TF: Valentines Challenge - Hugs

[wildernesstales]

Rating: G
Series: G1
Summary: Four short ficlets based around word challenges.
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 Note: Written for the transficsation valentines challenge. Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno. 
Word Challenge and Titles:
Hugs - Hugs Make Everything All Right
Unique - Two Peas in a Pod
Gold - In Plain Sight
Sea - Make A Wish  

 

Hugs Make Everything All Right
(Red Alert and Inferno friendship)

All Red Alert wanted was to be left alone. He didn’t want to hear how he needed repairing and looking at by Ratchet or Hoist. He didn’t want Optimus looking at him in that way anymore, so he shut himself away in his office, staring at the cameras he had installed everywhere in the Ark. Anything to take his mind off what had happened. He’d already written his report and reread it five times before submitting it. It didn’t matter how he phrased it, or what he said, he had still behaved irreparably. The fact that his logic circuits had been fried mattered not to him. The fact still remained that he had betrayed his friends in the worst possible way. And although they had all forgiven him, Red Alert could still not bring himself to forgive himself for what he had done.

Which is why he was now curled up in the smallest ball he could manage in the corner of his office. He had long ago given up on watching the security cameras; the images of his friends acting as though nothing had happened weighing more and more heavily on his cpu as he watched. Every time he drifted into recharge, his memory circuits replayed the events of the previous week. Which jerked him straight back into being wide awake. He hadn’t recharged properly since that time. Couldn’t and wouldn’t allow himself. He realised it was a form of self-punishment, and as absurd as he knew the notion to be (because everyone had forgiven him) he still continued to do it. There had to be some way he could overcome this he thought. Some way…

The door slid open sometime later, how long, Red Alert wasn’t sure, but there were very few in the Ark that would be able to enter without his permission after he had set the locks on the door.

“Red? It’s dark in here… Red, you in here?” Inferno. Vivid images of shouting at his friend and pushing him to the ground in a bid to escape the deactivation he thought they were going to perform flashed across his optics. So he stayed quiet.

“Red, c’mon… Ah’ve looked everywhere else. You’ve got to be in here.” Inferno didn’t bother to turn the lights in the office on, scanning the room quietly; the harsh light from the corridor doing little to illuminate the room. Unbidden, Red Alert could see Inferno coming to rescue him after the Negavator had exploded. Carrying him out, giving him a reassuring hug. Without realising it, Red Alert let out a soft sigh, immediately regretting it as he heard the heavy footsteps of his friend crossing the office to his location. Even in the dark, Red Alert could make out Inferno’s form crouching down in front of him.

“Now what you doing hiding in here Red?” He didn’t answer. Didn’t know how to answer. Inferno sat down awkwardly in front of him and just talked. About anything and everything, Red Alert wasn’t paying too much attention, struggling to keep himself from falling into recharge as he listened to Inferno’s melodic voice.

 

Later, Red Alert onlined his optics feeling more at peace with himself. He’d had the same visions as he recharged, but this time it seemed different. His lasting memory was of the hug Inferno had given him. He listened in the dark. He could hear Inferno beside him. He could feel the weight of the others arm around his shoulder; wrapping him in as tight a hug as the fire engine had obviously dared to.

He offlined his optics again. He was comfortable. He had forgiven himself.

And all it took was a friend to care.

And a hug.

Two Peas in a Pod
(Sideswipe and Sunstreaker POV thingy)

Sideswipe was brooding. All he could hear was the sound of air through Sunstreaker’s intakes. And it was bugging him. As much as he loved his brother, there were times where maybe, just maybe, he wished he didn’t have a brother. That he wasn’t a twin. That he was unique.

But they were born from the same spark. And he had to put up with the great yellow daffodil whether he liked it or not.

 

Sunstreaker was annoyed.  All he could hear was Sideswipe twisting and turning on the bunk above him. For Primus’ sake he thought, just lie quietly and recharge! Every night he had to put up with the sound of metal scraping against the walls of the Ark as Sideswipe settled down for the night. If only, just if only, he didn’t have a brother, he might get an undisturbed night of recharge. If only he wasn’t a twin. If only he was unique.

But they were born from the same spark. And he had to put up with the big red pansy whether he liked it or not.

 

Optimus Prime watched as his two frontline warriors staggered into the briefing room. Neither looked particularly awake and both were shooting each other metaphoric daggers. He surmised that had they not had to report for duty, they would have (as Ratchet put it) beaten the slag out of one another. Staring at them, he was briefly at a loss at what to say. On seeing their leader, both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker snapped into automatic pilot; straightening up and focusing their full attention on Prime.

He wondered if they knew how unique among the Autobots they were. It was unusual to have twins in Transformers due to the way the sparks were formed. But these two were born from the same spark. Two warriors; fearless and courageous in battle, yet with completely different personalities off duty. Sideswipe was the joker. Sunstreaker was more aloof. Both were dangerous and not particularly liked by the rest of the Autobots, yet Prime needed them. As much as he despised their ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness, they were effective fighters.

They were unique.

 

He gave them their orders, observing them as they listened intently, making comments and suggestions of their own to further the mission. He dismissed them, and they resumed their standard demeanor, leaving his office bickering like two children.

Definitely unique.

In Plain Sight
(Mirage and Hound – Slash?)

Mirage stared at the small object lying in the palm of his hand. He’d found it just a few moments ago. It had been sitting in the center of his desk with a note.

 

‘To the Towers… from the Desert.’

 

He knew the sender; it was obvious. Not even a challenge for a spy of his calibre. His interest however was piqued by the object. A small relic from Cybertron. Insignificant to anyone but him. And Hound knew that.

Reverently placing the object back on his small table, he slipped quietly out of his quarters, searching for a particular jeep.

On his way around the Ark, he heard various Autobots discussing the day. An Earth custom apparently, Mirage found out as he wandered. Valentine’s Day; the day of the year where you show the person you care about how you truly appreciate them. He hadn’t known that when he’d left the datapad in Hound’s quarters that morning. He had merely found the scene breath-taking and thought that Hound might too. Who knew, maybe they might go out there and see it for real when the war was over.

He found Hound sitting in the rec. room.

“So what did you get Mirage then?” Bluestreak pleaded with the jeep.
“That’s for Mirage to know and you never to find out Bluestreak.” Hound replied with a smile.

“It was something he liked though wasn’t it? I mean, Spike always gets Carly flowers or chocolates. Did you get something Mirage would have liked?”

“I did Bluestreak. I did. And I know he appreciates it.” Hound flicked his optics over to where Mirage was standing, the spy suddenly remembering that Hound was one of the only ones able to track him when he was invisible. “Speaking of which, I should go check on him.” Hound stood up and said goodbye to Bluestreak before leaving the rec. room.

“Come on Mr Invisible.” He muttered as he passed Mirage. Mirage barely contained a chuckle at the affectionate nickname before dutifully trotting after Hound, still invisible.

 

“I take it you found my gift?” Hound asked as soon as he’d shut the door to his quarters. Mirage turned off his electro-disrupter and reappeared.

“I did, thank you.” He replied. Somehow, words seemed inadequate, especially given what he’d found out about Valentine’s Day. Despite each other’s love of different planets; Mirage still fondly remembering Cybertron and Hound delighting in the Earth scenery, they got on well. For the second time that day, Mirage found himself thinking he might have to improve his espionage skills.

“Happy Valentines Day.” He said, gently placing one delicate hand on Hound’s shoulder plating.

“Spike said that it’s custom to get the people you care about a gift; flowers, chocolates, something like that. Spike got Carly a gold ring this year. I didn’t think you’d like flowers or chocolates, but I knew you’d like that.”
“I did. Thank you.” Mirage found himself repeating himself and smiled. “It’s better than gold.”

Make a Wish
(Seaspray and Alana)

Seaspray sat on the edge of the water, the waves lapping at his feet. For once, he’d come out of the water and transformed. He wanted to remember, today of all days, without the exhilaration of skimming over the oceans.

It was Valentine’s Day and he was staring at the stars, remembering a time that seemed so long ago now. It had started just like this; him and Bumblebee sitting on the rocks just across from where he was now. They had each wished on the first star of the evening. Seaspray never expected his wish to come true.

 

“Alana.” He breathed her name like a litany in the darkness of the evening. A distress call had brought him to her and together they had shared something he didn’t think he would ever find.

Love.

Humanoid and Autobot.

Love.

If he hadn’t have been there, he might not have believed it himself. But it had happened. He remembered everything as clearly as if it had been yesterday. The sound of her voice as he stepped into the Well of Transformation. Her scream declaring her love for him. The surprise on her face when he resurfaced in his new form. The feel of her in his arms.

Seaspray sighed. Maybe, just maybe if he asked Cosmos, he could make a small trip back there. For now, he had to content himself with his memories.

He stood up and stared out across the ocean.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Alana. I love you.” He said as he threw the rose he had been holding into the water. He watched as the tide took it away from him.

 

On a distant planet, a young female surfaced and looked around.

“What’s wrong Alana?”

“Nothing… just a happy memory.” She dived beneath the water again, her mind filled with a certain hovercraft she had knew and loved.