Even as the sun grew closer to the horizon, the base stayed lively. Soldiers could be heard racing around through the slushy snow. The day itself had warmed up a considerable amount, enough to melt some of the snow. It all sounded like people were finally coming out of hibernation after the cold winter months of Colville.
The position of the sun reminded me after cuddling with Sides for a while: Ratchet. He wanted me back at sunset or when it started. With all the movement and excitement that had occurred on my first day awake, I was beat and tired. But knowing the repercussions of not following Ratchet's order made me sit up. He's scary if you don't listen to him.
Sides didn't let me stay up though and pulled me back down to my original position. "Sides, I need to go to my check up or else we'll all have a pissed off medic up our asses," I argued and pushed weakly against the bigger opponent. My words earned a snort from Sunstreaker. He chuckled quietly, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
"She's right, he'll be over here in a spark beat if she isn't there," Sunstreaker defended me and twisted his chair to face the two us. His legs wide, an elbow rested on the desk's edge, the other on his thigh. A passive expression on his face.
With the conflict mostly cleared from earlier, our bond passed each other's emotions. The mech was content, but just a hint riled up. It seemed whatever he was working was helping him.
His red twin on the other wasn't as calm. A loud groaned passed his lips as he rolled over onto his back and pulled me with him. His superior strength outmatched mine which made it impossible to get out of his hold without fighting dirty. "Nooo, I don't want her to leave. Hatchet can go suck a spike," Sides whined and held me uncomfortably against his protruding chest plates.
Sunstreaker raised a brow before coming to my rescue. "As much as I would love for her to stay, you know what Ratchet would do, especially to our paint. I'm not risking that for a simple check up." The yellow mech stood next to his lying brother. "Now, brother of mine, let go."
Thankfully, he didn't fight much and let his hold go slack with a whine. As I got to my feet, I patted Sides' chest plate and stretched out my wings. "Hmmm, beautifully strong," Sides lazily complimented and ran his finger tips down my spine. I rolled my eyes, hiding a smile from him, and jumped off of the bed. The muscles in my legs protested with a dull ache.
I turned towards the two and walked backwards, halfway to the door. "Are you guys coming with? Or are you two not wanting to face Ratchet?" A teasing tone in my voice.
That earned me an unheated glare from the both of them. "Okay, then. I guess I'll have to traverse there all by myself." I shrugged my shoulder, unconcerned, and padded out of the hangar.
The cool air greeted me on this fine, late afternoon. Winter was still here, clearly due to the snow, more like mush, on the ground. Yet, its hold on the area could be seen slipping and fading: the warmer temperatures, melting snow, humans partially returning to traveling around the base more. The forests' animals have yet to make an appearance though, many staying more in their burrows and nests.
Ratchet's Med sat off in the distance, on the other side of the row of hangars designed for the Autobots. The trek there wasn't bad, usually, but with more humans moving about, I took flight over the top of said hangars. No matter how many months I've been here, the presences of being around large groups of humans unnerved me; unless it was for battle, but that was completely different.
That thought was for a different time to discuss.
My wings throbbed from lack of use and no time to do a thorough stretch. They protested against use as I glided over the top of the hangars. If only the twins could give me a message. Unfortunately though, their hands are too big for that, no matter what form I'm in.
The entrance to the Med. Bay was closed. So instead of going there, I decided to use the side door. The window took some effort to open but gave easily to my strength. I clambered right in and plopped down on my empty platform. It feels it's been forever since I've slept here… it has been awhile since the twins have opened their room to me.
Inside the hangar stood our main mech: Ratchet. Said bot had heard me coming in and turned around to greet me. "Right on time, Azar. Come on over." His tone was gentle and calm, a small smile on his face. I launch myself off of the platform and glide over to the stand desk he was at.
A few tools, a couple were wrenches, took up some room. My landing wasn't as graceful as usual, my wings feeling sore and unmotivated to work. Ratchet furrowed his brows, both in concern and irritation. "Everything okay? Didn't hurt yourself when I told you not to do anything extreme?" I rolled my eyes and gave him a look.
"No, Hatchet, I didn't. My wings are sore from the lack of flying. That's all," I sassed back and teased him. His expression to 'don't start with me, missy'. I snickered at him and raised my arms high over my head in a big stretch. All of my muscles aching.
It was his turn to roll his eyes. "You've been hanging around the Terror Twins way too much." My expression changed to look fake offended. "You heard me." Meanie. "Come on, I just need a scan, blood, and you to eat some food." I stuck out my tongue at him then pouted. Drawing blood sucks.
"Yeah, yeah, but it has to happen. I'm going to do these more frequent so we don't have another accident on our servos." My upper lip curled up in disgust. "Don't give me that, Azar. We both know it's needed, even if you don't think so. It is." He held out his hand for me to place my arm on.
With great distaste, I handed over the limb and kept my gaze glued to the ground. Even as I attempted to have my attention anywhere but the needle, I could feel it enter my arm. It didn't hurt but that didn't stop me from hissing and baring my fangs.
Ratchet said nothing on the matter and swiftly got the sample and amount he needed. I rubbed at the area with the heel of my hand before irritatingly scratching at the underside of my arm. "There we go. Now, stand still." I did what was told and stood there in a pout.
A tremble raked my body at the strange feeling of the scan. Smoke curled from my nostrils. When he finished with it, I shook off the tingling left behind.
"Okay, miss Dramatic. Everything looks fine and stable." I turned to leave- "hey! You need to eat first then you can go back to your boys." That last was meant to tease me about that one time I called them 'my boys'.
The CMO reached over to the right and picked a tray of food then placed it in front of me. I thanked him and dug in. Over the course of the day, I didn't realize how hungry I became.
"How did tha prank go?" I froze completely mid bite and only to move my eyes over to the sliver bot standing in the hangar doorway.
From this distance, it was hard to tell if he was angry or just normally questioning me. His voice and body language gave away nothing. Ratchet stopped moving when he heard Jazz's voice from the entrance. His brows furrowed as he glanced between me and the mech. "That was you? Primus, the twins are really influencing you. Not in a good way."
I set down the fork and cleared my throat. "Fun," I strained to get out, the word sounding force. "No harm, no foul?" It was a weak attempt to play off the fact that Smokescreen ran into the hangar door and broke it off its tracks.
Out of the corner of my eye, Ratchet glared at me, half-heated. "Uh broken door is harm. Smoke wa' scared sparklass too," Jazz countered and fully entered the hangar to come over to me. "He didn' have any clues on who it could've been bu' we have a sneakin' suspicion it wa' Sides' an' Sunn'. I foun' tracks though of ya." Oh crap…
His frame stopped in front of me. The shade of purple that my scales were darkened as shame filled me. One for being the fact I had left behind evidence, and two that I was caught. Crimson created some partners along my scales. "We only meant for it to be a joke…"
Jazz tilted his head. "It didn' turn ou' tha' way, missy." I fought hard against a recessive instinct to bow my head to a stronger opponent. Instead, I kept myself calm and relax looking by leaning back on my hands and kicked out my legs in front of me.
"Am I in trouble?" This whole scenario made me feel like a little kid again. In trouble for having a little fun. Probably the first and last time since this seems to be the result. Learn from your problems and adapt.
He snorted, his shoulders shaking. "Ah 'ink ya could sneak ou' uhv tha brig, no ma'er wha' we do." My shoulders released the tense they were holding. "Bu', Sides can't. P'owler and ah already pu' him there. It's only for tha nigh' bu' rules are rules. Be more careful nex' 'ime. We don't care if ya have fun, jus' make sure it ain't hurtin' anyone."
"Alright, sounds fair." Even with his visor, I could feel the raise brow thrown at me. "It'll be a lonely night though without him. Sunny and I will dearly miss him." I decided to lighten up the mood with a joke. Jazz chuckled again, his voice smooth and pleasant to hear; no matter that his voice was robotic sounding.
"Ya can always expand your circle of bots. P'owler and ah don't bite. We ain't tha busy if ya wanna han' with us," he offered and crossed his arms, nonchalant.
A small smile graced my lips. It was nice of him to invite me. Something I've rarely, next to never, ever experience. "Thank you, Jazz, I'll keep that in mind." His own smirk growing. The smaller mech dipped his head.
These Cybertronians are different yet similar to humans in their own ways… An alien species from far, far away has many things in common with half of my DNA's kind. So strange and interesting at the same time.
Jazz turned to face Ratchet. "Well, Hatch, I'm gunna be on my way. If ya need meh, ya know how ta reach meh." The mech gazed down at me, "be good, Azar. If ya wanna visit Sideswipe since ya Sunny are gunna miss his aft so dearly, Sunny can show ya where he is." Both him and Ratchet chuckled, the former teasing me. I rolled my eyes then got back to eating the cold food in front of me.
He left us to our own devices. Ratchet got back to whatever he was doing, most likely looking over the scans and whatnot. I continued to eat what was on the plate until it was going. "Foods all finished. I'm going to go drop this off then do draconic things." I picked up the plastic plate with its utensils and headed towards the door.
"Don't do anything stupid!" he called out as I glided out of the hangar. Me? Is he talking to me? He should know I'm a good girl, compared to the twins. I snorted, amused at his words. He should know me better than getting into trouble like Sides and possibly Sunny. I rarely cause trouble unless I'm asking for it on the battle field. That's when it truly gets fun.
With the warming weather, a few more humans milled about. The carpet was soaked when I stepped into the building. It made a crude squelching noise as I walked through it onto the dirty laminate flooring. My talons curled to grip for traction, initiative.
Voices of soldiers protruded from the cafeteria's doorway. The memory from long ago flashed inside of my mind. I stiffened my back and pulled my wings in more before stepping into the room. The sounds quieted down as all eyes landed on me. A heavy sigh sounded from me. What else did I expect? No matter how long I've been here, they will never fully accept me for who I was now.
Smoke curled inconspicuous from my nostrils. Irritation simmered underneath my scales, the many eyes still staring at me. Most of the group had went back to their normal conversation from before. The others though, must not have been around me much, or are just curious; the same way the Sarah was-er is? I shook off the poke over the bond and strolled over to the plate drop off.
A kitchen worker stood in front, someone I've never seen before. Her entire body froze once she saw my massive frame in front of her. I raised an eyebrow in question, keeping my face passive and non-threatening. "Hi," she squeaked out after a few moments of her just staring at me. I set down the plate on the small pile.
"Lighten up, Star! She's not gunna hurt ya." Someone with a masculine voice boasted from behind me. My muscles tensed for a long second then relaxed, feeling nothing dangerous. A few others laughed with him.
Newly named 'Star' cleared her throat and glared down at the plates before her. She looked like she wanted them to combust into flames in her hands. "I know that, asshole," Star's voice was quiet and barely above a whisper. "She's just really hot." That completely caught me off guard. Never in my entire life have I ever heard some say that about me.
"I'm what?" I questioned immediately in reaction, not thinking that my sudden voice would scare her more. Star released a squeal and backed up so her back pressed against the dryer rack behind her. Some of the things on it rattle from her touch. I cringed, regretting my actions. "Sorry."
She once more cleared her throat but stayed where she was. "Aww, little Star is flustered around Midnight," the same voice teased. His friends chuckled again from his words. I, on other hand, felt distaste and turned around to face the group.
A couple of them quieted down and stared down at their food, believing it was the most interesting thing in the room. "Why don't you return to eating your food?" I calmly said, eyes slightly narrowing.
He paused then began to chuckle again, hands raised in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll leave ya alone. Don't get your panties in a twist." Couple of his more daring friends giggled at that comment. I scoffed and took a step towards the group, about to use my larger size to my advantage.
Someone's hand gripped my forearm. I froze immediately and gaze down at the offending limb. It was attached to Star. She shyly swiped her hand back and stared at metal table.
At this point, nearly everyone's eyes had found us. The feeling of that many gazes unnerved. If I was in my other form, the spikes that lined my spine would be sticking outwards. I fully turned around to face Star and tilted my head, resting my hands on the edge of the metal counter. "I've never heard anyone call me 'hot' before unless they are talking about me being on fire."
This surely caught her attention. Star's head snapped up to stare face to face with me. Wonder and curiosity danced within her emerald eyes. "Can you, can you purposely be on fire without hurting yourself?" Star questioned and leaned in closer, eyes flickering all around my body, sometimes sticking on a scar for an extra second.
I dipped my head. "Yeah, my scales are pretty much fire proof." The amazement only grew. A sparkle appeared in her eyes. She went to play with her blonde, shoulder length hair, but realized her gloves were still on.
"Oh? I wanna play twenty questions too. I'll go next: why do you hang around the robots a lot compared us?" it was a different masculine voice, this time higher pitch and nasally. I gave Star a 'really?' and 'gods so help me' look. That got me a quiet laugh out of her.
Without turning around, I answer him, "because of people like you, bitch." Those words caused an uproar of laughter within the group of soldiers, including Star. I could feel the glare coming from the person who dare ask that question. "Now, anyone else want to make themselves a fool in front of everyone too?" I turned my head to glance behind me. A few of the humans were shaking their heads.
"Okay, that was funny," Star comment, head tucked to the side, in a submissive position. I sighed and lowered my stance to my elbows, making myself a little smaller.
"The first guys right though. I'm not going to hurt you or anyone else on this base. I'm here to help and fight alongside the soldiers." It sounded like a promise. In a strange way, it could be taken as one. I wouldn't feel bad if she did. The only time I would hurt someone of William's group is if they caused harm to anyone else on this base.
Star slowly moved her head and eyes to stare straight at me. "I know… I guess I'm not the bravest person to talk to someone who is-" I cut her off, already know what she was going to say. It hurt.
"A monster? I under-" this time she interrupted me but with more force than me.
"God, no! That's not what I was going to say. I was going to say someone who is strong and powerful and moves with such grace and elegance. You are amazing and ridiculously hot." A dream-like look passed over her tanned skinned. Star leaned down to rest an elbow on the counter.
At that moment, I was completely lost for words. Not once in my life has someone said those words. Shock and embarrassment flooded me to my core. The color of my scales shifting to fit that narrative.
Over the bond, I could feel the restlessness of Sides popping up as he seemed to 'move' per say. The mech poked at me in question, sending confusion and concern over. Sunstreaker popped in as well, shifting around the same way with his red twin. I pushed them away and kept them at an arms length distance at all times.
"I-uh…" It was hard to form words after she said that to me. Star snapped out her dream-like state and stood stiffer than a stick.
Her cheeks matched Sideswipe's paint while she played with her hands, picking at the plastic gloves. "God, I just fucked that up, didn't I? I'm so sorry. You can leave, it won't hurt my feelings. Sometimes I need to tape my mouth shut." That last part was more of whisper to herself but I would still hear it.
My tail flicked behind me like a cat. "Hey, it's okay. I…just, I just didn't except that. As you can see, I don't get many compliments or any at all. I, uh… thank you, I appreciate them. Though you should save them for someone who deserves and is human." Her brows furrowed.
"What does that mean?" I waved off the question then stood straight up and glanced at the door.
"Never mind. I best be going. You got a job to finish." It took her a few seconds to realize that she was still in the kitchen, in her work clothes.
"Shit, you're right. Uh, it was nice to speak with you…" her voice trailed off as thoughts swirled inside of her head, something was brewing. I tapped a finger against her hand to gain her attention and raised an eyebrow at her in question. "It's nothing… just, if you want to, you can always come by and talk or we can hang in the Rec. room, not the Autobot one though. We usually aren't permitted to go there unless given permission."
The corners of my mouth turned skywards. She's friendly and kind. Something I'm not used to. "Thank you, I might have to take up those offers. What's your name by the way?"
She bounced on her feet excitedly. "Awesome! Ehm, my name is Lizette but you can call me Liz or Star. Stardew is my last name, that's why they call me that."
"Lovely name. Besides Midnight, you can call me Azar."
"Azar?" Lizette paused to take a moment to feel the way my name rolled off of her tongue. "I like it."