Chapter Text
Misfire heaved the scrap metal onto his shoulder, lifting with his thighs as he hauled garbage from one place to another. His earbuds were blasting music and he loved every moment. He bopped his head along with the beat and mouthed the words.
‘Please don’t call, I need another hour!’
‘Three more girls are piling in the shower!’
‘Don’t call, you know I can't answer!’
‘Getting pu-
“Misfire!”
“What the hell!” Misfire dropped the metal and turned to face Krok. His heart was beating fast from the absolutely terrifying jumpscare, just when the chorus was about to end too! behind Krok was a mountain of a man, black hair, dark eyes, a tank, but the tank just looked at him with this expression on his face. It wasn’t a resting bitch face, that's for sure. It was something more solemn and calm.
“Grimlock!”
Misfire had a proud smile on his face but the man just looked at him oddly, clearly confused as he turned to Krok.
“Everyone here has a nickname, it seems you just found yours. Welcome to the team, Grimlock.” Krok patted him on the back, “Misfire, I want you to show our new teammate around, he is going to be working here so he needs to know the lay of the land. Once you finish, come to the office and we can get the rest set up, okay Grimlock?”
Grimlock nodded and Misfire saluted, “Aye Aye Captain!”
Krok walked away and left the two alone.
“I’m Misfire! A pleasure to meet you!”
Misfire didn’t stop prattling on for the whole hour that he showed Grimlock around the facility. Grimlock was seemingly paying attention, as he made the proper noises and grunts at the proper times. Even asking a question or two. Misfire didn’t learn much about the man other than he was ex military and was using this to get back on his feet and stay fit.
The tour ended at Krok’s office as planned. Misfire said goodbye and headed back to his scrap pile.
Misfire saw Grimlock again later that week during lunch break. Misfire was sitting with the rest of the crew when he walked in. There was only one table to share but Grimlock seemed to be leaving with his lunch.
“Hey Grimlock! Come sit with us.”
Grimlock paused, then turned and made his way to the table. He sat down slowly next to Misfire and got out his lunch.
“Grimlock, this is the official crew! Crankcase is the guy with the harsh stare, though that’s just his facial paralysis. He got a head injury a while back and got a metal plate in his skull. He operates the machinery.”
“Shouldn’t the guy with the head injury stay away from the machines?”
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you.” The rough voice said from across the table, Crankcase apparently.
“Next is Fulcrum, the tiny baby man. He does all the managerial stuff! Super smart!”
Fulcrum seemed to feel embarrassed by this praise but simply held out his hand to shake Grimlock’s, Grimlock shook it pleasantly, then returned to his meal.
“That is Spinister, he’s the dumbest person in the universe but is the most skilled surgeon ever.”
Spinster simply grunted in acknowledgement and kept eating.
“You know Krok. Finally, is Nickel. She’s here for some reason, mostly because she owes Krok. She does financial stuff around here, I honestly have no clue what she does XP.”
“How did you say that?” Grimlock asked incredulously
“?????”
Grimlock looked incredulously confused but didn’t ask, deciding to just go with the insanity than try to understand it. Misfire smirked and then nodded in approval. After that, the conversation from before picked up where it left off. Grimlock observed the people around in, taking in their habits and voices as they spoke to each other. Each was chaotic in their own way, but something about Misfire drew him in more. It was probably the way the man wasn’t immediately afraid of him.
Misfire stood staring out at the rain that poured down. Spinster came up beside him and looked around trying to see what Misfire was looking at. After finding nothing, he moved on and headed in towards the warm office building.
“That look on your face makes me wanna throw up.”
Misfire turned and stared, “Well thanks! That’s always my goal!”
Crankcase flipped him off then headed inside, following the same tracks as Spinister.
Misfire stuck his tongue out at him and flipped him off. He jumped when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He shrieked and turned, Grimlock was looking down at him with a restrained smile on his face.
Wait…
“Bitch, you better not be laughing at me!”
Grimlock looked away, “I would never.”
Grimlock removed his hand and headed toward the building. Misfire caught up quickly and walked next to him.
“And I don’t have ADHD.”
This caused Grimlock to let out a breathy laugh over his shoulder, Grimlock was looking at him with his look on his face, something gentle. That was new, it made something in his chest flutter.
Misfire snaked himself out of the little trance he fell into, quickly looking away to hide his blush.
“Let’s go, before Crankcase gets even more cranky.”
Grimlock made a noise of affirmation and followed Misfire.
——
Grimlock looked across the yard and watched Misfire and Spinister hauled scrap. It had been a few months since he joined up with this little crew and was doing much better. They welcomed him with open arms and accepted his idiosyncrasies as they came. Misfire was the most vocal and helpful of the bunch.
Days would pass of Misfire giving a friendly pat on the shoulder or a funny comment throughout the day. Grimlock eventually started writing down the funniest or most shocking lines. Not only from Misfire, though he was the main feature, but also the rest of the crew.
“Did you know chainsaws were invented to be used in childbirth?” -Misfire
“Are we sentient soup?” -Spinister
“I wonder what would happen if I chugged this soda?” -Misfire
“Could you not do that?” -Krok
“What is that?” -Misfire
“He means exist.” -Crankcase
“For someone so smart, you really need to apologize to the tree that’s replacing the air you breathe.” -Nickel
“Leave me to wallow in misery, or get me a drink, either works.” -Fulcrum
Grimlock was always quiet, preferring to listen to the conversations of those around him. As time passed, he started doing things he hadn’t done since he left his old crew, the Dinos. He went out for drinks, attending the occasional movie and game night, and soon was privy to all the inside jokes. Grimlock felt that the days passed faster, that time with his new friends was never enough.
All of this together is what had him here, in Fulcrum’s apartment, playing uno on a Friday night at nine. Normally, he’d be watching his favorite show that let his brain shut off and see the stupidity of the human race as an eighty year old judge scolds them for being true nimrods. Instead, he was here and he doesn’t regret it for a moment.
“Uno!” Fulcrum shouted.
“You fucker! How?”
Crankcase reached over to grab his hand but Fulcrum turned away.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Grimlock could tell an argument was about to break out, and prepared to intervene.
“Uno out, I win.”
Nickel rubbed her hands like she was dusting them off. The room stared at her and huffed indignantly as they threw down their cards. She had a smug smile on her face as she got up and moved to the kitchen.
“Wait the game is over?” Spinister looked confused but no one really paid him any mind.
“Anyone want a beer?” Nickel shouted from the kitchen.
“Hey! This is my place y’know!”
Nickel just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Fulcrum stared her down and she stared right back. There was a battle happening no one could see, but the stakes were high. For just a moment, Fulcrum looked away and then the battle was over, he lost. There were several shouts for a beer as Fulcrum put his head in hands.
“Fulcrum, you know that means jack shit.”
Krok patted his shoulder in solace. He hosted the movie nights and knew exactly how the group took advantage of his amenities as well. No one really minded, if someone did then they didn’t have to host or could have people bring their own drinks. Crankcase hosted once, hated every moment, and never did it again. Grimlock had yet too, but wanted to someday.
Nickel came back and handed out the beers as Spinister began shuffling and dealing new cards.
Misfire leaned in close to Grimlock, he rose slightly to faux whisper something to him.
“I bet twenty bucks that Krok is gonna win this round.”
Grimlock smiled and faux whispered back, “You are on.”
The table started bitching about the validity of betting on uno, the probability of Krok winning, and the insult at not betting more. Grimlock looked at Misfire as he chatted and laughed at something that was said.
Grimlock wanted to see that smile more.
—-----
“C’mon Grimsy, let me get you a drink! It’ll be fun!”
Grimlock paused and looked at Misfire for a second, debating whether he wanted to do this or not. He could go home and head to bed after a hard day of work and watch his favorite show or he could go out and have a night with Misfire. Grimlock had been here several months already and this 'asking Grimlock to drinks' was becoming a ritual for the pair. Grimlock eventually decided to finally give in to his little want. One night couldn't hurt, could it?
He nodded and led Misfire to his car to head to the bar.
Grimlock let himself be pulled along and into a seat at the bar, Misfire sitting next to him. Normally Grimlock hated the noise and the bright lights, preferring the little hole in the wall bar filled with older men who want peace and quiet. He found though, that the wide smile on Misfire’s face made it worth it. He smiled a warm smile at Misfire and something odd happened. Misfire's face lit up red and he stuttered out an unintelligible sentence.
“Are you alright?”
Misfire nodded quickly, immediately turning his face away to gather himself.
These flutters were coming way too often. It was becoming annoying! Yes, Grimlock was handsome and kind and sweet and goodness his arms and…
Oh no
‘No no no no no! How could I have missed it!’
Misfire hadn’t had a crush in a long time. He’d only ever dated for fun! He didn’t know what to do with this!
Grimlock was talking and he hadn’t listened to a word!
A warm weight wrapped gently touched his shoulder. Misfire jumped up and stumbled back, falling out of his chair and to the floor.
Wait
He didn’t hit the floor.
Misfire opened his eyes slowly. He was pressed into a firm chest by an arm he had stared at a lot when he was bored. The proximity made his face flush red. His hands shot up to Grimlock’s shoulder to stabilize himself and attempt to stand back up. It worked and he was back on his feet, though mostly due to Grimlock lifting him up.
“You are definitely not alright.”
Misfire let out a nervous laugh and was about to respond when a sharp wolf whistle was heard. They turned to see a group of men who looked barely older than 21 laughing and smirking in their direction. Though it didn’t look kind.
“Don’t stop!”
“Aw is the show over?”
“We were just getting to the good part!”
Misfire took stock of their position and pulled away like he’d been burned. He sat back in his barstool and hunched over his drink.
Grimlock’s face turned sour for a moment, then hard and emotionless. He put on his jacket and walked over to the group. Well, he planned on doing that. A hand stopped him physically but the look on Misfire’s face was what truly made him stop. He quietly took off his jacket and sat back down, ordering drinks for them.
Drinks came and the night pressed on but Misfire still wallowed, staring at his drink with a pout on his face. It only got worse as he sat, mostly due to the fact that the harassment from earlier never truly ended. It had also leeched onto other bar patrons. Normally the pout was very cute, but not so much when that pout turned into a frown. Grimlock needed to think of something, if not to cheer Misfire up then to distract him.
“You come here often?”
The line was so out of place that Misfire didn’t even believe it was said. When he looked at Grimlock and saw that stupid self satisfied grin, he knew he had not misheard. Misfire couldn’t help but snort at the absurdity of it all.
“If you’re here, I definitely will.”
Grimlock let out a husky laugh and took a sip of his drink.
As the night progressed and the drinks kept rolling in, they became closer. Each leaning towards the other with total interest and fascination and whatever the topic was. They were a hair’s breadth apart, breathing in each other’s face, breathing each other in.
Misfire flicked his eyes down and then back up to meet Grimlock’s eyes.
“Can I?”
Grimlock nodded and he leaned forward slowly, tilting his head. Their lips were about to meet when Misfire was bumped harshly to the side. Misfire’s face was shoved into Grimlock’s nose and they pulled back quickly. The moment was totally ruined, and Misfire turned to glare at whoever bumped him and saw one of the same men from before. The look that they cast at him clearly said that the bump was purposeful. Misfire got up and made his way over to the group, boiling with rage and frustration.
He reached the group before anyone could stop him.
“What the fuck is your problem? You can’t get laid and want to prevent anyone else from doing so?”
Misfire was well and truly drunk, otherwise he would not have been so crass with the object of his affections within earshot. However, his critical thinking skills had left and all that was left was a need to expel energy.
“Damn bro, it's not that big of a deal! Getting laid is easy man, don’t be so uptight!”
Misfire scoffed, “Oh sure. If you were the prize at the end of a race, I’d run backwards!”
The man seemed taken aback by this and was even more shocked when his friends began to laugh. His face turned red with anger, his gaze burning holes into Misfire, like he wanted to set him on fire where he stood. The man got out of his barstool and grabbed the front of Misfire’s shirt.
Maybe he had made a mistake.
A fist quickly came toward his face but it never connected.
“Fuck off asshole.”
The man changed targets and channeled his rage at the new arrival, Grimlock. The man threw a punch straight towards Grimlock’s stomach. Grimlock grabbed the wrist and twisted it behind the man’s back and pushed him. The man stumbled and fell to the ground. Grimlock walked towards him and grabbed him.
Misfire’s focus was snapped away from Grimlock when he felt an arm go around his waist.
“You know, we could get out of here and have some fun. They’re distracted and your friend doesn’t have to know.”
The smile that was aimed at Misfire was clearly trying to be flirty and cute but just made his skin crawl. The man was just slightly taller than Misfire, and tried to use that to his advantage. Misfire gently threw an arm around the man’s neck, giving a sweet smile. The man lit up, obviously happy with the results.
“You know, it's kinda sad that I have to ruin the only pretty thing you’ve got going for you.”
The man looked confused, “what’s that?”
Misfire threw his other arm around the man’s neck and leaned in close, “your face.”
Misfire smashed his forehead upward slightly into the man’s nose, causing a sickening crunch and blood began to leak out. The man jerked back and grabbed Misfire’s hair, yanking his head and slammed it into the bar. Misfire yelped in pain and wiped his face, noticing the blood on his hands. He stumbled a little and wiped his hands on his pants.
“Oh it is on!”
—--
It's not long before the fight turns bloody and the police are called. Once they arrived, they quickly had the main perpetrators in cuffs. Misfire slouched, as much as he could in handcuffs anyway, in the plastic seat where he was being processed. The only silver lining was that the other men were also arrested, many bar patrons having vouched that they were the ones who were being rowdy and egging people on all night. The look of shock on their faces was enough to make up for the bloody nose and night he would spend in jail.
“Come on, let’s move.”
Misfire did not struggle as he got up and was led to a cell, knowing that putting up a fight would only make things infinitely worse. He had never understood why people resisted the police, it never helped and mostly made the police hate you and charge you with everything they could. Similar to being rude to a waiter, they could spit in your food and you wouldn’t have a clue.
The cell was gross and full of people in different states of dress and illness. It was past midnight at this point so the ‘beds’ were taken already. Misfire sighed and prepared for a long night. He stumbled slightly into the cell and picked the cleanest looking patch of flooring and sat.
‘Ughhhhhh, my back is going to kill me! To think I could be going at it with Grimlock right now.’
Misfire let the fantasy of what tonight would have been distract him from the sheer boredom of the cell.
‘Not even a coloring book! This is criminal.’
The door opened to the cell and Grimlock lumbered in. He looked fine, his knuckles were a little bruised but nothing major. It was clear that he won his fight. Misfire was not so lucky, his nose wasn’t broken but it sure felt like it, his lip was split, and his cheek was definitely going to have a big bruise.
Grimlock noticed Misfire and joined him on the floor.He threw an arm around Misfire and pulled him close. Misfire was beginning to feel ill, the awful smell and pounding headache were not helping at all. He leaned into Grimlock and let out a small whine as his stomach rumbled. Grimlock gently shushed him and started to remove Misfire’s hoodie.
“C’mon, let's get this off.”
Misfire grumbled and flailed his arm to try and get the sleeve off but failed. Grimlock sighed with something fond and helped him take off the offending piece of clothing. He took the hoodie and shimmied it underneath Misfire so he had something softer to sit on and so Misfire didn’t get too warm and throw up, though he is probably going to throw up anyway.
Misfire let out a little groan and Grimlock maneuvered his legs over his own lap and had Misfire lean on his chest. Misfire let out a content sigh and smile,
“If I knew that I’d have to do all this to get in your lap, I would’ve done it a while ago.”
Grimlock let out a loud laugh, disturbing those around and getting looks. Grimlock didn’t mind and ran a hand through Misfire’s hair, Misfire closed his eyes in satisfaction. Grimlock simply looked and watched Misfire breathe, captivated by him and his beauty. Misfire wasn’t classically pretty by any means, he was rough and his nose was just a little bit crooked. Grimlock leaned in and gently pressed a kiss to Misfire’s forehead,
“I’ll protect you.” I love you
Misfire let out a small laugh leaned up to press a quick kiss on his cheek, “I know.” I love you too
They sat like that until Misfire started to squirm in discomfort.
“You okay?”
Misfire didn’t answer, he shot up and ran to the lone toilet in the cell. He was bent over and about to grab the toilet to steady himself when Grimlock grabbed his hands and held him up.
“I got you.”
Misfire finally settled and they returned to their little corner, though Misfire was more on his lap than before.
A few hours passed when Grimlock’s name was called by an officer outside the cell. He was put in cuffs and let out into the holding bay,
“You get a call for someone to pick you up, who do you want to call?”
Grimlock thought for a moment, he didn’t know the Scavengers well enough to ask them to pick him up from jail, though he had no doubt they would. He flicked through a mental list of people he knew and landed on the best choice.
“Got a name?” The officer handed him a phone and turned the keypad towards him.
The phone rang a few times before it was picked up, “Hello?”
“Hey Swoop, I need your help.”
When Grimlock returned to the cell, he expected Misfire to be sitting on the floor in the spot he left, but he didn’t see him at all. He figured he was getting his call as well and returned to their spot. It must not have been long since the place wasn’t taken by any of the 20 people shoved in the cell.
Grimlock sat down with a sigh. A few minutes later, Misfire returned and stood in front of Grimlock expectantly.
“Yes?”
Misfire merely grumbled and swatted Grimlock’s hands out of his lap and kicked his legs out a little. Grimlock was a bit confused but assumed Misfire wanted to put his legs back in Grimlock’s lap. Grimlock went to take Misfire’s sweater and put it on the ground next to him so Misfire could sit but Misfire swatted his hands away.
“Don’t you want to sit?”
Misfire got that smile on his face that Grimlock associated with trouble and chaos.
“Oh, I do.”
Grimlock didn’t really have time to react as Misfire stepped over him and sat fully in his lap, straddling him. Misfire threw his arms over his shoulders,
“Much more comfy.”
Grimlock stared at the wall, unsure of where to put his hands. Misfire leaned in and put his head on Grimlock’s shoulder, relaxing. Grimlock sighed, this was his life now he guessed. He wrapped his arms around the man in his lap and squeezed him close.
—---
Krok couldn’t believe this. Well, he actually entirely could, with Misfire anything was possible. What Krok couldn’t believe was how happy Misfire sounded on the phone, in between the throwing up of course. Misfire really was in love, no matter how much he tried to deny it.
He walked into the precinct and asked for Misfire at the desk. He was told to wait and sat in an uncomfortable chair ready for the long haul. He was just about to start zoning out when he heard someone asking after Grimlock. The man was tall and lean, though clearly not without muscle. The way he held himself was familiar, though he couldn’t place why. The man sat down with a chair between them. He thought this was odd, then noticed that the chair the man had picked was closest to the entrance of the holding cells.
The silence was pretty loud.
“So, you’re a friend of Grimlock.”
The man seemed to be a little shocked but quickly recovered, “yes. You are Krok.”
The statement was said with such certainty that if the man wasn’t a friend of Grimlock, Krok would’ve ran.
“Yep, I’m his boss. I'm going to take a guess and say he mentioned me.”
The man nodded then held out his hand, “I’m Swoop.”
“Swoop? Interesting nickname.”
“I could say the same about yours and the whole crew.”
Krok let out a little laugh, “Yeah, that’s about right.” There was a slight lull, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable anymore.
“Sorry about this, by the way.”
Swoop cocked his head in curiosity, clearly confused about the statement.
“My friend Misfire took him for drinks. I know him very well and he has a habit of getting himself into odd situations, not intentionally of course. It’s highly likely that he got the two of them in this mess.”
“I see. Don’t feel bad, I know Grimlock well. He is not one to back down from a fight, especially if the one he loves is in danger.”
Krok made a choked sound, “In love?!”
Swoop chuckled, “if you know the signs, you can see it.”
Krok went silent and thought for a moment, not necessarily on Grimlock but on the object of his affections. Misfire seemed to return those affections, though it was highly likely that he had no idea how he felt.
‘Yeah that sounds about right for him.’
There was the sound of a heavy door opening and Misfire looked like he was attempting to sleep standing up. Krok rushed over to stabilize him and set him in the chair next to Swoop, which Misfire promptly flopped onto the man. Swoop took it in stride and simply adjusted to be more comfortable.
Krok went to speak with the officer about what the hell Misfire did. It was a rather quiet affair, even when Grimlock was brought out. Swoop went to get up but Grimlock held up his hand in pause. He sat on the other side of Misfire and shifted so Misfire leaned on himself rather than Swoop. Grimlock was gently easing a hoodie back onto Misfire as they talked. Swoop simply raised a brow and stood to speak with another officer.
A short conversation later and the four were allowed to leave. Grimlock was practically carrying Misfire as he stumbled across the street to the parking lot, babbling about whatever. Krok offered to carry him but Grimlock politely refused. Swoop and Krok simply watched the two interact, it was quite obvious now that Swoop pointed it out.
Misfire was laughing at something when a sharp hiccup interrupted him. The sharp hiccup quickly turned to a harsh gag, then threw up all over himself. Misfire’s legs went out and Grimlock eased him down.
Misfire began to cry about who knows, Krok just focused on getting that hoodie off. It was covered in grossness and probably ruined.
“Misfire right?” Swoop asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. “Misfire, it’s okay, just listen to my voice. I’m Swoop, a friend of Grimlock’s and you’re gonna be just fine.”
The sweater was off and Misfire started to shake.
“I-It’s not okay! I ruined my favorite sweater.” Misfire’s sobbing kicked up a notch and he stared at the gross hoodie.
“It’s not, I’ll help you get it out.” Krok appreciated Swoop trying to help, but he really doubted the thing could be saved.
Misfire threw up again onto the pavement, “It’s all my fault, it always is my fault.”
Misfire was just getting worked up, the issue had turned from gross hoodies to personal issues that no one here was equipped to deal with. Krok watched as Grimlock’s face softened and he scooped up Misfire, an arm under his back and the other under his legs.
“It’s alright, remember what I said?”
Misfire nodded and made a noise of confirmation through the tears. Grimlock rose with Misfire in his arms and waited for someone to lead the way to a car. Krok sighed, guessing that wherever anyone went, Grimlock was going to stick with Misfire. Krok attempted to telepathically communicate this with Swoop.
Thank god Swoop seemed to receive his message.
“I’ll take Grimlock to his apartment, if that’s alright.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate this.”
Swoop nodded and led the group to his car, where he helped Grimlock shimmy into it while holding Misfire. Once in, Swoop shut the door and walked with Krok to his vehicle.
“Thanks again for taking them. Misfire’s apartment is more of a closet unfortunately. I know he doesn’t like people going over there.”
Swoop nodded along like he understood exactly what he meant, “They’ll get home safe, I’ll make sure of it.”
Swoop headed back to his car and got into the driver’s seat. He adjusted himself and peaked back at the couple. Grimlock was wiping Misfire’s face and whispering to him. He must’ve said something funny because Misfire let out a laugh. Swoop pulled out of the parking lot and drove to Grimlock’s new apartment.
Swoop was happy to see Grimlock doing so well. The old team missed him but it was good to really see how well he was doing. In fact, most hadn’t reunited in a while, calls were normal and texts too. However, physically meeting was hard. They had done it a few times but as life moved on and Grimlock tried to find his place in the civilian world, he moved as well.
This scrap yard job was a throw away job, something to tide Grimlock over until something better came along. Snarl was the most vocal about this drifting being a bad idea, but no one really put up a fight. Though something interesting happened, Grimlock mentioned his coworkers, spoke about them openly and often. He had never done that before and Swoop rejoiced; Grimlock had found his place in the world.
Grimlock had also found someone to share it with.
The drive passed by quickly and they had arrived at Grimlock’s apartment. Swoop parked and turned around to check on them, only to find Misfire totally passed out next to Grimlock. Grimlock was simply holding his hand and watching him.
“Does he know you love him?” Swoop whispered.
“I haven’t said it explicitly but he knows.”
Swoop got out and opened the back door so Grimlock could step out. Grimlock fiddled with Misfire and eventually stepped out with the smaller cradled in his arms.
“You’re such a softie.” Swoop paused and decided to mess with the man a bit, “The others are going to love him.”
“It’s hard not too.”
The two walked inside as they spoke in hushed tones. When they finally arrived, Swoop unlocked the door and let them in and set the keys on the hook just inside the door.
“Thank you, Swoop.”
Swoop nodded, “We miss you.”
Grimlock seemed a bit taken aback but recovered quickly, “I do too.”
“Bring him around sometime, he makes you…you again.”
Grimlock didn’t say anything but Swoop knew the man and knew he understood. In the end, that was all that mattered.
“Goodbye Grimlock, rest well.”
With that, Swoop took his leave and gently shut the door. Grimlock smiled to himself and looked down at the man in his arms. Misfire smelled horrible, like vomit and sweat and ammonia. He hated waking the man but they both needed a shower and Grimlock wasn’t about to do that without Misfire at least knowing about it.
Grimlock gently shook his arms, “Misfire, come on. You need to wake up.”
Misfire groaned and opened his eyes. Grimlock gently set him back on his feet, waiting for Misfire to get his balance before he let go.
“You need to get showered. I’ll give you some clothes.”
Misfire nodded and rubbed his eyes, clearly still half asleep and barely responsive. Grimlock herded him through his bedroom and to the shower and set some of his clothes inside, a long sleeve shirt and black sweatpants. They would undoubtedly be too large but it was only one night, he would make do.
A short time later, Misfire opened the bathroom door and stood there, scanning the room. His eyes were almost unseeing but as soon as he saw the bed, they became like an eagle that just spotted prey, Misfire walked to the bed and flopped onto the center of it, acting like it was his own bed.
“Thank you for the clothes, they smell nice.”
Grimlock was shocked! The pure idiocy of it all had him stifling his laughter as he headed to the bathroom. Once out and ready for bed, he walked out to pure darkness. The only light coming from the bathroom behind him.
He turned off the light and turned on his phone light. He quietly made his way over to his bed, hearing soft deep breathing that never hitched or wavered.
Misfire was curled around a pillow, the sheets were up under his arms and his hands were relaxed. Grimlock laid down gently behind Misfire, curling around him in a warm protective embrace, throwing an arm around him. He tugged the blankets up around them both and snuggled into Misfire.
He fell asleep quickly.