YES! Double post! MJ fans, chapter 4 is up (finally).
Answerthecall: Yeah it did. Remember, this is after a few million years of War. Yeah and I'm not done with poor Sunny yet.
HeartsGuardianSol: That was the whole point. Poor guy needed a friendly face after everything that I've done to him. As for Prowl... he shows up too. Eventually.
Neon: I know, but I had no idea how I could add him in. IDW just doesn't add up with what I'm doing.
I onlined an optic as Sideswipe slunk into our quarters.
"Bout time you got out." I grumbled, shifting from laying on my back to glance at him, mindful of my helm vents.
"Yeah. Sorry 'bout that." He murmured. My only warning of his next action was the mischievous thrill that surged though out spark. I rolled my optics in annoyance as Sideswipe jumped onto the berth, sending me a good two inched airborne before I slapped back down onto the berth and snarled at him. In response he just purred, shuffling over till his helm was buried in my side. I didn't even try to move, just shifted my arm so it was lying across his shoulder guard.
"You get some recharge." I said. "I'm too wired to recharge right now."
"Suit yourself." He replied. I felt my brother nudge me though the bond and I felt myself slow down. Love and protection flooded the bond and with a content hum, I twisted over, laying on my side but my helm and shoulder guards still flat on the berth. Sideswipe snickered before twitching his digits in an exposed gap in my armor because of my twisted position. I twitched, sending a mental slap over the bond and Sideswipe snickered before snuggling closer against me. It was annoying and a pain in the aft but I would never push him away. I felt his systems slow both though our bond and the fact he was pressing into my back and shoulder. Eventually he fell into recharge and I let myself doze.
We never recharged at the same time. Too much time spent in the gladiator pits had taught us to never shutter our optics. We took turns recharging while the other dozed, systems still fully functional to online at the slightest threat to our other half.
I knew Sideswipe needed the rest, he had been damaged worse than I had been in the last fight so I took the first 'shift'. I would wake him in a bit so that I could get my recharge. Until then I just enjoyed my brother purring into my back. He could be such an aggressive mech, his temperament covering the pain and fear we both shared that one orn we would lose control. He was the joker, always pushing his luck and our lives with his pranks. I shifted slightly and he didn't even stir as I watched him recharge. A small smile pulled at my lip plates as I settled into him and his purring increased in volume. Nothing in the universe was better than recharging with my brother.
It was at that moment that he shifted again, pulling his legs up to his chassis. And drove his sharp knee guards directly up into my aft.
xxXXxx
I onlined instantly with a yelp, forgetting I was laying on my chassis and tried to twist to throw the painful weight off. My back throbbed as I twisted to glare at Slate. The stupid beast was still laying across my thighs but his paw had twitched over a few inches. He had flexed his paw and sank his claws in to my aft. At my yelp he lifted his helm, gold optics watching me with mild curiosity before laying his helm back down.
"Get off'a me." I ordered in a harsh rasp as I tried to get him off and with a deep sigh, the turbofox stood up, easing half a ton of metal off of my legs. I gasped as feeling returned to my numb limbs and I bit back a curse.
Ow ow ow ow ow fraggit ow.
Slate wandered over to my helm, muzzle ghosting over my damaged helm vents before his helm shot up, optics on the door. I carefully sat up, ignoring the pain as I braced a servo on Slate's back. Between him and the wall I was able to get my peds under me and stand up, staggering slightly and having to lean against the wall.
Fraggit, I am weak.
I shook my helm as static clouded my optics for a moment and when they refocused Twitch was standing in the doorway, a smirk on his faceplates and a cube of energon in his servo. His armor was spotless and I suddenly remembered that I looked like utter slag. His paint was fairly simple, a deep blue base with grey accent stripes down his arms and legs.
"You are aware that he," Twitch gestured toward Slate, "is a female."
"What are you talking about." I asked, mildly curious.
"A male would have ripped you apart. They're the pack leaders with a bunch of females and smaller males." He said simply, not moving from where he was. I knew it was because he was afraid of Slate, but I also knew that it would force me to move. "The females need a pack leader and I guess it thought you were it's pack leader. That's why it's so protective of you."
I turned to give Slate a look. He, she, looked like any of the other turbofoxes that had tired to tear out my throat.
"So you're a femme." I said quietly. Slate sat down beside my peds, looking up at me with bright golden optics.
"It's almost the middle of the orn and I figured you could use some more energon. I'm not glitched enough to get near that beast of yours."
Fraggin glitch. Wait, middle of the orn?!
Gritting my denta, I carefully shifted my weight forward, my balance systems all over the place and was utterly shocked when I didn't fall flat on my faceplates. Twitch nodded in encouragement before setting the energon cube on the shelf and left again.
My pride stung from how weak I was and I appreciated the fact that he left me alone to stumble around like an overcharged glitch.
It's the middle of the fraggin orn?! Pit, I've got to get moving!
I stumbled twice just crossing the room, one time that sent me back to my knee bolts, trembling violently as I tried to keep from being sick again. I finally managed to get to the cube and savored the taste as I swallowed it. Again, I offered some to Slate and he, she, refused. Shrugging I continued to sip the liquid, fuel levels slowly rising.
"If you need more encouragement to move, there's a wash rack back here." Twitch called and I immediately stiffened. That comment alone was enough to get me to the doorframe.
"Figured that would get your attention." Twitch said with a smirk, glancing up from where he was reclining in a chair, his peds propped up on a table and sipping a cube of energon.
"Where is it." I rasped, hanging onto the doorframe tighter then I would ever admit. Again, Twitch smirked before nodding across the room to another doorway.
"Heat is solar powered so it won't last long." Twitch said as I reached down to grip the back of Slate's neck.
The room before me, while it was small, was still wide open. There was no wall I could lean against and while Slate gave me something to lean against, if I fell I would still hit the floor hard.
But I would be clean!
The temptation was too much and I took a hesitant step forward, then another and was forced to release the doorframe. My balance swayed and I had to lean on Slate for a moment to get my bearings. I knew Twitch was watching me, even though he kept his helm down.
My leg gave out and I collapsed, gasping in pain as a weld on my shoulder tore open even as I badly jarred my entire frame.
Spawn of a glitch! Fraggit that hurts!
Pain flared across my frame and I clenched my jaw to keep from making a sound. Slate moved from beside me to in front of me, standing by my helm and whining. I reached out to pat her muzzle gently before sliding my servo to her neck and forcing my frame up again. I managed to get back to my peds and finally made it across to the doorway.
"First door on your left." Twitch said and I limped in that direction.
The wash rack was in sorry condition, but at that point I didn't give a frag. I let the door slide shut, but didn't lock it and managed to limp into the small, walled off corner of the wash rack. Slate had followed me in and I smirked, knowing the turbofox would hate liquid. I touched the dial, still gasping in shock when the frigid liquid hit my back. Slate jumped back with a startled yelp and I couldn't help but chuckle, letting the slowly warming cleaner wash over my mangled frame. It burned where it seeped though the gashes on my protoform to hit circuitry beneath. There was a brush hanging on the wall but it was for armor, not protoform and most certainly not my abused form.
I was more than happy to just let the cleaner wash the grime and fluids off. It had been so long since I had last been clean! For a moment, I was actually able to relax, resting my helm against the wall and just enjoying myself.
Sideswipe should be here with me…
Gilt hit me and a quiet whine built in my throat.
He should be here…
Pain tore through my spark and a whimper escaped.
Sideswipe, where are you?
I was on the ground, my digits digging into the sides of my helm, the cleaner beating down on my helm.
Sideswipe, I need you, I have to find you, please wait a bit longer.
The throbbing in my spark continued and it was finally too much for me. A high pitched cry started to build in my throat and I didn't even realise that I was vocalising it until Slate started to whine.
"Hey Sunstreaker!" Twitch called, knocking on the door. "You alright?"
I ignored him even as Slate whined again.
Wait a bit longer. Please hold on, I'm coming.
I'm almost there Sides, just a bit longer.
I miss you so much.
Something touched my shoulder guard and I lashed out with a snarl. Twitch stumbled back and it was only because the wash rack was so small that I didn't cut him in half.
"Get away from me!" I spat.
"Alright!" Twitch snapped, sidestepping a quiet Slate but pausing in the doorway. "Primus mech."
"Just… leave me alone." I said quietly, abruptly aware that the cleaner had been turned off.
"I know you need to keep moving. But just… stay another orn at least. You're a pit of a lot stronger then you were even last orn. The last thing you want to do though is burn out trying to get into Iacon." Twitch said quietly. "You can hardly walk for Primus sake. Work on that first before you have another breakdown."
I didn't move from my hunched up positon but I knew he was right. Reluctantly I let my blade slide back up into subspace.
"At least one more orn. Alright?" Twitch asked.
Reluctantly, I nodded.
"Good. You can start with trying to get back to your room without doing a face plant." Twitch added with a smirk and I shot him a nasty glare. He backed off with a snicker, letting the door slid shut again. Slate walked over to me and sniffed my faceplates before retreating with a huff. A smirk crossed my lip plates and I flicked cleaner at the turbofox. She jumped back with a snarl, slinking into the far corner and stayed there. Shaking my helm at her antics, I managed to get off the ground again. I turned the tap back on, relishing in the last few moment of being clean before finally shutting it off and stepping onto the dryer. The fan kicked in and within a few nano-klicks I was as clean as I had ever been in the last six groons.
Slate had bolted out of the room when the fans kicked on and as I walked out, feeling far better, she was back at my side smelling me over. As she examined me, I glanced around this room as well. This one was probably about three times the size of 'my room'. A door that I assumes led outside was in the center of the wall on my left, a single sheet of metal over what I guessed was the window Slate had jumped through. Another window mirrored it on the opposite side of the door. A single chair and table were set in the corner between the outside wall and my room. Rough, servo-made cabinets and shelves lined the wall opposite the door and held all sorts of scrap metal, parts, old energon cubes, bladed weapons of all kinds and other random junk. I remembered seeing another doorway farther down the hall past the wash rack and assumed that that was Twitch's berth room.
Overall, his dwelling was small but considering what he had said about scavengers, I knew it had to be heavily fortified if not very hard to find or get to.
Which brings me to his statement about him being 'lonely'.
I didn't believe him.
If there was one thing to this orn that we still followed from the Rings it was never trust strangers. Sure, we started listening to some of the Autobots-
Prime never lied to us, Jazz beat us senseless after we called him short, Ironhide beat us into scrap because we back talked him, and Ratchet's the only one that ever actually cared for us.
-but it was still groons before we actually trusted them.
So why does Twitch really want me alive? He could have just left me to offline.
I hadn't seen Twitch and I managed to get across the main room to my area without falling.
If it was supplies or parts he would have just taken them after I terminated. He's obviously after something, but the question is what.
I managed to sit down against the wall, Slate laying down on the tips of my peds, and I rested my helm against the wall.
It can't be information because I don't know anything. All the info I know is out dated. Plus I can't even accesses the comm channels.
Why would he want information anyways?
It's not like he can just leave the planet to go chase after Prime.
Prime.
Wonder how he's doing. Him and Jazz and Bee and Hide and Hatchet.
So many left Cybertron…
So many Sideswipe.
But you're still here. I know you are.
You have to be.
You have to…
I didn't even realise that I had slid over, laying on my side, legs pulled up to my chassis, helm vent cradled between my bent arm.
Please, you have to be there. I promise I'm coming…
Please…
I most certainly didn't remember falling into recharge.
Love you guys, see you next time.
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