I'm back! So glad school is over so I can write again!

A Great Day

…

It was a week later that Aria rode in on her new motorcycle. New to her at least. The thing was a few years old, but still looked great. Sporty and dark grey; not too fast, but not slow either.

Lennox was already there, giving a little congratulatory clap as she removed her helmet.

"Looks like you survived your first solo ride!" He wiped an invisible tear from his eye like a proud father.

"That's because I wasn't following you around for once. I could actually take my time around corners."

"Well well well, look at that, girly's got a bike." Sideswipe came up to them. "'Hide's not going to have an excuse to give you rides anymore."

"Well there's still rain and wind." Aria listed off on her fingers as they walked toward the bridge. "Oh an the entirety of winter."

As she spoke, said Autobot was parked in his usual spot beside Ratchet. If he heard Sideswipe, he didn't acknowledge it. She waved at him and the others as she passed, receiving honks and sirens in response. Personnel in the base groaned and a few covered their ears at the sudden on slot of noise. Whatever. It was nearly noon.

The maintenance closet wasn't terribly different than at the museum, especially since she reorganized it the same way it had been there. She filled up her cart and grabbed a box of garbage bags.

Throughout her shift, the Autobots were in and out of the base. As per usual, Ironhide didn't talk to her much, only making the odd comment when she was near him.

"I believe you missed a spot," he rumbled as she mopped the floor next to him.

"Ha ha," Aria deadpanned. "If I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me, I'd hire my own janitor and never clean again."

A beat of silence.

"Humans pay each other to say things?"

This time she did raise her eyes to look at the truck. "Idiom."

The passenger door abruptly opened and hit her in the butt.

She stumbled forward more out of shock than force and spun around just as the door clicked shut. "Ironhide!"

He chuckled as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Aria, this guy bothering you?"

She turned back, craning her neck up to Sideswipe. "Yes, actually. Beat him up?"

He kneeled down, extending a blade from his arm and leaning on it as if he were a knight. "Of course, my lady."

They must have learned about the middle ages recently.

Ironhide transformed as Sideswipe charged him. Aria dropped the mop and pushed the cart away just in time.

Ironhide stepped to the side, grabbing the rushing Sideswipe by a piece of metal of his shoulder and flipped him onto his back with a metallic thud.

Ironhide put his hands on his hips, looking down at Sideswipe. "I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but it seems you have none."

Aria covered her mouth so Sideswipe couldn't hear her laugh. Though not a true Shakespearean quote, it was still pretty funny.

She grabbed a microfiber cloth from her cart and held it out to Ironhide. "A token of my gratitude, sir knight."

Ironhide easily closed the distance and kneeled down to take it from her.

"Hey, I was the knight in shining armor!" Came Sideswipes voice from behind him.

She never took her eyes from Ironhide as he examined the cloth. "Oops, guess I got confused during the skirmish."

Will marched over, pointing to the culprits. "Hey, no fighting in the main hangar, we have training rooms for that now." He then looked at her. "And no egging them on."

Under Will's intense gaze, she held her hand out to Ironhide who hastily gave her back the microfiber. "Yes sir!" She scrunched it up and threw it back on the cart…only to miss.

Will's eyes followed the cloth as it landed on the floor. He rolled his eyes, shook his head and left with a backwards wave.

Both Ironhide and Sideswipe grumbled. The former transformed back and resumed his spot, while the latter went back to the group of Autobots who were not so subtly watching the event.

Aria threw Ironhide a sideways glance as she picked up the mop.

It wasn't much longer before lunch time rolled around. Ratchet invited her into the little Autobot circle that consisted of himself, Sideswipe, Bee, and the twins.

Jolt, Mirage, and Wheeljack had formed another little group with Ironhide a little ways over. A couple of soldiers also stood around talking with them.

Of course Aria was pulled into the rambunctious group. She sat on the bridge, feet dangling from either side of the railing.

"Where'd Optimus go?" she asked as Skidz and Mudflap reenacted Ironhide and Sideswipe's earlier altercation for probably the hundredth time.

Ratchet was the one to answer. "Out with the Colonel. I saw them leave twenty three minutes ago."

Aria nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich. Her eyes landed on Bee and Sideswipe who had started arguing about something or another.

"Please, you're not even close to being as fast as me. Straight line or not," said Sideswipe.

"I am speed," came Lighting McQueen's voice as Bee pointed a finger at Sideswipe.

"You wish, slow shifter!"

"Concept car!"

Aria tilted her head. Who would be faster? Just because they transformed into specific vehicles didn't mean they preformed the same as them. Did horsepower depend on the Autobot? Where some just naturally faster than others? Could it be trained?

"Hey Aria, you've gone on rides with me. I'm clearly faster than this guy." Sideswipe jabbed a thumb at Bee.

"Uh…that's hard to say."

Ratchet shook his head. The twins who had also been listening to the argument now also looked at her.

"Come on, you know I'm the fastest one here."

There was a scoff in the distance. When Aria glanced over, Mirage was turning back to his group saying something in Italian.

Was this a touchy subject for Cybertronians?

"I don't know, I haven't really seen any proof of that."

Sideswipe frowned. "Proof? What more proof do you need? I'm the most aerodynamic!"

Aria exaggerated her shrug. "Aerodynamics isn't everything."

"Fine. If your so smart, who do you think the fastest one is?"

She couldn't help but grin. Both he and Bee now stood side by side in front of her, waiting for her choice.

Making a show of looking between them and tilting her head as if in deep thought, she made them wait for at least a minute before coming to a decision.

"Aha!" She pointed her finger in the air as if she just had an epiphany.

The two Autobots leaned in. Skidz and Mudflap's eyes were wide. Even Ratchet looked genuinely intrigued.

"I think its…"

Tension thickened the air. The entire room was quiet. Bee and Sideswipe leaned in further.

She put a finger to her chin, drawing out the moment even longer.

"Well?" said Jolt from across the hangar.

It was quiet enough to hear his voice reverberate through the base.

She looked at Bee, then at Sideswipe, then back to Bee. Their posture resembled loaded guns more than Autobots. Her eyes settled on Sideswipe.

"Ironhide," she announced.

Sideswipe was mid cheer before he realized what she said. The surrounding Autobots and a few personnel snickered at Sideswipes reaction. Bee gave him a hardy slap on the back.

"You're just playing favorites! I'm way faster than that old bot."

"No I'm not." Aria grinned.

"Oh yeah? Then who's the strongest Autobot?"

"Ironhide."

"See?"

"I'm not sure she's wrong," Ratchet spoke up.

"Who's the funniest?"

This time Bee perked up.

"Ironhide."

"Wha—no he's not!" Sideswipe blurted before recovering. "Coolest?"

"Ironhide?"

"Fun to be around?"

"Ironhide."

"Most clever?"

"Ironhide."

"Lamest?"

"You."

"Slag!"

Aria laughed. "You forgot best looking."

"Yeah, that!"

"Ironhide."

Sideswipe let out a defeated cry, turning away in obvious defeat. "Femmes," he grumbled as he sat down away from the others in shame. The twins joined him, probably doing more to annoy than console.

Discussion turned back to more casual volume levels and Aria finally got a chance to eat the rest of her sandwich.

"You sure fed him a bite of proverbial humble pie," Ratchet said with a nod.

"You said it!" Bee chimed in.

She gave a light hearted shrug. "Someone's got to do it."

Glancing over to the other Autobot group, her eyes met Ironhide's. The sly grin on his face was enough to avert her gaze. Her heart fluttered uncomfortably in her chest as she took another bite of her sandwich, keeping her eyes trained on the Autobots in front of her. Maybe she got a little too brave putting Sideswipe in his place.

Why did she have to bring up the best looking thing? Surely half the people listening knew she was kidding. She had been kidding, right?

Ironhide wasn't good looking.

Right?

Her face only heated up more.

…

"Hello, Aria."

Aria looked up from the garbage she was changing. Amber was walking towards her holding two cups of coffee.

"Hey, Amber. How are you?" Aria tied the bag and put it with the others on the cart.

"Ugh, just snuck past Sideswipe." She sighed as she handed a cup to Aria. "I'm running out of excuses."

Aria thanked her. Amber was one of those people that enjoyed going on coffee runs to get out of the base. Will had been right about her and Amber getting along.

"He's not that bad. You might even like him if you get to know him."

"Oh yes, I heard about your guy's exchange earlier. Wish I could have been there to experience that first hand."

"Ah." An embarrassed laugh escaped her mouth. Ever since that look Ironhide gave her, all she wanted to do was forget about it. "Yeah, it was fun joking around to get under his skin."

"Sounded like it worked well from the stories."

Amber tagged along as Aria continued the end of the day garbage round up.

"He'd probably leave you alone if you went for a ride. He'd be great to go with for your coffee runs."

"It's much more likely he'd get worse. I suppose I'm flattered an Autobot is interested in me, but it's mostly just strange."

"Yeah, I know, right? It must be weird."

"I know they're a lot older than us, but it feels like a teenage boy hitting on me. Maybe if it were Optimus or Ironhide or something…"

Aria lost her grip on the garbage bag she was tying, dropping it back on the floor.

Was Amber implying she wouldn't mind getting hit on by Ironhide? Did she think he was attractive too?

Aria let out a little laugh. "Yeah, Optimus isn't too bad on the eyes." She kept her voice casual.

Amber raised an eyebrow. "I guess Peterbilt's are kind of good looking trucks. I was just thinking more of the age thing. They're more at my maturity level at the very least."

"Oh!" Aria blurted. "I totally agree. I mean the flames are awesome."

"If we're really being honest, that voice in a man's body, I'd have to revaluate my marriage." Amber took a punctuated swig of her coffee.

Aria took a sip of her coffee in leu of a response.

Amber swiftly changed the topic after that, then parted not long after, leaving Aria alone to finish taking out the trash.

Of course Amber wasn't attracted to Cybertronians. How dumb was she to think that for a second?

She threw the garbage bags into the bin outside.

Amber was the only one in a similar situation as her, with the roles reversed. She may have found aspects of them potentially attractive, but not physically.

Aria sighed, closing the bin. Did she even find them physically attractive? She pictured Ironhide, his blue optics looking at her. The metal plates that made up his face, solid, yet his expression somehow soft.

Nope.

She put the cart back in the maintenance closet and grabbed her bag, heading towards the gym.

He transformed into a pickup truck. He was practically as tall as her house. His arms were guns! The only reason this was a problem was because of his stupid holoform. That was it.

Just like Amber said, if the Autobots were human, it would be a whole different story.

But then…they wouldn't be them. Ironhide wouldn't be Ironhide.

She let out another long sigh as she exited the changing room into the gym. It was empty today. Probably something to do with it being Friday night.

Aria went straight for the squat rack. Her leg was pretty much back to its normal size. Now the only issue was the pronounced scar extending down her shin. It made the one on her arm look like a scratch.

She put heavier weight than last time on each side of the bar. It was time to push herself a bit more and had absolutely nothing to do with stupid Ironhide and his stupid looks and her stupid feelings about it. Nothing.

This was about being weak. This was about standing her ground in the face of danger. This was about standing up to any challenge. She had a bow now, one that could kill Starscream the next time she got the chance. Now all she needed was the strength, the endurance. She wasn't going to be a Decepticons punching bag any more!

"Argh!"

She dropped the bar behind her as a searing pain shot through her bad leg. She fell back onto the mat, clutching her shin trying to quell the burning sensation that radiated below her knee.

"Stupid Transformers!" she hissed through her teeth. All they did was make her life miserable. Jetfire teleporting her to a war zone, Starscream for destroying her home. And Ironhide for making her feel—feelings!

Why couldn't she just be normal?

Where was Wheelie when she needed him? He used to be so annoying, always encouraging her that she liked Ironhide and he liked her back. It was so ridiculous at the time. So easy to deny.

But now? Now she missed the validation of her feelings.

After who knows how long, the pain dissipated and she got back up. She needed a shower to mope in.

Keeping most of her weight on her good leg, she hobbled back to the changing rooms. Most of the lights were off, leaving only a few illuminating the showers in dim yellow light.

She carefully got undressed and stepped into the shower, closing the curtains behind her.

The water was perfect. Soothing. She leaned back to soak her hair when her skin tingled for a fraction of a second. Her eyes shot open.

"Who's there?"

"I assume you already know." Ironhide's voice came from the other side of the shower.

"John, this is the girls changing room. As in human females only."

"There aren't any cameras."

"What if someone else was in here?" Wait. "Did Wheelie give you coordinates again?"

"Maybe."

She shook her head. "I knew I shouldn't have let him keep that laptop. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I've been waiting for you all night." Her heart fluttered. "Wheeljack and I finished the arrows."

Oh yes, the arrows. "Really? That's great. Thank you."

He hummed just loud enough for her to hear over the running water.

Not really sure where to go with the conversation, Aria turned around in the shower and reached for the shampoo. As she did, she leaned on her sore leg and let out a yelp.

She leaned back against the shower wall and cursed under her breath.

"Aria, are you all right?" Ironhide's voice was much closer now.

She released her breath. "Yeah, just my leg."

"Do you need any assistance?"

"Nope," she chirped while rubbing her leg.

"Aria." His voice was much more stern than before. "Don't be shy of your natural form."

She closed her eyes. It had been a long time since that topic first came up. But maybe he was right. It was just her body and she'd pretty much flashed him a week ago. He'd never looked particularly interested of her body before. He didn't like her like that anyway, right?

And his help would be appreciated.

"Maybe you could pass me my towel?"

The sound of her heart beat filled her ears. What was she doing? Would he pass the towel to her without looking? What if he caught a glimpse? Would he be disgusted by her human body? Ask what things were?

Swallowing, she kept the pressure off her leg and went to turn off the shower. Her fingers just touched the knob when the curtains opened.

Aria yelped at stuck herself back into the corner, covering herself the best she could. "Ironhide!"

He had the decency to at least look taken back before his eyes dropped to her leg.

That's right, he'd never seen it before.

His eyes never left the scar as he stepped into the shower and kneeled down in front of her. Water splashed on his hair and dripped down his face as he brushed his hand over the damaged skin.

She couldn't talk, let alone breathe. All she could do was look down at him.

"I should have been there sooner."

His eyes rose to meet hers. Vibrant blue in the golden light. His hair was soaked.

"It's okay," she breathed.

The pain in her leg had all but disappeared in favor of whatever this new feeling was. No, it wasn't new, just a lot stronger.

His gaze fell back to her leg. His hand slid up from her shin to her thigh then up to her hip, his eyes following.

She wanted to make a witty remark about him examining her natural form, but the words kept dying in her throat.

His touch was so soft. It always was. Gentle and caring, the antithesis of the way he acted around others.

He rose back up, his hand on her waist now, like that time they danced together. His white shirt clung to the contours of his body, the wet material exposing the skin under it.

She slowly relaxed her arms, letting go of her body in favor of touching his.

His eyes wandered to her chest and his hand followed. The feeling of the shard was hardly discernible from the fluttering in her chest when he laid his fingers on top of it. She put her hand on his.

"Can you feel my heartbeat?"

He nodded, leaning closer to her.

She tilted her head up and let her eyes fall closed.

His lips met hers.

It only lasted for a second. When she opened her eyes, he was still close, but had a curious expression on his face.

"Did I do it right?"

She blinked. Then blinked again. A smile tugged at her lips and before she could stop herself, she laughed.

He frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off by pressing her lips to his. If he wanted to know how to kiss, she'd teach him to kiss.

She slipped her tongue into his mouth, half expecting him to recoil, but he didn't. Instead, she was met with his in return. A fast learner, no doubt.

She let go of his arms and groped at his torso. From his solid abdominals up to his chest, then grabbing onto the fabric of his back. He felt so good.

His hands did the same. Feeling every inch of her exposed body, lingering on the parts he'd never seen before. That he'd never touched before.

His lips pressed harder into hers, he pressed her back into the wall, holding her tighter. Every time their lips parted, she had just enough time to let out a pant.

She ran her fingers through his hair as he went for her neck, leaning her head to the side. She moaned at the sound of the deep rumble that escaped his throat.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing his body up to hers and met him for another kiss.

Then everything went dark.

She jumped, loosening her hold and fumbled to turn off the shower.

"Damn light timer," she muttered.

Ironhide chuckled and something soft was wrapped around her. "Here's your towel."

"I swear to god, Ironhide."

…

IT FINALLY HAPPENED. After dragging this story out for ten years, they finally kissed.