Punch-Drunk (with real punches)

[Nightbeat-3]

It had taken a fairly significant amount of time, but Nightbeat's systems had finally repaired and rebooted him enough that he was no longer knocked out. He would still need medical attention, naturally, but he was also no longer the world's cleverest paperweight either.

Slowly, he sits up, a hand running over his face, inspecting the damage. Kup had done a real number on him, all right. He was going to need a whole lot of frame work.

"Ugh... Who knew the old timer had it in him..."

He checked his radio and was annoyed to find that one of Kup's blows had pulverized his communications equipment.

"Wonder if we won...?"

[Pee-Dee-3]

"Not only did we win, but you're missing the party."

The soft pink glow appears in the dark up the alley. It illuminates Pee-Dee as she struts toward him, a pair of energon cubes in her hands. Her stride is loose, rolling, her hips swaying.

[Nightbeat-3]

He looks over and, though it's painful with how banged up his face is, manages a grin.

"Well, well, Dollface. Always said you were good news."

Technically, well, entirely a lie, but it did sound good.

[Pee-Dee-3]

"You'd better, you'd better, you bet.¹" She takes a swig from one cube, then kneels next to Nightbeat. The cube she didn't drink from him is pushed into his hands, and then her hands close around his shoulders and she pulls him into a kiss.

Her mouth is still full of energon.

---

1. A song that I can never find a copy of.

[Nightbeat-3]

Well, now that's what he calls a good surprise.

"Sorry I had to sit this one out, dollface. That old timer took me by surprise."

[Pee-Dee-3]

"Maybe if you weren't such a pain sometimes, someone-" Read: her. "-Might have brought you in for repairs."

[Nightbeat-3]

He laughs at that. "You just sure it's 'cause you couldn't find me? Always said your sense of direction was lousy."

[Pee-Dee-3]

Pee-Dee smacks him lightly on the shoulder. "Spotting a big blue idiot lying like a lump in the middle of the street is easy."

She takes a gulp of her energon cube, and bits of her systems hum to life. "Looks like I grabbed a Perceptor Special. Who knocked your aft for a loop?"

[Nightbeat-3]

He grins at her display of affection, then cricks his neck back and forth a couple times to get some of the kinks out of it.

"Kup," he admits, after a moment. "Nothin' like ours. Dat geezer can fight."

[Pee-Dee-3]

"Kup?" Pee-Dee's optics blink off and back on. "Kup committed assault and battery with intent to kill? I am shocked! Simply shocked to discover such assault from Kup!"¹

One hand slides down her chest, then hooks under it and pulls out a few tools. "Let me work on you."

---

1. Absolute mangling of a "Casablanca" line.

[Nightbeat-3]

"Just can't wait to play doctor, can ya, dollface?" he chuckles.

"But yeah. Geezer's got a punch like a cement mixer. An' I don't mean Mixmaster."

[Pee-Dee-3]

"Play doctor, Nightbeat?" Pee-Dee reaches out and slides a fingertip down his chest. "Open up your armor? Hand-check that all of your relays and sensor nets are firing properly after this drubbing you got?" She leans in close. "Run my hands along inside your wheel-wells to make sure they're as smooth as they should be?"

[Nightbeat-3]

Geeze, was it getting hot our here or was it just him? Several of his sensors had probably gotten smashed, so he couldn't get an accurate reading...

"Oh, yeah, baby..."

[Pee-Dee-3]

"Let's burn up the night." Pee-Dee picks up the cube set aside for Nightbeat and holds it up to him. "Eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow, we can do it all over again."