A/N: I'm having fun with this.
Sunstreaker was never in a good mood after being punished for one of Sideswipe's pranks that he had nothing to do with. So regardless that Prowl could easily give them more punishment he still snapped at the SIC when he came back to see Prowl, waiting for the two of them by the entrance.
"We did the full patrol and everything else on that stupid list. What do you want?" Prowl didn't show any annoyance, merely walked back inside; making it obvious that they were supposed to follow. However, they knew him well, and could tell he was a little anxious.
"Skyfire returned from his off world mission today at 0200 local time. He carelessly activated Wheeljack's latest device and until he is returned to normal needs someone to take care of him. It was decided that the two of you were the best candidates. You will be relieved of most other duties until the situation has been sorted out." Sideswipe perked at that bit of news. Sunstreaker could tell that meeting a 'younger' version of Skyfire appealed to Sideswipe. Weirdo.
"Why can't he take care of himself?" Sunstreaker actually liked Skyfire, but he was tired and really just wanted to visit the washracks. Hopefully Sideswipe would look after him while Sunstreaker did so. Prowl didn't respond. He wouldn't have put them on light duty if he didn't think it was absolutely necessary, so obviously Skyfire truly couldn't take care of himself. That didn't change the fact that it was annoying. I mean seriously, what idiot onlines a frame without the programing needed to take care of itself?
Prowl brought them to the medbay. The Aerialbots were there, but he didn't see Skyfire among them. The fliers were visibly disappointed when they saw the three of them walk in. The big one had been holding something and brought it over to them. Sunstreaker's processor refused to acknowledge what he was seeing. Sideswipe tensed up beside him, likely having the same problem.
The large flier hesitated on which of them to give it to before settling on handing it to Sideswipe; likely because he was usually the more approachable of the two. Sideswipe visibly bristled.
Prowl escorted the aerialbots out so that it was just them and Ratchet.
"What happened!?"
"During the Golden Age, before resources were so limited, new sparks were placed in progressive frames. There were first through fourth and then the final frame, each one able to handle more than the last. This is Skyfire in his first frame. He currently can't speak Standard or English so he won't know what you're saying. He also doesn't have access to previous memories, but his processors are recording memory just fine. Do with that information what you will. Any questions?"
Sideswipe adjusted his grip a bit.
"Were first frames always this trusting?"
"No, as a safety feature they were actually quite skittish. But, any impressions on his spark would have remained. He doesn't remember you, but you're familiar which is why he's so trusting."
"Oh, well… What now?"
"Now, you keep him safe until we can return him to normal. If he shows any signs of illness you let me know immediately. Now scat!" The twins quickly escaped before Ratchet began throwing things. Sideswipe still seemed at loss on what to do though, once they made it to the hall. Sunstreaker looked the three of them over and knew exactly what was going to happen next.
"C'mon Sides."
"Where are we going?" Sideswipe fell into line behind him.
"The washracks, all three of us are filthy." Sunstreaker ignored the amusement that crept along their bond. Sideswipe may not be able to see how filthy they were but Sunstreaker was not about to ignore it. They made it to the washracks much quicker than normal.
Word had spread that there was a first frame currently among them and many were curious; most had never seen a first frame and it been a long time for the few that had. They didn't like being stared at and the open staring at Skyfire rubbed them the wrong way. They really didn't like the way the cameras were so obviously following them either.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe didn't relax till the washrack's door closed behind them. Skyfire alertly looked between them, having picked up the tension in their fields. He relaxed as they did.
Sunstreaker started on Sideswipe, as he always did, while Sideswipe began on Skyfire. Or, he would have, if Skyfire hadn't laughd in delight and run just out of reach, eliciting amused smiles from his current caretakers as well. Skyfire seemed to think washing was a kind of game as he began to playfully evade them. The twins helped get each other clean while making halfhearted swipes at Skyfire to keep him occupied. The sparkling laughed and ran around their peds. When they were done with each other they turned their full attention to Skyfire. They purposely missed him a few times before each grabbing a servo and beginning to clean. When they reached his wings he stilled; wings twitching in their servos. They froze, wondering what they'd done wrong. But Skyfire merely settled down to let them clean him. He made a questioning noise at them when they didn't immediately continue. Figuring it was ok, but not sure exactly what they'd done to prompt the change, they finished.
The trip back to their room was just as bad as the trip to the washracks and they once again made it much quicker than normal. When the door to their quarters closed, allowing the twins to relax, Skyfire rested a servo on Sideswipe's chestplates and trilled concerned nonsense at them. Sideswipe smiled gently back down at him.
"It's ok Sky, don't worry about it." There was a pause before Skyfire began trilling more nonsense at him. Sunstreaker joined the two.
"He's like one of those human babies." Stated Sideswipe. Sunstreaker rolled his optics.
"He's nothing like a baby."
"Yes he is! He's tiny and adorable and babbling nonsense at us. Just like a baby." Sunstreaker chose to ignore his brother, instead taking Skyfire who looked closer and closer to falling into recharge by the klick. He laid down on his berth with Skyfire pressed up again his chest. When Sideswipe hesitated to climb into his own berth Sunstreaker made a big show of moving over enough to give Sideswipe room to join them. He acted annoyed, but they both knew he wasn't actually. Sideswipe gratefully laid down next to Sunstreaker. Each of them were on their sides facing each other with Skyfire deep in recharge between them. It was the first recharge where they shared a berth in a while. It was also the best recharge either of them had had in a while.
XoXoXoX
They strode into the rec room the next morning each holding one of Skyfire's servos. Sideswipe was trying his best to act normal, Sunstreaker was actively broadcasting aggression, and now that he was wide awake, Skyfire was absolutely thrilled to be out and about. Sparkling Skyfire was shyer than his older counterpart, but seemed to have the same sense of adventure.
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were holding his servos for their own benefit. He had wanted to walk on his own instead of being carried but kept getting distracted or kept wanting to explore or kept something-ing. Skyfire tried to go down every hall they passed, talk to every mech he recognized, tried to hide from every mech he didn't recognize, and when they passed a stalagmite formation that had formed in a hallway of The Arc that was still damaged from the crash, he had circled and examined it in a way that only a curious sparkling could. Or, you know, grown Skyfire finding something new could. Not liking the increasing number of bots that suddenly had a reason to go down this particular, usually unused, hall they had dragged him away from the earthen formation. Though, they did let him pick out a small rock to keep from it first.
Despite having planned to quickly head straight to the rec room, grab energon for the three of them, and head back to their room, it took them much longer than usual just to make it to the rec room due to all the stops and detours Skyfire kept making.
Most of the Autobots in the room took one look at Sunstreaker and settled for 'discrete' staring, rather than actually coming over. Skyfire alternated between testing their grips and babbling at them. He threw his weight into one last tug before giving up and, completely foregoing the use of his legs, hanging between the twins.
Skyfire's wings perked up and he twisted around as best as he could without supporting his weight or letting go of his guardians' hands, grabbing their attention. They looked up to see Brawn approach; watching them warily and Skyfire with open interest.
"What?" Sunstreaker snarled. He really didn't like any of the minibots on principal. Brawn frowned but stayed surprisingly level, not rising to the aggression Sunstreaker was emitting through his EM field.
"I heard about Skyfire and wanted to check on him. I've never seen a first frame and wanted to make sure he was doing ok." For reasons that escaped the twin's understanding, Brawn and Skyfire were friends. So he was probably telling the truth; but that didn't mean they liked the idea of another mech, one that they most definitely didn't like, standing as close to Skyfire as he was right now.
"Well, now you've seen him."
Brawn actually looked hesitant for once, but that quickly passed.
"You know, if the two of you wanted some time to just relax and enjoy your energon, or need time alone, I'd be happy to look after him for a little while." Seeing as the dislike was mutual, Brawn was probably unhappy they were Skyfire's current guardians, but he was just going to have to deal with it.
"Noted." The twins grabbed their cubes and walked around him. Or… would have if Skyfire hadn't continued to limply hang between them. It wasn't that he was too heavy for them, especially for the two of them together. It was just that the way he was hanging between them made him very awkward to carry unless they planned on literally dragging him back to their room. Sideswipe tried to get Skyfire to stand on his own again while Sunstreaker kept an optic on Brawn and the rest of the room. It didn't take long for the front liner to get exasperated. At which point he just picked Skyfire up to carry him back to the room. Skyfire didn't protest like he had originally, waving to Brawn on their way out. Brawn smiled and waved back.
XoXoXoX
The three of them kept to mostly the same routine for the next several cycles. Skyfire's two caretakers kept him occupied in the room the majority of the time. The three of them would go out together to get energon, only to come right back. The smaller ground frame from their first time out approached most of the time. His caretakers hadn't been happy to let the mech come too close at first, which he didn't understand. But with each time the smaller one came over, his caretakers would let him 'converse' a little while longer.
He was pretty sure none of the grounders here spoke Vosian. Even the other fliers hadn't known more than the basics spoken slowly. But that didn't stop him from chatting with everyone he vaguely recognized that got close enough. He was very proud of the fact that he was picking up grounder words. He knew both of his caretaker's designations, the designation of the medic they kept taking him to, the small mech from the first time getting energon, and the red mech from the very first cycle. He'd also figured out that 'energon' meant 'energon','good morning' was 'hello', and 'skyfire' meant 'sparkling' with 'sky' being an informal use of the word.
He wanted to explore, but his caretakers didn't seem very keen on that. Sometimes one or the other would leave, but the remaining one was always even more adamant that they weren't going outside. A few times, there had been lots of noises and running mechs outside the room. Once, they had both left when the noises started blaring and Perceptor had come and taken care of him. They had taken a new path to his room, but the walk there was brisk with no allowances for deviation. And he still hadn't been allowed to explore.
He onlined to a dark room. During the previous cycle with Perceptor he had decided that he was going to try and ask to go exploring or to see the other fliers again. A quick look revealed they were both still in recharge. His caretakers had come back so exhausted the previous cycle and he felt bad waking them. Resolving to let them recharge and unable to think of a reason they would say no if they could understand him enough to ask, he quietly slipped between them and made his way to the door. Grabbing his rock off of Sideswipe's desk, he input the code to unlock the door and slipped out, making sure to lock the door again behind him. Perceptor and the room they got energon in were both to the right, so he was going to go left.
And so he was off! Skyfire, the greatest explorer of all time was going to discover something fantastic. He began to hum a tune as he began his journey through the ancient ruins, knowing he would need his wits about him when he came across a challenge. He was able to walk undisturbed for quite some time through the maze planet he had accidentally been trapped on. Alas, it was not to stay that way. The underground tunnels he had chosen brought him to his first puzzle.
It was one of two kinds. Either, if he didn't step on the slightly different colored floor panels in the right pattern it would set off the trap, or only one of the shades of orange was safe to step on, all other shades were false floor panels that through science stuff prevented you from flying away and had acid under them.
Gathering his courage he leapt to the first floor panel, then through super powers of deduction made the jump to what he hoped was the next panel. He stilled as he waited for the panel to fall. It didn't, proving the worth of his puzzle solving skills. Knowing which kind of trap this was relieved some of the pressure, but now he had to figure out the pattern. Using all the logic he had, he determined the pattern and made it safely across.
He came across many more traps along the way, but none were able to stop him. His trusty rock enabling him to solve many he wouldn't have otherwise been able to. Making it deep within the bowels of the abandoned temple he felt a panel shift ever so slightly under his ped. Horrified he looked back to the swarm of heat seeking missiles headed for him. How could he have become so over confident!? He kicked on his thrusters, his only hope being to outfly them. Sharply rounding a corner he tricked the missiles into blowing up a wall instead of him. Celebration was short lived though as he slammed into something. Looking up he saw it was a completely unfamiliar mech. He didn't exude any of the familiarity that the others he'd been with did.
Skyfire backed away as the mech turned to look down at him. Skyfire was suddenly very aware that he was alone. The mech spoke in their strange grounder language and reached for him. His vocalizer locked as he tried to scream and instead he screamed down the two feint sibling bonds and the other bond. He couldn't back away fast enough and his thrusters kicked back on so that he was flying backwards. Twisting around, he could hear the grounder transforming and giving chase. He wasn't sure where he was going but he screamed for all he was worth down his bonds. He was snatched out of the air and held, limbs pinned down against another mech. A heavily accented voice said,
"Be still, be quiet." Looking up, he met the optics of the mech he'd dubbed the mystery grounder. He held the same distant familiarity that Brawn did and he saw him every time he went to get energon with his caretakers. The mystery grounder would appear for just long enough to give a smile and wave, and then no matter how hard he tried he wouldn't be able to find him again. The other mech drove by and Skyfire relaxed.
XoXoXoX
The last battle had been strangely brutal. No one had thankfully been offlined, but well into the next cycle, Ratchet was still doing repairs. Tired, Mirage walked back to his room without even bothering with any of the stealth he usually used; even flopping down on his berth in a fashion far more undignified than he would have liked, dropping into recharge immediately.
He was woken much sooner than he would have liked by a com from Red Alert.
:: Skyfire has left the twin's room without them. Their comms are currently blocked and I will not have a first frame running around unsupervised. As the otherwise closest functioning mech he would be familiar with, please rectify the situation. ::
Mirage responded with an affirming ping. He slipped into the hallway so Red Alert could see he was complying before engaging his cloaking device.
The twin's room was just down the hall from his and Skyfire wasn't hard to find. He quietly followed the little first frame, happy to see anyone playing so carefree.
Growing up in the towers, Mirage met plenty of visiting seekers and knew some of their language. Not enough to speak it well, but he could get the gist of what Skyfire was narrating to himself. Mirage smiled at the tale spun of exploration. The rock Skyfire carried around transforming into a valuable tool for solving the made up puzzles. Not wanting to spoil the sparkling's fun, Mirage followed undetected. And if he used some of the same paths as Skyfire to get across the hallways, well, no one would ever know.
Skyfire stepped on a loose panel and froze. Dramatically horrified the sparkling turned around, then flew off at a speed Mirage hadn't been expecting. Transforming he drove after Skyfire. He rounded a corner just in time to see Skyfire crash into Hoist; someone Skyfire didn't really ever interact with as an adult. Surprised, Hoist asked if Skyfire was ok. He moved as if to help the downed flyer, but Skyfire took off full thruster down the hall towards Mirage. Angling and preparing himself, Mirage managed to catch Skyfire and use the previous momentum to pull them around the corner.
Dropping his invisibility, he whispered, "Be still, be quiet." In hopes of preventing a struggle. Scared, sky blue optics looked up at him. Skyfire relaxed, recognizing him. He commed Hoist that he had Skyfire and got a relived ping in response. There was a beat of stillness while Skyfire waited for Hoist to get further away, but it wasn't long until he was twisting to get more comfortable in Mirage's hold.
"You know Vosian!" He excitedly whispered.
"A little bit." Mirage admitted.
"My designation's Skyifre."
"Designation is Mirage mine. Where caretakers yours?"
Skyfire giggled. Whether it was at his pronunciation, grammar, or accent, Mirage was willing to admit his Vosian needed work.
"They're in recharge. Something happened and they got really tired. I didn't seem right to wake them up and I wanted to go exploring." Grateful Skyfire was speaking slowly for him, he tried to gently chide the wayward sparkling.
"What if wake up them and sight gone of you?" Skyfire took a moment to sort his poor grammar, before guiltily shifting, wings moving in what was basically the equivalent of a shrug.
"Requesting join exploration I?"
Skyfire's face lit up.
"You want to join me?"
"Yes."
"I would love that!" Standing before him Skyfire proudly presented his puzzle solving rock, before leading him on a winding tour of the base. They 'rescued' Brawn when they happened upon him, and he joined their party. Mutual agreement passed between them that they weren't telling anyone else they played like sparklings. Mirage's next shift came too soon for his liking. Grabbing Skyfire's attention he stated,
"Until later." And vanished, much to Skyfire's amazement. Skyfire turned to Brawn and started spewing all sorts of exclamations and questions before collecting himself and starting on a speech about how, even with a comrade lost they had to complete the mission. Despite losing their translator, Mirage had no doubt they would continue to have just as much fun.
XoXoXoX
Thankfully the rec room was relatively empty when it happened. The three of them were relaxing semi-together. Skywarp and Thundercracker were sipping energon at a table together while Starscream lounged on the couch; deceptively relaxed. A few Earth weeks ago Skywarp and Thundercracker's sibling bonds with Skyfire, something they had never felt the need to dissolve when they thought him dead, and didn't have the spark to now that they knew he was alive, had changed. They couldn't pinpoint exactly how, but the brothers knew something had happened to their eldest sibling to change the bond. They had sent questioning pulses at the time, and received them in turn along with location queries they wouldn't answer. Since then they hadn't gotten anything other than content or curious feelings. Whatever had happened, he seemed to be happier.
Starscream wouldn't admit it, even if they could ask without fear of being overheard, but they could tell their trine leader felt some kind of change as well. He had been even more shrill and snappish than usual; going off on mechs over less than he normally did. To someone who knew exactly what to look for, the plans he'd been presenting were obviously designed to either lure Skyfire out or force the Autobots to call on his transport capabilities. The Decepticons were winning more than usual, which was nice. But with every plan that didn't draw the shuttle out Starscream's general mood fouled a little bit more, making him just shy of unbearable.
Skywarp and Thundercracker each hid a flinch as fear shrieked down their sibling bond. Starscream's servo flew to his chest, but he covered it up by continuing the motion and using that servo to pull himself over the back of the couch in an admittedly graceful move. Skyfire had stopped screaming down their sibling bond and once again seemed content by the time Starscream had made it halfway to the door. Nonetheless, they got a message over their secure trine com from Starscream as he left.
:: Be ready, we're going to have a talk with Skyfire, whether he wants to or not. ::
A/N: And another faux serious ending. Watching Fire in the Sky and Fire on the Mountain the first time, Thundercracker and Skywarp's dialogue as well as small actions in regards to Skyfire seemed a little funny to me. I still remember wondering how Skywarp would know Skyfire had an infocenter in his knee. After watching a few more times I convinced myself they had to have known him before the war somehow and I have fun playing with maybes. In this particular instance they're his younger siblings and they met Starscream through him.
