Work Text:
There's a good few reasons Namjoon prefers public transport over owning and driving a car.
Many of them practical but also, if not most importantly, the simple fact that Namjoon knows jackshit about cars.
He has a license so he knows how to handle and maneuver a car safely from one place to another (mostly) but that's about as far as his knowledge and interest goes. Anything beyond the bare minimum is a closed book to him.
It's not that he never tried to get into this whole car business but he'd quickly realized that he also didn't actually care. So he spends most of his time on the road hoping that nothing bad will happen to him and his limited know-how.
Which is what ultimately leads him to the present day, the scorching summer sun shining down on him. Sitting in his yellow convertible beetle that refuses to move a single inch. Not even start. Two failed tries before he sends a resigned text to the very man who had pestered him into finally getting a license in the first place.
Joonjoon [14:23]
the car wont start
joong
joong
kim hongjoong this is your fault
Joongjoong [14:24]
hows that my fault now??
Joonjoon [14:24]
I could be sitting in a nice airconditioned subway rn but no
im in a car that wont start
Joongjoong [14:25]
oh hyung
did you try to keep the key turned a little longer than usual?
Joonjoon [14:25]
..
doesnt work
Joongjoong [14:26]
damn
can someone help you?
or do you want me to pick you up?
Joongjoong [14:28]
where are you now?
Joongjoong [14:3o]
hyung?
u okay?
Joonjoon [14:31]
im good
Good being 'busy trying to figure out whether that guy in a jumpsuit who just came up to me is trustworthy and not just off the hook attractive' but beggars can't be choosers, now can they. And judging by the poor condition of his overall and the lingering smell of motor oil on him he might actually know what he's talking about.
Jin, the embroidered name badge supplies helpfully.
He politely puts his phone away and gets a sympathetic smile from the man.
“Doesn't sound too good.”
“Not really,” he agrees, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
“I can help you with that if you like. My car's over there,” he says, pointing over his shoulder and Namjoon's eyes briefly follow it, “if we get you there I can jump start you.”
Namjoon's face lights up, thankful. “That would be great. But,” he stops, “how are we gonna–“
“I'll push you.”
“You'll push me?”
“Uh, yes? You shift that car into neutral and steer when I tell you to.”
The incredulous face he gives the man probably borders on insulting but there's no way he's able to push a whole entire car with him inside twenty meters across the parking lot.
“Either you let me do it or you come up with a better idea.”
Truth is, Namjoon can't even think of another option. He doesn't even know what's wrong.
“And you're sure you don't want me to help you push?”
“Very.”
“Alright. ..neutral?”
“Yeah.”
He watches as Jin rounds his car and presses his hands flat on the hood, ready to push. Namjoon waits expectantly but for a long second, nothing happens.
“You might want to release the parking brake first..”
“Oh. Right.”
Stupid.
The second his car is no longer secured by the brake, Jin puts all his weight forward, arms slightly bending under the pressure. And it takes them a moment to overcome the inertia but once they're moving, Namjoon feels strangely weightless in his seat. So much so that he almost forgets that he can't just sit there and enjoy the foreign sensation of being pushed like a kid in a stroller. His stroller is big, motorized and dangerous.
“Turn right,” Namjoon hears him say, effectively pulling him out of his stupor.
He carefully steers in the direction Jin points him to, his foot hovering over the brake.
“And now stop,” Jin says more firmly, glad he doesn't have to shout through an open window.
It's smooth sailing from there, Jin now pushing from behind and patiently instructing Namjoon where to go. He does end up perpendicular to the other car but his shaky legs tell him that this has to do for now.
“Put the parking brake back in while I get my car in position.”
Namjoon nods, unsure what more maneuvering he's about to do but he's relieved it's not on him this time. He spares a glance at his phone and considers texting Hongjoong to tell him that he's getting help but it looks like he'll be home soon anyway.
The black car comes to a smooth halt right in front of him and Namjoon feels the need to get up from his seat to look a little less useless.
“Hey, thank you by the way,” Namjoon says as Jin lifts the hood of his car like it weighs nothing.
“No problem. You looked very lost.”
Namjoon isn't sure if he looks less lost now than he had earlier but he'll take it.
“Do you know how to pop a hood?”
“I'm sorry what”
“The hood. There's a lever next to the pedals on the left.”
Visibly thrown off his flimsy semblance of a rhythm, Namjoon turns to sit back down, blindly feeling for a lever but unsurprisingly not finding it. Who knew you'd need a lever to open these things.
He instinctively pulls his legs out of the way when Jin comes over to look for it himself, his broad shoulders still brushing against Namjoon's calf.
“There we go,” he says, followed by a sound Namjoon assumes tells him that the hood just opened.
Namjoon follows Jin to the front of his car, watching him assess the mess before them. At least that's what it is to Namjoon. Pipes and boxes and cables that somehow make this machine work – until they don't.
“That's,” he starts, “a pretty old battery you have there. I'm surprised it didn't die on you earlier.”
“Does that mean jump starting won't help?”
“It probably will but you should definitely get a new one as fast as possible. Once the engine is running you musn't choke it off until you're home or in the next workshop. Preferably the latter.”
“Well, fantastic,” Namjoon huffs and sighs, cursing himself for accepting his sister's offer to take the car from her. He should've said no and lived a life free of any expensive death traps in his possession.
“As it happens,” Jin offers, fingers still wrapped around the yellow edge of the hood, “I work in a garage not far from here. So unless you want to go to your usual shop..”
Namjoon hums and wonders when he'd last been in a shop.
“Changing a battery takes like,” Jin continues and looks up as if to summon numbers from thin air, “15 minutes max.”
The promise of being over with this nuisance in much less than an hour is like a siren's call to Namjoon's nervous brain and he finds himself agreeing before he knows it. He watches as Jin grabs some cables and connects the – Namjoon assumes – battery with his, movements smooth and confident. It's just when he wonders how mere mortals are supposed to know how to do this shit that Jin speaks once again.
Namjoon feels like he walks him through the entire process in smaller steps than he normally would with a more technically inclined person but Namjoon's not complaining.
With his primary and very doable task being to keep the engine running, Namjoon relaxes as Jin shuts both hoods and gets in his car, unusually thankful for the low rumbling of metal parts chugging away in front of him.
The shop is a five minute drive away and once again, Namjoon is positive that Jin was especially careful not to lose him on the way. It hurts his pride a little but there is also no denying that he doesn't exactly give off the vibe of someone who knows shit about cars. He looks like the lanky queer man that he is, the kind who likes to surround himself with books and spend his free time indulging in culture and music instead of sports and cars.
His ears ring a little when he turns off the engine this time, legs feeling about as stable as dry pretzel sticks.
“You good?” Jin saunters over to him, his smile appearing more genuine this time. Namjoon nods and gets out, bowing a little.
“Thanks again for helping me out.”
“I couldn't just leave you there looking like a lost puppy,” Jin replies, waving Namjoon to follow him. “I'm Jin by the way.”
“Ah, yeah, I could tell,” Namjoon says and points towards his own chest, “your name badge. 'm Namjoon.”
“And here I was, trying to be your mysterious knight in shining armor,” Jin chuckles before he makes an inviting gesture to the open gate in front of them. “Meet the peasants. ..Guys, stop touching yourself, we have a client!”
Well, okay.
The dull hip hop beats that spill through the gate out into the parking lot are but a gentle precursor to the heavy smell of oil and grease that rolls over him as soon as he steps foot into the garage. It looks about as much like an expensive man cave as Namjoon expected; cars hovering over the ground on lifts, tires stacked on the far end wall and tools scattered all over the place on workbenches and trolleys. He assumes there's some sort of system behind all of it but he can't even tell what half of these tools are supposed to do.
“Hey,” he hears a voice from behind one of the cars, followed by a full head of pink hair popping up. Namjoon's eyes quickly stray from the handsome face down to the curious lack of fabric around the guy's neck and shoulders.
Did he run into a porn set on accident or is his thirsty mind just making him see things that aren't there? Jin did say 'garage' and not 'gay mirage' didn't he? Because this sure does feel like he's trapped in a stress-induced fever dream.
His bothered confusion is cleared up when the guy takes a few steps to the side to grab a towel, unzipped top of his overall hanging loosely around his waist.
“Stop showing off for god's sake,” another guy pipes up, he himself dressed almost prudely with his jumpsuit zipped up all the way. He looks younger than the others but no less broad-shouldered.
Is this what naturally happens when you fix cars and carry tires for a living? Just ditch the gym and go for a walk with your two favorite tires hoisted on your shoulders twice every day and boom, ripped?
“I'm not showing off; it's fucking hot outside. It's not my fault you want to boil yourself in that suit.” He wipes his hand on the cloth and throws it at the younger, missing him by a hair.
“Dude!”
Just as he's about to launch a piece of scrap metal back at him, a door next to Namjoon flies open and the guys freeze in place. And at this point Namjoon decides he'll treat this as a weird, weird experience where everyone around him looks like they jumped straight out of an adult film and started a new career as car mechanics. Where on earth did all these ripped guys come from and why had mother destiny chosen him to witness it. He feels a little dizzy.
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop fighting in here!?”
“He started it.” The youngest points at pink guy who shakes his head in denial.
“I was working.”
“Taking lewd selfies is what you did.”
“Lies and slander!”
Namjoon peers at the guy's chest for a name during the back and forth and gets promptly distracted by the silver chain necklace resting prettily on his sternum. If this is how they usually present themselves when there's potential paying clients around he's not surprised they have to resort to picking them up on parking lots. Or the assuredly either female or gay clientele they are catering to spreads the word among themselves. He prefers to think the latter is the truth.
At least this 'Hyunwoo' is wearing a tank top under his half-unzipped jumpsuit and doesn't show off those pecs to unsuspecting gay clients like himself. It doesn't really help the already strange atmosphere but Namjoon figures it's good enough. This is fine.
“Boss, do you have a minute?”
Boss, Namjoon notes, eyeing Hyunwoo as he turns around to look at them. His mouth forms a small 'o'-shape when he notices him.
“Hey,” he starts, putting on a smile, that looks so right and so wrong on this big guy, “how can we help you?”
“His battery died on him,” Jin replies before Namjoon can and idly rolls up his sleeves, “and considering how old it is it won't hold much charge. I suggested we change it here so he doesn't have to worry about it anymore.”
And he sees the shift in Hyunwoo's expression, trained retail smile making room for genuine sympathy. Again, he wants to be offended but has absolutely no grounds on which he could be offended on. This guy's just being genuinely nice.
“That should be an easy fix.”
Hyunwoo struts ahead, giving Namjoon little to no time to react. He stumbles after him, eyes decidedly above shoulder-level because he will not let himself get dragged into these inappropriate thoughts. No, no.
..Are those earrings?
“So, which one is– ah, the Beetle, right?”
“..Yeah. It was my sister's,” Namjoon quickly supplies in a feeble attempt to save at least a little bit of his pride.
“Oh, I wasn't judging.”
Namjoon doesn't have it in him to openly doubt his words but he lets them stand unaddressed between them while he follows Hyunwoo to his car. He has half a mind to unlock it before Hyunwoo gets there but instead of getting in, he opens the car door and holds it open for Namjoon. So still some interactive fun for him, alright.
“Open up,” Hyunwoo says and pats the hood when Namjoon sits, casually expecting him to know how to open that godforsaken contraption. But Namjoon is a quick learner and in an attempt to impress Hyunwoo – pardon, show basic understanding of the heavy machinery he's operating – Namjoon reaches into the footwell and feels along the door in search of something he had already failed to find less than 2o minutes ago.
The 'I can't find it' lingers dangerously on his lips but he refuses to ask for help out of worry he'd end up squeezed between the steering wheel and a handsome man once again. And he knows Hyunwoo is watching him struggle. He knows. But he won't give him the pleasure of seeing him fail. It's just a lever.
“Need any help?” he asks and Namjoon couldn't hear a single mocking sound in it even if he tried.
“Nah, I got it.”
“Sure? Let me-”
“Got it!” He doesn't 'got it'. It's a lie to keep Hyunwoo from helping the damoiseau in distress but for once, luck seems to be on Namjoon's side. He softly pulls on a vaguely lever-shaped object and the hood releases with a squeak. Ha.
When he looks up, there's a hint of a smile on Hyunwoo's face before the bonnet is lifted between them.
Leaning back in his seat, Namjoon hears the mechanic hum. “Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. I'll have to check if we have a matching battery in stock but you should be alright in no time.”
“Sounds good,” Namjoon says and feels relief wash over him.
Until..
“Oh.”
Oh?
“What is it?”
“The radiator hoses need replacing.”
“The what?” Namjoon blurts out and gets up out of his seat to have a look. Not that he'd be able to tell what needs repairing just from looking into this grease and oil-covered mess but hey, initiative.
Hyunwoo steps to the side to make room for him and points at a thick rubber tube on the bottom right corner next to what Namjoon rightfully assumes is the engine. His eyes ghost over the rest of the machinery in front of them and nothing looks exceptionally familiar. Or makes the tube look less well-kept than the rest of the dusty bay.
“Here,” Hyunwoo then says and reaches forward, “it's too soft.” He squeezes the piece of rubber that gives in like a wet sponge under Hyunwoo's tight grip.
“If this breaks, your engine overheats and, worst case, totals your car.”
A small “oh” tumbles from Namjoon's lips as Hyunwoo continues to push on other parts of the tube while briefly scanning the rest. Meanwhile Namjoon stands there awkwardly, feeling misplaced as his gaze follows Hyuwnoo's calloused hand.
“I think it's best if we get this baby into the garage so I can take a closer look,” he says and pats the outer rim of the compartment, “The New Beetles are infamous for all kinds of issues so if you're okay with it, I can give it a full check.”
“That bad?” He laughs flatly but the other shakes his head.
“Just to be safe. Wouldn't want you to get stranded in the middle of nowhere. There isn't always a handsome stranger like Jin-hyung around who can help you.”
Now actually amused, Namjoon chuckles.
“I'd be okay with a less handsome stranger if it meant I could go home without having my car towed. ..But it is more fun like this.”
Hyunwoo looks at him for a second before turning away with a grin on his face. It looks good on him.
“You can get back in while I go get your handsome stranger out here to help.”
He gestures towards the car as he walks off and Namjoon feels something doesn't sit right with the way he refers to him as 'his' handsome stranger. Fever dream-like atmosphere aside, he didn't match Namjoon's taste that well. Would he say no? Definitely not. Would he pick someone else if he had the choice? Probably.
Shoulders sagging under the realization that he did, in fact, let himself get dragged into inappropriate thoughts, he gets into his car and waits for Hyunwoo to come back.
Namjoon watches them emerge from the garage and it's only then that Namjoon realizes that they would have to push the car in order for it to move anywhere. Oh boy.
Quietly mapping the area in his head and rehearsing where to turn the wheel which way, Namjoon distracts himself from the sight of the two men approaching him. Mama Kim didn't raise a gawker.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't risk a glance at Hyunwoo gently closing the bonnet and putting his hands on top of it, bracing himself. He didn't see it properly earlier but unlike Jin, Hyunwoo's muscles fill out his broad frame to a point where Namjoon finds himself actively marveling at them. He's never made it a secret that he liked them big but he rarely has the chance to look at them in the wild. Seeing Jin do the same had been mild on Namjoon's poor gay heart compared to what it does to it now. He's sure Hyunwoo could lift him up against a wall and keep him there without a single muscle giving in.
“Parking brake,” comes the reminder from Jin behind him and his hand goes to unlock the brake in surprise rather than control.
Shooting him a smile, Hyunwoo pushes and gets him moving much faster than Jin had. ..Noted.
Namjoon follows their instructions on when to steer and if it weren't so strange a situation, he could find himself getting used to being pushed around in his car by two muscular men. Or maybe the atmosphere was exactly the reason why he even allowed himself to feel anything but uncomfortable.
It's only when they pass the gate that Hyunwoo emerges from behind him and reaches into his personal bubble to grab the wheel, making sure the car ends up in the right spot on the lift.
“Slow down now,” Hyunwoo says, tightly closing his fingers around the wheel to help get it to a halt. Namjoon is very much aware of his muscles flexing very close to his face and it's thanks to habit that he actually brakes, still pretty certain Hyunwoo would've been able to stop the car himself.
Before Namjoon can protest or shy away, Hyunwoo reaches past his knee to pull the hood lever, arguably speeding up the whole process.
Like a kid on a fun ride, Namjoon patiently waits for Hyunwoo to give him the okay to get out once everything is set.
But it doesn't come.
Instead, he informs Namjoon with a smile that he's going to check if they have the right material in stock and shortly after, he's gone.
Feeling lost without Hyunwoo's gentle authority to follow, Namjoon turns around and watches him disappear through one of the plain doors on the far end of the hall. He picks up on a stray thought to look around for more doors but instead of finding other secret doors, he notices one of the other mechanics – the younger one, Jungkook – coming up to him, hand raised for a polite little wave as if not to startle him.
“Hey,” he says and stops a couple feet away from Namjoon, “bad luck, huh?”
“What? Oh. Yeah. Don't know what finally broke it.”
“The battery,” he states matter-of-factly but falters when Namjoon's brows furrow. “Can happen anytime, really.”
Namjoon has a hunch that he's lying to make him feel better.
“Been a while since I saw one of these,” Jungkook says as he hoists up the bonnet and points at the engine's general direction, “1.6 BFS and I'm guessing about 1oo hp? It's not the fastest but perfect for city traffic.”
“Th..anks?”
“The last one I've seen was a 2.5 and let me tell you it wasn't treated well. In my opinion they should've sticked with the four-cylinder engines but hey, I'm not making the rules.” He laughs in a way that Namjoon finds endearing enough to gloss over the fact that he only understood about half of what he just said.
And it's apparent from the following pause that Jungkook is aware of this.
“It's .. cute,” he tries again, giving Namjoon an uncertain smile, "the car I mean. ..not that you're not-"
“Look,” Namjoon replies, “I know nothing about cars, I have no idea what you just said.”
It tickles an adorable huff out of Jungkook that somehow makes Namjoon feel less anxious about all of this. Who is he trying to impress anyway.
“Looks like we don't have the right one in stock,” Hyunwoo chimes in from somewhere behind them and abruptly halts Namjoon and Jungkook's fragile attempt at friendly conversation. Namjoon feels like a moth drawn to the flame when Hyunwoo gives him a lopsided grin. He's grinning a lot.
“Do you want to wait in the car?” It's not really a question, so Namjoon shakes his head and collects his phone.
“So no new battery?”, he asks while he folds himself out of the car, Hyunwoo shaking his head in response but keeping his eyes on his customer, discreetly.
“But I could call around and see if another shop still has one if you like.”
“Well, I don't really have a choice, do I?”
Hyunwoo makes an apologetic face. “It's gonna be a couple days until we'd get it delivered.”
“Right,” Namjoon sighs and gives a defeated nod, “let's do that then.”
“Cool.”
He is a hundred percent sure he sees Hyunwoo's face light up before he turns away, feeling around in his pockets for his phone.
“Also no pressure, but while we're at it, we could check your tires as well,” Jungkook now says and gently taps the left front tire with the tip of his foot. Even Namjoon sees that it needs some air but would he have paid attention to it had Jungkook not pointed it out? Unlikely.
“It's been a while since the last proper check,” Namjoon admits, “so I wouldn't be surprised if you found more the longer you look.”
Whether it's curiosity or fear that makes Jungkook break eye contact with him and instead examine the car from where he's standing, Namjoon isn't sure. God knows what's hiding in the depths of this thing. It's been running just fine so far so no need to stick his head where it clearly doesn't belong.
“You free today?” Jungkook teases and shoves his hands into the pockets of his overall when he looks back up.
Namjoon huffs a laugh and pretends not to have noticed the tone. “I wasn't planning on spending my entire day in a garage, to be quite honest.”
“Pity. Still, a complete check shouldn't cost you more time than waiting for the battery. I can do that for you if you like.”
“I'll do that.” Hyunwoo expertly butts in like he has something to prove and Namjoon can't say he's unhappy about it. Jungkook is sweet but the prospect of watching Hyunwoo take time out of his day to check his entire vehicle is weirdly enticing on its own. Also god knows how old that kid is anyway.
“Yeah, stop flirting, Kook,” pink guy chuckles in passing, very professionally flipping him off when Kook retorts with a stuck-out tongue.
“Meanie.”
“Stop it, both of you.” Hyunwoo makes an offhand gesture towards Kook, “Back to work.”
Offering an apologetic smile, Namjoon watches Jungkook shuffle off to one of the cars hovering over the ground. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel at least a little bit sorry for him but he would also be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy Hyunwoo's – of course entirely professional – attention.
“Sometimes these guys just can't help themselves, sorry,” Hyunwoo eventually says and grabs a stool to roll it over to Namjoon, gesturing him to take a seat. Namjoon nods but hesitates a second before sitting down, curiously eyeing the sleek saddle stool in front of him.
Meanwhile, Hyunwoo busies himself by unzipping his overall, revealing an entirely too tight-fitting black tank top underneath. Earlier Namjoon had been grateful for Hyunwoo's sense of decency in wearing more than the bare minimum but he might as well be running around in full winter attire and Namjoon would still admire whatever part of his physique was visible.
Defeated, Namjoon takes a deep breath and decides to make himself comfortable, hoping this goddamn thing won't make his situation even more awkward.
It's when he swings his leg over the stool that he realizes two things.
First, his shorts are riding up his thighs uncomfortably high, and secondly, have these things always been this wide? He feels like he's mounting a horse, not a stool.
“By the way,” Hyunwoo pipes up but pauses when he sees Namjoon adjust himself as he sits down, shifting his weight from one side to the other.
“Are you okay? I can get you a normal chair.”
“Ah. No, I'm—“ He pulls on the hem of his shorts, “It's okay.”
“Those things are good for your back,” Hyunwoo offers in a genuinely well-meaning tone but Namjoon's attention isn't so much on his spine's wellbeing than it is on the fact that he feels terribly exposed sitting there like that. Especially with Hyunwoo only a couple feet away from him looking like an entire meal he shouldn't touch.
“What I meant to say,” he starts again and ties the sleeves of his overall around his waist, “my buddy will bring over a new battery shortly. So that's settled.”
Namjoon almost gives him a thumbs up in response. “Cool, thanks.”
“Right. Let's take a look at this baby then.”
He follows quietly as Hyunwoo checks the handbrake and the position of the wheels before bringing his attention to the engine bay. Namjoon watches his eyes fly over the individual parts, brows drawn into a frown as he works his way through an imaginary checklist.
“Wonho,” he eventually says without looking up, “where did you put the radiator h-”
“Behind you, boss,” pink hair replies swiftly, pointing into Hyunwoo's general direction. Finding the object in question on the nearest workbench, Hyunwoo begins to loosen the old tube but pauses shortly after.
“You wanna watch?”
It takes Namjoon a second to react, not expecting Hyunwoo to address him while he's in the middle of doing his.. thing.
“Ah, I can see just fine from over here,” he politely refuses with a smile, waving it off.
The last thing he needs right now is an up-close image of Hyunwoo roughly manhandling rubber tubes the size of a dick. He shifts on his seat and makes sure to keep his eyes everywhere except his personal mechanic who expertly works the new part back into his car.
So gentle in fact that Namjoon can see the entire vehicle move under his hands. This is fine.
It goes on like this, Hyunwoo taking out the old battery and checking whatever it is that could be checked, eyebrows back in that strangely adorable position that looks like someone drew them on with sharpie while he'd been asleep. The image of Hyunwoo in bed is there before his mental eye before he can stop himself, broad shoulders blocking the light coming in through the window. Namjoon allows himself to revel in it for a moment, painting fresh hickeys on Hyunwoo's neck, up high where everyone can see them.
Everyone here would know who gave them to him and he shouldn't like that thought as much as he does.
“Leaking a little, are we?”
Hyunwoo's voice takes a second to go through to him and another to to make sense. He stiffly straightens his back, right hand coming to rest on the leathery bulge between his legs and doing a piss-poor job at shielding his crotch from inquiring views.
“'m sorry?” Namjoon asks dumbly, realizing entirely too late that Hyunwoo is holding a stick. Oil.
“I'm joking, your engine is fine,” Hyunwoo informs him with a hint of glee in his voice, “you just looked a little lost in thought over there.”
Forcing out a laugh, Namjoon nods, the tips of his ears burning in embarrassment. Hyunwoo's eyes on him feel like silent judgement, even though his smile speaks an entirely different language.
Not that Namjoon would notice though; he resorted to staring at the ground in order to not embarrass himself further.
The first time he dares to look up after that is when the lift rumbles to life, slowly lifting his car off the ground. He pushes himself back on his stool, the view of the underside of his car making him visibly uncomfortable.
“We lift much heavier vehicles with these,” Hyunwoo says in an attempt to comfort him, ducking his head under the car while it's still moving.
“No car should be hovering, frankly.”
“I'll be quick.”
As soon as the lift stops moving, Hyunwoo gets to it, checking the rear first and proceeding to inspect the front.
What Namjoon didn't expect but what his helplessly gay brain had sure been hoping for, was Hyunwoo producing a flashlight from one of his pockets. With the second installment of 'hot mechanic holding vaguely dick-shaped objects' underway right in front of his eyes, Namjoon wishes he'd been picked up by someone else. What kind of gay hell did he get himself into.
He gets his answer when he looks back at Hyunwoo, who had very helpfully put the flashlight in his mouth to have his hands free while fumbling around in the belly of Namjoon's car. There's also a hint of skin peeking through the gap between Hyunwoo's shirt and overall, revealing what Namjoon's gay brain immediately recognizes as a happy trail.
Alright.
Focus, Namjoon.
With the stool between his legs getting more uncomfortable by the minute, Namjoon only barely manages to bite down a relieved sigh when Hyunwoo finally declares his car safe for the road. Finally one step closer to-
“Now to the tires.”
God fucking dammit.
This time, Hyunwoo stays on his side of the car as he lowers it back down, stopping it just at a height where he could easily work on the tires.
“I think I'll take these off to take a proper look at everything. You say it's been a while since someone looked at these?” He points at the wheel in front of him and waits for Namjoon's affirmative nod before hooking his fingertips into the gap between the rim and the tire itself to get it off.
“The rim's a little tight,” he mumbles, disregarding Namjoon's confused 'what?', “I guess I'll have to loosen it up first.”
Blissfully unaware – or very much aware, Namjoon can't tell – Hyunwoo briefly searches the workbench for a tool he can use to pry the rim off without too much trouble. He wedges it behind the rim and attempts to lever it out.
“Sure it won't break?”
“Don't worry. Nice and slow,” Hyunwoo says and continues to gently wiggle the tool into the narrow opening, careful not to push too hard.
Namjoon flinches when the rim finally pops off the tire, senses strung uncomfortably tight. He sees Hyunwoo shoot him a glance before turning away to put the rim down.
“See? All good.”
“...”
“By the way,” he says, looking around for a clock after removing all four rims, “what time is it?”
This time it's Jin who chimes in again from behind the neighboring car.
“Time to stop flirting so clumsily with our client. You've been at it since he came in.”
Wait.
So his touch-depraved brain isn't just seeing things that aren't there? With Jungkook he'd caught on pretty quickly, but Hyunwoo felt so off limits that he hadn't considered him flirting back a viable possibility.
“Listen here, you-”
“3:3o,” Namjoon eventually says, effectively breaking up the banter, “your buddy should be here soon.”
Hyunwoo gives an unreadable grunt and picks up an electric wench from the workbench, pointing it at Jin as he walks by.
Instead of backing down though, Jin grins. “Yeah, you go tighten those nuts before someone else does.”
Namjoon, watching Hyunwoo with a new-found curiosity, preens when he sees the tips of his ears and cheeks change color, tan turning a beautiful shade of pink. Adorable.
“Flirting with clients is unprofessional,” Namjoon says after Hyunwoo decided to hide behind the car to fasten the bolts in the wheels, “but also kind of sweet.”
He hears the wench stutter before coming to a halt.
“Like no offense but all about this feels like the intro to a porn anyway so flirting is honestly the least unprofessional thing that could happen.”
Hyunwoo's face comes back into view as Jin gasps behind him.
“Is that a compliment or should we be offended?” he asks, trying to sound witty but looking positively thrown off his rhythm at the same time.
“Oh, I'll take the compliment,” Jin waves off and Namjoon hopes that Hyunwoo will take it with about as much grace as Jin just had. Instead, he huffs and proceeds to take care of the remaining tires, careful not to meet eyes with Namjoon once.
And suddenly, everything feels weird again. The brief moment where everything seemed possible and, more importantly, mutual, was over and all of a sudden, Namjoon finds no more guilty pleasure in watching Hyunwoo work. It's like he overstepped a boundary in the middle of all the offhand flirting and jokes that had been going on from the moment he'd first set foot into this place.
The only real upside of all this, Namjoon realizes, is that his semi had disappeared and sitting was now more comfortable than ever. Gain some, lose some.
..He'd prefer his boner.
Just as Hyunwoo is lowering the car back to the ground, a sharp honk from outside echoes through the shop.
“That's noona,” Hyunwoo explains and spares a glance in Namjoon's direction, wiping the sweat from his face with his entirely too muscular arm, “I'll go and get the battery real quick.”
Namjoon nods quietly and waits until he's halfway to the gate before he shuffles forward on his stool, careful not to hit one of the rolling toolboxes on his way to see what's going on outside.
He couldn't tell what kind of car it is if his life depended on it but it looked expensive.
Hyunwoo's 'noona' as he'd called her, a woman with short black hair and blood-red lipstick, looks equally as expensive – all despite her wearing the same overall Hyunwoo did. They chat for a bit, something she said making Hyunwoo laugh. Easily and effortlessly. They'd probably make for a fantastic couple.
“Her name is Eunyoung,” Wonho informs him without preamble, “she's his sister.” he says as he carries two tires at once to the other end of the garage, adding only a simple wink before he turns away.
“I wasn't-”
He was.
By the time Hyunwoo is back with the new battery heavy in his hand, the sound of a roaring engine accompanies him, causing the uneasy feeling in Namjoon's guts to fester despite Wonho's reassuring words.
It takes no more than another ten minutes before the new battery is installed and tested, things suddenly happening much quicker than before. He feels like he imagined the entire first part of his stay here. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.
He feels even worse when he's sitting in the office not long after that, quietly watching Hyunwoo type away on the computer to write the invoice for this little adventure.
“I didn't mean to offend you back there,” Namjoon finally says, crossing his legs under the chair, “I'm sorry.”
“You didn't offend me,” Hyunwoo says, his eyes still fixed on the screen.
“You have a weird way of showing that..”
Hyunwoo's shoulders sag a little but he nods, unable to argue with that.
“Here,” he says, sliding the freshly printed invoice over to Namjoon, whose eyes widen a little at the total. It's not an extortionate amount but still three figures.
A chuckle from Hyunwoo has Namjoon look up.
“If you tell me now that you can't pay, I'm not gonna believe you.”
Namjoon huffs. “Why, would that be too obvious?”
“A little. Also, a happy ending won't pay my bills.”
“Ouch, harsh.”
Hyunie shrugs but smiles, “Ask me again when I'm off work.”
“Is that an offer?”
“If you want it to be, sure.”
“Hot.”
.
.
.
.
“The shop's taboo though.”
Joongjoong [16:02]
im calling the police
Joonjoon [16:03]
the hell you are
im gay
*good