Rocker and the Mechanic - Chapter 9
Rated: T
Shaken
Chapter Summary: Ash awakens to a startlingly beautiful voice…it's not what (or who) she would have ever expected…
Funnest chapter by far! XD Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing! Xoxo
If any are curious, the song Johnny is singing is Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holding Me Back. Give it a listen while reading if you like. ;-p
FF . net is finally back to working so I updated the chapter from the website rather than that horrid mobile app. Hope it's better.
Less than an hour later Ash groggily awoke to a noise - singing to be specific.
It wasn't the thing that was completely out of the ordinary except the voice itself wasn't exactly normal. It wasn't an annoying commercial with overlayed voices selling a product or the radio for it wasn't accompanied by music of any kind - just a melodic voice that could put most angels to shame that was echoing throughout the room and tumbling pleasantly into her eardrums…
Crisp.
Soulful.
Beautiful - a siren's song she would admit it sounded to be had she heard one before.
A part of her wondered if she had died of hypothermia atop her motorcycle in the rain - it made sense in her sleep-induced mind anyway.
Perhaps there never was a mechanic's shop - the only thing waiting for her was a handsome gorilla grim reaper to guide her into the afterlife with promises of much-needed caffeine and a comfy couch to snooze on as he 'worked on her motorcycle'.
It all made sense now because someone that attractive tended to be nothing but a sleaze or asshole (or gay) while the guy she met couldn't be further from either.
Sighing softly, Ash was almost content in falling back into whatever afterlife awaited her but as she continued to listen, the song was one she'd heard before. Not any angelic choir leeching with highest praises or whatever music they'd play in hell (probably agonized screaming, ripping of flesh being torn from bones or the gnashing of sharp teeth), but rather, it was a song blasting all over popular radio stations she was forced to listen to whenever she walked inside a grocery store.
The curiosity far too great to ignore any longer, icy blue eyes reluctantly peeled open and instead of some kind of fluffy clouds or pits of molten hellfire, it was the same place she fell asleep.
Familiar green blanket that smelt like the handsome gorilla's cologne was still pulled up toward her shoulders. The light of the television nearby flashed some infomercial and she knew immediately it was not the source for the muffled voices coming from the speakers didn't match in the slightest.
…So, where was that enchanting voice coming from…?
Sitting up from her slouching position, the singing got a little louder now that her ears weren't under the spell of sleep and her eyes widened when she glanced toward the source.
The garage.
Steeling herself for whatever awaited her, Ash tucked her knife back in her pocket and sat up fully. Taking a second to throw the warm blanket off her form and sauntering off the couch til her boots met the plush rug. Attempting to stay quiet (for a reason unbeknownst to her) as well as ignoring how her body swayed with the lull of sleepiness, she walked toward the entrance to the garage.
Eyes expecting to see some device blaring acappella music but what she saw instead had her blue eyes widening, jaw dropping and fingers grasping desperately into the doorway to keep herself upright.
The incredible singing voice was coming from none other than the mechanic…
"'Cause if we lost our minds an' took it way too far, I know we'd be alright… Know we would be a'ight…" Johnny drawled with a smile on his face.
Brown eyes remained steadfast on her motorcycle while seated on a short stool in front of it. Her presence undetected as he focus purely on placing the last few bolts into place to close the wiring dock. Ash listened carefully to the barest hints of music leeching from his white earbuds while coming out of his mouth was probably the most annoyingly beautiful voice she'd ever heard.
"If ya were by my side and we stumbled in the dark, I know we'd be alright - Yeah! We'd be alright!" he sang loudly; eyes closing and head thrown back slightly as the natural and crisp voice echoed throughout the garage in a show of acoustic wonder with how it bounced beautifully off the cement walls.
Ash's presence thankfully remaining unknown to his closed eyes and occupied ears.
"Oh, I've been shakin' - I love it when ya go take all my inhibitions and baby, there's nothin' holding me back!"
Instead of interrupting the gorilla who was now completely lost to the music now that his work was seemingly done, she simply watched how rhythmically his broad shoulders and body swayed to the beat in his ears. The wrench that had finished putting her motorcycle back together was now tapping on the floor with the melody.
"...Woaahhh… Ya take me places that tear up my reputation n' manipulate my decisions! Baby, there's nothing holding me back. Ooh oh, there's nothin' holding me ba-ack!" The rhythm smooth and startlingly perfect as he continued to sing and tapped his foot and the wrench to the rhythm only he could hear.
Even without a lick of auto tune or music accompanying, Johnny sang effortlessly. It was a talent she was instantly jealous of for her own vocal training had taken years to figure out and perfect while here was this mechanic singing better than most animals currently dominating in the music industry.
"I feel so free when yer with me, baby! Baby, there's nothing holdin' me ba-ack…"
Voice cut off swiftly when the song ended; coffee brown eyes were suddenly slipping open and widened comically when they locked with hers across the room. Johnny's face took on a gorgeous pink flush and she didn't even bother hiding the smirk that pulled at her lips. Seeing how embarrassed he was was actually kinda cute - hell, it made her not even that pissed that he woke her up.
"Oi, I-I-I'm so sorry… Uh, did I wake ya?" Johnny tumbled through his words as the wrench that had been keeping a magnificent beat just moments prior fell to the floor with a heavy clink. It's release freeing his hands so he could swiftly remove the white earbuds before scratching nervously at the back of his head as he struggled to remain eye contact with her icy blues.
"..." it was one of the few times she wasn't sure what to say.
"Heh. Sorry, stupid question. 'Course I did - else ya would still be asleep." he chuckled uneasily.
"..."
"I uh, fixed yer bike!" he seemed content to fill the silence with adorable nervous ramblings and dammit, if he wasn't hot enough before… "It's fixed, the electric was kinda short-circuiting causin' it to die out on ya, but it should be fine now. I'd wait til it stops raining to drive it though - I think that's actually what caused it to mess up in the first place…"
"..."
Johnny's face flushed further when she realized she still didn't respond other than a slight eyebrow raise and in a blind panic, he continued, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry you had to hear that - Aw bloody hell, I bet that sounded atrocious compared to other blokes you work with - I-I'm sorry, singin' just helps me work faster sometimes, I just - I -"
Ash quickly put her hand up in a universal stopping motion and just like that, Johnny's ramblings stopped. Brown eyes wide and face contorted into a look of complete embarrassment and nervousness at what she was going to say in response.
"...With a voice like that, what the fuck are you doing here fixing cars?" was the only question she found herself being able to utter.