Title: Inferno and Red Alert
Rating: T
To his horror, his parents decided to move them out to the country.
"Noooo! I don't like it here! Help! Let me ooooooooout!"
"Would you stop kicking the car door! Fraggit, you're loud!"
"Sideswipe!"
Yuss was supposed to be a nice, quiet town. It was really the middle of nowhere, if someone had to pick a way to describe it, but it was filled with several dozen autodogs -all friendly and good-natured folk. Just the kind of environment the psychiatrist said their son needed.
"I-it's... it's soooo open! Ahh! Where's the walls!? Where's the traffic, the noise, the cut-throat gangsters hidden in the alleyway?!"
"Honey, there's no such thing here. It's all-"
"LIES! They're all hiding in the cornstalks, waiting to murder me! HELP!"
"Told you this idea sucked aft..."
"SIDESWIPE!"
Deciding that Red Alert's paranoia was becoming too much living in the city, his parents decided to pack up their home and things and drive all the way out to this scrawny, little town, surrounded by corn and wheat and cows on every front. They hoped it would calm him down. The fit he threw on the orn they moved in suggested otherwise so far...
"Stop picking on your brother!"
"Why should I?! It's because of him that we had to move! Now I can't go to the skating park after school, the local burger joint, see my friends..."
"...y-you're just angry because you can't see Cheetor anymore..."
"SHUT UP!"
"...this is going to be a long day..."
But despite how much he might have protested, his parents made it clear to Red Alert (and Sideswipe) that they were staying in Yuss and that was final. The youngling immediately set to rocking on the porch of their new home, staring out in mute horror at the farmers' fields around them; ears perked in fright and on the verge of another panic attack, while his family went about unloading their boxes from the truck.
xxXxXxx
"S-so... this is it..."
"Our new, crappy school."
Sideswipe and Red Alert stood beside each other, staring up at their new school with mixed expressions of horror and annoyance.
"Well..."
"Well what?," the other doberman asked, shifting his knapsack testily. "We've gotta go inside and find the office for this slagging place and then head on over to our slagging classes. There's nothing else to do... not in this fragging aft of a town."
Red Alert frowned a little, uncomfortable with his brother's swearing. "Mom said you should stop swearing so much...," he pointed out.
"And mom says you should stop thinking everybody's out to kill you," Sideswipe retorted. "Come on," he huffed, taking a step for the building, "Let's get this slag over with so I can get back home and on the web. I've got newbs to fry."
Red Alert scrambled after the other's heels, gripping his knapsack straps tightly as they walked through the doors. The sight of the long and clean hallways got him to start hyperventilating, his intakes coming in shorter and shorter bursts. A smack upside the helm had him choking before his breathing evened out into normal again.
"Would you stop that?," Sideswipe hissed as they approached the office. "You're going to make everyone think you're a freak and then I'm gonna have to deal with all the bullslag from your bullies again!"
"S-sorry!," the smaller mech squeaked as he was pulled into the office. The other autodog ignored him as they stepped up to the secretary's desk, leaning against it and smirking cockily at the femme behind. She did not look impressed.
"And you are...?"
"Hello," Sideswipe grinned, "We're the new students. I'm the devilishly handsome Sideswipe..." He trailed off, before jabbing a thumb in the other mech's direction. "And that's Red Alert."
The secretary said nothing as she turned to her computer, typing the keys and yanking the two sheets that spat out of the printer at her side. "There you go," she informed flatly, "Your schedules. One of you is starting in Home Ec and the other in Biology. Your names are on top of the sheets."
"Y-you mean...," the smaller autodog tittered anxiously, "W-we're not g-going to b-be together?!" Both the femme and Sideswipe gave Red Alert a dry look.
"Thanks, gorgeous," the other doberman purred as he swiped the schedules from the secretary's servos. "See you around!" The femme rolled her optical sensors and returned to her magazine.
"Si-sideswipe! Sideswipe, t-they can't just-" Red Alert tugged viciously on his brother's sleeve as the other mech steered him out into the hallway again, ears drooped and optics almost white with fright. "I m-mean, m-my condition- Mo-momma s-said-!"
Sideswipe shook the smaller autodog off easily, frowning at him irritably. "Yeah, well, Mom can't control the school board, Red. Now...," he continued, shoving Red Alert's schedule into his servos, "Would you calm down? This place is fragging dull and boring -nothing bad's gonna happen here. And even if it does, I'm only going to be a couple classrooms away. This hick town's not exactly big or anything..."
"B-but..." Red Alert looked up at the black mech pleadingly, but only was met with a firm shake of Sideswipe's helm. Sighing, the shorter doberman padded off, smoothing out his schedule and trying to locate where his first period class was going to be.
xxXxXxx
Whoever decided Home Ec would be a good class for him, obviously wasn't thinking.
Especially not when roaring flames was the the first thing Red Alert saw when opening the door. Shrieking in fright, the doberman tried to flee but slipped instead on something wet coating the floor, taking a slide further into the room of the pit, and into something hard. "INFERNO!," a teacher's voice screamed over the din in the terrified autodog's own helm.
"S-sorry, sir! Jus', gotta... one more se- Aha! 'ere!" The flames started to subdue and the smoke was waved away quickly, until neither were a problem anymore. Coughing as some was blown in his direction, Red Alert tried to sit up and found the task to be a little difficult.
"O-ow..." Oh no... it felt like his ankle had gotten twisted!
"W-wha...? Oh! Sorry, mech, Aye didn't see ya 'ere! Are ya alright?" A sharp blade shined as it lowered towards Red Alert, throwing the autodog into a greater panic than the one he was already experiencing.
"P-please! D-don't kill me!," he screamed, turning and trying to leap away from the insane knife-wielder. His attacker shuttered his optics in surprise, quickly putting the knife down and raising both servos, to show that he was unarmed to the panicked mech.
"Look... Aye ain't got it no more. Aye ain't gonna hurt ya...," he tried to soothe, ears drooping a bit as Red Alert adamantly continued trying to crawl away from him. The other students in the classroom looked over their tables and stoves perplexed; one or two leaning over to their lab partners to whisper something snide. The teacher, wiping ash onto his stained apron, looked down on the troubled youngling with an air of indifference, sighing.
"I suppose you must be the new boy, Red Alert. I guess a 'welcome' is in order..."
"U-umm, r-really...," the strange student was still trying to speak to Red Alert, even lowering down onto his knees so he wouldn't seem so intimidating. "Y-ya shouldn't c-crawl 'round on the floor... Aye ain't g-gonna c-cook no more an' Aye p-put 'ot the fire, s-so..."
The doberman gave an audio-splitting shriek as a black servo came reaching for him, attempting to spring up and bolt away, when his twisted ankle proved traitorous and sent Red Alert crashing into the nearest counter. Processor spinning at the helm collision, the youngling slumped to the floor, weakly whimpering.
"Inferno!"
"S-sir! A-aye, aye swear Aye d-didn't m-mean t-ta-!"
"Just get him to the infirmary, please! And while you're at it- stay there!"
The younger mech cringed a little bit at the order, before nodding and mumbling a 'yes, sir'; cautiously approaching the dazed Red Alert and picking the smaller 'bot up. "It's alright," he whispered kindly to him as he walked out the classroom door. Red Alert frowned a little, not understanding a single thing going on. "Aye'm j-jus' gonna take ya ta the infirm'ry an' the nurse'll fix ya up real good. Sorry 'gain 'bout the scare..."
The doberman only had a moment to realize that he was being apologized too, before he blacked out.
xxXxXxx
"Miss Glyph, Aye... Aye I had an accid'nt in Home Ec 'g-gain!" The german shepherd kicked open the door in a slight panic, stumbling inside, the unconscious autodog still in his arms. He whined though when he saw that the school nurse was nowhere in sight.
"Oops...," Inferno mumbled, glancing behind him, "Door mus' have been lock'd..." Tearing his optics away from the cracked door frame, the taller autodog hurried across the medical room, gently setting the new-comer down on the berth.
"Ahh, niblets. What am Aye gonna do?" The youngling wrung his servos together nervously as he fussed, looking about the room. "Aye gotta do somethin'. Aye'm the one who hurt the poor fella..." Glancing again at Red Alert, Inferno sighed, before straightening up determinedly and rifling through the cupboards. He was pulling out gauze, cotton swabs, a bottle of Isopropyl alcohol and medical tape from one of the drawers when he heard the small groan from behind him.
"W...what happened...?"
"O-oh, 'ey! Yer awake!," Inferno barked excitedly, whirling around, arms full of his finds. "'Ow are ya feelin'?"
That... might not have been the smartest thing to say. The groggy doberman went from lethargic and slow, to plastering himself against the wall, breathing heavily and erratically, in under astroseconds. Seeing the shaking, whimpering youngling made Inferno's ears droop contritely, and he hurried to put his load down on the nurse's desk.
"L-look, Aye'm s-sorry 'bout scarin' ya back in 'Ome Ec," he assured softly, servos lifted at a safe height; palms open and turned to the ceiling. "Aye didn't mean ta do s-so... A-aye 'ope ya'll forgive meh. Um... y-ya hurt? A-anythin' b-bruisin' o' a-achin'?" He kept his tone soft, slow, and always maintained optic contact. Just like when he was dealing with frazzled cattle, the smaller youngling slowly began to relax; peeling away from the wall and sinking back onto his seat cautiously.
Inferno kept his distance, smiling kindly still, but he took a step forward as soon as the doberman went to slide off the berth. "O-oww...," Red Alert whimpered as he applied weight to his ankle, making it twist under him.
"W-wait now! Don't m-move." The german shepherd crossed the room in three, long strides, gently grasping the other mech by the arms and lifting him back onto the berth. Red Alert whimpered at the unexpected action, flailing wildly.
"S-stop! I'll scream!," he yelled desperately, "I-i'll scratch out your optics! I can! I can do th-that!" He tried to kick at Inferno, to make the taller youngling back away, and only ended up slamming his twisted ankle against the other's thigh.
Inferno jolted as the thin mech yipped in pain, freezing up entirely. Taking a step back, he grabbed the nurse's chair and pulled it up; plopping his bottom onto it as he gently grabbed the smaller autodog's heel. "Ah... ya twist'd it somethin' fierce...," he mumbled, rolling up the pant leg a bit, so he could better inspect the scuffed plating. He smiled apologetically up at the quiet doberman staring down at him.
"Lemme jus' git ya some wraps an' we'll fix ya up nicely." He lowered the pede back beside its twin, before getting up and crossing the room again. He had seen wraps earlier, but had brushed by them, not thinking they were needed. Now he just had to remember which drawer they were in...
"Aha!," he beamed excitedly, having found them again, "Aye got-"
"RED ALERT!" The german shepherd was cut off by the shout, as another doberman came barreling into the room; servos curled into fists and a concerned grimace on his white faceplates. His optics first lighted on the squeaking doberman, before they turned and narrowed at Inferno.
"And who the slag are you?," he growled, hackles rising.
Inferno shuttered his optics quickly at the sudden aggression, scowling slightly at the other's rudeness. "Aye'm Inf-"
"Ah, shut it!," the black mech snarled. "I don't give two frags who you are. Get out!"
"W-what?! Listen, Aye-"
"I said SCRAM, country hick!" Inferno wasn't the type to usually back down, but when the other youngling took a threatening step towards him, he glanced quickly at the shivering mech on the berth; servos cupped about his face anxiously and little whimpers of fear escaping from between his fingers.
Now, the german shepherd was forced to admit, was not the time or place to get into a fight with some stranger.
Inferno put the wrap on the counter, turning and walking from the room quickly. The black doberman refused to move for him, and purposefully clipped his shoulder as the bigger mech left. Concerned about his smaller classmate, Inferno glanced behind him as he walked through the doorway, but he only glimpsed Red Alert before the office door was slamming in his face.
Servos curling into fists, he forced himself to turn away.
xxXxXxx
"Can't believe you spazzed out not even five kliks into your class..."
Red Alert sat absolutely still, cringing as Sideswipe angrily wrapped his ankle.
"Caused a fragging scene... Got everyone talking already..."
Keeping his noise down to a bare minimum, he did not comment or otherwise protest to his brother's wide use of cursing as he grumbled and muttered to himself. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the other doberman was upset.
Cursing again, Sideswipe pulled the wrap tight, making the smaller youngling whimper slightly as it became too tight, hurting his ankle further. At the sound, the black autodog paused, glancing up at Red Alert.
"...ah, frag, Red," he sighed softly, irritation noticeably less in his vocalizer. Sideswipe turned his helm back down, gently undoing the bandage and starting again from the beginning. "Listen, I'm not... mad... at you, per say, I'm just... Slaggit, you know I'm ticked off! I can't protect you if you're always letting your fears get the better of you, Red!"
At the statement, the red and white mech shook, sniffling as he tried to hold back tears. "I-i-i know, 'S-sides, but I-i..."
Sideswipe's ears lowered an inch guiltily, and he quickly fixed his brother's wrap, before getting to his pedes. "Come on, now...," he hushed gently, sitting on the berth beside Red Alert; rubbing his arm slowly in a half-hug. "Don't cry 'Red... Sunny wouldn't want you too. If he was here, what... w-what would he do, huh?"
At the name, the smaller doberman sobbed loudly, pulling his knees up to his chestplates as he buried his face from view. The black youngling startled at the unexpected reaction, desperately trying to cajole his brother out of his self-made shell.
"I-i'm sorry, Red! I should have-"
"H-he le-left me, S-sideswipe!," Red Alert wailed through his knees. "I-i-i m-made him s-so mad th-that he d-decided he w-wanted to l-leave a-and that's w-why he went! B-because I-i'm a n-no-good c-crybaby a-and a fre-freak! S-sunstreaker d-didn't w-want a b-brother like m-me, he d-didn't-"
Sideswipe grabbed the other autodog's arm, yanking him up and out of crying, staring down at the whimpering youngling sternly. "Now you listen here, Red, and you listen good," he said, vocalizer catching, "S-sunstreaker never left you! He loved you, just as I love you, and Mom loves you, and Dad loves you... H-he... He just made a mistake, th-that's all. He would have never done anything to take him away from us, nor you. You understand?"
Slowly, Red Alert nodded.
"...good," the black mech vented, wiping at his brother's tears. He didn't mind it at all, when Red Alert nuzzled into his servo shyly, before resting his helm on his shoulder; fingers clasped tightly around his arm. It was a safety thing he used to do when they were sparklings and he got scared. He would cling to either Sideswipe or his other brother, Sunstreaker, until the terrors had been soothed away.
Unfortunately, Red Alert's terrors had been much, much worse since Sunstreaker had left their lives.
"...'S-sides...," a soft vocalizer whispered.
"Yea, Red?"
"D...do you think Sunny will ever come back?"
Sideswipe smiled sadly. "Yeah, of course he will. He's our brother -our triplet. He's gotta come home to us one day. They can't keep him away forever, you know."
Red Alert nuzzled closer, shoulders slumping tiredly. "...I f-freaked out in class...," he confessed quietly. "I... I don't t-think a-anyone will b-be my friend now..."
The other youngling stayed silent for a long moment at that, before he cycled a heavy intake. "Well... If they don't want to be your friends, then, well," Sideswipe mumbled uncertainly, "You don't need people like that in your life anyways. I promise you though, Red, I won't let anyone hurt you. I've got your back, you always know that."
Again, the smaller doberman snuggled closer. Rolling his optical sensors, his brother decided to let him stay like that until the school bell rang over their helms, startling Red Alert for an astrosecond. "Alright," he said, shoving the white autodog off. "I've got Math and I'm fairly sure you've got a History class to get to."
"B-but-"
"No, buts Red," Sideswipe frowned. "And try not to spazz again, okay? Mom's gonna worry enough when she finds out you twisted your ankle."
Sighing at that truth, Red Alert reluctantly slid off the berth, doing his best to keep his weight off of his injured pede. His brother helped him to the door, but as soon as they were out in the hallway, Sideswipe bid him farewell and disappeared into the rapidly growing crowd. Trying to shake off the paranoid thoughts already creeping in, Red Alert hobbled onto his next class.