A/N: Because I left the previous story on such an open-ended note, I'm writing this to give it a more satisfying ending.
As Jack stared up into red optics, he wondered whether this was such a good idea after all.
He'd been constantly freaked out by the sight of every red car that went by him as his mind would always go immediately to Knock Out, but he'd always remind himself that even the 'Con wouldn't try to bother him anymore when Arcee was around. Oh, that didn't mean that he didn't see Knock Out every once in a while whenever Arcee couldn't be with him, like when he was in school or when she went patrolling around his work place.
It was only for a few moments and occasional glimpses of each other, but Jack felt his skin crawl all the same as the 'Con clearly had no intention of giving up on his crush-well, Jack revised that it was more like an obsession than a crush, because he'd had those, and when he felt rejected he sulked a bit but he got over it.
Really, why was he still being pursued? Never mind the biological problems, but why would a Decepticon find an Autobot-allied human attractive enough to keep up with his stalking?
Jack clutched the window pane under his fingers, this same spot he had been in before, but under those circumstances it had been a quite unwilling thing for him, and even as he opened his mouth to speak he wanted to yell for Arcee. But he had instead seen Knock Out go trailing by, arrogant enough to think he couldn't get hurt with doing this once more, and he'd called down to him to propose a deal.
And now it was time to lay down the ground work after he'd gotten the mech's attention. Though Jack had to fight back the urge to shudder as he realized it probably wasn't a hard thing to do. "I'll give you a chance." he began and interest gleam in the 'Con's optics and he continued. "You have one week to convince me why I should give you a chance."
Knock Out looked down at him haughtily. "Isn't being the subject of my affection enough for that?"
"Clearly you and I have different perceptions of what good-looking is." Jack deadpanned.
Knock Out blinked before he scowled at Jack. "You little liar…"
Jack balked as he realized Knock Out was referring to how he did think he was good-looking, while he'd actually only said it to distract him-and wow did the 'Con look angry. "It wasn't a lie," Jack blurted out quickly, "I meant you're alt-mode is nice, it's very nice."
Knock Out narrowed his optics, and Jack didn't doubt that the mech thought he was lying again. "Then what is wrong?"
Jack felt his lip curl back as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you serious? On the Nemesis you tried to kill me, and then you do a complete 180 and say you like me? How can you not see anything wrong with that?"
"Even if you are of an inferior species, you certainly are a clever little thing; it's too bad you picked the wrong side." Knock Out replied.
Jack snorted at that. Even as they talking about his supposed 'wooing', and boy did that sound weird, the 'Con still managed to demean him with a backhanded compliment. "Right, whatever," he muttered, "you have one week, and then you leave me alone."
There was a defiant look in Knock Out's optics and he nodded curtly after a moment. Jack didn't question whether or not the 'Con was going to honor that agreement, or rather, when the deal was over he knew that Knock Out wasn't going to go along with that. After all, he still had his week and Jack knew to prepare for anything the mech did to try and change his mind.
Who was he kidding, when the week was over he was either going to be kidnapped then or before the week was over.
They both bartered back and forth about the specifics of the deal, Jack being brushed off any time he brought up the subject of kidnapping and with each evasive topic he could almost see the gears in the mech's head turn as he thought about taking the boy away. Before Arcee could awake from the sounds of the talking outside, Knock Out leaned in close to the boy and for a moment Jack held his breath.
But Knock Out just smirked at him. "Too easy." He said leaning back and transformed before he soundlessly drove away.
Jack let out his breath in a shaky sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He pulled back and closed the window, thinking with self-deprecation that at least this time he hadn't been naked and was being blatantly propositioned.
Jack grimaced as perhaps that latter part was rather questionable.
Jack could almost see the worried look Arcee gave him as he went into school, he'd seen the same look on his mother's face as she left for work every day, and they both had a very good reason to be worried with what happened before with Knock Out. Though he also knew that if he told them about what he'd agreed to, then they'd think there was seriously something wrong with him for doing this.
But then he himself questioned his sanity ever since he'd woken up.
He realized he hadn't just offered himself up to the mech if he could 'woo' him, but that there were other implications that came with it; what would the Autobots think? Would they be disgusted or just think he was stupid for doing this? He certainly thought so, but a deal was a deal; even if he thought Knock Out wasn't going to hold up his end of the bargain when the week was up.
And by some slim chance he did, then color him surprised.
"Jack!" The boy looked up and saw Miko waving at him from the hall and hurried over to him. "So did you see that creep lately?"
Ever since it'd been brought to light to the other Autobots and to Miko and Raf by extension, the young boy had been sympathetic, but Miko had been entirely too interested in Jack's stalker/stalkee relationship with Knock Out; if it could even be called that. "I don't see how you'd care about that." He said uncertainly.
Miko rolled her eyes. "He's a 'Con sure, but he likes you enough to follow you around." She said amazed and Jack wondered if he should feel insulted. "You're like a 'Con magnet."
Jack's eye twitched as he remembered bring that up to Arcee afterwards with the incident in the desert and how he found out about Knock Out's intentions toward him. She had not been amused when he added Knock Out to the list who wanted him-well, the latter two had wanted him dead of course, but he was genuinely uneasy about whether or not Knock Out would simply get tired of him and just straight up kill him.
"You make it sound like it's supposed to be a good thing." Jack said dryly.
Miko snorted. "Well I wouldn't want to be in your position, but it's still so cool to have a giant robot be romantically interested in you."
The boy looked at the girl incredulously. "It's not cool, I'm scared out of my mind; who knows what goes on in that twisted mind of his." He said darkly and even though he was mainly guessing, he still couldn't be sure about what Knock Out did think. "He could end up killing me," he added darkly, "or worse."
Miko raised a brow disbelievingly. "What could be worse than that?"
Jack pursed his lips and his eyes roved around the hall to make sure no one would be listening in on this. It was embarrassing and disturbing, but it was also something the Autobots didn't relay to Miko or Raf because of the nature of the topic. Also the incompatibility problems, though Jack suppressed a shudder as the red mech wouldn't have offered if he hadn't had a way around that problem. "Miko, Knock Out propositioned me and then he wanted to rape me," he hissed softly, "is that 'worse than that'?"
Miko had paled and the starry-eyed look in her eyes was gone, like she had just been forcibly reminded that the one she was talking about was still a 'Con, who had and still was, following him around. "Oh." She said and for once she looked like she didn't know how to continue.
Though Jack quite honestly Miko could use a lesson about tact, he had to pity her for a moment. "Yeah, oh." He breathed and the bell broke them out of their stupor.
Jack shook his head and hurried off to his first class, trying to push back the thought about when Knock Out was going to show up for his first attempt. 'Please don't let it be during school.'
He wouldn't be able to explain that.