nifties | I'm way too young to lie here forever⭐️

He takes comfort in the short-lived kiss, running his tongue across his lips as if chasing her taste before turning back to his window and squeezing Zari's hand.

"Really? Because you gave me the impression you didn't like it, back at the restaurant." He sounds amused, if distracted by the Atlanta city lights as they head into downtown. "Forgot how much I loved Georgia."

Zari opts to watch him rather than the scenery. She wonders what his life was like here. It's new for her to be really curious about it. She always lived in the moment with John prior to now despite his past haunting them so often. "I needed some time to adjust. You literally wear the same outfit every day. I swear sometimes I think you escaped a horror movie." Zari points out. That's not what she really wants to say. It takes a minute, but she finally gets to it. "What was it like here?"

He snorts, but ultimately concedes her point. "Close." And really, it was, but the good parts were really flipping good. He feels that much worse for writing off Chas, his little girl, and Zed now. Though at least Ritchie has to be glad he hasn't heard from John Constantine.

"It was fun. Like a party that didn't end." He's lost in the memories for a moment, his hand gripping hers like a vice without noticing it. "Until it did. The day Jasper died."

There's some of that feedback from the fractured timeline in his head, like the equivalent of metal-on-metal colliding between his ears. He lets her go suddenly to put his hand on his heart, trying to breathe through the weird sensation. Thankfully, they're pulling into the doughnut place's drive thru so he can save his dramatics for later.

"The South loves a drive thru. You can get margaritas from the one next door." He shakes his head to clear it and sits up so he can look at the menu, not like he intends to override whatever Zari wants to order for both of them.

It hurts, but Zari still has yet to complain. Her eyes light up with sympathy for John. There's nothing to say really. She knows his life is filled with a lot of tragedy. Her hand shoots out to touch his arm when they pull up. She looks around, realizing belatedly they never have to leave the car. Nice.

Zari shoots once last concerned look John's way before reluctantly dropping her hand so she can lean forward to scan the menu. She looked online, but it never hurts to check to see if it's accurate. She goes for a half dozen classic doughnuts with pink frosting and sprinkles, bullies the driver into accepting a coffee on her before pausing for John. "What about you, baby?"

He turns towards her at the touch, forgetting to read the menu in favor of watching her eyes light up. It makes his brain do that weird failure-to-sync thing again, remembering without remembering the way Zari-1 always seemed to be eating a doughnut every time he walked into a room she was in. John shakes his head to clear it, chuckling at her choice. He wants to tease her about ordering six doughnuts for herself, but he thinks better of it when he realizes it's the first real treat she's allowed herself in a long time.

"Predictable," he accuses, the same way she did about his fish. "I'll just have a glazed. Wait- what is that...? Whatever that one is. Oh, and a Boston Creme."

"Rude." Zari fires back as she quietly approves of his choices, even correcting the one he doesn't know by name. She has a favorite, but really she loved all of them. That is one thing that holds true in both timelines.

The order is filled quickly, it is a drive-thru, and Zari pulls her little box into her lap like a dragon guarding treasure. She breathes it in like it's an actual religious experience. "This is the best anniversary ever." Is she talking to John or the baked goods? Who knows?

"Uh-huh. This is our only anniversary ever." Both separately and apart, he's sure, but he has to laugh at her all the same, his hand reaching back out to cling to her arm while they take the winding path to Jasper's house. "Remember what I said, mate. Just keep driving."

The city lights steadily blink out one-by-one and as they drive the street lanterns start to get farther and farther apart. The last one goes out just as they pass under it and he smiles in anticipation. It isn't far outside Atlanta, all things considered, but from the road it doesn't look like anything is here, which is kind of the point. The road turns into a dirt path and then ends abruptly, the robot voice of their driver's GPS telling him to take a U-turn over and over again.

"Come on, luv, you said you liked hiking." He nudges her with his elbow and starts heaping bags onto himself, grabbing some cash out of her purse for the guy before slinging it around his neck and loading the food and booze wherever it will fit on his person. He lets her keep guarding the doughnuts as he toes open the car door to the pitch black, the ground covered over with dry orange leaves. "Thanks for not being a pussy, mate. We'll take it from here."

John kicks the door shut and waits for the car to pull away and for Zari to make it to his side before flashing her a toothy smile that glints in the dark. It's probably never been more apparent to her how ridiculous a person he really is.

"It's not far, come on." For a moment, he has to wonder if the timeline didn't screw up as they make their way towards the mill. Leaves crunch loudly under their feet but the grounds otherwise are eerily quiet around them in welcome. He stops holding his breath the moment he sees the house just over the next embankment, the creek running through covered over with leaves too though the big mill stuck to the side still dutifully spins its way in and out, sending leaves and even small pebbles back up into the air before they land softly back along the creek bed.

She really should have seen it coming. Zari sighs as if put upon as she heads out the door to follow. That is actually a socially acceptable thing to say in her time since it's reversed to being a compliment. Zari still nudges him with her heel lightly once she catches up. "Watch it, sweetie. People get cancelled for that this year." She leaves it at that, following John with a surprising amount of grace considering she's walking a dirt road in heels. "And you better have some great soap for my feet because they're going to be super gross by the time we get there."

Okay now she's done complaining. Zari is in a chipper mood otherwise. She wanted an adventure and he delivered. Her eyes go wide once she sees the house coming up, smiling warmly. "Okay, that's actually kind of cute. Totally worth the creepy walk." Seriously these are serial killer woods.

"You say that like I haven't already been canceled this time period several times over." It fills him with such a great peace to see this house again, to be here at all. "This feels like a dream," he admits softly, blinking over at her as his eyes adjust to the dark.

He looks down at all the things in his hands and up at the magical lock on the door and gets an idea.

"Can you...?" John gestures to the totem with the hand holding the cider and scotch. "I'll wash your feet for you." He wags his eyebrows at her suggestively before stepping back so she can hold up her side of the deal.

"Just... don't go in first. I can't remember if I boobytrapped the place before I left the last time."

Her smile is impossibly fond at the admission. She continues the walk quietly until they reach the door. Zari looks from him to the door and shrugs. She guesses this is her cue to do the dramatic totem thing. "Fine, but I really would like my feet washed. I can't do all the work around here." Zari winks, taps the stone with her fingers in hopes it'll help with whatever John did to this door, and shoves the air around them towards the door.

She guesses that's right since it does in fact open. Other Zari really needs to write a guidebook for them. "After my favorite human shield and bag carrier." Zari smiles playfully.

"Are you implying I wouldn't hold up my end of the bargain?" he asks, appropriately offended by her inference before swooping in to kiss the rise of her cheek and breaking a second later to cautiously wade through the foyer. Which is less of a foyer and more of a cavernous mystical library. He dodges an axe and side-steps a bear-trap like it's nothing before he gets far enough in to set some things down and reach back for her elbow. "That should be all. I'll get some candles lit and a fire going."

He leads her into the surprisingly spacious house that looks like scarcely more than a bungalow from the outside, getting her settled on the sofa in front of the enchanted mirror he's missed so much. John is careful not to look at it yet, but doesn't warn Zari not to do so as he lights the votives on the coffee table with a snap of fingers. He clears old bottles and debris out of the way so he can serve her still hopefully warm dinner right from the styrofoam. He plods into the dark kitchen to find them some glasses and forks, leaving her and old images of Jasper to get acquainted.

Zari doesn't bother hiding how impressed she is as she watches him go through an actual death trap like it's nothing. "Sometimes I forget you're kind of a bad ass." She remarks with a small smile. Try all the time. It may never sink in because he's also her loyal servant too. Who respects the power of those??

She allows herself to be lead through the house, suitably impressed by how it seems to be growing with each step. Zari sets her box down on the nearly cleared table and sighs contently. She goes to the mirror naturally to check her hair when she catches sight of a man warming himself by the fire. She freezes, glancing at the spot Jasper should be standing only to find nothing. Oh... it's like that, huh?

"Babe, is this place haunted too?" Zari calls after him, only mildly worried. He wouldn't ditch her with a mean ghost. She goes back to fixing her hair as if to prove that to herself.

She makes him forget too, even with how much scotch he drank in the car he still seamlessly remembered how to disarm those traps he laid down ages ago now - for him anyway. It makes him remember other things, about the life he had here.

"What?" he calls as he comes back into the room, smiling at the image of her checking her appearance with Jasper in the frame. "No, no. It's not like that," John assures her, taking a deep breath as he lays eyes on his old friend. A part of him had been scared he wouldn't be there anymore.

"Come here." It's an urge as he pours her a fresh drink and sets cutlery down just in time for a younger version of himself and Ritchie to come into view, laughing silently about some dumb thing he'd said or did, no doubt. When Zari obliges, he forces himself to tear his gaze away from the scene, both hands seeking out hers. "That mirror... it's out of joint with time. And it used to be the only thing in my life I could say that about."

He chews on his lip, unable to keep the smile from growing though it's terribly wan.

"Jasper was my best mate, and well, you know what happens to those. I'm glad you get to see him finally even if he can't see you."

She gets up at his cue and doesn't regret it. It is an unexpected treat to see a younger version of the man she loves, but his friends? That's even sweeter. She greedily takes in the sight, scanning all their faces. She is not an artist like Behrad, but she'll remember them. She has to in the way all people in love have to know who they are in love with on every possible level. Her hands take his absently as she watches them as if by instinct.

Zari hears every word, of course. She reluctantly looks away to see that expression on his face as he tells her about Jasper. She smiles sadly at that even if it feels like such a gift to have that shared with her. "Me too." She glances down at their joined hands to Jasper. "I know I said you don't have to tell me everything, but I love it when you share these things with me. It makes me feel like I could belong with you anywhere." Which is weird for a time traveler, isn't it? That's the rub: they belong everywhere and nowhere at all.

Zari leans in to capture his lips in a quick kiss. A part of her selfishly wants it on record somewhere that they were here and loved each other even if it can never exist elsewhere.

He recognizes the kiss instantly for what it is and kisses her back enthusiastically without trying to push for more, if only because it's really important to him that she eats. When they pull away, his smile has turned amorous, forgetting Jasper for the moment and rising again, brushing his lips across her forehead as he reluctantly lets go of her.

"Eat, please. I'm going to get some firewood." He gestures again to the rapidly cooling food, taking a swig from his flask to keep him warm in the surprisingly brisk night air. Maybe he's just gone soft from living in a totally climate-controlled environment 24/7. John is back soon, stoking the flames as she hopefully fills her belly. After a few moments, he's finally warm enough to strip his tailored jacket off and join her on the sofa to pick at his own meal, styrofoam container resting on his lap as he watches her intently. He hasn't noticed the bit of soot that transferred to the top of his cheekbone yet either. "How is it, luv? As good as a lukewarm chicken from the case at the shops?"

Even with bare legs, Zari is never truly cold. One of the perks of dressing to impress versus practical: she's used to that vaguely numb feeling that comes from exposed skin. Actually none of it is surprising, is it? She wouldn't even eat a real meal if he wasn't prompting her too right now. She's a collection of programs to ignore her needs making her both like John and his complete opposite. She denies while he indulges.

All that said, Zari does grab a seat and start picking at her food. Well, she starts by picking. By the time John arrives Zari is most definitely eating it with the zeal of someone who hasn't eaten in a while. Accurate tbh. "Mmm... better. The seasoning isn't just pepper and salt." She notes between bites, humming softly from the pleasure of it. Her toes fan out to catch some of the warmth of that fire and regain some feeling. "This is nice." She glances his way and chuckles softly. "You're already getting dirty. I knew you couldn't hold out."

John can't help but smile widely at the praise, trying not to put pressure on her though it's impossible for him not to take in the scene. He snorts at her rejoinder, wiping at his face with the back of his shirt sleeve and only succeeding in dirtying that and smearing the black across his face. Oh well, close enough.

"Let me get some of that," he says while brandishing his fork towards her meal. He waits for an answer if only because of her strange relationship with food. He'll replace what he takes with a few of his asparagus since he can't remember at the moment if salmon is halal. "Oh, I don't know. We could've been in a parking lot by now, watching all sorts of colorful people."

It is nice, in other words. Though maybe that's a reference to John actually missing being a part of the world, even if he's never truly lived as one of the rabble. He'd never admit it anyway and he sets his elbow on her knee to stay connected as they eat.

Her smile is impossibly fond as he makes it worse. What a ridiculous man. What does it say about her that her heart swells at his antics? Zari shifts her container towards John to oblige. It actually brings back sweet memories of family dinners pre-Behrad. It just makes this night all the more special for her. "You really want to hang out with me in a parking lot." Zari notes with a chuckle before digging into that asparagus. She can't even begin to get why. She thinks she could take some pleasure from existing in a space with John without anyone knowing her. It actually sounds kind of sweet in her head.

"We could stay until tomorrow afternoon. Hit up the store for breakfast, loiter like some street kids from the 90s..." Zari doesn't even know what she'll wear. This actually sounds fun. The influencer takes a long sip of her drink as she thinks over the logistics. That brain of hers never seems to stop.

"I'd hang out with you anywhere," he reminds her though that should be readily apparent already considering they live together on a time ship and regularly "hang out" in all sorts of wild places. Somehow, an Aldi in Atlanta circa 2015 seems like their most exotic adventure yet. It does sound fun, somehow, though it is a bit nerve-wracking to think he might be the one running into someone who knows him for a change. Which brings him back to their conversation from the restaurant, unfortunately. "And, uh... maybe you were right. About Chas."

It's clearly uncomfortable for him to admit and he sets down his dinner so he can turn towards her.

"When I told you before that he was my best mate, but I wasn't his? I guess I've gotten into a habit of only calling on him when I need something. Which is a habit I've been trying to break, in general, so. Maybe, if he's up for it, some time you two could... meet one another. In a non-life-or-death-threatening situation." He makes a face to get across he indeed knows how bad this sounds.

She rolls her eyes fondly at the reminder. Zari knows!! He drilled it into her brain pretty thoroughly. The rest softens her immediately. She stops eating so she can really focus on what he's saying. Zari couldn't be more proud of him by the end. It's not easy to admit you're wrong much less do better. Zari ought to know.

"I'd like that." She smiles at him with a mixture of pride and admiration. Since it is Zari, she's quick to jump to the next thing. "Oh! You have to tell me what he likes. I can't show up without a gift for your best mate. It's very tacky." She confirms before taking a bite of chicken. There's actually a little pair of star earrings in a safe somewhere meant for Natalie. That's a secret Zari thinks she'll take to her grave... or totem prison. Whatever.

Usually he's the one making google eyes at her, so when it's focused on him he isn't quite sure how to react. Though her follow-up is so Zari he can't help but laugh out loud. Well, that and the fact that he drank too much too quickly already and they're not even halfway through the night.

"He's never been big on gifts... though maybe we could pick up something for Geraldine. That's his little girl." The way his voice tightens it's obvious he misses her. He always has had a soft spot for kids, as anyone who's ever met Astra knows. "Not that her mum will probably let me anywhere near her." It's sad, but understanding, considering everything he's put well, everyone through. Always.

It makes him think of Jasper's girl and just then he catches a glimpse of Liv in the mirror. A shiver traces down his spine, and maybe it's not entirely from the cold this time.

After a long beat, John produces lamely, "And he likes hats."

Zari frowns at that sound. It makes perfect sense though. John loves Astra so deeply. He can't imagine he feels any less for this girl. She nudges his leg with hers. "You let me worry about that. I can talk my way into anything." That's a promise. She'll find the right angle for his sake. Maybe... okay he probably deserves whatever that woman is dishing out. Zari is willing to bet that girl probably misses him too. She'd do it for her sake if nothing else.

(She misses the bit with Liv by being too caught up in John.) "Okay so hats and.... hm. How old will she be when we see them? I'll do research. His wife will need something too." Zari finishes off her meal as she meticulously plans it all in her brain. "Do you have a picture of them? I could get some ideas from that."

"Renée likes daisies. Chas bought her enough of 'em after I kept him out all night hunting demons." John shakes his head. "Ex-wife."

He hangs his head, running hands through his hair. Does he even know how old Geraldine is?

"Seven. No, eight. No- what year is it again?"

John gets up suddenly, remembering something as he starts to tear into one of the bookcases, pausing a minute to turn on the oil lamp on the drafting table. He swallows when his eyes alight on the scrying map next to it, forcing himself to look away as he drops book after book on the floor carelessly before finding the one he's looking for.

"There you are, sweetheart." Yes, he's talking to the book. He flicks through before grabbing the polaroid hidden in some obscure tome about merpeople, dropping that one too as he heads back to hand Zari the picture over the back of the couch. It's old and yellowed, depicting Chas and Renée in front of an old-school British taxi. He's in a cornflower blue suit with his signature flat cap and she's in a fluffy pink prom dress with a gerber daisy corsage.

"Oh." Zari frowns at the mention of the ex. No one likes to hear about a marriage falling apart. She makes a mental note about the daisies before reminding John they are in 2015. She sets her container aside as she watches him tear through books with a soft laugh. He's as over the top as ever.

She wipes her hands with a napkin before taking the Polaroid of Chas and his future ex-wife, forever paranoid about the delicacy of physical photographs. She smiles widely the moment she lays eyes on the pair. "Ohhh... look at them, John! They're so cute!" She says like he didn't take it out of a book in his library. Zari is a sucker for a good picture. This one gives her a pretty good idea of what to expect. "He has such a sweet face. I bet Geraldine adores him. He looks a teddy bear." She glances back at John. "Oh! Do you mind if I scan this? I'll stick it on the Waverider server, I promise." It is the same place she put the scan of his mom. Better safe than sorry!

His expression softens as she fusses over the picture, nodding to her suggestion as he idly flicks some hair off of her shoulder.

"Oh, he is. He wouldn't want you to know it, though. Barely says two words most of the time." John breathes in her scent, catching his own eyes in the mirror at the image they make, perfectly domestic. He hurries to stand after seeing that, going back to the table to retrieve the lamp. "I'm going to make some tea so we can make a dent in those doughnuts."

Predictable as always, he wades back into the kitchen with the light to see if he has what he needs.

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