Inspired by the song "A Stranger" by A Perfect Circle. Youtube it if yer curious!

Vishal is an OC character of mine that is the constructed child of Bee's and Adult Sari's.

Quickstrike is also an OC of mine that I named after the Beast Wars char. He isn't much like him though. :3

This is a drabble since I can't write at work at the moment. So instead I come home burned out and then type this crap for two hours. Which sucks for my Glitch in Time story, but I plan to have chapter 4 done soon! Comments motivate me to write the next part. :D

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~Cast the calming apple

Up and over satellites~

"Quickstrike? Hello?" Vishal said as went down the familiar alleyway he often met his friend in. His eyes adjusted to the dark as a human's would. It was limited, but he could still see. After all, the friend he was waiting for was a large robot. There was no amount of darkness that could have him avoid seeing that!

The tan skinned boy picked up a round trash lid that was on the ground. Vishal silently placed it on a trash can that it must of fallen from. A woosh was heard about him as he saw a silhouette of wings in the moonlight. From the fence in the alley a large insect climbed down.

~To draw out the timid wild one

To convince you it's all right~

The size and looks of the creature were something out of a horror movie. It had eight legs like a spider, but had a slender middle. If it were in flight by its purple wings its body would bend as though it were in two segments like a flying insect would be. It was black and bright green striped with some dots scattered around. It had a nightmarish random pattern, if looked at too long the green markings looked like faces screaming.

The insect climbed down to the ground of the alleyway and stood still a moment. It was though it was testing the boy. The blonde human had never seen his friend in alt mode this long before. The spider-wasp creature was curious what Vishal's reaction would be.

~And I listen for the whisper

Of your sweet insanity~

"Geez, late as usual Quick," Vishal half smirked, able to read what his friend was doing. He started to walk towards the insect. As he walked the insect bot transformed to his bot mode. This actually made the human disappointed for a moment. Vishal's 'nerdy' side had wondered what one of the spider legs would feel like, "So..... how was your week?"

"Phhff. Same. Same," Quickstrike muttered. He sat down with an uncaring flop. A bit of his large metal aft screeched on the cement ground, but still didn't do any damage to him. The human's height would come to his waist if he were standing. Quickstrike found it more comfortable to sit while talking to Vishal.

"Mine was pretty boring too. Just going to school and hanging out with the parental units," Vishal sighed, "Man, I WISH I could go to Cybertron and go to Autoboot Camp. It must be better than this. But there is a HEIGHT requirement, can you believe it?!"

"Yes, I can," Quickstrike answered the human Autobot's question literally. The insect bot wondered if he would meet the requirement. He knew he was short for a Cybertronian, but he was sure he had more growing to do. His antennas twitched as he remembered that he shouldn't choose a side, Decepticon or Autobot.

"Well, here's a key to a different warehouse you can stay at this winter," Vishal said as he handed a plastic key card to the insect bot, "This one DEFINITELY won't be used all winter, so we won't have the same problem as last time."

Quickstrike ahehed and delicately took the tiny card. He tossed it down the collar of his green neckline, knowing it would be safe there. This act for some reason made Vishal blush. Quickstrike tilted his head confused at that. Vishal then curiously looked at Quickstrike's arms and hands while his friend was silent.

"Give me your hand," Vishal said not as demanding as it should of sounded. It was as though he was asking. Quickstrike raised an optic brow but did not question. He gave his closest hand to the much smaller bot. Vishal held it in both his and still couldn't cover it. Luckily, that wasn't what he was trying to accomplish.

~While I formulate denials

Of your effect on me~

"Your stripes in your alt form are all... bumpy and uneven. But in bot mode they're straight and symmetrical," Vishal touched up the insect bot's hand. It was hard like metal, this he already knew from previous meetings. Vishal's touch wandered up to Quickstrike's elbow. He then touched against the pale yellow part of the insect bot's arm. There it felt soft and warm, just like Vishal's own tech-organic flesh. He could feel the texture of wires under that, bundled up tightly like a human's muscles would be like.

A few years ago Quickstrike would of pulled his arm away immediately at that touch. He was now comfortable with Vishal's curiosity. He had come to learn that the boy was not much different than him. They were both tech-organic in many of the same ways. Vishal however, was lucky enough to know exactly how he was made, exactly how he ticked. Quickstrike was more of a random mix of machine and organics. He did not know what his insides looked like because it was naturally 'made' as opposed to constructed.

"So do your stripes just... split off to more stripes when you transform?" Vishal asked. The human Autobot touched back down to the green on Quickstrike's palm.

"I don't know. I don't see myself transform," muttered Quickstrike, not knowing what to think of this attention. He felt his pale yellow faceplate heat up in embarrassment. He wondered if it was unusual for a bot not to know their. exact transformation procedure. Vishal released the insect bot's hand.

"Well then transform as slow as you can. I'll watch and see what happens," the teen smiled at his robot friend. Vishal hoped Quickstrike would get the hint that his insect form did not 'gross him out' at all. The insect bot stood and went into his alt mode.

Vishal had guessed correctly in his mind what happened. As Quickstrike went to his insect form the thick green stripes did split off. It was as though they become liquid. They split to spread down his long spider legs. There was sometimes errors in the dividing, causing the random bubbles and spots. The teen was about the realize this meant every time Quickstrike transformed a different pattern was randomly was made. It was never the same twice.

Quickstrike thought he heard Vishal about to say something while he was changing to his insect mode. While his optics changed its input location he so a glimpse of bright light, a laser, hit the boy. He panicked as he finished going to spider mode. He didn't see where Vishal was hit. He knew the small bot was built delicately. One single shot could offline him.

~You're a stranger

So what do I care?~

"Itz bezt you stay ovt of the vay FREAK," Blitzwing's redface yelled at the insect form Quickstrike. Lugnut was not far away. Blitz's larger partner waited at the mouth of the alleyway since he was unable to fit, "Thiz doesn't concern you."

A few of Quickstrike's legs moved in a motion to take a step back. His multi purple optics looked down at the human Autobot. Vishal let out a small groan. The boy was flat on his stomach. The part of his shirt covering his back left shoulder was burned away. His exposed flesh showed black and blue circuits beyond the tech-organic skin. Quickstrike had seen Vishal's human like cuts and scrapped knees in the past. He had never seen the mech parts of the boy however. Something twisted inside his combuster seeing that now.

The insect bot remembered the first directive he was given as a sparkling, 'Don't get in the way, don't choose a side.' Quickstrike took a step back. The sharp points on his spider legs clicked on the pavement. What was this boy to him anyhow? The kid only was a risk for his existence to be known by the Autobots. The small bot had provided him with shelter for the winter in the last three years, but Quickstrike had no real need for it. He knew he could find places on his own.

Blitzwing changed to icy and spoke in his calmer voice. It was still belittling. The tone was that spoke to some mindless wild animal, "Vatz a goud vrganic-bot. Now run along. I am sure youze 'ave webs or hives or vhatever you do, to build."

Quickstrike rubbed his mouth pinchers together in a clicking, almost hissing manner. Though he made a threatening noise his spider body took another step back. He stretched out his wings a bit, preparing to fly off. Before he could, he could not help but look down at the injured boy that considered him a friend.