Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

To say that he was bored was an understatement. You see, Heatwave had to drive Kade out because he wanted to go to the bar and “get wasted” or something. So now, the fire truck is just stuck parked outside with absolutely nothing to do.

Well. Things could be worse.

It’s been about two months since the town found out about them being giant aliens that can turn into vehicles. Honestly, they seemed to have taken it really well— some of them even daring to try becoming friends with them.

All in all, things could be worse.

Hm. A little nap wouldn’t hurt.

Heatwave had started to let his mind wander, thinking about all the humans, the Burns family, and what he’s gonna do after Kade comes back and he can finally leave. Eventually, he started to doze off, relaxing and getting lost in his mind.

Due to this, he didn’t register the group of kids approaching him. He didn’t register one of them holding a camera either. He barely even noticed what they were holding— that is, until there was a giant dent on his left door.

What in the—?

Another large dent is made on his side. Now wide awake, Heatwave adjusted his mirror to find that the culprit was some kid holding a hammer. Looking around more, he found that there were three more kids, all holding various tools except for the girl holding a camera. Not recognizing any of them, he comes to the conclusion that they’re tourists who came to visit the island.

“Kade! Some tourists are denting my side.” Heatwave hisses through the comm, only to get no response. Frag. “Hello? Kade, get the hell over here!” Still no response. Son of a— Several more attempts of calling his partner, along with several more dents and laughs from the kids, the firebot finally decided to comm the rest of the team instead.

“Guys,” He hissed over the comm, “some tourists are denting my side.”

“Heatwave?” The Chief answered, “Where are you?”

“Parking lot of the bar Kade’s at.” Heatwave replied. His left side was now almost completely dented. Additionally, some of the dents seemed to have gone deep enough to cause some energon to appear.

SCREEECH

Heatwave winced, having noticed that one of the other kids, a girl, had started keying his right side. At first, the girl only scratched his paint, but now she seems to have gained confidence and began pushing it deeper.

“One of the other kids is keying my side,” Heatwave hissed. “Ow..”

“Have they left any lasting damage yet?” Graham asked, voice filled with concern and alarm.

“Not yet— ow- but they might soon.” Heatwave growled, his sides flaring up in pain. The boy with the hammer seems to have decided to repeatedly hit the same area, causing the wound to now start bleeding energon. The girl with the key keeps pushing it deeper and deeper, drawing out energon from the seemingly small wounds.

“Did you comm Kade already?” Chase asked. Heatwave could hear the enforcer’s sirens in the background, He probably rushed out when I first commed.

“Didn’t get a response.” Heatwave paused, studying the kids.

Wait a minute—

“Scrap- Chase, get here quickly—”

CRASH

______________________

Chase likes to think that he is good at his job. He studies and memorizes the laws, goes by the book, and doesn’t let his emotions get in the way of his job. It was logical, expected, and how he worked.

However, when he and his team got that comm from Heatwave, something just.. changed.

All logic was thrown out the window.

So here he is now, breaking the speed limit to try getting to Heatwave before those kids could do serious damage to him. Or they already have, and he was too late— The Chief was safely seated in his cabin, calling out directions for Chase every once in a while

Chase and the other bots had immediately started panicking when Heatwave got cut off by whatever made that sound. The Burns family had tried helping them calm down from their racing thoughts.

What if he’s severely injured? What will I see when I get there? Will I be too late just like—

“Right!” Chief says, breaking Chase out of his thoughts. The police bot was truly grateful that the eldest Burns was here, having helped distract him from his own processor.

Chase swerved right, barely missing a light pole at the speed he was driving at. “We’re almost there.” The Chief tells him, much to his relief.

When they’re finally there and have spotted Heatwave, Chase’s engine sputters for a moment. Even the Chief winced at the sight they’re met with.

Heatwave, their teams’ leader. Their friend. Their brother.

Heatwave, surrounded by two girls and two boys, bleeding energon from both his sides.

All of his windows were either broken or severely cracked, the glass shards surrounded him and were likely in his cabin as well. The girl holding the key seemed to be scraping several swears into the fire truck’s sides, while the boy with the hammer was hitting everywhere and anywhere. The other boy was inside Heatwave’s cabin, holding a knife, likely ripping and cutting up Heatwave’s seats, while the girl holding a camera seemed to be directing them to destroy or hit certain areas.

Overall, Heatwave looked terrible.

Chase pulled up to them immediately, his sirens wailing loudly while the Chief got out and started walking towards the group of kids.

______________________

To say that Heatwave was grateful would be an understatement. Both of his sides were bleeding, his windows and mirrors were shattered, and the inside of his cabin was ruined. So when Chase and the Chief pulled up, he was absolutely relieved.

The pain he was feeling was somewhat dulled and only kind of stung, so he felt kinda okay. (Despite the fact that he was very much still bleeding.)

He watched as the Chief apprehended the four kids and confiscated the camera before walking towards the fire truck and frowning while assessing the damage.

“..Heatwave, I don’t think any of us know how to fix this.” The Chief finally says, his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“Is Heatwave okay??” Blades practically yelled through the comm, though they can hear the panic and worry in his voice. “Dad, can you send us a photo of the damage?” Dani adds.

The eldest Burns took a photo of the firebot before he could even respond, sending it to the entire family.

Oh no. Blades is gonna panic now..

As he expected, a few seconds pass before Heatwave is bombarded by questions from the rest of his team. Don’t get him wrong, he appreciates his team, but sometimes they’re a bit loud.

Before the others can continue with their questioning, Heatwave interrupts them. “I’m not too injured that I can’t walk back.” He paused, before adding “Although you should probably drive the kids to the police station first.”

The Chief merely continued to look at him with worry. “Are you sure? You aren’t looking very good.”

“I’ll be fine. Oh, wait, Kade’s still in the bar. You should probably grab him too.”

The eldest Burns stared at him for another few seconds before giving in, walking towards the bar and dragging his son to Chase. Right before he and Chase start driving down the road, the Chief sent him a message telling him to be careful, in which he responded with a thumbs up.

As soon as the police bot was out of sight, Heatwave transformed to root mode, wincing as he did so, and gripping his side in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Well, this is gonna hurt quite a bit.

He slowly but surely started making his way towards the firehouse, concentrating on every step that he took. At first, he was considering going through the forest, but he quickly got rid of the idea after noting how much longer it would take and how shaky he was. His only other option would be to go through the town and hope he wouldn’t be noticed.

Of course, nothing was going his way today.

He barely took ten steps before somebody noticed him. It was just a bunch of kids he saved from a fire a few months prior, staring at him while he walked by.

Whatever, at least they aren’t bothering me.

Focusing solely on making it to the firehouse, he concentrated only on putting one shaky pede in front of the other. In doing so, he failed in noticing that the amount of people who noticed him had grown into a crowd, and eventually a majority of the town was outside looking at him.

Heatwave had finally made it halfway towards the firehouse when he stumbled a bit, wincing and hissing in pain as he steadied himself. Only then, was he aware of all the eyes on him.

He freezed, staring at the people. They stared back. Their expressions seemed to vary from curiosity to shock and something else as well.

Alright then. This is fine. Probably. Maybe.

Choosing to ignore the many people watching him, he started slowly walking again, hissing again at the pain that flared up his legs.

“Heatwave?!” A girl's voice cuts through the awkward silence. Turning towards the source of the voice, Heatwave is met with Hayley. “What the heck happened to you?!” She practically yelled, walking right up to him and examining all the various scratches, dents, and broken windows. That seemed to flick a switch, as moments later several others were asking him questions too fast for him to answer.

The firebot merely blinked in shock at them, before Hayley yelled at everyone to shut up. “Heatwave, what the hell happened?” She asked, softer than Heatwave has ever heard from her. “I saw you this morning, and you were completely fine!” She exclaimed, putting a hand on one of his legs only to take it back when Heatwave hissed in pain.

“Some tourists decided to damage me for fun or something.” He stated blankly. “Now I have to walk back to the firehouse instead of driving.”

Hayley’s expression became angry for a moment before becoming something sadder— Oh.

They're concerned for me.

“Isn’t there any way to fix you here? You’re really hurt— you probably shouldn’t even be walking right now!” Hayley said, several others nodding in agreement.

The firebot blinked at them, still wrapping his processor around the fact that they were worried for HIM of all people. “I’ll be fine, I’ve handled worse.”

Well, it wasn’t a complete lie. He has handled worse before.

He can still remember the pain— bruises—energon— the fire- his creators, leaving him to die—

No. That’s in the past now.

Looking back at Hayley and the townspeople, it seems his statement just made them more worried. Whoops.

“Heatwave, that isn’t—” She’s interrupted by the sound of a certain green bulldozer driving towards them.

“Heatwave!” The green mech said, transforming into root mode and carefully making his way through the crowd. When he’s in front of the firebot, he begins assessing the damage before casually picking Heatwave up, one arm hooked under his legs and the other behind his back. Heatwave merely sighs in exasperation to this, although secretly relieved he won’t have to continue walking. “Hello to you too, Boulder.” He deadpans.

“Sorry, but we can’t have you just walking all the way back like this.” Boulder said, turning around and walking back the way he came.

Chapter Text

When they finally made it back to the firehouse, Heatwave was set down onto a berth while Blades worked on welding what he could. Chase and Boulder were trying to contact Optimus Prime in an attempt at getting his team’s medic to come help. Of course, the Prime hadn’t answered, despite the fact that they tried calling him several times.

Without a professional medic, they would just have to make do with what they could. Boulder and Graham ran calculations in their heads for replacements for whatever couldn’t be salvaged. Blades welded scratches, cleaned the glass, and buffed dents. Chase and Chief Burns tried to take care of most of the emergencies, and the rest of the Burns family tried to keep Heatwave from getting up and around the firehouse (Much to Heatwave’s annoyance.)

______________________

Kade felt absolutely terrible.

Not only did he make Heatwave stay in the parking lot while he went to the bar, but he hadn’t helped his partner when he commed for help! He hadn’t even responded! So, while Kade was having his fun getting wasted at the bar, his partner was stuck there getting injured.

When he was sober again, his dad explained what happened to Heatwave and how he’d have to use their old fire truck for a while. His dad also told him that he wouldn’t be allowed to go to the bar again for a while, but Kade barely even cared about that.

No, he didn’t care about the fact that his dad was lecturing him. No, he didn’t care about how he’d have to use their old fire truck (well, maybe a little bit). He didn’t even care about the fact that he wouldn’t be allowed to drink for a while.

No, all he could think about was how badly he’d fucked up.

His partner was basically bedridden and Kade couldn’t do anything about it! And although he wanted to, Kade didn’t know how to help at all. He wasn’t really good at all this mushy stuff.

It’s even worse when people ask him when Heatwave will be coming back, and he doesn’t have any answer.

Because he doesn’t know.

And Kade hates that. He hates that he doesn’t know, because what if Heatwave won’t be fine?

He's gotten so used to having the bots around, so used to them being there. He can’t imagine how his life would be if they were just, not there.

Kade’s scared. He's scared that one day Heatwave will just be gone, and he won’t be able to do anything about it. And sure, it sounds ridiculous, after all, because the Rescue Bots seem to like being here, but he can’t shake away that thought.

I’ll just take a walk. Maybe I’ll feel better after.

______________________

To say that Hayley was worried would be an understatement. Heatwave hasn’t been seen in AGES! It was already worrying enough when he had all those dents and wounds, so sure, he’s probably resting, but still! It’s been almost an entire week since he was seen!

She can tell that she isn’t the only one that’s worried. Many people have already tried asking the Burns if the fire truck was alright, receiving the same “He’s just resting” Every. Single. Time. People are getting a bit restless, especially the kids— who keep asking her where Heatwave is all the time.

So, here she is, with half the town, raising funds to buy “get well gifts” for Heatwave. To her surprise, a lot of people pitched in and donated lots of money, even mayor Luskey.

She and a few others were now searching the internet for things they thought Heatwave would like. Unfortunately, they don’t really know what the fire truck actually likes, leading to a lot of frustration.

A familiar voice cuts through everyone’s groaning. “You guys have room for one more?”

Looking towards the source of the voice, they’re met with Kade Burns, a sheepish expression on his face, a large contrast to his usual confident and egotistical self.

“Kade? What are you doing here, there aren’t any fires.” Hayley asked skeptically. Normally, Kade wouldn’t be out unless there was an emergency or he wanted to go out for a date. Looking at his expression and the way he’s standing, though, neither of those seem to be the case.

“I saw how you guys were raising money and stuff for Heatwave and I, uh.. I want to help.” Kade said quickly, not making eye contact with any of them.

______________________

Heatwave was bored.

It’s been about a week since he got injured and his team still won’t let him get up and out of his berth. He’s been left with nothing to do but recharge and talking to whoever comes in to check on him.

No matter how many times he tells everyone that he’s fine, none of the bots or the Burns believe him and give him the same “no nonsense” look.

Heatwave was just about to slip into recharge again when Boulder walked into the room, holding.. something.

Sitting up straighter to get a better look, Heatwave can see that it’s a box. A very big box. In fact, it looks too big for Boulder to hold. “Hey, Heatwave. We found this box outside, and it says it’s for you.” Boulder said, dropping it in front of the firebot’s berth and smiling before leaving.

Heatwave stared at the box for exactly one minute before curiosity got the better of him.

Slowly opening the box, he comes face to face with a fluffy lavender pillow. A very large pillow. It’s like the ones humans have for their beds, except it’s large enough for a cybertronian. Confused, he puts the pillow down and goes through the rest of the box. He’s met with several more fluffy pillows and a giant fluffy blanket too.

At the bottom of the box are several notes and cards. All of them vary between “Get Well Soon” and “We Miss You” messages, but one specific card catches Heatwave’s interest. It’s a velvet red card, in contrast to all the white and pink ones.

Opening it up carefully, he’s met with Kade’s uneven handwriting.

I wanna start off by saying I’m sorry. Dad told me what happened that day and how hurt you were. I shouldn’t have made you take me to the bar just to make you wait for me and I should’ve answered your comm or have done something to help you.

I also want to tell you that you should rest. You were pretty hurt when we got back, and the other bots were panicking a lot. You keep saying that you’re alright, but that's really hard to believe. So please just rest.

- Kade Burns

Heatwave blinks, then rereads it. Then he reads it again.

Kade feels ..guilty.

The firebot didn’t know how to feel about that. His confident, egotistical partner feels guilty for something he had no control over.

Heatwave pushed these emotions and thoughts to the side to dwell on later. Refocusing on the blanket and various pillows, he gets an idea.

- - - A few hours later - - -

Blades was going to check up on Heatwave again before abruptly stopping right in front of the firebot’s berth.

Heatwave’s berth had become a nest of fluffy pillows, with an equally fluffy blanket draped over the firebot. He stirred, groggily sticking his helm up, likely having been in deep recharge. Heatwave looked very much like those sleepy cats Cody had shown Blades videos and memes of.

Blades promptly took a photo of this.

“S-sorry for waking you, I uh, left something in here!” He lied, smiling nervously. He quickly rushed out of the room and looked around the firehouse before finding Dani.

“Dani, you are not gonna believe what I saw..”

______________________

After another week, Heatwave was finally allowed to participate in rescue missions again. (Much to his own and the townspeople’s relief)

If anyone noticed how much calmer and relaxed the firebot was, they didn’t mention anything.

And if anyone saw how Heatwave and Kade’s usual banter became more like teasing than actual arguing, well it’s no one’s business but their own.

Chapter Text

It’s peaceful.

Chase couldn’t help but think that, given how quiet it was tonight. He and Chief Burns had gone on night patrol today, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet.

It was a nice change compared to the usually chaotic emergencies during the day, so the both of them couldn’t help but relax. Chief Burns would talk about whatever was on his mind, and Chase would listen, occasionally commenting or asking a question.

Besides the crickets chirping, it was blessedly silent. Every once in a while there would be a cool breeze, paired along with Chase warming up Chief’s seat. This was enough to eventually lull his partner into falling asleep.

Yes, The policebot thought. Peaceful.

He started to drive and take turns a bit slower so as to not wake the eldest Burns. Chase was a bit worried, he had noticed that the Chief had been drinking more coffee lately and had gotten eye bags. It may have not been perceived by the others, but Chase was very observant, having immediately noticed when it first started.

Now being somewhere in town, Chase slowed to a stop, parking carefully. Checking in on the Chief, Chase is met with the officer sleeping peacefully, yet shivering every once in a while.

All the policebot could do was warm up his seats more. This will have to do for now. He thought.

With the Chief asleep and the quiet of the night, Chase could now ponder some things.

When they were found by Optimus Prime, all they could do was blindly follow his orders. They knew almost nothing about what happened to Cybertron, and Optimus hadn’t told them anything. Not only that, but they didn’t like being on Griffin Rock, wanting to leave after the very first day.

Looking back at the eldest Burns, Chase remembered why, exactly, they stayed. The Burns were . . . what was it?

Family. His processor supplied helpfully.

Yes, the Burns were a sort of family to him. The policebot had grown used to being around them and dealing with their antics, and their bonds had only strengthened from all the rescue missions. The people of Griffin Rock had grown on them too, given how many times the Rescue Bots had helped them. He’s sure that the other bots felt the same.

It was surprising how easily the town had accepted them, Chase had expected some sort of resentment or disgust. But no, for some reason they respected the bots and treated them like equals. The enforcer had thought it was some sort of trick to hurt them later on, but they hadn’t done anything yet.

Perhaps they do care, though. The naive part of him thought. What if they truly—

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something- no, someone approaching.

Now fully alert, the policebot listened carefully, trying to track the source of the noise.

Footsteps. More than one person, possibly five people. He notes. Entire group heading in this direction.

Soon enough, five people dressed in all black appeared from the bushes. The three taller ones were possibly adults or young adults, while the other two seemed to be young children. It was obvious, seeing how the older ones were murmuring quietly while the children were louder with each other.

They stopped when they noticed Chase, the adults whispering to each other and pointing at him. Eventually they leaned down towards the two children to whisper something to them as well, before approaching the police car.

One of the adults looked around before cautiously walking up to the police car’s window. Seeing the police officer fast asleep, they called out to the others.

Chase was conflicted. These people were obviously suspicious and were going to do something. However, he didn’t want to wake the Chief, especially with the small amount of rest Charlie had been getting.

Additionally, the group had approached him as if he were just a regular police car. This told him that they didn’t know who Chase was, meaning they weren’t from Griffin Rock. That would also mean that the policebot unfortunately could not transform into root mode, leading back to whether Chase should wake the Chief.

Before he could dwell on it more, the policebot felt something being sprayed onto his side. Focusing back on the group, he could see a black bag that he had failed to notice earlier.

The policebot noted this failure to notice the bag as something he needed to practice more.

Inside the bag were several cans of spray paint, which was being used on him. Instead of fully painting Chase different colors, they were instead writing words on him, much to the policebot’s confusion.

Adjusting a mirror, Chase could see the word ‘ACAB’ sprayed onto his door, and ‘PIG’ on his other.

Is ACAB perhaps an acronym? He thought, And do they not realize that I am a police car? I do not think I look like a farm animal.

Checking back in on Chief Burns, the officer is still fast asleep. This brings the enforcer back to his earlier turmoil.

Eventually, Chase reached a conclusion. The group had been silent enough to not wake the officer thus far, so the policebot decided he would let the group spray him instead of waking the Burns. The Chief needed to get more sleep, and besides, he could just wash the paint off later.

And so, the enforcer just sat there and waited, the group continuously spraying at him and snickering. He could also hear some of what they said, which confused him. “Police officers, always thinking they’re so high and mighty, now they’ve got expensive cars like these.”

Why would police officers be high? They have jobs to do, and so should not be getting intoxicated. Additionally, they all vary in height, not all were tall. Logically, police officers would be seen as ‘mighty’, they need to be strong enough to protect others. And what do cars looking like they cost—

“Hey what the hell are you all doing?!” A deep voice yelled, causing the group to jump up in surprise. The owner of the voice was a man, standing in the doorway of the house Chase was parked in front of.

“You! Yeah, you! All five of you!” He yelled, pointing at the group and walking towards them. This caused the group of five to start running down the street, abandoning the bag and dropped spray cans.

While the group fled, the man came up to Chase, examining all the words sprayed onto the policebot, before spotting the Chief fast asleep. “What were you trying to do, huh? Why didn’t you wake up the Chief?” The man questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“My apologies, but I did not want to wake him. I had not anticipated that in not doing so, you would be woken up instead.” The policebot apologized. He had not accounted for whether the group would wake the people in the neighborhood.

The man just looked at him strangely. “That ain’t what I’m worried about here, Chase. You got ACAB, FTP, graffiti, and curses all sprayed onto you.” He said, before knocking on the Chief’s window.

“Ah, wait—” The enforcer tried, still not wanting to wake the Chief. It was cut short though, as the eldest Burns soon woke up, although groggily.

“Ugh..” He groaned, sitting up straight. “What- wait, Chase?” The Burns said, realizing he had fallen asleep during their night patrol.

The man smiled apologetically at the Chief. “Sorry for waking you, Mr. Burns, but some people were vandalizing Chase.” He said, gesturing to the paint covering the police car. “They ran away when I got here, but their stuff is still here.”

The Chief could only stare with wide eyes.

______________________

Of all the things Charlie could wake up to, he’s decided this would be one of the worst.

He’d woken up to his partner covered in spray paint and anti police phrases that Chase didn’t even understand. On top of that, his partner had told him that he hadn’t woken him up to help him because he was worried about his wellbeing.

And then he apologized.

Chase apologized for letting them vandalize him.

“What- Chase, no, don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault.” Charlie insisted, frowning. The two were now at the firehouse, washing off all the spray paint on Chase.

The policebot frowned. “But I did not stop them. They had still spray painted me, woken up one of the townspeople, and now you are helping me clean up.” He said, facing the Chief. “You should be sleeping, I can take care of myself—”

Charlie held up a hand to silence him. “Chase, none of this is your fault. You were worried for me, and acted in my benefit— even if I wouldn’t have agreed with it.” Giving his partner a pointed look, he continued. “You were then vandalized. That’s not something you should be apologizing for.”

Charlie watched as Chase stared at him for a few seconds. “I.. see.” He finally said.

They stayed silent for the rest of the next hour, finally washing off the last of the paint. “Alright, you should go and get some rest now, partner.” Charlie said, patting Chase’s leg. “Same to you, Chief,” The policebot nodded to him, before heading down to the bunker.

Chase now had some things to ponder from their conversation, and Charlie could only watch him worriedly.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days since that incident, and Chase had been noticing various changes, all involving the Chief.

For starters, the eldest Burns had been noticeably spending more and more time with the policebot. The reasons Chase was given ranged from “I just have spare time to kill,” and “I want to get to know you and the bots more.” The other bots had noticed too, growing suspicious, but haven’t said anything about it yet.

Next, whenever there were tourists or unfamiliar people around, the Chief was always somewhere around Chase. He wouldn’t leave the policebot alone with any unfamiliar people no matter what. Chase had been thinking more and more about what could have caused such a sudden change in the eldest Burns, but each time he was led to the night he was vandalized.

To Chase, this did not make any sense, since the policebot had been unharmed and felt completely fine afterwards. He was still functional, so why was the Chief acting like this?

Now, the eldest Burns had a completely different mindset compared to Chase.

Ever since the policebot was vandalized, Charlie had been increasingly worried about leaving Chase alone around tourists and unfamiliar people. He didn’t want his partner getting vandalized again, especially to the extent that Heatwave was. So, he always made sure he didn’t leave the policebot around unfamiliar people and kept a close eye on others.

Additionally, he wanted to get to know Chase and the other bots more. Charlie didn’t know why, but maybe it was because of how hurt Heatwave had gotten recently and how Chase seemed indifferent to what happened to him. Perhaps he had realized how little he knew about the bots, or maybe it was how the bots acted more like children than adults. Or maybe, just maybe, he had started to see the bots as his own children, even if they aren’t humans.

Regardless, Charlie had grown attached to all four of the bots in their time together.

He wanted to learn about them, and care for them the same way he did with his own children. So, he observed.

It was the big things at first. He’d notice how much the different personalities of each Rescue Bot contrasted with each other. He’d see how Heatwave argued with Kade every day, how frightened Blades gets with certain things. Charlie would see how Chase tried to stop conflicts between the team, and how much more sympathetic Boulder was compared to the others.

Then he started seeing the smaller things. Despite their differing personalities, they all complimented each other. Chase had a sense of humor, and occasionally watched the other bots with amusement. Despite how mean and aggressive Heatwave would seem, he was one of the first people the other bots would go to when something was wrong. Whenever one of the bots was injured, Blades was no longer the scared and frightened one, but a serious medic. Boulder was a comforting presence around others, being able to calm down any of the bots by talking and being there.

Of course, not everything Charlie noticed about them was good.

All four of the bots became exhausted after days with multiple emergencies, but pretended that they were fine. Chase and Blades would sometimes skip out on meals, sometimes on purpose and sometimes forgetting. Boulder would seem sadder some days and manage to slip out of rooms unnoticed and then reappear again later. On certain days, Heatwave would space out more, barely responding to anyone, even Kade’s banter.

Not only that, but Charlie had noticed how the Rescue Bots had started to stop looking up to Optimus Prime. Whenever they needed help or advice from him, Optimus never answered their calls. If there was a medical emergency that Optimus found out about later, he’d lecture them about calling him for help. When Heatwave had gotten injured from those tourists, Chase and Boulder had tried calling him and he didn’t pick up. When Chase had gotten vandalized, the policebot hadn’t even bothered trying to call him.

The officer could understand, Optimus had his own team, and he would probably be busy. However, he never picked up even once.

It made Charlie mad, how one of the only people the bots could have relied on had never actually helped them.

Sure, Optimus had found the bots, but that was basically all he did.

It.. ignited something in Charlie. The eldest Burns wanted to be the person the bots could go to for anything, not Optimus.

And maybe, just maybe, some part of him started to see them as his own children and wanted them to see him as their guardian.

So, here he is now, the children bots, watching some show in an attempt to bond with them.

Chase and Blades were sitting next to each other on the Cybertronian couch, cuddling each other. Heatwave was sitting on the floor, his knees to his chest and resting his head on them, while Boulder laid on the floor in front of them.

To be very honest, the show they chose was terrible.

It was one of those bad cop shows, revolving around corrupt cops, which seemed to have been continuously disturbing Chase while confusing the other bots.

More than once, Charlie had to answer questions like “Why’d they do that?” and “Isn’t that against the law?”

The eldest Burns had to explain that it was a bad cop show, and even after that Charlie had to explain what it was.

When they finally finished the show, it was around the time the bots would go and recharge, the rest of the Burns having gone to sleep earlier. Now I’ve just gotta get to bed—

“Chief, I would like to ask you some questions regarding those ‘bad cop’ shows,” The policebot paused, as if rethinking his decision. “If you are okay with it, of course.” He added.

Charlie could see the conflict in Chase’s eyes, no doubt having trouble processing what happened in the show.

Well, I wasn’t really planning on sleeping anyway.

“Go ahead,” The officer said, turning around and walking towards the policebot.

They stayed there together for several hours, Charlie reassuring the enforcer and answering all of his questions.

“. . . and that’s why- Chase?”

The policebot’s eyes were closed now, and he was leaning slightly forwards. He had a peaceful expression on his face, and his breathing was normal.

Charlie could only chuckle at the sight, standing up and stretching.

“Sleep well, partner,” He said, before leaving.

Chapter Text

Dani was just looking around the donut shop, yes, just looking. That’s all. Definitely.

There were so many different kinds of donuts, jelly filled, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, the list could go on! Not only that, but they had tons of drinks here too! The old lady at the counter was very nice as well, asking Dani if she wanted to buy anything.

She tried so hard to resist the donuts. She really did.

“I think I’ll take some of those,” Dani said, pointing at the chocolate donuts with sprinkles on them.

. . . Maybe getting some drinks wouldn’t hurt either..

“I’ll take some of those, too”

“Of course, anything else?” The nice old woman at the counter asked, already putting the donuts in the box with the rest of the goods Dani had already selected.

“Ooh, and maybe some of those . . . ”

______________________

Blades was just waiting a bit outside of the donut shop because Dani wanted to get some donuts for herself and the rest of the Burns.

He was bored out of his mind, having absolutely nothing to do except sit there.

Blades: Daniiiiii, hurry upppppppppppp

Dani: Just give me a few minutes!

Dani: I’ve almost got everything

She’d said that a whole TEN minutes ago!! Blades could be back at the firehouse, watching more movies, right now.

He tried texting Dani again, but she was lost in the donut madness, leaving Blades to whine to himself.

Sure, there wasn’t any emergency, and the sunlight felt kind of good on him, but he was so utterly bored!!

Dani’s gonna HAVE to watch more movies with me today for making me wait out here so long! I can’t believe she left me for donuts! The betrayal—!

He’s pulled out of his musings by some rustling bushes and loud whispers from a few feet behind him.

Looking at it a bit skeptically, Blades couldn’t help but think of those detective movies he watched with Chase a few days ago. The ones with those criminals hiding from the cops in bushes and sewers— or the ones with those sneaky detectives!

Two women and a man appeared, casually walking down the sidewalk and towards the donut shop. Huh, I didn’t know this was a popular place.

Once the group reached the donut shop, they looked around quickly before running straight towards Blades, shocking him for a moment.

They started poking him on the windows and seemingly trying to somehow lift him up, causing Blades to panic even more.

Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no——!

Had he been in his root mode, Blades faceplate would have paled.

What are they trying to do?! Oh Primus, what if they’re secretly evil scientists trying to brainwash me or something?!

Wait what was that saying— “If I can’t see them they can’t see me”?

Blades shuttered his optics, praying that the people would leave as if nothing happened. When he opened them again, they were gone. Oh thank Primus!

But of course, Primus seemed to be out for him today, as they showed up again a few minutes later, but with a tow truck they got from who-knows-where.

Blades spark sank.

______________________

Dani had just finished grabbing what she wanted from the donut store, which, admittedly, took longer than she had originally anticipated. She’ll have to make up for it with Blades later.

After all the stuff was finally bagged and paid for, Dani walked out of the store with at least three boxes in hand.

It was a bit awkward, having to move her head to the side to look in front of her, but she managed to make it to where Blades was without any help.

She then proceeded to drop all three boxes in shock.

Blades was being picked up by some people with a tow truck— in broad daylight!

“HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Dani yelled, having forgotten the boxes of treats in favor of storming towards them. She pulled out a wrench from one of her pockets as a sort of weapon.

The man operating the tow truck jumped at her yelling, and turned to see a very angry woman brandishing a wrench like a murder weapon. The two women who were there too tried hiding behind the vehicles after seeing Dani.

Studying these people while she very furiously approached, Dani could conclude that they were a group of tourists. A group of rich, good for nothing pieces of—

“Get. Away. From my helicopter. Now.” She said, pointing the wrench straight at them. “Or else I’ll call the police to arrest you.” She adds when they just stare at her. That got them moving. The guy hurriedly drove away in his truck, leaving the two women behind as they scrambled to leave.

She didn't turn around until she couldn’t see them anymore. When they were gone, she turned towards Blades, the helicopter having been silent the entire exchange.

Dani’s expression changed immediately from fury to worry as she approached him. “Blades, is anything damaged? Did they do something while I was still in the store . . .”

______________________

The entire flight back was silent. It was very uncomfortable.

Or, at least it was for Blades.

Dani was sitting in his cockpit, utterly seething. The boxes of donuts and other stuff were next to her, left unopened, and she sat in his seat with her arms crossed.

Blades may not be as good at ‘reading humans’ like Boulder, but even he can tell that she’s angry.

So when they finally made it back to the firehouse, he may or may not have been afraid of what she was gonna do. His fear only grew when she practically stormed down the hall like she was on her way to murder someone.

Graham and Kade, who were minding their own business, practically dived out of the way when their sister walked by. Looking where Dani just went, they could hear yelling. Very loud yelling.

Maybe I just need some recharge..

______________________

I can’t freaking believe it! Those no good vehicle kidnapping—!

Dani thought, angrily throwing her pillows at a wall. She was currently trashing her room, throwing whatever she could get her hands on and kicking her bed.

I was JUST getting comfortable with leaving Blades alone for longer periods of time, and THIS is what happens?!

Ever since the incident with Heatwave, all of the Burns had been keeping a closer eye on the bots, even Cody. They were all paranoid of what could happen if their partners ended up in the same situation, and so they rarely strayed far from them for weeks.

Even her dad was paying closer attention to Chase. She’d been noticing how much more time he’d spend around the bots, heck, even Kade noticed.

But after nothing had happened, Dani had started to relax a bit, thinking that maybe Blades would be fine. Perhaps it was just a one time terrible event.

But of course, the day she finally thought that nothing would happen, some stupid people decided to try and take Blades— in broad daylight too!

She kicked the trash can, seething. “If I ever see them again I’m gonna—”

______________________

The following days, Dani stuck around Blades a lot.

She was there with him during emergencies, when they went out to get things, when Blades hung around the other bots, and even before Blades went into recharge. The other bots were getting a bit concerned.

Eventually, Heatwave approached her one evening. The other bots were either recharging or out, and the rest of the Burns were likely asleep.

“Alright, I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re going to have to explain.” The firetruck stated bluntly, crouching down to eye level. “Why are you always sticking around Blades? You’re always around him, even when we’re back in the bunker.” He said, narrowing his eyes.

Dani stared right back, refusing to back down. Yes, Heatwave is a giant metal robot that could probably very easily hurt her. That doesn’t mean she’s gonna cower in fear. “I’m just worried about him.”

Heatwave stared at her. She stared back.

“Don’t tell me this is a result of what happened a few months ago.” The firetruck groaned, dragging a hand over his face.

She gave him a pointed look. “We were very worried when that happened.” She said, before shifting awkwardly. “And uh, yeah. I guess it kind of is.”

“Kind of?” He questioned, raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms in front of him. His eyes narrowed. “What happened.”

“I—” Dani huffed, turning her back to him and crossing her arms. “I left Blades alone to go to a store, and came back to some people trying to steal him.” She said, hugging herself. What would’ve happened if I walked out later? I should’ve just left when Blades asked me too..

She heard Heatwave sigh, then it was silent. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her.

“Alright, fine.” He finally said, standing up. Huh?

“Wait, what? What do you mean ‘fine’?” Dani asked, surprised. She turned around quickly to see the firetruck beginning to walk away.

“Continue on with what you’re doing, just tone it down.” He said, making his way out. “Don’t spend too much time around Blades, he’s getting restless and Chase is getting suspicious.”

She watched as he disappeared into a room, before making her way to her own bedroom.

The following day, Dani left Blades alone a bit more. Not enough for an unsuspecting person to try something again, but enough for Blades to not feel watched all of the time. It was a nice change for Blades, who could now hang around the other bots without being watched all the time.