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Darkness melted into blurry lines as he passed the outskirts of the city, making his way through empty maze-like streets at neck breaking speed. A pull on the accelerator and the traffic lights blurred even further, turning into stripes in his peripheral vision as he leaned in for the next curve, knees scraping over the asphalt. He’d have to change the protectors before his next trip, they were wearing off.There weren’t many people awake at the time, mostly shift workers on their way to or from work. The occasional cab. Just enough to force him into a slalom course every so often, keeping the bike from top speed. He passed the city centre, retouring back into the outskirts. The machine roared as he kicked it into gear, driving faster than any speed limit would allow. It didn’t matter. For the cops to arrest him, they had to catch him first. Needless to say, they never did. Mostly didn’t even bother anymore. He hummed in anticipation at the next curve, tightening his hold around the engine’s hull.Nothing could ever beat the feeling. Just him and the bike. Leaving everything else in the dust. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins when he leaned down, the motorcycle tilting to an almost impossible angle as he scraped along the curve with burning tires.His PR-Manager Lujanne would most definitely scold him for the trip later but it was hardly his fault sleep made itself scarce in-between competitions. Or in general really.In the distance, he could make out the rapidly approaching lights of a 24hrs diner. There was no way he’d go back to sleep now. Not with the fresh push of adrenaline. Might as well get a coffee while he figured out how to modify the Moonshadow for his next race. There was always something to improve.Only seconds later, he pulled on the vacant parking lot, dismounting his steaming bike. He’d have to do something about the heat problem. Otherwise the whole thing could very well combust under him. Not bothering with the Visor, he pulled the helmet off completely, hanging it on the handlebar. Nobody around to steal it anyways. A quick glance at his smartwatch told him he’d been driving for about an hour and a half. Not bad for the distance he’d covered. San Francisco was difficult terrain after all. With all of it’s hills and curves. Shrugging off his skin-tight leather jacket, he pushed through the double doors, causing the little bell fastened above it to jingle. It was empty except for a built, short haired man in an orange apron who was scrubbing the counter while watching a re-run of the latest race.Runaan tracked his gaze for a few seconds before recognizing the run. He’d won that one a week ago. The waiter’s head snapped around once the bells reached his ears, regarding him with an assessing glance. “Hello, what can I get you?” his voice was warm and melodic despite the late hour and Runaan immediately felt himself drawn closer. Another night-owl as it seemed. Maybe a kindred spirit even. “Hey, large coffee please, black.” Instead of sitting in one of the booths, he chose a seat at the counter that allowed him to see the TV. “large black coffee coming up” The friendly waiter announced just as he’d settled, freeing his long, braided hair from where it was securely tucked in his dark green under-armour. “Like racing?” he asked when the other’s gaze travelled back to the screen. He shrugged, running a hand through the messy light brown strands. “I like the bikes. Nothing as fascinating as a smooth-running machine.” Runaan hummed in agreement. “Mhm. You drive?” A chuckle this time “Yeah, since I was a kid. Nothing as fancy as those though.” He motioned for the screen “Don’t really have that kind of money.”“They do cost a fortune.” The racer allowed, thinking about how much money he’d put into his bikes. Considering he made a living off of his racing and patents he deemed it more than worth it though. “What do you drive then?” A small grin tugged at the waiter’s lips “A Triumph Scrambler, all original parts and two other bikes I mess around with for fun.” He whistled “Not bad, so you’re a mechanic?” That would be even more they had in common but the other shook his head. “Nah, not really. Never finished my engineering degree and my mentor at the garage had some different thoughts on how to do stuff so I didn’t finish that either. How else would one end up in an empty ass diner in the suburbs?” unfinished engineering degree? Interesting. “I get that,” he really did, the only reason he endured it was that he finished a year early “college is not for everybody. Pity though that you didn’t get to be a mechanic.” A soft hum was he only response he got as the short haired man turned his focus back to the racing figures on the screen. Runaan was content watching the rerun in silence, almost grimacing every time he found a minor fault in his run. Damn perfectionism. He was glad he’d kept a low profile media-wise, never really getting caught on camera without the helmet with its tinted visor or his usual sunglasses and baseball cap to block his features. Sure, there were some low-res paparazzi shots but nobody would be able to recognize him on those. Every once in a while he hacked himself through the social media channels and deleted the ones that weren’t to his liking. The anonymity allowed him to take trips like this, speaking to strangers without getting recognized.A familiar tickle in his fingertips reminded him of the Adrenaline slowly leaving his system again, the restlessness taking its place. With a sigh, he retrieved the crushed box of cigarettes and a lighter from his jacket. “Mind if I smoke?” he hadn’t seen a sign on the door but figured asking was only polite. “I don’t mind. What do you do for a living?” Ah, a tricky question. What did he do? A lot of things. “Something like an engineer you could say I guess.” Cigarette now plucked between his lips, he flicked the lighter, watching smoke rise in front of his face. A deep tug later, he could already feel the nicotine. Relief flooded through his system, calming him instantly.“Then I got a question for you…” the waiter turned his attention back to the screen as he spoke “Why do you think the Moonshadow Racing team keeps those extra deflectors over the engine? They must slow the bike considerably given their placement.” Runaan almost bit through his Cigarette. Did the guy just criticize his design? “The heat?” he managed after another healthy pull before stubbing it out in the ashtray, busying himself with the coffee instead. “Then their mechanic is clearly shit-“ this time Runaan couldn’t help but splutter into the cup. How dared this guy? The Moonshadow was the fastest bike in his class, hell in all the classes. However, the barista continued before he’d regained his composure enough to argue. “- you could just install a wind channelling system to cool it down.”“The bikes aren’t fast enough for that.” Of course, he’d already thought about that. More than probably healthy if someone was to ask Lujanne. “Not if you add a water-based system. Granted, it would add about half a pound of weight but that’s still less than the deflectors plus the aerodynamics would be way better.” That-Runaan opened his mouth only to abruptly snap it shout again. That was brilliant. Absolutely genius. In a matter of seconds, he’d downed the coffee and slapped a 50$ bill on the counter while simultaneously shrugging into his jacket. “I have to go. Thank you for the coffee. See you around!” he managed to shout over his shoulder before the door fell shut behind him, leaving a confused barista in his wake.He had to get home.To the garage.As fast as possible.Runaan couldn’t remember an occasion where he’d covered the sixty miles to his estate with bordering track faster. His mind was buzzing, already sketching out schematics while he wove through the streets ignoring each and every traffic law that ever existed.By the time Lujanne came around in the morning he’d completed the new system for the Moonshadow and was just about to jump on the track for a test. “I know you’ve been out again last night.” The older woman scolded as she regarded his state of dress, still the under armour shirt and sweatpants, with a scrunched nose. “Yeah, yeah lecture me later. I think I got her a good few millisecs fester.” He didn’t bother going to the bathroom to change into his leather combo. He still wore the under armour and she’d seen him in far less.Despite the shake of her head, he could see the small smile tugging on her lips. Lujanne loved his antics. They made him unique as she put it. Before she could lecture him anymore, he was already rolling the bike out onto his private track.He really was faster. Not much but definitely impressive for a first prototype built in a few hours of adrenaline high and sleep deprivation. “You know,” Lujanne started as soon as the helmet left his head “if you wouldn’t scare the mechanics away all the time you wouldn’t have to do all the work by yourself.” His most charming smile did nothing to impress her “I like doing the work, besides I may have a candidate.” That got her attention. “Where is this coming from all of sudden? I thought other people ‘distract’ you.”“They do.” They did. Runaan worked best alone in his workshop in the middle of the night, music blasting though expensive stereo speakers. “But some fresh ideas never hurt.” A smirk appeared on her face as a light grey eyebrow arched itself doubtfully on her forehead. “Do they now?”“Lujanne? Just spit it out. I know you got something to say.” The smirk tuned into a shit-eating grin. “That mechanic, he didn’t, by chance, happen to be attractive?” There is was. Though her assumptions were entirely wrong. He was genuinely interested in the other’s ideas. Solely the ideas. “Now I regret asking you.” With a few quick movements he had the new system uninstalled again. Time to improve it to perfection. “The person in question actually gave me the idea for this-“ Runaan shoved the schematics in her face knowing full well that she wouldn’t really care. “-so I figured it would be interesting to see what else they can come up with. Don’t you think?” but she already waved him off. “Yeah, yeah you do what you want it’s your money. But if you cause a scandal, I’ll have your ass.” Of course, he thought “By the way you have a charity dinner this Saturday-“ Runaan couldn’t help but groan. “Hgnh, you know I hate those. Can’t we just donate money?” the older woman scolded him with a stern look he swore could fell the biggest lion. “It’s all about visibility. So quit whining. You got another one on Sunday.” That made him stop from where he was lying under the bike he’d hoisted up on the hydraulic ramp. A quick push sent him rolling directly in front of her feet, the board that supported his upper body stopping just short of her legs. “You make me do two in one weekend?” the racer tried his best puppy dog eyes “What have I done to upset you?” She looked down at him with an expression somewhere between exasperation and amusement. “Nothing. They just happen to be on the same weekend.”“Can’t you just go for me?” it was worth a shot. Those social gatherings were usually more than just exhausting. Standing around the whole evening in a fancy suit and making small talk was nothing the engineer looked forward to. Lujanne however refused as expected from previous attempts on his part. “You are 27, you will survive two evenings making nice with some rich upper-class snobs. I’ll even take care of the organization.” That was something. “Including wardrobe?” No way he was taking time to go through his wardrobe with her for four hours again to find the ‘right’ dark grey suit. She smiled wolfishly, fully aware that she just got her way with minimal arguing. “You will have three options for each night. I’ll make sure they fit and won’t wrinkle under your leather.” Runaan perked at that “You aren’t mad I’m planning to drive there myself?” She’d been furious when he ditched the limousine and got there on his bike the last time. “As you showed on your last charity dinner, I can’t keep you from being a reckless idiot so this time, I’ll just make sure you at least look decent and don’t show up all sweaty in a wrinkled suit and messy hair.”Sometimes he swore she acted like his mom. Granted, Lujanne was the closest thing he had to a friend and to be honest, Runaan didn’t really mind. “We had the highest Media coverage on that one and I didn’t even have to show my face.”“Yes” he could basically hear the eyeroll. “Because you almost caused a scandal for unprofessionalism.” It only made his smile grew wider “The press lo-o-ved me.” He sang, busying himself with checking some of the screws. “Only because you have a few loose screws yourself, hotshot.”“Ouch” the racer raised a hand to his heart in fake shock “You hurt my feelings Janne.”“As if you had any. I will be preparing your dinner appearances. Please look over the report I left on you desk by tomorrow. The Tech Department needs your approval before they can ship out.” Before he could muster a response, she was already out of the door, probably on the phone with at least four designers. There was a reason he paid her more than any other PA earned in their branch.By the time night fell, Runaan had adjusted, tested and readjusted the new system to a point where he was able to scrape four milliseconds off his time without even trying that hard. With a rueful look at his workshop, he made his way up to the living area, pleased to find some Chinese waiting in the microwave. God, what would he do without that woman? Luckily, the report was fairly short so he managed to proof the forty pages within the next two hours. Lujanne would be happy. He figured keeping her on his good side when she was deciding what he was gonna wear for two major events with heavy media coverage was a good idea. Otherwise he would be showing up in that horrible purple Armani suit with the rhinestones she made him wear one time. Hell, he was still hacking himself in numerous databases every week to delete any picture that ever existed of it but somehow, they kept popping up every once in a while. Like a plaque.Placing the finished report, including his approval signature in the ‘out’ box on his desk, Runaan glanced at the binary clock above the door. Two am. Legs propped up on the glass surface of his table, he debated whether he should go down to the garage again. The intensifying agitation in his bones however urged him to move. Theoretically, he thought while lighting a cigarette, he needed sleep. Desperately so if he wished to endure the charity dinner in two days but even if he’d swallow half a bottle of sleep meds it wasn’t gonna happen. He knew the tug, the familiar urge that forced him on the track. It would only go away once he’d hit at least a hundred and fifty miles per hour. After all, he did go down to the garage but not to work, no. He changed back into his leathers, donning a new set of under armour as he’d been wearing the previous one for two days straight now, and got his street bike.The Moonshadow and all her backups (strategically numbered) sadly didn’t clear for public traffic use as her Top speed and acceleration exceeded the law regulations by far. His street bike, he called her ‘sparkle’ just to humour Lujanne, did too once he flicked a few switches, but nobody had to know that, right?An hour later, he found himself in front of that diner again and decided to pull over. There was probably a reason his subconsciousness led him here again so soon. Just like the day before, the diner was empty safe for the short haired barista. This time, he was watching a re-run of an older race, probably three years ago form the look of it. Somehow Runaan was relieved he wasn’t in it. He didn’t really feel like talking about work tonight. “Ah, hey it’s you again.” The barista looked surprisingly cheerful once he’d noticed his presence. It was probably getting boring pretty quickly in here. He couldn’t possibly imagine doing nothing for hours, simply waiting for the next customer to come in. “the same as last time?” with a nod, he claimed the same barstool he’d used before, tracking the other’s hands preparing his order. “You were pretty rushed yesterday.” Runaan felt bad about it now. He tended to zone out completely when having a new idea and it often led to him dropping everything, literally, to start on it. His mind wouldn’t rest otherwise. One time he’d bolted from the opening of a new racetrack, all but dropping his champagne on the floor because he figured out how to reduce the weight of his bike while still adding more structural integrity. Lujanne didn’t let him live that one down for months. In the end, it had increased his firm’s stock value by 100% and reduced his time to a new personal best. “Yeah, sorry about that. I had something to take care of.” A low chuckle escaped from the other’s chest as he placed the steaming cup before him. “That much was obvious. Not that I’m going to complain, you are the only customer after all.”“Hmh, not much going on there.” He said around the unlit cigarette in his mouth.“Yeah well, tell me about it. Sometimes I feel like crawling up the walls after a ten-hour shift of doing absolutely nothing.”“A shame.” Runaan flicked the lighter on and off a couple of times before finally lighting the cigarette “You do make pretty good coffee.”“Considering the machine does all the work, but thanks.” The barista hoisted himself up on the counter, cradling a cup of his own.“You tampered with it didn’t you?” the smug grin was enough of a response. He really liked that guy. “What would you say if I offered you a job?” the sentence was out before he could really think about it, but he’d meant to ask anyways so why not sooner rather than later?“I would probably ask you what kind of job you had in mind and how you got the idea to offer it in the first place.” Of course, dumb question. “That thing you said yesterday was pretty ingenious. It can cut up to four Millisecs of time. Maybe more with a bit of development.” The barista raised his eyebrows, taking a sip from his coffee. “Yeah I know. That’s why I wondered why nobody thought about it before. But what’s that got to do with anything? It was just an idea.” For someone so self-assured, he thought pretty lowly of his creative value. “Do you think you could come up with more of those ideas?” a shrug “Probably.”“In that case-“ Runaan placed one of Lujanne’s business cards on the table, not willing to give up his identity just yet. “I would like to offer you a position as mechanic in the Moonshadow racing team.” The barista’s eyes widened at the black card with the holographic turquoise logo. “You- what? I didn’t even finish my degree.”“So what? It’s not about some degree-“ he’d seen more than enough of idiots at university “It’s about what you can and can’t do. And you- I didn’t ask your name, sorry?” the other cleared his throat, still looking shocked “It’s Ethari.”“-Ethari, you just came up with a great idea and I’m sure there will be more.” He nodded, examining the card in his hands. “So, you work for them? Sorry but you can’t be much older than me and they just let you hire a college drop-out?” Runaan smirked, this was going to be so much fun. “Request a few days off and call Miss Illura. She will give you all the info you need so you can come in for a few day’s trial. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to take us up on the offer.” He could see him contemplating his options while the short haired man still turned the card in his hands. “I could probably get time off in two weeks if I ask really really nicely.” Great, he had him in the bag. So much for his incapability to talk to people over business, Lujanne. “Perfect. There is a charity race in two and a half weeks. You can come along and see for yourself if you like.” A little hesitantly, Ethari pocketed the business card, cradling his cup again. “Won’t I be in the way?” Runaan chuckled thinking about his non-existent team. “We don’t really have that much staff. You’ll be fine. Lujanne will be awaiting your call tomorrow.” In fact, he only had Kourou and Annie who posed as box crew in case there had to be a tire change. He placed a bill on the counter, sliding from his seat. Lu would be pissed if she got wind of him being awake for the whole night again. “See you in two weeks.”He made it to his bed by four thirty, that gave him about four hours before Lujanne would show up. Freshly showered, Runaan fell into his sheets, asleep before his head even hit the pillow.Something bright shone into his eyes, causing him to instinctively cover them with his arm. “Good morning.” Shit, it was her. He must have slept through his alarms. “What the hell Lujanne? What time is it?” through his rapidly blinking eyelashes, he could see her making a show of looking at his alarm clock. “nine am.” Shit. “Have you been watching me for thirty minutes?” she scoffed. “As if anybody would want to see that. No, I made breakfast, you have five minutes.” Runaan propped himself up on his elbows, eyes finally adjusting to the light. “And please, “ she added before descending the stairs that led from the kitchen to his alcove bedroom “-put on some clothes, ok?” With a sigh, he let his head drop back on the pillow before rolling out of bed in his boxers.He dressed in the first hoodie and sweatpants that were lying around and tapped down the hardwood stairs barefoot. Lujanne was already sitting on one of the barstools surrounding the kitchen island, munching on a bowl of grapes while reading over some documents. She pushed a bowl of awfully healthy cereal in his direction as soon as he took a seat beside her and scrunched her nose when he dumped a few spoons of brown sugar and some grapes from her plate into it. “Your nutritionist would disapprove.”“I’ll run more laps later. It’s hardly edible without any flavour.” She shook her head but kept silent, his relationship with food was a strong one. “I hired the new mechanic.” That go her attention. “Did you, now?” Runaan took his time to answer, busy shoving the cereal in his mouth. “Kind of. I offered the job and told him to call you today so you can arrange for him to come to the St. Patricks hospital fundraiser race to see if he wants the job.” She nodded, making a remark in her blue moleskin calendar that never left her side. He was certain she slept with it under her pillow. “Why in two weeks and not now?” She was curious about the barista, he had to smile. Always out for the gossip that woman. “He has to free time with his current employment. Besides I figured it’s best if he comes during a race because there isn’t really anything exciting to be done at the moment aside from fine-tuning.”“Mhm” she hummed, closing the file she was reading. “And you want to show off.”“Stop assuming I got motives for everything I do.” Again, the doubtful eyebrow. “Don’t you? Anyways, what is his current employment?” Ah she wouldn’t like that one. “He’s working as a barista. I happen to come across the diner he works in a few days ago. And he gave me a really valuable idea.” He winced as Lujanne spluttered on her Earl grey “You hired a waiter? From a diner you happened to stop at, probably even in the middle of the night?” Of course, she’d be mad. After all it was her job to ensure positive publicity. “Well, he started an engineering degree-““Started?”“Look-“ he pinched the bridge of his nose, willing his brain to finally wake up. “I’m sure this is going to work out just fine. It was you who told me I needed a new mechanic after all and with this one I’m sure I don’t have to fire him because he turns out to be a complete idiot. So, please be nice when, if, he calls and arrange everything, okay?” Sometimes he wondered who was the boss here. “Only if you come with me now to look at the suits I picked out for tonight.” That; that had been surprisingly easy. “Ugh fine.” The engineer picked up his bowl and obediently followed her back up to his bedroom where the garments in question were already hanging neatly pressed on the hook next to a floor lengths mirror. None of them was purple, that was something.At eight pm on the dot, Runaan pulled up to the Great American Music Hall in Tenderloin. At least the venue was nice this time. He was really sick of the opulent operas those charity dinners were usually held in. Reporters were already waiting at the entrance, interviewing anyone of name that entered the building. Like vultures. Not that he blamed them, it was their job.Usually he always sported sunglasses to those events and arrived with enough security personnel to block the cameras and keep his anonymity. The tinted visor of his helmet made things a lot easier. Probably why Lujanne had agreed so readily. When he killed the rumbling engine on the street in front of the main entrance, their attention snapped to him in an instant. Even through the UV-protection he’d lowered before pulling in the street, he had to blink at the camera flashes. How did people endure those without sunglasses? Immediately, an errant boy came running to take his bike to the parking space. It took all his self-restraint to hand over the keys. If there was one thing he hated it was strangers handling his bikes. “One scratch and I will kill you.” Runaan couldn’t within but whisper as he placed them in the boy’s hand who nodded dutifully, seemingly used to those threats.He wore one of his leisure leather combos since there was no way he could fit a suit under his racing gear. Those were practically moulded to his body. Instead of the dark green and turquoise adjourned with his sponsor’s logos, it was a rather discrete dark blue. His helmet and the bike were more than enough to make him recognizable, especially for reporters whose sole purpose it was to find celebrities who didn’t want to be found. He dutifully waved at them upon passing, answered a few of their questions and reminded of the charity race he’d be participating in. That should make Lujanne happy.Once inside, he left his helmet and combo with the concierge at the cloak room. The boots stayed on. To his surprise the suit really wasn’t wrinkled at all. Even though he may have driven a little faster than allowed, Runaan still looked impeccable. His secretary must have performed some kind of sorcery on the fabric, he thought as he looked himself up and down the bathroom mirror to fix his hair. She had really picked a nice suit. A dark teal fabric that bordered black in a good way with a crisp white shirt and turquoise tie in the exact colour of his eyes. It even matched his motorcycle boots for god’s sake. Somehow, he found himself curious what she’d picked for the next day. Not that he cared of course.Back in the ball room he let himself be shown to his seat and ordered a Virgin Mojito instead of the expensive champagne the rest of his table was drinking. He even recognized a few of them as CEO’s of other motorcycle companies. Runaan mustered his most charming smile at their curious looks regarding the non-alcoholic beverage. “I still have to drive my bike back home.” The table laughed at that, apparently taking the statement as a joke. Idiots. They immediately engaged him in a very boring conversation about stock values where he had to stop himself from correcting their math several times. God how he hated those events. They were even worse without a good drink. Maybe driving there himself hadn’t been the best idea after all.The good thing about smoking, it provided the perfect excuse to leave the scene and take a few minutes alone whenever the company annoyed him too much. Runaan left early, only staying the time he deemed was polite. As he donned his leather combo and helmet, his eyes flicked over the tracker on his wrist. Almost Midnight, maybe Ethari was working already. He shook his head in confusion. Where was that coming from all of sudden? The barista seemed to sneak into his thoughts surprisingly often since their first meeting. Alarmingly often.The errand boy returned his bike in top condition while the remaining photographers decked him in blinding flashes. Pulling on the padded leather gloves, he was speeding away as fast as possible. Enough socializing for one day and most definitely enough camera flashes that burned through his retina.Not even a half hour later, he parked in front of the diner, a little relieved to see a Triumph Scrambler propped up in the vacant lot. So, Ethari was there. He left the helmet by the bike again and already pulled at the tie constricting his throat. The barista was moving over to the coffee machine, a smile on his face. “Didn’t think to see you again so soon.” Runaan shrugged, draping both the Leather jacket and his blazer on the seat beside him. “I’m in desperate need of a good coffee.” The melodic laugh he was rewarded with was worth the whole ordeal of this evening. “I can help with that.” He grabbed the cup with a grateful smile and deeply inhaled the smell of the beverage that made up a great part of his diet. Maybe a little too great.Ethari looked up from his book when the distinct rumble of a motorcycle sounded through the door. Could it be the engineer again? He sure hoped so. The nights were boring as they were but the short visits in the last two days really made it more bearable. He had to smile when the doors revealed the familiar white-haired figure. The guy was pulling at a tie around his neck with a frustrated expression. Contrary to his previous visits, he was now dressed in an expensive looking suit under the leather combo. He had to avert his eyes when the other rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, revealing built forearms and opened the top few buttons once the tie was finally gone. Ethari found he looked a little exhausted and immediately noticed the smell of cold smoke when hopping on the counter. He felt a little bad for whatever it was that was bothering him and wanted to help.“Want a cookie? I’m throwing them out otherwise.” Ethari was now perched on the counter again, leaning over a little. It would totally fuck up today’s nutrition balance but now that he mentioned it, the engineer could smell the distinct note of chocolate chip. How many miles were a cookie? Too many, but who was he to turn down food? Especially cookies. “Sure.” With a grin, the short haired man hopped down and vanished in the kitchen only to return with two cookies seconds later. “I called Miss Illura today, she was really nice.” His reply got momentarily delayed since he had to properly worship the dessert first, breaking a small piece off to dip it into his coffee. “I’m glad you decided to give it a try.” He really was. “Yeah, well anything beats this-“ the barista gestured around himself vaguely “-I would probably have called if you’d offered me a place as a mascot.” Now it was his turn to laugh “Don’t be ridiculous. I’d have you as one of the prize girls.” The image of Ethari in hot pants and a red bolero jacket got both of them breaking out into tears of laughter. They cackled for a good five minutes until it finally died down to the occasional giggle. It felt so good to joke around that Runaan realized how he’d missed social interaction besides from his team.When he finally went to bed that night, the engineer had no trouble sleeping. The hour he’d spend on the treadmill gladly accepted in return of Ethari’s company and the admittedly delicious cookie.
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The following two weeks passed in a blur. There was hardly any time between meetings and prepping the Moonshadow for his race for him to think about the barista. He’d actually called that day and Lujanne sent a package with general information to his address but otherwise he hadn’t really heard from the other. He was too busy to drop by the diner again and Lujanne handled the whole organisation, including phone calls. The two of them would arrive a day prior to the race so she organized a flight and shuttle for Ethari a day later since the race was a few states away in Texas.When Ethari stepped out of his run-down apartment building at four in the morning, a sleek black limousine was already waiting for him. “Mr Ustrin?” The black-suited chauffeur asked, opening the door for him and taking care of his backpack. “I’m here on behalf of Moonshadow Enterprises to drive you to the Airport.” The ride was pleasantly quiet and there was already a flight attendant waiting for him at the parking lot to take him through security. That must be how rich people felt, he thought when a stewardess delivered an already paid for breakfast to his business class seat. Another driver awaited him at the Texan airport to get him to the track. Once in the car, he could hear the chauffeur talking to the secretary, Miss Illura, via speaker. “We will be arriving in half an hour.”“Thank you, Peter. I will await you at entrance C, drive safe.” Ethari was really looking forward to meet that woman in person. She had been so nice over the phone but he could sense a mischievous streak in her, too. Soon, the track came in to view and his driver expertly dodged every News Van on their way to the less populated entrance C. A tall, grey haired woman was already waiting for them next to the parking slots. “Good Morning Mr. Ustrin, I hope you had a pleasant flight.” She smiled as they shook hands. “Yes, thank you for flying me out here.” He still thought it was a lot of effort for someone who was still deciding whether he wanted the job. More so if that someone wasn’t really qualified.She motioned for him to follow into the little tent village set up by the Moonshadow racing team and the other competitors. Teal banners with the companies crescent Logo flattered in the wind and everywhere, people were busy either setting up booths for the sponsors or carting around equipment. They entered one of the larger tents and the head secretary handed him a pile of dark green overalls. “Here you can change in there,” she pointed to a secluded area marked ‘paramedics’ “if you are going to be present in the box during the race you have to look like one of our employees. Otherwise they’ll think you are an affair.” He was a what now? “uh, okay?” Ethari took the pile a little hesitantly and vanished behind the curtain. Surprisingly, the Overall fit like a glove. The barista chose not to think about how she’d managed to find his exact size. She beamed at him, handing him a company issued duffle bag for his clothes. “Great. You look perfect.”“T-thanks” he stammered, hurrying to keep up with her considerably fast strides. “How much did he tell you already?” She asked as they entered the next tent, this time equipped with a conference table. “Um nothing?” he said as she beckoned him to sit down. “Typical” Lujanne slid into the chair next to him, placing a folder on the table. “This is your badge. It will grant you access to the whole Moonshadow camp and the track. Have it around your neck at all times.” He dutifully pulled the silver lanyard over his head. “There are a few ground rules. If I tell you to do something, you do it. It always has a good reason. Don’t do anything stupid in front of the press while clad in our colours, it will reflect badly on us. Don’t mess up his organizing system in the garage, he will kill you and do not touch any of the bikes without permission. Do you understand that?” He nodded. “Good, then let’s go meet your future employer.” They made a detour before that to get coffee and he noticed her preparing an additional cup. Probably for the racer.Ethari was more than curious to meet the famous founder of Moonshadow enterprises who also happened to be one of the best motorcyclists to ever run the track. He’d seen more than enough of his races to know the man really knew how to handle his bike. Though he still wondered whether he would see the guy again who got him the job offer in the first place. He must be important to the team if he was able to just offer anyone a job, right? After a few turns, they reached another tent, bigger than the ones he’d seen before. Outside were a man and a woman dressed in the same overalls unloading tires. ”Hey, Lujanne.” The woman greeted while regarding him with a curious look. “Good Morning Annie, Kourou.” The inside of the tent consisted of a large area with a portable kitchen and a garage on the other half. A bike he recognized as the Moonshadow was propped up on a stand. He could see someone lying on a roller board under it, rubbing away on the on the damper springs with a dirty rug. “Shouldn’t you be talking to the press associate of the event right now?” the secretary inquired in a surprisingly scolding tone at the figure dressed in sweatpants under the bike. “They rescheduled.” Came the muffled reply and it sounded suspiciously as if the guy was holding something between his teeth. “I brought coffee and your mechanic.” That seemed to get his attention as the rubbing motion stopped abruptly and he could see the other moving his feet to roll from under the hydraulic bench. When he did that, Ethari could see that the other really held a wrench between his teeth and that it was the same guy who had been in the diner. “I’m glad you decided to come.” He said around the wrench in his mouth as he extended the hand he’d just freed of grime on his sweatpants. “Um, Good Morning?” Ethari replied a little awkwardly, not really able to pinpoint the other’s position in the team. Miss Illura exchanged the rug in the man’s hand for a coffee cup and looked at him pointedly until the wrench was returned to its designated space on the worktable. Every piece of equipment was lined up like measured with a ruler. Now he knew what she meant by ‘organizing system’. That really bordered on insane. Suddenly aware of his daydreaming, he snapped his focus back on the other two. Instead of the black leather combo he’d worn in the diner, the guy now sported a sweat jacket with ripped off sleeves that was equally covered in motor oil as his formerly grey sweatpants. He also seemed to lack a t-shirt underneath it. The engineer was now clinging to the coffee mug as if it somehow contained a life elixir, nodding along as the secretary rattled down today’s timetable and the begin of the race forty minutes from now.Once done, she left with the promise to return in time for the start. Meanwhile, Ethari busied himself with examining the Moonshadow and the rest of the equipment in the tent. “You used my idea for the cooling system.” He realized once he took a closer look. “Yeah don’t sound so surprised. I told you it was a good idea.” The other was currently washing his hands properly in the sink at the kitchen counter. When he seemed satisfied with the state of his skin, he came walking over, freeing the long white hair from its messy ponytail and began to braid first the sides and then the top part away from his face so that the three braids joined in the back to a single one. “I still would’ve thought it would take longer for someone to actually use it.” A smirk appeared on the other’s face “I work pretty fast. Feel free to take a look around. There is nothing to do right now so, I don’t know, take your time getting accustomed to the atmosphere I guess.” By now, he’d finished the impressively tidy braid and went over to the bike to get it on the ground. Ethari briefly thought about offering his help but remembered the rule about not touching the bikes and examined the tools instead. All of which were so clean he could probably eat with them. It turned out the other got the Moonshadow down in a matter of seconds, so he figured there hadn’t been much to help with in the first place. Rolled to the tent exit, the mechanic? left the bike and went over to a locker, taking off the dirty hoodie and tossing it in the one next to it. Ethari was way too busy staring to even think about looking away as he took out an under armour shirt and pulled it on, the fitted material doing nothing to hide his toned torso. The sweatpants followed and the barista was glad he already wore the undersuit pants beneath them. Next were dark green and teal leather pants and matching boots that connected through a complicated looking buckle-system. He also took a jacket and helmet but dumped them on the couch before walking over to the bike again. Something in his mind clicked.“Wait, you are Runaan Lunaris?” the man in question shrugged, swinging a leg over the saddle. “Yeah?” Ethari wanted the earth to open up and swallow him right then and there. He’d called the world’s most renowned engineer in his field a ‘shit mechanic’. To his face. “And you didn’t tell me?!” with a soft smile Runaan watched the engine come to life, patting the tank lovingly. “What does it matter? Besides you would have never told me of your idea had you known. I like to keep a low profile.” The barista swore he had to be as red as a tomato by now. “Uh I, I don’t know?” the engine died down again and the racer came walking back to collect the rest of his gear. Ethari watched with interest as the long braid was securely tucked under the shirt before he shrugged into the rigid leather jacket. Once it was zipped up and buckled into the pants, his helmet followed suit. However, he opened the visor again, probably to still be able to hear. Lujanne chose that moment to come rushing back into the tent. “Ah, you are ready. Perfect. We will meet you at the track. Follow me.” Runaan threw her a mock salute before snapping the visor shut and climbing on the bike while she ushered Ethari out of the tent and held the flap for her boss to drive past.“Why do you look so spooked?” the personal assistant inquired on their way to the side-lines of the track reserved for Moonshadow racing. “I just found out that the guy who wanted to hire me is not some engineer but the owner of one of the leading companies in this field and I might have insulted him and his work on our first meeting.” A shudder ran down his spine just thinking about it. Lujanne just laughed while they whisked past security. “I see now why he likes you. He lives for a challenge.” How could she possibly find his misery funny? “You don’t think he’s offended?” she shook her head, hair bouncing lightly in the bun atop her head. “The main reason why he fired the last few mechanics was that they never dared to object his changes. And I know from personal experience that the ideas coming out of that mind of his do sometimes border on insane. You don’t want to know how many backup bikes of the Moonshadow model are trashed every season because of that. Not to mention the hospital visits.” Hospital visits? That sounded safe.He found it a little odd how freely the secretary spoke to him, a complete stranger, over her boss. By now, they had reached their designated place besides the brackets and the distinct deep growl of a motorcycle engine cut through the air before he could ask any further. Ethari instinctively snapped his eyes towards the noise. A sleek dark green and lagoon coloured bike came into vision. The Moonshadow. Runaan pulled to a stop in front of them with screeching tires, causing his assistant to scrunch her nose in disapproval. “You took a detour.” The engineer flicked his visor up, looking at her with wide innocent eyes. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m the first here anyways.” She huffed, shaking her head in the process but let him be. “Did you finish all the pre-checks? Fuel? Gear?” A nod. “Everything in place and ready to go.” The visor went down again, hiding his features.Ethari could have sworn Lujanne looked relieved. “Remember, it’s just a fundraiser. Keep it simple okay?” her remark got dismissed with a shrug. “You worry too much.”“And you worry too little.” She rapped her knuckles on his helmet once before stepping away in the direction of the press area. A faint flash of white behind the tinted visor indicated the racer was grinning widely.“Good luck, I guess.” What did one say in such a situation? Just then, the three-minute countdown sounded over the track’s speakers, calling the drivers to their respective brackets. Runaan threw him a sloppy salute and pulled over onto the track, engine roaring. Ethari decided to return to the pits of Moonshadow racing. Staying on the track seemed like a bad idea considering there would be a dozen motorcycles racing by soon. The pit crew solely consisted of the two workers he’d seen earlier, Annie and Kourou if he remembered correctly. They were busy arranging tools and spare parts. After observing them for a few minutes he noticed it was the exact same order he’d seen in the tent when he arrived. That seemed oddly specific. Though he assumed in a sport where everything had to be as efficient as possible, it made sense to stick to a certain order. He stopped when they set up a gurney and medical supplies. “What’s all that for?” the girl turned to him with a smile “Ah, you are the new guy, right? Janne mentioned you’d be coming today. She makes us set this up just in case. The track has a whole team of paramedics but she likes to make sure to cover everything.” Ethari nodded, offering his hand “Yes, my name is Ethari. Nice to meet you Annie, right?” she beamed, shaking his hand with a surprisingly strong grip. “Yeah, nice to meet you, too. This is Kourou.” Her gesture towards the boy who was currently flicking on the screens installed in the garage was vague but then he was the only one around. “Hi.” He briefly turned around to wave “Come on, we will miss the start.” On the screen, they could now see the start line and drivers lined up. The lights turned from yellow to green, Motorcycles speeding away. When the image changed to a bird’s perspective, following their way through the track, he switched to the racing info on one of the screens.Kourou leaned back in his seat, scanning the stats displayed. “Cleaning duty says he’s getting second.” Annie immediately took him up on the bet. “No way, Boss got this in the bag.” Her colleague seemed to disagree “Nah, I mean there are two in front of him and he literally just changed the whole cooling system which by the way is still not properly tested and almost melted one of the backups under his ass. It would be smarter to take it easy this run.” On the screen, the Moonshadow slowly gained ground to the two Motorcycles close to each other at the front. Annie raised her eyebrows as the distance grew smaller and smaller. “Smarter? We talkin’ about the same person?” Her colleague groaned. “I better prepare for clean-up. But if that bike catches fire you’re scraping it from the tarmac.” Fire? Fire sounded a lot worse than Kourou’s tone made it seem. “Why would it overheat?” he was pretty sure the cooling system was safe. Annie also looked overly calm at the prospect of a bike catching fire mid-race at more than 200 miles per hour. “Well, more cooling fluid adds more weight and that slows the bike so I think he calculated it to last for one run. It should be fine.” Fine? That sounded way too risky to be fine.“Um-“ he started but was immediately cut off by Kourou. “Annie stop freaking him out. Boss’ gonna be fine, he only crashed twice so far. On a race that is.” Twice? Only twice? That was definitely two times too many. How exactly was that supposed to make him feel better?Ethari kept his eyes on the screen from then on, desperately hoping the other wouldn’t crash due to a change he had inspired. At the end of the first round, Runaan had obtained second place and was close to making first. He followed Annie to the edge of the tarmac as the racers sped by. Ethari was barely able to make out which bike was which, the colours blurring into each other. “Wow, you really shouldn’t get too close to that.” She nodded, clearing the way to the garage of tires and tools. “Worse than a herd of angry cattle.” Interesting Analogy. “Can I help you with that?” he asked instead, gesturing for the stack of tires. She smiled and readily agreed. “Yeah sure, thanks.” Together, they relocated the stack so the path was completely free. Annie tucked a strand of her blond hair back behind her ear as they went back to watch the race. “Have you decided if you are taking the job, yet?” Ethari paused, he wouldn’t have thought her being interested in that. “I think so? I haven’t signed, yet, but the offer is better than I could hope for.” Both of them nodded in unison. “Yeah, he does pay pretty good.”“Oh, look!” Annie pointed at the screen. “There he goes, winning my bet for me.” Her smile was satisfied as Runaan leaned his bike in an almost impossible angle, knee scraping the tarmac. He passed the other racer, his name flipping to first place in the infographic. The drivers reached the finish line one by one but instead of stopping, the he sped by the line of reporters, heading for the pits. “Shit, something’s wrong. Rou, get the fire extinguisher.” Ethari took a few steps back, getting out of the way as well as he could in the small space. Not a second too late seeing Runaan was speeding in, leaving a strip of burned rubber in his wake, all but jumping off the machine as soon as it was standing still. Kourou immediately coated the whole thing in white smoke, apparently stopping it from actually catching fire. Meanwhile, his soon to be boss ripped the helmet from his head, taking a deep breath. “Okay, that was definitely not enough cooling fluid. Annie do you have the backup?” She nodded, pointing to the front of the garage where another, identical bike was propped up. “Great, see you later.” And off he was again, driving back to the other racers. “What the hell just happened?” Ethari was just short of freaking out. That motorcycle almost caught fire.The other members of the pit crew looked rather unconcerned. “The bike’s fine. Moonie just has a few melted panels.” Annie tapped the area in question with her left boot, causing two deformed casing panels to clatter on the floor. “Does, um, does that happen often?” he eyed the front of the bike and found her, just like she said, mostly intact. Kourou shook his head, turning to clean up the mess his fire extinguished had made on the floor. “Nah, not really. Usually these things get tested thoroughly but since this wasn’t a qualifying race, well, worse things happened to racers on the track. At least he brought her back in one piece.” Ethari decided then that everyone working in this industry was at least one kind of insane. “We should clean up before Lujanne comes back-“ Annie was already returning the tools to several boxes. “-she won’t be amused if she sees this. Ethari, can you help me with the tools while Kourou takes the Moonshadow back to the tent?” he nodded, already picking up a toolbox himself. “Sure.”In the end, Ethari decided he liked the duo. Yes, they were a little weird, but he found their banter and teasing much more entertaining than the lonely hours in the diner, waiting on the occasional customer to show up.Runaan joined them in the main tent shortly after they returned from the pit lane. He had his jacket slung around his waist, but the helmet was still in place, covering his features completely. He’d barley left the bike and taken off the helmet as the secretary whisked past Ethari and sniffed at the engineer’s leather combo disapprovingly. “You have a press conference in twenty minutes, take a shower you reek of champagne.” He raised his arms in surrender. “Hey, I didn’t invent that custom. But yeah, it does feel extremely gross. You’d think one gets used to it over time.” Runaan pat the hull of the bike he’d ridden in the race before turning towards a secluded area of the tent. “I’ll be back in ten. Don’t wait for me with Lunch.” Lujanne threw a bag after him, turning to the fridge to pull out a few of takeout containers.The Indian takeaway the secretary re-heated was surprisingly good. He briefly wondered where she’d got if from seeing there was nothing around the track besides Texan desert.Ethari greatly enjoyed the atmosphere of the small team. They all seemed so at ease with each other, more or less ignoring ranks and formalities altogether. Though it was clear Lujanne was the boss and had ultimate decisive power when Runaan wasn’t around. During the lunch he found out that the pair was the only permanent crew with additional staff for bigger events during the season. Lujanne embodied the positions of personal Assistant, head secretary and PR-Manager. How the woman was able to do all that at once was beyond him. When he told her as much she simply shrugged and said working for a big firm had been far more exhausting and she liked organizing things. It turned out Runaan mostly gave her free hand over everything so she could shape most things to her liking.The man in question joined them at the table roughly seven minutes after he’d left, now clad in sports clothes and his company’s colours. They looked suspiciously picked out by the PA and sported the Crescent logo on his chest and back. His long white hair was still wet and tucked into a neat braid that reached his hips. Runaan stifled a yawn after flopping down on the last empty chair and accepted the plate his assistant pushed towards him gratefully. Ethari watched the guy wolf down two plates while Lujanne talked him through the upcoming press conference and the two crew members continued to tease each other. It was interesting to see them prep for the most likely questions because she mostly just looked a little judgy whenever the racer said something very unfit for a press conference. He could tell the other mostly did it to spite her but still paid close attention to what she wanted him to say. Ethari had to smile at the scene that looked so awfully normal despite the race and everything.At the end of the day Lujanne informed him that he’d be staying in the same hotel as the rest of the team and that she had booked him a room next to her’s and Runaan’s. They all had dinner together in the hotel’s restaurant from which the engineer excused himself rather early to go for a run though he didn’t really seem happy about the prospect of exercise. It was still early when the rest of them retied to their rooms and Ethari decided to go for a swim in the hotel pool. He hadn’t packed any swim clothes but quickly realised the hotel, a really fancy one, had provided both swim trunks and a bath robe for the use of the spa area.When he arrived at the pool, it was occupied by a single swimmer he recognized as his soon to be boss. Ethari scanned the room and found the other’s towel and bathrobe on one of the lounges. A single half-full whisky glass was perched on the edge of the pool. He contemplated leaving but decided against it. The barista didn’t want his track through the four-star hotel in a bathrobe be for nothing and the hot tub in the far corner of the room looked really inviting. Careful to not disturb the other, he avoided the edge of the pool as best as he could and slowly lowered himself into the hot water, immediately feeling the relief after such an eventful day. Ethari tracked the other’s position for a few minutes before he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander. His thoughts were disturbed as soon as he sensed movement outside the water. Runaan was apparently done swimming and now walking towards him. Towel in one hand and Whisky in the other. He set both down next to Ethari’s things and plucked something out of his ears. Headphones? They were connected to an MP3 player via cable that was clipped onto his dark blue swim trunks. He removed both before taking up the whisky again and settling into the hot water on the opposite side of the tub. “How long have you been here?” Ethari glanced at the vintage clock mounted to the wall. “Um, maybe thirty minutes?”“Why didn’t you say something?” he swallowed, suddenly very aware that he was sharing a hot tub with his future employer. “I, uh, I didn’t want to disturb your training.” Runaan chuckled, taking a sip from his Whisky. “Ah, don’t worry. I mostly do that to make my Nutritionist happy. And Lujanne of course.” There was a slight note of mischief in his voice, indicating that both usually weren’t his goal at all. “You have a Nutritionist?” he couldn’t within but ask. Another chuckle, this time paired with a small grimace. “Yeah, he’s a pain in the ass, really. My sponsors require me to have one but I mostly ignore him.” Ethari wasn’t really familiar with how much influence sponsors generally had on their athlete’s lifestyles. To be honest, he found the concept rather strange. “What does a Nutritionist do exactly?” Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested. “Tells me which food groups I shouldn’t consume, which are all the good ones by the way. I even have a meal plan for the weekdays. It’s ridiculous. I also have to take a health exam every month and complete a certain amount of exercise.” He took another sip from the Glass cradled in his right. ”They add up when I stray from the plan-“ a vague gesture towards the now still pool “-hence the swimming.” Ethari couldn’t imagine having someone monitor your every move. “How do they know you did?” Food intake was rather hard to monitor after all. Runaan lifted his left arm in response, wriggling his wrist. It was adjourned with a sleek digital watch that looked pretty expensive. “One of my company’s products actually. I kind of dug my own grave there. It’s basically a fitness tracker that monitors your vitals and sends them to the health department. Only that it can track much more than ordinary ones. Like caloric intake for example.” The barista shivered despite the hot water at the thought of someone having access to all that information 24/7. “Why don’t you take it off?” though that would probably be way too easy. “Nah. It’d show up in the stats. My contract allows my sponsors access to the health data, but I can refuse information of certain hours for personal reasons.” For a moment Ethari’s mind considered those reasons before he could stop himself. He felt his cheeks heat up and was suddenly grateful for the hot water that kept a constant flush on his face ever since he’d sat down. “Ah, I-I see.”“It’s not that bad. Lujanne checks it over before forwarding it.” That woman seemed to be a really important part of the company. He also suspected that nothing would work out if she wasn’t around. The members of the team he’d met so far all had that distinct chaotic energy to them, even Runaan. Especially Runaan.The man in question mustered him over the rim of his tumbler. “Have you decided, yet?” Ah, yes, the offer. “You haven’t told me what exactly my job would be.” A hum. “Oh, well I need a mechanic. I can’t do repairs myself during a race. Or I can, but it costs time I don’t have. I would also like you to work in development with me. I need a different perspective on some things. Janne’s right when she says I’m holed up in my garage too long to come up with anything useful outside of racing.” The engineer gave him plenty of time to answer, settling lower into the water, arms braced on the edge of the hot tub. “You know-“ now it was Ethari’s turn to smirk. “I would’ve probably taken it even if you had me fetch coffee the whole day.” Runaan chuckled with a devious smile. “Who says I don’t want you to make coffee? The Espresso you made was pretty decent.” A warm sensation spread in his chest at the careless banter. Months of inconsistent shifts at the vacant diner had him more than a little deprived of social contact. He hated being alone more than anything, always playing the TV or Music in his run-down Apartment whenever he was there. Keeping up with friends was hard if one was doing night shifts after all.Just now, he realized that the other sported a fairly large tattoo on his chest. The light blue crescent shapes wound into each other on his left, creating a bold tribal pattern that passed up over his shoulder. It looked rather good, how hadn’t he noticed it before?With a glance to his watch, Runaan tipped back the remnants of his Whisky and moved to leave, water trailing down his toned chest. Ethari’s mouth went dry. That guy was so his type. “Our plane leaves at 8:30. I would recommend getting some sleep before that. Pretty sure Lujanne will want to talk you through the contract during the flight.” He was momentarily pulled from his musings. “Uh, yeah, sure. You’re probably right.” A small smile appeared on the other’s face as he stood there in the little puddle the water dripping from his swim trunks had created. “Breakfast is at six, see you there.” With that, Runaan slung the towel he’d picked up around his neck and vanished in the general direction of the elevator. Ethari stared at the door long after he’d left, trying to work out what exactly he’d done that karma granted him a hot guy and a great job at the same time. Of course, he’d be admiring only. There was no way he’d start a relationship with his employer. Though there was no crime in looking, was there?The next morning, he found himself seated on a table with the personal assistant in a mostly vacant hotel dining room after not nearly enough sleep. His soon to be employer was nowhere to be seen. Ethari awkwardly nibbled on a croissant while Lujanne tapped away on her laptop with her right hand, a cup of Latte Macchiato in the other. After a few minutes, she looked at her watch with a sigh, turning on the Bluetooth headset that was fastened to her ear. A couple of taps on her phone later, she waited for the call to connect and the other person to pick up. “Get your ass down here.” Was all she said before hanging up again, not even bothering to wait for an answer. He was still nibbling on the croissant when a very grumpy looking Runaan entered the room, clad in sweatpants and a hoodie that obstructed most of his face. The racer made a detour to the self-service coffee maker on his way to their table, setting down two double Espressos. One of which he tipped back immediately seemingly unfazed by the hot liquid. He grumbled a “Morning” that sounded like he’d swallowed glass and stifled a yawn as he eyed the displayed foods a few feet away on the buffet. “Good Morning, Sunshine.” Lujanne teased and closed her laptop with a slight click, taking a croissant from the basket for herself. Runaan muttered something under his breath and stood again, walking over to the buffet table. He returned shortly after with a huge bowl of cereal and fruits. Ethari watched as dumped two yoghurts and a few spoonful’s of sugar into it, mixing the whole thing. When the engineer wasn’t looking Lujanne shot him a smirk, rolling her eyes at the odd breakfast. He was currently debating whether he should get another croissant as Runaan produced a silver USB-Stick from his Hoodie’s front pocket and slid it over to his assistant. She immediately took it and plugged it into her computer. On the first try. He was impressed. “I finished the design for the new bike. A few minor adjustments and we can go into testing.” With a nod, the grey-haired woman opened the first file, showing a 3D model of a sleek dark grey motorcycle. From his position, Ethari could only see about half of the screen, but he immediately recognized the layout of the blueprints portrayed on the side from his time in college. Usually most people used computer programs for those things nowadays, but they looked hand-drawn. Not scanned, only hand-drawn. The white-haired man turned the screen towards him a bit more. “What do you think?” He gave the whole model a quick once over before clicking on one of the blueprints. “I like what you did with the windshield, the angle provides more cover while still not disturbing the streamline. Though I would probably change the mantle here-“ he tapped the screen “-and here so you have less surface vulnerable to side wind.” Runaan regarded his assistant with a smirk that seemed to say ‘I told you so.’ And turned the Laptop towards himself again, plucking the USB stick from the port. He watched the silent exchange with growing interest. Why did he feel like he’d just passed a test?On the flight back, Lujanne produced a surprisingly thick binder that apparently housed the contract she’d made for him. They went over every detail while occasionally being interrupted by the stewards asking whether anyone still wanted something to eat or drink. At some point it almost bordered annoying. The secretary however stayed polite the entire time, often declining but sometimes she would order another coffee or snack. She had placed the binder on both their foldable tables so he could read along as she spoke and made sure he understood every paragraph. On his left side Runaan sat on the window seat, completely engrossed in his work. As soon as they had taken their seats, the other had covered his ears with the noise cancelling headphones previously slung around his neck and set up a tablet that was connected to a drawing pad he held in his lap. Ethari watched with interest as the screen flicked to life with more blueprints. To his disappointment, Lujanne had demanded his full attention shortly after the engineer started editing the layouts with a digital pen and he had to force his eyes away from the screen. That’s why they looked hand-drawn. Interesting.Ethari was pretty sure he’d signed his name over a hundred times while the secretary placed confidentiality agreement after agreement in front of him. It didn’t surprise him that they wanted to make sure their tech stayed safe but some of the requirements were just ridiculus.
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He started working the next day and made sure to be exactly on time. There was no way he’d risk making a bad first impression. Although Lujanne had told him he would most likely not actually work the first few weeks, being introduced to the machines and other products the company sold. The address she had given him belonged to a secluded estate at the edge of San Bruno Mountain state park that was surrounded by a rather intimidating tall fence.He carefully rolled his bike to a stop in front of the huge gate, pressing the speaker button. Lujanne’s voice sounded through the speaker and she immediately opened the gate upon hearing his voice. The space beyond was surprisingly simple; a large, modern building stood amidst the tall trees that were typical for the region. He noticed the huge garage door that dominated the front of the house when he spotted Lujanne on a small balcony at the top of the garage. A set of stairs led to what seemed to be the front door. She opened it and motioned for him to follow once he’d parked his ride in the admittedly spacious driveway.The inside of the house was surprisingly empty and smaller than he’d thought. It mainly consisted of one big room that housed a large sofa and an open kitchen area. A staircase led up to what he guessed were private rooms.Slightly surprised that he apparently wasn’t on company grounds but a private estate, Ethari turned around to take in the whole room. He found two more doors that seemed to lead to the rest of the house and another staircase, leading to ground level.“Would you like some coffee?” Lujanne pulled him out of his musings. “Yes, please.” She motioned for him to sit down on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter. “I hope you found the way without any problems.” The older woman came back to sit beside him, handing over a steaming mug. He nodded, there weren’t many houses in the area after all. “I’m a little surprised you didn’t want me to come to the companies headquarter.” She smiled but shook her head. “Most of the development is done here and the racing branch is generally kept separate from the rest of the business. But we can visit the company if you would like.” The secretary then placed a silver key card on the counter in front of him. “This opens the front gate and grants you access to the garage. It has a separate entrance in the front.” Of course, it made sense to shut the private parts of the estate off. He was surprised though that they were giving him a key to the house on his first day. When Ethari voiced that thought, she just looked at him rather smugly. “Don’t think I didn’t run a background check on you the second Runaan told me he wanted to hire you. Your scores in University were impressive by the way.” Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Ethari could feel the colour leave his face. “Those results are usually not given to anyone but the students.” She shrugged “I have my ways. It’s my job to keep this company and everyone in it on the sunny side of media attention. It’s always wise to know more than the paparazzi.”That woman really started to creep him out. Although Ethari had to admit he was impressed by her organizational talent and general zero-bullshit attitude.With an audible clack, she placed her cup back on the granite surface. “Anyways, shall I show you to the garage?” he quickly downed the rest of his coffee and stood to follow her. “Where is-“ she seemed to know what he wanted to ask and responded immediately. “Runaan? I haven’t seen him yet. I just arrived a few minutes before you did but if I had to bet, I’d say he’s probably still downstairs.”Still? It was eight in the morning.He descended the stairs, following Lujanne with a feeling of anticipation and curiosity. How would the working space be like? He’d only ever been in the run-down garage of his apprenticeship and the classrooms at Uni.A door obstructed the way halfway down but it opened automatically after the PA. held a card similar to his own against the scanner. Instantly, deafening loud music filled the space around them, making him cover his ears. Oddly enough, the first thing that came to his mind was the exceptional soundproofing of the door they just passed. They hadn’t been able to hear anything from outside.At the bottom of the stairs, a large room opened up that seemed to span the entire ground space of the house and was occasionally interrupted by a pillar, supporting the upper levels. The space was almost painfully organized. Every tool looked like it had its specific place and the multiple wrenches and screwdrivers mounted with hooks on the wall were surely aligned with a ruler. Several workbenches lined the walls and about a dozen bikes of various states of assembly were standing around, two of them currently being hung up on a hydraulic ramp. Boxes of spare parts lined the walls not otherwise occupied and he found a lathe and welding station on the far side.Some of the machinery, he didn’t even recognize. While he’d been busy staring, Lujanne had made her way over to a control panel and suddenly, the deafening music stopped. Instead, he now heard a clang followed by a string of curses from the general direction of the hydraulic ramp. Seconds later, his new boss surfaced from behind the bike he’d been working on, looking over to Lujanne accusingly. He rubbed his head, where Runaan had apparently hit it somewhere. “What time is it?” She rolled her eyes, looking pointedly at his wristwatch. “Eight thirty. Your new employee is here. I’ll leave you to it, there are some files to look over on your desk.” With that, she whisked past him and up the stairs, leaving Ethari awkwardly standing in the entrance, his bag clutched fast between his fingers.Runaan’s eyes flicked up and down his body as if making sure that he was indeed there and not some illusion. “Did she tell you to come this early?” the white haired man rubbed a hand over his forehead and placed the wrench back on its designated spot, adjusting it a little until it was in complete symmetry with the others. “Yes?” he tried, taking a careful step into the garage. “My contract states that my work starts at eight on regular days and I’m supposed to be available 24/7 during a race.” He’d read the damn thing four times to make sure he’d memorised every detail.“Yeah, okay we’re going to change that. If you don’t want to sit down here alone the whole morning, I suggest you come in around ten/twelve.” Why would he be alone? The other was currently there after all.“Did you have breakfast yet?” an odd question to ask Ethari found but answered. “Kind of?” Runaan cocked his head, seemingly contemplating. “Um, okay, well I haven’t so if you’d like to have some, feel free to join me.”Slightly startled by the offer, he did nothing more but nod as they ascended the stairs again. This turned out to be the strangest first day at work he’d ever had. And that was counting his pool cleaning business in high school.In the kitchen, his boss started the other coffee maker which used a pot instead of the high-tech capsule machine Lujanne had used earlier. What kind of person even owned two coffee makers? He nodded at the offer for another cup nonetheless. Ethari had never been one to refuse caffeine in any form.The other opened a drawer for two cups before turning around again. His white hair was tied up in a low bun and gently swayed while he moved around. “As for breakfast I’m afraid I can only offer painfully healthy cereal, yoghurt and fruits.” By mentioning the latter, he gestured for a bowl on the counter.“I’m not picky.” He’d been a broke student once. As long as it could remotely be called food, he’d eat it. “What are you having?” It occurred to him that it would probably be the easiest choice to just take the same.Runaan smiled, placing two bowls on the granite surface and reached for a cutting board and kitchen knife. Ethari watched as he expertly diced apples, bananas and few strawberries, hands moving with practised ease. The white haired man dumped yoghurt from a pretty large bucket in both bowls, topping it with oatmeal and the fruit. He even sprinkled some chocolate flakes on the one he passed over to Ethari.Runaan then joined him on the counter and took a few spoonfulls of his bowl before muttering “Ah, fuck it.” Under his breath and dumping chocolate flakes into it for good measure.Ethari had to smile at that, something about the other made him instantly warm up to him. He liked the casual manner with which he handled his employees (even though he’d only met three so far) despite his position and obvious wealth. Just like back in the diner, Runaan appeared strikingly down to earth and he would’ve mistaken him for one of his college friends hadn’t he known better.“So Janne talked you through the paperwork yesterday?” he asked between two spoonfulls of his meal and Ethari nodded. A hum and a few helpings later, his new boss spoke again. “Did she show you around yet?”“Only to the garage so far.” another hum.They finished their breakfast in silence and Runaan placed both bowls in the sink once they were done, transferring the rest of the coffee he’d made into a thermos. “Okay, well, there isn’t much more to see really. There are two guestrooms over there-“ he mentioned for one of the two doors leading away “- and a gym behind the other one. Otherwise it’s just the garage so you probably won’t get lost.” Ethari nodded, obediently following back down to the workspace. “We will start with a general overview of all our products today and work our way up to the tech of the Moonshadow during the week. I don’t expect you to actually do anything on your own the first few weeks. I think it’s more important that you know what’s going on first. The season doesn’t start for another three months so we got plenty of time to just talk about the shit we’ve been developing so far.”Getting talked through the company’s products and recent development projects turned out to be pretty fun. Runaan was a surprisingly good teacher and presented everything with an amount of enthusiasm that immediately got him hooked.They continued to meet at ten am instead of eight and his boss always prepared breakfast for both of them once he’d arrived. They would talk over blueprints and mechanism until his time was over and he would drive home while the other either continued working or got reminded by his tracker that there was still a workout to be done. Lujanne came around most days to drop off paperwork or remind her boss of some upcoming event. She even took the time to show him around the company’s headquarters and main production site on one of the days Runaan was occupied otherwise.During the first two weeks of his employment – he was still reluctant to call it that since he wasn’t really working, yet - Ethari found out the following things about his new boss;He was not a morning person in the slightest. The whole concept of a regular sleeping schedule seemed foreign to him and even at ten am he’d witnessed the other tipping salt into his coffee instead of sugar. Ethari even suspected Runaan had the workshop door booby trapped in case he slept through his alarm. More than once his new boss had appeared a little dishevelled from the top floor just shortly after Ethari arrived.He also loved food so much it bordered obsession. He lost any and all interest in his designs once they were completed to perfection safe for the Moonshadow. But Ethari didn’t count that since the racing bike was more of a progress work and constantly improved in one way or another. Lujanne had told him that she was the main reason Runaan had even considered selling the things he constructed for fun. She’d been his PA when he started racing and helped to build up the whole company.His OCD was very strong concerning his workplace and everywhere he had to do things but otherwise he didn’t seem to mind chaos at all, considering the state of some of the lockers housing work clothes.Ethari also knew by now that the other despised of any event that required him to attend a dinner with rich people and try to make nice. His boss frequently argued with the secretary over every event she wanted him to attend. Meetings with sponsors also seemed to rank very high on the not-want-to-do-list.What unnerved Ethari though was that he had absolutely no idea about Runaan’s personal life, friends or family. He himself was pretty open about these things and readily offered information when asked but the other never spoke about it. Their conversations mostly circled work, racing or other mundane things of low importance. At some point, Ethari got the feeling he didn’t have a personal life besides work. He hadn’t even seen other people around besides Lujanne and the occasional delivery driver from the company.He also hadn’t quite adjusted to the fact that they were working from his employers private house. Hell, he sat in the other’s kitchen every morning and whenever they took a break to get some coffee. It was a little surreal because the working environment was equally professional as it was casual. One day, Runaan would show up in chinos and a dress shirt, hair meticulously styled. The other he’d be wearing sweatpants and a tank top partially covered in grime, head nodding along to whatever played on his headphones. It was a wild mix and always a surprise, not following any particular pattern.His attitude however was always polite with a hint of humour shining through every now and then. It didn’t feel like working with his boss but rather like doing a group project in college.Not that Ethari minded of course. He had enough experience with difficult environments and strict hierarchies in the past and enjoyed to be treated as an equal.They managed to get through everything he needed and wanted to know in about two and a half weeks. As excited as Ethari was to finally start doing the actual work, he was also a little sad since he’d come to enjoy their discussions over every little detail, often spanning several hours. He quickly realised however that working with Runaan wasn’t much different. The engineer mostly tackled problems head on, experimenting a lot, which gave him the opportunity to also explore some ideas of his own.Runaan never tried to stop him from doing so except for when he was certain it would blow up in their faces. His reasoning in these situations was always rational and Ethari never felt lectured in any way. In return, he was expected to do the same and openly voice his opinion on anything his boss did. Runaan had told him as much once they’d started working. “I didn’t hire you to do as I tell you but to help me improve and see the things I might overlook.” He’d said when they looked over an engine design of his company that was scheduled for re-make and Ethari hadn’t dared to point out the obvious flaws he spotted.They found a rhythm easy enough. He even managed to get used to the overly specific organising system before Runaan had a seizure over miss-placed tools. Once he’d understood how it was sorted into categories and sub-categories, it proved to be rather logic. More often than not, Lujanne had to drag them out of the workshop in the evening because they still wanted to finish something they’d been working on.
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Once the racing season neared, his work shifted a bit. Instead of juggling multiple projects at once, they were now solely working on the Moonshadow and its replacements to get all six of them up to the latest changes. It was only then that Runaan showed him the private racing track on his estate. It wove through the woods that otherwise covered the whole strip of land and a door that he’d never noticed before opened directly onto the tarmac from the garage. Equipped with a series of sensors and cameras, it was built entirely for training and testing purposes to his boss’ requirements. “Why didn’t you show me earlier?” After all they’d been working on the bike before if only briefly.“You didn’t ask.” Runaan answered with a smirk and pulled the white and silver helmet on that was hanging from the handlebar of one of the replacements. “Do you want to take a run?” the offer caught Ethari so off guard that he merely stared, blinking in slight shock “What?!” His boss went over to one of the lockers and pulled out another helmet. “Would you like to race with me?” it still took a couple of seconds until it clicked. “Um, I-uh-“ he began, nervously looking over the seven identical motorcycles. “-I’ve , um, never actually done that before?” he was a good driver but taking the occasional joyride down the coast was entirely different to what the engineer had in mind. Runaan smiled, pushing the helmet in his hands “Get your leathers, I’m going to show you how to drive.”Somehow, it didn’t sound mocking. His voice only radiated joy and mild amusement. “Are you sure?”Ethari himself wasn’t. “These are, like, very expensive.” He vaguely gestured to the replacements but his boss only laughed. “I’d be more concerned for you than the bike, honestly. I run through one of them every two months anyways so, no loss.” How could one ‘run-through’ a motorcycle? The mechanic didn’t really want to know.“Alright-“ he finally allowed, a little excited even “-but you are covering my hospital bills.” Another laugh “Sure. I’ll even get you flowers.” Runaan winked and proceeded to push two of the bikes onto the track while he changed into his leather combo he’d worn on his way to work.“Okay” the engineer motioned for him to get on once he was fully dressed in protective gear. “Of course it’s a little different to your scrambler. The centre mass is closer to the ground and you sit less upright.” With a gentle push, Ethari found himself almost lying on the gas tank. Sure, he’d driven sport bikes before but this was different. He had to drape himself over and around the sleek machine to reach everything and felt a little ridiculous.The mechanic looked up again when Runaan reached for the handle and pulled, smiling at the deep roar that erupted from the bike. “The gears are closer to each other too so be careful you don’t accidentally get the wrong one. Here-“ he flicked a switch on the helmet he’d given him and did the same with his own, closing the visor. “Can you hear me?” his voice echoed loud and clear trough the confined space around Ethari’s head. “Um, yeah?” he tried, figuring it would go both ways. Next to him, his boss gracefully hopped onto his own bike.“Perfect. I would suggest we take a few slow rounds at first so you can get to know the track and bike.” He nodded before realizing the other probably wouldn’t see it. “Okay?” Ethari was still more than just a little anxious.Runaan’s warm chuckle filled his ears, somehow encouraging him. “Well; go ahead then, I’ll catch up.” He could basically see the smug smirk in his tone. Carefully, Ethari pulled the accelerator, testing how responsive it was.Very. Just great.His start was a little faster than he would have liked but after a few seconds he found the speed didn’t bother him as much as he’d thought. A roar behind him alerted the mechanic of the second bike before he could see Runaan driving next to him, looking oddly relaxed despite the position.“See, not so bad.” He heard and now it was his turn to laugh. “She’s a little more responsive on the gas than mine.” He allowed, not wanting to give away his initial shock. “I sure hope so, they are made for racing after all.” The slight jab was playful, and he found Runaan’s voice rather calming. “There is a pretty sharp turn ahead.” He warned and Ethari instinctively decreased his speed a bit while his boss noticed his absence a little late and took the curve in their previous tempo. It looked effortless. But then, of course it would, he was used to drive it much faster after all.Runaan waited for him behind the curve and drove a little behind him after that, matching his speed and occasionally announcing more turns or slopes. Soon, they had rounded the track twice and Ethari found himself driving a little faster once he was used to the bike and knew where the turns were.“Do you like it?” his boss sounded cheerful, more relaxed than he’d been in days. “Yeah” he admitted, grin plastered on his face. The adrenaline felt good, pumping through his system and causing a slight buzz of energy. He could get behind why Runaan liked it so much.They took a few more rounds before he suddenly saw a flash of blue and silver speed past him. Apparently, the racer decided it was time to speed things up. “Is my snail pace too slow for you?” Ethari joked, following as fast as he dared. There was no way he’d catch the other anyways.Joyful laughter filled his helmet, causing a warm buzzing sensation to appear in his chest. “A little?” there was a hint of guilt in it that caused him to chuckle before leaning in for another curve. “Hey I don’t blame you.” Just as he returned to an upright position, he could hear the by now familiar roar of the other motorcycle nearing. Instinctively, Ethari pulled over a little to let the other slip past and soon enough, Runaan sped by, a mere blurr of colours.The next time he caught up, his boss slowed down to drive beside him again. “Sorry about that.”“No need, I’d also show off if I were you.” Ethari was mesmerized by the grace the racer obtained even at such high speed. The other huffed “You think this was me showing off?” Somehow, he didn’t like where this was going as Runaan’s laughter sounded through his helmet.“Get back to the garage and I’ll show you what showing off looks like.”Oh no.Lujanne would have his head should anything happen but at least now he’d finally found the competitive streak of his employer. He’d always wondered where it was before.They stopped together at the entrance to the garage and Runaan turned on what seemed to be the tracks control system. Immediately, several screens with different camera angles lit up and another showed round speed and other information such as humidity, time and weather.He set the start count down to ten seconds and gestured for Ethari to take one of the headsets connected to it while hopping on his bike again.On the three second mark, the deafening sound of his engine filled the air and as soon as the green light turned, the bike was gone, leaving a strip of burned rubber in it’s wake.Great. He was already anxious.“Runaan?” he asked, uncertain if the other would actually respond. Just now, he could see him passing one of the cameras, leaning in for a curve. “Yes?” It sounded a little breathless but in a happy way. “Be careful ok?” That moment he could swear the other had saluted in the direction of the next camera before answering. “Sure” and pulled the accelerator upon passing the straight strip next to the house for a second round. Somehow here, Ethari found he looked faster than during the charity race but maybe that was just because Runaan was alone on the track. He busied himself with watching the screens as soon as Runaan was out of sight again and stayed quiet to not distract the other.Soon enough, the bike sped past again, adding another round time to the stats. To his imminent surprise, it was even lower than the first.When Runaan slid into a halt next to him with screeching tires, Ethari couldn’t within but jump a little. He hadn’t expected the other to stop quite so close to his person. While he was still slightly in shock, the other killed the engine and pulled off his helmet to shake out the now slightly messy hair.He handed Ethari the helmet and slid out of his leather jacket, still seated on the steaming bike. The mechanic had never seen anything hotter in his life. His dark grey under armour shirt hugged Runaan’s torso in all the right places and these leather pants were basically moulded to his body.Oh god, he thought. Don’t panic. Don’t do anything stupid. You got this.“Ethari?” a melodic voice wormed its way through the fog surrounding his brain. “Huh?” Just now he realized he hadn’t been listening.“Are you okay?”“Uh, s-sure. You just spooked me a bit ‘s all.” Please buy it, his head screamed until the other broke into a crooked grin very unlike himself and laughed. “I’m sorry. Lujanne keeps telling me I’m too reckless.”Oh, thank god.“Well, you are.” Ethari tried for his best scolding tone but had to smile, too. His boss shrugged and swung his leg over the bike to get off. “I suppose you’ll have to get used to it with the racing season coming up.”The mechanic only rolled his eyes as he stored the helmet, heart still racing. He wasn’t gonna get any sleep that night and at that rate, he would get a serious problem. ‘Get a grip!’ his more rational side scolded while the rest of his brain filed the image away for later use.Oh god, he was so screwed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The following week passed relatively uneventful on his part, but he noticed the engineer being a little more invested in his work than usual. Most mornings Runaan was already working when he arrived and probably hadn’t left the garage in the first place. The old futon in the corner looked suspiciously used most mornings and after a few days, a pillow and blanket appeared on it, carelessly crumpled together.Lujanne also came by more often to discuss the general timeframe for the season and what would be needed for each race.He watched with growing unease as the smudges under Runaan’s eyes grew darker and the ashtray fuller.One day, his boss tipped his double espresso in the bowl of cereal in front of him, staring at it for a few seconds before realizing his mistake. “Aw shit.” It sounded hoarse and a little resigned.“You need a break.” Ethari stated, sipping his own coffee and pushing his cereal over to Runaan who accepted it gratefully. He’d eaten at home already anyways. At first it looked like the other wanted to nod but then shook his head instead. “Still have to finish some stuff.”Bullshit, Ethari thought. They were way ahead of schedule. “I know what’s due for today. Go and get some shuteye, I’ll wake you when I need you.” He meant it. Runaan looked terrible.The croaked “I’m fine.” Did nothing to aid the racer’s case. “We both know that’s a lie. Take a nap or I’ll call Lujanne.” Early on, he’d found out that the other had some strange kind of maternal fear of the woman. Not that he could blame him, Lujanne had that aura to her and could be positively terrifying if she wished.“Fine” he finally agreed grumpily “But you’ll wake me when you need a hand.” Ethari smiled, satisfied with that outcome. “Promise”He stayed seated at the kitchen counter until Runaan had vanished up the stairs to the Loft where he assumed his bedroom was. Back in the garage he managed to make good time on their tasks and was almost done by the time he went up to get a cup of coffee in the late afternoon.Just as he made to grab the coffee pot to take it back downstairs and finish up for the day, a scuffle sounded from the loft.A few moments later, a white-haired figure appeared on top of the stairs, now clad in dark blue sweatpants and a tank top. Runaan yawned “How long was I out?” Ethari quickly glanced at his wristwatch. “Um, about six hours.” The other stopped at that, a little baffled before he continued his way down. Ethari reached for a second mug and filled it with the coffee he’d just made. “Here” the engineer nodded his thanks and inhaled the smell with a rather serene expression before downing the scorching hot liquid in one. Ethari refilled both their cups and made for the garage. “Come, I’ll show you how far I got.”Runaan was visibly impressed with his progress and let himself get talked through everything he’d missed. “I’m impressed. You’re almost done with today’s tasks.” He had to smile at that. Praise from his boss was rare but genuine. “Thanks, I think I’ll need half an hour at most until everything is done. You could have stayed asleep.” But Runaan shook his head with a smile. “Nah, I’ve slept more than enough.” And after a moment of silence added “Say, would you care to grab some coffee and pancakes later? My treat.” he rubbed the back of his head a little sheepishly, very unlike his usual confident self.Even though Ethari knew full well how dangerous than terrain was, he agreed readily. “Sure why not.” The engineer beamed at that, still a little rumpled from sleep. “Great! Do you need my help here?” he inquired, vaguely gesturing to the workbench he’d been occupying. Ethari was surprised he managed to suppress the urge to correct the positions of the tools he’d used that were still strewn across the surface. “Not really, no.” he admitted.“Alright, then I’ll get a head start on the pancakes. Find me in the Gym when you’re done, ok?” and gone was his white-haired companion. He simply shouted a “Sure” after him but doubted the other heard it. About forty minutes later, he, too ascended the stairs to look for his boss. He’d made sure to leave the workspace in perfect order.Runaan was on the treadmill, headphones in place and hummed along a song he vaguely remembered from their work. The other didn’t seem to notice him so Ethari stepped further into the room until he was in his line of sight. When his boss noticed him, he nearly tripped, scrambling to catch up with the still rapidly moving treadmill until he was steady enough to turn it off. “You’re done already?” Ethari nodded, seeing he still had the headphones on, his voice a little too loud.“If you don’t mind, I’ll take a quick shower and we can head out.” Together, they returned to the living area where Ethari made himself comfortable on the lounge while the other went upstairs. He picked up the MotoGP magazine on the coffee table and flicked through the pages. Most of it was already about the upcoming season and he even found an article about Runaan and Moonshadow Racing.Printed was a short, written interview with his boss and a couple photos from last season and the charity race. The only picture out of his helmet was a podium shot from his last GrandPrix. Runaan was still half-way clad in his motor suit and probably came directly from the track. Most of his face was obstructed by the by now familiar dark blue Moonshadow Racing base cap that had seen better days and a large pair of sunglasses. It really looked like there were no sharp pictures of his face out there. Ethari wondered how they had managed that. He’d refrained from googling the racer to not invade his privacy, but his curiosity won this time.The most images that showed up on a quick google search showed him always with his helmet or sunglasses and some kind of headwear. The others were paparazzi shots of Runaan in sport clothes most likely jogging. The hood was pulled deep in his face and they were far too grainy to make out anything. His most striking feature, the long white hair was mostly braided but Ethari also found a few images from fundraiser events where he was dressed in expensive looking suits with a high ponytail. Though there, he was always surrounded by security personnel, blocking the view.One image in particular caught his eye. Runaan was seen on a red carpet, a sports event, the caption supplied, and wore a dark purple suit that sparkled in some places. He tried zooming in but the picture was too grainy to make out the exact source. It looked rather good, he found. Even though it differed greatly from the racer’s usual attire.Further down, Ethari found some magazine covers that all showed him leaning against the Moonshadow in his leather combo and helmet or the sunglasses and base cap combo. He scrolled some more when his thumb suddenly froze, eyes going wide. One of the magazine covers, men’s health, was completely different.In the middle was the Moonshadow in front of a dark background, illuminated by something out of view. What caught his eye however was the figure sprawled on top of the bike. Runaan was on his back, lying draped across the hull, hands reaching over his head towards the handlebar. He was only clad in the leather pants of his racing combo, helmet and jacket strewn across the floor as if he’d just dropped them there. The usual under armour shirt dangled from his left foot that rested atop his other knee. ‘How to train like a MotoGP Champion’ was the headline, advertising a lengthy interview inside. Ethari was just about to look for the issue number when a scuffle from the stairs alerted him.He almost dropped his phone, so fast did he try to close the browser tab.The object of his interest lightly bounced down the stairs, now in tight black jeans, a dark blue dress shirt and a leather jacket. Somehow that wasn’t better than the half-naked picture he’d just drooled over. Scolding himself yet another time for unprofessional thoughts about his employer, Ethari stood and also grabbed his leather jacket. “Ready?” Runaan asked as he collected his wallet and keys from the coffee table. “Sure, where do you want to go?”“Ah, it’s not far from here. You’ll see.” Ethari was already mounted on his scrambler when the other rolled his street bike out of the garage. The engineer now wore a matte black helmet, hands covered in regular off the rack gloves. He really did take the low-profile thing very seriously.Ethari gestured for the opened front gate, testing the gas “Lead the way.” That, he didn’t have to say twice. Just a second later, Runaan sped past him, gravel flying in every direction. With a low curse, he kicked his own bike into gear, hot on the other’s heels.It turned out the engineer had waited for him to catch up just a few metres down the road. Apparently, he’d learned his lesson about losing him on the track. Ethari was also positive that the ‘street bike’ surpassed every law and regulation that existed. Her sound was just too full to be as throttled as Runaan claimed it to be. He’d have to check up on that sometime.The mechanic followed him until the woods changed to suburbs and back to empty highways. All in all they might have driven for a good twenty minutes when Runaan pulled over to a deserted parking lot. It belonged to a 24hrs diner that seemed completely empty.His boss placed helmet and gloves on the bike, gesturing for him to follow. “Their pancakes are better than the exterior lets on, promise.”Seeing there was no one there besides them, Ethari also left his helmet outside. They could still see them through the large windows after all. “Hey, Maria.” The other greeted an older woman behind the counter before taking a seat in one of the booths in the back. “Nice to see you again so soon Honey, I’ll be right over.”She was by their table by the time Ethari had settled in his seat across from the engineer. “So, what can I get you? The usual for you I assume?” the waitress looked at Runaan expectantly. “Hn, thanks.”“And you dear?” Ethari quickly skimmed the menu, not wanting her having to wait too long. “Um, I’ll take a hot chocolate and the classic Bacon pancake plate please.” She smiled and placed an ashtray on their table before vanishing again. “Alright dear.”“So” he started, looking around to take in the place. “You come here a lot?” It looked like the standard 80s diner that got stuck in time somehow. As if the place managed to avoid any and all modern influence. There was even an old jukebox in the corner.Runaan shrugged, running his right index finger over the rim of the glass ashtray. “It’s quiet. And a nice place to work if I need a change of scenery.” Work huh? It really looked like the other didn’t do much besides that. He fiddled with the ashtray some more, spinning it on the wooden surface. Sometimes Ethari wondered where he put all that frantic energy that seemed to live under his skin.“Ah, do you mind if I-“ the racer held up the little glass tray. “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” Ethari had worked in enough bars during college to grow immune to the smell. His company visibly relaxed at that, releasing his grip on the ashtray to dig around for his cigarettes.By the time he’d fished one out with his teeth, Maria returned with a hot chocolate that had a generous amount of whipped cream on it and what looked to be a black double espresso. “Thanks Maria.” Runaan said around his still unlit cigarette, accepting the mug to inhale its smell.“Your food will be with you shortly, enjoy the coffee Honey.” He smiled at her when the older woman made to return to the kitchen. Ethari meanwhile was fascinated to see the other so at ease around another person. Up to now he’d only ever seen him interact with Lujanne, the pit crew and the occasional delivery driver.Runaan shrugged out of his leather jacket, rolling up the sleeves. “How’s the cocoa?” he hadn’t tried yet, so the mechanic took a careful sip. To his pleasant surprise it had the perfect temperature. “Positively divine” his company chuckled at that, grin creeping on his face.“Uh, you got some whipped cream on your nose.” Instinctively, Ethari reached up only to smear the little blob even further across his face. Not his brightest moment. “Here” Runaan handed him a napkin, rummaging through his jacket pockets for a lighter. Shortly after, the by now familiar click of the beat-up Zippo lighter made him look up from the napkin again. The other flicked it open and close a couple of times before finally returning it to his pocket, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.“Thanks for accompanying me. I know it’s already way past your hours.” Ethari smiled, taking another sip of his cocoa. “If I get hot chocolate out of it, anytime. Besides I think we both can use a little time off with all the work we’ve been doing for the upcoming season lately.” A hum in agreement was all he received before the waitress returned with two plates.“There you go, call me should you need anything.” She vanished in the kitchen again, leaving the pair alone in the empty diner. Ethari stared hungrily at his plate that was filled with a stack of pancakes, bacon neatly distributed between them. When he looked up, the other was currently stubbing out the rest of his cigarette absently as he regarded his own plate with a gleeful expression. His was stacked with pancakes and strawberries, topped off with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. “Oh heck this is so worth all the extra laps I need to run for it.”Now it was his turn to chuckle as Runaan made a very pleased sound upon taking the first bite. “Why do you even agree to contracts that don’t allow you to eat what you want if you don’t like it?” It bugged him before. The other was definitely good enough to pick his sponsors, right?“Traded it off for some other benefits you don’t usually get. Besides it’s probably doing wonders for my health.” Says, the smoker, he thought but kept it to himself. Ethari was certain it was more of a nervous tick.They ate in silence, each enjoying their late-night treat. Runaan finished considerably earlier, nursing his coffee as he watched him eat. Another cigarette soon found its way into his grasp but he didn’t light it, just kept trading it through his slender fingers.By the time Ethari was also finished, the other had given up and was now exhaling smoke once again. He’d probably waited until he finished his food, too.“You were right the pancakes are really good. Weird that no one else is here.” His boss shrugged, using the glinting stub to light another cigarette. “It’s more of a need to know place. It’s pretty remote so only truckers or travellers occasionally stop by.”“I see. How did you find it then?” Ethari was more than intend on finally finding out more about the other. His other attempts all had been rather fruitless but with him willingly taking him to a place he frequented in his spare time there was a silver lining.“Just stumbled across it a while back. I like to take Sparkles out for a spin to think about new projects occasionally. I ended up here one time.” Probably the same way he’d found Ethari’s café in the middle of the night. So maybe more than occasionally.“Ah I see. Well, thanks for taking me.” So sparkles huh? Did the guy name everything he owned? He’d have to ask Lujanne the next time she came around.The other hummed, finishing off his coffee. “Are you nervous about the upcoming season?” it sure seemed that way but then, Ethari didn't know how he usually behaved so close to the racing season.“Um, Yeah, I guess. Maybe a little.” Runaan stopped to accept the fresh coffee Maria had placed on their table. “I got a title to defend after all.” Huh, Ethari had never thought of it that way. After three consecutive Grand Prix cups and four in total he was sure that people had expectations.“Don’t worry. I am sure you’ll do just fine with all the modifications we did to your bike and the time you spent on the track I’d say you’re more than prepared.” The other smiled but it looked forced rather than genuine.“Thanks, hey, um it’s getting late. I’ve already kept you longer than I mean to.” With that, the engineer downed the fresh coffee in one and dropped a couple of bills on the table between them. Together, they said their Goodbyes to Maria and returned to their bikes. “Ah, don’t bother coming in early tomorrow morning. I have a conference call until noon so it’s okay if you’re there once I’m done.” Ethari nodded, slipping his helmet on after opening the visor.“Sure, hey, could you tell me how to get back downtown?” he hadn’t really been to this area before and wasn’t entirely sure which direction to go.“Oh” Runaan rubbed over the back of his helmet sheepishly, tinted visor still obscuring his face. “Where do you live?” the mechanic rattled down his address and was just about to name a couple of prominent landmarks nearby when Runaan nodded. “I’ll take you.” With that, he was already on his bike, growling engine all but drowning out any response Ethari might have given.He followed the turquoise bike back until the area became more and more familiar. Soon, they stopped in front of his old apartment building, his boss killing the engine on the sidewalk. “Wow you really know your way around the city.” He couldn’t within but wonder how Runaan had managed to instantly find the right way. A fast one at that.“Ah, thank you, I, uh, I used to live just a couple of blocks down actually.” He what? Ethari couldn’t imagine the wealthy man living in this run-down part of town. Hell, one of his bikes probably covered a yearly rent around here. “Really?” he didn’t mean for it to sound so surprised, but the word was out before he could stop himself.“Yeah, you know I was a struggling college student too at some point. Do you know that Chinese place down the street? They are great. I still stop by every once in a while for takeout.” Runaan gestured in the general direction, helmet now resting on the bike in front of him and white hair mildly tousled. “Don’t look so shocked. Did you think I was just born with that company?” Ethari hadn’t been aware that he was staring and closed his mouth with a snap.“Actually, yeah, I kinda did? Sorry.” But the engineer only laughed, waving him off.“Don’t worry. I don’t really go around telling people about my life. But yeah, I lived here, working in a biker bar until Janne picked me up one day and strong armed me into starting a firm. Feels like a lifetime ago now even though it hasn’t really been more than six years or so.” That was the most information he’d ever gotten about his employer in one go. Wait, wasn’t there a biker bar in the area that was rumored to be the meet up for the illegal street races?“You worked at the place where the street racers met up?” Runaan narrowed his eyes at that, calculating.“Yeah, why?” he sounded weary, as if he didn’t like where this was going.“I mean then you could probably find out where the next one happens right? I always wanted to see it in person.” The engineer deflated visibly, running a hand through his hair to smooth it out.“Probably, I mean I haven’t been there for a good five years, I don’t even know if it’s still the same owner.” It was the same owner and Runaan had absolutely been there in the past years, occasionally picking up a street race or two. Lujanne didn’t know that and he had a separate bike and leather combo for that exact purpose in a storage unit a couple of blocks down. And he definitely didn’t want Ethari to meet his acquaintances on the other side of the law.“That’s all the more reason to stop by again.” His cheerful mechanic said with a smile, pulling the helmet back on. “Come on, just one drink, my treat this time.”Say no say no say no say n- his mind chanted while his mouth said “Okay” he shrugged, also donning his helmet again “But I’m riding with you. I don’t want to risk anybody recognizing the bike.” Ethari made a small whooping noise before shuffling forward a bit so he could jump on behind him. Just now, Runaan realized how much wider the mechanics shoulders really were, especially emphasized through the protectors inside his jacket. Gods have mercy, he thought while wrapping his arms around the other’s midsection, tucking his long legs up against the hull for optimal balance. Usually, he would have never let anyone else drive, but he really didn’t want the others to draw the connection between him and Moonshadow racing. Additionally, he couldn’t just excuse himself and return with a different bike, even Ethari would have gotten suspicious at that.He gave a few directions until they pulled up on the mostly empty parking space in front of his old workplace. There were still a good dozen bikes parked in front of it, promising a larger crowd than he’d hoped for. “Alright” Runaan unlaced his hands from the other’s midsection and quickly slid off the Scrambler while Ethari killed the engine and removed his helmet. The engineer allowed himself a couple of heartbeats to admire the adorably tousled look of his dark hair before also tucking his helmet under his arm and waiting for his companion to join him.Upon entering, Runaan realized that this had been indeed a really really bad idea. The owner immediately raised his hand in greeting, moving to get his usual drink. “Oh, seems like they still remember you.” The mechanic exclaimed with a smile on his face. Oh gods, why did he have to be so goddamn positive all the time?“Yeah” a little awkwardly, Runaan took a seat on his usual space at the bar, waiting for the other to slide on a stool besides him before accepting the bottle of beer.“What can I get for you?” Ethari smiled disarmingly at the bartender, shrugging out of his leather jacket. “A coke please.” Ah, right, he was driving.They clicked their bottles and spent a couple of minutes in comfortable silence before the owner returned with a parcel wrapped in brown paper and set it down on the table before him. “Here I got your order.” This was going great so far, Runaan thought while the mechanic regarded him with a sceptic glance.“So you haven’t come by for five years, huh?” Damn.“Okay maybe I stop by occasionally.” He allowed, doing his damned best to avoid the other’s gaze. “Don’t tell Janne, ok? She’d kick my ass from here to Alaska.” It was no lie, she absolutely would.Ethari just laughed, eyeing the parcel curiously. “Sure, I won’t rat you out. What’s in there if you don’t mind me asking?” Now it was his turn to smile as the engineer pushed the parcel over, motioning for the other to open it.Runaan watched with a small smile on his lips as his company carefully undid the tape, face lighting up at the sight of a set of a dozen original Triumph Scrambler cylinder heads, carefully wrapped in oiled cloth. “You mentioned trying to get some a couple of weeks ago and having trouble with it.”“Yeah I-“ Ethari beamed at him “thank you! I have tried to get a hold of them for half a year. How did you-?” he gestured at the bundle in front of him.“Oh, you know I have my ways.” They weren’t exactly legal but as long as someone else procured them in his name that was fine. Before starting out with Lujanne, he’d bought almost all of his parts via black market contacts since affording the official ones on a bartender’s wage with student loans wasn’t really an option.The comment earned him a raised eyebrow from Ethari who was still beaming at the assortment of metal in front of him. “I will not ask for plausible deniability.” He decided after a moment and re-wrapped the bundle.“That is a very good choice.” They continued to talk about the new run of Royal Enfield’s that just got released recently, both of them agreeing that the older models exceeded both in charm and technicality when someone called out his name.“Hey Runaan, who’s the new guy?” great. Just the person he’d been hoping not to meet. His mind reeled for a possible explanation while Josh made his way towards them, still in the same hideous yellow color scheme as when he first started racing with the group. “Uh-“ he started, looking at Ethari in hopes of the other being a bit quicker on his feet.And quick he was. Before the street racer reached them, a strong arm wrapped itself around his waist, pulling Runaan and his barstool a good few centimeters over with ease. Damn. “His date, name’s Ethari.” He said, free arm extended towards the newcomer. His- what now?Apparently, Josh chalked the shock on his face up for embarrassment and grinned wolfishly. “That so? Never thought this one would ever pick someone up. How much is he paying you?” Runaan still hadn’t recovered enough to fire back some of his usual sarcasm and just tensed in the other’s grasp, wishing himself to the bottom of the ocean with a weight tied around his ankles.“I’m not sure who you are but you are very rudely interrupting the lovely date I had so far, so I’d suggest you either work on those manners or leave us alone.” The mechanic’s hold on him tightened in a protective way that sent hot sparks down his spine right into his abdomen. That was the first time someone had ever been protective of him since his grandmother died, not counting Lujanne. Good gods, Runaan thought, he was falling hard and fast.Joshua, obviously not amused by the resistance he suddenly met, closed in, raising his arm “How dare you come in here-“ and suddenly, Ethari’s hand shot forward, grasping the other’s wrist from where Josh had tried to pull back for a strike.“I really do not appreciate fights so could you just leave?” the yellow clad biker tried to pull his hand back but Ethari’s arm didn’t budge even a single inch. It was doing things to Runaan while his mind still desperately tried to catch up on the recent developments and push the warm feeling back down where it came from.“Let fuckin’ go of me you-“ okay that was quite enough, the engineer decided, standing up from the barstool and shoving himself between his employee and Joshua. “Look Bumblebee, I’m not up for your shit today so either you fuck off back to your table or we settle this outside.”Silence stretched between them until the other finally tugged his arm out of Ethari’s grasp with a growl and took a step back. “Fine-” he huffed, collecting his drink from the glaring barkeeper. Before walking away, he threw a glance over his shoulder and nodded at Ethari “-I’d dump him before he dumps you. Fair warning.”Once Josh was gone, he sighed, running a hand through his rather messy helmet hair and accepted the fresh bottle of beer that his former boss handed him with an apologetic smile. Okay coming here was definitely a very bad idea. Not that he actually thought he would have had any chances with the mechanic, the guy was his employee for Christ’s sake, but whatever sliver had been there was definitely gone now.“Uh, what was that about?” Ethari looked a bit uneasy, fiddling with the coaster under his coke. “Oh, and sorry about pretending to be your date I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.” How could the guy still be so damn considerate? It was almost like Heavens had created the perfect man only to dangle him in front of his face just out of reach.“Ah, it’s, uh, it’s okay really. Thank you for helping out. Josh has been a patron ever since I was still working here, and he and his friends are a bit, ah, complicated sometimes. Sorry.” Runaan busied himself with emptying most of his beer to avoid having to look in the other’s general direction.“It’s not your fault, dickheads just are like that sometimes. I hope you weren’t serious about throwing hands on my account though.” Oh, he had absolutely been prepared to kick that guys teeth in. As he’d done multiple times in the past with varying degrees of success.“Uh, maybe? I had to throw them out a couple of times and they just like to boast. Nothing but hot air really. Sorry, it’s nothing to be proud of.” He was damned proud of the fact that the latest ass kicking had apparently left enough of an impression, and a broken arm, to let Joshua back down immediately. Maybe the asshole was right, he definitely wasn’t boyfriend material. Not for someone like Ethari at least.The mechanic ordered another coke while a third beer found it’s way on the counter in front of him and smiled sheepishly. “I mean I don’t really enjoy violence, but I won’t pretend I haven’t been in the occasional scuffle or two.” Runaan stopped at that, he wouldn’t have imagined a friendly soul like Ethari ever fighting anyone.He shrugged, “I guess sometimes it can’t be helped.”Their conversation strayed towards work after that, both of them glad to be back on relatively safe turf. After a while, Runaan tipped back the rest of his current drink, moving to get up. “As much as I enjoy talking to you, I am afraid we'll have to leave if I am supposed to make that video call tomorrow noon. He was just about to reach for his wallet when Ethari stopped him.“My treat, remember? I dragged you here.” The engineer gave him a puzzled expression before finally nodding. “Oh, yeah, sure. Thanks.”The ride back to his building was over far too soon as Ethari felt his employer's arms dislodge from where they had securely gripped onto his waist. Runaan slid from his bike taking a couple of steps before fishing his phone from his pocket and glancing over to his bike. He surely didn’t plan on driving home after five beers did he? The mechanic regarded him a bit skeptically and even though the other appeared perfectly sober, the thought filled him with unease. “Uh don’t worry.” His boss said, catching his gaze. “I didn’t plan on driving back I’ll just call a cab and come to get the bike tomorrow evening.” Runaan held up his phone, Uber already opened.“You could also just crash at my place. I got a futon couch that’s probably way more comfortable than the one in your workshop you’ve been sleeping on for the last week.” The offer was out before Ethari could stop himself. It was a bad idea, but something made him want the other to stay, if just to make sure he was alright.Runaan’s eyes flicked between him and his phone a couple of times before he nodded reluctantly. “If you’re sure. I wouldn’t want to impose.”“You won’t.” suddenly, he was very glad to have at least done his laundry the other day that was usually just strewn around his apartment until he either ran out of clean clothes (which had happened yesterday) or tripped over the piles often enough to finally bully him into cleaning them up. So they would actually be able to see the floor. Great. What are you doing inviting your boss that you have a crush on up to your mess of an apartment when you know that he’s a neat freak? But it was too late now and he also really didn’t want to leave Runaan alone tonight. It just didn’t seem right. “Okay just let me lock up the bike alright?” he gestured for the other to follow so they could park each of their motorcycles in a side alley, away from the main street.“Just, uh, it’s not really tidy. So um, I hadn’t really had time to clean the last few weeks and-“ but Runaan held up his hand with a slight smile to stop him from rambling on. “I’m sure it’s fine.” hah. He was saying that now. When Ethari finally unlocked the door to his flat, he inwardly cringed at the state of both his kitchen and general work area. He’d never been the tidiest person but tended to get lost in piles of half-finished projects when busy. And they had been very busy.Despite his assurances that it was, in fact, okay, he could see the white brows draw together at the sight of his place. Of course. The engineer’s house was basically empty while his apartment was cluttered with various schematics, tinkering projects, books and vinyls he’d collected over the years. He also hadn’t moved, yet even though with his current salary the rent of this place felt like a joke. To his surprise, Runaan smiled at the sight of his desk that was basically just a tabletop perched on two stacks of toolboxes. “I used to have a similar ‘desk’ in my old flat. Though I am surprised you use the power drill seldom enough to warrant a space in the desk structure.”Ethari gestured to another stack of equipment. “I have a second one. This is my backup.”“I see.” The engineer’s gaze wandered further around the room, as if he was systematically scanning the place to re-build later on. “Any house rules?”“Uh, not really? I have mandatory smoke detectors so if you wanna smoke you’d have to go to the fire escape or downstairs but otherwise, mi casa es su casa.” He was already busy clearing his couch that folded out into a futon bed off stacks of magazines and schematics he’d been pondering over while the other continued his investigation of the apartment.“How long have you been living here?” Runaan asked, fingers trailing over one of the crammed bookshelves.“Oh, uh, ever since starting college. I had a roommate for some time but they moved away to LA before I even broke off college.” He somehow really liked his shitty apartment. It was small and old and crammed, but it had been home for so long that he wouldn’t want to leave it behind anytime soon. Maybe get some new furniture, repaint the walls.“It’s so-“ the other gestured around while absently tipping the content of an abandoned glass of water on a dying house plant “-you.”“Ah, thanks? I guess?” Ethari really wasn’t sure if he should feel offended or not. “Here I’ll just get the spare sheets and something for you to sleep in and then you’re good to go.”Together, they had the futon ready in no time, leaving Runaan awkwardly standing in the middle of his living room, a stack of the mechanic’s clothes in his hands. “I’ll get you a spare toothbrush. I think I have a couple left.” His boss only nodded and took a seat on the futon, tracking his movements curiously. “Also if you need anything feel free to take whatever you can find in the kitchen.” He let his guest use the bathroom first, getting changed in his bedroom while Runaan brushed his teeth and swapped clothes for the night.Ethari’s breath caught at the sight of the other in his t-shirt and sweatpants when they both emerged back into the living room roughly around the same time. The shirt was baggy enough to half hang off of his shoulder, only emphasized by the fact that it reached the engineer’s mid-thigh over the sweatpants that seemed to threaten to slip off of his lithe frame at so much as a minor motion. “Uh, I’ll- just, go. Brush my teeth.” He managed, rushing past his guest and into the relative safety of his bathroom. Smooth Ethari, real smooth. He banged his head against the tiles a couple of times for good measure and resurfaced to a Runaan that was completely buried under his blanket in a pile that had only his head peeking out. “Good night.” The engineer chirped from his blanket fort as he passed and even let one of his hands appear for a little wave. Adorable.“Good night.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ethari found that sleep came easily that night even though he should theoretically be on edge about having his boss sleep on his couch while looking both hot and cute at the same time. Still, his eyes closed mere minutes after he hit the pillow, sending him into a land of rather sweet dreams about a certain long-haired individual that was currently residing on his couch.Runaan on the other hand stared at the ceiling for about an hour before giving up and pacing through the living room. This was ridiculous. He was safe here. Ethari was safe. He could sleep without fear of someone disturbing him. But he just couldn’t sleep. In fact, he was more than awake. And the mechanic shuffling past him to brush his teeth in nothing but a pair of shorts wasn’t exactly helping his case. This had been a terrible idea. He should have gone home. What was he even doing here staying the night at his employee’s place even if it was just crashing on his couch? Oh god if Lujanne knew about this.When the thoughts swirling in his head finally reached tornado state, Runaan opened the window leading out to the fire escape and searched his jacket for the cigarettes and lighter. There weren’t many left as he hadn’t actually planned on staying out for more than a few hours. With his jacket wrapped around him, the racer sat down on the old fire escape, back against the brick wall and let his gaze wander over a quiet neighborhood before tugging one of the cigarettes out with his teeth and lighting it. This time, he pulled it straight through to the filter, reveling in the relief for his nerves even if it was temporary. Runaan had the second lit a mere second later, making sure to blow the smoke away from the window and into the night sky. At this rate, he would get in trouble and while Ethari didn’t seem like the person to file a sexual harassment claim should he accidentally forget himself once, he dreaded the possibility of overstepping the boundaries of their work relationship. That was why one didn’t hire people one wanted to sleep with. On the other hand, hiring the mechanic had been one of the best decisions he’s made in recent history. His productivity peaked over the months they worked together and he even felt a little less stressed most of the time. If he wasn’t currently busy trying to think of something different than the other clad in a grime stained tank top that was.Runaan shook his head, willing the image of that one memorable moment when they’d changed the tanks of his racing bikes and both of them ended up incredibly filthy away. That wasn’t helping. His by now third cigarette turned into a fourth and soon, the engineer was staring frustratedly at an empty cardboard box in his hand. Lujanne had tried to get him to quit for years now and he’d actually managed for about half a year but then, he’d lost his second GrandPrix, getting himself and by extend his company in a tight spot financially and, well, also happened to get dumped during that time. He’d tried a couple of times after that, if only for her sake but he tended to get restless without something to occupy him and another relationship fell victim to his efforts because his exes couldn’t handle him in full hyperactive mode. The mood swings probably hadn’t helped, too.For the last two years, he’d been cutting back instead, it only really flared up during racing season due to the additional stress but he knew he could probably do better if he actually tried. Lujanne thought so. And she was right, like she was with a lot of things. At least he wasn’t drinking himself I a coma like some of his colleagues.By now it was almost four am so he chucked the empty cardboard box down into the open container a few floors down and went back inside, sniffing himself and the air to make sure it wasn’t that bad. His gaze flickered back to the cluttered kitchen and work area and something inside him snapped. Maybe it was the general stress or lack of sleep, maybe it was the handsome man sleeping in the room next door, but he just couldn’t suppress the urge to clean anymore. Usually, he had his little order tick, as Lujanne liked to call it affectionately, pretty well under control. Sure, he kept his house and workspace sorted to a fault but didn’t mind the occasional stack of dirty laundry as long as they were separated by kind or color. Now however, every time he looked over to the boxes of assorted tools or kitchen counter surface that wasn’t even visible under stacks of books and dishware alike, it physically hurt. He’d know that Ethari was a bit messy but the other had adapted to his sorting system in the garage in record time and always made sure to return the tools to their respective places when they were working together.Runaan checked his watch again; four thirty. That was plenty enough time to tidy the place. He shouldn’t. He really really shouldn’t. This wasn’t his home and he should respect the other’s privacy. But just the kitchen wouldn’t hurt right? If he was done by six thirty he could even make breakfast. Before his common sense could stop him, the racer was already sorting dishes and pans in stacks to be cleaned as quietly as possible. After a while, he went to fetch his earbuds and softly hummed along the music while working his way through used dishes and dusty glasses that had probably been there forever.Once the kitchen resembled an actual, usable part of a household again, Runaan checked the fridge not surprised in the least to find a carton of bad milk and a bag of cheese that could be used as a brick at this point instead of actual food. He cleaned that, too, disposing of everything that was past its due date directly into the container outside with the keys he’d stolen from a hook by the door. At quarter past six, the kitchen practically gleamed in the dimmed artificial light and he finally felt that satisfaction of order he’d craved since stepping inside. Then, he made the mistake of turning around and was confronted with the battlefield that still was Ethari’s living room. No, he told himself, you’ve made enough of a fool of yourself already. Only the books and magazines, a little voice in his head chirped, still bold from the success with the kitchen. So he returned books to their respective places in the shelves and stacked the ones that didn’t fit neatly besides it. Runaan refrained from sorting them by theme and author but it took a great deal of self-restraint. The magazines ended up sorted by year and issue next to the couch he should be occupying as of now and at seven, he re-dressed in his clothes and went to go shopping for the breakfast that had originally justified his cleaning spree. There was a little supermarket nearby where he would get everything that was currently missing from the almost empty fridge. The engineer picked up ingredients for omelet plus bacon and the brand of coffee he preferred and was happily chipping away on spring onions by seven thirty. He’d changed back into the sweatpants and shirt combo solely because they smelled like Ethari and he intended to indulge in that as long as possible.“What the hell?” suddenly asked a raspy voice behind him and Runaan froze. “Are, uh, are you making omelet?” Ethari sounded genuinely surprised and tried to spy into the pan behind him with a hungry glint in his eye.“Yes? Sorry I didn’t mean to impose.” But the mechanic was already pushing past him to inspect the food he was preparing. “Are you kidding me? This is great. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a decent breakfast that isn’t re-heated leftovers or cereal at your place.” Runaan’s brain was still busy catching up with the fact that his host was still shirtless so he missed the appropriate time to answer and just barley saved the current omelet from burning.“Um, this one’s done so grab a plate. I already made coffee.” Ethari hummed, opening a couple of cupboards until he found the plates he’d been looking for, seemingly completely unfazed by the fact that someone had just re-arranged his whole kitchen. “Oh, and uh, I’m- I’m sorry about vandalizing your kitchen. I just couldn’t help it.” Runaan tried to look as apologetic as he felt but his employee only waved him off.“Nah, don’t worry. I shoulda cleaned more often anyways. I hope you don’t think I’m a complete mess now.” How could he ever think that? Ethari had his life together on so many levels the engineer couldn’t even dream of. The ability to sleep at night being among them.“Since when are you up anyways? I am almost certain there weren’t any spring onions or paprika in the fridge. Or eggs.” Runaan accepted the plate with a shrug, piling the first omelet and the bacon he’d made on it before handing it back.“A while. I just went to grab that from the store around the corner.” He could feel the assessing glance on him before Ethari narrowed his eyes at him.“Did you even go to sleep in the first place?” was he that obvious? The racer had yet to look into a mirror, but he could practically feel the circles under his eyes. “I ah-“ he started, pretending to be busy with the second omelet. “I kinda didn’t? Sorry. That sounds creepy.” His employee’s expression changed from scolding to concerned in a heartbeat.“Man you gotta sleep more. That can’t be healthy.” Yeah, no shit.“I would if I could okay?” Shit, that came out way harsher than he’d planned. “Sorry, it’s just, not, ah- not that simple.” Instead of answering directly, Ethari offered him one of the coffees he’d poured as a peace offering.“It’s okay. Sorry for prying. It’s really not my place.” He looked sad, a bit defeated even. As if one had just told him he couldn’t help the injured puppy he found.Runaan sighed, running a hand through his hair before flopping the second omelet on a plate for himself . “It’s fine.”They ate in silence, both contend to let the issue rest for now even though he was certain it would come up again at some point. He’d have to be more discrete. The engineer helped with the dishes and said his goodbyes when it was time for him to return home to be on time for the video conference. Ethari would follow after in a couple of hours either way.Once home, he showered and re-dressed in slacks and a dress shirt in record time and had just about enough of it to spare to down an espresso he’d spiked with some of the energy drinks he was sponsored by (he had a lifetime supply of those in the basement) until his wrist tracker protested at his heartrate. He was fine. This was fine.Just that it wasn’t. Runaan zoned out a couple of times during his video conference, missing some topics entirely and had to be rescued by Lujanne more than once. When it was finally over, she called him, holding a ten-minute tirade about why it was important to sleep and have a healthy lifestyle if one was competing in a sport that relied on good response times and control. It was her way of being concerned for him, so he just put her on speaker while going through the tasks for the day and waited until she was done. And if he went out on a smoke break, no one had to be the wiser. Around ten, he began to work on what he’d scheduled for today until Ethari would arrive at noon like he’d told him to.When Ethari arrived at quarter past twelve, the garage door was wide open and Runaan’s music played over the stereo speakers that were installed all over the workspace. “Oh hey I didn’t think you already be-“ he stopped at the sight of his employer slouched on one of the stools, head firmly planted on the workbench in front of him and slightly drooling on a stack of blueprints. Oh.Carefully, he neared the sleeping figure and turned down the music to a subdued ambient noise. He was sure Runaan would wake up if he turned it off completely so instead, he went to fetch a blanket. The mechanic was just about to drape it over his shoulders when he realized that the angle was probably hell for the other’s neck and the metal surface would definitely leave a bruise. Eyeing the distance between them and the couch, he made a decision. It would be easy to carry him over. Especially now that the racing season neared and the other had, according to himself, already lost a good ten pounds to get fitted for this year’s suit.So instead of letting him sleep hunched over on the worktable, Ethari gently scooped the lithe body up in his arms and carried his boss over to the sofa that already had a pillow and blanket strewn across it. Runaan shifted a bit in his arms but only cuddled closer, not even bothered by the change of location. Oh. He looked so much younger that way, worry lines smoothed out and expression relaxed instead of the slight agitation he could usually sense under the racer’s skin. He looked adorable.Just as he made to crouch down in order of setting Runaan down, the other nuzzled into Ethari’s hoodie with a content sigh. “mmhm Ethari” the mechanic froze. And almost dropped his precious cargo as his boss’ hands loosely fisted in the soft material, snuggling closer in his arms.Oh no.Had he been wrong all along and the other was interested in him after all? No, surely this was just a mistake. Runaan was sleeping after all and didn’t know what he was doing. But then, why would he recognize Ethari while asleep or think that he was with him for that matter?Before he could do anything he’d possibly regret, the mechanic gently lowered the man in his arms on the sofa, huffing an exasperated laugh when Runaan wouldn’t let go of his hoodie. “So you want to keep it, hm?” he whispered to the sleeping figure that was far too close for both their sakes. Carefully, he wormed his way out of the fabric and had to smile as his boss immediately hugged the now freed hoodie to his chest, burying his face in the soft worn fabric. “hn”Ethari’s heart did a leap at the sight, even more so than the other day when he accidentally stumbled over that magazine cover. It just- it seemed so normal, so domestic. Like this morning when he’d woken up to Runaan making omelet in his kitchen. He wished for them to be able to have this, really have this, but he was still an employee and as little hierarchy there was, his boss still seemed keen on keeping his boundaries secure. At least he was when awake.It took all of his self-control to turn away and continue to work on whatever Runaan had started when he wanted nothing more than to curl up beside him and make sure the other was alright. For a while, Ethari managed to busy himself with work but his mind strayed every so often, leaving him staring into the distance for periods of time.At about three in the afternoon, he could hear soft shuffling behind him and an adorably rumpled engineer resurface from the blanket nest he’d more and more vanished in. It took a couple of heartbeats before Runaan’s eyes suddenly widened in shock, flickering through the room. “Wha- How did I get here?” his alarmed voice was still hoarse, sounding as if he hadn’t used it for centuries.“You were asleep on the desk when I arrived so I moved you to the couch so that I would be able to work.” Ethari smirked, gesturing towards the schematics he was currently brooding over.“You… moved me. To the couch.” His boss’ brain was apparently still catching up. “Yes. I hope you don’t mind but that hunched position looked awfully uncomfortable.”Runaan started to smooth out his dress shirt but gave up as the wrinkles only intensified “No- no it’s fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” The mechanic only shrugged and focused back on the problem at hand, re-running the calculations once again.“I’m just going to step outside for a bit, get me when you need me.” Ethari turned to see a trail of white fluttering out the garage door, leaving an empty spot where the cigarette box had been. Eyes narrowed in concern, the mechanic did a headcount. It was getting worse. Just out of curiosity, he’d checked the fire escape before leaving for work and found the expected traces of ash, a box of Runaan’s preferred brand in the bin below. Racing season seemed to be a great stressor for his boss. It was only understandable, considering his livelihood largely depended on good results. Still, Ethari couldn’t within but worry.“What are you trying to do?” came the question from behind him, making the mechanic jump in his seat. Runaan was hovering over his shoulder, smelling faintly of smoke and looking at the screen in front of him.“Oh, I’m just trying to figure out which tire design would be best for the first race. These-“ and he gestured to the right side “-have more structural integrity which would be good for the curves you’ll be facing but these here are lighter.” Without thinking, Runaan pointed at the latter choice.“These. I have been using them for the past few races.” A heartbeat of silence followed before his boss straightened, checking his tracker. “Lunch?”“Uh sure.” Ethari had long since stopped wondering whether it was appropriate for him to have meals at his employer’s home. Hell, he basically only ate here at this point.“I- ah, I’m afraid that I can only offer disgustingly healthy pre-prepped meals. But, uh, you can order takeout if you like.” It was almost cute how begrudgingly Runaan looked at the prospect of eating whatever his nutritionist had picked out.“I think I’ll try one of those ‘disgustingly healthy meals’ just to see what you are constantly complaining about.” The other shot him a dirty look but still seemed rather relieved to have escaped the temptation of watching Ethari eat Chinese while he was stuck with whatever rice and bean sprouts were on the menu today.“Alright,” he opened the large freezer in his kitchen, sorting through meal prep containers. “-I have salmon, grilled chicken and tofu all of that with some kind of rice and steamed veggies.” Ethari decided on the chicken, taking a seat on the kitchen counter while the other pulled two trays out of his freezer and deposited them in the microwave after poking holes into the foil with a fork.“I can also offer coffee, tea, water and water. Oh, and this energy drink that sponsors me.”“Water thank you.” The glass clicked softly as it connected with the marble counter in front of him and Runaan set up another pot of coffee which he was almost certain wouldn’t last through their meal. After a faint sound from the microwave, his boss transferred both portions on a plate each and joined him, reaching for the wild array of spices.Ethari watched curiously as he dumped chili powder and pepper for good measure on the salmon and wild rice with a side of steamed paprika. “Do you even want to taste your food?” he half-joked, raising an eyebrow at the thin layer of red on Runaan’s plate.“Honestly? No. I’d rather have this burn through my tongue than taste steamed veggies one more time this week.” The engineer couldn’t within but chuckle as the other’s face turned a hilarious shade of red, tears glistering in his eyes. Runaan only scoffed at his raised eyebrow. “It’s like Ramen, if it doesn’t hurt to eat then what’s the point?”“Sure, you do you. Though I have to say this is surprisingly good. I expected canned tuna from all you told me.” Another scoff.“Yeah sure say that again after three months of that. If I have to eat grilled chicken one more time, I’ll puke.” With that, he walked over to the calendar pinned to the fridge, crossing out another day. Somewhere on the bottom, he could see a circled date that he knew to be the grand prix finale with a scrawled ‘CHEESEBURGERS’ note besides it.“You know,” Ethari started, placing his plate and cutlery in the dishwasher. “I think working here has improved my eating habits way more than I like to admit. I had to buy new pants last week.” Runaan only gave him a skeptical once-over, gaze lingering suspiciously long on his biceps. “I’m serious the people in my gym have been pestering me for diet advice it’s not even funny.” At that, the other cracked up, laughter filling the room around them.“Well,” Runaan started when he was merely grinning “I bet you have to beat them away with a stick now.”“That’s not really my point here.” The mechanic admitted with a sheepish smile. “I guess I just never thought about how bad my eating habits were. I think I survived an entire month on mac and cheese once.” He could see his boss lick his lips at the mention of Pasta before Runaan shook his head vigorously.“Just because you eat stuff that isn’t in the green food group doesn’t mean you’re not living healthy. Besides-“ he smirked, raking his eyes up and down Ethari’s t-shirt clad body once more. “-I think you looked just fine before.”He- he did? “Uh-“ the mechanic chuckled nervously, trying to mask his blush by turning the other way. “I still wouldn’t call Pizza and instant ramen a healthy diet though.” Looking back, he could see the other’s eyes roll back in his skull before he shook his head again.“I’m sorry but can we please stop talking about food while I am stuck on this monotone junk?” with a pleading look on his face, Runaan motioned for the garage, signaling their lunch break was officially over.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The following few weeks leading up to the first race of the season passed in a blur. Between fine tuning on the Moonshadow and pit crew training, Ethari barley found enough time and energy to warm up some takeout in the evening before falling into bed. He was good at repairs, but he’d never had to do it on time before. Now, he had dis- and reassembled every part of the Moonshadow more often than he’d cared to count all while Runaan was standing behind him with a stop watch. He’d been told he could stop training once he got as fast as his employer which was really not fair considering the man had built the bike from scratch and was far more experienced. Still, he was getting closer to the required speed every time and was certain he would be able to do it in a couple of days. His kitchen was still in the pristine state Runaan had left it in that day since he never got the time to actually use it with all the extra hours the whole pit crew was taking in order to prepare for the season. With a sigh, Ethari took in the empty void that was his fridge and punched in the number of the Asian place he knew by heart at this point. Having had almost everything on their menu at least four times, he now finally knew how his employer felt regarding his meal plan. For convenience sake, Ethari had joined the other for lunch the last couple weeks and even he couldn’t see that godforsaken rice any longer. Runaan had offered to get something else for him but the mechanic felt bad about leaving his boss alone in the culinary misery, so they suffered through the selection of painfully balanced meals together every day.His alarm woke Ethari at seven thirty, just in time to get dressed, down a coffee and drive to work on his last day before they would ship out to the first official race of the season. The garage was almost completely packed up in crates at this point, leaving only the main Bike and some of the smaller tools to do fine tuning with. A large dark blue truck, crescent logo gleaming on the side, was already waiting in the driveway, Runaan and Lujanne standing next to it.Before he could even take off his helmet and park the Scrambler, the older woman came rushing towards him with a rather large cardboard box. “Ah, there you are! Perfect! Here, I got your overalls and team shirts and whatnot.” She proceeded to shove the box in his startled arms, almost toppling him and the bike over on the gravel. “Right, I got places to be. I will see you in two days at the race track.” With that, Lujanne passed by the racer for a quick embrace to vanish in her car directly after, leaving a confused mechanic behind.“Uh-“ he started, still trying to balance himself, the box and his ride.“Don’t mind her-“ suddenly, the box was removed from his grip again and his employer’s face appeared over the carboard. “-she has a lot to do at the moment. We can put this in the truck so you don’t have to carry it home only to carry it back here tomorrow.” Ethari only nodded, glad to be finally able to dismount and remove his helmet.“By the way-“ Runaan set the box down besides him, revealing the t-shirt and trackpants combo he was sporting today. Manual labor clothes, as Ethari had learned over time. “-you can drive a truck right?” What kind of question was that? The engineer wasn’t present enough to be bombarded with so many questions in the morning. “Uh, sure?”Runaan lit up at that, chucking a set of keys his way. “Perfect, I’ll even let you choose the music.” Wait what?“Uh-“ he said again, fumbling with the keys. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”“Oh, I haven’t briefed you on the season yet have I?” the engineer looked way to cheerful for someone who just admitted to have forgotten to tell his employee he was supposed to drive through three states in a day and a half. “No?” Ethari hated how confused and uncertain he sounded but damn him it was too early and he was too tired for games.“Well since the first few races this year will be here in the states, we are going to drive some of the equipment and the Moonshadow over ourselves. Or you are going to drive and I will navigate.” That- that was the first time he heard of this.“Couldn’t you have at least given me a heads up before telling me a day prior that we are going to make a 26hour drive on our own? Why not take a plane and let someone drive it there for you?” Someone that was not his only mechanic who should probably be awake for the race to come.“Ah, yes, sorry it, uh, it kinda got lost in the preparation.” Runaan had at least the decency to look mildly guilty. “But I’ll have you know I am an excellent road trip buddy, otherwise Lujanne would’ve killed me in our early days.” Great. That was a relief.“Why not drive yourself then?” Ethari still couldn’t quite believe the racer would give up any control over vehicles willingly. At that, Runaan’s face twisted in what he suspected to be embarrassment.“Janne kinda banned me from driving company property.” Okay, there was a story to that, and he absolutely wanted to hear it.“Why?” the mechanic didn’t even have to fake the surprise.“Well, you see, I have the tendency to forget how fast I am going when I can’t feel the wind so, uh, cars are not really my strong suit if one wants to arrive in one piece without a police escort.”“Of course.” Ethari deadpanned. “What was I even expecting?”His boss grinned, gesturing for him to finally open the box Lujanne had left for him. Or rather, forced on him, just minutes prior.Inside were several sets of clothes, all in ranging shades of dark blue, turquoise and silver. The company’s colors. He pulled out one of the four identical overalls to look at it, the sponsor’s logos contrasting with the dark fabric and silver accents running down the sleeves. It was almost identical to the one they had given him at the charity race but had his Name stitched over his chest and the by now familiar intricate lines of ‘Moonshadow Racing’ emblazoned on the back. “She does know I am only one person right?” he joked after finding a stack of team shirts with various designs and several pants and utility shorts in there as well.“Eh, you know her, always five steps ahead. Besides, these usually don’t even last a season.” Once he’d packed everything back in the carton, Runaan motioned for him to follow and explained what they would still have to load into the truck and where each thing would go respectively. His boss had a specific system to loading, and probably also unloading, not that he would’ve suspected otherwise. What sparked his curiosity though was the presence of the engineer’s street bike among the pile of equipment to go into the truck.They finished considerably earlier than their usual workday, having everything stored away by three in the afternoon. “Alright, that was so much faster than doing it alone.” Runaan patted his shoulder in what he supposed was encouragement. “Regarding tomorrow-“ his boss started while wiping sweat off his face with the hem of his t-shirt. “-you can either be back here by seven the latest or you can go home now, pack your stuff and take one of my guest rooms. Your choice.”There was no way in hell he’d get up at half past five to drive out here before having to drive a whole day. Not even if the alternative meant staying at his employer’s house after he’d sworn to try and keep a professional distance. “I’ll gladly take you up on that offer. If you don’t mind, that is.”“Wouldn’t have offered otherwise.” That at least, Ethari knew to be true.“Okay so I guess I’ll see you later?” he said, already collecting the belongings he would have to take back home. “Anything else I should be aware of?” didn’t hurt to ask now, did it?“Hm not really. Say-“ Runaan did that thing with his brows like every time he was contemplating something “-how do you feel about tacos for dinner? Since I was a good little soldier and ate my canned goods, I have successfully negotiated a cheat meal.” The glint in his eyes would have appeared manic to anybody who hadn’t shared those canned meals for two weeks straight.“Sounds great. Do you need me to pick up anything from a store?” but the other shook his head, already gathering his wallet and keys. “Nah, I’ll use the opportunity to move some of my other rides that have been painfully neglected the last few weeks.” With that, he hit a button on the remote controlling the garage’s front gate, opening the shed next to the estate’s driveway to reveal an assortment of sport bikes in several stages of assembly. After a quick once over, Runaan seemed to decide on a matte black bike with chrome tires.Ethari couldn’t within but whistle. “An Ecosse ES1 spirit? Aren’t those sold for over three million?” his boss nodded, checking for fuel and break fluid. “They are but I helped them out with the design, and they gifted me the first one in return.”The mechanic was astonished “You just helped build their product? Aren’t they rivals?” but Runaan shook his head with a smile.“No, they are catering an entirely different clientele. Besides, the company at the gala I met their head engineer at was incredibly dull so we discussed engines instead.” Somehow, his boss still managed to surprise him on a daily basis. And here he thought with all the fuss Lujanne made over confidentiality agreements, the racer would be the same. Back at home, Ethari pulled a travel backpack and an old duffle from his college days out from where they were buried in his wardrobe and contemplated what one would need on a journey through half the world that spanned several months. Maybe he should have thought about this a little earlier. As far as he knew, they wouldn’t return to San Francisco after the race in Texas and directly fly over to Europe for the following races. And even if they did, they would be in Austin for a good two weeks minimum.Slightly panicked, he reached for his phone and opened the chat with Runaan. “I don’t know what to pack.” Surely, his boss would understand his peril. While waiting, Ethari resorted to cleaning everything that wouldn’t survive a month-long absence and brought his meagre two plants over to his downstairs neighbor who always returned them in better condition than she’d received them in.Been there. Read the first message upon his return. Pack at least one suit with two different dress shirts and a tie or Janne will kill you. Otherwise, I recommend your favorite brand of coffee, pajamas, stuff that can get dirty, your laptop, headphones for the flights, any medication you might need, deodorant and other wash items I guess. Ethari waited a bit since the other was still typing and meanwhile took out a piece of paper to jot down a packing list. Steel toe boots might also be good if you have any. And bring your protective gear and helmet, just in case. How do you feel about guacamole and corn?Mildly surprised about actually having received useful advice, the mechanic quickly typed his response and got back to packing. “Thx. Both sound good.” He got a single thumbs up smiley in return.A good three hours later, Ethari once again pulled up to the tall gates of his employers’ estate. This time, with a backpack and duffle worth of clothes and other bits and pieces he thought he might need slung around his leather clad shoulders. Runaan had texted him to use the bell and front door once he was inside so he simply parked his scrambler in the usual spot and, for the first time since starting to work there, climbed the stairs to the actual front door. His boss opened in jeans and t-shirt, bare feet tapping over the tiles as he hurried back to where the meat was currently simmering in what smelled heavenly of texmex. “Just put you bags aside for now, I’ll show you to the guest room once this is off the stove.” He declared, reaching for a set of glasses and plates to deposit them on the counter.“Can I help?” Ethari was instinctively drawn closer to the food. His stomach reminded him that he also hadn’t eaten since breakfast safe for the snickers Runaan had found in one of his toolboxes and then promptly chucked at his head to dispose of the temptation.“Not really, no. I’ll just turn everything off so we can bring your stuff over and then we can eat.” His boss expertly balanced several bowls with pre-diced ingredients on the kitchen island before gesturing for him to follow, the duffle bag already tucked under his arm.“It’s not really special but, uh, there is a bathroom down the hall next to the gym.” He said, opening the door to reveal a spacious but relatively empty bedroom with a queen-sized bed and wardrobe in the same discrete white and brushed metal combination as the rest of the furniture. A floor sized mirror and nightstand gave the place the look of a hotel room.Ethari only shrugged with a smile “Hey, you’ve been to my place. This is bigger than my living room.”Back in the kitchen area, they both assembled a couple of tacos and Ethari followed his host out onto the back balcony that he hadn’t been on yet. Below them, the rest of the estate was basked in the red glow of the setting sun, racetrack occasionally peeking out between the tall trees. “Oh, hey, I didn’t know you had a pool. Neat.” The mechanic gestured towards the glimmering surface further down.Runaan seemed pulled out of some kind of thought, blinking before his eyes focused on his outstretched arm. “It was here when I bought the house. Might as well keep it, right?”They enjoyed their, admittedly delicious, meal in comfortable silence, both of them going for seconds and in Ethari’s case, thirds. “A shame you don’t get to cook more often.” He remarked once they were back inside, each lounging on one of the sofas.“Hm, it’s not really worth the effort for one person and with all the restrictions it’s not that fun to be honest. I want to be able to add the amount of cheese grating that is appropriate, not the amount that would be healthy. If you know what I mean? I used to cook for Janne every Friday but since we have expanded so much over the last three years, none of us really has the time anymore.” Runaan sounded genuinely sad at the loss of his weekly cookout.“Maybe you can do it again once the season is through and make it once a month so it’s less time consuming?” he offered, almost asleep already. Food coma and a soft couch were a mean combination.His boss smiled before stretching, not unlike a large cat “Good Idea.” Then, he checked his wrist tracker with a slight frown. “But we should go to sleep now, I plan to leave around six thirty the latest.”They said their goodnights with Runaan reminding him that he would be upstairs should anything occur that needed his immediate attention and proposed to meet back in the kitchen around six to get some breakfast. After retrieving his toothbrush from his bag, Ethari went on his search for the second bathroom. It was supposed to be down the hall, right? He opened the door opposite the gym first, remembering his boss saying something about that but it turned out to be just another guestroom. Just that it looked entirely different than the one he was staying in. The curtains were a light blue instead of the sterile white and a filled bookshelf plus a glass desk were aligned where his room was empty. After a closer look, he could see other things that looked more personal; a picture frame, a charger next to the bed, a couple of clothes in the open closet. Huh. He’d never seen anyone besides Lujanne and the pit crew inside the house.Well aware that he was probably about to invade someone’s privacy, Ethari quietly stepped into the room, heading for the desk with the framed picture. It turned out to be a selfie of Lujanne and Runaan, both looking younger and holding a trophy between them. It was from the Grand Prix a couple of years ago, the first one his boss won, he remembered, the date and name engraved on the chalice. So maybe this was Lujanne’s room? Having seen more than he should already, the mechanic closed the door behind him again and went for the last door that indeed turned out to be a rather spacious bathroom with both, a shower and a bathtub contrary to the single shower stall down in the workshop which they usually used to get rid of any grime before going back upstairs. While brushing his teeth, Ethari spotted a clear box on the shelf under the sink labelled ‘Janne’ in his employers messy handwriting. So it was her room after all. Interesting.He had figured the two of them were close but not close enough to warrant a permanent guest room. Maybe it was for business reasons, he thought, contemplating whether a shower would be appropriate now or in the morning. In the end, he decided to use the shower to kickstart his brain in the morning. He did have to drive an awful lot the following day.Despite being in a strange place, Ethari found sleep easily between the soft sheets and was more than disgruntled when his alarm forced him out of the, admittedly very comfortable, bed at quarter to six. With a sigh, he selected some washed out jeans and a t-shirt for the drive and went to take a shower. When he emerged ten minutes later, the mechanic could hear an alarm blaring through the house and into the living room. Probably Runaan’s.The thing was, it didn’t stop. Not even five minutes later. “Runaan?” he called upstairs from his spot at the kitchen counter. No response. Well, shit.After another minute of internal debate, he silently climbed the stairs leading upwards to the open second floor. Ethari wasn’t quite sure what he’d expected from his boss’ private living space but it sure as hell wasn’t that.The room before him was large, larger even than the living room he’d been in before. A couple industrial metal beams were protruding throughout the space, looking like the previous walls had been removed save for the beams that provided structural integrity. On his left, next to the railing, stood the metal desk he’d seen from downstairs with two large screens and a laptop. The graphic tablet he’d come to know was aligned besides it, pen in perfect symmetry with the rest of the brushed steel workspace.Eyes following the offending sound of the alarm, Ethari could see walls lined with white bookshelves that appeared to be filled with a large assortment of textbooks, binders and even some fiction. All of them seemed to be sorted by topic and color. The blaring came from somewhere behind a sideboard so he carefully rounded the large metal furniture only to be faced with what appeared to be a king-size futon bed. And his boss.Runaan was halfway buried under what looked to be a very fluffy blanket, headphones firmly in place and fast asleep. Oh. That explained a lot. The other was clad in nothing but a pair of dark blue boxer shorts with his white hair spread out on the sheets around him like a shimmering waterfall. He’d have to wake him somehow if they were to make their six thirty departure as planned. Also that alarm seriously began to get on his nerves.With the lack of a better plan, Ethari picked up a spare pillow, there was a surprising amount of these, and chucked it at his boss’ head. He didn’t dare getting close enough to touch, still unsure about which boundaries applied but very certain that touching Runaan half-naked while asleep wasn’t one of them.In the fraction of a second, the engineer shot in a sitting position, eyes wide and panicked. He blinked a couple of times before the turquoise settled on Ethari, finally releasing the breath he’d drawn in. At his boss’ stare of pure bewilderment, he pointed at his ears, indicating the headphones. It took a couple of heartbeats before Runaan’s face lit up with understanding and he removed them, wincing immediately at the sound of his alarm. “Fuck” he rasped out, patting the bedside table until his hand found the alarm clock and punched it out with his closed fist.“I-I’m sorry to come up here but you, uh-“ Ethari stammered, red creeping up his neck and ears.“-fell asleep with my headphones on.” The gravelly voice supplied with a sympathetic wince. “Sorry, the alarm is agonizing.” That was an understatement if he’d ever heard one.“I, uhm, I’ll just go back downstairs?” he nodded in agreement, already backing away towards the stairs.“Sure” Runaan still sounded like he’d gurgled glass the other night but was at least inching towards the edge of his bed, sheets still wrapped around his body.By the time his boss came stumbling down the stairs in jeans and a faded Moonshadow racing t-shirt, Ethari had already made coffee and cut fruits for their cereal. “Thanks” came the mumbled reply as he pushed one of the cups in the engineer’s hands. “And Sorry.”He just shrugged, pushing over a finished bowl instead and dug into his own. They’d have a long drive in front of them. Or rather he had. It had been quite some time since Ethari had last driven a truck. Still, he managed to get out of the estate and onto the highway without any complications. Next to him, his boss had his sock-clad feet propped up on the dashboard and was sketching something on his tablet. A mix of songs they had both agreed on was blasting from the speakers making him feel like being on an actual road trip instead of chauffeuring his employer and his bike across the country.About four hours in, he pulled up at a gas station for coffee refill and gas. Runaan vanished for the duration it took him to refuel, smelling faintly of smoke upon his return. They both took a few laps around the truck, finishing their coffee before continuing their trip. Most of it was spent in comfortable silence, each enjoying the stretches of relatively undisturbed desert they passed.At around half past three, Ethari could feel his boss’ gaze on him. “We should swap.” He was just about to say that he was fine when he realized he was currently driving in the middle of the road. Pulling back onto their side, he shook his head, trying to clear it. “I thought you were banned.”Runaan grinned, stretching his arms over the back of his seat. “I might have over exaggerated. I am a good driver and while I do have a little speed problem, the built in gps will warn me should I confuse the accelerator for a footrest.” He shrugged, pointing at a sign that indicated a gas station a couple miles down. “Besides, you really need to rest for a bit or we’ll end up somewhere in the desert.” Well, he had a point.After Swapping, Ethari promptly fell asleep. He didn't exactly know when he'd drifted off but the next thing he knew they were pulling up on a motel parking lot and it was dark. Huh.“Ah back amongst the living I see.” Runaan grinned at him from the other side of the cabin, still looking far too awake. “Where are we?” he asked, blinking away the spots from his vision.“Just north of El Paso we'll be stopping here for the night and continue in the morning.” That sounded lovely. Doing quick math in his head he concluded that he’d slept through at least the majority of the drive. Wait. El Paso? “You let me sleep for over nine hours?” Wasn’t he the one supposed to drive? His boss just shrugged, downing the last bit of the disgusting electric blue energy drink that sponsored them.“You seemed to be tired enough so I figured why wake you? There is still a good eight to nine hour drive tomorrow morning. Very early morning. Which means that I will not be driving unless you want to hazard me falling asleep.” Runaan smirked, opening the drivers door to hop down onto the ground. “So it’s probably good you got some extra sleep. We’ll leave in about six-ish hours. There is a bag with sandwiches in your footwell. I figured you might be hungry since you kinda slept through dinner.” And indeed, Ethari’s stomach grumbled loudly at the mention of food.The mechanic quickly located the greasy paper bag that held two grilled turkey sandwiches that smelled like heaven right now. “Oh god thanks.” He said while inhaling the scent of actual solid food that wasn’t nutritionally balanced. He hoped there was mayonnaise on it.From the other side of the truck, he could hear a soft chuckle as Runaan retrieved a small backpack and re-checked the locks. “Sure no problem. Get your stuff and lock up I’ll go and check in for us.”It turned out to be one of the nicer motels along the highway but Ethari still found himself missing the soft sheets of the other’s guestroom. They parted with the intention of reconvening over breakfast and coffee around six again so they could leave at the same time as this morning. After not even five hours of sleep, his alarm reminded him that he actually wasn’t on some kind of surreal road trip with his unfairly attractive employer but that he was working. To his surprise, Runaan was already at the breakfast buffet when he arrived, backpack besides him and nibbling on an apple that looked like he’d stolen it from the fruits that surely were meant to be decorative.Once they both had their fair share of shitty motel coffee, Ethari climbed back into the driver seat, finding himself surprisingly rested despite the early hour. His boss however looked like he hadn’t slept at all and immediately reclined his seat as far as possible while drawing his long legs up to curl into an impressively compact ball for a man his size. “Wake me half an hour before we arrive.” He yawned and pulled the hood of his jacket deep over his eyes. It looked adorable. The mechanic fought the urge to snap a picture for a solid five minutes before finally pulling out back onto the highway.It turned out Ethari didn’t even have to wake his boss as the other woke up a good six hours later, having only slept through one pit stop where he’d gotten a new round of coffee and re-fueled for the rest of their trip. “Good morning.” He announced cheerfully, finally completely awake at now half past twelve.“Hn” was the answer he got as Runaan threw a questioning glance at the thermos cup on his side of the cockpit. “Oh I got you coffee. It should still be warm.” The engineer immediately latched onto the beverage as if it was a lifeline, inhaling the scent before tipping almost the complete cup back. “Thanks.” he rasped and proceeded to shift back into a position that could remotely be called sitting with one foot on the dashboard and the other resting on the seat. “How long do we have?”A quick glance at the nav and Ethari smiled. “Only about two and a half hours.” He’d made good time on the road so far with only a few traffic jams that had been mostly minor.“We’re going straight to the racetrack, that way we can already set up camp today and safe a bit of time tomorrow morning.” Runaan yawned, stretching both arms above his head.To say Ethari was excited would have been a vast understatement. After all this time preparing, training and modifying, he was more than eager to finally get to the work he’d originally been hired for. Besides, his boss finally looked a bit more relaxed as they were on their way to the first race, opposed to the underlying tension he’d sensed the weeks prior.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Pulling up to the pits of the Austin Race track was like entering a different world. Everything was bustling with people and trucks, workers setting up tents and trailers alike. Next to him, Runaan removed his feet from the dashboard and pulled his boots back on, grin plastered on his face as he handed over the permit so Ethari could show it to the security officer. “Home sweet home” his boss stretched once, hands braced against the roof.“Where am I supposed to go now?” to say the grass fields of the pits were chaotic would have been a vast understatement. Everywhere he looked, someone was working. Runaan gestured towards a corner on the outskirts of the tent village where dark blue tents with turquoise flags were already set up or laid out on the grass for assembly. “Follow the banners. God knows Janne always overdoes these.” And indeed, there were enough of them set up to indicate exactly where he’d have to go. Maneuvering through the mass of people and equipment wasn’t easy but after a couple of minutes, Ethari was finally able to shut down their truck.His boss was already outside in the heat of the early Texan summer, thoroughly stretching until several joints audibly popped.A firm voice called over the general rustle before the PA stepped out of one of the already assembled tents. “There you are. Just in time to help set up the rest.”Runaan smiled, embracing Lujanne in a hug while simultaneously trying to escape her hair rustling. “Sure thing. Tell me what you need.”The mechanic himself got an encouraging pat on the back before being assigned several jobs that contained setting up tents, stacking crates, re-arranging trucks or trailers and going on the sixth run for soda and canned beer. All the while, his boss was working next to him, probably getting more done than anyone else in the pit crew. He seemed relaxed though. Sweaty, but relaxed.At the end of the day, their little tent village was complete. The majority was fenced off to the public with a couple of trailers, a garage tent, one with couches and a kitchen area and then the utility ones like medical and a set of camping showers for the workers. Lujanne was handing out the beers he’d brought, and he was finally able to sit down on the by now trampled grass. His boss flopped down besides him to clink their drinks together and smiled. “Welcome to the track.” Somehow, Ethari felt like he’d just passed some kind of initiation ritual.“Hey-“ the PA re-appeared, this time with a dark blue bundle in her hands that she handed over to Runaan “-do the honors?” he smirked and rolled back to his feet. “Always.” Just now did the mechanic notice the large flag pole that had been secured in the ground right in front of the main tent. His boss threw what turned out to be a flag over his shoulder and stepped up to the pole. Wait- he wouldn’t. Right?Turned out he would. Not even half a minute later and Runaan was at the top of the flagpole, legs tucked fast around it while he clipped the dark blue Flag with their silver crescent logo into the carabiner. Once done, he slid down the pole fireman style, accepted a high five from Annie and Kourou and a hug from Lujanne and flopped down next to him again. “Impressive.” His boss shrugged, downing most of his beverage in one go. “Been doing this for a few years now. It’s kind of tradition.” If Ethari had thought the camp in set up had been chaotic, he wasn’t in the least prepared for the full assembled tent village bustling with reporters, staff and fans alike. There was someone everywhere. It was loud and stuffy and hot but also the best place he’d ever been. It felt like home somehow. The smell of motoroil in the air mixed with hot dogs and sweet drinks while engines could be heard in the distance. He didn’t want to leave ever again.“It’s nice, isn’t it?” oh fuck damn Ethari almost dropped his third coffee of the early morning as his boss suddenly materialized next to him. “Yeah” he agreed as soon as he had his bearings back. “Never been to a GP race before. It’s different than the lower leagues.” Runaan chuckled, resting both forearms on the handrail along the trailer’s roof balcony. “Oh yes. Nothing quite manages to compare.” after a small pause, he added “You can take a few hours to look around if you like. I won’t be needing you until later today when we go into track trials.” It was tempting, wandering around the tents for some time to see who else was there and what kinds of crazy foods were sold for way too much money.“You sure? I’m sure I could still help with whatever you’re doing. Don’t you want to take a look around, too?” another chuckle, quieter this time. “Nah. I usually don’t leave our private section that much during races. It’s quieter back there.” Huh. Somehow, Ethari would have expected his boss to at least mingle a bit with the other racers. To gauge out competition or whatever.When the mechanic returned two hours later, he found Runaan sprawled on one of the couches, covered in binders and spread sheets and idly tapping away on his tablet. “And? Did it hold up to expectation?” Ethari thought about the honey and chili popcorn someone had been giving out. “Pretty much yeah. What are you working on?” It was oddly quiet here in their private area. Especially compared to the busy masses outside.“Looking into this year’s competition.” He held up one of the spreadsheets that was filled with track times of different racers. Ah. Math. And here he’d thought one would do that by actually talking to the competition. Apparently not.“And?” Runaan shrugged, shoving some of the papers into several neat piles on the coffee table. “Not significantly better or worse than last year.” The engineer stood, rising to his tip toes which sent a series of cracks echoing through the otherwise empty tent. “I wanted to show you to the pit lane before training tonight. Or rather before they start the VIP pit lane walk in about two hours and you won’t have the peace to get accustomed anymore.” The what now? His puzzled expression must have been enough to prompt a further explanation. “Well, there are special tickets the audience can buy which allow them to walk past the pit lane and ogle the teams before each race. Ridiculously overprized and one feels like a Zoo animal but everyone their own I guess.” Right. This was as much show business as it was a sport. Ethari tended to forget that tiny detail. But then, the Moonshadow team didn’t act like it at all so why shouldn’t he.The pit resembled the one of the smaller track he’d already been in but it was more modern and had way more spare parts and equipment stored. Annie and Kourou were already discussing setting up a couple more screens just for the fun of it when they arrived. At the moment, all four of them, the racer included, were clad in the casual outfit for the pit crews which mainly consisted of dark blue heavy-duty cargo shorts and team shirts in their signature turquoise. Nobody bothered them, blending in seemed to work surprisingly well. “We’re going to run through a tire change today, just to make sure you are comfortable with the space.” Runaan gestured towards the assorted spare tires and tools aligned across the workspace. “Sure thing boss.” The two pit crew assistants parroted in unison while Ethari was still busy opening toolboxes and trying to remember where everything was. “Uh yes.” He added belatedly, earning him a bemused glance from the other three.“I will leave you three to get settled and prepare for the first training round. Clearance starts in thirty minutes, be ready.” With that, the engineer left them alone in the box, already on his way to re-dress.To Ethari’s imminent surprise, the other two were actually really helpful regarding the proceedings of the actual race and the training periods. They had trained for this together for weeks now, but it was somehow different that they were at the actual venue. Annie had just finished her explanation of training hours when a deep rumble reached his ears. He’d recognize that engine anywhere.Not even half a minute later and Runaan pulled up outside, helmet and leather combo already in place. “Hey boss.” Annie waved and pushed past him in order to round the moonshadow once. “Damn you really went all out on the polish today.” The racer just shrugged, killing the engine and climbing off. “First impressions and all. Besides, I was bored this morning.”Another engine cut through the air, somehow similar to the Moonshadow’s but not as smooth. Strange. Next to him, Runaan stiffened, head turning in the direction of the sound. Just a couple of seconds passed, and another bike rolled up. Black with dark red and gold accents. The driver was a broad-shouldered man, dread locks spilling out from under his dark red helmet. “Runaan” he greeted with thinly veiled venom in his voice.“Harrow.”The other took off his helmet, tucking it under his arm as he stepped closer. “Fancy meeting you here.” His boss crossed both arms in front of his chest but made no move to either leave or step forward. “Yes. Somehow I had hoped you’d finally given up after last season and would spare us the trouble.” Oh, there was some bad blood there. Unsure of what to do, Ethari simply stood his ground and glanced over to Annie who glared daggers at the other racer. A lot of bad blood it seemed.“My team convinced me to kick your ass one more time before retirement.” Those were some lofty words for someone talking to the world champion of four consecutive Seasons. Runaan cocked his head, seemingly unimpressed. “I see. Good luck with that.” Then, he held his gloved hand out, waiting for the other to take it.“On a good season then.” For a second, Ethari thought the racer in red wouldn’t take it but then, another gloved hand grasped Runaan’s forearm. “On a good season.” Once his boss was on the track training, Ethari turned to Annie with a questioning glance. “Who was that?” She shook her head with something in between a smile and a grim frown. “Man, we really need to get you up to speed on the other people in the business.” She wasn’t wrong. Before, he’d only ever watched the races for the bikes, not for the drivers and he only knew about Runaan because everybody knew about Runaan. “That was Harrow. He’s one of the drivers of Katolis, one of the other larger racing stalls. The last few seasons he mostly came in second or third. He was the reigning champion before boss started and they had a couple of run-ins on and off track.” Annie had resorted to sitting on one of the workbenches, gesturing wildly. “He won the Championship five years ago when Runaan crashed and in turn crashed on the last race last season, making him third. There is some history between his mechanic and the boss but I am not sure if I am allowed to tell. So, uhm, maybe ask him yourself.” He nodded, unsure what to make of that information. It could be everything and nothing. “But-“ she grinned, holding up her index finger. “First I’ll give you a brief run down of people you need to know and some racing history.” From somewhere behind her, he could see Kourou roll his eyes. “Here we go.”Excluding the few minutes they rehearsed the tire change, Ethari spent the two hours of midday training being drowned in names, trivia and gossip about virtually everybody who had something to do with the Grandprix in one way or another. There was no way he’d remember all of it. “Don’t worry, I’ll point people out to you until you got it.” Annie beamed, apparently more than pleased to have someone to dump all that information on. Her colleague simply offered him a pat on the shoulder. “My condolences pal.”In the end, he was saved by Runaan who returned for fine tuning and to get the Moonshadow back off the track before the pit lane walk.He hadn’t been kidding. One really felt like a zoo animal. For the fourth time in a row, Ethari tried to concentrate on the statistics in front of him when a shout or cheer interrupted him. Goddamn it. Couldn’t these people at least stare silently? His two coworkers seemed unimpressed though and Annie had been busy flirting with one of the girls handing out fliers for the stall next to them ever since she’d shown up. At some point, Lujanne had made her appearance to talk to some of the fans and reporters at the fence a few meters away from where they were working, giving them at least a little space. Runaan was still in the back with Kourou, intently staring at the weather forecast so he tried to focus back on his track stats that they had collected earlier.“You good?” the sudden presence next to him made Ethari jump a bit, bumping the racers shoulder in the process. “Sorry for spooking you.” Damn that man moved quietly.“Yeah, just hard to concentrate with all the people staring outside.” just as if on cue, they started cheering again, apparently one of the racers a few stalls further down had made his appearance. “You’ll get used to it.” Runaan smiled encouragingly before pulling the helmet back on again. “Excuse me, I’ll have to endure a few minutes of shaking hands and autographs or Janne will be mad.” With that, he left the shelter of their little box to join his PA at the fence. Immediately, over a dozen people thrust posters his way in an effort to get them signed. So that’s what it was like to be famous. Ethari didn’t think he’d enjoy it. But then, Runaan also didn’t seem to like it very much.By the time they were back at the hotel for dinner, he was about ready to fall asleep. The day had been eventful enough to fill a whole goddamn week. Now he knew why Runaan paid his employees that well. Strangely enough, the others didn’t seem as affected. Maybe it was just him and the novelty of it all. It was, after all, a stark change of pace compared to working with his boss in relative solitude.“So, first real day on track. How did you like it?” Annie was gesturing at him with the French fry impaled on her fork. “Oh, uh, good? There is a lot going on.” Damn that sounded like he didn’t enjoy it. Which absolutely wasn’t the case. It was simply a lot to take in. The others just smiled, Kourou patting him on the shoulder. “Takes some time to acclimate to the madness.” The rest nodded in unison as if he’d just entered a sect. Yeah, everyone in this business was definitely at least a bit insane. All of their rooms were in the same end of the hallway so when Ethari left his in order to get breakfast, he promptly collided with his boss who was busy on the phone. “Yeah, no, I need a reprint of the flyers for tomorrow the latest, there is-“ he stopped, looking up at him in surprise. “-never mind. Just get it done.” Runaan hung up and took a step back from where he’d been plastered against his chest. “Uh, I- I didn’t mean to bump into you-” a hand raked through the messy white hair that was currently flowing free over the racer’s shoulders while the blue eyes nervously flitted from side to side.Ethari had to suppress a chuckle at the disheveled state of his employer. It wasn’t even that early. “It’s fine. I also didn’t see you coming. I wanted to get breakfast, were you also on your way down there?” He pointed down the hall before using the movement to tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear. He really needed a haircut. “I, ah,-“ Runaan started, apparently having lost track of what he meant to say. “Yes. Breakfast. Absolutely. I just-“ the racer backed towards his room, phone still in hand. “-need five minutes to dress.” Just now did Ethari realize that his boss was only clad in a pair of track pants and a tank top, bare feet moving silently over the hotel carpet. Maybe he’d been using the larger hallway to pace while on the phone? “Sure, I’ll wait.”Runaan didn’t seem to have expected that with the way his eyes widened. “Oh, okay. Five minutes.” Sliding the keycard over the lock, he looked back once, a small smile on his lips before pushing the door open. “Take your time.” The mechanic called after him. He didn’t have anywhere to be without the other after all. As soon as the door had closed behind him, Runaan gently hit his head against the hardwood. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Get your fucking act together Lunaris. He’s just being nice. Why is he being do goddamn nice? But now was not the time for self-pity. He needed to turn himself presentable. On his way to the bathroom, he tripped over a couple of binders he’d been looking through that night. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He hadn’t actually planned on leaving his room that early. But now, Ethari was waiting on him because he couldn’t even pay attention to where he was going so, he had to. Where the hell where these hair ties? Runaan was fairly sure to have left them on the sink the night before. Which was empty. Then, his eyes travelled downwards to his wrist where an assortment of a dozen blue and grey elastics decorated his tanned skin.He wasted about two minutes on trying to comb his hair before giving up and gathering it in a bun instead. Nothing a shower later couldn’t fix he supposed, now on the hunt for something appropriate to wear. Given his self-fabricated time shortage, the racer settled on a soft dark grey hoodie and black jeans. That was fine for a casual breakfast with employees right?Ethari was still in the hall when he left his room again, leaning against the wall and looking through something on his phone. “I, uh-“ he started, about to apologize once again before Runaan stopped himself. “Thank you for waiting.” He’d embarrassed himself enough already.His mechanic just smiled with that condensed sunbeam of his and pushed off the tapestry. “Sure no problem.”Two double espressos later and he could slowly feel his cognitive functions return. Okay, keep calm and don’t do anything else. You’ve been doing great so far. Runaan told himself as he watched the other select baked goods and other food items that were so mismatched his nutritionist would get a seizure just looking at it. The engineer however only stared at the blueberry muffins longingly while shoveling cereal and fruits in his bowl. Only three and a half months and you can eat whatever you want. Today was the day. The first race. Ethari’s first race as a full-fledged mechanic. To say he wasn’t excited would have been a lie. At breakfast, he basically vibrated on his seat while the rest of the crew looked about as equally unimpressed as the day before. Eh, whatever. It was an exciting day and no amount of exasperated staring could possibly dull his mood. Kourou looked up from his sixth slice of Nutella coated abnormity he called toast. “One could think you’re the one having to race today. We’ll just be standing around worrying our asses off as usual.” That earned him a whack on the head by one Runaan Lunaris who was on his fourth cup of espresso and should probably also be vibrating at this point.“Let him be. I distinctly remember someone fainting in the box out of pure stress on their first gig.” The racer grinned as his employee’s face turned beet red before the other could possibly hide it behind today’s newspaper. “Fuck you.” Kourou grumbled into his toast but kept silent otherwise.“But-“ and now his boss turned back to Ethari “- he is kinda right. It won’t be much different for you than the bracket position yesterday.” And if it wasn’t. It still counted as his first race and nobody could make him any less excited for it. After all, it would officially make him the team’s mechanic. “I don’t care.” He chirped, taking a pointed sip from his fresh orange juice. Today was the day.In the end, Ethari was so swamped with preparations the whole day that he almost forgot the afternoon race, only to jump right back to his feet the second Runaan started braiding his hair. “You’re ready?” the racer asked with an amused undertone to his voice, eyes sparkling with mischief as he regarded him in his full Pit crew outfit; hat, shirt and everything. “I was born ready.” Ethari couldn’t quite within but add a cheesy wink that made his boss dissolve in a fit of giggles where he was currently sitting on the floor and pulling on the motorcycle boots. It was nice to hear Runaan laugh. He’d gotten more tense the closer they got to the season but ever since they arrived in Austin, a weight seemed to have been lifted off of his shoulders.“Do you want me to do another round of checkups?” they’d already run through the whole process twice but the mechanic felt a bit useless just waiting around for his boss to get ready. And maybe he was a tad bit worried they’d overlooked something. Runaan just shrugged, doing a few stretches. “Sure if it makes you sleep easier.” Was he really that obvious?Naturally, Ethari didn’t find a single thing. The Moonshadow was as ready as a bike could possibly be. Still, the uneasy feeling of worry and doubt didn’t quite leave him. “Hey-“ the engineer gave him an encouraging smile. “-I’ve run this track a hundred times. Moonie is in top condition. It’s gonna be fine. Just remember what we practiced in case I need you.” Ethari nodded, reaching out to pull his boss in for a quick hug. “Just be careful alright?”Runaan tensed for a second but then hugged back, gloved hands gently patting his back. To his surprise, he didn’t argue or throw back one of his usual comebacks about always being careful even if evidence clearly suggested otherwise. “Okay.”Then, Ethari was suddenly whisked away by Annie to prepare for the race and soon, the racers were already lining up in their respective bracket positions. He could see Lujanne walk over and rap her knuckles on the other’s helmet once, earning herself the signature salute before she had to leave the track. Belatedly, the mechanic noticed Runaan starting on fourth place. When he pointed that out to his colleagues, Annie simply shrugged. “He likes catching up and apparently hates getting chased so he always makes sure there are a couple in front of him each race.” Wait- did she just say their boss performed bad on purpose? The same person he’d witnessed trying to do a handstand on the handlebars of his propped-up bike once because Ethari offhandedly mentioned he didn’t get how stunt drivers managed that? Huh.The sound of a dozen engines revving up pulled him from his thoughts, eyes snapping back on the monitors in front of him just in time to see the dark blue silhouette of Runaan speeding away. He spent the entire time focused on that screen as if his life depended on it. Every time the racer leaned in way deeper than looked healthy for a corner, Ethari inhaled sharply, holding his breath until he was in the clear again. He managed to overtake two of the three people in front of him during the first round, leaving the rest of the racers behind himself and the bike at the front which he recognized as Harrow’s. They fought for dominance for an entire round afterwards before Runaan finally seemed to be determined enough to get some distance between them and noticeably increased his speed in the middle of the last round.He came in first, followed by the racer in red and the rest. Upon clearing the finish line, his boss dug into the brakes, hard, and let his bike slowly roll along the cheering tribunes, both hands raised to wave. Runaan looked relaxed as he pulled in their box and accepted a fist bump from Kourou and when he took off his helmet, Ethari could see an easy smile plastered across his face. Lujanne came rushing in, embracing the racer in a quick hug before placing a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses on his head. “Very good. Let’s go get that first trophy.”Runaan let her fuss over him for a bit and chuckled at her insistence on getting over to the pedestal. “A good start but Austin has always been my hometurf so let’s not get carried away.”Once the PA had rushed out again, Ethari stepped forward, offering a high five and squatted down to inspect the bike. “Everything alright with the modifications we made?” apparently yes but it didn’t hurt to ask now, did it? “She ran like a charm. Probably thanks to you keeping me from removing any more cooling fluid.” The mechanic chuckled, clearly feeling the heat radiate off of the machine. “Probably.” Strangely enough, Ethari felt as if they had just arrived when he helped pack up the camp to get everything shipped over to Barcelona for the next race. It had been almost two weeks in Austin but he’d had so much to do there was hardly time to register that.Currently, he was standing next to Lujanne and Runaan in line for check in at the airport, Kourou and Annie already been shipped out a day earlier to organize set up in Spain. The PA was busy on the phone, trying to schedule a pickup for them from the sound of it while his boss was scribbling little waterlilies in his beat up notebook. They’d been standing in that line for a while now and slowly, Ethari was getting bored. “Why waterlilies?” he asked, keen to find any kind of distraction.Runaan shrugged, setting his pen down. “I like their symmetry. And I have some back home in a pond in the woods.” For the lack of anything better to say, he nodded, pointing at the little black inked petals.“They look really nice.” For a second, he could have sworn to see a slight blush appear on the other’s cheeks before his boss looked down, worrying the edge of the page he’d been drawing on. “Thank you.”They ended up all sitting in the same row with Lujanne by the window, Runaan in the middle and him out to the aisle. The flight wasn’t that packed, so the PA quickly vanished in an empty row to catch some sleep as they were going to be in the air for over eleven hours straight. Up to now, Ethari had never been on such a long flight. It was kind of exciting. He curiously clicked through the board entertainment offers when he caught movement in the corner of his eye. Looking over, he could see his boss lifting up his dark grey hoodie and slapping some kind of plaster over the skin of his lower abdomen. It took him serious effort to move his eyes back up to the other’s face as he pointed at the little white square. “What’s that?”Runaan seemed to have forgotten his presence entirely because he was now staring a bit dumbfoundedly, letting go of the hoodie hem immediately. “Uh, nicotine patch?” Ah, well, that made sense. It was going to be a long flight after all. But the other wasn’t finished with his explanation yet. “I have a slight fear of planes and the lack of um, you know, makes it a bit harder to ignore that.” A fear of planes? As an engineer? But then, phobias usually weren’t rational.“I can distract you if you like.” Only belatedly realizing how that sounded, Ethari didn’t manage to backpedal in time before his boss turned an adorable shade of dark pink. “I ah-“ the other broke off, fiddling with the elastic of his notebook instead of looking at him. “I packed playing cards. Do you poker?” Runaan’s eyes snapped back up at that, cheeks turning a bit darker as he realized to have entirely misinterpreted that. Well, maybe not entirely. “S-sure”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ethari immediately loved Barcelona. The weather was great, everything smelled like good food and people were running around in beach clothes everywhere. He wouldn’t even have to worry about wearing appropriate clothes in this heat.“Can we take a look around the city?” he asked once they left the airport, stepping back out into the early morning sun. They probably had more than enough to do but it wouldn’t hurt to ask now would it? Strangely enough, he wasn’t feeling overly tired despite being on the plane for a good ten hours straight.His boss nodded, small smile creeping on his face as they stored their luggage in the taxi. “Sure. Once everything is set up, I can show you the city if you like.”They ended up taking Runaan’s street bike downtown (now he finally got why the racer had insisted on taking it with them) and mingled with the tourists a bit before he was pulled into a side alley and then a tapas bar. Ethari didn’t mind getting dragged along. This way, he could observe the old town they were currently in and the wild mix of locals and tourists getting ready for the evening rush without having to worry about losing his guide. The racer seemed pretty adamant on keeping a death grip on his shirttail.Everything was so different than the States. They’d passed an old church, large and built from the light brown sandstone everything here seemed to be made from and if Runaan hadn’t had a secure grip on the loose end of his currently open Hawaiian shirt he’d surely lost the other in the crowd they had to shoulder through in order to pass the church and market place it was on. Upon asking, his guide had supplied the name of the church, Santa Maria del Mar, as he’d done with almost every other historic building they’d passed. It was all just so surreal, a bit like the various Dalí replicas they passed. He was here, in the heart of a bustling Mediterranean city, being pulled along by his incredibly attractive and insanely smart boss. And simply because he’d said he wanted to see the city. Just for him. How was this his life now? What on earth had he done to deserve such an upgrade from his shitty diner night shifts. Lady Luck truly worked in mysterious ways.Now, Ethari was sitting in a comfortable pile of pillows on a low sofa and marveled at the candle and lantern-lit inner courtyard of one of these old buildings that looked like each would be able to tell their own story about times long past and generations of people passing by them every day. According to Runaan, some of the houses they’d passed were older than the United States. Truly astonishing.His guide was currently lounging on a similar sofa across from him, comfortably reclined against the pillows in a way that showed off his collarbones and slim waist under the slightly translucent billowy white shirt he had tucked into the ripped skinny yeans that had more than a few oil stains on them. White hair up in a bun, Runaan looked like a Persian prince amidst the myriad of colorful stitched silk pillows that had rows over rows of tassels along the edges. Ethari would have loved to take a picture. Simply because his boss seldom looked as relaxed outside his house as he did now.They ordered drinks and the racer proceeded to exchange a few Spanish words with their waitress after which she returned with a little clay mug and a colorful ceramic ashtray. While Runaan rummaged through his pant pockets for a lighter, cigarette already tucked between his lips, Ethari pointed at the little ceramic mug that, after closer inspection, had a number written onto it. “What’s that for?”The white-haired man looked up, eyes flickering between his hand and the clay for a second. “Oh, that’s for the tapas. You go and get these little bite sized portions inside-” he gestured for the door. “-and then you put the skewers in there and later pay by number. Quite efficient actually.” Of course, his boss would be delighted by an efficient billing system.Ethari watched him pat down his pockets for another minute, brows increasingly drawn together, before he grabbed one of the candles from their table and held it out. “Here” the other stopped to eye first the candle and then him until he leaned in closer, looking up at Ethari though long lashes. Runaan kept the cigarette between his lips as he angled his head slightly to the side to hold it over the flame, giving him a great visual of his chiseled jawline in the process.“Thanks” he basically purred once he was back in his seat, leaving Ethari still holding out the little candle like an absolute moron. Quickly, he placed the mosaic glass light back on the table between them and took up his drink to hide behind. “No,- no problem.”Only now did he realize that it was probably an unwise choice to drink the bar’s homemade Sangria while Runaan was sipping on a virgin Mojito. He knew he was a touchy-feely drunk and that wouldn’t go well with his stoic, distant boss. Although, if he thought about it, the racer had been uncharacteristically clingy ever since they stepped off his bike, never straying more than a few feet from him and always keeping some kind of tether either by grabbing his shirttails or resting a hand on Ethari’s elbow. Still, it would be good to keep his wits or else he probably ended up revealing too much of his true feelings. “So, about these bite sized foods…” he trailed off, trying to make a face that looked hungry rather than flustered. Which, if he was being honest was almost the same just without the flush.Across from him, Runaan blew the last bit of smoke from his cigarette behind him and rolled to his feet with the grace of a large cat. “Come on-” he offered Ethari a hand to pull him up and the mechanic was surprised when he did so effortlessly. There was a lot more strength in that lithe body than he’d thought. He also noticed the way he let his hand linger a bit longer than strictly necessary over his pulse point before pulling away and turning towards the restaurant door. Ethari was distracted enough by the very nice display of jeans clad backside to almost miss his cue to follow, ending up jogging over the crushed seashell gravel to catch up.Once inside, his nose immediately filled with the positively divine smell of various fried foods, quickening his steps until he almost bumped into Runaan. The racer explained the dished he didn’t know, occasionally asking the elderly woman behind the counter about ingredients and translating them for Ethari who suddenly wished he’d picked up more of the language from his grandmother. They each loaded up a plate with a wide variety of the little dishes, Runaan clearly having preferences from past experience. He counted alone three of the tiny fried eggs with Spanish ham the racer had called quail eggs upon inquiry.“Wait-” Ethari started as soon as the first piece of ciabatta vanished in his boss’ mouth. “-don’t you have to stick to your meal plan?” he clearly remembered the other complaining about it on the plane earlier.Runaan stopped in his tracks, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks as he jingled his, currently empty, wrist. “I ah, I put in personal time for the rest of the day. I didn’t use any the last month so I kinda still had a few hours to kill and as long as my blood sugar is down by the time I put that thing on again I’m good.”Ethari raised a doubtful eyebrow as he couldn’t within but tease. “So, basically you’re cheating?”The other’s blush deepened as he protectively placed a hand in front of his plate. “I am beginning to regret taking you.” It looked so adorable, Ethari had to laugh.“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna rat you out. You deserve some real food besides-” he took another bite of his potato and meat croquette “-this stuff is worth killing over.” Runaan, now completely pink, nodded eagerly and finished another tiny food skewered onto a piece of bread.“So-” he asked after their little clay pot was almost completely filled with skewers “-do you always use your personal time to cheat food that they won’t let you eat?” this time, the other reacted more put together. Runaan was by now sprawled out on the couch completely, having chucked off his motorcycle boots in favor of placing his sock-clad feet on the cushions and watched his cigarette smoke vanish in the darkening evening sky. He’d skipped out on the last food run but had still enthusiastically accepted the three items Ethari had recognized as the other’s favorites and brough back for him. He felt only mildly bad for undermining his boss’ diet plans.“No but it is a great way to use them. Especially since I only get the opportunity to come to Maria’s once a year.” Ethari’s mind briefly drifted to the use these personal hours were actually intended for and had to break off his thoughts with a gulp from his, admittedly great, Sangria.“Well, the food is certainly amazing.” he allowed once he had his wandering mind back under control and held out the candle again when he saw Runaan pluck out another cigarette. The racer smiled and leaned in even closer than the first time, if on purpose he couldn’t say.“It is. But there are a couple other things I want to show you now that we’re here.” then, he turned to the waitress who was on her way back from delivering drinks and gave her a rather charming smile before calling out “La cuenta, por favor”. A bit too charming for Ethari’s taste. Wait- Oh no. Was that jealousy? Over a woman in regards to a clearly very gay man? Ethari get your shit together. He was so done for.She returned a few minutes later with a small wooden box that turned out to hold the bill and a good handful of mints wrapped in light green foil. Runaan offered him one before turning the box over and stashing the rest of them in his pocket. “What?” he asked, slightly flustered at the mechanic’s doubtful look before he placed the check together with a bunch of European bills back in the box and closed it. “You don’t even wanna know how good I tip every time I’m here. It’ll make you question your salary. Come on-” with that, he stood and held out his hand again, a fresh unlit cigarette tucked behind his ear while the other was still gleaming in the corner of his mouth.The streets were still crowded, even though it was rapidly nearing nighttime and Ethari was once again glad to be towed through the tourist crowds by his shirt. At this point, he wasn’t even so much as wearing it, one of the short sleeves dropped down to his elbow where Runaan was using it to keep them tethered together. They passed numerous alleyways and plazas and Ethari noticed how his guide was moving in closer whenever the crowds grew thicker, moving his hand up until he had nearly the entirety of the mechanic’s left shirt side balled up in his grasp. He was close enough that Ethari could smell his cologne over the various other spices around them and involuntary leaned closer. To his surprise, the racer didn’t back away to maintain a respectable distance and instead let their shoulders brush together while they passed a particular dense plaza in front of a church where several artists were juggling with fire and other glowing things. Ethari had half the mind to stop but the way the other’s fist tightened in his shirt at the first signs of slowing down prompted him to continue.“Where are we going?” he asked after a couple more minutes of weaving through old streets and dodging one tourist group after the other. Runaan didn’t answer for a few minutes before they rounded a corner opening up to a larger street with lantern-lit stalls. “Here. La Rambla.” Ethari got tugged a bit further, along several carts selling jewelry or food until they halted at a particularly good smelling cart where his guide exchanged a couple of bills for two cardboard plates with what looked like bananas.“Plantains? No way!” he hadn’t had any ever since his grandma had gotten too old to be making them and ignored Runaan’s soft chuckle as he nearly burned his tongue on the new treat in his hands. “I haven’t had them in ages.”The other just smiled and cocked his head towards an empty stretch of cornerstones. “They’re probably different from what you’re used to but delicious nonetheless.” and he was right. They did taste vastly different from what he remembered from his grandmother’s cooking but were really good regardless. There was even a bit of vanilla ice cream to go with it. “Hmmhm” he confirmed, very busy with this new treat he’d just received even though they’d literally just eaten. He ended up eating the rest of Runaan’s portion too, since his boss decided he didn’t plan on running that many laps tonight and therefore asked the mechanic to dispose of them. Which he gladly did.They continued on towards the harbor and meandered a bit along the coastline until Runaan turned them back towards the city. All the while, the racer had his hand firmly in his shirt tail, only letting go once to sneakily light the cigarette from behind his ear on a candle that was placed on an empty restaurant table close by. At some point, Ethari got handed another treat which consisted of fried potatoes and some kind of spicy sauce but not without the racer stealing a few of the hot cubes right from his paper plate. “Are you projecting the food you would have gotten onto me now?” he grinned, watching the other’s fingers snatch another small bite from his plate.Runaan ducked his head, quickly licking the salt off his fingers before his hand returned to the by now rumpled part of Ethari’s shirt. “Maybe”On their way back to where his boss had parked their ride, they had to pass one of the larger plazas again where a band performed live for the people sitting outside to eat. A crowd of varying ages was performing some kind of line dance and Ethari was surprised to see that even very old people seemed to participate. “That look’s really fun.” Runaan’s eyebrows shot up with a smirk, nudging his head in the direction of the dancers.“Yeah? You wanna try it?” That was about the last reaction he’d expected.“Uh, sure? If you don’t mind?” The mechanic could already feel his blush creeping up but the other only smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him over the thirty or so people dancing. Runaan studied one of the older ladies for a few seconds before copying her movements and joined the cluster as if he’d never done anything else in his life. How?“Come on, it’s not that hard, you just have to look at the others.” he supplied once they had completed one full rotation of the steps as far as Ethari was aware. Okay, it can’t be that hard. Runaan also managed it. Just watch and move. And really, even though his first few steps were more than a little clumsy, he quickly got the hang of it, even earning a little applause from the old lady Runaan had been copying earlier. The dances changed with each song but at some point, he was able to recognize their patterns well enough to not spent the first half scrambling after his boss and their guide Lady. It was fun. Especially since he got to see Runaan grinning with a slight flush on his cheeks as he gracefully moved through the steps with a little more energy than probably necessary. The racer’s wide shirt moved with each turn, creating a whirlwind of white fabric around him while his hair slowly began to fall out of the already messy bun. Somehow, the old Lady must’ve noticed him staring since she turned to say something in Spanish to a young girl who immediately grinned and ushered Ethari to swap places with her, placing him directly behind Runaan, only an arm length away. Oh dear. You are getting wing-womaned by a grandma and a child. Getting the next few steps right turned out to be considerably harder since he was more than mildly distracted by the racer’s movements that he was trying to copy. Goddamn it. Get a grip Ethari. Suddenly, the music changed again and around him, the locals seemed to be pairing up. Runaan turned around to him and grasped both his hands, holding them loosely in his as he beamed up at Ethari and pulled him a bit to the side to make more room. “Just look at my feet and mirror that.” he instructed and began to take a few slow steps waiting on Ethari to follow. The steps weren’t hard at all and soon, he was following Runaan in the actual speed of the song. When he felt secure enough to raise his eyes, the mechanic was met with a smile on his boss’ lips that made even his eyes sparkle in the lantern light. “See? Easy.”Ethari found he couldn’t do much more than nod. What even is happening? His head was currently completely out of commission as his heart threatened to leap out of his chest and take the wheel. Which would be catastrophic for sure. “Next time you move backwards, raise your left arm and just continue with the steps okay?” Runaan’s voice pulled him back from his daydreams and he scrambled to comply watching in awe as his dance partner used the raised arm to sidestep him for a twirl only to be back in front of him in a heartbeat, holding both his hands as before.“You’re good at this.” He blurted before Ethari could stop himself. Fuck fuck fuck. But the racer only laughed and tugged his hand until he lifted it again. This time, he only turned halfway so he was standing next to him and then moved to the side for a twirl and stepped back in their base steps. “Not really. Janne taught me the first time we were here. I just know a few basic steps.” These basic steps look damn good if you ask me. Ethari thought and blushed deeper. Lord have mercy. “So, uh anything I can do?” And if he was trying to impress Runaan, no one had to know.“There is another one I know. The next time you move back, drop my right hand and then move the left out to the side once you do the break.” He did as asked, heart beating faster as his boss began to follow him backwards as if he intended to crowd him against some nonexistent wall. In the last second, he remembered to pull his hand out, prompting Runaan to twirl on the spot and drop his hand behind him so he was now towing Ethari along until another twirl got them back into their original position.“You lead.” the other announced with a smirk. “Just don’t make me do too many twirls or I’ll get nauseous.” Oh was he now? No way this man who drove slalom for a living would get seasick from a couple of twirls.“Oh it’s on.” He declared with a sudden glint in his eyes and pulled his arm up for the first twirl.“Ethari wha-” but Runaan’s protest got swallowed by a yelp as he added another twirl for good measure. This was fun. Eyes roaming about the plaza, Ethari watched a couple other pairs until he felt like he had the theory of some more twirls down and immediately facilitated that into a series of twists and turns for the other. Runaan was wonderfully receptive to it, following his lead with a grace that should be impossible for such abrupt maneuvers. Maybe he did know a bit more than the basics.The song was over way too soon but when he wanted to drop the other’s hand, his boss stumbled forward a bit, catching himself on Ethari’s shoulders that were now devoid of the Hawaiian shirt he’d stuffed in his cargo shorts pocket at some point. Instinctively, he caught Runaan by the waist laughing with him as their combined momentum sent them a few steps back.They were still laughing minutes after before both of them gradually realized the position they were in. The racer carefully lifted his hands off Ethari’s shoulders, face now fully flushed dark pink so deep it even reached the tips of his ears. Adorable. He decided before remembering that his hands were still circling Runaan’s hips, digging in the thin soft fabric of his shirt. “Too many twirls.” the other decided as he stepped back only to immediately place a stabilizing hand back on Ethari’s left shoulder.“There is no such thing as too many twirls.” he shot back, hooking his arm around Runaan’s waist to guide him back out of the dancing crowd. The old Lady shouted something in Spanish after them at which his boss’ blush deepened even further as he shouted something back that caused her to wave and laugh. I really just got wing-womaned by a grandma. They continued their trek towards where he hoped Runaan remembered where he’d parked the bike with his arm still around the other’s waist. A couple of times, the mechanic thought about pulling back but then he didn’t get the feeling his boss minded it at all. Especially when they passed more busy streets, the racer even scooted closer to Ethari as if he was trying to vanish in his side. And he loved it.He was almost disappointed when they finally reached Runaan’s street bike and the other unlocked their matching helmets from where they were tied to one of the wheels. But then, Ethari resumed his place behind his boss and was once again able to wrap his arms around him. The faint mix of Runaan’s cologne, salt and the barest note of sweat filtered through his visor and almost knocked him right off the bike again. Oh fuck. At the racer’s inquiry about being ready to go, he simply tapped the other’s chest once, giving a thumbs up. Ethari didn’t trust his voice, or his brain, right now.On the drive back, he got lost in the adrenaline rush of going way faster than was probably allowed, hands holding on a bit tighter to Runaan’s midsection as they leaned in yet another curve. Lights, cars, buildings, everything blurred together as his focus zeroed in on the man has was currently clinging to, his scent still more than present in Ethari’s nose. Suddenly, they slowed down for the narrow coastal road that carried them along cliffs to the hotel that lay secluded in one of the smaller lagoons in proximity of the track. Runaan reached back for his pocket, shoving his hand in between their legs to retrieve his keycard for the hotel’s garage and he almost passed out. Almost.Once parked, he handed the helmet back to his boss who just placed them both on top of his bike and made a gesture for the door leading out onto the private beach. “I, uh, I heard the stars are quite astonishing here so would you care to take a look?” Ethari nodded before he could even think about the question. He’d go anywhere with that man. No questions asked. “um, sure”Together, they made their way past the deserted pool area where Runaan stole two towels from the stack the hotel employees had already set up for the next day and toed off their shoes as soon as they reached the sand. The racer laid both towels out on the sand right next to each other, gesturing for him to lay down and then dropped down beside him, their shoulders brushing against each other in the process.Runaan wiggled a bit until he’d seemingly found a comfortable position, his hands clasped over his belt and hair spilling out behind them as he started to point out constellations. He was more than a bit surprised to see how many of them his boss knew and recognized by heart. It didn’t take long before Ethari fully relaxed to the slightly rough voice of the other rambling on about stars and planets and distant galaxies and he almost drifted off to sleep multiple times.Until he actually fell asleep.He wasn’t quite sure when or how long he’d slept but at some point, sun was tickling his skin again and when Ethari opened his eyes, he was faced with a beautiful sunrise over the ocean and his boss, propped up on one hand next to him and smiling. “Good Morning.”“How- what- uh. What time is it?” his voice sounded muffled, like his tongued hadn’t really woken up yet. Just like him.“It’s just short of five am.” somehow, Runaan sounded awake. Oh god. How?“Did I- did I fall asleep?” it was an obvious question but then, Ethari’s brain was still halfway stuck in the dream dimension. Somewhere among these stars he could still faintly see in the slowly lightening sky.“Yup” the racer popped the ‘p’, sat up and stretched thoroughly before grinning over his shoulder, hair disheveled and white shirt slightly tainted by sand and seafoam. “Breakfast’s at seven. If you hurry, you can take another two-hour nap. The track’s closed today anyways for maintenance and testing so we enjoy a rare day off.” with that, he hopped to his feet and waded into the relatively calm sea until it started to soak his pants. Something about this carefree and utterly relaxed Runaan tugged fiercely at his heartstrings.Ethari ended up taking that two-hour nap. And he still fet like a Zombie come their communal Team breakfast in a separated corner of the hotel dining room. Annie and Kourou looked about as hungover as they seemed sunburnt so him and Runaan weren’t the only ones who got in a bit of vacation time. His boss was currently absently munching on a stack of orange slices while his free hand was speed-signing postcards, prints and posters to give away to fans at the upcoming pit lane walk. Lujanne had a stack of them placed on the table in front of him and transferred the signed ones in a box she’d put on a chair next to her. It was strangely efficient despite the fact that they sometimes bumped elbows. The PA was also using her free hand to eat, effectively turning them into a two-man-one-person kinda spectacle that he felt would probably put most twins to shame. “How many left?” Runaan asked as he went to fetch a coffee refill for the both of them while Lujanne sorted and re-stacked the ones they’d already been through and opened a new pack of markers. He’d never seen anyone run through an entire edding in one go. Fascinating.The rest of their day passed relatively uneventful. The PA was mostly seen running around and threatening people over the phone whenever someone wasn’t able to deliver what she’d been promised, Annie and Kourou vanished in their rooms for most of the day only to resurface at some point and lounge at the beach, probably getting an even worse sunburn. At some point, Lujanne marched past and threw a bottle of sunscreen at them.Ethari busied himself with reading yet another MotoGP rulebook to get a better feel of what modifications they could make and what was generally allowed. He’d gotten a general rundown from his boss and Annie prior to the Season but it couldn’t hurt to familiarize oneself a bit further now could it? Besides, his spot on one of the hotel’s giant pillow-filled nest seats was very comfortable. It had been becoming increasingly more comfortable ever since his boss had showed up with the familiar tablet tucked under his arm and clad in a thin white t-shirt and red swim trunks. Together with the beat up basecap and large aviators, the other was only missing a whistle to make him look like he’d stepped right out of Baywatch. Maybe Ethari would have to buy one of these Lifeguard shirts they sold to the tourists. I would be a look. And he was almost certain Lujanne and Annie would back him with that gift.At first, Runaan simply sat down on his towel in the shade of one of the larger trees next to the beach and began to sketch something on his tablet. After a while though, he seemed to be getting too warm to be comfortable - not that Ethari was paying attention - and left his tablet, glasses and basecap to lightly jog over to where his two pit crew members had switched to playing volleyball in knee deep water. The duo was quite good at it, almost always managing to pit it back right where the ball belonged.Ethari watched the transpiring scene with interest. hey were still focused on the ball when his boss suddenly launched into a full out sprint, jumped, caught the volleyball right in front of Kourou’s face and performed a perfect swan dive into the waves, effectively leaving the two standing a bit dumbfounded along the shore until he re-surfaced laughing a few seconds after, a good distance away and holding the ball over his head. “Looking for that?” Runaan shouted and pitched the ball directly above himself to bat it back over to his pit crew.“You Bastard!” Annie exclaimed even as she had their ball back in her possession and made a few crude gestured towards her boss who was almost drowning the way he had to laugh. If he does, you can save him. A tiny voice in his head supplied while Ethari was still busy staring at the exact spot where the racer had slightly jumped out the deeper water to pitch the ball back. In a wet white t-shirt. Oh god. Runaan stayed in the ocean for another twenty minutes, switching to swimming laps along the private beach before he returned to shore and suddenly, his Rulebook got increasingly boring. As he noticed that his boss was actually heading for him, Ethari pretended to still be reading even though he’d been stuck on the same damn sentence ever since the other’s feet had graced the hotel terrace.The thing was, Runaan wasn’t stopping.The mechanic barley managed to save his book when suddenly, he was sharing his nest seat with a very wet racer who was now giggling gleefully. “You’re completely wet!” the mechanic exclaimed, holding the book and his notepad over his head in order to keep it out of reach. No second too early seeing that his boss used the opening on his chest to go for a full body hug that immediately soaked Ethari to the bone. Damn this was cold. “That’s the point.” Runaan declared laughing and turned his ead so the soaking wet hair flopped right into his face. Oh it’s on. He thought and set all paper items plus his glasses down on the coffee table beside him before hugging back very fiercely to keep his assailant from slipping away again.The engineer realized his plan too late so Ethari was already halfway standing when the soft “Shit” left the other’s lips. Ha. Now I got you. With one giant heave, he threw Runaan over his shoulder fireman style and marched back towards the ocean. “Set me down this instant!” his squirming cargo argued but he was laughing so much in-between words that he had to start the sentence three times so Ethari figured it wasn’t an actual request.Annie and Kourou whooped when he passed by them, the racer waving to them with a fake pout and walked in the water right until it almost reached his thighs. “Yeet!” he shouted to the combined laughs of the pit crew before vaulting Runaan as high in the air as he managed.Which turned out to be quite a bit.His boss had time to scream thoroughly before the waves reclaimed him entirely a few feet away. He resurfaced spluttering and blindly patting around himself until Ethari finally showed mercy and walked in a couple steps further, the water deepening quickly and held out his arm once the waves reached his already wet chest. The mechanic pulled Runaan over as soon as he’d grabbed the offered lifeline so he could set his feet on solid ground and grinned when a pair of turquoise eyes furiously twinkled at him. “That was uncalled for.” his boss stated between coughs, but he was still grinning.“Hey-” Ethari lightly shoved the other’s shoulder “-you started it.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Lujanne's phone blew up at precisely five thirty in the afternoon. Suddenly, hundreds of messages came rushing in, asking whether the new photos were legit. What photos? She wondered with increasing unease until someone enclosed a link to a web article dated a few minutes back on the homepage of Two Towers, the most notorious gossip magazine on the market.A look at the article's headline proved her fear to be true. “Moonshadow Racing Team resides in this exclusive four-star hotel during the Race in Barcelona" followed by a picture of their hotel lobby and “click to get an exclusive look behind the scenes of the World's top MotoGP Stall" but she hadn’t given any interviews the last couple days. Especially not exclusive ones. And Runaan would rather starve than talk to more reporters than strictly required.After half a second hesitance, she finally clicked on the article. And almost dropped her phone. There were dozens of pictures of her and Runaan in their hotel rooms, during breakfast and- right at the top, Runaan clad in shorts and a drenched t-shirt, emerging from the sea at their hotel's private beach, grin plastered across his sun-kissed cheeks. Face on full display, no sunglasses, no beat-up base cap, no scarf. Oh no. No no no no no. She frantically scrolled through the whole thing, ignoring the text passages, and stumbled over a picture of her on the phone in the courtyard and Runaan asleep on the floor of his room, surrounded by his laptop, a couple of blueprints and an ashtray.All of them were clearly paparazzi shots, taken from far away with a tele but they were alarmingly high definition, nonetheless. She could even read the margins on some of his blueprints in that one shot. Ethari was also in there, caught bench pressing in the hotel’s outdoor gym and reading a manual on the beach. Probably at the same time the one of Runaan had been taken.Furious, she dialed the private number of her old boss. There were still some favors she could call in. He picked up immediately and agreed to help in their case without even wanting to get paid. They were still on very good terms ever since she'd quit and once she'd explained what happened the poor man had even been enraged enough to directly pull his team together with the promise of calling her back as soon as they had a sound strategy. “We’ll look into it and see if we have some contacts in the scene to figure out who took these.” he'd promised before hanging up.She called the editor of the Two Towers next, threatening to end everyone's career if they didn't take the article down immediately. “I promise you, once I and my lawyers are through with the photographer, we will sue your employer so hard you wish you had never even considered buying them.” Of course, they merely deflected, claiming it wasn't their department and not their say to do so, so she hung up again, now fully prepared to march to war over this massive breach of privacy.It wasn't that she cared. Everyone already knew how she looked like. She was the firm’s PR Manager for Christ's sake. But Runaan would. He cared a lot. All those years they'd managed to keep him safe from the press outside of events and now this. Lujanne hoped he hadn't seen it yet. Chances were high he didn't. The racer usually didn't keep much track of their online presence.Oh god, she would have to tell him. The sooner the better. Before he accidentally stumbled across it himself and saw the pictures. A shatter from the other room disrupted her thoughts. Runaan.In a fraction of a second, she had the spare keys to his room next door and was racing outside, only to almost collide with Ethari. Apparently, the mechanic had also heard it. Another shatter, then nothing. “Runaan?” she tried, keeping the alarm from her voice as best as she could while gently rapping her knuckles against the door. Nothing.“Stay here." she ordered, gesturing for Ethari to step back before unlocking his door and stepping inside.The heavy curtains were drawn shut and she almost stumbled over one of the opened bags on the floor. “Runaan?” she tried again, treading more careful this time. There was no sound besides running water from the bathroom. Not good. Memories of four years ago bubbled up before she could stop them, carrying her feet faster.No sound in Runaan's case was always a bad sign. Carefully, she made her way over to the door, nudging it open. There was a soft grinding noise and when she stepped inside, her heels crunched. Looking down, she was faced with several tiny reflections of herself. The Mirror, Lujanne realized, instinctively searching the place where it had been fastened over the sink which was now equally filled with shards. Right in the middle was a neat print of four bloody knuckles on the wall. Shit.Then, she remembered the running water and turned her gaze to follow the sound. Runaan was laying in the bathtub, lower half up to his chest exposed to the shower spray while his empty eyes were trained on the ceiling. She gingerly stepped over the remains of a hotel issued glass ashtray and sat on the side of the tub, gently cradling his shaking left in her hands. “You saw the article?” he asked numbly, bloodied right reaching for the lit cigarette between his lips, leaving a set of red fingerprints on it as he flicked the ash on his wet dress shirt.Lujanne only nodded, reaching over to feel the water and finding it ice cold as she'd expected. A quick yank on the lever and she turned it a soothing lukewarm instead. “I already spoke to my old boss. We are going to sue their asses until they don't even own that anymore.”Glassy turquoise eyes flicked over to her and his pale complexion made her almost certain none of the lunch she'd made him eat earlier was still in his system. “Doesn't matter.” Runaan threw the glinting stub in the water between his knees before his eyes travelled first to her and then to the still relatively new pack of cigarettes perched on the tub besides her. “The damage is done.”Lujanne sighed. Today, she could humor him, if only to calm his nerves a bit. Taking one hand off her grip on him, she reached for it, shuffling one out with her thumb before holding the pack out for him so he could pluck it out with his lips, right hand already flicking the same old lighter open he'd been using since before they met.Runaan drew in a long breath, lips quirked in something that almost resembled a smile. “Thanks" he exhaled away from her. “And sorry.” He said while relaxing back against the tub. “For worrying you. I promised to stop doing that.”A helpless chuckle escaped her, trying to remember a time when she hadn't worried over him. “You know I'll always worry.” His face softened a bit before Runaan screwed his eyes shut, rubbing at them with his free hand only to smudge a bit of red in his eyebrow.“Janne I-" he frowned, taking the cigarette to gesture with it instead of keeping it between his lips “I don't think I can do this. I-I know what will happen come tomorrow morning and I-" Runaan returned his glinting pointer to its place, absently holding his split knuckles under the spray to watch the diluted blood first soak his shirt and then disappear into the drain. “I cannot handle that.” His expression turned pained as the blue focused back on her. Almost as if he was apologizing for his anxiety.“It's alright-" she tried her most soothing voice, something that she'd long ago reserved for him. “-we can do this. I will do my best to keep them away.” Runaan nodded slowly, reaching out with his other hand to add it to the three already piled on top of each other on the tub's ledge. “Thank you"“Come on" Lujanne gently removed his wrist tracker and deactivated it with the electronic key she always carried. “I will tell the nutritionist you are sick today and get whatever I can find from the vending machine downstairs while you get dried off and wrap those knuckles alright? Then we can have a movie night.” He nodded tentatively, hands squeezing hers one more time before letting go. On her way out, she gathered the glass as well as she could with a towel and went to ask the reception to send someone in to clean the rest later with a very generous tip. “Come over to my room when you're ready.”Outside, Ethari was still pacing on the hotel's dark burgundy carpet, looking very much concerned. “Is he okay?” he immediately asked as soon as she opened the door again, the glass filled towel in hand. Lujanne wanted to say no because that was the truth but nodded instead. “Better than I expected.”“Is it about that Towers article?” his usually soft features were distorted in worry and the mechanics hands were constantly fiddling with the hem of his shirt. She nodded, moving away to dispose of her cargo.“Yes. Prepare to get a lot more media attention the next couple of days. Especially tomorrow. I'd advise you to go to sleep early since we're leaving at seven and I also wouldn't go outside. Drawing your curtains might be a good idea.” She could see Ethari was not happy to be left out the loop but didn't prod further, what she silently thanked him for. Lujanne could only handle one emotionally fragile person at the moment and Runaan had clear priorities for her.They had worked their asses off for over six years now to build their little empire and one tiny pathetic paparazzi wouldn't just destroy that in a few hours. They were stronger than that. Runaan was stronger than that. Even if he didn't believe so himself.It took a good half an hour until Runaan finally showed up, already clad in sweatpants and a very faded t-shirt with their logo she recognized from their first season. Lujanne gestured for the pile of snacks she'd acquired and flicked through the hotels video service until settling on one of the old Fast and Furious movies. Today was a Tokio Drift kinda day.Her company was already sitting cross-legged on her king size bed, munching on a bag of tiny chocolate chip cookies when she joined him to lean against the headboard. It was a tradition of theirs, passing the night watching crappy movies until one or both fell asleep whenever either of them had a hard time. Runaan didn't enjoy talking about his feelings much so she never prodded, offering silent comfort instead.As per usual, they bickered about the movie, pointing out obvious flaws with him estimating how long he would have probably needed to clear the distance on his bike. At some point, he went to grab a brush to tame his now dry hair only to give up a couple of minutes later and surrender the Brush and hair ties over to Lujanne. By now, she was an expert in de-tangling the white mess he liked to call hair and carefully worked her way through it bottom to top while he moved on to (in her opinion) disgusting caramel popcorn. Once done, she gently ran her hands through the now silky tresses and started a simple French crown braid that wrapped around his head thrice. Runaan finally relaxed under her hands, flopping down on a pillow while she finished the last couple of hand widths. “Janne?”“Hm?” she hummed, tucking the end of the braid under the other rows until it resembled a crown and fixed it in place.“I think I might like Ethari more than the healthy amount.” She stopped at that, hands freezing mid-air. The last time he'd said that about someone, it had ended badly. For everybody. But the mechanic wasn't Viren, she reminded herself, pushing down the protective comment on her tongue.Maybe, Lujanne thought, maybe this time, nobody would have to get hurt. Ethari was a good guy. And he was definitely not just out to steal a few patents and then drop Runaan like some used teabag.“Are you sure?” he laughed helplessly, burying his face in the pillow to avoid having to look at her.“I wouldn't tell you if I wasn't. I've been sure for months.” That, she knew to be true. Whenever he did choose to share something, he had thought it over more that probably healthy.“Why don't ask him out then?” he grimaced, burying deeper in the down filled refuge until only his eyes were visible.“Well, what if he doesn’t like me?” unlikely, Lujanne concluded from what she had observed but let him continue. “And what- what if I'm making the wrong choice again? I know I have a bad record of who I fall in love with but-"“-but it's different this time?” he nodded eagerly, a slight blush spreading on his cheeks which had just barley regained their natural color.“I just, I feel really safe when he's there and he makes me laugh and laughs at my dumb jokes and I don't feel like I have to hide my ticks even though I'm weird and-" Lujanne pulled him into a hug, effectively shutting up his rant that tilted dangerously into a territory she didn't want him to visit today of all days.“You're not weird. You're brilliant. And I will fight everyone who dares to say otherwise.”His grip around her tightened a bit as he whispered “Thanks Janne" into the fabric of her hoodie before letting go again. “I just don't know what to do. He is a really good addition to the team, we work well together. I don't want to ruin that.”She nodded, chucking a few M&M's at him that he partially caught with his mouth and partially snatched out of the air with his uninjured left hand. “I think he feels the same, or close to that. I ran into him on my way over to you and he was still pacing outside when I came out.” Runaan perked up at that, eyes searching her face for any trace of humor.“Really?” she nodded again, smiling this time. Ah, young love.“Really.” His blush deepened. “How about you wait a bit and maybe get to know him better and then decide with a clearer head than today?”He hummed in agreement, focusing back on the final minutes of Tokio Drift. “Waiting also provides the opportunity to see if he’d still be interested after tomorrow.”Lujanne winced in sympathy, well aware of what they most likely would have to face on their way to the airport but didn’t say anything. The last thing he needed now was someone telling him it would be fine when it was crystal clear that it wouldn’t be.They ended up working themselves through the rest of the Fast and Furious movies the hotel had on demand until first Runaan and then she drifted off to sleep./Morning came and Ethari was exhausted. He’d been up the majority of the night worrying over his boss and Lujanne’s cryptic reaction to the article. The mechanic had anticipated more press around the hotel, but he wasn’t in the least prepared for what waited for him at breakfast.As soon as he’d left the elevator, six different people came running up and shoved cameras and recorders in his face, already shouting questions he was far too tired to understand. His rescue came in the form of Lujanne who called out his name over the, by now, crowd of people, standing in the doorway to the hotel’s winter garden and looking as impeccable as ever. Once he’d escaped in the restaurant area where the press was luckily not allowed, Ethari turned towards the PR Manager. “What the fuck is going on out there?”She shot a grim look over his shoulder towards the glass doors and continued her way on to the buffet, reaching for a tray. “It’s not as bad as I expected yet but there will be more when we leave. Their numbers tend to grow exponentially.” Lujanne stated calmly and began to fill a bowl with fruits and yoghurt.“There will be more?” he couldn’t quite keep the shock from his voice as he in turn busied himself with the coffee machine.“Decidedly more. And I will need your help in shielding Runaan from them so I hope you can stomach that for the remainder of the season or until I can hire a dependable security service.”“Uh, sure, I guess. I mean I usually don’t get stormed by dozens of reporters but I used to work as a bouncer during college so that could come in handy.” Finally, her grim demeanor cracked as a genuine smile ghosted over her face.“I hope we don’t have to tackle anybody yet but I will gladly come back to you on that should we ever see that prick who took the photos. Meet us in front of my room in half an hour ready to leave alright?” with that, she carried her tray, now filled with two coffees, the cereal and a sandwich back to the doors separating them from the press and worked her way through them before vanishing in the elevator.Ethari opted to eat in the restaurant, not really wanting to have to shoulder his way through them again before having another coffee and some food. At least they had a generous selection of pastries.At precisely six fifty, the mechanic rapped his knuckles against the door of room 137, patiently waiting for Lujanne to open. He’d made the mistake of looking out the window to the driveway before leaving his room and was now not so sure anymore if he really could face all those people.“Ah, good, you’re ready.” She greeted, still in the same sharp dark blue business suit as before. A turquoise silk scarf was tied artfully around her neck and Ethari could see a dangerous glint in her eyes just as if she was preparing herself to march to war.Behind her, he could see Runaan sitting on the bed wearing slacks and a dress shirt in the same color as his PA. He had his hair up in a high ponytail under the signature baseball cap and was absently fiddling with a pair of sunglasses when Ethari stepped into the room. His boss looked pale and tired despite having made an effort of concealing the dark rims under his eyes.Their luggage had already been transferred into the car in the early morning so each only carried their carry-on backpacks that he knew to vary in content significantly. Lujanne's was mostly documents, her laptop and apparently every other item one could possibly need in transit. You just had to ask and chances were high she had it. Runaan's was the most minimalistic with his laptop, tablet and headphones plus the odd pen or pack of gum and cigarettes. Himself, he'd come to pack an inflatable pillow next to his other things since he'd learned that sleep was a rare and valuable good during racing season. “Alright. Let’s get going.” At Lujannes prompt, the racer stood, slipping the mirrored aviators on his face with a grim expression. They followed her out into the hallway, both subconsciously matching the staccato her heels clicked on the polished marble surface of the foyer.It was mayhem.The three of them got about six steps from the elevator before being enclosed by what seemed like one big mass of shouting people. Ethari got hit in the head by an outstretched microphone four times without even having moved more than a couple feet. One couldn’t really call it moving though. It was more of a mix of being carried by people bumping into him and trying to shoulder his way through the masses. Christ, he already hated it. No wonder the other two were so appalled by the prospect of leaving the hotel today. Speaking of-Ethari looked around for his boss, for once happy that his height provided a decent edge over the mostly smaller people around him. Runaan was just a couple steps ahead, head held high in an effort to escape the offered microphones and closely behind Lujanne who made surprisingly effective work of shouldering them through the people in front of her, face set in the distinct mix of hardened and polite only she could manage. The other’s left had a white knuckled death grip on the strap of his backpack while his right was shaking where he held it pressed against his thigh. While Runaan might have looked no more than annoyed for the regular bystander, Ethari noticed the way his back was ramrod straight and his jaw clenched in an effort to keep the bland expression on his face. Not good. He didn’t know what exactly the problem was, yet, but figured getting out of this mosh pit of a reporter assembly was a priority right now. What had Lujanne said about shielding Runaan? Right.The mechanic plastered his customer service smile on and pushed through the few people separating him from the other two until he was at his boss’ right, pushing back a few of the bolder ones. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lujanne nod. “Let’s get out of here.” He said, moving closer to her so they could spearhead through the people between them and the front door. Behind the glass doors, Ethari could already see the outline of their car that the hotel personnel tried to defend valiantly. He couldn’t really tell how long it took to reach the safety that was their SUV with tinted windows but at that point, he was more than ready to punch any of the people around him. Moving to pry open the door, which turned out to be rather effective in shoving a particularly nosy reporter back, Ethari half ushered half pushed the by now apathic seeming Runaan into the back while Lujanne got in in front.“Christ one would think they’d at least have the decency to let one breathe when-“ the mechanic stopped once his eyes landed on the form of his boss huddled against the opposite door with his legs drawn up. His breath was erratic, hands frantically pulling at the silk tie around his neck. “Runaan?” he tried, carefully reaching out only for the other to flinch back. Okay wrong move.“Get us out of here.” Lujanne ordered their driver and turned around in her seat, eyes assessing the racer with worry lines forming around them.“Hey” she snapped her fingers once, the sound immediately drawing his attention. “Look at me.” Runaan did as prompted, widened eyes now on full display as his glasses were discarded on the seat besides him. “Show me you are with me Runaan.” Her voice was firm but gentle, devoid of the stress Ethari could see on her face. A shaky hand was raised in response as the racer executed his signature mock salute in her direction. “Good. Give me your hands.” Ethari watched as he did as prompted, holding his arms out to her wrists turned upwards while Lujanne proceeded to dab something on there. The smell of Lavender filled the space around him. Runaan’s hands were still shaking as he drew them back, breath going as if he was a man drowning.Someone had slammed their palms on the widow on the racer’s side, making his head jerk in the direction of the sound. “Runaan” the PA repeated her finger snapping, the sound ringing clear through the voices outside and his turquoise eyes returned to her. “Don’t look at them. Look at me.” Once she had his attention again, she kept her gaze glued on him, making sure he wouldn’t look away. “Good. Breathe with me. I will count you through it. Ready?” A shaky nod and she was slowly counting down to five, then two, then five again while Runaan tried to breathe along with her, slowly getting the hang of it and calming visibly.They were already halfway at the airport when his breathing had slowed down enough for Lujanne to stop her counting, letting him set the pace instead. “Well done.” She smiled encouragingly and threw the racer a granola bar which he fumbled but caught. “Good?” he nodded, toeing off his shoes and settling into a lotus seat. Huh.Runaan closed his eyes and fiddled with the wrapped treat in his hands, seemingly concentrating on the crinkling sounds the foil made. After a couple of minutes, he opened it and broke off a tiny piece to eat, now staring at something way beyond the car or the horizon outside. “We’re there soon.” Lujane announced from the front and really, Ethari could already see the airport towers through the windshield. “Once we’re through security, it should be better. There are probably a couple reporters on the plane with us but not nearly as many as at the hotel.” Runaan nodded next to him, straightening his ponytail and baseball cap from their disheveled state. He still looked jittery but at least not on the verge of passing out which the mechanic chose to count as a win.Their driver dropped them off in one of the parking garages, away from prying eyes where a couple of airport employees were already waiting for their luggage. Truth be told Ethari really enjoyed flying business class and having people check in his bags instead of dragging them through the whole airport all them time. Especially if one changed country every two weeks.This time, they made it into the main hall before anybody recognized them. But as soon as one reporter came running up, a good dozen seemed to have been summoned right on the spot and they were surrounded again. Damn these people, Ethari thought as he tried to find an angle that would allow him to shield his boss as effectively as possible. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a huge open hall.He could practically feel the tension in the air around Runaan gathering like a storm. Lujanne shot him a glance and together, they began to back towards where the security checks were. Once they were through where they checked for tickets it would hopefully be fewer people.However, first they would have to reach that point without getting completely trampled by reporters and fans alike. What a goddamn shitshow. Out of a gut feeling, Ethari turned to check up on his boss who was thankfully still behind him, even closer than he’d expected. The other was almost touching him as if hoping he could somehow escape through the mechanic. “You good?” he asked, trying to read his body language since most of his face was still covered by the mirrored aviators. What he gathered wasn’t all that great though. They’d have to make it to that security check and preferably into the plane fast.“I- I need to leave.” Runaan whispered, white as a sheath and dashed into the men's bathroom behind them. It was truly a miracle none of the reporters had blocked that path yet. He threw Lujanne a questioning glance as they both still tried to fend off a good dozen people each, camera flashes blinding them. “Go" She jerked her head in the direction while simultaneously shoving a microphone back someone had thrust into her face. “I got this.” Hoping she really did, Ethari turned on the spot and followed his boss in the still empty bathroom. Upon entering, he could hear retching from the furthest stall.“Runaan?” he tried to sound as calm as possible, slowly stepping closer. “Are you okay?” his only answer was another retching sound, dry this time. Ethari listened to the heavy breathing for a few seconds before carefully walking nearer. “I am coming closer alright? No need to worry. It's just me here.”Some unfortunate reporter chose that exact moment to open the door, camera in hand. “Fuck off.” Ethari snarled, putting all the frustration that had accumulated over the last few hours into it. Apparently it worked, seeing that the man backed out again wide eyed and scrambling. Yeah you better run, he thought, eyes snapping back to where he could see the other's shoes peak out of the bathroom stall.The mechanic pulled an unopened water bottle and pack of gum from his backpack, making sure his slow approach could be heard. “Hey-" Ethari squatted next to his boss, as far away as the confined space allowed, unscrewed the cap and held out his water. “-drink something. It'll taste disgusting otherwise.” A pair of bloodshot turquoise eyes looked up first at him and then the bottle before Runaan reached for it with trembling fingers. “thanks" he whispered, spitting out the first few mouthfuls into the toilet and pulled the flush. It broke Ethari's heart to see him leaning back against the bathroom stall, hands still shaking as if he'd come down with a fever. “No problem. Here, I have some gum if you want.” The mechanic waited patiently for the other to reach out, not moving any closer himself. Runaan nodded gratefully, accepting the offer with a sigh. “Fuck I'm sorry you had to see that-" his boss made a vague gesture to himself and then the bathroom. “-not really part of your job.” His voice wasn't more than a whisper, soft, tired and uncertain. Scared.“No it's alright. Really.” He stressed, trying for a smile. “I am sorry those assholes won't leave you alone.”Ethari shot the PA a quick text about trying to draw the reporters away wile he would get the racer towards security checkups as fast as possible. He knew she'd be able to see it on her smart watch and waited for her pre-set "Ok" answer before turning back to his boss who was leaning against the wall eyes closed, tapping a steady rhythm on his leg. “Come on, let's get you to boarding-" Ethari held out his hand and patiently waited for the other to take it so he could pull him to his feet. After a second hesitance, Runaan grasped his arm and soon enough, he was back to standing on wobbly legs. The mechanic only let go once he was sure his boss really had his footing, keeping a hand close just in case. He waited patiently until Runaan had cleaned himself up again and kept a close watch on the bathroom door just in case a particular bold paparazzi would try their luck. The other had just fixed his hair and pulled the baseball cap over his head when Ethari suddenly had an idea. He’d noticed his boss trying to hide his face earlier in the car so he unwrapped the dark purple scarf from his neck and carefully draped it across the racer’s shoulders. Runaan’s hands immediately buried themselves in the soft fabric as he shot the mechanic an inquiring look. “Your scarf?” it sounded confused, his voice barley carrying over the space between them. “It fits your undercover look don’t you think?” Ethari pointed at the mirror, moving to look over the other’s shoulder with an encouraging smile. For a moment, his boss didn’t say anything, just stared at his reflection, left hand carefully patting the scarf. Then his eyes flickered up to meet Ethari’s in the mirror and a tiny smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah. Thanks.” “See? I’ll go and check if the coast is clear. Wait here a sec will ya?” Runaan nodded, slipping his aviators back onto his nose while he carefully nudged the door open to see whether there were any reporters left. He found a few standing at the other end of the hall but the rest seemed to be gathered in the commotion he figured Lujanne was the center of that he could barley see outside next to the dropoff area. The mechanic nodded to himself, slipping back inside. “Okay are you ready?” Runaan shook his head, hands fisting in the straps of his backpack. “No but that’s not going to get me on that plane.” Well, he did have a point. “It’s going to be fine. I’ll get you there safe and sound.” Ethari tried for his most encouraging smile, offering his hand. If they were getting cornered again, he’d prefer to have the other close by. It took almost a whole minute before he finally held the other’s clammy hand in his. He gave it an encouraging squeeze and wrapped his scarf a couple of times around Runaan’s neck until it created a cozy purple wall up to his nose. Pushing through the bathroom door, he made a beeline for where he knew the security checkup to be. A few people turned their head whispering as they passed by, Ethari towing his boss after him not unlike the other had done it just a couple days prior. They made it about halfway to their destination when one of the reporters noticed them and began to jog besides the duo, holding up a handheld camcorder and microphone. Goddamn it. Ethari plastered on his customer service smile again, perfected over countless long night shifts at the diner and shoved himself between Runaan and the man, not reducing his half-run in the slightest. Long legs were handy sometimes. “No questions, thank you.” With that, he gently but firmly shoved the camcorder back, focusing on reaching the security gate again. Sadly, the stray reporter had caught the attention of a couple of his colleagues who now flocked together from all directions, threatening to cut off their path once again. Like vultures these people. But they only had a few more meters to go until the ticket control in front of the security gate would be their savior. Ethari pulled his boss in closer, bracing an arm around the other’s shoulders and leaned close. “Don’t look at them, look at me alright? We almost got it.” He didn’t get any indication of whether Runaan had heard or even registered what he said but the racer didn’t protest being pulled along further so he continued, already fishing for his ticket. He showed it to the Lady manning the counter, shielding the other with his body from the dozen or so people who’d followed them that far. Then, he carefully fished out Runaan’s ticket from his jacket’s breast pocket and showed that too, glad the Lady immediately ushered them through. Now, they were at least separated from them by a glass wall. Not ideal but it dampened the annoying clicking sound of the dslr’s considerably. Ethari noticed that the racer had begun to breathe quicker again and had his shoulders drawn up, hiding even more behing the borrowed scarf. Once again, the mechanic angled his body between Runaan and the glass walls, glad his broader built would be able to hide him almost completely. His boss stood uncharacteristically close, just like he’d done when they passed that crowd in the city center and kept his head down, left hand fiddling with one loose end of Ethari’s scarf. After ten agonizing minutes, they’d passed security and were now hiding out in the business class waiting room of their airline which was thankfully vacant besides two women who each were furiously typing on their laptops and a tired looking business official who kept falling asleep in his seat. Ethari used the breather to text Lujanne that they’d made it through security and asked for a rendezvous point once she’d made it too. They agreed to just wait where they were, trying to soak up the quiet as long as possible since their flight would undoubtly house at least a few fans or reporters. He shot a glance at Runaan who sat curled up in one of the leather chairs and looked like he was counting the threads on his purple scarf that he gently held between his hands, absently running his hands over it every few seconds in a slow but steady rhythm. Ethari chose to not disturb him again as his boss finally looked slightly calmer than before even though he could still see the small red dot on the other’s wristband flashing that indicated a high heart rate.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ethari threw a nervous glance over to his employer who still had the armrest in a death grip even though they had securely touched down minutes ago and were only waiting for the seatbelt sign to go out. “See? We made it in one piece.” He tried to joke, effectively drawing the other's attention from where it had been pinned on the seat in front of him.“Hn" was the only response he got as Runaan finally released the armrest, hands slightly shaking. Ethari’s scarf was still balled up in his lap and his hands immediately sunk into it instead of holding onto the armrests. Compared to the other flights this one had gone relatively smoothly. No turbulence, no bad weather, perfect time. Still, the engineer was tenser than usually, more than his slight fear of planes justified. Getting onto the plane had been a nightmare, half of the airport in Barcelona had been swarming with reporters and fans who also travelled to the next race track of the season. And ever since that picture aired, the Moonshadow racing team was swamped with both every time they showed themselves in public. Weren't it for Lujanne and her diversion skills that got them faster through security he was almost certain Runaan wouldn't have made it to the plane in one piece. The departure from the hotel had been rough but there they were able to flee into the taxi at least. The Airport provided no such shelter. Twice had Ethari been forced to bodily remove someone from the closer proximity of his employer since even the usually deserted smoker rooms had huge glass panels.Now, in Italy, they would have to brace for the same storm as in Spain. Realistically, he knew it would probably ebb off in a few weeks when the news were old and something else caught the press' attention but for now, they were fresh meat. “Don't worry, we'll be at the hotel in no time.” The mechanic had taken it upon himself to collect their bags from the overhead department seeing his boss was now intently staring at his hands and the purple fabric wrapped around his wrists.“No” he finally said, voice strained and loaded with all the dread that must have accumulated on the short flight over. “I want to go to the track. There is still work to do.”“There's always tomorrow. You don't have to-“ Ethari started but the engineer cut him off, his eyes now twinkling with anger.“We. Are going. To the track.” With that, he pushed from his seat and past him, hands already in his jacket pocket where Ethari knew the cigarettes and lighter to be, leaving Ethari’s scarf behind.He could see the faint plume of smoke as he hurried after him across the tarmac, Lujanne close behind him and already on the phone with their driver.When she was done, he slowed a bit to let her catch up and saw the same tight lipped smiled she'd been wearing the whole day. “Did he tell you we're going to the track today?” but Lujanne shook her head and increased her pace to something far faster than anybody in six-inch heels had any business to manage.“Didn't have to. Come on if he reaches the press before we catch up there won't be a season this year.”Her worries turned out to be unfounded as they saw him still leaning against the wall, crumpling a small cardboard box when they arrived at the door towards luggage retrieval.“Alright" the PR Manager started, narrowing her eyes at Runaan who was still pale and jittery. “Ethari, leave the carry-ons here and get the rest of our luggage. Text me when you have it, then we'll make a run for the lower levels where our driver is already waiting. You-" she pointed at the racer “-stay here with me and out of sight.”Ethari nodded, already on his way towards the luggage carousel and only saw her handing something to his boss from the corner of his eye.About a dozen people approached him, asking for the other members of their racing stall or pestering him with questions but all in all he managed to obtain his objective without being even close to snapping at someone. His years as a bouncer in college finally paid off. He shot Lujanne a quick text to meet him at the elevators; there were only so many people that could fit in there with them and he was more than prepared to shove some out if it meant a breather for the whole team. Though the flight had been brief, it hadn't been incident less. About a dozen or so people had come up and asked for autographs, all of which his boss granted and even tried to smile at them if they were genuinely fans and not someone who wanted to auction it off later on. Still, Ethari had been able to sense the underlying tension every time someone passed by their row and the breath he'd released when it only turned out to be a stewardess.To his ultimate relief, it took only a couple of seconds before Lujanne turned up in the thankfully relatively empty baggage reclaim area. His boss was close on her heels, baseball cap and hood up with the familiar pair of large aviators obscuring his face. It didn't turn out to be enough. The second the pair jogged through the hall, the dozen people who'd bothered him first were on their heels. He already pressed the button, calling upon the elevator that would hopefully get them to their ride uninterrupted.They reached him just before the horde did and barley in time to close the elevator doors in front of the first reporter. As the metal doors slid shut behind him, Runaan took a deep breath, steadying hand reaching out towards the wall. Lujanne however made no move to comfort him, instead keeping as much distance as the small space allowed. He copied her, hoping a bit room to breathe would be more helpful than any encouraging clap on the shoulder he'd have mustered up otherwise. Most of their tents and workspaces were already set up by the time they reached the track, Annie and Kourou still busy plugging in the power supplies for their main tent and garage. His boss had calmed down gradually the more distance their taxi had put between them and the airport and thanks to their closed private section of the pits, there weren’t any reporters waiting for them upon arrival even though he could hear their chatter from behind the fence.Runaan walked over to the board indicating training groups and times before pulling out his phone and dialing a number. “Hey, yeah it's Runaan. Would you be willing to switch spots in today’s training roster? I have the afternoon slot. Yeah? Cool thanks man.” Then, he vanished in the organizational booth and after a few minutes, Ethari could see his name and the one of someone called Sam Ibis of Skywing Racing swapping places, now displaying his boss in the group that started in forty minutes. An uneasy feeling spread in the mechanic’s stomach as he followed the other two towards their main tent.He noticed that the two pit crew members acted like they were walking on eggshells once Runaan entered the tent they used as garage and Annie basically sprinted from her place at his request of getting him one of the replacement bikes. Kourou only looked increasingly uncomfortable and busied himself with re-aligning some of the tools they'd already set out.His boss vanished for a few seconds, returning in one of his under-armor shirts and blue team cargos. Work clothes. He accepted the bike from Annie with a curt nod and a thank you and began to run their standard pre-race checkup. The tent returned to quietness besides the occasional clanking of tools while Ethari helped the other two cart around additional equipment. After a good ten minutes, Runaan looked like he was searching for something, staring at an empty space in his otherwise perfectly arranged setup. “Where is my FUCKING SCREWDRIVER?”Everyone stopped, staring at their boss. It was perfectly still, not even their held breath disturbing the aura of shock.He'd never seen Runaan get mad. Much less raise his voice. The man in question looked up from his tools, then, his eyes widened. “Oh shit. I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. Could you just-" he gestured for the tent flap with a sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose “-get out?”Annie and Kourou complied immediately, both pulling him outside with them. “Best let it be for now.” His colleague whispered as she kept him from going back in. “Yeah-" Kourou agreed “-just wait till after he’s back from the track.”So Ethari sat outside on a stack of tires and waited. There wasn’t much to do anyways and the other two had already excused themselves to get food, having worked the whole day. It didn’t feel right to let his boss climb on the Moonshadow in such an emotional state but there was hardly anything he could do about it.Twenty minutes later, his two pit crew members returned, each holding a very artificial looking slushie drink in multiple non-matching colors just as they could hear the first engine revs from the tent. “Should we go over to the pits for spotting?” he asked them once each found their own tire stack to sit on.“For him? Now? Hell no." Kourou acted as if he’d just proposed to steal the moon. Ethari shot a questioning glance over to Annie but she also shook her head.“He asked for a replacement. That means he isn’t intending on bringing that thing back in one piece. Trust me, you don’t wanna watch that. Unless you like your adrenaline levels pumped up on max for the two hour training period.” Well that didn’t do anything to calm his nerves.“I'm still going.” He declared, standing up to go and gather his headset and access pass. Just in case something happens.The other two mustered up some encouraging smiles and waved him goodbye as he re-entered the workshop tent just in time to see his boss shrug into the upper part of his leather combo. “If you came to tell me I shouldn’t go-" Runaan started but the mechanic just gave him an innocent smile and held up his hand.“I just came to get my laptop and headset so I can monitor your training.” For a second, the racer’s eyes widened in surprise then, he mustered up a smirk and pressed his helmet in Ethari's hands.“Well get your stuff then, I'll give you a ride. We’re already late as it is.” He complied, shoving all items he’d need into one of the messenger bags with their logo Lujanne had laying around everywhere.Helmet in one hand and the other wrapped around Runaan’s waist, he let himself be chauffeured through the restricted pit section right up to their box where Ethari hurried to sync his headset and his boss' helmet with the track's communication system.“This is Moonshadow box, checking in.” he said, headset now secure over his ears. “Can you hear me?” a few feet over, Runaan gave a thumbs up.“Lunaris, checking in. Hearing you loud and clear.” His voice came in the muffled quality it somehow always had with the helmet on but this time, Ethari was sure to hear a faint note of impatience in it.The mechanic quickly ran them through the checkup protocol, giving the go as soon as they were done. His boss didn’t waste a single second before revving up the engine and speeding out onto the track. There were only four other racers in his training group so Ethari didn’t worry too much about accidental collisions. He did worry however about the speed in which Runaan had started his training. Usually, the other always took a few slower rounds to acclimate to the track but this time, he was almost at his usual race speed. And he was still getting faster. Not good not good not good. A small voice he liked to call common sense sang in the back of his mind as he kept an eye on the specs, watching the number that indicated current speed next to the average round speed climb higher and higher.“So you’re the fresh meat huh?” Ethari spun around at the sound of an unfamiliar voice coming from behind him. A man, maybe in his early thirties, was leaning against the wall next to their box’s entrance. He had short dark hair and a well-kept beard, arms crossed in front of his chest and clad in what he thought to recognize as the Katolis racing stall colors. The man was wearing a similar outfit than him with black cargo shorts and heavy-duty sneakers. Pit crew most likely.More than a little irritated to be disturbed during training hours, the mechanic took off his headset but still kept a close eye on the telemetry and webcam live stream. “I’m Ethari. And you are?” despite getting a weird feeling from the other man and them technically being rivals, he held out his hand and waited patiently as the other came sauntering over to shake it.“Viren. Katolis racing, I’m their head engineer.” wait- wasn’t there some bad blood with them? He could’ve sworn Annie had mentioned something along the lines.“I appreciate you wanting to say hello but-” Ethari gestured towards the screens and his headset that was currently resting around his neck “-I’m kinda busy right now.”The man, Viren, shot one look at the displays and chuckled darkly. “Oh please, we both know that you’re not needed here at the moment. He won’t listen to you either way.” That- that wasn’t true. Was it? He was making sure his boss had a safe training. Runaan would listen to him if it was a question of security. Right?Ethari decided that he didn’t like this man at all. No matter his past or present relations to anyone on the team. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that, hm?” He asked, still sporting his forced but friendly expression. There was no need to be hostile yet. “And don’t you have work to do?” Briefly, he wondered whether Harrow was also in this training group but dismissed the thought. He checked the participants beforehand and hadn’t seen Katolis on the list.„No, Harrow’s in the afternoon group. As he-„ Viren jerked his chin towards one of the screens where Runaan currently started his sixth round. “-was supposed to be. So tell me-“ he got comfortable on one of the workbenches and Ethari was just about to scold him for messing up their organizational system when he continued “-do you have any actual qualification or did he just hire you because you’re hot? I mean I can see why but it would have been easier to just pretend you’re an assistant, wouldn’t it?”Okay that’s it. “I’m not sure what you mean to imply but I’m solely hired as mechanic and I also don’t see how that is any of your business.”Viren held up both his hands and hopped down from his perch with a challenging grin, obviously reading the anger in his eyes. “Hey don't get mad at me, I'm just speaking from experience. Just a piece of friendly advice; don't let yourself get fooled into thinking he'd ever care more about you than he cares for one of his bikes."Just as Ethari wanted to reply something positively unfriendly, another figure appeared behind Viren. “Hey Viren go and fuck off will you? Some people are actually doing their bloody work around here." The new arrival was a tall lanky man with spiked grey hair and now loomed over the engineer threateningly. After another hostile smile in Etharis direction, Viren actually turned on the spot and left. Thank god.Well, Ethari definitely got why the others disliked the Katolis team so much. Even though he never actually talked to Harrow himself. Maybe that one was okay."Thank you-" he offered his hand to the tall man, pleasantly surprised to receive a firm handshake. "-he was getting on my nerves. My name's Ethari."The other smiled, taking a look at the screen displaying the track. "I'm Sam. I switched places with Runaan earlier. Just came by to see if my pit crew needed anything before training later.”“Skywing racing right?" He asked, also focusing back on his telemetry and the Moonshadow speeding away on the track.Sam nodded, pointing over his shoulder. "Yeah we have the box next over actually. I'm sorry for Viren. He's a cunt. Just ignore what he says." That did seem to be the wisest thing to do.Ethari looked at the round number and put the headset back on. "Moonshadow box, please come in for tire change."Runaan's voice over the comm line was slightly breathless as he claimed that "it's fine". Which, he was entirely certain, it wasn't."That wasn't a question Runaan. Get your ass back here for a tire change." Did Viren's words contain a kernel of truth? No. Right?“Okay" the racer said but what Ethari heard was ‘I trust you.’ Behind him, Sam was meanwhile re-aligning the tools Viren had messed up and patiently waited until he'd taken off his headset again.“I actually came over to invite you guys to my team's traditional barbecue. My stall has a house near here and we usually take advantage of that.” Ethari wasn't quite sure what to say. It was a really nice offer but he'd definitely have to ask Runaan first. “Might also be nice for your boss to relax a bit with people he knows."Speaking of- he could already hear the sound of the Moonshadow drawing closer and a few seconds later, Runaan pulled up in front of their box, climbing off the bike and freeing his slightly flushed face from the confinement of the helmet.Sam stepped up to meet him but waited a couple feet back until the racer walked up right in front of him. They stared at each other seriously for a heartbeat, neither moving an inch."Hotshot"Sam continued to stare, facial features completely blank while Runaan did the same, keeping his voice level and stern.“Pretty bird"Ethari witnessed a thirty second stare battle before both cracked up at the same time and embraced each other in a full body hug. “Good to finally properly say hello." Runaan patted the other's back with his gloved left and smiled, genuinely smiled."Well if you never leave that tent of yours and I'm getting chased down by my PR manager every waking minute, it's no wonder we only meet on the track." His boss hummed in agreement before the turquoise eyes wandered to him."I should probably introduce my new mechanic this-" but Sam waved him off, patting him on the padded shoulder.“We already got acquainted while you were still busy trying to reach lightspeed." Ethari decided he liked Sam. “By the way, can I count on your team for barbecue? Tonight?”Runaan ducked his head a bit, trying to evade the brit’s gaze. "I-ah I'm sure the team would love to come but with the press and all it might be better if I sit this one out. Wouldn’t want to ruin the mood." But his colleague's grin just widened as Sam clapped him on the back hard enough to elicit a small "Oof" from the racer."Nonsense. It's just gonna be your team and mine. Twenty people tops. The house is off limits to press so the vultures won't bother us.” With that, he turned and walked over back to his own team again. But not without shouting "Six thirty sharp.” Over his shoulder.Runaan looked after the other racer with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth before focusing back on him. “Sorry about that he-" his boss shrugged a bit helpless "-he can be kinda intense. I hope you uh, didn't have any plans tonight?”Ethari shook his head because what kind of plans would he be having on his first night in a completely foreign country anyways. "Nah, Sam seems nice."Another small pause during which Runaan absently fiddled with the hem of his leather combo. "Yeah" he finally allowed "He is. It's not very common in this industry." After a small pause, he gestured towards the tires Ethari had already set aside. “Can I help you with the tires?”“Nope, you do the racing, I do the tire changing.” the mechanic grinned “Besides, where is the point in having your own pit crew if you can’t watch them slave away for you while covered in grease, hm?” his boss quickly turned towards the telemetry but Ethari still caught the deep blush on his face. Hah, gotcha. He noticed Runaan taking the rest of training with a bit more caution, only reaching top speed a couple of time in the flats instead of the borderline suicidal tempo he’d driven before. When they drove back to the tent village together, his boss was sweaty but seemed a little more relaxed than before. Annie and Kourou whooped at the news of barbecue with the Skywing team which seemed to be some kind of annual tradition. Even Lujanne smiled fondly at their enthusiasm and agreed to share a taxi with them.Ethari was just about to ask if he could hitch a ride with them, too when the racer re-emerged from their garage tent now only in his leather pants and a tanktop and ducked his head. “You, um, you can drive with me if you like. Just take one of the helmets back to the hotel later.”“Sure” he blurted before even thinking about it. The mechanic wanted nothing more than another chance to wrap his arms around Runaan. Even if it was just for the sake of not falling off. Just past six pm, a sharp knock disturbed Ethari’s musings in front of the mirror. He’d re-dressed about ten times before finally settling on a deep purple dress shirt over a black tank top and equally black jeans. Technically, he knew this wasn’t a date but maybe he could make it one if he only put enough effort in it. Not that Runaan would notice. His boss was painfully oblivious.Said boss now stood in front of his hotel room, dressed in a pair of black canvas jeans he knew to be rash proof, a black v-neck and one of his casual leather jackets, helmet tucked under his arm. “Hey” he breathed, being met with nothing but wide-eyed silence for a couple heartbeats until Runaan cleared his throat, glancing away.“Hey, are you ready to go?”Ethari nodded and drew the door shut behind him, bringing him almost chest to chest with the racer. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to be late after all.”Runaan’s eyes raked up and down his body before he took a step back, regaining his customary distance. “N-no of course not.” He stammered, his left absently wandering to his back pocket before he aborted the motion, gesturing down the hallway instead. “We might have a bit of catching up to do. The other’s already left.”Without missing a beat, Ethari winked, getting himself into motion. “Well lucky me that my chauffeur happens to be the fastest motorcyclist on this planet.” his boss made a wonderfully strangled sound, upping his pace so his face wouldn’t be visible.In the end, they arrived just before Lujanne and the others, sliding to a stop in front of the heavy iron gates the second their taxi rounded the corner. They were let in immediately, Sam waiting for them by the little parking space in front of a modern building that had the Skywing logo emblazoned on part of the large glass panel covered side.Ethari was still giggling from his adrenaline high, making no move to leave his very comfy spot behind Runaan, one of his arms slung around the other’s waist. His employer meanwhile kicked out the stand and killed the engine, slightly turning in his seat, their helmets bumping together in the process. “You alright?” He’d flicked the visor up and now, a set of concerned turquoise eyes looked up at him, searching for any sign of discomfort.“That was amazing!” the mechanic blurted slightly breathless from all the whooping and laughing he’d done on their way here.“Not too fast?” Runaan still wasn’t convinced but a small smile was tugging at his lips.“Hell no, best roller coaster I’ve ever been on. Besides, I trust you not to crash us.” at that, the racer’s eyes widened, his light flush intensifying rapidly.“Oh- um, that’s good. Should we-” he motioned for the others who were standing in a loose circle next to Sam “-go?”Only now realizing that he still had one arm possessively around his boss’ midsection while the other rested on Runaan’s thigh, Ethari withdrew them in a hurry and hopped off the bike. “Yeah, sure, sorry.” He pulled off his helmet, running a hand through his mussed hair while his chauffeur did the same, trying to tug his braid out of the leather jacket.“Hey, uh could you give me a hand?” Runaan asked, turning his back towards him while the rest was already on their way around the building.“O-of course.” Ethari rested his helmet next to Runaan’s on the bike and gently lifted the other’s jacket up to see where it was stuck. To his surprise, he couldn’t find anything that the braid could have been stuck to so he just carefully snuck his free hand under it, brushing Runaan’s slightly damp neck in the process and slowly pulled it free. The racer slightly twitched under his hands but kept quiet, only the pulse jumping at his neck betraying his unrest.“There-” Ethari murmured when the long white braid was finally freed and resting atop well-used black leather “-all done.”“Thanks” came the breathy whisper before Runaan took a step forwards, breaking the spell and turned around. “Come on, if we still want food without having to fight for it we should try and get to the grill before Kourou does.”They rounded the building on a little stone path that ended on a large terrasse that was partially covered by several triangular tent fabrics which overlapped each other. Someone had installed faerie lights along each of them and a dozen candles and torches created a cozy warm light in the fleeting evening sun. Lujanne and the others had already mingled with the dozen or so other people, some of which Ethari recognized from the track. Most of them were either standing around the grill or settled on one of the many couches.As soon as Runaan rounded the corner, a young woman perked up and raced over. “Runaaaaaan!” She called out, her brown dreads violently whipping around as she skidded to a halt in front of them while simultaneously giving the racer a bear hug that lifted him to his tiptoes.“Hey Janai” he managed, sounding slightly strangled.“I have to show you my new panel design. I’ve been stuck on that one thing and I thought maybe you could-” Runaan held up his hands and carefully wrestled his way out of her embrace only to get a very forceful clap on the back that sent him stumbling directly after.“Sure. Can I eat first?” he evidently tried to look displeased but Ethari could spot the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.“Hey Janai could you please not crush the competition before I get my chance during the race?” Sam suddenly appeared behind her and slung an arm around her shoulders, effectively keeping her from tackling Runaan again who raised both eyebrows in doubt.“We both know you have home advantage here. Besides, I can give you one win-” that earned him a punch to the arm from his fellow racer who now wrapped his free arm around Runaan’s shoulders dragging both of his captives over to the grill.“Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy leaving you in the dust behind me. Buffet’s open by the way!”In a matter of seconds, everyone was sprinting towards the petite woman manning the grill who was busy batting both Kourou’s and Sam’s hands away with her spatula. “Back off everyone and form a line. I want no cheating.”Suddenly, Ethari was pulled sideways, an arm sneaking around his waist and when he turned to see who had displaced him right into the neat line that formed in a moment’s notice Runaan smiled back at him. “Just pretend you’ve been here the whole time.”The mechanic grinned, placing his arm on the other’s shoulders. “Yeah I’m not going anywhere.”When they reached the grill and neighboring tables with various foodstuffs, the woman reached behind her and handed Runaan a plate with a piece of grilled corn and what looked to be some kind of fish. The racer accepted it with a small smile and moved on to the salads. “Thanks Alex.”She nodded, making a ‘no problem’ gesture with her grill prongs before shifting her focus onto Ethari inquiring what he wanted from the grill.A couple minutes later, the mechanic found himself sitting next to Runaan on one of the couches enjoying a very decent steak while some people already seemed to go for seconds. “Geez this is like a warzone.” He commented when three of the pit crew members started battling each other for the last piece of rib-eye.“Alex makes the best barbecue.” his boss commented next to him accompanied by the collective nods of everyone in earshot.The next couple of hours passed in the blink of an eye. Between talking through Janai’s new blueprints with Runaan and getting to know the Skywing team, Ethari hardly noticed the sun setting until someone went around and distributed even more candles on tables and in-between the couches. The grill’s grating had been removed and turned the round metal dish into a little bonfire where Kourou was currently trying to roast his ciabatta without scorching his hands with very little success.Ethari was very contend with his spot sandwiched between Runaan and the couch’s armrest, posing as backrest for the former who was in a very invested discussion with Janai concerning motor oils the cigarette in his hand completely forgotten ever since he lit it.“HEY WHO WANTS TO HELP ME LOOSE AGAINST RUNAAN AT BEERPONG?” Sam’s shout pierced through his little bubble of peace and his boss visibly flinched before shaking his head.“I’m afraid I’ll have to sit this year out. I still have to drive Ethari, myself and the bike home.” Ethari was just about to offer that he could drive them when he remembered that the bottle in his hand most definitely wasn’t alcohol free.“Pff please I already set the guestroom up for you guys. No excuses I need to regain my honor after you defeated me four times in a row last year.”Runaan sighed, tipping his head back so he could sort of look at him. “Would you be okay with staying? Otherwise the others could probably take you back.”Of course, he’d be okay with staying. As long as the other was there with him, Ethari had everything he needed. “Sure. We only have the fan events tomorrow anyways.” there wasn’t much actual work left to be done and training would only resume the day after so each team had some time to adjust their bikes.“Cool. You’re in my team.” Runaan’s eyes suddenly glinted with that same spark he sported before races as he rolled to his feet, depositing his unsmoked cigarette in a nearby plant pot and pulled him to his feet.Sam and some others had already cleared one of the buffet tables, setting out solo cups and filling them with beer with an amount of precision that almost bordered ridiculous. Ethari watched in amusement as Sam and Runaan bickered about cup placement for their respective teams and did three rounds of rock paper scissors to determine who would start.His boss returned with a little ping pong ball and the smuggest of grins on his face, setting his leather jacket aside for the first time this evening and rolling up his sleeves. “Do you know how to play?” he asked gesturing for the table.“Yeah. Can’t say I’m particularly good at it though.” The last time he played had been in college after all.“Don’t worry about that I just need a teammate and Lujanne cheats.” Alright then.The mechanic watched with increasing awe as Runaan hit the cup closest to them on his first try, demanding the ball back while Sam downed his cup with a scowl. The second also hit, prompting Janai to drink this time while his boss also sunk it a third time. His opponent managed to bat away the fourth one though since Runaan bounced it on the table once. With a smirk, he handed the ball to Ethari. “There is wind coming from the left side.”He almost hit. Almost. The little plastic ball bouncing off the rim and just barely missing the cup besides it. “Hey that was good!” his boss clapped him on the shoulder encouragingly before focusing his attention back on the table.Sam and Janai both managed one, reducing their distance significantly. They clinked their plastic cups together as if they were actual glasses and downed their beer at Janai’s “Bottoms up losers!”The next round, Runaan let him go first, offering a high five when he hit one of the outermost cups. Ethari watched the other score three more and then debating with Sam about re-arrangement until they settled on a shape both were satisfied with. This time, Janai hit once as well with Sam bringing them almost on even grounds with another two. Their team had five cups left while the others had only three. All of which Runaan hit with unwavering confidence.Pushing over their five cups, his boss grinned sweetly, leaning over the table. “Wanna go again?”“That was only luck.” Sam stated, currently occupied splitting their cups evenly between himself and Janai. “We’ll demolish you next round.”Runaan hummed, re-assembling their triangle structure and opened another two beers for the game. “Sure, keep telling yourself that.”Their next game was over after two rounds when his boss took out five cups the first round and, together with Ethari’s two, finished the round in the second go. Sam had done better this time too, though so they were only handing over three cups to the others at the end.They continued playing for another four games, building increasingly complicated set ups for their cups until both Sam and Janai were way past tipsy and decided it would be even less fair now. “Next Year Lunaris.” the other racer declared “Next year we’ll get you.”“How are you so good at that?” Ethari asked, already feeling a slight buzz when they returned to their couch with a fresh beer each.Runaan simply shrugged, smiling up at him with a wicked grin “Trade secret. You did pretty well yourself for claiming to be bad at it though.” The praise sent a warm shiver down his spine, making him buzz with happiness.“Thanks” he felt another warm jolt when his boss proceeded to use him as back rest again, accepting the arm around his shoulders without any signs of discomfort. This was nice. Sharing casual contact like they’d done it for ages. Being comfortable in each other’s space. When he first started working for Runaan, he wouldn’t have thought that to be possible. Not with such a private and distanced man as his employer. But now here he was, playing beer pong and sitting snuggled up on a couch with that same man.At some point they started a round of cards during which Ethari pretended he couldn’t see the other’s hand even though it was practically right in front of his face. Naturally, the mechanic won most rounds without Runaan ever realizing why. He didn’t seem to mind losing though and mostly only played the card that would upset the next player in line (Lujanne) the most. So maybe he was aware of it after all and deliberately helped him win.When Lujanne shuffled the cards again to deal, the racer stood from his spot and excused himself to get some air, vanishing somewhere in the darkness beyond their candle-lit island in the night. He didn’t return for the next round or the one after that and after half an hour, Ethari wanted nothing more than to look for him. He played one more game, hoping Runaan would show up again before also dropping out, claiming he’d had enough wins for tonight to not seem overly obvious. The knowing side eye he received from Lujanne however told him he wasn’t as subtle as he wanted to be.He found his boss leaning against the rail of what he now recognized as a long balcony spanning over a small race test track not unlike the one Runaan had at home. “Hey” Ethari announced himself to not spook the other and braced his arms on the railing as well, their shoulders brushing together.“Oh, hey.” Runaan took a drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke away from him before looking up. “Was I gone for too long for you to keep up your win streak?” he joked, the words sounding strangely hollow.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ethari declared, feigning shock which at least got him the tiniest of smiles in return. “I just wanted to see if you were alright. It’s cold out here-” he shrugged out of his own jacket, draping it over the other’s shoulders.“Thanks”Silence stretched between them, only interrupted by the occasional flick of Runaan’s lighter as they both watched the stars above him, Ethari trying to recall the formations the racer had shown him on the beach. They were different here, of course they were, but he still found a couple familiar ones.“Are you really okay with staying here? We can also call you a taxi or you could go back with the others.” Runaan’s voice was quiet, barley a murmur over the voices drifting over.“I really am.” Ethari made sure to look the other in the eye while replying so he could see he meant it. “Besides-” he smirked “-someone’s gotta make sure you wake up on time.”Runaan’s reply got swallowed by a laughing Kourou running over with two filled solo cups in hand. “Ah there you are! I have a delivery from Alex; one sex on the beach for Ethari and-” he paused shoving the right cup into the mechanic’s hands “-a mojito speciale for Runaan.” repeating the process with their boss before dashing off again to tackle Annie onto one of the couches.“What is so special about that mojito?” Ethari took an experimental sip from his drink, being positively surprised at the decent taste. It had been delivered in a solo cup after all.Runaan sighed, taking a couple large sips from his own drink with a small smile. “Instead of half of the Soda it just has more rum and lime. Alex took affront on my recipe when we first did the barbecue together so now, I always get the exact same drink I made that night. Jokes on her though, it’s my favorite.” While talking Ethari could smell the rum all the way over his own cup.“So basically, you’re telling me you are drinking rum with lime?” It was fitting somehow.“And brown sugar. But yeah. Provided the Rum is decent, and Sam always gets the good stuff.” Runaan’s drink was already halfway gone, the ice in his cup clanking audibly with every new sip.Ethari decided that consuming his sex on the beach before it lost its cold temperature currently ranked over the urge to make small talk so they fell back into comfortable silence, each sipping their cocktail. When they went back towards the grill area for a refill, Lujanne, Annie and Kourou were gone and some of Sam’s team also seemed to be filtering out.“Guess I am definitely staying here.” he declared after accepting a refill from Alex and watching her prepare the rum posing as mojito for his boss. Runaan hummed in agreement, apparently not as conflicted about that anymore while inspecting the label of the Rum bottle whose content made up most of his solo cup.They returned to the couch they had occupied before and the racer pointedly looked at Ethari until he sat down only to immediately flop down besides him again and use his shoulder as a pillow. Runaan was still wrapped in his jacket and now pulled his legs up to also cover them by the oversized garment.Contend with his current position, Ethari sneakily placed his arm on the couch cushions, letting it drop closer to the other every few minutes until it rested over the leather clad shoulders. He couldn’t tell how long exactly they stayed that way but their drinks were gone by the time Sam declared the party was officially over and threw the only mildly protesting Alex over his shoulder to carry inside. The racer stopped by their couch, motioning to a glass door. “Just lock it when you go to sleep, you know where everything is.”Runaan nodded and waved at Alex who stuck out her tongue still being carried away fireman style.“Should we, like, help her?”“Nah, Alex’s a Judo world champion she’d kick our asses if we touch a single hair on ‘er fiancé’s head. She’s scary.” The last part, Runaan said with such conviction that he was sure there was a story to that. Maybe he’d ask at some point. “But we should go sleep. If you actually wanna have a fightin’ chance to wake me at a ‘reasonable’ time.” he underlined his statement with sloppy air quotes.With that, Runaan struggled to his feet with a surprising lack of elegance for his usual self, keeping a hand braced on Ethari’s shoulder for support. The mechanic followed suite, laughing at the little stumble of his boss when he lost his anchor. Catching Runaan by the hips, he made sure the other wouldn’t fall. “Oh god you’re such a lightweight.” True, Ethari could feel his own buzz and he was probably just past tipsy but at least his motor functions were still mostly in place.“Yeah? Let’s trade drinks next time ‘round.” Runaan huffed and pouted which looked positively adorable with the flush on his face. “ ‘sides I don’t drink often soooo-” as if to prove some point nobody had made, he downed the last thumb wide of his drink before depositing the cup in a stack of others after the third try. “Stop laughing.” he glared at Ethari when he couldn’t help but chuckle at the failed endeavor. “How’m I s’pposed to have tolerance if ‘m not allowed to accumulate mass? ‘s unfair.”“You’re adorable.” Ethari decided and promptly hoisted his boss up bridal style, grinning at the little surprised yelp.“Not adorable.” Runaan pressed but at the same time, he snuggled closer to the mechanic’s chest as soon as he was picked up. If for warmth or something else, Ethari didn’t dare to speculate on.“Okay show me the way.” the other pointed in the direction of the door Sam had vanished behind, whispering “Onwards noble steed.” under his breath just loud enough for Ethari to hear and laugh at.He let Runaan steer them through a couple empty office floors before they reached a part that looked more like a hotel and less like a company. The racer indicated a door at the end of the hall and opened it for them seeing that Ethari had both hands full. He waited by the door long enough so that Runaan could pull it shut behind them.The room in front of them largely resembled a hotel room with a large King-size bed on one side and an opened door leading to an ensuite on the other. “Hey this is nice I half expected a couch.” Ethari commented, moving to set his cargo down on the bed.His boss chuckled and immediately let himself fall down on the covers with a sigh. “Well Sam’s stall’s crazy rich. Got a lot of generous sponsors. Doesn’t mean I didn’ sleep on a couch at his at some point. Guess you got lucky.”Ethari looked down to where the other was now completely sprawled out on the light blue covers, still wrapped in his leather jacket and messy braid spilling out under him. “Yeah-” he breathed “-guess I did.”Suddenly, Runaan’s energy changed from sleepy to energetic, just as if someone had flicked a switch and he shot upwards again, opening the clasps of his motorcycle boots and dropping them to the floor. Then, he padded over to the bathroom leaving Ethari still standing in the middle of the room only to return seconds later with a brush. The racer resumed his perch on the bed, in a cross-legged position this time and began to unwind the hair tie that had buried itself deep in the end of his braid. Eventually getting it out, Runaan began to brush out the lowest bandwidth slowly working his way upwards until he got stuck somewhere and after a few tries of freeing his brush, gave up and left it stuck in the tangle of white hair. “Um, could you maybe give me a hand?”Ethari who hadn’t noticed he’d just been frozen and staring the entire time snapped out of his trance, automatically taking a few steps forward. “Of course. Scoot over and turn ok?”His demand got met immediately, presenting him with the incredible tangle that once was a simple French braid. How the hell did that happen? Carefully, Ethari started to detangle first the brush and then the single strands until he felt confident enough to brush out the next hand width.“You’re good at that.” Runaan hummed, leaning into the touch.“I hope I’m not hurting you too much.” every time he had to pull a bit harder, the mechanic was afraid it would be too much but the other just shook his head slightly, the smile clearly audible in his hushed voice.“Nah this ‘s nice actually.”The affirmation sent a surge of warmth right through Ethari’s core and he set to finish his task with even more care than before. He couldn’t quite tell how long it took to detangle Runaan’s hair, completely lost in his task and its completion but after some time Ethari was finally able to run his hands through the now silky strands that cascaded down the others back like a shimmering waterfall. “There-” he whispered, running his hand through it one last time to make sure he hadn’t missed any knots “-all done.”“Hmmmh thanks.” Runaan reached back to inspect his work and, entirely without warning, let himself drop backwards so he was propped up against Ethari’s chest laughing gleefully at the surprised shriek of his mechanic.Out of instinct, he wrapped his arms around him, clasping them over Runaan’s midsection while the racer rested his head against Ethari’s shoulder. “So, what now?”“Sleep?” came the slightly muffled reply followed by a yawn. “Got some catchin’ up to do.”“Don’t you always?” he couldn’t quite keep the soft tease to himself. Not when he could clearly see the almost ever-present dark smudges under Runaan’s eyes.The other snorted but gave a solemn nod in return nonetheless “Fair point.”A couple heartbeats of silence followed until Runaan cleared his throat again, looking up at him through long lashes. “So, um, you kinda need to let me go.”“Oh, yeah-” Ethari retracted his arms hoping he hadn’t overstepped any boundaries. “-sorry.”Runaan was already on his feet, toeing off socks and flashed him a small smile. “All good. You’re nice ‘n warm. Good space heater.” Then, he shrugged out of Ethari’s jacket handing it back over and hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans about to pull them down when Ethari realized he was staring. Quickly, the mechanic also got to his feet and turned away to give his boss at least a tiny bit of privacy while getting rid of his shoes and dress shirt as well. Ethari’s hands hovered over his belt buckle for a second, unsure how to proceed before a ‘flop’ followed a little ‘oof’ pulled his eyes back to the bed where Runaan was sprawled face down on the covers, clad in dark blue boxershorts and his t-shirt.Deciding to just copy his boss, Ethari kept the tank top on even though he usually preferred to sleep sans shirt and sat down on the edge of the bed, carefully nudging Runaan’s wrist.“Hn” was all he got in reply, the racer making no move whatsoever to change his position.“Are you gonna move or do I have to fight you for bed space?” he teased, flopping down on the small stretch of bed left next to him.“Usually you’d have to fight me but since ‘m pretty sure I’ll loose tonight, imma move.” half of that sentence was nearly incomprehensible due to being swallowed by the duvet but after another couple of seconds, Runaan curled in on himself and rolled over, vacating roughly half the bed in the process.Ethari laid down a good arm length away, not sure how close he’d be allowed and turned to the side, reaching for the bedside lamp. “Sleep well.”The curled-up bundle next to him did something akin to nodding, burrowing deeper under the light blue duvet. “Hmmm you too.”Even though he should be nervous as hell, Ethari found sleep almost the second his head properly hit the pillow.Runaan listened to the other’s breath even out, quietly smiling to himself at how this day had turned out for the better after all. He’d ask Ethari out as soon as the media turmoil died down. Maybe take him to a nice cafe in France before the next race. Something romantic but not too over the top. Thinking back, their trip to Barcelona probably would have been a great first date if he’d had managed to gather the courage to ask earlier.But he hadn’t been sure then. Now he was. The amount of patience and understanding Ethari had shown today was something he’d only ever experienced from Lujanne. It was nice. Knowing that someone cared.Careful to not disturb the other, he rolled to the side, fishing for his phone that had to be somewhere in the puddle of clothes on the floor. If he didn’t set an alarm and showed up at the track late Janne would have his ass.Blinking at the brightness of the display, he needed a couple seconds to focus on the keypad only then realizing he had hundreds of notifications for his personal twitter Lujanne made him get when she eventually got tired of answering fan questions for him. Don’t. Don’t even look at it. You’re half-drunk you should sleep. But he knew it wouldn’t leave him alone until he checked. Fuck.Listening for a bit to see if Ethari was really asleep, he punched in his code and pulled up the social media app, indefinitely glad about the built-in dark mode. The latest tweets were from fans who’d seen him at training and applauded the insanely fast first half. Someone had added a gif of the Road Runner under a picture of his lap time.Then, he scrolled further down and froze, almost dropping his phone in the process.It was a picture of him and Ethari from the airport earlier that day, him getting pulled along by the arm while the mechanic threw a worried glance in his direction. Despite almost nothing of his face being visible, he looked tired and haunted, a mere shadow of what he knew, what he hoped, he usually looked like. Scrolling further, he found dozens more. From the airport, the hotel, someone had even snapped a picture of him on the plane. He hadn’t even noticed.While staring at the pictures, Runaan could hear the reporter’s voice again. Shouting for him to answer their questions and look this way or that for a picture. Hands reaching out to grab him and pull him over, more people-Suddenly, the weight of the blanket wasn’t comfortable anymore. It reminded him too much of being surrounded, trapped. “fuck fuck fuck” whispering under his breath, Runaan detangled himself from the covers, taking a few stumbling steps away from the bed and Ethari who was still sleeping peacefully. Need air. Space. Have to get out. His mind demanded, carrying his feet over to the balcony only to abruptly stop in his tracks and crouch down to shift through his jeans. His cigarettes, they had to be here somewhere.Runaan found the lighter and crumpled cardboard box quickly, used to their shape and looking for them in a hurry. When he flicked the lid open however, only emptiness stared back at him. “Fuck” But he’d packed more, hadn’t he? He was almost certain to have put another in his Jacket after restocking after the flight. Hadn’t anticipated having such a nice evening after all. But where was his jacket? Runaan was fairly sure that he’d ditched it before Beer pong but couldn’t remember where for the life of him. Wait, didn’t Ethari take it with them? His eyes scanned the room and really, there on the little table by the door was his Leather Jacket. He was over there in a heartbeat, patting down the pockets until he’d found the still sealed cardboard box. Thank fuck.The night air was nice and cold on his mostly bare skin, washing away the memories of touch effectively while he fumbled for a cigarette, taking a couple deep breaths to steady his shaking hands before lighting it. The familiarity of the motion almost did more to calm him than the nicotine itself. Plug cigarette between his lips, flick lighter, don’t burn your hair, inhale, exhale, repeat.Slowly, Runaan could feel his hands stilling as he forced himself to breathe slower, watching the smoke disappear into the night sky. It’s alright. It’ll be over soon. You won’t be interesting anymore once the novelty has worn off. Just wait it out. He repeated these phrases like a mantra, forcing himself to believe it.But then, he remembered their departure from the hotel again. Hands grabbing for him, sprouting out of that giant mass of human bodies threatening to swallow him whole. Runaan screwed his eyes shut, trying his best will the images away but every time he got rid of one memory, another bubbled up taking its place. “Fuck” he whispered sinking to the floor and buried his head between his knees feeling tears well up. Trying to cry as silently as possible, Runaan bit down on his hand, stifling the sobs before they could wake Ethari. The forgotten cigarette in his hands burned down, scorching his fingers in the process and forcing him to drop it.Shit shit shit shit shit. I’m a mess. A fucking mess. There was a reason he usually didn’t drink. It was harder to keep his emotions in check. Harder to remain in control. Stupid Stupid Stupid. Don’t ask Ethari out. He’s too good for you. He deserves better. How could he ever love you? When you can’t even love yourself…The voices in his head grew louder, each trying to outdo the former with their cruel words, reminding him of everything that made him different, everything he desperately wanted to change.“Runaan?” A sleepy rough voice snapped him out of the downward spiral and when he looked up, Ethari was standing in the doorway, bleary eyed and rumpled from sleep. He blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his vision from the tears when Ethari crouched down next to him, a soft smile tugging at his lips despite the early hour. “Hey-” he reached out but stopped halfway through “-is it okay if I touch you?”Was- was it okay? Runaan wasn’t sure. On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than hide in the other’s arms but then, he could still the press of dozens of hands on his arms as an uncomfortable reminder. Slowly, he nodded, prepared to take the permission away again but as soon as Ethari’s hand gently clasped around his own, his heartbeat slowed and everything narrowed down on that one little warm touch anchoring him in the present.Taking a shuddering breath, he dropped the half-empty pack of cigarettes he’d crushed in his hand on accident and returned the gentle squeeze, rubbing the back of his hand over his eyes to get rid of the tear tracks. Strangely enough, he didn’t mind Ethari seeing him like this. It felt liberating in a way. No hiding anymore.“Couldn’t sleep?” Ethari inquired softly, starting to rub slow circles into his palm.“Y-yeah.” His voice cracked awfully but the verbal answer managed to widen Ethari’s grin a fraction so Runaan decided it was worth the strain.“Come back to bed?” Runaan nodded slowly, trying to stand up only for his exhausted body to deny him any movement whatsoever.“Here-” a strong hand reached down to him and pulled him to his feet effortlessly, bringing him once again face to face with Ethari who slung an arm around his waist to steady him. “Oh god you’re freezing. How long have you been out here?” And really, now that he was so close to the other’s warmth, Runaan noticed how cold his own skin felt.“Dunno”“Alright guess I’ll have to warm you up.” Ethari declared and pulled him along until they were standing next to the bed again. “You first.” his mechanic insisted, gesturing for the rumpled covers.When he had settled comfortably again, Ethari laid down right next to him, offering his arm out until Runaan rolled over and rested his head on the other’s shoulder. Ethari pulled the covers over both of them, rubbing slow circles across Runaan’s shoulder blades.“Is this alright?” He asked, the soft rumble resonating through the mechanic’s ribcage.“Yeah” and for the first time in weeks, Runaan fell asleep immediately, the steady heartbeat under his ear a welcome lullaby.