tensionandthrill:

::: In which Sam isn’t here for it.

“You know we have to go back for him, right?” Mercedes said, barely suppressing a giggle as she looked at her husband. He stubbornly looked straight ahead at her words, leisurely driving their car down the street.

“Sam!” Mercedes said with an incredulous laugh when she received no answer. “You’re not serious right now! Go back for him!”

“He was being fresh,” Sam told her, finally turning to look at her. “Putting his arm around my girl. Let him stew a little.”

“He’s 16. It was harmless,” Mercedes said rolling her eyes. “You didn’t have to leave him in the middle of the strip alone.”

“Bet you he won’t do it again,” Sam told her as he turned the car back toward the spot where he’d left his brother stranded at the side of the road.

Mercedes could only roll her eyes again before she pulled out her phone to text her brother-in-law that they were on their way back for him and not to move.

“Your mom’s gonna fly here and kill you when she finds out about this,” Mercedes told him, shaking her head.

“I have a two thousand mile head start,” Sam retorted, entirely unconcerned. Mercedes rolled her eyes at him again.

It was only a few minutes until they returned and found the sixteen year old standing right where they’d left him. Mercedes laughed outright and smacked her husband when he started to engage the boy in a game of cat and mouse with the door locks.

“Neanderthal,” she accused. “Open the door.” He finally did and Mercedes could only laugh when Stevie climbed in, gave his brother the stink eye, and put his arm around her from the back of her seat to tell her his woes at having been left to fend for himself the last five minutes.

Sam rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the road, no doubt scheming up what he could do next.