Chapter Text
Shouto twisted the wrench, trying to tighten the last bolt down and scraped his knuckles against the frame of the car.
“Mother fuck-”
“Todoroki?”
Shouto sucked in a breath, and looked across the shop. Shit. There was Midoriya, who Shouto had been goddamn avoiding all semester, and the tall redhead who was in half of his engineering classes.
Midoriya’s big green eyes lit up with joy and Shouto wondered if he drank the brake cleaner right now would he die before Midoriya came over?
It wasn’t that Midoriya did anything wrong, it was just the kid was so fucking friendly and Shouto did not do friends and everytime he tried to scare Midoriya off he got the full force of mossy green puppy eyes.
If there is a God Shouto is going to kick their ass. All he wants is to be left alone.
“Yeah?”
“Todoroki wow hi! I didn’t know you worked here! I guess you’re in a lot of mechanical classes though-”
Well, Midoriya had one flaw and it was the babbling.
“I work here.”
The redhead smiled so massively it made Shouto’s face hurt, “Well it’s great to know someone here, maybe you can help us out?”
Absolutely the fuck not.
“There should be someone up front you can talk to.”
A crushed up energy drink can flew by Shouto’s head, “There is!!”
Hizashi grinned at Shouto, and as soon as Midoriya and what was his fucking name?? turned to look. Shouto flipped him off.
“What’s going on little listeners? Oil change? Flat tire?”
Shouto sunk back down to his knees, if he didn’t finish this brake job soon Aizawa was going to have his ass.
“Well you see my car”, Kirishima, that’s his fucking name, “It’s making a- well a noise.”
“Yeah and it sounds horrible kind of like a-”
Oh god please don’t.
“-arrrghhrururu?”
God is dead.
“It does what?” Hizashi’s voice was practically dripping with amusement. Sadist.
“Yeah it’s like a BLARGHRURUR.”
Merciful Christ, why do people? Why do they only make noise when they have car trouble?
Are there any readings on the gauges? Is there a dummy light on? Fuck knows but every customer can turn into a soundboard on cue.
“Well that doesn’t sound good at all”, Hizashi was enjoying this too much, “Let me see if any of our techs are available to go take a look at it!”
Shouto shimmied his way deeper into the wheel well of the car. Not today. Not me not today.
“Did I hear you say that you go to school with Shouto?”
Shouto paused, flipped the wrench in his hand and wondered if Touya still had Enji’s credit card numbers and if he would bail him out of jail.
“Ah yes! We do! But if he’s busy then-”
“Oh not at all not at all! Shinso can finish up those brakes. Shouto! Can you go take a look at your friends car?”
Shouto slowly pushed his way to his feet. “I don’t have friends.”
Midoriya made a weird little yappy noise, “It’s really not a big deal if we need to wait-”
Hizashi’s smile was all teeth and no joy, “Shouto’s available.”
Right. Sure Shouto is. Shouto just works here what does Shouto know.
“Where did you park?” He drops his tools on his work bench and grabs a shop towel, scrubbing his palms.
Kirishima grinned, “Right up front! It’s the blue Jetta.”
Oh fuck Volkswagen.
Hizashi snickered, “Have fun little Sho!”
Touya would bail him out, Shouto’s sure.
“Give me your keys.” Sooner this is over the better.
“Here you go man! I really appreciate you looking at it right away. I’ve got to get up to my friends house and help him load his-”
Shouto groaned, “Look I’m not trying to be rude but I just want to do my job.”
Kirishima’s grin widened impossibly, “Such a strong work ethic is so manly!!” Midoriya was nervously bouncing from foot to foot.
The jetta in question could politely be called blue. It had dark navy doors and one white fender. The trunk was an eye burning teal, and both bumpers were primer grey.
“Project car?” Shouto asked.
“Nope! I just like the way it looks,” Kirishima was a menace. That was the only explanation.
Midoriya hopped forward, “The sound only happens when its on-” fucking obviously “-and when its going faster than an idle.”
Amazing. Almost helpful. Shouto nodded and grabbed the keys out of Kirishima’s hand. He wanted to get this over with and go home. If Shinso was going to finish the brakes on his other project then he could go home after this.
“I’m going to pop the hood. If you need to leave just go tell Yamada at the front your phone number and we will call you before any parts are ordered and give you a cost estimate.”
Kirishima’s smile could put the sun to shame, “Sure that would be great I’ll be right back!”
Shouto opened the drivers door and physically recoiled. The entire inside of the car was different shades of red. For god’s sake the fucking seats had been spray painted, the vinyl showing through in places. Shouto slapped at the hood release and stepped back like he was diffusing a bomb.
Midoriya rubbed the back of his head, catching Shouto’s eye, “I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable Todoroki. Really. I know that other people aren’t as outgoing as I am and I promise there’s nothing weird going on I just want to be your friend but it’s okay if you don’t want to!”
Seriously did this kid not need oxygen?
Shouto sighed, “It has nothing to do with you. I just don’t like to burden myself with friends, or the expectations that come with them.” He walked around to the front of the car and heaved the hood up, shoving the very helpful 2x4 labeled “Hood Holder!” against the frame.
Midoriya sounded pained, “Friends shouldn’t have expectations. Then they’re not friends.”
Shouto was no longer listening. The serpentine belt was… no longer belt like in appearance. There was pieces of the belt fucking everywhere in the engine bay. There was even a piece draped limply over the windshield washer fluid reservoir. How the actual fuck did they do that?
“Hey! Hizashi has my number. Oh good you found the hood holder! See anything?” Kirishima came bounding over.
Shouto turned to him slowly, “Yeah. Do you?”
“Bro what is that! It’s all over my engine did I hit something??” Kirishima leaned his elbow on Midoriya and stared at the pieces of rubber belt.
“It’s your serpentine belt.”
“Oh like a snake?”
Please god. Smite me. Smite me now. Right now.
“I’m going to go ask Yamada to pull up the part number. If we have one in stock it’ll be a quick fix like, couple hours tops. If not then we should be able to get it in tomorrow.” Shouto turned back to the shop.
“That’s great man!”
They didn’t have one in stock because of course they didn’t. Shouto wanted to slam his head off the counter. Hizashi scooted the parts catalog in front of him like the shitty mind reader he was.
“I got it ordered! It should be in first thing in the morning and I’ll have Shouto give you a call as soon as it’s done. Do you boys have a ride?”
Midoriya was nodding so aggressively his hair was trembling, “Yeah we can call Kacchan! He should be able to pick us up and take us here in the morning no worries!”
Kirishima turned to Shouto and reached out, Shouto skittered backwards and Kirishima turned the reach into a large sweeping gesture, “Thank you so much bro! I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Shouto waved and then marched back over to his work bench. Hopefully he would fix the car, never ever have to see it again, and go back to ignoring those two in his classes.
“You should be nicer to your friends Shouto!” Hizashi came bounding over with a shit eating grin on his face.
“I don’t goddamn have friends and you know it.”
“Well then you should take this opportunity to make some!”
“Leave him alone ‘Zashi shit.” Aizawa leaned out of the back office, perpetually half empty coffee cup in hand.
Shouto gestured at Aizawa with a screwdriver, “Yes thank you. Leave me alone.”
“Aww but I can’t have both Sho’s being all antisocial! It upsets the balance of the shop. All of you are so grumpy and I’m not here all the time to even it out!”
Shinso snorted from where he was tightening the last lug nut down, “It’s a mechanic shop, not a fucking comedy club.”
Aizawa did a little cheers in the air towards Shinso. “Just finish that ugly ass jetta first thing in the morning and I’ll keep them off you.”
Shouto nodded and very seriously said, “You are the only man I respect.”
Shinso cackled while Hizashi made some very dramatic and offended noise. Shouto swiped his wallet, keys and phone off his bench and pushed out the back door.
Shouto loved all engines but he loved his car the most. She was a beautiful Evo VII and Shouto loved her more than anything else he owned. She was all metallic silver, with alternating red and blue rims. The spoiler was carbon fiber, and the interior was the original black leather. And Shouto had spent every spare minute and dollar on the engine.
It had a turbo back exhaust and tune. Upgraded air intakes, camshaft and gears. It was his pride and fucking joy.
Which is why he lost his shitting mind seeing Kirishima and Midoriya standing in front of it.
“What in the actual dog fucking shit are you two doing?”
Midoriya actually screamed and jumped. Kirishima just looked guilty.
“Sorry man, I didn’t know this was your car. We’re waiting on our ride and I saw her from the front and wanted a closer look.”
Shouto marched over and gestured between the other two, “We are not goddamn friends. Stay away from my car. When you pick up your car tomorrow I never, ever want to see the two of you ever again. Leave me alone.”
Loud brash laughter filled the parking lot. A tall blonde man with broad shoulders was laughing so hard he was bent at the waist.
Shouto bristled even further.
“Ah fuck you shitty morons never learn do you? At least i got some entertainment out of having to come pick you assholes up huh?” The stranger straightened up. “Now leave him the fuck alone before he refuses to fix that piece of shit jetta and I get stuck playing taxi for you two.”
Kirishima and Midoriya both muttered apologies under their breath and took off to the front lot.
“Names Bakugou. Those two bother you again and just shout at them,” Bakugou nodded at Shouto and spun on his heel.
Shouto could hear him berating the other two even as he climbed into his car.
Shouto did not have friends. He also did not come perioulously close to popping a fucking hard on for pretty blonde men either.
He did not.
Pretty blonde men that drive a 1990’s camaro that looks like shit but sounds like heaven
Fuck.
Shouto slammed the clutch to the floor and turned his key aggressively. Just go home. Go home and the day will be over.
Shouto made it half way home before remembering he had nothing in his fridge but beer and condiments. He swore and swerved into the grocery store parking lot.
Thirty minutes, one very chatty grandmother, and a frozen pizza later Shouto finally made it through his front door.
He preheated the oven on autopilot and then tripped over the screaming cat at his feet.
“Christ I know hold on.”
Airbox, named for the place Shouto had pulled him out of, screamed again and then turned to rake his claws down Shouto’s couch.
Right. Of course.
Shouto grabbed a beer and dumped Airbox’s wet food into his bowl. He leaned against the counter waiting for his oven to heat and tried to dissect exactly why he was hoping Bakugou would be the one to drop Kirishima off tomorrow.
Airbox took a swipe at his toes.
Fair enough cat, fair enough.