The Prowl mentioned here is the G1!version of Prowl. Warnings for PTSD. I am not nice to Bluestreak, hahaha...
"Oi, Sunshine?"
"What?"
Sideswipe ignored the growl, laced with static as it was over the commlink. "How long's he been here?"
He was a silver-grey-red mech by the name of Bluestreak. The elegant and clean-yet-functional Praxian build reminded Sideswipe of the tactician Prowl, though where Prowl talked, sometimes at length if he really got going, Bluestreak did not.
They'd personally heard maybe eight words from him, if that, in the two orns he'd been here.
"Not long, I don't think. Never is here for longer than it takes to down his cube. Why?"
"Just curious," Sideswipe sent back as he filled the other cube. By rights, Bluestreak was a civilian attached to the base, waiting evac back to Cybertron.
"You're never just curious," Sunstreaker muttered as his twin joined him, accepting the offered cube.
"You wound me," the red-and-black said, hiding the grin behind his own cube as he watched Bluestreak move to get his own cube. It was a pity the whole base was on rations of plain energon, but this close to the front, there was little helping it. "Looks skittish."
Sunstreak shot him a Look. "He's new, what'd you expect?"
"Two orns." Since they'd found him offline at an extraction point by chance.
"Still new," the golden twin growled back.
"He's jumping at shadows."
He really was, if the way the poor civvie seemed to flinch at every loud sound or the way he took one of the far tables near the exit to the dorms. As far as they knew, he lived in those dorms, only ever leaving to fuel, or for medical check-ups.
"Civilian," Sunstreaker hissed with another drag of the cube. "Not my type."
Sideswipe half agreed with his twin, but that wasn't the point. "And? He's still cute and easy on the optics."
Sunstreaker groaned, but his twin did have a point. Just because they weren't looking for it, didn't mean they couldn't enjoy the view. "Fine. Bring him over here. See if he's got a nice voice to go with the face."
"Me? Why not you?" He glared. "Why don't you do it this time, considering I got your energon, Sunny."
Sunny gave him an exasperated glare. "One, don't call me that. Two, you know why, afthead."
"But you love it," Sideswipe smirked, ducking the halfsparked punch thrown his way, then shrugged. Draining his cube, the red-and-black got up and made his way to the table, where he talked to the skittish mech for a bit. Sunstreaker knew he could technically listen in via the twin-bond, but that felt like cheating.
Eventually, Sideswipe returned with Bluestreak in tow, and Sunstreaker's coding pinged against his mind. Primus fragging Lithone, up close the civvie was elegant in the way Nobles were, yet the Praxian build was different enough to mark him as Praxian Colonist. Pria in all likelihood as that had been the main one. Yet, he really did look like he'd jump at his own shadow. Two orns and they hadn't express evac'd this one to somewhere not the frontlines?
Command was stretched thin, but for frag's sake. Then again, maybe the mech had simply been made to look Noble. Who the frag knew with Colonists anyway.
Well, nothing to it. He might as well try and make nice.
"Hey," he said as politely as he could, doing his best to keep the rough Yussian accent out of his voice as he propped his chin in a hand. He took another drink of his cube, optics roaming Bluestreak's frame in admiration. Pit, he wanted a frame that good.
Still wasn't his type, but Sides had been right on how good-looking he was. Almost as good as Sunstreaker himself.
"H-hi," the Probably-not-a-Noble shifted a little, doorwings angled down.
"Hey, have a seat. We don't bite... much," Sideswipe said, his accent only slightly worse than his twins. Yet, his grinned faltered when Bluestreak shook his head.
"No, sorry..." he backed away, doorwings hiking in what the twins thought was unease.
"What's your problem?" Sunstreaker asked, optics narrowing slightly. Skittish civvies where one thing, but this reeked of prejudice and he got enough of it from Iaconians and Tarnites, sometimes even Urans or Polyhexans.
The fact he couldn't read the other's 'field made it worse.
"Sunstreaker!" Sideswipe kicked his brother, pointedly ignoring the glare as he turned to Bluestreak with what he hoped was a friendly smile. "Don't mind Sourkrat over here. I think his energon's messing with his CPU. "
"I..." Bluestreak stared at them, optics flitting to Sunstreaker, who had his leg up as he inspected the finish on his paint, to Sideswipe, then back to Sunstreaker.
"If you scuffed my finish, I'll wring your neck, afthead."
Sideswipe just grinned cheekily at his twin as the other put his leg down. Why'd his brother have to be a Star wannabe? "In what way?"
That was maybe a little more suggestive than it could have been, but no-one but them had to know it was only teasing; even those they chose to take to their berth on the rare occasion they could agree never scored both at once.
"I-" Bluestreak stilled, optics wide as he shook his head so fast they thought it might as well have fallen off if it weren't attached. "I - So-Sorry. I..." the Probably-a-Noble inhaled, vents dumping air almost in the same intake. "I have to go."
"Hey! Wait - don't go?" Sideswipe reached out and grabbed Bluewstreak by the wrist, doing his best to ignore the jumpiness of the other mech. "Just sit? Please?"
Only once his wrist was released did Bluestreak sit, but he refused to look at them and from time to time, a hand moved up to his neck, rubbing the back of it in what the twins could only assume was a nervous habit. Even if it was, they wouldn't judge, not when their own nervous habits were downright destructive to their frames. He barely glanced at Sideswipe when the frontliner managed to produce a sort of burp from energon fumes.
"Disgusting," Sunstreaker said as he halfsparkedly shoved his twin with a small head shake. It took skill, but that didn't mean it wasn't gross. "Can't you even act like a civil mech?"
"Yea, but I just choose not to, Sunshine," Sideswipe said with a laugh as he tried, and failed, to steal Sunstreaker's energon.
"W-What do you want..?"
Both twins stopped at the question, and as one turned to stare in confusion at Bluestreak. "What do you mean?" They said together with identical looks of confusion. "We don't want anything."
It was true. Good looking or not, Bluestreak wasn't Sunstreakers type, and Sideswipe never chased after a mark his twin couldn't agree on either. It just wasn't done in their mind.
"Everyone wants something," Bluestreak said softly, half-finished cube gripped tight enough they knew any tighter and the thing would shatter.
Sideswipe opened his mouth, but Sunstreaker beat him to the punch. "We wanted you to come over here and talk to us. That's it."
"Yea," Sideswipe agreed with a nod as he shifted, 'field flickering confusion and concern.
Yet, Bluestreak seemed to wilt in on himself. "Oh..."
"You looked like you could use some friends as well," Sideswipe smiled, lightly giving the other a friendly pat on the back only for Bluestreak to stiffen, optics wide and almost white in their intensity. Yet, before either twin could react to that, the civilian that was Most-Likely-A-Fragging-Noble excused himself and darted away and out towards the safety of the corridors and hallways that lead towards the dorms.
"What the frag?" Sideswipe blinked, a clueless look on his face that echoed his 'field and spark as he stared at Sunstreaker.
"What just happened?" Sunstreaker asked lowly.
Sideswipe gave a helpless shrug. "All I did was give him a pat on the back..."
"Do we go after him?" the yellow-and-black asked, optics tracking to where Bluestreak had hurried off to.
"Yes," Sideswipe said, voice flat and emissions field even flatter as he stood. A glare from him and Sunstreaker drained the cube and stood as well.
Time to go find out what the frag had spooked the Prian Noble.
They found Blustreak curled up in one of the rarely used hallways, doorwings all but pinioned at a downwards angle that had to be as uncomfortable as it looked, if not more so. It seemed like he was out of it, though the way his arms were curled over his head seemed to suggest that he was trying to block the world out.
Huh.
They shared a look before Sunstreaker exvented and scuffed the floor. They expected the other to look up or at least tell them to go away.
Not look up in a panic, optics practically white with more than a ghosting of fear in them as doorwings jerked up in alarm at the same time the mech bolted up. "I-"
"Seriously, what's wrong?" Sunstreaker growled. Sure, he didn't give a frag about anyone but his brother, but this was a civilian- a fragging Noble that was acting Odd.
"I... I have to leave," the skittish mech said as he started to back away, looking around, but doing his best to keep the twins in his vision.
"We haven't even done anything," Sunstreaker said as he started to move forward, only to be yanked back by his brother. /What?/
/Do you feel his 'field?/ came the reply.
/...No. Your point?/
/You keep going, you're gonna get attacked and then you'll be in the 'bay then brig for attacking a Noble. We both know it, Sunstreaker,/ Sideswipe added at the snort. Nobles could be finicky yet reasonable at best and downright unreasonable at worse, and there was no sense in risking their careers over this.
Ignoring the growl, Sideswipe took a step forward, hands spread, palms up and 'field as calm as he could make it. "Look, I'm sorry if I spooked you before-"
"I-" the Noble started, then shook his head as he leaned heavily against the wall, one hand coming up to rub his neck yet again. "Not him."
"Him?" Sideswipe asked as he crept a fracton closer, spark sinking as he ignored the idea that he should call Swiftflare and have the commander figure out how to evac the Noble now.
"Not him. Got away." Bluestreak said instead as he started to slide down the wall with a squeal of metal on metal until he was sitting again.
Sideswipe closed his optics, inhaled then opened them again. A quick glance at his twin, and he nodded once. They'd done this, they should be the ones to fix it, not the base commander. He sighed and took a giant leap of faith as he moved closer until he was kneeling beside Bluestreak, hand hovering, but not touching. His voice was gentle as he could get it. "Hey, Bluestreak, what's wrong?"
"Nothings wrong? Why do you ask that? What gave you the thought that anything is wrong?" Bluestreak said, optics still wide, still almost white.
They still couldn't feel his field, and that was getting worrisome. Only a panicked mechanoid would hide their 'field.
"Something's wrong, Bluestreak. We aren't stupid." He reached out without thinking about it to touch Bluestreak's arm and wished he hadn't when the slightly smaller jerked back - and started to lash out at him, as if trying to fight him off.
Behind him, he felt Sunstreaker start to move, and held up his hand in a no as he scooted back a bit. Bluestreak didn't seem to notice, and Sideswipe blanched.
/Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sunstreaker?/ he asked over the twin-bond, never taking his optics off Bluestreak as the mech curled up, hands over his head.
/He's not fighting us./
/I've heard what 'Con's do to Nobles.../ Not just Nobles, but with how elegant Bluestreak's frame was, it was a safe assumption to think of him as one. If he wasn't, then the mech had the worst luck in life.
/I'll stand guard, you fix this,/ Sunstreaker growled, even as he shifted so he was leaning against the wall. His field radiated not-a-threat, but Sideswipe knew his twin was ready to make anyone that came near them eat plasma fire.
It took a while for Bluestreak to speak again, but when he did, it was as shaky as his attempts to stand. "I- I... Sorry. I... I need to go."
"No, Bluestreak, wait," Sideswipe shook his head while behind him, Sunstreaker shifted. Not enough to block the hallway, but enough to make himself known. While they weren't entirely sure what was going on, they'd seen other mechs in the army like this, and some of them had not handled themselves well. If they could help Bluestreak, that would be so much more preferable.
"I.. Please... I have to go," Bluestreak all but whined, and the twins jerked, sharing a look. Frag, just how young was this Noble?
Sideswipe shook his head again. "Look, we want to help you. At least let us take you to see one of the medics or something if you don't want to talk to us."
"I can't! No one would understand!"
"Understand what?" Sunstreaker chimed in, and Sideswipe wished he could hit his twin, but- that seemed to be the magic words, as Bluestreak started talking.
"W-what it's like to lose your city then have everything taken away from you! Everything. To be degraded like a common piece of scrap.. beaten.. used.. broken... enslaved..." His voice was a mere whisper by the end, fans running hot as they tried to inhale and dump air at the same time.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe shared a look before Sideswipe's mouth dropped open. That - that was not what they'd expected, and he scrambled for something to say, anything. "Well...no, we don't know what that's like, but you don't have to be afraid of it happening anymore."
"B-But y-you're angry," Bluestreak said, voice trembling, and if Sideswipe wasn't feeling things, that was the edge of a terrified 'field right before it was pulled back in. He glanced back at Sunstreaker and winced at the darkness in his twin's optics. While he knew it wasn't directed at the smaller mech but to whatever pit-spawned glitch had done that to the poor mech, Bluestreak didn't.
"Not at you. Never at you," Sideswipe said, honesty bleeding into nanite of his being. "We're angry at whoever did this to you."
"Oh..." Bluestreak seemed to gape at them, and Sunstreaker wondered who'd dared to blame a victim for his reactions. "Can't stop the memories... Can't stop the fear...the hurt..."
"Do... You want to talk?" Sideswipe asked as he shifted so he was sitting beside the mech. It seemed like Bluestreak needed someone to talk to, and while it would have been infinitely better to go to the medics... well. Sometimes medics didn't understand, and while he doubted he and his twin were even remotely qualified for this, Well. He would have liked to take this somewhere more comfortable and especially preferable would be more private, but he didn't want to press Bluestreak any further than he had already. "Tell us what happened?"
It was a question, not a demand. If Bluestreak really wanted to talk, he would.
"I.. there was an attack o-on Pria.. and those they didn't kill-" Bluestreak stuttered out while intakes and vents heaved in air. "It was- there was... Frenzy."
"Frenzy?!" Sideswipe blanched while Sunstreaker's face turned even darker. Was the young Noble hacked? Worse, if the glitched minicon was there, then so was Soundwave. "Soundwave-?"
Bluestreak shook his head weakly. "No. I-I - He- It-It wasn't."
"Who was it?" Sunstreaker asked, voice rough yet 'field gentle.
"It was someone else-"
And Bluestreak told them as much as he could. Was willing to, and with each word, the twins found themselves vowing to find and kill whoever had done this to somemecha so young.
Let me know what you think, please.