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To most trains, electrics appear to run cold. But really, that was all thanks to their intensive fans and motors, which spun and kept their cores cool at all moments of the day and night. Because of this, the resting environment of electrics were cold too. It meant the engines and trucks could relax, slow their cooling systems without risking overheating. Less intensive on their batteries. Of course, an electric couldn’t get too cold, or they’d lock up. Their cores were sensitive things. The conditions for an electric had to be perfect in order for it to run at full potential.
Electra was very lucky that Wrench had spent the majority of his life knowing the truck studying just that. Tweaking every environment they encountered, and monitoring how the changes affected him. It had been a tedious process for the both of them, but it was well worth all of the time and energy. Wrench now could create the perfect contained area wherever they went. One with the perfect temperature, humidity and light levels for the engine to be able to run optimally at all times.
That meant the sheds prepped for the electrics at the world championships were quickly hacked into by Wrench and those perfect settings restored. Anything for her engine, and her fellow trucks. It was incredibly cold at the racing yard, with little cover from the winds that blew along the tracks. The first heat had caused some upset to Electra’s system, which she had diligently worked on and returned to stable levels across the board. And then she sent her engine away for some rest and Wrench was alone.
Wrench was cold. She was always cold it seemed. Diagnostics tests run on herself had revealed a dysfunction in her cooling system, where it seemed tubing which should have been pure, hot electrical wires were coated in coolant. It was embarrassing to admit, especially since Wrench had designed her own system herself. It was fixable, potentially, but the last time she had to do surgery on herself it was an arduous task, and nearly put her in the scrapyard. Not something she was keen to do again in a hurry.
Besides, it would put her out of action for too long and that would affect Electra and the rest of the components. That was why she couldn’t voice her desire to be looked at by another repair truck either. Well, Wrench wouldn’t dare let anyone touch her custom core, but even if she did, she couldn’t. Telling Electra would mean that she had a weakness, she was imperfect. An imperfection done at her own hands. He’d never trust Wrench to work on him again. He wouldn’t take the risk.
The other components would also be ashamed of her. Ashamed that she had done countless redesigns, repairs and upgrades to them, when she couldn’t even design herself a working temperature system. There was no way that she could tell them. Even if no one was mad at her for it and Electra even agreed to it, he’d have to get a stand-in repair truck while she was out, as well as pay another for the repair to be done on her itself. That was a burden Wrench was not willing to bear. She was Electra’s repair truck, and she planned to keep it that way.
So Wrench stayed cold. In the summer, or warmer climates she could spend small amounts of time outside, as much as she dared before risking any other issues. But when winter fell or if the sun didn’t shine where they were? Then Wrench was doomed to stay as cool as Volta. She even had to heat her hands up before working on Electra sometimes, both because the cold would shock the engine, but also because her fingers would lock up.
They were locking up now. It was lucky that the checks Electra had needed were minor, or Wrench might have struggled. She rubbed her hands together, fingers cracking from the lack of heat in them. Wrench burned diesel, Wrench used electricity, but neither of which caused the heat to extend beyond her core and her battery. Especially not far enough to each finger. When her plating scraped painfully against itself, her mind was made up. She’d have to use the portable heater she had brought with her.
Often it was used when Joule needed cooling down, or if Electra’s fans were struggling after a pretty strenuous race. But, when she succumbed to her wants and needs, Wrench used it on her hands. Or her elbows. Or her knees. Whatever needed the artificial heat. It was a battery powered thing, designed for short sharp bursts. Not something Wrench could use to heat up her repair room. Or even herself for longer than a few minutes. The fumes it gave off were horrible anyway, Wrench did not want that to stink up her room.
It helped immediately. Wrench had placed the device on her desk and held her hands in front of it, moving and adjusting them often so her plating wouldn’t experience heat damage. But then of course, the rest of her just felt colder. The air away from the heater seemed more icy in comparison. Wrench only allowed it to be on long enough for her hands to feel normal again before quickly switching it off again. The heat in the air evaporated immediately, and Wrench shuddered. But her hands were back in full working condition and so Wrench set off tidying up all of her work for the day.
—
Rusty loved winter. He loved when the weather turned cold and the snow set in, and the wind blew him along the tracks. Sure the cold made his already achy joints hurt more when he wasn’t doing much, but that just inspired him to ride around more! When the coaches refused to go out because of the poor weather, or the freight couldn’t go with their open tops, Rusty was free. He could practise racing. He’d load up his coal box and go until the daylight faded, and then some.
The cold didn’t bother him too much. Being a steamer had its perks, and his core being a bubbling fire and hot water pumping around his body kept him warm. Even down to his wheels, he melted the icy tracks early in the morning as he puffed around getting ready for the day. As well, the colder weather meant that Rusty was often damp around his coalbox and his funnel. His steam hit the cold air and condensated on his rusted metal, giving him a sheen. He had to wipe himself down often before he turned in for the night, not wanting the droplets to freeze overnight.
Obviously if there was too much snow, and it blocked the tracks then Rusty was left sitting ducks. Those days were the worst. It was hard to keep burning and pumping while balancing the pressure when not going anywhere. Those were the days that left Rusty feeling chilly. But luckily those days were fairly uncommon. So more often than not, Rusty was free to burn his coal and stay warm as he roamed. Despite their transgressions about the smell, he noticed how the coaches hugged his couplers a little tighter on the colder days. Some of them had not been manufactured with internal heating in mind, and it showed.
However it seemed that the electrics weren’t bothered by the temperature change, or if they did, they didn’t show it. Though it was hard to tell, since they all stuck so close to Electra anyway. Maybe he was a heat source himself, Rusty didn’t know any other electric engines to ask. And well, he wasn’t in the position to ask Electra himself. The engine would probably keel over if Rusty tried to speak to him.
There was one electric Rusty could ask though. Sure she wasn’t an engine, but she was close to one, and she was at least partially electric herself. And well, she was usually one to entertain his questions and rambles, and usually had an answer.
But getting Wrench on her own for an extended period of time was hard. Since the weather had turned, Rusty hadn’t gotten to spend time with her at all. Rusty wondered if she had to work harder, if Electra’s systems were affected by the cold so she had to do more for him. He also wanted to ask Wrench about that, but that probably wouldn’t get a more straightforward answer. Wrench loved talking positively about Electra, and about the electrics in general, but getting her to say anything that could be interpreted as a weakness was impossible. Rusty imagined it was because they were technically competitors.
Secretly Rusty had hoped he’d run across Wrench while practising. That she’d be investigating the tracks, or something. Anything that got her alone, not surrounded by the other components and their engine, who all looked at him with distaste. Even Wrench’s neutral gaze felt harsher combined with the others. But Rusty didn’t take it personally. He was grateful for all of Wrench’s help.
She had done wonders on his rust, and gave him advice on taking care of himself. It was an unlikely friendship that had sparked between them. An unlikely friendship, that had too many gazes and awkward laughs to be solely a friendship, but neither of them were ready to address that yet. Rusty wasn’t sure what love was, but he was fairly certain that he loved Wrench. She certainly made him feel loved.
Despite the cold weather, Rusty burned hot with embarrassment, his thoughts betraying him. Steam billowed at speed from his funnel, and he took off to prevent himself from getting caught in a cloud of his own awkwardness.
—
Wrench couldn’t ignore Rusty forever. She felt bad about not spending some time with him, but the weather had worn her down, and she didn’t have any desire to go out for purposes other than work. But they kept meeting each other's eyes as they passed on the tracks, and Rusty’s were full of concern. She was worrying the steamer, and Wrench hated people worrying about her.
So, despite the fact it went against her best interests for her system's health, Wrench rolled out of the electric shed during some rare downtime. Immediately the wind hit her, and she almost decided against going out. A previous Wrench would have gone back inside. Well, that Wrench wouldn’t have even considered putting a random steamer’s feelings above her own health. But coming to this yard with Electra had changed Wrench. She was not the same truck, partially due to almost losing the electric engine, but also partially due to the company she had made. Rusty especially.
Despite her trepidations, Wrench set off, rolling down towards the yard. Being self propelled had its perks. After all, none of the other components could come and go like she did. Not that they really had any need to. Electra’s shed had everything they could possibly need. But Wrench was technically free to do as she pleased, and if Electra needed anything from her, no matter how small, Wrench would be at his side in a heartbeat. She always was.
Finding Rusty was easy. If he wasn’t working, then he was racing. Well, practising racing, it was hard to race against yourself. Rusty never raced against anyone else. Wrench wondered how he even measured his improvement. If he even measured it. Volta would faint if she found out. Wrench was always measuring stats for Electra and his race partner. To think Rusty had no one like that… Well, that was not Wrench’s business. She went down to the race tracks, avoiding Greaseball, who was dragging the coaches along at a terrific speed. He was still so bitter, and Wrench didn’t feel like being on the receiving end of that.
As Wrench came out of the tunnel that led to the racetracks, she hummed in amusement. There Rusty was, rolling up and down and around and around. She shivered. The race tracks were mostly flat, with the hills around one side. It made an alcove for the wind to blow in. It was bitter. She rolled to the trackside, to the box where she had cheered on Electra. At least there was some shelter there. Not much, but it was an improvement. Wrench clenched her fingers up into fists, holding them against her core. She could just feel the slight warmth from her engine. It was barely noticeable though, and definitely not powerful enough to warm her hands.
Wrench was lucky her base plating was already blue, or she imagined she’d be turning that very colour now.
Rusty approached at speed, steam billowing out around him, which left a cloud behind him. He was fast. He was coming towards Wrench. And then he was going away from her again. The steamer had been so caught up in his racing, he hadn’t even noticed Wrench standing there. It made the truck laugh as she watched him rush away from her and back around the tracks. She decided to time him, hiding her smile behind her hand. It was out of curiosity. Maybe she’d tell Electra, maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe this would be just for her. There was a small breeze of warm air that blew towards her as the steam cloud dissipated. It was just enough for Wrench to feel it, and to shiver when it faded.
The second time around Rusty did notice Wrench, switching tracks to leave the raceway and come towards her. He was twelve seconds slower than Electra’s current average time. A big enough gap that Wrench internally sighed in relief. He wouldn’t be competition for the electric engine. Not yet at least. She pushed that thought out of her head as the beaming face of the steamer got closer. Rusty waved wildly. Wrench gave a small wave back. Her face settled into its natural flat state, though a ghost of a smile threatened to haunt her.
“I thought I’d upset you, it’s been days since we hung out!” Was the first thing Rusty said, voice gurgling a little from his bubbling coalbox. He was still on his racing high, hopping from leg to leg and steam encasing the pair of them. It was a nice feeling at first, but then the clouds condensated on Wrench’s cold plating, and she was left slick with water. She tried to subtly wipe some of it from her shoulder. Rusty was too excited to notice.
“I am sorry Rusty, I’ve been… busy.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Wrench was always incredibly busy. But she hadn’t been busier than usual. And certainly not too busy to see Rusty. She felt some guilt, but swallowed it down. He’d understand. He always did.
“Electra does work you guys hard.” Rusty shook his head, sighing. He perched onto the railings that lined the tracks by the trackside. It was supposed to stop trains from crashing into spectators, and the marshalls, but from the various dents, and Rusty’s anecdotes, they did little to stop an engine at top speed. Wrench resisted the urge to huff and correct Rusty. She worked a perfectly normal amount. Electra wasn’t working her or any of the other’s too hard. And besides, she could take it. But Wrench knew that Rusty meant no harm by his words, so she kept her thoughts to herself, and just shook her head and shrugged.
The longer they stood there, the more Wrench could feel the heat radiating off of Rusty. It was practically visible in the cold air, his breaths creating clouds of their own from the temperature difference. The side closest to him was warming up, her other side felt even more cold in its absence. Cold was seeping to Wrench’s core. If only she were perfect, then she could stand and watch Rusty race all day.
If Wrench adjusted herself to be turned more towards Rusty, rolling minutely closer, well neither her nor Rusty said anything. It was getting easier to keep the shivers down, passing them off as a natural movement. The steamer’s warmth was both a comfort and a necessity as the two chatted. Well, Rusty was doing most of the talking about how his practice had gone, with Wrench chipping in here and there in a way that perfectly sent the engine off on another tangent.
After a while of them chatting though, Wrench had gotten complacent. The cold of her body had slipped into the back part of its mind, Rusty’s presence dulling it both literally and figuratively. He was a very good distraction. But the wind built up a strong gust that went through Wrench like a shock and she was painfully aware again. It took everything in her power to not let her knees buckle, a hollow gasp escaping her as that precious warmth was shattered. And it hurt, more so because of the temperature difference. The sudden plummet from the wind set her cooling system into overdrive as it tried, and failed, to return to a better temperature.
Rusty noticed. Of course he did, Wrench couldn’t stop the expression that flitted across her face, or the shiver that made her plating clank nastily. He gasped and awkwardly started to climb over the railings. Wrench tried to tell him that all of that wasn’t necessary, that she was fine, but her voice box was jamming from the cold, her systems shutting down what wasn’t necessary. A slight panic began to take hold. Wrench was the one who did the repairing, she didn’t have anyone to repair herself.
But then Wrench felt herself pulled, and most of her vision was obscured by brown. Heat poured into her body, seeping between her plating and reaching deep inside her. Her fans slowed, her systems stabilising. She couldn’t help but close her eyes for a second, appreciating being surrounded by the warmth she craved and missed during the winter. It was the nicest she had felt in weeks, not quite so on edge, feeling her battery pumping electricity through her at a much nicer rate.
How was she warming up though? Wrench couldn’t think straight for a moment, too grateful for the warmth that she clutched onto with all of her might. Then the warmth grunted in discomfort, and Wrench’s eyes shot open in realisation. She was pressed against Rusty’s chest. Against his coalbox. His fire and the steam pumping around him was what was heating her up. Her mouth dropped open as she pulled back a little to look up at Rusty.
Immediately the steamer panicked at the shock on Wrench’s face, removing his arms from where he had been holding the truck and attempting to detach Wrench from where she was gripping him. But Wrench steeled herself quickly and let go herself, though she didn’t move away from Rusty. It was selfish, but she needed it, wanted it. She wasn’t ready to give it up just yet.
“Sorry for grabbing you like that. The coaches get cold a lot and so close proximity to my coalbox helps defrost them. I thought that would work here, though I should have asked.” Rusty explained awkwardly, looking anywhere but at Wrench.
“Yes, you probably should have asked. But, thank you, that wind was bitter for a moment there.” Wrench couldn’t find it in her to be mad at him. As long as Rusty took the situation at face value and didn’t ask any questions, Wrench was willing to put it behind her.
Which fortunately Rusty did, at least for the moment. He stood awkwardly beside Wrench, who stood awkwardly beside him. Neither wanting to touch the other, but neither willing to move away. Instead they stood chest to chest, with little space between them. It was close enough that Wrench could have counted every flake on Rusty’s shoulder. But she didn’t. That would be a waste of time frankly, and completely rude to have stared at the engine like that.
“I thought electrics usually run at a fairly even temperature? I know you don't burn like diesels or steamers, but surely some of that electricity is wasted as heat transfer?” Rusty asked after a while. He wasn't trying to offend Wrench, it was purely a curious question.
But it seemed his innocent query was not interpreted as such. Wrench was not about to share her secrets to Rusty, not at the racetracks. Not anywhere. This was her private burden, one not even Electra knew.
“We do. I don't suppose it's any of your business really.” Wrench was a little snappy, wincing immediately at her own tone. “That was harsher than I meant it, sorry.” She added quickly, already feeling guilt seep through her at Rusty's face falling.
“That's alright. Sorry for prying. I forget that you electrics aren't as open about your manufacturing as us yardfolk.” Rusty beamed at Wrench, a reassuring smile to let her know that he wasn't overly bothered. Sure, now his curiosity was even worse, but Rusty respected Wrench's privacy. It was clearly a sore subject.
“Well, if you ever feel cold and are struggling, feel free to call for me on the radio. I know you like to keep… this private, so I can be discreet. But there's no point in you suffering all winter.” Rusty motioned to the space between them. He understood. Wrench was grateful for that. Electra was volatile and Wrench didn't want Rusty put in his war path. And Rusty didn't want Wrench to be put in Greaseball's. Their time together was shared only between them, and that was alright. Neither minded all that much.
Wrench smiled at Rusty's shy suggestion. She reached out to take his hand. At the cold metal of Wrench touching his flushed fingers, Rusty jerked, but didn't pull away.
“I'd like that very much, Rusty, thank you.” Wrench replied. Despite the cold around her, warmth blossomed in her core. “I should get back before I'm needed.” She said, dropping her hand and moving to go.
“I can take you back?” Rusty offered hopefully, but his face fell as Wrench shook her head.
“I'll be fine. You should go back to practice.” Wrench said firmly, offering a minute smile before taking off, weak fumes from her diesel setting her off on the uphill trek home.
—
Rusty wasn't sure if Wrench was ever going to even take him up on his offer. Sure they bumped into each other a few times after that, Wrench sitting or standing a lot closer to Rusty than she would normally. He counted that as a win, that he was at least helping Wrench somewhat, even if she wasn't asking him outright for it.
Then the snow came.
Not enough to put the yard out of action, but enough for Rusty to be woken up earlier than usual to have to join the other locomotives in shovelling it off the tracks. It was kind of funny to see Greaseball shunting a snow plough around. Rusty didn’t need one, old steamers like him were built to hit anything coming head on after all. So he rolled around, shovelling and kicking snow around. He was getting rather wet from the heat rolling off of him and melting the powder. But that was fine.
While the others focused more on the direct routes in and out of the yard, and up to the mainlines, Rusty was put in charge of the side tracks. That was fine by him, it left him to his own devices. Plus there was often more snow on the less travelled tracks, which meant he had more to do. What could he say, the feeling of racing into a snow pile headfirst and sending it flying was one of his favourites.
He did loops of the various tracks up and down to the nearby scrapyard, across to the refuelling stations and back again. After that Rusty was running out of places to go. He was just about to head back, when something sparkled in the corner of his eye. Turning, Rusty realised he was looking up at the Electrics shed. It was glinting as the snow reflected off the silver-white metallic walls. His eyes trailed down the tracks that lead down to where he was standing. They were covered in snow. Had Electra not cleared them?
Normally Rusty would avoid the electrical shed like the plague, knowing he wasn’t welcome there. But if their engine wouldn’t clear their tracks, then someone had to. Besides, how would the components leave if they needed to? It wasn’t safe for detached trucks to be riding slippery rails. Then Rusty remembered Wrench, and how cold she got, and his mind was made. Off he set, clearing the tracks as he puffed his way up towards the shed.
As he approached he noticed Krupp was shovelling the show away from the shed entrance tracks with his bare hands. It wasn’t as effective as a locomotive would be, but clearly he was the one who had been given the job. He heard Rusty approaching, his painted lips going thin at the sight of the steamer. Rusty imagined his eyes also were narrowed behind his large tinted goggles. He straightened up as Rusty rolled up to the shed, crossing his arms defensively.
“I know I’m not supposed to be here. I just saw your tracks were still covered in snow so I thought I’d clear them out. If any of you needed to leave it would be downright dangerous to travel in these conditions.” Rusty said as soon as he was in earshot of Krupp. He threw his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat. Not that the truck would think that. Rusty didn’t doubt he could take the steamer down, even without an engine inside.
The tension was as thick as the snow as Rusty stood across from Krupp. He was out of attack distance, and with him being powered he could probably escape before Krupp could get ahold of him. He rolled on the spot, swinging his arms nervously as Krupp stood still. Then the truck dropped his arms.
“Can you clear around to the back?” Krupp asked, finally breaking the silence. He motioned beside him, where non-powered tracks disappeared under the snow around the side of the building. Rusty smiled at that, and nodded. It was hard for the electrics to accept help from what they considered old technology. So he appreciated Krupp’s request. It was the least he could do. He set off along the tracks. As he passed Krupp, the truck threw out a hand to stop Rusty. The steamer gulped, a shot of steam firing out of his funnel.
“Wrench’s room is behind the back door.” Krupp said quietly.
“What?” Rusty could barely believe his ears.
“You heard me.” Krupp lowered his head to look at Rusty above his glasses. Piercing black eyes stared through long eyelashes at him. Then he leaned away and dropped his arm like he hadn’t done anything, and turned away from Rusty.
Rusty shook his head clear and set off, clearing the snow from the rails. What had the truck meant by that? No one knew about him and Wrench being friends, right? Right? Rusty was filled with dread. What if this whole thing had been a set up? Was Electra waiting to get him at the back of the shed? It was too late now, Rusty had done most of the side already. So he puffed a deep breath of steam and pushed on, around to the back.
He rounded the corner right into a very confused, and almost as grumpy looking, Wrench.
Despite being warned that Wrench could be back there, Rusty’s mouth hit the floor as he ran into her. He immediately stepped back, dithering in spot and hurriedly apologising for crashing into her. Wrench didn’t appear much more put together, looking at Rusty like he had sprouted funnels for eyes. She was shivering a little too, red hair poking out the base of her helmet. Clearly coming outside had been a last minute decision.
“What are you doing here? Krupp told me to come outside…” Realisation slowly dawned on Wrench’s face as she trailed off. “Why are you here? Did Krupp see you?” She repeated, more concerned now.
“I was clearing the tracks connecting your shed to the mainlines down the hill. Usually it’s the local engine’s job, but clearly Electra hadn’t. I was just going to clear it and leave, but then I ran into Krupp and he asked me to clear the rest of the tracks around the shed but then he whispered saying that your room was at the back. So I guess he told you to come out here because he knows that we’ve been hanging out.” Rusty spoke very quickly, panting and puffing large amounts of steam as he caught his breath.
“Why did you clear our tracks?” Was all that Wrench asked. Rusty couldn’t believe her for a moment, and then he laughed awkwardly. Of course, that was what she was questioning.
“Because it would be dangerous for any of you trucks to go down them on your own?” Rusty replied, like it was obvious. Wrench shook her head, a range of emotions flitting across her face at a speed that didn’t allow Rusty time to process any of them. Her face settled into its flat expression eventually, and she sighed.
“You are too kind to us. Especially given everything Electra put you through.” Wrench said. While she disagreed with what Electra had agreed to, she hadn’t been outwardly explicit about the situation outside of the components. It wasn’t anyone else’s business, and the last thing she wanted was someone questioning her loyalty. Even more so now, with her fondness for Rusty. Not that anyone knew about that. Well, anyone except Krupp it seemed. Despite the cold, Wrench burned at the thought of him knowing, cheeks going red. Sure Krupp could keep a secret, but if Electra asked him outright, he would say.
“It's my job. Well, it's an engine's job, and clearly Electra wasn't doing it.” Rusty shrugged, keeping the bitterness out of his voice. Wrench just shook her head. Then she snapped her neck upwards to look at Rusty, her eyes going wide with fear.
“Electra! You can't be here. He’ll pop a pipe if he catches you.” Wrench said quickly, frowning. “You shouldn’t have come.” Her voice turned stern. Despite her shaking, Rusty shrunk under the glare, looking downtrodden. His steam slowed, his body going still for once before he began to turn to leave. But Wrench called out to stop him.
“Wait, don’t go.”
Rusty hadn't expected that. It was a rare moment of vulnerability from Wrench, one she didn't show often. So he did so, turning back to look at Wrench. She was shaking, Rusty noticing a light sheen on her. Frost? Was she really that cold?
“Wrench, you need to get back inside. Your coolant will freeze in this weather.” Rusty said hurriedly. Of course, she was getting wound up, which means she should be using more fuel and getting warmer. So her coolant system was working harder to counteract that. But Rusty had thought about his previous experience with Wrench, and how she was always cold. So maybe her electricity didn't release any heat. Incredibly efficient sure, but also not helpful in weather like this.
Rusty didn't allow Wrench to reply, he shunted her back into the shed. He tried not to notice how her body curled into him, before straightening and trying to pull away. The inside of the shed was just as bright and reflective as the snow covered landscapes outside.
The inside of the shed.
Rusty was inside Electra's shed.
He looked around at the room he was in. It was clearly a repair room, with the tool cupboards, the visor and gloves on the wall, and the metal cots that had the indents of a trainfolk for one to lie in. There were two, one long and clearly for Electra, the shape was unmistakably his. The other was a vaguer shape and shorter. The components must all share. Rusty was curious what would happen if more than one component required repairs at the same time. Did one use Electra’s bed? Though Rusty imagined that Wrench didn’t like finding herself in that position.
It was a relatively bare room, enough space for Wrench to work without knocking into anything. Screens lined one of the walls, a mixture of security camera footage, switched off monitors and charts and displays that clearly were used for reviewing the upkeep of whoever Wrench’s patient was at the time. Rusty’s eyes were wide as he looked around. It was in pristine condition, he looked back in shame to make sure he wasn’t rolling mud in.
“I shouldn’t be here.” Rusty said awkwardly, already rolling backwards towards the exit. He froze though when Wrench was shaking in front of him. She was turned a little away from him, shoulders bouncing up and down. He approached slowly, as Wrench put a hand over her face. He gently took Wrench’s shoulder in his hand and turned her to face him. She was… laughing? It was the strangest laugh, but the joy in her eyes was unavoidable as she silently giggled behind her hand. Rusty just stared in shock.
“I don’t mean to laugh at you Rusty, I promise I don’t. It is a bit of an amusing sight, that’s all. You, here.” Wrench composed herself, motioning to Rusty and the pristine surroundings. That made Rusty go red, steam pouring from his funnel as a quiet, embarrassed whistle escaped him. She wasn’t wrong. He was still reeling from seeing Wrench laugh though. He wasn’t sure he had even seen her laugh before. He’d definitely remember seeing that if he had.
“I am very out of place.” Rusty agreed, laughing a little himself as he spun and struck a pose.
“You’re very lucky I’m the one with access to the cameras. Well, me and Krupp. And he already knows that you’re here.” Wrench rolled her eyes a little at that. It was his job to find out everything that could or would affect Electra, but that didn’t make it any less awkward. Wrench usually kept to herself, and being close with Rusty was one of those things she liked to keep to herself. Rusty smiled, appreciating the reassurance. The last thing he wanted was to get Wrench in trouble with Electra. Or for him to get in trouble with Electra himself.
Well at least he got to see Wrench, even for a short amount of time. Now she was inside in the shed and she could be warm. Or at least, that’s what Rusty thought at first. But he was starting to realise it wasn’t warm inside at all. It was warmer than the freezing temperatures, that was for sure, but not a comfortable room temperature by any means. It was obvious in how visible his steam was pooling around his head.
“Wrench, it’s cold in here… Don’t you have heating?” Rusty asked hesitantly. He knew the electrics were rich, so surely money wasn’t a reason to have a cool shed. It definitely shouldn’t be hot, knowing electrics don't do great in hot weather, but there had to be a better temperature to go about the day in than this!
“This is the optimum temperature for electrics to run in, it’s perfectly acceptable.” Wrench snapped out, but there was little bite behind it. It was too late to hide anything from Rusty now. He was a smart engine, even if he played dumb a lot. And from the way Rusty crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Wrench, she realised she had been found out.
“Acceptable for most electrics, sure, but not for you. You're still shivering in your own home.” Rusty darted forwards as he spoke, grabbing ahold of Wrench's hands. They jerked under the hot grip of Rusty, but she didn't pull away. She just stared down at their joined hands, engine whirring quietly.
“Look. It's not my place to say this, I know that. We're at completely different levels of technology. But I was stubborn about getting repairs, always have been. And it nearly sent me to the scrapyard. I just… I don't want the same thing happening to you. I care about you Wrench.” Rusty admitted. He whistled nervously. Sure it was pretty obvious that the pair got on, and worried for one another, but one had never admitted it to the other.
Despite the temperature, both Wrench and Rusty were flushing with colour, Wrench's grey skin taking on a blue tinge while Rusty's brown got darker, a red warmth to it. The pair stood there for who knows how long, avoiding eye contact. Rusty was biting his lip nervously, Wrench was rolling a foot back and forth.
“I know you do. But this is my burden to carry. The time I spend with you is a welcome break from the harsh weather though.” Wrench eventually replied, offering a tiny smile up to Rusty, which was reciprocated with a large one of his own.
“If Electra wasn't such a piece of work I'd just move in to be your own personal heater!” Rusty started to say, tripping over his words as he realised what he had said. “I mean, not that you'd want that, an electric heater would be just as good I'm sure!” He said quickly, clouds of steam coming out thicker as he burned fuel in embarrassment. His whistling was near constant now, a quiet sound but there none the less.
Hopefully it was quiet enough not to permeate beyond the walls of the repair room. Though if it did, Wrench was getting all too used to lying about things related to Rusty now. She'd pass it off as some kind of machinery acting up, or a frequency gone funny.
“Thanks Rusty.” Was what Wrench decided to reply with, hoping it would save the steamer from any further embarrassment. She even had to look away as her smile threatened to descend into giggles. Her own personal heater Rusty. No, Electra would have a field day with that one.
It was then that Rusty realised he was still holding Wrench's hands, gasping and dropping them. He didn't even know if it was possible for his body to get any hotter, race bright red now. Cursed plating, getting affected by the heat so much. But looking at Wrench's posture, and how her warmed hands covered her mouth, she wasn't faring much better. What a pair the two of them were.
“I should go. I'm sure I'll have missed a track somewhere and be due a telling off from a certain diesel when I'm back.” Rusty rolled his eyes at the thought. He didn't really want to go. He'd have stayed and kept Wrench warm for the rest of the season if he could. But he couldn't. And Wrench would never let him. She was stubborn like that.
“Don’t work too hard. It’s due to snow again tonight and then you’ll be right back where you started.” Wrench claimed, eyes twinkling as Rusty groaned. Gaining a moment of confidence, she rolled forward to pull Rusty against her for a quick hug. It was so hard to pull away from the tall wall of warm steel, but she did. Wrench even managed to force herself to roll across the room to the back exit where Rusty had come in from. The truck’s metal spine creaked as the door opened. Wrench could practically see the cold air barge its way into the shed.
“Don’t follow me out. Stay inside.” Rusty ordered shortly. He was still on cloud nine from the hug, but the last thing he wanted to do was to have it be for nothing. Wrench had felt so icy against him, and it wasn’t a sensation he was particularly comfortable with. A plan was starting to form, cogs turning inside Rusty’s head. But it would have to be a surprise. Wrench would never say yes if he asked.
“Alright, alright.” Wrench motioned Rusty out of the door, a hand trailing down his arm and lingering on his hand for a moment before she let go of him. For now. “Thank you Rusty, for everything.” She added softly.
“Anytime Wrench. Take care!” With a flick of his antennae and a wonky salute, Rusty was off, disappearing quickly around the corner of the shed. His steam took a little longer to dissipate into the air, but Wrench slammed the door behind her with a firm grip before it was completely gone. Finally Wrench relaxed, tensions leaving her body. There was a feeling settling deep inside of Wrench. It was an unfamiliar one, a sensation that reared its head whenever Rusty was around. And now, after holding his hands, and even hugging him, the turmoil only bubbled further.
Starlight, she loved the steamer.
—
A week later Wrench was called to the front of the shed, as she had a delivery. She thanked Krupp with a light confusion, taking the large package back to her repair room. Wrench didn’t recall ordering anything, and her regular repeating orders weren’t due yet. Once alone she opened the box with a razor sharp nail, her eyes going wide. Inside was an electric blanket, a silver-grey that matched her leg colour. She read over the instructions. Plug it in and it heated up. Wrench let a smile cross her face. A gift. And Wrench had a pretty good idea who had given it to her. She shook her head, smiling into the fabric. What a fool in love she was.