Title: Use Somebody
Pairing: KnockOut x Aquajet [oc]
Muse: Use Somebody -
Rating: T - make out scene
Summary: Fifth and final in my Valentine's Day drabbles/collection. While at the Valentine's Day party, Aquajet finally finds a feeling inside of him that he thought he would always be unable to have for another.
Author's Note: This is the freaking longest in all of my Valentine's Day drabble; over forty eight hundred words, not counting all of the information. Score. And this story? Well, I was trying to find out who to stick Aquajet with, and I really liked the idea of them being a pairing, mostly because I like KnockOut's personality. There were a few other choices, however as you see, I chose this one. Also, I gotta ask: I was planning to write a story involving this pair, and was going to use this chapter as the first, so therefore woulf be turning this drabble into a story. What do ya say?
Disclaimer: Do not own Transformers or the song, sadly. Do own Aquajet.
Aquajet was never really big on parties. He saw them as an excuse for other's to get drunk and just look like idiots. Why he was here standing against the wall of the rec room and watching everyone have a good time, dancing to the music and all was beyond him. Perhaps it was Blackbird and Raven's - mostly Blackbird, sadly - persuading that led him here; they had told him that he at least didn't have to sit around in his quarters all night like a Goth. Besides, they had said, he'd probably hear the music from where he roomed, and he probably wouldn't be able to sleep all night, or at least until the part ended. With that in mind, Aquajet had to agree; the party wouldn't be over until late, and, although he never really slept much anyway, the sound of music echoing through his room would annoy the slag out of him, maybe make him want to crush a few stereos in the process. Not wanting to get in trouble, he went along with it. The theme was the only thing that he didn't get: Valentine's Day, a human holiday where you give those that you love gifts and spend as much time with them as you can, as if you probably didn't do enough of that slag on an everyday basis to begin with.
Aquajet was never a big fan of the whole concept of "love" and all; others used it to escape reality, he believed, and often the matter of the fact was that love usually ended quickly, with one of the partners suffering from what one would call spark break. Sure, there were a lot of others who stayed together for the rest of their lives. But what if one died before the other, and the one living was left alone for many more years to come? That would be a terrible life to live. Plus, love was all mushy and sticky and slag, and Aquajet wasn't into that sort of thing. Kind of disgusted him every time he saw two "lovebirds" getting at it, really. That, and there was such a thing as fake love; perhaps someone using you to get something that they wanted, or even the love that one felt pity for the other for being so deeply in love with them, and merely hooked up with them because they felt sorry for them. And then there was traitor love; where someone of an opposing side sways someone into falling in love them just so they could get something out of them so they could betray the other faction. It sickened Aquajet, really it did. So really, Aquajet thought, love was useless; why get into something when one day you just get hurt, on purpose or on accident? Better to have lost than to have loved and lost at all, Aquajet liked to say.
Aquajet stood against the wall near one empty corner of the room; arms crossed over his chassis with a ped up against the wall as he often watched Blackbird and Raven dance to any upbeat song that came on; often one of them rarely getting Nightwing off of the pushed back couch to dance a slow song, if anything to get him to actually get up and move around at all. The smaller mech was so shy at times, it was a wonder he didn't just go and hide out in a closet to live out the rest of his days. Aquajet was sure that Blackbird and Raven would bring him food and such, seeing as how they were the caring older brothers. They were quite amusing when it came to their adopted younger brother; although they often pushed him around - playfully - and got him to do things that he often did not want to do, although did anyway because he knew that the duo wouldn't give up on him until he did, they would often act as body guards to anyone who threatened him or he was afraid up. Those kinds of scenes were really amusing to watch, really. He hadn't had any siblings growing up - sadly, truth be told - and was sure that he didn't have any, either, so watching the three act as a family even though they weren't related often touched him and made him a little jealous. Hey, a mech can want, can't he?
"What's a mech like you doin' over here all alone?" came a voice; Aquajet instantly turning his helm to see KnockOut striding up to him and resting his back against the wall as Aquajet was, although didn't cross his arms as the lighter mech was. Instead he held a cube in either servo, smiling almost happily as he looked at the other mech. "Thought you'd be locked up in yer room or somethin'," KnockOut went on happily, before seeming to notice that he was holding two cubes; that, and Aquajet was giving them a confused look. "Oh, I saw ya over here, and thought ya might like one," stated KnockOut, gesturing the nearest cube to the lighter colored mech. "It's High Grade."
"Thanks," muttered Aquajet, taking the cube from the other mech and giving it a weary look before taking a sip; it didn't taste funny, however he still seemed unsure as to weather he should trust the medic or not. Although he had been with the Autobots seemingly long enough, he still refused to trust anyone that was at the base, even though they were all counted the "good guys."
"Oh, don't worry, I didn't poison it or anything," KnockOut assured when he noticed Aquajet giving the cube a strange look, as if he was expecting it to bite him or something. "I ain't that heartless, you know. I did change sides, after all."
"And the point of that being… ?" Aquajet practically drawled, raising an optic ridge at the other mech. KnockOut stared for a moment before smiling and nodding.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, I get it," he said, looking around the room as he seemed to muse over the words that Aquajet had just spoken. "'Ah could just be a spy a some sort, right? 'Ve been gettin' that a lot ever since I got 'ere. Prime seems to think I'm fine an' all, though, so, I guess I'm okay. For now, at least." The medic gave a shrug as he took a drink from the cube he held, finally looking back at Aquajet with a half a smile still on his lips. "You still never answered my question by the way," KnockOut stated as he tried to drink his cube at the same time, making Aquajet look to him in confusion.
"Hm?" was the smartest thing it seemed that he could muster. KnockOut smirked as he fully removed the cube from his lips.
"My question," he repeated, as if it had been obvious. "I had asked you what're you doin' all over here by yourself. I know it's bias an' all, though I thought that you'd be locked up in your room or somethin' else besides bein' here. Don't peg you as the type a mech t' come t' a Valentine's Day party and what not." Aquajet smirked and proceeded to look around the room before regarding KnockOut once more.
"Don't except t' see a mech like yourself 'round here, either," retorted Aquajet, earning an amused smirk from the medic next to him.
"Touché," KnockOut replied, taking another drink of his high grade, before again looking around the room as if looking for someone.
For the next little while, two stood in silence, watching the party goers around them. No one really tried to bother them, and Aquajet was content with that; he liked standing in silence, mostly because it helped him think. A couple times the light colored mech, looking darker in the different shades of red and pink that laminated the room, glanced over to KnockOut beside him; every time the mech was looking somewhere else, oblivious to that fact that he was occasionally being stared at. At first Aquajet couldn't figure why he was being so nice; the Morphicon was so used to Decepticons - current or ex - being cruel and always exerting some sort of hatred towards others. KnockOut, well, he never really showed any of that, give or take a few times where people snuck up on him or someone had moved his tools, although even then he could be a really nice mech when he wanted to be. But strangely, like Aquajet, he didn't talk to others that much; granted, more than Aquajet, but still, not a lot. And when he was talking to someone, it was usually the same bots or humans, although mostly bots; Optimus, Bumblebee, the medics, sometimes their bonded, and…. him.
The strangest part of that was that Aquajet could usually tolerate the med bot, even though he couldn't stand Decepticons, current or ex. No one could blame him, especially those who knew his history growing up. Jazz was probably the only mech who he had ever told his full story to, give or take a few items of which he did not feel like sharing, and even then, he was sure that the third in command never really got all of it. Most all of the bots - and fleshlings - around the base he could not tolerate, not counting his own charges, and yet strangely any conversation he had with KnockOut seemed like, at the least, an enjoyable one. He never minded random ones, and usually he was hinted with the question of wanting to talk or not by the medic, or just times like this, where there was a miniscule conversation before they both quieted and watched everyone around him. KnockOut was also a strange one with him; Aquajet had learned growing up that you had to watch your surroundings well growing up, as well as other bots, and KnockOut was probably one of the strangest that he'd ever met in his life. And honestly, Aquajet had met a lot of strange bots during his travels.
Like, for instance, when in a conversation with anyone else besides Aquajet, when the medic was ready to leave the bot he was talking to, he'd just leave, where as with Aquajet, he'd excuse himself from the conversation or ask Aquajet if it were alright if he left him. Another strange thing would be that KnockOut, most any time he decided to approach the light colored mech, would bring a second of what he had, like High Grade, for instance, and offer it to the other mech, as if he was being curdious or they were on a date or something, where as anyone else, he wouldn't plan on bringing any extras for. Maybe he was just being nice to him and all, although Aquajet often wondered why he would ever do so in the first place for him. Aquajet was never as nice to him in that way, although then again, KnockOut was usually the one who initiated their conversations, not Aquajet. Probably the strangest part of all was that he often Aquajet to hang out with him; maybe walk around base or go for a drive. Aquajet was sure that the medic never asked anything like that to anyone else, but then again, he was never upt to spying on someone else's conversation. It just felt wrong. That, and he often didn't care about what others talked about on a day to day basis. It wasn't his style.
Now that he thought about it actually, they seemed to hang around one another a lot more than with anyone else, give or take the fact that Aquajet wasn't a very social mech to begin with. KnockOut seemed to be happy in giving him quiet company; often even asking if he could have a chat with him every time he found the light colored mech sitting or standing alone, or simply trying to be by himself. And strangely enough, Aquajet didn't mind his presence around, either. KnockOut never brought much up in the first place, and usually only talked about the weather or something he had heard, things that Aquajet wasn't usually interested. Yet strangely enough, Aquajet didn't mind those kinds of conversations even though they were often the ones that he hated. Often times Aquajet had to question his new "friend" and his feelings from him. Aquajet never believed in anything more than a friendship with anyone, and even then, he couldn't really get close to anyone, for the thought of getting too close to someone and them either hurting him or getting hurt actually making him fear the thought. Yet when he was around KnockOut, having these so called petty conversations and sometimes a drink….. Well, he honestly couldn't name the feeling that swirled around his spark every time the other mech was around.
The fast song that had been playing in their silence finished, and the DJ - which happened to be Sideswipe - switched the song over to another one; a slow song this time. Aquajet and KnockOut both looked up and around, as if the sudden music change had startled them. When the new song started, a lot of the younger bots who didn't have a dancing partner left the dance floor, leaving only a few behind to either dance with themselves or a partner. KnockOut smirked before looking to the other mech beside him; Aquajet taking a sip from his cube as he pretended not to notice that he was now being stared at. He had to admit, when it was being done to him, it was kind of creepy. He made a mental note to stop staring at others just as he was being spoken to.
"Some human songs are kind of good, don't'cha think?" asked KnockOut, seemingly striking up a harmless conversation. Aquajet shrugged as he took the cube away from his lips.
"Nah, I'm not much interested in music, really," Aquajet replied, barely looking at KnockOut for a moment before looking around the room, as if trying to find a distraction of some sort. "Haven't really put much thought into music, actually," Aquajet stated now, finally able to look KnockOut back in the optics; the med bot was still looking at him, with his helm tilted to one side, as if he was genuily interested in what the other mech was saying.
"Hm," Knockout said in a thoughtful way before looking around the room once more, finishing his High Grade. "I was just askin," started KnockOut as he slowly turned back to the light colored mech with a strange colored glint in his optics, "'cause I was gonna say that this'd be a nice song t' dance to." Aquajet gave the other mech a weary look.
"What're you implying?" he asked, raising an optic ridge; he could tell that the other mech was implying something, and from what he was getting at, it seemed, Aquajet didn't like it. KnockOut merely smiled slightly, dropping his helm as he gave the other mech a sheepish look.
"Well, ya see," said KnockOut, rubbing the back of his helm with his servo, "I was kind of wonderin' if ya wanted t'…. Dance."
Aquajet did the opposite of replying or even trying to find an intelligent response to what KnockOut had asked, instead simply standing there and staring at him with a halfly surprised and yet confused look on his face. Said medic looked even more sheepish the longer Aquajet stared, the light colored mech nearly letting go of the High Grade that he was holding. He was asking him to… dance? Not that he had anything wrong with dancing. It was just that, well, he wasn't much of a dancer. At least not in crowds anyway. Again, he wasn't much of a crowd or people kind of mech, and therefore didn't do a lot of things that involved having to go into crowds unless he needed to; he had grown up learning that surviving was the only thing you could ever think up, and dancing was not something that you did in order to survive life. A little longer of the silence between them, and the song changing into another slow one - this one seeming more pleasing than the last - and KnockOut finally spoke.
"I'm sorry I asked," he muttered, turning away slightly in order to hide his face, yet not leaving the other mech by himself. "It was just… I thought it would be nice and all. I meant nothing by it."
"Oh, no, I-I guessed ya didn't," Aquajet replied, now feeling bad that he had just been standing there and staring at the other mech like an idiot. "I-it's just, I really can't dance all too well." That was part of the truth. He couldn't dance because he never learned how to; no one had ever showed him, and he had never thought of it as something important. That, and, again, he didn't like dancing in crowds much; it was sort of embarrassing, too, really.
"Oh, well, I can teach you," KnockOut said almost excitedly, looking up with the same expression on his face as well. When their optics met, Aquajet's still slightly surprised and yet stern at the same time, KnockOut instantly looked back to the floor, as if in embarrassment. "Well, erm, if you want me to teach you, that is," he stated, shifting on his peds as if nervous. There was another moment of silence before Aquajet spoke.
"It's not that I don't like you and all, KnockOut," Aquajet gulped, "it's just, I can't dance in crowds." KnockOut gave the light colored mech a look, tilting his helm to one side. Finally, he grew a large a doofy-like smile.
"You're a picky mech, aren't you?" chuckled the medic, shaking his helm as if he wasn't believing what the other mech was telling him. Aquajet merely shrugged.
"When it comes to certain things, yes, I am," stated Aquajet with a shrug. "Not, erm, everything though. I just have some high standards sometimes, I guess." KnockOut smirked and nodded his helm, as if he found what the other mech was saying interesting.
"Well, hear me out," asked KnockOut as Aquajet took a sip of his High Grade; although he hadn't had a lot, he was feeling a bit tipsy. He couldn't imagine how KnockOut was feeling, seeing as how he had drank all of his High Grade. Maybe this was why he was asking him to dance. "What if we go out and dance in the hall? I'm sure that nobody'll be walkin' int' the party, and anyone walkin' out'll either be too busy flirting or even too drunk to notice us."
Aquajet contemplated for a moment, and really, he hated what was coming to mind; KnockOut was being persistent, and obviously was too drunk to know what was going on. Either that, or he was sober enough to know what was going on. Either way, he was still asking him to dance. One the one servo, if KnockOut was actually drunk, then he probably wouldn't remember tonight, and wouldn't be spreading stuff around about him dancing; therefore Aquajet wouldn't have anything to worry about on his part. On the other servo, he probably wasn't drunk, and if he said yes to the dance, KnockOut would do one of two things; either say nothing about them dancing and keep it between them, or spread it around the base and make others think that he was soft. Although he knew that KnockOut most likely would say nothing like the nice mech he usually was to him, he couldn't really say otherwise; he wasn't a mind reader, after all, but he had sat down and watched everyone around him long enough to know how most people acted. But it seemed that the medic wouldn't be giving up that easily.
"You're relentless, aren't you?" Aquajet finally asked after thinking for a while, adding a small smirk, KnockOut instantly returning it.
"What can I say?" asked the medic with a smile, shrugging slightly. "So is that a yes or a no? I'm not pushing you, ya know." Aquajet sighed and thought another moment, before finally giving into his not much better thoughts.
"I guess," Aquajet replied, rolling his optics.
KnockOut could only smile at the response; holding out his servo and gesturing to the cube Aquajet still held. The light colored mech handed it over, and, after setting both his and the other mech's cube down, KnockOut gestured for him to follow and started towards the hallway; no one seeming to notice the two as they left. Aquajet had his helm bowed slightly, mostly in embarrassment, however tried not to show it as they exited the currently - and temporarily - renovated rec room. The music was still loud out in the hallway, and, as KnockOut had suggested, they were all alone; Aquajet was sure that most bots had left to have fun with their loved ones or to sulk in their room. Or another interesting thing, however Aquajet would have rather not thought about it.
"So, how're we doin' this?" asked Aquajet as he stopped and leaned against the wall, KnockOut stopped and turning around to face the other mech; a fast, upbeat and slightly erotic song. KnockOut shrugged, again sheepishly.
"Well, I was kind of hoping for a slow dance," admitted the medic, rubbing the back of his helm in a sheepish manner. Aquajet smiled slightly.
"Well, since I don't know how t' dance," said Aquajet as he pushed himself off of the wall and moved closer to the other mech that stood before him, "maybe ya teach me how t' slow dance, and then we can when another slow one comes on, huh?"
KnockOut looked at him a moment before nodding, stepping forward to meet the other mech and moving his arms around as he began to explain to Aquajet had to do. It took a good three or more songs before Aquajet really knew what was going on; KnockOut being in what the humans would call the dominate position, so that way he could lead and all Aquajet would have to do was follow. When Aquajet finally got everything together, a few couples leaving the rec room and totally not noticing the two mechs who were trying to get themselves situated, another slow - or at least a somewhat slow song - came on, Aquajet assured that he could keep up with the other mech rather than screwing up. And the strangest thing was that, although he wasn't too great when it came to music, nor too interested in it, he actually liked the song that came on.
I've Been Roaming Around
Always Lookin' Down At All I See
Painted Faces Fill the Places I Can't Reach
You Know That I Could Use Somebody
You Know That I Could Use Somebody
Someone Like You And All
You Know And How You Speak
Countless Lovers Under Cover
On The Streets
You Know That I Could Use Somebody
You Know That I Could Use Somebody
The whole time during the song Aquajet looked down, trying to seemed more nervous about his ped work than about actually dancing with someone else, much less dancing at all. He wasn't all that embarrassed by the dancing; he thought he was doing pretty damn good, actually, and felt a little proud of himself at the moment. No, what he was really worried about was the fact that he had that strange feeling in his spark again, now that he was dancing with KnockOut. And the song… Primus, it was a really good song, it really was, and he never really wanted it to end. All songs did, though, and that couldn't help but make him think about his earlier thoughts about KnockOut…. And love?
"Aquajet, are you alright?" KnockOut asked softly, taking the other mech by surprise and making him jump as he looked up to the other mech, meeting his optics just as the song ended it's course; finishing off it's final phrase almost too gently.
I've Been Roaming Around
Always Lookin' Down At All I See
Their optics met as the last phrase of the song rolling out of the stereos, and for a moment, everything seemed to pause around them. They were still locked in a dancing position, however at the moment they seemed unable to move, or even breath, KnockOut having stopped dancing and in turn Aquajet as well when he had asked his question. Yet everything around them seemed like nothing, and anything anyone said forgotten; Aquajet had never known what it felt like to be "lost in the moment," however now he finally figured out what and why. He couldn't even find the words to reply; that feeling becoming stronger inside him than it had been before. Finally, after what seemed like forever, music booming in the background, KnockOut leaned forward to where their helms were touching, not leaving optic contact, as if magnetized by the other mech.
"May I?" he asked almost breathlessly, and, although he hadn't asked what he wanted to do, Aquajet somehow knew what he was asking for. Wetting his lips slightly with his glossa, Aquajet nodded ever so slightly, and for a moment it seemed that KnockOut hadn't noticed the nod in the first place.
Slowly leaning his helm forward more, his optics darkening slightly in lust, KnockOut let their lips brush together ever so slightly, as if unsure weather he wanted to go through this or not. After pausing a moment, making sure to make sure that everything was alright, the medic finally pushed their lips together gently, the servo that he had on the light colored mech's shoulder sliding up to cup Aquajet's cheek as their lips met. The best the neutral could do was relax into the touch and offline his optics as they kissed, KnockOut doing the same; Aquajet tightening his hold that he had around the other mech's strong neck as if afraid that he would suddenly pull away. Their kiss seemed to last forever, even longer than their intense stare had lasted; a million thoughts racing through his processor as once, and some that he was unable to process as their moment went on.
Aquajet hadn't really kissed anyone before; not romantically, at least. He had kissed the tops of his adopted charge's helms before, but they were of affection rather than for romance or passion, and those three younglings were like his own children, which often gave him the excuse of not wanting to get a spark mate to have any. So basically he was giving away his first kiss, but Primus, he had to admit that this one felt at least special. He never wanted the moment to end; his spark beat faster, and, although he often didn't mind taking advantage of others if need be, he thought that doing this was almost wrong, but at the same time it felt so wrong. And that feeling in his spark? It seemed to blossom into something that at first he was totally unsure of, but now, he finally seemed to be finding the right word for it…
Gasping into the kiss, Aquajet's optics onlined quickly; KnockOut's still closed in pure bliss as he leaned more into the touch. Without a second thought, Aquajet pulled away from the kiss, panting hard as if he had been holding his breath the whole time. At first KnockOut seemed confused, on lining his own optics, before smiling lightly. Before he had a chance to say anything about the kiss, however, Aquajet instantly began talking rapidly, almost like in a second language to the other mech.
"I'm sorry, I can't," he stated almost sadly, forcefully pushing KnockOut away and stumbling back onto his peds. "I'm so sorry, I….. I just can't go into something like this.:
"Aquajet, I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to go so fast, I -!" stammered KnockOut, stepping closer into Aquajet's personal space. Instantly, in an act of defense, Aquajet roughly pushed the mech away, making him stumble backwards a little bit; a hurt expression appearing on KnockOut's face.
"I-I'm sorry, I have to go. Please, d-don't follow me," stutter Aquajet in a shaky voice, turning and dash down the hall as quick as he could.
He could hear KnockOut call after him as he dashed away in panic, however seemed to respect his wishes; there weren't want sounds of someone trying to follow him. Aquajet ran blindly until he found his room, which was a miracle within itself. Punching in his key code, the door opened and quickly the Morphicon went inside his own quarters, the door closing behind him swiftly. When he was sure that it was fully shut, Aquajet groaned and fell against it, burying his face in his palms as he slid down the door. What was he ever thinking? He should have at least refused the kiss; instead he had to accept it, and finally find out what that fluttering in his spark was near. Now he could never see the mech again; it seemed now that his feelings were telling him to not let the other mech get hurt, and in that process, he needed to keep the other mech away as best as he could.
Love was a bitch, wasn't it?