Mechanics of the Heart

© 2013 ChicosTodos. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

If you are a minor, or if it is illegal for you to read material containing sexual activity between male adults, please refrain from reading any further.

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NOTE: this story is a sequel to "Roberto the Mechanic Stud".

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Worried awake. Even when Simon drifted to sleep, he dreamt he was worried awake.

The drunken, desperate blowjob he gave Jae felt surreal, so intense and short-lived it was. Completely in the dark, marked by filthy, shameful words...he'd fantasized about it many times, but what just happened wasn't in his head. It was on his lips, his tongue, on his fingers...the puffy glans oozing drops of pearly precum, the upward-bending shaft with one thick vein pulsing on the underside, and the semen, the fountain of ejaculate that spurt up and rained down in messy drops. Oh yes, it was all too real.

But, what happens next? How were they both going to deal with this? Or, were they just going to not own up to it, pretend it never happened, act like they didn't remember? Were they going to pretend like everything was cool, but never see each other again?

The black musician rummaged through possible wordings when they faced each other in the morning.

"Ugh...my head...what happened last night?"

"Uh, how did we get back here?"

"Shit...sorry, I gotta go."

His dreams were twisted possible scenarios: Nicole, one of Jae's roommates and Simon's friend, walking in on them sucking each other off, then joining in with her hairy vagina; getting pushed out of Jae's second-floor window when someone knocked in the morning, then seeing his former boss and object of affection Jesse in the backyard; eating breakfast at the kitchen table with Jae and his roommates Arthur and Julio, then suddenly starting a naked food fight.

The bed shifted and Simon jolted awake. It was full-on morning.

Standing beside the bed, arms stretched high into the air, Jae turned to look at Simon. His hair was a mop of messy bedhead, and his hands scratched at his chest and ribs.

They looked at each other, both on the verge of saying something, but waiting to see if the other would speak first.

Finally they both spoke up at the same time. Jae smirked and nodded for Simon to go first.

"Uhh..." he began. But he was too afraid of the possible consequences to continue.

"...never mind," he spat out. His temples were pounding and he laid back down.

"How'd you sleep?" Jae asked, yawning.

"Ugh..." Simon just wanted everything to stop, the pounding in his head, the questions in his head.

Jae chuckled. "Sounds like someone's got a hangover! I'm feeling pretty rough myself," he said, looking at Simon as if he hadn't a care in the world, like how he always seemed to be. "I'm taking a quick shower. Feel free to grab breakfast downstairs."

Before he turned around, he added with a grin, "Last night was awesome."

The statement gave Simon brief relief. So Jae liked it and he probably didn't regret it, the musician thought. He might even be down to do it again...though he stopped himself before his imagination went into overdrive.

Coming back to reality, Simon realized he felt a bit dirty and gross, and that he wanted to get the walk of shame over with ASAP. Yet, at the same time, he wanted to talk with Jae about last night. He wanted to know if it meant anything, if it was just a one-time thing, or if...

Then he wondered whether he was seriously going to get that real, that honest with Jae.

He shook his head and got up. What he needed was sleep, and orange juice. Everything else could wait; he was in no state to think things through clearly.

As he headed downstairs and walked past the kitchen, however, it seemed Nicole had other plans. She practically jumped out of her chair when she saw Simon, and exclaimed his name loudly.

"...hey Nicole," the musician responded, not looking forward to the cheery-faced interrogation to come.

With a curious arch on her eyebrow, Nicole asked, "Where did you come from?". Before he could answer, the drama teacher gasped.

"You slept in Jae's room!"

Simon stayed silent, caught out. His silence seemed to pump Nicole's eyes out of their socket.

"Did you...omigod, did you?" she whispered, her expression stretching long and wide.

Something buckled inside of Simon, like during the day before when he openly flirted with Jae in the athletic field. Normally so well put-together, so decent, Simon felt his inhibitions give away again.

"Yes, we did. We got drunk and hooked up," he said, looking straight at Nicole.

The drama teacher's already-bulging eyes widened yet some more. Then, a smarmy grin spread across her face.

"You have to tell me everything," she urged, pulling the musician down to sit. But Simon didn't budge.

"Nicole, I'm not going to tell you everything. I need to talk to Jae..." He shook his head. "...and I really need some sleep."

"Sleep here! There's room in Jae's bed," Nicole suggested with a wink. The musician groaned. "And then we can have a cute chat after."

Before Simon could protest, the Korean jock walked in, dressed in jeans & tanktop.

"Good morning, guys! Less talking, more eating!" he exclaimed, grinning wide.

Nicole's eyes shone with excitement. "Good morning, Jae!" she piped up in a sugary voice. "How did you sleep last night?"

"I slept great, thanks! How 'bout you?" He asked, opening the fridge. Before the drama teacher could answer, he continued, "Anybody want eggs for breakfast?"

Simon was on a roll of confidence and he didn't want to lose the momentum. "Jae, can we talk?"

The hunk didn't miss a step, grabbing the carton of eggs and shutting the fridge door. "Of course, man. How do you like your eggs?"

Simon couldn't care less about eggs then. He cast his eyes on Nicole. When the still-smiling drama teacher didn't budge, Simon asked, "Nicole, can you give us a minute?"

"Of course," she replied, smiling and batting her eyes as she walked out of the kitchen.

Jae was busying grabbing cooking oil and a frying pan. Simon asked, "Can you come sit down for a sec?"

"All right."

When Jae sat down across the small kitchen table from the musician, Simon began.

"Last night...last night was awesome," he said, looking at his hands resting on the table.

"It sure was," Jae reaffirmed with a wide grin.

"It was something I'd wanted to do for a long time." Simon paused, meeting the Korean's eyes. "So, thank you."

The young jock raised his eyebrows and said, "My pleasure! Shit man, it was wild." He looked at Simon, remembering the way he worked his cock. The musician could see a flicker of lust in those pupils.

Simon chuckled, relaxing slightly. "Well...what I wanted to talk to you about was..." Big breath. "Well, what that was. What we did...Like, what does it mean? And, uh..."

He sought the words while Jae waited.

Finally, Simon asked, "What now?"

"Dude..." For the first time since Simon met the Korean hunk, Jae actually appeared a bit bothered, fidgeting around in the chair.

"Can we do that again sometime?" he asked out of nowhere, leaning in. His innocent tone was more in line with a boy asking for more candy. Maybe that wasn't too far from the truth.

The musician was surprised. "Oh. You'd be up for that?"

"Ooh yeah," Jae replied with a whistle.

Simon continued, "And we would be, like..."

"Like?" Jae repeated. Their eyes were locked.

Right in the thick of it, Simon was losing his steam. The thought of backing out and mumbling something incoherent crossed his mind, but he brushed it away and jumped off the edge.

"What would be our relationship?" he blurted out.

Jae looked down and scratched the back of his head, looking fully uncomfortable.

"Simon, dude..."

He stayed staring at the table for a few seconds, then looked up and away from Simon's eyes.

"Last night was so awesome," he remarked, talking with his hands. "The jokes, the drinks, your impressions...shit, we gotta go to open mic night on campus, seriously..."

Simon waited silently. Jae looked at him and braced himself.

"I just want things to be like last night, y'know? We can hang out, get a litte crazy, and have fun once in a while."

Simon sat back. "Oh," he repeated.

They sat in silence. At one point, Jae looked as if he wanted to ask Simon something, but he never did.

Finally, he got up and went back to the cooking oil and frying pan by the stove. "I'm starving," he muttered. He took out two eggs for himself, and two eggs for Simon.

"How do you like your eggs?" he asked, turning around. He saw Simon walking out the front door.

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Two weeks later, on a humid summer Friday, Danny groaned as he clutched his work bag and pushed into the cramped bus after work.

He couldn't drive anymore. It'd been a week since his mother made Danny do his own laundry and make his own meals, and forbade him from taking the car. For him, the worst part wasn't the stripping away of privileges he took for granted; it was the loss of free time he used to have after work.

He started complaining to Roberto that "growing up sucks", earning him a chuckle and a pat from his older partner. At least he had as great a cook as the mechanic to show him the ropes in the kitchen, to email him easy and healthy recipes to start with.

The bus made an abrupt stop; all the standing passengers threatened to topple over. Pushed tightly against the window, Danny closed his eyes and focused on Roberto, his safe haven from everything else. As much as he lived for the passionate, dirty, potty-mouthed sex with his virile stud, he enjoyed the calm, blissful afterglow just as much, if not more.

Leaning on the mechanic's furry pecs, rising and falling after a vigorous fucking, tonguing a dark, fat nipple, taking in Roberto's manly scent...that was it. Life was so simple, so wonderful during those moments.

It was a world away from how things were at home. Tension was at a constant high, not only between Danny and his mom, who were no longer on speaking terms, but also between his parents. Pierre thought that Maggie was overreacting, and they had a few heated conversations about their son's choices.

Danny wondered how much longer he could tolerate the hostile atmosphere, which manifested so suddenly and uncomfortably after years of relative peace and quiet on the home front. It had gotten to the point where the office was becoming less stressful that his home. He wondered if thing would ever change; if, one day, his mom would ever accept Roberto as his partner.

Thinking about Roberto made Danny smile again. He was on his way to the sports bar that the mechanic and Fred began frequenting lately. It would be Danny's first time seeing Fred outside of work, as well as two other mechanics. He was happy to spend time away from home, but he was also somewhat nervous about meeting the guys from Roberto's work.

His thoughts drifted back to that winter day, months ago; he'd always remember the day he first talked with Roberto. How he disliked the auto shop then; it made him feel dumb and wimpy. Now, it was a symbol of his lover, a natural extension of who he was, in addition to the gym.

As Danny pushed his way out of the bus, into the humid summer city night, he felt the same nerves jumping in his belly. He wondered if everyone at the garage thought he was a sissy, that he was just Roberto's bitch. A sense of déjà vu set in; he experienced the same apprehension as that fateful day he took the Civic to the auto shop.

But it's not the same, he told himself, texting his boyfriend to tell him he was almost there. This time, Roberto was on his side. Whatever happened, the mechanic would have his back. Or, at least he'd make sure it would be him and only him who would push Danny's buttons and embarrass him.

Besides, he continued thinking, how badly could things turn out tonight? Fred seemed to be a cool guy, and the two other mechanics probably wouldn't dare to say anything that would piss their boss off. He tried convincing himself that he was overthinking.

Arriving at the front door of the sports bar, Danny heard a steady stream of chatter and laughter coming from the crowded patio. He pushed open the door and went inside.

It was just as busy inside. The copywriter stood and looked around, a bit disoriented by all the noise and the servers running around. And then he saw an arm shoot up out of the sea of bodies and tables, waving in a slow, steady motion.

Through the crowd, Danny saw Roberto's deep-set, brown eyes, and he smiled.

The mood was chatty at the table for six. Everyone was starting their second bottle of beer, save Roberto, who was drinking wine. In the middle of the table were two baskets of nachos and wings that everyone was working on, save Roberto.

Sitting beside the head technician was Fred, who wiped his hands on the napkin and smiled warmly when Danny got to the table. "Hey buddy!" he cheered, patting the copywriter's shoulder. "How are ya, Danny?"

At once the brunet felt more at ease. "I'm good, Fred. How are you?"

"I'm doing great, man! Got a moment to relax, shoot the shit before going back to my ladies." He looked over at the two mechanics, "Danny, this is Mohammad and Ignacio, two of our guys."

The two mechanics nodded and said hello, then turned back to the giant TV screen behind the bar playing a baseball game, discussing the players.

"You hungry?" Fred asked as Danny sat down across from him. The latter nodded. "Have some nachos and wings," the office manager offered, pointing to the baskets. "Or, are you on the same insane diet as this stud over here?" he asked, elbowing Roberto.

Since Danny arrived at the table, he'd noticed that his partner was deep in conversation with an unknown, not-yet-introduced woman at the table. Sitting across from Roberto in skinny jeans and a chic sleeveless button shirt, she had piercing eyes, high cheekbones, long black straight hair, and an intense air about her. From the way she was talking with Roberto, it seemed they know each other well.

"You jealous of my abs again, man?" the mechanic retorted without missing a beat.

Under the table, Danny felt something brush and slide up his inner thigh. He squirmed and giggled, watching Roberto's sexy wink above the table. Guess that'll do for hello and a hug, Danny thought.

Fred scooped up a tortilla chip loaded with cheese and ground beef. "The only six-pack I care about is one I can drink." He popped the nacho into his mouth with a satisfied smirk.

As Roberto placed a buffalo wing on Danny's plate, the copywriter smiled and glanced quickly at the woman, expecting an introduction.

"How was work, baby?" the mechanic asked. Danny could feel the striking stranger sizing him up.

"Good. My boss likes my copy so far, so that's a relief," he replied, darting his eyes quickly to the woman, then back at Roberto.

Roberto was seemingly oblivious. "You staying over tonight?"

Gritting his teeth, his boyfriend answered, "Yeah." He took a bite of the chicken wing.

"Good." Roberto smiled. "I need to tell you something."

"That's great." Danny couldn't take it anymore. He turned to the woman and said, "Hi, I'm Danny, Roberto's boyfriend."

"Nadia," she responded with a slight smile. The rest of her body was immobile. Danny noticed there was a motorcycle jacket hanging on the back of her chair.

"So Bullet got cancelled?" Roberto asked, turning back to Nadia, seemingly continuing on the prior conversation.

"Yeah. I had a bad feeling. It's been years since I've been to a street event, but I got a bad vibe right away. It was too big, too many people knew about it...I think one of the new racers could be a mole."

The mechanic shook his head. "Everyone must be pissed. That was, what, a few grand?"

Danny blinked blankly. He felt strangely detached from his man.

"Hey Danny, you like baseball?"

Fred was waiting for his response with a smile.

"Umm, well, I don't really follow it..."

There was a tinge of disappointment in the office manager's face. "Oh. Well, I thought maybe you and Rob would be interested in joining me and my wife for the game next Thursday."

"Oh yeah?"

"We won free tickets from Jen's annual bakeoff."

At that moment, seized with insecurity beside this unknown woman who knew his man very well, Danny was eager to take any opportunity that ensured Roberto would be by his side.

"Yeah, of course we'll come," the copywriter replied.

Fred broke into a genuinely bright smile. "Awesome. Can't wait to hear all about Roberto's weak spots."

The mechanic gave a side-eye to his best friend, but then quickly returned to the insider conversation he was carrying with Nadia.

Sensing Danny's unease, Fred continued talking to him.

"Danny, can I ask you something?"

Frankly, Danny was glad for the distraction that Fred provided. "Sure."

"Now, I've already heard from big stud over here how you two met, but, I wanna get your perspective." He leaned in with a devilish glint in his eyes. "How did it happen? Was he all shirtless and greased up?"

"Pretty much!" Danny blurted, then burst into laughter.

They quickly developed an easy and pleasant rapport, which delighted and temporarily distracted Danny. It wasn't too long, though, before the young man shot a quick glance at the icy woman who seemed to have Roberto ensnared. Looking back to Fred, the office manager shrugged, implying he knew nothing about Nadia either.

Who could this enigmatic female be? What kind of relationship did she have with his boyfriend? And why hasn't Roberto mentioned Nadia once?

The copywriter thought for a while. He realized Roberto probably hid lots of secrets. A sliver of worry chilled his back; there was still so much he didn't know about the love of his life. And what hurt was that Roberto seemingly wanted to keep things that way.

Bar night went on and the vibe remained the same: Fred kept involving Danny in conversation; Mohammad and Ignacio talked with Fred but didn't say much to Danny; Roberto was completely absorbed in talking with Nadia, save a footsie or a wink to his boyfriend randomly. A few times, Danny tried to get into their exchange, but he wasn't privy to their references, and Roberto didn't offer to explain any of them.

After what seemed like an eternity, the conversation between those two died down. Nadia stood up and grabbed her sleek motorcycle jacket. Roberto got up as well, and quickly asked Danny, "Ready to go, baby?"

His boyfriend was caught off guard. "Uh...yeah, sure."

Seeing the commotion, Fred spoke up as well. "You two taking off? Hey, Danny, don't forget about the game!"

Danny smiled and waved goodbye. "Looking forward to it!" He followed Roberto and Nadia out the sports bar.

Once outside, Nadia looked around in an aloof manner, before turning to the mechanic.

"Will I see you at Bullet?" she asked.

Roberto half-sighed, half-chuckled, looking down, searching for the right words.

Finally, he looked up and said, "Not this time."

For the first time that evening, Nadia's glacial face broke into a grin.

"It was good running into you," the mechanic offered.

Shooting a glance at Danny, who was suprised to make eye contact, Nadia looked back at the mechanic and said, "You've changed."

Before she turned around and walked off, the slim, leggy woman from Roberto's past had one more thing to say.