.

He grinned. "Well then, I'll let you two get back to your lunch. See you later, Veronica."

She mumbled back a, "See ya" playing with the flower as Gary left. No one had ever given her flowers before. The deep red petals felt like silk as she gently caressed them.

"Looks like you've got yourself quite the fan there, Ver-on-i-ca," Cory said with amusement.

Veronica made a noncommittal sound in response. She had absolutely no interest in Gary but he seemed to be genuinely interested in her. A guilty feeling began to brew in the pit of her stomach. "Are you sure this article is a good idea, Cor?"

"Of course it is," Cory assured her. "It was your idea, remember?"

"I guess. I just think that we might be taking things too far with this date."

"No way! All's fair in love and journalism, my friend." He grinned proudly at his clever turn of phrase. "Besides, if we quit now then you're just a guy in a dress and that's just nuts," he laughed.

The words knocked all the wind out of Veronica's lungs. "Yeah," she agreed with an empty chuckle. She looked down at her rose. "Nuts."

Chapter Text

"'Strong enough for a man, made for a woman' my ass!" Veronica grumbled. "I'm sweating like a freaking pig." She fanned her flushed face as she paced up and down the length of her bedroom. The dark green long sleeved dress looked great, but velvet was not the most breathable fabric.

Topanga smiled sympathetically as she looked on from her seat at the foot of Veronica's bed. "Slow down. Take a breath. It's just nerves. You've got this. Besides, Cory and I will be right there if you need us."

"Yeah, okay," Veronica agreed, still pacing. She suddenly stopped short. "Hey, where is he anyway?"

"He told me he'd meet us at Chubbie's."

"Why isn't he going with us?" Veronica asked worriedly.

Topanga shrugged. "He said he needed to take care of a couple things after school."

"Oh God." Veronica looked at the other girl warily. "He probably spent the afternoon hunting down a string quartet to play by our table."

Topanga chuckled. "You know he means well. Even if he is insane."

Veronica grinned. "Yeah, I know." She took a long look at herself in the mirror before she spun to face Topanga. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," Topanga told her.

"Great," Veronica responded unenthusiastically. "Maybe I should try the pantsuit instead?" she proposed hopefully.

"Don't you dare," she chuckled. "You've got this. Now come on. You don't want to be late." She corralled a protesting Veronica out of the room and toward the front door.

When they got to Chubbie's, Veronica gave Topanga an anxious look. "Cory's still not here. What the hell is he up to? I'm only on this stupid date to help him out." She looked up and down the street for any sign of him. "Are you sure he said he'd meet us here?" She felt ready to bail. "Maybe we should try his house first."

Topanga grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her back around to face the entrance. "I'm sure. Let's just go in. He's probably already inside but if he isn't I'll still be right there and I'm sure he won't be far behind us. Okay?" After Veronica gave her a hesitant nod, Topanga gently pushed her friend toward the door.

Veronica slowly descended the stairs down to the restaurant.Topanga followed behind her before breaking off to sit at a table near the counter to observe the date. Gary slid out of the booth he'd been waiting at and waved to Veronica. He grinned brightly and she did her best to look like she wanted to be there.

"Hey! You made it! Come on, I saved us the best seats in the place," he joked with a wink. He led her back to the table and slid back into the booth. When Veronica moved to sit opposite of him he swiftly took her hand. "Why don't you come over here and sit next to me?" he suggested.

"Oh. Sure." She gave him a tight smile and sat beside him, trying to keep as much distance between them as was possible in the small space.

They chatted for a bit and Veronica was surprised that he seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her better. He looked her in the eye and looked legitimately curious to hear her answers. She found herself speaking more honestly with him than she had planned. When he told her that if she ever just needed someone to talk to he would be there to listen, his words struck an unexpected chord in her. 'Huh. That's actually kind of sweet. Wait- ' She made a face at the thought. 'Aw, shit.' She panicked and abruptly told him she needed food.

Gary called for a waitress. To Veronica's shock and embarrassment, Cory burst out of the kitchen and over to their table looking - and sounding - like a middle-aged diner waitress from the 80s with a two-pack-a-day habit. Suddenly, Veronica wished a hole would open up beneath her and swallow her up, saving her from the bizarre nightmare of a date she had found herself on. Gary ordered his food and she ordered the same. And then some.

'Cora' and Gary both looked at her in surprise. She figured that if Gary was paying she may as well get her fill. Besides, she had been too nervous to eat anything earlier in the day so she was starving.

When they were alone again Gary tried to get a little closer, putting an arm around her. She told him she was feeling crowded but he insisted that she just needed to relax as he started to rub her shoulders. When she shoved him away he was taken aback by the strength she put behind it. She told him that she played field hockey with a demure smile.

He admitted that the first thing he'd noticed about her were her legs as he gave her knee a flirtatious squeeze. She jumped up, startled by the unexpected touch, and reprimanded him, her words mirroring what Debbie had said at the beginning of the week. "You're too busy planning your next move to hear us say 'No!'"

She stomped over to Cory and Topanga, visibly upset over her interaction with Gary. She couldn't believe he thought he had the right to touch her out of nowhere like that. Topanga, playing devil's advocate, suggested that maybe she'd sent him a signal, inviting the touch.

Veronica shook her head. "The only signal I sent him was, 'Stop it.'" She wasn't like that on dates, was she? Well, if she had been, she certainly wouldn't be that way anymore. She wanted to end the date then and there but when she told Cory she wanted to quit, he quietly insisted that she needed to keep going so that they could finish the article.

Gary came up to her and apologized for coming on too strong and asked for her forgiveness. Cory immediately stepped in and answered for her, assuring Gary that Veronica forgave him. She looked uneasy but said nothing. Gary offered to make up for his previous behavior by teaching her how to play foosball.

"How about I teach you?" she asked with a confident smirk as she walked away.

Gary chuckled at the idea of getting beat by a girl as he followed after her.

She led the way to the back room and took the far side of the foosball table. Gary explained to her how to make a goal and it took all the patience she could muster not to roll her eyes. With a quick snap of her wrist, she scored her first point. "Like this?" she asked innocently.

"Just take your next shot," he responded irritably. This time he blocked the ball.

She complimented his skill which he took as an invitation to show her how it was done. He came around to her slid of the table and positioned himself behind her. He slide his hands down her arms to where she gripped the handles as he began to talk her through the move. She held her breath anxiously before Gary brought his hands back up to rest on her hips.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked as she turned to face him. Veronica was mad that Gary couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her and he was mad that the girl he was out with was rejecting him at every turn. When he accused her of being into girls instead of guys, Veronica wanted to laugh in his face. The dumbass had no idea how correct he was and she was about to let him know.

It felt so satisfying to punch Gary. She put her whole body behind it and glared down at the prone teen. She had done this not just for herself, but for every girl she knew who had dealt with the same bullshit behavior from the same bullshit guys over the years. He lay on the ground in a daze as she sauntered out of the back room of Chubbie's and left the restaurant with her friends. The trio agreed to meet up the next day to start putting together the article. Veronica waved goodbye to Cory and Topanga and started walking home.

Veronica tensed as she heard a car creeping up behind her on the sparsely lit road to the trailer park. The crunching of gravel under car tires sounded deafening on such a quiet night. Suddenly she was blinded as the vehicle turned on its high beams. She raised her arms to shield her eyes but couldn't make out anything beyond the twin suns of the headlights. Her stomach tightened as she heard the car door open and heavy footfalls steadily made their way toward her.

"Where do you think you're going?" a familiar voice called out to her. 

Veronica squinted into the darkness. "Gary?"

"You think you can just clock me and walk away like you're better than me? Figures you'd turn out to be nothing but trailer trash," he scoffed. He towered over her, seething with anger.

"I may be trailer trash, but it could be worse. I could be you," she shot back.

The next thing she knew, she was stumbling on the shoulder of the road after Gary backhanded her. She tried to regain her balance but fell to her hands and knees in the ditch. Gary's eyes went wide. "Oh, shit, Veronica. I'm so sor- "

Veronica glared up at him. "Bet this is the only way you've ever managed to get a girl on her knees for you," she spat out. She realized the stupidity of her smart comment too late.

She tried to scramble away as Gary stormed toward her. "God, you are such a bitch!" he yelled. "What the fuck is wrong with you, seriously?"

 She swung at him but he overtook her. He grabbed hold of her wrist and positioned himself behind her, enveloping her in a tight bear hug in an attempt to stop her attack. She bucked and kicked with all her might, trying to free herself, but it was no use. "Will...you...stop....fighting me?" he panted out as he struggled to subdue her. "Jesus! Why the hell did you even go out with me if you don't even like me?" They realized at the same time that in the tussle, Veronica's wig had been knocked askew.

Veronica's eyes widened in panic as Gary's narrowed in suspicion. "What the fuck's wrong with your hair?" he asked as his free hand went to the synthetic strands framing her face. He pulled the wig off of her head and jumped back in surprise. 

He stared at her and recognition sparked in his eyes. "Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me! Hunter?!? What the hell, man! You some kinda tranny freak?"

"You don't understand," she began, slowly putting some distance between them while Gary was distracted. "It's not like that! I- "

"I'm not some fuckin fag, Hunter! Shoulda known you were though. Huh, Pretty Boy?"

Gary seemed to have a knack for pushing the buttons that overrode Veronica's good sense and made her see red. "I'm not a goddamned pretty boy, you piece of shit!" she yelled as she catapulted herself forward and tackled him. Her fists flew wildly, connecting several strong blows to Gary's torso.

He flipped their bodies so he was sprawled on top of her, pinning her down. The rough gravel dug into her back under Gary's weight. Their faces were just inches apart as Gary stopped and looked at her. Really looked at her for the first time since he'd caught up to her on the road. "You are though." He seemed confused by his realization. "You really are beautiful." He ran his fingers through Veronica's hair - her real hair - and closed the minimal gap between them to attack her mouth with his own.

She let out a muffled sound of surprise but when he broke the kiss to continue his examination of her, she didn't dare move. Soon his lips were back on hers. But this time he was more gentle. Cautious. Exploratory. And she began to yield to him.

Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself responding to his kisses. Her body relaxed beneath his and when he ran his tongue across the seal of her full lips she parted them to allow him entry. She melted into submission as Gary dominated the kiss. Veronica was soft and sensual and the kiss felt damn good. Gary wasn't gay, he was absolutely certain of that. 'So what the fuck does this mean?'

He pulled back, panting to catch his breath. "I'm not into guys," he said, not sure if he was saying it for Veronica's benefit or his own.

She looked up at him and nodded solemnly. "I know."

Gary rolled off of her and sat up with his head resting in his hands. "I'm not into guys," he repeated, "so why the fuck do I want to keep kissing you right now?"

Veronica sat up next to him, neither looking at the other. "Maybe because I'm not a guy," she mumbled.

Gary huffed out a laugh. "Bullshit," he said quietly. "You've got a dick, don't you?"

She rolled her eyes. "And you are a dick. What's your point?"

This elicited a genuine laugh from Gary. "Wow, feisty," he chuckled. He contemplated what she had told him for a moment. "So what does that mean, exactly, if you're not a guy?"

"It means that you like girls. Congratulations, you're still straight, Gary."

He looked uncertain. "But you're- "

"I'm Veronica," she cut him off. "Always have been. But nobody ever really saw me," she said sadly.

"I see you," he said softly.

"You do?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," he told her. He turned his body toward hers. "Okay, so I've got to know, if you're not into guys why did you even agree to go out with me?" There was no anger or accusation in his voice. He was genuinely curious.

Veronica let out a heavy sigh. "It sounds so stupid now. I got this idea for Cory to write an article about what the world is like from a girl's point of view. Of course Cory made a terrible girl so they decided I should do it. Turns out that when you spend your whole life hiding the fact that you've always felt like you were a girl, you make a pretty good one. Then you come up and ask me out. It's funny because it was actually your date with Debbie that helped give me the idea for the article in the first place."

Gary snorted derisively. "Fucking Debbie." He shook his head. "Man, I didn't even want to go out with her. It was a stupid status setup by our parents but I gave her a shot. She acted like she was so into me at dinner, laughing and flirting. I thought maybe we could have a little fun before she had to be home but as soon as I stop spending money on her she's done. And now I'm the dick, huh?"

Veronica shrugged. "According to Debbie at least."

Gary eyed her with interest. "Well what do you think?"

She thought for a minute before answering. "I think that at the very least, you're shit at reading body language. I will say that I was surprised by how nice you were to me at school. I felt kind of bad about making you go out on a date with me and I was going to cancel but Cory convinced me to go through with it."

Gary actually looked disappointed. "I was nice to you because you seemed cool and I wanted to get to know you. You seemed shy, but I thought you were into me too. Do you have any idea how confusing it was to think you liked me and then you spend our whole date trying to get as far away from me as humanly possible while still being in the same restaurant?"

"No," she admitted quietly.

"So, you don't like guys at all, huh?" Gary asked.

Veronica furrowed her brow. "I mean, I've never really thought about guys that way. I've always known I like girls, but I've never had a crush or anything on a guy before. I've seen guys I thought were hot or whatever but I've never thought about dating one."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Do you think I'm hot?" he asked flirtatiously.

She looked down to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks. "I'm not answering that, you egomaniac."

"Come on, Veronica. Tell me what you really think of me and I'll tell you what I really think of you," he proposed.

She was leery. "I'm not so sure I want to know that."

He put his hand on hers and stroked his thumb along her fingers. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

She groaned in embarrassment. "Fine! You're hot! You know it, I know you do. You're tall and you're sexy and you've got that stupid gorgeous square jaw and those amazing blue eyes. Are you happy?"

Gary chuckled. "Kinda, yeah." Veronica rolled her eyes. "My turn," he said. Her throat went dry. "When I saw you that first day I thought you were gorgeous. You seemed sweet and shy and it was really cute," he admitted. "I felt like I just had to get to know more about you."

"You're nothing like I thought you were," she said.

He gave her a half-smile. "I guess you're not the only one that can surprise people."

They sat in silence for a while before Gary abruptly stood. Veronica's stomach dropped. He was leaving. He'd come to his senses and was leaving the freak on the side of the road where he had found her.

When he reached out to help her stand up she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She smiled at him gratefully as he pulled her up and handed her wig to her. She'd completely forgotten about it. She quickly started to put it back on but Gary spoke up.

"You know you don't need that, right?" he asked.

"I don't?" Veronica eyed him skeptically.

He shook his head. "It looks good, don't get me wrong, but I don't know...the short hair's kinda cute too." He smiled sheepishly. "Can I, um, can I take you home?"

"You want to take me home?" she asked in confusion. "Why?"

Gary fidgeted under her scrutiny. "Because you're right, I've been a dick and I want to make it up to you. Please?"

She fixed him with an inquisitive stare. "And why would you want to do that?"

It was at about this time that Gary decided his loafers were especially fascinating. "You're just different, I guess," he muttered.

An amused smile curled at the corners of Veronica's lips. "Yeah, I think we established that," she chuckled. "So what you, like, like me?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" He cautiously met her eyes. "Do you like me? Like, at all?"

She bit her lip as she examined his face. She'd never seen Gary look vulnerable or uncertain. Not until tonight. "I'm still not sure you're not a dick, but I think I'm starting to," she confessed.

"Then let me take you home," he proposed. He extended a hand toward her. When Veronica took hold of it, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you, Veronica." They both smiled in the darkness as they walked to Gary's car.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Cory and Topanga were at Veronica's front door much too early for her liking. She groaned as she looked at the alarm clock. It was barely noon. 'Who the hell gets up so early on a Sunday?' Several more eager knocks reminded her. 'Oh, yeah. A highly motivated Cory Matthews, that's who.'

"Okay, okay, I'm up," she grumbled groggily. All she wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep but she knew Cory would sooner break down the door than give up and go home.

After she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Veronica looked down at her hands and noticed streaks of stubborn mascara from the night before on her fingers. She probably looked like shit but she just didn't have the energy to care. She'd been up half the night after she'd gotten home, thinking about Gary. More specifically, about the things they'd shared with each other and kissing Gary and if she was going crazy because all she wanted right then was to do it all again.

When he'd parked his car by her trailer they had both been reluctant to say goodbye. For the first time in years Veronica had felt like she could be one hundred percent herself and it made her indescribably happy. She'd wished she could stay up all night with him. Sadly, all things have to end eventually, including amazing nights.

"I want to see you again," Gary had told her.

As much as the words had pleased her to hear, she frowned at him. "How's that gonna work, Gary? You gonna keep buying me lunch and coming to my table with flowers? Hold my hand in the hall?" She sighed and stroked his cheek. "You're the only person that knows me like this and honestly I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that you're cool with me. I doubt that most of the school would be as understanding."

"So then we don't tell anyone. It's nobody else's business anyway. We're just two people hanging out. I like talking to you and I can do that wherever I want. And if I want to kiss you," he leaned in close so his lips brushed against hers as he spoke, "then I'm sure I can find plenty of chances to do that too." He kissed her softly to demonstrate his point. "So?"

She looked into his eyes, trying to discern if he was serious. Finally, she nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," he repeated with a smile.

She kissed him goodnight and reluctantly got out of the car and walked into her empty home. She stripped out of her clothes and took a long, relaxing shower. In her room, she pulled on a pair of boxers and an oversized tshirt before climbing into bed. She closed her eyes and imagined him lying in bed with her, arms wrapped around her, kissing her and calling her beautiful. A contented sigh slipped from her lips as she drifted off to sleep.

Another series of knocks pulled her out of her reminiscence of the previous night. "Alright already!" she shouted as she pulled on a pair of pajama pants and wrapped herself in her robe. She stumbled to the front door and pulled it open.

Cory's excited smile melted from his face when he saw his best friend.

Topanga's hand flew to her mouth. "Shawn! What happened to your face?"

Veronica looked at her in confusion for a moment.  "Oh! That waterproof mascara you gave me is serious business. I thought I got it all off but," she grinned sheepishly as she waggled her blackened fingertips at them, "I guess I missed some."

"No, sweetie, your cheek!"

Only when Topanga's gentle touch across Veronica's cheekbone made her wince did she remember that Gary had backhanded her when he'd caught up with her on her way home from their date. "Oh, that," she said dismissively. "It's no big deal. I got into it with some dickhead when I was walking home last night." She tried to laugh off her friends' concern but they didn't look reassured. "I'm fine, really. You should see the other guy." She chuckled at her own inside joke, knowing she had given Gary an even nastier bruise when she'd punched him at the end of their date.

"Shouldn't you report it to the police?" Cory asked as he and Topanga stepped inside the trailer.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Come on, Cory. You knw the cops aren't gonna do anything. As far as they're concerned, folks around here aren't worth helping. Besides, I already said I'm fine. It's done."

Cory looked like he wanted to press the issue but thought better of it. He knew that as far as his best friend was concerned, the matter was closed. "Well then, I guess we should get started on this article." He rubbed his hands together, ready to get down to business.

"Cory," Veronica began reluctantly, "I'm not so sure that it's such a good idea to do this article after all."

Her friend frowned at her in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'Not such a good idea?' You're the one that told me to write something that really means something. We did all this work. All this research. All that's left now is to type it all out and publish it. We can't pull it now!"

Anger rose up inside of Veronica. She glared at Cory. "We? We didn't do anything. I spent half the week having my ass checked out all over school. I went out with someone I never wanted to go out with in the first place just so you could prove what a big creep he was. You spent a couple of hours playing fucking Tootsie with an order pad and an apron! So if I say I don't think it's a good idea to do the article, then we aren't doing the article!"

Topanga watched the pair with concern. "You guys," she began cautiously, "I think if you both just-"

"Yeah. Okay. That's the way you want to be about it, Hunter? That's fine. I don't need your help. I've got plenty of information to work with. I'll write the article myself. Come on, Topanga, let's get out of here!" He grabbed his girlfriend's hand and stormed toward the door.

"Great! Go ahead, Cor! Just remember when you're writing your precious article to mention that you're no better than Gary! Because you were the one who pushed me to go out with him in the first place. And you were the one who kept pressuring me to keep the date going even when I wanted to stop! Not Gary! You!"

The last thing Veronica saw before Cory slammed the door to the trailer shut behind them was the look on Topanga's face. A look of understanding and apology.

Veronica let out an angry growl. Cory just never seemed to know when enough was enough. It was just like when she'd told him to back off on busting Eddie and his gang for boosting laptops. He didn't listen then and had almost gotten his teeth kicked in because of it. He seemed to have blinders on when it came to his quest to gain accolades and he didn't care who might end up hurt in the process. 'God, why couldn't he ever just fucking listen?'

She hoped he was smart enough to drop the article. Or, if he wasn't, that maybe Topanga could talk some sense into him. Odds were that she'd end up playing mediator between the two friends until this all settled down anyway and, if Veronica had read her face right, she agreed that Cory had overstepped his boundaries.

Her thoughts were Interrupted by the shrill ringing of the phone. Veronica took a deep breath to compose herself before picking up. "Hello?" she answered curiously.

Chet's gruff voice crackled over the line. "Heya, Shawnie, how ya doin?" he asked enthusiastically.

She was surprised to hear from him. Usually if he'd taken off to parts unknown it could be weeks before her father checked in on her. "Good, dad. I'm doing good. I haven't seen you in a few days. Where'd you and mom run off to?"

"You know yer momma," Chet sighed. "She got in one of her moods and decided she needed some time to cool off. I got word that she parked herself down at a craps table at the Trump Taj Mahal and thought I'd track her down. I ain't spotted the damned woman yet but I did stumble onto a very hot roulette wheel and I'm letting it ride on red til we're filthy stinking rich, my boy." He let out a boisterous chortle.

"Oh," she responded flatly, "that's great. Well, not the part about mom, but, uh, congratulations on your hot streak, I guess."

"Gotta go, son. They're getting ready to take bets and I want to catch that waitress with the shrimp cocktails before she scampers off to the other side of the casino."

"Oh, okay. Well thanks for checking in. Talk to you soon d-" the dialtone echoed loudly in Veronica's ear after her father hung up on her. She sighed as she placed the receiver back in its cradle. It seemed she would have the trailer to herself for a while.

Veronica looked around the empty room. Now that she wasn't spending the day helping Cory work on his article, she really didn't know what to do. She could go to Chubbie's and grab something to eat but it was always packed on the weekends and right now she didn't really feel like seeing anyone.

Well, almost anyone. But what if he didn't want to see her? After all, the pretty girl in a nice dress in the moonlight on Saturday night was just a skinny boy in a baggy tshirt and jeans on Sunday afternoon. Maybe the spell would be broken. For him and for her. What if the nice guy who showed her kindness and respect when they were alone would laugh at her when he was surrounded by his friends?

She wasn't ready to find out. She wanted to hold on to the feeling he had evoked in her for a while longer. So she crawled back into bed and dreamt of feeling beautiful. Of feeling wanted. Of feeling seen.

Chapter Text

Veronica was late to her first class but that was nothing new. Even if she had been in her seat, odds were that she wouldn't be paying enough attention to make a difference. Between her fight with Cory and her flirtations with Gary she was beyond preoccupied.  She was about to round the corner to get her books from her locker when a pair of strong hands grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her into an empty classroom.

She was abrubptly pushed up against the dusty chalkboard on the wall. Her surprised yelp was quickly muffled by a pair of lips on her own.  She shoved Gary's solid shoulders, breaking their kiss.

"Jesus, Gary, you scared the shit out of me!" she chided him. "You can't just snatch a person up like that! What if I had taken a swing at you?"

Gary chuckled. "You? Punch me?" He stroked the dark bruise along his jaw. "That doesn't sound like you at all." He grinned as Veronica turned red.

"Hey," she said sheepishly, "you deserved that. And you would've deserved this one too."

"That's probably fair," he conceded before leaning in to capture her lips again. "Told you I'd find plenty of chances to kiss you," he declared smuggly. He kissed a trail down her neck before tugging aside the collar of her shirt. Goosebumps made her shiver as his breath carassed the delicate flesh along her collarbone between kisses and teasing bites.

Veronica relaxed against the chalkboard, eyes fluttering closed as Gary continued to shower her with attention. She snaked her arms around his neck to keep him close and allowed his lips to roam over whatever bare skin he could find.

"I'm late for class," she reminded him breathily. "You're late for class. We should probably go."

"Since when do you care about being on time to class, Veronica?"

"That's not the point," she said, trying to stifle the soft moan that threatened to undermine her. "What if someone walks in here and catches us?"

"No one's going to catch us. Everyone's in class. We're here, alone in the dark. It's fine." He rested a hand on her hip. "I can't get you out of my head, " he murmured into her ear before nipping at the soft flesh of the lobe. Sparks of pleasure elicited a small gasp from her. She squirmed against him but he kept her pinned between himself and the wall.

"So, no regrets now that I have to go back to being plain old Shawn Hunter?"

He wove his fingers through her dark waves and he locked eyes with her. "We both know you're not just, 'plain old Shawn Hunter.' But yeah, no regrets," he assured her. "Now, are you gonna go out with me again or what?"

"When?" she asked.

"Tonight? Tomorrow night? Now?" He wrapped her in a tight hug, giving her tiny kisses after each suggestion. "Just say the word and I'll be there."

She burst into laughter at Gary's eagerness. "Wanna take me out to dinner tonight? I never did get that steak," she reminded him with a grin.

He kissed the top of her head. "It's a date. I'll pick you up at seven."

She hummed in agreement. "I'll wear something sexy." She winked playfully. Then her eyes caught sight of the clock on the wall and she groaned in disappointment. "Classes are about to let out. I've gotta go, for real this time."

When she tried to pull away Gary started to protest so she pulled him down into a passionate kiss and he returned it eagerly. His grip on her loosened. Her lips were still close enough to brush against his as she said, "Goodbye, Gary."

She slipped out of his arms and through the door before he could stop her. He was about to go after her when the bell rang and her retreating form was lost in the sea of students flooding the hall to change classes. Gary leaned against the doorframe. He shook his head and smiled to himself. Seven o'clock couldn't come fast enough.

Veronica was busy digging through her locker when Topanga walked up and greeted her. There was no sign of Cory. "Hey, we missed you in first period."

"Yeah. I, uh, lost track of the time." She shut her locker and turned to her friend. The fresh hickey peeking out from the collar of her tshirt did not go unnoticed by Topanga.

"Hmm. I see that," she said. Although she wondered who had been responsible for the mark, given the previous day's tension she thought it was best not to pry.

"So, uh, is Cory still planning to do the article?" Veronica tried to sound nonchalant but they both knew she was feeling anything but.

Topanga sighed. "So far, yeah." Veronica scowled in annoyance. "I'm trying, Shawn, I really am. You're right. Cory took this too far. You were the one putting yourself at risk and he should have respected your boundaries. If you two could just sit down and have a calm, respectful conversation I really think you can get him to understand-"

"What’s this?" Cory asked as he approached the pair. "My girlfriend and the traitor formerly known as my best friend, conspiring behind my back?"

"Cory," Veronica began in a warning tone. "You still have no idea what the problem with this article is, do you?"

"No, Shawn, I don't. And until yesterday you didn't seem to have any problems with it either. It's like you just don't want me to succeed at anything. Besides, this whole article was your idea in the first place, remember that?"

Veronica huffed angrily. "Yeah. I do. You won't stop reminding me. But it was just supposed to be a story about the differences of dating from the perspective of guys versus girls. You're the one who turned it into a witch hunt.  If you had just let me end the date when I had first wanted to, Gary wouldn't have kept pushing. You practically threw me at him, Cory. This is as much on you as it is Gary. More, actually, because he had no idea that it wasn't a real date. And until you can take a step back and see the situation for what it is, I just can't deal with you and your prima donna bullshit." She gave Topanga's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'll see you later, Topanga." She turned on her heel and stalked off down the hall.

Cory smacked the locker in frustration. "God, he can be so selfish sometimes!" he complained to his girlfriend.

She gave him a pointed look. "Are you sure that Shawn's the one being selfish here, Cory? I think he had a lot of valid points and maybe you should take some time to really consider them before you end up losing your best friend. You haven't thought about how any of this must have been for him, have you?"

"No," Cory admitted glummly.

She gently poked his forehead. "Start," she ordered him before walking away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Cory leaned against the row of lockers and sighed. How had this turned into such a giant mess? He had been so focused on his own ambitions that he really hadn't thought about how it might affect anyone else, including his best friend. Why did Topanga always have to be right?

All Veronica wanted to do was get out of the school and as far away from Cory as she could for the rest of the day. She had nearly reached the double doors to freedom when she saw Gary at the water fountain. She walked over and casually leaned against the wall beside it.

"I've gotta get out of this place," she told him quietly.

Gary smiled as he stood up straight. "Want some company?" he asked, also keeping his voice low. She pushed off the wall and discreetly motioned for Gary to follow her.

The pair kept a respectable amount of space between them as they left the school. No one watching them leave had any reason to think they were leaving together. No one except Topanga who had followed Veronica to let her know that they may have finally started getting through to Cory. She looked on as they made their way to the student parking lot and climbed into Gary's BMW, wondering what the unlikely pair could possibly be up to.

"Where do you want to go?" Gary asked as he slid into the driver's seat.

"Home first. I don't know about after yet. I just want to get out of these clothes." She gestured at her oversized shirt and faded jeans.

He looked at her out of his peripheral vision and nodded. "Okay." He grinned mischievously. "You know, if you need any help-"

She lightly smacked his arm. "Just drive, Gary," she ordered, shaking her head in amusement.

He cleared his throat and put on a no-nonsense face. "Yes, ma'am." He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot to take Veronica home.

Chapter Text

When they arrived at the trailer park, Gary followed Veronica inside. As he looked at his surroundings Veronica hugged her arms self-consciously. "Sorry. I know it's kind of a shithole," she apologized awkwardly.

He quickly cut her off. "Stop. It's fine."

"Right," she said sarcastically. "I could park my entire house in your driveway. It's fine though." She unceremoniously plopped down on the lumpy old couch and heaved out a sigh.

Gary sat beside her and gently nudged her with his shoulder. "You know, it really doesn't matter where you live."

"Mmm," she muttered doubtfully. "You drive a freaking Bimmer, Gary. I can only imagine your place. I don't get it. You and I just don't make sense. At all. What are we doing?"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on. You're so freaked out about being judged for where you live but you're gonna turn around and do the same thing to me? Guess what, Veronica? I don't like my life any more than you like yours. My parents expect me to take out all these debutant princesses from their country club til I get an MBA and find myself a nice little Stepford wife. They've planned my entire life out for me without ever stopping to ask me what I want."

Veronica let out a small, surprised, "Oh."

"Yeah, we don't make sense. That's what I like about you, Veronica. You are wild, and funny, and you're not afraid to speak your mind. You're not prissy and predictable. I really like being with you. Do you like being with me?" Veronica just nodded. "So fuck what other people think we should be and who we should be with. This," he gestured between them, "is what I want. So what do you want?"

Her eyes flicked from his eyes to his lips and back again. "This." She pulled him into a slow, lingering kiss. Gary laid back on the couch and pulled her to sit on top of him. His hands slowly ran down the sides of her torso before slipping under her shirt to feel the heated skin beneath the fabric. As they began to drift back up toward her chest she abruptly broke the kiss. "Wait. Wait. I don't-"

She jumped off the couch, leaving a dazed Gary staring after her as she rushed to her bedroom stammering out something about getting dressed. She cursed under her breath as she hastily shut the door behind her.

Gary closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair with a sigh. He wondered if it would be rude of him to ask about having a cold shower while he waited for her to come back out.

Veronica sat on her bed and took some deep breaths to stop her anxiety from turning into a full-blown panic attack. The thought of Gary feeling her up and touching her flat chest made her stomach churn.

Eventually, she got her emotions under control. She took off her school clothes, stripping down to her panties. She waited until she after she had put on her heavily padded bra to venture a look in the mirror. She wished she had curves and breasts under all her oversized layers. Unfortuately for her, her hips were too narrow and her tits only looked good with a good bra under her clothes, but Gary had been right about one thing. She had great legs. Long, strong, and smooth. She decided to leave them bare for him to admire as she pulled out a black a-line dress that came to mid-thigh. She threw on her wig and some makeup before completing the look with a cropped denim jacket and combat boots. She immediately felt better. More confident. More herself.

She slipped back out and looked at Gary. "Hey," she shyly greeted him.

'Wow," was all he managed to come up with when he saw her transformation. He stood to join her. "You look...you sure you don't want to just stay here for a while? That's a really nice couch you've got there." He gestured toward it with a hopeful look.

"Don't tempt me, lover boy. Come on." She took his hands in hers and gave him a quick kiss before she pulled him toward the front door. "You don't want to stay parked out front too long. Somebody might get brave and decide to strip your car for parts while you're trying to strip me," she teased.

Gary chuckled. "That's a joke, right?" Veronica strode through the door and just kept walking, a tiny smirk on her face. Gary hustled after her. "Right?"

When he caught up to her at his car, she was already getting in. He stopped short on her side. "I could have sworn I locked the doors," he mused.

"You did," she assured him. "Welcome to the Pink Flamingo, babe," she laughed as she shut her door.

"You're crazy," he informed her when he got behind the wheel. "You know that, right?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. I'm also starving. Wanna get some lunch?"

"Yeah. Chubbie's?"

Veronica made a face. Odds were that it would be full of upperclassmen from their school who had gone off campus for lunch. "Half the school's probably going there. We need a place where we can just be ourselves without worrying about getting recognized. "

They settled on a cozy diner with low lighting and plush booths. They slid into the booth together and Gary put his arm around Veronica when she leaned against him. The waitress came by to take their order and as she walked away Veronica snickered.

"What’s so funny?" Gary asked.

"Deja vu. Us, sitting in a booth. You, ordering your 'usual.' Like our first date."

Gary shook his head. "Nah, I thought we agreed to call a mulligan on that date. I want a do-over. All the cards are on the table this time. I want to be here. You want to be here. This is our first real date." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

They were busy talking, and laughing, and eating when the door opened and another young couple entered the diner. It seemed that Gary and Veronica weren't the only students at John Adams High hoping to avoid running into certain classmates. As Cory and Topanga scanned the restaurant for an empty booth they noticed Gary entertaining a female companion. 

"Jeez, that guy moves fast," Cory said in surprise. "Noon on a friggin Monday and he's found himself another poor unsuspecting victim. Has he no shame?"

Topanga put a steadying hand on his chest. She had a feeling she knew exactly what they had stumbled upon and desperately wanted to avoid a confrontation. "Maybe we should find somewhere else to eat," she suggested.

"No way," Cory insisted. "We're here. I want pie. And I'm not letting Gary ruin that for me."

 "Cory, they look like they're having a perfectly good time just enjoying their lunch. Please, I'm begging you, let's just ignore them and do the same, okay?"

Cory contemplated for a moment before conceding. "Oh, fine. I'm sure you're right. Let's just sit down and AAAHHH!"

They finally got a proper look at Gary's date as the two engaged in an entirely too familiar kiss. The pair turned inquisitively at the sudden shout from the other side of the restaurant and Veronica went pale. "Oh, shit," she mumbled. She ducked back into Gary's side, praying that maybe her friends hadn't spotted her. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," she repeated like a mantra. Gary positioned himself in front of her protectively as Cory came over, Topanga fast on his heels.

"Cory," Topanga warned. "I want you to think before you-"

"Well. What is this?" Cory asked. "You, who I called my friend, skipping school to dress like a chick and get felt up by the school's number one womanizer? Oh ho ho, this is rich. So this is why you wanted to pull the article, Shawn? Because you've gone loony?" Veronica's eyes were glassy with tears that were ready to fall. "Hey! Answer me!"

Gary got out of the booth to tower over the other boy. "Back off, Matthews, " he warned him through gritted teeth. "Now."

As Topanga pleaded with Cory not to make a scene, Veronica grabbed Gary's hand. "Maybe we should just get out of here, babe," she suggested. This set Cory off all over again.

"Babe?" he scoffed. "Babe? What the hell? I thought you hated him. You couldn't wait to give me the business because I asked you not to walk out in the middle of your date. Now I'm the friggin devil but he's babe?"

The entire dining room had come to a halt as patrons and employees alike had stopped to watch the drama unfold before them. Before Veronica had a chance to respond to Cory, the restaurant's manager came up to the table, a stern look on his face. "I'm afraid you're causing a scene and I'm going to have to ask you all to leave," he told the group of teens irritably.

Cory threw his arms in the air. "Oh that's just great. Now, on top of everything else, I don't get no pie!" He stomped off toward the door. Topanga threw the manager an apologetic look before going after her boyfriend.

"We're really sorry, Sir," Gary told the manager as he pulled out some twenties and handed them to the gentleman. "Come on, Veronica." He helped her out of the booth and they made a speedy exit, hand in hand, Veronica's face burning in embarrassment the whole time.

When they got to the parking lot they found Cory pacing and ranting while Topanga tried to calm him down. When he saw Veronica walk out with Gary he pointed an accusatory finger at them. "Hands!" he shouted.

"Oh for the love of-" Veronica rolled her eyes. "Cory! Shut up!"

Topanga's mouth was set in a firm line. She pushed the agitated teen toward his parents' car and opened the driver's side door. "In. Now." 

"I'm not gonna just-"

"Now!" she repeated. 

"Yeah, okay." Cory hung his head and got into the car.

Veronica walked over and addressed Topanga quietly. "You've got to get him out of here. Please. I promise I'll explain later, okay? Come over after school." Her eyes briefly flicked over to Cory. "Alone."

"Of course. Can I just ask one thing before we leave?" Veronica looked weary but nodded. Topanga leaned in close. "You're not in any trouble here, are you? With Gary."

Veronica put a reassuring hand on her friend's arm. "I'm fine." She smiled fondly at Gary. "Really."

Topanga looked back and forth between them. Understanding dawned on her. "Okay. I'll see you in a couple of hours." She gave Gary a hesitant wave goodbye then joined Cory in the car.

Gary came up behind Veronica and wrapped his arms around her as they watched the vehicle depart. Veronica closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, all things considered, that still went better than our first first date."

Gary just laughed and kissed her cheek. "Maybe next time we should just try a movie, huh?"

Chapter Text

"Cory Matthews, what is the matter with you?" He and Topanga sat parked in the student lot at school after their disastrous run-in with Gary and Veronica during lunch. She was frustrated with her boyfriend's continued irrational behavior. "You're acting crazier than your Uncle Maury."

"You mean Uncle Sammy Sosa " he corrected her.

"Uh huh," she placated him with a pat on his hand. "Look, I know you're upset with Shawn but if you fly off the handle every time you see him you're never going to fix things between the two of you and I know that deep down that's what both of you really want. Give yourself some time to cool off first, then, when you're ready to listen, sit and talk with him."

Cory rested his head against the steering wheel. "I don't understand what's happening, Topanga. It doesn't make any sense. Why was Shawn all over Gary? And why was he dressed like that?" He sat up and shot her a look of concern. "You don't think he's," he lifted his hand before letting his wrist go limp, allowing his hand to fall, "ya know, do you?"

"Would it matter if he was?" she asked simply.

He squirmed uncomfortably at the question. "I don't know. You'd think after being best friends as long as we have I'd know everything about the guy. How could I not know something like this?"

"We don't even know what 'this' is," she reminded him. "And, whatever it is, maybe Shawn's just figuring it out himself. Or maybe he knows you well enough to know you'd take it exactly as well as you have been up to this point."

Cory looked offended by her observation.  "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Topanga just looked at him, exasperated.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Please stop yelling at me."

"Cory, I didn't say anything," she told him.

"Really?" he asked. "Huh. I could have sworn there was yelling." He shook his head to clear it. "I guess you're right, though. I haven't exactly made it easy for him to open up to me."

"No, you haven't," she agreed.

"So what do I do now?" He looked at her, lost and defeated.

"The next time you see Shawn, you put on your best supportive face," she advised him, "remain calm, and let him come to you."

He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that."

She gave his arm an encouraging squeeze. "Yes, you can! Now, let's go. We're going to be late for class if we don't hurry."

"Yes, Mistress Topanga," Cory obediently replied.

They made it to Mr Turner's classroom just before the bell rang. "Topanga! Matthews! Nice of you to join us. Tell me, will the third Musketeer be gracing us with his presence today?"

"No, Sir. He's, uh, still a little under the weather," Cory lied.

Jon nodded doubtfully. "Right. Well if you see him tell him I hope he's back in class soon."

When class ended and students began to hurriedly gather their things, Mr Turner looked up from the stack of papers he had been grading at his desk. "Matthews, Topanga, hang back a minute." He beckoned them over when the room was empty. "Is everything alright with Hunter?"

Cory chuckled uncomfortably. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. Maybe because he was only supposed to be 'out sick' last week and word is that both of his folks took off again." He looked at Cory intensely. "Is there something I ought to know?"

"No, Sir," the teen quickly assured his teacher.

"I'm sure he'll be back tomorrow," Topanga added.

"Right." It was clear that Mr Turner wasn't satisfied with their answers but he simply said, "Just let Shawn know that I'm here if he needs me."

They promised they'd let their friend know and when Turner dismissed them, they gratefully grabbed their belongings and left the classroom. 

After school, Cory asked Topanga if she needed a ride. Rather than explain that Shawn had asked her to come to his place without him, she simply told him she had promised a friend she would meet up with them to work on a project. They parted ways and she walked to the trailer park to meet Shawn.

She knocked on the door and Veronica answered, back in her clothes from school that morning. After a quick scan to ensure Cory wasn't waiting somewhere in the wings, she invited Topanga in and they sat together on the threadbare old couch.

Veronica bit her nails nervously while Topanga patiently waited for her to feel ready to talk. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "I'm not really sure where to start."

"Well," Topanga began thoughtfully, "we saw what happened on your date Saturday night, so I suppose the best place to start is with what happened after we all left Chubbie's. "

"Right. Okay. So I was walking home and Gary caught up with me in his car. We got into it on the side of the road. My wig got fucked up and he busted me." She squirmed in her seat as she recounted that night's events. "I don't know if it was the adrenaline or what but all of the sudden he's kissing me and I'm kissing him back and it all just felt so good and he was calling me beautiful."

Topanga listened without interruption as Veronica continued to bring her friend up to speed. "We ended up just sitting there on the ground trying to figure out what the hell we were doing and just started talking. No bullshit, total honesty. I can talk to him about things I haven't talked about with anyone else in a really long time." She flopped back against the couch. "I like him, Topanga. I'm sorry if that throws a wrench in Cory's plans for journalistic excellence or whatever, but I like him and I'm not gonna let Cory trash him and put a target on his back just for some stupid article in the school paper."

"I know," Topanga said. "I'm guessing based on what I saw at the diner today that Gary's pretty fond of you too."

Veronica's lips curled up and she ducked her head down in an attempt to hide it. "Yeah," she confessed. "He thinks I should-" she stopped herself from finishing the sentence, still afraid of exposing her secret.

Although she already had her suspicions, Topanga didn't want to force Veronica to say anything she wasn't comfortable with. "I know this hasn't been easy for you to talk about, sweetie. I'm here for you no matter what and if there are things you're not ready to say, I understand that. Just know that anything you tell me is only between you and me unless you say otherwise."

Her friend visibly relaxed at the words. Veronica had never had many people to turn to in her life and knowing that Topanga had her back right now meant the world to her.

"You looked really pretty today, by the way. I loved the denim jacket. Did that belong to Stacy?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah. Stacy always had the coolest clothes. I wanted to be just like her when I was little," she mused as she pictured her big sister in her mind. She hadn't realized how much she actually resembled her until that moment. She wished she knew where Stacy was now.

"It sounds like you two were very close," Topanga said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, we were. I never had to be anyone but myself around her. People, they look at you and they expect certain things, you know? You can't just exist. You've got to be a certain way. Do certain things. Look a certain way. Like certain things." She played with the laces of her boots. "You end up feeling like you're just playing this part that other people expect you to play and you're not even sure if you're really you anymore. I think that when Stacy took off I started to forget who I was but I'm finally starting to remember again."

"I'm happy for you," Topanga said sincerely. "I hope you feel comfortable enough with me to just be you. I care about you, Shawn, and you don't need to put up any pretenses with me. You know that, right?"

Veronica quietly regarded her friend while she debated internally. "Topanga, would you-" She stopped and took a deep breath before she tried again. "Would it be weird if I asked you to just call me 'Veronica?' At least when it's just the two of us?" Her face was beet red and she couldn't quite meet her friend's eye.

"It would be an honor, Veronica," she assured her and took the nervous girl's hands in her own. She pulled Veronica into a tight embrace. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

Veronica let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Oh, you have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that."

They sat curled up on the couch holding each other for a long time as Veronica processed all the emotions she had been keeping inside for much of the last week. Eventually, Topanga broke the silence. "Who else knows?"

"That's it," Veronica said. "Stacy knew. Gary knows. And now you."

Topanga regarded her friend with curiosity. "What about your parents?"

Veronica shook her head vehemently. "They might have had their suspicions when I was little, but I figured out real quick what they expected from me and got real good at playing my part."

"Why didn't you ever say anything to Cory?" Topanga finally asked.

"I wanted to tell him probably a million times over the years. I'd say or do little things just to test the waters. See how he'd react. But I always felt like it was gonna make things weird and I'd chicken out. The older we got, the harder it became. I guess I got too scared and too comfortable to rock the boat. I figured I'd never get to be anybody but Shawn Hunter anyway. So what was the point?"

"You know he's worried sick about you, right?"

Veronica let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, but what am I supposed to do? Every time he sees me he flips out. Hell, you know. You saw him."

"We talked about that after we saw you and Gary at the diner. He knows he's been a little bit crazy." When Veronica looked unconvinced, Topanga corrected herself. "Okay, a lot a bit crazy. The point is, he loves you and I think he's ready to listen when you're ready to talk."

"I'm scared. I would love to just say, 'fuck what everyone else thinks,' and do what makes me happy but that's not realistic. I've lost too many people I care about. It would kill me to lose my best friend."

"I really don't think that's going to happen, sweetie. Just remember that you aren't alone. I know you're used to handling things on your own and you've never been good at asking for help, but you have more people who care about you than you seem to realize, Veronica. Think about it."

Veronica smiled. "I will," she promised. 

It was getting late so the two headed to the door to say goodbye. In the doorframe, Topanga leaned in to embrace her friend one last time and give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. Things will get better, I promise. "

 Veronica nodded and waved as she watched Topanga's retreating form. She hoped her friend was right.

Chapter Text

"I talked to Topanga yesterday," Veronica told Gary as she leaned against the lockers and watched him grab his books for his morning classes.

He quirked an eyebrow up at her. "How'd it go?"

"Pretty great, actually. I told her everything." She bit her lip nervously. "About me. About," she lowered her voice, "us."

Gary chuckled. "She seems like a smart girl. I have a feeling she figured out that last part on her own."

She nudged him playfully with her foot. "Shut up," she admonished him jokingly. "Anyway, she was really great about the whole thing. She was so understanding and supportive. It feels really good to have another girl in my corner."

"I'm happy for you," Gary told her earnestly. He leaned in to quietly ask, "You wanna find an empty classroom and celebrate?"

The question took her by surprise. "Seriously?"

He just shrugged. "Depends on your answer." He flashed her one of those charming grins that always seemed to make her blush. 

She smiled back but shook her head. "How bout a rain check for after school? If I don't show up to Feeny's class today I think he might kill me and bury me under his azaleas."

Just then, Mr Feeny briskly walked by. "Good morning, Mister Hunter. I trust I shall find you back in your assigned seat for class this morning?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Mr Feeny," she assured him before giving Gary an 'I told you so' look. When Feeny was out of earshot she said, "After school. I'm all yours."

"All mine? Hmm. I like that," Gary mused. He looked at the clock on the wall and groaned. "I guess you'd better get to class. I don't want to be responsible for you ending up under Feeny's azaleas." He shut his locker and gave her a discreet wink before they went their separate ways.

From across the hall, Cory gave Veronica a tentative wave but she either didn't see him or didn't want to see him. He glummly lowered his hand as she walked off toward class.

Topanga gave him a sympathetic look. "Shawn looked like he was in a hurry. I'm sure he just wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah," Cory said. "You're probably right." But he didn't sound very confident. "I guess we should get going too, huh?"

Topanga nodded. "Yeah. We can say hi when we see him in class." She took his hand and they walked to first period together. Veronica was already in her seat at the back of the room when the pair walked in.

"Good morning, Shawn," Topanga said brightly as they headed toward their seats.

"Hi, Topanga," Veronica responded warmly.

"Hey, Shawn," Cory hesitantly called out.

Veronica looked at him cautiously before stiffly saying, "Hey," back.

Cory turned to Topanga pitifully. "Switch with me," he pleaded.

"What?" she asked, confused by the request.

"Switch seats with me," he elaborated. "I need a buffer between me and Shawn. Please?"

She sighed but walked past him to take his usual seat in front of Veronica. She turned to face her friend and kept her voice low to ensure Cory didn't hear her. "You need to talk to Cory. Just look at him. He's miserable, the poor thing."

"I'm sorry, Topanga," Veronica told her quietly. "I just don't think I'm ready. I still need time."

"Then tell him that," she hissed. "You've got to give him something. I can only keep him calm for so long while he's sitting there in the dark."

Veronica slumped down in her chair in defeat. She knew Topanga was right. Cory deserved something, even if it was just assurance that they would talk eventually. "Okay, okay, you're right." She put her hands up in surrender. "I'll say something to him after class. Happy?"

Topanga gave her a beaming grin. "Yes. Thank you." She turned back toward the front of the class and focused on Mr Feeny's lesson for the remainder of the period.

As the classroom emptied after the dismissal bell, Veronica gathered her courage. "Hey, Cory!" she called out to her friend. He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked hopefully.

She fiddled with the straps of her backpack as she tried to think of the right words to say. "Look, I know things are kind of weird right now. I've been dealing with a lot lately. I know your my friend and I know you want to know what's going on and I promise, you will." Cory perked up at the words. "I just don't think I'm ready to talk to you about it yet." Cory's posture fell again. "I'll let you know when I am though. Just...just promise you won't get crazy on me anymore, okay?"

Cory nodded. "Yeah, I promise," he said gently. He watched as his friend walk by him to leave. "Are we gonna be okay?" he asked.

Veronica didn't turn back, but she paused and Cory saw her nod. "Hey, we've made it this far, haven't we?"

Alone in the classroom, Cory felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him. "Yeah. Yeah, we have," he reflected, feeling optimistic for the first time in days.

Veronica met up with Gary in the parking lot after school and he drove them to her place. She excused herself to change and when she came back out Gary had made himself comfortable on the couch and was flipping through the channels on her family's modest television. He looked her up and down and smiled as she glided over to him, made up in her usual fashion. He pulled her down to sit with him. "You look beautiful," he told her. "You always do. But you know you don't have to get dressed up for me, right?"

"I know," she said softly. She truly believed Gary. He accepted her for who she was, even if it took a wig and a dress for other people to get it. She did this for herself. Looking in the mirror and seeing Veronica looking back at her eased a pain inside of herself she hadn't even realized she'd been living with. And when people looked at her and they saw Veronica too, she didn't have to hide or explain herself. She just was. And that was a wonderful feeling.

She pulled her legs up onto the couch and curled into Gary's side. "What did you want to do tonight, Gary?"

He eyed her flirtatiously. "I want to cash in my rain check."

"Oh, right, the rain check. What was that for again?" she asked innocently.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her up into his lap. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck to steady herself after the abrupt shift in position. Once she had regained her bearings, straddling his hips to maintain some dominance in the situation, he drew her into a heated kiss. His grip on her tightened as they continued to explore each other with their hands and lips. She ran her hands down his arms until she could interlace their fingers and Gary guided her body, rocking it against him as she nipped and licked at the curve of his jaw.

He groaned deeply at the dual sensations of her mouth and her body as she moved against him. He explored the bared flesh of her thighs, one hand wandering up to squeeze her ass, and murmured his appreciation into her ear.

She could feel his body respond as his hands roamed and he slowly bucked up against her. She was too engrossed in her explorations of him to be aware of her own body responding in kind. Gary moaned when he felt how hard Veronica was against him. "Veronica, baby?" he said softly, hoping to keep her in her blissful state.

"Mmm?" she responded lazily. She was barely aware of his words, her entire being enveloped in a cloud of lust and pleasure.

"I want you to do something for me." He brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed each of her fingertips in turn. "I want you to touch yourself for me."

She froze on his lap, a look of panic on her face. "I-" she managed to croak out before her voice failed her.

"Shh," Gary soothed her. "You have no idea how sexy it is to feel how turned on you are grinding up against me. You can stay under your dress if you want but I want you to touch yourself. God, I want to watch you get yourself off. Please, baby?" He kissed her tenderly as he brought her hand down between their bodies and rocked up into her to let her feel just how much the thought excited him.

She bit her lip shyly as she let her hand slip under the fabric of her dress and into her panties to timidly touch herself. Heat burned in her cheeks. She gave herself a few tentative strokes, earning an encouraging, "That's it, baby," from her partner. This emboldened her to more firmly stroke herself as the heat moved down lower, deeper within her.

Soft moans gave way to ragged gasps as she brought herself closer to climax and it took every ounce of Gary's self control to keep his composure as he watched. She came with a sharp cry and Gary kissed her deeply as the waves of pleasure coursed through her body.

"God damn, that's hot," he breathed against her skin as he gave her tiny kisses all over her face and neck. "You have no idea how sexy you are, do you, Veronica Hunter?"

She just huffed out a laugh and shook her head. When her breathing had slowed and her heartbeat returned to normal, she reached back to the coffee table and grabbed a paper towel to discreetly clean herself off.

His fingers continued to brush along her thighs contentedly. "I want you," he murmured into her ear. "Do you want me, too?"

"Yeah," she told him with a nod, but her eyes betrayed her hesitancy. "I don't think I'm ready though." She gave him a half-smile. "I mean, I've never fooled around with a guy before." She didn't want to disappoint him, but she was nervous What if it hurt? What if she hated it? What if he hated it?

"That's okay, baby." He continued to give her soft kisses as he spoke. "Take as long as you need. I just want to make you feel amazing. When you're ready"

She gave him an appreciative smile and tucked herself back into his side as she had been before things had gotten steamy between them. They settled in and found a movie to watch and soaked in the comfort of each other's company. 

Later that evening, as they lay on their backs together in her bed, Veronica looked down to admire her and Gary's joined hands. Gary noticed and, grinning, brought them to his lips to kiss the back of her hand. The times when it was just the two of them were his favorite. It was the only time Veronica seemed to completely relax and he loved seeing her that way. He wished she could feel like that when they were out in public but he could always sense an undercurrent of uneasiness in her, like she was constantly worried that she'd be found out.

Veronica turned onto her side to look at him. "I think I'm going to try to talk to Cory this weekend," she announced. 

"You think you're ready?" he asked her.

"I think I'm going to have to do it sooner or later and the longer I put it off, the more awkward it's going to be," she reasoned "It's time to rip off the bandaid."

Gary nodded. "I suppose you're right. Do you want me to be there when you do it?"

She thought about it for a minute then sighed. "I do, but I think this has to be between just me and Cory. No you, no Topanga."

The corner of Gary's mouth turned up in a smug smirk. "You mean, no significant others?" he teased.

Veronica's eyes went wide with surprise. "I-" she sputtered, "I plead the fifth." She smacked his arm, fighting to suppress a smile.

He burst out laughing. "Okay! Okay! The prosecution rests! I won't say another word, I promise." He looked at her mischievously. "I prefer actions anyway." He grabbed her and rolled their bodies so that he was on top of her..

She pulled him down closer to her. "Actions are good," she said breathily as she closed the distance between their lips.

Chapter Text

"Bad news, my boy," Chet's gruff voice boomed as he stumbled into the trailer on Friday night. "That damn roulette wheel betrayed me and yer momma gave me the slip. Again. Women! Doesn't matter if it's Lady Luck or Virna Hunter, ain't none of em on my side," he lamented.

The trailer was dead silent. Veronica sat frozen in bed on top of Gary, her eyes wide and every muscle in her body trembling in terror. He was back. Why did he have to be back now, of all times? She scrambled off of Gary and threw his Dockers at him. "Get your pants on," she hissed at Gary. "Fast," she added.

"Shawn? You home?" Chet slurred as he lumbered through the trailer looking for his son.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" she whispered. "I can't believe my dad's home! He can't see me like this, Gary. We've gotta go!" She grabbed her backpack and threw a mix of her Shawn and Veronica things into it before quickly stuffing the box from Stacy back into the safety of her closet.

"Go? Where the hell are we supposed to go, Veronica? There's only one door," Gary said as he buckled the belt on his khakis. 

She sized him up. "You think you can make it out the window?"

He looked at the high, narrow window in her room and groaned. "I guess I'll have to."

Veronica hastily moved a chair up to the window and cranked it open. "Hand me my bag," she instructed him. He gave it to her and she quickly tossed it out onto the grass below. She had one leg through the opening of the window when her bedroom door burst open.

"Boy, I've been hollering for five minutes, why the hell didn't you ans-" Chet was struck silent by what he saw before him. "Stacy?" he asked, bewildered. The two panicked teens didn't know what to do. Chet squinted, trying to focus his blurry vision. "I thought I told you to stay the hell outta my house" he growled, swaying slightly as he glared at Veronica. 

"I-" Veronica tried to say something, anything, but couldn't make the words come out.

Chet seemed to register Gary's presence for the first time as the young man moved to put himself between the two Hunters. "Just like that no good cheating momma of yours, ain't ya?" His gaze went from Gary and Veronica to the rumpled sheets on the bed then back again. "And now you think you can  come back into my house and act like a damned whore in your own brother's bed. The hell is wrong with you?" He stormed toward the window to pull her back in. "You'll learn your lesson this time, little bitch!" he shouted. He lunged for her but Gary swung on him and sent the old man tumbling to the ground, dazed and disoriented. 

"Go get in the car," Gary called out to Veronica, keeping his eyes trained on Chet.

"Gary...." Her voice trembled when she spoke.

"Go," he repeated. "I'm right behind you." He waited until she had slipped out the window to address her father. "What kind of pathetic piece of shit treats their family like that? Jesus, no wonder they all keep leaving you." His voice was a low growl as he leaned in close to Chet. "If I hear that you so much as look at her or anyone else in your family wrong, the next time I put you on the ground you won't be getting back up."

He left Chet cowering on the ground and hurried out the front door to his car where Veronica was already waiting with the engine running. "I'm not even going to ask how you started the car," he said.

"I can't go back there tonight, Gary," she said tearfully. "What am I supposed to do?"

"You'll come to my house and stay with me. My dad's on a business trip in Austria and my mom's enjoying a lovely court ordered 30 day detox 'spa vacation.' It's just me. Our housekeeper will come by in the morning but she's the nicest lady in the world. You'll be safe, I promise." He put his arm around her to give her a quick hug and kissed her temple before he threw the car into drive and left the Pink Flamingo for the upper middle class suburbs of Philly.

Veronica was quiet the entire way there, resting her head against the cool glass of the passenger side window and looking at the scenery that passed without really taking it in. Streetlights briefly illuminated her somber face as they passed them. Gary focused on driving and let her process her emotions in peace.

When they arrived at his place, Gary gently touched her hand to get her attention. "Hey, baby," he said softly," we're here."

Veronica snapped back to the present moment and looked at Gary. "Already?" Then she looked out at the house before them. "Holy shit," she murmured in awe. She had expected Gary to live in a nice house but this was like a miniature mansion. He opened her car door for her and helped her out, taking her bag before guiding her toward the front door. Her knees felt weak. She didn't belong in a place like this. It was far too nice for someone like her.

When he opened the door she was greeted by beautiful hardwood floors and a wide staircase leading up to the second floor. To her right, behind glass French doors, was what appeared to be a home office. To her left, a pristinely decorated dining room. "Whoa," she breathed.

"Do you want to eat or watch some tv?" Gary offered.

She shook her head. "No, thanks. I kind of just want to lay down and forget about what just happened."

He nodded sympathetically. "Sure. Here," he rested his hand on the small of her back and led her upstairs. "Let's get you settled."

He opened a door and ushered her into his room. Dark blue paint, shelves full of trophies and sports memorabilia, a tidy computer desk, and a king sized bed that all seemed very...him. Like every other room she had seen in the house, the space seemed huge. "Nice room," she said, feeling more insecure than ever about her own home.

"Thanks," he said as he opened his closet and pulled out a faded band tshirt.

"You listen to the Chili Peppers?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah. Does that surprise you?"

"A little bit, actually. You just always look so," she struggled to find the right word before landing on, "corporate."

He laughed at the assessment. "Corporate? Gee, thanks. I dress that way for my parents, not for me."

She couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

He shrugged. "It's just easier to pick my battles. I go along with these stupid things that don't really matter to me but they seem to think are so important and they leave me alone for the most part."

He stripped out of his button-up and undershirt to change into the tshirt and, oh boy, she'd had no idea what she had been missing under that neat and preppy exterior. Her cheeks flushed and she quickly averted her gaze. He grabbed a pair of plaid pajama pants from the dresser and as he slipped into them Veronica snuck another quick peek at him.

"Did you want to change?" he asked when he had finished.

"Well yeah, but I was in such a hurry to just grab some stuff and get out of there that I didn't really bring anything to sleep in," she explained glummly. 

He pulled a black shirt from the closet and handed it to her. "You can wear this if you want."

She held it up to examine it. "Nirvana," she said approvingly. "Very respectable." She walked over to the bed and laid the shirt on the comforter. "Um, do you mind..." she made a little circle with her finger, letting him know she wanted him to turn around.

Gary chuckled. "No problem. And I promise not to peek, unlike some people in this room who shall remain nameless," he teased as he turned to face the wall. He couldn't see her face but he had no doubt that it had turned an adorable shade of red. "One day you're going to take your clothes off in front of me and I'm going to spend the rest of that day worshipping your gorgeous bare body," he vowed. Veronica took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Gary had a talent for making her feel beautiful despite her insecurities. She wanted to let him, she really did, but she was so unhappy with her body that it was hard for her to imagine that it would be anything but a disappointment to him.

She kept her back to him as she slowly lifted her dress over her head. When she was down to her bra and panties she smoothed them over to make sure her silhouette was still as feminine as possible before pulling on Gary's shirt. It barely covered her ass, making her long legs look even longer, and wearing nothing but his oversized shirt made her feel sexier than she had anticipated. "You can turn around now," she said demurely as she combed her wig out with her fingers.

Gary faced her and let out a low whistle. He came over to stand in front of her and grabbed her waist. "Oh my God, please never wear anything but my tshirts ever again," he begged her.

"You really like it?" she asked.

"You look fucking amazing, Vee." He sat her down on the bed then joined her. "I know tonight sucked and you're tired but when you're feeling better I'm gonna show you exactly what you do to me." He stroked her cheek and kissed her tenderly. He carefully removed her wig for her and set it on the nightstand. "Let's get some rest, baby."

They got under the covers and Gary turned to shut off the bedside lamp when Veronica interrupted. "Um, I know this probably sounds weird but I have trouble sleeping without the lights on. I'm really sorry. Do you think we could keep them on?" she asked.

Gary briefly looked surprised but happily accommodated her. "Yeah, whatever you need. Is there anything else I can do?"

She looked up at him through her thick lashes. "Could you just hold me til I fall asleep?" she whispered. 

"Of course," he murmured softly.

It didn't take long for her to drift to sleep in the safety of Gary's arms, her back flush against his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart.

Gary chuckled to himself as he looked at her, her full lips slightly parted, her soft snores the only sound in the quiet room. A couple weeks ago he wouldn't have imagined this was what he'd be doing on a Friday night but he wouldn't trade it for anything. He snuggled in closer to her, breathing her in, and soon joined her in sleep.

The next morning, Veronica woke up to Gary's fingers grazing lazily up and down her arm. "Morning, gorgeous," he greeted her with a sleepy smile.

She had never spent the night with a partner and seeing Gary smiling down at her, being so gentle and sweet, made her heart swell. "Morning," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked as he began to nuzzle the crook of her neck.

"I really did." She was surprised at how good she felt considering how upset she had been when they'd left her place. She'd thought it would be impossible to get much rest but lying in Gary's protective embrace had made her worries melt away, if only for the night. She would still have to deal with them eventually but for now nothing existed except for the two of them.

The strong scent of Columbian coffee wafted its way upstairs and Gary sniffed the air happily. "Mmm, coffee. Meritle must be here."

"Who?" Veronica asked in confusion.

"Meritle, our housekeeper. I told you she'd be here in the morning. Come on, let's go say hi. You'll love her."

Veronica put on her wig and a pair of black cargo pants but decided to stay in Gary's Nirvana shirt. Gary looked at her like a lovesick puppy. She looked cute in the tomboyish outfit. He took her hand and they made their way downstairs.

When they walked into the kitchen they were greeted by the sight of a Puerto Rican woman who looked to be in her 50s wearing comfortable jeans and a floral print blouse. She was humming softly as she swept the kitchen floor. She looked up at the sound of their footsteps drawing near.

"¡Hola, Meritle! ¿Que tal?" Gary greeted the woman.

"¡Buenas dias, Gary! Bien, bien. ¿Y tu?" She responded brightly.

"¡A toda madre!" he told her enthusiastically. He put his arm around Veronica's shoulder. "Veronica, this is Meritle. Meritle, this is Veronica."

"Hi, Meritle," Veronica said, suddenly feeling shy.

"Hola, Veronica, it's nice to meet you," she replied kindly in her heavily accented English. She grinned broadly at Gary. "Ella es hermosa. ¿Es tu novia?"

For the first time in her experience, Veronica watched as Gary blushed. "Uhh...no lo sé todavía," he answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Meritle laughed, a warm and inviting sound that, although she hadn't been able to understand the exchange that had caused it, made Veronica chuckle too. The woman took Veronica's hands in her own and gave them a tight squeeze. "Are you hungry?" Without waiting for an answer she continued, "Sit, sit! I will make you both breakfast. Huevos con chorizo, Gary?"

Gary nodded. "Si, Meritle. Gracias." Veronica looked at him uncertainly. "Eggs and sausage," he informed her quietly.

Her stomach growled at the thought and she wrapped her arms around her middle to stifle the sound. "That sounds good. Um, gracias, Meritle," she said to the housekeeper with a grateful smile.

Meritle brought them each a heaping plate of food and glasses of juice when she had finished cooking. Veronica let out a little moan of pleasure after her first bite. "Oh my god! This is so good!" She shoveled the food into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in days.

Gary and Meritle shared a pleased grin at the young woman's response to the meal. While he and Veronica ate, the housekeeper busied herself with the dishes.

After breakfast, the older woman excused herself to begin the laundry. Gary took Veronica's hand and led her into the den. They curled up together on the loveseat.

"She's nice," Veronica said to Gary. "You two seem really close."

"We are," he agreed. "She started working for my parents when I was maybe three. She spent more time raising me than they did."

"So what were you guys saying back in the kitchen?" she asked.

"Oh, just hi and stuff. She said you're pretty," he informed her with a grin.

"Cool, cool. So, uh, what was that thing she asked you about a supernova or something?"

Gary coughed awkwardly and avoided looking directly at Veronica. "She, uh, asked if you're my girlfriend."

Her heart started beating harder in her chest and her cheeks felt like they were on fire. She remembered Gary's uncomfortable body language and Meritle's laughter after he had answered her. "Ah. So what did you say?"

"I told her 'I don't know yet,'" he said, drumming his fingers on his knees nervously. Veronica laughed in relief causing Gary to look up at her, perplexed. "What’s so funny?"

She stopped laughing and stilled his fidgeting hands with her own. "Nothing," she promised him. "But next time, if you want, you can tell her, 'si,'"

Gary grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah?"

She smiled back just as brightly and broadly. "Yeah." He took her face in his hands and pulled her into an enthusiastic kiss, making a mental note to send Meritle flowers later.

Chapter Text

That afternoon, Gary drove Veronica over to the Matthews' home. They sat in his car, parked on the street in front of the familiar house. "You sure you're okay to do this today?" Gary asked her. After the incident with her father last night, he was worried about what would happen if things didn't go well with Cory.

She took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be fine. Cory's my best friend. Sure, he can get a little nuts but he's got a good heart. Don't worry."

Gary looked leery but Veronica knew her friend best and if she felt confident that things would be okay, he just had to trust her. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. You call me the second you want to leave and I'll come get you, got it?"

Veronica chuckled at his protectiveness. She was used to handling things on her own so having someone - a boyfriend of all things - want to step in and take care of her would take some getting used to. "Got it," she promised. She looked over at the house and sighed. "Wish me luck, babe."

"You've got this," he said encouragingly.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before getting out of the car. Gary watched as she followed the driveway toward the back of the house. Once she had disappeared from view, Gary started up the engine and headed home to wait for her call.

Veronica saw Cory sitting at the kitchen table when she approached the back door. She rapped on the wooden frame. When he looked up she gave him a little wave before opening the door.

Cory jumped up from his seat to greet her. "Shawn! I'm glad you came. To be honest, I was a little worried you might not show up," he admitted. He rubbed his hands together apprehensively and gestured to the chairs. "Please, have a seat."

As she pulled out a chair she looked around the room. "It's quiet. Where is everyone?"

"My dad and Eric are up at the store and Topanga invited my mom and Morgan out to dinner so we could have some privacy."

Veronica smiled. "You really do have a great woman there, Cor."

Cory also smiled as he thought about the woman he loved. "I really do. I'm lucky to have a girlfriend who's also friends with my best friend. Who wants to make sure I don't lose that friend. She's certainly not afraid to tell me when I'm being an idiot."

"Tell me about it," Veronica said. "I have a feeling we got pretty similar speeches. But she's right. You and I are a couple of stubborn idiots and we just need to get our heads out of our asses and talk."

"Actually, I need to listen," Cory told her. "Topanga was very specific about that. So here I am, my friend, ready to listen. You have the floor."

Veronica drew in a long, deep breath. It was time. She tapped the table nervously as she tried to decide where to start. "Cory, do you know why it was so easy for me to be Veronica?" she asked.

He nodded. "Sure. You're obsessed with girls."

She chuckled. "I am, but that's not it. The truth is," she looked down at the table, afraid to meet her best friend's eyes, "that this wasn't my first time dressing up as Veronica."

There was a long pause before Cory let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Wait. What?"

Still not ready to look up, she continued. "Before Stacy took off, when I was younger, I always wanted to be just like her. Wear what she wore. Put on makeup. I wanted to look in the mirror and see a pretty girl looking back at me."

Cory stood up and started pacing, brow furrowed as he tried to understand what Veronica meant. "I'm trying to follow you, Shawnie, I really am, but you're making no sense. What the heck are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm Veronica. I tried for years to hide it and ignore it and keep it to myself. But when you and Topanga gave me a pass to be Veronica out in the open, it felt like this huge relief. I got to be me. All of me. Not this guarded half version of myself I've been living as for so long." 

Cory was still thoroughly confused. "But what does that mean? You're Shawn, not Veronica. I'm Cory, you're Shawn. Just like it's always been. Remember?"

Veronica smiled at the memory of their seventh grade selves when she had helped Cory understand that it didn't matter what other people at school thought of him. All that mattered was that he knew who he was and that they were best friends, in it together. "I remember, Cor. And I'm still me."

"That doesn't make sense, though. How can you still be you if you're Veronica?"

"Because who I am hasn't changed. I'm still your best friend. I'll still pick climbing through your bedroom window over using your front door. It might be a little more difficult if I'm wearing a dress," she joked with a lopsided grin, "but accepting me as Veronica doesn't mean I'm a different person."

Cory snorted cynically. "The person I know wouldn't be caught dead making out with another guy." Veronica looked away, eyes smoldering and cheeks aflame with anger. "Especially a guy like Gary."

"You don't even know him, Cory," she said in as even a tone as she could manage. She'd come here hoping to unburden herself of the secret she had been keeping from her friend. She didn't want it to turn into another fight, but what Cory had just said had really hurt her. The worst part was that she knew he didn't get that it had hurt her or why. Before she had a chance to say anything more, Cory cut in.

"So what's the deal?" he asked. "Is Gary gay now?"

"No," Veronica snapped. "He's not gay. He likes women," she said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, but what about-"

"What about what, Cory?" she cut him off irritably.

"Nothing," he quickly backed down.

She nodded curtly. "This isn't going the way I was hoping so I'm just gonna lay all my cards on the table and give you some time to think about it." She held up a finger. "One. I'm fine being Shawn at school but when it's just me and the people who know, I want to be free to be Veronica."

She added a second finger. "Two. I'm still me and I still like girls, but I also like Gary. He's a good guy and he's been there for me when I needed someone to listen and understand. If you can't at least try to be cool with him then I don't know if I can be cool with you right now."

And a third. "Three. I know this isn't an easy thing to adjust to so I'm asking you to take your time and think about it. Talk to Topanga. Talk to me. Hell, talk to Gary. I hope you'll still be my friend once you've had time to process all of this, but that's up to you." She lowered her hand and rose from her seat. "If it's cool, I'm gonna call someone to pick me up then I'll wait outside."

"Shawn you don't have to-"

"Veronica," she corrected him. "It's just us. Please, call me Veronica, Cor." She sounded so sad that Cory's stomach sank.

He nodded but said nothing. Finally, he stood. "I guess I'll let you make that phone call," he told her as he walked toward the door to the living room. "I'll, uh, see you at school on Monday?"

Veronica's smile was strained. "Sure."

After Cory left the kitchen, she picked up the phone and dialed Gary's number. "Hey, it's me. I'm so ready to go."

"Did everything go alright?" Gary asked gently.

She let out a mirthless chuckle. "I'll tell you about it in person. Just...hurry, please. I don't want to be here anymore."

"I'm leaving now. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay. I'll meet you out front. See you soon. Bye." She hung up the phone and, after a sorrowful look toward the living room, slipped out the back door and walked around to the front of the house to wait for Gary.

Cory watched from behind the curtained window as a dark BMW pulled up in front of the house. In the glow of the streetlights, he saw Gary get out of the vehicle and meet Veronica at the passenger side door. After a brief conversation, Gary wrapped her in his arms and rubbed soothing circles along her back as they embraced. A strange feeling rose in Cory's stomach as he witnessed the exchange.

Once the couple had gotten into Gary's car and pulled away, Cory walked to the couch and sat in silence. He didn't know his best friend at all. Not really. All these years and Shawn had never felt comfortable enough to talk to him about Veronica. But Gary knew after one night. And they looked so comfortable with each other. What had he done wrong that Shawn - or Veronica, he supposed - couldn't confide in him?

He was lost in thought when his mom, Morgan, and Topanga walked through the door. Amy took in his somber demeanor and looked at him with concern. "Cory, is everything alright?"

"Hmm?" he hummed as his mind registered their presence and the question he had just been asked. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, mom. Just having some trouble understanding something about an assignment. Topanga, maybe you could help me figure it out?"

"Of course," she agreed, following his lead. "Why don't we go take a look at your notes from class so I can see what part is giving you trouble."

In the sanctuary of Cory's room, he and Topanga sat on the edge of the bed to talk. "How did it go?" she asked.

Cory looked uncertain. "I thought it was going alright but all of the sudden, not so much." His whole body seemed to slump in defeat. "I just don't get it, Topanga. How can Shawn say I'm his best friend but keep this huge secret from me?"

Topanga took his hand and looked at him sympathetically. She could see things from both sides so she hoped she could help Cory see it too. "That's the thing about secrets. They're hard to share. But they're also hard to live with. Your friend has been living with this huge secret for years and, since Stacy left, no one who understood this deeply personal thing about her. She was scared. And if she thought for even a second that you might judge or reject her for this, it got just a little bit harder for her to be honest with you about it."

"Her," Cory echoed the word in disbelief. "My best friend is a her."

"Yeah, she is, sweetie. Is that such a terrible thing though?"

"I guess not. Not really," he admitted. "It's just a little tough to wrap my brain around. It's gonna take some getting used to."

"That's completely fair," she told him.

He looked at Topanga in curiosity. "Hey, how come you're not having a tough time with this?"

"Because I'm more enlightened and perceptive than you are," she teased playfully, a broad grin spread across her face.

"Okay, that's true," he agreed with a smile. "But what about Gary?"

"Well," she began thoughtfully, "he never really knew her until she was Veronica. He didn't have all these years of preconceptions to work through like you do."

Cory chewed on that thought for a few minutes. "Huh. I guess that makes sense. You know he came to pick her up tonight. It's just so weird seeing the two of them together like that."

Topanga leaned into Cory and rested her head against his shoulder. "They seem to genuinely like each other though. And Gary has been so supportive of Veronica. I think that we should try to get to know him better. Give him a real chance." Cory opened his mouth to argue but Topanga shushed him with a finger to his lips. "For her," she said gently. 

He nodded solemnly. "For her," he conceded.

Chapter Text

Veronica lounged across Gary's couch, her head resting in his lap, as she enjoyed the tranquility of the large, empty house late Sunday morning. It had been a long weekend, but she hoped that this last day before the school week would allow her a reprieve from the drama. Gary raked his fingers through her hair in a way that soothed both her body and her mind. The rest of the world seemed to disappear under his familiar touch. "Why can't life just be like this all the time?" she wondered aloud.

"Like what?" Gary asked.

"This." She gestured broadly with her hands. "I like when it's just you and me. Oh, and Meritle can stay too. I like her." The woman only knew her as Veronica and had easily accepted her and her relationship with Gary. She liked that. "Wouldn't it be nice to go somewhere where no one knew me as Shawn? I could just be me and maybe we could be together for real."

Gary looked at her with an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Are you saying you want to run away together?"

She looked up at him and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe?" She sighed. "A little bit. It's kind of nice to think about, anyway. Sneaking around is fun sometimes but I want to be able to kiss you any time I want. Or even just hold your hand." She sat up and faced him. "I don't want to spend all this time being Shawn. I just want to be Veronica." There were tears in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

He pulled her against him and gave her arm a comforting squeeze. "I know, baby," he assured her. "We'll figure this out. I promise." He didn't like sneaking around either but could they handle the scrutiny of the entire school? They were having a hard enough time getting her best friend to understand the situation. Hell, even Gary's own first instinct when confronted with who Veronica was had been to lash out. No wonder she wished she could have a fresh start. He hugged her a little tighter, his heart aching as he thought about what pain he himself had caused her.

She sniffled and let out a wry laugh. "I don't know why you're putting yourself through all of this for me."

"Because you're my supernova," he reminded her with a kiss to her forehead, "and you're worth it." He took her hands in his. "Now come on, today is supposed to be a good day. I'll do anything you want as long as you swear you're having a good time."

Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Anything?"

A few hours later, Gary was attempting to catch his breath as he stared up at Veronica in amazement. "Fuck, you're good." He sat up, a drop of sweat rolling down his temple. "All hail the laser tag queen." He bowed down to her as she mimed blowing smoke off the barrel of the laser blaster like a desperado. Her grin was a mile wide as she took his hand to help him stand.

"You weren't so bad yourself. At least until you let your guard down with that little kid," she chuckled as she used her fingers to tame the wild strands of her wig.

Gary sputtered. "It was her sixth birthday! I couldn't shoot her."

"And how did she thank you for sparing her?" she asked.

"She shot me," he said sheepishly.

"Uh huh. And what was it she said after she shot you?"

"'Mercy's for the weak,'" he mumbled.

She cupped her hand to her ear. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"'Mercy's for the weak,'" he grumbled a bit more loudly.

"Oh, yeah! That's what she said!" She laughed all the way to the equipment rental counter where they turned in their gear. "God, I'm starving."

Gary led her to a table near the concessions. "Why don't you save our table and I'll grab us some pizza?"

"And chili fries?" Veronica asked hopefully.

"Whatever her highness desires," he promised, kissing her hand before heading to the Snack Shack.

After Gary ordered their food, he and the cashier bantered while they waited for his order to come out. "I saw you guys out there before. Your girl's quite the shot," the cashier commented.

"Yeah, she is," Gary agreed proudly.

"You're lucky, dude. I could never get my girl to come do stuff like this in a million years."

Gary looked over to Veronica. She smiled and waved when she noticed. "Thanks, man. She's seriously the best."

He watched her fondly for a moment before he heard the cashier snicker. "Oh man, you've got it bad, my guy."

The linecook called out from the kitchen, announcing that Gary's order was ready. The cashier put everything on a tray for him and he grabbed it to take to the table. "Yeah, I think you're right," Gary conceded, "but can you blame me?" he asked the young man before heading back to his girlfriend.

When he got back to the table, he looked at her and burst out laughing. "Where'd you get the cake?" he asked as he set down their food. Her cheeks were stuffed and there was a streak of pink frosting on her bottom lip as she happily munched away on the dessert.

She gestured toward the birthday party. "From Abby. The birthday girl. She told me I was the best laser tag player she's ever seen and she wants to be as good as me when she grows up," Veronica informed him proudly. "She said it's okay if I share my cake with you," she added with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah?" Gary went for the fork and she swatted his hand away.

"Hey!" she admonished him playfully. "I didn't say that I was okay with it."

Gary grinned. "I guess I'll just have to find another way to get a taste." He kissed her, tasting the sugary frosting on her lips. "Not bad," he said when he broke the kiss.

"Not so fast," Veronica said, pulling him back in. "I think you missed a spot."

That night, she couldn't wipe the smile from her face as they got ready for bed. She had never imagined that her life could ever be anything like this but she was glad that the universe seemed to be proving her wrong. She was happy in a way she hadn't thought possible.

"Okay, so I promised you a good day. Did I deliver?" Gary asked as they held each other under the warm comforter on his bed.

"Yeah," she said softly. "It was perfect. Thanks, Gar."

"Good. You deserve it." He closed his eyes and played with her hair, something she noticed he often did unconsciously when they were cuddled up together, not that she minded. "I kinda like it when you're happy, you know."

She snuggled closer into his embrace. "I know. G'night, Gary."

He sighed contentedly. "Night, Vee."

The next morning, Cory wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as he walked toward Veronica. Considering how they had left things on Saturday, he wouldn't blame her if she turned and walked the other way when she saw him coming. Still, he hoped she wouldn't. "Hey, there," he greeted her with an awkward wave.

"Hey, Cory," she said with a small smile. She scanned the hall. "Where's Topanga?"

"She and Trini met up early to work on their presentation for biology. But I was wondering...." Cory's words trailed off uncertainly.

"Yeah?" Veronica encouraged him gently.

Cory took in a deep breath. "I - well, Topanga and I, that is - we were wondering if you wanted to have lunch with us today? Gary too. You and Gary. Both of you. And us." He gave her an awkward grin. "Please?"

Veronica looked at him in surprise. "Uh, yeah. I'd like that, Cor."

Cory immediately perked up. "Great! So I guess I'll head to class then. See you there."

"Yeah. See ya." She watched her friend retreat toward their first class of the day. They were finally getting somewhere. Maybe things would be okay between them after all.

"You look happy." Gary's voice brought her out of her musings.

She turned to him excitedly. "I am. I just talked to Cory. He asked if we want to have lunch with him and Topanga today. Me and you, Gary. Isn't that great?"

Gary had reservations, but was careful not to sound anything but happy for Veronica's sake. "Yeah, that's awesome."

"So you'll come?" she asked hopefully.

He smiled at her reassuringly. "I wouldn't miss it."

Veronica was on cloud nine as she sat through her morning classes. Her best friends and her boyfriend were finally going to sit down and get to know each other. She couldn't wait.

"Hey, Matthews!" a voice called from down the hall, startling Cory.

He looked up from the water fountain to see Gary walking toward him. "Oh, hi, Gary. What can I do for you?" he ask cautiously.

"We need to talk," he said sternly.

"Well now's not really a great time for me," Cory began with an uncomfortable laugh "I was actually just headed to-"

"Now, Matthews," Gary ordered the other teen.

"Okay, then," Cory quickly complied. "Now's good."

"Veronica's very excited about lunch today," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm-"

"She wants this to be a good lunch," Gary informed him. "She needs this to be a good lunch. So I have to ask, is this going to be a good lunch, Matthews? Or am I going to have to send a 'Get Well Soon' card to your hospital room after school?"

Cory's eyes went wide. He raised his hands up protectively. "It's going to be a good lunch, Gary. I swear. I really do want to make things right with her."

Gary flashed him a charming smile. "Great! I'm glad to hear that we're on the same page." He slapped Cory on the back. "I'll see you at lunch then." He sauntered off, leaving a bewildered Cory staring after him.

"Hey!" Topanga exclaimed, making him jump in surprise. "I saw you and Gary talking. Did you two have a nice chat?"

"Oh yeah," Cory said dryly. "It was nice. Terrifying, but nice."

She looked at him curiously. "Huh?"

He waved away her confusion. "Nevermind. Gosh, he's tall."

Topanga just laughed. "Cory, I'm five-one," she reminded him. "If you ask me, everybody's tall."

He grinned and took her hand. "Fair point, my little love dumpling, but Gary's tall no matter who you're asking." He looked up and down the hall. "Now let's get out of here before he decides to circle back." He quickly guided her down the hallway to their last class before lunch.

Cory and Topanga were already sitting at a table tucked away in a quiet corner of the cafeteria when Veronica and Gary entered. They waved the pair over. "Hey, you two!" Topanga called to them as they approached.

"Hey, guys," Veronica greeted them happily as she and Gary set down their trays and took their seats. "I'm really glad you wanted to do this."

Cory snuck a quick look at Gary before focusing on his friend. "I thought a lot about what you said the other day and I just want you to be happy. I should have seen that something major was going on a lot sooner and been there for you. I'm sorry I just made it harder for you to come to me. I never want you to feel like you can't talk to me about the things that are happening in your life."

"You mean it, Cor?" Veronica asked him.

"Yeah, I do." He smiled warmly. "There's a lot I probably still don't understand, but I want to."

She returned the smile, grateful to finally be told the words she'd been waiting to hear for so long. "Thanks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth a long time ago. It  probably would have been so much easier on both of us."

"You're talking about it now and that's what's important," Topanga interjected. "I'm proud of you both." She turned her attention to Gary. "And we're looking forward to getting to know you better, Gary. Veronica's told me a lot of good things about you."

"Has she, now?" Gary asked, grinning smuggly.

"Yeah, I told her that even though you can be kind of a dick, at least you have decent taste in music," Veronica said cheekily.

"Stop. You're gonna make me blush if you keep trying to sweet talk me like that," he volleyed back.

They all laughed at the exchange and any underlying tension seemed to be broken. After that, the conversation began to flow much more organically. Cory and Gary appeared to have come to a tentative truce for the time being, though each was still on guard with the other.

Veronica was just happy that everyone was talking. Actually talking, not yelling. In time, Cory would get more comfortable with her and Gary, and Gary would see who Cory really was and why he was her best friend. She was finally starting to have good days again. This could all work. It really could.

Chapter Text

"Promise me that if your dad gives you any trouble you'll call me. I don't care if it's the middle of the night. Call me." Gary hugged Veronica tight as they talked. His father was returning from his business trip which meant it was time for Veronica to go home.

"I promise," she assured him.

They sat and held each other in silence, neither wanting to be the one to remind the other that they needed to leave. The chime of the grandfather clock told them that their time was up. Gary brought her things out to the car and took her home.

Chet was passed out in front of the TV when Veronica slipped into the trailer. 'Thank God.' She didn't think she had it in her to deal with him tonight, especially when he had clearly been drinking. As if the smell alone wasn't enough to make it obvious, the collection of empties on the coffee table left no room for argument. Her dad was drunk as a skunk and probably wouldn't be a functional human being until well past noon tomorrow.

She sighed as she turned off the old black and white spaghetti western and quietly gathered up the beer bottles to put in the recycling bin. She replaced them with a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin before fetching an old quilt to cover her old man so he wouldn't get the shivers when the alcohol started to clear out of his system.

Looking at him, she mostly just felt sad. Stacy had been right. A place like this would suck her in and pull her so far down she'd never get out if she didn't do something about it. And soon. She didn't want to wind up like Chet. Veronica swore to herself that she would get the hell out of there as fast as she could.

It was lonely going to bed without Gary after spending most of the week at his place. Her twin bed felt cold and empty without his body pressed against her own. She missed his warmth. The smell of his cologne. The steady thrum of his heart soothing her to sleep.

She tossed and turned for hours before her alarm rudely blared for her to wake up. She slapped at it, glaring at the glowing red numbers resentfully until she finally smacked the snooze button. "Fucking bullshit," she groaned as she forced herself to sit up.

She stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. The shock did the trick and jolted her brain awake. Looking in the mirror, the dark circles under her eyes were a testament to her lack of sleep. Oh well. It wasn't as if she was a particularly enthusiastic student on even her best days. None of her teachers would think it out of the ordinary if she fell asleep in class.

Once she had finished getting ready for school, she checked on her dad who was snoring away like a champ. She scowled at his sleeping form before she left, shutting the door a little louder than necessary. If Chet didn't get back on the wagon before Virna decided to come back home the odds were that she'd turn right back around and, frankly, Veronica was getting pretty damned tired of him chasing off her mom.

She barely made it to class in time, managing to slide into her seat just as the final bell rang. As Feeny promptly rolled into the day's lesson, Veronica found her eyelids drooping despite her best efforts to keep them open.

She spent the morning on autopilot, managing to shuffle from class to class but not really aware of what was going on around her. During lunch she took refuge in the girls' bathroom so she could sleep on the couch. When their lunch period was over, Topanga found her there and gently tried to wake her.

"You've got to get up, sweetie. We have to get to class." She pulled Veronica into a sitting position. "Here we go. That's it." Topanga steered her toward their class.

Veronica all but collapsed in her seat when they got there. Cory turned and gave her a concerned look. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Cor," she said with a yawn. "I'm just gonna rest my eyes for a...."

The shrill ringing of the bell startled her awake. She blinked her bleary eyes until the world came back into focus. The classroom was empty, save one person. 'Oh shit,' she thought as she looked up to see Jon looming over her, his face stern and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Good morning, sunshine," he said sarcastically. "Did you enjoy your little nap?"

"Not really," she answered. She rubbed her eyes and tried to stay alert. "I'm sorry, Jon. Really. I slept like shit last night," she admitted. 

Turner frowned and took a seat on the desk across the aisle from hers. "Is everything alright at home? I know your folks went out of town a couple weeks ago. Have you heard from them?"

Veronica shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She hated having to admit to Jon that things weren't going well at home. She'd had such high hopes when her dad had come back last year and things only seemed to get better when they reunited with her mom. But, like most good things in her life, it hadn't lasted long. "Mom's still off doing whatever the hell she does when she takes off, but my dad's back home," she told him. He noted that she didn't sound particularly happy about it.

Jon straightened up. "I'm sorry about your mom, Shawn, but isn't your dad being there a good thing?"

She let out a bitter laugh. "It wasn't exactly what I'd call a happy family reunion." She looked at him grimly. "He's off the wagon, Jon."

"Damn," he said. "If there's anything, and I mean anything, I can do, you let me know. Alright?"

Veronica waffled for a moment before she spoke. "Hey, um, you think maybe you wouldn't mind having a roommate again?" she asked hopefully.

Jon gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, Shawn. Of course. You know you can always come back and stay with me."

Thanks, Jon." She said gratefully.

"Any time," he assured her. "You remember where the spare key is?"

"Who needs a key?" she joked with a laugh. "Yeah, Jon, I remember. I'll get my stuff moved over as soon as I can get around my dad."

Jon quickly scrawled out a note to excuse her for being tardy to her next class. "Call me if you have any problems with Chet letting you go, you got it?"

"Got it. I'll see you later." She paused in the doorway with a lopsided grin. "Roomie."

Jon watched his young friend leave. He wished that his help wasn't necessary but was glad he was able to provide it. No one should have this many hardships to overcome so early in life, but he had watched proudly as the teen overcame one after another.

Gary was standing by Veronica's locker when she came out of the classroom. They both perked up when their eyes met.

"I've been looking for you all day," Gary told her when she reached his side.

She checked the hall before letting her fingertips trace their way down his arm and across the back of his hand. "Sorry. It's been a long day. Let's find somewhere we can talk."

Gary's brow furrowed. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Or at least it will be. Come on," she grabbed his hand to pull him along. She quickly found an empty room and ducked into it.

As soon as the door was shut behind them, her lips were on his in a deep kiss. His eyebrows raised in surprise but he eagerly returned the kiss. She sighed contentedly at the feel of his strong hands gripping her waist, keeping her firmly pressed against the cold wooden door.

"I missed you," he said softly.

"I missed you too. I couldn't sleep."

"I'm sorry, baby." He bent down to bite her neck sensually. She gasped at the mixture of pleasure and pain. Her knees felt weak so she clung to him to stay upright. Her head was swimming. 'They'd come in here for a reason, right?' She was sure they had but now that she was in Gary's arms, kissing him, touching him, she was having trouble remembering exactly what that reason was.

"Gary," she breathed. "Gary?"

"Hmm?" he responded distractedly.

"We need to talk," she reminded him reluctantly.

"Kay," he murmured into her ear before nipping at the soft flesh of her earlobe, sending a shiver through her body.

"Wait, wait." She half heartedly pushed against his chest. When he pulled back to look at her, his eyes still hazy with lust, she took in a deep breath. "I'm moving out of the trailer."

Gary's eyes widened and he let out a surprised laugh. "That's great, baby! When did this happen?"

"Right before I saw you. My dad was trashed again when I came home last night. Completely passed out. And I realized I couldn't just rot along with him in that tin can til I graduate. So I decided I was gonna figure something out. I told Jon what was going on and he asked if he could do anything to help and now I'm moving back into his place!" she told him excitedly.

He frowned. "Jon? Who's Jon?"

"Jon. Mr Turner. I stayed with him last year when my dad took off looking for my mom. I thought you knew."

Gary shook his head. "I must have missed that bit," he said uneasily. 

She studied him through narrowed eyes. Suddenly, a smug grin spread across her face. "Wait...are you jealous?" She giggled. "Of Jon?"

Gary's face burned red. "No," he huffed.

"Aww. Babe. That's so cute." She cupped his cheek lovingly. "You have nothing to worry about. He's like a big brother," she felt Gary relax, "in really, really tight jeans," she finished with another fit of laughter.

"Funny," he mumbled in embarrassment. "Can you blame me for getting a little jealous? I liked having you all to myself."

"I know, but it's not like I could hide out at your place forever. This is a permanent fix. It'll be good, you'll see." She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. "So...will you help me move my stuff?"

Of course Gary would help. Besides, he wanted to check out her new living arrangements for himself and what better way to do it than by carrying in an armful of her stuff? "You know I will." 

She beamed at him. "Ah, you're the best! Thanks." She stood on tip toes to give him a kiss.

Gary smiled down at her. "So, what's the plan?"

"I'll start packing my stuff up after school and the next time my dad's not around we can load up your car and take it over to Jon's place."

Gary nodded along. "Your dad hasn't tried anything, has he?"

"Nah. Honestly, I don't even think he noticed I was home. Or that I'd been gone in the first place," she added a bit sadly.

He pulled her into a hug and held her, gently stroking her hair until he felt the tension melt from her body. "It'll be okay." He kissed the top of her head. "I've got you."

That night she packed up her things and was ready to go, but it wasn't until nearly the end of the week that she was presented the perfect opportunity. Chet was going to watch the game with some buddies at a sports bar. That would give her and Gary plenty of time to load up the car and be long gone before her dad got back.

Once Chet's truck had rumbled off in a cloud of dust, she called Gary and excitedly told him it was time. She couldn't wait to get out of that place. There had been so many times over the last several months that she had kicked herself for coming back. She had been doing so well at Jon's. Sure, it was harder to get away with stuff, but it felt good to have someone she could count on to come home at the end of the day. That there would always be food on the table. To have someone that would notice and care if she wasn't there. She never should have left in the first place but she wouldn't make that mistake this time around. This time, she was staying for good.

She met Gary in front of her trailer when he pulled up. He popped the trunk and she put in her backpack, an old military-style duffle bag, and her most treasured possession, Stacy's box. Two more trips into the trailer and the pair had the car loaded up with everything that Veronica thought was worth keeping. Her entire life reduced to the contents inside of Gary's Bimmer. She sighed. It was more than she'd had the last time she'd ended up at Jon's place, but it still seemed kind of pathetic that this was all she had to show for her sixteen years on this Earth.

She felt Gary's hand on her shoulder. "You ready to go?" he asked quietly. 

"Almost." Her eyes were focused on the trailer. She dug in her pocket and withdrew a folded up sheet of notebook paper. "I'll be right back."

Inside the trailer, she unfolded the note and smoothed it out on the kitchen table. She didn't know if her dad would even bother to read it. Hell, he might not even notice it was there in his drunken stupor. But it was more than she'd gotten from him most of the time. With a mixture of sorrow and relief, she took one last look at the place where she had grown up.

Gary, who had been leaning against the trunk of his car, looked up as he heard the door open. Her resolute face told him all he needed to know. He pushed off of the vehicle and opened Veronica's door for her. Her fingertips brushed along his as she held the doorframe and slid into the passenger seat. She kept her eyes forward, refusing to give that place another second of her attention.

"Let's go," she told him stoicly.

Chapter Text

Veronica unlocked the door to Turner's place. She and Gary each carried an armload of her stuff into the quiet apartment. "Oh, honey, I'm home!" she called out. No response. "Huh. I guess he's not home yet." She shrugged. "Oh well."

Gary readjusted the boxes he was carrying. "Where's all this going?"

"This way." He followed her to her old room. She looked around happily. Jon had already fixed it up for her. The bed was made, drawers were emptied, and there were hangers in the open closet. "You can put that stuff wherever. I'll deal with it later."

He set the boxes down by the closet. Then he helped her with her own haul, putting it with the rest. They went back down to Gary's car and brought the last of her things up to her room.

"Well, this is it. Home, sweet home." She wrapped her arms around Gary's neck affectionately. He lifted her off the ground in a tight bear hug.

"I still wish you were staying with me, but I'm glad you're somewhere safe. And hey," he looked at her door, "at least the door locks." He had a devilish grin on his face. "Wanna test it out?"

She grinned back at him and nodded. "Yeah. I think I'd be okay with that."

The pair stumbled toward the door, too wrapped up in each other to pay much attention to where they were going. They found it with a thud when Veronica backed into it. They both looked at it in surprise before they dissolved into a fit of laughter over their abrupt stop. But they went dead silent at the sound of the front door opening.

"Shawn?" Jon was home. "Is that you, kid?"

Veronica pulled away from Gary and they both hurriedly attempted to look like they hadn't just been making out. "Hey, Jon," she called out. "Yeah, it's me. We just finished bringing my stuff up."

"We? Is Matthews with you?" He came into view and saw Veronica standing next to someone that was definitely not Cory. He looked Not Cory up and down. "Who's this?" he asked curiously, inclining his head toward Gary.

"Oh, um, Jon, this is Gary. Gary, this is Jon. Mr. Turner, that is."

"Sure, sure. I think I've seen you around school. It's nice to meet you, Gary."

"Nice to meet you too, sir." He held out his hand and Jon shook it.

"And here I thought I knew all of your friends. So, uh, how do you two know each other?" Jon gestured between the two teens. "You share a class or something?"

Veronica froze. The question took her by surprise, though it probably shouldn't have. Obviously she couldn't tell him that Gary had asked her out when she was helping Cory with the article that he had, thankfully, scrapped. She couldn't think of a believable reason why, even though they had no classes or friends in common, they had become 'friends.’ Why, when she was normally so good at coming up with a plausible lie on the spot, was she drawing a blank now? She looked to Gary for help.

"Hunter kicked my ass in foosball one night at Chubbie's,” he explained nonchalantly. “Things got a little heated but we ended up hanging out after and it turns out we have a lot more in common than we thought."

Jon nodded slowly. "Well, I'm glad to see you're broadening your social circle, Shawn. Nothing against Matthews, but man, you guys are seriously codependent. It'll be good for both of you to hang out with other people for a change." He pointed a finger at Veronica. "Do not tell him I said that."

Veronica laughed, relieved that Jon didn't seem to suspect anything out of the ordinary about her 'friendship’ with Gary. "Not a word, Jon."

"Did you guys eat yet?" he asked as he walked to the kitchen.

"Oh, yeah. We grabbed a burger on the way over. Thanks though," Veronica said. It was a lie. She was starving. But Jon was smart. Observant. And he knew her tells far too well for her to bluff her way through dinner with both of them.

"And I should probably head home. I still need to do some studying for my history test." Gary patted his pockets and looked at Veronica. "Hey, I think my keys got mixed up with your stuff. Mind helping me look for them?"

"Yeah, your keys. I'm just gonna," she pointed her thumbs toward her bedroom, "go help you look," she said awkwardly.

She and Gary couldn't get away from Jon fast enough. She shut her door behind them and slumped against it, dragging her hands down her face with a groan. "Oh my god. He's gonna figure it out, I know he is."

Gary gripped her shoulders and steered her toward her bed. "Sit." She sat down and he sat beside her. "I know you're not ready to tell him right now and I totally get it. You just moved back in, after all. But you are going to tell him eventually, right?" He could see the trepidation written all over her face. "Vee, I don't want to have to pretend I'm just your friend when I'm over here. I want to be able to act like your boyfriend.”

"I want that too. It's just- "

"Scary. I know. But we're in this together."

"Yeah but the thing is…” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began again. “I really like you, Gary. Like really like you, and that's fucking terrifying."

His brow wrinkled in confusion. "What? Why is that terrifying?"

"Because maybe you'll decide you're tired of being with someone you have to sneak around with and lie about. What if I get all these feelings for you and you bail?"

His mouth set into a hard line at her answer. "And what if I don't?" His expression softened as he gently put his hands on either side of her face. "I want to be with you because I really like you too. Don't spend so much time worrying about what might happen that you forget to enjoy what is happening. We'll figure out the rest as we go, just like we have so far." He kissed her forehead. "It's too late to get rid of me, babe. I'm yours now."

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "You're mine?”

"Yeah,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I thought you knew that already."

Veronica put her hands over Gary's and gently pulled them down so she could kiss his cheek. She leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder.

They sat together quietly for a moment before she looked up at him. "You really like me, huh?"

He kissed the top of her head, smiling into her soft hair. "Yes, my supernova." He caught a glimpse of the time on the clock radio beside her bed and groaned. "We've been, uh, 'looking for my keys' for a long time. I should probably get going, huh?"

Even though she wished she could tell him to stay, she knew he was right. She also had a sneaking suspicion that Jon was going to have a lot of questions for her after Gary left. Questions she did not want to deal with right now.

They got up and headed to her door, but paused there. He instinctively grabbed ahold of her hips when she threw her arms around him to pull him into a passionate goodbye kiss. After they reluctantly broke apart, Gary ran his fingers through Veronica's hair, his other hand still resting on her hip. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay." She walked with him to the front door. He let his fingertips lightly brush across hers as he stepped past her to open it. "Night, Gary," she said softly.

"Goodnight, Hunter." He leaned in a little closer to murmur in her ear. "Have sweet dreams about me, Vee. I'm gonna have some spicy dreams about you." He winked at her.

Her mouth fell open in shock, making Gary chuckle as he left the apartment. She stared after his retreating form while she waited for the flush in her cheeks to die down. Finally, she shut the door after him. When she turned around, Jon was staring at her from the kitchen. "What?" she snapped.

Jon put his hands up defensively. "I didn't say a word, Shawn."

She cut her eyes at him. “And? If you'd been staring any louder, the neighbors would have filed a noise complaint. If you have something to say, just say it."

"How did I become the bad guy here? I've been home for, what, half an hour?" He went back to washing the small amount of dishes in the sink, but couldn't help throwing out one last comment. "Boy, those keys sure gave you guys some trouble, huh?"

Veronica scowled but said nothing. Instead, she stormed off to her room and shut the door with far more force than was necessary for someone who had nothing to hide. Allegedly.

Jon sighed. Gosh, it sure was nice to have a moody, hormonal teen back in his apartment. Still, he loved the kid and anything he could do to give him a better life made all the little inconveniences and occasional temper tantrums worth it.

Veronica put a few things away but didn't have much desire to make any real dent in her unpacking. Just enough to unearth her toiletries and a couple changes of clothes. Once she had showered and brushed her teeth, she retreated back into her room and got ready for bed. She set her alarm and changed into the pajamas she had gotten comfortable wearing while she had stayed with Gary: one of the tshirts he'd given her that smelled wonderfully of his cologne and a pair of cheekies. She doubted Jon would just burst in on her, unlike Chet, so she wasn't worried about being caught with her pants down, so to speak.

She crawled into the soft, warm bed, enveloping herself in the thick quilted comforter. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep, having sweet dreams about Gary. And maybe just a little bit spicy too.

At school the next day, Topanga was waiting by Veronica's locker, bouncing on her toes, eagerly scanning the hallway. She beamed at Veronica when she saw her approaching.

Veronica leaned against her locker, chuckling at her friend's pep. "Hey, Topanga. Are you getting ready to try out for cheerleading?"

She scrunched up her face. "Mmm pass. Listen, I had the best idea last night and I couldn't wait to talk to you about it." She looked like she was trying very hard to tone down her enthusiasm for Veronica's sake.

Veronica shook her head but smiled nonetheless. Topanga's good mood was contagious. It always had been. That was one of the things she loved about her. "Alright. Lay it on me."

"Are you busy tonight?"

She thought for a minute. "Surprisingly, no. What's up?"

Topanga grabbed her arm and pulled her down to speak quietly in her ear. "I thought you and I could get together and have ourselves a girls' night. Pedicures, beauty masks, junk food. The works. Just you and me. We can talk without the guys…or about the guys. Please say you'll come? Please, please, please?"

"You really want to have a girls’ night? With me?"

"That's the idea, yeah," she said with a smile.

Veronica's heart was warned by Topanga's invitation. "Okay, yeah. That'd be great. Wanna just walk to your place together after school?"

"Yes.That's perfect."

"What's perfect?" Cory asked as he and Gary joined them.

"Girls' night tonight. No boys allowed, mister." She punctuated the end of her sentence by giving Cory a gentle poke in the chest.

He feigned dismay. "But what if I wanted a pedicure too?"

Topanga rolled her eyes. "Do you?"

He waved away the question, a smile on his face once again. "Nah. It's just nice to be asked, ya know? Have fun, dahlings."

"So I guess I'm on my own tonight, huh?" Gary asked Veronica.

"Sorry,' Veronica said with an apologetic smile. "Topanga asked first. But after we grab lunch with her and Cory tomorrow, I'm sure we can figure out something to do."

"I've already got a few ideas." He winked suggestively. She bit her lip to stop herself from giggling.

The bell Interrupted their conversation. Veronica glared at it. She would be with Cory and Topanga in class, but she wished she could have just a little more time with Gary.

"Bye, Gary," Topanga said with a friendly wave. "We'll see you later." She took Cory's hand and they walked to Feeny's class together.

Veronica's own hand twitched. She balled it up into a fist and punched her locker in frustration.

Gary jumped. "Whoa! Did I miss something?"

"It's just- " She looked around them to make sure no one was in earshot, and gestured toward her friends. "They can just hold hands and it's no big deal. I want that."

He wanted to wrap her in a hug and tell her everything would be fine. Instead, he settled for putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "One day," he promised.

"Yeah," she said spiritlessly. "One day."

After school, she and Topanga walked to Topanga's house together. She was elated that she'd been invited over for a girls' night. The last time she'd gotten to do anything of the sort was before Stacy had left.

She was, of course, still dressed in her boy clothes, but that was okay. Once they were safely ensconced in Topanga's bedroom, Topanga changed into an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, so she felt a little less out of place.

Topanga handed her a headband to keep her hair out of her face. "It's getting long," she observed. "I like it." It was barely past her ears, but she appreciated that Topanga had noticed and complimented it, being the queen of gorgeous long hair that she was.

"Thanks." She twirled a lock around her finger self-consciously. "So, I haven't exactly gotten to do many of these. Wanna walk me through it?"

"Well, I thought that the first thing we could do is put on face masks. Then, while we let them work their magic, we can give each other pedicures. And talk, of course. And if you want, we can bring up some snacks and watch a movie too."

Veronica perked up at the mention of food. "Ooh, snacks! Yeah, that all sounds good to me."

"Here, let's pick out what colors we want to use on our toes. Then we can do the masks." She pulled out a Caboodles case full of nail polish and dumped them out onto her bed. The pair dug through the collection, debating different colors before putting them aside for further consideration or tossing them back into the case.

"What do you think about this one?" Veronica asked, holding up a bottle of mulberry colored polish.

"Ooh, that's perfect! It'll look gorgeous on you! How about this for me?" She showed her a soft rosy pink.

Veronica nodded. "Yeah. I think that would actually be really pretty with your tan and everything.”

Satisfied with their choices, they put the two bottles on Topanga's nightstand for later. After they put the rest away, Topanga clapped her hands together excitedly. “Time to make masks!" she announced excitedly.

Soon Veronica, whose face resembled an oatmeal cookie thanks to a honey and oat mask, and Topanga, looking about as green as the creature from the black lagoon in her avocado mask, were sitting across from each other on the carpet, carefully applying polish to one another's toes.

"Don't these masks make you hungry? If I had some tortilla chips I'd eat that goop off of your face in a second."

Topanga laughed. "As soon as our toes are dry we can go downstairs and grab snacks."

"That's what I like about you, Topanga. You always know just what to say to me,”

"That's really sweet of you to say.” She gave Veronica a quick smile. “And it's actually perfect timing, because I had something I wanted to talk about with you," Topanga began tentatively.

Veronica gave Topanga a dubious look. "That sounds...ominous."

Topanga waved the words away. "It's not, I promise. You see, after you and I had the Veronica talk a couple weeks ago, I decided to poke around on the world wide web to try and learn more about what you're going through. The internet's kind of a scary place, actually." She shuddered. "Anyway, after a ton of searching I found a couple chat rooms and, well...." She reached into the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a small stack of printed computer paper.

Veronica frowned. "What’s all this?"

"Research. Your body doesn't match who you really are, what's in your heart, right?"

“Right,” she agreed.

"So I talked to some other people who have felt the same way and they told me a lot about finding community resources as well as social and medical transitioning. It's a lot of work but there are options out there. Things you can do to feel more comfortable in your own skin. Maybe even get a fresh start just being Veronica." Topanga handed her the pages.

Veronica was stunned. "You went out and found this stuff, all on your own?"

"Yeah.” She cringed. “I'm sorry. I probably should have asked if that was okay first, huh?”

Veronica felt the prickle of tears starting to well up in her eyes. Topanga had been spending her free time looking for ways to help her. This was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. "Thank you, Topanga.” She carefully put the papers in her backpack for safekeeping.

Topanga smiled. "Any time," she promised, giving Veronica's hand a reassuring pat. “Now,” she announced cheerfully, “let's go downstairs and wash these masks off of our faces. Then we can grab some snacks and relax.”

Veronica looked mortified. “I'm sorry, what? I have to walk past your parents with this crap all over my face? What's wrong with the sink in your bathroom?”

Topanga ducked her head, trying to hide her sheepish grin. “After the time we had to call over a plumber two days in a row, daddy said I can only wash these homemade masks off at a sink with a garbage disposal.”

Chapter Text

The next day, Veronica, Gary, Cory, and Topanga all met for lunch downtown. It was the first time Cory had seen Veronica in a dress since their fight at the diner a few weeks earlier. Now that he wasn't so shocked and angry, he noticed just how much happier she seemed. Sure, he could attribute some of that to getting out of the trailer park and back to the stability of Mr. Turner's place, but it was more than that. In this moment, where she could be with her best friends and her boyfriend without the burden of being Shawn weighing her down, she was absolutely radiant. A little pang of guilt plucked at his heart.

"So, Veronica," Topanga began as she snagged a fry from Cory's hand, "how'd you slip this little number past Mr. Turner?" She gestured to Veronica's outfit, an off the shoulder skater dress paired with thigh high tights.

Veronica's mouth quirked up in a half-smile. "Lots of layers and a little contortionism. Thank god Gary's car has a big backseat." She nudged Gary's arm with her shoulder. "And Jon's got a date tonight, so I can go home later without changing back."

"That's pretty crafty thinking. Very sneaky."

She shrugged. "Being a juvenile delinquent has its advantages."

As the group enjoyed their food and conversation, Veronica began to relax, leaning into Gary and smiling up at him when his arm went around her shoulder automatically. She kept an eye on Cory from her periphery, still not sure how he would respond to seeing them together like this. He stiffened up a bit, but otherwise didn't react to the shift in the couple's body language.

She breathed a small sigh of relief. Cory wasn't going to make a scene. He may not love seeing her and Gary together, but he wasn't going to be a jerk about it and that was enough for her. At least for now.

They had just finished their burgers when Topanga stood up and with an exaggeratedly posh British accent announced, "Girl code doth decree that if one woman present must journey to the ladies' room, all women present must accompany her."

Veronica looked at Gary and shrugged. "Sorry, babe, rules are rules." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and slid out of the booth. Topanga offered Veronica her arm and the two walked away together.

Once the girls were gone, Cory gave Gary an awkward smile and drummed his fingers on the table. They had shared plenty of meals together and those had gone fine, but it had never been just the two of them without the buffer of Topanga and Veronica. The silence continued to grow as they sat across from each other, waiting for their girlfriends to return. When he couldn't take it anymore, Cory broke the silence. 

"Listen, Gary, I, uh, think I owe you an apology."

Gary crossed his arms over his chest, giving him a pointed look. "Really? You think so, Matthews?"

"Look, I shouldn't have just decided that you're a jerk because one girl said so. Maybe you were, but I didn't bother to check. I just took her word for it. That's where I fucked up."

"The first time," Gary helpfully tacked onto the end of his sentence. "That's where you fucked up the first time."

Cory grumbled but didn't argue. "Fine. The first time. The point is that if Veronica thinks you're a decent guy then that's probably the truth and you deserve an apology."

"Don't worry about it." Gary stabbed a French fry into a pool of honey mustard before popping it into his mouth.

Cory sat up a little straighter. "Really?"

"Yeah. If you hadn't been such a self obsessed prick I wouldn't have met Veronica." He hated to admit it, but it was true.

"Huh!" Cory stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'd never thought of it that way before. Well in that case, you're welcome."

Gary gave him a warning look. "Don't push it, Matthews." He sighed. "I just wish I knew how to make things better for her."

Cory frowned. "Huh?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Do you pay any attention at all to what's going on around you? She got one week, man! One week where she could finally be herself. Then she had to go back to being Shawn around everybody. That's shitty enough. But then she sees everyone else acting all coupley like it's no big deal. She's pissed and she's hurt and all I can do is try to be there for her."

Cory shrank down a bit in his seat. "I'm sorry, Gary. I didn't even think about that."

Gary shrugged, though he still looked annoyed. "Why would you? It doesn't affect you, does it? Oh! Wait a minute! It does affect your best friend though! But I guess it doesn't matter, as long as Cory's happy."

Cory heaved a huge sigh. "Come on, Gary. You know that's not what I'm saying."

"Well then, what the fuck are you saying?"

"I'm saying it's stuff that I don't understand. Not that it doesn't matter!"

"Come on, Matthews. You don't have to get it. You just have to be there for her. Have you even asked her how she's doing? If there's anything you can do to help her?" Cory looked away, shamefaced. "You could really learn a thing or two from your girlfriend."

The air hung heavy between them as Cory considered everything Gary had said. Finally, Cory ventured a look at him. "So, I guess you really like her, huh?"

"Are you fucking kidding?" His tone was incredulous. "Jesus. Of course I do." His eyes narrowed. "Do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What is it exactly that bothers you so much about me and Veronica?"

"I- I'm not bothered," Cory sputtered. "Why would you say that? Do I look bothered?"

Gary raised an eyebrow as he looked Cory up and down. "Incredibly so."

"Puh!" he scoffed, "I'm perfectly fine."

"So you'll be fine when I kiss her once she gets back?"

"Sure. Do what you want. It's no skin off my nose."

Gary smirked. Matthews was full of shit. He had a problem, alright. But none of that mattered as long as he didn't make it Veronica's problem too. His smirk melted into a warm smile as the girls returned to the booth.

"Well," Topanga began as she slid in next to Cory, "I don't see any blood, so things couldn't have gotten too bad while we were gone."

Gary pulled Veronica closer when she rejoined him on their side of the booth. "Of course not. I think we learned our lesson after the last time we got kicked out of a restaurant. Didn't we, Matthews?" His tone was amicable but Cory understood the warning within his words.

"Yeah. You worry too much Topanga," he agreed nonchalantly. "We're both reasonable human beings. I think we can manage to survive for five minutes without supervision."

Topanga pinched his cheek. "Such a good boy," she teased.

Veronica looked at Gary. "You good?" she asked quietly.

He tucked an errant lock of her hair behind her ear and nodded. "Better now that you're here." He tilted her chin up to draw her into a warm, sweet kiss that she couldn't help but smile into.

Topanga squeezed Cory's arm, snuggling up to him. "Aww. Aren't they just the cutest?"

Cory's face remained expressionless as he watched them. "Yeah. Adorable."

After lunch, the group said their goodbyes. Veronica and Gary had some time to kill before Jon left for his date, so they took advantage of the beautiful day and went to a nearby park. They swung their joined hands back and forth as they walked along a path by the Schuylkill River.

"Hey, you never said anything about your girls' night. How was it?"

An enormous grin spread across Veronica's face. "It was awesome! Topanga showed me how to make all these different face masks out of stuff in her kitchen, which made me majorly hungry, by the way. I also tried some of the weird hippie food her mom made for us. Did you know some people actually like seaweed? Like, eat it like it." She made a face at the memory. "She ordered us a pizza after I tried it though. I even got a pedicure. You should see my toes," she said with a little laugh.

Gary stopped to look her up and down. "I'll look at anything you want me to, Vee." He gave her a flirtatious wink.

Veronica looked toward the river, trying to hide her smile. She could feel her cheeks turning pink. Gary laughed and kissed the top of her head. They continued to walk until they found a bench under the shade of an old Sycamore.

"So, what exactly did you two put on your faces, anyway?" Gary asked with amusement.

"Topanga's was practically guacamole. Avocado and...." she tried to remember what else she had put in it, but was drawing a blank, "stuff. Mine was this oatmeal and honey goop."

"I bet you still looked hot." He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

She let out a loud laugh and playfully punched his arm.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Oatmeal, honey, beautiful girl. Sounds like the recipe for a good morning to me."

"So stay over tonight," she suggested.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I think all we've got at the apartment is coffee and Fruity Pebbles, but I've got the perfect girl for ya right here." She flashed him a grin.

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded and kissed him. "Yeah."

When Veronica was sure that Jon had left for his date, she and Gary drove back to the apartment. She cracked the door to the apartment open slowly, just to make sure. No sign of Jon. "Come on." She tugged at Gary's hand as she led him toward her bedroom. 

She shuffled through her small collection of albums before she found what she was looking for. August and Everything After by Counting Crows, her favorite band. She put the disc into the secondhand C.D. player she'd saved up to buy from a pawn shop and pressed play.

Gary came up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she echoed back. Her eyes fluttered closed when Gary wrapped his arms around her waist.

They stood there, swaying to the music for a bit, before Gary turned his attention to leaving little kisses along Veronica's neck and shoulders. She made a little noise of approval and Gary steered them to the bed.

Their kissing grew more intense as their hormones took charge and their hands began to wander. Her skin was on fire, her head swimming, under his touch. His lips brushed against her collarbone as he planted a series of kisses along it. He began to slowly drag the top of her dress down to expose more of her pale flesh and Veronica froze.

Suddenly, she was far too aware of her body and every little thing she wished she could change about it. It started to feel like there wasn't enough air in the room. Her pulse quickened. She felt sick, her stomach twisting itself into knots. Her eyes searched frantically for the door as her body prepared to run.

Gary pulled away from her. "Vee?" he asked with concern. "Baby, what's wrong?" He gripped her shoulders and ducked his head down to look at her. "Hey...hey! Veronica!"

She whipped her head toward him with wide-eyed surprise, as if she'd just remembered that he was there too. "I- " her voice cracked. "I- "

Before she could jump off the bed and run, though god knows where she could have even gone, Gary's arms were around her, tightly holding her against him. His breath was calm and even, his heart slow and steady.

"You're okay, Vee," he said in a soothing voice. "You're safe." His grip on her remained firm as he spoke soft, soothing words to her. "You've got to slow your breathing, baby." He guided her breath until it matched his own as he gently rocked their bodies in an almost hypnotic way.

Veronica closed her eyes, letting the serene motion relax her body. It took longer than she cared to admit, but eventually her erratic heartbeat returned to normal. She slumped against him, exhausted both mentally and physically.

He laid her down gently and pulled her covers over her. He climbed in next to her, holding her against him, helping her feel safe and grounded. 

"I'm sorry," she said meekly, so quiet that Gary barely heard her. 'What the hell was that?' she wondered, embarrassed over her freakout.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one that fucked up, baby."

"What?"

Gary sighed. "I took it too far. You have no idea how much I want you, Vee. Seriously. But none of that matters if you don't want it too."

Veronica took a deep breath. "I want you too, Gary. It's just- all of the sudden, it just felt like I was trapped inside this room that I don't belong in and I'm trying to get out but I can't and nobody else knows I'm in there." She shook her head. "God, it doesn't even make sense!"

"No, baby, it makes sense. I know you're there. Your friends know you're there. We'll get you out of that room, I promise we will." He stroked her hair as he spoke. "It's gonna be okay. Get some rest now. I have my beautiful girl, but she still owes me coffee and cereal in the morning."

She nodded, feeling a little better after getting all of that out. She let Gary's fingers, running through her hair, continue to relax her until she was finally able to sleep.

The sound of keys unlocking the front door woke Veronica. 'Jon's back,' her foggy brain realized. Gary's limbs were still wrapped around her like a protective cocoon. "Gary?" Veronica ventured cautiously, unsure if he was asleep or not.

He gave her a grunt of acknowledgement, his face buried deep in the crook of her neck.

"Does it bother you that I don't have curves and stuff like other girls?"

"Mrmph," he mumbled what she guessed was supposed to be a no. "Mm...love you...curves...no curves...." he trailed off as he slipped back into sleep. 

Veronica blinked in surprise. Had Gary just said what she thought he said. She squirmed in his embrace until she could twist enough to look at him. Dead asleep. Of course.

Chapter Text

 The room was silent except for Gary's slow, even breaths and Veronica’s fingers tapping anxiously against the mattress. 'People say weird stuff in their sleep all the time,' she told herself. She'd spent enough nights over at Cory's house to hear both him and Eric babbling ridiculous things in the middle of the night. That's all this was. There was no way he'd meant to say it, right?

It would be nice, though. To be loved. Aside from Stacy, she's not sure that anyone's ever really loved her in her entire life. Not girlfriends. Not even her own parents. She was just an obligation to them. An albatross that had, for a while, kept them in Philadelphia. Kept them from abandoning her. Now, she wasn't even that.

But what if he really did love her? Could she be that lucky? She decided to shove it to the back of her mind for now. After all, it didn't really count until she was sure he meant it.

Resolved to deal with it later, she gave Gary a light peck on the cheek and rolled over. Gary instinctively cuddled in closer, chasing the warmth of her body. She relaxed against him and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to overtake her.

In the morning, Veronica cracked an eye open and looked over to see Gary smiling down at her. Memories of her panic attack came flooding back to her. She groaned and buried her head under her pillow.

'We're off to a great start,' thought Gary. "Morning, baby. How are you feeling today?" He kept his voice low and gentle as he attempted to coax her back out.

"Embarrassed," came her muffled reply. She stayed under the pillow, not wanting to look at Gary and see pity on his face. It had been bad enough that she'd lost control of her emotions in front of him like that in the first place. She didn't need him feeling sorry for her too.

She felt his warm hand run soothingly along her back. "Don't be. You had a bad day. It happens."

He saw the pillow move as she shook her head. "I feel like an idiot." She let out a frustrated groan. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing." Gary's voice was firm. "Now, will you please get out from under the pillow?" He tugged at it gently and Veronica reluctantly let him take it from her. "Thank you."

She rolled onto her back and shot him a dubious look. "Now what?"

"Now," he began as he grabbed her hands and pulled her upright, "you're going to sit up. Next, I'm going to kiss you," his lips softly brushed against hers in a way that made her start to feel a little less rotten, "and then you're going to change into something a little less scandalous so we can make some coffee."

Veronica looked down at what she was wearing and laughed. She'd completely forgotten that she was still in the same dress and tights she'd been wearing yesterday. "Ooh, yeah. Not ready to explain this one to Jon."

Gary kissed her temple and turned around to give her a little privacy. Once she'd changed into a tshirt and pajama pants, Gary helped her take off any leftover makeup with the wipes she kept in her nightstand. As he did, Veronica looked at him with curiosity. "How did you know how to do all that stuff last night?"

Focused on cleaning her face with the cool cloth, he distractedly told her, "Sometimes me or dad have to calm my mom down when she's having one of her bad days."

"Oh," she said softly. Gary didn’t talk much about his mom, but the little he had said hadn't been great. Apparently she was a big fan of self medicating. It had led to quite a few outbursts at home, as well as the occasional legal snafu.

Gary gently turned her face to the left and right, double checking to make sure he'd wiped away the last remnants of her stubborn mascara. "Perfect," he told her with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 They cautiously ventured out of her room, hoping to avoid Jon's judgy comments. They were greeted by the enticing aroma of the freshly brewed coffee waiting for them in the pot, but it was just the two of them in the apartment. Veronica frowned. "Weird. I wonder where Jon went."

"Don't know, but I'm sure he'll turn up eventually."

In the kitchen, Veronica reached up to grab two mugs from the top shelf of the cabinet and set them by the coffeemaker. 'Damn,' Gary thought as he watched the way her body stretched and her shirt lifted just enough to give him a subtle glimpse of her fair skin. When she turned around, she came face to face with him. He grabbed a hold of the counter on either side of her, trapping her between his arms. "Of course right now, it's just you and me." There was a playful tone to his voice. 

Her eyes sparkled as she coyly asked, "So...what do you want to do?"

"What do you want me to do?" He nuzzled her neck. "Maybe....."

She inhaled sharply when he began to nibble his way to her shoulder. "Yeah," she said breathily, "I definitely want— "

The sound of a key sliding into the deadbolt caught their attention. "Fuck," Gary cursed under his breath. They hurriedly tried their best to compose themselves before the door opened.

Jon walked in holding a newspaper and looked up at them with surprise. They looked incredibly guilty, though of what, he wasn’t sure yet. "Oh! Hey, guys." He paused for a beat before snapping his fingers in recognition. "Gary, right?"

Gary stood up a little straighter and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He gave the pair a quizzical look. "Isn't it a little early to be hanging out? Shawn, I didn't know you were even capable of waking up before noon on a Sunday."

"You know something, Jon, you're a real funny guy. Have I ever told you that?" Veronica's voice dripped with sarcasm. She busied herself pouring coffee for her and Gary, handing him his mug, then adding what looked like about half a cup of sugar to her own. The first time Gary had seen her do that, he'd looked at her like she was insane. Now he just found it to be another cute quirk of hers.

"Have I ever told you how crabby you are in the mornings?" Jon shot back. Shawn had been snapping at him left and right since moving in. He couldn't figure out what the kid's problem was. He had thought that Shawn would be thrilled to be out of the trailer and away from his father, especially since Chet had fallen off the wagon. He made a mental note to try to talk to him about what was going on. Later. When he wasn't so...pissy.

Veronica shot him a sour look. "Give me a break, man! You walk through the door and the first thing you do is give me shit. Gee, what could I possibly have to be crabby about? Come on, let's just go back to my room, Gary." She stormed past Jon, who looked taken aback by her outburst.

'What does he mean, back?' Jon thought as he watched them walk away. And was it just his imagination, or were those hickeys on Shawn's neck new?

"God!" Veronica growled after they were safely behind closed doors. "I don't remember him being this fucking annoying the last time I lived here!"

Gary gently took her coffee from her before it could spill all over the floor as she ranted and paced. He set both of their mugs on the nightstand.

"—...always has some smart-ass comment!" If she had been any angrier, steam would be coming out of her ears, Gary was sure of it.

"Baby, slow down," Gary urged her. As her pacing brought her back within his reach, he pulled her into his arms. "Stop. Take a breath. It's just you and me right now, okay?" He felt her nod against his chest. When it seemed like most of the fight had left her, he relaxed his hold on her.

They sat down, Gary’s arms still wrapped around her. "Is this really about Jon?" he asked softly.

"It's not not about Jon," she mumbled.

"But it's not just about him, is it, Vee?"

"No," she admitted. There was a long pause between them. They both knew that what Jon had said had only been the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Are you still thinking about last night?"

She flopped back on her bed, grumbling, "Well, yeah. Can you blame me? I can't even fool around with my boyfriend without having some major freakout."

"One freakout."

"What?"

"You had one freakout. Give yourself a break, baby."

"It’s not that simple, though," she said with a rueful laugh. "Like, I can look in the mirror and find a lot of things I like, but there's still so much that's just...wrong. I can't stand the idea of you thinking that too." She hugged her stomach as if that would somehow keep the anxiety she was feeling from spilling out.

His brow furrowed as he put together what she meant. He felt like an idiot for not figuring it out sooner. "I don't think that, Vee. I could never think that about you. You are unbelievably gorgeous and sexy exactly the way you are."

He looked at her, his eyes tinged with sadness. "Promise me, if I ever start to do something you don't feel okay with, you'll tell me. You can tell me you're uncomfortable."

"I know. But I want to be okay with it. I just really wish I didn't have anything to feel uncomfortable about in the first place."

"Well how about, for now, we just focus on the things you like instead?" 

She looked up at him with interest. "Yeah, okay. I could be into that. Got anything in mind?"

Gary gave her a long, appraising look. "Let's see...you like showing off those gorgeous long legs of yours, don't you?" he asked, grinning down at her.

The sight of him hovering above her gave her butterflies. She looked away from him, hiding the little smile on her face. "Yes."

"And what about your ass? I know you feel sexy in those cute little panties, right? The ones you always make sure I can see peeking out under your tshirt at night?" She began to relax, her inhibitions fading away as he slid his hands up her thighs and grabbed her ass.

Heat rose in her cheeks. How did he always manage to make her forget the things she hated about herself? How did he always make her feel beautiful?

He brushed his thumb across her full, velvety soft lips. "And those pouty, sexy lips? Who could possibly resist them?" He gave her a cheeky grin as he referenced the story she'd told him about her stint on High School Quiz Show.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Her fingers raked through his hair as he leaned closer, allowing her to pull him into a deep kiss. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she basked in the warmth of his body against her own. The weight of him on top of her was becoming more familiar as the weeks passed, but it still sent a little thrill through her.

"Tell me what you want, Vee."

She tugged at the front of his tshirt. "Take it off." Her self assuredness surprised even her.

Gary grinned down at her. "Yes, ma'am." He was happy that she was feeling confident enough to take charge. Plus, he thought it was hot as hell when she was bossy. With her help, his shirt was quickly tossed aside.

He descended on her once again while her hands roamed over his bare skin. Chest. Shoulders. Arms. She needed to touch as much of his body as she could.

Gary put a hand on her hip, fingers digging into her flesh roughly as he kissed her. He slipped his thumb under the waistband of her pajama pants to tease the sensitive skin along her hip bone.

Veronica jumped at the sensation. Gary let out a little chuckle. "Sorry, baby." He stilled his hand.

She shook her head. "No, you're good," she assured him breathily. "Keep going."

Slowly, giving her time to tell him to stop if she wasn't ready, he began dragging her pants down. She lifted her hips to help him slide them past her ass and off of her completely. He took a moment to admire the beautiful creature beneath him.

"Touch me," she whispered.

His hands slid up the smooth skin of her inner thighs. Her eyes fluttering closed as the feather light touch sent a shiver through her. Gary slipped his hands beneath her knees to pull her closer, eliciting a little squeak of surprise from her.

The sensation was quickly replaced by the searing heat of his lips peppering kisses along the wake of pleasure his fingers had left. She arched up to meet him, her body desperate for more contact.

Gary's touch was gentle but confident as they began to explore this new intimacy together, every soft gasp and low moan urging him on. She could feel her body reacting to him—the ache of longing building with every gentle movement. 

Every inch of her skin sparked with electricity under his touch. She hadn’t realized how much she needed this—how much she needed him. To see her. To want her, just as she was. It was everything to her.

Later, still lying in her bed, Veronica curled up against Gary's side, enjoying the comfortable silence between them. Her gaze drifted up to his face. Eyes closed. A dopey smile on his face.

A wave of warmth washed over her as she watched him. "You're pretty great, you know that?"

He cracked an eye open to look at her. "You're not so bad yourself," he replied with a cocky grin.

Veronica bit her lip to stifle a laugh, giving him a playful swat on the arm. "That's not what I meant, but that was pretty great too."

She rolled onto her stomach, her chin resting on her folded arms, and studied him for a bit. Casually laying on her bed with his hands behind his head, a serene smile on his face, like he had always belonged there with her. He always seemed to know exactly what she needed.

"How do you always do that?" she wondered aloud.

Gary propped himself up on his elbows and gave her a curious look. "Do what?"

"Make everything better."

His expression softened. "I just like seeing you happy. Especially when I get to be the one to make you feel that way."

"I'm always happy when I'm with you. I don't think I've ever really felt that way with anyone before. And you make me feel beautiful." She looked down at her hands. "I know I've never felt that way with anyone before."

He sat up, regarding her with pure adoration, and she followed suit. "Veronica" he said softly, "you are beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful, inside and out, head to toe, heart and soul." 

She twisted the hem of her shirt. Tears stung her eyes and she tried to blink them away. "You're biased." Her voice was soft, timid.

Gary's face turned serious. "You are my perfect supernova and I'm still not sure how I ended up so lucky." He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing her cheeks. "I love you, Veronica. You know that, right?"

Her heart pounded in her chest. He really did love her. It wasn't just some sleepy mistake. 'Well fuck, here come the tears.' For a second, all she could manage to do was nod, the surge of emotions making words impossible. It made her feel ridiculous and sappy. It was also the best feeling in the world. "I love you too, Gary."

Their lips met in a kiss that was soft, unhurried. Filled with the love they had for one another. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close even after they broke the kiss, her head resting comfortably against his chest.

The sound of his heartbeat—strong and steady and familiar—was a constant reminder of the safety and love she felt in his arms. This was exactly where she belonged.

Chapter Text

From the moment Veronica walked into school on Monday morning, she could feel Topanga watching her. As she shoved aside a jumble of loose papers, a can of spray cheese, and a curious number of Hawaiian leis just to find her books, she could practically feel her friend’s eyes boring into her. When she finally turned around, Topanga’s sharp green eyes met hers, unwavering.

She rubbed the back of her neck, eyes darting around the hall. "What?" she asked stiffly.

Topanga shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, then flashed Veronica a reassuring smile. "Nothing."

Veronica was skeptical, but let it slide. "Riiight...." She drew out the word as she started to back away. Luckily, the crowd of students around her was dense enough that Veronica managed to slip away before Topanga could corner her.

But the feeling of being watched lingered, making her increasingly uneasy. As the day dragged on, it only got worse. The weight of it kept growing, the pressure making her every move just a little more self-conscious.

By lunchtime, it was unbearable.

Veronica sat with her friends at the cafeteria table. She picked at her food, but her appetite was gone. Every time she looked up, she found Topanga’s eyes locked onto her, studying her. It made her squirm in her seat. She knew something. She always knew. And right now, it was driving Veronica crazy. 

Her grip tightened around her fork as she pushed the lumpy mashed potatoes around on her plate. Maybe if she ignored her, Topanga would move on. But it wasn't working. The longer Veronica refused to acknowledge her, the more Topanga’s interest seemed to grow, that same glint of curiousity in her eyes.

Cory, oblivious to the tension in the air, continued to ramble on. Veronica tried to focus on what he was saying, but his words all turned into white noise buzzing in her ears. Her mind was too aware of the way Topanga was watching her. It made it impossible to pay attention to anything else going on around her.

Veronica exhaled sharply. She couldn't take it anymore. The room had suddenly become unbearably hot and it was making her head spin. She had to get out of there.

The scrape of her chair against the floor was loud enough to draw a few glances, but she didn’t care. “I, uh—” she stammered, standing abruptly. “I forgot I'm supposed to meet Jon before my next class.” She bolted from the cafeteria before her friends even had a chance to react, her heart pounding in her chest.

Gary, talking to a friend at a nearby table, caught the unmistakable sound of metal screeching across the linoleum. He looked up, brow furrowed, as Veronica hurried out of the cafeteria. After giving his friend a quick clap on the back, Gary excused himself and went after her.

When he caught up to her in the empty hallway, she was resting her forehead against the cool steel of her locker door. "Pretty sure that’s not how you open it," he said lightly, trying to make her smile. It worked.

"Shut up," she murmured, a hint of laughter in her voice as she turned to face him. Her mouth quirked up in a half-smile when their eyes met. "How come you're not at lunch?"

He shrugged. "I was going to ask you the same thing. You left the cafeteria in a pretty big hurry. I wanted to check on you, make sure you're alright."

She ran her hands through her hair with a sigh. "I'm fine. It's just...Topanga." Gary raised an eyebrow. "She's been staring into my freaking soul all day and I couldn't take it anymore."

"Aww, baby," he started with a soft chuckle, "is there a chance that maybe you’re making this bigger than it actually is?"

"Absolutely not." Her voice was firm. Certain.

Gary raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm sorry. You're right, this is very serious. Do you want me to radio for backup? I could have a team here in five."

She bristled in irritation. "You're not funny, you know."

He smsmirked.Yes, I am." He scanned the hall to make sure they were alone before giving her a brief kiss. "And you are fucking adorable when you're grumpy."

Veronica smiled despite herself. "Mmm, still not funny. But you should go back to the cafeteria. Eat. I'm fine now."

Gary looked at her, hesitant to leave. "Are you sure?"

She trailed her fingers down his arm until their hands joined. "I'm sure." She squeezed his hand before letting go.

He nodded, reluctantly. "Okay. If you need me, find me. Got it?"

After promising she would, she watched him walk back toward the cafeteria. When he was out of sight, she let out a deep breath, sagging back against her locker. It had been a long day and it wasn’t even over yet.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Veronica barely noticed it as she made her way to her next class. Thoughts of Topanga’s intense stare still lingered, making her stomach churn.

The rest of the day continued with little more than a quiet undercurrent of feeling watched. She still caught Topanga's eyes following her from time to time. But as Veronica shuffled from class to class, she slowly started to relax. She didn't feel like she was under constant surveillance anymore. Or maybe she was just getting used to it.

Veronica stopped at her locker before her last class of the day, having finally managed to get Topanga off her mind. She fumbled with the combination, barely registering the chaos of the halls—until she felt that gaze again. She turned and found herself face-to-face with Topanga.

"Fuck! You're like a Turkish freighter, just appearing out of nowhere like that!"

"Something's different about you today," Topanga said, her eyes narrowing as she slowly circled Veronica. "You're glowing." Her words didn't feel like an observation—they felt more like an accusation.

Veronica shifted from foot to foot, gripping her notebook so tightly that the metal spirals dug into her hand, leaving deep imprints in her palm. "What?" she asked with a nervous laugh, looking away from her friend's shrewd gaze. "There's noth—"

Topanga gasped, her eyes growing wide, and grabbed Veronica's arm to pull her in closer. "You had sex!" she hissed. 

"Topanga, I didn't—"

"You did! You totally had sex!"

Veronica turned beet red. "Okay, okay. Fine," she said in a hushed tone. "Kind of, at least. Things are a little, um, complicated in that area." She winced, bracing herself for Topanga’s reaction.

Topanga’s grip on her arm tightened. "So? How was it?" she asked excitedly.

A soft, hesitant smile flickered across her face. "Amazing," she murmured, biting her lip as she remembered the heat of his fingertips gliding across her skin.

Gary sauntered up to them. He nearly put his arm around Veronica, but remembered where they were and stopped short. Instead, he rested his hand on her shoulder in what would seem like just a friendly gesture to anyone around them. "What's amazing?" he asked, his face breaking into the same ridiculously dopey smile he'd had all day yesterday.

"Oh, you know, those weird little balls floating in the Orbitz bottles. Who comes up with that stuff, right?" she replied with a playful grin.

He chuckled. "Didn't realize novelty drinks did it for ya."

"You know me. Complex and full of surprises."

"I know." He lowered his voice to ensure no one passing by heard them over the usual commotion between classes. "That's one of the things I love about you."

Topanga did a double take. "Love?" She smacked Veronica on the arm. "You didn't tell me that part!" She tried to keep her voice down, but still drew the attention of a few nearby students.

Gary shot Veronica a quizzical look, his grip on her shoulder tightening for a fraction of a second. "'That part?' Uh, what exactly did you tell her, Vee?" he asked quietly.

"I didn’t tell her anything," Veronica insisted. "She guessed!"

"Sorry, guys." She didn't look sorry. In fact, she looked like the cat that ate the canary.

Gary stifled a laugh. "Of course she did." He turned to Topanga. "Has anyone ever told you you're kind of scary."

She waved his words away. "I'm just detail oriented."

Veronica cleared her throat. "Hey, um," she began softly, "just...don't tell Cory, okay?"

Topanga gave her a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, sweetie. If he finds out you did it, sex is all he's ever going to want to talk about." She sighed. "Like he wasn’t already obsessed with the idea."

Veronica paused, choosing her words carefully. "Uhh...I actually meant the 'love' thing. Since he's, ya know, still kinda...weird about the whole relationship thing. But yeah, we probably shouldn't tell him that either"

They all exchanged a knowing look, nodding in silent agreement. They would not—under any circumstances—tell Cory about any of this. It was what was best for him. What was best for all of them.

Yet even as the final bell rang and students swarmed the halls, eager to be anywhere but school, guilt still tugged at Veronica's gut. It seemed as if every time she unburdened herself of one secret, another was quick to take its place.

 Veronica rushed to put her books back into her locker, anxious to meet Gary in the parking lot. She shut her locker door and let out a startled cry.

Cory was standing just inches away. His jaw clenched when he saw her, his expression sharp and heated.

"What the hell, Cory?" she gasped, her hand flying to her chest. Her heart was pounding from the shock of his sudden appearance.

"Are you kidding me?" he growled. "With him?"

"Cory!" Veronica hissed. "Keep your voice down!" She looked around them before continuing. "What are you freaking out about?"

"How could you not tell me something this major?"

"Wha—" The color drained from her face. "Who told you?"

"No one," he huffed. "That's the problem. I was around the corner on my way to meet you guys when I heard you all talking about it. I guess it's fine if everyone else knows, but let's not tell Cory, huh?" His voice rose with each word. "I'm your best friend. You're supposed to tell me these things!"

"Cory! Shut up!" she snapped. Heads turned in their direction, making her cringe. She snatched up his wrist and yanked him along behind her as she marched to an empty classroom.

Once they were alone, Veronica whipped around to face him, voice low but laced with heat as she paced in front of a row of desks. "What the hell was all that? You can't just start yelling at me about Gary in the middle of the hall."

"You guys weren't even going to tell me," Cory snapped.

Veronica threw her hands up in the air. "Do you blame us? I didn't want to give you any more reason to hate Gary than whatever crazy ones you've already concocted in your head.' She stopped pacing and rubbed her temples. This whole thing was giving her a headache.

He frowned. "I don't hate him. I just think that maybe this relationship is a lapse of judgment on your part."

"Cory," she sighed, "I don't get why you still have a problem with Gary. What the hell is going on?"

"It's just..." he hesitated, searching for the right words, "you're my best friend. I thought I knew everything about you. Then I find out all this new stuff all at once. I find out my best friend is a girl—this ridiculously gorgeous girl—and she's making moon-eyes at this guy who's supposed to be this total jerk." 

"Cory...." Her voice was more gentle than it had been. Kinder. "Are you jealous of Gary?"

"What? No. Gary?" he scoffed. "Why would I be jealous? Sure, he's tall, good looking, charismatic. Like that's an accomplishment. Of course now you're spending all your time with him. You don't need me anymore. Not with him around."

"Cory, you're still my best friend. I'll always need you. But I love Gary." She shook her head and started again. "I'm in love with him and he's in love with me. I've never had something like this before. And as my best friend, I need you to be okay with that. I need you to be happy for me. Please?"

Cory's stomach felt like it was trying to tie itself into knots. "I just...why him?"

Veronica was taken aback by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why's he the one?"

"Because he's saw me, all of me, and he stayed. He still wanted me. And I saw him. The real him. The guy behind all that dumb bravado." She smiled fondly as she thought of him. "We just get each other, ya know? Support each other."

Cory looked down, scuffing the floor with the toe of his sneaker. "I would have supported you if you'd told me," he muttered.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. "Really, Cor? The diner?"

"Now come on, that's not fair. I was totally blindsided and Gary was practically eating your face."

She rolled her eyes. "Glad you've moved past that."

"I have. Really." His posture sagged a little as he continued, "I just miss you, that's all. Do you realize we haven't gotten to hang out just the two of us since you started seeing him? Not once."

It was true. She'd never intended to shut him out. It had just sort of...happened. "I'm sorry, Cor. Things just got so weird between you and me and you and him. I guess it just felt easier to keep a little bit of distance between us. Looks like that was the wrong move, huh?"

"I'm thinkin so, yeah," he agreed with a little smirk.

There was a brief moment of silence before Veronica spoke. "Here’s the deal," she said softly, "I promise I’ll make more time for us to hang out, just the two of us, and you’ll stop treating Gary like he’s a rival for my attention."

"I think I can live with that."

She gave him a small nod. "Still best friends?"

"Still best friends," he agreed.

She put an arm around his shoulders and guided them both toward the door. "Chubbie's, after school tomorrow. You and me."

Cory beamed at her. "Wouldn’t miss it."

Chapter Text

Jon and Veronica sat together on the couch as they went over everything one last time. He was getting ready to take a train up to Boston for a convention. He'd be gone all weekend and was starting to have second thoughts about letting Veronica stay home alone.

"Now remember—just because I'm not gonna be here this weekend—that doesn't give you carte blanche to do whatever you want," he warned her. "I'm counting on you to be responsible while I'm gone. Got it?"

She waved away his worries. "Yeah, I've got it. Calm down, Jon. The apartment will be fine. I'll be fine. And if you just relax a little, you'll be fine too."

Jon gave her an irritable look. "Yeah, right. Repeat after me. 'No girls.'"

Veronica rolled her eyes but humored him. "'No girls.' Happy?"

Jon wasn't. "Not especially, no. I want to trust you, kid. I really do. But you don't exactly have the best track record."

"It was one time, man! I brought a girl here one time. Just let it go already." The irony of the fact that Jon had made this particular rule because of a girl named Veronica was not lost on her. 

He looked at her thoughtfully. "You know what? You're right."

Her eyes widened and she sat there, blinking up at him. "I am?" Sure, she knew she was right, but she didn't think Jon was going to concede the point.

"Yeah.... Yeah. That was over a year ago. People change."

A broad smile spread across her face. "Exactly!" she agreed enthusiastically. "I've definitely changed. I'm like a totally different person now."

Jon stood up and, as he walked by, ruffled Veronica's hair. "Atta boy." Thankfully, he couldn't see her grimace at the words. He grabbed the small suitcase he'd left by the door. "If you need me, the number to the hotel is on the fridge. I'll call and check in tomorrow, okay?"

"Yup. Have fun at your nerd conference."

Jon gave her a stern look. "It's the National Council of Teachers of English convention, Shawn."

She shrugged indifferently. "Too many words. See ya Sunday night."

Once he was gone, she flopped down, stretching out across the length of the couch. An entire weekend, unsupervised. She grinned. Jon said not to have any girls over. But he never said anything about boys.

She and Gary had been looking forward to Jon's conference more than Jon had. He was going to do...whatever it was that English teachers did at these things. And she and Gary? They were going to enjoy fourty-eight blissful hours to themselves. 

While she waited for Gary to come over, Veronica stood in front of the bathroom mirror and did her makeup. A touch of mascara, a little blush, a hint of lipstick. Nothing much, really, just a few little things she could do to make herself happy. She smiled at her reflection with satisfaction when she was finished.

Today, she'd even taken the time to style her chin-length hair, a new skill she was learning under Topanga’s guidance. She had discovered that with the right products, she could create soft waves that framed her face beautifully, so she didn't need to rely on that itchy wig anymore.

There was a knock at the door. She jumped up to open it, her face lighting up when she saw him. Gary stood in front of her with his hands behind his back. "Hey, Vee! I come baring gifts. These," he brought forth one hand to present her with a bouquet of flowers, "are from me."

She thought the lilies, in deep oranges, purples, and pinks, looked kind of like a sunset. "Cool. Thanks." She still wasn't used to getting flowers—hadn't even decided if that was important to her—but other girls got them from their boyfriends, so she took the bouquet happily.

"And these," he revealed his other hand, holding out a paper bag that smelled absolutely delicious, "are from Meritle.”

Her eyes lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning. "Ooh!"

She led the way into the kitchen, looking for something to put the flowers in. "So...what's in the bag?" she asked as she pulled down a vase and filled it with water. "It smells amazing."

Gary beamed at her. "Meritle made empanadillas and insisted that I bring some over to my super novia."

"I knew there was a reason I liked her." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before taking the bag and putting it in the fridge. "Tell her 'gracias' for me."

He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "And what about the delivery boy?"

"Don't worry," she teased, looking back at him. "I've got something for him too."

He chuckled softly, his breath warm against her ear. "Promise?"

She turned in his arms so she could face him properly. "Promise." Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned in to kiss him. It was going to be an amazing weekend, she could already feel it.

For those few days, aside from a phone call or two from Jon to make sure Veronica hadn't accidentally burned down the apartment, they were in their own little bubble. Just the two of them. And they had taken full advantage of the time. Everything had been perfect. But when Sunday morning finally arrived, it still felt like it had come too soon.

Veronica woke up in Gary's arms. His slow, even breaths told her that he was still asleep. A soft, contented smile played on her lips as she melted back into the comfort of his warm embrace. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. God, he always smells so good.

Eventually, the need for coffee pulled her out of bed. A little reluctantly, she slipped out of the covers. The cool air hit her skin, sending a shiver through her body. She pulled on Gary’s hoodie and a pair of thick, fuzzy socks before quietly padding out of her bedroom.

In the kitchen, she started a pot of coffee, leaning against the counter while she waited for it to brew. Before it had even finished percolating, the strong aroma had woken up Gary and drawn him to her.

"Morning," he said, stifling a yawn as he shuffled toward her.

She greeted him with a soft smile. “Morning,” she echoed as she poured him a cup of coffee and handed him the steaming mug.

His eyes, barely open to begin with, closed blissfully as he took his first sip. "Mmm...goddess." 

"What do you want to do today?" she asked over her shoulder as she made her own cup.

"I have some ideas," he said, eying her suggestively over the rim of his mug. "But first, breakfast. I'm starving, baby."

They spent the morning lounging on the couch, eating cold Poptarts and laughing their asses off as they shared their own personal conspiracy theories with each other. Veronica’s proof that her neighbors, the Monroes, were actually aliens. The reasons why Gary was sure his cousin Paul was in the CIA. Pretty much any ridiculous thing that popped into their heads.

That afternoon, they decided to watch a movie. Veronica made popcorn and grabbed a couple of sodas while Gary set up the VCR. Once she'd arranged everything on the coffee table, she curled up with Gary on the couch.

"Ready?" Gary asked, a wide grin spreading across his face.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, god. What movie did you pick, Gary?"

He shrugged, his grin morphing into a smirk. "You'll see."

"Seriously! What did you pick?"

Gary said nothing. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, draping an arm around her and pressing play on the remote control.

They were barely ten minutes into what could only be described as the cheesiest horror flick Veronica had ever seen, when Gary pulled her into his lap. "You know...I don't think I'll be able to watch the movie very well like this," she teased.

He was already busy kissing his way down her neck. "Don't worry, baby." His voice was low. Distracted. "I'll tell you what happens."

"You're not watching it either." Her accusation was tinged with laughter.

"Doesn't matter," he murmured as his lips continued their path across her bare skin. "Seen it before."

"Oh. Well, in that case...."

Veronica straddled Gary’s lap, his fingers digging into her smooth thighs, his grip firm and full of need for her. The sleeves of his oversized hoodie bunched around her wrists as she gripped the front of his tshirt, pulling him closer as they kissed, slow and deep.

The movie continued to drone on in the background, quickly forgotten as Veronica and Gary’s attention turned to one another. Lost in the moment, they didn’t hear the creak of the door until it was too late.

Jon stepped across the threshold, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw the two teens making out on his couch. For a moment, everyone froze.

The young couple warily shifted their gaze toward the door. As her eyes met Jon's, the color drained from Veronica's face. He wasn’t supposed to be home.This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Jon looked from Veronica to Gary and back again. "Well...so much for 'just friends,' huh?"

Veronica scrambled off of Gary's lap so quickly that she nearly knocked over the coffee table, yanking down the hem of Gary’s hoodie as if it could hide her. 'Go! Get out before he can kick you out himself!'

Her eyes darted toward the door. If she ran now, maybe she could get to—where? She had nowhere to go. Nowhere but here. And she had just ruined everything. "Shit! I'm sorry, Jon. Look, I—I’ll just grab my stuff and go."

Before she could even take a step, Jon's voice stopped her cold. "Hey! You're not going anywhere. Got it? Now sit back down." His tone left no room for argument. She dropped back down next to Gary without another word, shrinking into his side.

Gary shifted in his seat, putting himself between Veronica and Jon. He didn’t know what to expect, but after what had happened with her dad, he sure as hell wasn't taking any chances. His jaw tightened as he met Jon’s gaze with steady defiance, daring him to make a move. His hand found hers, gripping it tightly. "It's okay, Veronica. Breathe," he murmured softly.

After a few slow breaths, Veronica looked up at Jon, a mix of guilt and fear painted across her face. "You weren't supposed to be back yet," she whispered.

Jon huffed out a sigh as he sank into the empty sidechair. "I caught an earlier train home." He rested his elbows on his knees, rubbing his temples in an attempt to stave off the headache that was already brewing behind his eyes. "So...does anybody want to tell me what's going on here?"

Veronica shook her head vehemently. "No way. I can't." Her voice wavered. "You're gonna kick me out anyway. I know it. So, please, just let me go now."

Jon's head snapped up. "What? Why exactly am I gonna kick you out?"

"Come on, Jon," her voice cracked, but she kept talking, the words spilling out too fast to stop. "You walk in and see me—see this—and then I have to leave. I'm just saving you the trouble, man. Nobody wants a kid like me."

Jon was taken aback. "That's not true. I want a kid like you." His voice was lower now,. Gentler. "Look, I don’t exactly know what the hell 'this' is, but nobody's kicking anybody out, okay?"

She still looked like a skittish animal that was ready to bolt, but she gave him a curt nod.

It was then that Jon stopped and looked at her—really looked at her—clinging to Gary like he was her lifeline, wearing his hoodie and not much else, her kiss-smudged lipstick, and her hair, a mess of wild waves. "Shawn, I need you to talk to me, because clearly, I've only got half the story."

She hesitated, taking a shaky breath. "My name is Veronica."

Jon didn’t react right away. He just stared at her like he wasn’t sure he'd heard her correctly. "Come again?"

Veronica forced herself to sit up straighter. "My name is Veronica," she repeated, her voice stronger this time.

He cocked his head to the side, his brows drawn together in a frown. "Veronica? Like when you were pretending to be a girl for Matthews' article?"

She winced at his words. "I wasn't pretending."

Jon opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. He shook his head, clearing it before trying again. "So...what exactly does that mean?"

Veronica's fingers curled tightly into Gary's hoodie. "It means I’m not a boy," she said, watching his reaction carefully. "I never was."

Jon was quiet for a long moment before finally nodding in acceptance. "Okay then."

"Wait...you’re not mad?" she asked cautiously.

"Mad? No. Confused? Yeah." He chuckled awkwardly. "Look, this is a lot, kid. It's not exactly in my wheelhouse. But we'll do what we've always done. Figure it out together. It might take me some time to understand everything and I might screw up sometimes. But I'm not going anywhere, alright? And neither are you"

She wasn’t sure what she had expected. No, that wasn't true. She had expected anger. Disgust. Rejection. Instead, Jon was trying—really trying—to understand her.

She felt herself relaxing for the first time since Jon had come home. "Thanks," she said, giving him a small half-smile.

Gary put his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I should probably head out. Give you two some time to talk more."

Jon shook his head. "Nice try, kid. You're gonna stay right here." His attention turned back to Veronica. "Can you give me a minute with Gary? I promise, you and I will sit down and talk more later, but right now, he and I need to have a little chat."

She hesitated, her eyes searching Gary’s for any sign that he needed her to stay. Leaning in, he murmured, "It's fine." His lips brushed against her temple in a light kiss.

"Okay." With a heavy sigh, she rose from the couch and turned to Jon. "Just...go easy on him, okay? He's a good guy." She gave Gary a tight smile. "I'll, uh, see you soon."

Jon waited until he heard the soft click of her bedroom door closing to shift his focus back to Gary. The teen was sitting stiffly, his posture tense and his fingers drumming against the couch cushions, as he waited for the interrogation to begin.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes while Jon simply eyed the kid with a neutral expression. Questioning boyfriends....where did he even start? This was definitely something he never thought he'd have to do.

The tension in the room grew with every second of silence, neither of them wanting to be the first to speak. Finally, Jon exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked tired. "Alright, kid," he muttered. "Let’s talk."

Gary folded his arms across his chest. "Alright."

Jon studied him for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. "How long has this been going on?"

Gary hesitated. "Me and Veronica?"

Jon gave him a pointed look. "No, you and the Pope. Yeah, you and Veronica."

"Since Cory was going to do that stupid article of his for the paper," he said evenly, meeting Jon’s gaze. 

Jon let out a slow breath, shaking his head. "Jesus." He leaned back, looking to the ceiling as if it could tell him how to handle this. "You're telling me that you two have been sneaking around this whole time? Dating?"

Gary looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah." He sat up straighter, voice firm. "I love her."

Jon's jaw dropped slightly, surprised by Gary’s admittion. "You love her?"

Gary held his gaze. "Yeah. I do."

Jon scoffed, shaking his head again. "You’re just kids."

Gary shrugged. "So, what?"

"Does she love you back?" Jon asked tentatively.

"Yes," he answered with absolute certainty.

Jon didn’t say anything immediately, just tapping his fingers against the arm of the chair. "So this has been going on for months...," he said softly. "And she never told me?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "What do you expect? She was scared."

Eyes wide with surprise, he pointed to himself. "Of me?"

Gary hesitated, but there was no point in dancing around the issue. “Of everybody. She’s afraid of how people will react. I mean, fuck, her dad was a total shitbag when he saw her. Of course he was so hammered he probably doesn’t even remember. Still…..”

Chet. Motherfucking. Hunter. Of course. “I’d never treat her like that, though.”

Gary shrugged. “Maybe not, but she didn’t want to risk losing you. She needs you, Jon. Just...be there for her. Don’t let her feel like she's alone here."

Jon sat there silently for a few minutes, staring down at his hands. Thinking. Eventually, he looked up at Veronica's closed door.

Gary followed his gaze. "You'd better not hurt her," he warned.

Jon couldn't help but chuckle at the reversal of their roles. "Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I already figured that one out on my own."

As Gary started to stand, Jon caught his attention again "Oh! Real quick...there was one more thing." He waited a beat before continuing. "If I catch you screwing around on my couch like that again," he flashed Gary a predatory smile, "I'll kick your ass."

"Noted, sir," Gary said, wasting no time as he headed straight for Veronica’s room.

When the door creaked open, she looked up at him, her tense expression melting into one of relief. She jumped up to greet him as he stepped into the room. "How’d it go?" Her voice was tight, her concern clear. "Was he pissed?"

Gary pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back to calm her nerves. "Nah. Not really." He kissed the top of her head. "He really loves you, you know."

"I know," she whispered.

It was still a strange feeling, having a father figure whose default setting wasn't anger and lashing out when coming upon something he didn't understand. Jon isn't Chet. He's nothing like Chet. He'd taken her in when he didn't have to. Twice. Still, it was hard to let go of that fear.

They just stood in the middle of the room for a while, she and Gary, holding each other. It wasn’t exactly the end to their weekend that they had imagined, but some good had definitely come out of it. Jon knew. She didn't have to hide who she really was from him anymore. She was home and she was safe. And that was everything.