Final Frontier pt 3/3
Title: Final Frontier (3/3)
Universe: G1
Rating: PG13
Characters: Cosmos, Skyfire, eventual Skyfire/Cosmos
Warnings: angst, fluff, eventual robot slash
Notes: so... yeah. this took a while to get out. don't know how many times i opened the file, stared blankly at the screen for a while and closed it again. but it's finally finished. ^_^ (today must be resurrected fic day or something.)
Originally claimed/prompted in tf_rare_pairing's December 2009 challenge.
for those of you who need a refresher: part 1 part 2
Part 3-Warmth
Five months and twenty three days after their teaching and resource harvesting project had been approved,
Skyfire and Cosmos were finishing it up. After their near-disastrous run in with the Decepticons four months before, there hadn’t been any other setbacks and they were both grateful.
Skyfire gave the smaller mech a smile as he loaded the last of their mineral harvest into the towable crate Wheeljack had built for him. After twenty three days out here, it’s going to feel odd to be back in noticeable gravity again.
It will, Cosmos agreed. But it won’t be as bad at the time I was out mapping a solar system for an entire meta-cycle. I almost had to learn how to walk again.
The scientist nodded, remembering a time or two like that during his own exploration days. Think Jazz will throw a party for us?
The minibot gave the larger mech an amused grin. Jazz will use any excuse to throw a party. And so will Blaster. I think we need to be more worried about when it will stop, so that we can get some recharge.
Skyfire laughed, and the sound sent tingles through Cosmos’ fuel lines. He was immediately embarrassed by the feeling-and glad that he didn’t give off external signs of it the way Humans did. It was silly for him to be acting like a sparkling with his first crush; he was far too old for that.
I will miss working so closely with you, Skyfire said after he stopped laughing. You are an excellent field partner and wonderful company.
Cosmos felt a twinge of hurt at the larger mech’s words. He didn’t want to just be a good partner or good company. Despite himself, he replied, I enjoyed working with you, too. Are you ready to head back?
Yes the scientist replied. He transformed into his shuttle mode and moved so that he was hovering over the cargo carrier. If you would make sure the magnetic locks are secure?
Sure. The explorer waited until Skyfire gently touched down on top of the container, then activated the magnetic locks from the hand held controls Wheeljack had given them. Then he stepped underneath the big mech and checked the locks’ security. Everything looks good. But I’m glad I’m not the one carrying this into the atmosphere.
It’ll be as bad as it looks, Skyfire agreed. I’ve carried worse through atmosphere, though. It’ll be fine.
Still, I don’t envy you. Cosmos transformed and took off. He extended his sensors to their longest range, checking to make sure they were really alone before the scientist joined him. We’re clear.
Skyfire lifted off the asteroid slowly, ready to stop moving if it looked like the mineral crate was going to come unlatched. Cosmos was relieved when nothing happened; if the magnetic locks hadn’t held they would have needed to transport the minerals back in loads small enough to fit into Skyfire’s cargo hold.
Everything is still secure, the scientist reported. Let’s head home.
Home, where things would return to normal and he wouldn’t be the sole focus of the other mech’s attention anymore. Cosmos frowned mentally when he realized he was jealous of the rest of the science team.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Skyfire was recounting the story of an academy research trip gone wrong when the Decepticons registered on Cosmos’ sensors. They had been having fun until then, with none of his early upset or awkwardness coming back.
And now Astrotrain and Starscream’s trine was ruining it for them.
At least we’re close to Earth, Skyfire said philosophically. If we must, we can jettison the mineral crate and make a run for it. We’re both faster in space than any of the Seekers right now.
Yes, but we need these minerals. And we don’t want the Decepticons to get them. Cosmos ran a second sensor sweep, checking for addition Decepticons and looking over the local space in the hopes of finding something to hide behind. If they could hide from them-or outrun them-long enough, Omega Supreme would be able to come to their aid.
There was nothing.
We’re outnumbered and outgunned, with no place to hide. The scout knew he sounded defeated.
Don’t give up just yet. We might be able to negotiate with Starscream. Skyfire’s words were brave, but Cosmos didn’t think he sounded particularly hopeful.
I think we should run. Starscream isn’t exactly known for being reasonable when there’s something he wants.
The scientist chuckled and increased his acceleration. I cant’ argue with that; he’s always been that way.
Cosmos increased his acceleration as well. I’m going to call for help. Omega and the Aerialbots might be able to get up here before we’re totally slagged.
The scientist didn’t reply as the minibot sent his distress call. He simply continued moving forward, as quickly as he could move and still keep the mineral crate attached. Blaster acknowledged the distress call and promised reinforcements, but when Astrotrain began firing on them, Cosmos wasn’t sure they would make it in time.
Skyfire screamed over the comm lines when one of the triplechanger’s shots took off a chunk of his right wing. Cosmos felt his fuel tanks lurch at the damage.
They really might not make it back from this trip.
Cosmos, I’m sorry. The scientist’s voice was strained. I had hoped we would get to know each other better.
Don’t talk like that. Cosmos dodged a blast of null-ray fire as the Seekers came into range. This time tomorrow we’ll be bragging to Powerglide about surviving this mess.
There was a long silence over the comm. They both knew he was lying. Thank you, Cosmos. You’ve been the best and truest friend I think that I’ve ever had.
The scout’s reply was prevented by another hail of laser fire from Astrotrain and Skywarp. When he finished his evasive maneuvers, he turned to check Skyfire’s position and had a moment of horror.
The scientist had disengaged the magnetic locks on the mineral crate, leaving it floating in the space between them, and was on a collision course for Astrotrain’s side. Skyfire, no!
Run, Cosmos! Get out of here!
Cosmos could only watch in horror as fire erupted where the two shuttles met. Blackness overtook him a moment later, as Starscream’s null-rays finally hit.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Cosmos jolted online so abruptly that he fell off the berth he was resting on. He lay on the floor in a jumbled heap for several seconds before he realized he was seeing the bright orange plating of the Ark. His processor raced with worry about Skyfire.
“Are you all right?” The minibot blinked his optic shutters to bring his vision into focus as Wheeljack leaned over him.
“What happened to Skyfire?”
The engineer leaned down and extended a hand to help him up from the floor. “Well, he rammed into Astrotrain, which obliterated his nosecone and took out some of his landing gear. We had to do a lot of patchwork on his wings, too. Omega Supreme ran the Seekers off before they could do any additional damage to either of you, though. And since Astrotrain was offline, the Aerialbots didn’t have any trouble getting the two of you into Omega and safely home. They even managed to retrieve the mineral crate.”
Cosmos felt relief wash over him. Skyfire was alive. “Is he where I can see him?”
“Sure. Ratchet has him a private room.” Cheerfully, Wheeljack led him to the back of the medbay and opened a door. “Just keep the noise down. Ratchet’s recharging in his office again.”
“I will. Thank you, Wheeljack.” The scout stepped through the door and into the room.
Skyfire was laid out on the berth as peacefully as if he were simply recharging. The marks of fresh welds on his wings and nosecone shone silver in the light. His canopy was clean and scratch free, and even the small dings and scratches on the scientist’s plating were gone. Aside from needing a bit of touch up paint, Skyfire looked better than Cosmos had ever seen.
The scientist’s optics lit up at Cosmos’ soft steps and he gave the smaller mech a smile. “You made it.”
“We made it. But that was crazy.” The minibot crossed the room and climbed onto the larger mech’s berth. “I thought for sure you’d deactivated yourself.”
Skyfire wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close against his side. “Would have been worth it, if you made it away.”
“Not to me.” Cosmos looked up at him sadly. “You’re my best friend too, you know. And… and maybe more than that and you almost took away our chance to find out.”
“Oh, Cosmos.” The scientist tightened his grip on the minibot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I can’t say I would change what I did, even if I had known how you felt, but I didn’t want you to go through that.”
Cosmos took a moment to really think about that. “I suppose I understand. I still don’t like it. And you’d better not ever do something so stupid again!”
“Absolutely not,” Skyfire agreed. “It was a rather painful experience.”
“Okay then.” The scout adjusted himself so that he was comfortably nestled against Skyfire’s side.
Skyfire smiled and cycled back down into recharge. A moment later, Cosmos did the same.
Universe: G1
Rating: PG13
Characters: Cosmos, Skyfire, eventual Skyfire/Cosmos
Warnings: angst, fluff, eventual robot slash
Notes: so... yeah. this took a while to get out. don't know how many times i opened the file, stared blankly at the screen for a while and closed it again. but it's finally finished. ^_^ (today must be resurrected fic day or something.)
Originally claimed/prompted in tf_rare_pairing's December 2009 challenge.
for those of you who need a refresher: part 1 part 2
Part 3-Warmth
Five months and twenty three days after their teaching and resource harvesting project had been approved,
Skyfire and Cosmos were finishing it up. After their near-disastrous run in with the Decepticons four months before, there hadn’t been any other setbacks and they were both grateful.
Skyfire gave the smaller mech a smile as he loaded the last of their mineral harvest into the towable crate Wheeljack had built for him. After twenty three days out here, it’s going to feel odd to be back in noticeable gravity again.
It will, Cosmos agreed. But it won’t be as bad at the time I was out mapping a solar system for an entire meta-cycle. I almost had to learn how to walk again.
The scientist nodded, remembering a time or two like that during his own exploration days. Think Jazz will throw a party for us?
The minibot gave the larger mech an amused grin. Jazz will use any excuse to throw a party. And so will Blaster. I think we need to be more worried about when it will stop, so that we can get some recharge.
Skyfire laughed, and the sound sent tingles through Cosmos’ fuel lines. He was immediately embarrassed by the feeling-and glad that he didn’t give off external signs of it the way Humans did. It was silly for him to be acting like a sparkling with his first crush; he was far too old for that.
I will miss working so closely with you, Skyfire said after he stopped laughing. You are an excellent field partner and wonderful company.
Cosmos felt a twinge of hurt at the larger mech’s words. He didn’t want to just be a good partner or good company. Despite himself, he replied, I enjoyed working with you, too. Are you ready to head back?
Yes the scientist replied. He transformed into his shuttle mode and moved so that he was hovering over the cargo carrier. If you would make sure the magnetic locks are secure?
Sure. The explorer waited until Skyfire gently touched down on top of the container, then activated the magnetic locks from the hand held controls Wheeljack had given them. Then he stepped underneath the big mech and checked the locks’ security. Everything looks good. But I’m glad I’m not the one carrying this into the atmosphere.
It’ll be as bad as it looks, Skyfire agreed. I’ve carried worse through atmosphere, though. It’ll be fine.
Still, I don’t envy you. Cosmos transformed and took off. He extended his sensors to their longest range, checking to make sure they were really alone before the scientist joined him. We’re clear.
Skyfire lifted off the asteroid slowly, ready to stop moving if it looked like the mineral crate was going to come unlatched. Cosmos was relieved when nothing happened; if the magnetic locks hadn’t held they would have needed to transport the minerals back in loads small enough to fit into Skyfire’s cargo hold.
Everything is still secure, the scientist reported. Let’s head home.
Home, where things would return to normal and he wouldn’t be the sole focus of the other mech’s attention anymore. Cosmos frowned mentally when he realized he was jealous of the rest of the science team.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Skyfire was recounting the story of an academy research trip gone wrong when the Decepticons registered on Cosmos’ sensors. They had been having fun until then, with none of his early upset or awkwardness coming back.
And now Astrotrain and Starscream’s trine was ruining it for them.
At least we’re close to Earth, Skyfire said philosophically. If we must, we can jettison the mineral crate and make a run for it. We’re both faster in space than any of the Seekers right now.
Yes, but we need these minerals. And we don’t want the Decepticons to get them. Cosmos ran a second sensor sweep, checking for addition Decepticons and looking over the local space in the hopes of finding something to hide behind. If they could hide from them-or outrun them-long enough, Omega Supreme would be able to come to their aid.
There was nothing.
We’re outnumbered and outgunned, with no place to hide. The scout knew he sounded defeated.
Don’t give up just yet. We might be able to negotiate with Starscream. Skyfire’s words were brave, but Cosmos didn’t think he sounded particularly hopeful.
I think we should run. Starscream isn’t exactly known for being reasonable when there’s something he wants.
The scientist chuckled and increased his acceleration. I cant’ argue with that; he’s always been that way.
Cosmos increased his acceleration as well. I’m going to call for help. Omega and the Aerialbots might be able to get up here before we’re totally slagged.
The scientist didn’t reply as the minibot sent his distress call. He simply continued moving forward, as quickly as he could move and still keep the mineral crate attached. Blaster acknowledged the distress call and promised reinforcements, but when Astrotrain began firing on them, Cosmos wasn’t sure they would make it in time.
Skyfire screamed over the comm lines when one of the triplechanger’s shots took off a chunk of his right wing. Cosmos felt his fuel tanks lurch at the damage.
They really might not make it back from this trip.
Cosmos, I’m sorry. The scientist’s voice was strained. I had hoped we would get to know each other better.
Don’t talk like that. Cosmos dodged a blast of null-ray fire as the Seekers came into range. This time tomorrow we’ll be bragging to Powerglide about surviving this mess.
There was a long silence over the comm. They both knew he was lying. Thank you, Cosmos. You’ve been the best and truest friend I think that I’ve ever had.
The scout’s reply was prevented by another hail of laser fire from Astrotrain and Skywarp. When he finished his evasive maneuvers, he turned to check Skyfire’s position and had a moment of horror.
The scientist had disengaged the magnetic locks on the mineral crate, leaving it floating in the space between them, and was on a collision course for Astrotrain’s side. Skyfire, no!
Run, Cosmos! Get out of here!
Cosmos could only watch in horror as fire erupted where the two shuttles met. Blackness overtook him a moment later, as Starscream’s null-rays finally hit.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Cosmos jolted online so abruptly that he fell off the berth he was resting on. He lay on the floor in a jumbled heap for several seconds before he realized he was seeing the bright orange plating of the Ark. His processor raced with worry about Skyfire.
“Are you all right?” The minibot blinked his optic shutters to bring his vision into focus as Wheeljack leaned over him.
“What happened to Skyfire?”
The engineer leaned down and extended a hand to help him up from the floor. “Well, he rammed into Astrotrain, which obliterated his nosecone and took out some of his landing gear. We had to do a lot of patchwork on his wings, too. Omega Supreme ran the Seekers off before they could do any additional damage to either of you, though. And since Astrotrain was offline, the Aerialbots didn’t have any trouble getting the two of you into Omega and safely home. They even managed to retrieve the mineral crate.”
Cosmos felt relief wash over him. Skyfire was alive. “Is he where I can see him?”
“Sure. Ratchet has him a private room.” Cheerfully, Wheeljack led him to the back of the medbay and opened a door. “Just keep the noise down. Ratchet’s recharging in his office again.”
“I will. Thank you, Wheeljack.” The scout stepped through the door and into the room.
Skyfire was laid out on the berth as peacefully as if he were simply recharging. The marks of fresh welds on his wings and nosecone shone silver in the light. His canopy was clean and scratch free, and even the small dings and scratches on the scientist’s plating were gone. Aside from needing a bit of touch up paint, Skyfire looked better than Cosmos had ever seen.
The scientist’s optics lit up at Cosmos’ soft steps and he gave the smaller mech a smile. “You made it.”
“We made it. But that was crazy.” The minibot crossed the room and climbed onto the larger mech’s berth. “I thought for sure you’d deactivated yourself.”
Skyfire wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close against his side. “Would have been worth it, if you made it away.”
“Not to me.” Cosmos looked up at him sadly. “You’re my best friend too, you know. And… and maybe more than that and you almost took away our chance to find out.”
“Oh, Cosmos.” The scientist tightened his grip on the minibot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I can’t say I would change what I did, even if I had known how you felt, but I didn’t want you to go through that.”
Cosmos took a moment to really think about that. “I suppose I understand. I still don’t like it. And you’d better not ever do something so stupid again!”
“Absolutely not,” Skyfire agreed. “It was a rather painful experience.”
“Okay then.” The scout adjusted himself so that he was comfortably nestled against Skyfire’s side.
Skyfire smiled and cycled back down into recharge. A moment later, Cosmos did the same.