Chapter Text
Gabriel's parents had always been overly protective of him, especially because he was the youngest, the baby of the family, the last little miracle that somehow managed to bring everyone together again. For that reason, and maybe because he knew his boy too well, Gabriel's father taught him everything he could so he'd know how to fend for himself in his absence. And since he was well aware he wouldn't always be around to save him, he made sure to place capable people along Gabriel's path who could guide him whenever he couldn't. He was a well-raised kid.
Gabriel was in his third year of Business Administration, doing a paid internship at the company owned by his best friend Oliver's family, an opportunity he accepted without thinking twice. Because of that, for the past month, he'd been living on the edge, juggling college, work, and whatever remained of being young.
With his parents back in Brazil, Gabriel found himself completely alone, not that it scared him; he knew plenty of people in the city. Still, his routine was lonely, he barely stayed home, and when he did, he split his time between gaming and studying, plus the occasional last-minute outing with Oliver and his friends. Nothing unusual for someone his age, though it was unusual for a young guy to attend more business conferences than parties.
He also didn't have much time to even think about romantic stuff, and though he'd hooked up with one or two people on campus, nothing ever turned into anything real.
One night, right in the middle of the week, Ollie texted him, inviting him over, he and a few friends were hanging out at his apartment, drinking, eating, talking nonsense, and it would be nice if Gabriel joined them. His first instinct was to refuse. He had to study in the morning and work in the afternoon, a mid-week "party" would destroy his carefully built routine. But if he kept saying no, he'd lose the chance to bond with people, and little by little, they'd stop inviting him. So... he said yes.
Gabriel left his books behind, got dressed, and went. He spent the whole night actually feeling like someone his age, but when he noticed it was almost 2 a.m., his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He rushed his goodbyes, even though Ollie insisted he stay over, and headed out. Unfortunately for him, it was pouring. A cold, windy, heavy rain had taken over the city. He got soaked before even reaching his car, but he didn’t wait, he just wanted to leave. Ollie lived practically on the other side of town, so Gabriel hoped that near his place the weather would be better.
Terrible idea. He started the engine, drove — almost blindly and dangerously — for about ten feet when suddenly, the car died.
"Oh, come on… seriously?" He sighed, turning the key once, twice, three times. Nothing. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Luckily, it was late enough that there were barely any cars on the road, and he seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. He used the neutral gear to roll onto the shoulder and kept trying to start the engine for a few more minutes. Checked everything he could, gas, oil, coolant. He even stepped out into the rain to look at the cables, the battery, fuses, spark plugs. Nothing explained why the car had simply died.
"Shit…" he muttered, climbing back into the car, drenched, rubbing his temples. "Of course this has to happen to me."
He didn't grow up needing to prove anything to anyone, but still felt the pressure of seeming capable, especially for someone his age. He didn’t want anyone thinking he relied on his parents for everything. Because he tryly didn’t. But he also knew he wasn’t getting out of there on his own. Then something clicked.
He didn’t want to wake Ollie, and calling his parents in Brazil made no sense — wrong time zone and they couldn’t help anyway. So Gabriel scrolled through his contacts until he found a familiar name. Someone who might, hopefully, help him, though the situation was embarrassing enough to make him want to disappear. He also prayed this person would even pick up the phone at an hour like that.
Nico Hülkenberg had been a close friend of Gabriel’s father when they still lived in the city, ages ago. Nico was a wise, reliable mechanic who had pulled his dad out of more than a few tough spots, and Gabriel’s family had helped Nico financially when his shop needed repairs. They owed each other a lot. Time, work, and moving countries had drifted the families apart. Gabriel had been a child back then, and they never spoke again, but one thing his father had promised was: If you ever need help with your car, call Nico. You can trust him.
And now, here he was, grown, adult, and stuck in the middle of the damn road.
"God, please let this guy pick up…" Gabriel whispered, calling, putting the phone on speaker. It rang a little longer than he liked, but then someone answered. "Uh… hi. Sorry for calling so late, it’s just that… I mean—" he shook his head. "Hello, my name is Gabriel, and… my dad gave me this number, he said you’re a mechanic, and—"
"Gabriel Bortoleto?" the voice asked with a thick accent. Gabriel froze. "The Bortoleto kid? The Brazilians?"
"Yes!" He smiled briefly, then composed himself. "Yeah, that’s me. My dad used to say you were a good friend of his and… he told me I could call you if I ever had car trouble. And I think that’s the case…" He gave a nervous laugh.
"Hm," That was all Nico said, and the boy deflated. "Yeah, well… we used to be close, before the family moved away. You’re having problems?"
Gabriel sensed the man was either annoyed at being woken up, or simply had that kind of blunt personality, either way, it intimidated him. God, he hated bothering people. And it was fair if Nico was irritated; it was the middle of the night and no one was obligated to save him. He closed his eyes for a second and leaned back.
"My car just died out of nowhere. I checked everything I could but I don’t know what made it stop," Gabriel explained. "I don’t know this area very well and, well, it’s raining like crazy. I don’t know what to do."
"And where exactly are you?"
Great question. He squinted through the rain, the windshield wasn’t even working, so water streamed over the glass. On the roadside, even there, in the middle of nowhere, he spotted a convenience store with a big red sign he couldn’t quite read.
"I’m not really sure, but there’s a store near me, I think the name is…" He narrowed his eyes again. "Jo..."
"Johnson’s Store, yeah," Nico cut in, short and sharp. "You’re far as hell, kid."
"Yeah…" Gabriel laughed awkwardly, startled by the man’s tone. He suddenly felt like a child again. "Look, if you help me, I’ll pay whatever you want."
"We’ll talk payment later," Nico interrupted again. "I’ve got a tow truck. I’ll get there in half an hour at least. You’ll have to wait. Don’t touch anything in the car."
Gabriel let out a breath. Oh, the irony. He had touched everything in the car. His father had taught him so much, but apparently not much about repairs. And moments like these made Gabriel want to vanish from existence.
"Okay. That’s great," he said politely. "Thank you so much, I owe yo—"
Nico hung up in his face.
Gabriel blinked, offended by the audacity. That man sounded deeply unhappy. Again, he decided to blame the hour, the middle of the night made people act weird, Gabriel knew that too well. Now there was nothing else to do except wait. And honestly, blessed was that man for agreeing to help at all. God knew how much he’d charge for this, but Gabriel didn’t care, he needed to get out of there before he got robbed or worse.
Contrary to his own estimate, Nico showed up in twenty minutes. Gabriel was almost falling asleep in the driver’s seat when he jumped out of his skin — his heart leaping — as a silhouette knocked twice on the window. The idea of being robbed flashed through his mind again and he froze, trembling, trying to look around.
"It’s the tow truck," a voice yelled from outside.
"Jesus…" Gabriel whispered, mortified. He lowered the window quickly. The man wore a raincoat and looked utterly miserable under the storm. "Sorry, I didn’t see it was you."
"Get out of the car and into the truck," the German ordered, extremely direct. Gabriel froze, blinking at him. "I said get out of the car and into the truck. Did you understand?"
Gabriel nodded fast, got out, and ran to the tow truck only a few meters away. The door was open, so he climbed in immediately, which must’ve looked ridiculous considering the way he scrambled, obeying instantly. Nico watched and shook his head.
He checked the vehicle quickly, locked everything tightly, then returned to the truck where Gabriel sat stiffly, staring straight ahead. The boy didn’t dare breathe near someone like Nico, considering how angry the man seemed. Nico said nothing, simply placed Gabriel’s car key on the dashboard and started the engine. The tow truck backed up carefully, hooked the car, and pulled it onto the platform. Then Nico stepped out once more to check the straps and returned.
"Where do you live?" he asked, not looking at him as he began to drive.
"Near downtown," Gabriel said softly, almost inaudible.
"Where?" Nico asked again, frowning. "Are you always this withdrawn?"
"I said I live near downtown, sir," he sighed, ignoring the question that sounded more like a jab.
Nico let out a rough sound — something between a scoff and an impatient sigh — while maneuvering the heavy truck back onto the dark road. The rain hammered loudly against the metal, but inside the cabin, the silence between them felt even heavier.
"Don’t call me sir," Nico muttered, eyes fixed on the wet road, the wipers working frantically. "It’s Nico. Just Nico."
"Right. Sorry… Nico," Gabriel corrected himself, his voice cracking a bit. He hugged himself, trying to stop shaking. His clothes were soaked, clinging to his skin, and the truck’s AC — even though it wasn’t that strong — felt like a freezer.
The German didn’t answer right away. He drove with confidence, one hand on the wheel while the other reached for the glove compartment. Gabriel shrank back, thinking he’d grab a cigarette or something, but Nico took out a worn hand towel with grease stains on the edges and held it out to him without ceremony.
"Dry off. You’re getting the whole seat wet," he said, his tone one notch less hostile than before.
Then Nico reached over and turned the heater up, angling the vents toward the passenger side. Gabriel took the towel, surprised by the practical kindness that felt like the smallest atom of gentleness from him so far.
"Thanks," he murmured, wiping his hair and face. The warm air hit his legs, bringing instant relief. "Are we… going straight to my apartment?"
Nico shook his head.
"No. I’m taking your car to the shop. It’s on the way to downtown," he explained, slipping into a professional tone. "There’s no point leaving that dead piece of metal outside your building. Tomorrow morning I’ll take a proper look and tell you how bad it is. After we drop it off, I’ll drive you home."
Gabriel nodded, feeling a bit stupid for not thinking of that earlier. Of course the car had to go to the shop.
"You know anything about mechanics, kid?" Nico asked suddenly, breaking the silence again. He glanced at Gabriel quickly, scanning him from head to toe with those sharp blue eyes. "Or your father didn’t teach you that?"
The question stung his pride. Gabriel straightened up, still shivering.
"I know the basics," he said, though the basics clearly weren’t enough tonight. "I told you, I checked everything. Battery, cables… nothing looked wrong. It just died."
"Hm," Nico made that sound again, unreadable. "Cars don’t just die. There’s always a reason. And usually the reason is sitting between the seat and the steering wheel."
Gabriel opened his mouth to argue — offended by the implication that it was his fault — but shut it again. Arguing with the guy rescuing him from a midnight storm didn’t seem smart. He huffed and turned to the window, watching the blurred city lights appear through the heavy rain. It was going to be a long ride to the shop.