Kintsugi

Across the Border

"You're a heat-seeking octopus, you know that?"

Anson grinned sleepily at the growled complaint, not opening his eyes as he untangled his legs from Eveirdo's. Unwound his arms. Extracted his nose from the soft patch of skin at the base of Eveirdo's throat, thick with Dragon musk and ozone. He rolled over, taking half the covers with him and burrowing down into them. A shiver rolled down his spine as fingers went ruffling through his hair.

He peeled his eyes open, groping for his phone that he had barely remembered to put on to charge before passing out. "What time is it?"

"Four-thirty. I told Aisling to be ready to go by five." Eveirdo rounded the end of the bed in just his boxers, crouching by their bags on the floor to haul out fresh clothes.

Anson didn't move from his pile of blankets, watching tattooed skin pulled taut over a muscled back. His sharp gaze took in the way the light peeked through the drawn curtains, just enough to illuminate glossy strips of scar tissue cross-hatched down the length of Eveirdo's back. The expansive tattoo had been well done to hide the damage. Anson wasn't sure he would have even noticed the scars if the light hadn't hit them just right, too busy looking at the ink covering his skin instead.

The lightning storm wrapping his right bicep extended across his shoulders, raging above a wind tossed ship with tattered sails. The choppy waters below the ship were filled with dangers too, sharp toothed Mer and beckoning Sirens. Across his lower back and curved around his hips were the coiled tentacles and many arms of a Kraken, an odd mix of items caught in its grasp. A carp, a broken clock, a leering skull, a box wrapped in chains with a heart shaped lock.

He had seen the tattoos once before, while helping Zach extract a couple bullets out of Eveirdo's back. The occasion hadn't really been one where he felt he could leisurely study the art, however. His gaze zeroed in on the two scars he knew the origin of in the midst of so many scars he didn't.

Anson blinked out of his study when Eveirdo turned. "You gettin' up?"

He retreated back under the covers. "Ten more minutes."

Eveirdo laughed, the sounds of him beginning to dress under the rolling bass. "Fine, but if you miss breakfast you've no one to blame but yourself."

"Noted."

Anson did not, in fact, miss breakfast. He was adept at being out of bed and dressed in under five minutes. He followed Eveirdo down to their bikes, his backpack slung over his shoulder and plenty awake enough to face another night of riding. They bolted some food and managed to make it to the Mexican border by eight that night.

Another few hours of progress towards Mexico City and they stopped off for fuel. Aisling gave Rebecca a contemplative look as they finished up and Eveirdo started pushing to get back on the road. She abruptly seemed to come to a decision and tossed Rebecca her keys. Rebecca blinked as she caught them.

"But I don't know how."

"Exactly," Aisling said.

Eveirdo frowned. "What's with the impromptu riding lesson? We were making good time."

"Well," Aisling began carefully, "we've only got three drivers to three bikes." Eveirdo nodded, looking unsure as to why Aisling was stating the obvious. "But what happens if we have to split up for some reason? Say you find it more of an advantage to fly ahead. Or you need to take me with you while the rest of them go elsewhere, or stay behind? Are we just going to abandon a bike?"

Eveirdo's frown deepened as his shoulders tightened at that thought. Soft laughter drew his attention to Sable, staring at Aisling with utter amusement.