Crossing IDW(3)
Time passed in cycles, and Steel Fork had already devised a way home—using the Spark Link to locate the TFP universe, then somehow tearing open space to create a time tunnel connecting the two universes. Even if the time tunnel could only be open for a fleeting moment, she could seize the opportunity to return to the TFP universe. She hesitated to leave the IDW universe, both out of reluctance and concern for her friends' safety. The prophecies Steel Fork brought from the future and her own promises kept popping into her mind module: protecting Senator Shockwave meant staying by his side, staying in this universe; going home meant leaving. Should she go home or stay? Steel Fork couldn't make a decision, and because of this, she was always absent-minded; even her beloved Energon cubes couldn't cheer her up.
Senator Shockwave had long noticed Steel Fork's constant distraction. He handed over the new flavor of energy candy he was holding and asked:
"Want some energy candies? New flavor."
Seeing Steel Fork put the candy into her mouth, the wings behind her rose from their low position back to their original high position. He continued to ask, "Is it not going well? Crossing the universe is an unprecedented and unparalleled challenge. If you encounter any difficulties, just tell me, and I will do my best to help you."
"Progress is going smoothly." With her wings drooping, Steel Fork frowned again. She couldn't help but think: Maybe she could talk to the senator about her troubles?
"Thanks to you, Shockwave, you gave me an idea. I want to use the link to create a spacetime rift so I can find my universe and go back. But I'm worried about when to leave. You look so fragile, I'm worried about what will happen if you get hurt after I leave?"
"After you leave, you'll never come back, will you?" Senator Shockwave paused, not uttering his inner thoughts aloud. He despised himself for wanting to prevent his friend from going home and for keeping her in the idw universe. He tried his best to make his visor look relaxed, but the slight furrow in his brows still gave his smile a bitter edge.
"Don't worry about me, Officer Orion is here. He'll protect me."
“I’ll miss you. I miss them too, I miss my friends,” Steel Fork said helplessly. “We…we’ll see each other again, won’t we? Maybe I can make a cross-universe communicator? A shuttle?”
“That’s difficult.” Senator Shockwave shook his head and said, “Even though we can’t communicate and will never see each other again, our friendship will last as long as we are alive.”
While offering words of comfort to Steel Fork, Shockwave Councilor's inner flame throbbed with pain. It seemed to sense the impending departure of another flame, highly attractive to it, and pulsed excitedly, emitting a peculiar frequency. Like an animal releasing alluring hormones to attract a mate, Shockwave Councilor's magnetic field shifted under the influence of this special flame frequency. Steel Fork's flame, of course, also responded to the restless, excited flame within Councilor, its surrounding magnetic field undergoing a corresponding change. The changes in the flame and magnetic field were so subtle, so peculiar, so strange, and so easily overlooked that neither of them realized their bodies were subtly exchanging their innermost feelings through magnetic fields. They simply felt that the other was so endearing, so lovable, and that separation was so heartbreaking and painful.
"You can go back now without worry." Senator Shockwave didn't say it aloud; instead, he hugged Steel Fork's body, both of them almost in tears. He relaxed his embrace, stood up straight, and placed his hand on Steel Fork's shoulder armor, saying, "You can't rush your return home. Let's go for a walk together?"
Steelfork enjoys walks with Senator Shockwave. The Senator buys her lots of things—energy cubes of all flavors, liquid energy, and energy drinks. With its novel paint shops, exciting Cybertronian-style movies and TV shows, and a physical open database, there's so much on prosperous Cybertron that Steelfork has never seen or experienced before. Every time she goes for a walk, she discovers something new and fun (similar to how adults might spend a long time playing on the public exercise equipment in a park).
Passing by a bar, Steel Fork stared at the menu with a troubled expression. The energy drinks tasted so strange to her, while everyone else seemed to be enjoying them. She told Shockwave, the councilor, about her confusion, and he said, "That's because you haven't tried anything good."
"Shockwave, what's it like? Can I try some?"
Under Steel Fork's expectant gaze, Senator Shockwave said, "I have some good drinks here, but they're limited edition specials, which I don't usually bring out."
Seeing the disappointment in Steel Fork's eyes, Senator Shockwave changed his tone: "But... as a farewell gift for my friend, it's still worthy."
...
"Special blend...is this what it tastes like? It's so different from the energy bars." Steel Fork stared at the special blend in her hand, puzzled. The liquid surface rippled slightly. She took another sip to savor it, and then, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, frowned and drank it all in one gulp.
“Have some more, and you’ll know how wonderful it is,” said Senator Shockwave, pouring Steel Fork another special cocktail before sitting down next to her.
Thump, thump. The spark in the shockwave senator's chest was pounding wildly; subconsciously, he felt the same way about the steel fork.
Even with the throttling chip activated, Senator Shockwave still felt a bit dizzy. The stimulating components in the special formula produced pleasurable signals in his brain module, but at the same time, they made his thinking more chaotic. Unconsciously, his actions no longer retained rational restraint and etiquette, but were more inclined towards instinct and what his body wanted him to do. Steel Fork was in the same state.
They got closer and closer until they were now standing right next to each other.
Do you like the souvenir I bought for you?
"like!"
"Did you enjoy your stay?"
"I like it if you guys are here."
"do you like me?"
"Of course I like it!"
The senator, Shockwave, rested his arm on Steel Fork's shoulder, leaned closer, and repeated, "Do you really like me?"
"Of course, I really like you!" Steel Fork put down the cup containing the special drink, turned around and hugged Senator Shockwave, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"
“I’m fine, I have the throttling chip on. Can you stay in my arms? Just for now, it’ll make me feel better.” Senator Shockwave supported Steel Fork’s waist, letting her straddle his stabilizer with her stabilizer spread apart. Then he stroked the wing with one hand and caressed the lower part of Steel Fork’s visor with the other.
"I absolutely won't allow my best friend to get hurt! You can tell me anything!" Steel Fork sat on her friend's lap, following her friend's movements. Her friend's server was gently stroking the wing, causing the wing to tremble slightly. She didn't say anything, because the senator's strange state worried her. She tried to accept and ignore the slight tickling from her friend's server, bending down slightly to get very close to her friend's visor, trying to read something from her friend's expression, completely unaware of how intimate their position was.
Thump, thump. The senator's spark pulsed happily at a special frequency, beckoning to another spark: Come and touch it!
"I like you a lot too. Can I kiss you? You know, it's a way to express affection."
"If you want, of course you can. Which side do you want to kiss? Forehead? Or cheek?" With his hands on the shoulders of the machine beneath him, the head of the steel fork kept swaying slightly as he spoke and his gaze moved across the visor.
Then, her head sculpt was held in place by Senator Shockwave's hands, and the distance between the two machines' faceplates rapidly decreased. The shields touched the shields, the chestplates were side by side, the spark chambers were facing each other, and the two pairs of metal lips were also pressed tightly together.
"...Hmm?" Feeling the touch on his lips, Steel Fork blinked in surprise and confusion. Is a "kiss" between friends a mouth-to-mouth kiss?
Soon, the influence of the spark, the body, and the special treatment made her somewhat unclear thoughts ignore the awkwardness of the inappropriate distance, and she quickly immersed herself in the kiss.
In Cybertronian society, "kissing" is certainly a concept of intimacy, and therefore the lips are a sensitive area for Cybertronians. In terms of sensitivity and privacy, the order is: Fire Pod, docking panel and baffle, and lips. Fork may lack a proper understanding of intimacy and distance due to a lack of social environment during his upbringing, but Senator Shockwave has always been clear that their relationship hasn't reached the level of intimacy required for a "kiss."
His moral defenses acted like reins, pulling him back to his senses. His vision cleared somewhat through the optical glasses, and he quickly regained his senses amidst the pleasurable signals generated by the kiss on his lips.
Senator Shockwave quickly distanced himself from the steel fork, clutching his visor and berating himself: "Look at what you've done!"
Confused as to why Shockwave suddenly covered his faceplate with his steel fork, she tilted her head in disbelief. She pried open Shockwave's server, held his faceplate in her hands, and said, "What's wrong with you? You're acting very strange!"
Senator Shockwave decided to confront his own mistakes. He raised his arms and said solemnly, "I... that 'kiss' just now was too intimate for us. It was my fault. I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me."
Steel Fork said, puzzled, "What? A 'kiss'? I'm not angry at all."
"But that could be considered offensive!"
"If I didn't want to, would you offend me? Besides, you said it yourself, it's a way of expressing affection. It shows we have a good relationship."
"I think you're a bit too gullible."
Steel Fork jumped off Shockwave's legs and landed on the floor, her wings raised and arms crossed in protest: "I only go along with you because you're my friend. I wouldn't allow anyone to do this to me!"
"Then I should thank you for considering me a good friend?"
"Hmm↘hum↗"
"Thank you." Senator Shockwave smiled with relief.
"What are you thanking me for?"
Senator Shockwave took the remaining half-cup of his special drink to the waste bin and poured it out, replying to Steel Fork's accusations of "You're so wasteful," "Thank you, we're still friends."
...
I wonder if there are any OOC (out-of-character) skits:
When Steel Fork returned to her room, she encountered Brake; she had been living next door to Brake during this time.
Brake greeted him first, then asked, "What's with the paint on your leg? If you're in this position... it's the same color as the senator's paint."
Steel Fork: "We were drinking a special cocktail together... it must have been an accidental collision."
Brake was shocked: He thought the shockwave senator was a good person, but he turned out to be a morally corrupt teacher!
So he braked, pulled the steel fork, and went to confront Senator Shockwave.
I'm exhausted from writing this, please give me a review.
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