Lilah wondered at the capacity Cybertronian's had for expression.

You wouldn't think they were capable of so much facial movement. So similar to humans, and yet, still limited by comparison. Still, for being made out of metal, they retained quite a bit of open expression. It was generally incredibly easy for her to tell what they were feeling- now that she knew them.

Before, Lilah hadn't had a clue. Whether that was her own inadequacy or their alienness- she was unsure.

Now, however, she felt closer to this strange race of people, then ever. And watching the way their faces folded and wrinkled, before straightening out, and perhaps taking on another expression- fascinated her. More then that, it was almost as if she were watching a breathtaking form of art.

Even more so was Bluestreak's.

The way his metallic nose would crinkle at something he found confusing or slightly disgusting, or the way his brow would furrow ever so slightly- as much as the metal there would allow, as it seemed less flexible then his 'nose'- when he was thinking hard, and his bottom lip would jut out just so.

Or, even better, the way his eyes would light up brightly, and the corners would crinkle just a bit, as a smile tucked its way across his face, when he saw her coming down the hall, or when Lilah happened to say something that pleased him. Bluestreak's expressions were something the deaf woman took great pleasure in memorizing, and watching whenever she had a spare moment to get away with it.

This one, however was new. And despite having never really seen this expression on him; she knew it well. Lilah frowned and considered Bluestreak with no small amount of her own trepidation. What had happened to draw such a look on him?

Worry; uncertainty; hidden panic.

Drawing quickly from the lunch table in the cafeteria, where she had been having lunch with Maggie- Lilah bade her friend goodbye and hurried over to the sniper. The closer she came, the more that panic came to the surface on poor Bluestreak's face, his faceplates- even with their minimal flexibility- conveying it quite well.

Feeling more and more concerned, Lilah hurried over to his nearest pede, and put a hand on it. She craned her head back to keep her eyes on his face, her brow furrowed. For a moment, she simply looked up at him, as Bluestreak's optics seemed to almost desperately scan her expression, his fingers fidgeting nervously at his sides.

'Blue? What's wrong?' Lilah flicked out the question expertly with one hand, the other settled lightly on his pede; her amber eyes searching his worriedly.

'Do you think we could talk?' Becoming more finicky, Bluestreak responded with sign language, something he usually reserved for when it was just the two of them. Lilah felt the lines in her face deepen. Just what was bothering him so badly?

She nodded, and took a step back so the sniper could kneel and offer her his hand, palm up.

With practiced ease, Lilah slipped into his waiting hold and settled in next to his thumb, lightly wrapping one arm around the appendage. She was still afraid of heights, of course, but no longer held onto him with a death grip. There was a level of trust there she didn't have with anyone else.

Although, granted, she still had a at least a firm hold on his finger. The fear was still there- she just had more faith in Bluestreak not to let her fall.

Like usual, his hand shifted beneath her, cupping her body carefully. Bluestreak's silent reassurance, as well as offering a more comfortable position to Lilah.

Once Lilah was settled, Bluestreak set off for the outdoors- the best place for privacy at the moment.

It was warm, and the sun was bright. Clouds crawled unhurriedly across the sky in small, white batches. None big enough to cover the sun up or offer much shade at all. It was the kind of day that had Lilah closing her eyes and tilting her head back, just to let the warmth roll over her skin pleasantly. The kind of day that had you sleepy and just wanting to lay and rest.

Lilah could feel her muscles responding to the warmth and bright light, relaxing and going slack. It was a little too hot, but that was to be expected. Not everything could be perfect.

Feeling Bluestreak come to a stop, Lilah shifted and redirected her attention to the sniper. He had stopped some ways off from the base, on a craggy, rocky outjut into the ocean. Small waves splashed up around his pedes, but Bluestreak didn't seem too worried about the salt water touching him.

For a moment, he stared out at the vast expanse of water, getting lost in the distance, before his blue optics refocused and zeroed in on her. It never failed to make Lilah feel tiny, and not just in size compared to him. Bluestreak was quiet a moment longer, his expression shifting ever so slightly every couple of seconds.

As if he were unsure of how to begin, and having a debate with himself over it.

Shifting so that she was more into his open palm, Lilah ran a hand over the surface of his hand gently, trying to soothe the frazzled Cybertronian.

'Blue? What's wrong?' She used her free hand to gently prompt him, and it seemed to help Bluestreak a little. His brow furrowed a little deeper, and he opened and closed his mouth several times, before pressing his lips together tightly, the edges curling downward in a puzzled frown.

Bluestreak never had trouble talking to her before- this concerned Lilah greatly. What had him so wound up? Exercising patience, despite the overwhelming worry, she watched him struggle silently. It wouldn't do any good to push him.

Sitting down the on the outcrop of rock, Bluestreak tucked his legs up against himself the best he could given his limited flexibility, and set Lilah on his thigh carefully. She settled onto the wider surface, gripping the edge of his plating there lightly, to give her a bit more stability. With his hands now free, Bluestreak nervously fell back on signing.

'Lilah? Can I ask you something?' His hand was so jerky, it took Lilah a minute to realize what it was he had asked,

'Of course.' She nodded, offering him her most comforting smile, before smoothing her palm over his thigh. She repeated the motion, doing her best to soothe his frazzled nerves.

It seemed to help a little.

'What are your thoughts on marriage?' Bluestreak was careful to keep his question, and his expression, neutral- he wanted as much honesty as he could gleam from her. He didn't want her to feel obliged to answer in a certain way just to make him happy.

He needed to know how she felt- really felt- in order to make his next decision. So that, hopefully, they could both be happy. It wouldn't be worth it unless it was also what she wanted. If it wasn't, that would steal all the joy Bluestreak found in it, and he would no longer want it. His spark hummed a little louder and more insistently in his chest.

'Marriage?' Confusion flitted over Lilah's face as she considered his question. Bluestreak's face gave away nothing, leaving her to flounder for an answer. Deciding honesty was the best course of action, she took a moment to gather her thoughts together.

'I think marriage is important for some people.' Lilah began, 'Its a wonderful thing, uniting two people, you know?' she glanced up at Bluestreak who gave a little nod to show he was listening, and agreed. 'But it depends on what kind of marriage, for me, personally.' Lilah stopped again, to gather herself, 'It's… well, like with my previous marriage. I got married at a cheap Vegas chapel.' she winced, 'And when I came to my senses, it made it very hard to undo my mistake.'

Her wording, especially the use of 'mistake' had Bluestreak unable to keep himself from flinching a little.

Cybertronian's didn't make 'mistakes' when it came to marriage. He had to remind himself she was talking about human marriage. She didn't know there was another kind.

'But, if you really love the person, and you know you want to be with them forever- why not? I personally don't see a reason for marriage, but if my significant other does, then that's okay. It makes them happy, and that's good enough for me.' Lilah smiled up at him, 'In the end it's just a fancy ceremony and getting the Government involved, but if that's what makes you happy, then I don't mind.'

Bluestreak paused, looking down at his little human, feeling his spark quiver at her answer- wobbling on its axis. If he were human, he had the notion he would be holding back tears. He couldn't explain why, it just… was.

'Why, Blue? Do you want to get married?' Lilah tilted her head a little, looking thoughtful, 'I mean, a priest might be hard to get… but I'm sure we can figure out something. Hey, do you think Optimus could-' he pulled her to his chest, cupping her over the metal above his spark chamber, where it wobbled and hummed loudly.

Though she couldn't hear it, it certainly vibrated against Lilah's skin, and made her feel warm.

The sniper could feel Lilah curl against his mesh- the surface of the metal- and knew she had to be confused by his sudden question and being held like this, but he couldn't help it. While it wasn't the answer he had wanted, it was far better then he could have ever hoped for- and the relief it brought was both sweet and something he didn't know he needed. Bluestreak hadn't realized how worried and wound up he was over this, until the tension left and he was allowed to go slack.

A small hand gently stroked the spot above his spark, and Bluestreak took a moment to just shutter his optics and continue to hold her. Right here, this was where he wanted to be. Always. With Lilah close enough that he could feel her, and his spark could sense her. Where he could feel her lifeforce beating alongside his own.

If he could stay there forever, he would.

At last, he pulled away, and held her in his palm at about eye level. Lilah held onto his fingers like a small monkey, as she usually did, but smiled at him. While still confused, she was happy he seemed put at ease.

"Lilah?" Bluestreak spoke slowly, letting her catch what he was saying. Unable to respond, the deaf woman sent him a questioning look, asking him what he wanted softly.

"Would you…" His spark skipped a rhythm, "Would you be my spark mate?" the world stopped for a moment- and then his nerves caught up with him.

"Of course, only if you want to! If your not ready, or just don't feel like it, that's okay, you can say no!" Bluestreak's spark throbbed at the thought- and then he realized she didn't know what a 'spark mate' was, "I-It's kinda like marriage, only more personal- but I mean, marriage is pretty personal in and of itself, um-" Blue swallowed hard.

"It's- well it's- um- it's when the sparks exchange pieces of themselves. I dunno how it's going to work with you being human, but I'd really like to try, I mean, if- if you want to-!" His throat felt like it was clamping shut on his vocalizer, and it was getting hard to vent air out to cool off. He could feel his systems starting to overheat.

Then, Lilah grinned at him, seeming to overcome her own wide eyed shock at last, and began to silently giggle. Silent giggles turned to snorting, pure happy sounds that she couldn't hear- but lightened his spark and had Bluestreak grinning too. Suddenly, he could vent again, and his throat wasn't so tight. While the nosies Lilah made weren't the prettiest, or the most elegant- Bluestreak found them to be his favorite. And when she stopped finally, one hand out, patting his bottom lip- he found he wanted to be the cause of those noises.

With a wide smile, and twinkling eyes, Lilah gave her answer without hesitation. Using one hand, she signed it out perfectly for him to see- and his spark hummed and beat so wildly in his chest, wobbling so much it was slightly concerning, that Bluestreak thought it might explode like a firework.

'Yes.'

(AN: Sorry for the wait guys! I've been working to get the funds together for Ryou's surgery and trying to get my Youtube thing set off. :D But isn't this just the cutest? Fluffy times await! c: We need more fluff in the pools of depressing fanfiction, I think.

If you want to support your author, and see more content from me, you can head over to Youtube to see some of my audioworks! I have original, scary stuff, and just finished off Old Yeller! I've also started Winnie-The-Pooh and the first book of Harry Potter. So if that sounds like your thing, head on over. c:

And if you would like to help with Ryou, you can go to my GoFundMe Campaign and check that out! Both links can be found either in the previous chapter, or on my profile~! Cheers dearies, and you can expect more and more content from me ;D I'm gonna continue trying to expand what I can do, and get better and better!)