Chapter Text
Gaspard lost track of time. He had been walking for hours through the monotonous desert landscapes of California, and it didn’t look like he was going to reach his destination any time soon. Though, did he even have a destination? He had been walking and hitchhiking like this for weeks and the destination itself wasn’t really important to Gaspard. What mattered to him was the adventure itself and the chance to see new places that most European tourists rather didn’t bother to visit.
But why even do that? Well, Gaspard came to America with the intention of experiencing something new as his life in France had become far too mundane and how else could he change it but by taking a break and going to a completely foreign country? Most of his friends had told him he was crazy for wanting to hitchhike in America, which wasn’t considered really the safest country in the world, but he had just shrugged it off. After all, it was his life and he hadn’t much to lose. He needed to get out of there, taste some real freedom and get rid of all the frustration his boring life had caused him.
And now he was mostly happy with his decision. He had visited some very interesting places, been to LA and Vegas, met plenty of cool people and experienced some of the best parties of his life. Those memories were all his and no one was going to take them away from him. However, as is always the case in life, not everything is always all bright and great, and now Gaspard could really feel it.
His feet hurt like hell and the heavy backpack wasn’t doing his shoulders and back any favors. He found himself in the middle of nowhere, where the sun shone high, and none of the drivers that occasionally passed him bothered to stop or even give him a courtesy glance. Well, they must've thought that he was most probably batshit crazy to be walking like this, all alone in the middle of nowhere, and Gaspard couldn’t really argue with that. Sometimes he thought the same…
Though, soon it was meant to change. Gaspard still walked and walked while contemplating his whole life, his sweaty sleeveless Yes' shirt sticking to his body. According to his map, a small town was only a few miles away. He hoped to find a cheap hotel and catch a bus from there the next morning. That’s it, if even some buses were driving there...
However, suddenly the sound of an approaching car pulled him out of his thoughts. Gaspard stopped walking and turned to see a silver car gleaming in all the sunlight, coming closer and closer. He didn't know if he should even bother raising his hand and sticking out his thumb to indicate that he needed a ride. After all, why should this driver suddenly be different from all the others? Nevertheless, he sighed and raised his hand. Better to try than not, right?
The car came closer, Gaspard could see that they were slowing down a little, and it was at that moment that what was left of his hope awakened.
Still though, they passed him by.
Of course. How else?
Gaspard groaned and wanted to scream in frustration, but refrained from this strong urge when he noticed that the car suddenly stopped a few meters further. He nearly gasped at this miracle and walked hesitantly towards the vehicle. His eyes wandered over the car and he couldn’t help but notice that it was a very nice car indeed, an old Toyota Celica straight out of the 80s. Whoever owned it must have really loved it, because it was very clean and well kept. At least at first glance.
“Where are you going?” The driver asked as Gaspard approached the car. Gaspard was quite surprised to find a black haired man who looked about his age, maybe even a bit younger, behind the wheel. Somehow he’d expected someone much older to be driving this vintage beauty. The man had a cigarette between his lips, wore sunglasses and a v-neck shirt. Gaspard also noticed two cross pendants. Why two? Wasn’t one enough?
“I don’t know… I was just hoping to get to the nearest town and then I’ll see.” He murmured with a shrug. The driver raised a brow.
“You don’t really have a destination? Looking for an adventure, are you?” He said with a smirk and Gaspard couldn’t help but notice his thick accent. Somehow it sounded suspiciously close to a French accent… “Anyway, I’m going to San Francisco and then further north. If you don't mind that direction, hop in.” Gaspard nodded and quickly got into the car before the driver changed his mind. What if he’s a psycho serial killer, though? Maybe that’s why he stopped, huh?! His mind screamed as he got into the car and sat down next to the stranger. He looked over at the man, his eyes catching a bunch of random tattoos on his skinny arms. Doubt it. The man didn’t really look like a serial killer, and even if he was, Gaspard guessed that he could defend himself as the stranger was quite smaller than him.
“You’re not a local, are you?” The man asked, or rather stated a fact as they started to drive. Gaspard looked at him again and noticed that the cigarette had disappeared from his lips.
“I’m not.” He murmured with a shrug. He didn’t feel very talkative after hours of walking. Nevertheless, he added. “But neither are you. Your accent…” The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Gaspard thought for a second that maybe he should have just kept quiet instead. What if the guy turned out to be one of those snowflakes who gets offended by everything and then just simply kicks him out? However, the black haired man just smirked.
“Good observation. I could say the same about yours though. You French by any chance?” He asked the last part in French and Gaspard looked at the man with furrowed brows. His mouth opened wide and closed again. Oh fucking shit, wait what? A Frenchie here?!
“I’m indeed French.” He responded slowly in French. “But wait. How did you guess?” He added in confusion and the man looked at him with his mouth open, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Holy fuck! You shitting me?!” The black haired man exclaimed loudly, looking over at Gaspard with a grin. “Wow. I haven’t seen a fellow Frenchman in months. I was almost afraid I’d forget my beautiful language, pfft.” He said with a snort and Gaspard chuckled. He was quite surprised, but quite happy for the same reason as well. He hadn’t expected to meet someone from his country here in the middle of the desert at all. “Holy fucking shit, that’s quite unexpected. I’m Xavier, by the way.” He grinned and held out his hand for a handshake as the other remained at the wheel.
“Gaspard.” He introduced himself with a small smile and took the other’s hand. Xavier had nice, lean and long fingers and quite a firm grip, much firmer than Gaspard had expected, but not to the extent that it’d be uncomfortable.
“And to answer you. Your accent is pretty thick too, and I’ve got a good eye anyway.” Xavier explained with a shrug as he let go of his hand, and Gaspard nodded.
“It sounds like you’ve been in America for quite a long time though.” Gaspard pointed out with a raised brow. He guessed that he could have a little chat with this Xavier after all.
“Yeah, it’s been a while. I have some work to do here that takes some time, to make a long story short…” He trailed off and Gaspard could see that the man rather didn’t want to talk about his work, whatever it might be. “And you? On holiday, I suppose?”
“Yeah, I’ve been here for a few weeks now. I plan to stay for the next few ones. Just traveling here and there, trying to see some cool places.” He answered with a shrug and the driver nodded.
“Well, you found yourself in not quite a touristy area. You know, hitchhiking alone can be quite dangerous and some of the people in these areas aren’t too friendly to outsiders.”
“Yeah, I’m aware but it applies to you too. Driving alone and all…”
“I know where not to stick my nose.” Xavier stated firmly with a slightly darker tone of voice that made Gaspard believe that the man had seen some real shit out there. Alright…
Those words seemed to end the conversation, as Xavier didn’t ask any more questions and Gaspard felt that it was definitely better to keep quiet. The man was still a stranger to him, God only knew what kind of person he might be and Gaspard didn’t want to get into trouble.
He took out a water bottle from his backpack, took a few gulps and closed his eyes while leaning his head against the car window. He was tired as hell and could use a nap. Though, the thought had crossed his mind that maybe he should be a little more careful around the stranger. Ah well, fuck it. He’d been hitchhiking for a few weeks and he was still alive. Gaspard sighed and decided to give up to sleep. He guessed that the guy would wake him when they reached a town.
However, it turned out that he was more exhausted than he’d thought, as the nap lasted a couple of hours. When he awoke, the sun was no longer high in the sky, and instead he could see a beautiful sunset over a landscape that had quite changed. There was no more desert, just palm trees and vast vineyards. It was nice. Certainly a more familiar sight for him.
He rubbed his eyes and moved away from the window, his head and back aching from sleeping in an uncomfortable position, fuck dammit. Gaspard sighed and looked over at Xavier, who was no longer wearing his sunglasses. The man looked quite confident behind the wheel and seemed to be focused on the road. He was tapping the wheel to the rhythm of an old Sparks song playing quietly on the radio and humming the tune softly. It was quite a nice sight as well…
“We’re reaching Fresno. I don’t know about you, but I need to sleep, eat and shower, and not necessarily in that order. We’ll stay at some hotel.” Xavier suddenly started talking, his eyes still on the road, as if he felt that Gaspard had woken up and was staring at him. He cleared his throat.
“I’m surprised you haven’t kicked me out yet. We’ve been driving for quite a few hours now.” He murmured, his voice a little hoarse from sleep. He really hadn’t expected this journey to take so long. Xavier huffed under his breath.
“And where could I kick you out? Out in the desert? Or out in one of those shitty small towns full of rednecks? Nah, man. I’m not heartless and you don’t seem too problematic. Besides, I didn’t wake you up because you said you didn’t really have a destination. I figured that you wouldn’t mind going with me for a bit longer.” Xavier explained with a shrug and Gaspard couldn’t help but just feel quite a warm wave of relief and thankfulness.
“Oh, alright. Thank you.” Gaspard replied gratefully with a small smile and a nod. After all, the man quite helped him a lot and if it hadn’t been for him, he might still be walking and waiting for a miracle or at best he might have reached one of those small boring towns. Xavier only answered with a small smile and a nod.
They soon reached the aforementioned Fresno and stopped at a cheap motel on the outskirts of the city. As they got out of the car, Gaspard noticed that the temperature had dropped quite a bit as the sun had already disappeared. Xavier opened the car trunk and took out a gym bag and a vintage bomber jacket of a team Gaspard had never heard of. The guy was so retro with his style and a car…
The men entered the motel in silence, both seemingly too tired for a chit chat. The obscure mood of the place didn’t help either, as it looked as if it had stopped in time somewhere in the 70s, and behind the reception desk sat a bored old dude with a newspaper in his hands. Xavier cleared his throat.
“Hello. We’d like to rent two single rooms for one night.” He said in a rather flat tone of voice and the man behind the desk took his eyes off the newspaper with a frown. He took a long look at both of them and eventually nodded.
“Sure.” The man replied with one word and started to check a notebook full of reservations, as apparently computers hadn’t reached this place yet. “Looks like we don’t have two rooms available though.” He clicked his tongue and shook his head. Xavier furrowed his brows and muttered a few curses in French under his breath. What, this shithole was really all occupied? Gaspard certainly wasn’t too happy about the news either.
“What? Why?”
“I mean, sure. There are two more rooms that ain’t taken, but there was a murder a few days ago. Cops ain’t letting anyone in there yet.” He revealed with a shrug, as if it was the most normal thing to say, and Gaspard just stared at the man with an open mouth. A murder? Did that man really just say that word? Jesus Christ…
“How lovely.” Xavier murmured ironically with a big sigh and looked at Gaspard, who felt even more awkward at his sudden intense gaze. It was as if he was considering if it was really smart to sleep in the same room with a stranger. Well, probably not… But Gaspard knew that he wasn’t dangerous himself. The question was; if Xavier wasn’t either? “I’m way too tired for this shit. If you don’t mind sleeping with me, I’ll take this room.” He decided quietly with a sigh. “I-I mean sleeping in one room with me, not necessarily with me, you know what I mean…” He quickly added under his breath, shaking his head in annoyance. Well, sleeping with you wouldn’t be probably that bad either, heh… Still, some part of Gaspard’s mind only managed to whisper, at which he immediately shook his head and cleared his throat. Well, it sure wouldn’t be bad, true. Not at all, especially as his eyes suddenly decided to focus on Xavier’s nice cheekbones and his pretty lips… But fuck, jeez! It wasn’t time for this kind of shit. After all, they were at place where someone had killed someone else, for fuck’s sake…
“N-No, I don’t mind. I mean, I slept already in your car earlier, so.” He answered with a shrug. Xavier hadn't done anything to him back then, so he figured that it wouldn’t change overnight. Xavier nodded slowly and murmured; “ good point.”
“This room has two beds, I hope.” Xavier murmured to the receptionist, who nodded.
“Yeah, sure. Naturally.”
“And you have money to pay the half, right?” Xavier turned to Gaspard once again with a raised brow. Gaspard nodded too.
“Yeah.”
“Alright, we’ll take it.”
The room turned out to be quite decent. At least it was pretty clean, had a working shower, two beds and a TV. Not great, not terrible. He’d slept in some worse places already. Gaspard considered whether it would be better to take a shower first or get something to eat, but the sight of the burger place across the street and his growling stomach convinced him to do the latter. He hadn’t eaten nearly all day and he could really feel it right now.
“Do you want to go grab a bite? There’s a burger place nearby. It’s on me.” Gaspard offered as he sat down on one of the beds. He figured he should return the favor somehow, for the ride and all. It was the least he could do. Besides, he wouldn’t mind a little chat, at least to break the ice. After all, they were going to share a room tonight and he didn’t want it to be so awkward. Xavier, who was standing by the window, suddenly turned to him with a surprised look on his face, as if he had just been taken out of his train of thought.
“What? Oh, food. Yeah sure, why not. I’m starving and if you’re offering.” He only nodded with a shrug and Gaspard actually smiled lightly that the man had agreed.
So, the two men went across the street to the nearest burger place and ordered the biggest burgers the place had to offer, altogether with fries, coke and beer. Both Xavier and Gaspard were starving after the long drive and didn’t really talk at first, both way too focused on the greasy food.
Though, Gaspard couldn’t help but steal a few glances at the other man. He had to admit that the guy was quite good looking with his longish black hair, defined jaw, full lips and big brown eyes. If he met him at some club or just in more normal circumstances, he’d probably risk making a move. Now however? Better refrain from doing so. Xavier seemed quite inaccessible and distrustful, which made sense considering where they were. Gaspard was just a mere hitchhiker, a stranger, and they were eating burgers in this dingy diner in a shady part of the town. It was natural to be a little cautious and reserved with each other. Still, Gaspard remembered the other man’s enthusiasm when he’d told him that he was French too. He had to admit that it was quite a nice sight to see Xavier like that…
“Where are you from in France?” Gaspard decided to ask at last. He thought that talking about their country might loosen the other up a bit. Xavier looked up at him with a frown, as if he didn’t expect the other to ask anything. He stared at Gaspard for a few seconds, as if he was considering if it was smart to say anything at all. Gaspard only swallowed hard under Xavier’s searching gaze and was about to absolutely regret opening his mouth at all, but ultimately Xavier’s expression softened a little.
“I’m from Paris. And you?” He finally answered between bites and Gaspard relaxed a little too. Though, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows as well.
“Oh, wow. Me too.” He replied in surprise, because now it really was a big coincidence. Meeting someone from your country on the other side of the world was one thing, but meeting someone from your city was another. Well, Paris is a big city… But it was still quite a surprise. Xavier looked up at him in astonishment again, his eyes widening a little and then frowning.
“Really? Now that’s a coincidence… A fellow Parisian here in the middle of nowhere… Interesting.” He mused under his breath, looking straight at Gaspard again with that searching, rather intense gaze. Gaspard couldn’t help but hear a hint of suspicion in his voice, but maybe it was just him, as Xavier just shook his head quickly and smiled slightly. “So, tell me. What do you prefer, wandering through American shitholes and the taste of this freedom or good, old Paris?” He asked with a raised brow and Gaspard relaxed some again. Yeah, that was normal and they were having just a normal chat here. He softly chuckled.
“It’s cool to be here for a few weeks and experience something new, but to be honest I’m starting to miss home.” Gaspard revealed with a shrug and Xavier nodded.
“Oh yeah, no doubt… I miss it too.” Xavier muttered as he looked out of the window of the diner. The man looked quite nostalgic and thoughtful, but soon shook his head as if to get himself out of the thoughts again. He looked back at Gaspard. “But what brought you here to America? You don’t look to me like a big touristy type or you know, this kind of traveler who travels around the world and all of that.” He asked with a raised brow and Gaspard nodded with a small chuckle, agreeing with the man’s observation. It was true, he always liked traveling but in a bit of a lazy way. Take a flight to Ibiza, go party and sunbathe on the beach the next day and then go back home. He hadn’t been too keen on hiking or whatever. That’s why he wanted to try something new when he felt that his life had become far too predictable. Hitchhiking was completely new to him and it could be quite obvious at times, especially when he met other experienced hitchhikers who were sort of survivalists, and seemed to have absolutely everything in their backpacks and could go through anything. Well, Gaspard relied more on luck than on his skills, but so far he was still alive, so…
“I just wanted to try something new, see a bit of the world and all of that. I've always wanted to visit the States.” He explained before taking another sip of the coke. Yeah, that was pretty much it. He’d wanted to experience this American dream trip for a long while. Since his childhood, actually, which was heavily influenced by American culture. Movies, comics, music, cowboys and all that freedom-filled aesthetic... And true, by this point he’d long since realized that the American dream had very little to do with reality, but that’s how those times had just been and his generation still had that image deeply ingrained in their minds.
“Oh yeah. Looking for an adventure, huh? Traveling like that can be quite dangerous, though.” Xavier pointed out once again, his tone slightly less carefree again. Gaspard knew that the man had a point, but goddammit, they were just having a simple chat here. He sighed in a bit of annoyance.
“So is taking the strangers under the roof of your car. Do you often take hitchhikers?” Gaspard murmured with a raised brow. Yeah, the man kept saying how dangerous it was and Gaspard knew it well, but it went both ways. Picking up hitchhikers wasn’t too safe either, especially as Xavier wasn’t too huge of a guy or something...
“No. Actually you’re the first one.” Xavier mused while looking directly at Gaspard. “Honestly, I’m not even sure why I helped you. Maybe fate just wanted it, who knows.” He shrugged with a snort. “But don’t worry about me. I know how to take care of myself.” He said with a smirk and Gaspard decided to just respond with a nod and small smile. Well, it sounded like the man was somehow managing here, had a cool car and all of that, so Gaspard quite believed him.
“No doubt.” He murmured and took another bite of his burger while wondering if it was wise to ask more questions… But well, fuck it. “And do you live here in California?”
“I don’t really have a permanent place. Just staying here and there, you know.” He explained with a shrug while avoiding Gaspard’s eyes. “But mostly I’m in Cali, yeah, and let me tell you it gets boring as hell after a while. Deserts and all of that shit, LA isn’t anything special actually either. The club scene in Paris is levels, levels above, believe me.” Xavier suddenly became more talkative. Gaspard nodded and couldn't help but stare as the other man licked his greasy fingers as he finished his meal. “I actually prefer San Francisco, where I’m going tomorrow. It’s got some cool clubs and I prefer the vibe of this city overall, although it’s generally quite expensive, but then again the whole state is, and when you come from damn Paris you’re used to everything being expensive anyway.” He finished with a shrug and took a sip of his coke.
“Oh, alright. Good to know, I’ve actually been to LA and it was quite fun, although you’re right, the music in the clubs was pretty shitty there.” He said with a nod and a little chuckle.
“Damn right.” Xavier agreed with a small smile and looked straight at Gaspard, who once again swallowed hard under the other’s gaze. Both men just looked at each other wordlessly and Gaspard had no idea what this staring contest even meant. To be honest, he didn't really mind. Xavier was quite a nice sight to look at, but it still felt a bit awkward… Xavier sighed deeply and turned his eyes away from Gaspard.
“You know, if you want, you can come with me to San Francisco tomorrow.” Xavier murmured, looking at his now empty plate and playing with a tissue. “Unless you want to stay here or go somewhere else, of course, but you won’t find anything too interesting here.” He offered with a shrug and Gaspard just stared at the man with a slightly open mouth in surprise. He hadn’t expected such an offer and at the moment the man really seemed to be a godsend, making things much easier for Gaspard.
“Oh, sure. I-If you’re sure, yeah, I’d love to. I wanted to visit there anyway.” He agreed without much thinking. Xavier nodded carefully with a small smile.
“We’re set then.”
The two men talked some more about some random topics and Gaspard found that Xavier wasn’t so hard to talk to after all. It turned out they even had some things in common. Soon though, they decided to call it a night as both men were tired as hell.
“You can go take a shower first and all. I gotta make a call now.” Xavier murmured to Gaspard as they walked through the hotel’s parking lot.
“Sure.” He nodded and went into their room without a second thought. Once inside he immediately took off his sweaty clothes, he needed that damn shower. He opened his backpack and took out some fresh clothes for the next day and something to sleep in. Gaspard sighed and ran his hand over his face. He could really feel the tiredness in his bones, but he couldn’t complain. He had a bed to sleep in and a ride arranged for the next day. He’d definitely expected this day to be a lot worse.
Gaspard looked out the window overlooking the parking lot and caught sight of Xavier. The man was on the phone and didn’t seem too happy about what he had just heard. Quite mysterious, this one. But all in all he seemed to be quite a likable guy…
Gaspard sighed and looked away from the window, his eyes suddenly focused on Xavier’s bag, which was lying next to his bed. Gaspard couldn’t help but feel that there might be something… important? Maybe even… shady? He remembered now how Xavier had been very careful with the bag and when he’d opened it, he’d made sure that Gaspard couldn’t see what was inside... Well, now Gaspard could easily open the bag and take a look if he wanted to...
He shook his head and headed for the shower instead. He wasn’t the kind of person to rummage through other people’s things. And anyway, after tomorrow’s ride he and Xavier would part ways and probably never see each other again. Whatever Xavier was involved in, it wasn’t Gaspard’s problem.