Off in the Dark

[Hook]

Hellbender has suggested that.¹

Each squeeze, every nanosecond Shockwave's metal presses against his wrist, sends lines of tingling warmth through the Constructicon's systems. Overcharged tactile sensors dazzle him with electric patterns of pressure, sensations threatening to leave him insensate.

His empty hand begins to shake.

Mixmaster's words are thrown out at him like a lifeline, and he latches onto them. Shockwave is touching him. Shockwave has been told not to do that and has some idea that it is distressing Hook. Therefore, Shockwave deserves whatever the Constructicon does to him to punish him for this.

He shifts in Shockwave's grip, shoving the hook in deeper before bringing it up again to start peeling off Shockwave's thigh armor. "No. Let go."

---

1. Hellbender is the fortunate (or unfortunate) patient of two brilliant, egotistical doctors. Dr. House, meet Dr. McKay, and vice versa. -- Frankencon's New Clothes

Also, further abuse of Shockwave done with player permission.

[Victoria Raines]

The look Shockwave turns on Mixmaster is not friendly, not friendly at all, a fact made obvious more by the very deliberate swinging of that optic toward the cement mixer, and by the very sharp and sudden tilt of his headfins back which preceded that movement.

"You. Are not. Helping. Be si-," the command is not completed, ending instead in a very sharp hiss as the hook digs deeper and his thigh plating is pried up just a touch. Between that, and the constant prickly burn that has been running through him since that "energon" entered his systems, Shockwave is feeling more sensation than he has in quite sometime. Not pleasant sensation, true, but sensation. Bothersome, that. Unbalancing.

"Let go, and test the strength of my armour's latches against your own panic-augmented strength?" Shockwave shakes his head, "No. Take your hook out of me, and I will release you." He tightens his grip on Hook's wrist, pushing down and forward, attempting to counter the upward pull on his plating. "Though I do not understand why my touching you in what is clearly a non-suggestive manner is causing such distress."

He really doesn't. Shockwave suspects that Hook's decreased sobriety has increased the crane's sensitivity, but he has no idea how much.

---

previous grabbing of Hook's wrist ok'd with player. Forgot note, sorry.

[Mixmaster]

//You are supposed to intelligent, yes?// Mixmaster asks Shockwave flatly, out loud he says: "But you deserve it, really! Hook did tell you not to touch him, he did." Mixmaster moves closer again, completely ignoring Shockwave's look and focusing instead on Shockwave's knee.

"Now, I think he's telling you again. Stop it." Mixmaster looks up at Shockwave with a light grin, fingers tapping against his own knee in an uneven rythme. "Really, you're not helping yourself at all here, no, not at all. You will be releasing him, yes, my gestalt mate? Hook, he'll let you go?" The Constructicon's optics flicker in a friendly manner before he turns his gaze to his team mate.

If Shockwave doesn't let go soon, Mixmaster will reach out and try pushing down on that plate Hook is threatening to remove. He suspects it might hurt- just a tiny bit.

[Hook]

Hook's expression twists into something that Mixmaster should well know isn't pain. The tighter grip on his wrist sends sparkler-bombs through his systems, the bite of his hook into Shockwave's knee-joint and the slow, contested give of the thigh-plate sent a low, dark thrum through his systems.

//Mixmaster...// Hook reaches out with his radio, no longer trusting his voice. But the radio was safe with only his teammate to hear. //He keeps holding me tighter.//

His free hand is still shaking, almost vibrating back and forth in little motions.

[Victoria Raines]

Shockwave does not bother pointing out to Mixmaster that the reason he grabbed Hook this time was to keep him from hurting Mixmaster. Shockwave is fairly certain the mixer will twist and turn his words about, and, really, right now he is not in the mood for such a conversation. Another small sound is pulled from him as his thigh plate is slowly peeled up, a sound that is mostly pain. Mostly.

The problem here is threefold. First, Shockwave is almost stuck in place, kneeling as he is behind and slightly to one side of Hook. He can not stand, he can not remove the hook himself at this angle. Second, he is outnumbered, and in such a vulnerable position it would be too easy for the Constructicons to gain the upper hand. He does not trust the crane to cease that slow and painful peeling up of his plating even if released. Third, he truly does not wish to fight with either of them at the moment. There are a dozen things Shockwave could do which would bring an end to this little play, but almost all of them involve doing true harm. And that would ruin things all around.

"I am beginning to think you are more trouble than you are worth," he murmurs, before abruptly releasing Hook's wrist. Shockwave waits, hand hovering just above the crane's. Waiting to see what Hook will do.

[Mixmaster]

'Well, he's not touching you anymore," Mixmaster points out, replying to Hook out loud before settling back. Yes, Hook may still have his hook in Shockwave at this point unless it's been removed. Either way you can see how much this affects the mixer. Really.

"Shockwave, Shockwave, Shockwave; it's Hook. It's a simple law of the universe that all Hook's are more trouble than they're worth- it's what makes them so loveable and hook-ish, it is!"

He's not done, and looks back and forth from Hook to Shockwave to Hook again. Mainly Mixmaster is focusing on Hook and Hook's so very expressive features. And the hand Shockwave still has hovering over Hook's own hand. "Now," he says, giggling somewhat, "would you two like some time alone...?"

//See? It's all right now~!// There's a smiley face in those words, Hook, you can bet your behind on it.

[Hook]

The removal of Shockwave's hand is almost wrenching. Coolant trickles through his systems, and sensors that were previously overwhelmed with heat and pressure ache with the cold.

He yanks the hook out of Shockwave's thigh, a slight sound escaping him at the sensation of it. The back of his hand strikes against Shockwave's open palm, and the Constructicon flinches from the spikes of pleasure throbbing in his systems.

His hand twists, releases the hook to return to its resting place, green fingers tangling with purple to clasp hands and pull Shockwave closer.

//Alone time? But three's company, Mixmaster.//

[Victoria Raines]

Shockwave hisses in pain as the hook is roughly pulled from his body, a hiss that turns into a very, very quiet hum of pleasure when the crane's fingers tangle with his own. He lets himself be pulled forward to lean against Hook, gunarm moving to Hook's waist for better balance.

"I do not care if you go or stay," Shockwave answers, tone slightly edged. He tilts his head, attempting to catch Hook's expression, "And I thought you wished me to stop touching you, Hook?"

[Mixmaster]

//Hmmm?// Mixmaster replies, dimming his optics in some type of pleasure, //at least you know what you want, Hook, right? No changing of the mind at all, I see.//

Mixmaster shifts so he is closer to Hook, one hand coming to hover near his team mate's shoulder wheel, not quite, almost but not, touching; the other reaches out to hover in the same fashion over Shockwave's thigh, as close to The Knee as Mixmaster can manage without actually touching it.

"I can tell I'm wanted, Shockwave, truly I can." Mixmaster smiles a pleased smile at the gun-former. "Hook?"

[Hook]

"My mind changed." Hook tilts his head up to look at the cyclops, visor dimming to a sultry level. "It's the nature of my species."

He reaches up for Mixmaster's hand, meaning to press his teammate to the wheel he so teasingly hovers over. "Mixmaster."

[Victoria Raines]

My, my, my, this is an interesting turn of events. Shockwave is pleased. He may have had to decline an earlier offer for companionship, but he need not be left wanting, it seems. And dabbling with these two now may lead to advantages later.

Oh yes, he is quite pleased.

Shockwave twists his hand to rub his thumb firmly into Hook's palm. He inclines his head ever so slightly at Mixmaster.

"You will repair what you damage," he says, directing the words to the both of them. That Shockwave will do the same is a given.

---

OOC: heading toward Fade Out?

[Mixmaster]

Mixmaster chirrs delightedly as Hook presses his hand down on the wheel, and tilts his head to better smile at Shockwave. His fingers twitch lightly on the tire, an automatic response to nothing in particular, maybe in an effort to brush against Hook's hand if it remains.

"Ah, we will, will we? I suppose we might." Mixmaster replies to Shockwave with a contented rumble and leans closer to the gun-former without actually touching him. "Yes."

------------

OOC: ...Yes?

[Hook]

"Of course. Everyone wants to be repaired by me." It's so hard being the best surgical engineer in the Empire some days.

Other days, not so much.

---

And the train goes through the tunnel.