Work Text:
It had been two weeks since Bernie stabbed him. He managed to drive for an hour before the blood loss got to him too much and he felt safe enough to stitch himself up. Eventually, though, he made it to San Francisco and decided to stop running. He was far enough away and had no ties to the city, so no one would think to look for him here. He would at least stay long enough to make some money before he had to leave again.
The one thing he promised himself, though, was that he wouldn’t get attached – not to anyone or anything. He got a shitty apartment – much like his old one – and a job at the local mechanic where he kept his head down and only spoke when he had to. He’s pretty sure half his coworkers think he’s mute, but whatever.
Even with his commitment to separating himself from the rest of civilisation, he couldn’t help but be drawn to his neighbour. He was a teacher at the nearby middle school; ‘Ryland Grace’ if his pigeonhole in the mail room was to be believed. He’d see him biking to school in the mornings as he drove to work, he wasn’t exactly hard to miss with his bright yellow jacket, but the other man never seemed to notice him. It was for the best. Ryland seemed so pure, so innocent. Driver couldn’t taint him like he did Irene. Ryland Grace was like the sun – he couldn’t risk dimming it just because he wants some attention.
Unfortunately, his plan didn’t work out too well. He was driving home from work late Sunday night when he noticed Ryland’s bike locked to a drainpipe in the alley next to Murphy’s; a restaurant he had noticed Ryland’s visits ever Sunday with a friend. He was usually home by now, though. Driver pulled over on the side of the road across from the restaurant and glanced down the alley where he saw Ryland being blocked by a stranger in dark clothing. He was out his car not a second later.
The stranger was moving towards Ryland, pushing him further into the shadows of the alley, “All I have is $10, you can take it,” he heard Ryland say in a quiet, desperate voice.
The man opened his mouth to speak, but Driver didn’t want to hear it. He pinned him to the wall before either of them realised he was there.
He could hear Ryland gasp, hear him slapping his own hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming. Distantly, Driver wondered if Ryland knew he had it handled. If he trusted him to take care of him, or if he was just in shock. Either way, Driver wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. He wouldn’t let his sun dim.
He cleared Ryland from his mind as he pushed the man into the ground. He wouldn’t kill him, not in front of Ryland, but he would make sure he got the message. He doesn’t like violence, but he has to admit it felt nice to let a little pent-up anger out every now and again. He was never a violent person, but the shitty cards he had been dealt in life ensured he wasn’t a weak one either.
He kept punching the man until he heard a quiet “Stop” from behind him. Barely loud enough to be heard over the sounds of his fist meeting the man stomach and face.
“If you touch him again, you won’t be walking away,” Driver said, keeping his voice low; the last thing he wanted was to scare Ryland more than he already had. The man was barely conscious by this point, but he managed to crawl away and up from the ground once Driver stepped back from him. He watched him scamper off for a few seconds, calming himself down as he did so, before turning to Ryland who was still stood with his hand hovering over his mouth from where it had been covered in his shock.
“I know you,” Ryland said after a moment, looking straight into Driver’s eyes. That surprised him – he didn’t think the other man ever noticed him. He seemed in his own world half the time, as if his head was in the clouds. That just made Driver want to protect him even more. “We’re neighbours, right?” He was still so quiet.
“Yeah. Sorry about that,” he gestured to the spot where the man had just fled from, speaking quietly to match Ryland’s as if he were some spooked animal. He supposed in a way they both were.
That seemed to shake Ryland out of his stupor, at least, “What? You have nothing to be sorry for. You just saved me from what I imagine would be heck of a difficult explanation for a black eye at school tomorrow – I’m a teacher, not a kid. Obviously... Oh, I’m Ryland by the way. Ryland Grace,” he held his hand out for Driver to shake. He already knew all that information, of course. He had found Ryland on Instagram after he learned his name. He didn’t have much on his profile, but enough to figure out where he worked as well as some information on his stunt man twin, Colt Seavers.
Regardless, he shook the offered hand. Unfortunately, he realised too late that his gloves were still on, and he couldn’t feel Ryland’s skin on his own. He cleared his throat before speaking again – he wasn’t used to talking anymore and it showed in his gravelly voice on the rare occasion he had to. “Driver,” A part of him wanted to give Ryland his real name, but no one had used that in a long time. Not even Irene.
The other man looked around for a second, hesitating before asking, “Could I buy you a drink? To say thank you…?” Driver searched the man’s face for a second, checking it was what he really wanted, and he wasn’t just asking because he felt he had to. Against his better judgement, he nodded hid head and let Ryland lead him back into the restaurant.
They went straight to the almost empty bar and took a seat, where they were immediately greeted by the bartender who seemed familiar with Ryland. “Back so soon huh? The usual?” He had a lopsided smile on his face. He looked almost flirty, and that didn’t sit right with Driver. He had to remind himself that he had no claim over the other man – he swore he wouldn’t get too close and he didn’t intend to break that.
“Yes please. Just ran into my neighbour,” Ryland was smiling, but looked more friendly than flirty. He wouldn’t blame him if he was interested in the bartender, right enough. Mr Tall Dark and Handsome looked perfectly nice. He deserved Ryland much more than Driver ever could.
It took him a second to realise he was expected to give his order. He just went with whatever beer they had on tap. He didn’t drink much and, although their apartments were only a few blocks away, he wanted a clear head while driving.
Driver expected them to fall into an uncomfortable silence after that. Sure, if there was anyone Driver wanted to talk to, it was Ryland, but he was never exactly the conversationalist. The other man didn’t let that happen, though, seemingly uncaring of Drivers quiet disposition.
“So, Driver, what do you do? Drive?” He said with a chuckle, clearly meaning it as a joke. Little did he know that was exactly what Driver was about to reply with.
“Yeah. I’m a mechanic and a stunt driver,” He knew where this was going. Ryland’s brother is a stunt man – and a well-known one at that.
“So is my brother! Colt Seavers, you might have worked with him. He does stunts for Tom Ryder,” He seemed downright overjoyed that they had something in common. Driver couldn’t help but give a small, but genuine smile at the other man.
He had never been this close to Ryland before; he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off him. He knew the other man was a good six years older than him but looking at him face-to-face you would never know it. Not with Ryland’s bright eyes in comparison to Driver’s world-wary ones. They were similar in colour, but oh so different.
They sat there for a while, Ryland mostly leading the conversation, but Driver made sure to show he was an active listener. As Ryland spoke, he couldn’t help but compare him to Irene. With her, they had mostly relied on knowing looks and hushed conversations, while Ryland was much more talkative. It wasn’t bad, not at all, it was just… different. Being with Irene was easy and comfortable, but Ryland, he thinks, would be much more exciting. He seemed full of energy, he guesses he has to be when working with kids. He hated to admit that it was rubbing off on him, and he felt himself talking more the longer they sat together.
Ryland gave information about his life so freely, easily telling Driver about his twin, his job, and even what he does in his spare time and when he does it. He’d be more worried, but Driver was there for him now; he could protect him and he wouldn’t even know it.
Driver even found himself sharing information about his own life – not much, but enough that Ryland wouldn’t feel like he was talking to a wall. He spoke about his “quiet” life in LA, not going into any real details of it and, when asked why he moved, he merely said he wanted a change of scenery.
As the night went on, they found themselves moving closer to each other, as if drawn in by the other’s presence. Driver prides himself on being able to read people, but no matter how expressive Ryland is, he can’t quite figure out what he’s thinking. He even reached out and touched Driver’s arm a couple times, getting bolder the more he drank, even after seeing him beat the shit out of a man just an hour before. Maybe he likes that. Likes that Driver can protect him, care for him, provide for him. Sometimes he really did wonder if he was part dog.
They stayed there until almost everyone had cleared out, “I didn’t realise how late it was. I hope I didn’t keep you from anything or… anyone did I?”
Considering Driver was about to spend his night alone in his empty apartment working on a broken engine until he passed out on his lumpy mattress, this was a welcome distraction. “No. I had no plans. And” he hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should go down this road. Ryland was interested in him, that much he’s sure of, but was it a good idea? Definitely not. “I live alone, so.” Too late.
Ryland got up and Driver followed, but not before he spotted the red glow of Ryland’s face as he turned away from him. Ryland reached into his suit pocket for his wallet, but Driver was closer to the bartender and beat him to it. “Hey, this was my treat.”
Driver just smirked and gave a small shake of his head. Ryland didn’t seem too upset, though, as he turned his head and chuckled, the redness becoming more apparent on his cheeks. “I’ll pay next time, then.”
This man was going to be the death of him. “Okay. Next time.” They walked out, Driver holding the door for Ryland as he lead the way back to his bike. But Driver wasn’t quite ready to let him go yet, and Ryland didn’t seem too excited about parting ways either. “Do you want a ride home?” Thankfully, the man readily agreed, and Driver wasted no time opening the boot of his Malibu and taking out the attachable bike rack he may or may not have bought in case he ever saw Ryland biking in the rain and decided to give him a ride. Once he loaded the bike onto the back securely, he walked to the passenger side and opened the door for Ryland, catching a light blush under the other man’s stubble.
Most of the drive was spent in silence, the men just enjoying being with each other. And if Driver took the long way home, neither man commented on it.
Once they were outside their respective doors, Driver patiently waited as Ryland found the words for whatever he was going to say. “I had a really good time tonight… Would you want to do this again? Minus the attempted robbery?”
He knows he should say no and keep his distance. But humans are social creatures by nature, and although he often viewed himself as something less than human, that was only his own perspective. At the end of the day, he was a real human and craved for the closeness he knows Ryland would happily give him. He’s spent his whole life doing things for other people, helping them and showing no care for himself. Maybe he deserves to be a little selfish every once and a while. He doubts anyone would find him here.
“How about a drive? I can pick you up after work tomorrow?”
A large smile spread over the other’s face, causing a smaller one to appear on Driver’s. “Sounds good. I usually leave at 4.”
I know. “I’ll be there.”