Escalation. Pt 1

You're pretty sure this is a bad idea. A potentially dangerous idea, even. He's Motormaster, for Primus' sake! Stupid, viscious, sadistic punk who likes to beat his own gestaltmates. And still… You tap your fingers against your chin guard. Your glossa secretly sneaks out to steal a small lick. The barest hint of residue taste of his fuel makes your insides clench and knees tremble. Yup, this is a bad idea. You'll be in a lot of trouble when your trinemates find out that you've picked up your old addiction. On the other wing, trouble _is_ your middle name.

You step forward and intercept him at the energon dispenser. The grounder mutters something underbreath before really looking at you and stopping mid-word. You smile sweetly and ask about his wellbeing. It is your right to ask, since it was you who brought his leaking frame back to the medibay. He owes you big time. By the way his hand clasps the fuel cube he's holding, he's well aware of that. As he's aware of other optics now trained on him. You got him cornered and you both know it. There is no way he can shrug his debt off - not in front of his own gestalt team, not in front of other decepticons. Do it now, and there will be no helping hand next time you need it. C'mon, Motormaster, you know the rules.

You can see the scales being balanced in his optics. And suddenly indebted to Skywarp turns out to be the lesser evil. Granted, you are a glitch and famous for bringing trouble, but it's still nothing compared to being abandoned in need. Or even deactivation.

"Much better, thanks to you timely assistance", - he forces our and nodds.

You smile once again and squeeze past him to get yourself a cube too. He uses this moment to flee to his team, leaving you a faint smell of nanite gel and his fuel. Whatever you wanted from him, you'd have to ask in front of four witnesses now.

You smile to yourself. Stupid vicious beast of a con…

As you return to your own company, easily balancing three full cubes on one palm, you make sure to add just a pinch of fluidity to your stroll - enough to turn heads, not enough to whistle, and graciously land the cubes in front of your mates.

Thunder looks up sourly. He's got trouble recharging lately. Which, combined with a block out Starscream puts him through just because he can, puts the blue warrior in a progressively bad mood. You smile at him, refusing to share his misery, and plop on a seat beside to turn to watch your target.

Your gaze makes Motormaster nervous, you can tell. It doesn't mean much but it strokes your ego. So does his slight cringe when you catch up with the Stunticons when they are leaving and casually put your hand around his shoulder.

"You don't mind if I steal him from you for a while?" - that's not quite a question, and the rest of his team turn to stare at their leader.

Motormaster eases himself out of your grip: "Yes-yes, I get it. I owe you. Let's get this over with…"

Yeah, you wait till he openly expresses his gruff agreement before clasping his shoulder and warping him away.

***(POV change)

You knew this glitch was up to no good, but still the emptiness of a warp caught you unprepared. The absence of the ground under your pedes when you pop out of the void was even less expected. Only your superior battle protocols manage to react in time and you clasp at the seeker - clasp his pedes, since you're falling and he's hovering, and hold for your dear life. One look down and you clasp tighter making him gasp in pain. A strangely pleasant sound.

"Let me go you fool!" - he struggles, but you hold tight. There's no way you're gonna let go and fall all this way down into… are those clouds?

In a short while he understands that he can't shake you off an decides to communicate:

"Listen, you have to let me free, so I can transform. I will catch you," - your feet are dangling in the air, when he manages to bent down to pat your forearm in a reassuring gesture - a gesture that makes you wanna reap his hand off.

You make a distrustful "hmmpfh!"

"I will. Look, if I wanted you dead I could just stand back and watch you die. Motormaster!" - when he calls your designation, you tear your gaze from the cloudy substance below and focus on his smug flier face, - "I can't warp us all the way there, but I need to transform to fly us."

"All the way… where?" - you force out, still hanging.

His smile turns mischievous: "Where would be the fun if I told you ahead? You'll like it. I promise."

When you don't respond, he presses: "Wasting fuel now."

You consider your options. This here looks like a stand-still to you: "It's a lot of trust to ask."

His smile is cruel: "I know. But do you have a choice?"

"Okay", - you concede, easing your grasp a little, - "on three. One.. two…"

"Three!" - he finishes for you and kicks you off his peds. You scream, falling… and landing on top of a jet, that appeared out of nowhere to stop your fall.

You've seen this trick made to others - to Megatron himself, even, but never to you and you are grateful there is no one around to see you falling clumsily on the ever so graceful seeker.

He shows uncharacteristic patience, holding still while you arrange yourself atop his hull, looking for handholds and finally settling for lying flat on top of him holding fast.

"You ever ridden a jet?" - he asks and his voice is coming our of his cockpit beside your face. Your engine thrums as you're caught by surprise.

"No."

"I'll be your first then. Don't worry. I'll be gentle."

You growl and it vibrates all the way through both your chassises. You don't believe for a moment that he's come all this trouble for a simple interface. If anything, this innuendo makes your guts clench in dreadful anticipation. But you owe him, and he wouldn't dare to kill you - not after he snatched you away in public. Thus reassured, and quite curious already, you press closer, and find the steady vibration of his engines quite pleasant.