(A/N: Hey guys, thanks so much for the follows/favs/reviews. Means a lot to me. :) Also, WARNINGS for this chapter: slight slash, mild violence, curious sparklings discovering new things lol… Enjoy. Note: Both Breakdown and the simbiotes are young and close in age.)
"Where do these things go anyways?" Breakdown asked as he crawled after the two simbiotes through the dark vents, feeling his spark pulsate in excitement at the fact that he was doing something that was fun, but also possibly dangerous… The thrill sent a spark of pride through his little frame.
Rumble laughed at the other mech's question. "All over the place!" He responded from in front of Breakdown, red visor dimly lit as he led the small procession through the vents in search of some hapless gladiator to spy on, Frenzy bringing up the rear.
Feeling slightly nervous in his excitement, Breakdown whispered behind him to Frenzy now. "Won't we be heard? Or… found?" He asked, yellow optics wide in the darkness as Frenzy vented from behind him. "Course not! No one else is small 'nough to be in the vents! Now move ya aft!" The blue-visored simbiote responded in amusement as Breakdown tried to move a little bit faster to appease his new found friends, making him bump into Rumble. "S-Sorry." He muttered apologetically.
"Shhhh!" Rumble whispered, digit held up to his lip components as he looked at Breakdown and then motioned to a grate in the wall. "Let's see if ol' Rocket's in his berthroom drinkin' again!" He giggled, the three young mechs moving close to the grate and peering down into the room, both Frenzy and Rumble portraying delight at the sight while Breakdown felt only confused, staring into the room.
Breakdown cocked his helm when he saw two massive, bulky gladiators in the berth together, lips locked with little flashes of denta and glossa becoming noticeable whenever they moved their mouths together. Kissing was something that Breakdown knew something of, but the shameless groping and grunts of the two mechs filled him with confusion as he looked at the twins on either side of him. "What're they doing?" He asked curiously, both simbiotes looking at him with their mouths hanging open. "You mean to tell me you don' know what the slag they're doing?" Frenzy demanded in awe.
Feeling slightly embarrassed by the way the twins reacted, Breakdown just gave a small shrug and a nod. "No…?" He asked it more as a question than a statement.
Rumble and Frenzy stared at the younger mech in awe before they started to giggle uncontrollably, covering their mouths with their servos in an attempt to smother the sounds from becoming too loud and alerting the mechs below them of their presence in such an… Intimate moment.
"Hehehehe!" Frenzy giggled as he shook his helm frantically as if to keep from kicking and bursting into loud laughter. "They're…. Hehehehe. They're fragging! Hahaha!" He broke into laughter that, thankfully, couldn't be heard above the sounds of metal clashing against metal.
"Fragging?" Breakdown asked curiously, the expression he made making the twins snort and chortle again. "What's that?" He asked, the curiosity of a young mechling, cocking his helm as he waited for a response.
"Slag… You really don't know, huh?" Rumble asked incredulously, shaking his helm as he stared at Breakdown for a moment, finally leaning in close to whisper to the mechling, who's optics widened in surprise. "Seriously?" He squeaked in surprise, optics as wide as energon cubes as he could only stare in a mixture of curiosity and shock at the twins, who nodded and grinned at him. "Yep. That's what it is." Frenzy told him.
Frowning, Breakdown shook his helm. "That's weird." He stated faintly, frowning down at the two mechs still oblivious to their presence. "What's it like to do that stuff? Like, kissing and stuff?" He asked, unsure of himself as he asked the question.
The two older mechlings stared at Breakdown in disbelief, optics wide while their little mouths hung open in an 'o' shape.
"You mean you've never done anything like that before?" Frenzy cried in disbelief.
"You've never kissed?" Rumble joined in.
"We kiss all the time!"
"Why haven't you kissed anyone yet?"
"Are you waiting until you bond?"
Breakdown blinked in surprise at all the questions, unsure exactly of how to answer them. "I-I'm not sure… I didn't even know about this stuff before." He responded, pointing through the grate at the two mechs that were still 'going at it'.
"Oh… wow. Well…" Rumble rubbed a servo against the back of his helm, a mischievous look in his optics. "I can show you. If you want."
Yellow optics widened at the offer, Breakdown hesitating a moment. "Oh… OK." He responded, though his tone was still uncertain.
Rumble and Frenzy laughed, the twin with red markings scooting closer. "Relax." Rumble chastised the younger mech before motioning for him to come closer, Breakdown frowning in confusion before leaning forwards a little more.
Grinning, Rumble cupped the back of the blue mech's helm, pulling him closer before pressing their lips together.
Breakdown didn't do anything, he just sat there as Rumble kissed him. It wasn't unpleasant, even if a little odd, the younger mech trying to mimic what the other was doing, moving his lips slightly before leaning forwards a little more.
It lasted only a moment before Rumble pulled away, a wide smile on his faceplates. "Not bad. What'd you think?"
Feeling the question to be a little strange, Breakdown tried to find a response. "Weird… Not bad or anything, just different." He responded, shrugging a little as the twins laughed again, servos over their mouths as they tried to muffle the sounds.
"Let's get out of here before we get caught." Frenzy whispered in an amused tone, crawling back the way they came, dropping down with the other two mechs following close behind him.
Breakdown landed hard, falling on his aft. The twins snickered, causing the younger mech to flush in embarrassment as he quickly got back up to his pedes.
He barely got to his pedes before Frenzy was standing in front of him with a smirk on his lip components. "I didn't get one." The simbiote announced, reaching out to grab a hold of Breakdown's faceplates before he leaned in to kiss him.
"Frenzy, desist."
The cold, emotionless voice cut through the three mechs like a star saber would an energon jelly, Frenzy jumping away from Breakdown, optics wide while Rumble just looked surprised at the arrival of Soundwave.
The tall mech regarded the three silently for a moment as Megatronus came up behind him. "Frenzy, Rumble, come. Breakdown, stay with Megatronus." Soundwave ordered, grabbing a hold of the twins and dragging them along down the hall, Frenzy complaining while Rumble gave Breakdown a little wink.
Frowning, the blue mech watched Soundwave and his simbiotes leave, confused. The heavy pedesteps of Megatronus alerting the little mech to the gladiator's close proximity. "Why is Soundwave upset?" He questioned.
Megatronus looked down at the sad expression on the red faceplates and felt a flicker of sympathy for the young mech. "Soundwave isn't upset, Breakdown. He's only concerned for the three of you." The silver mech responded, slowly crouching down and wrapping an arm around the sparkling, pulling him a little closer.
Going with the insistent tugging, Breakdown found himself pressed close to the gladiator's sparkchambers, the mechling relaxing when his audios picked up on the sound of a pulsating spark. "Why?"
Chuckling softly, the sound reverberating through his chassis, Megatronus shook his helm. "Young mechs can make mistakes. If they like each other enough, some things can happen and complicate things. How do you think Soundwave ended up in the pits with his twins?"
Breakdown looked up at Megatronus, yellow optics round with surprise. "Soundwave made a mistake with a mech he loved?" He questioned, the massive mech giving a small nod. "Not all mistakes can be fixed, dear mech." The gladiator responded, pushing himself upright again with a hiss of hydraulics. "Come."
Hurrying after Megatronus as quickly as his shorter legs could carry him, Breakdown followed after the big mech. "What sort of mistake did Soundwave make?" He questioned, the gladiator's lips twitching upwards. "That is something you may ask again when you're older."
Pouting, Breakdown crossed his arms over his chassis, following along in silence for a bit. "Did my sire make mistakes?" The young mechling suddenly asked.
Megatronus glanced back at Breakdown. "Of course he did. All mechs make mistakes at some point, Breakdown. No one can avoid that. What matters is what you do afterwards." The gladiator responded. "If you made a mistake and hurt someone else, would you try to make things right? Or would you ignore it?"
Thinking on that for a moment, Breakdown nodded. "I would try to make it right." He responded, the gladiator chuckling. "Then you are a good mech, Breakdown. Just like Breaker was."
Only a klik of silence passed before Breakdown thought of another question. "Why do the rich mechs treat us so badly? Are they making a mistake? Why don't they try to make it right?" He demanded, curious now.
Megatronus vented softly, glancing down at the mechling, Breakdown looking so tiny as he walked in his shadow. "Some mechs don't care for others, Breakdown. We are lower class than those that have wealth, so we are thought to not be worth as much." The gladiator explained as simply as he could.
"That's not fair."
A smile touched the scarred lips, the silver mech glancing down at the youngling. "No, Breakdown, it's not."
Breakdown frowned deeply. "I wish there were no castes… One day, when I'm big like you, I'll make sure there's no more castes! I'll make everyone equal and have a good home for Lightstar!" The youngling announced in that confident way only a sparkling could. "And you won't have to fight in the pits if you don't want to anymore! Everyone will have energon!" The blue mech looked quite pleased with himself.
Megatronus' interest piqued at that. "That is a noble cause, Breakdown." The gladiator announced, getting down on one knee to place a massive servo on the young mechling's shoulder. "Not many mechs think as you do, especially at such a young age." Red optics studied Breakdown with interest, a sort of darker intent. "One day, there will be no castes. I've already planned for it. Will you like to help when that day comes?" The gladiator questioned.
Golden optics wide, Breakdown nodded quickly.
"Good." Megatronus smiled again, though it was different. Subtly different, unnoticeable to the sparkling. "If you train hard, one day I may call upon you to help me. For now, I need to make sure you get back to your sister." The mech stood back up, taking Breakdown's tiny servo in his own. "Come."
Excited at the thought of being able to "help" Megatronus one day, Breakdown happily padded after the larger mech, heading out of the arena and back home.
He would get a chance to make all the evil mechs go away! He would get to fight!
Megatronus, however, was more interested in adding another soldier to his growing group of freedom fighters that would one day tear the council from their place in ruling Cybertron. The mechs and femmes that would become a force so formidable, every army would bow knee to them. Every adult mech and femme would swear allegiance or die.
The Decepticons.