Drabble: Why Me?
Title: Why Me?
Fandom: Jet Grind Radio
Word Count: 560
Rating: PG
Timeline: Following Jet Grind Radio.
Pairing: Slate/Piranha
Summary: This is kind of an autoparody; back in the day of JGR Fiction, Slate/Piranha was an oft-used pairing, but I can't feel like it was only out of necessity--after all the other girls had been taken up, Slate usually went with Piranha because they were the last two characters you unlocked in the game (before the secret characters anyway). Here I'm just gonna explore that in-depth.
---
Kogane wasn't usually a good place for romance; Slate knew this for a fact, he spent a lot of his time growing up here, but Piranha had wanted to come anyway--to watch the sun set over Tokyo Bay. There were plenty other places to watch the sunset, Slate had argued--but Piranha's logic, as always, was flawless. Kogane didn't have the nickname "the City of Sunset" without reason; they always looked more spectacular here than in Benten or Shibuya, and she loved the way it reflected off the rippling surface of the water.
So Slate found himself in Piranha's company, the two lying on a slanted rooftop in the residential district. She had her fingers intertwined with his, and her other hand rested on his chest. It was as close to paradise as this ghetto could be.
The sun did hang particularly heavy this evening--swollen, low to the horizon, casting orange flickers of light onto the bay. Slate took a deep breath. He'd been meaning to ask her for ages now--and the moment brought his thought process to the forefront, buzzing against his forehead. He knew that if he didn't ask now, he wouldn't be able to enjoy what came later...but by the same token, if he did ask, he might not even have a later at all. He let his breath out and wondered what to do, his thoughts taking him in circles.
"Somethin' on your mind, honey?"
Slate blinked and cast his gaze to Piranha, whose smooth, chocolate skin seemed to glow in the fading light. There was an earnest look in her eyes--it was hard not to look away.
"Do ya want me to be honest?" His voice came out more feeble than he'd meant it.
Piranha's lips, a delicious mango color, curled into a smile. "If we can't be honest with each other, what's the point of this relationship?"
This bolstered Slate's confidence. He took another deep breath and let his question out all at once. "Why did you pick me?"
"Huh?" She blinked, her smile falling into a puzzled frown.
"Like..." Slate felt his brow furrow. "You showed up at the Garage and you could have had your pick of anybody there.You're a complete babe, you're kind, you're smart...but you chose me. I ain't exactly George Clooney."
He braced himself for some kind of impact--but it never came. Instead, Piranha moved closer to him, pressing her body against his. She made sure to keep his eyes locked, though--and Slate didn't see any anger or resentment in them.
She smiled again, chuckling. "If I wanted George Clooney, I'd have gone for George Clooney--believe me, I'd'a gotten him, too! But that's not the point."
"What's the point, then?"
"The reason I chose to be with you over Beat or Combo or whoever--is because I like you as a person. When I showed up at the Garage and saw you, I didn't know what talking to you'd be like--but you proved to me that even a ghetto child can be courteous, generous and caring. And when I decided to ask you out that first time? By that point I had already fallen for you--every aspect of you. That includes how you look."
Slate was smiling too, now. "Thanks. 'Rhana."
"Don't mention it, babe. Now shush...let's watch the sunset."
Fandom: Jet Grind Radio
Word Count: 560
Rating: PG
Timeline: Following Jet Grind Radio.
Pairing: Slate/Piranha
Summary: This is kind of an autoparody; back in the day of JGR Fiction, Slate/Piranha was an oft-used pairing, but I can't feel like it was only out of necessity--after all the other girls had been taken up, Slate usually went with Piranha because they were the last two characters you unlocked in the game (before the secret characters anyway). Here I'm just gonna explore that in-depth.
---
Kogane wasn't usually a good place for romance; Slate knew this for a fact, he spent a lot of his time growing up here, but Piranha had wanted to come anyway--to watch the sun set over Tokyo Bay. There were plenty other places to watch the sunset, Slate had argued--but Piranha's logic, as always, was flawless. Kogane didn't have the nickname "the City of Sunset" without reason; they always looked more spectacular here than in Benten or Shibuya, and she loved the way it reflected off the rippling surface of the water.
So Slate found himself in Piranha's company, the two lying on a slanted rooftop in the residential district. She had her fingers intertwined with his, and her other hand rested on his chest. It was as close to paradise as this ghetto could be.
The sun did hang particularly heavy this evening--swollen, low to the horizon, casting orange flickers of light onto the bay. Slate took a deep breath. He'd been meaning to ask her for ages now--and the moment brought his thought process to the forefront, buzzing against his forehead. He knew that if he didn't ask now, he wouldn't be able to enjoy what came later...but by the same token, if he did ask, he might not even have a later at all. He let his breath out and wondered what to do, his thoughts taking him in circles.
"Somethin' on your mind, honey?"
Slate blinked and cast his gaze to Piranha, whose smooth, chocolate skin seemed to glow in the fading light. There was an earnest look in her eyes--it was hard not to look away.
"Do ya want me to be honest?" His voice came out more feeble than he'd meant it.
Piranha's lips, a delicious mango color, curled into a smile. "If we can't be honest with each other, what's the point of this relationship?"
This bolstered Slate's confidence. He took another deep breath and let his question out all at once. "Why did you pick me?"
"Huh?" She blinked, her smile falling into a puzzled frown.
"Like..." Slate felt his brow furrow. "You showed up at the Garage and you could have had your pick of anybody there.You're a complete babe, you're kind, you're smart...but you chose me. I ain't exactly George Clooney."
He braced himself for some kind of impact--but it never came. Instead, Piranha moved closer to him, pressing her body against his. She made sure to keep his eyes locked, though--and Slate didn't see any anger or resentment in them.
She smiled again, chuckling. "If I wanted George Clooney, I'd have gone for George Clooney--believe me, I'd'a gotten him, too! But that's not the point."
"What's the point, then?"
"The reason I chose to be with you over Beat or Combo or whoever--is because I like you as a person. When I showed up at the Garage and saw you, I didn't know what talking to you'd be like--but you proved to me that even a ghetto child can be courteous, generous and caring. And when I decided to ask you out that first time? By that point I had already fallen for you--every aspect of you. That includes how you look."
Slate was smiling too, now. "Thanks. 'Rhana."
"Don't mention it, babe. Now shush...let's watch the sunset."