fanwork-a-thon entry
Title: The Foundation Upon Which Futures Are Built
Universe/Continuity: G1
Rating: G
Warnings: no warnings, but this fic does contain mech smoochies, implied intimacy and world/culture building
Characters: Mirage, Trailbreaker
Pairing: Mirage/Trailbreaker
Prompt: Mirage/Trailbreaker: touch of elegance
Notes: written for tf_rare_pairing's 2014 Fanwork-a-Thon. As the person handing out the tickets, i am automatically excluded from the lotto.
this fic is set in an AU where Starscream and Onslaught successfully overthrew Megatron and then made peace with the Autobots.
"How does it look?" Trailbreaker did his best not to fidget uncomfortably under the weight of the finely woven gold cloak. He only had to wear it for tonight, as part of the ceremony for beginning the construction of a new Crystal Tower. Just one, for now, as Cybertron's resources were still severely limited but it was enough to make his lover beam with happiness.
"The gold contrasts against your black beautifully," Mirage replied, walking around him and eying the heavier mech critically. "It doesn't drag the floor, which is good because that would be an insult to the Prime's rank."
"Cloak length?"
"Mhm. In the Towers, the length of your cloak is a symbol of how much power and influence you hold. You would, however, never wear one longer than your host's at a party or social gathering. Tracks and I have already ensured that Optimus is wearing a cloak suitable to his station." The blue mech walked around the black mech a second time. "No, you're missing something."
"Mirage, what could I possibly be missing? This cloak is worth more than some countries on Earth."
"And we got it for a song, so don't worry about that." The noblemech darted forward and gave his lover a quick kiss. "Wait here. I will be right back."
"You'd better hurry. We have to be there in ten joors."
"I'll only be a moment." Mirage walked swiftly to their berthroom. Trailbreaker could hear the clinking of small metal objects being moved for several kliks and then the blue mech returned, smiling brightly. "Found it. Let me put it on you."
"Sure." The black mech held still, and let the noble attach a muted titanium ornament to his admittedly plain cloak clasp. The ornament itself didn't appear to be anything special, a simple disk etched with Cybertronian glyphs so ancient that he couldn't read them, but Mirage was clearly happy. "It's nice. I like that it's simple."
"I had it made with you in mind." The blue mech attached a much more elegant jeweled ornament to his own cloak clasp and stepped back so that Trailbreaker could look him over. "Well?"
The tactician looked his lover over with the same critical care as Mirage had given him. He admired the other mech's gleaming polish and the coordinating metallic blue cloak--made from an imported metal neither of them had the correct vocal suite to pronounce the name of--with just that hint of sparkle at his throat. "Perfect."
"I don't know about that." The noble smiled. "I'm sure Sunstreaker and Tracks will approach perfection more closely."
"No chance. Neither of them are nearly as gorgeous as you." Trailbreaker took his lover in his arms and kissed him soundly. "You'll be the envy of every bot at the ceremony."
"Flatterer." Mirage snuggled into the embrace for a moment with a happy sigh. After a joor, he pulled away reluctantly. "We need to get going."
"Yeah." Trailbreaker took his lover's hand and they walked out of their suite together.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"And so, it is with great joy that I plant the crystal seeds that will become the foundation of this tower and lay Primus' blessing upon it. May the New Crystal Towers be an enduring symbol of Cybertron's peace and growing prosperity." Optimus Prime reached into the bowl that topped an elaborate but battered ceremonial stand that had somehow survived the war. He drew out a handful of glowing blue crystal seeds and stepped toward the massive nutrient bed that Grapple and the Constructicons had carefully laid. A hush fell over the gathered crowd as he pulled his arm back, then the gathered mechs and femmes cheered as he flung the seeds into the nutrients. The Prime let the cheering continue for several moments before raising his hands for quiet. "And now the Head of Clan Ethereal will plant the next layer."
Mirage smiled sadly at being acknowledged as his clan's head. He had been the youngest member of the family and would never have inherited the position, except for the dubious honor of surviving both the Decepticon Assault on the Towers as well as the war. The only other surviving member of Clan Ethereal was one of his very distant cousins, and he was not sane enough to found a new Clan.
"Thank you, Optimus." He spoke to the Prime like the friend he was. Some of the crowd--very minor nobles from other clans, mostly--whispered disapprovingly. Mirage ignored them; they only wanted a return to their previous wealth and status rather than the civilization of equals Optimus was trying to create. "However, there is another mech who should stand here with me and cast the seeds that will build our home, as he will also build our family."
Optimus nodded. Somewhere behind him, Tracks stage whispered "Well, it's about time!"
Mirage turned to Trailbreaker and reached a hand out to the stunned mech. "Come and help me build our future."
Hesitantly, the black mech stepped forward. Tracks began applauding as Trailbreaker took Mirage's hand, followed a moment later by Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. By the time the tactician was standing on the podium, the entire crowd was cheering and clapping.
"You could have warned me," Trailbreaker whispered, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention.
"And ruin my elaborate proposal? Not a chance. Optimus and I worked hard on a speech that would leave me an opening." Mirage turned and led his lover toward the bowl of seeds.
"But in front of Optimus and everyone?"
"We have Optimus' blessing here. No one will oppose our union after that."
The black mech looked into the bowl of seeds. "No one would have stopped us, anyway. So, what do I do?"
Mirage knew they would have to talk more, and soon because Trailbreaker deserved a better proposal than he had gotten, but his lover was right about moving the ceremony forward. "Scoop your hand in and take some of the seeds. Perhaps a quarter of what Optimus used, since we're both scattering them. We have to leave enough for Tracks, the Twins and Starscream."
"I never thought I would see the day when Starscream was helping us build houses." Trailbreaker reached into the bowl and scooped out a few of the seeds. Mirage did the same.
"Well, we are helping his people rebuild, too." The blue mech led them to the nutrient base and lifted his arm. The black mech copied the gesture. "With these seeds, we establish the foundation of our future and one that will last for generations to come."
They tossed their seeds into the nutrient base. Then Trailbreaker turned and pulled Mirage into a kiss. There was a mixture of cheering and grumbling at the act, but Mirage realized that he didn't mind one bit.
Clearly, such a public display meant that his intended wasn't angry after all.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"You could have just asked me before hand and still made your statement at the ceremony," Trailbreaker said, loosening the clasp and pulling off his cloak.
"By the standards of my people, I did." Mirage leaned in and touched the titanium disk he had given the other mech. "These glyphs are for my clan and your position in it. The first glyph literally translates as 'ghost walkers' but it is the symbol of the clan. The second means 'leader mate' most closely, but we always used it to symbolize bondmates. The third glyph is your position in the clan, 'founder' and equal to me."
"That's really kind of sweet." Trailbreaker glanced at Mirage's clasp ornament, which was marked with the same glyphs under the jewels now that he knew what he was looking for. "Now I really wish you'd said so. I wouldn't have said no--we've been together for too long for that--but I would have felt a lot more confident up there. And, well, it just would have been good to know."
"You always know so much about me that I don't always remember that you don't know about my culture." The blue mech turned and looked his intended in the optics. "Forgive me?"
"Already done." The black mech smiled.
"And will you be my bonded? Will you stay with me and help rebuild my clan?"
"Until the death of the universe, Mirage."
Trailbreaker's cloak fell to the floor as they sealed their promise with a kiss.
Universe/Continuity: G1
Rating: G
Warnings: no warnings, but this fic does contain mech smoochies, implied intimacy and world/culture building
Characters: Mirage, Trailbreaker
Pairing: Mirage/Trailbreaker
Prompt: Mirage/Trailbreaker: touch of elegance
Notes: written for tf_rare_pairing's 2014 Fanwork-a-Thon. As the person handing out the tickets, i am automatically excluded from the lotto.
this fic is set in an AU where Starscream and Onslaught successfully overthrew Megatron and then made peace with the Autobots.
"How does it look?" Trailbreaker did his best not to fidget uncomfortably under the weight of the finely woven gold cloak. He only had to wear it for tonight, as part of the ceremony for beginning the construction of a new Crystal Tower. Just one, for now, as Cybertron's resources were still severely limited but it was enough to make his lover beam with happiness.
"The gold contrasts against your black beautifully," Mirage replied, walking around him and eying the heavier mech critically. "It doesn't drag the floor, which is good because that would be an insult to the Prime's rank."
"Cloak length?"
"Mhm. In the Towers, the length of your cloak is a symbol of how much power and influence you hold. You would, however, never wear one longer than your host's at a party or social gathering. Tracks and I have already ensured that Optimus is wearing a cloak suitable to his station." The blue mech walked around the black mech a second time. "No, you're missing something."
"Mirage, what could I possibly be missing? This cloak is worth more than some countries on Earth."
"And we got it for a song, so don't worry about that." The noblemech darted forward and gave his lover a quick kiss. "Wait here. I will be right back."
"You'd better hurry. We have to be there in ten joors."
"I'll only be a moment." Mirage walked swiftly to their berthroom. Trailbreaker could hear the clinking of small metal objects being moved for several kliks and then the blue mech returned, smiling brightly. "Found it. Let me put it on you."
"Sure." The black mech held still, and let the noble attach a muted titanium ornament to his admittedly plain cloak clasp. The ornament itself didn't appear to be anything special, a simple disk etched with Cybertronian glyphs so ancient that he couldn't read them, but Mirage was clearly happy. "It's nice. I like that it's simple."
"I had it made with you in mind." The blue mech attached a much more elegant jeweled ornament to his own cloak clasp and stepped back so that Trailbreaker could look him over. "Well?"
The tactician looked his lover over with the same critical care as Mirage had given him. He admired the other mech's gleaming polish and the coordinating metallic blue cloak--made from an imported metal neither of them had the correct vocal suite to pronounce the name of--with just that hint of sparkle at his throat. "Perfect."
"I don't know about that." The noble smiled. "I'm sure Sunstreaker and Tracks will approach perfection more closely."
"No chance. Neither of them are nearly as gorgeous as you." Trailbreaker took his lover in his arms and kissed him soundly. "You'll be the envy of every bot at the ceremony."
"Flatterer." Mirage snuggled into the embrace for a moment with a happy sigh. After a joor, he pulled away reluctantly. "We need to get going."
"Yeah." Trailbreaker took his lover's hand and they walked out of their suite together.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"And so, it is with great joy that I plant the crystal seeds that will become the foundation of this tower and lay Primus' blessing upon it. May the New Crystal Towers be an enduring symbol of Cybertron's peace and growing prosperity." Optimus Prime reached into the bowl that topped an elaborate but battered ceremonial stand that had somehow survived the war. He drew out a handful of glowing blue crystal seeds and stepped toward the massive nutrient bed that Grapple and the Constructicons had carefully laid. A hush fell over the gathered crowd as he pulled his arm back, then the gathered mechs and femmes cheered as he flung the seeds into the nutrients. The Prime let the cheering continue for several moments before raising his hands for quiet. "And now the Head of Clan Ethereal will plant the next layer."
Mirage smiled sadly at being acknowledged as his clan's head. He had been the youngest member of the family and would never have inherited the position, except for the dubious honor of surviving both the Decepticon Assault on the Towers as well as the war. The only other surviving member of Clan Ethereal was one of his very distant cousins, and he was not sane enough to found a new Clan.
"Thank you, Optimus." He spoke to the Prime like the friend he was. Some of the crowd--very minor nobles from other clans, mostly--whispered disapprovingly. Mirage ignored them; they only wanted a return to their previous wealth and status rather than the civilization of equals Optimus was trying to create. "However, there is another mech who should stand here with me and cast the seeds that will build our home, as he will also build our family."
Optimus nodded. Somewhere behind him, Tracks stage whispered "Well, it's about time!"
Mirage turned to Trailbreaker and reached a hand out to the stunned mech. "Come and help me build our future."
Hesitantly, the black mech stepped forward. Tracks began applauding as Trailbreaker took Mirage's hand, followed a moment later by Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. By the time the tactician was standing on the podium, the entire crowd was cheering and clapping.
"You could have warned me," Trailbreaker whispered, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention.
"And ruin my elaborate proposal? Not a chance. Optimus and I worked hard on a speech that would leave me an opening." Mirage turned and led his lover toward the bowl of seeds.
"But in front of Optimus and everyone?"
"We have Optimus' blessing here. No one will oppose our union after that."
The black mech looked into the bowl of seeds. "No one would have stopped us, anyway. So, what do I do?"
Mirage knew they would have to talk more, and soon because Trailbreaker deserved a better proposal than he had gotten, but his lover was right about moving the ceremony forward. "Scoop your hand in and take some of the seeds. Perhaps a quarter of what Optimus used, since we're both scattering them. We have to leave enough for Tracks, the Twins and Starscream."
"I never thought I would see the day when Starscream was helping us build houses." Trailbreaker reached into the bowl and scooped out a few of the seeds. Mirage did the same.
"Well, we are helping his people rebuild, too." The blue mech led them to the nutrient base and lifted his arm. The black mech copied the gesture. "With these seeds, we establish the foundation of our future and one that will last for generations to come."
They tossed their seeds into the nutrient base. Then Trailbreaker turned and pulled Mirage into a kiss. There was a mixture of cheering and grumbling at the act, but Mirage realized that he didn't mind one bit.
Clearly, such a public display meant that his intended wasn't angry after all.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"You could have just asked me before hand and still made your statement at the ceremony," Trailbreaker said, loosening the clasp and pulling off his cloak.
"By the standards of my people, I did." Mirage leaned in and touched the titanium disk he had given the other mech. "These glyphs are for my clan and your position in it. The first glyph literally translates as 'ghost walkers' but it is the symbol of the clan. The second means 'leader mate' most closely, but we always used it to symbolize bondmates. The third glyph is your position in the clan, 'founder' and equal to me."
"That's really kind of sweet." Trailbreaker glanced at Mirage's clasp ornament, which was marked with the same glyphs under the jewels now that he knew what he was looking for. "Now I really wish you'd said so. I wouldn't have said no--we've been together for too long for that--but I would have felt a lot more confident up there. And, well, it just would have been good to know."
"You always know so much about me that I don't always remember that you don't know about my culture." The blue mech turned and looked his intended in the optics. "Forgive me?"
"Already done." The black mech smiled.
"And will you be my bonded? Will you stay with me and help rebuild my clan?"
"Until the death of the universe, Mirage."
Trailbreaker's cloak fell to the floor as they sealed their promise with a kiss.