milliways_bar | (no subject)

*John leaves off munching his anonymous cut of bloody meat to give her a look of mock horror*

You wound me, you do! You don't mean to say you never heard of Mucous Membrane (http://www.insanerantings.com/hell/history/fs/index.html)!

*she looks at him a moment, trying very hard not to laugh*

You're kidding me.

*shrugs* It was the 1970s. It was a punk band. We were suitably dreadful, but bloody hell, it was great times.

Sounds like it.

*she grins, eyes cast downward* "Mucous Membrane." That's weirdly beautiful.

I thought of it, of course it is!

*rips a piece of gristle off the remnants of his chunk of meat and tosses it at the lake. A tentacle appears to snap the gristle out of the air, and disappears below the surface*

Good boy! *laughs*

Have to love any place that comes with its own giant squid.

Well, this one's well behaved anyway. As long as it isn't some kind of mutant Elder God waiting for the call of Cthulthu, it's fine with me.

So, did I hear right that your brother was singing last night? Your brother, right? -- the tall, brooding one with no sense of humor?

That's the one. Singing. Not just one song, either. There was some Moody Blues, and some Bob Dylan, and some stuff from musicals, and...

We were very drunk.

Stone me! Sorry I missed it!

You would have liked it, I think.

Someday I'll get him that drunk again. Someday. It might not be in your lifetime, though.

*shrugs* You never know. I don't intend to go anywhere for a long time.

... I hope you don't mind if I stick around for a bit.

...No. No, I wouldn't mind at all.

*they've reached a little hill at the far end of the lake*

Here's as good a place as any to sit for a tick, if you want.

*he flops down onto the lawn, puts down the plate and lights a cigarette*

Should have remembered to bring something to drink with us. Damn.

*she settles next to him, knees pulled up to her chest, looking out over the lake*

You'll survive. I promise.

*grins* If you say so. You're the boss.

*she grins back* Don't you forget it.

*a pause, thoughtful* I have to say, though... every day I spend here, I get that much closer to mortal.

That must be frightening. It's frightening enough for us, and we're born to it.

Terribly.

I mean, yeah, it'd take a few billion years, probably, but still... Too far outside Destiny's book, I suppose.

Don't be scared. This place is probably as safe as it gets.

*chuckles* if you don't mind the pub fights, that is.

*grins*
Well, there is that.

*carefully, she stretches her legs out, and leans back on her elbows*

It is beautiful, isn't it?

*for a while he just looks at her, and smiles. Then...*

Yeah. Beautiful.

*a moment, and then, cursing Desire inwardly all the while, she gathers her courage and lays her head on his shoulder*

*puts his arm around her and grins like an idiot*

Kids call this "watching the midnight submarine races". At least they used to.

I wouldn't know...

Could get used to it, though.

*seriously* Look at me, sweetheart.

*She does so, not trembling at all. Not in the slightest*

What is it...?

*he threads his hands through her hair and kisses her, running his lips across hers gently, nipping at her lower lip*

*It's a half-moment before she can respond, and when she does... it's almost fierce. Ten billion years of being more or less alone does that to a person. Her teeth click against his, her lips are warm and soft, and...

...and she has to pull back, flopping backwards onto the grass and laughing in sheer shock*

*for a moment he's in shock at her sudden withdrawal and even more sudden laughter. Then he laughs out loud himself. Once.*

*Then, smooth operator that he is, rolls over on top of her and kisses her again, this time running his tongue over her lips, nudging inside*

*She lets him, her hands running up to tangle in his hair, tasting the nicotine and alcohol and warm human breath, the slickness of his mouth, feeling the press of his weight, and she... isn't exactly scared, but definitely nervous. Her fingers tremble.*

*Her lips are warm. He didn't expect her to be warm, for some reason he expected her to be cold, but she is warm in his arms and trembling like a ... like a... oh, bloody hell -- a virgin.*

*he whispers into her ear* Don't be scared. *then he kisses her ear gently and rolls them over onto their sides so she won't feel trapped by his weight. He kisses her gently on the face, on the lips, on her neck, before taking her mouth again deeply and carefully*

*Ten billion years old, and she's shaking like a teenager. Oh, dear.*

*Breathless, before he takes her mouth again* I'm not scared. *How often does Death lie? Not very often. The Endless don't have the same instincts as mortals, but some knowledge comes with the human shape, and she pulls him as close as she can...*

*Suddenly, there's a great noise of whooping and howling and splashing (http://www.livejournal.com/community/milliways_bar/183493.html). John looks up to see that a number of people have jumped into the lake and are playing and swimming....

*and he and Death are in full view. Bugger.*

Um, sweetheart. How would you like to take this somewhere private? I, uh, still have my room key...

*John Constantine, King of All Bastards, does not blush. He is not blushing now. Nope. No way.*

*She throws back her head and laughs, then kisses him on the cheek*

Might be a good idea.

*she's still shaking. Some rational thought hits her... She should warn him.*

You know... it's not given for mortals to love the Endless...

*he shrugs and grins wryly* Well, you know, I'm not such a good bet myself...

But you know what I say? Bugger 'em. Bugger 'em all. Let's roll the fucking dice and let your brother with the Book sort it out. I don't want to spend the next 50 years wondering what if?

What do you say, sweetheart?

*In place of an answer, she kisses him, long and deep and soundly. One could taste the loneliness of ten billion years in that kiss.*

Let's go.

*He stands and holds out his hand to her*

*She hesitates, but takes it-- not in any official capacity, mind-- and they slink back to the bar itself.*