Love and Race

Chapter 4

Babe drove to X-Hunter and immediately started training, seeking distraction from everyone. After training nonstop for about two hours, he headed to the lounge area where the boys were already present, looking as rough as he felt. Sonic and North were probably the only ones who drank as much as he did. Way saw him approaching and greeted him with a smile.

"You look like a mess. Should I call one of Babe's boys?" Way teased, wrapping his arm around Babe's shoulder.

"First of all, I don't need those stinky alphas, and secondly, thanks Daddy, but I don't need any of your boys dragging me," Babe chuckled, feeling a bit better.

"Don't call me that," Way laughed, shivering in mock disgust at the nickname.

"Where's Uncle?" Babe asked, noticing Alan's absence.

"Well, your brother called about 10 minutes ago and said he'd be bringing our new mechanic, who's apparently a very shy omega. Uncle wants to make a good impression, so he went to dress up a little," Way explained, pulling Babe to sit with him on the couch.

"That's good. It's about time we got a new mechanic around here," Babe remarked.

As they waited for Alan to return, Babe and Way observed North and Sonic squirming and rolling around due to their hangovers.

"Are you both dying?" Way asked amusedly, while Babe watched them, visibly exasperated.

"I don't mind expediting the process for you," Babe added dryly.

Alan finally arrived and tossed painkillers and water bottles at North and Sonic, urging them to act decently when the new mechanic arrived.

"Ooh, Uncle, you're looking good," Babe complimented him.

Meanwhile, Phayu and Jeff arrived at X-Hunter, with Jeff feeling nervous yet excited.

"Looks like your dreams of working with C-Hunter is about to come true" Phayu laughed.

"I can't wait, P'," Jeff said, his big round eyes reflecting his anticipation.

"Have you told Charlie about this? He could've come with us; I'm sure he's curious about where Babe works," Phayu mentioned.

"Babe?" Jeff looked at Phayu with curiosity.

Phayu's heart melted at how cute Jeff was and then stiffened at the thought of Jeff's reaction to Babe, recalling how Jeff had reacted when he found out about Phayu's relationship with his older brothers.
In Jeff's words, Phayu and Prapai were old pigs trying to feast on fresh sweet cabbages which were Rain and Sky.

"Nevermind," Phayu said dismissively, not wanting to bring up the past.

"Please don't tell them about my relationship with P' Charlie. I want them to acknowledge my skills," Jeff pleaded.

Phayu nodded, agreeing to keep Jeff's secret.

"Let's go inside. I'm sure they're waiting," Phayu suggested, and they entered X-Hunter.

As Phayu and Jeff walked in, PitBabe was the first to hear their footsteps and informed the others.

"We're here, hope we are not intruding." Phayu announced with a smile.

"No, no, no, we should be thanking you for helping us out. I'm guessing this is the new mechanic. So young and cute," Alan remarked, feeling the urge to baby Jeff but stopping himself.

Hearing himself being called young and cute, Jeff frowned, making him look even more adorable.

"Yes, this is Jeff. Please don't call him cute; Little Jeff has a temper," Phayu teased, earning a playful slap from Jeff.

"I don't have a temper. I'm Jeff. Looking forward to working with you guys. Would you like to try my skills?" Jeff offered.

"So cute," North whispered to Sonic, who agreed.

Way and Babe didn't have much reaction, and Babe didn't find Jeff particularly attractive, so their responses were subdued.

Before taking Jeff away, Alan introduced him to everyone, and when it was Babe's turn, Jeff couldn't help but stare a little longer than usual, prompting speculation from the others that Jeff might be a fan or crushing on Babe. Only Phayu knew the real reason.

"I see you must be a fan of PitBabe. Did you know he's Phayu's younger brother? How about he gives you his autograph?" Alan suggested.

Jeff looked at Phayu and then at Babe and frowned. "I thought as much. I don't need anything from him. Shall we go do the test now?" he asked, the atmosphere growing awkward.

Alan quickly ushered Jeff away, and Phayu sighed, already feeling a headache coming on from future events.

"P', do you think you can give me Charlie's number? I was going to ask Rain last night, but he said he had made that mistake once with Prapai and wasn't going to do it again," Babe requested.

Phayu chuckled at Babe's request but then turned serious, taking his brother aside to warn him about Charlie.

"I can give you his number, but I have to warn you. Charlie is not someone you should play with. He's very complicated," Phayu cautioned.

Babe laughed confidently. "I think I can handle someone like Charlie."

"That's the problem. You might think you can, but the truth is you can't control Charlie. While I can't tell you much about him, the people who know him well don't call him the Storm Dragon just because he's the number one motorcycle racer. The name has a deeper meaning. I can't stop you from seeing him, but please be careful around him. That warm smile is just a very thick mask," Phayu added.

All Phayu's words did was make Babe's heart beat faster, seeing it as a challenge.

Seeing the expression on Babe's face, Phayu sighed. "You are hopeless," and then got into his car, leaving quickly, thinking, 'X-Hunter only has a bunch of weirdos in it, including Babe and the new Jeff.'