He hadn't been on Earth long but in the couple of weeks he had been there he discovered he loved country living. Triaxel came to Earth as a favor to one of his closest and longest running friendships: His friendship with Trailcutter. Triaxel had known Trailcutter's bonded, and was there for Trailcutter through the joy of their bond and the pain that nearly took Trailcutter to the well of all sparks.
As far as Trailcutter was concerned Triaxel was what you'd call a true friend. However Triaxel had one thing he didn't like about Earth: Working for the autobots, and the paperwork that came with it. He was already shirking patrol duties to go with Trailcutter to a mud race that his friend had signed up for. As he watched his friend compete he felt like he'd finally found a place where he belonged. He could be loud, get drunk with the natives, and get messy and dirty as he wanted without anyone trying to tell him what to do. The air was thick with the smell of beer and diesel and the sound of roaring truck engines.
Ultimately Trailcutter had made it to semi-finals but lost (not by much). This didn't stop Triaxel from taking pot shots at the other mech. Their holoforms were too handsome to be human, with Triaxel looking eerily like Brantley Gilbert, and Trailcutter looking like a bear of a man, with tan skin, amber eyes, and black hair. Trailcutter himself had to wear reflective lenses so humans wouldn't get suspicious of him but it fit right in.
"I mean you almost won! Maybe if ya go talk to Mudwiser he'll let ya be his trophy wife?" Triaxel laughed as Trailcutter shoved him playfully.
"Yea yea shut up, afthead" Trailcutter smiled, not taking the loss or his friend's comments personally. He heard the sound of a sound system being tested "must be the karaoke contest. Wanna go watch?"
"What's Karaoke?" Triaxel asked him in a hushed voice.
Trailcutter responded in a hushed tone back "It's something humans do for fun. They sing to their favorite songs only the song is just the music part."
Triaxel nodded, "Okay why not?" He figured there'd be some people who are so bad it'd be good for a laugh.
He wasn't wrong, the first few contestants were good, with some terribly funny contestants mixed in: Clearly drunk people put up to it by their friends. Then he saw her.
Her hair was a mass of blonde curls, eyes green as fresh grass, her jaw was tense and her lips fixed in a scowl. Freckles covered her cheeks and over the bridge of her nose. "Next up we have our own Marli Schon" She wore a bright green sundress with petticoats under it that made her look more like a doll than a girl, with black cowboy boots .
"Primus" Triaxel took her in and smirked to himself. Trailcutter watched his friend and shook his head. That didn't take long.
He had known Triaxel to be a loner on Cybertron, but not above the occasional fling. The young woman Triaxel was looking at gripped the mic tight as the song started.
I cut my bangs with some rusty kitchen scissors
I screamed his name 'til the neighbors called the cops
I numbed the pain at the expense of my liver
Don't know what I did next, all I know I couldn't stop
Triaxel could see what the audience couldn't, how her knuckles were turning white as she gripped the mic, how her neck was taut and tense.
Word got around to the barflies and the baptists
My mama's phone started ringin' off the hook
I can hear her now sayin' she ain't gonna have it
Don't matter how you feel, it only matters how you look
Go and fix your make up, girl, it's just a break up
Run and hide your crazy and start actin' like a lady
'Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together
Even when you fall apart
But this ain't my mama's broken heart
That was when he noticed her eyes getting watery. As she continued to sing it was becoming clearer to him that this contest was less about having fun and more about getting something off her chest. He and Trailcutter stayed to the end, through the crowning of the winner. Triaxel kept his eyes on Marli though, and his gaze followed her when she left the stage. "I'll be right back"
"That's what you always say" Trailcutter replied with a smirk. "I'll see you back at the base, you'll be okay on your own?"
"Yes, MOM" Triaxel joked, finally getting the hang of human banter. He walked off in the direction of the young woman, thinking he'd lost her when he saw her sitting on a bench. She was nursing a beer and still had that same sour look on her face. "I cannot believe a pretty little thing like you is sitting here without a smile on her face."
Marli looked up at him and replied "Can I help you?" With a venomous tone.
"Now now, no need fer that." He chuckled and sat next to her. "You could use a date for today, and I could use some more beautiful company." Marli flashed Triaxel an incredulous look, and he raised his hands defensively. "Won't mean a thing if ya don't want it to. Scout's honor." He crossed his heart and grinned at her.
"Fine. But you're buying all the drinks." She said after a pause.
"Sounds good to me." He stood up and offered his arm to her, puffed up proudly as she took it and walked with him towards the rides.