|-)The Mechanic's Best Friend Is The Oil On His Hands(-|
May 31th
A distinctive smell of oil and gas filled the air. Chattering lingered in the dense air and the sky was dim as dark clouds threatened to drop water on the earth-albeit it didn't stop the laughter and entertainment from growing. Even louder was the loud thumping of all kinds of music and the skidding of wheels on the ground beneath them. Occasionally one would jump with when the cackling thunder snuck up after a few minutes rest. Other than the possible downpour, nothing was wrong... Well, for the most part.
"Come on! Can't you, ya fuckin', fix it faster? I gotta sca-dattle by time they arrive. C'mon, c'mon, Walker, man, dude, Brit, man, c'mon. You da best mechanic, can't you-"
"Lavi, you're a car expert yourself, and I know you could fix this cheap wagon yourself, therefore, I can stop here and now and take what pay you owe my, my good customer." Came a voice of a tenor-pitched young man as he slid out from under a car, face smothered in oil and an amused smile on his face. "I don't know what the bloody hell you did, but you seriously jacked the under body on your car. I can have fixed in no time at all if you quit distracting me. It's not like I got any other people coming and begging for my help."
"'Cause nobody knows you'sa mechanic, my good friend." Lavi reasoned, raking his fingers through his messy and wild red hair. "Well, some know but hey, dude, you haven't been seen near a damn car since when? When the Giza Pyramids were built?"
Allen looked at him with slight irritation, but other than that, his expression was mild and there wasn't no anger. There wasn't an ounce of tension between the good friends. Allen couldn't even frown at the guy as he sat on his creeper seat, sighing. He forced himself to not touch his white hair in efforts to keep it clean, but he had a hunch there was a few splotches of black oil in his hair. Healthy, ain't it?
"Talk about overexaggeration. And, by the way, it's Pyramids of Giza." Allen told him, his cheek meeting his knuckles and elbow bumping his knee. "So what exactly did you do to your car?"
Lavi hooked his thumb in his denim jean pocket, scratching his cheek with his other thumb. "Well, I... Funny story, Walk. Real funny." The redhead sheepishly, avoiding Allen's intense gaze. "Okay so, here I was mind my own business and I'm chillin' with my buds, save you, and then some of these all high and kiss-my-ass fuckers walk in at yer fav cafe-the Circus Clown Balooza-and they start some shit with Yuu and I, and well, me and Yuu got all pissed and like 'what the hell? Don't you dare get sassy with us your fuckin' punkass bitches!' and then they challenged us to a fist fight, but me gal Lee-Lee intervened and suggest a trio-a-trio race." Lavi paused at this point, sighing as he pretended to drive his messed up car. "And well, damn, they smoked us! They stole me gal's car, too. Yuu's engine blew and he's a lookin' for a new one and well, my car just took a beatin' fer real. Damn, it happened so fast. I can't believe we lost to those hosers."
Allen tapped his fingers one by one on his black creeper, humming. Lavi didn't like that look he was receiving from his buddy and crossed his arms, huffing in disdain. He knew exactly what was on the white-haired boy's mind and he didn't like it at all. Allen gave a mere one arm shrug, standing up.
"That's what the smashing story you got there, but that still doesn't entirely explain what happened to your car. To save my ears from a long, confusing explanation, I'll take what you give me. Now, would you like to know what all is wrong with your wagon or do you want to know how much this is going to come up to, because Lavi, it's quite pricey." Allen said, leaning on a tall red tool box and frowning.
"What'chu mean it's pricey? The radiator cracked, the tires are basically flat and the gas tank has a few dents. It can't be that much." Lavi immediately responded, eyeing his precious vehicle.
"I took a look at everything, Lavi. All four tires need replaced and your muffler. The radiator with need special repairs that may not guaranteed forty percent excellence. Your gas tank has a big gash and is leaking, and it's not the only part that has a leak considering I'm covered in all this oil. Then your brakes are unreliable. Your steering wheel is loose and may not stay attached to the dashboard much longer. The windows are cracked in the back. Your engine bloody junk. You may need a new paint job and your back fender is dented. Your front headlight isn't working. Your sun roof doesn't even open." Allen slowly explained, and with each problem stated, Lavi's face got paler and paler until he was near transparent. Then he felt around for his wallet and pulled it out, a pout on his face. "Trust me when I say I understand how you feel."
"Shit, dude, how much is all that going to cost?" Lavi asked reluctantly, voice shaking.
"Nnnn, a grand. Two grand, maybe." Allen mumbled, pensive. "And you're on a major discount, Lavi. That's a lot of issues for one vehicle and truthfully I don't think two grand is going to cut it. With all that, you have to include all the minor parts and the major ones. Besides, you want me to fix all this today?" Allen's eyebrows raised and he shook his head. "Mercy me, that isn't going to happen. Worry not, I got all the parts you need here in my garage, but dude, I ain't that good."
"No, ya ain't good. Yer da best! You have a garage, but many know you'sa mechanic, which is messed up if you ask me." Lavi shot back, stepping up to Allen clasping his hands together. "C'mon, dude, I can't pay that shit. I didn't win that race. I lost all my money. Isn't there a way you could cut me a deal?"
"I don't know, Lavi." Allen whispered.
"Please? Please!" Lavi grabbed Allen, putting all his weight on the smaller man as he begged continuously. "Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
Allen stared at the wall, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He stood up straight, hand tapping his hip. Do not, Allen mentally chided, look at him. You know you're a sucker for that look. Don't look. Don't look. Don't lo-shit! Allen closed his eyes after Lavi switched positions and got closer to Allen so their noses were touching. As creepy as it was, Allen couldn't freaking care at all because it was not what he was trying to avoid at this moment. Lavi had this special look he gave Allen and every damn time he saw it he gave in to Lavi's whims. But the redhead flicked in-between Allen's eyes hard enough to make his muscles react on their own and they snapped open, meeting Lavi's puckered lips and that sad, sad, absolutely adorable, and meaningful look. It was like hitting an already hurt puppy. Allen couldn't refuse.
"Okay, okay." Allen caved, pushing Lavi away so he could have some personal space. "Get out of my bubble." Allen clicked his tongue again, taking a few steps back. It was obvious the moron in front of him was restraining himself from attacking Allen with a bear hug and a friendly, gleeful kiss on each cheek. Lavi was just that kind of spontaneous dude. "How much you got on you right now?"
"Uh... Eight hundred, but I can only give you seven. But I got this really cool bottle cap!" Lavi said sheepishly, holding out a bottle cap with a wicked design on it. "And I have two paper clips, pocket fuzz, half a pack of straw-licious-berry gum, a mini golf ball, and a killer sock puppet."
Allen stared at Lavi with an unreadable expression and you could just hear his tongue click against the roof of his mouth echo like they were in a valley of mountains. The pale mechanic was unimpressed. Lavi nervously licked his dry lips, pulling out his monkey sock puppet and putting it on his hand. He pushed it in Allen's direction and if he held any annoyance, it increased tenfold as he observed the sock puppet. It was, indeed, a killer sock puppet because the appearance was enough to make you drop dead and the stench emitting from it was worse than a gym sock that sat in the hot summer sun for two weeks with rotten eggs smothered on it. Allen scrunched up his nose, frown deepening. The puppet had one brown button for an eye and it was ready to fall off, but the way it peered at Allen gave him shivers.
Hesitantly, Allen breathed, immediately coughing as the filth polluted his air. He smacked Lavi's hand away. "What the bloody hell!? Where has that been? Jeez, that thing must be a damn seriel killer. It's covered in blood."
"Actually," Lavi said quietly, moving his hand inside the puppet to make it seem like it was... whatever it was mimicking, talk. "It's tomatoes and jalapeno hot sauce."
"Awww... Awww, dude. Not cool." Allen backed away, glaring at Lavi. "Keep your blasted sock. I got a better idea." Allen offered a sly smile. "And it ain't that bad, if I say so myself."
Lavi turned his puppet so he was staring at it, eyebrow quirked. The eye button fell of, hitting the floor, but Lavi pretended it didn't happen. Conspicuously, he turned his puppet and himself back around to stare at Allen. "I'mma listening."
June 1st
Allen leaned against the front counter, reviewing Lavi's car charts and diagrams. He was a very thorough person and wanted to make sure he got everything, so he marked it all down. Whereas some mechanics didn't care and just wanted to get the job done as fast as possible, Allen took his time to make sure the customer's car was put back into one hundred percent and better. He took pride in what he did. He loved cars and fixing them was just a wonderful experience. It felt like he was making a difference in the world. It was fun and educational. It sure did come in handy when he was on the highway and whatnot. Like, there's a lot of people he's gone on a trip with and the car suddenly broke down. Allen always comes prepared. He always has his handy-dandy portable toolbox with him and a few other parts that are easily carried around. Oh, don't forget the gas can either. He always had an extra one around. To say Allen wasn't dedicated would be the major understatement and offensive that it should be illegal.
"Allen?" A squeaky, nervous woman's voice said, making said boy look up from his clipboard full of information and papers and he hummed lightly in response. "I-I'm sorry, am-m I dis-isturbing you? O-Or ar-re you not Al-Allen?"
Allen smiled. "That's okay, miss, you weren't disturbing me. I was just reading over a few files." he said calmly, standing up straight and studying the woman in front of her. She appeared depressed and unnerved, most definitely nervous. She had dark bags under her eyes and call Allen crazy, but she looked like she was ready to cry. Her clothing was dark and her dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun. her skin was sickly pale and her cheekbones really stuck out as if the skin there wasn't-who knows?-fleshy enough? He also noticed she was wearing a long black dressed. But he ignored her anxious demeanour.
He held out his hand, to which the woman hesitantly took. "And, yes, I am Allen." The white-haired boy reassured. "Allen Walker. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
"I-I... I'm Miranda Lotto." she murmured.
"'Ello, Miss Lotto. May I help you today?" Allen replied.
She scanned the vast, dim-litted garage Allen owned. He noticed she didn't smile and she was constantly squirming. So uncertain-Miranda was, at least. She was oddly fascinated with the place although it smelled like a gas station and... sorta fresh. But on the far right were aisles of car parts and utilities and otherwise similar. Behind the counter that stretched out from the far right wall right before the first aisle to about ten feet left of Allen. There were a few spots you could lift up part of the counter and walk in to the restricted area, and it was the only way to enter Allen's second sacred work place. Behind his counter, though, were thick metal shelves with boxes and boxes of backup supplies, files, other parts-like, the expensive and rare to come across parts-and more. There were a few things that was illegal to sell, but Allen still had some of those in stock in the back. But he was immensely careful with people he sold that shit to. Then, in the background, he has his stereo on. It was blasting music from his counter, but it wasn't really that loud and most of the music was soft.
Allen waved his clipboard in front of her face. "Excuse me, Miss Lotto, may I help you?"
"Uh, s-sorry. I was admiring your, er, garage?" Miranda answered quickly, and Allen nodded. "Well, I, um... my car's windows... They aren't working. I mean, they don't roll up or down... And my, uh, I got a flat tire... And there's a big crack on my windshield... Do you think... you could possibly help me out?"
"Sure. Is your car parked out front?" Allen said, putting his clipboard down and climbing over his counter, jumping on the flat concrete floor.
"Yes."
"Then why don't we go take a look at it, Miss Lotto?"
"Okay."
Miranda led Allen to a mild blue '03 Ford Expedition parked right by the front doors. Allen grabbed the door handle, looking at Miranda expectantly. "May I?"
"Oh, please do." Miranda responded, waving her hands around.
Allen opened the driver door and hopped in, his feet dangling out of the side and he studied the medium parchment design inside. The seats were nicely cushioned and obviously a fake leather imitation with a mix of cotton in the fabric. Now that was unique. He fingered the steering wheel, examining every inch of the dashboard and the front seats with his eyes, a small smile in place.
This SUV is nice. It has a 4-speed automatic system and it's not tacky in the least. She takes good care of this Expedition... Hmmm, I love these seats! Allen studied the enormous crack on the windshield with a raised eyebrow. It didn't look like a rock was thrown at it and it sure as hell wasn't natural by some chance. Hell, there was a hole in the window. Not just a crack. There was still glass shards on the dashboard. He can clean that up for her though. Then, he tentatively eyed the windows. The two back windows were rolled down halfway and the passenger seat window was down about an inch or two. The the driver seat window was firmly sealed. He could automatically tell without glancing around that it was the right tire in the back that was flat. It's a good thing she came here. A day later the police may have given her a fine if she got caught driving this.
"Miss Lotto, do you mind giving me the keys to your Expedition so I can drive it in my garage?" Allen asked, already holding out his hand as he observed the windshield again until he felt something cold and slightly heavy land in his hands. "You can follow me in, if you like. I don't mind if you stay. I should be able to fix all this today, but if you have somewhere to be you can just come pick it up later." Allen told her, smiling, and pointing at the opened garage door nearby. Miranda must've missed that earlier. "Uh, hang on. Do you have enough money for all this?"
"I, er, I don't know. How much do you think it's cost?" Miranda inquired, rubbing her arm.
Allen hummed thoughtfully. The windshield would need replacing and that's a good 150 to 345 dollars and then depending on the problem with the windows, which he has a pretty good idea what's wrong, it could be costly. It might be an additional 270 if what he thinks is the problem is in fact the real problem. Then the flat tire shouldn't be more than fifty... And if she has the spare tire already then that'd be absolutely free. Looking at Miranda, though, he could tell she doesn't got that kind of money to spend. Whatever happened to her car was peculiar. He hardly sees so many issues in one go unless it was a person who loved to race that decided to make a pit stop at his shop.
"You think you can spare two hundred?" Allen asked.
"Uh, yeah."
"Good. Then let's get started."
Allen shut the door and put the key in the ignition, starting the engine. Slowly, he back up and took a right, heading to the side of the building at no more than ten miles per hour-he didn't want to do anything to worsen the tire damage that could raise the price by any chance... Then he'd end up paying for most of it because it's his policy and he'd feel too guilty. So, he drove into his shop and parked Miranda's SUV a good ways away from Lavi's banged up car that was still in the process of being fixed. Speaking of Lavi, Allen looked at the radio to check the time, discovering something crucial.
"He's late." he muttered.
Miranda sat down in a random chair by the wall, watching Allen idly as he single-handedly took out her broken windshield, going as far as to take her wipers off for the moment. He carefully put a brand new windshield that came in just yesterday, then put her wipers back on with too much ease. Allen whispered the lyrics to the song that was playing from his stereo as he used a huge red jack to lift the front of Miranda's car. It was at this moment Lavi decided to walk in.
"Honey, I'm... not home!" Lavi exclaimed, arms open wide in preparation to hug his younger friend, Allen mused when he glanced at him, and he came up disappointed when he found Allen kneeled down by Miranda's SUV, unscrewing the bolts that kept the tire in place. By time Lavi reached him, the tire was off. "Dude, what'cha doing way down there?"
"What's it look like?" Allen mumbled, patting his hands as he looked up at Miranda. "Do you already have a spare tire in the back?"
"Actually, yes." Miranda answered.
"Smashing!" Allen stood up real fast, taking Miranda's keys and walking to the back, opening her trunk as quickly as possible. He beamed, seeing the tire and graciously pushing it into Lavi's arms. "Wonderful! Splendid! You have three, Miss Lotto! I commend you on that!" The white-haired boy too cheerfully said. "Now, Lavi, I'm assuming even you can replace a tire. So please do so while I finish the last of Miss Lotto's car issues and you can scurry over to the counter so we can discuss this whole sit'ch'e'ation. Then afterwards we will talk about your schedule once again. Understand?"
"Yeah, sure." Lavi said quietly.
"Good."
Allen closed the trunk, smiling as he saw Lavi heave the tire over to the front. While Lavi did that, Allen was quick to open the driver door and investigate the issue with the windows. He experimented by pressing the buttons on every door. He knew that he would have to take the door off and open it up, but he was hoping to have been able to avoid that. No matter, he was so used to this by now it shouldn't be a problem. Getting his necessary tools, he stopped at the counter and picked up a small clipboard and pen, walking over to Miranda.
"Here ye are, Miss Lotto. I should have done this to begin with, but I need you to fill this here form out. It's not that hard, really. I just need you name, the date you came in, your vehicle type, and of course, I will need your signature-printed and original, if you will. Also, before I forget, if you have any concerns or problems with the service there's a box on the back. I'd appreciate your feedback, but that's optional." Allen explained, handing her the form.
"O-okay... Can I ask why you need my signature?"
"Well, it's a sort of contract. Well, not really. More or less, it's you giving me permission to work on your vehicle. Also, your number is an optional. If you think you need anything later or if I realize I did something wrong, I can give you a call. Actually, Lavi's been through this. Laddie, come an' explain this to Miss Lotto, please." Allen said.
"Aye, aye, Cap'n Whitey!" Lavi saluted.
Allen finished installing a new wiring system for Miranda's windows. The wires appeared to have just stopped working from reasons unknown and not necessarily needed to be explored, but Allen easily fixed that. To double-check everything, he opened the hood and checked out the engine. Satisfied with it, he slammed the hood and got his creeper, sliding under her SUV, also finding himself satisfied with the bottom. Everything else seemed to have been in good condition. So, he took the broken windshield to the counter, placing it on top, then crawling under one of his pull-up counter doors. At that time, his only-hold on-his used-to-be-only-employee strode in gleefully.
"Hello, Allen!" he greeted warmly.
"Oh, joy! Krory, you're here! Good evening to ye!" Allen replied, waving.
Lavi handed Allen Miranda's form. Which, naturally, Allen took and skimmed over, making sure everything was alright. He took a pencil, tapping it on the paper. Her name was there-check. Her vehicle type-check. The date was there-check. And it was correct-check. Her beautiful signature-check. Her home phone and cell phone number-check. The type of payment she'll be making-check. Check, check, check, check! Everything was in order.
"Why, thank you, Miss Lotto! Now, before I give you the A-O-K to leave, do you wanna make sure your vehicle is A-O-K itself?" Allen said, jingling the keys in her face. The woman in front of her couldn't just stop thinking about how polite and enthusiastic Allen was being. He seemed so thrilled. "Eh, Miss Lotto?"
"Do you think it's alright now?" Miranda asked softly.
"Of course, but this is just a precaution. You don't have to take it, but it was just an option I laid out there. So, are you ready to pay?"
"S-sure."
Allen smiled, motioning for her to follow him over to the register. He pressed a few buttons, the machine ringing to life and making noises to follow. Lavi was peeking over his shoulder, eyeing Allen and how he did this, and his jaw nearly hit the ground.
Tapping his shoulder, Lavi demanded a little harshly an answer from Allen. "Why does she get like, uh, I don't know, a big discount? That shit should be near seven hundred to a grand! That sit isn't fuckin' cheap!"
Allen rolled his eyes, ripping the receipt off the register and handing it to Miranda. "You owe me two hundred dollars, Miss Lotto. As promised."
Miranda furiously nodded, brutally digging through her purse to find her money. When she did, hastily, she handed it to Allen and took both the receipt and her keys from the white-haired person. Clearly she hadn't heard what Lavi had hissed, but Allen was glad she didn't. Instead, he counted the money, double checking for himself. When he hit the mark he quickly placed it into his register.
He offered Miranda his hand again, to which she still nervously accepted. "It was wonderful working for you, Miss Lotto. Just in case something happens or if you need to contact me for any reason," Allen magically took a card out of his sleeve, giving it to Miranda. "Don't hesitate to call."
"Dude, yer awesome and all, but don't you think you're a little too cheery?"
Allen looked at Lavi, sighing. He was not being too cheery. He was acting like he normally did. It didn't help that his accent and occasionally British slang penetrated his speech to make him sound even more excited. Besides, if anything he was slightly frustrated. Lavi had been three hours late for some reason and Allen wasn't happy about it. Normally, Allen didn't care if you were late occasionally, but this was Lavi. He knew better than to let it slip. The redhead had to be punctual so long as he worked under Allen. Temporarily, mind you. Aside from that, Allen was a very polite young lad and extremely formal. He wasn't being too cheery, right? Plus, Allen did feel like he was having a wonderful day... So maybe he appeared a little too happy.
"Well, have a good day, Miss Lotto. Please exit your vehicle through the way it entered. Thank you." Allen said a little stiffly this time, almost like he had rehearsed it a thousand times and was just plain bored saying it. "Farewell."
"U-um, Allen?" Miranda addressed him, stammering. "I wa-was wondering... Are you by chance... hiring?"
Allen blinked. His rosy lips curved upside down, but not out of disgust, out of deep thought and curiosity. He studied Miranda for a moment, then beamed. "Well, I'm not hiring, but I am short-handed. You see, Krory over there is me only employee. While this wanker beside me is my friend, but he owes me a large amount of money, so he's a temporary worker... But I don't suspect you know much about fixing cars, however, I can find other tasks for you to do... That is, if you'd like a job."
Miranda was blinking now. Lavi was gaping at his friend. He's never seen Allen offer a position to just anyone randomly... Not without good reason. Hell, he only hired Lavi (temporarily) because of money and Krory, well, actually, Lavi wasn't entirely sure how Krory was hired. Still, Allen had known Krory a while before he did give him a position. Maybe the kid was high, eh? Wait, this was Allen. Not a chance.
"Oh, um, are you sure?" Miranda questioned skittishly, rubbing her arm again.
Allen smiled. "Why would you ask such a silly question? You were asking me before I offered. Besides, I don't just go about asking people to work for my shop. Any roads, would you like a position? I could use a nice assistant. You know, hauling boxes around, helping me clean up, filing paperwork, working at the register, printing the forms, all that boring stuff, but lemme tell ye that I give my employees a wholesome salary. I'd love to have you work for me."
Allen leaned forward, interlacing his hands and fingers together. Intently and intensely, Allen gazed at her with interest and patience. His smile was a little goofy, but it was rather comforting. For both Miranda and himself.
"Well... I'd like that." Miranda told him.
"Marvelous. When can you begin?"
"Whenever."
"Even better. Okay, how about now?"
"Uh, yes."
"Fantastic! Just go park your SUV in the parking lot and I'll give you the grand tour, Miss Lotto."
Miranda nodded, scurrying away to do as ordered. Allen exhaled, standing up straight and walking over to the windshield that was recently removed from his new employee's vehicle and he felt Lavi staring at him the whole time.
"Is something wrong, Lavi?"
"I was just wondering... Why ain't you that nice to me? We're best buds and you're like, I dunno, kinda merciless and mean."
"I object to that. Geez, Lavi, don't ye know how many time I've stuck my ass on the line to help you out? How many times have I given you over-the-top and out-of-this-world discounts? How many times I have fixed your heap of junk wagon over there? How many times have I loaned ye money ye never returned? How-"
"Okay, bro, I get it." Lavi held his hands up in surrender, earning a flash of Allen's sincere smile. The kid really was in a good mood today. He wondered why. "So, uh, what exactly am I supposed to do?"
"Well, you got the right knowledge to fix most cars, so you may act as a mechanic in my place now and then or for Krory. But Krory only knows how to fix simple things and he's still in training. I can try to teach Miss Lotto, but I don't know if she'd be cut out for it. Also, you will be cleaning up, packing parts and tools, listing and filing reports, forms, regular files, lists, bills, and anything else." Allen said, rubbing his stubble-free chin, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Of course you will help at the register. That's a given. You will very rarely shelf my equipment. You may act as a secondary assistant. I will probably send you on errands to get more tools at the store nearby if something should occur that I need a new one. Oh, and you may also be ordering the new parts. Oh, I also have a bookshelf over there that is very educational on mechanics, ye might wanna read up on some of those." Allen smiled a little deviously. "And if ye any good at all this and more, then ye might ride out of here with your wagon rustbucket in a month or two. Of course, I will continue working on it, but only when you earn enough money to actually pay for the fixing. Savvy?"
"Wow, Allen, that's a little cold." Krory mused, chuckling as he scratched his cheek. "I kinda feel sorry for you, Lavi."
"I'mma starting to regret this now, too. I should've known better than to follow through with this job. Fuck." Lavi bemoaned, then it finally kicked in his brain that Allen said something very insulting. "And stop hatin' on my car!"
"Hmmm, then stop trashing it, my dear friend." Allen retorted slyly, pointing at the windshield now. "I'd like you to take that to back with me. You think you can handle that?"
"Fer sure." Lavi said dismissively. "Come on, let'sa get it over with."
"That's the spirit, mate." Allen said, perhaps a little dryly.
Grunting, Lavi picked up one side of the long, thick windshield and Allen easily picked up the other. Allen was more than amused by this. He always thought Lavi was a smart, strong, danger-seeking cyclops that was, in fact, his best friend. Allen knew he could be himself around Lavi, and maybe that's why he was a little harsh on him from time to time, but honestly, when it came to work Allen had to get straight to it. Lavi was quite the lazy bum and a big slacker, so he had to be bitter. Though he felt like he hadn't done much to prove his point to Lavi that he needs more responsibility. He hoped this short term job would fix that.
"Tally hoe!" Lavi exclaimed, opening the door to the back room, where it was surprisingly much cooler than the front. "Yo, Al, isn't this the first time I've been back here?"
"I believe so." Allen muttered, thinking about it.
"Thought so. Shouldn't that mean you ought to be guiding me, not the other way around?"
"That does sound logical."
"So we switch?"
"Sure, sure."
Carefully, they both set the windshield down and switched positions. Lavi smiled at Allen as he bent over and picked up his side, waiting for Lavi expectantly. The redhead picked up the glass, sighing, and glancing around as Allen guided him through what seemed to him was a maze. Allen's shop was the smallest in town and still it was rather big. Then again, you couldn't blame him. This town was full of shit. Like, seriously. This town was mostly made up of car lovers and street racers and underground runners. It was illegal, sure, but most people did it anyway. The city was huge and in a secluded area, so it was perfect for that kind of thing. Lavi would know this for many reasons. Just like Allen would.
Allen stopped, nodding at Lavi, signaling they could drop the glass gently on the ground. When that was done, Allen walked up to him, grabbing his arm and pointing at the way they came. "Come on, Lavi, let's get back up front."
"Yeah, sure, but lemme ask ya a quick question." Lavi muttered, but they started walking back anyway. Lavi watched Allen jam his hands in his greasy jeans, thinking he looked pretty cool when he did that. Which was new for Allen. The thing is, the kid was too cute, so it was hard to picture him being cool over adorable. It was just the way Allen had always been. "Do you really think my ride is a rust-bucket?"
"What?" Allen looked up at Lavi with an amused expression. "I was joking, Lavi. You know I love your car."
"Then stop criticizing it!"
"Well, mate, stop bringing it back here after it took a round with the junkyard crushing machine." Allen laughed.
"It wasn't my fault."
"Right. Now I have a question for you." Allen replied, poking Lavi's cheek playfully, then getting serious. "Why the bloody hell were ye late for ye first day?"
Lavi laughed nervously, scratching his nose. "Oh, right. Funny story, Al. You're just gonna love this." Lavi said slowly, avoiding Allen's eyes once again. Allen was giving him that Dangerous Eye look. He strained a grainy laugh. "Well, here I was, sitting-aw, fuck this man. I'm outta here." Lavi yelled, running away.
Allen raised a curious eyebrow as the taller guy ran away from him scared. Befuddled, Allen laughed, shoulders shaking and he threw his head back. His melodic laughter rang through the entire garage It took a few minutes to calm himself down, and he was still shaking with pure amusement, then he walked back to the front as he heard the door open because of the bell that jingled euphorically. He had to wipe a stray tear from his eye and he shook his head.
"Oh, Lavi. Lavi, Lavi, Lavi. You never change." Allen uttered, putting his hand on his hip. But a smirked down graced his angelic face as he pushed a lock of hair out of the way of his eyes. "But it's good to know I still got my touch. Cause I haven't seen ye in a long time, and yer still scared of meh..."
Allen opened the door to the front and he immediately heard a couple of unfamiliar voices. Lavi was the only one he recognized who seemed to be in the mist of the conversation. Allen smiled, hearing his friend's tone rise as he exclaimed something Allen didn't pay much attention to. Then, when he vied the new guests, his eyes stopped dead on the Chinese girl and he felt very hot suddenly.
Okay, so I just had to do this. I've been meaning to do a story like this for a looooong time. Now, I'm not a mechanic or a car expert, so there might not be some accurate statements from time to time. If you know some then please do share through review or PM. Either is fine with me. Anyway, I'm hoping you will all like this story. Now, some of you are probably thinking this is a Laven story, but I didn't really plan that. I just meant for them to be best friends. Well, I didn't initially plan on having Lavi in the beginning so much, but it just came to me... So... we'll see how things turn up. So, please let me know what ya think.