"KUP!" Your vocalizer broke into a low cry, choked with desperation, as you ran toward the battle-scarred veteran. That damned mechanical octopus had struck the three of you hard, but Kup had paid the ultimate price. Primus, the old veteran, looked like he'd been literally torn to pieces. Energon oozed from the deep wounds that crisscrossed his body, his optics glimmered faintly, flickering like tiny lights on the verge of extinction, as the constant loss of energon pushed him ever closer to the point of no return.

Around you, the final battle raged, the decisive conflict that would seal everything. It wasn't just a war for an insignificant planet on which you'd camped so long ago, but for Cybertron itself. Your true home. The heart of your people. Here, the future of your race was at stake: survive or sink into the oblivion of a society forever sick.

Victory would mean something greater than any previous triumph—seeing Cybertron finally return to its former glory. No more endless wars. No more scarred bodies dumped in the infirmary, with the constant fear that each vorn could be their last.

It meant hope.

It meant peace.

Your frantic steps brought you to Kup's side; your servos trembled as you tried to assess the severity of his wounds. "Hold on, old friend. We'll make it… we'll get you out of here." The words left a bitter taste in your derma, yet you had to say them: they were the only shield against the madness of that unbearable reality, both for him and for you.

Weariness had crept deep into your vital spark, clinging like indestructible rust. How many solar cycles had you spent gazing at the cold, distant stars, wondering if each sunrise would be your last? The war had eroded everything: even the simple certainty of tomorrow.

But then fate dealt its cruelest blow.

The conflict had already spread to the edges of the known universe, and finally found another chessboard to play on: Earth. An isolated and unremarkable planet, to many of your companions—pristine, forgotten by time, lost in the infinite depths of space. Yet that seemingly insignificant world concealed a priceless treasure: Energon.

That lifeblood pulsed beneath the planet's continents, a light but steady beat that had allowed you to continue fighting when you thought all hope was lost. Not enough to restore Cybertron's glory, sure, but enough to prolong your team's survival. To keep you online.

Yet you weren't alone in the hunt.

The Decepticons had scented that same trace of energon and had launched themselves upon that miserable globe of water with their usual brutality. They would have burned everything, reduced every rock to ash, to set their merciless servos on that precious resource. To them, it was nothing more than fuel to be consumed without scruples.

So Earth's fragile fate hung by a thread, a new expendable pawn on a chessboard where entire galaxies had already been devoured by greed and eternal war. What a mockery, you thought, sighing between pain and bitterness. After four million vorns of precarious survival, your fate and that of your team now depended on the generous hospitality of this young planet… a generosity you had repaid with destruction and ash.

One thing, however, was clear:

War had become your second lifeblood.

Battle after battle. Cycle after cycle. Each conflict left new scars on your metallic body, and even deeper ones on your inner spark. In the optics of your fellow sufferers, you saw the same torment reflected: that merciless awareness that each battle merely prepared the way for another.

You had fought tirelessly, because mercy did not belong in this theater. You had clung to victory with ferocity, knowing that defeat would only bring extinction. Too many times you had seen faithful warriors fall: some struck down by their enemies, others delivered to eternal peace by your own servos, when fear and desperation forced you to end their suffering.

And yet, behind the resolute mask of the cold and imperturbable soldier…

A whisper.

A poignant echo of longing for a peace almost forgotten but still longed for. That fragile tranquility before the energon stained the earth blue; before the funeral rites outnumbered the remaining sparks, and Cybertron was reduced to a ghostly, soulless shell, abandoned by both sides in their blind rage for conquest.

Sometimes, in those rare moments when the roar of gunfire subsided, you pressed a trembling servo against the chamber of your life spark and wondered: when did surviving stop being living?

And yet, cruel as that reality was, it had never completely extinguished those luminous fragments that could give you a fleeting hope or a brief glimmer of joy. Perhaps it was precisely these tiny moments that fueled the urge to continue: the idea of ​​finding someone with whom to build a sense of home.

Between one battle and another, beneath the inexorable weight of rust and regret, there were sparks. Tiny, tenacious sparks of life that kept your already frayed threads from snapping completely. Simple yet precious images: the clinking of cubes during a sudden truce, Blurr's overwhelming enthusiasm as he healed you by recounting his latest races at a rapid pace, Jazz singing sweet Vosian ballads during his night shifts, his voice as velvety as molten metal.

And Ratchet.

Oh, Ratchet.

That gruff, brilliant doctor who didn't hesitate to grumble about "reckless glitches" while stitching up your wounds with surgical precision. The one who slipped an extra ration of energon into your subspace with a threatening comment: "Don't make me regret this generosity." Against all odds, that grumpy old mech had become your dearest confidant.

Visits to the infirmary had become something sacred: no longer just analyses and mechanical repairs, but brief respite from the war itself. Silent moments where the din faded, giving way to the comfort of trust. In those moments, you could confess your fears of failure, laugh at the absurd rules Prowl had broken, or simply listen to Ratchet's reassuring muttering as he pretended not to notice you were stealing his best thermal blankets.

Ratchet wasn't just your doctor.

He was the brother your spark had chosen as its most precious support.

He had become your silent refuge, that place where you could let your guard down without fear.

The doctor truly listened to you, attentively and with a presence you could almost feel. Every now and then there was an abrupt interruption— an irritated mutter, a sharp rebuke—but even those sharp words held a strange care. Behind his irascible facade, there was always something deeper. At the end of his outbursts, your tired smile would meet his quick gaze, and he would whisper something, almost affectionately, while looking at his data pad.

He was the perfect embodiment of the war medic, hardened by time and battle. He snarled sternly at everyone, stubbornly maintaining the pretext that your nightly exchanges in the infirmary were merely "post-op checks." But you knew the truth. You saw how his force field relaxed as soon as he sensed your presence, or how his hands moved with an unexpectedly gentle touch as he tended to your wounds.

To others, he was made of sharp edges and a fiery temper.

But to you?

To you, he was a mech shielded behind rough armor, while beneath it lurked a fierce and stubborn empathy.

You often wondered how different your life would have been if you had met him earlier. Perhaps, if your paths had crossed in a less war-ridden time, before rust had dulled your spark and battle protocols had indelibly marked your peaceful nature, everything would have been different.

But fate loves paradoxes: it had granted you Ratchet, a friendship that soothed your wounds, while also preparing you to underscore how precarious the balance you were trying to maintain was. Because while you were finding peace, a tsunami was about to arrive that would shatter everything.

Hot Rod.

An explosive entrance, like a supernova wrapped in gleaming red and orange armor, accompanied by disarming swagger and bravado. With his dazzling smiles and irrepressible energy, you'd initially dismissed him as just another young recruit, destined to be consumed too quickly in that endless war.

You'd followed the script: the formal greeting, a few words of welcome, and that sense of obligation tied to Autobot solidarity. Then you'd returned to your priorities, assuming he'd blend in with so many other faceplates destined to fade into the shadows of the conflict.

Except that Hot Rod hadn't vanished.

Somehow, between snacks of energon and night missions side by side, he'd managed to insinuate himself into the confines of your existence. His crazy stunts infuriated Ratchet, but beneath that brashness lay something rarer: a contagious joy. You'd been amazed by the way his hind wings twitched every time he laughed heartily.

And then there was the way he looked at you, the way he treated you. There was neither pity nor calculation in him.

He himself saw you for who you truly were, with a disarming purity and an almost sacred respect for the scars you bore inside and out. Those marks didn't push him away; on the contrary, they seemed to have drawn a map that he followed with care and attention.

How had that impulsive and ardent young mech managed to carve a space for himself in your spark? How had he overcome every barrier you faced almost effortlessly?

This was the question you kept carrying with you, even though you already sensed the answer: some encounters are destined to change everything, even when you don't seek them.

You couldn't help but notice. You had foreseen a thousand scenarios, but you never imagined that Hot Rod would invade your life with such force.

He was a storm. An unstoppable force that insinuated itself into your personal space with questionable motivations and dramatic declarations. "Hey, I thought you needed some support!" (When, in reality, you were just refueling). "Your tactical strategy is essential for this mission." (Which turned out to be a simple supply mission). He was always your assigned partner, appearing at every briefing with that strange energy. Every time you entered the room, his little wings fluttered with an enthusiasm that almost made you smile. It was obvious.

And yet…

It worked, in ways you would have called unlikely.

On the battlefield, he was ferocious, fighting as if this were the moment he'd been waiting for his entire existence. Off the battlefield, however, he became a constant provocation: he stole energon with a scoundrel's grin, he mocked Ratchet's lessons, he approached as if the distance between you was unbearable for him.

You never had a chance.

His fire, bright and restless, should have kept you away. Instead, it managed to unfreeze something ancient and forgotten in your spark. Every mission together, every exchange of words, every glance of his as if you were the center of his universe, Cybertron included…

And so, your defenses crumbled. And your guard lowered.

You found yourself experiencing an emotion that war had stifled for centuries. And when he finally touched your servos with his, in the dim light of the ship's corridors—without masks, without false justifications—you didn't resist.

Against all logic and against every survival instinct…

You allowed him in.

Hot Rod didn't just look for trouble: he craved it like an ancient, lost promise. And you were systematically drawn into his orbit. Rarely by your own will, much more often out of necessity and sheer exhaustion.

The latest of his ridiculous motivations? "It's not risking safety, it's field research! The Earth's tectonic movements are fascinating!" A justification that more often than not led to having to save him from collapsing caves or the wrath of local authorities.

Then Daniel arrived.

That little human caught Hot Rod's spark as only someone with pure instinct and curiosity could. From that moment, your chaotic duo became a trio: Hot Rod's reckless ideas found a new partner in Daniel, and you had to become the logical brake on both of them.

You were the scale that brought balance to Hot Rod's follies. The stop to his instinctive outbursts.

When he launched headlong into one of his brilliant outbursts—you intervened with barely a optical ridge.

"Absolutely not."

And him? He smiled in that irritating way, as if he'd won anyway.

Because, beneath the jaunty facade of someone who fears nothing, he needed you. More than he would have been capable of admitting.

He needed the calm your presence instilled in his electromagnetic field.

The reassuring warmth you radiated when Daniel fell asleep curled up against you after long explorations.

The unspoken truth was that this bond, this reckless, radiant bond, was the closest thing to a little family.

And maybe…

Maybe it could have been something more, between you and the mech.

And as if a magic word had been spoken:

Hot Rod burned inside, consumed by that tormenting, stubborn glow that lit up in his chassis every time you laughed at his jokes or placed a servo on his shoulder pad.

The feelings had hit him suddenly, like a wild meteor: inevitable, overwhelming, painfully obvious to everyone except you.

He was completely in trouble.

He'd never feared rejection before. Never. Yet, this time was different. You weren't just a battle buddy or just a charming femme he'd met by chance. No, you were his constant in a universe of chaos. His reliable shoulder, the presence that kept him safe when everything around him imploded. The femme who was always by his side throughout the war, the one who prevented his most reckless decisions.

And yet, the idea that your (O/C) otpics, always filled with warmth and affection for him, could turn cold—was it disappointment? It was an unbearable thought, a torment worse than any shot fired by a Decepticon.

So, he hid those feelings. He buried them under a mountain of cocky smiles, over-the-top jokes, and that irrepressible, carefree camaraderie.

Even though it tore him apart, he swallowed every unspoken word, letting the static-filled confessions remain trapped in his intake.

He would rather go offline than jeopardize the precious bond you shared.

Daniel, with his young, sharp soul, didn't seem convinced. He shot him meaningful looks that clearly screamed "Tell her everything, now!" like a marquee with dazzling and repetitive flashing lights. Even Ratchet had grown tired of the obvious denial and had taken to muttering "Idiot" whenever Hot Rod too casually offered to cover shifts with you.

But you… you remained tragically, beautifully unaware.

Every slight contact between his armor and yours? Just "a friendly bump."

Every glance that lingered on you longer than necessary? Of course, "just to check for damage."

Every time he changed his patrol schedule to have the opportunity to work alongside you? Well, obviously to "foster teamwork."

And those stifled growls that escaped him when someone dared to hurt you? Pure protective practice on the battlefield. Nothing more.

But what tormented him most was a cruel, inescapable certainty: he would have been willing to endure an eternity of unfulfilled hope just to have you by his side.

Your old companion Arcee was the first to read between the lines: she had it all figured out. It was evident in the constant attention he lavished on you, the moments stolen just to be close to you without saying too much, his constant, unstoppable presence. You didn't even need to decipher his circuitry to know that Hot Rod was madly in love.

Of course, she had her own beliefs: she was absolutely certain that, sooner or later, those feelings would be reciprocated.

And so, she smiled slyly when she good-naturedly teased you about your walks together, calling them little romantic dates. And every time, despite the obvious embarrassment evident in your awkward gestures and your trembling voice, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and of course, as expected, you would reply:​​ "Arcee! It's not… it's not like you say!"

But no matter how much you tried to contradict her, her laugh, full of sly wisdom, was impossible to ignore. And perhaps… a part of you felt that Arcee wasn't entirely wrong.

Arcee's teasing finally opened your optics to the dedication Hot Rod had always shown you. Despite your clumsy attempts to overlook and downplay his gestures, he continued to seek you out with an almost disarming persistence, attributing them to a completely different meaning.

As time passed, however, you could no longer ignore the signals your very being was sending you, clearer than ever before. Those sensations you initially thought irrelevant—the particular flutter in your metallic stomach when he was around, the stinging melancholy of his absence, or that warmth that seemed to touch every fiber of your being when you felt his presence—began to paint an emotional picture impossible to ignore. His laugh became a familiar melody, his light-hearted jokes a comfort, and his affectionate gallantry a safe haven. Beneath that mask of bravado and impetuosity, you discovered, step by step, a genuine soul: a perfect partner.

In small steps—hesitant and timid, like those of a child venturing into the world—you delved into the unknown territory of what you were beginning to feel. It was as if you were both prisoners of a sweet silence: you wanted the same thing, but fear held you back. He feared that confessing his feelings would jeopardize the bond we had already built; You feared that admitting your feelings would undermine your primary purpose. That ambivalence was almost poetic in its irony… if only it hadn't been so painful to bear.

Around you, however, no one was blind to what was happening. The entire crew had noticed the obvious tension. Sideswipe amused himself by keeping track of the "overly obvious glances," while Ratchet, exasperated, muttered threats to physically weld you together "just to put an end to this ridiculous cosmic charade."

And then there was again Daniel, your most ardent supporter, the self-appointed cupid of your situation. That boy wouldn't rest until he got what he wanted. With the elegance of a tornado and the determination typical of his age, he began meticulously creating "random" opportunities to get you two alone again. He dropped increasingly unsubtle hints, sometimes going so far as to literally place you side by side.

"Talk to each other! Now! I don't want to lose my hair from stress because of you two!" he would blurt out dramatically, his hands planted on his hips like a general in battle gear.

And yet, despite the little boy's efforts, the unease between you and Hot Rod grew. Each silence was further burdened by unspoken words, leaving you trapped in a complicated emotional game.

Even the peaceful fishing trips you had imagined as peaceful truces with Daniel ended in a chaos of clumsy attempts at matchmaking. The boy insisted on getting you closer to Hot Rod, even physically straining in his clumsy attempt to move you in his direction, only to end up hopelessly exhausted and flushed. He always gave up after each failure… but never definitively.

And yet, you found it incredibly sweet. Even when you knew his plans were doomed, you couldn't help but giggle at his childlike dedication—a contagious, genuine enthusiasm. Secretly, you were grateful for his intervention.

Even though each time it ended with you occasionally stealing glances at Hot Rod.

This turn of events, however, didn't discourage the young human in the slightest. In fact, it only seemed to encourage him further!

Daniel's antics continued with unstoppable theatricality. Exaggerated hand gestures, suggestive glances, and unbearable, strategic silences hinted at scenarios that plunged you into embarrassment.

Every time he mimed a kiss or made references to a possible passionate moment between you and Hot Rod, you couldn't help but widen your eyes in surprise, as the heat of embarrassment swirled through your circuits. You shook your head fervently, trying to hide your face behind the servos, but Daniel's giggles reached you relentlessly, accompanied by Hot Rod's worried glances as he watched in silence.

Fortunately, before the spiral of hilarity escalated beyond all bearable limits, Daniel quickly explained, easing the tension and sparing you further torment, though he could do nothing against the prolonged heat that seemed to pulse through your circuits, almost as if marking the center of your emotional distress.

Sure, Daniel's pranks could veer into irreverent mischief, but you could never harbor genuine resentment toward him. In his awkward, childish way, he was only trying to fulfill what he clearly saw: the obvious desire burning between you and Hot Rod. He knew, perhaps even before you did, that you were meant to be together.

You couldn't deny it… you longed for that connection with every fiber of your being. You felt something in him complete you in the most natural way possible. His absence created a palpable void, and then your processor retreated to memories—the gentle touch of his servos, how your structures seemed to fit together perfectly every time you drew closer.

Increasingly vivid thoughts took shape within you, painting an increasingly intimate dance between your mechanical bodies. In your fantasies, you felt the touch of his servos envelop you with sweet security as desire played its part in a personal theater. In those moments stolen from reality, you seemed the only inhabitants of a universe suspended in time, as if driven by the invisible threads of an ancient and timeless instinct.

In his gaze, you found your reflection and an unspoken promise. The bond you imagined was born with such intensity that it seemed real—and yet it wasn't. And that thin line between dream and waking terrified you. You knew the enchantment always risked fading under the weight of reality, brutally dragging you back to the relationship that hadn't yet blossomed.

In the end, you decided to abandon yourself to that secret sin. It was just a thought, a fleeting moment bestowed by your own conscience. A discreet luxury that you let happen without resistance. Perhaps it was wrong to take refuge in this corner of your processor, but for now… it was all you could have.

Time seemed to stretch out, slow down, as your optics met in a silent whirlwind. The burning blue of his optics blended with yours, veiled by the shadows, creating a nuance that had never existed before, unique and fleeting like the moment itself. The air vibrated with an energy.

Almost tangible, and every slight reduction in the distance between you triggered shockwaves that coursed through your circuits.

She held every movement in the air vents, a moment of static and suspended. You responded hesitantly, a mechanical gesture that broke into uncertainty.

Your hand finally moved, with uncertain but decisive mechanisms, tracing the path of the cables that decorated the line of her neck. Every movement was serious, every tiny click measured and charged with meaning. Then, like an invisible current, her electromagnetic field intertwined with yours: a web of waves forming impossible patterns, pulsating with desire and vulnerability in equal measure.

Now you were so close that even your cooling systems recognized each other's presence, unconsciously synchronizing. Metallic breathing and fans moved in unison, a harmonization that required no consent.

It all came down to that moment, that perfect singularity: the gentle scrape of metal surfaces, the scent of the ionized air suspended between you, and the imperceptible advance of its coatings toward yours…

Closer and closer…

And closer still, until his metallic skin began to touch and…

"LOOK OUT, BOY!"

Kup's powerful, piercing vocalizer abruptly interrupted your train of thought, like a tear in already taut fabric. Despite the mech's advanced age, its tone still rang through the air with surprising vigor, a call impossible to ignore.

You tried in vain to remember the moment you had left the icy waters that had welcomed the previous battlefield. Now you were camped on a desolate stretch of this unknown planet, but your mind was still caught in the chaos of recent events, too overloaded to process everything that had happened.

A barren and hostile horizon opened before you: a landscape of cold, angular steel, almost artificial. Each metal structure stood alone, austere and featureless. No sign, no indication that could offer comfort or direction. Instead, those metal monoliths stood like impassive sentinels, amplifying the sense of isolation. Yet despite its brutal coldness, the place exuded a strange allure. A raw, inexplicable beauty that held you captive, almost hypnotic.

Your optics scanned the horizon enclosed by that alien landscape, wavering between fascination and instability. Silence reigned supreme, accompanied only by the faint whisper of your internal connections and the wind brushing the metal lines. Every corner seemed simultaneously empty and filled with latent threats.

There was no comfort in that inhospitable expanse. Every object could be a hiding place for enemies, every shadow a potential trap. The data processed by your tactical systems painted a bleak reality: with Kup fatigued from previous battles and Hot Rod busy tending to a wounded comrade, you were perhaps in the most vulnerable position possible. The unknown weighed like an invisible threat on your newly established camp.

And as your sensors began to unleash a confusing barrage of information directly on your HUD, your anxiety grew: "Lifeform detected: multiple contacts." Yet, what your optics perceived was different: absolute stillness. Neither movement nor visible signal betrayed the presence of anything or anyone. Something wasn't right. Invisible? Underground? Or, simply…

Were they biding their time?

A cold shiver ran through you, all the way to the main circuits. That insistent flashing of the red alert on your display wasn't the result of paranoia: it was experience, instinct honed through centuries of incessant conflict. Every fiber of your metallic being knew it.

Primus… don't let this be an ambush.

"Finished. Now you can move."

Hot Rod's words suddenly caught your attention, and you turned to him, noticing a faint sense of relief in his voice. It was clear he'd done all he could, despite his limited abilities.

You approached slowly, allowing yourself a brief respite from carefully analyzing your surroundings. Your investigation, though rapid, hadn't yielded any significant clues for your next task. You decided to ignore, at least for a moment, the incessant warnings coming from your HUV field, even though they persisted like an annoying alarm that was hard to ignore.

*CRRRK, CRRRR…*

Kup's movements resembled an off-key symphony of moving metal: every joint protested like a hinge forgotten beneath the rust of vorns.

Once your visual inspection was complete, the old warrior began testing his newly repaired limbs. Each step was accompanied by a metallic groan, so much so that calling it a limp would almost have been a polite compliment.

Your attention was drawn to the veteran's stiff movements, your gaze alternating between his battered structure and Hot Rod's now visibly tense, almost defensive expression.

"Are you sure you haven't forgotten something?" the veteran asked skeptically, letting his doubt shine through clearly in his question.

Hot Rod's shoulders pads trembled briefly, rising in its now habitual gesture of impatience. "Look, I'm no Ratchet," he replied with a half-snort, "but I have enough knowledge to—"

He didn't finish his sentence. A loud creak interrupted him as Kup moved hesitantly, teetering like a tower on the brink of collapse during a storm. Each step wrung new grating sounds from his weak joints and testified to the young mech's technical improvisation. Yet, step by step, the old soldier managed to stabilize his movements and regain—albeit with difficulty—some semblance of balance.

"Hmph. So for a job like this…" Kup murmured with a hint of surprise in his vocalizer. Then he gave a stern but strangely heartening smile. "It wasn't your worst project, kid."

Hot Rod's optics brightened slightly, as if that faint approval had ignited a spark within him.

"Are you serious?!" he asked with almost childish enthusiasm. The plates of his faceplate lit up with such sincere hope that an involuntary chuckle escaped your dermas before you found the strength to stifle it.

It almost seemed like his optics had brightened for the briefest of moments as he lowered his gaze and tried to suppress a smile. And then you could have sworn: he'd coughed for a moment just to hide his embarrassment.

Primus… it was strange to notice, but when you laughed, you seemed to glow.

That crystalline sound seemed to melt something deep inside him, shaking away everything that was rigid or armored like only metal can be. He wanted to immortalize that laugh forever: the serene light in your optics and the vibrant sweetness of your electromagnetic field. Something to cherish in his most precious memories and replay in his darkest moments.

But that joyful moment quickly faded. You reset, knowing that neither Kup nor Hot Rod would take the next step without your clear direction.

"Yeah, and you did—"

"So, guys," you said in a studied, light tone, placing your servos firmly on the broad shoulders of both your companions. "Instead of sitting there like rusting wrecks…"

Your HUD pulsed incessantly with a clear warning: HEAT SIGNATURES DETECTED - MULTIPLE CONTACTS. Though your sensors had just confirmed it, your instincts had picked up on it long before.

"Why don't we explore this place? We're not alone. The faster we explore, the faster we'll get out of this heap of rubbish."

Kup nodded decisively, Hot Rod's engine roaring briefly in approval.

"Then let's get moving." Kup ordered, transforming you without hesitation into his alt mode, followed immediately by Hot Rod, and then you, transforming into your sleek alt mode, a [A/F] [C/A], the Autobot symbol glowing brightly under the alien sun.

Without wasting a second, both you and Hot Rod followed Kup at full throttle toward the sinister watery pit ahead. The strange hue of the liquid forced your optical sensors to calibrate quickly, but it was nothing compared to the tumult stirring in your display's projection. The heat source you were monitoring was growing with worrying intensity.

Hot Rod was the first to voice the uneasiness creeping through the air. Your concern was palpable, vibrating strongly in his electromagnetic field. "Are you okay?" he asked repeatedly, his vocalizer tense. "Are you sure you can make it? We can always turn back, you know."

You repeatedly refused his invitation to retreat; no slight anomaly in your sensors would stop you. It was a matter of principle: proceeding was the only option. But as you were intent on your scan, an anomalous movement in the yellowish fluid caught your attention. The slimy, dense surface rippled ominously, as if animated by an alien force.

"Boys…," your vocalizer came out just before a violent interruption cut off the words. Sharkticons emerged from the water: dozens, perhaps a hundred, their towering mechanical bodies and jaws gaping with uncanny precision, moved by flawless hydraulics. Your combat training kicked in instantly: every fiber of your being demanded immediate action.

But Kup was even quicker. His arm pinned you down like a perfectly placed steel bar.

"No hostile gestures, I'll give them the universal salute now," the old warrior stated firmly.

Your servos poised to draw your weapons if necessary, you were ready for action. You knew that even the slightest provocation from those toothed monsters would unleash chaos. And if that happened, you already knew one thing: you would make this planet a graveyard littered with their mangled metal limbs.

Hot Rod hissed, his gaze quickly shifting between Kup and the surrounding Sharkticons. His arms were shaking, too, torn between combat readiness and disorientation at the old mech's unpredictable tactics.

Meanwhile:

Kup muttered with his usual gruff calm, his lined faceplate taking on a look of unwavering determination. "Calm down… I'll have them all in a moment."

You exchanged a glance with Rod, a silent understanding between the two of you: the plan seemed written by the hand of disaster itself.

You'd seen it coming, of course. An innate talent for anticipating disaster.

"Great idea, Kup." You accentuated the sarcasm in your tone as much as in the exasperated look you gave him, powerful enough to chip away the soot on his armor.

Inevitably, the Sharkticons reacted exactly as you'd imagined: hostile to your intrusion on that desolate world. Understandable, so far. But the level of aversion that ensued? The decidedly less justifiable one.

And so there you were: tethered by strange contraptions, poised on the brink of a very likely encounter with the Spark itself, should the situation escalate further. All because someone—and it wasn't hard to imagine who—had thought it a good idea to attempt to fraternize with those ravenous, predatory, fish-like creatures.

Kup could only shrug in vague apology as the whole situation spiraled toward accelerated galactic disaster.

You glanced around discreetly, analyzing the environment in a desperate attempt to figure out an escape route. Your processor churned out calculations in rapid succession, only to leave you faced with a bitter truth: there was no real chance of getting out of there. The Sharkticons continued to move, circling you like predators, like rust-hungry mechanical vultures. Their irregularly sharp teeth gleamed menacingly under the oppressive light of this unknown structure.

Probability of escape: 0.0001%. That was already optimistic.

Exceptional. Truly exceptional.

All the while, snippets of scattered conversations reached you: Hot Rod's unmistakable, irritated tone alternating with fragments of Kup's raucous, war-like tales. Another time, you probably would have enjoyed decoding every nuance. But this time, your processor was overloaded: anxiety and the goal of survival dominated more than 98% of your processing power.

You felt the throb of that restriction around your frame, an unfamiliar energy making your HUD flash ominously. Whatever was considered "justice" on that miserable planet, you already knew you'd experience it firsthand before anyone else.

Hot Rod sensed your growing nervousness, leaning closer to offer you silent comfort. For a moment, your magnetic fields fused, but it wasn't enough to completely dissolve the tension. Still, his mere presence was enough to give you a sense of security, even in that extremely dangerous situation.

There was something about Hot Rod, a kind of natural reassurance, like a warm herbal tea in the freezing cold: he brought calm in the most critical moments. It was one of his many qualities you'd learned to notice and appreciate over time.

Just before entering that oppressive facility, you'd offered him a brief word of encouragement, almost a whispered conversation, more for yourself than for him.

His murmur barely broke the suffocating silence of the prison: "We'll make it, I promise."

You searched his faceplate, searching for something, and for the first time, you found not the usual arrogance, but only a fierce determination that seemed ingrained in every line and crease of his expression.

"I'd like to believe so," you replied in a low vocalizer, as your HUD continued to project increasingly depressing statistics and escape forecasts. "But I've searched every single vent and crawl space: there's no way out here. Unless Primus himself intervenes…"

A heavy silence fell between you.

Then Hot Rod's gaze fell on you. Those blue optics, glowing like sapphires, held a devotion that seemed to illuminate even the darkness of the prison. Even with the Sharkticons circling, watching you like predators waiting for a mistake, Hot Rod looked at you as if you were the very reason he resisted. As if you were the only presence in the universe worth protecting.

And for a moment, that thought was almost more reassuring than your captors.

The electromagnetic field emanating from him grew stronger. Stronger, until it crackled in the air. Then his vocalizer, a thread almost too firm and sharp, struck like a blade:

"If there are no options… we will create them."

You stiffened at the tone of his words. "Rod, what are you…?"

His reply was a deep whisper, yet charged with a primal force: "No one will be left behind." His promise burned in the air like a fiery brand. "Nor will he suffer what they intend to do to him. And no one…"

"No one will touch you as long as I'm here."

In that instant, the entire world seemed to disappear, narrowing to those two blue optics that shone incandescently in the darkness, like supernovae ready to explode. You had already seen many facets of Hot Rod: the irreverent Autobot soldier, the fearless explorer, even your greatest friend and companion. But this? This was pure resolve. That same imposing aura that made him your Hot Rod.

Thirty paces separated the doors of that place, a sort of tribunal, from the announced doom.

Thirty steps to hell.

Twenty-five paces away, a light brush: Hot Rod's servant had met yours, a brief but energetic contact, impossible to ignore. A sidelong glance confirmed the evidence: a light cobalt blush colored his faceplate, revealing an unexpected fragility.

At twenty steps away, you wondered: was it the fear of losing you that had driven him to seek you out? The way his digits lingered in contact suggested so.

At fifteen steps away, another brush, less casual.

At ten steps away, he grew bolder: his pinky hooked yours, seeking silent reassurance.

At five steps away, your resolve shattered. With an impulsive decision, you completely intertwined your servos with his, instantly sensing his startled gasp. His electromagnetic field responded with a burst of static—an inseparable mix of fear and exultation—while his digits trembled in their grip, barely concealing his emotion.

You didn't look away from your path, ignoring the Sharkticons' glances or Kup's vaguely skeptical expression with his raised optical ridge.

Zero steps. You had reached your goal.

If this was destined to be your last moment together, you would accept it without regret.

Then everything changed. The scene unfolding before you sent your circuitry into turmoil. You had seen horrors before as an Autobot soldier: metropolises reduced to ashes, soldiers blown to pieces by Decepticon cannons. But this? This was beyond any nightmare you could have ever imagined.

The Quintessons had transformed pain into entertainment.

Their "court" was a theater of macabre. A creature with five distinct faces loomed over the scene; it must have been their emperor.

"Guilty or innocent?"

The voice of another Quintesson was imbued with a false veneer of civility, its tentacles pointing to a terrified prisoner.

You arrived in time to witness yet another chosen victim.

The verdict was immediate:

"Innocent."

The death sentence was a mockery.

One of the tentacles activated a lever, and the floor beneath the prisoner's feet disappeared.

"NO—PLEASE—"

*SPLASH.*

As soon as the body hit the water, the Sharkticons attacked it with ferocity. Teeth snapped, metal ripped, and claws pierced armor like paper-thin.

From the Emperor came only acid laughter, but not from one face, but from all five.

With fear gripping your saprk, you understood the horrible truth:

It was a macabre spectacle, accompanied by feasting sharkitcons.

The eyes of the Quintesson, busy executing their victims, quickly shifted toward your group, a movement that caused a piercing silence to fall.

Inside you, you knew your turn would come. If not now, then soon. The Quintessons' evil was unbearable: their trials were nothing more than a pretext to feed their insatiable thirst for violence.

Before the entire scene could plunge you into desolation, Hot Rod advanced with determination. His compact body loomed over you, protecting you.

But you could tell it would be of little use. Those cold eyes had already sealed the group's fate.

"Cybertronians," echoed the Quintesson.

His commands were quick and merciless. "Take them to the cells!" Icy mechanical claws gripped your arms, leading you toward dark corridors.

And yet everything came to a sudden halt when the same cavernous voice spoke again.

"The Femme stays."

Hot Rod's engine roared furiously, and the mech's gaze hardened, a small fire burning within those blue optics you loved to admire so much.

"Like hell—"

Kup intervened immediately and gave him a small but firm blow to the side.

"Not now, boy," he muttered with a note of contained anger. He, too, was struggling with the idea of ​​leaving you to your fate. And you, too, had no desire to be separated from your comrades.

Your pedes dug into the floor, the plates gleaming in defiance, but the Sharkticons' relentless claws hadn't stopped for even a moment. They dragged you mercilessly toward the Quintessons.

"NO! LEAVE ME!" Your vocalizer sounded distorted, plagued by a static buzz, as you writhed desperately against the straps that burned your armor.

Across the room, chaos raged. Hot Rod seemed possessed, a whirlwind of rage and fear. His optics glowed a fiery blue, staring at you with burning determination.

"STOP!" Kup snapped, but his cry quickly died away as he was also dragged away.

In the burning chaos, Hot Rod's vocalizer roared in despair, cracked by fear and rage:

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

The scene shattered before your optics. The last image before everything disappeared was Hot Rod's frame, running toward you in a final, futile attempt to get you away. The restraints that limited his movements and ultimately rendered his efforts futile.

The last thing that left his lips was a ferocious scream, a vow of vengeance hurled with all the hatred your tormented heart could contain:

"IF YOU DO THIS, I WILL BREAK YOU TO SCRAP!"

And then only the piercing laughter of the Quintessons; their harsh sounds echoed cruelly through the air, choking your soul.

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The cell door closed behind them with a dull, metallic thud, a blow so violent it shook even your exhausted body.

In the freezing darkness of his prison, Hot Rod crumpled to the floor. His servos clenched into clenched fists, joints creaking with strain. He was overcome by an almost unbearable anguish.

He felt hopeless. Empty. Useless.

Beside him, Kup knelt slowly, his gaze fixed on the massive door locked before them, his processor already racing for a solution. When he met Hot Rod's burning gaze, his words were sharp but determined:

"We need a plan. And we need it fast."

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Around you, the Quintessons grinned mischievously. Their eyes shone with a sick joy, as if everything were just a macabre game to be enjoyed shamelessly.

Not that you hadn't tried before. Your pleas for release had fallen on deaf ears. Every attempt to free yourself had proved futile; the frustration of failure was a grip that prevented you from breathing.

There was no escape. It was clear now; the curtain was falling on your story. And the end loomed mercilessly.

Death would have been a liberation, a merciful gift compared to this torment.

You would have accepted with resignation even an explosion that shattered your structure, stripping away your spark with merciless cruelty. Anything would have been preferable to the oppressive yoke of their presence.

Even a final confrontation with a Decepticon would have been more dignified. Then, at least, you would have surrendered with honor, fighting to the end, loyal to your beliefs, just as your fallen commander had done. He had fought until his last sliver of strength. And you now? You found yourself there, burdened by the unbearable weight of surrender.

The idea of ​​voluntarily extinguishing your spark and embracing the quiet of oblivion flashed through your thoughts like a sudden bolt of lightning. But no, that wasn't what he would have wanted for you.

And it certainly wasn't what Hot Rod would ever have allowed.

The familiar shadow of his faceplate crept into your thoughts, rekindling the pain of your deepest regret. Incessant torrents now flowed from your vision, drawing irregular furrows on a now hard and scarred faceplate. Those once elegant and harmonious lines of yours were now deformed by the brutality of war, each scar a silent tale of suffering and struggle, each mark a memory etched by the inexorable weight of reality.

Perhaps the afterlife was the only place where you would find true peace. Perhaps only there, beyond the eternal din of conflict, would you finally be able to open your spark to him, without fear consuming every word before it could be born.

Fear.

That word resonated ever darker in your central processors. Once alien, it had now become a familiar and insidious presence. At first, it had been simply the timid shadow of an inexperienced individual; now it had transformed into the cumbersome companion of a weary veteran. Invisible to others, imperceptible on the surface, but all too real in moments of silent solitude, when its grip gripped you tighter than any enemy.

Fear had become a constant presence in your life, a silent yet relentless torment. It had opened your optics to a raw and merciless world, but in doing so, it had also extinguished the spark that once shone within you. It was no longer just a distant shadow whispering in the darkness; it was concrete, palpable, like the scars left on your structure by the battles you'd faced.

That same fear had forced you into silence, preventing you from expressing your feelings for the fiery mech. It incessantly reminded you that there was no room for feelings, not with the war devouring every moment of your existence.

It was a vice that tightened around your spark, mercilessly revealing the harshness of reality. You'd felt it inside you, cold and inescapable, growing in strength with every defeat, with every scar. And in doing so, that fear had shaped the control you exercised over your emotions, locking them in a cage while your feelings for the mech burned silently inside you.

You stood still, frozen, as she hissed in your audials: "You won't survive this war. There's no time to waste on dreams or distractions. Every bond is a weakness." And you, blinded by the naivety of the moment, had ended up believing her.

Yet, fear wasn't just cruel karma. It also carried a lesson—a warning you hadn't grasped until it was too late: every moment matters, and every bond must be cherished before time devours them.

Now all of that was in the past. It was already too late.

You knew he wanted to see you fight again, despite everything. But your inner flame had dwindled to a pile of dying embers, unable to find new life. Every spark within you seemed to be slowly extinguished, drowned by the darkness.

Lost in your thoughts, you almost didn't notice the small figure wandering through the shadows of that living hell.

Time was now an illusion. A prison within a prison. An eternity seemed to have passed since desperation had insinuated itself into your spark like an invisible bullet you couldn't dodge, weighing on you with an intolerable weight and dragging you ever further toward surrender.

Now you could feel it distinctly, that slow and inexorable fading of your inner light.

But what shook you most deeply?

You'd stopped fighting to keep it alive.

"Guilty or innocent?"

The Quintesson's hoarse voice shook you, tearing you from your thoughts. Always that same, unbearable question, repeated like an eternal condemnation. By now you knew every inflection, every pause designed to provoke anxiety. It was their game. A script you could recite from memory.

Meanwhile, you desperately searched for something to hold on to, something to ground you in reality and banish that nightmare. Yet, despite everything, a small spark of hope persisted in burning within you: perhaps this time it would end differently. But no, this wasn't a story with heroes and happy endings. This was just another chapter in the war, and war had no mercy..

The minutes ticked by densely, almost motionless, as you witnessed the absurd spectacle of the "trial." The Quintessons' faces rotated one after the other, until they stopped on one of those five.

The verdict arrived.

The words barely touched you, drowned out by the muffled, monotonous echo of your own pulse.

Another life slipping away.

Another spark extinguished.

"Innocent—"

The response was cut short: torn apart by a deafening roar. With a devastating crash, the wall of the cell room exploded inward, spewing a shower of debris and dust. Blurred shadows vibrated in the air, until two familiar shapes emerged from the smoke and chaos.

"Aye. We have some objections." Kup spoke with the solidity of a rock standing firm against the storm. His rifle still gleamed from the freshly fired shot.

"Yes. Different, indeed." Hot Rod's confident vocalizer accompanied the ignition of his vibroblade, its sharp light painting irregular flashes across his soot-covered structure.

The hysterical cries of the Quintessons surrounded you, their orchestrated order crumbling in a maddening storm. The Sharkticons roared in alarm as their masters' faces spun wildly, unable to regain control. But none of it mattered.

Not now. Not when they were there.

Not when that fragile spark in your chest had begun to burn again.

"SHARKTICONS, KILL THEM!"

At their call, the monsters leaped from the dark depths of the pit where they dwelt, moving with blind ferocity toward your two saviors.

"Boys!"

As if by instinct, you threw yourself into the fray without hesitation, your hands still gripped by the chains that immobilized you. Fear devoured every coherent thought, but it had no power over one thing: that resolve imbued with desperation and iron will. You would fight to save them—you would give your all, if necessary.

"(D/N)!"

Hot Rod's vocalizer reached you through the swirling chaos, cracked by a relief as intense as it was trembling with apprehension. His optics spoke louder than his words: you were still standing… you were fine.

That glimmer in his optics gave you new strength. Despite the raging chaos around you, you moved with almost dancing precision through the incessant attacks as Hot Rod responded with agile, precise strikes. Kup fired like a master gunner; each shot a reminder of his infallibility on the battlefield.

And now there were the three of you, surrounded by fury and screams. But for the first time in a long time, you felt that maybe—just maybe—you could actually win this battle.

The sharkitcons seemed endless, a never-ending wave crashing over you. You didn't notice the small tentacle of one of the Quintessons creeping up behind you. But Hot Rod saw it. Even as he slashed and dodged from all sides, he never lost sight of your position and was determined not to let anything happen to you.

Every second seemed eternal. When would the others arrive? Where had your other comrades gone? Kup wasn't in much better shape either: attacks came from all directions, and though he tried not to show it, the weight of the battle was beginning to take its toll.

And then the worst: the Quintesson's tentacle was ready to grab you and immobilize you completely, tightening around your still-cuffed body. But just before it could complete its movement, a sharp blaster blast cut it down. A furious, pained cry rang out from the cybernetic monster.

"You ungrateful little Cybertronians! We should have exterminated your insignificant race long ago!-" roared the Quintesson, his voice laced with rage.

He didn't have time to finish his sentence.

The thunderous sound of a door being forcefully smashed down instantly captured your attention. It was the same passage you had passed through moments earlier. This time, however, there were no new threats: what appeared at the entrance were familiar figures.

The cavalry had finally arrived.

They were the Dinobots, powerful and imposing. Without hesitation, they leaped into battle, quickly tipping the balance of the battle.

Amid the commotion, Hot Rod finally managed to reach you. Without hesitation, he pressed you against his sturdy, metallic body, radiating a familiar, reassuring warmth. You felt the deep, mechanical thump coming from his chest as your face rested against it. Your optics met for a moment the proud symbol of your faction engraved on his armor.

Then your gaze rose to his faceplate: serious and focused, ready to fight to the last breath. He was intimidating yet incredibly alluring at the same time. And there, amidst the chaos of battle, you found yourself thinking: how could he still be so incredibly handsome, even in such a situation?

Apparently, you had been caught red-handed. Hot Rod glanced at you quickly, accompanied by a small, sly smile, as if to ask if you appreciated the view despite the less-than-romantic atmosphere. You couldn't respond except with a slight blush, lowering your optics to the floor as if to avoid meeting his gaze again.

Your moment was abruptly interrupted by Kup's shouts:

"Boy, get (D/N) to safety! We'll handle this!"

"Got it!"

Hot Rod nodded decisively and, without hesitation, lifted you into his arms in classic princess style. The gesture only deepened your blush as you desperately tried to focus on something else… like, the need to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Inside, however, you were dealing with a whirlwind of emotions so intense it seemed unbearable.

If Hot Rod was nervous, he certainly masked it with much more ease than you, now reduced to a pile of awkward embarrassment.

Without another word, you quickly fled while the others took care of the rest. You hated leaving all the burden to them, but in that condition, you were certainly in no condition to fight, with your arms still tightly tied around yourself.

Hot Rod, however, knew exactly how to resolve the situation. And in fact, it didn't take long: after you had moved far enough away and found a safe spot to wait for the others to return, he immediately proceeded to release that rather uncomfortable restraint.

And fortunately, Hot Rod occasionally managed to keep you updated on the progress of the battle. For now, however, you were alone. You and him, just inches apart, engaged in brief, light conversations that nevertheless hid a growing awkwardness. It was tangible. You could tell by your gazes that lingered on each other for too long; From Hot Rod's almost imperceptible attempts to touch your hand; from the way his eyes carefully explored your delicate features.

There was even a moment when you caught him casting an almost hypnotic gaze at your derma; derma he undoubtedly longed to kiss. They looked so soft… and in his processor, he wondered what they would be like if he were to bite them gently. Just the thought was enough to make him feel the internal fans overheat. And you noted his agitation with a small, amused smile, which only deepened his embarrassment.

But the signs were clear, evident. And however subtle, they were enough to make you make a decision: it was time to risk everything.

"Hot Rod…" You called him in a tone that made the air around you vibrate. You almost felt shivers run through him as soon as you said his designation with that particular nuance.

Invisible sparks seemed to race through his circuits as his energy field desperately tried to get even closer to yours, even closer than it already was.

"Yes?" he finally replied, turning his helmet the other way, hoping to hide his burning cheeks. A futile but adorable attempt.

"That… that thing there… what is it?" you asked, hiding your intention behind a little lie. Maybe it wasn't the most sincere way to catch his gaze, but you needed it. You wanted him to look you in the optics, because only when he did did you feel fully understood, protected, and safe. It was as if the warmth emanating from his eyes was enough to make you forget all the fears and risks you were facing.

You were madly in love; with those blue eyes of his, so intense and gentle, yet filled with immense strength.

You loved him, you loved him more than you ever thought it was possible to love anyone. And now the time had come to prove it.

"What t—"

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Your derma fused with his in a gesture that seemed natural, as you deepened the kiss with increasing sweetness. Your arms, almost instinctively, slowly wrapped around his sturdy neck, and your optics closed gently, immersing yourself completely in the moment.

Meanwhile, Hot Rod remained speechless, a shocked expression plastered across his faceplate. A thousand conflicting thoughts flashed through his processor: was it all real, or just an illusion created by his mind to tease him once again?

All doubts were quickly dispelled when he clearly felt the gentle pressure of your derma against his, the warm intensity of your gesture, and the way your arms wrapped around him, making him want to get even closer.

And so he surrendered himself too.

The kiss deepened, more intimate. Your tongues intertwined delicately, as if they were kindred spirits who had always sought each other. For a moment, you almost thought you felt Hot Rod gently nibbling on your lower derma, but that only intensified the passion of the moment.

Without realizing it, you were straddling his massive frame. His larger hands had firmly settled on your hips, gripping them with unprecedented care and protection.

But just when the world seemed to exist only for the two of you, a familiar voice abruptly broke the spell.

"Hey! You two lovebirds!" a familiar figure exclaimed in an amused tone. A suppressed chuckle followed, while in his mind, Kup breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, one of you had found the courage to make the first move.

Even if at that moment, you only had one thought in your processor:

'Damn, Kup.'