Disarmed
…
Optimus was the first to have his guns removed. He and Will had been sent to the Ukraine on short notice, so Ratchet and Wheeljack worked overtime dismantling the weapons from Optimus' body all while creating a transforming trailer he could haul them around in.
Now that guns were no longer mounted to the Autobots, Wheeljack went out of his way to create even more, seemingly working through the night, as every morning the arsenal grew.
It had only been a day since the colonel and the leader of the Autobots left, but much like a classroom when the teacher walked out, the atmosphere of the base completely flipped.
Friday was both very relaxed and very hectic. Between the twins and Bee, there was always some form of music blasting through the hangar. Sideswipe decided to practice doing donuts after having the last of his guns removed, saying something along the lines of getting used to the sudden weight reduction.
Ratchet was currently working on Mirage who was telling him off in Italian, while Wheeljack was sitting off with Ironhide discussing something that sounded a lot like a new gun.
The personnel who normally powerwalked through the base now sauntered, forming groups and chatting about their personal lives. It was kind of weird, actually. These people hardly made eye contact with each other, and now they gossiped like teenagers.
Aria turned back to the mop bucket. Where she stood, Bee's and the twins music mixed together into a garbled beat. Maybe it was time to change water and go to a different bay. Her eyes wandered upwards towards Ironhide who was talking to Wheeljack. She hadn't cleaned that area yet…
Nope. Too obvious.
Sideswipe was bad enough, constantly asking for details of what happened after he dropped her off. He even dared to make a comment to Ironhide the other day, something about being a pushover. In response, he—well, was pushed over. Turned out, Ironhide was one for irony.
"For someone trying to be subtle, staring across the base isn't helping your case."
Aria jumped at Sideswipes voice. His alt mode had pulled up behind her, window rolled down.
"I was not staring!" she hissed back. "I was thinking."
"Uh huh. About what?"
She dunked the mop back in the bucket and turned to leave. "That time Ironhide pushed you over."
"I was caught off guard."
Aria only hummed as she walked the mop bucket back to her cart. She snuck a glance over to Ironhide only to meet his blue eyes from over Wheeljack's shoulder. She whipped her head back around as her face heated up.
To think, he loved her…for whatever reason.
So far nothing had really changed between them. If anything, he was more distant. But it didn't seem like it was because of her, no, it had something to do with the mission Will and Optimus were on.
On top of that, there was the whole gun debacle. He'd managed to put himself last in line, after Mirage. But even then, Ratchet was almost done removing Mirage's weapons.
Maybe she should have gone into politics. If only she'd known she'd make friends with an alien race. But she was only a janitor, and with her home gone, she had nothing left to offer.
She began mopping another part of the base.
…
"Don't touch me!"
Ironhide's voice echoed through the hanger, silencing the drone of idle chatter.
Aria looked up from the floor. A plane separated her from the Autobots, though it was obvious what was happening.
"Ironhide, there is no need for this. Now give me your arm." Ratchet's patient voice was stark contrast to Ironhide's.
"And then what, hm? What will they take next? Our voices?"
"Stop this behaviour."
A part of her wanted to move, to go to him. But her body was frozen. Ironhide sounded so angry, so hurt, and there was nothing she could do.
Ironhide's voice only grew angrier. "Human's control when we can transform, when we can leave, when we can be seen by others. Now they take away our ability to defend ourselves and those we care about?"
"It is for everyone's safety—"
"We are prisoners here, Ratchet. What do we know of the outside world beyond what we're taught? We are slaves to the humans. Our lives have been sacrificed for the sake of coddling them."
Out of all the Autobots, it was Ironhide who had the most freedom, so why was he so upset about it? No one ever stopped him from leaving the base, and even then, he had his holoform. Throughout their time together, he'd experienced everything from bus rides to attending an opera. He'd had a taste of what life was like…and perhaps he wanted more. For himself and the others who hadn't experienced it yet.
Still, getting upset wasn't going to help the situation. If he refused to have his guns removed, who knew what would happen. Ironhide may not know yet, but refusing wasn't an option he had. And she didn't want to know what the punishment would be.
"…humans are our allies. We must work with them if we want to win this war." Ratchet spoke as she finally forced her legs into motion.
"We don't work with the humans, they tell us what to do and we do it. We are nothing but weapons to…"
His voice died as his eyes met hers. His angry expression flashed to guilt as he swiftly looked away.
All other eyes on the base, however, remained on her. Thankfully, the attention was drawn away from her when Ironhide sat down with a heavy thud. Ratchet placed a reassuring hand on him before nodding at Aria in silent thanks.
The drone of chatter soon followed. Many of the soldiers and personnel came up to Ironhide as Ratchet got to work on his canons. Though she couldn't hear their words, their body language spoke volumes. They were consoling him.
"So 'Hide's got a thing for the janitor, eh?"
Aria jumped at the sudden voice beside her. How long had she been staring? The man was dressed in the standard NEST military uniform minus the beret.
"No, we're just friends."
The man gave her a look but moved on. "A lot of us never really thought about how they feel here. Always assumed they were like us, just doing their job."
Aria faced him more fully.
"But he's right," he continued, "They are stuck here. At least back in Diego Garcia they had free range over a large part of the island. Moving them to downtown Washington wasn't really in their best interests."
Aria shook her head. "No, it wasn't. If I've learned anything so far, its that nothing is ever done in their best interests, the government just says whatever they have to in order to make it sound that way."
"Some of the guys are already talking about having a barbecue here, maybe getting a little entertainment. Make this place feel less like a prison for them. Lennox ain't here, so who's going to stop us."
Something lifted inside her chest. "That's a great idea."
She glanced back over to Ironhide who now spoke to a group of men. Jolt and Sideswipe had also joined in.
…
At exactly nine pm, Aria entered the indoor gun range. It was finally time to test out the new arrows Wheeljack had made. Unlocking her locker, she grabbed the bow and…very short arrows?
The shaft was not much longer than her palm, simply an arrow head and strange material that made up the fletching. Not only that, but there was a seam in the shaft indicating it was two pieces.
She swallowed, the arrow balanced in her open hand. Willing the invisible force of Energon down her arm and into it, it expanded. Not only that, but the shaft took on a blue glow as if it had sucked the Energon from her veins.
Static filled the air and her chest tingled where the spark shard was located. A second later Ironhide appeared a few feet away, his eyes immediately landing on the arrow. He closed the distance between them in only a couple of steps. His frown remained as she handed it to him.
The glow faded as he inspected it. Finally, his focus turned to her. "You've been to the doctor recently?"
"Yeah, on Wednesday. Why? What's wrong?"
"What did they say?"
"Everything was fine."
"How hard did you try to make it transform?"
"Not very. I just imagined the Energon going down my arm like you showed me."
He grunted, handing the arrow back to her. Once again, the glow returned.
"And you feel all right?"
She nodded. "Yeah." When he didn't say anything, she continued, watching his eyes scan her face. "Can you tell me why you're so concerned?"
His gaze dropped down to the arrow. "The glow is caused by excess Energon. You're using much more than needed to transform it."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"It looks like Wheeljack designed it to use the excess as reinforcement. I had him do something similar to the bow, but you weren't able to activate it."
"Maybe I can now," Aria said, passing the arrow back to Ironhide so she could focus on transforming the bow.
She focused the energy down her arm like the arrow, and immediately the rod sprung to life, taking from of the large bow. This time, grooves in the bow took on the same blue glow of the arrow, carving out intricate patterns and Cybertronian symbols.
When she looked back to Ironhide, she was met with his lopsided grin.
"What?" she asked, failing to hide a grin of her own.
Instead of answering, he took a step closer to her.
She lowered the bow to her side, allowing him to close the gap between them. He brought his hand up to her cheek, caressing it with his thumb.
"If I kiss you," he asked, "will you run?"
She raised her heels off the floor, brought her nose up to his. "No."
"Good."
His lips met hers, feeling more real than ever. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body up to his and deepening the kiss.
Holoform, Autobot, Cybertronian, alien—who cared. It was all so superfluous. He was Ironhide, and she loved him.
She broke the kiss, catching her breath, something Ironhide didn't have to do. He simply held her as she rested her head against his chest. It was like their dance back before everything happened.
"I'm sorry for walking into your shower. I should have had more tact."
She leaned away so she could look up at him. "So you did do it on purpose."
"I was unsure. And curious."
"About showering, or about my natural form?"
"I'll let you decide." He released her from his warm hold. "Now let's see that bow in action."
Oh yes, the bow.
She took position at the end of one of the isles. Bringing the bow up to the perfect position, she notched the arrow, resting her finger against her cheek. Hopefully, it wouldn't explode this time.
She loosed the arrow. Before her eyes even found it as it flew, a large crack filled the air. How was it so fast?
Ironhide hummed in approval as she looked between the bow in her hand and the arrow imbedded in the rubber wall behind the target.
He followed her down the isle where she attempted to pull it out.
"I thought it was supposed to get stuck in the rubber not go all the way through!" she exclaimed with another tug.
"I would have been disappointed with anything less." Ironhide grabbed the arrow, and with one swift tug, removed it. Powder residue from the concrete wall covered the tip.
Aria gaped at it. "How did it not break?"
"You expect anything less from a Cybertronian weapon?"
"No. I guess not." She grinned up at him.
They exited the isle, Ironhide standing off to the side as she got back into firing position. She glanced at him as he rubbed his forearm, then back at her target.
Wait.
She lowered the bow. "I never asked how you're feeling."
He followed her eyes down to his arm and abruptly stopped rubbing it. "It feels…strange." Instead of looking at her, he looked absently off to the side. "I apologize for what I said earlier. I forget that you are a human too."
"How can you forget I'm human. I mean, look at me."
His eyes finally met hers. "To me, you're an entirely different being."
Her chest warmed as butterflies took flight in her stomach. But, it wasn't true.
"There are lots of people like me. Anyone who isn't apart of the government is as along for the ride as much as you are. Many people—humans—would want you to have the freedom you deserve." The fuzzy feeling fell flat. "But a part of me thinks that's why the government wants to keep you secret. If no one knows, they have more control."
"We will never be accepted by anyone until the Decepticons are dealt with."
"You might be surprised. Yes, some people will want you gone, but there's lots of people like me who would understand."
"You only understand because you know us, which is something not many have bothered to do." He paused before continuing in a gentler tone, "All I did when I met you was mock and ridicule everything you did or said, and all you did in response was show me kindness."
Aria reached out and took his hand. "That's because I could see straight through you. Anger and resentment usually comes from sadness and hurt, so I did the only thing I could. And when you accepted my offer, I was so happy, even if Wheelie never stopped bugging me about it."
"What did he say?"
"He's been onto us before we even knew. He used to catch me looking at the balcony all the time."
"The balcony?"
"At the railing."
Realization flashed across his features. He went to apologize, but she spoke first.
"I was never mad about it." The image of that night filled her mind. The soft glow of his eyes. How he held his hand out to her. "Maybe I've like liked you for a lot longer than I thought."
"So you saw through my feelings, and I saw through yours." He said with a smirk.
She became hyperaware of his thumb caressing the back of her hand. "Before Starscream came, was that real? Were you going to kiss me?"
His lips fell into a more serious expression. "I was."
Aria dropped her gaze. "I wasn't sure if it really happened. Everything before that moment feels so vague, like a dream."
"We were reading Shakespeare."
"Romeo and Juliet?"
He nodded. "One of my many attempts to show you how you felt."
"How were you so sure I was in love with you?"
"By the way you look at me," he said, as if it was obvious. "The first time you did, it changed my whole perception of this planet."
"And when was that?"
"In the snow. You were reciting a poem."
That's right. She'd been sitting on her back steps while he looked at the snow. He was so peaceful, watching the snowflakes fall. Was that the day she fell in love with him? Could it have been before? When had the excitement of getting to know an alien turned into the excitement of falling in love?
"I was confused myself, at first. Trying to figure out why I felt such a way towards a human. But then I realized it didn't matter because it made no difference. After that, all I could do was help you reach the same conclusion."
"I guess you're not the only headstrong one here—oh!"
Ironhide turned his head to follow her line of sight up to the digital clock on the wall. It was two minutes to ten.
"You have to go before the camera's turn back on!"
He released her hand, leaving it cold. "I'll meet you at your place when you get home?"
For some reason his question made her entire body tingle with nerves. "Sure…uh, you can come straight inside by the front door."
He grinned while she contemplated what to do. Should she give him a hug goodbye? A kiss? How did they usually say goodbye? Oh no.
Ironhide seemed to read her thoughts, only smiling wider before leaning down to place his lips on hers. The feeling faded to a tingle, and when she opened her eyes, he was gone.
The clock read nine fifty-nine.
She threw her bow and arrows back into her locker and slammed it shut with unnecessary force.
Back outside, she put on her gear and rode home by streetlight. Once she parked in front of the condo, she grabbed her keys only for the door to open when she made it to the top step.
She chuckled at the gesture. "Moving in already?"
"It's as good a place as any." He took her helmet, placing it on the table beside the door before helping her with her jacket.
Not really knowing what else to do, she scavenged for food in the fridge while Ironhide took his usual spot at the table. When everything in the fridge was deemed too much hassle to make, Aria grabbed a granola bar from the pantry. She sat down beside him and took a bite.
"How is your leg?" he asked.
"It's fine now. Just tweaked it the other day."
"And you're done physiotherapy for it?"
"Yeah." She took another bite.
"Then why are you still training so much?"
She swallowed. "Because I want to be stronger."
"You don't need to be stronger. I will protect—"
She cut him off. "You made me that bow because you said you may not be there to protect me, so which is it?"
"I made the bow for you to defend yourself until I can be there for you. You don't have to exhaust yourself every night trying to become stronger."
"You don't want me to be strong, is that it?"
"I do, but—"
"But what, you don't think I'm capable of being strong like Sam or Will?" She glared at him.
He raised his voice. "You're not a warrior, Aria, nor should you try to be one."
Aria gaped as her mind processed what he just said. "What did you just say to me?"
"Aria, I—"
"This is coming from the Autobot who prizes nothing more than strength? I thought you'd be at least happy for me."
"It's not that, Aria."
"Than what? Why is it that I can't be a warrior?"
"Because I don't want you getting hurt!"
She stood, causing the chair to scrape across the floor. She put her foot up on the chair and pulled up her pant leg, exposing the deep scar that ran down her shin.
"I've already been hurt." She then pointed to all the thin white scars scattered across her arms and legs from both Egypt and Starscream. "Here and here—oh, and here." She pulled up her sleeve revealing the other large scar on the back of her forearm. "I don't think I had a single scar before the day I met you. Now I can't even wear dresses!"
She took her foot off the chair. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight." And with that she marched upstairs.
Ironhide's footsteps echoed after hers as he called out to her. "Aria, please!" He said, catching her bedroom door before she could close it on him. "Listen to me."
She pressed back on the door. "I'm changing!"
He withdrew his hand and she slammed the door shut. She threw off her clothes, scattering them across the floor.
"Aria, it's not that I don't think you're capable." Ironhide's voice was muffled by the door. "You're strong already. Stronger than most. Nothing can hold you down."
Her shoulders slacked.
"But being strong isn't always enough. I know I've put you in danger, and I will do everything in my power to keep you out of it for now on. But, all that means nothing if you put yourself in danger because you think it's necessary."
Aria slipped on her nightgown. Sighing, she opened the door. "Protecting you means everything to me."
She took his hand and led him to the bed. She got on one side and patted the other for him. Still fully clothed, he laid down beside her.
"When you and Starscream fought, I was sure I was going to watch you die. You say you'll do everything in your power to keep me safe, so why can't I do the same for you?" She curled up next to him, burrowing her forehead into his chest.
"You know why." He wrapped an arm around her.
"Then you do too."
…
Sorry about editing, trying to get this posted before work! Love you guys, thanks for reading!