10Okay, so I know I haven't updated in years but I recently got back into JSRF fan fiction for the first time in a while, and actually got motivated into updating this thing. Just a warning in advance, I think this will probably end up being rated M in the next few chapters. Please R&R and thank you reviewers for bearing with me with this.
"Corn…why are you staring at me?" Gum had just woke and Corn was very aware that he had been staring at her for the past few minutes and wasn't exactly sure why. Gum's voice was raspy in a way which meant she was still very hung over and very tired.
"Sorry." Corn jumped up off the bed and smiled nervously.
"It's okay…you can sit. Shit." Gum grabbed her head in pain and Corn sat on the floor beside the narrow bed so his face was level with Gum's. "I'm never drinking again." She sighed, pulling the covers closer to her throat.
"Yeah…I've heard that one before." Corn smiled nervously.
There was a sudden outburst of noise from outside the small flat…the GG boys being rowdy, cheering…probably something to do with Beat, which reminded him…
"Beat seems very proud of himself today…earlier I heard the boys congratulating him…"
"Oh the little fuck…" Gum snarled. "I shouldn't have gave him the satisfaction. Now I feel stupid as well as a slut." The girl gave a long and tired sigh which basically meant I give up. Corn knew that sigh very well, and it scared the crap out of him. He slowly moved his hand towards her face and gently brushed a curl of hair out of her eyes; an action which made her stare intensely at him for a long time. She eventually held out her hand and took his, a sign of friendship and trust rather than anything else.
"What the hell am I going to do?" She muttered, her fingers tracing along Corn's grazed knuckles, caressing the scars which ran the length of his hand…wounds from years and years of fights and homelessness and vandalism and abuse. "I've really fucked up this time haven't I?"
"No, you haven't." Corn said, seriously…his grey eyes meeting her blue. "This team would be nothing without you. You're a great girl Gum." She couldn't help but notice the way he carefully chose his words…avoiding all the things he would have once called her…beautiful, amazing, mine…"Fuck Beat…"
"I already did." She smiled, grimly.
"Maybe you should get with him…" Again, with seriousness embedded in his eyes. "He obviously digs you. You'd be perfect together."
That's right…push her away so you don't have to keep lying to yourself. If she's someone else's she can never be yours. Corn's mind told him. That's the sensible thing to do. That's the kind of thing a good leader would do. The team comes first, remember.
"Beat is…" Gum's mouth twisted awkwardly, her tongue searching for a bad word to say against the red head…but eventually her jaw relaxed and she sighed "He's an okay guy I guess. Why do you want me to get with him?" She let go of Corn's hand and mindlessly played with the bed sheets, twisting them and picking at them nervously.
"I just want you to be happy, and if that means getting with Beat then that's what you should do." Corn smiled, hating himself as he said it…the words burning at his tongue and mouth and teeth like a scolding blister.
"Yeah…" Gum said dreamily, staring at the bedroom ceiling, stained and grey. "I guess you're right after all. Maybe I do like Beat. He sure was a good fu…"
"Yes…that's great. You feeling any better now?" Corn asked, his brow burrowing down at her last sentence.
"I guess." She yawned and stretched her arms out tiredly. "Is it…forward of me to ask him out? I mean I don't think I've ever asked anyone out before, they've always asked me or whatever…but I guess it's the twenty first Century and a girl can do whatever she fucking wants right." Gum sat up in her bed and smiled softly at Corn who was beginning to feel terribly like he did the wrong thing. "Thank you Corn. You know you're my best friend and I know you only want what's best for me…you're sweet like that." She reached out and hugged Corn's waist, which was the only part she could currently reach, being sat down.
"You're welcome Gum." He smiled, not sure if what he did was to benefit her or him, and feeling extremely sick at the notion that what he did wasn't for his friends best interests.
Gum slid out of bed gracefully and wrapped her arms around Corn's shoulders, he held her back awkwardly. She gave him a grin that would of once set his heart alight, but now only made him feel sad. "You doing anything today?" She smiled sweetly, adjusting her dress so it covered more of her pale flesh.
"Maybe…go tag up the heights with Yoyo and Garam. And yourself?" He smiled awkwardly…already knowing full well what Gum would be doing today if she had her way.
"Just stay and…you know." Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson and she gave a small smile. "That's if he says yes…which right now I dunno…"
"Don't be stupid, of course he'll say yes…you're (Beautiful? Amazing?) great. Good luck anyway, not that you need it." He smiled, tapping her shoulder encouragingly. There was a time when he would happily hit her shoulder with all his force, knowing that she would grin and hit him back playfully, probably tackling him to the ground on the way and kissing every inch of him before he had time to scream out. He sighed…before making his way out of Gum's room and out of the small flat into the Garage.
The day had been a success in tagging terms. Corn, Garam, Combo, Cube and Jazz (once they had managed to crawl out of bed…take a couple of aspirin and stop puking) had managed to tag the whole of the Heights and Chuo street without Poison Jam chasing them once. By the time they got back to the Garage that night, fully supplied with takeaway Pizza for the whole gang, they were positively beaming. All of them, that was, except Corn who was painfully aware that sat opposite him was Beat and Gum cuddled up on the coach on the second level of the Garage…his and Gum's usual hang out.
DUM DUM DUM. I know it was kind of bad hehe. Please R&R anyway, I promise the next chapter will be better (and include more action ;)