Hound's worried. I can tell. How? He's picking me up...constantly. And y'know what? I don't mind. The more distance he can put between us and the observant, the better.

Jeeze, compared to their replacement, Spencer and Hector seem like a breeze. I think...I try to forget them.

"Oh! So you keep a diary!"

Arthur steeled himself, fighting the overwhelming urge to scowl and snap the leather journal shut.

"Journal," Arty corrected the boisterous woman, "And it's just the...important stuff."

"Fascinating."

"Sure, whatever."

"May I skim it?" The observant pressed, flashing him a pleading smile with plum-colored lips. "I happen to find your relationship to be-."

"No!" Arthur snapped, his cheeks and ears flushing a shade darker than before.

Arty clutched the little journal tight under one arm and stormed off in search of Hound. Undeterred, the woman followed along as well. Her blonde curls bouncing about her shoulders.

"Hn...my apologies, Arty-."

"Arthur."

"Right, Arthur, sorry," she chirped with a dismissive flick of her hand, "I can't help it, I'm just so excited."

"Oh, really?" Arthur muttered.

"Of course! A human and a Cybertronian pursuing a romantic relationship?! How scandalous!"

Arthur raised a brow, feeling sick to his stomach. "I wouldn't quite call it a scandal."

"Well, I would! Two different species, yet you identify as the same gender." She giggled to herself, "Oh my, it's quite the deviation from your standard relationship."

Arthur grit his teeth so hard they ached. He wanted to break the woman's nose, yet couldn't do so without risking a forced breakup with Hound. The man, instead hastened his pace towards the 'ranch' and did his best to drown out the woman's prattling.

As per usual, he found Hound beside the fence watching the sheep graze. His optics looked...distant.

"Hound!" Arty called, jogging over to the mech who picked him up without a word, "Hey, mech."

"Hmm."

Arthur felt his tension melt a little, giving the mech's neck cables an affectionate squeeze. The man chuckled when he caught the corner of his mouth-plates flick with amusement. Without much further thought, the man continued to rub at the mech's neck cables and wiring, giving him a amatuer-massage. Hound sagged in relief, taking a moment to merely feel Arthur's fingers kneading his large wires. It was almost strange to trust someone so much, to let them near such sensitive and vital wiring. But at the same time, it felt almost...natural.

Eventually the man stopped his ministrations and rubbed at the sore muscles in his hands. With a yawn, the man leaned close to Hound's audials.

"Thank you, Arty." Hound murmured, keeping his voice low.

"Yeah, no problem big mech."

"...yer tense."

"What? You actually think I can relax like this?" Arthur huffed, a small frown on his features.

"True." Hound ex-vented heavily, blowing Arthur's hair askew. "Couldn't mind her own fragging business if she tried."

"Yeah, I noticed."

The pair faded to silence, hyper-aware of the woman close by who eyed them with a hint of disdain. Minutes passed, and the observant actually groaned in annoyance, giving the pair a dark glare.

"Y'know, you two could just...do something." She urged, "Just pretend I'm not here. It's not so hard."

"Hound shot the woman a withering glare, "Y'know, fer a woman who's only supposed to observe, you've been very invasive."

The woman scoffed, "I can't send in a report if there's nothing to write about. All you two do is attempt to avoid me! Or whisper to each other when I am around. You've given me nothing to work with. I mean, honestly, what I write dictates the future of your relationship. So put a little effort forth, yeah?"

Arthur might have yelled at the woman, but found himself lack for words when Hound aggressively transformed down, deposited Arty in his cab, and angrily sped off fast enough to leave a trail of dirt in his wake.

"Hound!" Arthur snapped, "What the actual hell was that!"

"Arthur, I can't put up with this slag anymore."

"You don't mean…?" Arthur felt his heart clench and his skin run hot for a moment. Hound was quick on the next turn, his radio sputtering back so fast static laced his words.

"No! No, Arty! Fraggit, all the way to pit. No, I meant the observants. The rules." Hound spat, "This is slag. Utter slag."

"She acted like she wanted a show...like we were some kind of fetish." Arthur muttered.

"Exactly, and somebot needs to be aware of it."

"Finally," Arthur trailed off, taking a minute before suddenly smacking the mech's dash.

"Hey! What the frag?!" Hound yelped, "What was that fer?"

"Good fucking christ, mech. Don't scare me like that." Arthur sighed and slumped in the seat with shaky breathing. "I thought I was going to lose you for a second. Not many people would put up with this."

Hound chuckled gently, the metalogel of his seats shifting a little. "You ain't ridding of me that easily."

"Whoever said I wanted to?" Arthur chuckled, pressing a kiss to the spot where he'd smacked Hound's dash.

Arthur could feel Hound's seats beginning to shift. "No one."

"Love you Arty."

"Yeah, love you too, big mech."