"What?" Tomato looked around the place confusedly.
"It's me, Blueberry!"
Tomato turned around, and yes, it was Blueberry. Of course, she now had a brand-new replacement leg, and she looked as good as new. She turned her head and smiled slightly.
"Oh, um, hi, Blueberry," Tomato replied, knowing he was blushing again. "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were at school."
"I didn't have school today," Blueberry explained. "And when I found out we were heading out to another battle, I just had to come along…because I knew you'd be there."
"Oh, well, thank you." Tomato smiled on the outside, but on the inside, he felt very nervous. Now was the time when he was to get her contact info. It's like the Branding Ceremony, he reminded himself. It's best to just get the hard part over with.
"Tomato?" Blueberry waved one servo across Tomato's face. "You okay?"
"I-I, umm…" Tomato couldn't find the right words to say, but he racked his CPU for what he was supposed to be saying…oh yeah! "I was going to ask, Blueberry, do you—do you want to exchange contact info?"
"Sure!" Blueberry told him cheerfully. The two of them used their built-in notepad systems to record email addresses and phone numbers, so that they could enter them into their data pads later. Then, they could communicate.
"So, do you want to call me after the battle is finished and you're back on the Elite Guard ship?" Tomato asked Blueberry.
"Of course," she replied, and then commented, "It's pretty weird seeing our two sides fighting each other, isn't it?"
"And I don't think it's as black-and-white as everybody thinks it is, either," Tomato added. "Both sides have their strengths and weaknesses."
"Absolutely," Blueberry agreed, nodding. "Actually, I'm surprised the others haven't caught onto that yet."
"Maybe someday they will." Tomato shrugged.
Neither of them talked for a little after that, inducing a few terribly awkward moments. Tomato wished he knew the right thing to say right now, but he didn't.
"Quit standing around and fight like a Decepticon!" Tomato suddenly heard someone holler, and before he knew it, Megatron was yanking him back into battle…and back into reality, too. Tomato and Blueberry waved goodbye to each other, while Megatron continued, "We're outnumbered, Tomato, and we have to fight as hard as we can!"
"Yes, my liege!" Tomato managed to snap successfully back into warrior mode. Swiftly, he began to resume his fight with Bumblebee, when Ultra Magnus got a call from the Elite Guard ship. It was Perceptor, the Elite Guard's head scientist.
"Ultra Magnus, sir!" Perceptor cried urgently. "Mutation in the science lab gone wild! We need all hands on deck!"
Tomato looked over at Blueberry when she heard Perceptor say the words "mutation in the science lab", and he could tell that she was just brimming with excitement.
Ultra Magnus called out, "This battle is over, Autobots! We must get back to the science lab, pronto!"
Not long after, the Elite Guard members were on their way home. As soon as they were gone, all the Decepticons cheered. Sure, they had only won by default, but they had still won.
…
After the battle, Tomato went to his room to wait for Blueberry and her call, and after a bit (though it seemed like megacycles), his com. link rang. He answered, and there was a projection of Blueberry's smiling face.
"So…what was up with that mutation?" Tomato asked her, partly because he was curious, and partly because he knew she would want to tell him about it.
"Oh, it was great!" she told him happily. "I was able to hone my scientist skills when I helped Percy get rid of it!"
"Percy?"
"Yeah, that's what we call our head scientist, Perceptor," Blueberry explained, giggling. "I don't think he likes it, but we do it anyway."
"Okay…" Tomato shrugged and smiled.
"Anyway, I was thinking, Tomato, what do you think of getting together again tonight?" asked Blueberry. "I have a special surprise planned."
"Oh, um, that'd be great, Blueberry," Tomato told her. "What's your surprise?"
"Well, I can't tell you, because then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Blueberry replied, grinning.
LATER THAT NIGHT…
Just like last time, Tomato carefully snuck out of the Nemesis when everybody else was sleeping and walked over to the Elite Guard's ship. Just like last time, he brought a barrel of oil for Blueberry, because he knew she would love it.
This time around, he wasn't as nervous; after all, he had snuck out to see her before, and everything went fine then, didn't it? They had gotten to know each other better, which was a very important thing if they were ever to have a relationship.
When Tomato arrived at the Elite Guard ship, Blueberry came outside. She was carrying a picnic basket and a blanket.
"We're going to have a picnic?" asked Tomato. This was a surprise.
"Not just a picnic," Blueberry told him happily. "It's a candlelit picnic for two."
Tomato smiled and shyly took her servo in his, and she led him to a nice, quiet spot on the ground. He spread the picnic blanket, while she emptied out the basket's contents. Inside there was energon and oil. Tomato was glad he'd brought along Decepticon oil, because he couldn't stand Autobot oil.
"So…what's this picnic for?" Tomato asked her, as he opened a cube of energon and took a big sip.
"Oh, I just thought it would be nice," Blueberry replied gently, lighting a candle and placing it in between the two of them.
After drinking some more energon, Tomato said, "This picnic is really nice, Blueberry."
"You know, Tomato, it's strange," Blueberry said, smiling, then her expression turned more serious. "I didn't think very highly of Decepticons…until I met you."
Tomato almost choked on his energon, but tried to resume his cool as soon as possible. He gave her a smile and finished off his energon. As soon as he finished it, he reached for another cube, just as she finished her Autobot oil and reached for another barrel at the same time—and their servos met.
Even though Tomato was extremely embarrassed and preparing to yank his servo back, Blueberry shook her head and placed her servo right on top of this, staring directly into his optics. Tomato had no idea if she wanted him to kiss her, or to talk, or to just drink his energon while they held hands, or who knows what else.
"It's okay, Tomato," she reassured him gently.
Tomato felt his spark beating quickly again as they looked into each other's optics. Again, if Blueberry was nervous, she certainly wasn't showing it.
I should kiss her, Tomato was telling himself. She wants me to kiss her, I know it.
Taking a deep breath in, Tomato leaned in toward Blueberry's face, wanting to kiss her but still so scared. I'm going to kiss her on her lips, he kept on telling himself. I've got to kiss her on her lips!
Before he knew it, though, he had lost his courage, and gave her a warm hug instead. After they had parted, he put his head down, then lifted it up slowly. She was smiling.
"Blueberry, I know we've only known each other for a few solar cycles," he told her. "I-I feel so happy around you, though. Like we, you know, should—should be together. I mean, like, not together-together, I mean, if you don't want to, or, what I mean is—"
"I know what you mean, Tomato," Blueberry whispered softly, and drew his faceplates closer to hers again. She closed her optics and planted a quick kiss on his forehead, then they hugged each other again.
"Thanks, Blueberry." Tomato smiled gratefully.
"No problem." Blueberry stood up. "Well, I guess we should be getting home now."
Tomato nodded, then he stood up too. "Should we go to my place first and then you go off to the Elite Guard ship, like last time?"
"Yes, definitely," Blueberry replied, and reached for his servo. Shocked but happy, Tomato gave it a squeeze, she squeezed back, and they walked back to the Nemesis, together.
…
It wasn't long before Tomato and Blueberry reached the Nemesis. Their servos separated and they stood facing each other, right in front of the entrance.
"Thank you for our night, Blueberry," said Tomato, brushing one servo gently across Blueberry's faceplates.
"Oh, no, thank you," she replied, taking his servos in hers. "I had a great time."
"So did I," Tomato told her. "I love picnics…and I learned that they're even better when they're with you."
Blueberry turned her head and smiled slightly, but didn't say a word. Tomato found himself smiling, too, and this time he knew he was going to kiss her—on the lips, too. There was only an inch of space between their lips…less than an inch…
"TOMATO! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"
That voice did not sound like Blueberry's. Tomato quickly yanked his lips away from hers and spun around.
It was Megatron.
Standing right behind them.
Before Tomato knew it, he felt Megatron's painful grip on his shoulder, and within moments, Megatron was yelling at him, worse than ever before.
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" Megatron hollered. "WHEN YOUR SUPERIOR ASKES YOU SOMETHING, YOU ANSWER HIM!"
"Umm…I don't know," Tomato said nervously.
"Be on your way!" Megatron told Blueberry sharply; she quickly transformed into a dark-blue compact car and sped away. Megatron picked Tomato up by his head again.
"Please, Lord Megatron, I can explain!" Tomato cried fearfully.
"I'm sure you can," Megatron told him, his voice low and signaling danger yet to come. He was still clinging to Tomato's head and letting him dangle above the ground.
"I-I was…umm…" Tomato couldn't think of a word to say.
"YOU WERE SNEAKING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND COMMITING TREASON IS WHAT YOU WERE DOING!" Megatron bellowed, letting go of Tomato's head and letting him land hard on the ground.
"No, really, my liege, I-I wasn't!" Tomato insisted nervously.
"Then what were you doing?"
"Umm…I-I don't know?" Tomato offered quietly, and upon seeing Megatron's reaction, he knew he was in trouble.
"I could expect treason from someone like Starscream, but I expect more from you, Tomato!" Megatron yelled at Tomato, who was still on the ground. "There is no excuse for this!"
"Please, sir, I—"
"So that's who you've been seeing!" Tomato could practically see the steam shooting out of his leader's ears; he had never seen him this mad before. "Not only are you sneaking out at night, but you're seeing an Autobot! Dear Primus, have I taught you nothing? Did you really think you could get away with this?! Collaborating with an Autobot?! Have you blown a diode?!"
"Lord Megatron, if you would only let me—"
"Hand over your com. link!" Megatron shouted. "And give me your data pad too! You are to stay in your room, without them, until further notice!"
"Please, don't take them away!" Tomato knew he couldn't communicate with Blueberry without these things. "If you would just—"
"NOT ANOTHER WORD!" Megatron roared, harshly pulling Tomato up off the ground and standing him up. "AND I AM NEVER TO CATCH YOU SNEAKING OUT AGAIN, EVER! IS THAT CLEAR?!"
"Crystal, sir," Tomato whimpered, saluting, and bolted off to his room.