You guys were so incredible awesome to me, I just felt like I could add a little more to the story, and so we have this, actually I was in the middle of writing a giant, awesome-tacular chapter Grojband fic when fan girl aw3 made a good point, this is the third time I've written this and I might write it again, I just never seem to be happy with my work... But I wanted to update you guys and say 'hey I'm still alive! And I'm still writing Grojband stuff... Hopefully you like it more than my super critical mind does... Also if you haven't read Patience, it recounts the previous day's events and all their wonder.
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! It'd be cool if I did though
The stars brilliantly shined in the sky and the full moon provided plenty of natural light, the warm summer night was just about ending at the Riffen house, for most, the night had been too hot. Kin and Kon were shamelessly asleep in nothing but their underwear on the couch; it had been a busy day. With releasing a brand new song to Rob Mallory's pool, setting Trina off for the hundredth time and to top it all off, Laney somehow became a girl, or at least, that's what Corey told them. The sleep they were enjoying was definitely needed and they were enjoying it to the fullest they could. Off on another side of the garage, Laney slept by herself, curled up with a stuffed unicorn she'd prefer no one found out about, ever. The only thing missing; was their leader, the proud guitarist of Grojband, Corey. His presence was absent from the garage, though no one noticed while they slept. He was sitting on the cool drive way, fully dressed, his hat off, hands behind his head and staring at the stars that blanketed the sky. He did this on occasion, the night was his time to be by himself, to think on the day, to think up new places for a gig. This time however, it was Laney, and not just the fact that she was a girl. Corey laughed at himself for thinking she was a boy, she was just so cool, someone he connected to so easily and if he compared her to the other girls in his life; Trina and Carrie, there was just no way she couldn't have been a girl. With another breath, Corey exited his thoughts and reentered reality, the slight cricket chirping in the lawn, the beauty of each and every star, the simple calmness of the night, it was… Nice.
"Core?" He heard behind him and shot up to where the voice came from.
"Lanes," Corey responded with a warm smile. She was dressed in her general night wear, a soft black shirt, that was a tad too big and exposed her right shoulder, AC/DC written across it, with very short shorts that could not be seen from underneath the shirt. "What are you doing up? It's like, three in the morning"
"I could ask you the same question." She said with a laugh and rubbing her eye open.
"Who's your friend?" Corey asked, his smile growing into full on laughter. Laney looked around in confusion and noticed that she still had her unicorn.
"Crap…" She muttered as Corey continued to softly laugh. "Shut up Core," She hit him in the arm and took a seat next to him.
"Sorry, it's just… I knew you liked unicorns, but you sleep with one?"
"His name is Ripper, and he protects me from Trina." Laney proclaimed proudly.
"You think he could extend that service to me too?"
"I don't know… You kinda just laughed at him," And Corey leaned in close to the stuffed unicorn.
"Please forgive me noble steed and protect me from the wickedness of my sister."
"He says 'neigh'" Laney happily reported and Corey just raised an eyebrow. "That means yes, he's a unicorn, he can't talk."
"Unicorns can totally talk; they're like, magic and stuff." And that earned him a raised eyebrow from Laney. "That made sense right before I said it out loud…" And they shared a small laugh with each other. "But seriously, I don't think you came out here to talk about mythical horses."
"I might have, you never know," She coyly smiled.
"Careful Lanes, keep giving me those looks and I might get an idea," Corey smiled back and Laney looked at him in complete awe.
"You… You caught my… I mean, you noticed…" Laney stuttered. "Who are you? Where's Corey?" She asked only partly joking and Corey laughed a little harder than previously. Then silence followed, not odd silence, simply, nothing to say silence. Corey and Laney looked up at the same sky in wonder for half an hour or so until Laney's courage grew enough to ask. "Core…" Laney cut into the scene and he looked back at her. "In the car… You said that you were glad to know you weren't gay…" She said hoping he'd finish her thought but had no such luck. "I mean… Did you think I was…" Still nothing but a smirk from Corey. "Why are you out here?" Laney gave up her attempts at forming sentences.
"I come out here a lot while you all sleep, it's… Nice," Corey said nodding his head. "By the way, Kon sleep talks, but don't believe a word he says," Laney slightly giggled and they both looked away from each other. "I guess I come out here because it's time to look forward to everything that tomorrow could bring, and what I can learn from yesterday."
"Heavy," Laney nodded and offered a fist pound that he quickly met her half way.
"Yeah, what about you? I'm sure that Ripper didn't need a bathroom break, what brings you out here?"
"I… Had a bad dream…" Laney said more to the side.
"For serious?" Corey sat up to be at eye level with her. "Wanna talk about it?"
"You already know about Ripper, I don't need to give you any more evidence against me,"
"I swear I won't tell anyone," Corey quickly said. "Pinky promise," he extended his pinky to her.
"The most sacred of promises…" Laney sarcastically said and rolled her eyes while locking their pinkies. "Alright, well I've never really… Gotten over the versions of us in Trina's dream… Like, how everyone has a bad side? I just… I did some bad things in my dream, stuff I'd never forgive myself if I did, some of it more hurtful to myself than anyone else." She had Corey's full attention at this point and she could swear they were closer than before she started talking.
"Lanes, I can vouch that there is not a mean bone in your body, stern? yes, angry? Plenty of that, but not mean, you are without a doubt the sweetest girl I've ever had the pleasure of knowing,"
"Wow, a real charmer you are," She played and punched him in the arm that sent him laughing once again. "Corey," she snapped his attention back to her. "If I ask this you gotta give me a straight answer, because I honestly can't take it anymore,"
"Alright Lanes, shoot." He shrugged and Laney sucked in all the air she could muster.
"In the car, when you said; you're relieved that you're not gay, what on Earth did you mean?"
"I told you future Corey will tell you," Corey said confidently and Laney scooted a tad bit closer to him.
"I don't care about future Corey, I need an answer from present Corey, I need to know from you,"
"Jeeze Lanes, you make it sound like you're dying, are you sure you're alright?" But Laney kept looking into his eyes for some answer. "I uh…" It was Corey's turn to stutter. "I mean… It might have been just a joke?" He tried.
"Seriously?" She asked deflated. "Why? Why can't you just give me an answer, anything, anything sincere, anything that you mean" But Corey was silent and only offered her an uncomfortable look.
"Eh…." Was the only sound he made and Laney put her head down and there was silence was again, closer to tension than silence but Laney could feel a tear slip through her makeup.
"I don't think you realize how much you not saying anything is worse than saying what I don't want to hear…" Laney shook her head. "You never say anything, but you bear hug me, you… Get in my face, you… tell me everything, I think you and I both smile a more often when we're together, I mean, is it just me? It can't seriously just be me, can it?" Still nothing from Corey. "You know, when we were faking love for cake, and we had that splash fight on the beach or when we held hands?" Laney smiled to herself at the memory. "I kinda thought, maybe…" She said as she stared across the open sky. "I thought maybe you felt something a bit more than love for cake… But I guess reading people isn't my thing." Laney said on a bitter note and stood up to go back to the garage.
"Laney wait!" Corey called and scrambled to his feet.
"I honestly don't want to hear it Core," She didn't turn when she felt Corey's arms wrap around her, she silently cursed her heart for fluttering while she wanted to be mad at him.
"Look…" He began and made her face him, "I totally dig you, I have since like, fifth grade, you were the most rockin' guy I'd ever met but, I thought you were a guy and I was fairly convinced that wasn't very natural for me, still don't, I simply prefer women, so when I found out I'd been crushing on a girl all this time, my world got seriously better, honestly I could never tell when you were flirting with me or when I'd do it with you, but I knew that I really liked you Lanes, I just… I couldn't risk messing everything up, I couldn't let a relationship make the band divided with Kin and Kon or mess up so bad that you'd want to leave the bad, I couldn't do it, but if I have to choose between losing you as a friend and the band, I just… I couldn't lose you, ever. So whether we're romantically involved or just… The best of buds, I don't care, as long as you stick around in my life in some form. Please don't go," Corey said all in one breath and began slightly huffing for breath. "Please don't go," He added as a final note.
"Corey Riffen," Laney said with a sweet smile. "The boy who has a crazy plan that just might work for every situation, the one time I need you to do something on blind faith you think of every way this could go wrong," And they both looked out just as the sun began to peak through the horizon. "Just think of all the ways this could go right, for me," Laney watched as Corey stared at the rising sun with a small smile playing at his lips but he didn't say anything to her. Which for once, was fine, the moment was enough for Laney and they watched the sky as it oh so slowly grew the brilliant colors of sunrise. Then, without any warning or hesitation, Laney felt Corey's hands grab her by the shoulders, turned her to face him and kissed her with all he had. Her eyes grew enormous at the initial shock of it, but it only took a moment for Laney to simply kiss back. Even after their kiss ended, they seemed to simply stay in each other's arms and unable to look anywhere but the other's eyes.
"I think I'm going to faint," Laney laughed a little as they finally pulled away from each other.
"Laney Penn," Corey mockingly got on one knee. "Will you go out with me?"
"Get up you idiot," She said unable to stop herself from smiling. "Of course I will,"
"Well, well, well," Kin's voice came from the garage and he was followed by Kon. Corey and Laney nervously grinned at them and Kin paced back and forth in front of them with a disapproving face. "Corey finally succumbed to the will of Laney..." And he left it at that when Kon jumped in the air.
"THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!" Kon cheered in the air and Kin quickly joined him. "Finally," Kon said calming down. "Kin and I were like, totally shipping you two forever!"
"You shipped us?" Laney asked with a raised eyebrow and looked to Corey for an answer but he just shrugged. "Uh… So do we have a gig today?" She tried to change the subject.
"Maybe, I'm going to remain optimistic," Corey replied and smiled at her. "You guys get dressed and I'll go see if Mayor Mellow is doing anything for his reelection speech." And he ran off down the street while the rest of Grojband retired to the garage. Laney was about ready to change her shirt when she noticed Kin and Kon laying on their stomachs on the stage next to her and looking very school girl like.
"Guys?" Laney asked uncomfortably. "What are you doing?"
"This is how we always sit when we want to hear gossip, so…" Kin implied but Laney just raised an eyebrow. "How are things?"
"I started dating the boy I've had a crush on since I met him, and you really need to ask, how things are?"
"Yes?" Kon tried.
"Life is amazing," Laney said proudly. "Now let me get dressed!" She snapped and the brothers scammed at that. Such was day that Corey and Laney officially had a relationship, one that many people didn't believe could last, Trina managed to incorporate trying to break them up into her daily routine of horrible things to do to Corey, but, such was life. Corey and Laney let whatever obstacle came their way come, their future was their future selves problem, right now, life was good and life would continue to be good.
That's it, did you like it? Did you hate it? Either way, let me know and... I need a catch phrase to end these things on... Stay Fancy? I don't know, I'll think about it, have a good day!