video;

[stabbywheelfeet]

[Well, contrary to all his talk and all his... well. Arguing with people. When Sideswipe's video feed turns on, he's curled in a ball of silver misery. He's buried himself under a tarp and... ]

[... appears to be shaking.]

It's cold. It's not supposed to be cold on this planet. Is it?

[Wow he sounds crankier than usual. Something's got to be wrong.]

I haven't had a decent fight in weeks and everything is just... it hurts.

[Yeah that's a whine. He curls under the tarp a little more, looking pathetic as possible. Which may not actually be an act.]

[Looks like someone smashed themselves into that nifty robot flu.]

I want a medic.

[One more whine before he turns off the feed.]

Comments

[Action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

[It goes against everything he knows. Everything he was brought up to know. Ironhide believed it. Why shouldn't he?]

[He curls closer, though, like being nearer to Mirage will keep him from storming out again. Maybe it's mostly him feeling ill. But... there's apology in the clinging. Sort of.]

Nope. You'd be less fabulous, then.

[There's a whine, as his head is moved, a whine that turns into a gradual purr.]

[Action]

[perfavore]

[Which is what makes this so hard. Sideswipe was loyal to a fault. Mirage was too, until...

Until things weren't so black and white anymore.]

And you wouldn't want anything to do with me if I was less fabulous, mm?

[His voice is soft as he presses against him again, puffing air to warm him up.]

[Action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

[And there's the problem. He was made to function in a world of black and white -- built to be a soldier, raised to be a soldier by Optimus' right hand. Nothing in his life ever prepared him for a world made of shades of grey.]

[He starts to answer, but a particularly violent tremor shakes his frame. His cooling vents backfire, sharply. Several times. Until he slumps against Mirage, fight and snark drained out of him.]

Nope...

It's getting worse.

[That, at least, isn't an act.]

[Action]

[perfavore]

[It was amazing Mirage adjusted to it at all. Maybe the moment had prepared him for it. Seeing Ironhide die...he didn't have time to panic about it.

And in turn, he'd become jaded.]

Argento...

[Arms wrap around him, pulling him into his lap as he continues to run his engine. The blanket curls like a cocoon around them.]

I'm here.

[Action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

[He could think about how insane this all was. How it doesn't make any sense for Mirage to be backing a Decepticon. How he wants to go back to the fight and stop lying around doing nothing and...]

[Instead, he leans heavily into the red bot's hold, too tired and too ill to do anything more than that.]

[The warmth starts to seep into his frame, and the more violent tremors ease.]

... so stay.

All right?

[Action]

[perfavore]

[If his old self could see him now, he'd probably be smacked. For going against what was supposed to be a clean cut alliance.

But grey had mixed itself in here somewhere. Somehow.

He'll try not to think about it yet. Not with Sideswipe needing to be tended to. He curls closer, practically snuggled into the other bot now, eyes flickering.]

Si.

[And even softer.]

Ti amo.

[Action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

[Maybe this is best for both of them. Some distraction -- some time to patch things up a little. Reaffirm bonds before the real problems hit. Before Mirage did something Sideswipe considered abominably stupid.]

[His head is resting on Mirage's shoulder, focusing only on the offered warmth. On keeping his engine running smooth.]

I don't know what that means...

[But it comes out drowsy. As he's inevitably lulled to drift off, still wrapped up in and clinging to Mirage.]

[Action]

[perfavore]

[He wouldn't have asked for anything more, really. Fighting with Sideswipe just didn't feel right on any level. As if to avoid thinking further on it, he buries his face into the bot's neck, huffing out one more breath of air.

And he couldn't have been happier to know that Sideswipe's translator was never installed.]

[Action]

[stabbywheelfeet]

[That's really all it takes, for now. He's so exhausted by this strange illness, he doesn't think twice about curling up and dozing off in the red bot's hold.]

[Though, he does grip a panel on that red armor more tightly. As if to keep Mirage by his side.]

[To make sure he's there, when he wakes up again.]