Gasolina - Klance Mechanic/Racer AU

Chapter 19

A week passed quickly. Keith and I texted every night again, sometimes one of us was drunk, sometimes not. We had built a sort of mutual agreement to give each other a hard time, and neither of us mentioned the gay lions again.

I'd just gotten home from work and decided to sit down for a bit before Race Night, when my phone got a call. It was Veronica.

"Hey, Vee." I answered, lounging back and kicking my feet up on the coffee table.

"Lance, hi." She said quietly. From the muffled sounds of ambulance sirens, I guessed she was still at work. "I need you to tell me something – no lying."

"Alright..." I began, sitting up. "What do you need to know?"

"What's 'Race Night'?" She whispered.

I fell silent. How the fuck could Veronica know about Race Night? I couldn't very well just come out and tell her about it; Keith had reiterated the importance of keeping it secret more times than I could count.

"What?" I asked, feigning ignorance. I hated lying to my family, but I'd promised Keith I would keep it all to myself. "I have no idea. Sounds cool, though."

She sighed. "Right."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, Acxa-" She was cut off by the wail of a siren. "Acxa finally came to this afternoon. I happened to be passing by when it happened. She mumbled something about Race Night, then became extremely agitated. Since you know her friends, I thought you might know what it was."

"No, sorry." I mumbled. "I hope she's okay."

"She's pulling through." Veronica mused. "She's strong. It's admirable."

"I'll let Zethrid and Ezor know she's doing well." I replied. "Did you manage to get them on the visitors list yet?"

"Not yet." She sighed. "I'll keep trying."

"Thanks. I know it means a lot to them."

"Alright, let's go for that lunch soon! Byee~."

She hung up. I sighed a breath of relief. Somehow I'd managed to keep our secret, but for how long? Veronica never gave up easily, so I knew she'd keep pressing to find out. She might even ask Acxa herself. I couldn't let her find out that I was part of an illegal racing society, but the guilt was already setting in.

Later, I stood outside my apartment. Keith had offered me a ride to the canal, to save me having to walk again. He showed up on time, tossing me the blue helmet.

"New mask?" He asked, pointing at my face. I'd invested in a blue lower-face mask to go along with my name.

"Yeah." I laughed, pulling on my helmet and climbing onto the back of his motorcycle. I hadn't been on it since the last Race Night, and I'd accepted my crush on Keith since then, so I felt a new kind of nerves for the experience.

"Hold on." He teased, revving the engine as he'd done before. I begrudgingly clung to his waist, trying to ignore the burning in my chest and cheeks. At one point during the ride, Keith made a sharp stop, and I wasn't able to stop my chest from colliding with his back. Out of desperation, I found myself clinging to him harder, biting my lip in an attempt to calm myself down. When we finally arrived at the canal, I was glad the helmet covered my flushed cheeks.

"Are you racing tonight?" I asked, removing the helmet once I'd cooled off a little.

"Nope." He replied, removing his own helmet and shaking out his glossy hair. I felt my heart do a little jump; he was so fucking hot, I couldn't take it.

"Then why are we here?" I asked, patting down my clothing in an attempt to mask my nerves.

"To confront Prodigy." He said matter-of-factly, his black-rimmed eyes steady.

"W-what? Is that necessary?" I stammered. "You 'confronted' him pretty hard last time."

Keith crossed his arms. "He needs to know that he can't get away with hurting the people I care about."

The assurance with which he said those words made my chest feel light.

"W-well, I really don't think..." I mumbled, but Keith had looked over to the bridge, where two figures in jackets were approaching. When they came into the headlights of the gathered cars, I realised it was Shiro, accompanied by a dark-haired man in leather.

"Sh-Shiro?! What the fuck..." Keith growled, storming towards the two men. I hung back, my own eyes focused on the cosmically handsome man who was sauntering towards me.

"Hello." He purred, flipping his pale hair back. "It's...Blue, right?"

"Who are you?" I shot back, crossing my arms. I knew damn well who he was.

The man let out a sensual laugh, gliding a little closer to me. He took a strand of his silky hair in his fingers and narrowed his eyes playfully. "I'm The Prodigy."

"Right, now I remember." I taunted. "The idiot."

His playful eyes turned to calculating slits – but only for a moment. His flirty façade returned quickly.

"I hope you're not still upset about the situation with White Stripe." He condescended. "Truly, I would fix him if I could, but alas I am just a simple man."

"Simple is right." I muttered under my breath. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk." He purred, sidling up to me. He was so close I could feel his breath on my cheeks. Damn, the guy had to be nearly 7 feet tall. "I am...intrigued by you, Mr Blue. You and your Leo have piqued my interest."

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint-" I began, but Keith interrupted me.

"Blue! Come here!"

"Sorry, 'my Leo' is calling." I patted him on the arm. "Don't try to talk to me again."

As I walked away, I felt his cool gaze on my back, and I couldn't help but feel anxious. Something about the beautiful man gave me chills, and not in a good way.