(JOHNNY'S POV)
Standing outside of the church, Johnny and Madeleine stood together as the stars began to shine in the sky; diamond jewels dotting the dark vastness above them. A cool breeze blew through the air while invisible crickets chirped in the distance.
The remnants of their families and other guests flooded out of the building, some walking over to the newlywed couple while some went to drive off to finish other business. But, to Johnny's disappointment, came Madeleine's family rushing towards them with interest sparking in their eyes.
Cautious of Johnny's actions, Nny circled one arm around her waist in a comforting, yet protective way as Madeleine's aunt and uncle grew closer yet to them. Smiling, Johnny pushed away the shyness as he studied their warm, welcoming faces.
"Hey, Aunt Darla; it was so nice of you to come to our wedding!"
Now that she was closer now, Johnny could get a better view of her face. She had little to no wrinkles lining her naturally pale face as she smiled widely, warmth lighting up in her eyes.
"Oh, Madeleine, darling, you look absolutely GORGEOUS in that dress! I couldn't be more proud of you!"
Letting go of Madeleine, Nny continued to study more of the few members that came with Madeleine's aunt as Maddie shared hugs with the rest of her family.
"So, this is the famous Johnny, huh," Darla took Johnny's hand, introducing herself through a handshake and smile before continuing, "you are a VERY lucky man to find a fine young woman such as Madeleine, here. Hmm… I am extremely interested in your pick Madeleine," she looked over to Maddie with a sly look in her eye before smiling with contentment and backing away for Johnny to meet the others.
Spotting her uncle and a male teenager with platinum blonde hair, Johnny grew a little tense.
Her uncle had both a grey mustache and beard which seemed trimmed down and fashioned as a goatee. He was a fairly heavy-set man, wearing a long-sleeved white button down shirt and slacks with black loafers; the typical businessman.
The boy, being of about sixteen years of age, seemed to have no interest in anything at all except for Madeleine. He, too, wore a long-sleeved shirt, but it was a faded blue color, and he wore regular, faded jeans. Finishing his look were a pair of black, Van's sneakers. But what threw Johnny off was the fact that the kid was staring at Madeleine's breasts.
This was going to be a long night…
(3 hours later; after the family reunion)
The warm stretch of light from the lamps that hung over the variety of booths in the café bathed the room in a milky glow as Madeleine's relatives slowly, but surely, picked away, one by one from the booth, giving warm hugs and final presents to them before stating their goodbyes. But one person, however, stayed, mingling inside the room until the other two relatives had retreated to their car.
Now that it was after the wedding, Madeleine had changed into more comfortable and suiting clothes of her choice, being a simple, thin grey t-shirt, dark blue, ripped jeans and a studded choker, adding small, one-inch heels to her look.
"Well, it was an honor to meet you Johnny. Take care of her; and Johnny," Darla took Nny's wrist and pulled him aside, allowing a small area for a private chat before whispering to him in an anxious voice, "I need you to promise me to watch Madeleine's mental stability. Ever since she lost her parents when she was a young child, she's never acted so…different. But when she looks at you, it seems as if she's forgotten the memory and you've mended her. Keep her sane, and keep her safe."
Looking away, she let go of Johnny's arm and walked to the exit of the café before glancing back to the newly wed couple with an ounce of hope shining in her eyes. Smiling, she left, leaving both Johnny and Madeleine alone; in peace.
Johnny stared at the door for another five seconds to be sure that she wouldn't change her mind and come back in to talk once more before Johnny turned around to find Madeleine walk to the bar and sit on a stool. Looking to her feet, Madeleine sighed and kicked off her heels before setting her feet on the cool, iron bar that propped the stool up.
Doing the same, Johnny sat in the stool next to her and put his head in his hands before he said, "so…. That's your family, huh," before chuckling and bringing his eyes over to Madeleine who smirked in response.
"Well… I can definitely see why you took the chance to run when you could," remembering the fact that Madeleine had run from her family, and had tried helplessly, to run from reality. No, her family was not a horrible family, but it was extremely expectant and criticized even the slightest detail of a person. Johnny had, thankfully, tolerated the noise that came from their mouths as they socialized with him, judging and criticizing the fact that he was a comic-writer for Happy Noodle Boy.
They suggested that he eat more, considering the fact that he was so skinny; they disliked the fact that he was so pale and also suggested the stupidity of getting a tan, or simply use a tanning booth.
It stressed Johnny, knowing that most of the society had judged others by their appearance, approving their choice of style, or giving out snide remarks about their social life.
Meaningless; endless possibilities with no reason benefiting them at all.
Madeleine simply nodded her head before pulling out her billfold and pulling out a fifty dollar bill to pay for the money they owed. Her family was ignorant enough to not even pay for themselves.
But, now that she was of age, she had inherited all of her parent's belongings, including the money that they had, and stocked it all in her bank account, leaving her fairly wealthy and able to live freely.
"The waiter can keep the change," Madeleine said as she opened her eyes, her pupils large from lack of sleep and shining with tears as she looked to Johnny, "c'mon. I want to get away for a bit and I know the perfect place."
Getting up, Madeleine stumbled from her sore feet before grabbing onto the ledge of the counter and steadying herself. Slipping her shoes back on, Madeleine frowned with discomfort before grabbing Johnny's hand and leading him out with their wrapped present.
(15 minutes later)
(MADELEINE'S POV)
Dragging herself out of the Prius, Madeleine shut off the ignition and walked out onto the grassy cliff edge. Everything was the same since they last were there; fireflies dotting the air around them, a black, vast sky with endless stars stretched over their heads as a large, polluted city laid out below them.
A dead tree hung off the precipice of the cliff, it's roots clinging onto the edge as it's branches swayed in the wind. A small, decayed fence lined the side of the cliff but deteriorated into nothing, leaving a large, open area to jump off of; that is, if you were mental enough and had the guts to kill yourself.
Strolling over to the open edge, Madeleine took off her shoes, gritting her teeth as relief washed to her ankles before sitting down in a criss-crossed fashion. Remembering that Johnny had accompanied her, she glanced back but immediately got the result of being put into Nny's lap along with skinny, but protective arms circling around her.
Narrowing her eyes at Johnny, she stuck her tongue out at him jokingly before retreating her eyes to the stars above them, leaning her head against his shoulder. She had never felt this content around Johnny, never felt so empty without him and be completely satisfied with him. She couldn't quite comprehend why Johnny accepted and gave into emotions, much less fall in love with her instead of someone worthy. She couldn't understand why she didn't care whether or not he was a homicidal maniac, yet she felt for him all the same.
So many questions, so many endless answers.
"Johnny," Madeleine started quietly as she gazed at the sky, "do you remember… so long ago, when you killed the man who belittled me on the street corner? The man who laughed and criticized me for walking into a street lamp?"
Maddie scoffed at the memory before feeling Johnny's body tense at the topic.
"Yes…"
"Do you remember, after you defended me and killed him, drained him of his blood? Do you remember running from me," Madeleine continued in a shallow whisper, swallowing the lump that rose in her throat as she, herself, fought back the flashback that swam in her eyes.
Johnny answered once again with a soft, "yes…"
"Do you remember when I followed you, found you at your house, kneeling before the Wall, and trying yet another attempt to kill me? Do you remember when I explained to you why I stopped cutting myself? Can you remember?"
His grip on her had tightened just the slightest bit before he replied.
"I was your reason."
Madeleine pulled away from Johnny's grasp, shifting off of him and lying down, face up to the stars above before taking a deep breath and signaling for Johnny to do the same. Fingering her wedding ring, Madeleine dwelled on her choice of words before beginning in a weak voice, "Johnny C., can you remember back to when I had first met you, in your torture chambers, hanging from a chain completely defenseless? Do you remember the talk we had, when you asked me for my view upon suicide, and do you remember the answer I gave you? Can you look back to that?"
Maddie's lip trembled as she lost herself in the open sky above. She didn't deserve to be married or cared for. She didn't deserve a man, didn't deserve her job; her life.
She didn't deserve a single bit of it; but as unfair as it was, her strange, unsettling fantasy took place, letting her lie under a beautiful star-lit sky with her husband as tears streamed down the sides of her face.
"Love kept you alive."
Madeleine searched the silver beads dotting the velvet endlessness above her as she felt Johnny's hand messing with hers, tracing her fingertips and lining the center of her palm before letting them wander to her exposed and scarred forearms.
Madeleine, however, saw the cuts to be battle-scars against mental instability. A long, dreaded fight that she kept upon herself for years until she met Johnny; a moment in her life that she couldn't quite figure if she regretted the decision for self-abuse or not.
Johnny took his hand to her face where he wiped away the tear that sketched a pathway down her numb face. Taking her own hand to Johnny's, Madeleine looked to Nny who was on her right, realizing he was lying on his side, frowning.
Knitting her eyebrows together, Madeleine searched Johnny's face as he continued to frown before he said, "why do you cry? Are you having second thoughts?"
Raising her eyebrows, Madeleine quickly got up from her place on the ground and pushed Johnny to where he lay on his back before Maddie slid herself over him, placing her knees beside his hips; a move both Johnny and Madeleine had experienced.
Studying Johnny's face, Madeleine half smiled at him as his eyes grew wide with surprise and caution. She could have swore his face turned a shade redder, but the thought made Madeleine smirk all the more as she cocked her head to the side in confusion at his question.
"Johnny, why the flying fuck would I think THAT? Johnny, when that man spoke shit to me and about me, you DEFENDED me, but you ran from me because you thought I would criticize you for killing the man. I followed you because I wanted to set things right. I found you, fallen before a wall of blood, weeping over the fact that you had been forced to kill and live your life the way you do. I stayed there, but you threatened to kill me because you wanted me to stay safe; I didn't care."
Madeleine sat down on Johnny's abdomen, flicking her hand in the air in an irritated swipe.
"I left because you asked me to, yet you followed me into the rain. The very first time my eyes saw you, I KNEW you were different; you seemed empty. I smiled at you, was knocked unconscious and dragged to your house to be killed in a brutal fashion so you could attempt suicide with a companion. I KEPT YOU FROM SUICIDE, Johnny. I GAVE YOU A REASON to realize that killing yourself wasn't the answer. Johnny, know this; I knew from the very start, that I loved you. If I didn't I wouldn't have kept you from killing me or yourself; I would have let you die. But I loved you enough to stop you."
It was then that she was rolled over, Madeleine being the one on the bottom and Johnny on the top. Bending down to her face, Johnny answered in a rather sad voice, "then would you mind answering me why," Johnny wiped another tear that fell from Maddie's face, "you're crying?"
"Because I'm NOT WORTH IT JOHNNY! I was never worth your patience or heart. I don't deserve a fantasy or a husband like you! I don't deserve lo-."
Madeleine was cut off from a kiss that knocked the breath out of her lungs as her heart rate sped up a slight bit from the passion that Johnny offered before he pulled away, shaking his head.
"Madeleine, everyone deserves at least one source of love, whether that is from a stranger, a family member, or someone with homicidal tendencies, it doesn't matter. Without that, a human ceases to exist; we become 'empty'. You have every reason to deserve someone who cares for you; without you, I wouldn't understand the concept of emotions or what it is to feel 'love'. Damn, I've gotten sappy…," Johnny said as he looked away with narrowed eyes before bringing his attention back to Madeleine.
"Do I? Do I truly mean that much to you," she asked in a cracked whisper. She didn't expect to be so emotionally effected by all this, so she let her tears fill her eyes as she tried to focus on Johnny who was reading her face so carefully.
"Yes," Nny said with finality in his voice.
Blinking away more hot tears that rolled down her face, Madeleine bit her lip in order to keep it from trembling as Johnny wiped away the new tears. Despite this, Madeleine rolled back over, her on top now, but her body pressed up against his, thoroughly embarrassing Johnny and creating a dark red strip to cross over his pale cheekbones.
Teasing Johnny, Maddie lightly traced patterns and shapes into his chest before she whispered with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "so, I only spike your 'love' interest, huh? Nothing else…"
Hiding a sly smile behind her serious expression, Madeleine got off of Johnny who had a baffled and incredulous look spread on his face, smirking at him before turning around to walk to the edge of the cliff and look out over the city.
(JOHNNY'S POV)
The look on Johnny's face was priceless as he gawked at Madeleine, completely speechless. Madeleine never acted so seductive around him, teasing him through such enticing actions as that. And as disgusting as it sounded to him, Johnny couldn't help but want to experience that feeling again.
Narrowing his eyes at Madeleine who had then turned around to retreat to the cliff edge, Johnny snapped his mouth shut and formed his lips into a half-smile, realizing her joke.
Two can play at that game…
Before Madeleine got close enough to the edge, Johnny grabbed her waist and pushed her against the tree which was only a few feet away from them. Placing one hand on the bark above her left shoulder, Johnny let his other hand trace her jaw line, down to her collarbone. Madeleine almost gasped in surprise, gaping at Nny's move before closing her mouth, eyes shining with a slight air of victory and embarrassment.
Cocking his head to the side, Johnny played along with Madeleine, before bringing his mouth to her ear and whispering, "oh, I wouldn't quite say that…that red flush on your face is very sexy*…"
Chuckling at Madeleine's face which was already red turn to an even darker shade, Johnny pecked her on the lips before backing away with amusement in his eyes.
But Johnny was thrown off as Madeleine tackled him into a sickly warm embrace, closing what little space they had between them as Madeleine buried her face in his neck. Johnny was used to hugs like these, and it seemed that every time he took her in his arms that he understood what it was to experience emotion; Reverend Meat never failing to be correct.
Johnny's body did scream for input. But to fulfill that through sexual desire…he wouldn't allow himself that unless Madeleine suggested it. He wouldn't bring himself to express lust in that way…no; he wouldn't.
But what mattered at the moment was the fact that he was happily married with Madeleine, and they were in complete bliss with just the company of each other; right?
Right…?
(AUTHOR'S NOTE!)
Okay… Madeleine's cousin is a perv. Hey, for those guys out there reading this story, don't fuck with me, you can't lie to me, you've looked at least ONCE at one girl's boobs. YOU KNOW you have, so don't get started with, "wtf? Screw you, we are NOT pervs…" (just shut up; you know perfectly well you are…) ;)
Okay… I wanted this chapter to be a little dramatic closer to the end, and I tried to bring the slightest amount of comedy to you readers through teasing 'sexual interest'. Hah… I probably killed off Johnny's originality, but it's coming up… fear not, for I haven't taken all of Johnny's awesomeness away through sappy romance chapters.
(sexy*) sexy is a very unstable, and... weird term for me to use in Johnny's POV, but I used it in this case to embarrass Madeleine to an extent. I apologize for my lack of a better word...
Awwh, adorable, but dramatic ending, don't you think? Johnny doesn't want to force anything onto Maddie; such a gentlemanly homicidal maniac, don't you think?
So, they're officially wed… what now?
CLIFF HANGER; I AM TERRIBLE FOR DOING THAT…. ^.^
Sadly, I start high school this Friday, so my updates won't come as quick as they should… don't be mad, I will STILL continue on with the story! I SWEAR MY LIFE ON IT!
The bold writing is a reference from Jhonen Vasquez's 7th issue of JTHM.
It does not belong to me in any way, shape or form…
Which leads me to the disclaimer!
Johnny and all JTHM characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez, not me. I own Madeleine and her family.
Er… Review; please?