Inferno and Red Alert IX
C.M.D: Just a very short update this month. I wish there was more but it's been difficult recently to get much time alone to write. HEADS UP: there probably might not be any updates for August as well; I'm moving over 130km away from my current location shortly, and there's a lot of unpacking therein after to tackle. So, I'll try to be back in September for you all -hopefully with a bunch of chapters!- but in the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys the update!
Title: Inferno and Red Alert IX
Rating: T
The weekend before school restarted was a long and nerve-wracking one. Inferno couldn't recharge a wink and by Monday morning he felt completely drained.
"You didn't sleep again, did ya?," Moonracer scolded, tilting her son's helm back after he'd settled into a chair. Dim optics stared back at her. She sighed in mild aggravation, releasing the youngling and setting the last of the breakfast dishes on the table. "You can't go to school like this; I'm phoning the secretary."
That jolted the german shepherd into attentiveness. "W-what?! No, Aye'm fine, momma, Aye can go ta school!," he protested, shoveling food into his mouth with a crazed frenzy.
The femme stood at his side, shaking her helm as she tutted disapprovingly. "You're as stubborn as your sire. A'right, so be it. I better not hear you got detention for falling asleep in class again though," she warned sternly, leaving the room to tend to some other tasks. "You got a cycle so you best wash up too before you go."
At her departure, Inferno began to slow down, eventually resting his fork on his plate entirely. His tanks churned unpleasantly and the half-chewed food in his mouth tasted like mud; he had no appetite for any of this right now. Quietly, he slid his phone onto the table, scrolling through his messages. As before, there were no replies since his fight with Sideswipe several orns ago. Not even to his short greetings over the weekend. A black digit hovered over the screen, uncertain... But after a lengthy moment, it dropped again; Inferno venting miserably as he pocketed his phone. If Red Alert hadn't responded yet it was probably due to his family, and texting him incessantly could just land the poor doberman in more trouble.
Inferno was only glad that spring break had finished. There was no way his friend would miss school! Somewhat encouraged by that thought, the german shepherd scooped one last forkful of food into his mouth before rushing upstairs to get ready for the orn.
xxXxXxx
The halls were crowded that morning, the couple hundred students lingering longer than usual to chat about the things they did over the break or catch up with those that went away for vacation. Their bodies meshed together like a thicket of brambles, but Inferno pushed on all the same, mumbling an apology here and there as he waded through the crowd. He was incredibly happy when he made it to his home economics class, a joy that was slightly dimmed as he realized Red Alert wasn't there.
Perhaps he'd be in later? The doberman didn't seem to like crowds.
Inferno set his bag in his usual spot, grabbing the most basic supplies out of the cupboard drawers before he could resist no longer; he returned to the classroom door, helm craning to look over the mass of younglings for a certain pair of white ears and glittering antennae. His disappointment grew as he saw no such familiar sight. Students were beginning to filter towards their classes now in the first bell's wake and the german shepherd was feeling sick again. Red Alert's family wouldn't be so mad as to keep him out of school... would they?
Jaw clenching, the red autodog turned to grab his bag and leave when he, instead, found himself cornered by a couple classmates. "So it is true!," one mechling jeered, leaning into Inferno's face.
"Wha-?," Inferno began, pausing as realization slowly dawned on him.
"What a mark!," the third youngling commented, a finger pointed to the german shepherd's cheekplates. This only confirmed that they were talking about his dented plating -mostly healed now so only a small scuff remained; unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. "I can't believe he actually punched you!"
The second autodog, green and reedy, elbowed his companion roughly, before fixing Inferno with a smug look. "My gamma says it's rightly improper to be fist-fighting in the streets. She says it's classic thug-like behaviour and that your Mama should be ashamed of ya."
Servos tightened into fists at his side at the insult. "...ya bett'r drop yer tone," the german shepherd growled lowly.
"Or what?!"
"What, you gonna fight us too?," the third autodog, small and navy-coloured, scowled. "Who are you defending? Everyone knows about your brawl in town! Swerve even said he found some drug bottles that the new family was bringing in."
Inferno couldn't help the flicker of fear that swirled in his gut. He glanced upwards and it was just then that he noticed everyone was watching him; whispering behind their servos or passing notes while they gave him sidelong glances. "H-he... They ain't dealin' anythang!," he protested, fear twisting into a smoldering anger.
The navy student laughed shortly, while his companion scoffed. "Ya seriously think we're gonna believe that? Everyone saw the pills, Inferno, not to mention the kittycon tramp they were parading all over the place. We all know you were gunning for a position as a pusher."
"Yeah, a pusher," the small autodog piped up. "Betcha couldn't keep your servos off a freebie and that's why you got hit!"
"Aye ain't such a 'bot," Inferno retorted, taking a firm step toward his classmate, temper flaring. "Ya say anoth'r falsehood like that an' y'all-"
"Ya threatening us now, Inferno?," the green youngling demanded, a sneer growing on his face. "What a surprise! All these strangers come flooding into our humble town and Accidental's all up in their unsightly business. Ya gonna run off after some cat-loving whore too, just like your cousin?"
Something snapped inside Inferno. One moment he was staring at the other autodog's antagonizing mug, the next he had him hoisted up in the air by the collar of his shirt.
"Inferno?!," the teacher squawked, frozen mid-step in the doorway, at the sight unfolding in his classroom. "What are you doing?!"
Blue optics flashed about the room. Everyone had gone quiet, staring at the german shepherd in mix of shock and horror. Even the youngling he held up in the air looked terrified.
"Put him down this instant, Inferno!," the teacher barked.
"...yessir," the red autodog mumbled, feeling somewhat ashamed of himself as he began to set the other student onto the floor. Just what had he been thinking? He wasn't a violent sort of spark.
"Yeah, put on your timid face now that there's a grown 'bot around," his green classmate spat, ripping himself free from the german shepherd's grasp as soon as his pedes touched the ground again. "You're a coward and a blight upon our homes; your glitch mama doubly so for birthing ya."
Optics flared brightly at the slurs and when they shuttered, the other student was laying flat on the floor, wailing as he cupped his gushing olfactory sensor. "I-IN-INFERNO?! O-office, NO-NOW!," the teacher was screeching hysterically.
"Yessir," the red youngling replied at once. Shaking his scuffed servo lightly, Inferno stepped over the injured autodog and grabbed his knapsack, heading back to the classroom door with a sudden sure-helmed attitude. The whole class stared at him, alarmed, and yet, the german shepherd found himself surprisingly calm about his own actions. In fact, his whole march down the hall to the administration office was done in a confidence far exceeding the present situation.
He was probably getting a month of detentions. Slag, Inferno was likely facing suspension for hurting another student on school property!
He didn't care.
xxXxXxx
White fingers tapped in erratic patterns against the floor, ears pressed against the surface. He could hear his carrier's vocalizer in the kitchen, his sire somewhere off in the garage; they were talking about him again. Words like "sick" and "unmanageable" filtered up the stairs, but it was the phrase "register for program" that made Red Alert sit upwards in terror. It was finally happening; his creators were really going to do it.
Coolant falling down his cheekplates in rapid streams, the doberman pushed himself up off the floor, pacing back and forth in a jerky manner as he tried to think through his mounting panic. His sire and carrier were going to dump him at the nearest asylum. They couldn't deal with the youngling and his never-ending string of mental problems. He was too broken even for them to care about anymore. Wheezing, the doberman clasped both servos over his mouth, turning to his berthroom door in fright.
The barricade he'd made by pushing all of his furniture against the door was still holding. It probably wouldn't for long though if his creators were calling the authorities to come collect him. Mindful of his little waste pot and ration bar, Red Alert quickly rushed to the berthroom window, staring out into the long stretch of wild grain growing in front of their house. His spark was whirling like a hurricane inside his frail body; fuel tanks twisted up in a million knots, and squeezing hard enough to make him purge from the pressure alone. Still, despite his faltering intakes and trembling servos, the white youngling forced the old window open- pausing only long enough to ensure that no one had heard the wood grinding, before he clawed his way out of the berthroom and onto the patio roof.
He didn't want to be locked away forever.
Red Alert clambered down to the ground and took off running, not once looking back.
xxXxXxx
The german shepherd wasn't surprised that Moonracer was waiting at the door when he returned home.
"What were you thinking?!," the femme demanded, face dark with anger. "First a fight in main street and now you're breaking olfactory sensors at school! Inferno, what are you doing with your life!?"
The youngling dropped his bag into the usual corner beside the door, jaw locking as he tried to side-step his carrier. "Aye didn't go lookin' for trouble, momma. The oth'r pup was pushin'; Aye did nothin' wrong!"
Moonracer blocked his path though, fists propped against her hips as she scowled up at her son. "It was about that friend of yours, wasn't it? I swear, Inferno-"
"It weren't 'bout him!," the german shepherd rebutted snappishly, giving the femme his own stubborn look, "Aye mean, okay, a bit- but they were sayin' nasty thangs 'bout ya too, momma. The foulest, improp'r designation for a femme. Aye couldn't let that stand!"
"If he's being honest with what he says, momma Moon, then I say he was justified," a third vocalizer interjected neutrally.
Inferno's helm snapped up at the new entry, optics sparkling and a smile splitting his face as he watched a larger autodog step out of the kitchen. "Trailbreaker!," he exclaimed, dodging past the defeated dalmation and throwing himself at the karelian.
The dark mech caught his cousin easily, squeezing him tightly in a giant hug. "It's real good to see ya too, 'Fern," Trailbreaker laughed, dropping the younger autodog eventually, only to thump his servos on the other's shoulder plating. "Primus, lookitcha! I've been gone a couple years and ya've burst up like a stalk!"
"Aye'd say ya've gotten bigg'r too," Inferno returned jovially, poking at the bulky plating of the karelian's arms, visible through his shirt sleeves.
"A'right, don't encourage him," Moonracer cut in before Trailbreaker could reply, her expression mild but still displeased. "No matter the reasons, Inferno did get himself suspended and that's not okay. So, pup, you're gonna go down to the basement and start scrubbing."
"But mama-!"
"And," the dalmation continued sharply, raising a finger in warning at her son, "You're gonna make your way up until every surface of this home is gleaming, pup. I better find ya halfway through it by the time me and your cousin get back from the store or there will be consequences, Inferno. Don't think I won't check behind and under furniture, either."
Trailbreaker fixed the german shepherd with a sympathetic smile, patting his shoulder one last time. "She's got the right there, 'Fern. Ya still did good defending momma Moon, but consequences are consequences. We can catch up after yer done cleaning."
"Fine," Inferno grumbled, sulkily turning about and stomping off to the kitchen to collect the bucket and scrub brushes.
"I love you, Inferno," Moonracer called out as he went.
Listening as keys jingled and the front door squeaked open, the youngling felt his former ire begin to dissipate completely, smiling an inch despite himself. "Love ya too, mama," he said in return. He heard his carrier say her farewells, along with Trailbreaker, before both left the house with a gentle click of the door behind them. Alone now, Inferno hurried to get started on his punishment.
xxXxXxx
The next couple orns were incredibly dull for the german shepherd. He was roused at the crack of dawn at his carrier's insistence and set with a new task that was guaranteed to fill up the entire sun-lit cycles with busy work. It was absolutely a nuisance but it was a responsibility that Inferno accepted; even he knew when he'd acted less like a proper country mech and that this was the fair exchange for his slight indiscretion. Eventually though, Moonracer began to run out of things to set her son with and it was with relief that the red autodog took the reprieve. Scooping the last of the branches into a garbage bag, Inferno looked out over the garden, beaming with pride at the picture-perfect yard before him.
"Well, would ya look at that," a cheerful vocalizer piped up, the screen door swinging open behind the german shepherd.
Inferno looked back as his cousin walked onto the patio, two glasses of lemonade in his servos. He took the offered cup when it was held out for him, drinking deeply as Trailbreaker put aside the garden tools and sat on the porch's edge. "How ya feeling, buddy?," the karelian asked neutrally, visor fixed on the younger autodog.
Inferno paused in his next swig, mulling over the question. "Well, Aye'm tir'd, that's for sure. Aye've done, like, ev'ry spring cleanin' chore an' yearly renovation mama could think of in jus' a few orns," he replied, scratching at the back of his neck. "Which is, like, a colossal feat ev'n for me."
His cousin smiled, but it seemed somewhat off. "That I figured. I was referring to the altercation at school though," Trailbreaker said, optic ridge raised knowingly at the youngling as he sipped his own lemonade.
Inferno chuckled nervously.
"Your mama let me in on the troubles you've been having the last week," the dark autodog added.
The german shepherd felt himself deflate a bit. "Oh... That's why yer here," he sighed, dropping onto the bottom step, facing away from his cousin.
"Now, now," Trailbreaker began, placing his glass off to the side and leaning forward. He barely got a glance out of the younger autodog when he rested a servo on his back. "I didn't come out here jus' 'cause momma Moon called me; I care about ya 'Fern, I wanted to make sure ya were really okay. I remember how bad some of the other pups were when we were small."
The red autodog's helm sunk deeper between his shoulders, gazed settled listlessly at the ground. "A-aye... It's not me that Aye'm concern'd 'bout, 'Breaker," he mumbled back. "Aye mean, the oth'rs have always had a comment ta say here an' there about dad an' auntie since the accident..."
Trailbreaker continued when Inferno trailed off. "But ya've always been able to overlook it when it was about just ya. Ya can't do the same if it's others getting hurt -like a timid doberman."
The karelian couldn't help but to chuckle at how fast his cousin's helm snapped around towards him. "M-mama-?," he stuttered.
The older mech nodded. "She mentioned some of the trouble ya were finding yourself in had to do with a new family that moved into Yuss. Seeing as I'm a lil' versed in befriending outliers, would ya care to tell me 'bout it all?," he prompted kindly.
Inferno sighed, shifting so he was angled more in the larger autodog's direction. "What's there ta say, really? Knowin' mama, she's explain'd all there is. O' at least, what she says is important," he responded glumly.
The karelian picked up his glass, taking a hearty drink. "Ya know I don't believe that's the end of the story," he answered with a grin, visor dimmed softly as he thought back on some unspoken memory. "If I just trusted every opinion on a stranger that someone told me, I wouldn't have met a 'bot like Silverbolt."
The german shepherd shuttered his optics slowly, processor catching on the vaguely familiar name. "Oh, that shih tzu fella, yeah? The one ya went ta the city ta find?," he inquired, brightening up with excitement. "Did ya see him? How did it go?!"
"I did meet with him, actually, and it's been really nice. I came back home, partly to check in on you; partly because I wanted to get a few things," Trailbreaker shared happily. "I'm planning to propose to him in a year's time and I wanted to get a couple, homely touches for the occasion."
"That's amazin'!," the red youngling shouted, scrambling up another step to get closer to his cousin, tail wagging up a storm. "How are ya goin' ta do it? WHEN?! D'ya think he'll say yes?!"
The karelian waved the excitable german shepherd down, his own infectious smile having yet to leave his face. "Now, now, I'll tell you more about that afterward," Trailbreaker responded. "Only once ya tell me about your new friend! It's been a while since ya last had a close buddy."
"Well, a'right," Inferno acquiesced, rocking back onto his aft -though that nothing to calm his wild tail. "E-er, where ta start...," he hummed thoughtfully.
"How about a name?," his cousin jokingly suggested, nudging the red youngling.
Inferno laughed, cycling a slow intake. "...Red Alert. That's his name," the german shepherd said, looking out over the yard, as though he'd see his friend standing there. He didn't, of course, but he kept his smile all the same. "He's kinda small an' shy, but he's wick'd fast an' ev'n more brilliant. Like, Aye mean, he's practically a genius! He's gotten perfect scores on eve'rythin' Aye've ever snuck a glance at, but he don't brag 'bout it one bit. He's also very kindly an' carin' an' he knows what ta do if there's ever a lick of trouble. Meh pot blew up in class an' he got it put out while the teacher was still processin' what'd happen'd! He also got meh fing'rs cool'd 'fore the oil burn'd too much."
The younger autodog glanced at his servos as he spoke, turning them this way and that while he studied the black plating. They'd healed perfectly, not a single mark remaining to show that they'd ever been hurt in the first place. "He's got the biggest, brightest spark Aye know of... But he's stamp'd down at ev'ry turn. He show'd up 'ere in the middle of the night last week, hurtin' 'Breaker, 'cause his family is tryin' ta keep him cag'd," Inferno continued, his brow furrowing in frustration and pain for his friend, "He says he was born sickly, an' pray 'haps he was, but he ain't like that no more! His family came here ta help 'im git bett'r an' they're refusin' ta see that it is happenin'. They treat 'im like he's broken, like he needs ta be on that poisonous medicine ta ev'n function! Red Alert is stranglin' under 'em, Trailbreaker, an' his family don't ev'n care. It ain't right! Red Alert ain't some object ta be shelv'd away; Red Alert deserves happiness an' love, an' Aye'll throw mehself inta the Pit 'fore Aye let anyone deny 'im that!"
He was yelling, he realized belatedly, and embarrassed, Inferno stood up suddenly. "A-aye'm sorry," he mumbled in apology to his cousin's stunned expression, turning hastily to head inside.
"Inferno-," Trailbreaker started in concern, rising quickly as the german shepherd grabbed the screen door handle.
"I don't think it's necessary to involve him-"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Racer but it's mandatory that I speak to any associates-"
Inferno paused in the doorway of the yard, Trailbreaker at his back; optics wide in confusion at the Enforcer striding through the kitchen towards himself, Moonracer right behind the other mech with a displeased frown.
"He doesn't know anything, I told ya!," she hissed, trying to cut the Sheriff's deputy off from reaching the youngling. "He's been home all this time; he won't be able to answer any of your questions. Surely you've got other folks to bother!"
The Enforcer firmly placed an arm between the femme and her son, urging her to take a step back with a gentle, sweeping motion. "I'm sorry, but as I already stated, it is standard procedure and I need his testimony to complete my report for the orn," the mech informed the dalmation calmly, pausing for her response.
Moonracer merely crossed her arms angrily, lip components pursed together as she glowered up at the other autodog.
"Wha... What is going on here, sir?," Inferno asked, finding his glossa through the trepidation seeping into his spark.
Wearily, the Enforcer faced the youngling, forcing a smile to his face as he addressed the smaller autodog. "I'm sorry to take up your time, son, but I had some questions for you regarding the pup, Red Alert."
C.M.D: Be kind; give me your mind~ REVIEW, please?