ayyyy. i'm doing my best to update at least weekly and having chapters exceeding three thousand words~? here's hoping lol i don't want to be writing nonsense and boring my readers. anyway thank you all for the reception you've given the last chapter ^^ i've responded to reviews that appeared to have questions, so if y'all have any more, don't be afraid to leave it in ur review! i'll do my best to answer it to the best of my abilities!

i love you all 3

Chapter Four

She does not have an obsession for arms, they're just the most convenient thing to grab onto...

Hands shoot upwards to cover her ears at his scream, eyes widening in confusion as she takes a step back from his accusing finger. Lips part as if to question his sudden outburst, but for once, Meixing doesn't know what to ask. It's not that suddenly all her knowledge of the English language is gone, but it's that his eyes are practically glowing.

Captivating azure hues that stare at her in pure shock, as if he is recognizing her for the first time after being apart for a long time.

But she has only met him today, so she doesn't understand the look in his eyes.

"Wh-why you screaming?" She curses at herself for allowing her words to stutter. It's not that she's flustered, really, but she can't really concentrate when he's practically screaming in her ears.

Then he stops. He opens his mouth and closes it again, finger still pointed at her in accusation. He seems like he has many questions he wants to ask, but doesn't know where to start. An annoyed look crosses her features and she simply turns around to ignore him, since it doesn't seem like he'll be speaking anytime soon. The class Leo is in seems to be getting out late, she notes with irritation, as she leans against the wall.

And the man she has just met is still gaping at her like a fish out of water.

'She... does she remember?' Then he mentally slaps himself. 'Well, duh, of course she remembers! Who forgets seeing a Cybertronian up close?!' He presses a finger to his mouth, biting the nail in anxiousness (of course, since that body is not real, it doesn't have much of an effect). 'That's why she's asking Leo... what does she want to ask though? She's not supposed to know about our human connections. Why does she want to know more? I don't get it. Does she want to expose us?'

"Leo!"

Immediately, all thoughts are broken. He snaps his gaze towards Meixing, who's sprinting after the aforementioned young adult that's leaving his classroom. Leo jumps and lets out a surprised yell, planning on breaking out into a run immediately.

But Leo glances behind Meixing and meets azure hues. He freezes immediately, giving Meixing an opportunity to latch onto his arm and dragging him over to the side.

"Please, do not run. Do not want to chase again," Meixing implores. She notices Leo's attention on her other companion and sighs. "Do not mind him. Just temporary acquaintance. Name is-" She halts, realizing that they had never introduced themselves to each other. "What is your name?" She asks, rounding on the brunet questioningly.

He stiffens, as does Leo.

"..." He rubs the back of his neck, exhaling softly. "Sean." A good enough human name, he figures after using the Internet as a resource yet again. "I have a nickname I'd prefer to go by though."

Leo's alarming look that's directed towards the other could be hilarious, if the circumstances weren't so dire in their eyes.

"Dude-"

"Sideswipe, or Sides. Take your pick." He's doing his best to be imposing, squaring his shoulders and making direct eye contact with Meixing. He's waiting for recognition to flash in those brown hues, or for shock to overtake those oriental features.

"Weird nickname. But sure, will call you by that if necessary," she shrugs and makes sure her grip is firm on Leo's arm. "My name is Meixing. Have no nickname, so call me Meixing is fine."

Sideswipe blinks once, taken aback by her response. Had she... not remembered after all? He's certain that he introduced himself in Shanghai- he may not have gotten her name back then, but being an advanced being, the memory is recorded in his processor just like a video. This isn't the wrong girl, he's sure of it; comparing the recording in his processor to the live girl in front of them, they were definitely the same person.

Leo seems to have visibly relaxed, though he's still trying to tug his arm free from Meixing. "Hey, amiga, I told you that I don't know anything! Why do you keep on bothering me!"

Meixing rolls her eyes. "I heard you talk in library with friend. Is very clear both of you know more than you tell me." She shoots a glance at Sideswipe, who's still looking dumbfounded. "If not want to talk around stranger, can go to library or quieter place."

"I'm his friend," Leo cuts in, shooting Sideswipe a pleading look. 'Don't leave me alone with her, she's scary.' "And I have nothing to hide! You must have misheard Sam and I!"

Unconvinced, but she does spare Sideswipe another glance. "You his friend?"

"That's what it seems like," he replies dryly. No, he wouldn't consider Leo a friend, especially since his guardians were those twins that were practically the bane of Sideswipe's very existence. That wasn't Leo's fault, of course, but Sideswipe could be petty when he wanted to be. "Anyway, are you done asking him questions? You still have my innocence to prove."

"No," she retorts. "Does it sound like he answer my questions?" She turns her head towards the Hispanic male. "What do you know about robot aliens?!" She harshly whispers the last part, as if she doesn't want anyone else to hear.

"I don't know anything!"

Whatever relaxed sentiment Sideswipe had been feeling is replaced immediately with his initial wariness. So she does know-? The fact that she's bugging Leo with that question is hard proof that she's very aware of the Cybertronian's existence on this planet. The fact that she doesn't seem to recognize his name doesn't really matter now- she has to be taken in for questioning.

Sideswipe reaches out, intent on grabbing her arm, but he's stopped by another pressing thought. Was it... necessary to do that? What if she didn't remember a lot about that night? That could be why she's interrogating Leo- it's because she doesn't remember that she's asking in order to get more information. If she doesn't know a lot, then she could still be kept away from this war.

If he could somehow twist her memories into thinking that night was a dream, it would have been a much more smoother process than this roundabout way of dodging the question, like Leo was doing.

"Then why you make website?"

Their arguing tugs Sideswipe from his thoughts again, and now he's torn between being amused at Leo's misfortune and being panicked at the fact that this girl still seems to remember that encounter in Shanghai so clearly.

"I thought it was a funny idea! How many times do I have to say this?!" Leo whines. "Aliens are everywhere, okay?! Movies, novels, Internet! They're just different types of myths!" Leo shoots Sideswipe a pitiful glance, telling the other to help him out of this situation.

Sideswipe pauses, as if contemplating his choices, then shakes his head with a wide grin. No, this is a version of his revenge on the twins. Plus, every time Leo does visit base, he's obnoxious and loud, in more or less words. Since Sideswipe couldn't harm humans, torturing them offhandedly is the next best way to go about it.

Meixing narrows her eyes. "They are everywhere. You right. And you must know where."

"You just totally ignored the last part of my sentence," Leo scowls. "Look, hypothetically speaking, even if I did know, why would you want to... well, know?!"

The Chinese girl blinks. That is the first time he's indulged her persistence, even if just slightly. "... I want to meet someone again."

Sideswipe hones in on her words immediately.

"I never got to thank it," she lowers the tone of her voice, aware of the area she's in right now. "And... if allowed, want to ask it questions. It sounded male, but best not to jump to conclusions. But that does not matter. It... saved my life." She smiles fondly at the memory, and Leo's quite perplexed to hear this story. So is Sideswipe, for that matter. His ego is being significantly boosted right now, and his cautious gaze is quickly brightening to that of prideful happiness.

"You just... want to thank him- er, it?" He catches himself on his words. "... I'm sure it knows that. It's their job to protect us, after all."

Leo realizes his mistake too late. Meixing is quick to latch onto those words and the grip on his arm is tightened significantly.

"So you do know."

"... Erk."

"Do not tell anyone," she says suddenly. "It... told me to keep secret. But because you know more about it, I think it be okay if I told you a little." She's being careful, despite her persistence. She has not given Leo any specifics nor did she plan to, even if he begged her.

Despite the fact that she's practically the one begging for more information.

"I don't know anything!" Leo repeats stubbornly.

"Meixing," Sideswipe finally cuts in, and the Chinese girl seems startled, as if she had forgotten he was there. The moment she turns her attention towards him, her grip loosens ever-so-slightly, but it's the opening that Leo needs to slips his arm from her grasp and sprint away from the pair.

"Ah!" Meixing frowns. "Look what you did..."

He lets out a short laugh, shaking his head. The animosity from before seems to have been replaced with something lighter. It's... better. Being able to laugh like this freely suited him more. "I don't think he was going to answer your questions anyway." He points out, folding his arms across his torso. "Leo can be pretty stubborn."

Meixing sighs. "I know. But is worth a try." She glances at him. "Well, you complied. So I will keep my part of deal now. Lead way to office." Was she going to give up? Well, not really, but she can save her interrogation for another time.

Sideswipe stuffs his hands into his pocket, beckoning her to follow him with a tilt of his head. She trudges after him slowly, seemingly deflated from her failure yet again. However, she's a bit curious as to why his initial hostility seems to have faded completely.

"You not yelling anymore," she says. "Earlier, you were very mad. Both at street and when found me after."

Sideswipe shrugs. "Well, I think anyone would be angry when someone just pops out in front of them while driving. I'm sure you heard how hard I slammed the brakes."

She considers his explanation and figures it makes enough sense. She can imagine her mother cursing in Chinese if some idiotic pedestrians forced her to brake when she was speeding down to somewhere.

... She guesses that makes her one of those idiotic pedestrians now.

"As for after..." His voice pulls her from her musings. "Well, I was pretty peeved about being stopped for that. Especially when it wasn't my fault." Meixing arches an eyebrow at him. "... Okay, not entirely my fault. If I got kicked off campus, my boss would be pretty displeased. I'm here for a reason, like I said, so letting some girl ruin that is not ideal."

"For what reason?" She questions.

"..." He coughs. "That's a secret."

Fair enough. Although, secrets are certainly becoming the norm around here, aren't they?

They walk the rest of the way in silence, though the fidgeting on Sideswipe's part gives Meixing an idea that he's curious and wants to ask her something. Her interaction with Leo had been a unique one, so she's almost certain it has to do with that, especially since they appeared to be friends with each other.

But she had made it clear that she wasn't going to indulge either of them with more information other than what she has already said, right? With a small nod to herself, she watches as Sideswipe opens the door to the security office, where two adults are sitting, seeming to anticipate their arrival.

"You ran away," one of them says flatly, giving Sideswipe a hard stare. "Should I call your boss now?"

Sideswipe pales, shaking his head vigorously. "No! I brought her with me! You know, the girl- er, Meixing, who can vouch for me!"

She takes it as her cue to poke her head out from behind Sideswipe, refraining from cursing his tall frame. "I trip and accidentally go on street," she says. "Therefore, man is not guilty of attempted murder."

Well, there could have been better ways to phrase that, but as long as her point got across, it didn't matter. Sideswipe looks a bit cross at the curt explanation, but when the explanation is over with, they both exit the office within a few minutes. She has no need to follow him around anymore, so she turns to him in order to say her goodbyes.

Though... if he is Leo's friend, doesn't that mean he also knows about the robot aliens the aforementioned man's website had talked about?

She pushes her black locks behind her ear, exhaling softly. Honestly, thinking about this too much wasn't advantageous. She still has her studies to think about, and being in a pre-med program, she shouldn't have the luxury to be tailing young adults like this-

Ah. The realization sinks in suddenly, as if she's been slapped in the face, and she stops. Her hands trail upwards to press at her face, horror displayed upon her countenance. What would her parents have thought if they found out?! No, it was more like what would they do... discipline had always come in physical form, whether it be by the bamboo stick or bending at a certain level while holding buckets full of water...

"Hey-"

Meixing pales and reaches out, latching onto Sideswipe's arm. A yelp escapes the taller male and a determined look crosses her face, as he stumbles yet again, cursing her under his breath for seeming to have a habit of grabbing people's arms randomly.

"You tell Leo not to say anything." They're friends, so surely this plan will work. "Not illegal, but still bad if he tell school and parents find out."

Sideswipe lightly snorts, attempting to wriggle his arm free from her grasp. "I don't really have an obligation to listen to you." An idea begins to formulate in his head, however, as he takes in her desperation. "But... I'm willing to compromise."

She lets go immediately, a skeptical frown creasing on her forehead. "... What you want?"

"Tell me who's the 'it' that saved you and why, aside from wanting to thank 'it', that you want to get more information about 'it'." Verbally, he thinks it is a bit crude to refer to himself as an 'it', but she doesn't know that the Cybertronians had their own genders... for now.

"... Secret-"

"You blew it the moment you answered Leo's question." Sideswipe lightly taps the crown of his head, careful not to mess with the gelled locks of hair that defied gravity. "You're not exactly the best secret keeper." Well, she had seemed to keep quiet about him for all these months, so perhaps she should be given some credit.

Her face flushes at the blunt insult. "I... keep secret as best as I can."

"It was a joke, xiao xing." He lifts his hand and ruffles her hair roughly, a pleasant hum escaping when he sees that she's annoyed by the gesture. Meixing swats at his hand, scowling lightly.

"Xiao xing?" She echoes. If his pronunciation had been slightly off, those two words would have meant something else entirely.

"It's a nickname. You know, little star," he grins, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "Mandarin isn't bad of a language. It's great that I got to learn it a few months ago. It's fun to pronounce."

"Are you mocking my language?" She huffs, frowning again.

"You're bad at reading in-between the lines," he sighs, shaking his head sadly. "Well, even if it was a joke, I still mean it when I say I want to know more about whatever helped you before." She isn't as welcoming as those that were born here, he's noticed. Usually, people would jump at having conversations with new people, wouldn't they? Maybe she's still uncomfortable because they weren't exactly friends yet.

"... Why you want to know?" She asks. "Is it because you know about it?"

He freezes at that. Well, she isn't entirely wrong. But the matter of the problem was that if he admits to it, then her curiosity would be ignited and she'll be more prone to exposure in this war. In all honesty, he should be keeping his distance from her the moment they had met, but... he had to know what she intended to do with the information.

If she was going to be an enemy... an ally... or a neutral party.

Was it bad that he was being so distrustful...? No, this was normal in war. Leo Spitz had been all too willing to expose them before, so it's likely that Meixing will do the same. Reporting to Optimus about this situation is honestly the best course of action... but? Sideswipe felt confident in his ability to contain the dilemma.

'Yeah! Optimus won't need to bother for this,' he tells himself. 'I can do it myself. Can't be that hard. Since I'm here to replace Bumblebee for the time being...'

"If I knew about it, why would I be curious?" He replies. "It's because you spoke to Leo about it that now I want to know. I can keep a secret too." Find out what she knows, determine if the information was enough to be a threat, and this entire thing would be solved peacefully.

Sideswipe may be notorious for advocating pranks and mischief, but his desire to defend the innocent still remained strong. Bringing another human into this war... would do more than put them in danger.

Meixing still looks uncertain. "He... he the first one I ever told. I never speak to Mama or Baba about it. If... tell you..." Wouldn't that... be betraying her parents? How conflicting. This is not what she wanted to feel when she first entered this school.

"So I'll never tell them you told me," he presses a finger to his lips, a vow of secrecy. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend to confide in? Tell me all those little secrets you've been bottling up in yourself."

"I have friends I can confide in..." she mutters. Well, they're more like study buddies if anything, and her roommate is just barely an acquaintance, ironically. Their schedules seemed to conflict, seeing as they hardly had the time to actually sit down to get to know each other.

"A different kind of friend," he shrugs. "Doesn't look like you've told them about this, right?" Bingo. Her sheepish look that's being directed to the ground is proof that he has hit home base.

Finally, she looks like she's going to relent. "... No, aside from Leo, you would be... second one to know." She lifts a pinky finger to the other. "You... promise to keep secret. Then I will tell you little by little."

He stares at her pinky in confusion, and Meixing wonders if she has made a mistake. This was what people usually did when they wanted each other to keep a secret, right? In China, she wouldn't have dare raised this gesture to someone, but in America it didn't have a negative connotation to it.

At least... it wasn't supposed to.

"Ah!" Finally, he grins and links pinkies with her. "I promise~!"

She exhales, finding comfort in the confirmation. "Thank... you." The black-haired girl raises her head to stare at him. "Although, cannot start now."

"Huh?"

"Have homework to do," she says, shuffling around him. "Need to go to dorm and retrieve work." She's quick to retreat, but Sideswipe begins to walk after her, a small frown creasing on his face.

"Hey, you know the likelihood of finding you again isn't high. Give me your phone number."

"You found me before," she comments, not sparing him a glance. "I am sure your luck will help again."

"Yeah sure." he huffs. "Like another coincidence like that will happen again."

She hums, dodging the initial question. "It is small world."

"Meixing," he protests, a small whine to his tone. "Tell me before I drag you away from your dorm!"

There's a small pause, with the two of them still fast-walking down the hallways. Even if she expects it, their differences in builds surely plays to his advantage... and pulling a body throw on him would not end in her favor, in the case that an administrator would happen to pass by.

"Okay," she relents. "I say once, so memorize well."

"You-"

With an amused glance, she opens her mouth and hastily recites her phone number, to which the brunet mumbles grumpily about her unreasonable timing, but she's surprised to hear him recite her number back at her, a smug grin tilted upon his lips.

"... You good at memorizing," she says offhandedly. He merely taps his head and shrugs nonchalantly, though he seems to be practically preening at the compliment.

"I have a good processorrrr... processing skills." He seems to stumble on his words, but Meixing doesn't think much of it, seeing as she's in no position to judge someone else's syntax.

"Is that so?" She asks. "That be useful in school." Meixing shoots him a wary look. "You attend school here now, correct?" It's the only reason why he would ask her to testify on his innocence, right?

He coughs under his breath. "... Er, not really. This is an open campus though. You could say I'm... looking around?"

She stops walking, so in turn he does too. "Shoo." Then, as if she's getting rid of a pest, she presses her hands to the small of the other's back.

"Hey! It's not illegal for a non-student to be here-!"

"No, it is not." Meixing doesn't relent on her pushing, though she's disgruntled to see that he's not budging... just like some brick wall. "But this is girls' dorm. I also do not want you to follow to my room."

"..."

"No one want you here."

"Actually, you'll find that-"

"Go away." She persists. "If you leave now, I promise to tell you more about who I met tomorrow."

Sideswipe brightens at the promise of information and nods, taking a step forward so that she can see his intention of leaving. However, both of them miscalculate the force of her pushing and Meixing yelps when the 'wall' she'd been trying to push disappears, causing her to fall forward.

Of course, both of them have pretty good instincts, with Sideswipe quickly reaching for her and Meixing quickly snagging onto the first object she could reach for stability.

Ultimately, it's his arm that she's gripping intensely, and a small silence passes between them, before Sideswipe smiles coyly.

"You must really like arms, huh?"

"Be quiet."