Title: Start Me Up - 1/?
Author: tkmaxwell777
Category: Shonen Ai/Yaoi
Pairings: 1+2, 3+4
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst, Language
Archived: Yep! Thanks Lev :)
Disclaimer: I don't wanna quit writing, I'm a GW addict... there's a few g-boys I hope Bandai will let me play with... from 1x2 to 3x4x5... it's the best yaoi fun there is... I don't wanna quit writing, but if I did... then I wouldn't be a GW addict... more bondage, more toys, oh, boy... I'm glad I'm a GW addict! This fic is dedicated to Nebula_Omega who came up with this great idea and asked me to write it... Love ya Hon!
Duo Maxwell stepped outside onto the porch just as dawn was approaching. His breath puffed out in the crisp November air as his violet eyes looked over at the garage a few yards away. Inside was something he hoped would put his team on top this year. He laughed to himself as he began stretching, his long braid of chestnut hair swinging with his motions; Howard would kill him if he heard him refer to the crew as 'his' team, but everyone knew when it came to the machine of his trade, Duo was the one in charge. For all the engineering suggestions their crew chief made to Dr. Gerald and Dr. Jenson, Duo was the one who would know this piece of finely tuned metal like the back of his hand before the season even began. As lead mechanic, it was his job to know.
Opening the doors, Duo stepped inside to look at the chassis that would house one of the most refined engines they could assemble. "You ready, Angel?" Duo asked in a whisper as he ran a hand along the frame of the vehicle that was still up on blocks. "Your engine arrives today. Of course, you won't be complete until your driver slides inside you." He let his hand smooth over the doorframe. "I hope they find someone who will understand you, like I do Deathscythe." A huge grin graced his face as he patted the car lovingly. "Don't worry. Fate can be a bitch, but destiny is always kind. I'll be here to make sure destiny is the one who reaches you first."
Quatre Raberba Winner walked briskly to the speedway garage area. Today would be the first time he would meet the racing team, and he couldn't help but be a little nervous. He had bought the team only a couple months ago. He knew the reputations of a couple of the members, and hoped they lived up to them, but he was all too familiar with how difficult it was to meet people's expectations sometimes.
Quatre had taken over his father's corporation less than six months ago at the young age of nineteen. His father's untimely death had placed Winner Enterprises in a perilous position, and the Winner heir had been forced to leave college and take control of the company before the board of directors tried to. Even though Quatre was young, he was intelligent, observant, and wise beyond his years, having an ability to read people well. His insight had helped maintain Winner Enterprises' standards of excellence and cause their stock to actually gain value in spite of his father's demise; he was proud of that accomplishment.
The young businessman had an avid interest in Stock car racing. When he'd heard through his connections that this particular team was up for sale, he had wasted no time in acquiring it. Howard Maxwell was a respected pit boss, and his nephew, Duo, was a genius when it came to mechanics. They had come very close to winning the championship last year, but their driver hadn't been up to par. Quatre smiled. Things were going to be different this time around; they had 'The Perfect Driver' this year.
Quatre stopped as he rounded the corner to the garage. There were no less than three guys in overalls milling around the racecar. Quatre took in the white and blue machine; it was certainly an impressive sight. He just hoped it was as fast as it looked.
"Trowa, where the hell is the 3/8?" a husky voice called out from under the chassis.
"Duo, you had it last. Trowa had the 9/16," came the reply from a black-haired boy who was sprawled over the engine.
"No, Wufei, I had the1/4," answered someone quietly from behind the rear bumper. "Duo, check the toolbox to your right."
Quatre could hear the hidden mechanic rummaging through said toolbox for a few seconds.
"Ahah!" came the triumphant sound from beneath the car. "Found it! Thanks guys. Almost set."
Quatre cleared his throat. The black-haired boy turned. "Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Howard. I'm Quatre Winner."
Trowa stood up from behind the car, and Duo slid out from under the car, both to take a look at the new owner of their team. Wufei just stared for a moment. Quatre felt a little uncomfortable until Duo got to his feet, walking over to him.
"Hey there! I'm Duo. Duo Maxwell."
Quatre was amazed. The boy was about his own age! In fact, as he looked at the other two boys, he realized that all of them were around his age. He smiled at the boy shaking his hand. Duo was a little taller than he was, lithe yet muscular from his occupation. He had beautiful blue-violet eyes, but what caught Quatre's attention was the long braid of chestnut brown hair that fell past the boy's rear.
"Nice to meet you, Duo. I've heard some impressive things about you." He glanced at the other two boys and added thoughtfully, "About all of you. I can't wait to see you in action."
Duo grinned. He liked the other boy already. It would be nice to have someone who was just as young as they were; maybe they wouldn't be treated like a bunch of kids this year. "I hope we can live up to that," he said, winking at the blonde teasingly. He turned, pointing to each of the boys as he introduced them. "This is Wufei Chang, resident fuel and exhaust specialist. And this is Trowa Barton, chief brakes and suspension expert."
Quatre nodded to both in turn. "It will be a pleasure to get to know you all. I've been a racing fan for a long time. I'm sure I don't know even a smidgen of what you all do, but I hope some of my ideas will be useful. I'll be depending on each of you to help me understand if I'm wrong about something."
"That's an interesting attitude," Wufei said evenly as his dark eyes raked over the blonde boy critically. "Most owners think they know all there is to know about their team."
Quatre met the other boy's evaluating look, giving him one of his own. Black hair was secured in a ponytail, giving the oriental boy a classical look. Quatre wondered if the other boy was into martial arts, which would explain his toned form and why he seemed so focused and centered. Quatre made a mental note to ask the boy later.
"Well, I don't, and I want you all to be honest with me when you don't agree with something. That doesn't mean I'll change my mind if I think I'm right, but it does mean that I will take into consideration what you're saying."
"Sounds fair," Trowa stated calmly.
Quatre's aqua eyes met with Trowa's green ones, and he immediately felt something like electricity course through him. Trowa had brown hair that was short in back, long in front, and combed to the side, almost obscuring half of the boy's face. He was tall and agile-looking, and Quatre couldn't help but wonder if the other boy had ever taken gymnastics. Then he wondered how flexible the boy could be if he had and felt himself getting aroused just thinking about it. He quickly pulled his eyes from that emerald gaze. He could not afford to get involved with another guy; his family would disown him.
Trowa noticed the blonde's interest and subsequent dismissal with great amusement. He continued, wanting to put the other boy at ease. "It's more than we usually get. Our owners last year tried to tell us how to do our job every time we turned around." Trowa smirked. "Duo told them to either shut the hell up or he would re-align their front ends."
Duo laughed at Trowa's words, oblivious to what had passed between the other two boys. "Should have seen their faces when I held up my blow torch and started walking towards them. I've never seen forty-year-old men run so fast."
Quatre's eyes widened, but he couldn't help but chuckle at the image of grown men running away from their mechanic. He decided to relax and just enjoy the other guys' humor. "Just remember. I'm half their age. I'm sure I can run must faster," he informed him with an impish smile.
They all laughed, a comfortable camaraderie seeming to settle between them. Quatre was beginning to think he would be spending quite a lot of time with this crew from now on. The prospect was even more alluring when he glanced at Trowa again. They could at least be friends, couldn't they? He hoped so. He would hate for attraction to keep him from enjoying their friendship. He turned his thoughts back to the business at hand.
"Is Howard here? He said to meet him today so we could discuss our strategy for the season."
Duo nodded. "Yeah, he's in back. I'll take you to him." He motioned to the other two boys. "Come on, you both need to be in on this too. We're a team, and every opinion counts."
Quatre smiled. For some reason, he liked hearing that.
Heero Yuy sat on a plane heading to Kentucky, wondering once again why he was doing this. He was a respected driver in the Sprint car circuit, so why did he feel the need to prove himself as a Stock car driver? He looked out the window, gazing at the fluffy white clouds, trying to understand himself.
He was part American, on his father's side. His mother had been a Japanese woman named Kureru Yuy. Heero had lived in Japan with her until she'd died unexpectedly; he had only been ten when he'd lost her. His father, Odin Lowe, had been an American businessman. Heero had been relocated to his father's home in New York, but with the man being on continual trips around the world for his company, Heero had been left to grow up alone. Although there had been servants and nannies, he had never had the love of a caring parent like he'd had with his mother. His father had died a couple years ago, and when Heero had turned eighteen, he'd changed his name back to his mother's maiden one so no one would associate him with the man who had never been anything to him but absent.
Heero had become involved with racing by listening to some of his classmates who had lived upstate describing it. By the time he was sixteen, he had been exposed to Sprint cars on several occasions and found himself growing more interested each time. He began studying mechanics and engineering, using his computer skills to work on virtual models. When he turned seventeen, he managed to get a job working on a pit crew at a nearby track. By the time he was eighteen, he'd made enough contacts with the owners to get his chance to drive. Within a year, he was driving for one of the most successful teams in the country. He was just getting ready to begin his second year when Quatre Winner had contacted him, offering him a position with his new Stock car team. Heero could never back down from a challenge, and this one was just too tempting to pass up. He wanted to be the best driver on the U.S. circuit; he wanted to win it all.
Heero sighed to himself; he just hoped this wasn't a mistake. Quatre had seemed nice enough, but Heero was a little hesitant about dealing with a new crew. He frowned at the thought, wishing he wasn't so blasted defensive. He knew his stuff, and he would be damned if a bunch of redneck American grease monkeys told him he didn't. He would just have to show them all that he wasn't just some dimwitted speed freak who only knew how to climb behind the wheel.
He'd prove to them that there was a reason why he was known as 'The Perfect Driver'.
"Duo!"
Duo knew that voice by heart and yelled back without looking. "Hey, Q-man!"
He then turned to see Quatre walking towards the garage with another young man with him. Duo let his eyes travel over the other boy as they approached, and he froze. His pulse quickened, his palms began sweating, and he felt like all of the blood from his brain was rushing southward. Even from that distance, he could see that the guy was gorgeous. There was no doubt about it, and Duo didn't think it was matter of opinion either. He felt himself respond even more as Quatre and the sexy stranger stopped to stand in front of him. He had never felt an attraction like this for another guy before, even though he'd never kept from appreciating both sexes. He'd been with a few girls, but hadn't actually found a guy he was that interesting in - until now. Dark chocolate brown hair, messy and wild, and smoky blue eyes, intense and challenging, an incredible body, despite the polo and khakis; Duo wanted him... period.
"Duo, this is your new driver, Heero Yuy," Quatre introduced the object of Duo's immediate fascination. The blonde then looked at Heero and motioned towards the braided boy. "This is Duo Maxwell. He's the lead mechanic and all around mechanical genius. If you need to know anything about the car, Duo is your man."
"Oh yeah, I'm your man," Duo replied, not noticing how suggestive his voice was at that moment. He snapped to his senses when Heero raised an eyebrow at him. Smiling in welcome, he extended his hand. "Nice to meetcha, Heero. Welcome aboard."
Heero shook the other boy's hand, frowning at the tingling he felt from the contact. "How far along are you? I'd like to test drive the car as soon as possible."
Duo blinked. Well, so much for friendly chitchat. "Actually, you can test drive her right now. We finished the last adjustment a few hours ago."
Heero nodded, heading for the racer. Duo turned to look at Quatre, but the blonde just shrugged, so Duo followed their new driver. Heero pulled his driving suit out of his duffel he'd been carrying and started putting it on. He then pushed a helmet on as Duo walked up to him.
"She really drives like a dream," Duo said with a smile. He leaned over and patted the frame. "Angel, this is Heero. He's your partner now. Play nice or I'll have to kick your quarter-panel."
Heero stared at Duo like the braided boy had lost his mind. "You're talking to a car."
Duo just grinned. "Trust me, it works."
Heero just shook his head and climb inside. Duo stepped back, feeling a sense of loss at someone else other than himself sitting in that seat. He had been the one to test her so far, and even though he couldn't race her, he couldn't help feeling a little possessive over her.
The engine blared to life, and Heero eased her out of the pit area. Once to the track, he revved her up. The pit crew let out a shout of joy as he roared down the speedway. Howard came out of the garage and walked up to Quatre and Duo.
"Driver?"
Duo nodded. "Yep. And from the looks of it, he's not that experienced," the braided boy replied, a hint of reproach in his voice.
"He was a Sprint car racer for a year, and worked in the pits a year before that," Quatre said, wanting them to give the other boy a chance. He had sensed something about Heero when he'd first watched him race, and Quatre always followed his instincts; he knew Heero was the right driver for them.
"Still, Sprint cars and Stock cars are not the same, Q," Duo countered lightly. "I'm not saying he can't do it. I'm just saying that it may take some time for him to get used to it."
"Then again," Howard interjected as he held up a stop watch with the time, "he might be up to speed already." Duo whistled when he saw the time. It wasn't bad for a first run. Not bad at all.
Quatre beamed when he saw the watch. "Just give him a little time to adjust. Heero is kind of... well... he's not very social, Duo. He'll need for you guys to kind of help him in that area."
Duo smirked. "Oh, I plan on it, Q."
Quatre noticed the sultry look on the other boy's face and smiled. So it was like that, was it? His eyes sought out Trowa, who was standing by Wufei at the garage entrance. Maybe he wasn't the only one.
Heero pulled back into the garage after a few laps. He climbed out of the car then yanked the helmet off, tossing it inside. Walking up to Duo, he wasted no time.
"The stagger is off. It needs more wedge," he said as he stood in front of the mechanic. "It's also too loose. I'm sliding all over the place out there. The brakes are too sensitive. Gear ratios are off... not enough power in third." Heero paused, taking in the pole-axed look on the American's face, before he continued. "The seat needs readjustment too." He smiled slightly. "Other than that, you were right. She drives like a dream." Turning to leave, Heero yelled over his shoulder as he headed for the exit, "I'll be here tomorrow morning at six." Before he walked out, he turned to look right at Duo. "And her name is now Wing."
Duo stood there, his hands clenched into fists. Never had a driver been so... so... presumptuous! He felt the anger coursing through him, and he knew there was only one way to take care of it before he actually hurt someone. He quickly turned, brushing past a stunned Quatre to stalk into the garage.
Trowa and Wufei walked over to Howard and Quatre.
"This is not good," Trowa said softly.
"Howard, I think you're going to have to replace some tools before this is over," Wufei stated mildly.
Quatre looked from one to the other then back at Howard. "Did Heero do something wrong?"
Howard rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, let's just say that drivers don't normally tell their mechanics what's wrong with the car in such... um... detail."
A loud crash came from inside the building. "Son of a bitch! Who the hell does he think he is? Fucking prick! Tell me it's not staggered right... I'll stagger him... right in his fucking balls!"
Quatre turned worried aqua eyes to the others standing there with him. "I see."
For the next ten minutes, curses and the sounds of metal hitting metal was all that was heard.
Heero threw himself onto the bed. He was tired. Getting into town late last night only to get up early this morning had worn him out. His confrontation with the lead mechanic of his crew had not helped. He'd known that he had to establish his authority, show them that he knew their terms, and make them understand that he was in charge of driving that car. He knew he had pissed Duo off, but it had been necessary. He didn't want them to see him as being less than what he was, especially the braided boy.
Heero's thoughts turned to the violet-eyed mechanic. There was something about him that intrigued Heero. Even though the boy seemed a little eccentric, there was something deeper there that Heero couldn't quite put his finger on. He'd known that Duo had adjusted the car to fit his own specifications. It was so obvious, and Heero had a feeling that was one of the main reasons why Duo was so upset. It was like Heero had invaded his territory. Heero smirked; invaded, hell, he'd taken it over.
'I'd like to take him over.'
Heero realized what he had just thought and shook his head. Where had that come from? Oh, he couldn't argue that Duo was a pretty boy. All anyone had to do was look at those wide violet eyes and ridiculously long chestnut hair to see that. And that smile... well, it should be outlawed. Heero nodded to himself. Definitely outlawed. Of course, Duo's body was nothing to sneeze at either. Heero wondered what the boy looked like without those overalls... or without clothes at all.
"What is wrong with me?" Heero growled out loud, raking his hand through his hair. "I do not like guys, especially not that one."
He got up and undressed, throwing his clothes carelessly on the floor before sliding into bed; he'd pick them up in the morning. He was just too tired. That was why he was thinking all of these strange thoughts. Even though he had managed to claim his position, Duo Maxwell had knocked him off-balance with his unique personality. Heero sighed. Tomorrow... tomorrow was another day.
He intended to make it a good one.
End Part 1
(:./tk/start1)
