A/N: Today's my day off so…chapter two! Yay! R&R. Enjoy!

~…~

Drift/Crosshairs

~…~

"I live my life in shadow

Never the sun on my face

It didn't seem so sad, though

I figured that was my place

Now I'm bathed in light

Something just isn't right

I'm under your spell

How else could it be

Anyone would notice me?

It's magic, I can tell

How you set me free

Brought me out so easily

I saw a world enchanted

Spirits and charms in the air

I always took for granted

I was the only one there

But your power's shone

Brighter than any I've known

I'm under your spell

Nothing I can do

You just took my soul with you

You worked your charms so well

Finally, I knew

Everything I dreamed was true

You made me believe…"

Under Your Spell by Joss Whedon

~…~

Crosshairs wasn't a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Never had been, never will be. Not now, not ever. That was never going to change. And he wasn't exactly the mech who had the most…self-esteem.

Not that he wasn't confident in what he did; Crosshairs knew he was good at what he did. That much was quite obvious. It was hard to mess up at shooting and blowing stuff up or not be good at it. After all, that was what he was created for, right? And under Optimus' orders, he used his skills for the betterment of their race.

The thing of it was…

It's just that...

Optimus used to have a spark mate, Elita One, before she died on Cybertron. Now he has Cade.

Hound's spark mate had died on Cybertron as well and being the old fart he was, he had never bothered finding another nor did he want to.

Bumblebee had had Sam in a weird, one-sided relationship that didn't work out and left Bee spark broken and hopeless for a long time. Poor kid still was. He had never really gotten over it. It just got bearable, is all.

Drift…

Crosshairs had no idea about Drift, to be honest, and there in lie part of the problem.

He himself had no spark mate. Crosshairs had never had one period and he thought that maybe there just wasn't one for him. That was fine; it's not like he absolutely needed someone to spend his days with. Things just got a little...lonely is all, but that was easily forgotten as long as he managed to push it out of his mind. Shooting something usually worked wonders for him most of the time. Sometimes, though, it got hard to just shove it aside or bury it.

Anyway, part of the problem was that Crosshairs didn't know if Drift had a spark mate or not. That wasn't something the Bugatti brought up and Crosshairs didn't ask. Even he had some extent of courtesy. He figured that if Drift never brought it up, it wasn't a subject up for discussion ever. Crosshairs knew who Drift used to be before he defected and became an Autobot; there was no way he was going to bring up a touchy subject and have Deadlock make an unexpected appearance. So, he never asked even though it meant that he never found out for sure.

That didn't help the other part of his problem.

He and Drift had been partners for quite some time now. They often paired up on missions, they had been friends right off the bat, and they worked well together on the battlefield. Combined, they made a formidable team and they got the job done right the first time. What Crosshairs lacked, Drift made up for. Where Crosshairs was careless and didn't think, Drift was analytical and cautious. And Crosshairs was bold, daring, and ready for a brawl when Drift was too cautious and preoccupied with strategy and all of that nonsense. Together, they made a perfect team and over the years, Crosshairs found that he was beginning to view Drift as more than just a friend.

It had started off slowly and he hadn't even realized it until it was too late and he had fallen. Hard. Crosshairs couldn't help himself! His spark knew what it wanted and needed and that was Drift. However, that didn't mean that he acted on what his spark wanted. If Drift did have a spark mate and Crosshairs made a move on him, the Bugatti would no doubt let him know that it had been a very, very bad move on his part. Ruining their friendship was the last thing he needed or wanted.

But it was so damn hard to just leave things as they were! He was a mech of action! He took charge and headed into danger with guns blazing and with a psychotic grin on his face, ready for destruction and carnage. Crosshairs couldn't do that no matter how much he wanted to. And boy, did he want to. It took all of his control to keep himself in line all of the time and sometimes, it got pretty damn exhausting.

And it was all Drift's bloody fault!

There was just something about Drift that had captured Crosshairs' attention from the moment he met him. Maybe it was how he always seemed calm and collected, yet could dish out an ass whooping at any moment's notice. Or maybe it was how he had accepted Crosshairs and how he was without a care in the world. Perhaps it was his voice, or how he always recited haikus all of the time, or that he wasn't afraid of anything, or how he knew his way around a sword.

Or maybe it was how he always seemed to bring out the best in Crosshairs regardless of whether they were in a battle or not. Maybe it was that Drift made Crosshairs feel as though he might possibly have a spark mate after all and that he wouldn't be left alone. Could it be Drift's strength and power, so unlike anything Crosshairs had ever seen? Perhaps it was just that, whether he was aware of it or not, Drift had stolen his spark right from under his nose and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He wouldn't even if he wanted to.

The list could go on forever, Crosshairs supposed. Where would that get him, though? Nowhere. He'd still be where he was and that wasn't going to change any time soon. Not because Crosshairs was afraid of bringing Deadlock out, although he was quite a fearsome advisory, but because he respected Drift enough to bring the matter of spark mates up.

It still sucked, though, this whole damn situation and it put Crosshairs in a bad mood whenever he thought about it. And that was starting to happen more often now.

"Crosshairs," Drift called to him. Crosshairs didn't even look up. He was intent of glaring a hole into the ground. Cade would probably yell at him for it, not that he cared anyway.

"Cross," Drift said. He only ever used that name when he was being absolutely serious. To not get himself into more shit than he probably already was in, Crosshairs grunted in response. He felt more than heard Drift sit down beside him.

"Tell me what is bothering you."

"Nothin's botherin' me, Drift. Ah just didn' feel like talkin' is all," Crosshairs replied, perhaps more aggressively than was necessary. As if Drift wasn't suspicious already, now he knew for sure that something was the matter.

"You have always been a horrible liar, Cross. Honesty is one of your stronger aspects; do not squander it," Drift told him, his voice gentle and not at all condescending. Why was it that the Bugatti always brought his better qualities out?

"It's stupid. Don' worry 'bout it," Crosshairs mumbled, feeling more defeated now than he had ever felt before in his entire existence.

"If it's making you feel and act this way, then it is not stupid. Or unimportant," Drift countered. "You can trust me. You know this."

"It's not that Ah don' trust ya. Ah just…don' know how yer gonna react," Crosshairs said.

"How bad could it be?" Drift asked. Sighing, Crosshairs finally looked at him.

"Do ya have a spark mate?" he asked at long last. Drift blinked at him, looking a bit confused before realization set it.

"Spark mate?"

"Yah. Do ya have one? Ah'm askin' 'cause Ah'm pretty sure...yer mine. Ah…Ah mean…if you wanna be," Crosshairs began to babble, feeling uncomfortable and way too unsure of himself. "It's jus'…Ah've been feelin' this way for…a good while now an Ah've never said nothin' 'cause Ah didn' know… Aw, just forget Ah even opened my damn mouth!"

Crosshairs stood up and turned to walk away. He didn't get very far though, because Drift had reached out and grasped his wrist, preventing him from going anywhere. Stumbling to a stop, he turned and faced Drift, who, surprisingly, didn't look upset or angry at all. On the contrary, he was smiling.

"That's what you've been worrying about all this time?" Drift asked him, a hint of laughter in his voice. Great, now he was laughing at him. Just what he didn't need; to be kicked when he was already down.

"Don' laugh at me," Crosshairs growled, his eyes narrowing. Drift stopped smiling and turned serious.

"I'm not laughing at you, Crosshairs. I would never laugh at you," Drift told him firmly, yet not unkindly. "I was smiling because I finally know the truth about how you feel. And I can finally tell you that I also feel the same way."

Before Crosshairs could say anything else, Drift kissed him. It was a soft, gentle chaste kiss, just what he would expect from Drift, and it was perfect in every way. Even though it didn't last long, it was absolutely perfect.

"And no, I don't have a spark mate," Drift said once they pulled apart. He then smiled and added, "But I do now, if you understand what I am saying." Crosshairs smiled back at him.

"Ah think I do, Drift," he said. "Ah think I do."

~…~

A/N: I dunno about you, but I think Crosshairs would be a little insecure and unsure when it comes to matters of the heart or feelings in general. He just seems to me like he'd be at a loss. Let me know what you thought!