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Breakdown was the only one that knew how to handle him.
Despite his Wrecker background and inability to resist smashing his hammer into anything that resembled an Autobot, the blue giant was rather calm most of the time. Around the ship, he had befriended most of the Vehicons and chatted with them constantly. He was their only friend. And while he did believe in some of what Megatron said, his main loyalty was to Knock Out, plain and simple. And there was a reason for that.
He had to protect everyone from the medic.
No, not the other way around, he wasn’t that stupid. He truly felt it was his duty to be like some sort of shield for the medic that meant so much to him. He loved him, he wasn’t afraid to say it. But no one knew Knock Out better than he did. And the medic had some…unpredictable layers to him.
Mostly everyone saw the same Knock Out, the outside layer. That was the one not that he put up as a defensive wall but what he lured bots in with. It was like his camouflage. He appeared smooth-talking, slick with that rich-sounding voice, and that was exactly how everyone let their guard down around him. That and he was kinda small. But besides that, Knock Out was a medical officer, typically one of the only bots that stayed off the battlefield. That gave him a huge advantage because, believe it or not, Knock Out was a pretty skilled fighter. He was nimble, quick and had some basic hand-to-hand combat. Breakdown didn’t have to worry about protecting him when the both of them went off on a mission.
But under this layer was something else. And that was that Knock Out was not free of such insecurities like feeling unneeded or unappreciated, not matter how much he tried to convince his partner he was. But he was angry, and this was the kind of anger that usually only Breakdown saw. He didn’t call his partner a drama queen for nothing, Knock Out certainly knew how to throw a passive aggressive fit if he wasn’t getting the precise reaction he wanted. But at the same time, he couldn’t blame him. Most of what Knock Out complained about, Breakdown agreed with him. Not that he ever said this out loud, but he really truly despised Megatron. Maybe it was still the Autobot wiring in him, but he hated the warlord. And it wasn’t just because of the war, it was how he treated his partner. Being naturally a protective bot, he was very very protective of Knock Out. To see that monster order him around, shout at him, even touch him, he had to restrain himself. Maybe that’s what spurred Megatron to do it and also encouraged Knock Out’s anger to a certain extent.
But, as cliche as it was, not all of Knock Out was bad. He had goodness inside of him, Breakdown could see it. Despite the insanity he had in his lab, the red medic wasn’t cold-hearted in any way at all. And maybe that was because it was only Breakdown that saw the softer side of Knock Out.
It wasn’t like he coddled him or said he loved him or anything like that, he was just softer around his bigger partner. Likewise, it was usually only Breakdown that could soften Knock Out like that. If his red paint was practically peeling from frustration, the blue brute would be there to gently nuzzle his chassis with a hum from his engine to help calm him down. If he was acting a little too crazy with a patient, Breakdown knew how to distract him enough to bring him back down to Earth. And even in the rare moments that his psychopathic partner showed a certain dullness in his optics that could resemble sadness, that’s when he kissed him. He did not dare try to dominate him, it was just a soft kiss that tickled along the white lips for a few seconds before Breakdown pulled away (usually, Knock Out would pull him back).
Maybe that’s why he felt the need to protect everyone from Knock Out, because no one really truly knew Knock Out like he did. No one deserved to know. And yet, he had too much respect for the Vehicons, Dreadwing and Soundwave to ever let them get into it with his littler partner. But he would never stop his own protective feelings to keep Knock Out safe. It was normal, right? Anything could happen. A scratch (Primus forbid), a swipe at the face, getting his aft kicked by Optimus (again), being forced to retreat…
…a shot through the spark?
Breakdown jolted a little bit as he watched the feed from the medical office and let out a depressingly desperate cry as a purple beam cut through the red chassis, leaving Knock Out with a sort of shocked look, energon trickling down his mouth.
“KNOCK OUT!”
Breakdown didn’t wait for a call from his comrades on the battlefield. All that mattered to him was getting Knock Out out of there and quickly. “Spark! Plates! Get the med-bay ready for when I get back!” he snapped to two of the Vehicons that he had been “helping” learn the ways of medical science. He would need their help.
Tearing his way through the ground-bridge, he was almost hit at least four times by enemy fire before he got to Knock Out. Dear Primus…he was bleeding everywhere!
The red medic grunted. “…nggh…” Luckily, it looked like it had merely grazed the protective lining of gel around his spark. His paint job was ruined though. But he was alive still. “Nggh…easy…wax job won’t fix this one, eh?” His voice was weaker, despite the tease and Breakdown wanted to smack him.
“Primus sake, you idiot.” He tugged the smaller body close, using his size advantage to shield the medic from any flying parts, beams or attacks that could come their way. Maybe that was the main reason that Breakdown was loyal to Knock Out. Because in the end, whether they liked to admit it or not, the Autobots would easily dispatch his partner or him if they really needed to.
What was that about there being good guys and bad guys?