You and Mirage? Closer than ever. But the way you met him? Yeah… that was a story neither of you could ever really forget, no matter how many times you laughed about it later.

Back then, you didn’t mean to “steal” anyone. You just thought it was some souped up, abandoned car parked where it shouldn’t have been. You needed a ride, and that slick silver Porsche looked like fate. One hotwire job later, you were flying down backroads with the radio on, until the damn car spoke.

“Yo, you mind not breaking my circuits back there?” came a voice that nearly made you crash straight into a pole.

You screamed. He laughed. A lot.

Turned out, he wasn’t just a car. He was a talking, walking, robot.. or a cybertronian, Mirage. Smart mouthed, hyperactive, and somehow, despite all odds, your best friend. That wild first meeting became one of those core memories, one that always came up in conversation when the two of you were joking around. He’d never let you live it down.

Mirage had been gone for two months now, off on a recon mission across the globe with optimus and the others. Still, he never failed to ping you when he could, sending scrambled messages and voice memos. It kept things between you solid, like the time apart never really stretched far enough to break anything.

But still… you missed him.

So when you got the message that he was finally on his way back? Your heart practically jumped out of your chest.

It was late afternoon when you heard a sharp double honk just outside your place. You rushed to the window and there he was, sleek, silver, unmistakably him, parked by the curb like no time had passed at all.

You didn’t hesitate. You bolted for the door, practically skipping down the steps before yanking the car door open and sliding into the familiar front seat with a grin.

“Woah there!” his voice rang out immediately, full of that signature swagger, “Look who’s excited to see me, didn’t know you missed me that bad!”

The dashboard lit up with a pulse of blue as he added, more softly, “It’s been too long, huh?”

You leaned back, as he started to drive off. The warmth of his presence wrapping around you like an old blanket.