#transformers vortex

Within no time the team is done unloading everything, and you make way for Ops to transform, eager to finally catch a glimpse as he doesn’t let you come on patrols or missions with him for safety reasons, so you hadn’t seen it before. 

Perched atop one of the raised warehouse walkways after scurrying up one of the long ramps, you’ll be about chassis level with him now. 

He detaches his trailer after backing it into the normal spot- red and blue metal plates begin to shift and move across his body, interconnecting with other pieces of metal, his tires rotate then flip sideways and his exhaust pipes move further towards his back as he stands to full height, taking a few steps towards the walkway you’re perched on to face you, (well, mostly.) He looks so leader-like. Confident and caring nature seeping off him in an aura. 

And here you are, too stunned to speak, shocked at how intricate and intriguing his transformation was and you can’t seem to stop gawking from your position, now eyeing his chassis before staring up at him, mouth slightly agape. 

He lets out a little confused grunt, expression the equivalent of furrowing his eyebrows, “Are you alright?” He sounds concerned, you’ve been staring for a solid minute now and you’re very warm when he reaches to place a large servo on your back. “Do you need me to take you somewhere private?” You shake your head to break your trance, heart rate a bit higher than it should be, and you realize he probably thinks he’s scared you or something. “Oh, no no! I’m fine, just a little shocked is all-“ His servo is checking your temperature now, “Your transformation is just fascinating, I haven’t seen it before.” His lips part a bit, and he vents inwards almost imperceptibly, a little shocked at your words. It’s been a while since he’s received a compliment like that, let alone someone flirting with him, even more so that someone being you, the human he’d taken interest in romantically but had yet to do anything about. 

He lightly shakes his helm, optics shutting off for a klik while he gives you a small chuckle, low and rough. He pets his servo down from your head to your back lovingly. “Thank you, I appreciate that. And I’m glad you’re alright.” 

You notice Jazz- who was very well aware of your feelings for Ops- out of the corner of your eye, and before you can even respond to Optimus, Jazz is cupping his servos around his mouth yelling from the other side of the warehouse, “That’s some hardcore flirting where we’re from!” And you see Ratchet shove his head forward so he walks away, cackling his aft off down the hall. 

You stiffen in his servo, painfully aware that Optimus can feel how warm you’re getting again and see how flustered you are, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean- I mean I do mean it, I just-“ He finds your stammering cute as it is unnecessary, happy to have received any praise from you at all but still planning to give Jazz a lecture for putting you on the spot. 

“It’s alright, no need to worry.” Does he know his voice is that soothing? Is he doing it on purpose? The way he smiles so gently down at you has you thinking he does. 

“If you’d like, I can take you for a drive? There are many scenic spots around the base. Apologies for having not offered sooner.” He wanted to confess to you at a good time, somewhere romantic and private but it seems he won’t get that chance as you steel yourself to the utmost, finding a confidence in Jazz’ words that you previously hadn’t known, “It’s okay, you mean like a date?” You look so genuine and hopeful- but he can feel your little hands shaking slightly, clearly still flustered- he takes a few kliks just to commit that look in your eyes to his memory banks. 

As if his smile could soften any further, he bends down to place a slow, chaste kiss to your cheek, patting your head and enjoying the way you nearly squeak in response. You can hear that delightful gruff chuckle again through his breath, “I’d like that.”

Jazz - newly established 

You’re checking your appearance one last time in the mirror, moving around the house swiftly to prepare for your first proper date tonight with Jazz. 

See, you two had gone on many late night drives together, stayed up and marathoned movies, even cooked dinner for one another- it was fun to have him taste test so many human foods and see his reactions- but you had yet to go on a proper first date. Tonight, however, that was going to change! You couldn’t be more excited, and also nervous. 

Your anxieties were quickly cut short by the sound of loud cheesy late 70s music playing from your garage, startling you into nearly dropping your phone- you’d given Jazz a key a long while ago even before making yourselves official, as he’d be over at your house practically everyday anyways- so you knew it was him. Rolling your eyes with a snort at ‘it feels like the first time~’ coming from his radio, knowing damn well he had the biggest smirk on his face waiting for you. 

Entering the garage which had been occupied more by him than you at this point, you’re presented with a variety of your favorite candy alongside what is probably the largest bouquet of flowers you’d ever seen resting atop a rickety old workbench- you had never bothered to replace it. Next to it, Jazz was parked, singing along with the music so loud you can hear the smile in his voice. He’s flashing his lights and wiggling his tires in a funny little dance that has you laughing loud enough he can hear your sweet voice over the radio. 

He turns down the volume down as he backs up a bit, shifting out of his alt-mode and back to the form you’ve grown so familiar with. You’ve seen his vehicle mode before but never his transformation sequence, always managing to miss it by a hair. 

But now your curiosity is more than sated- seeing the metal plating retract and shift across his frame, his chassis coming up and his door wings moving to their rightful position behind him. You can all too clearly see his mesh flex underneath the rotating metal on his thighs and his servos pushing himself off the ground before he kneels down to reach out to you. 

You didn’t think you could be so flustered by such a sight but here you are, kind of wanting to cancel the date and skip to the aftermath. And he definitely notices your reaction. He’s Jazz after all, he’d be nothing if not observant. 

“Well don’t you look lovely, care to join me tonight?” He’s not even trying to hide how smug he is, engine revving when you come close enough he can feel the fabric of your outfit brush against his arm. It’s so soft, he recognizes it as one of your favorite outfits and he thinks you look almost too enticing. 

Meanwhile you’re desperately trying to cover up how loud your heart is beating right now, clearing your throat before you speak, “You don’t look too bad yourself, I have yet to see your transformation. It’s so smooth..” Your voice is trailing off, but from Jazz’ perspective, you sound so genuine he can’t stop his engine from revving again, a little euphoric from your comment, even knowing you’re unaware that you’re coming on to him hard right now according to his culture. 

He lets out a signature chuckle, servo coming around to cup your back protectively, “Ya know doll, that’s considered flirting where I come from,” he’s got that teasing lit to his voice even though you can tell he’s being honest, his vents ticked up a notch now. 

“Ah, well-“ pressing your noticeably warm cheek against his chassis to avoid his optics and wrapping your arms around him as best you can, he’s stroking up and down your spine tantalizingly, “it’s a good thing we have a date planned then, right?” 

Mirage - not established but is after 

Feeling squeaky clean and freshly buffed, Mirage makes his way into the base with a grin so wide it barely fits his face. He looks not unlike a pleased cat after they knock something down, a little cocky. 

“You sure seem chipper,” your comment is only met with bright optics, happy to hear from his little crush. He poses dramatically when he nears you, pointing his thumbs at his chassis before giving you finger guns, “Why wouldn’t I? Ya boy just got a nice detail and new rims, I’m feeling fantastic!” You can’t help but think he’s so cute when he’s happy like this, his confidence and cheerful nature both infectious. 

“Oh yeah? Show me!” He’s never shown you his transformation to his alt-mode before, having always done it out of sight so as to remain incognito. 

He offers you a sweet laugh, “Yeah? Wanna piece of the Mirage? Best and fastest speedster around?” He steps back a few paces from you, incredibly swift with how he switches to his Porsche alt, legs swooping around him almost like he’s breakdancing. You can see how his wheels join together in the middle, new rims on perfect display, his chassis shifts in a way you’ve never seen before and invisible seams appear in his metal plating. His biolights are brighter than before- what with how you’re gawking at him- and he decides to show off a bit, he’s favorite thing to do when you’re around, you’ve learned. 

“Oh, ya like that? That’s not all-“ he cuts himself off by spinning into a different alt, a Ferrari this time, that new buffing he just got doing him favors you were unaware could exist on a car. But you can’t look for long before he’s switching to other sports cars, some you’ve never even heard of and he’s spouting off names and models like an auctioneer. 

He ceases his impromptu fashion show with another steady transformation and little hop onto his pedes, thoroughly enjoying your expressions, amazed at all you’d seen. “Ha, impressed? Why thank you~” he’s so proud of himself, but internally he’s flustered to the max, hopes you can’t hear his fans when you scurry a bit closer to him, reaching a small hand to his arm when he kneels down to your level. 

“That was awesome!! Your transformation looks so cool! I love the rims and your finish looks great!” He’s choking back a stutter, trying to seem as suave as possible while you praise him so earnestly, has no clue if you know what you’re saying to him right now but by Primus does he not want to correct you if you don’t. 

He feels too guilty to let you offer him so many compliments without informing you that you’re hitting on him, “Heh, you realize you’re flirting with me, right? Compliments to alt modes and transformations are like, flirting 101 back on Cybertron.” He really hopes you’re not uncomfortable, wants you so desperately to continue it’s not even funny. 

“Oh- I did not,” and his spark sinks a little at your tone, excitement dropping from it only momentarily, he honestly thinks you’re going to reject him and he hasn’t even confessed yet, “but I don’t mind, I mean it.” You’re smiling? His optics shoot wide, his lips parted and you catch a hint of his glossa peaking from behind them, had he been biting it? 

“You- wait seriously??” He sounds happy and confused all at the same time, shaking his helm as if he heard you incorrectly, “You actually don’t mind that you just flirted with me? Hang on, I did say that, right? Like out loud, not just thought it? I don’t know if I explained myself-“ and you cut him off by laughing- that sweet giggle he’s come to dream of in his recharge- wanting to stop his stammering. 

“I don’t mind Mirage, and yes I’m serious. I like you anyway, so what’s the harm?” He swears his spark just stopped. You look so content with what you’d just said, like it wasn’t hard for you at all, like you’d known for so long. Had you? Oh- If this is returning to the All-spark he’s happy to go, being praised by you is nothing short of divine and finding out you like him back? He can offline happy now. 

He takes a moment to run a quick system check just to make sure he isn’t in one of those dreams from earlier, still shocked he’s not. “No fraggin way- when we’re you gonna tell me? Did you- Ya know what, scrap that, I’m taking you on a date. Hop in,” and he’s eagerly shifting back to his alt-mode while you laugh, the melodious sound continuing while you two speed off to who knows where. 

Ironhide - not established but is after 

The wind carries sounds of clanking metal straight to you as you watch from your little makeshift perch, Ironhide and Cliffjumper were sparing out in the field below, though not too far from you, far enough they could freely move and shoot without risking you getting hurt. 

You’d been watching for an hour now, having been checked up on a few times by Ops and the others just to ensure you’re good. You enjoy watching Ironhide spar, it’s a nice way to pass the time actually. You’d grown to have a big crush on the grumpy mech, even though you didn’t get to see him as often as either of you would’ve liked given his schedule. 

Unbeknownst to you, Ironhide had an equally large crush on you. Cursing himself for acting like a damn youngin trying to impress you without even meaning to. You’re just so funny and sweet, but why would you want an ole mech like him? He’d subconsciously resigned to not confessing unless you came to him first, thinking you’d probably be more interested in some of the less busy, less cranky bots. Though he tends to be much less cranky when you’re around, your voice and presence offering him much appreciated respite.

He and Cliff finish up around the time you shake yourself out of your daydreaming, and you watch as Cliff speeds off after Ironhide pats him on the shoulder. He glances up to your perch, and you offer him a small wave. You realize you’ve never actually seen him transform after watching Cliff head off, and after tossing a few things off their makeshift sparing arena, he starts shifting to make his way towards you. 

Watching in fascination as his chassis moves, his servos land on the ground and you can see the mesh underneath his metal which has your mind reeling, he’s quick in his short drive over to you- only a few hundred feet but figured driving was faster- before he’s shifting back and you’re thankful you get to watch his sequence up close this time. 

He’s more than a little surprised when you start complimenting his transformation and sparing with such excitement, praising him in ways he hasn’t heard in a long time. He has to force the surprised expression on his face to return to a grumpy pout to hide how he’s actually feeling. Realizing you probably don’t know what you’re saying to him right now. 

“Hm, shouldn’t go around saying that stuff or you’ll be askin for trouble,” he’s honestly worried you’d given many of the others the wrong idea if you’d complimented them like that, and he’s a little grouchy at the thought. “To us, that’s flirting.” 

You’re a bit surprised at the information he’s provided you, but see this as an opportunity to feel out whether or not he’s interested in you, I mean he seemed a little flattered by your words so, might as well try? 

“Ha, sorry, I didn’t know. But I still mean it, you look good! If it helps, I only say this stuff to you.” You emphasize the last word and now he’s unable to hide how he’s feeling, embarrassed and flustered but still the grumpy pout you’ve come to know and love resting atop his face. Though there’s a hint of a smirk under there too. 

He clicks his glossa and shakes his helm in realization, you’d felt the same way the whole time and he hadn’t noticed. Mentally notes he needs to get his optics checked next time he goes to Ratchets. 

Standing above you only slightly in your little perch, “If ya told me sooner, I would’ve taken you on a date like a gentlemech should,” he’s smiling now, not bothering to keep up any facades around you, offering you a servo, “Care to let an ole mech make good on that, love?” 

Rodimus - newly established 

He’s pouting, that much you can tell, even from your spot on the side of the racetracks. Rodimus had just pulled off the main track and into a pit area alongside Drift and Blurr. They had been racing for a while, placing bets against each other and low and behold, the fastest himself, Blurr beat everyone by a long shot. 

Roddy had managed to pull ahead of Drift and get second, not even considering beating Blurr, but he was still a bit peeved he hadn’t managed to beat his personal best time yet again. Had he just been on a different level that day? Was his matrix doing something? He didn’t know, but he did know it was annoying. 

He exchanges a few words with the others before pulling over to the side where you were, eager and needing to hear praise from his beloved little human partner after such a race. 

You’d only been together a short while, and work had been super busy, so you hadn’t really caught his transformation sequence before, at least not up close. You’d caught the tail end of it earlier when he was on the track, but missed the real show. 

Bright red and orange begin peeling off to different areas of his frame as he moves to stand, arms and legs appearing and pushing himself upwards almost like a push-up, you can see his red biolights revealing themselves once again on his abdomen area. He stands tall next to the guardrails decorating the edge of the seating area, reaching to lay his arms crossed atop it in front of you. 

“How’d ya like the show, hmm? Enjoy seeing your future conjunx race?” He’s almost playing coy with the way he wants your praise right now- always seeking it out like a moth to a lamp- little more than just bummed at not beating his record in front of you.

“I loved it, you looked so good! You guys were so fast I can hardly keep up,” your genuine laughter spreads warmth through him and you can feel the way his em field brushes affectionately against you. Warm, familiar and protective, slightly tingly like static. 

“Aww, you’re so sweet, thank ya love.” He’s happy to hear it but wants more, feeling all too greedy for you all the time. Realizing what he wants, you offer him honest praise, compliments you’d been waiting to give him since you caught the end of his shifting earlier. “You know Roddy,” he’s looking at you expectantly now, “I never get the chance to see your transformation,” you’re fawning internally over the smoothness, “and I don’t get to see your alt-mode often either. It’s a shame, you’re so pretty.” 

He’s practically beaming, fans kicking on and the smile on his face grows ten times larger, showing his denta when he laughs. He leans forward to brush his helm on your forehead, “You know if we weren’t already together I’d think you were trying to get in my panels right now,” he’s just being a tease but you figure it would be fun to give him a taste of his own medicine, maybe distract him a bit sensing he’s a little down and in need of that right now, he always has been easy for you to fluster. 

“Who says I’m not, huh? I mean, have you even seen yourself? It’s a wonder there aren’t more people throwing themselves at you, Captain.” And the title slips off your tongue way too deliciously, his biolights are pulsing and he drops his helm to your shoulder when you place a small hand on his cheek. “Hah, realize what you’re sayin right? I mean if you wanted a ride that badly all you had to do was ask~“ oh he thinks he’s funny, “Yeah? Right now? You’ll take me for a spin around the track then?” He’s perking up at your words, having just been poking fun at you before, now he’s excited for where this is going. “You really want that? I’d be happy to!” He looks so eager, happy to have you slotted nice and safe in his front seat while he shows you how fast he can go.

At your nod he takes you into his servos and pulls you against his chassis, nuzzling his faceplate against the top of your head before he’s shifting around you, setting you down gently in his drivers seat and clicking your buckle into place. 

You instinctively place your hands on his gearshift and wheel and it has his engine stalling for a moment as he backs onto the track again, you’re flooding him with compliments about how cool that transition was, how excited you are, and he’s eating it up, em field brushing up against you even more now that you’re in his chassis. 

Seeing the way you light up as he takes off, your smile so bright it could put a spark to shame, maybe he’s not so upset he didn’t beat his record after all. 

First Aid - established 

The sudden ringing of your phone startles you, interrupting your current work flow on what was frankly, incredibly boring paperwork. You heave a sigh, annoyed it will take you a few minutes to get back into your groove, but you’re still quick to pick up the call when you see it’s your partner calling. 

First Aid had been out getting some supplies for the med-bay a few hours prior, leaving you very bored in the base. While some of the other Protectobots were home, they’d been pretty busy with patrols today, so you chose to help out by plowing through some of their paperwork for them. Needless to say, your boredom was alleviated by your partners call, happy to hear his soft voice again. 

“Hi honey, headed back?” Eager to hear about his impending arrival, you don’t even give him time to greet you in return before asking about it. You hear his amused hum from the other end of the call, “Hm, hi pretty, I’m on the way now. Could I trouble you to help me bring a few things into the med-bay when I get there? If you’re not busy, that is,” and he’s always been considerate. 

“Yeah, course! I don’t mind at all, I’ll open the warehouse door outside the bay, ‘kay?” While you’re happy to see him and help out, you’re also just glad you won’t be doing mind numbing paperwork anymore. Evidently he was only a few kliks away when he called. 

“That’s perfect, cause I’m already here,” he laughs lightly at your little choked noise of surprise, immediately rushing up to go open the door, abandoning your phone at your desk. 

Low and behold he’s patiently waiting when you rush to smack the button, and you watch as he backs in towards you and opens his rear doors. It’s not often he transforms these days- only really doing so when necessary or to stretch a bit- which is good honestly. The less ambulance rides the world needs, the better. 

“Could you grab those boxes on the right? I don’t want to jostle them around too much shifting back,” already nodding, moving to step inside and bring the hefty boxes out to the counters nearby, you can hear liquid sloshing around inside the bottles the box contains. 

It doesn’t take you long, only a few things needing to be moved, and you two make small talk about the past few hours. The nice humans he spoke to today at the hospital, your finishing of some paperwork for the guys. He’s happy to hear your voice after working all day, finding it hard to remain focused while missing you. 

“Okay, I can get the rest, thank you love,” he doesn’t want to push you, hearing how busy you’d been, you deserve a rest. 

He slides forward a few feet, closing his rear doors before the metal exterior of the ambulance starts to move, decals splitting apart and sliding to lock into place elsewhere, glimpses of mesh and biolights visible beneath his plating as he transforms carefully, grabbing the leftover boxes from within before they can fall. He makes it look so easy, having done it so many times. 

You don’t realize you’re silently staring until he finishes setting the last of the supplies down onto the counter next to you, only barely stifling a chuckle, he brushes a gentle servo against your cheek. 

“I appreciate the gesture, but you’re staring hun.” You shake your head a bit to break your daze, instinctively placing a hand on the servo resting against your cheek. “Right- sorry,” you laugh a little at the moment, the two of you both finding your ogling humorous, “your transformation looks different whenever you’ve got something in your box, it’s fun to watch.” 

His mask clicks out of place and you glance up at the sound- squishing your cheek further into his servo- to find his softened expression aimed down at you. 

“Thank you, seems I’m not the only one who’s been missing someone today?” his naturally soft spoken voice only amplifies the teasing lit he’s got now, liking the way you roll your eyes at his words. “I always miss you, I was only staring because your sequence looked different, it’s charming-” your breathy laughter not doing him any favors right now, you’ve known for too long what complimenting an alt-mode does to a bot. “Besides, it’s not my fault you’re so cute.” You’re giving him a playful smile, placing a slow kiss to his servo, knowing his hands are particularly sensitive. 

That feels way too good after a long day, and he’s glad he’s got so much self control or he’d ask you not to stop, right in the middle of the med bay. 

“Heh, you think so? How about we finish putting these supplies away and then head back to the habsuite? I’m sure we could both use a break after working all day,” and he knows exactly what that not at all innocent smile on his face does as he moves to go back to work, leaving you to turn shades of red that match his paint job behind him. 

Vortex - not established but is after 

You had successfully made your way to the roof of the base, a big yellow helipad greeting you when you finally managed to force open the heavy door leading outside. Vortex liked to hang out up here, presumably to get some fresh air along with some peace and quiet. It was often noisy in the Combaticons base, cacophonous sounds of rowdy mechs ringing through every hall, random brawls taking place over lost bets. 

The breeze felt lovely, the small hairs that framed your face lightly shifting. It makes sense that the helicopter of the group liked heights and the wind. It helped that the view was lovely. 

The copter in question turns only his head, glancing over his shoulder at you from his spot at the edge of the rooftop. It wasn’t very tall, but he wasn’t letting you get too close without a servo prepared to catch you if necessary. He’s not entirely convinced your kind can’t be blown away with how small you are. 

“Found me I see, do ya need somethin?” He’d sound uninterested, annoyed even, if you weren’t already familiar with his speech patterns. You’d spent enough time with him to know when he was really unhappy, and learned he seemed to particularly like you. 

“Just wondering where my favorite mech had flown off to, is all.” You plop yourself down next to him, happily observing both the view and the way his rotor blades on his back shift when he moves back to his original position- leaning back on his servos with his legs kicked over the edge. Swindle had once mentioned that you could always tell how bots with wings and rotors were feeling based on how the body parts moved, but you weren’t sure how much you could believe from him at the time. Getting to know Tex just solidified that the con was in fact honest, though.

He seemed pretty content at the moment, even letting his optics shut off when the breeze picked up a bit, faceplate removed and angled up towards the sky, “Your favorite, huh? I’ll make sure the others hear about that,” he’s trying to sound teasing and tough but he can’t help how his spark thrums at your words, internally cursing himself for being so wrapped around your finger and not even being your partner. Yet, he hopes. 

You’re only mostly listening, curiosity peaked at the memory of Swins words, reaching to gingerly lay a hand on his rotor, lightly brushing your fingers against the smooth metal. Immediately he stiffens, servo catching your wrist so fast you don’t even see him move before you’re looking up at wide optics. Noting the facial expression he’s making, you’ve never seen it before. 

“Huh? Is that embarrassment I see?“ he’s quick to shush you with bared denta and a low growl, “Shut it,” letting go of your wrist before turning his head away, back to the sky, “You could get cut, be more careful.” He’d almost sound stern if it weren’t for his vents kicking on and the way his rotors were slightly idling- 

Great! He’s not gonna be able to get that sensation out of his processor now, and he’s mentally thanking you as sarcastically as possible- though he’s very much hoping you’ll do it again at some point, maybe a bit more private. He does consider himself pretty adventurous though, so then again, maybe not. 

He allows you to continue though, post warning, trailing a single finger along the center of one of his rotors. You don’t miss the way his plating resembles that of a bird with the way it almost ruffles up at your touch. 

“You know, I’ve never actually seen you in your alt-mode.” You’ve been curious for a while, but his mode of transport doesn’t exactly allow you to see it very often, let alone join him for a flight. Though he’d never ever let something happen to you, he might still tease you about what he does to those unlucky autobots. 

“Oh? Curiosity killed the cat, doll.” He’s smirking down at you, a little cocky given your interest in his alt appearance. But you’re used to his antics, you know how to give back what he gives you, “And satisfaction brought it back.” You say confidently, it’s the perfect conditions for a flight today after all. 

“That’s how it is huh,” He seems to be humored by that, pushing off his servos and hoping swiftly to his pedes, making sure to bend down and push you away from the edge with a single servo. Smirking when you tumble back a bit. “Fine, I’ll bite. Wanna fly me that bad? I’ll show you heights you’ve never seen,” and he’s sauntering over to the center of the helipad, turning back to you when you follow several meters behind him, staying outside the circle. 

You’re already a little flustered at his offer to make you see new heights and the implications of that, but it’s increasing rapidly watching his transformation sequence. Metal glides across metal, it’s almost too fast for you to catch the details. The way his biolights become obscured and covered by plating, folding in on himself yet moving in a manner that retains his large size, his rotors spinning into place as he comes off the ground by a few feet before landing expertly. The wind from his rotors whips across your face but it isn’t as harsh as you’d expected. You suspect he did that on purpose. 

“There, happy? Or are you just gonna stare?” You know he’s just teasing you but you’re all too enticed by the way he just moved- which has you questioning many things- and red in the face. 

Moving towards him when he slides open his door, he’s keenly aware you are completely oblivious to how much you’re flirting with him when you offer him compliments and praise with every step. He clicks his glossa, feeling your barely perceptible weight as you step into the cockpit and plop yourself into one of his pilot seats excitedly, “Back home, that level of flirting would’ve just earned you a date, or a drink at least.” 

You take a moment to process his words before realizing what he means, feeling a bit too warm for comfort all of the sudden. “I- I didn’t know!” Your incredulous stammering just makes him laugh, a bit maniacal in nature as was typical for him, but you start laughing along too after a few seconds, still a bit embarrassed. “I don’t regret it, though.” and your voice is almost a whisper, but he can hear you loud and clear. 

He takes a minute to process the situation himself, mentally freaking out for a moment before swapping back to his more suave self, “Sounds like I’m taking you for a flight then.” He’ll ask you on a more official first date when you two get back, but for now, he wants to hear you spill more of that sweet praise just for him. 

Hound - not established but is after

Hound is a big sweetspark- you’d come to know that like the back of your hand- always worrying for you and wanting to ensure you get home safely from the base. Or anywhere really. If you tell him about your plans to go out with friends, he’s gently reminding you to give him a call or shoot him a text to let him know you’re home safe. He doesn’t mean to come off as possessive in some way, he’s painfully aware that you two are just friends, and he hopes that’s only for now, he really does just want to make sure you’re alright. 

The weather forecast had shown heavy rain all morning when you’d been picked up from your house by Cliffjumper, who had oh-so-lovingly pointed out that you were only calling him because you were too shy to ask Hound. Smacking his dashboard only causing him to retaliate pettily, “Ha!- Wanna be like that? Fine, you can have Hound take you home then.” You’re giving him the most ridiculous look now, and he finds it hilarious. “I mean you could always walk too, what’s a little rain gonna do-“ and you smack him a second time. It’s not enough to hurt, and you two had been besties for so long now he knew how you were gonna respond to his teasing before he’d even said anything. 

Work went by smoothly at the base, though the team had kept the weather channel opened basically all day on the TV in the common area. Hound had been checking it periodically, and it wasn’t letting up, pouring even more than that morning. Worried about you making it home safe, knowing you lived pretty far out from base. Maybe he should tell Cliff to take you home- knows you two are very close- but when he makes way to do exactly that, the red bot only laughs and throws a hand up, “Nope, you can take ‘em. I’m sure they won’t mind. And I know you won’t either,” he’s sauntering off after shooting Hound a wink, knowing the green mechs feelings for you already. 

Cliff was honestly just sick of being a part of you twos song and dance these past few months, and was using every excuse he could to get you two to finally confess. 

Hound exvents heavily, worried he might come off a bit weird asking to take you home when you’d always gone with Cliffjumper. But it appears that little slag won’t be helping him out- and he makes the mental note not to do him any favors this week- so he heads out to find you. 

You’re curled up in a blanket on the couch with some of the others, weatherman yammering away on the TV as you guys wait out the storm. Bumblebee is upside down with his pedes over the back of the couch next to you, and Ratchet is standing with his arms crossed behind the two of you. Jazz had already tried to alleviate everyone’s impatience with some music which was nice. 

‘Severe thunderstorms set to continue throughout the night until tomorrow morning, watch out night drivers!’ And you’re internally cursing at Cliff for his dramatic display this morning. Know he’s petty as fuck too, he will not be taking you home. He’d probably let you sleep in his berth though, rather you’d just punch in the code that only he’s supposed to know to his hab and sneak in to spend the night since he barely ever rests. You’re not too keen on not being able to brush your teeth or shower though, so you might just have to grovel an apology at him. 

You’re brought out of your ‘smacking Cliffjumper a third time’ trance by a gentle tap on your shoulder, careful not to snag at your blanket. You glance upwards behind you, meeting Hounds gaze, Ratchet now missing, immediately growing a bit nervous. 

He’s so friendly and sweet, he always makes sure you get home safe, calls you ‘doll’ and ‘sweetspark’ and ‘darlin’. He asks you questions about life as a human, enjoying your company. You think your crush is starting to inhibit your ability to work at the base at this point. 

“Rainin pretty hard, asked Cliff if he’d take ya home but he’s not havin it tonight.” He sounds exasperated at your friend, and you hope to everything Cliff didn’t mention this morning to Hound. “Oh, yeah he already let me know this morning he wouldn’t be taking me home,” you hope you don’t come off as dismissive, “I was thinking of staying here but I don’t really have my things so-“ your voice trails off, you hadn’t thought of a solution yet so you weren’t exactly sure how to finish your statement. 

“How ‘bout I take ya home then? Don’t worry, you’ll be safe, promise.” And he’s making your heart rate pick up with the way he’s smiling softly down at you. You quickly nod before thinking, “That sounds nice, thank you so much, are you sure it isn’t too much trouble?” You’ve managed to wiggle your blankets edge free out from under Bumblebee, who whines, standing to round the couch. 

“No trouble at all darlin,” you throw the blanket over Bee and he happily chirps at you, waving you goodbye, “Ready to head out?” He walks you to the garage door at your nod, backing up after pressing the button, which was nearly smashed from so much use. 

The green mech begins to transformer behind you, catching his knees meeting the concrete floor as they shift into his undercarriage, wheels roll into their place and his doors all shut in time with his final movements. You’d even caught a sneak peak of his mesh and biolights beneath his plating. ‘They’re so pretty’ but your thoughts are interrupted when he pops open the drivers side door, already turning on the heat so you wouldn’t catch a cold in the rain. 

“Let’s get ya home doll, need to stop anywhere on the way?” You slot so perfectly into his front seat, small gentle hands on his wheel nearly has his engine stalling, “Nope, but there’s no rush,” you mull it over in your head to ask him about his transformation. What does it feel like? What do those lights underneath mean? What’re they for?

 “By the way, when you transform, what does it feel like? I’ve never asked,” he’s definitely going to stall if he doesn’t get going now. The seat behind you feels a little warmer than before. 

“It’s like a human stretchin, that’s what Ratchet said anyway. If ya don’t do it for a while, ya start gettin stiff in the joints.” He’s pulled out onto the long dark road leading to the base. 

“Ah, I see,” silence fills for a few minutes while he drives, the rain dripping down the windows, not really thinking much of your next comments, “I liked your lights, they’re really pretty.” His engine revs unintentionally, and he brakes for a half second causing you to abruptly jolt forward.

“Hound? Sorry, did I say something offensive?” Immediately aware that you don’t actually know if it’s taboo to say that sort of thing. I mean they are often hidden, you’d only seen them a few times, usually after you’d given him a hug or talked about traveling with him someday. He clears his throat, already  back to driving like before, but you can definitely feel how warm his steering wheel is now. 

“No no, it’s not offensive sweetspark. Quite the opposite actually,” he chuckles awkwardly, hoping to ease your discomfort but painfully aware of how flustered he is now. Knows you have no idea that complimenting biolights is usually only something you do with a partner or someone you wanna interface with. 

“For us bots, saying somethin so sweet about our lights ‘s usually a way of showin you’re interested in someone. It’s flirtin,” you could honestly let the world swallow you whole right now. Ten minutes into the drive and you’d basically just laid your feelings on the table without even knowing it, how long until you’d get home?? Can you survive the next few minutes?

“I’m so sorry,” you cover your face in embarrassment, sliding a hand down and sighing loudly, but you laugh despite the thickness in the air. 

“I don’t mind, comin from you it’s appreciated,” he debates changing the subject for your sake, deciding he’ll feel it out based on how you respond. 

“Coming from me?” You let the question hang in the air, and silence lingers between you two for a moment before he vents out a sigh of his own, 

“Guess it’s time to come clean, huh?” He mentally prepares for a rejection that won’t come, “I like ya a lot doll. Such a sweetspark, I adore your company.. No pressure of course, I understand if you’re not interested, and I’ll still make sure ya get home safe like always, no matter what.” 

You’re scrambling, choking for a response out of yourself, he really thinks you’re not interested?? “Wait- I didn’t say I wasn’t!-“ he waits for you to finish when you wave your hands in front of you as if to stop him, “I like you too, a lot, actually.” 

He takes a few kliks to process your confession, smiling to himself. “Ya do, huh?” And you nod so cute at him, pulling into your driveway around this time, stopping out front. 

“In that case, how bout I pick ya up tomorrow mornin, and we can go somewhere nice after work, sound alright?” You smile so wide at his words, offering him a melodious laugh, “That sounds perfect.”

Still thinking about smacking Cliff a third time though. 

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Note: Thinking of doing a part two with: Arcee, Hotspots, Blurr, Dratchet, Nautica, Bumblebee, maybe Windblade and Swerve. Don’t know yet tho! Lol, lmk if that’s something you’d wanna read:)