Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own the Transformers… are we all agreed? Good.
Ch.6: Human Interactions
Sunstreaker sighed grouchily as he followed the little human femme through the sea of humans. Everywhere, stinking, vermin-infested primitives. He hated it. Oh, how he hated it. He glared at the jubilant little female in disgust. Did she have to be so… cheerful? She was determined to be sociable and she was yammering at him continuously. He toyed with the idea of shoving her into the pulsing stream of traffic, but then he'd be back to square one. He glared at the speeding cars longingly.
"This is the first one," she said and he glared at her. She had stopped in front of a grimy little shop. He looked at the filthy window with its dim neon sign and shuddered.
She pushed the heavy door open and looked at him expectantly. With a resigned little growl, he swept past her, his head held high. He wouldn't be brought low by a little dirt. He glared imperiously around the cluttered room at the greasy parts stacked haphazardly in boxes or on tables. The automotive parts loomed around him like a macabre cannibalistic display from the pit. The large, pudgy male behind the counter was greasy looking with small, watery eyes that appraised them narrowly.
"Can I help you?" He muttered, looking disinterested and put-upon.
The little female, Cassey, smiled cheerfully and fiddled with her hands nervously, casting a glance at him. "We're looking for… um, Lamborghini parts," she mumbled sheepishly in a tiny voice.
The man stared at her and snorted. "The hell does this look like? I ain't got nothing like that," he said with a dismissive gesture.
Cassey glanced back at him, uncertain and Sunstreaker stalked past her, scanning the parts stacked intently. His lip curled disgustedly. "No," he said.
The little female deflated somewhat and followed him back onto the street. He grumbled at the rushing press of bodies. Fragging humans. He glared at her as she referred to the battered phone book.
"The next one's up three blocks on the other side of the street," she said, her expression questioning.
He nodded and stalked past her, his teeth gritted at the strain. Moving so far from his body wasn't only an unpleasant strain, but it was dangerous. Primus only knew what was happening to his body while he was gallivanting around in his holoform.
They came to the point where they'd have to cross the street, crowded on both sides with impatiently waiting humans. He glared up at the sign that said Don't Walk. Frag this, he decided. This would take forever. He definitely knew one way to stop traffic. He waited until the little female wasn't looking; she had a tiny attention span he decided, and planted his foot on the rump of one portly human male standing in front of him and pushed.
Someone screamed as the man flailed and fell into the street on his faces. Brakes screamed angrily as cars tried to stop. Sunstreaker mutely watched the cars slam into each other and without waiting to see if the male got flattened or not, he seized his human and stormed across the street past the now stopped traffic as humans yelled in panic and screamed in horror. Metal screeched as the cars piled up behind them and Sunstreaker hummed tunelessly under his breath.
"Oh, my God. What happened?" Cassey babbled with wide eyes and he rolled his.
"Little idiot fell, I guess," Sunstreaker muttered when he realized she was waiting for his answer. He dragged her along behind him, ignoring the uneasy and fearful look on her face. He sighed at the look of shock on her face and scrambled to think of a more appropriate response. "Poor man," he growled in mock-sympathy, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
She looked uncertain, but nodded and swallowed. "Somebody should call an ambulance…"
"Someone will," he responded indifferently, not really caring one way or the other. He eyed her and ground his teeth. "You did a good job finding these shops," he said and he flashed her a smile.
Her eyes clouded and she reluctantly returned his smile. "Thanks," she said, perking up.
He shook his head when she wasn't watching. How stupid could these humans be? You stroke their egos a little and they'll do whatever you want. He realized he was still holding her arm in a vice grip and abruptly let go. He saw regret flash across her face, before smoothing into a wary smile. He bit back a bitter laugh. He could smell the pheromones the female was releasing. She was attracted to him. Not that that was much of a surprise, the femmes back home had found him irresistible, so of course all females, regardless of species would find him attractive. He mulled over that thought. If she thought he returned her feelings, she'd probably work harder.
He smiled winningly at her and watched bemusedly as her face flamed. This could certainly be entertaining if nothing else. He chuckled to himself and watched her look away hastily in embarrassment.
Very entertaining.
Author's note: *grumble* this story's kind of crawling along; this chapter's shorter than I intended it to be, but what do you guys think of this meaner, darker Sunstreaker? Review, please!