The Mechanics of Love, Part One: Karl/Eric fic
Title:The Mechanics of Love, Part One
Characters: Eric Bana/Karl Urban (eventual pairing)
Rating: PG-13 for this part, some suggestion of sex
Beta: The incomparable kitty_trio
Word count: 2934
Disclaimer: This is set in West Auckland, NZ, and some of the place names are real, but to my knowledge, Eric and Karl have never spent time together in any of them. This is all fictional and I make no profit!
Author's Notes: For lookingglassf1's birthday! I had this notion to write about a couple of mechanics and set it right here in NZ. Karl and Eric obliged by becoming willing muses. This is the first part, and with luck they will continue to talk to me and there will be more parts. Complete AU, and I have sliced some years off their ages. Eric is about 25 and Karl 4 years younger than him.
Eric flicked his cigarette butt over the railway tracks and shifted uncomfortably against the car he leaned on. He'd been in this job about five years now and none of the other guys had ever had this effect on him. Fuck Steve for hiring this new bloke. He was a little older than most of the apprentices they'd previously had around for months at a time before they moved on or backed out; taller and more... well, perhaps less... boyish was more what he meant.
Eric was usually the butt of most of the jokes, being the only Aussie here; and sheep-shagging was one of their favourites, but if the guys really knew what Eric was into, he suspected the jokes would be less about sheep and more about his filthy habits... in fact, they wouldn't really be jokes any more. He doubted he'd manage to stick around, truthfully, if it ever got out. He might be old enough and big enough to hold his own in a one-on-one fight, but with all the boys here? No way.
And he strongly doubted these he-men, whose idea of a good conversation was giving a blow-by-blow description of the shape and feel of some girl's tits right before they fucked her three ways to Sunday, would appreciate hearing how Eric could barely concentrate when Karl was working on the same car as him because he couldn't stop wondering what he'd look like naked.
"Eric! Where are you, ya Aussie bastard?" Steve's familiar loud tones rang out as his boss stepped around the side of the building. "Your break's up, mate. Get back in there and have a look at that Lancer, eh? It shouldn't take you long. Let Karl help, eh? He's at a bit of a loose end, and you can show him what a sticky oil filter looks like - if that's what's causing the problem."
Eric huffed as he straightened up off the car bonnet and frowned. Steve thought he didn't like Karl much, and perhaps it was better that he did think that.
"Hey, he's catching on fast, he'll be working on his own soon enough," Steve told him, wiping his hands on the greasy bit of rag he held. "I'm real glad I hired him, though. Much better than half those idiot boys we've had the last couple of times. Definitely seems to pay to get 'em a bit older, I'd say."
Eric swallowed nervously, and nodded before shifting his ass off the car and heading back inside the garage behind Steve.
"C'mon, Karl," Eric growled at the younger man as he spotted Karl, "Steve says you can help me with the Lancer."
Smiling eagerly despite Eric's foul look, Karl stepped up behind him and they both headed towards the car Steve had assigned them to.
"Get 'em hot and worked up a bit with a few kisses," Kevin was telling John as he walked past. Eric suppressed the eye roll he wanted to give in to, sick to death of hearing Kevin's philosophy on how to woo women. John, idiot that he was, always seemed interested in whatever rubbish Kevin was spouting, that was the trouble.
Ignoring the rest as he and Karl stood in front of the Lancer's bonnet, he lifted the lid and had a cursory look inside. Karl leaned over the side too and Eric tried to ignore his proximity as their heads bent close together.
"If it's any consolation," Karl offered quietly, "I think he's full of shit too."
Eric laughed despite himself. Karl had only been working here a couple of weeks but he'd already gotten Kevin's measure; that much was sure.
~//~//~
Eric had come to New Zealand roughly eight years earlier, when he was eighteen and fresh out of school. His father had found him a mechanic's apprenticeship in Auckland through one of his many cousins after an almost-scandal had made him want Eric as far away from their small hometown in Victoria as possible.
Eric's father had been slightly more tolerant than Eric had expected after he'd caught Eric and his best friend 'experimenting' one afternoon; not beating him up and disowning him, but simply 'transporting' him to relatives in New Zealand in the hopes they would teach him how to be a 'real man' and leave his queer ways behind.
His father's cousin Ted and his wife Mabel, much older than his parents and with grown-up children of their own, had been very good to him, considering. They didn't know full details of what had happened, he suspected; just a hint of it, and they'd never talked about it at all. They just spent a lot of time guiding him so subtly towards women and the things he 'should' be doing, he almost fell for it.
Well, would have, he had to amend, had he been inclined that way. However, about a year after arriving in New Zealand, he'd met the most amazing guy and spent as much time getting to know him as he could. Unfortunately, it had turned out the man was not in the least bit gay and it had all ended in heartbreak. For Eric anyway; he wasn't so sure Mark had suffered much, apart from in embarrassment.
Eric had been more careful after that, keeping to himself for the most part, and once his apprenticeship was over, he'd looked for another job, one that took him further away from where he was still forced to see Mark every once in a while, not to mention into finding his own place so he didn't have to worry so much about what Ted and Mabel thought, or the women they were still trying to match him up with.
He'd ended up sharing a house with another guy and a girl, which worked out pretty much okay, as long as he was careful what he said, although he suspected Craig might be a little more like him than most guys, not that they never discussed it.
The job he'd taken at Steve's garage in a leafy suburb in the west of the city suited him perfectly too, and as with the flat he shared, he pretty much kept to himself, though he chatted casually enough with Steve and John about general things. Kevin drove him nuts with the constant talk about sex and disparaging remarks about women, Aussies and anyone else who he didn't much care for, but Eric kept his opinions to himself mostly, for fear of being exposed.
That wasn't to say that Eric didn't go out. He'd discovered a bar in town by accident that he now visited every few weeks for a bit of casual sex. It had taken him a lot of courage to pick someone up the first time - after several careful visits and taking note of how things worked - but once he did, he knew he wasn't wrong about himself, and that he'd have to keep visiting. There were plenty of hot guys there that he managed to get off with, but he was wary of falling in love. Besides, none of them really excited him in that kind of way, so it hadn't been hard to keep his heart buried deep inside.
Most of the apprentices passing through Steve's Garage were too young and gangly for Eric's taste, and he certainly didn't fancy any of the other guys there... until Karl showed up.
~//~//~
Watching Karl eat a cream donut or tuck into a pie at lunchtimes was too much for Eric most days. He often had to round the corner and light a fag just to retain his equilibrium, and hope that the apprentice didn't follow him. Luckily, Karl seemed to be quite happy listening to Kevin's mucky words of wisdom or chatting with Steve as he ate, and Eric could usually avoid the gang of them as they came 'round for their own smokes a little later by heading off to the shops for some imaginary item he just had to get, or by flipping open a ragged paperback and catching up with the antics of the current sci-fi crew he was reading about. Ignoring Karl wasn't easy, but if he was really into his book, he could manage it most days.
The worst days were the ones when it was wet and they had to stand in one of the doorways of the workshop to puff on their cigarettes so that they maintained at least a little of the safety rules by not smoking inside. Karl didn't really smoke much; just the odd cigarette now and then, but he always seemed to be there, hanging out anyway, like he didn't know what to do with himself if they weren't outside.
This particular day, they'd eaten in twos in the cramped office before heading for whichever door was in the right direction for the wind to carry the raindrops away from them at each break, and Karl always seemed to manage to time things so he'd be Eric's 'buddy'.
It was the last break of the day, and finally, after them both standing there silently smoking for some time, Karl cursed and flicked his fag-end outside and into a puddle.
"I'm fuckin' sick of this," he announced.
"What?" Eric asked, startled as he tried to get his mind off what he'd rather Karl was wrapping his deep red lips around, "The rain?"
"Yeah. Been like this for days. The bus is always late and I'm soaked by the time I get home. Bus shelter's broken," he said by way of explanation, "and you know 'round here, they're in no hurry to get it fixed. Fuckin' might as well walk home. Coat's next to useless."
Eric narrowed his eyes, trying to judge whether Karl was angling for a ride home. He'd never asked before and Eric had never offered.
"You don't have a car?" he asked, instead of taking the bait, if that's what it was.
"Lost my license last year. Dangerous driving," Karl offered, scowling towards the outdoors like it would make the rain stop.
"And that stops you?" Eric huffed, taking a last long drag on his own cigarette before crushing it underfoot and exhaling one last breath of smoke.
Karl looked embarrassed. "Promised my mum I'd stay out of trouble, keep out of cars 'til I got it back. Messing about here's as close as I get, most days."
Eric was impressed that Karl seemed to respect his mother's wishes. He kind of wished he'd been smart enough to do something similar all those years ago. Getting frisky with Hugh had been a direct result of the two of them getting high after spraying some graffiti in town, thinking they were so clever. The graffiti had gone by the wayside after his father walked in on them with their hands on each other's cocks, but the 'high' part of the equation had obviously been of major importance in his father's book as to why the two of them had been randy enough to do such a thing, and Eric and Hugh weren't about to say anything different.
In fact, Hugh had avoided him after that whole thing, and Eric couldn't help but think that his mate's feelings about what they'd done were along the same lines as his dad's. It had almost been a relief to be sent over to New Zealand in the end and be able to avoid any awkward conversations with Hugh about any of it. He hadn't bothered to write to Hugh either, convinced it was only him who'd felt more than just horny that day. Naturally, he'd not heard from Hugh either. If only he'd listened to his mum's warnings about 'keeping out of trouble'.
"You want a lift?" Eric suddenly asked, breaking out of his reverie. Shit! He hadn't meant to say that! Being in a car in even closer proximity with Karl wasn't what he needed at all!
"Would you mind?" Karl queried, looking nervous.
"Nah, it's cool. Where d'you live?"
Eric could hardly back out of it now, unless Karl lived somewhere really well out of the way. As it turned out, Karl's place was right on his way to work anyway, and Eric could have easily passed him at the bus stop at any time since he'd started working here a couple of weeks back, although he was pretty sure he hadn't. He was positive he would have noticed.
Packing up a couple of hours later, Eric was washing his hands in the loo when Karl squeezed in behind him. Jumping forward a little as Karl pushed past, Eric shivered at the touch and backed out of the room rapidly.
"Be going in five, if you still want that lift," he growled back through the door uncomfortably.
"Kid manage to con you into giving him a ride, eh?" his boss ribbed him good-naturedly as Steve closed the bonnet of the car he was working on.
"Yeah, well… it's raining and…" Eric shrugged, "turns out he lives just down the road from me."
"Give him some pointers on keeping the girls sweet," Kevin chimed up from across the workshop, "I know you Aussies are real charmers. I'm sure there's a ewe or two goin' begging on your farm!"
John burst out laughing as he gathered his kit and followed Kevin out the door.
"Ha bloody ha, mate," Eric muttered, rolling his eyes at Steve, who just shook his head and grinned, then made his way towards the office.
Karl came out of the loo then, squinting at Eric's foul look and raising his eyebrows at Steve as if he'd enlighten him.
"Don't be late tomorrow, boys," Steve offered instead, turning to flick a wave at them, "Seeya."
Eric half-nodded in the particularly Kiwi way he'd picked up since being over here, raising his own eyebrows at the same time. It meant goodbye or hello, depending on the situation, and was effective when you didn't want to say anything out loud.
"Seeya," Karl replied to Steve and fell in behind Eric as he dashed across the carpark to his battered navy Corolla.
Eric was silent at first and Karl didn't offer much in the way of conversation either, thankfully. As they neared his house, Karl said, "Here, this one, with the wonky gate."
Eric stopped the car and took a look at the run-down place through the rain spots on the window.
"I know it looks pretty crappy," Karl offered almost apologetically, "My dad hasn't been working for a while and he hasn't been able to keep up with things. I mow the lawn or it'd look worse. Keep meaning to fix that gutter too." He indicated a place where it sagged and a stream of water gushed down onto the lawn below.
"No sweat," Eric shrugged, but he could tell Karl was embarrassed about his home. It appeared about as looked after as Eric felt some days.
Karl looked back at him, hesitating before he got out, and as Eric furrowed his brow, wondering what his workmate was thinking about, he managed, stuttering a bit, "You ever go to the pub or anything on Fridays? After work, y'know, with the guys?"
"Not really," Eric shook his head, "The conversation's scintillating enough at work; wouldn't wanna get over-excited before the weekend."
"Oh," was all Karl offered to that, lowering his lashes and making Eric's heart jump suddenly.
Fuck, he had no right to be so damned attractive. Why couldn't Steve have hired another skinny, pimply teenager rather than this fully-grown hunk of man-flesh that drove Eric to wanking more regularly than he'd done as a kid when he first got to Auckland?
"Listen," Eric advised the silent figure next to him who'd made no move to exit the car yet, "I don't like hanging out with workmates away from the place, usually. You seem like a nice kid, but…" he paused as Karl lifted his head, the green of his hazel eyes shining in what looked like hope, and suddenly Eric didn't have the heart to refuse such child-like eagerness. "Okay, tell you what," he changed tack before Karl realised, "How about you and me going down the other end of town this Friday. Leave those assholes in the Potter's Wheel, and we'll try out Spider's Bar? Probably won't be a late night, but might make a change."
He even managed what he hoped was a casual grin, and Karl's answering smile made his heart dance like he was on cloud nine.
Fuck! He really didn't need this, he thought as Karl nodded his head and then murmured "See you tomorrow."
Double fuck! He had to offer the poor sod a ride tomorrow. He couldn't in all good conscience let him stand out in the rain waiting for the bus again.
"Karl!" he yelled, after winding the window down, "I'll pick you up in the morning if you like? About half-seven, yeah?"
Karl spun back around in the rain, nodding and smiling gratefully. "Thanks," he shouted back, "See you then!"
What on earth was he getting himself into? Eric shook his head as he wound the window back up and started the car again. He really didn't need to form a friendship with someone he was attracted to and was so obviously straight, not after his last miserable experience. He should have just stuck to his guns and told the kid to find his own friends. He must have some, surely?
You fucking idiot, he admonished himself, and resolved to tell Karl in the morning that he'd changed his mind.
~//~//~
Part Two
Dell com
Characters: Eric Bana/Karl Urban (eventual pairing)
Rating: PG-13 for this part, some suggestion of sex
Beta: The incomparable kitty_trio
Word count: 2934
Disclaimer: This is set in West Auckland, NZ, and some of the place names are real, but to my knowledge, Eric and Karl have never spent time together in any of them. This is all fictional and I make no profit!
Author's Notes: For lookingglassf1's birthday! I had this notion to write about a couple of mechanics and set it right here in NZ. Karl and Eric obliged by becoming willing muses. This is the first part, and with luck they will continue to talk to me and there will be more parts. Complete AU, and I have sliced some years off their ages. Eric is about 25 and Karl 4 years younger than him.
Eric flicked his cigarette butt over the railway tracks and shifted uncomfortably against the car he leaned on. He'd been in this job about five years now and none of the other guys had ever had this effect on him. Fuck Steve for hiring this new bloke. He was a little older than most of the apprentices they'd previously had around for months at a time before they moved on or backed out; taller and more... well, perhaps less... boyish was more what he meant.
Eric was usually the butt of most of the jokes, being the only Aussie here; and sheep-shagging was one of their favourites, but if the guys really knew what Eric was into, he suspected the jokes would be less about sheep and more about his filthy habits... in fact, they wouldn't really be jokes any more. He doubted he'd manage to stick around, truthfully, if it ever got out. He might be old enough and big enough to hold his own in a one-on-one fight, but with all the boys here? No way.
And he strongly doubted these he-men, whose idea of a good conversation was giving a blow-by-blow description of the shape and feel of some girl's tits right before they fucked her three ways to Sunday, would appreciate hearing how Eric could barely concentrate when Karl was working on the same car as him because he couldn't stop wondering what he'd look like naked.
"Eric! Where are you, ya Aussie bastard?" Steve's familiar loud tones rang out as his boss stepped around the side of the building. "Your break's up, mate. Get back in there and have a look at that Lancer, eh? It shouldn't take you long. Let Karl help, eh? He's at a bit of a loose end, and you can show him what a sticky oil filter looks like - if that's what's causing the problem."
Eric huffed as he straightened up off the car bonnet and frowned. Steve thought he didn't like Karl much, and perhaps it was better that he did think that.
"Hey, he's catching on fast, he'll be working on his own soon enough," Steve told him, wiping his hands on the greasy bit of rag he held. "I'm real glad I hired him, though. Much better than half those idiot boys we've had the last couple of times. Definitely seems to pay to get 'em a bit older, I'd say."
Eric swallowed nervously, and nodded before shifting his ass off the car and heading back inside the garage behind Steve.
"C'mon, Karl," Eric growled at the younger man as he spotted Karl, "Steve says you can help me with the Lancer."
Smiling eagerly despite Eric's foul look, Karl stepped up behind him and they both headed towards the car Steve had assigned them to.
"Get 'em hot and worked up a bit with a few kisses," Kevin was telling John as he walked past. Eric suppressed the eye roll he wanted to give in to, sick to death of hearing Kevin's philosophy on how to woo women. John, idiot that he was, always seemed interested in whatever rubbish Kevin was spouting, that was the trouble.
Ignoring the rest as he and Karl stood in front of the Lancer's bonnet, he lifted the lid and had a cursory look inside. Karl leaned over the side too and Eric tried to ignore his proximity as their heads bent close together.
"If it's any consolation," Karl offered quietly, "I think he's full of shit too."
Eric laughed despite himself. Karl had only been working here a couple of weeks but he'd already gotten Kevin's measure; that much was sure.
~//~//~
Eric had come to New Zealand roughly eight years earlier, when he was eighteen and fresh out of school. His father had found him a mechanic's apprenticeship in Auckland through one of his many cousins after an almost-scandal had made him want Eric as far away from their small hometown in Victoria as possible.
Eric's father had been slightly more tolerant than Eric had expected after he'd caught Eric and his best friend 'experimenting' one afternoon; not beating him up and disowning him, but simply 'transporting' him to relatives in New Zealand in the hopes they would teach him how to be a 'real man' and leave his queer ways behind.
His father's cousin Ted and his wife Mabel, much older than his parents and with grown-up children of their own, had been very good to him, considering. They didn't know full details of what had happened, he suspected; just a hint of it, and they'd never talked about it at all. They just spent a lot of time guiding him so subtly towards women and the things he 'should' be doing, he almost fell for it.
Well, would have, he had to amend, had he been inclined that way. However, about a year after arriving in New Zealand, he'd met the most amazing guy and spent as much time getting to know him as he could. Unfortunately, it had turned out the man was not in the least bit gay and it had all ended in heartbreak. For Eric anyway; he wasn't so sure Mark had suffered much, apart from in embarrassment.
Eric had been more careful after that, keeping to himself for the most part, and once his apprenticeship was over, he'd looked for another job, one that took him further away from where he was still forced to see Mark every once in a while, not to mention into finding his own place so he didn't have to worry so much about what Ted and Mabel thought, or the women they were still trying to match him up with.
He'd ended up sharing a house with another guy and a girl, which worked out pretty much okay, as long as he was careful what he said, although he suspected Craig might be a little more like him than most guys, not that they never discussed it.
The job he'd taken at Steve's garage in a leafy suburb in the west of the city suited him perfectly too, and as with the flat he shared, he pretty much kept to himself, though he chatted casually enough with Steve and John about general things. Kevin drove him nuts with the constant talk about sex and disparaging remarks about women, Aussies and anyone else who he didn't much care for, but Eric kept his opinions to himself mostly, for fear of being exposed.
That wasn't to say that Eric didn't go out. He'd discovered a bar in town by accident that he now visited every few weeks for a bit of casual sex. It had taken him a lot of courage to pick someone up the first time - after several careful visits and taking note of how things worked - but once he did, he knew he wasn't wrong about himself, and that he'd have to keep visiting. There were plenty of hot guys there that he managed to get off with, but he was wary of falling in love. Besides, none of them really excited him in that kind of way, so it hadn't been hard to keep his heart buried deep inside.
Most of the apprentices passing through Steve's Garage were too young and gangly for Eric's taste, and he certainly didn't fancy any of the other guys there... until Karl showed up.
~//~//~
Watching Karl eat a cream donut or tuck into a pie at lunchtimes was too much for Eric most days. He often had to round the corner and light a fag just to retain his equilibrium, and hope that the apprentice didn't follow him. Luckily, Karl seemed to be quite happy listening to Kevin's mucky words of wisdom or chatting with Steve as he ate, and Eric could usually avoid the gang of them as they came 'round for their own smokes a little later by heading off to the shops for some imaginary item he just had to get, or by flipping open a ragged paperback and catching up with the antics of the current sci-fi crew he was reading about. Ignoring Karl wasn't easy, but if he was really into his book, he could manage it most days.
The worst days were the ones when it was wet and they had to stand in one of the doorways of the workshop to puff on their cigarettes so that they maintained at least a little of the safety rules by not smoking inside. Karl didn't really smoke much; just the odd cigarette now and then, but he always seemed to be there, hanging out anyway, like he didn't know what to do with himself if they weren't outside.
This particular day, they'd eaten in twos in the cramped office before heading for whichever door was in the right direction for the wind to carry the raindrops away from them at each break, and Karl always seemed to manage to time things so he'd be Eric's 'buddy'.
It was the last break of the day, and finally, after them both standing there silently smoking for some time, Karl cursed and flicked his fag-end outside and into a puddle.
"I'm fuckin' sick of this," he announced.
"What?" Eric asked, startled as he tried to get his mind off what he'd rather Karl was wrapping his deep red lips around, "The rain?"
"Yeah. Been like this for days. The bus is always late and I'm soaked by the time I get home. Bus shelter's broken," he said by way of explanation, "and you know 'round here, they're in no hurry to get it fixed. Fuckin' might as well walk home. Coat's next to useless."
Eric narrowed his eyes, trying to judge whether Karl was angling for a ride home. He'd never asked before and Eric had never offered.
"You don't have a car?" he asked, instead of taking the bait, if that's what it was.
"Lost my license last year. Dangerous driving," Karl offered, scowling towards the outdoors like it would make the rain stop.
"And that stops you?" Eric huffed, taking a last long drag on his own cigarette before crushing it underfoot and exhaling one last breath of smoke.
Karl looked embarrassed. "Promised my mum I'd stay out of trouble, keep out of cars 'til I got it back. Messing about here's as close as I get, most days."
Eric was impressed that Karl seemed to respect his mother's wishes. He kind of wished he'd been smart enough to do something similar all those years ago. Getting frisky with Hugh had been a direct result of the two of them getting high after spraying some graffiti in town, thinking they were so clever. The graffiti had gone by the wayside after his father walked in on them with their hands on each other's cocks, but the 'high' part of the equation had obviously been of major importance in his father's book as to why the two of them had been randy enough to do such a thing, and Eric and Hugh weren't about to say anything different.
In fact, Hugh had avoided him after that whole thing, and Eric couldn't help but think that his mate's feelings about what they'd done were along the same lines as his dad's. It had almost been a relief to be sent over to New Zealand in the end and be able to avoid any awkward conversations with Hugh about any of it. He hadn't bothered to write to Hugh either, convinced it was only him who'd felt more than just horny that day. Naturally, he'd not heard from Hugh either. If only he'd listened to his mum's warnings about 'keeping out of trouble'.
"You want a lift?" Eric suddenly asked, breaking out of his reverie. Shit! He hadn't meant to say that! Being in a car in even closer proximity with Karl wasn't what he needed at all!
"Would you mind?" Karl queried, looking nervous.
"Nah, it's cool. Where d'you live?"
Eric could hardly back out of it now, unless Karl lived somewhere really well out of the way. As it turned out, Karl's place was right on his way to work anyway, and Eric could have easily passed him at the bus stop at any time since he'd started working here a couple of weeks back, although he was pretty sure he hadn't. He was positive he would have noticed.
Packing up a couple of hours later, Eric was washing his hands in the loo when Karl squeezed in behind him. Jumping forward a little as Karl pushed past, Eric shivered at the touch and backed out of the room rapidly.
"Be going in five, if you still want that lift," he growled back through the door uncomfortably.
"Kid manage to con you into giving him a ride, eh?" his boss ribbed him good-naturedly as Steve closed the bonnet of the car he was working on.
"Yeah, well… it's raining and…" Eric shrugged, "turns out he lives just down the road from me."
"Give him some pointers on keeping the girls sweet," Kevin chimed up from across the workshop, "I know you Aussies are real charmers. I'm sure there's a ewe or two goin' begging on your farm!"
John burst out laughing as he gathered his kit and followed Kevin out the door.
"Ha bloody ha, mate," Eric muttered, rolling his eyes at Steve, who just shook his head and grinned, then made his way towards the office.
Karl came out of the loo then, squinting at Eric's foul look and raising his eyebrows at Steve as if he'd enlighten him.
"Don't be late tomorrow, boys," Steve offered instead, turning to flick a wave at them, "Seeya."
Eric half-nodded in the particularly Kiwi way he'd picked up since being over here, raising his own eyebrows at the same time. It meant goodbye or hello, depending on the situation, and was effective when you didn't want to say anything out loud.
"Seeya," Karl replied to Steve and fell in behind Eric as he dashed across the carpark to his battered navy Corolla.
Eric was silent at first and Karl didn't offer much in the way of conversation either, thankfully. As they neared his house, Karl said, "Here, this one, with the wonky gate."
Eric stopped the car and took a look at the run-down place through the rain spots on the window.
"I know it looks pretty crappy," Karl offered almost apologetically, "My dad hasn't been working for a while and he hasn't been able to keep up with things. I mow the lawn or it'd look worse. Keep meaning to fix that gutter too." He indicated a place where it sagged and a stream of water gushed down onto the lawn below.
"No sweat," Eric shrugged, but he could tell Karl was embarrassed about his home. It appeared about as looked after as Eric felt some days.
Karl looked back at him, hesitating before he got out, and as Eric furrowed his brow, wondering what his workmate was thinking about, he managed, stuttering a bit, "You ever go to the pub or anything on Fridays? After work, y'know, with the guys?"
"Not really," Eric shook his head, "The conversation's scintillating enough at work; wouldn't wanna get over-excited before the weekend."
"Oh," was all Karl offered to that, lowering his lashes and making Eric's heart jump suddenly.
Fuck, he had no right to be so damned attractive. Why couldn't Steve have hired another skinny, pimply teenager rather than this fully-grown hunk of man-flesh that drove Eric to wanking more regularly than he'd done as a kid when he first got to Auckland?
"Listen," Eric advised the silent figure next to him who'd made no move to exit the car yet, "I don't like hanging out with workmates away from the place, usually. You seem like a nice kid, but…" he paused as Karl lifted his head, the green of his hazel eyes shining in what looked like hope, and suddenly Eric didn't have the heart to refuse such child-like eagerness. "Okay, tell you what," he changed tack before Karl realised, "How about you and me going down the other end of town this Friday. Leave those assholes in the Potter's Wheel, and we'll try out Spider's Bar? Probably won't be a late night, but might make a change."
He even managed what he hoped was a casual grin, and Karl's answering smile made his heart dance like he was on cloud nine.
Fuck! He really didn't need this, he thought as Karl nodded his head and then murmured "See you tomorrow."
Double fuck! He had to offer the poor sod a ride tomorrow. He couldn't in all good conscience let him stand out in the rain waiting for the bus again.
"Karl!" he yelled, after winding the window down, "I'll pick you up in the morning if you like? About half-seven, yeah?"
Karl spun back around in the rain, nodding and smiling gratefully. "Thanks," he shouted back, "See you then!"
What on earth was he getting himself into? Eric shook his head as he wound the window back up and started the car again. He really didn't need to form a friendship with someone he was attracted to and was so obviously straight, not after his last miserable experience. He should have just stuck to his guns and told the kid to find his own friends. He must have some, surely?
You fucking idiot, he admonished himself, and resolved to tell Karl in the morning that he'd changed his mind.
~//~//~
Part Two
Dell com