CHAPTER SIX! YAAAAAAY!

Disclaimer: I do not own transformers. Period.

Freak No Longer – Chapter 6: Noisy Neighbors

Red Alert was deep in recharge, blue optics off-lined, his entire face lax, and his lips slightly parted, as he slept.

Inferno leaned against the wall, with a sigh. Red had finally gone into peaceful recharge. Despite the first two nights he slept without a problem, the memories seemed to just pop up out of nowhere. Poor thing seemed to have terrible nightmares.

He had been woken up to Red Alert crying his optics out three times tonight. He had spent most of it staying beside the younger mech as his horns had started sparking slightly in his distress and he had been sobbing harshly and verbally begging to be let go, like he was being tormented and harmed. When he had reached to hug and comfort the mech in pain though, he noticed that the young mech would back away from him and look at him with surprised and scared optics.

The older mech had almost forgotten that Red was not used to having a lot of mechs show concern and rarely got that sort of physical contact. He backed off a little, only rubbing his back reassuringly, until he fell into recharge.

The younger mech twitched slightly, before turning over in the comfortable berth, mumbling softly.

Inferno gave a small smile at the sight. It was almost like the young mech hadn't just had a breakdown from all those terrible dreams of the past.

Flicking the light off in Red Alert's room, he went back to his own quarters.

What Inferno woke up to next was the sound of something loud and nearly shaking the walls of his quarters. He fell off his berth from the force of the soundwaves from the wall with a grunt. Sitting up he stared at the wall with wide optics as a pulse continued from next door before he recognized the muffled, but still familiar Polyhexian song.

Oh Primus, Jazz, not this mornin'… Inferno silently prayed.

His neighbor Jazz, was an enforcer from Polyhex that transferred to work here in Iacon. He was a cheerful, outgoing mech and a good friend to many of the residents in this establishment. His only problem with having him as a neighbor is that when Jazz was awake in the morning, he liked to put on very loud music and wake up half of Iacon in the process.

As a matter of fact, his loud music playing had been put on restriction for a full deca-cycle since it was a public nuisance.

Checking the calendar, Inferno groaned when he saw that the restriction had expired today.

The fire fighter groaned, bonking his helm on the floor, before checking his chronometer.

It was early in the solar-cycle. Too early for him to be up just yet in his opinion. The firefighter got up with a groan and then forced his half awakened body to stand up and leave the room.

He didn't, however make it to the door that lead into his quarters.

Inferno was stopped by a high pitched screech that woke him right up and made him run back toward Red Alert's room. It chilled him down to his circuits before he snapped around on his pedes and ran back deep into his quarters to the mech he was currently taking care of, the music completely forgotten for the moment.

When he arrived, Red Alert was rocking back and forth on his berth with his helm in his servos. He was hyperventilating as the room was vibrating around him from the force of the music while his horns sparked hard on his helm, the hardest Inferno had seen them spark since he had met the mech. He had tears streaming down his optics as he tried to make sense of what was making the room shake.

The fire truck-former, worried and panicked by the sight, immediately went over to the young mech.

"Red! Red look at meh!" he had to shout over the loud music.

"Make it stop! Inferno please, MAKE IT STOP!" Red Alert was sobbing hard as the shaking room made him feel like he was in the cage that would be moved out when it was show time…when he….Red Alert whimpered as his digits clawed at his helm as he remember the jeers, insults and utter cruelty he had been subjected to.

Inferno grabbed the young mech's servos in order to stop him from hurting himself.

"Easy, easy now!" he felt the smaller red and white mech shaking in his grip and still taking fast and harsh intakes, "Red, c'mon, look at meh! Ya're safe, Red!"

Red Alert sobbed harder and harder as he tried to tune everything out. The tips of his horns only seemed to go brighter as he fearfully tried to break free of Inferno's grasp. He was frightened and anxious, believing he was back in his little dark cage that was being dragged out to let him be shone to the large and noisy crowds of the circus.

Taking in a deep intake to calm himself down and think as logically as he could, Inferno reached up and with a gingerly firmness, held the young mech's face plates and slowly turned them so that those wide, scared optics could see him clearly.

Inferno barely kept himself from wincing as the music continued to blast through the thin walls. He gently rubbed the side of Red's helm.

"Ya all right Red…it's goin' ta be all right…." He caressed the side of the bright red helm making sure Red Alert wouldn't attempt to look away from his optics.

"B-but..! The shaking, Inferno the shaking….!" Red grabbed the large mech's shoulders in a near denting grip and he was whimpering as more tears slide down his pearly white face plates.

He hushed the younger mech, holding him as close as possible to his body, "It's alright Red. Ya're safe here with meh now. Ah promise…" he remained there for a few more clicks, as the sparks began to dim until they no longer lit up. Red Alert's intakes began to calm and even out as the strong, protective arms of Inferno held him close and allowed the younger mech to listen to the beating of the kind spark beneath the glass.

When the younger mech looked up again his optics were dried of the tears that now stained the porcelain plating of his young face. He was shaking against him and whimpered softly when the music was still continuing to blast.

Inferno's jaw tightened as he tried to keep himself from growling out of concern that he would scare the young mech into another relapse.

"Red. Ah'm gonna go for a shot moment ta speak with mah friend next door. Ah promise ta come back and…."

Red Alert stiffened, once again his horns giving a small glimmer that alerted the rescue vehicle that he needed to be a bit more thorough.

"Red. If ya want meh ta stop the music, ya gonna have to let meh go out fer a moment and speak wit the mech next door. Okay?" He caressed the side of the young mech's helm again to try and calm him again before he would even think of leaving him alone.

He stayed there, one servo rubbing Red's helm gently, while his other one made soothing circles on his back. After a moment, Red Alert looked back up at Inferno with wide cyan optics.

"….p-promise?"

Relaxing while giving a gentle and kind smile, Inferno cupped the smooth face plates, "Ah promise Red, Ah'll be back before ya even realize…."

With a small sniffle, Red Alert nodded in understanding, but he curled up when the music grew even louder from next door.

Jazz didn't hear it at first. He was swaying his hip to the beat of his favorite mix of Polyhexian soul tunes. His friend Blaster had made it for him on his creation day when he was younger and every time he listened to it, he felt like it was his date of creation once again.

He was listening to it to celebrate the last day he would be restricted from listening to his music. The past few weeks had been torture on him as he was forced to wake up to the grey silence of earliness without anyway to help him through it since he was banned from playing music until now of course. He sighed and smiled as he moved to pick up his badge.

But then he heard it, the clanging noise of someone banging on his door. Immediately, he paused the song to make sure he was hearing it correctly before he went to answer it.

He hoped it wasn't the landlord. The last time he had fragged him off, it had ended up with his restriction of music.

When his door slid back he jumped back slightly when he came face to face with the stormy features of his neighbor old friend Inferno.

"Hey dere 'Ferno, whaddup?" he grinned in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

He realized had failed in doing so when Inferno, a normally good natured and understanding mech, looked like he was going to sock him in the face plates.

"Jazz, how many times do Ah have to tell ya that I hate it when ya play yer music too loud?" Inferno growled.

"Now Ferno, ya know my restriction is over now and Ah'm just celebrating a lil' bit!" Jazz replied, with a slightly apologetic and helpless look.

The fire truck's glare immediately caused his expression to change to one of fear.

"Jazz. Right now, I have a mech stayin' wit meh…"

Jazz perked up at the announcement, "Well, if Ah had known dat, I woulda played some Vosian love songs for yeh ta set de mood, heh-heh…"

Inferno narrowed his optics, "Not fer those reasons Jazz," he took in a deep intake. How should he go about this? Should he tell Jazz about Red and how he had gotten to be here? Should he just keep it subtle so Jazz got the message, but it didn't reveal anything until Red was more comfortable?

He looked at Jazz. Jazz, though he meant well, had a nasty habit of drinking high grade after he was working. And when he drank, he gossiped worse than a preppy femme at the academy.

Subtle it was then.

"The mech stayin' wit meh, ya see….Ah rescued him from an abusive lifestyle with someone who should have taken care of 'im," the grin on the enforcer's face plates immediately was wiped off at the word "abusive", "Ah'm tryin' to help him out and he's been havin' a tough time adaptin'. And yer music kinda….well…."

If it were possible Jazz went paler than his original armor plating.

"Aw mech, Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't know," he placed a hand on Inferno's shoulder, "Why didn't ja tell meh sooner?"

Relieved Inferno gave a small smile, "Ah was helpin' him settle in ta my apartment and forgot you liked ta play loud music in the mornin'…"

"Hey, no worries mech," Jazz patted Inferno on the shoulder as a show of goodwill.

Jazz felt slight guilt in his spark at the current situation he had been just informed of. As an enforcer, he has had to help abused mechs and femmes get out of their dangerous lifestyle with their abuser or abusers. To think the music he loved might have hurt the poor mech next door to Inferno.

The enforcer felt a bit of disappointment that he would have to be careful again about playing his music, but he would have to deal with it until he either sound proofed his walls or got a head set that would let him dance around to his spark's content.

Inferno returned Jazz's gesture, giving his shoulder a slight squeeze, "Good. Now, if you'll excuse meh, Ah gotta be headin' back to make sure he's okay."

"Ah-right, see ya 'round Ferno…"

"See ya round."

Jazz waved as Inferno left before he closed the door. He turned off his speakers with the music before he began to do a search on one of his data-pads for a good, workable sound proofing system to install. He really didn't want to cause the mech staying with Inferno any trouble if the music caused him to go into a relapse or freak out. He's seen enough of that at work and in some case, the victims went into a state of catatonia or worse killed themselves due to severe self-injury.

His musical noise wasn't worth the harm of an innocent mech.

GYAAAGH! I'm sorry for the very, very VERY long wait and if this appears rushed, again I am sorry! Ugh, I got side tracked and i need ideas to help me for the next chapter. Could you help me please? Review please.