CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

XXX

You should have mentioned a date, idiot, not ask about how you can make him fall in love with you. At this point it's pretty clear the relationship is one-sided; if anything, he's going to come up with ideas to have you fall for him.

When his pencil lead snapped Jack jolted back to reality, clicking the mechanical button to feed more through and resume his note-taking. His history teacher was currently droning on about World War Two, Nazi imagery and pictures of haggard interment victims occasionally popping up throughout the PowerPoint.

Focus. You're in school.

Yet with every new development, every new night he spent with the Decepticon was making it harder to concentrate. He wished he could just . . . push it aside, yet there was no conceivable way he could let his guard down. Too much was at risk, and he could not afford to slack off - for anything. Whether he would admit it or not, Megatron was high-maintenance.

There was also everything Jack had to lose if someone, anyone, found out. The Autobots, for certain, would either assume Jack was being manipulated or was a traitor; Arcee, nevertheless, would be so disappointed in him. His mother would have a meltdown that rivaled Chernobyl, and who in the Allspark knew how his friends would react. With Agent Fowler, he could very well get the US government involved, perhaps even insist Jack go into hiding under witness protection. Life as he knew it would fall apart. He would miss his chance with Sierra.

That is, of course, assuming Megatron did not just kill him to tie up any possible loose ends. However, despite his ego, Megatron did not seem ashamed to admit he pursued humans - well, one human - and thus would most likely not exterminate Jack on the basis of preserving his image. If anything, he would do it because if he could not have Jack, then no one would.

Such a thought was more terrifying than his initial guess.

The bell rang after an impossibly long time, dismissing the young man to go to his next class. Picking up his books he cringed, his shoulder aching where denta had sunk in. Though he had not gone far, the force of the bite left a bruise and a row of deep cuts; any more and Jack could have gotten stitches. Now, moving it in certain ways made the area throb.

He cringed. Allspark forbid Megatron ever injure him to the point of needing emergency care . . . he would never be able to explain away the marks. Especially if they were in the shape of a bite mark. Or . . .

No. He won't get the chance to make marks like that.

Slipping out of the classroom, the young man wove his way through the crowd of students to get to his locker, changing out the books. Nearing its location his heart almost completely stopped, seeing Vince leaned up against the door right next to his, waiting for him.

Swallowing his conditioned fear of the senior he strode forward, giving him a sour look.

"Can I help you?" He asked tartly, looking over to see green eyes boring into him with equal sourness.

Vince's voice had equal venom. "So, how is this 'base' thing supposed to work? The other two go there all the time, and you just go home. I thought we're all supposed to be under their protection."

"We are," Jack replied, "if things go south, we give them a call. Usually I'm right there with them, but lately . . ."

The bully waited for an answer. When Jack just trailed off, he cocked an annoyed eyebrow. "Lately?"

"I've just been tired," Jack said lamely, not sure what else to say. "We're all worried about-" he lowered his voice, "-Optimus. And the Decepticons."

"Like the one that kidnapped you, and his friend."

"Yeah, those guys," Jack ran a hand through his hair, trying to ignore the fact that even talking to Vince would get Miko talking, which would then make Arcee suspicious all over again. The last thing he needed was for Vince to get his friends together and beat him in a back alleyway for such a rumor.

Arcee might want to kill Vince for that, but Megatron would.

"The medic . . . Ratchet," Vince said slowly, trying to remember, "he said you've started using some kind of bridge to get to the base."

"The Decepticons didn't know we were in Jasper, at first," Jack explained in as low of a voice as he dared to go, "but we're pretty sure Knock Out was looking for you for revenge. Since then, we've been careful not to accidentally lead them to the 'bots."

The lie still did not sit quite right in his gut, however it was a part he needed to keep in play. If he said it enough times, he would eventually believe it just like everybody else.

"Because then they'd lose. Then what?" Vince sounded a bit skeptical.

"Well, Megatron will likely enslave all of humanity," the 1-minute warning bell rang, not allowing Jack to linger on such a reality. "Gotta go. Um . . . talk after school?"

Vince narrowed his eyes at him, however he acquiesced. "Fine."

Satisfied with that, Jack closed his locker, giving the bully plenty of space as he walked around him and to his next class, eyes searching for either Miko or Raf. Finding neither, he sighed and slipped into the classroom, going to his seat as he tried to keep his thoughts in order.

When the school day finally did drag to a close, he stuffed his books into his bag and started out the door, huffing when he saw Vince at his car - in view of Arcee.

The universe hates me.

Walking over, he kept a bit of a distance between himself and the senior, not wanting to dig his own grave. Crossing his arms, he answered a question he assumed Vince would have.

"You can take your car, but if you need a 'bridge you'll have to follow Arcee, Bumblebee, or Bulkhead through - since Ratchet doesn't have your number and can't track your car."

"And let me guess, I need to be at the base every day."

"Not every day," Jack said slowly. "Just . . . occasionally. To keep you safe."

"I'm not really sure I get that," Vince replied, appearing quite annoyed. "Why would they insist on protecting us, but then let us run around outside if they're so scared of those Decepticons?"

"They have to keep up appearances too," Jack defended them. "It wouldn't look good if a bunch of kids just disappeared. While they want to protect us, they also have to stay under wraps. It helps keep them hidden from the 'cons too."

Vince huffed. "Well, if I'm not needed at their little base, then I won't be going." When Jack started to protest he held up his hands. "Look, Darby, I won't say a word. But frankly, I don't really care about all of this robot stuff, especially with The Losers fan club. I just wanted to make sure your psychotic motorcycle wasn't going to hunt me down."

"Believe me, that's still on the table," Jack said bitingly. "If you're not going to base, it's on you. But we've worked really hard to keep Knock Out from knocking your lights out permanently. You really going to put yourself at risk like that?"

The senior glared at him, eyes narrowing as the gears turned in his head. Jack knew there was no threat, which he realized was why he was not as worried about this as the other Autobots. He had to be, the young man kicking himself for letting such a concern uncharacteristically slip.

Finally, he got an eye roll.

"Fine," Vince hissed. "You win this round, Darby. But nobody is to see us driving off together."

"Just stick close enough that you can make it through the Groundbridge," Jack fired back, slinking towards Arcee.

He heard Vince's car door slam behind him, sliding onto his partner's saddle and shoving his helmet over his head.

"So, going to base this time?" She guessed.

"Yes," he sighed. "With Vince. So don't leave him in the dust."

Arcee chuckled darkly. "Not this time, anyways."

Thankful she did not make some snide comment about their fight she witnessed, Jack gripping her handlebars as they made their way out of the school parking lot and into the heart of Jasper, Nevada. He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the feeling of the breeze against his skin.

He realized it was the first time he was going back to the base without feeling overwhelming guilt, just happy to see his friends again and get an update on the search for Optimus. From what Raf had told him at lunch, the Groundbridge needed a lot more finessing than they were expecting, and Ratchet had to petition for parts from the US government. It was ridiculous, and the medic spent every other minute complaining about it, but it was the only way he was getting those parts without outright stealing them. Agent Fowler could only do so much.

"Long time no see!" Miko chirped as soon as they passed through the Groundbridge, though her mood dropped significantly when she saw the car following behind them. "Oh, so he's here too."

"Don't blame me," Arcee said casually, transforming once Jack slid off of her. "Jack was the one that convinced him to come."

"Arcee," Jack hissed at her, giving his partner the stink-eye before Vince slid out of his car, oblivious to the conversation.

Rafael peeked from his place at the computers, quickly turning back around and focusing as hard as he could on the data in front of him. He wanted nothing to do with the terrifying senior. Vince had never physically hurt Rafael, though he did occasionally knock his books out of his hands or almost shut his locker on his fingers; it was the words which hurt more. They were not even racist, which was low-hanging fruit to begin with, but jabbed at the fact that Rafael was twelve and in high school. He was easy to single out, and easy to pick on, because the nerd and his books just liked to be quiet and left alone.

"So, let me guess, you're going to do homework. Boring." Miko huffed, beating Jack to the top of the stairs and launching herself on the couch. "When what you could be doing is trying to beat me at videogames!"

"I only have a quick few things to finish," Jack said, "and they're due tomorrow. I'll play when I'm done."

"Fine. That just gives me more practice," she huffed, grabbing a controller whilst punching the power button on the console.

"You play games?"

Three heads turned at the bewildered question, Vince standing at the top of the stairs and looking at their set-up. Jack realized this was the first time he got a good look at it, having spent most of his first visit trying to be as big of a pain as possible.

"I mean, it's no Wii," Jack tried to joke. "But it's still pretty fun. Um . . ."

He had no idea if Vince was, in any way, interested in video games. Inviting him to play could be taken as an insult, and he was not about to insist Miko try to invite him. She would definitely say no, and though Vince was far from his friend, he knew the guy did not have many of his own. Rejection still hurt.

"Cool," was all the bully said, rounding the couch and throwing himself into it, kicking his boots on the table as he grabbed the second controller. Miko stared at him like he had licked it, then spat in front of her. "Gonna hit play?"

There was a moment where it looked like Miko was going to make a scene, however she used a rare amount of self-control to merely nod and press the button. She had not-so-subtly moved to the other side of the couch, keeping plenty of distance between her and the senior. The racing screen popped up, Vince taking a moment to familiarize himself with the controls before selecting his racer.

Jack made his way over to Rafael, gazing at the jibberish on the screen, which to the younger boy made perfect sense.

"What are you looking at?" He asked.

Raf flinched, however he relaxed when he realized it was Jack.

"Specs for a Spacebridge," he said, finger pointing to a couple of glowing areas. "These are the pieces we need to add to the Groundbridge, but . . . the problem comes with calibrating it and making sure the bridge is stable to let 'bots go through."

"What happens in a . . . unstable bridge?" Jack wondered, worried.

"You are torn apart and your atoms added to the fabric of space, time, and reality," Ratchet answered for Rafael, at his own set of computers. "It would help if we already had a bridge, but we have been unsuccessful in locating one. I would imagine Megatron had another commissioned after the untimely demise of the first one, but I cannot make any assumptions."

Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again.

I could find out.

That was suicide, and the Autobots would question where he happened upon such information - assuming Megatron gave him the location of the Spacebridge. Additionally, it violated their rule: the war, and their . . . thing, were separate entities. If Megatron ever figured out Jack had used him to further the Autobot cause, he would be more than dead.

"Surely he would," Jack said instead, trying to remain optimistic. "He wants to conquer Cybertron for good, right? To do that, he needs to get there. So . . . there has to be a Spacebridge somewhere."

Ratchet appeared to cringe. "A fair enough point, Jack; regardless, the first thing is we have to find one. And with each passing day . . ."

"We'll find it," this time, it was Rafael who spoke up. "No matter what."

No matter what . . . with some stipulation. Jack thought bitterly, crossing his arms and trying to ignore the frustration he had with himself. If he was smarter, if he was more clever, then perhaps he could lie through his teeth and get the information out of Megatron. He could make up an excuse to his partner, brush off the Autobot's concerns, and get Optimus back.

Even Megatron himself was unsure just how genuine Amicus had been with his affections, yet he had fallen for the human regardless. And now he was completely zoned in on Jack, which should have made it easy for the human to use his emotions against him, but he could not for the life of him figure out a way to manipulate the tyrant. That just was not him.

"Ah, man! Come on!" Miko whined from her perch on the couch, tossing her controller onto the table. "How is everybody better than me at this stupid game?!"

Vince had a grin on his face, green eyes glittering with victory. "Can't help that I'm good at everything," he shrugged.

"Jack, if you're done with homework, come teach him a lesson!" Miko shouted across the base, tempting Ratchet to backhand her into the wall.

"Miko, we are trying to concentrate," the medic hissed.

Jack sighed, realizing there was no getting around it now. Vince had unleashed a monster, one that would not be satiated until a gaming hierarchy was established - which meant Jack had to try and beat Vince, or be ridiculed into second place until Rafael braved the bully.

"I'm coming," he uncrossed his arms, walking back around and plopping onto the couch, taking up Miko's spot.

"You got this!" She slapped his shoulder, and he thought he was going to jump out of his skin.

"Ow, Miko!" The bite mark throbbed, aggravated by the hit.

She raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, dude. Didn't realize you were so weak."

Jack just shook his head, rubbing the area to diminish some of the ache before focusing on the television. Taking a deep breath, he hit the start button.

"Alright, Vince. Bring it on."

XXX

Despite playing with a guy who tormented him almost daily, Jack had to admit the videogames were a pleasant distraction from what awaited at home.

Stepping out of the Groundbridge he made his way into the house, noting he still had some daylight left. His mother had switched back over to nights now that her son was better, and for once he was grateful for the schedule. If Megatron got confrontational like last night again, Jack did not want it devolving into a screaming match which roused her.

As if his thoughts summoned her she walked briskly down the hall, smiling and pecking him on the cheek.

"Evening," she chirped, in a good mood. "Dinner is on the stove for you. How are the 'bots?"

"They're doing alright," he said, unsure if he ever told her Vince had joined them in their escapades. Deciding he did not need to worry her with the idea of Vince hanging around them, he elected to just not mention it. "Still looking."

"I'm sure," she sighed, gently smiling. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Have a good night, mom," he mirrored her smile, unsure of why he felt such a thrill once she closed the house door.

Shaking his head he ducked into his room, tossing his things to the side and taking a brief inventory of his stuff. It was strange, seeing his room so empty. Usually there was an anxiety-inducing shadow in the corner, or on his bed, owner to glowing embers which burned against the darkness.

Right. It's not nighttime yet. Good.

Taking a breath he returned to the kitchen, seeing a covered plate waiting for him. Inside was plenty of rich food, his stomach growling for what felt like the first time in forever.

He frowned a bit. Yeah . . . when's the last time I've actually felt hungry?

Before he got sick, likely. Ever since then, his appetite had been a bit iffy.

Throwing the contents into the microwave he let it warm up, grabbing himself a glass of water before sitting, enjoying the dinner as slowly as he could. He eyed the sunset, and finishing well before the last rays had disappeared over the horizon he elected to shower - and take inventory of his skin.

He was not sure which was more annoying: the pain of the bite, or the fact that Megatron bit him despite knowing full well he said no. No matter how insistent the Decepticon was, Jack would find a way to further assert his boundaries. There had to be pushback, or else things would go farther than what Jack wanted.

As the water warmed he looked in the mirror, frowning as the row of denta marks became very apparent. They were clean, evenly spaced cuts that appeared almost surgical. When he touched the skin throbbed and turned red, however otherwise it indicated no other signs of infection or problem.

Cursing the mech he stepped into the shower, gently scrubbing the area clean while also doing his own routine, pausing when he got out and looked at his pajamas.

As much as he would like to add a second layer, just to deter Megatron's denta and increasingly wandering servos, it was a step in the wrong direction. His mother would still give the sweater an odd look, though Jack did not blame her - usually he wore nothing on the top half of his body at night, as the Jasper night air, though cool, felt nice while he was tucked under a sheet and comforter. However, the idea of strutting around shirtless for Megatron was . . . uncomfortable to say the least.

Part of him, that quiet voice which constantly talked him into bad ideas when it came to the mech, told him the mech would appreciate looking at his work. Like Jack was some kind of art piece, or a slab of meat.

Well, that last part is almost hilariously ironic.

Sighing, he stood and debated for what felt like forever, then he finally put the sweater back on. He would wear it until the bite mark faded, so his mother would not ask questions.

After that . . . well, wearing a T-shirt was just as suspicious; he would wait until then to see how he felt about shedding the piece of clothing.

Making note of where the Key was in his jeans pocket he made his way to his room, night having fallen since then. Taking a deep breath, he entered, feeling as though he was walking to a lion's den.

Megatron waited, ever patient, watching him as he always did. The routine was nothing new, however Jack could not help but guess as to whether he expected him to slide back into his sharp lap.

"You were with the Autobots today," the Decepticon said matter-of-factly.

Jack stopped, stunned by the observation. "Um . . . yeah . . . how did you know?"

He half-expected for Megatron to reveal he had been spying on him, and thanks to him had the location of the Autobot base. Or perhaps Orion Pax had told him, for some reason remembering just that vital piece of information-

"There is always this hesitation you possess after the fact," Megatron replied, "you may be taking two steps forward, but they always force you to take one step back."

"Can you blame me?" Jack asked, unable to help the bitterness in his voice. "They're my friends. And you're . . ."

Megatron tilted his helm, waiting for the answer with gleaming optics.

"Well, doing this with me," Jack said lamely. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he realized he was exhibiting the exact hesitation Megatron had noticed. What made it worse was his reluctance to give it a name.

The tyrant looked more amused than angry, which Jack was grateful for. "And what would you call 'this'?"

He tried to casually swallow, cringing as his Adam's Apple bobbed. His body moved, desperate to remedy what he thought was coming apart at the seams, back in the Decepticon's arms before his mind could protest.

Convince him. Convince him. Seduce him, dang it. Amicus did. Why can't you?

What worked for Amicus?

The answer practically smacked him across the face. The irony was not lost to Jack.

"I'm not sure," he said honestly, arms wrapped around broad shoulders once more, trying to ignore how his knees rested on the bed on either side of Megatron's hips, so he was more so kneeling above the tyrant rather than sitting on him. "I don't know what to call it. I barely know what to think of it."

Servos rested on his hips, red optics reading his face carefully. His heart beat heavily in his chest, and he wondered if the metallic being could feel it as it pulsed through his veins. The silence which settled between them was almost unbearable, the few seconds feeling like individual eternities.

"What . . . what would you call it?" Jack asked, trying to keep his voice even and loosen his tense vocal cords. If he so much as squeaked, Megatron would sense his fear, and could easily misinterpret it.

The mech blinked lazily, Jack suppressing a flinch as a servo moved up, cupping his cheek. A shiver ran across his body in tandem with the thumb which stroked his skin, the feeling simultaneously pleasant and yet unnerving. With it came a deep, throaty chuckle, the vibrations of the metal traveling from Megatron's shoulders and into Jack's arms.

"You do not want to call it something," Megatron prodded, "because then it would mean something to you. And you are not ready for that, are you?"

"Forgive me and my reluctance to enter a re- relationship with someone who is not only a fifty-foot tall metal titan, but one that is set on conquering my world," Jack said, unable to help the heavy sarcasm.

"I would approximate myself somewhere in the upper thirties, however it pleases me to know you perceive me as much larger than I am," Megatron replied, giving him a sharp grin.

Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes, not wanting to shatter his good mood so early into the night. "Is that seriously the only issue you have with the entire statement?"

The Cybertronian was still vibrating, however Jack quickly began to realize that it was not because he was laughing - his engine was purring.

Tingles wrapped around his waist as the servo at his hip moved, encircling his lower half and tugging him closer. Suppressing a cringe he arched his back, but that did not prevent his body from pressing up against the tyrant's chest, bringing him ever closer to those searing optics.

"Your sarcasm is rather endearing," Megatron admitted. "And I cannot help but feel charmed every time you attempt to justify yourself with it."

"It's the truth."

"It is a defense mechanism."

Jack stared at him, not sure exactly what the Decepticon was getting at. Megatron returned his gaze, taking his confused look as a request to elaborate.

"You are afraid," he said, moving the servo from his cheek to down his neck, stroking the side - as if that was supposed to make Jack feel better, having those sharp edges near his jugular. "You fear what may happen should you allow yourself to pursue this with your heart, Jack Darby. You agreed to my terms because you calculated this arrangement to be mutually beneficial. And now, when your human body cannot help but bond to me, you fear that doing so is a betrayal to your Autobot friends. Your feelings are becoming involved, something which terrifies you. It is part of the reason you hesitate."

Jack felt frozen, not sure what to say. Megatron had read him with the ease of a scholar, laying bare how he knew Jack's inner feelings better than the human did himself.

The tyrant was not done. "Admittedly, my injection into your life was nothing short of ungraceful, and perhaps rushed - yet discovering who you were has left nothing but the intense desire to secure you as mine. Your reluctance is to be expected, and I am sure you are not yet ready for the next step. I have resigned myself to being patient, and allowing you to make the decisions for yourself, Jack, as to when you are ready."

Will I ever be ready?

"And . . . what is that next step?" He asked, partially afraid of what the answer would be.

Megatron's response genuinely shocked him. "That is for you to decide."

He sat there, at loss for words. Part of him wondered if Megatron was drunk, or delusional. Perhaps he was low on energon again, and his processor was acting weird. It was far more likely than Megatron just being in a good mood.

Jack had merely assumed Megatron would continue leading him on, creating these arbitrary "steps" to further their relationship into what he wanted - though what that was, the human could only guess. He assumed something physical, as it was what Amicus had done, though he had never considered other alternatives.

"What if you don't like that decision?" He asked, terrified to ask the question yet needed to know.

Crimson optics flashed brighter for just a brief moment, Jack unable to determine if it was out of amusement, anger, or surprise.

"I am sure I will be content, regardless," the answer was honest, yet within it was an underlying warning.

Three months. This is going to take forever.

Silence fell again for a long time, Jack's fingers having begun absentmindedly stroking the smooth metal of the spiked pauldrons when he blurted out what he had meant to a long time ago.

"We should go out, again," he said, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. "On a, um, on another . . . date."

Megatron quirked an optic ridge. "Another date?"

Allspark, that was weird to hear come out of his mouth.

"Yeah," Jack was sure his entire face was bright red. "Since, um, we went a whole weekend with you in stasis. I thought you would want to play catch-up, but if not I guess that's fine too-"

"Where would you like to go?" Megatron asked, being genuine in his query.

Jack stopped his stumbling words, trying to stifle his obvious embarrassment and awkwardness. He merely assumed Megatron would pick another place and bridge him there as a surprise, however after his last choice ended rather disastrously . . .

Where is somewhere isolated? And preferably without mosquitoes?

His mouth moved, but no words came out as he thought. The answer seemed rather obvious, however he had no idea how safe it would be.

"Why not Egypt?" He asked, starting when Megatron's armor bristled in response. The accompanying purr made it clear this was not done out of agitation, but rather like a pleased bird ruffling its feathers.

"I will have Soundwave research the best time and place for us to meet there," Megatron replied, looking genuinely pleased with the selection. "It will most likely be under the cover of darkness."

"That's fine. I didn't expect us to go on a bus tour or anything," Jack said, attempting a weak joke.

"Determine what you wish to explore," dangerous optics settled on him, "and gather the necessary supplies for your safety."

"Yeah, got it," Jack did not need a more explicit message to be said. "I'll do some research. Um, will this weekend work?"

"I do not foresee any reason it would not," Megatron said truthfully, earning a nod from Jack as the human added it to his mental agenda.

"Alright . . . sounds . . . good," he wished he could bite his tongue, not sure what to say that wouldn't sound awkward, or strange, or . . .

Like I have feelings.

The tyrant made a noise of satisfaction, his grip tightening just a bit on Jack, keeping him pressed to his frame. The human acquiesced to his wish, feeling his heart race at their proximity.

He did not want Megatron to get any of the wrong ideas, trying to figure out where it was safe to draw the line. His arms moved away from his shoulders, sighing as they settled on large chest plates, feeling the complex armor and its many edges and divots.

Vermillion optics watched him, and he could practically sense what Megatron wanted, his lips tingling as he considered it. Seriously considered it.

I'm falling apart.

With Megatron's keen insight, he felt his grip on actually caring about what he felt slipping. He wanted to care that he was on the verge of practically making his own advances on the tyrant, his prior reluctance now more out of fear than genuine disgust. Every shiver seemed to peel away a layer of resistance from him, the bursts of dopamine enticing him to crave more.

Take it a step at a time, or you're going to do something you regret.

He turned his head, trying to ignore the obvious hiss as Megatron exhaled in annoyance. There was a brief moment where he wondered just how crazy he was driving him.

"I should get to bed," he said, "I don't want to be tired tomorrow."

It was no figment of his imagination when Megatron's servos lingered longer than usual, reluctant to part from his body. Swallowing his nervousness and the shakes which came with it, he slid out of Megatron's lap and into his bed, waiting for the Decepticon to join him.

When he did, Jack chose to face him, pressing his body into the rigid frame as his face tucked close to the Decepticon insignia. Closing his eyes, he did not bother to mask the pleased sigh as digits ran through his hair, coaxing him into relaxation.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he promised, trying to calm his buzzing nerves, and feeling stupid for saying such a thing.

"Indeed, you will," came the soft rumble of a mech who would, short of death or stasis, would find a way to ensure they kept their deal fully intact.

Though it scared Jack to know what lengths he would really, truly go.