30. You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic
"Tell me again why I have to do this!" Dora shouted nervously. The rumbling engine beneath her was very loud.
She was in the lot of Morrison Motors, straddling a huge black motorcycle.
Jason stood a few feet away, his arms crossed. He wore dark sunglasses with a deep red hoodie pulled up over a black baseball cap. Dora hardly recognized him, but she guessed that was the point. Adding to the ensemble, a leather vest with the Street Demonz emblem hung from his shoulders, a patch that read "President" stitched to the breast.
"As dangerous as a motorcycle might seem, it is without question the most agile thing on rubber wheels," Jason said, walking around her, making sure she was sitting on it correctly. "Zero to sixty in a fraction of the time a car takes. It turns on a dime. It can weave through stalled traffic. It's easy to store and hide. If you master a bike, you can be in and out of almost any situation before your target knows what hit them."
"I thought that was crotch rockets, not a Harley like this."
"Don't let anyone in the club hear you say that," Jason said, smirking. "Anyway, I'm a firm believer that with enough practice and discipline, a cruiser can take on any sport bike. Put up the kick stand."
Dora did as instructed, but as soon as she did, the bike almost fell over. "Oh shit!" If she kept the bike balanced, only her toes reached the ground on either side—but if she let it lean to one side or the other, all of the bike's weight would fall on that leg… and the bike was heavy.
Reilly grunted; he was sitting on the tailgate of a truck nearby. "We're gonna have to lower the suspension on that bike or get her platform boots. She's barely tall enough to sit on it idle, let alone ride it."
Jessie elbowed him. "I'm working on it. Don't worry, Dora, we'll get a bike that fits you."
"One without saddlebags, a windshield, and fairing," Reilly listed off on his fingers. "All that extra weight will just drag her down."
"Totally stripped-down bobber, then. Got it, veep."
The heavily tattooed brunette stood next to Reilly, wearing her own leather vest with the Street Demonz emblem. In the few days since Dora was last here, a lot had happened.
Jason had promoted Reilly to vice president of the charter and patched in Jessie as secretary. Dora didn't want to ask what happened to the previous vice president.
"Plus, if you're going to be the veep's daughter, you need to learn to ride. It's only proper."
Dora gripped the handlebars tightly, taking a deep breath. Too many people knew she was involved with Red Hood, and she didn't know what to do about it. It'd be worse if they knew she was involved with him now. Apparently, Jessie's solution was to claim that Dora was Reilly's daughter, and that the drama people saw unfold the night she visited the club was centered on him, not Red Hood. She said it was a misconception that was already spreading around, so it was a convenient alibi.
Even still, that didn't ease her worry. She hoped Jason had garnered enough loyalty within his ranks to keep quiet, even about that lie. She trusted Jessie and Reilly, but not anyone else.
Dora reached up to adjust the strap of her helmet, but the handlebars dipped one way, and the whole bike tilted again. "Shit!" She caught the bars just in time, planted her feet and hauled the bike upright again before it could completely fall over.
Jason had made no move to help her. With the sunglasses over his eyes, she couldn't tell if he was disappointed by her fumble or impressed by her recovery.
"It's a good thing you grew up driving that Impala," Jason continued. "You already know how to drive manual, so half my work's already done. Balancing isn't the tough part. Shifting gears while riding and turning, that's what takes practice."
"Yeah?" Dora asked, gripping the handlebars. "Where's the stick on this?"
"It's kind of opposite to a car." Jason patted her left hand. "This is the clutch." He kicked her left foot. "Here's the shifter. You already know where the brakes and throttle are. Give it a go."
Dora swallowed and took a deep breath. She clamped the clutch, lifted her foot to toe it into first gear, and gave it some throttle. Left hand, left foot, right hand.
The engine snarled and the bike bucked underneath her. Dora yelped as the bike lurched forward and stalled. Jason managed to grab the bike and stop it from tipping over again.
Jessie chuckled a little bit.
"Hey, be nice. It's her first time," Reilly scolded.
"I'm not laughing at her, I'm laughing at him," Jessie said. "You fucking suck, Red. You're a shit teacher."
Dora stared at Jessie, shocked.
Jason turned to her, his glare inexplicably piercing through his sunglasses. "Excuse me?"
Jessie crossed her arms. "You heard me."
What was Jessie thinking? She had finally gotten her dream job, and the first thing she does is insult her boss?
Reilly glanced back and forth between the two. Tendrils of smoke curled from the cigarette in his mouth—he hadn't taken a draw in several seconds.
"Jessie, don't worry about it… it's fine," Dora said nervously.
Jessie held up her hand to silence her. "Look, Red. I'm not calling you a poser, I know you can ride a bike as good as any of us, but I can clearly tell you know more about cars." She hopped off the tailgate and shrugged. "And hey, that's fine, I respect that. But if you want your girl to stay alive on that bike, you gotta approach it from a biker's point of view. Don't make analogies to cars, man. A motorcycle is a whole different animal. Teach from the ground up and don't skip steps."
Dora couldn't read Jason's expression through the cap and sunglasses, but he was looking straight at Jessie, standing rigid, and not wavering.
Finally, Dora saw Jason mouth break into a grin. "You know what, Reilly?" he said. "I like her."
Reilly shrugged, finally pulling from his joint and flicking off the ash. "Well, I'm glad. When you told me to find a replacement for my old job, you had me a bit nervous."
"Alright, sec, be my guest. Take over." Jason walked over to Reilly, who handed him a fresh joint. Jason lit and toked up.
Dora breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted now was to choose between Jason and Jessie. Despite everything that had transpired the last few days, she still wasn't ready to pick him over a friend.
However, it turned out that the Jessie was right, shifting gears on a motorcycle was a bit different from a car, and Dora had to admit she was a better teacher than Jason.
The first thing she learned was that the bike already had some torque when "neutral," so she didn't need to shift into first gear right away. The second thing was that the timing between letting go of the clutch, toeing a gear, then leaning on the throttle all at the same time was as much a science as an art form.
After she had gotten a feel for the vehicle, Jason pointed around the corner of the warehouse. "Take a lap, put it through its paces."
Dora glanced at Jessie, who nodded. "Remember, left moves, right stops."
After checking her stance and grip, Dora took a breath and rolled out. Even at a low speed, the engine snarled beneath her.
On the other side of the warehouse, a small obstacle course had been set up on the lot. Dora saw orange cones, stacks of tires, concrete barricades, parked trailers, gravel, bumps, and dips.
"Holy shit!" Dora fought the urge to pump the brakes, knowing the sudden jerking motion would make her lose what little control she had over the bike. Jason, you dick. She mustered as much courage as she could in the few seconds she had before the first turn, then leaned in. Alright, slow and steady wins the race, right?
In terms of speed, Dora knew she was crawling through the course. A few times she had to move her feet off the pedals to keep her balance as she slowed down, but not once did she stall, bail, or go off the track.
As Dora finally cruised back around the corner to the back lot where she started, she noticed Reilly pass Jessie a wad of money. Jessie had a smug smirk on her face, but Jason took off his sunglasses and gave her an open smile.
A shot of adrenaline piqued her then—Dora couldn't understand why. Emboldened, she didn't stop, instead she toed a new gear, and cranked the throttle. The bike thundered beneath her. She tore through the open lot, shifting through as many gears as she could in the space. "Wooo!" she shouted.
Reilly, Jessie, and Jason rubbernecked as she rumbled passed them. "DORA! SLOW DOWN!" Reilly boomed at her.
Dora knew what they were thinking: if she didn't slow down, she would fly off the waterfront and into the river. She was nervous as well; it was difficult keeping an eye on the road while also paying attention to the tachometer. Even more so, it was hard coordinating her limbs with the functions of the bike. The clutch was on her left hand, right? And remember: right foot was a brake, not the throttle.
When she passed the corner of the warehouse, her muscle memory did not betray her.
She tightened both the brakes. It wasn't perfect and it was far from smooth—she heard her tires screeching and smelled burnt rubber—but she kept control of the bike and steered into the corner.
"Fuck yeah, nailed it!" she shouted into the air.
A mixture of relief and triumph inspired her to take second lap of the obstacle course at greater speed. She found herself still leaning on her brakes more than she wanted, and leaving treadmarks on the asphalt, but she got through the course again without fail.
But most of all... it was fun. She wanted to do it again.
As she rounded the corner to the back lot for the second time, she found Jason, Reilly, and Jessie mounted on their own bikes, helmets strapped on. As she passed, they joined her on the course for her third lap, giving her a safe lead to maneuver the obstacles.
To Dora's relief, the third attempt was even smoother than the last. Her chest swelled in self-assurance, hoping they all saw how well she was riding.
When she reached the front of the lot, Jason revved his engine, pulled up alongside her, and signaled that she follow him off the course. She did, and he led her off the lot and onto the public street. The nerves came back, but Dora found herself reassured when Jessie and Reilly flanked her, creating a buffer between her and the rest of the street traffic.
Jason led their little motorcade off Gotham island, over the Sprang Bridge, and onto the New Jersey mainland.
It was there on the wide-open roads of Kane County that Dora truly fell in love with riding a motorcycle. She had the chance to work through the gears and lean on the throttle, unleashing all the horsepower and speed of the machine between her legs.
It felt like flying, like she was riding a dragon. She felt badass. She felt powerful.
And the view wasn't something to scoff at either. She hadn't seen Wayne Manor since Jason's funeral, but it was still as looming and majestic as she remembered, sitting on the cliff overlooking the Gotham River and the countryside. On the way back, the road hugged the waterfront, and Dora was able to get an unobstructed view of the infamous Arkham Asylum, sequestered on its own island in the middle of the river.
When they arrived back at Morrison Motors, Reilly and Jessie veered off to the clubhouse, while Jason led Dora to his freestanding garage. They pulled in and the doors shut behind them. Dora shut off her bike, and fumbled out the kickstand. When she dismounted, she almost tripped and fell. Her legs were jelly.
"Whoa," she said, taking a moment to stretch and flex her limbs. She could still the engine vibrating in her arms and legs.
"So how'd you like it?" Jason smiled, removing his helmet and sunglasses.
"Oh my god, that was amazing!" Dora squealed in joy and jumped on him. "Thank you so much!"
She tried to kiss him, but she heard a clunk and Jason jerked away.
"Hey!" He rubbed his forehead. "You still have your helmet on."
"Oh, sorry." Dora unbuckled and removed it, suddenly remembering what helmets and hats did to her hair. She started patting it down, but Jason batted away her hands. Her ran his fingers softly through her hair, gently combing out some tangles.
His touch sent tingles from her scalp, down her neck, and throughout her back.
Dora shivered in pleasure and leaned into kiss him. But instead Jason grabbed a few locks of her hair and pulled. Instead of pain or anger, Dora felt frustration. A very particular type of frustration.
"You're such a tease," she moaned.
"Me?" he scoffed. "You run hot, you run cold. I'm your lover, but not your boyfriend." He pulled on her hair firmly but gently. "Decide." It was enough force restrict her movement, but not enough to hurt. "You want me, or you don't."
"Jay..." Not now. She bit her lip, desperate for some sensation—his mouth was so close. She was becoming addicted to him. It wasn't a good thing. He knew it too. Only he could give her what she wanted, but she didn't want that lust to control her… yet.
She had leverage too. They both knew their attraction was magnetic and sometimes overwhelming… but he wanted her more than she wanted him. She grabbed his belt buckle. "Are you going to kiss me or not?" she purred.
Jason growled in frustration and pressed his mouth to hers.
Dora smiled, having won this round.
Notes
Okay, I'm sorry that I keep stealing song titles for my chapters. I can't help it. This isn't a songfic, but I'm a musician (guitar, drums) and music inspires my writing.
The chapter has a weird title, but the lyrics hit home so hard I couldn't help it. It's by A Day To Remember. If you don't like metal, don't listen, but read the lyrics and you'll see what I mean. Well... they'll make more sense later in the story.
If you can't tell, one of my fandoms is Sons of Anarchy, and Jason kinda takes on some Jax vibes here. This chapter seems like filler, but it's another step in my attempt to transform Dora into a proactive character. The best characters make shit happen, instead of shit happening to them.
On with the fancasting!
First off is Jessie, who kinda hijacked her role. She was supposed to be a one-off side character, but once I decided to make the Street Demonz Motorcycle Club more of a thing, she kind of grew with the idea. Also, it can't hurt for more tough girls to be on Dora's squad, right? Jessie is based on one of my best friends, Akrasiel, who is a published author, but in this story, Jessie's portrayed by Conor Leslie, who plays Donna Troy on Titans, who certainly influenced the character I created. (But also Eliza Dushku as Faith from Buffy a little.) Smoking hot, tough as nails, man-eating brunette... that's Jessie.
Next is Lily, who's still minor in this story, but will grow a bit in future chapters. She's based on my friend Lily-Lucid, but in this story, she's portrayed by Lesley-Ann Brandt. (Two Leslies here. Huh, weird.) This actress plays Maze on Lucifer (and Naevia on Spartacus). Another man-eating brunette that's as cute as a button. You won't know she's killing you until after it's done. (I have a type, okay?)
If you haven't seen Lucifer... just watch it. Now. Just stop what you're doing and watch it NOW. The more fans we have watching and supporting the show, the more likely it's going to get renewed for another season. It's always about to be cancelled and it's only the fans that keep it going year after year, truly.
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