The Rocker and the Mechanic - Chapter 6

Rated: T

Dreams

Chapter Summary: An innocent question has Ash reluctantly opening up to Johnny.

I know what you're thinking - "What? Another chapter in only a week? What is happening?!"

Basically the reason is that I've been working hard on a Johnny x Ash Christmas-themed fict and while taking a break from that (from time to time at least), I was able to finish another chapter of this in the process.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for all the continued support! xoxo

"So…" Johnny muttered after another (seemingly unending) terse silence. Hands firmly holding a dirtied wrench as he uncovered another area of paneling and yet more wires he needed to fix.

"Ya play guitar?" he finally asked, flicking a brief glance at her over his broad shoulder.

Ash blinked at the question that seemingly came out of nowhere until she noticed she'd left her guitar case perched on the wall near the front door - directly now in his line of sight. She supposed her boring holes into the back of his head and constantly peering over his shoulder was probably not the most comfortable feeling for him so if he was trying to make small talk to break up the tension, she supposed she could at least humor him.

Admittedly, it would at least make the time go faster - she at least hoped it would.

"Yeah, I do." she shrugged, eyes drifting to said case; casually visualizing the cacophony of stickers plastered on the black surface. Ash fully intending to peel off the ones her ex slapped on there - the mere sight of them was churning the acid in her stomach all over again.

"Gotta make a living somehow." she continued almost as an afterthought (or to take her thoughts elsewhere); regretting it the second it came out of her mouth. Did she really want this stranger to know more about her personal life?

Johnny's eyes were suddenly meeting hers and Ash's thin brows lifted in return.

"Ya play guitar for a livin'?"

"...Yes?" she stated more as a question than a legitimate answer; folded arms still staying firm across her chest. "I-I sing too."

Johnny's expression was blank for a few seconds before suddenly, there was a sense of wonder and excitement filling his eyes; a rather attractive, boyish expression that her accelerating heart reacted to rather pathetically.

"Oi, really? Y-Ya mean ya actually get paid to play shows and whatnot?" he continued eagerly, eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Heh. Yeah." she smirked, feeling a bit proud of herself all of a sudden. "Whenever I get a gig anyway." Ash muttered the last part under her breath; trying to remain casual about it.

Ash wasn't exactly sure what to expect telling this average working Joe about her life for throughout her short existence on this planet, she recalled the multiple times others asked about her profession. The reactions she was used to was mainly scrutiny - their expressions ranging from pity, disbelief, and as if they didn't take her chosen profession (and her in turn) seriously whatsoever. Either she didn't deserve to do this as a means to support herself or that they fully expected her to crash and burn; displaying little to no faith in her talents…much like her mother and Lance.

Hence why her mother never supported her choices and her ex shoving her to the background hoping she relied on his bitch ass as the only way she could make anything out of her career (and life).

Yet instead of harsh scrutiny or a look of disbelief, Johnny was smiling; work nearly forgotten even as the wrench remain in his hands, hovering over his extensive work. The mechanic leaning over her motorcycle, uniform and hands (even his cheek) smudged with black grease but that didn't stop his genuine smile from being any less dazzlingly white.

"Wow, that's really impressive, Ash." he said with a canine-showcasing smile; one so easily at home on his face. "Ya must be pretty amazin' if yer making a living outta it."

The compliment was not one she expected or frankly, was used to in the slightest.

Without her permission, Ash's face flushed deeply; black lips parting slightly as she stared down at the genuine expression not shifting the least bit on his face. One of her brows was furrowed, the other quirked slightly as if not really believing what she was hearing and halfway wondering if he was being sarcastic or untruthful. From his eyes meeting hers and his smile not faltering in the least, she knew that wasn't the case…

"Eh. I guess." she bit out a second later, eyes drifting from his to stare off to some fixed point above his head. "Not an easy living, but it's one I wanted."

"Sounds like a dream job ta me!" Johnny continued, unfaltering in his excitement easily evident in his thick accent. "Mus' be incredible ta get to do that for a job!"

"It's alright." she shrugged as if downplaying it all, "Stressful and hectic mainly." As much as she wanted to brag about it for she damn deserved to after all the hell she'd been through, her own insecurities kept her from doing so.

Damn Lance…

"What job isn't stressful though?" he chuckled mirthlessly, the bags under his eyes a lot more obvious in the blaring light. She wondered why she didn't notice them earlier...

"True…" her voice tapered off slowly. The gorilla was still looking at her as if she was some kind of enigma or celebrity and she felt a bit off kilter but couldn't deny the fact it was strangely flattering.

The quiet permeated the room once again and eventually, Johnny continued his work of re-organizing and replacing frayed wiring; a tedious task Ash did not envy but appreciated. She just hoped she had enough money in her wallet to pay this guy; the most detrimental thing about her chosen profession. The pay so unsteady and random, it made it difficult to juggle needs and wants in a terrifying constant loop.

"But sometimes, it's be nice to have a normal job." Ash admitted lowly and Johnny glanced back at her; eyebrow ridges lifted in confused manner as if asking 'Why?'

"Like what you do," she gestured vaguely to his shop and the work he was currently doing on her bike, "It's steady work at least. Heh. What I wouldn't give to have my job be steady at least sometimes." Ash chuckled dryly. So many instances she recalled herself together meager paychecks in hope she could make it through to the next month without getting evicted from her apartment or at the very least, to buy something to eat that day. Intense stress of relying solely on working random gigs was not the glamorous lifestyle she intended for herself but he didn't need to know every detail of that inner hell.

Ash had revealed enough already…

The wrench made a soft clang as he placed it by his folded knees. "Whataya mean?" he asked.

"Well, there's always an animal needing a car fixed - me included - but hardly anyone needs to hire a musician for a venue unless it's a special occasion," she shrugged. "It just makes it hard to have a steady income is all, but, I'm not gonna lie, it's fucking amazing to get paid to play and sing for an hour or two."

"Yeah, I bet." he chuckled deeply, his laugh reverberating nicely in the echoing garage. "I'm happy for ya - not many can live out their dreams like you seem to have done for yerself."

Ash's half-smile fell a bit as his eyes left hers and gravitated back to his work and she was left staring at his profile. Arms that were crossed tight around her chest loosened as the words he just spoke lay heavy in the air surrounding her.

Johnny was happy for her.

Whether he was just some random guy stuck in this dead-end job or he didn't plan this life for himself and he simply had no choice in the matter, she didn't know. Didn't know if he was happy or had unfulfilled dreams like so many others did and randomly assuming wasn't answering those questions (not that she intended to ask).

Even if this profession was one he ultimately chose for himself, it didn't make what he said any less valid - she was living her dream.

Sure, it wasn't exactly as she wanted it to be just yet; it also didn't make Lance any less of an asshole for ripping their band (and her life) apart…but she was still living her dream - wasn't she? There were many regrets and things she wished had been done differently, but she still wouldn't change it. She was a musician, a rocker, and even if Lance was out of the picture permanently, that didn't change anything. She was living her life on her own terms, and dammit, she was going to continue doing so regardless of those who tried tearing her down.

The thought of it had a soft smile forming on her lips; the heaviness of the tension lifting as she watched the work of Johnny's steady hands.