Groovy Tunes, Monday

[furnaceface]

Jonothon was in a weird mental place, today.

For a start, he'd woken up this morning with what was left of his cheeks covered in stickiness from yesterday's candy apple, suffering one hell of a sugar crash. It had been a bloody long time since Jono had felt the sugarcoma aftereffects that came from having entirely too many sweets over the span of a few days, and so it was hitting him a little harder than it might hit most. That had been extra special first thing this morning, when he'd stumbled out of bed, tripped over an already traumatized cat, fumbled with his bandages for a good hour, and had ultimately stumbled into work today with a creative combination of t-shirt and turtleneck covering his flames instead.

To top it off, he was pretty sure that he'd traded his Prom King crown for that candy apple, which bothered him more than he'd care to admit. Apparently his wedding to Karla of all people had been officiated by a pirate, and had taken place because there had been promises of cake. And this was the last week of classes, which meant, to his great dismay, that this was going to be one of his last shifts here at the Groovy Tunes, as well.

And, like the icing on the cake, he had Dire Straits stuck in his head.

If anybody needed Jono, he was going to be draped over the counter at the Groovy Tunes in an entirely dignified and not at all possessive manner.

[OCD free!]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"Kiss kiss?"

Karla wanted ALL THE THREADS showed up in his doorway, a pretty prom tiara in her hands and a sheepish expression on her face.

"So, I was hoping to talk to you about an annulment..." she said, trying not to laugh.

[furnaceface]

It was a crown, dammit.

//On th'grounds that we were under the age of ten, that our judgment was clearly clouded due to high amounts of sugar, because we were married by a pirate, or other?//

Jono was now only somewhat draped over the front counter, now. Hello, Karla.

[glacial_queen]

Keep telling yourself that, Jono.

"You could probably also claim bigamy," Karla added with a grin. "Considering I married William just a few minutes later. But it was to save him from a fate worse than death."

Marriage to Rilla. Ew.

[furnaceface]

Look, Jono couldn't be held accountable for any errors in labelling that Karla might have made while she was thoroughly infested with cooties. It was totally a crown.

//Well, so long as it was for a noble cause,// he replied with a bemused shake of his head. //Really, I was only in it for th'dowry, anyhow.//

Cake, Karla. Cake.

[glacial_queen]

"Where I was totally a status hunter," Karla said with a laugh. "Rilla couldn't believe I was able to get anyone to marry me."

Proving Rilla wrong had been worth the promise of cake. The tiara was just an added bonus.

"So, will you be devastated completely if I ask you to separate?"

[furnaceface]

//Absolutely. Completely heartbroken,// he replied, in absolute deadpan. And then he nodded toward the crown. //Enjoying yer new headpiece?//

Seeing as she wasn't wearing it, and all...

[glacial_queen]

"Well, as attached as I'd gotten to it Sunday evening--" she'd woken up to find it clutched in her hand, "I'm thinking that if we're not staying married, I should probably return it to you."

She gave him a fond look. "Considering it's kind of important and meaningful and all."

NOT A PITY TIARA, JONO.

[furnaceface]

IT WAS TOTALLY A PITY TIA--DAMMIT.

//I... suppose it is,// he replied, maybe a bit awkward as he raised a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. //I still can't really believe I wound up with it in th'first place. I'm half expecting someone to chase me down and tell me that they got th'ballots confused.//

[glacial_queen]

Karla had been in the process of handing the tiara over, but at that she stopped, took it back, and gave Jono a look.

"If you really think that's true, I'm keeping this as an alimony payment," Karla said, silently thanking Warren for having taught her that word a month ago. "You know very well that it's not."

[furnaceface]

Jono at least had the good grace to look somewhat taken aback by Karla re-claiming his crown.

//Okay. It's not. But you have to admit, I'm not exactly what people'd call th'most likely candidate for this sort of thing, luv.//

Maybe if he just made a grab for it...

[glacial_queen]

She would thump him on the nose like a puppy, that's what.

"Maybe in a normal high school, you'd be right," Karla said, voice tart and wearing her 'Jono, you're being an utter git' expression. "And there, the handsome male with the muscles playing on the sports team would win. But this isn't that kind of high school. Fandom is where people are sent because their uncles are trying to kill them--or worse. Because they killed off an entire sentient species before their voices broke. Because they were trained as assassins and then tortured by their own family, because they've been fighting for survival since they could toddle, because they've had to hide who and what they are to avoid being hated, spat upon, or harmed. Pretty faces doesn't impress those people. They vote for someone they can respect; someone who understands that there's more to life than looking good in a mirror. Don't let your own insecurities cheapen the reasons people chose you."

Or she'd keep the damn tiara.

[furnaceface]

Excuse Jono while he makes a bit of a face and rubs at his nose. Bloody hell, Karla.

//... You figure people actually respect me?// It wasn't that this was really like news to him. It was more that it was just odd, having that little bit of tangible proof of it all.

... He was reaching for his crown again anyhow.

[glacial_queen]

He got what was coming to him, the nit.

"Jono, if you make me answer that question, I will thump you again. Idiot." Karla had a little work to do on inspirational speeches. She did, however, hand over the tiara this time. "We do when you're not being a..." what was the word? "...plonker."

[trigons_child]

Raven had heard about the wedding on the radio. And after giggling herself silly about it, she headed into town to find Jono at Groovy Tunes.

Her expression was Very Serious as she entered the store. "Jono?" she said quietly. There may even have been a sniffle.

[furnaceface]

... There was a sniffle. Oh, lord. Jono wasn't even looking up yet, and he was terrified of the potential Sad Girl Eyes.

His secret weakness.

//Raven, luv?// Quick glance, right there. So doomed. //Is everything alright?//

[trigons_child]

Raven moved toward the counter, sad eyes at maximum. It was taking every measure of self-control she had not to smile and spoil everything.

She was so very very cruel.

"Is it -- is it true what they said on the radio?" she said in a small voice.

[furnaceface]

This earned a long, long pause, while Jono found himself caught somewhere between a facepalm and a flail.

//... That I read young adult novels?//

He was so not acknowledging that his nine year old self had considered cake to be a suitable dowry for marrying his girlfriend's best friend.

[trigons_child]

Raven shook her head with another sniffle. Azar, pretending to be upset was so hard!

"No," she said. "That you -- that you married Karla?"

She turned her head away, lower lip trembling, hand dramatically pressed to her chest.

[furnaceface]

Oh, yes. There came the facepalm.

//If it makes you feel any better, I complained about cooties th'whole time?//

That meant the marriage had probably been doomed from the start.

[trigons_child]

Her lips began twitching with the effort of not smiling.

"But she is my best friend," Raven said, utterly failing to muster any tears. "How could you?"

[furnaceface]

Oh, Jono noticed those twitches, and his slump over the counter shifted a little, as he propped himself up on his elbows and rested his... for lack of a better word, his chin, in his hands.

//I suppose being nine years old and not knowing you from atom isn't a good excuse?// There was a pause, and then he felt compelled to add, //She promised me cake.//

[trigons_child]

Raven finally allowed the giggles to burst free. "Well, I suppose I cannot compete with that," she said, looking back to him with mirth in her eyes.

She turned back toward him and leaned over the other side of the counter. "How is your stomach this morning?" she asked. "Did you find the pizza I had sent to the library for you?"

[furnaceface]

Jono's expression went a little squinty for a moment, there.

//My stomach has no complaints,// because it wasn't there, //but I did find th'pizza. It didn't last terribly long, really.//

It had been the best pizza he'd ever had. Possibly because some little part of his tiny child brain hadn't had pizza in ages, either.

//Thank you, luv. You... really went out of yer way this weekend. It means more t'me now than it did yesterday, but still.//

[trigons_child]

"You were adorable," Raven said, reaching out a hand to cup the side of his face. "How could I resist giving you everything you wished?"

She feigned a very bad pout again. "Although you repaid me by marrying Karla. I know now that you do not prefer older women."

[furnaceface]

//Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that,// Jono replied, a chuckle almost sneaking into that sentiment.

He had dated an Endless before Raven, after all.

//I'm amazed, really, that I didn't spend more of th'weekend just absolutely terrorizing the island. I wasn't that adorable as a child, was I?//