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Keith is over it. It has been shitty guy after shitty guy for the last ten years and he is over it. He needs a new start, a new life. Which is why he is on his motorcycle going 90 miles down the highway far away from Texas. He is not 100 sure where he will stop but he is starting to run out of gas telling him it is time for a break somewhere in Louisiana.
He pulls into the gas station and unfortunately every stall is taken. He decides to wait behind an old volkswagen van that he has only ever saw on tv. The guy loading the tanks notices Keith and gives the warmest smile Keith has ever seen on a stranger and waves to him. Keith decides to be polite and lift up the visors covering his eyes and wave back. The guy looks really nice, even though he is a lot bigger than Keith and driving an old van he seemed to like radiate sunshine? If a person can do that.
Someone yells at the guy from the van and he finishes up and waves to Keith one more time before getting in and driving off.
Keith gets back on the road soon enough and continues going east. After a few hours the sun begins to set and Keith thinks that is a good stop for the night. He pulls into a Denny’s parking lot somewhere in Mississippi he thinks? He walks in and gets seated at a booth by himself and is completely focused on his phone updating his brother Shiro that he has not in fact, died in a terrible motorcycle accident. He jumps when someone sits next to him and another across.
“So my friend here and I have a bet going.” The small one next to him says.
Keith’s eyes widen, he looks across and sees the sunshine guy at the gas station.
“Oh.. okay?” Keith says very unsure.
“See I think you are on the run because you are a wanted criminal.” The person next to him directs to themselves, “But my buddy Hunk here,” They gesture to the person sitting across, “Doesn’t think so.”
Keith raises an eyebrow, “Umm I not on the run from the police?”
“Ha! Told you Pidge!” The guy shouts across from them, “I get to pick the music for the rest of the trip!”
“Ugh.” The apparently Pidge groans, “Man, stranger I thought you were cooler than this.” Pidge slumps down and crosses their arms.
“I’m sorry?” Keith is very confused by this interaction.
“Oh don’t mind them,” Hunk says, “Pidge is just salty that they were wrong.”
“That I was a criminal?” Keith asks.
Hunk looks at Pidge, “Well when you put it that way I sound like an asshole.” Pidge grumbles.
“Anyways,” Hunk continues, “Glad you aren’t a criminal. As you have probably put together by now I am Hunk and this is Pidge. We are on the way to Florida.”
“Yeah,” Pidge chimes in, “One of our online friends is finally coming to America from Cuba and we are all going to live together.”
“Oh cool um, I’m Keith.”
“Hi Keith.” Hunk smiles, “Where are you going?”
Keith shrugs, “I don’t know yet.”
Pidge lights up, “You should come to Florida! We got this amazing job lined up and they are open to taking more people.”
“Um thanks? I’ll look into it.”
“Cool I will email you the link.” Pidge starts tapping away on their phone.
“Don’t you need my-” Keith is cut off by his phone buzzing from an email. “How?”
“I’ve learned not to ask questions when it comes to Pidge and technology.” Hunk adds in.
Keith looks at his phone and the two people who are no longer strangers sitting around him and he guesses he now has a destination.