6Welp, I had you guys vote last chapter and wow, so many votes for numero uno! It was supposed to be posted yesterday, on Valentine's Day, but my sister took my laptop and didn't give it back until an hour ago. |:\
This one-shot is based on the song, "99 Red Balloons" (the english version). I think the song is really cute, and works for Sideswipe and Charlie's relationship. Thank you, 99luftballonsx.o.x for the input! By the way, this would take some place between chapter 9 and 10.
And now, as promised, the fluff-shot.
99 Red Balloons (One-shot)
(Charlie's POV)
The gentle whipped my hair in front of my eyes as we raced down the highway, little to no cars at this time in the morning. The sun had just risen, and the sky blended with yellow, blue, purple, orange and red. A deep rev echoed from Sideswipe's powerful engine, and I couldn't help the tiny chuckle that escaped me. I tasted hair for a moment, then grimaced, before pulling it into a loose ponytail at the base of my neck.
"Too much wind?" His voice drifted from the dashboard.
I shook my head.
I wasn't going to voice it, but I was very nervous about going to this base. I know it was supposed to protect me, and keep my family safe, but could I really adjust to being around a bunch guys in army greens? What were they even going to think of a 18 year old girl wandering around what was supposedly a top federal secret base? No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't see myself integrating in well. The only person I'd know would be Sideswipe, and half the time he would be off fighting Decepticons.
A deep shiver ran down my spine at the though of those vicious sharp claws, or the wicked red glint in their burning eyes. A flash back of when I first had the unpleasant encounter with them hit me, and I remembered being crushed between those claws. The painful, burning feeling from deep inside my chest as the oxygen was slowly escaping me. My heart lurched in fear, and I quickly banished the memory.
"Hey Charlie...are you okay?" I flinched at the sound of Sideswipe's voice.
I almost forgot I was inside a sentient car.
I let out a nervous chuckle, "Um, yeah. I'm okay."
"You sure?" He asked cautiously, and I could detect the skepticism.
I found myself rolling my eyes, crossing my arms, and leaning back in the seat. I shot the dashboard a pointed look, "What makes you think I'm not fine?"
"You look... well, terrified."
Damn. He's onto me.
"Is this about your family?"
I sighed, my gaze averting to the ground. "It still feels like I'm abandoning them."
Suddenly, his holoform appeared, and my eyes widened slightly. Gently, he reached a hand out, his touch soft and amiable. I couldn't help but lean in, I was drawn so his warm fingers, as they wrapped me in a small side-hug. It caused a pleasant heat to swirl in my chest, and I leaned my elbows on the cup-holder seats between us, trying to get as close to his warmth as possible.
"We've been over this before," He murmured softly in my ear, "You're doing the right thing, I promise."
For my sake, I really hope I was.
We stayed like that for a few minutes, before he pulled away slightly so that his pale blue eyes were trained on my face, "We need to stop at a gas station. I'm low on your earth fuel."
The edges of my lips curled into a small grin, "Okay."
His holoform disappeared, and so did the warmth. But I didn't mind so much, I actually felt kind of better.
The engine revved deeply again, sending thrills through my legs and I giggled softly. Any lingering negatives thoughts of the days before were fading as the excitement washed into me. I could feel it as if it was rushing through my veins, from my fingertips to my toes, and to the point where I wasn't sure how to contain it anymore. So I stuck my head through the roll-downed window, and beamed like an idiot at the rising sun.
"Are you going to pant like a dog, schlemiel?"
I rolled my eyes, but my smile widened, "Shut up, Sideswipe."
The tiny bell above the door jingled as we entered the small convenience store, and the smell of fresh pretzels and churros' swarmed my nostrils. I glanced at Sideswipe, who had a peculiar look on his face while he took in his surroundings, before sniffing the air. The quaint store wasn't crowded, but people did roam the aisles, and gave rather perplexed looks at Sideswipe while he sniffed the air.
I flushed of embarrassment, before pulling him away from the entrance and toward an aisle, "Hey, how about you go look for another atlas. I'll go get my stuff."
He nodded, and we parted ways. I went to the next aisle over, surfing the shelves of potato chips. I had picked up a bag of Cheetos when the soft sounds of an intro played to a very familiar song.
You and I, in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
Till one by one, they were gone...
I hummed the words, tossing in more chips and then moving on to some beef jerky. My feet tapped the to rhythm, and my hips swayed from side to side. I did a little twirl as I switched to the other side, grabbing a bunch of gummi-worms off the shelf. I did a big slide to the right, and shook my hips as I switched sides again, tapping the the drums. The electronic piano came in, and I did another little twirl. I picked up a water bottle, and used it as a microphone to sing to the chorus.
99 red balloons, floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, its red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine, it springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
As 99 Red Balloons go by...
I hummed along happily to the music again, doing a little shuffle as I turned into the next aisle. The excitement of the upbeat 80's song had me really getting into it, I sang the words to the verses happily, while collecting my necessities and ignoring the slightly puzzled looks from others. I turned, doing a small leap, and mimicking the electric guitar melody with my hands.
I do another spin, and run straight into the chest of something. The sheer force itself was enough to have me on the floor, if hands didn't snake around my waist at the last moment. I stared up at his face, and relaxed instantly when it was just Sideswipe smiling cheekily down at me. I pulled away from him slowly, the temperature in my face rising as I blushed.
"S-Sorry."
His cheeky grin only widened, "I didn't know you could dance."
I just shrugged it off, "Well, I took a couple of dance classes during my sophomore year."
"I like it." He said, his piercing blue gaze intensifying.
I fought the urge to blush again, "Thanks... but it's really nothing."
He then crackled his knuckles, "Get ready to show me your best moves."
"Why?"
"Because I'm challenging you to a dance off."
My eyes widened slightly, and I shook my head, "Uh...no no no."
"Uh, yes yes yes," He mocked, before smirking, "C'mon schlemiel, you need to let loose a little."
I gave him a flat stare, "If I do this, will you stop calling me that?"
His eyebrows scrunched up, as a serious look of concentration crossed his face, before he sighed, "Okay, I'll stop...for one day."
I sighed, "Well, that's probably the best I'll get."
He started dancing, and for a moment, it was like he was a human. His dance moves smoothly blended into one another, and then he turned around and did the moonwalk.
My mouth fell open.
He turned in a tight spin, dropping to the floor in a half-split before coming up and gracing me with a wide smirk.
"Can you top that?"
I doubted that I could, but the arrogance in his tone made me want to try. I snapped myself out of my stupor, and then waited for the chorus to come in again. My hips swayed to the beat again, and I did a little fancy spin of my own. I kicked, leaped, and turn before leaning forward and bringing my arms out in a swiping motion. I threw in some dance moves from my old jazz recital routines, clapping my hands to the beat. I lowered myself to a crouch, hands on my hips as my chest moved side to side before bringing my arms up in a sharp pose before pointing at Sideswipe.
He seemed quite taken aback, but brung his A-game nonetheless. At one point, we were both dancing at the same time, our fluid motions blending into perfect synchronization, and it felt like I could predict his next move, and vice versa. Every time I swerved to the right, he swerved left, and every time I spun, his hand were automatically grasping mine softly, balancing me while we put on a show in the aisle. By this time , we drew a pretty big audience, and some of them clapped a long with us, gave low whistles, or just stared in amazement.
Unfortunately, the fun ended when the manager came stomping down the aisle, face flushed cherry red with anger as he howled at us to stop dancing before we break or run into something important. Sideswipe, being Sideswipe, sassed him off, and he ended up kicking us out of the store.
I managed to keep a straight face as we rushed out of the doors, the tiny bell jingling again. We stumbled over to the silver Corvette, his engine rumbling eagerly. Sideswipe, on the other hand burst into laughter. His hands braced on the front of his car as he doubled over, shaking his head. I couldn't help myself after that, his warm laughter was contagious. And soon, we were both just laughing like madmen in the front of the convenience store.
The laughter faded into tiny chuckles, and I had to stop or I wouldn't be able to breathe. I rubbed my sore stomach, panting softly as Sideswipe turned to face me with that gleeful grin of his.
"So," I rasped out, still trying to regulate my breathing, "Who won?"
Sideswipe's grin widened, "I think we should call it a tie."
"You mean I almost got hit with a broomstick by an angry, tiny, man for a tie?" I breathed out.
He nodded, "Yep. It was worth it."
I just shook my head at his antics.
"Are you...feeling better?" He asked slowly, an uncertain look crossed his face.
I smiled, "Yeah, I actually do."
His grin returned, "Good! Now, let's get back on the road."
I nodded, and both doors swung open as Sideswipe smoothly, slid into the driver's seat. I climbed into the passenger's, the familiar warmth from the leather relaxing me even more, and the seat belt slid across my chest, clicking me into place.
I shot him a miffed look, "No matter how many times you do that, it still isn't any less creepy."
"Maybe that's why I like doing it." He retorted with a mischievous glint to his blue eyes, and the engine rumbled with satisfaction before we sped out of the parking lot and down the road.
As the world around flew by through the window, I couldn't help but think about the song again. It was a song my aunt use to sing to me all the time when I was younger, I knew the words by heart. A sense of nostalgia washed through me as the last verse of the song played in my head, the memory so accurate that it felt like I was listening to it through earphones.
99 dreams I've had
In every one a red balloon
It's all over, and I'm standing pretty
In the dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
And here it is, a red balloon
I think of you, and let it go...
I hope you guys liked it! Remember to review ;)