All Revved Up
Chapter One

Raven stared down into the engine and cursed under her breath, wrapping her fingers tightly around the wrench in her hand. She had taken it apart three times and put it back together perfectly, and in spite of everything she had looked at, it still wouldn't turn over. It just sat there, completely dead, waiting for her to quit, and she was so tempted to just throw her hands up and walk away, cursing the vehicle gods and everything they touched. Throwing her wrench into her toolbox, she walked away from the old Studebaker to the fridge in the corner of the shop.

Victor looked up at her from his spot at the table, where he was going over the receipts of the day and balancing the books, and offered a soft, apologetic smile. His eyes were bright and warm, little flecks green catching the thin, fluorescent light in the shop. He ran his thumb over the curve of his jaw and leaned back against the chair looking up at her, but saying absolutely nothing. After all, he knew better than to poke the bear when she was riled up like this.

Raven crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, feeling her heart jump and skip under the sight of his curious stare. She swallowed the anger and ferocity bubbling up in her throat and stood against the fridge, letting him watch her with that dark stare that said nothing and everything at the same time. A full minute passed between them, the grainy sound of Tab Benoit filling the silence from the radio on the other side of the shop, all the while Victor's stare never left her own. He licked his lips and with a knowing expression, he finally chanced a few words.

"Everything okay?" He put his pen down into the pages of the ledger, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "For a second there, you looked like you were about to rip the side-view mirrors off of the car."

"It's just… ugh." Raven knocked her knuckles against the steel fridge door and continued to glare at the pale green Studebaker like it was laughing at her. Setting her jaw, her stare turned back to Victor's warm stare and she sighed. "I have tried practically everything with that stupid, idiotic engine, and I cannot get it to fucking turn over. I don't know what I'm missing!" She wiped at the curve of her cheek, undoubtedly leaving a smear of grease over her skin. She grabbed a bottle of water and chugged half of it quickly before looking back at his soft smile and sighing.

Victor snorted into the back of his hand and leaned back against his chair. A long moment passed between them as he watched her for a second, his eyes showing that he was going through the mental checklist he usually did when something wasn't working right. His distraction gave Raven the opportunity to look over him, noticing a bit of grease next to his left eye. She felt a strange desire bubble up inside her, and she wanted to reach out and wipe the smear away, trailing her fingers over the curve of his face before leaning in and-

"Did you check the battery?"

Raven jerked, praying he couldn't see the blush staining her cheeks. "What?"

"Did you check the battery?" He repeated, his mouth pulling into a smile.

"Of course I checked the battery! It was fully charged this morning."

"Mm." He nodded and tapped a finger on the table. "And the connections?"

Raven's eyes grew wide and she took a step back, processing things in her head for a long moment before she let out a surprised noise of annoyance, dropping the water bottle in her hands onto the counter. She groaned and pushed at her hair, feeling absolutely ridiculous in front of him, she should have known better. "Oh my god, you're right. I forgot to check the connections and I know there was a bad wire that needed work and… jeez, I'm such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, Rae. Don't say that about yourself. You're one of the best mechanics I know." His teasing smile quickly turned into an annoyed frown as he watched her for a moment longer. Sighing, he closed the ledger in front of him and stood up. "You're just too tired, it's almost two in the morning, and you've been working on that beast almost the entire day… You're worn out, and I worked you too hard today."

Raven took another few, long gulps of her water, avoiding his stare. She couldn't tell him that the whole reason she'd worked an eighteen hour shift was because she got to be next to him. Being next to Victor was… easy. He kept conversation light and playful, and he always knew what to do and how to help her out, and he was fun to be around. If she clocked out when she was supposed to go home, she'd just sit there on the sofa, surrounded by all of his things, and she'd just want to come back here again. Raven might as well skip that step all together and be with him at the shop. So what if it was more work?

"Look, you're exhausted, I'm tired of looking at these stupid numbers, and that Studebaker can wait another day… I think, maybe it's time for us to head back to the apartment. Let's call it a night, and we'll worry about not finishing in the morning. Okay?"

Raven blushed and finished that last bit of her water slower, trying not to let him see her thoughts through her stare. She swallowed and flicked her eyes up to meet his own. "Promise it's not a big deal?"

"Rae…" Victor smiled and leaned forward towards her, gathering her small form into his massive arms and resting his chin on her head. "Of course it's not a big deal. I'm your co-worker, not your slave-driver. You've put in too much work already today, and I have to make you work just as much tomorrow. I feel like I'm working you too hard, girl."

Unable to speak against the emotions coursing through her, Raven just shook her head, closing her eyes and taking in the scent of him. Victor smelled of Old Spice and engine grease, and she found herself pulling closer to him, her fingers tightening in the front of his coveralls. Underneath the blue fabric, his muscles tensed and bulged, and she could feel the edge of a scar over his chest, the one she saw sometimes when he walked around the apartment shirtless.

Her bottom lip trembled a little at the memory of him shirtless.

"I promise, no work on Saturday. None. You can sleep in all day, and I will make you waffles for dinner. Sound good?"

She just nodded.

"Good. It's a deal then."

He kissed the top of her head in a friendly, almost teasing fashion and watched as Raven's cheeks burned brightly. He had to see how embarrassed she was...didn't he? Didn't he see how she was falling apart under him? No. Of course not. He was completely oblivious to the way she felt. With a playful ruffle to her hair, he seemed completely unaware of her curious, wide-eyed stare and started for the shop floor.

"Come on, girl… let's get this place closed up and get both of us home and in bed."

"Y-yeah. I'll be right… there." She nodded slowly, making sure he couldn't see as she touched the spot he had kissed, her blush darkening even more. What in the world was she doing? And why was she just letting it happen?

She sighed and threw her water bottle away, eyes lifting to the ceiling. Lord help her, she felt like she was drowning in him, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to come up for air.

-X-

Raven's eyes drifted open as early morning light streamed through her blinds and bathed her pillow. Letting go of a deep breath, she stared at the white ceiling for a moment, listening to the quiet mumblings of Victor as he shuffled around in the kitchen. He was making a list of the things they needed to work on today: the Studebaker, the Bell-aire, and he was pretty sure that one of their regular clients was going to drop off a Shelby later this afternoon for them to tune up. It was a lot for the two of them, and they were a little over-booked, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle. Besides, he had promised her Saturday off. She shifted, rolling on her side and looking over at the clock. It was another ten minutes before her alarm went off reminding her that her life still existed outside of this quiet moment.

This was supposed to be a temporary place for her, just until she could save up enough money to move out and get her own apartment. At least, that was what she told herself three months ago. Vic was kind enough to let her crash here for a bit, and she really needed to let him get back to his own life. She had finally saved enough for a few months rent and a place of her own not too far away.

But…

"You gonna sleep all day, Rae?"

Raven's eyes slid closed and she heard him outside her door, fingers tapping on the wood frame as he chuckled. The sound was playful and sweet, and something about it warmed her through her stomach to the tips of her toes. She bit back a strange, contented sigh, and pulled the comforter over her head.

"I have at least eight more minutes left before my alarm goes off, Victor, and I have no intention of getting up before it's time." She buried her face into her pillow and tried to ignore the way her heart fluttered just a little against her chest. "I will be up and around when my alarm goes off, not a minute sooner."

"Like every morning." His laughter reverberated through the early morning air, knocking his knuckles against her door. "Well, alright, Rae. I pulled out your tea and set it on the counter. Don't be late, we've got that Shelby coming this afternoon and it's gonna take both of us to get it up to speed, plus keep up with the the other things we've got on our plate. Okay?"

"I will be there at six fifty, on the dot." She rolled over and faced the door, seeing his shadow block out the little light that was filtering in from underneath the door. "Like always."

He shuffled a little and hummed, a little remorse clinging to the low tones of his voice. "Well, alright… I'll have Gar bring us some pastries. How about that?"

Raven picked up her head and pursed her lips, her stomach growling just a little at the thought of Garfield's pastries. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a pretty talented chef. "Strawberry?"

He laughed. "Strawberry," he confirmed. "I'll make sure he brings two this time. Enjoy your six minutes of dozing, Raven."

"Get to the shop." Raven let her head fall back onto the pillow and listened to him walk out the door. Silence slipped over her and she rolled onto her back again, staring at the ceiling as her heart continued to skip over her ribs like it was playing hopscotch. She knew that she could have found her own place by now, but what would she do without him? He was everything to her. Her best friend, her co-worker, her… infatuation. She was so enamored with him, so utterly and desperately in lov-

Throwing the pillow over her face, she slammed the door closed on that thought, hoping the seed hadn't taken root yet in her mind, but she knew better. Today was not the first time she had struggled with the thoughts, in fact it wasn't even the fourth or fifth, she'd been struggling with these thoughts since she moved in with him, and he welcomed her into his life - no questions asked. He was all kindness and smiles and warmth and attention, he cooked and cleaned and listened and… and… there was nothing about him that didn't practically pull her closer and closer to him.

There was no escape. She had to admit it, at least to herself: Raven was utterly, ridiculously, and irrevocably in love with Victor Stone… and she had no idea what to do about it.

-X-

"...I've got the new game, man. You should come over and play it with me!"

Victor nodded, somehow resisting the urge to mumble "huh?" as he continued to fidget with the intake valve in his hand. He had really been trying to listen to Gar. Really he had. They had been talking about a new video game that he wanted to play, but when he looked up to ask Gar something, his eyes caught sight of Raven, and anything he might have wanted to say seemed to escape him at that very moment. Her petite, little body was currently bent over the Studebaker, legs spread just a little as she raised up on her tip-toes, trying to reach a connection deep under the hood. He licked his lips and felt the question for Gar completely leave his brain as he stared her for a second, resisting the urge to go and help her out. Instead he let himself have the pleasure of watching her for a little bit as Gar continued to prattle on.

"...there are these really cool aliens you have to fight with magic, and you get to go to Venus, and I heard they're opening a few other worlds in the next few months, like a sky city in Jupiter and…"

Victor let Gar talk, completely oblivious to the fact that Victor had been fidgeting with the intake valve for the past few minutes, repeating the same inspection over and over. He cocked his head to the side as Raven practically bent herself in half, cursing under her breath and reaching for the connection. He really, really hated to look at her like this. He was a grown man, not some horny teenager who couldn't control his emotions. He should have been fully capable of controlling his urges around Raven and not ogling her like she was some kind of object.

But, man…

Even in those god-awful, oversized coveralls, Raven was… well, stacked. Not in the traditional sense though. No, Raven didn't have the same build that their friend Kory had, all curves, hips, and legs, but Raven was still undeniably perfect in her own way - sturdy almost. To Victor, she had the most gorgeous body he had ever seen. Victor groaned internally, feeling his conscience start to tug at the back of his thoughts, pulling at him as he watched her dig around in the engine for a little longer. This was his friend, his coworker, his roommate even, Raven was someone he had known for so long, he had forgotten how they actually met. She was special to him… and here he was, eyeing her like she was a pin-up in a dirty magazine.

He felt absolutely ridiculous.

A few more seconds skipped by until she pulled back, wiping her hands on a rag from the back pocket of her coveralls. She cocked her hip to the side and looked down into the engine, humming a little noise of approval before turning around to look at Victor. Waving, she slammed the hood down and crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk. "Studebaker is done! I fixed the bad connection from last night, so she should run like a dream."

"Until something else breaks on these things…" Gar shook his head and sighed. "Man, no wonder you two stay in business. You're always fixing up old beaters."

"These are classic pieces of automobile history, Gar." Raven went to the sink and washed her hands, looking over her shoulder at him. "Some of them are relics meant to be preserved."

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair, dangling a paper bag from his hand. "And some of them are meant to rust for all eternity in the back of some dude's lawn, Rae. And be nice to me or I won't share your strawberry turnover with you."

Victor rolled his eyes and flicked Gar's ear before snatching the bag out of his hand. "I paid for that, you know. You better share it with her, or I'm going to start walking the extra block and going to Ernie's."

Gar looked positively scandalized. "You wouldn't!"

"I would. I might even start eating there on Sundays." Ignoring Gar's irritated look, Victor handed Raven the bag, taking a minute to see that half-smile pull at the corners of her lips as she reached inside. Victor felt his heart pound inside his chest and he pulled his stare away from her, whipping around to stare at Gar instead. He couldn't look at her right now, because… Jesus, sometimes she was just… cute.

Gar stood up, pursing his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. "They won't give you free coffee."

"Mm… that's true. And no one makes coffee like you." He leaned back against the chair and chuckled, reaching for the paper cup in front of him. "And I would miss those strawberry turnovers too… it' would be a hard move."

"See? You agree with me, then." Gar gave a victorious nod. "And that's what you'll miss if you go to Ernie's. Along with my handsome face and all the people in the cafe that know you by name and give you the best service possible. Isn't that right, Raven? Tell him all the things he would be missing if he went to stupid Ernie's."

Victor laughed and turned around to make a joke with her, but the words seemed to die on his lips as he caught the sight of Raven licking the glaze from her turnover off the tips of her fingers. She stared at him, eyes wide as she realized exactly what he was seeing: her little, pink tongue curled around her digits like…

Well, he didn't want to think too hard about that.

At least not in front of other people.

Those thoughts were better left for moments when he was alone.

Forcing another laugh, and hoping she didn't see the embarrassment on his face, Victor looked back up at Gar. He was still grinning at him with that ridiculous, smug look on his face, knowing that he had won the argument, and completely oblivious to that fact that their friend was licking her fingers with all the tact of… Victor bit back a groan and forced himself to not think about those things anymore. He was already going to find himself in trouble later if he wasn't careful. Taking a slow breath, he downed the rest of his coffee, ignoring the scalding burn and bitter taste, and stood up.

"I've got a Bel-Aire carburetor that needs work, and Dick is coming by with the Shelby later."

Raven cocked her head to the side. "The Mustang or the Cobra?"

"Mustang this time." Victor rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at his friends. "He wants to use it to take Kory on some classic backwoods road trip to all those weird attractions like the biggest ball of yarn or those weird plaster dinosaurs in the middle of nowhere."

"Or Cadillac Ranch?" Gar supplied with a grin

"Yeah." Victor snorted and moved to his tool box. "Apparently he thinks it's cute. I think it's kind of dumb, but it's his car."

"I don't know…" Raven reached into the bag and pulled out her second turnover with a small smile, not quite meeting either of her friends' stares. "It's a little cute, I guess. Long trips through the countryside with no plans? Sleeping under the stars when you can't make it to the next motel because you're too tired. Bad radio… it sounds a little nostalgic." Her face flushed and she hastily shoved the turnover in her mouth, as if she was trying to cover up the things she had just said with food.

Victor bit back a chuckle and watched her, a smile pulling at his lips.

"I mean," Raven mumbled between bites of her turnover. "I wouldn't do it… but it sounds like something Kory would like."

Gar rolled his eyes and grinned at her, a devilish look shining in his eyes. "Come on, admit it, Rae, at heart you're just a big, sweet, softy."

She swallowed her bite and lifted an eyebrow, her face cool and calculating. "I have a welding torch at my disposal, and I know how you feel about that Vespa… don't forget these things."

He squeaked and took a hasty step toward the door, forcing an apologetic smile as he remembered how dangerous Raven could actually be. "I… uh… think the cafe needs me, so I'm going to get out of here and let you guys do your thing. I'll see ya on Sunday for breakfast. The special is a Greek omelet."

"Alright, Gar. We'll see you then."

"See ya!" With that he was gone, speeding off down the street and as far away from danger as he could get.

Victor just shook his head and laughed, picking through his tools for his socket wrench. If there was one thing Raven was, it was that she was stronger than she looked. She might have been a tiny, little thing, but man she could pack a punch when she wanted to. Raven was all kinds of dangerous in one, small package. He smirked and looked up from his tools to see her licking her fingers again, lapping that glaze off of them as if it was the most delicious thing in the world.

His face flushed and his body stirred, and Victor found himself completely entranced by her mouth, unable to look away as her lips wrapped around her middle finger and sucked. He swallowed hard, trying to think of all the things he could to keep his mind off… that, but he was shit outta luck, and his mind wandered way too far down the rabbit hole before he could catch himself.

Yeah, she was all kinds of dangerous wrapped into one tiny package.

I'm just going to let you all know that I am aware of about six things that have to do with a car engine, so ya know, some car facts might be fudged a little, but I will try my best for accuracy.

Additionally, this may (read: probably) be upped in rating at some point. Because it's me.

That being said, thank you for reading, thanks for being awesome, and let me know what you think.