First Quarrel

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First Aid gradually became aware of a commotion in the Protectobot common room. He blinked and lowered his datapad, hoping whatever it was wouldn't take him away from his novel for too long. This was the first time he'd gotten to read it in months.

Maybe it was just Blades and Streetwise arguing about which sport was really football again.

His door slid open, and Slingshot slung himself around the doorframe. He looked pleased as a peacock. "Hey."

Behind him, Blades was yelling something about jets too dumb to learn how to knock.

First Aid gestured at Slingshot to thumb the door shut. "Good afternoon. I was planning to come out when I finished my book."

He couldn't keep the reproachful tone out of his voice, and he saw Slingshot's directed thrust nozzles shift in what he recognized as the Aerialbot's body language for 'oops'.

"I got you something." None of that 'oops' came through in his voice; First Aid could see why Blades never got along with him.

Slingshot pulled a pistol out of subspace and offered it to him grip-first. "I got it off Long Haul. It works as a laser welder, too, so you can have a gun that's not just a weapon."

First Aid stared. "- You know I'm a pacifist."

"That doesn't mean you can't fight if you have to."

He was getting sick and tired of hearing that from everybody and their partner. "I will only fight in the defense of my patients, Slingshot. You know that!"

The Aerialbot's optic-band flashed. "Sometimes you have to fight so people don't become patients, 'Aid."

"I will fight in defense," he said firmly, "as an absolute last resort."

"It's only a last resort because you didn't resort to enough violence in the first place!"

First Aid stared, aghast. Did Slingshot really think like that? Worse, did he really think First Aid ought to think like that? "- Get out of my quarters."

"Fine!" The Aerialbot spun on his heel and jabbed the door button. The pistol vanished back into subspace.

"Sure, just barge back through-" Blades started to say as Slingshot stormed past him-

The Aerialbot punched him hard enough to snap his head back.

"Slingshot!" First Aid jumped to his feet.

"Take it up with Silverbolt!"

"You're the one behaving like- like-"

"-like a hot-headed jerk?" Slingshot whirled to face him. "Yeah, well, I am! But at least I'm not living in a dream world!"

First Aid felt his optic-band jump towards white as he tried to process what his friend had just said to him. It was nothing he hadn't heard before, but this time it felt like a blow to the fuel tank.

While he gaped, Slingshot stormed out.

"So, I'm guessing that was about your pacifism," Streetwise said quietly, stepping up beside him.

He nodded numbly.

"He's not going to change your mind!" Blades demanded.

"No," First Aid said, optic-band dimming. "No one will. He's just going to have to accept that."