So as promised in my last oneshot (Breakdown), here is that Choni oneshot. I'd like to thank "to love this" for requesting this oneshot, it's been super fun to write! It's not quite like the Bughead one (I Dream of You), but I hope you still like it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"I know it's been a while since we've talked, JayJay. I hope you're not mad at me." As I sit on my bed, I remember the one thing I regret about burning down Thornhill: Jason's room. I wish I could talk to him there. "I guess I just haven't needed you in a while." Although I feel sort of guilty telling my brother that I haven't needed him in a while, it also makes me smile. Because I can't think about without thinking about the reason why: A beyond amazing woman with pink streaks in her hair.
"And I don't know if you can even hear me, JayJay. I don't know if there's a Heaven that you're looking down at me from or if you're just gone forever." My voice shakes a bit at the thought of JayJay being gone forever. "But just in case you're there, I wanted you to know that I'm happy." Even though there are some tears on my face, I'm smiling. "And if you're there, watching me, I think you already know why."
"She's incredible, JayJay. She's more than anything I deserve. She makes me so happy. And I'm so in love with her." I'm still smiling. It's impossible not to when I'm thinking about her. "And I know that this was supposed to be Polly's, but I hope that you don't mind if I give it to her." I've had that ring since the night of sophomore homecoming and now I finally have a use for it: to give it to the one and only love of my life, along with my whole heart.
"I wish that you could've met her, JayJay," I sigh. "She saw the good in me when everyone else just accepted that I was the cold bitch I pretended to be. She's always there for me, even though she could just walk away." Her rescuing me from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy comes to my mind. "You never had the chance to tell me, but I know that you were worried about me after you... after you died." I allow myself to say that word. "But you don't have to worry about me anymore, JayJay. I have Toni. And I guess I've finally become smart enough to never let her go," I chuckle. Jason and I didn't talk much back then, so I don't know what he'd say in response. But I think that he'd probably laugh at me too for taking so long to do this. I look down at my hands, thinking of what else I want to say to him.
"Thanks for always being there, JayJay," my tears have come back as I lower my head, saying goodbye to my brother for now. I look up again as sunlight streams through my window, the clouds clearing away. Most people would say it was just a weather event, the sky ignoring the forecast. But I choose to believe that it was JayJay.
I can't believe that I'm doing this. When the courthouse guy said that all we had to do was sign the license with our witnesses, why did I still insist on saying vows? I've never been one to say exactly what I'm feeling. I've never been able to be emotionally vulnerable like that. But I guess I'm doing it because I'd do anything for Toni. I must be insanely in love with her to insist on saying these vows in front of her, our friends, and some random government guy.
"You know that I've never been one to say what I'm feeling," I tell my love. I look straight into her eyes as I hold her hands. She gives me all the strength that I need. "So for me to insist on saying these vows to not only you, but in front of our friends as well, it must tell you how insanely in love with you I am." She smiles even wider. "But in case it doesn't: I'm insanely, undeniably in love with you, Toni Topaz. And I am yours for forever." For a second I consider stopping there. It's short and sweet. But I how I feel about her is more than short and sweet. And I want everyone to know that.
"You saw the true me," I tell her, letting down every wall and defense that I have had around me. "And even though I was a complete bitch to you, you were there for me when I was finally ready to open up. You've helped me through the most difficult times in my life. You have been my strength when I've had none. My hope when I've felt hopeless. My light when I've felt lost in a darkness that seemed endless." I'm crying now and she is too. "I love you forever, Toni and I will fight anyone or anything that ever tries to tear us apart. Especially when it's me." Toni chuckles, amused at my last promise. I love seeing her smile like that.
"Cheryl, just as there is no way to fully put into words just how amazing you are, there is no way to explain just how deeply I love you with words alone." She's already making me cry again, but I let the tears fall without embarrassment. "And so I will spend every day showing you the depth of my love for you. Because to just tell you is not enough, but I'll try." Damn. How is this woman so perfect? "You complete me, Cheryl. And I know that you like to make people believe that you don't do anything nice for anyone, but the truth is that you are one of the most caring that I know and 'lucky' is not enough of a word to describe how fortunate I am that you're about to be my wife. It's impossible for me to ever doubt how much you love me and I hope that I can make you feel the same way. And I vow to try every day to remind you of that and to love you and be yours for as long as you will give me the privilege of doing so." How did I get so lucky?
There's no one to tell us that we can kiss, but I don't need their permission to kiss my almost-wife. Especially not after all the things she said. She pulls away after one kiss even though I wouldn't mind giving our friends a show if it meant I didn't have to wait. However, I quickly find myself okay with just our one kiss when Toni pulls me in front of the table with our marriage license, waiting to be signed. I can't wait to officially make her Mrs. Toni Blossom! Polly and Toni's grandfather, Tom, stand by us, waiting to sign as our witnesses. I'm now glad that I didn't give our friends a show when we kissed because Polly's presence reminds me that my niece and nephew are also here.
I kiss her again after all 4 of us have signed the license. I love today!
I watch my wife as she slows the car before stopping it. She turns to me and holds my hand underneath the bouquet I hold of assorted flowers. She doesn't say anything. She knows that it won't make this any easier. I sit there for a few minutes, soaking in the comfort that she gives me before I let go of he hand to get out of the car.
As soon as I can, I hold her hand again as we walk along the small footpath together. I try not to cry when we get there. I kneel on the ground, just like I always do when I visit Jason's grave at the remains of Thornhill. My wife kneels down next to me as she continues to hold my hand. I set the flowers done and I let myself cry. It's not the loud sobs that wracked my body the first time I visited Jason's grave alone. It's just a few tears as I mourn the loss that will probably always hurt a little bit. Toni stays by my side the whole time, rubbing her fingers across my hand. It's the first time I've let her come with me and I'm glad she's here.
I look to the side and see that she's also crying. We remain in silence for a minute or two before I speak.
"JayJay would've loved you," I tell her.
"I wish I had gotten the chance to meet him," she says. "He's always sounded like a pretty great brother."
"He was," I agree.
I don't have my brother and that is a wound that will always hurt. But I have Toni- Mrs. Toni Blossom, my wife- and she makes me forget about the pain.
Everyone looks at me, waiting for me to speak. Polly had insisted that Thanksgiving wouldn't be perfect unless we did that thing where we all go around the table and say what we're grateful for. We never did it at Blossom Thanksgivings, but apparently it was always a requirement for Cooper Thanksgivings.
I open my mouth to say something short and simple like "good health" or "good friends" or something like that. But before I say that, I catch a glimpse of my amazing wife and I know what I actually want to say.
"So everyone knows that the holidays are typically a time when people gather around their families, which is why they're the hardest time of the year for me. When I was younger, Jason was the one thing that made the family events tolerable. It's been 6 years since my first Thanksgiving without Jason. To describe in as few words as possible, it was the worst holiday of my life. I'm glad we never did this at Thornhill because I had no gratefulness that year.
My second Thanksgiving without Jason was when I met Toni's grandfather. We went to this horrible little diner in Greendale," I laugh and Toni laughs with me. "Most people would call that my first Thanksgiving without family. But they'd be wrong. It may have been my first Thanksgiving without any Blossoms, but I wasn't without family.
What I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving is my wife. My love, my soulmate, my light in the darkness, my heart, and my life. I'm grateful for Toni Blossom."
"Your turn," I say to my wife, regaining my normal Cheryl Blossom composure.
"Damn, babe," she says as she wipes her eyes. "How am I supposed to follow that?"
Thanks for reading, guys! I hope you liked it. I know it involves Jason quite a bit for a Choni oneshot. I felt that it fit since it was from Cheryl's perspective. Did you guys find it weird that there was so much about Jason or did think that it fit?
If you want to know my favorite part, it was Cheryl's vows at the wedding (because Cheryl really doesn't express her feelings, so she must really love Toni to do that). I know this one was probably a bit short. I was originally going to include two other scenes (instead of the Thanksgiving one) where in the first one they adopted these twins and in the second one the twins were grown up and it reminded Cheryl of all the opportunities and experiences that she was supposed to get with Jason but never did. But, unfortunately, I wasn't really able to find Cheryl's voice in those scenes, so I ended up not using them (maybe it'll end up being a 3rd person narrated story or short later).
I hope that this was still a great Choni fix for you guys lol. Also, shameless self-promotion: If you've loved my Riverdale works so far, be sure to check out Take A Chance, coming out on Sunday. It's a Bughead story featuring Jughead as a single father. Thanks again for reading and have a great day, guys!
