Work Text:
He is like Maqui’s machines sometimes. In the garage, in the workshop, Maqui’s hands know just what to do. His element is grease stains, the scent of metal stinging in the nostrils. He knows the tools of his trade the way his body knows how to blink and breathe. His companions were wrenches and screws long before he joined N.O.R.A.
Maqui knows the intimacy of machines. He knows the satisfaction of pulling apart and bringing together. He knows how to work wires to bring broken down mechanics to life. This is what earned him his place in N.O.R.A. His knack for machines.
Maqui still smiles at the memory sometimes. A small, personal smile. He still harbors a deep hero worship for Snow. That was, after all, his main drive for joining N.O.R.A. Maqui has a mechanic’s nimble fingers, not a trigger finger. He knows he’s not hero material. He complains when he has to carry guns. His arms resemble beanpoles. His view of heroism is childish in this way. He does not know the strength of small things. But one day he’ll learn it.
He is not as articulate with his words as he is with his hands. In the shop, he is a genius. Outside the shop, not so much. He is a genius of theories and books, not of a battlefield. But Snow saw his value, and Maqui bought into his heroism full-heartedly. Maqui still hopes to be a “real” hero someday, like his idol Snow. Snow, who saw the value of his mind.
Then there is Yuj. The friend who saw the value in his heart.
Yuj is like Maqui’s machines sometimes. Yuj has watched Maqui work, his face completely focused on a N.O.R.A bike. Tongue sticking out slightly as he upgrades an engine. Sometimes Maqui looks at Yuj like that. Calm, focus, assuredness. As if Yuj is a machine with wires, and he is sure in the knowledge of which wires he should adjust and realign. Yuj is like one of Maqui’s machines sometimes. Sometimes Maqui knows just how to work with him. A blueprint he knows how to navigate.
You wouldn’t suspect it. Outside the shop, the comfort of gears and chains, Maqui is a boy who always has his hands in his pockets. A boy who is flustered when receiving compliments because he does not have the confidence to ever compliment himself. He will blush at the mention of a job well done. He is a boy fascinated by the heroics of strong men. He is a selfless friend who isn't afraid of looking or acting like a fool. Simply because he does not understand how harsh and judgmental others can be.
That is why these moments always steal Yuj’s breath away. Moments when Yuj becomes one of the tools Maqui is skilled with. When Yuj is a blueprint Maqui is familiar with. When Maqui’s usually nervous hands become steady and sure. When Maqui’s fingers grip strands of Yuj’s vibrant blue hair the same way they grip a screwdriver. With intensity. With clarity and drive and at times, a passion.
Yuj is not a genius. He is a personality. An audacious one. A blazing one with flourish. Never a falter in his step. Always walking with a swagger and a fashionable swing. One would be hard pressed to find anything about Yuj that isn’t fashionable. He is quick to smile. He is flirtatious and dashing. Yuj grips a sewing needle with the same passion that Maqui grips a toolkit with. Maqui is certainly the only mechanical and mathematical genius any members of N.O.R.A know. But he is the least experienced among them in terms of romantic engagement.
It would come as no shock to anyone that Yuj would be the first to make a move. Everyone saw it coming. They were perfect for each other. The beauty and the geek. Two friends who so easily got caught up in each other. The whole gang still teases them for their famous “N.O.R.A pose” which they can occasionally still be convinced to recreate. They’ll even say the catchphrase in time together. They sound like giddy dorks together, shouting, “The army is no match for N.O.R.A!”
Yuj smirks as Maqui pulls him closer, palm on the back of Yuj’s neck. Yuj is like one of Maqui’s machines sometimes. This thought makes Yuj smile. Lips twist up into the kiss. Most of the time, even with his smarts, Maqui has a hard time filling in Yuj’s fashionable shoes. Yuj is outgoing, extroverted, popular.
But together, they are beautifully learning the mechanics of love.