Work Text
It had been some time since Red Blitz had thrown the Metal Breath into his transporter and left his friends stuck on the Speranza deep below the ocean's surface. Blue Cop could still remember it all clearly, the fear he felt in his lines when his team - his friends - had disappeared to an, at the time, unknown location. It had stabbed him through the spark - the despair, the realization that he had failed Jun, the realization that he had failed them . He had broken his promise. The guilt he felt for not saving them ran deep. It settled in his spark, ate at his lines, clouded his processor. He promised them that he wouldn't let something like this happen, that he would be strong enough. He was their leader, they had put their trust in him and he had failed them. They likely had no idea what truly happened and Blue Cop hoped that they weren't aware of just how much time had passed since that day. It had been months. He truly missed them. They had cared, they were there for him, and they helped him when he needed something beyond what he himself could handle. He had grown fond of them all, they were a team, a unit, they worked as one. He missed the times when they would hang out together, either solo or in larger groups. He missed the cuddle piles on lazy days and sleep piles during those rare nights when Jun would all allow them out of the Metal Breath. He missed sparring with Wild Guardy and Buffalo Crush. He missed listening to Fleta Z's flute. He missed the conversations that would fill the air whenever Dexter or Phoenix Fire would speak. He missed Mega Ambler's poking and prodding, making sure they were all taking care of themselves. He even missed the arguments that would occur between Black Hook and Heavy Iron. He even missed Shadow X’s pranks. He missed everyone, he missed what they had, he missed their physical presence. He missed being able to feel them. While he did miss how his team were very open about physical affection - the brush of servos on plating, gentle grabs, the feeling of being physically connected - he had been horrified to find he didn't feel them at all. The Metal Breath allowed them to all be connected far beyond the physical aspect. Their bonds ran deep, he could feel them even when they were apart. But, with Jun's Metal Breath gone and the boy using Peruru's, Blue Cop had come to find out that he couldn't even feel any of his old teammates anymore. His spark felt cold and empty without them. He felt like he had been torn apart when he had come to the realization that they were truly lost. Jun had come to that realization as well. Blue Cop had to comfort the boy and ensure that they would do everything to get them back, by any means possible. Yet, Blue Cop didn't know where to go from here. They had sealed Red Blitz and yet they were no closer to retrieving their lost friends. His spark constantly ached. He couldn't recharge. He would lie awake at night, scrambling his processor to try and find anything that could get them back. And yet, he found no answers, no matter how often or long he thought about it all. It was getting to the point that he was running on fumes, frame forcing him into emergency recharges so he wouldn't run himself into the ground. He missed them. He longed for them.And yet despite everything going on, despite the hurt, despite his self destructive behavior - his charge was building, much to his dismay.He tried to ignore it and he had been, it was easy enough when he was doing so much to try and find his old team and seal the new round of Metal Cardbots who had appeared. However, it was getting to the point that distracting himself was not working. No matter what, he could feel it. It was haunting his processor, his frame constantly buzzing, the deep seated need pulled on his frame. He had tried early on to try and get rid of it. He had gone off on his own, finally getting some much needed alone time to return to his normal spot for times like this. However, when he had arrived and sat down he found he couldn't do it. He tried but his processor was screaming at him. All he felt was guilt. He had failed his team, this was his punishment, he deserved this - he had told himself. He had given up on trying to expel the charge after that moment. He knew any other attempt would result in the same. He had a new team now, yet he didn't feel close with any of them. He considered the thought of finding someone within his new team that could help him but in the end he found that he had no desire for that. He knew deep down it wouldn’t be the same and it further pushed him to not even bother. Preestablished bonds with the Speranza crew were apparent and it only made Blue Cop feel worse. He wasn't truly part of this team and he doubted he ever would be. To him they were temporary replacements until he could get his true team back. While he felt guilty about this thought, the guilt of failing his old team weighed heavier on him. Red Blitz, Musclehyde and Cielo were close, and whenever Blue Cop watched them it was like being stabbed through the spark. Red Blitz reminded him of Shadow X; his attitude was similar enough. They were both impulsive and ran into things headfirst without much thought. However, Blue Cop very quickly noticed that Shadow X had more maturity than the red speedster. Shadow X could formulate a plan, he could stick to it, he would actually listen, unlike Red Blitz. And even though Shadow X could be frustrating and annoy Blue Cop and the entire team, he was still fond of the copter. He missed him. Cielo didn't necessarily remind him of anyone in particular. She could be quiet and silently observe, something that Wild Guardy often did but beyond that he didn't see any of his old teammates in her. She was her own bot, unique. Blue Cop appreciated her help on the battlefield and for not hurting Jun after first being sealed. But beyond that he didn't know much about her, neither himself nor her had made an effort to get to know each other. There was the rest of the new team as well. However, beyond the surface level he didn't know much about them. He hadn't tried to grow close to any of them as well. The only outlier had been Deep Bite when he had attempted to find out if the mech could help get the old Metal Breath back. He was disappointed when the mech did not have the answers for him. The shark had no idea how to get to the Speranza or how long it would even take him if he were to know where it was. While the crew of the ship knew it's general location even they weren't entirely sure. He had given up on asking, Deep Bite apologizing that he could not be of assistance. Blue Cop had brushed him off, too disappointed to try and hide his frustration.Rock Crush was a kind soul, Blue Cop saw her as the youngest and the most innocent of the group. She had been through a lot when she came to Earth, a stark difference from her friend Glober. Part of her story reminded him of Dexter. While their drives were different, the same sound sensitivity brought back memories of when Dexter had been sealed. They were both soft spoken to an extent and would seek out a quiet space of their own, however Rock Crush did it more often. Outside of that, the similarities ended there. He did care for Rock Crush, but not beyond being a good leader and example for her. Then there was Musclehyde. He was a unique character to Blue Cop. To say he had been taken off guard during their first fight would be an understatement. He appeared like a gentle giant at first glance, but beneath that he could easily hold his own considering the controlled strength he could exhibit. Grappling with him had been an interesting experience, he had only managed to break away from the mech unscathed due to Crest and Jun's observations. If it had not been for the kids he likely would have been seriously injured. He tries not to dwell on the what-ifs from that fight, it would only make him spiral. And yet, despite how strong Musclehyde was, he was still the same gentle giant when he lowered his horns. It was somewhat confusing to the police car, it was hard to get a true reading on him.After he had been sealed, Blue Cop paid a little extra attention in the form of watching the mech, trying to understand what was going on in that processor. He was kind and gentle and didn't appear like he wanted to truly fight unless needed. He spent most of his time with Cielo and went out of his way to get to know each new teammate they sealed. It was apparent Musclehyde was doing what Blue Cop should have been doing from the start. He couldn't help but feel somewhat bitter over that fact. It didn't help that he could see some of his old team in the mech. His kindness and gentleness reminded him of Fleta Z, Dexter and Phoenix Fire. And yet, when he fought it reminded him of Wild Guardy, Buffalo Crush and Mega Trucker. It hurt to think about that. He knew it was unfair to be comparing Musclyhyde to his old team but he couldn't stop himself. He missed them all so much and the constant reminder kept the wounds fresh. He tried to remain neutral but even then he found himself being unfair to Musclehyde. He found himself avoiding him often and even brushing him off whenever he tried to talk to him. He had turned down every interview the mech asked for, and every time the larger Cardbot would wear a wounded expression. Yet, he didn't insist, he didn't try and push Blue Cop to do it. He just accepted the answer he was given and would leave him alone, even if Blue Cop snapped at him. Blue Cop was exhausted. He was truly running himself into the ground and it wasn't just affecting him. He was taking his emotions out of the rest of the team. He was being unfair, he was not being a proper leader. He was failing his new team as well. Jun appeared to be concerned for him but he reassured the boy he was fine every time despite the fact he knew he was not. He just made sure to hide it better if it became too noticeable.
"Blue Cop, are you sure you're okay? You seem upset," Jun had asked. He looked concerned, rubbing a hand along his lower arm as he stood before the seated Cardbot.
Blue Cop leant back against the exterior wall of the shop, a place he would constantly go to if he just wanted to be alone but not leave Edo's shop. He looked down at the boy and had managed to keep his voice steady despite the turmoil of emotions swirling within, "I am okay, Jun. You don't have to be concerned about me."
Jun stared at him unconvinced and walked up to place a hand on his knee strut. The boy's expression had turned to one of grief as he managed to choke out, "I miss them too. You don't have to pretend like you don't as well." The boy had taken a steadying breath before continuing, "We'll get them back though, I know we will! Then we can be a team again."
Blue Cop had looked down at the hopeful boy and kept himself from stating that he had no idea how they were going to do that. He vocalized a sigh and nodded, "We'll get them back."
The boy had appeared to be content with that answer and smiled wide, "We will. You should try and bond with our new friends though. . . I think it would help."
Blue Cop didn't want to disappoint so he nodded and agreed, "I will."
"I'm counting on you, Blue Cop!" Jun stated, turning to return to the main part of the shop to hang out with the team that was steadily growing in numbers. Blue Cop had watched him go with sad optics. The last time someone had counted on him he had failed. He had not been certain he could uphold his promise to Jun. He had leant his helm back to look up at the sky, unsure of what he was supposed to do and where he was supposed to go from there.
He had not attempted to bond with the new team and still avoided it. However, anytime Jun asked him to do anything in regards to it he would do it, even if he wasn't the most thrilled to be doing so. He kept his emotions shoved down, taking on the neutrality he needed to be able to interact normally with his new team. He would not disappoint the boy, not when his emotions were so fragile after what Red Blitz had done. When Jun wasn't around he found it harder to keep his emotions in check. He was constantly thinking, constantly exhausted, that charge nipped at his frame and left him twitchy. He was frustrated and he found himself snapping more and more at his teammates. At first they had just been confused by his attitude towards them, especially because when Jun was around he acted differently. But as time went on and he started to snap more, the more his team got irritated.He still made sure he was stepping up to the plate as a leader, making sure he was keeping them going in the right direction despite their displeasure. They had a goal and it was becoming more clear, it would just take time. Yet, time is what Blue Cop finds he doesn't have, he could only take so much more before his frame started to experience complications due to the excessive charge. He can already feel how sluggish he was getting, how everything was aching and not just in a way that was his frame telling him to expel the charge. Each drive, every fight, all it did was make it worse. He just wanted to slip into recharge and have it fixed when he came online but that was impossible. He had begun to reach his breaking point.He walked into Edo's shop, limbs feeling heavy and processor somewhat foggy. He was sure he was only a few days off from a shaky frame. The twitchiness was already noticeable and resulted in weird looks from some of his teammates being directed his way. His doorwings on his newly reformatted frame would shift constantly, mimicking wing speak to a degree. 'Fleta Z would be amused if he could see that. . .' He finds himself thinking as he walks into the hangar. He shakes off the thought, forcing himself to keep his processor on task, as much as he can with his current state. He steps into the main part of the hangar to find Deep Bite and Red Blitz arguing loudly, a rather common sight considering the short but volatile history between the two. Edo is standing on the catwalk by his office, head in his hands and looking as frustrated as Blue Cop felt. The mechanic lifts his head as he walks in, eyes lighting up as if Blue Cop were his savior. Blue Cop lifts his helm to look at Edo as he calls out, "Finally, you're here!" Blue Cop looks to the arguing pair before going back to Edo as the man essentially begs, "Please make them stop before they destroy something! I can't afford for you guys to keep breaking everything! I’m not made of money!" The human throws up his arms in a dramatic expression of his dismay as Deep Bite and Red Blitz physically bump helms. He practically sneers down at the police car, "Fix this."Blue Cop narrows his gaze as Edo turns around and walks to his office door, muttering under his breath something along the lines of, "And I thought the last group was bad enough!"The phrase stings and Blue Cop casts his optics downward as the office door slams shut. He looks towards Deep Bite and Red Blitz who had gotten even closer to each other, on the verge of getting into a physical brawl. Rock Crush is sitting in a darker corner of the shop with an uncomfortable expression, her servos nervously clasped together in front of her.. Meanwhile Cielo and Musclehyde are standing to the side, plating practically touching as they softly speak to each other. Blue Cop's doorwings shiver as he feels anger bubble to the surface in his lines. He focuses back on the arguing party. He walks over, expression dark and shadowed over with anger. The two mechs are so absorbed in argument with each other that they don't even acknowledge Blue Cop's presence as he steps near them. He shouts, "Hey!"Red Blitz spares him a glance before looking back at Deep Bite who was purposely ignoring the police car. The shark laughed a teasing taunt, "What, want me to bite you again? I'm sure you could beat me in a fight this time! That is if you could even manage to actually hit me." Red Blitz moves too quickly for Blue Cop to intervene. The red speedster moves to throw a punch at the larger mech's faceplates but misses due to his opponent simply leaning back. The red sports car shouts, "Why you-! I'll show you!"Blue Cop feels his servos ball into fists as he attempts once more, "Red Blitz, enough!"The pair continues to throw jabs and taunts at each other, Deep Bite trying to goad Red Blitz into a true fight so he can prove he is stronger than the hot headed Cardbot. Blue Cop quickly realizes that they held no respect for him, not like his other team. At least they would acknowledge him. Even Heavy Iron and Black Hook had gotten better when it came to their arguments. The realization makes the anger worse and he moves quickly, his training from being a Star Guardian on Machina kicking in. In a flash he is suddenly between Red Blitz and Deep Bite and pushing them apart. One servo is sprawled across Deep Bite's chassis and pushing him away while his other is gripping tightly onto Red Blitz, halting any further movements. The pair stop yelling at each other, quickly turning their attention to Blue Cop. Red Blitz hisses, "Hey! What gives?!"Deep Bite grounds out, "Really?! He insulted me, he deserves what is coming!"Blue Cop turns his attention to Red Blitz first, dropping his servo from Deep's Bite's chassis so he can actually push Red Blitz back and away. Blue Cop glares down at him, staring into the defiant green optics of the second youngest member of the team. He snaps, "Enough! I don't care what your issue is with him but it stops here!"Red Blitz snaps back, pushing into Blue Cop's hold to try and push back, however Blue Cop's grip is firm meaning that the speedster isn’t able to move forward, "You don't get to decide that!"Blue Cop hisses, tone of voice taking on a sharp edge, "I do. You're going to go on patrol and cool off. I don't care what you do or where you go but get lost. I don't want you back here until you get whatever this is, is figured out." He releases his grip to push Red Blitz back with more force than necessary and snaps, "Go. I don't care who you take but I want you out of here. Now."Red Blitz brushes his servo across his plating where Blue Cop had held him as if he was disgusted by the touch. His optics narrow in his direction and he hisses, "Some team leader you are." The sports car transforms and spins around, accelerating out of the shop faster than necessary. Blue Cop sees Cielo narrow her gaze in his direction before softly saying to Musclehyde, "I'm going after him."He turns away as she begins to walk out of the hangar to go after her crewmate. She was likely planning on listening to his rants and try to get him to cool down. Blue Cop found he didn't particularly care what they did at the moment, the only thing he could think of was how much Red Blitz's comment stung. It made the anger worse but it also hurt, stabbing through his spark like a knife and reopening the deep seated wounds of his failures. He turns to Deep Bite and matches the glare that was being directed his way, "You too. Go find something to do that isn't here. I don't care what he said to you, you should know better than to respond and antagonize him in return." Deep Bite stares down at him before shaking his head, turning and walking away. Blue Cop can see how tense his frame was and how stiff his movements were. He was glad Deep Bite had kept any comments he had about him to himself. He wasn't sure how he would have acted if he had something as well. He hears Rock Crush get up carefully from her spot in the corner. She whispers, "I'll go sit with him. . ."Blue Cop is silent as she follows after the other Cardbot, he doesn't even turn to make sure she is gone before his frame slumps, vocalizing a sigh in defeat. Blue Cop wished that Jun was not at school currently, he would do anything to have the boy just seal the two temporarily instead of him having to step in. His spark ached, the comments hurt and he felt like he wasn't doing enough for them all.The sound of movement jolts him out of his thoughts and his posture snaps stiff as he looks over to Musclehyde who is silently standing there. Blue Cop had forgotten he was there considering how quiet he had been. As he looks up at the other's optics he is met with an expression of concern and a touch of pity. Blue Cop's doorwings flatten against his back plating as he looks away feeling the anger begin to rise once more. "Are you okay?" Musclehyde asks gently, his voice steady and laced with genuine concern. Blue Cop avoids looking at him, keeping his posture stiff, "I am."A silence grows between them before Musclehyde raises a servo to rest on the back of his neck plating, "I'm sorry for what Red Blitz said. If it makes things any better I think you're doing the best you can after everything that has happened."While the comment did help to smooth over the hurt in his chassis it still wasn't enough to heal the damage done. Blue Cop finds himself refusing to accept the compliment, unsure if it was actually genuine or not. It was hard to know if anything his teammates said to him was genuine, he didn't know any of them well enough. Musclehyde vocalizes a sigh, taking a step towards him but stops, servos dropping so the larger mech can fiddle with them. He states softly, as if he was trying to be careful about how he spoke to Blue Cop, "I'm wo- We're worried about you, Blue Cop. We want to help you in whatever way we can." Blue Cop snaps his gaze to Musclehyde, the comment reminding him of what his old team had told him time and time again, "No, that is not necessary." Musclehyde avoids meeting his optics as he comments, "You're just. . . You're so tense all the time."Blue cop's gaze narrows at Musclehyde. It was too similar for his liking, it almost felt like some sick form of Deja Vu. The hurt was back and he didn't want to be near the large mech anymore, not when he was reminding him too much of his lost teammates. He drops his gaze and hisses out, "I'm fine, Musclyhyde."Musclehyde watches him closely and Blue Cop can feel it. He is about to leave but what Musclehyde says next makes him pause, "If you ever need something just know I will be more than happy to help." Blue Cop looks back up at him quickly, optics widening in surprise. Musclehyde finally meets his gaze once more, expression warm and welcoming. They stare at one another for a moment before Musclehyde looks away with an awkward cough, "I should go check on Red Blitz." He gives a short wave before turning away and walking out of the hanger, transforming as soon as he is in the open. Blue Cop watches him disappear from sight before he lets his plating droop in defeat. What he had said hit too close to home, it reminded him of them too much. He looks around the empty hanger, suddenly feeling more alone than he ever had before now. Even before he had found Jun he had been content with the loneliness. But after gaining his team and growing close with them, this newfound loneliness was almost unbearable. He turns on his pedes and walks out of the shop, stepping out into the sunlight and letting it warm his plating. He looks around, finding nobody in his direct line of sight. Blue Cop doesn’t bother to try and find anyone, choosing to walk off into the farther portions of the yard, intending to sit in a corner of the lot and cool off. He was hoping to let the built up charge dissipate as much as it can before he even attempts to interact with anyone else. His pedes lead him to an ideal spot and he transforms, backing into a shaded spot between some stacked cars and a pile of discarded car parts. He sinks down onto his wheels, feeling hopeless about the entire situation at hand. ---It had been a few days since the incident and things had somewhat calmed down in the yard. However, Blue Cop's processor was spinning faster than ever. He didn't even concern himself with the glares shot his way by some of his teammates, he was too focused on the thoughts plaguing his processor. And they all revolved around a certain Cardbot much to his dismay. Blue Cop knew that nobody really knew the kind of relationship he had with his old team, what they would do to help each other so Musclehyde likely did not realize the weight of what he had said. Blue Cop knew he didn't because unlike his old team, Musclehyde did not have that look in his optics or that leer in his vocalizer. No, Musclehyde was just being genuinely nice and offering a very normal kind of help. He didn't know the dilemma Blue Cop was going through and if Blue op could help it, he never would. However, those thoughts only continue to spiral deeper into dangerous territory the more Blue Cop notices Musclehyde is trying to stick closer to him. The police car was very quickly noticing how the large mech would take a small step in his direction if the group was together. It was small and hardly noticeable to most. However, he assumed Cielo was catching on because she kept sending strange looks his way. Blue Cop wishes he could just shrug and tell her he didn't know what the other was up to. Along with Musclehyde trying to get closer - essentially hovering - he was also watching him more. Blue Cop couldn't count the number of times he's looked over to see Musclehyde’s optics following his every movement. And everytime he was caught the mech would look away quickly in embarrassment, pointedly looking everywhere but Blue Cop. Blue Cop's doorwings flutter at the thought that he was paying so much attention to him all of a sudden. He was sure his charge clouded processor was reading too much into it though. Despite those instances, Musclehyde had attempted to talk to Blue Cop once more. They had been alone in the hanger during a quiet day and Blue Cop had tried to ignore that the other was even there with him. However, Musclehyde clears his vocalizer from where he sits and gently asks, "Blue Cop?"Blue Cop wants to hit his helm into the wall repeatedly but forces himself to look over in the other Cardbot’s direction, "Hmm?"Musclehyde has that same warm and welcoming look as he had before, something that Blue Cop found himself wanting to get lost in the more he saw it. He looks away as Musclehyde states warmly, "Do you want to talk?"Blue Cop shook his helm, "I don't know what you could want me to talk about.""I could interview you?" Musclehyde asks in a hopeful tone. Blue Cop narrows his gaze and looks down at the polished floor beneath his pedes and vocalizes a sigh, "Maybe next time, Musclehyde.""Oh. . . That's okay. I'm just curious about you, that's all. But yes, another time," Musclehyde states quickly. Blue Cop looks over, trying to hide that he was. He watches as Musclehyde shifts around nervously, expression displaying embarrassment. A silence grows between them and Blue Cop nearly sighs in relief. He knows that Musclehyde is watching him, which he pointedly ignores for the moment. While it did make him want to squirm he knew he was better than that. It was not ideal to show that he was so affected by what the other Cardbot did. He had a feeling it would only make things worse. The silence is broken a few moments later by Musclehyde once more, "But. . . If you do need to talk about anything I would listen.""Thank you, but I don't need to talk about anything," Blue Cop states carefully, looking out to the yard and feeling the need to suddenly go on patrol and get out of this rather awkward situation. He shakes his helm and jumps on the welcome thought of a distraction and escape, 'I'm going on patrol."He begins to walk away, leaving Musclehyde sitting in the shop alone. As he walks out he hears the other call out to him, "The offer will always be there! I can help you with whatever you need."Blue Cop tries not to flinch at the wording used. Instead of replying he simply transforms and pulls away, trying to ignore what Musclehyde had said. He did not mean it in the context that Blue Cop needed. He was sure that Muscylehyde was probably beating himself up over the conversation but he just couldn't stay and reassure him that it wasn’t necessarily his fault. Not when his charge was simmering in his lines as it was. As expected, his patrol was not productive that day. When he returned back to Edo’s shop he found most of the team was hanging out together. Blue Cop decided that it would do him some good and that it would look good if he were to stay and find out what was going on. As he joins the group, Musclehyde gives him a small wave. Blue Cop does not return it and Musclehyde looks away in embarrassment. Blue Cop watches as Red Blitz makes a face in Musclehyde's direction before looking to Cielo in disbelief. The flier just shrugs in his direction, shaking her head. The interaction leaves him confused so Blue Cop looks away and focuses on what Deep Bite was currently talking about. He quickly caught on that it was an embellished story of one of his deep sea Earth adventures. He tried his best to pay attention but found his processor wandering too much to retain the details. He found himself glancing over at Musclehyde a few times, much to his dismay. The Cardbot was excitedly listening to Deep Bite asking questions at appropriate times. He was engaged, unlike Blue Cop. Blue Cop steps away, finding that nobody really notices when he does so, other than Musclehyde whose attention immediately snaps away from Deep Bite and towards him. He tried his best to not acknowledge it, walking into the shop with every intention of settling down for the night for his evening watch. He disappears from sight of the team and his posture slumps. He was growing exhausted of whatever was going on with himself and Musclehyde, he couldn’t really make sense of what exactly it even was. He transforms and backs into his normal spot, sinking down onto his wheels and allowing himself to get lost in his thoughts.—Over the following days he continued to ponder everything going on and what Musclehyde could possibly want with, if that was even what was going on. He can't find the answer no matter how much he tries to read into it all. He couldn't tell if there were any hidden implications in Musclehyde's words. He was sure he was just being nice but the Cardbot's recent actions left his processor reeling. Could he actually mean what he said when he referred to helping him with whatever he needed?And yet, despite the thought that there was someone within the team that could possibly help him with his issue, he still felt that guilt. All it took was one thought about actually asking Musclehyde to help for his frame to feel heavy with guilt. With that ever present reminder he begins to avoid the mech. Anytime he would try and step closer he would shift positions, moving to another spot to avoid him getting too close. If he noticed those optics on him he would purposefully move out of line of sight by any means possible, sometimes running into someone else because he was too busy focusing on if Musclehyde could see him. He tried to ignore how hurt Musclehyde looked when he did so. His expression reminded him of a kicked puppy and Blue Cop tried to burn those images from his processor. He didn’t want to think about how it reminded him of Phoenix Fire. Due to the fact he was so focused on avoiding Musclehyde the team hadn't been subjected to nearly as much attitude from him. Tensions weren't as thick as before and instead of glaring at him because they were annoyed with him, they glared at him in confusion. It didn't take long for the team to notice his extra jumpy behavior, Red Blitz even calling it out one day when Blue Cop had nearly collided with him. The speedster had jumped back in surprise to avoid running into the frame of Blue Cop. Blue Cop realizes he is there as soon as his gaze falls away from looking towards Musclehyde. The red sports car hisses, "Hey, watch where you're going!"Blue Cop, being too focused on his own thoughts to snap back, just mutters out, "Sorry."As Blue Cop moves to get away from the younger member Red Blitz holds an arm out and gives him a confused glare, "Why are you extra jumpy?"Blue Cop looks down at the arm and then to Red Blitz, trying to think of any excuse. He can’t and he just states, "It is none of your concern."The Cardbot had stared at him for a moment longer before muttering out, "You're weird." He drops his arm and throws a servo up in frustration, "Whatever. I don't care." 'And yet you still asked. So much for not caring,' Blue Cop thinks to himself. Blue Cop quickly disappears into the shop to make sure Musclehyde couldn't continue staring at him. It was odd being observed in such a way by another mech that wasn’t his previous team. While his team had done it countless times before he knew why they had. With Musclehyde he was genuinely confused as to what the mech could want. This game continued to the point that Jun, Peruru and Edo even noticed. During a Saturday, Jun and Peruru had noticed his new strange behavior. Peruru had been the first to ask him about it. "Why are you always pacing around, Blue Cop?" The red haired girl had asked. It had taken him by surprise, making him jump and his doorwings flare out as his helm whips to look at the two children. Jun stares in confusion, "What was that?""What?" Blue Cop asked, forcing his doorwings to lay flat once more. He tries to brush off his surprise but it doesn't work as intended. Peruru leans on the railing of the catwalk and hums, "You're super jumpy recently. Is something bothering you?""I- No, nothing is bothering me," he responded quickly, almost too quickly. Jun and Peruru look at each other and Blue Cop feels dread filling his lines. Without talking the two children had communicated because Jun looked at him and asked, "Are you sure? You can talk to us if you need. I know you're still thinking about our friends."Blue Cop looks between the two and vocalizes a sigh, "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to think of ways to get them back. I don't want to concern you or the others."Peruru frowns and tilts her head, "Does pacing help you think?""Yes. . . ?" Blue Cop responds hesitantly. He hadn't even realized that he had developed the habit of pacing but the question Peruru asked could logically be true. However, the thoughts he was thinking were not ideal for the current point in time. He wished he could just wipe his processor of these thoughts, of this sudden need for it to be Musclehyde that helps him get rid of this charge. The main thing keeping him from even questioning the other Cardbot on his recent behavior towards him was his guilt.Even if Musclehyde were to be okay with helping him in that manner Blue Cop wouldn't be able to allow it to happen, he would feel as if he was replacing his team. He didn't want to do that. And while the logical part of his processor was telling him that Mega Ambler would have had a fit by now because of his new self destructive tendencies, he found he could not move forward. He was sure his previous team would be screaming at him to just go through with it, that he was only destroying himself further by doing this. Jun hums softly, "We'll get them back soon don't worry. When we seal Gigantrex we'll be closer to getting them back!""We just have to be patient," Peruru adds.Blue Cop looks up to him with a nod, "I know. We'll find them."Jun and Peruru seem content with his response and share one last look before moving to stop leaning on the railing. Jun calls to the police car, "If you need to talk you can always talk to us."Peruru quickly adds, "Or you could try talking to Musclehyde. He's really good at listening. You should really try it!"Blue Cop stiffens, quickly looking away to hide his horrified expression as his processor wanders to thoughts that were far from appropriate for the current conversation. "You should really try it Blue Cop, it would be a good way to bond with him," Jun states excitedly. Blue Cop nods without looking at the boy. Jun laughs sweetly, "I'll see you later, Peruru and I are going to go make a game plan for what comes next!"Blue Cop hums in acknowledgement and lets the two walk off to disappear to the normal hangout room the kids would occupy on any given day. Blue Cop stands there in the shop alone, optics dancing around the space as he tries to stop his thoughts from going down the path they currently were. The mention of bonding brought back pleasant memories from when he had gone through the Team Bonding exercise with everyone from his old team. He missed them dearly. He shoves the thoughts down and the hurt that was bubbling in his chassis as he is reminded of their absence. He inhales air through his vents before releasing it in an attempt to ground himself. He wanted to continue pacing but he knew it would be unproductive. 'I should patrol. At least I can do something productive if I must be stuck in my processor,' he thinks to himself. It was possible that a nice slow patrol would allow him to clear his processor and focus on pushing down his rising charge which had become increasingly more annoying. His frame was begging him for the release he ever so craved. He knew that holding onto this charge for months was not ideal nor healthy, he was constantly reminded of the negatives of his actions. He finds himself falling into that negative spiral of thoughts once more. He looks out to the yard and begins to walk towards it, intent on actually starting his patrol and being productive with his time. There was still so much to do and he knew there had to be more Cardbots out there that could help piece everything together. Other Cardbots who could help get them back.However, his steps falter as he hears hushed whispers coming from outside. Blue Cop stops completely, looking around to see who it was. He finds no one in sight so as silently as he can he shuffles up to the edge of the shop wall. The whispered voices become more clear and he can make out that it's Cielo and Red Blitz talking. He leans up to the metal plating of the wall to hear what they're actually saying. "You've seen what he's doing, right?!" Red Blitz hisses softly, tone laced with frustration. "I know," Cielo replies. "It's gross! Why did it have to be him?" Red Blitz huffs. Cielo vocalizes a sigh, "Look, I'm not thrilled that he's fawning over him either but we can't just tell him to stop."Blue Cop can hear a pede being scraped against the ground and he assumes Red Blitz was kicking at the dirt in a dramatic manner. The speedster mutters, "I wish he would just stop doing it in front of us.""You know that won't work. He’s smitten," Cielo deadpans. Red Blitz makes a noise of disgust, "Gross."Blue Cop's lines grow warm as he attempts to make sense of what was being discussed. He had an inkling that he knew what it was about but he needed to know for certain. "You know Musclehyde just as well as I do. There is not stopping him until he comes to terms that Blue Cop just isn't interested in him. I'm not going to get involved," Cielo whispers softly. And there it was, the confirmation Blue Cop needed. The truth behind what Musclehyde's actions and words meant. Blue Cop steps away from the wall slowly, spark spinning wildly in his chassis as he feels various emotions crash through him. While he couldn't help but feel somewhat happy that he had someone in the team that he could possibly connect with on a deeper level it was quickly overshadowed by the possible negatives. His processor was spinning, there was too much at stake. What would his old team think? Would he be betraying them by moving on if he did decide to accept Musclehyde’s advances? He couldn't answer those questions himself. 'I need to clear my processor. I need to be logical. I need to think like a Star Guardian ,' he thinks to himself in desperation, latching onto the one thought he knew could ground him. He shakes his helm and transforms there in the shop. Despite his turmoil he maintained a normal speed appropriate for the shop and yard. He pulls out and sees Red Blitz and Cielo look his way. The red speedster tilts his hem and calls out to him, "Hey! Where are you going?!"Blue Cop doesn't respond vocally, he instead flicks his mirror in Red Blitz's direction. A means of communicating that he was brushing him and his question off. Red Blitz, being the hot head he is, does not like that and tries to come at him. Cielo is quick to move, wrapping her arms around the smaller bot and keeps him from tearing off after Blue Cop. As Blue Cop drives off he can hear Red Blitz yelling, "Cielo! Let go of me! You saw what he did!"Blue Cop drives off down the street, engine growling as he goes. He leaves the shop and his new team behind and takes to the highways, wanting to just drive. He didn’t care where he ended up, he just needed to be away from the cause of his stress. And beneath everything else, every emotion, every thought, was his charge. That ever so insistent charge which made him think this way, think those inappropriate thoughts. It was not appropriate for a Star Guardian like him. He had grown complacent, too comfortable with his old team that he had abandoned the strict regulations that came with his title. He had made a mistake. The logical part of his processor reasons, 'No, it was not a mistake. Machina is gone, being a Star Guardian means nothing here. It's simply a title, a ghost of the past. I have a team, a perfect, kind, caring, thoughtful team who want the best for me. This was not a mistake. I will get them back.' He lets autopilot take over as he falls into his processor, going back and forth on every little thought that crosses his processor. His engine howls as he tears down the highways that had grown familiar with after spending so much time with various members of his team. He passes car after car, lights flashing as he races away from the one thing that was causing him so much grief. 'It's just Musclyhyde. Kind, caring, gentle Musclehyde. Who reminds me of so many of them. . .' He laments. The drive was not helping his charge levels, it was making it worse. Trying to run from his thoughts was not going to work and he knew it, it was just going to make it worse. A drive like this was not the answer. He takes an offramp, drastically slowing his speed so he can pull off onto a shoulder and just sits there to try and gather his bearings. He knew this was out of character for him. He knows this wasn't how he should act. This wasn't the real Blue Cop. He was just hurt and filled with grief because he had lost his beloved team. He was not adjusting well to them being gone and being replaced by a new team. He was not adjusting well in regards to the unknowns of the future. He needed to get his bearings. He needed to be better. He needs to be better for Jun. He needed to be better for his new team. He needed to be better for them .---Following his impromptu drive and crisis Blue Cop made an effort to try and be better, not only for his new team but also for himself. He wasn't sure if he was actually accomplishing what he had set out to do but his current team did not seem as upset with him as usual. He simply kept to himself, only stepping in when necessary and he was keeping himself and his attitude in check. He would be the leader he should have been this entire time. While yes he was still dealing with all the emotions built up in his processor and the charge that clawed through his lines, he kept a better check on how he handled those issues. He swallowed his hurt and tried to be the Blue Cop from before. The only thing that had not changed was how he interacted with Musclehyde and the larger Cardbot’s subtle advances. He still purposefully avoided the mech at every given chance he could but this time he paid more attention. Musclehyde still kept close to the rest of the team, specifically Cielo who appeared to be frustrated with her crewmate. It was amusing to watch her glare up at Musclehyde when he wasn't looking, only to have her expression drop back into neutrality whenever he would look at her. However, with Blue Cop's change in behavior towards the rest of the team, Musclehyde's stares grew more intense and occured more often. It was apparent he was confused by Blue Cop’s sudden shift. Anytime Blue Cop would accidentally lock optics with him, the larger Cardbot's expression would look hopeful. However, Blue Cop would look away, resulting in the same kicked puppy look Blue Cop had seen so many times before. He tried not to worry about it too much, he couldn't let Musclehyde distract him. Anytime he thought about the mech his thoughts would wander and his charge would swamp his systems to the point of near collapse. It was becoming an ever growing issue. He wasn't pining though. He didn't want anything with Musclehyde, right?Despite Blue Cop's apparent distancing, Musclehyde was gently persistent on making sure he was okay and that he could talk to him if needed. At first Blue Cop had easily avoided him by playing up excuses. Jumping back into the role of a leader and focusing on being the Star Guardian he once was allowed for some clarity. He could easily come up with believable excuses again. "Blue Cop, there you ar-" Musclehyde had started only to be quickly interrupted. "Sorry Musclehyde, I need to go patrol a new section of the city," Blue Cop had stated. He had transformed and made his way to this 'new' section that was actually rather well known and patrolled often by the police car. He watched in his rearview mirror as Musclehyde anxiously stared at him as he left. Even when he couldn't make out Musclehyde he knew the larger mech was still watching him, even after they both disappeared from view. The game began. Musclehyde would try nearly everyday to speak with Blue Cop and every time Blue Cop managed to find some way to avoid a conversation. He was becoming elusive to the point of frustrating Musclehyde. Blue Cop noticed it after the third day of avoiding him. "Apologies, Jun asked me to pick him up from school today," Blue Cop stated politely, purposely avoiding Muscehyde's optics. When Muesclyhyde spoke his tone was strained and Blue Cop could hear his frustration, "Wait, Blue Cop can we ta-""Maybe later," he quickly stated, transforming and leaving Musclehyde standing alone in the yard of Edo's shop. He watches as the larger mech spins on his heels and essentially stomps back into the shop. Blue Cop made his way to Jun's school despite feeling bad about how Musclehyde had reacted to his gentle rejection. 'No distractions,' he had reassured himself. While it hurt to see Musclehyde get so frustrated because of him he knew that if he were to actually allow the mech to be close it could go disastrously. He couldn't risk destroying the already fragile dynamic of his current team. He couldn't let Musclehyde close, he would not allow himself to do it. His grief would not allow it. He welcomed his new found distractions; it gave him time to think, to try and make a plan, to make things hopefully work out. Jun and Peruru were trying to figure this out along with him. They had a moment to breathe after essentially chasing their own tails. They were in a short down period. It likely would not last for much longer and they would have to hit the ground running once more. Blue Cop just had to hold out for however much longer this would last. Then he wouldn't need to make these distractions for himself and further hurt and disappoint Musclehyde. After picking up Jun from school and grabbing Peruru up along the way, Blue Cop returns to the shop. He lets the children get out before he transforms. Musclehyde is waiting for him of course, his optics expressing his desire to actually speak to Blue Cop. "You're back. Can w-?" Musclehyde begins to ask before being interrupted. Blue Cop walks past him into Edo's shop without a glance and says, "I promised I would help Edo with something today. Maybe next time."Blue Cop doesn't look back to see how Musclehyde reacts but just from the weight put into the other Cardbot's pedesteps he could tell he was pissed. Nor did he pay attention to how the children reacted to the odd interaction. They didn’t call out to him and try and question him and he didn’t hear them walk off after Musclehyde. It was likely they were frozen in place, confused, for the moment. Blue Cop disappears into the shop and out of sight of them before they could try and question him. Blue Cop pauses, inhaling air through his vents to ground himself. The logical part of him wanted to go and apologize to Musclehyde and actually hear what he has to say. Yet, that hurt part of him refused to let himself do that. It would be worth it in the end, he kept telling himself over and over again. He was managing to keep a better hold on his charge since he had begun distracting himself. There was a chance that the activities he was partaking in were ever so slowly eating away at that excess energy now that he no longer had to worry about his systems creating more too quickly. Edo walks up to his unmoving form and knocks his fist into his leg plating, "Hey, are you going to help me or what?"Blue Cop looks down, paying off his surprise by nodding quickly, "Of course. What do I need to do?"Blue Cop can see the evil glint in Edo's eyes and feels concern wiggle its way into his lines. He had a feeling this was going to be a lot more work than he bargained for. Edo, rubs his chin with a hand and smirks, "We can start off with moving some of these larger parts. Then we can. . ." Blue Cop accepts his bad decision. He would likely be too exhausted to even worry about being kept up by his processor after what Edo had planned for him. He settles into each task the mechanic has him do. It starts off simple. Moving some parts around that Edo would have trouble doing on his own. However, the tasks only become more difficult from there. Reorganizing, restacking, moving all the odds and ends of what lay in Edo's shop and yard was not what Blue Cop expected to be doing for late afternoon and evening hours. And while doing it all he would catch glimpses of Musclehyde flitting around the yard, hanging out with various team mates. He first saw him speaking with Cielo first. The flier looked distraught by whatever Musclehyde was telling her. It was likely she did not want to be speaking about the topic at hand. Blue Cop goes back to rolling a car off the metal organizer it had been put on. In the late afternoon, when the shadows were growing longer he saw Deep Bite patting Musclehyde on the back. That had Blue Cop pausing and looking at the pair in confusion. However, before they can notice that his attention had been drawn to them, he returns to dragging an empty shipping container to a back corner of the yard. The pattern continues. Everytime Blue Cop catches a glimpse of Musclehyde he is speaking to someone new. He catches him with Red Blitz and can hear the red speedster shout out from across the yard, "Gross!" Following Red Blitz, the last bot he sees him with is Rock Crush. He is sitting beside her, both leaning against the outside paneling of Edo's shop as they softly speak to each other. Blue Cop tries not to focus on them but he does notice when Musclehyde raises a servo to gently pat Rock Crush's helm. He forces himself to stop looking after that. He notices Peruru hanging around the yard a while later. The sun had set an hour ago, leaving the yard covered in darkness as Blue Cop finished up his last task. He pushes the engine block into place on the metal shelf and steps away. He looks to Edo who is waking over with a clipboard in hand. The human looks up and gives him a thumbs up, "Thanks for your help. Everything I need to get done is complete."Blue Cop nods, letting his plating droop in exhaustion as he realizes he is finally free from the task. He states, tone laced with exhaustion, "Of course, happy to help."Edo looks up at him before looking back at the clipboard, "You should go get some sleep. You sound like you need it.""I intended to do just that, goodnight Edo," Blue Cop states politely. Edo waves him off as he turns around to head back up to his office, likely to begin the process of closing up the shop for the night watch. Blue Cop turns away, letting him go about the task. He walks out of the shop, looking around for Jun and Peruru so he could get them home for the night. As he looks around he spots Musclehyde slowly walking up, laughing at something Peruru had said. The girl is jogging by his feet to keep up with him, looking up with bright, excited eyes. Blue Cop freezes as he watches the two approach the shop entrance. Peruru looks at him and waves, "Oh, Blue Cop! Is it time to go back already?"Musclehyde also looks at him. Blue Cop catches his optics for a second before looking away quickly. He was unable to read whatever expression the Cardbot had on his faceplates. He instead focuses back on the young girl and nods, "Yes. Have you seen Jun?"She laughs, "We were going to ask you the same thing! Musclehyde wants to speak with him.""Speak with Jun. . . ?" Blue Cop asks curiously. He actually looks at Musclehyde who is intently staring at him. His doorwings twitch and he can feel his systems make his built up charge known. He looks away quickly once more, cursing inwardly that it was that simple for him to be affected by Musclehyde. Curse his curiosity. "Who wants to talk to me?" Jun asks as he walks up, backpack hanging from one of his shoulders.Peruru looks over to him and her eyes light up, "We've been looking for you! Where have you been?""Doing homework?" Jun responds, confused. "Oh, I forgot that's what you were doing. . . Oops, my bad. Sorry Musclehyde," She looks up shyly to the taller mech.Musclehyde shake his helm, "It's okay, it happens. Jun I wa-""Are you two ready to go home?" Blue Cop interjects quickly.Jun looks between the two Cardbots, a brow raised as he tries to understand what had just happened. "I- Huh-?" He stutters out, not sure who he was supposed to answer first. Blue Cop notices the knowing look Peruru shoots his way and he tenses. He looks back at her, tilting his helm to the side as if to say, ' What?' She responds with a glare clearly proving that she was onto whatever he was doing. The interaction between himself and Musclehyde earlier in the day paired with what just now happened was not helping his case, Peruru was growing suspicious. It made him wonder what she and Musclehyde had spoken about earlier.Jun clears his throat, "I guess we can go home after I talk with Musclehyde."Blue Cop looks to Musclehyde who looks rather smug about the fact he would get to talk to Jun before he would be taken home by Blue Cop. Blue Cop glares at Musclehyde for a moment before looking away, "Okay. I will be waiting by the gate for you and Peruru."Jun gives him an odd look, "Are you okay?""I am just tired. I helped Edo reorganize the shop and yard," Blue Cop reassures the boy.Musclehyde steps forward and hums, "I promise this won't take long. Just a minute, if you will?"Jun nods quickly, “We won’t take too long Blue Cop!” Blue Cop looks between the three before nodding. Musclehyde leads the children a few paces away from where they had been saying. As the two stand in front of the large Cardbot, Musclehyde bends down so he can speak to them quietly, likely not wanting to be heard by the police car. Blue Cop watches for a moment longer, he is curious but far too exhausted to try and listen in.Blue Cop walks away from the two humans and the Metal Cardbot. He folds into his alt mode and pulls up to the gate, idling there silently as he waits for whatever Musclehyde had to say to be completed. And like the Cardbot had said, it takes all but a minute before the two kids are walking over to him. Jun appears to be rather satisfied which is mildly worrying to Blue Cop. He opens his passenger and driver door, letting the two sit in his seats before buckling them up. Jun leans back in the driver's seat, backpack in his lap which Peruru leans up against the paneling of his passenger door. He asks, "Are you ready?" Jun nods, seemingly lost in thought, "Yeah.""Okay," Blue Cop responds before he begins the short drive to Jun's house. The two are quieter than normal and it has Blue Cop observing them closely to try and decipher why that was such. He finally just asks, "Why are you so quiet tonight?"Jun and Peruru look at each other, barely moving their heads to do so. The boy responds, "Oh, just thinking. Don't worry!"Peruru nods, "Yeah, it's nothing really.""Okay. . ." Blue Cop says hesitantly. He grows silent as well, focusing on driving and nothing else. He knew it would be a bad idea to try and read into what the two kids were up to. He couldn't help but wonder what Musclehyde had said to them but he reminded himself that he didn't need to know. His new teammates, just like his old ones, could keep their secrets. If he wasn't meant to know then he wasn't and he could accept that. He just hopes it wasn't anything that would be a cause for concern. ---He had gotten the children home last night and he was able to have a pleasant night of recharge due to the strenuous work from the day prior. It was the weekend once more, meaning that Jun and Peruru could stay at the shop all day. It also meant that the others would be somewhat busy. It meant it was easier for him to slip away for a longer patrol. At this point he had begun to actively seek out who or what was to come next for their small team. He was growing desperate for a natural distraction, not something he had to make up. Musclehyde was catching onto what he was doing, he could tell, which was dangerous. Blue Cop couldn't falter. He needed to make sure that he kept himself one step ahead and prepared for anything. If they went too much longer without something happening he was sure Musclehyde was going to eventually find a way to make them talk. He can only patrol so long before he draws attention to the fact that he was not at the yard with everyone. The last thing he wants to do is have his teammates trying to come and find him. Especially if it was Musclehyde. The last thing he wanted was to be cornered by the mech - at Edo’s shop or somewhere in the city. He has to quickly end that train of thought so his charge doesn't rear its ugly head once more. Blue Cop knew that he was in deep with this round of his charge. The moment he finally gets to expel the pent of energy he knew it would be interesting. And while he looked forward to the day he could, he also knew that it could be a long time before that time came. He vocalizes a sigh to himself as he pulls up to light, heading back to the shop. He had been out for about half the day which wasn't enough for him but he didn't dare stay out longer. The light turns green and allows him to finish the short drive back into the yard. He slowly pulls up, looking around the space to see where his teammates were. He easily spots the bright plating of Red Blitz as he lounges on top of a shipping container in the afternoon sun, looking rather content with the lazy day. He can see the slightest bit of Deep Bite and Rock Crush's plating walking around the newly organized yard. It was likely Rock Crush was curious and Deep Bite was entertaining her. He had noticed that the shark had grown fond of the youngest team member and likewise, Rock Crush appeared to appreciate the company. It was spark warming to see the young Cardbot have a genuine friend. He knew Deep Bite appreciated her friendship as well considering the fact she didn’t think he was scary. He looks away and spots Cielo sitting on the roof of the shop, staring off into the sky. A few clouds litter the blue expanse, serving as the distraction for the flier. He was sure that she probably wanted to go flying for a bit. He would have to talk to her and let her know that she could if she didn't draw too much attention to herself. He wasn't sure about what anyone else wanted to do specifically, maybe he would make an effort to find out so that during periods of downtime like this they weren't building up an excess of energy. He pauses, thinking about how Mega Ambler would pat him on the back for taking these details into account. A feeling of warm longing nestles itself in his chassis, a far cry from the grief he had been haunted by for so long. While he had begun to process the hurt that came with his old team being lost, he was hopeful that their next steps would bring them one step closer to them returning. That they can be brought back to where they belong.Blue Cop's optics search the yard one more time and notice a certain mech missing. He transforms, standing up and taking a cautionary look to confirm that Musclehyde was indeed missing. He tilts his helm in confusion, Musclehyde usually wasn't away from the yard unless necessary so it was truly an odd occurrence. Blue Cop looks at the lounging Red Blitz and slowly walks up. The red speedster opens a single optic and tilts his helm so he can see who was approaching him. Blue Cop could hear the groan from where he was. Red Blitz raises a servo and makes a waving motion, "If you're here to make me do something then you're fresh out of luck. I am not moving."Blue Cop vocalizes a sigh, "I'm not here to ask you to do something Red Blitz.""What do you want then," Red Blitz opens his other optics to stare the police car down. "Do you know where Musclehy-" He is interrupted when Red Blitz interjects loudly, "Ew!"Blue Cop tries not to flush, immediately getting the implication behind what the speedster said. It also helped that he had heard the conversation between Cielo and Red Blitz. Blue Cop shakes his head and awkwardly coughs, "Not like that. I was wondering why he is missing."Red Blitz stares him down, likely trying to read him but finds nothing, at least nothing he was looking for. The sports car settles down and makes a dismissive wave motion , "He took Jun and Peruru out on a patrol. Something about a talk or whatever. I didn't care to listen." He looks away and shuts his optics, "Can you leave me alone now?"Blue Cop turns away, "Yeah I can. Thank you." He walks away, not bothering to stick around to see if Red Blitz would reply in any way. The mech appeared to be rather content with lounging away the day. To each their own, Blue Cop muses. It was unlikely anyone knew much more than Red Blitz considering they were all doing their own thing. Nobody appeared to be bored, they all seemed content to relax the day away. Blue Cop could get behind that. He wouldn't mind a little bit of sunbathing, he hadn't truly been able to in a while. While he was worried about what Musclehyde was doing and planning, Blue Cop felt somewhat confident that he could handle whatever was going to come of this 'patrol and talk' that he had taken the kids on. He shrugs it off, and decides that he would join the team in enjoying the lazy day, it couldn’t hurt. In fact it would be a nice distraction from the constant distractions he was forcing himself through. The thought alone is funny to Blue Cop. He walked to a corner of the yard that was hidden from direct line of sight from the yard entrance but still offered direct sunlight for most of the day. He folds into alt mode and backs into the space, quickly getting comfortable and letting the sun warm his plating. While he hadn't planned for his organization to result in such a place he found that he was glad he had unintentionally done so. He settles down onto his wheels and allows his frame to relax. He had to admit, sunbathing felt good, especially after long periods of stress. He was glad for this short reprieve he has been offered. He wasn't sure if he would have a chance to do this again for some time so he was going to make the most of it while he could. He allows his optics to close, simply enjoying the warmth spreading throughout his frame. He finds his thoughts are rather tame, he wasn't going down a negative spiral, he wasn't thinking about Musclehyde, his processor was quiet for once. For the first time in a long time he felt truly relax. And before he can even realize what was happening he finds himself slipping into a light recharge. ---He isn't sure how long he was dozing for but when he onlines again he found the sun was beginning to set. He allows his systems to slowly come online like they naturally should. He looks over each reading, taking note of adjustments he would need to make to get his frame back in top shape. Well, as in top shape as he can get considering the excess charge still nestled deep in his systems. He doesn't dwell on that thought, the more he thought about the more annoying it would become. He hums to himself, rather content with how the lazy day had gone. He hadn't even worried about Musclehyde trying to talk to him. 'Musclehyde. . .' he thinks, hesitating for a moment before his systems max out as he feels panic flood his lines, 'Musclehyde!' He quickly transforms and scrambles out of the spot, looking around quickly to ensure that Musclehyde wasn't waiting to corner him for a little chat. Or even worse, waiting to enact whatever plan he, Jun and Peruru were obviously planning. A quick scan reveals that he is alone in the corner of the yard. Not a spec of white or cyan plating to be seen. Blue Cop allows himself to drop his defenses, drawing in a steadying breath through his vents. He felt silly for worrying so much about a simple talk. It was very unlike him considering he should be a fearless Star Guardian. An enemy triple his size? No problem. But a conversation with a mech who had been haunting his processor for weeks was too much for him apparently. He vocalizes a sigh and shakes out his plating, getting rid of any lingering jitters he had. He begins to make his way over to the shop, looking around to try and spot the rest of the team. As he turns the corner to come into view of the front of the shop he is greeted by the entire team except for Musclehyde. He spots Jun and Peruru standing with the rest of the team, chatting away happily, not noticing that Blue Cop was walking up behind them. Red Blitz is the first to see him. The red speedster suddenly bursts into laughter much to Blue Cop's confusion. He gives the sports car a curious glare, "Why are you laughing?"Jun spins around quickly with a beaming smile, "Blue Cop! There you are!""Is something wrong?" He asks cautiously, looking to each of his teammates to try and have a better read on the situation. Based on their expressions he can tell there is no danger and that nothing is seriously wrong. He looks back down to Jun who has his hands clasped behind his back, rocking from heel to toe with an innocent but devious expression. "Jun?" Blue Cop asks, tone shifting to a more serious tone. "Nothing's wrong, don't worry," Jun states. He looks to Peruru and the two smile at each other before Jun looks back to him looking all too gleeful about what he says next, "Are you ready for your night watch?"Blue Cop is now genuinely confused as to what the boy meant. He tilts his helm and states, "It is not my night?"Peruru smiles warmly, "Oh we know! But we felt like. . ." As her voice trails off her eyes look to something behind him. His sensors are suddenly screaming at him and before he can move away from the much larger Cardbot that was looming behind him a warm servo is placed onto his shoulder pauldron. The touch sends sparks of charge down his spinal struts and he has to stop himself from shivering from the contact. His systems were screaming at him ' danger ' while his frame was begging him to give in and finally get rid of this charge that had been haunting him for months. He stiffens and looks up to see Musclehyde looking down at him with a smug expression that has his knee struts going weak. "You're on watch duty with me," Musclehyde states warmly, voice silky smooth and threatening to make Blue Cop’s processor melt into a sea of want. Blue Cop drops his helm, breaking the heated gaze he was locked in with Musclehyde and looks to Jun, stating in a deadpan, "No."Jun shakes his head and points at him, "No to you too! You're doing this!""This isn't necessary, Jun," Blue Cop states, his tone almost to the point of begging. This was bad, very bad. "You're doing the same thing you did with the old team," Jun states in a matter of fact tone. Blue Cop slumps, trying to ignore the servo that tightens its hold on his plating, "Don't say it. Please don't.""You need some Team Bonding with Musclehyde!"Blue Cop feels his spark drop as he realizes there was no getting out of this. However, despite the fact he had felt fear when it came to the Team Bonding exercise with his old team, this time he was genuinely afraid. He wasn't afraid of Musclehyde hurting him no, he was afraid of feeling that hurt, grief, the guilt once more. He didn't want to have to fight both his grief and charge at the same time again. He didn't think he could handle it. Cielo looks disturbed as she stares at him and he understands why. The flier whispers sharply in their direction, "I want to hear nothing of this."He doesn't see Musclehyde nod, he can feel him do so because the servo on his shoulder pauldron shifts ever so slightly. He looks to Jun, feeling genuinely desperate, "Are you sure? What if something happens and I'm not there? How will you get home?"Red Blitz poses confidently and states smugly, "That's my job for the night! You've been demoted~""Don't listen to him. He's letting this one time thing get to his processor," Deep Bite states while rolling his optics. Red Blitz whips around to glare at him, "Hey!"Peruru claps once and everyone looks down to her. She smiles up at Blue Cop, "You're worrying too much, it'll be fine! We'll be fine." She looks at Jun and motions to Red Blitz, "Are you ready to go?" Jun looks at her and nods, "Yeah!" He looks up to Blue Cop and Musclehyde and gives them a double thumbs up, "You guys will get along great after tonight, I know it!" He then waves to them before turning. He raises his arm with the new Metal Breath and states, "Cielo, Rock Crush, Deep Bite, seal up!" Blue Cop watches in despair as they disappear before him. He feels his lines run cold as Red Blitz transforms and the kids walk up to him. They turn back and Jun calls out, "Goodnight!" He wants to fall into a pit and never emerge as the trio drives out of the yard and heads off towards Jun's home. He wishes he was the one leaving.Edo appears before the pair and glares up at them, "Don't you dare break anything. I will make you pay for it all." Musclehyde laughs, "Of course, we'll make sure nothing breaks." Edo makes a face and waves at them, "Okay, inside you two. I don't care what you do, just- You better clean up."Blue Cop looks away from the human, his faceplates growing warm. Edo had caught on pretty quickly in regards to what was happening in his shop during night watches that had multiple bots. He didn't make a big deal out of it, as long as things weren't broken and everything was clean. He had scolded his old team, telling them to keep it clean otherwise Yuri would tear them a new one for destroying Jun and his friends' innocence. He is drawn out of his processor by Musclehyde placing his other servo on his opposite pauldron, using his grip on Blue Cop to get him walking into the shop. He follows, he wouldn't admit that he had been dragging his pedes the entire time, that would be very undignified of a Star Guardian like him. He was not ready for whatever came next. Musclehyde gets them inside enough for Edo to close the shop door and begin locking it up. Blue Cop listens to the sound of the chain and lock being put in place. Months ago he would have been excited to hear such, but tonight was different. He inhales air through his vents to try and ground himself - it doesn't work this time. He shakes himself out of Musclehyde's rather loose grip, finally getting those large, warm servos that felt like they were burning him off his plating. He walks away from the other Cardbot, making his way into the farthest part of the shop and standing there, entire frame stiff. It takes a minute for Musclehyde to actually move. Blue Cop listens to those heavy pedesteps come closer until he is standing a few paces away from him. He can hear Musclehyde draw in air through his vents before exhaling it out heavily. "I didn't want to force you to talk," he states softly. Blue Cop remains silent, doorwings shivering as he fights the charge that was growing more insistent by the moment. "Blue Cop, please talk to me. I don't know what I did wrong," Musclehyde pleads to him, a hint of desperation laced in his voice. The mech takes a step closer. Blue Cop can hear every shift of plating. "I want to make things right with you," he states gently. Another step, he was nearly close enough to touch him. "Can you please answer me?"Two steps, he could almost feel the heat coming off of his plating. "Blue Cop, please, will you at least look at me?After the final step he can feel how warm Musclehyde is, he can feel the soft exhale of air the other forces out from his vents, he can hear him raise an arm. Blue Cop suddenly moves, whipping around and ducking to the side, easily slipping past a very confused and surprised Musclehyde."W-Wha-!"He could kick through the metal door of the shop if he hit it with enough force. How he would pay for it be damned, he needed to get out. Now. He makes a break for the door. He hardly makes it halfway across the shop before Musclehyde regains his bearings. The large mech covers the short distance between them quickly. The large Cardbot's first attempt at grabbing him is unsuccessful, Blue Cop manages to slip away, the tips of Musclehyde's digits just ghosting across his plating. Blue Cop feels confidence swell in his spark as he gets closer to freedom.His plan is swiftly ripped apart when a large pair of arms wrap around his chassis, immediately halting his attempt to escape. He can feel everything all at once. It's overwhelming. And yet his frame wants more. Musclehyde stops them in their tracks, trapping Blue Cop between his chest and arms. Blue Cop attempts to struggle, trying to squirm out of the tight hold on him. However Musclehyde only pulls him closer, pressing his chassis fully against Blue Cop's doorwings. The sparks of pleasure the touch causes go straight to the building heat in his core. Blue Cop can't stop the pathetic whine that escapes his vocalizer. His frame feels like it was being lit on fire. Musclehyde was so warm and so close. His frame wanted him and it took everything in him to not give in and present himself to his teammate. HE stops struggling Musclehyde’s hold, quickly realizing it was futile. He was stuck where he was, he couldn’t get out of this, even if he tried. Musclehyde was too determined to fix things, far more determined than Blue Cop was when it came to escaping. His frame was betraying him. After a few moments of holding him - and apparently satisfied that Blue Cop can't attempt escape again - Musclehyde leans down, speaking directly into his audial, "Blue Cop, please talk to me. I don't know what I did wrong to make you want to run from me. Please, let me fix this." He exhales a hot breath of air from his face vents and it ghosts across Blue Cop’s plating. He barely manages to stop the shiver. Blue Cop goes limp in Musclehyde's hold, not even to try and attempt to escape but in defeat. Musclehyde lowers them to the ground kneeling down on their knee plating. "Please," Blue Cop chokes out weaky, "Let me go. . ."Musclehyde's presses himself further against Blue Cop and cries, "I can't do that. Please Blue Cop, we need to talk." His frame betrays him and he violently begins to shiver with need. Musclehyde feels so good pressed up against his plating, so warm, a solid presence of true kindness. Blue Cop drops his helm staring at the ground with a defeated look, he couldn't fight this anymore. He had been suppressing it for too long and his frame was seeking out what it craved. He presses back into Musclehyde as he softly whines. The shivers continue and don't stop. Musclehyde still holds his despite the concern laced in his voice, "Blue Cop?! What's wrong? Are you okay?" The grip locking him against Musclehyde loosens and his frame lights up with physical pain at the loss of contact. He lets out a loud cry, servos coming up to claw at the other's arm plating. Musclehyde exhales, "Oh Deus Machina- I-I'll get help, I-I don't know how to help.""No!" Blue cop manages to get his vocalizer to work. He chokes out, "Stay! I'll talk! Just-Stay!"Muscylehyde is frozen in place and Blue Cop can feel the intense stare directed his way and yet the shivers continue. Musclehyde whispers softly, "I- Okay, I'll stay. And you'll talk?"Blue Cop nods quickly trying to get his frame to cooperate but it hurts, every sensor felt like it was on fire, he lines burned with a carnal need. He whimpers, "J-Just don't move. Please.""I won't, I won't," the other states breathlessly, his arms wrapping around Blue Cop again. It feels heavenly and Blue Cop sighs. While it wasn't enough it was still something. It helped ease the pain, the want, the need. Musclehyde hesitates for a moment before asking, "What just happened? What's wrong?"Blue Cop leans back into the other, occasional shivers still erupting from his frame, the other pulls him closer. He was quickly catching on that the physical contact helped in some way. "It's my charge. It's been months. There's too much, it's too much- My frame, it craves it, it needs it but- I-I can't- I- Not when I failed them all. Not after everything they've done for me , not after they helped me. I can't do it, not when I can't find a way to get them back," he sobs out, shaking in Musclehyde's arms as the grief and guilt crashes into him. Musclehyde stays silent, soaking in what was just said before whispering softly, "I can leave you alone. I can go if you need time to handle this-""It's not enough," he snaps, a violent shiver forcing its way up his spinal strut. "Even if I could get past the grief-! The guilt! It wouldn't be enough." His helm hangs in defeat as he tries to hold himself together. If the late Star Guardians could see him now they would think he was pathetic. "You can't just. . . Do it on your own, can you?" Musclehyde slowly asks, tone uncertain but curious. Blue Cop realizes he's trying to put it all together, to make it make sense so he could better understand. So he could better understand him. The sharp spike of need that shoots through him has him gripping onto Musclehyde's arm plating tighter.He whimpers out, "No, I never have been able to. It comes back too quickly, my systems need more than what I alone can offer." A silence drags on between them after Blue Cop's admittance. Blue Cop can tell Musclehyde is thinking everything over silently, and yet all he can do is sit in his arms, panting and shivering from the sheer amount of need that was threatening to choke him. He feels Musclehyde inhale before he blows a cloud of warm air from his face vents once more. Blue Cop lifts his helm slightly to look back at Musclehyde. The mech is looking away, faceplates flushed in embarrassment as he shyly states, "I uh- I wouldn't mind helping you."Blue Cop stiffens, his entire frame increasing its temperature by a few degrees as the words register, "W-What?""I- I mean- If you don't mind. I would be okay with it. . ." His voice grows softer the farther into the sentence he gets, betraying how embarrassed Musclehyde was admitting that. Despite his frame's desire his processor is swimming with various thoughts. Just the thought of doing this, allowing Musclehyde to help him had his spark constricting with guilt. He looks away and whispers, "I- I don't know if I can. I failed them, I don't deserve this."Musclehyde squeezes him close and speaks directly into his audial, "It's not your fault Blue Cop. You can't have changed the outcome. It's Red Blitz who is to blame. You can't be blamed." Blue Cop shakes against him, letting the words settle, "Blue Cop you don't deserve this. You deserve to be happy. You can't do this to yourself. You'll only destroy yourself. They wouldn't want this.""I- I know they wouldn't. . " He chokes out hopelessly. "It hurts.""I know, I know," Musclehyde reassures, going as far as nuzzling his mask into Blue Cop's neck. "Please don't do this to yourself. We need you. Jun needs you. They need you." He stops for a moment, exhaling a shaky vent before choking out, " I need you. "That phrase crashes through Blue Cop and his next inhale through his vents stutters. He stares ahead in surprise at the confession. He didn't expect Musclehyde to say that. To say that about him. To say it to him. What Musclehyde had been saying helped him shed some of that guilt his processor was latching onto the thought of finally getting fragged again. Of getting rid of this charge. For once his processor and frame could agree on one thing without him feeling guilty.He leans his helm back to rest against Musclehyde's solid frame, "I- Please."Musclehyde stiffens and lifts his helm to meet Blue Cop's optics, expression displaying disbelief, "What-?""I need you too," Blue Cop chokes out, a shiver wracking his frame as he admits it. He was a fool to pretend like he hadn't wanted the mech. He was a fool to pretend and play his stupid games, stringing the other along unfairly. He felt like a fool now that he knew Musclehyde wanted him in this sense. He knew since he overheard that talk between Red Blitz and Cielo and yet he let his fears push Musclehyde away. Blue Cop's optics tear up, "Please, Musclehyde." Musclehyde buries his helm in Blue Cop's neck plating and Blue Cop can feel him shaking. The mech rests there for a moment before choking out, "I've wanted to hear you say that from the moment I saw you." He holds him tight for a moment before stating, "Thank you."An arm drops from where it holds him. Blue Cop almost whines at the loss of contact but is pleased with the result of what comes next. Musclehyde grips one of his thighs tightly, servo splaying out to press against the warmed metal. The servo sits there for a moment before it begins to trace up, following the delicate seams of Blue Cop's plating. The police car hums in content, frame buzzing peasantly at the touch. His processor goes blank, focusing on the dark servos tracing his plating in such a delicate, caring manner.The other arm shifts and pulls away so Musclehyde's other servo can grab at his chest plating, digging his digits into seams. Blue Cop arches into the touch with a desperate moan, his own servos which were now aimlessly hovering shook. Musclehyde nuzzles further into his neck, collecting energy on his mask before using it to spark kisses across the delicate expanse of metal. Blue Cop drops his helm to the side, panting at each sparkling kiss, each one sending stabs of pleasure through him. It all felt so good. He didn’t bother to think about whether there would be visible marks later.Those large servos explore every inch of his plating, grabbing and pulling at seams, gripping onto sturdy sections of plating; clawing, pawing, caressing him. He basks in it all as Musclehyde learns his frame, committing every little detail to his memory. The thought alone did things to Blue Cop’s frame and processor, he knew he could never go back from this now. A large servo finally drops between his thighs, ghosting digits across the burning plating of the sensitive plating of his most delicate equipment. Blue Cop's hip buck up, seeking out more contact, more friction, more pleasure, anything and everything Musclehyde was going to give to him. The digits return, tracing along the sides of his codpiece, teasing him endlessly. Blue Cop keens in need, he was so close yet so far. He brings his own servo down to latch onto the wrist of Musclehyde's exploring servo. He manages to get a strong grip on him but can not get Musclehyde to move his servo where he needs to. In less than a second he finds himself suddenly being flipped around, back plating being pressed into the floor of Edo's shop. A single, large and warm servo captures both of his servos in its grip and pins them to the floor above his helm. Blue Cop whimpers, processor spinning as he tries to register the quick change in position. He looks up at Musclehyde with unfocused optics and begs, "Musclehyde please - I need you, please!"Musclehyde bends down to bring his faceplates to Blue Cop's. He pants out, "You will wait. I will treat you good but you will wait ." Blue Cop shivers, doorwings clacking across the cold flooring beneath him. He whimpers, "T-That's not fair." Musclehyde presses their masks together as an apology for making him wait, energy dancing across their masks as he kisses Blue Cop. Blue Cop shuts his optics, melting into the sharp jolts of energy pressed into his mask. He returns the motion, allowing some energy to transfer to Musclehyde as well. All while this is happening he can feel Musclehyde's free servo exploring his frame once more. He purposely avoids Blue Cop's codpiece, following every edge of plating other than there. Blue Cop squirms in his hold, wanting so much more. He needed it. He needed to feel Musclehyde before it drove him insane. The large frame hovering over him, trapping him against the shop floor was enough to have him attempting to spread his legs for his partner to show how much he wanted this. To get him to actually do something beyond the heavy petting. Musclehyde pulls his helm away, and Blue Cop opens his optics to see him staring down at him. Blue Cop pants softly as he stares back, waiting for his next move. Musclehyde hums softly, "You're beautiful." Blue Cop flushes and looks away, "Y-You're just saying that.""But I'm not. Every part of you. I admire everything about you. You're gorgeous," Musclehyde praises. Blue Cop whines in response and continues to look away. He arches off the floor and spreads his legs as far as Musclehyde could allow him to, considering he was trapping them with his own powerful legs. "So good for me. I want to reward you," Musclehyde hums softly, optics bright front the amount of energy and charge running through his systems. Blue Cop could cry in relief and he nearly does when Musclehyde's free servo finally returns to his codpiece. The large servo paws at it, digits tracing all the details of it before rubbing against the panels. Blue Cop arches up into the touch with a loud moan. Musclehyde taps against his panels and states, "Let me see you, all of you." Blue Cop doesn't hesitate. He snaps his panels back, letting his spike quickly pressurize and his valve be exposed to the now warm air of Edo's shop. He can feel lubricant from his valve drip down his plating and begin pooling on the ground, he shivers and can only imagine how lewd the sight is. Musclehyde leans back, his hold on Blue cop's wrists holding firm as he looks down to Blue Cop's array. Blue Cop can only pant and hope that the other wouldn't torture him by making him wait much longer. He hears the larger mech hum thoughtfully, optics locked onto the sight before him. Blue Cop tilts his hips for him, baring himself further to the larger Cardbot. "Every part of you is truly beautiful," Musclehyde states breathlessly. Blue Cop can feel how the other's servo around his wrist shakes slightly. Blue Cop chokes out in an attempt to get the other moving once more, his charge becoming unbearable, "Please, Musclehyde." His knee plating clacks against Musclehyde's legs as he attempts to spread them further. He was going crazy, Musclehyde was moving so slowly. His frame wanted everything all at once, making the shivers wracking his frame grow more powerful. Musclehyde leans back down and nuzzles into the side of Blue Cop's helm, "I know, you'll be okay. Just relax.""It's been so long, I can't just relax," Blue Cop hisses, gaze narrowing into a halfhearted glare in an attempt to intimidate the other into getting a move on. It somewhat works because with his free servo, Musclehyde shift's Blue Cop's legs so they're no longer trapped between and beneath his larger frame. Blue Cop vocalizes a sigh of relief, immediately shifting them so he can spread them properly. Musclehyde's gaze had dropped down to watch Blue Cop do so, and apparently he liked it so much to the point that he exhales heavily through his faceplate vents. The larger mech traces his servo up one of Blue Cop's thighs before finally touching him where Blue Cop had been begging him to the entire time. Blue Cop keens and arches off the floor as a digit presses between the soaked lips of his valve. Musclehyde softly jokes, "So sensitive." Blue Cop can't even reply, processor locking onto the feeling of the digit on him. Despite the fact that it wasn't anything other than a simple touch his frame was buzzing with pleasure. The digit easily glides between the folds, slipping up to just barely ghost along his anterior node. His hips jerk up, at the motion, feeling overstimulated and all the more needy at the same time. Blue Cop's frame was giving himself mixed signals and it was making his processor swim as he tries to process the input. Finally, much to Blue Cop's delight, Musclehyde presses the digit against the entrance to his valve. It slips in without any resistance and Blue Cop swears he can see stars dance across his HUD. It feels heavenly and has pleasure crackle along his spinal strut, a needy moan spilling from his vocalizer before he can stop it. Musclehyde draws the digit out before pressing back in and it has Blue Cop already squirming for more. Blue Cop pants out, "More- Please, Musclehyde, more-!"The larger mech draws the first digit away from his valve before returning with two. He presses back into him and the slight stretch has Blue Cop trying to release his servos from Musclehyde's grip. Musclehyde hums in that silky smooth tone, "No, we're not going to do that. You're going to stay right where you are and take what I give you."Blue Cop glares up at him, shivering violently as his frame aches for more. The police car whines, "I can take more. Just please, I need more.""I know you can Blue, I know you can," Musclehyde reassures, voice dripping with sweetness as he uses the nickname. A third finger is suddenly added and the stretch burns so deliciously. The pain dances through his lines, combining into a deadly combination of overwhelming pleasure. Blue Cop's legs shiver as he cries out, optics shutting tightly. Musclehyde wastes no time, scissoring the digits apart as he pumps them in and out of Blue Cop's dripping valve. Each glide of those digits sets his nodes on fire, causing his hips to jolt and try to keep the pressure continuous. The larger mech purposely drags across each node, scissoring his digits wider in order to mask any pain with pleasure. If Blue Cop could coherently think he would thank the mech for such an action but all he can do is pathetically cry out. Without warning a fourth digit is added and he genuinely thinks he has reached his breaking point. Musclehyde's digits were large and the stretch was genuinely bordering on painful. The saving grace his frame offered was how much lubricant he was producing, he could feel it consistently dripping down his plating, pooling into a messy puddle on the floor. "You're doing so good Blue, so good for me," Musclehyde praises. The nickname paired with the sweet praise has his processor shorting out as an intense overload violently rips through his frame. The pleasure reaches a painful peak before letting him crash into pure bliss. His entire frame rattles aggressively as his frame finally sheds some of the excess charge. Transfluid splatters across his waist and chest plating while lubricant gushes out around Musclehyde's digits which are still pumping into him, working him through the intense overload. His systems are frazzled, requiring a few to reboot in order to keep him in the conscious world. He melts into the feeling of his overload, whimpering as he tries to latch on to the last whisps of it as it begins to fade. And yet, despite how system rattling the overload was, his frame still wanted more, it was still buzzing with energy, he didn't feel satisfied. He has to reboot his optical feed, finding it had shorted out and not automatically rebooted itself. As the stars dancing across his display clear he looks up to see Musclehyde watching him closely. Blue Cop exhales a heavy vent as he registers that those digits are still moving inside of him. The motion made his sensors burn from overstimulation but he didn't dare ask Musclehyde to stop, not when it still felt so good. He can hear his legs shaking against Musclehyde’s plating more so than he can feel them, a numb tingling feeling settling throughout his frame. The larger mech chokes out, vocalizer strained, "Are you okay?"Blue Cop nods sluggishly, melting down against the floor as he lets himself readjust as much as his frame allows him to. Musclehyde slows his digits until he fully stops, pulling them out of Blue Cop's quivering valve. It causes more fluids to be dragged out of his valve and drip into the puddle on the floor, making more of a mess. He was sure there were splatters of his transfluid splattered around him too. The police car whines at the loss of stimulation and how empty he feels without those large digits inside of him. If he could see himself he was sure his valve would be agape just from the size of the four digits alone. Musclehyde's strained voice states, "I'll give you a minute."Blue Cop jolt's in Musclehyde's hold and looks up at him with wide optics, "D-Don't you dare."The larger Cardbot stares down with equally wide optics, "But-""Get inside me before I do it myself ," Blue Cop hisses, optics narrowing into a glare. Musclehyde stares down at him in surprise. However, Blue Cop can see how his frame shivers at his tone. The grip on his wrists shifts slightly, squeezing down before loosening as Musclehyde nods quickly, "Okay, okay."Blue Cop shifts his gaze to trail down Musclehyde's frame to his large codpiece. Musclehyde shifts how he is kneeling before letting out a hot vent of air, "If it's too big we don't have to-""Show me," Blue Cop states bluntly, frame shivering with need. He needed to see Musclehyde. Musclehyde nods above him and retracts his spike panel, allowing it to pressurize between them. Blue Cop feels his spark drop as he takes in the sheer size of it, but his frame explodes with desperation. He can feel his valve attempt to clutch down onto nothing at just the sight alone. Blue Cop's gaze is fixated on the spike, taking note of how the coloring matches the colors of Musclehyde's frame. A dark grey coloring the underside, highlighting the blue transfluid ducts that disappear under a similarly colored head. White paneling covers the top half of it, giving it a nice contrast. Blue Cop's gaze narrows as he notices the subtle ridges created by the layered plating and his processor was in quick agreement. He needed that spike inside of him. "Blue Cop? Are you okay?" Musclehyde asks in concern, considering the fact that Blue Cop had gone dead silent and was simply staring with an unreadable expression. The police car whips his helm up and nods, "Yes, more than okay- Just- Get that inside me?" He tries not to think about how his voice had pitched up to a more needy tone. Musclehyde stares down at him for a moment longer before choking out, "I can do that, yeah-" He hesitates a moment and Blue Cop watches his expression shift between a variety of emotions before he finally looks down to Blue Cop's array again. Musclehyde brings his hips down, guiding his spike down the slip in between the lips of his valve. Blue Cop jolts from the contact and Musclehyde watches him closely to make sure he wasn't hurting him. Blue Cop looks up at him with a reassuring look, giving him a quick nod to say he was okayMusclehyde accepts Blue Cop's silent reassurance and allows himself to grind his spike against Blue Cop's valve, coating it in the excess amount of lubricant dripping from him. Blue Cop keens as he can feel the subtle ridges of the spike catch on his anterior node, causing painful pleasure to settle in the base of his helm. It felt so overwhelmingly pleasurable. Blue Cop allows himself to pant desperately, servos trying to latch onto something despite Musclehyde's hold. The mech pulls his spike away, making Blue Cop whine softly, however the whine is quickly replaced with a high pitched cry as Musclehyde uses his free servo to guide his spike to Blue Cop's entrance, pressing into him steadily. It was a large stretch, his mesh straining as it accommodated his larger partner. Musclehyde groans softly, entire frame shivering above Blue Cop as he melts into the addictive, hot, wet mesh of the presented valve. The larger Cardbot rolls his hips as he steadily presses into Blue Cop, spearing him open inch by inch. The nodes in Blue Cop's valve feel like they're on fire, ridges pressing against them, making his legs shake violently. It feels never ending and Blue Cop swears he was as full as he could ever be, yet there was still more spike for his frame to take. He leans his helm back and pants through the process, trying to keep himself sane as his frame finally gets what it had been desiring for so long. It was painful. It was pleasurable. It was heaven.And finally, after what feels like ages he can feel Musclehyde's plating click against his own. He had managed to take it all. Musclehyde was hilted inside of him. Blue Cop groans, clenching down around the thick spike inside of him. Musclehyde above him groans and drops his helm to rest in Blue Cop's neck plating. Musclehyde chokes out a whisper, "You feel so good.""Move, please, Musclehyde I need you to frag me," Blue Cop begs desperately, raising his legs to wrap around Musclehyde's hips and pull him impossibly closer. He can feel what this does to the larger Cardbot, the spike inside of him twitches, making Blue Cop let out a small cry of pleasure. Musclehyde's free servo comes up to hold onto Blue Cop's waist, playing with seams as he draws his spike almost all the way out of the leaking valve before slowly rolling his hips back into him. Blue Cop can't keep himself quiet, every little movement has him moaning wantonly, squirming in the tight hold of the other, The digits digging into seams light up his sensors and further add to the pleasure he is experiencing. He was sure he was ruined. Musclehyde had ruined him, he would never be the same after this. Musclehyde continues to keep his helm buried in Blue Cop’s neck, drinking in even the softest noise he lets out. Each noise makes the spike inside of his twitch and leads to the heat in his core becoming more intense, pleasure bubbling through every line. Blue Cop was addicted, he couldn't stop himself from thoughtlessly crying out for him, for anything, he needed everything. Musclehyde growls into his audial before pushing himself up quickly. Blue Cop makes a noise of confusion, locking his gaze with Musclehyde's. He watches as a second pair of arms suddenly appear and pull his horns up, helm crest lighting up into a bright red, his expression hardening and taking on a more intimidating demeanor. Blue Cop didn't squeak, he would deny that until the day he went offline. He stiffens as he stares up at the other above him and feels his processor stutter, "W-Wait-?""I'm not going to hurt you," Musclehyde states warmly despite the added growl in his vocalizer due to his ability being engaged. Blue Cop slowly nods, it was likely that Jun and Peruru had found some way to let Musclehyde use his weapon card without needing to have it manually activated. Blue Cop relaxes and can't help but admit that Musclehyde was all the more hot like this, the growl in his voice adding to it as well. He looks to the second pair of arms curiously before looking back to meet those narrowed, yellow optics. Those extra arms come down and grip onto Blue Cop's waist, lifting him slightly and pulling their arrays flush. Blue Cop keens, arching off the floor, doorwings clacking noisily as he realizes what Musclehyde was doing. He chokes out, "Oh Deus Machina-"Musclehyde chuckles warmly, "You said you wanted all of me, so here you go."Blue Cop feels his processor became a mess of need and pleasure, it was everything he wanted and more. He can feel those incredible servos holding onto his wrist, his waist plating, his hips, it was so much. It was perfect. He whines pathetically, clenching down around the spike inside him which was growing increasingly warm. In fact, the heat radiating off of Musclehyde had increased as a result of him activating this mode. It felt good. So good. Musclehyde begins to move without warning, gripping Blue Cop tightly as he not only pistons his hips into him, but pulls Blue Cop's own into him. The spike felt as if it was reaching deeper like this and Blue Cop can only lay there limply as his frame greedily takes everything that was being offered. His lines feel as if they're on fire and the growing heat in his core begins to steadily increase, pushing him towards a second overload far too quickly. Blue Cop begins babbling, processor growing fuzzy, "Muscylehyde, ah- Pl-Please! Hah, D-Deus Machina-! Please, p-please, Maha-"Musclehyde presses himself against Blue Cop as he continues thrusting into him, letting the heat from his plating seep into Blue Cop's. It was becoming too much. The string holding him together snaps and warmth explodes through him as his second overload overtakes him. He spasms down around the spike inside of him. He arches up into the hot, white plating, smearing transfluid across both of their frames as he thrashes in Musclehyde's hold. He rides each wave, trying to hold on for dear life as he feels electricity crackle throughout his frame. It was overwhelming up until it wasn't. The powerful waves ebb and leave him floating in the bliss of his overload for the second time of the night. As his sensors begin to register input once more he finds Musclehyde had not stopped. He wasn't going to complain, the drag of that spike across sensitive nodes and mesh had him melting. And yet, despite the two intense overloads his frame was still craving more. His legs tighten around Musclehyde's hip's once more and he clenches down around the spike with a soft cry. Musclehyde groans hips faltering as he slows down slightly, the extra servos around his hips disappear and leave him feeling chilled. He whines out, "Don't stop-!""I'm not. I'm not going to stop until you're begging me to," the larger mech growls into his audial. A shiver wracks through Blue Cop at the implication and pants, "I want everything. Give me everything, please. I'll take it all-"Those extra servos pull his legs away from Musclehyde's hip and he looks up at the other, unsure of what he was doing. The servos move to grab the back of his knee struts, pushing his legs up to be folded by his chest. His processor clicks and he feels his valve flutter down around the barely moving spike inside of him. Musclehyde shifts so he can press his full weight into Blue Cop, pushing him into the floor and fully trapping him. He releases Blue Cop's wrists and intertwines his normal servos with Blue Cop's, lacing their digits together. Blue Cop stares up at him from his folded position and whimpers. It was an intimate position and he knew his ability to walk after tonight was going to be lost. Musclehyde chuckles in a rather shy manner, "I hope this is okay." "More than, don't stop. I need it all, everything," Blue Cop begs. Musclehyde leans his helm down to press his mask to Blue Cop's for a moment before pulling away an inch, "What, you want everything in my reserves?"Blue Cop's spark nearly seizes and he chokes out, "Yes."Musclehyde blinks, staring down at him with wide optics. He clears his vocalizer and grinds the spike further into him, "I'm not stopping until I have then." "Good," he squeezes Musclehyde's servos tightly, "Move."The larger Cardbot obliges, pulling his spike out of Blue Cop's abused valve before plunging back in, the head of it pressing directly into Blue cop's ceiling node. Blue cop jolts, unable to do much else given his current position. A sharp cry is pulled from his vocalizer as the spike presses impossibly deep into him, feeling as if it was in his chassis. It was overwhelmingly good, addicting. Blue Cop grips on the servos holding him for dear life as his legs being held to his chest by Musclehyde's extra set of arms violently shake. He gives into the pleasure, letting it cloud his mind as Musclehyde drives him into the floor with each powerful thrust. He can feel Musclehyde twitch inside of him occasionally and his pace increases in speed and intensity as the larger mech chases his own overload. Each thrust slams the head of the thick spike into his ceiling node, causing overwhelming pleasure to gnaw at the ip of his pedes and digits. It overwhelmed his sensors, his processor struggling to read and process the input of the action. Blue Cop can hear the noises that spill from Musclehyde's vocalizer despite his own desperate cries of pleasure. His entire existence was Musclehyde in that moment, all of his senses being overwhelmed by the larger Cardbot. He can feel the spike inside of him begin to swell and he knows what is coming next. He shivers in anticipation, unfocused gaze watching Musclehyde intently as the other chases his pleasure, using Blue Cop’s valve to his liking. Musclehyde's overload is explosive and Blue Cop's processor spins as he holds on for dear life as his is filled to the brim with boiling transfluid. Musclehyde continues pumping his hips into him, causing the transfluid to bubble up and drip down his to his chest and begin pooling there. His frame automatically begins to start absorbing it into his systems, Blue Cop watches as his fuel gauge raises by a few ticks. He can feel the hot and heavy transfluid in his valve shift as Musclehyde rocks into him, making him feel overwhelmingly stuffed.Musclehyde pants, "You're not going to need to fuel up tomorrow."Blue Cop whimpers, looking up at the dazed expression of the other. He tilts his helm warmly and through the fog of pleasure and want, he states, "You can take my spot tomorrow." Musclehyde drops his helm down and nuzzles his mask into Blue Cop's warmly, "Are you ready for more?""Please!" Blue cop keens needily, clenching down around the motionless, yet still pressurized spike inside of him. Musclehyde presses an electric kiss to his mask as he starts moving again, dragging his spike out before slamming back into him over and over again. Blue Cop returns the kiss, melting into it and letting Musclehyde overtake him, making him his. He can feel the heat begin to pool in his core again and he only knew it was a matter of time before he was overtaken by yet another overload. He whines and pushes more energy into the kiss, letting electricity crack across their masks. Musclehyde groans and it's a heavenly sound to Blue Cop, he intently listens as Musclehyde mutters almost incoherently into his mask, "You feel so good- So good for me- So warm, so pretty. You're mine-"Blue Cop chokes back, barely managing to get it out between moans, "Your's.""Yes, you're mine," Musclehyde growls out possessively, pace increasing and creating more friction on Blue Cop's swollen, abused node. Blue Cop shakes against him as the pleasure steadily builds, aided by the larger mech's mutterings. Blue Cop pants softly, feeling incredibly warm and stuffed, he clenches down around the other tightly as his third overload rocks through his frame. He cries out weakly, squirming in Musclehyde's hold. Musclehyde buries his spike as deep as he can and overloads as well, pulled over the edge by the tight grip of the valve around his spike. The sensation of having more transfluid pumped into his valve was enough to prolong Blue Cop's overload by a few more moments, leaving his processor blank as he gives into the pleasure. His HUD is covered with dark stars dancing across it, leaving his optical feed splotchy and unreadable until it slowly clears, systems regulating once more.Musclehyde groans above him, gaze dipping to watch as more transfluid dribbles out from Blue Cop's valve. Blue Cop slowly comes to, shivering from the aftershocks as he looks up at his partner. Musclehyde looks at him, panting heavily. Their optics meet for a second and Blue Cop nods, signifying he could go again. They continue, Musclehyde holding Blue Cop down and filling the greedy mech until he is satisfied. Blue Cop is holding on for the ride, asking for attention and pleasure, letting overload after overload rip his systems apart and kill what remaining charge was left in his system. He shivers and shakes, absorbing the warmth from Musclehyde's hot plating. Coolant beads on their plating, dripping onto the floor and joining the mess they made. Musclehyde empties his transfluid reserves in Blue Cop's greedy frame, the excess dripping out from his valve and down his frame, pooling on the floor in a large puddle. As Musclehyde's frame finally alerts him that he has nothing left to give, he releases Blue Cop's shaky legs gently, lowering them to rest on the floor with care. Blue Cop whimpers weakly at the motion, the spike still inside of him shifting slightly. Blue Cop watches as Musclehyde's second pair of arms disengages from his back plating and disappears into a dazzle of sparking blue light. He leans his helm back and vocalizes a content sigh. Musclehyde releases his servos from their intertwined grip, allowing Blue Cop to sprawl out his aching limbs. Blue Cop felt satisfied and exhausted, frame genuinely relaxed for the first time in months. He flicks his gaze to look at Musclehyde who is silently sitting there, looking down at him. Blue Cop looks down to where they're still joined and hums softly. Musclehyde looks at him and moves to pull out. Blue Cop summons all of his strength and brings a leg up to wrap around Musclehyde’s waist and keep him inside. He could feel the warm transfluid trapped in his valve, slowly being absorbed into his frame. It would likely take well over a day for his frame to process it all considering how stuffed he felt. As he looks down at himself he swears he can see his waist plating distended outwards in an attempt to hold the transfluid trapped by Musclehyde’s large spike.He looks from himself up to an exhausted Musclehyde and whispers, "Stay?"Musclehyde stares down at him with a warm, loving gaze, "I will."Bue Cop makes a noise of content and drops his leg once more now that he knew the mech was staying where he was. Musclehyde moves to lay down on top of him, gently laying his weight onto Blue Cop's worn frame. Blue Cop hums his approval at having the incredibly warm frame surrounding him once more, he raises his half-numbed arms up and wraps them around Musclehyde. He leaves them there and looks up to meet those yellow optics. He looks to the upward facing horns and gently asks, "You're warmer when you flip your horns?""Just something I was forged with. It allows my frame to grow warmer, more limber, and helps me when in battle. Or. . . When I need to warm someone up. . . Or other. . . Things," Musclehyde starts to trail off, a faint blush painting his faceplates. Blue Cop moves a servo from Musclehyde's back plating and brings it to his helm, shakily resting it along the side of his mask in a rather intimate action considering what they had just done. "Thank you, Musclehyde," Blue Cop states softly. "I've always wanted to just help. Thank you for allowing me to do so," the other responds weakly. Blue Cop's expression drops slightly, "You remind me of them, you know?""Is that why you were avoiding me?" Musclehyde asks, leaning into the servo resting on his helm. Blue Cop drops his gaze away and vocalizes a sigh, "Yes. It hurt having that reminder right in front of me, reminding me of my failures."Musclehyde presses his mask into the servo, touching an electric kiss to it, "You're not a failure Blue, far from it. You're incredible.""And yet I still failed you," Blue Cop whispers numbly. Blue Cop watches as Musclehyde pulls his servo away, bringing one of his own to hold Blue Cop’s gently. He watches as he runs his thumb along the scuffed plating, "We figured it out though. I was able to help you. I'm not going anywhere Blue, you didn't fail me at all."Blue Cop looks away, unable to meet Musclehyde's gaze. He still felt guilty despite everything. It was odd for him to feel as such considering Musclehyde's spike was still nestled deep in his valve. He vocalizes a sigh, "I don't want to disappoint anyone.""You won't. I'll be here for you Blue, you don't have to worry," Musclehyde gently reassures. Blue Cop looks at him and comments, "You keep calling me Blue. . .""AH-! I'm sorry. I should have asked if it was okay. I can st-"Blue Cop interrupts him warmly, "I like it. I like this. "Musclehyde stares at him for a moment with wide optics. His helm drops for a moment, letting out a warm vent and whispering in an overjoyed tone, "I like this too, Blue.""I don't want this moment to end," Blue Cop admits weakly. Musclehyde looks at him and shakes his head, "It doesn't have to. You can have me. We can do this again. I want to be there for you, however you need me."Blue Cop lifts his helm and presses a kiss against Musclehyde's mask. The other hesitates for a moment before he returns it with his own, shifting his free servo to snake underneath Blue Cop to hug him close. Blue Cop melts into everything, giving himself to Musclehyde once more. He was happy, he truly was. He had a feeling that his team would be as well, both of them. He had finally figured it all out and now he had Musclehyde by his side. Blue Cop pulls away and whispers, "Thank you.""I would do this for you a hundred times over if you were to ask me to," Musclehyde responds quickly. Blue Cop nods and nuzzles himself into Musclehyde's plating, "You're warm. . .""Recharge Blue, you need it," Musclehyde comforts, "I'll handle everything else, just rest for now."Blue Cop looks up at those loving, yellow optics once more before he nods. He still holds Musclehyde's servo tightly to him, finding himself not wanting to let go. He was fueled, he was warm, he was satisfied and he was filled. He had everything he could have asked for. He allows his frame to start powering down for recharge and before he slips into it he whispers lovingly, "Goodnight, Maha."He doesn’t see the expression that crosses Musclehyde’s face. One of genuine joy and love.---Musclehyde lets Blue Cop recharge up until he can see the sky start to brighten. Only then does he dare to move away from his resting partner. He slips his spike out of Blue Cop and tucks himself away. He tries not to stare too long at the sight of Blue Cop's stretched out and leaking valve. He shakes his helm, lifting his servos to slip his horns back down to their neutral position. He exhales a soft breath through his vents, looking around to inspect the mess he would need to clean up. There was a noticeable puddle of their mixed fluids pooled on the floor and Musclehyde couldn't help but cringe at the thought of how Edo would react to the mess. He opens a panel that accesses a small subspace storage in his frame and pulls out a soft cleaning cloth. While he didn't intend for it to be used for purposes like this he was glad to have it. He looks over Blue Cop once more before he brings the cloth down to his plating. He gently begins wiping away the main mess of their fluids so that when he gets up he doesn't track anywhere and make more of a mess. Blue Cop stirs despite the gentle touches and Musclehyde looks to him with an apologetic look, "Sorry Blue."Blue Cop slowly sits up and looks at him, when he speaks his vocalizer is laced with static, "What time is it?""We're about an hour from sunset, give or take," He replies softly. The police car makes an unhappy noise before shakily tucking himself away and closing his panels. Musclehyde watches as he attempts to gather his wobbly legs under himself. He manages but when trying to stand up he nearly faceplants. Musclehyde moves quickly, reaching out to catch the small mech and keep him from getting hurt. As Musclehyde holds him up he can feel how much Blue Cop is trembling. He feels guilty and apologizes, "I'm sorry, I should have been more gentle.""I wanted it," Blue Cop groans, legs spread and quivering as if he was a newborn fawn. Musclehyde lowers his helm and offers, "Here, let's get cleaned up together so I can help you. Then you can recharge the day away.""Sounds perfect," the police car vocalizes a sigh softly. Musclehyde nods and slowly leads Blue Cop towards a side door to the shop. Edo locked it from the inside so if needed they could step out without damaging anything. The mechanic had learned his lesson after an incident with the previous team. Musclehyde leans down and removes the unlatched lock, pulling the chain out of place so he could fully open the door. He looks at a sleepy Blue Cop and feels his spark swell with affection. He leads him out into the cold morning air. His partner shivers against him and further leans into him, seeking out the warmth of his frame. Musclehyde smiles with his optics down at him. "I'll keep you warm, don't worry."Blue Cop makes a satisfied noise at the comment as they walk to the hose. Musclehyde holds the smaller Cardbot close as he turns on the water, bringing the nozzle up to pour water over their messied frames. Blue Cop hisses uncomfortably, "It's cold-""I know, I know, hold onto me," Musclehyde comforts gently, running a large servo across the cooled plating of his partner. The police car melts against him, wrapping his arms around him to touch as much warm plating as possible. Musclehyde found it adorable. He gets to the task at hand, making quick work of hosing himself down, washing away the evidence of their coupling. Only then does he turn to Blue Cop who makes a noise of complaint as he begins to hose him down. He takes his time, gently washing away the caked on fluids, his free servo smoothing over the plating as an apology for the cold water. He keeps a close eye on his sleepy partner, making sure he doesn't look to be struggling too much. He looked uncomfortable standing there so he hurried along, making sure every last bit of evidence was gone before he dared turn off the water. Blue Cop looks at him with sleepy optics as he states, "Thank you."Musclehyde leans down and presses his helm to Blue Cop's, "Of course. Let's get you inside. You need to properly recharge."Blue Cop nods into his plating in agreement. Musclehyde leans back up and leads Blue Cop back inside, making sure to close the door once they're back inside. He doesn't bother to relock it considering sunrise was quickly approaching, meaning Edo was going to arrive soon. Musclehyde turns to the shop and leads Blue Cop into the farthest space within it. He looks down at the satisfied mech and nudges him, "I need to finish cleaning up and greet the others. Get your rest, you deserve it."Blue Cop hums, "Okay. . . Thank you."Musclehyde nearly melts then and there. He fondly replies, "Of course." He does mourn the loss of contact when Blue Cop steps away to unceremoniously transform. Musclehyde watches as he backs into his normal spot he would take up during the night watches before he dares turn away. Once he is sure Blue Cop is settled and slipping back into recharge does he go back to the task at hand. "Okay, towels-" He states to himself, looking around for the stash of towels Edo left for the Cardbots. He spots them high up on a shelf and walks over, grabbing the entire stack with a single servo. He looks them over, finding them clean, he nods to himself and moves back over to the mess they had made. He drops down onto his knee plating and begins to pick up towel after towel, soaking up the mixed fluids and wiping them away. He has to use nearly every towel to clean the main part of the mess away. With the remaining towels he wipes himself down from the excess water from his still dripping frame. He uses the damp towels to wipe the floor and leave it a little cleaner and less sticky. By the time he is complete the sun is starting to shine through the windows of the shop. He looks up to them and vocalizes a sigh of relief. He was exhausted and hungry, his fuel reserves running on empty. He was just glad that Blue Cop was satisfied and didn't have to worry about fighting for a spot in the refuel line. As Musclehyde gathers the towels together and drops them in an old pile of dirty towels he hears Edo pull up. He does one more quick once over of the space to make sure he had properly cleaned up. He finds himself content with what he finds. He silently stands there, waiting for Eod to unlock the main door and let him out so he can be the first to get refueled for the day, much to his relief. He impatiently waits as the sound of the lock being undone rings throughout the shop. The door is lifted and reveals the outside world bathed in early morning sunlight. Edo stands before him, looking up at him with a stern expression. He crosses his arms over his chest, "Nothing's broken?""No.""You cleaned up?" The mechanic raises a brow. "Of course," he replies. Edo looks at him then around the shop. He leans to the side and looks confused as he asks, "Hey, where's Blue Cop?""Still resting, I wouldn't bother him," Musclehyde replies gently. Edo looks up at him with a disgusted look, "I don't want to hear about anything that happened here." He shakes his head and turns away, waving him off, "Just, go use the power bank."Musclehyde laughs, "No worries. Thank you Edo.""Yeah, whatever. Damn horny ro. . ." Edo's voice trails off as the human walks out of earshot, muttering under his breath the entire time as he goes. Musclehyde looks back into the shop one last time to where he knew Blue Cop was resting. He vocalizes a warm, content sigh before he goes to use the power bank to refuel himself from near empty. As he crouches down before it he can hear the sound of Red Blitz's roaring engine as he approaches Edo’s shop quickly. Musclehyde ignores him, focusing on watching his fuel gauge tick up towards full. When he is about three fourths of the way to full he stops, leaving enough energy in the power bank so his teammates could get their own fill. It helped that Blue Cop would not need to use it for the day. And likely the next if his frame was going to continue to process the sheer amount of transfluid Musclehyde had dumped into his valve. He has to stop thinking about that because his processor begins to wander thinking back to the lewd sights and noises he had been able to witness just a few hours ago. He shakes his helm, banishing the images to the back of his processor and bringing him back to reality. Musclehyde stands up and turns, intending to walk back into the shop so he could actually recharge considering he had done none of that over the night. However he is met with the bright optics of his returning teammates. He freezes and looks at them, shooting a confused look their way. Red Blitz looks around, "Where's Blue Cop?""Resting," Musclehyde replies too quickly. Cielo's expression drops into one of horror and she waves her servos at him, "Not! Another! Word!" Red Blitz catches on quickly and dramatically throws his helm back and servos up, "Ew, ew, ew!"Deep Bite reaches out to cover Rock Crush's audials before he heartedly laughs, "Congrats mech, I told you it would be fine."Musclehyde avoids looking at them, feeling his frame flush with embarrassment, "Thanks? I'm going to go now?"Cielo waves him off, "Yes, please. Let us refuel in peace."Musclehyde nervously laughs before he slips past the four, leaving them to talk amongst themselves. He can hear Red Blitz still moaning around in disgust. Cielo's sharp, strict voice yelling to the speedster to shut it and Deep Bite's loud laugh are the last things he hears as he disappears around the corner.He runs into Peruru and Jun next much to his dismay. He just had to see everyone on the team this morning after what occurred the previous night, huh. He narrowly avoids stepping on them, the children jumping out of the way. Jun shouts out, "Hey!"Musclehyde shakes his helm and kneels down on a knee, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!"Jun looks up at him and brushes himself off, "It's fine-""How did your talk with Blue Cop go?" Peruru asks quickly, a sparkle in her eyes. Musclehyde stares down at the pair and laughs, "Oh, it went alright. We cleared everything up but we talked until it got pretty late. It would be best if you didn't bother Blue Cop until he appears himself."Jun sighs, "That's alright. I'm glad you fixed things though!" Musclehyde nods, looking away bashfully, "I am as well."Peruru laughs, "You look tired yourself. Maybe you should get some sleep as well?""I could go for a few hours of recharge. . ." Musclehyde hums.Peruru nods and begins to push Jun away much to the boy's dismay, "Hey!""See you later Musclehyde," Peruru calls out as she leads a complaining Jun out into the yard and away from the shop. Musclehyde stands up and turns away, ducking into the shop and listens for a moment. He can hear Cielo and Red Blitz bickering still. He can hear Deep Bite egging the fight on further as well. Rock Crush was likely just watching in confusion. The four appear in the yard, having completed their refueling. Musclehyde looks over his shoulder and watches them for a moment. It was amusing to watch everyone interact. He also liked when Blue Cop would join in, if he wasn't in a bad mood. He vocalizes a sigh to himself and thinks back to what had led to him making the steps to figure out what was going on with Blue Cop. His gaze drifts to Cielo who is staring down at a ranting Red Blitz, her expression is one of defeat. Musclehyde exhales an amused laugh and looks back to where Blue Cop had disappeared.
Cielo grabs his arm and drags him away from the rest of the group, servos digging into his plating. He had no choice but to follow her and find out what she wanted. He had a feeling he was not going to enjoy what happened next. He vocalizes a sigh, a habit he had picked up from Blue Cop.
Cielo leads him to the opposite side of Edo's shop, she drops his arm and looks up at him with a glare. Musclehyde looks down concerned that he had done something to upset her. He begins, "Cielo? I'm sorry if I up-"
Cielo's glare sharpens and she hisses out, "No, none of that."
Musclehyde goes silent, looking down at the smaller bot genuinely concerned. Before he can ask her what she wanted, what she meant, she places her balled servos on her hip plating. Musclehyde shrinks away. That stance never meant anything good. His expression becomes nervous as he looks around, trying to avoid making optic contact with her.
She grounds out quietly, "I don't care what you have to do but you need to figure out whatever is going on between you and Blue Cop."
Musclehyde snaps his gaze to her and takes a step back, "Wh- I- Huh?"
"I am so tired of the weird game you two are playing!! I'm tired of that. . . look. . . ' Cielo whisper yells, lifting a servo to make a waving motion in the direction of his faceplates.
"I don't kn-" He tries to say.
Cielo snaps her digits in his face and deadpans, "Don't do that. You and I both know what I'm referring to. Figure it out."
Musclehyde slowly nods, spark spinning uncomfortably in his chassis as he stares down at his crew mate, "Okay, okay, I will!"
"Do it before one of us does it for you," Cielo finishes, giving him a threatening glare. Musclehyde nods quickly, acknowledging the threat she just made. She looks around before stating, "This conversation never happened."
"Never," Musclehyde agrees.
Cielo begins to walk away leaving Musclehyde standing there with only his thoughts to accompany him. Before she fully disappears she looks back and whispers, "I'm rooting for you."
She walks away and returns to the rest of the team. Musclehyde watches her disappear back into the shop before he allows himself to slump. He didn't even know what was going on between himself and Blue Cop. He was hopelessly pining but Blue Cop appeared to be completely disinterested in him. He wasn't sure how he could even begin to fix anything when he didn't even know what the other thought.
He pauses, posture straightening as he realizes what he needs to do. He needed to get Blue Cop to talk to him, to open up about what was bothering him. Then he could figure it all out. And then maybe. . . No, Blue Cop wasn't interested in him. Unless? He begins to speed walk back to the entrance of Edo's shop.
He needed to talk to Jun.
He would have to thank her at some point, although he doubted she would accept such. She would probably just be relieved that it was finally over and done with and she didn't have to watch him hopelessly pine over their leader. He leaves the rest of the team behind, walking back into the quiet, dark shop. He walks to the back of the space, ducking into the last hanger and looks over to the recharging vehicle form of Blue Cop. He couldn't help but find it endearing that he would choose to recharge in vehicle mode so often. There was so much about Blue Cop that he found endearing. He genuinely found himself loving everything about the Star Guardian. He still can't believe that someone like Blue Cop would even give him a chance. He shakes himself out of his thoughts, moving to sit down beside the vehicle. He scoots as close as he dares to the resting form of Blue Cop before he leans back against the wall. He sits there, content to just rest next to him and bask in his presence but the other has different plans. Musclehyde jumps as he looks to the transforming Cardbot next to him. He leans away, staring down at the tired optics of Blue Cop in surprise. He stutters out quickly, "I- I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to disturb you."Blue Cop looks up at him, frame slumped in exhaustion, he softly whispers, "You didn't."Musclehyde stares and gently asks, "Then why-?" Blue Cop answers his question before he can finish his question. The smaller bot shifts closer to him, practically melting into Musclehyde's side. He nuzzles into his plating and it nearly makes Musclehyde's spark seize. 'Adorable,' he finds himself thinking. He brings his arm down around Blue Cop and pulls him closer, getting the hint that the other wanted to cuddle. He was far from bothered that Blue Cop wanted such. He found himself thinking that he would do anything for Blue Cop if he meant he got to hold him like this, even if just for a moment longer. Blue Cop nuzzles closer and gently asks, "Can you. . . ?"Musclehyde looks down at those tired optics hidden behind Blue Cop's pink visor and melts. He already knew what he was asking for. He pulls his arm away for a moment so he can raise both servos to his helm horns. He flips them up, his frame immediately growing warmer by a few degrees and steadily increasing until his frame shunts the ability. Blue Cop vocalizes a sigh into Musclehyde's side and tries to wiggle himself impossibly closer. They both knew they couldn't properly cuddle, lest anyone asks too many questions about what was going on between them. Instead Musclehyde returns his arm to wrap around Blue Cop and mostly covers his frame. The blue mech essentially whimpers, "Thank you""Anything for you," Musclehyde states softly. He watches Blue Cop fall back into recharge, frame relaxing against him and absorbing the comforting heat he gave off due to his ability. Musclehyde vocalizes a soft sight, feeling content in more ways than one. He was happy to be here, he wouldn't have changed anything about it. It had been all worth it in the end, the stasis, his uncomfortable arrival back into the waking world, becoming sealed, all of it. He had more than he could have ever hoped for. He had Blue Cop. He just hoped that this could last.
For now, it would, up until the fateful day they would have to part.
---