It had been a long day full of tedious patrols and fruitless searches. The wash racks were blissfully empty, and Wheeljack took full advantage of this. Plating flared to allow grime underneath to be washed away, head bowed, the Wrecker rolled his shoulders and vented heavily.
Thank goodness he had the next few days to himself. Ultra Magnus had approved medical leave after seeing the scans Wheeljack had taken and insisted that he not 'push himself' until he recovered.
There was an itching, a tingling between his door wings. Half turning, Wheeljack saw Knock Out standing in the doorway. He was carrying a chamois, a small tub of caranuba wax and of course that rotary buffer of his that he always had nearby. Wearing a startled, slightly bewildered expression on his porcelain faceplates, the medic appear to be staring.
"Hey." Wheeljack murmured, straightening. "See somethin' you like?"
Knock Out made a strange noise that may have been an attempt at deflecting the remark, then reset his vocalizer and stepped into the room. Setting his things on a table, the medic strolled towards him and waved a hand in a dismissive manner. "As a matter of fact, I'm appalled." He remarked, stepping up to the wash rack next to Wheeljack. "For a sports car, your paint is in terrible condition."
"Wreckin's a rough job." Wheeljack smirked, pulling his plating closed and rubbing some loose paint and caked on dirt from his chassis. "I don't exactly have the time to keep myself shiny like you, Red."
"Perhaps you would let me do a little cosmetic work? Smooth your scars? Buff your rough edges?" Knock Out said conversationally, splashing his frame and smiling.
"See, I got a problem with that offer, Hot Wheels." The Wrecker's mouth twisted and he turned off the stream he stood under. "Some of these scars? They're off limits."
"Really?" Knock Out arched a brow, looking incredulous. "Why?"
"Sentimental value, KO." Wheeljack towelled down, watching the medic clean what appeared to be an already pristine chassis.
"Sentimental scars... that is really not something I understand." Knock Out shook his head. "Willingly allowing your finish to remain marred?"
"Okay." Wheeljack rolled his optics and approached the red mech. "Look. I'll try to put it into terms you'll understand, Red." Knock Out tensed slightly when Wheeljack moved into his field, the Wrecker reaching up to indicate a scar on one of his shoulders. "This one here? Got that in my first one on one fight with a 'Con. Happened right after I joined the Wreckers. I won. I keep the scar as a trophy."
"Hmm." Knock Out folded his arms, looking skeptical. Wheeljack frowned and continued.
"This particular 'Con was responsible for killin' a lot of Autobot engineers. Friends. Good people." The Wrecker said softly. "A victory worthy of a trophy."
"I... suppose." Knock Out mused. "Wouldn't archiving the battle in your processor be a better way of remembering a victory?"
"It IS archived. And I like tellin' the story. But when I'm not talkin' about it, I like bein' able to see the results." Wheeljack lifted his chin slightly. "Easier to wear the evidence."
"Fair enough." Knock Out pointed to the scars on Wheeljack's mouth. "What about these?"
"This here," Wheeljack indicated a short one nearer the middle of his lip plates, "This I got the first time Kup punched me to prove a point. Kept it so I'd never forget."
"That I suppose I understand." Knock Out rubbed his own chin with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe Starscream ought to have done the same."
"And this one, I got when my first attempt at makin' a grenade blew up in my face."
"Mhm." Knock Out reached up and traced the largest scar on the Wrecker's face with one claw, looking at him curiously.
"That's a reminder never to try and argue with a Dinobot." Wheeljack smirked, and Knock Out felt the Wrecker's field brush against his own playfully. "I've got others too... unless you get where I'm comin' from?"
"I understand they're milestones." Knock Out said with a shrug. "I still want to buff you."
"No." Wheeljack chuckled.
"Oh come on." Knock Out folded his arms again. "Think of how shiny you'd be!"
"No thanks." Wheeljack reached past him to turn off the wash rack, Knock Out stopping him.
"Wheeljack, I cannot be seen with you in this state." The medic said heatedly.
"Tough."
"I'm serious!"
"Your loss, not mine." Wheeljack arched his brows. "After all, I prefer bein' alone."
Throwing up his hands, Knock Out turned and continued washing himself. "Very well then. You and your shabby paint job can go off and be alone. Unless, of course, you're up for a wager?"
Wheeljack's interest perked up at that. "Hnn. Guess you do pay attention to things other than your finish."
"Scuffs or no, you're still a fine racing automobile." Knock Out glanced at him. "So let's race. If I win, you report to me for a full cosmetic overhaul."
"And if I win?" Wheeljack reached out and rubbed an errant smudge off one of Knock Out's tires.
"I leave you alone. Never speak of it again." Knock Out grinned.
"You're on, Doc Knock." Wheeljack held a hand out and Knock Out hesitated only briefly before taking it.
"Now, make yourself useful... I'm scheduling you for surgery as per Ultra Magnus' orders and my back's not going to wax itself." The red Aston Martin demanded cheekily after their handshake.
"I gotta pay for surgery?" Wheeljack snorted, shaking his head. "You sure ain't cheap, KO."
"I haven't a cheap bolt in my chassis." Knock Out replied, putting a hand to his chest plates. "And it's not payment. You said you'd do it if I fixed you."
"I ain't fixed yet." Wheeljack complained, following Knock Out as he moved to dry off. "Ugh. You're the epitome of high maintenance."
...
...
...
They had to wait several weeks, had to allow Wheeljack's shoulder to fully heal after surgery. Knock Out took every opportunity to bring up the Wrecker's flaking paint, and Wheeljack responded by insinuating that if Knock Out had been the one having surgery, they wouldn't be waiting.
They met at the nearest straight stretch that wasn't cluttered with debris. Wheeljack flexed his shoulders and glanced over, doing a double take.
Knock Out was 'limbering up.' He didn't really need to... but the effect certainly wasn't lost on the Wrecker.
"You wouldn't be tryin' to distract me, would ya, Red?" He murmured, Knock Out smiling ever so slightly.
"Is it working?" He replied, Wheeljack snorting out a laugh.
"You're gonna need to try harder." The Wrecker said, transforming into vehicle mode and revving.
Knock Out followed his lead, the two mechs waiting for the signal to go from their 'spotter.' Who was currently parked behind them in what appeared to be uncomfortable silence.
"Um..." Bulkhead murmured after a moment or two. "Did I miss something?"
"Did I hear you say go?" Wheeljack asked in response.
"Right." Bulkhead reset his vocalizer. "On your mark... get set... GO!"
Both cars spun tires and shot off down the makeshift road, leaving a cloud of rust and dirt behind.
"Am I imagining it, or are you listing to the left?" Knock Out teased over the comm.
"Is it just me, or are you blowin' smoke out your shiny red aft?" Wheeljack growled.
"If I didn't know better, I would think you wanted to be lagging behind me. See something back there you like, Wrecker?"
"Just wanted a chance to do this!" Over the comm, Bulkhead could hear the rumble of Jackie's engine get louder.
"Whoa, someone's got a lot of horsepower under their hood!" Knock Out laughed.
"Wreck it and rule!" Wheeljack called out, laughing triumphantly. There was a sudden roar, Bulkhead grimacing as he listened. "Oh slag!"
"Oops... I guess I wasn't done showing off yet." Knock Out replied playfully.
"Why you pompous little piece of-" Wheeljack began, falling into grumbling silence. Bulkhead could no longer see either mech from where he was standing, but over the comm could hear they had stopped. "Bulkhead... I might have to resign."
"It'll be fine, Jackie." Bulkhead tried to reassure. "It's not about speed, it's about endurance! That's what matters to a Wrecker."
"Knock Out." There was a dangerously cold note to Wheeljack's voice. "If you don't stop drivin' around me in circles, I'm gonna shoot out your tires!"
"I could walk around you instead." Bulkhead heard the Aston Martin transform.
"Knock Out, don't push him." The green mech warned gently.
"Why? Cause that might help him win?" Knock Out teased. "Whoa now, watch the finish!"
Bulkhead facepalmed. He had heard Wheeljack's transformation and could now hear what was unmistakeably someone being tackled to the ground.
...
...
...
Wheeljack pinned the medic to the ground, one fist drawing back and denta bared in a furious sneer.
"Nobody likes a sore winner, Doctor Claw." The Wrecker snarled, Knock Out holding his hands out in defense of himself. "I'm gonna punch the smug right off your fraggin' faceplates!"
"You don't want to do this!" Knock Out pleaded, shaking his head. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have-"
"Blah blah blah!" Wheeljack clenched his fist more tightly and pulled it back further. "I don't like losin' to hot shots like you."
"Does it... happen often?" Knock Out asked quietly despite his processor telling him not to.
"What do you think?" Wheeljack was trembling now. "You had to go and ruin it, didn't you? Just had to open that mouth of yours and ruin a perfectly good-"
Knock Out reached up, grabbing Wheeljack's helm and yanking him down. Their lip plates crashed together, Wheeljack let out a muffled noise of confusion and Knock Out held on for dear life because he was terrified of what might happen should he let go.
Eventually, Wheeljack lowered his fist and put his hand palm flat on Knock Out's chest plates, pushing him away firmly but without the fury he had been displaying. Knock Out pulled away, meeting cyan optics with a great deal of hesitation.
"The frag was that?" Wheeljack asked, frowning.
"Humans call it kissing." Knock Out supplied as an answer, wondering if he should be preparing to defend himself.
"Yeah, I know what it is, you stupid puffed up bastard." Wheeljack rolled his optics. "I'm askin' what it was for."
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." Knock Out muttered, placing his hands on the Wrecker's shoulders.
"Saw a manuver like that in a human movie. Back on Earth, I'd go and sit at drive-ins..." Wheeljack's frown softened and he pressed a thumb against Knock Out's mouth. "That was weird."
"It worked, didn't it?" Knock Out said against the Wrecker's thumb.
"Yeah, I guess... I did say you'd have to try harder to distract me." Wheeljack gave him the barest hint of a smile. "Gotta say though... kissin' doesn't seem to work as well for us as it seems to for the humans. No fireworks or anythin'."
"Maybe we did it wrong." Knock Out tapped his claws against Wheeljack's shoulders, shifting beneath the Wrecker's frame. "Um... are you still going to punch me? Or can I get up now? Because this really can't be good for my finish."