Mind Your Business 13

A week had passed and Kairos was still feeling embarrassment over how he had met the Prime. But, luckily, the business of the shop forced him to focus on other things. Customers were almost bunched in at their tables to make room for those walking around and still entering through the door.

His employee did take some of the stress off of him, but Kairos was still racing around to meet the customers need. He almost dropped a pile of three tins in his haste. He managed to steady them and plunk them on the counter, relief rushing through him. Primus knows he didn't need flowers to be strewn all over the floor. But just as he finished with that customer, there was another ready for his attention.

Ballast was finally starting to settle again. Things were falling back into routine. She met Kairos at his tea shop. He continued to watch her boxing matches. They continued to interface at night, which was always a treat. Ballast always liked to get Kairos whimpering and trembling beneath her.

She was in her usual spot in the corner, surveying the tea shop. She sipped on her bitter tea, drinking it as slowly as she possibly could, like always, when the norm was interrupted.

Optimus walked through the very small doors of the tea shop, smoke stacks nearly hitting the ceiling.

Ballast sat up, narrowing her optics at him. He looked at her from across the shop, seemed to sigh, and shook his head. He crossed to the opposite side where a yellow and red mech had just been served his tea, two cups on the table. Optimus sat with him, pouring himself a cup as the mech greeted him.

Brow knitting suspiciously, Ballast pushed her way through the crowd where Kairos was pouring more tea. She shoved past someone in line, leaning over the counter. "Kairos. Kairos!"

Kairos jolted and turned his head to her voice. Quickly, he finished pouring the tea and placed the pot down. "What's wrong?" he asked urgently, clicking his way over to her.

Ballast looked over her shoulder at the two mechs at their table. They were speaking, and neither had touched their tea yet. She saw the mech hand Optimus something, a datapad, and Optimus tucked it away. She looked back to Kairos going with the hunch in her gut. "Something's wrong. Optimus is here, but I think he's the copy."

The misplaced thrill he felt was immediately extinguished. Now it was just concern and tension. Clicking softly, he found the form that looked like the one he had seen in Ballast's house.

"Oh Primus," he muttered under his breath. "What do we do? What should I do?"

She looked back just in time to see him stand. Her spark jumped. "You keep minding your business, he's leaving."

Crossing the store with Optimus, she grabbed his shoulder before he could leave. He turned to face her, and Ballast's jaw ticked when she saw a faint weld mark on his bottom lip, nearly unable to be seen by the buff job applied. "I don't know who you think you are," she muttered to him, "or how you managed to do this, but I'm going to need that datapad back."

Optimus shook his head. "Ballast, I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. Now I have places I need to be."

He turned to go, but she grabbed him again, trying not to make a scene and failing. "I know you're a fake," she hissed at him hoping to oust him early. "I met the real Optimus last night, got it? Now I'm going to need that datapad back."

His optics darkened a shade, but he gave a small smile, unfazed. "So it's true. Now, I'm quite sure you don't want to cause a scene here—"

"I will if it means getting that datapad back."

"—especially since I'm afraid there IS no datapad. However, you might want to, ah . . . WATCH OUT for your little boyfriend. I'd hate for him to be caught in any trouble or drink anything upsetting."

He gave a pointed look to Kairos, and Ballast felt her spark still. Optimus turned and walked out, and Ballast let him, hurrying back across the room to Kairos. "Kairos!" she hissed at him, grabbing his shoulder and nearly making him lose the tea he was holding. "Have you drank any of the tea?"

Kairos straightened again like lightening when he heard her come back to him, forcing him to stop what he was doing, her voice urgent. He quickly shook his head. "No, I haven't, Ballast. Wh-Why? What happened? What—What did he say?"

Ballast pressed her lips. "Come here," she said, and she plopped the tea on the customer's table before half dragging Kairos behind the counter. "He gave me a threat,” she muttered lowly. “He warned me to watch out for you. Make sure you hadn't drank anything upsetting."

Kairos chewed his bottom lip. He was using HIM to get at Ballast. The thought made his tanks upset a little. He shook his head again. "I didn't drink any tea today," he said again. "Not even in the morning. It was too busy."

Turning his head, he gnawed on his bottom lip. This was beginning to be a bigger problem than he imagined. Shaking his head again, he said more softly, "We have to stop him. Somehow. He might kill more people. Or try to, at least."

Ballast glanced at the people behind her. "We'll talk later," she said. People were staring, noticing something was wrong. "Mind your business." Kairos could act natural for a little bit.

Kairos frowned, brows knitting behind his visor. Mind his own business? Considering this fake Prime was threatening his life as well as who knows how many others, Ballast was sure quick to dismiss him. Deciding not to say anything on it, Kairos said, "Alright", and went back to tending to the shop's customers.

Ballast stomped back to her corner and planted her aft in her seat. She groused to herself, looking with distrust at her tea. Drink anything upsetting. Ballast eyed her tea distrustfully before reminding herself that it had been made by Kairos, and she finally took a sip of it again. She stewed to herself, angry she had let the imposter Optimus walk out. She should have just made a scene, beat him the frag up, and thrown him through Kairos' window. Then paid for his window again.

A shrill scream split the tea shop. Ballast's helm jerked up as a ruckus immediately started on the other side of the shop, and she leapt to her peds, ready for anything else the day could throw at her. Pushing her way through the crowd that was quickly forming a semi-circle, Ballast pushed her way to the front and stared down at the sight that greeted her.

The mech Optimus was with. He wasn't moving. At all. Crouching down on the floor, Ballast felt for a spark beat, and her lips pressed again when she found nothing. Her optics grazed the teacup that had shattered on the floor next to him, and the tea soaking the floor. She stood up, turning back to the crowd. "I need everyone to sit DOWN and shut UP!" she bellowed, easily making them all flinch and step back. She looked to the counter where Kairos had returned for a refill of tea, and she swallowed. "Kairos, call the cops."

*

No one had been allowed to leave the shop. As soon as the cops came, everyone inside were kept with the close optic of each enforcer. Kairos could hear his spark beating hard in his audios, along with the rippling murmur passing through the bunch.

There had been a death in HIS shop. And according to the officer who had checked the body, the tea he had been drinking must have been poisoned. The shop owner stayed close to Ballast, all sorts of what ifs going through his head. He knew that this had been the same mech that was talking with the doppelganger Prime, but he was afraid that stating something so absurd would just makes things far worse.

Ballast watched the cops rope off the area, checking the evidence, handling the tea with care not to spill the rest of it so they could test it for poisoning. Kairos was hovering near her like a shadow as it was clear who the prime suspect was. Two cops were taking people outside to question them, acquire their information, and allow them to go home until they may be called in for more questioning. The crowd was slowly thinning. The longer Kairos stood there with Ballast the more it was clear to him that he was going to be the one that everyone pointed their fingers at.

Surprisingly, Prowl wasn't here. She recognized Nightbeat again. He kept looking at them and shaking his head, as if wondering how the frag they had gotten involved again. Ballast just leaned against the counter with crossed arms, waiting for them to try and come to question Kairos.

Then, Ballast's optics popped as, who should come walking up to the store except Optimus Prime himself?

Ballast's jaw set in annoyance as the mech came in and turned to speak with Nightbeat immediately. Nightbeat said something back, went out and briefly spoke with the two outside questioning the bots, and came back in. He and Optimus traded words. Ballast's fingers clenched her arms tightly as Optimus approached her and Kairos.

She clenched her jaw when Optimus inclined his helm to them. "Ballast. Kairos."

Crossing his arms so his hands weren't visibly shaking, Kairos lifted his head. His spark dropped to his tank when the voice matched the shape. "H-Hello, Prime," he murmured, trying to sound polite despite the slight crack in his voice.

Nightbeat cleared his vocalizer in the now emptied shop. "Well, according to eye witnesses, Kairos served the tea, and Optimus was with Mercury briefly. Therefore, we've got our two prime suspects." Nightbeat suddenly grinned. "No pun intended."

Ballast grunted. "Well before we start pointing fingers, I think I ought to mention that it was your charming doppelganger," she said pointedly to Optimus. "He cleaned up his mark nice and good, but I saw the faint scar." She clenched her fingers, looking at where Optimus' bruise around his optic was now nearly fully healed. She jerked her helm down. "He threatened Kairos."

Kairos began to habitually play with his fingers as he spoke, his voice still small. "Um, Ballast told me he was here, but—but I would never POISON anyone, even if they were helping the doppelganger." He refrained himself from clicking, wanting to see their expression and have a chance on guessing on what the Prime and officer were thinking. His throat bobbing, he added, "I was just—trying to keep things normal. Mind my business, like Ballast told me."

"While I doubt you are responsible," Optimus said gently to Kairos, "I'm sure you will still have to endure standard questioning." At that, Nightbeat nodded. Optimus looked at Ballast. "What did my double say to you?"

She shook her helm. "I called him out on being a copy and demanded the datapad that what's-his-face gave to him. Mercury."

Optimus' optics widened in alarm. "Mercury gave a datapad to him."

"Probably thought he was you," she said with a nod. "When I called the fake out, he threatened Kairos. Said he'd hate for Kairos to drink anything upsetting. I thought it would have been Kairos in trouble, but . . ." She shrugged, looking at the dead body. "Guess not."

Optimus shook his helm. "You saw Mercury give a datapad to him?"

"Yes."

The Prime gave a hissing vent. "That datapad contained evidence on whom my attacker was," he grumbled. "He's taken that and silenced Mercury."

Kairos brought up the nerve to speak up. "Um, who is Mercury?"

Optimus' optics rested on him again. "Mercury was a forensic scientist. He was trusted with my case of poisoning since he has always been . . . apt regarding poison." He shook his helm again. "I've no doubt he was able to track down who commissioned for the poison and my murder, and now they've had him killed as well. Using my double." His chassis grumbled. "So they found conventional methods of killing me would not do the trick, so they somehow managed to copy me . . ."

Kairos mulled all this over. And while he supposed it was beginning to come together in his head, one thing still confused him. "But . . . how would they even be able to do that? I mean, make a copy of you?"

"That's the million credit question," Nightbeat said with a shake of his head. "We're still getting into that answer . . . Regardless of what's happened, I'll need to see you for questioning." He glanced between Optimus and Ballast who were staring at one another before clearing his vocalizer. "Um . . . Is that all you needed, Optimus?"

Optimus blinked away from Ballast and to Nightbeat. He nodded his helm. "I do believe so, Nightbeat," he said. "I'm going to speak with Prowl and see what he thinks of all of this." He looked back to Ballast. "Ballast, Kairos, take care."

*

He probably had made himself more of a suspect acting so shaken up during that questioning. But thank Primus that was over now, and he was in the comfort in his girlfriend's big arms on her bed again.

Still, the situation was making him feel queasy. Kairos couldn't help but groan softly into Ballast's side, clutching her plating. "Can't believe this is happening," he mumbled. "Someone murdered in my shop . . ." He sighed. "The shop's going to take a big hit because of that, I just know it. Bet half of my regulars'll think I'm some murderer."

Arm slung around him to scoop him into her side, Ballast just patted his arm. "Half the regulars don't need to come back if they believe that," she said without worry. "You don't have a motive. You'll be fine."

Kairos made a noise in the back of his throat. "I don't know, Ballast," he replied softly. "If you told them I didn't have a motive, some of them might say a murderer doesn't need one. They're just psycho like that." Curling closer to her warmth, he said, "Just don't want to eventually lose the tea shop because too many people stop coming in."

Ballast rolled her optics at his tendency to worry too much. "Well, if you end up being a broke psychopath, you'll be MY broke psychopath."

Kairos couldn't stop the smile that broke on his face. Shifting up, he clicked to kiss her cheek, "Thanks, Ballast." Sighing, he sank back down into her. "Hey," he spoke up again, "Do you . . . Do you think Optimus Prime will catch his double? Soon, anyway?"

She nodded. "Oh sure, he'll catch his double no problem. Have no idea if it'll be sooner than later. Hopefully sooner. He's not exactly small. He can only hide in so many places."

Chuckling tiredly, Kairos nodded in agreement. Somehow she always managed to calm him down at least a little bit. "True. Still, I feel really, really concerned about this. That doppelganger had no problem killing Mercury off. I just get this—this BAD feeling at the thought of him killing off who knows how many more."

Ballast hummed deep in her chassis. "Kairos? You need to quit worrying. We'll be fine." She glanced down at him. Her lips curved. "Do I need to . . . DISTRACT you from your thoughts?"

Kairos laughed, lifting himself up a little again. "I'd appreciate that a LOT, actually." His head bent down, lips kissing the side of her mouth.

Ballast rolled over him, returning that kiss. "I'm topping tonight," she said, thinking of all the times she topped with a grin. She nuzzled her helm to his. "I like to watch you squirm."

*

A week later, Kairos rested in Ballast's big, empty bed. The sound of Ballast's shower had soothed his audios, made him relax in the comforters. But if he was right, which he sure he was, it'd be one of those nights were he would get to smell the fresh soap on her body for a long, blissful while.

After a relaxing shower, Ballast grabbed a towel and patted herself dry, feeling blissfully clean. There was almost no better feeling than being clean. Sighing to herself, she stepped back into her room, and her brows shot up.

"Kairos!" She had left him downstairs. Guess he decided to come up for some company. Ballast smirked at him sitting on her berth that night. "Get bored down there on your lonesome?" she asked, crossing her arms beneath her ample bosom.

Kairos smiled her way, clicking to see her. The shape wasn’t as angled as it usually was, which could only mean she lacked any of her armor.

Ah, these were the moments he cursed his blindness. "Yeah," he replied. "That, and it's a lot WARMER in your bed." Settling his weight with his palms spread on the surface, his smile turned into a bashful, blushing grin. "Bet you can make it warmer though."

Ballast chuckled as she climbed on the berth with him. "One day you'll stop blushing when you get suggestive. Today is not that day." She rolled her optics and sighed. "And one day, when you've got your sight back, you'll be able to see exactly how big these monsters are," and she grabbed handfuls of her own boobs, frowning at them. "How about a refresher for your memory?" she said, scooting close, taking his servos, and planting them on her bosom. "Like these?"

Kairos easily made himself comfortable, his hands getting just a bit warmer just touching the large masses of her breasts. "You know I've ALWAYS liked them," he said. Sliding them down slowly, he circled his thumbs around the nipples, wasting no time to put his mouth to use.

Biting her bottom lip as he began to treat her to one of her favorite parts about interfacing, Ballast's servos landed around his waist, stroking teasingly up and down his back and belly, drawing tiny circles around his navel. Warmth pooled in her lower belly. When his servos squeezed her breasts compounded with what his mouth was doing, Ballast tilted her helm back with a soft moan as he treated the other breast.

Her optics popped open at a ring in her audios.

Swearing softly and taking Kairos' chin to get him to stop, Ballast growled, "What is it?"

Kairos stopped short at that. Releasing Ballast's taunt nipple, he clicked softly. Still, while he couldn't see her expression, he knew she was annoyed by something. Certainly not this, because it was her favorite part.

"Ballast?" he murmured.

She touched a finger to his mouth as Swindle's voice filled her audio receptor. "Ohh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

She rolled her optics at his conniving tone. "Yes, you are, so this had better be good."

"It is!" Swindle said defensively. "You know I don't call you all willy-nilly. Heh, willy-nilly . . ."

"Swindle."

"All right! All right, so I've got myself into a small pickle. Isn't that what the humans call it? Yes, a right fine pickle. You see, someone got it into his mind to mug me of, ah . . . SENSITIVE materials. Unfortunately for him, I've got my things on a tracker. I would go in and get it myself, but the little mech isn't alone, and I'm kinda outnumbered. I was wondering if you could help me bust down some doors."

Ballast set her jaw, looking down at Kairos. Damn it. "Is it that pressing?" she asked. Damn.

"Of course!" Swindle said again. "Look, just think of it as foreplay, right?"

She groaned. "Look, just send me your coordinates, I'll be right there."

"Righto."

He hung up, and Ballast sighed. "Kairos, I've got to go."

The mech tried not to seem disappointed. "Swindle?" It sounded more like a confirmation on who had interrupted than a question. Sighing, he smiled, the blush still tinting his cheeks. "Ah, that's alright. Guess we'll just have to work on getting each other off another night."

"Oh no," she said, and she poked his chassis. "We are definitely still getting it on tonight. Just, later on. I'm going to beat up whoever the slag had the ball-bearings to mug Swindle, and then I'm going to come back here and make you overload on your back."

Well, the words did a good job bringing the heat back full force. "Whoever it is, beat him up good for the both of us." Grinning bashfully, he gave a thumbs up. "I'll be sure to prep myself for that."

Prep himself? Ballast chuckled lowly and pushed Kairos flat on his back, planted a servo on his hip, and leaned down. She gave the longest, wettest, most lewd lick she could to his cod piece and then kissed his mouth. "Stay warm for me until I come back," she husked. Then, without batting an optic at him, she turned and dressed quickly in her armor.

Kairos had to bite his lip hard not to give a yelp. Huffing—Primus that was a tease!—he pouted a little, but nodded. That definitely wouldn't be a problem after that.

Leaving and stomping down the stairs and out of the house, Ballast's engine grumbled in annoyance. Those fraggers would REALLY regret mugging Swindle because one, he was her son, and two, she was fragging horny. All in all, it was NOT a good combination.

Walking briskly down the deserted streets of the night, Ballast grumbled to herself all the way into the lower district of Iacon. She passed a few people in the night, dubious characters at best, but Ballast ignored them and kept on her way, her sheer size enough to deter people from either trying to mug or get frisky with her.

At least, she thought her size was enough.

Ballast jerked when a massive arm locked around her throat when she passed an alley. Grunting in annoyance since she had somewhere to be, Ballast gritted her teeth and fought off her assailant. Getting dragged into the alley, Ballast snarled and whipped her helm back into him, making him give a grunt and release her. Whirling to face her attacker with lifted fists, Ballast's optics widened when Optimus whirled around, a beam wielded in hand.

She tried to lung out of the way, but he aimed for her knee. The beam struck with massive force at her weaker spot, and Ballast cried out in pain when the sheer force of the hit knocked her leg out of place. Gasping and staggering away, Ballast tried to step and her leg locked up on her, seizing in pain when her gears ground, knocked awry.

Hissing and ducking under the next swing, Ballast lunged forward for close quarters so he wouldn't be able to use the beam to his best. Struggling against him, Ballast pounded his stomach with her fists. He backhanded her, and Ballast stumbled, pitching to the side when her locked up leg refused to function. Lunging for his weapon, knowing she wouldn't be able to run, Ballast was easily outmaneuvered by the mech.

Optimus sidestepped her and lifted the steel beam, swinging with all his might. The end of it collided with the side of her helm, knocking her unconscious immediately.