Work Text:
Santi had suggested the road trip one evening whilst you were relaxing in front of the television. He had been itching to bring it up for days, researching places in the US to take you and drafting up a vague itinerary of how long it would take to get to each town. He pulled it up on his phone and showed it you, spotting places you hadn’t heard of and noting Frankie and Benny’s names in there too. You had quickly agreed.
You helped him book the motels and confirm with your friends that it was okay to visit over the holiday period and before you knew it you were packing a couple of bags and throwing them into the trunk of Santi’s truck and setting off on a mini adventure.
You two had always talked about doing a road trip. You loved the idea of driving around with someone you love, seeing sights, creating memories, just having fun. And Santi couldn’t keep still for two minutes, either in work or outside of it so it was a perfect way for him to keep busy and have you all to himself for a few weeks.
You spent the first half of the trip feeling like naughty teenagers, failing to stick to Santi’s carefully planned out schedule, missing the check-in times for your booked motels and having to sleep in the truck. However the bed of the truck was the perfect size for the two of you to star gaze on off-beaten roads or to watch over lit up towns long past midnight. It became your favourite place to fall asleep in Santi’s arms.
When you did manage to stay in a motel room you quickly realised why they were always a setting in a horror movie. The nicotine stained wallpaper, cracked mirrors and dirty curtains left little to be desired, but you both just laughed. You were having the best time of your lives, it didn’t bother either of you in the slightest. And when the paper thin walls told you exactly what the couple next door were doing, Santi suggested treating it like a competition and see who could make the loudest noise (it was you, it was always you).
Hiking was your favourite thing to do with Santi. You would start your walk before the sun had come up and reach the top of the hill or cliff at sunrise when the views were especially breathtaking and you got to watch the world begin to wake up in front of you. It was Santi’s favourite thing to do with you too, to watch your face in awe of the view, the rising sun making your features glow like an ethereal being, he thought you were at your most beautiful in those moments.
You had to return to your itinerary the closer you got to Thanksgiving because you had promised to spend it with Frankie and his four year old daughter Maya. Arriving at the Morales household the day before, you were greeted by a very disheveled Frankie and an excitable Maya who clung to Santi the moment you had both walked through the front door. You decided to help your friend with the cooking in the kitchen whilst Santi distracted Maya in the front room.
“You look stressed,” you commented, trying not to laugh at Frankie’s look of desperation. He threw his hands up in the direction of the ingredients scattered along the countertops, sighing in exasperation.
“I’m completely out of my depth,” he huffed, hands on his hips and chewing on his bottom lip, “we usually go to mi madre for the holidays, she knows what’s she doing.”
“I can’t pretend I know what I’m doing, but I probably have a better idea than you do,” you teased, shooting him a wink before taking a step towards the counter.
It took a few hours, but you had everything ready to throw in a pot or in the oven the next day. You found enough ingredients and some cookie cutters to make Christmas themed cookies, with the help of Santi and Maya (although they mostly made a mess).
Once Maya was in bed the three of you opened a bottle of beer each and converged on the couch.
“How are you enjoying your road trip so far?” Frankie asked, settling back into his armchair with a sigh of relief.
“Good. More than good, it’s been fantastic, hasn’t it, mi amante?” He asked, slipping his free hand into yours.
“It has, it’s been good for us to spend time together,” you smiled affectionately, the previous weeks flashing through your mind like a film playing in fast forward.
“I’m just happy Santi’s finally settling down with someone. We all had bets he’d die a bachelor,” Frankie said in good humour, ducking away from the bottle cap Santi threw at him.
Thanksgiving dinner was filled with laughter and good food, and reminiscing the embarrassing stories from the boys’ army days. The next door neighbour took care of Maya for the night whilst Frankie drove the three of you to a charity MMA match Benny was taking part in.
It was the first time on the trip that the two of you had taken advantage of not having to worry about driving anywhere by drinking freely and plenty. You were Benny’s biggest supporters of the night, with Frankie and Will laughing at you and continuously telling you to support a little quieter. Neither of you listened to them.
You continued your last leg of the road trip later the next day (when you both were feeling up to it), Santi saying a lengthy goodbye to his best friend and you promising Maya that you would send Christmas presents and return in the new year for her birthday.
“Have you had a good time?” Santi asked at the end of the last day, cuddled together under the thin sheets of another terrible motel room.
“I really have. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” your smile was bright and honest, eyes beginning to slip closed from an exhausting few weeks of being on the road.
“You want to do it again sometime?” Santi suggested, wriggling his eyebrows to make you giggle.
“Slow down cowboy, let’s go home first.” Your eyes fell closed, already beginning to dream of your next adventure.