Vought Tower | Thursday Evening

[defenderofdesmoines]

Starlight was drunk. Drunk enough to not feel self-conscious in her new outfit here, in the middle of this party, where Ashley had basically begged her to wear this uniform rather than the family-friendly one. Drunk enough to do as she was told and allow this Navy man in dress whites to hold her ungloved hand and flirt with her. Not so drunk that she didn't feel like absolute dirt about it, but drunk enough to get through it.

She wasn't drunk enough to trip in her heels as she hurried away from him a moment later, her smile vanishing as soon as she'd made it to the stairs.

But she was drunk enough that she threw up as soon as she got to the bathroom. But then she felt a lot better, so there was that.

Queen Maeve	Starlight had whipped past her coming up the stairs, and Maeve didn't like that she still had the impulse to check on her, but she did, so here she was. Though, damn, she was getting good at moving in those boots, so Starlight was well into the toilet by the time Maeve arrived, setting her own drink on the bathroom counter. "You want me to hold your hair back?"
Starlight	Ugh. Not right now. She couldn't deal with Maeve on top of having the spins and feeling like garbage because she had flirted with a guy who wasn't her boyfriend. (Whom Maeve had told her to break up with, so. There was that, too.) "Ugh, no, don't touch," she said, kicking her feet under herself neatly and coming to a standing position as she flushed the toilet and walked over to the sinks. "Leave me alone. I'm not in the mood."
Queen Maeve	"Not in the mood for what?" Maeve wondered lightly, a little surprised at her vehemence.
Starlight	"Your bottomless, casual cruelty," Starlight told her, shaking her head and trying not to slur her words. "So just make whatever shitty comment you're gonna make and then go." If you had told her six months ago that this was how she'd be talking to Queen Maeve, she would have probably laughed in your face.
Queen Maeve	Maeve let that wash over her for a long moment, because she knew she deserved it, and that she was right, even if Starlight didn't quite have all the pieces. "Look." She turned, cradling her right wrist as she often did. It didn't hurt right now, but it bothered her sometimes, still.
Starlight	"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Starlight asked, turning to see what Maeve wanted now.
Queen Maeve	"My radius never healed straight." Maeve looked up from her wrist to Starlight, her expression frank. "I really did break every bone in my right arm."
Starlight	Starlight felt like she should be following, but also -- Maeve had done this so many times by now, just spoken in little cryptic half-clues, that all she could come up with was, "What?"
Queen Maeve	"Stopping the bus from falling," Maeve supplied. "You said the marketing guys made it up." She shook her head, keeping her gaze steady on Starlight's as she pushed herself up away from the sinks and walked closer to her. "It was me. Twenty-three year-old, bright-eyed, ass you could bounce a quarter off of...me. I really did want to make a difference. I really did care." And she cared now, more than she would ever admit, but in case Starlight didn't get it -- "I was just like you." She shook her head, breaking eye contact. "And then...I started giving pieces of myself away, and...you know what, I guess I gave away everything."
Starlight	Starlight was quiet as Maeve spoke, trying unsuccessfully to not let her surprise register on her face. She was describing the Queen Maeve Annie had grown up worshipping -- the person she'd expected to meet. And she'd been just like her. Starlight could see how it'd happened -- it was already starting to happen to her.
Queen Maeve	"So just -- " Maeve scrunched up her face with a sigh, shaking her head, "-- just be original. For fuck's sake." She smiled, though it didn't even come close to reaching her eyes. "My position is already taken. Be the annoying, goody two-shoes asshole that you are." With a rueful little chuckle, she turned to go, stopping to make sure she met Starlight's eye again. "One of us has to be."
Starlight	And as Maeve left the bathroom, Starlight was alone with her swirling thoughts again, and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't recognize the woman looking back at her. And she knew Maeve was right.

[taken from The Boys 1.08, "You Found Me." Sure, open for calls and texts, make me figure out where she keeps her phone in the bodysuit.]