keelywolfe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
keelywolfe) wrote2010-07-15 06:56 pm
keelywolfe) wrote2010-07-15 06:56 pm
Entry tags:
FIC: Field Trips Into the Hypothetical (Human Series)
Field Trips Into the Hypothetical
By Keelywolfe
Fandom: Transformers
Bumblebee/Sam, Others
Rated R
Summary: A continuation of the ‘human’ series, which are in order:
Forms of Life
Too Human
Experiments in Human Nature
Public Education
Knee-Jerk Reaction
Nervous System Hypothesis
Different Applications of Moral Support
This Body Electric
The Unconscious Mind
Subliminal Messages
Greeks Bearing Gifts
In a Dark Ruby Stain
Interruptions in the Key of C
Half to Rise, Half to Fall
Moments of Forgiveness
Topics of Conversation
Lies of Omission
The Theory of Existence
Beyond My Brave Facade
Parental Interaction In The Third Degree
Also the AU Attention Getting Device
The drive back into the city was uncomfortably quiet, with nothing but the near silent drone of Prowl’s engine humming around them. Sam sat in the passenger seat and focused on looking out the window, watching as the buildings loomed closer.
It was strange how it seemed that almost overnight the city had grown. Buildings that hadn’t been here when he arrived were sprawling out further and further into the desert. Barracks, laboratories, maybe? A few of the people he'd seen walking around had been wearing lab coats and Ratchet had said he was working on a presentation for them. He hadn’t really asked what else the Autobots were up to, so caught up in his own problems.
Stupid that he hadn’t thought about it. Of course it made sense that they’d be doing more than just sitting around playing World of Warcraft. They were settling into this planet, setting up house and getting in good with the neighbors just like anyone in a new place. The government was obviously welcoming them to the party, but that was pretty much a no-brainer, he thought sourly. Just Ratchet’s little broken bone gadget would have any country on the planet drooling for a few aliens to move in, no matter what the movies said.
And maybe Mikaela was having similar thoughts, staring out her own window in a way that was still a little disconcerting for someone in the driver’s seat.
"Have you noticed that every once in a while, the sky looks weird?" Mikaela asked, frowning. "Like it's flickering or something. It looks like static on a TV."
"Yes, that would be the shield array. Ironhide got it up and running yesterday," Prowl said. His voice mod was measured and cool, but there was something like pride in it. "He was having some difficulty getting it to work in your atmosphere but with a little modification, he finally got it running."
"Let’s hope he didn't use microwaves to do it," Sam murmured.
"We do have a vested interest in not cooking all the humans here," Prowl said, amused. "For one, it would take ages to get the smell out."
"Thanks for that," Mikaela said, wrinkling her nose. "So what does a shield array do?"
"Shields," Prowl said promptly and when Mikaela smacked his dashboard, he chuckled, a low raspy sound. "It masks us from any intrusive scanning and also works as a protective measure in the event of an attack. It won't stop all weapons but it will greatly reduce the effectiveness of most."
"Until they get past the shield," Sam said shrewdly.
"It is less effective after that," Prowl agreed. He coasted to a gentle stop, waiting at an intersection for a long train of vehicles to make their way through.
As Sam watched them, the deep muted colors of the military vehicles blurring as they flashed by, he wondered if any of them were actually Autobots. So far the ones that Sam had met had gone with the sweet ride appeal over practicality, even Optimus, mixing bright colors and brilliant chrome with a frame to match their powerful engines. He supposed robotic organisms could be a little shallow, too. Certainly Bumblebee was, in any form.
He was, by Sam's definition, gorgeous; as a car, as a hologram, as a robot, all sleek lines and smoothness, whether he was metal or skin. Thinking about it made a warm throb start low inside him, a yearning that he couldn't be sure was actually his. Not something that he really wanted to feel while sitting here. Hastily, Sam yanked his attention back to the line of vehicles in front of them.
The last truck trundled past them; both crates and people visible in the back of it but none of them had had a visible Autobot marking.
"How many of you guys are here now? I know a few more have shown up in the past couple months," Sam asked. Bumblebee had mentioned names in passing but the only ones he'd met were Prowl, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker. Not exactly exceptional numbers.
"Since the first battle here on Earth, seven more of us have arrived, including myself and the twins. That puts our numbers at eleven now."
"Eleven. That doesn't seem like very many," Mikaela said, quietly. Sam wondered if she even noticed the way she was lightly stroking the steering wheel and he shifted uncomfortably, looking back out the window.
"It's not," Prowl's voice processor was always soft, serene, but there was an unmistakable edge to it now. "Many of our kind on both sides have fallen and without the All Spark, increasing our numbers is both difficult and laborious."
"I didn't even think about that," Sam said, disturbed. The implications were unmistakable. Autobots weren't an endangered species, they were a dying one.
"It is not one I like to consider myself. I…I think I would prefer not to discuss it at the moment."
"Yeah…yeah…" Sam murmured. There was such a wealth of pain in that soft voice, unmistakable no matter the differences of their species. He'd been witness to Bumblebee's sorrow over Jazz's loss; how much worse must it be for Prowl who'd been his…well, his. With an ache, he remembered nearly losing Bumblebee, remembered Ratchet telling him that a thousand years from now Bee would still be mourning his loss with the clarity of a being with perfect memory. He thought of Ratchet and the one he'd lost, nameless to Sam but obviously not forgotten. His reaction when Sam had asked if he and Optimus were a couple was not that of a being of extreme logic.
They rode in silence for a moment, buildings flashing past them, so focused on the world outside that he jumped when Mikaela nearly shouted, sitting up straight in her seat.
"Stop! Stop, right here, stop!" she cried, and both she and Sam were jolted against the seatbelt when Prowl did with a squeal of brakes.
"Is something wrong?" Prowl asked, confused.
"No, just give me a second." She tugged on the door handle and it opened obligingly, letting her out into the noontime heat so that she could run towards a red Viper parked nearby.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, Mikaela, wait--" Sam tried, struggling to follow. But his seatbelt remained stubbornly around him.
"Ratchet told me to get you out of the sun," Prowl said unapologetically. "I have no such instruction where Mikaela is concerned, other than 'keep her out of trouble'."
"And you think Sideswipe isn't any trouble?" Sam said grouchily, slouching back into his seat. He watched in resigned horror as Sideswipe transformed, crouching low over Mikaela who had her hands on her hips, talking up at him. He asked hopefully, "Can you at least hear what they're saying?"
Hopes that Prowl quickly dashed. "No, Sideswipe has put up a silencing barrier around them." Prowl didn't seem particularly concerned about it.
"And that doesn't bother you at all?"
"Should it?" Prowl asked with great interest. The air conditioning gave an icy huff that made Sam shiver. Autobots may have a few million years on humans but they didn't seem to be much of a match in the suspicion and devious areas.
"I guess not," he sighed. With any luck, Sideswipe was telling Mikaela that he was having no part of the Dumbest Plan Ever and he could just go back to his room and sleep, maybe spend another few days hiding from his problems before he talked to Bee about them. It seemed to be working out so far, as long as he didn't mind guilt and fear eating their way through his guts like organic termites. He hoped that Ratchet had taken a class or two on how to treat ulcers.
They were too far away for Sam to have any idea how it was going but he didn't think good things when Sideswipe abruptly transformed again and sped away in a cloud of dust and screeching tires. That didn't seem like an altogether good sign, one way or another. Mikaela's smile as she jogged back to them, on the other hand—
"Taken care of," she said breezily. Even in a tank top and tiny shorts, she was already glistening damply, shivering as cool air obligingly ghosted over her.
"Mikaela," Sam began, weakly. "What'd you do?"
"It's taken care of," she said firmly. "Let's get you back to your place so you can get a nap."
"Agreed," Prowl said. "Protecting Mikaela is already a strain on my capabilities. I’d like to return Sam to Bumblebee's tender mercies before Ratchet takes it upon himself to contact me again. It gives him an opportunity to remind me to come in for recalibration." From his tone, he was looking forward to that as much as human did a prostate exam.
"Oh, please, like protecting me is so hard," Mikaela scoffed.
"I would guess from the way pheromone levels rise when you enter a room, you should be grateful for a guardian."
"Yeah, but whose protecting me from you—"
"Isn't that my place?" Sam interrupted hastily.
"Yes." Prowl came to an easy stop, and Sam's seatbelt slithered away as the door opened. "Do you need assistance getting inside?"
Sam almost choked. "No! I feel fine, I swear, Ratchet’s just being paranoid."
"Ratchet usually has his reasons for what he does, despite the perceptions of others," Prowl said cryptically.
"What he means is, get inside and get some sleep," Mikaela leaned over the seat to call out the door. "I'll see you later!"
Sam could only wish he'd imagined the implied promise in that. He gave them both a feeble wave and went inside, sighing in relief at the cool air inside. It was nearly summer, he realized, he’d been here long enough to miss graduation and prom. Not that it really matter when you compared it to staying alive but something about that made him feel a little strange.
Like everything else about this had been totally normal, he snorted inwardly. At the moment, he was more concerned with getting his nap than his GED, so he took enough time to kick off his shoes and yank his t-shirt over his head before he fell into bed, the near dark of his room soothing after the hot sunshine.
~~*~~
It was possible Ratchet had a small point about Sam taking it easy. It was nearly dusk by the time he woke up to a loud knock on his door. Before he could even decide whether or not he wanted anyone to come it, Mikaela had already slipped inside to frown at him. Before Sam could even protest, she'd flipped on the overhead lights, ignoring his moan as he yanked a pillow over his face.
"Come on, dead boy, get up," she said, already heading back to his perfectly unorganized clothes. She picked up a shirt to examine critically before she looked back at where Sam was still buried under the blankets in the vain hope that if she couldn't see him, she'd leave him in peace. "Up! We have places to go and our ride is waiting. He said that he set it up so no one will miss us for a little while, but we need to leave now."
"Mikaela…" Sam groaned. He lifted one corner of the pillow enough so that he could watch her ravage his wardrobe. "This is such a bad idea."
"We're going to a dance club not a biker bar," she said chidingly, examining another shirt before she tossed it into the pile of rejects. "And Sideswipe will be right there with us." She finally found a shirt that met her approval, a dark charcoal button-down with short sleeves, one of the shirts he'd picked out to wear on base so he looked at least a little more formal. It fell across his face with a flick of her wrist and Sam pawed it off, watching bleary as she resumed rummaging through his clothes.
"You're supposed to put that on," Mikaela said when Sam just lay there, watching her. She was already dressed for clubbing, her hair a loose fall down her back and her clothes, what little there was of them, jewel-tones against her tanned skin. Pretty enough for any club, gay or straight, and he wondered if he'd actually be spending his time protecting her from the X chromosome faction.
"You know, you didn't see me half-naked this often when we were dating," Sam said grumblingly, deciding he didn't much care if she saw him in his boxers, again. He shrugged into the shirt, buttoning it just in time to catch the pants she tossed at him.
"Yeah, and isn't that just a shame," she said. She watched him blatantly as he tugged on the pants, smoothing them over his thighs, before he finally looked at her again, his expression one usually reserved for those on their way to execution.
Mikaela sighed in exasperation. "Sam, you don't have to do anything, remember? Just be friendly. Talk to a couple of guys, maybe dance with one. You're just trying to see if they make you feel tingly below the waist, not inviting them to a hotel room."
Of all the things he'd wanted to discuss with his ex-girlfriend, sexing up strange men at a bar rated pretty low. Even when he'd talked about what was going on with Bumblebee, he'd managed to stick mostly to euphemism. "You realize the only way this conversation would be worse is if I was having it with my mom."
"Ass," Mikaela said, but it was with fondness. "Now get up. At least I'm planning on having a little fun tonight."
It only took a few more minutes for Mikaela to smooth a little product into his hair, enough for him to look less slept in and more a carefully arranged mussed. She pronounced him acceptable to be seen in public and when they finally stepped outside, his first thought was that it was later than he'd expected, the sun edging the horizon.
He could see the dim outline of Sideswipe parked nearby, his normally brilliant color muted in the growing darkness. Sam hesitated awkwardly; he hadn't talked to Sideswipe since that night and so much had happened to them, between them, that he couldn't think of what to say.
Sideswipe spared him from trying to come up with something, both his doors swinging open. "If we're going to do this, let's get it over with," Sideswipe said, his voice an echo of a sigh. "Crouch down on the floor, if you would."
"Sideswipe," Sam started, pausing uncertainly at the door. He let it hang in the air between them because what was he supposed to say? He wasn't even sure what Mikaela had said to him to get him to agree to this. She seemed to think Sideswipe held some responsibility for what Sunstreaker had done but Sam didn't, not at all. It seemed to him that Sideswipe had enough of Sunstreaker to deal with without adding that to the mix.
"Don't," Sideswipe said, a little sharply, and Sam fell silent, settling close to the floorboards with Mikaela. Both doors slammed shut in unison as he drove off, too fast. So they crouched there, miserably quiet, but only a short time later Sideswipe spoke again, curtly. "Hold still down there and don't move or speak. I can mask you but not any sounds you might make."
Silently, he and Mikaela did as they were told. They felt Sideswipe come to a stop, the low rumble of his engine and muted voices from the outside. A moment, two. Sam felt a warm trickle of sweat slide tickishly down his back and Mikaela's arm was pressed hard against him.
His legs were just starting to cramp when Sideswipe finally moved again, slowly, and then picking up speed as gravel turned to asphalt and they were humming along a main stretch of road.
"You can sit up now," Sideswipe said, dryly.
"Thanks," Sam grunted, stretching. Little pops from his back made him groan in relief. Damn, he was way too young to feel this old, he really was.
"The nearest town is approximately forty-five minutes from here. You may as well get comfortable."
They both crawled awkwardly into their seats. It almost seemed strange to fasten his own seatbelt. He'd gotten used to Bumblebee doing it for him.
Bumblebee. Sam swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in his throat and hoped that whatever Sideswipe had done to distract him would keep him from worrying. Before this had just seemed like a stupid idea but now that they were here, it seemed not only stupid but wrong in all the cruelest ways. He imagined how Bumblebee would feel coming back tonight to find Sam missing, not knowing if Sam was safe. This was not exactly the same as sneaking out after curfew back home.
Neither Mikaela nor Sideswipe seemed to be sharing his concerns. "Want me to turn on the radio?" Sideswipe asked easily, flipping it on to a channel with a throbbing bass beat at Mikaela's murmured agreement. Now that they were out of the city, he didn't seem too mad, really, and Sam spared a moment to be grateful for that. Sideswipe had told him once that they did have something of a relationship between them. Sam wasn't sure what he could call it but he still didn't want Sideswipe angry with him.
"You seem to be taking this in stride," Mikaela said, a little cautiously. She crossed her arms over her chest and didn't even both with a pretense of driving.
"Why not?" Sideswipe said, his voice a little tinny from the inside. "You assumed you had me at a disadvantage and you used it to your favor. Autobots aren't above doing the same from time to time. But I hope you realize I would have taken you, anyway, if you have only asked." Just this side of hurt and Sam winced.
"I'm sorry," Sam started but Mikaela interrupted him.
"No, it was my idea, so I'm the one who should apologize. And thank you for getting us out of there."
"Actually, I'd rather you didn't thank me for that," Sideswipe said, a little wryly.
"Why not?"
"You do realize we're going to get caught, don't you." Matter-of-factly. "We will each receive our much deserved punishment and be in disgrace with our superiors for some small amount of time. I'm quite sure that all of us will spend an interval wallowing for forgiveness in the near future."
That was not exactly reassuring Sam's fears. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, mastermind."
"I'm not the brains of this outfit, my skills are completely in transportation."
"You got us out," Sam pointed out. Wallowing for forgiveness he could do, it was that first rush of hurt and guilt that he didn't much want to deal with.
"I did," he agreed. "But I also calculate that they will discover one of you is missing within an hour and even if they don't, when we return they will discover you coming back to the city."
"How do you figure?"
"Because they don't run thermal scans when we exit the city but they do when anyone or anything enters. Decepticons can conceal themselves in a very tiny object and they are understandably cautious about it. If they can detect a Decepticon that is as tiny as a pack of gum, I can hardly conceal two full size-humans."
Mikaela and Sam looked at each other in equal parts of dismay. "Why didn't you say anything before you snuck us out?" Mikaela cried.
"I told you," he said drolly, "I'm just the stupid car. In any case, when they send up the alarm, I have an automatic message set up to let them know you're with me. Bumblebee in particular will get a detailed message."
"So you snuck us out because you knew we'd get caught?" Sam asked, disbelieving.
"I snuck you out because you asked me to," Sideswipe corrected.
It was an ominous beginning to their little field trip and the growing lights of the city before them didn't seem particularly inviting. It was smaller even than Autobot City as they cruised in, Sideswipe slowing to the proper speed limit, taking them through clean, nearly empty streets. A sign flashed by welcoming them to Paxton City. Traffic picked up as they went through downtown, lights flickering into washes of neon as they found a street lined with clubs and fast food, the air filling with throbbing techno and the occasional person on the sidewalks.
"There!" Mikaela pointed excitedly. "That one. That was on Google Maps."
"The Rum and Monkey?" Sam said, doubtfully. "You seriously want to go in there."
Mikaela scoffed at his disbelief. "Please. I've seen way worse. Find a place for us to park, transport. Our target is in sight."
"You've got it." Sideswipe pulled into a dimly lit parking lot, managing to creep into the only spot left, so close to the other cars that his passengers barely squeezed out.
Mikaela waited for him impatiently as Sam hesitated when no holographic form joined them. He'd understood why there hadn't been one in the car, since there wasn't exactly an extra seat but he'd expected Sideswipe to go into the club with them.
"Aren't you coming?" Sam said uncertainly.
"I think not. I'll monitor you both from out here. I'm afraid I don't have quite as much confidence in my holographic transmitters as Bumblebee does, not for distance work," he said apologetically. "I'm a few centuries out of practice and I don't think the best place to polish my skills is in a dance club filled with unsuspecting humans."
"C'mon, I'll protect you, handsome," Mikaela called to him, amused. "Let's go dance."
"Yeah, sure," Sam muttered but he let her grab his hand and drag him away. If they were all going to be in trouble, they might as well do something to earn it. He gave Sideswipe one last longing glance before he gave in and followed Mikaela. Stupidest plan ever, here we come.
~~*~~
It took less than fifteen minutes for Sam to decide that not only was this a stupid plan, it was a really freaking sucky one, too. Not that the club was a bad one; small, sure but they weren't in Los Angeles here and the music was good, the dance floor packed. It looked pretty much just like any other club, not that he'd been to that many in his admittedly short amount of time at eighteen and legal.
Half the problem was that he was eighteen, legal enough to get through the door but not legal enough to go without the wide wristband that declared his status of 'booze-free'. Worse, he didn't have any cash on him and Mikaela had had to pay the door fee. Good thing this wasn't a date.
Mikaela seemed untroubled by any of it; she'd taken the time to sit them at the bar and order them each a Coke and by the time she'd paid for it, a pretty young woman with a cap of short, dark hair was asking her to dance. She'd disappeared onto the dance floor with her and hadn't appeared beyond of a few flashes of writhing bodies since.
With a sigh, Sam finished off his drink, the straw crackling in the bottom of the glass.
"Hey," a deep voice to his right, coupled with a hand on his shoulder. Blinking a little in the flashing lights, Sam looked over his shoulder to see who the hand was attached to; a young guy, his lack of wrist band making a few years older than Sam. Short, dark hair, light blue eyes half-hidden behind the round lenses of his glasses. Cute, maybe a little geeky, and he had a nice smile that was currently being sent Sam's way.
Blue Eyes withdrew his hand enough to sit down next to him, setting a dark, half-empty beer bottle on the bar. "Not into dancing?" he said, loudly enough to be heard over the music.
"Not really," Sam said, ducking his head a little. This was what he was here for, right? Making conversation, making friendly, seeing how he felt.
"Yeah, I don't know why I always let my friends drag me here," Blue Eyes said wryly. "But they seem to do it a lot. Haven't seen you here before."
He let the sentence hang between them, an offer, just a little conversation gambit and this was where Sam was supposed to say something like yeah, first time, or so, what do you do, or any number of idle tidbits. Make conversation, make friendly, only, Sam didn't really need to do any of this. He knew exactly how he felt and mainly, it was that he didn't want to be here.
"Probably won't again," Sam mumbled, leaving his glass on the bar as he walked towards the door. A little rude, maybe, but he wasn't about to lead anyone on, either. He pushed past the small line at the entrance and out the double doors, head down as he walked back into the lingering stuffy heat of the day, towards the parking lot. It really was dimly lit and Sam figured the day could only be made more perfect if he got mugged out here. It really would put the finishing touches on it.
"Sam?" Came softly, from the corner of the lot. He heard a car door opening and turned to see Sideswipe's holo standing there uncertainly, leaning against his own open door. "Are you all right?"
"I can't do this," he said simply. He walked slowly over to Sideswipe and sank down to sit on his hood. It was still faintly warm from the long drive, gentle heat against the backs of his legs, his hands where he braced them so he could lean back. Even within the confines of the city here, the stars were still bright, the cloudless sky cast with thousands of tiny diamond lights.
"Can't do what? Dance?" Sideswipe said, confused. He closed the door and moved to sit next to Sam, head tipped questioningly.
"No, I can't--what did Mikaela tell you?"
"She said the two of you wanted to go dancing and asked me to help you get out of the city," he said, slowly, "But I'm beginning to suspect she mislead me."
"Yeah, well. She wanted to go dancing. But we came here because," he took a deep breath, let it out. "This whole receptor thing has me all screwed up," he admitted.
"I know," Sideswipe said, quietly. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry? No, no, that isn't what I mean. Dude, you so do not have to apologize for him, all right?" Sam said in exasperation. "It wasn't even completely his fault, really. I was all over him."
"You should always consider his motives very carefully before you forgive Sunstreaker for anything," Sideswipe said, and there was undeniable pain in those words. "However, you said that isn't what has you upset. So what is?"
"It's just, I have these things inside me making me feel things! And I'd never been into guys before all this happened so what if…" He had told all of this to Mikaela but not so bluntly, avoiding words that he couldn't make himself say but Sideswipe was different somehow. He could feel Sideswipe, just a little. A very faint presence, and through it came his concern, his caring, and that allowed Sam to whisper, "I'm afraid they are making me think I'm in love with Bumblebee."
Whatever he'd expected from Sideswipe, a loud snort of derision was not it. Nor was his laughter, soft but heartfelt as he shook his head. "Is that what you've been thinking?" Sideswipe said, chuckling, "Sam, sexual arousal is a physical response."
"So what?"
The hood was suddenly hard beneath his shoulders, Sideswipe on top of him before Sam could even protest. A knee shoved between his legs made him gasp, arching up a little helplessly to rub against that hard thigh and this he knew, always, this desire, and part of him that he barely understood was already eagerly reaching for a connection he knew was waiting for him. A soft bite just under his chin, hot lips sliding up to his ear as Sideswipe breathed into it, "I can also evoke a physical response from you. Do you love me as well?"
"I…" Sam moaned, trying to twist his head enough to catch Sideswipe's mouth in a kiss. But he'd pulled away, reared back so the only place they were touching was his grip on Sam's wrists.
"Do you?" Sideswipe prompted, keeping him firmly pinned.
Slowly, the heat boiling in Sam's belly eased, although the desire to reach out and connect lingered. A long breath, two, and his head cleared enough for him to get what Sideswipe was saying. He did want Sideswipe and given a chance, and a little lack of control, and he'd probably drop his pants for him right here in the parking lot.
But Sam didn't love him.
Before he could feel more than a rush of relief, another voice came out of the darkness, making them jump.
"Now what do we have here?" The white beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness to land on them and both of them winced away from it, shading their eyes with a hand. The glare kept Sam from seeing too clearly at first, but as the man stepped closer, his heart sank. He'd watched enough television to know a uniform when he saw one.
"Officer," Sam blurted out, scooting down off the hood enough to stand. Sideswipe followed, standing a little behind him. "Hi. We were just…we were…going…" He gestured a little helplessly at the road. Leave. They were just about to leave, he was sure of that. The officer stepped closer, close enough that Sam could read the bar pinned above his breast pocket. Deputy Harper. Brilliant.
"Awful nice car for the two of you to be getting fingerprints on," Deputy Harper said almost lazily, but the flashlight never wavered from him and Sideswipe.
"It's my car," Sam said defensively. Sideswipe was frozen next to him, hands clenched and whatever impulse he was resisting, Sam hoped he resisted it a little more. He hadn't watched nearly enough Law and Order to know what the fine was for making out in public but he damned well knew that assaulting a police officer was not the kind of misbegotten behavior that would get them off with a lecture.
"Your car? Is that right?" the Deputy drawled. Sam tried not to groan. A cop camped outside a gay nightclub had probably not been patrolling for cars that were illegally parked. "You have some sort of I.D. on you to back that up?"
Sideswipe blinked a little, managed a soft, "I...no."
"Uh huh. You?"
"Yeah, I--" Sam felt for his wallet and realized that it wasn't there. Christ, had cute glasses-boy stolen his wallet or had he just managed to lose the damned thing? He hadn't even had any money, what kind of karmic clusterfucking was this? "I guess I actually don't."
Deputy About-To-Nail-Their-Asses pursed his lips, although he flicked the light down from their faces, at least. "Let me see if I have this right. The two of you are out drinking and driving around with no I.D., on top of public indecency." He shook his head. "Boys, that is not the way we do things in Paxton City. I think you better come on down to the station with me until we get this straightened around."
This could not be happening. There was just no way this was actually happening and it wasn't until he and Sideswipe were both sitting in the backseat of a patrol car that reality started to sink its teeth into Sam's belief system. Sideswipe was stiff next to him, his expression frozen as they drove away from his real body. He kept blinking, almost trembling, and Sam laid a hand on his arm, homophobic deputies be damned.
"Are you okay?" Sam murmured under his breath, but the car was alive with the sound of the radio anyway, a jumble of numbers and codes that he didn't understand.
"Fine," Sideswipe said tersely. "Just trying to focus. I'm following from a distance."
"Just hold on," Sam told him softly. "Stay with me." Probably the last thing that would help them out here would be having one of them vanish into dust. Somehow, he didn't think it would make this guy any more inclined to cut them a break.
Sideswipe nodded, a little jerkily. "I'm trying. Just not used to this, anymore."
"It'll be okay," Sam rubbed Sideswipe's arm a little, not knowing if he was helping or making it worse, but Sideswipe didn't protest. The deputy gave them a sharp glance in the rearview mirror but otherwise kept his eyes on the road, paying no mind to the low murmurs from the backseat, nor the pair of headlights following them from a few blocks away, moving easily through the streets despite the lack of a driver.
"Stay with me," Sam whispered quietly, over and over, even as Sideswipe trembled next him, eyes shut tight. Deputy Harper was telling someone named Ann that he was bringing a couple in, something that Sam sincerely hoped was true.
He kept talking softly to Sideswipe, finally settling his hand over one of Sideswipe's shaking ones, wincing hard as his fingers were abruptly caught in a near death grip. Just stay, just stay, over and over, and Sam really hoped he'd paid enough into his karma debt for the day or else things were about to get a lot worse.
Somehow, he thought that being in disgrace with their superiors was going to be the least of their worries.
-finis-
Read Next Chapter
By Keelywolfe
Fandom: Transformers
Bumblebee/Sam, Others
Rated R
Summary: A continuation of the ‘human’ series, which are in order:
Forms of Life
Too Human
Experiments in Human Nature
Public Education
Knee-Jerk Reaction
Nervous System Hypothesis
Different Applications of Moral Support
This Body Electric
The Unconscious Mind
Subliminal Messages
Greeks Bearing Gifts
In a Dark Ruby Stain
Interruptions in the Key of C
Half to Rise, Half to Fall
Moments of Forgiveness
Topics of Conversation
Lies of Omission
The Theory of Existence
Beyond My Brave Facade
Parental Interaction In The Third Degree
Also the AU Attention Getting Device
The drive back into the city was uncomfortably quiet, with nothing but the near silent drone of Prowl’s engine humming around them. Sam sat in the passenger seat and focused on looking out the window, watching as the buildings loomed closer.
It was strange how it seemed that almost overnight the city had grown. Buildings that hadn’t been here when he arrived were sprawling out further and further into the desert. Barracks, laboratories, maybe? A few of the people he'd seen walking around had been wearing lab coats and Ratchet had said he was working on a presentation for them. He hadn’t really asked what else the Autobots were up to, so caught up in his own problems.
Stupid that he hadn’t thought about it. Of course it made sense that they’d be doing more than just sitting around playing World of Warcraft. They were settling into this planet, setting up house and getting in good with the neighbors just like anyone in a new place. The government was obviously welcoming them to the party, but that was pretty much a no-brainer, he thought sourly. Just Ratchet’s little broken bone gadget would have any country on the planet drooling for a few aliens to move in, no matter what the movies said.
And maybe Mikaela was having similar thoughts, staring out her own window in a way that was still a little disconcerting for someone in the driver’s seat.
"Have you noticed that every once in a while, the sky looks weird?" Mikaela asked, frowning. "Like it's flickering or something. It looks like static on a TV."
"Yes, that would be the shield array. Ironhide got it up and running yesterday," Prowl said. His voice mod was measured and cool, but there was something like pride in it. "He was having some difficulty getting it to work in your atmosphere but with a little modification, he finally got it running."
"Let’s hope he didn't use microwaves to do it," Sam murmured.
"We do have a vested interest in not cooking all the humans here," Prowl said, amused. "For one, it would take ages to get the smell out."
"Thanks for that," Mikaela said, wrinkling her nose. "So what does a shield array do?"
"Shields," Prowl said promptly and when Mikaela smacked his dashboard, he chuckled, a low raspy sound. "It masks us from any intrusive scanning and also works as a protective measure in the event of an attack. It won't stop all weapons but it will greatly reduce the effectiveness of most."
"Until they get past the shield," Sam said shrewdly.
"It is less effective after that," Prowl agreed. He coasted to a gentle stop, waiting at an intersection for a long train of vehicles to make their way through.
As Sam watched them, the deep muted colors of the military vehicles blurring as they flashed by, he wondered if any of them were actually Autobots. So far the ones that Sam had met had gone with the sweet ride appeal over practicality, even Optimus, mixing bright colors and brilliant chrome with a frame to match their powerful engines. He supposed robotic organisms could be a little shallow, too. Certainly Bumblebee was, in any form.
He was, by Sam's definition, gorgeous; as a car, as a hologram, as a robot, all sleek lines and smoothness, whether he was metal or skin. Thinking about it made a warm throb start low inside him, a yearning that he couldn't be sure was actually his. Not something that he really wanted to feel while sitting here. Hastily, Sam yanked his attention back to the line of vehicles in front of them.
The last truck trundled past them; both crates and people visible in the back of it but none of them had had a visible Autobot marking.
"How many of you guys are here now? I know a few more have shown up in the past couple months," Sam asked. Bumblebee had mentioned names in passing but the only ones he'd met were Prowl, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker. Not exactly exceptional numbers.
"Since the first battle here on Earth, seven more of us have arrived, including myself and the twins. That puts our numbers at eleven now."
"Eleven. That doesn't seem like very many," Mikaela said, quietly. Sam wondered if she even noticed the way she was lightly stroking the steering wheel and he shifted uncomfortably, looking back out the window.
"It's not," Prowl's voice processor was always soft, serene, but there was an unmistakable edge to it now. "Many of our kind on both sides have fallen and without the All Spark, increasing our numbers is both difficult and laborious."
"I didn't even think about that," Sam said, disturbed. The implications were unmistakable. Autobots weren't an endangered species, they were a dying one.
"It is not one I like to consider myself. I…I think I would prefer not to discuss it at the moment."
"Yeah…yeah…" Sam murmured. There was such a wealth of pain in that soft voice, unmistakable no matter the differences of their species. He'd been witness to Bumblebee's sorrow over Jazz's loss; how much worse must it be for Prowl who'd been his…well, his. With an ache, he remembered nearly losing Bumblebee, remembered Ratchet telling him that a thousand years from now Bee would still be mourning his loss with the clarity of a being with perfect memory. He thought of Ratchet and the one he'd lost, nameless to Sam but obviously not forgotten. His reaction when Sam had asked if he and Optimus were a couple was not that of a being of extreme logic.
They rode in silence for a moment, buildings flashing past them, so focused on the world outside that he jumped when Mikaela nearly shouted, sitting up straight in her seat.
"Stop! Stop, right here, stop!" she cried, and both she and Sam were jolted against the seatbelt when Prowl did with a squeal of brakes.
"Is something wrong?" Prowl asked, confused.
"No, just give me a second." She tugged on the door handle and it opened obligingly, letting her out into the noontime heat so that she could run towards a red Viper parked nearby.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, Mikaela, wait--" Sam tried, struggling to follow. But his seatbelt remained stubbornly around him.
"Ratchet told me to get you out of the sun," Prowl said unapologetically. "I have no such instruction where Mikaela is concerned, other than 'keep her out of trouble'."
"And you think Sideswipe isn't any trouble?" Sam said grouchily, slouching back into his seat. He watched in resigned horror as Sideswipe transformed, crouching low over Mikaela who had her hands on her hips, talking up at him. He asked hopefully, "Can you at least hear what they're saying?"
Hopes that Prowl quickly dashed. "No, Sideswipe has put up a silencing barrier around them." Prowl didn't seem particularly concerned about it.
"And that doesn't bother you at all?"
"Should it?" Prowl asked with great interest. The air conditioning gave an icy huff that made Sam shiver. Autobots may have a few million years on humans but they didn't seem to be much of a match in the suspicion and devious areas.
"I guess not," he sighed. With any luck, Sideswipe was telling Mikaela that he was having no part of the Dumbest Plan Ever and he could just go back to his room and sleep, maybe spend another few days hiding from his problems before he talked to Bee about them. It seemed to be working out so far, as long as he didn't mind guilt and fear eating their way through his guts like organic termites. He hoped that Ratchet had taken a class or two on how to treat ulcers.
They were too far away for Sam to have any idea how it was going but he didn't think good things when Sideswipe abruptly transformed again and sped away in a cloud of dust and screeching tires. That didn't seem like an altogether good sign, one way or another. Mikaela's smile as she jogged back to them, on the other hand—
"Taken care of," she said breezily. Even in a tank top and tiny shorts, she was already glistening damply, shivering as cool air obligingly ghosted over her.
"Mikaela," Sam began, weakly. "What'd you do?"
"It's taken care of," she said firmly. "Let's get you back to your place so you can get a nap."
"Agreed," Prowl said. "Protecting Mikaela is already a strain on my capabilities. I’d like to return Sam to Bumblebee's tender mercies before Ratchet takes it upon himself to contact me again. It gives him an opportunity to remind me to come in for recalibration." From his tone, he was looking forward to that as much as human did a prostate exam.
"Oh, please, like protecting me is so hard," Mikaela scoffed.
"I would guess from the way pheromone levels rise when you enter a room, you should be grateful for a guardian."
"Yeah, but whose protecting me from you—"
"Isn't that my place?" Sam interrupted hastily.
"Yes." Prowl came to an easy stop, and Sam's seatbelt slithered away as the door opened. "Do you need assistance getting inside?"
Sam almost choked. "No! I feel fine, I swear, Ratchet’s just being paranoid."
"Ratchet usually has his reasons for what he does, despite the perceptions of others," Prowl said cryptically.
"What he means is, get inside and get some sleep," Mikaela leaned over the seat to call out the door. "I'll see you later!"
Sam could only wish he'd imagined the implied promise in that. He gave them both a feeble wave and went inside, sighing in relief at the cool air inside. It was nearly summer, he realized, he’d been here long enough to miss graduation and prom. Not that it really matter when you compared it to staying alive but something about that made him feel a little strange.
Like everything else about this had been totally normal, he snorted inwardly. At the moment, he was more concerned with getting his nap than his GED, so he took enough time to kick off his shoes and yank his t-shirt over his head before he fell into bed, the near dark of his room soothing after the hot sunshine.
~~*~~
It was possible Ratchet had a small point about Sam taking it easy. It was nearly dusk by the time he woke up to a loud knock on his door. Before he could even decide whether or not he wanted anyone to come it, Mikaela had already slipped inside to frown at him. Before Sam could even protest, she'd flipped on the overhead lights, ignoring his moan as he yanked a pillow over his face.
"Come on, dead boy, get up," she said, already heading back to his perfectly unorganized clothes. She picked up a shirt to examine critically before she looked back at where Sam was still buried under the blankets in the vain hope that if she couldn't see him, she'd leave him in peace. "Up! We have places to go and our ride is waiting. He said that he set it up so no one will miss us for a little while, but we need to leave now."
"Mikaela…" Sam groaned. He lifted one corner of the pillow enough so that he could watch her ravage his wardrobe. "This is such a bad idea."
"We're going to a dance club not a biker bar," she said chidingly, examining another shirt before she tossed it into the pile of rejects. "And Sideswipe will be right there with us." She finally found a shirt that met her approval, a dark charcoal button-down with short sleeves, one of the shirts he'd picked out to wear on base so he looked at least a little more formal. It fell across his face with a flick of her wrist and Sam pawed it off, watching bleary as she resumed rummaging through his clothes.
"You're supposed to put that on," Mikaela said when Sam just lay there, watching her. She was already dressed for clubbing, her hair a loose fall down her back and her clothes, what little there was of them, jewel-tones against her tanned skin. Pretty enough for any club, gay or straight, and he wondered if he'd actually be spending his time protecting her from the X chromosome faction.
"You know, you didn't see me half-naked this often when we were dating," Sam said grumblingly, deciding he didn't much care if she saw him in his boxers, again. He shrugged into the shirt, buttoning it just in time to catch the pants she tossed at him.
"Yeah, and isn't that just a shame," she said. She watched him blatantly as he tugged on the pants, smoothing them over his thighs, before he finally looked at her again, his expression one usually reserved for those on their way to execution.
Mikaela sighed in exasperation. "Sam, you don't have to do anything, remember? Just be friendly. Talk to a couple of guys, maybe dance with one. You're just trying to see if they make you feel tingly below the waist, not inviting them to a hotel room."
Of all the things he'd wanted to discuss with his ex-girlfriend, sexing up strange men at a bar rated pretty low. Even when he'd talked about what was going on with Bumblebee, he'd managed to stick mostly to euphemism. "You realize the only way this conversation would be worse is if I was having it with my mom."
"Ass," Mikaela said, but it was with fondness. "Now get up. At least I'm planning on having a little fun tonight."
It only took a few more minutes for Mikaela to smooth a little product into his hair, enough for him to look less slept in and more a carefully arranged mussed. She pronounced him acceptable to be seen in public and when they finally stepped outside, his first thought was that it was later than he'd expected, the sun edging the horizon.
He could see the dim outline of Sideswipe parked nearby, his normally brilliant color muted in the growing darkness. Sam hesitated awkwardly; he hadn't talked to Sideswipe since that night and so much had happened to them, between them, that he couldn't think of what to say.
Sideswipe spared him from trying to come up with something, both his doors swinging open. "If we're going to do this, let's get it over with," Sideswipe said, his voice an echo of a sigh. "Crouch down on the floor, if you would."
"Sideswipe," Sam started, pausing uncertainly at the door. He let it hang in the air between them because what was he supposed to say? He wasn't even sure what Mikaela had said to him to get him to agree to this. She seemed to think Sideswipe held some responsibility for what Sunstreaker had done but Sam didn't, not at all. It seemed to him that Sideswipe had enough of Sunstreaker to deal with without adding that to the mix.
"Don't," Sideswipe said, a little sharply, and Sam fell silent, settling close to the floorboards with Mikaela. Both doors slammed shut in unison as he drove off, too fast. So they crouched there, miserably quiet, but only a short time later Sideswipe spoke again, curtly. "Hold still down there and don't move or speak. I can mask you but not any sounds you might make."
Silently, he and Mikaela did as they were told. They felt Sideswipe come to a stop, the low rumble of his engine and muted voices from the outside. A moment, two. Sam felt a warm trickle of sweat slide tickishly down his back and Mikaela's arm was pressed hard against him.
His legs were just starting to cramp when Sideswipe finally moved again, slowly, and then picking up speed as gravel turned to asphalt and they were humming along a main stretch of road.
"You can sit up now," Sideswipe said, dryly.
"Thanks," Sam grunted, stretching. Little pops from his back made him groan in relief. Damn, he was way too young to feel this old, he really was.
"The nearest town is approximately forty-five minutes from here. You may as well get comfortable."
They both crawled awkwardly into their seats. It almost seemed strange to fasten his own seatbelt. He'd gotten used to Bumblebee doing it for him.
Bumblebee. Sam swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in his throat and hoped that whatever Sideswipe had done to distract him would keep him from worrying. Before this had just seemed like a stupid idea but now that they were here, it seemed not only stupid but wrong in all the cruelest ways. He imagined how Bumblebee would feel coming back tonight to find Sam missing, not knowing if Sam was safe. This was not exactly the same as sneaking out after curfew back home.
Neither Mikaela nor Sideswipe seemed to be sharing his concerns. "Want me to turn on the radio?" Sideswipe asked easily, flipping it on to a channel with a throbbing bass beat at Mikaela's murmured agreement. Now that they were out of the city, he didn't seem too mad, really, and Sam spared a moment to be grateful for that. Sideswipe had told him once that they did have something of a relationship between them. Sam wasn't sure what he could call it but he still didn't want Sideswipe angry with him.
"You seem to be taking this in stride," Mikaela said, a little cautiously. She crossed her arms over her chest and didn't even both with a pretense of driving.
"Why not?" Sideswipe said, his voice a little tinny from the inside. "You assumed you had me at a disadvantage and you used it to your favor. Autobots aren't above doing the same from time to time. But I hope you realize I would have taken you, anyway, if you have only asked." Just this side of hurt and Sam winced.
"I'm sorry," Sam started but Mikaela interrupted him.
"No, it was my idea, so I'm the one who should apologize. And thank you for getting us out of there."
"Actually, I'd rather you didn't thank me for that," Sideswipe said, a little wryly.
"Why not?"
"You do realize we're going to get caught, don't you." Matter-of-factly. "We will each receive our much deserved punishment and be in disgrace with our superiors for some small amount of time. I'm quite sure that all of us will spend an interval wallowing for forgiveness in the near future."
That was not exactly reassuring Sam's fears. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, mastermind."
"I'm not the brains of this outfit, my skills are completely in transportation."
"You got us out," Sam pointed out. Wallowing for forgiveness he could do, it was that first rush of hurt and guilt that he didn't much want to deal with.
"I did," he agreed. "But I also calculate that they will discover one of you is missing within an hour and even if they don't, when we return they will discover you coming back to the city."
"How do you figure?"
"Because they don't run thermal scans when we exit the city but they do when anyone or anything enters. Decepticons can conceal themselves in a very tiny object and they are understandably cautious about it. If they can detect a Decepticon that is as tiny as a pack of gum, I can hardly conceal two full size-humans."
Mikaela and Sam looked at each other in equal parts of dismay. "Why didn't you say anything before you snuck us out?" Mikaela cried.
"I told you," he said drolly, "I'm just the stupid car. In any case, when they send up the alarm, I have an automatic message set up to let them know you're with me. Bumblebee in particular will get a detailed message."
"So you snuck us out because you knew we'd get caught?" Sam asked, disbelieving.
"I snuck you out because you asked me to," Sideswipe corrected.
It was an ominous beginning to their little field trip and the growing lights of the city before them didn't seem particularly inviting. It was smaller even than Autobot City as they cruised in, Sideswipe slowing to the proper speed limit, taking them through clean, nearly empty streets. A sign flashed by welcoming them to Paxton City. Traffic picked up as they went through downtown, lights flickering into washes of neon as they found a street lined with clubs and fast food, the air filling with throbbing techno and the occasional person on the sidewalks.
"There!" Mikaela pointed excitedly. "That one. That was on Google Maps."
"The Rum and Monkey?" Sam said, doubtfully. "You seriously want to go in there."
Mikaela scoffed at his disbelief. "Please. I've seen way worse. Find a place for us to park, transport. Our target is in sight."
"You've got it." Sideswipe pulled into a dimly lit parking lot, managing to creep into the only spot left, so close to the other cars that his passengers barely squeezed out.
Mikaela waited for him impatiently as Sam hesitated when no holographic form joined them. He'd understood why there hadn't been one in the car, since there wasn't exactly an extra seat but he'd expected Sideswipe to go into the club with them.
"Aren't you coming?" Sam said uncertainly.
"I think not. I'll monitor you both from out here. I'm afraid I don't have quite as much confidence in my holographic transmitters as Bumblebee does, not for distance work," he said apologetically. "I'm a few centuries out of practice and I don't think the best place to polish my skills is in a dance club filled with unsuspecting humans."
"C'mon, I'll protect you, handsome," Mikaela called to him, amused. "Let's go dance."
"Yeah, sure," Sam muttered but he let her grab his hand and drag him away. If they were all going to be in trouble, they might as well do something to earn it. He gave Sideswipe one last longing glance before he gave in and followed Mikaela. Stupidest plan ever, here we come.
~~*~~
It took less than fifteen minutes for Sam to decide that not only was this a stupid plan, it was a really freaking sucky one, too. Not that the club was a bad one; small, sure but they weren't in Los Angeles here and the music was good, the dance floor packed. It looked pretty much just like any other club, not that he'd been to that many in his admittedly short amount of time at eighteen and legal.
Half the problem was that he was eighteen, legal enough to get through the door but not legal enough to go without the wide wristband that declared his status of 'booze-free'. Worse, he didn't have any cash on him and Mikaela had had to pay the door fee. Good thing this wasn't a date.
Mikaela seemed untroubled by any of it; she'd taken the time to sit them at the bar and order them each a Coke and by the time she'd paid for it, a pretty young woman with a cap of short, dark hair was asking her to dance. She'd disappeared onto the dance floor with her and hadn't appeared beyond of a few flashes of writhing bodies since.
With a sigh, Sam finished off his drink, the straw crackling in the bottom of the glass.
"Hey," a deep voice to his right, coupled with a hand on his shoulder. Blinking a little in the flashing lights, Sam looked over his shoulder to see who the hand was attached to; a young guy, his lack of wrist band making a few years older than Sam. Short, dark hair, light blue eyes half-hidden behind the round lenses of his glasses. Cute, maybe a little geeky, and he had a nice smile that was currently being sent Sam's way.
Blue Eyes withdrew his hand enough to sit down next to him, setting a dark, half-empty beer bottle on the bar. "Not into dancing?" he said, loudly enough to be heard over the music.
"Not really," Sam said, ducking his head a little. This was what he was here for, right? Making conversation, making friendly, seeing how he felt.
"Yeah, I don't know why I always let my friends drag me here," Blue Eyes said wryly. "But they seem to do it a lot. Haven't seen you here before."
He let the sentence hang between them, an offer, just a little conversation gambit and this was where Sam was supposed to say something like yeah, first time, or so, what do you do, or any number of idle tidbits. Make conversation, make friendly, only, Sam didn't really need to do any of this. He knew exactly how he felt and mainly, it was that he didn't want to be here.
"Probably won't again," Sam mumbled, leaving his glass on the bar as he walked towards the door. A little rude, maybe, but he wasn't about to lead anyone on, either. He pushed past the small line at the entrance and out the double doors, head down as he walked back into the lingering stuffy heat of the day, towards the parking lot. It really was dimly lit and Sam figured the day could only be made more perfect if he got mugged out here. It really would put the finishing touches on it.
"Sam?" Came softly, from the corner of the lot. He heard a car door opening and turned to see Sideswipe's holo standing there uncertainly, leaning against his own open door. "Are you all right?"
"I can't do this," he said simply. He walked slowly over to Sideswipe and sank down to sit on his hood. It was still faintly warm from the long drive, gentle heat against the backs of his legs, his hands where he braced them so he could lean back. Even within the confines of the city here, the stars were still bright, the cloudless sky cast with thousands of tiny diamond lights.
"Can't do what? Dance?" Sideswipe said, confused. He closed the door and moved to sit next to Sam, head tipped questioningly.
"No, I can't--what did Mikaela tell you?"
"She said the two of you wanted to go dancing and asked me to help you get out of the city," he said, slowly, "But I'm beginning to suspect she mislead me."
"Yeah, well. She wanted to go dancing. But we came here because," he took a deep breath, let it out. "This whole receptor thing has me all screwed up," he admitted.
"I know," Sideswipe said, quietly. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry? No, no, that isn't what I mean. Dude, you so do not have to apologize for him, all right?" Sam said in exasperation. "It wasn't even completely his fault, really. I was all over him."
"You should always consider his motives very carefully before you forgive Sunstreaker for anything," Sideswipe said, and there was undeniable pain in those words. "However, you said that isn't what has you upset. So what is?"
"It's just, I have these things inside me making me feel things! And I'd never been into guys before all this happened so what if…" He had told all of this to Mikaela but not so bluntly, avoiding words that he couldn't make himself say but Sideswipe was different somehow. He could feel Sideswipe, just a little. A very faint presence, and through it came his concern, his caring, and that allowed Sam to whisper, "I'm afraid they are making me think I'm in love with Bumblebee."
Whatever he'd expected from Sideswipe, a loud snort of derision was not it. Nor was his laughter, soft but heartfelt as he shook his head. "Is that what you've been thinking?" Sideswipe said, chuckling, "Sam, sexual arousal is a physical response."
"So what?"
The hood was suddenly hard beneath his shoulders, Sideswipe on top of him before Sam could even protest. A knee shoved between his legs made him gasp, arching up a little helplessly to rub against that hard thigh and this he knew, always, this desire, and part of him that he barely understood was already eagerly reaching for a connection he knew was waiting for him. A soft bite just under his chin, hot lips sliding up to his ear as Sideswipe breathed into it, "I can also evoke a physical response from you. Do you love me as well?"
"I…" Sam moaned, trying to twist his head enough to catch Sideswipe's mouth in a kiss. But he'd pulled away, reared back so the only place they were touching was his grip on Sam's wrists.
"Do you?" Sideswipe prompted, keeping him firmly pinned.
Slowly, the heat boiling in Sam's belly eased, although the desire to reach out and connect lingered. A long breath, two, and his head cleared enough for him to get what Sideswipe was saying. He did want Sideswipe and given a chance, and a little lack of control, and he'd probably drop his pants for him right here in the parking lot.
But Sam didn't love him.
Before he could feel more than a rush of relief, another voice came out of the darkness, making them jump.
"Now what do we have here?" The white beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness to land on them and both of them winced away from it, shading their eyes with a hand. The glare kept Sam from seeing too clearly at first, but as the man stepped closer, his heart sank. He'd watched enough television to know a uniform when he saw one.
"Officer," Sam blurted out, scooting down off the hood enough to stand. Sideswipe followed, standing a little behind him. "Hi. We were just…we were…going…" He gestured a little helplessly at the road. Leave. They were just about to leave, he was sure of that. The officer stepped closer, close enough that Sam could read the bar pinned above his breast pocket. Deputy Harper. Brilliant.
"Awful nice car for the two of you to be getting fingerprints on," Deputy Harper said almost lazily, but the flashlight never wavered from him and Sideswipe.
"It's my car," Sam said defensively. Sideswipe was frozen next to him, hands clenched and whatever impulse he was resisting, Sam hoped he resisted it a little more. He hadn't watched nearly enough Law and Order to know what the fine was for making out in public but he damned well knew that assaulting a police officer was not the kind of misbegotten behavior that would get them off with a lecture.
"Your car? Is that right?" the Deputy drawled. Sam tried not to groan. A cop camped outside a gay nightclub had probably not been patrolling for cars that were illegally parked. "You have some sort of I.D. on you to back that up?"
Sideswipe blinked a little, managed a soft, "I...no."
"Uh huh. You?"
"Yeah, I--" Sam felt for his wallet and realized that it wasn't there. Christ, had cute glasses-boy stolen his wallet or had he just managed to lose the damned thing? He hadn't even had any money, what kind of karmic clusterfucking was this? "I guess I actually don't."
Deputy About-To-Nail-Their-Asses pursed his lips, although he flicked the light down from their faces, at least. "Let me see if I have this right. The two of you are out drinking and driving around with no I.D., on top of public indecency." He shook his head. "Boys, that is not the way we do things in Paxton City. I think you better come on down to the station with me until we get this straightened around."
This could not be happening. There was just no way this was actually happening and it wasn't until he and Sideswipe were both sitting in the backseat of a patrol car that reality started to sink its teeth into Sam's belief system. Sideswipe was stiff next to him, his expression frozen as they drove away from his real body. He kept blinking, almost trembling, and Sam laid a hand on his arm, homophobic deputies be damned.
"Are you okay?" Sam murmured under his breath, but the car was alive with the sound of the radio anyway, a jumble of numbers and codes that he didn't understand.
"Fine," Sideswipe said tersely. "Just trying to focus. I'm following from a distance."
"Just hold on," Sam told him softly. "Stay with me." Probably the last thing that would help them out here would be having one of them vanish into dust. Somehow, he didn't think it would make this guy any more inclined to cut them a break.
Sideswipe nodded, a little jerkily. "I'm trying. Just not used to this, anymore."
"It'll be okay," Sam rubbed Sideswipe's arm a little, not knowing if he was helping or making it worse, but Sideswipe didn't protest. The deputy gave them a sharp glance in the rearview mirror but otherwise kept his eyes on the road, paying no mind to the low murmurs from the backseat, nor the pair of headlights following them from a few blocks away, moving easily through the streets despite the lack of a driver.
"Stay with me," Sam whispered quietly, over and over, even as Sideswipe trembled next him, eyes shut tight. Deputy Harper was telling someone named Ann that he was bringing a couple in, something that Sam sincerely hoped was true.
He kept talking softly to Sideswipe, finally settling his hand over one of Sideswipe's shaking ones, wincing hard as his fingers were abruptly caught in a near death grip. Just stay, just stay, over and over, and Sam really hoped he'd paid enough into his karma debt for the day or else things were about to get a lot worse.
Somehow, he thought that being in disgrace with their superiors was going to be the least of their worries.
-finis-
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Also the end. THE END. Why did you leave off there? WHY? I cannot wait to read more of this.
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LOL! Hey, they didn't ask for a plan, they just wanted a ride into the city. *G*
I just posted a new chapter that finally puts and end to a lot of the cliffhangers. I hope it helps. ;)
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You are a master of cliffhangers. Got me on edge and suddenly cut my feed.
*pouts*
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More please!
Re: More please!
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I can't wait for more!
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-_-** but now there is another cliffhanger to tease us!
Oh, I can't wait to see Bee's reaction to ALL of this. Protective bf won't even cover what Sam is gonna go through!
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Bumblebee is going to kill Sam. OK, maybe not literally, but jeez, Sam, the guilt is going to kill you. Learn to communicate and you won't go through these guilt trips!
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Thank you for still reading after all this time. :)