#taking the backroad

[dj-living-my-best-life]

Taking the back roads…

Happy Valley, Mescal AZ

[rubydracogirl]

A short, angsty one-shot.

Stanley finds a distressed Reader. He's not good with words, but he means well.

Sometimes you just need to take a drive to process things...

Rated T, just in case.

"The Scenic Route"

It happened again.

Just when you thought you were in the clear, life took you by the collar of your shirt and dragged you through the mud again. The numbness of your heart hadn’t settled in- you still felt the stabbing pain of your anguish. Tears were flowing from your eyes- you hated them, you hated crying like this, you were so ugly when it happened-

No matter how hard you tried to hold it back, they dripped down your red cheeks and slid down your neck. Your nose ran and you looked down at your trembling hands. When would the numbness settle in so you could stop feeling like this?

The thought that someone would find you hadn’t crossed your mind. Least of all that it would be him.

“There you are, toots! I’ve been looking all over for you…-” Stan’s gruff voice trailed off as he noticed how hunched over you were.

You twisted away from him, trying to apologize, trying to hide your tear-stained face but he brushed off your apologies, silently walking over to sit beside you. His warmth radiated against your body like a furnace, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. It was embarrassing enough that he’d caught you like this.

“Who made you cry?” There was an edge to his voice that spoke volumes of what he might do to the perpetrator, but you shook your head. You didn’t trust yourself to speak, and you took deep breaths, trying to get control of yourself.

It felt impossible-

The weight of Stan’s arm wrapped around you and he softly murmured, “C’mere. It’s ok. You don’t gotta talk about it if you don’t want to… But lemme hold you, doll.”

You kept your face hidden against his chest, allowing him to pull you against his warm body. He was simultaneously soft and firm; one arm kept you close while he stroked your hair with his other hand. The comfort of his touch was enough to help you regain control of your breath and you finally settled down, breathing a little easier.

“It’s just… I'm so tired.” You whispered finally, the sting of your pain still throbbing in your heart.

His fingers faltered in your hair before he tilted your face up to his. You resisted.

“Sweetheart, look at me.”

You finally turned your face up to him. His dark eyes were like warm pools of amber, and you saw your pain reflected in them. His rough palm caressed your cheek gently, wiping the bitter tears from beneath your eyes. His lips twitched with indecision before he spoke.

“You and I both know I’m no good with this sort of thing. Besides, there’s nothin’ I can say that you haven't heard a million times before already… Whatever's bothering you, I can't take it away... But I got a car. Why don't we get out of here for a while?”

You decided that, yes, you did want a ride. 

“Well, then.” He stood up, taking your hand. “What the hell are we waiting for?”

You let him lead you and with every step, the pain began to lessen if ever so slightly.

The Stanleymobile roared to life and you felt a flicker of exhilaration as you settled back against the seat. Stan passed you a tissue.

“Don’t worry, it’s clean. What kind of guy do you take me for?” He chuckled at the skeptical look you sent him before accepting the offering.

The car rolled from the driveway, and the world became a slow-moving blur of sweet-smelling pine trees. Stan flicked the radio on, and the wind brushed your face and played with your hair as he took you down the winding roads of Gravity Falls.

You knew, deep down, you’d have to face your problems when the ride ended, but for now, it was just you, Stan, and the gorgeous views that were passing you by. The sun set, rendering the sky with watercolor textures of orange, pink and soft lavender.

Not one more word was spoken between you and Stan during the ride, and that was ok with you. His presence was enough to comfort you.

You leaned back, letting your eyes close as you drummed your fingers with the music, swaying with the motion of the car, and inhaling the smells of the surrounding forest.

The chill of the evening air became a bit much, and he turned to look at you.

“Ready to go back?”

“No, not really.”

He chuckled softly.

“I know where we can go.”

The Overlook wasn’t exactly a secret spot, but it was still fairly private, and as Stan parked the car, you took off your seatbelt and slid closer to him. He wrapped his arm around you again. The edges of dusk were giving away to twilight. The sight was beautiful, and for a moment, you really forgot about your pain. 

In that moment, all you could feel was warmth, and you glanced up at Stan. He squeezed you a little closer, his mouth pulled in an uncertain smile.

“You’re gonna be ok, toots.” He hummed.

“I know… Thank you, Stan.” You leaned against his broad chest. He shifted slightly, and you felt his lips brush the top of your head affectionately.

“Anytime, sweetheart.”

[ratcandy]

nothing quite like cruising down the road on a motorized scooter with fish in a birdcage blasting in ur head

[haloburns]

the difference between the driving in 2 fast 2 furious and Tokyo drift is insane to me

like i know driftin's the whole shtick, but compared to the way brian and roman drive in the second one its just....insane, thats all i can say

brian and roman drive with a different kind of precision from the drifters. when they move through the cars on that freeway in The Big Chase Scene, there's no doubt that they are in complete control over those cars and it SHOWS. aint no wiggle in them things as they weave and fuck with those cops. their flash comes out in different ways, like the dukes moment at the end, or in things like the shuffle

but the drifters got a whole different kinda precision. you can't drift like that without it. they took bootleggin moves and made em into an art and added a hell of a lotta flash to it. that first race in Tokyo is fucking incredible to watch, with the way they flip between the car GLIDIN around them corners is fuckin incredible and the way takashi's feet move over the pedals??? that bit where he's got one foot on two pedals as his body turns in the same direction??? missing the wall by a fuckin HAIR?????

gods i love car movies

[hazardsoflove]

[bellshazes]

wasn't gonna see the eclipse but fuck it i got a work cell and who knows where i'll be in 2044. if i get stuck in indiana all day i will simply camp out at pollys freeze. so mutuals meet me in indiana/at pollys in six to ten hours if you like

[dreadfutures]

i really really really really miss hotgirl nights in the passenger seat as j. drove us up an empty pch listening to gemini club, both of us so bundled up so we could have the windows open to scream sing into the nothingness without freezing our asses off

i thank whatever is out there that i got to have the coming of age movie i always wanted when i was in sb, as painful as it was at times, but i really really really miss that

[iero]

Love the days where the weather makes it look like a fucking Silent Hill scene.

[barbietrailerpark]

shots of storm clouds while moving

[fooltofancy]

have been on the longest, most exasperating exploration of iowa/south dakota backroads this evening.

[princehendir]

Can small local farmers please just act like normal humans for once. Please.

[alltheprettyplaces]

pretty sure the roads are worse today than they were yesterday but we stay silly

[jrueships]

yall southern people just do Not give a fuck omg

[the-fidgety-fiddler]

Drove for the first time in 3 years today and I got tailgaited, brights-flashed, followed, and cussed at by a strange man in a stupid sports car after doing literally Nothing wrong

[winterrose42]

In the midst of work and home bullshit and depresso espresso hanging on by the thread of the suns out today and itll be so nice saturday and im gonna get space books and coffee and hashbrowns n its gonna be great im ao excited

[nowhere302]

the taste of whiskey (maybe specifically evan williams bourbon) gives me such a bittersweet nostalgic feeling I need to get a car so I can drive down country roads again or I'll kms