Title: Concerning Much Needed Advice
Verse: G1
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Inferno, Red Alert, Skyfire, one sided Red AlertxSkyfire
Word Count: 759
Warnings: Mech Cursing, Med Bay Violence
Summary: Maybe Red Alert's wooing techniques need work.
Series: Concerning Skyfire's Unfortunate Courtship
Concerning Unneeded Inspections (Part 1),
Concerning Unneeded Surveillance (Part 2),
Concerning Much Needed Advice (Part 3),
Concerning Several Related Incidents (Part 4),
Notes: I blame
odd_stick this time. I needed to do a chapter like this, but she reminded my dumb self that Inferno and Red Alert are BFFs. Also, constructive criticism is loved, because I am not satisfied with this piece...
Inferno was in no way a silent mech, he was a heavy rig designed for front line fighting. So when he walked, it was a thundering sound that was hard to ignore. Thus, it was surprising when he entered the Monitor Room and Red Alert made no motion that he’d noticed the other mechs arrival. Okay, more than surprising. This was Red Alert after all.
After five minutes of silently dwelling by the door, the tapping of one heavy pede was what finally got the other mech’s attention, divided as it was.
“Oh… Inferno.” Red Alert said, looking a bit meak as his optics glanced hastily back toward the security monitors. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
Inferno just continued to tap his pede.
“Well I did… I just didn’t notice you.”
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Sorry.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“I should have been paying more attention.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Uh…”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“What? D-Did I miss something? Did someone unauthorized get into the base?!”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
About the time that Red Alert looked ready to go on the fritz, Inferno granted him a finger pointed at the monitor.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Oh.”
Red Alert ducked his head and minimized the dominating video feed on the screen.
“You heard about that?” he asked timidly.
“I was in the rec room when Ratchet stormed by dragging Skyfire to the med bay.”
“Oh.”
“I believe he said something along the lines of ‘Blasted fraggers and their cameras’ needing to keep their ‘Primus-be-damned pit-spawned’ hands to themselves.” Inferno clarified, smirking.
“Everyone heard?” Red Alert squeaked.
Inferno nodded, lips twitching as he tried to hide his amusement. He stepped up behind Red Alert’s chair, causing the other mech to flinch briefly before he settled himself back in. “I didn’t know there were so many cameras dedicated to the med bay.” He mused quietly. Red Alert flinched again.
“Many of them are old…” The Security Director explained. “I had to reactivate them.”
“Including this one?” Inferno asked, pointing to the previously maximized video feed. It showed a rather zoomed in shot of Skyfire’s aft and wings.
“I was monitoring his repairs!” Red Alert said quickly.
Inferno shot him a look that said he knew better. The security director shrunk back in his chair.
“Listen Red, it’s pretty obvious that you have a thing for Skyfire.” Inferno said, crossing his arms across his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There isn’t?” The other mech asked quickly. “B-But he doesn’t even want to be around me! Most mechs don’t!”
Inferno set a hand on the mech’s shoulder. “Red…” he started, sighing slightly. “Putting on your serious face and going off on a mech for a security violation isn’t a turn on.”
Red Alert nervously tapped his fingers on his legs and peered back at the security monitor. Judging by the situation in the med bay, Ratchet was not having an easy time bending Skyfire’s wing back into place.
“And in this case, neither is molesting them.”
Red Alert jerked and stared hard at Inferno. “How do you know about that?!” he squeaked.
“Skyfire told Wheeljack about your mid-air inspection.”
“It wasn’t that bad…”
“Apparently it was.”
The Security Director turned his gaze back on the monitor, seeming to pretend to check up on the bases security. Inferno bumped his shoulder, but that earned only a distracted flinch. “Red.”
Red Alert looked over at one of several video feeds that showed the med bay, fingers tapping on the side of keyboard.
“Red.”
The other mech only watched as Ratchet smacked Skyfire across the head with a wrench before he used the same tool to replace a mangled piece of plating on the flier’s wing.
Shortly after, Skyfire’s optics came up from the floor to lock dead on the security camera’s lens. He gave it a good hard glare.
“Oh Primus that was a bad idea….” Red Alert finally groaned, turning away from the glaring mech on the screen to bury his face in his hands. “I bent his wing!”
Inferno gave him a comforting pat on the back. “Awkward first try.” Inferno dismissed. “Now you just get a chance to fix it.”
“You make it sound like a good thing.” Red Alert murmured through his hands.
“It can be if you do it right.”
The Security Director slipped one finger off of an optic to look at his friend. “What do you mean?”
Inferno leaned over in front of him and grinned. “Follow my advice.” He said. “I’ll make sure you get your flier.”