C.M.D:Yeah, so... Sorry I don't have anything else for you guys this update period but this little snippet. I hope you enjoy all the same!
Title: Breakdown's Choice
Rating: T
Warning: mild violence and some language
He knew it was a mistake before he even realized what he was doing.
Breakdown had just been minding his business, creeping upstairs after letting himself in. He made a point to keep silent, not sure if anyone was home and not entirely willing to find out. The last thing the hybrid needed was to make a scene- especially if said scene was in front of his wonderful carrier, Fireflight. Pausing, the youngling sighed, smiling a little as he thought about the tiny shih tzu.
Through all his stellar cycles thus far, the mech had never known anyone quite as marvelous as his carrier. Breakdown couldn't have been luckier... even if the universe had been cruel enough to stick other, more nightmarish 'bots in his life as well. Thinking about said terrors brought a violent tremble to the youngling and he thought to hurry to his room, to hide and smother his fears before he worried Fireflight with them, when he saw a shadow peel off the wall from his peripheral and reach for the hybrid.
A shriek hissing between suddenly clenched denta, the poor mech did the only thing possible: he swung an arm backwards, forgetting his textbook-laden backpack gripped in a shaking fist until it hit something solid.
Intakes catching in his chestplates, Breakdown hazarded a look behind himself and would have wet himself if his tanks weren't already empty. Straightening up after a stumbling step backwards, Vortex slowly lifted a servo to his slacken jaw, feeling along the sizeable dent trailing from his cheekplate up to the band of red glass. Shock quickly bled from that vibrant visor, a look far more terrifying taking its place, as the hybrid turned and made a foolish escape attempt towards his berthroom. He had barely made it past the threshold before the lynx caught up.
Breakdown yelped as he felt the tell-tale tug of claws snagging the hem of his shirt; the world tumbling as the next astrosecond he was shoved hard against the wall, green fingers wrapped tightly around his neck cables and slowly squeezing. Onlining his optics with difficulty, the hybrid whimpered, trying to fold into himself when he saw a cracked, red visor shoved into his faceplates.
"You trash," Vortex hissed, his other servo grabbing a flailing wrist and twisting it sharply. Breakdown choked out a cry of pain, vents heaving as coolant rose to his optics, his legs kicking out weakly. Still, the lynx did not let up.
"How dare you hit me?! You think you're funny or something?!," the kittycon snapped, pressing his son further against the wall. The dry wall gave a little groan at the pressure. "Do you realize how long it'll take for a dent to heal?! Too long! Now, Snowflake's going to worry and fret and I will have to tell him something when he inquires about it. What should I tell him, hmm? That his fragging brat is a paranoid spazzoid who lashes out and hurts others because he's simply afraid?"
"N-no... p-please!," Breakdown whimpered, struggling to speak through both his terror and the servo clenching tighter around his throat. "D-didn't-"
Vortex snarled, silencing anything further from Breakdown. "I don't care about what you want or your excuses," he hissed, inching closer. His visor glowed bloody red in his rage. "In fact, I don't give a frag about you. I never have. Everything about you makes me sick: from your stupid, little whimpering to your dumb fears and your slagging stupidity. I should have killed you before you became such a slagging thorn in my side!"
"But now..." The lynx trailed off, chuckling lowly in dark amusement, that sinister grin spreading across his face. Breakdown thrashed uselessly. "Now, I'm going to-"
"...V-vortex...?"
The small whisper made both mechs freeze. Turning slightly, Vortex looked over his shoulder plating, feeling his fuel tanks give a strange, little flop as his optics confirmed the small autodog standing in the berthroom doorway. At the kittycon's suddenly lax grip, Breakdown broke free; tripping and stumbling as he ran to Fireflight's side. The shih tzu snapped out of a daze at his son's approach, his wide, confused optics turning to the hybrid.
"B-bedo... y-you..." Fireflight swallowed sharply as he raised his servos towards the youngling, his gaze fixed on the dark marks slowly emerging around his throat. Breakdown flinched at the action, backing away a little; his frightened optics glancing quickly at Vortex still standing where he had left him.
At his look, Fireflight turned forward as well, his optics glazing quickly. "V...vortex... w-why...?," he choked.
Vortex faced him slowly, slipping his servos into his pockets casually. "Now, Snowflake," he started calmly. He paused immediately when the shih tzu flinched at his nickname. Lynx ears perked up in alarm as a trembling servo lifted up to his throat; grabbing the snowflake pendant tightly in one fist.
"I... I don't k-know you..."
"Fireflight, don't be silly," the kittycon quickly cooed, taking a step forward. "You love me. I'm your knight. I do everything for you and give you the nicest gifts. You trust me."
Fireflight stood silently where he was, but Breakdown shuffled out of the room as Vortex came closer. Shuttering his optics tightly, the autodog swallowed back a whimper as much as he could, tightening his grip on the pendant. Vortex froze at the sound, his visor flaring.
"...Fireflight...," he said lowly, a hiss starting to rise in his words, "Don't you dare-"
"I... I-i don't know you at all!," Fireflight gasped, onlining his optics again; tears splashing richly down his cheekplates. The poor thing trembled all over, the entire world shattering in his swimming gaze as he looked up at the other mech. "Y-you're a liar! Everything you e-ever said w-was false! I-i... I can't believe... A-and you hurt B-breakdown, t-then you... L-leave! I d-don't ever want to see you a-again!"
With one vicious yank, the chain on the pendant snapped, unwinding from his throat and dropping to the floor below. Sobbing, Fireflight threw the rest at Vortex before whirling around and shoving past Breakdown. There was the sound of a door slamming, followed by shouting as the hybrid gave chase; pleading desperately to his carrier. Vortex couldn't make out just what he was whining about now.
The entire planet sounded muffled as his gaze fell to the floor, a small shimmer reflecting back from the broken necklace at his pedes.
After a long moment, the lynx turned to leave, a disinterested frown on his face. He changed direction at the last minute, scooping the pendant off of the floor before he clambered out of the window he had used to enter into the house with.
He did not look back or slow his pace as he walked down the road.
xxXxXxx
Breakdown woke up on the floor outside his carrier's berthroom door, finding sunlight beaming through the nearby windows and filling the hall with their radiance. Pushing himself up slowly, the youngling rubbed at his numb cheekplate, wiping away a path of drool with the action. For nearly a klik, he was confused as to how he had gotten there, then the memories of last night came rushing back and Breakdown felt his spark wither miserably.
Vortex had hurt him... threatened to kill him... and Fireflight had seen it all.
"M-momma...?," the youngling hesitated, pressing his ear to the door. It was silent on the other side, and for a moment, Breakdown was hopeful... That is, until he heard the tiniest sniffle sound out in the room, causing coolant to collect in the hybrid's own optics.
Fireflight had cried all night. Was still crying. And an experimental pull on the latch showed that the door remained locked. Breakdown could not and was not allowed inside. The shih tzu would not be coming out. He would not wake his son up with kisses and songs, help him pick out his clothes for school; urge him downstairs for a lovingly prepared breakfast and pack his bag before the bus came. None of that would happen today -maybe never again- because Breakdown had made Vortex angry. He'd forced his momma to see the monster for what it really was.
"Mo-momma? Momma, I-i'm sorry," Breakdown whimpered, lightly scratching at the door again. The same as he'd done last night before exhaustion had claimed him. "Momma, p-please... L-let me in. I-i-i... I w-won't do an-anything bad; I j-just want t-to help! Pl-please, do-don't cry... I'm sorry."
Like before, there was no answer. Just the faint sound of weeping.
His lower lip component trembling, the hybrid fell into his knees, his servos trailing off the door in failure. He did not hear the front door opening downstairs through his own sobs until a vocalizer called out in the empty house. "Fireflight? It's me, Silverbolt. Are you upstairs?"
Spark pulsing erratically, Breakdown scrambled to his pedes in a hurry, only managing to trip and fall back to the floor as the older shih tzu climbed the stairs. "Breakdown?," the autodog questioned upon seeing the youngling. "Aren't you supposed to be in sch-"
The hybrid lifted his optics in trepidation, catching the moment when his aunt's expression of confusion transformed to horror. The shih tzu ran to Breakdown's side in an instant, grabbing the flinching mech's arm to keep him from fleeing. "What happened?! Where's Fireflight?," Silverbolt demanded fearfully.
"H-he's...," Breakdown murmured, directing the autodog's frantic attention to the closed berthroom door, "He's i-in there. He locked himself i-in after..."
"After?," Silverbolt pressed as his nephew trailed off. "After what, Breakdown?!"
The youngling appeared as if he didn't want to answer at first, but then he glanced at the berthroom door and fat tears swelled in his optics in response. "After he saw the monster...," he finally whispered in confession.
A trembling gasp escaped Silverbolt. "You mean Vortex." Everyone knew -everyone that is but Fireflight- that Breakdown referred to his unfortunate sire as a monster. Everyone also knew that title was being exceedingly generous to the lynx. "Vortex hurt you... and Fireflight saw."
A minute nod confirmed the autodog's spoken speculations.
Silverbolt cycled a shaky intake for a moment, before he clamped his mouth shut and rose back to his pedes. "Stay here," he ordered distractedly, heading downstairs.
Rubbing the tears free from his optics, Breakdown watched perplexed as his aunt went into the kitchen next; a familiar beep echoing as the older mech obviously grabbed for the house phone. Glancing fretfully between Fireflight's door and the staircase, the youngling eventually settled on sneaking downstairs to find out what was going on, his tucked in tail rubbing awkwardly against his trembling thighs as he went.
He froze, just before the last few steps, when he realized that Silverbolt was talking.
"...some news. It's... Fireflight. He knows," the shih tzu vented heavily, pain in his vocalizer. "Tell Onslaught to get his gun. It's time."
Were they talking about...? Breakdown felt his intakes hitch, a delirious ecstasy spreading through him at the implication that he would not have to be scared any more. But just as quickly as the feeling came, it went, guilt rising and smothering all else as the hybrid realized something. Vision swimming a third time that morning, Breakdown looked back up the staircase, to the edge of his carrier's berthroom door that he could just see past the banister.
All of this was happening, at the cost of Fireflight's happiness...
What had he done?
C.M.D: Be kind; give me your mind~ REVIEW, please?
