Acts of Desperation
Title: Acts of Desperation
Chapter: 2
Fandom: Jackass/Viva La Bam AU
Rating: R
Pairing: Ryan/Bam
Warning: Twelve year age difference between main characters...
Disclaimer: Fiction. Learn it, live it, love it.
Word Count: 1705
Summary: Ryan Dunn is a truck driver who chances picking up a hitchhiker...
Chapter 1
A quick call to his boss and a few faxes later, and Bam was an authorized passenger for the next thirty days.
The wind whipped up and cut harsh, bitter lines through Bam’s thin clothing as he and Ryan made their way from the diner towards his truck. Darkness had fallen and the sky was a deep royal blue misted in fog. Sitting in the cab of the truck, Bam watched as Ryan pulled out a notebook of some sort and drew a few lines on a grid. “What are you doing?”
“Updating my log book so it’s current before I forget what time I fueled…”
“Oh…” Bam looked around inside the truck. “So… how are sleeping arrangements going?”
Ryan stopped with his pen midway between himself and the paper. There was only one fucking bunk. “Shit, I hadn’t thought about that.”
Bam shrugged. “I can sleep in the seat… long as you don’t mind me propping my feet up…”
“Okay… but we’ll have to figure something out though…”
“Whatever, dude… I’m fine here. It’s a hell of a lot better than some ditch…”
The words hit Dunn like a punch to the gut. He hid it quickly by rubbing his hands briskly over his face and beard. “Well, I gotta get some sleep…” He stood to climb into the sleeper.
“Hey… Ryan.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
Shocked by the tone of Bam’s voice, Ryan paused before smiling warmly at him. “You’re welcome, Bam.”
***
Bam woke the next morning with a start as a thick coat landed on his lap. “What the fuck?”
“It’s old and kind of ratty… but it’ll keep you warm if you go outside.” Ryan replied as he tugged on a coat of his own.
“Thanks, man…” Cocking his head at the truck driver’s kindness, Bam watched him climb out of the cab with his notebook in hand. Shivering as the cold air rushed in through the driver side door, Bam stood and stumbled into the bunk and collapsed on the mattress. Breathing in the heady scent of another person’s skin from off of the pillows, Bam fell back asleep. When he woke again, it was to the aroma of eggs and potatoes. He pried his eyes open. Ryan was hunched over him; arm outstretched with a styrofoam go box in his hand.
“Breakfast?”
“Sure.” Bam was forking in mouthfuls of scrambled eggs when he realizes that Ryan’s eyes haven’t left him; and there’s a smile on his lips. “What?”
“Just watching you inhale your food like there’s not going to be lunch later…
“You don’t have to feed me, too.”
“I have to load later today… so you’ll be earning it.”
Bam shrugged giving up the fight and continued to shovel his food in his mouth. Clearing his throat, Ryan averted his eyes. He’d been shocked as hell to find the boy curled up under his blankets with his face buried contently in his pillow. “So, you want to sleep some more?
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Then go ahead and get buckled in, so we can be on our way…”
***
Standing at the end of the step deck, Ryan held back a laugh as Bam cussed loosing his balance and falling on his ass on the upper deck. He’d feed the kid for months if he could get this much amusement out of his job on a daily basis.
One of the yard workers snorted at Bam. “Pretty boys like you don’t belong in a job like this…”
And much to Ryan’s surprise, Bam merely glared and continued working. Dunn walked over to the man. “Can I get a signature on this paperwork…”
The man frowned but quickly scribbled his name on the documents. “What’s the story with the punk tarping your load for you?”
Bam took that exact moment to smile at Ryan even as he fucked up the bungee chords and had to redo them. “Ah, man… he’s my sister’s kid. She asked me to take him on the road for a bit. See… he didn’t want to go to college…” The man nodded, so Ryan continued. “Which sure… less money spent for my sister, but the little shit has never worked a day in his life…”
Ryan’s story worked and the man patted him on his back. “You learn that boy how to be a real man, son.”
When he was out of earshot, Dunn climbed up beside Bam to help him weave the bungee chords into the tarp’s o-rings. “Fucking bigoted assholes…” he grumbled.
“You don’t have to lie… or stick up for me, I’ve dealt with worse.”
“This is a fucking job. As long as their load gets from point A to point B without a fucking claim… why the fuck should they care what the people loading it look like?” He jerked the bungees tight, muscles straining in the process.
Bam’s eyes fell to his arms. He quickly looked away. “Yeah, well… I have a feeling you’re a hell of a lot more open-minded than a lot of people in this line of work…”
“You have no fucking idea, BamBam.” Ryan replied as he slid off the deck to grab the straps to secure the load to the trailer. Behind him, Bam stood mouth hanging open; mind racing at all of the possible implications of his words.
***
“Where, dude?” Bam arched around his seat looking for the cooler Dunn had said was behind his seat.
“Behind. Your. Seat. Right there…”
“Oh…” He spotted it. “Want me to make you one?”
“Only if you eat something…” Ryan replied.
Bam was busy balancing bread and sandwich meat on his lap as the truck sped down the interstate. When he finally managed a messy stack of food, he paused and asked Ryan. “Does how I look bother you?”
Letting his eyes dart up and down Bam’s body appreciatively, Ryan shook his head. “No… it’s not a look I could pull off, but you can.”
Blushing, Bam handed him his sandwich. Around a mouthful of food he asked. “What did you look like at my age?”
“I’m not that much older than you…”
“Yeah, huh. Like twice as old as me, fucker.”
“Not quite.” Ryan laughed.
“Come on, grandpa… did you and your friends go to the hop?”
“Nah, man… we sat around in flannel listening to Nirvana and shit…”
“Really?!” His voice more excited than it looked like he wanted to let on, Bam quickly shoved another bite of his sandwich into his mouth.
“Yeah… really.” Ryan smirked. The kid wasn’t really that bad when he wasn’t getting all defensive and letting his mouth run in a string of cuss words. He was actually kind of sweet.
“How old are you?”
“You writing a god-damn book…?” Pausing, Dunn waited for Bam to react. When he did and the regret flashed over his face, Ryan couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m twenty nine.” Cutting his eyes at Bam, he asked. “What about you? You and your friends dress like those club kids in make-up and shit for raves and all that?”
“Ew… no.” When Ryan chuckled again, Bam glared at him before chewing the last bit of his sandwich. “Point taken… fucker.” He pouted as he wrapped his arms around his torso. Bangle bracelets jangled against his chest and he flinched at the noise.
“Grandpa?!” Dunn snorted with a grin on his face.
Bam giggled. “How the hell am I suppose to guess how old you are with that haggard ass beard covering up your face?” He watched as crumbs fell from Ryan’s lips and landed on his beard. In all actuality, he didn’t look that haggard. He actually looked rather kept and clean. Bam paused before speaking again as another thought struck him. “Hey! Kurt Cobain wore eyeliner… what the fuck, dude… hassling me about that shit…”
Ryan laughed out loud. He glanced over at Bam. “You’re just upset because you wear make up… aren’t you?”
“I use to…” He admitted, but was quick to inject. “It doesn’t mean anything…”
“I didn’t say it did… it’s just that your generation tries to epitomize the band you listen to way too much. You didn’t see any of us grungers running around with that shit smudged around our eyes.”
“Epitomize?” Bam squeaked. “What does that mean?”
“You try too hard to look exactly like the band you idolize.”
Throwing a used paper towel at Dunn, Bam snorted. “And you didn’t with say … flannel and shit?”
Ryan smiled. “Point taken.” Then throwing Bam for a loop he added, “Besides some guys can really rock the eyeliner and shit…”
“Who are you and where’s the asshole that picked my ass up off the highway yesterday?’
Eyes pinched in laughter, Ryan tightened his grip on the wheel. He definitely hadn’t had this much fun at work in a very long while. However, there was a seriousness in his voice when he finally replied. “You can’t always judge people by first impressions… we all have our secrets…”
Relaxing into his seat, Bam absorbed that information as he watched scenery fly by outside his window. His thoughts kept falling on the day before. He’d seen Ryan almost turn about foot and leave him at the hands of those two hicks. What had really stopped him?
“You okay?”
“Just thinking…” Bam replied quietly.
“I can’t imagine losing my family… it’s really shitty they kicked you out… no matter what you did.”
“Yeah… whatever… I gotta piss…”
Ryan sighed and nodded. When the next rest area came into view, he pulled in. Bam started to jump out of the truck and walk towards the bathroom. Dunn grabbed his arm and shook his head. “You are not going in there by yourself.”
“Why the fuck not?”
Mouth twitching, Ryan finally replied. “There may or may not be some… sick shit going on in there. I just don’t think you should go in by yourself.”
“You gonna escort me in and protect my virtue then?” Bam smirked.
“I was going to suggest you piss back in those trees while I keep an eye out for cops…”
Bam’s face transformed into shock. “You aren’t fucking kidding…”
“No… I’m not.”
Sighing, Bam pulled from his grasp. “Fine… what trees…?”
Chapter 3
Chapter: 2
Fandom: Jackass/Viva La Bam AU
Rating: R
Pairing: Ryan/Bam
Warning: Twelve year age difference between main characters...
Disclaimer: Fiction. Learn it, live it, love it.
Word Count: 1705
Summary: Ryan Dunn is a truck driver who chances picking up a hitchhiker...
Chapter 1
A quick call to his boss and a few faxes later, and Bam was an authorized passenger for the next thirty days.
The wind whipped up and cut harsh, bitter lines through Bam’s thin clothing as he and Ryan made their way from the diner towards his truck. Darkness had fallen and the sky was a deep royal blue misted in fog. Sitting in the cab of the truck, Bam watched as Ryan pulled out a notebook of some sort and drew a few lines on a grid. “What are you doing?”
“Updating my log book so it’s current before I forget what time I fueled…”
“Oh…” Bam looked around inside the truck. “So… how are sleeping arrangements going?”
Ryan stopped with his pen midway between himself and the paper. There was only one fucking bunk. “Shit, I hadn’t thought about that.”
Bam shrugged. “I can sleep in the seat… long as you don’t mind me propping my feet up…”
“Okay… but we’ll have to figure something out though…”
“Whatever, dude… I’m fine here. It’s a hell of a lot better than some ditch…”
The words hit Dunn like a punch to the gut. He hid it quickly by rubbing his hands briskly over his face and beard. “Well, I gotta get some sleep…” He stood to climb into the sleeper.
“Hey… Ryan.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
Shocked by the tone of Bam’s voice, Ryan paused before smiling warmly at him. “You’re welcome, Bam.”
***
Bam woke the next morning with a start as a thick coat landed on his lap. “What the fuck?”
“It’s old and kind of ratty… but it’ll keep you warm if you go outside.” Ryan replied as he tugged on a coat of his own.
“Thanks, man…” Cocking his head at the truck driver’s kindness, Bam watched him climb out of the cab with his notebook in hand. Shivering as the cold air rushed in through the driver side door, Bam stood and stumbled into the bunk and collapsed on the mattress. Breathing in the heady scent of another person’s skin from off of the pillows, Bam fell back asleep. When he woke again, it was to the aroma of eggs and potatoes. He pried his eyes open. Ryan was hunched over him; arm outstretched with a styrofoam go box in his hand.
“Breakfast?”
“Sure.” Bam was forking in mouthfuls of scrambled eggs when he realizes that Ryan’s eyes haven’t left him; and there’s a smile on his lips. “What?”
“Just watching you inhale your food like there’s not going to be lunch later…
“You don’t have to feed me, too.”
“I have to load later today… so you’ll be earning it.”
Bam shrugged giving up the fight and continued to shovel his food in his mouth. Clearing his throat, Ryan averted his eyes. He’d been shocked as hell to find the boy curled up under his blankets with his face buried contently in his pillow. “So, you want to sleep some more?
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Then go ahead and get buckled in, so we can be on our way…”
***
Standing at the end of the step deck, Ryan held back a laugh as Bam cussed loosing his balance and falling on his ass on the upper deck. He’d feed the kid for months if he could get this much amusement out of his job on a daily basis.
One of the yard workers snorted at Bam. “Pretty boys like you don’t belong in a job like this…”
And much to Ryan’s surprise, Bam merely glared and continued working. Dunn walked over to the man. “Can I get a signature on this paperwork…”
The man frowned but quickly scribbled his name on the documents. “What’s the story with the punk tarping your load for you?”
Bam took that exact moment to smile at Ryan even as he fucked up the bungee chords and had to redo them. “Ah, man… he’s my sister’s kid. She asked me to take him on the road for a bit. See… he didn’t want to go to college…” The man nodded, so Ryan continued. “Which sure… less money spent for my sister, but the little shit has never worked a day in his life…”
Ryan’s story worked and the man patted him on his back. “You learn that boy how to be a real man, son.”
When he was out of earshot, Dunn climbed up beside Bam to help him weave the bungee chords into the tarp’s o-rings. “Fucking bigoted assholes…” he grumbled.
“You don’t have to lie… or stick up for me, I’ve dealt with worse.”
“This is a fucking job. As long as their load gets from point A to point B without a fucking claim… why the fuck should they care what the people loading it look like?” He jerked the bungees tight, muscles straining in the process.
Bam’s eyes fell to his arms. He quickly looked away. “Yeah, well… I have a feeling you’re a hell of a lot more open-minded than a lot of people in this line of work…”
“You have no fucking idea, BamBam.” Ryan replied as he slid off the deck to grab the straps to secure the load to the trailer. Behind him, Bam stood mouth hanging open; mind racing at all of the possible implications of his words.
***
“Where, dude?” Bam arched around his seat looking for the cooler Dunn had said was behind his seat.
“Behind. Your. Seat. Right there…”
“Oh…” He spotted it. “Want me to make you one?”
“Only if you eat something…” Ryan replied.
Bam was busy balancing bread and sandwich meat on his lap as the truck sped down the interstate. When he finally managed a messy stack of food, he paused and asked Ryan. “Does how I look bother you?”
Letting his eyes dart up and down Bam’s body appreciatively, Ryan shook his head. “No… it’s not a look I could pull off, but you can.”
Blushing, Bam handed him his sandwich. Around a mouthful of food he asked. “What did you look like at my age?”
“I’m not that much older than you…”
“Yeah, huh. Like twice as old as me, fucker.”
“Not quite.” Ryan laughed.
“Come on, grandpa… did you and your friends go to the hop?”
“Nah, man… we sat around in flannel listening to Nirvana and shit…”
“Really?!” His voice more excited than it looked like he wanted to let on, Bam quickly shoved another bite of his sandwich into his mouth.
“Yeah… really.” Ryan smirked. The kid wasn’t really that bad when he wasn’t getting all defensive and letting his mouth run in a string of cuss words. He was actually kind of sweet.
“How old are you?”
“You writing a god-damn book…?” Pausing, Dunn waited for Bam to react. When he did and the regret flashed over his face, Ryan couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m twenty nine.” Cutting his eyes at Bam, he asked. “What about you? You and your friends dress like those club kids in make-up and shit for raves and all that?”
“Ew… no.” When Ryan chuckled again, Bam glared at him before chewing the last bit of his sandwich. “Point taken… fucker.” He pouted as he wrapped his arms around his torso. Bangle bracelets jangled against his chest and he flinched at the noise.
“Grandpa?!” Dunn snorted with a grin on his face.
Bam giggled. “How the hell am I suppose to guess how old you are with that haggard ass beard covering up your face?” He watched as crumbs fell from Ryan’s lips and landed on his beard. In all actuality, he didn’t look that haggard. He actually looked rather kept and clean. Bam paused before speaking again as another thought struck him. “Hey! Kurt Cobain wore eyeliner… what the fuck, dude… hassling me about that shit…”
Ryan laughed out loud. He glanced over at Bam. “You’re just upset because you wear make up… aren’t you?”
“I use to…” He admitted, but was quick to inject. “It doesn’t mean anything…”
“I didn’t say it did… it’s just that your generation tries to epitomize the band you listen to way too much. You didn’t see any of us grungers running around with that shit smudged around our eyes.”
“Epitomize?” Bam squeaked. “What does that mean?”
“You try too hard to look exactly like the band you idolize.”
Throwing a used paper towel at Dunn, Bam snorted. “And you didn’t with say … flannel and shit?”
Ryan smiled. “Point taken.” Then throwing Bam for a loop he added, “Besides some guys can really rock the eyeliner and shit…”
“Who are you and where’s the asshole that picked my ass up off the highway yesterday?’
Eyes pinched in laughter, Ryan tightened his grip on the wheel. He definitely hadn’t had this much fun at work in a very long while. However, there was a seriousness in his voice when he finally replied. “You can’t always judge people by first impressions… we all have our secrets…”
Relaxing into his seat, Bam absorbed that information as he watched scenery fly by outside his window. His thoughts kept falling on the day before. He’d seen Ryan almost turn about foot and leave him at the hands of those two hicks. What had really stopped him?
“You okay?”
“Just thinking…” Bam replied quietly.
“I can’t imagine losing my family… it’s really shitty they kicked you out… no matter what you did.”
“Yeah… whatever… I gotta piss…”
Ryan sighed and nodded. When the next rest area came into view, he pulled in. Bam started to jump out of the truck and walk towards the bathroom. Dunn grabbed his arm and shook his head. “You are not going in there by yourself.”
“Why the fuck not?”
Mouth twitching, Ryan finally replied. “There may or may not be some… sick shit going on in there. I just don’t think you should go in by yourself.”
“You gonna escort me in and protect my virtue then?” Bam smirked.
“I was going to suggest you piss back in those trees while I keep an eye out for cops…”
Bam’s face transformed into shock. “You aren’t fucking kidding…”
“No… I’m not.”
Sighing, Bam pulled from his grasp. “Fine… what trees…?”
Chapter 3