#ugly stuff

To contextualize, here's a quick, undetailed timeline of their relationship. They've met and instantly hated each other, basing their opinions of each other on assumptions. It was only after they started working together under the Decepticons that they started respecting each other and realized they were more alike than they first thought.

The problem was, if they admitted their opinions had changed... They would be admitting they were wrong in the first place.... And the thought of apologizing was just ridiculous. So then, very maturely, they kept pretending they hated each other's guts, and in the present, where the story takes place, they're still keeping this charade going.

This sounds a little hopeless, but the basis of their relationship is that they're both people who desire to see themselves in their partner. It wasn't destiny (because that's boring), but it was sort of inevitable that they would gravitate towards each other. They do love people who aren't like them at all, but there's a moment of instant attraction when they realize how like-minded they are.

I imagine their first intimate moment was when they were left alone, and Hook looked at Bonecrusher, and Bonecrusher looked at Hook, and half an hour later, they were full of scratches and bite marks.

The most they talked about was that it was a mistake, not to be repeated.

So of course, they repeated it, a LOT. I think they internally acknowledge they feel attracted to the other (physical attraction at least), but pretend it's all an accident or that they didn't have anyone better to fulfill their needs with. The real problem is that they do NOT want the other Constructicons finding out, because it means they'll have to... Openly talk about it.

After Hook starts a relationship with Scrapper (yes, he likes the guy), Bonecrusher spends a LOOONG period yearning, because, well, Hook doesn't want to cheat on his new boyfriend. Until they go through the combiner process and all of their minds spill into each other. You may think this would force them to actually talk about these feelings, and not just that, but you may even assume this would force them to admit to themselves that they may feel more than physical attraction for each other.

Of course, since it's THEM, this only encourages them to keep this arrangement going as it was, with the caveat being that they get genuinely pissed and defensive when any of the Constructicons tries to touch on what they feel for each other.

The thing is, they're just too similar, and that's for the worse. They're both immovable objects. They're both afraid of change, of weakness, and of being vulnerable... Everything that acknowledgement of their relationship would bring. It doesn't mean their flings are devoid of meaning, but it does mean they are, at best, a band-aid solution to actual communication and, at worst, a refusal to be honest with everyone in their lives.