Mistletoe-Toes-Tows
watch?v=ozKsQnRHb-c
Rated T (promise has a happy ending this time! even if it starts heavy)
Cast: Moonracer x Perceptor, supporting members, Drift, Wheeljack Sunstreaker
Reason: MoonyxPercy Club Christmas Time Contest.
~~~00~~~
With a bit of baling wire from the last shipment of human supplies, Moonracer slips into the lab. Wheeljack catches her out of the corner of his optic, but sees the sniper being stealthy. There's no doubt who her target is. He couldn't be more proud of Perceptor accepting her romantic attentions.
(flashback)
Already normally reserved Perceptor had become near a recluse after the attack on his lab where he was the only one to survive. Wheeljack had survived only because he had been on another mission. Other wise, he would have been another bot bleeding out a Percy's pedes. Not to say Percy got out unscathed. Oh no, far from it. Lost one optic, new hand, hip replacement and too many numerous other problems.
Curled up in the med bay, he slipped near catatonic. Moonracer was the one to find him a few days later trying to escape the med bay through the back door to the newly established science lab. Unable to release the door catch he began pummeling it with his fists and then his pedes. Scratching, clawing and finally saying something after weeks of recovery …. He screamed and curse and asked for forgiveness rasping his unused vocorder to a new level.
He knew someone was there and tried to shove her away. Respectfully, she stayed back, and even waved the other medics off, closing the door. And when he finally petered out, sank to the floor. Moonracer was there to gather him into her arms and let him sob. He sobbed as hard as he fought the invaders. He sobbed as hard as he beat that door. He sobbed until he had no fight left in him. Slumping his patched helm to her shoulder, he allowed someone to help him.
When he came round, he found himself alone in his quarters. There was one single soft seafoam pearl in his clenched hand. Her silent way of being there for him. Carefully he pulled his chest armor away and pressed the pearl to his protoform still-soft scar. The soft welding wraps around it making the pearl now part of his 'skin'.
The next morning, he made his way to the training room and began to rebuild his muscle tone. Like Pit would he be unable to defend his crew ever again. He pushed himself harder than he should but he didn't care. He survived the attack. He would survive this. He had to.
He owed it to them.
Slumped back to his quarters, he found a simple note. A smiley face in shimmering frosted green. She knew not to press but let him know if he needed to crash again, she would be there for him. Instead, he let the wash rack take over where her arms had been last night.
The harder he trained, the quieter he got. And one night, sitting at his desk modifying the standard issue rifle he was given, her white palms slid over his shoulders trying to draw him away. He jerks and shakes her palms away. She was not called a warrior for nothing. Grabbing his chair at waist level, pulls the wheeled object away from the table. Sneering he looks up to her, and his face falls.
Placing herself in his lap, curls her grief stricken face to his chest, arms around his torso. Instinctively, his arms wrap around her. She was not here to stop him. No, she needed him. He might be closing off his personal feelings, but he was still a gentle-bot. He had heard that her team's mission had gone array. Must have been worse than the rumors he ignored.
Holding her tighter, lifts her from the chair. He was pretty tired himself. Taking them to his berth, sits and curls over never letting go of her. Only one hand reaches out for his heavy blanket and pulls it tightly over them. Now it's her turn to sob and his turn to hold her in sleep.
The sound of a rifle cocking rips her from deepest stasis. Seeing herself alone in an unfamiliar berth (completely armored) she curls the warm blanket around her and races to the opening door.
"Percy?"
He hesitates. But then silently leaves, letting the door close on his disappearing form.
It was weeks before he came home with Drift. Sooted and wounded, carries his rifle over his back and a piece of lab equipment in his arms. Moonracer dashes up to him. Wrapping her arms around him, "You're home! Please, let me look over your wounds-"
He jerks away from her and says nothing else. "Cold sparked prick!" One femme hollers at his retreating form. Percy doesn't stop and Moonracer turns aside back to her own work.
That night, Moonracer is in the rec-room with her friends when Perceptor comes in to grab his own cubes for himself and Wheeljack. He strides past Moonracer's table with her friends.
"You know Percy, next time you're in your lab, check and see if you have a spark or a black hole in your chest!" Sphere snarls at the black and red mech.
He ignores the rounded femme. Instead, he takes Moonracer's hand, puts a small bead in it and folds her fingers over it, then walks away with his cubes. He did not want the others to see it, but wasn't sure when he would see her next.
"What did he give you?" The lemon yellow femme asks with a hushed need to know a secret.
Moony peeks. It's not her pearl telling her to leave him alone. No, it is a midnight black one with red stripes. He's there for her. She slips it into her cleavage where no one will see it.
"Come on Moony, what is it?" She tries again.
"Nothing." A beam comes out, "Absolutely nothing."
Time passes and they continue this dance. Nothing more than support. Nothing less than a silent confidant. Until one day….
Another bot makes his intentions known that he wishes to court and mate Moony. She tries to tell him she isn't interested in a long term commitment. Still he presses.
In her quiet times with Percy, she tries to let her fingers caress into his nape, he pulls them back to her lap. She tries to press her lips to his throat, he pushes her away from his lap. She tries to snake her arms around his waist in the lab in jest and steal a moment to touch and smell of him. He shoves them away and back to his experiments. She tries to give him hugs on his return from missions, but he always has his arms too full to reciprocate or allow her to hang. The cold shoulder treatment.
And now this yellow mech is telling Moony he wants her. Percy has to decide. Take a risk? Tell her that she is everything to him? Let her move on with her life with a mech who just might be able to give her everything he is not willing to risk? Ashamed, he turns away as the mech slips his well muscled arm a little too suggestively around her frame before the aching one.
Half way down the hall to his quarters, Perceptor's chest clenches. All breath is lost. And then, "PERCY!" Light weight pedes are racing towards him. He can't move. Does he want to hear what she has to say? Can he bear to see her give that mech her spark? Can he handle loosing her? Did he ever really have her?
"Look at me Percy."
There she is. His pearl in the storm of his life. Finding the nerve, faces her. It's a plea.
"Please, tell me what to do," she begs.
His head shakes. He can't tell her to move on with that mech. It would kill him.
He can't tell her to stay as is with him because he isn't that cruel, no matter how cold everyone thinks he is.
"Is there any hope for…. Us?"
Us? She wants an bUS/b? Once more his chest clenches. But says nothing.
For once, she can't read all the hidden emotions racing across his face. It pains her. Figuring he has given up on any chance of them, her shoulders slump and she steps around him, "Good bye, Perceptor. Try to come home tomorrow, 'kay?"
He just stands there too numb to move. The soft heeled footsteps retreat. The echoes become softer and softer as she retreats from his life. Will he really let another failure happen? Had this been the reason Primus had seen for him to be spared? Not to be a sniper but to be a mate?
"Moonracer." But she didn't hear her soft spoken name. The pedesteps continue to retreat.
And then they are deafened by heavier ones racing towards her, "Moony!"
She turns just in time to be swept off the floor by those dusky red arms before she reaches the yellow ones. The continued forward momentum slams her back to the wall where her pedes can't reach the floor. His arm around her waist is crushed by their combined frames. The other palm cups her face and strokes her cheek softly.
The mech of few words can certainly speak volumes when his mouth swoops down to take hers: softly, possessively , claiming. Her own long tips grasps his jaw forbidding his attempted retreat. In fact, she presses in harder deepening the kiss. Matching his hungry grips and bites, delves deeper.
"I got this wing closed off," Wheeljack strides up to the yellow mech. And he lays a few credits in the black& yellow palm, "Thanks, Sunstreaker."
"I got the other wing shut down," the other white mech strides up from the opposite end of the hall. He lays a few credits in the other yellow and black palm. "Yes, thank you 'Streaker."
"My pleasure, Drift." He looks down at the credits, "Can I buy you two a drink at The Rising Sun?" His private illegal still hidden in his room that everyone knows about.
The two partners of Perceptor follow the master of femme sparks out of the sealed hallway. They couldn't help but look back and see the foam green legs wrap around the black trim waist while her hands steer his masterful silent lips down her throat to her dipped cleavage. "Percy…."
A hungry moan comes from the not-so-cold sparked mech.
~~~ back to today~~~
Wheeljack smiles remembering that moment and watching now as Moony sneaks up on her mate. He wonders just what that green and red thing is hanging off the tip of the wire on her helm. On top of that, her armor looks a bit odd. Not all the catches closed. What has she done now? She gives the white mech a wink letting him know, be better be prepared to exit and lock down the lab. He can't help but snigger.
That makes Perceptor turn round and his optic go wide, "And just WHAT is that on your helm?"
She uses that sultry walk of curling her hips that sinks all rational thoughts to his lower regions. She flicks the green plant. "It's called Mistletoe. And it's supposed to have magical properties if you use it right."
"Such as?" Wheeljack asks.
"Well it's said if you stand under it, you are supposed to get a kiss from your one true love and it will grant you a long and happy life together."
Perceptor shakes his helm gathering rationality back, "Mistletoe? I didn't know missiles had toes. Let alone, how can a weapon bring good tidings in a romantic situation?"
Moonracer giggles continuing her stride, "Beloved, you are so funny."
Still confused Perceptor turns to Wheeljack, "Did you so something hideous by taking some poor Seeker's pede toes for this prank?"
Wheeljack raises his hands in defense, "I had NOTHING to do with this. As for Seeker toes," he pinches his nose, "Gross. You wouldn't catch me anywhere near those flier's pedes. Pee-u."
Moonracer rolls her optics and finishes her stride to her mate's side. "You two are hopeless. This is the human's Yuletide time of year. And of all their traditions, humm, I think I like this one the best. A bit of romance and no, no one gets hurt. In fact, this is a parasitic fungal-plant that can actually harm trees if it isn't harvested regularly."
Perceptor turns to Wheeljack, "I still don't get it. Missiles, fungal parasites or body parts of a flier are supposed to bring romantic good luck? Humans are weird. And their traditions, even more peculiar."
Sliding her finger tip to trace his delicious lips, she huffs lightly. He's blowing her romantic mood with his logic. "Moony?" somehow he gets out. But her heating frame beside his, is blowing his own scientific mood..
"Percy, shut up and kiss me."
In front of Wheeljack, he would never refuse her. He presses a chaste kiss to her lips. Not good enough. As he pulls back, she catches his lower lip in her teeth. Wheeljack takes the hint to leave. Percy whines at the temptation sliding against him.
Hearing a clang, Wheeljack turns back and has to laugh! Moonracer has covered herself in the little green and red parasitic plants under her battle armor (now shed). "Mmm, Percy. If one plant gave me that chaste peck of yours. What can I get with this?"
The mech give a feral growl and crushes her to him. "I'll show you."
Wheeljack sets the lock on the outside of the door in time to hear something crash to the floor. Oh, that was on the work table. Apparently a new experiment has taken priority.
~~~Next Yuletide~~
Moonracer curls with her mate on the re-room couch, bundle of joy in the middle of their cuddle. Moonracer gives Sunstreaker a wink to the lovely dragonfly-insecticon femme (refugee) pressed to his side. He picks up a bit of the Mistletoe and raises it over the femme's sparking lime helm.
"Humm, Sweetspark, look what we have here?" The yellow frontliner tells his intended.
She looks up at the strange plant. "What does it do?" She is quite curious to all these human traditions she is learning about.
Perceptor smiles to Sunstreaker and warns him, "Watch it, 'Streaker, it's quite potent." With that, strokes a finger across his son's helm.
Sunstreaker winks, "Good." With that, leans into his femme and nuzzles her lips with his own, "Let me show you what it does."
Moonracer giggles pressing closer to her family.