TF: Hesitation
Rating: PG13
Series: Movieverse
Pairings: Jolt/Ironhide, Jolt/Sideswipe
Summary: Jolt isn’t exactly sure what to do next. When Sideswipe finds him, he asks for the silver warrior’s help.
Warnings: Angst, lots of angst
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten.
Authors Notes: For the tf_rare_pairing prompt - Jolt/Sideswipe - What do I do now? Continues in the same series as War Is Over, Not Playing Around, Accidents Happen and Awkward. It’s official, if Ironhide and Sideswipe team up, I’m dead.
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
For a mech that had gotten his wish, Jolt was decidedly subdued. After Ratchet had finally let them out of the med bay, he’d disappeared off base as fast as his wheels would carry him. He’d needed some time to think and work out what to do next. He hadn’t expected Ironhide to actually agree to give things a go. Hadn’t expected it at all. Now he was at a loss of what to do next.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Sideswipe, there ain’t no more I can tell ya. The kid just upped and left after Ratchet let us out.”
“You didn’t say anything to him?”
“Nothing more than saying we could try and see what happened.”
“You said that?” There was no mistaking the smile on Sideswipe’s faceplates.
“Yeah.” Ironhide vented a sigh. “Though, the way he took off, makes me think it ain’t what he wanted.”
“Ironhide, he’s wanted it ever since he saw you. Maybe he’s… I don’t know, scared or something?” He gave Ironhide a pointed look.
“I was never scared.” He growled. “Concerned about how much older than him I am, maybe, but never scared.”
“Of course not Ironhide.” Sideswipe smiled sweetly and rolled back out of Ironhide’s reach. “Let me talk to him. I’ll find out what’s going on.”
“You’ll have to find him first.” Ironhide shook his head. Jolt had taken to hiding away from Ironhide again, something that puzzled the warrior. After everything they’d talked about, he thought he’d be able to find Jolt more often than he could. It was almost as though the younger mech was avoiding him all over again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took Sideswipe a while, but he finally found Jolt, hidden away in one of the abandoned warehouses on the base.
“Jolt?” He called out the blue mech’s name before sliding the door open. Jolt’s optics and the crackling of electricity across his frame were the only sources of light. Sideswipe steeled himself. Jolt was upset about something, that much was clear from the way the electricity played across his frame. It was almost entrancing, if it wasn’t so dangerous. Sideswipe had been on the wrong end of those whips before, and didn’t particularly care for a repeat performance.
“Jolt?” He rolled into the warehouse, optics focussed on the mech sitting at the far end. Finally, Jolt lifted his head to look at Sideswipe.
Sideswipe actually stopped dead at the expression on Jolt’s faceplates. He never thought he’d see a mech look so completely and utterly lost. Especially Jolt, who always seemed to know what to do and when.
“Jolt?”
“What do I do now?” Jolt asked softly, voice cracking a little.
“What do you mean?” Sideswipe rolled over and knelt down in front of Jolt.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Huh?” Sideswipe didn’t understand what Jolt was talking about. “You kiss him, and then you both go and frag like petro-rabbits.” If he wasn’t so close, he might have missed the minute shiver/tremble/shudder that ran through Jolt.
“What’s wrong?” Jolt didn’t answer him.
“Come on Jolt, this is what you’ve been waiting for. You’ve finally got a chance to do something, and now you’re running away scared.”
“Not scared.” Jolt retorted, dropping his head back to stare at the ground between his feet.
“Then what?” Sideswipe let the question hang in the air as his processor frantically tried to work out what Jolt’s problem was.
“You mean… you’ve never…?” Jolt’s embarrassed cringe was all the answer he needed.
“Oh…” Sideswipe sank a little lower. “This is why you’ve been avoiding Ironhide, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. After everything, how can I tell him I don’t know what I’m doing?”
“I seriously doubt he’d mind.” Sideswipe tried to reassure him. “Knowing him, he’d probably revel in the chance to teach you.” Jolt winced at that.
“I don’t want him to have to do that.”
“What, you want to be ready and knowledgeable when you… well, do things with him?” Jolt didn’t answer, and somehow, Sideswipe just knew he was going to regret this. “Do you want me to teach you?”
“Will you?” The way Jolt’s head shot up and his optics brightened told Sideswipe that, yes, he was definitely going to regret this.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“All right… so, the first thing that’ll probably happen is a kiss.” Sideswipe explained, trying his hardest to stay impartial. But it was difficult. He would happily admit he’d found the scout attractive, so this was doubly difficult for him. He’d attempted to woo Jolt, but with no luck. That had been when he realised that Jolt liked Ironhide. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to go too far.
“A kiss.” Jolt nodded, taking it all in. Sideswipe had explained the basics, which he knew, but hearing it over again made his knee joints go weak. The thought that he could do that with Ironhide…
Unknown to him, Sideswipe was having similar thoughts. Primus really had it in for him, presenting him with a mech he thought he could be happy with, only to find out that mech had no interest in him other than friendship. And then to have to teach the other mech about relationships. It was a cruel irony.
“Will you show me?” Sideswipe almost didn’t hear the quiet question.
“What?”
“Will you show me how to kiss?”
“Jolt, I…” For once, Sideswipe was lost for words.
“Please?” At the look the blue mech gave him, Sideswipe knew he couldn’t refuse.
“All right.” Definitely going to regret this. Jolt leant forward, closer to Sideswipe and shuttered his optics. Sideswipe shook his head, taking a brief moment to imagine that Jolt was thinking of him before leaning in to press his lips against Jolt’s.
As first kisses went, Jolt was surprised at the sensations. Sideswipe’s lips were warm against his, soft enough to let him know what he was doing, yet strong enough to tell him who he was doing it with. A shiver ran through his circuits as he imagined how Ironhide’s lips would feel against his.
He opened his mouth in a silent gasp, and Sideswipe took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, sliding his glossa in and brushing against Jolt’s.
“Oh…” Jolt’s murmur of amazement was swallowed in the kiss.
Ironhide watched for a long moment, optics not quite able to take in the sight before him. Jolt and Sideswipe. Had they been leading him on? Had he fallen for some elaborate plan or prank they’d concocted? Either way, he didn’t want to stick around to find out. He turned and transformed before accelerating away, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
Previous for Awkward and Next for Explanations and Revelations