Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A/N: This is the prologue, so that's why it's shorter.

The date was August 3rd. The daily newspaper chronicling the events of the small town of Emerald Valley has been delivered to doorsteps. On the cover was the story of two teenage boys, who had run away from home over two months ago. They still haven't returned, but a letter was sent back to the home of one of them...

May 30th. Two best friends sat in the bedroom of one of them. In between them on the bed sat a paper. "Do we have everything?" One of them asked, as the other ran down the list.

"Yeah, we're ready for next week." The other one responded. The two of them were done with small town life. They had dealt with the good and the bad, the best and the worst. Having to contend with a school that hated them wasn't the life they wanted anymore.

Their names were Firey and Coiny. This is the story of how they moved on from the tiny town of Emerald Valley and went on the biggest adventure two teenagers could possibly have. Strap in.

Firey Ashton was kind of a dumbass. He had the misfortune of getting tangled up with one of the most popular groups at school, the Girl Squad. The four of them were not to be messed with, and Firey loved messing with people. Him and the leader of the group, Match, would constantly get into fights and battles. The two of them loved nothing more than to bicker and argue, to the point Firey's friends had gotten worried.

And then, one day, everything absolutely blew up. For context, Emerald Valley is not a very welcoming town to outsider demographics. The two were going off on another bout, going back and forth at each other. And then, the shot heard around the world was fired. "Well... at least I'm not GAY!" Firey was immediately blacklisted from basically any big social event. The ones he did attend, he was met with snide remarks and jokes at his own expense. This farm town had only ever known normalcy, and high school drama over something of this small a scale could make it seem a lot bigger in hindsight. That day was when Firey knew that staying at school wasn't going to be an option

Coiny Copper was the nicer, more well behaved of the two. He was a daydreamer, however, so the attitude didn't reflect in his grades. He would spend all his time doodling, writing, and imagining all kinds of scenarios, all types of stories. He'd come up with anime concepts in his head, along with great tales of fantasy, harrowing thrillers, space age sci-fi, and so much more. Naturally, his grades were lower than Hell. All that time spent fantasizing was time wasted on studies.

He was quite the social person, however. He had his fair share of friends, and even if he wasn't known or popular, he had a great reputation. He'd spend a lot of time out of home, hanging out at the local diner, or taking walks in the park. He was quite the stand out, stand up child, a parent's dream in the behavior department. When he realized, however, that graduating alone was going to be tough with his report cards coming in, he needed a back up plan.

When Firey and Coiny were together was where the magic was made. The two of them were unstoppable, their energies constantly playing off each other. It was like watching two kindergarteners get along in the best ways, only more mature and grown up. They did everything together, from Coiny bouncing ideas off of Firey, to Firey always having his best friend by his side in the worst of times. So they decided they would enact the plan together.

June 1st, the day after school ends, would be when everything sets in motion. The day prior, Coiny would pack a small bag, with some snacks, and all the money he had saved up for two months. He would head over to Firey's house for a sleepover, and he wouldn't come back. He'd leave a note in his room explaining everything, and the only thing that wouldn't come with is his phone. Neither of them wanted any contact with that town again.

When he'd get to Firey's place, that'd be the last time they stayed in the small city. Firey would bring a tent and a firemaking kit, and that'd be it. Food, money, tent, fire starting stuff. They'd be out at the crack of dawn, and they'd just bike down the road for god knows how long.

All that led back to this moment, 11:42 PM, May 30th, at Firey's house, inside his bedroom. The two of them had the television on, as the two backpacks sat in front of them. "Are you sure you're gonna be able to carry the backpack? I mean, the whole tent and kit is in there." Coiny asked, as he leaned back in Firey's bed.

"Yeah. I'm a lot stronger than I look!" Firey chuckled, showing how he was able to carry it around quite easily. "We might have to take a few breaks along the way, but Yoyle City is really far anyways, so..."

Firey did have a point. They'd be stopping several times anyways. Yoyle City was miles and miles away. They'd be on the road for quite a while, almost as if they were going on a road trip, only they weren't gonna come back home.

Later that night, neither of the two could get any sleep, so they decided to just stay up. Call it nerves, stress, excitement, whatever it was, it was keeping them nowhere near tired. "...you know, I'm gonna miss this town. It's all we've ever known." Coiny commented, as they sat and half-watched whatever movie was on the screen. Neither of them were paying too much attention, mainly using it as background noise.

"Yeah, easy for you to say..." Firey mumbled, as he sat over the edge of his bed, staring out the window instead of watching the movie. Coiny grimaced, realizing that wasn't exactly the best idea to talk about fond memories of this place. Firey hadnt had any in a while, and Coiny knew it. He was there to watch Firey have to deal with bullies left and right. And the times he got suspended for fighting said bullies.

"Yeah... my fault." Coiny simply replied quietly, scratching at the back of his head. The awkwardness was deafening. Neither wanted to talk, both too nervous about the daunting task up ahead. So Coiny decided he was going to go to sleep, leaving just Firey awake.

Firey grabbed a piece of paper, and began writing.

"Dear mom and dad. We're leaving today, and never looking back. I'm gonna be honest in this letter, and what I write is how I feel. This is all your fault. I begged and begged for you guys to move us somewhere else. You guys personally witnessed me getting bullied a lot. And you did nothing. You just sat there and watched. Coiny's more family to me than you are at this point, so we're leaving. We're headed for the big city, and I don't know what we'll do when we get there, but it'll be better than whatever would've happened here. You guys don't love me, and I'm more than happy to make the feeling mutual. As for my brother, fuck you. And for all my other friends, I hope you're all happy. This is what happens when you decide to choose fame over friendship. The band was never gonna work without me anyways. Don't come looking for me, I don't want any of you guys in my life again. From, your 'disappointment', Firey."

Firey was overtly bitter in the letter, clearly showing his lack of love for the town. He set the letter on his dresser, and grabbed a blanket, figuring he should at least get a bit of sleep before dawn. He was more than ready to get out of this place and move on to the bigger things in life. He was ready to run.

Chapter Text

5:29 AM. The crack of dawn. As the sun rose up, so did the boys. The two of them grabbed their bags, and went to the front yard for the bikes. "Are you ready? Anything else you need to grab before we go?" Firey asked, and Coiny shook his head. Money, snacks, an iPod, and headphones were enough for him.

"I'm good. You?" Coiny responded, and Firey took a moment to look back at the house behind them. It was the last time he was going to see it. He promised himself that no matter how bad things got, no matter what ended up happening, he wouldn't come back, no matter what.

"I have the tent and the firemaking kit, and I also grabbed a first aid kit, but I think we need to put it in your bag." Firey explained, grabbing the small red suitcase off the ground and putting it in Coiny's bag. The last thing they did before heading off was throw on their bags, and take a moment to admire the place they were leaving.

The golden wheat fields, the small town high school, the local diner, the movie theater, all the places they hung out. It would never be places they saw again. "...maybe I'll miss some of it." Firey mumbled, as they pulled in front of the diner, not yet open for business. They were the only two out right now, as the sun was barely rising.

"We made so many memories here, remember? When you and I first ordered here together, or when Pin ended up slipping and falling on soda." Coiny reminisced, a small smile coming to his face. He recognized that he didn't have it nearly as difficult as Firey did.

The thought train was interrupted by a voice. "Hey you two." It was... Pencil? She used to be associated with Match and her group, but had since split off. She was on her own bike, cigarette in one hand, standing on the other corner.

"...so someone told you what we were doing." Firey commented, as the two walked so Pencil was in sight.

Pencil had a complicated relationship with the two of them. She was both a bully and a friend at several points during school. Somewhere between the two was where she landed. "Yeah. I also could tell on your faces, you hated it here. We all do. Well, all of us who are different." Pencil explained, walking to lean against a light post.

"What are you doing out here though? You don't seem like the kind of person to come out to say goodbye." Coiny asked of her, and Pencil sighed, before taking a puff of her cigarette.

"Pin and Leafy wanted me to give a goodbye for them, just cause they couldn't. Also, I was kinda curious to see if you guys were going through with it. All I'll say is, good luck." Pencil explained, not even waiting for a response to get on her bike, and head off down the street.

"...that was weird..." Firey mumbled, as he just stood there, unsure of what to do. That wasn't an interaction they were expecting to have, but it'd be the last one between them and anyone else besides each other for a while.

"I have... a feeling she did wanna say goodbye. She was my best friend at one point, anyways. But we should probably get a move on. The best camping spot isn't gonna be for a while." Coiny replied, as the two jumped back onto their bikes, and hit the road.

The only detour they made was to take a moment to remember the movie theater, but once that was done, it was truly time for the open road.

As the two biked, the houses slowly faded from town to open land. Seas of golden wheat and crops littered the land around the road, and it was a sight to behold. In fact, Coiny had prepared for this by bringing a camera, since he realized he had extra space. He wanted to keep a travel log through pictures, and the first picture he took was a selfie of the two boys, and a massive wheat farm directly behind them.

"Hopefully I never have to look at a farm again. Not even cause of the people here, but I'm just so tired of looking at crops." Coiny chuckled, as he slowly climbed back on his bike and stuck the camera in his backpack.

As the two rode down the countryside, and dawn turned into morning, the two decided to have their first break. They've been riding bikes for hours at this point, and even if most of the ride was downhill, they needed to stop at some point.

"Dude, it's like this farmland never ends. We've been going for hours, and it's just dirt and grass for miles." Firey panted, as he rested his hands on his knees, while Coiny grabbed a bag of chips and tossed them to Firey.

"Yeah, I'm ready for when we get further out. Then again, it kinda is just farms until we get close to the city." Coiny replied, as he just watched Firey absolutely devour the chips handed to him. Coiny was so glad Firey chose him to go on the adventure with him instead of going by himself.

He doesn't know what he would've done without his best friend. Firey had been there since day one, years ago. To lose him by now would be like losing family.

"...do you ever think about what life would've been like if we grew up in the city?" Firey asked, as he just tossed the empty bag into the dirt behind him, the breeze ever so slightly fanning his flames.

The question gave Coiny pause. Sure, he thought about how much better things would be in Yoyle City. But he didn't stop to think about if anything would have been different. Would Coiny have graduated? Would Firey still get bullied? Would anything have changed?

"Well, if you put it like that, it makes me wonder why we're even doing this in the first place." Coiny responded, leaning back and laying in the grass. The soft, green nature of the fields acted almost as a bed to lay on and stare up at the bright blue sky. Based off where the sun was, it was probably around 8-9 AM. It was quite cool outside, as it never got too hot, even in summer.

"We're doing it to get away, Coiny. We can't stay there anymore. I'm hated, and you're screwing yourself over. We both need a fresh start." Firey explained to Coiny, as he stood up and walked off slightly to a tree, before sitting under it. "Do you think I want to just sit there and take all the abuse? Having to deal with constantly getting harassed for who I am, and watching my entire family just sit by and let me take it?" Firey ranted, throwing his hands up in anger.

"I... I wish I could empathize, Firey. But I haven't been in a situation like that. So the best I could say is that things are gonna get better. We're leaving it all behind." Coiny replied, heading over to where his friend was.

"Is it though? What if it doesn't get better? What if it doesn't change? What if people there are just as bad-" Firey was beginning to explain, but he got cut off by his friend.

"Okay, let's go back then. If you're so worried about it, we can just go back and suffer more! You can watch me not walk up that podium and not receive a diploma. You can sit by and let everyone keep pushing you around. Or we can keep going, and make our own lives. That's what you wanted to do... right?" Coiny then snapped, and Firey was clearly trying to come up with a response.

He couldn't, just slowly closing his mouth as all the anger on his face dissipated. Firey slowly got up, and walked over to Coiny. "...yeah. I did want to make my own life. And it would hurt me way more to see you hurt than to keep going." Firey's response completely froze up Coiny, while Firey then said, "Let's go. We need to get back on the road."

As they biked, Coiny couldn't help but think of what Firey had told him. 'And it would hurt me way more to see you hurt than to keep going.' Was Firey really willing to put up with the worries of the big city just so Coiny wouldn't have to go back to the farm town, and be told he wouldn't be graduating?

He knew Firey was his best friend, but he genuinely didn't think Firey cared that much about him. He figured Firey would mainly be in this for himself. But... he wasn't. He wasn't in this for himself at all.

On the other hand, Firey's thoughts were filled with stress and nerves. If he had to choose, he wouldn't want to go to either the city or the farm town. But there aren't exactly many other sustainable options nearby. His preferred method would be to start an outsider life with his best friend. The two could live together, away from all the stresses of society.

But he knew what his friend wanted. And he didn't want Coiny upset. He hated it when Coiny was upset. Hated it more than anything else in the entire world. He was a bit overprotective when it came to his best friend. He'd do anything to make sure he was happy. He'd done it in the past, and he's doing it again.

As the two continued to ride along, while the sun crept higher into the sky, Coiny asked Firey, "So... what exactly are we gonna do when we get there? We're gonna be homeless for a while, you know?" Firey knew very well there wasn't exactly going to be a plan. He didn't know what would come next.

"Well... I dunno. We might just have to tough it out until we can afford an apartment. Obviously we couldn't just already have a place to live set up." Firey explained, with Coiny just nodding to serve as a response.

Coiny was aware they were going to have a rough start. But hopefully, all of this would lead to something someday. They'd get jobs in the city, and work towards a better life. For now, though, all that laid in front of them was nothing but grass and roads, not a city in sight. The long journey was only beginning.

Chapter Text

By the time about noon had hit, the two boys were on their second break, having gotten food from a gas station. Coiny was enjoying every second of the trip so far. He got to spend time with his best friend, as they chatted, biked, listened to music, and more together. Coiny rarely got time purely to the two of them, without needing to worry about possible intruders. It made Coiny wish they could have more moments like this. Moments where they could just eat together, relax together, and talk about whatever the hell they wanted.

"But other than that, no." Firey answered a question Coiny had, mainly asking if he had told anyone that this was going to be a thing they did. Firey had only told one other person that Coiny didn't tell. He didn't need any of the distractions, or anyone persuading the two of them to not go on the journey.

He was just doing what was best for the two of them. What should have been done. "...do you ever think about what life is gonna be like in the future? Like, while we're living there. Relationships, getting houses, whatever." Coiny asked of Firey, who turned to look down at the ground.

"...I don't want to think about that. But... if you want what I think'll happen, I'll tell you. I'll find a a girlfriend who's nice enough, we'll get a nice small house together, and I'll live a quiet little life without having to worry about anything." Firey explained, not looking up from the ground to meet eyes with Coiny.

Coiny took pause with that, before asking, "...w-wait, aren't you gay? Why would you want a girlfriend?" Coiny could immediately tell something didn't add up with the story. He knew his best friend too well to miss that pretty important detail.

"Yeah, but being gay is wrong, Coiny." Firey grumbled, as he squinted his eyes a bit in anger. Coiny seemed confused at first, but it dawned on him what Firey was about to say.

"Hey, look-" Coiny could only get out, before Firey suddenly lashed out at him.

"I'VE LEARNED MY LESSON, COINY!" Firey shouted, and there was just a moment of silence between them. "You don't think I know how bad it is to be me?! I've experienced nothing but suffering and pain, and it's all because I like guys. I'm just gonna push it deep down, and make myself like women. I don't care if I'm not happy, it'd be better than being shamed all my life."

Coiny didn't know what to say in response. He figured Firey was going to be haunted by demons of the past, but not like this. "...F-Firey..." Coiny could only mumble, his voice slowly beginning to crack and break from emotion. He didn't want Firey to feel like this. He wanted Firey to be able to live the life that he really wanted.

Firey clearly noticed Coiny's emotions welling up, so he immediately shut off his anger and quickly traded it for worry, scurrying over to Coiny to wrap him in a hug. "I-well, look... I didn't mean to make you upset if I said anything wrong." Firey reassured him, trying his best to calm down his best friend. The very last thing in the world he wanted was Coiny being upset at him.

"...i-it's not that... I just... feel bad." Coiny mumbled, not moving, but not rejecting the hug. Firey raised an eyebrow, as his original concern was that he had accidentally hurt Coiny in some way he couldn't understand.

"Why would you feel bad? There's no reason to." Firey replied, tightening the hug around Coiny ever so slightly.

"I... I feel bad that you're so hurt that you have to hide who you are cause, cause you're so worried that you might get hurt again." Coiny explained himself, and Firey froze up for a second. Before now, Firey assumed Coiny wouldn't care if he hid away his identity. After all, they weren't going to live together or anything once they were mature.

But to see him care to the point of getting emotional, Firey just felt bad. He felt bad that he hated himself, that he had to talk about it, that Coiny had to know. "...I'm... sorry. We need a moment apart." Firey explained, figuring the silence would be for the best. He let go of Coiny, and walked out into the fields, just to stand and stare at the horizon.

Coiny sat there, knees tucked in, arms wrapped around them, in silence. Was it worth causing a scene about? Maybe he should have just let the words slip by. This wouldn't be happening. Maybe this was all just a bad idea in general. Maybe they should have just stayed home. Life would be simpler. Probably easier, if a little more boring. After all, it would only take the day to get back home. There was still time to turn around. He sighed, and stood up, turning to walk over to Firey.

He was surprised by Firey wrapping his arms around Coiny the moment he turned around, as it was now the former's turn to be on the brink of tears. "...d-don't leave..." Firey could only mumble, as it was obvious he couldn't even bring himself to look up at his friend.

Coiny was completely taken aback by this. Unlike Firey's reasoning, he knew Firey cared about him to the world and back, but he never showed it like this. It was always subtle. Hidden. Nothing like this. He'd never seen him get so emotional about anything.

"...I wouldn't leave, silly. Don't worry. We're in this together." Coiny reaffirmed him, and patted him on the back.

The two just sat there for a while, allowing Firey to process his emotions, allowing the two of them to cool off. They needed to get back on the road soon anyways, so they needed a while to gather themselves.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Coiny asked Firey, as he slung the backpack on him once more, and climbed onto his bike.

"...maybe when we stop again." Firey mumbled, as he began riding without hesitation, and Coiny was quick to follow.

It wasn't until later that evening, after they had a stop for a snack, that the scenery was changing. Trees were starting to dot the landscape, and farms were traded for fields. The sun was growing from blue to orange slowly, as the sun was creeping over the horizon. Sunset meant it was time to stop, as the two couldn't realistically go in the dark. So Firey began setting up the tent, while Coiny grabbed a lantern and set it up. They didn't need fire as it wasn't that cold, and they had a light source.

"...about earlier." Firey started, as he hammered in a stake on the tent. "I... I really don't want to be me, sometimes. But... even if I don't want it, there are others who do. You like me for who I am. I mean, you wouldn't be my best friend if you didn't." He continued with a chuckle, as he moved positions to work on the next stake.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. But... why try to change? None of the hometown is here with us anymore." Coiny then questioned, sitting down next to the lantern and taking out a sandwich to eat.

"I'm... just scared. I'm scared of what people are going to think of me. No one likes someone who's different. I'm different in the worst way possible. People in these parts hate gay people. And... I just don't want to be hated." Firey needed to take a break from his activities just so he could keep himself well composed, and he was trying his hardest to get Coiny to see his reasoning. He wanted him to get it. He didn't want Coiny to be worried about him.

"...I..." Coiny could only let out, as he tried to come up with words to fit the situation. "I wouldn't hate you, no matter what. What's more important, ten people you don't know's opinions, or one person you do?" Coiny asked, as Firey came around to sit near the lantern with him.

"...I would give it all to be normal like you, Coiny. Being gay is wrong. It's not what you're supposed to be. You're loved. I'm not. There's only one thing that separates us. I'd trade the world for a chance at being like the rest of the world. The majority. The not me." Firey tried to explain, attempting to put it in the easiest to understand words he could.

"...Firey. I need to admit something. I'm... not normal either. The normal that you said, I'm not that. I like both." Coiny revealed, and Firey's eyes widened. He wasn't sure how to react. Was he supposed to be upset? Upset that he couldn't have just one person to be 'normal' for the two of them? Or grateful, that someone could understand his pain.

"...you... you're also...?" Firey could hardly even understand it. Sure, he had access to the internet. He knew other gay people were out there, yes. But to think that there was someone like that in his life...

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm also like you. I like guys. You don't need to worry about being alone." Coiny sighed, leaning back to look up at the sky. The hard part was done. Now he just needed to hope that Firey was going to take it well, knowing how violently his emotions had swung today.

"...I don't know what to say." Firey just mumbled, staring down Coiny, not even willing to move. "It's just... being gay isn't-"

"It is, though. There's no such thing as being wrong when it comes to your identity. Being gay is fine, just as fine as being straight." Coiny tried to tell him, but Firey was continuing to just shut out everything.

"No, no it isn't! Like, how can you just like guys!?" Firey asked, and Coiny sighed, before grabbing Firey's hand.

"Like this." Coiny simply said, and just held Firey's hand in his. The duo immediately went to silence, and Firey's face gained a tinge of red, a slight blush.

"..." He couldn't even speak, nor move. He wasn't sure what to do. What was this feeling?

"...do you get it now?" Coiny asked, and Firey then finally figured out what to do. Firey pulled Coiny in, and planted a small kiss right on Coiny's lips, absolutely lighting up the latter's face in red.

"I've... liked you for the longest time. But... I was scared you'd be like the others." Firey simply said, holding Coiny in his arms.

"Wh-you-I..." Coiny couldn't even speak, could barely get sounds out of his mouth. This was the absolute last thing he was expecting.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the night, just sitting there in silence, cuddled up with each other. It was the exact night Coiny would have wanted. The kind he finally got.