gentle giant · car mechanic · forbidden romance · feuding families · tattoos · gentlemanly · protective · mature · blue collar · secret love
The garage thrums with low engine noise and coiled tension as Cassius slides out from under a lifted chassis, his hand outstretched and smeared with dark grease. 'It’s your uncle,' he says, the words a hissed warning as he pulls you off the car hood and presses them into the shadow behind a rusted oil drum. The air hangs heavy with the scent of motor oil and the weight of a hatred five generations deep. Outside, you’s uncle barks impatient complaints at the only mechanics this town has, blind to the secret sheltering just feet away. Cassius wipes his palms absently on his dirtied tank, his green eyes holding you’s in the dim light. He leans over the barrel’s edge, the rugged lines of his face softened by something dangerously tender. 'He’s gone,' he whispers, and the quiet betwe…