A Good One
by Leki
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Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Tess/Edgar Vargas. Rated K+ for certain...words. Genre - Romance/Tragedy.
There are so few good people, in the city, your lucky to find one in a lifetime.
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Disclaimer - No, Leki doesn't own Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, or any of these characters! Jhonen Vasquez does! I ownly made a background for Tess and Edgar.
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Yes, yes, I know. Tess never even meets Edgar in the comics, apparently. But, ignoring all logic, I continue with this story! It's apalling that there are so few stories having to do with Tess or Edgar, much less even thinking of them as a coupling. So, read. Be happy... NOW.
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Part I: What Karma Brings
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"Uuuhn." A groan of exasperation and a curse came from Tess as she stumbled into the Eye Doktor's office. With a weary rub of her eye, she stepped completely into the office, pushing a child's twisting, looping, so-bright-and-colorful-it-hurt-the-eye toy out of her and other peoples' paths, and shut the door with a satisfying jar. She turned, and studied the signs hanging about the office.At first, she had just started to wear glasses with simple window glass in them. All for show, of course, and completely to get certain people to think she was cool. But of all the luck, now she needed them. Rather badly, as it may. Now, with her once whole glasses now broken at the hinges slipped uselessly in her jacket pocket, her vision was blurry, colors merging together, as well as letters. And so, that is how she ended up there, staring at the signs, and trying to figure out the words. Mustn't go to the wrong place and look stupid. Maybe this is karma... She mused silently in her head, After all those people I bothered, I now have a bother of my own.
There weren't many people at all, in the Eye Doktor's office that evening. Well, in fact there was only one. A lone man was sitting at the side of a couch which stood sat against the far wall, under a standing black lamp. His long right leg was stretched out, and the left was crossed over it, ankle and knee meeting. His dark eyes, masked by glasses, where looking down upon a book the title, The Divine Comedy, embossed in black gothic letters on the front. The short bangs of his dark brown hair hung over his forehead, as he looked down at the book balanced on his leg. When he heard the curse, he looked up. He saw her there, squinting, and a small smile moved his mouth, as the rest of his face stayed still. He closed his book around his index finger of his left hand, holding his place, and looked at her. She was quite a slim, pretty young woman. She wore a long sleeved back shirt-dress that went down almost to her knees. Her legs were clad in pants like tights, with dark gray and black horizontal stripes, inches thick, all the way down to dissappear into her black boots. Short hair spiked around her head, with whatever bangs she would have slicked back. He saw her bite her lip, and her hand going to something hanging around her neck, and turned his gaze down to his book, slipping a bookmark into the pages. Holding his book in his left hand, he stood up and walked over to her side.
"Excuse me." Tess tightened her hands around the tarnished silver ankh pendant, hanging from the silver linked chains around her neck, and turned to face the owner of the calm voice. She tilted her head up slightly, to be able to look into the blurred oval that was his face. Dimly, she could make out dark brown hair, and the shape of glasses, "You look like you could use some help."
"Can you get me in to see the Doktor?" She narrowed her eyes as he chuckled, thinking he was making fun of her, or mocking her in some way.
"I'm sorry Miss, I'm afraid I don't work here. But, you do look like your having a hard time seeing. Fortunately..." He reached up and touched the side of his glasses with a fingertip, "My glasses are fine. Let me be your eyes." She looked at him questioningly, suspicion clouding her mind. People in this city didn't just come out and help you. Not without wanting something in return. Hell, she had even become a victim one such way. A man had once told her he would help her, in much the same way this man was offering, and he had led her outside. He had trapped her, and, well... People just didn't go out of their way to help. And she had learned to never trust a stranger like that. Another small chuckle from him interrupted her despairing thoughts. "I'm sorry Miss, I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name is Edgar Vargas." He held out his right hand to her.
"Tess." Cautiously, she brought her own right hand to his, and gave it a brief shake, before slackening her grip to pull her hand back. A moment of panic hit her, as he did not let go. Her mouth opened to yell at him, but her words froze. His head dipped to her hand, where he now held the back of her hand facing up. He lightly kissed on the back of her hand, above the knuckles of her middle and ring fingers. Her mouth moved to say something, but only twisted in a grin.
"Tess..." He said her name slowly, as if feeling it on his tongue, seeing if he liked the wording of it, "I like it." He smiled at her, letting her hand go from his gentle hand. Her hand went to her pocket, and squeezed something there. But she didn't pull it out.
"Miss R?" Tess looked over at the assistant of the Doktor, only dimly remembering why she was there. Her thoughts were to busy racing on how cool this guy seemed, "We're ready to fix your glasses." Tess walked towards the door where assistant vanished, before looking back.
"...Good bye hot shot." She winked and went to her appointment. He would probably be gone before she had even finished. Either that, or back in the other offices where she couldn't see him. Goodbye...
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Two hours and half later, she had had her eyes checked by blinding lights, and stung by some cleaning fluid. The Doktor had give her a new prescription, and so she had waited in the office for the new glasses, seeing as she had no where else to be, and no one that would have her near. And the office was at least quiet.
Sitting in the dim light of the room, she sat in the dark blue pads of the chair, her fit kicking back and forth so her heels thudded on the dirty tiles. She tightened her fists around the edge of her long shirt-dress, trying to keep from folding her arms to her chest. Goosebumps and shivers settled on her skin as anxiety rose in her chest. Her craving to hear someone's voice, as usual, began to take over. She couldn't handle keeping her arms away from her, and protectively pulled them to her, the tips of her fingers curled against her pale cheeks, the arms pressed together against her chest. A cold sweat stood out on her skin.
Damn it. Why I am so bad off now? She shivered, beginning to grind her teeth nervously. She knew it was bad, but she so wanted to hear her friends' voices. Even if they were mocking her, or belittling her, she still wanted to hear those familiar tones. She closed her eyes, and slowly forced her shaking hands into her lap. She had been doing so good until this evening, damn it! Almost ten and a half hours alone among strangers. Now, she broke down from her independence.But what had started this? She shifted her thoughts away from her loneliness, and thought back. What had changed? Her already dilated eyes, dilated further, bringing in an almost painful amount of light, even in the dimness. She shut them tightly, as painful water welled from beneath the lids. Urgently, she wished in her mind someone would help her, like that man had offered... of course. That was it. It was that man's kindness.
"Uuuh..." Tess took in a deep breath, and forced her shoulders to relax. She might see that man again, but more than likely not. She looked down, as the anxiety fell to a dull ache with in her. She could wait this out, now that she knew what the source of stress was. She closed her eyes with a sigh, and waited, It's not use to think about a stranger I'll never meet again. She repeated over and over to herself. Over and over and over.
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Soon after, she came wearily out of the office with her new glasses, which were tinted slightly, snug on face. She was headed towards the door, when she saw a man sitting there, holding a book. She noted the title and grinned. It was a big book, that only smart ones could handle. And smart ones stuck out in this city, as that man from before had stuck out. That must be him. Brown hair, glasses. Yes. More than likely him.
"Edgar Vargas?" The man looked up, and her grin widened, "Those slowpokes still keeping you waiting?"
"No. I simply waited for you." A small, bewildered smile went on her face, "This may be very forward of me, but would you like to go out for dinner? My treat."
"Erm... What, uh... about your glasses?" She was absolutely astounded. It was usually her chasing after company, not the other way around.
"Ooooh, I'm just waiting for mine. So I have plenty of time. Shall we?" He put his right arm across his waist and bowed slightly. He looked up at her through his bangs with a grin. When she saw that grin, all the anxiety she had been feeling went away. It felt as if she had gotten her second wind, and could keep on going.
"Of course." Oh my gosh... what luck? I can't believe it! Someone whose not a shitty, moronic asshole! And here I thought my luck was bad! With a smile, she walked out of the office with him.
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'Once you find the way, you'll be bound. It will obsess you. But believe me, it will be a magnificent obsession.' -Edward Randolph
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Neeee, yes, I do not own 'The Divine Comedy'. A great man by the name of Dante owns that piece of work, which I'm looking forward to reading.
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That last quote is by the character Edward Randolph, in the movie 'Magnificent Obession'. No, didn't actually see that... but the quote fit. :D
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Oh, ho! Abit of foreshadowing at the end... But neh, how was Tess and Edgar? Tell the Leki!