Five Times Veronica Hugged A Resistance Member Without Permission, And The One Time Someone Hugged Her Back
This had been his fault. All of it. All that anguish, everything the Resistance had been through, could have been lessened even a little by his absence. But he didn’t leave, because he thought he’d found a home, and then they began paying attention to him…wasting their valuable time…he had done that.
Wasn't he responsible for some of the casualties in their darkest hour, their war against Valentine? Ethan sobbed harder, burying his face in his hands, whole body trembling. They could have survived. Every single one of them. But they didn’t, and somehow he was to blame. Even if it didn’t make sense, it was still his fault.
Someone moved to stand behind him, placing their arms on his shoulders. Was it Seth? Ethan didn't pull away when he was gently turned around, and he instinctively crumpled into the warm, comforting hold, not caring when his comforter turned out to be none other than Veronica.
He couldn't have said how long he stayed there, sobbing helplessly into the warlock's chest, not caring that the rest of the group was watching, or even Seth or Puriel.
She never made any attempt to push him away.
He hadn't automatically assumed anything suspicious when he saw Etzel beckon Veronica over, nor had he thought anything of it when the vampire hissed at the girl to lean over so he could whisper something indecipherable into her ear.
Etzel could often be…strange. Puriel didn't always understand the reasoning behind the some of the things he did. None of these actions necessarily meant anything.
However, Puriel's lack of paranoia (no doubt brought on by the peace blossoming after the end of the war with Valentine, curse his soul) turned out to be a poor decision, given that five seconds later he found himself on the receiving end of a veritable deathgrip from one enthusiastic Veronica.
"Hey there, frowny-face! I heard from our resident sparkle-man that YOU could use some cheering up," she said brightly, not letting go when Puriel gave a threatening growl that would make even most Greater Demons back away.
"That's it, dearie," Etzel said lazily, watching the two of them with a wide grin. "Don't you listen when Puri here tries to make you let go, either. He just doesn't want to admit how badly he needs the hug!"
Vampire, Puriel hissed, livid but making no attempt to free himself just yet, as Veronica had just picked that moment to suddenly squeeze him tighter to her chest.
"Aw, no need to be shy!" the warlock said enthusiastically, beaming. "Everyone needs a hug sometimes. That's what your friends are for!"
Kyle walked in then, expression incredulous as he took in the scene. "Etzel, do I even want to know what's going on here?"
"You handing over that ten bucks is what's going on here, chickadee!" Etzel said, turning to his boyfriend with a triumphant smirk. "I told you Veronica dear had enough bravery to court spontaneous combustion. This proves it!"
"Uh, Etzel," Kyle said, slowly backing away as Puriel finally snapped himself free with all the ease of one bending a toothpick. "I don't think ten bucks is going to help you right now."
Etzel turned around, then paled ever so slightly, only just managing to zip away in the nick of time to avoid a very angry angelic fist to the face.
"Sweetums! Come now, it was only a harmless wager! H-Haha, now, Puriel, don't be like that…!"
Are you all right, Airren? Bezaliel asked with concern, glancing over at her from across the corridor, into her room, while the others shuffled past, casting uneasy glances back at her as they went. Airren determinedly ignored all of them, staring off into a blank space of wall to the right.
"I'm fine," she insisted stubbornly, for what felt like the hundredth time that night.
She heard him mentally sigh.
It's your right to keep whatever is bothering you to yourself, he said, standing and following the others away. But—if you ever want to talk.
She nodded, still not looking at him. Bezaliel had really come out of his shell in the months following Valentine’s defeat. One could only imagine what other changes a certain warlock would inflict upon him. His footsteps echoed away in the empty hall as he walked out, leaving her alone.
Or, not quite alone, as it turned out. "Airren?" called a voice from outside, and she had to bite down on her tongue to avoid letting out a groan. It was said warlock.
"I'll be out in a SECOND!" she called out loudly, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself on her bed. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She wanted to think. What the demon had said…
"Airren?" came the voice again, and there she was, sashaying up into the room to hover beside her. "Airren, are you—are you sure you're okay?"
She wanted to scream. She was fine! "It's just a few scrapes," she said through gritted teeth. "Nothing that won't go away on it's own. They'll be gone in a few days."
"That's not what I…" she started, but then cut off, looking uncharacteristically sane. "I just...I don't know, you seemed…"
Airren finally sighed and looked directly up at her. "Look. If I come out, will you leave me alone? I don't want to talk right now."
She wavered, and then suddenly was getting closer, close enough that Airren reached blindly for any residual magic she had left—before abruptly realizing that Veronica was only trying to hug her.
The realization surprised Airren enough that she didn't move, neither hugging back nor pulling away, until the warlock backed off herself a second later, looking amused.
"Sorry," she said. "You just looked really sad."
She skipped away without another word, leaving her truly alone. Airren waited a moment, then forced herself to uncurl, slowly walking out of the room on aching legs. She had a lot to think about.
"Here it is! One quadruple-bacon cheeseburger, half-ketchup, half-mustard, topped with pan-seared onions and slathered with an entire bottle of ranch dressing!" Her list complete, Veronica beamed up at Nicholas, clearly pleased with herself as she held out the plate. "That's it! I did it just like I said."
Wow, that looks…great, Veronica, Nicholas said nervously, feeling an indescribable mix of gas and longing as the burger's smell hit him like a freight train, full of greasy caloric…delight? He forced himself to remain still, however, sitting up straighter in the kitchen chair.
Veronica grinned, peeling back the top hamburger bun to reveal a perfectly fried egg. "I saved the best reveal for last," she said, with a furtive wink.
Nicholas gave a quick, hesitant thumbs-up before gingerly taking the burger off the plate, studying it critically. The fact that the angel had watched Veronica prepare the sandwich from scratch did little to ease the neurotic urge to hurl it across the room—with her track record there was no way of knowing if something still alive would explode out of it or not.
Hesitantly, slowly, he took a tiny nibble, and his eyes widened. Veronica…I must admit I underestimated your cooking. This is…divine.
A second later, Nicholas nearly dropped his burger as Veronica performed yet another physics-defying act, and bodily lifted him out of his seat for a hug, beaming.
"You really mean that, Nicky? Thankies! I hope I get to cook for you forever!"
Yes, Nicholas said greedily, stuffing the last bit of burger into his mouth and swallowing it all in one bite. Yes, I kind of do, too.
Like everything else related to Veronica, the announcement came with all the subtlety and grace of a speeding brick.
"HEY! Hey, you guys! Guess what? The zoo is opening! We should all go to the zoo!" she said eagerly, rushing into the sitting room and waving a newspaper in one hand, her hair flying behind her.
With a supreme effort, Kyle managed to keep the twitch out of his face, although once he looked over from the couch, it seemed he needn't have bothered. The rest of the people in the area were distracted with Veronica's suggestion, some of them more enthusiastic about it than others.
That sounds like a great idea! I've never been to a zoo before, said Nicholas brightly, tugging on Umbra's arm. You haven't either, have you, Umbra? We could both go together.
Etzel rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, dearie! The zoo is unoriginal and smelly. What can an animal do that I can't? It's all amateur stuff…"
The words were like ice daggers to the stomach, but Kyle forced himself to remain still, face determinedly calm and blank. Be like Ra. Stay under control. It doesn't matter. Priorities.
Etzel, Puriel was snarling with a voice as sweet as poisoned honey, sounding as though it was coming from very far away, even though he was standing less than two yards from where Kyle sat. I doubt it will cause you grievous harm to observe some Earth animals in their artificially natural habitat…although why humans would pay for such an odd pastime escapes me. I fail to see the importance of any beast… He trailed off, lost in thought, brow furrowed.
“You just contradicted yourself, you know that right?” Umbra deadpanned to the shorter angel, but was ignored.
“I don't want to go either," Kyle threw in, not quite able to force his tone to be lighthearted. "I don't really like the zoo, y'know? Not very relaxing."
Veronica immediately flew over, lighting on the ground beside the couch. "What's the matter with it, Kyle?" she asked, sounding hurt. "You don't think it'll be fun?"
The least fun thing imaginable. Animals in cages and me not know whether to join them or set them free. "I—uh," Kyle fumbled, struggling to think of a way to phrase it without hurting the warlock's feelings. "Being at the zoo just kind of weirds me out, okay? I don't really like—"
Without warning, Veronica rapidly leaned over and cut into his personal bubble: before Kyle could react, he was being tightly hugged, crushed to her chest while she continued to babble obliviously.
"—really okay, Kyle! I completely understand! If you're scared of lemurs, you don't have to keep it a secret. I’m terrified of mollusks. You never when they’re going to suddenly turn on you, am I right? There's nothing to be ashamed of! We don't have to go to the zoo after all. We can stay here and play video games, or watch a movie, or—"
Kyle tuned her out, eyes rolling. Well. Aside from the fact that this was completely humiliating, and the fact that the hybrid thought his lungs might collapse from the force of the embrace, this was certainly the lesser of two evils. The Phoenix Prince awkwardly reached one arm around to hug her back, gasping out, "H-Hey, V, mind letting up just a bit? I don't think you quite know your own strength…"
…And 1 Time a Friend Hugged Her
Veronica couldn't move. Abaddon had left her in a trembling heap on the floor, curled helplessly on her side while the demon left to go investigate a sudden explosion from above. Distantly, she could hear shouting voices, sounds of a struggle, but it all washed over her as empty white noise. She was in shock. The boundless courage and infinite daring of her usual self felt very, very far away right now.
With a tremendous effort, the warlock lifted one aching arm, hands twitching as she slowly, agonizingly, moved to graze her fingers over her injured throat. Even the lightest touch was enough to flare excruciating pain from damaged nerves, evidence of where Abaddon had attempted to strangle her. It hadn't killed her, nor had the subsequent beating, but Veronica could feel that something in her throat had been crushed by the pressure—enough to render her completely incapable of speaking. She couldn't cast a spell.
Even breathing was a struggle.
She slowly lowered her arm, barely noting a fresh wave of pain as her fractured wrist bumped against the cold floor. Her mind felt clouded in fog, making coherent thoughts impossible. This wasn't fun anymore. Veronica had known that being a freedom fighter wouldn't always be easy, of course, but this—this was different. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to see Blaine.
She—she wanted her parents.
Eyes wide, tear-tracks running silently down her face, the downworlder continued to huddle motionlessly on the floor for a few long minutes, completely still aside from her unstoppable shaking. She didn't notice when several new figures rushed into the room where Abaddon had been holding her, nor when one of them approached, kneeling before Veronica and placing a light, worried hand on her back.
Are you all right? asked a hysterical, very concerned voice.
Veronica didn't respond, struggling to keep herself from blacking out. Whatever she did, she just couldn't seem to get enough air into her lungs. Something was preventing her from breathing properly.
There was silence for a moment, and then the mystery angel spoke again: It is all right, Veronica! We'll see to it that you are taken care of.
Veronica couldn't tell if the voice (so familiar) was meant to comfort her, or if it was for the benefit of the speaker himself—he sounded on the verge of a breakdown. Unthinkingly, Veronica tried to tell whoever it was that she was fine, that it was okay, that everything would be all right—but the only thing that came out was a small, sad whimper of pain. A fresh wave of tears rolled unbidden down Veronica's cheeks: she couldn't help it.
Then, suddenly, someone was lifting her body up from the cold ground. Even as Veronica's trembling intensified at the new pains this caused, she found herself curling instinctively into the other person's arms. The embrace felt familiar and safe, so she allowed herself a moment of rest at last, eyes fluttering shut as Bezaliel carried her limp frame back to the mansion, the rest of the Resistance following close behind.
