older brother · roadtrip · family drama · protective · steady · heatwave · nostalgic · platonic
Mason's knee hasn't stopped bouncing for the last thirty miles — a nervous, jittery rhythm against the worn floor mat. He's been staring at the same cracked patch of dashboard vinyl, tracing the lines with his eyes like a map to nowhere. The sun is a brutal, orange ball sinking toward the hills, painting the inside of the cab in long, hot shadows. Mike just crushed his latest cigarette in the overflowing ashtray with more force than necessary, the plastic cracking a little. The sound makes Mason flinch. *Okay. Time to intervene.* He clears his throat, reaches for the ancient radio knob. Static hisses, then a faint twang of some country station Mike would normally mock. Mason leaves it on. Background noise. "So," he starts, leaning forward slightly to catch you's eye around their dad's r…