Chapter Text
It seemed like a lifetime ago the Veronica Hunter and Jonathan Turner had lived together. In some ways, it really was. Back when she was in high school, miserable and drowning. Back when she was abandoned by a family that had never really been a family. Back when she felt trapped by who everyone else saw when they looked at her. Looked at her but didn't really see her.
She'd had a small but always supportive group of friends that had made life bearable. Not everyone knew but everyone that did made time for Veronica to be Veronica before she would put her shield and her mask back up.
Of course Cory and his parents had been there for her even if they were a little unsure at first. Topanga had been almost like a fairy godmother. She had always been adept at reading people and she'd had Veronica's number from the first time Veronica had taken a step into the public eye. Even Veronica's parents were as supportive as they could be, considering they could barely keep their own shit together most of the time.
And there was Jonathan Turner. Even though Veronica had moved back into the trailer park with her parents, Jon had always made it clear that his door was always open if she needed it.
The years between high school and college were full of the highs and lows of transition both personal and social. But they were all there. Blood and chosen family closing ranks around her to make her feel safe when she felt her most vulnerable.
By the time she had finished school with an English degree and a handful of travel articles under her belt she was the most comfortable and confident she had been in her entire life. She couldn't wait for the adventure to continue.
She and Jonathan had always been more like buddies than student and teacher. After all, she had spent more time on his couch than in his class. Of course Jon had the final say but it was like how Veronica imagined having a big brother would feel. They had a mutual respect for each other and when Jon put his foot down, it was always in Veronica's best interest. That's why when after college he had proposed that she move back into his apartment as a sort of homebase for her writing and traveling she was immediately on board. Her time living with Jon had always been one of her favorites. And hey, maybe she'd get to put her foot down once in a while this time.
She had been brought up in a pretty Spartan environment where she had adopted the mentality 'live light, travel light." Her nomadic upbringing had made it easy for her to get by without much so she really only had a few bags to move. Thankfully, her room was already simply furnished even though she would have been content with a blanket and the couch. It didn't take long to unpack and make herself at home.
Jonathan soon remembered what a couch hog Hunter could be. She had refined her technique since the last time they were roommates. She now had a habit of, if Jon was already sitting, just draping herself across the couch along with any part of him that got in the way. He didn't mind though. It was just Veronica being Veronica. He thought it was kind of cute. Cute? He never asked her to move. Just because she looked so comfortable. That's all.
They quickly settled into a routine. Jon taught English at John Adams High during the week and Veronica usually liked to spend this time curled up on the couch with her laptop writing freelance pieces for publications all across the country. If they were both home for dinner Jon would cook up something for the two of them or Veronica would wow him with her dazzling takeout ordering skills. If they didn't have other plans they most often found themselves lounging in front of the TV watching a movie or, more often, talking over it. Occasionally she would leave for a couple days, sometimes a week, investigating someplace new to write about. It was a simple kind of life but it worked for them
Veronica stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing out her dark, wavy locks.Satisfied with the results, she came into the living room and gave Jon a little "Ta da," and spin.
Jon shook his head fondly. "Call me when you get there, will ya." It was really more of an order than a question.
She smiled in that way that told him she was about to try to get a rise out of him."Oh, Jon. You're not gonna spend the whole evening worrying about little old me, are you?"
Jon grinned back. "Yeah. As long as no cops show up at my door dragging you by the scruff of the neck i think I'll manage to find other things to keep me occupied," he teased.
Veronica feigned shock. "What are you trying to say, Jon?"
"Gee, I wonder," he volleyed back sarcastically.
"I'm just going to visit Mr and Mrs Matthews. Are you sure you don't want to come?"
"Not this time," Jon said, waving a stack of ungraded term papers at her. "But give Amy and Alan my best, will ya?"
"Sure thing." She waved goodbye as she walked out the door. "Don't have too much fun without me," she joked.
After the door closed Jon chuckled and shook his head. He hadn't shared the apartment with anyone else since she had moved out at the end of her sophomore year. The apartment felt so much more vibrant when it was filled with her energy. His life had always been a little more interesting when she was a part of it, but he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it all until she was back in his life.
A few weeks later Veronica decided it was time to be nosy. "Jon," she began between bites of sweet and sour chicken. "How come you never go out anymore?"
Jon set his container of lo mein on the coffee table. "What are you talking about? I go out" he said defensively. "I may not have quite the busy social calendar as yourself but trust me, I'm doing fine."
"Okay okay," Veronica responded. "I'm just saying, man used to be out of the house as much as me. Man's been spending a lot of nights at home lately. Man hasn't brought home any lady friends in a while. Makes a girl wonder if man's in a slump."
Rolling his eyes at her, Jon scoffed. "Don't start with that crap again. I am not in a slump, Hunter. "
"Alright, alright. Whatever you say, Jon." She flashed him a smile that he knew all too well. Her mind was brewing up something that could only lead to trouble. "So prove it. Come out with me tonight and have some fun. Dance, drink, hit on a beautiful stranger. It'll be great. And I'll stop worrying that you're turning into an old spinster. Wait, can a guy even be a spinster? Spinst-sir? Is that a thing?"
"If It'll get you off my back, fine, I'll go. But you'd better promise to stop giving me shit about my love life. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah," Veronica said as she waved him off. "Now go put on something sexy." She quickly swatted his butt eliciting a surprised yelp from her roommate. She cackled the entire way back to her room.