Thank you for this prompt ArnoldPalmTree. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
ArnoldPalmTree's prompt:
Love your stories! My request would be twenty something year old Cheryl being in an abusive relationship with Heather (however graphic you wish to write it is up to you) and she meets toni who saves her/ she already knows toni and toni finds out and helps.
Thanks for taking requests :)
I went a little AU on this one. Cheryl and Toni did not meet in high school!
...
Cheryl saw Toni most mornings, coming in to collect her order from the coffee shop owner, usually having a friendly chat with her each day or just hanging out before the shop got busy. Toni would even go as far as to say her and and Cheryl were friends. Toni knew Cheryl's pattern like clockwork, what time she's come in, precisely what her order would be.
Toni didn't notice anything different at first. Cheryl's visits started to shrink away, getting a little less regular, spending a little less time in the shop each time she visited.
When Cheryl didn't turn up for a whole week, Toni was worried. She'd never known Cheryl to have such a long gap between visits unless she was on vacation, but she assumed Cheryl would have told her if that were the case.
Toni hadn't been working the late shift on that rainy Thursday evening , but as they were a staff member down, had decided to come back before closing to lock up herself.
The coffee shop was empty apart from a small, hunched figure sat in a booth in the corner, head bent over their drink.
"One of the homeless folks again?" Toni nodded her head in the direction of the figure. She didn't mind them keeping out of the cold as long as they didn't cause trouble.
"Uh..I'm not entirely sure. She didn't look homeless..just kinda..sad..and beat up."
"Beat up?" Even though Toni didn't have a clue who this person was, she was still concerned.
"The way she held herself..the bruise on her cheek.."
Toni headed over to the booth. "Sorry to bother you ma'am, I just wanted to let you know that we're about to close.."
When she got no reaction, she touched her shoulder gently, causing the woman to flinch violently.
"Cheryl?" Toni caught sight of her momentarily, her eyes red where she had been crying and a visible bruise on her cheek.
"Toni.." she looked embarrassed, dropping her gaze and starting to gather up her stuff. "I..I have to go.."
"Hang on.." Toni sat down in the booth beside her, effectively blocking her only exit. "Is everything okay? I've not seen you around in over a week and I have to say..I was getting worried."
"Everything is fine" she nodded, although her voice was strained.
"Are you sure?" Toni asked softly, her anxious eyes not leaving Cheryl, even for a second. "What happened to your face?"
"Oh that? I fell..stupid me..I'm just clumsy like that.." she tried to laugh it off, although there was clearly no humor behind it.
"I've never known you to fall in the two years I've known you.."
"Toni...please..just.." she even know what she was asking for.
"Okay..okay..let me go send my employees home and lock up and we can talk some more okay?"
Cheryl glanced at her watch anxiously but nodded, not wanting to leave yet.
Toni brought her a fresh coffee before closed the blinds to the windows and sending her employees home.
"Are you hungry?" she placed a small plate down on the table with some homemade cookies on it. "Freshly baked today."
"Thanks" a small smile graced her lips as she picked up a cookie before glancing at the door. "Is the door locked?" she asked quietly.
Toni nodded, her worried eyes focused solely on Cheryl. "Uhuh. And everyone's gone home...it's just us. You're safe."
She noticed Cheryl's tense frame visibly relax a little at her words.
They sat in silence for a while, Toni letting Cheryl process.
"Heather..she..she never normally goes for my face.."
"But she has hurt you before?" Toni couldn't keep the concern out of her voice. Cheryl didn't often talk about her girlfriend, although Toni was aware of her existence.
Cheryl didn't confirm or deny Toni's question, her eyes focused on the now empty plate that still sat in front of her.
"She doesn't mean it" Cheryl tried to defend her. "She never does..I piss her off sometimes..make her angry. It's nothing more than I deserve."
"What? Cheryl no! Nobody deserves this. No-one at all."
Cheryl shook her head. Toni didn't understand, nobody did. She buried her head in her hands, crying quietly into them.
"I disobey her orders. I don't listen properly. She's trying to help me be a better person" the way Cheryl spoke was almost robotic, like she had been programmed to believe it was true.
"Orders? Cheryl, you're not a kid and she's not your mother. She doesn't get to give you orders" Toni was quickly starting to seriously dislike this Heather woman. "And for the record, I think you're already a pretty amazing person."
"You're too kind" Cheryl blushed, a smile creeping onto her face for a few seconds.
"Heather should not be hurting you. Even once would be one time too many.." Toni knew she wouldn't be able to change Cheryl's mind overnight, but she wanted to help.
"What happened this time?"
"It's been a rough week.." Cheryl could feel tears threatening to fall, not sure how much she could say without breaking down.
Toni reached across the table and offered her hand to Cheryl. Cheryl surprised her by how quickly she grabbed onto it, Toni's warmth and tender touch making her feel better.
"How badly are you hurt?" Toni probed gently, worried about Cheryl.
Cheryl shrugged. "Nothing too bad I don't think.." she mumbled. "No broken bones atleast."
"Is this why I haven't seen you here all week?"
Cheryl nodded, not adding that she was in too much pain to leave the house for most of it.
"I don't think I can go home tonight.."
"Then don't honey.. Come stay the night at mine, it's only down the block.."
"I couldn't" she didn't want to impose and she wasn't sure her injuries would allow her to walk at any decent pace.
"You can. I can call an uber..we'll be back at mine within 5 minutes. Please..let me help."
Cheryl nodded, knowing there was no way she could go home. "Thank you." She appreciated Toni more than she could ever put into words in her emotional state, but Toni made her feel like, for the first time in a long time, things might actually be okay.
...
Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Thank you as always to Just_Browsing (go check out her awesome work here on Ao3.)
I'm thinking of turning this into a two parter. Leave a comment and let me know if that's something you'd be interested in!
My prompts box is open. You can either leave one in a comment here or use the 'ask' feature on my tumblr (theauthenticme2019).