#truth coming out of her well to shame mankind? no. jackal coming out of the ceiling to bully knockout

[jackals-ships]

talking with @goldenworldsabound about knockout bullying and i was overcome, filled with an immediate Need to slap out a flash fic

“Breaksie says you've been sneaking out agaaain.~”

Knockout doesn't jump, and Jackal's reasonably sure it's only because he wakes up assuming that they're going to pop out at him at some point during the day. Like they have now! Complete with scampering and everything to slide across his desk.

He does fix them with a Look however, sitting pretty between fond amusement and vaguely disgruntled. Which, like, fair they've caught him in the middle of doing…something. Some Decepticon probably maybe important whatevers. “I don't know what you're talking about. Me? Sneaking off the ship to engage in the racing that Starscream specifically got onto me about? I would never.”

“Uh-huh.” They've clambered onto his keyboard now, ensuring that they're the center of his attention. “Sooooooo what's their name?” hands pillowed under their chin for maximum “just a little guy” energy.

“What's who’s name?”

“The human you're seeing!” He does twitch then and Jackal, being such a good friend, pretends they saw nothing. For now.

“Breaks didn't say as much buut Stars has been grumbling at me that he can't prove you're sneaking out but he's totally convinced you are. And like no one's gone “holy shit! aliens!” minus the usual dudes who go “holy shit aliens” soo I'm assuming you have someone helping you out. So what's their naaame?”

“...don't you have our illustrious Lord to go bother-” They cut him off with a laugh, high pitched and delighted. His attempts at deflecting confirming what they already knew and another thing they'd suspected.

“Oh my God you have a crush-” (“No-”) “No! No you do! You absolutely do! If you didn't you woulda immediately fed me some lines about “human pets bluh bluh mechs are better than the squishy things grr grumble rawr” like the other cons like to do!”

They're halfway to bouncing in glee while Knockout looks like he's experiencing his first ever migraine and or contemplating locking them in a drawer. On purpose this time instead of accidentally.

“Listen.” He's gone full having a moment, steepling his fingers and everything. “They're just a pet-” (“Mhm.”) “Just. A pet. To help me get into races and not draw suspicion. Like the Autobots do.” (“Mmmhm.”) “.....Their name is Void Light.” He tries to muffle it but they can hear the exact second his engine kicks on, rumbling out a deep purr.

“Uh-huh. Juust a pet. Yeah y'know Meg’s said similar about me and then a week later I was cuddling on him while we napped together-”

They're still cackling even as he scoops them up, depositing them firmly outside of his door.

A door which does no better muffling the loud embarrassed-happy roar of his engines. Oh this was gonna be fun.