Cold Comfort

Description: Kyungsoo's waiting for a possible customer on the stormy night but doesn't expect this encounter to leave him hoping for another chance to meet. 

Author's notes: Writing this was a bit diffult but I guess the result was worth it.

The sky gives a hint of the approaching storm. There’s this weird smell, weird but nice, and this stillness in the atmosphere. The soil seems to be anticipating the expected downpour, waiting for it with a smile. Earth doesn’t smile, but with that keen eye it is possible to see it. But one has to have that keen eye in the first place and that is often very rare. Incredibly rare let’s say.

Kyungsoo has it though. He’s very observant.

And in such an evening that the sky is giving hints of the approaching storm, Kyungsoo is waiting for a customer. There will be many – there are many third class cars that break down in the middle of the way or slip through the slippery road. He knows he might get one, even if it’s just one, but a customer. Or he will have to spend another night at the garage; alone while just watching the rain shower with his cup of chamomile tea.

So his brother Joonmyun leaves him with a big warm hug when they were closing the garage after eight at night. He’s a big hugger, and even though Kyungsoo always pretends that it’s annoying and makes faces, he actually liked it whenever his eldest brother hugs him. Jongin, the youngest of the three, back hugs him next. Kyungsoo felt his body shake and so he guessed that Jongin was laughing. Kyungsoo turned around and saw Baekhyun, their worker make jokes which is why his little brother always cracked up. Kyungsoo also pretended to hate Baekhyun, but actually he really likes him. And this is how the four end this day at work. Joonmyun will go home and rest, Jongin and Baekhyun will go to some cheap restaurant and enjoy some beef soup. And Kyungsoo will stay back at the garage to guard it (although he knows it’s just for possible customers).

It’s at eleven, when he’s watching a variety show which makes him feel less lonely, that when he sees the flashlights inside the place. He quickly hurries to the shutter and sees a car parked in the way. Kyungsoo walks around it, judging what’s wrong and bumps into someone.

“Oh!” a girl, short – wet – and in a hurry squeals “I thought it was closed.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head and walks back in.

He waits and it was over a minute and she still didn’t come in. Kyungsoo had to go out again and she stands there, hugging herself from the cold. He raises a brow, shrugging.

“I…I thought you really were closed and that’s why you walked back in. Are you open for work?” she asks.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and nods, pointing for her to come in and this time she follows.

“My car broke down in the way. I had to push it but thankfully your garage wasn’t that far.” She talks, still hugging herself and wet.

Kyungsoo walks to the car again, stretching his hand out for keys. She gives him without hesitation and he tries to ignite it. The car roars making a sound as if a really old man is coughing real bad. He ignites it again, pressing the brakes and the car jerks, and dead. It doesn’t power up again no matter how hard he tries to start it up.

Kyungsoo understands what’s wrong, but he also doesn’t. The expert mechanic, or call him the ‘real’ mechanic of them was Joonmyun. Kyungsoo was just training, and Jongin was basically only fooling around the shop. Baekhyun was a chore boy.

Kyungsoo rubs his chin in thought, trying to scan through the open place for something helpful. He finds an engine to the left, one they always use to power up whenever a vehicle was down.

He tries to do it alone but fails, so he gestures the girl to help him push it. She didn’t understand it at first, raising a brow. Kyungsoo moves his arms forward to indicate pushing and she still doesn’t get it. Kyungsoo makes an annoyed expression and does it aggressively, pointing to the car and then acting to push it. She finally nods.

“Ah…you want me to push it!” she grins, rushing towards him and he goes to the other side.

They push it, both groaning and he thinks he saw her slip once. Finally the car is inside, right next to the giant engine and Kyungsoo does his work – fixing all these wires and cables around the open bonnet.

Meanwhile the girl takes a walk around. What could possibly be interesting in a garage? Thinks Kyungsoo. But she is impressed as she strolls through, touching everything she sees. He sees her hands covered with mud and something black, and she’s still wet. Kyungsoo thinks of handing her a towel, but then again every towel in this place is dirty and smells of sweat, so he just gives up the thought.

She finds something for herself instead, a cloth – ragged (and dirty) and covered with black motor oil however she uses it to wipe her hands and clean her face and dry her hair. Kyungsoo cringes. Why doesn’t she just use her shirt? He thinks, because he does that so. Just wipe your hands on your sleeves and done. But that’s because it’s his blue jumper for work and when he realizes this he face palms himself.

When she’s finished she looks over at him with hopeful eyes, and he shakes his head. Even with the engine, the car isn’t starting up. Until his twelfth try and the car jerks forward and starts up and just then–

The sky thundered. There was lightening.

The power went off. The electricity shut down. The whole street was dark and silent and the other shop workers and owners were coming out to check what happened. What could have happened? The power house shut off ofcourse what else.

In another minute he hears slow and stuttering steps. It’s stark dark inside the garage, nothing save for what little light was coming out of the lamp nearby. There was a little lamp used for going under cars to see better, and it was still switched on, and Kyungsoo knew it was Baekhyun’s work and he forgot to do it. Well at least it came in handy now. Kyungsoo tried to go near the noise, he had almost forgotten about the girl.

He feels warmth from his right side, and feels somebody just pass by, but it’s so dark he can see nothing. Just to make sure, Kyungsoo reaches out and holds something soft and it’s her arm and she screams and he lets go. The scream is so high pitched that his heart is hammering. It’s silent for a few moments and he can only hear their rapid breaths.

“I-I’m sorry…it’s just you scared me. It is you right? The mechanic? The one with big eyes?” she still sounded scared.

No it’s the monster that hides under in your cupboard.

That’s what he wanted to say. Kyungsoo just rolled his eyes and started walking back to the light of the lamp.

Scaredy little cat.

Also what he wanted to say.

He goes over and lifts the shutter and now there’s better light  by the source of all other handy light supplies the other shops had lit up. He scans th