The windshield wipers squeaked grinding at Stanly's last nerve, the last four hours to go of this poor excuse of a vacation just kept getting better.
The radio had been muted after crossing the Arizona border line hours ago because a certain someone Stan didn't remember inviting didn't like his taste in music. An argument about directions and who knew best when it came to reading a map had nearly ended the three of their lives when Stan jerked the wheel too hard trying to snatch the map from his know it all brother's clutches and had left them in a void of silence that had only been recently washed out by the pattering of the rain drops and the loud squeaks of the wipers.
In the rearview mirror he caught Ford sulking still, his lips thin and his head buried in his book, scribbling something in his diary, probably something demeaning about him in a code he thought he was too stupid to crack.
A large flash caught him by surprise making him tense at the steering wheel and his formerly slumped shoulders to perk up.
He shot a glare his boyfriend's way who just smiled brighter taking the freshly developed photo from the Polaroid Camera Stan had acquired for him legally for his birthday, spending an arm and a leg just to see that smile.
The same one in fact that didn't leave his face as he shook the picture until he was able to proudly show his boyfriend his angry reflection glaring straight out the window, the only difference between his demeanor now and then was he had better posture now.
"Precious memories for our first trip together," Stan could hear the sarcasm oozing out of that statement. Neither were exactly happy that Ford had invited himself on their first romantic trip together in hopes of getting away from the stress of strange career choice for awhile.
Fidds took it like the trooper he was, taking a deep breath, stretching his smile out and making a deal with his brother. They would assist him in capturing the supernatural creature he had his eye on if he would relax with them on their vacation and take the break he felt they all desperately needed.
Stan couldn't say he took it half as well when he got out of bed to find extra suitcases strapped and tarped on top his car and his brother in the back seat completely misunderstanding the point of this trip to Mexico.
Fidds had been quick to rush to his side and quietly tripped over his words, eyes nervously taking glances towards his brother in the back seat who continued to write in his journal, oblivious as usual to the conversation taking place about him outside the car.
"I know this wasn't part of the plan but I told ya, if we waited to tell him like you wanted he wouldn't understand the nature of this trip. He thinks our little trip is a perfect opportunity to capture a chupacabra."
"No, you go tell him that's not what we're doing," Stan hissed at him glaring towards his brother, fists clenched beside him not wanting to spend such a long car ride listening to him plot and plan some weird creature he had no desire to deal with and its capture.
"I tried to tell him but he won't listen," Fidds sighed glancing towards Ford in the back seat, "He's a Pines and it's in yer genes to be stubborn, stubborn men."
Stan opened his mouth to argue but Fidds kissed him gently on the lips calming the anger ready to burst and silencing his words he would probably regret later.
"I think he just doesn't like the idea of being stuck here alone for so long," Fidds breath tickled his ears as he pulled him close, "I don't think it has nothin' to do with research this time around. I'm worried about him Stan, he's not been himself in months and stress is getting to him. He stabbed himself with a fork last week!"
Stan became ridged at the memory glancing past his boyfriend's fluffy hair tickling at his chin and took a long look at his brother, the bandages from the event still there. Stan hadn't been there and only heard of the aftermath from a shaken, sobbing Fidds who had taken it harder than Ford who acted like it wasn't such a big deal.
He ran his fingers through Fidds hair and groaned in exaggerated annoyance his brother could come if only to ease Fidds's worries and possibly his own.
Many years ago, months after Carla had left him forever, he'd found peace in the beach front village he planned to have a romantic retreat with his lover, maybe Ford could find some piece of mind there as well.
Even if his brother tagging along was for the best it didn't make it any less aggravating and annoying that he had to be crammed into a car for hours on end with his brother he didn't always have the greatest relationship with.
The realization that he may not get any adult activity he had planned for if another room wasn't vacant didn't clear his bad mood either.