Desert Road

Part 7

It was a long, tiring road to the Arizonan border. Of course, as America promised, he and Russia stopped to rest out past Albuquerque for a brief period of time, where they bought snacks and refilled the tank. The sun was slowly sinking, and the sky was just starting to change from blue to more of an orange-yellow. However, the pair of friends had also been tuning in to listen to the weather forecast, just to keep tabs on that storm that kept being mentioned. When they passed the border, America began to look around for someplace to pull over. Occasionally, they drove past a small building of some sort, but there weren't any inns or hotels or even gas stations nearby, it seemed. He sighed.

    "Rus- I think we might have to pull over."

    "On the side of the road??" he glanced over at his companion, who nodded.

    "Yep— I just don't see any good place to stop. No signs, no anything. And if we keep going to the canyon, we're not gonna get any sleep."

    "You've got a point." he mused. "Look- I don't care what you do. I'd rather do what you're suggesting than have you fall asleep at the wheel!" The taller nation laughed. America made a face.

"C'mon- I've pulled all-nighters before!"

"Mhm, and when was the last time you did?"
"Uhhhh— not important."

"Then you've proved your own point. Let's just find a flat place to pull off." Russia chuckled. America playfully rolled his eyes before easing off the gas and gently guiding the camper off the road and onto the dusty desert terrain. Once completely off, he parked the vehicle and shut the engine off.

"Hey- Ame?" Russia glanced out his side window.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't that the big storm we've been hearing so much about?" He pointed to the dark, ominous looking group of clouds that were situated far off to the left of the travelers. From the looks of it, it was already dumping heaps of rain across the desert, something that probably only happened once or twice a year.

"I think you might be right." America nodded. "I mean- hey! At least we won't get caught in it!" He yawned and climbed out the seat, entering the back of the van.

"That's not all— did you look at the rest of the sky??" Russia sounded awestruck. America turned back around for a double take, and realized that the sky was beginning to turn from a yellow-orange to an array of vibrant pinks and purples. He gasped.

"Oh- this is perfect! This is just the kind of view I was trying to describe!"

"And it's exactly the kind of view I was hoping for!" his friend added before swinging open his door, leaping out and shutting it. Half confused, America followed him.

"C'mon! We'll get a better look from the top!"

"The top— oh!" America suddenly understood. "There's a ladder to the roof on the back!" He led Russia over to said ladder before quickly scaling it. Soon enough, both countries were on the roof of the vehicle. Carefully, America sat down at the head of the van, and Russia sat next to him.

"Funny how this worked out, huh?" Russia chuckled again. "I got my promised American sunset."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" America sighed happily. "Hey— what are Russian sunsets like?"

"Mine? Hmm... well, I've seen my fair share of sunsets up past the Arctic Circle! Those just... hit different, I suppose."

"An Arctic sunset... I think I might know what our next road trip might be!"

"Next road trip?" Russia thought for a moment. "Will that be our thing? Travelling the world together like an old married couple?"

"Pfft! 'Old married couple'??" America laughed. "I mean, I guess you could say that!"