FicWad

The day was quiet; perhaps too quiet, considering Cybertron was in the middle of a war. Nevertheless, it was a welcome change, and none of the Autobots intended to argue about matters. If anything, it gave them the chance to catch up with other activities which they had put aside in favour of laser guns and rifles.

That's precisely what Sideswipe and Sunstreaker did as well in the training facilities, deep in the underground city of Iacon. True, they were in the training grounds, but they weren't practising their aim or their so-called jet judo. No. This time, they took turns in standing with their back to their twin, then letting themselves fall backwards so that the other would catch them.

That piqued the curiosity of Bluestreak, who happened to be passing by on his way to his dorm. He stopped on his tracks and remained rooted on the spot, looking at the scene quite puzzled. He wanted to know what the brothers were doing, but he wasn't sure how he could find out. Though he was already two months within the grounds of Iacon, he was still considered new and he hadn't come to get all that well acquainted with the other Autobots; so he didn't want to sound too bold by asking.

On the other hand, Prowl did tell Bluestreak he should try to socialise. Everyone here were on the same side after all, so they had more things to share than not. And whenever Prowl put things that way, Bluestreak couldn't argue with or disappoint his mentor. So, mustering his courage, the gunner walked up to the twins and greeted them politely.

"Hey, Bluestreak!" Sunstreaker said, catching Sideswipe on time. "Good job with Starscream yesterday. That wimpy slagger never saw it coming!"

"Yeah, that shot on his caboose was excellent!" Sideswipe seconded, standing up.

"Oh... thanks, guys," Bluestreak answered, feeling his faceplate treacherously heating up. He couldn't tell them that he had actually been aiming for Starscream's wing. "You were great, too. I doubt we'll be seeing Soundwave and his minions in the battlefield any time soon after all the damage you did to them."

"Let's hope so," Sunstreaker said. "Those clowns just keep coming back for more as though they enjoy getting pummelled."

"Maybe they do," Sideswipe said. That was something that made the other two mechs chuckle. As soon as their mirth quietened down, the red warrior turned to the gunner, regarding him curiously. "So what brings you here, Bluestreak? Does Prowl want something?"

"No, no," Bluestreak answered at once. "I was just wondering what you were doing... if you don't mind my asking, that is."

"That's easy," Sunstreaker said. "We were catching each other before we hit the floor."

"Yeah, but why?" Bluestreak was getting quite confused.

"It's a matter of trust," Sideswipe explained. "When I let myself fall backwards, I show faith in my brother to catch me before I hurt myself and vice versa. Something that our creator made us do back on our first years after we came to be."

"So..." Bluestreak said, "... if you trust him not to let you fall, you can trust him in other things, like in battle?"

"That sounds about right," Sideswipe said with a nod.

"Plus, it's fun," Sunstreaker added. "Wanna give it a try?"

The first thought that crossed Bluestreak's processor was: Uh oh.

"I-I don't know about that," he stammered. "I mean, you guys seem to be better at it than I could ever be and... um..."

"Come on, Bluestreak," Sideswipe said, laughing. "It doesn't take that great a skill. You just fall and we do the rest."

"I guess," Bluestreak admitted. "But I'm heavier than you two. I don't want to crash you or anything."

The twins looked at the gunner quizzically.

"What?" Bluestreak said.

"I hate to break it to you," Sunstreaker said, leaning as though to disclose something quite important, "but you seem about the same size as us."

"Yeah," Sideswipe said with a shake of his head. "Now, if you had said that your doors would get in the way, then we could--"

"Well, there you have it!" Bluestreak exclaimed, snatching his chance. "My doors could scratch your chassis!"

Sideswipe grinned. "As I was saying: we could tell you that we've been practising with Smokescreen and we had no problems whatsoever."

Oh.

"Give it a try, Bluestreak. What is the worst thing that could happen to you anyway?" Sunstreaker said. "You do trust us, don't you?"

It was then that Bluestreak knew he'd been had. He couldn't refuse again, because then the twins would take it as a sign that Bluestreak didn't really trust them; and that was only half true. He wanted to trust the twins, but he wasn't sure that was the best way to do that.

/Socialise/, Prowl had said.

Bluestreak thought hard about that.

I guess that can be called part of socialising...

And besides, Sunstreaker was right. What was the worst thing that could happen anyway? They'd catch him before any real damage happened.

Right?

Here goes nothing.

"Okay then," he finally declared. "I'll do it."

"Great!" Sunstreaker said. "Just turn around, okay?"

"Right," Bluestreak said, complying. He looked over his shoulder, noticing that the twins had taken a few steps back to put some distance.

"Um... Don't you guys think you're a bit far?"

"No, it's perfectly fine," Sideswipe said.

"Are you sure?"

"Just look ahead, Bluestreak."

"Okay..."

But when Bluestreak looked ahead, he also noticed something else.

"This is a steel floor."

"Yes," Sunstreaker said, his tone sounding a bit suspicious. "What of it?"

"It's hard," Bluestreak said. "If... and I mean /if/... you don't catch me..."

"You saw us catching each other, didn't you?" Sideswipe reasoned. "Did either of us land on the floor?"

"No..." Bluestreak said half-heartedly.

"Then what makes you think you will?"

"I'm sorry, guys," Bluestreak said in frustration. "It's just that these are new doors and it took a long time for Ratchet to fix them for me and I don't want to see them ruined, 'cause that will make Ratchet angry and blame me for not taking care of them when he warned me about a dozen times and..."

"Primus, Bluestreak! Are you trying to catch up after being mute for so long?" Sideswipe exclaimed, taken aback by the sheer pouring of words. "Relax!"

Bluestreak stopped. "Sorry."

"Right," Sunstreaker said. "So you wanna go through with this or not?"

Not! Bluestreak's processor screamed. But he only uttered: "I guess."

"Then let go," Sideswipe said, making it sound as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

And it wasn't. Bluestreak could attest to that.

He shuffled his legs uneasily; then looked back at the twins.

"You guys still seem a bit far. Are you sure you'll be able to catch me--?"

"Get on with it!" the twins said at once, glaring at him.

"Sorry!" Bluestreak all but squeaked, and he looked ahead once more.

Okay... how am I to do this?

He closed his optics and recalled the twins' posture as they fell. He extended both arms and kept his legs as straight as possible. He swayed a bit in order to prepare himself. He mentally counted up to three and then, just like that, he felt himself falling swiftly towards the ground, waiting for the pair of hands that would break his fall.

"Sunstreaker... am I supposed to catch him, or you?"

CRASH!

"Oops..."

Let it be said that Bluestreak did learn to trust the twins after that.

Trust them to take him to the medbay and get his doors repaired.

THE END