pullmeoutalive | log > how are these two so darn cute?

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log > how are these two so darn cute?

It had been an admittedly strange situation they had all been in - shopping mall, zombies, black outs - it was like a horror film gone wrong.

No one had any explanation for their sudden appearance in the mall, nor did anyone have an explanation for their sudden disappearance from the mall. Just as no one had an explanation for the blue Chevrolet Volt currently parked outside of B.A.B.E.L. headquarters.

For his own part, Jolt was doing what Autobots did best (aside from kicking Decepticon skidplate), and that was hiding in plain sight. Asphalt and sunshine, he decided, were preferable to zombie-laden carpet and the near-darkness of a mall without power. He just didn't like having to wait while Naomi was inside - no doubt trying to explain where the frag she'd been all this time. Jolt'd had a similar problem relaying his whereabouts to - of all mechs - Ratchet. (No doubt the medic thought he was glitched for insisting he'd been fighting off zombies all this time.) But, after much instance, and pleading for Optimus' permission, Jolt was allowed to stay with Naomi for the time being.

The Autobot sighed inwardly. He was still waiting, and he still hated it.

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To be fair, Jolt felt bad about stepping in like he had. Maybe he'd overreacted. Naomi probably had the whole thing under control and then a giant alien robot just came barging in--

And so it was with the air of a kicked puppy that the Volt approached the girl at the riverbank, engine humming softly.

Naomi didn't speak at first-- mostly because she didn't even know where to begin. It was sweet that Jolt had been concerned for her, if that was the reason behind his actions, but he'd just put his own identity into jeopardy, and so many people could have seen that.

"... Why did you do that?" She asked softly, deciding that it was the safest question to start off with.

The car drooped a little - just a slight dipping of its nose, not unlike a dog who knew full well that he had done something bad. "I don't know--" he began softly, but that was a lie. He knew. "I didn't want you to get hurt. I jumped in without thinking, and I'm sorry." It wasn't the first time Jolt had charged headlong into a situation without thinking, and it likely wasn't the last, but he knew he couldn't afford that kind of behavior here.

That was unfair. She had been gearing up for a long lecture, and here he was, acting like a kicked puppy. It should have been impossible for a car to even give off that impression, but Jolt was doing it admirably.

"It's my job." Naomi drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on top of them. "It's dangerous, and it would have hurt, but I could have taken it, and your identity wouldn't have been put at risk. If it still seems like I need to be protected, then that's my fault, not yours. I should be the one apologizing."

He had perfected the kicked puppy look - not that it did much when faced with the likes of Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Major Lennox, but it was a nice thing to have in his arsenal. However, unlike most of the times he had to apologize to any of the aforementioned, he really did mean it this time.

"No. Nonono, don't apologize! You have nothing to apologize for. I know you're capable, I do! It's my fault entirely." There was a long pause where Jolt seemed to be thinking. When he did speak, his voice was quiet. "Maybe I should just go back to Diego Garcia."

In one swift, fluid movement, Naomi was up. She might have wobbled for a split second, but she grounded herself by planting her hands on the car's hood, and raised her head to stare at him. There was anger in that gaze, blazing fury-- and just a trace of panic.

"You're going back, just like that? You make one mistake-- one-- and that's it? It took me four years to realize my own mistakes, and it might have been easier to ask for another supervisor, but I kept going! I was scared I'd be hated if I kept standing up for myself, but I didn't give up! Jolt-san, I trust you, and there are worse mistakes to make than diving in to help a friend! I'm just fine with believing in you, even if you aren't! If you really want to go back, then fine, but then why did you come here in the first place??"

For the first time in... possibly ever, the young Autobot was rendered speechless. Even his engine went quiet in shock. It should have been impossible for a car to stare, mouth agape, but this one was proving that - had it the proper components - that's exactly what it would be doing.

"I-" he began, after what seemed like an eternity of just... looking at the fury on Naomi's face. "I came here to be with you. I want to help, and I'm willing to take the risks- you just have to be willing to let me take them too." He didn't doubt that she was worried for him - but he was an Autobot. Helping people was what they did, and if he had to help and hide, help and hide, and run the risk of exposure, then so be it. However, he wasn't going to run that risk without Naomi's backing, because he didn't want to have to go through this every single time - and as much as he hated it, going back to NEST was the easiest solution.

"..." She wasn't used to losing her temper with anyone other than her supervisor, and the young esper took a deep breath to calm her nerves. There was no way that she could be angry at him, not after what he'd just said. He'd come here for her sake, and it hadn't been fair to ask him to just wait for her. If the positions had been switched, she couldn't have said that she would have done any differently.

"I understand." Naomi closed her eyes briefly, lowering her head, but keeping her palms on the hood. She didn't want to see him get hurt because of her, but if Jolt was adamant about stepping in to assist her, she couldn't just refuse. "I'll be willing, but... please, be careful. There are espers who can control you, who might come close to destroying you, and I don't want that."

There was a brief moment in which nothing happened, and then the light shifted and shimmered and there was the hologram, sitting cross legged on the hood in front of Naomi's hands. One hand cupped her chin, and brought her gaze up to meet his. His face was serious, as was his tone. "I'm a soldier, Naomi. This is what I do. I'll do my very best to be careful, I promise you that, but if you are ever in trouble, I won't hesitate to be there."

To her absolute horror, Naomi felt her eyes starting to sting, and it took a great deal of will to keep from bursting into tears, as she typically did when she'd felt that she'd messed up big time and hurt others in the process. And she had, hadn't she? She'd been so dead-set on protecting Jolt that she hadn't considered his feelings on the matter; the warmth of his hand and the solemnity of his gaze only served to reinforce that he was so much more than any of the robots she'd faced, and she held still, oddly comforted by that fact.

"I'm a soldier, too," she whispered and, despite her best effort, a tear trickled down her face. "An esper. But as Naomi, I'm asking you to stay and fight with me."

Ah, Naomi's face was leaking. Wait, no. She was crying, and he definitely didn't want her to cry. "Hey," he said, brushing the tear from her face. "Of course I'll stay." There was a soft purr from Jolt's engine, part reassuring, part echoing Naomi's apparent sadness, and the hologram slid down the hood and enveloped Naomi in a hug - a little awkward at first, simply because Jolt was unused to the action, but he settled into it eventually. "I'll stay," he said again, confirming it for her as much as for himself.

Naomi was stiff initially, caught off-guard by the sudden display of affection, but gradually, her arms rose, wrapping around him, and she buried her face in his shirt. There was something strange about hugging a hologram that felt this solid, but this was part of Jolt, and she accepted that with very little difficulty. It was a lot harder to hug him when he was more than three times her size, anyway.

"Good," came the muffled voice.

It was a little weird to be this close to her, but not exactly bad. Sure, as a hologram he couldn't feel - not as humans did - but there was still something that went from her to him. He couldn't explain it, really.

He pulled away from her slightly, flashing her that grin. "You look exhausted," he remarked.

"I'm only Level Six," she explained, smiling ruefully as she took a step back to stretch. "It usually requires two high-leveled psychokinetic espers to do something like that, unless it's Kaoru-chan. I... probably went a little past my limits--"

"Naomiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Naomi automatically flinched, glancing over her shoulder at her approaching supervisor. For some reason, he looked livid. "S-Supervisor...?"

"Did that robot harm you? It was obviously a trap set by that esper, and you should be resting, instead of--" Here Tanizaki's eyes swept over the hologram, and he sniffed distastefully. "Instead of letting yourself be groped by this... garbage. Don't let yourself be taken in!"

HoloJolt raised an eyebrow, managing not to look surprised at the "giant robot" remark, and instead casting a disgusted look at Naomi's supervisor. "Garbage?" he repeated.

It took all of Jolt's willpower to keep his engine quiet. Instead, he focused on not letting his hologram lose its solidity, and staying right where he was. It might be satisfying to just punch this guy in the face, or run him over. Or punch him in the face and then run him over, but he didn't want to run the risk of being separated from Naomi for assaulting her supervisor.

"Garbage," the man repeated firmly, and Naomi tensed, glancing anxiously at her friend to ensure that he wasn't going to do anything idiotic. She could react now, but anyone else was a very different situation. "Trying to take advantage of a sweet young br-- girl, I know how your dirty minds work! Well, her supervisor won't stand for it! Get away from her this instant!"

This really wasn't her day.

The young man shrugged. "Fine, have it your way." He stood up from where he was currently seated on the Volt's hood, and stalked purposefully to the river's edge, pausing just long enough to give Naomi a little smile.

And then he jumped in the river.

Naomi stared, catching herself before she could leap off after him. Tanizaki stared...

Then let out some kind of breathy scream and promptly keeled over.

"Ah-- S-- Jolt-san!" Seeing that the man wouldn't be in any shape for observation for awhile (and not particularly feeling like picking him up off the ground), Naomi propped her hands on her hips and gave the car her best reproachful glare. "He's going to be hysterical for days now!"

Jolt himself was hysterical, but this was a purely different kind of hysterical. "Oh, that was rich. Maybe now he'll think twice before telling people off." He managed to sound proud of himself, despite the hysterics.

It took him a minute to get his giggles under control, but when he did, he regarded Tanizaki's sprawled form for a moment. "Maybe I overdid it," he remarked, somehow not sounding too convinced of the fact.

What kind of autobot had a gigglefit, anyway? Naomi looked from him to her fallen commander, slowly shaking her head at how ridiculous they both were, in their own ways.

"You really shouldn't have done that. You can't expect me to just leave him here!" That translated to having to carry him all the way back to headquarters, a trip that she wasn't sure she could actually do in her current condition. Even now, the slight dizziness from earlier had gotten worse, and she was starting to sway when she stood still for too long.

The kind of Autobot that would pretend to jump in a river just to freak someone out, of course. Juvenile though he was, he could still figure out what Naomi meant - and he could still notice that she was indeed exhausted, and becoming more so by the minute.

There was a sigh from the car, and the back door swung open. Just as suddenly as it had vanished, the hologram was back and hauling the supervisor into the backseat. (Jolt was going to need to recharge for like a week after all this, he just knew it.) Satisfied that Tanizaki wasn't going anywhere, the hologram winked out of existence, and the driver's side door opened in invitation. "Come on, you're driving."

"M-me?" Naomi's voice ended in an incredulous squeak, and she coughed to clear her throat, hands already waving in denial. "I-I can't! I've never driven before, and I might crash you, and I'd never want to do that to you!"

If anyone had doubted she was tired, there was proof right there.

"When I say 'drive'," Jolt explained, calmly so as to stave off another freak-out. "I mean you're going to sit in the seat and put your hands on the wheel and I'm gong to drive. I just don't want what's-his-bucket back here freaking out all over my upholstery if he wakes up and I'm driving myself."

"Oh, don't worry about that!" She spared Tanizaki only a small glance, one that spoke volumes of how used to him she was (and how she hated it). "If he wakes up, I can put him out again."

Still, Jolt's suggestion-- or order-- was a good one, and the girl slowly slipped into the seat and just as tentatively rested her hands on the steering wheel.

"L-like this, right...?"

"You got it," the Autobot's voice came now from the speakers, encouraging. "Maybe one of these days I'll actually teach you how to drive, but for now you can fake it. Just move with me."

The car came to life, backing away from the riverbank and heading out onto the road, making for B.A.B.E.L. headquarters at a far easier pace than it had left.

log > how are these two so darn cute?

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