A/N: On only the second day of their week long road trip, the weather doesn't cooperate, and the gang is stuck inside the RV. Toni isn't one for sitting inside, and drags Cheryl out into the rain with her.
Alright, this is a little bit of a long one, so hopefully that makes up for the fact that I haven't posted in a few days. I lost my muse for a bit, lol. Anyway, I've kind of given up on trying to make this too angsty, so enjoy this 99% fluff chapter.
Also, this takes place on Sunday, the seond day of their trip. We've still got five days to go!
Of course, it had to rain.
On only the second day of this dreadful week-long trip, and Cheryl was already being forced to be up close and personal with the idiots.
According to Betty, the weather was going to be like this all day, and while Jughead was happy to violate nearly every traffic law in the book; for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to drive in the rain.
Pathetic, Cheryl's mind spat.
That being what it was, the group was forced to spend the day in the RV until the rain cleared up when Jughead would then drive to their next campsite.
Cheryl sat in the corner, scrolling through her phone, as she had vehemently refused to partake in the juvenile card game Archie started.
Unfortunately, this gave Cheryl time to think, which she definitely did not want to do.
She and Toni hadn't yet spoken about last night, and with each second that passes, Cheryl further convinces herself that the other girl must have an ulterior motive.
Surely nobody could genuinely care that much about anyone, let alone me.
As far as Cheryl was concerned, everyone hated her unless they wanted something from her. Whether that something is her wealth or her body was the only variable.
It's just that Toni was so nice. She wasn't too nice either, not in that fake way that Cheryl had learned to detect from a mile away. No, by all accounts, Toni seemed to be a genuinely nice person with genuinely good intentions. So what in god's name could she possibly want to do with Cheryl Blossom?
Cheryl's rapidly spiraling thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shuffling feet. She looked up from her now black phone screen to find that Toni had stood up from her spot on the floor with the others.
"We should go outside," she said, with an air of nonchalance that Cheryl could never hope to copy.
"Are you insane?" Veronica piped up, eyeing the serpent like she had just suggested they walk into the fiery pits of hell.
"It's raining, Toni," Sweet Pea said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder at the nearest window, "Even I'm not goin' out there."
"It's not a tsunami, you big baby," Toni teased, crossing her arms over her chest, "Cheryl? Will you go with me?"
Truth be told, Cheryl loved the rain. She and Jason used to play outside in it, dancing around and splashing each other until mud was caked on their faces an clothes.
That was before her parents became monsters.
Even though she didn't particularly want to be alone with Toni at the moment, Cheryl was never one to back down from a challenge, especially not in front of the likes of Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones.
"I don't see why not."
"You, Cheryl Bombshell, are going to go out in the rain and risk ruining your appearance?" Veronica asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"Oh but Ronnie, there's nothing to ruin," Cheryl said sweetly, "I'm quite confident in my to-die-for looks. Besides, it's just a little rain. Not my fault you're all a bunch of pansies."
Toni smiled to herself, shaking her head lightly as she and Cheryl exited the RV.
"That was badass, Bombshell."
"Have you met me?" Cheryl snarked, desperate to keep on her HBIC mask in Toni's presence.
No more mistakes, Cheryl. No more deviance, her mind whispered.
"You like the rain?" Toni asked, not at all fazed by Cheryl's tone.
"Jason used to like it."
Toni reached for Cheryl's hand before changing her mind and holding back. She had decided that she would let Cheryl dictate what she was comfortable with, so the serpent simply allowed their fingers to brush as they walked.
"I heard you two were close," Toni finally said, "I'm sorry."
Cheryl stopped, turning toward the smaller girl. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"What do you want from me?" The redhead snapped.
"Cheryl," Toni took a chance and placed her hand on Cheryl's arm gently, "Are you okay? Did I do something?"
Cheryl's cheeks were wet, and Toni couldn't tell if it was from the rain or tears.
When Cheryl failed to answer, Toni tried again, "Is this about last night? I shouldn't have kissed you when you were upset, I know. We should have talked about it right away, I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I didn't want to force you to talk before you were ready." Toni rubbed Cheryl's arm, "I'm sorry."
Cheryl refused to cry. Crying was a sign of weakness, and Cheryl Blossom was not weak. There was no reason why someone's words should reduce her to tears, and yet when Toni looked at her like that…she couldn't help it.
"Damn you," Cheryl whispered.
"Talk to me?" Toni asked gently, deathly afraid that she was on the verge of losing a girl she'd already begun to fall for. Sweet Pea would be furious, but Toni couldn't help it. She'd always been a fast faller, and Cheryl Blossom was no exception.
"Nobody has ever been this nice to me without wanting something in return," Cheryl explained, "I thought that you only kissed me last night because you thought there might be…more." The redhead lowered her head shamefully.
"Cheryl, I would never," Toni held both of the taller girl's hands in her own, "I have no expectations, absolutely none. I kissed you last night because you're so beautiful, and at the time, you wanted me to. That's it. This doesn't have to go anywhere or become anything if you don't want it to. Just say the word, okay? You decide what you want."
Cheryl cried openly now, the pure concern in the other girl's eyes breaking down her defenses. "What did I do to deserve you?"
"You just were you," Toni smiled, brushing wet strands of red hair behind Cheryl's ear.
"I've never…never been in a relationship before," Cheryl stuttered, flustered by how close Toni's face was to hers.
"There are no rules," Toni said, "We can choose what we're comfortable with and when we take certain steps. We'll never do anything that makes you uncomfortable, okay?"
"Okay," Cheryl smiled, intertwining her fingers with Toni's.
"C'mon, I want to show you something."
Toni leads Cheryl to a pile of rocks she'd found yesterday with Fangs.
"Toni," Cheryl began.
"Shh," Toni whispered, "I know it just looks like some rocks, but I promise I'm not crazy."
The smaller girl pulled Cheryl around the back of the pile, pointing at a small opening at the base, "Follow me."
Toni dropped to her hands and knees, wriggling through the opening.
"Toni, I am not crawling on the ground."
"Oh, C'mon, we're soaked anyway. No harm in getting a little dirty every once in a while."
Cheryl rolled her eyes but ultimately decided that she wasn't about to stay outside by herself.
"Pretty cool, right?" Toni asked, smiling proudly.
Cheryl took in the space around her. The rocks formed a large dome, the floor covered in beach glass and pebbles that, in the sunshine, would likely cast their glow onto the walls. Rain dripped in through a hole in the ceiling, creating a small waterfall in the center of the dome.
"It's not as great when it's raining, but wouldn't it be cool to stargaze in here?"
"It absolutely would," Cheryl breathed, "It's beautiful, although I'm sure that this isn't simply nature's creation."
"Yeah, with all the glass? Probably not, but doesn't that make it even more wonderful? We're looking at the handy work of possibly hundreds of people." Toni smiled brightly, obviously excited.
"You're a dork," Cheryl laughed, the sound bouncing around the tiny space.
"You have a nice laugh," Toni said, her thoughts abruptly pulled from the possible history of the cave.
Cheryl simply smiled, moving closer to the smaller girl and reaching out to play with a strand of pink hair, "You have mud on your face."
Toni grinned, swiping her mud covered hand across Cheryl's jawline quickly, "So do you."
"You brat," Cheryl growled playfully, dragging her own mud covered hand down Toni's arm.
The girls dissolved into fits of laughter, both of them fighting to spread mud over the other. Toni pulled Cheryl down to her knees to make her an easier target, the redhead retaliating by tripping the smaller girl, causing Toni to fall on her back. Toni laughed, sitting up and wrapping her arms around Cheryl's waist and dragging her down onto the ground with her. The redhead rolled on top of Toni, straddling the smaller girl's waist before rubbing mud all over her chest and shoulders.
"I win," Cheryl said smugly, trying to catch her breath.
Toni smiled, trying not to think too much about the fact that a hot girl was currently straddling her, "Fine, you won."
Cheryl's eyes locked with Toni's, the mood changing suddenly. Carefully, Toni moved her hands, settling them on Cheryl's waist just above her hips.
Cheryl's breathing hitched slightly, and Toni searched her eyes before asking, "Is this okay?"
"More than okay," Cheryl whispered, her eyes roaming over Toni's face before she leaned forward and kissed the tip of Toni's nose sweetly, immediately pulling back to see the smaller girl's reaction.
Toni's eyes fluttered shut, her eyelashes skimming the skin of her cheeks beautifully. She sat up, Cheryl still in her lap.
"Can I kiss you?" Toni asked, looking Cheryl in the eyes.
Cheryl answered by leaning forward, closing her eyes and waiting for Toni to close the gap. Eagerly, Toni moved her lips over Cheryl's, her tongue teasing lightly at her lower lip. The redhead opened her mouth slightly, a small whine vibrating its way out of her chest. Toni slipped her tongue inside the other girl's mouth gently, losing herself in the sensation of Cheryl's lips against her own.
Cheryl pulled back carefully, afraid to open her eyes. After all, she hadn't kissed another girl since Heather, what if she was terrible at it? She and Heather had been young and sloppy, and kissing Toni was so much different than she remembered.
Cheryl opened her eyes when she felt Toni's hand cup her cheek.
"You're amazing," Toni whispered, "It's me who doesn't deserve you, you know."
Cheryl smiled softly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, "You're amazing, TT."
"Are we going to be that couple?" Toni laughed, untangling wet red strands with her fingers.
"We're going to be the couple, Toni Topaz." Cheryl smirked, "Hottest couple ever."
"Well duh, have you seen yourself?"
"Mhmm." Cheryl hummed, "Definitely the hottest couple ever."