Illya (redperilatdawn) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-04-14 19:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, gaby teller, illya kuryakin |
Who: Illya Kuryakin & Gaby Teller-Mason
What: Illya's clutch needs replacing
When: 12th April
Where: Teller-Mason Auto Repair
Rating/Warnings: n/a
Status: Complete
Rental cars in the states were not made for high speed chases or sharp turns with rapid shifting of gears it would seem as this was not the first car that Illya had destroyed, but it was the one car he was attached to so rather than getting a new one he was taking it in for the clutch to be repaired or replaced. Whichever one came first.
He'd looked up a lot of different places but had settled on Teller-Mason Auto Repair as it seemed to have good reviews and there was something about the name that drew him to it. He'd driven the car into one of the waiting guest spots and stepped out, a quick glance around to affirm that it was just a normal garage and there was nothing to be concerned about, before once satisfied he headed inside.
"I am looking for a mechanic," he explained to a pair of legs sticking out from underneath a nearby car. "And I am not sure if you need me to go to the front desk or...?"
Gaby stopped where she was working on loosening the break line of the car she was under when she heard the sound of footsteps. Her eyebrow lifted when a rich, rumbling voice told her that he needed a mechanic, an accent that wasn’t difficult to place but was definitely out of the ordinary lilting along his words.
“Have you tried next door?” She asked, hand on the axel as she pushed herself out, the wheels of the creeper grumbling over the uneven concrete, her voice somewhere between patiently amused and sarcastic, though the little smirk on her lips was replaced with something else when she saw the tall man who was standing with his coat folded over his arm, a stern expression his face and extremely blue eyes. The quip died on her lips.
She wet her lower lip and pushed a strand of hair out of her face, leaving behind a small smear of oil over her temple. “I- Yes, I’ll take you to the front desk. I can see about getting you booked in.”
As the pair of legs revealed the woman that they were attached to Illya tipped his head and regarded her a little more closely. She was quite small in stature but it was evident by the tools in her hand and the smudges of grease and oil over skin and clothing that she was skilled in her area of expertise. Why else would she be under a car if not a trained mechanic?
"I was hoping to get this resolved today," he shared, eyes following the movement of her thumb and how it left behind a trace of oil on her temple. "I need the car to run... errands." Yes, errands, that was the word he chose in place of any other.
Illya was more than a little bothered by the sudden overwhelming desire he had to reach out and clean away the oil but he refrained.
Gaby's eyebrow remained raised. "Today?" She tilted her head, rubbing the side of her neck and standing up. He was a lot taller than she had thought he was when she had been lying down. "What happened to the car?"
She brushed her hands on her pant legs and tipped her head, indicating that he follow her out into the car park so that he could show her which car was his.
"I can't promise anything, it depends on how bad the damage is."
And she was a lot shorter than he had first thought now that she was stood beside him but she walked with purpose and confidence which more than offset the difference in their heights.
"I think I burned out the clutch," he shared as he led her over to the car, unlocking it and passing the keys over to her in case she needed them for any reason.
If she couldn't fix it then he would have to rent another and try to explain that to his superiors.
"You-" Gaby took the keys from him and scowled at the car as she unlocked it. "If you have managed to damage the clutch, I may not be able to fix it today; I would need parts and they may have to be ordered in."
She pulled open the driver's door and clicked her tongue, pulling the seat forward as she settled inside. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"
The Russian's lips pressed into a thin unimpressed line at the news that the car might not be repaired today and he'd need to source alternative transport until parts could arrive.
"I was heavy footed," he explained as he stretched up to rest his arm across the top of the car and leaned down to watch her behind the wheel of the car. "Forgot that it was a rental and I did not need to be so... firm with the pedal."
"And how long have you been driving the car?" Gaby asked, undeterred by the unimpressed look on the other man's face. "If you've damaged the clutch significantly enough that it's-" she pressed down on it, finding that there was no resistance at all, her eyes flicked up to him, "-quite badly damaged without me taking a better look, you must have been driving with a heavy foot for some time?"
A week? Not that Illya spoke that aloud, he knew better. "A few months." The lie was easy, rolled off his tongue as if it were the God's honest truth and there wasn't any hesitation. He offered a tight smile as he rapped his knuckled atop of the roof of the car.
Gaby leaned out of the car to look at him, expression calling bullshit even if she said nothing. "I need to get this into the shop to see how bad the damage is, but I don't think I will get it done for you today, the clutch," she pushed down on it, "is completely worn. I'll need to replace it."
Illya to his credit met that look with nothing short of blank indifference but then he had long ago learned to school his face into neutral expressions for the sake of keeping his thoughts to himself. The only obvious sign of when something bothered him was the occasional twitch in his jaw but thankfully nothing about this interaction had annoyed him so that tick was firmly at rest.
"How long will that take?" He asked.
"A couple of days," Gaby said honestly, "provided the damage is limited to just the clutch. I'll need to check. I would not want you driving something that was dangerous."
She glanced up at him and turned the engine off, climbing out of the car to stand in front of him. She considered him for a moment before she held out a hand. "Gaby Teller-Mason."
Would not be the first time. Illya eyed the hand that was being offered before he reached out, closing his much larger one around it until his grip had practically enveloped her own. "Illya Kuryakin." It would have been rude of him to not give his full name in response to her own.
"A few days you say? I suppose I can make do without."
Illya had very big hands, Gaby thought, as he shook her hand in his own. His handshake was warm and firm and she just lifted her chin to look up at him as he introduced himself in turn.
The handshake lingered a second too long and Gaby drew away quickly, tucking a few stray curling hairs behind her ear. "I think- yes, it shouldn't take too long. Do you want to come to reception and I'll take some details?"
Illya frowned a little as the handshake lingered and he felt a strange tingle in fingers and palm. That had honestly never happened to him before. It was odd but not unpleasant.
"Of course," he said after a moment before he gestured for her to lead the way. Partly because he needed the distance but mostly because it would give him a moment to observe her, to try and figure out why this small woman could make his skin tingle.
Gaby led the way to the reception desk, slipping confidently behind it and pulling out a form and a clipboard, twirling a pen between her fingers, spinning the clipboard and pushing it in Illya's direction.
"Could you fill that in for me, please?" she asked, accent catching on the edge of her words as she attached a paper tag to the set of keys that were still in her hand. "Make sure to put two contact numbers in and then I can give you an initial estimate, but there may be more work needed once I get a good look at her."
Illya stepped up to the reception desk to take the pen that was offered, gaze turning from Gaby to the form she was asking him to fill in. A brief flicker of a gaze lifted to catch her eyes for a moment as he caught the touch of a German accent before he scribbled down his details, including two phone numbers that she should be able to reach him on.
"Do you need anything else?"
Gaby wasn't looking at Illya directly anymore, rather out of the corner of her eye as she fussed about with some of the folders before she sat down heavily at her computer. "No," she said finally, considering his question for a moment, reaching out to take the clipboard back. "Once I have an idea of how much it'll cost, I will call."
"I will wait for your call then," Illya murmured as he nodded his head. Hopefully it would not take too long as he did not enjoy the thought of having to experience public transport. He barely could deal with humanity without being in such close proximity to them.
Gaby smiled and nodded her head, "I will call later, once I've had a look at the car in the shop, then I have a better idea of how badly damaged it has become in a couple of months." Her lips curled up into a small smile and she reached into her pocket to pull out her headband, slipping it on to keep her hair out of her face.
A short nod accompanied Illya's understanding of her words before a tight smile was given in response to the one being given to him. "Thank you." He tapped his knuckles against the desk before with one last lingering look he turned on his heel and began out.