Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi. In case you didn't catch that, even though this is the hundredth time I've wrote it!
Impulse.
That's all this trip was. It wasn't planned. It wasn't thought about and prepared. It was just the sound of a phone dialing and a quick, "…okay?" It was not going to be an easy trip, but that's what they needed. They needed hard comfort. They needed the hum of old friends. They needed the breath of old lovers. They need the whispers of hushed directions, telling the one driving to go left right NO OTHER WAY CAN'T YOU LISTEN?
They sit side-by-side and they talk about life, because that seems fitting. They talk about how they hate dirt on shoes and imperfections in the smallest things. They joke about getting lost, and living out in the wilderness. And they laugh, that's the most important part. They laugh like toddlers being tickled.
They share glances, because they aren't on the stage of admiring each other without fear of being caught yet. They're observing each other and finding where each matured and where each fell.
He notices that she's still a spitfire. And the fact that this hasn't changed makes his stomach flutter in comfort. She still folds her arms the same way as before, and she still smells like lilac and something that is completely Clare. He whispers to her about everything, and she whispers back with equal easiness. And that's the thing-it's so easy to be with her again. It's natural to listen to her soft voice and her almost silent whisper. It's his home in a way, and he doesn't want to let her go.
She doesn't know how to feel, because everything feels like last year. Everything is late night talks and falling in love. Everything is the way the cigarette hangs out of his mouth, and the smoke curls around her head like a ribbon. Once again, she feels her cheeks burn at his questions and his light tone.
"Go right." She mutters, and is not surprised when he goes left.
The road that they're on is winding and narrow, and they feel the curve of every turn and every pothole, their hearts jump. It's a snowy evening and the sky is dark with snow and secrets, and the world is crashing down on them every few miles, but it's okay. Because they have each other, and lately, that's all that they want.
"I still love you, you know." She says, and there's a spark in the air that neither can explain. But it goes well with the heavy smoke and falling snow.
"I figured. I mean, look at my charm." He replies, but it's shaky and excited, and the wind howls for them outside.
They are like a well-oiled machine, because slowly, very slowly, Clare moves towards him and his arms pulls her closer. She's tucked into his arm and he's driving, and they don't want the road to ever stop or end, because reality is too ugly.
Their conversation starts up again, and their laughter keeps the cold away, and they drift deeper into the snow, letting the snow fall around them.
And the farther they go, the more that the fire and ice fall in love.