Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

Chapter 12

It was incredible – racing through the night on the back of a motorcycle. It was like riding on the back of some great beast, roaring beneath me and moving at such a speed that it felt like flying. I almost forgot the horrible tragedy I'd just witnessed – almost.

Keith picked up the speed when we hit the highway, the bike lurching forward on the tarmac. The world whizzed past us at a hundred miles per hour, blurring into a canvas of grey and black and gold. He was taking the long way to my apartment, I realised.

I tightened my hands on his waist when we rounded a corner, fearful I might fall off the bike. His body was lean, and since he was smaller than me, it felt a little strange to be clinging to him for protection. He was all I could think about; all that existed in that moment, in that tiny bubble of life, was Us...Keith and I...our bodies so close that it was if we were a singular entity.

We eventually began to slow, and finally pulled up outside my apartment building. I couldn't move for a minute, my body still whizzing through the air. When I felt that I could stand again, I swung my leg over the bike and stepped away.

"So," Keith said, removing his helmet. "I guess you've never been on the back of a motorcycle before."

"What?" I said breathlessly, my heart still pounding from the adrenaline. I removed my helmet and passed it back to him. "Oh- yeah, I have. My sister used to ride." I paused. "That specifically was not something I've ever experienced."

"What do you mean?"

"The speed." I breathed. "It felt like..."

Keith leant against the wall outside the entrance. "Like flying?"

"Y-yeah." I felt my cheeks go red, and fumbled in my pockets for my keys. I hurriedly let us in, and we ascended the stairs to my apartment. I was painfully aware of Keith's presence behind me, still unsure of why I asked him back to my apartment in the first place. In the moment, I'd wanted to make sure he was okay, but now that he was actually here, I didn't really know what to do with him. What do you say to someone who just watched their friend get run over?

"Sit anywhere," I said, pushing open the door to my apartment. "Do you want something to drink?"

"What do you have?" He asked, perching on the edge of the couch.

"Coffee, water," I opened the refrigerator. "Beer, apparently."

I didn't wait for him to answer, taking out two bottles and cracking them open.

"Thanks." He said, taking the bottle. "Your apartment is nice."

"You seem surprised." I replied, at first sipping the beer but progressively taking bigger gulps.

He went silent. I really regretted inviting him back now. I barely knew the guy, and he didn't seem like the talkative type.

"So," I said, sitting at the other end of the couch. "You're a street racer."

"Yeah." He mumbled, pursing his lips against the bottle. "You know Princess."

"I'm as surprised as you are." I laughed. "It's a small world."

"Shiro always said he knew Chief and Princess, but I never believed him. I guess he was telling the truth."

"What is your relationship with Shiro?" I asked curiously. "I heard from Matt that you live with him."

"He took me in when I had nowhere else to go." Keith murmured. "He's my only friend." He turned his gaze to me. "How do you know Matt? I didn't think he really had any friends."