Oh my god, it's finally here!
I'm back with a new hyunsung and this time it's a road trip au! I've been wanting to write one for so long and now I have! I never would've expected it to be over 23k words (which makes it longer than my longest hyunsung '7000 miles' omg). Writing another 20k hyunsung was one of my writing goals for this year, so I'm really happy I did it...

I hope you're going to like this as much as I loved writing it. Oh, and before I forget, I have to get some credit to my mother because she gave me the idea to include an original female character!

Alright, enough of my ramblings...

Enjoy!

 

 It was Thursday, 9:30pm when Hwang Hyunjin left Las Vegas for good.

“This is the last you’ll see of me...” he muttered to himself as he threw his bags into the trunk of his father’s car before getting in and starting the engine. He didn’t have a destination in mind, but he knew that he needed to get out of here, fast. He pulled out his phone and dialed an all-too familiar number.

“Dustin, hey... I need you to do me a favor...” he said as he drove off. Luckily, his parents’ fancy party was still in full swing so he could sneak off quietly with two bags, one with all his savings and another one with some clothes.

“Sure, what do you need?” Dustin questioned on the other side.

“I need you to get me a car...” Hyunjin said.

Dustin laughed. “You’ve got a car! Three, even,” he replied.

“I know. But none of those are really mine and I need a car that can’t be associated with me or my family. I need you to get me one and then quietly drop my dad’s car off at my place again. Please... you owe me,” the boy pleaded.

Dustin sighed. “I don’t even wanna know what you’re planning... but fine. I might have something for you,” he said.

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes!” Hyunjin said.

~

“Going on a trip?” Dustin asked a few minutes later when Hyunjin pulled up in front of his car dealership, getting his bags out of the trunk and loading them into the Range Rover Dustin had prepared for him.

Dustin was a tall and lanky man of 21, with a great love and knowledge about cars. Hyunjin had financially helped him out with his business several times, despite his parents not being very fond of the idea. But Dustin was a friend. And Hyunjin believed in helping his friends.

“You could say that...” Hyunjin muttered. He handed Dustin the keys for his dad’s car.

“And if I do this, I’m clear of my debt?” Dustin questioned.

Hyunjin nodded firmly. “Every penny. Thanks for the car, Dus, seriously,” he said, getting in.

“When will you be back?” the other boy asked him, putting his hands into his pockets.

“If everything goes well... never,” Hyunjin answered, starting up the car.

“Where will you go?”

“Somewhere far from here. I don’t know where exactly yet. I’d say see you around, but...” he trailed off.

“Take care, Jin,” Dustin said with a chuckle.

“I will...” He drove off with one last wave, leaving behind his friend and his home.

~

Hyunjin decided to just drive wherever his instincts led him. He followed the I-15 for a while, deciding to get out of Nevada first. He’d reached a town called Mesquite after about an hour of driving give or take. He hadn’t really packed lots of snacks, so he decided to head for the next supermarket or gas station to stock up.

He saw the sign of a gas station just around the corner and made a turn. His eyes widened when he caught sight of the figure that was in the middle of crossing the street right in front of him. Alarmed, Hyunjin stepped on the brakes, managing to get the car to a halt mere inches away from the startled person.

Hyunjin quickly got out of the car. “Are you okay?” he questioned, concerned. The person turned out to be a guy, seemingly around his age. He had shaggy, dyed-blonde hair and round, squishy-looking cheeks. He was carrying an old duffle bag and his clothes looked pretty ragged. Hyunjin noticed that he looked a little chewed up in general.

“I-I’m fine...” the guy answered.

“Are you sure? I’m really sorry...” Hyunjin apologized. Somehow, he couldn’t help but notice how lost the boy looked. Like he didn’t belong here. “What’s your name?” Hyunjin asked.

The blonde boy looked surprised but answered nonetheless: “I’m Jisung...Han Jisung.”

“I’m Hwang Hyunjin. What are you doing out here all alone?” It was almost 11 and this area looked pretty abandoned, aside from the gas station.

Jisung chuckled, bitterly. “What’s it to you?” Hyunjin gave him a look. The boy, Jisung, sighed and briefly looked in the direction of the gas station. “I’m in a bit of a situation... nothing you’d want to hear about,” he replied.

It was vague, to say the least. Hyunjin didn’t even know why he was so curious about this stranger. But something about the way Jisung looked; his troubled expression, his general appearance, told him that the situation he was in, wasn’t particularly good.

“What if I treat you to a snack of your choice?” Hyunjin offered, pointing at the gas station. Jisung looked at him skeptically, like he didn’t trust the offer.

“Fine... only because I can’t turn down free food,” he answered after a few moments of contemplation. Hyunjin smiled and the two of them decided to walk the few feet over to the gas station after Hyunjin parked his car at the side of the road.

He bought a few snacks and some water for himself and let Jisung choose a snack and a drink of his choice. It didn’t take a genius to see that he was eager to get a bite to eat of anything. He didn’t look starved per say, but Hyunjin figured that he also didn’t usually have three meals a day.

“So? What brings you to this abandoned part of town?” Hyunjin asked when they’d sat down on the hood of his car, munching on their snacks. Jisung sighed again. Hyunjin noticed how hard he was trying not to devour the snack at once. It made him even more curious about Jisung.

“I got kicked out of my foster home a few days ago, on the day I turned 18, and now I’m kind of out of money,” he finally admitted. So, Jisung really was his age. A few months younger even.

“So, what’s your plan now?” Hyunjin questioned.

Jisung shrugged and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “I’m pretty much a ‘coming up with things on the fly’ kinda guy,” he replied. Hyunjin hummed in thought. That didn’t sound very promising to him, though he refrained from telling Jisung that.

He looked down at the car they were sitting on and then back at Jisung. “Well, if you need a ride anywhere...” he trailed off.

The younger gave him a wide-eyed look. “You don’t mean that...”, he said.

Hyunjin grinned at him, patting the hood of his car. “I do mean it. I can drop you off literally anywhere you like,” he told Jisung.

To his surprise, the blond slid of the car. “I can’t take that offer. You probably have places to be...” he said. “But thank you, for the snack and everything.” He turned around and began walking off. Hyunjin remained where he was, just staring after Jisung. He felt a little disappointed. He was probably never going to see that guy again.

He didn’t know why it bugged him so much. They had literally just met. But maybe it was the thought of a travel companion... somebody to spend some time with on the way to wherever he was going, that made Hyunjin want for Jisung to stay. Well, he thought to himself, it didn’t matter, as the younger obviously seemed more comfortable on his own.

Suddenly, Jisung stopped in his tracks a few feet away from the car. Hyunjin furrowed his brows and tilted his head in interest. The younger boy turned around and approached Hyunjin’s car again. He had an unsure look on his face.

“When you say anywhere...” he trailed off.

“I mean anywhere. I have nowhere to be, Jisung,” Hyunjin assured him.

Jisung crossed his arms over his chest. “You know it’s dangerous to pick up hitchhikers, don’t you?” he asked, sounding a little less serious than before.

“You don’t scare me very much,” Hyunjin said, making Jisung laugh.

“How do you know I’m not just playing the lost boy and I’m actually secretly plotting to kill you?” he questioned. Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“You’re cute, I’ll take my chances,” he said. Jisung’s eyes widened the slightest bit, a small blush spreading on his cheeks.

“S-so...uh, are you really sure about this? Because I can just leave you alone,” he switched subjects.

“Where are you headed?” Hyunjin asked cheerfully.

“Providence, Rhode Island...” Jisung gave him a look, like he was waiting for Hyunjin that he was crazy, and he could not take him there. Instead Hyunjin slid of the car as well and gathered the snacks.

“Well, to the other side of the country we go!” he exclaimed, actually excited to finally have a destination.

“It’s a really long drive. I’d understand if you didn’t want to...” Jisung trailed off.

Hyunjin waved off. “I didn’t have a destination before I came here. Besides, Rhode Island is nice,” he told him. “You can just throw your bag into the trunk,” he added.

Jisung still looked the tiniest bit unsure, but finally decided to do as told, while Hyunjin gathered the snacks and put them back into the bag which he then placed on the backseat. Jisung got in on the passenger’s side and Hyunjin got behind the wheel, starting the engine.

“Ready?” he asked. Jisung smiled a little and nodded.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he muttered. Hyunjin chuckled and drove off.

You are leaving Mesquite, Nevada 
(2620 miles to Providence, Rhode Island)

~

They drove in silence for a while, aside from the soft tunes of the radio that was playing quietly. Hyunjin had typed a random address in Providence into his GPS and was focusing on the road, while Jisung just stared out of the window. Since it was already past midnight, there wasn’t much to see, but the younger didn’t seem to mind.

“So...” Jisung suddenly spoke up. Hyunjin threw him a quick side glance before refocusing on the road. “Do you always drive around with a bag full of cash in your trunk?”

The older tensed for a second, then he relaxed and grinned lazily. He couldn’t even blame Jisung for taking a look. He probably would have done the same if he’d agreed to travelling with a stranger. For all he knew, it could have been a bag full of chainsaws or axes or some other . Since Jisung was going to be his travel companion for the next 2600 miles, he decided to be honest with him.

“I had to clear out everything that has my name on it because my parents will 100% freeze my account once they figure out, I’m gone,” Hyunjin told him.

Jisung made a surprised noise. “You ran away?” he questioned.

Hyunjin shrugged. “Sort of... I just had to get out,” he muttered the last bit.

“Where are you from?” Jisung questioned.

“Vegas...” Hyunjin replied, sounding a little bitter.

“Why would you want to get out of there?” the younger asked, sounding more surprised with each question.

Hyunjin shot him another short side look, smiling a little. “Trust me, living there is not as fun as it may seem,” he told Jisung, who nodded slowly, as a sign he understood.

“Don’t you have any friends that’ll miss you?” he asked after a few more seconds of silence. Hyunjin shook his head.

“They’ll get over it. They only like me for my money anyway. Nobody will truly miss me,” he replied.

He had to admit that it stung a little to say that out loud. He had been friends with all the rich and the pretty kids, who only cared about partying and spending their parents’ money. Sure, it had been fun sometimes, but if they knew why he ran away, they would all turn their backs on him anyway. Better to run without telling them a thing.

“Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about yourself,” Hyunjin switched subjects, not wanting to think about his hometown or his old life in general anymore.

“Why?” Jisung asked.

“I figured, we have a good 2600 miles ahead of us and are most likely gonna spend a few days together. Might as well get to know each other,” Hyunjin answered.

“There’s not much to know about me. I just turned 18 as you already know... I’ve been in a million different foster homes, blah blah blah... you don’t want to hear my sob story,” Jisung waved off. Hyunjin begged to differ, but he didn’t want to pry after only having known the guy for about two hours.

“What’s in Rhode Island?” he asked instead.

“My birth mother, hopefully,” Jisung mumbled, before leaning back against the window and staring out again. The conversation died down and Hyunjin fully concentrated on the GPS and the road again.

~

They quickly stopped in St. George, Utah for a bathroom break and to get some more water at a 24/7 convenience store.

“You know I can’t pay you for any of this, right?” Jisung pointed out on the way back to the car.

Hyunjin waved off. “It’s okay. I really don’t mind... at the risk of sounding like a show-off, but I have enough money in that bag to get us to Rhode Island, comfortably,” he assured Jisung.

“I just don’t want you to feel like I’m using you or anything...” the younger replied.

“Hey, it’s really nice to have someone to travel with, even if I don’t know you very well yet,” Hyunjin said. And he meant it. He hadn’t known Jisung for more than a few hours, but something told him that they would be getting along just fine. On top of that, the boy looked like he needed a friend. Jisung just smiled at him.

“Hey, it’s late... do you want to find a place to crash here, or do you want to keep going for a bit?” Hyunjin asked him once they were back at the car.

“That’s up to you. You’re the driver...” Jisung replied.

“Do you have a license?” the older asked. Jisung nodded.

“But I haven’t driven a car in over a year, so...” he trailed off.

“Tell you what, I’ll drive until I get too tired and then we’ll find a motel. If you feel like driving somewhere along the way, you can. If not, it’s fine, too!” Hyunjin offered.

Jisung smiled and nodded in agreement. “Alright,” he said.

Hyunjin got a coffee at a drive-through before they left St. George and went back on the road. Jisung fell asleep somewhere along the way; his face cutely squished against the glass of the window, mouth slightly agape. Hyunjin smiled a little, feeling his own tiredness kick in despite the coffee. He checked the time, noticing that it was already past 4am. He figured that they should probably get a motel somewhere not too far from here.

They weren’t too far from Colorado by now, in a town called Green River. Hyunjin pulled up at the next best motel and got them a room before heading back to the car to wake up Jisung. He softly shook the younger awake. “Jisung...”

The blonde stirred awake. “We there yet?” he asked sleepily.

Hyunjin giggled. “I’m afraid not, cutie... we’re still in Utah. I got us a room,” he informed Jisung, who groggily stumbled out of the car. “I hope you’re okay with sharing a bed...” Hyunjin said. Jisung only grunted, still sleepy. It was beyond cute.

They reached the room. It was shabby and not usually a place Hyunjin would stay at – at least not if his parents had a say in it. “You sure this is alright?” he asked Jisung again. The bed looked old and he had to tell himself not to look too closely at the sheets or he knew he’d end up sleeping on the floor.

“I’ve lived in group homes. I’ll be fine...” Jisung muttered, before yawning.

Hyunjin went to the bathroom and quickly changed into sweats and a shirt before getting into bed as Jisung used the bathroom to change as well. When he joined him, they turned off the lights and lay in silence for a while. Hyunjin had half expected Jisung to already be asleep and was drifting off himself, when Jisung’s small voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Hyunjin?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you...” Jisung muttered. Hyunjin rolled onto his side to face Jisung.

“For what?” he questioned sleepily.

“I didn’t think I’d have a more or less solid roof over my head any time soon, let alone a comfortable ride to Rhode Island. Honestly, thanks,” Jisung told him, sounding sincere, despite the obvious tiredness in his voice. Hyunjin wasn’t sure if he replied to the younger as he drifted off to sleep soon after.

~

The next morning, Jisung woke up alone. He didn’t hear the shower running and figured that Hyunjin was probably just outside. He got up and quickly made the bed before he headed to the bathroom, stripping off his clothes and stepping into the shower. It wasn’t the cleanest one, but he really needed to wash up. The water was mostly cold, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t used to worse.

He kept his shower quick and looked through his bag for clean clothes. Just as he’d stepped out of the bathroom, the room door opened and Hyunjin came in with a paper bag and two cups of coffee. “Morning,” he said. “Well, it’s past 2, but I still got us breakfast.” They both sat down on the bed across from each other.

Jisung smiled, feeling a warmth spreading in his chest when Hyunjin unpacked the bag and presented him with a bagel and a croissant. He figured he had to choose one, but Hyunjin handed him both, before unpacking the same two things for himself. Jisung wasn’t used to that thoughtful kind of treatment, so he wasn’t surprised when he felt himself blush.

“I didn’t know how you liked your coffee, so I just got you my order...” Hyunjin told him. Jisung smiled brightly, taking the cup from the older’s hands.

“Thank you,” he said. “Did you sleep okay?” he asked.

Hyunjin nodded. “I was so tired that I didn’t even mind the uncomfortable mattress. What about you?”

Jisung, who had just bitten into his bagel, just gave him a thumbs up. Hyunjin giggled, probably finding amusement in the way Jisung’s cheeks were practically stuffed with food. People often told him that he looked like a chipmunk when he ate. He figured it was one of the nicer nicknames he’d gotten over the years, compared to street rat, leech and ‘worthless piece of trash’.

“I’ve gassed up the car, so we can hit the road whenever you like,” Hyunjin said. Jisung took a sip of coffee. It tasted heavenly.

“This is really good,” he said. The older smiled.

“It’s a latte with cinnamon and extra whipped cream. My favorite,” he told Jisung.

“It’s amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like it...”

After breakfast they gathered their things and checked out before getting back into the car. “I had to check a paper for the weather, since I left my phone behind. It says that there’s gonna be some rain today. I hope that won’t slow us down too much...” Hyunjin informed him.

“You left your phone behind?” Jisung questioned.

“Yeah, it’s best this way. I’m just gonna get a new one somewhere,” he replied nonchalantly. Jisung hummed in thought. He wished he could be so casual about spending money. He shrugged it off, though, figuring that Hyunjin was probably right about leaving it behind. This way his parents couldn’t track him. He wondered why Hyunjin had run away, but he figured they weren’t quite at that point, yet...

“Alright, then... let’s get out of here...” Hyunjin said and started the car.

You are leaving Green River, Utah
(2322 miles to Providence, Rhode Island)

~

They hit some traffic about an hour after leaving Green River. It had also started raining a little bit, but it wasn’t a big problem yet. They moved forward slowly and before they knew it, it was evening. The traffic had let up a little bit and they decided to get some food at a McDonald’s.

When they came back outside it was pouring in buckets. That, combined with the setting sun, wasn’t the most ideal condition for driving through the night. Hyunjin sighed. “We’re not too far from Denver... I say we just crash there for the night and see if the rain lets up by tomorrow,” he suggested.

“Okay,” Jisung agreed.

They rented a motel room just outside of Denver, eager to get out of the rain. This time they got a room with two single beds. Hyunjin wasn’t the most talkative tonight, only announcing that he’d take a quick shower and then head straight to bed. Jisung decided to leave him be if he wasn’t in a good mood. He could always use some sleep, so he decided to follow Hyunjin’s example.

Unfortunately, though, he couldn’t really fall asleep right away. He thought about his mission. Finding his mother... There were a million questions he wanted to ask her once he’d found her. If he would even find her. Rhode Island was but a mere hunch he had. What if she didn’t live there? What if she wasn’t even alive anymore?

He tried to shake off the bad thoughts and rolled onto his side. Hyunjin was laying in the other bed, his back facing Jisung. He smiled a little. He still couldn’t believe that a perfect stranger was really helping him get to Providence. He thought, the older could have brutally murdered him by now, but it seemed like Hyunjin really was just a runaway. Kind of like him. Just with very different backgrounds.

He asked himself again, what could drive someone like Hyunjin to pack up his things and flee his life. Sure, he’d said that nobody would truly miss him, but was that really true? What if his parents were worried sick about him somewhere? Jisung was just too curious to figure him out.

With his thoughts occupied with Hyunjin, he finally drifted off to sleep.

~

The next day, the rain had gotten even worse.

They decided to stay for another day, hoping that they might be able to drive through the night if the rain let up. They headed to a diner down the street for breakfast. Jisung noticed that Hyunjin still wasn’t the most talkative; in fact, he seemed almost grumpy. Jisung didn’t want to pry, so he decided to stay quiet for now.

The two of them ate pretty quickly before heading back to the motel, figuring that they couldn’t really do much in the rain. Jisung flopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He dozed off a few times while Hyunjin flipped through the TV channels. Jisung sighed and rolled onto his side, trying to focus on the TV as well. Unfortunately, though, they played only bull.

“Do you, like... have a book on you or something?” Jisung asked. They hadn’t spoken to each other all day. Jisung knew from experience that most of the time it was best to leave grumpy people alone. But he was really bored, so he figured asking couldn’t hurt. Hyunjin looked over at him.

“No, sorry...” he answered, before focusing back on the TV. Jisung got up from the bed and walked over to the window, looking outside. There wasn’t much of a view, especially not with the rain, but he figured he could keep himself occupied like this for at least a few minutes.

~

Hyunjin’s mood didn’t exactly lighten when the rain was still going strong in the evening. “Looks like we have to spend another night here,” he pointed out to Jisung who sat cross-legged on a small dresser that stood beneath the window next to the door. He only hummed in response.

Hyunjin hadn’t failed to notice their lack of communication ever since they had arrived in Denver. His mood was sour because he kept thinking about his father. His last words to Hyunjin at that party kept ringing in his ears. ‘If you had any sense of honor, you would do this despite your... situation’

He had already been close to running away several times, but that had just done it for him. Why couldn’t his father just accept that he wasn’t willing to do just anything to help him expand his empire? There was a limit and Hyunjin had reached it. He huffed in annoyance, trying to shoo his father’s cold voice and condescending looks from his mind.

“This ing ...” he heard Jisung mumble. For some reason, it annoyed Hyunjin.

“Well, you don’t have to be here,” he snapped. Jisung turned away from the window and faced him, exasperation evident on his face.

“You’re the one who asked me to come along!” he shot back. Hyunjin rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who just got into his car and fled from his privileged life in Las Vegas! You know, you have a family and you should be grateful instead of running away!” the younger continued.

Hyunjin sat up in his bed and glared at Jisung. “Yeah? What the hell do you know about families?” he spat before he could stop himself. He regretted saying it the moment it came out of his mouth.

Jisung stared back at him, wide-eyed. The lighting in the room wasn’t very good but Hyunjin thought he could see tears b in the blonde’s eyes. He wanted to slap himself.

“I’m-” he started, but Jisung was already off the dresser and out the door, ignoring Hyunjin’s “no, Jisung wait!” and slamming the door shut behind him.

Frustration came over Hyunjin. He had really ed up. He knew he shouldn’t have said that to Jisung, and he cursed himself for being so insensitive towards the younger. Especially because he was mostly right. He had been the one to offer Jisung to come along and only because he was in a bad mood about his family, he had no right to let it out on his travel companion.

What if Jisung ran off for good now? All his things were still here, but maybe that wouldn’t stop him. What if he got into trouble? Besides, it was pouring outside. He might get a cold or pneumonia or something like that. With a frustrated sigh, Hyunjin got up and followed him out the door.

When he looked around, Jisung was nowhere to be seen. Then again, he could barely see his hand if he stretched it out. He began looking around for the younger. His clothes were soaked within mere seconds, but that only made his worry for Jisung grow. How could he have been so stupid?

He came by the diner they’d eaten at this morning and decided to try his luck. He got a few weird looks from other people, thanks to his drenched clothes, but he didn’t pay them any mind. Instead, he looked around until his eyes landed on a guy in one of the booths. He sat facing the entrance, but he’d lowered his head, staring into his mug of coffee; water droplets falling from his bangs onto the table. Jisung.

Hyunjin carefully approached him, sitting down across from him. “Jisung...” he started.

The younger wiped his face before looking up from his mug. “Go away, I don’t want to talk to you...” he muttered. Hyunjin’s heart broke at the sight of Jisung’s reddened eyes.

“I’m really sorry, Jisung...I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” he apologized.

The younger scoffed. “It’s not that you ing snapped at me... it’s what you said!”

“I know! It was really low of me to say that. I’m sorry,” Hyunjin tried again. Jisung’s eyes fell back onto his mug.

“I can’t say I’m not used to it. And you’re also not wrong. I don’t know about families. The longest I’ve been in foster care was six months! Then they grew sick of me. I’m only ever good enough until people grow sick of me. I don’t know why I thought you were different...”

Hyunjin was tempted to reach out to touch Jisung’s hand, but he felt like it wouldn’t be greatly appreciated. “I am! Please, Jisung. I say mean things when I’m angry. I didn’t mean it. It’s just... thinking about my family brings out the worst in me and I’m really sorry for letting it out on you.”

Jisung said nothing for a while. Eventually, he sighed and looked at Hyunjin again.

“It seems like we’ve both crossed a line. I don’t know anything about your background, so I have no right to judge,” he finally spoke up again. Hyunjin was relieved to hear that.

“Forgive me?” he asked hopefully.

“Only if you do, too,” Jisung replied.

“Already have,” Hyunjin assured him.

“Then okay,” Jisung replied, giving him a small smile, which Hyunjin gladly returned.

“So, how were you planning on paying for that coffee?” he questioned, nodding at the mug in Jisung’s hands. The younger’s eyes widened slightly.

“I didn’t think that far,” he admitted sheepishly. Hyunjin chuckled and reached into his pocket, fishing out a few soaked dollar bills.

“I got you,” he said. Jisung smiled faintly. He looked past Hyunjin when somebody stepped into the diner, making the bell above the door chime. His eyes widened and he hissed out an “oh ”. Hyunjin furrowed his brows following his gaze. A tall, rather muscular man in a suit and shades had just entered and was now making his way to one of the tables.

When Hyunjin faced Jisung again he saw the younger in the process of hiding underneath the table. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Jisung knew this guy and that he didn’t seem very interested in a reunion. Hyunjin was confused as to why he was hiding from him, though. Who the hell did he know in Denver?

The guy passed their booth and sat down a few tables away from them. “What’s going on?” Hyunjin asked Jisung, who shushed him.

“I have to get out of here,” he whispered frantically.

“Uh...what?” Hyunjin questioned, still beyond confused.

“I have to go!” Jisung repeated, crawling out from under the table.

Hyunjin put the money for the coffee on the table and began sneaking after Jisung, though he didn’t quite understand why. They had just reached the door and were about to make a clean escape when a loud voice shouted “HEY!” Jisung jumped, looking in the direction of the guy. He had taken off his shades and was getting up from his table, pointing at Jisung.

Jisung bolted and Hyunjin followed him. The guy followed them, chasing after them, yelling to “stop right now!” Hyunjin was faster than Jisung, grabbing the younger’s hand and dragging him along. They didn’t know this area at all, so Hyunjin just followed his gut. There was a small side alley behind a restaurant with some dumpsters.

“Get in there,” Hyunjin said, holding up the lid. Jisung flinched but followed suit before taking the lid for Hyunjin to climb in. The stench brought tears to their eyes, but they heard the guy stomp past the alley, still shouting. Hyunjin let out a breath of relief.

“Oh my god...” Jisung breathed out. “To be honest, I’ve slept in places that smelled worse than this, but I’m not the biggest fan of this hideout.”

Hyunjin dared to lift the lid to sneak a look outside. “I think the coast is clear,” he told Jisung. The younger climbed out, followed by Hyunjin and they started making their way back to the motel.

“Care to tell me who the hell that was?” Hyunjin asked. The rain had gotten the slightest bit better, and to be honest, Hyunjin was even slightly grateful for the weather washing at least some of the garbage away. He felt gross, but it was nothing a shower couldn’t fix.

“How the hell did he find me...?” Jisung mumbled, more to himself than to Hyunjin.

“Jisung, who was that?” the older questioned.

Jisung took his hand and gave him a look. “I’ll explain everything to you at the motel. Let’s please just get there quickly,” he said, looking around in fear of seeing that man somewhere. Hyunjin’s curiosity was still eating at him, but he agreed with a nod and tried to navigate their way back to the motel.

~

The younger had let Hyunjin shower first, but he kept it quick, knowing that Jisung craved a shower as well. He quickly dried himself off and changed into comfortable clothing before stepping out of the bathroom to make way for Jisung.

“Crap!” Jisung exclaimed, going through his bag. “That was my last set of fairly wearable clothes...”

Hyunjin went over to his bed and started rummaging through his own bag. “You can wear this,” he said, throwing Jisung a shirt and a pair of sweats to change into after his shower.

“Thanks,” Jisung said, sounding genuinely grateful. Hyunjin made a mental note to find a laundromat before they left this town.

“Go take a shower and then explain!” he said, though there was no bite in his voice anymore. He still felt bad about snapping at Jisung today, no need to repeat that. The younger quickly headed to the bathroom and soon Hyunjin heard the water running. He sat down and ran a hand through his damp hair, turning on the TV again to pass some time.

10 minutes later, Jisung stepped out of the bathroom freshly showered and in Hyunjin’s clothes. The older couldn’t help but internally coo at how big they looked on Jisung.

“What?” Jisung asked him and Hyunjin realized that he had been staring. He grinned.

“Nothing... now...” he trailed off.

Jisung sighed and leaned against the bathroom door. “Okay, you know how I said that I was in foster care and got kicked out when I turned 18?” he started. Hyunjin nodded, clearly recalling the circumstances they’d met under. “Before I left...” Jisung trailed off. “I kind of... stole my foster father’s $1000 watch,” he finally admitted.

Hyunjin’s eyes widened. “You did what now?”

“Listen, they were going to kick me out onto the street with nothing! I had to... I didn’t know how much it was worth. I just needed some kind of money. I couldn’t sell the watch for more than $400 because the clerk insisted that it was “used and therefore not worth as much”. I managed to find a place for the night. I spent some money on food and a jacket and before I knew it, I was down to $50. I didn’t even think about going to find my birth mom until I broke down crying and panicking on a park bench. I didn’t know how to get there so I hitchhiked as far as I could get from Anaheim all the way to that gas station where we met.”

Hyunjin was quiet for a while, needing to process all of that. He couldn’t imagine what Jisung had gone through. It made his own problems seem almost trivial. “And that guy? Was that your foster father?” he finally questioned.

Jisung shook his head. “No, that was his brother. I only met him once which is why I can’t imagine how the hell he traced me all the way here. If he finds me, I’m toast!” He seemed to panic again, causing Hyunjin to get up and walk over to him. He put his hands on Jisung’s shoulders and sat him down on the bed.

“It’s gonna be okay. He won’t find you. We’ll get out of here first thing tomorrow morning and then we’ll go find your mom,” he assured the younger.

“What if the rain doesn’t get better?” Jisung asked.

“Doesn’t matter. We can’t stay here,” Hyunjin said. He wasn’t very confident about driving in the rain, but that guy unsettled even him.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’m causing... if you don’t want to take me all the way to Providence, I understand,” Jisung told him.

“Are you kidding? I had no idea where to go when I met you. This is... almost fun,” Hyunjin assured him. Jisung chuckled and looked at him.

“Hiding in dumpsters is fun to you?”

Hyunjin shrugged. “I’m a weird guy,” he said.

They talked for a while longer, carefully avoiding the topic of families for the time being. It was when Jisung fell asleep mid-sentence that Hyunjin realized just how late it was. He put the blanket over the younger’s body properly before getting into his own bed.

When they woke up the next morning, they were glad to see that the rain had lessened significantly. Hyunjin lent Jisung some clothes for the day and told him that they’d take his stuff to a laundromat once they were out of Denver. They decided to get breakfast on the road, not wanting to stay here much longer than they needed to.

You are leaving Denver, Colorado
(1958 miles to Providence, Rhode Island)

~

Hyunjin had sought out a laundromat and even waited with Jisung until the end, napping on his shoulder most of the time, which totally didn’t fluster Jisung at all. Once they had gotten back on the road, he finally felt a little better. His clothes were clean (even though Hyunjin’s were comfortable as hell and he really didn’t mind wearing them) and they’d left his foster father’s brother behind in Denver. Things were starting to look up.

He looked at Hyunjin who was softly humming along to the song that was playing on the radio. “So... at the risk of sounding nosy... why did you run away?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Hyunjin said nothing for a few moments. Jisung worried that he’d pissed him off again, but then the older spoke up.

“My dad’s a businessman. He owns three casinos in Vegas... he’s all about expanding his empire. So, he came up with the oh-so-brilliant idea to marry me off to his business partner’s daughter. I told my parents that I didn’t want to do that. They ignored me. I told them I was gay. They still insisted on going through with it. So, one evening I packed my , got into my dad’s car and got the hell out of there,” he explained rather quickly.

Jisung tilted his head, looking at the seat he was sitting on. “Wait, so this is your dad’s car?”

“No, I traded it for this one with someone who owed me a favor. My dad’s car is back home,” Hyunjin replied.

“Man, all of this sounds like straight out of a drama,” Jisung muttered. Hyunjin laughed.

“Rich kid flees arranged marriage and meets cute stranger on the way? I don’t know, sounds more like a weird road trip novel to me.” Jisung blushed at the ‘cute’ comment but said nothing about it.

“A-anyway... I’m sorry you had to go through that. I probably would’ve run, too. But what are you going to do now?” Jisung asked. He recalled Hyunjin telling him that he hadn’t even had a destination before they’d met.

Hyunjin shrugged. “I’ll get you to Rhode Island and then maybe I’ll find a nice place somewhere, get a job and an apartment and just start over. We’ll see,” he told the younger.

“Sounds pretty amazing,” Jisung stated. He wished he had the money to just start over anywhere.

“Yeah. I hope it’ll be better than living as my father’s puppet,” Hyunjin mumbled. Jisung figured that it was best to leave the conversation at that, as Hyunjin did not seem to want to get into detail about his family, especially, his father.

“Are you hungry? It’s almost 2pm,” Hyunjin switched subjects.

“I am, actually,” Jisung said.

“Okay, I’ll head to the next rest stop,” he replied. There wasn’t much but a portable toilet and a vending machine at the next rest stop but Jisung was beyond fine with just a $1 sandwich.

Hyunjin handed him some money to buy the sandwiches while he went to use said portable toilet. Jisung made his way over to the vending machine when a movement caught his eye. A blonde girl was sneaking up to their car, looking inside. Jisung wondered how they hadn’t seen her, since this area was pretty abandoned and there weren’t any buildings to hide in.

“Hey!” he called out, not trusting her so close to the car. He approached her, surprised that she didn’t bolt as soon as she’d heard him. Instead, she just spun around, pressing her back against the backdoor of the car.

“What are you doing?” Jisung asked her. The girl was a few inches shorter than him with freckles and green eyes. It was hard to guess her age; 17 or 18 maybe?

“I wasn’t trying to steal anything!” she quickly assured him.

“Not much to steal,” Jisung said, though the bag of cash in the trunk might say otherwise. Hyunjin emerged from the portable toilet, a mildly disgusted look on his face. Jisung understood. Those things weren’t exactly the most hygienic.

“What’s going on?” he questioned, looking from Jisung to the blonde girl. “Are you picking up girls while I’m gone?” he asked, mock hurt.

The younger swatted at him. “Very funny...”

“Listen, I was just checking if you still had space in your car... to be honest I was going to try to sneak in,” the girl told them. “My name is Avery. I was going somewhere with my friends, but they accidently left me at a rest stop in Wyoming. I tried calling them, but they wouldn’t pick up. I’ve been hitchhiking for almost 200 miles since Cheyenne,” she explained. Jisung exchanged a look with Hyunjin.

“So, you need a ride?” Hyunjin questioned. Avery nodded.

“Where are you headed?” Jisung questioned.

“Detroit,” she replied.

Hyunjin looked at Jisung again. “Well, if you want, we can take you along for a while. Maybe we could drop you off near Toledo or something?” Hyunjin offered.

Avery smiled. “Thank you, guys, seriously!” she exclaimed, pulling both of them into a group hug. She jumped back a second later. “Wait, I don’t even know your names,” she said.

Hyunjin chuckled. “I’m Hyunjin and this is Jisung,” he introduced the both of them.

“And what are you two up to? A romantic road trip?”

Jisung blushed. “N-no... we actually just met a few days ago,” he stammered.

“We’re heading up to Rhode Island... so, how about we get back on the road?” Hyunjin suggested. Jisung noticed that the older also had a faint tint of pink on his cheeks. He couldn’t help but smile a little at that.

“Sure, thanks again! I really owe you guys big time!” Avery exclaimed, picking up a duffle bag she must have dropped next to her. They all got into the car, driving off.

“So, Avery... how old are you?” Hyunjin questioned the girl in the backseat.

“I’m 18,” she replied.

“We are, too,” Jisung told her. “Where are you from?” he asked her.

“Oh, my family has moved a lot... we’ve lived everywhere,” Avery answered. “Anyway, enough about me. What about you guys? You’ve met a few days ago, but you’re heading to Rhode Island together?”

Hyunjin chuckled. “Well, I’m running from my parents and Jisungie here...” he trailed off, patting Jisung’s thigh absent-mindedly before getting his hands back on the wheel. The younger ignored the slight tingle that he might have felt at the gesture.

“I’m trying to find my birth mother,” he said.

“And you’re looking for her in Rhode Island?” Avery asked. Jisung hummed in confirmation. “And you are taking him there,” she now addressed Hyunjin, who nodded. “Wow...talk about a nice gesture,” Avery noted with a small chuckle.

“I figured I might as well get him there, since I didn’t have anywhere to be anyway,” Hyunjin explained himself. Avery didn’t say anything in return.

They drove for a about two hours before Jisung mentioned that he was still hungry, since he had totally forgotten about the sandwiches back at the vending machine, causing Hyunjin to pull up at a KFC. According to the GPS they wear near Kearney, Nebraska. Hyunjin went inside for all three of them to get food.

Jisung turned in his seat facing Avery. “So... what are you really doing here?” he questioned, not accusingly, just genuinely curious. She eyed him warily before looking out of the window again. A cop car pulled up next to them and Avery ducked, hiding out of sight. Two officers got out of the car and went inside, not even sparing them a glance.

Jisung raised his eyebrow at her. “Like I said, my friends left me behind,” Avery said, sitting back up once the cops had entered the restaurant. Jisung looked at the bag next to her.

“Do you always go on bathroom breaks with a duffle bag?” he questioned.

Avery sighed in defeat. “Fine... I lied about my friends. I’m actually traveling somewhere on my own,” she admitted.

“Avery. I’ve been on the run before. I fled more foster homes than I could possibly count. I know a runaway when I see one,” Jisung told her, trying to sound as compassionate as possible. Avery’s eyes widened the slightest bit and she ran a hand through her blonde locks.

“I’m not running from anything,” she argued. Jisung looked at the cop car parked next to them.

“That’s why you flinch at the mere sight of the police? Look, I get it. If you tell us, we can help you,” Jisung assured her.

“How? You’re just going to turn me over to the authorities!” Hyunjin returned and Avery sank back into her seat, staring out of the window. “I can just get out of your hair if that’s what you want!” she mumbled. Hyunjin looked confused.

“Did you two have a fight?” he asked Jisung, who just shook his head giving him a look. Hyunjin tilted his head, clearly still confused.

“Let’s eat first, okay,” he said, grabbing the bag Hyunjin had brought with him. He handed Avery her order, then Hyunjin before finally taking out his own. The smell of greasy fast food was enough to make his stomach rumble again. It was like he hadn’t eaten in days, though he clearly had.

They heard a sniffle from the backseat. Hyunjin looked back before giving Jisung a look. “Why is she crying into her fries?” he whispered.

Jisung turned in his seat again. “Avery. I know we only met two hours ago, but if you tell us the truth, you have my word that we’re not going to turn you over to any authorities. Like I said. I get you!” he tried again.

Avery wiped her eyes with a napkin and sat up straight again. “You promise?” she questioned. Jisung looked at her before holding up his pinky. She looked at it for a few seconds before lifting her own and locking it with Jisung’s. She sniffled and ate a fry. “Alright...” she began.

“I ran from a foster home in Cheyenne. The family was really nice, but I overheard the mother on the phone, telling someone, the social worker probably, that it wasn’t working out... they wanted to send me away again and I knew that I wasn’t going to end up in another good family. I thought I’d finally found a place, but they didn’t want me after all... so I ran,” Avery explained quickly.

“Wait, so that means you’re not 18?” Hyunjin questioned. Avery shook her head, a guilty expression on her face.

“I knew that if I told you guys that I was only 15, you’d grow suspicious right away. But turns out your boyfriend’s a detective,” she answered. Jisung spluttered at the ‘boyfriend’ part. He thought Hyunjin would strongly deny it, but he didn’t even acknowledge it.

“W-well... what’s your plan?” he asked.

Avery wiped her eyes again. “I have someone in Detroit... someone who might be willing to take me in,” she answered. It was vague, but maybe her circumstances were similar to his. Maybe she was also just trying to find her birth parents. “But as I said, I can get out of your way... you don’t have to continue taking me anywhere,” she added, already putting her hand on the door handle.

“It’s going to be okay. We’ve promised to get you to Toledo... and that’s what we’re going to do, right?” Jisung said, looking at Hyunjin. The older actually looked a little hesitant but Jisung stood his ground. He sighed.

“Of course...” he said eventually.

Avery looked from him to Jisung and back. “Do you mean it?” she questioned, sniffling. They both nodded. “Thank you!”

~

After they finished eating, they headed back on the road. They engaged in light conversation on the way since Avery was still very vague about where she even came from or what exactly she was looking for in Detroit. It was safe to say that Hyunjin wasn’t entirely on board with the whole plan of helping her escape.

He was distracted from all of that when the car started acting up, though. They had just reached Omaha, Nebraska, stopping at a gas station to fill up the tank. Hyunjin was about to restart the car, but it wouldn’t budge.

“What’s going on?” Avery asked.

“I have no idea... the engine won’t start,” Hyunjin said, trying again. He sighed in frustration. “Great... I’ll go look for a phone to call a towing service...” he muttered, getting out of the car again.

Jisung followed him inside the station. “Are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet the past two hours,” he said carefully.

Hyunjin walked up to the counter. “I’m fine, just tired. It’s been a pretty long day,” he replied, though that wasn’t entirely it. Jisung was so ready to help Avery, which was admirable, but they didn’t even know for sure if she had told the truth about what she was running from.

“Excuse me,” Hyunjin addressed the clerk. “My car broke down so I was wondering if I could use your landline to call a towing service,” he added.

The clerk, a young guy, looking just a few years older than them, smiled. “Of course, it’s right over there, let me write you down the number of a local towing service,” he replied. A telephone hung a few meters away on the wall. The clerk wrote down the number and handed it to Hyunjin who went over to the telephone, thanking him.

“Is this about Avery?” Jisung questioned.

Hyunjin looked at him. “This is about getting the car fixed,” he answered stubbornly.

Jisung crossed his arms over his chest and looked at him. “Hyunjin...”

“Fine,” the older said as he was dialing the number the clerk had given him. “Do we really know if she’s telling the truth?”

“What do you mean? She’s clearly a runaway. Who would lie about that?” Jisung replied.

“Who knows what she’s really running from... the point is that she’s underage. If her parents report her missing and she’s seen with us, we might be mistaken for kidnappers,” Hyunjin said, holding the phone to his ear. Jisung wanted to say something, but someone must have picked up.

Hyunjin explained the situation to the person on the other side, giving them details about their whereabouts while Jisung just stood there, looking at him with his arms still crossed over his chest. Eventually, the older hung up the phone with a “great, thank you so much” before facing Jisung again.

“Look, all I’m saying is we don’t know anything about this girl,” Hyunjin said, as they started making their way back outside again.

“So? You don’t know anything about me either,” Jisung argued. “But I trust you-... um... I mean... what I’m trying to say is, she’s lied to us about her age. What else is she lying about?”

“So, what, you want to turn her over to the authorities?” the younger shot back.

“Why are you so intent on helping her?” Hyunjin questioned.

“Because, I’ve been there! I’ve been through the same as her, I understand what it’s like to be pushed from one place to another! Please, Hyunjin. Let’s at least take her to Toledo like we promised,” Jisung pleaded.

He looked up at Hyunjin with those big brown puppy eyes and how could the older say no to him? He rolled his eyes, caving in, against his better judgement. “Okay, but only to Toledo!” Jisung jumped up and down in joy, throwing his arms around Hyunjin’s neck.

“Thank you, you’re the best!” he said cheerfully. Hyunjin smiled a little, wrapping his arms around Jisung’s waist, relishing in the hug. It had been a while since anyone had given him a warm, sincere hug and maybe he held on to Jisung for a little while longer than necessary.

“Alright, the towing service should be here any minute, so I’d say let’s get out bags out of the car and wait?” Hyunjin finally suggested after pulling back, not missing the blush on Jisung’s cheeks. The younger nodded, walking alongside him. When they reached the car, the first thing they noticed was that the back door was open.

“Where’s Avery?” Hyunjin asked.

Jisung looked around. “I don’t know, maybe she went to the bathroom?” he suggested.

“With her bag?” Hyunjin said, closing the back door. Jisung ruffled his hair in frustration. Avery had taken off. But why? There was no way she’d overheard what Hyunjin had said inside the gas station right? Unless she’d followed them.

“I’ll go look around. Maybe she’s still close. You wait for the towing service,” Jisung said, Hyunjin tried to call out to him, but Jisung was already running off. Hyunjin sighed, proceeding to get their bags out of the trunk. He couldn’t help but worry about the girl. Sure, he didn’t know if he could trust her, but she was only 15. Not all people were as trustworthy as him and Jisung and she might end up getting hurt if she kept hitchhiking.

~

The towing service took the car and the workers even gave Jisung and Hyunjin a ride to the nearest motel. Jisung was still worried about Avery’s sudden disappearance since he hadn’t found her anywhere at the gas station. Hyunjin wanted to comfort him, but he didn’t quite know how.

“I’m sure she’s going to be fine,” he tried once they’d reached their room after checking in. Jisung looked at him and sat down on the bed – there was only one this time.

“I just felt responsible for her, you know? I told her we’d get her to Toledo...” he trailed off. Hyunjin sat down next to him.

“I’m sorry. I can’t help but feel a little bit responsible. If she heard what I said-”

“No, it’s not your fault... you were probably right. I just wanted to try to help her. Like you helped me...” Jisung tried to explain himself.

Hyunjin gave him a smile. “You’re a really good person, you know that?”

Jisung looked like he was going to answer, but a knock on the door stopped him from doing so. “Maybe that’s Avery!” he guessed, though Hyunjin wasn’t sure how she would have found them. He got up from the bed and opened the door. A motel employee was standing there with a phone in his hand.

“A call for mister Hwang Hyunjin,” he said.

“Yes, that’s me, thanks...” Hyunjin replied, taking the phone from him. “Hello?”

“Mr. Hwang. We’re working on your car. Unfortunately, it will take us at least two days to fix it,” a man with a gravelly voice on the other side said.

“Oh... well, thank you. Just please let me know as soon as you’re done,” Hyunjin said, before bidding his goodbyes and handing the phone back to the employee. “Thanks a lot,” he thanked him, handing him a few dollar bills as a tip.

“Thank you. Have a good night,” the employee said before heading off.

Hyunjin closed the door and faced Jisung again. “What did they say?” the younger asked.

“They’re gonna need at least two days to fix the car, so it seems like we’re stuck here,” Hyunjin answered with a sigh.  

“It’s like there’s a new surprise in every state... at this rate we won’t reach Providence until next year,” Jisung muttered.

Hyunjin sat back down next to the younger, placing a hand on top of Jisung’s which was resting on his thigh. “We’ll get there, I promise,” he assured him. The younger looked down at their hands and then at Hyunjin.

“Honestly, though, why are you doing this for me? It can’t just be because you needed a destination. You’ve agreed to taking a complete stranger across the country...”

Hyunjin shrugged. “I don’t know... there was just something about you. I saw how lost you looked. Like you needed someone...” he trailed off. “You had the same look on your face I had once I realized that I was all alone,” he told him, probably more honestly than he should have.

Jisung rested his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder, mumbling “thanks...”

He looked up at the older, his head still on his shoulder and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Jisung had really pretty eyes. Hyunjin had noticed that before, but it was now that he really thought about it. They weren’t just big brown eyes. There was more to them; they held a story. They also held uncertainty. About the future, about his mother... maybe about Hyunjin, too?

The younger lifted his head, eyes trailing down to his lips and before Hyunjin knew it, he had leaned in and kissed him, catching him by surprise – a positive one. It lasted only for all but three seconds, though, before the younger pulled back, eyes wide and even slightly panicked.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” Hyunjin smiled and cut him off, cupping his cheek and reconnecting their lips for another kiss, which Jisung practically melted into. Hyunjin had grown up in one of the most pompous cities on earth where everything was big and sparkly, which was why this moment – simple as it was, in the middle of a motel room on an old, squeaky bed – meant a lot more to him than any of the riches he’d had back in Las Vegas. Because he’d finally met a sincere person that wasn’t just spending time with him for his parents’ influence or his fairly good looks.

“I’ve wanted to do this for quite a while, to be honest,” he mumbled against the younger’s lips once they’d pulled back.

Jisung smiled. “Me too...” he admitted. “But... as much as I enjoyed this... I should take a shower,” he continued, standing up. Hyunjin tried to ignore how much the loss of Jisung’s warmth right next to him bugged him and instead smirked at him.

“Did I leave that much of an impact?” he teased.

Jisung gasped in exasperation, reaching for a pillow and whacking Hyunjin over the head with it. “You’re impossible, you know that,” he said with a laugh before disappearing into the bathroom. Of course, the blush on his cheeks did not go unnoticed by Hyunjin who just fell back onto the bed with a lazy grin on his face.

This trip had just gotten a lot better.

~

Since they didn’t really have anything to do, the two of them decided to explore Omaha a little bit. A little sightseeing never hurt anyone. Hyunjin also took Jisung shopping; nothing too fancy, but a few clothes without holes in them “to impress your mother”. Jisung protested a little bit in the beginning, not wanting Hyunjin to spend his money on him more than he already did by buying him food.

“Come on, Jisungie... let me have some fun,” Hyunjin pleaded with a big pout on his face when they stood in front of a mall, the younger refusing to go in, knowing his intentions. Jisung hesitated. He really could use clothes that weren’t worn down and at least 5 years old.

“Fine...but only if you stop pouting!” he gave in. Hyunjin let out an excited noise and pulled Jisung into a hug. That alone was worth it. Jisung almost didn’t want to admit just how much his heart fluttered at the gesture.

They spent hours inside the mall, trying on different clothes mostly for fun, making each other laugh with mismatched outfits paired with feather boas, sunglasses and big hats. Eventually, they were exhausted from all the laughing and changing and Hyunjin claimed that he was hungry.

“How about I treat you to something fancy?” he asked Jisung who laughed.

“Pizza is fine!” he exclaimed.

“Alright, then let’s get pizza,” Hyunjin said.

The younger grinned excitedly. “I saw a pizza place near the motel. Let’s just get it there and then hang out at the motel! It’s getting pretty late,” he suggested.

“Aw, and here I thought you wanted to explore Omaha’s night life with me,” Hyunjin joked.

“I haven’t been to a club in my life and I’m not looking to start now!” Jisung told him.

“They ain’t anyways. Too loud, too crowded...” Hyunjin answered. He had been to countless clubs with his friends in Vegas and it was safe to say that he’d had his fair share of that experience. Besides, it was much better to just be with Jisung. The younger was the best kind of company he could have asked for on this trip...

~

They got pizza and just settled down in their room, talking. “I honestly don’t remember the last time I had pizza, let alone someone to share it with,” Jisung said, happily munching on a slice with Hyunjin watching him fondly.

“Anyone ever tell you that you look like a cute squirrel when you’re eating?” he blurted.

Jisung laughed, blushing a little. “No, but I’ve been called other rodent names before,” he replied, only slightly bitter, remembering the amount of times he’d been called a street rat or worse.

“Sorry,” Hyunjin apologized.

Jisung shook his head. “Don’t be. I think being called a squirrel is nice,” he answered.

The older looked like he wanted to say something, possibly ask a question. It seemed like he held back, but Jisung’s interest was already peaked. “What is it?” he questioned. Hyunjin hesitated for a bit, seemingly unsure if he should really ask. Eventually, he did, though.

“Have you always been in foster care?” he questioned.

Jisung nodded. “After I was born my mom left me with her friend Cindy. At first everything was alright, I suppose, but then she had a child of her own. I apparently didn’t get along with ‘the little angel’ so she called someone, and I went into the system when I was three,” Jisung explained. He didn’t have any memory about it, but it still made him pretty bitter.

“I obviously don’t remember it, but that’s what I was told afterwards. All she left me with was a note explaining herself and telling me that my mom was just a 16-year-old girl who couldn’t take care of me. She also said that my mom had a dream to study and then settle down in Providence, Rhode Island, so if I ever tried to find her, that’s where I should start.”

Hyunjin looked at him with a mixture of surprise and sympathy. Jisung wasn’t sure if he liked that. “How’d you end up with those people? The ones who kicked you out?” he asked the younger.

Jisung shrugged. “By practically being passed around like a joint. People grew sick of me, or I made a simple mistake that caused them to want to get rid of me just like “aunt Cindy”. It’s easy for them to just go to an agency and have me removed from their home,” he replied.

“Sounds...” the older trailed off, not sure what the right words were.

“Exhausting? Lonely? Because that’s what it was,” Jisung finished for him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...” Hyunjin trailed off.

Jisung waved off. “It’s okay... thanks to you I’m not lonely anymore... at least not for now.”

They both asked themselves the silent question where Hyunjin was going to go once he’d helped Jisung find his mom. He knew he liked Hyunjin and he knew the older literally had all the options, but he wasn’t even sure where they stood or what they even were. Sure, they had kissed a few times, but that didn’t automatically make them boyfriends. Especially not, if it possibly meant that they were bound together forever. Maybe Hyunjin didn’t want to stay with him.

He also didn’t want to scare the older off by asking, so he decided to push the issue to the back of his head until they reached Rhode Island. Hyunjin just smiled at him and opened his arms to welcome Jisung into a hug, which he gladly gave him once he’d thrown the pizza carton aside.

Hyunjin was warm. Hyunjin was comfort.

It almost felt like... home?

~

“Alright... thanks so much for even bringing it here.”

“No problem, have a safe rest of your trip!”

“Thank you, have a good day!”

Hyunjin woke up to the sound of two voices at the door. When he sat up, he saw Jisung close the door behind one of the guys from the towing service. “Oh, good morning. I hope you don’t mind that I paid the guy for the car,” Jisung greeted him.

Hyunjin sat up and rubbed his eyes. “No, I don’t, thanks,” he mumbled sleepily.

Jisung chuckled and ruffled his messy bed hair. “Do you want to shower first?” he questioned. Hyunjin got out of bed, walking towards the bathroom. An idea popped into his head and he turned back around leaning against the doorway.

“You know, we could save water and shower together?” he suggested with a sly smirk.

Jisung grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at him, laughing. “Go,” he said fake-sternly. Hyunjin laughed as well and disappeared into the bathroom. Joking around with Jisung like this had become such a natural thing, considering they had only known each other for a few days.

He quickly showered and got changed before making room for Jisung to shower while he went out to gas up the car and get some breakfast for them. When he came back to the room, Jisung was sitting on the bed, watching TV. He perked up at the sight of food, though.

“You brought breakfast!” he exclaimed happily.

Hyunjin chuckled and joined him on the bed. “I did, indeed. What are you willing to do for it?” he joked. Jisung rolled his eyes but leaned in to peck him on the lips.

“How’s that for payment?” he questioned. Hyunjin pretended to contemplate it, shaking his head after a few seconds.

“Nah, I don’t think that’s sufficient...”

Jisung scoffed but kissed him again, bringing a hand up to Hyunjin’s nape to play with his hair. The older sighed into the kiss, scooting a little closer to Jisung. “How about this?” the younger muttered against his lips.

“That’s... better,” Hyunjin replied. Jisung chuckled and playfully pushed at his chest, before reaching for the bag of food.

“So... are we all set to leave after breakfast?” he questioned, like he hadn’t just completely stolen Hyunjin’s heart.

The older nodded. “The tank is full, and I told the receptionist that we’ll be out of here by 11, so we can have breakfast in peace and then head out,” he explained. Jisung just grinned, already munching on a croissant.

After breakfast they quickly gathered their things and threw them into the trunk. Hyunjin had actually enjoyed his time in Omaha, but it was about time they got back on the road. He saw Jisung looking around the area again, immediately understanding what it was about.

“Are you still worried about Avery?” he asked the younger, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah... I just keep wondering where she went and why she ran from us in the first place,” Jisung answered with a concerned expression. Hyunjin could only imagine that she’d heard what he’d said and fled before he could act on it.

“I’m sure she’ll be alright,” he tried to assure Jisung, though he couldn’t ignore the hint of worry gnawing at him. The younger just nodded and got into the car, after throwing one last look around.

 

“I sure hope so...”

You are leaving Omaha, Nebraska
(1420 miles to Providence, Rhode Island)

~

They made their first stop after about an hour and a half for a bathroom break. Hyunjin decided to get some more snacks for them while Jisung headed to the bathrooms. When he walked up to the vending machine, something caught his eye. It was a poster of a missing person. A guy around his age had disappeared from Des Moines after not coming home one night.

He hadn’t realized that he’d been staring at the poster until Jisung’s voice spoke up from behind him. “You okay?” he questioned. Hyunjin snapped out of it and threw some coins into the vending machine.

“I’m fine... I just couldn’t help but wonder if my parents even miss me...” he mumbled.

“Well... maybe they’ve reported you missing as well?” Jisung suggested. Hyunjin shook his head.

“I don’t think they did. I left them a note, telling them that I wouldn’t be coming back because I want nothing to do with this family. I’m sure they’ve moved on,” he argued.

Jisung put a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t believe that. They’re your parents...” he trailed off. “I saw a payphone over there... maybe you should try giving them a call. You know, just to tell them that you’re alive,” he continued. Hyunjin wasn’t sure if that would be of any use, but he figured it was worth a try.

He handed Jisung the snacks he’d bought and headed towards the payphone. He hesitated before dialing his home number, silently praying that they wouldn’t pick up. His hopes were shattered, though, when he heard his mother’s voice speak up on the other side of the line.

“Hello?”

“Mom?” Hyunjin said.

She gasped. “Hyunjin? Where the hell are you?” she questioned immediately.

“I’m safe. Don’t worry-”

“Come home please. This nonsense has to stop,” she said, not exactly pleading, rather...demanding.

“I’m sorry, mom. I can’t,” he answered.

“Come home, we can talk about everything!” she said stubbornly.

“I already told you. I can’t. Not as long as I have to get married to someone I barely know, let alone love!” Hyunjin argued. He heard a gruff “let me talk to him”. That was undeniably his father’s voice. A second later he was yelling at Hyunjin through the phone.

“Listen to me, young man! If you don’t come back here right this instant-”

“Then what, huh? What are you going to do, dad? I could be in Mexico for all you care!” Hyunjin interrupted him.

“Do not use that tone on me!” his father shouted.

“I’m not your marionette, dad. Don’t you understand why I ran? You tried to marry me off!” Hyunjin attempted to reason.

“If you were a good son you would’ve just gone through with it,” his father said. At least, he wasn’t yelling anymore but the hateful tone in his voice almost made Hyunjin wish he was.

“I’m gay!” he exclaimed.

“That doesn’t matter when it comes to business!”

“I guess I’m not a good son, then...”

“I’m warning you, Hyunjin. This is your last chance! We don’t need you crawling back here once you’ve run out of money!”

“Don’t worry. You won’t see me again. I’d rather rot on the streets than go back to being your son!” Hyunjin assured his father, who huffed.

“Fine, have it your way! You’re a disgrace!” the man spat before hanging up.

Hyunjin huffed, ignoring the slight sting in his chest at his father’s words. He hung up the payphone and stomped back over to the car, where Jisung was eating some of the cheese sticks the older had bought at the vending machine. He climbed into the car, slamming the door shut with force and making the younger jump.

“You good?” Jisung asked.

Hyunjin started the engine. “Peachy! My dad still wants me to marry this girl. I’m not going back there, ever!”

“What if they call the cops or report you missing?” Jisung questioned.

“They won’t. They have nothing to worry about. I’m just a disgrace. And about the cops... if they happen to call them, I’ll just tell them the truth,” Hyunjin answered.

“That you cleared all your savings and fled your hometown to go to Rhode Island with a complete stranger who stole an expensive watch and sold it?” Jisung asked with a half-amused chuckle. Hyunjin couldn’t fight the grin that sneaked onto his face as he quickly recalled the past few days.

“Okay, maybe I won’t tell them the full truth. Thing is, I am an adult and I’ve only taken my own money. I didn’t even steal the car. So, as far as I’m concerned, they have nothing to worry about anymore. It’s all about business with them anyway,” Hyunjin said, muttering the last bit, but Jisung heard him anyway. He placed a comforting hand on his thigh but said nothing.

~

They drove for a few hours without long breaks or much talking. The silence was a rather comfortable one, though. Jisung’s presence made Hyunjin’s anger at his parents almost vanish. He really didn’t need to worry about them anymore. They were his past. As harsh as it may be; leaving his parents behind, running away with a stranger... it was what was best for everyone in the long run.

Iowa was quickly left behind, and they decided to take a break at a rest stop with a Burger King to get something to eat. Jisung looked at him from across the booth, a burger clutched in his hands. Hyunjin found himself admiring the rings on his fingers for a bit. He’d never paid them much mind, but they were actually really nice, and they fit Jisung. Maybe that’s why he’d never noticed them. Because they were a given part of him.

“Are you okay? You seemed pretty upset earlier,” Jisung finally spoke up. Hyunjin snapped out of it, looking at the younger’s face, instead of his hands.

“I’m fine, honestly”, he answered. Jisung looked at him more intently, like he was trying to figure out if Hyunjin was telling the truth. “Really,” the older emphasized. “I made the choice to walk away from them and I’m sticking to it with no regrets,” he explained.

Jisung nodded in understanding. “I just figured, since they’re your parents...” he trailed off.

“Well, they’re certainly not nominated for a Parents of The Year award... but that doesn’t matter anymore. Not to me.”

“Sometimes I wonder about my father...” Jisung suddenly said.

Hyunjin tilted his head. “Like...who he is?” he asked.

The younger nodded, munching on a few fries. “I know my mother’s name and I have a lead on where she might be... but I don’t know anything about my father. The note I told you about... the one I got from my mother’s friend Cindy. It said that not even my mother knew for sure who he was,” Jisung told him.

Hyunjin made a face. That didn’t seem very promising. Of course, Jisung would wonder about his father’s identity. “I keep asking myself questions like does he know about me? Is he alive? Do I look more like him or my mother? I just want to know where I come from, that’s all. I don’t expect much from my birth mother. I just need her to give me some answers...”

Hyunjin felt bad. He knew exactly where he came from and he was running from it. Meanwhile Jisung would give anything to get some insight into his background. It was understandable. He sincerely hoped that Jisung would find the answers he was looking for and he was happy that he would help him get there.

“I’m sure you’ll get them,” Hyunjin told him, trying to encourage him.

Jisung smiled faintly. “I hope so,” he answered.

~

They soon finished eating and got back on the road. It was getting pretty late and Hyunjin would be lying if he said that he wasn’t tired. Jisung had droopy eyes as well, occasionally dozing off against the passenger window. It was when Hyunjin’s eyes threatened to close on their own that he got off the highway.

According to the signs they were in South Bend, Indiana, which was what he told Jisung when he startled awake. “I’m trying to find a motel for us, so we can go to sleep,” Hyunjin explained.

“Let’s just stay in the car tonight... I’m too tired to go through the entire procedure...” the younger mumbled. Hyunjin just laughed.

“Are you sure? I think we could quickly find something here...” he replied. Jisung waved off sleepily.

“Come on, you haven’t been on a real road trip if you haven’t slept in the car at least once,” he said.

“You just made that up!” Hyunjin accused the younger, laughing even harder. Jisung chuckled.

“Maybe I did...”

They ended up not even finding any vacant motels or hotels close-by, because of some big event that was happening in the city. It seemed like everything was either full or way too expensive, even for Hyunjin who still had a pretty decent amount of money in the bag in his trunk.

“See? It’s a sign... let’s sleep in the car tonight,” Jisung said, sounding a little more awake than he had before, though still looking sleepy.

Hyunjin chuckled. “Okay, fine. But only if we find a good place to park the car. I don’t want to get murdered in my sleep!” he warned.

~

A good place turned out to be the parking lot of a supermarket. It was empty and had okay lighting, so it didn’t seem too shady to Hyunjin. Jisung had already climbed into the backseat as soon as they’d settled for staying in the car and was now beckoning Hyunjin to join him.

“I can just sleep here,” Hyunjin assured him, turning in his seat to face a pouting, but otherwise rather comfortable, Jisung.

“Aw, come on, your back will kill you tomorrow morning. Besides, it’s gonna get cold,” he argued. The older grinned, but complied, not really in the mood to argue.

Jisung sat up when Hyunjin joined him in the back of the car. He leaned against the backrest, resting his head on one of his palms, smiling at the older. “I think I’ve said this before, but I’m really glad I’m with you... on this trip,” he said. “Especially when my foster father’s brother was on our trail.”

Hyunjin returned the smile, scooting a little closer to Jisung. “I’m glad, too, honestly. I think I would have gone insane alone on the highway. Besides, you seem to have developed an eye for the places with the best coffee,” he joked. Jisung laughed and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips.

“I’ve learned all the important things about coffee from you, so I can’t really take all the credit,” he pointed out.

They hadn’t really spoken about what they were, yet. They would reach Providence very soon and who knew how things would go on from that point? Jisung seemed to have the same trail of thought, since he spoke up, his features a little more serious than before.

“You know, I think I really like you. Even if this might not last...”

Hyunjin cupped the younger’s cheek, slowly bringing their faces closer together. “I think I really like you, too,” he mumbled before connecting their lips. He felt Jisung’s hand on his thigh while the other tangled in his hair. It was then, he realized, that he could really, really get used to this.

They stayed like this, exchanging kisses mixed with little giggles and sweet words, for a who knows how long, before Jisung eventually pulled back for good, stifling a yawn. Hyunjin grinned and pulled him down along with himself, trying to get comfortable on the backseat. It was a bit of a struggle to fit both of them, but they figured it out. Jisung used Hyunjin as a sort of human pillow, laying on top of him with Hyunjin’s arms wrapped around his waist.

It didn’t take them much longer to fall asleep.

~

Jisung woke up with a start the next day, causing Hyunjin to awaken as well. “You okay?” the older asked, his voice filled with sleep. Jisung sat up as best as possible, considering he was still on top of Hyunjin.

“I’m fine...just a weird dream,” he mumbled. He almost grimaced at the memory.

He’d dreamt of the first foster home he could remember. An elderly lady – okay, maybe his 7-year-old self had made her seem older than she actually was – who had seemed really nice at first, had taken him in. She had greeted him with an overly friendly “hi, Jisung. My name is Priscilla and I’m going to take care of you” and had shown him to his room. Jisung had thought that this wasn’t so bad...

Until she had started to make him clean every nook and cranny of her dusty house (please note that he had only been seven years old at the time and nobody had ever taught him how to properly clean an entire house). Whenever he had missed a spot or messed up in any kind of way, she had punished him with denying him dinner.

“Good boys must know how to clean.”

“Can’t you teach me then, Cilla?”

“It’s Priscilla, you disrespectful boy.”

Seven-year-old Jisung had had trouble saying such a complicated name, so he had resorted to a shortened version, which “Priscilla The Terrible” had not appreciated in the slightest. He was glad when she had finally had enough of him, and he was removed from her home. The next family he had been placed with had been a little nicer to him, but he had feared being denied food for a long while.

Eventually, he had learned how to get his own food, but for some reason the memory still haunted him sometimes.

“Wanna talk about it?” Hyunjin asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Jisung let out a breathy laugh, waving off. “It’s okay,” he said. The older looked like he wanted to protest but decided against it, which was probably for the best. Jisung didn’t think he could talk about Priscilla The Terrible. Dreaming of her stern face and her voice had been hard enough.

“Okay, so I was thinking we could get to Providence today, if we tried,” Hyunjin said, already in the process of climbing into the front seat. Jisung followed, giving him an exasperated look.

“Hyunjin. We’re in Indiana – that’s almost 900 miles! That’s going to take at least 14 hours without breaks or traffic!” he reminded him.

Hyunjin shrugged. “I’m sure we can make it,” he told Jisung. The younger looked at his knees.

“Don’t you want to find your mom?” Hyunjin questioned. He looked up again, trying not to think of every single family who had sat down with him and told him almost the same words: ‘Sorry, Jisung... we’ve discussed this, but we don’t think it’s going to work out...’

“Why are you in such a hurry? Do you want to get away from me so badly?” he questioned before he could stop himself. Hyunjin’s eyes widened and he put a hand on Jisung’s knee.

“No! God, no, you got the wrong idea!” he exclaimed. “I just really want to help you be happy! I thought about my parents and I just hope that you mom cares more about you than my parents cared about me.”

Jisung hoped so, too. With Hyunjin probably only being with him for two more days, he didn’t think he could handle it if his mother rejected him. Hyunjin cupped his cheeks like he had last night and pecked him on the lips.

“I don’t want to get away from you. I really do like you...” he assured him.

Jisung smiled and reached up to his face to take Hyunjin’s hand. “And you’re sweet for helping me... but you’re going to be exhausted if we go to Providence today. Please, let’s take at least one more stop,” he pleaded.

And partly it was because he wanted to prevent Hyunjin from exhaustion, but it was also about himself mentally preparing to possibly meet his mother.

Hyunjin smiled at him and nodded. “Alright, one more stop. We’ll probably have to search for your mother first anyway,” he reasoned. Jisung tilted his head in surprise.

“You’re going to help me?”

“Of course. We’re going to find her together. And if you want, I can come with you when you go meet her,” Hyunjin offered. Jisung smiled.

“I’d love that,” he told the older.

They went into the now-open supermarket to stock up on some snacks and water before heading out on the highway again. And while Jisung was kind of excited, his heart also filled with dread, not knowing what to expect from what would await him tomorrow and where things would go with Hyunjin.

You are leaving South Bend, Indiana
(880 miles to Providence, Rhode Island)

~

“So, you haven’t really told me much about your life,” Jisung spoke up after a while. He had napped for a few more hours after they’d taken off, luckily, without any dreams of former foster homes. The drive had been peacefully quiet, but the thought had just crossed his mind, so he had to voice it out.

Hyunjin chuckled. “There’s not very much to tell. As I said, I grew up in a business-oriented family. I’m an only child, which is why all the pressure rested on me...” the older trailed off, pretending to think. “I tried to make up for it by befriending fellow rich kids, partying, getting into trouble. Anything that would show my parents that I wasn’t suited to take over their business,” he explained.

Jisung listened closely. Hyunjin’s world was so entirely different from his. While Jisung had tried his best not to mess up in order to find a permanent home, Hyunjin had messed up on purpose. It was a bit ironic, actually, that he got kicked out of homes for things like accidentally spilling grape juice all over the carpet (he was nine, okay?) and Hyunjin’s parents had tolerated their son acting out, going to parties and who knew what more.

“They would brush it off as “just a phase” which is why I don’t think they took my coming out very seriously,” Hyunjin continued. “I mean, sure the partying... that wasn’t me. I just wanted to act out. But when I came out to them, I didn’t do it to spite them. I wanted to open up to them for once. I wanted them to act like normal parents... embrace it, freak out, even ing cry... but they reacted by telling me “if you think that will make us call off the wedding, you’re mistaken”. I told them I didn’t want this, I wanted to do something else with my life, but they would have none of it...”

“I’m sorry...” was all Jisung could say.

“Don’t be. We can’t choose our parents,” Hyunjin replied. Jisung sighed. That was true, unfortunately.

If he could have chosen his parents, he would probably have picked that nice man he had lived with when he was about 14. He had treated Jisung as an equal, rather than an inconvenience, or a servant. His heart ached at the memory of him. Michael, his name had been, had fallen very ill and had therefore been unable to take care of Jisung any longer.

“What did you originally want to do with your life?” Jisung questioned, pushing back the memory of Michael. He really didn’t know why he kept thinking about his old foster homes today.

“It’s silly, you’re gonna laugh,” Hyunjin waved off.

Jisung turned in his seat, adjusting his seatbelt a little for more comfort. “I won’t! I promise!” he assured the older.

Hyunjin hesitated for a while before he actually answered. “Fine... I wanted to be an elementary school teacher...” he mumbled. It was safe to say that Jisung hadn’t expected that!

“How is that silly? I thought you were going to say that you wanted to be a professional clown for children’s birthdays! Teaching is an honorable job!” the younger said encouragingly.

Hyunjin laughed. “Yeah, that and clowns are really ing creepy,” he added.

Jisung joined in on the laughter. “Agreed.”

“Well, my parents wouldn’t have let me do either of those things. They thought teaching was a waste of my talents. But who cares, right? Who knows, maybe I’ll become a damn teacher,” Hyunjin said.

“That’s the spirit!” Jisung encouraged him with a grin.

Hyunjin chuckled. “Do you have a dream, too?” he questioned. Jisung shrugged, not really sure if he should tell the older. “Come on, is there really nothing?” he drilled.

“I mean, I have dreamt of becoming a writer... but I’m no good. I haven’t written anything in forever,” Jisung finally admitted. Hyunjin gave him a quick look before looking at the road again.

“That’s amazing, though! I think you should try. Maybe Providence will inspire you,” the older said, sounding sincere. Jisung smiled a little. This road trip alone was something worth writing about. He might consider it, depending on how things would turn out with his birth mother.

“Maybe...”

~

They stopped to get some sandwiches and use the bathroom. Jisung couldn’t help but look around, since the place reminded him a lot of where they had first met Avery. He wondered where she was right now and if she was okay. He worried about her, since she was only 15 and even though he knew that giving her that lift to Toledo would have been irresponsible, it would have been better on his nerves than not knowing where she was, at all.

“Hey, you okay?” Hyunjin asked when he joined Jisung back in the car, two sandwiches in his hand.

“Yeah, I just thought about Avery, actually,” the younger admitted. Hyunjin nodded slowly.

“I’m sure she’s okay...” he assured him. Jisung smiled, grateful that the older was so understanding about his worry for the younger girl.

“Where do you think she is?” he questioned, taking one of the sandwiches Hyunjin held out for him with a grateful smile.

“Knowing her, she’s probably already in Detroit,” the older replied with a small chuckle. “She’s smart. She’s going to be just fine.”

“Did we make a mistake? Taking her along? Should we have called someone?” Jisung asked.

Hyunjin looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean? You wanted to help her get to Detroit...” he reminded Jisung, who nodded.

“I know, but what if I misjudged her? What if I read too much into the situation?”

“Hey, we don’t know her real story... but I think the way you treated her was incredible. You want to help people, even if you don’t know them and that makes you such an amazing person,” Hyunjin said, reaching out to lace their sandwich-free hands together.

“You talk like you weren’t the one who picked a street rat up and are taking him to Rhode Island,” Jisung mumbled, a blush creeping onto his cheeks at Hyunjin’s sweet words. The older chuckled and kissed his cheek.

“You’re not a street rat. You’re Jisung. And you’re honestly the best thing that could have happened to me on this trip,” Hyunjin said. “I’ve never had so many honest and deep conversations with anyone and quite frankly, I have never trusted someone so quickly.”

Jisung smiled to himself at those words. “Me neither...” It was almost ridiculous how much he already trusted Hyunjin, considering they had only met a few days ago. He really liked him... he just hoped that it was worth it.

“Now, if we’re done being sappy... let’s eat and then get some more miles behind us,” Hyunjin changed the subject. Jisung grinned when he noticed the faint shade of pink on his cheeks. He was glad that he wasn’t the only flustered one here.

“Sounds like a plan. But, maybe not too many miles, because it’s getting kind of late,” Jisung told him.

~

Hyunjin fought the tiredness as long as he could but alas, he felt like it was time to stop in a village called Tannersville in Pennsylvania. They got a room in a cozy little B&B where Hyunjin passed out almost as soon as his head hit the pillows. He knew he was in desperate need of a shower, but he figured that could wait until tomorrow.

He woke up a few hours later. To his surprise, it was still dark and a glance at the digital alarm clock on the bedside table told him that it was 2:55am. He looked to his other side and found the right side of the bed empty. He sat up, looking around the room for Jisung. The armchairs by the window were empty and there were no lights on in the bathroom. Yawning, Hyunjin climbed out of bed and ran a hand through his messy bed hair.

He made his way downstairs to the lobby and the reception desk but Jisung was nowhere to be found. Hyunjin couldn’t help but panic a little. They were so close to reaching their destination. What if Jisung couldn’t take the pressure anymore? What if he’d decided to run away like Avery?

But would he really go without telling Hyunjin? And how the hell would he get out of this small- village in the middle of the night? Hyunjin took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down before continuing his search for Jisung. He headed outside, stepping onto the porch.

A small light was flickering, and he spotted a figure sitting in a rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket and staring into the dark. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that that blanket bundle was Jisung. He approached him and crouched down in front of him.

“There you are...” Hyunjin said.

Jisung looked at him, his eyes tired but filled with nervousness. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just couldn’t sleep,” Jisung told him, sounding genuinely apologetic. Hyunjin took the younger’s hand.

“Are you worried?” he questioned, scooting over on the large chair, and making space for him. Hyunjin sat down and grabbed Jisung’s legs to put them over his own so he was practically half on his lap.

“What if she’s not there? What if she doesn’t want to see me?” Jisung asked. Hyunjin realized that he’d probably had these worries for a while now. He sounded so desperate when he’d voiced his concerns. It made Hyunjin wish that he could help him some more.

Jisung deserved a loving mother and a stable home, even if he was already 18. He had been on his own for so long.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hyunjin assured him. It wasn’t much, he couldn’t make any promises; he didn’t know what Jisung’s mother was going to be like or, as the younger had said, if she was even there.

“But how? I don’t even know how I’m gonna find her...” Jisung mumbled, burying his face in the older’s shirt. Hyunjin ran a hand through Jisung’s soft, blonde hair.

“I told you I’ll help you with that,” Hyunjin assured him.

He thought he heard the younger say something along the lines of: “And then you’ll leave...” but he wasn’t sure, due to his voice being muffled by the fabric of Hyunjin’s shirt.

“What did you say?” he asked.

Jisung looked at him again. “Nothing. It’s late, we should probably go to sleep...”

Hyunjin wanted to argue and confirm that what he’d heard was true, but Jisung was right. It was past 3am by now and they still had a few hours of driving ahead of them tomorrow. Jisung got up from the chair, reaching out a hand to pull Hyunjin to his feet as well.

“At the risk of sounding cheesy again, I’m really glad that you’re going to be with me when we find her. It calms me down a little,” Jisung admitted.

Hyunjin just smiled and pulled the younger in for a kiss before lacing their fingers together and leading Jisung back to their room.

~

They took their time the next morning, showering and getting dressed before going downstairs to eat some breakfast. Jisung couldn’t really eat a lot, knowing that they’d reach Providence today and they may or may not find his mother there. What was he even going to say to her?

No, he was getting ahead of himself. They still had to find her first.

Hyunjin looked a little concerned at how quiet Jisung was and how little he was eating, but he didn’t say anything which the younger was grateful for. He needed to prepare for whatever was going to happen. There were three possible outcomes when they reached Rhode Island.

They might find Jisung’s mother and she would be happy to see him and embrace her son after 18 years of being apart.

They might find Jisung’s mother and she wouldn’t be happy to see him and possibly slam the door in his and Hyunjin’s face.

Or, maybe they wouldn’t find her at all and Jisung would be on the other side of the country with absolutely no clue about his birth mother’s whereabouts.

Either way, Jisung was incredibly nervous. He was so close to possibly getting closure. Maybe even a family. Only a few more hours on the highway and he would reach the place his mother had always dreamt of.

“Are you ready to go?” Hyunjin asked once they had packed everything and put their bags in the trunks. Jisung thought about it before nodding.

“I think so,” he said. Maybe “ready” was pushing it, but it wasn’t like he could tell Hyunjin that. He would only worry more than he already did.

You are leaving Tannersville, Pennsylvania
(263 miles to Providence, Rhode Island)

~

Hyunjin didn’t quite know, if he should start a conversation with how focused Jisung was on staring out of the window. He felt a little bit like he had when they had first met. It seemed like so long ago, but it had barely been a week. Jisung had that lost look on his face again. Hyunjin wished that he could take some of the edge off, but he knew that the younger was growing more nervous the closer they got to Providence.

“It seems like we’re going to be there in about half an hour... do you want to eat something before we look for a place to stay?” he finally asked. Jisung jumped at the sound of his voice, since the two of them had barely spoken at all in the last few hours.

“No, I’m good, thanks...” he finally replied.

“Okay,” was all Hyunjin said.

They reached Providence right as it started to rain a little. Since the city was highly unfamiliar to Hyunjin he had trouble navigating around at first. On top of that, the uncertainty of what to do next settled in on both of them. It made the atmosphere a little restless and Hyunjin was glad when he finally found a place to park the car in order to discuss how they were going to proceed. He faced Jisung.

“So, I think we should find a place to stay first,” he suggested.

“Yeah, that would probably be best,” Jisung replied, still looking out of the window. This time, though, he seemed almost like he was searching. Almost like he expected his mother to just walk down the street.

“And you should eat something,” Hyunjin continued.

Jisung waved off. “Later,” he muttered. The older wanted to argue, but he figured that they still had time for that later. Finding a hotel was more important right now. He started the car again.

“I thought about how we might find her,” Jisung spoke up after a few minutes. Hyunjin gave him a quick side look and a little hum to show him that he was listening. “Okay, so when I first googled her name, I found five Emily Hans in this city, one of them is dead. Another one is a 74-year-old retired woman. The third one is a teacher, one’s a librarian and I couldn’t find anything about the last one,” Jisung told him.

“I figured we could check out the librarian first. And if it’s not her then we can try the teacher and see where that leads us...” Hyunjin looked at him again.

“When did you google her?” he questioned. As far as he knew, neither of them had any electronic devices on them.

“Last night, I asked the lady at the reception desk back at that B&B if I could use the computer,” Jisung replied.

“Did you ever google her before?” Hyunjin questioned.

Jisung shook his head. “I wanted to. I would type her name into the search bar, but I always feared that I might find her and not like what I see, you know? Looking back that was probably stupid,” he muttered the last part. Hyunjin reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“It’s not stupid. You just weren’t ready,” Hyunjin told him. The younger smiled and laced their fingers together. Something about Hyunjin holding his hand just calmed him down so much. Part of him never wanted to let go.

“I guess not...” he agreed. “S-so, anyway... I figured we could get settled and then go check out the libraries around here,” Jisung said.

“That’s probably a lot...” Hyunjin pointed out.

“I know, but I want to try,” Jisung answered.

Hyunjin smiled faintly. “Then we’ll go check out libraries until we find her,” he assured the younger, squeezing his hand again.

~

Jisung got them a list of all libraries with opening hours from the reception desk of the hotel they had checked into. Most of them were already closed for the day, but some of them weren’t. Hyunjin insisted on getting food before they got started and as much as Jisung wanted to dive right in, his stomach growled, betraying him.

Hyunjin got them some Chinese food which got Jisung excited enough to temporarily forget about their upcoming quest. He was still nervous about meeting his mother, but he felt a little readier now that they were here. He could understand why his mother liked it here so much. Providence was a beautiful city, and, in another life, he might have aspired to get into Brown University and study here.

“It feels so surreal to be here,” Jisung told Hyunjin. “We really made it here...”

Hyunjin grinned and took his hand again. “It’s crazy... I never would have imagined to just get into the car and really drive across the country. But I’m really glad we did this,” the older replied.

Jisung was glad, too. Not only had he gotten a pretty comfortable ride to Rhode Island, but he had also met Hyunjin. A part of him dreaded to think about where things would lead them after Jisung had found his mother. This past week had by far been the best week of his life.

“Now, are you ready to search some libraries?” Hyunjin questioned, grinning.

~

As it turned out, searching for a single person in a town that seemed to be filled with libraries wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Even by car, Jisung and Hyunjin were exhausted when they got back to the hotel after they had searched every open library on their list. None of them had an employee with the name Emily Han.

“Was this a bad idea?” Jisung questioned, falling down face first on the bed in their hotel room. Hyunjin sat down next to him, however, a little more gracefully, putting a comforting hand on the small of the younger’s back.

“No, it wasn’t... we still have a few libraries to check tomorrow. And if we don’t find her there, we’re going to check the schools,” he encouraged him.

“I... actually already know the school. I found an article about a woman named Emily Han leading a class trip to Australia two years ago. It also stated the name of the school,” Jisung admitted sheepishly.

Hyunjin gave him a questioning look. “Then why didn’t we go there first?” he asked. The younger sat up cross-legged, twiddling his thumbs in his lap.

“I don’t know. I was scared to have a fixed destination... and possibly get disappointed right at the first try,” Jisung said.

“I know that this person named Emily Han teaches at this school and if she’s not my mother... then I don’t know. I thought making the search longer would prepare me better,” he tried to explain himself. The older put a hand on his fidgeting ones. “Sorry if I wasted your time...” Jisung apologized.

Hyunjin shook his head and smiled. “It’s okay. I kind of had fun today. And I love spending time with you, so I don’t mind. But Jisung... you want closure, don’t you?” The younger nodded, lowering his head. “Then let’s go to the school tomorrow. Let’s find out if it’s really your mom and if it’s not her, we’ll go back to searching libraries. I promise you we will find her one way or the other,” Hyunjin said reassuringly.

Jisung took a shaky breath before looking at the older again. “Yeah... I just hope it’ll turn out okay,” he replied.

~

If anything, Jisung was even more nervous than yesterday. They were currently on the way to the private school that Emily Han taught at. Hyunjin wanted to calm Jisung down, reassure him, but at this point, even he was nervous. Searching libraries with Jisung until they possibly found an employee there hadn’t been as nerve-wracking as knowing they would find a woman named Emily Han at their destination.

They pulled up on the school’s parking lot, before getting out and walking towards the main entrance. Jisung tightly held on to Hyunjin’s hand, probably trying to calm his nerves a little bit. The school was big and pompous. They saw students walking around in fancy school uniforms. Hyunjin felt like he was right back in Vegas. It wasn’t a good feeling.

“So, I’d say we ask for her in the teacher’s lounge,” he suggested, trying to get rid of the clogging feeling in his chest. Now was not the time to think about his past. Jisung took a deep breath.

“Alright, let’s go,” he said stiffly, gently pulling Hyunjin along with him towards a room with two big wooden doors. It said teacher’s lounge above the door, so it was pretty obvious they were at the right place.

Hyunjin knocked on the door and carefully peeked inside after a muffled “come in”. He and Jisung entered the room. A bunch of teachers with coffee mugs in their hands or slouched over their computers turned to look at them. A strict-looking, middle-aged woman stepped forward and looked at them expectantly.

“Um, my name is Jisung... and this is Hyunjin and we’re looking for a teacher named Emily Han,” Jisung finally spoke up, his voice nervous and shaky. Hyunjin noticed him subtly stealing glances at the teachers like he could find his mother standing among them.

“Yes, she teaches here, but I’m afraid she’s not here. She took a leave,” the strict-looking woman told them.

“Oh, well, if it’s possible we’d like to get her address because it’s really important,” Jisung said. The woman’s face was unreadable, and she took a few seconds to answer.

“I’m not sure we can-”

“I’m her son...I think,” he interrupted the strict woman. She looked surprised to hear that.

“Emily never mentioned anything about a son,” the woman answered.

“Please. I’ve never met my birth mother and I came here all the way from Anaheim to finally change that,” Jisung pleaded. She looked at her colleagues who seemed convinced enough, before sighing.

“Alright... I’ll give you her address,” she finally gave in when she turned back to face them.

“Thank you so much! We really appreciate it,” Hyunjin said as she walked over to what seemed to be her desk and scribbled something onto a piece of paper.

“Here you go.” She handed the paper to Jisung, who took it with a grateful expression.

“Thank you,” he answered.

They turned to leave, Jisung tightly clutching the note with the address in his hands. Back in the car, he stared at the note intently as Hyunjin typed the address into his GPS. “I can’t believe this might be it...” the younger mumbled.

Hyunjin gave him a smile. “Me neither,” he agreed. “Do you want to go today, or do you need a day to prepare first?” Hyunjin questioned. Jisung put his hands in his lap, leaning back in his seat and looking over at the older.

“I don’t know, really... on one hand I just want to meet her already. On the other hand, I don’t know if I’m ready,” he explained. A pause followed. Hyunjin didn’t want to influence Jisung’s decision, so he decided to keep quiet and let the younger think about it by himself for a moment. After a while, Jisung exhaled. “I think we should go today,” he said.

Hyunjin smiled and reached for his hand. “You can do this,” he assured the younger.

“Will you come with me? Like to actually meet her? I don’t think I can do it alone...” Hyunjin gave Jisung’s hand another one of his reassuring squeezes.

“Of course, I’ll come with you,” he told him.

~

The drive to Emily Han’s house wasn’t very long. They found the house after about 10 minutes and parked across the street. Jisung looked over to find a simple house with a cozy porch and a small front yard. A car was parked in the driveway, which indicated that someone was home. He let out a shaky breath.

“What if it’s not her?” he asked Hyunjin.

“Only one way to find out,” the older replied. He turned Jisung’s face towards him, making him look into his eyes. Then he cupped his cheek and connected their lips in a kiss that made Jisung’s heart flutter a little. He was falling for this guy so hard and the fact that he would be there for him in one of the most important moments only added up to those feelings.

“I think I’m ready,” Jisung said once Hyunjin pulled back, their faces only inches apart.

“Alright...let’s go say hi to your mom.” They got out of the car, linking their hands together as soon as Hyunjin had rounded the car. The way to the door seemed unbearably far to Jisung, but eventually, after what felt like hours, they came to a halt. “Whatever happens, I’m right here with you, okay?” Hyunjin assured him. Jisung could only nod, too nervous to say anything.

“Do you want me to ring the doorbell?” Hyunjin questioned, which earned him another nod. He rang the doorbell. It seemed like an eternity until somebody finally opened the door. It was a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties, with straight black hair and kind eyes, just like Jisung’s own.

She was also very pregnant.

“Hi, can I help you?” she asked. Jisung opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. He felt Hyunjin give his hand another squeeze before he spoke up, instead.

“We’re looking for Emily Han,” he said.

She smiled. “That’s me. Though, I got married six months ago. It’s Williams now,” she told them, shifting her gaze from Hyunjin to Jisung and back.

“My name is Hwang Hyunjin and this,” the older trailed off, giving Jisung a look. He finally snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat.

“I’m Han Jisung... and I think I’m your son,” he told her.

Emily’s smile dropped and was replaced by a shocked expression. “M-my son?” she questioned.

“Did you have a baby at 16 and gave him up?” Jisung asked. Emily still looked shocked.

“Yes...” she confirmed.

Jisung nodded once. “That’s me.”

She exhaled and opened the door a little more. “Come on in...” she told them, as she stepped aside. Emily led them through a hallway into a small living room. The TV was running, and she reached for the remote to turn it off, before motioning for the two of them to sit.

“Do you want anything to drink?” she questioned, sounding about as nervous as Jisung still felt. The shock hadn’t quite left her features yet.

“No, thank you,” Hyunjin answered.

“I’m good, thanks,” Jisung said.

Emily sat down in a cushioned armchair, putting a hand on her belly. Jisung tried to avoid looking at her baby bump. It hurt to see that she was pregnant, married and about to start a family while living a happy life as a teacher...

“How did you find me?” Emily questioned after a very long awkward silence.

“Your friend Cindy gave me a note which said that you always wanted to live here. We came here to search for you, and we got your address from the school you’re teaching at,” Jisung explained, mentally praising himself for keeping his composure.

He still couldn’t believe that he was face to face with his birth mother. There were some similarities between them. She had the same kind of wide, innocent eyes, the same squishiness in her cheeks. This was the woman he should have spent the past 18 years with, instead of being passed around from foster home to foster home.

“I haven’t spoken to Cindy in almost two decades... how is she?” Emily questioned.

Jisung stopped himself from scoffing. “I wouldn’t know. She got rid of me when I was just a toddler,” he told her. She seemed surprised to hear that.

“I trusted her to take care of you. Where have you been staying?” she asked him. Jisung felt bitterness bubble in his stomach as the images of dozens of foster homes flashed through his mind.

“I was in several foster homes over the past few years. I was kicked out of the last one when I turned 18 and that’s when I decided to come find you,” he answered calmly. He noticed that Hyunjin was still holding his hand, which he was incredibly grateful for.

“Why? To ask me for money? Or a place to stay?” Emily asked in exasperation. This time Jisung couldn’t hide his scoff at that accusation.

“I simply wanted to get to know you!” he told her. He wasn’t after anyone’s money and if he could get anything from his mother it was just a chance to talk to her.

She looked at her watch. “Listen, kid. My husband is going to be home any minute,” she said with a sigh. “I can’t have you stay here. I can’t take care of you.” Jisung felt like he’d been slapped. How could she remain so cold? Had she really not missed him one bit? Had she never wondered what had happened to her son and just moved on?

“I see... you just made yourself a new one. You don’t need me messing up your life, I guess. I’m sorry I wasted your time,” Jisung said, getting up, causing his hand to slip from Hyunjin’s. “I’ll see myself out.” With that he stormed out of the living room and eventually the house.

Hyunjin remained seated for a few seconds, shocked at how quickly things had gone wrong. “I’m sorry we showed up here unannounced, but he really just wanted to talk,” he said to her.

Emily averted her gaze, looking at the carpet. “I just can’t deal with this right now,” she mumbled. Hyunjin sighed and got up as well.

“We’re staying at the Biltmore hotel, if you change your mind,” Hyunjin informed her, before also leaving the house. Jisung was leaning against the car, his face buried in his hands. Hyunjin crossed the street and pulled the younger into a hug. His heart broke at the choked back sob Jisung let out as his small hands clutched into the back of his shirt.

“I’m sorry...” Hyunjin mumbled, his hair comfortingly. “Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel,” he said, gently pulling Jisung away from the car door to open it and let him get in. He rounded the car and was just about to get in as well when he saw another car pull up in Emily Han’s driveway.

A man got out, angrily slamming the door. The passenger door opened as well, and a blonde girl got out. “I can’t believe you, Avery! Do you have any idea how worried I was?” the man yelled. Hyunjin looked more closely. It really was Avery. She had a sour expression on her face as she followed the man inside the house, he and Jisung had just left.

He got in the car and looked at Jisung, who had apparently also seen the commotion from across the street. “What the hell just happened?” Hyunjin asked himself. Jisung let out a sniffle and leaned back in his seat.

“I don’t know... but I definitely want to get out of here...” he said.

Hyunjin shifted in his seat to face him. “Are you alright?” he asked, even though it was probably a stupid question. The younger nodded stiffly, wiping his eyes and Hyunjin figured he couldn’t do much for now, except for driving them back to the hotel. Jisung was silent throughout the entire car ride, occasionally sniffling or wiping at his eyes. It broke Hyunjin’s heart every time and he wished he had the right words to make the younger feel better.

Back at the hotel, Jisung immediately crawled underneath the covers. “This was a huge mistake. I never should have come here!” he cried. Hyunjin sat on the bed next to his sob-shaken body.

“You know, maybe she was just overwhelmed,” he tried. But if he was completely honest, he didn’t believe that one bit. She had seemed pretty sure about not wanting Jisung in her life. “I told her where we’re staying in case she wants to reach out. Just, maybe give her a few days,” the older continued.

Jisung sat up, looking at Hyunjin with his tear-stained face. “Didn’t you hear her? She doesn’t want me. She never wanted me, which was why she gave me up in the first place! I fooled myself, thinking that things might have changed!”

Hyunjin hugged him again. He couldn’t stand seeing Jisung this upset. There had to be something he could do, even if that “something” was just giving him cuddles. “Let’s at least stay until tomorrow,” he suggested.

Jisung made a grumbling sound, but eventually agreed: “Fine, only until tomorrow...”

“How about I order us some room service and then we’ll watch a crappy movie together?”

“Okay,” he answered. Hyunjin picked up the phone to order them some food while Jisung lazily flipped through the channels on the TV. The older could tell that Jisung was still really shaken up about earlier, but at least he had stopped crying.

Their food arrived pretty soon, and they got cozy on the bed, eating while watching a cheesy romantic comedy that occasionally got a snort or even a laugh out of Jisung. To be completely honest, though, Hyunjin mostly spent his time watching him instead of the movie. Especially after they had finished eating and Jisung was getting sleepier.

“I think we should get ready for bed,” Hyunjin pointed out. Jisung’s eyes were droopy and he could barely keep them open. The younger nodded as he got up and wordlessly headed for the bathroom while Hyunjin cleaned up the leftovers of their food. He thought about today’s events again and his mind trailed off to Avery.

What was she doing in Providence? And how exactly was she associated with Emily Han’s family? This had to be the biggest coincidence ever. On the bright side, at least, now they knew where exactly she was and that she was safe.

Jisung emerged from the bathroom, still looking rather gloomy. He yawned and crawled underneath the covers again. Hyunjin gave him a worried look before reluctantly heading towards the bathroom as well. He still wished he could somehow cheer Jisung up and make him feel better, but he decided to try again tomorrow. Right now, the younger needed to let things sink in.

When Hyunjin came out of the bathroom, Jisung seemed to be asleep, despite the lights in the room still burning. Hyunjin turned them off before getting into the fairly large bed next to the younger. His back was facing Hyunjin’s, so he scooted a little closer and wrapped an arm around his waist. Maybe cuddles would make him feel at least a little bit better.

~

Hyunjin woke up the next morning to the phone on his nightstand ringing obnoxiously. He picked up, looking over at Jisung and letting out a breath of relief when he saw that he was still asleep. “Hello?” he whispered.

“Mister Hwang? There’s a call for you,” the polite voice on the other side of the line informed him. Hyunjin furrowed his brows. Who the hell would call him? It’s not like anyone knew where he was.

“Who is it from?” he questioned, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

“The woman told me her name was Williams.” Hyunjin’s eyes widened. “Should I connect the call, Mister Hwang?” the man asked.

He looked at Jisung again. “Yes, please...” he answered. There was a clicking noise and a few seconds later a female voice spoke up.

“Hello? Hyunjin?” she said.

“Yes, this is Hyunjin. Why are you calling?” he asked her. Emily didn’t answer right away.

“I...” she trailed off. Hyunjin raised an impatient eyebrow. “I wanted to ask you to come by the house again...” she finally told him. Needless to say, he hadn’t expected that.

“Sure, let me just wake up Jisung-”

“No! Please, come alone,” she interrupted him frantically. He grew even more confused at her words. What could Jisung’s mother possibly want from him? “Please, I can’t face him... just... come by,” Emily pleaded. Hyunjin sighed, running his hand through his hair once more.

“Alright, I’ll be there in 30 minutes,” he promised.

“Thank you,” Jisung’s mother replied before hanging up.

Jisung remained asleep while Hyunjin got ready. He quickly wrote the younger a note and put it on his pillow before grabbing his car keys and leaving the hotel room. He kept asking himself why Jisung’s mother wanted to see him alone? Shouldn’t she be reaching out to her son instead of his – what even was Hyunjin? His friend? His boyfriend? They should really talk about it and clear the air.

Hyunjin pulled up in front of Emily Han’s house a few minutes later. He got out of the car and crossed the street just like he had yesterday. It felt kind of wrong to come here without Jisung. Maybe he should have woken him up after all. He sighed and rang the doorbell. Emily opened a few seconds later, looking at him briefly before letting him in. They didn’t head to the living room this time, and instead remained in the hallway.

“What did you call me here for?” Hyunjin cut straight to the point.

“I thought a lot after you and Jisung left. I got reminded of the past. How Jisung was never supposed to happen...”

“Why are you telling me this? Don’t you at least feel a little bit sorry about giving him away?” Hyunjin questioned, trying not to get angry. 

“Of course, I do. But that doesn’t change anything. I have a family. A husband, a step-daughter... and a new baby on the way,” Emily explained. Hyunjin huffed. “My husband doesn’t know I had a son at 16. I want it to stay that way,” she told him.

“It’ll break his heart!” Hyunjin argued.

“He’s better off!” She held up an envelope which she had held in her hand until now. Hyunjin hadn’t even noticed it. “Please, just make sure he gets this. You obviously care about him. I’m sure he’ll be alright,” Jisung’s mother said.

“We met a week ago!” Hyunjin informed her. Emily raised her eyebrow like she had trouble believing that.

“Either way, you seem like you’ve been together for years. Please, Hyunjin. Give this to him and get him to leave town.” She handed him the envelope, which he only took reluctantly. He really didn’t want to play mailman for Jisung’s mother, but if this envelope held the closure the younger needed, he would do it anyway.

“Don’t you want to get to know him?”

“I can’t... I’m not ready,” Emily answered.

Hyunjin’s shoulders sagged a little. “This may be your only chance. He’s been disappointed and rejected so many times in his life, so by the time you might be ready, he might not be anymore...” With that Hyunjin turned around and left Emily’s house.

She had obviously already made up her mind about Jisung. Hyunjin couldn’t help but feel like she was missing out. Maybe he was a little bit biased, but Jisung had made such a positive impact on his life that he couldn’t imagine ever being without him again...

~

Jisung sat on the windowsill, staring outside when Hyunjin came back. He was about to greet him when the younger spoke up: “You went to see her, didn’t you?” Hyunjin immediately felt bad; he knew he should have woken Jisung up. His note had only stated that he’d be back soon and for him not to worry.

“She called this morning,” Hyunjin replied. “She asked me to give you this...”

Jisung finally turned away from the window to look at the letter in the older’s outstretched hand. He took it wordlessly and went to sit down on the bed, before opening it. He read over it, his eyes filling with tears again. Hyunjin hesitated for a second, unsure if Jisung was mad at him for just going to meet his mother without telling him. He couldn’t stand seeing Jisung like that, though, especially when he let out a quiet sob. He sat down next to the younger and pulled him into his side.

Jisung had finished reading the letter and now held it out to Hyunjin; a silent invitation to read it as well...

Dear Jisung

I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. Please let me try to explain myself in writing. Your showing up out of the blue has really surprised and thrown me.

I had you when I was just 16 after waitressing at a party your birth father threw in Los Angeles. He was the heir of a pretty huge company and we just hit it off, albeit very briefly. I only dated him for a month before he broke it off. I found out I was pregnant three weeks later. My mother was furious, so she told me to get an abortion and my father agreed with her. So, when I refused, they kicked me out.

For a while, I was really determined to raise you and try to be a good mother, but I still had to finish high school and I had to work to save up for my own place while I was staying with friends. When you were born, I asked my older friend Cindy if she wanted to take care of you. She was 24, responsible, married. She was moving to Anaheim at the time and she had just gotten the news that she couldn’t have kids – which seemed to have turned out to be a mistake, judging from what you told me.

I was struggling, so I gave you up. I told Cindy that I didn’t know who the father was, because of how he was so quick to choose his money over me.  I was embarrassed about getting knocked up by someone I shouldn’t have trusted in the first place. I trusted Cindy to take care of you like you were her own and I’m sorry that didn’t happen.

Anyway, I finished high school in Los Angeles and got a scholarship from my dream university; Brown, so I packed what I had and moved to Rhode Island, like I had always dreamed. Things were finally looking up for me.

So, I’m sure you’re an amazing kid but I don’t think I can really afford to get to know you. Giving you up wasn’t easy, but I’ve worked very hard to get where I am today. On top of that, my husband doesn’t know about you and his daughter already doesn’t really like me. I can’t risk for him to find out about you and possibly leave me, now that I’m having another child.

I know it seems unfair but please understand. I can’t be your mother... at least not right now. I’m sorry.

I’ve added some money for wherever you’re headed next... please don’t come here again...

Emily

Jisung fished a few dollar bills out of the envelope. It seemed to be about 300 bucks, give or take. Hyunjin was shocked to say the least. How could she be so damn cold towards her own son? He hadn’t asked her for anything, except a chance to get to know her. It made him angry, but he knew there was nothing he could do to change her mind.

“I’m so sorry...” he mumbled, taking Jisung’s hand.

“I just wanted to meet her,” the younger said between sniffles.

“I know...” Hyunjin said, caressing the back of his hand with his thumb, in a calming manner.

The younger rested his head on his shoulder. “This just proves once again that nobody wants me...”

“That’s not true,” Hyunjin said. “Look at me...” he demanded. Jisung raised his head again and looked at Hyunjin. His eyes were red from crying and there were tearstains on his face. Hyunjin took his other hand as well. “I think you’re the single most amazing person I’ve ever met. It’s her loss, honestly. I could spend ages on the road with you and never grow sick of you.”

That caused Jisung to smile a little. He reached out to cup Hyunjin’s cheek. “That’s because you were the only one who was ever willing to get to know me.” He paused, averting his gaze again. For a second, Hyunjin feared that the younger was going to cry again, but when he looked back up, he seemed determined. “I have to get out of here. I don’t know where yet...” he trailed off. “Where are you going to go?” he asked Hyunjin, who shrugged.

“Wherever the money takes me,” he answered.

Jisung bit his lip in thought. “Won’t you be lonely?” he asked the older, who smiled faintly.

“Most definitely... especially after I had such great company all week. But I guess, I’m used to it. I’ve been lonely for a long time.”

Jisung still seemed to be thinking about something. Hyunjin wanted to ask him what exactly was on his mind, but the younger beat him to it: “We could be lonely together.” Hyunjin’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t expected Jisung to say that. “I kind of only have you...”

Hyunjin found his speech again. “A-are you sure you want this? I don’t even know where I’m headed,” he told the younger.

Jisung shrugged. “Neither do I... and quite frankly, I’d go anywhere with you. Unless, of course, you don’t want me to?” He sounded insecure towards the end.

Hyunjin’s heart was fluttering because of Jisung’s words. He would go anywhere with him? He couldn’t help himself when he leaned in and kissed him, earning himself a noise of surprise from Jisung.

“I want you to,” he mumbled when he pulled back. Jisung smiled, a genuine one this time.

“Really? Because we haven’t even talked about... us and everything, and I don’t want you to feel obligated to-”

Hyunjin chuckled at the younger’s rambling. “I don’t feel obligated to anything...” he assured him. He thought about their conversation in South Bend, about how Jisung’s mother had said that they seemed like they’d been together for years.

“I really like you, Jisung. More than I probably should after only a week of knowing you. But I thought about what you said the other day, about us maybe not lasting... and I figured, I want this to last. This might sound cheesy and it might be too early for me to say this, but I kind of feel at home with you. I would go anywhere with you, too,” he explained.

Jisung looked at him. “Do you mean that?” he asked, in slight disbelief.

“Of course, I mean it,” he assured the younger, laughing.

“Good, because I really like you, too... and I also want this to last. I couldn’t stand the thought of you going somewhere and me probably never seeing you again.”

“Then let’s go somewhere together,” Hyunjin replied. He pointed over at the wall where a huge map of the states was hanging.

It almost felt like a sign.

Hyunjin pulled him to his feet and led him over to the map. “Close your eyes,” he said with a wide grin. Jisung looked confused but did as he was told after an encouraging look from the older. “Now point somewhere on the map. Anywhere. We’ll go there next, see if we like it and if we do... we’re going to make that place our home.”

Jisung smiled, seemingly on board with the idea, and raised his finger. He blindly pointed at a spot on the map. Hyunjin laughed.

“Okay, that’s Lake Michigan,” he pointed out, making Jisung laugh as well. He moved his finger a little and landed on Chicago, before opening his eyes. He grinned at Hyunjin, who grinned right back.

“To the Windy City we go!” he exclaimed.

“This is absolutely crazy. Are you completely sure you want this?” he asked. Hyunjin faced him with his whole body, wrapping his arms around the younger’s waist and pulling him closer, kissing him again.

“I’ve never been surer about anything in my life. In fact, let’s go right now!”

Jisung’s eyes widened. “Right now?”

“Yes, come on! Let’s pack our stuff!” Hyunjin said enthusiastically.

“We’re going to Chicago...” Jisung muttered, like he still couldn’t believe it. Hyunjin regarded him with a wide smile.

“Yes, we are...unless you want to go somewhere else. We can go anywhere you like,” he told the younger, who only shook his head.

“Chicago is fine.”

~

They had just started packing, still high on excitement when a knock sounded on their door. Hyunjin went to open with Jisung following close-by. They were met with a familiar face, looking at them guiltily.

“Avery,” Jisung said. She smiled and gave them a little wave.

“Can I come in?” she questioned. They let her enter the room, still surprised to see her – even though, they had technically already seen her yesterday, which they had meant to ask about anyway.

“I followed Hyunjin here from my house... it took me a while to convince the guy downstairs to give me your room number...” Avery said. “I’m actually grounded, but I snuck out because I overheard you talking to my stepmother,” she addressed Hyunjin. The two boys exchanged a look. So, Avery was really the daughter of Jisung’s mother’s new husband.

“As it turns out, we’re step siblings...” she now said to Jisung, who could only nod in stunned surprise. “I wanted to explain myself because I feel bad for running away in Omaha. I followed you into the gas station and overheard you two talking... I was scared you’d really turn me over, so I bailed...”

“We were really worried about you,” Jisung told her, after finally finding his words again.

“I know, I’m sorry...” she apologized. “But I was scared. I originally never wanted to come back here,” Avery told them.

“What were you doing in Nebraska anyway, if you ran away from here?” Hyunjin questioned, beyond confused.

Avery sighed. “It’s a long story... I lived in Seattle with my mother. She and my dad are divorced. However, she died six months ago, and I was forced to live here with my father, who had just gotten married. I didn’t know anybody and I’m just not really getting along with my stepmother...” she trailed off, looking at Jisung.

“No offense,” she said.

The older waved off. “None taken,” he answered.

“Anyway, I ran off back to Seattle... my best friend bought me a plane ticket and said I could stay with her. It was reckless, I know, but I just needed to flee because I just kept fighting with my father and Emily. Besides, I felt like they were too stoked about the news of the pregnancy to even really care about me... so I headed to Seattle and lived with my friend for a while.” Hyunjin couldn’t help but understand her need to run, but she was only 15, whereas he had waited until he was 18.

“Didn’t your dad wonder where you were?” Hyunjin questioned.

“My father knew I was safe but not where I was. But I refused to come home. Then my friend and I had a really big fight and I left because she threatened to tell my father that I was staying with her. So, I wanted to go to Detroit because my aunt lives there. My mom’s sister...” she told them.

“So, you lied about your friends leaving you in Cheyenne and about being a foster child,” Jisung pointed out.

Avery nodded remorsefully. “I just... took the lie you offered me on a silver platter. I figured that if you knew I was running away from my father, you’d insist on bringing me back. When you said you were going to Providence, I panicked...” she explained.

“How did you end up back here?” Hyunjin asked.

“I was caught by the police a few days ago, after I left you guys... because I stole a toothbrush. I had almost made it to Detroit, but they called my father, who then picked me up and brought me right back here,” she closed her story.

“What are you going to do now?” Jisung asked.

Avery shrugged. “I think I’ll try again with my dad... and if that doesn’t work out I’ll run again,” she said. “I take it you’re leaving as well?” she stated, looking at their half-packed bags. They nodded in confirmation and Avery looked at Jisung. “I’m sorry that your meeting with Emily didn’t go well... she’s...” the younger girl trailed off, seemingly unsure about how to describe Jisung’s mother. He just waved off again.

“It’s okay. I figured, I don’t need her after all,” he told her with a small smile, while casually slipping his hand into Hyunjin’s.

Avery grinned. “I knew you two had something going on!” she exclaimed. “In that case... I wish you the best wherever you’re going next. I should get back now, before they notice I’m gone.” They smiled at her, as she headed for the door.

“Take care, Avery...” Jisung said.

“You too, step-brother!” Avery replied before leaving.

Hyunjin and Jisung remained in the room alone. “I can’t believe of all the people we could have met on the way here, we met your step-sister,” Hyunjin said, laughing. Jisung joined in, unable to shake the irony of the situation.

“I guess this is a road trip novel, after all,” he joked. Hyunjin put an arm around his shoulders.

“In that case, I guess we got a pretty good ending”, he pointed out.

Jisung smiled up at him. “We sure did...”

~

Hyunjin and Jisung finished packing and proceeded to check out of the hotel, their hands intertwined and wide smiles on their faces, as they approached the car. Hyunjin was about to head for the driver’s side, when Jisung held him back with a grin on his face.

“You know what... I think I’m ready to drive,” he said. Hyunjin looked surprised but made an inviting hand motion towards the driver’s seat, as he opened the door for the younger.

“Whatever you want,” he said with a chuckle. He got in on the passenger’s side and looked over at Jisung fondly, as he adjusted the seat and mirrors to his liking. When he was finished, he met Hyunjin’s eyes and smiled excitedly.

“To the Windy City we go!” he repeated the older’s earlier words, before starting the engine and driving off towards their new future.

You are leaving Providence, Rhode Island
(967 miles to home)

End.