"Perfect day to do it…"

Starscream was standing up on Skylar's desk, watching the rain fall outside as he peered out of the curtains. Since Skylar's mother had come in and told her to go to bed, the plushies had to postpone their game and continue in the morning… which is exactly what they did.

"I am not going out there…" Perceptor pouted, glaring at the seeker. "Even if it was a dare, that's suicide!"

"What; getting wet?" Blaster inquired, climbing up onto the desk beside them.

"It's, not that wet out, Perceptor," Skyfire insisted, glancing down at them from the stack of books he sat upon. "I'm pretty sure you won't fall apart."

"That's not what I'm worried about…"

Prowl and Jazz darted over to them once they were sure Skylar was still asleep, and quickly climbed up the table-leg.

"You gotta do it, Percy," Jazz coaxed; the scientist not looking amused at all.

"Fine… but don't come crying to me tomorrow if you're having trouble with something…" he muttered blankly, jumping from the desk and landing sturdily before running across the floor and out the door. The remaining plushieformers crept up to the window, tugging aside the curtain slightly to watch their friend.

"This is dangerous…" Prowl warned; his doorwings twitching uncomfortably. "Why did he go with this dare?"

"Because Starscream asked…" Blaster replied; a low growl in his voice. Starscream shot him a glare back.

"It's not called 'Truth or Dare' for a reason…" he spat back; Skyfire stepping between them.

"Guys stop. Let's just keep an optic on Perceptor, okay?" he inquired, turning back to the window as said-scientist sprinted out from the shelter under the veranda to the front yard with a book over his head. "What exactly did you dare him to do, Star?"

"Read in the rain, seeing as he's what humans call, a 'bookworm'," the seeker admitted smugly; his servos against the window glass as he watched Perceptor. Maybe this was a bad idea… They're starting to hate me again…
At a startled gasp from the other plushies, the seeker was knocked out of his thoughts, looking around confused to figure out what was wrong.

"Percy…" Jazz hissed, keeping watch on the scientist. Said-plushieformer himself was caught in fright, hiding under the book he'd dragged over his helm at the two humans that had stopped outside the house. Hopefully they hadn't spotted him…

"S-Stay calm, P-Perceptor… They'll leave s-soon…" he was murmuring to himself, curling up under the book-pages, but it didn't help that he was getting himself and the book soggy from being out in the rain. Quietly he peered up at the two humans, managing a soft laugh and relaxing when he recognised them.

"Miss Nikki! Miss Acia!"

The girls paused in their conversation and looked around in confusion; Acia glancing up at Skylar's house as she tightened her grip on her umbrella.

"Hearing things again, I guess," she laughed.

"Mmm, didn't sound like it…" Nikki admitted, stepping back. "I could have sworn that sounded like-…"

"U-Um, hello!?"

Acia looked down and her eyes widened, watching Perceptor panic to pull the book back over his helm and keep himself dry. Nikki softly laughed.

"Percy, what are you doing out here? Plushies aren't supposed to be out in the rain."

"Not, much I can do, when I've been dared to…" Perceptor grimaced, yelping softly as the girl picked him up and sheltered him under her umbrella.

"Dared to? Who dared you?" Acia wondered.

"Starscream…"

"Hello ladies; fancy seeing you here."

Nikki panicked and dropped Perceptor again at the voice; the Autobot freezing up in plushie-mode at the unfamiliar voice. Acia only stood glaring at the laughing boy behind them.

"You again? Really Darcy, we've had enough…" she groaned blankly. Darcy sniggered and folded his arms, kicking Perceptor behind him much to the dismay of the plushieformers inside the house.

"Ahh; Acia and Nikki haven't noticed!" Blaster spat in concern, spinning around to face Starscream with narrowed optics. "This is all your fault, Con! If you hadn't dared Percy to do this in the first place, we wouldn't be facing this!"

"Blaster, stand down," Skyfire warned, stepping between them and gently pushing the boom-box away from the seeker. Blaster stumbled back into Prowl who lost his footing on the desk and slipped over the edge, hastily catching himself on the desk-ledge. Jazz hastily aided him back up, then running over to stop Blaster lashing out at Skyfire. In all their commotion, Skylar sleepily sat up and yawned, looking over at her plushies in confusion.

"Guys…?"

Noticing she was awake, Blaster turned and darted across the desk, going to jump from it onto her bed. Starscream realised and ran after him, jumping up and grabbing him around the middle just as the boom-box leapt into the air. They were brought to the ground in a tackle; both throwing threats at each other in Cybertronian. Skylar quickly got up, just as Prowl, Jazz and Skyfire jumped down from the desk in order to separate the two arguing plushieformers.

"Stop it… Stop it, please!" Skylar pleaded, trying to pull the two apart, but Blaster had a decent grip on Starscream's left wing, and as she went to pull them apart, the boom-box tugged; hard.

"O-Ow!" the seeker shrieked, wriggling free and pulling away as his wing tore completely off. Skylar released Blaster with a look of hurt, pulling the crying seeker into her arms. The boom-box miserably threw Starscream's wing to the ground with a look of disgust, turning his back and folding his arms in disdain.

"Now… You want to explain what that was all about?" Skylar asked sternly as she comforted the injured seeker; Starscream being brought to tears because of the pain. "And don't argue about it."

Jazz and Prowl in the end pinned Blaster to the ground to keep him quiet; Skyfire stepping up to explain.

"So, last night while we were playing, Stars dared Perceptor to go outside and read in the rain, c-claiming, he was a 'bookworm', remember?" he explained cautiously, not liking the stern look in his owner's eyes. "And, P-Percy went out to do that this morning, but… He hasn't come back yet because Miss Nikki and Miss Acia found him but then they bumped into, this other kid a-and they haven't noticed he's got Perceptor!"

Skylar felt the shuttle's fear when he started speaking quickly at the end of his sentence, getting up in concern as she went to glance out the window. Acia and Nikki had left, but Darcy still stood on the street; Perceptor trapped under his right foot. Carefully she put Starscream down on her desk and hurried to grab her umbrella, then running out the door. Despite his injury, the seeker crawled over to the window, and wearily looked out; Skylar running outside just as Darcy threw Perceptor into the gutter and bolted off. He sunk down a little; guilt tugging at his spark. The Autobots hated him, and now Skylar probably did too. He should have never followed her home…

"I-I'll rip his other wing off!" Blaster snapped; his angered tone reaching the seeker's audials.

"Blaster, stop! None of us knew this would happen!"

"You can't blame Starscream; he didn't know!"

"Ha! It was his idea to play the stupid game in the first place! Now Percy's hurt!"

"Shh, all of you…"

At Skylar's whisper, each plushie looked up as she walked back into the room, cradling Perceptor in her arms. She said nothing more, only quietly picking up Starscream's wing and placing it beside him before going back and sitting on her bed. The seeker watched uneasily, then looked away when he realised the Autobots were now glaring at him. This was all his fault…

...

um... next chapter?