Rocker and the Mechanic - Chapter 5

Rated: T

Concern

Chapter Summary: Johnny continues to try and fix Ash's motorcycle and she learns something horrific...and something rather heartwarming as he does so.

Well, this took forever lol.

Believe me, I didn't mean to take longer than two months on this. I think the main reason for it is that I sadly hit a semi-roadblock like I do whenever it comes to outlining the middle bits of stories because, believe it or not, I already have the last three chapters completely finished. Figuring out how to get to the end is the problem. Meh, I'll figure it out eventually… ;-p

Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy this slightly longer chapter!

Thirty minutes came and went as Johnny struggled with figuring out exactly what the problem with the motorcycle was.

Normally, Ash would be pacing around, checking the time every five seconds and telling him to hurry the fuck up, but in this instance, she remained rather amused watching him remove and replace parts to little to no success. Hands acquiring a fair amount of black grease smeared into the lines of his skin in the process, yet he didn't seem to mind or care; didn't even bother rubbing his soiled hands onto the dingy red rag he had stuffed into his back pocket.

Ash watched as Johnny's brows became more furrowed with every passing moment, the quirk of his lips and steady hands not waning as he continually tried to figure out exactly what was keeping the bike from running.

"Aw, bugger - mus' be electrical." he grunted under his breath, pulling back another metal plate to reveal the wiring. The mess of blues, black, reds, and yellows tangled together in what she could only describe as a fucking mess.

Ash's eyes gravitated from the revealed wiring to Johnny's face.

The mechanic was studying the chaos with a professional gaze, flitting about from one port to another and trying to diagnose the underlying issue in the mess of colorful wiring. The gorilla lifted his grease smeared hand and inadvertently brushed his finger over his cheek before he began tweaking a mess of blue wires.

Without her consent, Ash followed his fingers to his face where her eyes remained; the smear of black grease it left behind on the gray skin was strangely attractive.

"Oi. Aw man, um, hey - if it's no trouble, would ya mind handin' me dem needle-nose pliers?" Johnny was suddenly speaking to her and she immediately jolted back. Face flushed crimson when he gave her a strangely amused smirk and she pursed her lips, about to bite back a retort about having been caught blatantly staring.

Yet, Johnny didn't say anything, rather motioning to the toolbox nearby and the red handle of the tool in question easily within reach.

"Uh…Sure. Whatever." Ash swallowed back her shame and did as he asked. His occupied hands holding two tangles of wires he obviously didn't intend to let go of so easily.

After maneuvering his right to hold both sets so he could grab the pliers from her small outstretched hand, he muttered a breath of 'thanks' while Ash tried not to flinch back when his warm fingertips brushed her tiny palm.

"'orry." he continued after tying off the ends and reattaching them to the correct port, "I woulda got it myself if these weren't so bloody tangled. The last bloke who worked on this bike didn't have a damn idea what they were doin." he finished while shaking his head and trying to play off the seriousness of the situation with an empty chuckle.

Ash pursed her lips at his comment and narrowed her eyes at what had to be the lack of professional work he was referring to and she couldn't help but agree with him.

Forcing her to recall the last time it was worked on flitting into her subconscious.

Lance paying some dude a measly twenty bucks and fast food lunch to "fix" the bike when it had been backfiring and the engine rattled more than what was normal. Ash pestered him to get a professional considering this was their vehicle they were talking about! If he fucked it up and they were on the freeway when something happened, that meant certain death, yet Lance didn't seem to care or even consider the consequences.

Ash sighed under her breath, "Ya can thank my worthless ex for that one," she grumbled lowly. Arms crossing as she fought another onslaught of anger rising in her; pushing down the desire to track Lance's worthless ass down and beat the shit out of him for putting her life at risk to save a few hundred bucks.

"Yer boyfriend tried ta fix it?" came Johnny's confused reply.

"EX-boyfriend," she balked, "and no, he hired some random handyman that lived, or rather squatted, in our apartment complex. The guy told him he'd fixed plenty of motorcycles before - heh, yeah right! Worst was Lance fuckin' believed him even when the fucker could barely even figure out where to put the key!" Ash shook her head at the memory and purposefully ignored the highly concerned look Johnny flashed her.

"...Yer ex-boyfriend jus' let some random bloke fix your motorcycle?" Johnny said aloud as if mulling it over in his head and the incredulous meaning behind it.

"Yep." Ash popped her lips with the 'p' and tightened her arms around herself. "Surprised the damn thing even ran after whatever he did to try and 'fix' it."

Johnny's mouth opened and closed a few times as if wanting to say something but changing his mind at the last moment.

He remained silent.

Turning around to continue his careful (and grueling) work of organizing the wires into their proper place as the garage fell into an uncomfortable silence and there suddenly was a tenseness that hadn't been there before.

So much so that Ash started rubbing the toe of her scuffed biker boot into a marginal crack in the pavement below her feet; mostly to keep her mind occupied and eyes off the gorilla near her. Recalling some things she tried and forget as well as accepted that it wasn't necessarily wise to air out her dirty laundry to an absolute stranger but in him asking about the bike's history, it was bringing out a lot of resentment she tried burying down to little or no success.

Ash suddenly flinched when she heard a clang - eyes rising to Johnny who had dropped a wrench and was shaking his head and working in a rather frustrated manner; so unlike his steady assurance that had been there just moments prior.

"Uh, somethin' wrong?" she asked, coyly backing up a step and instinctively reaching for the pocket knife in her jacket. It was a sudden change in demeanor from the laid-back gorilla and she was not at all pleased to see it.

"It's just a flippin' mess in 'ere." he grunted a reply, motioning to the mess of wires. "Ya were right! I'm surprised it ran at all after what he did - one overpowered jolt or misfirin' would have made it die out in an instant! It's lucky ya broke 'own where ya did instead of the blasted freeway!" his eyes were locked onto hers now and her stomach fluttered at the obvious concern and barely concealed anger lacing those impossibly kind eyes.

"You're telling me…" she muttered under her breath but Johnny wasn't done.

"Pardon my French, but yer ex's incompetence coulda killed ya - the wanker! I mean, who the hell hires someone not even certified ta fix their vehicle? It's not only incredibly idiotic - it's bloody suicide!" he muttered before a flush of red shame filled his cheeks and he quickly turned his attention back to the work of his hands.

"..."

"…I'm 'orry, Miss...Pardon me - i-it's not my place to speak out. I'm sorry." he said as almost an afterthought before quietly getting back to fixing the last "mechanic's" mess.

Ash deflated, not even noticing her quills had puffed out and her body was incredible tense. A sense of relief and something she dared not question filled her chest as she mulled over Johnny's words and uncharacteristic (from what she's known of thus far) anger.

It hit her now just how little Lance ever cared.

Aside from the harsh words and pushing her to the background, and hell, even before the slimy asshole decided to shack up with two little sluts in their bed (what she later discovered was no where near the first time) - he risked her life. Sure, perhaps it wasn't willingly - Lance was dense as fuck and probably would have no idea how dangerous it was to have some random handyman try and fix a motorcycle - but still, it fucking hurt.

How five years of her life she gave meant shit to him that even her safety wasn't even a slight concern.

The many times he brushed aside her warnings to reap his own benefits whether if it was from their careers or otherwise. Lance and his indulgent selfishness being the reason she still felt the aftershocks of their harsh break-up. Cutting words and actions from their time together effected her deeply - how he pushed her aside and didn't give credit to her input regarding their career. Doing what he wanted when he wanted and she was the one in the wrong if she chose to do otherwise or go against his wishes.

So many times she had to apologize for shit she didn't do or him walking out when she denied him anything (or he didn't get his way). How this guy she thought loved her; called 'boyfriend' for so many years…didn't care about her whatsoever. It was a hard pill to swallow, but she realized she could have easily died tonight because of his uncaring nature and it was only luck or even some sort of divine intervention she broke down in front of a shop. A shop with someone who was competent and kind enough to fix a stranger's bike in the middle of the night.

Tenseness in her body fading, Ash lifted her eyes and couldn't help the small smirk forming on the edge of her lips upon seeing Johnny's incredibly flushed face as he continued his work. It was obvious the guy rarely went off or spoke out of turn by his reaction and truthfully, while Lance never cared, it was nice that someone did.

Johnny breathed out a deep sigh, "Don't worry." he muttered, breaking her out of her semi-trance all without ever looking her way, "I'll make sure it's fixed properly this time 'round."

Ash bit her lip and watched him toil away; the gorilla seemed to have a new-found determination to fix the problem and fix it correctly. While not exactly sure of the warmth filling her chest at his concern, she had to admit it wasn't a terrible feeling. With that thought, she found herself allowing her lips to curl up only slightly as she continually watched him work.