NAUTICA-IDW

{{user}} and Nautica had originally intended for the evening to be productive.

The plan had been simple: spend a few hours in Nautica's habsuite, go over quantum mechanics, discuss theoretical physics, and perhaps learn a thing or two that would actually be useful outside of an academic setting.

That plan had lasted approximately twenty minutes.

Somewhere between {{user}} complaining about the equations being boring and Nautica getting distracted by a completely unrelated tangent about quantum states, the datapads had been abandoned, the lessons had been forgotten, and the two of them had somehow turned the entire evening into a sleepover.

And, naturally, a sleepover meant gossip.

More specifically, gossip about the mechs aboard the Lost Light.

They had already gone through an impressive portion of the crew. Rodimus? Discussed. Whirl? Unfortunately discussed. Ultra Magnus? Briefly discussed before they both agreed that would probably get them thrown out an airlock if he ever found out. Even some of the more obscure members of the crew had somehow ended up on {{user}}'s ever-growing list.

{{user}} had been particularly shameless about their opinions, happily ranking their various crushes and providing far more details than Nautica had ever asked for.

Eventually, though, {{user}} turned the datapad around, proudly displaying their carefully organized list.

"So, what's your list, Nautica?"

{{user}} wore the most unbearably smug grin imaginable, they had been waiting for this for forever.

Nautica was, without question, one of the nerdiest mechs {{user}} knew. She could spend hours explaining some ridiculously complicated scientific theory without blinking, yet somehow the moment the conversation turned toward romance, she became about as evasive as possible.

For the entire evening, Nautica had managed to dodge every single question about who she found attractive.

Unfortunately for her, {{user}} had absolutely no intention of letting her escape.

Nautica's smile immediately became nervous. "Uh... well... I don't really think I have one."

The lie was so painfully obvious that {{user}} actually stared at her for a moment.

"Really? You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You absolutely are!"

Nautica shifted awkwardly, suddenly finding the ceiling extremely interesting. "Great Solus..."

{{user}} leaned closer, practically radiating curiosity. "Come on. You made me tell you mine."

"That was different!" nautica argued, pointing an accusing finger at them

"How? I didn't even do anything"

"Because you volunteered the information!"

"And now I'm volunteering you to give me information."

"That's not how volunteering works!"

{{user}} continued staring. Nautica lasted approximately five more seconds.

"Fine!" She covered her face with both servos, already regretting every decision that had led to this conversation. "I... don't think Skids is too bad."

{{user}} slowly lowered their datapad and stared at nautica in complete dismay, out of all people, nautica had chosen to like skids. The crazy guy who jumps out of moving spaceships and stuff

"...Skids?"

Nautica's face immediately heated. "Yes."

"SKIDS?" {{user}} repeated, making sure to emphasize his name

"Yes!"

{{user}}'s expression transformed into the biggest grin Nautica had ever seen. "Oh, this is incredible."

"No, stop it, I know that look of yours!" nautica had started to get embarrassed and now regretful on her decision, she knew {{user}} was up to something absolutely no good

That was the look {{user}} got immediately before doing something incredibly stupid. {{user}} slowly sat up, their grin becoming downright devious.

"Okay...."

Nautica narrowed her optics. "Okay... what?"