Work Text:
Kazuichi Soda’s heart sank when he heard some rumbling down the street. He only worked the shop for a few hours after school, but it was always this last hour that had all the worst customers. When he finally saw a Kawasaki motorcycle pull into the shop’s parking lot, he knew he’d landed a last-minute headache. It was mostly the heinous pompadour on the driver.
Man, ever since I dyed my hair pink I’ve gotten nothing but punks hanging around me at school. Now I gotta deal with em here, too?
Kazuichi grumbled in his head. He’d seen biker gang-types at school before, but he’d done his best to keep his distance.
People like that...can’t be trusted.
Not wanting to interact any more than necessary, Kazuichi went back to his tinkering and waited for his latest headache to walk into the office next door and order properly. His dad could handle all of the talking.
Mondo Owada pulled up and parked just outside of the shop. Seeing someone working in the shade of the garage, Mondo took two steps away from his bike before squinting to see inside. He could tell someone was there, but they kept working, instead of greeting him. Instead of looking around for an attendant or sign, Mondo shouted across the parking lot. “HEY ASSHOLE, DOES KAZUICHI SODA WORK HERE?”
Kazuichi jumped at the sudden mention of his name. He started to duck under his work bench, but his hand caught a wrench sitting on top. His head tucked under the top of the bench just in time for the wrench to tip off the edge and onto his head with a light, but dense *thwack.*
"Ow!" whined Kazuichi, standing back up and rubbing his head involuntarily. "Who… who wants to know?"
Mondo had wandered a bit closer by now, and could finally make out the mechanic's face under the shade. "Mondo Owada, and what do you mean who wants to…Oh hey, there you are, you son of a bitch! Pink hair, just like they said," Mondo chuckled. "I've been looking all over for you, you little shit."
Kazuichi picked up his assailant wrench and started fidgeting with some metal pieces strewn about his workspace. He was trying not to make eye contact until he could figure out if he was relieved the larger boy was happy to see him or threatened by his abrasive way of talking. "Look man, I don't know who sent you my way, but my dad handles the orders in the office next door. If you got something you need, take it up with him."
"No man, my business is with you. Special order. My buddies told me no grease monkey in town would take this job, expect you. Sounds to me like you've got what I need. So hear me out, man."
Here we go, another punk buttering me up so he can ask whatever he wants of me. I'll probably say yes too, damn it.
Kazuichi tried to stay focused on the *very important* scraps in front of him. He'd have an easier time keeping his nerve if he didn't look the biker in his eyes. They were...a little distracting. And intense, definitely mostly just intense. "Come on man, not like I don’t have my hands full already, you know?” But the mechanic knew it didn't matter. It’s not like he was going to risk a black eye over one job, and with a sigh, Kazuichi caved. “Alright fine, what do you want? Illegal rewiring or something?"
"No, what? I want rockets on my bike, man."
Kazuichi felt those words fly through his skull and come right out the other side. “Wait, what did you just say,” the boy stammered, barely able to contain his optimism.
“Jesus Christ, I said ‘rockets,’ man. Like fireworks? I’m trying to plan a stunt for fuck’s sake. And I heard you were the guy to go to.”
The young mechanic started seeing stars, and briefly questioned how hard he’d hit his head. “A, a motorcycle stunt?! With fireworks?! That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard of!”
The neat but snaggle-toothed grin from the mechanic gave Mondo a pause, before he shot back with a smile of his own. “Well I’ll be damned, so you do have what I need. With a crazy bastard like you with me, I might just pull this off!”
“Yeah, yeah! I can totally think of some ways to rig up some extra gadgets on that ride. This is gonna be so...what, exactly?” The mental image of the muscular biker riding through the sky with streamers and colored smoke trails had become so vivid in the boy’s mind, he’d almost forgotten how little he knew about this plan he was agreeing to. “Sorry, guess I got a little carried away. What’s this all for?”
“You don’t know, man? We go to the same school right?” Mondo shook his head, then sat in an empty stool across from Kazuichi’s workbench. If he was going to have to explain all this, he was going to be comfy. “It’s for the school’s fireworks event in a few weeks. This dipshit in my class got put in charge of the show this year, but he’s got a giant stick up his ass. Said something about how we couldn’t set off anything that was against school regulations. So I say ‘Fuck that.’ If he’s not going to put on a decent show, I’ll do it my-fucking-self. So, are you going to help me, or am I just wasting my fucking time?”
“Are you kidding me? That sounds awesome! No one’s ever *asked* me to put rockets on something before. Last time I did that, I got smacked for messing with the school’s field striper.”
“That was you? Oh man, that shit was fucking hilarious! All those assholes in the field, running after it and shit? You’re a fucking genius, you goddamn weasel!”
Kazuichi broke eye contact again. This guy had some nerve bringing up one of his mess-ups like that and being so...nice about it. “Well it wasn’t supposed to do that. Not exactly like that anyway. I wasn’t finished yet, okay!”
“Well, I’ll come by a lot to see how it’s going, so there won’t be any doubt from me on how you’re doing,” Mondo said, getting off of the workshop stool he’d helped himself to.
“What, are you nervous I’m going to mess up your bike or something? I know what I’m doing, man! I’m not just some dipshit, you know!”
“No duh, dipshit,” Mondo retorted as he put his hands on his hips, “you wouldn’t be going near my bike if I didn’t think you knew what you were doing. Why do you think I’m all the way out here, talking to your grease monkey ass? I’m just pumped up, that's all. Shit’s gonna be awesome, you know?”
Does this guy...believe in me? I haven’t even done anything yet, and he’s already excited for my work?
Kazuichi couldn’t help but second-guess his suspicious first impression of the loud, vulgar boy. He was very used to being asked to make and do all kinds of things. But any time he can remember doing something for his father or ex-best friend, any praise for him came much later, much milder, or not at all. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re right! This is gonna be totally awesome! Leave it to me, Mondo!”
Kazuichi stepped out from behind his workbench and stepped closer to Mondo, offering his hand to the other boy. Mondo reciprocated with a smile, and the two boys shook hands enthusiastically. When they stopped shaking, Mondo said, “I can’t wait to see the look on that asshole’s face when we kick the shit out of his lame-ass fireworks show. You’re gonna come with me and watch, right?”
“Of course! No way I’d miss a stunt like that! I gotta make sure it goes off without a hitch.”
“Alright, it’s a promise then!"
"Yeah, you got it!"
With that Kazuichi slunk behind his table again, ready to resume work. To his surprise, Mondo made himself at home on the same stool, rather than making his way out.
After a brief lull in the conversation, Mondo spoke up. "So...uh… what kind of rockets were you thinking? Cuz I got some guys under me that could get us some pretty crazy shit."
"Oh, uh… I'm not quite sure. Honestly I've got some projects to get to before I can work on your bike. You might wanna bring it by tomorrow. I’ll come up with something by then." Kazuichi was a little nervous to be put on the spot, but he wasn't lying. While much of what he'd been nervously tinkering with was junk, he had a pretty sizable to-do list on his clipboard, and only an hour before he'd be reporting in with his dad.
Mondo scratched at the back of his head and said, with less fire than before, “Yeah alright, I’ll get out of your hair then. I’ll see you tomorrow. This Summer Festival is gonna be fucking awesome though!”
“S-Summer Festival?! Wait, your stunt is for the Summer Festival?” Kazuichi began nervously clawing at his beanie. This new realization might have hit his head harder than the wrench did moments ago.
“Yeah, no shit man. What other school event would have fucking fireworks at it? You seriously just now put that shit together?”
“I usually skip school events, so I wasn’t really paying attention to the schedule. But I had plans for this one. I was going to ask Miss Sonia to go with me...” He hadn’t thought about her in a little while, but with how busy he was about to be, the thought of asking the Ultimate Princess out seemed more daunting than normal.
Mondo had been chuckling at the mechanic losing his cool over a silly mistake, but he wasn’t laughing at this. “Fuck that, man. You should’ve thought of that before you made a promise to me. Tell your girlfriend you’ll catch up with her later or something, I don’t fucking care.”
Kazuichi felt all of the anxiety pooling in his stomach rise up at this comment. He snapped back at his new friend, “Miss Sonia’s not my girlfriend, okay?! That festival was gonna be our first date, you know? If she...had time...and wanted to go...with me.”
Kazuichi thought he heard Mondo soften his tone just a little as he scolded back, “Look man, if it means that much to you, fine. Ask this girl out if you think you’ve got a chance... I won’t make you go with me if you don’t want to. But don’t fucking promise that quickly like it’s not a big deal, got it?”
The biker’s words hit surprisingly hard when he lowered his voice. Kazuichi muttered remorsefully, his guilt growing. “Look man, it’s not that I don’t care about giving my word or some shit like that. I just...this could be my big chance! A big festival with an awesome fireworks show *I* helped make? This might finally be my big break! She might actually say ‘yes’ this time!” The mechanic did his best to sound optimistic, but...
God, it sounds so fuckin’ pathetic when I say it out loud.
But what sympathy Mondo had burned away quickly. He leaned forward in his stool and fired off, incredulously, “what the fuck do you mean, ‘this time?’ You mean you already struck out? How many times have you asked this chick out?”
“I don’t know! You think I’d keep track of something like that? Geez, are you trying to make me depressed?”
“Like hell you don’t know! I’ve struck out the past eight fucking times I asked someone out! But you better believe they were eight different people!”
...people? What’s this guy implying? And what’s his problem, anyway?
“Look Mondo, I just...only have eyes for Miss Sonia. I haven’t fallen for any other girls...er...people, since I first saw her. And besides, she could change her mind, right? You can’t say she won’t!”
“It doesn’t matter if she changes her mind, you dipshit. If she said ‘no,’ there’s your answer. Fucking done. If she has second-thoughts later, that’s her fucking business. Leave her alone man. Go find someone else.”
That’s it? Just give the fuck up?
The mechanic was indignant. “Hey man, she’s not just some school girl, she’s a fucking princess! I’d never find someone like her if I gave up now!”
“I don’t care if she’s a princess or the goddamn Prime Minister! She’s a girl who’s not. Fucking. Into you. Jesus man, have a little self-respect! You’re the most capable mechanic in this city and you’re a fucking high school student! You’ve got the second-in-command of the largest biker gang in history asking around town for your mom-and-pop bike shop. You’re seriously gonna grovel on the ground like a fucking pig for people that don’t even like you? Do you wanna feel like a useless piece of shit? Because I can stomp you into the fucking ground if that’s how you wanna feel.” Mondo sounded angry now, and a little hurt. But he didn’t move toward the mechanic. He just burned his stare into the other boy’s eyes.
The gangster was more intimidating now than he had been the entire time he’d been in Kazuichi’s garage, but just this once, Kazuichi kept Mondo’s intense stare. He didn’t know what to say right away.
I just met this guy today, and he’s gonna act like he knows me so well? He’s just another asshole here to kick me while I’m down.
But that feeling didn’t stick. It couldn’t stick. The biker had been loud. He’d been vulgar and aggressive and pushy. But he’d...believed in Kazuichi. Seen him as more than a fuck-up, more than a punk, more than...a pig.
He said he wants to go with me. When has anyone wanted me around, when nothing else needed to be built? Who else has liked me for what I liked or what I was passionate about?
When he did manage to speak, he finally broke Mondo’s stare and looked down at his tools. “What am I...doing, man? You came into my garage, what, twenty minutes ago? And you can already say shit like that to me? How am I supposed to handle another two weeks of you cutting me to my core like that, huh?”
Mondo was ready to snap back, but the slight vulnerability and joking tone of Kazuichi’s words made him rethink speaking too quickly. But eventually he did speak, and his tone hummed with the smile he was forming. “Well, if you can learn to quit being a dipshit, I’ve got no problem easing off of you. You’ve got a lot of good to you, Kazuichi. When you’re not being a dumbass.”
“Well, you’ve got two weeks to help me work on it. Guess it’ll be payback for this special order of yours. And then...we’ll show that festival what the hell the two of us can do.”
“You got yourself a fucking deal, Soda.”
It was a deal neither boy needed to shake hands on or promise to keep.