His soulmark was throbbing again. Waves of panic coursed through his veins, and he set down the wrench and rolled over, clutching his ankle and concentrating on sending calming thoughts back.
His soulmate was even more panicky than normal nowadays. Keith didn't mind because he was cool headed and able to calm them down, but he was worried. Very worried. They've had episodes of anxiety in the past, mostly when they were teenagers, but it's been a few years.
Another lurch of anxiety. Keith swallowed, the desert sun causing sweat to roll down his back under his tank top. He touched the small yellow mark on his ankle again, trusting in that article he read a while back that touching gives a better connection, and focused on his memory of flying, the feeling of wind ripping through his hair and happiness.
Then, twisting his leg, awkwardly kissing the mark, hitting his head on the metal hull. Kissing the mark normally sent feather-light feelings and relaxed his soulmate, and it seemed to work now. The emotions stopped pushing at his mind, settling into a faint rhythm with Keith's reassurance.
The soulmark twisted into a circle and exploded in a faint yellow fireworks before forming back into a star. He smiled at the little display, wiping the dusty grime off of his ankle and went back to work.
He had barely just untwisted the faulty valve when he felt strangely happy, feathery wisps of love coursing through his bloodstream. His arms instinctively curled around his upper body, before shaking himself out of it. He smiled as he went back to work.
Then concentrating on the tasks on hand. He had gotten the job as a mechanic in a small town only a few months ago, and although the boss seemed to have a soft spot for him, he didn't want to disappoint by playing touchy-feely with his soulmate. His's boss's mark was a curled viper around their neck, that hissed and bit and snapped at anyone that dared to backtalk them, staring whenever Sefram's back was turned.
Mx. Sefram themselves weren't that scary, a skinny person with a small unimposing frame, but their soulmate trained and raised snakes, hence the soulmark. Early in his employment, Keith had walked into the break room to see Sefram bench press one of his beefy co-workers, and promised himself never ever to get on their bad side.
Keith pushed himself out under the vehicle, throwing the valve in the spare parts box and grabbing a new one. Replacing valves and wiring in the engines were easy money, but if you didn't have the balls to stand the heat and sun then you couldn't get paid.
Keith liked the heat. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the underside of his tank top, before getting back under the engine.
The socket was dirtied with grease and too slick to make a decent seal, which is what probably caused the breakage in the first place. Keith wrapped his bandana around his hand before sticking his hand back up there, twisting his wrist and clearing all the grime he could.
He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he grunted. Only ten minutes left on his shift. He wished the boss would let him take double shifts, but they were a huge believer in hydrate or diedrate, making all of his coworkers work only six hour shifts before sending them home.
It was good money, though. Nearly fifty Rubles per vehicle he fixed up.
He screwed the valve into place before twisting the opposite direction, covering the pumps in lubricant. Then shoving himself out under the engine, unclamped it from the pad, and swung his body over the seat, revving the engine.
The ion engine purred to life, quieter than a mouse. He smiled to himself and began clearing the outer shell of dust.
He lost himself in thought, mechanically working away at the grime that caked the pedals and the boosters whilst going over his daily list of chores, trying to soothe the almost hardwired urge to run, find a new place to hide-
"Kogane, your shift was done nearly ten minutes ago." Keith froze in his polishing, before turning around and looking slightly downward at a smirking Sefram.
"Sorry, sir ma'am. I lost track of time." Keith apologized, wringing his hands behind his back.
They winked. "It's alright. Just take some juice from the break room before you go. How many bikes did you fix up today?" Sefram propped an elbow up on the crates of spare parts, sending Keith a sharp toothed smile.
Keith gestured over to the other two bikes leaning against the poles. "The 240x and the 780. Just finished up this one too. All of 'em purr like kittens, sir ma'am."
Sefram nodded. Their soulmarked snake grinned cartoonishly. "Good. Now get outta my yard before you turn int'a one of 'em dehydrated fruit pops."
"Yes sir ma'am!" Keith threw his bandana in the biowaste, reminding himself to pick it up tomorrow once it was cleaned of excessive radiation.
"Oh, sir ma'am!" Keith suddenly remembered that he had to ask them something before he went home. "Can I take my toolbox with me? I'll return it tomorrow. My 400 broke down yesterday."
Sefram nodded. "Yeah. But take a bottle of juice with you."
"Thank y'all!"
Keith grabbed his toolbox out of the shelf, tucking the loose pair of pliers back inside before he walked to the front room to clock out.
The front room was a combination of an office, a break room, and a pool table for some unknown reason. The table had no balls, no cues, an interesting stain right in the center and a metal pole holding up a side with a missing leg. When questioned, Sefram had waved it off. Keith learned not to question it.
He had just opened the door to the fridge when he heard someone clear their throat, startling the shit outta him. He whipped around, clutching his preferred apple juice to use as a weapon, hand on his side bag.
Then he relaxed his arm. In one of the worn out armchairs was one of the most handsome people Keith had ever seen. Clean shaven with a headband pulling dark hair away from their face, a crisp white shirt neatly buttoned up to their neck, their dark eyes analyzed Keith warily before they spoke. "Are you Mx. Sefram?"
"Nah. They're outside shoving water down my coworker's throats." Keith replied. "Oh! Are you here for the job interview?"
He had heard via gossip from Shirogane and Allura that Sefram had wanted to interview another kid, someone good with their hands and this one apparently has a scholarship on Earth. Keith had no idea how they ended up out here but he didn't mind. According to Allura the guy was born on Mars, and had no trace of terrarian in him.
"Yeah," The person smiled. Keith's heartbeat picked up.
"They'll be inside in a few minutes. What's your name?" Keith turned and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Hunk. He/His." He replied.
"Keith, he/his as well. Catch." Keith tossed the juice box to Hunk, who caught it without flinching. "A good way to get on Sefram's good side is drink a lot of fluids in front of them. They think we'll die if we don't have a sip of water every five minutes."
"Thanks, man." Hunk said. His fingers tapped nervously on the side of the armchair, and he sat straight backed and stiff.
"And don't worry, Sefram seems scary but they'll love you. You got your degree from Earth?"
Hunk shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't see why that's impressive. Good skill doesn't rely on where you came from."
"Ooh, I like that," Keith snapped his fingers. "Say something like that if Sefram asks you. They never got a degree and they're the best in a thousand kilometers."
"Oh! Thank you!"
"Anytime, dude." Keith walked over to the exit and placed his hand on the doorknob. "And good luck on that interview!"
As he stepped outside, he felt a flutter of content though his soulmark. Like something just happened in the universe, the planets shifting just right or something, and all was perfect.
Maybe something weird in that juice Sefram stocked the fridge with.
That's more logical.
updates sundays.
