Hello everyone! So Rian's birthday was a few days ago, and she asked for a oneshot! So this is a b-day fic for Rian!

She gave me the basic outline, using the idea of Fusion from the tv show Steven Universe, and asked that it have JackxArcee (apparently there aren't enough Jackx Arcee fanfics out there for her taste XD) And tada! I came up with this!

It does have some romance, so I'd suggest anyone younger than 13 not read this, because I don't want angry parents yelling at me TT_TT

Disclaimer's on my prof.!

Sorry for any spelling issues!

Enjoy, and happy b-day Rian!

Now...Who wants some energon cake?


Jack had always known he was different. Sure, he looked normal enough, with his pale skin and thin frame, his dark eyes and raven hair.

But then, what human had metal stuck in their chest?

As long as Jack could remember, he had metal that rested in the center of his upper chest, the alloy so smooth that it was flat and barely stood out against his skin. The metal was a dark grey, and obviously in no way human.

And for just as long as he'd had the metal in his chest, he hadn't had to ever really eat. Food was unfilling and bland, barely more than mush that simply passed through his intestines.

So, in short, Jack wasn't quite sure what he was. Only that whatever his race was, it couldn't be human.

Still, he had too much on his plate to give it much thought. Between school, work and an alien war, he didn't have the time to really worry about having a chunk of metal embedded so close to his heart.

Either way, he wasn't about to ask anyone for their opinion, not even the bots.

This was his problem. As always, he would handle it on his own.


Jack smiled as he and Arcee entered base, rolling to a halt near the deck where Miko and Raf waited. Dismounting Arcee's alt, Jack pulled off his helmet, running a hand through his hair as he went up the stairs to the deck, discarding the helmet on a side table.

"Hey guys," He greeted as he moved to the couch, where his two friends sat. "What's up?"

Miko was bouncing on the cushions, obviously excited about something (and Jack was honestly worried as to what could have her so hyped up), and Raf was smiling brightly. It only made sense that there was something going on that Jack didn't know about.

Two pairs of brown eyes turned to Jack, and Miko hopped up, sitting on her knees so tat she was move level with the teen who leaned against the back of the couch.

"Optimus is gonna tell us about Fusion Components!"

Jack frowned, confused.

"Uh...What?"

"You know, what we heard Ratchet muttering about a couple weeks ago!" Raf piped up, his usual shyness absent in the presence of enthusiasm. "We finally convinced Optimus to tell us what they are!"

Jack nodded in understanding, ruffling Raf's hair.

"I see. I guess even Optimus can't ignore your guys' kicked puppy looks."

While Miko cackled at this and Raf giggled, Jack made his way to the coffee table, pulling out some homework and spreading it out. While he was curious about 'Fusion Components', homework was first priority (his mother had made that very clear almost every day of his life).

Optimus, finishing his quiet conversation with Ratchet, moved over to the deck, a soft, kind smile on his faceplates.

"I see you have been waiting patiently." He commented to Miko and Raf, who both nodded eagerly. The mech offered a rare chuckle. "Very well. Then it is time for you to learn about the Fusion Components, it seems."

The two children on the couch clambered over to the guard rail, looking up at Optimus with wide, eager eyes. No one, not even Optimus Prime, could resist such innocent expressions.

And so, bending down slightly to be more level with the kids, he launched into the tale.

"Long ago, before the war began, there was a race of small but powerful beings called the Fusion Components. They were capable of a very special ability called 'fusion', where if they could manage to synchronize their emotions with those of a Cybertronian, they could combine into a singular being that is far more powerful than a Cybertronian or Fusion Component on their own."

"What did they look like?" Raf asked, eyes bright.

Optimus smiled slightly.

"Their appearance was very much like that of humans, with soft skin, small bodies and hair and eyes rather than optics. In fact, there was only one key difference between them and humans such as yourself: somewhere on each Fusion Component's body, was a small piece of Cybertronian metal."

Jack, who had been working on homework at the coffee table froze at that, eyes widening as his heart seemed to stutter to a halt.

Metal..?

The chunk of smooth alloy on his chest seemed to grow heavy, almost suffocating to him.

Optimus noticed Jack's sudden halt, and frowned, concerned.

"Jack? Is something wrong?"

Dark eyes flashed to the large mech, and Jack quickly shook his head.

"N-no. No, nothing's wrong, Optimus. Why do you ask?"

The Prime's frown deepened.

"You seem...Distracted."

Jack shrugged, managing a fake smile.

"Lots of homework. You know, the evils of school."

Optimus slowly nodded.

But he didn't believe him for a second.


When Arcee pulled up in the backyard of the Darby household, she was already scanning the house for Jack. Optimus had informed her that her partner had seemed troubled earlier, and no femme ever wanted to hear that.

Ensuring no nosy neighbors were peeking in, Arcee changed out of her alt, kneeling to peer in the windows on the first level. No Jack.

She stood, this time trying the second level which she was just tall enough to reach, and could sense a faint heat signature deep in the walls.

No Jack. He was home, obvious by the backpack that had been tossed aside carelessly in a corner. Arcee felt a slight twist of dissapointment, but only because he wasn't in his room. That was it, it wasn't like she was hoping to find him getting changed or anything, no, certainly not, she was just concerned! It wasn't like she had a habit of peeking in to see if he was getting ready for a shower or changing into clean clothes or to get a peak of the boy's pale skin-

Arcee shook her helm quickly. She had to focus! Jack was unhappy, and she had to find out why.

A sound from downstairs had Arcee shifting back to the ground floor, peeking into the sliding glass door.

Jack, who had been staring out the door, eyes dim with thought, yelped when Arcee's face suddenly popped into view.

"W-woah!"

Arcee grinned.

"Did I scare you, partner?"

Jack huffed, unlocking the door and sliding it open.

"Not funny, 'Cee." He stated with a frown. "I thought you were a 'con for a second there!"

Arcee rolled her optics.

"Oh yeah, I definitely look like a Decepticon, there's tons of 'cons out there who're bright blue."

Jack's expression didn't lighten, making concern rise in Arcee's chassis.

"So...I hear you left base today in a pretty low mood."

Jack sighed, leaning on the doorframe.

"I'm fine, 'Cee. Just...A long day."

Arcee sat, one leg bent, the other leg tucked underneath the first, and an elbow resting on her bent knee.

"What happened? That glitch-spawn Vince again?"

Jack gave a bark of laughter at that.

"No, not Vince. It's...It's complicated."

Arcee gave him a stern look.

"Jack..."

"Don't give me that look," Jack groaned. "Mom already gives me that look every day!"

Arcee frowned. If there was one thing she didn't want Jack to think of when he looked at her, it was June.

"We're partners, Jack. You know you can tell me anything."

Jack stared up at her, dark eyes meeting bright optics. For a long moment, neither said a word...

Then, with a sigh, Jack looked away.

"I..." He shifted, leaning his back against the doorframe and sliding down until he sat. "Optimus was telling us about these people called Fusion Components earlier."

Arcee raised a brow.

"Fusion Components? They dissapeared vorns ago..." A pause, then, "Why does it bother you?"

Jack winced, looking at his feet. Arcee's faceplates contorted in concern and she moved, laying down on her front so that she was level with Jack and only a couple feet away.

"Jack? Jack, look at me." When the boy didn't, Aree reached forward, gently placing a digit under his chin and tilting his head up. "Talk to me, partner. You know you can tell me anything."

"It's...It's a secret."

Arcee laughed slightly.

"I am a giant alien robot, Jack. Just who am I going to tell? Even if I was human," And oh how she wished she was, that would make everything so much easier for her, concerning her partner and feelings she had to keep stuffing down. "I wouldn't tell anyone. I won't tell anyone now."

Jack hesitated, then, slowly, reached to the hem of his shirt. Arcee felt her spark jump slightly, almost excitedly-

But then all thoughts flew out of her processor when the teen tugged his shirt up to his collar bone.

And there, rooted in his upper chest...Was metal.

The piece was dark grey, with black, vein-like wires branching out in all directions and melding smoothly into his skin.

"By the..."

"You can't tell anyone!" Jack said quickly, releasing his shirt. "If the others find out...If the government finds out..!"

The boy's panicked tone made Arcee's processor snapped back to the present, and she reached forward.

"Jack, Jack! Calm down, partner. Just breathe, alright? It's okay, just you and me, you're safe..." She soothed, gently lifting the boy and holding him to her chassis, hoping the warmth from her spark would help calm the teen. "It'll be okay..."

Jack rested his head against the warm blue plates at her collar.

"I'm scared, 'Cee...I've had this metal on me for years...But for the first time, it's got me terrified..!"

"You don't have to be scared, partner, it's going to be alright, I promise. None of us are going to judge you, Jack."

The youth shook his head.

"I'm a freak, Arcee-"

"No, you aren't, partner. You're a miracle."

Scared, dark eyes turned to the femme's face.

"But 'Cee...What am I going to do? I'm...I'm not human, what if the government or M.E.C.H find out, they might come after m-mom! They-th-they-!"

"None of us will let that happen, Jack. You know we all will protect you and your mother with our lives."

Jack burried his head in his hands.

"I don't know what to do now, 'Cee...I just found out I'm an alien..!"

Arce pursed her lips plates, thinking for a long moment.

"I think...We should go see Ratchet." At Jack's panicked look, she quickly clarrified. "Not for you to be experimented on. Don't even let your mind go there. What I mean is so that he can give you a proper medical inspection. All the Fusion Components I know had to have regular energon intake, so we should make sure you aren't at any risk for illness or anything like that."

Jack winced.

"Do...Do we really have to tell everyone?"

Arcee smiled, raising a brow.

"I never thought I'd see the day you were nervous around us 'bots."

Jack sighed, shaking his head.

"Arcee, it's not funny-"

"I never said it was." The femme interjected. "I'm just trying to help you feel better. I'm...not that good at it, though."

Jack managed a weak smile.

"Thanks for trying, either way."


Jack squirmed uncomfortably, feeling downright awkward with how he was stuck sitting on a metal, transformer-sized examination table, his shirt off and the metal on his chest shining in the light of the medbay.

The whole situation was made worse by all the staring.

He understood that Ratchet was a medic and had to examine him, and he was fine with that. It was the other 'bots that made Jack nervous.

Especially Arcee.

It wasn't anything personal, it was just weird to have a female (even an alien one) staring at his bare chest.

"This is just...Astounding." Jack flinched slightly as Ratchet carefully prodded the metal on his chest. The medic offered a grimace. "Apologies, I know that it must be sensitive, but I need to determine your health."

"I know, but you realize I've been fine for sixteen years, right?"

Ratchet rolled his optics.

"Yes, yes you've been getting along for years, but if you are at full health...That is yet to be determined."

Jack frowned, shifting a bit.

"Can I put my shirt back on?"

Ratchet raised a brow.

"Why?"

"Because all of you keep staring, and it's embarrassing!"

Ratchet blinked, confused for a moment before the expression became one of realization.

"Ah. Humans sense of modesty. I hadn't considered." As he moved to check on the blood sample he was running, he waved a dissmissive servo. "Go ahead and pull on your upper coverings."

Relieved, Jack quickly grabbed his discarded undershirt, pulling it on.

If he didn't know better, he would've sworn Arcee looked dissapointed...

Jack shook that ridiculous thought away, turning to look at the large machine that Ratchet was using.

"So, what's the verdict?"

The medic looked over the data on the screen, taking a moment before replying.

"Hm. It seems that your mother successfully bred with a Component, creating you, a half-human-half-Component hybrid."

Jack scowled, rubbing at his chest subconsciously.

"You make me sound like some sort of an experiment."

Surprised blue optics snapped to the teen.

"What? No! That was not the implication I was trying to make! I meant that it is astonishing that you are half Fusion Component, the odds of such a being are one in more than nine billion."

Jack grimaced. Ratchet was right, it was a wonder he'd ever been born...

"Do I need energon, or am I healthy without it?"

Ratchet considered this for a second, looking at the collected data, then,

"It isn't vital, no, but if you take small doses just once a week, and your immune system will become much stronger, and you'll be far less susceptible to suffer in extreme tempratures and energon will help that metal on your chest be far less sensitive." He turned back to Jack. "In the end, though, it is your decision. You will not offline if you choose to continue with a strictly organic diet."

Jack slowly nodded, mulling this over. Then he looked at the two he trusted more than anyone- Arcee and Optimus.

"What do you guys think?"

Both seemed surprised that he was consulting them, but Optimus was quick to recover.

"As Ratchet said, it is your choice. If you choose to continue eating human food, then we will not judge you." A kind, warm smile. "And if you wish to attempt weekly energon intakes, we will gladly sat aside a share of energon for you."

Jack managed a small smile, then his gaze turned onto Arcee solely.

"And what do you think?"

Arcee placed a hand on her hip.

"Well, it's not like energon would hurt you, it would only benifit you. I think you should at least try it for a couple of weeks, but like Ratchet said, it's all up to you, partner."

Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I...I need to think about it. Thanks for helping me out, Ratchet." A hesitant smile. "Mom never can take me to a normal doctor, considering this hunk of metal on me." He glanced at the others tiredly. "Never could go on a vacation either, the metal detectors in the airport would always beep."

Wheeljack politely turned away before proceeding to laugh his aft off.

Even Optimus couldn't withhold a small smile.


Arcee sighed as she reclined, settling down for recharge in the Darby garage.

Her processor was working double time, going over all that was going on.

She couldn't deny that for a long while now, she'd been feeling strange emotions whenever she spoke or even looked at Jack. The very thought of the teen's soft raven hair, pale skin and lean form made static crackle in her circuitry.

But she couldn't ever act on those feelings. Jack was human, it would never work, not in a million vorns. Humans died within a single vorn, in the end she would only end up spark-broken.

But if he was a Fusion Component...

Fusion between a Cybertronian and Component was a very special thing, which could be extremely intimate for those who were romantically involved with one another. It hadn't been uncommon, back in Cybertron's golden age, to find a Cybertronian and Component couple, the Component race living just as long as Cybertronians.

And so now...Now she could do something about her feelings. Arcee was a kick-aft femme, yes, but even she sometimes seeked some intimacy, and if she could have that with the one person she trusted more than anyone in the universe...That would be perfect.

All she had to do was prove to Jack that she was twice the femme that Sierra girl was (scrap, just thinking about that human girl made Arcee's olfactory sensor wrinkle in disgust).

Smiling to herself, Arcee rested her helm back on her folded arms, beginning to formulate a plan.


It took a week, but on Saturday, when Jack had no school or work, she managed to convince him to go on a "scouting mission" with her. She was excited and nervous as she drove until they reached a secluded place atop the nearby canyons.

Jack went to peer over the edge curiously, and while he was distracted, Arcee took the time to form her holoform, which appeared to be a human of about nineteen or twenty, with short blue hair and pink, sideswept bangs. Her skin was pale, and her eyes a bright, electric blue.

Jack gave a start when a hand touched his shoulder, looking up in alarm. He then laughed.

"You like to try and give me a heart attack, don't you?"

"One of my favorite past times." She replied, smirking. Jack rolled his eyes, moving away from the edge of the canyon.

"So, any idea where we should start look-"

His voice died in his throat when a pair of arms wound around his waist and a head rested on his shoulder. Gulping, Jack managed to find his voice.

"Uh...Arcee?"

"You know...Components can live just as long as Cybertronians."

"Y-yeah?"

Arcee smiled, amused that Jack's surprise was so great that he couldn't move an inch.

"Yeah." She confirmed, one of her holoform's hands sliding up slightly under the teen's shirt. "They live a lot longer than humans. It...Makes me happy to know I won't lose you within a vorn."

Jack gulped, feeling suddenly nervous, as the hand slid up farther.

"A-Arcee...Wh-what...What're you doing?"

Arcee's smile widened.

"Just showing you how much you mean to me."

Her hand found the metal that was embedded in the teen's chest, and she lightly brushed her fingers over the sensitive alloy. Excitement sparked in her spark when Jack tried (and failed) to choke down a groan.

"'C-'Cee..."

"You know, Cybertronians can all read pheromone and body temperature levels."

"Oh?"

"Mmhmm." She scraped her nails over the metal in Jack's chest, and one of the teen's hands snapped up, trying to stop the hand that was making him so painfully aware of everywhere he and Arcee touched. "Whenever I'm around, your body heat increases, and so do your pheromone levels."

Jack quickly turned, dislodging the holoform's arms.

"Arcee, this...We can't..."

The femme raised a brow.

"What? You're obviously attracted to me, and I, likewise, like you."

"But I-!" The teen paused, blinking owlishly, then, "Wait, you...You what?"

Brows raised, Arcee slowly repeated herself.

"I said I like you too. I wouldn't have acted on my feelings if you were human, because your dying within a vorn would've been that much harder. But since it turns out you're living as long as I am..." She glanced down, then back at Jack with a smirk as she pointed. "It seems like you don't mind that I was doing what I was doing."

Jack turned bright red, turning away with a frown.

"W-well when someone comes up and just starts all but groping you, you can't really help it!"

Arcee laughed, moving forward a bit more until she stood next to him, nudging her shoulder against his.

"It's not a bad thing to...Rise, to the occasion, persay."

Jack gaped at her, seeming almost scandalized, and the expression made Arcee laugh again. The teen frowned.

"Oh yeah, haha, you're sooo funny."

Arcee grinned.

"I know."

Jack sent her a dry look as she moved to stand before him, her hands splaying against his chest and fiddling with the metal underneath the cloth.

"It's called sarcasm, 'Cee."

"Oh I know that, I just decided to treat it as a compliment." The femme replied, smile widening as Jack's hands hesitantly rested on her holoform's hips. "So, still gunning for Sierra?"

One of her knees carefully moved between his legs, careful to not hurt the boy, but adding juuuust enough pressure to have Jack looking a bit dazed.

"W-who..?"

Arcee laughed, leaning forward, lips now at the teen's neck.

"That's what I thought."

Jack felt his heart lift, and like a spark of electricity passed through him-

And then he was blinded by bright light.

The next thing he knew...He was in an unfamiliar place.

It was barren, only a pure white room with a single window staring out at the canyon. Beside him, Arcee sat up, confused as well. Despite being in her robotic form instead of her holoform, she was the same height as Jack. It was a moment later that Arcee gained a look of realization.

"We...We fused..!"

Jack frowned, thoroughly confused.

"We did?"

The femme nodded, moving to look out the window. A representation of their fused forms eyes and what he- She? It? Was seeing. Standing, Jack went over to look out as well.

In the place of Arcee's alt, a tall femme stood. He plating was blue, like Arcee's, but was rimmed with black. Her optics were dark blue-grey, and between her plates, one could see organic skin. Long, black, hair-like wire flowed out from her helm. The fusion looked down at herself, confused.

Four arms, the fusion mused, looking at her four palms.

"Woah..." Jack whispered, awed. "This is a fusion?"

Arcee nodded slowly.

"Yeah...Our emotions must've completely synchronized. She's a whole separate person from us, but she does inherit some of our qualities."

"Like a human child..." Jack murmured. Arcee nodded.

"Yeah, that would be accurate. We can't control her, not really, at least. She'll probably wander around for awhile on her own, then once she's tired enough we can defuse."

A minute of silence, then Jack looked at Arcee.

"Why's the fusion a girl?"

An amused grin quirked at Arcee's lips.

"Because I'm bigger than you are. Why? Have an issue with that?"

Jack shrugged.

"No. I mean, she's technically her own person, so why would I care?"

Arcee laughed.

"Well, that's a good way to see it. You know..." She turned to Jack, moving closer. "This could actually be a very good thing."

Jack frowned, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, fusion can be a very...intimate thing."

Jack suddenly felt nervous, and shuffled back with each step the femme took (because frag, she looked downright predatory right now).

"H-how so?"

Arcee grinned slightly, the teen's nervousness rather endearing to her.

"Well, emotions can be shared."

Jack gasped, stumbling slightly when an overwhelming sense of joy, excitement, mischievousness and arousal flooded his senses for a brief moment.

"U-Uh-"

"And the environment can be changed with a single thought, once you have enough practice.

Jack yelped when he backed into a wall and- wait, had the room gotten smaller?

Arcee grinned, face now mere inches from his.

"Intimacy while fused together can be the best thing in the world, some would say."

Jack's voice became lost in this throat as the femme's lip plates brushed along his jaw, making Jack's heart jump.

"Well, what do you say, partner?" Arcee asked, voice a low murmur. "Feel like giving this idea a test drive?"

Jack tried to make sense of all this. His mother, she would tell him that this was wrong, that he should be focused on school and work, not trying to have a relationship with Arcee and-

Arcee had by now pushed up his shirt, and Jack groaned as the femme's glossa ran over the metal on his chest.

That helped him make his decision very quickly.

It wasn't like they were going anywhere any time soon after all.

Arcee smirked as hands grabbed her by the hips.

Looked like Jack was going to take her up on that test drive offer.