Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

Part 8

I revved the engine of Keith's motorcycle, sighing with relief at the healthy purr. I'd just finished fixing it up – a day before my deadline, no less! Sure, it was after hours and Keith couldn't even collect it until morning, but I felt proud of myself for getting it done so quickly.

After shutting off the all the lights and locking up, I started walking to where I'd parked my car near the corner of the street. We had limited parking at the garage, and Allura liked to keep it reserved for clients. As I pulled out my keys, I noticed a hooded figure approaching on the other side of the road. I went to duck my head, then recognised the familiar red beanie.

"Keith?" I called out.

The figure looked up. Even in the dim streetlights, I could see those huge round eyes – my chest fluttered slightly. I put t down to the amount of energy drinks I'd consumed to keep me going. I cringed; I still hadn't explained the drunk texts to him...I didn't want to know what he thought of me.

"Lance." He replied, crossing over to my car. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I stayed late to finish your bike." I said, pointing in the direction of the garage. "I just finished it up, so you can collect it any time tomorrow."

He looked a little surprised. "You actually managed to get it finished? In three days?"

"I mean, I had to stay late today and yesterday," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "But yeah."

"I guess you are a motorcycle expert." He mumbled.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear." I teased.

"Fuck off." He grumbled, pulling his hat further down his head. "I'll pick it up first thing."

"Great." I said, unlocking my car and opening the door. He'd already started to walk away, but turned back before I could close the door.

"Thanks." He grumbled, then stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking away as quickly as he could.

"You're welcome, Mullet-head." I shouted back, quickly closing my car door and driving away. I laughed to myself all the way home.

~

The next morning, I was up before my alarm and out of the house in record time. For some reason, I felt more eager than usual to get to work. When I arrived, Pidge teased me about wanted to see Keith; I ignored her and started pricing up the repairs in the office. When I heard the jingle of the doorbell, I shot to my feet.

"Welcome back, Keith." Pidge said kindly, throwing a wadded-up ball of paper in my direction. "We'll just be a moment. Please take a seat."

"Thanks." He grumbled in his perpetually irritated tone.

I quickly finished off the pricing and printed it out, then handed it over to Pidge, hurrying back into the garage before he saw me. I crouched down behind his bike, my heart racing in my chest. Shit! Why did he make me feel so weird?

"Lance?" Hunk asked, approaching me with oil-stained hands. "Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding." I stammered. Pidge and Keith had just entered the garage, the latter looking at me with confusion while the former simply smirked. "I-I'm just...checking the floor for...for...ants."

Hunk raised an eyebrow.

"Ants?" He asked, unimpressed.

"Y-yeah!" I scrambled to my feet. "I saw ants! They're gone now, though."

"Riiiight." Pidge said deliberately. "Ants."

"Fuck off, Pidge."

"Mind your language in front of clients, Lance." Coran said, coming out of the office. "Oh, Keith! I didn't know it was your bike Lance was fixing up."

"Yeah." Keith mumbled, shrugging. "Some asshole hit it outside the studio a few days ago."

"Well, Lance has done a bang-up job of getting it done quickly!" Coran laughed. "Quickest he's ever finished a job, actually! We're all pretty surprised!"

"Some of us more than others..." Hunk said quietly, going back to what he was working on.

"We're all done with the paperwork." Pidge threw over her shoulder as she went back to the office. "You're all good to show him out, right?"

"Pidge-" I barked, but she was already gone. "Fuck."

"Look, just do whatever you've gotta do so I can leave." Keith sighed. He didn't look as tired as the day before, but his wide eyes were still ringed with black. "Also," He added, looking around him. When he saw that nobody was watching, he took a step closer. "Don't ever fucking call out my mullet again."

"Why not?" I breathed, a challenge in my voice. "What if I meant it as a compliment?"

"Nobody compliments a fucking mullet." He growled.

"If you know that then why the fuck do you have a mullet?"

He stared me down for a moment, our faces so close that I could feel his breath on my chin. Up close, I realised how much shorter he was than me – it was only a few inches, but it felt like a mile.

"Just...forget it." He grumbled, kicking his bike off the stand and wheeling it towards the back door, which Coran had propped open for us. "Thanks for the bike, dumbass."

"You're welcome, Mullet-head!" I shouted behind him. He gave me the finger without looking back, and then he was gone.

"Was that Keith?" Allura, who had apparently been standing nearby, said to me.

"Y-yeah." I replied. Allura didn't come out of the office very often, let alone talk to us properly. "I just fixed up his bike."

Her face was unreadable while she stood for a moment, presumably thinking.

"Did he say anything about Friday?" She asked finally.

"Yeah, he said he needed it done by then. Why? What's going on?"

"Nothing." She snapped. "Has Romelle dropped my order by yet?"

As I was about to tell her no, Romelle skipped through the back door, holding two to-go cups and a paper bag.

"Keith looked grumpy!" She said cheerfully. "Who upset him?"

"Lance." Allura laughed, linking her arm through Romelle's. "Come in for a bite?"

Romelle laughed and they retreated to the back office, closing the door behind them. They were thick as thieves lately, it was unnerving.

I looked back over at the open door, seeing Keith's eyes in my mind, and feeling his phantom breath on my chin. It made my heart pound. Why the fuck did this random guy make me feel so weird?! I hated him...but at the same time, there was a part of me that was desperate for his approval. Oh well. I probably wouldn't see him again, so there was no point getting hung up over it.

~

After the rest of the staff had left, Coran and I sat in the back office, flicking through our paperwork.

"So..." I said, reading an old pamphlet that had been sitting around for a while. "Keith and Lance."

Coran chuckled. "I never thought the two of them would get along, but..."

"They certainly seem to have a spark." I mused. "Lance is an eternal optimist; Keith could use someone like that."

"You always said you wanted to keep the staff away from this stuff." Coran said, looking up at me. "Allura, are you sure about this?"

I sighed.

"I think it's time we brought Lance into our little world."