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| Rodania sat in the mess
hall, nursing a half-empty glass of energon as she stared off into space.
She raised the glass and took a sip, letting the cool energon slide down
her throat as she thought about recent events. Optimus had came back, but
when Rodimus handed the Matrix to him, he didn't revert back to Hot Rod,
which had devestated him. Now he was Optimus' second in command, the one
everyone turned to when Optimus wasn't available. He had to sign treaties,
file reports, meet diplomats, sit in on long and boring briefings, etc.,
etc. 'How fun', she thought, a sad frown creasing her features. The bright
red femme sighed and gazed thoughtfully into her drink, remembering a time
when she was the happiest femme in the galaxy. When she and Hot Rod raced
all over the countryside, royally pissing Kup off. Then, Hot Rod met Arcee,
and totally fell head over heels for her. Arcee returned his affection,
but when he became Rodimus.....that was when she shied away and turned
to Springer for affection. The two recently bonded, which dampened Rodimus'
mood even more. "Hey, sis!" Phoenix sat down across from Rodania, smiling
from audio to audio. Rodania couldn't help but smile at her cheery sister,
but her smile faded as her thoughts returned to Rodimus. Phoenix waved
her hand in front of her sister's optics, causing the younger femme to
sigh in annoyance. "What is it, Nix? I'm kinda busy, here." Phoenix rolled
her optics and said, "Sure, busy being depressed! What's wrong, Ro? Still
bummed over Roddy?" Rodania's head shot up as she looked around the mess
hall, then she turned back towards her sister and hissed, "Would you keep
it down? I don't want the entire base to know about my social life!" Phoenix
giggled. "Please! It's not like anyone cares! When was the last time you
heard a good, juicy rumor?" Rodania glowered at her sister. "This morning.
You called me at the crack of dawn telling me that Springer and Arcee just
had another fight and that it was about-" Phoenix held up her hands and
said, "Okay, okay, I get the message! But anyway, what's wrong? You look
like you just lost your best friend." Rodania sighed, raising her glass
to take another sip. Phoenix waited patiently as Rodania tried to sort
through her feelings. "I just don't know anymore, Nix. One moment, I'm
the happiest femme in the galaxy, and the next....I'm just Nixie's little
sister, hanging around Hot Rod like a little bugbot. What happened to us,
Nix? He used to hang around me like a lovesick kid, and then he meets Arcee
and everything just changes! Just when I was about to tell him how I felt!"
Rodania's head sagged as she sighed sadly. "Now he'll never see me as a
mate. He acts like nothing's happened, as if he's waiting for Arcee to
come back to him." Phoenix placed her hand over Rodania's, giving it a
gentle squeeze. "He knows that will never happen. I mean, c'mon, Ro! We've
all seen how Spring and Arcee care about each other! They were meant to
be together, something that Rodimus has yet to accept." Phoenix lowered
her head enough so that she could gaze into her sister's optics. "Why don't
you tell him how you feel?" Rodania shoved Phoenix's hand off her own and
said, "And what would that accomplish, other than my utter humiliation
and the loss of Rodimus as a friend! How stupid do I look, Nix?!" "About
as stupid as someone who would rather suffer a lonely, dull life than risk
a chance at happiness," Phoenix growled, the flame pattern on her metal
swirling slightly. Phoenix's expression softened when she saw the bleak
look in Rodania's optics; the same look she had when she first met Magnus,
who was involved with another femme at the time. 'Spring's daughter, no
less,' Phoenix thought, the memory of her encounter with her future mate
floating to the surface. And now her sister was in the same position, afraid
of losing him as a friend if she told him how she felt. Well, this big
sister isn't going to lay around and let her sister suffer like this! "Ro,
you've got to tell him. That's the only way you'll feel any better. Just
waltz up, tap him on the shoulder, say "I love you", then give him a kiss
that would make even Megatron weak at the knees. That simple." Rodania's
mouth dropped open and she said, "I can't do that! I can't just walk up
to him and say, "How about some hot kissing, babe?", then go at it like
some animal in heat! What kind of energon have you been downing?" Phoenix
winked as she said, "The male kind." Rodania rolled her optics and said,
"Ugh, you're disgusting." But even as she said it, a small smile stretched
at her lips. Phoenix knew then that her sister's mood was starting to lift.
"So, are you going to tell him or what?" Rodania stood up and stretched
her somewhat small frame, eliciting a couple of appreciating glances from
a few males nearby. "I guess, if it'll keep you off my back!" Phoenix stood
up as well, clapping Rodania on the shoulder. "Atta girl! Now, you go off
and tell him, and I'll just mosey up to Mags and let him know there might
be another bonding ceremony coming up." Phoenix winked again, and Rodania
dashed forward, trying to catch her sister as the older femme ran away,
laughing heartily. Rodania gave up, smiling at her sister's antics as she
filed out of the mess hall. She sighed and walked towards the upper level;
she had a second in command to talk to.
Rodimus was just starting to read one of Perceptor's long reports when his buzzer went off. "Enter!" he cried, immensely relieved of any distraction. The doors opened and Rodania stepped in, somewhat hesitantly. "Roddy? Are you busy?" Rodimus stood up and walked around his desk, stopping at the front of it. "No, I was just doing some paperwork. Come on in, Ro." The bright red femme stepped in and the doors shut. She slowly walked towards him, but stopped when she was a few feet away. "I need to talk to you, Roddy." Rodimus leaned against his desk and gestured for her to sit. She remained standing. Her hands were clasped in front of her and she was wringing them nervously. "What's wrong, Ro? Something bothering you?" She darted her optics all around his office, looking everywhere except at him. Rodimus was starting to get annoyed. "I came here to talk about.....us." Rodimus shook his head in confusion. "What about 'us'?" Rodania's discomfort grew and she wrung her hands even more. Rodimus had never seen her this way; she had always been upbeat and carefree. Just like his old self. Rodania finally looked at him and opened her mouth, then abruptly shut it. She looked away for a second, then tried speaking again. "How do you....feel...about me?" she asked, her voice shaking somewhat. Rodimus crossed his arms and leaned back on the desk more, the wood creaking from his weight. "You're my friend, Ro. You've been there for me when I needed you, and you're an excellent bodyguard. I feel completely at ease when you're around." Rodania's voice went a notch higher as she said, "Then you're over Arcee?" Rodimus shot forward like a rocket and glared at her, his once soft blue optics becoming harsh, blue pools of anger. "That's none of your business! My feelings towards her are private, not the topic of gossip mongers such as yourself! Now, if there's nothing else, I'm rather busy right now." Rodania's lower lip trembled as she stared at Rodimus' back, her hands beginning to shake as raw emotions threatened to overwhelm her. Rodimus glanced towards her and said, "The door is right behind you, soldier." Rodania squared her shoulders and said, "Yes sir! Thanks for your time, sir!" The red femme turned on her heel and left, barely allowing the doors to completely open before she left. Rodimus grabbed Perceptor's report and began reading it, oblivious to the fact that there were dents in his desk where his fingers gripped them. Phoenix walked towards her sister's quarters, which were located down the hall from her shared quarters with Magnus. She reached the doors and knocked twice. When no answer came, she rang the buzzer. Still no response. Phoenix began to worry as she knocked on the doors again, a little harder than the first. "Rodania? Are you in there?" Phoenix heard muffled sobs in the room. Now she was really worried. She pounded on the door, her flame pattern swirling with intensity. "Rodania, open up! I know you're in there! Open up right now or I'll-" The doors opened with a soft whoosh and Phoenix glanced in, seeing her sister on the recharge berth, her body shaking softly. Phoenix walked in and shut the doors, walking up to the bed and kneeling on the ground. She placed a comforting hand on Rodania's shoulder and said, "What happened, Ro?" The younger femme raised her head as tears streamed down her face, her hands tightly gripping a small pillow. "I spoke with Rodimus, Nix. You should've been there, he was so awful!" A new wave of tears rolled down her cheek and she buried her face in the pillow. Phoenix stroked Rodania's back and whispered, "Tell me what happened." Rodania lifted her head once more. "I asked him if he was over Arcee, and he told me it was none of my business! He said he didn't want his personal affairs to be the topic of gossip mongers like me, then he turned around and told me to leave." Rodania's head flopped back onto the pillow as her body racked with sobs, which were muffled due to the pillow. Phoenix gave her a gentle hug, while she silently fumed at Rodimus. 'Gossip monger, eh? I'll show him who the gossip monger really is!' She continued to comfort Rodania until the young femme slipped into recharge, her sobbing completely exhausting her. Phoenix waited a few more minutes, then she quietly left her sister's quarters and locked the doors. She turned towards the turboshaft and stormed in, hitting the controls to send it up. She had a few things to discuss with Commander Rodimus Prime..... For the second time that day, Rodimus was interuppted from his work by the buzzer. He sighed and set the reports down, still a bit angry from Rodania's visit. "Come in," he snapped, not really caring to be disturbed. The doors parted and in came a hopping mad Phoenix, whose flame patterns swirled so intensely that it made him dizzy just looking at them. "What is it, Phoenix? I'm rather busy right now...." The crimson femme stood in front of his desk and placed her hands on her hips, her optics glowering with barely contained contempt. "Not too busy to insult young femmes, though. Pretty low blow there, Roddy. I wasn't aware you considered one of your closest friends a gossip monger. But I bet it's nothing like the things you call Springer behind his back." Rodimus' glared at her, his optics locking on hers as if they were target beams. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm sure it can wait. I'm busy right now." Phoenix slammed her fist on his desk, managing to make him flinch somewhat. "Don't pull rank on me, Rodimus Prime! It may work with everyone else, but it's not going to work with me! Do you have any idea how badly you hurt Rodania? Do you?!" Rodimus stood up and pointed his finger at the fuming femme, his optics blazing brightly. "Get out!" Phoenix unfolded her wings and spread their impressive wing span to it's full length, brushing the walls of his office with her wing tips. "Piss off! I'm not leaving until you tell me what crawled up your exhaust port and died! You had no right treating her like a useless pile of slag! She didn't deserve to be yelled at, to be some outlet for whatever is eating at you! You of all people know how personally she takes things, especially when it comes from you!" "Then she needs to grow up! This is a war we are fighting! There is no place for scared little femmes that fall apart the instant their commander snaps at them! If she can't handle it, then she needs to go back to her own little world where it's safe! I haven't got the time, nor the patience to coddle her! That's your job! Now get the hell out!" Phoenix's optics glowered even more, and Rodimus felt a trickle of fear at her expression, which he quickly squelched. "You piece of slag. You insensitive, pigheaded, arrogant piece of slag! You think this is about you? She came here to tell you how she felt about you! She loves you, for Primus's sake! Have you been walking around with your head up your exhaust?!" Phoenix's words cut through Rodimus' haze as the meaning sank in. Rodania loved him. Why hadn't he seen it? Why hadn't he noticed? 'Because you're still hung up over Arcee, that's why,' a voice said. 'I love her! She's just confused, that's all!' he countered. 'Yeah, right. That's why she bonded with Springer; she's just confused.' it sneered. Rodimus threw his hands in the air and cried, "What do you want me to do?!" Phoenix made a visible effort to calm herself, starting with folding her wings over her shoulders. Then she looked him in the optics and calmly said, "First, you apologize to her. Second, you examine your feelings for Arcee. You need to resolve it Roddy, and you need to accept the fact that she loves Springer. After that, you need to sit down and talk with her, let her tell you how she feels. Then, you think about your own feelings, then sit back and let nature take its course." Rodimus felt so awful. He looked at Phoenix with a sheepish grin and said, "I'm really sorry, Nix. I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Phoenix shrugged and said, "Thanks anyway, but you're apologizing to the wrong femme. She's in her quarters; you still know where they are, right?" Rodimus chuckled and nodded, letting her playful jab slip by. Phoenix nodded and left, leaving Rodimus alone with his crushing guilt, along with another feeling that started worming its way into his thoughts..... Rodania groggily lifted her head at the sound of her door buzzer. She quickly glanced at her chronometer and sighed. 'An hour and a half. I must've dropped off while Nix was here.' The buzzer went off again, and Rodania called out, "It's open!" The doors parted, revealing a very guilty looking Rodimus. He glanced at the haggard femme and said, "Can I come in?" Rodania glowered at him for a minute before snapping, "I thought you didn't care to mingle with gossip mongers?" Rodimus sighed and stepped in, the doors sliding shut behind him. "Listen Ro, I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have treated you like that, and I'm truly sorry." Rodania placed her hands on her hips and said, "Phoenix put you up to this, right? Well, you needn't have bothered. What was said was said, and you made your feelings abundantly clear." "But that's the thing, that wasn't what I felt about you. Your question about Arcee hit a nerve, and a pretty big one too. It took a severe ass-chewing session from Phoenix in order for things to click into perspective. She made me realize that I was wasting my time waiting for Arcee to come back to me. Something I should have realized when she and Springer were getting bonded." Rodimus flashed an uneasy smile at the glowering femme, which seemed to calm her a bit. Rodania's hands fell to her side and she shook her head. "Rodimus, I only wanted to tell you how much you mean to me. You've been my friend practically all my life! And when you started paying more attention to Arcee, who's older than me-" "Only a few years! I'm the same age as you are, but age doesn't matter to me." Rodania smiled a bit, saying, "But I still felt like some little kid trying to fit in. You started treating me like some third wheel, wanting to spend all of your time with her. Don't get me wrong, I'm not angry with her. I just felt.....left out." Rodania took a step forward and stroked Rodimus' cheek, gazing lovingly into his bright blue optics. "I don't want to be just friends, Roddy. I want to be so much more. But you never gave me a chance, and now, I'm not sure what I want anymore." Rodimus felt a tight, icy ball wrap itself around his stomach. 'Oh, Primus! Here I am finally realizing how I feel about her and now I'm about to lose her!' "Rodania, please.....don't give up on me yet. I do care about you; I just need some time to adjust to all this. I....need to sort everything out." Rodania's smile grew as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She seemed to grow up right in front of his optics, and instead of seeing a good friend, he now saw a beautiful young femme, who had saved his tail more times than he could count. And his love for her grew tremendously as her optics pulled at his soul. "I'd wait forever for you, Rodimus." A twinkle of mischief and a hint of a smile tugged at her mouth. "Just don't take too long." Rodimus laughed as he wrapped his own arms around her slim waist, drinking in her beautiful face, seeing it for the first time as a femme, not just as Nixie's little sister. "You got it, babe." They stood together as the sun set, casting a pink and orange glow over the Oregon countryside, bathing the new lovers with its glorious warmth. |