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Knock Out stared out into the white abyss with piecing skepticism.
“I think it's just water, K.O.,” Breakdown muttered beside him.
“But we don’t know that,” Knock Out hissed.
Beneath the metal awning, he was safe. Cold- over the course of this flesh planet’s night cycle dark clouds dropped the temperatures to a frigid chill and unleashed this white… something -but safe. They had just wanted some shelter from the night, but now they were trapped, stuck beneath the thin metal roof for who knows how long. What if it collapsed? The white flecks looked weightless but Knock Out could see how they had piled around them, their exact weight unknowable. What if the roof fell in and they were crushed? What if the white dustings were infectious? Sickly? What if-
“Only one way to find out,” Breakdown hummed with a mild rev of his engine.
“Wait-” Knock Out protested, but it was too late. Breakdown released his brakes, rolling forward. His protective, pleasant warmth went with him and Knock Out shivered as he could only watch in fearful agony.
Breakdown’s wheels hit the white piles with a squish , flecks landing on his roof.
Breakdown froze and Knock Out felt his spark drop as his partner sat immobile, windows fogging as the cold crept up his frame.
“Breakdown?” Knock Out whispered before trying again louder, more insistent, “ Breakdown.”
A loud, rumbling laugh rolled out of his partner before Knock Out saw him shift, pulling out of his alt to stand. Breakdown spun on his pedes, arms wide as he flashed Knock Out a grin.
“It’s safe!”
Knock Out remained still beneath the safety of his tin shelter, eyeing the flecks land and melt? on Breakdown’s chassis.
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t know,” Breakdown admitted. He held his palm out watching as the little specks landed and disappeared into tiny puddles. “I think it's frozen water.”
Knock Out wasn’t too sure about that. It wouldn’t be a complete surprise. After all, they had already witnessed on multiple occasions as water dropped from the sky above, dumping across the land. The inhabitants of this planet seemed unworried about it, crafting little plastic shields to cover their helms. The shelter he was in now served as a protective measure for their automobiles, though it didn’t solve the issue of the water pooling at his tires. Nevertheless, the frozen water did not reassure Knock Out in the slightest.
“Think of all the water stains,” Knock Out winced. His finish was already in desperate need of a detailing. He didn’t need to ruin it further.
Breakdown hummed an acknowledgement but his attention was focused on a particularly large clump of the white frozen water. He reached for it, servo hissing as the heat of his frame met the icy cluster. Once his frame matched the temperature, Breakdown was able to pick up a palm sized clump. With a minimal amount of patting, he was about to mold it into a spherical ball.
“You can hold it?” Breakdown said in awe.
“Put that down!” Knock Out yelped, panic edging his words. “You don’t know if it is safe! It could seep to the protoform! You don’t know what that is-“
“I’m fine, Doc,” Breakdown’s smile was gentle as he crushed the clump in his palm and dropped what little remained solid. “It’s just water. The organics wouldn’t leave their stuff out if it was bad.”
Knock Out could see several cars blanketed in the supposed icy water. Logically, he could see Breakdown’s point, but he still couldn’t bear the idea of what it would do to his precious paint job.
“Come on, K.O.,” Breakdown tried again, coming closer to Knock Out’s feeble little shelter. “Just touch it. And-” Breakdown continued over the warning rev of Knock Out’s engine “-I’ll personally detail you when we get back to the Nemesis. The whole package: wash, buff, wax . I can even touch up your flames.”
Knock Out couldn’t say he wasn’t tempted. Just the possibility of the warmth of the Nemesis and Breakdown’s hands on him almost was enough to make him disengage his brakes. However…
“You already promised me that when we took this little road trip,” Knock Out reminded him, not without a slight, teasing purr in his voice. If he played his cards right… “You’re going to have to do better than that, Darling.”
“Spoiled brat,” Breakdown grinned back, his laughter bubbling up. “You know I’ll do whatever you want.”
The words had barely left Breakdown’s mouth before Knock Out fired off his request. If he had to suffer in this icy, wet mess for Breakdown then, “I get to detail you. For as long as I want.”
Breakdown blinked, his helm cocking to the side in contemplation. “Really?”
“Mmm,” Knock Out hummed, his engine purring along. “We can do each other. ‘Make a whole night of it. What do you say?”
It was rare Breakdown would let him, far too concerned with looking out for Knock Out. Which was a cover. Breakdown had admitted once that he felt he didn’t deserve it . Knock Out had been waiting for a chance to prove him wrong.
“If that’s what you want,” Breakdown murmured, his voice almost shy about the concept.
“You act like you don’t want my hands all over you.”
“I didn’t say that.” Breakdown turned his gaze back to Knock Out’s windshield. “Not that you’ll get to if you remain cooped up under there.”
“So we have a deal?” Knock Out asked, making sure his brake unlocked with a loud click.
“We always have a deal, Doc.”