First all new chapter in a long time! Enjoy!
Violets and Roses
…
There it was, in all its glory, half the size of the other. Pale flesh bordered angry scar tissue; one long straight one from the incision, and a much wider jagged one where the bone had once poked through. The long scar on her arm was nothing in comparison.
The cast finally came off a couple of weeks ago and physio began, yet here she was in front of the mirror again.
Just staring.
At least the crutches were finally gone, but she wasn't out of the clear yet. It was a time of balance, regaining strength in the atrophied muscle, while not pushing too far.
Her closet was slightly more full than before, added to with each little shopping trip over the last couple of months. Sweatpants and t-shirts, sweaters, a pair of trousers with the tag still attached. But no dresses. It was probably a trousers day anyway.
She changed, using the bed frame for support. Her door was closed out of habit. It had been months since she had a small Cybertonian roommate across the hall, yet she still woke up in the mornings expecting to hear his voice.
Ironhide only came around once or twice a week. He claimed he was being monitored more at the base, so he had to be more attentive. But it was more than that. When he first came to visit her, he looked fine, but now when he did, his holoform looked fuzzy and he preferred to stay still. Almost like he was going on more missions without telling her.
Sure, it wasn't her business, but still…
No. No it wasn't her business. He wasn't obligated to tell her anything. They were friends with their own lives.
She just finished breakfast when there was a knock at the door. The taps were light, so it definitely wasn't Ironhide, which meant Will had arrived early.
Maybe he came with Ironhide!
She made her way to the door, walking as fast as her weak leg would allow.
"Morning, Aria," Will greeted
She glanced over his shoulder to the parking lot. "Good morning."
He seemed to notice. "Unfortunately, we're taking a regular vehicle today. The Autobots are having their weekly cultural studies class or whatever you want to call it."
"Are they learning about anything exciting today?" She slid on her shoes and followed him out to the jeep looking vehicle.
He opened the door for her. "Hygiene practices or something?"
"Oh no. They're never going to look at us the same."
He got into the driver seat and pulled out of the parking lot. "Just pray Ratchet doesn't ask you any personal questions. He likes to 'gather additional data' from the guys after. Asked me about my sex life once, after learning about our reproductive processes."
"Is it really necessary to teach them that?"
He shook his head. "No, but they kept asking about how humans breed until Amber decided to have a biologist come in and explain it in vast detail."
"Amber is the cultural liaison?"
"Yeah, Amber Lee. You and her would probably get along."
…
After a quick tour and informal job orientation, Aria and Will stood outside a door that looked into a massive room. The dark room was illuminated by a projector screen that currently displayed cringy stock images of a woman in a bubble bath smiling unnaturally at a blank wall.
On a small stage, stood Amber. She had short curly sandy colored hair with neatly trimmed bangs. She wore a brown blazer and matching pencil skirt with a pair of modest heels. Quite cute, actually.
Would she be able to wear heels again?
The slideshow came to an end and Amber flipped on the lights. Both Aria and Will backed up from the small door as the entire wall lifted out of the way. Autobots filtered out chatting to one another, much like high school kids exiting class.
First Optimus, then Ratchet, the twins, Jolt, Bumblebee, then two she hadn't seen before, one red and one blue.
When Ironhide didn't emerge, she peeked back in to witness him practically shoving Sideswipe out of the room. The latter intently talking to Amber, who politely smiled back.
"I'm sorry, I can't today, Sideswipe," she said.
"Come on, you said we could go for a ride sometime. I'll take you wherever you need to go."
Ironhide gave him another nudge out of the room. "Sideswipe, stop harassing the woman."
There was something about seeing him, the real him. Something about hearing his voice. She was smiling like an idiot and Will was right there to see it.
Sideswipe bickered back before trying again with Amber. "Is it my alt mode? You like Lotus? McLaren? BMW?"
Ironhide finally pushed Sideswipe out of the room as he listed off manufactures. Amber only shook her head, giving him a wave before exiting through a different door on the far wall.
"Why doesn't she like me?" Sideswipe asked as they walked past without so much as noticing her or Will. "She told me silver is her favorite color, what else does she want?"
"Believe it or not, human females care about more than just color."
"Oh yeah? And how am I supposed to know that?"
"Have you tried asking her what she likes to do?"
They rounded the corner back to the main hangar and out of sight.
"Sideswipes got a bit of a thing for Amber if you couldn't tell. Poor girl is being constantly harassed. We tried talking to him about it, but HR doesn't mean much to Autobots."
"Yeah, that's…interesting."
So Sideswipe was attracted to a human and completely open about it?
"Well I'll be damned." A voice drew her attention towards the ground. "If it isn't Aria."
"Wheelie!" She crouched down to his height, putting her hands on the bits of metal that made up his arms.
Beside him was another tiny Autobot, bulkier in stature, with almost goggle-like optics.
"Yeah, I know you missed me." Wheelie patted her arm. "This is my friend Brains, by the way. Brains, Aria."
Brains gave a solute. "Yo!"
Aria put out a hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure's all mine." He said, returning it.
"Other bots didn't even notice you, huh?" Wheelie said as their group began back down the large hall where the others had gone.
"Well I mean, we are kind of tiny."
"How do you think we feel? Always the little guys." Brain's gave Wheelie a hefty slap on the back.
"Yeah, but we got each other now. No more getting stepped on, you and me," Wheelie replied.
"Oh, Will!" Aria abruptly turned to him. "Does Wheelie get to live with me again? Brains can come too."
Will frowned. "Unfortunately, they're going with Sam and Carly to their new place."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, Sam's in the process of moving here. Probably be best to have him with some protection since he's further from the base than you."
She only made a noise as they turned into the main hangar where the Autobots were gathered, mingling with each other and human staff.
"Hey, guys!" Will hollered out. "You got a visitor."
Every head in the room turned to her. Then a course of greetings that garbled together in illegible noise.
Her eyes swept over the familiar metallic faces, finally stopping when she found Ironhide's. He gave a small nod.
"Aria, so good to see you." Ratchet was the first to speak out from the crowd. "Tell me, do you feel pressure from human society to groom the various natural hairs of your body?"
"Like, as in shaving? Then yes."
Ratchet leaned in closer, now clearly intrigued. "You do appear to be in good repair despite recent circumstances."
"Ratchet, give the girl some space." Optimus approached, towering over the green Autobot. "Aria, my condolences for the loss of your home."
She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.
More Autobots gathered around uttering their sympathies.
As sweet as it was, if they kept it up, she would ruin her mascara. She lifted her eyes to the unfamiliar red Autobot. "So you guys got some new recruits?"
"Aria, this is Mirage," Optimus gestured to the red one, "and this is Wheeljack."
"Ciao," greeted Mirage.
Wheeljack was much more enthusiastic. "So this is the famous Aria. So nice to finally meet you."
Wheeljack had heard of her? Did Ironhide say something?
"Nice to meet you guys too."
The Autobots began to talk over each other, breaking out in various conversations.
"Aye, Squishy, 'bout time you came back."
"Yeah, long time no see!"
The twins stood so close together, sparks flew from between their arms.
"We never thought old 'Hide would shut up about you."
Skidz slapped Mudflap on the back. "Aria this, Aria that. Only one worse is Swipe talkin' 'bout Amber."
"Who's talking about Amber?" Sideswipe's voice rose above the rest. "Did she come back?" He pushed through the twins, looking around Aria for any sign of the woman.
"No, unfortunately not," Aria said while shaking her head.
His optics landed on her face, widening as if he had an epiphany. "Aria, you're a human female. Tell me, what can I do to win her affections?"
"Uh…"
More glowing blue eyes landed on her, just as curious as Sideswipe's. From behind Optimus, even Ironhide now looked intrigued by what she would say.
She only echoed what Ironhide had said to him earlier. "…Find out what she likes?"
"I have. She likes hiking and small creatures such as rabbits. Her favorite color is silver and her preferred method of hygiene is bathing with epsom salts." His shoulders sagged. "Nothing I can do anything with."
Okay, those were weirdly specific observations. Would Ironhide say things like that about her if asked what she likes? Her gaze met his for only a second before she returned her attention to Sideswipe.
"Maybe you could offer her a ride out to a hiking trail?"
"I have, but she claims they are down gravel roads, not suited to my alt form. She's refused every offer I've made her anyway."
"Have you tried human acts of romance?" Ratchet asked from beside Ironhide. "Gifts or perhaps words of endearment?"
Oh no. Ratchet would have him confessing to a woman who didn't sound interested. "It might be too soon for words—"
"Have you tried poetry?"
All eyes turned towards Ironhide who shrugged. "I've heard they can express fond emotions in indirect ways."
Aria resisted the urge to back out of the room.
"Ironhide, where have you heard such things?" Optimus asked. "I do not recall Amber lecturing us on such topics."
Ironhide looked her dead in the eye. "That's because Aria did."
No one seemed phased by Ironhide's blatant words. Instead of asking him for details, they instead focused back on her.
Sideswipe came closer and kneeled. "Aria, will you teach me?"
"I am also curious," added Ratchet. The others nodded along.
"What exactly is this poetry?" Jolt asked.
As she explained, she couldn't help but drift back to that day in the snow when she first recited a poem to Ironhide. How at peace he looked. How soft his eyes were.
Ratchet nodded. "So you use things such as metaphors and similes to tell a story? Interesting."
"I don't know how to use those!" Sideswipes face twisted into a frown.
"You can use rhymes. They're a lot easier to start with." Aria hummed. What was an easy thing to rhyme? Oh! "A common one we use to start is 'Roses are red, violets are blue'. Then you say two lines following that, and the last one has to rhyme with blue. Like 'you' or 'too'."
Sideswipe rubbed the back of his head while the others made similar gestures of thought.
"Perhaps you could give us an example?" Wheeljack piped up.
Hm. "Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
The grass is green
And cows say moo."
That earned a few blinks.
"Allow me." Ratchet took a step forward into the vague circle they had formed.
"Roses are red
Violets are blue
We are from the planet Cybertron
Our sparks are blue."
She opened her mouth to correct him, but stopped. She clapped instead. The Autobots nodded and cheered, clearly impressed.
Skids and Mudflap barged forward.
"Roses are red," Skidz started.
"Violets be blue," Mudflap took over.
Skidz shoved him over. "We gon' kill dem Decepticons
They looked at each other. "Megatron who?"
They fist bumped.
Optimus made a noise akin to clearing his throat. "Roses are red
Violets are blue
Freedom is a right
For me and you as well— No, no. That's not it." He muttered with a wave of his hand.
"All right, let me try." Sideswipe stood straighter.
"Roses are red
Violets are blue
I like your chassis
We should go for a ride too." He looked around for approval.
"You're going to have to do better than that."
Everyone looked at Ironhide.
"Oh yeah, let's hear yours then." Sideswipe said, poking Ironhide in the chest.
Ironhide brushed him off, then gave a swift glance around before his eyes settled on her.
"Roses are red
Violets are blue
The sky shines brightly above us
But only half as bright as you."
Her heart fluttered as she broke eye contact. She brought her hand up to her face in an attempt to hide her heating cheeks. Luckily, Sideswipe diverted everyone's attention.
"Ironhide, you have to let me use that!"
"That's plagiarizing." Ironhide put his hands on his hips. "Come up with your own."
"Why? Not like you have anyone to impress."
Ratchet brought a hand to his chin. "I believe the poem was intended for Aria."
Both her and Ironhide faltered. Spewing out words of denial.
The conversation eventually moved on with little consequence. It was so nice to finally catch up with the Autobots. Overall, they were in good health and in good humor. They talked about her new place and some of the places they've been—well until Will warned them about sharing classified mission details.
After what felt like hours of catching up, some of the Autobots wandered off to rest, usually in groups of two or three.
Before long, it was just her, Ratchet and Ironhide who remained in the main hangar. Even the employees went home for the night.
"Aria, would you mind coming with us to the other room?" Ratchet asked once Bumblebee and Sideswipe disappeared from view.
"Sure."
She followed them back towards their lecture room, keeping clear of their footfalls. Maybe they didn't want to hang out in the open anymore. Then again, Ironhide was less talkative than he normally was, especially after reciting his poem. Who knew he had it in him. She wiped the smile from her face. Not now, Aria.
The overhead lights automatically flickered on as the Autobots entered. They reached the center of the room and turned to face her. Ratchet looked pointedly at Ironhide.
"Aria, I—" Ironhide pinched his nose, more agitated than anything.
She took a step closer to him. "Yes?"
He let out a stream of air, then went down on a knee in front of her. "I have a gift for you."
He had a gift? For her?
One of the pieces of metal that made up his chest shifted as he reached in and grabbed something. It was small in his fingers, resembling a baton. He placed it in her outstretched hand.
It was dark metal, about a foot in length, lightweight and smooth. A few small Cybertronian symbols were etched onto it.
"What is it?"
"It's a weapon."
She held onto one end of it, as if it were a bat. "To beat up my enemies?" She giggled at the thought.
The glow of Ironhide's optics seemed to soften. "It's a bow."
Bringing the piece of metal to her face, she examined it closer. "It transforms into one?"
He hummed and nodded.
"How do I do that?"
Ratchet answered, "It requires an Energon source to function."
"Oh." Aria looked back down at the Cybertronian weapon. Then how was she supposed to use it?
Movement caught her eye. When she looked back, Ironhide's open palm was in front of her. In it was a glowing blue crystal shard. Her eyes traveled from it to his face.
"It's yours, if you accept it."
She picked up the tiny shard from his palm. It was only a couple of inches, but it glowed brightly against her skin.
Ratchet kneeled down beside Ironhide. "We have done all the testing we could with the human scientists. We believe it is harmless to your health."
"Is this Energon?"
"Yes, the purest form. Once inside your body, we believe it will circulate Energon within your lymphatic system and possibly your bloodstream."
"Wait—It has to be inside me?"
Both Autobots nodded.
"Preferably under your breast tissue, on top of your ribcage near the lymph nodes to ensure efficient circulation."
"You don't have to, Aria." Ironhide interjected. "But it ensures the bow will only work for you."
"I'll do it."
Ironhide blinked. "You will?"
She nodded, grasping the Energon shard in her hand.
"In that case, there's only one condition."
Aria smirked at him. "I can only use it in self defense?"
He poked her in the chest. "That's right, punk."
Ratchet made a disgruntled noise. "And I thought Sideswipe was bad."
…
I feel like it's been forever! My one class is just memorizing plants (like 14 per week) scientific and common names plus sight IDing them. Basically, it took over my life. This is my week off so I can write! (until next tuesday when i have to memorize more yayyyy).