Prompt 113, Modern AU: "The Mechanic"
Title: The Mechanic
Author: Lalikaa
Series: Any
Word Count: 1000
Rating: PG-13, but only for language
Characters: Winry, Ed, Al, and Pinako
Summary: Ed's gotten into another accident. His car mechanic is not impressed.
Author's Notes: Ah, AUs! So much fun! And if you can't tell from the story, I know absolutely nothing about cars, ahaha. Also, I had to cut this down a lot, so if it doesn't seem to flow right.... my bad. :P
“Winry! I need some help over here!”
“Coming, Gramma!”
Winry put down the pad and paper she’d been taking inventory with and strode around the shelf in the corner of her family’s auto repair garage, where she worked after school and on weekends. Winry took great pride in her family’s business. Her great-grandfather had started Rockbell Auto Repairs decades ago, and it was still the most preferred auto shop in their town.
Her smile quickly turned into a frown when she saw the damaged car her Gramma and two bickering blonde boys were standing next to.
“Oh my God! What happened?” She gasped, eyeing the crumpled back door on the driver’s side.
“Ask him,” the taller of the two boys said, nodding towards his companion.
“Wait…” Winry said, suddenly recognizing the two boys. “Again? Weren’t you here like a month ago because your front passenger door was hit?”
“Yup,” Pinako drawled, answering for them.
“Ed, when the town auto mechanics recognize you, you know you’re a terrible driver," the taller boy commented.
“Shut up!” Ed snapped. “If that asshole knew how to brake-”
“If you would’ve just waited for the light to turn green-”
“Right turns on red are perfectly legal!”
Winry rolled her eyes as the two continued to squabble. She walked over to her grandmother.
“Would it just be cheaper for them to get a new car at this point…?” She asked, surveying the car again. The car had at once been a beauty, she was sure, but after multiple accidents, both minor and major, some of which the boys had only slapped some duct tape on, well… It looked pretty shoddy.
Pinako Rockbell puffed on her cigar thoughtfully. “I think… If we replace the one door and the bumper, it’ll be OK.” She turned to the boys. “You did say she was running alright? No problems with the engine?
“No, the engine’s running great,” Ed said proudly. “I know she looks bad, but she’s only a few years old.”
Pinako sighed. “You do know this is you seventh visit here due to accidents, right?”
Ed shrugged, clearly embarrassed.
“Alright, then,” Pinako said, “I’m assuming you boys would like to keep the price as low as possible? So what I suggest is going to the scrapyard and picking up a door…” She began scribbling the information on the type of door they’d need.
Winry, while usually interested to an overwhelming extent of any and all types of conversation about cars, found her attention drifting back to the boys instead. The brothers, she knew, went to the prestigious all-boys academy in the city, about half an hour away from their small-town suburbs. Winry was a bit jealous… Not that she didn’t love her town, she did… But sometimes she wished her family’s auto shop was a little closer to the city. Her eyes met with Ed and he gave her a questioning look. Winry snapped her focus back to her gramma’s lecture on parts immediately. Shit. She’d been staring at him. But it wasn’t like it was on purpose or anything! It was so unfair. Was it her fault that long hair was a major turn-on for her? Especially when it was pulled back in a sexy ponytail. She wanted to run her hands through his beautiful, golden strands… She briefly wondered what he’d look like with his shirt off…
OK! No! Winry gave herself a mental wake-up call. She was pretty sure undressing a customer with her mind was inappropriate. She brought her attention back to the garage where her grandmother was now handing Al a list of requirements the door had to have.
“Man!” Ed whined. “How are we gonna get to a junkyard when we have no car?”
“I can give you a ride!” Winry volunteered immediately. Taking note of the look Pinako was giving her she added; “It’ll be an extra charge, of course.”
“Ah, we’re pretty slow today anyway,” Pinako said. “You can take the truck. It’s a two-seater though, so one of you will have to stay here.”
“You go, Ed,” Al said, giving his brother a sly smile. “Have fun!”
For some reason, Ed turned red. “Whatever.”
“Come on, the scrapyard closes at 6!” Winry said, taking the keys for the truck off a hook in the garage.
Ed followed her, ears still slightly red. She smiled. Maybe she would get a chance to see him shirtless after all. Not tonight, of course, but later… He was clearly too nervous, so she would have to make the first move. But be subtle.
They got into the truck and were pulling out of the shop’s parking lot Ed asked, “Hey, can I change the station? Country music sucks.”
“You should ask me out!” Winry blurted.
Oh. Well, shit. So much for subtlety.
She glanced over at him as she stopped for the red light on the corner, blushing.
Ed was blushing just as much, though, so she took this as a good sign.
“Um… How about Saturday? We- We could go get a coffee or something?” Ed asked tentatively.
Winry let out the breath of air she’d just realized she’d been holding. “Uh, yeah! Sounds great!”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before a horns’ loud BEEP broke the silence.
Winry immediately stepped on the gas pedal. Damn. She usually prided herself on her ability to concentrate while driving. To reassure her passenger she said, “I’m really a good driver.”
Ed grinned. “Yeah, well you better be. Dad’s probably not going to let me drive for a while, so unless you want my little brother chaperoning us…”
Winry laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. But just letting you know, you still have to pay for this ride.”
“Yeah, I figured. As long as you pay for the coffee on Saturday.”
“No way! You’re the one who asked me out!”
“Only because you told me to!”
They argued all the way to the scrapyard. This relationship, Winry thought, might just work out.
Author: Lalikaa
Series: Any
Word Count: 1000
Rating: PG-13, but only for language
Characters: Winry, Ed, Al, and Pinako
Summary: Ed's gotten into another accident. His car mechanic is not impressed.
Author's Notes: Ah, AUs! So much fun! And if you can't tell from the story, I know absolutely nothing about cars, ahaha. Also, I had to cut this down a lot, so if it doesn't seem to flow right.... my bad. :P
“Winry! I need some help over here!”
“Coming, Gramma!”
Winry put down the pad and paper she’d been taking inventory with and strode around the shelf in the corner of her family’s auto repair garage, where she worked after school and on weekends. Winry took great pride in her family’s business. Her great-grandfather had started Rockbell Auto Repairs decades ago, and it was still the most preferred auto shop in their town.
Her smile quickly turned into a frown when she saw the damaged car her Gramma and two bickering blonde boys were standing next to.
“Oh my God! What happened?” She gasped, eyeing the crumpled back door on the driver’s side.
“Ask him,” the taller of the two boys said, nodding towards his companion.
“Wait…” Winry said, suddenly recognizing the two boys. “Again? Weren’t you here like a month ago because your front passenger door was hit?”
“Yup,” Pinako drawled, answering for them.
“Ed, when the town auto mechanics recognize you, you know you’re a terrible driver," the taller boy commented.
“Shut up!” Ed snapped. “If that asshole knew how to brake-”
“If you would’ve just waited for the light to turn green-”
“Right turns on red are perfectly legal!”
Winry rolled her eyes as the two continued to squabble. She walked over to her grandmother.
“Would it just be cheaper for them to get a new car at this point…?” She asked, surveying the car again. The car had at once been a beauty, she was sure, but after multiple accidents, both minor and major, some of which the boys had only slapped some duct tape on, well… It looked pretty shoddy.
Pinako Rockbell puffed on her cigar thoughtfully. “I think… If we replace the one door and the bumper, it’ll be OK.” She turned to the boys. “You did say she was running alright? No problems with the engine?
“No, the engine’s running great,” Ed said proudly. “I know she looks bad, but she’s only a few years old.”
Pinako sighed. “You do know this is you seventh visit here due to accidents, right?”
Ed shrugged, clearly embarrassed.
“Alright, then,” Pinako said, “I’m assuming you boys would like to keep the price as low as possible? So what I suggest is going to the scrapyard and picking up a door…” She began scribbling the information on the type of door they’d need.
Winry, while usually interested to an overwhelming extent of any and all types of conversation about cars, found her attention drifting back to the boys instead. The brothers, she knew, went to the prestigious all-boys academy in the city, about half an hour away from their small-town suburbs. Winry was a bit jealous… Not that she didn’t love her town, she did… But sometimes she wished her family’s auto shop was a little closer to the city. Her eyes met with Ed and he gave her a questioning look. Winry snapped her focus back to her gramma’s lecture on parts immediately. Shit. She’d been staring at him. But it wasn’t like it was on purpose or anything! It was so unfair. Was it her fault that long hair was a major turn-on for her? Especially when it was pulled back in a sexy ponytail. She wanted to run her hands through his beautiful, golden strands… She briefly wondered what he’d look like with his shirt off…
OK! No! Winry gave herself a mental wake-up call. She was pretty sure undressing a customer with her mind was inappropriate. She brought her attention back to the garage where her grandmother was now handing Al a list of requirements the door had to have.
“Man!” Ed whined. “How are we gonna get to a junkyard when we have no car?”
“I can give you a ride!” Winry volunteered immediately. Taking note of the look Pinako was giving her she added; “It’ll be an extra charge, of course.”
“Ah, we’re pretty slow today anyway,” Pinako said. “You can take the truck. It’s a two-seater though, so one of you will have to stay here.”
“You go, Ed,” Al said, giving his brother a sly smile. “Have fun!”
For some reason, Ed turned red. “Whatever.”
“Come on, the scrapyard closes at 6!” Winry said, taking the keys for the truck off a hook in the garage.
Ed followed her, ears still slightly red. She smiled. Maybe she would get a chance to see him shirtless after all. Not tonight, of course, but later… He was clearly too nervous, so she would have to make the first move. But be subtle.
They got into the truck and were pulling out of the shop’s parking lot Ed asked, “Hey, can I change the station? Country music sucks.”
“You should ask me out!” Winry blurted.
Oh. Well, shit. So much for subtlety.
She glanced over at him as she stopped for the red light on the corner, blushing.
Ed was blushing just as much, though, so she took this as a good sign.
“Um… How about Saturday? We- We could go get a coffee or something?” Ed asked tentatively.
Winry let out the breath of air she’d just realized she’d been holding. “Uh, yeah! Sounds great!”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before a horns’ loud BEEP broke the silence.
Winry immediately stepped on the gas pedal. Damn. She usually prided herself on her ability to concentrate while driving. To reassure her passenger she said, “I’m really a good driver.”
Ed grinned. “Yeah, well you better be. Dad’s probably not going to let me drive for a while, so unless you want my little brother chaperoning us…”
Winry laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. But just letting you know, you still have to pay for this ride.”
“Yeah, I figured. As long as you pay for the coffee on Saturday.”
“No way! You’re the one who asked me out!”
“Only because you told me to!”
They argued all the way to the scrapyard. This relationship, Winry thought, might just work out.