You'll never be alone again
Chapter 3: Getting to know you
A/N: The song in this chapter is 'My Skin' by Natalie Merchant.
Cold. Shivers ran up and down her arms and then there was the small tingle of warmth. Isabella groaned as she felt a fresh breeze brush over her body. Her eyes were clamped shut and she didn't want to open them. So instead her mind was racing trying to decipher the last thing that she remembered.
…running…close death experiences and…giant robots!
An instant gasp escaped Bella's lips as her eyes snapped open and she pushed her body to sit up. Quickly she felt aches and pains and the hard tarmac ground beneath her. Glancing all around her she noted the rubble scattered around and not far from where she was sitting was one of them. A robot lying there looking quite lifeless. Memories flooded her with images of it and another trying to kill her. She had somehow survived thanks to the Indy 500 but had suffered a severe panic attack and passed out.
She couldn't see it anywhere. Had the white robot left her all alone? Taking in a deep breath Isabella tried to make sure to stay calm. Anger now filling her as she slowly pushed herself to her feet. Her feet automatically carried her to her backpack where she picked it up and slung it over her shoulder. Her face began to turn red at the knowledge that the so-called good robot had left her alone in the dead of night. She had been vulnerable and weak. Isabella frowned at the thought that she was perhaps wrong. Maybe the Indy 500 hadn't been protecting her.
Tears pricked her eyes at the idea that she had been unconscious and anything could have happened through the night. She shook her head hoping to banish the thoughts as she began to walk back towards town. Bella felt sunken and just wanted to hide away in her house. But there were things that she had planned to do and at that moment it was providing a good distraction.
Looking to the clear sky Bella deduced that it was early morning. Her legs took her into town and it seemed quiet but knew that it would soon busy with people commuting to work for the day. It made her feel lucky that she had found a job, that she enjoyed, which required her to meet deadlines. It was work that she could turn down at any time if she didn't feel up to it.
Her thoughts were cut short as she entered her house; her mood low. As much as she distained what had happened in the past 24 hours it was still an adventure. Something more than waking up every morning and just working. It was the adrenaline rush, the extra ordinary situations she found herself in. Something that didn't happen to anyone else on Earth but her. Isabella sighed before moving off to wash herself.
Meanwhile on the other side of Jasper Nevada Smokescreen had been able to finish his patrol early and the first chance he got he zoomed out of the base. He already knew that if he was needed then the autobots would comm him. Right now however he had other matters to tend to. The rookie hated that he had left the human female alone after what had happened to her; there was also the notion that he had disobeyed protocol. Optimus was not going to be happy when he heard about his actions towards the whole thing. He would be dishonoured in front of everyone.
He considered getting Jacks help with the matter. The woman had associated his vehicle mode with the young teenager and figured that an explanation would be best coming from the human. Then again he'd have to tell him what had happened. If he learned anything at boot camp it was to solve his own mess ups.
The first thing he did was go to where he had last seen her. From what he was told from the raven haired boy, this whole area was an old industrial site that no one used anymore. The rookie made sure to maintain his alternative form in the case that other people were about. He wasn't particularly surprised to find the vehicons gone along with Isabella but the rubble from the fight remained. At least the only evidence from the encounter was the red head that he still needed to find. His processor worked quickly working out that Isabella was probably at her residents, luckily he could access the internet. He searched in her name and description and quickly began ruling out other people that weren't who he was looking for.
It really didn't take long to find a match at a house not far away. If anything she right on the edge of the town where it met the industrial estate. Smokescreen hit the acceleration hard, tyres screeching on the tarmac as he shot forward down the street. He took the corners fast but slowed down once he was sure he had entered resident areas. The last thing he wanted now was to be scolded for not only disobeying protocol but for also disobeying human traffic laws again. He didn't mind the lesson too much that Jack gave him about how to blend in but even he had to admit he could have been doing better things. Since he arrived on Earth there hasn't been much time to impress Optimus; the fact that he had messed up consistently had not helped him one bit.
Last night being one of his biggest mistakes yet. He endangered a human much like he had put Jack in a dangerous situation when they were able to acquire the star sabre. He was making a habit of this but at least this time he was trying to make amends. The fact that he had to try and comfort the red haired female considerably made it worse; Jack had mentioned she had a disorder. Was that it?
He approached what looked like a small cosy house and parked by the side of the road. He wondered if he should make his presence known. She looked afraid of him before and the last thing the rookie wanted was to frighten her again – especially if she was going to hyperventilate and almost pass out on him.
Smokescreen remained vigilant. If the decepticons could find him once while with a human then he didn't doubt that they could find him again. He was in a more populated area now as well which made it all more dangerous. His door mirrors were constantly moving up and down to survey the area while he patiently waited for her to emerge from the building. That was if she was inside. For all he knew she was somewhere else. He hoped she was home, he couldn't sit outside her house all day without one of the autobots noticing that he had been gone.
Waiting for a few minutes an idea did pop into his head; the use of his holoform. He hadn't used it in ages but was sure that it still worked. Another thing that the others didn't know about as well. It wasn't like they asked though. The war for Cybertron was devastating enough, holoforms being one of the pieces of technology that faded and was lost but Smokescreen held onto the holoform programming. Having used it a few times and liked the feeling of being an organic. At least with the holoform he wouldn't scare her as much as he obviously did with his robotic form. Then again it was still morning and he had learned from Ratchet that humans had extensive morning rituals and if anything he wanted Isabella in a good mood.
The rookie was torn out of his processor thoughts at the sound of the front door closing. He managed to look towards the front of the house to see Isabella locking the door behind her. She was wearing something different and looked refreshed. She had her backpack slung over one shoulder and her hair hanging down over her shoulders. As soon as she turned around her eyes focussed on the familiar Indy 500 she tensed. "You have got to be kidding me"
She didn't have anything more to say as she clung to the strap of her bag before moving off down the street. A frown set on her face as she walked down the path towards her destination. She tried to shake off the feeling that she was being followed and only when she peered over her shoulder did she realise why. The sports care was crawling behind her as it followed her to where she was going. Isabella let out a huff in annoyance; she thought she could try and forget about what had happened the previous night but with the car following her it was becoming quite difficult. "Ok stop!" she yelled out before turning around to face the white Indy. The vehicle stopped abruptly "stop following me and leave me alone" she turned back and began walking down the road again with Smokescreen close behind.
"You don't understand, I need to talk to you" Smokescreen spoke out as he continued to follow her.
"No, you don't understand. You don't know what it's like to go from minding your own day to day business and then suddenly you're an inch from death. Then when I'm at my most vulnerable I am left alone!" she didn't stop walking as she shouted her frustrations and couldn't help but notice a couple of people coming out of their homes giving her strange looks. "I'm guessing that I'm not allowed to know about you so how about you leave me alone and I forget I ever saw you"
Smokescreen thought about it but knew if someone found out then he'd be in even bigger trouble. Jack was the one that had connections with the red head so it would eventually be known to him. And then Optimus would know. "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. I'm a robot in disguise, I have to follow the rules including making sure I blend in"
Isabella sighed seeing no one else around at this moment so she turned her attention to the following vehicle "well you're not doing a great job. Cars don't tend to stalk behind people as they're walking and they certainly don't talk"
Smokescreen remained silent and would have shied away if he was in his robot mode. Instead he watched as Isabella shook her head and turned into what looked like an old abandoned house. It was dark and looked as though the place was almost burned down. He followed her inside the making sure that no one was about. It was clear that he hadn't been doing well with the whole blending in thing and the last thing he wanted to do was blow his cover again.
They had moved into a more populated area and there was no chance of him transforming to help explain things either. There was no other choice at this point so he activated his holoform. The organic form taking a while to materialise after being inactive so long. After a minute or two a young man stood in front of the Indy 500. His eyes were bright energon blue and they immediately focussed on the woman that was staring in shock at him. His light blonde hair with red highlights stuck up into the air a little. It framed around his face nicely and stretched over his ears. He stood a little bit taller than her with a white and blue shirt that matched the colour scheme of the sports car. The shirt was slightly tucked in and slightly hanging out of the deep blue jeans that he was wearing.
"What is that?"
Smokescreen took a while to accommodate himself into the smaller form. He lifted his arms up to take a long look at his hands. Clenching them into a fist and then releasing. It had been a very long time since he last did this and he had to admit that it was a little disorientating. He lifted his eyes to meet Isabella's before he explained himself. "This is a holoform, a piece of technology that allows us work within small parameters" he spoke softly not wanting to anger her any more than she already was with him.
The red head moved slowly to stand in front of him. This robot was now human but somehow was still a robot at the same time. Her eyes scanned over his form, seeing how real he was. She reached her hand forward to touch him but stopped when she realised what she was doing. She was about to move away when she felt something warm touch her arm. She look down to see he hand placed his hand on her.
Isabella frowned as she grasped his hand and stroked her fingers down the back of his limb. She really couldn't believe how real he felt considering that what was in front of her was basically a hologram. "Incredible. You feel so real"
Smokescreen took a small step towards her, he could see that she was purposely not making eye contact with him "In this form I'm just as real as you are. I'm just as human…"
The young woman shook her head as she let go of his hand. Moving away from him she approached the old house and began taking pictures with her camera. "This your way of not trying to scare me?"
The rookie could see that as much as she was amazed by his holoform she was still tense. She was still angry at him "this is my way of trying to maintain my cover. I haven't been here very long; I'm still getting used to how things work on this planet. But what happened last night was my fault – I ignored protocol and put you in danger"
Putting her camera down to her side she considered his words "I almost died yesterday…"
"I'm sorry" his voice was sincere which made her face him.
Her eyes finally meeting his. "No amount of apologies will make up for what I went through last night" there was a small silence where clear guilt was written all over Smokescreens face. He was going to say something else to her but she wasn't finished "Not only did some giant robots want to kill me but I had to endure the worst panic attack I have ever had. I ended up passed out and woke up early this morning all alone" she have him the worst glare that she could muster up before leaving again. She moved swiftly away to the back of the house.
It was only now that Smokescreen noticed what she was doing. Though he didn't understand why she would want to photograph such a wrecked house. The outside looking burned, window smashed and part of the roof missing from where it must have fallen in. "Isabella, please let me explain. I feel terrible for putting you in harm's way and even worse for leaving you in such a vulnerable state; I guess I wasn't really thinking"
The red head took in a deep breath, looping the camera strap around her neck and letting go so that it just hung there. "I don't know you! This apology is meaningless to me. You know my name and I don't know yours. I don't even know what you are. Your only saying sorry to make yourself feel better but I still have to live with this weak feeling inside of me"
Smokescreen had to admit he couldn't argue with her. She hit the nail right on the head and there wasn't anything that his processor could come up with to counter it. Seeing how cut off the back of the house was a small idea popped into his head. "Ok, then" he got Isabella's attention before he deactivated his holoform.
The cybertronians consciousness going back to his true form. Again it was disorientating for him but he knew that the more he did it then he would get used to it. He didn't want to waste time in getting acclimated to where he was again so he tried to push the feeling away and rolled forward in his vehicular form. He made sure to be quiet and discreet as he moved to park in front of Isabella. Once he was sure the no one would spot him he did something he knew was risky. He transformed making sure to be resting in a kneeling position in from of the woman. His audio receptors picked up on a small gasp that came from Isabella. He saw that she tensed even more and her breathing increased feeling frightened slightly "it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you" he reassured.
The voice from the holoform was the exact same which made her relax a little because of how soft it was. "My designation is Smokescreen, I'm an autobot rookie from the planet Cybertron. Our planet died after war broke out and now we seek refuge here on Earth. This planet possesses energon deposits which is the fuel and lifeblood of all cybertronians and the decepticons want to take over the planet and its people. But we autobots vow to protect Earth and humans from them"
Isabella couldn't actually believe what she was hearing. He was telling her that he was an alien and that the war that destroyed his home was now here to destroy hers. She had so many questions but really didn't know where to start "those guys last night that attacked us"
"Decepticons. They were after me but I'm guessing they associated you with being my human friend"
"And why would they think that? I thought you were just an ordinary car last night" she tried to remain calm.
"Well a couple of the autobots have human friends that have been helping us"
The red head had to process it all for a moment. So people were already aware of the autobots; the government must have been keeping it hidden from the public. "Wait…Jack was with you when…"
"Jack is Arcee's partner. You'll get a chance to meet everyone when we get to the base"
At that moment Isabella began to panic a little "you want to take me to the others?"
Her skin began to shiver which didn't go unnoticed "It's okay. The others are like me but I can promise that they won't be pleased about how you became involved. That's all my fault and I take responsibility for my actions"
She understood what he was saying and knew that now she had met Smokescreen properly she would have to meet the other autobots but this was already too much in one day. "I can't meet them, Smokescreen" she showed just how nervous she was in those few words.
"I ignored protocol once, Isabella. I can't do it again"
"I might know who you are but you don't know me"
She was going to walk away from his 25ft form but he spoke up too quickly for her to ignore "I want to know you, Isabella"
She didn't know what to say to that. For once someone wanted to be in her life but she wasn't sure if he meant it just yet. She was sure that the people that were meant to care for her were supposed to be in her life but as it seemed none really were. But this alien just verbally addressed that he wanted to be in her life. Get to know her. "Why? Why were you even there yesterday?"
Immediately Smokescreen began rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment and he couldn't help but look away from Isabella. "I was out on patrol when I just happened to come across you"
The red head could read him easily. His body language was shouting at her; she raised an eye before speaking back to him "really, you patrol areas where no one goes often. And the whole drifting thing was just you entertaining yourself, right?" Smokescreen couldn't even reply to that out of embarrassment "you only started showing off after I finished singing which means you were eavesdropping"
It seemed as though he had been caught red handed; his voice was laced with a slight chuckle as he spoke out truthfully "I might have heard you singing and diverted from my patrol to listen to you"
Isabella silently chuckled to herself seeing how embarrassed he was from his actions, only then did she realise the comfortable feeling that engrossed her around him. Her anger slowly fading away "Take a look at my body
Look at my hands
There's so much here
That I don't understand
Your face saving promises
Whispered like prayers
I don't need them
I've been treated so wrong
I've been treated so long
As if I'm becoming untouchable"
She knew the song well but couldn't help but notice that the words just automatically came to her. She didn't have to think of them before they left her mouth. The main reason she liked to sing to herself was to express her feelings.
"Contempt loves the silence
It thrives in the dark
With fine winding tendrils
That strangle the heart
They say that promises
Sweeten the blow
But I don't need them
No, I don't need them
I've been treated so wrong
I've been treated so long
As if I'm becoming untouchable
I'm a slow dying flower
Frost killing hour
The sweet turning sour
And untouchable
Oh, I need
The darkness
The sweetness
The sadness
The weakness
Oh, I need this
I need
A lullaby
A kiss goodnight
Angel sweet
Love of my life
Oh, I need this
I'm a slow dying flower
Frost killing hour
The sweet turning sour
And untouchable"
The sound of Isabella's voice in his audio receptor made Smokescreen relax so much to the point that he almost forgot he was fighting in a war. She could have lulled him into recharge right then and there. The melody was soft and practically hypnotised him to the point that he couldn't think of anything else but to sit there and listen.
"Do you remember the way
That you touched me before
All the trembling sweetness
I loved and adored?
Your face saving promises
Whispered like prayers
I don't need them
No, I don't need them
I need
The darkness
The sweetness
The sadness
The weakness
I need this
I need
A lullaby
A kiss goodnight
The angel sweet
Love of my life
Oh, I need this
Well, is it dark enough?
Can you see me?
Do you want me?
Can you reach me?
Or I'm leaving
You better shut your mouth
Hold your breath
Kiss me now you'll catch your death
Oh, I mean it
Oh, I need this"
Her voice faded as the song ended. She didn't quite know what to say to Smokescreen or even if she wanted to let him get close to her. As of that moment though she did owe him a valid explanation. She made sure that her back was facing him "I have a severe panic attack disorder" she could see from the corner of her eye that the rookie was listening intently to her "My whole life is one big scare and nothing can change it. I have to carry around medication and take it daily to decrease my symptoms otherwise I'm likely to have a panic attack every day." She felt something warm on her back which made her slightly turn to see that Smokescreen had placed a gentle digit on her back for comfort. He wanted to remind her that she wasn't alone. "People think it's funny while other people decide they want to support me but end up leaving"
"I won't leave you, Isabella. As an autobot it's my job and privilege to protect you"
She gave him a small smile hearing the gentleness in his voice "my friends call me Bella"
Smokescreen returned the facial expression seeing her begin to open up to him "we should get going"
Immediately Bella could feel her heart rate increase as panic began to consume her. Memories of the previous night was all she could think about "do you think you could hold of taking me to see the others. I don't think I could take it just yet"
The rookie processed what she was asking and knew that he couldn't possibly take her to the base. Not only because she hadn't consented and bringing her forcibly was wrong but because it could have a devastating effect on her health to be put through another severe panic attack like the last one she had. But then there was her safety to consider; the decepticons knew about her involvement with the autobots now. He recalled being told that when the teenagers became involved Optimus appointed them guardians to protect them which meant he would have to take up that role until he could bring her to his leader. He nodded to her in understanding and said "that's fine but I will have to take you soon. The longer I leave it the more I get into trouble"
"What are you the child of the group?" she laughed speaking to him in a joking fashion.
Smokescreen shrugged his shoulders to this "Pretty much" a confused look from Bella was his reply "well Optimus Prime is the leader, Ratchet is the medic, Bulkhead and Arcee are the warriors and Bumblebee is the scout. Me, I'm just the rookie - the youngest of them all"
The red head easily read his facial expressions as he spoke to her and could hear slight resentment in his voice "what do you dislike about being a rookie?"
"It's not that I dislike it, it's just that my dream is to reach warrior class and no one seems to have faith in me to get there. I feel more…"
Isabella quickly found the word he was looking for and finished his sentence for him "underrated" the rookie was surprised that she knew exactly what he meant but nodded. "You and me both" she saw quickly that she would have to elaborate for him. "Perhaps we could go for a drive and continue talking after I've gotten a few pictures from inside?"
Excitement spread through his whole body knowing that he continue to get to know her. With great anticipation Smokescreen transformed back into his vehicular form and flashed his headlights. He heard a giggle come from Bella as she climbed in to the old house through a broken window. She was careful of any shards of glass that was about. The floorboards beneath her was very creaky and felt a little unstable. All warning signs in her head were sounding – she knew better than to step into an unstable building but she wasn't going to hang around too long. Bringing the camera hanging around her neck up in front of her face, she concentrated on the screen and pushed the capture button to finally take the pictures she desired. She made sure to capture the detail of the burnt surroundings and abandonment before she decided she enough content.
She climbed back out through the same window, knowing the door was locked for safety reasons, and swiftly moved over to Smokescreen waiting form. His passenger side door opened as soon as she was close and his engine turned over ready to go. Her small form slipped inside and nestled into the soft the seat as the Indy 500 began to roll back to the road and then down the street with no clear destination. Silence lingered between them for a minute before Smokescreen finally spoke "do you want to talk about it?"
Isabella already knew that he was talking about the reason why she felt underrated "there's a reason I'm alone, Smokescreen" she started but didn't know if she should continue. He had already accepted that she had a panic attack disorder which made her think that he might be different. She never told anything like this to Jack or June. Maybe she could tell Smokescreen. "I've had this disorder from a young age and for as long as I can remember I have always been a burden to people. The first chance my parents got to throw me out the house they took. Now I'm lucky enough to get a one or two visits from my mother plus a phone call a month" she stopped a moment to take in a deep breath so that she could continue "I guess I'm not what they wanted me to be. The only reason I still have contact with my parents is because I occasionally go into a phase where I won't take my medication. The doctors insisted that I live with them but they said they didn't want to ruin my independence and promised to check in with me often…liars. I don't even look forward to seeing them because the look on their faces just makes me feel like I'm this broken thing. This…disease"
Bella hadn't noticed the small tears running down her cheeks until she was met with the warmth of a hand wiping the tears away. Looking to the side she saw Smokescreens holoform sat in the driver's seat reaching over to comfort her. She couldn't explain the warm feeling that rose up from within her at this. "Listen to me, Bella. And listen hard. You're not broken and you're not a disease. You are far from it. I don't need to know you well to know that your creators are the problem and not you"
"Creators? Is that parents?"
"Cybertronian equivalent. We call our children sparklings. When was the last time you spoke to your parents?"
"A few days ago, they kept pestering me to get a boyfriend. Probably so they wouldn't have to bother with me anymore" at that moment she felt the seat belt around her tighten so that it felt like a small hug. The holoform quickly disabled as Smokescreen continued to drive. Isabella could feel the sinking feeling within her fading from the comfort she was receiving. Comfort was something that she didn't have an abundance of before. Hearing of his customs interested her as well, to the point that she was beginning to forget her problems. "What's your planet like, Smokescreen?"
Then there was a moment when the memories of his home planet that came rushing back to him. As well as the memories of what had happened to it from years of ravaging war "Cybertron was beautiful. If you went out early enough you could watch the sunrise and reflect off the cities. Strong metal buildings standing tall and at night the whole planet lit up like a beacon and its two moons would reflect more light so that it never felt dark" the rookie then let out a sigh "all of that is gone now. War destroyed it all, the planet was poisoned and finally went dark. Buildings destroyed and left in ruins – the planet no longer able to support life"
"I'm sorry. Sounds like it was a wonderful place. You must miss it"
Smokescreen did miss Cyberton but not as much as he thought he would "I do but this planet has its beauties. I'm learning to like it here" his thoughts then went to the recent discovered Omega keys. Something that may give them their planet back. To have the opportunity to revive the planet was a huge honour but at the same time didn't seem possible. That fact that they had been granted a second chance meant the world to them all but they were still at war. To restore Cybertron would be to fight over it and potentially kill it all over again.
Smokescreen had been so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't even notice that he stopped outside Isabella's house. The red head quickly unbuckled and slipped out of the sports car "do you want to come inside?" she obviously meant his holoform. There was no way that his natural form would be able to fit into her house even if he did enter through her garage door. Her voice made him withdraw from his inner thoughts and before Isabella knew it the young man form of Smokescreen fizzled into life in front of the bonnet of the car. "We're going to have to work on your blending in a bit more I think" she laughed.
Smokescreen only then realised that he had used the holoform out in the open for anyone to see. He hated knowing that he kept messing up but the soft giggle from Bella made him forget it. His worries and stresses fading away. "Still getting used to the whole robots in disguise thing" he rubbed the back of his head.
She waved him over where she began to unlock the door. She opened it timidly knowing how much of a mess her house was but there was a good reason for it all.
Smokescreen began surveying every inch as soon as he stepped inside. Everywhere he looked was either sketch book full of drawings or a canvas. Most of the canvases he spotted where already painted on but there was the odd one he spotted that was still blank; awaiting some colour. The walls behind all of Isabella's creations where a cool cream colour which only brought out the colours in the canvases even more.
Bella placed her back pack down by the door as she watched Smokescreens reaction to her home. "Sorry about the mess. I always tell myself I should go through them all and decided what to do with them but when I get to doing it I just don't have the heart to throw them away" there was one painting in particular in her mind that she had the urge to show him. Leading him into her living room she quickly cleared her sofa and invited him to sit down while she went to find it. There was some order to where she put them. The pieces in the living room where ones that had people in the landscape. The ones in her hallway were of just landscapes and the ones in her kitchen were cityscapes. Bella rummaged around in her hallway trying to find it. A few old ones falling but she didn't mind too much. As soon as she found it she left the mess she had just created and returned to Smokescreen with the canvas hiding behind her back. "Now I didn't think this one was any good but I think you should see it. It seems to make a little more sense now after you told me about your home" with that she brought the canvas in front of her.
The rookie didn't understand what she was talking about until he finally laid his eyes on it. Her brush strokes had clearly defined tall metal structures in the background that reflected the strength of sun's rays. And in the foreground was the smooth surface of a body of water. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; it felt like he was really there – back on Cybertron. "The great lake of Iacon"
"The what?" Bella frowned "It's just something I painted a few months back. It took me ages to get the water right and even after that I wasn't sure the buildings in the background worked or not"
Smokescreen heard her but was still processing that what he was looking at was something he never thought he'd lay his optics on again. It was a sight that he had admired in the past and had probably taken for granted considering that it no longer looked like that. "It's the great lake of Iacon. Once one of the most beautiful places on Cybertron. I'd take a break from my patrol and sit by the lake at night and you almost got blinded by the reflection of the moons in the water…How could you have known about it?"
Bella shrugged "it just sort of came to me. I woke up one day and pondered over buildings made of metal. As soon as you described your home to me this painted came to mind immediately" Smokescreen understood that "does it really look exactly like the lake?"
"Precisely"
The red head had to wonder how it could be. She had only just met Smokescreen and had never seen Cybertron. Isabella could see the yearning in Smokescreens eyes as he studied the painting "you can have it, if you want it"
His gaze turned from the painting to her eyes "I couldn't. It's your artwork"
"As you can see I am surrounded by my work and I make new ones quite regularly" she gestures to the room full of painted canvases around them.
Smokescreen couldn't help but chuckle at her before he takes the Iacon canvas and places it up where the both of them can see it clearly "you should take more pride in your work. All of it is brilliant, I don't think I could find a piece that I wouldn't like in this forest of art"
Isabella's cheeks instantly flushed red from the compliment. No one had ever told her that her work was good before "most pieces are places that I want to see. Some are places plucked from my imagination that I hope is real – like your Iacon"
"I wish you couldn't have seen it" there was clear sadness in his voice and she couldn't blame him.
There was one thing that stood out to her though and that was his holoforms features; she'd never met a person that made her feel so inspired before that all she wanted to do was create. "Smokescreen, do you might if I paint you?" he gave her a questioning look that made him look funny in Bella's eyes. "I've never felt the need to paint someone before but you have remarkable facial features" she lifted her hand and gently placed it on his cheek "I don't know what it is but…" she felt his warm skin beneath her hand and still couldn't believe how real his human form felt even though it wasn't real. His true form actually sitting outside the house.
After a moment she realised that they had fallen silent while staring into each other's eyes and her hand caressing his cheek. She retracted and gave him a soft smile as she cleared her throat hoping to put that moment behind them. She quickly grabbed her sketching pencils and a fresh canvas she spotted lying around. The first thing on her mind before she even began was to capture an image of him for her the colour textures. She rummaged in her bag for the device and brought it out, pointing it at him "ok, give me a smirk" he did as she asked and she quickly took the photo "that was good but it looks like you've just got revenge on someone so how about a determined look" again Smokescreen changed his facial express as he look towards the camera. The thoughts of wanting to impress Optimus and prove himself to the team flashed through him to help capture the mood. "I still don't think it's the right look" she spoke.
Only then did Smokescreen take his concentration away from the camera and onto her. He studied her facial features instead and couldn't help the small twitch from the corners of his mouth. Bella was thinking at this time but when she turned back to the rookie and saw his facial expression, she felt her heart leap. "That's it. Hold that look"
She took as many photos as she could from different angles. Excitement growing inside her that made her giddy. "Perfect" Smokescreen saw the clear happiness on her face as he continued to think about her so that she got was she was after. He watched as she sat and began to sketch him out carefully on the canvas. He couldn't see what she was doing but from what he could see; her movements were delicate and each line that she drew had meaning behind it.
"So you think if the whole autobots thing doesn't work out for me that I should try for a model" he teased her and couldn't help the laugh that came with it.
Playfully Bella gave him a small whack on his arm before returning to her work "try not to let this affect your ego too much, hot shot. Now, keep looking at me. If even one line is off it can ruin the whole piece and since I've never done a proper portrait before I'd rather not mess this one up"
Her face remained focussed as her eyes constantly switched between looking her the canvas and staring at him. He watched carefully as she occasionally had to push her fringe hair that fellow over her eyes behind her ear. The rookie had to keep a straight face as time got on and he noticed that when Bella was deep in concentration she began to nibble on her bottom lip. Her head constantly tilted left and right making sure that she got her pencil lines right. His cheeks warmed the more he watched her to the point that he felt like he was going to catch on fire. He noticed her emerald eyes light up so much in the natural light that shone through her windows. He couldn't believe the amount of joy that she fiery haired woman was feeling from just drawing him. The amount of canvases in her house were proof enough that it was something she was passionate about. "Why do you paint so much, Bella?"
He wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to get to know her. "I learned from a young age to get my emotions out through creation, particularly when my parents didn't want anything to do with me. Then I found that drawing, painting and photographing was distracting me from my problems and it allowed me to escape into the world of my creations. I could imagine myself walking through these beautiful places, breathing in the fresh air away from the polluted towns and cities. I wanted to travel as soon as I left my parents but because I have episodes of depression where I come off my medication which is pretty dangerous for me. That's why my mother visits once or twice every other month. So I guess painting is my way for making up for the fact that I can never go anywhere by myself. I paint the landscapes I dream to truly see"
The passion in her voice was unmistakeable. He only asked a small question and didn't expect to get such a heavy reply. Bella had such a craving to leave and see all the natural wonders of her world but her body didn't allow that. At this point she had stopped drawing Smokescreen. His facial expression had changed to that of compassion from her small story. "Your love for the environment is outstanding, Bella" the young autobot placed his hand on top of hers as he spoke "I don't think you should let your creators hold you back, not even your disorder. There is great potential inside of you and I think you just need to find yourself in order to get what you desire" Bella gave him a warming smile at the encouraging words. "And your creators are not good people. They are pretending to be ignorant of you even though they know they can't cut you out of their lives. If something were to happen to you they know that they would be held accountable…" Smokescreen wanted to go on and rant about everything she had told him but he was interrupted by a small beeping sound.
He looked around wondering where it was coming from until he saw Bella bring out her phone from her pocket. She pushed a button and the beeping stopped. Carefully she placed her creative tools down and moved towards the kitchen where she got herself and glass of water and drew a box out of the cupboard. She re-joined Smokescreen on her living room sofa. "What was with the beeping?"
Bella popped two pills out from the packaging into her hand and held them out for Smokescreen to see "a reminder to take my daily mediation. It's better to take it at the same time every day for consistency" as soon as she had finished her sentence she practically threw the pills into her mouth and then took a few sips of the water to help swallow them. Once she was done she picked up her pencils and canvas again and motioned for Smokescreen to model for her again so she could continue. The rookie did so without protest. "So you know my problems; what about yours?" her gaze went back to switching between him and the canvas. It got easier for Smokescreen to make the facial expression she desired. He couldn't believe how caring Bella was turning out to be.