Over and Out

A/N: I'm never been one of those girls that really thought about "the one dress" and all that jazz, but this dress, known as "Dracula" is simply stunning, and since Jojo is my character, and the type of person he is this seems like the absolute perfect choice he would make for his best friend.
....Short of getting Tetsu to design it for him x3










Her big brown eyes were simply inescapable. There was no saying no to her when she stared up at him like that. With a roll of his own green eyes, Jojo dropped the smoldering cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his boot. Angling his lips to send the last slithers of silvery-blue smoke upwards into the air, Jojo blew out the remains of the toxic chemicals that he introduced his body on a regular basis. Since leaving high school around three years or so ago, Jojo had tried three times to quit the smoking habit. The first two times he caved simply because he felt he wasn't strong enough. The third time he was ratty, irritable and in such a foul mood he found himself shouting at Aubrey for no reason. Being the one to cause tears to fall from those beautiful eyes broke him.

Jojo was scared of what would happen dare he try it a fourth time. Not a naturally violent person, he was not about to see if quitting smoking would cause some kind of beast to rear its ugly head. It was not only Aubrey who ran the risk of being there when Jojo's self resolve snapped. One of the people he didn't want to show his hidden ugly side to was standing before him with such an adorable, puppy-dog style looking of pleading on her face that he felt his insides would explode into candy floss.

"Fine," he said once the last of the air in his lungs had been diffused of smoke. While he said it as if he didn't really want the task, it was clear in his eyes and the slight curl of his lips that Jojo was actually happy that she had come to him with such a honorable task. "But why didn't yer ask Jenny?"

With a scoff, Josie threw her arms around his tall and lanky frame. "Because I want you to be the one."

Chuckling, Jojo lifted a hand to ruffle Josie's hair affectionately. "An' Aidan don't mind? I mean, he did go an' leave you, thinking that you and I would get together. He went to Italy, as if that would make any difference." That day when the older man had just left had torn poor Josie apart, and Jojo was left to take care of the pieces and keep the girl intact. It was true that the two of them were close, and while Jojo cared for Josie immensely there was a bond between them that just didn't seem to fall into a category that would inevitably lead them both to be romantically involved. Josie loved Aidan with more of her heart than she could physically hold in her chest - Jojo had destroyed so much in order to be with Aubrey. Never had he felt able to settle with one person, and it took him breaking the bond for him to realize that he couldn't be without the younger male.

Josie shook her head. "I wouldn't have it any other way. It's only going to be a small wedding anyway, I don't want Aubrey to feel uncomfortable."

With a short laugh, Jojo shook his head. Josie was always thinking about others, even on her big day. "Its your wedding, and you're worried about my boyfriend." Leaning forwards, he placed a kiss to the soft brown curled hair. "Auberry wouldn't like it if he knew you were chopping up your guest list just for him."

"There's not many people I want to invite anyway."

Grin increased on his face, and he slung his arm around Josie's shoulders. "Well, that makes it all grand then, doesn't it? So, you've convinced me, but if Aidan dares to scowl at me for not taking you off his hands, I'm swearing on all the wedding photos." He tilted his head up in thought, pursing his lips. "Or I'll bring Calliope and stick her down his top."

-

Jojo had never been in a store like this. He'd passed them, and on a few occasions he had made fun of them, or random jokes to those walking with him, but never had he actually entered one of the glamorous stores with the beautiful white gowns in the windows, and the fancy graphics above the glass doors. This was a shop for women - what on Earth was he doing in here?

There was also the fact he stuck out like a sore thumb.

Gothic-punk style was not something that featured in a bridal store. The woman working when the pair of them walked in stared, simply horrified at Jojo as he strolled inside her beautiful store. He towered over her, yet she seemed to still be able to look down her nose at him.

But, as Josie was a potential customer, she fussed and fawned over her.

"What sort of dress would you like?" the woman asked, casting a wary glance at the male stood beside Josie. "Or are you merely browsing?"

Jojo leaned over to whisper to Josie "Told you we should have brought T-chan. He would have swatted this woman away like an irritating fly and then said everything was disgusting and gone away and designed it himself."

Josie shook her head and smiled up at her "Maid of Honor". "I don't want to burden him, he has his portfolio and his new collection to work on." She looked back to the woman. "I'll look around."

"Of course, miss." And the woman stepped back, and glared while smiling sweetly at the pair.

Jojo had taken Josie on many a shopping trip, but this one was just too difference from what he was used to that he simply felt thrown out of his depth into storm infested waters and the undertow was threatening to pull him under. He was a mohawk in a place of pretty dresses.

Not letting the sheer amount of white surrounding him affect him, Jojo headed for a rack to scan through, while Josie went to another.

After the second store and around ten or so dresses, Jojo was getting much more used to the wedding environment. They had stopped for lunch, and had now reached their limit to the point where this would be their last shop of the day. Again, Jojo was greeted in the manner all the shop assistants seemed to have. It was a mix of revulsion and confusion. What made it all worthwhile was their reactions when it came up that he was not Josie's groom-to-be, but her maid of honor.

This store had a male rather than a woman, but he treated Jojo much the same - if not worse. No longer phased by them though, Jojo headed straight for the rail with the beautiful gowns. Before Josie had chance to look for herself, she was pounced upon by the assistant. Jojo could hear them talking while he looked through the dresses.

They chatted about the big day, and all the various wedding things that was probably part of their customer chat logs. Barely listening to them, it was then he noticed a tag on the hanger of one dress tucked between two very frilly dresses.

'Dracula'.

Grinning, Jojo pulled it free from the others and spun around, holding it up in all its glory. "If you don't wear this, I swear I'll snog priest on the altar."

Her big brown eyes drank in the entire sight. They sparkled in a way that was rare for those eyes that swirled with such sadness - even when she was smiling - that it caused Jojo's heart to skip a beat. She stepped away from the assistant and towards the dress, holding out a hand hesitantly, afraid to touch the dress and shatter its magic.

"It's beautiful, Joseph. Oh Joseph, I've never seen anything so...so..." she choked on her words and tears. "I'll wear it." She looked up at his face, smiling back at his own beaming grin. "How did you find it?"

"Its called Dracula," he stated proudly. "Its my territory."