TFG1 - Public Display

Title: TFG1 - Public Display
Cosmos/Blaster, Genderbent, Rated Mild T for some implications ((Mentioned: Brawn/Huffer, Cliffjumper/Hound, Gears/Windcharger, All Genderbent))
Summary: Cosmos has been keeping a secret for a very, very long time. Coincidentally, the secret's out.

“What have you been doing while I was away?” Cosmos asked, just a touch of shyness in her voice. She always felt a stirring in her internals on her first night back, a stirring only the present company could bring to her. They were sitting on one of the crests of the mountain, just…talking. They weren’t stargazing, as Cosmos had seen quite a lot of stars on her journey; they’d much rather look at each other.

“I’ve been rockin’ and rollin’ as best I can,” Blaster replied, leaning in close enough that she could feel the air from his vents as he crooned, “And I’ve been missing you…”

Cosmos couldn’t help but smile at the gentle words, but it was bittersweet. She had returned a bit early from her roam in space for this reason. Blaster had been her sweetspark for at least six vorns now, but sometimes she couldn’t help but have something of a small crisis, wondering if he was hopping around while she was away.

It was a ridiculous notion, of course. She trusted him above anyone else. When Minibots found someone, they had to be someone very special, someone the Minibot could expect to be loyal. Cosmos could see quite a lot of that when she was on Earth, though her visits were brief.

Brawn and Huffer absolutely adored each other; whenever they looked at each other, their optics and EM fields glowed. Cosmos would laugh whenever her thoughts drifted to the rumors that Prowl had rebuked them for certain…public displays of affection…and Brawn had growled back that any dark room that wasn’t claimed was fair game, and why was Prowl coming into that particular room and bothering them anyway?

If anyone needed that rule about PDA, it was Cliffjumper. He could barely keep his hands off of Hound, who was quite indulgent and let him caress her plating even if other Autobots were present. As far back as any of them could remember, their kind had been very tactile and to find a sweet larger-frame who was prepared to participate was a thrilling surprise. They were all glad for him.

The last time Cosmos was here, Gears and Windcharger were still figuring it out. They had first realized their feelings for each other after an argument, which had ended with Gears forcing himself on the femme, kissing her senseless and then storming out to fume at the miserable world. Windcharger had followed. Now, if what Cosmos was hearing now was true, they were planning to bond soon!

She could see they were all happy now and, with Blaster, she was just as happy as they were. But just as Minibots were known to be tactile, they were also known to share their happiness with others of their kind. For these past six vorns, she’d been unable to tell her friends about her relationship.

They were still operating under the assumption that she was a mech. It was easy to pick out the larger-frame femmes. Huffer was slender for their kind, with lean hips and broad shoulders which made it just as obvious. Windcharger had outright stated it at the start of the Ark’s expedition, spreading her arms out as she spun a circle for the mechs to see it was true. Before Cosmos could say the same, they had all started calling her by mech pronouns—even the aforementioned femmes. She hadn’t been quick enough to correct them.

Somehow she had become a he and now that she was in a relationship, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for something she hadn’t even caused.

When Blaster had first taken her aside and expressed interest in her, she was afraid he was a slanted mech, one who wanted to be with a mech. She had blurted her secret out of fear, expecting him to be angry or shocked, and he had just smiled even wider.

“Oh, I know,” he’d assured her. “And you’re a very pretty femme at that.”

Just like that, he’d won her over. As far as they knew, Blaster was the only one who knew, and while she was relieved it was him, that realization did get quite lonely sometimes.

“Hey,” Blaster recaptured her attention. “You doing alright?”

Cosmos glanced up at him, fidgeting uncomfortably, and after a nanoklik she decided to set those thoughts aside for another time. “Yes, I’m alright,” she declared, leaning against him, pleased when he put an arm around her and ran a hand over her far shoulder. “It’s good to be with you.”

Blaster was quiet for several minutes, which was something Cosmos wasn’t used to. Whenever he was with the other Bots, he was boisterous and loud, always with a spring in his step. It was all much like Jazz, her first crush, as a matter of fact. In these moments, Blaster could show his solemn side and Cosmos could sense an important question was coming. Usually it was one linked to their relationship status and sure enough—

“Think you can take off your facemask for me yet, Cos?”

Cosmos perked up, a bit astonished. She hadn’t even known he wanted that—although, if she thought back to the many times he had touched her mask, even briefly, tugging on it just to tease her, she should’ve realized.

Without a thought she retracted it and felt joy spread through Blaster’s EM field. She brightened, staring up at his big smile, which faded to a smaller, gentler one as he studied her face.

Was he about to do what she suspected? If so, she owed it to him. She straightened, lifting her head to make it a shorter distance, and his field spilled over with gratitude and tenderness as he leaned down.

“What the—?!”

Both of them startled badly at Bumblebee’s voice. The scout was gaping at them, optics nearly rounding out of his face, and he had his hands held up almost as though he were surrendering. Cosmos felt her spark leap into her throat as she distinguished Cliffjumper, Gears and Windcharger behind him, their expressions holding equal shock.

“C-Cosmos!” Bumblebee stammered, looking as though he regretted even emerging from the Ark. “Blaster! What—are you—are you—”

“Are you slanted mechs?” Gears demanded in an all-too-loud voice. “How long have you been?!”

“No, no, that’s not what this is,” Blaster tried to protest. “You’re playin’ the wrong tune—”

“Then what the frag are you doing? Cosmos, did he force you into this?!” Cliffjumper growled.

“No!” Cosmos burst out, leaping to her feet. “He didn’t force me into anything; we’re together and we’ve been together for vorns! I’m a femme!”

If they had been shocked before, they were stunned now, completely silent. After a nanoklik Windcharger pushed through the mechs, the first one to speak.

“You’re a…what?” she asked tentatively.

Cosmos swallowed hard, spread out her arms and spun a circle, much as Windcharger herself had so long ago. When she was facing them again, she dropped her arms and repeated weakly, “I’m a femme.” Snapping her facemask closed, she waited for the storm of anger, of hurt and betrayed faces for the secret she’d kept. They were all staring at her as though she were a stranger; one of them would explode soon enough.

“Well, then,” Brawn captured the attention of all present. When had he arrived? “I guess you better explain, Cosmos. And…introduce us to your mech.” Cosmos blinked rapidly in disbelief as Brawn pivoted toward the others. “Close ranks,” he announced. “Let’s find a safe room and lock it. If she kept it from us, she kept it from the larger-frames. Right, Cos?”

“All…except him,” Cosmos agreed, knitting her fingers between Blaster’s as he stood.

The other Minibots studied him warily but made no comment on the hand-holding, which meant they might not be against it.

It was probably a peculiar sight for the oblivious Bots, watching the cluster of Minibots march around Blaster through the halls of the Ark, ignoring anything that was said to them, ignoring any stares in favor of finding a private place to discuss this new development.

In any case, once she got over her embarrassment, it would be a relief, a comfort, another thing for Cosmos to laugh about when she was in space.