Chapter Text
Casey knew his car inside and out, so when his engine made a weird sound he knew something was up.
He was already out on a casual drive, so he figured he might as well stop by Doc’s shop and see if he had a spare bay he could use. He had his own tools at home, but Doc gave him free reign in the garage as long as they didn’t need the space. It would be good to see him again anyway.
He first stopped by the liquor store and grabbed a nice bottle of Scotch to bring him in exchange for letting him use the bay. Doc never asked for any kind of repayment, but Casey felt bad just using it in exchange for nothing.
When he arrived at the garage, Doc was standing near an open garage door and talking to someone just out of view. He looked out the door when he heard the familiar purr of Casey’s Malibu, smiling when he recognized his friend. He grinned wider when he saw Casey lift the bottle of Scotch, and waved him into the open bay.
Casey felt the corner of his lips twitch into the ghost of a smile, pulling into the spot Doc directed him to, popping a toothpick into his mouth before he stepped out.
“Hey there, kid! Perfect timing,” Doc said, gesturing for Casey to follow as he took the bottle of Scotch from him, checking out the label and giving an impressed whistle. “Really sprung for me this time, huh? Just get a new job?”
“Hm? Why’s that?” Casey asked, tilting his head as he followed after Doc.
“Just hired a new guy. I wanted to introduce you,” Doc answered, nodding toward a tall man standing near a work bench.
He had long black hair pulled into a loose bun, letting a few whisps fall in front of honey-brown eyes. A gray tank top stretched over a barrel chest, tucked into a dark blue-gray jumpsuit tied around his waist. He was leaning his hip against the work bench, thick arms crossed in front of him.
Around his neck hung a simple resin pendant containing a single sugar maple seed.
He had a soft, easy smile that created crinkles at the corners of his eyes.
He was one of the most gorgeous men Casey had ever seen.
“Simon, this is a buddy of mine- the one I was telling you about that uses the garage sometimes,” Doc explained, jabbing his thumb in Casey’s direction.
“Nice to meet you,” Simon greeted- his voice somehow gruff and smooth at the same time.
It reminded Casey of the purr of a classic engine.
“Nice to meet you, too. Name’s Casey,” he replied, offering out his hand.
Simon’s handshake was firm and confident. Casey tried very hard not to have feelings about that.
˖᯽ ݁˖
Simon was listening intently to his new boss explain how things work in his garage.
He pointed out where certain things were, about some of the quirks around the shop. He mentioned the stray cat, Miss Dickenson, and an old friend who used the garage sometimes.
From the way Doc talked about him, he almost seemed like another stray.
It wasn’t long after Doc told him about his old friend that the man in question pulled into the garage in a sleek white Chevelle Malibu. He was tall and lean, with dirty blonde hair and eyes blue as ice and warm as the sun.
Simon felt his knees go weak. He leaned his hip against the workbench beside him, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to cover how flustered he was. He did his best to keep his face schooled in a cool expression, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of his new boss and his new boss’s old friend- especially since it seemed like he was here pretty frequently.
He introduced himself as Casey.
Somehow, it suited him perfectly.
˖᯽ ݁⋆˚࿔
Doc thought it would be a good idea for Simon to shadow Casey while he worked on his car.
It was a simple job, but it’d give Simon a good opportunity to learn where things were. Casey had no problem letting Simon observe and help him out. He wouldn’t mind not having to fetch his own tools, at least. Casey slid off his black and white scorpion jacket, setting it on his front seat from through the window and dropping his gloves on top of it.
As Casey walked around toward the front of his car where Simon waited, the pendant caught his eye again.
“You should take that off,” he said, sliding his hand along the hood to find the latch.
Simon bristled at being told to take his necklace off. It wasn’t just a piece of jewelry to him, after all. It was like asking a nun to remove her cross, or telling someone to take off a precious heirloom.
“And why should I do that?” he asked, trying to keep his irritation out of his voice.
Casey looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. “If it gets caught in something it could break. If that resin shattered too close to your face you could lose an eye.”
Simon immediately deflated. He wasn’t expecting such a reasonable response. He didn’t really like the idea of taking it off, but he understood the warning. He slipped it off his neck and slid it into his pocket carefully, trying not to look as antsy as he felt without the familiar weight on his neck.
Casey popped open the hood, looking around at a few things before asking Simon to grab him a nearby wrench.
“So, how long’ve you been working for Doc?” Casey asked curiously as he took it, ducking back under the hood.
“This is my first shift, actually. Well, second technically but the first was mostly just doing paperwork,” Simon answered, his hands sliding into his pockets.
“You new to LA?” Casey asked, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye before looking back at his task.
“Not really. I moved out here a few years ago.”
“Yeah? Where are from?”
“I was born in Hawaii, but mostly grew up in Ohio,” Simon answered. rubbing the back of his neck.
“Quite a change in environment,” Casey replied with a low whistle.
“You can say that again,” Simon said with a chuckle deep enough to thrum in Casey’s chest. “What about you? Where are you from?”
“Arizona, initially. Tuscan. Moved out here when I was 16,” Casey answered with a slight shrug.
“How old are you now?”
“Old enough,” Casey replied, straightening up and grabbing the hood with one hand.
“Old enough to what?” Simon asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.
Casey shut the hood- apparently having fixed whatever needed to be fixed. He stepped closer to Simon and held the wrench out to him for him to return.
“To invite you out for a drink.”
Simon took the wrench from him and gave him an easy smile. “Where and when?”