Journey

Tarot - The Sun


Safe

With the immediate problem of the government taken care of, John turned his attention to a more personal vendetta. He could see the terror in Daniel's eyes whenever they went out at night, or whenever their conversation went near the Strangers, and he hated it, hated seeing that fear, hated his own fear that more of them could be out there, seeking vengeance as their dying act against the doctor for his betrayal. He wrestled with how to broach the subject with Daniel, then simply came right out with it over breakfast.

"I'm going underneath today. I want to try and block off any access routes to the surface they can find. If there's any more of them still alive, I want to make it very difficult for them to do anything without attracting my attention."

Daniel sipped his tea quietly, but John could see that the fingers holding the cup had turned very white. His voice was carefully calm. "I'll go with you."

"Love..." John reached across the table to touch his arm gently. "You don't have to."

"No..." Daniel set the cup down, letting out a deep breath. "No, I do. You may know the city, but you don't know the underneath like I do. You need me to come with you."

John wanted to argue, but he knew the doctor was right. He gave a soft sigh. "You sure you'll be ok?"

Daniel gave him a soft smile. "Sometimes it is best to face one's fears, John." He poured himself another cup of tea, adding milk and sugar and stirring it silently, more than was necessary. "Do you think there are many of them left?"

John hesitated. "I'm really not sure. The one that - that attacked you - completely blindsided me. Now that that's happened...." He shrugged. "Sometimes I think I feel them trying to use the machine. They can't control it now, and they haven't tried to change it back. It almost seems like..." he hesitated. "Like they don't have any focus...."

Daniel gave a slow nod. "It struck me, on occasion, that Book was likely the nucleus of whatever they were, whatever group consciousness they had, and now that he is gone they don't have any direction to their thoughts. But I'm not sure if it would stop them from reacting if they saw either of us again, like that one did the last time you went underground." He looked up at him worriedly, though John could see that he was trying very hard to mask it. "Is it safe, for us to go...?"

He cupped Daniel's hand in both of his. "I won't let anything happen."

In the end, it was a much less eventful trip than either of them could have hoped for, though it didn't stop Daniel from starting at any unexpected noise, his body tense. They traveled through the spiral of tunnels, more efficiently with Daniel's direction than John could have without him, working in near silence. Eventually, they were both satisfied that every upwards tunnel had been sealed off, collapsed or filled in without threatening the structural integrity of the underneath or the precious machines they held. It was an easy task for him despite the magnitude of it, requiring very little concentration, just power from the machines. Then, none too soon for the both of them, they ascended back up the shaft closest to Daniel's building, with John filling it in behind them. Re-emerged out of the darkness into the mid afternoon sun.

He heard Daniel let out a long sigh, suddenly looking very tired, and John slipped an arm around his waist, nuzzling his hair. "Are you all right, love?"

Daniel gave a little nod, but his body was still tense. "I am. I - I'm just glad that task is over with, glad that we're back in the daylight." He looked at John anxiously. "Do you think that it's strange that we didn't see a hint of Them?"

John wet his lips, not wanting to say what he was thinking, which involved the possibility that the Strangers had abandoned the underground all together to hide amongst the half empty buildings of the city. Part of him was almost disappointed that they hadn't found any. He would have welcomed the opportunity to ensure they were destroyed. "Well..." he said slowly, "After what I did to the last one, and to Book... maybe they're smart enough to stay away. There can't be many of them left, after all."

"It just seemed," Daniel said softly as they entered his building, waiting for the elevator, "that there were so many opportunities where they might catch us unguarded. The underneath is their home, after all. They know it better than I."

John pressed a soft kiss to his hair. "Don't think about it too much, love. They can't have the ability to use the lifts, to travel very fast, not without being able to Tune the way they used to. I'd know in an instant if they ever managed to tap into the machines. We're simply faster than they are." On impulse, he turned his attention to the roof, to the barren patio beside the penthouse suite on the top of the building. Sensing, Tuning, sacrificing part of the floor underneath it for a few structural changes....

"John?" Daniel's voice pulled his attention back as the elevator stopped, and he smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, love. Just thinking."

"Of?" Daniel tilted his head with a little curious smile.

John was quiet for a moment, not exiting the elevator. "Just wondering," he started, "why you live on the fourth floor with your office when there's so many nicer residential suites above you... like the penthouse."

Daniel gave a soft laugh. "They used it, sometimes. And it was easier for me to be closer to the office. But it is a very nice space up there... I can show you, if you're curious."

John smiled, and hit the button for the top floor, keeping his other arm around Daniel's waist. "You want to move up there? I can arrange it. We could have a huge bedroom overlooking the city with big bay windows to let in the sun.... a library with vaulted ceilings, a piano...."

"A piano? You don't play, John."

John laughed. "No, I don't. But it would be very pretty to have one."

The landing the elevator opened onto had only one door, which John unlocked with the smallest touch of power, letting them inside. There was no furnishings, but the space itself was opulent, in marble and rich golden wood, painted in muted jewel tones, similar to Daniel's suite with much higher quality. Higher ceilings too, John noted approvingly as they moved through the rooms on the lower level of the two floor split. "I like this space. I could change anything you wanted, of course. It's a bit large just for two people, but... maybe we should indulge in some luxury, since we can....

Daniel chuckled. "Well," he said, "I would like more windows. And perhaps some kind of garden on the terrace - here, let me show you...." His voice trailed off as he walked through the next set of doors, into a sun room lush with vibrant greenery. Beyond the windows, the terrace had been transformed, the edges of the roof lined with tall bushes that blocked the view of the nearby, shorter buildings, leaving the idea that the terrace was isolated against the clear blue sky. The terrace itself had been tiled in white and gold stone, large planters of more greenery around ornamental fountains. And in the middle, a wide pool set into it, along with a smaller, jetted pool near the door, which bubbled happily in the sunshine. Daniel turned to look at him slowly. "This wasn't here before."

John gave a little guilty smile. "I thought we might like a place private to enjoy the nice weather. And a sun room for cool days."

"It always seems to be nice weather when you're around," Daniel remarked slowly with a little smile, walking towards the french doors slowly, looking almost a little overwhelmed as he tried to take it all in. "This is... this is really beautiful, John. Thank you."

John smiled, slipping an arm around Daniel's waist, opening the doors and taking him out into the summer air. "This is almost better than the beach. No, it is better, because there's no one else here. No tan lines." He smirked. "Do you suntan, Daniel?"

The blonde was silent for a moment, looking over it all with a little wistful smile, hair shining golden in the sunlight. "I think I would like to... but I'm not sure if it would make my scars stand out more," he mused, and John found himself thinking that there was a little vanity still left in him after all, something that the doctor tried to hide. His fingers itched to tune away the things that obviously still bothered the doctor, despite his bravado regarding it, but he didn't want to insult the other man by suggesting it.

Instead, he started to unbutton his shirt, slipping out of his shoes. "Come in the hot tub with me, then. Lets just relax and enjoy the sunshine."

"Hot tub, John? In this weather?"

He laughed. "Well, it's not exactly hot at the moment. Just jetted. Just for soaking, relaxing."

Daniel hesitated, then started to undress as well, eyes glancing around as if he expected someone to walk in on them. John caught his eye with a smile and tuned a simple screen into existence in front of him, between them and the edge of the terrace. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you," Daniel gave a little embarrassed smile. "I'm not as confident as you are, I'm afraid."

John dropped his trousers, tuning a lounge chair into being and tossing his clothes onto it before moving to help Daniel, catching his mouth with a warm kiss. "You have nothing to be self-conscious about around me," he said softly, undoing the other's pants and tugging them off his hips, along with his underwear. "Don't you know by now how attractive I find you...?"

Daniel gave a little shiver against his mouth. "Yes... I'm sorry, John. It's just my own feelings that are difficult to overcome." He pulled back with a soft smile, setting his clothes beside John's on the lounge and slipping into the water.

John followed, Tuning a stack of large, fluffy towels at the edge of the tub and pulling one down for Daniel, who set his glasses on it on the side of the pool. The water was only slightly cooler than the heat of the sun, comfortable and refreshing. He settled onto one of the higher ledges, water just up to his waist. "Come here, love."

Daniel picked a spot slightly below him, lower in the water, and leaned back against him with a soft sigh. "This is very nice, John. Thank you."

John let his hands rest on Daniel's shoulders, rubbing them gently and smiling with the blonde let out a soft, appreciative sigh, feeling him slowly, finally, relax under his fingers.

"It's difficult to think about unpleasant things out here like this," Daniel said softly. "Everything seems so safe in the sunlight...."

"We are safe," John replied softly, urging him forward a little to slip between him and the wall of the tub, slipping his arms around his waist and fitting himself against his back, nuzzling his neck. "This is our space... nothing here we don't want, no one but us."

Daniel leaned back into him with a little contented sigh, fingers smoothing over John's hands on his chest, one moving to stroke his thigh lightly. "I like the sound of that very much, love."

"Good." John nuzzled his hair gently, his fingers stroking small circles on his chest under the water despite himself, lightly brushing a nipple.

Daniel gave a little shiver, leaning back into him more. "I thought you said you wanted to relax...."

John gave a little smirk, unseen against Daniel's hair, and his fingers found his nipple again, teasing gently. "I do want to relax... and I want to make sure you relax."

"Mmm-hmm..." Daniel's voice was warm with amusement, and he pressed back into John a little more, turning just enough to catch his mouth, kisses warm and yearning. "I never realized your intentions were so pure...."

John chuckled, low and rich against his mouth, fingers slipping down through the water to stroke teasing circles low on Daniel's pelvis. "Nothing but pure."

Daniel gave a very soft, breathless moan at the tease of his fingers, squirming just a little against him. "You drive me crazy, you know."

John nipped gently at his earlobe, smoothing his fingers lower, teasing his thigh, brushing the base of his cock, loving the slick feel of his skin underwater. "Maybe I like feeling you writhe against me...."

Daniel tilted his head back a little, allowing John to indulge in his neck, kissing slowly down the wet skin, trying to resist the urge to nip at it when it still bore the marks of previous passion. He let his fingers curl around Daniel's cock, stroking him slowly, being rewarded by the doctor's helpless whimper, arching up into his touch. He tightened his other arm around Daniel's waist to anchor them together in the water, enjoying the feel of the cool jets on his skin, Daniel's warmth against him.

The doctor pulled from his embrace long enough to turn, to straddle him, wet arms around his shoulders, fingers tangling in his hair as he claimed John's mouth, a little more urgently than expected. "You build all of this just to have sex in the pool?" He breathed, and John chuckled.

"Not just for that... but I did think it would be nice. You complaining?" He slipped his hands down to Daniel's ass, pulling him more firmly against him, making the doctor gasp, give a little shake of his head.

"You look good wet, John," the blonde murmured shyly against his mouth, and they fell into wordless passion, hungry, needy kisses and caresses on wet skin causing soft moans of pleasure. The heat of Daniel's body was a most delicious contrast against the cool water, and he arched up against his hips, the boyancy of the water making their movements slow, deliciously unpredictable. He moved to stand, arms tight around Daniel's waist, leaning him back against the side of the pool and dropping hot kisses on his water streaked chest, groaning as Daniel's legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him close.

"Please, John..." his lover gasped, and he couldn't resist the plea, could never resist it when Daniel begged. He managed to keep his head long enough to stuff a folded towel between Daniel's back and the pool side, and caught his mouth with his own, hot and demanding as he rocked inside him.

There was something about making love to Daniel that was always so beautifully different than the women he remembered being with. Something in the intensity, the way Daniel clung to him, fingers digging into his back. In the way he bucked up against him, in his gasping, mewling cries of pleasure and his desperate kisses, in the way his body shuddered against him and around him. And god, it all felt so good. Maybe it was that he'd never approached lovemaking with this kind of passion before, with the desperate need he felt to give Daniel pleasure, to hear him cry out his name. He buried his face in Daniel's blonde locks, surrounded by gold and sunshine and warmth, letting his body adjust to the buoyancy of the water to set a faster rhythm, rocking deeper into him. "Ohhh god, Daniel...!"

The doctor's arms wrapped more tightly around him, breath coming in little gasping cries of pleasure with each thrust, fingers biting at his skin. "Harder!" he gasped, and John did his best to comply, bucking deeper into him, aiming for his lover's sweet spot and giving a satisfied groan as his thrust pulled a shuddering cry from Daniel's lips, body tense and shuddering. "God, more - !"

He couldn't keep his mouth from Daniel's skin now, sucking hard at his neck and shoulders, nipping at the skin. He was too lost in the moment and pleasure to worry about marking him, just responding to Daniel's pleas, to his own building pleasure, hot pulses of sensation up his spine to his brain. Trying desperately to hold off his own climax until he'd pleased Daniel, he slipped a hand between them to stroke him in rhythm with his thrusts. He gave a desperate cry as Daniel's whole body jerked tense against him, shuddering as he was pulled to climax, and the mental and emotional satisfaction of bringing his lover to orgasm hit him like a tonne of bricks, the mix of sensation and emotion pulling him over the edge to a helpless, breathless finish, hot shocks of pleasure that overcame his whole body, blocking everything but the pleasure of being with Daniel, inside Daniel.

His lover held him tightly as he came back to himself, the only sound for several minutes their own breath as they slowly calmed, not breaking the tight embrace, trading gentle, breathless kisses. "Perfect," Daniel breathed softly, and John gave a little chuckle against his mouth.

"Have I sold you on the penthouse, love?"

Daniel smiled, as sweet and bright as the sun that beat down on them. "Yes... yes, I think you have."