Disclaimer: Hasbro owns Transformers and all its characters. I only own Paige and Swiftblade.

Paige paced in the hallway between the living room and her bedroom, arms crossed as she nervously chewed on her nails. She glanced at the little clock on her wall and groaned, pacing some more. It was 9:57pm. "Miko should be here any minute now…"

She heard an engine pull up outside and a few honks went off. She stopped pacing and took a deep breath before going downstairs, passing Swiftblade in the garage as she headed for the door. She opened it and smiled as she watched Miko hop out of her guardian.

"Have fun, girls! Call me if you need anything," Bulkhead told them.

"Sure thing. Good night, Bulk!" Paige waved as the bot drove off and disappeared around the corner of the next street. She then turned and cringed when she saw her friend standing with her arms crossed and tapping her foot. "Uh… Hi, Miko."

"Don't you hi me! You have some explaining to do," Miko told her, frowning.

"Y-yes, I do," Paige rubbed her left arm sheepishly. "Let's, uh… go to my room first." She turned and headed back through the garage, trusting Miko to lock up behind her. "Good night, Blade. I'll call you if I need something."

"Good night, Paige, Miko," Swiftblade responded as Miko passed him.

The girls were silent as they headed up the stairs. They walked into Paige's room and she closed the door behind them with a sigh, watching Miko toss her overnight bag on the bed and flopping onto it. The girl crossed her legs and arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

What had happened, you ask? Well, it had something to do with the little fiasco they had with Bulkhead and the data cylinder. When he and Miko had snuck out of base, Paige had followed them to make sure they were safe and hadn't expected to see both Knockout and Breakdown show up. And neither of them expected to see her with Bulkhead and Miko either. So when she and Miko had led Bulkhead 'backstage' to hide in a parking lot full of monster trucks, things got interesting.

"Okay then. Fun and games."

Paige pressed her back up against a large tire of one of the monster trucks. She was on the other side of the lot as Miko and Bulkhead and she was ready to be a distraction if need be. And it seemed like she was going to put her skills into practice as she listened to their footsteps walk through the lines of trucks.

"Come out, come out wherever you are~" Knockout sang, causing a shiver to crawl up Paige's spine and her heart to flutter.

Holy shit, this man - bot - is going to be the death of me!

Shaking her head to focus back on the situation, she peered out from behind the tire she was using for cover. Her eyes flicked around the area, quickly spotting the sporty medic standing tall just on the other side of some monster trucks. His back was turned to her as he looked around and she grinned as a thought occurred to her. If he thought it was a game, then she could make it a game.

"Peekaboo!" She called, watching him flinch and whip around. She ducked back behind the tire and quickly darted to hide behind a different truck with a giggle.

"Oh-ho," Knockout chuckled in clear amusement, and she could just hear that smirk in his voice. "Playing games, are we, my dear?"

She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing as she heard his footsteps approach. She crawled underneath the truck she was using for cover and ran down the line, pausing between trucks to make sure she wouldn't be spotted. She stopped a few trucks down and peered out to see Knockout stand up from looking beneath a few trucks, a curious frown on his face.

"Peekaboo~" She sang and giggled, quickly hiding behind the truck again before he could spot her. She looked around and spotted Miko's form running between another line of trucks, cellphone in hand. Ugh, don't get yourself caught, Miko! She darted from behind the truck and ran further down the line. She gasped quietly as she almost ran out into the open where Breakdown was walking. She crouched next to a tire and frowned, watching the big bot smash his hammer into the front ends of trucks as he went by, calling for Bulkhead.

I feel bad for the people who own these trucks and have to pay to get them fixed.

"Breakdown~" She sang, hunkering down behind the tire as she watched him stop and quickly look around.

"Huh? Paige?" The genuine confusion in his voice caused her to giggle quietly.

"Stop breaking those poor trucks and play properly!"

"What?"

"Peekaboo!" She giggled again and backtracked after making sure Knockout wasn't about to find her. She crawled beneath a few trucks and ran down the line. She crouched behind a tire and peered out, scanning the area for the bot that always made her heart flutter. She frowned and narrowed her eyes, not seeing him. "Where did he go…?" She whispered to herself, keeping her voice low so as not to draw attention to herself.

"Peekaboo~"

She yelped in shock and fell backwards with a grunt, blinking up at the smirking face of the Decepticon medic. He was standing over the top of her, hands placed on his hips as he stared down at her with an amused glint in his red eyes. She grinned sheepishly up at him, face growing hot with a blush. "Uhh… Freeze tag?" She suggested, hoping he'd take the bait for a new game.

"I'm afraid our little game has to be cut short, darling," he told her with a small sigh, as if he himself didn't want to stop. "Breakdown and I have a job to do."

"Who said you can't have fun on the job?" Paige rolled to her feet and darted between his legs, quickly patting his ankle with her good hand as she ran by and slid beneath a truck behind him. "Game starts now!" She got to her feet and crawled beneath a few more trucks before hiding behind a tire as she caught her breath. She heard a sigh from him before his footsteps followed her, walking between the trucks in search of her.

"Come on out, my dear. We don't have all night. Megatron will peel our paint if we go back empty handed."

"Aw, and I was having fun," Paige whined dejectedly, pouting a little. She looked up when Breakdown stepped in front of her, looking down at her with an amused smirk.

"Yes, well, games are only fun to play… when you're winning."

Needless to say, that little experience was quite interesting but had quickly turned into dread when Miko's blunder had caused the data in Bulkhead's mind - processor, she believed it was called - to release skyward. Thankfully, Bulkhead had returned to normal after that and Miko had spent two days to be with Bulkhead after her scare of almost losing her guardian.

But now came the explanation in disguise as a sleepover. Miko may have been focused on trying to contact Ratchet the whole time in that lot, but she hadn't been deaf to the conversations and the way Paige and the Cons had been acting towards each other. And Paige knew she couldn't hide it anymore. She had to be upfront with her friend and tell her exactly what was going on, and that included her stupid feelings.

Paige sighed and pulled her desk chair around with her good hand so she could sit and face her friend. She lightly traced the white wrapping on her left hand, avoiding her gaze. The gash on her palm thankfully wasn't that deep so it didn't need stitches. It was healing nicely and she mostly kept it wrapped to make sure the healing wound stayed clean of dirt. "So…"

"Dude, spill. What the hell is with you and those two Cons, Knockout and Breakdown?"

"Well… You remember my racing buddy?"

"Yeah? What does he-" Miko cut herself off as realization slowly dawned on her. "Oh my God!" Her shout caused Paige to panic and quickly shush her so they wouldn't alert Swiftblade in the garage. Thankfully she lowered her voice, looking shocked. "You've been friends with a Con the entire time!"

"Y-yeah…" Paige looked up at her with a nervous frown. "I didn't even know he was a Con until he kidnapped me that one time - when Jack took Bumblebee street racing?"

"Seriously? You've known since then?"

Paige nodded and rubbed her face tiredly. "That's not even half of it…"

Miko raised a curious eyebrow. "What?"

She felt all the blood rush to her cheeks and her face grew hot as she avoided her friend's gaze. "I, uh… I might actually like him… Like, romantically…"

Silence greeted her words and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She chanced a glance at her friend and saw that Miko had her mouth open, completely flabbergasted. "Whoa," the girl finally breathed out. "That's… wow. I don't even know how to respond to that."

"Ugh… I know, it's so bad!" Paige hid her face in her hands with a groan. "I didn't even realize it until before I knew he was a Con. And I don't know how to feel about it. But he just… his voice." She fought to hold back a shiver at just the thought of his voice in her head.

"Oh, you've got it bad."

"You don't have to tell me that, I already know…"

"So… you've stayed friends with him?"

"Yeah…" Paige dropped her hands to her lap but didn't look at her friend. "I mean, we don't talk often but sometimes we text or call."

"Oh my God, he has your number! I forgot about that!" Miko slapped her hand against her forehead in realization. "Doesn't that mean he knows your location all the time?"

Paige frowned in contemplation. "Mm… It's possible, but he already knows where I live anyway."

"What?!"

"Shh! Miko!" Paige looked at her door nervously, internally panicking at the volume of Miko's squawk. She huffed a little and met her friend's wide eyes. "This happened before I found out he was a Con. We were racing and some rude guy scratched his paint on purpose - and you know how he gets about his paint job." At Miko's nod, she continued. "So I offered to fix it for him and brought him back here… and then he left immediately afterward - something about an 'acquaintance' had called for his help." She waved her hand dismissively and then shrugged. "So… yeah. But it doesn't seem like he spies on me or anything. He even told me he likes our conversations."

"Dude, this is crazy. You're friends with a Con."

"Two," Paige corrected her, holding up two fingers. "Breakdown is my friend too."

"Okay, and what's the deal with him?"

Paige shrugged, "Well… not a lot, really. During a call with Knockout, he had Breakdown say hi to me and apparently showed him a picture he had of me so that's how Breakdown knew what I looked like when he 'kidnapped' me that one time with the magnet gauntlet." She thought back to that day with a thoughtful frown, glancing off to the side. "We talked a little bit and apparently the only reason he took me was because he wanted to take me to say hi to Knockout since we haven't talked in a while, and supposedly he talks about me a lot. So he planned to take me back to the Nemesis."

"Their warship?" Miko scrunched her face in bewilderment. "He was going to keep you prisoner?"

Paige shook her head. "No, that wasn't his intention. He didn't even think about what Starscream or Megatron would do to me if they had potentially found me on the ship until I brought it up to him. He really just wanted me and Knockout to meet and talk again. He's actually a really nice guy when he's not focused on fighting, or losing his temper." She shrugged a little.

Miko stared at her for a good few seconds, making Paige shift uncomfortably in her seat. "You might actually be crazier than me."

Paige blinked in surprise and ducked her head with a sheepish smile. "Maybe… I've been thinking that myself," she admitted.

"So… why don't you call him now?"

It took Paige several seconds to process what she had heard and she blinked, staring at her friend with dumbfounded shock. "W-what?"

"Come on." Miko rolled her eyes with a mischievous smile. "This is a sleepover. No bots, no alien war. Just two girls having fun. Just call him. I wanna see how this goes for myself."

"Oh my God," Paige whined as she felt her face heat up, hiding in her hands. She heard the bed shift and then squeaked as she felt hands rummaging through her pockets. "M-Miko?!" She watched in horror as Miko plopped back onto the bed with a shit-eating grin, her phone in her hand. She pressed a few buttons and suddenly the dial tone came through the speaker. Paige's heart leaped into her throat and she dove for her friend, trying to reach for the phone as it was held out of her reach. "Oh my God, Miko, no!"

The speaker crackled to life as the call was answered, making both girls freeze as a familiar husky voice came through it. "Hello, my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Paige's face was on fire with embarrassment as she stared in horror at her friend for what she had done, who in turn was giving her a shit-eating grin and trying to hold back a laugh with her hand. She narrowed her eyes and tried to convey her thoughts of 'I'm going to kill you for this'.

"Paige?" Knockout asked in growing confusion after a moment of receiving silence.

Paige cleared her throat and moved to sit beside Miko, still glaring at her. "H-hi, K.O. H-how are you?"

"I'm fine," came his confused answer, hearing her nervous stutter. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, just…" She sighed and rubbed her face tiredly, closing her eyes to avoid her friend's amused gaze. "My friend wants to say hi to you…"

"Hey, Doc Knock!" Miko chirped with a giggle.

"Is that… Bulkhead's little friend?"

"Yes, it is. You remember Miko, from the first time we met? Yeah, uh…" She cleared her throat and glanced at her phone. "Right now it's just us two, so be nice."

There was a mildly intrigued hum from him. "Your guardians aren't with you?"

"Mine is downstairs so we're trying to be quiet," she shot her friend a glare to emphasize her statement. "But Bulkhead is back at base."

"...Is this one of those 'slumber parties' I've heard about?"

Both girls blinked at the phone in surprise. "How do you know what a sleepover is," Miko asked, confused.

"When I'm particularly bored, I go to one of those drive-in theaters and watch human films. Quite intriguing, I must say. Though some can be a little… vulgar."

"What do you even watch?" Paige asked, bewildered.

"Anything they play, really. The genre varies. Sometimes it's horror films, action, 'chick flicks', comedy, or… romance…" There was a sound like he shuddered at the thought of a pure romance movie.

Paige gaped at her phone, face aflame as she realized why. Oh my God, he must have seen all those sex scenes in movies. That poor guy! She made a choking sound in response and Miko absolutely lost her shit as she fell back onto her overnight bag, howling with laughter.

"What? What did I say?"

"K-Knockout, oh my God," Paige groaned and hid her face in her hands. "I am so sorry for your poor eyes. Romance movies are heavy with those scenes!"

Miko laughed louder and gasped for breath. "He- He watched se-"

"Miko!" Paige squawked in an attempt to get her friend to settle down. She reached for her phone. "Give me my phone back! This is why I knew it was a bad idea to call!"

"Nuh-uh! Th-this is gold!" Miko wheezed as she held the device out of her friend's reach again.

There was an amused chuckle from the phone. "Perhaps I should leave you two alone for the night."

"No!" Both girls shouted, startling each other and the bot on the phone.

Paige coughed while Miko took over the conversation. "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we all watch a movie together?"

The brunette stared at her friend, dumbfounded. Even Knockout had gone silent. "Uh, Miko… How are we supposed to do that? Blade is downstairs. If Knockout gets anywhere near this place there's going to be trouble."

"Okay, but what if we sneak out and go find a drive-in theater?"

Paige opened her mouth to respond, but left it hanging there when no sound came out. She had no response to that. How was she supposed to respond to that? She floundered for something to say. "E-even if we do manage to sneak out, I don't think Knockout would-"

"I'm down."

Both girls stared at the phone. Miko shot her friend a mischievous grin and Paige just stared at her phone in shock. She then groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "This is such a bad idea…"

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

Paige sighed, allowing her shoulders to sag with the action. She thought about it for a few moments and could see both bad and good things happening, and then bad things happening after the good things. "Fine," she finally relented. She held out her good hand with a frown. "Now can I please have my phone back so we can figure out a rendezvous point?"

Miko rolled her eyes half-heartedly but relented, handing over the phone.

Mouthing a 'thank you', she took the phone off speaker. "Alright… Let's see…" She wracked her brain of the town's layout, trying to think of a good spot. But she could only think of a place outside of town where the bots still currently in town wouldn't easily locate the medic. "What about that spot where the street race happened? In the aqueduct outside of Jasper? We can meet you there in thirty minutes."

"Sounds good to me, darling. See you then."

The call ended and Paige shot her friend a glare for the embarrassing phone conversation. "Come on, let's get ready…" She got up and walked to her closet where she kept most of her larger supplies. She grabbed a thick rope and began tying knots in it. She tied a loop on one end and set it on a secure hook on the wall by the door. Then she walked over to her window and slid it open, tossing the rope out and letting it drop to the ground. She then grabbed her shoulder pack and pistols before turning back to see Miko giddily hopping from foot to foot as she waited. With an amused shake of her head, she gestured for her friend to go first. She watched the girl carefully and quietly climb out the window and down the rope before following her, closing the window slightly as she did. When her feet hit the ground, they sprinted away from the building.

They slowed to a walking pace when they got at least two blocks away. Paige eyed her friend suspiciously.

"What?" Miko asked, confused.

"Why are you so on board with this? It's just… I don't know." Paige frowned, trying to find the words she wanted. "Especially after what happened with Bulkhead?"

Miko turned forward with a frown. "Oh, I plan on giving him a good kick for that. I haven't forgotten or forgiven him."

"Fair, but I thought you'd be more mad about it."

Miko stopped walking and Paige stopped beside her, watching her friend ball her fists. "I am mad, but…" She took a deep breath and met her gaze. "I'm doing this for you. You're friends with him and you seemed to really get along with him even before he revealed he was a Con. I want to see it for myself and also make sure of something." She then began walking again.

Paige blinked after her friend before quickly moving to catch up. "Make sure of what?"

"Something," she responded dismissively. That rewarded her with a suspicious frown from the brunette.

Paige sighed and decided to drop it for the time being. They walked in silence, sneaking through town. It wasn't long before they came to the spot where the street race had happened, and a familiar red-and-silver sports car was waiting for them. Both its doors swung open to invite them inside, but before either of them could get in, Miko walked right up to the vehicle and kicked its tire.

The vehicle jolted at the action and an audible growl could be heard from the radio inside. "Hey! Watch the rims!"

"That was for Bulkhead!" Miko growled back, pointing her finger at the vehicle with an angry scowl and a glare.

"What?!"

Paige stepped in before anything else could happen. "Okay, enough! I don't want to have to play the middleman between you two so don't make me," she told them, saying the last part in a low warning tone. She sent both of them a pointed glare, hands on her hips as she dared either of them to do anything or say more.

Thankfully, neither did.

Miko threw up her hands in a 'surrender' gesture, her expression relaxing as she stepped away from the tire she had just offended. "That's all I planned to do, I swear," she said, making the vehicle grumble under his breath - something along the lines of 'if there's damage, Primus help me…'

Paige didn't know what a 'Primus' was and she filed away the question for another time - maybe she could ask Swiftblade about it. She walked over to the tire Miko had kicked and inspected it for any scuff marks with a critical eye. It took a few moments before she stood up and patted the hood lightly, earning a shudder at her touch. "There's no damage so calm down. We agreed to have a good time tonight, right?" She eyed Miko first who nodded quickly under her pointed stare before looking at the vehicle.

There was a heavy sigh that came through the vents inside. "...Yes, darling," he responded with a quiet grumble.

With a satisfied nod, Paige walked around to the driver side and slid into the seat while Miko took the passenger seat. Seat belts slid over both girls immediately and the doors shut. Without another word, the engine started and they drove off. Miko looked around the interior curiously while thankfully keeping her hands to herself. They may have chosen a temporary truce, but he was still a Con and he could zap her if she so much as shifted in her seat the wrong way.

"Where are we going, Knockout?" Paige asked, breaking the tense silence as she watched him drive onto a road that led onto the highway.

"There's a drive-in theater just outside the next town. It's the closest one and it appears to be playing a horror film," Knockout informed them.

"Awesome! I love scary movies!" Miko cheered, fist pumping the air while being careful not to accidentally punch the ceiling.

Paige rolled her eyes in exasperation, but managed a small amused smile at her friend's cheery mood returning. "Oh, joy."

"What? Can't handle a little fake gore and creepy crawlies after dark," Knockout asked in a teasing tone, heading down the highway and passing what little traffic was driving at that time of night.

"I can," Paige snorted but didn't get a chance to continue before Miko cut in.

"Lies," Miko scoffed playfully with a flip of her hand. "You get scared every time at the jumpscares. And then you get jumpy after the movie is over."

Paige stared at her friend with a slack jaw, glaring at her for the betrayal. That information did not need to be leaked to others and especially not bots that could blackmail her. It was bad enough that Miko had learned the information during one of their sleepovers. "I do not!" She squawked indignantly.

"Totally do! You almost blew my brains out when I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night!"

"Th-that's because you were stumbling around so much I thought a burglar came into the house!"

"I tripped over my bag because I couldn't see! You need to stop being so trigger happy!"

"Well, it's not my fault I'm cautious!"

"Ladies," Knockout cut in with a tone that would've been accompanied by an eyeroll if he had been in bipedal mode. "Enough bickering or I'll shove you both in the trunk for the rest of the ride."

Both girls stared at the radio nervously at the threat and chose to comply. No matter how luxurious the vehicle looked, neither of them wanted to find out how it felt to be locked in the trunk. Paige had been kidnapped enough times by Cons to know how it felt to be tied to their seats, and she didn't want to make it a habit of being locked somewhere against her will. They glanced out the windows and all was silent.

Paige suddenly shuddered as that odd feeling passed over her body, accompanied by a light coming from somewhere on the dashboard before disappearing again. She remembered feeling it the same night she had snuck out to street race with him when her leg was injured. Now she and Miko both stared in shock and confusion at where it had disappeared.

"What was that?" Miko asked the same question going through Paige's head.

"I scanned Paige," Knockout replied simply, as if the answer was obvious. "And yes, I had done the same thing that night you drove with an injured leg."

Paige blinked at the radio several times as she processed this information. "...Why?"

"I notice things, remember? You injured your hand this time. What happened?"

The girls exchanged a glance, both unsure if they wanted to speak of what had transpired that day. But when the medic questioned again with a more insistent tone, they leaned back against their seats with defeated sighs, both looking a little unnerved and unknowingly making the Con uneasy at what they were about to tell him.

"We, uh…" Paige cleared her throat when her voice faltered, the memory of their near-death experience surfacing in her mind and causing her to grip her arms. "We went on a scouting mission with Jack, Bulkhead, and Arcee at an abandoned Energon mine the Cons had dug out five years ago. They must have left some Energon because that's how we got a signal. We ended up separating in the tunnels and somehow… it collapsed, nearly burying us alive." She felt the interior flinch slightly and grow tense at her quiet words.

Miko took over from there. "We would have, if Bulk hadn't held up the ceiling to keep us from being crushed," she said, just as quietly.

"Both of us tried to dig a way out, but we were using up too much oxygen and our movements were getting slow and clumsy. My hand slipped on a sharp rock and that's how I got this cut." Paige held up her left hand to indicate the neat bandage wrapped around her palm. "Anyway, we would've been goners if Jack hadn't showed up with a drill that was left behind and kept Starscream from grabbing us-"

"Wait, Starscream was there?!" Knockout interjected in surprise. "Why was he there?"

The girls exchanged equally confused looks and shrugged. "I still don't know why he was down there," Paige responded. "Apparently Megatron was too, but we never saw him." She shrugged again, gaining a contemplative hum from the radio.

"...Well, I'm glad you were able to escape that terrible situation."

Miko blinked in surprise and Paige simply smiled softly, touched by his words of relief. She traced her fingers along the red lights on the steering wheel, feeling it tremble beneath her feather-light touch. "Thanks, Knockout."

He hummed in response once she placed her hand back into her lap, and silence fell over the cab.

…for at least thirty seconds before Miko couldn't handle it.

"Hey, Dock Knock, do you like heavy metal?"

Paige was not thrilled with the movie.

It was bad enough that they were watching it from a vantage point out of sight from the other viewers - and still had a clear view of the screen. The surround sound and base was amazing at first, but as the movie continued she began to loathe it.

Camping out on a small hill overlooking the area, Knockout stayed in his altmode to be inconspicuous in case any of the people below happened to notice them. Paige and Miko sat on his hood, their shoes off so they didn't get his pretty paint job dirty as they listened to him play the audio with his windows open for them. Miko was enthralled with the movie, eyes shining as she leaned forward with her legs in a criss-cross fashion. Paige on the other hand sat with her knees bent and hugged to her chest as she watched cautiously. It would've been hard to tell if Knockout was enjoying the movie or not, but he would laugh and make comments at the expense of the movie cast.

Paige felt like she was the only one not enjoying herself, which was probably true. Although she could hear a few screams from the audience below as well when a jumpscare happened. She would flinch and hide her face in her knees before peeking back at the screen. This was hurting her heart, and she loathed it.

Why did it have to be a scary movie? She inwardly whined.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, nearly making her jump off the vehicle. But she managed to rein in her fright and pulled out her phone to check the message, hoping it wasn't her guardian. She blinked in surprise as she read it.

From K.O.: Not enjoying yourself?

She bit her lip before replying.

To K.O.: Eh… horror movies aren't my thing

From K.O.: Get inside

The message was accompanied by the sound of the driver door opening. She glanced back at it in surprise, just as the killer made a surprise attack with a loud shriek of music following it, and it spurred her into action. With a squeak, she quickly slid off the hood and dove into the cab, quickly hiding her face in her hands once she was settled in the seat. There was a quiet chuckle and a seat belt slid across her body slowly, pulling her back against the seat as it clicked into place. She allowed herself to relax against the seat as it began to grow warm and she peeked through her fingers.

It was frustrating that she couldn't see his facial expressions, but she heard the quiet chuckle through the music coming from his speakers. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and lowered her hands into her lap as she leaned her head back against the headrest of the seat. It didn't matter that she couldn't see the screen from this angle, she was just glad for a moment to relax. She closed her eyes and suddenly she felt the seat begin to vibrate. She recognized it, having gotten accustomed to the feeling from her own guardian. But it surprised her.

Knockout had never purred since she had met him. This was the first time.

The thought had her face growing hot with a blush. He's comforting me, she realized. A small smile pulled at her lips and she moved her hand towards the nearest thing she could reach - the armrest on the door. She lightly traced her fingers back and forth across the material and, had there not been a pause in sound from the movie, she wouldn't have noticed him shudder beneath her fingertips. It made her smile grow and a little sigh escaped her as she fully relaxed in his seat.

"Thank you, Knockout…" She whispered softly, grateful for what he was doing. A small hum was his only response but she didn't mind.

Needless to say, the three of them had enjoyed their night out together. Knockout had indeed not been fond of the genre of music that Miko favored most. However, he did indulge them by allowing music they enjoyed singing along to, and had found it quite amusing to witness them making goofy gestures as they did. It was a way for them to relax after the movie they had watched. By the time he had dropped them back off at their rendezvous point, with a promise that he'd talk to her another time, it was late and Paige was tired.

"We hung out with a Con," Miko whispered incredulously, having a hard time believing the night they just had while making their way back to the garage.

Paige shot a tired but warning glare in her friend's direction. "Not a word of this to anyone. Not the bots, and especially the boys. I mean nobody."

Miko quickly threw up her hands with an innocent smile. "I won't, I won't!"

The brunette eyed her for a few moments, as if not believing her, before dropping the look and returning her attention to the path they were walking. Silence fell between them for all of ten seconds.

"But you didn't say it couldn't go in the scrapbook."

"Wh- When did you even take a picture?! Delete it!"

"You haven't even seen it!"

"Show me and then delete it!"

"No way! It's a really good one and I won't have another opportunity to get another like it!"

"Oh my God, I did not look like that!"

"You totally did! You both screamed!"

"Did not!"

"You totally did. And look at this!"

"...When did you take that?"

"After you hid inside. You dozed off and he laid the seat back for you."

"That's… actually a nice picture. Can you send it to me?"

"Sure!"

Just something a little cute and fun before we get back to the episodes in the next chapter! Now Miko knows about their friendship lol

I do also want to mention that I drew a new cover image for the story! It's of Paige and both Knockout and Swiftblade's holoforms! Hope you like it~