Chapter Text
Heath was on his way to school when a black van pulled up next to him, slowing down to match his walking pace. He didn’t pay it any mind at first, but when it was still driving alongside him after a few moments, he looked up to see that it was Adam in the drivers’ seat.
Adam? What are you doing?
The dark-haired boy put the van in park and stuck his hands out the window.
Come on, get in.
Heath reluctantly walked around the front of the car and climbing into the passengers’ seat. He looked over at Adam with confusion.
What happened to your other car?
I traded her in for this one. That car won't do us any good where we're going. It was too small.
Heath looked around the interior of the van. It was completely hollowed out, and on the floor of the back laid a double-sized mattress fitted with the sheets and blankets from Adam’s bedroom. A stuffed duffel bag was resting on top.
Where are we going?
We’re leaving this shithole, and we’re never coming back.
Heath’s eyes widened. He had been telling Adam for years that he wanted to leave and go anywhere but here, but he never thought they would actually run away. But he suddenly felt a wave of relief when he imagined a life where he would never have to see his parents again.
Adam grinned when he saw the smile tugging at his friend's lips. Do you want to swing back by your place and grab some clothes or something?
Heath considered it for a moment. All of his clothes were either too small or full of holes. And he certainly didn’t have any money or anything of value to take with him. The only possessions he would really miss were his books. The books he had used to teach himself and Adam sign language because his parents couldn’t be bothered to find anyone to teach him. The books that had taught him all the things his teachers had never bothered to try to explain to him because they didn’t know how to talk to him. But there were always libraries. Heath shook his head as he replied, I’m never stepping foot in that house again.
Adam grinned as he started up the car. Heath tapped him on the shoulder and signed, Are we going somewhere in particular?
I was thinking we’d go to Canada. You can be a L-U-M-B-E-R-J-A-C-K or something. That okay with you?
Heath chuckled and nodded. He’d be happy anywhere as long as he was with Adam.
As they drove through Heath’s neighborhood, Heath looked questioningly at Adam when he took a turn in the opposite direction of the highway entrance ramp. They ended up on a familiar street, and Adam slowed down a bit when they reached his old piano studio. That place had been giving Adam hell ever since he was five. Heath was probably the only one in Adam’s life who didn’t know him first and foremost as a piano prodigy. He had quit playing about a year ago when the constant pressure from his parents and his teachers grew to be too much. Since quitting, Adam couldn’t go two days without his parents either asking him when he was going to start playing again or accusing “that deaf delinquent you’re always hanging out with” of being the reason he quit in the first place. Adam forcefully flipped off the music studio before winding back through the city streets and onto interstate 25. Heath breathed a sigh of contentment as he watched the Denver skyline disappear and their new lives begin.
As they got further out of Denver, the land became more sparse and the highway exits grew few and far between. Heath smiled. He had always hated the city. He’d grown up watching cowboy movies, longing for open pastures and ragged mountains. Heath sat in the passengers seat, watching the mountains whiz by on the other side of the car. He had always wanted to visit the Rockies, but even though he lived not two hours away from them, he had never been. Maybe now he would finally get to go- the Rockies did extend into Canada, after all.
They were stopped at a gas station just outside of Colorado when Adam heard a news segment on the radio reporting a missing teenager, black hair, 5’8”, last seen in a black van. Adam groaned as he told Heath, I did everything I could fucking think of to keep my parents from finding out about the van, but somehow they did. If they had put that kind of effort into raising me, maybe I wouldn’t be running away right now.
Heath took over at the wheel from there. He loved driving. He loved the feeling of freedom he got, just from putting his hands on the steering wheel, feeling the power of the engine vibrate through his fingertips. Every once in a while, he took his eyes off the road to look over at Adam. Heath smiled when he saw his friend fiddling with the radio, trying to find a good station. Adam had soft, small hands, and although his personality was anything but delicate, his fingers were gentle and graceful, probably from all the years of playing piano. Heath felt his stomach knot up and quickly pried his eyes away from Adam to look back at the road in front of him.
Looking away from Adam didn't cure the knot in Heath's stomach. Heath was running away with his best friend of over ten years. But lately, his feelings towards Adam had been growing exponentially, into something he knew would ruin their friendship. So far he had been able to keep his feelings in check, but before this morning, he hadn’t been spending every moment of his life with Adam. But now he would be. How the hell do you get over someone when they're the only person you have? And how do you hide something that big from someone you're living out of a car with? Heath sighed. For now all he could do was focus on the road.
At around seven, they stopped for dinner at a gas station off the highway. Adam told Heath that they could stop for the night, but Heath reassured him that he was good to keep driving. The further he was from Denver, the better he’d sleep that night. After a few more hours of driving, Heath noticed Adam begin to doze off in the passengers seat. He looked down at the dashboard. The clock on the dashboard read 10:24, and Heath’s eyes widened as he realized that they had left Denver over fifteen hours ago.
He pulled off the highway at a rest stop and parked the van. Heath nudged Adam awake and watched as his eyes opened slowly.
Where are we?
Almost to B-I-L-L-I-N-G-S-M-T.
Adam yawned as he unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed into the back of the van. Heath left to go use the rest stop bathroom, and when he got back, he returned to the drivers’ seat. He was startled when he felt a tap on the shoulder.
You really don't need to keep driving. We can wait until tomorrow.
Heath shook his head. I was going to sleep here.
Adam chuckled as he tilted his head towards the back of the van. Come on. It’s a double mattress. I promise I won’t be weird.
Heath’s brow furrowed as he considered his options. He could spend a very uncomfortable night in the drivers’ seat, or a very uncomfortable night on the mattress. He sighed when he realized that insisting on sleeping in the front seat would only cause Adam to suspect that something was up, so he climbed over the seat to join Adam in the back. Adam laid down so he was facing away from the middle of the mattress, so Heath followed suit. He tried his hardest to take up as little space as possible and thanked God that he couldn’t hear Adam breathing next to him.