A/N: Alright, this cracky little fic is all Windwalker's fault, for the mention of Swoop/First Aid. It's a side-story to Lapsus Memoriae, so some parts may not make sense without reading that one as well, though it could be read as a stand-alone. Some of it is co-authored with ryagelle, and special thanks go to the incomparable VAWitch for beta-reading. XD

Hopefully you will enjoy reading this as much as we've enjoyed writing it.

EDIT: GUH! Why, oh why does FFN eat my dividers?? WHY??

First Aid's visor flashed with weary satisfaction as he finished a crucial repair to the laser core of the former Autobot tactician, Prowl. The medbay was eerily silent when the sounds of the CMO's work faded away; the stricken bots' bondmates were in sound recharge on some of the spare repair berths and Swoop had finished up and left about a breem ago, presumably to get some recharge himself. Primus knew First Aid needed rest badly, but he was so keyed up by the events of the day that he knew it would be some time before he was able to go offline.

Stretching a little to ease the tension in cables gone stiff from hunching over a repair berth, he glanced around the medbay one last time to be sure everything was in its proper place, and then headed over to his office. Ratchet's office. Or, it would have been, if the previous CMO had made it through that shuttle ride to Autobot City.

"Oh, Ratchet," he murmured softly, scrubbing a hand over his face tiredly as he settled down into one of the room's two chairs. "What happens now?" All the doubts, all the uncertainties that he had managed to suppress in the hectic time since his mentor's death and his own promotion crashed down upon him full force in the quiet of the office.

How many times over the hours, days, weeks, had he wished with all his spark that Ratchet had not died, that he had not been left alone with the heavy burden of being the Chief Medical Officer in a time of war? How many times had he realized that it was going to be impossible to live up to the reputation the older medic had left behind?

Now, it appeared his wish had come true, and he wasn't altogether sure of just what he actually thought about that. He was genuinely excited and happy about the events of the past day, but he couldn't help a brief flash of resentment; he'd just started to get used to his new role and the idea of his teacher coming back and taking it all away from him again rankled more than it should have. Immediately, he was flooded with guilt at the petty emotions he was indulging. After all, three of the Ark's most prominent officers were coming back from the dead! He felt that he should at least be happy for the four mechs that had been left behind—yet here he was, feeling jealous of the one mech he respected and admired above all others. The conflicting emotions were enough to make his processors ache, and with a groan he laid his head in his hands.

A soft scratching at the door interrupted his musings and had him sitting up straight in his chair. He was suddenly grateful for the mask and visor hiding his expression from any visitors. "Come in," he called quietly.

Swoop peeked his crested head through the door and glanced around cautiously. After assuring himself that First Aid was the room's only occupant, he came fully into the office and locked the door behind him. He handed the CMO one of two full energon cubes and sat down on the remaining empty chair. "Me Swoop couldn't recharge, thought maybe you First Aid have same problem. Thought maybe it good idea to make sure you First Aid refuel after long day, at least."

First Aid smiled under his mask. "Thank you, Swoop," he said, grateful for the care and consideration the Dinobot showed for both his friends and his patients, the same traits that made him such an excellent medic, even though he would never be on par with Ratchet or even First Aid himself, who had been built specifically for the job.

Swoop regarded the younger mech soberly for a few moments before sighing softly and leaning back in his chair. "None of this be easy," he commented ruefully.

"You're right about that, my friend," First Aid replied. "It's probably going to be the hardest thing we've ever done. Including what we went through after they—after they…" He couldn't quite bring himself to say it, even with some time to distance it.

"Died?" Swoop finished gently. He reached out to give the CMO a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Repairs be easy part. Hard part be what comes after. What happen then, no one knows. Not me, not you. We two just guessing, here. Maybe even him Ratchet and him Wheeljack not know what happen. Not sure if others understand that."

First Aid nodded. "How can we explain to them what might happen, if we don't know ourselves? Swoop," he added, his voice lowering to a nervous whisper, "Are you sure this is a good thing we're doing? The right thing?"

"Right thing for us? Or right thing for them?" the pterosaur asked shrewdly, jerking his head to indicate the mechs recharging near the shells of their offline bondmates.

"Them. Us. Both. Oh, I don't know," First Aid said miserably.

Swoop steepled his fingers in front of his face and considered the younger medic's reply for a few moments before answering. "It be easier on us if this not happen," he said finally, his gaze boring into First Aid's. "But it did happen, so me Swoop think, what we two do is best thing. For everyone. It our duty as medics, our duty as friends, to see this through."

The Protectobot heaved a weary sigh. "Yeah, you're right," he muttered, leaning back in his chair. He cocked his head at Swoop, as though something amusing had occurred to him. "Hey, did Optimus give you lessons in making encouraging speeches?"

Swoop smiled sheepishly. "No, but me Swoop been paying attention."

First Aid chuckled softly, his mood lightening for the first time since they lost so many friends in that attack. The past couple of weeks since the shuttle went down seemed like forever and it had felt as if he would never be happy again; the brief glow of amusement had been jarring to him, out of place in his unhappiness. It was not unwelcome, however—he was nearly overwhelmed with gratitude for Swoop's ability to cheer him, even for such a short time.

Swoop's smile widened at the sound of First Aid's mirth. "Me think me Swoop's job done here for today. You be okay now?" he asked, getting up to stand near the CMO, who looked up into the face of his large friend with a much more relaxed air about him than he had had for a while now.

First Aid stood and clapped the Dinobot companionably on the shoulder. "I'll be okay now," he said, his smile obvious in his voice. "I think we both ought to try and get some recharge now, all right? We've got a busy day tomorrow."

Swoop nodded and returned the gesture. "You 'Aid need talk, you know where to find me." With that he turned and left.

First Aid stayed a few moments more, looking around Ratchet's office. His office, now. "Yes, I'll be okay," he murmured, and followed Swoop out the door.

First Aid was not quite sure how this had gotten started, but he was pretty sure he never wanted it to stop.

The days had begun to melt together as repairs on the fallen Autobots progressed, and he had developed an easy camaraderie with Swoop that was somehow deeper than the simple friendship they had had since the day that First Aid had been brought online. The talks that they shared had become a nightly ritual, and First Aid had come to depend on them to help him unwind at the end of a grueling day.

He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that it had come to this—they were both under a lot of stress, after all, and as a medic he was well aware that this sort of activity could be excellent stress relief—he had just never really expected for his first experience of it to be with Swoop.

He had gotten into the habit, over the course of the past few days, of removing his mask and visor when he was alone in his office with the Dinobot. It felt as though they had become an unnecessary barrier between them when he left them on, and when Swoop had expressed an interest in 'seeing his face', he had willingly obliged.

He tried, through the fog of sensation, to remember exactly how they'd ended up like this. He seemed to recall that Swoop had, almost casually, taken his hand and soothingly begun stroking fingers and palm when First Aid had started to appear too wound up with worry about how the repairs were going. He was pretty sure that the Dinobot had meant it as a calming gesture, but First Aid had not been able to hide the way that his systems had reacted to the simple touch. At first he had been mortified at the way that his revving engine had betrayed him, but then Swoop had caught him up in his arms before he could escape. His stammered excuses had come to an abrupt halt when tentatively, giving him plenty of time to back away, to say no, the bigger mech had leaned down and kissed him.

And that was what had led to this.

They lay on the berth that had been installed in a little alcove off of the main office for those times when the medic on duty was either unable or unwilling to leave a patient alone in the medbay. Swoop murmured appreciatively above First Aid as the Protectobot carefully stroked one of his wings, and 'Aid tilted his head up to allow the pterosaur better access when the bigger 'Bot nuzzled his throat in response. Pleased with the reaction it got him, the younger medic reached up with both hands to trace along the edges of each wing and smiled at the way Swoop cried out and arched into the caress. The Dinobot rewarded him with a fierce kiss, hands digging under his friend's armor to find circuitry that he knew was sensitive and wringing a choked call of his name from the smaller mech.

First Aid frantically cycled air through his overheating systems; he was aware that, as inexperienced as they both were, this would not last much longer. He spared a moment to consider creating a hardline connection to Swoop and interfacing with him properly—and apparently Swoop had the same idea and less inhibition about following through, for at almost the same moment as he had the thought, the Dinobot found an access port and plugged into it. First Aid fairly shrieked as the sudden excess of sensory information being fed through the connection shoved him headlong into his first overload; he was dimly aware of Swoop's low moan as the bigger mech followed him over. After that, all fell into darkness as his systems shut down in self-defense.

He onlined slowly to the pleasant sensation of his hands being caressed sensuously, first with light delicate strokes along the length of the fingers, down to firmer circles traced into the palm. He couldn't help a soft murmur of delight; a medic's hands often were the most sensitive parts of his body, since they were so essential for the most delicate of repair work.

His little sound of pleasure prompted a light chuckle and large, strong arms wound around him from behind, pulling him up against a broad chestplate. "You 'Aid recharge well last night?" was whispered into his audios.

First Aid nearly leapt out of his armor at the voice. He would have leapt out of the berth entirely, but Swoop held onto the CMO, murmuring soothing nonsense into his audios until First Aid finally calmed enough not to flee.

"Let me up, please," he asked faintly, mortified at the whole situation. Swoop relented and allowed the smaller mech to sit up. 'Aid quickly shot upright and scooted over to the opposite end of the berth, where he stared studiously at the wall, the floor, anywhere but at the Dinobot with whom he had just spent the night.

He could feel Swoop's puzzled and hurt stare boring into him. He hunched his shoulders and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms loosely around his legs in an unconsciously defensive posture. When the older mech reached out to touch his shoulder uncertainly, he couldn't help a slight flinch, and Swoop immediately pulled his arm back down to his side, shuffling a little farther away from the mech who had been his lover.

Finally Swoop broke the uncomfortable quiet. "What wrong?" he asked softly, and it made First Aid's spark stutter a little to hear the pain of rejection in the Dinobot's tone.

"I'm, uh…I…you just…caught me off guard, is all," the Protectobot stammered, nervously looking sidelong at Swoop, meeting the other's optics for the first time since awakening, if only briefly. "I've, um…I've never done—that­—before," he admitted shyly.

Swoop didn't have to ask the CMO what he meant; it was obvious he was referring to the events of last night. He sidled a little closer to First Aid. "Me Swoop only did once," he said, his voice lowered confidingly. "You 'Aid should know, there be first time for everything," he teased gently, though there was still a thread of doubt both in his voice and posture that had the ambulance instinctively reaching out to comfort his friend.

Swoop took the opportunity to snuggle closer to the smaller mech, silently seeking the reassurance that he was too proud to actually ask for. First Aid experienced a pang of guilt as he realized how highly the Dinobot must value 'Aid's opinion of him. It made sense really, considering that the CMO was one of the few remaining Autobots outside of Swoop's brothers who treated the pterosaur like the intelligent person he was, rather than the dumb brute he appeared to be. At the same time, First Aid realized just how much he had come to rely upon Swoop himself, for the other medic's friendship and his calm, no-nonsense demeanor had provided the younger 'bot with a solid presence to hold him together when he feared that he would fly apart under the stress of his duties.

The Protectobot leaned a little more of his weight against Swoop's side, which encouraged the older mech to relax a little more and hum softly in contentment. They sat like that for several moments in a companionable silence broken only by the soft sounds of their systems running.

Swoop, once again, was the first to speak. "You 'Aid me Swoop's best friend," he said quietly. "Whatever happen, me Swoop not want to mess that up. Me Swoop was afraid…"

"It's alright, Swoop," First Aid interrupted, looking up into the large mech's optics. "You're my best friend, too. I don't think anything's going to change that." The ambulance was surprised to realize just how true it was. One generally didn't think of the Dinobots as being particularly friendly—but Swoop was different. Not to mention that no one could spend so many years together in the medbay under the Hatchet's tutelage and not form some kind of camaraderie out of self defense.

He supposed that this new turn in their relationship should not have been unexpected, even though most mechs, including First Aid, would have thought that both of them would end up with one of their respective brothers.

"You know," the Protectobot continued hesitantly, "I just…I guess I just don't know what to think about—this…about what happened last night."

Swoop watched him intently, head cocked to one side, and First Aid could swear he could almost hear the gears whirring in the Dinobot's cranium as he thought over what the ambulance had said. First Aid waited patiently for Swoop to reach his own conclusions; after so long working with the large mech, he was well aware of how his companion's mind worked. Swoop would talk only when Swoop was ready.

After finally finishing his deliberation, Swoop said diffidently, "Me Swoop say, maybe this not be bad thing…" He trailed off uncertainly, and then continued in a stronger voice. "We two still be friends, but…maybe we need this. We under lots of stress right now. Maybe we two help each other? It not have to change anything." Having said his piece, the Dinobot leaned back and looked at First Aid expectantly, waiting tensely for the younger mech's response.

First Aid blinked at him in surprise. "…Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked, optics wide.

Swoop ducked his head and nodded shyly. "We two need this. Need each other; we all we two got. Primus knows, brothers not be any help here," he said wryly.

First Aid chuckled weakly. "That's too true. My brothers do nothing but pester me about it all day—where no one else can hear, of course."

Swoop snorted. "How you think me Swoop feel? Me Swoop's brothers not even know about it! It hard to keep secret from brothers, you know. Always want to know 'where Swoop going, what Swoop doing all the time, why Swoop not spend more time with Dinobots?'"

First Aid snickered; he couldn't help it. "Primus, but that's got to be annoying."

"Hmph," Swoop muttered. "You First Aid have no idea."

The Protectobot smiled. "Oh, I'd say I have a pretty good idea, actually." Swoop only smirked.

After a few moments of silence, First Aid sighed and relaxed a little more into the larger mech's side, and Swoop wrapped an arm around him companionably. They stayed like that for a while, content in each other's presence; they felt no need to fill the comfortable stillness with pointless conversation.

Their moment of peace was broken too soon for their liking when the soft sound of voices in the medbay reminded them of the real world outside. First Aid smiled ruefully as he stood. "Duty calls, I'm afraid."

Swoop chuckled and stood as well, stretching languidly. "Yes. Work never wait, hmm?"

The CMO's smile widened. "No, it never does." For a second the smile faltered, then with determination shining in his optics, First Aid tugged the Dinobot down for a quick kiss before replacing his visor and facemask. "I'll see you later?" he asked huskily.

Swoop grinned. "Yes," was all he said, and they both left to face the world again.