Chapter 2

He'd debated it with himself extensively; should he tell, shouldn't he? First Aid wasn't hesitating about helping Skyfire, but he knew that telling Ratchet wouldn't go over well. He respected his mentor and kind of creator, but the older medic wasn't exactly known for his gentle beside manner. That was not the kind of attitude Skyfire needed to get him to open up.

And so, First Aid found Skyfire's contact number on his file and scheduled a check-up. When the shuttle asked for a very specific time, one which coincidentally would be just after Sunstreaker was scheduled to be back from an evening patrol today-First Aid's unease grew.

He knew he could be projecting and reading too much into it now that the idea was in his head, but there was no denying that Skyfire's string of accidents weren't just that. Skyfire dealt with dangerous chemicals and highly sophisticated equipment-he couldn't afford to be clumsy. Perceptor certainly wouldn't have allowed him to stay.

First Aid vented quietly, reassuring himself that he was just checking on Skyfire; if Sunstreaker even suspected that First Aid thought something was amiss, he didn't know what might happen. He'd like to think posturing, but for how vain Sunstreaker was, he certainly wasn't afraid to get his servos dirty.

Energon churned in First Aid's tank, and he kept all his systems primed to push the bile down. 'Oh Primus, don't think like that. You can't afford to mess this up.' He told himself and when he heard the door slid open, he straightened up, trying with all his power to keep his voice cheery. "Hello, Skyfire-oh, hi Sunstreaker, didn't expect you to be coming with him."

Sunstreaker kept his arms crossed as he gazed lazily around the room, but Skyfire was stiff and he walked tensely with him up to the berth. "It's not like I could let him go off on his own," he sniffed haughtily, "he'd probably walk into another wall."

'Or your fist.' First Aid pushed the thought away; no, he couldn't think like that. Not while they were still in here. "This won't take long," he said gently as Skyfire eased himself onto the berth, "I just need to make sure your injuries aren't acting up."

"It's quite alright." Skyfire said softly. "I don't mind."

First Aid nodded absently as he set about checking over the optic and lip first as those were the hardest to reach. On the surface he was inspecting the healing process and how well-adjusted the plating was, but underneath he was questioning just how Sunstreaker could have hurt him in the first place.

The yellow mech was strong and violent, and despite Skyfire's size, he was no warrior. Barring his own servos, Sunstreaker could just have easily thrown something heavy at the shuttle. The pede, the torn line and disjointed wrist though? First Aid kept the energon from rising in his throat. Those three injuries were well within reaching distance-and Sunstreaker was quick. Any seeker would attest to that.

"Pardon me for asking," First Aid started genially, "but I was curious; how did you meet? I don't really trust the accuracy of rumors."

"So you thought asking the source was any better?" Sunstreaker snapped.

"First Aid hasn't done anything wrong." Skyfire said calmly. "Like he said, he's just curious." His voice lowered to a whisper. "May I tell him?"

First Aid found that worrying. Since when did one partner need permission to talk about their first meeting? Unless he missed something from movies, wasn't this just a normal thing to explain? It troubled him when Sunstreaker tensed up, his optics burning bright for a moment as a scowl crossed his lips briefly.

Like nothing happened, Sunstreaker relaxed and jerked his head away dismissively. "Go ahead, if it really means that much to you."

"Of course it does, because I met you." Skyfire said earnestly. He reached out the servo First Aid wasn't holding, but froze when Sunstreaker glowered at him. Skyfire looked sheepishly at the medic. "I-I'm sorry First Aid, but I think that's a story for another time."

First Aid shrugged, the picture of ease. Inside his stomach churned. "It's okay, some bots are just more private."

Sunstreaker didn't look any less irritable. "If you're done, we're leaving."

Unlike before, the yellow mech didn't leave Skyfire's side until the shuttle got up. Sunstreaker abruptly grabbed Skyfire's uninjured servo, and the white mech looked deeply surprised for a moment. The flicker Skyfire gave First Aid had the medic thinking that this display was something only done in private. Public affection wasn't something even Sideswipe got.

What was this for then? As Sunstreaker pulled ahead of Skyfire and led him out, it looked a lot less like affection and more like a subtler way of dragging the shuttle out. 'Am I projecting? Is this really what it I think it is? What if I'm wrong? What if I'm right though?' First Aid wouldn't forgive himself if he knew what was going on and did nothing.

'I need more proof. Medical records will only show so much.' He needed to get a gauge on what the relationship was like. If he couldn't trust his own judgement, then public opinion may be more suitable in this case.

And so, when Ratchet sent Gears over to First Aid to help him-the older bot muttering about processor aches-did the younger medic start his inquiry.

"…and I think I've got rust on my joints. I can't see the back of my knees but I know it's there-it has to be." Gears ranted.

First Aid nodded along patiently. "Yes, I'll be sure to check there." he reassured him. "Though I've been wondering, have you by any chance seen Sunstreaker and Skyfire together?"

Gears snorted, crossing his arms grumpily. "Those two? What a joke, one's a psycho and the other won't even hold a blaster-real useful for a war."

"But have you?" First Aid pressed on.

The Minibot frowned. "It's not like it's hard to miss them. Skyfire's lumbering all over and Sunstreaker's always in his shadow."

"Do they seem happy?" Gears stared sullenly back at him, but First Aid only repeated himself.

Gears huffed. "It won't last. Sunstreaker's gonna start going after us again once he's tired of playing house."

"Thank you for your opinion." First Aid said politely, and endured Gears' complaints until he finally sent the Minibot on his way. Something he said stuck with him though; there hadn't been any Minibots coming in for more than scuffs and dents they got on patrol.

No giant digit marks indented on their frames, no cursing about the Twins-no anything. First Aid would remain logical though, and before he jumped to any conclusions, he would need more information.

First Aid wearily made his way to the rec room. The thoughts of other mechs he'd asked going through his processor, each step heavier than the last. He was not liking the new pattern emerging.

"Who knew Sunstreaker had it in him to be faithful of all things? And to Skyfire?"

"Skyfire's out of his league, that's for sure."

"Happy? I don't know about Sunstreaker, but Skyfire probably worships the ground he walks on now."

"Skyfire should milk that relationship for all it's worth. He's never gonna do any better."

He stopped just in front of the door, venting slowly to himself. 'You can still do this, don't lose faith.' The door slid open, and First Aid found himself standing face to facemask with Bluestreak. 'That's it! Why didn't I think of this before?'

"Hello, Bluestreak. Can I ask you something?" First Aid questioned.

Bluestreak brightened. "Oh, of course you can. You're the medic, and it's never a good idea to make one mad. Ratchet's real scary, but don't tell him I said that, I-"

"We can talk over here." First Aid felt a twinge of guilt when Bluestreak's expression fell at the interruption, but the gunner recovered and nodded. They moved over to the side of the door, and First Aid gathered his thoughts. "You're…friends with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, correct?"

Bluestreak nodded. "Yeah, we're pals alright, why do you ask?"

"You must see Sunstreaker and Skyfire then, right? Do you think they're happy?" First Aid asked. He'd been repeating that question so much he was starting to aggravate himself.

Bluestreak tilted his helm, his ridges knitted together. His thoughtful expression faded back into ease. "They're never apart, Sunstreaker's always with Skyfire, but they always sit away from everyone else. I tried to sit with them once, but Sunny said that Skyfire didn't like to be crowded and that I should go away."

"That's not very nice." First Aid mumbled. It was also very strange.

The gunner waved it off cheerfully. "That's nothing compared to how he used to tell me to leave; he's become so mellow lately that it's kinda scary too. I mean sure, he doesn't smile or anything like that, but he's been on his best behavior and kept out of trouble." His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "I think it's making Prowl even more paranoid than Red Alert on when Sunny's gonna start pranking again with Sideswipe."

"So Sunstreaker hasn't been in trouble lately?" And he wasn't doing any practical jokes on the crew with Sideswipe either? This was odd.

Bluestreak only continued on without missing a beat. "Sunstreaker isn't going to be all mushy about it, but I think it's because of Skyfire." He sighed dreamily. "It's so sweet really; Sunny spends all his time with Skyfire in his room." He giggled. "I think they're very happy."

"That's…something." First Aid said faintly. Because of Skyfire-why did that make him so uneasy? It did give him more to think on though. "Excuse me, Bluestreak, but I need to get my ration."

The gunner waved as he took his leave down the hall, and First Aid walked into the rec room.

The medic grabbed a cube from the dispenser and saw Wheeljack by himself as he read over a datapad. First Aid slid into the empty seat beside him. "Hi."

The inventor's head fins flashed blue as he almost jumped. "Oh, First Aid, how are you? I didn't even hear you."

"It can get loud in here I've heard." First Aid replied. He was a bit more nervous about speaking with Wheeljack, his other kind of creator. "Do you know Skyfire?" As soon as it was out, he felt foolish.

The other mech chuckled dryly. "He works in the lab as well, so I may know him. What's this about? Perceptor said you'd been asking about Skyfire too-and that you questioned his safety pre-cautions."

First Aid shrank into himself. He was more surprised than he should have been that Perceptor told Wheeljack about his visit. "It was a mistake to think that-I just thought since someone had been telling me he'd gotten hurt there I went to check it out."

"Ah." Wheeljack made an understanding sound. "Your dedication to your patients is admirable-must get that from Ratchet."

First Aid squirmed in his seat, bashful and happy to be compared to his mentor. "Do you think I should have gone to see the lab then?"

"I can't tell you how to go about helping your patients," Wheeljack began, "but perhaps you could be a bit more discreet. There's no need to scratch anyone's plating if they think you're accusing them of something."

And that was exactly the situation First Aid wanted to avoid. The brig was like a second home to the Twins, and Sunstreaker was proud enough to overreact if First Aid was completely wrong.

Yet…that's not what it shaping up to be. If he was wrong, then he should have found nothing suspicious about Sunstreaker's behavior. It was just barely noticeable, but Sunstreaker had changed.

The door slid open, and Sunstreaker himself came storming in. His expression was in its usual scowl, and he ignored the table of Minibots right by the dispenser. Even when the Minibots all tensed up, Sunstreaker didn't spare them a glance as he grabbed two cubes and marched right back out of the room.

First Aid's vents heaved slowly, and he realized he hadn't been the only one who'd been prepared for a scene. Half the mechs in the room looked dumbstruck by Sunstreaker's obvious dismissal of the Minibots, while the other half vented in unified relief.

"It's been like this for a while now." Wheeljack said, his tone both amused and wry. "Sunstreaker comes in for his and Skyfire's rations, and then everyone is astonished that he doesn't do anything."

"How long?" First Aid asked abruptly. Wheeljack's fins flashed in surprise and the medic cleared it up. "How long has Sunstreaker been…well, behaving?"

Wheeljack rubbed his chin. "Three-no, hmm-ahah! Four months. It's amazing, despite what Prowl thinks. Now if only Sideswipe would learn to grow up."

First Aid nodded absently. Four months is how long Sunstreaker and Skyfire had been together. Perhaps once he could have been as optimistic and romantic as Bluestreak, believe that Sunstreaker's change in behavior was due to having found someone he wanted to better himself for.

The injuries said differently. It would have been suspicious all get out if Skyfire had come in to the medbay every month for an 'accident' that didn't happen in the laboratory. No, the injuries weren't the start of it, they were the escalation.

The words of all the mechs he'd talked to swirled around in First Aid's processor, and he felt dizzy as once more he found a pattern emerging.

In four months, Sunstreaker hadn't gotten into trouble; he didn't prank anyone, he didn't fight with mechs or Minibots. It was as though Sunstreaker's aggression had faded away.

Or he merely channeled it into a more convenient target.

First Aid wasn't ready to make that leap yet, but the evidence only piled up even higher. He'd need to ask around more, but the medic was now certain of one thing: everyone thought Skyfire had it good.