TF: Scared?
Rating: PG
Series: G1
Summary: So used to Breakdown being there when he onlined in the repair bay, Motormaster struggles to understand his feelings when Breakdown isn’t there…
Warnings: Fluffy Stunticons? Not that they’re really very fluffy, but it’s about the only warning this fic needs.
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 weekly challenge - Breakdown/Motormaster - Facing his fears.
I don’t quite count this as a rare pairing, because I ship this hard. But that just might be me.
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
Onlining in the repair bay of the Decepticon ship wasn’t a surprise for Motormaster. What was a surprise was the fear over the gestalt bond he could feel from Breakdown. Since their creation, the other members of the gestalt had respected him out of fear only. So it was unusual to feel the fear and concern from Breakdown.
The Lamborghini was pacing in the corridor outside the repair bay, having previously been thrown out by Scrapper after he kept asking questions on what Hook was doing. Sheer paranoia had made him need to check every repair the Constructicon had been making. And even that had overcome the dislike he had for other mechs seeing him. Hook had eventually gotten thoroughly exasperated with him asking questions and checking up on him that he threatened to offline Breakdown. At which point, Scrapper had taken it upon himself to usher the Lamborghini out none-too-gently.
As soon as Motormaster’s side of the bond flared to life, Breakdown headed straight back into the repair bay; for once ignoring the glares he got from both Hook and Scrapper. Making his way towards Motormaster’s berth, he lingered at a distance - just out of Motormaster’s reach.
“You okay?”
“Fine.” Motormaster grunted, surprised that any of his team would bother to care.
“Good.” Almost nervously, Breakdown nodded and backed away, as though certain his presence wasn’t welcome.
As he watched Breakdown’s spoiler disappear out the door, Motormaster could feel the wave of relief emanating from Breakdown’s part of the gestalt bond. It seemed the Lamborghini really did care whether he was all right. Surprised, and determined to beat it out of him later, Motormaster shifted on the berth, grunting as a few welds were pulled before settling down.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next time Motormaster found himself in the repair bay, he onlined to see Breakdown slumped at the side of the berth. Evidently, he’d learnt not to question Hook quite so much, hence his presence at Motormaster’s side. As usual, the Lamborghini had sustained little damage. The only reason Motormaster had been injured was a lucky shot by Prime that disabled his forcefields. Once they were gone, the grappling with the Autobot leader had taken its toll on his plating and systems.
“You’re online.” Nodding almost to himself, Breakdown stood up and left the repair bay, leaving Motormaster wondering exactly why the Lamborghini waited for him to online, just to leave as soon as he did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Since then, every time Motormaster onlined in the repair bay, Breakdown was there to greet him. Only to leave as soon as his optics flickered online and the gestalt bond was complete once more. So much so that he actually got used to the Lamborghini’s presence, to the stage where he actually tolerated it. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but it was actually ‘nice’ for one of his team to be concerned for his safety. Made a change from being hated and feared.
So when he woke up and looked to his side expecting to see Breakdown, his spark stuttered as he realised the Lamborghini wasn’t sitting there. Sitting bolt upright, he looked around the repair bay, spark fluttering in what could almost be called relief as he saw Breakdown lying on a berth nearby, Hook bent over him, muttering to himself.
“Breakdown?” He refused to believe that there was a shred of concern in his voice, despite the startled look Hook gave him.
“He will be fine. His vibrations disrupted several circuits that should have been repaired previously, but weren’t.” Hook shot a glance at the offline form of Breakdown, as if berating him for not getting himself repaired.
“Fragger’s too paranoid to let many mechs work on him.” Motormaster surprised himself by defending his gestalt-mate. Hook just shrugged and turned back to his work.
“He’ll be fine, you don’t have to worry.” He called over his shoulder. Motormaster growled. He wasn’t worried. Was he?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When he returned to the Stunticons quarters before Breakdown, the others were surprised.
“He deactivated, didn’t he?” Dead End murmured, sounding envious.
“He’s fine.” Motormaster snapped. The thought of Breakdown deactivating made his spark flux in a way he certainly didn’t like. In a way that certainly wasn’t becoming of a Decepticon gestalt commander.
“Oh… well that’s good then.” Now Dead End sounded equal parts upset and relieved that Breakdown was still online.
“He got them Autobots good though.” Wildrider crowed.
“Before he broke down himself.” Drag Strip sniffed. “He can’t exactly brag about that now can he?” It was a rhetorical question, but Wildrider answered anyway. Shaking his head at his team’s antics, Motormaster made his way to his berth. Communal quarters left little room for privacy, but at least he could pretend.
And think.
Why was it that when Dead End mentioned Breakdown deactivating, he actually felt… scared? Did he actually feel something more for Breakdown than he should? Something more than the gestalt-bond allowed him?
And more to the point, what should he do about it?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The two things Breakdown hadn’t been expecting were; one, to wake up in the repair bay, and two, to have Motormaster practically hovering by the side of his berth.
“Ah good, you’re online. You can get out now.” Hook looked up from his datapad, carefully not looking at Breakdown. The Lamborghini nodded, even though Hook had returned his attention to his datapad and scrambled off the berth. Only to be steadied by Motormaster. Not that he needed it, but the gesture surprisingly didn’t make him flinch back.
“You an’ me need to talk.” Motormaster rumbled, looking as though it was costing him dear to say the words. Breakdown just nodded, swallowing down his own fear. Perhaps it would be good to get things out in the open.
Hook put down the datapad as Motormaster dragged Breakdown out of the repair bay.
“Finally. Scrapper, you owe me.”
“What?” Scrapper looked up from his own work. He hadn’t been paying attention to anything that had been going on, absorbed in his blueprints.
“Breakdown and Motormaster. They’re finally going to do… something.”
“Ah…” Even though the mech had a battlemask, Hook would swear that he could see Scrapper smiling. He smiled to himself and picked his datapad back up. They’d spent so long watching Breakdown fawn over Motormaster that they were beginning to wonder whether Motormaster would actually notice. And now it seemed, he had.