Chapter Text
Ernest had no idea how engines worked.
He was only pretending to look busy.
His wrench had been held midair for 5 minutes now, somewhere between intent and confusion. He squinted at the engine like it might help him understand what he was looking at. It didn't.
Gabriel had been standing still next to him, hands on his hips, for 5 minutes. Silent.
Also pretending.
They had no idea how engines worked.
Gabriel broke the silence with the confidence of a man that made cars. "This motor turns things, so we should, like, tighten it," he paused, "or something."
"Totally," Ernest moved the wrench a centimeter, but didn't reach for the engine. Accomplished nothing.
Gabriel crouched closer, frowning at the engine. "I mean," Gabriel paused, "we should remove the head first, right?"
"Yep."
"I knew it." Gabriel reached for a socket and a breaker bar. He holds out the bar towards Ernest. "Hold this."
"Yep." He held it. Didn't know why. Didn't ask.
If they didn't fix this, the warehouse couldn't restock fuel properly. If they couldn't restock fuel, the generators would go out. If they had no generators, the heaters would stop. If they didn't have heaters, they would die. Great.
Gabriel was already working the bolts. The engine was still hot, practically steaming. How Gabriel didn't flinch, Ernest didn't know.
Ernest was an engineering apprentice in the way a scarecrow was a farmer. He knew the theory, he wore the outfit, he held the wrench, but he didn't know what to do with it. The only reason he was here was because his father wanted his son to follow his footsteps.
"This ones stuck," Gabriel muttered. He braced a foot against the engine mount and yanked at the last cylinder bolt. Metal groaned.
"Is it meant to sound like that?" Ernest instinctively took a step back.
"It's fine."
It was not fine.
With a final wrench and a click, the bolt gave—
—and the engine exploded.
A high-pressure spray of boiling oil blasted them both in the face, followed by a hiss that sounded like a very, very angry snake.
Gabriel screamed. Ernest screamed. The wrench went flying.
"Ish'n me mourth!!!" Gabriel yelled something unintelligble.
Ernests wrists raised to wipe at his eyes. The oil just spread.
There was a horrible silence until the garage door creaked behind them.
Judging by the screeching, whoever entered had just been instantly and violently sprayed.
Judging by the screeching, it was Lillian.
"What the actual SHIT—" she shouted, already clawing at her eyes. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU TWO—"
Ernest was still processing what had happened. Gabriel was still spitting oil. They all stood in a terrible, horrifying silence. Lillian was the horrifying part.
The silence kept going.
Ernest's mouth opened like he might say something helpful. Unfortunately, he was Ernest. "..Hi"
Lillian dripped oil furiously. "Okay," she said, very calmly. Too calmly. "I want one of you to explain what the hell you did."
Gabriel raised a hand like they were in class. "There was a bolt, and, uh—"
"Shut the fuck up", she said instantly.
Gabriel lowered his hand.
"We were just trying to—" Ernest tried. Failed. Immediately stopped. "I don't know what we were trying to do."
"I need to drive this thing." Lillian wiped at her face one more time. "Do you understand that we only have two trucks?"
"Ernest said we should-"
"THE FUCK I DID!"
"You nodded!"
"You said you knew what you were doing!"
"And you believed me?"
"Get OUT of the garage", Lillian interrupted them.
"I-" Ernest tried.
"Shut up!" She snapped again.
Gabriel took a hesitant step towards the exit. "Could I—like— get you.. a towel?"
"Leave."
They bolted.
Slipped on the oil.
Scrambled.
Tried again. This time they made it.