Mind Your Business 11

It had been two weeks since Ballast had begun interfacing with Kairos. She had to admit, while she clearly had more experience, Kairos was far more excited to be interfacing and an avid experimenter. It made things fun. She still saw Jazz periodically making stops at the tea shop, but thankfully, he didn't ever drag Prowl along.

Early morning, Ballast was again flat on her back on her berth, writhing and grasping up the sheets. She gasped, biting her lip against the passion.

I've waited far too long for this, Ballast.

Her hips humped at the air. She twisted in her sleep, coming closer to an overload. A shaking moan left her vocalizer at the extremely vivid dream, feeling his servo grasp her knee and hitch it over his hip. Her fingers clenched as if grabbing his shoulders. His moan echoed in her processor.

Overload for me, Ballast. Overload NOW.

Ballast jerked awake as she overloaded, crying out, "OPTIMUS!"

She bit her lip hard, shaking in her berth. She looked around instinctively for Kairos, and she groaned, dropping her helm back on her berth when he wasn't there.

Why? Why now of all Primus-fragging times? She was NOT still attached to him! She'd moved on! When she screamed in the berth, it was KAIROS' name, not his! Angrily, Ballast rose from the berth and stomped into her wash racks, and she turned the knobs blasting cold. She stood stonily under the freezing water, seething to herself.

I am NOT in love with you anymore. I've moved on. I have someone better than you, who cares about me. He has time for me in his life, you didn't. You don't deserve me.

She shivered under the cold water, trying her best to chase away the heat and believe what she told herself. She stiffened her lower lip, and though the shower washed it away, a tear trickled out unbidden.

You leave me alone. I hate you, and I'm never going back to you. I deserve my happiness, so get out of my head! Leave me alone! You had your chance, and you ruined it! So rust! Just go ahead and rust! I don't care! Rust!

Her lip tried to quiver again, so she stiffened it more, refusing to cry for him. Not anymore. He didn't deserve her tears. She stood under the cold shower, fighting herself and fighting him. She'd never stop fighting. Sometimes, it felt like all she could do was fight, but if it was what kept her going, she'd continue to fight.

She'd never let him win.

*

It had been another rough day at the tea shop, which Kairos never thought it would actually get to that point. But since Ballast had helped him hire some help, it wasn't too bad. The shop definitely profited with all of the attention.

But instead of ending the day with a shower and sleep at his own home, Kairos felt along a familiar path to visit a lovable girlfriend.

It came natural for him now to buzz at the gate, which only took a second to allow him in. Walking up to the door, he pressed the doorbell and waited patiently.

Ballast opened the door, optics popping open at the sight of her diminutive boyfriend. "Kairos!" she said. "I wasn't expecting you. Come in!"

Kairos beamed, clicking as he walked into the home. "I just thought I'd come by and hear you. Hope that's okay."

"Oh, it's fine," Ballast said. She took his servo, bringing him into the den with her. "I really wasn't doing anything anyways."

His fingers curled around her hand. "Ah, I just got off of work. Be nice to relax with you," he suggested, shrugging innocently.

Oho, relax, was that it? Ballast merely rolled her optics and sank down on the couch, kicking her legs up. She pulled Kairos down on top of her and muted the TV so they could hear each other better. "There's nothing on worth watching tonight, so I was just flipping channels. Something you want to hear?"

Kairos let himself relax on top of her, his chin resting on her chassis. "Just you," he replied. Chuckling, he shifting closer to steal a kiss. "I take it you've been bored for a while then, huh?" Grinning, he added, "Anything you want to do now that your LOVELY company is here?"

Ballast chuckled lowly, and she put a servo on his waist. "Well," she said just as suggestively, "I'd take you up on that offer, but Swindle's in the other room doing paperwork."

He snorted, laying his forehead down. Turning his head, he let the side of his face rest against her. "That's okay . . . We could just—make out instead or something."

She nuzzled the top of his helm. "You expect me to make out with you and not toss you in my bed?" she said. "Not to give you the big head, but you're getting pretty good at this making-out business." And making-out down low. He could push her against the hallway wall again—THAT had been the most blissful experience.

Kairos laughed, softly this time. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't felt a little burst of pride from hearing that. Humming in thought, he let himself take a moment to think of something else. "Well . . . if you're that bored in here, we can go out, if you want."

Ballast blinked. Honestly, she hadn't even thought of it. Probably because she was anti-social, but . . . that was beyond the point. "That's a good idea," she finally agreed. She grinned punched him lightly. "You need to find some friends, anyways."

Kairos gave a scoff of mock-hurt. "Hey, I have friends. Somewhere." Straightening up, he straddled her for a moment before sliding off. "Besides, this could be another date. Don't need other friends for a date, now do we?" Acting gentlemanly, he stuck his hand out for her.

Ballast smirked. "Good save," she said wryly. She took his hand despite not really using his assistance—she'd sooner pull him back down on her. Which, by the way he had straddled her, sounded comparatively nice to going out . . .

Ah, she'd save it for later.

"How about drinks at Maccadam's?" she asked.

The silver mech immediately nodded, "Sure. I've only been there once before the war. Makes me wonder how they fixed it up."

She took his servo again, leading him back towards the door. "Well, I've only been a couple times myself. Funny how the one thing to really survive the war was a bar. Don't know how that Maccadam managed it."

Hand in hand, they left the big house behind for the night ahead of them. To be truthful, Kairos never really went out at night, but he found that the sounds weren't all that different. It was the same, except as they went down the streets, it was just quieter.

But when they reached the edges of downtown, all of that quiet made a complete U-turn. He heard an abundance of feet, voices. The sounds of alts driving by. If he could see, the lights of buildings would have gotten his attention, highlighting the start of the nightlife.

"It's a lot more active here than I'd imagine it to be at this time," he said.

Ballast snorted, not minding the people that scurried out of her way. "There's a lot to do at night. Clubs, bars, strip joints, coffee shops . . ." She flashed a grin down at him. "I'm afraid no tea shops are open this late because it doesn't have the caffeine people want."

Gripping her hand—it sounded like they could separated if they weren't holding hands—Kairos gave a dramatic sigh. "Now that's just a shame."

Though, now he was reminded why he didn't go out so much. Especially now that he had Ballast, he really had no need for strip joints or anything like that. Had never been much of a club-hopper either.

Ballast looked down at him, and she pressed her lips together against a laugh as she suddenly envisioned Kairos in a strip club. Maybe she'd have to trick him into coming to one when he got his optics back, just to see how he'd react.

Instead, pulling him along, she brought him up to the bar in question. "Here we are," she announced. "Old Maccadam's Oil House. I'll be sure to get us a seat away from people."

Kairos tilted his head up, clicking to get a better picture. The building itself wasn't TOO big, but from all of the chatter and clinking of glasses he could hear from inside, it certainly was busy.

"I'm starting to get the feeling you don't like being around other people," he joked.

She made an innocent face he couldn’t see. "Well, whatever gave you that idea?"

Taking him inside, cringing at Sky-Byte's poetry, Ballast took Kairos to the side, weaved between some offending bots, and found a table relatively in the back of the place. She put his servo on his chair, and she plopped down with him as a waiter bot rolled up.

"Get me a jumbo Malgus energon," Ballast said to the bot before it could ask properly what she wanted. Sounded like the biggest drink they had on the menu.

After Kairos slid into his seat, his audios picked up the sound of whizzing wheels. Clicking, he looked down to see the little waiter bot. Suddenly, he remembered that this place had enough in their budget to actually get waiter bots.

Hm. Maybe he could invest in getting one for the shop . . . Shaking the thoughts—really he shouldn't be thinking about work now—Kairos found the menu and slid his hand over it.

Um.

Well, for all their budget, their menus weren't actually helpful for the non-seeing. Glancing up at Ballast for help, he shrugged, not knowing what to get and unable to choose so anyway.

Ballast glanced at her blind friend and pressed her lips. Well, she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't like Malgus. Or even be able to hold Malgus. Something sweet? "He'll take a regular high grade," she finally mustered, going for safe with the standard.

Smiling thankfully, Kairos nodded. The waiter bot inputted the order, and turned back on its wheels to go fill it.

"What a handy little thing," Kairos commented as he heard it go. Resting his arms on the table, Kairos tried to focus without clicking. There was a lot of simultaneous noise going on in Maccadam's, sending pulses at him that gave the mech some insight on what was there. He picked up on a mech's voice chiming out poetry. "Don't remember Maccadam's having poetry theater."

Ballast snorted. "They don't," she said as Sky-Byte finished his poem, and the audience applauded. "That idiot is Sky-Byte. I think he picked up poetry on Earth. He's not very good at it." She shrugged. "I think it's open stage night. Should be interesting what kind of Cybertronians embarrass themselves on stage tonight."

Kairos bit down a laugh. "Ah, give them some credit, Ballast. I think as long as they have the passion for it, it'll all be great."

He heard the waiter bot's wheels come back to them, presenting their drinks on a tray that was connected to its head now. Ballast took their drinks and sat Kairos' in front of him. Hers, by far, was larger. "Drink up, Kairos." And she paused. "And sometimes, passion can't help a thing. Sky-Byte's just awful right now."

Kairos slid his fingers up the table until they bumped into the glass. "Oh, now THAT'S just mean, Ballast," he chuckled. He picked up his glass and drank a bit of the high grade. It made him stiffen a moment. It had been a long time since he had anything like high grade. But the liquid warmed his throat as it slid down. The taste wasn't too potent. In fact, it tasted sweet, all the way to the after taste. Taking a bigger gulp, he sighed with a smile.

Ballast began to drink her own high grade, and she shook her head. "Never said I was nice," she commented. Then, she glanced at Kairos, who by all means, was drinking too fast. "Ease up there, Kairos, or you'll be on the floor before the next act!"

Kairos would have rolled his eyes. "It's just one drink, Ballast. I'm sure I can handle it without passing out like some drunkard."

The couple then simply talked, drank, half listening to the acts that were being performed on stage. As Kairos had said, he didn't pass out, but the time he hit the bottom of his second drink, he was starting to feel woozy.

"Hmmm. . . Maybe you were right about that whole—whole PASSION thing," he half-slurred, his acute audios picking up on the pair on stage singing their sparks out.

Ballast chuckled as she easily tossed back her third Malgus. "Oh, you'll soon learn I'm right about almost everything, Kairos," she said, having scooted their chairs closer together so she could sling her arm around him. She grinned at him. "Feeling a little happy there, Kairos?"

Kairos bumped his head into her arm. Now that she mentioned it, he couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah. YEAH. Like—really happy. YOU'RE here so . . . yeah!"

Tipping his glass back, he shook it when nothing came out. Frowning, he stuck his finger in, confirming there was nothing left. Kairos tilted his chin up at Ballast's direction, patting her arm that was around him like an eager child that definitely wanted to mooch of their parent's money. "My glass is empty," he murmured.

"Yes it is," she agreed, resisting the urge to snicker at him. "And if I gave you another, you'd be on the floor, lightweight."

"Nuh uh!" He shook his head, holding it when it made him dizzy. "Nuh uh," he repeated, "I can handle another, Ballast. Trust me. TRUST."

Her grin broadened as someone else took the stage, this time much more pleasing to the audios. "Trust ME," she shot back to him. "You'll thank me in the morning. Besides, you're just drunk enough to screw around with."

Kairos huffed and pouted. He shook the glass in his hand, hoping by some miracle high grade would appear in it despite Ballast's words. Snorting, he shook his head. "You don't gotta screwdriver. You can't screw around with me."

Ballast gave a husky chuckle, and she leaned down to murmur in his audio. "Wrong kind of screwing," she said suggestively. "You'd make the perfect frag right about now."

Kairos' cheeks were flushed with drunkenness and him managing to realize what she meant. He stared her way, before bursting into giggles. "NOW?" He unsuccessfully bit down on more giggles before planting a sloppy kiss on her mouth. Poking her belly teasingly, he said, "Maybe you're drunk too if you want other people watching us."

Ballast laughed freely then, amused by his antics. "No, I meant I was going to throw you over my shoulder and carry you back to my place, where we can do some VERY naughty things in bed."

Giving the impression of staring, Kairos covered his smile and fits with one of his hands. "Ooooh, having ALL sorts of naughty thoughts, eh? Sounds like FUN." Placing his glass on the table, he declared, "You're def-fintely better than high grade."

Again, she had to laugh. Why hadn't she gotten him drunk sooner? "Well, then I think it's about time we quit this place and headed somewhere more . . . hmm . . . . PRIVATE."

In saying so, Ballast picked Kairos up in her arms and carried him off, knowing full well the blind mech definitely wouldn't be able to walk both while blind and drunk. Kairos gave a shaky "whoa!" when he was lifted up and held in his girlfriend's arms, but he laughed as they left Maccadam's. The high grade and desire that was starting to roll in him left his frame warm.  

He clicked randomly as she walked, biting his lip to suppress another round of giggles before he said, "Ballast, you're so STRONG. Like—like amazing strong. Like . . . like you can carry thirty Kairos' or something!"

She hummed thoughtfully in her chassis, still teasing him. "Thirty Kairos' sound fun," she said. Ignoring the few people still mulling around the streets at this time of night, Ballast tickled his cheek. "We're gonna have fun tonight, aren't we?"

Kairos chortled, waving a hand uselessly. "Pfft, SO much fun." Giving a dramatic pause, he barked out, "And I probably won't even remember it! Ha!"

Chuckling, Ballast started to say, "That's a pity . . ." when ahead, she saw two mechs. She trailed off, energon freezing. Oh Primus, and broad, broad shoulders, and two very distinctive smokestacks. The smaller mech was speaking rapidly, waving his servos, and Ballast's optics witnessed the big bot take a very aggressive step forward.

Optimus?

Her spark hit her throat when she saw him grab the mech's arm and haul him into the alley. Spark rate galloping, Ballast sat Kairos down at the coffee shop they were passing, planting his servo on a chair so he'd have something to hold on to.

"You stay right here!" she barked at him in no uncertain terms. "You don't take a slagging step for anything! I'll be right back!" Turning on her heel, Ballast took off running down the street towards the alley in question.

Kairos jumped at the loud orders, hand gripping tight on the back of the chair. "Uh. . ." He turned his head where he heard her run, too far away already for him to call out for her uncertainly. His mind swimming, he took a couple steps away from the chair, tripped onto his knees, and crawled back to the chair.

Well, he was still coherent enough after that to just wait his aft on the chair for Ballast.

Barreling into the alley, Ballast hurtled to a stop at the sight that greeted her. The smaller mech, whose face she didn't recognize, was lying on his back, run through and energon beginning to pool. Her helm whipped around for Optimus, but he wasn't there, so her optics returned to the dead mech. Her energon tanks flipped.

Not Optimus. He wouldn't do this.

Her helm jerked up at a noise in the adjacent alley. Creeping forward as silently as possible, Ballast kept her fists at the ready. Spark pounding in her audios, Ballast crept into the other alley—

Immediately, she hit someone's chassis. Flailing for a moment, she struggled against the hands that grabbed her. A breathless, "Ballast!" met her audios, causing her to stop. Crystal blue optics met hers, and her spark hit her stomach when his servos came up on either shoulder. "Ballast! Are you all right?"

She blinked wildly for one moment before she violently tried to shrug him off. "Am I all right?" she hissed back at him. "You just ran that mech through! And you're asking me if I'M all right?"

He was smiling at her, though he kept trying to fight it. His optics dimmed at her harsh words. "Ballast, I can explain—" he started to say, but she cut him off.

"Oh, please do!" she shouted in a whisper, surprised her voice wasn't bellowing across the entire block. "I'd love to hear it! Do you always creep around at night MURDERING bots!" She knew very well that he didn’t.

His fingers tightened on her. "Ballast," he muttered, that growl starting to enter his voice when she made him angry. "Stop it. I didn't murder anyone."

She flung an arm out behind her. "Then care to explain the dead body of the mech you were just harassing in the street?"

"He pulled a gun on me!" he said sharply back, fingers beginning to bite into her arms now. "Did you really expect me not to defend myself?"

"So you KILLED him?" Ballast snapped back.

"I didn't kill him!" Optimus fought back, those azure optics glinting at her. "He killed himself! Did you even inspect the scene? The gun had a silencer, you can tell by one look it was a gunshot wound, not a blade! Do I need to arm myself to prove my innocence?"

Ballast set her jaw. "Maybe you do," she sniped back at him. "Because I sure didn't see a gun!"

He shook her. "You're just sore because I broke it off," he growled. "You're still sore, and now you think I'm a murderer. How about we walk back to the scene and take a look at the gun—"

"Don't you touch me!" Ballast snapped, amazed that they both had already managed to fire each other’s tempers off so quickly. Her energon pulsed in her body, hot and angry, and by Primus if he couldn't get her riled up! "You don't deserve to touch me!" She wrenched at his vice grip. "Let go!"

"Do you honestly think I'd kill a mech?" he asked incredulously, the tone of hurt entering his voice. She shook her head, determined not to fall for it. He fought her, keeping his grip on her. "Ballast, I know you're angry, but this is ridiculous! I promise, I did nothing of the sort!"

"Yeah, well you promised a lot of things!" she snarled, energon pounding as she sneered in his face. Wisps of smoke curled from her chimney, and she could feel their energy fields fighting against one another. "Now let go of me before I knock you unconscious, got it?"

He shook her again, the anger coming back. "Ballast, I am NOT a murderer! I may have hurt you, but that's no reason for you to act like this!" His breathing was becoming just as ragged as hers. "I'm sorry! All right? I'm sorry, but—"

"No!" She jerked against him again. "I'm tired of hearing your excuses! Let go of me! Let—"

His mouth crushed down on hers before she could stop him. Adrenaline pounding, Ballast met him furiously for one moment, biting his lip and falling back into the familiar heat. Then, she broke away from him, wound up, and let her fist fly.

Her fist clocked into his jaw soundly, sending his head ricocheting back and leaving her knuckles bloody from splitting his lip. Optimus staggered back, letting go of her, and Ballast retreated several steps in an aggressive stance, daring him to touch her again.

He stepped back too, a silence falling between them as he wiped his lip. Somber blue optics looked up at her, and finally, he shook his head. "I know I won't be able to change anything you think," he murmured, shaking his head. "So I won't try. Say what you will, Ballast, but you know I'm not a murderer, no matter what grudges you carry against me."

Her pulse pounded in her neck as she watched him walk away. Too furious to even be in his presence, she let him go. Shaking in anger, Ballast stomped back down the alley and to the body lying in the shadows. Turning on her headlight so she could see him, her stomach dropped.

There was a gun. In her haste she must have bypassed it, but now, in the light, she could see the gun equipped with the silencer mentioned lying near the dead bot's servo. Energon pooled from his chassis, but she honestly couldn't tell whether it was a gun or bullet wound. A forensic scientist would know quickly, however.

She swallowed, shaken up by the events, and she touched her audio, dialing for the police. "Hello? There's just been a murder."

*

Kairos had knocked out at the table Ballast had left him at. No one left at the coffee shop had bothered to wake him up.

So when he was woken, it was to the oncoming sound of . . . sirens. Groaning, Kairos lifted his head up, resting his cheek in his hand to keep it up as he heard the sound get louder and louder, and then start to fade as they passed.

Sighing gruffly, he twisted in his seat in the direction they went. Hm. He felt like—he was missing something. Clicking softly, his dim mind realized that he was alone at the table.

Something . . . missing. Kairos straightened a little. Ballast. Yeah, usually Ballast was with him at a table. Ballast was . . . over THERE. Looking back the way the sirens left, he remembered what had happened before he passed out.

Worry managed to get through his stupor, and Kairos stumbled out of his seat to, hopefully, find Ballast in one, safe, secure piece.

Standing next to the alley, Ballast's helm lifted with the sight of three police bots and an ambulance. She kind of hoped the ambulance was Ratchet at the same time she hoped he wasn't, but regardless, it wasn't him. Three police bots transformed up, and she pressed her lips when there wasn't one she knew well. She recognized Nightbeat, but not the other two.

The ambulance along with one of the officers went to the body while the other began taping off the area. Nightbeat approached her. "Can you tell me what happened here?"

Ballast grunted. "I saw this guy and another mech in an argument. The bigger bot leered over him, and then I saw the big bot drag him into the alley. By the time I got here, he was dead."

Nightbeat frowned. "Could you identify either of the bots for me?"

She paused, pressing her lips together. Those smoke stacks were unmistakable. "Optimus Prime was the larger mech."

Nightbeat looked up and stared at her, and she saw him crack a smile, but when she didn't blink, his smile faded. He gaped. "You're serious?"

"As a spark attack," she said, lips tightening.

Nightbeat's optics flickered. "Well. Are you really, REALLY sure?"

"I'm sure," she said flatly. "I'd check out where he was tonight if I were you."

He shifted uncomfortably, looking up at her. "I guess you'd be the one to know . . ." he muttered, taking down his notes. She stiffened a little. "Did you see where, ah, Optimus went?"

Ballast gritted her teeth. "He made a pass at me and ran off. But not before I clocked him one to the mouth." She lifted her fist for him.

Kairos, half stumbling down the street, kept forgetting to help himself with his clicking. He was only staying mostly upright because he had remembered to keep one hand on the closest wall while he walked.

He had yet to find Ballast, and right now he was going solely in the direction he heard the sirens go, having no other clue to abide by.

"Ballast!" He began to call out, cupping his other hand around his mouth. "Ballaaast!"

She looked up from Nightbeat's questioning to see Kairos stumbling down the street. She groaned softly, pinching her brow. "I thought I told him to stay put . . ." Briefly leaving Nightbeat—since he was finished with her anyways—she walked out after the mech struggling along. "I thought I told you not to move," she said in annoyance as she approached.

Kairos perked at hearing her voice, and then remembered to click so he could see her shape advancing towards him. He took a couple steps to meet her, almost bumping into her crotch again.

"I didn't," he reasoned. "I . . . I think I fell asleep. But then there were sirens and I got worried." Grabbing onto one of her wrists for balance, he tilted his helm a little to click and try to see what was happening behind her. "What's going on?"

"Someone was murdered," Ballast said, taking his servo properly. "We're going home."

"Murdered?" he murmured. The stupor he was in currently didn't allow him to process that fully. Instead, he focused on the 'home' part. Nodding limply, Kairos held onto Ballast's hand tightly so he wouldn't trip. The exciting plans that they had made for later had been forgotten.