TF: Family
Rating: PG
Series: G1
Pairings: None
Summary: Red Alert’s missing something, and he’s been looking for it for a long time.
Warnings: None
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: Written for the tf_rare_pairing prompt - Sideswipe/Red Alert - Little Brother. Yeah, okay, evidently you can’t have Sideswipe without having Sunstreaker.
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
“But why?” Two voices echoed as one.
“Because I said so.”
“But…”
“But nothing. You can’t do that, because you might injure yourself, and I’m responsible for you, so it’s my job to make sure nothing happens to you.” Sideswipe pouted. Sunstreaker stuck his nose in the air.
“You’re no fun, Red.” Red Alert shook his head. He didn’t care that he wasn’t ‘fun’. Their parents had entrusted him with the Twins’ wellbeing while they were gone on their business trip, and Red Alert was determined to live up to his parents’ belief in him. Determined to protect his little brothers.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Over the years, he’d lost track of them. After their creators had been killed in a freak transport accident, they’d been separated, sent to different foster homes because of their ages. He’d tried his best to find them, and had succeeded for a few years, but when they were transferred out of the last adoption center due to bad behavior, he hadn’t been able to find where they’d been sent.
He had a nice settled job when he heard of his brothers again. He’d found a job with a small security form that dealt with intruder systems. Strange, he always thought, how he was able to protect everyone except those who had mattered most to him. He hadn’t been able to protect his parents. And he certainly hadn’t been able to protect his little brothers. If he had, he imagined they’d be living happily in his small apartment. The Twins would be approaching maturity now, and he had always thought they’d be stunningly attractive mechs when they had their final frame upgrades. But he didn’t know. He had no idea what they looked like. No idea if they even remembered who he was.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Hey, Red. Fancy going ta see the games this evening?” Inferno lounged against his office door. How a mech as large as Inferno could lounge like he did, Red Alert really wasn’t sure.
“You know I’m not really interested in that Inferno.” Red Alert sighed. His friend was consistently trying to get him to be more social. But Red Alert didn’t want to be social. He hadn’t really made many friends since his creators had died. But Inferno had persevered, and they’d become good friends.
“There are a couple a new fighters I’d like ta see.” Inferno carried on as though Red Alert hadn’t spoken. “Fight as a team, which is weird.”
“A team?” That drew Red Alert’s attention away fully from his work.
“Yeah, all sorts a strange rumors surrounding them. ‘pparently they just appeared from nowhere.”
“They can’t have appeared from nowhere.” Red Alert frowned. “They have to have some history.”
“None that anyone’s managed to find out yet.” Inferno shrugged. “Come an’ see them with me?” he asked again, knowing that he would have intrigued Red Alert by now.
“Fine.” Red Alert saved his work, filed away his datapads and stood up, ignoring Inferno’s wide smile.
“Ya know you’ll enjoy yerself Red. I even promise ta buy ya some of them treats ya like so much.” Trust Inferno to bribe him as well, Red Alert thought as he followed Inferno out of the building and towards the arena.
Red Alert almost dropped his energon treat as the two mechs strode out into the arena. He didn’t recognise them, but his spark did. He leant closer, ignoring Inferno’s jibe about how he knew Red would be interested by them. He scrabbled for the program datapad Inferno had bought, scrolling to the page with their information on it.
Roadrage and Fulltilt, fearsome warrior twins.
Born from nothing, these two have everything to achieve, and they certainly mean to do that.
Coming from the slums, these two have made a meteoric rise in the ranks of gladiators.
So far this year they’ve had…
… the program proclaimed, listing their victories so far this season.
“Sunstreaker, Sideswipe…” Red Alert traced his finger over the names in the program, knowing them to be false. This was why he hadn’t been able to find them. He hadn’t thought they’d change their names, create new lives for themselves.
“Red?” Inferno looked at his friend, concerned now. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to see them.”
“You’re seeing them now.”
“No, after this…” His optics flicked worriedly back to the arena where their opponents were now entering. If they survived the fight. “I have to meet them.”
“Why?” Inferno asked. Red Alert started to explain, but his words were lost in the roar of the crowd as the fight began.
“This way.” Inferno hadn’t heard much of Red Alert’s explanation, but he could see the determination in Red Alert’s face. If his friend wanted to meet these gladiators, well then, Inferno was going to see to it that he met them. Red Alert moved behind Inferno, content to let the larger mech clear the way. Before he knew it, they were outside the pit entrance, where the gladiators gathered to meet their fans.
The gladiators were swamped by their fans, and it took a while for Inferno and Red Alert to get near them. As they were waiting, Inferno got more and more worried about his friend. Red Alert had one hand on his chest plating, over his spark. He’d never seen Red Alert do that before.
“You okay, Red?”
“I will be.” Red Alert nodded, giving Inferno a shaky smile.
When they finally got close, Red Alert fell silent. Inferno, always the more confident of the two friends introduced themselves.
“Fulltilt, Roadrage, this here’s Red…”
“Alert.” Fulltilt finished off, confusing Inferno. “Is it really you?” Red Alert nodded, unable to speak for a moment.
“It’s me.” He confirmed. “I looked everywhere for you, but I couldn’t find you.”
“We thought you’d deserted us.” Roadrage put it.
“I would never… Sunstreaker… you have to believe me.” Red Alert’s face was earnest as he stared up at the two gladiators.
“I kept an optic on you when we were in different homes. When you left, I lost track of you. I searched everywhere…”
“We changed our name because we thought everything in our past was gone.” Fulltilt explained. Red Alert nodded.
“I would never desert you Sideswipe, never desert either of you.”
“Er… Red?” Inferno interrupted, looking very confused. Red Alert turned to face him, a proud smile on his face.
“Inferno, let me introduce you to my little brothers…”