Wild Ride (Cyberverse Mech!reader X Hot Rod)

21: Jetfire

I was jolted awake by the sound of some sort of explosion, my frame jumping up and drawing my glaive in a defensive stance. Unfortunately, Hot Rod got flung to the floor due to my quick response, and he crashed to the floor.

"Oof! Ow! Hey!" He groaned. "What was that about?" There was another explosion, and he too stood up. The pair of us then rushed over to the control bridge to see none other than the true biggest pain in my aft on the video feed.

'Primus almighty, I swear I'm going to kill him.' I thought angrily as I darted out of the control bridge and charged the mech in question.

"Nyaaaah! WHO would DARE attack Skybyte?!" He exclaimed as he blocked my glaive swing. I stared into his optics and felt him flinch back a little. "Oh. Um. Hello there, Y/D." Skybyte said fearfully. I then proceeded to kick him in his chest and force him to skid back. "You live! By the brilliant light of the Allspark! You live!"

"Y/D, stand down!" Optimus ordered as he, Hot Rod, Windblade, Grimlock, and Bumblebee all came running out with weapons drawn.

"You sided with the Autobots?! Oh, woe is the thing I once called love! How it shatters!" Skybyte said dramatically.

"Uh, Y/D? What is he talking about?" Hot Rod asked.

"We were to be betrothed under the stars! Yet he left me spark broken and alone!" Skybyte said. "Please, oh beautiful and amazing, Y/D! Take this spark to be yours!" Skybyte cried out as he dramatically got onto his hands and kneeplates in a rather pathetic display of begging. I grimaced and facepalmed at his dramatics while Hot Rod seemed to get jealous.

"Keep your fins back, fishbreath." Hot Rod snapped. "Tell us why you're here. Now!"

"My search was for that despicable Jetfire! And, perhaps win a certain bot back in the process?" I wanted to die at that very moment from the stupidity of his words.

"He isn't here, Skybyte." Optimus said.

"What?! Where is he?! Never mind, I shall slay him and present his spark ad a gift for the fair one known as Y/D!" He then changed to his shark form and took off to the sky.

'Oh, for spark's sake.' I thought while pinching the space between my optics. It physically hurt me every time I had to even be near the shark.

"Y/D, were you and Skybyte close?" Grimlock asked as we proceeded back towards the ship. I made a gagging motion in response and shook my head. "Then why was he all over you?" Before I could respond, a familiar autobot flyer came whizzing overhead, and I immediately shrunk away behind Grimlock when he landed.

"Jetfire!" Optimus exclaimed. "It's good to see you."

"As it is good to see you!" Jetfire said before looking over to the crashed Ark. "Who landed this thing? Hot Rod?" Optimus chuckled a little in response. Jetfire then glanced over to the others and spotted my failed attempt to hide behind Grimlock. "Grimlock, I didn't know you had wings?"

'Oh, scrud.' I thought as I awkwardly stepped out from behind him and braced myself.

"Y/D? You... you're alive?" He whispered in disbelief. "I thought Skybyte sent you to the Allspark." His optics then glanced down to my Decepticon insignia, and I could hear his spark shatter. "You joined your sire's forces?"

"He isn't with them anymore. He's on our side!" Bumblebee said as he patted me on the back.

"Then why does he wear that insignia?" Jetfire asked. I looked away in slight shame, Hot Rod giving me a concerned look.

"His reasons are his own Jetfire." Optimus filled in.

"I want to hear him say his reasoning." Jetfire said firmly. "Y/D, the one who drove me to be the best I could and the one I... fell for. Why would you do this? Why are you still doing this?"

"I'm afraid he can't answer you, my friend." Grimlock said. That's when Jetfire noticed the welding scar that decorated my throat.

"Who did this to you? Was it Skybyte? Megatron? I need to know!" I looked away and shrank back closer to Hot Rod, silently asking for him to get Jetfire to stop asking.

"He doesn't like talking about it." Hot Rod said. "It's a delicate subject for him."

"But I must know! If it was Skybyte who took his beautiful voice, then I shall be the one to avenge it!"

'Oh great, here we go.' I thought to myself.

"It was not Skybyte or Megatron, but it would be best not to discuss the matter further." Optimus said. "But let us head inside so you can tell us what happened to you." Everyone  followed Jetfire and Optimus inside except for myself and Hot Rod, who had seemed to grow even more agitated.

*you okay?* I signed to him.

"How do you know those two? And why are they so... all over you?" He asked with jealousy.

* For whatever reason, both Skybyte and Jetfire sought my affections.* I explained. *Those two hated eschother since day one. Skybyte wanted to 'claim me' so that he could 'be the bard to a lovely royal.'* I then made a gagging motion and shook my head. * That may work on some bots, but me? No. No, that's just too weird. Jetfire wanted me to join the Autobots and turn my back against my sire in the name of some fantasy lovey dovey mush. But I couldn't. Skybyte is a deluded dreamer, and Jetfire is a hopeless romantic. Not my type.*

"What is your type?" Hot Rod asked with a thick layer of jealousy.

* What an odd question.* I signed with a laugh. * Nowwhy would you be asking?*

"Ah well, um... never mind. Let's uh, let's just head back inside and join the others." Hot Rod said. I silently chuckled and followed the flustered grounder back into the Ark and towards the Control bridge where Jetfire was telling his tale. I didn't really pay much attention to it as I casually leaned against a wall out in the hallway and habitually traced the Decepticon insignia that was quite literally burned into my frame. My thoughts began to wander to the question that Jetfire asked.

'Why do I still wear the insignia?' I questioned myself. I paused and thought about it deeply for a moment before coming to the answer. 'To remind myself of where I came from. A badge not of honor, but of remembrance.'

"Y/D, my dear, why are you out here all alone?" Jetfire asked when he and the others began to exit the control bridge. I shrugged in response and pushed myself off of the wall before heading to the main hanger. Jetfire followed close behind and placed a hand on my back, grabbing my attention. I turned around and gave him a curious response. "I know you can not speak of who had taken your voice, but no one has taken your ability to hear. I ask... for your aid. The Autobots can not help me, and I fear Skybyte is a threat greater than they understand. Please, my friend, will you at least assist me in tracking him down?"

I paused a moment as I became deep in thought. If I were to assist Jetfire, it could keep Skybyte from trying anything stupid. Out of the two obsessive bots, Skybyte was more dangerous with his deluded desires than Jetfire was. Against my better judgment, I nodded to Jetfire, signaling that I was going to assist him in his search for Skybyte.