Rocker and the Mechanic - Chapter 10

Rated: T

Questions

Chapter Summary: Ash confronts Johnny about why he's fixing cars when he possesses such a ridiculously gorgeous voice.

"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.

"...pardon?" was his nervously mumbled response.

Coffee brown eyes were as wide as they had been since she caught him belting out a pop song without seemingly a care in the world. The confidence when he sang compared to the look of obvious nervousness and anxious trepidation apparent from the way his hands clenched from where they were perched on his knees was jarring to say the least.

"You heard me."

Johnny audibly gulped as if he'd been caught committing some outrageous crime but she spoke before giving him any time to even think of a rebuttal or half-assed excuse.

"I - I can't believe your voice - Heh. I never heard anyone sing like… Oh God, it's just - " Ash shook her head; chuckling mirthlessly for she apparently had nothing else to describe it as, "I…You - why, how - aw, fuck." voice tapering off, Ash lifted her hand to rub at her temple to hopefully appease the slight pain forming there from the sheer ridiculousness of all of this.

There were absolutely no words to explain exactly what she wanted to say for since when did anyone waltz into a rugged mechanic's shop to get their mode of transportation fixed only to be unknowingly serenaded by an undiscovered musical legend who thought their angelic voice wasn't anything special?!

It was madness!

Hell, maybe she was still asleep or even dead like she originally expected - to be fair, either of those scenarios would be at least slightly easier to explain.

Johnny, for the most part, just stared at her; white canines biting his plump bottom (which she did not, repeat did not, just wonder if they would taste like coffee) in a way that almost looked uncomfortable. In that, she could relate. Yet seeing this full grown-ass man (damn gorilla who was twenty times her size) looking scared of what she (a freakin' porcupine) might say kinda pissed her off. Top it all off with him having an angelic voice that most could only dream of and here he was hiding it from the world and acting as if he wanted nothing more than her to drop the whole damn thing.

Heh.

Fat chance.

"Look." Ash muttered firmly as if immediately refuting any denials Johnny had up his sleeve, "Your voice is incredible, and believe me, I never, ever said that about anyone! Ugh - in all honestly, it's kinda fucking annoying how good it is..."

"Ash." her name was merely a tired sigh leaving his pretty lips as his shoulders visibly deflated.

Ash's quills prickled at the familiarity already staining his thickly accented voice but she ignored it to take in his face which had grown a few shades redder even in the shadow from its downcast position. Large hand lifted to scratch awkwardly at his nape and pull at the collar of his mechanic's uniform in the uncomfortable silence that developed.

"You are really far too kind," he finally spoke; eyes still refusing to remain on hers for more than a few seconds, "I really doubt 'm really any good compared to someone of yer caliber." Johnny ignored her snort of disbelief to explain, "I just like to sing - have since I was a lad but it's nothin' more I'm sure. It's definitely not good enough to be -"

"Ugh, will you stop that?" she interrupted angrily.

"..." Johnny's face went blank, "Stop what?"

"Selling yourself short!" she exclaimed with waving arms in sheer exasperation, "You have a good voice, dammit! Embrace it. I'm more confused as to why you're here! I mean, look at you! Hands full of oil and grease when ya could be on a stage getting panties thrown at your face from screaming fans."

The gorilla blushed all the way up to his eyebrow ridges at her blunt statement but she brushed it aside to keep talking.

"So, seriously. Stop it. You obviously have talent and since you speak so highly of my random gigs, let me give you my honest-to-God opinion then. Your voice is natural, smooth, carries well, and unlike a lot of musicians, you can actually control it." she stated each of these points on her fingers as if trying to convince him, "So, stop pretending like you're not any good, Johnny, because there's no fuckin' use lying about it now."

The mechanic just stared at her; face slowly turning back to its normal shade of gray before he uttered out a simple, "…Thank you."

Tempted to question his strange need for thanking her when she was essentially screaming at him, she decided a different tactic. "So, now for the elephant in the room - with that much potential, why a mechanic? Just - why?"

Ash was digging deep; her former thoughts and beliefs about remaining an arms length from the handsome stranger were suddenly thrown to the back-burner. As much as she wanted to remain distant and cold, it just wasn't happening tonight. She needed to know.

The embarrassment apparently over, Johnny's shoulders sagged sightly as he broke eye contact for a moment to stare down at the work he just accomplished. Motorcycle shiny and clean from where he'd already thoroughly wiped off the grease throughout their short conversation since she awoke. The shiny chrome reflecting his grease smudged face back at him as his lips pursed as if internally questioning himself.

"I'm not as certain as you make it seem, I s'pose." Johnny finally spoke after a long silence and Ash's brows raised in question.

"Whataya mean?"

Johnny chuckled mirthlessly before his brown eyes found hers again and she subconsciously flinched slightly at the fact from his seated (and slouched) position, they were nearly eye-level. And when did their faces get this close? She stepped back a step in hopes she'd focus on his answer and not just how beautiful his eyes was.

"I don't have the luxury of dictating my life an' finances on 'maybes' or unfulfilled childhood dreams," his eyes drifted to somewhere over his shoulder to where she knew there was nothing interesting to be looking at. "And as much as I may wanna sing for a livin'… it's simply never been an option for me - and frankly, never will be at this point."

"...but why? You - You've obviously done well for yourself here. Heh. Having your own building and business to do your auto repair work in - hell, you have drive unlike most animals our age - so, what gives?"

"Heh." Johnny chuckled, a deep sigh tinging his lips before he continued, "This is my dad's shop - I run it is all and I barely make the payments I need to even if I'm workin' my ass off seven days a week. I-I never had much choice of what to do with my life, it's already been decided for me. So, that's why I'm here fixin' cars even if I really don't want to - there's not much else ta tell ya."

Ash's crossed arms loosened from around her chest as she stared deep into his eyes.

The certainty and lack of arguing her point of view faltering on her agape lips. As much as she wanted to ask about his obviously absent father's whereabouts and why someone his age was living here and running this place by himself (or was he?) died on her lips when he continued.

"...but, thank you." Johnny muttered, "Really. It means an awful lot, especially comin' from you to think I sing well. It really does." he finished without any room for argument. The gorilla smiling at her even though it didn't quite reach his eyes before he gave her motorcycle a final wipe with a clean cloth before standing to his feet and turning his back to her.

Ash watched wordlessly as he walked away from her, throwing the soiled cloth into a bucket before washing his hands in a nearby sink. The running water the only sound permeating and breaking up the inevitable silence. She stood there; staring at his broad back and as much as she wanted to argue that he shouldn't give up his dream (because dammit, his beautiful voice haunted her now) …the words just wouldn't come out.