Is it just me, or is it really odd to be thinking of Simmons as 'Seymour' rather than 'Reggie?'

The Effing Point

The building was barely suitable for human inhabitants, but, to Seymour Simmons, after breaking into a government building, being tossed through the air via a space bridge, running from Egyptian authorities and spending whatever free time he had between crushed in a car with three teenagers and a Decepticon-turned-Autobot, it couldn't have looked more like a five star hotel.

He wasn't the only one to share the sentiment. The kid and his girlfriend had vanished outside (no doubt doing things he rather wished he had a girlfriend to do it with) while Bumblebee and the twins fled into the city (no doubt disguising their appearance and blending into the streets). Wheelie, he had no clue – the little toy car had followed Mikaela outside, only to come skidding back in from a well placed kick. He'd vanished soon after, leaving Seymour to blessed, wonderful silence.

Well, almost.

Leo was still tagging along, apparently lost without Sam to follow, and so had chosen to follow his rival, flicking through the scattered books without really looking at them. He hadn't said a word in a while, and given how vocal the kid had been previously, Simmons was rather surprised at the lack of the moaning, whinging and otherwise irritating voice.

Looking at him out the corner of his eye, he gave a silent groan. Leo's face was a mess, eyes dim and depressed, completely out of sorts with the world. Realising he was the only one around to notice, Simmons rolled his eyes and slumped down on a bench – the only chair in the room - to face the teen.

"All right, kid – what's got you so miserable?"

Leo threw a quick glance at him, before turning his attention back to the books.

"It's just...I never thought this was how things would go."

Well experienced in detecting inevitable outbursts, Simmons leaned forward, one hand on his knee holding up his head.

Leo had abandoned the books, and was pacing with a miserable look on his face. "I mean…I made my website cause I knew something was up. And yeah, I thought it was aliens but…I always thought it would be…cooler."

Simmons couldn't help but smirk, as the boy's pacing got more and more hectic. "I thought…I mean…I dreamed that I'd prove to the world they existed. That there might be a little fanfare, some front page photos, some movie deals…maybe…"

"Becoming an ambassador for all alien kind and being their best buddy?" Simmons finished for him, and Leo drooped.

"Yeah."

"And instead, when you finally discover there really is a government conspiracy, you realise somebody already beat you to the post. Got the friendship, the respect, the adventure, and the girl," Simmons continued, watching the boy grow more and more depressed with a smug grin. He'd forgotten how much fun this could be. "And to top it all off, he doesn't do anything with it."

"What is up with that!?" Leo yelled. "He gets everything I ever dreamed of discovering and…and…he goes to college? What is wrong with his head?"

He immediately held up his hands as Simmons opened his mouth. "Besides the alien Wikipedia."

He sighed again, walking over and slumping by Simmons's side. "Don't get me wrong, the shooting and the running and the torture…I didn't sign up for that, but I thought I would at least be…useful."

Simmons gave a careless shrug. "Hey, you told them to track me down didn't you?"

Leo snorted. "Oh yeah. I whine and complain and run off, then come back and tell them to find this super-rival that only I know of, only to find out that they already know you! They probably would have tracked you down on their own. And then I went and tazered myself. I'm not even a decent sidekick!"

He thunked his head against the back of the bench and groaned; not noticing the battle crossing the other man's face.

It wasn't that he cared. Really. His little wannabe-rival was learning the hard way that life sucked – best he realised that sooner rather than later.

And, yet…as much as he tried to deny it, he couldn't help but relate.

"Kid, trust me. You aint the only one."

Leo's head turned, confusion on his face, and Simmons gave his trademark smirk.

"Look, my father's side of the family has been guarding this secret almost as long as it's been government knowledge. Some kids fantasised about their dream car and the dream girl, I fantasised about the car turning into a robot, trying to attack me and falling in a blaze of missiles and glory. I wanted to be the hero, the saviour of the world."

He shrugged and looked out the window. "Then they come, I set my sights on my dreams, and find out that I got everything completely wrong. I screw with the wrong 'bots, the role of world saviour goes to kid barely starting puberty, and life has gone downhill ever since. Fact? Reality will never match up with fantasy."

Leo huddled into himself, and Simmons rolled his eyes.

"Oh relax, kid. You're actually in the best position there is!"

The teen jerked up.

"Huh?"

"Think about it," Simmons explained. "Look at Sam. Better yet, look at what he's going through. You really want that job? And, trust me, even if this plan of his works, he's in too deep. His life is gonna make mine look like a full time party by the time those 'bots are through with him. Heroes don't get to have lives, they live for other people. That's the whole point of heroes."

Leo was staring at him, the minor speech apparently registering, and Simmons went in for the kill.

"Those on the sidelines. Part of it but not really part of it," he began. "They are the ones who'll benefit, get to enjoy life and the secrets they get to know, without having to worry about their hides or mental state."

He patted the boy's shoulder. "If the government comes clean about that worldwide broadcast, your website is gonna be the third most visited website on the planet. You'll be a millionaire by the end of the year."

A happy grin started to form on Leo's face, before it faltered again. "Wait, third?"

"Well, people are gonna be looking up google to find the sites you know."

"What about second?"

Oh, how he loved his smirk. "Why that'll be my site of course."

Leo glared at him. "In your dreams, old man."

"I don't dream, rookie. I do."

A breeze flew through the room, hitting both and causing them to shiver. They hadn't quite realised the cold of a desert. Leo wrapped his arms around his chest, only to have Simmons grab one of them and yank him closer.

"Hey!" he yelped. "I don't know about you but I don't swing that way."

Simmons rolled his eyes. "Oh get over yourself. There's no blankets so body contact will have to do. Stay close."

Wordlessly, Leo settled next to him again, and Simmons shifted to better accommodate him. Both sat in silence, before Leo piped up again.

"You better not snore."

"And if I wake up and find drool on my shoulder, I'll ram Wheelie down your throat."

END