AN: These were written for the 2007 Valentine's Day Challenge over at Transficsation on LJ. The idea was to write a story for each letter of 'Rose' and 'Gift', without using the same characters in the same set--which was harder than one might think!
Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro/Takara. Just borrowing.
Rose: Rose
Featuring Carly and Spike
"Hey, Carly?"
She turned from where she had been watching Wheeljack and Ratchet work on a complex circuit board, and removed her dark glass goggles to see Spike standing just inside the door to the lab. "Hey yourself," she volleyed back. "What's up?"
The interior of the Ark was warm, but she noticed he was bundled up for the winter weather. "I wanna talk to you for a second," he said, a smile playing about his mouth. "Can you come take a walk with me?"
Carly glanced up at the two Autobots just in time to see Ratchet shoot Wheeljack a knowing smile. "I'll see you two later," she said, a note of suspicion creeping into her voice. Ratchet gently folded his fingers around her and lowered her to the ground.
"Have fun, you two," he said, as Wheeljack's headfins flickered in a silent chuckle.
They stopped off to retrieve Carly's coat in the control room, and then walked to where the burnt-orange metal of the Ark's massive hold gave way to the frozen countryside. "Cold out here," mused Carly, her breath curling in frosty wisps around her blond bangs.
"Yeah," said Spike. He stopped just outside the Ark and pulled her into the lee of a huge boulder. "I think I might know a way to warm you up."
Carly grinned. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah, really," he quipped. "We've known each other for a long time, right?"
Carly nodded. "Since last summer--when I crashed the Autobot party, so to speak." She laughed at the memory of being caught snooping around the Ark by Ironhide, who had turned out to be a good friend in the months that followed. "Why?"
Spike smiled, unable to meet her gaze. "Well...I just wanted to tell you that...I really like you. And I hope you like me." He finally raised his eyes to hers, and she noticed for the first time what a nice shade of brown they were, like the fine old scotch her grandfather kept in an antique crystal bottle.
"Of course I like you, Spike," she breathed, feeling her skin begin to prickle. "I have for a long time." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why else would I be crazy enough to stand out here in the freezing cold with you, waiting for you to ask me if I'll be your girlfriend?"
Spike's mouth dropped open in surprise. "How did you--"
Carly chuckled and leaned in closer. "Women's intuition, silly. Get used to it."
And with that, she closed her eyes and kissed him.
For the barest instant, she felt Spike go tense. Then his arms were around her, and all thoughts of snow, cold, and giant alien robots fled away.
After a few dizzying moments, they broke the kiss and stepped back from each other, their accelerated breaths puffing like smoke. "Been wanting to do that for a long time," said Spike, pulling off his glove to thread his fingers through her bright yellow-gold hair. Her eyes drifted shut, and a dreamy smile spread itself across her face.
"S'fine with me if you wanna do it again," she murmured, and giggled as he proceeded to do just that.
They stood together in the shelter of the boulder for a while longer, watching as the sun painted the sky in deep orange and vivid pink. Finally, Spike shifted, and she moved with a wordless sound of protest from where she had been nestled against his side.
"Aww, I was finally starting to get warm," she pouted.
He brushed a kiss against her cold hair. "I know, but they others'll be wondering where we've gotten to."
She fixed him with a wry smile. "Oh, I have the feeling they know exactly where we are." She gestured to where the setting sun was reflected off the lens of a security camera, and Spike groaned.
"Great, now my personal life is news on both Earth AND Cybertron." He reached behind the boulder to a small depression hollowed out from the snow and produced a long stemmed scarlet rose. "This is for you," he said, and placed it in her mittened hands.
Tears sprang to Carly's eyes, and she smiled down at the frosty bloom. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry I didn't give it to you sooner." He blushed. "I was trying to work up the courage to get you out here. Finally Jazz said that if I didn't do it before Valentine's Day was over, he'd ask you to go out with HIM."
Hand in hand, the teens walked back into the Ark. Sure enough, Jazz was waiting for them in the control room, and the Autobot broke into a grin when he saw them.
"Hey you two," he quipped. "What's the story?"
Carly hoisted herself up onto the console and gestured for Jazz to lean down. She rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his faceplate.
"I'm sorry, Jazz," she said, "You're sweet, but you're just not my type."
Though his visor hid his optics, Carly could hear the wink in Jazz's voice. "Aw, don't worry, little lady, I understand. It just wouldn't have worked out between us anyway."