If Skyfire had been told that he and Sideswipe, a mech who seemed to cause as much damage on and off the battlefield, were going to end up as friends, he wouldn't have known what to say. Even now, with them both sitting in Skyfire's corner and sipping their energon rations, it still felt quite surreal.

With their tentative friendship still in its early stages, it seemed all they were able to do was make awkward half-hearted attempts at a conversation; Skyfire had to stop himself when he realized he'd be talking about an experiment he was helping Perceptor with too long or noticed the glazed over look appear in Sideswipe's optics, while the red mech would cut himself off whenever he talked about his pranks or made disparaging comments about some of the crew when the shuttle's optic ridges furrowed in disapproval.

It seemed the only thing they could talk about now was the energon itself.

"It tastes a bit strange from being so filtered, but I've certainly had stranger." Skyfire said and chuckled. "I remember just like it was yesterday at the academy when we got a shipment of high grade and Star-" he stopped himself abruptly and tensed up in his seat.

Sideswipe peered up at him, his expression shifting into the kind of comprehension that Perceptor and Wheeljack would look at him with when they realized that despite being out of the ice for several months that Skyfire's memories were of a time many of them found hard to grasp without the bitterness of the war seeping in.

And with his acute awareness that he was still considered an outsider with his brief stint among the Decepticons and previous friendship with Starscream, mentioning the latter would no doubt only cause more strife than his inability to exonerate himself from the pink goo prank.

Thinking of explaining himself after the fact seemed pointless as it would only further embarrass himself.

Taking another sip of his energon, Skyfire tried to salvage the conversation. "In the early morning I'm going on an expedition to observe the migration patterns of geese, would you like to come with me?"

Sideswipe stared up at him, optic ridge raised before he took a slow sip of his energon. "Sounds kinda boring, is watching winged creatures just a flyer thing or am I missing something here?"

Skyfire's lip components pressed into a hard line for a moment, venting heavily. "No, I merely thought some time away from the Ark would be nice. Watching a sunrise is quite a sight, and the light reflected on the morning dew makes for a spectacular viewing as well." He explained, and only when he was finished did he realize just how hard he was trying to sell this.

Did it make him seem desperate to want company so badly? He did get lonely, but, uh, that was not the point he wanted to get across. The other Autobots already thought he was insecure, a potential traitor, and anti-social, did he really want to add desperate to that list?

For his part, Sideswipe was still playing it off nonchalantly. "Maybe I'll go, maybe not. Morning patrols can get pretty hectic."

As Skyfire had no idea if this was true or not, he decided not to comment on it and let it drop with a noncommittal, "I see."

Sideswipe kept going like he hadn't spoken though. "You wouldn't get mad though if I decided to skip out, would you? Bird watching really isn't my thing unless Jet Judo's involved."

Skyfire winced at the mention of the twin's practice of jumping onto the seekers during the fights between factions. While he was an Autobot, his wings still twitched in sympathy; it hurt when their wings got bent or handled too roughly. "I understand, I just thought…" he trailed off awkwardly. "No, there's no pressure, I completely understand."

Sideswipe nodded absently, his attention trailing off as he saw Sunstreaker leaving the room. "I gotta go, I'll see ya later."

"Yes, er, goodbye…" Skyfire trailed off when Sideswipe barely glanced back at him as he left with his twin. Being around Sideswipe in the rec room offered some reprieve, but now with the red mech gone, the shuttle became once more acutely aware of the glances being sent his way and the fact he nor Sideswipe had been particularly quiet during their talk while he realized other mechs had kept their conversations to a lower audio that wasn't likely to get picked up on unless someone was actively eavesdropping.

Skyfire's wings twitched in embarrassment; he hoped no one noticed his slip up of almost mentioning Starscream.

Finishing off his energon ration, the shuttle made his way out of the rec room; his shift didn't start for another fifteen minutes, but it was better to prep his equipment than spend this time being idle, but when he started to make his way down the hall, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Skyfire, wait!"

The shuttle's optics flickered in surprise and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw Hound running up to him. "Can I help you with something?"

"I couldn't help but overhear your plans for tomorrow," Hound said, sounding as embarrassed about how he learned of this just as much as Skyfire felt, "and I don't have any patrols in the morning. I was wondering if you would like some company?"

Due to the nature of why this was being asked, Skyfire had the sneaking suspicion that pity might have been involved, but logically there was no reason to rule out that Hound was just being friendly. "I would like that. Perhaps we could go at 04:00?"

Hound smiled and nodded. "That would be terrific, I'll see you then." He said and walked back towards the rec room, while Skyfire bemusedly continued on his way as well.

"Stop…thinking."

Sideswipe glanced up at his twin, who was sitting on his berth across the room, waxing rag in hand with a scowl on his faceplate. The red mech only smirked though at the flare of annoyance sent across the twin bond. "It's a miracle though, Sunny; everyone's always saying I need to think more."

Sunstreaker's scowl deepened. "Don't call me that." He said automatically. "And I meant stop thinking about you and Skyfire."

Sideswipe raised an optic ridge with a smirk. "Why, you getting jealous of how much time I spend with him?"

The yellow mech's expression went flat. "I don't care who spend your time with; I start to care though when you begin to send your feelings over this through the bond." He said and stared pointedly at Sideswipe. "Like how agitated you were this afternoon when Skyfire asked you out."

Sideswipe straightened up on his berth, shoulders struts tensing at where things were going. "He doesn't know what he was asking; frag, he didn't even realize we were friends until I pointed it out to him."

"If you're going to continue playing stupid about this, then it's a good thing you only see him as friend." Sunstreaker said mildly as he began to wax his arm. "During my off shift, Bluestreak told me that he overheard Hound telling Trailbreaker about how he was going with Skyfire in the morning to watch the birds fly around or some slag."

"Why didn't you tell me that first?"

Sunstreaker gave his twin a deadpan stare. "It's 'cause I like seeing you suffer." He said flatly, but then canted his helm in an impression of an optic-roll. "What does it matter if he's going on a not-date with someone else? I'm beginning to think you're projecting with your jealously issues."

Sideswipe scowled. "I'm not jealous; Skyfire can be friends with whoever else he wants." He said. 'Though it was nice just having him to myself.'

The yellow mech sent him a sideway glare, and he pointedly closed the bond. "Then stop distracting me and keep whatever's wrong to yourself."

The scowl slowly morphed into a frown; how could Sideswipe explain to his twin about the mess he'd made? Frag, Skyfire had reacted to his playful digs in the beginning with utter seriousness; Sideswipe didn't even know how he'd react if he genuinely flirted with him. And when Skyfire threw out that suggestion of just the two of them going out together, the perfect set-up to see if this friendship really could turn into something more, the red mech had bailed out with the thought that Skyfire likely didn't realize just how his offer sounded.

Looking back on how he'd reacted, Sideswipe couldn't help but sneer; he'd been surprised, but that didn't mean he'd had to dash off like he had. That was the kind of opening he'd been looking for, and he just let it slip through his digits. 'Still, it's not like it's too late to do anything about it.' he reminded himself, and quickly got off his berth before making his way out of the room towards Skyfire's quarters.

During the trek down the halls, as the shuttle had to be shunted off to one of the larger spaces of the Ark due to his large size, Sideswipe was actually glad it would take time to get to Skyfire's room, as he tried to convince himself that their relationship was only friendship and if anyone else had something to add that contradicted otherwise they could go suck an exhaust pipe.

And he was totally not doing this because the thought of Skyfire hanging out with someone else- alone, out in what the humans would likely find a romantic setting-irked him. Nope, not at all.

'Ugh, why'd Sunny have to bring this up at all?' Sideswipe thought as he grounded his denta. Now all he could think about were things he was trying not to think about; Skyfire probably didn't have to deal with any of this since he seemed to have the social graces of a wall. 'How the frag could he and Starscream have ever been friends? Was 'Screamer such an aft back then too and Skyfire so desperate for interaction that they just clung to each other?'

At that, Sideswipe stopped dead in his tracks. Earlier, the abruptness of Skyfire's offer of accompanying him out had distracted him from the shuttle's fumble; if this friendship continued, and if it could become more, did Sideswipe really want to know about whatever had been between Skyfire and Starscream? Already everything seemed to be getting more complicated and headache inducing, but if the time ever came, Sideswipe wasn't going to bolt like he'd done earlier.

Keeping that in mind, Sideswipe continued on toward the shuttle's room, pausing only momentarily once he actually reached Skyfire's quarters, but then he threw all caution to the ground and stomped on it without a care as he rapidly knocked on the door.

The red mech tapped his foot impatiently as the silence stretched on, and he checked his chronometer to see if Skyfire would have been done with his shifts for the day. 'Scrap, I knew I should have gotten his comm. number.'

Why hadn't he? Right, it was 'cause that would have made them 'too close', and now he felt like smacking himself for trying to keep their relationship platonic. Shaking his helm, Sideswipe sneered once more at his previous behavior and went to check the next place where Skyfire could be.

As it turned out, he wasn't at the lab. In fact, there wasn't anyone there; because it was locked up for the night-someone it seemed had unfortunately gained some sense when it came to potentially hazardous material and any mech with a penchant for getting into trouble.

'Could he be outside? He is a flyer.' Sideswipe thought, but as he walked into the rec room for a cube of energon, he stopped dead. His optics flickered several times in an imitation of a blink, trying to wrap his processor around what he was seeing.

Skyfire was sitting in their corner, talking and drinking energon, with Hound. The shuttle was letting another mech sit in their corner.

Sideswipe gritted his denta as he tried to shove away the irrational bout of jealously that had flared; he had lots of friends, why should he be getting all worked up over Skyfire and Hound just talking? 'Because I'm Skyfire's only friend.'

While that assumption was one of colossal arrogance on his part, he barely saw the shuttle socialize with anyone else, so it's not like there wasn't some truth to it.

Though he tried to tell himself that the mechs in the corner were only talking, Sideswipe still found himself getting an energon cube before sitting down next to Hound's friend Trailbreaker, who seemed a bit startled by his presence. "What's the deal with them?"

Trailbreaker's optics flickered in a blink, glancing over in the direction of Sideswipe's gaze that landed on the corner of the room. "Oh, nothing's going on; Hound just thought Skyfire would like some company."

"And that's all?" Sideswipe questioned, and he watched as Skyfire finally noticed him. The shuttle didn't appear disappointed or upset that the red mech wasn't sitting with him; in fact, he offered Sideswipe a small smile, who in turn found himself returning it. When the shuttle looked back at Hound with that smile still in place, Sideswipe's own dropped to a slight scowl. "Are you sure?"

Gazing once more between the corner and Sideswipe, Trailbreaker nodded. "Yes, I'm quite sure," he said, and his tone turned a bit more pointed, "Hound is just trying to be friendly; there's nothing wrong with that."

Sideswipe found himself momentarily amused by the fact the other mech was clearly trying to keep a target off Hound's back. Jealously aside, Sideswipe wasn't quite willing to go that far and prank Hound unless something actually did happen. "I suppose there's not." He answered, willing himself not to look away when Hound got up from his seat; the green mech froze for a moment as he locked gazes with Sideswipe, and averted his optics as he walked toward the exit.

Without missing a beat, Sideswipe got out of his own seat and walked over to the table in the corner with his cube and slid into the empty spot beside Skyfire. "Hey."

"Hello, how is your evening going?" Skyfire inquired politely; if he found the fact the red mech was only choosing now to sit next to him strange, he kept it to himself.

"Fine, I suppose." Sideswipe replied vaguely. "You know, I didn't expect you to be here."

Skyfire shrugged. "I didn't expect to be here either, but Hound stopped by the lab and asked if I wanted to have a cube while discussing the plan for tomorrow."

Sideswipe's digits dug almost painfully into the cube. "You need a plan to go bird-watching? I just thought it was 'keep your distance and hope they don't use you as a waste disposal'?"

The shuttle chuckled. "That is what we were discussing."

"Huh, well, is it too late to add a plus one more?" Sideswipe questioned with a cheeky grin.

Skyfire's optics flickered a few times, his expression baffled. "You want to come along? I thought you had a patrol in the morning?"

"I never said that," Sideswipe deflected dismissively, "I only thought I did; turns out I don't."

Skyfire fiddled nervously with the cube in his servos, his wings twitching. "I wouldn't want you to be bored, there are just some hobbies friends don't share and I don't want you to think-"

"I'm going." Sideswipe interjected forcefully, unable to stifle his annoyed glare. He couldn't decide whether he was irritated at the situation or Skyfire; had he lost his chance, or was the shuttle just really as clueless as he thought? "I just want to see what's so fragging special about seeing a bunch of geese go north."

"South." Skyfire corrected, his shoulders slumping as he vented lightly. "If you're sure though, I certainly don't mind you coming along, it's just that-" he stopped himself abruptly, his expression crumpling almost guiltily.

"Just what?" Sideswipe asked. "If you have something to say, just say it."

"Very well." Skyfire said hesitantly, and even after a brief moment when the red mech thought the shuttle wouldn't continue, he did. "I just wish that you would have made up your mind sooner; I don't like it much having to adjust things so close to a deadline, it causes an unnecessary rush."

Sideswipe gritted his denta at the bluntness. "If you haven't noticed, there's no set schedule for when the Decepticons' attacks, you think that's unnecessary?"

"Of course not, even I know I must be prepared at a moment's notice to provide transportation." Skyfire explained calmly. "What you did was dawdle."

"Right, from now on I'll just hop to it if you ask me something." Sideswipe said sarcastically. "Were you always so high-strung?"

"I don't think it's unreasonable to want a prompt answer." Skyfire replied.

Sideswipe snorted, a rather stupid idea forming in his processor. "So if I asked you something, you'd give me an answer here and now?" he asked and the shuttle nodded solemnly. "Alright then," he paused for show, despite having already thought of the question the moment he brought this little challenge up, "do you like me?"

Skyfire stared at him, his expression momentarily unreadable. He thoughtfully began sipping on his energon for a long moment, and when he was done, he smiled. "Yes, I like you very much." He replied. "You test my patience, just as I'm sure I test yours, but I enjoy your company and though we don't have to talk about, I do like just talking with you." He explained sincerely. "What about you, do you like me too?"

Sideswipe's jaw went slack as he gapped at the shuttle, his expression incredulous in the face of such honesty. He had expected something…he didn't know what he was expecting, but certainly not this.

"I-I have to go now."

Rather gracelessly, the red mech fled from his seat and out the door, leaving behind a rather confused and hurt shuttle.