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It was always hard to look at anything but Knock Out.
From his sleek, flashy frame to his cutting smile, Breakdown found it difficult to keep his eyes off his partner. Even now, as sharp claws tapped along his chest, glowing red optics dim in the dark medbay, his smile softer than he would ever allow anyone but Breakdown to see- he was perfection. Breakdown didn’t want to look away, even if he had to.
However.
In the corner of his visual field, he couldn’t help but notice a deep red object hanging above their helms…
“Doc,” Breakdown murmured low, his voice rumbling across his chassis, “what’s that?” Breakdown gestured with his helm, nodding his chin upward toward the leaves ? plant? flower?
“Don’t worry about it, darling,” Knock Out whispered, never taking his optics off Breakdown as he traced a digit along the curve of his jaw.
Usually, that’d be enough for Breakdown. If Knock Out wasn’t concerned, then neither would he. After all, it was Knock Out’s medbay and despite his reluctance to do his job on occasion, his partner always kept a clean workspace. Still, it was…difficult for Breakdown to ignore it, especially when Knock Out tilted his chin upward to drag his lips along his throat cables. The pleasurable heat of his partner’s affection was only able to distract Breakdown for a few seconds.
“So, is it like a plant or somethin’?”
Knock Out let out an exasperated sigh against Breakdown’s intake, pressing his face there.
“Yeah. Something like that.”
“Oh,” Breakdown nodded, leaning back as Knock Out started again, moving his lips to the hollow of his throat, his glossa coming out to trace the seam where his intake melded to his chest plate- “Why?”
“Breakdown,” Knock Out huffed, pulling back just enough to meet his gaze, “are you not enjoying the moment?”
“What? No! It’s great, you’re great,” Breakdown quickly reassured, pressing a kiss to Knock Out’s cheek. “I just…” his optics drifted back up to the organic plant…thing. Now that he was properly looking at it, he could see it wasn’t rooted into the wall like he’d seen the plants on Earth’s surface do. Instead, it was dangling by a short length of wire, lazily spinning right about their helms at the entry of the medbay. “...don’t get it.”
“There’s nothing to get,” Knock Out muttered but, curiously enough, a faint heat rolled across his partner’s plating. If Breakdown didn’t know Knock Out better, he’d assume it was nothing, but he could see the way the medic’s plating shifted in anxious little twitches and how his clawed digits flexed by his side.
“Come on,” Breakdown said, speaking in the low, soft way he knew Knock Out was particularly fond of. “Spill. What’s the deal with it?”
Hesitancy crossed Knock Out’s field, tinged with a hint of reluctance and embarrassment. Breakdown reached to cup his partner’s helm, letting his thumb brush against the medic’s faceplates in a soft, gentle circle.
“Its…an Earth tradition. I wanted to try it,” Knock Out finally said, his words slow and carefully picked as he looked anywhere but Breakdown’s face. “The fleshies hang them from doorways and whenever someone enters, you have to kiss them.”
Breakdown blinked, letting Knock Out’s words roll over him before he felt his optic ridges pinch together. “ Why?”
“I don’t know why they do it!” Knock Out snapped defensively. Despite his words, the tone was more embarrassed than angry. Still, the speedster muttered a quiet, “Sorry” before ducking away. He attempted to move back but Breakdown circled his free arm around Knock Out’s waist, keeping his partner close.
“Seems pointless,” Breakdown muttered, looking up at the plant. It was a pretty flower, though its red was nothing compared to Knock Out’s superior finish. “You can just ask me to kiss you.”
“That’s not the point,” Knock Out huffed, but he remained close to Breakdown, even leaning in to rest his head against Breakdown’s chest. “It’s supposed to be romantic.”
Breakdown snorted, taking the small swat Knock Out gave him as a consolation. “Sorry,” he said, unable to keep the smile out of his voice, “but humans are kind of dumb, tricking others for kisses.”
“Yeah,” Knock Out muttered, “it’s dumb.”
“Probably should move it,” Breakdown said. “What if someone else came in? Like ‘Screamer or even worse, Megatron. You’d have to kiss them.”
He didn’t even need to look down to know Knock Out was wrinkling his faceplates in distaste.
“No thanks. I’ll just dump it down the waste disposal.”
Breakdown could…feel the disappointment in Knock Out’s field. Even if he didn’t quite understand the idea of a flower compelling people to kiss each other or why that was romantic, clearly Knock Out had liked it enough to try.
“What if we hung it in our room?” Breakdown suggested. “That way I get to kiss you every time I come in.”
“You do that anyway,” Knock Out brushed off, but his field was warmer, a hint of a smile twitching at the corners of his lips.
“Yeah, but you gotta do it too.” Never mind the fact that Knock Out also already did that. At least his words made Knock Out grin.
“I guess if I have to,” Knock Out teased, rocking up to his toes to press a kiss to Breakdown’s chin. “It’ll be just for us.”
Breakdown was more than happy to meet him the rest of the way, flower or not.