KISS – Sunset

Humans were suckers for gimmicks, he realized, as he drove down the streets of the town he was supposed to be patrolling. Everywhere he went he saw storefronts decorated with red hearts and roses while vendors sat at street corners selling boquets of flowers that were at least three times higher in price today than yesterday.

Yet, people crowded around these vendors to buy these overpriced Earth plants when they could have just as easily bought them for much less the day before. Didn't these humans realize they were just paying for a gimmick?

Probably not, judging by the way eateries and other places were filled to capacity now, when they'd been almost deserted 24 hours ago. He just didn't understand it. So a special day was set aside during which you were supposed to shower a mate or potential mate with expensive treats just to show them you cared for them more on that particular day.

Call him old-fashioned, but Ironhide figured that if you loved someone, you loved them the same your entire life, not more on one day and less on the other, and you certainly didn't need to prove your love with an expensive gift. The higher the cost of the gift didn't necessarily equal the amount of love one had for another.

These young kids thought it was all in the material aspect of things. Didn't they know there were better ways of showing affection than just spending lavish amounts of money on things. Sometimes the simple things were the best – like a picnic along a river bank, or a walk along the beach at sunset. At least then you had a chance to get to know your partner better instead of being distracted by all this crazy commercialism.

Part of him also felt rather bad for all the single individuals who seemed to be all but overlooked on such a day, for no other reason than that they were single. So much for love, he thought

He was quite glad when, by late afternoon, he had finished his patrol and was finally able to pull out on to the quiet countryside highway that led back to the volcano. About 10 meters from the Ark, he saw Wheeljack standing by the side of the road, as if he was waiting for someone, and curious to know who it was, he came to a stop beside the engineer and transformed.

"Everythin' alright, 'Jack ol' buddy?" he asked.

"Just fine, Ironhide," Wheeljack replied.

"Then what're y'doin' out here for?"

"Oh, I knew you'd be headed this way after patrol, so I thought I'd just meet ya and walk ya back the rest of the way. Don't mind do ya?"

"Aww, y'shouldn't 'ave, really."

"Ain't a problem. After all, it's Valentines Day – we're supposed to show that we care."

"I guess so. Though I'm not sure I agree with how the humans celebrate it. Too much fuss and feathers."

"Yeah, they can go a little overboard, but nothin' wrong with simple gestures of affection right?" Wheeljack's 'ears' flashed a merry blue as he held out a can of energon to the red mech. "Figured you could use that, and a nice stroll in the sunset. You didn't think we'd forget all about you today just 'cause you were on patrol"

Ironhide grinned. "Aw thanks 'Jack. I'm touched."

Wheeljack chuckled as he threw an arm around his friend's shoulders while they walked in the fading light of the waning sun. "Happy Valentines Day, Ironhide."

END.