"Ngh," Nexxus moaned lightly, pushing her hips out even further. "More, c'mon, c'mon," She begged, but Sentinel was slowing down. She knew she was too far to go back, and if anything, she had to have him now. She was so needy and desperate. "What're you—"

"Flip over," Was all he said, and she automatically obeyed for fear of not getting what she wanted. The blue mech roughly grabbed her hips from behind, pushing into her and not giving her any time to adjust. She let out a muffled wail into the bedsheets, her port stretched from the new angle but hips grinding back for more. Oh, did she ever hate (and love) how he did this to her.

Her moan was what spurred on one of his own. "Oh, Elita...!"

Her head whipped back in an instant, eyes narrowed. "What'd you say?"

He was thrown out the window faster than you could blink.

Sentinel landed flat on his aft out on the cold dark street. "I... I thought we could see other bots!" He exclaimed, trying his best for an innocent look. It didn't work. He quickly tried to pick himself up, still making an effort to maintain optic contact.

Nexxus had steam coming out of her audios at this lame excuse. "She's offline,Sentinel! Offline, for Primus' sakes!"

"I-I mean—"

She genuinely hoped he could see the hurt in her optics. The pompous jerk deserved it. "What the fuck is my name, Sentinel? What the fuck is my name..." Her lip quivered and she stepped back and closed the curtains, leaving him out on the street.

His first thought was that he probably wasn't getting back in.

~x~X~x~

When Sentinel sauntered in for his shift a few solar cycles later, he knew it was not going to be nice. Not in the least. He'd upset Nexxus, and that meant he would probably spend a good long time by himself for whatever he'd done. He grimaced as he made his way over to his post, the magenta femme a seat over not looking up as he approached.

She turned away from him slightly, sitting at a bit of an awkward angle for her station, but more than enough to give him the idea that he'd done something wrong. He was just too thick to see the damage. He'd never really understood femmes, but he could see she was upset. Of course, his misinformation told him that femmes overreacted emotionally and that she'd get over it. Eventually.

After a few seconds he started up his monitor and pulled up the main network, opening a private chat room of sorts within the ship's communication systems. Ironically, it was the person he clicked who said something first.

Somethin's up with ya. Jazz, of course, could tell that from across the room.

I'm... having some femme trouble. He took a while to figure out exactly what it was that was bothering him.

Go 'head. I'm the –Love Guru-. What's goin' on? Jazz's usual playfulness was intended to make Sentinel brighten up a little. It didn't work.

The blue mech hesitated. Should he mention this? I think I've upset Nexxus.

Tha's obvious. But what'd you do?

Well, I... I moaned Elita's name instead of hers.

"You did WHAT?!" Jazz spun on his chair back to Sentinel, who looked back with a wince. He'd captured the attention of the whole room, save for Nexxus, who now knew what this was about, and wanted no part in it. All optics fell on Jazz and then on the humiliated Sentinel. His audios twitched back, embarrassed.

It was Ultra Magnus who dared to say anything. "Is there a problem, Jazz?"

"No, sir." He shot a glare at Sentinel before sitting back down and turning back to his monitor. Most of the room was too, and Ultra Magnus was giving the Prime an odd look. He turned back to the screen. Thanks a lot. What in pit was that for?

The screen was suddenly spammed with insults. Are you crazy, Sentinel?! 'Cause dude, femmes don' like that! Why did you do something stupid like tha'? Are you tryin' to permanently end your relationship with Nexxus?!

Sentinel frowned. No! Of course not! …So... I'm guessing that's pretty bad then...

OF COURSE IT IS sadklflabfsvbas;bnzhj

After that angry outburst, Sentinel was convinced he'd done something wrong. Quite wrong. Very wrong. And he knew he wasn't going to fix it without some help. Nexxus still wouldn't look at him, even when he made it obvious he was looking at her. He impatiently waited for a few minutes for Jazz to say something, checking the weapons system for errors every so often. And then his reply came.

bDid you say ianything else/i tha' could have made it worse?

I don't think so... He replied hesitantly. Does "I thought we could see other bots" count...?

"Sentinel!! Man, I can't—"

"Is there a problem, Jazz?" Ultra Magnus interrupted coldly with a certain tone that clearly screamed that there had better not be. "No, Ultra Magnus, sir." He was grinding his dentals as he sat his aft down, glaring at the monitor. If looks could kill...

You are unbelievable.

UNBELIEVEABLE.

Thanks. But what am I going to do about this?

Jazz sighed aloud, fingers rapidly skimming over keys. Pay attention here. I have a lot t'teach you in a very small amount of time.

~x~X~x~

As soon as his shift was over, Sentinel raced out of the ship and after Nexxus, who was making a beeline for the ramp. "Nexxus—" She ignored him and walked around the side of the ship, a datapad in her hand as she carefully studied the damage the ship had taken. "...I'm on duty."

"Nexxus, please, you have to listen—"

The magenta femme stopped, but didn't face him. "I'm busy right now." She said coldly. She wasn't as angry as she seemed; she wasn't even eager to get rid of him. She just didn't know how to deal with that aching hurt that swelled up in her spark at the very thought of him. Last night, she'd cried. A lot. Wondering why he'd think about her, that femme she was so sure he was over, the femme who'd gone offline that she was so sure he'd forgotten. She wanted him to know how badly it'd hurt her. But she couldn't even bring herself to look at him.

"I need to talk to you. Please," For Sentinel, that was a pretty good imitation of begging. Of course, he was being genuine, but he so rarely showed this side of him... Nexxus was almost sure it didn't exist.

"…My shift ends in two joors." It took a lot of courage to say it, but she did.

"I'll..." He wasn't quite sure what her tone meant, but he had a chance. "I'll see you later, then." He offered a bit of a weak smile she would never see and turned to wander off, feeling just a bit better. Nexxus felt the same.

~x~X~x~

About half a joor after her shift ended, Sentinel came down to her apartment and rang the bell. He had no clue how she'd react. Would she yell at him? Would she burst into tears? His spark was pulsing fast; he didn't know what he was going to say, or how to approach this. Jazz had helped him a lot, but it was up to him to set things right.

And he was honestly scared he was going to mess it up.

Jazz had begun with one question. Do you really like her?

Of course I do! Sentinel hadn't hesitated on that one.

Okay. Do you love her?

...I just answered that.

Do you love her?

Yes! Yes, I do.

Do you tell her?

He didn't like that question much. He knew Jazz would hate his answer. I try, but...

No reply.

But I get... I... I did once. A long time ago.

Why so long ago?

I don't want to get all... mushy and then have her not feel the same.

Tell her. Tell her everything. You have to. You have to say all those things you haven't yet.

...Why?

Sentinel, you really are an idiot.

He was just typing out an enraged reply when he got another message. Can't you see that she feels the same…?

Nexxus answered the door a few clicks later, optics showing a weak glow as she looked up to see him. She didn't say a word. She didn't have to.

Stepping aside, she held the door open and looked at the floor. He cautiously came inside, and closed the door behind him. His spark ached with the burden of not knowing truly how to fix this situation. For a few moments, he just looked at her, and she failed to meet his optics.

"Nexxus," He began, try to swallow his pride. This was hard, really really hard. "I don't know what it is you want to hear, but... I screwed up. I really did."

Her optics darted up a little. Was she really hearing this? Her spark raced, her optics brightening very slightly.

"I don't know why I... Why I did that. It was a stupid mistake. I... I really regret it, and I want you to know that… That comment I made about seeing other bots? I didn't mean it." His voice was slow with care, the care and time it took to make those words perfect. "A-and I haven't." He added nervously.

But this was the real shocker.

"I'm not so good at this, but I'm s-sorry. ...Really sorry." He bit his lip and looked down at the femme in front of him, worried out of his processor he'd done it wrong. But her optics brightened noticeably and at long last they drifted over his.

"You... mean it?" She hadn't expected a real apology. She'd expected some sort of admittance to guilt, not an apology. Apologizing was not in Sentinel's programming. What she'd predicted was even less than half of that sincerity when he asked to be forgiven, and a kiss that quickly evolved into him wanting some action. But no. What had Jazz told him? Where was Sentinel and what did the mech in front of her do with him...?

He carefully leaned in and took her frame into his strong arms; it was one of the sweetest and most innocent gestures he'd ever done. Nexxus absolutely melted in his hold; that was what she'd always wanted, but she'd given up on a beautiful and sweet romance because, well, it was Sentinel.

"Of course I mean it." He pressed his face into her neck, holding the magenta femme against him. He could feel her shaking gently; whether or not that was good or bad he didn't know. "...I'll never do that again, I promise..."

The exact words she'd wanted to hear. Nothing else around them seemed to exist anymore; it was just the two of them, holding each other, needing one another more than they could put into words.

"A-and I know I don't say this very often..." Sentinel began, and he pulled away only far enough to look her in the optics. "But I want you to know that... well... I l-love you."

She could have just cried. Nexxus hadn't heard those three little words in stellar cycles, but did they ever make the difference. "I love you too," That was all she could fathom at that moment, and she leaned up to put her lips on his.

It might have been a little sloppy and a tad rushed into, but their kiss was perfect in every way. She could feel the rumble of his engine, the warmth of his touch as his hands slid down to rest on just the right spot at her waist. Her own hands rested on the back of his neck and along the side of his face, as if to keep him close.

Their lips parted and he rested his forehead on hers, swimming in the aqua glow of her lightened optics. And just because of that, he felt a lot better. "So… you forgive me, then?" The blue mech practically knew her answer before it came out of her mouth.

"Mmm hmm," She murmured with a little smile. And with that, he swept her up off her feet and whisked her into the bedroom.

Now, if there was one last thing Jazz had mentioned, it was to leave interfacing alone for a few days. Great emphasis was put on that part of his 'lesson'; it was vital to the sincerity of Sentinel's words. But did Sentinel understand how important that was? Would his judgment become clouded? Did he listen; really listen…?

Of course he did. But just this once.

Author's Comments:

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