Connor stirred, blinking against the morning light streaming through his window. His body felt… different, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. A strange, tingling warmth filled his muscles, and as he sat up, he realized he felt unusually alert. Stretching his arms above his head, he noted how his shoulders and biceps flexed easily, almost eagerly. It was as if his body had been ready to wake up hours ago.
As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, he noticed a faint buzzing at the edge of his senses, a hum he didn’t recognize. He paused, concentrating, and picked out the distant creak of floorboards downstairs, his parents’ soft voices, and even the low rumble of a car engine passing by outside. His hearing had never been this sharp before…
Rubbing his ears, he got up and glanced into the mirror across the room. His usually lean torso showed the faint outline of muscle along his shoulders and chest, a bit of definition that hadn’t been there yesterday. Cautiously, he ran a hand over his left arm, noticing a bit of firmness. Something had definitely changed… but was it a bad thing?
Shrugging it off, Connor headed to the bathroom, catching a whiff of pine and earth drifting in from his open window. The scent was sharp and fresh, like he was deep in a forest rather than his bedroom, and he found himself pausing to breathe it in, a surprising calm settling over him. Even the taste that lingered in his mouth—a subtle earthy flavor—was stronger today, surprisingly pleasant.
He felt good…really good…
As he stepped out of his bathroom, the smell of breakfast suddenly hit him like a tidal wave. His stomach growled in response as the delicious aroma fused into something both mouth-watering and overwhelming. Guess he needed more food than usual to make up for all that extra energy he had this morning. As he made his way downstairs, he rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, greeted by the familiar sight of his parents preparing breakfast.
“Morning Connor,” his mom greeted, looking over her shoulder as she continued preparing eggs. “You’re looking rather bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.”
“Yeah, I, uh…slept pretty well actually,” Connor replied, taking his seat at the table. He was grateful to see that either his mom or dad had prepared a cup of coffee for him. He grabbed the mug and took a sip, letting himself savor the smell and taste. “Guess I’m just excited to go to work this morning.”
“You? Excited for work?” his dad asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice. “Can’t say that was something I was expecting to hear this morning. Sounds like this Logan left quite the impression on you.”
Connor quietly thought to himself for a moment, looking back on the events of the day prior. He couldn’t stop his cock from twitching slightly upon remembering the feeling of Logan’s rough hands on his shoulder, instilling him with a confidence he’d never known he had.
“Yeah…I suppose he did…”
- - - - - -
At 8:30, Connor parked his dad’s truck in the gravel parking lot outside of Logan’s shop much like he’d done the day prior. He felt both a mix of nerves and excitement as he turned the car off and opened the door to step out. It was one thing to swing by and check the place out the day prior, but showing up the next day for his first day on the job felt completely different. Taking a deep breath, Connor hopped out of the truck and made his way toward the open garage doors.
The shop was slowly beginning to hum with life once more, with a car already raised on the lift, just slightly off the ground. Logan was crouched down in front of the car’s front left tire, undoing the lug nuts with a wrench. He looked up as Connor stepped in, flashing a welcoming grin that settled the young man’s nerves a bit.
“Connor, good to see you!” Logan said, standing up and making his way toward the young man. “I know I told you yesterday that we opened at 9 AM, but the boys and I couldn’t help but get started a bit early. “Speaking of which, let’s get you introduced to everyone. We’re a small team, but we get things done.”
He motioned to a pair of legs sticking out from under the front of the car. “That’s Micah there, our resident speed freak,” Logan said. Upon hearing their name, the person slid out from under the car, revealing a younger man wearing a grease-stained hoodie with the sleeves pushed up, showing off his tattooed forearms. His curly blond hair was a mess underneath a backward baseball cap, and there was a bit of a lively glint in his sharp blue eyes. He didn’t look to be more than 25 years old or so.
Micah stood up and flashed Connor a mischievous grin. “So you’re the new recruit, huh?” he said, making his way over to the pair. “Nice to meet ya! Logan’s been yappin’ about you all morning! You work with cars before?”
“No, not much,” Connor admitted. “But I’m always ready to learn.”
“That’s what I like to hear!” Micah said, giving him a friendly clap on the shoulder. “Stick with me, and I’ll show you the ropes when Logan can’t. You’ll be a master of the craft in no time!”
Logan chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Micah’s a good teacher, but he’s definitely a yapper. Don’t let him talk you into one of his street races, you hear?” The man proceeded to guide Connor toward the back near the tool racks, where another mechanic stood organizing a set of tools. He was tall, muscular, and broad-shouldered, with neatly trimmed dark hair. Upon hearing someone approaching, he turned around to face Logan and Connor, revealing his squared jaw and full goatee. Despite his large, fairly intimidating build, the man had a rather calm demeanor.
“This here’s Eric,” Logan said, gesturing toward the large man. “He’s the guy who keeps us on schedule, handles all the big-ticket repairs, and will absolutely notice if you don’t put your tools back where they belong.”
Eric looked Connor up and down before giving a short nod and a faint smile. “Glad to have you with us, Connor,” he said in a deep voice. “Just follow instructions, and we’re sure to get along fine.”
“And finally,” Logan continued, leading Connor toward the back of the shop, “this is Zack.” Standing over a workbench, Zack looked up from the spark plugs he was cleaning, the grin on his face widening as he saw Connor. The young man was tall and lean, with chestnut-colored hair that fell messily over his forehead. His hazel eyes held a spark in them, one that was all too familiar.
“Zack?” Connor asked, blinking. “Zack Summers?”
“That’s me,” Zack laughed, folding his arms over his chest. “Good to see you again Connor. Haven’t seen you since senior year of high school. Heard you went off to college like the others. Me though? I decided to take up mechanics instead. Looks like you had a similar idea.”
“Yeah, I guess I did,” Connor replied with a chuckle. “It’s been so long dude. We’ve gotta catch up sometime.”
“Well I can’t say I expected you to know someone already, but I’m certainly not complaining,” Logan said with a chuckle. “Zack here’s our jack of all trades. He does a little bit of everything一keeps things organized, restocks the parts, anything. He’s got the sharpest eye in this shop, and he’ll probably be the first to spot if something’s gone wrong.”
Zack shrugged, looking modest. “Well, someone has to make sure Micah doesn’t blow anything up.”
“Ha ha, very funny,” Micah rolled his eyes before ducking back under the car. Connor could’ve sworn he heard him mutter something about “one carburetor” and “never going to live it down”.
That little exchange made Connor relax more. Each one of them was comfortable and skilled in their work. They had a strong camaraderie一a solid, close-knit energy一that reminded Connor of a family. It made him feel strangely eager and a bit anxious to get working. But before he could move toward one of the car Micah was working on, Zack stopped him.
“I like your enthusiasm, but you gotta put on some coveralls first,” Zack said with a grin. “Not all of us have clothes we’re willing to get some grease on like Micah.”
“Oh, right,” Connor replied sheepishly. “Let me go and change into a pair.”
“I put out a pair for you on one of the coat racks in the break room,” Logan said, nodding toward a door in the back corner. “Go ahead and see if those fit better than they did yesterday.”
Connor nodded and made his way toward the door, opening it and stepping inside. The room on the other side was modestly sized, containing a small kitchenette, a pair of vending machines, a decently sized table, a row of lockers, and a small TV mounted on the wall. Just to his right, Connor could see another door with a coat hanger mounted to the wall next to it, holding a few coats and a pair of coveralls.
He walked over to the coat hanger and pulled the coveralls off before opening the door next to him. As he suspected, it was a small bathroom that he could change in. Slipping inside, Connor turned on the lights and locked the door before taking a second to examine his coveralls. They looked like the ones he’d worn yesterday when working with Logan.
Shrugging, Connor stripped down and slipped his legs into the coveralls. As he began to pull them up, he noticed that something felt…different. The fabric clung snugly to his body, feeling a bit tighter than the day before. Connor grimaced slightly as he pulled on the sleeves, trying to find a bit more room, but no amount of adjusting seemed to help. That was odd…he was certain these were the same ones from yesterday, so why were they suddenly so tight on him?
A knock on the door quickly snapped him out of his thoughts. “How ya doin’ in there, Connor?” Micah’s voice called from the other side. “Boss man wanted me to make sure everything was okay.”
“I’ll be out in a second!” Connor called back, zipping up his coveralls. He squirmed a bit as the tight fabric enveloped his body, though he had to admit…this felt kinda nice. Picking up the rest of his clothes, Connor unlocked the door and stepped out into the break room, where Micah was waiting for him. He smirked a bit as he saw Connor fidget a bit.
“Looks like it’s nice and snug,” he said, looking the younger man up and down. “Really brings out your form.”
Connor chuckled slightly, his face turning a bit red from the unexpected compliment. Returning to the garage with Micah, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him, but their expressions were more amused than judgemental. Logan, crossing his arms, looked Connor up and down as he approached, a grin appearing on his face. “Looks like you’ll be needing a bigger set soon if you keep growing like that,” he remarked.
Before Connor could respond to Logan’s odd choice of words, Micah tossed him a pair of gloves. “Alright, let’s get to work. Ever changed an air filter?”
Connor shook his head, grateful for the sudden distraction. “Nope, but I’m ready to learn.”
Logan took Connor through the steps, his instructions clear and patient as he let Connor do most of the work. Micah added some tips, tossing in a joke here and there to lighten the mood. The longer Connor worked, the more he found himself getting into the rhythm, his movements steady as if he’d been doing this for months.
When they’d finished, Logan gave Connor an approving nod. “Solid work, Connor. Keep it up, and you’ll be running the place in no time.”
“I’d hope so,” Eric chimed in as he strolled over, clipboard in hand. “Maybe then I won’t have to worry about our shipments being ordered at the last minute.” He let out a hearty chuckle as Logan rolled his eyes, smirking. “Anyways, I’m going to be showing you the inventory system. It’s pretty easy to get lost if you don’t know where to look.”
Connor felt himself relax further as he followed Eric, the warmth in his muscles slowly returning. At one point while Eric was speaking, Connor reached for another rag to clean his hands of grease. As he did so, he couldn’t help but notice how sharp and clear everything seemed to be一the scent of motor oil, the soft hum of the tools, and the steady chatter of the team. Something was definitely changing, but that was something he’d worry about later.
As the day progressed, Connor found himself settling into the rhythm of the shop. He couldn’t help but shake this strange sense of familiarity with the rest of the crew. Sure, he knew Zack from high school and he’d met Logan the day prior, but there was something about each of them that seemed instinctively…right.
As Eric continued showing him around the back storage area, Connor caught a whiff of something that stood out above the smells of motor oil, grease, and masculinity一a sharp scent of pine and earth that felt oddly comforting. He knew that the woods were just behind the shop, but the smell seemed to permeate every part of the shop.
“Alright,” Eric said, interrupting his thoughts as he handed Connor a small clipboard. “You’ll help me restock a few things now and then, but mostly, it’s about knowing where everything is. You can’t have a tool missing when you’re in the middle of a job, right?” He smiled, but there was something almost wolfish in the way his eyes glinted.
Connor nodded, finding himself staring just a moment too long. “Yeah, of course… makes sense.”
When they eventually returned to the main floor, Micah waved him over. He was leaning against a tool cart not far from a car he’d been working on for the past hour or so. “Gotta admit, Logan’s got an eye for new hires. Not everyone can keep up with us.”
Connor let out a short laugh. “Oh really? I mean, it’s just car repairs…right?”
Micah raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “You’d be surprised,” he said. “This place isn’t for everyone. Logan likes to keep things…close, y’know?”
Logan, overhearing this, grinned as he strolled by. “We’re a tight pack here,” the man said. “Always got each other’s backs.” He clapped Connor on the shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. Connor felt his face flush as his legs suddenly felt weak. Whether he was aware of it or not, Logan definitely knew how to push all of his buttons.
Zack grabbed an oily rag to wipe his hands before chiming in. “Yeah man, we take care of our own. Especially those who fit in so well.”
Connor was about to ask what they meant, but something in their expressions stopped him. They were all gazing at him with an intensity that he couldn’t quite name, as if there was some unspoken bond between all of them that he hadn’t quite earned.
As the day wore on, the warmth in his muscles continued to grow, seemingly blending with the unexplained energy he had woken up with. Every scent, sound, and sight felt sharper, more potent, as if his senses were enhanced.
When the work day ended, Logan tossed a pair of keys from his pocket, which Connor quickly caught. “Well, given your performance today, I’d say that you’re a more than capable addition to our little family,” he said, a sly grin on his face. “You ready to run with us, Connor?”
Connor blinked, caught off guard by the choice of words. Logan’s eyes gleamed in a way that made the hair on his arms stand up. Was it just his imagination, or had he actually heard a low, throaty growl when Logan spoke?
But before he could ask, Zack clapped him on the back with a chuckle. “Oh, he’ll fit in just fine. Trust me.”
And as they all headed to the break room in the back of the shop, Connor couldn’t help but shake this feeling that he’d signed on for more than just a job.