Thirty Days in a Second

Thirty Days in a Second

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Part Three: Glimmer of an Optic

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"Rise and shine."

That voice in her audio again, causing her a shudder that she didn't want to face.

Arcee brought her optics online. She lifted her head. Wait, when did she put it down on Starscream's shoulder?

Starscream waited until she sat up straight before he slid to the opposite side of the cave. He chuckled at her nervous shifting.

"How's your side?" Arcee asked, hoping her voice filled the awkward silence.

"Getting rid of the old patch made all the difference. It doesn't even sting." Starscream said, patting his flank. He inclined his head towards the cave entrance. "I think it's time to dig up the largest piece of wreckage. If it's the engine that I'm suspecting, and if it's intact. I'll be able to refurbish it into a generator."

"Scrap," Arcee sighed. "It's huge, Starscream."

"Don't worry. We have eternity to move it."

Incensed, Arcee remembered exactly why he annoyed the frag out of her. She lifted her leg and jammed her heel against Starscream's left wing, pinning it to the cave wall. While he was still stunned, she clambered into his lap, slammed his shoulders backwards and shoved her face close to his. "You aren't funny. You never were funny. I don't like this situation and I don't like you. Nothing is going to make this any better until we're back where we're supposed to be. I'd appreciate it if you started taking this seriously. Things will go a lot smoother. Got it?"

Starscream cringed despite his efforts not to. Most likely a reflex reaction he developed around Megatron. "You act like you're allergic to humor."

She smirked. "Maybe I'm allergic to you."

To her annoyance, he chortled. "Ouch."

"Ugh!" Arcee climbed off his lap and moved to her side of the cave. "You're so annoying!"

"That's a shame. You're quite entertaining."

"I'm thrilled."

Starscream turned his head. "The wind stopped."

Arcee forgot their argument and peeked outside. "Then let's go."

They flew to the debris field in silence. Starscream wasn't kidding when he mentioned an engine. The wind must have blown the snow off it while they rested. It looked like a long, black cylinder tilted upright in the surrounding white. Its nozzle was intact and Arcee's olfactory sensors detected the pungent odor of fuel inside. Her keen eyes made out the hand holds on the fin for maintenance workers to secure themselves during in-flight repairs. Standing up the way it was, the sharp fin on the side resembled a metallic spire reaching for the sky.

This thing is three times as tall as I am, but it's pretty hollow. Two bots could move it. Heh, Bulkhead could move it all on his own. Too bad the big guy isn't here to help.

An idea struck.

"We need to dig out a cave near the ground." Arcee said. "If we can drag this there, we can use the lower cave for shelter while we work."

"The engine can burn us a hole in no time flat. The side of the glacier with our current cave is entirely in phase." Starscream held his chin between thumb and forefinger. "Let's try it and see what happens. I'm going to tip it over, so you might want to step back."

Arcee scrambled out of the way. Starscream leapt onto the black fin behind the nozzle. He grabbed the nearest hand hold and rocked his weight back and forth. The engine wobbled, but refused to budge!

"It's not working!" Arcee hollered. She used the handholds on the side like ladder rungs to scale the side of the engine. "Looks like it has a stabilizing counterweight at the bottom. It's going to take both of us to tip this thing, so let's throw ourselves against the fin on three."

"Ready when you are."

She angled herself forward. "One...two...three!"

Both bots threw their full weight into the metal fin. The engine rocked and groaned.

"Again!" Arcee cried.

More low groans. The dizzying sensation of falling in slow motion. Arcee grabbed Starscream's arm and they leapt off the engine as it toppled onto its side like a cut down tree.

Arcee held tight to Starscream's upper arm by reflex. The snow spoiled their perfect landing--Starscream's heels slipped and he fell flat on his back. Arcee landed in a heap on top of him. Her impact caused the snow drift to collapse and bury Starscream from the shoulders up.

"If that's the scariest thing that happens here, I think I can deal with it," said Arcee. "So...Starscream?"

Starscream lifted his head and coughed up a mouthful of snow. He blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one."

For a moment he reminded her so much of Tailgate that it ached. The retort she always used in response leapt off her tongue of its own accord. "I guess the Pit just froze over. I agree with your sentiment." She moved her hand to his patched side without breaking eye contact. "Are you okay?"

He covered her hand with his own. His face relaxed into the expression he wore when he recharged. "I'm fine."

Arcee held his gaze another moment before climbing off. "C'mon. Let's drag this thing back and burn ourselves a cave before the wind starts again."

They worked together to drag the heavy engine up to the glacier. One pushed, the other pulled, and they traded off to keep the workload equal. The slippery snow worked in their favor, allowing them to reach the glacier just as the breeze picked up.

Arcee stood back while Starscream hotwired the engine to run a test burn. It punched a hole right into the ice and gave them a new cave to work with in just five minutes.

Later, Arcee relaxed on her side in the uppermost cave while Starscream fussed over the engine. She passed the time by separating the last wire bundle and estimating the total length.

Outside, the wind blustered with a fury that made the cave chilly without another body keeping it warm. Arcee didn't disguise her relieved sigh when Starscream wriggled into the available space behind her. How did he lay on his side with those wings? Did they somehow fold up out of the way?

Arcee had almost reached a conclusion when Starscream's armor touched her back.

"Ah! You're freezing!"

His voice in her audio, low and almost purring. "I had to make sure there weren't any cracks in the fuel lines."

He draped his arm over her waist. Icy frost covered his arm and fingers.

"You took a long time." Arcee grumbled. Not that I was worried or anything. Nope. Not at all, because you're an aft and almost froze solid!

She felt him smile. He was that close. "I like to be thorough."

"You could have died out there."

"Are you worrying about me, Arcee?"

Arcee turned enough to peer over her shoulder. "A little. Happy?"

Starscream squinted and smirked. "How touching of you to care."

She made a face and resumed her original position. "You're my ticket out of here. Do me a favor and stay alive until you do your job. Then you can die any way you want."

"You were worried."

If a statement could ever light a flame in Arcee's belly, that was it. She turned over to glare at Starscream's smirking face. "I've lost people that I care about. It hurts. It's why I hate working with partners. I worry a lot! It's what Autobots do. I would appreciate it if you stopped treating everything like a joke. It isn't funny, but what would you know about losing someone close to you? You were the little rich bot who only knew high society life. You don't know how good you had it, do you?"

Starscream's mocking air deflated. He narrowed his optics and his voice became colder than the frozen wind. "I know more about loss than you think. This war left no one unscathed."

"Oh, what? Did you lose your trine?"

The wince on Starscream's face said it all. Seekers were created in groups of three--a main mold and two gestalts. Some said their bond was closer than those of Spark-bonded bots.

"Oh..." Arcee rubbed the inner corners of her optics. She hated how much she regretted her statement. "I shouldn't have said that."

"They died a long time ago." He closed his eyes and let his let his head rest on his folded arm. "I've been over it for centuries."

No, he wasn't. She might as well pour acid into his Scraplet bite. The effect was the same.

Scrap. I'm so used to hating 'cons...it's easier when I forget they have feelings, too.

Arcee's optics drifted to the red Decepticon sigil on Starscream's chest. They were made of the same materials, yet that symbol separated them like a void between two differing ideals. She reached out and placed her hand over it. Warmth, a Spark like her own, pulsed beneath her palm.

"I don't pretend to understand Decepticon ideals, Starscream, but grief is the same no matter which side you're on." She returned her gaze to his face. "I'm sorry."

Starscream opened his optics and looked into hers. Mech fluid glistened in the inner corners, but his voice was steady when he said, "Then we're even. We've both lost people close to us, and I don't know what makes you Autobots tick either."

Arcee chuckled and, without thinking, wiped away a teardrop before it dripped across his face. "Are you okay?"

He heaved a sigh to regain his shaken composure. "I'm fine. We should recharge and conserve our energy."

"Yeah." Arcee turned over again and wriggled until no space existed between them. For warmth, she told herself. Just for warmth.

When Starscream's arm inevitably flopped over her waist, she reached down and interlocked their fingers. He responded by bringing his other arm around to pull her closer against his chest.

Later, Starscream braved the unknown and scouted the entire landscape from the air. He spent several twenty-four hour periods building a map. Arcee collated the data with landmarks she recognized from the ground until they had a complete picture. Their world was only fifty square miles in diameter.

Arcee designated the darkest horizon as west, and from that she created a coordinates system they could use when out of visual contact. There was less risk of getting hopelessly separated, which allowed them to venture beyond the debris field.

Twenty miles from the wreckage, Arcee found a dented container of energon treats buried in a snow bank. The surprised delight on Starscream's face made her Spark turn over, and the reason why scared her. She ignored it while they feasted on the sweet, chewy cubes--and together they ate them all in one sitting.

"Ooh, my aching fuel tank." Starscream plopped down onto his back on the cave floor.

Arcee sympathized. Energon treats had no nutritional value, but they tasted so good. She used to pilfer them from Bulkhead's secret stash until he caught on and found a better hiding place.

Between windstorms, Starscream spent a lot of time scraping on the walls of the lower cave. He was so focused that Arcee stayed away to avoid disturbing his thoughts.

Day by day, the gray patch on the "western" horizon grew darker. Occasionally, it looked downright black, and whenever it was black the wind blasted with a terrifying fury. More than once Arcee had to dig Starscream out of the snow and drag him into the lower cave.

Another time, the wind hit as she scouted the debris field on foot. The driving snow blinded her. Starscream found her using a piece of hull as a shield. She had no memory of him returning her to their cave, but she didn't miss how fast he appeared at her side when she regained consciousness.

"Oh, good, you didn't freeze." Starscream snorted.

"Took you long enough to find me," said Arcee.

"You didn't tell me you were leaving the caves."

"You didn't ask."

Starscream settled into his space behind her. Arcee let him pull her against his chest. He bent his head and exhaled hot air on the back of her neck. "Don't do it again."

"Why, Starscream, were you worried?" She challenged him.

"I needed your extra set of hands to hold down a cable." He replied. A blatant lie. "You weren't there."

Arcee laid her hand flat on the cave floor. Starscream's shifted up to cover it with his long, sharp fingers.

"Don't leave again without telling me," he said in her audio.

He was worried.

"I won't." Arcee turned her hand over. Their fingers interlocked against the dull blue-white cave floor. She smiled and closed her optics.

Starscream was gone when she woke from recharge.

Many "mornings" passed without his voice waking her up, and Arcee started to miss it. She caught herself thinking it was cute each time Starscream stopped in the middle of a conversation and bolted to the lower cave to scratch a fresh idea on the wall.

"Scrap. Cute? Now he's cute?" Arcee groaned at herself. "What are you doing?"

The awkwardness continued when she helped him move coolant lines so he could work inside the engine. He legitimately needed an extra pair of hands to hold them out of the way while he strung the optical cables through holes he drilled in the hull.

"I think I can just reach..." Starscream reached his arms over Arcee's shoulders and fit his hands between the coolant lines she pushed aside. His chin was practically on her shoulder. "Get closer to the engine. I need to get my arm in--" Something clicked and the tips of the optical cable lit up. "Ah! It has power!"

"Nice work!" Arcee turned her head to grin at him.

Starscream's face was right there. Their eyes locked. Then he smirked, took hold of her wrists and guided her hands to release the coolant lines. His fingers were warm from their prolonged contact with the engine's power source.

"You're warm," she breathed out.

"Put your hands here." He pushed her hands into the open panel. The heated power source was welcome relief from the constant, gnawing chill. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to do that anymore. I only ran power to make sure the optical cables work. It uses fuel, and we can't waste it."

Arcee shrugged one shoulder. She cleared her vocal processor. "We should take cover. The wind is about to blow."

Blinking, Starscream gave his head a shake and backed away. He walked into the lower cave. "Coming?"

"Of course."

That time, they settled down face to face. Arcee fell into recharge listening to the buzz of Starscream's Spark pulse.

Weeks slowly passed. In the middle of it, a whole twenty four hours went by where the wind would not let up enough to venture safely outside. Arcee and Starscream spent much of that day in recharge to conserve their energy.

.o

"Arcee? Arceeeee..."

That voice in her audio--familiar now--made the cold air bearable.

"Mm. Five more minutes."

"Heh, heh!" Starscream bent closer, rumbling, "You said that five minutes ago."

"Frag you." Arcee responded tiredly.

"You won't be able to walk for awhile if I did that."

Weeks ago, Arcee would have been scandalized by such a bold statement. She didn't know when she'd become accustomed to Starscream's off-color remarks. Were they ever that bad?

"Careful, Starscream. I frag back."

Laughter. His laughter was like thunder and smoke. It sent a shiver down her back struts.

No. Don't even go there. Ugh, Arcee, you idiot. He's a Decepticon! You're an Autobot. It won't work and you'll have to go back to fighting once we get out of here. Get a grip!

"Grab the wires we stripped. I'm going to transfer our supplies to the lower cave." Starscream reached across her to pick up a pile of motherboards.

Arcee started passing cables and supplies to Starscream. He carried them to the cave below. It took four trips to transport everything. Then he assisted her in reaching the ground.

She stiffened when they touched down. "It's colder than it was when we got here."

Starscream inclined his head. "By five degrees. It's the metal of the engine. It utilizes cold reflection technology to keep the fuel from freezing. The ambient temperature will return once it's finished radiating the cold of the wind away." He placed a hand on his chest and his pride filled his voice. "It's just a little something I designed before the Nemesis came to Earth."

Snickering, Arcee made a dismissive gesture. "Well, look at you. Mister Superiority."

"Hmph." He sagged.

"Oh, sorry, did I pop your ego?"

Starscream cocked an eyebrow. "No. What gave you that impression?"

"You're an aft." Arcee said. Her optics drifted to the deepening gray fog on the horizon. Its center looked blacker than ever. A thin line extended "eastward" like a shadow stretching in the sunset. "I don't like that. It keeps getting darker."

"I know. It's worrying me a little. The wind never entirely stops, either, not since that line started forming," said Starscream. He ducked into the cave beside the engine where he laid everything out. "Now that my schematics are complete, I want to finish gutting the engine before it starts gusting again. Ah...by the way, I require the tools in your medical kit for this."

Arcee followed him inside and handed over the requested items. Her optics were drawn to the full extent Starscream's work within the cave. Detailed schematics and mathematical equations arched from one wall to the other. Ratchet could have made sense of them in a Spark beat, but to Arcee it looked like Ancient Decepticon.

It struck her, wholly, for the first time that yes, Starscream was a genius. Only an extraordinary mind could come up with something of this magnitude.

"That blasted wind is going to gust stronger than ever once it starts. I'm going to convert the nozzle into a hood. I'll be focused on delicate circuitry--just a single snowflake may destroy everything."

Arcee's eyebrows drew together. "Do you need help?"

"No...I can take care of it myself. It isn't heavy. Get those motherboards and pry off the Eradicon CPUs. I will need them later."

Arcee knelt next to the supplies while Starscream climbed onto the side of the engine. Several loud thwack-thwack sounds followed. She located the motherboards Starscream asked for and arranged them according to size. Wiring and disarming bombs were a skill she prided herself on. She could identify a CPU unit in her sleep.

Eradicon CPUs were palm-sized--well, her palm anyway--circular disks arranged in clusters of four. Arcee had no trouble prying them off the bright blue motherboards. She piled the CPUs by the wall.

She heard a loud, final THWACK followed by silence. Peeping outside, she noticed Starscream on top of the engine again, busily securing the reversed nozzle with rivets. He wiped his hands in the snow and disappeared beneath the hood he created. It covered all but his long legs and dainty feet. Near them, paneling had been removed and the engine parts underneath gleamed.

"Stick these panels with our supplies." Starscream's hand popped into view with two black panels. Arcee's fingers brushed his when she took them into the cave and set them next to the motherboards. He passed her several more odds and ends--including several power coils--before the annoying wind made its comeback.

"Handle the power coils with care. We're stranded if they break." Starscream said upon stumbling into the cave. He shook the snow off and sat down across from Arcee. This cave had more room, so he stretched his legs out when he leaned back against the wall. "What are you doing?"

Arcee glanced up. She held a thin copper wire in one hand and a long, transparent crystal tube in the other. Inside the tube, fine purple strips of specialized energon wire were strung through loops of neon green destronium. This combination let the metals react to heat and create plasma energy. It powered everything from decorative lights to spaceship engines.

She fed the wire through one end of the tube and pulled it out the other. "Thought I'd get you a head start. I'm stringing the wires through this power coil."

"That's the way to do it if you're building a bomb." He pointed out.

She shot him a dirty look. "Fine, genius. Show me."

"Heh, heh...you were close." Starscream came forward and folded his hands around Arcee's. His fingers guided hers to pull the wire out of the coil's end. Turning it over, he led her through feeding the copper wire into one of two ventilation holes in the middle. "Bring it out to this side. Now feed the next one through the other side so they cross inside. Try to get at least five wires through each hole, or the plasma will leak out and melt everything."

Arcee's optics widened slightly. "You're going to cause a feedback loop."

"Yes." He pointed to the a spirals and lines on his schematic. "The power will jump from coil to coil, building up in each one until the engine overloads and generates an energy pulse equal to two ground bridge portals. I'm hoping that if I--we--assemble everything exactly right, the generator will knock us back into phase with normal time. My only concern is we will have just one shot at this. The energy output is going to burn those coils and wires to a crisp, so it has to count."

"You seem excited to try it." Arcee smiled.

Starscream refocused on her face. His optics were sharp and more alive than she'd ever seen them. "I was going to attempt this experiment when Megatron ordered me to build the space bridge. I memorized the mathematical equations necessary to calculate everything in case I got a chance in the future. Building it...I never had the chance until now. The original schematic wouldn't have worked. Ah, it's techno babble and boring to most bots, but this is the one success--if it works--that Megatron can't take away from me. I kept telling myself 'in the future, you can try sometime in the future.'"

He grinned and made a sweeping gesture at the wall, "Now look at me." His hands curled into fists and spread open again, "I'm in the future, building this thing!"

His grandiose movements, when coupled by their situation, made his whole speech hysterical. Arcee covered her mouth and laughed at the irony.

"What?" Starscream stared at her. "What are you laughing at?"

Arcee couldn't stop guffawing enough to talk. The puzzled looks he shot her made it worse.

"You--your..." She imitated his hand movements. He got her meaning, and in moments the cave rang with their shared mirth.

"So--does this mean--that--I'm finally funny to you?" Starscream asked between gasps for air.

"Fine," she sighed dramatically, "You're slightly funny."

Laughing felt great. Arcee couldn't remember the last time she had a laugh this good. She regained her composure to find Starscream watching her. His optics burned in contrast to the faded blue-white of the cave around them. A hint of a smile still existed on his face, but the glimmer in his eyes...Tailgate used to look at her that way. She wasn't sure whether to be unnerved or flattered.

"You should laugh more often," he said.

Something about his expression stopped Arcee from loading a snide remark into her verbal weaponry. She felt her fuel pump working faster. Why was he doing this to her? He wasn't the best looking mech in the universe--at least in her opinion. Attractive, yes, but not the kind of person she would introduce to her friends back on Cybertron!

Starscream knelt and grasped her hands again. His touch sent an electric pulse straight through her body. She realized he was visually taking her in the way organics took in the scent of a rose.

"Arcee, do me a favor."

"What?"

Starscream set the plasma coils aside. "Don't punch me."

"Why would I punch you?" Arcee arched an eyebrow. His gaze penetrated all the way to her Spark. Decepticons were known for their intense stares and he was no different.

"Just..." Starscream ducked his head and cleared his vocal apparatus. In doing so, he brought his face closer to hers. "...this."

He kissed her.

Arcee stiffened where she sat. Every sensor in her body sprang to life.

A voice in the back of her mind screamed all the reasons why this was wrong. Fraternizing with the enemy meant a court marshal and expulsion from the Autobot army.

Then another inner voice asked her: What are you afraid of? Who would see them here? What if the device didn't work? What if the future only lasted as long as their fuel supply? What if this was her last chance to feel this way?

What if she opened up?

The quiet voice won. Just for now, it won.

She closed her eyes. She cupped the back of his head. She parted her lips to draw him in. His hands caressed her cheeks and she felt a long forgotten warmth somewhere near her Spark.

Starscream knew how to kiss. Arcee could tell he had experience by how deftly he worked his mouth over hers. Pressing, retreating, nipping at her bottom lip and sending delightful tingles through her system.

And she liked it.

Arcee pulled back to cycle air. Starscream, also cycling heavily, leaned closer for more. She smirked, put her hands on his shoulders and shoved. He toppled backwards against the opposite wall. Open-mouthed shock didn't begin to describe his expression. She climbed onto his lap while snickering at how wide his optics opened.

"Hey, I didn't punch you now, did I?"

"No," Starscream exhaled, "but pushing someone away usually means you don't like their advances."

"I didn't say stop."

Arcee dipped her head and tasted Starscream's mouth again. His hands snaked up her back--and when she didn't stop him they eagerly explored her body.

"Fine," he hissed in her audio. "I won't stop."

And Arcee shivered, unashamed. His voice excited her. He excited her. She couldn't deny it in the face of their actions.

This is a place where factions don't matter. We're the only two people in the universe right now. He feels so good. Don't rationalize it. Don't think. Don't ruin this. Nobody has to know.

Sharp fingertips capable of shredding metal caressed her in ways she never thought possible. They returned to every place that made her gasp and shiver. His touch brought back sensations and emotions she hadn't let herself feel in millennia.

"We're still in a war," Starscream whispered into her throat.

"Don't think about it right now," said Arcee. His hungry kisses nearly sent her over the edge. Nothing could stop the avalanche of actions and reactions now. By the Allspark, why couldn't she look away from his optics? "Please, just don't think about it."

His hands cupped her hips. He craned his neck for another kiss. She grabbed his chin and greedily accepted it. Long-ignored parts of her plating shifted to make room for him.

Starscream paused when he felt it. He met her optics in a silent question--and she nodded. Beneath her, his codpiece slid down with a soft click Then he was inside her, his jack long and thin like the rest of his body. He filled the emptiness where she ached the most. Dizzying, warm and so alive.

"Starscream," she moaned. He sprinkled kisses across her throat. She looked down and saw his Decepticon symbol gleaming in the blue light of her own optics.

Insignias didn't matter here. Futures and pasts didn't exist. There was only now. And now, she needed him.

Arcee caressed Starscream's wings, watching how a simple touch nearly rendered him helpless. His fingers found her wheel wells and all at once the snowy world became an inferno.

They rocked together, straining and desperate. Every kiss burned. Every touch seared. Every look smoldered.

Starscream shifted to his knees and twisted, pressing Arcee against the only part of the wall not marked by schematics. She started to whimper. It felt so good, so good. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He planted his hands on the wall to keep his balance and his gaze bore right into her Spark.

"Arcee," he snarled possessively.

Arcee grunted something resembling his name. The electricity he sent through her body reached a crescendo. She clung to him, frantic, her optics flaring.

"Call my name again," Starscream whispered in her audio.

"Starscream!" Arcee gasped. She clutched his armor, cooing softly to encourage him.

"You're close," he crooned, his voice adding to her excitement. "I can make you overload right now...right now."

Arcee floundered in a sea of sensation and emotion. He was holding her at the edge on purpose! Could he do anything without being a jerk?

He brought his mouth close to her audio again. "Do you want that overload, Arcee?"

"Yes!" She clawed at his back and looked straight into his optics. "But I should warn you...I'm a screamer."

"Ooh." Chuckling, he flicked her wheel wells. "So am I."

Arcee stopped thinking. Nothing else mattered. All of creation funneled to a single point within her body. When Starscream pushed himself deeper into her, he touched it, and it exploded. Helpless to resist, she threw her head back with a shrill cry and let the maelstrom wash through her body. At the edge of her vision she saw Starscream's upper lip pull off his dental plates. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists, his fingertips cutting trenches in the ice. His face contorted and his guttural moans of release became the most erotic sound she heard in her life.

Arcee didn't know anybody who let go like Starscream. Mechs tended to hold back and keep quiet. Starscream didn't. He shuddered. He groaned. He rolled his hips. He made no secrets about how good it felt. The sight of him so open in the throes of overload burned itself into her memory. She cupped his face and tenderly kissed him between the optics. He opened his eyes to gaze into hers. She did not shrink from their intensity.

They collapsed together in a tangle of limbs. Their breaths came in unison, each heated exhalation creating clouds of steam.

"Arcee," Starscream whispered.

"Shhh." She touched his mouth and laid her forehead against his. How could a few shining seconds make him look so beautiful? Why did something so fleeting feel so powerful?

Their eyes stayed locked. Everything between them changed in those few fevered minutes. Arcee wondered if she would regret it later.

If later ever came.