Because I'm extra and a sap, please please PLEASE listen to this song while reading this chapter :
To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra
I wrote this around the song kind of, and I cried because of it
(DONT JUDGE ME).
This chapter is told from a narrator point of view, and is somewhat of a dream sequence of what life would've been like if Joker wasn't Joker & Veronica wasn't "The Princess of Gotham City".
Grab your tissue boxes.
Love you all even though I've been torturing you lately with the FEELS.
Enjoy...
-
As a 19 year old, Jack would be working late shifts at a record store. A place where he'd find his love for vinyl acoustics and rock, and most importantly, Nick Drake. Nothing less than an orphan, his parents not in his life from drug overdose-he was all on his own. Lonely, but alive.
Veronica Wayne would be a hopeful writer, her mother and father office workers in Downtown Gotham. She wanted to be someone in this city, and wanted to make her parents proud. She was shy, a model bookworm. She loved acoustics though.
The young pair would meet in the dingy music store, the overhead lights seemingly brighter this one afternoon as Veronica pushed herself through the door. Jack wouldn't find the words to say, his mouth parted slightly but his greeting never making the cut. The young girl would smile politely, casting her blushing gaze downward as she secretly believed the young man to be attractive. She wouldn't stay late, due to school in the early morning hours.
A year down the line, Veronica Wayne is a regular at the place. Jack secretly adores her from afar. They never exchange more than a few words, awkwardness coming between them. After all, Jack was older than Veronica and he didn't want to seem gross for hitting on a younger girl. He introduced himself, and their friendship blossomed.
After Veronicas 21st birthday, Jack asks her out, one of the newest John Mayer Vinyls tucked under his arm as he asked. Veronica, with a shy gaze and dainty tone, agrees.
The next few months and even years, the pair go on many outings. Each time, neither of them getting too close to one another. Then it happened, one August night, Jack would pretend to be searching for something he dropped, and silly Veronica Wayne would follow his suit. He'd lean in and kiss her, and then that was it.
The rest was truly history.
A while into their relationship, Jacks arms lay draped around the shoulders of Veronica as they both looked at the large tank in front on them. The large fish and sting rays eloquently gliding through the water. She slowly placed her hand on the glass, his eyes looking at her as she had no instance of him doing so. Whispering something in her ear, she laughs, her hand removing itself from the glass as she places it on the arms around her. The couple adored museums and aquariums like these. They found themselves here most of the time, being that they both loved life and the history of it.
The couple would take long walks along the boardwalk, Jack hadn't any scars on his features, as he only wore a bright smile. Hand in hand, Veronica would go on and on about her life in the city. She wished it would've been more exciting, while Jack was content with the cards he'd been dealt.
They loved the bookstore. Jack would intentionally leave the side of his girlfriend, watching her silently as she walked through the aisles, admiring the many novels and poetry that lined the shelves. He adored that look, the look of happiness that was present on her features. He'd do anything to keep her feeling that way.
Lazy Sunday's would be spent in bed together, just the two laying besides one another. Kisses and laughter were abundant between the two, and they loved to speak about anything and everything which led to many deep conversations.
Holidays would be blissful for the two. Halloween was something very special to Jack. He enjoyed dressing up as someone else and scaring others just for the heck of it. Veronica, in contrast, dressed up moderately. A headband or some glittery makeup usually was her fortay, though Jack would convince her to go all out on upcoming years. Thanksgiving was a special time for the Waynes, being that they only did have one another. Their home was cozy and intimate, and Jack loved the way the family made him feel. He would meet her parents during this holiday for the first time. Christmas would be spent sat around the Christmas tree in Veronica's home, exchanging gifts and singing songs of the season while her parents looked on in happiness.
They adored Jack.
A few years more down the line, Jack would ask Veronica to marry him on a hot summers day in the records store he first spotted her at, and she'd happily oblige. She felt as if she was the luckiest girl in the world. The wedding would be a blur for the two, the abundance of white and flowers, the lights, the music and dancing. Jack would never forget how Veronica looked on their wedding day.
Their first fight would be memorable. Veronica Wayne was very stubborn and closed minded when she wanted to be, and Jack was quite passive. Through this is true, Jack Napier was not a push over. This would cause them to clash badly when they did come into these arguments, and there was a certain disconnect with Jack. He become very unlike himself, his voice would change drastically and he would talk with his hands. Veronica found this intriguing but, nonetheless she'd be upset with the man. They'd make up in an hour or so.
Their first home would be filled of memories. The first color they ever painted the walls would be forever imprinted in their minds, along with the antique furniture that would litter their oak floors. It would be the first time they sat together in a home that was all their own.
The pair would soon start a family there after, two boys to be specific. Jack would be working full time as a theater teacher at the high school nearby. He always was so theatrical himself, and he always made everyone laugh. Veronica would be a writer, writing her life away in short novels and poetry in which she'd occasionally share with her muse.
Jack would have a camera with him everywhere. He just felt so damn honored, so lucky to be alive. To be living a life as he is currently, to be in love with the most beautiful woman and have created a family of his own. He took pictures and videos of anything and everything he came in contact with. Be it of his sleepy wife in the morning or of his children talking to him just because. He was blessed, and he wasn't sure why.
Their life would be picturesque.
Walks in town, ice cream dates, reading in bed together, sweet kisses before they depart, the playful banter and chasing of one another around their home. The home and family they've built, it would be absolutely marvelous.
As parents, they were kind and patient, and Jack was the "don't tell your mother" type of dad. He was easygoing and only a pushover for his two little boys. He would melt for them if they asked him to. Veronica, was the same to an extent, but she was the rule maker and leader of the home. Her husband became intimidated sometimes at her role, but he always knew how to mess up her facade. A few kisses and sweet recitations of poetry and she was putty in his hands.
In all honesty, the pair would be perfect for one another. The notion of them being together would stop world wars, they'd fit perfectly. The relationship would be one thing and one thing only,
Priceless.