#swervealert

"What were you expecting?" Swerve shoots him a look as he sets aside the glass he had been drying.

"I expected you to be… Well, out there." He gestures to the screen showing the festivities somewhere below them. "We made it to this universe's Earth in time for some human holiday and you decided to stay up here."

"Ok first of all this isn't just some human holiday, it's New Year's Eve! It the end of one of their calendar years and the beginning of the next!" Swerve gestures wildly, drying cloth nearly flying out of his servo. "But you probably wouldn't be super fond of that crowd in New York, would you."

"Personally? Absolutely not. But that's why I'm staying, you don't-"

"If you're not going there's no point in me going." Swerve's voice is quiet as he focuses on the next glass. "Besides, it's just a stupid human tradition, it doesn't matter that much."

Ah. That 'stupid human tradition' probably takes two, and if Red Alert stays on the ship Swerve won't be able to do it anyways.

"What's the tradition?"

"Does it matter? Like I said, it's just a stupid little thing."

"Do you really think it being stupid impacts me wanting to hear it?"

Swerve goes quiet for a few seconds.

"It's just this thing where humans will kiss their partners or someone, I usually see it for partners in movies though, right at midnight and I thought… I don't know. I thought but didn't actually have any kind of plan or anything."

Oh. Red can't help feeling a little bad about not wanting to join in the festivities. It does sound nice.

"There's still time for us to get down there." Red focuses his gaze on the table, but he can feel Swerve looking at him. "If you're not busy."

"You'd actually go down there with me?"

"Maybe not in the city proper, but… That area has woods or mountains or something like that, right?" Somewhere far enough from the crowd while being present for whatever it is Swerve is trying to do. The other pauses for a bit before exploding into movement.

"Alright everyone, wrap it up! Bar's closed, finish your drinks and scram! Find somewhere else to get drunk!"

Everything is a whirlwind as Red helps Swerve kick everyone out and get the bar into enough order to lock up and leave it before hurrying to one of the smaller shuttles and heading down. They settle down in a forest clearing and climb to the top of the shuttle, just themselves and some cubes of high grade and the stars. Well, and the screen Swerve pulls up to watch the nearby festivities.

Just in time, it seems. Thirty minutes to spare.

They settle in, Red listening to Swerve's talk of New Year's resolutions and other traditions while keeping an audial out for the promised countdown. It doesn't feel like long before it starts and Red directs Swerve's attention to their screen. The minibot watches in rapt attention as the crowd counts down.

Ten.

"Seconds?"

Nine.

"Uhuh."

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

"So when…"

Five.

"do we…"

Four.

"Hold on!"

Three.

Two.

One-