Written for Femslash February 2019's twentieth prompt "Hate."
A Different Kind of Payback
"You know, your form was completely off. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it was painfully off. What do you have to say about that?"
Bumblebee rolls her eyes. She didn't infiltrate the H.I.V.E Academy to be criticized for her techniques. She may not have memorized Attack Pattern Epsilon because she was scrolling through the H.I.V.E's computer systems for information, but that didn't give Jinx any right to follow her around in the library chastising her for getting caught by a few robots in class.
"I get it, Jinx. You can go now," she says, waving her hand towards the exit.
Jinx stews, her brow furrowing. Bumblebee almost expects steam to burst out of her ears. She pivots down another corridor and drags her fingers along the row of doomsday manuscripts, her mission always in the forefront of her mind. She needs to uncover exactly what Brother Blood is planning, and considering she had suspected the true intentions behind the H.I.V.E's class project, she thinks she may need to do some extra research before executing her plan to stop him.
"You embarrassed my whole team today because you didn't execute your flight maneuver perfectly," Jinx snaps, "and that's going on my report card! They think I didn't help you memorize the attack pattern!"
"I don't care. Can you go bug Gizmo and Mammoth?" she huffs, pulling out a few books and tucking them underneath her arm. She smirks, throwing Jinx a glance. "How about you go bother that Stone fella? He seems pretty interested in you."
Sputtering, she shakes her head and flushes. "Y-you should care, and don't change the subject! Your performance today got me in hot water with Brother Blood." She stomps forward and digs her finger into Bumblebee's shoulder. "If my grade in combat class goes down because of you, then I'm gonna make every waking moment of your life more unlucky than I imagine it already is."
Bumblebee lets the moment settle between them and takes in the twisted snarl on Jinx' face. The way her pink eyes burn reminds her of a roaring fire. She notices faint hexes sparking along her clenched fists. Her tense posture and bared teeth would be intimidating to anyone else in the school, but Bumblebee has seen her like this before a few too many times to count during their frequent bickering on what makes a proper villainess in debate class.
Jeopardizing her own mission for the sake of arguing with a classmate she'll eventually betray certainly isn't worth it. Ignoring the cocky comebacks that roll around in her mind, she presses her books to her chest and leans forward. Narrowing her eyes, she lowers her voice and asks, "Then tell me, Jinx, what do you want me to do about it?"
Jinx blinks, the feeling of closeness so foreign to her. She glances at the pretty shade of crimson coating her full lips and flicks her gaze up to the deep russet of her eyes, feeling herself drawn in without understanding why. Touching her mouth, she clears her throat and steps backwards, the shadows of the shelves comforting her.
"Well? I don't have all day," Bumblebee says, arching her back. "If you're not gonna say anything-"
"Your mistake reflects badly on my ability as a leader," Jinx interjects, raising her finger like a scolding teacher.
She tilts her head when Jinx goes silent. "And?"
"And I think we should practice together." Jinx crosses her arms, a confident smirk stretching into her cheeks. "How about it? You'd get the chance to work closely with me."
"Us?" Bumblebee points between them. She gazes down at her books, her mission far too important for her to be wasting her time playing with her classmate. "No can do."
"No can do? What do you mean by that?" Her shoulders hitch to her earlobes, and she hunches forward, her fists shaking by her thighs.
"I have some…" She chuckles. "...business to handle."
"Then I'm not letting you go until you tell me how you're gonna make up for embarrassing me in class today!" Jinx clutches Bumblebee's arm, her fingers digging into her skin.
Hardly deterred, the collected double agent leers down at her. She takes in the faint sheen of sweat dampening Jinx' brow. She doesn't know why she's so intent on making herself look perfect, but then again, she's a villain-in-training. Jinx has people to impress while Bumblebee's main focus is stopping their plan from coming to fruition.
Shrugging, Bumblebee murmurs, "Well, how about this?"
"How about what?" she hisses only to be silenced when Bumblebee's warm lips press against her forehead. Heat blooms on her cheeks, and electrifying hexes race down her arms to her fingertips. The pink sparks flick off as Bumblebee parts, leaving her heart beating faster than usual, and the hexes flutter out before they can strike the nearby books.
"I think that's good enough," Bumblebee croons, turning away and offering a peace sign.
She leaves Jinx alone in the shadowy hallway. Touching the spot where Bumblebee kissed her, she can't deny the warmth spreading throughout her body. Swallowing, she stomps and kicks the metal shelf, only hurting her toes in the process. She yelps and hops in place, clutching her platform shoe and glaring at Bumblebee's backside for making her feel like a blushing fool.
Snickering, Bumblebee shifts the books back underneath her arm. Teasing her cute classmate is certainly better than studying for exams or infiltrating secret lairs, and Jinx' bright red face is a pleasant memory she'll take from H.I.V.E Academy.