Title: Comfort
Author:
tanta_green Disclaimer: Transformers is obviously not mine and belongs to Hasbro etc.
Rating/Warnings: PG to PG-13. Large male robots thinking romantic thoughts about other large male robots and then acting on them, but nothing too bad.
Pairing wanted: Slingshot/Breakdown
Rating wanted: Any
Scenario wanted: "What if" there was a new threat, bigger than the Autobot/Decepticon war, and the two factions had to work together to fight it, specifically for this fic, the Aerialbots and the Stunticons?
Three things you'd like to see in your story: 1.) Mention of the differences and similarities between the two gestalts. 2.) What Slingshot and Breakdown would see in each other to make a relationship work. 3.) I'd like to see the prompt as a backdrop for some interaction between them (of whatever kind) as opposed to feeling like you have to explain in depth what the new threat/overarcing plot is. =)
Comfort
It had been a tough battle. All that was left of the Quintesson forces now, however, were a few ship parts and weapons scattered over the battlefield. Slingshot felt himself return to his individual form as Superion broke apart. Nearby, Menasor did the same, the Stunticons all stumbling to their feet and checking over their wounds. However, while the Aerialbots stayed together for a while, checking over each other’s wounds and talking about the battle, the Stunticons seemed to go their separate ways almost immediately, Motormaster especially, fleeing the scene as fast as his wheels would take him.
Something about working alongside the Stunticons didn’t feel right, even after being in battle beside each other several times. There was always this feeling that lingered around. Not one of the Aerialbots or Stunticons was deluding themselves into thinking that this alliance would be anything but temporary. Once the immediate threat was gone, both teams knew that the Decepticons and Autobots would undoubtedly resume the war, pitting the two gestalt teams against one another again.
Still, one couldn’t help but notice certain things about the members of the opposite team that were probably better not noticed. Tiny little things that made a mech one had regarded as an enemy until recently almost endearing in a way that was currently making Slingshot just a little uneased.
One mech in particular caught his eye now, as he had several times over the past few days. Rather than disappear like his brethren, Breakdown chose to linger behind. Not particularly unusual behaviour for the white and blue ‘con, but something about the way that he was moving didn’t seem right.
Slingshot kept one optic on Breakdown while the conversation with his gestalt mates continued. The Stunticon made his way to a small outcropping of rock not too far away from the battlefield, stumbling and practically falling to the ground as he reached his apparent destination. Now that Slingshot was paying him more attention, he realised that Breakdown was shaking quite violently.
Something was definitely wrong with the Stunticon, and as the rest of the Aerialbots headed back to their temporary base, Slingshot lingered behind, surprised and slightly annoyed to find that he was concerned for Breakdown.
He approached the other mech cautiously. As he drew closer the shaking became more obvious. The natural thing seemed to be to comfort Breakdown, but Slingshot wasn’t so sure. Attempting to comfort a Decepticon seemed like the sort of thing that was liable to lose him a limb or two.
This was Breakdown though. From what Slingshot had seen of him so far, Breakdown seemed to be the most civilised and potentially kind of the Stunticons, if a little jumpy. Surely he would not object to a simple offer of comfort.
Besides, he was kind of cute.
Slingshot held back as his thoughts caught up with him. Cute?! This was a Decepticon he was thinking about. Bad idea to find one attractive: probably worse idea to find one attractive and then attempt to comfort him.
No, Slingshot told himself. You are here to find out if Breakdown is injured or in trouble, and that is it. There is absolutely nothing else that can happen here.
He took the final couple of steps towards Breakdown and sat down beside him.
“Something wrong? You hurt?” he asked Breakdown.
The other mech looked at him then as though Slingshot had just asked if his head was on fire. His reply was quiet, almost whispered.
“’m not hurt...”
The shaking didn’t stop however, and Breakdown pulled further into himself, his arms tightening around his tucked-up knees as though he was shielding himself from the world. Slingshot took a quick look around one last time, wondering if someone else would come to his and Breakdown’s rescue. The other Stunticons however, seemed to have abandoned Breakdown completely.
Slingshot weighed up his options for a moment before throwing an arm around the other mech’s shoulder, trying to make the action seem as casual as possible. He didn’t know whether or not the gesture would calm Breakdown; who knew how comfort worked with Decepticons, but what he had not anticipated was Breakdown pulling away from him as though the touch burned.
“Wh... what are you doing?” Breakdown stammered, staring at Slingshot as though he would attack at any second.
“What do you think I’m doing?!” Slingshot replied, sounding far more annoyed that he had intended. Breakdown flinched at the harsh tone in Slingshot’s voice, but didn’t run away. That, at least, was encouraging.
The Aerialbot sighed and shook his head, before throwing his arm around Breakdown again and pulling the other mech close. He could feel Breakdown tense in his arms. He couldn’t really blame the Stunticon for not trusting him. They had been enemies until a few weeks earlier after all. He was reminded once again how stupid this whole thing really was.
Breakdown was gradually relaxing into his embrace however, dispelling any doubts from Slingshot’s mind. Soon the Stunticon’s optics began to flicker, until they were off completely, and he curled in against Slingshot’s chest. Slingshot could feel the other mech soaking up the warmth of his spark with a surprising amount of desperation and found himself at a loss as to what to say or do. Whatever he had expected of Breakdown, it was certainly not this. The Stunticon was clinging to him as though Slingshot was life itself.
Slingshot chose to remain silent. He wasn’t sure he would be able speak at all, between the mental shock and the thunderous poundings of his spark, which was pulsing far more rapidly than it should have been.
Eventually, Breakdown’s optics turned on again, and he gazed up at Slingshot.
“Doesn’t it hurt?” Breakdown asked, surprising the Aerialbot.
“What are you talking about?”
“When you join together,” Breakdown whispered, beginning to shake again as he spoke. “It hurts for us. For all of us. I can feel it; always so painful, and then so empty afterwards.”
He pressed in closer to Slingshot’s chest again, his hands absentmindedly trailing over the other mech’s chest plates as he did.
“But you...” Slingshot felt more than saw Breakdown smile against his chest. “I don’t feel that here. Only warmth.” Breakdown nuzzled into Slingshot’s chest then, bringing all sorts of inappropriate emotions out in the Aerialbot.
Slingshot forced himself to speak, afraid that silence would only cause him to do something he would undoubtedly regret.
“It doesn’t hurt,” he confirmed.
Breakdown lifted his head off Slingshot’s chest then, his optics locking with the other mech’s.
“In fact,” Slingshot continued. “It sort of... I dunno, comforts me sometimes.”
Breakdown was listening to Slingshot’s every word intently, and as he finished, Breakdown sighed, smiled and curled back in against Slingshot’s chest.
“You’re lucky,” the Stunticon muttered, “to have friends that care about you. That must be nice.”
Slingshot was taken back for a moment. “You mean... none of the Decepticons... really? You don’t have a single friend among them?”
Breakdown shook his head slightly.
“Friendship amongst the Decepticon ranks is something that is not given very freely, especially among my brethren. The others all choose to be alone, especially after combining. The intimacy of joining is not something any of us find pleasure in.”
Breakdown’s hands began to wander again, delicately tracing lines up and down and around the components on Slingshot’s chest and shoulders.
“This however...” Breakdown whispered lazily. “I don’t understand why you’re doing it, but it feels really nice.”
“Well...” Slingshot desperately searched for a reason for his actions that wouldn’t completely freak the Stunticon out. “That’s what friends are for.”
The answer was only half honest. Friendship wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he had decided to comfort the Stunticon, and Slingshot was only partly surprised when he heard Breakdown chuckle sadly.
“We’re not friends,” Breakdown whispered. He was smiling as he said it though, making Slingshot think that his plan to comfort the Stunticon must be working to some extent. “We’re enemies, and if you think that this is going to last then you’re a fool.”
For a moment Slingshot wondered what exactly Breakdown was talking about; the cooperation between the two teams, or whatever it was that was beginning to build between them. And then, Slingshot realised he didn’t care.
Breakdown was usually his enemy, but he was also one of the most beautiful mechs he had ever laid eyes on, and sweet, for a Decepticon at least, and right now, at this moment, they weren’t enemies at all.
Not to mention that Breakdown still hadn’t stopped tracing over his chest plate and it was wreaking havoc with his internal systems.
Slingshot knew that it might not work, and that it definitely wouldn’t be easy, especially when their teams got back to fighting each other, but for now he didn’t care, and from the soft sigh that escaped Breakdown vocal processor, neither did he.
Slingshot moved one hand down to cup Breakdown’s chin in his own, raising the other mech’s head slightly so that Breakdown’s optics met his own. At first Breakdown just looked confused and a little bit scared, but as Slingshot shut down his optics and moved their lips closer together, the Stunticon began to relax, and let his own optics flutter off as well.
It was the softest of kisses, their lips barely touching, but it sent a wave of something wonderful straight to Slingshot’s spark. Breakdown let out the smallest of moans, prompting Slingshot to press just a little harder. Apparently Breakdown approved, because soon Slingshot felt the other mech’s arms wrapping around his shoulders to pull their bodies closer together.
Eventually they pulled apart, Breakdown choosing to lean his head against Slingshot’s chest once again.
“This is stupid,” Breakdown murmured once he had found his voice again.
“Yeah,” Slingshot agreed, before placing a brief kiss on the top of Breakdown’s head. “It is, isn’t it?”
The next day found quite a few of the Stunticons and Aerialbots looking quite confusedly at Breakdown. For some reason he chose to fight closer to the Aerialbot team, especially near Slingshot the whole day. Some of the Aerialbots would swear that Slingshot and Breakdown kept sharing quick, meaningful glances when the battle permitted it.
And even though he would never tell anyone out loud apart from Breakdown himself, Slingshot was kind of glad that Breakdown chose to be there.