oh, you waste it all (aka running away from camp for cheap thrills)

both boys are bruised and bleeding and hurt and there may or may not be a concussion between them, but they're also buzzing with adrenaline and victory. the manticore (why the hades was there a manticore right outside the outskirts of new york city anyway?) was beaten into a pile of stinking yellow dust and had stayed that way. sure, they have a considerable dent in the side of the rv, and sure, the exhaust is pumping grey smoke, and sure, the van won't last another day, but they survived. taleis is driving and humming along to some inane song on the radio (the only thing that seems to be working perfectly in the damn vehicle) as benjamin rummages through the back for bandages.

"here," he says, and lobs a roll at taleis's head as he climbs into the co-pilot seat. ripping a strip with his teeth, he wraps it around the thin gash in his forearm, baring his teeth at the sting. icy blue eyes scan the map in front of him. "we'll need to stop at the next town and steal a van. if we get another rv, they'll track us down."

"i can read a map just fine, thanks," benjamin snaps irritably, and smooths the map out. he squints at it (because his glasses are in the back and he doesn't want to go back and get them) and has to pull it just a little closer to his face. "you're going to take a left in," he pauses, and grimaces, "eleven miles." gods. he puts the map down and thumps his head down against the dashboard.

out of the corner of his eye, he catches a slowly growing patch of red on taleis's trousers, from the blood dripping from his arm. the cut's shallow enough, but - it's annoying benjamin. he stays still for all of thirty more seconds, and snatches the roll of bandages from the floor. he rips another long strip of bandage, and grabs taleis's arm, yanking it to him. "i hope your incompetency limits itself to reading maps, and not driving with one hand," he says roughly, and carefully wraps up the wound. as soon as he's done, he drops taleis's freckled arm and crosses his own tightly across his chest, looking out the window.