An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
This year's hurricane was truly a doozy. First Aid was just glad the human authorities roped the Protectobots into the disaster response as early as they did. The town was precariously situated on the mountain. One big mudslide would completely bury it. Which was why they had to evacuate the townspeople as quickly as possible!
While the human authorities guided those within the town proper to safety, the Protectobots focused on those homes further away from the town proper. Several trees and power lines had already been knocked down. While it was raining too hard for there to be any fires breaking out, the Protectobots were very careful to use their anti- conduit technology so they didn't electrocute their charges.
First Aid had just finished passing up the last of a group sheltering in a cabin in a ravine when the mud flow suddenly picked up. The young medic lost his balance and ended up being carried away. He disappears from view, but not the Protectobots' comm system.
First Aid ended up getting sucked into one of the region's sinkholes and was in the cavern system under the mountain. Knowing that their long-range communications would not hold up with both the storm and distance, Aid told his team he'd find a way out. Or at least a place where they could safely dig him out. After reassuring his Protectobot brothers, the medic made his way through the cave system, guided by his dimmed headlights.
As he made his way through, First Aid started to hear what sounded like... whimpering? It wasn't an animal, and it didn't sound organic... !!! Now alarmed that one of his teammates ended up down here, injured, the medic booked it through the looming darkness.
When he finally entered a cavern... the medic was bodyslammed by something heavy.
Groaning, the slightly stunned First Aid lifted his helm only to see... Vortex?
He... he was crying. And clinging to Aid. Considering how much taller and bulkier the other was compared to the medic, it might have been funny if it wasn't clear how distressed the other transformer was. The heli was mumbling without being able to form words.
Seeing the normally scary, confident soldier look like a scared child...
First Aid got right to work. While using his medic scans on his new patient, the young Protectobot slowly raised his servos, while softly speaking to the terrified mech.
"It's alright. It will be alright. I am going to scan you for injuries now."
His servos gently landed on the other's frame. The other gave a big flinch that stilled Aid... and then relaxed as if a needle poked an inflated balloon. An undercurrent of tenseness remained, however, and the other was still making sounds.
Slowly, First Aid moved his servos, both to soothe and check the patient's frame in greater detail than his personal scanners would have picked up. Near the edge of his rotor, Aid felt some damage, with Vortex barely flinching.
"Alright, your nociceptors are still functioning. Would you like me to turn them off so I ..." Vortex immediately tensed up, his servos that were clutching the other mech denting the kibble, "... ok then, I won't. May I still treat the injury?" At the infinitesimal relaxation, Aid got to work.
Noticing that the volume of Vortex's muttering lowered when he was speaking, Aid immediately started narrating what he was doing. When he was done with the patchwork, Aid asked if he could continue treating the other.
At the nonverbal cues, First Aid continued his work. When he requested the other sit up so that he may assess his lower limbs, Vortex slowly sat up, still hugging Aid.
With some gentle encouragement and a promise to keep touching and talking to the other, Vortex released the smaller mech from the bear hug he had him in since the beginning.
And so it continued. Aid gently narrated what he was doing, damaged headlights barely giving enough light to illuminate what he was doing with his servos. Vortex, now quiet, seemed to watch the other like a hawk.
At one twisted ankle, First Aid offered anasthesia. Vortex frame immediately started shaking, his helm like a rapid swivel. It was only after the medic gently promised he would not administer any anesthesia or turn off Vortex's senses that the shaken mech was somewhat soothed.
When he was done, First Aid looked up and asked the quiet Vortex what he would like to do now.
Vortex quickly rearranged their positions. Now, instead of the con leaning on the cavern wall, Aid was there. With Vortex cuddled up against him, aurials firmly over Aid's spark.
First Aid gently rested his servos on the silent mech. Softly stroking the other's helm, Aid just started talking. He explained that here was a good place to wait for rescue as they were rather close to the outside of the mountain, according to his scanners.
He talked about the town, how hiking along the trails was very popular during the safer months of the year. There were also numerous beautiful birds, with all sorts of colors. Which reminded him of a time when the Protectobots were on a mission in the tropics. There had been so many lifeforms in all sorts of colors!
When First Aid ran out of things to say in the moment, he started to hum and sing a few lines to keep the silence from encroaching on the artificial haven they created.
After a long time, First Aid's comms started picking up his brothers' chatter. Quickly informing Vortex, Aid immediately got into contact with his fellow Protectobots. When Heatwave instructed him to move a little away from the sealed entrance they were close to, First Aid quickly tapped Vortex, informing him.
The two managed to get up, frames still touching. When the stones started coming down, First Aid carefully watched his patient... and seemed to see Vortex coming back to life. His shakiness, fear, and timidness seemed to melt at the sunlight and falling rocks. By the time the way was cleared and the Protectobots warily stepped away from the opening after seeing both figures apparently unharmed (and one not being held hostage by the other), Vortex the Combaticon was stepping out with confidence, albeit quieter than usual. No smugness or malicious mischief. Just calm, confident, almost stoic.
After leaving the cave, Vortex stared up into the sky for a moment, as if taking in the life around him. He turned his helm back, his backwards glance meeting First Aid's gaze. Turning on his heel, the Decepticon gave a salute with two of his fingers before turning again. Vortex immediately took off at a sprint, transforming and rising up.
Watching the other go, First Aid wondered what effect, if any, that their moment of genuine peace would bring.
Soon after, the Autobots would start receiving concerning reports. Little did they know those reports would bring not one but three intense wars for the sake of their species.
The Triple Wars were perhaps both the most harrowing and rewarding of times for First Aid.
Being separated from his fellow Protectobots was difficult. They were brothers in all but code, having practically been raised together and then trained together.
Learning under Pharma and Ambulon had been a valuable experience, and he deeply treasured the relationships he developed at Delphi (The memories became rather haunted after finding out what Pharma did in the name of the facility's survival, but the good should still be treasured!).
After finishing his training under Pharma, First Aid was assigned to head his own medical facility. At a cross-faction station where the Combaticons were assigned.
When Vortex first popped into the medbay while First Aid was working with his subordinates to organize before the next rush of patients (Sometimes he really missed just being on the ground helping others. But as the chief medical officer of this station, he had to be responsible for all the patients, not just his own.)
After asking if Vortex needed something, the other shrugged and sat on a stool nearby. Just watching Aid. After a moment, First Aid returned to his work. After a while, the soldier started sharpening his blade. Sighing, Aid turned to him, saying that the debris would have to be cleaned to minimize airborne debris from the medbay.
Vortex sighed... and put away the sword. Then he started asking First Aid what he'd been up to. From there, the two exchanged stories as First Aid worked, while the other medical personnel gave a wide berth of the well-known for being crazy Con.
When Vortex next came in, it was for an injury he acquired during a quick skirmish behind enemy lines. He requested First Aid. After reassuring some of the concerned that he was happy to do it, the medical personnel were more than happy to hand off the difficult patient to their CMO.
When Aid went out on the field, Tex was never far away. He'd become somewhat of an unofficial bodyguard.
Surprisingly, Aid enjoyed the other's company. On the field, he was a watchful presence that made Aid feel secure while focusing on saving lives. In the medbay, on the table or not, Vortex's sly comments, raw honesty, and colorful anecdotes of all the adventures and places he's been to across his long life as a mercenary and then a Decepticon colored the medbay.
First Aid didn't really understand why the other was so attached to him. Perhaps it was because of that incident? But any medic that First Aid knew would have done the same thing!... ok, maybe not the usual Decepticon medic.
Maybe it was because First Aid never mentioned the exact details of Vortex's mental state in his post-op report? But it's not like Vortex would know what was in it.
It was very confusing for the young medic, but he didn't want to ask Vortex about it, for fear their strange friendship would become strained and stop.
Aid liked having Vortex around. For all his crudeness and sometimes callous remarks, the other mech was just so full of... life! The amount of detail he went into his stories, the taste on his tongue, the feel across his sensors, the color across his optics, the thrill of testing his limits in a flight.
Vortex noticed everything and reveled in it. He seemed to recall his memories as if he was experiencing them in the here and now.
It gave First Aid comfort, especially after losing patients and friends in this lengthy war.
Maybe... maybe after this one, everyone would be done fighting. Maybe they could start building permanent homes and not just migrate to different bases. Maybe he and Vortex could visit that one planet that had that specialty vintage oil that the heli raved about.
The next time Vortex came in after a lengthy mission, he brought back candy that was a colony's local specialty. Looking first at the candy that contained chrome (Aid had mentioned off-handedly to Tex that he preferred chrome over silver), First Aid then looked up at the heli munching on his own between talking about the colony's cuisine, its culture, and the skirmish that occurred with the enemy.
That's when First Aid knew. He was in love with Vortex.
Reconstruction brought a lot of changes. Some of it good, and some of it bad.
Leaning against the doorway inside their home, First Aid couldn't help but feel very fortunate. On the balcony of their lighthouse, Vortex was pointing out some of the constellations to the previously fussy bitlet in his arms.
Only a few days old, and Vespera had her sire completely wrapped around her tiny little finger. Vortex practically lept out of bed when the little one started fussing after waking up with a bubbly tank. Didn't matter if it was "slag Unicron" in the morning.
Vespera needed help, and Sire was gonna give it. Even when First Aid pointed out that Tex had a consultation later that day and Aid was still on medical leave, Tex insisted new carriers needed rest.
Personally, Aid just thought Vortex was reveling in finally getting to interact with their daughter. Smiling face not hidden by his usual visor and face mask (both resting next to his Junx's own on the berthside table), the new carrier went to the kitchen to make their cafs.
