Concerning An Unexpected Conversation
Title: Concerning An Unexpected Conversation
Verse: G1
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Skyfire, Perceptor, Red Alert; One sided Red AlertxSkyfire
Word Count: 1,465
Warnings: None.
Summary: Skyfire just can't seem to concentrate on his work today.
Series: Concerning Skyfire's Unfortunate Courtship
Concerning Unneeded Inspections (Part 1), Concerning Unneeded Surveillance (Part 2), Concerning Much Needed Advice (Part 3), Concerning Several Related Incidents (Part 4), Concerning Several Related Incidents (Part 4-Side Fic) By Odd_Stick. , Concerning A Human Tradition (Part 5), Concerning A Deal (Part 6), Concerning A First Date (Part 7), Concerning A Good-Natured Betrayal (Part 8), Concerning An Unexpected Conversation (Part 9)
Notes: Wow, this is so long overdue, it's not even funny. o_o
Never a moment’s peace, not in the Ark, not even in his own mind. Considering Skyfire had recently seemed to have lost his stalker, this may have seemed an odd thing, but now more than ever, the flier’s thoughts were not where he wanted them to be.
Right now, working in his lab, he found himself no longer plagued by the sounds of security cameras adjusting to watch his movements or the feeling of optics boring holes through his plating. He was sure he was still being watched of course, but it seemed that the mad obsession that had previously belonged to a certain Lamborghini had calmed down. So why, oh why, could he still not concentrate upon his work?
Before him on a table lay a large number of Petri dishes holding bacteria practically screaming to be observed under a microscope, yet each time he reached for one, a new distraction would pull at his mind. It was always the same distraction, though sometimes in different forms.
Why is Red not watching me anymore? Did he lose interest? Did he get scared? Oh I hope Mirage didn’t try to get back at him after that rag stunt… Would Hound let him do that though? Oh, I’m sure he’s fine. ….Maybe he thinks I hate him. Which I don’t of course, but I mean… I was pretty annoyed by the entire ordeal… But I didn’t mean to scare him off. Did I? I mean I don’t return the feelings, that would just be absurd. The mech tried to feel me up more than once for no reason! Although maybe he was just trying to hard… I mean what happened at the movies proves that-Oh damn it to the pit Skyfire, you have to FOCUS!
Skyfire took this opportunity to sharply smack his forehead into his palm. “I’ve got to stop.” He groaned.
“Stop what? To me it looks like you’ve hardly begun.” Perceptor piped up from across the table, his typical good-natured smile playing at his lips.
“That’s just the problem Perceptor.” Skyfire sighed, shoulders drooping as he leaned into the table. “I can’t seem to concentrate long enough to begin anything!”
“By chance, do you have something on your mind?” the science mech asked.
“I suppose it’s easy to see, isn’t it?”
“The staring blankly at the bacteria and the array of expressions gave it away rather quickly.”
“That would do it, wouldn’t it?” Skyfire muttered, poking one of the dishes with the tip of a large finger. “How am I supposed to work when my mind is at war over a topic I really don’t want to think about?”
“The answer is rather simple my friend. You don’t.” Perceptor replied. “Think of it as a spot of rust. The more you try to ignore it, the bigger the spot gets. The best way to get rid of the thoughts is to address them!”
Skyfire groaned and buried his face in his hands. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
Perceptor chuckled lightly and made his way around the work table. “How about you take a break, hm? Find a mindless job that will give you time to think without feeling like you need to be doing something?” He suggested, patting his large friend on the arm.
“Like what?”
“Monitor duty!”
Skyfire turned skeptical optics on his friend. “You do understand that is the primary home of the source of my thoughts, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” Perceptor said, smiling. “But at this moment, someone else is on duty and I’m sure that they’d be happy to trade with you.”
“Who?”
“Sideswipe.”
“Oh.”
“Mhmm.”
Skyfire watched Perceptor a moment longer, swearing that for just a brief moment, he saw scheming in those blue optics of his. Then of course, he remembered this was Perceptor and dismissed the thought. “Thank you Perceptor, I… I think I will try that. Hopefully by the end of the shift I’ll have my head clear and be back to help you with our research.”
“Oh, take your time Skyfire.” Perceptor said, waving a hand at him as if to shoo him out the door. “After all, this is a delicate process. We want you at full processing power, so take all the time you need to clear your head.”
Needless to say, the moment Skyfire stepped into the monitor room, he knew he’d been duped by his best friend.
Red Alert sat in his chair, optics fixated on a screen, his back to Skyfire, unmoving. Had his finger not twitched once on the keyboard, the flier would have been sure that he had frozen.
“Uh… Sorry Red Alert…” Skyfire coughed uneasily, not entirely comfortable with coming face to face with the source of his mental stress. “Perceptor told me that Sideswipe was on duty.”
Red Alert respond, optics still focused on the screen that showed the door into the very room they were seated in. That certainly explained why he hadn’t jumped when the door opened…
Skyfire shifted uneasily in the doorway, waiting for some response. “I thought I should come and offer to take his shift…. But uh… Since you’re already here, maybe I should just go-“
“It’s strange.” Red Alert suddenly said, his voice louder than usual as if clinging to mad some idea. “I keep seeing shadows, twisting and moving throughout the Ark.”
Skyfire’s optics flickered slightly. “What do you-“
“They aren’t really there I suppose. Just my optics playing tricks on me, playing on my fears.” Red Alert continued as if the flier hadn’t said a word. “Nothing on motion sensors or the thermal sensors or anything else for that matter. I think its ghosts, but honestly, why would they be here? No humans have died here that we have record of and our kind don’t seem to take on spectral forms, at least not that I’ve ever heard of.”
“Red, is this about that movie? Listen, it’s going to be okay… If you’re getting spooked by the shadows, why not go outside for a bit?” Skyfire suggested, taking a step toward the distressed Security Director.
Sadly, Red Alert just continued on as if the other mech had said nothing. “I suppose I’m the problem. I always am. The weak link, right?” he said, his voice high, like he was struggling to get the words out. “I don’t think they ever truly worked out that glitch I had. I’m crazy I suppose. It makes sense, after all, I’ve done some crazy things. Like when I tackled you? I don’t know what I was thinking… And all the other things I’ve done to you? I’m sorry Skyfire, I really am… I just…. Oh I don’t know, you just made me feel safe! That’s something I never feel! I-It was just so wonderful and-“
Red Alert’s words stopped abruptly when Skyfire put an arm around the smaller mech’s shoulder and knelt down beside him. For the first time since he entered the room, Red Alert actually looked at him, the distressed look in his optics slowly fading. “Red, it’s okay, you’re fine. You aren’t glitched anymore.” He said softly, his own distressed thoughts dissipating suddenly. “You’ve just been working too hard and that movie has got you on edge.”
Red Alert stared up at the mech, still towering over him even though he was kneeling on the floor. “Y-Yes… I suppose…”
“I actually came down here with the intent of getting away, but I think that’s actually what you need.” Skyfire suggested gently.
Red Alert’s head drooped so he was staring at his lap. He gave a meager nod.
“Come on, let’s go for a walk outside of the Ark then.” Skyfire suggested, nudging the Security Director.
“B-But what about my shift?” Red Alert asked, turning pleading optics on the mech next to him. He obviously was struggling with his need to never abandon his post.
“I’ll call in Wheeljack to take over. I figure he owes me.” Skyfire told him, smiling.
Red Alert nodded slowly. “Okay…”
“We’ll leave when he gets here so the Ark isn’t vunerable for a moment.” Skyfire continued.
Red Alert nodded again, looking almost numb to the situation present before him. For several moments he remained silent while the bot beside him alerted Wheeljack. Then, he turned his gaze upwards toward the mech of his affections, his optics lightening slightly. “Skyfire?”
“Yes, Red?”
“Could we… Um… Could you maybe take me flying later?”
Skyfire shuttered his optics once in surprise. “I thought you hated flying.”
“With you it feels safe…” Red Alert admitted softly once more.
The flier, once so completely against the Security Director’s presence taken in even the smallest doses, now couldn’t help but smile down at him. “Sure, I’d be happy to take you flying.”
Verse: G1
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Skyfire, Perceptor, Red Alert; One sided Red AlertxSkyfire
Word Count: 1,465
Warnings: None.
Summary: Skyfire just can't seem to concentrate on his work today.
Series: Concerning Skyfire's Unfortunate Courtship
Concerning Unneeded Inspections (Part 1), Concerning Unneeded Surveillance (Part 2), Concerning Much Needed Advice (Part 3), Concerning Several Related Incidents (Part 4), Concerning Several Related Incidents (Part 4-Side Fic) By Odd_Stick. , Concerning A Human Tradition (Part 5), Concerning A Deal (Part 6), Concerning A First Date (Part 7), Concerning A Good-Natured Betrayal (Part 8), Concerning An Unexpected Conversation (Part 9)
Notes: Wow, this is so long overdue, it's not even funny. o_o
Never a moment’s peace, not in the Ark, not even in his own mind. Considering Skyfire had recently seemed to have lost his stalker, this may have seemed an odd thing, but now more than ever, the flier’s thoughts were not where he wanted them to be.
Right now, working in his lab, he found himself no longer plagued by the sounds of security cameras adjusting to watch his movements or the feeling of optics boring holes through his plating. He was sure he was still being watched of course, but it seemed that the mad obsession that had previously belonged to a certain Lamborghini had calmed down. So why, oh why, could he still not concentrate upon his work?
Before him on a table lay a large number of Petri dishes holding bacteria practically screaming to be observed under a microscope, yet each time he reached for one, a new distraction would pull at his mind. It was always the same distraction, though sometimes in different forms.
Why is Red not watching me anymore? Did he lose interest? Did he get scared? Oh I hope Mirage didn’t try to get back at him after that rag stunt… Would Hound let him do that though? Oh, I’m sure he’s fine. ….Maybe he thinks I hate him. Which I don’t of course, but I mean… I was pretty annoyed by the entire ordeal… But I didn’t mean to scare him off. Did I? I mean I don’t return the feelings, that would just be absurd. The mech tried to feel me up more than once for no reason! Although maybe he was just trying to hard… I mean what happened at the movies proves that-Oh damn it to the pit Skyfire, you have to FOCUS!
Skyfire took this opportunity to sharply smack his forehead into his palm. “I’ve got to stop.” He groaned.
“Stop what? To me it looks like you’ve hardly begun.” Perceptor piped up from across the table, his typical good-natured smile playing at his lips.
“That’s just the problem Perceptor.” Skyfire sighed, shoulders drooping as he leaned into the table. “I can’t seem to concentrate long enough to begin anything!”
“By chance, do you have something on your mind?” the science mech asked.
“I suppose it’s easy to see, isn’t it?”
“The staring blankly at the bacteria and the array of expressions gave it away rather quickly.”
“That would do it, wouldn’t it?” Skyfire muttered, poking one of the dishes with the tip of a large finger. “How am I supposed to work when my mind is at war over a topic I really don’t want to think about?”
“The answer is rather simple my friend. You don’t.” Perceptor replied. “Think of it as a spot of rust. The more you try to ignore it, the bigger the spot gets. The best way to get rid of the thoughts is to address them!”
Skyfire groaned and buried his face in his hands. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
Perceptor chuckled lightly and made his way around the work table. “How about you take a break, hm? Find a mindless job that will give you time to think without feeling like you need to be doing something?” He suggested, patting his large friend on the arm.
“Like what?”
“Monitor duty!”
Skyfire turned skeptical optics on his friend. “You do understand that is the primary home of the source of my thoughts, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” Perceptor said, smiling. “But at this moment, someone else is on duty and I’m sure that they’d be happy to trade with you.”
“Who?”
“Sideswipe.”
“Oh.”
“Mhmm.”
Skyfire watched Perceptor a moment longer, swearing that for just a brief moment, he saw scheming in those blue optics of his. Then of course, he remembered this was Perceptor and dismissed the thought. “Thank you Perceptor, I… I think I will try that. Hopefully by the end of the shift I’ll have my head clear and be back to help you with our research.”
“Oh, take your time Skyfire.” Perceptor said, waving a hand at him as if to shoo him out the door. “After all, this is a delicate process. We want you at full processing power, so take all the time you need to clear your head.”
Needless to say, the moment Skyfire stepped into the monitor room, he knew he’d been duped by his best friend.
Red Alert sat in his chair, optics fixated on a screen, his back to Skyfire, unmoving. Had his finger not twitched once on the keyboard, the flier would have been sure that he had frozen.
“Uh… Sorry Red Alert…” Skyfire coughed uneasily, not entirely comfortable with coming face to face with the source of his mental stress. “Perceptor told me that Sideswipe was on duty.”
Red Alert respond, optics still focused on the screen that showed the door into the very room they were seated in. That certainly explained why he hadn’t jumped when the door opened…
Skyfire shifted uneasily in the doorway, waiting for some response. “I thought I should come and offer to take his shift…. But uh… Since you’re already here, maybe I should just go-“
“It’s strange.” Red Alert suddenly said, his voice louder than usual as if clinging to mad some idea. “I keep seeing shadows, twisting and moving throughout the Ark.”
Skyfire’s optics flickered slightly. “What do you-“
“They aren’t really there I suppose. Just my optics playing tricks on me, playing on my fears.” Red Alert continued as if the flier hadn’t said a word. “Nothing on motion sensors or the thermal sensors or anything else for that matter. I think its ghosts, but honestly, why would they be here? No humans have died here that we have record of and our kind don’t seem to take on spectral forms, at least not that I’ve ever heard of.”
“Red, is this about that movie? Listen, it’s going to be okay… If you’re getting spooked by the shadows, why not go outside for a bit?” Skyfire suggested, taking a step toward the distressed Security Director.
Sadly, Red Alert just continued on as if the other mech had said nothing. “I suppose I’m the problem. I always am. The weak link, right?” he said, his voice high, like he was struggling to get the words out. “I don’t think they ever truly worked out that glitch I had. I’m crazy I suppose. It makes sense, after all, I’ve done some crazy things. Like when I tackled you? I don’t know what I was thinking… And all the other things I’ve done to you? I’m sorry Skyfire, I really am… I just…. Oh I don’t know, you just made me feel safe! That’s something I never feel! I-It was just so wonderful and-“
Red Alert’s words stopped abruptly when Skyfire put an arm around the smaller mech’s shoulder and knelt down beside him. For the first time since he entered the room, Red Alert actually looked at him, the distressed look in his optics slowly fading. “Red, it’s okay, you’re fine. You aren’t glitched anymore.” He said softly, his own distressed thoughts dissipating suddenly. “You’ve just been working too hard and that movie has got you on edge.”
Red Alert stared up at the mech, still towering over him even though he was kneeling on the floor. “Y-Yes… I suppose…”
“I actually came down here with the intent of getting away, but I think that’s actually what you need.” Skyfire suggested gently.
Red Alert’s head drooped so he was staring at his lap. He gave a meager nod.
“Come on, let’s go for a walk outside of the Ark then.” Skyfire suggested, nudging the Security Director.
“B-But what about my shift?” Red Alert asked, turning pleading optics on the mech next to him. He obviously was struggling with his need to never abandon his post.
“I’ll call in Wheeljack to take over. I figure he owes me.” Skyfire told him, smiling.
Red Alert nodded slowly. “Okay…”
“We’ll leave when he gets here so the Ark isn’t vunerable for a moment.” Skyfire continued.
Red Alert nodded again, looking almost numb to the situation present before him. For several moments he remained silent while the bot beside him alerted Wheeljack. Then, he turned his gaze upwards toward the mech of his affections, his optics lightening slightly. “Skyfire?”
“Yes, Red?”
“Could we… Um… Could you maybe take me flying later?”
Skyfire shuttered his optics once in surprise. “I thought you hated flying.”
“With you it feels safe…” Red Alert admitted softly once more.
The flier, once so completely against the Security Director’s presence taken in even the smallest doses, now couldn’t help but smile down at him. “Sure, I’d be happy to take you flying.”