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“You stinking vermin!”
“Feather butt!”
“Buck-toothed cheese nibbler!”
“Bawk bawk, ya' oversized buzzard!”
That was the final straw. Argument after argument they had while fixing the hull of the Axalon, Dinobot had had enough. It was hot, and they were aching from the other day’s skirmish. The rest of the crew were worse off so it was up to them to make the repairs.
Except dragging Rattrap off by the tail was Dinobot’s priority now.
“Hey! Put me down!” Rattrap said, claws scraping along the metal hull.
Dinobot let go and pushed his face into Rattrap’s. “Why do you continue to pester me until I cannot see straight?!” he growled. “Days, weeks, months, will you never end it?”
Rattrap scowled. “Ya know what? Fine.” he said. “Ya' wanna know? Ya' really wanna know why I pester you so dang much? It’s ‘cause I like you, you chump!” Dinobot made no change in his expression, he simply continued his angry stare. “It’s true! Rattrap said, hands to his chest. “And to be honest, I’m getting real sick of workin’ wit’cha and you not knowin’. Literally! I feel like throwing up every time.”
“And just what do you expect me to do about it?” Dinobot scowled. He didn’t expect this turn of events. He had been teasing and snippy with personal comments in private, the way all Predacons flirted. He never had any intent of anything, unwilling to engage a relationship in such turbulent wartime.
It was supposed to be harmless, and to go undetected.
“Either you say yes and we be the ugliest couple this side of the beast wars,” Rattrap started. “Or you say no, I eventually fall out of love, and we’ll all move on with what’s left of our lives.”
“You knew,” Dinobot snarled. “You knew I had an affliction of the spark for you. How long have you known?”
Rattrap’s jaw dropped, his optics wide. “Eh, I knew what now?”
Dinobot stomped. “Why else would you admit your own feelings for me otherwise?!”
Rattrap felt his spark flutter. “Like I said, I was getting real tired of you not knowin’.” Rattrap chittered. “How long have you liked me, chops?”
“...Months.” Dinobot snarled. “If you ever noticed my comments becoming more common when we were in private, th-”
“I did notice.” Rattrap said, ears waggling. “Why didn’t ya’ just tell me, Dinobot? I took you for an upfront kinda jerk.”
Dinobot jumped onto Rattrap, pinning the rodent down with a squeak. “I am capable of subtlety when necessary, that which is most appropriate for the earliest acts of love!” Dinobot shouted.
“You love me.” Rattrap said in a sing-song tone, with a big smile on his face. Dinobot threw himself backwards, falling onto his backside. “Ooh, hoo hoo, Dinobot, you love me, look at that. A predacon and a maximal, in love!” When he turned back to look at the predacon, the reaction he saw horrified him to his core. Dinobot’s eyes were such a bright glowing green they were nearly white. He was breathing through his mouth, and he looked scarier than he’d ever seen him before.
“Perhaps I should agree with you, you rabid rodent.” He snarled, voice strained. The second Rattrap moved, Dinobot shoved him. “Maybe it is wrong! Maybe it cannot be allowed to happen. You clearly find the idea so laughable!”
“Woah, woah there lizard breath.” Rattrap held his hands up defensively. “The idea of it is just amusin’, I look just as goofy!”
Dinobot howled before he continued, stepping closer and closer. “The teasing, the humiliation, the talking down! I can accept it as a military subordinate but otherwise… it is not something I miss from the other side!”
Rattrap sat there as Dinobot yelled. Subordinate? Dinobot was no subordinate, that wasn’t how Optimus ran this circus. Before he could place a finger on it he felt something was wrong. Rattrap sat more comfortably, and waited for Dinobot to finish hollering and stomping. “Dinobot?” he piped up when there was a long enough pause. “Did… did ya’ used ta’ be with Megatron?”
Dinobot just stared at him but Rattrap could see through him.
Rattrap looked away for a moment, one arm across his chest and holding the other. “Forgive my guesstimate, feather butt, since I never turned tailcoat but I don’t think humiliatin’ and talkin’ down is Pred-style flirting.” he said. Dinobot only squinted at him. “I think that was just that big dumb purple turkey bein’ a big dumb purple turkey.”
Dinobot stood there, thinking about what Rattrap just said. Then, he sat. With a low rumble in his chest, he laid down, stretched out on his back in the small amount of shade coming off the ship’s fixtures.
Rattrap didn’t move, he sat in one place. “Look, I didn’t know, but I’m still sorry. If you want, we’ll start fresh tomorrow.”
“I…” Dinobot sighed. It wasn’t sad. It was content. “I believe I am… amenable to this idea… varmint.”
“Good.” Rattrap stretched out as well, trying to not get into Dinobot’s space. “Glad to hear it, bird brain.”