More Than Friendship
Chapter Two
by BitterEloquence and Wyntir Rose
Disclaimer: Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara, and are licensed to IDW and Dreamworks. Our original characters are our own and any similarity between them and any existing characters from canon or fandom is purely coincidental. We claim no ownership by writing this work.
Authors' Note: Thanks go out to Okami_Myrhibis for betaing this fic for us.
Additional Note: This takes place in the background of BitterEloquence's Works in Mysterious Ways Hound/Mirage verse. Because Trailbreaker deserves a happy ending too!
Trailbreaker slowly headed back to the quarters he shared with Hound. He had completed a long shift in the communications center after a long period of worrying about Hound and he was completely rung out. Just yesterday the tracker had been fighting for his life as Ratchet worked to clean Bombshell's virus out of his systems; and Trailbreaker had been there at his friend's side every step of the way. Even when Ratchet had kicked him out of medbay, he'd stayed as close as he could. He'd been the only one there - certainly Mirage never showed up. And no matter how much Hound argued that the spy had been there, Trailbreaker knew what he'd seen. Or more precisely, what he hadn't seen. He sighed as he reached his quarters, silently palming the door open so as not to wake Hound. But as soon as he stepped inside, he froze. There, deep in recharge, were Hound and Mirage, arms wrapped around each other. Trailbreaker choked back a sound of pain as he felt his already shattered spark pulverize into sand and he fled the room as quickly as he was able. Before he knew it he was outside of the Ark and climbing up the side of Mount Saint Hillary in a daze. He had no idea where he was going or what he was planning on doing; he just knew that he needed to get away from everyone before he did something he'd regret.
In his reckless climb up the mountain he all but bowled Silverbolt over, somehow managing to completely miss the sight of the giant white mech. Perhaps if the Concorde had been paying attention, he might have seen Trailbreaker heading his way but burdened with his own spark troubles, he didn't notice the SUV until it was too late. They collided with a resounding crash of metal hitting metal. Overbalanced, Silverbolt fell backwards with a yelp, landing painfully on his aft and wingtips.
Trailbreaker was horrified by the accident and immediately reached out to help the Concorde to his feet. "Oh, Primus! I'm sorry, Silverbolt. I wasn't watching where I was going!" He quickly looked the Aerialbot commander over, searching for any damage. "I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Stunned, Silverbolt vaguely realized it was the first time he'd ever slammed into a mech his own size and that he was the one who'd ended up toppling over like an overcharged idiot. He felt a flash of annoyance at Trailbreaker's desperate apologies but stifled it. He didn't know the strategist very well but he seemed like a nice enough mech.
"I'm alright. I should have been paying more attention." He grimaced and scrubbed at his wings, wincing when he saw the bent metal of his stabilizers.
Trailbreaker saw the damage and was about to apologize further, but catching the flash of irritation, he pulled back before he could continue. "That looks bad. Is there anything I can do to help?"
The Concorde couldn't help but notice how Trailbreaker shut-down and grimaced guiltily. "No, it's not that bad. Trust me; my whole fragging day has been like this." He did not particularly relish finishing the morning off with a trip to see Ratchet so he simply reached out and bent the metal back into place. Pain licked up his wing but the Concorde ignored that flash of discomfort as best he could. "There, all fixed, no lasting damage done." He tried to smile reassuringly and failed miserably. The jet just didn't have the experience and guile needed to fake a nonchalant air.
Trailbreaker winced in sympathy and took a step back. "You too?" He paused. It would be so easy to walk away and wallow in self-pity, but maybe he could get his mind off his own problems by helping Silverbolt. And, truth be told, he wouldn't mind the company. "Is there anything I can do?"
Silverbolt smiled bitterly, a defeated sort of light appearing in his optics. "Unless you can somehow magically download the ability for me to be able to command my team, I don't think there's much you can do."
"No, I can't magic anything," Trailbreaker replied hesitantly. "But what's the problem? Maybe I can help you work it out?"
"I'm just not cut out to be Aerialbot Commander, alright?" As soon as he snapped those words out, Silverbolt regretted it. "I'm sorry, Trailbreaker, that wasn't fair of me. It's not your fault Slingshot is being an aft." Unhappily, the Concorde carefully sat down again, moodily looking away. "I'm not very good at this whole commanding thing. Optimus made a serious mistake when he put me in charge. I can't lead, my brothers don't listen to me ... Primus! They don't even respect me. I'm terrible."
Trailbreaker looked at Silverbolt with ill-concealed concern written all over his face. He sat down next to the Aerialbot commander so that they were back at optic level and he placed a hand on Silverbolt's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Now that's not true. You're a very good commander. You're just young, that's all. It takes time to get a unit functioning properly, and from what I've seen you're doing a fine job of it. I mean, sure Slingshot's a bit headstrong and Fireflight's a bit, uhm, well let's just say he's a bit distracted. But you still all get the job done and that's because you have a strong leader. You shouldn't be beating yourself up over this."
The jet turned to look at Trailbreaker with a subdued look in his optics. "If that were the case, the Protectobots would be having trouble as well. Instead, Hot Spot can lead his team without a single problem. You don't see them running around wild or disobeying orders in the middle of a battle. You and I both know a team is only as good as its commander and it's quite obvious I'm doing a shoddy job of leading when I can't even get my team to fly in a straight line!" Visibly upset, he looked away, unwilling to meet Trailbreaker's optics. "He should have put someone else in charge."
Trailbreaker's optic band dimmed and flickered in the equivalent of rapid blinking as he looked at Silverbolt in complete and total disbelief. "You're joking, right? The Protectobots are nothing like the Aerialbots. First off, Hot Spot's team is defensive not offensive and that calls for a totally different command style. There's no way to compare the two and to do so is to do yourself a huge disservice."
Silverbolt was actually stunned speechless by Trailbreaker's words and that surprise registered openly on his face. He wanted to refute the SUV's logic but couldn't find a counter-argument. When you broke it all down, the Protectobots functions were almost polar opposites to the Aerialbots.
The large black mech squeezed Silverbolt's shoulder with a bit more pressure to get his attention back. "And as for choosing a different leader, who would you have proposed? You know as well as me that Skydive is the only real option and he's not command material."
Silverbolt jumped a little when Trailbreaker squeezed his shoulder but that did drag his gaze back to the dark mech. "At least they'll listen to Skydive when he says something. When I open my mouth, they just automatically start ignoring me. Not exactly the sign of a good leader."
"Look, 'Bolt, I wasn't watching all of the sky battle today, but from what I saw the only one who wasn't following orders was Slingshot, and that's pretty much par isn't it? I mean, even Prime has problems getting that one to listen, so I'd hardly be beating myself up over it if I was you." Trailbreaker removed his hand from Silverbolt's shoulder and smiled at the Concorde. "You just need to have a bit more faith in yourself is all. You'll be a great commander one day. You just need to grow into it is all."
"Right, and while we're all waiting to see if I can 'grow into' my position, we've got Slingshot doing his damnedest to offline himself, Air Raid pulling the most dangerous stunts imaginable just to see if he can and Fireflight crashing into any stationary object. My team is going to kill themselves before I learn how to lead," he muttered bitterly.
Trailbreaker sighed and pulled away from Silverbolt a little. He didn't seem to be helping at all, so it was probably best to pull out before he said something that made matters worse. "I'm sorry I can't really offer any advice. You're the commander here, so I guess you'd know best," he said softly. "But really, from a purely tactical point of view, I don't think you're doing as badly as you think. ... But I don't really know much about the command side of things."
The jet cycled air through his vents and grimaced. Deciding to try and turn the attention away from himself, he looked at Trailbreaker. "So what's going on with you? You're having a slag-filled day too?"
Trailbreaker blinked, surprised to suddenly have the attention back on himself.
"Oh, it's nothing really," he mumbled. 'I just had my spark ripped out, stomped on, and buried in the dirt', he thought. But he never actually said anything. He just shrugged and looked away.
"Nothing caused you to run away from the Ark at a breakneck speed and so lost in your thoughts that you missed me?" Silverbolt asked doubtfully.
Trailbreaker cycled air roughly and stared out at the surrounding parkland. "It's just ... I've just been worried about Hound is all." He was silent for a moment. He didn't really want to talk about his problems, but at the same time he felt the words swelling up inside of him and he knew that if he didn't get them out he'd burst. "I'm just worried that he's giving his spark to someone who doesn't really care about him, y'know?"
Silverbolt listened quietly as Trailbreaker explained. It took him a moment to recall the scraps of gossip he'd overheard in the commissary. "You're talking about the rumors of Hound dating Mirage?"
The SUV nodded and couldn't help but look miserable, even though he was trying to hide behind a mask of nonchalance. "Yeah, but they're not rumors. ... But I guess you didn't hear that from me. I don't think they're officially official yet."
Silverbolt could obviously see Trailbreaker was more upset then he was letting on. "And you don't approve of him being with Mirage? Why? Do you want him for yourself?"
Out of the mouths of babes as they said. Trailbreaker could do nothing but stare at Silverbolt in open shock and it took a moment before he was able to school his features to a properly neutral expression.
"I ... no, I just want to be hap- I mean, I want him to be happy," he back-pedalled quickly, "and I'm not sure that Mirage is the right mech to give him that. I mean, just the fact that he never bothered to come see Hound when he was in med bay is awful telling, don't you think?"
The Concorde watched Trailbreaker's expression carefully. He noticed the unconscious slip but didn't say anything about it at first. "Well, if they're not 'official' maybe he did it to protect the secrecy of their relationship? Were you there all the time? Maybe he knows you don't like him and is staying away because of that?"
Trailbreaker looked away and glowered at the landscape. "I was there enough. And it's one thing to keep the relationship secret, but he insists on sneaking around like he's ashamed of Hound! That's just not right! I mean, Hound's one of the best mechs in the Autobots, and there's that damned noble acting like he's too good to get his hands dirty." The SUV pulled his knees up and rested his chin on his crossed arms. "If it were me I'd be crowing from the mountain top. Hound deserves better than to be with someone who's obviously ashamed of him."
"I can see what you mean. And if you don't mind a bit of unsolicited advice, you should talk to Hound about your concerns. It's obviously eating you up inside." The Concorde reached out to lay a comforting hand on Trailbreaker's shoulder. "Hound has always struck me as being a level-headed kind of mech and he's certainly one of the most observant mechs I've ever seen. Perhaps he simply sees something worthwhile in Mirage?"
Trailbreaker cleared his vents in a sigh and looked up at Silverbolt. His look was raw and his optics dull. "I've told him and he's told me that he's happy. He knows how I feel- how I feel about Mirage, but he's happy, and I can't take that from him. I mean, maybe there is something more to Mirage than I'm seeing. ... and maybe I'm just jealous that he's taking my best friend away from me ..." Trailbreaker spoke in the tone of someone who was trying to convince himself of something.
A knowing sort of light darkened Silverbolt's optics as he looked at the SUV. "He knows how you feel, huh?" The younger mech murmured quietly. "I can understand the fear of loosing your friend. I tell you what; let's head back to the base. I think we could both use a drink and perhaps some company, hmm?"
After a moment, Trailbreaker nodded. Maybe company was exactly what he needed right now. "Yeah, sure, a drink sounds good. Sitting here being morose isn't helping either of us, I don't think."
"I suspect neither of us had much of a chance to truly sink down into a genuine sulk so you're probably right." Silverbolt started to head back to the base and grimaced when he realized they'd have to deal with other mechs. "How about we get the energon and then flee back outside? Not sure I'm up for dealing with Sunstreaker or even Slings if we happen to run across them."
As Trailbreaker moved to follow Silverbolt, his face twisted in a matching grimace as he came to the same realization. Running into Hound and Mirage right now - actually, running into anyone right now - would be a bad idea. "Yeah, maybe a little picnic would be a good idea," he paused as he continued down the mountain. "Hmmm ... actually, I know this spot out in the park that'll be nice and quiet and private. There'll be very little chance of us running into anybody and none of Red's cameras." He shot a little glare at one of the Security Director's many spy eyes scattered around the base.
"The park?" A puzzled look entered Silverbolt's optics. The Aerialbots hadn't done much in the way of exploring outside the boundaries of the Autobot base and aerial patrols. "Sure, I haven't been out there before. It looks pretty from the air though."
Trailbreaker nodded. "It's really pretty. Very ..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Very exotic."
As they walked into the Ark, he looked over at the Concorde suddenly struck by the fact that he didn't have to look down at his companion. He was so used to never making proper optic contact with people that this was refreshing. "Are you off for the rest of the day or are you scheduled for something later? I'm just wondering how far a-field I can take you."
The jet had been noticing their relatively similar size as well and found it equally refreshing. "No, I don't have anything scheduled but I do need to work on my report for Optimus about the last battle," he admitted with a guilty look. "Maybe I could bring it with me? Primus knows I couldn't seem to concentrate on it earlier."
Trailbreaker shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Why not. I can help you out with it if you'd like. It might help to have a third party view when you compile it."
"I'd appreciate that, thanks," the Concorde murmured.
They made their way to the commissary quickly, neither having to slow or shorten their stride for a smaller mech, and as they were collecting some cubes, Trailbreaker turned back to Silverbolt.
"I was just thinking; would you mind if I bent your audio a little? I've had this potential project in mind for a while now, but I need to talk to a flyer about it."
Silverbolt turned to the strategist when he made his offer, a ghost of mischief in his optics. "I don't know about bending my audio but I'll be happy to listen," he teased with a faint, playful smile.
Trailbreaker's crimson optic band darkened in a blush. Silverbolt was a little surprised that he'd managed to make the older mech 'blush'. He didn't really think the more experienced Autobots could get embarrassed. They all seemed so composed and self-assured.
Trailbreaker quickly pushed his embarrassment away, however, and smiled back at the Aerialbot. "Thanks 'Bolt. I'd appreciate any thoughts you have on it. See, I'm looking at the possibilities of including you Aerials and Powerglide in some of my strategies, but I really have no idea how you guys operate in the air. I've been trying to research with human documentaries and movies, but the documentaries are reliant on human processing speed and the movies ... well, Top Gun didn't seem totally accurate."
Silverbolt nodded as they headed out of the commissary with various cubes to tide them over for a field trip out into the national forest. "I'll be happy to help however I can but this is probably something you might want to discuss with Skydive. He's our resident aerial tactician."
Trailbreaker nodded. "Yeah, but you're the commander, so it's only proper that I talk to you first." He grinned and bumped Silverbolt lightly with his shoulder in an easy and companionable gesture. "Besides, I'm not going on a picnic with Skydive, I'm going with you. I may as well take advantage while I can."
Silverbolt didn't seem to know what to think when Trailbreaker bumped him in the shoulder. Surprise flickered across his faceplates before a warmer smile settled upon his face.
"You know, I've never actually been on a picnic before. This should be interesting." And with that, they headed out for their 'field-trip'.
