Multiple ratings within
Chapter 8: Blast Off and Cosmos III
Title: Lunch
Rating: PG
Summary: Blast Off comes to the lab
again
True to his word, Blast Off came to see
him the next day. Cosmos, back at work, was just putting away a
series of star-charts, when there came a crisp rap on the door.
Turning to see who it was knocking, the pyrenees felt his spark give
a little whirl as he faced the kittycon; grey optics focused on him
alone.
“I apologize for the interruption,”
Blast Off said, “I hope I am not catching you at a bad time.”
“O-oh, oh no,” Cosmos quickly
replied, wiping his servos on his lab coat nervously. He slowly
crossed the room, glancing in embarrassment at his messy office. “I,
um, I w-was just tidying up a little before going out for my lunch
break.”
The siamese cocked his helm slightly at
the statement, thinking for a moment. “Then, if you are favorable
to the idea, may I accompany you during your lunch?,” he asked, his
expression amazingly neutral. “In the most politest and friendly
respects, of course.”
The smaller mech had not thought of the
suggestion as a date, until Blast Off had added that tiny comment at
the end. Unable to stop the heavy blush coating his cheekplates,
Cosmos shyly glanced at the floor, playing with the buttons of his
lab coat distractedly. “I-i would appreciate the company very
much,” he answered, smiling foolishly he was certain. The autodog
was already excited at the prospect of having lunch with his friend.
Tipping his helm forward lightly in
acknowledgement, the kittycon crossed his arms behind his backstruts,
his deep gaze having yet to leave the pyrenees. “I am ready to
depart when you are,” Blast Off politely said.
Flustering in surprise, Cosmos quickly
turned around and padded for his desk, collecting his things and
mentally berating himself for simply standing around like some lost
puppy. Cheekplates aflame with his embarrassment, the astronomer
returned to his friend, silently following Blast Off out of the lab
and downstairs.
Title: Passion
Rating: PG
Summary: Cosmos has himself a
companion while works
“....I am curious,” the siamese
began, glancing up at the night sky above, “How does a study of the
stars count as science?”
Little clangs came from the autodog
moving about behind him busily. Turning around, Blast Off watched as
Cosmos set up his portable telescope; adjusting the tripod and
fiddling with little dials around the scope's circumference. “Well,”
the pyrenees answered softly, his attention spliced between the
kittycon and his calculations. “It does lend to the field of
science to a certain degree, simply because of the planetary changes
that can occur with various celestial developments. Solar flares,
black holes, gravitational pulls of large inter-stellar bodies....
Everything within the universe is connected, in a sense, and they
play off each other in ways that are both beneficial and, well,
chaotic.”
Cosmos paused in his explanation,
tapping away at something on his datapad, before glancing up at the
star-lit sky and adjusting the telescope's angle. “By keeping track
of the things that occur closest to us, we are then able to
approximate how our planet will be affected -whether that be through
weather, atmosphere, organic life.....,” the green mech continued.
“We are then able to take some precautionary action, depending on
the type of result a cosmic shift makes. As well, there are many
scientific advances to be made to medicine and the like through
discoveries in space. The universe is, forgive me saying, truly
magical in all sense of the word. What other body of creation do you
know of, that without any influence, grows, expands and unveils
another wonder of life beyond mortal engineering?”
“We may never fully comprehend the
universe, but by studying it, we are able to find new resources, new
answers, new molecular compounds and formulae that then aid us in our
own growth and development.” Cosmos paused, looking up from his
work finally and turning his passionate-lit optics to Blast Off.
“I-i'm sorry, I must sound a little s-silly.....,” the pyrenees
added, smiling self-consciously at the ground, “It's j-just that, I
love w-what I do and I'm a-afraid it's made me a b-bit of a fanciful
fanatic....”
“Do not apologize,” the kittycon
interrupted. Surprised, Cosmos looked up, finding himself pinned by
Blast Off's deep, penetrating stare. “Never apologize for being
passionate about something you care deeply about. Those who would
demand you feel shame for such things do not respect you, and they
are not worthy of your respect either.”
The autodog shuttered his optics at the
strong blend of words. For a moment, it fell silent between them
both.
“You do much good.....,” Blast Off
said after a klik, turning his optics to the stars. “You deserve
much recognition for your achievements.”
“T-they're...... they're not really
achievements,” the pyrenees shrugged, blushing, gathering the rest
of his supplies and stacking them together neatly for later. “I-i
mean, I d-don't do a-amazing things like o-our lead scientist
P-perceptor, I j-just watch s-some p-pretty stars.”
“Even watching 'pretty stars' can
impact a life.” Cosmos straightened up slowly, his spark pulsing
erratically beneath his chestplates as he faced Blast Off again. No
matter how many times it happened, he was still amazed to find those
thin, grey optics focused on him; staring deeply into the poor
autodog's spark, yet never judging, never weighing him. Just
merely..... almost.... connecting with him.
Clutching his datapad to his
chestplates tightly, the astronomer smiled shyly, interpreting the
simple statement as something else. Something secretly wanted. “I
suppose they can....,” the autodog quietly agreed. The siamese gave
a short nod in response.
Put at ease by the motion, Cosmos
turned back to his telescope, finishing up his arrangements and
settling behind the scope to complete his work for that night. Blast
Off seated himself on the grass not too far away from the pyrenees,
glancing frequently over his book's lip towards the merry mech as the
evening stretched on.
Title: Pretend
Rating: PG
Summary: His resolve is stronger
than his desires
Because of his promise, he had to
pretend.
Pretend that they were simply friends,
talking and seeing each other frequently. But just friends.
It was his punishment, the siamese
surmised, and his way of apologizing to Cosmos after having hurt the
astronomer so. He'd already made his verbal apologies, so all that
was left, was to show in his actions that he was sincere in what he
had said. He never wanted to hurt the pyrenees ever again, just as
much as he never wished to believe (or see) anyone being that close
with Cosmos.
It had been a miracle that the autodog
had even wanted anything to do with Blast Off after his horrendous
actions and so, the brown mech did not wish to make the same mistakes
again. It's why he had made a secret promise to himself to keep his
affections checked and veiled, so they would not upset the smaller
mech anymore.
But he could feel himself struggling.
Never had there been a challenge such
as this: to have the only 'bot he'd ever cared for so deeply know of
his feelings and yet, to not be allowed to show, share or even act
upon them. Sometimes, Blast Off almost broke his pact. Especially in
those moments when it was just him and Cosmos alone in the
astronomer's lab, discussing a range of topics, both fascinating and
engaging.
He'd been tempted to lean down and kiss
the pyrenees when his smiles had been the softest and his optics
bright stars in their own right.
Only ages old, beaten-in military
training kept him from doing so.
After all, the kittycon was only a
friend and this was how he promised to never hurt Cosmos again.
Title: Leaving
Rating: PG
Summary: Blast Off has to go
There came that familiar, sharp rap at
his lab door, before a series of near-silent pedesteps entered into
the room. Snapping a cog back into place, Cosmos quickly wiped his
servos off on a rag, walking around his ladder's platform quickly,
trying to see his guest around his massive telescope's girth. “Hello
Blast Off,” the autodog greeted cheerfully. “How are you doing
today? I'm sorry I'm so messy; I was fixing the -ooomph!”
In his haste to get back down the
ladder, the little mech tripped on the second rung, falling to the
floor. Before he even had time to panic, Cosmos was being scooped out
of the air and gently set back down on the ground. Blushing with
embarrassment at the kittycon who had caught him so easily, the
pyrenees tried to steady himself on his uncertain legs, staring down
at the floor shyly. “I-i.... t-thank you. V-very much. I....I would
not l-like to ponder w-what might have happened i-if you hadn't been
here to catch me.”
Blast Off did not respond to that, and
a little confused by the siamese's unusual silence, Cosmos looked up
from his pedes. He was not able to maintain optic-contact with the
other mech for very long though. “I-i probably s-should go c-clean
up then....,” the astronomer said, speaking aloud in his
self-consciousness. “I h-hadn't expected you to be h-here so early.
But it's fine. I-i made t-too much extra for my lunch today. If
y-you'd like, you a-are free to have some. We c-could sit in
courtyard and t-talk, i-if that's what you want. I d-don't-”
“Cosmos.”
The call of his name -the first word
spoken by the kittycon this orn- caught Cosmos' full attention. He
paused on his way to his desk, his lab coat folded in his arms.
“Y-yes....?,” the autodog hesitantly pressed, noticing the
stiffness about Blast Off's ears. “Is something wrong?”
Blast Off shuttered his optics, before
silently lowering his helm a tad. The gesture made the pyrenees spark
begin to whirl wildly, dread filling his fuel tanks heavily. Seeing
that his friend was working himself into a panic, the siamese quietly
strode towards Cosmos, kneeling to be more level with the green mech
as he gently stroked one of the plump cheekplates.
“I must leave for a few days,”
Blast Off answered blandly, confirming some of the autodog's worse
fears. The kittycon cocked his helm slightly as tears slowly formed
in Cosmos' optics; the smaller mech attempting to turn his face away
from his friend to keep him from seeing their presence. The brown
mech gently tipped Cosmos' helm back towards him though.
“I will return,” he continued, his
vocalizer a tad more defined as he said these words. His thumb wiped
away at one of the tears that fell in the autodog's surprise. “I
wished to inform you before I departed tonight. I did not want you to
worry.”
Even though this shocking news sent
periodical twinges of pain to his spark, hearing that Blast Off had
specifically come so as to spare the pyrenees the fright of finding
out the kittycon would be gone, a flash of warmth went through him;
starting first at Cosmos' pedes and blazing all the way to his
anxious spark. Touched, that's what he was. Smiling softly, the
astronomer quickly shuttered back the rest of his tears, looking up
at his friend.
“O-okay. Thank you for telling me,”
Cosmos replied, “I hope that your journey goes well and that you
come back safely.”
Grey optics shuttered slowly, before
the kittycon nodded and rose to his pedes again. “Shall we head
down to the courtyard?,” Blast Off prompted gently, reminding him
of the invite the autodog had given him before he'd spoken.
“O-oh! Yes!,” the pyrenees flushed
in remembrance, turning back to his desk and gathering his things
frantically. Smiling wryly -in both embarrassment and joy- Cosmos
padded back for Blast Off's side, allowing his friend to take their
lunch containers. They headed out of the lab together, conversing
softly with each other as they walked.
Title: Tension
Rating: T
Summary: Is it wrong to regret
leaving?
Two figures crept low through the
foliage, keeping out of range of twig and rock alike; using the
softly blowing wind as a cover as they tip-toed through the long
grass. The facility lied up ahead, surrounded by twelve-foot tall
electric fencing with barbed wiring along the top. Easy to get over,
if you knew how.
“What pathetic security these morons
got,” the lynx at his side sneered quietly. “Primus, it's like
they were sitting all pretty like, waiting for us to come and frag
them up the aft.”
Blast Off ignored the crude comment,
measuring the height of the fence, the distance to the nearest tree
and the approximate time between each guard rotation within in this
corner. No doubt they had motion sensors set along the inside of the
grounds to set off the alarms. Calculations done, the siamese headed
for the tree, scaling up and into its thick branches without any
sound. Vortex watched him for a moment, before he too slunk back
across the field and up the tree as well.
“What's wrong, Mr. Sour puss?,” his
younger brother grinned. “You seem a little tenser than usual.
What? You pissed that big, bad daddy sent you off on a mission with
lil' ol' me?”
Blast Off did not rise to the bait.
Thinking deeply, the lynx stroked at
his chin, his grin turning devious. “No.... no, that wouldn't be
it. You've dealt with me numerous times in the past; it means nothing
to a cold, hard killer like yourself. After all, you're a
professional,” Vortex cooed, a servo sliding sensuously over his
brother's arm. The older kittycon shook it off quickly, sparing a
quick, hateful glare in the other's direction. “No..... it must be
your little crush. Are you missing your lil' mechfriend? Do they know
you are here right now?”
The siamese said nothing, unstrapping
his sniper rifle from behind his back and pointing it toward the
facility.
The grey mech giggled in glee, as if
he'd discovered some secret treasure. “No, no he doesn't, does he?”
Vortex cackled, his fingers tip-toeing up Blast Off's back struts.
His brother unlocked the safety with a threatening snap. “Hmmm....
sounds like a pacifist,” he continued, unconcerned about his
well-being, even as Blast Off's aura grew darker, “Must be an
autodog. They always were such a weak, sentimental race....”
Vortex trailed off as the rifle gave a
small hiss of release; the only sign that a shot had been made.
Looking over Blast Off's shoulder, he saw the guard that had turned
into their corner of the compound crumple to the ground, dead.
Slinging the rifle back into its holster quickly, the siamese rose to
his pedes, climbing up higher, before leaping across the field and
over the dangerously buzzing fence. Vortex scrambled to follow,
grinning like a loon the entire way.
“I think I like this side of you,
Blasty,” he purred insanely, grabbing the corpse and dancing with
it to the facility's door. Blast Off said nothing as he ripped the
access card off of the dead mech's frame; swiping it through the
keypad before punching in the entry code. “You're much more fun
when you're all stressed out as you are. Concerned for your
life...... longing for your lil' puppy.....”
The brown mech yanked the corpse out of
Vortex's servos as they entered into the building, the door shutting
automatically behind them. He leaned into his brother's face, upper
lip component lifted slightly with a snarl. “You know what to do,”
he said lowly, reminding Vortex of their mission.
The red visor flashed giddily, the
younger kittycon pressing closer in return until their lip components
were almost brushing. “Of course,” Vortex grinned, his tone
lilting a little in song. “Don't fist yourself too hard now while
I'm gone.” With a quiet cackle, the lynx slid around his brother's
form, disappearing quickly down the hallway and into its inky
shadows.
Blast Off watched him go silently,
before glancing at his watch, double-checking the time mutely.
Title: Missing You
Rating: PG
Summary: He misses him more with
every passing klik
It was quiet.
Cosmos sat at his desk, shuffling
through his paperwork slowly, occasionally stopping and glancing over
his shoulder plating. He'd stare at the door to his office for kliks
on end, before he shook his helm and turned back to his star-charts
and calculations.
When a sharp sound echoed softly
outside in the hall, the pyrenees would perk instantly in his seat,
whirling around with his optics shining brightly in hope and his lip
components lifted in a small smile. But each time, there was no
kittycon standing at his door; no siamese walking into the room
quietly and greeting him.
He felt sillier and sillier with every
backwards glance.
Staring at the floor, Cosmos slowly
turned his chair back to the desk, shuttering his optics quickly to
keep the flood of tears at bay. He had thought he'd be alright with
Blast Off leaving for a few orns; thought that it was something
manageable for him to accept.
The autodog had not anticipated how
quiet and alone his lab would feel without the other mech's frequent
visits, or even how much his spark would miss his dear friend.
Title: Return
Rating: T
Summary: Blast Off makes his way
home
It had been a long journey. He'd
trekked several cycles through wild terrain, stowed away in the back
of a small shipment truck transporting frozen meat for a few more
cycles, before sneaking out at the nearest turn-off and spending the
next orn and a half hiking through low-level trenches and sparse
woodland back to Iacon.
And all with his insane brother by his
side.
By the time that Blast Off made it into
the heart of the city, he was worn down, a little dirty, more than
exhausted enough and his patience was waning quickly. Warm, dawn
sunlight pushed as best as it could around Iacon's prominent finance
district, spilling down onto the sidewalks and warming the beginning
morning traffic crowd as they went about, starting their business for
the orn. Vortex slipped off into the throng of passersby at the first
chance he got and Blast Off didn't bother trying to track down his
irresponsible brother. Onslaught would handle him, in his own time.
At the moment, the siamese was supposed
to be heading back to his sire himself, to inform him that the
mission had completed successfully and that they had the downloaded
data for their client. Blast Off was half-way to the subway, before
he suddenly changed course, and headed for the pinnacle of Iacon's
city hall that he could see from his position.
His aching limbs increased pace as he
got close and closer to city hall; almost jogging as he turned the
corner and saw the Science labs to his left.
By-passing front desk security, who
already knew him and didn't bother to stop the kittycon, Blast Off
took the stairs, climbing them quickly to the top level -Cosmos' lab.
He knew he was disobeying orders and he was certain that a punishment
would follow for not first reporting in..... but Blast Off didn't
care. A spark of rebellion bloomed under his chestplates, exploding
and roaring into an inferno. Onslaught could be upset with his son if
he wanted to be, but the siamese knew that the one who most deserved
his notification of return first was the very mech he'd been forced
to leave behind.
The kittycon slowed his pace just a tad
as he exited out onto the final floor, patting down at his dirty
shirt momentarily, before he continued briskly to the autodog's lab.
Blast Off didn't even bother to knock before he entered, for-going
his usual manners in his haste to see Cosmos. To see his astronomer's
lovely smiling face again.
Cosmos was just crossing the room
slowly, his helm turned down meekly and his arms laden with old file
folders. At the sight of the brown mech entering into his office, the
autodog gave a little yip in surprise, dropping all of his things.
Blast Off slowed to a pause at the unexpected reaction.
“B-blast Off?!,” the astronomer
whispered breathlessly. Trembling servos rose up to the pyrenees'
face, his optics filling rapidly with tears. “Y-you..... y-you're
back! I..... I-i t-thought.....”
Blast Off didn't wait for the rest of
Cosmos' words. Immediately, the siamese closed the last of the
distance between them, dropping to his knees and pulling the autodog
up into a desperate kiss. The green mech gave a muffled yip at the
sudden action, before his arms wrapped as tight as they could around
the other's shoulders; Cosmos half-crying into the kiss.
The kittycon hugged the astronomer to
him, breaking the kiss to plant warm, tender little ones all across
the pyrenees' face; a servo lifting and wiping away his tears with
his thumb. “I'm sorry,” Blast Off whispered in sincere apology;
his cold voice warmer, “I am sorry. About leaving, about surprising
you, about kissing you..... It was necessary that I see you first. I
needed to know you were okay. I could not resist.”
Cosmos shook his helm weakly, his
servos grabbing Blast Off's servo and squeezing tight. “I-i, I
d-don't mind,” he whimpered, looking up into the taller mech's
optics. “I.... I c-couldn't.... I w-was afraid....”
Though he knew it was selfish, the
kittycon kissed Cosmos again. He kissed him roughly, easing out the
pressure until it was almost feather-soft and keeping his mouth
molded tight against the autodog's, feeling slowly as all the tears
and anguish bled out of the pyrenees. Only when he felt Cosmos start
to relax in his hold, did Blast Off slowly break off their kiss,
easing back, optics fixed entirely on the green mech's and his servo
gently grasping one of the autodog's servos.
“To you, I shall always return,”
the siamese promised lowly, “For my spark longs to be near yours at
all times. And with you, it'll forever remain.... if you wish to have
it.”
Cosmos shuttered his optics in surprise
at the spark-felt words, feeling his own spark begin to pulse and
whirl anxiously. He couldn't believe that Blast Off was asking him to
be his mechfriend and making such enormous promises. This.... this
was all too good to be true! Slithering doubt pushed its way into the
autodog's helm, whispering to him in its coy, conniving voices.
Telling him that the kittycon was lying, that he didn't really feel
such things for the other. That he would fail on all of his promises.
But.... Cosmos thought, swallowing sharply, that wasn't true.....
Hadn't Blast Off promised him before he left that he'd return? Hadn't
he followed through with everything that he'd ever said, since the
two mechs had made up a few months ago?
The astronomer's optics flared brightly
as he realized this, his cheekplates darkening with a blush as he
turned his focus back to the waiting kittycon. This mech had once
told him that he loved him. He'd been hurt and jealous when he had
thought Cosmos was with someone else, and quietly left again rather
than interfere and hurt the autodog. Cosmos had been hurt greatly
though when Blast Off had done that, and he had never felt happier
than that orn when the siamese had apologized and they became
friends. Everything after that Blast Off did or said displayed the
sincerity of his spark and all the affections he still carried for
the smaller mech.
Feelings that Cosmos realized now that
he shared.
Smiling despite his optics quickly
filling with tears again, the pyrenees squeezed the kittycon's servo,
stepping closer to the surprised mech. “It feels as if I've waited
my whole life for you,” he whispered, reaching up and setting his
servos on Blast Off's shoulders. The brown mech leaned down a little,
pressing foreheads with the small autodog, looking deeply into each
other's optics. “I.... I w-want to share my spark with you as well.
I-if you'll t-take it.”
For the first time ever, Cosmos saw the
grey optics flare, and the barest hint of a smile tug at the
kittycon's lip components. “I accept,” he replied, taking one of
the astronomer's servos and kissing the back of it softly.
Spark pulsing with bliss, Cosmos
giggled a little, snuggling closer to Blast Off; happy that both his
feelings and this mech were returned to him.
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