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I hadn't expected Chardirakii to lie beside me, or even allow me to put my arm around her, but she had done both those things, and surprised me. When she complimented me on my 'smooth move', I just went along with it. It had really been a helpful gesture. Chardirakii rested her helm on the side of my chest-plate, then sighed very softly. After a while, she lifted her helm again and began moving around, lifting her servos. The back of her left servo lightly brushed my chest-plate, causing me to breathe in sharply at the touch. Chardirakii placed both servos on her helm-armor, and I heard a soft clicking sound. Then she took it off and shook her helm. A long, shining braid of midnight-black hair fell loose and landed in a small coil on the ground. My optics widened in shock,"Wha-! Y-you have...?" "Hair?" Chardirakii finished for me,"Yes. And it's very uncomfortable to sleep with my helm-armor on." She reached up behind her helm and tugged her digits through her tight braid, pulling it loose and letting it tumble over her back-plates and shoulder-plates in dark waves. Somehow, this made her look...softer. More feminine. Less like a warrior. And more beautiful. I so desperately wanted to touch her now, to run my digits through her long black hair... "You're staring," Chardirakii stated blandly, not looking at me. I blushed and looked away,"Apologies. You're just so stunning." That last part came out on its own and I winced slightly. Chardirakii was still...then she said,"Thank you." "You are not offended?" I asked. "Sometimes I'd visit Cybertron and walk amongst them, Optimus. Though not in this form, I still got plenty of compliments on my looks, so you're no different than any other mech I've met." 'Ouch,' I thought. That hurt. Chardirakii leaned against my side again and closed her optics. I wrapped my arm more snugly around her. My digits softly slid over her smooth shoulder-plate and I winced again, waiting for the scolding. But it never came. Chardirakii did stiffen ever so slightly, but offered no complaint. I relaxed and closed my optics as well. Maybe when we woke again, I could ask her a few more questions. ------------------------------------------------------''''''''''""'"'''''''''''''''''""""""""""""""""""""" The next...day...I think (it's kind of hard to tell while you're in a cave) I woke up after Chardirakii. It was the sudden realization that my side was colder than it had been since the last I remembered before falling asleep. When I opened my optics, Chardirakii was standing across from me, arms crossed, watching me. I stretched and stood up,"Hello. How did was your rest?" "Fine," was the curt reply. She'd tucked all her hair under her helm-armor again. Now she looked more like a warrior,"I did some scoutimg a head while you slept and I think there may be a temporary problem." I frowned and followed the femme past a long row of tall stalagmites, well, I followed her softly-glowing biolights through the darkness. She's ordered me to shut off my light earlier. We turned a corner and Chardirakii grabbed my upper arm, yanking me behind a thick stalagmite. We peered around at the group of Decepticon miners. "There must be an exit for them to enter through," Chardirakii whispered. I shook my helm,"Megatron sent many Vehicon miners to Earth before he actually came. The entrances may be all blocked off by now." "You mean he just...locks up Vehicons to mine energon for the rest of their lives?" Chardirakii asked in disbelief. I nodded my helm towards a heap in the far corner of the mine,"Judging by the size of that heap of bodies, they've been down here a long time." "Well...how does Megatron acquire the energon?" Chardirakii asked, frowning. To answer her question, a ground-bridge opened and all the Vehicons began loading the energon into containers. More Vehicons came through and helped. "That's how," I whispered,"I see a way around them, but we'll have to be careful." Chardirakii nodded,"Lead the way, Prime." I slid behind her, then crouched along the wall, keeping to the shadows. Chardirakii followed me, her ped-steps light and stealthy. We snuck almost all the way around and reached a pile of energon. We ducked behind it and I realised I suddenly needed air. I breathed in and out, letting oxygen fill my respiratory systems once more and glanced at Chardirakii. She was crouched beside me, peeking out from behind the energon cubes, leaning on one to peer out farther without falling over. To my horror, the cube slid slightly and Chardirakii slipped forwards. I caught her wrist and yanked her backwards, forgetting my own strength and yanking her against my chest-plate again. Automatically my other servo went around her waist, lightly resting above the armor attached to her hips. My thumb digit lightly brushed against her armorless back-plates and I heard her gasp softly. Chardirakii lifted her face-plates to scold me, but our optics met and she paused. I marveled at how simple, yet intriguing her optics were. They were like two glass orbs inside narrow, black rings. The reflection of my own light blue optics looked like single stars in the violet and mauve colors. Her dermas were parted slightly and I had a strong urge to meet them with my own. Chardirakii reached up with a servo as if to touch my face-plates, but then seemed to realize what she was doing and shook her helm. Just like that the moment was over. Chardirakii wrenched free of my arms, bumping into the stack of energon by accident, knocking it over. We weren't completely exposed to the Vehicons, but they had definitely heard it and seen the toppling pile. "S567, I thought you stacked the energon properly!" one Vehicon shouted. "I did, D290!" another Vehicon yelled back, and I heard him walking closer. Chardirakii scrambled to her peds, but not before the Vehicon came around behind the stack and grabbed her around the waist.
