the most beautiful bike in the....well it soon will be. {Davin}

[jasonwright]

Jason still can believe Iris bought him a bike, his very own bike. But she did and it needs a little more than some TLC. The handlebars are bent, the paint more than sad, the tires need replaced, as well as a bunch of interior problems. But she's beautiful and Jason feels incredibly lucky to have her.

So he's asked around with the other guys at the docks, striking up their regular conversations about the weather and the catch for the day. Everyone had the same recommendation. They all told him to go ONLY to Oceanside Auto and to ask for a guy named Davin. "He's amazing. He fixed my vet after I thought I totaled it." "He's fair too, willing to help out where he can."

That's really all it took and now Jason's spent the morning wheeling this sorry looking (but lovable) bike from the apartment to the auto place. When he gets there, he looks around, probably looking a bit like a lost puppy. He worked as a mechanic a few times in his life, but never long term. He knows his way around an engine, but he doesn't have the right tools or know how for this job.

"Uh...excuse me?" He approaches a mechanic who is bent under the hood of a car. "I'm looking for Davin."

Comments

[jasonwright]

Jason shakes his head with a small laugh. He's still not used to people giving him attention versus being ignored on the streets. "Nah. I'm the lucky one. She's amazing. The best person you'll ever meet."

He follows suit, glancing over the menu and frowns. Everything looks good and Jason eats like a damn horse. "So how long have you been working on cars?"

[davin]

"Jesus," he laughs, letting out a low whistle. "Stop, you're too wonderful. Who's your girl? Maybe I know her."

Davin sets down the menu after deciding on the burger, because he pretty much always gets the burger. "Since I was about fourteen. I had a, uh, bit of a hard time focusing, and I thought it might help. Turns out I was very right."

Shortly after discovering his magic at thirteen and before proper training with his grandmother over in Ireland, he was making metal float without thinking about it and shorting out lamps with a touch. Cars seemed like a good combination of both his powers, and he started tinkering around with his parents' cars, taking them apart and putting them back together. Not only did it help him get a handle on his powers, he found that he really enjoyed it. It was nice to have something to be good at.

"I just really like it," he says with a shrug. "Taking them apart and finding the one tiny thing that's broken, and fixing it. I don't know, it's relaxing."

[jasonwright]

"Iris Kouris," he says. "Real sweet redhead. She works at the elementary school."

"Yeah?" he asks, looking at Davin from over his menu. "It's rare to find something you're good at and interested in at such a young age." Hell, at fourteen, Jason was fighting and getting arrested before he found boxing to channel his anger. "I like to keep my hands busy. Working on cars definitely helps with that and keeps your mind sharp. Unless you're Mel, I'm guessing."

The waitress comes over again to take their order. Jason asks for a burger, fries, chicken strips, pretzels, and nachos. When she gives him a questioning look, he shrugs. "I work on a boat. I get really hungry."

[davin]

"How funny," Davin replies, lighting up when Jason mentions Iris. "I just met her the other night. She found me dead on my feet and dragged me to the diner. Made me eat and promise to get rest, did just about everything short of tuckin' me in."

He laughs at the memory and gives Jason a warm smile. "She's sweet. A little bossy," he adds with a wink. "But sweet. I can see why you guys are together. One hell of a couple."

His eyes widen when Jason places his order, one daunting to even Davin's large stomach. "Or you have a tapeworm." He chuckles and places his own order for a burger and fries with a piece of apple pie to come later. "Thanks, darlin'."

[jasonwright]

He laughs and shakes his head. "That sounds just like something she'd do. I got into a fight before we started dating and she insisted I sleep on her couch so I wouldn't be too sore for work the next day. It's very difficult to say no to her."

"Sorry." He grins when he sees Davin's eyes go wide. It's pretty much the reaction he gets with anyone he shares a meal with these days. "I'm still not used to eating regularly throughout the day. I'm like a street cat, gotta eat everything in front of me."

[davin]

Davin's expression softens as he watches Jason speak, nodding a little. The hints he's dropped are enough to Davin the impression of someone who hasn't had the easiest life, but Jason came out of it as a good, kind person who smiles without restraint. It makes Davin happy to see.

"No judgement here," Davin assures him, referring to more than just his lunch order. "But I'm stealin' some'a your nachos, street cat."

He grins and takes another long sip of his Guinness before crossing his arms on the table and leaning in. "So, you're my first ever actual hire, so bear with me while I flounder m'way through it, aye?"

[jasonwright]

"I guess I can share my nachos with you. Just this once," he laughs. The waitress picks up their menus with a smile to each of them before she leaves to put their food in.

Jason plays with the rim of his glass and purses his lips. "I dunno. I've worked for so many amazing bosses, my standards are kinda high by now." He's not usually the sarcastic sort, but it's thick in his statement and the way his expression changes. Jason's had some good bosses, yeah, but they're few and far between the lousy ones. He's pretty sure Davin's already lightyears ahead of most.

[davin]

"Well now you're just blowin' smoke." He winks and smiles around the rim of his glass before taking another sip. "Nah, I think we'll get along just fine, you an' me. And it'll be nice to have a friend in the shop."

Davin loves what he does, and he's proud of what he's accomplished, but he's starting to dread going to work. He doesn't like the isolation, or the disdain. Davin craves approval and he wants to be a good person, someone easy to like, so when people so openly dislike him, it really gets him down.

[jasonwright]

"I'm looking forward to it. I haven't worked under a hood in years and I'm itching to get back." He's mostly looking forward to a change of scenery. While Jason loves being out on the water and working the boats, the guys aren't the friendliest and he keeps mostly to himself. Working at the shop with Davin sounds like it'll be a nice change of pace.

Part of their food arrives and Jason digs into his fries first thing. "And hell, if that means we get lunches like this a little more often, it'll be awesome."

[davin]

Davin grins brightly and reaches over to snag one of his nachos, as promised. "You can count on it."

They tuck into their food in comfortable silence and then Davin looks up when he's no longer ravenous, sucking mustard from his thumb and reaching for his beer. "So, speaking of business, we should try to get a schedule nailed down for ya. It doesn't have to be anythin' too exact, but it'd be nice to have a window to schedule things in. When can ya work?"

[jasonwright]

It's easy for Jason to get sucked into the silence of meal time and he's almost startled when Davin speaks again. It's also easy for him to forget anything around him that isn't food. By now he's finished off his fries, the burger, and most of the nachos and he nods, looking back up at Davin.

"I work the boats Monday through Thursday, but I'm free by one. Fridays I help out at the community garden and do some odd construction jobs here and there. I'm free on weekends if you ever need extra help there, too."

[davin]

Davin wants to be amused by how into his food Jason is, but really it makes him feel a pang deep in his chest. For all Davin has been through, he's never had to worry about where his next meal was coming from. If Davin has anything to say about it, Jason never will again.

He takes a long drink and wipes his fingers on a napkin while he thinks, finally nodding to himself and looking up at him. "How about, just to start, Tuesdays and Thursdays from two to six, and Saturdays from twelve to four? We can do that for a week or two and see if you like it, if you need more or less hours, whatever. Sound good?"