Chapter Text
Aiden is leaning against the side of the truck in his most nonchalant manner, scrolling through Instagram on his phone. The early morning cloud cover has finally burned off, and the sun is hitting him in just the way to make his hair look like liquid gold. His posture is relaxed, long limbs stretched out in an almost cat-like manner. He looks good, and he knows it.
“Aiden? Can you help me with some of these boxes?” A voice calls from the other side of the truck.
“Oh, come on, Harvard, you’re big and strong. You don’t need my help.” Aiden replies, snapping a quick selfie to see if the light really accented his features the way he thought it did.
“Aiden, please…”
“Uh, fine.” Aiden sticks his phone back into the back pocket of his jeans and walks around the truck, where he is greeted by the sight of a sweating Harvard surrounded by large cardboard moving boxes.
“Oh, thanks,” Harvard says, picking up another box, the strain evident in his voice. “You can take some of the smaller ones.”
“What, you think I’m not strong enough to carry the big ones?” Aiden crosses his arms and arranges his face into a pout. Harvard just glances at him and sighs.
“Fine, you can take some of the big boxes too, okay? But let’s hurry, I want to get on the road soon.”
Aiden uncrosses his arms and goes to pick up one of the larger boxes. He staggers a bit under the weight, but is somehow able to maneuver over to the back of the truck and get the box inside. Then he straightens up and gives the box a smug smile.
The two take the next fifteen minutes to load the rest of the boxes into the back of the moving truck, albeit with much cursing. On Aiden’s part at least. The worst thing he ever heard Havard say throughout the whole ordeal was, “Dangnabbit!” Harvard only swears when he’s really mad at something.
Finally, all the boxes are neatly(ish) stacked in the back of the truck, and Harvard closes up the ramp and locks up the back of the truck before turning to Aiden. A ring of keys dangles from his index finger and a mischievous smile stretches across his face.
“So, who’s driving first?”
“Uh, about that.” Aiden grins sheepishly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “I, uh, I sort of got my license suspended last week?”
Harvard’s smile disappears. “For what?”
“DUI.”
Harvard massages his temple with one hand, like he has a headache coming on. “DUI, Aiden? Seriously?”
“In my defense, it was a great party, I was a fabulous dancer, and people kept handing me drinks! I was just being polite.” He doesn’t mention why he was at the party, what he was running away from.
Harvard gives him a skeptical glance.
Aiden shrugs.
Harvard sighs. “Fine. I guess I’m driving, then. Let’s go.”
The pair climb into the cab of the truck, which smells like moldy coffee and stale sweat. Aiden wrinkles his nose, but Harvard just rolls his eyes.
“And we’re off!” Harvard says as they pull out of the driveway, causing Aiden to be the eye-roller this time. His best friend can be such a goof sometimes.
There’s silence in the cab for the first few miles, until they merge onto the I-84. The traffic is light, and they fly down the freeway without much hindrance. Then, the comfortable silence is interrupted by a soft ‘ding’ from Aiden’s phone. He pulls it out and makes a face.
“Who is it?” Harvard asks.
“Tanner.”
“What does he want?”
“Oh, just to inform me that Nicholas and Seiji are ‘on the outs’ again, and apparently it’s Nicholas’s fault this time.”
“What did Nick do?”
“Who knows. Not my problem. It’s vacation, and I’m not going to be bothered by a bunch of pining frosh.” He puts his hands behind his head, leans back, and closes his eyes.
“Oh, come on, you know you like them,” Harvard cajoles.
Aiden cracks an eye open to see Harvard with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Yeah, no. Seiji is just such a perfectionist, and Nicholas is… honestly, I don’t even know why he’s on the team. He’s a mess.”
“You’re just mad that you can’t play your mind games with Nicholas, and that Seiji is better than you.”
“Hmph.”
“Oh, come on. You know I’m right.”
Harvard was right, that was the problem. Annoyed, Aiden opens his phone again to see a long string of Instagram notifications. That made him smile a little. Lots of likes on his latest post, and a few DMs that he ignores.
They ride in comfortable silence for a while longer, only the sounds of the freeway around them. Eventually, though, Harvard pops the question.
“Hey, could we listen to some music?”
“Sure, hand me the aux cord.” Harvard passes it over and Aiden plugs his phone in before pulling up Spotify. “What do you want to listen to?”
“Eh, you can choose. As long as it’s not Ariana Grande.”
“Oh come on! What’s wrong with Ariana Grande?”
“I dunno, I just don’t like her music very much? There’s not enough punch to it. It’s all… floaty.”
“Floaty?”
“You know what I mean.”
Aiden… sort of understood what Harvard meant. It also wasn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation. And he also knew exactly what Harvard wanted to listen to, even if Harvard hadn’t said it specifically. He grins as he pulls up a playlist helpfully titled “harvard’s favs”.
I’ve had a little bit to much, much (Oh, oh, oh-oh)
Aiden glances over at Harvard and sees that he’s mouthing the words along with the song. His eyes are fixed on the road ahead, but his fingers tap the steering wheel in time with the beat.
All of the people start to rush (Start to rush by)
By the time the chorus rolls around, both boys are singing at the top of their lungs, trying to keep from laughing. Aiden can’t stop smiling, especially as the next song comes on.
This was never the way I planned, not my intention
“Oh my god. This brings back so many memories.”
“Please don’t remind me,” Harvard says, laughing.
“The fifth grade talent show. You, me, and those ridiculous feather boas. Oh god, the look on our teacher’s face. She had no idea what to do.”
That night is one of Aiden’s favorite memories. The two of them up on stage, lip-synching to ‘I Kissed a Girl’, wearing feather boas and heels they stole from Aiden’s stepmom. Aiden even had on bright red lipstick, although Harvard refused to wear makeup. They were a complete disaster, but it didn’t matter. The lights, the attention, the steady presence of Harvard by his side… that’s what Aiden wanted. He still wants it.
Song after song goes by, and Aiden sings himself hoarse. The miles disappear behind them, and as Aiden watches Harvard singing, he can’t help but wonder what he’s gotten himself into on this trip. Sure, it’s just driving across the country, but at the same time, it’s driving across the country, with Harvard.
They’ve been on the road for about three and a half hours before Aiden’s stomach begins to rear its ugly head.
“Hey, do you think we can grab some food soon? I’m starving.”
“Sure. We should probably fill up the tank as well,” Harvard says, eyeing the gas gage. “Could you pull up the map and search for gas stations?”
“Yeah, one moment.” Aiden opens Google Maps. “There should be a Sunoco off the next exit.”
“Thanks,” Harvard says, exiting the freeway.
They pull into the gas station a minute later and hop out. Harvard volunteers to fill up the truck, and tasks Aiden with grabbing them some sandwiches and chips.
Aiden pushes open the door to the convenience store, immediately hearing the soft ‘bing-bong’ that accompanies it. There’s no one else in the cramped store besides the bored looking woman behind the cash register. He makes his way over to the refrigerator, stopping to grab a couple bags of Lays. Sour cream and onion for Harvard, and classic for himself.
The fridge is full of classic convenience store sandwiches, with processed turkey and soggy wonderbread. Aiden makes a face as he grabs two chicken salad sandwiches, and two ham and cheese. Just for good measure, he also picks up a bottle of gatorade before heading to the checkout counter.
As the woman working the cash register scans the items, he glances out the front window to see Harvard squeegeeing down the windows of the truck.
“Is that your boyfriend?”
Aiden turns back to the woman and smiles. “No, just a friend.”
The woman hands him his purchases and says, “Oh, that’s too bad. You two would be cute together.”
Aiden laughs and bids her farewell before heading back out to the truck, something in his stomach twisting.
They get back in the cab and Aiden hands Harvard two of the sandwiches. Harvard makes a face and Aiden giggles. Within a few minutes, they’re back on the road, heading into the great unknown.
---
“How much longer?” Aiden asks, glancing up from his phone for what seems like the fiftieth time.
“Um, I think the motel I booked is in Youngstown, right outside of Cleveland. So, another hour, I think?”
Aiden groans.
“Oh come on,” Harvard says. “It’s not like you’re doing any of the driving.”
“I could, though. If you need a break.”
“And risk us getting pulled over and you not having a valid license? Yeah, no. I don’t want to deal with that fiasco.”
“I won’t get pulled over. I’ll be like, super careful and stuff.”
“Uh-huh.” Harvard sounds skeptical.
“I’ll have you know that I am an excellent driver. I’m practically a professional.
“No, you’re not. You failed your driving test three times.”
“It was only twice!”
“And you get more speeding tickets than the rest of the team combined.”
“Well, excuse me for being in a hurry!”
“And-” Harvard is cut off by a ding from his phone. He sighs, and says, “Aiden, could you grab that for me? It’s in the bag next to your seat.”
Aiden fishes around in the bag until he finds it, then punches in Harvard’s passcode to check the text. “It’s from Kally.”
“Could you read it to me?”
“‘I don’t know if Tanner told you this, but Nicholas and Seiji are fighting again. They’re both on campus over the break, and are refusing to share a room any longer. SOS.”
“Tell Kally that one of them can sleep in our room while we’re away. And that I’ll call him once we stop so he can give me the rest of the details.”
“You’re going to let the frosh sleep in our room?”
“Stop calling them that. Did you send the message?”
“Yeah, he’s replying right now.” Another ding from Harvard’s phone, and Aiden reads out. “‘Harvard, you’re a lifesaver.’ Red heart emoji, relieved face emoji, purple heart emoji.”
He looks up at Harvard. “Why is Kally texting you about Nicholas and Seiji issues? Shouldn’t he just let those two sort it out on their own? And not drag you into it?”
“I’m the team captain. Their personal relationships affect the team. So it’s sort of my business.”
“Hm. All of their pining and fighting is beginning to get on my nerves.”
“Seriously, Aiden, just because you never pine over people doesn’t mean that other people can’t do it. I mean, Nick and Seiji are a bit extreme, but still.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Aiden says with a sad smile.
Harvard makes Aiden put on a podcast, and the two spend the last hour of the drive listening to the NPR podcast ‘Fresh Air’. Aiden falls asleep after the first few minutes.
He never dreams, and this time is no exception. The moment his eyes close, it all goes black. It feels like five seconds since he closed his eyes, but suddenly Harvard is gently shaking him awake. Aiden looks around groggily to see that they’re in the parking lot of a slightly run-down motel.
“I already got our room key. Do you want to put our stuff inside before we go hunt down some food?” Harvard asks.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”
The motel room smells like mildew and dead things. There’s a king-sized bed in the middle, with a green comforter, and a nightstand on either side. The bathroom is through a side door. The ceiling light flickers as Aiden sighs and throws his bag onto the bed.
“It was the only room they had left,” Harvard apologizes.
Aiden sits down on the bed and bounces up and down a few times. “It’s fine,” he says, “we’re only going to be here for one night.”
They don’t linger long, Aiden searching Google Maps to find the closest Taco Bell, which turns out to be a fifteen minute walk from the motel. They made sure to lock the door behind them, and Harvard checks to make sure the truck is locked as well. The back is crammed with plenty of old furniture and nice china that would probably sell pretty well at an antique store.
The sidewalk wasn’t much of a sidewalk, what with all of the potholes in it, but Aiden doesn’t mind. It’s a warm night with a soft breeze, and the orange pools of light cast by the streetlamps had an inherently romantic feeling. Aiden sneaks a glance at Harvard, who is looking straight ahead, hands in the pockets of his jacket. Harvard looks utterly content, despite just having driven for seven hours, and that makes Aiden smile. He wants to reach out and take Harvard’s hand, but he doesn’t.
The Taco Bell is located in a classic American strip mall, which also included a dry cleaners, a vape shop, and a boarded-up Blockbuster. Harsh fluorescent light burns Aiden’s eyes as they step inside and join the queue, behind a college-aged girl talking loudly on the phone. Her blond ponytail bobs up and down empathetically as she speaks.
“And so I told Kailee that she should just break up with him, but she was like ‘no, he’s changed this time,’ and I was like ‘that’s what you said last time!’ But she kept going on and on about the apology note he wrote her and the flowers he sent, as if that makes up for anything. And then last night, she called me and was all like, ‘Hannah, you will not believe--”
Aiden reaches out and taps her shoulder. Harvard puts a hand to his temples and shakes his head.
“Wait, hold on a sec,” the girl says, and then turns around to face them. “Yes?”
Aiden gives his most charming smile, the one that would make anyone melt. “Hey, do you think you could speak a little more softly? My friend here has sensitive hearing.” He pats Harvard’s shoulder.
“Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry! I’ll be quieter, promise.” She smiles at Aiden and he winks back at her before she resumes her conversation, her voice much quieter.
Harvard sighs. “And why, pray tell, did you feel the need to do that?”
“She was being annoying?”
“That’s- that’s not really a good excuse, but I’ll let it slide this time.”
The girl reaches the counter and orders, and then it’s Harvard and Aiden’s turn. The cashier, a high-school aged boy, looks like he would rather be in the pits of hell than here as he says, “May I please take your order?” in a bored voice. He’s not bad looking, and if it were any other time, Aiden might try to get his number.
“Yeah.” Aiden says. “I’ll have the shredded chicken burrito, a pink lemonade, and a side of chips and guacamole, please.”
“Small, medium, or large lemonade?”
“Large, please.”
The cashier types Aiden’s order into the machine and then looks up at Harvard. “And for you?”
“Could I have the three doritos locos tacos combo and a small pepsi, please?”
“Sure. Will that be all?”
“Yes.” Aiden pays, and the two find a table near the back of the restaurant as they wait for their number to be called.
Aiden turns to Harvard as soon as they sit down. “Doritos tacos? You’re disgusting. Do you even know what sort of crap is in those things?”
“I know exactly what sort of crap is in them, but I don’t care, because they’re delicious.” He grins. “C’mon Aiden, we’re on vacation. Coach isn’t here to lecture us about the nutritional value of chips or soda. We can do whatever we want. Not that you care what Coach thinks, but still.”
“Hmph.”
Harvard just grins, and gets up to grab the food when their number is called. He sets the tray down on the table and Aiden immediately pulls his burrito towards him and begins to chow down. God, he’s so hungry. Convenience store sandwiches and gatorade do little to fill the stomach of a teenage boy.
The two eat in silence, scarfing down as much food as they possibly can. The doritos tacos disappear within a minute, and soon Aiden catches Harvard eyeing his chips. He pulls them closer and gives Harvard a glare, which just serves to make the latter more inclined to get his hands on those chips. Soon, a full out war is being waged across the table, with Aiden’s chips as the prize.
Harvard wins, of course.
They leave the restaurant with full stomachs and begin to make their way back to the motel. The temperature dropped dramatically while they were inside the restaurant, and Aiden curses his stupid choice to leave his jacket back at the motel as he shivers in the cold night air.
Then he feels something warm being draped around his shoulders, and looks over to see that Harvard had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around Aiden in an almost protective manner.
“But, won’t you get cold?” Aiden asks, unconsciously snuggling into the jacket, which smells like Harvard’s lavender-scented deodorant.
“Nah, I’ll be fine. Plus, you looked like you were about to freeze.”
Aiden smiles thankfully and pulls the jacket on properly. Next to him, Harvard shoves his hands into his jeans pockets and looks up at the sky. Aiden follows his gaze to see a huge full moon hanging heavy and waxen in the sky. Around it, stars are splattered into constellations. Orion the hunter. The great bear. Thousands more that Aiden can’t name.
“The stars look different out here,” Harvard says. Aiden doesn’t reply. He doesn’t know how to.
They spend the rest of the walk back to the motel in silence. When they reach their room, Aiden returns Harvard’s jacket and thanks him. Harvard just smiles and says that he’s going to brush his teeth and shower.
While Harvard braves the terrors of the motel bathroom, Aiden pulls off his shoes and lies down on the bed, hands behind his head. As he stares up at the cracked, water stained ceiling, he tries not to think about how he and Harvard are going to have to share a bed tonight.
Of course, it’s not the first time they’ve had to share a bed. There were many sleepovers throughout elementary and middle school, several other disgusting motels, and the one time they had to camp out in Harvard’s dad’s truck. And, of course, they’ve shared a room for years. But something about this feels different. More volatile. Maybe it’s the long hours on the road with only each other for company, but Aiden feels like their relationship is balancing on the edge of a knife. One push, and it all comes falling down.
And Aiden’s suppressed feelings might just end up being the catalyst.
He lets out a long breath. Why the fuck did he agree to come on this trip in the first place? He knew what could happen. And yet, when Harvard asked him with that rare glint of mischief in his eyes… Aiden couldn’t say no. Even though he was pretty useless without his license.
Harvard emerges from the bathroom while Aiden is still lost in thought, wearing his favorite pair of blue pajama pants and an old Saved by the Bell t-shirt that he knows Aiden hates.
“If you want to take a shower, go ahead. But I’m warning you, I think I saw a rat in there.”
“Yeah, no. I’m just going to brush my teeth.” Aiden heaves himself off the bed and grabs his pajamas and toiletries from his suitcase. He steps into the bathroom and glances around for the ‘rat’ that Harvard saw. Satisfied that there’s nothing there but a rancid stench, he closes the door behind him.
As he’s brushing his teeth, he notices the mirror is cracked, all the way from the top right to the bottom left. It cuts his face in two, and the halves don’t quite fit back together properly. He stares at the mirror for a long time, gaze slightly unfocused. He has trouble tearing his eyes away.
Eventually he’s able to break his gaze. He leans over the sink and spits out his toothpaste residue. It looks like strawberry frosting. His gums feel raw.
He flosses and then throws on his pajamas before grabbing his toiletry bag and rummaging around for a hairbrush. He brushes his hair and then takes one last look at himself in the broken mirror.
When he emerges from the bathroom, Harvard is lying on the bed, reading a book. He looks up at Aiden and asks, “So, did you see the rat?”
Aiden rolls his eyes. “Of course I didn’t,” he says, throwing his clothes and toiletries back into his suitcase and flopping down on the bed next to Harvard, all too aware of their proximity.
Harvard sets his book down and glances at his watch. “Are you ready to go to bed now? We should probably get up early tomorrow.”
“Yeah, sure,” Aiden says, wriggling under the covers. The faster he falls asleep, the faster he can forget about Harvard lying right next to him.
Harvard sets his book on the side table and turns off the light, plunging the room into darkness.
“Good night, Aiden.”
“‘Night, Harvard. See you in the morning.”
There’s a long pause. Then:
“Did you know Ohio has an unusually high number of serial killers?”
“Oh my god go to sleep.”