Realization

Of the Feelings Inside

Disclaimer:No, I don't own BF5, they belong to Mattel Inc and Nerd Corps. I only own the storyline and theories in this one-shot. And I tend to get wordy, when I write mushy stuff.

This takes place during and immediately post-Sol Survivor

-Flashback-

The Battle Force 5 stealthily drove away to Zeke's Diner, so that Sage and her mentor/teacher, Sol, could catch up on lost years. They were all famished and wanted something to eat, as well as a cause for celebration that their favourite Blue Sentient finally had someone in her league to keep her company. They chattered among themselves as they arrived at the Diner. Well, not all of them. Vert was quiet. The fiery and unshakeable leader was not in a good mood today. And it wasn't just because of Sol's words, which rang clearly in his mind ("...You must all agree not to tell Sage how little time I have left...Sage would risk her life to save me..."). It was something else, something that confused him. And things that confused him easily upset him.

They had arrived. Spinner jumped off the Buster, announcing, "This one's on me! 3 extra large beauties with extra pepperoni! WHOO!" With that, he raced into the diner. Meanwhile, Agura noted the fine weather, "I vote we should eat outside today." Which everyone else agreed to. Well, almost everyone. "Hmph," Vert mumbled. Well, that actually was an agreement, the vague kind. He sat down, the confusing feeling eating away at his brain. Why did his stomach jump when Sage recognized Sol? Why did he even discover Sol? And most importantly, why did he clench his fists when he saw him exchange that...that...electric high-five with Sage?! 'Grrr', he thought.

"Uh, Vert, something wrong?" Agura's voice broke into his thoughts. Vert looked up to see everyone looking uncomfortably at him. "Dude, chill out or you'll blow a gasket!" Zoom exclaimed, noticing Vert's outraged expression and clenched fists.

"It seems that Vert has been going through a lot of serious thinking," Tezz's thickly-accented voice cut in, "About something threatening. Or rather, someone." Vert threw a 'seriously?!' look at Tezz and struggled to come up with a lie,"I was just, uh, y'know, worried that Sol might die in front of, uh..." 'Say her name, Vert!' he thought, 'Say it!'

"I don't think so, Vert," Sherman joined the conversation, "Sol's got approximately less than an hour and a half left before he..."

"I KNOW!" Vert thumped the table with his fists. He got up and started pacing agitatedly, "He's going to die, he told us not to tell Sage and then, when it's too late, it'll be Sage, who's gonna end up hurt and helpless..!" The other members looked all worried about his outburst. Zoom went up to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Vert..."

"I can't STAND it!" Vert burst out again, "I can't stand seeing Sage get hurt! Sh-she was so happy to see him again! Y'all saw how they...smiled at each other! I shoulda just left him where he was! And to think Sage likes him more than she likes ME!"

Uh-oh. He put his hands to his mouth, face turning fifty shades redder than Krytus.

Sherman and Agura's jaws dropped. Zoom gasped theatrically. Tezz looked nonplussed, "Vert, I do not understand. Why would you ever be worried about who Sage smiles at? And since when did you look upon Sage with such intensity beyond my knowledge?"

Vert just glowered at him. Zoom then struggled to phrase his sentence correctly,"A-actually Tezz, I think Vert...he's trying to say that-" "Can it, Zoom!" Agura chided, then looked at Vert incredulously as she added, "So...you actually mean to say that you don't want her to get hurt...Because you 'LIKE' her?"

Vert sighed in defeat. He just stood there in the awkward pause that followed, shifting his feet uncomfortably. At last, he spoke up:

"Look, I know it's impossible, but somehow...I just...I don't know how I managed to even think like that. About, y'know, Sage..." Vert blushed at the sound of Sage's name, then added, "But I might've started feeling a bit more than...friendly towards Sage during that time when the Vandals and Zurk infiltrated the Hub..." He paused and looked around. Sherman, Zoom and Agura nodded, encouraging him to go on, while Tezz just sat there with his arms crossed, looking at Vert as if he'd just sold his soul to the Devil. Vert shrugged his shoulders, "...I feel like I was...born to be at her side all my life," he finished off, looking rather sad.

"D'ya think she's...cute?" Agura asked hesitantly. Vert looked up abruptly, prompting a quick apology from the BF5 Huntress, but answered, "Er...her voice sounds cute...in a computer-ish way...and she...she's got a pretty smile..."

"Aww..!" Agura, Zoom and Sherman 'awwed' in unison with sappy smiles. Vert smiled a half-smile,"Heh-heh." Tezz, on the other hand, responded, "Intriguing. A human male developing feelings for an extra-terrestrial female. It sounds absurd, though that is no surprise coming from you, Vert, as I know you would be foolish enough to-"

"Tezz!" The three 'more humane' team members shouted him down in exasperation. Tezz, however, had performed a secret experiment that you will find out about later. "Naw, guys, it's all good. Really," Vert held up his hands. "Good thing Stanford isn't here to hear this!" Sherman exclaimed and they all ended up laughing. Except for Tezz, who just 'hmphed' and set his 'experiment' in motion.

"'Za's up, guys!" Spinner returned with three large pizzas and sodas for the five of them. He noticed the taciturn Tezz and the other four LOL'ing and added in dismay, "NOOO! You cracked a joke without me!" He banged the snacks on the table and sat next to Sherman. Only Agura and Vert remained standing. "Er, bro..." Sherman started, then looked to Vert for permission. Vert just rolled his eyes. But Tezz spat it out:

"You apparently were absent, when Vert abruptly declared his attraction to one among the female species."

Vert facepalmed. But Spinner said, "Nah, I know, I heard y'all talking while I waited for the 'za. And it's so wonderful! Congratulations, Vert!" "Now, now, Spinner, Sage doesn't know..." Vert explained, but Spinner was already singing, "Vert and Sage, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-"

Sherman stuffed a slice of pizza into his big brother's mouth to shut him up. Then he spoke up, "Now I know why you were so angry! You were jealous of Sol!" "I wasn't jealous, Sherm!" Vert exclaimed, blushing some more, "I was only being a little protective!"

"Aw, dude, that's so sweet!" Zoom gushed happily, as he wolfed down some pizza, "Never thought you of all people would fall hard for a Sentient!" "Huh. Funny the way Fate works," Vert smiled, but Agura was the one who noticed that he now looked downcast. And she knew why.

"Vert, I know we all want to do the same thing. If you want Sage to be happy, then we all must find a way to keep Sol alive," she said, looking concerned. This caught Vert off-guard. "But what if I'm nothing...compared to Sol? He's a Blue Sentient and he's male, with a mind to equal Sage. Which I don't have," he replied quietly, hanging his head.

"That's impossible, Vert," Sherman answered, before Agura could retort, "Sure, he's a cool Blue Sentient guy, but he's her teacher. There's practically no way Sage, being his student, could feel that way towards her teacher. That's just...icky!" "Not exactly, Sherman," Tezz piped up, "In the whole world, only 0.02% of students end up marrying their teachers, therefore..." "Yeah, yeah, thanks a lot, Tezz," Vert cut him off, looking grim. He'd made up his mind. He stood up, with one leg on the bench and the other supporting half his weight on the ground, to begin talking:

"We gotta do the right thing here guys. We started Sol's clock ticking, we have to fix this..."

-End of Flashback-

"Off the Richter!" Zoom cheered jovially.

"Ahaha, let's head home!" Vert laughed, but he was only laughing on the outside. He knew that his mission had failed. He had taken the bait. They all had. And now Sol was gone. And his twin Kytren would still be able to respawn. But most of all, Vert was both angry and hurt to admit, Sage was alone in the world. Again. Vert knew he'd done what he could to keep her alive and happy. Of all the failures BF5 had faced since the Reds arose, this one hit him hard. Then he discovered a video message on the Saber's computer.

"Huh?" he said to himself. "What's this?" He turned it on. The message popped up to reveal none other than Sol himself. His face appeared and spoke seriously to Vert: "I found an anonymous message before our departure from Earth. It indicates that you, Vert Wheeler, harbour a strong attraction to my dear friend and star pupil, Sage..." "What?!" Vert's eyes popped wide open. No one else knew about this! What if...uh, why that Spinner! 'He's so gonna get it!' Vert thought. He focused on Sol's message, which continued, "...I monitored your thermal levels and found this to be true. Now, as unbelievable as it may be for two beings of two different species to be united in such a strong bond, I may ease your mind with the fact that I, being her teacher, cannot also be her mate. She is mature for her young age of 21 million, but the only feelings we share are definitely platonic. I wish you good luck, Vert, not in just your mission to revive the Blue Sentient Race and most possibly myself, but also in the pursuit of this mystery called love that we Sentients cannot solve. Goodbye, O Fiery Crimson One..." The message was done. "Thanks, Sol," Vert whispered gratefully. He can slug Spinner later.

It was Zoom who broke the news on Vert's behalf. This really shook Sage to the core. But before Zoom could speak any further, Vert spoke to Sage, his dearest Sage, in a subdued voice, "Sage, I'm sorry, but Sol didn't want you to know what he was planning to do. He was afraid you'd get hurt trying to help him." And then he wished he hadn't said that, even though Agura nodded at him for his courage to talk.

"Hurt?" Sage replied in a wounded voice that stung Vert's heart, "How could I not be hurt when I'm left alone? Again?" She looked away, down at the floor. Vert looked sadly at Zoom, who just stared back helplessly.

And then Stanford and his stinking cologne had to come in and break the ice. Vert was kinda grateful for that, not only because he didn't have any words of comfort to offer to Sage, but also because they discovered the Blue Sentient Allotrope that gave Sage and co the possibility of regenerating Sol once and for all.

"Someday, Sol will fight by my side again," Sage exclaimed, smiling serenely, "Until then, my teacher..." This encouraged Vert to finish her sentence: "Until then, Sol," he said as he gently took the Allotrope from Sage, "Sage will always have the Battle Force 5 to help her in the War."

"Thank you, Vert," Sage replied, smiling in awe at his words, "I now know that I'm not truly alone in the Multiverse..." The two exchanged smiles. Agura noticed that Vert's ears had turned pink and Sage's eyes were wide with gladness.

"Uh, how 'bout we hit the diner, boys? It's on me!" Agura said, audibly enough for the other BF5 members to hear. "Oh, yeah!" "Sure!" "Extra pickles!" They all went, except for Stanford, who stormed off to take a shower and Tezz, who discreetly pressed a special link on his Sentient touchpad/mobile to finish off his 'experiment.' Now all he had to do was to access the security camera trained on the Hub's meeting room and then...He smiled to himself. This experiment will provide the desired result. Obviously. He hopped into the Splitwire and caught up with the others. Meanwhile...

"But it cannot change the fact that I'm still the last Blue Sentient in the Multiverse..." Sage continued talking ruefully.

"Don't you get it, Sage? You were never alone in the first place," Vert said determinedly, "We've got your back. Always. And...did you tell Sol anything about the Crimson One?" he asked as he set Sol on the table next to Sage's positron plant. "Why, yes, Vert, why do you ask?" Sage questioned.

"Oh, nothing, we were just having this conversation before he, er...I'll stop talking," Vert said, hesitating.

"I am perfectly all right with you telling me anything, Vert, you know that, " Sage said, noting his hesitation and holding his hand with both of her own as she stood in front of him, "Even if it hurts to say it." Vert smiled and blushed, "Uh...really?! But what if...what if I've got something to say and I can't...Sage?! What's up?"

Sage's eyes and body glowed and she arched backwards as if something had punched her. Vert instinctively stepped back and his eyes caught sight of the Sentient Cyber-Cell, which was also glowing. "Here!" Vert took it and handed it to her. As Sage held it, the screen came on and Vert got the biggest shock of his life.

There they were, the entire team minus Stanford and A.J. (Who was back in the Yukon for a holiday) together outside the Diner and there he was, Vert Wheeler, pacing around like an angry lion while everyone else watched. His jaw dropped as he heard the words that came out of his screen-self's mouth:

"I can't STAND it! I can't stand seeing Sage get hurt! Sh-she was so happy to see him again! Y'all saw how they...smiled at each other! I shoulda just left him where he was! And to think Sage likes him more than she likes ME!"

Vert gasped. He looked at Sage and saw her eyebrows arch upwards. He switched his gaze to the Cyber-Cell screen and just stood there helplessly as he watched himself blurt out his feelings for Sage to his team and their reaction to his confession. Then Vert noticed that Tezz was nowhere in the scenery and realized that it was Tezz who gave the message to Sol. It was all Tezz! That sneaky git!

""Huh. Funny the way Fate works," Vert heard himself say. And then the message stopped there. Which meant Sage had to return to reality. Vert braced himself for potential fireworks.

None came. Instead, Sage just stopped levitating, put down the crystal and put one hand to her head as she stared at the now literally Crimson One with wide eyes. Vert began to ramble:

"Uh, just wait till I get Tezz! No, that can wait later, I just have to...Sage, all I wanted was...I mean, I-i didn't want you to know that...it's not that I don't...Uh, this is so hard! Sage, I'm sorry th...oomph!"

Sage lifted up two fingers and delicately placed them on his mouth. Then, very calmly, with only the slightest emotion, she asked, "Are you telling the truth, Vert?"

Vert just stood there and zoned out. The feeling of Sage's azure fingertips on his lips made his spine tingle. The blood boiled and rushed to his cheeks and ears. Her fingertips felt as if they were made of skin, rather than some kind of unearthly Sentient metal. Indeed, he decided, it was skin, just not human skin, but it felt like human skin. Now if only he knew what her lips felt, even tasted like...

"Vert!" Sage's voice brought him crashing down to reality, to be confronted by a worried-looking Sage, who had now left his mouth fingertip-free to give her an answer to the burning question. Now Vert was worried. He only drove fast cars and fought talking animals, killer 'bots and respawning spooks, not drop the L-bomb randomly, only to be shut down. 'Just do it, Vert," his conscience told him. Vert took a deep breath. Sage waited.

"...Yeah...it is...I really do..."

Sage gasped. She now put both hands to her forehead. This was just...She didn't know whether to laugh or to just go into Hibernation Mode, so that her inner circuits could process it all properly. She turned away from poor Vert, who now had the look of a deflated balloon. He took a step backwards to walk away, saying, "Well, I don't blame you for not..."

"Don't go!"

"..!"

Next thing Vert knew, the wind was knocked out of him and his vision was blocked by the shining blue mass that was Sage's head. She'd thrown herself at him in a tight hug, burying her face in his neck. Vert flailed as he regained balance, then tentatively put his arms around her, being gentle enough, so as not to break her shell by accident. Sage sighed happily into his neck, making him shiver: he didn't know that Sentients could breathe like humans and the feel of her breath on his neck was enough to send a shock running down his spine. After a moment of consideration, he let his hand run slowly up and down her back, making the Blue Sentient smile widely. He hoped it wasn't one of her tricks, though. She may have a 'human-friendly' sense of humour, but it was the kind that scared the living daylights out of him, possibly causing a lot of hurt in the process.

Sage withdrew from the embrace to look at Vert's face, their arms still around each other. Vert's confidence returned, though not without a blush.

"So...does that mean you like me too?"

If anyone saw Sage smile right now, they would have thought that the entire Blue Sentient race had been restored.

"Like you?!"

Vert felt his heart sinking. He struggled to keep the smile pasted on his face.

"I don't like you...I...I love you!"

Vert's spirits rose again. She wasn't kidding! Her eyes and smile both conveyed the exact truth. He lowered his head, so that his forehead could touch Sage's. She closed her eyes at the feel of his skin, then brought a hand forward to stroke his cheek. In return, he tightened his hold on her and whispered, "I love you too, Sage."

Some miles away, outside Zeke's Diner, a group of familiar-looking teens were huddled over their friend's shoulder as he held out his touchpad/mobile for them to see the scene unfold.

"Aww, Tezz, you gotta give me a recording of that!" Agura exclaimed, wearing a victorious smile, "This sure beats those sappy romcoms they're showing right now!"

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't," Tezz replied, arrogant as ever, "This was obviously my experiment after all."

"Aw, c'mon Tezz!" Zoom whined, "Ain't everyday ya getta see your bosses getting all fluffy!"

"WHAT'RE YA DOING!" Spinner yelled at the screen in mock-agony, "JUST. KISS ALREADY!"

"Looks like they ain't in a hurry, big bro," Sherman said, "Guess they'll be taking things slow. Who knew ya'd turn outta be a matchmaker, Tezz!"

At that, Tezz sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm a scientist, not a matchmaker. I was simply carrying out an experiment on two different species."

"Oh my gosh! Look who just found out!" Zoom whooped in laughter.

Tezz and the other BF5 drivers turned their heads to view the screen. Vert and Sage were still in each other's arms and were about to close the gap between their faces, when they heard a weird gasping gagging noise. They both turned around to see Stanford, wet hair sticking to his forehead, in just a towel, staring at them with one eye twitching and jaw looking as if it'd touch the floor. The odd couple immediately broke apart and stared at the Artillery Expert, Sage looking embarrassed and Vert looking as if he was ready to throw something. And he did. He grabbed the bottle of foul cologne and spritzed it generously into Stanford's face.

"Aah! How dare you! Now I'll have to take that shower again! And, by the way, congratulations!" the Brit swatted at his face, managing to catch his towel before it came off to reveal his, er, crown jewels. He scampered off, muttering choice words under his breath.

"You ain't the only one who knows, Stanford," Vert called after him, then turned to the security camera behind Sage, adding,"I know you're there, you lot. Now get back here immediately. And don't forget the pizza. That means you, Tezz!"

Tezz groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Everyone else laughed as they headed back to their vehicles. Back at the Hub, Sage directed Vert's attention back to her, "I almost didn't teach you how Sentients express the emotion of love!"

"Huh? I didn't know Sentients could..."

"Express love? It is relatively elementary. You just hold out your hand like you will when humans do what is known as a high-five..." "And then hold your hands out to each other so that an electric impulse occurs? Like you did with Sol?" Vert answered,"Whoa, I almost sound like Sherman."

"You are almost correct, my love," Sage replied, a joyous thrill surging through her internal circuitry at the sound of the words 'my love', "But the synapse Sol and I shared was merely the one shared by friends. Lovers flex the third and fourth fingers of their hands, leaving the thumb, index and fifth fingers upright." She demonstrated.

"Uh...OK, but, how would you know if I generate an electric impulse too? I'm only a human."

"Your Shocksuit, Vert...It is engineered to function like the body of a Sentient."

A now encouraged and curious Vert tried the gesture with his left hand. They held out their flexed hands in front of each other and, immediately, Vert saw and felt the electric impulse. He was lucky he wore a Shocksuit, otherwise he'd have died. They both gasped as the intensity of the shock surged into their bodies. They immediately reeled backwards, gasping. Sage sputtered out, "That...was the first time I had ever synapsed in a romantic way...It was...the most breathtaking experience..."

Sage's body suddenly crackled and flickered. Vert went up to her, "You'd had a lot of excitement for one day, Sage, it's best ya better get recharged now."

"A sound recommendation, Vert," Sage said briskly and hovered into her Power Orb, where she sat cross-legged. "I will return to your side, when I am fully charged, my Crimson One," she smiled lovingly, "Thank you...for everything." She hovered away to the Mobi.

"It's nothing, sweets," Vert said, ears turning pink at the endearment he just used. He heard the sound of car engines and turned around to see the Tangler, Buster, Chopper and Splitwire getting parked. "Whoo! Way to go, Vert!" Zoom cheered.

"Hey, loverboy, wanna celebrate?" Agura asked smartly, arching her eyebrow in a sassy manner. Vert's eyes were on Tezz, however. He marched up to the Slavic genius and hoisted him by the collar, snarling, "Explain yourself, genius!"

"I admit I modified that Cyber-Cell and recorded your confession, then sent it out to Sol as well. But honestly, I was only doing an experiment," Tezz choked out. Vert dropped him and rounded up on the others.

"Uh...where's Sage?" Spinner asked enthusiastically, "Y'know, your girlfriend?"

"SPINNER! YOU'RE SO GONNA GET IT!" Vert growled and chased after the Tijuana-born hacker, who yelped and ran around in circles with Vert hot on his trail, as everyone else laughed. Then Stanford reappeared, this time fully-clothed and faux hawk sticking up proudly, surveying the scene in front of him in amazement.

"Seriously, what on earth did I miss?"

FIN