The Barbecue
…
Movement stirred Aria from her comfortable spot. Warmth moved away, allowing the ambient air to chill her. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she did. Ironhide leaned over her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I'll come back later," he said, voice quiet.
She closed her eyes again as he moved away. The blanket was pulled over her shoulder, but when she looked again, he was already gone.
Later that morning, Aria got up. With her robe wrapped over her nightgown, she stood in front of the stove, cooking some eggs. It was already eleven and the dark clouds that covered the sky earlier had dissipated.
She scrambled the eggs with a wooden spatula.
Ironhide had stayed the entire night. She woke up a few times throughout, unfamiliar with the sensation of sleeping beside someone. Though…he didn't sleep. At some point he had turned off the light and got her to go under the covers. Hopefully he didn't drain too much of his energy by using his holoform all night. Partly because she felt bad, and partly because she wanted him to do it more often.
Sizzling brought her back to reality and she stirred the eggs before the burnt to the bottom of the pan. Putting them on a plate and grabbing her tea, she sat at the table to eat.
She'd just finished when her chest tingled. She looked towards the entrance down the hall just in time to see Ironhide appear beside the front door and gestured for him to join her.
"Back already? What's the occasion?" she asked as he sat.
"I am to relay to you that there is a," his brows furrowed, "barbecue event today—whatever that is."
Aria perked. "At the base?"
He nodded, but still looked unsure. "I thought that a barbecue was a method of making food, but the men are acting like it is a big event."
Aria couldn't help but giggle and stood from her chair in favor of sitting on his lap. She wrapped her arm around him. His confusion of her action quickly passed and he adjusted to make it more comfortable.
"A barbecue is dad lingo for having a party, but a special kind of party that includes barbecue foods like hotdogs and burgers. It's a fun summer thing!"
Ironhide hummed in understanding. "I see."
"When does it start?"
"About an hour. They were setting up tables in the hangar this morning."
"Is it casual?"
Ironhide raised a brow.
She rephrased the question. "Were the guys dressed in uniform?"
"No, they wore civilian clothing."
Aria got up. "Perfect, I'll go get ready." She made it to the base of the stairs before looking back at Ironhide who still sat at the table. "You can come," she added with a smile and a wave.
Back upstairs, Ironhide made himself comfortable on the bed. Aria sat at the vanity, but she could see him through the mirror. Her room was set up exactly as her old one had been, except there was no balcony to look out onto.
While she began doing her hair for the first time in what felt like forever, Ironhide had taken interest in the book that had been on her side table. He started by flipping through the pages but must have got caught up in a passage, his eyes tracing the sentences.
With him occupied, she took her time curling her hair. Most of the items sitting on her vanity were still brand new, bought weeks ago for when she finally felt like using them.
She glanced at Ironhide once again through the reflection and he glanced back, holding her gaze. "What are you humming?"
Damn it. Had she been humming again?
She curled another section of hair. "I'm not sure. I don't really notice myself doing it."
"I miss your voice."
That caught her off guard. "I haven't really felt like singing much, lately."
He inclined his head. "I know."
She finished her hair, satisfied with the result. "What do you think of the book?"
"Do human's write stories about revenge often?"
"I'd say so. They're usually started by a loved one being killed by a bad guy and the rest of the book is about the protagonist seeking revenge."
"And does he succeed?" he asked, gesturing to the book.
"I'm not sure yet, I haven't read that far."
"Do you have a prediction?"
She hummed in contemplation. "Revenge plots all end the same. The protagonist kills the ones responsible, then realizes its all for nothing because it doesn't bring their loved one back. I don't know why they can never figure that out in the beginning. Revenge doesn't solve anything."
Ironhide looked back down to the book, flipping towards the end.
"No spoilers, though! Maybe it will surprise me." Aria laughed as she began putting on makeup.
"If you're referring to how the book ends, I won't say a word."
Aria took her time finishing her makeup. Not that she put lots on, but she wanted it to look perfect. Now all that was left was to find something to wear.
She thumbed through her closet which was now filled with long sleeved shirts and pants. None of it was suited to a casual barbecue though. Anything other than a nice summer dress seemed wrong. It was such a warm and sunny afternoon, too.
She sat heavily on the bed beside Ironhide. "I don't suppose you have any suggestions of what I should wear?"
Getting up, he put the book back and then rummaged through her closet piece by piece. He inspected each one closely and felt the material in his fingers.
Aria sat in silent observation until finally he turned around to show her the dress he'd pulled out. White with a rose pattern.
Of course he found the one dress in there.
"I thought you claimed not to have any."
"My mom got it for me when she came to visit the other day. I'm not wearing it."
The formfitting dress, though beautiful, only reached her knees.
He came over and placed the dress on the bed before kneeling in front of her. He gently touched her leg.
"I see you're letting other people's opinions hold you back again."
She kept her mouth shut. Even though he was right, she wasn't about to agree. Was it so wrong to not want people to gawk at her?
With a sigh, he closed his eyes, and a look of concentration overtook his features. Before her eyes, a scar formed on his face, running down the side of his forehead, past his eye, and down to his cheek. It mirrored his true form perfectly.
He smirked. "Well, do you think any less of me?"
Why did he have to be so damn good looking when he smirked at her like that?
She only glared back. "Fine. I'll wear the dress."
After changing—which she did inside the bathroom, despite Ironhide claiming he'd already seen her naked—they headed downstairs. Aria went for her jacket but abruptly stopped.
"I can't ride to the base in a dress!" Not to mention the helmet would ruin her hair. Bus it was then.
Ironhide reached for the front door. "You're in luck, NEST arranged transport for you."
Aria paused as he opened the door and nodded his head for her to look. She took a step and peeped out. There, beside her motorcycle, was Ironhide's alt form.
"God you're smooth," she said looking back to him.
He grinned.
Now she could wear her new shoes then too. She sat on the bottom step to take off the tags before fastening the dainty straps. There was no mirror by the entrance, but they probably went well enough with the dress. He only made a small comment on her footwear.
The passenger door opened for her. And before she could contemplate how to get in without flashing the entire neighbourhood, Ironhide put his hands on her waist and hoisted her straight up.
"Thank you, sir," Aria teased.
In response, he kissed her hand.
He then went around to the far side of the truck which faced the trees, and the second he was out of sight from the windows, he vanished.
The engine rumbled to life.
Aria smoothed out her dress as they drove. Hopefully she wasn't overdressed—or underdressed for that matter. There weren't too many women at the base, and out of them, Amber was the only one she'd ever really talked to. The men there were a totally different story. A couple names came to mind for the ones she briefly talked to now and again, but for the most part, she only really chatted to Will and the Autobots when they weren't busy.
Worse case, she could hang out in a corner.
They pulled into the parking lot. The overhead doors were all open, music blared from a large sound system just inside, folding tables were scattered inside and outside the doors, populated by personnel either sitting or standing around them. White smoke billowed from multiple barbecues set up in a row against the wall, one of which, was attended by a very large man wearing a pink apron, chugging a can of beer.
There was a round of cheers as Ironhide drove past the crowd and into the base. Aria hopped out with as much grace as she could muster. Ironhide immediately transformed just as Sideswipe skated over to them.
"Lookin' good, Ari."
Amber strode up beside the silver Autobot. She wore shorts and a blouse tied up around her waist. Very girl next door and totally different than her usual business casual.
"Wow, Aria! Is that you?"
Aria felt her face heat up.
"You look so glamourous!"
"You look great, too!" Aria returned the compliment.
"Thanks, I wasn't sure what to wear! My husband laughed when I was about to leave in my suit."
Aria laughed along with her.
The afternoon turned out to be pretty fun. Aria spent most of her time with Amber, going around and chatting with the Autobots and a few acquaintances. Other than the odd glance, no one had so much as mentioned her scar.
At some point, a group of guys set up a makeshift stage on the bridge, playing a range of different types of music either together or taking turns. There was a guitar, clarinet, fiddle, ukulele, and a lone drum. The men had a good time going from jazz to country.
People shouted up requests between songs. The Autobots looked on in wonder. Other than Ironhide, none of them had experienced live music before. Ratchet, who sat beside her, asked questions about human's ability to improvise music and how its possible to play by ear.
"They really need a singer," Amber said from the other side of her. "Ed's so out of tune, it's painful."
Aria laughed. Ironhide's words from earlier that day echoed through her head. "Maybe I should go up there and show them how it's done."
Amber turned her head to better look at her. After a moment of examining her face, she spoke, "Wait, you're serious?"
Aria gave a light shrug. "I mean, I'm not a bad singer."
"Aria, you can sing?" Ratchet asked, now leaning closer.
She nodded, twisting back to Ironhide who stood behind her. He looked back inquisitively, eyes bright as ever.
She swiveled back to Amber. "Yeah, screw it, why not?"
Despite sudden nerves tingling through her stomach, she strode over to the steps up to the bridge. Once the man vigorously playing the fiddle finished and there was a round of applause, she quickly ascended the steps.
She gave a quick wave as she approached the group who were now deliberating what to play next. They paused in curiosity.
"Hey, you guys want a singer?"
Their eyes lit up and a couple of them answered over each other in a course of yes's.
"I do mostly older stuff. Swing and jazz kind of thing," she offered.
One of the men—Ed, as Amber called him—perked up. "You've seen Some Like it Hot? Marilyn Monroe?"
"Of course!"
They deliberated which songs they knew. Chaotically, one was agreed on. Ed, the ukulele player and Amir on the fiddle knew the song. The others agreed to improvise.
Getting into position, Aria found herself a lot higher than she normally was while performing. Both glowing blue eyes and shining human ones were upon her. She took a deep breath.
She was a singer. Sure, it had been a while, but it was like riding a bike. She'd performed more times than she could count. Her scar may not even be visible to them from this angle. As the music began, she let herself fall into her stage persona.
"I wanna be loved by you, just you
And nobody else but you
I wanna be loved by you, alone!"
She swung her hips to the rhythm. Holding the microphone in one hand, she danced with the other. Her voice echoed through the hangar, sounding both familiar and foreign.
"I couldn't aspire
To anything higher
Than, to fill the desire
To make you my own!"
The clarinetist took over in a solo, standing beside her. She danced along, giving a wink to Ironhide as she began to sing again. Sideswipe went to nudge him but was swatted away.
"I wanna be loved by you, just you
And nobody else but you
I wanna be loved by you, alone!"
The base erupted in cheers. Aria beamed at the personnel and the Autobots who also whooped and hollered, well some did. Bee, Sideswipe, and the twins were fans.
Her eyes landed on Ironhide. He inclined his head ever so slightly, but she didn't miss the proud look on his face.
She was formally welcomed into the band and took requests into the evening.
In the end, the barbecue was a success. The Autobots were more talkative than ever. Sideswipe finally convinced Amber to go on a ride, Jolt made a human friend, Bee and the twins choreographed a dance with a group of soldiers, Ratchet was invited to play the drums, Mirage was checking out some of the guy's cars outside, Wheeljack was showing off hand grenade's, and Ironhide—well he looked more content than ever at the base, happy to sit near Aria and speak to whoever approached.
It was the first time she'd seen him joke around with any human other than her or Will. And even though she knew it was there, she couldn't keep the dumb smile off her face.
…
Barbecue? Barbeque? Who knows? I don't! Yay for English!
Anyway, thanks for reading!