Rating: G.

Pairings: Duke/Chuck

AN(*rolls about* I seriously don’t know what’s wrong with me you guys. I have my rough draft, it’s a perfectly good rough draft. Everything is written out as it needs to be, but whenever I start writing chapter five it just refuses to flow. I’ve been fighting with it for a week now and have to keep re-writing it. Hopefully i’ll have a break through soon. Thank you all so much for being patient with me.I hope you all enjoy this drabble while I wrestle it out with my fic. )

* There may be a part 2 to this. 

I.

The Duke approaches him simply out of thin air a week after the race. The entire experience was nerve wracking, and when the Duke just suddenly “pops” next to him out of thin air Chuck finds himself almost having a heart attack. Chuck completely expects to be killed, maybe dragged into the Duke’s limo and whisked away to be used as leverage against the Burners.

The Duke instead merely asks him questions. Does he still suck at racing? Yes. Must really suck to be the only Burner that’s horrible at driving huh? Yes.   What kind of engine is he using for his car?

That last one catches Chuck off guard, but before he can answer Mike is with Mutt and the Duke has to excuse himself. Chuck watches as the Duke of Detroit moonwalks out of the room and over to Mike. Where the two of them trade banter back and forth, no doubt over Mutt.  The argument eventually comes to an end and Mike turns away, heading back to the garage. The Chuck watches as the Duke’s eyes follow his best friends back, before sliding their gaze over onto him. Chuck tenses, back going straight and legs locking up. The Duke just grins, tilting his glasses down so that Chuck can see his eyes as he winks at the blonde. Then the Duke jumps into his limo and away he drives.

II.

It only gets weirder after that.

More than once the Duke purposely goes out of his way to cross paths with the Burners.  More than once he appears randomly and without prompting. Though he always makes some excuse as to why he’s there.

They’re out eating?

Hey there Burners, interested in a little race? Thought we’d come by and see how you normal people live it up.

They’re out collecting parts?

Well now. Scavenging again are we? Well good luck finding anything, pretty sure I just took all the good parts myself.

They’re out for a ride or testing a new part on Mutt?

Oh am I blocking your path? Terribly sorry, but my tank just needed to be taken for a ride. You know how it is.

Each time it ends up with Mike and the Duke arguing, and at the end of each fight the Duke always somehow manages to find Chuck in the crowd. He winks at him every time, Mike assures Chuck that it’s just the Duke’s way of trying to get into his mind, and that he shouldn’t pay it too much mind.

III.

Not a week later random gifts start showing  up on the door step of the Burners hangout. Sometimes it’s parts that Chuck has been needing for certain upgrades. Other times it’s gift cards for Antonio’s.

Once it’s a bouquet, which is actually pretty incredible considering that flowers don’t grow down in Motorcity. But even with how incredible it is that still doesn’t change the fact that there’s a giant “D”, colored in gold across the paper that’s wrapped around the base of the flowers.

His hands shake as he lifts the bouquet from the ground and looks at Mike, who is standing their looking bewildered. Somehow he just knows that it’s going to be impossible to ignore the Duke of Detroit.