Crestwood Motorsport Club was a sprawling building, with a massive garage that smelled like metal, grease, and gasoline.
It was only two miles away from the enormous racing circuit, and Quinn could feel the excitement in his bones as soon as he stepped through the doors.
The sound of heavy metal blasted from the speakers, mingling with the occasional burst of laughter, the chatter of people working on cars, and the unmistakable hum of engines being tuned.
Quinn felt like he was in heaven.
He wandered deeper into the space, looking around at the sleek cars in various states of disassembly. There was a set of legs sticking out from under a car, and a girl with dark short hair in a black tank top and joggers rolled out from beneath the vehicle, her hands streaked with oil. She glanced up at Quinn, then straightened, flashing him a bright smile.
"Hey, it's the new guy," she said, her gaze scanning him from head to toe with open interest. She wasn't subtle about it, and Quinn felt a brief flush of warmth creeping up his neck.
"Hey, I'm Penelope but you can call me Penny," she added, offering her hand.
Quinn smiled back, accepting her handshake, his grip firm. "I'm Quinn, but I'm sure you already know that."
Just as he finished speaking, a loud voice interrupted. "Bloody hell! It's Seb's brother!"
A guy with chestnut hair and hazel eyes sprang off the roof of a nearby car and practically jogged over to Quinn with a slice of pizza in his hand. He came to a stop right in front of him, his eyes wide with enthusiasm, but Quinn just stared at him blankly, a little taken aback.
"It's Quinn," he corrected dryly, raising an eyebrow at the guy's starry-eyed expression.
The guy grinned, unfazed. "You're ethereal, man! Oh my goodness, where has that asshole been hiding you?" He chuckled, obviously delighted with himself, and Quinn blinked, unsure of how to take the compliment or whatever it was.
"I'm Hunter," the guy said, still grinning as he took a big bite of pizza, crumbs falling from his mouth. "And that's Nikolai, our club president and head mechanic." He pointed a greasy finger toward the legs sticking out from under the car.
Quinn's body stiffened. He should've expected this.
The owner of the legs, apparently Nikolai, pushed himself out from under the car and rose to his full height, towering over Quinn with broad shoulders and a physique that was clearly well-toned.
Oil stains marked his face and hands, and his icy blue eyes were as deep as the ocean, almost too intense to look at. His golden curls were slightly messy, and as he walked toward Quinn, a relaxed grin spread across his face.
"Hi, Quinn. Welcome to the club." Nikolai's voice was warm, friendly, but Quinn couldn't help the way his heart skipped a beat.
"Thank you, Niko," Quinn murmured, quickly looking away, suddenly aware of how his heart was racing not from excitement, but from something far more complicated.
Nikolai wiped his hands on a towel, clearly unfazed by Quinn's discomfort.
"Seb is out at the circuit with the other drivers, which means all four of us are free to do our 'no drivers in' meeting until they get back," he announced, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"Thank fuck. My pizza is safe," Hunter laughed, grabbing the pizza box off the car and heading back toward Niko and the others.
Penny rolled her eyes at Hunter, clearly used to his antics. "Go on, Niko,"
"Yeah, go on," Quinn set his backpack down beside one of the pillars.
Niko watched him with that quiet, unreadable focus he'd always had like he was studying him, memorizing him before finally speaking.
"Alright," he clapped his hands once. "We're all engineers here. Quinn, you're the only first-year in the club, but don't let that scare you. We're a family. We help each other, we learn together, we grow together. So don't be afraid to ask for help. Got it?"
"Yeah, Niko." Quinn gave him a small smile. "Thank you."
"Welcome to the team, man." Hunter slapped Quinn's shoulder, nearly knocking him a step forward, then hopped right back onto another car hood to continue inhaling his pizza.
"No... no, get off that car!" Penny barked, storming toward him.
Hunter shrieked and jumped off immediately, Penny chasing him around the hood while he shielded himself with the pizza box like a mischievous toddler.
Quinn couldn't help it. He smiled at the sight.
"So," Niko said, stepping closer, a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. "You're finally at Crestwood."
Quinn straightened, suddenly hyper-aware of how close he was standing. "I didn't expect you to be club president."
Niko chuckled. A warm, familiar sound Quinn remembered too well. The sound that had practically rewired his teenage brain at fifteen, right around the time he realised he was very, very gay. The sound that had followed the first kiss he had ever had… the kiss with him.
"Me neither," Niko said. "But Josh, the old president, graduated last year. So…" He shrugged. "Here I am."
Quinn swallowed, trying not to stare at the way oil smudged across Niko's cheekbone, or the way his golden curls framed those ice blue eyes.
He tried not to remember being fifteen and kissing this same boy behind a garage at a race event.
Tried not to remember how Niko had been kind about it, careful with him… and how Quinn had spent the next three years pretending it didn't mean anything.
And now here they were.
Quinn couldn't help but smile, even though every cell in his body screamed that Niko was a terrible idea.
Niko had always been a terrible idea. He was his brother's best friend since they were toddlers.
He was his first kiss. His first crush.
And the first boy he'd panicked and ran from.
But now they were in the same school. In the same club. Practically teammates.
And maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't hurt this time. Right?
Niko's lips curved, that same soft cherry-red Quinn remembered too vividly. "I—"
"What's going on?" A deep, familiar voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Fuck." Quinn instantly stepped back, putting space between himself and Niko. Niko only chuckled under his breath.
Three guys walked into the garage, helmets dangling from their hands, the smell of burnt rubber and engine heat following them. At the front was a tall guy with shoulder-length black curls, sharp steel-grey eyes, and tattoos crawling up his neck. His gaze snapped to Quinn, narrowed, assessing like he'd caught him doing something suspicious.
Sebastian Dupont.
He looked like a royal prince who moonlighted as a tattooed menace. 6'4. Built like he lived in the gym. Silver eyes that could fire daggers.
"Oh. It's you," Sebastian said flatly, expression dying on sight.
Quinn frowned. "You don't call, bro?"
Sebastian grimaced like the word physically wounded him. "Don't call me that."
Before Quinn could respond, one of the drivers, a tall dread-headed guy with rich dark skin, threw an arm over Sebastian's shoulder and eyed Quinn like he was a newly discovered species of adorable.
"That your brother, Seb? Damn, he's beautiful."
"Thank you," Quinn said politely.
"Don't kiss his ass," Sebastian rolled his eyes so hard they nearly left orbit. "Get off me, Zion."
He shoved Zion's arm off and stalked toward the locker room without another glance.
Zion just laughed and strolled toward Quinn. "I'm Zion. And that over there is Kai."
He pointed to the third driver.
Kai. A golden haired, pretty face who was currently making out with Penny against a car like oxygen didn't matter and modesty had died in 2016.
"Oh," Quinn said, blinking as Penny's leg wrapped around Kai's waist.
Zion winced. "Yeah… you'll get used to all that."
Quinn let out an involuntary laugh. "Thanks."