Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

Part 2

"Alright, all done." I grunted, wiping down my tattoo gun and sitting back to admire my work. The kid I'd been working on craned to look at his bicep.

"Awesome!" He exclaimed, twisting his arm to check out the tribal design. "Thanks, man."

"No worries, dude." I sighed, taking apart my machine while the client got out of the chair, taking a second look in the mirror. "Head on out to the front and Shiro will go through aftercare with you."

The kid excitedly headed out of the back room. I rubbed my temples. I hated doing tribal tattoos – they were overdone 10 years ago, now they were just tasteless. Five hours of work for a design I didn't even like. Still, I couldn't be picky. Being an artist paid way more than the boring reception job I'd had before. Luckily Shiro had given me a shot at being an artist, and hired Adam to replace me. Now Shiro spent most of his time behind the desk, flirting with the new guy. Soon he'd be asking him to move in, too.

I'd been living with Shiro for a few years. He took me in just after I got the reception job, when he found out I was 17 and staying in a hostel. He was practically like my big brother at this point. In all those four years, he'd never brought anyone home. I sometimes worried I was keeping him from having a relationship, but seeing him flirt with Adam gave me hope.

Suddenly, there was a crashing sound from the front of the studio.

"Keith!" Shiro shouted from the front.

I hurried out, peeling my gloves off as I went. Through the front window, I saw a car had backed into something. Upon further inspection, I realised that 'something' was my fucking motorcycle.

"What the fuck!" I growled, running out to the roadside. Some jackass had reversed into my bike, and drove away before I could stop him.

"Fuck you!" I spat after him. "Asshole."

"Keith," Shiro said gently, coming outside to join me. He stopped when he saw the damaged bike. "Shiiiit."

"Yup." I breathed. "I am fucked."

"We can get it fixed up." He ventured, wrapping his arm over my shoulder. "I'm sure we can find somewhere to get it done in time. Hey, I know a great garage just around the corner from here – you just gotta take a left at Cirrus Cloud Café. You don't have any more clients today, so why don't you take it there now?"

"Uuuugh." I groaned. "This is so fucking shit."

"Castle is probably your best bet if you want to make the next race." He said in a quiet voice. "The chief mechanic over there is one of the best, and I heard they hired a bike specialist last year."

"Alright, alright, I'm going." I huffed, manoeuvring the bike onto the footpath. "Call me if anyone drops in and asks for me."

"Yeah, yeah." He laughed. "Hurry the fuck up and leave."

I gave him the finger then began pushing the bike in the direction of the café. I was so angry, I barely noticed a guy coming towards the café, and almost hit him with my bike. I muttered an apology, and hurried on my way. He was kinda cute. Maybe I'd see him again.