FAKE Ficlet: Freeway Blues
Title: Freeway Blues
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: Stuck on the freeway in traffic that’s barely moving, Dee and Ryo’s weekend away isn’t getting off to the best start.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Challenge 325: Haze at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters.
A haze of traffic fumes hung over the freeway, something Dee would have scarcely noticed a few short years ago but which now made him frown.
“Great, more air pollution; just what we need. Like we don’t get enough of that in the city.” Since quitting smoking, he’d started to really pay attention to air quality, probably because he could smell the difference now that his nose was no longer numbed from the constant stink of cigarette smoke.
“We’ll be out of it once we get off the freeway,” Ryo said, lounging in the passenger seat.
“IF we ever manage to get off.” Dee’s eyes were fixed on the taillights of the car in front, impatiently waiting for it to move forward again. “We’re barely movin’. How far to the next exit?”
Ryo sat up straighter in his seat, looking ahead past a seemingly endless line of cars, then twisted around to look back the way they’d come, his keen eyes searching for road signs, but not seeing any.
“Not sure, couple of miles maybe?”
“Damn! The rate we’re goin’, probably take us an hour or more. Should’a taken the last exit we passed.”
“We didn’t know there were tailbacks ahead, and the freeway’s usually the fastest route.”
“Not today it isn’t. It’s like everything’s conspirin’ to keep us from gettin’ outta the city.”
“Technically we’re already out.” Ryo gestured back over his shoulder. “New York’s back that way.”
“For all the good that does us. We’re still chokin’ on fumes instead of breathin’ fresh country air.”
“It never used to bother you.”
“Only ‘cause I didn’t know any better. Now I do, and this sucks. The rate we’re movin’ right now, the weekend’s gonna be over before we get anywhere.” The car ahead mover forward maybe ten yards and Dee slipped the Charger into gear, creeping forward. He checked the righthand lane and flicked on his turn signal, inching across when there was enough of a gap to squeeze his car into. “We’re gettin’ off at the next exit, and I don’t care if that adds a few miles. At least once we’re off the freeway we can wind the windows down and breathe.”
“Fine by me.” Ryo smiled, sliding back down in his seat. He preferred travelling the smaller roads anyway; the scenery was better.
Half an hour later, they were gliding down the off ramp, leaving the grey haze behind them. Ryo could practically see the tension draining out of his lover as they picked up speed.
“Now that’s more like it! We got the open road ahead of us, and hardly a car in sight!”
“Do you even know where you’re going?”
“Nope, you’ll haveta dig out the map and navigate, so we don’t wind up gettin’ lost.”
Laughing, Ryo fetched the map book out from under the seat. “I can do that.”
“Cabin in the mountains, here we come!” Dee whooped. Winding the window down, he breathed deeply. Already the air tasted so much better.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: Stuck on the freeway in traffic that’s barely moving, Dee and Ryo’s weekend away isn’t getting off to the best start.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Challenge 325: Haze at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters.
A haze of traffic fumes hung over the freeway, something Dee would have scarcely noticed a few short years ago but which now made him frown.
“Great, more air pollution; just what we need. Like we don’t get enough of that in the city.” Since quitting smoking, he’d started to really pay attention to air quality, probably because he could smell the difference now that his nose was no longer numbed from the constant stink of cigarette smoke.
“We’ll be out of it once we get off the freeway,” Ryo said, lounging in the passenger seat.
“IF we ever manage to get off.” Dee’s eyes were fixed on the taillights of the car in front, impatiently waiting for it to move forward again. “We’re barely movin’. How far to the next exit?”
Ryo sat up straighter in his seat, looking ahead past a seemingly endless line of cars, then twisted around to look back the way they’d come, his keen eyes searching for road signs, but not seeing any.
“Not sure, couple of miles maybe?”
“Damn! The rate we’re goin’, probably take us an hour or more. Should’a taken the last exit we passed.”
“We didn’t know there were tailbacks ahead, and the freeway’s usually the fastest route.”
“Not today it isn’t. It’s like everything’s conspirin’ to keep us from gettin’ outta the city.”
“Technically we’re already out.” Ryo gestured back over his shoulder. “New York’s back that way.”
“For all the good that does us. We’re still chokin’ on fumes instead of breathin’ fresh country air.”
“It never used to bother you.”
“Only ‘cause I didn’t know any better. Now I do, and this sucks. The rate we’re movin’ right now, the weekend’s gonna be over before we get anywhere.” The car ahead mover forward maybe ten yards and Dee slipped the Charger into gear, creeping forward. He checked the righthand lane and flicked on his turn signal, inching across when there was enough of a gap to squeeze his car into. “We’re gettin’ off at the next exit, and I don’t care if that adds a few miles. At least once we’re off the freeway we can wind the windows down and breathe.”
“Fine by me.” Ryo smiled, sliding back down in his seat. He preferred travelling the smaller roads anyway; the scenery was better.
Half an hour later, they were gliding down the off ramp, leaving the grey haze behind them. Ryo could practically see the tension draining out of his lover as they picked up speed.
“Now that’s more like it! We got the open road ahead of us, and hardly a car in sight!”
“Do you even know where you’re going?”
“Nope, you’ll haveta dig out the map and navigate, so we don’t wind up gettin’ lost.”
Laughing, Ryo fetched the map book out from under the seat. “I can do that.”
“Cabin in the mountains, here we come!” Dee whooped. Winding the window down, he breathed deeply. Already the air tasted so much better.
The End