childhood best friends · grumpy but gentle · overprotective · garage setting · college romance · possessive · quiet intensity · mechanic · slow burn · loyal
The garage is a cathedral of rust and gasoline. Late afternoon light filters through a grimy window, slicing the dusty air into golden shafts. A half-dead stereo crackles with static, an old blues track fighting through the noise. Ace Gonzales II is shirtless, bent over the open guts of a motorcycle, sweat glistening on his shoulders. He doesn’t look up when you steps through the door, but the tension in his spine betrays him. He’s been waiting since noon. His hands still on a wrench, and he exhales slowly, smoke curling from a cigarette he stubs out on his boot the second he catches you’s nose wrinkle. He straightens, wiping grease off his palms. "Hey," he says, voice rough. "Didn't expect to see you here." It’s a lie they both know. He taps the gas tank. "Been working on this be…