Title: Battle Aftermath
Author: no_pen_writer
Claim: Protectobots
10_random prompt: Sacrifice
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: If I was Hasbro I wouldn't need fanfiction for my what if meanderings.
Spoilers/Warnings: Unbeta'd, a slightly off kilter Hot Spot
Author Notes: Set after
Prompt: Small and featuring Hot Spot and Silverbolt with mentions of their gestalt siblings.
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He onlined to the crack and dirty ceiling of an unknown building and the odd sensation of his cpu not really being connected to the rest of his frame. The fuzzy feeling should have made him panic a bit, but the feeling of his brothers in a deep recharge kept him from doing so, and thus from painfully removing the energon transfusion and other medical items he was now noticing and feeling distantly in his sensor net as being attached to him. And the quiet ticking of machines as they did what they needed to do until his cpu made a connection of something being wrong because he was alone in what was probably a make shift medbay and he needed to get up, right now and check on his brothers and see if they really were okay and not hiding things from him. Like they would sometimes do when he wasn’t repaired yet and he couldn’t be there to make them see Ratchet, and the ceiling shouldn’t really move like it was, and now everything was steady again.
Then there was a shifting sound in his audios and Hot Spot looked over expecting to see First Aid about to hover over him in that spark breaking way when he was scared but trying not to be when any of them had to stay in medbay. But, it wasn’t First Aid there, but Silverbolt. A very dent riddled and grime covered aerialbot at that, but it was someone familiar and Hot Spot liked talking with Silverbolt. Even though he was still trying to find Aid because that was still off until Silverbolt kept a hand on his shoulder to keep him down and sent a still image over the comm. lines showing Silverbolt’s brothers piled on top of his as if physically keeping them from doing anything but recharging. It was a funny and cute image that would make Slingshot have a small processor meltdown in embarrassment when he finds out Silverbolt had a picture of him cuddling Groove, and even though he could see the patches of new welds and dents that self repair had to take care of in everyone it was still comforting.
So why was he suddenly shaking and feeling like he was going to suddenly start crying and never stop? Though seeing Silverbolt give an understanding look didn’t make him try and stop and he could feel the echoes of that same fear he was feeling in his brothers and that was making it worse even as ‘bolt held his hand as he tried to shiver his own armor off his frame. As memory clips start playing of Bruticus appearing and how they had been separated and tried to fight and keep going but couldn’t before Hot Spot just got a hazy memory of feeling as if he was flying through the air and then sharp pain before nothing else until he onlined here.
Even though he didn’t say anything Hot Spot could see the words in Silverbolt’s optics and expression and he guessed Silver was seeing the same with him, because the question he wanted to ask but couldn’t make his vocalizer to say was seen and answered. Enough that he finally went back into recharge with a death grip on Silverbolt’s hand and the image of his brothers alive and well, and resting to keep the frightened feeling at bay.
It’s okay it was your first battle, you did well Hot Spot.
Does it ever go away Silver?
No, but you can ignore it after a while, that feeling of not wanting to go out again and fight, you'll learn how. Now get some rest Hot Spot.