Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters in it.

A/N: Like the summary says, this is going to be a series of one-shots that covers events before, during, and after Little One up to the point where Nightmares and Reality starts. For the readers of Nightmares and Reality, I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I've had some writers block, but I'm finally getting some ideas on what to do. So now on to the first one-shot:

Title: Guardian

Characters: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Ratchet

Pairings: None

Rating: K

Notes: Takes place after Wanted After All

When Ratchet announced that he was going to be their guardian, Sunstreaker had no clue about how to react. Sideswipe had instantly apologized for the prank they had pulled earlier, clearly happy that someone had decided to become their guardian. But the gold twin wasn't happy. He was fairly certain that the only reason that the medic decided to be their guardian was out of pity and how could he be happy about that. If they annoyed him too much he would probably just dump them off onto someone else. Their own creators didn't want them, so why would he?

He had been the first to realize that their creators had abandoned them. Sideswipe had held on to some naïve belief that their creators simply hadn't found them. Sunstreaker had known better. The other younglings' creators had gotten to them very soon after they had been brought to the base. If those creators had known, he was fairly sure that theirs would have too. Especially since they were Autobots, and pretty much every Autobot knew where he and Sideswipe were. It was clear that their creators didn't want them anymore. Sunstreaker just wasn't sure how it had taken until the other orn for his twin to realize that.

"Why are you being so rude to Ratchet?" Sideswipe finally asked his twin.

"Why are you being so nice?" he countered.

"He's going to be our guardian Sunny, didn't you hear him? Someone actually wants us!"

"He feels sorry for us. He doesn't really want us. We're just a big burden to everyone – that's probably why our creators don't come."

"He does want us Sunny, he told me himself."

"And he decided this after you complained last night to him," Sunstreaker pointed out.

"That doesn't prove anything!" Sideswipe narrowed his optics.

The two brothers remained in silence for several breems, with Sideswipe glaring at Sunstreaker. Sideswipe just didn't get it. He had been sure that his brother would have been just as happy as he was with knowing that they had a guardian. Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe he could tell Ratchet and then the medic would be able to convince Sunstreaker that he really did want them. Yeah, that would work. And after Ratchet explained it to Sunstreaker, everything would be better. The two of them could finally stop arguing about this.

"Fine, then I'll prove it to you!"

And with that Sideswipe marched off, leaving behind a dumbfounded Sunstreaker.

Sunstreaker was alone in his and Sideswipe's room when Ratchet found him. As soon as the golden twin saw him, he turned away to where he wouldn't be facing the medic. Ratchet let out a small sigh before walking further into the room and sitting next to Sunstreaker on the youngling's berth.

"Why are you tormenting your brother?"

"I'm not tormenting him. I'm telling him the truth," the youngling turned and looked up at him. "Admit it, you felt sorry for us and that's why you decided to become our guardian."

"Yes, I do feel sorry for the two of you," Ratchet admitted, which slightly surprised Sunstreaker – he had almost expected the medic to start out denying it. "I, and all of the others, hate that there are younglings and sparklings that have to grow up with a war going on. I know that it will be tougher with you and Sideswipe being twins. Because of that I know that you need some consistency in your lives and you need someone who knows how to take care of you."

"We don't need anyone," Sunstreaker muttered. "We can take care of ourselves."

Ratchet simply shook his head. It was clear to him already which twin was going to be the hardest to take care of. He wasn't exactly surprised that the twins differed when it came to how they would react to their abandonment and him taking up the role of guardian for them. It wasn't exactly rare for some twins to have extreme differences with how they reacted to situations or their personalities in general. As bewildering as it could be at times, it was easy to sum it up as them being the result of a split spark. Of course the two of them weren't all that different at the moment, but Ratchet knew as they got older the major differences in them would be known.

"You can think that all you want Sunstreaker, but you do need someone to take care of you, whether you realize it or not. Do you think Bumblebee could take care of himself?"

Sunstreaker scoffed, "Of course not. He's a sparkling. Me and Sides aren't that young. We'll be old enough to train before he's even considered a youngling."

"So right now, if you and Sideswipe were on your own, you would be able to completely take care of yourselves and defend yourselves if you were attacked? I'm extremely doubtful based on what happened the other orn."

Sunstreaker faltered, not expecting that the medic would bring that up.

"Okay, we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves but that doesn't change anything! Our creators didn't want us, so why should we believe that you do!?"

The youngling was on the brink of crying, and as much as he tried to hide it, Ratchet could tell. The medic didn't say anything about it though, knowing that Sunstreaker was not the twin who would want things like that pointed out to him. Instead Ratchet gently placed a servo on the youngling's shoulder in an attempt to give some comfort and aside from a small glare the youngling did nothing to push him away.

"Sunstreaker, I understand that you and Sideswipe both have doubts that you're actually wanted. If you don't believe me when I tell you that you are, that's fine, but please let me take care of you and your brother. Whether you like it or not, the two of you need someone to take care of you until you are fully grown, and I'm going to be the one to take care of you."

Sunstreaker crossed his arms.

"So do we have to start calling you creator or something now?"

Ratchet shook his head, "You can just call me Ratchet. I'm not your creator, but you are going to listen to me as if I was."

"Do we get to keep our own room or do we have to move into yours?"

"You and Sideswipe can stay in this room. The way you two act with pranks sometimes, I don't think I would even want you anywhere near my room.

"I don't think you're going to have to worry about that for a while. Sides is so happy that you're our guardian, he's going to avoid pranking you for a few orns at the least."

"I'm glad that you brought up Sideswipe, Sunstreaker," Ratchet stated. "I think now would be the perfect opportunity to go and apologize to him.

"Whatever," Sunstreaker replied hoping off the berth to go in search of his twin.

He would accept the fact that Ratchet was going to be his guardian for the time being, probably for the rest of his life, but it sure was going to take some getting used to.