Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a warzone, obviously.  When wasn’t it?

I was just trying to keep my head down, stay out of the crossfire. I wasn’t here for heroics. I wasn’t here to get tangled up in some Autobot-Decepticon mess. I was here because the world had fallen apart, and there was nowhere else to be.

The moment I stepped into that decimated city block, though, I realized I'd screwed up. I barely dodged a piece of falling metal. My heart was trying to punch its way out of my chest. Gosh, what the hell was I supposed to do here!!

And then just as quickly, there was a thud beside me. Bang, someone slammed their rifle into the dirt beside my feet, giving me a sharp look.

A twenty-eight-foot-tall Autobot. His frame was heavy and solid, but the way he moved — effortlessly fluid, made him seem almost- too comfortable with the destruction surrounding him. He was covered in that trademark green armor and didn’t say a word, just looked at me for a second before giving me that grin. His optics flashing with something between amusement and annoyance.

For a moment, I swore my heart stopped. His gaze was piercing — calculating, maybe? Or maybe I was just imagining it. Either way, it was like he could see straight through me, assessing whether I was worth his time or not.
"Well, you're either brave or stupid, ay"
I blinked, suddenly aware of how absurd this situation was.
"I... I just... got caught up in this-" I stammered my voice cracking slightly.

Crosshairs didn’t react right away. Instead, he gave me a slow, almost lazy once-over.
“You’ve got a death wish kid” He shrugged nonchalantly.

Kid? What Kid!
“Not really sure what you ment, but I didn’t exactly choose to be here!” I snapped back, but backed away quickly after realising I’m shouting at something x times bigger.

He didn’t even flinch at my outburst. "Feisty," he muttered. "Didn’t say you had a choice. Just said you’ve got a death wish."

I could hear blaster fire further down the block, the rumble of collapsing buildings. Someone screamed. Somewhere, something exploded. None of it seemed to faze him.

“Do you always just talk to people like that in the middle of warzones?” I asked, before I could stop myself — the sarcasm slipping out like a bad reflex.

He snorted, actually snorted, like I was the one being ridiculous. "Only the ones standing around like lost lambs while missiles are flying overhead."

Before I could think of something clever — or stupid — to throw back, another explosion tore through the street behind me, the shockwave nearly knocking me off my feet. I stumbled forward, instinctively throwing my arms up — and then something huge moved in front of me.

Crosshairs.

He stepped between me and the debris, one arm coming down like a shield without even looking. It hit his armor with a loud clang, sparking off, leaving a scorching mark but not a dent.

"Yeah," he said over his shoulder, voice a little lower now. "Definitely stupid."

He didn’t even look at it. Didn’t look at me either.
Just muttered under his breath, “Squishies and their bloody timing…”

“What was that?” I ask bitterly. Tho, I have to think it through again — swallowing hard — “Thanks-“

He finally glanced over his shoulder. His optics narrowed. “Don’t thank me yet. You’re still breathing — that’s your problem now.”

Then, without warning, he reached down, two massive fingers hovering near my side. “C’mere. You stay on the ground much longer, you will get turned into roadkill.”

I hesitated.

“Ah look, I ain’t offerin’ again,” he added. “You wanna fraging live? You stick close to me. You don’t bloody argue. You don’t run. And if I tell you to duck, you damn well duck, got it, ay?”

“Got it” I mutter as I grab onto him. What the actual fuck was happening?

He barely waited for me to get a solid grip before he was moving again. I braced against the edge of his shoulder plating, tucking in instinctively as we cut through the wreckage-strewn street.

Something exploded ahead — bright flash, shockwave tearing through the road. He didn’t slow, just leapt clean over the crater like it was a pothole.

We landed hard, and I nearly bit my tongue. Ouch, dammnit. 

<\<Crosshairs, you’ve got Decepticons inbound, two klicks west. They’re movin’ fast.>>
“Course they are,” he growled. “Bloody clankers got nothin’ better to do.”

He turned sharply, one hand yanking his rifle free again. I ducked instinctively as it whirred to life. And then—I saw them, decepticons.
“This is where the fun starts.”

The first shot left the barrel like thunder, dropping the lead ‘Con mid-run. Another darted left, trying to flank. Crosshairs spun, one hand steadying me with almost accidental care, the other raining blaster fire without missing a beat.

“You do this every day?” I shouted over the chaos.

“Pfft. Nah. Some days I sleep in and let Bee do the heavy liftin’. But I’m feeling generous.”

“I think I’m gonna throw up—”

“Frag, hold it in you girl, the hell not on me ah!”

I giggled.

One Decepticon got too close — charging recklessly — and leapt for him.

He didn’t even flinch.

Instead, Crosshairs sidestepped with brutal efficiency, caught the bot mid-air, ripped him down hard, and pinned him to the ground with one foot.

“Ah know Ah’m a hawt piece of aft,” he drawled loudly, sarcastic as hell as the ‘Con struggled under him, “but ya guys are takin’ this way too far!”

Then he fired point-blank, sending sparks and scorched plating everywhere.

Smoke curled around what was left of the Decepticon, heat rippling in the air like a mirage. Crosshairs finally stepped off the mangled heap, brushing some soot off his plating like it was lint.
“Freakin' drama queens, every last one of ‘em,” He growled amusely.

He moved to the side of a building — or what was left of one — and crouched low behind the half-standing concrete. Cover. For now. “We’re settin’ down. Recharge, regroup. I gotta do a damage check.”
He reached up, fingers brushing at my side again. A little gentler this time.

“Gonna need ya to hop down for a tick.”
After not getting a respons he grumbled, almost offended. “…I ain’t gonna drop ya, alright?” ….“Ain’t that much of a bastard.”

I climbed off — awkward, clumsy, my legs wobbling as soon as I hit the ground. My knees nearly gave out. “Shit—”

A hand was behind me in an instant, bracing my back without pressure. His expression had changed — just a little. Less sharp around the edges. Still smug. But not cruel.
“You always crack jokes when stuff’s trying to kill you?” I asked, slumping down against a broken pillar.

Crosshairs gave a soft exhale — maybe the closest thing he had to a laugh. He pulled a round from a hip compartment, started reloading with practiced ease, optics scanning the horizon.
“Touché”

“Y’know,” he said eventually, voice dropping a fraction, “most ‘Bots would’ve left ya. Deadweight. Too fragile.”

“You were gonna,” I replied before I could stop myself.

He was quiet.

“…Yeah. Might’ve,” he said at last, not looking at me. He glanced down.

“But that’s stupid, y’know.”
Then — the corner of his mouth twitched, ever so slightly. “Still. Pretty damn impressive for a squishy.”

I smirked. “Aw. Was that almost a compliment?”

“Don’t push it, eh.”

---

Chapter Text

It's been a while since Cross saved my ass in the biggest chaos of it all. After he took me with him, I met more Autobots. It took a little convincing, but after a while I convinced everyone that I could put a use to myself, and that's how it went.

Tho, it wasn’t supposed to go like this.

The sky was ash. Orange light bled through clouds of smoke, turning everything in the distance into warped silhouettes — twisted steel, shattered buildings.

The battlefield was chaos — smoke, fire, screams, and the sky tearing itself apart overhead. But I didn’t care about any of that. Not when I saw him go down.
“CROSSHAIRS!!”

My voice tore out of me, raw and panicked, as I watched the Decepticon crash into him, slamming him down hard. He didn’t see it coming. He didn’t have time to move. I gasped as I heard his chest plate crack, under weight of the other one.

Blaster in hand, I fired at the bastard over and over, not even caring if I hit anything else. Just get him off him. Just-get-him-off!

“No — no, FUCK YOU!” I screamed, my throat burning. “Get the FUCK away from MY AUTOBOT!!”

“Get off me, you rusty slag-sucker,” I heard him snarl through the comm, I could see the damage. One of his arms was sparking, crushed under twisted plating, and his left optic flickered erratically.

The Decepticon faltered, even if just for a second. That’s all he needed.

I felt the shift behind me — the low growl, the snap of movement — and then metal screeched as Crosshairs surged forward, grabbed the bastard by the neck, and ripped it apart like paper.

Sparks sprayed past me as the Decepticon dropped.

“You came for me,” he said, and his voice — usually cocky and sharp — was soft. Rough, but soft. Like I’d scared the hell out of him.

“I saw you go down,” I whispered, stepping closer. My hand instinctively reached for him, even though I didn’t know where to touch him. “You’re my Autobot. Of course I did.” I looked up, chest heaving.

He stared for a second longer than usual, like he was trying to read something in my face. His optics flickered — then he leaned in, just slightly, his voice dropping with it.

“Next time,” he muttered, thumb brushing my side, “let me be the reckless one, ay?”

I let out a shaky laugh. “No promises.”

——

Crosshairs staggered a bit, and I moved instinctively, reaching up to steady him even tho It was completely useless for me to even try.

His left leg gave out slightly, and he dropped to one knee with a clang. The sound made my chest seize. He swore under his breath, trying to push back up—but his damaged arm didn’t respond.

“Primus, that arm’s fragged,” he growled, jaw clenched.

I crouched beside him, eyes darting over the sparking cables and bent metal. “Okay. Okay, we can fix this. I can get Ratchet, or—Bee, or anybody, just—just stay still.”
——
The ride back to base was short, but it felt like years. Crosshairs leaned against the side of the transport, optics dim, leaking energon from at least three different places. I sat on the floor next to him, tools clenched in both fists and fury still burning under my skin.

The second we landed, I snapped into motion. “Med bay. Now.”

“I don’t need—”

“You do. Shut up and walk.”

He gave me a look, half amusement, half insulted pride — but followed me anyway. Staggered more than once. Didn’t comment on the way I hovered.

Inside, I hit the overhead lights, pushed aside the cluttered bench, and pointed at the raised platform. “Up.”

“Bit bossy, eh, aren’t you?”
He hauled himself up with a grunt, plating grinding like gears chewing gravel. The hiss of hydraulics decompressing sounded awful.

I grabbed the repair kit, snapped gloves on, and climbed up with him. “Alright, sit still. And don’t smart-mouth me, or I swear, I’ll weld your vocalizer shut.”

“Now that’s a kink I wasn’t expecting— OW, fragging hell!”

“Hold still.” I glared, yanking a warped panel aside to access the joint beneath. The arm was a mess — shattered struts, crushed servos, coolant leaking into the joint. “Primus, this is bad.”

Chapter Text

He shifted, turning just enough to let me access the damage trailing down his arm and side. The green plating was scuffed and scorched, some of it slightly misaligned.

I crouched beside him, popping open the small repair case Ratchet gave me before. 

My eyes slid away from his chest place just for a moment. I always wanted to ask about that coat of his.
“Y’know Cross, that trench cout of yours, ive never seen any other autobot like you- wearing it” 
“Whys that?”

“‘Cause none of the other bots’ve got style, that’s why,” he said with a cocky smirk.

I huffed a laugh. “That’s your answer?”

“It’s an answer. Plus, it makes me look fraggin’ dashing, ay?”

“It does looks good on you” I whisper and let go of his hands, stopping the slow swaying around.

“Oh, frag off,” he said — but it was too soft to have any bite. 

—-

Later that day the night was quiet. I went outside to take a breath of fresh air, the sky above was still bruised with smoke from previous chaos, but the immediate chaos had faded, leaving just a low mechanical hum from the Autobot camp. Everyone was recharging or keeping low. 

But Crosshairs well, He wasn’t recharging. He was leaning against the side of a battered steel outpost, arms folded, optics faintly glowing in the dark. I kept my gaze on his frame, gosh that green looked so good on him. (Actually, his whole self looked so good. If only I could devour this guy whole I would.)

His gaze flicked down at me, unreadable for a moment. Then he pushed off the wall — slow and deliberate — and crouched, one arm braced on his knee, the other resting loosely across his thigh. Cross was lowering himself to my level. He let out a breath — a real one, venting slowly through his frame — and for once, he just looked. “Come here,” he muttered.

And I did.

His hand curled gently around me, not to restrain, not to shield — just to hold. There was a low whir from his engine, smooth and slow.

“Y’know, you keep lookin’ at me like that,” he said, voice dipping lower, “one of us is gonna do somethin’ stupid.”

I swallowed but didn’t answer for a straight minute. “You talk too much” I grabbed his arm — or, really, just touched it, my fingers barely wrapping around the curve of his plating. It was warm, alive, as unexpected as metal could be, humming beneath my palms as I finally pressed against his chestplate.

Suddenly Crosshairs lifted me like I weighed nothing, optics burning with something fierce and focused as he backed me up against the nearest flat surface: the hood of a half-scrapped car still warm from the sun.

His lips brushed against mine briefly, teasingly. His expression was intense, his gaze fixed on mine.

“Y’don't know what y'gettin’ yourself into,” he murmured, his breath warm “I ain't a gentle bot.”

I did not give a fuck. “You look so pretty under the stars”

The sharp line of his jaw twitched, then he kissed me.

My face flushed with blush but I deepend the kiss, it was cold, the only saliva in between was mine but yet it felt soft. I think, my heart was going to explode.

“I wasn’t built for this,” he murmured, quieter now, almost like he didn’t mean for me to hear it. “For someone like you.”

I tilted my head and pressed a hand flat over where his spark pulsed. “I wasnt made to make out with giant alien robots either” I giggled trying to play it of cool.

—-

Chapter Text

I could feel that rumbling of his engine from somewhere underneath my fingers, then, I froze-

“Well frag me sideways!!”
A voice, deep but loud soaked in amusement, rang out from behind us.
“Didn’t know the green sniper had it in him!”

Crosshairs stiffened instantly, his arms still around me as his optics snapped toward the sound.
Hound. Well, of course it was Hound. Creeping from far away over Crosshairs shoulder like on some kind of show. He stood a few paces away, leaning against corner of a container with the biggest shit eating grin I’d ever seen plastered across his face.

“Oh hell no” I muttered under my breath, very much wanting to melt into the hood of the wrecked car I was on.

“Shoulda taken bets,” Hound added with a chuckle, raising an imaginary glass. “You owe me and Bee both. I said you’d break first.”

Crosshairs frame shifted slightly in front of me like instinct kicked in. He was now half-turned, clearly trying to block me from view. I could feel the heat rolling off him- “What the bloody hell are you doin’, sneakin’ around like some glitch-ridden stalker, ay? What is it, walk-in-and-ruin-my-night fraggin’ day?”

“Sneakin’?!” Hound scoffed. “I was doing a round, like a responsible adult. Unlike you two playin’ tonsil hockey on top of a scrap heap.”

I was mortified. Cross wasn’t amused.
“If you don’t slag off in the next ten seconds, I swear to Unicron—”

“Yeah, yeah, no need to sparkbond over it” Hound said with a casual wave, already turning away with a low whistle. “I’ll leave you two to it- but next time, maybe pick a less public space, might give poor Bee a processor meltdown!”

Then he was gone, his damn laughter echoing through the night.

Crosshairs let out this long, sharp vent of air and ran a servo down his face like he was physically trying to wipe the whole thing from his memory.
I dropped my forehead to his chestplate with a laugh. “I think he means well.”

“Means well my AFT” Crosshairs muttered. “I’m changin’ the security rotation. Hound’s gettin’ a no creeping on us round for a week”

✩°˖

Chapter Text

—-

We’d been back at base for three days. Three days since Crosshairs nearly got flattened, three days since I yanked him out of a crater and screamed myself hoarse doing it. Three days since I took a taste of a autobot with a temper problem and a cool trench coat.
Not that we talked about it, of course not.

I wasn’t dumb, I knew the whole thing scared him. So for a while, there was space between us, maybe a bit too much for my liking. 

Until I found him tonight, leaning against the railing outside the watchtower, staring off into the darkness like it owed him something.

“Guard duty?” I asked, leaning beside him.

He didn’t glance over. “Nah. Just… couldn’t recharge.”
“I thought maybe you were hiding-” I said lightly, fishing for a reaction.

He snorted. “Ain’t hidin’. Just thinkin’.” Something flickered behind those usual sharp optics of his. “I shouldn’t let you get close.”

I blinked. “…what?”

Crosshairs turned to face me, “You nearly got yourself slagged tryin’ to pull me outta that fight. But you don’t belong out there” his voice was low now.

I frowned. “I chose to be out there. I made that call.”
“Yeah. ‘Cause I let you.”
I frowned again on what the heck was this autobot talking about. “Oh, well don’t flatter yourself, Crosshairs. You Didn’t let me do anything! I stayed cause I wanted to”

He looked at me again, his jaw getting tight. “Yeah that might be the problem”
Cross pushed off the railing suddenly, pacing a few steps before turning back to me. “You don’t get it do you, we break, alright? Not just parts. We wreck everything we touch.”

“You didn’t wreck me” I said quietly, but didn’t dare to look into his eyes. My chest ached with this wierd tingling sense.
The air between us was tight, buzzing with static and heated words.

Then Crosshairs let out a low vent, his fingers flexing restlessly at his sides. “You could be a scrap on the pavement any minute from now, just cause some frag-ass decepticon shows and none of us was around, ay”

I looked at him finally, and softly continued “Look- Cross”, “I aint sorry. I’d do this anytime again” I crossed my arms “and you better not be fucking sorry too.” 

Silence. And then he took a step closer, I was practically craning my neck to look up at him now.
“Almost makes me wanna believe that I could maybe be something better than what I was built for, huh.” 

My heart thudded loud in my ears. I reached up, my fingers brushing the edge of the green plating near his wrist. “Then let me be the maybe, please”

Crosshairs stared down at me for a long second, then shook his head once. A humorless laugh escaped him. “Too late,” he muttered. “Already did.” He just crouched, slowly, until his face was nearly level with mine.
For maybe the first time I felt like i could see through those bright blue optics, it made my heart nearly jump out of my chest.