Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Can't believe it’s been five years.”

“I know right. Time flies and Milford still doesn't know we exist.”

“Probably for the better.”

“Yeah…Hey Wedge.”

“Yeah?”

“Remember we were still recruits and you thought you could beat Hot Shot to a Cube match with one servo tied behind your back?”

“Shut up.”

“Hueh! And then you fell face first into the ground when he used you for leverage to-”

“I said shut the fuck up, Hoist!”

Two bulky bots, Wedge and a rofl-ing Hoist outside on the Heli-Pad of the Academy, watching the sunset after a successful day of a rescue involving some hikers stuck in an underground cave, while their pet scraplets Snappy and Basher chase each other around. Least to say, quite a few things have changed with the team, the most obviously being the (overly) comfortable camaraderie that they now share and don’t hesitate to throw swears at one another.

“Whatever, you’re just being a glitch cuz you got your aft handed to you!” Hoist laughed,

“Oh yeah? Well who got roasted by Medix when he decided, ‘YoU knOw WhAt? I'M gOnnA mOve hIs stUff OvEr HErE sO I cAn hAve rOOm fOr My tOOls. MEdix wiLL UndErstAnd?” Wedge snapped,

“First of all, I let him know, and of course he said no, BUUT, I did so anyway and said it was an emergency and all I got was a little angry warning, No harm done to me, unlike you.” The blue-teal bot relaxed while on the ground due to his earlier laughing fit,

“Oh fuck off…” Wedge disgruntled,

“Say what you want I’ve already won.” Hoist finalized. 

“You're cappin’…”, Letting off a mere sigh, Wedge continued. 

“Anyway, have you noticed how Hot Shot’s…y’know…abit different?”

“Well, we all kinda elected for Hot Shot to be leader of our team, and that’s because no one wanted to bear the full weight and responsibilities of being a team leader. Like, imagine you fuck up, the team pays the price, and It’s gonna be on your aft, and we all thought that due to Hot Shot’s ability to kinda bounce back after a mistake or something, he would be a suitable pick, and Whirl was elected Second-In-Command. Aaand we also had a meeting about it too, Whirl was all like ‘ok everyone we need to be serious, no more playtime. We’re officially Rescue Bots now, we got to get it together, and get our helms in the game cuz now the Sigma Team-and I mean Heatwave’s- are our competitors and we need to be better, cuz we are ALPHA TEAM.’ And clearly the bot who took it the most seriously was Hot Shot. Everyone took the changes Hot Shot went through pretty damn well. Except you.” Hoist explained,

“I know, I know, sheesh…yapper…but it’s just…it’s just…” Wedge struggled to finish,

“Uncanny?” Hoist predicted,

“…Yeah.” Wedge defeated,

“...Well, he’s more efficient now and he doesn’t slack off or anything like that, and he always gets his work done, hell, he even wakes up early in the morning to get a headstart for the day. He’s become a bot of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will, man.” Hoist positively provided,

“Yeah, but…He also doesn’t play Cube as much, race around, or even play video games. *sigh* Fuck, I even remeber when I asked him if he wanted to watch the Snakes on Skates, or whatever movie we watched with Cody, with me but he declined saying he need to finish some of the documents he was working on and I was just…’The fuck?’” Wedge dumped,

“He’s doing his job Wedge, Hot Shot decided that he wants to get his shit together, you can’t stop him from doing that. Besides, you were kind of a jerk to him before, or is it that you don't like the way he is now because you can't ‘bully’ or tease him like you used to, cuz if you do that shit now, that'll just make you an asshole, Heh!” Hoist jabbed,

“Shut up! I’m worried here, Ok?!”

“No you ain’t.”

“Yes I am!”

“If I had a keyboard right now, I'd be pressing X, bro.”

“Hoist, I’m genuinely worried about Hot Shot’s mentality…or something.”

“Bruh, you just miss using your jerk-like attitude to “humble” him or someshit like that, if you're so distraught just go to your hero BUmblebEE.”

“Fuck Bumblebee, I’m done simping for him. What I’m trying to say is that, I don't want us to lose the Hot Shot we used to know and love.” Wedge insisted,

“Ok, that is like, super sus, even from you.” Hoist suspected,

“...Y’know what, fuck you, I’m out.” Wedge insulted, proceeded to leave, and head downstairs to the lounge via the Citadel-provided elevator,

“Fuck you too.” Hoist shot back, relaxing fully to enjoy the sunset bringing forth the stars in the sky with Basher laying down on his chassis.

Meanwhile, In the (rather exquisite) Lounge of the Citadel New Wing

“Finally, I don’t have to suffer sitting or laying down now, I’m…freee.” Whirl took out her smartphone from her subspace and laid down on the rather exquisite couch, albeit without her rotor hub on her back, but instead the large rotor blade lined component on the ground next to her with Giggles, Whirl’s pet scraplet on top of it,

“Indeed, Whirl. However, do remember to put it back on for-” Medix informed with Tough Luck Chuck by his side,

“Emergencies. For fuck’s sake, Medix, I know.” Whirl irritated while browsing her phone,

“Whirl, I’m reminding you this because remember when you forgot to put it back on…three separate times? HMMM?”

“Meh, I was in a rush then, It just slipped my mind.”

Medix was not so amused, “Whirl. Once was a mistake, Twice was sus, Thrice was cringe.”

“Your cringe.” 

“Don’t you talk to me like that, young lady!” Medix snapped along with Squeaker (Medix’s pet scraplet) resting on his shoulder,

“Yeah, No talking back, young lady” Chuck parroted,

“Y’know, you're talking mad shit for someone who forgot his advanced medkit.”

“IT WAS ONLY ONCE!”

“Only once!” Chuck parroted again,

“Womp womp, that ‘once’ was more than enough to screw up when there was the injured who had to be taken to the hospital instead of being taken care of right then and there.”

“Oh yeah, well you delayed a rescue in the mountains last jour (month), the hikers almost got hypothermia thanks to you!”

“That was the last time I’d ever forget my rotor hub, Medix. Ever since then it’s been smooth sailing, er, rescuing, I mean.”

“Who’s to say you won’t fuck up again, Huh?”

“Both of you, Stop it!” Hot Shot ordered while passing by with his own red pet scraplet, Mr. Boing, on his head,

“Hot Shot! Please explain to Whirl the importance of her having her rotor hub in mind if she ever needs to respond to emergency rescues!” Medix demanded,

“Don’t listen to him, Hot, He’s just having a ‘Waaah Moment’.”

“Whirl…Medix, relax, Whirl’s got it down, right Whirl?”,

“Yep!”,

“Sure, she forgot to put it back on a couple times, but ever since, she always remembers to put it back on despite the component being detachable now, and rescues have been smoother since.” Hot Shot eased,

“Oh really? And what happens if she does, Hmm? She almost cost us a couple late rescues due the fact she can’t transform without her rotor hub component, it is literally a part of her being!” Medix factually challenged,

“She won’t, Medix, I trust her. By the way, where’s Brushfire? Is she on comms again?” Hot Shot asked,

“I think so, she said she’ll head to berth around 10:30” Whirl briefly answered before going back to her phone,

“Oh. Ok, good. Patrol starts early tomorrow as usual so make sure to recharge before then, I also arranged a meeting for plans and scheduling. It'll start at 10:30 AM, Be there, please. I also recommend bringing your data pads for note-taking, there’ll be some details I want you guys to know and acknowledge over the discussion.” Hot Shot finished formally while heading towards his berthroom in the dorms via an elevator,

Whirl couldn't help but be amazed by Hot Shot’s new efficiency, A soft ‘wow’ was all she could manage.

“Mmm, very well…” Medix relented and went off with Chuck in tow to go check his supply of cybertronian bandages one last time before going to berth as well. Not a moment later Wedge walked into the fray with Snappy in tow.

“Hey Whirl, have you or anyone seen Hot Shot?” Wedge asked,

“You just missed him, he’s off to berth, and I think I might be too, in a bit.” she declared,

“The fuck?! It’s only 8:30?!”

“Wedge. Hot Shot doesn’t stay up late anymore, he goes to bed early, wakes up early, exercises, and gets ready for the day before going out on patrol. He’s literally got his shit together, I’m kinda surprised you're not happy about this, isn't this what you dreamed of when we were still recruits? You were always like ‘Ugh, Hot Shot, when are you gonna take things seriously, this isn't time for games, Hot Shot’, Now you're acting like the complete opposite of what you wanted.” Whirl reminded,

“Well, Yeah, but…but…” Wedge once more stuck on his own words,

“But?” Whirl tried to let him on,

“...nothing…I’m gonna go watch some TV.” Wedge sighed and left for the entertainment area, leaving a rather confused Whirl.

“Also we have a meeting tomorrow at 10:30 AM!” Whirl exclaimed,

Wedge giving a weak “'Kay…”

“What’s his problem?...” Whirl quietly wondered,

“Hey Whirl!” Hoist called out around the corner to the New Grand Earth Museum,

“Huh?”

“Could you do me a favor?” 

“No.” Whirl laid back down,

“Ugh, seriously?”

“Yep.”

“Whirl, put the new sneakers Cody gave us into our new Earth Museum.”

“You do it!”

“Whirl, everyone in the team’s been donating to the new Earth Museum over the past couple joors (weeks) or at least moving stuff to the place, get off your aft and go do it.”

“Fuck off.” Whirl perfectly unbothered, still on her phone,

“...Ok, be like that.” Hoist trailed off to go remove Whirl’s contributions from the Grand Earth Museum.

Later at 10:50pm in Citadel’s Entertainment Room

In the near dead of night, when no one else is awake but instead recharging, all except one bot. 

In the room, sits a lone Wedge in the resting area. Different shows flickering by on the jumbo holographic TV as he constantly changes channels looking for at least something remotely interesting.

“No one understands.” His thoughts began to form.

“Hot Shot’s not the same anymore.”

“He's still Hot Shot and he’s doing his best, not just for him but for us too…but..it’s just…not in the same way as before.” 

“Everyone’s used to it. Except me.”

“I mean, sure, he’s a leader now, so he has to mature a bit, but…I didn’t expect him to mature this much.”

“Can’t believe I’m saying this but…I miss the old Hot Shot.”

“Heh, so this is what humans mean when you only realize you love something until it’s gone…I see.” Relaxing backwards into the cushions of the recliner he sat on, staring at the ceiling blankly, and closing his optics. 

Memories of Hot Shot being a reckless, boastful, and overly confident Cube-head recount and flow into Wedge’s mind, from the good to the bad to the ugly, a majority of them made him smile and even chuckle.

Till the one memory that Wedge holds near and utmost dear to him appears, shrouded in a pure white glow.

“Best Bots Forever.” says Hot Shot with a sweet smile. That smile. That damned smile.

“I miss you.” He mentally begged for a response, only to realize this is nothing more than a fragment of his memory and mere replay of what has already happened, how he longed to go back in time and hug former Hot Shot once more and tighter than ever, to play Cube and race about without a care in the world, heck, he was even down for a game or two, perhaps GTA or even Minecraft, oh how he shouldn't have taken Hot Shot's playfulness for granted. However, could it be possible that Hot Shot's playful demeanor is still there. Perhaps it's just buried underneath the new responsibilities and duties as a leader that he wishes to live up to for his team, maybe Wedge could find a way to draw it out, to experience the innocent joy that the little red and yellow quad-changer would give out willy-nilly. Maybe, just maybe, he could-

“Wedge!”

The skip-loader's optics shot open, quickly swiveling his helm left and right, just to face backwards at the bot at the entrance, it was Hoist.

“Dude, it's literally 11pm, when are you heading to berth?!”, the teal-blue bot reminded,

“Goddamnit, Hoist! You can't just walk your fat-aft in and yell like that, I was having a moment y'know.”, the orange bot lashed back,

“Well, better me than Hot Shot. Besides, what moment are you even having?”

“Just…reminiscing on the past a little.” Wedge sighed,

“Let me guess, Hot Shot?”

“...yes.”

“Sheesh dude, I remember when you'd dread when Hot Shot acted up or even fucked around, heh, now your missing it. How the turntables.”

“It’s just, things don’t feel fun anymore.”

“Because Hot Shot used to be a sort of ‘fun generator’?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Well, we gotta get used to it. Things are bound to change, Wedge. Everything’s not gonna be the same, especially in the future. Clearly with Hot Shot and everyone else adapting into our new and official roles as an OFFICIAL rescue team, shit just got real.”

“Hoist…I. Know.”

“Then why are you still obsessed over Hot Shot? Just let it go, man.”

“Hoist, I’m no Elsa. It takes time to adapt that shit!”

“Fine, fine, you be you. But you still gotta go to berth, it’s 11:15 now.”

“Alright, alright.” Wedge nonchalantly turned off the jumbo TV, carefully picked up his sleeping scraplet Snappy, and left for the dorms along with Hoist for recharge.

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In the absolute dead of night, when no one else is awake, except Whirl shouting out loud over who took out her contributions from the Earth museum. When the berthroom dorm he laid in is quiet, when this side of earth faces away from the sun. It's at this time does Wedge lay awake on his berth, in his room, staring up to the ceiling above his helm.

At this time, when he’s truly left alone to his thoughts, does he think about everything that has happened to him and his team. Constantly keeping Griffin Rock safe from a plague of paranormal, careless, or even human-error type disasters that could pop up at any moment at any day, some were amazing, some were boring, some were difficult and some were as easy as taking energon from a sleeping sparkling, and some were just...nope, as extremely advanced rescue authorities they held the right to delay or even refuse certain rescues, not that they ever did, but it was a sort of a ‘just in case option’.

Sure, everything was awesome and all, but on the other hand things are different now, especially with the fact that they’re their own rescue team competing with the Sigma Team lead by Heatwave. Regardless of what they're doing and what they’ve been through, everyone does their best, for the sake of their team, because now, the bonds they all share are stronger than ever, also more casual and weirder than ever.

Whirl encouraging everyone to use slang and start their journey of ‘memeology’, Medix becoming a bit more crankier, just like his uncle, Brushfire going along with the team and learning the ropes along the way, Hoist growing a backstrut and becoming much more confident in himself and his words, and finally Hot Shot. At first, Wedge merely saw the red and yellow speedster as a bothersome, immature nuisance that needed to be humbled, heck, maybe even bullied a bit to make him down-to-earth (yes, pun intended), but now Hot Shot’s gone full businessman. No more video games, no more racing, no more jokes, and worst of all, no more Cube. 

The former Cube-star was always eager to show off his skills and even boast a little to hype things up, but now he’s either found in Hero Hall using the Sim for a library to study, exercising in their fitness area, or even in his own office completing rescue reports, documents, and even checking payrolls to ensure everyone is getting their fair share of salary - yep the bots were getting paid big-time for being rescue authorities, $40 USD per hour in their Earth bank accounts, and 400 Shanix per hour in their Cybertronian bank accounts - While this change Hot Shot made was extraordinarily good and was what Wedge had always hoped for, it also hurt. A lot.

He missed when Hot Shot would race circles around him, He missed when Hot Shot would chat and brag to him about his achievements and trophies from his Cube games on Cybertron, He missed when he would sometimes take Wedge out to go race around a bit and most memorable of all, He missed when Hot Shot would invite him to a game of Cube. In fact, when Hot Shot left to help Scorch win the Cube tournament, he was very troubled, over those times, did Wedge begin to realize he was starting to have feelings for the red and yellow quad-changer, but now…he’s conflicted about them, especially due the way Hot Shot is now. He can’t blame him, he can’t blame him at all. This is what he often got on Hot Shot for, to be serious, to be responsible, to be mature, to not be silly, to not be reckless or sloppy, to not be childish, and just like that, over five years, Hot Shot became just that! Everyone was proud! Out with the old and in with the new, this is what he always wanted, right?...Right? 

Change was inevitable, whether Wedge liked it or not. 

He began to realize just how much being without Hot Shot’s fun-giving vibe hurts. The emptiness that he felt caused the rest of his frame systems to ache a bit, and it hurt, it really did. He never wanted Hot Shot to stop chatting with him, he never wanted Hot Shot to stop inviting him to gaming or racing sessions, he never wanted those playful and lovely moments with Hot Shot to end, he never wanted to stop playing Cube with him, he never wanted feel alone at nights like this, He never wanted to…

He never wanted to lose the Hot Shot he knew…

It was then did he realize that coolant was slowly falling from his optics and down the sides of his face, did he realize just how much Hot Shot impacted his life.

His thoughts forming one sentence before slowly sorrowing into recharge, 

“Hot Shot…I…I miss you…”

Chapter Text

The next couple cycles were rather calm compared to the previous two with one involving a lost teen and a cargo ship that somehow managed to catch fire before even leaving the docks of Griffin Rock, least to saw the arsonist was apprehended. 

Today however, seemed normal. Too normal, but whatever. Alpha Team had another early morning meeting-initiated by Hot Shot, on who and what should patrol where. Albeit the meeting was surprisingly detailed, so much so that everyone was surprised on how specific Hot Shot could be, and next thing you know, they’re out and on patrol! 

Hoist and Laserbeak cover the north section of Griffin Rock, Hot Shot and Wedge cover the East section, Brushfire covering the South section, Whirl and Medix (in both their copter modes) are not only Eyes in the Sky but also covering West. Their patrols are going about as usual and routinely, but it almost seems as if today will be a rare, but possible, disaster-free day, and those were days that were quite rare. 

“Should I…Noo, no no…but maybe I could just.”, The inner thoughts of Wedge wondering if he should contact Hot Shot on a status update, it’s been a couple groons (hours) now and not a word has been muttered by Hot Shot, and the time reaching 4:20pm.

“Just…relax, and do your job, Wedge…Just like everyone else.”

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10 minutes pass.

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Another one.

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And another one.

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And another one. 

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And ano-

The skip-loader activates his comm, relaying to Hot Shot, “Hey uh, Hot Shot, you mind giving me a status update?”
“...”

“Hot Shot?”

“...”

“H-hot Shot?”

“...”

“Hot Shot, please respond!”

“...”

“HOT SHOT?!”

“...”

Usually, Hot Shot would respond with a ‘10-4’ or 10-106.’ both meaning confirmation, but the silence was unmistakable, Hot Shot’s communicator was off.

All the worry began forming in Wedge's mind: Is it off? Why is it off? Is he OK? Did something happen? Why would it be off, the only way it would be off is if he were incapacitated or willingly turned off, but would he really do the latter or is it the former? No, he would never do the latter, but why isn't he responding? Is it the former? Is he really unconscious? He was perfectly fine this morning, why would he be unconscious? Did someone attack him? Is the attacker strong? Is he ok? What's going on? WHY ISN'T HE RESPONDING?!

It was too much. He couldn’t take it any longer. He needed to find Hot Shot. And Fast!

Wedge quickly pulled over to the side of the road and immediately transformed from his skip-loader mode into his muscle car alt mode, dazzling some Griffin Rock residents that drove by, and quickly sped off. Of course, he sped right by a Griffin Rock police car, but the perks of being a giant mechanical alien is that even the local human authorities are too scared to approach you strictly, in fear of being absolutely destroyed of course, so they turned a bit of a blind eye to their alien neighbors. 

Almost everything was a blur while going at 95+ mph, as Wedge raced to Hot Shot's coordinates that were still active but unmoving, he was so focused on them that he almost crashed into Bumblebee from behind, speeding by a red light, and just barely missing a cargo truck making a left cat-turn by swerving further to the left and back again, the orange bot was on a mission alright.

“Woah! Wedge! SLOW DOWN!” Bumblebee yelled out while in car mode,

Wedge not giving a damn, kept on speeding away,

“WEDGE!” Bumblebee called out once again to get the speeding car to realize his near catastrophic mistake, 

But Wedge couldn't care any less, including with the fact that he no longer saw Bumblebee as an idol, but more as an obstacle in his path to greatness, and the last thing he needed was to be hindered or even handicapped just because of someone else, and besides, not like Bumblebee did much for him other than some mentor advice and training, least to say he got over him real quick over the years, his simping-for-Bumblebee days were over, heck, he even sold all his Bumblebee merchandise to lesser fortunate bots back on Cybertron and getting a big sum of Shanix, only keeping his Heroes of Cybertron cards.

Quickly coming up next, at a 4-way intersection, with a resident car coming across the street right in front of a speeding Wedge, he took note. Immediately, he pulled off a Tokyo-style drift to the right of the intersection, taught to him truly by Hot Shot himself in their earlier years, and kept barreling down the road. 

Next, a merging lane to the left.

“Easy. Must drift to the left.” Wedge commanded himself, however he didn't know who was also coming up to the merged lane due to some hedges blocking the full view of the other lane, but it was too late by the time he reached it and began to drift once more.

It was Hoist! And he was drifting right towards him!

“AAAAAAHHH!”, both cried out simultaneously. However, by sheer luck or miracle, some loose gravel loosened the traction of Wedge’s wheels, allowing him to drift a wider turn, avoiding Hoist by mere inches.

“WEDGE, WHAT THE FUCK DUDE?!” Hoist exclaimed, confused on why the hell is Wedge is going so fast,

Wedge only replied with one word, “Emergency.”

“Hol up, is it that bad?!” Hoist making a U-turn and speeding up with Wedge, the speeding orange muscle car not even answering the stupid question. Speed wasn't really Hoist’s thing, but he did a pretty damn good job keeping up with Wedge despite the orange bot speeding like a Bolt-bat outta hell.

“Ok, Wedge. What the absolute hell is going on and if it's so urgent should I call the others to our location?”

“No. I can handle this, just go back to your patrol.”

“Bro, we’re a team, just let me he-SPEED BUMP!”, Hoist exclaimed as they rapidly closed in on the raised elevation before then, Hoist putting the brakes to slow down to a stop, but Wedge didn't care and with a loud *thoom* he gained long but moderate-height air time, even flying right over some cars going at lesser speeds than him, stuck the landing with a *thrrsh*, and kept on speeding on into the rural areas as if he didn't just fly over some cars just a few seconds ago.

“Holy Fuck, dude.” Hoist astonished with how he just witnessed a, briefly, flying Wedge as he tried picking up the pace to catch up. 

Meanwhile, heading into the forest, Wedge had to slow down exponentially to a stop and transformed into bot mode.

“Don't worry Hot Shot, I'm coming.” Wedge bravely assured, running off into the location of Hot Shot’s coordinates, not giving a damn of whatever wildlife or flora stood in his way. A couple minutes behind, Hoist arrived at the same area that Wedge sprinted into.

Hoist gave a worried grimace before heading into the forest, “This better be good.” 

Meanwhile with Whirl and Medix flying over there patrol section in their helicopter alt modes:

“Hey Medix, have you heard from the others yet?” Whirl asked,

Medix not missing a beat, “Unfortunately no, but Wedge, Hoist, Laserbeak, and Brushfire have given their status update not too long ago.”

“What about Hot Shot?”

“He’s on break.”

“Oh, I forgor.”

“Whirl, please speak english.”

“Cringe! Why can’t you embrace the memes, Medix? Hot Shot, Wedge, Hoist have it going for them and they’ve become dank!”

“Well, Brushfire doesn’t get it and she’s not trying to get with it either, and besides, memes are cringe.”

“Only some are!”

“Whirl, you don't and won’t see me or Brushfire go ‘Gyatt’ or ‘Bussin’ or even ‘YOur cAppIn’ BrUh’!”

“It’s because you two aren’t WOKE, MEDIX, WOKE!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Whirl.” and with that Medix pitches and yaws to the right, leaving Whirl to go on his break early.

“You’re gettin’ hit with the Fanum tax later from your energon goodies, Medix!” Whirl loudly warned,

“I don’t care and I don’t even know what that means!” Medix loudly responded,

“Uh, Whirl, surely you know what the whole complicated slang that the humans use isn't really understandable for me or Medix.” Brushfire parted in from listening to the two copters argue,

“Get woke, Brushfire. Get woke. Only then will you understand the power memes hold.”

“So, like what? Will understanding memes give me a boost in knowledge or something?”

“Yep, and you’ll probably even feel like buying a lamborghini and some bookshelves!”

“W…what?”

“You’re lackin, grasshopper, your lackin, for real for real.” Whirl taught before yawing and pitching to the left to go on break,

“Why did I even ask?” Brushfire mentally kicking herself.

Meanwhile, with Wedge, The forest grew thicker with trees and roots the further Wedge went, but that didn’t deter him, not one bit. Hot Shot was just a few meters away and nothing was going to stop him from saving his comrade! 

However, the closer Wedge got the stranger the noises became, from the natural sounds of nature to the sound of…lust?

Finally pushing through the final barrier of trees, those big-ass trees, Wedge came to a heavy bushed area on all sides like a sort of natural hedge, but what he saw after peering into them was nothing he expected.

“Uuuh…nngh”

It was Hot Shot…self-servicing.

With his legs spread out, the red and yellow bot’s hands were being used for different indulging duties, with his right hand, his digits (fingers) thrusting in and out his sobbing wet valve, while his left hand stroked his red and yellow colored spike smoothly, moaning frustratingly, chasing after his overload within the tucked-away meadow. The heated scent of metal wafted through the air with the forest breeze, it felt like a surreal wet dream.

Optics widened in shock, Wedge froze, and at that point, time seemed to slow. To witness Hot Shot in such a lewd position and away from prying eyes was a sight to behold, and with his optics he got just that, a sole witness of this moment. 

The red and yellow quad-changer emitting such a sinful symphony of moans, mewls and gasps, all while pleasuring his frame to the best of his ability, it was like a sexual flashbang to Wedge’s processor, so much so that he didn't even notice his own spike popping right out of his interface panel, just begging him to join in on the fun, but that was a question of, To Join or Not to Join, a question that the orange triple-changer couldn't even form in his helm, as every thought he tried you have or think just, simply, melted away without any support to uphold it, and it wasn't long for the effects of such a lewd situation to hit him as well. 

His frame began to heat up, his spike twitching eagerly, his legs growing weak, yet wanting to move him closer, and by closer, meaning to close in on the rutting bot before him and-

“edge…wedge...Wedge!”, Hoist. Why oh why did he keep up. Snapping back to reality, Wedge didn't want anyone else to chance upon such a glorious sight of Hot Shot, like hell is Hoist going to see this, and he will prevent that by any means necessary. But how? 

“We-Oh there you are, bro!” Hoist caught up,

Wedge didn't know what to do or what to say in a situation like this, what should he do? What could he do? 

“Uuh, wedge? Are you o-”, unfortunately Hoist never got to ask about Wedge's state as the orange bot immediately flipped to the side, transformed into muscle car mode, and drove off, barely missing a few trees and bushes. 

“... What just happened?” Hoist confused more than ever, transformed into tow truck mode, and drove away following Wedge's destructive path. 

Wedge came rushing back into the Academy like a bot pursued by a pack of cyberwolves. His treads screeched around corners, scattering Ratchet and Perceptor as they were carrying datapads.

“Wedge! Slow down!” Ratchet yelped.

“Sorry!” he blurted, zipping past without breaking speed.

Now in bot mode, He careened down the dormitory corridor, clipping a trash bin that clattered noisily into the wall, then burst into his dorm like he’d just escaped a Decepticon raid. The door slammed shut so hard a poster on the wall fluttered to the ground.

“Primus, WHY did I look?!” Wedge moaned, throwing his arms up and onto his faceplate as if demanding an answer from the cosmos.

He paced the room in frantic circles, muttering like a bot unraveling, “I thought he was in trouble, I thought something happened, Why?!”

He threw himself onto his berth with the dramatic flair of an actor in a tragedy. He bounced once, flailed, then rolled over and mashed his pillow against his face. His voice came out muffled, half a groan, half a scream:

“Forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it!”

After a beat, he flung the pillow across the room with an overhand toss that could’ve won a medal. It smacked against the wall and slid to the floor.

“Nope,” he said firmly, sitting upright and trying to calm himself. “We are not talking about this to anyone. We are not thinking about this.”

But then, just as he finally calmed down, his mind went back to the scene he laid optics upon. Chassis rising, back arching, moaning, lubricant flowing, the very bot that was his leader in such a lewd state. Heat creeping up his faceplates.

Wedge once again tried to steady his mind, “Gaah! Stop, stop! I saw nothing!”

Finally, he collapsed onto his berth again, pulling the blanket over his head like it could shield him from memory itself. For a long moment, the room was silent—until Wedge groaned dramatically into the sheets:

“Ughhh, I need a reboot.”

Wedge stayed under the blanket for what felt like forever. Every time he thought he’d settled, the memory tried to sneak back in. He’d shake and slap his forehead, and mutter, “Nope! Not thinking about that!”.

After the fifth time of this, even he realized he was exhausting himself.

Groaning, he sat up, letting the blanket slump around his shoulders like a cape. “Okay. Deep vents, Wedge. You are a Rescue Bot. You have seen scary explosions, you’ve faced down disasters, and you are not going to be defeated by… by… that.”

He inhaled, exhaled, straightened his back. For the first time since storming into the room, he felt a flicker of control returning. But his processor wasn’t done with him. Unbidden, the scene from within Griffin Park flashed again—too vivid, too detailed, too lewd. His optics went wide, faceplates heating, and he smacked both hands over his eyes.

“Ugh, Primus, why can’t I just delete memories like a datapad?!”

He flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling, legs dangling off the berth. The hum of the Academy’s ventilation system filled the silence. After a long while, his vents slowed, his shoulders eased, and the frantic energy drained from his frame.

“Okay,” he whispered to himself. “Never happened. Just… forget it.”

He closed his optics and forced his processor toward safer thoughts: tomorrow’s patrols, his half-finished personal engineering project. Each time the memory tried to resurface, he shoved it down harder, like stacking crates on top of a box you never wanted opened again.

By the time recharge began tugging at him, Wedge managed a weary little smile, “Alright. Totally forgotten. At least for now.”, He then proceeded to head back on patrol.

By the time he rolled back onto his patrol route, the air outside felt cooler, steadier, like it might finally wash the tension from his joints. He inhaled deep, optics scanning, he relaxed. 

“Here we go.” Wedge muttered as if he never even saw anything.

Chapter Text

Two Joors (weeks).

Two joors have passed since the, well, sight that Wedge saw, and least to say it changed him and his views of Hot Shot greatly. 

Laying in his berth within his berthroom, trying to get some recharge for the night after a day of two rescues involving Mr. Pettypaws and one of Cody’s friends hiking in a canyon, alone.

Wedge never ever expected to stumble upon the quad-changer in such a way, and that same night of the incident had him self-servicing just to relieve the intense pressure it accumulated in him, and yet some of it still remained, is this what Chase meant by their frames changing?

That mandatory sexual education class from four years ago during their time as recruits was quite the doozy for them, from Hot Shot giggling like a fool, to Whirl covering her optics, to Medix staring on with a blank expression, to Hoist straight up running out of the class, and finally, to Wedge not really paying attention, and oh how he wished he should of paid.

Now, with an uncomfortable heat arousing his senses and frame as he laid there trying to endure it. He couldn't think straight, are heat cycles really that strong? Is it really necessary? Can’t the cybertronian body just know that its genitalia is properly working? Why does it have to induce the bot into such a state? Fortunately, all those questions began tiring his processor, recharge began creeping up on him, finally guiding him into deep slumber as his optics gently closed.

Zzz…

Zz…

z…

…

..

.

.

.

..

…

…Sunlight shining…

…A floral-sided road…

…Birds singing…

…breezes flowing…

A RED & YELLOW ATV AND AN ORANGE & BLACK MUSCLE CAR ZOOMING BY!

The race winds through a mix of asphalt and slightly rugged but floral terrain, giving both vehicles a chance to shine. The muscle car dominates the straights, its fierce engine howling as it pulls ahead, but when the course dips into uneven trails, the ATV fights back, leaping over obstacles and cutting sharp corners with ease.

As they near the finish line, the muscle car barrels forward, its body shimmering, oh so delightfully under the sun. But the ATV takes a daring shortcut, bounding over a rough embankment and landing smoothly just inches ahead. In a final, adrenaline-fueled moment, both vehicles push their limits—dirt flying, tires screeching, engines roaring. The ATV bounces across the line first, a second before the muscle car thunders past.

Victory belongs to the nimble red and yellow ATV! However, a wild speed bump appears! Both vehicles are caught off guard, and proceed to hit it at full-speed, sending both flying through the air, the air-time is surprisingly pleasant with the wind blowing past them mid-air, and although one might think they’ll crash, the two bots transform out into bot mode, and most conveniently, a colossal pile of soft flower petals, not just break, but also cushion their fall comfortably, launching an abundance of them into the air and swirling around the two bots.

“AW YEAH, I won!” the quad-changer laid and exclaimed,

“Whatever, I almost beat you, probably also means I’m getting better than you.” the orange triple-changer challenged,

“Yeah right, you know I’m the king of racing! If it’s anything that involves speed, I rule!”

“Nuh uh, You cheated!”

“Oh? And how?”

“You used an embankment, that wasn’t part of the race.”

“Yes it was, not like you could do it.”

“The point still stands, you cheated.”

“I dunno, looks to me like someone’s a sore loser, heheh!”

“Oh yeah? I’ll show you who’s a sore loser!” Wedge proceeded to roughly grab Hot Shot by his waist with both arms pulling him over and then under him, effectively pinning the red & yellow bot. At first, Wedge was confident and felt bold, but now, he couldn't stop staring down at the other in silent astonishment.

“Sheesh, at least be a little more gent-mmph!”, Wedge not even giving Hot Shot a chance to finish his sentence, pressed his dermas on the other bot's, kissing him with all the eagerness of an inexperienced lover, Hot Shot was both surprised and overwhelmed by how eager the orange bot was. 

Wedge cocked his helm just a bit so, to allow the kiss to deepen and pushed forth his glossa onto the quad-changer’s, Hot Shot was soon moaning like there was no tomorrow. 

It was all glossa at this point, and it just made the triple-changer all the more winded up, to think a bot that annoyed him the most could make him all worked up like this. The deep, glossa-filled kiss prolonged, too long one might say. Then, the orange bot pulls away, temporarily creating strings of coolant between their mouths as they parted, causing the red and yellow bot to desperately vent and pant for cooler air.

“Hahh…wait…s-slow d-Ahhh!” A neck cable kiss given by Wedge forced Hot Shot to not only gasp out, but also made him open his interface panel, both spike and valve in full view of the other. And it wasn’t just Hot Shot, but also Wedge, as the moment the kiss began, both his genitals were eager to play. 

Despite going full-throttle on Hot Shot’s neck, Wedge wanted more. He began grinding the bottom of his spike length up against the ex-Cube star’s valve, making him moan out and quiver. However, he probably shouldn't have done that because now he wanted to…no, Wedge NEEDED to take him. And now. 

Wasting no time at all, he thrusted into Hot Shot’s valve, it parted smoothly as he pushed in, making a satisfied grunt accompanied with the heated moan of the mechling below him, and licking the quad-changer’s neck cables to stave off early overload as the sweet entry was tight, but oh so very warm. 

As for Hot Shot? Fully overwhelmed. Wedge set up a hasty and overeager pace, but Hot Shot’s loud moans let him know that he certainly didn't mind. 

Soon enough, no words were needed as he started to pound the red and yellow bot with his orange, turgid member, the quad-changer mechling was quite a tight heated fit around his spike, making him grit his denta with a low growl, Hot Shot gasped and moaned as the orange mechling pushed his shaft deeper into him, moving faster, feeling his inner walls convulsing and constricting around the hot member railing him. 

Tightly gripping Hot Shot’s thighs, Wedge thrusted in and out of the red and yellow mechling’s silky passage vigorously, lust filled into the his optics as he keeps hold of the other as the ex-cube player’s fluids clinged to his inner thighs and onto the orange mech taking him. 

Wedge sought after every spot, every internal node that sent moan after moan, gasp after gasp, heck even mewls and churrs were more than welcome, all Hot Shot could do was tightly grasp the flower petal pile cushioning their rigorous activity, With the burning in both their tanks finally reaching a peak and the electrical sensations rippling with it, both mechlings fell into their climaxes and overloaded as everything seemed to fade to white…

Wedge woke up!

12:30 AM, to think that a sweet innocent dream would turn into such a surreal wet fantasy had Wedge dazed and with his pressurized spike out no less. As he tried to push himself up from his berth to get a cup of energon on his nightstand, multiple tidal waves of delayed arousal hit him hard all at once, he overloaded right then and there, ropes of transfluid hit his chassis and glass abdomen. Looks like wet dreams do have an effect.

“Ugh, what a mess…”, Wedge thought, “At least none of it got on my sheets…gotta go shower.”, With that the orange bot got up from his berth and out of his dorm room and went off to the wash racks. Despite it being 12:33 in the morning, Wedge took heavy precaution as he neared the washing room, as to make sure no one saw him with transfluid all over his front chassis, and it was a success, mainly due to everyone being in recharge. 

Almost everyone.

As he neared the wash racks, Wedge heard strange noises coming from the place. The sounds coming from within the washroom weren’t making his situation any better. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one feeling the heat tonight. If those noises were any indication, Hoist was worked up just as much as he was.

“Uuuh…” Hoist’s voice moaned, Wedge moving closer and deeper into the wash racks, until stumbling upon a similar sight. It was Hoist, self-servicing, sitting on the wash rack floor, his right-hand digits thrusting into his heat and with his back turned to Wedge, oblivious that the orange bot was right there, watching it all.

Optics widening in shock, Wedge froze, his mind racing back to when he found Hot Shot in a similar situation albeit outside. Once again, his spike pressurized within his interface panel and begging to be let out.

“Almost there…a-almost there…s-so close…just a bit more…” Hoist’s voice was filled with pleasurable static. The smell of heated metal combined with the hot steam drifted throughout the wash racks.

“Primus.” Wedge muttered, putting a hand to his mouth as soon as he spoke.

The big tail-blue bot hitting climax, letting out a loud whine as he overloaded right then and there, his internal valve lubricant squirting out in a cute arch. “Whew…much better.”, Hoist sighed and relaxed, enjoying the mild afterglow, still not aware that Wedge was right behind him watching it all. The only sound was from the shower head as it continued to give out warm water, pouring on the teal-blue bot below it. Wedge was still not sure what to do or to make of this moment he just witnessed. Should he stay? Should he go? Maybe he should try to seek off and pretend this never happened, or maybe he should- too late…

He debated for long, but then it was too late. Hoist got up, switched off the water and turned around. To find Wedge standing there, a look of guilt and surprise immediately spanned his face. 

“Uuh…H-how long were you standing there?” Hoist fearfully asked, his self-service hand sliding behind him, his digits were still sticky, glistening even,

“Uumm, just now?” Wedge lied,

“O-oh, uh. Ok, I, uh, suppose you didn't hear anything weird.” Hoist looked away briefly and back, only to realize something on Wedge, “Wait. What's that on your chest?”

“Uuuuuhhhh, I sneezed.”

“You sneezed?”

“Yep.”

“Ew.”

“I know.”

“Doesn't look like a sneeze to me.” Both Hoist and Wedge were essentially jump-scared as Medix included, the hell did the red and white bot come from?!

“PRIMUS FUCKING CHRIST, MEDIX!” Wedge yelled,

“What? I often shower at this time, everyone knows that.” Medix explained irradiated,

“Don't you know how to fucking knock?”, 

Medix biting back at Wedge, “And why would I do that? This is our wash rack, the Alpha team's wash rack.” 

“Still. A warning would be nice!”

“ok I'mjustgonnagonow bye.” Hoist quickly leaving the scene to go to berth,

“Whatever, I'm here to shower and so are you, so just get to it.” Medix crankily demanded, going into a shower stall instead of the outer shower heads lined on the outside.

“The nerve of that bot, his crankiness keeps getting worse and worse.” Wedge thought, but those thoughts were quickly cast aside as he realized he really needed to wash off the transfluid still on his chest area as he hurried over to a shower head and switched it on, allowing the warm water to dissolve and remove the substance away. 

.

.

.

It was now 1:10 AM, Wedge was fully clean and with Medix gone to berth as well, he began making his way to his berthroom down the dorm hall, drowsiness once again luring him to recharge, this time, THIS TIME, for sure, he'll get a good recharge. A 100% unbothered, unhorny, dry, comfy, restful recha…

Was that two dark figures just running by at the corner of his optic! Wedge quickly swiveled his helm to try and make out the unknown beings but all he saw was a tiny blur of red and…blue? 

As much as he wanted to investigate, drowsiness was tugging at him to go recharge and he couldn't resist. Off to berth he went, maybe it was just Laserbeak or probably Mr. Boing or Basher scuttling around, little critters often had a lot of energy to spare at night… 

.

.

.

The very next cycle, the few of team Alpha; Wedge, Hoist, Medix, and Brushfire were confused that Hot Shot and Whirl weren't ready in the morning, in fact, they were looking for them right now! 

“This is strange, usually those two would be here and ready to proceed with our daily patrol routine.” Medix realized, 

“And that's what makes this even weirder, the hell did they go?” Wedge annoyed,

“Maybe they started their patrols early, y’know, to get a head start for the day.” Hoist predicted, 

“But we always announce to each other when we begin our patrols, Hot Shot and Whirl never made their announcements.” Brushfire refuting Hoist prediction,

Hoist gave the refutation a thought before continuing, “Maybe they were super early and the rest of us were still recharging.”, everyone else gave that idea a thought as well,

“Maybe they went to go get milk!” Tough Luck Chuck blurted, 

In that moment, Laserbeak walked by with the team's pet Scraplets in tow, “They could've left a note.” the avian cybertronian squaked,

“Exactly! They could've left a reminder or something for us.” Wedge thanked,

“C'mon guys, we'll find them. We just need to-” 

“SORRY WE'RE LATE!”

Hoist cut off by two familiar bots enclosing on the other bots, one being a blue helicopter and the other a red jet. Both transformed out into robot mode before landing.

“They’re back! Where’s the milk?” Chuck exclaimed but confused,

“Where have you been, we've been looking for you two all morning?!” Medix reprimanding the two, 

“Sorry, we got caught up on something.” Whirl apologized,

“It's true, we were late. I take full responsibility and apologize for the delay of our patrols, I'll ensure this never happens again.” Hot Shot uniformly apologizing, 

“Uuh…o-ok? Sure…” Wedge still creeped out by Hot Shot’s new demeanor,

“We'll do our patrols as usual from last joor (week), breaks will be as usual for everyone, stay vigilant and don't hesitate to ask for assistance. Otherwise, good luck everyone.” Hot Shot then took off in Firetruck mode to begin his patrol, and following suit everyone else took to their own patrols as well. 

While on his patrol, Wedge’s mind once again began to wander. Is Hoist going through his Heat Cycle from what he saw that morning, how the hell did Medix managed to sneak up so quietly, and where the fuck did Hot Shot and Whirl go to, so much so that it caused them to be late for patrol? Did Hot Shot go to his secret meadow? That's possible. And if so, where did Whirl go? Did she go somewhere else? But Whirl wouldn't really have a reason to go elsewhere other than to begin her patrols, but she didn't tell anyone, or was she just fooling around? No, that would be very unlikely of Whirl, she's taking the ‘We're an official team now’ thing seriously. But they would usually leave some form of notice that they were away or busy with something, and yet, they both didn't do that. 

By the time Wedge came to, he was already parked on the side of the road that was a path within his patrol route, his thoughts clearly getting to him more often than not, but he couldn't stop thinking back to when he found Hot Shot in such a lewd situation, his digits going in and out of his heat, his hand stroking his turgid member, his harmonious and lustful sounds emitting from his being, Wedge’s frame was already starting to heat up from the recall alone, and the moment Hoist came around, it caused him to panic and flee. 

“I'll be fine.” Wedge concluding his thoughts,

“Everything’s gonna be o-”

“Hey, uh, Wedge. Can you, um, help me with something. Please.”, It was Hoist, his voice shaky a bit.

“Ok? Where you at?” 

“I-I'll send you my coordinates.”

“Alright. On my way, Hoist.”

“Thank you...”

With the coordinates on his interior screen display, Wedge proceeded to the destination Hoist requested help from, surely there should be a good reason as to why Hoist needed his help, who would he be to not assist a fellow teammate? 

Getting to the destination that Hoist requested was easy-peasy, however it was a bit…off. Instead of an urban setting it was a rural area of few houses and a big forest area near the outskirts of the little Griffin Rock town. Oh, and there he was, Hoist, standing in the near entry of the wooded area. Wedge wasting no time to drive right up to Hoist, transforming out to Robot Mode.

“Hey Hoist, you needed help?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Alright, what do you want?”

“Right. Um, Follow me.”

“Ok?”

And with that awkward exchange, the two bots entered into the woods. Wedge wondered what the matter could be. Was it a trapped animal? Did a human get lost again? Did Mr. Pettypaws think he could take on an animal much larger and deadlier than him and almost die because of his ignorance?

Hoist seemed uneasy with each step leading further into the deciduous forest, while Wedge mentally fought with himself to not start thinking about lewd meadow Hot Shot, but the red and yellow bot looked so good, so inviting, so wanting…His frame starting to heat up once more. 

“Stop. Stop thinking about him. Just focus.” Wedge having a mental tug-a-war with his thoughts of focusing on his assistance to Hoist and the lustful Hot Shot self-service. The orange bot tried hard not to think such lewd thoughts but the fact that they were heading into a wooded area that was different from the one Wedge found Hot Shot but also similar, only furthering his lewd thoughts of the red and yellow quad-changer. Fortunately, his mental battle was paused by Hoist stopping and speaking. 

“Ok. I need to ask you something, and you need to promise me you won't tell anyone else.” the teal-blue triple-changer announced,

“Huh? Um, Ok.” Wedge finally realizing they reached their destination, they both now stood in a deep spot within the forest, not even humans went this far in fear of getting lost, but there wasn't anything in need of rescue or help. It was empty and quiet. Too quiet.

“Alright, what do you wanna ask?” Wedge ready to assist,

“How- uh.” A half response from Hoist, 

“...?”

“How do you-uhm.”

“Uh?”

“Damnit...”

“Hoist, you ok?”

“...”

“Hoist, you can tell me y’know.”

“How do you deal with your heat cycle?” Hoist silently asked, barely being audible, “You see, I’ve been having aft handed to me by my heat cycle, I know this is asking a lot but, could you…help me? Please, any advice will do.”

Wedge was surprised at first, but at the same time he understood perfectly why and he began to realize what's wrong with Hoist. Heat cycles aren't easy, especially if it's new to the bot in development, he probably had to endure it for quite awhile, why else did Wedge catch him in the showers relieving himself.

“Well, mostly I just self-service, it usually does the trick.”

“Really?” Hoist was surprised at such a simple solution, “But every time I do it, it doesn't help, I only get like a few kliks of relief before it comes back again.”

Wedge though before speaking, “Yeah, it can be a bitch for some, but easy for others.”,

“Shit.” Hoist defeated, what was he supposed to do now? 

“But…if it’s affecting you that bad, then…I guess I can help you, but on one condition.”

“Really?! What?”

“You'll tell no one about this.”

“Sure, bro! I'll take this to my grave.” Hoist agreed,

“Alright, just lay down and open your interface array, I've watched a few videos on Plug'n'Play on how it's done.” Wedge directed,

Hoist did as asked, exposing his valve to the breeze, giving him slight shivers, “Kinda surprised you head to DataNet to watch porn, heh.”

“Well, I gotta know how it's properly done somewhere, Chase was too vague during Interface Ed.”, Wedge exposed his spike and stooped down to Hoist, beginning to rub the length of his spike up and down Hoist's valve, the orange bot leaned in further and pressed his spike into the teal-blue bot’s valve as it was leaking lubricant out, which made it easy for Wedge to push in further as he grunted and moaned in time to his thrusts, Hoist’s large but tight valve clenching his spike. Lighting up his nodes with pleasure.

“H-holy shit…” was all the teal-blue triple-changer could vent, he couldn’t help but moan to the very friction of Wedge's hot spike thrusting in him and he's lovin’ it, Wedge begins picking up the pace, pressing harder into him and grinding into the hot heat around his spike. Hoist kicking out a leg as that node at the back of his valve is brushed. He yelps, clutching harder at Wedge, desperate as he pounds into him. The two big bots were a sight to behold, big, bulky, hot, and horny. Hoist holding onto Wedge as the orange bot wrecks his valve with vigor. 

While the orange bot was thrusting, Hoist’s hot valve calipers began to tighten around his spike, he was close and so was Wedge. A couple last hard thrusts to Hoist’s internal nodes is all the tow bot and skip-loader needed to fall over their edges, Hoist moaning as his spike spews transfluid while his valve spasms on Wedge's spike, ropes of transfluid shot into the tow bot’s valve and Wedge moaned with each shot as he was also having lubricant gushing from his own valve too. Finally, with a few soft thrusts Wedge rode out the overload.

“Huu…We…dge…how..wha…” Hoist struggling to even form words while being absolutely dazed,

“Just relax, that’s the afterglow you’re feeling.” Wedge assured and it was a moment before Hoist made another attempt at speech, 

“We…w-we..sh-should do this…hah…a-again s-sometime. M-maybe.” Hoist tiringly recommended, giving Wedge a little smile before closing his optics and letting the afterglow wash over him. 

“Mmm-Maybe, maybe.” Wedge sighed, not even sure if he could do so. With his arousal quelled, and the post-nut clarity hitting him, his thoughts came back. He was once again thinking about Hot Shot, how the red and yellow bot was having such a fun time back at that damn meadow, how the quad-changer was so sexually appealing at that moment, heck Wedge was even thankful for not yelling out his name while fragging Hoist. Sure he got Hoist, and the tow bot was amazing, but how could he get Hot Shot, especially with how the red and yellow bot’s been ever since they became an official rescue team, and with the fact that they made him the leader. He was too…solemn. Too serious. Too formal. Too…not Hot Shot…

“Hey uh, Wedge.”

“Huh?” Wedge responded to Hoist, the teal-blue bot’s afterglow wore off,

“There’s a nearby river, let’s go wash off before someone calls in on us.” Both bots were slightly covered with their bodily fluids,  

“Oh shit, right!” Wedge quickly cast his thoughts aside for now, and rushed away with Hoist to go clean up. Wedge just hoped that he could come up with something to approach the bot he once knew as a reckless rascal.

Chapter Text

Wedge was ready. 

It’s been a jour (month) and Wedge finally came up with a plan, he simply needed to put it in motion, albeit with a friends-with-benefits thing going on with Hoist, Wedge was confident in this newly created plan of his, he just needed to find Hot Shot, and what better time than today as it was a holiday, of course they’ll still respond to emergencies if such arises. 

Nearing a corner in Hero Hall, Wedge figured he’d find Hot Shot in the Sim, probably using it as a library to study on topics he found necessary or interesting, but instead he heard two bots conversing with each other, instead of rounding the corner, he stayed behind to listen in. Basically, he was eavesdropping, the bots he listened to sounded familiar. 

It was Hot Shot, and the other bot was, Whirl! And Mr. Boing and Giggles were there too, playfully skittering around as they would.

“I know, I know, but we still made it in time.”, the blue femmling assuring,

“True, but it was by a couple breems! It could have been worse!”, Hot Shot argued, 

“Oh Hot Shot! A breem is only 8.3 minutes, it doesn’t matter that much!”

“Well, to you it didn’t, but to me, as a leader I have to make sure the team is properly prepared, you know this first-hand Whirl, wasn’t it you who said ‘we have to get our shit together because we’re an official team’?!”

The femme sighs in defeat before continuing, “I. I know…I’m sorry.”

“No no, It’s…it’s ok. I didn’t mean to be harsh on you, I was just saying that to remind you of our team vows.”

“Oh…yeah…we’ve come a long way, huh?”

“Yep, and we’re competing with Team Sigma, Heatwave’s team. So, obviously, shit just got real.”

Whirl gave a cute chuckle at the snarky response, 

“Is that really Hot Shot?!” Wedge whispered, but he had to pause that thought in order to continue focusing on the two’s discussion as Hot Shot continued,

“The last thing we want to happen is to start lacking.”

“True! Also, could we…Y’know.”

“Sure, but give me some time to finish up on some incomplete records I found in the archive. Maybe at 9pm, so we have time and still be able to get some recharge before tomorrow. Same place as usual, ok?”

“Yessss. Thanks, Hot Shot!” Whirl then began jogging towards the corner Wedge was behind, Giggles in tow, the orange bot quickly chucking himself onto a nearby utility room as fast as he could, fortunately, as Whirl turned the corner, no one was there.

“Huh? Did I just hear something, Giggles?” 

Giggles squeaked and shook her head, 

“Eh, me neither, let’s go play fetch!” Whirl dismisses as she and Giggles heads towards the outside gym,

Wedge, still in the temporary shelter he took refuge in, began wondering what the absolute fuck was going on. What were Whirl and Hot Shot talking about? What were they late for? What could have been worse? What was the team being prepared for?  What was Whirl apologizing for? Shit just got real? How? Hot Shot using slang? Since when? What did Whirl ask Hot Shot for? What special place at 9pm? What seemed like a flurry of questions running through Wedge’s mind like a blizzard-

Came to a halt…and a possible realization.

Wedge needed to confirm such a possibility with his own optics, only then will he know what is going on. Peering out from the utility room, the orange bot checked the surroundings to see if it was safe to leave. 

He looked to the right leading out into the hall, no one.

He looked to the left, towards the corner he just ran from. It was safe. Wedge then proceeded out of the little cleaning room and towards the corner he meant to go around. Only to bump into Brushfire.

“GAAH!”

“AAAH!”

“Goodness gracious, Wedge! You almost scared my logic circuits off!”

“Sorrry, need to go do something!”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Uh, just something I need to confirm, see ya!”

“Huh?” the australian bot wouldn’t finish her interrogation as the constructor-bot left in a hurry,

Meanwhile, Hoist was within the Grand Earth Museum, sanitizing any “artifact” that needs cleaning, such as the glass garden gnome he was currently wiping off and at the same time, thinking to himself, all while Basher and Squeaker were playing with a beach ball behind him. 

“I wonder what this means for me and Wedge. Does this mean we have a thing or are we just a friends-with-benefits type of thing?”, Hoist pondered on the idea, it made him blush a bit, but could it be possible?

Sure, he asked for help with his heat cycle—and it worked—but what if his cycle comes back again, could he rely on him again for help? They were real damn lucky no emergencies popped up at the time.

“But it was SO good, would it really hurt to go again?”, Hoist still remembering the way the orange mechling dominated him without mercy, his cheekplates and frame heating up a bit from the thought, 

Hoist immediately shaked himself, pushing the thoughts back, hoping not to get worked up here and definitely not now, realizing he stopped sanitizing the earth items. 

“Shit! Still need to file my rescue reports soon.” Hoist quickened his pace of sanitization to go do his documents before the deadline. However, he would fail to realize that Medix was also with him along with sanitizing the earth stuff, the red and white bot taking notice of the way Hoist’s faceplate flushed for a moment, only for him to shake it away, this brief behavior making Medix worry, he approached Hoist to check on him. 

“Hoist.”

“Oh shit! Medix! Heh, I almost forgot you were helping me with cleaning the earth museum’s contributions.”

“Indeed, but it's been brought to my attention that you've been acting funny. Are you alright?”

“Hell yeah, Of course I'm fine, heck I'm healthier than an mf.”

Medix, a bit bewildered on how everyone's use in slang, “Are you sure?”

“Yep, better than being in Skid Row.”

“Wh-. Ok, why is everyone still using such stupid slang! Seriously, it makes no sense, yesterday I heard Whirl say ‘Gyatt’ while looking at Hot Shot's backside and one time, Wedge got angry at a human and declared he be sent to Brazil! And excuse my language, but how the fuck does this benefit us again?!”

“If you took the time to learn it, you would've answered your own questions y'know.”

“Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?”

“Medix you just used a meme phrase right now.”

“Wait. What?!”

“Medix, Memes are like a language, and that language is what me, Wedge, Hot Shot, and Whirl, have been looking into and it’s thanks to Cody that we, bots, even know about it. Soooo, if you asked Cody on how slang works, you’d be able to communicate with us, with it, as well, buuut, clearly you and Brushfire don’t want to, so. What’re you yapping about?”

“Well, I-”

“Save the yapping, Medie, Cody can explain it to ya, in fact, I’ll text him for you to give you and Brushfire a proper lesson in Memeology. You’ll love it, No cap bro!” 

“...ugh..” Medix relented, seeing it as the only way he could learn to understand his colleagues better. 

And Hoist had already sent a text to Cody for Medix’s assistance in memes and earth slang, “You'll be using slang just like us in no time, bet!”

“Ok ok, FINE. I'll learn it, but not all of it. I'd like to keep my formal way of speaking, thank you.”

“But that'll just make you sound cringe.”

“Well, I'd rather be cringe than lose my sense of self and language.”

“Whatever. Just remember using memes may require you to be, well. Vulgar af.”

“Primus, help me.”

“You'll be a’ight.”

Soon enough, the two finished up on cleaning the earth “artifacts” and headed back to their rescue hq office to file their rescue reports with their scraplets in tow with the beach ball. Eventually, t was 8:50pm, everyone was wrapping up their documents and reports to be due in a couple cycles within the office; Wedge, Hoist, Medix, Brushfire, Whirl, Hot Shot, Laserbeak, and the five scraplets all resting in the corner with Chuck next to the water cooler. 

Medix was the first to finish but stayed to have an intellectual chat with his uncle Ratchet via webcam, or in other words they were arguing over which type of bandage was the best. Brushfire finished as well and went off to berth, Hoist, more tired than ever, finished up and off to berth he went, and Laserbeak headed to his nest within Wedge’s dorm, taking the scraplets with him. All that remained were Hot Shot wrapping up his work, Whirl getting a quick drink of water, Wedge being low-key to confirm his suspicions, and an arguing Medix. With a few tacks and clicks on his desktop PC, Hot Shot was finished, leaving his office space, he went out the door towards…somewhere outside, but not without winking at Whirl, Whirl winking back in response, Wedge noticing both. 

Not long after, Whirl followed suit to the location of Hot Shot, wanting to be unnoticed, Wedge waited a couple kliks before sneakily following in his muscle car mode into the familiar streets he once drove rampant through, he checked his GPS, the coordinates of Whirl and Hot Shot were not visible, of course they'd turn them off, all he had to go off of was the sound of Whirl’s rotor blades flying through the night, listening and following in quiet pursuit…till a certain medic spoke up. 

“Wedge?”

“Ugh…The fuck you want, Medix, why are even following me?”

“Because my curiosity has gotten the best of me, especially with you tailing Whirl so closely.”

“Go back to the office, Medix.”

“Wedge. I can turn on my sirens, right now.”

“...ugh…Keep. Quiet.” Wedge demanded with the red and white bot silently agreeing. It wouldn't take long as the blue helicopter flew over the same familiar forest entrance that Wedge once was, losing the bots silently following her as she flew over the treetops. The same forest entrance that was now right before the construction-bot and medical bot. 

“I remember this place.” Wedge reminiscing,

“Wait what?” Medix perplexed by what the orange bot meant,

“Nothing. Just…wait here.” The orange bot began heading into the same wooded area he entered once before,

Slumbering animals that were enjoying a good rest were awoken to an orange bot walking through the forest in which they resided, many of which simply moved to a quieter area, some were nearly trampled over, while most were outright confused. As Wedge walked on within the woods, his mind, on demon timing, began racing back to the memory of a self-serving Hot Shot, the red and yellow mechling pleasing himself in such a way that Wedge’s spike immediately pressurized right out of its interface panel that day, it was just so damn surreal, and the fact that he was once again nearing the same place he saw such a spectacle made his frame heat up exponentially, and as he entered into a more dense part of the forest, there right before him was the place. The small secret meadow, guarded by large hedges to conceal what was within.

Wedge's spark began to race, but it soon slowed. What if what he thought was going on is actually happening behind those hedges, could Whirl have gotten to Hot Shot before him? Is it? Too late?... Only one way to find out. As Wedge once again peeked through the hedges, what he saw was…Hot Shot, with his genitalia out, laying on the ground cushioned by the soft grass underneath him as he watched the stars. How could such a scene not turn Wedge on! The red and yellow bot was just right there waiting to be taken, and Wedge's spike began pressuring within his interface array and was more than happy to oblige. Eager to step in, Wedge hesitated for a moment, if Hot Shot’s here, then where did Whirl go? Come to think of it, the noise of her rotor blades were no more, long gone even. That's weird, but that didn’t matter, all Wedge knew that his opportunity was right before him and he had to take it! But not without a certain bot showing up. 

“Wedge, there you are. You had me worried for a moment.” Medix.

“Medix, I need you to leave.” Wedge quietly demanded,

“Why? Has something happened?” With that question from Medix, Wedge quickly fabricated a lie the best way he could, while also trying to be discreet of what he saw, 

“I just need to do some digging in this area, there’s something trapped inside a hole, so I want to dig them out to safety. But, I'm gonna need you to back away so you don't get hit by flying debris, unless you don't mind being caked in it.”

“Ah, a good and careful strategy, I like that. Very well then, I shall wait over there.” Medix pointing to a sizable distance away from the hidden meadow, and just enough to not hear sounds emitting from it. “Do be careful Wedge, and do call if you require assistance.”,

“I will, thanks Medix.” Wedge thanked, and with Medix now walking in the opposite way of the hidden meadow, Wedge was impressed with such a lie he made. 

Carefully, the orange bot pushed through the hedges and into the little floral space where Hot Shot was within, the quad-changer was snoozing off a bit, but his spike and valve were in full display, both glistening with slight lubricant. This is it, just like the day he found Hot Shot in such a lewd fashion, just like the wet dreams he's been having, just like the heated thoughts that constantly plagued his mind, he wanted him so badly and finally it's time. With all the arousal, his spike popped right out of his interface panel, rousing Hot Shot from his dozed off state. 

“Oh, Whirl, finally you mad- Wedge?!” Hot Shot surprised and covering his genitals with his left hand, immediately noticing Wedge's rocking spike of a boner,

“Hello ther-Wait. Did you just say Whirl?” Wedge trying to do his best sexy impression but failing,

“Wait…” Hot Shot took a moment with his right hand to get his phone from his subspace to check the time, it was 11:35pm. Alarmed, Hot Shot put away his phone back into his subspace and turned on his comm trying to contact Whirl, Wedge just standing there staring all the while,

“Whirl, where are you?”

“Sorry Hot Shot, I'm lost, Where you at? Do we still have time?” 

“Unfortunately not Whirl, it's way past the time we agreed to meet up, we need to go to berth now”

“Shit.”

“We'll try again next time.” Hot Shot dismissed,

“Alright.” Whirl concluded as she yaw and pitched to head back to base, 

Hot Shot turned off his comm, retracting his genitalia, closing his interface panel, and transforming into Jet mode, and gave the notice to Wedge standing five meters from him.

“C'mon Wedge, let's head back.”

“Ok, first of all what the fuck is going on? And second, why were you waiting naked for Whirl?”

“I'll explain back at base, and your spike is out.”

“Well no shit it's out, what was I supposed to do while you were just there, ready to be taken.”

“...oh...uh…we'll talk about this later, for now let's get back to base to rest for tomorrow, there's a parade for Saint Patrick's Day and Griffin Rock's gonna need security, hell, maybe even backup, let's go.” and with that Hot Shot flew off towards base as well, leaving the poor orange bot with a depressurizing spike as it retracted back into his interface panel. He was so close. So. Damn. Close.

“Medix, the thing’s free, let's head back.” Wedge commed,

“Oh really? Splendid! Are you alright?”

“No…”

“What, why? What happened?”

“Just head back to base, Medix.” Wedge transforms into his muscle car mode and speeds off towards HQ along with Medix. 

The next day was festive af.  Green…GREEN. EVERYWHERE.

Saint Patrick’s Day bloomed into a spectacle of color, sound, and community spirit. The morning begins with a parade stretching down the town’s avenue. Floats decorated with shamrocks, rainbows, and pots of gold roll past, while high school marching bands play upbeat tunes that mix traditional Irish melodies with contemporary flair. Cheerleaders, Irish step dancers, and local cultural groups fill the street with movement and energy. 

Both rescue bot teams Sigma and Alpha put their competition aside for the safety of the humans. Everybot was in their respective positions, Hoist, Wedge, and Chase were security. Whirl, Medix, and Blades were Eyes-in-the-Sky. Hot Shot, Heatwave, and Brushfire were guides. Boulder, Ratchet, Perceptor were on area control, and everyone else was backup. 

Crowds line the sidewalks three-deep, dressed in green hats, sequined scarves, and novelty shamrock sunglasses. Children clutch paper flags and cotton candy dyed green, their excitement matching the adults who sip coffee laced with Irish cream. Food trucks and vendors serve everything from corned beef sliders to green-dyed cupcakes, alongside the ever-present scent of fried food and beer drifting through the air.

Nearby pubs and breweries open their doors wide, spilling music and laughter onto the streets. Televisions inside play both Irish sports highlights and American basketball games, but the soundtrack outside is unmistakably festive—live fiddlers, guitars, and pipes filling the air with folk songs that compel strangers to dance together.

However, some troubles arose. You see, when people get drunk, they make all the bad decisions, from trying to pick fights with others that are stronger than you to attempting to drive while intoxicated, it was a civil law wonderland for Chase and Whirl; arrests here, tickets there, all the alcoholics everywhere, Hoist towing illegally parked cars to, Medix transporting over-intoxicated individuals to the hospital and fro.

 Without a doubt, from dawn to dusk, the day was busy, but it was all the more satisfying when night rolled in. It was 8:20 pm, the crowd began to disperse and go home, and the bots began to lessen as well, till it was just Hot Shot, Whirl, Hoist, and Wedge, albeit apart in teams of two, with Medix already gone to berth due to sheer exhaustion.

“G fucking g, bro!” Hoist exclaimed, 

“C'mon, Hoist. We're not done yet.” Wedge insisted, 

“I know, I know. How do you think the others did?”

“Well, we commed them earlier and they were in legit standing, so I'd say pretty damn good.”

“A’ight. Guess we're done now.”

“Yep, and I. Am. Fucking. Tired. Hoist, could you tow me?” Wedge transforming in his Skip Loader mode,

“I gotchu, fam!” Hoist exclaimed all while transforming into tow truck mode and hooking Wedge, taking both back to base for a good night’s rest.

Meanwhile, with Whirl and Hot Shot they were guiding people towards their respective parked vehicles, ensuring everyone knew where the parking spots were and which car was theirs, granted if they were drunk.

“What a day.” Hot Shot relieved as he finalized on the last person to get to their car safely, 

“Probably the best day yet!” Whirl, all the more joyous,

“And got the job done. Well, let’s head to recharge.”

“...Do we have to though?”

“What do you mean by…” Hot Shot didn’t even have to look at Whirl to know what she meant, immediately he was pulled by his right arm, the blue femmling taking him to a private area behind the parking lot building.

She brought him in close, while being grabbed by her waist, and kissed him full on the dermas, a bit sloppy at first, but neither minded. The femmling loved the feel of his dermas on her own, they were warm and a bit soft too. The quad-changer's servos instinctively found their way to the copterbot's rotorhub-back and he pressed her closer to him as their kiss deepened. Whirl let out a small moan as she felt the pressure of Hot Shot's hard frame against her own. 

The red and yellow mechling then lowered his arms to pick her up by her tibulens (thighs) as if she weighed nothing at all and the blue copter wrapped each of her pedes around his midsection. She held on easily, her arms loosely wrapped around the mechling's broad shoulders. Their frames felt hot, they needed air, but they refused to break apart, not yet, it felt too good to be locked in like this, tasting each other, each glossa mingling against the other. Shortly, Hot Shot went lower to Whirl’s neck cables to lick such delicate plating, in return she gasped, pulling away while giggling.

“Hot Shot! We can’t do that here, hehe.”

“Well, you started it. I assumed you wanted me to take you right here, right now.”

 “That would be nice, but…Let’s just find some. Privacy. Y’know, that place.”

“You're lucky it’s only 8:35.”

“Yep, now let's go!”

“Wait, but how are we…Woah!”, while Whirl was still being lifted by Hot Shot, she clung tightly to him and started up her rotor hub on her back, the rotor blades spinning powerfully, allowing her to not only throttle upwards but also taking Hot Shot with her as well, as they flew towards the secret meadow within the far rural woods. And even when they arrived it didn't take long for them to get to work. Whirl also detached her rotor hub from her back to maximize comfort and convenience.

A teasing slip of his spike tip pressing up against her valve, making her gasp out and shiver, only having the tip slipping in, yet not pushing in. Hot Shot let out a soft sigh at her being so wet.

“Y-you better not tease me too m-much.” Whirl weakly warned,

“Just a little, I promise.” Hot Shot chuckled,

He continued to tease her, of course, slipping a servo around to the front, rubbing along her chassis, this caused Whirl to moan out with a sense twinge of lust and desire as she felt his spike tip delectably trace down her opening. Giving a genuine rub with his tip made the copterbot arch her back, panting hotly as he held onto her. Keeping Whirl bound down helped Hot Shot as he continued to tease and pleasure her frame with simply his servos and his spike tip.

His tip only stayed borderline in her valve, pulling out only when she tried to thrust inwards in a wanting manner. To Hot Shot this was simply play, but for Whirl, she was starting to lose it. Hot Shot savored every moment of it, until Whirl couldn’t handle it any further and urged him to begin. His servos moved to her hips, digits grabbing onto her sides as he lines up and thrusts in, penetrating right into her warm, tight valve and making a hot grunt as his audio receptors hear the heated moan of the femmling below him. 

Already, some pre-fluid already leaked within her inner nodes as he smirked down at her while starting with a slow, steady rhythm of thrusting in, and out. Hot Shot spaced a bit between him and her, using his right arm to bring up her right leg close to his face, to which he proceed to lick, nibble, and lightly bite at it her cadulen (calves), all while gazing at her with predatory optics, as if to say, “You’re mine.”, Whirl couldn't be more turned on, and yet that did just the trick.

However, gentleness would soon become rough. No words were needed to describe as he started to pound into her with his red, turgid member, the blue femmling was quite a tight heated fit around his spike, making him grit his denta with a low growl, she moaned loudly as he pushed his shaft deeper into her, moving faster, feeling her walls convulsing and constricting around his hot member. Every spot, every node that sent moan after moan, and soon enough the electrical sensations of an overload ripped through the femmling and mechling, easily causing both to reach their climaxes. “...s-so...h-hot...” was all Whirl relieved as she felt the Hotbot’s transfluid slowly seep, but Hot Shot wasn’t the type to end things on a whiff, he worked her like a predacon with no sense of stopping, with a few quick, rough thrusts, he released a gush of transfluid into her, some even jetting against the floral ground, making her gasp out and moan down until the wild ride was over.

Both letting out a satisfied sigh as Hot Shot pulled out his exhausted, depressurizing spike and closed his panel along with Whirl closing hers. The red and yellow mechling then lying down to his side, pulled Whirl into a bear hug, and pressed his dermas onto hers.

“It’s 9:50 pm, we’ll have to head back soon.” Hot Shot parting the kiss to announce,

“Hot Shot, we both have aerial modes. We’ll get back home in no time.”

“Tsk, That’s what you said last time.”

“We were only late by a couple breems, it wasn't the end of the world, y’know.”

“I know, I know. Just saying.” 

Both chuckling as the mechling and femmling drifted into a small recharge, just for now before they head back.

Chapter Text

“Hot Shot. We need to talk. Now.” Wedge demanded,

“Alright, what is it?.” Hot Shot calmly relented, It was a quiet afternoon at the academy and luckily no disasters were present, but that didn’t mean Wedge was going let Hot Shot off the hook of what happened before. In the break room, within their office, Hot Shot and Wedge stood apart from one another, face to face. Wedge's arms angrily crossed, while Hot Shot was relaxed.

“First of all, what the hell were you and Whirl going on about in that small meadow, and second, how long have you guys been doing this?”

“We were talking about our way of relieving our heat cycles. It's through interfacing, and this has been going on for the past four jours (months) now.”

“Wh-...wait..what?.” Wedge being utmost surprised on how casually Hot Shot admitted everything,

“Wedge, surely you know we're experiencing the “puberty” stage of cybertronians, right?”

“Um.”

“Wedge. We're not younglings anymore, if anything, we're young adults now. And we're pretty much the equivalent of 20 year olds. You know that right?” Hot Shot chuckled, 

“Fuck, that chuckle was hot.” Wedge thought, 

“And I'm pretty sure you’re going through it too, considering your spike was out in full view for me.”

“W-well, what did you expect! You were just laying there spike, valve and all!”

“That's because I was waiting for Whirl.”

“Well, still! Now, I’m even more frustrated than before!”

“So do you want me to help you?”

“W-what?”

“I said, do you want me to help you?”

“Wh…I…No, I can help myself.”

“You sure?”

“Y-yeah!”

“Alright, I respect your decision, but if you change your mind...”, Hot Shot leaned closer to Wedge’s audio receptor, using his left hand to push the orange mechling's helm closer to his dermas and whispered, “Let me know.”, mild pleasure spikes shooting through Wedge's entire frame, throwing him into a short daze, and Hot Shot quickly jogging away, all while chuckling.  

“W-wait, Hot Shot?” By the time Wedge came to, the red and yellow bot was already gone. “Shit, what were you thinking?!”, Wedge kicking himself over his prideful refusal of the ex-Cubehead. Oh well, maybe next time, and besides, things aren't that bad. Right?

“Ayo, Wedge!” Ah, it's Hoist,

“Oh. Hey Hoist, what's up?”

“Heya, I was just wondering if uh, you were down for some fun? Like last time?”

 “Hoist.”

“I know, I know. Last time, you were only trying to help, and I appreciated it, really! But maybe just one more time? For the last time maybe?” Hoist hoping Wedge would approve his request once more,

“Maybe?” Wedge sighed, “Same place, I assume?”

“Actually, I found a better place. Look.” Hoist showed Wedge a hologram of a location in the outskirts of Griffin Rock, “It’s an abandoned mattress warehouse! No one goes there and the demolition team postponed its destruction indefinitely because they don't have the proper equipment to destroy it. Top privacy!”,

“Huh, interesting.” Wedge intrigued with Hoist's find, 

“So whatcha think?”

“Alright, I'm down, but remember what I said?”

“Absolutely, don’t tell anyone. I'll see you there at maybe 8 pm or 9, whichever one works for you, ‘ppreciated man!” Hoist concluding before heading towards the Earth Museum to sort some stuff,

“Sure thing.” Wedge half-heartedly replied. Hoist was nice, don't get Wedge wrong, but how could he ignore Hot Shot now, especially with the fact that he now knew of his, well, internal struggles. Maybe he could, no, no. Wait, would it be possible to…or would he allow him to…is that even possible? Humans do it too, right? But it did require communication from both parties. Wedge needed to think of this. 

However, that'll have to be later as he saw Laserbeak walking by with the team’s scraplets in tow. 

Ever since Laserbeak joined their team he's been pretty supportive, especially with their pet scraplets, and sometimes following in rescue missions every now and then, It goes without saying that everyone was quite thankful for the bird bot, especially Wedge. 

“Hey! Laser!” Wedge called out, the bird bot taking quick notice, 

“Just wanted to let you know, we appreciate you for helping us out.”,

Laserbeak chirped in happy acknowledgement,

“Y’know, I can follow along to help you out if you want.”

Laserbeak thought for a moment and accepted with a nod, continuing forth with the pet scraplets, with Wedge tagging along to help out. 

While everyone was going about their business, a certain red and white bot was wondering what was wrong with everyone. 

Medix wondered why everyone was being so secretive of what they do. First, it was Hot Shot being unfindable, Second, Whirl going out more to Primus knows where, Wedge making him to be quiet, and finally Hoist being in the wash racks more often than not, making strange noises, and sometimes he'd hear another voice with the teal-blue bot, but wasn't able to investigate due to different tasks and duties at the time of discovery, as for Brushfire, she was fine. 

Frustrated and confused, he sought to find an answer, no better than to look to his uncle, Ratchet! Plus, it wasn't hard to find the tall medic-bot, as he was almost always in the med-bay. Now was a better opportunity than ever to ask questions on what the hell is wrong with his team. 

“Greetings, Ratchet!” Medix exclaimed, startling a busy Ratchet, 

“GAAH! Oh, Medix. What is it, and could ya knock next time.”

“My apologies, but I have a question that I must receive an answer for.”

“What?”

“Why are my friends acting weird?”

“What do you mean your friends are acting weird?”

“It’s because they’re almost always doing things that leave me puzzled. For example, Hot Shot and Whirl are hard to find nowadays, Wedge is more secretive with what he does, Hoist is often in the wash racks making weirdass noises and sometimes, he’s not alone! And as for Brushfire…well, actually Brushfire is the most normal so far actually, other than the fact she tends to slip in and out of HQ sometimes. I just want to know why. Why are my teammates being so weird, or is it just me?”

Ratchet stared for a moment, before bursting into loud laughter,

“Ratchet! This is no time for laughing, I need answers now!”

“Huhahahaaah! Uuh, oh geez, Primus I haven't laughed like that in a while. Wheew.”

“RATCHET, PLEASE!”

“Alright alright, I’ll tell ya!” Ratchet calming down the impatient med-bot, “Medix, remember when I told ya that you young bots won't remain as younglings forever, y’know our species grow, albeit at an astronomically slow rate, but Younglings grow at a slightly faster rate. Least to say, you guys are growing and you all are pretty much young adults by now, Adultlings, if you will. So it’s no surprise that your frames are starting to change to make way for your path to adulthood, however you guys still aren’t old enough for birth giving, as your sparks aren’t fully developed for that yet.”, 

Ratchet turned for a moment to fix a gear on a personal project of his before continuing, “Anywho, your friends are acting weird because our cybertronian version of puberty is affecting them, it doesn’t have an official term, but it’s commonly known as ITD, or Internal Technical Difficulties, usually begins when a cybertronian grows out of the Youngling stage and into the Adultling stage, which is where you guys are now. And, Heheh, My boy, ITD can sometimes change a bot for better or for worse, internally and externally.”

“Ah, I see. Will they be okay?”

“Relax, they’ll be fine. Just be patient, cuz ITD tends to last for quite some time.”

“Oh. How long?”

“A vorn.”

“Wait, that’s…83 Years?!”

The older med-bot chuckled, “Yep, we cybertronians can grow to be real old especially in optimal conditions, so it’s no surprise that our “puberty” lasts much, MUCH longer than humans, in which their puberty lasts for just 2-5 years.”

“Well now I’m rather envious of that.” The little med-bot huffed,

“I know. So, just do your best and…well…stay normal, I guess. You got this, kid.” Ratchet nonchalantly walks away to resume his medical project and practice to make a better energon version, unlike his failed Synth-En.

“So it all makes sense now.” Medix having a long overdue epiphany and walking away to his med-bay in the new wing of the Academy to absorb the new info, until he was stopped by Brushfire halfway there. 

“Aya there Medix! You mind helping me with something?”

“Of course, Brushfire. What is it that I may assist you with?”

“Well first, where are you headed?”

“My med-bay within the new wing that Citadel Secundus provided at our final graduation.”

“Perfect! You can help me there, let's go.”

“Very well. By the way, what is it that you need help with?”

Brushfire didn't answer, merely gesturing to Medix to keep up. 

.

.

.

It wouldn't take long for sunset to begin, it was 7:40 PM, and Wedge took the initiative to head to the abandoned warehouse early, while heading there in muscle car mode, he noticed Hot Shot from a distance in jet mode, flying by on his own. 

Somewhere in Wedge's mind urged him to follow or at least call out to him, he was probably going to arrive at the warehouse early anyways, wouldn't hurt to go see what the quad-changer was up to, right? He submitted to his thoughts, deciding to quietly tail the red jet, doing his best to catch up and keep his engine quiet…but such carefulness was futile as the athletic bot that was Hot Shot, seemingly having a sixth sense, quickly noticed that he was being followed.

The red jet turned around to face the orange muscle car, “Wedge?”

Wedge was surprised by how quickly he was discovered, “Oh! Uh, Hot Shot. Hey.” 

“What are you-”

“No no, you're just coincidentally going along the route that I was going through to get somewhere.”

“...”

“Honest.”

“Wedge…you're following me, aren't you?”

“Tsk, no, why would I do that?”

“Because the road ahead is cut off to the camping grounds. Unless you're fine with off-roading.”

“Uh, yeah of course! Hell yeah, what's a better way to end the day than some good ol’ off-roading.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

The battle of silence was deafening, and it felt as if time was moving at a snail’s pace, Wedge couldn't help but feel his spark beginning to sink. Man, was this embarrassing, a rush of potential lies began forming in his head hoping to back him up, in case this conversation headed into debate. But all of that wouldn't matter as Hot Shot picked up the convo again. 

“Wedge...”

“W-what…”

The red jet began to slowly lower to the ground and towards Wedge, till he was near his front bumper, the orange muscle car slowly backing, with his entire frame heating up, as if scared but aroused, 

“I'm going to ask you again…do you want me to help you?”

“I-I...I…”

“You can tell me.”

“uh...”

“If it's anything you want to talk about, anything at all, I'm all audio receptors.”

“I-I know, it's…it's just.” Wedge sighing before deciding maybe it's time he let it out, “Hot Shot, I…I-I want-”

“Hey Wedge, where you at?! I arrived at the old warehouse at 8:15, but you ain't here, did you get lost or somethin’? Do you need the coordinates again?”, Hoist loudly ringing into Wedge's comm,

“Oh Hoist! Uh, I'll be there, just got caught in some traffic!” Wedge quickly took off as fast as he could in the opposite direction he was tailing Hot Shot. Hot Shot merely hovering there, not surprised but rather worried, he began flying in the direction in which Wedge sped off to, keeping his engine as quiet as possible. 

Meanwhile, Wedge rushed to the abandoned warehouse, a teal-blue tow truck coming into his view as he drove into the rugged closed parking area.

“Sup dude!” Hoist greeted, 

The muscle car gave a small honk, “Sorry for the delay, Hoist.”

“It's all good, it's 8:35, we got time.”

“Alright.”

Both mechlings transformed out from their vehicles modes and began making their way into the abandoned warehouse, easily lifting a rust garage-like door, the warehouse being bare and old before them.

Dust particles resting upon surfaces almost everywhere, abandoned bird nests in which the young have long since left, old supplies sitting in their expiration, and mostly, old plastic-wrapped mattresses fated to never to find an owner. Not a single thing uttered a sound other than the wind flowing through the upper eroded glass windows, hell, there weren't even any pests due to the place being so ass.

“Alright, I have an idea! I’m gonna take the mattresses nearby to make something neato! All you have to do is…uh, close your eyes and count to, um, 30, yeah.” Hoist proposed,

“Why?” Wedge questioned,

“Just do it dude. I won't disappoint.”

“Fine. One. Two. Three. Four.” With Wedge starting the countdown with his optics closed, Hoist immediately got to work, he ran towards the wrapped mattresses, ripping them out from their safe packaging, and began taking them to a secure spot in the old warehouse.

“Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen.”

He placed them not only on top of each other but also next to each other in a tight formation. Just a few more mattresses to go.

“Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

“Over here!” Hoist called out to Wedge from a corner past some rusted machinery, the orange bot walking over to the area just feast his optics upon a rather impressive surprise.

“Holy fuck…Is that-”

“The ultimate mattress? Why yes, yes it is.” Hoist leaning confidently on a spread out and neatly piled stack of mattresses on top a mat of plastic wraps, as to not get the mattress stack dirty from the rugged steel floor. The damn thing was huge, its height being the same as Hoist and Wedge. This was once again giving Wedge deja vu and…was that a blur of red in the corner of his optic? Probably just the wind.

“Ya like it?” Hoist was pretty excited, Wedge still impressed, 

They both climbed onto the towering mattress mass, the teal-blue bot laying down and easily let him have it, spike, valve and all, and it didn't take long for Wedge to get to work.

“Sheesh, Wedge, you're good at this.” Hoist questioning,

“Eh, I try.” Wedge boringly replying,

“Are you though.” A similar voice from a certain bot in a dark corner surprised both bulky bots,

“HOT SHOT?!” Both Wedge and Hoist exclaiming, both big bots looking to spot the athletic intruder,

At that point Hot Shot was already climbing onto the giant mattress and sitting right next to them, “You guys don’t mind if I join?” 

Albeit hesitant, Hoist wanted to make sure Hot Shot was keen on his decision, “Wait, you’re legit ok with this? With us?”,

“I don’t see why not, unless you want me to lea-”

“NO!”, Wedge blurted, “Um, Hoist, surely you don’t mind, r-right?”

“Eh, the more the merrier!” Hoist was delighted but with one last question, “So who’s on who?”

“Leave that to me. Wedge, could you move over, I’ll take your place over Hoist.” Hot Shot commanded, with Wedge following his orders, now the red and yellow bot loomed over Hoist, missionary style, exciting the teal-blue mechling so much that lubricant began seeping out his valve, with Wedge behind them heating up from the two’s positioning. 

“Alright, now I do this.” Hot Shot then opened his own interface panel, exposing his genitalia as well, his valve glistened with lubricant, just like in Wedge’s wet dreams, and oh how Wedge hoped this wasn’t a dream.

“C’mon, Wedge. Don’t keep us waiting.” Hot Shot reminding the skip-loader while rubbing his valve to entice the orange mechling,

There were no words on God’s green earth that can describe how spectacularly erect Wedge was, and he had a job to do and like hell was he gonna waste this chance. Practically hopping forward, he rushed towards Hot Shot's heat and penetrated right in with his overeager spike, and such a rough motion caused Hot Shot’s spike to slip right into Hoist’s valve. 

“Holy Fuck!” Hoist gasped from the sudden pleasure, Hot Shot merely moaning as he was not only giving, but receiving as well. And Wedge was just there, a hungry bot with a mighty member eager for action. 

Soon their frames soon moved in harmony, accompanied by a symphony of whispered breaths and kisses. Hot Shot, nestled between Hoist and Wedge, feels the warmth of their embrace, the steady rhythm of their frames moving as one, thrusted into the other, syncing altogether. The red and yellow bot pressed a gentle kiss to the curve of the teal-blue bot’s neck below him, while Wedge’s digits traced delicate patterns along the sides of Hot shot's frame. There’s no rush—just the slow, intoxicating dance of sexual discovery, of dermas meeting mesh (skin), of servos memorizing every contour and curve, of spikes and valves engulfing each other.

They share little smiles between kisses, mewls, churrs, even little moans bubbling up as the orange triple-changer pressed onto the red and yellow quad-changer, wanting to be closer. Hoist watched in awe and ecstasy for a moment, his right digits intertwining with Hot Shot’s, while Hot Shot’s left digits were pumping the teal-blue bot’s spike. It’s a moment of absolute intimacy—three bodies, three sparks entwined in trust, desire, and the kind of lust that made the world outside disappear.

Between soft moans and murmured names, they moved as one, the night unfolding in a story written on mesh, told through gasps and caresses, but it wouldn't take long for the intensity to spike up, their thrusting rhythm speeding up due to Wedge wanting everyone to start chasing their climaxes, and who were Hoist and Hot Shot to disagree.  With the orange mechling pounding into the red and yellow mechling, and the red and yellow quad-changer pounding into the teal-blue triple-changer, it didn't take long for their climax to arrive. 

Frames heating up, electrical sensations riveting through their beings and shared into one another, overload was instantaneous for all of them at the same time, transfluid flowing into Hot Shot as well as Hoist, and despite Wedge being the dominant one with his spike gushing in Hot Shot, his valve spasmed and squirted violently due to the pleasure overload.  

When the haze of passion finally settled, spikes and valves were retracted, interface panels closed, they remained wrapped in each other’s arms, basking in the colossal afterglow of something more than just desire—something new, something theirs, something oh so surreal. 

 “Huh…uuhhh…fuck…you guys are…a-awesome…” Hoist barely managed to breath out,

“Nnnhhh…” Wedge clearly overwhelmed by the afterglow, not being able to form words, 

“I'll take it that you guys had a good time.” Hot Shot was surprisingly active and ready to go home, “C'mon guys, let's go, it's 10:30.”

“please…stay…” Wedge begged, 

“…plea…” Hoist also begging as well, 

Hot Shot sighed, figures, they did just frag in a way that transcended their minds, or course they'll be disoriented by such a hot and heavy threesome. Oh well, guess a good ol’ rest at the abandoned warehouse will have to do for now.

Chapter Text

6:00 AM. 

The orange mechling lies on his berth, one arm behind his head, the other resting on his chest. His room is dimly lit by a tiny lamp on his nightstand, casting long shadows on the exercise posters that line his walls.

He stares at the ceiling, but he’s not really seeing it. His mind is somewhere else—back to that earlier joor. It barely went by and Wedge was losing his mind, He wanted Hot Shot. That night at the old warehouse was phenomenal, absolute cinema, an experience never before had, but man, he wanted to just go back in time and do it all over again, albeit without Hoist. 

Don't get Wedge wrong, Hoist was great and really contributed to the whole thing, but to have Hot Shot all to himself, that thought alone made his frame's temperature rise, his mind couldn't stop thinking about the red and yellow quad-changer, whenever he caught sight of him in the hallway or in the office, even if it were just a glance, it was enough to make him swoon. The way he addresses his teammates, including him, the way his optics squinted when reviewing reports and documents, and rarely on the off chance, he caught the ex-Cubehead smiling. It all loops in his head like a presentation he can’t turn off.

He turns over onto his side, sighing, frustrated, and giddy all at once. Every time he tries to focus—on work, on a movie, even on a text—the athletic mechling’s there, tucked into every thought like a secret note folded between the lines.

He wonders if he knows. If Hot Shot will ever feel the same. Wonders what it would be like to say his name out loud in a way, to see what pleasure would look like written across Hot Shot’s face, personally. Would he be noisy during interface?  He was kinda expressive last time, albeit Wedge couldn't see his face due to Hot Shot facing Hoist, surely that could carry over into a personal intimate experience, right? 

Wedge imagined the kind of face Hot Shot would make when he overloaded, mouth open in a loud moan, helm thrown back with closed optics from being overwhelmed, his hands fiercely grabbing the sheets so as to not lose control, and maybe just maybe, both of them opening their spark chambers to…goodness, such dirty thoughts belong in a dumpster! The orange mechling sighs a heavy breath of lust, closes his optics, and lets himself fall a little deeper into the ache of it all—sweet, sexy, and oh so full of desire.

.

.

.

But that rest will have to wait as his alarm goes off…It’s training day.

Outside, The first rays of sunlight spilled gently across the outside gym behind the academy, dappling the dew-covered grounds in streaks of gold. It was that rare moment of stillness—before alarms buzzed, before traffic roared, and before the town of Griffin Rock truly woke. The kind of morning where the air felt fresh enough to start over.

Hot Shot arrived first, like always. He exhaled into the cool air, a small cloud forming in front of his face. In his hands, she carried a couple of rolled-up cybertronian-sized yoga mats, followed by Whirl also carrying the similar cargo as Hot Shot, both hearing the sounds of birdsong and distant traffic. As they set all the gear down, Whirl had a question. 

“Is anyone coming or are we gonna have a bunch of no-shows?”

“Well, they did confirm with me yesterday they'd show up and, oh! Brushfire and Wedge are here!”

“Hi guys!” Brushfire greeted, 

“Hey.” Wedge gave a little wave, all while trying to keep his thoughts together upon seeing Hot Shot. 

With Brushfire and Wedge now on the scene, soon enough, the whole team was there with Hoist and Medix being the final two. Time to begin.

“Alright, guys. Ready?”

A mixture of “Yeah!”,  “Ok”, and “Let's Go!”, all followed by Hoist’s complaint of why they have to do so, were replied back. Time to move!

The morning exercise went well. They all moved in somewhat sync, some more than others, a rugged harmony of breath, condensation, and motion. Warm-ups melted into dynamic stretches. Squats turned into lunges, planks flowed into push-ups. In between sets, there were shared grimaces, high-fives, and the occasional dramatic groan from Hoist, who insisted he was “too tired for this,” despite never missing a session.

The sun climbed higher, turning mist into steam, and their shadows grew shorter as they moved into their final circuit. Hot Shot called out the last countdown.

“Three! Two! One! And time! Good job guys!”

As they collapsed to cool down, the town far from them was just starting to wake—buses rumbled in the distance, and cars began their time in traffic of the morning rush hour. The team sat in a loose circle, Hoist and Medix full on laying on the ground exhausted, everyone else passing around water bottles and joking about the patrol plans. 

They didn’t need medals or race bibs. This was their finish line—every couple joors, in that quiet moment before the town begged aid of them, anytime now, from their own human errors or supernatural disasters. Welp, it was 7:30 AM, time to get a move on. 

Hot Shot spoke up to announce, “Everyone! Can I have your attention! You guys go wash off, eat, rest, whatever you need to do, it’s 7:30 as of now, patrols begin at 10 AM sharp, everything will go as usual. However, the town of Griffin Rock will be having a town hall meeting with Team Sigma next joor, so shifts will be ending early on that cycle.” a collection of fist-pumps and ‘yesss’ were audible. 

“That'll be all, Thank you.” Hot Shot formally ended before walking towards the academy for the wash racks, followed by everyone else. It's a good thing the academy had wash racks for not only mechs, which were on the left, but also femmes, which were on the right, both within the main hallway of the academy, within the right side wash racks were Brushfire and Whirl, 

“Hey Whirl, are you available after our shifts end?”

“Sorry, Brush, I'm gonna meet up with Hot Shot later.”

“Oh, really? I can't help but notice you've been heading out with Hot Shot quite often nowadays.”

“Yeah, we've just been..busy, that's all.”

“Uh, You sure?”

“Yep. See ya later, Brush!”, and with that Whirl rushed out the femme wash rack, practically still drenched but clean,

All while Brushfire couldn't help but sigh slowly. Ever since Brushfire joined Hot Shot’s Alpha Team, she's always wanted to show Whirl some special places she knew of in the Outback, but she's always been denied due to Whirl “being busy” with other matters and tasks or even just Hot Shot, this just made her frustrated and wonder just what could that blue femmling be doing with that red and yellow mechling? Is she even interested in the Outback? Is it boring? Is it not her thing? Has she been there before? Whirl enjoys discovering new things, right? Is the Outback not up to her standards? Could there be things she doesn’t like about the Outback? Sure, there were animals of all shapes and sizes trying their damn best to kill humanity, but that didn’t apply to cybertronians, heck most animals did their best to not get in a cybertronian’s way. Could it be the culture? Before she knew it she was just standing there, alone, deep in thought. Realizing this, she finished up and rushed out too.

Meanwhile, in the mech’s wash rack, 

“Hoist, give it back this instant!” Medix chasing after the teal-blue mechling as he ran with his portable buffer,

“Nuh uh! I caught you lacking, Medie! Gonna have to get me if ya want it back!” Hoist being surprisingly quick on his pedes even while on a slippery floor,

“Hot Shot! Do something!” Medix cried out, 

“You'll live, Medix. And besides you have a spare.” Hot Shot too focused on rinsing off the soapy lather to assist, this earned him a chuckle from Wedge, who was washing off by his side and checking out his athletic figure,

Medix was not having it, “It's my best one, goddammit!”

“Then buy another best one, Huhahahaaah!” Wedge joked and laughed,

“I hate you all!” Medix exclaimed, still chasing Hoist. 

The chase went on for another 5 kliks, before Hoist finally gave back Medix’s buffer, Hot Shot was washing off and Wedge couldn't keep his optics off of the red and yellow quad-changer as hot water sprayed down to his frame, the trails of moving soap cascaded downward on his mesh, flowing down his sculpted body. Before Wedge knew it, he was mentally pulled in.

The wash racks were filled with a haze of steam, wrapping it in a soft, dreamy blur. The two mechlings stood near one another within the steam, bodies reasonably close, wrapped in warmth.

Hot Shot let out a soft sigh, tilting his head back to let the warm spray wash over him, and the orange mechling watched him with full tenderness in his eyes, but not just that, there was desire and awe. Awe at the curve of his neck, at the way water clung to his mesh, at the simple fact that this bot, this captivating, formerly childish, wonderfully sculpted bot, was right there. 

Unfortunately, while Wedge was busy being in lust over Hot Shot, his spike slipped out without him knowing, a boner if you will, Hoist was quick to take notice, and took the opportunity to, y’know, give Wedge a little push. The teal-blue mechling silently moved towards the orange bot till he was right behind him, carefully positioned his servos around Wedge's pelvic area and wrapped his right-hand digits around the orange mechling’s spike, and began to pump it slowly, while securing his grip with his left-hand by holding on to Wedge's left hip, the orange mechling surprisingly didn't notice, heck, he merely sighed, until a voice whispered in his audio receptor.

“You like him, dude...”

“uuhhh…w-wha?...Hoist!”

Hoist just kept pumping, “C'mon man, tell him...” 

“N-not now, a-aahh.”

“Then when? He's right there, you know you want him, unless you like blue-balling yourself.”

“Hoist, s-seriously. Stop.” Wedge thought it was a was a miracle that Hot Shot hadn't turned around by now, but he'd soon realize he was wrong, 

“You guys are really that pent up, huh.” the showers may be loud, but Hot Shot’s hearing is keen as ever, he chuckled and turned around, getting a full view of a flustered Wedge getting his spike stroked from behind by a mischievous Hoist, “Nice.”

“N-no, wait, l-look away!” Wedge begged, but it clearly only turned him on as Hot Shot looked on, 

“Too late for that.” Hot Shot walked slowly towards the pair, and pressed up against Wedge, “Hoist, could you move your digits lower, I'll take over.”

“Absolutely.” Hoist did as commanded, moving his digits down to Wedge's valve, rubbing it little before inserting his middle digit into it, the slick of it and shower water making it easy, Hot Shot then taking Wedge's spike into his digits and began pumping, Wedge was in pure bliss, least to say, 

“So, is Hoist right? Is that what you wanted to tell me last time?” Hot Shot glared into Wedge's optics,

“I…uhh…I-I…i-it's.” the orange mechling was as if he was hypnotized by the ex-Cubehead’s optics,

“Well?” the red and yellow quad-changer squeezed the orange bot's turgid member, forcing him to let out a moan, “Answer me, Wedge.”

Reeling from the squeeze, the orange triple-changer answered, “uhhnn…y-yes.”

“Alright then.” Hot Shot began to speed up his pumping pace, “Hoist, let's give Wedge a hand, ok?”,

“Sure thing.” Hoist also began to speed up thrusting his digits into Wedge's heat,

Didn't take much for the two to get Wedge lost in it all, his spike being aggressively pumped, and the same aggressive manner was applied to the digit-thrusting of his valve, he's moaning and groaning like there was no tomorrow as the sheer friction of both bots going at his genitalia had him in a lost trance of pleasure, and it wouldn't take long for the threat of overload to near his frame.

“Hah-h-hot s-shot…please.” Wedge failing to form a sentence, the sensation of impending climax all too great, 

“Please, what?” The red and yellow mechling merely giggling,

“Please, pleASE…h-haaAAAAH PLEEEEAASE!” Overload ripped through the constructicon's frame, his pedes went limp but Hot Shot and Hoist supported him right up, his spike and valve violently spewing out transfluid as both mechlings worked him throughout the orgasm with fierce vigor, both not letting up until Wedge's overload was fully spent and subsided. 

“Nice! I don't think he'll mind us doing this more often.” Hoist predicted, all while holding on to Wedge's limp frame keeping him from slumping down to the floor, 

“Yeah, I guess. I'm even surprised how fast he got aroused just from being near me. I wonder how often he drifts into such a state.” Hot Shot thought aloud,

“Maybe often, after that cycle we had at the old warehouse, he takes longer to get out of berth nowadays.”

“Huh…” Hot Shot thought for a moment, “Good to know, then.”

“No problem!” Both mechlings, including Wedge slumped over Hoist's shoulder, made there way out the mech wash racks, the shower heads automatically turned off, 

And with that all three left…three of them, left. Despite the sexual commotion, a single bot bore witness to it all. Medix. Panting heavily, with his spike and valve exhausted, he sat there behind a corner to the shower stalls, showing clear signs of a self-inflicted overload, self-service to be precise. Clearly the whole sexual scene of Hoist, Wedge, and Hot Shot, got to him.

“Goodness me…”, Medix panted, “So disgusting, so filthy, so, s-so…hahhh.”, Medix was within an afterglow but also disgruntled with himself, how could he get off to such vile and raunchy acts of his comrades, it was so, so…blissful? What? No! Primus help him, it was absolutely disgraceful! He can't be doing this, it was just..wrong, and yet he wasn’t innocent either, thanks to Brushfire. Besides, is it wrong for one to please their own body? Probably not. But for such activities to be happening, and right under his olfactory sensor? Unacceptable. Medix got his focus, steeled his mind, washed off once more before heading out.

The early morning haze still clung to Griffin Rock’s streets, the ocean breeze carrying the faint smell of salt and pine. Hot Shot’s voice crackled over the comm-link, steady and commanding.

Hot Shot began, “Alright, team. Standard sweep. Stay sharp, but let’s keep it low—don’t want to startle the townsfolk with too much noise this early.” He rolled through the streets in Firetruck mode, siren lights dim but ready.

Up in the skies, Whirl banked lazily above the rooftops, the sun glinting off her rotors, “Copy that, Hot Shot. Got a clear view of the harbor and rooftops. Nothing moving except a few early joggers—and a flock of gulls trying to steal someone’s bagel.”

Wedge, rolling through the industrial district, scanned the line of retail and a few warehouses, “North is all clear so far. Kinda quiet for Griffin Rock. Makes me think something’s about to happen.”

From a shaded alley near the plaza, Brushfire responded, her tone brisk, “Paranoia doesn’t count as a sighting, Wedge. I’ve got eyes on the fuel depot. No anomalies. Just a stray cat giving me attitude.”

Hoist, patrolling near the community park, was crouched in robot mode beside a loose section of pavement. His repair tools whirred softly, “I’ll take a moment to stabilize this cracked walkway before someone trips. Consider it… preventative hero work.”

Medix, scanning near the schoolyard, chimed in calmly, “No distress signals detected. Vitals among early risers are within normal range. Though one citizen’s heart rate spiked when they saw me—ah, never mind, they’re just taking a selfie.”

Above them all, Laserbeak glided silently, his optics sweeping. He gave a sharp cry over the comms, a signal Hot Shot translated instantly, “Laserbeak’s picked up a delivery drone heading off-course near the cliffs. Brushfire, Whirl—check it out.”

Whirl, eager to take action, “On it, boss. Finally, something interesting.”

Brushfire chiming in, “Race you there.”

Whirl tilted into a dive while Brushfire darted through side streets, the team moving in harmony across Griffin Rock. Meanwhile, Hot Shot slowed near the town square, where a group of kids waved enthusiastically. He transformed smoothly into robot mode, crouching to their level, grinning as he greeted them, “Morning, guys. You’re up early.”

One of the kids, a brunette child in school wear, responded, “Well, we're going to school but we wanted to see you guys on patrol! You’re so cool!”

Hot Shot chuckled, optics softening as he went into a light conversation with the young earthlings.

Over at the cliffs, Whirl swooped down over, rotors slicing the morning air. Brushfire darted out of an alley to meet her, both converging on the off-course drone. It bobbed uncertainly in the sky, and lowered a cardboard box dangling from its frame, being delivered to some hikers in their base.

Whirl squinting in her dashboard, “All that fuss… for a glorified snack delivery?”

The drone steadied itself and beeped, projecting a little display: “Supplies delivered: bottled water, granola packs, trail maps.”

Brushfire dryly added, “Critical mission. Keep Griffin Rock fueled with granola.”

Whirl broke into laughter, “Better stand down before we end up in a protein bar commercial.”

They exchanged a quick nod and relayed the report.

Brushfire, over comms, “False alarm, Hot Shot. Drone’s just carrying breakfast for some hikers. Situation: delicious, not dangerous.”

“Copy that. Rejoin when you can.”, Hot Shot chuckled,

Back in town, Hoist was finishing his patchwork on the walkway, welding the last seam smooth with his plasma cutter. A passing female jogger slowed and waved.

“Thanks, big guy! Saved me from another twisted ankle.”, the female jogger thanked,

“All in a day’s work. Safety first.”, Hoist modestly replied,

Nearby, Medix had intercepted an elderly man struggling with a stubborn grocery bag. With careful, and dexterous digits, Medix lifted the bag and offered it back.

“You should consider distributing the weight more evenly. May I recommend a wheeled cart?” Medix advised,

The old man chuckled, a little startled but grateful.

Meanwhile, Wedge discovered a stalled car at the dockside, and none other than Mrs. Rubio. He transformed and leaned down, voice gentle despite his towering frame.

“Looks like a drained battery. Pop the hood—I’ll give you a boost.” Wedge offered,

A few sparks and a grin later, the car purred to life. She waved enthusiastically as she drove off, just as her tire went flat.

Wedge couldn't help but pity the poor woman, “Man, her luck is ass.”

Whirl and Brushfire rejoined the squad just as the team regrouped in the town square. Laserbeak swooped low, landing neatly on Hot Shot’s shoulder with a triumphant squawk.

Hot Shot commended, “Good work, everyone. No problems, no hassles, no emergencies… just helping hands and watchful optics. That’s what this island needs.”

Whirl smirked, “Not going lie, I was ready for some action, but this works too.”

“Don’t tempt fate. Quiet mornings are underrated.”, Brushfire warned, 

Hot Shot glanced around at the peaceful square, townsfolk moving about their day with ease, and allowed himself a satisfied nod.

“Then let’s enjoy the peace. Patrol’s not about finding trouble—it’s about making sure it never gets the chance to start.”, Hot Shot finalized,

Off in the distance, The hum of engines grew louder as a bright red firetruck, a police SUV, an white and orange helicopter, and a green bulldozer rolled into Griffin Rock’s town square. With a series of smooth transformations, Heatwave, Chase, Blades, and Boulder stood tall, ready for action.

Heatwave briskly commanded, “Alright, fan out. Report in. Where’s the emergency?”

But instead of chaos, they found… calm. Citizens waved cheerfully, children were laughing, and Hot Shot’s squad was gathered near the fountain, looking entirely too relaxed.

Blades was puzzled, “Wait… did we miss it?”

Wedge smirked and crossed his arms,  “Miss it? You practically slept through it. Sidewalk repairs, car jumpstarts, grocery rescues, even a drone full of trail mix delivered safely. We handled it.”

Whirl leaned against the fountain, grinning, “Don’t worry, Blades. Maybe next time you’ll get to chase down a runaway bag of granola bars.”

Brushfire chimed in, her tone mischievous, “Or patch up a sidewalk crack. Real high-octane stuff.”

Even Hoist gave a loud chuckle, though he tried to hide it behind seriousness, he failed.

Blades tried to defend, “Hey! I could’ve handled a drone and a sidewalk. Actually, sidewalks can be tricky!”

Chase, unamused, straightened stiffly, “Mockery is unbecoming of peace officers. Patrol protocol dictates proper deference to incoming units, regardless of timeliness.”

Whirl snickered nonetheless, "Doesn't matter, you snooze, you lose!”

Before the ribbing got too heated, Hot Shot raised a hand, optics calm but firm, “Alright, that’s enough, team. Remember—we’re all Rescue Bots here. Different squads, same mission.”

Heatwave folded his arms, giving Hot Shot a measuring look, “Your squad handled things well. Griffin Rock’s lucky to have you around.”

The younger bots straightened proudly under the praise, even as a few suppressed grins lingered.

Boulder glanced at the repaired sidewalk, impressed, “That patchwork is solid, Hoist. Nice craftsmanship.”

Hoist, a little sheepish, “Thanks, I nailed that bitch.”

The tension melted, replaced by shared laughter and nods of respect between the two teams. Citizens watched in pure awe and astonishment, thrilled to see both squads of Rescue Bots in one place, to them it was standing amongst powerful giants.

Hot Shot gave his team a look—half stern, half amused “Next time, maybe leave the comedy routine at base, okay? We’re here to serve, not to gloat.”

“Still funny though.”, Whirl muttered just loud enough for the others to hear,

Brushfire smirked, but they both fell in line as Hot Shot clasped Heatwave’s hand in a firm servoshake.

“One way or another, Griffin Rock’s covered.”, Hot Shot assured, 

“My full trust’s in you, and it clearly wasn't misplaced.” Heatwave thanked,

The morning sun climbed higher, shining down on two squads, one mission—protecting the island, even if some days the biggest battle was over bragging rights.

Chapter Text

Everyone was ready to head out on patrol, with the given that today's shifts will end early, everyone was keen to finish up as efficiently as possible. Work hard, rest hard, right? First bot out the door was, as usual, Hot Shot, followed by Whirl, Wedge, Hoist, Medix, Brushfire, and Laserbeak was joining in today. 

The team operates in tight coordination, using encrypted radios and GPS-linked systems to stay synchronized. From the air, helicopters, Whirl and Medix, sweep the town of Griffin Rock in wide arcs. On the ground, Hoist and Brushfire navigate through neighborhoods, occasionally stopping to speak with residents, Wedge and Laserbeak investigate little nooks and crannies, and Hot Shot going through previous areas that had high reports.

They respond to everything from noise complaints and suspicious behavior, however there weren’t any high-stakes emergencies, or at least not today. Nonetheless, the team was ready to act fast and effectively.

Suddenly, a call comes in—possible trespassing at a construction site. Within seconds, one of the copters, being Whirl, rerouted, and headed to intercept, followed by Wedge, thanks to him being nearby. By the time they reach the suspected trespassing, they find none other than two members of the Rescue Teens coming out from a little hiding spot, Hot Dog and Digz. The bots transform out and question the two.

“Hot Dog? Digz? What are you two doing here?” Whirl began,

“U-um, nothing.” Hot Dog blurted while seemingly rushing to put back on his pants,

“Yeah,  we were just y'know, doing stuff.” Digz falsely assured, pulling down her shirt and putting on her coat,

Wedge was sharp to respond, “Doing stuff, all while trespassing? Hmm?”

“We're sorry, we won't do it again. Promise!” Hot Dog begged, 

“Alright, we'll let you off with a warning. This time.” Wedge warned, 

Whirl also gave her own warning in a way, “And besides, you two are still in training to become first responders, right? Try not to stray from that path, ok?”

“We will!” both Digz and Hot Dog responding before leaving the area in a rather hasty rush,

“Tsk, off they go, probably to recommit the same thing they just did.” Wedge betted,

Whirl having faith in the young adult humans, “Nah, I trust ‘em. Also, why were they quickly putting back on their clothes? You saw that, right?”

“Whirl, you know how young humans like to, y’know, mess around? With each other.”

“What do you mean by tha-...Oooooh shit. Wait, we caught them in the act?!”

“Why was Hot Dog pulling up his underwear and pants as fast as he could, especially with Digz pulling down her shirt and putting on her coat, and the Rescue Teens have all hit the age of consent, that being 18 years old. The last time we saw them they were just 13 years old, it's been 5 years since then, Whirl.” Wedge informed, 

Whirl reflecting for a moment on how fast earth time goes, “Goddamn, time flies.”

“Sure does, and it doesn't help that our perception of time is much slower than humans, cuz y’know we live on a metallic planet with no sun or moon, hell, Cybertron doesn't even rotate on an axis or shit like that.”

“Ah. Figures. And cybertronians don't really worry much about time, back on Cybertron at least. 

“Yeah, and speaking of messing around, how long have you and Hot Shot been messing around?”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuh. Can we talk about something else.”

“No, I’d like an answer, thank you very much.”

“Ok fine. For a couple jours now, why do you wanna know?”

“I thought you were with Brushfire?”

“What? No. Brushfire’s with Medix.”

“Medix?! That medical nerd? They have like zero chemistry.”

“Well clearly chemistry didn’t mean anything to them when Brushfire was riding his faceplate with her valve.”

“Hol up, the fuck?!”

“Yep, I watched it all happen, well, peeked to be exact, it was in the storage room of the med-bay, they were getting it on in there. Hot’n’heavy and shit, heck, they even pulled off a so-called ‘69’ as the humans call it.”

“Cap! Cap, dead-ass for real?!”

“Bet, I even got a video, wanna see?” Whirl pulling out her phone from her subspace and wiggling it,

“Lemme see.” Wedge leaned in, Whirl unlocked her phone and with a simple tap on a certain video thumbnail in her media gallery. Lo and behold, before him was a recording in full HD, hell one could even say 4K, showing a crystal-clear and unmistakable footage in a dimly litted storage room was Medix on his back, licking the everloving fuck outta Brushfire’s valve, all while the orange femme was on top of him, taking in the med-bot’s spike into her mouth, with glossa out and all, both moaning, sloppy, but very much into it, the video ends just as they started going faster. By the Primes, to think such a cranky and ‘I-am-the-smartest’ bot would be so, so, raunchy?, “My. God.” was all Wedge could say,

“Yep, and they went all the way too. Didn’t even notice me, could’ve recorded more but I had a long task to do that cycle.”

“Wait, so. What are you gonna do with it?”

“Well, I already showed it to Hot Shot, so I’m just gonna keep it, just in case Medix tries to pull something on me.”

“Wh-Blackmail?!”

“Relax, I’m not gonna post it, not a fucking monster. I’m just gonna keep it to let him know that I have the higher ground.” 

“Whirl, you’re fucking evil.”

“I’d only be evil, if I made sure every bot on DataNet saw it. Y’know, Cybertron’s internet.”

“Just. Be careful with it.”

“I know, all the more reason why I encrypted it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Whirl put away her phone into her subspace and transformed into copter mode, “Gotta get back on my shift, see ya!”, and with that she took off. The sun was fully up, despite the situation being resolved, Wedge couldn't help but be discombobulated a bit by the video he just watched. Nonetheless, the town’s morning rhythm continued uninterrupted, and into the afternoon in which the Griffin Rock town hall meeting was due, in which Team Sigma were waiting at, and the Alpha team's shifts were finished early. Hot Shot, Whirl, Wedge, Hoist, Medix, Brushfire, and Laserbeak gathered near the town's square just as the residents were heading towards town hall.

“Fuck yeah! We're done, time to clock out.” Hoist ecstatic and such joy was supported by everyone else except Hot Shot,

“Wait. Now I know everyone's ready to go do what they want to do, but just because our shifts are over doesn't mean disasters are gonna stop.” Hot Shot's announcement was followed by slightly disappointed groans, “Just stay vigilant that's all, otherwise, go have fun. Team dismissed.”

With that everyone left their separate ways, Hoist left to go to berth, Medix left to go arrange the supplies in his med-bay followed by Brushfire, Whirl left to go and spy on Medix and Brushfire, Laserbeak left to go and chat with a Red-tailed hawk he became friends with, Wedge began to leave to hit the academy gym but before he transformed out, he noticed, once again, Hot Shot heading elsewhere in Jet Mode. Now, Wedge had absolutely no reason to follow him, he could just leave right now, head to the gym, and enjoy the rest of his day with no interruptions, so, he turned into muscle car mode and drove off…

Only to stop a bit of ways into his route, make a U-turn, and headed towards where the red jet was going, his curiosity once again triumphant over him. This time the red jet wasn’t heading towards anywhere in particular, not the old warehouse, not the secret meadow, not even the town hall meeting, but rather, the beach? Of course, Hot Shot was fast, so Wedge obviously had a hard time keeping up, but at the same time he didn’t want to be noticed, so every now and then he would deliberately slow down, distance himself, and pick up speed. This was a rinse and repeat method until the golden shores came into view, and upon seeing it, Wedge thought to himself on why he never visited the Griffin Beach more often.

The late afternoon sun cast a golden haze over the deserted beach, its warmth melting into the sand and painting the ocean in hues of amber and sapphire. Transforming out into Robot mode, Wedge strolled across the shore, the breeze tugging gently at him, the soft warm sand underneath his pedes. The air smelled of slight salt and wildflowers, carried in from the dunes behind him, surely Hot Shot flew into this place, right?

As he rounded a jagged outcrop of rocks, his gaze landed on a familiar red and yellow figure standing in the surf, gazing out to the sea as if contemplating life, like, Man. The orange mechling’s optics lit up. He wanted to call out, but he didn’t even need to, the other turned, almost as if knowing someone was watching him.

“Wedge? Your shift is over, you don't have to be here y’know.”

“I know, I know, I was just…curious.” Wedge closing the distance between them till they were right next to one another,

“Oh, what’s wrong?”

“Um. Well, uuh, you see, it's. It's, um.” While Wedge fumbled on finding the right words to say, Hot Shot couldn't help but smile and chuckle at the orange mechling’s brief pause, Wedge of course noticing this, became flustered, “H-hey! Stop laughing!”

“No I'm not!” Hot Shot shooting a little jet of water from his water gauntlets at Wedge and running off,

“Wha-Hey! Get back here!” Wedge in hot pursuit after him,

Carefree energy was abundant as their chase extended into the waves, laughing, and shouting over the crashing surf, the water was cool, invigorating even. They chased each other through the shallows, tackled and tumbled, lost in playful chaos. Their laughter mixed with the wind, a sound as wild and free as the ocean itself and not a single human or bot to witness such a playful sight except them.

Eventually, mildly tired and soaked, they made their way back to the shore, dropping down onto the sand. The warmth of it seeped into their mesh as they lay side by side, digits loosely entwined, the world hushed around them. The sun was dipping lower, casting long shadows, painting their metallic skin in a soft, honeyed glow.

In that golden quiet, their playful smiles softened into something deeper. A look passed between them — unspoken but electric. Wedge grabbed Hot Shot by his waist with both his arms, pulling him over and under him, now on all fours, looming over Hot Shot, the red and yellow mechling using his right hand to not only caress the orange mechling’s face but also to bring it closer to his. Gentle, slow, and breathless, the world narrowing to the press of their dermas against each other and the rhythm of their sparks. Time seemed to both slow and blur, the ocean whispering nearby as they lose themselves in the kind of closeness that words could never.

“Hot Shot…I…I miss you…” Wedge parting to say,

Hot Shot gave him a confused look, still caressing the other's faceplate, “What’s that supposed to mean?”,

“I mean this side of you, y’know, playful, reckless, hell, even a little impish.”

“Well, I'm a leader, Wedge. The new responsibilities and duties that come with it aren't gonna do themselves, y’know, and I can't just run away from them, especially when you guys set me up for such a position in the first place, I kinda take it as a challenge not to let you guys down.”

“I…I know, it's just…” Wedge sighed,

“You thought this side of me was gone, huh?”

“...yeah, sorta.”

“Let's just say it's been suppressed.”

“But I want to see it more often. You can still be you AND be a leader, y’know.”

“Wedge, you know damn well if I were to be me and be a leader, my habits would easily take over, and besides, just be in the right place at the right time and you will.” Hot Shot winked,

That wink was more than enough to make Wedge's breath hitch, “Do you realize just how much of a grip you have on me nowadays.”

Hot Shot chuckled gleefully, “Hah! And I’m not even trying!”

Wedge devilishly smirked, that's the Hot Shot he knew. We went straight for the former Cube player's neck, licking and kissing it like his life depended on it, Hot Shot not minding at all, the red and yellow mechling playfully moaning out loud without a care. Such sounds were a symphony to Wedge's audials, pure ecstasy. So much so his spike pressurized within his interface panel, eager to play, to which he felt a warm palm against it. 

“C’mon, bring that bad boy out.” Dear Primus, those words alone popped Wedge's panel right open, freeing his spike right into the red and yellow mechling’s digits to slowly be pumped, and guided right to his valve, “You down for some fun before we head back?”

“Fuck yeah.” Wedge fully gave in, not even wasting a moment to begin thrusting right into the mechling beneath him, 

“O-oh yeah, that's it. R-right there!” Hot Shot's lustful words of encouragement were pure bliss, and he was actually having Hot Shot all to himself. A scenario he thought could only happen in his dreams,

“God…You’re so fucking awesome.” Wedge complimented the sculpted bot he was having,

“Of course, now treat me like I am.” Hot Shot playfully biting back, and who was Wedge to deny such a lovely bot. 

The ex-Cubehead pulls Wedge close as the orange mechling lines his thrusts, winding his arms around the constructo-bot’s neck and kissing him with all the glossa, passion and affection he can muster.

The athletic mechling’s valve was quivering around the thick spike drilling it, and Wedge moans into Hot Shot’s mouth as he rigorously pounds into that slick, sweet heat.

The red and yellow quad-changer locking his legs around Wedge’s hips, Hot Shot was soon bucking into each thrust eagerly, crying out with each hammering thrust into him. “Oh god! Wedge! Hah…ah...More! Harder!” He begs, helm thrown back and digits clawing along Wedge’s back and shoulder plating, there’s no way the orange mechling could resist.

“Oh yeah, uhn…you like that don’tcha?” Wedge being just a little cocky, He grinds his spike directly against Hot Shot’s ceiling node a few times just to feel that delicious heat tightening around him.

“Fuck, Yes, please!” Hotshot was ecstatic, and Wedge realized just how much he loves hearing him beg. He rears back, pulling out almost all the way before plunging back into that tight valve hard.

Hot Shot nearly screams, hot gasps and moans all he can produce as Wedge pounds him into the ground of the now moonlit beach. It goes without saying, both were lost in pure pleasure,

“Fuck…H-hot...!!” Wedge moans as he rocked into his partner, signaling an immediate overload,

“...go ahead.” Hot Shot seduces, grinning when Wedge opens lust-blown optics to look at him, “Take me.”

That command was all Wedge needed. With one last hard thrust, not only did Wedge climax first, but both mechlings fell over that glorious edge, and Hot Shot's moaning loudly as his spike shots forth ropes to his torso while his valve spasms on Wedge's spike, and Wedge’s valve squirting while transfluid gushes from his turgid member and into his partner, both fully overwhelmed by the sheer rapture erupting from their beings. Wedge rode out the overload, thrusting, pumping into his partner relentlessly, Hot Shot having his arms arching with his hands to his face as if trying not to explode into pieces. 

Despite their attempts to further the overload, it eventually subsides, Wedge slowly pulling out, and glowing transfluid oozing out from the mechling below him, both sighing in relief and relishing in the immense afterglow.

“Fuck…you're amazing…” Wedge panting, collapsing, and nuzzling into the red and yellow quad-changer's neck,

“As I should be.” Hot Shot moaned, using his right hand to rub the back of Wedge's helm, 

“C-can we…do this…again sometime?”

“Mmmmmm…Maybe.”

“Pleeeaaase…”

“We'll see. If I have time. We're just lucky today due to shifts ending early for the town hall meeting, I can't guarantee you when.”

“Fine by me.” Wedge wanted to fall into slumber,

Hot Shot pulled out his mobile device from his subspace to check the time, “And we can’t stay here y’know.”

“I know, I know. Five more kliks, please?” Wedge begged,

Hot Shot relented to his request.

Chapter Text

The Sigma crew got a distress signal from a faraway alien planet, still within the Milky Way galaxy, but far enough that humans had no hope of reaching with their current tech, nonetheless they went to investigate. Leaving the Alpha team to watch over the base. As they were all in HQ, it goes without saying, they were, well, some were thrilled.

“WE RUN SHIT UP IN HERE NOW!”

“LETS GOOOO!”

“Calm down guys, this is only while they're gone.” Hot Shot calming the excited bulky mechlings, Wedge and Hoist, as they tried to run towards Heatwave’s office to use his personal PC, Hot Shot holding them back with all his might,

“Whatever, I’m playing minecraft.” Whirl not wasting a second to leave,

“Wait, Whirl, do you wanna learn some facts about Australia?” Brushfire hoped an acceptance,

“Yes! Australia!” Tough Luck Chuck parroted,

“Nope.” The blue femme leaving to her berthroom while Brushfire deflates,

“I would like to know, with understanding areas that I personally have never been to, it will give me good insight on what resides there.” Medix accepting the offer, perking Brushfire up,

“Medix! You’re still not using the slang Cody taught you and what about you, Brush?” Hoist reminded,

“I just don’t see the point of it, leave me alone.” Medix having none of it,

 Brushfire agreeing with the med-bot, “Yeah, sorry. I don’t get it either.”,

“We’re disappointed in you.”

“No we’re not Hoist.” Hot Shot silencing the tow-bot, unfortunately as athletic and strong Hot Shot was he just couldn't hold down the two mechlings and was nearly dragged as they sprinted off, the red and yellow mechling not giving up, gave chase, “HOIST, WEDGE, GET BACK HERE!”

 As the bulky two ran for the sacred office that is Heatwave’s, the doors to it slid right open,

“Huh, that was easy.” Hoist surprised by the easy access,

“There it is. Come on! Before Hot Shot gets here.” Wedge beaconed, and with that the orange and teal-blue bots made there way over to the desk to which the grand chair was facing backwards, all seemed easy as they reached to turn the monitor on and-

“Just what do you think you're doing?”

The two mechlings recoil back in fear to a strange feminine voice speaking out, and they had every right to be fearful as the bot sitting in Heatwave’s chair was none other than, the one, the only, the covert operations specialist agent herself.

Quickshadow.

 “QUICKSHADOW?!” Wedge was terrified,

“W-wait, I thought Heatwave said you were on missions and stuff.” Hoist trying to find a reason for the large femme to go away,

“Well, with the war finally over, It just so happens that I have much more free time now.” the femme agentbot giggled, but such a giggle sent terror through Wedge and Hoist’s spinal struts,

“weDGE, HOIST! Oh! Quickshadow, you're here!”Hot Shot ran into the office room and immediately took notice of the agentbot before him,“Heatwave told me all about you! It’s an honor to have you here.”, Hoist and Wedge taking refuge behind him, 

“Such a polite young man, you must be Hot Shot, it’s a pleasure.” 

“You wouldn't mind if the others met you right?”

“But of course, the more the merrier!”

“Awesome, Hoist, Wedge, tell the others of Quickshadow’s arrival, let’s welcome her in the best way!”

“Ugh..” “Fine.” was all Wedge and Hoist muttered as they left to let their other teammates know,

“By the way, would you like me to give you a tour, Ma’am?” Hot Shot proposed,

“No need, I already know the in’s and out’s of this grand academy, but I will admit, the technology in here is quite fine, and I suppose you have your own team?”

“Yeah, especially with the fact that we’re essentially young adults now, we’re the Alpha Team! It wasn’t easy getting to where we are now, but it was worth it! And we even get paid to do so!” Hot Shot began while they walked to the main lounge, Quickshadow giggling at the little one’s energy.

“Well isn’t that swell. It just so happens that I’ll be watching over you all. Heatwave never told me of how charming you were. If anything, he told you were mostly a pain-in-the-pipes.” the agentbot brought up,

“Oh, aha! Yeah I used to be like that, I kinda thought that I knew what rescue work was about, but man, was I wrong, b-but I’m different now! Really!” Hot Shot defending himself. 

It wasn’t long for all of team Alpha to converge at the lounge, within the large conversation pit, surrounding the agentbot, and the agentbot had quite to tell, but not too much.

“Is it true you spied on Megatron at one point?” Whirl eager to know,

“That’s classified unfortunately, but I have spied on criminals that would give Megs a run for his money.”

“Oh shit…” “Whaaat..” many whispered their astonishment,

“And you’ve actually had to engage some of them, right? Were they the real baddies?” Hot Shot questioning deeper,

“Oh goodness! Very, very much so, and believe me when I say this. The ones that I’ve had to deal with were, well, let's just say, rotten to the spark, and it isn’t just decepticons, there were Terrorcons, Insecticons, Vehicons, and goodness gracious the Vehicons, always so many of them all swarming in a manner that was no different to Insecticons themselves.”, after such a statement gasps were audible, Wedge getting increasingly uncomfortable from the question of Hot Shot and the layout of truly evil Cons of all types, but the agent femme continued, “Fortunately, a vast majority have been apprehended, especially the wicked ones, heck some have even found themselves in fates worse than death, such as Airachnid.”

“What happened to her?” Brushfire questioning  about the dark Arachnicon femme, everyone else inclined to know,

“Well, I guess I can tell you of her whereabouts. She’s now a terrorcon, AKA Energon vampire, and with her small hive of Insecticons, that she’s consuming to stay alive, and is stuck on an empty abandoned moon, so she can't really do much. In fact, it’s been some time now since Soundwave put, or at least spacebridged, her there as punishment for her arrogance. She’s probably dying slowly from the lack of energon for all I know, and no one can, or at least wants, to save her.”

“Good riddance!” Hot Shot was the first to say and everyone else agreed,

“But it’s not all doom and gloom, some Vehicons have decided that maybe being bad isn't the best way in life, strove to redeem themselves, and become construction workers for the Autobots, not only serving time for their crimes but also being paid a livable wage.” the agentbot continued once more,

“So with the war over, is our race finally at peace or something? Are things still Decepticons or Autobots?” Hoist questioned,

“A bit, just because the war’s over doesn't mean peace is immediate, there’s still some damage that needs to be mended, and although Autobots and Decepticons cast aside their differences to unite and live together as Cybertronians, some relations are still very tense and will take much time to ease. So don’t expect Autobots to be running up to former Decepticons with servos open wide for a hug, because it won't be happening anytime soon, in fact, it’s going to be a long, long while.” the agent femme concluded.

Everyone was silent.

Team Alpha was flabbergasted. So much has happened, even when they were on Cybertron and all while they were here on Earth too. They never would have thought. Despite everyone taking in and digesting the newly acquired intel, Wedge couldn't help but remember back when they accidentally brought Laserbeak to the Academy, how everyone was paranoid of a Con flying and roaming the green planet, how his teammates wondered in panic of a filthy con, and most memorably, how he outed himself as a former decepticon. Did they still think he was a decepticon guilty of his past? Has he redeemed himself enough? Despite winning his pardon via a contest on Cybertron, was he truly forgiven? Does the past really cling on that hard? His mind started to swirl, chest heaved as the walls seemed to close in around him. The air inside felt thick, too heavy to breathe. His sparkbeat pounded in his audio receptors like a war drum. He needed air. Now.

“I-I’ll be right back guys, just, uh, give me a klik or two.” Wedge excused himself to go outside.

He then walked towards the lounge door as it opened and shut once he left. Now out of sight of the others, he broke into a sprint, running as fast as he could, he rounded the corners of Hero Hall, headed towards the front entry, the automatic entrance doors parted for him as he shoved himself and stumbled outside, finally, he felt the cool breeze wash over him. Thank Primus. Cool night air rushed over his face, crisp and sharp, cutting through the suffocating fog in his mind. The moonlight bathed the quiet area in a pale glow, and tree branches swayed gently in the wind like slow-moving waves. His breath slowed greatly, the cold air cooling his vents and clearing his mind. He stared out into the night sky, slowing and eliminating the building chaos inside by focusing on the slowing stillness outside. Inner Peace.

He walked round the back to the Academy backyard and noticed that the pool area as open, he headed towards the pool’s edge, turned around, and slowly tilted backwards, allowing gravity to do the rest…SPOOOSH!...As typical of his alien race’s weight, he sank right down to the bottom, laying at the bottom on his back, the cold water flowed around and on him like a tidal wave, and It was the utmost relaxation, internally deciding he should stay here for a while

Meanwhile back at the lounge, the others were being told of other non-classified intel by Quickshadow, but soon it was 11:30pm, it was time for berth.

“Alright, loves! Time for bed!” Quickshadow chirped, a collection of “aww” and “whyy” were heard,

“But there’s so much we can learn from you! Please just one more, please! Heatwave, Chase, heck not even Blades told us any of this!” Hot Shot begged, even on his knees pleading the femme agentbot,

“Ah ah ah. Recharge is essential to cybertronians your age, there’s always tomorrow!” Quickshadow not falling for it at all.

“Awww…Ok.” Knowing that trying to persuade her was impossible, Hot Shot and the rest began making their way to the berth dorms. They all filed into their separate rooms individually, while everyone else cozied up and drifted into recharge-land, Hot Shot was just about to until he wondered if Wedge was in his room as well, but a text from Hoist gave him a clear answer:

BlueMechanic: Hey Hot, I don't think Wedge is in his room, is he still outside or something?

CubeChamp: He’s not? Hold on I’ll go look for him, thanks for letting me know.

BlueMechanic: Np

Hot Shot roamed the halls of the Academy, checking the storage compartment, the cafeteria, Hero Hall, the Sim, the classrooms, the trash compactor, heck even the teacher’s lounge. He wondered if he missed any other areas, then it hit him. Outside. He first checked the front entrance of the Academy, then he went round back to the backyard, the pool area was open, and as he went towards the pool’s edge, there he was. Wedge. All the way down to the bottom of the pool seemingly asleep. He tried tapping at the surface to get his attention but to no avail. Oh well, guess he’ll have to go in himself, and instead of jumping in, he lowered himself gently to slowly penetrate the water’s surface, and gracefully dived down, eventually coming face-to-face with a closed-optic Wedge. The ripple of water was all it took for the orange mechling to slowly come to, and was surprised that Hot Shot was right before him,

“Come on, Wedge. Time for berth.”

“N-no, you go ahead. I’ll…I’ll head to berth later.”

“I don’t know, you don’t want Quickshadow to find you here.”

“…”

“Wedge, I know what your feeling, it’s from what happened in our second year of recruitment, but that was in the past-”

“Hot shot.”

“You're not like them.”

“Hot Shot, please, I just…”

“And I know you can’t deny your past, but It can’t define your futu-”

“HOT SHOT, STOP!”

“...” a surprised Hot Shot looked on,

“Just. Go away. I can’t right now.” Wedge turning to his side in the aquatic space that surrounded them,

“…Ok. Good night, Wedge.” Nodding, Hot Shot then slowly going back up to the surface, crawling out, and heading once more to his berthroom for recharge.

Finally, now on his own once more, Wedge’s peace once again set in, as he drifted into recharge…

.

.

.

12:30 PM Morning time.

Wedge was late for patrols. Very, very late.

He woke in a panic and scrambled for the surface, breaking out in a chaotic splash, dragged himself out and ran towards the front of the Academy. Everyone was already gone. All except Laserbeak with the team's pet scraplets playing in the front lawn with Tough Luck Chuck.

Laserbeak noticed Wedge and flew towards him with a note in its beak, handing it over and nodding before going back to watch over the scraplets and Chuck.

Wedge frantically opened the note, it read: “Take today off.”. As relieved he was, he couldn't help but feel a pinch of shame, Hot Shot was only trying to help and yet he pushed him away. Now, he’s unsure whether the athletic mechling was angry or saddened by him. Surely Hot Shot understood, right? He didn’t hurt him too bad, right? Surely, he can make amends, right? But all thoughts were halted when he heard a familiar vehicle in the far distance, a loud engine revving up on the streets of Griffin Rock. No. It couldn't be. He had to find out.

He transformed into muscle car mode, Laserbeak merely watching and shaking his head as he drove off. In the town of Griffin Rock, people went about their business, some were walking their pets, some chatting with each other, and two huge bots, Medix and Hoist, walking by the market area, leaving moderate tremors in their wake and leave. As the two were just about to wrap up their patrols, an orange muscle car drove by, they were surprised the Wedge would still be around.

“Was that Wedge?” Hoist in disbelief,

“It would seem so, and despite being excused.” Medix answering,

Nonetheless, he drove onward, albeit calmly, but still hastily. Till he turned a corner slowly so as to not be caught by the two bots, conversing as they stood before the docks, with one of them being Hot Shot..

“So let me get this straight, you’re, legit, getting paid to do this stuff?” 

“Yep.”

“And. Like, in both Shanix and the local currency of this place?!”

“Yep.”

“Shit, dude. I might join you. Emphasis on ‘might’.”

“No one’s forcing you, Scorch.”

Scorch. Why did it have to be Scorch. Of all bots. Why Scorch. Wedge wanted nothing to do with him, so why is he here and not only that, talking to Hot Shot. He had to fight every urge in him to not just go out and tell the bastard to leave. After the shit he pulled last time with Hot Shot, he never wanted to see the flamboyant cube player ever again. So why is he here, to take Hot Shot away from them again? He stayed hidden to eavesdrop more on what they were talking about, with Scorch continuing the conversation with Hot Shot,

“So, uh. You busy tonight?”

“No, why?”

“Oh I was wondering if we could play a round of cube, y’know like good ol’ times.”

“I don’t think so Scorch. I, and not just me but my team as well, have to document and submit our rescue reports by the end of the cycle. It’s not something we can just procrastinate on.”

“Oh come one, Hot Shot! But It’ll be quick, just one round, easy 30-klik fun, it’ll be awesome!”

“Scorch…”

“Please, and besides, self-care is best care! Surely you’ve been looking after yourself, riiiiight?”

“I…Well…It has been busy lately, especially after Memorial Day, now Independence Day is up next, security will be tighter than ever.”

“Exactly! Take. A. Break! Relax! Just because you have a job doesn't mean you can't have a good work-life balance. In fact, that’s kinda why I’m here, I may be a professional cube player, but even I know when to take a leave from the spotlight, y’know.” Scorch closed in on Hot Shot, softening his expression and gently grabbing both his shoulders, “And I want you to enjoy yourself too, and we can both do that, you can't be overworking yourself, buddy.”

“Alright alright, I’ll see if I can get my reports done early.” Hot Shot relented,

“Hell yeah! That’s the spirit!” Scorch bringing Hot Shot closer, hugging him tightly, and even nuzzling him a bit, “I promise we’ll have a great time, Trust!”

Wedge was NOT happy. That bastard not only coming in here, asking for Hot Shot to play with him, and nuzzling him!? It took his entire being and Primus himself, to stop him from charging out to absolutely destroy the intruding athlete. He had to do something, but first he’ll let Hoist know of this, he silently drove off.

“Hoist. Hoist!” Wedge commed the towbot while returning to the Academy,

“Yo! What happened, and didn’t Hot Shot excuse you, why are you still up and about?” Hoist questioned,

“Nevermind that. When did Scorch arrive here?”

“Oh. Him. Yeah, he came through the Groundbridge when we were getting ready to head out for our patrols, Quickshadow noticed him first and things kinda halted, then he started yapping about how he came in peace and doesn't want to reopen past grievances, and everyone was legit skeptic on his ass and why he was here, heck even Whirl was giving him the stank optic. Turns out, there’s a brief off-season going on in Cube. Mach went to visit his fam, and Glow went on a femme’s trip with her friends, which left Scorch, well, y’know, alone, and he came here.”

“Huh. I see. Thanks Hoist. But I'm still not trusting the skragged glitch anytime soon.”

“Why? He’s not here to take away Hot Shot from us, like last time.”

“Yeah, but he’s probably tryna to pull something. He’s sus, Hoist!”

“I get you, bro. But like, what do we even do, the last thing we need is to look bad in front of him.”

“He just asked Hot Shot if he could play Cube with him later, and that ‘later’ is when we have to do our rescue reports and turn’em in. He persuaded Hot Shot to accept.”

“Wait, for real for real?”

“No cap! It just happened a few kliks ago, right in front of me. Well, I was eavesdropping, but you get the point.”

“The fuck, so he is sus!”

“Keep an optic on him, Hoist. Never know what he’s up to.” Wedge warned,

“A’ight!” Hoist accepted.

Chapter Text

Hidden in the Griffin woods, in a camping tent were two young adults preparing for a grand time.

“Just relax, Hot Dog.”

“Are you sure, Digz? What if we get caught again.”

“We won't, now shut up and lay down.”

“Fine, fine. But be gentle please.”

“I’ll try, can’t make any promises though.” Digz giggled, making Hot Dog worry,

Nonetheless, she straddled herself on top of the young man, a low moan and an erection from him clearly telling her she was doing wonderfully,

“You like that don’tchu?” Digz glaring at him,

“I-I..umm…” Hot Dog was a stuttering mess,

“Don’t worry, cuz if you like this, then I’m gonna rock. Your. World. C’mere.” Digz forces a kiss right onto the helpless boy below her, and he’d be a fool to resist and to which he fully relented, letting her take control as she pleased, and boy was she good. Her lips felt slightly firm but moist as well, with her hands exploring his body underneath her as if reading a braille sheet, till she felt her way to the bottom of his shirt and began to lift it up…But such a good time encroaching on the two was halted as familial tremors were felt. The kind of tremors that indicated that a giant alien was nearby.

“Uh. Digz…” Hot Dog parted to warn,

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Digz cursed,

“I found another one!” a teal-blue bot rang out and went towards the tent, pulling it open and revealed the two,

“Aaah!” “Hey!” Hot Dog and Digz cried out,

“What the? Hot Dog, Digz? The hell are you two doing here, you're supposed to be joining your families for the festivities, y’know, Independence Day.” Hoist informing and putting down the tent gently as to not harm the humans within it,

“We know, we know. We're going.” Digz defeated and pulling Hot Dog by his hand forcibly, leaving for the town’s plaza,

“Man, those two are weird.” Hoist thinking aloud,

“No, you just caught them in the act.” Hot Shot responded,

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yep. They try to find somewhere to cozy up, but with them being young and all, they don’t really make the best decisions, heheh.”

“Sheesh, and I thought I made bad choices.”

“Anywho, let me contact the others. Wedge! Whirl! Status?” Hot Shot commed out,

“All clear here!” Whirl responding,

“Could someone head over to the plaza, please, I can’t handle this security shit all alone.”Wedge including,

“Alright. Hoist, let's head back to the plaza.” Hot Shot directed,

“Isn’t Medix at the plaza with Wedge?” Hoist wondered before transforming into his towtruck mode and driving off with Hot Shot in firetruck mode,

Hot Shot not skipping a beat to answer, “Not anymore at least, everyone’s busy. Brushfire’s on patrol with Quickshadow, Medix and Whirl are covering aerial surveillance, Laserbeak is leading our pet scraplets to look out for unwanted trespassers, and that leaves Wedge kinda on his own to guard the plaza.”

“Oh.” Hoist rather surprised with everyone’s effort’s into the festival’s security,

“Yep we’re that busy today.” Hot Shot concluded, next thing you know a yellow muscle car pulled up next to him,

“So, can I help?” It was Scorch, Hoist went silent and immediately began relaying the interaction to Wedge via his front cam, Wedge watching via is visor,

“Oh, Scorch? Didn’t you say you were on ‘vaca’.” Hot Shot questioning,

“Yeah, but who am I to just sit back and do nothing?”

Hot Shot was as touched as he was skeptical, “Are you sure about that? I thought rescue work wasn’t your thing.” 

“Uuuhh. Yeah, yeah I know I said that, but, this is different and you guys are kinda short on hands, right?”

“Well…Slash, Sludge and Snarl aren’t really helping, especially with their whole dinobot reunion thing with Swoops. Grimlock included.”

“Sooo?”

“Alright, but I'm not sure how you're going to react to-.”

“HOT SHOT! WE GOT A FIRE!” Brushfire alarmed, from the communications room back at base,

“Some dumbasses in Griffin Park thought it was a good idea to strap a bunch of fireworks together and light it, leading to an explosion, and the fire is spreading rather rapidly, I swear humans sometimes!” Medix irritably adding,

“Evacuate anyone there and tend to the injured! Hoist, let's move! You too Scorch, let’s see how well you can handle a real rescue!” Hot Shot

“Heh, can’t be that hard, right?” Scorch scoffed.

It goes without saying that Wedge was beyond irritated.

Within due time, Hoist, Hot Shot, and Scorch made in time to assist Whirl, Wedge, and Medix in the efforts to stop the growing blaze within Griffin Park, shrouded in smoke as orange flames licked the trunks of several trees and threatened nearby structures. The group of five highly trained young bots, work with precision and urgency. With a sixth trying his best…sorta.

Hot Shot stands atop a boulder, issuing instructions while mapping the fire's spread in real time, powering up and energizing to utilize his combi-cannon. Two others, Hoist and Wedge, maneuver to minimize the spread of the flames using dirt and sand.

Another two, Whirl and Medix, the med-bot deploying his magnetic power projector to minimize environmental damage by moving nearby tree trunks. Hot Shot shoots a smart gel compound that smothers the encroaching flames, eliminating them. But it’s not over yet. Whirl powers up and energizes as well, using her polyvisor to scan for hidden embers and ensure no flare-ups go undetected, and it just so happens she spots one, however, before she could even announce it, Hot Shot had already put it out.

“Woah. I didn’t even say anything.” Whirl surprised,

Hot Shot already on his game, “We're not done yet. Wedge! Hoist!” 

“We’re on it!” Wedge answered,

Wedge and Hoist were rerouting the fire, with Wedge using his auger to dig up fire barriers along with Hoist using his plasma cutter to contain the spread, Scorch trying his best to dig but only to lose his balance on some loose soil and fall over, Wedge and Hoist held back a chuckle. Nonetheless, Team Alpha’s coordination was seamless, almost symphonic. Advanced technology combined with teamwork and focus has transformed their rescue skills into a data-driven, highly responsive operation force to be reckoned with—less brute force, more surgical precision. Even amid the chaos of fire and smoke, a sense of calm control permeates the scene as the fires are swiftly conquered and subside, and it didn't take long Griffin Rock residents to notice, giving a full blown applause of cheer and relief!

“FUCK YEAH!” Wedge shouted,

“LETS GOOOOOO!” Hoist went along,

“Nice.” Hot Shot merely clapping to the applause,

“Yaaaay!” Whirl excited to be cheered on, Medix nodding along,

“Damn…” Scorch muttered, still on the ground on where he fell,

As things calmed down, Team Alpha worked with the human fire marshals to get the situation soothed out, and soon enough, everything was back to normal with the exception of some scorched patches in the park that will be tended to by the park’s maintenance. They returned once more to their patrols, this time Hot Shot was followed by Wedge, whom Scorch was also following, and Medix followed Hoist, with Whirl being eyes-in-the-sky as she flew by the Independence Day Parade. Despite the blaze they just fought a few minutes ago, the day went on without a hitch. 

Griffin Rock celebrating Independence Day often transforms into a vibrant showcase of patriotism, community spirit, and cultural pride. From early morning until well into the evening, a festive atmosphere permeates the streets, parks, and public squares.

The day typically began with a ceremonial flag-raising, often accompanied by the national anthem and a speech from a local official or veteran. Residents gathered in the town center, many dressed in the national colors, waving flags and wearing pins or ribbons to express their pride. Then there was the park fire, but that was long dealt with.

Parades formed a central feature of the celebration. Marching bands, civic organizations, historical reenactors, and local dignitaries proceed along the main streets, cheered on by crowds of all ages. Floats themed around national history, unity, and local heritage add both visual flair and educational value to the event.

In public parks and recreation areas, families spread out blankets for picnics and barbecues, while vendors offer traditional foods, crafts, and games. Children enjoy activities such as face painting, sack races, and inflatable play areas, while adults may engage in friendly competitions or relax to the sounds of live music performed by local artists. Most of the Bots merely watched on from a distance, observing quietly, especially for Hot Shot, Scorch and Wedge.

“Y’know. This is kinda like Allspark Day, but for humans.” Scorch pondered standing right next to Hot Shot,

“Yep.” “Yeah.” Hot Shot and Wedge simply responded,

“This kinda makes me wonder. Do you guys still celebrate the special day for cybertronians down here?”

Hot Shot trying to give a good response, “Well. It’s sorta ok, but it’s definitely not the same as celebrating it here than on Cybertron. Allspark Day is Cybertron themed, through and through.”

“Oh, heh, figures.” Scorch realized, 

“You know that too.” Hot Shot reminding,

Scorch quick to scoff, “Oh yeah, sure, sure! Of course.”

Hot Shot then moved away from the two to get closer and observe the festivities, leaving Wedge and Scorch side-by-side, Wedge turning on his audial relay to Hoist for their verbal exchange,

“So, uh, Scorch. When are you heading back to Cybertron for Cube? I bet you miss the fame, the fun, all the action.” Wedge nudged at Scorch,

“Eeeeeh, I kinda wanna take a break for now.” Scorch resisted,

“You sure? You don’t really strike me as the type to give up his game.” Wedge mocked,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh I dunno. You are always the one that says he always wants to win, y’know. So wouldn't taking a break mean you're losing somehow. Could you, by chance, be lacking?” 

“Who are you calling lacking?!”

“Hey hey, easy. It’s just a question, no need to blow a gasket over it. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

“For the record, I’m NOT lacking, I’m just RESTING, Ok?!”

“Alright. If you say so.”

“Look, the reason why I’m here is to recover, it’s off-season, OK?! And besides, I can only imagine that Hot Shot’s been lonely since, despite there being you guys.”

“The fuck you mean Hot Shot being lonely? We’re literally his team.”

“Oh I dunno, maybe you guys are the ones who are lacking.”

“You literally fell during the fire emergency at the park. Trying to dig.”

“Well the fire barrier thing you guys dug was too loose and way too deep, so it was not like you and Hoist were helping.” Scorch turned and left to follow Hot Shot,

“Tsk, useless twat.” Wedge muttered under his breath low enough to be unheard and went towards Hot Shot as well, “Hey, Hoist, you heard all that?”

“Yep and he’s such a bitch, we were literally doing our job, who’s he to complain. I just hope he leaves soon, bro. Can’t stand his ass.”

“Same here, Hoist, Same.”

As the sun sets, the community gathers for a fireworks display, set to music and choreographed to inspire awe and unity. The sky erupts in bursts of color, illuminating the faces of onlookers with wonder and joy. This was the grand finale and was preceded by a public reading of historical documents, adding depth and reflection to the celebrations and most anticipated, a loud-ass concert. Underlying themes of freedom, shared history, and civic pride are ever present, reinforcing a collective sense of identity and purpose among residents. Soon it was nighttime, and all residents began making their way home after the festivities came to a close, and with that so were the bots of Team Alpha.

“I. Need. Rest. UUuugh.” Medix lugging himself away to HQ, even the team’s scraplets were on his back wheels, including an exhausted Laserbeak,

“Same.” Brushfire and Hoist tiredly in tow with Medix,

“Still, we did it.” Whirl concluding,

Hot Shot satisfied with the overseeing of the federal holiday, “Yep, and all in a day’s work.” 

“So, uh, you guys wanna go for a walk?” Wedge recommending,

“So you can have him to yourself?” Whirl implied,

“What? No….I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about?” Wedge refuted,

“Where?” Hot Shot wondering, obviously knowing what the two are going on about,

“The meadow!” “The beach!” Whirl and Wedge declaring at the same time, and proceeding to argue,

“Whirl the meadow’s too far away.”

“Well the beach is just, SAND! It gets EVERYWHERE, Wedge!”

“But Whirl it’s beautiful during the sunset.”

“The Sand, Wedge, SAND!”

As the two bickered over where to go, Hot Shot merely watched on. Until a certain bot strolled on to Hot Shot’s side.

“What’s up with them?” Scorch asked,

Hot Shot, being deadpanned, lied, “Just a decision about where to go for a brief walk.” 

“And they’re just going off like that?”

“I can imagine they’re just sorting it out.”

“And you’re waiting on ‘em?”

“I’m patient.”

“Wha-...Seriously?”

“I can wait.”

“Ok, no. Hot Shot, just, follow me, wanna show you something.” Scorch grabbed his hand and quickly sprinted away with a surprised and confused Hot Shot in tow, leaving the two arguing bots behind.

“Ok, fine, we can settle in the grassy area next to the beach, ok?”

“Hmmmm…ok. I’ll accept that.” The argument of the two bots finally came to an end, however, such an agreement came too late, because after a while, the blue femmling and orange mechling noticed that Hot Shot was no longer with them, in fact. He’s gone!

Whirl was the first to break the confused silence, “Wait. Where’s Hot Shot?” 

“Uh..I..I dunno.” Wedge replying,

“Did he go back to base?”

“Maybe?”

Both looked at each other for a moment before they cried out, “HOT SHOT!”, Whirl transformed into police car mode and Wedge into muscle car mode, both driving off towards HQ, trying to find Hotshot. At base, they ran towards their team’s lounge, but Hot Shot wasn't there, next they went onto the communications room, attempting to pinpoint Hot Shot’s location, but…Nothing came up, if anything it was a mix-mash confusion of signal lag and delay of the red and yellow bot’s last location.

“The fuck? Why is his signal like that, it’s glitching all over the place.”

“I dunno, we’ve never had something like this.” Panic started to set in for Whirl and Wedge,

 Unbeknownst to them, Scorch was cunning to take Hot Shot to an area that was chock-full of operational satellite dishes sitting on top of a grass covered hill under the night sky. A satellite dish radar earth station, least to say. Thanks to so many of them, they jumbled the GPS locations on the two bots there, rendering them somewhat invisible. It was just the two of them. Sitting there. Watching the night sky together.

“Hey, uh, Hot Shot?” Scorch began,

“Mm?”

“I know I don't say this, but, I…I thought about you often when I was back on Cybertron.”

“Really? You didn't strike me as the type to look back on a player that left your team.”

“I-I know but…it’s just…it feels different without you.”

“Ah.”

“Y’know. How you played, how fast you were, how locked in you got into a game, how much of a beast you were during Cube matches.”

“...”

“And don’t get me wrong, Mach and Glow are doing great but…It just isn't the same without y-”

“Scorch. You better not be using all those compliments to try and reel me back into Cube.”

“Nonononononono, No no! Absolutely not! I would never do that again! But, the point still stands.” Scorch reaching over to Hot Shot’s faceplate with his hand and resting it on his cheek to turn his helm towards him, giving a soft look to the ex-Cube athlete, “I missed you, Hot Shot.”,

“Oh.”

Scorch slowly leaned in, going for a kiss, but before his dermas could even try to land on Hot Shot’s, some interference in the ex-Cube athlete’s communicator stopped him dead in his tracks,

“..Ot sHOt...Ar…ou..ther…Ho..t…Sh..ot!” I was Wedge. Desperate to reach out to him via comms.

“Wait..Wedge? Wedge?!” Pulling away from Scorch’s touch, Hot Shot quickly got up, attempting to respond back,

“Ho…shOt…cAN…ou…ear…mE?” Now it was Whirl, and she was just as worried as Wedge,

“Guys, you’re cutting out. Is it…wait.” Hot Shot realizing he’s in a freaking satellite dish field. He quickly transforms to jet mode, flying up as high as he could to get clearance, and it worked,

“Hot Shot!” “Where are you?!” Wedge and Whirl practically screaming into his comm,

“Whirl, Wedge, calm down! I’ll be heading back to base to meet you there.” Hot Shot barked and turned off his comm, “Sorry Scorch, gotta go.”, and just like that the red jet flew off.

"Slaggit.", Scorch. Was. Pissed. He was so close, so very damn close, and those losers had to ruin it. Those dermas were so close and yet, so far away.

Chapter Text

It was a new dawn, a new day. Quickshadow was warming up the Alpha Team with a nice early morning exercise in the outdoor gym, with Scorch participating as well.

“Almost there, loves! You're doing spectacularly!” Quickshadow motivated them on, 

Of course with such a compliment from a high ranking cybertronian, all the adultings pushed to their limits to impress, but for Scorch, he was merely trying to get Hot Shot’s attention. They were currently doing push-ups, and the cube athlete decided now was a good time to show off.

“Hey Hot Shot, watch this!” Scorch calling to the other, he then proceeded to pull off a couple one handed push-ups, and as much as it strained him, he considered it worth it,

“Oh! Nice, Scorch! Never seen you do that actually.” Hot Shot obviously taking notice and was impressed, their little exchange did not sit well with Wedge and it even pestered Hoist,

Scorch fully absorbed the compliment, “Oh yeah, I've done it a couple times, not to brag or anything.”

A skeptical Hot Shot squinted, “I can imagine it wasn't easy.” 

“Yep, took a good amount of work to get it righ-”

 “Bet you can't do this!” Wedge cutting off Scorch to show off in doing push-ups, with only one of his digits (fingers), Hot Shot was immediately hooked to his performance,

“Holy shit, that’s crazy bro!” Hoist hyping him up, 

Whirl merely adding, “Sheesh.” 

“Can you all NOT show off!” Medic exclaiming,

“No no Medix, this is fine, I wish to see.” Quickshadow assures the med-bot, “In fact, I suppose you two wouldn't mind a little, dare I say, competition?”

“Hell yeah!” “Bring it on!” the cube athlete and orange skip-loader both responded,

“Oh boy.” Hot Shot dismayed.

First came a test of Speed:

Both muscle cars, Wedge and Scorch, lined up at the start, revving their engines in an attempt to scare the other, but neither faltered.

“Eyes on me, guys, especially you Hot Shot!” Scorch exclaimed, Hot Shot giving a stoic nod.

Quickshadow gave the countdown, “On your marks, get set, GO!”

They launch forward in unison, tires screaming against the pavement. The track twists immediately, a serpentine course of tight hairpins and sweeping arcs.

The red and yellow car darts ahead in the early bends, his agility allowing him to glide through the curves with surgical precision. But the orange car is viciously relentless, muscling through each turn with sheer brute force, gaining inches in every straightaway, even as some rocks stood in his path, he just plowed right through them. Destroying the stones as if they were snow.

Then comes the loop-de-loop, a towering steel arc rising like a colossus at the heart of the circuit. Both cars accelerate fiercely, engines straining as they ascend the vertical climb. The red and yellow car, lighter and faster, zips through the loop first, momentarily suspended upside down against the sky before roaring back down. The orange car follows a heartbeat later, his weight and momentum a testament to his torque-heavy design and ability to even stay on the track and not go flying off.

As they exit the loop and tear into the final stretch—a rapid-fire series of sharp chicanes and one last downhill curve—the battle intensifies. The red and yellow car swerves with precision, tires gripping the track as if on rails. The orange muscle car stays close, drafting behind, his engine roaring in defiance.

But in the last critical turn—a razor-sharp bend just before the final straight—the red and yellow car makes its move. With flawless timing, he brakes late and accelerates out of the apex with explosive force, widening the gap by a crucial few car lengths.

Dust kicks up. Engines scream. The finish line looms. As both vehicles hurtle toward it. The orange car surges forward in a final bid to reclaim the lead, but it’s too late.

With a triumphant blaze of speed, Scorch crosses the finish line first, his engine howling in victory, followed by Wedge.

“Damnit.” The orange mechling thought,

“AWWW YEAH BABY, DID YA SEE THAT HOT SHOT!” Scorch loudly shouting, Wedge merely growling silently,

Hot Shot merely gave a stoic “I sure did.”

“So, uh, Quickshadow, what's the next competition, because you said there were more, right?” Whirl asking,

Quickshadow, being quick to respond, “Indeed, one of speed, that’s been completed now, and one of strength. So 1 out of 2 so far. Alright gentlemechs, on to the next!”

Second, a test of Strength:

As the morning went into afternoon, two weightlifting benches were before the two mechlings, Scorch and Wedge both took their seats and laid down, hanging overhead of them were tough and heavy-looking barbells, each with one 100 pound black weight plates on the sleeves,

While everyone else watched, Quickshadow announced the challenge, “Alright you two, this test will begin easily but will get more difficult over time. As of now you both will begin lifting 200 pounds, the combined total of the 100 pound weight plates on each end, but as the test goes on and from time to time more weights will be added by two more weight plates, and once you aren't able to lift, your time is over, ready?”

 “Uh, ok.”, Scorch not too keen on such a challenge,

But Wedge was more than ready, “I was made for this. Hot Shot, watch me.”, Hot Shot, once more, giving a silent “Ok.”

“Alrighty! On three! One. Two. Three! Lift!”

And with the announcement from Quickshadow, both the bots lifted with the best of their might, hoping to outdo the other. 

The first few rounds were deceptively even. Scorch leveraged his agility to lift each increasingly heavy barbell with swift, fluid motions, compensating for his comparatively lighter build with sheer speed and momentum. Wedge, meanwhile, lifted methodically, unhurried, his movements deliberate and unshakable, it stood to show he’s been doing this for a looong time.

By the 30-minute mark, the plates clanged ominously with each addition, courtesy of Hoist and Hot Shot adding them time after time and being their spotters. Scorch began to falter—his cooling systems hissing under stress, servos whining at the limits of their tolerance. He adjusted its posture, recalibrated grip dynamics, and attempted to compensate, but each lift became visibly more strained and with his visor down he easily saw on his HUD that it was starting to become too much to handle.

In contrast, Wedge remained nearly motionless between rounds, no visor down, his processor consuming strength data with cold efficiency, his hydraulics (muscles) masterfully calculating and adjusting every weight accordingly, his cooling fans flawlessly controlled heat dissipation. With each lift, he performed with unbroken rhythm, his internal gyroscopic systems maintaining perfect balance.

An hour in, both barbells were excessively heavy, Scorch attempted one final lift. With trembling limbs, he hoisted the barbell halfway before a sudden system error blinked across his visor. He gave out a metallic groan, but that would be his final lift as his elbow joint collapsed, forcing him to give in, Hoist catching the barbell before it could land on his chassis.

Wedge, obviously unfazed, advanced as if programmed for eternity. With the last massive plates now in place, he gripped the bar and lifted it overhead in one slow, magnificent lift. The bench shook as he held the bar aloft for a full forty seconds before placing it down gently. All on his own, no spotter needed.

In conclusion, Scorch slumped to the ground, his optics half-lidded, his athletic frame overclocked and overheated. Wedge stood up from his bench and raised an arm in victory, steam billowing from his vents like a triumphant war engine, he won. By a landslide. Scorch, defeated and humbled, had been outclassed not by speed, but by abso-fucking-lute brute strength.

Wedge turned towards Scorch and uttered two words for the exhausted mechling, “Get gud.”, all Scorch could do was growl, but he had to be checked up for any injuries, cue Medix jogging in to check his vitals.

“Alright, little ones, that’s all for now, and I believe you all have your patrols to do, no?” Quickshadow reminded,

Hot Shot realizing there’s work to be done, “Oh, that’s right. Everyone! Patrols are as usual, Brushfire can I have you on comms today?”

“On it!” Brushfire going into HQ for the communications room,

“Alright, guys! Let’s move!” Hot Shot rang out,

It wasn’t long before everyone rushed off in their preferred vehicle modes to their respective patrol routes, except Scorch who needed to go in a stasis pod to regain energon and energy.

Going along a route in the outskirts of Griffin Rock that Hot Shot assigned himself, Wedge, in muscle car mode, found him and sped up to match his speed beside the red and yellow firetruck, eager to brag.

“Hey! Hey! Hot Shot!” Wedge enthusiastically called,

Hot Shot answered rather nonchalantly, “Mm?”

“Did you uh, like my performance?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

“...You don’t sound impressed.”

“No no. I am. It’s just…It wasn't necessary to show off so much.”

“But I wanted to prove how awesome I am.”

“Wedge, I already know you're awesome.”

Such a compliment like that from Hot Shot hit Wedge like a truck. “Did. Did he really just say that?” Wedge thought. Hot Shot continued.

“And besides, everyone in the team knows how much you work out, but I also know just how much effort and time you put into working out, so it’s no surprise you won the strength test.”

“Oh. Uuuh, y-yeah.”

“And albeit you didn’t win the speed test, you still did your best, hell, you came so close, but we both know that Scorch has been at speeding around for a long time, but the way you pushed yourself despite still losing is more than enough for me to know and acknowledge.”

“...” Wedge was speechless,

“All in all, Just because you're not the fastest, doesn't make you any less of a hard-worker. Always remember that, Wedge.”

As much as Wedge wanted to kiss and gush all the compliments that he knew on Hot Shot, he could only manage to say, “..Th-Thanks.”

“Mhm. Also, it wasn't you who started to show off which led to the whole competition thing. I probably need to talk to Scorch about that. Otherwise, anything else you need?”

“Uh, well-”

“Hey Hot Shot, you busy?!” Brushfire cutting off Wedge via comms, Wedge using the brief interruption to organize his soon-to-utter words,

“No. What happened?” 

“Nothing, it's just the comms precision is being a pain in the arse again.”

Hot Shot took a moment before replying, “Brushfire, did you remember to recalibrate it in the morning before starting the day?”

“...shit.” Brushfire silently cursed, “Can I do that now?”

“Unfortunately, no. That’s why we always recalibrate it ASAP at sunrise so it isn't choppy and because it takes one groon and a half to fully complete, and while it recalibrates, it pretty much becomes useless, and that would be real bad if you did that now while we’re on patrol.” Hot Shot explained,

“Ah fuck, I’m sorry.” Brushfire defeated,

“It’s ok. Just remember to do so next time.”

“Will do.” With that Brushfire hung up,

“Alright, now, Wedge. You wanted to say something?” Hot Shot going back to the orange mechling in muscle car mode driving with him,

“Oh! I, uh. Can I talk with you later and what are we doing later tonight as a team-bonding exercise?”

“Sure, as for your other question, Whirl recommended the game Monopoly.”

“Oh….Wait. The game rumored by humans that has the ability to cause conflict and tear relationships apart?” Wedge double-taking,

“Yep, that’s why I said she recommended it as a team-bonding request, but I rejected it, so instead we’re playing Uno instead.”

“Why don’t we just play video games? Overwatch, Valorant, heck, maybe even Call of Duty. Cody showed you those games and you loved to play them.”

“Yep and but that was BEFORE. Nowadays, but Frankie showed me other games like Minecraft, No Man’s Sky, or Stardew Valley, they're kinda calming. Well, sometimes. And I don't have to be a try-hard in them, plus I can always save my progress, instead of losing it every season. And there’s still action-packed games I still play Warframe, or even GTA, but for tonight we're going with a more casual and physical type of gameplay and what better than card games?”

“Oh ok, well, I guess we can’t possibly mess that up?”

“Yep, so Uno it is.”

Wedge giving a warm smile to the final decision.

It wouldn't take long for day to become night, and some members of Team Alpha were playing, as you’d expect, Uno! Those players being Hoist, Wedge, Hot Shot, Whirl, and Tough Luck Chuck! Medix and Brushfire weren't present, the med-bot saying he needed to sort his equipment, and Brushfire wanting to get some downtime. They also invited Quickshadow to join but she merely responded on having other duties to fulfill and left.

In the cozy, dimly lit conversation pit within the lounge area, the four bots and one cybertronian test dummy huddled around, their voices hushed but tense. A stack of vibrant Uno cards rests at the center like a ticking bomb. Empty energon cups and crumpled napkins form a silent audience to the drama unfolding. The air crackles with anticipation—what started out as a friendly game of Uno turned into something else. This wasn’t just a game anymore; it's war.

Whirl, sharp-eyed and strategic, has only two cards left. Opposite of her, Chuck holds a thick fan of cards and doesn't seem to care. Next to her sits Hot Shot, perpetually skeptical, glancing from player to player. On the other side, Wedge and Hoist share a silent alliance, both eager to see Whirl knocked down a peg.

Tension builds as the cards fly around the table. Wilds are played. Reverses shift the pace. Draw Fours erupt like grenades. And then, Hoist suddenly slaps down a yellow six and declares, “Uno, bitch.” His voice far too casual.

Hot Shot’s optics narrow.

“Wait,” he says slowly, “didn’t you have two reds before?”

Hoist gives a faint shrug. “Must’ve been the lighting. One was yellow.”

Wedge glances at the discard pile. “You sure, bro? I could’ve sworn you drew after that red Reverse.”

Hoist smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his optics, “It’s all I have, guys.”

Hot Shot frowns. “Yeah, but c’mon. We’ve been keeping it honest all night.”

Whirl looks at Hoist thoughtfully. “You wouldn’t sneak a card just to stay in the game... would you?”

Hoist meets her with a ‘bitch are you serious’ gaze, “Of course not.”

But Chuck leans forward, quickly pointing beneath the table. “Oh! What’s that?!”

Everyone turns. A single yellow six lies face-up on the floor between Hoist’s pedes. A beat of silence passes.

Hoist sighs. “Shit…Okay—fine, must’ve dropped it.”

Hot Shot exhales, gently. “Look, it’s not the end of the world. But just say something next time, alright?”

Wedge chuckles, “Don’t act like we’re not paying attention.”

Whirl gives a small smile, the tension softening. “Back to the game?”, Everyone agrees.

They reshuffle, and the moment passes—not forgotten, but forgiven, for now.

The reshuffled deck circulates once more. Though the energy has shifted, it’s not hostile—just charged with an unspoken awareness. No one says it, but everyone’s keeping tabs on Hoist now. Not accusing, just...watching.

Cards slap onto the pile with renewed determination. Chuck draws two, still unsure of what he’s doing. Wedge, now energized by the shift in dynamic, plays back-to-back Reverses with flair. Whirl narrows her eyes and bides her time like a hawk circling high. Hot Shot, always observant, keeps one hand near-under the hologram table as a subtle nod to earlier events, earning a chuckle from Wedge.

Hoist tries to act unfazed. He’s leaned into an exaggerated nonchalance—smirking, tapping the table, humming as if the entire universe has bent to his Uno strategy.

“Uno,” he says again, far too confidently, after slamming down a Wild.

The table stiffens.

Whirl confused once more. “Didn’t you just draw two cards like, four turns ago?”

Wedge leans in. “I swear I saw your hand shrink faster than it should’ve. Are you... counting backwards?”

Hot Shot grins and for the first time in forever, jests. “No no, let him have his moment. He might finally win something without cards falling out of his sleeves.” 

Everyone was stunned, in a good way, and Hoist raised both servos innocently. “Ya’ll are hurting me with this shit.”,

And just when Hoist thought he could get away with it, the trap sprung.

Chuck places a Reverse. Wedge follows with another Reverse. Whirl slaps down a Skip. Hot Shot plays a Draw Two.

Hoist blinks. “Wait—what?”

Chuck’s turn again. Another Draw Two. Wedge grins and piles on one more.

Whirl, with theatrical flair, lays the final blow: “Draw Four.”

Hoist groans, reaching for the deck with a sigh of resignation. “This is harassment.”

“Well, You cheated,” Hot Shot says sweetly, with Whirl backing him up, “We’re just restoring balance to the Uno-verse.”

He draws eleven cards—slowly, dramatically—muttering mock curses under his breath like a Shakespearean villain brought low. The group bursts into laughter, the tension melting at last into shared amusement.

As the game winds down, Whirl drops her final card and stands triumphantly.

“LETS FUCKING GOOOOO!!,” she declares. Hot Shot claps, Chuck bows, and Wedge flashes a grin.

Hoist throws out his cards like a defeated magician. “Fucking hell, man, I’m not playing cards with ya’ll every again, fuck that.”

Amused, They all gathered their things, still chuckling as they exited the lounge for berth time, Hoist left first in a disgruntled fit. 

And somewhere deep in Hoist’s subspace pocket, a singular Uno card is quietly retired from circulation.

As everyone else headed into their respective berth rooms, Wedge and Hot Shot talked for a bit before hitting the hay.

“I’m still surprised Hoist pulled that stunt.” Wedge recapping on how Hoist almost won the game by cheating if it weren't for Chuck,

“True but all in all it was a nice game, we’ll play Minecraft for the next team-bonding exercise.” Hot Shot declared,

“Oh, hell yeah! I can’t wait for that!”

“Same here, Goodnight Wedge.”

“Wait!”

“Mm?”

“Let’s, end tonight with something more.”

“Wedge. It’s 10:30 PM.”

“I know, I know but we still have some time.”

“You do know we have a town hall meeting for Flag Day tomorrow morning right? And we have to wake up early to attend.”

“Hot Shooot, I know already, just, let me give you something before we go to bed!” Wedge affirming,

Hot Shot blinked, then softly chuckled, “Alright.” gesturing him into his berthroom, Wedge became all the more eager to follow, with the berthroom door sliding close and locking behind them.

The red and yellow mechling didn't even make it to his berth before Wedge pushed him to the back of his couch making him lean backwards against it. The orange mechling forcefully kissed him, glossa included of course, before slowly kissing his way down to Hotshot’s interface array, kneeling before the quad-changer. He spread his legs a little, no doubt the red and yellow mechling's spike and valve were out and ready for action. Wedge licks the turgid red member a bit before finally reaching the bare valve, and he can feel the sudden shift as Hot Shot lifts his hips just a little… “This is too easy, He’s mine.” Wedge thought.

He uses one of his thumbs to part the rubbery folds, grinning at the slow stream of lubricant already leaking from the tight opening. He starts slow, dragging his glossa from the bottom of the valve all the way to the swollen little bud at the top, and he’s rewarded with a soft gasp for his efforts. He does it a couple of more times, just to get the other bot used to his touch. He knows how sensitive Hot Shot can be...and he’s more than willing to exploit it.

Wedge presses his lip plates to the rim of his leader’s valve and trails kisses upwards, all the way to the sensory bud, softly crackling with charge already, that he gives a little extra attention to just to hear Hot Shot moan.

The orange mechling looks up to the other, who just from this little bit of stimulation his optics were closed, biting his knuckle joints with his denta, venting hard already, and the Wedge can’t help but feel proud of his ability to reduce Hot Shot to such a state.

The orange mechling sucks one of the folds into his mouth, gently tugging and licking at it, the red and yellow mechling bucks, no doubt trying to move the skip-loader to a more sensitive spot. Wedge takes the hint, moving down to circle the slick inner rim of the athletic mechling’s valve with his glossa, lapping up the lubricant with a satisfied hum, Hot Shot can’t help but arch into the stimulation. Wedge loves it, and pressed his glossa into the clenching valve and rubs over the sensors within.

“Wedge! Please…” Hot Shot moans, easing a servo down to rest over his mate’s helm, gently petting. Wedge returns to lapping over the entire damn thing, rubbing the folds with his thumbs.

“Mmm…Please what?” He circles the sensory bud with his glossa before sealing his lip plates around it, lapping and sucking at the little bulb. He can feel it twitch with interest beneath his glossa, and he sucks on it softly, the charge crackles along his glossa and it's such an awesome feeling.

“Wedge…!” The ex-Cube bot’s leg jerks sharply at the intense stimulation and Wedge smiles into the mech’s interface panel.

“You like that?” Wedge teased,

“Do I-ah, need to a-answer tha-ah!” Back arching, Hot Shot is pressing up into Wedge's mouth desperately, his valve completely soaked at this point, and Wedge laps it all up happily, licking dutifully at the hot rubber lining the other’s valve.

“O-oh god..I..I’m...” Hot Shot pants, his servo on Wedge's helm tightening. “S-so close..!”

The orange bot proceeded to violate the soft folds, thrusting his glossa in and out of his leader's valve, licking deep into the tensing opening and swiping over several swollen sensors within, feeling charged sensations at his glossa.

A loud moan is his only warning before Hot Shot locked up, grabbing his helm roughly and groaning as lubricant sprays from his valve, coating the orange mechling's inner mouth and faceplate as the red and yellow mechling shivers and comes down from his overload.

Had Wedge not put down his visor, he would most likely need to wipe off his optics by now...what a convenience, he thought as he chuckles to himself.

“See? Told you I wanted to give you something before bed.” Wedge victorious with his work,

“Oh yeah? And how are you holding all THAT down?”

Wedge quickly realized what Hot Shot was talking about, he looked down and saw. His spike. Oh his dear spike, and not just his spike but his valve as well, both not only out but heavily pressurized and his valve leaking lubricant like mad, begging for something, anything.

“Oh, u-uh…” and before Wedge could even ask, Hot Shot dove down on him, it all seemed like a blur, till Wedge felt something moist and hard rubbing his valve, it was Hot Shot’s spike massaging his quivering overeager valve,

“You helped me, now allow me to return the favor.” One gentle thrust from Hot Shot was all it took to enter Wedge, and with a reality-shattering discovery that he was even more sensitive than Hot Shot, his mind instantly melted, unable to give back a proper response,

“Guuuh!” It was all unintelligible as not only was Wedge getting pounded, a scenario he never expected, but also pumped as the athletic mechling stroked his eager orange member with his right servo vigorously. All Wedge could do was lol his glossa out with his optics rolled back from the sheer pleasure and his digits clawing into the ground. 

Hot Shot begins picking up the pace, pressing harder into him and grinding into the even tighter heat around his spike. Wedge is absolutely loving it, moaning loudly as the nodes within his valve are ravaged. Hot Shot even purposefully aims for the nodes, selflessly wanting to give Wedge the ultimate experience because he loves how silly Wedge looks while being hammered like this, how his valve bears down like a tough-ass vice on his spike, and he’s telling him how amazing he is, all while constantly stroking the orange mechling’s spike with good pace and rhythm. Wedge just continues to babble out sexual nonsense while trying to say Hot Shot’s name over and over like some sort of flawed worship, he practically didn't even know he was being complimented, nonetheless Hot Shot adores him for trying.

With overload nearing, Hot Shot briefly pulls out before violently plunging into Wedge until the hilt, smiling as Wedge throws his helm back further when he hits hard against that certain node within, Wedge moaning his name long and loud as he overloads on Hot Shot’s pumping spike, and his own spike spewing out transfluid around Hot Shot’s digits. Wedge tightens up to the point of it being almost painful, and transfluid jetting onto the floor with Hot Shot’s own valve squirting out lubricant, and both mechlings ride out their overload.

Hot Shot pulls out and kisses Wedge on the cheek, the poor skip-loader too fucked out to notice as Hot Shot got up, and with careful effort, lifted up the exhausted mechling by his forearms to take him to his washroom to clean up for the night as it was 11:30 PM now, but somewhere within Wedge’s mind, he knew to never underestimate Hot Shot ever again.

Chapter Text

As the days went by in the holiday-less month of August, the bots often found themselves with more free time, obviously they were doing their patrols and rescues as usual, but something about Griffin Rock experiencing less disasters than usual was a bit off putting. However, most of the members in Team Alpha weren't complaining at all--heck, even Team Sigma weren't complaining either--, in fact most found this rather inviting for more, indulging activities.

And within the woods near the Academy, two bots were just in the act of getting it on, little did they know that a third was there. Watching. Recording.

“Are you most certain Brushfire? Don’t you think the risk assessment of getting caught is rather hig-”

“Medix!” Brushfire snapped,

“Hmph, fine, well excuse me for being cautious.”

“Look, we're both here to have a good time, no strings attached as usual, so let's just get it on with, ok?”

“Very well.” Medix relented, freeing forth his spike and laying down on his back, Brushfire straddling on top and already brushing her valve up against the med-bot’s spike to feel herself up, and earning a soft whimper from the red and white mechling, before finally letting her valve be filled, gasping in the process.

At first, Brushfire slowly went up and down on the spike he rode to get a good feel of it, but it wouldn't take long for her to get used to it and begin a steady pace. Medix could only moan with every downward thrust she made, and as much as the med-bot wanted the orange RTV to do her thing, he couldn't help but want to hold on to her, and as much he resisted, he couldn't any longer. He tightly grasped Brushfire’s thighs, he bucked in and out of the femme’s silky passage vigorously, causing the orange femme to bounce up and down from the force of his hips and upward thrusts, lust filled into the med-bot’s optics as he keeps hold of her, both meeting each other thrust by thrust.

Brushfire was tensing and spasming as if she was going to overload. The air around them was hot despite the cool forest air, and the sounds of nature were being drowned out by the thudding of metal and the thick noises of their wet interface arrays. Brushfire bounced on his spike in a desperate attempt for more friction, and the counter motion to Medix’s thrusting was driving her in deep.

“M-medix!” Brushfire pleading,

“Now now, w-we're almost t-there.” Medix commanded,

As if magic, one last hard upward thrust to her ceiling node is all the orange femmling needed to throw her helm back and fall into her climax, and she's moaning loudly as her valve spasms on the med-bot’s spike and lubricant gushes from her valve combined with transfluid from Medix’s spike, and the med-bot's valve was just as flowing as well. Both bots slow down as their overload subsides, letting Brushfire calm down as she pants and mewls, little shocks of pleasure still flickering over her frame, pulling her into an exhausted state as she slips off his spike and nearly falls over, thankfully being caught by Medix as he cradles her in his arms.

*click*

A sudden sound out of nowhere had Medix on immediate high alert, could his fears of risk have been true? He rapidly swiveled his helm left and right until landing his optic on what seemed to be video-camera lens with a patch of blue behind, but before he could try make it out, the unknown being ran away.

Oh no.

In a haste, Medix picked up himself while still carrying a slumbering Brushfire and quickly went to get cleaned up, this couldn't be, it couldn't. Could it?

On the other end, Whirl was hot on her heels as she ran as fast as she could to her berthroom, she had just scored a video of the century, Medix and Brushfire fragging outside near the Academy, what a surprise! She needed to hurry and make an encrypted copy to keep for herself and wipe the vid-cam’s memory clean. The perfect material to keep as useful dirt on the secret life of Medix.

Meanwhile, within the mech wash racks, a certain teal-blue mechling moaned out, “Holy fuck, Hot Shot.” 

“That’s it, you're doing great, Hoist.” the red and yellow mechling assuring him,

Shoved up against the far back wall of the wash racks, Hot Shot was being upheld by the teal-blue bulky mechling by his hips and both the athletic bot’s legs were wrapped around the other’s waist. The tow-bot had one girth of a member, so the quad-changer was quite the tight fit around his spike, but it was bliss to both as he slowly moved at a patient pace.

“H-hey, wouldn't Wedge be, uhh, here too?” Hoist questioned,

Hot Shot trying to focus on the question but couldn't help but moan out, “W-well, I…ahhh… L-let’s just say he’s r-resting.” 

“R-resting?”

“Y-yeah, I’ll tell you later, just f-focus.” Hot Shot brushed off, and as much as Hoist wanted to question further, he found it super hard to think while buried deep inside the athletic bot, so he dropped it for now.

Hot Shot’s valve was really leaking lubricant, it made it easy for the towbot to push in further as he grunted, moaned and groaned in time to his thrusts, the athletic bot clenching around his spike, lighting up nodes with a hot electrical sting of pure pleasure.

“uhhnn…” was all the quad-changer could vent, he couldn’t help but moan to the very friction of Hoist’s thick hot spike as it quickened to a faster pace. The teal-blue mechling moaned as he continuously slammed his girthy spike into the red and yellow mechling’s valve as it swallowed his thick member in. 

“Ooohhh...h-hot shot…” the towbot moaned,

“C’mon…A-almost there…” Hot Shot reminded,

The combined stimulation of the quad-changer’s valve clenching around him and the friction of his spike raking along those sensitive nodes sets Hoist off into an overload with a shout and moan of Hot Shot’s name and squirting erupted from his valve, and Hot Shot was also along for ride as he easily climaxed on the girthy spike gushing transfluid into him and his own spike spewing out ropes of transfluid, some even falling onto the wash rack floor. 

For a moment, Hoist kept thrusting, still pumping thick, hot transfluid into the red and yellow bot’s valve, and they both moan as they slowly come down from their highs. Hoist eases down and gently lowers himself and Hot Shot to the floor to rest, pulling out his depressurizing spike, and taking a few moments to recover. From there on, Hoist just holds Hot Shot close, enjoying the hot plating pressed to his own and the rhythmic venting of each other’s frame.

Soon, they’re ready to get cleaned up, and Hot Shot kisses him one last time, slow and sensual. They help each other in getting cleaned up, all while wiping the mess of fluids from between their tibulens and closing up their panels. They then enjoyed a bit of the remaining afterglow from their steamy exchange.

“Oh hey, Hot Shot! Remember the question I had?” Hoist reminded,

“Yeeeaaahhh. About that. Well…I may have um, well.”

“What’s wrong? Is Wedge ok?”

“Oh, don't worry, he’s fine…ish.”

“Fine-ish?”

“Let’s just say we had a session together after the team-bonding exercise we had a while back. He wanted to give me something, which was basically valve-eating, and when he was done he was all pent up, pressurized spike and all, so I fragged him myself to, y’know give him something back, and it turned out his valve was far more sensitive than I thought and well, uh, I went down on him pretty hard, but I didn’t know at the time. So, afterwards he couldn't feel his legs for quite some time once he regained consciousness. Ehe.”

“Wait…so you basically fucked him so hard that he’s crippled now?”

“I DIDN'T KNOW HOW SENSITIVE HE WAS! REALLY!”

“HAhAhHAAH, Holy shit dude, HAhahHUHhaA!”

“AND HE IS NOT CRIPPLED, HOIST, Just. Tired. That’s all.”

“You might as well should’ve fucked him to death, HAAhaHAhHAhHAhAHahAHhAA!”

“Hoist, keep laughing like that and I’ll make sure you only use self-service to relieve yourself for two jours.”

“Woah, ok, ok, shit, Hahah, aw man. Haah, that was great.”

“I gave him time-off to recover, and he’ll soon be back in action. But I can’t help but feel guilty.”

“Guilty of what? Giving him a good time?”

“No. It's been a couple cycles now after it happened, and he's still in berth.”

“Hot Shot, I don't think Wedge would be angry at you over that. You pretty much gave him the best frag of his life.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Oh come on, don’t beat yourself up over it. Besides, I’m pretty sure Wedge wouldn't mind another round like the one you gave him. Heck, I wouldn't either.”

“Well…I’ll have a talk with him later.”

“Sounds good. But seriously though, you should try that stunt with me next time.”

“We’ll see.” Hot Shot finalized before leaving to go check on Wedge,

However his visit would have to wait as a certain red and yellow mechling rounded the corner he was approaching.

“Hot Shot! There you are, I've been looking for you!”

“Oh! Hey Scorch, need something?”

“Yep, you! Meet me at the pool behind the academy later! Bye!”

“Huh? Why?” But such a question would go unanswered as Scorch quickly left, leaving the ex-Cube in confusion but nonetheless on his path towards the team’s resting quarters. One elevator down and a leisure walk lead him to the berthroom corridor. He began to approach Wedge’s room.

As he neared, he hesitated. What if Wedge was hurt? What if he didn't want to see him due to the roughness that was laid upon him by the red and yellow athlete? What if…As much as it worried him, Hot Shot had to try. He resumed his pace towards Wedge’s door till he was standing right in front of it. He raised his servo, extending his digit to ring the doorbell, and albeit he stopped for just a moment, he continued…

*Bing bung*

After a brief period of silence, a barely audible “Come in.” was heard, giving Hot Shot permission to enter. As Hot Shot entered, the door closed behind him, throwing the orange fitness decorated room into dimness. Hot Shot looked around; weights, exercise regimes, motivational posters of working out, the whole trend of fitness and strength was abundant in Wedge’s room, he continued scanning the room till his optics landed on a buff figure resting on his berth, light green glowing optics staring back at him.

“Well? You here to judge my room or what?” Wedge started,

Hot Shot neared Wedge, stood by the berthside and responded, “No. Just checking on you. How are you?”

“Shitty.”

“Wha-”

“Hah! Just kidding! I’m feeling a bit better now, and even more so with you here.”

“Thank Primus. You scared me there.”

“What, I can’t have some fun?”

“Wedge, I just wanna make sure you’re okay.”

“Okay from what? From how you fucked me so hard, I couldn’t feel my legs?”

“Um…well.”

“Well, news flash, I was fucking awesome.”

“Wait wha?”

“Yeah! You know I love fragging you, Hot Shot. But you fragging me? HOLY FUCK, It felt amazing, I never thought I was that sensitive either!”

“Oh.” Hot Shot reminiscing on the fact that Hoist was right,

“And don’t think I didn’t notice you carrying me into your personal wash rack to clean me off and take me to my own berthroom to put me to berth. Now that was top quality aftercare!”

“Oh, yeah. Who would I be to just leave you behind?”

“A monster that’s what. I never would have thought that as much as I gave to you, you could also give to me.”

“Was only fair, and how could I let you go to berth with a raging spike like that?”

“Welp, you definitely showed me, I’ll give you that. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“By the way is Scorch still around?”

“Yep.”

“Shit.”

“Can you stand?”

“Not quite, pretty sore.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, you gave me the time of my life, I wouldn't hesitate to have it again with you.”

“Ehe, we'll see.” The red and yellow quad-changer lowered to give the orange mechling a quick kiss, and just as he did so, a text from Whirl demanded Hot Shot to see her in the main office. 

“Oh. I just got a text from Whirl, she wants to see me real quick.”

“Eh, alright. I'll probably be good to go by tomorrow.”

“Alright, see you then.” Hot Shot then left through Wedge's door as it closed behind him.

It didn’t take long for the athletic mechling to reach Whirl as per her request, within the storage unit, but as he closed in on her, she began to go ahead in the same direction he was headed.

“Hey Whirl you texted me, right?”

“Yep. Follow me.”

“Sure.”

The femmling led him into a secluded corner within the storage unit, no lights, no cameras, just the two of them within this loaded storage space, and they even found some space to fit snuggly within, and before Hot Shot could even ask, Whirl wasted no time pulling him into a kiss, glossa slithering right into his mouth with no hesitation. Hot Shot quickly realized why she brought him here and if anything else, it was quite a while since they had time to each other, no surprise Whirl wanted this and who was he to decline.

He moved with her rhythm, reaching behind to detach her rotor hub, Whirl allowed him to do so, gently pushing it to the side, Hot Shot slowly lowered her to the ground on her back, Whirl parting temporarily to remind the mechling with her,

“Wedge isn’t the only one that can have you y’know.”

“I know, I know. Sorry, but. Well…let’s just say he’s a bit exhausted due to me.”

“Oh? What did you do?”

“I uh…I. Fragged him till he couldn’t feel his legs but-”

Whirl immediately bursted into laughter, not even holding back at all.

“Hey hey! I didn't mean to! Honest! I just thought he wanted something in return for what he did for me!”

Whirl kept laughing.

“Whirl, I will leave right now and cancel team-bonding time with Minecraft as the proposed game.”

“Aheeheeheeheeheee nuh! Ahuh n-no! Wait, don't go! It’s just funny, that's all heehee.”

“Shouldn’t have told you that.”

“Hey, not my fault you destroyed him.”

“Well, do you want or not?”

“Ok ok, sorry, and yes I would love to. C’mere!”

And with that last exchange they resumed their makeout session, glossas welcoming each other into a wet, slippery embrace once more and it wouldn't be long for interface arrays to open. It’s soon followed by a teasing slip of his spike tip pressing up against her valve, making her shiver, only having the tip slipping in, yet not pushing in, but nonetheless rubbing all the while. Too much of a while.

“Hot, are you gonna start or what?” Whirl getting a bit impatient,

“What? I thought you liked this?” Hot Shot questioning back,

“Yeah, but not for too long. I’m not a chinese doll, I'm not gonna break! I-Oooh my god!”

“Like that?” 

Initially, Whirl failed to pay attention to the fact that Hot Shot was already lining up for a good thrust while she complained, and such a plan of his was very successful, earning a brief tight clutch from Whirl’s inner walls around his eager rod, it felt amazing. Thus, what followed next was a calm and steady pace, thrusting into the femmling at a controlled rate and he savored every moment, and Whirl was just laid out and enjoying the sensations through and through. But it wouldn't be long till he started to pound into her with his red, turgid member, the femmling was quite a tight heated fit around his spike, making him grit his denta, she moaned as he pushed his shaft deeper into her, moving faster, feeling her walls convulsing and constricting around his hot member, overload knocking at their door. A couple kliks and the electrical sensations of overload rippled through the femmling and mechling, easily causing both to reach their climaxes. For Whirl, she was busy enjoying the orgasmic rush the best way she could, as for Hot Shot, not a single thrust was wasted. Eventually, the highs of overload came to a crawl and then a close.

“So, How was that?” Hot Shot asked,

All Whirl could do was gasp out, “Awesome. Just. Awesome.”

“Good, now we need to just get to the wash racks. Without getting caught. Oh boy."

“Nnngh…you can do it..uuhhh.” Whirl was clearly out of energy and all the more willing to just recharge right then and there , it was still afternoon and Hot Shot knew for sure Scorch was around the academy grounds, including the mentors and teachers, so. Looks like he’ll be here for a bit, with her, cuddling together. Maybe not such a bad idea.

Chapter Text

The month of September went by like a blur, at least to cybertronians, and next thing ya know it was October! Halloween reared its head once more, and this time Griffin Rock was hosting a big Halloween festival at the town's plaza, and as all of Team Alpha were in the main lounge discussing and prepping on what to wear this time, unlike last time in which they wore nothing, except Wedge and his Bumblebee costume. 

“Hey Wedge, remember when you dressed up as Bumblebee for Halloween? You were all like, “hEY GUys, LoOk, I’m BUmbleBEe! Man, that was so cringe!”

“Whirl. Can you just. Not. This is why I don’t wanna go.”

“Why not? Is it because Bumblebee won’t be there?” Whirl, wearing a witch’s outfit and hat, was nagging Wedge on,

“Whirl! My simping-for-Bumblebee days are over. I wanna focus on myself now, I’ve kept myself in his shadow for far too long, in fact, I was so busy looking up to him that I never saw myself, hell, my self-confidence was abysmal because I thought I could never be like him, well fuck that, I’ll be who I want to be, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Afterall, I have just as much potential as that yellow fuck, heck even more so.” Wedge firmly declared, resuming on his personal figure modeling of himself,

“Hell yeah.” Whirl fully agreeing before going off to check out the others, to which she witnessed,

: Hoist fitting himself in a giant-sized pumpkin costume, Medix wearing giant-sized medical scrubs, Brushfire in a huge Kangaroo getup, Laserbeak in a cupid-like bird attire, Cody wearing his usual hooded figure robe, and Wes in a cowboy attire similar to Woody from Toy Story. Just then, Cody got a call from Frankie,

“Cody! Are you guys coming or what?”

“Don’t worry Frankie, we’ll be there, we’re just gearing up!”

“Fine, but you're missing out, hurry!”

“Ok ok!” Cody hung up, “Alright guys! We ready?”

“YEAH!” Just about everyone except Wedge replied happily, and Cody began the path towards the Groundbridge," Alright lets go!” They began to make their way out, except Wedge of course, he opted to stay behind in HQ and saw the others off as they went through the Groudbridge and into the festival,

Before leaving Wes went up to Wedge, “So you're really staying behind, huh?”,

Wedge, a bit startled, responded back, “Oh yeah, you guys should go have fun, I wanna have a little me time.”

“No problem in that, we’ll bring back something for you, take it easy!” Wes ran off to catch up with the others,

Now it was just silence, just Wedge and…A certain red and yellow mechling goes into the lounge to ask Wedge something.. Scorch.

“Ugh. Why is he still here?” Wedge groaned in his head, begging for one cycle for the flamboyant bot to leave.

“Hey Wedge! You seen Hot Shot?” Scorched asked,

“Why do you wanna know?” Wedge biting back,

“I just wanna know where he is, I wanted him to visit me by the poolside but he never showed up, I’m kinda worried.”

“Tsk, doubt.”

“Whaddaya mean doubt?”

“Since when did you ever care about others other than your career?”

“Wedge, I’m literally here for the off-season.”

“Yeah, and only for off-season, once your season’s back on you're going piss right off! You might as well just head back to Cybertron, stay there, and train for your next tournament.”

“Sheesh. Afthole.”

“You better fuck off right now, before I beat the piss outta you.”

“Oh yeah, make me.”

“Gladly.” Wedge then rushes Scorch to land a piledriver of a punch, Scorch, surprised that the orange mechling moved with such speed, would fail to dodge, but a certain other bot stops him before the hit connects.

“STOP!” 

Hot Shot.

“H-hot Shot?!” Wedge immediately pulls his would-have-been punch back and backs up a bit, “I thought you left with the others for Halloween?”,

“No. I wanted to get some work done ahead of time.” Hot Shot informed, “And I’m rather surprised you two are at each other's neck cables.”

“C’mon Hot Shot, Wedge’s just a natural grump. I wouldn't be surprised if the only reason he’s in your team is because of his strength and vehicle mode.” Scorch scoffed, earning him a scowl from Wedge,
“No, Scorch. Need I remind you that Wedge’s a valuable team member, and I’d assume you’d know that by now. In fact, it rather hurts that you’d even think that.” Hot Shot firmly continued, “Scorch, I need you to keep in mind that I’m not asking you to be here nor am I holding you down, if you’re not gonna respect my team and not only that, but be an asshole to them? Then by all means. Leave. Don’t come back. Never return. You. Don't. Have. To. Be. Here. No one asked you to come here. The Groundbridge is not far from here, you can go right to it, head home, and return to your Cube career as soon as possible, nobody’s asking you to stay. No one will stop you, not even me. Wedge, I’ll have to talk with you later, I need to get some reports ready.” And with that, a mildly pissed-off Hot Shot walked away to his personal office to resume documental work.

“Wait! Hot Shot, It wasn't even me, he started it, you know I’m not like that!” Scorch attempted to correct the situation but to no avail, Hot Shot wasn't having it.

“Heh, good job Mr. All-about-me.” Wedge merely remarked and going off to his own activities, Scorch was furious, but with no one to vent at, he left for the pool to cool off.

A bit later, Wedge went to knock on Hot Shot’s office door, but that gesture was futile as the door automatically opened from the middle, Hot Shot inside gesturing him in, Wedge did as he was silently told and took a seat on the futuristic small couch to the right side of the room, Hot Shot moved to the same couch and sat down next to Wedge as he began to speak.

“Wedge.”

“I know, I know…”

“Oh?”

“I…I shouldn't have tried to attack him.”

“So you knew full well then.”

“Yeah, but he’s such a whiny little shit.” Such an insult garnered a small chuckle from Hot Shot, Wedge continued, “You’d think he would have changed in the five years we've been here and he’s been away? Nope. Still an arrogant little shit. Even on the few rescue missions we had so far, at times when he chimed in, he would just whine and complain about ‘AaAh ThIs iS sOo hArd’ or ‘Oh mY gOd, yOU gUys dO thIs fOr a lIvIng’ or even ‘I'm gOnnA pAss OuT’, It’s so fucking annoying! Bastard doesn’t even know how to hold a hose right and he has the fucking audacity to complain that it's exhausting. The only time he was useful was when he saved Whirl from a boulder when she was towering him back to base, to which keep in mind, he got himself fucked up in the first place by crashing into a sand dune because he wouldn't stop speeding in that deserted highway. ”

“I know Wedge, he’s definitely NOT a rescue bot or even trained in the matter, but that doesn't permit you to harm him.”

“I know, but that little fragger deserves a good punch now and then, especially to shut him up.”

“Wedge, c’mon. Just ignore him”

“Believe me Hot Shot, I. WISH. But it's hard to ignore when that bot whines like a weak-ass little glitch. You can even ask Hoist, even he gets pissed at the fucker.”

Hot Shot merely sighed before giving a solution, “Ok, how about I tell him to stop following us on missions. Sounds good?”

“Not only that, tell him to go away, forever.”

“Wedge.”

“Ugh, fine. But add in that he should stop trying to shimmy his way into our business, last thing we need is a distraction and a nuisance.”

“I’ll word it in a way that matches that.”

“And if he’s not gonna do his best to help, then he should take his aft back to his Cube career.”

“Ok, I’ll try.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem and please, don’t attack him again, ok?”

“I’ll try.”

And with that Hot Shots reaches to Wedge's chin and pulls him into a gentle kiss, Wedge fluttering his optics closed and fully giving in to such a soft gesture, so much so that it was no surprise to Hot Shot that he felt a certain firm but soft glossa going over his, in which he welcomed right in, and just like that, a make-out was initiated between both mechlings, Wedge began shifting both of them towards the floor for a more intimate time, but was swiftly stopped by Hot Shot, with the red and yellow mechling pulling away and chuckling at him,

“Ah ah ah, Wedge. I have work to do.” Hot Shot proceed back to his desk for documenting,

“Aww, can’t you do that later?”

“Nope, you know I don't procrastinate anymore.”

“Damn.”

“But the sooner I get them done, the more time I’ll have with you later, ok?”

“Yesss.”

Meanwhile, The bots that went to the festival were surprised with all the pizazz, the town plaza of Griffin Rock was alive with spectacular Halloween themes, with it transformed into a dazzling sea of orange, black, and gold. Lanterns carved into every imaginable jack-o’-lantern expression—grinning, sneering, even winking—glowed atop railings, benches, and shopfronts, their flickering lights giving the cobblestone square a warm, eerie radiance.

A towering scarecrow, dressed in patchwork clothes and topped with a crooked witch’s hat, stood at the heart of the plaza as the centerpiece of the festivities. Around it, stalls lined the edges of the square, each overflowing with caramel apples and pumpkin pies, and the scent of it all drifted through the chilly autumn air.

Children darted between the crowd in costumes ranging from ghoulish skeletons to glittering fairies, their laughter ringing as they dashed from booth to booth collecting candy from cheerful vendors. A small stage had been erected near the clock tower, where a local band—dressed as vampires and mummies—played spirited, spooky tunes that kept the atmosphere lively.

Overhead, strands of string lights shaped like bats and ghosts crisscrossed the plaza, shimmering softly against the night sky. Families strolled together, pausing to admire the elaborate decorations, while groups of teenagers whispered ghost stories by the fountain, one such group were the Rescue Teens; Digz, Rotorz, Hot Dog, Hooks, Doc, were out a about in their own costumes exploring the Halloween-themed plaza together.

Everywhere, there was a balance of merriment and mischief. Griffin Rock’s Halloween festival was more than a celebration; it felt like the town’s very soul had dressed itself in enchantment for one unforgettable night.

“Holy Shit! This is way bigger than last Halloween!” Hoist couldn't help but let out,

“Yeah, let's just say everyone pitched in this time, AND, they’re going to do the same for Christmas too!” Cody answered,

“Primus, I can’t wait!” Whirl full of energy to explore,

“Well obviously we can, it’ll probably arrive faster than we’ll know due our perception of time on earth." Medix added,

“GUYS!” A familiar voice rang out, Frankie!, “You made it, come on, come on! Just wait and see what we got in store! Follow me!”

Those words alone were more than enough to get everyone in the group to follow her as she gave them a grand tour of the festivities and stalls. From apple bobbing, to trick-or-treating, haunted houses, costume parties, pumpkin carving into Jack-o'-lanterns, and corn mazes and other common activities such as hayrides, pumpkin patches, mini-parades and, live music, food, and local markets, the night was a blast for the bots attending.

However, they couldn't properly join certain activities, cases in point; Medix harshly judged a haunted house Gordan Ramsey-style for having poor decoration and “effortless spooks”, Whirl, with her rotor hub, unintentionally sliced up jack-o-lanterns and the corn maze's hedges when she took turns too quickly, hell, she even almost decapitated some human's head, and Hoist obliterated a hayride, not only forcing an ol’ reliable tractor to fully retire, in flames, but also caused the hay trailer behind it to collapse under his massive weight while trying to ride along with the other humans, fortunately, only one human got hurt, and even Brushfire who mistook a holographic fire for a real one and used a fire hydrant’s spray to “put it out”, multiple people were drenched. Heck, Laserbeak almost ruined a festivity of apple bobbing when he dived down to snatch one up, but a couple of dressed teens got in the way at the last minute, going too fast and with too much momentum to stop on the spot, the metallic bird fully crashed into them, some of them had to be taken to the hospital, not by Medix though, he was too busy critiquing the festival’s decor. 

After the incidents, the attending bots decide to just watch all the activities from afar to prevent any further injury/inconvenience due to them. Instead, they met up with Salvage, and talked with him about his scrapyard. He even told them about his adventures of his arrival to earth with Blurr.

.

.

.

As the night festival in Griffin Rock was winding down. The jack-o’-lanterns still flickered warmly, but many stalls had closed, and the music had softened to a gentle hum from the stage. As the time neared midnight, families gathered their little ones, costumes slightly frayed after an evening of fun, while the plaza slowly began to empty beneath the glow of spooky string lights.

Cody and Frankie stood near a fountain, a half-finished cup of cider in one of each’s hand, watching as the final waves of trick-or-treaters headed home, The Burns family had already left, Chief Burns instructing Cody not to stay out too long before taking Frankie home in his own police cruiser. 

Cody, now out of his costume and in his usual jeans and brown jacket, greatly enjoyed this Halloween in Griffin Rock—the colors, the laughter, the fact that the town went all out to wrap itself in such magic for just one night. Yet as his eyes drifted beyond the plaza toward the darkened hills, something unusual caught his attention. Two towering figures moved in the distance. They were enormous, seeming like the height of the mentors of the Rescue Academy, and their silhouettes shimmered faintly in the moonlight, but the thing is, they weren’t or even looked like any of the mentors at the Academy. A strange purple glow pulsed along their metallic frames, catching and reflecting off the moonlight. They moved quickly, almost too quickly for their size, striding toward the forest as if they did not want to be seen.

Cody froze, his cider forgotten, his heart slightly quickening. For a moment he wondered if it was simply his imagination, a trick of the night after too many ghost stories. But the vibrations were unmistakable—heavy footfalls that reverberated faintly across the ground, just enough to be felt, but quiet enough to not alert citizens, one would think it’s just heavy bass emitting from a radio-blasting car.

The festival lights behind him flickered as if sensing the disturbance. Cody glanced back at the cheerful remnants of the plaza, then forward again into the distance where the purple figures vanished into the trees. Whatever they were, they didn’t belong to the festival—or even the town. And Cody, now more curious than ever, knew this Halloween night in Griffin Rock was a bit from over.

Thinking on what to do, Cody couldn’t shake what he had seen. The purple glow, the thunderous footfalls—no festival trick could explain that. Setting his empty cider cup aside, he stepped away from the plaza, pulling his jacket tighter against the cool night air.

“Hey, Cody!” a voice called.

He turned to see Wes jogging up, he too removed his costume and was trailing behind him, “Where are you going? Pretty sure the Academy’s this way.”

Cody hesitated, then pointed toward the dark ridge where the figures had vanished. “I saw something out there. Big and purple kinda like the bots. And it wasn’t part of the decorations.”

Wes tilted his head, curiosity flashing in his eyes. “Oh, well it was probably just one of the robot mentors from the Academy. Nothing to worry about.”

“No, it wasn’t, they were slim, purple, spiky-looking, never seen a cybertronian like that,” Cody muttered before continuing to go see what he saw.

Without another word, Wes fell in step beside him. “Well, if you’re going into the creepy forest after a Halloween festival, you’re not going alone. Everyone knows that’s how the first guy disappears in a horror movie.”

The two crossed beyond the glow of Griffin Rock’s plaza lights, the music and laughter fading behind them. Soon they were walking through the edge of the forest. The air here was colder, unnaturally still.

And then they saw it.

The ground had been torn apart—massive impressions in the earth, like footprints from something heavy yet lithe. Trees were splintered and pushed aside, branches dangling like broken bones. Patches of soil glowed faintly, as though scorched by some strange energy. The air smelled of ozone and charred wood.

Wes knelt, running his hand over one of the deep ruts. “No way this was one of the mentors of the Academy. Not even machines we know. This is… different.”

Cody’s gaze stayed on the trail leading deeper into the forest, where shadows swallowed the last hints of purple light. For a long moment, he considered pressing on. But the quiet felt wrong—watchful, almost alive.

Finally, he exhaled and shook his head. “We need to head back. Tell the other mentor bots of what we saw. Whatever this is—it’s not safe out here.”

Wes stood quickly, relieved. “Yeah, let’s go before those… things decide to come back, what about the younger bots should we tell them.”

“Not yet. First, we tell Heatwave and his team, then, if they allow us to, we can then tell Hot Shot’s team. Come on!”

Together, they hurried back toward the festival, their footsteps crunching over shattered branches. The distant glow of the plaza felt warmer, safer, but the boys knew the night had changed. What they had witnessed wasn’t a trick of Halloween.

Back near the festival grounds, the bots that attended were heading back to HQ, Medix had already left following Laserbeak, Whirl, and Brushfire, all who remained was a few janitors and Hoist assisting them, thanks to the big teal-blue bot, the cleanup was quick and the cleaners couldn't be anymore grateful to him.

“Glad I could help and I’m beat, see ya.” Hoist transformed into Tow truck mode to begin leaving, only to be stopped by a frantic Cody and Wes, running up to him,

“Hoist! Wait!” Cody yelled out, “We need a ride and fast!”

“Huh?” The teal-blue tow truck wondered why they were so alarmed, “Um, ok? Hop in.”, opening his doors, he allowed Cody and Wes to be seated with his interior, closed his doors, and drove off towards the Academy.

Upon arrival, and from exiting Hoist’s interior, both humans rushed towards the front doors, hoping to catch Heatwave or Chase, doing late-night work, leaving the confused mechling to wonder why they rushed off.

“Weird, they’re never in a rush like that before, why were they in a hurry. I’ll go tell Hot Shot…Wait but what if he’s in recharge…eh I’ll just knock.” Hoist mentally monologued, and began his route to his own team’s HQ and dormitory. While everyone else was in recharge, a certain pair was having the free time that one of them promised the other.

“Oh god…Wedge.”

Glowing half-lidded blue optics closed as the former cube player was being plowed from above, as the orange mechling rammed into the tight loving heat below him, he worked his spike into the red and yellow mechling like a dazed zombie, only focusing on him and him only.

“You’re..hah..amazing, Hot Shot.”

“Of course I am. C’mere.” Hot Shot rewarded such a compliment by grabbing Wedge’s helm with both servos and pulling him into a make-out. Glossas slithered over and under the others, such a kiss caused his eagerness to grow and that all but made his thrusts become erratic. Their kiss became sloppy, which only increased the desire for release for both, and such wishes would be granted as electrical ripples cascaded over their frames, overload hitting hard for both of them. Wedge’s hips snapped into the red and yellow mechling as his own valve squirted out, and Hot Shot moaned loudly as his spike spurted out ropes while his valve squeezed and quivered on the spike within him as a gush of transfluid filled him.

A few more bucks and both were spent. Their vents mingled as they tried to cool their overheated frames, afterglow washing over both. Unfortunately, such a magical moment was ruined thanks to a ring at Hot Shot’s doorbell.

Ding-Dung!

“Wh-who is it?” Hot Shot called out, his doorcam acting as a vocal transmitter as well, and Wedge was cursing who ever dared to intrude on such a private moment,

“Hey, uh, Hot Shot, it's me, Hoist. Are you recharging?”

“N-” Wedge immediately covered Hot Shot’s mouth, rapidly shaking his helm, desperate for him to understand,

“Uh, We’ll talk about it in the morning, Hoist, go get some recharge, ok?”

“Ok! G’night!” and Hoist was off.

Thus, Hot Shot looked back at Wedge, “Happy?”

“Oh yeah.” Wedge cheekily replied, pulling Hot Shot into another kiss, all while his spike became erect once more and rubbed on Hot Shot’s inner thigh, the quad-changer took quick notice,

“Oh. You going for a Round 3?”

“Please, babe.”

“Since when did you start calling me babe?”

“C'mon, you’re fucking hot.”

The red and yellow mechling chuckled, “Eager, aren't you?”,

“And it’s all for you.” Wedge nibbled down on the other mechling's neck as he wasted no time slipping right back into the delectable heat he just overloaded with, and a smooth, oh so lovely moan from Hot Shot was his motivating reward as he began his eager pace into their third round.

Chapter Text

It was a few days after the sighting that Cody saw, he already had a conversation with Heatwave on the matter, moving forward, all the mentors including Perceptor and Ratchet decided to plant surveillance cams within the forest’s elements, as a means to find exactly what their dealing with, but days past and…nothing showed on the motion sensors. 

Nothing. Maybe a butterfly or squirrel now and then, but no large purple bot as Cody described before.

The next couple cycles passed with minimal incidents and next thing you know, November had finally arrived! The chill of November had settled over Griffin Rock, and of course Milford too, the last of the autumn leaves rattling across the calm, yet bustling streets like whispers of the season just past. The Halloween festival already felt like a fading memory—at least to most of the town. But not to Cody. Within the entrance of Hero Hall, Heatwave and Blades were having one final conversation with the human male before heading back to their duties,

“Last time Cody, are you sure of what you saw?” Heatwave questioned,

“Maybe it was just a special large decor off in the distance that night during the festival?” Blades added,

“No seriously! You guys have to believe me, I knew what I saw, and it was large, purple, metallic and all! And, it just…wasn’t natural, not like you guys.” Cody did his best to convince the large bots before him but was only met with confused silence before Chase walked into the conversation,

“Cody, I understand your urgency to prove what you saw, but leave it to us, we will investigate the matter further, Heatwave, Perceptor wants to speak with you and Optimus is here for a council meeting. Best not keep him waiting.” Such a statement from Chase was more than enough for Heatwave and Blades to follow him to the private council room, leaving the young adult human behind.

He couldn’t forget the towering purple figures, the forest torn apart, the way the air itself had seemed alive with some alien energy. The images replayed in his mind every night, and finally, he knew he couldn’t hold it in any longer. There was only one person—well, one being—he trusted enough to share it with.

Cody found Hot Shot near the racetrack area’s edge towards the big blue, the young cybertronian staring out into the sea before him, gettin’ some solitude before heading back inside to continue his work, centering and arranging his mind. His audio receptor antennas alerting him of an approaching subject, the bright red and yellow mechling looked down behind him as Cody approached, his optics flickering warmly.

“Oh! Hey Cody,” Hot Shot greeted, grinning in a calm yet confident way.

Cody hesitated, glancing around to make sure none of Hot Shot’s teammates were within earshot. “Hey, uh, I need to tell you something. But it has to stay between us.”

Hot Shot tilted his head, his expression sobering. “Okay? I’m listening.” Hot Shot then lowered down on his knee joint and neared his helm to Cody.

Cody recounted everything—how he and Wes had seen the figures running in the distance, the destruction in the forest, the strange glowing scars in the earth. As he spoke, Hot Shot’s smile faded, his optics narrowing with focus.

When Cody finished, silence lingered between them. Finally, Hot Shot leaned back slightly, optics glowing dimmer as if he were deep in thought. “Two purple figures… metallic, fast, and leaving damage like that? That’s not normal.” He stopped for a moment before continuing,  “Well, I really don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I may have a clue as to what they are, but I’m not going to finalize on it yet.”

Cody’s heart skipped, “I already told the mentors, like Heatwave and Chase, but they don’t believe me or at least they don’t have enough evidence to prove I’m right. At least, not yet. If I tell everyone in your team, they’ll just think I was seeing things. Or worse, they’ll panic. Please, Hot Shot—just keep it between us for now.”

Hot Shot studied him for a long moment, torn between his duty and their friendship. Then he nodded, lowering his voice once more. “Alright. I’ll keep it a secret. But listen—if this becomes critical, if my team needs to know to protect Griffin Rock, I will tell them. I can’t risk everyone’s safety, not even for a promise.”

Cody met his gaze, understanding. “That’s fair. If it comes to that, I’ll stand with you when you tell them. But until then… it’s just you and me.”

Hot Shot gave a small, reassuring smile. “Your secret’s safe—for now. I'll keep my optics sharp. If those purple bots show up again, let me know.”

As the November wind swept through Griffin Rock, Cody felt both a weight lifted and a new one added. The secret was shared—but the unknown danger was far from gone.

November settled uneasily over Griffin Rock. The townsfolk went about their daily lives—fixing storm shutters, raking the last stubborn leaves, preparing for the winter ahead—but for Hot Shot, almost every day carried an extra weight.

Since Cody’s confession, he had taken it upon himself to keep watch. His patrols through the streets of Griffin Rock were no longer just about safety patrols or helping the townsfolk. Now, every glowing reflection in a window, every hum in the air, every unexplained power fluctuation was cataloged in his processor.

Quietly, he extended his scans at night, stretching his sensors to the edge of the forest where Cody had seen the destruction. At first, nothing. But then, small flickers—energy readings, faint and irregular, as though something was trying to hide its signature. He shared these discoveries with no one. Not Wedge, not Hoist, not Medix, not Whirl, not Brushfire. Only Cody.

And Cody listened. Sometimes after breakfast or lunch rush, in the quiet corners of the Academy, Cody would lean in close as Hot Shot whispered, “Something’s still out there. It’s faint, but I can feel it. Like static on the air.” Cody would nod, determined, though unease lingered in his eyes.

Hot Shot told himself he could handle it. But carrying a secret around his team wasn’t easy. At all.

One chilly afternoon, during a patrol rotation, the Rescue Bot team; Team Alpha, gathered for their energon break. The team lounged in the Academy’s side storages, datapads, processed energon cubes, and tools scattered about while they rested. Curious for some temporary fun, Wedge and Whirl noticed Hot Shot was quieter than usual, staring a bit too long at his energon cube. With one glance to each other and a half nod, they approached him. 

“Someone’s been quiet all week,” Wedge said, playfully nudging him with his helm and landing a kiss on his audio receptor, giving the red and yellow mechling shivers, 

Meanwhile, Whirl slumped onto Hot Shot’s back, “You ok?.”

Hot Shot stiffened. “Yeah, I'm fine. Just… thinking.”

Wedge leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Thinking about what? Come on, you can tell me, babe.”

“Wait, since when did you start calling him ‘babe’?” Whirl chuckled,

Wedge was quick to defend himself, “Well, the humans say it to the ones they love, Like Kade and Hayley, I don't see why I can’t.”

Hot Shot hesitated, pink processed energon cube halfway to his mouth. He wanted to trust them both, afterall he loved them dearly, why would he leave them out on such an important detail. He wanted to unload everything, to share what Cody had told him, to admit that the strange readings he’d been picking up weren’t his imagination, to fully lower his guard, maybe just maybe…He can…confide within them. Just once…Right?

His vocalizer clicked as he started: “Well, it’s—”

The alarm blared.

“Fire emergency at the south docks!”

The moment shattered. Hot Shot dropped the cube and sprang to his pedes, transforming in one smooth motion. “We’ll talk later!” he called as the team rushed out, sirens cutting through the autumnal chill.

But even as he sped toward the docks with the others, one thought burned hotter than the flames they were about to face: How much longer could he keep Cody’s secret?

Upon arrival, The south docks were ablaze when the team arrived, smoke curling into the crisp sky. Wooden planks hissed and snapped as flames devoured crates stacked along the pier. Fishermen and dockhands had already ran to safety and Team Alpha assisted those who weren't as fast—leaving the docks empty except for the raging fire.

Hot Shot barked orders, directing Brushfire and Medix to secure the perimeter. Whirl took to the skies, scouting from above, while Hoist and Wedge moved heavy debris out of the way with their construction strength.

Hot Shot transformed, his firetruck mode roaring to life. A pressurized torrent of water surged from his hose, hammering the flames. Steam billowed into the air as fire after fire surrendered under his efforts. He should have felt relief, heck, maybe even pride—but his processor buzzed with the faint energy readings he’d been chasing.

He tried to stay focused, but the weight of what he knew pressed harder than the fire itself. “What if Wedge is right?”, his thoughts flooded his mind, “What if keeping this secret puts the team at risk?”

“Hot Shot! Over here!” Wedge’s voice snapped him back.

The last section of the dock still burned, flames licking stubbornly at the aged planks. Hot Shot swung his hose toward it, blasting water with more psi force than necessary. The old wood cracked under the pressure, buckling.

“Wait, too much—!” Brushfire yelled, but it was too late.

With a splintering groan, the charred planks gave way. The dock collapsed beneath Hot Shot’s wheels, and he plunged into the cold harbor water.

“Hot Shot!” the team shouted in unison.

Bubbles surged, and for a tense moment, nothing surfaced. Then, with a splash, Hot Shot broke through, shifted back into robot mode as he waded toward the shallows. Water streamed down his armor, but his optics glowed steady.

“I’m okay!” he called, raising a hand. His tone was fine, but behind the grin, guilt twisted in his circuits. Careless. Distracted. After all this time of him being as uniform and orderly as he could, how could he slip up like that, the cringe of his former pre-academy demeanor mentally haunted him for a moment as punishment.

Wedge rushed to the edge of the dock, relief written on his faceplate. “Primus fucking Chirst! Hot Shot, You scared the goddamn gears out of me! What were you thinking?”

Hot Shot forced a formal look, an attempt to appear undeterred, “My apologies, it was an oversight on my part, I’ll make sure it won’t happen again.” Simple and short as the red and yellow mechling walked towards a group of fishermen to ask if they were ok.

The others shook their heads with varying degrees of exasperation and relief. With the fire extinguished and the people safe, the emergency was declared over. But as the team packed up and transformed out to head back to HQ, Hot Shot trailed behind, water still dripping from his frame—and secrets still burning hotter than any flame inside him.

The next night, long after the fire at the south docks, the team gathered in their quarters. The incident had been officially documented and logged as “resolved without casualties,” but the tension still lingered. To lighten the mood, Hot Shot had a team bonding night over a game of Minecraft quite some time ago.

Each bot settled at their cybertronian-sized PCs, their optics glowing as they loaded into the blocky world. In-game voice chat crackled to life.

“All right, we're in!” Whirl said, spawning beside a stone cliff. Despite being scattered in the blocky world, they all teleported to each other to save time. 

The mood lifted quickly as they gathered resources and began building, their chatter filled with jokes and lighthearted bickering, such as Hoist swearing when he got hit by a zombie, Medix being frightened when he discovered an Enderman, and he unfortunately looked it in the eyes. For a while, it felt like the stress of the docks incident had melted away.

But Hot Shot’s mind wasn’t on the game. Even as he mined and crafted, his thoughts wandered—back to Cody’s secret, to the strange energy readings, to the possibility of a known danger he knew lurking nearby. His focus slipped, and it showed.

First came the creeper.

Hot Shot rounded a corner in a cave with Hoist in tow, torchlight flickering and for a moment, he stopped, his thought process being interrupted, failing to notice the green tall monster approaching him. A creeper hissed directly in front of him.

“Hot Shot, look out!” Hoist shouted through the comms.

Too late. The explosion rocked his screen, scattering his items and exp. across the cavern.

Hot Shot was blown up by Creeper

The others laughed it off at first, but Wedge’s chuckle carried a hint of unease. “You never miss those, Hot Shot. What’s up with you tonight?”

“Just bad timing,” Hot Shot muttered, respawning.

Later, as they scaled a tall mountain to build a lookout tower, an idea proposed my Medix, Hot Shot lagged behind. Again, distracted by his own mind, he kept digging upward without noticing the edge. His character stepped too far and plummeted off the cliff. Ough!

Hot Shot fell from a high place

“Seriously?” Whirl blurted out, her voice sharp with disbelief. “You walked off the ledge? You always tell us to crouch near the edges!”

Hot Shot respawned again, “Sorry, a small oversight, that's all.”

Surprisingly, the others didn’t catch on—Hoist was too busy showing Medix his redstone contraption, and Brushfire laughed about finding more sheep for wool. But Wedge and Whirl exchanged a glance, even through their blocky avatars.

The game carried on, but Hot Shot grew quieter, his mistakes piling up in ways too unlike him. After an hour, without warning, his username blinked out of the server.

Hot Shot logged off, the chat displayed. The red and yellow mechling had left to go to recharge hoping a good long recharge will quell his troubled mental state.

Wedge frowned. “That’s…pretty early. I know he goes to recharge early, but not this early.”

“Yeah,” Whirl said, her tone subdued. “And without saying anything.”

The two sat in uneasy silence as the others joked and carried on, unaware.

Somewhere in his quarters, Hot Shot lay back on his berth, optics dimming as he replayed the secrets, the mistakes, the burden he couldn’t share. Sleep claimed him earlier than usual—but unease lingered long after.

The next morning, the Academy felt unusually calm. With no patrols scheduled and no emergencies on the alert board, the team had the rare luxury of a day off. Hoist tinkered in the workshop, Medix studied medical datapads, and Brushfire lounged near the poolside with a datapad game.

But Wedge and Whirl slipped away.

They found a quiet spot just beyond the Academy, near the ridge overlooking Griffin Rock’s harbor. The chilly wind tugged at the trees, carrying the scent of saltwater and woodsmoke from town.

Whirl perched herself on a tall boulder, leaning back with her arms crossed, optics narrowed. “He's being a bit different?”

Wedge folded his servos, standing at the edge of the overlook. “Yeah. Hot Shot’s been… off. Ever since the docks fire. Even before, maybe. Last night just proved it.”

“Walking off a cliff in Minecraft? That’s not him,” Whirl said firmly. “And the creeper thing—I mean, come on. He’s the one who usually saves us from that kind of mistake.”

Wedge nodded slowly. “I think he's distracted. Like his head’s somewhere else all the time. I’ve asked him, but he just brushes me off.”

“Same here,” Whirl admitted. She tilted her head, her tone softening. “Something’s wrong with him. Like… Stress?”

Wedge hesitated. “I don’t know. But I think he’s hiding something. And he’s not very good at it. You saw how quiet he got last night.”

Whirl drummed her digits against the boulder, frustration flashing across her optics. “So what do we do? Confront him? Go to the others?”

“No,” Wedge said quickly, shaking his head. “Not yet. If he wanted the others to know, he’d tell them. If we push too hard, he’ll just shut down more. We'll have to be smart.”

Whirl let out a long sigh, looking out at the horizon. “So… we watch him.”

Wedge gave her a firm nod. “Yep.”

They stood in silence for a while, the gulls calling over the harbor below. Neither said it aloud, but both knew: Hot Shot’s behavior wasn’t just a passing mood, and whether Hot Shot wanted it or not, Wedge and Whirl were determined to get to the bottom of it.

The next day at night, the Academy was quiet, its halls filled with the low hum of recharge cycles. Hot Shot slipped out of the dormitory silently, and onto outside, optics dimmed to keep from drawing attention. His processor was running too hot with unanswered questions for recharge.

He had to know more.

But as he moved through the forest paths into the outskirts of Griffin Rock in ATV mode, his sensors picked up something—no, two somethings. Subtle, careful pedesteps. Two distinct rhythms. They weren’t random animals or town noises. They were Cybertronian.

“Shit.”, he mentally realized.

Hot Shot didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to. His sharp sensors confirmed what he already suspected: Wedge and Whirl, shadowing him from a distance. They thought they were being stealthy, moving between tree lines and keeping their comms silent.

Wedge’s heavier pedes crunched faintly with every step, while Whirl was high above in copter mode, staying high up as to not alert the red and yellow quad-changer of her rather loud presence due to her rotor blades.

Hot Shot kept his pace steady, pretending not to notice, even as his processor worked out a plan. “Can’t let them see what I’m trying to find.”

At a fork in the path, Hot Shot suddenly veered into a narrow ravine between boulders, his frame slipping through a gap that only just fit his vehicle mode. Wedge followed, cursing under his vents as the terrain grew tighter. Whirl hovered above, trying to keep visual, but it only grew harder to do so.

The trail twisted sharply left, then right, then left again, and then…ended.

Wedge jogged to a halt, staring at a wall of stone. “What the—? He was just here!”

His scanners picked up nothing. Hot Shot’s trail had vanished. “That’s impossible.” He turned in circles, baffled, unaware that Hot Shot had doubled back and already slipped silently into the darkness.

Whirl swooped lower, scanning the shadows. “I had visuals on him five kliks ago. No way he just vanished.”

But the readings were gone. No heat signature, no engine trail. Hot Shot had slipped away completely. Like a magic trick of sorts. Just. Gone.

Wedge slammed a fist against the stone wall in frustration, crumbling it with ease. “I knew it! He’s hiding something. And he doesn’t want us to know what it is.”

Whirl lowered down and transformed out into robot mode, Whirl’s optics narrowed, suspicion hardening in her voice. “Yeah. And the longer he keeps it up, the bigger the secret must be.”

Meanwhile, already two ridges over, Hot Shot crouched low, cloaked by night, terrain and silence. He exhaled, his cooling fans giving him a moment of clarity as he just pulled off such a stunt. “Sorry, guys. But this isn’t something I can share. Not yet at least.”

Thus, with the forest clear behind him, he pressed on alone.

Deeper in the forest, Hot Shot finally caught it: the pulse of raw energon. Following the signal, he pushed past the trees and stumbled into a moderately small hidden clearing.

His optics widened in horror. 

The ground was scarred from heavy machinery, the soil gouged and burned. At the center, stacked in haphazard rows, were spiked metal containers glowing faint blue—raw energon, harvested and compressed. Some still hissed faintly, unstable.

And scattered among them were crates stamped with unmistakable Cybertronian serial numbers. Illegally smuggled tech, their seals broken, their contents stripped.

Hot Shot’s optics zoomed in on one detail that made his energon run cold: the jagged, dark purple insignia stamped across several containers.

Decepticon.

His vents slowed as he crouched, snapping holo-photos of everything—the containers, the insignias, the serial codes. Proof. His processor buzzed with urgency—he couldn’t risk leaving this data unsecured.

This wasn’t just a suspicion anymore. It was reality.

It wasn’t just smuggling. This was an operation.

Spark racing, Hot Shot backed away from the site and transformed into Jet mode, speeding back toward Griffin Rock, so fast that Wedge and Whirl, whom of which were heading back to HQ, didn't even see him. Everything blurred past him, but his thoughts churned even faster.

He reached the Academy just before dawn, slipping back inside without waking the others. In his quarters, he locked the door. Sitting at his PC, he uploaded the intel, tagging each with location coordinates and timestamp logs, his hands moving fast. Every photo, every scan, every fragment of evidence went into one encrypted file. Then he reached into his storage compartment and pulled out a small item—scuffed, worn, but treasured.

A USB drive. 

Cody had given it to him seasons ago, a joke at the time—“for all your top-secret stuff,” Cody had said with a grin. Hot Shot had kept it, a small memento of their friendship. Now, it had become exactly what Cody had imagined.

One by one, he organized the files into a folder, labeling it under a simple, ominous name: “Decepticon Activity – Griffin Rock.”. He then transferred the evidence onto the drive, encrypting it with a key. When the last file finished, he erased everything from his PC. No backups, no trace. If someone checked his system, they’d find nothing.

Hot Shot leaned back, vents exhaling slowly. No leaks. No mistakes. Putting his servos to his faceplate, and rubbing his face in an attempt to comfort himself, trying to calm his frame, his venting, his mind. 

“Primus…whyyy. ”

 Cody’s the only one who can decide where this goes now.

Because now, he had proof. Proof that Cody’s warning had been real. Proof that the danger was no longer a shadow in the distance. Proof that…

Filthy Decepticons were here.