Chapter Text
It was late.
Late enough that the usual congestion of LA highways had died down, only a few other cars occupying the road. Mark was seated at the wheel, trying in vain to suppress his obvious yawns of exhaustion.
It was only natural he be tired, after all. Jack had decided to visit Mark in LA, and the two drove down to San Diego for Comic Con. Now with the convention over came the lovely two hour drive back to Mark’s place. Mark had been doing well on the drive so far, but Jack knew the convention took its toll on him by the way his eyes seemed to remain half lidded and how quiet he was being.
Jack, on the other hand, while tired as well, wasn’t nearly to the level of exhaustion Mark was showing. Conventions wore him out, sure, but he always prided himself on being a bundle of energy. He probably had more energy left then Mark at that point, which was what mattered.
“Pull over,” Jack said, breaking the silence. “Let me drive for a while.”
His words seemed to take a moment to register with Mark, who blinked a few times in surprise before snorting. “Yeah, sure, I’ll let the guy without a license drive on a highway.”
Jack frowned. “Come on, Mark! I may not have a license, but I do know how to drive.”
Mark scoffed, letting out another yawn. “Still not buying it.”
“There’s not even many cars out right now,” Jack reasoned. “Besides, it’s just driving straight down the way. You’re tired, so let me.”
Mark went quiet again, and as Jack shot him a look he could tell the other was deep in thought. “It’s fine,” he finally said after a moment. “Only another forty minutes or so left. I can make it.”
“Mark, I don’t wanna fight you on this but I will if I have to,” Jack told him seriously. While he usually trusted Mark’s judgement, Mark was clearly exhausted and not in a proper state to drive safely. Jack cared about him, and wanted Mark not to take risks if he could help in any way. Besides, Jack wanted to show the other that he too could be trusted with something like this.
Mark let out a sigh of defeat, but shot Jack a grateful smile. “Fine. Just don’t crash the car.”
Jack beamed at him then as Mark switched to the far right lane and pulled over on the shoulder. He flicked the hazards on as the two hopped out of the car, swapping seats. Now behind the wheel, Jack adjusted the mirrors and chair before turning to Mark again.
“Thank you,” Jack murmured.
“What for?” Mark questioned, breaking off in another yawn.
“For trusting me.” Jack chuckled quietly. “Now get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
Mark looked like he wanted to protest, but another timely yawn silenced any further arguments as he settled further into his seat. As Jack switched the car into drive and changed lanes, the gentle sounds of Mark’s snoring reached his ears. He spared him a quick, fond glance, then refocused on the road. Jack clicked the radio on, keeping the volume low.
As Jack sped down the road, he enjoyed the company of late night radio tunes, the occasional vocal direction from the GPS on the dash, and the rumbling snores from the man to his right.