Going Green

Chapter 29: She Hated That

Verdant didn't see anyone else that night. Maybe it was because Optimus told them not to, or maybe because they did come and left while Verdant was distracted with Wheeljack.

The next morning, she woke up with the wrecker curled up and pressed against her side. She smiled down at him, her digits brushing across the jagged weld marks on his arm.

He hummed lightly and turned, his own arm reaching up to touch her face. "Who did this to you?"

"Did what?"

Wheeljack pressed against the freshly welded claw marks. "This."

"Doesn't matter," Verdant moved her helm away. "You won't be goi–"

Wheeljack cut her off with a sudden kiss, his chassis pressing against hers. Their sparks drummed readily as he slid his servo up her neck.

"Who did it?" he murmured.

"Starscream," Verdant pressed back into him.

Wheeljack chuckled and pulled away, rising to his pedes. Verdant frowned, but got up too. She stretched a bit before looking out the spaceshield.

"I need energon," she stated.

"It's a date, then," Wheeljack headed for the door.

Verdant rolled her optics, but smiled and followed him. The two made their way into the back of the base, and Wheeljack slid his arm around her waist. Surprisingly enough, Verdant didn't feel anxious about it or shake it off.

Wheeljack was right. She was going to do what she wanted to do and Ultra Magnus be damned if he spoke a word about it. The commander's opinion was worth less than dust.

"One or two?" Wheeljack asked. "Since you apparently don't know how to refuel on a regular basis."

Verdant snatched one away from him. "Afthole."

Wheeljack smirked. "You know you talk in your sleep?"

"Shut it."

"I heard that particular word very often."

Verdant glared and she stuffed the cube in her subspace. It would be easier to deal with awkward situations if she could occupy herself with refueling at the same time.

"I'm going to make you hear it on a different level," she threatened, tossing her cube in a recycling bin. "If I were you, I'd be careful."

"Careful," Wheeljack snickered. "Yeah, that's my forté."

Verdant huffed and looked through the doorway into the hall. Nobody was out, but she could hear voices in the distance.

"Nervous?" Wheeljack reattached his servo to her midsection. "Don't be."

"I'm not," Verdant raised her chin. "Let's go."

Verdant pulled Wheeljack out into the hallway and headed for the main room. Her pace slowed down the closer they got, but soon enough, the two were walking into the open. The feel of EM fields rubbing against her own made sparks travel up her spine, but Verdant merely smiled politely and made a beeline for the monitors.

A splash of dull, blue paint scraped against the edges of her vision, but Verdant paid it no mind. Her spark was beating too heavily, and her adrenaline coursed through her frame in a mixture of fear and... excitement?

For some reason, there was a smug smirk tugging at the corners of her intake. Verdant had to push it down as she approached Ratchet.

Now would be a good time for speeches; she should have addressed the whole Autobot base and expressed how much she regretted her decisions as of late.  But Verdant was never one for standing in a spotlight. She preferred her work to be done silently so she could bask in pride from the shadows. So Verdant simply sat down next to Ratchet, removed Wheeljack's arm from her waist with the flick of a tentacle, and plugged into the database.