Chapter Text
They’ve been driving for hours. She hasn’t lifted her foot off the gas pedal in who knows how long, one hand on the wheel and the other on her knee. He has control of the iPod between them, and switches the song as soon as he sees her hand twitch on her knee.
They haven’t spoken since they left the last rest stop, about three hours ago. They haven’t needed to. The silence is filled with various songs, him switching between his playlist and hers so that they’re even. They haven’t had the time to go through and make one of the songs together, yet, though they need to.
The only light comes from the dashboard, their shared iPod and the occasional streetlamp they pass under.
She can feel her eyelids slipping closed, the steady rhythm of golden light and the slowness of the song coming through the speakers no help at all. She pinches her knee to wake herself up, and though it works for a few moments, it’s not enough and she finds herself reaching for the RedBull on his side of the cupholder. She doesn’t drink it, she hates carbonation, but it’s energy all the same. She’ll gladly drink some in favor of not falling asleep at the wheel.
His hand covers hers before she can wrap her fingers around the can. She chances a look at him. His entire face is cast in shadow, stark beneath the street lamps.
“Pull over,” he tells her, voice soft.
She does, a few minutes after he requests for her to. She sees a parking lot of a McDonalds, the inside store closed but lights still indicating an open drive through. The fluorescent lights are harsh compared to the warm of the street lights, and her eyes strain from the difference. She parks the car and lets her eyes slip closed, resting for just a moment before she has to get back on the road.
She vaguely hears the click of his seatbelt, the click of the door as he opens it. She does hear her door opening, and turns her head to him. He’s close, closer than she’d expected him to be, but she doesn’t mind. The kiss he gives her is soft, sweet and sleepy on her end. He squeezes her hand, reaching over while his lips are still attached to hers to unbuckle her. “Let me drive for a while,” he mutters against her mouth.
She hums her agreement, giving him one more kiss before letting herself be tugged out of the seat. He’s much more awake than she is, and helps her into the passenger seat. He surrenders his hoodie to her, draping it over her after buckling her in. She hears the door close as her eyes slip closed. There’s the roar of the engine as he starts up the car again, and she hears the crackling of gravel as he pulls out of the parking lot and back onto the main road.
A few minutes after, she feels the warmth of his hand on her knee, thumb running across the curve of her kneecap, and smiles before surrendering to sleep.