B O O T S T R A P
verb [boot-strap]

To help (onself) without the aid of others.

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"It's getting late James!" You yelled before stepping out of the house and walking down the pathway to your car, parked outside the garage.

"Hang on a minute, we have enough time," He shouted back and you rolled your eyes. You carried your 8 month old son to the car and started buckling him onto the car seat.

He stared at your blankly then let out a wide yawn. You grabbed his blanket and tucked him in, patting his chest softly to lull him to sleep.

You shut the door slowly after putting the window down then stomped into your house. "JAMES what are you-"

Someone grabbed you by your waist and turned you around, immediately planting their lips on yours. You kissed him for a moment then pulled away and glared at him.

"I'm done, let's go!" He said cheerfully and you furrowed your eyebrows.

"What were you doing?" You questioned and he shook his head, quickening his pace towards the car, "James!"

He shut his eyes as he opened the driver-seat door, "I was looking for my shoes!"

You crossed your arms and bit your lip to hide your laugher after glancing to his feet. "And by the looks of it I don't think you found them," You commented as you examined the flip flops he was wearing.

"Get your pretty arse into the car love!" He scolded playfully and you laughed.

"You're too cute," You said and sat on the passenger's seat. You buckled your belt as he started the car and did a mental check to see that you both had kept every-

"Where's [y/s/n]? We forgot [y/s/n]!" He exclaimed in a rush and you placed a hand on his arm. You looked back to the cat seat and pointed.

"Lower your voice, he's sleeping!" You shushed him and he let out a sigh of relief.

*****

2 and a half hours later...

"Oh I love this song," You said happily and turned up the volume. You started swaying with the music and once you started singing James laughed. You glared at him playfully and he shrugged his shoulders.

You opened up a pack of gummy worms and started snacking on-

"You know you look very pretty in that dress today," He complimented and you looked at him with awe.

"Thank you," You smiled, "It's an old one but it still fits!" He watched you lovingly then leaned over to kiss you on the lips. You shut your eyes but he then reached to yank the gummy worm from your hands with his mouth.

You gasped and punches his arm, "Argh James!" He smiled smugly and you crossed your arms while he reached for the entire packet placed on your lap.

You stared at him with an eyebrow raised and he rolled his eyes. "I really did mean what I said... But the worm looked more promising than a kiss," He explained and you sighed, leaning your head on the window.

You glanced at the directional signs on the road and furrowed your eyebrows. "Hey I think we missed the turn," You pointed out and he shook his head.

"We're going the right way love, don't worry," He said confidently.

"But the map said turn onto the outskirts. That's the correct road-"

"I know where I'm driving [y/n]. You're sitting in the passenger seat right? So be a passenger."

You clenched your jaw then looked out of the window with anger. You were sure that you had to go that way but James seemed like he knew where he was headed.

*****

HONK!

You jerked awake, staring out of the window with your heart thumping in your chest.

"Son of a bitch!" James yelled and honked the horn a couple of time more before you snatched his hand away and threw it to the side. You glared at him with rage.

"What the hell is happening? Stop yelling!" You whispered furiously and he looked to you sadly, "[y/s/n] is-"

Your eyes darted to the car seat where your son started crying out loud, the blanket on his face muffling his voice. You rolled your eyes and stared at James with irritation then asked him to pull the car over.

You unbuckled yourself then stepped out of the car when it came to a halt. You rushed to the back seat and took your son out, bouncing him slowly in your arms to calm him down.

You wiped the tears off his cheeks then kissed them. As you patted his back you squinted your eyes and looked to James who was leaning against the car with his forehead placed on it.

"Where are we?" You asked but he didn't respond. After a couple of moments you repeated your question, taking his name as well.

He walked towards the front of the car and you followed him. His attitude was getting on your nerves.

"James what the heck is up with-"

"I don't know where we are sweetheart!" he ran a hand through his hair after exclaiming, "Th-There's a long stretch of road for miles with no end in sight. I thought I could drive out of it but there are no turns a-a-and there haven't been any other cars than the one I honked!"

You stepped loser to him and stroked his arm. "You never listen to me, do you?" You raised your eyebrows, "We should have taken that turn."

He watched you with a frown then kissed your cheek. He rubbed his son's back slowly and kissed his head, "I'm sorry I woke you up."

You placed your son against your chest and used his blanket to cover him from the sun. "Did you try GPS?" You asked and he shrugged his shoulders.

"There's barely any signal. I tried for ten minutes while staying put," He explained, "I waited out to flag down and at for helping no one passed by. I tried calling someone to check the roads for us but again... No signal."

You took a deep breath, "Okay um... Let's just keep driving ahead. There's bound to be a town nearby. We'll ask them for directions to the hot-"

"No no no, we can find it on our own [y/n]," He stated and you scoffed.

"Are you serious? After getting lost you still rather travel without knowing anything about these roads than ask for help?!" You argued loudly, "What's with men and not asking for directions?"

You stepped right up to him and started freaking his jacket and jeans pockets. You dug your hands in his front and back pockets, making him jump out of the invasion of personal space.

"Woah love, we can get in the car and you can do all this," He said hesitantly and you pushed him a bit with annoyance.

"I want the car-" You stopped when you found the keys in his jacket's inner pocket. You gave him [y/s/n] then went over to the driver's seat.

"Now shut your ass and do as I say," You pointed at him, "I'll be driving us to the hotel and you can't do anything to stop me."

He raised a brow then stood up straight and saluted. You bit the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from laughing.

"Now place the offspring in his throne," You demanded and James obeyed quietly. You sat in the driver's seat and stated the car, then adjusted your seat position. Then you fixed the side and rear view mirrors.

James sat beside you and smacked you with a kiss on your cheek. "I still haven't forgiven you," You said and he frowned, "Not until we have lunch... At our destination."