TF: Bright Lights, Big City
Rating: PG-13
Series: G1
Pairings: None
Summary: Inferno finds himself in the big city, desperately looking for somewhere to stay. But who will help him?
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: For the tf_rare_pairing prompt: Flareup/Inferno - Wrong Address.
Because dammit, brain demanded, so fingers wrote… I am ashamed of nothing. Kudos to vejiraziel who (I think) first invented the idea of Flareup being Inferno’s (and Red Alert’s) sparkling. I keep reminding myself that rare pairings don’t always require a pairing in the conventional sense… *whistles*
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
“Shhh, it’s okay.” Inferno settled Flareup a little more securely against his chest plating. “Won’t be much longer, Firestar said we’d find somewhere here…” He looked around. Iacon was not was he was used to. It was bright and busy and the mechs wandering around looked busy and flashy. Inferno wasn’t a mech normally ashamed of his appearance, but at the moment, all he could do was feel dirty and out of place. Flareup squirmed, optics dimmed against the bright lights.
“I know, I know.” Inferno tucked her head against him, trying to shield her from the lights. She was tired and hungry, much like he was, and he knew he’d have to find somewhere soon.
He hit the chime on the door of the first address on the list Firestar had given him.
“Yes?” A haughty voice answered him through the door comm system.
“Er, yeah, hi. I’m Inferno, a friend a Firestar’s. She gave me your name, said you might be able to put me up fer a bit.”
“I’m sorry, I do believe you have the wrong address. I know no Firestar.” Inferno sagged against the door.
“Right, sorry ta have bothered ya.” He pushed away as he heard the click of the comm system being deactivated. Flareup whimpered.
“Okay, I know…” Inferno looked around for somewhere quiet and out of the way to sit down. He found a small alleyway, and settled himself against the wall, pulling out a small cube of energon.
“Now, ya can only have a little bit, least til I get some sort of job here…” He held out the cube to Flareup who grabbed at it with uncoordinated hands.
“Careful now.” He helped her hold the cube, tipping it up so she got a trickle of the energon left in the cube. When Inferno pulled the cube away, she cried out, trying to grab it back.
“I know ya want more darlin’, but I ain’t got much more than this.” His own tanks grumbled as if to remind him he’d spent his last credits on sparkling energon for her. “Once I find a place ta stay an’ a job, you’ll have all the energon ya want, I promise ya.” Flareup stared up at him, light blue optics wide and full of innocence. Inferno smiled, leaning down to kiss her nose.
“Now, why don’t ya see if ya can’t get a little rest? We can stay here fer a bit.” Inferno murmured, settling his sparkling and rocking her gently. He watched as her optics dimmed and offlined as she succumbed to recharge.
“Primus, what am I doing?” He muttered to himself. “Ya came all this way ta try and find a better future fer yerself, and look where ya are. Crouched in some alley while yer sparkling sleeps.” He vented a sigh and looked around, keeping an optic on the mechs walking by. The odd few let their optics meet his, most averted their optics as though he was beneath them. And that’s how he felt. Iacon was so glamorous compared to Kalis.
“Bright lights, big city.” He shook his head, glancing down to check on Flareup. When he’d first found out he’d sparked, he’d been petrified. It hadn’t helped that her co-creator denied any involvement and disappeared. Which, from the way Firestar had spoken, had probably been a good thing. Blackfire would have been found dismantled and greying if Firestar had had her way.
Shifting his grip on Flareup, he gazed down at her. When he’d found out he was sparked, there was no question of even attempting to reabsorb the spark into his own. And when Flareup had emerged, he’d been glad he hadn’t. Things had been hard though, losing his job because he had no one to care for Flareup, and no prospect of finding another in Kalis, which was already poverty-stricken. Firestar, his closest friend, had suggested he make the trip to Iacon and look for a job there, suggesting that the city was the best place, and there were likely to be sparkling centers where Flareup could be looked after while he was working. So he’d spent his savings on the transport to Iacon, his last few credits on some sparkling energon, and here he was. Crouching in an alleyway in a bustling city.
“Cut out the mopin’.” He muttered to himself, forcing himself to stand. “Ya ain’t gonna find somewhere ta stay hidin’ in an alley.” Stepping back out into the crowds, Inferno looked for the next address on his list.
He hit the chime on the door, standing back and waiting for the door to open. It did, and the mech there took one look at Inferno and particularly Flareup and slammed the door in their faceplates.
“Hi...” Inferno found himself talking to the closed door. “Well, that went well, didn’t it Flareup?” He murmured to his sparkling. “Perhaps the next address will give us better luck.” He didn’t hold out much hope. He’d known it would be hard. It had been hard back in Kalis, being a single creator without a job. But in Iacon, he’d been convinced he wouldn’t find the same prejudice. Yet here he was, not even worth a conversation because he had a sparkling. At least Flareup was still recharging. The journey had done much to disrupt the routines they’d established, and with little recharge and energon, she was cranky and whiny. So he was grateful that she was still sleeping.
“Okay darlin’, we’ve got two more on the list. Let’s hope the next one will be more reasonable.” He wasn’t after much... just a place to stay, a berth really. Just somewhere he could recharge and work out where he was going to go from here. They’d arrived late in the afternoon, and spent much of the early evening wandering Iacon to find the first address. It was getting late now, and Inferno was more than tired. And, if he admitted it to himself, he was beginning to question the wisdom of coming to Iacon. At least back in Kalis, he’d had space with Firestar once he’d been forced to move out of his apartment. But even then, he’d known he wouldn’t be able to stay there indefinitely. Firestar’s small apartment was too small for a mech his size and a growing sparkling.
He hit the chime on the door, and winced when it was answered with a high pitched voice.
“Yeah?”
“Hi, I’m a friend of Firestar’s and she gave me yer name… I’m hoping ta find somewhere ta stay for a few nights.”
“Firestar! Oh, how is she?” Inferno grimaced as the femme all but squealed Firestar’s name. Flareup, startled by the loud noise stared around wildly, trying to work out what had woken her up. “Wait, I’ll be right down to let you in. Any friend of Firestar’s is a friend of mine.” It was a matter of moments before the door slid open and Inferno found himself staring an electric blue femme.
“Hi, I’m… ooh, is that a sparkling?” She peered at Flareup and Inferno fought the urge to shield her.
“Yeah, her name’s Flareup.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t let you stay here…” She was apologetic and kept staring at Flareup.
“Ah… right…”
“It’s not me… it’s my partner… Kickjump just doesn’t like sparklings…” She closed the door without saying anything more and Inferno just stood there, staring at the closed door. Flareup, picking up on her carrier’s distress, patted his chestplates in an attempt at comfort.
“Thanks.” He smiled down at her, grinning as she chirped at him. “Yeah, I know we’ll find somewhere. There’s still another name left on this list…” He turned away from the door and had only gone a few steps before he heard the door slide open.
“Excuse me…” He turned round, one hand protectively shielding Flareup (who didn’t like that one bit). It was the femme from before.
“I know I can’t let you stay, but I hate having to turn you away without being able to help… so, here…” She held out a few cubes of energon and a credit chit.
“I can’t take that…” Inferno stared at the energon in her hands, his own tanks rumbling, reminding him exactly how long it’d been since he’d had something to eat.
“It’s not much, but I can’t not help a friend of Firestar.” She reached for his hand, placing the credit chit in it. “It should be enough for a room somewhere for tonight and some energon for the little one.” She smiled fondly at Flareup.
“I…”
“Please? Firestar was so good to me when we studied together, I’d like to be able to repay the favor by helping her friend.”
“Thanks.” Inferno nodded as Flareup made grabby motions at the energon. “Nah sweetlin’, that ain’t fer you.” He stowed the chit in his subspace and accepted the energon.
“Tell Firestar that I said hi. And I’m sorry I can’t help more.” She tickled Flareup under the chin and disappeared back inside. Inferno looked down at his sparkling.
“Well, ain’t that a piece a luck.” He juggled the cubes to store most of them, cracking one open and taking a long draught, feeling revitalised as the energon hit his tanks. “Looks like we’ve got enough for a place to stay tonight. Then we can see about checking out the rest a the list Firestar gave us.” Flareup nodded as though she understood everything Inferno had said, and then yawned.
“Yeah, I know. Yer tired. Let’s see about finding somewhere better fer ya ta recharge.”
Bright lights, big city. And newfound hope. He glanced at the next name on the list.
“Well, Red Alert, I ain’t gonna give ya a chance ta turn me an’ my sparkling away tonight. Ya can try tomorrow.”