My Proof

I know I have another project up, but leave me alone! This is an original wrok with an emphasis on dialogue and romance, to points I struggle with.

Inspiration for Kathryn is from Yukari Takeba of Persona 3.
Inspiration of Jericho Antares is from Tetsu Hayami of Blue Submarine No. 6



My Proof


Jericho looked at the lock of his apartment in contempt. Every day he came in after eleven o’ clock, he magically couldn’t open the door.

“Fuck. Kathryn doesn’t come home until midnight. Shit!” He said as he punched the metal door. His face contorted with pain as it registered throughout his hand. He massaged his bloodied knuckles as he leaned against the door…
And fell into the apartment.

“Just what the hell are you trying to pull?!” Kathryn said in her angry matron-like tone as she looked down at the prone figure on the floor.

“I’m sorry. You know this room is pissed at me. I can never let myself in this damned place after eleven. I think it’s-’’

“No more superstitious crap, okay Jerry.” She said, cutting him off as she returned to drying her hair. Jericho had just noticed that she had gotten out of the shower. Her auburn hair always looked better damp, but she always felt the need to style and blow-dry the crap out of it.

“And besides, you’ll have to learn to let yourself in. I’m only making sure I’m here before you are for your first week here,” She said as she entered her room and Jericho craned his neck to see her. She undid the velvet sash on her robe and began to shrug her shoulders. The robe began to slide down her back before she turned around and yelped, “And your wall still stands, you lecher!” She said as she slammed the door to her room shut.

“You’ve got to drop this Jericho’s Wall bullcrap, Kathryn. It gets weird when you quote mythos from dead religions every two seconds. And besides, A: We’ve been going out for a smidge over six months, and B: It’s not like anything you have to show me will be surprising. I do own a computer you know.”

“WHAT?! What did you say?!” Kathryn screamed through the thin wooden door. He could hear the old rickety floors move as she stood up. Even the slightest movement made a symphony of creaks in the apartment, and it often lead to half-hour weight discussions. The two of them were in great shape though, running and airsofting every day. Her insecurities were cute, though. He didn’t mind them.

“Kidding, Kathryn. Kidding,” He said in an unusually soft and collected tone. He slowly made his way to her door, cringing at the creaks of the wood beneath him. He placed his hands gently on her door, “I would never force you into a situation like that. I'm not an asshole, and besides” His voice rose in volume and he smiled, “My computer’s broken anyway.”

“Jerk” Was all he heard through the door. He smiled inwardly and swept his hands across her door as he pulled away from her door and pulled out the sleeper-sofa on the couch. It wasn’t much but it didn’t matter. He was close to her. He took his backpack off of the floor and placed it next to Kathryn’s. As he settled into his sofa, he threw his pillow off the bed and stripped down to his boxers. He stretched out on the bed and turned onto his side before closing his eyes.

“NOt an asshole, huh? Yeah we'll see.” He heard through the door. He smirked and whispered to himself.

“You know me.” With that, he fell asleep

Jericho woke at around four like he always did. He rose and rubbed his neck slowly. That bed still took some getting used to. He sighed and walked over to the duffel bag that had a paper on it reading †˜Jerry’s Stuff’ with a heart on it. She was excited to have him here, she just rarely showed it. He smiled as he slid the paper off of the bag and took out his shirt and pants for the day. He slid on the olive drab cargo pants and fastened the leather belt that was already looped through.

“Do I care these clothes are dirty?” He asked himself as he grabbed hold a shirt and pulled it from the bag. The shirt had long sleeves and was a khaki color. On its front was a small, production line snarky motto reading †˜I don’t care’. “Guess not.” He said as he pulled the foul-smelling shirt over himself. He took a can of air freshener off of the TV stand next to him and gave himself a spray. The scent of lavenders mixed with the stench of body odor. Jericho gagged at the mingling of the two and walked into the kitchen to get breakfast. Moving his hand to the top of the fridge, he groped around. Finding no cereal boxes, he muttered and opened the fridge, pulling out eggs and bacon. “Now I gotta make breakfast for two, otherwise I’ll get harped about it at dinner. If she even decided to make any for me.” He said into the air as he turned on the stove and began cracking the eggs into a skillet and laying the bacon next to them. When the electric burner glowed a dull red, he placed the skillet onto it and within a few minutes, the eggs and bacon were sizzling. Pleased with his work, Jericho picked up the eggshells he had littered about the room and threw them into the sink. He leaned against the counter and poured himself a glass of apple juice as the food slowly cooked. He poked it around with a skillet every few minutes and, when satisfied, removed the food from the heat and dished out two eggs and two slices of bacon onto two dishes. He carelessly threw the pot into the sink and took a dish in each hand as he made his way toward Kathryn’s room. He opened the door smoothly and made his way to her bed. He placed the dishes on her nightstand and slinked over to her bed. He sat on it and lay down next to Kathryn. He looked at her sleeping face in wonderment. She was the one for him and he could tell, though he was only 18. He figured after 17 years of doing nothing but being a wingman that when he finally did get a girl, she would be a keeper. He loved how her hair looked when it wasn’t all done up. The chin-length auburn hair perfectly framed a face with high cheek bones and not too full lips. Her face had an exotic look about it that Jericho loved. It matched her personality. “Hot damn even when you’re asleep I can’t stand ogling you.” He said faintly as he moved closer to her face.

“Who said I was asleep?” She said just as faintly, a devilish grin sprawling across her face. Jericho’s face flushed and he shrank back away quickly, nearly falling off the bed.

“I-’’ Jericho began before Kathryn held up a hand. She opened her eyes, brilliant blue irises that he could swear added extra light to the room. She extended a hand and pulled him back to his previous close proximity. Before he could throw in any explanation, she plugged his nose and kissed him. He felt her tongue probing though his mouth and he could almost taste her morning breath. After a few seconds, he ran out of breath and pulled apart as he inhaled sharply.

“Bo-ring. That was ridiculously short.” She said in a disappointed tone as she sat up and rubbed here eyes.

“Hey, you caught me exhaling.” Jericho said in his defense. Kathryn’s eyes rolled and her eyebrows arched in an expression of †˜oh sure’.

“You smell bad.” She said after a few seconds. He nodded in agreement before throwing a retort her way.

“And you have morning breath. Maybe that’s why I ran out of breath so fast. The very taste of your breath leeched the air from my lungs.” He said, eliciting a chuckle from her.

“Or maybe you just have the lungs of an eight-year-old girl.” She said accusingly. Jericho shrugged.

“Maybe. Breakfast is on the nightstand. I’m gonna go take a shower and get some clean clothes on. My shirts don’t always tell the truth.” He said as he pecked her on the cheek and stood up. He began stripping down as he walked out of the room, leaving a trail of clothes in his wake. By the time he reached the bathroom he was down to his boxers and saw a folded shirt and pair of pants on the toilet. He smelled them.

“Clean. Why the hell did I put these here? Whatever. I’ll take what I can get right now.” He said as he slid off his boxers and climbed into the shower, closing the frosted-glass door behind him.

Kathryn’s shoulders slumped as Jericho left the room. The smile vanished from her face and she savored the short banter they shared as she absent-mindedly prodded her eggs with the fork left on her plate. She heard the shower start and sighed as she climbed out of bed, leaving the food to drown in a puddle of egg yolk. She made her way into the living room and sat down on Jericho’s bed, turning on the television. The emotion-less face of the news anchor filled the screen with the current news.

“In other major news, the Bentus Federation has broken off all communication with Hiigara after being accused of hostilities on the eastern border. It is still widely believed by military brass that the Bentus have been aiding the Kadesh monarchy in their drive toward our capital city. The following cities are suspect to attack within the next week.” The anchor said as a list of city names crawled across the bottom of the screen. Kathryn watched as the names slid by. Not seeing †˜Tarkim’ on the list, she sighed and relaxed as she turned the T.V. off and lay down on the bed. She smiled as she heard the shower turn off and heard Jericho grunting as he nearly lost his balance on the wet tiles. He opened the door and walked from the steamy bathroom with a towel pulled taught around his waist. Once he noticed Kathryn’s violet pajamas on his bed, he quickly retreated back into the bathroom and began to close the door before he barely heard Kathryn whisper

“Don’t go. Please stay here.” She choked out as mental conflict tore apart her mind. Jericho started making his way to the bed slowly.

“What happened to Jericho’s Wall? What about everything you’ve been telling me about the right time? What about the-“

“Jerry, stop it,” she sat up and Jericho could see the tears welling in her eyes, “There’s a war going on right now and we are still in range of an air drop. I don’t know how much longer we can spend together. I love you. I want to prove that to you. Before anything can stop us.” She said as she reached for his towel. Jericho quickly stopped her and pulled her body against his.

“You don’t need to prove anything to me, Kathryn. I know you love me as much as I love you. You don’t need to prove it to anyone. I told you I’ll protect you last night. I meant I would protect you from anything. Even if I die, I die protecting you. That’s all that matters to me.” He said as he felt her tears on his shoulder. He felt her whole body shaking and he put a hand to the back of her head.

“What about me? What about what I want?! I don’t want you to die protecting me. I want you and I to live, to love, to feel the world around us, and each other. We can still run from them. Please, Jerry. Don’t offer yourself up as some kind of sacrifice for my sake, because I’ll have to live with that forever.” She said between sobs.

“Kathryn. I don’t intend to die, and if I lose you, I’ll always find you among the stars, and I will return to you. This is an oath I will uphold even after the day I die, Kathryn. We stay here, where we live together like we both have wanted to, and if anything bad happens, we can leave. Above all, I will make sure you get out of here first. That is my proof of love.” Jericho said with the utmost resolve. He felt a heat welling up within him. He was sure that he would never speak more true words in his life.

“Jerry. I’ll fight for you. I’ll scar the planet and kill the stars for you. That is my proof of love,” she reached again for his towel, “Please, Jerry. I want this. It just took me up until now to realize it.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Jericho replied uneasily as the towel parted and fell to the bed. He reached for her shirt and slowly unbuttoned it. With unexpected force, Kathryn pushed Jericho down to the bed and straddled him. He looked into her brilliant blue eyes. The most beautiful thing he had ever seen was now. She leaned down and kissed Jericho before their souls became crossed, as the stars were.

Three Hours Later

Jericho thrusted one final time before his body shook slightly and his muscles uniformly relaxed. He lowered himself so that his chest hovered just above Kathryn's and they both breathed heavily and simply stared at eachother.

"Do you think they'll launch an air raid?" She said, finally enjoying their situation and feeling secure. Jericho shook his head confidently and slowly pulled out before getting up and getting his unused face towel from the bathroom. He handed it to her before getting back onto the bed and grasping her hand.

"Did you mean what you said about scarring the planets and killing the stars to dfind me?" He asked her in a low whisper. She smiled and shook her head. He smirked and raised his eyebrows in interest. "Oh? And why not?"

"Because I'll never have to find you. You'll always be here, even when you can't be." She said, squeezing his hand tightly.

"You know, you're awfully optimistic." He said, unable to stop his smile from spreading across his face. She laughed and looked over to him.

"But it's true, Jerry. You siad you'd always find me first, so I'd never have to find you if you've already found me." She said slyly. Jericho laughed before nodding his head in agreement.

"How about we just don't lose eachother." He said as he inched closer to her. She laughed and leaned toward him.

"Now you're seeing it my way."

The Next Day

A shadows crept over the windows, dimming the morning light in the small apartment.

"No."

A gun's safety clicks off and a hammer slides back, feeding a round into the empty chamber. Rustling outside the door steadily grows louder.

"I have to, it's room by room."

"NO!

The door exploded inward and four men entered in full combat uniforms. Jericho quickly shot the pointman in the head and pushed Kathryn into her room, then dove behind his bed as rifle fire tore apart the wall next to him. He leaned around the corner and fired wildly at the man approaching Kathryn's room, emptying the magazine of the gun. He slid it ou of the well and inserted another one before throwing the empty magazine to the side.

"Right" A man said as Jericho leaned out to the left and shot the leader twice in the chest and once in the neck. He collapsed to the ground as the rear guard moved in and started firing at the sofa. Jericho swore and rolled into the TV stand, then fired a quick shot at the rear guard, hitting him in the shin. He fell and his rifle continued firing, rounds perforating the door to Kathryn's room. Jericho yelled as he charged the last man and tackled him to the ground, then bludgeoned him with the grip of his pistol until the man's fae was a bloody pulp. He stood up and killed the rear guard before going to Kathryn's door and opening it. His stomach grew cold as the door swung open lazily and fell off its hinges.

"Oh fuck." He said as he looked down to a small pool of blood on the floor and the trail of droplets leading to the corner of the room, where Kathryn nursed a graze on her abdomen. Tears welled in Jericho's eyes and he fell to his knees next to her. He quickly embraced her to be sure that he wasn't giung mad with grief, but she was there, shaking in fear and pain and joy from seeing that he was alive.

"I'll take care of that. Don't move." He said slowly as he reluctantly got up and policed the bodies of each soldier. The leader had a first-aid kit on him and Jericho ripped it open, taking a wound sealat and a roll of bandages. He brought them back into the room and knelt next to Kathryn. He slowly rolled her bloodied shirt up her body and grimaced at the wound. "I'm so sorry." He murmured as he began working on the wound. Her body tensed as he applied the sealant, but she was otherwise silent. Ashe finished, he place the excess supplies to his side and cradled Kathryn silently as the air raid of Tarkim progressed all around them.

"Jerry, it wasn't your fault." She said finally after a few minutes passed. He only sat in silence and stroked her head, his eyes plastered on the window of her room.

"I'll get you out of here." He said quickly. He shook her head and tightened her grip on his shirt.

"Don't pll that shit with me, Jerry! We both nearly just died, both of us! We'll get eachother out of here, or we'll just live through it. Either way, we're both going to play a part. I won't be carried around by you like some kind of dead weight, Jerry." He finally looked down at her and realized why it was that he had loved her in the first place: She always reminded him hw stupid he was. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"We'll go once your wounds are healed, but We might not even be safe here. I'll keep watch, you stay here and rest." He said as he tried to weave together a plan.

"...Okay." She said, letting him do what he wanted for the time being. He lifted her up and placed her on the bed before leaving the room and scavenging the bodies of the men he had killed.

Kathryn rolled over in the bed and closed her eyes, trying to forget the crazed look that flashed in his eyes just before the door opened.