Circumstance

It started with a eavesdropping in the middle of battle. It continued when he started to show his true spark to you, saving your life. It soared when you shared another laugh with him.

A/N: I like Wheel/Sides, even the G1 kind, but this is Armada. My version of why Sideswipe and Wheeljack aren't in the following series. See bio for disclaimer.

Sideswipe

"What are the chances of the Autobots winning?" your hear the voice ask. You're hiding in the corner, not knowing what to do with yourself. You can hear the shuffles of Decepticons, and the back of Wheeljack, slouching forward a little.

"High," the other answers quietly, grinding his foot into the ground; you recognize the form of Thrust as he moves past your hiding spot. "But you would like that, wouldn't you?" he turns suddenly and stares at Wheeljack, his optics narrowing slightly. Wheeljack refuses to answer, and you silently congratulate him on the casual brush against the tactical advisor.

"Just because I was an Autobot, doesn't mean I still am, Thrust," he points out, a mocking tone in his voice; he turns back, smirking suddenly. "You, however, have more than one problem with your mainframe; it's okay, I won't tell anybody," he laughs, walking on. Thrust seethes, starting after him.

"You lousy excuse for a defector," he sneers, ignored by the other. "You [ido[/i want them to win, don't you?"

"More than anything, Thrust, I want them to tear you limb from limb," Wheeljack answers maliciously, walking away. Thrust stands there, offended beyond all reason, squawking as he follows hastily.

"Wheeljack, you can't really mean that, can you? Wheeljack? Hey, answer me!" you snicker as the two disappear, wondering where your hatred of Wheeljack went.

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You watch Wheeljack maneuver through space, shooting at the various Unicron drones flitting around, smiling a bit as he fires at one in front of Hotshot's ship. The two had seemed to reconcile their differences, working as a team again, like they once had.

You wonder why you are so jealous and angry about this; you decide to ignore it and shoot at the enemy, a glint in your optic that most wouldn't expect of you. Ever since you had joined the army, you decided that you kind of liked the rush of darting around, avoiding enemy fire. You enjoy the feeling of not being naive anymore, and you grin victoriously.

"Sideswipe, pay attention!" Hotshot yells at you, shooting a drone in front of you. You thank him, swerving back on track. You lost Wheeljack somewhere in the pandemonium, and you try and focus on the battle; there's a reason no one will ever want you to truly be on their team full time, and that's because of your attention span. You find it wandering again, worrying about Optimus Prime and... Well, Wheeljack.

You honestly could never say when your antagonism towards him had hitched to neutrality, friendship, and finally a deeper feeling. You know it started with that fateful battle where he told Thrust off, and it had spiraled when you actually had a chance to talk to him. He was funny, with a wit that only Scavenger seemed to possess; dry and acerbic.

Your ship is hit and you are thrown into a barrel roll towards Cybertron; if you weren't so scared and screaming, you would appreciate the irony that everything began and ended with your home planet. You once always envisioned dying on some distant planet. You realize that since meeting Wheeljack, it had changed to living with him; you were really slagged, yearning a spark-bond with the enemy.

"You should be more careful," Wheeljack informs you as his ship swoops down, absorbing the impact from your own. You shakily answer him and he laughs a little, landing with you. "Well, it seems as if we have to sit this one out," he says, offering you a tiny smile. "You wanna settle somewhere and become cheerleaders?"

You smile back and answer yes, if he would tell you what cheerleaders were. His smile grows, and you can't help but join him in a good laugh.

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You didn't know how to say no. That was probably how all of this came to be; Optimus said yes, and you obeyed. Wheeljack was different; he fought Optimus' command with all of his spark, declaring his allegiance from one end of the world to another. Optimus stared at him passively, his arms folded and his foot tapping. You snickered at Wheeljack, wondering when he would realize that he was going, no matter what.

He looked at you, the idea that no just wasn't an answer finally penetrating his head. The scientist wasn't one to go willingly, however, and he continued to argue his point, energetically stomping his foot and waving his hand. Optimus merely stared at him patiently, and he finally subsided.

"You're going with Sideswipe, Wheeljack. That's all."

Wheeljack subsides, tilting his head to you in defeat. You tell him that you should get going, and he agrees. You risk a last look at Optimus and meet his approval over the sudden change of heart. You cast your optics down, following the scientist out of the door and into space.

"So, Sideswipe," he asks conversationally, peering at your through slit optics. "Are we still worshipping Hotshot's every move?"

You point out that it was his thing, not yours, and the both of you share another good laugh.

You realize that you've been doing that a lot lately, and you don't mind.

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Cloying death was all you could feel, and you spiraled out of control, struggling valiantly to escape the grip of the black hole. Wheeljack was outside of the pull, frantically maneuvering to rescue you. More than anything you wanted to stay online, but not if it meant losing the one you fell in love with.

The one you would give your spark, if only he could be safe. With a sigh and a wistful thought to what might have been, you open your comlink and send Wheeljack one last transmission as you disappear into the hole, already feeling the sweet numbness of deactivation.

"I'm sorry, 'Jack; I've always wanted to be with you... Forgive me for leaving, but... You're more important."

Blackness swarms you vision, and your last sound and sight is of Wheeljack emitting an anguished moan, forgoing your sacrifice and following you into the abyss.