Random Ficlet.
Whee! I feel posty this week. ^_^
Title Won’t Let Me Sleep
Characters Optimus, Sideswipe
Summary Oneshot. Finally returned to base after an extended battle, Optimus finds himself unable to simply drop into exhausted recharge. Going to the rec room, he finds he’s not the only one with this problem.
Author’s Note This is the kiriban requested by Haloson for being the 5000th hit on my DA page. The request was Optimus/Sideswipe/Quiet Moment. 1700 words.
Optimus tossed the last datapad on the stack. He leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. He stretched out joints that had been held in one position for too long. Wires and cables stretched tight, and he released a mighty groan from his engine. His long legs reached under the table and his feet stuck out the other side of the desk. He shook his legs, getting the last bit of ache out of them and then gathered his feet under him and shoved himself up.
He walked out of his office, still too riled up from the battle only a megacycle earlier to head straight for his berth. He decided to see if anyone was still in the rec room, though most of the crew should have been in recharge. They had stayed on the battlefield for over a metacycle, until the Decepticon forces had retreated back to their headquarters.
The Autobots had rolled home, aching and exhausted. Optimus had even carried quite a few injured mechs in his trailer, with Ratchet stepping around and over their legs. Prowl, ever efficient, had done the best that he could in organizing the remains of the unit to cover shifts and patrols, before he succumbed to exhaustion, at the insistence of Jazz. Optimus had no doubt that Prowl would have otherwise remained at least until Optimus had left, if not even after that.
Of course, had Prowl remained, they likely would have gotten through the work twice as fast together, as Optimus did by himself. But he wouldn't begrudge the tactician his rest.
His steps sounded loud in the quiet of the base. He passed only one other mech in the halls, and the exhausted mech nodded bare acknowledgments as he made his rounds. Optimus didn’t stop for more pleasantries, eager for a relaxing cube before he headed to recharge.
Lights flickered in the dimmed rec room, a bright white reflecting off the wall.
Optimus turned toward the consoles adjacent to the near wall. Most of the screens sat in darkened sleep mode, but one flickered and flashed with images moving across it. Sideswipe hunched in his seat, feet pulled under his chair, fingers flicking over the keyboard to move his character.
“Hello, Sideswipe,” Optimus said as he walked past the mech.
Sideswipe wordlessly lifted an arm, hand flapping at the wrist. He didn’t even look away from the screen, blue optics intent on his character racing through the streets.
Optimus retrieved a cube, filling it with energon that warmed his hand through the cube. He sauntered over to the consoles and sat down a space away from the red mech. He activated the console, pulling up the news feed for any new transcriptions from the rest of Cybertron. He read through senator statements on the war, not even able to conjure up any energy to be angered by their disregard for the danger the Decepticons presented.
Disgusted by what he found, Optimus found his gaze wandering over to the red mech next to him. “I’m surprised to see you still online. I would have thought you would have no problems going into recharge.”
Sideswipe shrugged indifferently. “Sunstreaker’s still in the medbay.”
Optimus belatedly realized that, yes, he did remember reading that the golden Toughline had been one of the mechs that would require an extended stay in the medbay. He wanted to smack himself for forgetting that. He should have known that, and from the way Sideswipe’s mouth tilted down he seemed to think so too.
“Do you know what his status is at the moment?” Already certain of the answer, Optimus pinged the medic on call and waited for a response.
“He’s alive.” No indifferent shrug, but the blue optics dimmed and his character crashed into a building, telling how deeply he feared for his brother.
Haze answered, chipper voice a welcome respite to the overwhelming silence of the rec room. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“I was wondering if there has been any change in Sunstreaker's status?”
Haze was silent while she researched his information. Optimus stared at the screen, patiently waiting for the junior medic to come back on the line. “Sir? He’s currently in the O.R., with Hacksaw. He says they’ll be done within the cycle.”
Optimus gave Sideswipe a long, searching look. The normally observant warrior seemed oblivious to his leader’s scrutiny.
“How much trouble would it be to allow him a visitor when he comes out?”
Haze didn’t quite sputter, allowing a buzz through the line to show her surprise. “Well, I suppose as long as it’s cleared with the senior medic on duty, it’s okay for you to see-“
“Oh, not me, Haze. I was thinking of someone else.”
By all appearances, Sideswipe remained ignorant to Optimus’ scrutiny.
“Well, he’ll be in the recovery room for observation at least a joor. I suppose someone could sit with him if they wanted.” Her tone scorned anyone who could possibly want to hang around the golden warrior. It conveyed the general opinion for the mech’s well-being; a sad state for one who fights on the front line and is normally one of the last to leave the battle.
“I’m certain I know of someone. Contact me when he is cleared for visitors.”
Optimus watched the warrior for a moment longer before turning back to his screen. “Sunstreaker’s currently in surgery. He’ll be out in approximately a cycle.” He scanned the news feeds for any actual good news. Having only just come from the battle that seemed to be the current happening, he wanted something to brighten his mood before he headed to recharge.
Sideswipe shifted in his seat, his gaze heavy against Optimus’ sensors. Surprise radiated from the mech, clearly not expecting an update of any sort until his brother walked through the doors. “Thanks,” he said after half a breem of silence.
Optimus tilted his head toward the warrior in acknowledgment.
They sat there in silence: Optimus staring at the screen, but not really seeing it; Sideswipe continuing his game, but obviously distracted by his commander.
Suddenly, Sideswipe stood, and leaned over, shoving Optimus’ arm out of the way and keying in commands with deft fingers. He closed out of the news feed Optimus had been scanning, and activated one of the entertainment programs.
“What are you doing?” Optimus asked, surprised by this unexpectedly rude behavior..
A devilish grin curved the Toughline’s mouth, optics narrowed and challenging. “What? Don’t think you can beat me in a round of Street Racer?”
Optimus was silent for a moment before he managed an answer. His optics narrowed to hide the smile lighting his eyes. “I can take anything you try to portion out.”
Sideswipe sat back down and logged onto the versus mode to challenge Optimus.
The Commander of the Autobot forces selected a Sleektilt to counter his opponent’s Speedline, opting for maneuverability over speed. They raced, Sideswipe taunting his leader as they wove their way through the virtual city. Optimus didn't make a sound as he worked through one of the tough obstacle courses on the stage. He heard Sideswipe crash quite a few times, obviously the warrior was too busy watching his opponent's screen rather than his own.
Sideswipe made a sound of protest when Optimus' avatar crossed the finish line first, and he banged a fist against console.
Optimus turned to the warrior, a reprimand on his vocalizer when Sideswipe suddenly spun about to level another challenging stare at him.
“Best two out three?”
Optimus laughed, and accepted the challenge.
Two out of three became three out of five, until they simply lost track of the scoring (well, perhaps Sideswipe hadn't).
Then Optimus' communicator chirped. He jumped, startled out of the game, sending his poor Convoy hurtling over an edge while the tiny Rollerbug it had been chasing careened its way down the street. “Yes?” He didn't quite manage to keep the edge of irritation out of his vocalizer when he answered his comm.
“Uh, sir?” Haze sounded startled by her commander's sudden snappishness, stuttering over her words. “You, uh, asked me to let you know when Sunstreaker was cleared for visitors? Hacksaw said that it's okay as long as they stay out of the way.”
Optimus blinked, straightening as he recalled the message he'd relayed earlier. “I'll make sure that is thoroughly understood. Thank you, Haze.”
“Is everything okay, Optimus?”
The Convoy turned to regard the red mech watching him. Sideswipe stared at him, game forgotten as he watched his commander with a small measure of concern.
Optimus closed out of the console. “Yes, Sideswipe. I was thinking you need to recharge.”
The red mech's optics flashed, and he jerked his chin up. “I'm not getting any recharge until I see Sunstreaker.”
Optimus' engine gave a small rev, hidden by the hum of hydraulics as he stood. “Come with me.”
Sideswipe opened his mouth, ready to protest, but his lip only curled into a sneer and he obediently followed Optimus out of the rec room. Optimus headed toward the living quarters, amused by Sideswipe's souring temper.
The red mech's steps slowly grew harsher and harsher in the empty hallways.
One of the entrances to the medbay lay between the quarters and rec room, and Optimus didn't stop as he stepped through the doors. He did pause after, noticing that the red mech had stopped at the entrance.
Sideswipe stared blankly at Optimus, looking as though he was just about to walk into a den of ravenous cyberwolves.
Optimus casually turned to face the mech. “Afraid of a few little medics?”
Haze frowned from the drawers she sorted through. “Little?” The Leancross straightened to her full height, her head scraping the ceiling. “Why is he here?” she asked, noticing Sideswipe standing by the entrance.
“Ratchet's not little,” Sideswipe monotoned, glaring at the large junior medic.
Optimus chuckled. “Sideswipe's going to sit with Sunstreaker for a little bit, Haze.” He leveled a speaking look at Sideswipe. “Sideswipe won't cause any problems or get in the way.”
Sideswipe's head whipped toward Optimus in surprise, and his mouth fell open. “N-no, of course not.” A faltering smile pulled at his mouth, and his optics sought out his brother.
Optimus nodded sagely, stepping toward the entrance. “I didn't think you would.”
“Not him! He shouldn't be here”
Optimus pat Sideswipe on the shoulder, pushing the red mech farther into the medbay. “Go sit with your brother.”
“Ratchet is going to blow a fuse!”
“He can direct any problems to me.” Optimus waved farewell as the door closed on the sputtering medic.
But he didn't miss the warrior's grin.
This would be one of the times he loved his job. Now he could recharge in peace.
-Fin-
Title Won’t Let Me Sleep
Characters Optimus, Sideswipe
Summary Oneshot. Finally returned to base after an extended battle, Optimus finds himself unable to simply drop into exhausted recharge. Going to the rec room, he finds he’s not the only one with this problem.
Author’s Note This is the kiriban requested by Haloson for being the 5000th hit on my DA page. The request was Optimus/Sideswipe/Quiet Moment. 1700 words.
Optimus tossed the last datapad on the stack. He leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. He stretched out joints that had been held in one position for too long. Wires and cables stretched tight, and he released a mighty groan from his engine. His long legs reached under the table and his feet stuck out the other side of the desk. He shook his legs, getting the last bit of ache out of them and then gathered his feet under him and shoved himself up.
He walked out of his office, still too riled up from the battle only a megacycle earlier to head straight for his berth. He decided to see if anyone was still in the rec room, though most of the crew should have been in recharge. They had stayed on the battlefield for over a metacycle, until the Decepticon forces had retreated back to their headquarters.
The Autobots had rolled home, aching and exhausted. Optimus had even carried quite a few injured mechs in his trailer, with Ratchet stepping around and over their legs. Prowl, ever efficient, had done the best that he could in organizing the remains of the unit to cover shifts and patrols, before he succumbed to exhaustion, at the insistence of Jazz. Optimus had no doubt that Prowl would have otherwise remained at least until Optimus had left, if not even after that.
Of course, had Prowl remained, they likely would have gotten through the work twice as fast together, as Optimus did by himself. But he wouldn't begrudge the tactician his rest.
His steps sounded loud in the quiet of the base. He passed only one other mech in the halls, and the exhausted mech nodded bare acknowledgments as he made his rounds. Optimus didn’t stop for more pleasantries, eager for a relaxing cube before he headed to recharge.
Lights flickered in the dimmed rec room, a bright white reflecting off the wall.
Optimus turned toward the consoles adjacent to the near wall. Most of the screens sat in darkened sleep mode, but one flickered and flashed with images moving across it. Sideswipe hunched in his seat, feet pulled under his chair, fingers flicking over the keyboard to move his character.
“Hello, Sideswipe,” Optimus said as he walked past the mech.
Sideswipe wordlessly lifted an arm, hand flapping at the wrist. He didn’t even look away from the screen, blue optics intent on his character racing through the streets.
Optimus retrieved a cube, filling it with energon that warmed his hand through the cube. He sauntered over to the consoles and sat down a space away from the red mech. He activated the console, pulling up the news feed for any new transcriptions from the rest of Cybertron. He read through senator statements on the war, not even able to conjure up any energy to be angered by their disregard for the danger the Decepticons presented.
Disgusted by what he found, Optimus found his gaze wandering over to the red mech next to him. “I’m surprised to see you still online. I would have thought you would have no problems going into recharge.”
Sideswipe shrugged indifferently. “Sunstreaker’s still in the medbay.”
Optimus belatedly realized that, yes, he did remember reading that the golden Toughline had been one of the mechs that would require an extended stay in the medbay. He wanted to smack himself for forgetting that. He should have known that, and from the way Sideswipe’s mouth tilted down he seemed to think so too.
“Do you know what his status is at the moment?” Already certain of the answer, Optimus pinged the medic on call and waited for a response.
“He’s alive.” No indifferent shrug, but the blue optics dimmed and his character crashed into a building, telling how deeply he feared for his brother.
Haze answered, chipper voice a welcome respite to the overwhelming silence of the rec room. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“I was wondering if there has been any change in Sunstreaker's status?”
Haze was silent while she researched his information. Optimus stared at the screen, patiently waiting for the junior medic to come back on the line. “Sir? He’s currently in the O.R., with Hacksaw. He says they’ll be done within the cycle.”
Optimus gave Sideswipe a long, searching look. The normally observant warrior seemed oblivious to his leader’s scrutiny.
“How much trouble would it be to allow him a visitor when he comes out?”
Haze didn’t quite sputter, allowing a buzz through the line to show her surprise. “Well, I suppose as long as it’s cleared with the senior medic on duty, it’s okay for you to see-“
“Oh, not me, Haze. I was thinking of someone else.”
By all appearances, Sideswipe remained ignorant to Optimus’ scrutiny.
“Well, he’ll be in the recovery room for observation at least a joor. I suppose someone could sit with him if they wanted.” Her tone scorned anyone who could possibly want to hang around the golden warrior. It conveyed the general opinion for the mech’s well-being; a sad state for one who fights on the front line and is normally one of the last to leave the battle.
“I’m certain I know of someone. Contact me when he is cleared for visitors.”
Optimus watched the warrior for a moment longer before turning back to his screen. “Sunstreaker’s currently in surgery. He’ll be out in approximately a cycle.” He scanned the news feeds for any actual good news. Having only just come from the battle that seemed to be the current happening, he wanted something to brighten his mood before he headed to recharge.
Sideswipe shifted in his seat, his gaze heavy against Optimus’ sensors. Surprise radiated from the mech, clearly not expecting an update of any sort until his brother walked through the doors. “Thanks,” he said after half a breem of silence.
Optimus tilted his head toward the warrior in acknowledgment.
They sat there in silence: Optimus staring at the screen, but not really seeing it; Sideswipe continuing his game, but obviously distracted by his commander.
Suddenly, Sideswipe stood, and leaned over, shoving Optimus’ arm out of the way and keying in commands with deft fingers. He closed out of the news feed Optimus had been scanning, and activated one of the entertainment programs.
“What are you doing?” Optimus asked, surprised by this unexpectedly rude behavior..
A devilish grin curved the Toughline’s mouth, optics narrowed and challenging. “What? Don’t think you can beat me in a round of Street Racer?”
Optimus was silent for a moment before he managed an answer. His optics narrowed to hide the smile lighting his eyes. “I can take anything you try to portion out.”
Sideswipe sat back down and logged onto the versus mode to challenge Optimus.
The Commander of the Autobot forces selected a Sleektilt to counter his opponent’s Speedline, opting for maneuverability over speed. They raced, Sideswipe taunting his leader as they wove their way through the virtual city. Optimus didn't make a sound as he worked through one of the tough obstacle courses on the stage. He heard Sideswipe crash quite a few times, obviously the warrior was too busy watching his opponent's screen rather than his own.
Sideswipe made a sound of protest when Optimus' avatar crossed the finish line first, and he banged a fist against console.
Optimus turned to the warrior, a reprimand on his vocalizer when Sideswipe suddenly spun about to level another challenging stare at him.
“Best two out three?”
Optimus laughed, and accepted the challenge.
Two out of three became three out of five, until they simply lost track of the scoring (well, perhaps Sideswipe hadn't).
Then Optimus' communicator chirped. He jumped, startled out of the game, sending his poor Convoy hurtling over an edge while the tiny Rollerbug it had been chasing careened its way down the street. “Yes?” He didn't quite manage to keep the edge of irritation out of his vocalizer when he answered his comm.
“Uh, sir?” Haze sounded startled by her commander's sudden snappishness, stuttering over her words. “You, uh, asked me to let you know when Sunstreaker was cleared for visitors? Hacksaw said that it's okay as long as they stay out of the way.”
Optimus blinked, straightening as he recalled the message he'd relayed earlier. “I'll make sure that is thoroughly understood. Thank you, Haze.”
“Is everything okay, Optimus?”
The Convoy turned to regard the red mech watching him. Sideswipe stared at him, game forgotten as he watched his commander with a small measure of concern.
Optimus closed out of the console. “Yes, Sideswipe. I was thinking you need to recharge.”
The red mech's optics flashed, and he jerked his chin up. “I'm not getting any recharge until I see Sunstreaker.”
Optimus' engine gave a small rev, hidden by the hum of hydraulics as he stood. “Come with me.”
Sideswipe opened his mouth, ready to protest, but his lip only curled into a sneer and he obediently followed Optimus out of the rec room. Optimus headed toward the living quarters, amused by Sideswipe's souring temper.
The red mech's steps slowly grew harsher and harsher in the empty hallways.
One of the entrances to the medbay lay between the quarters and rec room, and Optimus didn't stop as he stepped through the doors. He did pause after, noticing that the red mech had stopped at the entrance.
Sideswipe stared blankly at Optimus, looking as though he was just about to walk into a den of ravenous cyberwolves.
Optimus casually turned to face the mech. “Afraid of a few little medics?”
Haze frowned from the drawers she sorted through. “Little?” The Leancross straightened to her full height, her head scraping the ceiling. “Why is he here?” she asked, noticing Sideswipe standing by the entrance.
“Ratchet's not little,” Sideswipe monotoned, glaring at the large junior medic.
Optimus chuckled. “Sideswipe's going to sit with Sunstreaker for a little bit, Haze.” He leveled a speaking look at Sideswipe. “Sideswipe won't cause any problems or get in the way.”
Sideswipe's head whipped toward Optimus in surprise, and his mouth fell open. “N-no, of course not.” A faltering smile pulled at his mouth, and his optics sought out his brother.
Optimus nodded sagely, stepping toward the entrance. “I didn't think you would.”
“Not him! He shouldn't be here”
Optimus pat Sideswipe on the shoulder, pushing the red mech farther into the medbay. “Go sit with your brother.”
“Ratchet is going to blow a fuse!”
“He can direct any problems to me.” Optimus waved farewell as the door closed on the sputtering medic.
But he didn't miss the warrior's grin.
This would be one of the times he loved his job. Now he could recharge in peace.
-Fin-