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It’s supposed to be a good sign, that all of this seems to point towards a positive relationships being established between the two planets. But Nautica doesn’t know how to dance, let alone how the native people came to the assumption that she and Road Rage were not simply together, were married-conjunxed, entangled, bound, joined, and so many other words from so many other worlds that all meant the same thing-and thus, simply had to be among the first to dance at their going away celebration. It was a few days earlier than their actual departure, but their remaining time was to be spent confirming all the work that she and her fellow delegate put into these talks and establishing follow-up visits and promises and promises upon promises of gifts to be sent between worlds. If she saw even one-tenth of the fruits of labor brought from these promises, she thinks they would still absolutely fall short of making up for how absolutely absurd and overwhelming an otherwise pleasant and productive stay was.
After the news is conveyed to them, Nautica feigns a polite excuse to make a retreat to her and Road Rage’s room. Once inside, Nautica sits down with a sigh, resting one servo against her face while the other clenches and unclenches sporadically on her thigh. Road Rage looks down at her in concern.
“Nautica, are you alright?”
Nautica winces. “I just...I don’t know. I’m not sure of anything right now, of how we got here, how we’re going to get out of this keeping all of our hard work intact, and how I’m supposed to learn to dance, learn how to act like I’m in a relationship, like I’m your wife , in one night.”
Road Rage gets down on her knees and grabs onto Nautica’s servos gently, lightly running a digit along in a comforting, repetitive motion. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I don’t know what would be a good excuse to not upset them after everything but-you don’t have to do this. I never want to force you into anything, I won’t make you unhappy like that, having to pretend to be something this big with me.”
Nautica continues to look at the pattern Road Rage’s digit is tracing, letting herself be taken in by the gentle drawing, until that last part. She drops her servo from her face and looks at Road Rage’s face, soft and sorry for something that’s absolutely not her fault. She doesn’t know how to describe how she feels seeing Road Rage look so uncharacteristic other than she would give anything to never see her friend, her companion, like that again, for this gutting ache and void in her spark to stop throbbing and hurting . “No!” She says harshly, unaware of how loud it came out until she hears it echoing back to her in her quarters. Road Rage, strong, unstoppable, beyond incredible Road Rage doesn’t meet her gaze.
“You and I both know that not even you can make me do something I don’t want to do.” Road Rage briefly shakes and Nautica hopes that it was from a repressed snort. She doesn’t know what she would do if it wasn’t. She thinks that if she was making Road Rage cry then she would start sobbing. “It’s beyond unfortunate, beyond awful even, that it has to happen this way but. If there was going to be a situation like this, I’m glad it’s with you. I trust you with my life...and I trust you with my spark. I know you would never hurt me or put me in an uncomfortable position. But...if you would like to be in an uncomfortable position with me...there’s no one I’d trust more to teach me how to dance.”
Road Rage looks up at Nautica with such a soft expression, gently extracting their servos from each other so she can rest it lightly over Nautica’s cheek, the same place Nautica’s server had rested just a minute ago. Nautica feels her cheek heating up from the touch, leaning into the contact on instinct. Road Rage slowly draws her face in closer, her lips twitching as if she’s about to say something that’s only for Nautica to hear. At the last second though, with their faces so close together that Nautica could make out every detail of her face in Road Rage’s optics, Road Rage leans back suddenly. Nautica looks up, following her every movement. For a split instant, Road Rage’s face looks bereft, as if she feels as robbed of something as Nautica does. Something that was so close, yet she still can’t begin to identify it.
Road Rage pulls her arm back slowly, placing it over her mouth for a second. When she pulls it away, that vulnerability is mostly gone, with the softness only in the bare hints of her optics and smile.
“So, dance lessons?”
Nautica stares in slight disbelief, prompting Road Rage to shrug. “No time like the present,” she says unabashedly. They both know that she’s dodging, just like they both know Nautica won’t call her on it. That something that had been almost tangible a moment ago feels entire universes away.
Nautica nods and feels whatever moment they had slip away for the time being, before standing and facing Road Rage, ready to start learning.
They start slow, just trying to get Nautica to fall into an imaginary tempo. She’s an instant apart from Road Rage, stepping on her pede where there should be nothing but ground, or moving jerkily and almost causing them both to fall on the ground. Road Rage doesn’t seem phased by this, instead starting to hum something quietly. She’s no singer, but though the notes are far from in tune, Nautica focuses on the improvised tune to try to center herself.
It helps, the quiet music making each move easier to predict, or follow along with. Soon enough, Nautica feels like she’s starting to get the hang of it, falling into the steps easier, her movements less jerky and more relaxed as she and Road Rage gently sway. Nautica exvents slowly before moving to try and take control, leading for the first time. She feels like she really should have spent more time watching Road Rage’s arms and pedes and the way she led for this, but she doesn’t want to look away from her face.
Her first try leading goes much better than her first try dancing. She still manages to step on Road Rage’s pedes once, though she’d never be able to tell from the way Road Rage kept smiling at her, never flinching, but it feels like they’ve established a rhythm that goes beyond the beat of the song. Feeling adventurous, Nautica tries to twirl, grabbing Road Rage’s servo and giving her a smile that is so wide it almost hurts. She manages the full spin perfectly, Road Rage stopping her humming in favor of laughing in delight. But when Road Rage goes to pull her in, Nautica moves too slowly, or too quickly--it couldn’t have been Road Rage who misstepped, it had to have been her somehow--and before either of them can try to correct themselves or stay steady, Road Rage is heading for the ground and bringing Nautica with her, their servos still intertwined from the twirl. Before Road Rage can crash, Nautica grabs her back with her other arm, doing her best to pull back and keep them both from falling.
Her arms are shaking, from the dancing or nerves she doesn’t know, but Road Rage is safe, supported by Nautica’s grip on her back and servo. The two stare at each other in silence before Road Rage smiles.
“Nice catch.” She says quietly, smiling proudly up at Nautica.
“Thank you, I try.” Nautica smiles back at her.
“You’re a quick learner.” Road Rage says, planting a leg on the ground to take some of the weight off of Nautica’s arm while staying where she’s at.
“I have a good teacher.” Nautica whispers teasingly, bending down until their faces are closer than they’ve ever been. Road Rage really does have gorgeous optics, she thinks.
Without thinking, Nautica leans down further, until their lips are almost touching. Of course, that’s when the knocks at the door come. There are three of them before the door opens, a courtesy knock with no real courtesy attached.
“Ambassador Nautica, I was hoping to talk to you about-oh.” Their visitor stops and stares at the sight in front of them. Nautica doesn’t know how it looks to an outsider, doesn’t even really know how it’d look to her, she still hasn’t looked away from Road Rage’s face -now carefully blank- this whole time.
“I apologise.” Nautica says calmly, looking up at their guest as if nothing was amiss. “We were practicing for the dance this evening, have there been any changes regarding it?”
“No, Ambassador. I...am sorry for bothering you and look forward to seeing you and your partner tonight.” They hurry out the door, shutting it firmly behind them.
As soon as Nautica can no longer hear their retreat she starts shaking with repressed laughter. It’s embarrassing, sure, but more than anything this is a funny situation. She’s starting to understand why they all so easily came to the conclusion of her and Road Rage’s relationship.
Whether from her laughter or the overall strain, her strength gives out then, sending both of them toppling to the ground, Nautica landing solidly onto Road Rage’s chest in a move that definitely must have hurt. But Road Rage doesn’t wince, twinge, or curse. Instead she laughs, low and quiet that in no time builds to be loud enough to fill the room. Nautica joins in, pressing her forehead against Road Rage’s cheek, smiling broadly at the feeling of Road Rage’s laugh vibrating across her whole frame.
After Road Rage stops laughing, she rests a servo against Nautica’s arm. “You okay?” She asks quietly, the warmth of her words filling the vacuum left by the volume of her laughter.
Nautica nods, “And you?”
“Never better.” She can hear Road Rage smile as she responds.
“Me too.”
The silence is comfortable, but Nautica only lets it last a minute. As nice as this is, they have other things to do.
“Do you think we’re ready for tonight?”
“Like I said, you’re a quick learner. They’re going to love you.”
Nautica shakes her head, slowly extracting herself from atop of Road Rage. “They’re going to love us.”
Road Rage laughs again as she sits up, stretching her back as she does so. “The ambassador and her bodyguard wife, the power couple of the ages.”
Nautica likes the sound of that. She likes the sound of that very much.
When the time comes for the celebration to begin, the two stand outside the closed doors, polished frames shining brightly and servos intertwined: the perfect symbol of unity. Nautica is used to being on display, though she’s still far from fond of it, but Road Rage is tense, she can feel it in the slightly shaky grip she has on Nautica’s servo.
“It’s alright, Road Rage. If you want to leave or if you get uncomfortable, just let me know. I’ll come up with a cover story for you. I’d never want to force you into anything you don’t want to be a part of.”
Road Rage exvents, letting some of the tension fall from her frame. “I know you wouldn’t, and I do appreciate that. I’m just not used to the idea of being in the spotlight like this I guess...You really put me in the weirdest positions sometimes, you know that right Nautica?”
“You love it, your life would be a lot more boring without me in it.”
Road Rage gives a small smile, nothing as large or broad as the ones she’d given Nautica in private, but just as bright and beautiful. “True, a life without you is one that wouldn’t even be worth it.”
Nautica freezes at that, glancing at Road Rage out of the corner of her optics. It didn’t feel like it was a show put on for the other couples behind them some ways away. Those words felt honest and true. They felt the same way that Nautica feels with Road Rage.
Before she can say anything in response to that, the guards at the door signal for everyone to line up, one couple behind the next, with the two foreign guests of honor at the front. Nautica doesn’t know how well they’ll pull off the night, but as long as Road Rage holds her servo and they have the chance to dance, she doesn’t think she really cares, diplomatic relations be damned.
From the moment the doors open and they enter the ballroom, the two of them are a model couple. They never stray from each other’s side, both responding politely and attentively to each of their many fellow guests who stop by to offer congratulations and wishing them a safe trip back to Cybertron. It’s easy to fall into a rhythm after a while, though having Road Rage at her side instead of watching her back is new, exchanging pleasantries and well wishes is far from new ground.
After some time of meeting attendee after attendee, it’s finally time for the dance. As a couple, and a visiting one at that, Nautica and Road Rage are expected to be the first couple to dance. Once they’ve gotten the floor to themselves for a moment, other couples will begin to join in, followed by everyone else. But to start, it’s just the two of them, and she’d only learned how to dance a few short hours ago. But as long as she has Road Rage as her partner, she knows things’ll go just fine.
They start dancing just fine, Road Rage taking the lead initially. She moves confidently, but gently, her optics focused on Nautica for the first sense of discomfort. There’s none there, their brief lesson having been enough to give Nautica a foundation to stand on. She doesn’t consider herself a master at dancing already, but it’s something that, given time and a good enough partner, she thinks she could love. Even in front of so many people, having Road Rage gently turn and spin with her, it’s almost addicting how happy it’s making her.
Maybe that’s why, as other couples start joining them, that Nautica quietly exclaims to Road Rage, “I think I love you.”
Road Rage briefly fumbles, giving Nautica the chance to take the lead, no one else notices, but this close to each other Nautica can practically hear every thought laid out in Road Rage’s processor.
“You think you love me?”
Nautica nods. “Being around you is the happiest I’ve ever felt, I love spending time with you and getting to see you smile and laugh. Even with how stressful this has all been, there’s no one I’m more glad that it could have been. I don’t think there’s anyone out there who I could feel this safe and happy with, dancing like this in front of everyone.”
Road Rage laughs quietly, smiling broadly like she’s heard the best news of her life. “Even when you drive me up the wall, there’s no one I’m happier to be around. Watching you light up with each planet that we go to, each new person you meet and experience you have, I love seeing you get excited like that. Nothing makes me happier. Getting to spend this time with you tonight, with us dancing and everyone treating us like a couple, it’s been...nice. If you want to, I’d love to do this again. With us being just like this.”
Nautica beams. “I’d love that, I really would. Can I kiss you?”
Road Rage freezes for a second before grinning and nodding. Nautica hums quietly, the same song Road Rage had made up while they were dancing. Like this, it was like all of the stress from this day had melted away, like this packed ballroom was empty of everyone but them. Nautica twirls and brings herself in to meet Road Rage, this time with neither of them slipping. When she’s close enough, she presses a gentle kiss against Road Rage’s lips, feeling Road Rage smile as she kisses back, just as gentle and sweet.
If anyone else at the party saw, they would have thought it was something the two had done hundreds of times before. But as far as first kisses went, this one was sure to be memorable. The two of them slow down their movements for a minute, looking at each other and letting the crowd move around them. Nautica smiles and Road Rage extracts a servo to gently rest it on Nautica’s cheek moving a digit over it lightly. She lets Road Rage do that for a minute before tilting her head to press a kiss against the digit. She pulls back with a smile.
“Could I have this dance? Not as your wife...but as someone who’d love to be your partner.”
Road Rage laughs and Nautica doesn’t think she’ll ever get tired of hearing it. “I’d have to check with my wife but...I would love to have you as my partner. In dance and in life.”