Good news! My desktop's working again :D. Slight Sideswipe/OC fluff. Anyway, next chapter.


Chapter Nine: A Starry Night

It's been four days since I've been traveling with Sideswipe. Luckily, he began to feel his twin brother again, who sent coordinates to the base. I bought us a GPS so that it'd be easier to navigate and all.

Right now, it was somewhere around nine in the evening and I insisted that he'd get some rest. So, we came to a park where I was currently resting on his hood, staring up at the glittering stars and the pale, white moon. The silver seeming to glint with enchantment, the engine spreading warmth all over my back, and I smiled lazily as I glanced at Sideswipe's holoform, which was right next to me. He stared up at the sky with that same distant look from earlier, a bit of longing seemed to etch on to his face as his lips pressed into a hard line. His hands rested behind his head in a lazy but comfortable position, just like he was when I found him on my bed. But now that I've studied his body movements a little more, I could tell that he was tensed. But why? He didn't look tense with stress...but just, tense in general. Like he wasn't comfortable in the position he was in at all.

"Sides?" I asked, turning my head to face him.

"Yeah?" He asked, still looking up at the sky.

"I...I want to see you again." I said, so quietly it almost sounded like a whisper.

He looked at me this time, an eyebrow raised, "See me? You're already looking at me."

I rolled my eyes, "You know what I mean."

"What if I don't?" He challenged, shifting his position so that his body faced me.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" I muttered.

"Maybe."

I huffed, sitting up and staring straight into his eyes, "Sideswipe, I want to see your robot form again."

Sideswipe smirked, "Why? Because I'm so hot?"

"No," I said rolling my eyes again, although it didn't stop the heat from rushing to my face, "It's because I know you're uncomfortable like that after a long period of time. I'd be too. Plus, I want a birds-eye view of the stars."

"Fair enough." He said with a nod, before disappearing again. By now, I was used to it. I also liked watching the tiny little sparks that shimmered and sparkled in the air until dissolving into nothing. It was wondrous, just thinking about the structures of the robots. How they work, how they communicate, how they move and fight. I wasn't going to admit it aloud, but I secretly liked seeing Sideswipe's robot form, especially when he was fighting. He was graceful, yet deadly. And determined. Once he's put his mind- or, uh processors to it, he's set. It was kind of odd how many traits I shared with him. In fact, it was damn scary.

"Charlie..." A voice drifted from the silver, glistening Corvette.

"Yeah?" I asked, bringing myself out of my thoughts.

"You need to get off my hood so I can transform." Sideswipe said.

"Oh, right," I said, getting up of his hood and watched as he transformed. The familiar sounds of hydraulics hissing, gears shifting, and metal groaning filled the air around me as I watched him transform into the deadly graceful silver robot. Once he was done, he crouched down to the ground, holding his hand out for me to get on to. I climbed on to his hand without another thought, now used to the extremely high heights as he lifted me high enough. I stared up at the sky again. Wow...just wow! I mean, yeah the stars looked pretty cool from down on the ground, but just...wow. They felt like they were all around me, like I was actually in outer space. It was freakin' amazing!

"Woah," I breathed out, "This view is way better."

Sideswipe chuckled softly from behind me, "Course it is."

I then turned around to face him again, "Is there any stars on Cybertron?"

"Stars?" Sideswipe echoed, a thoughtful look crossed his face, "Yeah, there is...just, not as many as there are here."

"And moons?" I asked, walking over to his metal version of a pinky finger, which I take pride in being taller than.

"Moons," He paused, and I felt his legs shift weight, "There's so many of them. It's hard to count."

"Can't you just calculate the amount in that super-advanced processors of yours?" I retorted, tracing the metal ridges with my hands. His fingers were warm.

He wiggled his fingers a little, "That tickles."

I did it again, and he snorted a laugh. Didn't know giant alien robots could be ticklish. Interesting. I traced my fingers on the ridges of his fingers, stretching up on my tip-toes to wiggle some of the intricate wires on his fingertips. More poorly restrained giggles came from the silver robot.

"S-Stop!" He stuttered through a giggle, "Oh...P-Primus! Stop that!"

I shook my head laughing, "Nah, I think I'll keep going." Resuming to tickle him. Finally, after a few minutes, I fell to my knees, my back resting against one of my fingers as I took deep breaths. I was exhausted, but I still didn't feel like sleeping yet, and I had the strange feeling that Sideswipe felt that was as well.

"Good, you're weak." Sideswipe said, and I looked up to meet his pale blue eyes again.

"Why does that matter?"

An evil grin curled on to his lips as his eyes narrowed and growled, "Revenge."

Some part of me was probably telling me the danger of it, but I ignored it. I fully trusted Sideswipe with my life. And he's saved it more than once...so why not? Instead I snorted, and rolled my eyes, "Yeah right."

"Is that a challenge?" He asked, his eyes seemed to gleaming and his grin only widened. "Cuz only with a flick of the wrist, you'd be a human pancake on the ground."

I narrowed my eyes, "You wouldn't."

"Oh?" He smirked.

"Yes."

"Wrong." And with literally a flick of the wrist, Sideswipe's whole hand was upside down, and at the last moment I grabbed the tips of his fingers before falling, which left me dangling in the air. My heart pounded in my ears, but I wasn't afraid.

"Sideswipe!" I gasped.

Sideswipe began to laugh and I shot him a dirty look, which in he returned with a smirk.

"Hey Charlie, how's it hanging?"

"That's not funny." I glowered at him. "Stop it!"

"Hang on a minute."

"Sides, I swear if you don't stop, I'll rip out your wires in your sleep."

"You wouldn't find them."

"Would I? Did you forget you're speaking to a mechanic?" I asked, shooting an evil grin. I'm not sure if my hands became sweaty or something, because my grip started to slip and I was slowly slipping to the edge. Panic now flooded into me as Sideswipe kept laughing. "Sides, I'm serious now! Stop!"

I kept slipping.

And slipping.

And then I lost grip entirely, falling from the heights, letting out a short scream before I was caught in another warm, metal palm.

"Looks like you're falling hard for me." He said with another smirk.

I shot him another dirty look. "You're horrible."

"Sorry Schlemiel." He said with mock-sincerness.

I groaned, smacking my hand on my forehead, "Why the hell do you keep calling me that?"

He gave me toothy grin, "Because your reactions are the best."

"I will rip put your wires, you two-bit fragger." I growled.

"Woah! That was some serious Cybertronian swearing, where'd you get that from?"

"Duh," I said gesturing to himself, "Who do you think?"

He shrugged, "Fair point."

I yawned, scooting closer to his warm fingers. It was windy tonight. Suddenly, all around me transformed until I was back in the sleek, silver, Corvette, the driver's seat laid backwards so I could lay down, and I shifted in the leather seats, getting into a comfortable position, before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.


The next time I woke up, I was in the passenger's seat again, and we were also back on the road. I yawned, stretching my hands and legs before looking over at Sideswipe, who sighed in relief.

"Finally, I thought you'd never wake up."

"And a 'happy good morning' to you too," I muttered, "Why? What time is it?"

"Three in the afternoon."

Three?! What?! How did I sleep in that long? I was cut out of my thoughts when I heard the engine sputter again. It had been doing that ever since I well...accidentally-grabbed-Sides-you-know-what, which was four days ago.

"What's wrong with your engine?" I wondered aloud.

"Low on energon. Like, really low." He replied.

"Oh," I said, "Do you think gasoline might work?"

"Yeah, but for only a little bit. I could last about an orn or two with it, but that's it."

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, "Well, then what do we do?"

"Don't worry, the meeting point where Sunny and I made is only another orn from now."

I nodded, turning on the radio, about to search for a radio station suitable enough when the numbers on the dashboard changed to the right station. I let out a slightly startled gasp, and them remember I was currently sitting in an alien robot. I relaxed back into the passenger's seat, a million questions racing back and forth in my mind. Would Sides make it? What if something else happened? How are my mom and dad doing? I did not linger too long on the last question, not really in the mood to feel guilty and self-loathing. Instead, I closed my eyes tightly, inhaling and exhaling a breath slowly before opening my eyes again.


(3rd person POV. At the base.)

"Optimus," Ratchet said, walking up to the regal leader of the Autobots, "We have word from Sideswipe."

"What is it?" Optimus asked with a raised optic-ridge.

"Well, the twin bond is back, and Sideswipe says he's coming here with a human femme."

"A femme?" Optimus repeated.

Ratchet nodded, "He says that she has seen both him and the Decepticons, and is also a major target to getting to Sideswipe. "

Optimus rubbed the bridge of his nose, shaking his helm back and forth, "Not another human casualty."

"I will reprimend Sideswipe for bringing a human back, but the other problem is Starscream."

"The Second In Command?"

Ratchet nodded, "He and a group of flyers are infiltrating US Military bases in the North East, which gives us a good estimate to where their location is. Major Lennox is is at a meeting in the District Of Columbia right now discussing military strikes, what do you think he is up to?"

Optimus played Ratchet's words back in his head, weighing his options for the next decision to make, "Is he not with Megatron?"

"As far as these reports go, Megatron has not been involved at all...just the Seekers."

Optimus grunted, "Where was the last place reported of an attack?"

"Bluefeild, West Virginia." Ratchet said, reading off of a data pad with the downloaded information.

"I and a scout team will go out on the mission. You will stay here and attend to base, as well as the injuries that may have been inflicted on Sideswipe and the human femme," Optimus gave him a knowing smile, "I know you've been wanting to see the gladiator twins re-unite for a long time Ratchet."

Ratchet nodded, a small, almost-smile ghosting on his metal lips, "I do, yes."


And we'll stop there for today, this chapter's shorter too because it's basically a part 2 to "A Piece of Conversation". Anyway, please leave a review. Hope you enjoyed.