I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS! Thanks to MakeACircuitWithMe for helping me with the interfacing mechanics! For those of you who are worried holoform interfacing will still be used in this fic as well!

(Clare's POV)

I woke up sometime just after sunrise to the sound of voices talking in quiet tones nearby. For a moment I lay there, somewhat out of it due to the after sleep haze, until it lifted leaving me somewhat groggy. I sat up with a yawn and stretched causing the voices to cease their quiet chatter. When I looked in the direction the voices had come from I saw Sideswipe, Jazz, Optimus, and Ratchet awake and staring at me. "What?"

"Good morning cycle Clare." Sideswipe waved at me.

"Morning Sideswipe." I yawned again and slowly ambled off the cot to make my way over to them. Jazz grabbed me up once I was close enough so that he could deposit me on his lap. I didn't really mind it. "Where's Bee at?" I asked when I noticed he was not present anywhere in the warehouse.

"He was sent out on an early morning patrol Clare." Optimus answered me. "He should return soon in order to take Sam and Mikeala home."

Depression ate away at me knowing that for a few days I was going to be alone with these bots who I didn't know that well. But what's the worst that could happen? I could use this opportunity to get to know them seeing as they were going to be a permanent part of my life from now on. "When do they have to leave?"

"In a few groons."

"Groons?" I echoed curiously. It was obviously a measurement of time, but I had no idea whether it meant an hour or two hours or what.

"A groon is an earth hour." Optimus informed me helpfully. "I forget that you do not know our measurements of time or the like." He smiled softly at me. Optimus was kind of like a loving father figure, or at least that's what I pictured him as when I looked at him. Maybe even a loving Uncle. Something like that.

"Oh. So your time measurements are a lot different huh?" I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my chin on the tops comfortably. "What do you call a day?"

"A solar cycle." This time it was Sideswipe that answered me. "That is a day, and a week is called a quartex. Then there is a stellar cycle which is an earth year, a deca cycle is an earth month, a klik is 1.2 earth minutes..."

I giggled at Sideswipe and patted his knee playfully. "Going to teach me all of that right this second?"

He grinned at me. "Might as well start now right?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

I ended up being snatched from Jazz by Sideswipe so that he could sit me on his lap, which I will tell you made me feel tiny because I only came up to his lower stomach at most. Yeah I was a midgetbot... uhhh I mean minibot. I wonder how tall I was compared to him when we were both standing? Yeah I was small, but that's how I was born right? Anyways, he was rather comfortable to sit on.

For the next ten to fifteen minutes they took turns explaining other time measurements like an astrosecond was half an earth second, a joor was six earth hours, and a vorn was eighty three years in earth time. Interesting stuff I tell you! But, compared to most people, I did like learning and memorizing new things whenever I had a chance. Thinking about it now, it was probably a part of being a living robotic organism.

Falling into a sense of ease and comfort with them was almost something that I couldn't help. I didn't even try to fight the feeling of being... I don't know... normal. Whenever I was with regular people I always felt a little out of place. I was unconcerned about it for the most part, due to the fact that I attributed it to my overzealous personality, but I now know that it was because I wasn't human. In time, I was sure that I would learn to be completely comfortable with what I was and what it meant for me.

Back to the present, after they finished educating me on time measurements I grew bored rather quickly. This led to me sliding down from Sideswipe's lap so that I could go and torment Sunstreaker who was still asleep. I did owe him for being an asswad since we had met...

"Clare I would not do that." Ratchet warned me when I reached down and grabbed a stick, don't ask me where it came from because I have no idea, and tied a loose scrap of cloth to the end. My plan was to tickle Sunstreaker's face or nose, if he had one, with it.

"What's the worst thing that could happen?" I grinned evilly and climbed up on top of his head, laying myself over the side of it since he was on his right side. Once I was safely seated there I reached down with my stick and fluttered the cloth over his nose area.

A gruff snort escaped Sunstreaker due to my efforts as he swatted at the stick in his sleep. I dragged it out of the way quickly and waited for him to settle again, before I repeated my earlier actions and tickled him with it again.

Sideswipe shook his head at me. "He's going to be so slagged off when he wakes up." He laughed at me.

"He'll get over it." I pursed my lips and attacked Sunstreaker with the stick again, my world suddenly spinning when said bot suddenly flipped over onto his stomach causing me to land on the ground with a soft 'smack'! I pulled myself up and fake glared at Sideswipe who was laughing at me quietly.

"What are you doing Clare?" A tired female voice asked me.

Everyone glanced over to where Mikeala was sitting up in her cot, looking at me tiredly. Instead of answering her I turned and scrambled up around Sunstreaker's head so that I could assault his audio receptors with my stick. He snorted again and batted at me in his sleep. I danced out of the way of his hand and resumed tickling him as soon as he settled again. "Asswadmcfucktard wakey wakey!" I sang out straight into his audios.

"Femme cut it out." Sunstreaker growled at me. He lifted his head off of the floor and glared at me halfheartedly before sitting up completely.

"GOOD MORNING ASSWAD!" I waved my stick at him in greeting.

He narrowed his gaze at me. "Asswad?"

"Yeah asswad! You call me degrading names so I figured I'd give you one! Don't you LOVE IT?!"

He was obviously not as impressed as everyone else was. "No Clare I don't love it."

My jaw dropped for real I swear! I pointed at him with a shaking hand. "YOU CALLED ME BY MY NAME!" Before he could respond I turned and ran over to hide behind Mikeala. "Something's wrong with him Mikeala! He called me Clare!" I peeked out from behind her shoulder at him and waved my stick threateningly. "If he comes over here I'm gonna beat him with Stickbob the cloth covered stick."

Mikeala smacked me on the head. "You know he meant well Clare." She got up and looked towards Sam's still sleeping form while I cowered behind her with Stickbob. "Is he planning on waking up sometime today?"

"Uhhh, he's a teenage boy and that usually equates to being a lazy ass." I told her seriously whilst still holding Sunstreaker's exasperated gaze. "Want me to scare him awake or annoy him awake?" I said when I finally tore my gaze away from Sunstreaker and settled it on Sam's blanket covered form.

"Either or as long as he gets his ass up."

An evil grin spread across my lips as I crept up onto Sam's cot with Stickbob in hand. I carefully pulled the blankets down off of his face and firmly poked his cheek with Stickbob. Just like with Sunstreaker he snorted and swatted at me to get me to stop. I merely let out a muted giggle before backing off slightly and tickling his ear with the cloth covered end.

"Stop it Clare." He grumbled tiredly.

He wasn't really awake though so obviously I wasn't going to stop until he woke his ass up. Really, he knows me well enough to understand that I could annoy the pope until he was cursing me to the seventh pit of hell. Of course I had to remind him of that, I can't let him think that I had given up. I spun the stick around and slid it into his ear and jerked it.

"CLARE FUCKING STOP!" Sam screamed at me. Ooooh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the cot this morning!

"SAM FUCKING STOP!" I copied him as I brought my finger to my mouth and shoved it in; lathering it up with spit. Mikeala laughed at me when I brought it out and jammed it straight into Sam's ear.

As I expected, my cousin leapt up and shrieked. "CLARE THAT IS SO FUCKING DISGUSTING!" He wildly swung at me, knocking me off the cot onto the cold warehouse floor. I was laughing too hard to do much about it, or even care that he hit me!

I wildly kicked my feet and rolled around the floor laughing my ass off while Sam glared at me tiredly. He picked his pillow up and threw it at my face; cutting my laughter off. Oh hell no! With a threatening growl I jumped up, grabbing the side of the cot and flipped it with his ass still on it.

"CLARE!" He shrieked as the cot came over on top of him. "You just wait until I get you back for this Clare!"

"Pfft! What are you gonna do Sam? Soon you'll be too busy making out with Mikeala to care about getting back at me."

Mikeala blushed. "Clare!"

"What? It's true!" I defended myself. "You can't tell me that you're not into Sam's nerdy self!"

She looked away in embarrassment. "Well he's not really the type that I normally go for but... he's grown on me."

I jumped in surprise as Sam sprung up from underneath the heap of blankets he was under like a fucking jack in the box. "Jesus Sam, scare the pancakes out of me!" I glared at him.

He didn't even shift the puppy dog look he was giving Mikeala; refusing to give me any attention whatsoever. "Really?"

"Really. Clare is right; you're nerdy and a total geek, but hey, I guess I kind of like geeks now."

Ewwww! While they were getting distracted in each other's eyes, I stealthily made my way over to where the Autobots were sitting. I wanted to give the two lovebirds some space. "If you feel the need to make out, please leave so that I'm not scarred by it, okay?" I called out once I reached Jazz's side.

Sam finally turned to glare at me. "Shut up Clare."

"I'm just saying that I don't wanna see it!" I stuck my tongue out at him just as the warehouse doors opened and Bumblebee drove in. He shifted to his real form and made his way over to hold a hand out for me as the doors slid shut behind him. I scrambled up onto his hand immediately which elicited a happy chirp from him.

He plopped down onto his butt and started chirping excitedly, little antenna like things popping up from the top of his head. I stared at them with wide eyes before awwing. "Those are so cute!" His eyes lit up and in a flash he had me pressed against his chest in an oversized hug.

Static played from his speakers for a moment before a string of words came out to form a sentence. "I'll...keep an eye...on the boy...for...you. Just be safe...and come back...soon."

"Good luck with keeping an eye on Sam while he keeps an eye on Mikeala's ass." My comment had Sam and Mikeala whipping their heads in my direction the former scowling at me, while the latter was looking embarrassed again. "What? It's true and you know it!"

"Maybe... but do you have to be so blunt Clare?" Mikeala sighed at me.

"That's just how she is Mikeala, blunt and brutal in the nicest way possible." Sam glowered at me and said so lowly that I almost couldn't hear it. "Even if she embarrasses me on a daily basis like a brat."

"I could get worse Sam!" I threatened seriously. "I do know where your baby booties are! Maybe Mikeala would like to see them!" I suggested evilly.

His eyes widened in horror. "NO ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

Bee sat me back down on the floor carefully so that Sam could see my threatening expression clearly. "Then stop being such a whiner Sam." He gave me a thumb up gesture to show that he understood. Good boy. My attention was suddenly drawn back to Bee when he left my side to walk over to Sam and Mikeala. Reaching them, he shifted down into his Camaro form before opening his doors. Was it time for them to leave already?

Sam suddenly looked sullen when he realized that it was in fact time for him to go back home... without me. We had never been separated before for more than a few hours at school, or maybe for the night when Sam went to stay at Mile's house. Even though this wasn't a permanent arrangement it still bothered both of us. He got up and approached me to give me a hug goodbye. "Don't do anything too stupid while you're here, okay?"

"Hey!" I smacked the back of his head firmly. "I've never once done something stupid! Just ask me!"

He laughed quietly. "Yeah sure." After another moment he released me so that Mikeala could hug me as well.

"When you get back we have to hang out! Promise?"

"Yup! We'll figure out a time and place to lose Sam and do some girl things... then again Sam might enjoy some good old fashioned girl time." I teased.

"Screw you Clare." He muttered. Mikeala released me and together the two of them walked over to Bee so that he could take them home. Both got inside the Camaro before falling out of sight as Bee closed the doors. Said bot beeped at me before he pulled out of the warehouse.

I instantly deflated once I could no longer see them, even going so far as to plop down onto the floor, dejectedly staring at the now closed warehouse doors. The feeling of eyes boring into the back of my head was palpable, but I still sat there unmoving for a good fifteen minutes or so.

That is until the sound of one of the bots walking over registered. Silver appeared in the corner of my vision as Jazz sat down beside me quietly. "Wha's wrong sweetspark?"

I felt silly when he asked me that. I was almost a grown woman, but the fact that Sam and I would be separated for so long was still bothering me. I didn't answer him for a moment for fear that he wouldn't understand, or that he would tease me for it. It was Jazz though... he seemed to understand the feelings of others better than most so... "It's just... Sam and I have never been apart for so long before... and so far away."

"Ahhh well ah can understand why dat woul' bo'her ya. But yo'll see 'im again soon Clare. As soon as ya are feelin' betta ya get ta go 'ome, an' den ya get ta see 'im again. Right?" He patted my head comfortingly. "Speakin' of which... ah t'ink dat Ratch needs ta 'ave a look at yo'r wounds again."

With a sigh I turned and scrambled into Jazz's hands so that he could hand me off to Ratchet. I'll tell you right now that being passed around like a toy was an odd experience.

I looked over towards where Ratchet was taking me and I felt my eyes widen slightly. It surprised me that sometime before I had woken up the bots had crafted a medical table of sorts that was more at Ratchet's level. Thus, I was sat on the lone blanket on top of giant structure. It wasn't the most comfortable thing either.

"Remove your covering so that I may take a look at your wound Clare."

My body locked up as what he was saying registered to me. Strip my shirt and bandages off in front of a bunch of male robots? Well, all except for Ironhide who was still miraculously sleeping. "In front of everyone?" I squeaked.

Ratchet seemed to get frustrated for a moment before his eyes flashed with understanding. Yeah buddy I was a virgin who had never been seen naked by a male... excluding you, as far as I was aware. "Could I have all of you turn around to give us some privacy please?"

Thankfully they all did turn their backs to us, not that it made me much more comfortable because Ratchet was a guy... Still I followed his instructions, not wanting to anger him. I lifted my shirt off and then I raised my arms so that he could undo my bandages. Cold air hit my exposed chest which I quickly covered with both arms due to my embarrassment.

Ratchet, sensing my discomfort, handed me a small sheet to cover my breasts with, leaving only the torn part of my chest exposed. He reached for me and the tops of his fingers opened so that small tools, like a pair of tweezer things along with some other medical apparatuses that were unfamiliar to me, popped out.

He took the tweezers and gently prodded at the healing skin and metal plates. I looked down at the wound curiously. The metal alloys were growing back, much to my surprise, with the flesh and skin both reforming over it. It looked kind of cool. "Are you sure I'm not a terminator?"

"Yes femme. You are a minibot, not a terminator... whatever that is." Ratchet responded as he prodded at me a little too roughly making me squeak in pain. He immediately withdrew as the warning revs of at least two engines sounded from the group of bots sitting a ways away on the floor. "My apologies femme, it must still be quite tender. I should administer a pain suppressant for you to ease your discomfort."

My eyes slammed shut when he retrieved a needle from somewhere, my body quivering slightly. I did not do well with needles at all and I had to force myself not to move as he poked me in the arm with it. Relief came flooding into me immediately, soothing the throbbing sensation centered in my chest. I released a heavy breath through my nose, and opened my eyes upon feeling a gentle caress on my exposed arm. It sent a pleasant electric tingling through me.

The normally gruff irritable medic ran his index finger down one of the markings on my arm curiously. I was sure that he had seen them before because I had been running around in a t-shirt for the last twelve hours or so. I didn't know why he was acting like this. "Ratchet?"

He snapped out of it and quickly moved to carefully bandage my chest again. "I was just wondering about these markings."

As soon as he was finished I sat up and put my shirt back on. "What about them?"

"I was pondering how they got there." He vented heavily and scooped me up off of the berth

He was none too gentle either making me squirm in discomfort. "You know Ratchet, it would be considered polite to at least warn me before picking me up. Better yet it would make me happy if you asked before doing it."

He snorted at me as he handed me off to Jazz. "She's healing nicely. I estimate that she will be ready to return home in two to three solar cycles."

Of course he ignored what I said completely! What an asswad! I curled into Jazz, my stomach or tank throbbing painfully from hunger again. It let out a soft growling sound, drawing everyone's attention towards me. I frowned when both Sideswipe and Jazz laughed softly at me. "What's so funny?"

"Your tank makes the most adorable sound when you're low on energon... er hungry." Sideswipe corrected what he must have assumed was a slip-up or something, but I understood him either way. "I'd think that you were just a sparkling if Ratchet hadn't told me otherwise, or if your frame wasn't so developed."

My hear- spark hammered painfully in my chest for some reason when he said that. The thought of being stared at like that by one of them made me strangely warm, something that I was not used to. Sure the boys at school asked me out a lot, and I knew that they stared at me and stuff, but it had never made me feel anything except for irritation. I stammered unintelligently for a moment. "Were you checking me out?"

"All of the unbonded mechs were." He told me as if it were obvious. "AKA me, Sunny, and Bee. You can call me Sides by the way if you want."

My jaw dropped and I spluttered again. "Liar! I'm so much smaller than you so what's the point?"

A boyish grin immediately broke out across his face. "I forgot that you don't know about all the different ways that we can-!" He was cut off when Sunstreaker hit him again.

"You're the last bot that should ever be telling a young femme about interfacing idiot!" Sunstreaker growled at him.

Interfacing? My curiosity immediately got the better of me and I asked before I could stop myself. "What's that?" I stiffened when all eyes shifted to me again. "What?"

"Primus... of all the things to explain so soon..." Ratchet sighed, tiredly rubbing at his face as if he was just exasperated with it all. "Interfacing, young femme, is when two bots... have sex as the humans put it. It works in a very similar way to human coupling as well."

I flinched back and made a grossed out face. "Ewwww! Did not need to know that!" And then a thought occurred to me, and like the idiot that I am I blurted it before I could stop myself. "But a minibot can't interface with one of you right? Your ummm... things are probably bigger than me."

"Oh for the love of..." Ratchet looked ready to strangle Sideswipe's grinning face. "Okay femme let me explain a few things for you. There are two categories of frames for each individual group of bot types, mechs and femmes. A femme has a valve, which is the human equivalent to a human female's vagina. A mech has a spike, in other words a penis located exactly where a human male's would be. Well some mechs have valves as well, and some femmes can have spikes…" He muttered as if just remembering that fact, but then he shook his head and looked back at me. "Our spikes also have the ability to do something called mass shifting."

Color drained from my face as I shuddered violently. "Mass shifting?" I squeaked.

"Mass shifting allows us to shift our interface array in order to enlarge or minimize our spikes to a size that our partner can handle. So in other words if you and say... Sideswipe engaged in interfacing he could shift his spike down to a size that you could take. This way you could interface and mate with a full sized bot."

OMG! "Okay I get it! I get it! No more!" Why did I have to ask questions all of the time?

"Perhaps we should show you a spike so that you know what I am talking about." Ratchet mused seriously, like he wasn't even trying to play a joke or something. HE WAS BEING FREAKING SERIOUS!

A horrified shriek escaped me when Sideswipe apparently took the preemptive and started snapping his crotch plating off. Luckily Sunstreaker reached over and smacked him in the back of the head just as I turned and buried my face in Jazz's chest. It didn't matter because I was not looking out until he learned to behave, which if I was being honest seemed like it would never happen.

"Sideswipe, I think that we can show her a diagram at some point instead of flashing your spike." Optimus admonished the red mech.

Nooooo! NO DIAGRAMS! "How about no?" I squeaked causing Jazz to chuckle at me.

"Ah t'ink she can picture wha' we are talkin 'bout." He intervened before I could be killed from sexual education through spontaneous combustion or something even worse. "Humans do seem ta broadcast interfacin' all over da place. Bu' den again we ain' much betta, eh?"

There was a tired snort from somewhere nearby followed by the set of loud footsteps coming over to us. "I still don't understand why humans are so open about interfacing and then try and act like it's sinful." Ironhide muttered as he sat down next to Jazz and I. "On Cybertron it's perfectly acceptable to be open about intimacy. We even have pleasurebots and the like to allow Cybertronians to fully appreciate the act of interfacing."

His mouth was going and I was somewhat taking in what he was saying. However, my eyes were too busy being stuck on his brown paint mustache, and the brown smears all over his chest. He seemed not to notice either but everyone else did unfortunately... or fortunately.

"Ironhide you have paint all over your face and chassis." Ratchet sighed tiredly.

Said mech stiffened and looked down at his splotchy chassis; face pulling down into a scowl. "What the slag?" And then his eyes shot over to Sideswipe. "You little fragger!"

Sideswipe grinned and held his hands up in surrender. "I did help Hidey, but it wasn't my idea to paint you."

Everyone minus Ratchet looked at him in surprise. "Then whose idea was it?" Sunstreaker growled. Was he always so pissed off and angry?

"It was me!" I chirped happily. "I told him yesterday that I was going to paint him shit brown, and if I say that I'm going to do something I find a way to do it. Sideswipe only helped by giving me a paintbrush to use… He may have also helped me get some of the harder to reach spots." I turned to Ironhide with a huge smile and clambered from Jazz onto his shoulder so that I was literally in his face. "DON'T YOU LOVE IT?!"

He growled at me. "Femme..." But he didn't actually do anything to me, much to everyone's surprise.

"How come you hit us for pranking you and not her?!" Sideswipe scowled.

"Because you half bit! She's a minibot! If I hit her like I hit you I would crush her!" Ironhide growled angrily. Personally, I think he enjoys having me around.

"He likes me too much to hit me like he hits you." I told Sideswipe. A wide mischievous grin spread across my face as an idea struck me. "You could flick me in the head instead of hitting me you know? Doubt that it'll make me stop, but it might make you feel better."

In a flash something was smacking me in the back of the head. Owww, Ironhide really did flick me, but hey I did tell him to do it.

Still it hurt! I rubbed at my head and pouted at him. "Mean. And here I was thinking about fixing your paint job for you... Fuck that!" On that note, I hopped down from his shoulder and into Jazz's awaiting hands. My propensity for doing something stupid was acting up again making me get antsy. Honestly, I don't think I can make it three more days like this or I would die from boredom.

But I could bother Ratchet for fun! That thought had me perking up slightly. Unfortunately, my stomach… tank… thingy gave another loud rumble, reminding me that I was in fact hungry. Just like a savior sent from above, that was the moment Lennox chose to walk in. "Lennox! ARBY'S!" I called hopefully.

Lennox just smiled at me in amusement. "Good morning Clare."

"Morning Lenny! Let's go rob a bank and get some Arby's!" When he gave me a wide eyed look I scowled at him. "No I would really do that for a freaking melt right now! What's a girl gotta do to get some mozzarella sticks? Seriously?"

He laughed at me. "Well there is an Arby's nearby that is still intact, and luckily for you I think I can get us something to eat. That is if, and only if, you're allowed to go with to carry your own stuff back. There are quite a few soldiers who need food as well and I can't carry it all."

In a second I was off of Jazz's lap and sprinting over to where Lennox was standing. "Gogogogogogogo! Let's go right now while they still have breakfast stuff! Move! Movemovemovemovemove!" I was practically bouncing on my feet by this point.

"Clare you cannot just go flaunting around a war zone where there could be Decepticons." Optimus' spoke up calmly.

My good mood fell straight back into the dumps as soon as he said that. I was just getting ready to turn and shuffle back over there dejectedly when he said the single, most amazing thing I have ever heard.

"However if somebot does not mind taking you I have no problems with it, but they must remain in constant contact with me just in case of any attacks. At this moment in time I require Jazz along with all my senior officers to remain here; therefore, it would have to be Sideswipe or Sunstreaker that accompanies you."

My head swung around in Sideswipe's direction. "Please?"

He shrugged and stood. "Sure why not?"

"YEAAHHHH! FREAKING ARBY'S! WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!" I did my happy dance which earned me several laughs from everyone, with the exceptions of Ratchet, Ironhide, and Sunstreaker. I kept it up until Sideswipe came over and shifted down so that I could get into his passenger seat.

He slid the seatbelt over me and followed Lennox as he walked out of the warehouse, got into a big military truck, and drove off. We went through the decimated remains of the city in relative silence for a few moments until it got to be too much for me. I finally caved at the ten-minute mark. "So Jazz told me that you like pranks."

His voice responded through the speaker system. "Yeah it's my favorite pastime. Sunny hates it because I always drag him into it and he gets in trouble too." He chuckled, the sound actually shaking his entire frame. "But we have fun, especially when we prank Ironhide and Ratchet. They really need to loosen up and I have made it my personal mission to help them with that."

I giggled. "Right! It sounds like an excuse to prank them senseless."

He shifted all around me in what I imagined was a shrug. "Yeah, pretty much. It helps morale even if they won't admit it."

"Well, if Sunstreaker doesn't wanna help you, come and find me if I'm on base. I love pranks." All he had to do was ask Sam and he would find out just how true that statement was.

"Cool. I'll definitely take you up on that sometime. So what else do you like to do? What's considered fun on Earth?"

I pulled my knees up and tucked them under my chin as I thought about it. "Well there are malls that girls like to go shopping at, I hate doing that unless I absolutely have to go, so don't ask." He chuckled at me so I smacked his seat playfully. "Let's see… there are movie theaters that you can go to see films in, or live theaters where you go to see plays. Umm… there are roller rinks and they normally have laser tag. Uhh, go cart racing- wait! DO NOT EVER TAKE SAM GO CART RACING! Once, when we went there, he put the go cart through the side of the tracks and almost hit an old lady. We got kicked out of there because of him."

"Sounds fun."

I eased back into the seat with a small smile. "Yeah, but Sam didn't think so. He's such a goofball, but he wouldn't be Sam if he wasn't. Other people treat him differently because of that. I think that they should be able to accept and understand him for what makes him unique and different. I personally love him for being how he is; goofball, nerd, and all."

Sideswipe didn't reply to me.

"Sideswipe?"

"Call me Sides."

Oh right he had asked me to call him that earlier. "Okay Sides, did I say something wrong?"

The interior rumbled all around me as a laugh fell from his speakers. "No not at all. I was just thinking about something that's all. Sam is lucky to have you because not many can accept somebot who is different. That's how it is with Sunny and I. Only we can seem to fully accept the other."

He sounded sad when he said that for some reason. I didn't know what to say to him but I felt compelled to respond. "Well Sides, I don't really know about Sunstreaker because he seems too aloof and cold, but I do know that you seem very nice and interesting. I'm sure that Sunstreaker is as well in his own way. Someday someone will accept you both as well I'm sure of it."

"I hope so Clare. Thanks for saying that."

"No problem." At that moment we pulled into the parking lot of Arby's. Yes food!

Most of the soldiers wanted to eat inside save for Lennox and Epps. I had decided to go outside and join them. I also figured that it would make Sideswipe more comfortable if he could see me the majority of the time. After I ordered and received my food I turned, walking out the swinging doors to sit at a table with the two soldiers.

I hadn't even opened my beef and cheddar melt when the chair beside me was pulled out. I looked up in surprise as a very handsome red haired man who looked to be in his early twenties, sat down right next to me, making me very confused. My eyes were drawn to his dark blue, almost glowing eyes. "Sideswipe?"

"In the flesh. Literally." He joked. Lennox and Epps joined in with staring at him wide eyed making him grin. "This is called a holoform; it's like a hologram only it's a physical representation of us."

Hesitantly I reached out while he was looking at Lennox and poked his hand, AND IT FELT REAL! OMG! He looked at me causing me to snap back in case I had offended or bothered him. "Sorry Sides I just wanted to see if you were really solid and could feel that."

He waved me off. "It's alright Clare you were just curious. These forms are comprised of our nanites which also make up our frames, so I can feel everything in this form that I can in my real form."

"Cool. So if I do this!" I jumped up and poked his cheek like an overexcited child. "You can feel it?!"

"Yup. I can do everything that a normal human can do like this. Neat huh?"

"Yes!" After another few moments of prodding at him I sat back down and tore into my food. Sideswipe watched all of us curiously while we ate, not that I was paying much attention as I practically inhaled my beef and cheddar on sesame like I hadn't eaten in days. Well actually I hadn't TECHNICALLY eaten in days. Energon didn't count it was a liquid. A thought occurred to me about half way through my sandwich. "Can you eat human food Sides?"

He looked at me thoughtfully. "Yeah but it doesn't do anything for us since we can't convert it into energon. The only reason to consider it would be to blend it into our Energon for a better flavor or taste. Whatever we ingest will just be burned off by the heat from our sparks sooner or later."

"Wanna try some?"

"Sure." He reached out and took a piece of my melt that I had torn off for him. For a moment he just stared at it oddly before popping it into his mouth.

I grinned when his eyes widened at the taste. "Good?"

"Mmm hmmm." He swallowed and snatched a curly fry to try next.

"Hey! Back off me mozarrelly sticks Sides!" I warned him seriously.

But he wasn't really paying much attention to me as he munched on the fry he had stolen. It was obvious that he had no idea how to eat solid food because he had almost the entire fry sticking out of his mouth. All the while he chewed on it like a cow chowing down on grass.

"Sides, you need to put it all in your mouth then chew on it. Like this!" I snatched a fry and popped it into my mouth to chew on it. "Unless the food is too big to fit into your mouth then you would do this." After I swallowed I reached out for a huge fry and took a bite off of it while holding it. "See? This way you don't choke."

Sides copied what I had just shown him exactly. "These are good too." He mumbled around a mouthful.

"You aren't supposed to talk with a full mouth Sides it's rude." Lennox told him.

"Wude?" Sides mumbled, causing a small piece of fry to fly out of his mouth. He looked down in surprise and moved to pick it up.

I swatted at his hand. "No Sides! That surface could be dirty! Never ever eat off of any surface in a public place."

"It's not like I can get a human illness and neither can you." He protested and reached for it again only to yelp when I smacked his hand away.

"Sides it's considered bad manners. If you're going to use this form you have to learn how to act human, and humans don't normally eat off of dirty surfaces. Now if you would like more I don't mind sharing with you." I scooted my chair and tray over closer to him in order to give him better access to my food. He didn't hesitate to help himself.

So I learned today that mechs in human form do like human food! Who would have known? I guess we learn something new every day!

R&R! Edited by DawnofShadows256- 6/10/15, proof read by me on, 6/18/16!

Izzy-dragon-rider- Yeah I love protective Jazz too! I loved the terminator part it made me laugh so hard! Lol!

Muirgen79- Yeah Clare kinda just didn't want to understand what they were saying since she was so distraught and scared over being taken from her home. Unfortunately whether she gets better in terms or listening or not is still in the air lol!

HeartsGuardianSol- Yup I think Jazz is gonna be daddy Jazz soon lol. That means that if I bring Prowl in it's going to be daddy Jazz and Prowl. IF I do it! Can you imagine the twins reaction to that if they were dating her? HILARIOUS!

himelove22- I love Jazz too! And yeah Ironhide was definitely not cool with that as you can see in this chapter lol.

cmfanreidsgirl- Thanks! And yeah I think that's a definite yes!

Varmillion- Thanks!