Perilous Arc |AU|

Biker Boy [Chap. 23]

I whipped my leg up and settled into the leather, running my hand over the handles and brake levers. The bike was bulky and somewhat intimidating on first glance, with armor plating that covered any vulnerable parts and a monstrous set of wheels. It was mainly matte black, and had sparse red accents that matched Jessie's headband.

'She's got good taste.' I thought, moving to flick the ignition switch.

"Hey!" Jessie interrupted, smacking my hand. "What do you think you're doing? Are you gonna make me hug onto your shield the entire way to Nevermelt?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, nearly telling her flat out that I was unwilling to leave it behind. I was prevented as she pressed a rather impressive rifle to the plate that armed the front of the bike, and with a loud thunk it held firm when she let it go.

"Use the magnets, silly! I'm not pressing against cold steel the whole ride." She told me faux-sternly, squinting and shaking her finger. I just rolled my eyes.

"We're both wearing armor anyway." I grunted out, but still complied. My hand released the straps, and I grabbed both my sword and shield as one unit off my back and slapped it onto the opposite side of the bike with one arm. A loud clunk sounded out, and it stuck neatly just like her weapon.

"Much better. It's nice to have a partner that listens to reason."

Jessie happily hopped on the bike behind me, sliding closer before patting me on the shoulder. Taking that as my que, I flipped the ignition switch and let it go to work. Lights flashed and settled as it went through startup, and after a second it roared to life. My body shook from the bike, and it made a smirk sprout up on my lips. I hit the throttle ever so gently, rolling us out and stopping in front of the garage pointed towards the street. Not a second passed before my partner waved her scroll and the sheeted metal door closed tight.

"I'm ready, chauffeur!"

A small smile slid on my face because of my exuberant partner. I revved the engine, letting the bike roar underneath me still pinned in place.

"Let's rock."

The tires screeched against the concrete as the bike zoomed to the end of the alley and as we reached the end I tailed it, leading us into a drift. The tires skidded across the concrete and pavement smoothly out into the middle of the street, and my foot braced our weight from the lean.

"Okay, you sure you know how to drive?" Jessie probed from behind, poking the back of my neck. Feeling excited, I wasted no time in cranking the throttle and sending us flying down the street. The front wheel bucked into the air and hands wrapped around me immediately, Jessie pressing herself to my back with a yelp.

"Of course. A neighbor back home would let me drive his tractor all the time."

"Hahaha!" She laughed in my ear. "That's totally not the same thing at all!"

"That was a joke." I amended with the ghost of a smile on my face. We caught up to traffic on the streets, and I took them as an obstacle. I weaved the bike around a delivery truck and ducked ahead sharply, accelerating further than it could keep up and avoiding an oncoming vehicle. "A friend of mine had a bike of her own. Her sister and I may have taken it for a joyride or two."

"Ooooh, a rulebreaker huh? Keep being interesting and you'll make my heart flutter!" She sighed romantically, squeezing against my back. I dodged around another slower vehicle, getting the attention of the pedestrians as we tore rubber through Mantle and I glanced back at her.

"Get off the bike." My order was bland, and she just laughed at me.

"Sike!" She said, slapping her hand against my pauldron playfully. "Although... maybe if you take my breath away with your amazing driving skills, I might be inclined to give you something special."