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Feb. 12th, 2023 at 9:15 PM
[An hour's drive outside of the flames of Virginia Beach finally returns them to solid pavement.]
Yes! Oh, fuck yes, finally.
[And Johnnie is sure glad to see it, as he cheers with a fist in the air. Now he can just sit back and let the bike carry them without having to dodge rocks and slide around in the occasional patch of mud. Those old roads are a fun challenge for a little while, no doubt, but they get old fast.
Relieved now, though, Johnnie leans back a little against Chrissy behind him, and looks around in the darkness at what he can make out of the countryside. Lights dot a lot more little plots of land now, the occasional car passes going north, and what was moments ago swamp and forest has definitely turned more toward farmland from what illumination he can get from the headlight of the bike. There's some song on the radio about a place called Margaritaville, which he sure doesn't recognize.]
You know this one?
[Might be more in her wheelhouse. He'll just keep watching for road signs or town names, anything to tell them if they're on a real highway or some shitty side road so he can work out how far they actually traveled in that last hour, and how much longer until they reach the coast.]
Yes! Oh, fuck yes, finally.
[And Johnnie is sure glad to see it, as he cheers with a fist in the air. Now he can just sit back and let the bike carry them without having to dodge rocks and slide around in the occasional patch of mud. Those old roads are a fun challenge for a little while, no doubt, but they get old fast.
Relieved now, though, Johnnie leans back a little against Chrissy behind him, and looks around in the darkness at what he can make out of the countryside. Lights dot a lot more little plots of land now, the occasional car passes going north, and what was moments ago swamp and forest has definitely turned more toward farmland from what illumination he can get from the headlight of the bike. There's some song on the radio about a place called Margaritaville, which he sure doesn't recognize.]
You know this one?
[Might be more in her wheelhouse. He'll just keep watching for road signs or town names, anything to tell them if they're on a real highway or some shitty side road so he can work out how far they actually traveled in that last hour, and how much longer until they reach the coast.]
Comments
It's that which does it, and he comes hard only seconds after her. He holds tight to her skin, panting as he rocks a few final times to drag out every last drop until it's too much to bear. Completely spent, he collapses beside her and just breathes.
Breathes, until she leaves him grinning again.]
You've been studying.
[He laughs quietly through his panting, then finds her mouth with his and kisses, gentle this time.]
Eventually her hands slip away so he can pull back, and she's left smiling up at him.]
Sorry that I didn't keep the act going the whole time.
[She had really wanted to. He doesn't seem too disappointed by the fact that she didn't, so she's not too bothered by it. Her hands reach up to feel at her little horns on the headband, and she laughs because they're nearly dislodged.]
But that was really fun, wasn't it?
[He grins, finding that funny, and reaches for her headband to pluck it free of her hair and put it on his head - or, well, he tries, but it's a little too small for him.]
Damn, I bet I'd look great with those on.
[Instead, he tosses them to the side and smooths a hand over her hair, then cups the back of her head and settles his forehead against hers, and just holds them together like that.]
Love that you're not afraid to try new shit. You got your own way of bein' fearless.
You make me feel like it's okay to be fearless. At least like this.
[Which is a good thing. He's really gotten her to come out of her shell ad be open to trying all kinds of new things. She thinks she's grown a lot the past couple of weeks, and knows she'll continue to grow and gain confidence as time goes on.]
Can we lay like this for a little while? [He's not always a fan of cuddling, but she wants to soak up as much closeness as she can. Her hands rub at his arms, and she gives him another soft kiss.]
Please?
[It's not that he's against it, it's just that often there's something he'd rather do. He has energy to burn, most days, and laying still doesn't suit him, usually. Unless he's really, really high.
But since she's asked so nicely, and since he's feeling perfectly content for now, he lets her have this one and stays put. They can trade kisses and caresses, and he closes his eyes to focus on just those things.]
Thanks for makin' this a real special birthday.
[It means more than he's able to say. It's a birthday he shouldn't have had, but he'll keep counting them as long as he's able to. Who knows how many he'll get, now?]
[They were close to that not happening. But she's here, and she made it as good of a day as possible. And her birthday is in a couple of months, and then they'll have the chance to have a repeat performance.
She holds him close and kisses along his jawline and his neck, idle little kisses that are affectionate rather than seeking out anything more than just gentle contact.]
It's still not over, if there's anything else you still wanted to do.
[He grins, but he's still feeling full from that enormous dinner, and is in no rush to eat more right away.]
Besides, it's my birthday, it ain't over 'til I say it is. I'm gonna bet this town's fuckin' dead after ten, though.
[He cranes his neck to look at the room clock. 9:30, doesn't leave a lot of time for finding sanctioned entertainment. Now, he can definitely make his own unsanctioned entertainment instead, but he has to decide what.
It comes to him almost immediately, though, and his eyes light up.]
Hey. You wanna go for a ride in a car?
Hell yeah I want to go for a ride in a car, baby.
[Both hands cup his cheeks as she kisses him one more time, before laughing and gently pushing at him so he'll move away. It's time to sit up and get up, and she needs him to help her out of bed because she's a little sore.
They have to get dressed, and it's back into the jeans and tshirt he had picked up for her since the dress she stole is still wet. They'll have to stop so she has enough time to pick up something else, but that can wait until they're in another decade. The 50's aren't exactly the most fashionable, in her opinion. Even if some things are cute.]
Maybe we can find a really shiny red one.
[His favorite color. He deserves to drive a nice red car on his birthday.]
Yeah, we can sure look. I'd say a convertible, but not if it's still raining out. Maybe we oughta hit up a store on the way back, though, I need something dry to wear tomorrow.
[Wet jeans are cold, wet shirt is cold, wet socks are squishy, wet jacket is heavy and cold but he's not going out without it on so that's that. He pockets the keys and extends a hand toward her with a bright smile.]
All right. Let's find us a neighborhood with some pretty cars.
Maybe she's a little too excited to steal a car for the first time. She likes to think that she's just eager to do something new with him, is all.]
Are you sure it's okay to just leave the bike somewhere?
[She thinks of it as they get in closer to it. She's all for a joyride, but is a little worried about their ending up in another decade with all their things and his bike left behind. She's sure they'd be able to get back eventually, so she tries to shrug off her own concern.]
I bet if we just stick around town it'll be fine. No different from me drivin' around without you when I went out earlier to pick stuff up, right? Means we probably can't hit top speeds, but we'll just save that for some other day.
[So it'll be less about racing the wind, and more about cruising in a sweet ride, something pretty and expensive. Still sounds good to him, he decides, as he helps her onto the bike, then hops on in front of her.]
When we get back to California though, we can do a race. Lotta big, empty desert roads on the east side to test those engines.
[She laughs, arms wrapping tight around him as he gets seated and they head out. She's never actually drove a car before, but if she can drive a motorcycle, how hard can a car be? Johnnie will teach her everything she needs to know.]
I really want to race some big guy who thinks he's amazing and then beat him. Oh! We could bet money and make everyone think there's no way I'd win, so we could rob everyone blind and be rich.
[If nothing else, she's at least talking like she'll do well once they get to California. She's excited to commit crimes and eager to learn. And when she kisses the back of his neck, it's with a chuckle. No one can say that she isn't hungry to be just as big of a menace as Johnnie is.]
We'll have you do some friendly ones before you start gambling money away. Just street racing with our guys until you get a feel for it. Everyone's always lookin' for fresh faces out there to ride with anyway, it'll be great!
[The idea of being the dark horse sure must appeal to her, whether it's racing or poker. It's a lot of fun to imagine, but she's got to get actually good, and then eventually she'll win enough nobody will underestimate her again. Of course, he loves the sound of that, too. His girl, taking on fools with money and winning? Yeah, he wants that for her.
It doesn't take long to reach the residential part of town, what with them staying near the outskirts, but Johnnie passes by a dozen blocks without even considering them. Better not to lead the cops right to their doorstep, if they happen to attract that kind of attention. He's hoping they won't, though. Better if this stays low-key so they don't risk losing everything not currently with them. They ride down the side streets through the drizzle until he decides they've gone far enough and found themselves in the right sort of place - a nicer neighborhood, with old but well-kept Victorian homes, and not too many street lights.
A dark corner under a tree overgrowing the street serves as a good place to stash the bike for now.]
All right. On foot for now just so we don't wake these folks up. Let's see what we got.
We'll be stealth. [She whispers, putting a finger to her mouth.] Stealth-r-Us. That's the name of our side job.
[She has to slap her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter, or risk it being loud enough that someone notices they're there. At least as they walk through the street hand in hand, they just look like any other young couple out for a stroll. Nothing strange to see here, nope.]
For now, it really does look like they're just out for an evening walk. Meanwhile, Johnnie is scoping things out as they make their way down the sidewalk. Older homes like this rarely have attached garages, and those that do have small, narrow ones, so most of the cars here are parked on the street. And most of them are decent, really. They're generally in good shape, on the newer side, as cars go - but having now seen firsthand what the cars of the 20s and 30s were like, he can't blame people for wanting to jump on upgrades as soon as they could.
He sees his pretty little ride up ahead and nods toward it, then leads Chrissy to it - a red and chrome Cadillac with fins in an area not well-covered by lights, and nods to it.]
There we go, that's the winner, huh? You keep an eye out for a minute.
[He peers inside the car, then shrugs and just tries the door. In a big city, someone would likely lock their car or even wire up an alarm, but out here? Hell. It just opens right up, like it was waiting for them.
Luckily this car isn't too far off his own time, and he's handled a dozen or so similar to it before. He may not have a key, but he has his knife, and the blade is enough to fit in the slot and rotate the ignition switch. The engine starts right up, and so he grins and leans over to open up the passenger door for her.]
Well what do you know, I think it wants us to give it a spin.
He gets the passenger door open for her, and she leans down to grin at him before climbing inside. While it's probably better for her to buckle up and stay all the way on her side of the car? That just won't do. Chrissy scoots all the way down the bench seat so she's pressed right against his side.
She's able to kiss his cheek and then lean over to rest her head against him up this close. It's hard not to smile as the car sets in motion and she turns on the radio to start flipping through the stations. Some slow crooner song comes on and she leaves it there, figuring it's about as good as it's going to get for the time being.]
When we get out of the neighborhood, can I try driving a little?
Yeah, babe, you bet. Won't be much traffic in town as it gets later. Should be plenty of space to practice.
[He grins and presses a kiss to her cheekbone, then flicks on the headlights once they've pulled some distance away and rounded the block. Seeing is great, but not being seen driving off with that car for a few extra moments is probably better.]
We got... Oh, three quarters of a tank of gas? More than enough. Where d'you wanna go?
[Man, it's a shame the ocean is the home of horror fish monsters out here or he'd just take them back out toward the beach.]
[She talks before she really thinks, and the second she starts to utter the word beach she pales and goes quiet. Quiet and very very still. Her eyes widen as she thinks over all the horrors that could be at the beach. There could be monsters again. And maybe they could outrun them in a car, but she really doesn't want to see monsters again.
Her love of the beach seems to be stolen away from her completely, replaced with fear. It makes her hand grab hold of his leg and anxiously rub, until she's able to calm herself enough that she can try talking again.]
The beach. We could try the beach.
[She feels a little sick at the suggestion. But she has to face her fear, right?]
Or, if not wants, then she's willing to try?
He's not sure how he feels about that. On the one hand, he likes beaches well enough, and the experience they had here, while awful, happened in a different time period and could easily never happen again.
On the other hand, is it worth risking it?]
You wanna?
[They don't have to decide right away. He winds through neighborhood streets toward the main artery that leads to downtown.
Surely, other people here have been going to the beach all day. It can't be like they show up and shit goes crazy. That's ridiculous, right?]
[No, she doesn't want to. She's really afraid of actually being on this beach. But she thinks she can manage it for a few minutes, because he'll be there with her.]
I'm stronger than I think.
[It's whispered to herself, as she fumbles in reaching for his hand to hold. He's driving, so she can't have it. So she contents herself with anxiously fidgeting her own hands together.]
And you're here with me. It'll be okay. Right?
He pulls up to a stop at an intersection and lets the car idle there. It's the main road here, heading southeast toward downtown.]
I am here with you, an' we can figure out something for whatever happens. This town's been perfectly normal ever since those things came, an' I feel like the odds are real good it'll stay normal, beach included. But I can't promise it.
[He drums his fingers on the wheel for a moment, then shrugs.]
How about you drive for a bit, like you asked. This'll go downtown, if we turn right. You don't have to be the one to drive us all the way out to the beach, but if you want to, it'll be your choice. That sound okay?
Okay. I can do it.
[Again, she has to say it out loud so she can try to believe it.]
Do we need to switch spots? Or can I sit in between your legs?
[She's so small, there might be room. But then again, that might be reckless and dangerous. It's hard to tell what kind of mood they should be in tonight. He can't promise that they'll be safe. And she appreciates the fact that he's honest with her about that. ]
[It does, admittedly, get him to grin. If they never make it to the beach, if instead they just fuck around doing weird tandem driving with both of them in one seat, that's perfectly fine with him.
She'll have to climb over the stick in the middle, but then he helps get her situated in his lap and just makes sure he can see past her fine in case anything goes too crazy.]
All right. First thing you're gonna have to learn is how to start from first gear without killin' the engine. Clutch is over here, this pedal on the left, you feel it? You start with that pressed down, while your other foot's over here on the gas on the right, an' then you give it some gas while you let up on the clutch. Might take you a few tries to get the feel for it.
Okay, I think I found it.
[She presses her foot lightly over the clutch, just to get used to where it is. It's entirely alien for her to use both feet at once to press at pedals, and she fails miserably at making them work together the first attempt. The engine dies, and she huffs. Her head briefly falls back against him, as her hands grip hold of the steering wheel tight.
She can do this. It's just driving a car. No big deal.]
Can you start it again? I want to get it right.
Told ya it's tricky. You'll get it. Maybe give it a little more gas this time. You're only in first gear, you can't go too fast, so don't be afraid of that. If you give it too much you'll hear the engine rev up and whine at you.
[He snaps his knife shut, then grins and settles his chin on her shoulder. He remembers learning, it's not an intuitive thing, but he can just picture her flying down the highway in a pretty pink car some day once she has it all figured out.]