• C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - F I V E •

the one with
the family tolerance meter: new year's pt.1

The family spent New Year's Eve out of legal obligation and most of the members came because of the free food. They pretended to be healthy and normal for a few hours and then the vicious cycle would settle back to its normal state. Everything would be fine as long as no one argued - maybe then, the vases would stay intact this year.

"We live in a capitalist world! Pharmaceutical companies can't be trusted, they'd create anything just to strip us of our money." Carl exasperated. Chloe widened her eyes and shot him a cold look while her eyebrows could reach the ceiling. "I'm telling you, vaccines are ineffective."

She plastered a tight sarcastic smile. "Yes, and the earth is flat," she countered dryly.

"The earth is flat." Her brows pulled together, and her eyes grew wide at how utterly dense he could be.

It didn't come as a shock. Carl was one of the people who believed Cancer was a man-maid disease and pigeons were working as biotech spies for the government.

Meanwhile, Veronica was stuck arguing with his brother Theo.

"Alright, let's say you're right - I'm not saying you are, but let's just assume," Veronica hypothesized. "I'm not talking about every or any villain. Let's talk about the Joker. You catch him so many times and throw him into Arkham for him to escape and kill people and what do you do? Catch him and put him back into Arkham? Don't you see the cycle?"

"I don't see how it's Batman's responsibility. Why does he also have to kill him? He's already beating the shit out of criminals but acting as an executioner too? That's not his decision to make. By killing a person what makes him so different from any other bad person out there?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Isn't it selfish? Not willing to get blood on your hands for the sake of remaining innocent, but in doing so you're allowing the villains you left alive to do their killings again. He's not preventing them from killing innocent civilians, he's allowing them - and for what?"

"How is he allowing them! He just doesn't want to be another killer. If you've read the comics, he says he doesn't want to cross that line."

Veronica groaned. "Enough with the 'line'-"

"Why do you bother?" Veronica and Theo both swiveled their heads to face Kayla, who had a champagne flute in one hand and a poker face.

"Because every year he brings up that 'line' as his strongest argument."

"Hmm." She paused. "I've been trying to understand what's so interesting about arguing Theo and I have to say, you're not making a strong case here."

Kayla didn't usually talk much - for her to pull so many strings of words in one sentence only meant she was hopelessly bored.

"If you're going to be such a buzzkill why you bother coming anyway?" Theo countered, tipping his chin up smugly.

"'Cause I make fifty bucks to just show up. If you don't want your little feelings hurt, give me fifty and you won't hear shit from me for the rest of the night."

Theo's eyes narrowed in contemplation. Veronica wasn't surprised he was considering this. Kayla was notorious for her manners - or lack thereof. It was the main reason they associated her with Bilal more times than one could count.

They had constantly teased how they'd be the perfect couple. With their common, I don't give a fuck attitude, Kayla's temper, and Bilal's legendary poker face, all that was needed is locking them up in a room and see the situation unravel through a peephole.

Danielle was convinced they'd pick a fight, while Veronica bet they wouldn't bother talking.

Each knew of the other's existence and the setup, but they had never seen one another in person. Except for that one time she was passing by the girls' apartment to drop something off and Bilal happened to be there. She casually greeted him with a dry "hey boyfriend".

The fact he replied with "hey girlfriend" without a beat of hesitation made the situation even more comical.

"You could compliment me for twenty." Theo believed he was tactfully negotiating.

Kayla didn't even bat an eyelash. "Sixty."

"That's not how this works!"

She had nothing to lose. "Seventy."

"Fine, fine." He reached for his wallet and slapped the fifty on her palm.

She smirked, folding it neatly and slipping it inside her bra. Theo raised an eyebrow and she tilted her head, a stony glare morphing her features that could only mean the fuck are you looking at. Theo shook his head, retreating. Kayla offered a sweet smile. "May I say I admire how you don't care what people think of you."

Theo grinned. "Thank you."

Kayla reciprocated the smile, shaking her head. "You never fail to reach my expectations."

"Aw..." Theo beamed.

Veronica mouthed a 'wow', her eyes wide and Kayla rolled her lips inside her mouth.

"Kayla, sweetie." Veronica's mother caught the conversation and placed a perfectly manicured hand on Kayla's shoulder. "Would you leave poor Theo alone and give us a hand in the kitchen?" She exasperated and left without waiting for a reply.

Kayla arched an eyebrow, turning to face Veronica. "Your mom is hilarious."

Her dry statement was met with Veronica's equally sarcastic one: "Yes, she's a delight."

Kayla left without an additional word but went outside the balcony instead of doing as told. Veronica snorted and turned to see Theo's brows pulled together in confusion as he thought about the compliments still. Her top lip curled in disappointment.

Danielle was refilling her third plate when she felt a hand loop around her neck and pull her sideways.

"Wow-"

"How's my favorite pumpkin!" Her entire body curled in disdain and she winced when her uncle Marvin splotched a wet kiss to her cheek. She laughed nervously and lightly pushed him away.

"Hello, uncle Marvin..." She forced a smile, squinting her eyes and tightening her grip on her plate as she slowly, slowly backed away to get rid of his touch.

He offered a bright smile, his grey hair slicked back, and she grew aware of his arm squeezing her shoulder.

"Look how beautiful you've become! Guess the city's been treating you well, huh?" He winked, and her lips curled in revulsion as she didn't want to begin to understand that statement.

"Ha ha... I guess..."

"Aw, come 'ere."

"Oof-" She gagged when he pulled her back in a tight hug, his hands forcefully squeezing her back, her waist and she was quick to push him away before they could reach any other places. "Oops, still holding my plate!" She laughed awkwardly, patting him on the shoulder and was quick to speak before he got any chance to say anything else, "Great catching up, I think Chloe's calling me-" She shot her head back "-Yup, she is! See ya!"

She twisted around and shivered in disgust, rushing outside the balcony and was relieved to find her sister there.

"I swear to God, uncle Marvin is the creepiest man ever."

"Ew-" Chloe sneered. "Did he grope you? Cause if he did, I have a lil' something in my bag I could slip in his drink, he'd be out in no time."

Danielle paused as she studied her sister's serious expression, her eyes narrowing. "...Thanks. I don't even wanna know what it is."

Chloe snorted, waving her hand dismissively. "Perks of being a pharmacist, I suppose."

"Pharmacist does not equal drug dealer, Chlo."

"It doesn't?"

Danielle heaved a sigh and crossed her arms against her chest when Chloe looked back at the beach. "So, I didn't want to say anything cause you were upset but did you start hooking yourself up with guys without telling me?"

Chloe blinked, shooting her head back to her. "What?"

"Todd."

"Oh..." She trailed and offered a small shrug. "That was a mistake. I dealt with it wrong."

"Well. The only wrong thing you did is looking in bars when you didn't have to go that far."

"What?"

"OK. You're not fun at this game. I meant Bilal."

Chloe chuckled dryly. "I'm not gonna try things with Bilal."

Danielle's eyes grew wide. "Why the hell not!"

"I just broke up with Aiden. A week ago."

"So? There's nothing wrong with moving on by looking at your options."

"I'm trying to make it on my own. I've been with Aiden for years and I want to be by myself."

"You say you've been with Aiden for years, but you really have been by yourself."

"Stop trying to make it seem he wasn't a big part of my life."

"Because he wasn't?"

"What are you girls bickering about?"

The girls shot their heads to meet their cousin, Kayla.

"Not something that would interest you, that's for sure," Chloe scoffed, and the former rolled her eyes.

"I can pretend to be interested," she defended, then the corner of her lips quirked up, "for twenty bucks."

"This is ridiculous, what are you? Ethan?"

"We actually bet who'd make the most money by the end of the night. Whoever wins gives the other thirty-five percent of the amount."

"I'd do anything to see him lose his money..." Danielle trailed, fishing a crumpled twenty from her pocket. Kayla grinned, tucking it inside her bra and crossing her arms across her stomach.

"What's up?"

"Chloe broke up with Aiden."

"That creep? About fucking time."

Chloe frowned. "Aiden's not a creep."

"His creepy eyes violated my boobs." She made a point of grabbing them in indignation and Danielle howled in laughter when Chloe slapped her hands away.

"Did he?" She demanded and Kayla shrugged.

"Can you blame him?" She cheekily smirked.

"Anyway, I'm telling her she's better off and that Bilal's obviously interested and she's completely oblivious about it and is giving me crap about wanting to stay single."

Kayla shrugged. "Good for her."

Chloe grinned smugly and Danielle rolled her eyes. "Why bother."

"But anyway, about Bilal. I've seen the man one time, and I have to say, if you don't see it then you're fucking blind."

Chloe's cheeks heated. "It doesn't matter."

"Whatever. It's obvious you have a thing for him, too," Kayla tested with a raised eyebrow and Danielle's eyebrows shot to the ceiling. "If you want more of my observations, it'll cost you an additional fee of twenty."

Danielle was reaching for her pocket, but Chloe slapped her hand away.

"Oh c'mon," Danielle whined. "You're wasting a golden opportunity here. Bilal is amazing beneath that attitude."

"Don't act all high and mighty like it's so easy," Chloe scowled. "I'm not judging you for not being able to come out to mom."

"Hey. That's different. I'm not even sure." It wasn't that their mom wasn't going to accept her. It was more about Danielle trying not to share pieces of her life with her after doing that for years. She turned to Kayla. "FYI, I might be into girls too," she said, believing that maybe if she said it more, she'd normalize the issue not just to everyone around her - but to herself too, and then maybe, she'd have the courage to find out.

Kayla nodded. "I got that." She shot her head back at the sound of Ethan calling her. She got inside without much of a final say and met him halfway as he stood with Allen by his side.

"How much do you have?" He grinned wickedly.

"How much do you?"

Ethan was too excited to play this game, so he gave her the amount right away: "170 dollars."

Kayla tilted her head and hummed. She paused for dramatic effect.

He arched an eyebrow. "So?"

"230."

Ethan's jaw slacked. "You're lying."

"There's no point in lying."

"You're bluffing, then."

She flipped her watch. 11:02 PM. "Guess we'll have to see in an hour." She offered a tight smile and went back to work. Ethan's eyes narrowed and he turned to face Allen, who'd been watching Veronica, still talking to Theo.

"-that is the main purpose of the joker, he wants him to cross it, he wants him to kill him. Joker has no purpose without batman - he says so himself. But what we don't see is despite the joker being unimaginably vile he still does it for a greater cause, and that's anarchy and revolting against authority. So, what you really should be thinking is, what if the tables are actually turned when you look at the greater picture? If we were in a twisted world wouldn't Joker be the actual hero and Batman, the villain? When you follow the ideology that the end justifies the mean? That you can accomplish more by fighting fire with fire?"

At this point, Veronica was arguing for the sake of arguing. She wasn't in favor of the ideology but was desperate for him to use a different argument than the ones he constantly used.

"Do you remember Batman's quote? 'If you kill a killer, the number of killers stays the same'?"

For fuck's sake. "One: Did Batman really say that quote? Cause I can only find it in random context and never an actual source so it's highly likely that some random guy put the quote with Batman in the background and suddenly he became the author of it. And two: what's the logic? Should I kill more killers for it to make sense?"

"I wish she's as passionate about her major as she is about this." Ethan shook his head, strolling away. He couldn't afford any distractions now if he intended on winning that bet.

Allen stood close regardless, a smile dancing on his lips at the sight of her. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed as she spoke with thoughtful fascination, posing more questions than answers and he couldn't look away.

Tweedle-dee, as Allen assumed would be, was interrupted by a phone call. He ushered at Veronica that he had to take this and turned to talk outside.

"It's like I'm talking to a parrot, I fucking swear," she muttered, shaking her head.

"Why do you even bother?" Allen approached her.

Her head shot to him, her pulse picking up a pace. Her body was so full of pent up energy, searching for a release. "Well, each time I hope he'd come up with a new argument, or just think beyond that scope," She scoffed. "This topic is really interesting and instead of trying to undermine what I'm saying with facts from the comics, he could just think a little far up his ass."

Allen remained quiet for a beat, then, as she was taking a sip of her champagne, he spoke, "what you're saying is that Batman is trying to claim he is a hero with his non-killing code-"

She froze, her lips still around the rim of the glass, eyes straight ahead.

"-But what you're not mentioning is the possibility that he knows he's an actual villain and he's willing himself to do good."

She slowly lowered her hand, turning to gape at him. His words managed to thrill her, striking the right chord that resonated throughout her entire body. His body drew closer, watching, waiting. What he meant by his entire point was: Talk to me. Try me.

"...What?" Her voice was so low, she couldn't even hear it.

"Batman witnessed his parents being brutally murdered, that alone can place his natural state of mind identical to a deranged killer. He's not so different from the joker - they're practically the same."

"They both had one bad day..." She echoed, recalling every piece she read to form a completely different perspective about the iconic character she had always admired.

"Joker renounced to his insanity when he saw how awfully cruel the world was."

"While Batman is clinging to the hope of something better." Her eyes went wide as she started to connect the dots.

"Exactly. He's not the good guy afraid of falling into the trap. He constantly thinks of torturing the joker in the most horrendous ways possible, but he can't, because he can't let himself slip back to his natural impulses."

"...Which is killing."

Allen stared at her, a smile shadowing his lips, eyes boring into hers as satisfaction surged through his veins. Veronica's thoughts raced, holding his intense gaze, heat burning her cheeks and lips. His features became more tantalizing that she felt the sudden urge to kiss him - right then and there. She swallowed, flicking her wrists.

"I didn't know you read comics. I thought you're only into non-fiction."

He shrugged. "I find them entertaining."

Veronica nipped at her bottom lip. Why does he always make it so hard for her to avoid him? Why does he get more irresistible by the second?

Silence settled between them again as tension grew, Veronica searching her brain for anything to say to ease it, but nothing came to mind as she stared deeply into the blue of his eyes, wanting to get closer. She gulped, shifting on one foot to the other and he watched her, lost deep in thought but gaze intense. He opened his mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by an audience.

"If it isn't my favorite couple!"

Veronica's jaw dropped, blood running cold the moment she turned to find her Uncle Sam standing before them with a wide grin. Allen's head cocked in slight bewilderment at his state, a sloppy smile and red around his wide eyes, arms extended with an empty glass in his hand.

Jesus, it wasn't even eleven yet and the man was hammered (1).

"How do you do! Ford, was it?" He patted Allen's shoulder, turning his amusement into mock seriousness. "So, what exactly are your intentions with our little Ronnie?"

Veronica's heart constricted, the sudden urge to cry from mortification was extremely strong she had to fight it by covering both her ears, desperate to block the horrific way they humiliated her three years ago.

Hit him in the balls, in the fucking balls! the irrational side of her brain screamed.

"Whoa hey, stop that, you know how she gets embarrassed!" Her second uncle intervened, voice so loud it matched the drumming of her heart. "Little Ronnie has a crush," he teased, pinching Veronica's cheek and burst out a laugh when she slapped his finger away.

Allen frowned, gut churning as he watched her twist around and leave, his lips parted in bafflement, the sound of her uncles echoing against his ear about something akin to how she didn't have to be such a buzzkill.

"Aw, c'mon, I'm joking! She knows I'm joking-" He shrilled and Allen looked over to see Veronica's dad, who had done as promised and stayed sober to monitor the situation, smacking each on the back of their head again. Allen stepped aside, looking back at where Veronica left but she wasn't there. He looked around the living room, but she was nowhere to be found.

His gut sank in disappointment as he recalled what Ethan had told him about his last New Year's Eve here, and if that wasn't even close to one-tenth of it, it became slightly clearer to him why she had vanished for the past five years.

She was in her bedroom when he finally found her, sitting on the bed reading a comic book titled 'The Graveyard Book'.

"Hey."

Veronica shot her head up from the graphic novel in her hand, breath caught in her throat the moment she saw him standing by her doorway. It was so odd having him here, in her bedroom, like he was peeking inside a piece of her life and she wasn't sure if the tug in her gut was a good or a bad feeling.

She swallowed, eyes dropping back to the pages before her. "Hey," she mumbled, unable to pull herself to look at him, barely wanting anything to do with him right at this moment. He was too much to handle.

Allen noticed the way she was locking herself up, not so different from the many times she did back when he was in college.

"It's almost twelve, why aren't you downstairs?"

Her heart squeezed, all the embarrassment rushing back to her as her nerves numbed.

"I don't care about New Year's," she muttered, fingers flipping the page.

Allen frowned in amusement. "Really? Not into the whole 'new year, new me'?" He asked as he walked in.

Veronica snorted quietly, still avoiding his gaze as she glued her eyes to the comic before her, despite the words blurring when her peripheral vision focused on his approaching figure.

Allen was in her bedroom.

Her jaw tensed, hating the way her body urged her to flee, the ache in her muscles pulsing. She bit the inside of her cheeks to hold herself together. Allen, on the other hand, was fascinated by how she arranged her bedroom. He didn't expect much, but he didn't expect the row of collectible superhero toys arranged by her desk, pieces of funko pops distributed around in each corner, a stash of comic books and mangas lined next to her window

"The lie I tell myself every year."

"That's a grim way to look at it," he commented.

He focused for a moment on the rows of photography besides the headboard of her bed. Some included views of palm trees, beaches, and sand. Others cold winter nights and snowy days with what appeared to be photographed in the middle of a snow fight. Some were just her, smiling in one and pulling a face in another, the pictures showing a silly side of her she rarely let him see. They were close-ups and sloppy, yet still radiating - like they'd been taken that way on purpose.

"Well, we can look at it as changing ourselves because of scientists who invented the illusionary concept of time..." She offered, eyes wide with mock fascination.

She snuck a surreptitious look his way when he chuckled, finding him gazing at the pictures still. Her cheeks slowly heated and she looked back down. Allen noticed a frame of her on a hospital bed, mouth full of food, and a small plate resting on her chest as she fought a laugh, a cast around her arm. There were several of them in that setting, but what caught his eye was one of her sleeping soundlessly, light seeping through the window showering a side of her face, her curls draped around the pillows.

His brows pulled in the faintest frown and he turned to her, skimming her entirety as she lied on the bed, legs tucked under her thighs, body leaning against a brown and plush teddy bear, large enough to engulf her frame.

He moved closer, permitting himself to sit on her bed, by her feet. The mattress dipped and Veronica resisted the urge to squirm.

"What's with the giant teddy bear?"

Veronica shrugged. "He gives really good hugs."

"You know there are people for that." He quirked an amused eyebrow and Veronica smiled wryly, eyes still glued to the pages.

"I ran out of options."

She casually flipped a page, voice flat but the heaviness of her statement made Allen question the meaning. He wanted to pry, not only about the toy but about the photographs, but after evaluating the possible outcomes, he decided against it.

"Were you not creeped out by the countless pairs of eyes staring at you in your sleep?"

Veronica's shoulders briefly shook in soft laughter. "That says something, coming from you."

Her eyes accidentally locked with his. He wore a small smile on his face, watching her. "Exactly."

She cleared her throat, looking briefly around. "Ethan bought almost all of them."

When Ethan got a job at Sanford & Co., he started buying her collectibles knowing how much she loved them. She didn't even unpack one, they were all in their boxes, safe and sound. Allen had been with him on many occasions where he would buy one for her, he memorized the collection more than Ethan himself did.

"I know."

A moment of silence stretched between them, the tension becoming more palpable as it ate away at her nerves. She awkwardly broke away from his eyes and turned back to her book, flipping the page. Allen rubbed his hands together softly as he looked back ahead, clearing his throat.

"...So, your uncles are nice."

Her quiet leisure inhale resounded as she dropped her book, her now free hand covering her face, fire blazing a trail from her neck to her forehead.

"We really don't have to talk about it," she muttered, unconsciously covering her cheeks with her curls, eyes staring back down as she opened a random page from the novel. "Ever."

"If you're going to avoid me then maybe we should, don't you think?"

Her heart throbbed in her throat, the air leaving her lungs in less than a second. She felt his gaze on her, but she wasn't ready to face him yet, not even expand her chest to breathe.

Her teeth clenched and she swallowed, eyes flickering to the clock sitting by her bed.

11:57.

"The countdown's about to start," she mumbled, going back to the comic before her. Allen sighed, corner of his lips curling up slowly, barely. She was detaching from her emotions and he was still trying to figure out a way to deal with her sudden withdrawal.

"Your mom won't quit until you're down there."

Veronica bit down her lip knowing he was right. She begrudgingly complied, hopping off the bed. He stood and he followed her as she walked down the hallway to reach the stairs, steps hasty.

"Just..." She twisted around and he halted in his steps. She looked at him dead in the eye, and he held her gaze. "Do me a favor and ignore whatever my uncles tell you, okay?"

Allen nodded. "Okay."

*

It was almost midnight and Chloe stood outside with her phone tightly clasped in her hand.

She wanted to call Bilal, but two things were making her reconsider this: for one, she wanted to prove to herself she could make it on her own first. She felt it more like an obligation. But Chloe had already been alone. Danielle was right, Aiden might have theoretically been a big part of her life but for the past year, their relationship had disintegrated to the point where it felt like they'd been broken up for good.

For a second, her urge intensified, and in a hot flash, she clicked on his name without thinking. It started to ring.

Two: she didn't want Bilal to think she was using him as a rebound.

At that thought, she was about to hang up-

"Chloe?"

She froze.

His voice was a little breathless, and it made her insides burst into flames. She could combust any second and it terrified her.

This is a bad idea.

"Hey..."

She has nothing to say, this is a stupid, stupid idea.

Bilal waited for a beat before he asked: "Are you okay?"

She heard the ruckus on the other end of the line. It was 11:58. She knew he only got to see his family for those cupfuls of days once a year and she was taking the time he had to spend with them away from him.

"I'm sorry I called."

She remembered the third point: what if he wasn't interested in her like that? At that thought, she wanted the earth to split in two and swallow her whole. She hoped he was drunk - too drunk to remember their conversation because if he wasn't, she'd have to face him tomorrow. In barely under twenty hours she was going to see him.

"It's alright."

She was just as confused as he was. She didn't know what to say and it made the situation worse that he wasn't a talker.

She sighed loudly, pressing her palm to her forehead and regretting every second of this. It was the alcohol. It was clouding her judgment and turning her into an emotional mess. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother. this is... stupid. I'll just hang up."

Bilal didn't say a word.

She cursed herself. She cursed the alcohol. She cursed him and his ability to remain so put together.

Chloe shook her head, taking the phone away and was right about to hang up-

"Chloe."

-but stopped.

She swallowed, pressing it back to her ear.

"Yeah?"

She was shaking, holding her breath so it couldn't be heard. The silence stretched between them, tension palpitating and Chloe anxiously chewed her bottom lip, her ear growing red.

"Happy new year," he finally said. Chloe gulped, gut sinking in disappointment.

But what did she expect, anyway?

She heaved a sigh and forced a smile, although he couldn't see her.

"Happy new year."

She startled at the sound of fireworks that resounded once she hung up. She looked at the time, only to realize that it was a minute past midnight and they had missed the countdown.

________________________________

(1) One should figure by now her uncles had a horrible drinking problem