It was dark and it was cold. The Seekerling curled into a ball and pressed his face into the leaves to preserve what little warmth he had left. He mewed for his mother pitifully, and a doe had stopped to nose him before she realized it was not her fawn. Aside from that, the little one was alone and he kept wailing for his mother to come and fetch him.
"I swear, Optimus, I heard a sparkling."
The Seekerling blinked frosted optics up at the sound of others. He mewed again, burrowing into the leaves at the sight of the larger mechs. They towered over him by several feet and he trembled with fear as well as from the cold.
"Ratchet, do not be obsurd. Two sparklings found in the same woods within two months?"
"Optimus, I am not fooling around." A large mech with red and white armor walked into view and he grabbed at his larger companion. "See him?"
The blue and red mech narrowed his optics at the Seekerling, then closed the distance between the two to scoop the little one up. The Seekerling bared fangs at the mech, growling a weak warning, but the mech just rubbed heat into his body. The Seekerling burrowed into his chest, purring thankfully.
When the Seekerling opened his optics, he was in a warm room with a warm blanket and a warm servo under his helm. He saw the bottle of Energon and he wrapped his mouth around the rubber nipple eagerly, squirming out of the blanket to greedily wrap his servos around the bottle.
"Take it easy, little one," the medic purred. He tried the pull the bottle away, but the Seekerling growled and clung on. "Take it slow so you don't get sick."
The Prime chuckled and rubbed the Seekerling's back. "He's a Seeker, Ratchet. He will take orders from no one."
Ratchet frowned down at him. "Too bad he doesn't have a trine. Now he'll grow up differently."
"Not if we pair him with Crystal. They're both Seekers."
"I fear that because Crystal lost her wings, she will not have the same drive to be a part of a trine like this one will."
The Seekerling started to drift off into a deep recharge with a full belly. The medic and the Prime became hazy and he yawned sweetly. The Prie laid the Seeker down and the medic laid a slightly larger body beside the Seekerling mech. Limp wings flopped over him before Ratchet moved them away.
The Seekerling femme cuddled into him, purring softly as she rubbed against him. The mechling hesitated only for a moment before he joined in and they were left to bond.
Jetwing tackled Crystal, rolling her around in the dirt. "Dirt tastes good! Yum, yum, yum!"
"Jetwing! Get your fat aft off of me!" Crystal laughed and shoved him away.
The Seeker jumped up and clutched his belly. "I am not fat! I'm curvy." He started dancing to his own tune until Bulkhead bumped into him. "Watch yourself, dude! I'm dancing here."
"Do you know the meaning of 'silence'?"
"That word is not in my vocabulary and it never will be!" Jetwing ran in circles, screaming. Wheeljack bowled him over and pressed a blade to his neck. "Please. I'll give you anything you want. Do you like gum? I have gum!"
"Please be quiet. We can't be heard or seen."
"You know what I think? You could use a mint. I mean, really. Blech!"
Crystal climbed up a rock formation and tucked the stolen object under a rock. "It's good!"
Wheeljack let Jetwing up. "Can I trust you to stay here and guard?"
The Seeker tapped his chin with his claws. "Depends...am I getting paid?" He covered his face and adopted a defensive position. "I'm sorry, yes, I'll do it! Anything! Just don't hurt me!"
Crystal landed softly beside him, purring. "What are you doing to my trinemate?"
"I didn't even raise a servo," Wheeljack grumbled. "Just stay here and guard that thing with him, Crystal. I don't trust him."
"I love you, too!" Jetwing purred as Wheeljack dismissed him with a wave of his servo. "He loves me. We're going to have puppies together."
"Whatever you say, kiddo," she purred. She climbed up the rock formation and sat by the object of great importance. "Keep a look out down there, ok-"
"Hey, guys! Crystal's up there with the thing! Just don't hurt me, like agreed. Yes, thank you for lowering the gun."
Crystal cursed softly and grabbed the shining fabric she had to protect. She ran down the other side of the rock tower and hid herself in the earth-debris when she saw the leader of the enemies. Jetwing sold us out! He sold us out! I can't believe it! When I get my servos on him...
"She is not here," the leader rumbled softly. "Interrogate the Seeker!"
"I don't know where she is! I swear she was on that rock formation when I-"
Crystal winced at the squeal and she took off running, hoping she'd find Wheeljack or Bulkhead so she could hand the object off. Before she made it to either of them, she found something of greater importance.
The object's twin.
It was hidden in a hollow tree and she was about to snatch it when Optimus caught up to her and pinned her against a tree.
"You came close," he growled. "Too close for comfort." He saw the object in her servo. "Hidden on your person? That was not very smart."
"Jetwing turned on me. I thought we agreed that we wouldn't have secret alliances."
"Did I promise that?" The Prime found himself holding onto a tree and when he turned around to catch the femme that had twisted out of his grasp, he found the blue warrior holding up the two objects. "Congratulations."
The team, holding paint guns, stepped out into the clearing and looked between the Prime and the warrior. Jetwing ran up, his chest pink.
"I knew you could do it, sissy! I never doubted you for a second! Maybe half of a second, but not a full sec-" He ducked her slap, laughing, until she kicked his chest and he laid on his back.
"You ratted me out, you backstabbing weasel!"
The Seeker sat up and purred lovingly at her, hugging her legs as he begged for forgiveness. "I love you, too."
Bumblebee chirped and whisteled to Smokescreen, shaking his helm. The warrior laughed and nodded. "I know, Bee. Next time we play Capture the Flag, I want to be on Crystal's side. That's three times in a row!"