Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

Part 4

When I got back to my apartment that night, I threw myself onto the couch and groaned. I'd stayed late to get as much done on Keith's bike as I could. I scolded myself for agreeing to such an unreasonable time limit, but something about his big, stupid eyes turned my brain to mush.

Maybe I should tell him I won't be able to do it so quickly, I thought. I pulled the business card from my pocket and traced the number with my finger, then flipped over the card to see what was on the other side.

Keith Kogane

Artist

Black Lion Tattoo Studio

Underneath the writing was a photograph of a detailed galaxy tattoo, and beside that was a picture of a black-maned lion. The tattoo was beautiful; I'd always admired tattoos but never had the guts to get one myself.

Maybe I could go get one from Keith...

Nope. Not happening. I couldn't be in the same room with the guy without acting like a fool. I couldn't imagine having him touching me with those soft hands for hours. 

I didn't even know why he made me feel so weird. Pidge's words haunted me: 'None of your other crushes made you act like that...'. Did I have a crush on this guy? I'd never liked a guy before. Maybe I was just jealous of his cool tattoos and edgy appearance. Sure, I didn't want to be edgy, but he seemed like the kind of guy who could make anything look cool. That was it; I was jealous.

I sighed and inputted his number on my phone, then hovered over the text icon for a moment. I quickly composed a professional message saying I wouldn't be able to complete the works by Friday, and was about to hit send, when Keith's eyes popped into my head again.

Silently cursing, I deleted the message and simply wrote:

Hey Keith, its Lance from Castle. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll keep you updated.

I hit send, then put my phone down on the coffee table and started making myself some food. Before I could do much, I heard my phone buzz from across the room. I scampered back to the coffee table, seeing Keith's name across the screen. I quickly opened the message.

Keith: Thanks for doing this. I really need it done by Friday.

I felt my heart sink. His eyes flashed in my mind again. I couldn't disappoint him.

Me: No problemo. What's the occasion?

I sent the text and waited for a minute, but no reply came. I sighed dejectedly and tossed my phone onto the couch, continuing with my food. Perhaps I'd been too friendly. The guy didn't seem like the friendly type.

~

Lance: Hey Keith, its Lance from Castle. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll keep you updated.

I read the text as I laid in bed, feeling my cheeks turn red. I was still in shock over what had happened – how the cute guy I'd nearly hit with my bike turned out to be the motorcycle expert Shiro told me about. When I told Shiro what happened, he'd laughed, that knowing glint in his eyes. He always seemed to be one step ahead. I just knew he had to have planned it all somehow.

"Keith, you gonna come out then?" Shiro shouted from the kitchen. I quickly shot a text back to Lance, then threw my phone onto the bed, grabbing my bike helmet from my desk and heading out into the kitchen. We headed down to the back of the building, and both hopped onto Shiro's bike, speeding out from behind the studio and down the road. We eventually came to an empty parking lot, where Shiro deposited me in the smoking shelter, and began circling the tarmac. The smell of gasoline was thick in the air as I watched him spin and swerve and skid, eventually stopping in front of me.

"You think you can do all that?" He asked, removing his helmet.

"Hmm?" I sighed, snapping out of my daydream. I couldn't get Lance's dazzling eyes out of my mind. And his broad chest. And his lean arms...

"What's the point of me being your mentor if you don't even pay attention." He grumbled, resting the helmet against his hip.

"Sorry, I'm a bit distracted tonight." I groaned. "Plus, I don't even have my bike, so I can't do drills."

"Keith, you'll never be as famous as Tex if you don't pay attention. The next race is on Friday. You can't get lazy."

"I literally can't practice. What do you expect me to do, follow you around on a fucking pushbike?"

He glowered at me.

"Sorry, Dad." I teased. "I'll pay attention."

"Alright." He sighed. "If I catch you fantasizing about that mechanic again you can walk home."

"Deal." I shouted as he revved the engine of his bike, then went back to circling the tarmac. I tried to keep my mind away from Lance, instead focusing on Shiro's technique. Still, every time I closed my eyes, I saw his arms, his chest, his shoulders. Dammit, this guy was becoming a problem.