Picking up strangers on the side of the road wasn't a habit of Sam's. Living in a big city like Chicago meant thinking of your own safety before the safety of others, and unfortunately most people 'stuck on the side of the road' were either dealing something or looking for something to buy. So really, Sam had no excuse. Except the guy he picked up was smoking hot. Which may not have been the best excuse in the world, he admitted.
When Sam discovered that the name of his passenger was also, in fact, Sam, he raised the question of what they should call each other. Sam suggested Sammy, but the man didn't take well to that – in fact, it seemed like a sore subject, so Sam dropped it almost immediately. Instead, he decided on calling himself Flint. It wouldn't be that hard to adjust to – after all, it was what his nickname had been in college.
"That's one sweet car you're leaving back there," Flint pointed out as they drove away, looking back at the Impala somewhat forlornly. "I'd be a little bugged if I were you. Hell, it's not even my car and I am a little bugged."
Sam glanced sidelong at the car through the window. "Eh," he shrugged.
Flint raised his eyebrows. "Eh?" he repeated sarcastically. "That's all you've got?"
Sam shifted around in his seat and made an effort to look somewhat apologetic. "Yeah? I mean, it's not really my car," he clarified. "It's my dad's."
Flint quirked an eyebrow skeptically. "Well, guy's got great taste in cars, I'll give him that," he said with a reserved expression of approval on his face. "That baby's a classic." At that, Sam laughed a little. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just…" Sam trailed off, smiling awkwardly. "Nothing." After a pause, he cleared his throat. "So what are you doing all the way down here in Kansas anyway? Visiting family?"
The question caught him off guard, and suddenly fresh anxiety bubbled up in his stomach. He laughed nervously. "You could say that." Sam looked at him expectantly. Flint fidgeted. "It's kind of a long story."
"Well... Lawrence is still an hour away," Sam prompted. Then he licked his lips and looked away, embarrassed. "But if you don't want to-"
"Nah, it's... fine," Flint interjected. "It's just a little confusing, is all." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Confusing, in his opinion, was a major understatement, but he didn't want to be dumping all his problems on this guy. Still, Sam seemed curious, and Flint figured there was no harm in paraphrasing. "I guess you could say I'm looking for family. I was adopted, see, and some records just got released, so I'm down here trying to put the pieces together."
Sam raised his eyebrows. "Wow. That's- wow."
"Yeah," Flint agreed.
"So do you have any idea who you're looking for?" Sam asked slowly. Flint was quiet for a minute.
"Not a friggin' clue."
. . .
The more time Flint spent with Sam, the better he liked the guy. They had virtually nothing in common, but together, they were good conversationalists. If there was something Flint didn't know, chances were, Sam did. It was easy to just relax and joke around; besides, Sam took Flint's mind off the impending doom that was actually reaching Lawrence, Kansas. He almost wished that he had more time to just talk.
Thankfully, the universe had the same idea. With only ten miles left on the GPS, the car made a sound that Flint knew all too well. "Aw, crap," he muttered, staring down at the fuel gauge. "Hey, I'm gonna have to stop for gas."
Sam nodded. They had just hit a town, so it wasn't too hard to find a gas station. Once he spotted one off the side of the road, he did an illegal U-turn in a Denny's parking lot that Sam gave him a disapproving look for and then backed into a spot.
"Let me pay - it's the least I can do," Sam insisted, fumbling around in his jacket pocket.
Flint raised a hand. "Hey, hey, no way. You just sit tight," he ordered, climbing out of the car. Then another thought came to mind, and he ducked his head back into the car with a grin. "But if you wanna make things even, you can pay for drinks later tonight."
Sam stopped fumbling, and looked up at Flint with a hesitant smile on his face. "Yeah, I can do that."