Fandom 34
Fandom: Jet Set Radio Future
Rating: PG-13 for implied unpleasantness
Length: 579 words
Disclaimer: The JSRF characters belong to Sega
Summary: Gum's had a bad time, and is looking for support from an unexpected person.
Sky's dark, blue-purple. Beat takes a drag and blows smoke over it, tilts his face to the cold night air. Below him the garage sounds way too perky. But then, it always sounds too perky for his tastes.
"Yo."
He looks up as Gum reaches him. Normally she'd sit down without asking, probably too close - she invades guys' personal space automatically - but tonight she doesn't, just stares down at him, arms folded, face beneath her helmet in shadow.
"Mind if I join you?" she says.
"Since when do you warn people like that?"
She laughs, a short sharp choke. "Do you mind or not?"
"Knock yourself out."
She drops down next to him, pulling her knees up to her chest; bare legs glow in the streetlight. Beat offers her a cigarette, and she takes one, joins him in dirtying up the sky.
"So. You here for counselling or healing sex?" Beat says at last. "Actually, scratch that; you wouldn't ask me for either, would you?"
Gum snorts. "I love it when you're smart. Nah, just wanted some fresh air, that's all."
Beat shrugs. "Fresh air and freedom from the pity party?"
He feels her turn to look at him - her gaze is so sharp it stings. "Pity party?"
"I seen the way they're all lookin' at you. Now, someone not tiptoein' round your feelings... you'd ask me for that. Anyone would."
"Because you're a jerk."
"So I'm told."
Gum takes another drag herself. "Well, let me see. Every time Corn looks at me I think he's gonna haul off and punch somebody; Garam and Combo won't stop saying how they'll find the bastard and beat him up for me; Yoyo's picturing it every time I speak and then tearing up; and Clutch and Soda don't know if they care or not so they're dealing with it by ignoring me. Then on the other side, Rhyth keeps crying, Jazz keeps asking me if I wanna talk about it, Boogie won't shut up about female solidarity and Cube's all wanting to ask how come I didn't fight back."
She exhales, blowing out smoke. "Geez. And now I can't shut up either." A sideways glance. "But hey, you like inter-GG bitching too, right?"
Beat smirks. "I live to diss my teammates."
"Exactly." Gum glances at him again. "Hey. Can I ask you something?"
"If you gotta."
"You're a jerk, right?"
"You just said so."
"And you had bad shit happen to you, and been through unpleasant character-building experiences, and you never once learnt the lessons you should."
Beat stubs out his cigarette, watching as the red light vanishes. "Born a jerk, will die a jerk, don't give a fuck. Why? FYI, jerk doesn't equal rapist -"
"That's not what I meant," Gum snaps. "I just meant... I keep thinking like they're expecting me to be putting on the sweatpants and baggy jumpers and renouncing my, uh, fun-loving ways -"
"Dear Lord, the male population of Tokyo would kill themselves."
"It's good to know not everyone acts like they're in some shitty after-school special."
"Oh, I get it." Beat tilts his head, watching her through the green haze of his goggles. "Nah, you deal with this crap however you wanna, screw anyone who says different." He grins. "Welcome to my world."
Rating: PG-13 for implied unpleasantness
Length: 579 words
Disclaimer: The JSRF characters belong to Sega
Summary: Gum's had a bad time, and is looking for support from an unexpected person.
Sky's dark, blue-purple. Beat takes a drag and blows smoke over it, tilts his face to the cold night air. Below him the garage sounds way too perky. But then, it always sounds too perky for his tastes.
"Yo."
He looks up as Gum reaches him. Normally she'd sit down without asking, probably too close - she invades guys' personal space automatically - but tonight she doesn't, just stares down at him, arms folded, face beneath her helmet in shadow.
"Mind if I join you?" she says.
"Since when do you warn people like that?"
She laughs, a short sharp choke. "Do you mind or not?"
"Knock yourself out."
She drops down next to him, pulling her knees up to her chest; bare legs glow in the streetlight. Beat offers her a cigarette, and she takes one, joins him in dirtying up the sky.
"So. You here for counselling or healing sex?" Beat says at last. "Actually, scratch that; you wouldn't ask me for either, would you?"
Gum snorts. "I love it when you're smart. Nah, just wanted some fresh air, that's all."
Beat shrugs. "Fresh air and freedom from the pity party?"
He feels her turn to look at him - her gaze is so sharp it stings. "Pity party?"
"I seen the way they're all lookin' at you. Now, someone not tiptoein' round your feelings... you'd ask me for that. Anyone would."
"Because you're a jerk."
"So I'm told."
Gum takes another drag herself. "Well, let me see. Every time Corn looks at me I think he's gonna haul off and punch somebody; Garam and Combo won't stop saying how they'll find the bastard and beat him up for me; Yoyo's picturing it every time I speak and then tearing up; and Clutch and Soda don't know if they care or not so they're dealing with it by ignoring me. Then on the other side, Rhyth keeps crying, Jazz keeps asking me if I wanna talk about it, Boogie won't shut up about female solidarity and Cube's all wanting to ask how come I didn't fight back."
She exhales, blowing out smoke. "Geez. And now I can't shut up either." A sideways glance. "But hey, you like inter-GG bitching too, right?"
Beat smirks. "I live to diss my teammates."
"Exactly." Gum glances at him again. "Hey. Can I ask you something?"
"If you gotta."
"You're a jerk, right?"
"You just said so."
"And you had bad shit happen to you, and been through unpleasant character-building experiences, and you never once learnt the lessons you should."
Beat stubs out his cigarette, watching as the red light vanishes. "Born a jerk, will die a jerk, don't give a fuck. Why? FYI, jerk doesn't equal rapist -"
"That's not what I meant," Gum snaps. "I just meant... I keep thinking like they're expecting me to be putting on the sweatpants and baggy jumpers and renouncing my, uh, fun-loving ways -"
"Dear Lord, the male population of Tokyo would kill themselves."
"It's good to know not everyone acts like they're in some shitty after-school special."
"Oh, I get it." Beat tilts his head, watching her through the green haze of his goggles. "Nah, you deal with this crap however you wanna, screw anyone who says different." He grins. "Welcome to my world."