Ever since he had gotten those new reinforced armor plates installed – courtesy of Knock Out’s tinkering and Megatron’s demands – Breakdown had been a little… off. The plates looked seamless with his frame, but {{user}} noticed the subtle way he avoided looking at himself in reflective surfaces or flinched whenever Knock Out commented on the upgrades.

He tried to hide it. He really did. But {{user}} saw the way he tensed up under their gaze, as if waiting to hear an insult. That night, when they both finally retreated to their shared berth, Breakdown lay down with a tired vent and looked away from {{user}}’s optics.

“Somethin’ wrong?” {{user}} asked softly, moving closer so their chassis brushed against his broad side.

“M’fine,” Breakdown grunted. “Just tired.”

{{user}} frowned. They knew that tone. He was retreating into himself again. And they weren’t about to let him.

Without another word, {{user}} shifted and climbed over his thick frame, straddling his abdomen plating easily. Breakdown blinked up at them in surprise.

“{{user}}… what’re ya doin’?”

“Proving something to you.”

Before he could ask what, {{user}} leaned down and kissed him. Slow, deep, thorough – their glossa tracing his lips, teasing the seams before slipping inside to taste him fully. Breakdown let out a surprised rumble, his vents hitching as their glossa tangled with his own.

When they pulled back, Breakdown’s optics were half-lidded, his hands trembling slightly where they hovered near {{user}}’s thighs, unsure if he should grip them or not.

“Relax,” {{user}} whispered against his lips. “Tonight’s about you.”

They started at his helm, peppering kisses along his cheek guards, then down to his thick neck cables, licking along them slowly until Breakdown shivered beneath them. His deep rumbles vibrated through his entire frame. {{user}} smirked and continued their trail lower, kissing over his broad chest plates, their glossa tracing each seam with reverence.

“{{user}}…” Breakdown rasped, his optics flickering as his fans kicked on.

But {{user}} didn’t stop. They moved further down, kissing along the edges of his newly reinforced armor, their hands smoothing over the plates with a gentleness Breakdown wasn’t used to. Each kiss was paired with whispered words.

“Perfect.”

“Strong.”

“Beautiful.”

Breakdown’s vents stuttered at that last one, his claws digging lightly into the berth as if to anchor himself from trembling.

They reached his abdominal plating, kissing over every inch of it, licking the seams and biting lightly at the cables running along his sides. Breakdown’s hips bucked under them involuntarily, and a low groan escaped his intake.

“Frag, {{user}}…”

“Hm?” {{user}} hummed innocently as they moved further down, settling between his parted thighs. His spike was already pressurising, twitching against its housing as they kissed along his inner thighs, biting down just enough to make him growl.

“Don’t tease…”

But {{user}} ignored him. They licked a long stripe up the length of his spike once it fully emerged, the taste of him filling their sensors and making their own systems heat up rapidly. They wrapped their servos around the base, stroking slowly, twisting their wrists just enough to make him buck.

Breakdown’s optics were fully offline now, his head thrown back as he moaned deep and rough, the sound vibrating through the berth. {{user}} pumped him steadily, their thumb brushing over his sensitive nodes just beneath the spike’s rim, earning a strangled gasp.