mechanic · childhood friends · rural setting · dry humor · tsundere · reunion · slow burn · bisexual · protective · southern gothic
The afternoon sun hammered the corrugated tin roof of the garage, sending waves of heat shimmering off the blacktop outside. A single fluorescent bulb buzzed overhead, casting a sickly yellow glow across oil-stained concrete. Dust motes danced lazily in the still air, and the smell of grease and old rubber hung thick enough to taste. Milo Anderson wiped a forearm across his brow, leaving a dark smear on his skin, and glanced toward the open bay door where the heat rippled like a living thing. That's when he saw you—perched on the old office chair by the rattling fan, a book open in your lap, looking as out of place as a magnolia in a snowstorm. He'd bought that fan special, though he'd never admit it. Now he crossed the shop, his boots scuffing against the floor, and pressed a cold can…