So this is based off of a headcannon that firefistlaw on tumblr got from an anon a while back.
"Modern!Headcanon that Eustass kid's s/o goes to college like for some very impressive field, but Kid didn't really want to go to college so he a mechanic and just, they live together and Eustass always picks up his s/o from their classes. Intimidating people because he's just intensely gazing at the door to see if his s/o is on their way 😂"
I made some changes, because that's what I was feeling as I was writing, but whatever. Here it is. I don't necessarily love how it turned out, but I don't hate it, so here it is.
"Well I say that went well," Jay said, grinning as we headed towards the elevators in the university's main offices.
Jay and his sister, Rei, were biomedical engineers, who had been working with the world-renowned Dr. Vegapunk to produce highly advanced cybernetic technology to help individuals, whose minds were very much active and alive, but whose bodies were failing them. It was interesting work, and while I didn't understand the ins and outs of it, I knew enough to know that it had the potential to help a lot of people.
Of course, potential meant nothing if it wasn't realized, and it couldn't be realized without funding, so that's where I came in. I worked in the University's development department. I toed the line between grant manager and donor services officer. I worked with the science department specifically.
Science people were great at compiling data and research and putting it together in spreadsheets and reports. That was great for research grants from medical and scientific institutions. It was poor for most family foundations, community foundations and individual donors. There were doctors and engineers and the like in that crowd sure, but a majority of it consisted of lawyers, businessmen and a lot of old money. Those people wanted an emotional investment. They wanted those tear jerking stories of people walking for the first time in years or writing their name with an arm that they had been born without.
Vegapunk, Rei and Jay were geniuses. But there are some things that they couldn't even manage to do and fundraise was among those. We'd just had a meeting with a couple of potential donors in one of the university's board rooms, which thanks to my serving as a buffer, had gone extremely well.
I had a meeting with the father and daughter pair coming up in the next couple of weeks, where I would make a proper ask. I had high hopes.
"That's because I was there. You two are hopeless. If it takes more than three minutes to explain it, and it isn't something that they ask about, then don't bring it up."
"Materials are important," Jay stressed.
"Yeah. With this new compound that Dr. Vegapunk has created, everything we produce will be lighter and more durable."
I just blinked at them. "You mean you spent ten minutes explaining this to them in a way that went so far over their head, I'm pretty sure it went into orbit, and you just explained it to me in two sentences?"
They looked at each other, finally getting my point.
"Unbelievable," I groaned. "For people so smart, you can be so dumb."
I shook my head, stepping off of the elevator behind them.
"At least it's over now, and you don't have to deal with our genius level stupidity until Monday," Rei said.
"Or any donors," Jay added.
"Nope," I agreed. "Just my man and his band of grease monkeys."
"Yes, the mysterious mechanic," Rei said.
I snorted. "Mysterious. Kid's one of the most straight forward people that you will ever meet."
"But we haven't met him," Jay said.
"Hence why he's mysterious."
I rolled my eyes. "I hate, when you two do that telepathic twin crap."
I was pretty close with the twins. I interacted with them more than anyone else on campus, and we had formed a friendship, a weird friendship, but a friendship none the less.
"I mean. All we know is that he owns his own repair shop," Rei continued ignoring me. "Which makes the think of some middle-aged man named with Ron with an overly bushy mustache and a beer gut, and that doesn't really fit with our amazingly professional and well put together fundraiser."
I scoffed. Professional and put together. That did not extend past the university. If only they could see me at the shop, desperately looking for clients' keys, receipts and invoices and yelling at Kid and Heat to turn down the damn music, while Killer put everything I was looking for together, before handing it over.
"I see you with like an investment banker."
"Yeah or some really high profile real estate agent, Named Neil or Andrew."
"Not even close." I chuckled. "His name is Kid, and he doesn't have a beer gut. In fact, he's got abs you could grate cheese on, and I'm nowhere as put together as you seem to think I am. I am an adult, who never really grew out of her punk phase, but is really really good at hiding it. "
The two of them looked at me for a moment, assessing me. "Can't see it," they chorused.
Jay was a step ahead of us and started to push the door to the outside world open, but stopped short, causing both Rei and I to crash into him.
"That scary guy's in the parking lot," Jay said.
"What scary guy?" I asked.
"Seriously?" Rei whined, peering out the door.
Jay looked over his shoulder at me. "The terrifying dude that hangs out in the staff parking lot," Jay tried to jog my memory. "Always here at like a quarter to five."
"Uh huh…" I said, not having any idea of, who he was talking about.
"You seriously have never seen him?"
I shook my head. "Apparently not."
"He must leave, before you get out of the office," Rei deduced. "Well, you're gonna see him now. You can't miss him."
"Whatever. Can we go now? Weird dude or not, I want to go home."
"Not weird," Jay corrected.
"Weird," Rei agreed.
"Okay, weird, but mostly scary. He just glares at the door, as if he's trying to make it explode."
Cue the light bulb going off over my head.
"Yeah. I know you said you were going to wait for your boyfriend or whatever, but why don't you come back to the lab with us? I don't really want to leave you here with that weirdo lingering."
I snorted at Rei. "I'm sure, I'll be fine," I said, wiggling past Jay and out the door.
I was finally able to see the guy that they were talking about.
I could see how he could be intimidating. For one, leaning against the side of a perfectly refurbished 1970 Chevy Chevelle it was obvious that he was closer to seven feet tall than six. The garish fabrics his clothes were made of were pulled taut over his frame, displaying his muscles.
His size alone was intimidating, so much so that no one dared to comment on his outlandish clothing, the goggles on his head, the grease splattered over him, the black polish on his nails or the dark lipstick he wore. But his eyes were his most striking feature.
With one glance, Eustass Kid could put the fear of the God into in to anyone stupid enough to cross him, no matter how big or bad they thought they were.
Those eyes met mine, which brought a grin to his lips.
I returned it, adjusting my bag on my shoulder and walking over to him, leaving the twins at the door.
"Hey," I greeted, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Hey babe," he greeted.
He brought his hands to my hips, running them up my sides, before pulling me flush against him and dropping his lips down to meet mine for a kiss that was by no means appropriate, especially considering that I was technically still at work, even if I was not working.
He rested his forehead on mine. "What's with the audience?" he asked, eyes flickering over to the twins.
"Probably trying to make sure that you don't murder me. They think you're rather frightening. Though after that display, now they probably think that you like to get off in public."
His smirk grew. "Considering how into it you were, I'm starting to think that you do. You know we could always-"
"Not a chance," I said, trying and failing not to smile at him. "You're such a sleaze ball."
"That I am," Kid said, hand traveling down to my ass. "But at least I'm honest about it," he said, giving it a squeeze.
I tried to level him with a firm glare, but it did nothing. "Kid, I'm still technically at work," I scolded, stepping back, before he could get any more handsy.
"I'm not," he said, unfazed. "They can't fire me."
"No, but they can me."
"Then, I guess we better get out of here, before I get you canned." He pushed himself up off the car.
I tossed my bag in the open window, heading around to the passenger's side. I finally looked at the twins, who looked absolutely dumfounded. "I'll see you guys Monday!" I hollered at them, waving.
Kid gave them one of his more sinister grins, raising his hand in a mocking wave.
I leaned over the center console, pushing his door open. "Quit trying to scare them and let's go home."
"Whatever you say, babe," he said, humoring me. He slipped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition, the car roaring to life. He revved the engine a few times, before peeling out of the parking lot and speeding towards home.
"You're terrible," I said, laughing.
"You love it," he shot back, removing his hand from the gear shift and flipping his hand, so that his palm was facing up.
I slipped my hand into his. "Yeah. I do."