A/N: Dayton, Ohio to Cincinnati, Ohio: 1 hour drive. Middletown, Ohio to Lebanon, Ohio: 15-30 minute drive. I'm sorry for using Ohio towns/cities but hey, that's what I'm familiar with. Alfred's an Ohioan, totally. Heartland represent. Also, I have a huge headcanon that Alfred is the sentimental one and ahhhhh...

There was nothing Alfred loved more than road trips with Matthew. Even if they we just going from Dayton to Cincinnati or Middletown to Lebanon, Alfred loved it. Warm summer nights were his favorites because Mattie would roll down the windows and sing with him. Alfred's voice had always been harsh and out-of-tune but Matthew's was smooth and comforting and it reminded Alfred of a soft wind in the mountains. Winter mornings after a light snow were a close second. The sun would rise over the horizon and pepper Mattie's hair with flecks of golden light. Matthew's cheek would be pressed softly against the window while he slept in the passenger seat, his breath creating a small circle of fog and condensation where his mouth and nose were.

Road trips meant no worries, no problems, and no work. They could be away from everything and forget about the duties of being a country until they returned. For a few weeks they were just Alfred and Matthew: two humans in love, traveling across North America with one another.

There were always a wide array of hotel rooms, ranging from 5 star suites in San Francisco to small, ratty motel rooms in downtown Columbus. And they loved them all. They had cheeseburgers and pancakes in bed and slept in until noon and started the next day by heading out for a new city. And it was perfect. There were no politics in their conversations, no forced air of diplomacy masking what they wanted to say to each other. For a few weeks everything was about them.

But the life of a country is never a simple one and they would always return sooner than either of them would have liked. Their duties awaited them and they couldn't ignore them forever. They would share one last kiss at their border and return to work, a bit sad and refreshed. The monotonous greys and whites would feel insignificant compared to the dark blues and bright reds of yesterday. And they would carry on, a phone call or text message tiding them over until they could once again feel the feeble, vivid hues of what it was like to be human.