CHAPTER EIGHT IS FINALLY HERE! Sorry it took so long, I've been SO busy…anyway, in case you don't remember, this chapter starts the solar cycle right after the last chapter, at lunchtime, when Microdigit is trying to ask Fireblast on a date. Will he be able to finally ask out his crush? Let's find out!

…

Microdigit had a death grip on his lunchtime oil canister, even though he felt too sick to even open it. There was Fireblast, sitting across the table, sipping Autobot motor oil—even when she was grimacing, she still looked so beautiful (most Decepticons, as Microdigit knew, didn't much care for Autobot motor oil).

This delectable Decepticon was so out of his league…if he asked her out, he would definitely get a "no" and a broken spark to go with it…but was Percy right? Was she worth the risk?

Before he could lose his nerve, Microdigit sprang up from the table, walked over to his crush, and gently touched her wing. "Um…Fireblast?"

Surprised, she turned around in her chair and said, "What?"

"Could I see you in the science lab?" he asked, hating the way his voice was quavering. His whole body was trembling; he felt like his spark chamber was going to explode. He had never been this scared in his life. Quite frankly, he would rather have faced down Megatron himself, unarmed, than attempt to charismatically ask out this femme.

"What for?"

"I want to talk about something…scientific," said Microdigit, even though he couldn't really think how romance related to science in any way (part of why romance was so confusing). They walked down the hall to the science lab, walked inside, and once they got there, Fireblast looked at Microdigit, waiting for him to say something. Microdigit opened his mouth then closed it again, trying to think of the right words to say to her.

"Well?" asked Fireblast. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Come on, Microdigit, be a mech! Microdigit thought, and reached for her servo with his own trembling one. "Well, um…I was just…I was just wondering if you might want to…"

Fireblast was watching Microdigit. By now, she was pretty sure he was trying to ask her out. After all, he had been staring at her all solar cycle; he hadn't touched his breakfast or his lunch; and he seemed horribly nervous.

If he IS asking me out…Fireblast sighed and used the time Microdigit spent stuttering to formulate her response. She pictured going on a date with this mech and what it would be like to kiss him—he had most likely never kissed anyone before, so it might be a pretty awkward kiss, but then again, she had never kissed anyone before, either.

Of course, she hadn't forgotten her thoughts from the night before—how she might think of him as more than a friend, and if so, shouldn't she say "yes"?

"Umm…Fireblast?" asked Microdigit, and Fireblast realized he had been silent for several cycles, waiting for a response.

"What?" she said.

"I asked, did you want to maybe, you know, go out for a barrel of oil or something tomorrow evening?" Microdigit was blushing furiously.

"Sure!" replied Fireblast. Just as I thought!

Microdigit's mouth dropped open in shock. "W-What?"

"I said I'll go out with you," she repeated, smiling. "What have we got to lose?"

That night, in bed…

Microdigit was staring up at the ceiling, so many emotions filling his spark. The first, of course, was happiness. FIREBLAST HAD SAID YES TO HIM! YES! That was the best thing to ever happen in the history of the universe!

The second thing, though, was…nervousness. How would he act on this date? Did she want him to kiss her? Probably—she most likely wanted a kiss, but how would he do it? Should he just close his optics and kiss? Or did she want more romance? Microdigit couldn't stress it enough—he just wasn't good at romance.

After that it was nausea. Did she want something MORE than kissing? Like…did she want him to…touch her? Not that he would mind doing that. Fireblast was beautiful, inside and out, but he had never even kissed a femme before, much less allowed his servos to "roam". Or maybe…

OH DEAR PRIMUS, what if she wanted him to INTERFACE with her? He couldn't try to get between her legs yet! He wasn't ready! And besides, what if Fireblast wasn't a virgin? What if she had lost her virginity to some Decepticon who was great in bed and she was expecting Microdigit to compare to him? There was no way he could possibly do that!

Of course, he knew what 'facing was, since he had to take a class on it in Autobot School (so embarrassing!), but he had never learned from personal experience! And the only time he talked about it with his family was when his parents told him his main goal in terms of "mating" was to find a femme who could "produce" as many sparklings as possible.

Besides that class (and his parents' reminding him to find a mate who could give birth to as many sparklings as possible), Microdigit hadn't ever discussed 'facing with anyone, and he had never 'faced with anyone. In that class he took the teacher-bot said, "If you aren't sure if you're ready, then you're not ready yet."

I am DEFINITELY not ready yet, thought Microdigit. Besides, he knew that maybe, if he wasn't careful, he could get her pregnant. And he also knew that Autobot Law stated that if he did get her pregnant he would have to pay "sparkling support" until the sparkling was grown up. Perceptor was kind enough to pay him for the internship, but Microdigit was saving that money for college later on! And if Fireblast got pregnant, he would have to spend his intern savings on the sparkling and work his way through college, if he went at all!

But then again, the rules stated that he would have to pay "sparkling support" if he impregnated an Autobot. If he impregnated a Decepticon…well, actually, the Elite Guard would most likely just take the sparkling away and condemn both parents. And…didn't Fireblast say her father was commander-in-chief of the Decepticon aerial forces? Microdigit shuddered at the thought of what Starscream would do if he knew his daughter had been impregnated by an Autobot. Most likely, he would kill the Autobot. Microdigit didn't want his lifecycle to end that way!

Okay, calm DOWN, Microdigit told himself. You haven't even kissed her yet, much less 'faced with her.

Microdigit tried to remember what his teacher-bots had told him and the rest of the students about 'facing, but it had been a long time ago. Mostly, he had been trying to do his work just like he did with all his other classes, even though he was SO embarrassed the whole time. Almost all the other sparklings had to stay after class for "unruly conduct" (whatever that meant). Most likely, some of them were 'facing already!

When a mech and a femme love each other very much…those were a few words still in his memory core, but the teacher-bots hadn't discussed the weird feelings he got when she touched him, or how scared he became, or, well, basically anything. All they said was—mech penetrates, femme receives…but it was not that simple.

Microdigit felt so nervous and yet somehow…aroused. Oh no, he was pressurizing again. For some reason that always happened whenever he thought about things like this, or when they touched each other, or even when they were in close proximity. He wasn't familiar at all with feelings like this—physical or emotional—and he couldn't decide if he liked them or not. Sometimes he was okay with them, and sometimes he wished they would just stop…but most of the time, he was just confused.

Then again, this was Fireblast he was thinking about.

…

As she hugged her pillow close, Fireblast was remembering the few times she and Skydive had discussed 'facing. Skydive was the only one she could talk to about it—not that she had ever expected a mech to ask her for it, she was just…curious, and Primus knows Swordslash and Skydive did more than recharge in the bedroom.

If truth be told, Microdigit hadn't mentioned 'facing, but now that he had asked her out, Fireblast found herself wondering about it again. What if he did ask her? Should she say "yes"? Of course, it was a ridiculous thought. Microdigit was scared of kissing. Fireblast almost found herself laughing at the thought of him asking her if she wanted to interface. Quite possibly, he didn't even know how to do it. After all, he was pretty innocent.

So she knew that if she ever wanted to interface with him, she would probably have to ask him. Not that she was completely sure she was ready. She tried to remember what Skydive had told her, to do it with the right mech. How could she know if Microdigit was the right mech?

Skydive had described 'facing as "the most wonderful feeling in the universe"…but Fireblast decided that must be wrong. Trying to 'face with Microdigit would be extremely awkward, especially because it was her first time, and his first time, too, most likely. And wasn't the first time supposed to be horribly painful? How could 'facing feel good if it was painful? That didn't make any sense at all.

Fireblast never thought she would want her sister here, but now she did. After all, by now Skydive and Swordslash had probably already had the wedding, so now Skydive was married. If she was here, or if Fireblast was back at base, Skydive could have told her what married life was like. Although a couple could spark-bond without a wedding (and weddings didn't always have spark-bonding), Fireblast knew her sister and Swordslash were going to spark-bond at their wedding, so maybe Skydive could explain that to her, too.

Even though she didn't want it, Fireblast felt the sting of hot tears leaking out of her optics. She never thought she would feel homesick—never, ever, ever—but at home, Skydive had always answered Fireblast's questions (like if Swordslash was her spark-mate, or how good he was in bed), and never made fun of her or acted like she was stupid. And no matter how rude Fireblast was to her, she had almost never retaliated.

Why do I miss her? Fireblast asked herself, feeling confused. She probably isn't searching for me at all—they're probably on their honeymoon or something.

Fireblast looked around the guest room and thought of Microdigit and her recent discovery of how much she loved experimenting with him in Percy's lab, and how nobody was pressuring her to learn to fly here, and how they seemed to respect her, and hey, she had just been asked out! Who cares about base?

After that she smiled to herself and thought of what the date might be like—oil with a mech she liked spending time with; maybe a kiss; probably no 'facing…it would be fun. After all, there was a reason she had run away; this was her home now, and she was going to enjoy it.

The next evening, right before the date…

Fireblast was standing in the guest room in front of her mirror, touching up and getting ready for her date; she was both nervous and excited at the same time. Since she had never been on a date before, she didn't quite know what to expect.

One thing she thought might happen was a kiss—not necessarily on the lips, even though she wouldn't mind kissing her potential boyfriend on the lips. Maybe he'd just kiss her on the forehead or the cheek or something. With all due respect, it was hard for her to imagine Microdigit kissing her lips. That was a little too bold for him, if you asked her. If he almost went offline when he asked her out, then how could he manage to initiate a romantic kiss?

Microdigit didn't know what to expect from the date either, as he tried to soothe his hyperventilating. What had he done? He had just asked Fireblast out, that's what he'd done, and maybe she was in love with him now—could it be?—but once they were finished with their date, she would see him for the fool he was!

Horrible visions of what could happen on their date ran through Microdigit's processor—what if they were talking and he ran out of things to say? What if he spilled his oil canister all over her? What if she wanted to KISS him? Of course, he found himself pressurizing just at the thought of her soft lips on his (they would be sweet as sugarcane, he knew), but still…let's just say it was easier fantasized about than done.

The date was to be at 6:00 P.M. sharp (since at this time of year it got dark early), and Microdigit was startled when his alarm went off, telling him it was time to go to the main monitor room to meet her (he had the alarm set for 5:30, actually, just so he wouldn't be late). He ran as fast as he could to the main monitor room, which was completely deserted.

Microdigit, still feeling nervous, sat himself down in front of the TV. Someone had left on the popular TV show Autobot Makeover Madness, so Microdigit just decided to watch it.

The show was just beginning. This time the makeover patient was a very ugly young mech, who was begging the makeover experts for help.

"I struggle every day with my self-confidence and appearance," he was saying. "I was hoping you could help me."

"Don't worry," said one of the makeover experts. "We're trained professionals."

"You know what they say," the other one added. "If Autobot Makeover Madness can't fix you, then nothing can!"

Then they laughed, and the makeover patient looked scared.

Microdigit sat through the whole program, glad to have something to distract him from his nerves. It was pretty standard—the mech got a makeover, he got more self-confidence, everything turned out happy. At the very end of the program, the makeover patient's family and friends get to see what he looks like at the end of the makeover, and that was what Microdigit was watching right now.

"Are you ready for this?" Makeover Expert No. 1 asked.

"I-I don't think so," he told her, shaking. "What if they don't like it?"

"I'm sure they will," Makeover No. 2 reassured him. "After all, you look a lot better than you did before."

"Um…I don't know if that's a compliment or not, but…okay," the makeover patient said. After taking a deep breath, he walked out onstage, where his family and friends were waiting—and then there was a loud SSSCCCRRREEEAAAMMM!

Microdigit jumped, startled—then he realized it was just the audience, shocked at how good the makeover patient looked now. What a good ending for the show! Microdigit started clapping, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um…are you ready for our date, Microdigit?" asked Fireblast, laughing a little. "I didn't know you were into Autobot Makeover Madness."

"I'm not," he told her, face flushing. "I just…I mean, somebody left it on and since I got here a little early I just decided to watch it."

"I see." Fireblast smiled and he stood up. "Did you know that's my sister's favorite TV show back at the Decepticon base?"

"Really?" Microdigit looked shocked. "You guys get Autobot channels? And you watch them?"

"Yeah, we do," Fireblast replied. "We have a huge TV that gets over 800 channels, including most of the Autobot channels. For as long as I can remember, Skydive's been hooked on Autobot Makeover Madness. It's her favorite, besides the Seeker channel."

"Skydive? Is that your sister's name?"

Fireblast nodded. "That's her."

"So…she's a Seeker too?" asked Microdigit. "I mean, I assumed she was, if she watches that channel, right?"

"She is, and a very good one at that," Fireblast told him shortly, feeling a little upset again. "I really don't want to talk about this, okay? My sister and I don't exactly have a good relationship."

"I'm sorry," said Microdigit. "You're lucky you get channels from both sides, though. On this ship we don't get any of the Decepticon channels, even though some of them are supposed to be pretty good."

"Oh, yeah, Megatron loves the ones with the horror movies," Fireblast replied, rolling her optics. "And there are a lot of comedies. There was this one about a group of Decepticons who get enrolled in Autobot Academy but they break all the rules—you should've seen the energon party scene…so funny."

"Energon party?" Microdigit's optics were so wide. "Those were banned by the Elite Guard long ago, especially at Autobot Academy…but I heard Megatron throws some really wild energon parties. True?"

"Absolutely true," Fireblast told him. "You should see how drunk he always gets—it's hilarious. Just make sure you don't get blasted by the cannon. His aim gets pretty off when he's wasted."

Microdigit looked shocked, and Fireblast laughed.

"So, anyway, I was hoping we could get some oil out of the refrigerator and go take a little walk around downtown Detroit," said Microdigit, nervously. "Cool?"

"Cool, except I blatantly look like a Decepticon, remember?" Fireblast replied. "I'll probably get shot at or captured or something."

"No, you're with me, and you've got Autobot stickers on your wings," Microdigit reminded her. "With me, you are safe."

…

The late October breeze was chilly, but Fireblast and Microdigit had both turned on their internal heating systems—similar to a car heater, but more powerful. They were both sipping Autobot motor oil, walking down the street—since they were giant robots, it was a little hard to avoid all the cars, so they tried to stay closer to the sidewalk.

"I have a surprise for you," Microdigit said mischievously.

"Really? What is it?"

"Well it wasn't easy but…" Microdigit smiled and held out a barrel of Decepticon motor oil. "Here you go. I know how much you hate Autobot motor oil."

"Wha—where did you get this?" asked Fireblast, grabbing it from him.

"I ran into that black market dealer—Swindle, I think his name is—he offered to sell me some barrels of Decepticon oil…at a modest price."

"Where did you run into him?" Fireblast looked confused as she opened the Decepticon oil canister and took a long sip, relishing the flavor. This was the real thing, all right.

"Well, actually I did something bad," Microdigit admitted, blushing. "I was out shopping for some new science equipment and I had Percy's credit card, so…"

"So you charged Decepticon oil to Percy's credit card account," Fireblast laughed. "Nice. See if he ever trusts you with his credit card again. And next time you see Swindle, know that no matter what, he'll try and sell you something. Basically he's an arms dealer, but not exclusively. He's the one who sold us our awesome TV."

"Hmm…Percy would definitely notice if I charged a seventy-two inch flat screen TV with surround-sound speakers and a DVD/VCR player to his credit card account," said Microdigit, smiling. "And Ultra Magnus would get pretty mad if he saw me watching the Decepticon channels."

"Too bad," Fireblast replied. "You know, you Autobots have too many rules. No energon parties, no Decepticon channels, no staying up after eleven, your oil tastes like water, you're required to take the AAT…did you know that at home, I'm allowed to stay up as late as I want, as long as I don't wake up Megatron?"

"Wow…that's crazy." Microdigit looked curiously at the Decepticon oil his potential girlfriend was holding. "Um…could I…try a little bit of that? I was always curious to see what it tastes like."

"Sure!" Fireblast handed it over. "Just don't drink it all, okay?"

Fireblast watched as Microdigit took a huge gulp of Megatron's "special mixture", then spit it out almost immediately after—he had never tried it before and was a little shocked at the taste. Fireblast, meanwhile, was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Wow…that stuff is really strong," said Microdigit, wiping off his mouth. "What does Megatron put in it?"

"I don't know, but it sure tastes better than your oil," Fireblast told him. "Don't tell Magnus I said that, though, okay?"

"No problem," Microdigit replied, smiling.

They continued down the sidewalk, avoiding cars and talking. Microdigit had gone back to drinking Autobot motor oil—Decepticon motor oil was just a bit too strong, if you asked him. Fireblast, of course, was drinking the Decepticon motor oil Swindle had sold to Microdigit.

Finally, once it was mostly dark out (around seven or so), the two of them sat down on the ground in front of a skyscraper to take a little rest. (Obviously, all of the benches were much too small.) Fireblast set her oil canister down, took a deep breath, and finally said, "I know we haven't known each other for long, Microdigit…but I feel like…like a special connection has been made. Do you know what I mean?"

"Um…yeah! Yeah, I know what you mean!" Microdigit nodded happily—he was so glad he had worked up the courage to ask Fireblast out. It had been worth it! And she was right—the more they talked, the more comfortable he got with her. She was smart and pretty, and she had an easygoing, fun-loving personality, too. All of this together made him just…drawn to her.

Hmm…he's staring at me again, thought Fireblast, and she smiled. Now she knew it had been such a good idea to say "yes" to Microdigit. After all, he was such a sweet little mech, and she could tell he cared for her so much. Maybe a relationship between the two of them had some potential.

Softly, gently, Fireblast reached over and wrapped her own servo around Microdigit's. Shocked, he looked down at her servo in his, then up at her smiling face—she wanted to hold servos? Before he could lose his courage again, Microdigit gave Fireblast's servo a quick squeeze, she squeezed back, and they held servos all the way back to the ship.

…

It was pitch-black outside by the time the two were back at the ship. Microdigit and Fireblast were right outside the entrance, staring shyly into each other's optics.

"I-I had a good time tonight, Fireblast," said Microdigit, a little awkwardly.

"So did I," Fireblast replied. "I really did."

"Well, um, sweet dreams, then." Microdigit smiled, and since the date was over he thought maybe she would go off to bed, but she didn't.

Hmm…I wonder if he's going to kiss me or not, Fireblast was thinking. Maybe I should kiss him first? Or should I just wait for him to kiss me? Which would be the most romantic?

Fireblast smiled as seductively as she could and wrapped her arms around Microdigit's neck, hinting pretty hard—kiss, KISS, KISS!

Microdigit watched as Fireblast's optics slowly shut but she kept her arms around his neck and it finally clicked—he was RIGHT! She did want him to kiss her! Now was the moment—he just had to do it before he lost his nerve. During the date he had been thinking about how he wanted to kiss her, and if she would be okay with kissing him back…but now that the time had come, he felt a little too shy.

Don't be scared, he told himself. You can do this!

So he tenderly placed both servos on her shoulders, closed his optics too, drew her just a little closer, and—

Quickly, Fireblast opened her optics and sighed. Just a kiss on the cheek? Microdigit was blushing a little, looking at his feet, but then he looked up and asked, "So was it…was it okay?"

"It was fine," she said, smirking. "But when you become brave enough to give a real kiss, let me know."