CONTENT WARNING:THIS FIC CONTAINS ADULT THEMES, LANGUAGE, AND VIOLENCE. IT IS INTENDED FOR MATURE READERS ONLY.
MAY CONTAIN EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE.CONTAINS CANONxOC PAIRINGS AS WELL AS LGBTQ SHIPS.
His heels clacked hard against the cobblestone as he sprinted towards the station. The man clung desperately to his driver's cap. He shoved himself through the hot, sweaty crowds of travelers as they waited in line to purchase their tickets. The man's olive skin glistened in the bright morning sun. The station's glass-paned rooftops did little to shield the platforms from the scorching sun as he stumbled in. There he found his engine standing idly at the first platform with sparkling passenger coaches. He breathed a sigh of relief. Alex had managed to drive her to the station with no visible damage. Not too bad for a fireman.
The man grabbed the handrails and threw himself into the engine's cab with a hard grunt. The driver began his morning check of all the engine's systems when he heard a distinct 'ahem' from the front of the engine's boiler. The driver winced as he poked his head out. "Yes?"
"You're late." A soft but irritated voice replied.
"I'm sorry," The driver rubbed the back of his sweat-soaked neck. "My alarm didn't go off this morning."
"I'm going to need you to give me your poor excuse while looking me in the eye."
The driver huffed but complied. He dropped out of the cab and trudged to the front of the engine to look at her face. "I'm sorry, Meredith." The driver repeated.
The engine cut her wide eyes. She was a beautiful specimen. A button nose, round cheeks, and full lips. The tank engine was of the Colombia class with a 2-4-2 wheel pattern. A specially commissioned engine ordered by the railway's controller. She was built ten years prior to that day which, for a steam engine, is extremely young. "You owe me big time, Hayden. Butterfingers back there kept slipping my regulator and nearly blew my safety valve."
Hayden gave an apologetic dip of his head. "Again, I'm really sorry."
Meredith shook her boiler. Her livery was the same as the coaches she was coupled to. A fine pearl white with black pinstriping across her boiler and cab. "I wish engines could drive themselves like they used to." She grumbled.
Hayden snorted as he started back towards Meredith's cab. "And have the railways be a constant bloodbath again? Absolutely not, Mer. It's just not safe."
Meredith rolled her eyes again with an annoyed sigh. "Engines are more advanced these days. Not the barbarians of yesteryear. We could handle it."
"Are you sure about that?" Hayden said as he began to up Meredith's boiler pressure. "Because I heard a certain someone was back at the Steamworks after a late night brawl on the mainland."
The little tank engine groaned. A red tender engine, known as James, had pulled onto the platform next to her. He had just come from the washdown so his paint was as shiny as ever. He peeked over to Meredith and gave a quick whistle hello before he continued through to the shunting yard to fill up with coal. Meredith returned his whistle before she started forward herself. "I'm going to kill him." She growled to herself as she steamed forward through Knapford Junction.
"Steady, steady, a little more to the right now."
A soot-covered worker waved along the lift as it was positioned above a rather large engine. He gestured for the lift to be lowered over the engine's heavily crumpled boiler. Through all the scrapes and layers of dust and mud, the engine's sky blue livery peeked. The workmen were careful around this engine. Over the years he had developed a bit of a violent streak, hence his being in the Steamworks after he decided to confront another large engine on the mainland over petty differences. It wasn't unknown that this particular A3 Pacific class engine didn't like humans handling him. Recently, he had grown bold and begun going off without his driver or fireman all because he didn't like how they handled him, so the workmen were as light as they could be whenever they had to place hands anywhere on the engine.
A small narrow-gauge engine steamed up with a compact crane chasing after him. The little red engine watched as the large engine was finally hoisted up into the air. "So what was it this time? Another branch on the line?"
"Piss off, Victor." The engine growled.
Victor shook his boiler with a disappointed sigh. "I really don't know what has gotten into you here lately, Gordon, but you're out of control. Sir Topham Hatt put so much money into your new overhaul and within a week you've destroyed yourself and all that hard work. I mean, look at your smoke deflectors. Those aren't cheap, Gordon."
"What do I care about the cost?" Gordon said curtly. "He's going to fix me regardless of cost. Always does."
"He won't if I tell him not to." Victor stated plainly.
Gordon snorted. He wasn't convinced. "Sure, sure."
"This is your fifth visit in the past month." Victor was stern, he was tired of the big engine being so reckless. His men were exhausted not only from the constant repairs needed to the engine, but the abuse. Granted, Gordon was never a particularly pleasant engine, but he at least -at one point- had some sense of decency. Recently the express engine had been nothing but nasty. "My men are tired of fixing you, Gordon, and I'm sure Sir Topham Hatt is growing tired of footing the bill." Gordon sneered but remained silent. He really didn't care. He wanted Victor to stop talking. He wanted to be repaired so he could go back to work.
Sometime later while the engineers looked over Gordon's damage, another engine puffed in. It was Meredith. Gordon heard the hiss of steam as it released from a boiler and he snarled. "Victor, I said leave me alone!"
"I'm not Victor, darling."
Gordon's icy glare disappeared from his face when he heard Meredith's voice and he winced. The man working the lift went ahead and turned it so the two engines could face each other and talk. "Hello, Mer." The big engine said shyly. "I- I was hoping I'd be fixed before you heard."
"You seem to forget just how gossipy humans are." Meredith said as she drew closer to Gordon. She looked him over. The dirt and mud had been washed up so all that remained was his severely scraped and cracked paintwork. One of his new smoke deflectors was hanging on by a rather stubborn weld and his face was bruised. Gordon was a handsome engine and Meredith couldn't decide what features of his she loved more. Was it his deep-set eyes that had a slight emerald tint in the light? Or perhaps his pointed nose. Maybe it was his thin lips and their soft feel whenever they were pressed to hers. Whatever it was, she loved the stubborn bastard despite this new powertrip he seemed to be experiencing. It was nothing compared to his younger brother, though that was of no concern to her at the moment.
"How mad are you?' Gordon asked quietly. The afternoon sun had come back out from behind a cover of clouds. Its rays drifted into the repair bay from the steamworks' multiple skylights.
Meredith had barely heard him over the sounds of the machines working in the background of the building. She sighed. "Pretty mad. I just don't understand why you keep doing this."
"I'm asserting myself, Meredith." Gordon said sternly. "The engines of the mainland are getting cocky. They think they can talk down to me just because I work for a smaller railway."
Meredith breathed out slowly. "You can't let them get to you like that, Gordon. I don't think Sir Topham Hatt is going to like to have to cover not only your expenses, but the expenses to repair whatever sorry sod you beat up."
Gordon kept quiet. His expression darkened and he did his best not to grin. Meredith flattened her brow. "You did just damage them… right?"
Gordon couldn't stop the devilish smirk that creeped across his face and Meredith felt her boiler run cold, but before she could say anything a car pulled up outside the Steamworks. Meredith dipped her boiler in respect as their hefty railway controller, Sir Topham Hatt, stormed in. He had his usual tailcoat thrown over his arm, the sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up. He did not look pleased. "Gordon, I really don't know what to say to you." The fat controller scolded as he dabbed his forehead with a wet handkerchief. "First you start bullying other engines and now you've gone and done this! I have the right mind to lock you in a shed for this."
Gordon remained silent and Meredith tried to sneak out, but the controller noticed her. "And you, shouldn't you be pulling the local?"
"Yes, sir," Meredith said meekly. She dropped her gaze to the ground.
"Then get to it." Sir Topham Hatt snapped. Meredith gave another nod of her boiler before she scurried off to collect her coaches that she left to sit on a siding.
"You've got to be joking me." A pair of small black tender engines sat together in stunned silence after they laid eyes on the long train they were tasked with pulling from Brendam Docks.
"Do we look like large engines to you, Salty." One of the engines griped to a water-damaged dockside diesel as he shunted cars along the other tracks.
"Aye, you can pull this. It's a lot of cars, but the cargo is light." The cheery diesel cackled as he coupled to a flatbed and moved it in front of the dock cranes.
The other black engine -'Douglas' his name plate read- started towards the back of the engine. "Might as well get coupled up, Donald. There's no reason to piss and moan."
Donald begrudgingly did as his brother said and made his way to the front of the train. "Fine, but I'll piss and moan all I like."
"Augh, whatever." Douglas scoffed. Just then another large Pacific engine like Gordon rolled up with a heavy goods train meant to ship out. "Oh, afternoon, Emerson."
"Afternoon, Douglas," Emerson replied then he leaned to Donald who was still grumbling. "Hello, Donald."
"Hello, Em." Donald sighed.
"Are these for me?" The dusty gray crane called Cranky said to Emerson as the engine pulled his train up to be unloaded.
"They certainly are." Emerson smiled.
Cranky started unloading the cargo along with Carly, the spritely yellow crane beside him. "You really shouldn't have."
"Well I know how much you love to lift and load." Emerson chuckled as a dock worker uncoupled him from the train. Emerson was as kind as he was dashing. He shared many features with Gordon such as his deep eyes and delicate lips. He too had smoke deflectors, a feature that Gordon's younger brother had for many, many years and one that Gordon only recently obtained. Emerson's livery wasn't blue, either. Instead it was a luxurious maroon with gold and silver striping. He wasn't built by the same manufacturer as Gordon and his other surviving brother. Perhaps he could be considered a cousin since he was of the same design, but there truly was no relation other than appearance.
The large engine chuffed by the Scottish twins as they were coupled to their long train. "You two need some help?" Emerson's voice wasn't as gruff as Gordon's, but it still carried a confidence that must have been inherent among A3 Pacifics.
"No, I think we should be alright as long as that daft motherfucker in the back doesn't slack off." Donald said with a teasing chuckle. Douglas didn't respond verbally, instead he shunted into the cars forcing Donald forward. "Aye! Will ya stop screwin' around?"
"Don't call me daft." Douglas hissed.
"I forget how much of a wee babe you can be." Donald mocked with a smirk. Another rough bump from the back engine. "Aye, knock it off, will ya?"
"Hey, hey," Emerson interjected. "First of all, you really should watch your language. There are cruise ships with children unloading here. Secondly, you need to calm down. You could damage the cars."
Donald snorted with a roll of his eyes. "What're you going to do about it, hm? Buffet us around like your bastard of a brother?"
"You know they're not brothers, Donnie." Douglas said. The two had started up finally and were inching by the idle Pacific.
"Ugh, might as well be." Donald grumbled. "Big engines think they can just boss us smaller engines around."
"I'm not trying to boss anyone around, I'm jus-" Emerson cut off when the twins sped off with their train. He stared down the track ahead and couldn't help but feel slightly irritated that Donald would say such a thing to him. He was never bossy or rude to any engine. Emerson remained still in his spot as he watched the sunlight bounce off the ocean waves in the distance. He had a bad feeling rumbling around in his boiler. A storm was coming, but when and where it would strike the big engine just couldn't say.
Hello all! I've not much to say as this is the first chapter, but I do hope you stick around for what all I have in store! This fic contains OCs as well as mentions of plotlines from a previous fic 'Engines' that I've completed. I recommend at least skimming the previous fic for some context, but it isn't entirely necessary. Thank you for giving this fic a read and don't forget to follow and review!
Much love;
Bumble