beyondtheline | I sure like the feeling of an endless road

I sure like the feeling of an endless road

[A few hours of open road makes for easygoing fun. It's great to be traveling again, and the feeling of Chrissy leaning up against his back, holding on tight while he whips ahead on a wide-open freeway through the pitch black of night is like nothing else. The last time they were racing up and down this freeway, they were on the way to go burn a bunch of people's lives down - but now that's hours back, back with the rest of the city. They've left the lights and have nothing to look at but the pavement in Johnnie's headlight, the glimpses of stars shining weakly through hazy clouds, and occasionally an oncoming car.

Johnnie hasn't exactly been trying to tune in to his senses or abilities or whatever it is he has - he's just been cruising, letting the night go by, enjoying their plunge northward without a care or a thought. So it is deeply irritating when the pavement quickly fades to a well-worn dirt track that almost tosses him and Chrissy to the ground, and it takes all of his skills to get the front wheel under control and to slow down before they hit a rock that really might launch them into the nearest alfalfa field. Or whatever it is that's here, whenever they've found themselves. Somewhere pre-freeway. Boo.

But there are a few lights ahead, and he did need a stop to pee, so, fuck it.]

Well, shit. Y'know, I dunno exactly where we are. Last sign said San Jose was still fuckin' hours off. You good? That was kinda shaky.

[As long as this dirt road stays packed, they can drive it, but it's going to be slow. Good thing they're almost to somewhere.]

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You got it, honey.

[She wants to laugh at calling him that, but laughter doesn't feel like a good idea right about now. Instead she leans over and gets into the saddlebag so she can dig around. She pulls out a pair of earrings from her little lunchbox, and grabs the bottle of wine. Rather than hand over the earrings first, she passes the wine to Johnnie so he can be the one to pass it over.

They eye the bottle with interest, and one of them gets it open to take a swig. He passes it to his friend, and once they've both tasted they give a nod and motion for them to move back. The gate is manually opened a moment later and they're waved through. Clearly these guys are hard up for booze if they're taking that wine as payment.]

This gets the gate open. We'll need something else to let you pass through.

[She forces a smile and opens her hand, and rather than let Johnnie take them she makes eye contact with both men and waits for them to step forward to take them from her. The one who stared her down earlier approaches, and the other holds his rifle out to shoot in case anyone tries anything funny.

One of Chrissy's hand touches at Johnnie's back, right where the pistol is tucked into his waistband. It's a silent message that she knows where it is and is ready to grab it if needed. The moment as the man approaches and puts his fingers against her palm is tense, especially as he lingers and looks her over. She refuses to look away, even as the guy grabs the earrings and pockets them. ]

We're going now. Thanks for letting us through.

[She's really hopeful that if they just throttle it and really drive, they'll be able to get the hell out of this time and somewhere else so they can rest for a while.]

[The gate is open, that's the key. All they have to do is get far enough that a shotgun blast won't take one of their heads off, in case these two idiots decide the bribe isn't enough.

Because they do decide that, pretty quickly. A bottle of wine opens the gate, one guy pockets earrings, the other is left wanting.]

Hold on -

[The man starts in response to Chrissy, but Johnnie isn't going to sit and wait for these assholes to realize they have a whole treasury worth shooting them over and robbing. Every second longer that they stay gets more dangerous.

The bike engine roars to life as Johnnie tears off down the road ahead, risking some lumps and bumps from the uneven pavement just to get them the hell out of there. He hears the thundering noise of a shotgun blast go off almost simultaneously, but the guy was clearly too surprised to aim well, whichever of them it was that fired.

He can barely hear their yelling as they gain distance, and Johnnie finally lets out the laughter he'd been holding in.]

Goddamn! Fuckin' assholes just out here to rip people off. Fuck I dunno if I ever went from zero to a hundred that fast in my life!

[They are not going a literal hundred miles per hour on this lumpy road, but that's not a detail that matters very much. What matters is the elation at getting out of that situation without a big hole blown in either one of them, and with most of their jewelry and watch stash intact.]

[This isn't exactly a hollering experience, but when he laughs she feels safe doing so too. It's ridiculous sometimes, the situations they get themselves into. Time isn't often kind to them, but she's grateful they're always able to get out of whatever scrape they're put into.]

This place is almost as bad as the last time we were really far in the future! Let's try to get outta here.

[Once they're a few more minutes ahead of those guys at the gate she feels more relaxed, and ignores the trace hints of settlements because she's guessing no one around is someone they'd want to meet. It's not long before they're making their way along the bumpy road and there's absolutely nothing. She chooses then to howl, because they're going to kick this place's ass by getting out of it.]

Do you feel anything like you did before? Any sign things are about to change?

[Finally, a chance to get out of here. One long empty road stretching on toward the horizon, interrupted by nothing. Oh, the occasional low bridge over a river, and the occasional abandoned semi-truck to skirt around, but really, it's just vast emptiness. An abandoned landscape of grass and oak trees and empty buildings. It's perfect.

Chrissy gets him howling right along with her, and he snickers and reaches back to pat her leg.]

I dunno, maybe. Gimme a minute, I wanna see if I can get in the groove.

[That headspace, that sensation, whatever it is - feeling it in the place the Ender sent them to means at least he knows what it's supposed to feel like now, when everything is right and everything fits and every little piece of the universe trembles as part of one whole. The universe is chaos, and yet everything relates to everything else. All he has to do is pick at the right string, get those atoms strumming some different chord next to this one.

It does help to think of it as music. The rumble of pavement and the bike engine sets a constant drone that is nothing like a bass line or drums, but it's its own background - one that can override everything else so that he sees and hears nothing at all. His mind swims in void. And it's not a comfortable place to be at all, because it so quickly brings back nightmares of unending darkness, of a wide stretch of space and time, where those who know how to look can see past the curtain to the things that move between the stars.

He refuses to panic, but he needs out. He grasps at the first thing he can, pulling them from one place to anywhere else, and at the same time becomes conscious of the world again, conscious of how they're flying at high speed toward another rusty, jagged old piece of railing with Chrissy yelling at him to try and avoid it. And as he steers away at the last second, the landscape around them changes abruptly.

It still looks abandoned, to his eyes. Still grass and oak trees. But the bike hits the hard packed ground of a well-worn trail, rather than concrete road, and he has to fight for control against the sudden change, swerving until he brings them to a stop and stares around them at the landscape.]

Holy shit. I did it.

[Who cares if it's a good change or not, he feels like this time, for the first time, he made it happen himself.]

Wait. You did it did it? You were able to pull us here on your own?

[It doesn't matter when they are. The sun is rising and is a painting in the sky, there's grass and trees all around them, the air is fresh and clean, and there's birds chirping everywhere. It's picturesque, and it's a pretty good visual representation of her joy she's feeling.]

Oh my gosh, baby, I'm so proud of you! Really!

[She hugs him tight, laughing in delight as she kisses at the back of his neck. The fact he was able to do this has her nearly overwhelmed with how excited she is for him.

And almost like this is a perfect moment in a movie, a little bird lands on the handlebars of the bike and sings to them. Up in a tree ahead, its friend trills and the bird watching them tips its head and sings back before flying away. It doesn't matter when this is, this place is a whole lot better than where they were before.]

[Okay that there was some Disney bullshit but Johnnie doesn't care, he's too relieved to be able to say this time he did this. It's his Disney bullshit.

No, that's going too far.

But he laughs and leans back against Chrissy, letting her congratulate him as he breathes a sigh of contentment.]

Yeah! Fuck yeah, I wish I could show you what it's like. Man, that was fuckin' crazy! Almost like I fuckin' blacked out for a second, but hey, we're here! Wherever here is.

[Or whenever, because hopefully they're still in California. He's not exactly sure if he can make them move across the planet, after all, when all he's ever done is jump from time to time.

There are no signs, no real landmarks he can discern, but maybe they can at least work out where they are. He twists around in his seat to see if he can figure out where the map has been stashed, and when he can't quite reach, she'll help him until they have it unfolded and can look it over.]

Okay, so we came across the bridge, an' then I guess that town we got stopped in was Novato. So we're somewhere north of that now, 'cause we were goin' for a while. Gotta be Petaluma ahead? Or what turns into Petaluma eventually.

[It's sunny out now, and getting hot, and a wave of exhaustion hits him. Does time travel take a lot out of him or is it really just that they've been going nonstop all night? Probably the latter, on top of the heat.]

Maybe we find a spot to camp out while we figure out what the deal is here. Man, an' I'm hungry, too.

[That's going to be a challenge. There are no convenience stores here.]

[She studies the map even though it's essentially meaningless to them here. They can guess at what this area will become in their time, but there's no highways or roads here. It will be easy to get off course if they're not careful. That's a worry for later though, because right now she's exhausted and thirsty and wants to just find somewhere to rest.]

Yeah, let's drive until we find somewhere to camp. We've got some food that we packed left. So we just need to make sure we find water.

[Actually, she's pretty sure she hears the sound of running water coming from somewhere nearby. This place is like nature to the extreme. There must be a little river or something around here. Since they're somewhat close to the coast, that makes sense.]

Do you hear that? It's water. I bet it's over near all those trees over there, right on the edge of the clearing.

[It looks so peaceful and nice to camp out over there. It's calling to her. As he gets them going in that direction she rubs at his back, and tries to steer the topic back toward their shared powers. They do different things, but they're both from the same root. That darkness that flows through them and the cosmos itself enables them to do these things.]

When you did it, did it feel like you were grabbing at strings? Or like...plucking one I guess? That's how I'm able to find the Ender or Rigo. I can even sense you like that too. The Ender is always there, I can feel him even now. He's so far away I can't figure out which string to grab to find him. But when I focus hard enough, I can hear a hum. And a beat, you know? Like this -

[She proceeds to hum and pat out a drumming beat on his back that is awfully similar to The World Ender song that he's played on stage countless times before. As he drives and she zones out humming and patting out the beat, her head goes a little fuzzy as she slips into darkness for a few seconds. A blink later, she's opening her eyes to somewhere very different. It's a warehouse somewhere. Rigo and Dale are there. Her mouth opens, but it's not her voice that comes out. It's Avery's.

She blinks again and she's back on the bike with Johnnie, where he's coming to a stop at the trees she pointed out. Whatever that was, she must have concentrated on the Ender a little too hard. She swears she was looking through his eyes for a second there, but that can't be possible. They're connected, but not like that.

Then again, she and Rigo can talk to each other inside their heads. Who knows what's possible with that darkness that connects all of them?]

Yeah, kinda like that, like a guitar string. That's how I picture it, anyway. Maybe there's a better way but it's what I got.

[Her tapping away to a familiar beat makes him grin. Beyond that, he's oblivious to her out of body experience, and lets the motorcycle engine fill the silence.

Soon the ground gets soft and too grassy to drive on easily, so he stops the bike, helps her down, hops off and walks it. Without their added weight, it tows along just fine without a packed road, and soon they're under those shady branches right next to a little stream.]

Looks good enough, huh? Anyway yeah, I wish I could experience what you do just to see how similar they are. But it must be kinda the same somehow, just... different parts of one big whole thing, maybe.

I think there's a way we can show each other. We'll figure it out someday.

[As soon as she's done stretching her arms out above her head, she's heading over to check out the stream. The grass is green and soft, and she's happy to crouch down on her knees in it so she can lean down and look at the water. It doesn't smell like sewage and there's no trash floating around, so it's probably okay.

Maybe.]

I think I might take a chance on drinking the water. I'm really thirsty.

[But the possibility of it making her really sick to her stomach makes her hesitate.]

Looks clean to me. Can't be that bad, right? I don't got a way to boil it anyway.

[But doesn't dirty water come from like, cities? And farms? And mud? This is clear and there's nobody here so it's probably safe. Hell, who knows, but they faced a lot more danger in the last twelve hours than from some water, he figures.

So he's not holding back. He sits himself down on the bank, cups his hands, and has a big gulp. Sure tastes good to him. He's tempted to take his shoes and socks off and get his feet in that nice cold water too, but then that kind of defeats the point of it being nice and clean.

With a contented sigh, he leans back on his hands, then quickly hops back up to dig for the food.]

Least we'll get a real good rest here. I guess there must be people somewhere unless that trail we were on is made by some kinda animal, but - well, it's gotta be people, right? Just not here right now. Nobody's here.

[Peaceful. Boring, but peaceful and he'll take that if that means they can rest up.]

[He's not falling over or puking right away, so it must be fine. She shrugs and dips both hands in to form a bowl and drinks her fill. After about eight long sips, she's content, and falls back in the grass with her arms outstretched. Her stomach is growling, but it would be so easy to close her eyes and just fall asleep right now.]

We're in a time way before civilization, that's for sure. I bet we'll find some kind of people when we get going again later.

[That's the optimism talking, and she cracks an eye open as she hears his footsteps approaching. He must have found the food. She didn't pack a ton, but there were a tin of crackers and a jar of peanut butter. She's pretty sure there's jerky in there too. That will be good enough for now, and they can try to get something more substantial later on.]

It's kinda nice that it's quiet and calm here. We always end up in places that want to capture, trick, or kill us.

Yeah. I think that's just people, though.

[It's the people he knows, and it's why the people he knows are the way they are. When the cops try to run things, you have to fight back and that doesn't mean fighting nice. But probably everyone everywhere has had some dose of that, and if they haven't, well, they're going to get taken advantage of next.

The break is nice, though. Johnnie sits down with the peanut butter and crackers, and sets that between the two of them. He shrugs off his jacket and t-shirt just to be more comfortable in the shade and gulps down a good few bites of their snack.]

Mm. Besides, you dunno yet, this place might just wanna capture, trick an' kill us too! It's too early to tell. Might be a bear walks up while we're sleepin' an' puts its big pointy teeth on your face.

[Her eyebrows arch at that as she laughs, but she's too busy scooping peanut butter out on her finger and licking it off to talk. Peanut butter makes your mouth really gummy until you swallow it down, after all.]

You'd protect me from any bear that tries to eat me.

[She points it out as she gets a cracker to scoop peanut butter out of the jar with.]

Unless it put its big pointy teeth on your face first.

[As is per usual when discussing animals that bite, she chomps her teeth in his direction. It's silly and childish and there's no embarrassment in doing it.]

Oh, yeah, well I'd wanna see one try!

[He laughs, holding up a hand as if to provide a weak barrier between him and those chompy teeth, then makes himself a peanut butter and cracker sandwich.

Between the two of them, the snacks don't last long, but he's glad to not have to go to bed on an empty stomach. Once there's nothing left, he spreads his jacket out behind him and lies down, stretching out his limbs on the bank in the shade.]

Real funny to think about what happens when we leave a place, right? We stole a ton of stuff, burned down a building an' killed some dudes prob'ly an' tagged up the place, the cops were already lookin' for us, the toll booth dude for sure saw us an' the cops'll know we went north. But they're never gonna find us! I hope it keeps 'em up at night.

[He's so boyishly pleased by their getaway that she laughs at how cute it is, and works her jacket off so she can lay it back next to his. Once she's done eating she crawls back over to the water to drink some more, and takes some time to splash some water on her face and rinse off her hands too. That makes her feel a lot better about going back over to lay next to him, because she's pretty sure she'll be asleep in no time at all.]

I bet it does keep people up at night. There's a lot of places we've done things in, where we have to be ghost stories by now. It's really cool to think about, actually.

[Now that she's not thirsty and her stomach isn't growling, she's feeling content and cuddly. She rolls over on her side and moves in a little closer, but not so close that they'll be all hot and sticky in a matter of minutes. Her hand idly rubs at his arm for a second before she drapes her arm across his chest, and leans in for a slow kiss.

He tastes like peanut butter and she grins against his lips because that detail just makes him more adorable somehow.]

Are you gonna try to get some sleep? You can dream sweet dreams of keeping cops up at night.

[Maybe it's not possible for him to have anything but nightmares and dreams of darkness, but it's a nice thought.]

[Mm, there she goes. He was lying here all attractively, just waiting for her to decide she's done eating so he can do exactly what he does now. He folds his arms around her, content to kiss back for a moment, then pulls to get her centered more on top of him.]

Yeah, I might sleep. Eventually.

[But why not treat themselves first? It's perfect here, and she looks so gorgeous in the soft light. His hands travel down to her thighs, then drag upward, giving her butt a squeeze before continuing on up to pull her top off - or, as far up as he can until she helps out by stretching her arms forward so he can tug it off and toss it aside.]

Unless you're too tired.

[But it would be a rare thing, her being so tired that she can't have some fun first. They'll both sleep better afterward, too.]

What?

[She laughs as she gets a little tangled up in her top until he pulls it free from her body, and she makes quick work out of popping off her bra to toss to the side too.]

Fuck off with that.

[Not to steal a line from him, but she's totally going to. Because seriously, fuck off with that shit. She's grinning as she teases him, and decides to not tear his clothes off him just yet. She does let her hand lightly run down his side as she leans in for another kiss, and nips at his lip as she chuckles at how ridiculous it is he'd even suggest such a thing.]

Like I'd ever be too tired for this.

[That last word is accented by her hand that's stilled at his hip teasingly running against and palming the crotch of his jeans.]

'S what I was hopin' you'd say.

[And she can palm all she likes, he'll arch into her touch. But he's not feeling like drawing this out all slow and lazy, not really. He wants her, after all they've been through today. He wants the outlet. He needs her and he held off as patiently as he can.

He has to sit up to get his jeans off, which means she'll have to roll off of him, but he nudges her to the side and kicks off his shoes and hastily gets what's left of his clothing off, so he can then do the same for her.

And then he's quick to pounce, grinning as he knocks her back down against her jacket and props himself up over her, on his knees with one hand to prop himself up while the other explores her body, stroking and dragging his nails until his fingers find their way to her clit to tease and pinch.]

Y'know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna pick you up an' drag you over to my bike an' bend you over it.

[She laughs as he knocks her back against her jacket, and her arms wrap around him to tug him in close down over her. But of course his wandering hands get her own touch to idly map out his back and then drop away, as her breath hitches and her stomach goes concave as his touch feels electric. They've been good all day. And she probably could've gone to sleep without fucking, but she'll sleep so much better once they do.

Since he's gone straight for where she's sensitive her legs part to better oblige his hand, though the little pinch he gives her makes her loudly gasp as her hips buck all wantonly.

Her cheeks flush and she grins, dropping her arm over her eyes like she's shy and embarrassed.]

I'd really, really like that.

[It's always fun to fool around on his bike. Her arm slips off her eyes and she tries to slip out from beneath him like she might go hurry over and bend herself over the bike if he doesn't hurry. ]

Right now, please?

[Grinning, he scoots off of her and onto his feet, then scoops her up into his arms just as she's standing and traps her there for a good searing kiss, the kind that's almost more teeth than lips or tongue. With a snicker, he pulls her along with him as he strides through the grass toward the bike, then nudges her firmly up against it - her back to it, for now, temporarily.]

I gotta get these shorts off you.

[Because look, yeah he can get his hand in there but not much else. He makes quick work of them now though, shoving her hands away in case she tries to help, and then grasps her thighs with his hands to tug them wider apart so he can get his head between them.

He'll bend her over in a second, sure. First he wants to get her nice and soaking wet with his tongue stroking her clit, and dipping inside and out of her.]

[She does try to help get her shorts off, but his shoving her hands away from his task makes her laugh and she instead watches him work. Her eyes widen when she realizes his goal is to use his mouth on her, and she slaps a hand against the seat of the bike while the other instantly goes right to the top of his head.]

Oh my gosh, Johnnie.

[Not scolding him in the slightest. She used to be so embarrassed by this, used to be horrified of the sounds he could pry out of her when he did this. Now though, there's no telling him he doesn't have to. She likes it, and so she works her fingers through his hair affectionately as she softly sighs and shifts back against the bike.]

You're so good to me, baby. So good with your mouth.

[A low moan follows, and she closes her eyes as her head tips back. Not watching amplifies the sensation, and it feels like it doesn't take too much time before her body responds by starting to get wet for him. That's clearly his goal here, and she doesn't mind that in the least.]

Mmhmm.

[He is. He knows, and he loves to hear it - and loves to use the vibrations of that hum against her, too.

When he finally pulls away, content with how needy she is, he grins up at her and wipes his face on his arm, then stands and kisses her while he strokes himself to full firmness. He was nearly there already though, just thinking of what comes next.]

You just can't get enough of me, huh, baby girl?

[He nips at the corner of her mouth, then takes her by the hips to turn her around with her belly to the seat of the bike. No further preamble, no further teasing - there is simply pure lust and desire as he lines himself up and jerks his hips forward, burying himself deep inside her.]

Never.

[She murmurs between kisses, and is about to initiate another when he nips at her mouth and turns her around. There's a soft gasp of surprise as he does it, but really she's grateful for the lack of any more teasing. She doesn't have time to shift to a point where it's more comfortable against her stomach, but that's fine by her. The way he drives himself home inside her wanting body is absolutely perfect.

Why does it matter that she's getting motorcycle jabbing her in the belly when he's making her cry out and is already making her weak in the knees? Really, it's a good thing the bike is there like this. It's keeping her up on her feet.

He sets a pace they both love, and once she feels the steady pounding rhythm of him burying himself deep inside her she reaches back. Her hold is fumbling, but she wants to try and press her palm against him. She can't kiss him or hold him like this, and she really can't get enough of him. She wants to be touching him to feel that connection they have.]

Oh fuck. [She whines as she rises up on her tiptoes to rock better with him, which in turn makes her nearly growl out a groan.] I can't get enough of you, never ever. Wanna feel your cock in me all the time.

All the time? Sounds distracting.

[Like while she's running around while they're trying to handle more asshole Locos, or being harassed by cops? Fucking hilarious, that image, and he laughs hard enough at his own stupid idea that he has to stop for a moment.

But only a moment.]

Guess I better fuckin' give you enough to remember!

[Still snickering, he picks the pace back up and gives her a sharp slap on the ass. That'll bring her right into the moment.

He keeps it rough and quick, and decides to try something else, something newer. That hand that's not being used to make sure he doesn't fall over runs up to her throat, and curls around it, squeezing gently. It's more about the illusion of the thing than actually trying to choke her. He's in control here, he's the one making her feel good. She belongs to him, and as he keeps his hips moving and his fingers wrapped around her throat, he kisses the back of her neck, marking her skin with his teeth as he goes.]

You're distracting.

[She retorts while he's laughing at himself, then winds up laughing too because that's exactly what he's saying. His dick is incredibly distracting, and it's fine that he knows that.

There's really not time to laugh for long though, because he gets moving again and that brings chills to her spine. That's nothing compared to the thrill she gets when he spanks her, her stomach doing flips and twisting in the best kind of knots. She shivers at how good it feels, and really slams back against him as he drives forward. The end result is a loud, guttural moan that makes her laugh at how fucking ridiculous she sounds.

Sex really is the best kind of ridiculous.

The fact that he stays in the zone of roughness is delightful, and she doesn't mind letting him hear how much she enjoys it. His hand at her throat earns instant approval, and she swallows against the feel of his palm against her skin.]

Oh fuck. I like that.

[She likes that a lot.

He's barely squeezing, but the show of dominance and possession are so hot that she can hardly stand it. She really thinks she's about to lose her mind. Who knew that such a simple gesture coming from him would be such a turn on?

Then again, pretty much everything he does is a huge turn on. It's not like he's trying to choke her, but the illusion that he'd be able to if he wanted to and knowing that she'd let him really does it for her. Feeling his lips against her skin as a contrast only amplifies it for her, and she shudders as she clings hold of the bike for stability.]

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