[Takes place after the arrival back home in Renewal part 10 - Home Again]

Welcome home.

The humans separated, Poppy to the human wing, while the two officers made their way to the kitchen. Stronghold glanced at 'Beat.

::Shower?::

::Oh yes please. I feel as though I'll never get the sand out of my bearings...::

They followed 'Spin along the corridor, the smaller transformer 'grinning' at them as they entered the double room. "Enjoy yourthelveth!"

'Beat waved after him as the door closed and locked, then turned to the Defender. ::I think we can probably manage to do that...::

Stronghold laid a strong, supple servo on his friend's shoulder armour. ::Without a doubt. I am glad you are back safely. I have missed you::

'Beat rested his forehelm against the Defender's throat.

::Missed you too:: He 'chuckled' ::Missed your help in the shower as well!::

::No-one to assist you on the island?::

::I didn't want to bother Ratchet or Wheeljack, and Jolt is... his field is uncomfortable at best. Painful at times, to me anyway. And the Prime was out of the questions, of course::

::I'm sure the Prime would have helped::

::No doubt, but our difference in size would have made it awkward for him. The solvents did an OK job, but there are sand grains caught in joints where I didn't know I had joints!::

Stronghold nodded and tapped their cleansing preference code into the control panel: seconds later a hot solvent-water mix cascaded over them both.

'Beat 'sighed' and slumped against the larger transformer. ::Oh, that feels good...::

Stronghold pushed him back a little and moved behind him, long digits gently easing under his plating to tease grit and sand from his cabling and hydraulics. 'Beat relaxed his armour, allowing easier access, and Stronghold alternated cleaning with massaging the MGC's internal structures. By the time the Defender was satisfied all the debris was removed from 'Beat's dorsal interior, the MGC was ready to melt, staying upright only by locking his leg and spine struts. Stronghold 'grinned' as he moved to face him.

::Better?::

::Mmmmmm...::

::How's your front?::

'Beat eyed his friend. ::Well, I could reach most of it. But a thorough cleaning would be welcome::

Stronghold held his gaze as gentle servos delved below loosened plating, along his arms, under his body armour, hip and pelvic assembly... 'Beat 'whimpered', and Stronghold 'stroked' his field.

::No overload either?::

::Goes without saying...::

::We'd better do something about that. Here, or in your berth?::

::Why not both?::

'Grinning', Stronghold opened his panel, released his spike and seated himself on the floor, gazing up welcomingly as 'Beat eased himself down into the Defender's lap, valve irising open. Stronghold slid easily into 'Beat, holding him lightly, both shuddering as the connection was made, streaming into each others' consciousness, trading data - to be processed later - then Stronghold began to 'pulse', gradually increasing the strength of the cascading energies until both tensed as overload took them into a spiralling surge of tight, reverberating pleasure.

xxx

::... mmmmm...::

Stronghold 'chuckled', holding 'Beat against him, optics half-dimmed as they slowly recovered. ::Better?::

::Oh yes. You?::

::Of course:: The Defender nuzzled 'Beat's helm. ::But let's move, shall we? The berth is more comfortable::

::In a minute...::

Though it was ten minutes before they finally managed to pull themselves upright and switch on the drying fans.

xxx

Lying supine on the berth, Stronghold reached up to lay a servo against 'Beat's cheekplate, digits stroking the smooth metal as the MGC sprawled on his side.

::So, Starscr... Starstream has hatchlings. I didn't know that was possible::

::None of us did::

::And they are definitely his?::

::Ratchet thinks so. They vary in age, which adds weight to the belief:: He 'sighed' and nuzzled the servo against his face. ::But it also means that Starscream must have been made to spawn almost constantly after leaving earth that first time::

::Made?::

::Do you think he'd have done so willingly?::

::From what I've heard - no::

::The Fallen was a Prime - one of the original thirteen. Imagine all that power... Starscream wouldn't have been given a choice::

::So he made the best of it?::

::It was in his nature to look out for himself, from what I've learned::

::I almost feel sorry for him...::

::... me too...::

They were silent for a moment, pondering the ramifications of a life of near-constant abuse at the servos and wills of the powerful. Stronghold 'sighed'.

::You can understand why the Prime insists on everyone being given all the opportunities they possibly can::

::Yeah:: 'Beat leaned down to nuzzle the Defender's neck. ::He's... we're so lucky to have him::

Stronghold 'nodded', idly stroking and tweaking the cabling under 'Beat's hip armour. ::I wonder where they got the energon from though?::

'Beat wriggled, trying not to let himself be distracted. ::I don't know. I don't even know how hatchlings get their protoforms or how they end up in their pods. I assume the material for the protoforms came from 'Cons terminated on the crash or otherwise offlined, but the energon for the pods... there wouldn't have been enough in the ship. And the sunlight was too dim to be of much use out there::

::We may never know. Unless Starstream can remember, which seems unlikely from your data::

::I know, and that's frustrating. Means the historical record can't be complete::

::That's not so unusual::

::Except when I have the primary source there, in a nest on Diego Garcia...:: 'Beat gave up fighting arousal and stroked firmly over Stronghold's interface panel, opening his own and pressurising his spike. ::I'll discuss it with Sparkspinner later, hopefully he'll be able to give me more data. For now, I think I'd rather concentrate on you::

::Mm. And just think - we'll be here for a month. Mind if I bunk with you?::

::I'd be offended if you thought of going anywhere else! Will you tell Graham?::

::That I'm recharging in the transformer wing?::

::That you're... interfacing with me::

Stronghold shuddered as 'Beat's spike slid smoothly into his valve, his optics flickering. ::I... think ... he already... suspects...::

::Will that be a problem?::

::I won't let it be::

Then there was silence - except for the sparking of charge along two sets of metal armour, the sound of plating scraping very lightly across plating, and the coalescing into brilliance of two electromagnetic fields in synchronous overload...

xxx

© JAT 21.03.12