Disclaimer: We do not own Transformers Prime or its canon characters; Hasbro and the Hub do. We do however own our OCs. Blondie-moyashi owns the lovely Skye Shelsher, Plasmarift and Silverblaze, and Dream'sRealm owns Darkstorm, Skybreak, Emusa, Starlight, Drift, Shiv, Jolt, Blackout, Air Raid, Caliber, Speedway, and Jetfire.
Theme Song: Hysteria by Muse
Darkstorm glanced up, startled, as Skybreak burst into her and Bumblebee's quarters early that cycle. Bumblebee flailed before falling off the berth. "Skybreak, what the frag?"
"Oh, stuff it, bug," Skybreak quipped before turning his attention back to his sister with a wide grin. "Storm, you're an angel. It worked! It actually worked!"
"What worked?" she asked, slightly irritated, as she rubbed her tired optics.
"The flowers. They worked! Teach me, sensei. What else should I do?"
"Did you get into the high grade again?" Bumblebee grumbled, rubbing his sore doorwings as he shakily rose to his peddes.
Skybreak ignored the scout's comment as he simply stared at Darkstorm with wide, pleading optics. Wanting to get him out of her quarters so she could at least get some recharge before her appointment with Knock Out, she suggested, "A song, perhaps?"
"A song?" Skybreak's brow furrowed. "Seems a little effeminate."
"And the flowers weren't? This is a femme we're talking about, Bruda, not your Wrecker friends. Trust me-" she covered a yawn with her servo as she leaned back onto the berth. "It will work."
"Alright," Skybreak's expression slowly brightened as he kissed his sister's forehelm. "Thank you, Sister!" With that, he rushed out of the room.
Bumblebee rolled his optics once he was gone before glancing at his sparkmate, a bit concerned. "You okay?"
"As 'okay' as I can be," she half smiled despite the pain, servos over her abdomen. "Let's just hope our little femme is born soon."
Her smile widened as Bumblebee leaned over and kissed her. "Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you?"
"Countless times," Darkstorm chuckled before gently pulling his helm forward in order to return the gesture. "But I can always do to hear it again."
It was quiet in the Autobot base that cycle. At least, until Slipstream heard familiar heavy footfall outside her quarters. She vented sharply. Wonderful-
But, what came next made her pause. A baritone voice wafted through the metal door as Skybreak began to sing.
"I never thought this day would come until I saw you, shining brighter than the sun. I took one look and I was gone; you broke my barriers faster than King Kong. I know that you won't bother to look at a mech like me, but at least listen to me… When I say, when I look at you, I see beauty, I see light. You are the precious thing for which I will always fight. Now, I know, you won't listen but just know… I see a treasure when I see you."
Treasure . . . a part of the femme Seeker wanted to be appalled at the term, like she was just something pretty and shiny to be collected or shown off to raise one's own status. But slaggit, she must've been having an emotional cycle or something because she couldn't help but appreciate the gesture. Treasure . . . priceless, beautiful . . . slaggit.
Despite that part of her that reminded her she was Vos royalty and he was just an orphan from Kaon, the part that always told her to keep her optic on the throne and not get distracted like her brother did, she really did want to thank the mech, at the very least.
She approached the door as quietly as she could, listening for if he would start to walk away. Her servo hovered over the door control though, as her processor wrestled with herself. What are you doing, Slipstream? it asked. This won't help your plans any.
I'm tired of fighting. I'm listening to my spark for once. She hit the button.
At the sight of her, all the courage that Skybreak had gained vanished. No intelligible words came out of his mouth as his wings twitched nervously and his cooling fans activated. "I-I'm sorry if I was bothering you… That was stupid, I know."
"No, I . . ." She lightly vented. "I appreciate the gesture. M-may I make an inquiry?"
Skybreak winced, expecting an earful. "Sure thing."
Slipstream's optics wandered as she fought to find the words. "I never return your . . . affections, and you're well aware that I have my own agenda. Why do you keep pursuing me when I give you no sign that they're well-taken?"
Skybreak was silent for a few moments before a hesitant smile tugged on his lip components. "There's a human saying… It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." He vented as he averted his gaze. "I know it sounds like something out of a bad vid but ever since the moment I saw you… I couldn't stop thinking about you."
The femme took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she thought. After a moment, she huffed. "With all the things I've been promised from the time I could fly, with all the suitors that pursued me, I can honestly say I've never had anyone tell me such." She smiled and looked down. "At least never backed up with serenades." She looked up at him. "You're something else."
"And, with all the things I've done, I can honestly say I've never had anyone tell me that," Skybreak smiled softly. "But don't sell yourself short… You're the most amazing femme I've ever met."
She averted her gaze, the only way she could keep her cooling fans off. The mech was good with words, that was for sure. "Well, I'll admit I've met mechs with more tact and finer alt modes, but I can't help but feel there might be a bit more to you than meets the optic." She smiled, an uncharacteristic tone of shyness in it.
Skybreak chuckled and bowed. "I'll take that as a compliment coming from you, gorgeous. And, I offer the same to you." His expression melted into another soft smile. "I may not know what you and your brother have been through or why you two are so bent on having the throne, but when I look at you I see far more than a Vos princess… I see something truly beautiful. And I hope when you bond with someone that they treat you the way you deserve, with all the respect and adoration they have."
Scrap, that did the trick. Her fans activated, quiet compared to some but for the femme it was loud as cannonfire. "I-ehmm . . ." she nervously laughed. "For once I don't have anything regal or composed to say." After a moment, she got her cooling fans under control and met his gaze. "I will say this, the reason you don't know why we're so 'bent on having the throne' is because putting words to it makes it sound like we're entitled and greedy brats, so we've agreed not to tell much of anyone. As for the . . . second part, I hope you can learn to deal with my preference for solitude and apparent attitude if you choose to make more of these visits."
Skybreak paused, a bit shocked at her words, before slowly grinning. "I love every part of you, gorgeous, even your so-called preference for solitude and apparent attitude." He shook his helm. "And greedy brat? No offense, but your brother? Maybe. You? I'd never think that…." He paused once more before adding. "And you know, if you ever need to talk, I'm more than happy to listen. And I promise, I won't judge."
"Well, to be fair I've been the one dragging him along in 'our' plan." She shook her head, a small smile on her features. "He gets distracted so easily." She vented as she looked up at the mech again. Slag, she never had this much trouble maintaining optic-contact. "And, I certainly appreciate the offer. I might just take you up on it once of these cycles."
"Just name the time and place," Skybreak smirked. "Your wish is my command."
A sly smile crossed her facial plating. "Mm I think I could get used to that phrase."
Another smirk crossed Skybreak's facial plating as he gently kissed one of her servos. "Your wish is my command… Until we meet again, Princess."
She blinked several times, surprised by the gesture. "U-Until next time."
Skybreak flashed her one last smile before walking towards his quarters. Slipstream smiled to herself and moved to go into her own.
She didn't understand her feelings herself, the way her spark pulsed in excitement whenever the rogue mech came her way. But she thought that maybe, just maybe, these feelings were a good thing.
Knock Out stared at Darkstorm cautiously, sensing that she was frustrated from the first minute she came into the medical bay. Why, he did not know. But she was sparked, after all. It was natural for her emotions to be erratic, at best.
"Are you certain this is necessary?" Darkstorm asked irritably from lack of sleep. "This is the second check-up I've had this week."
One of the doctor's servos came to his hip, showing he could more than put up with any emotional . . . instability Darkstorm may have. "You know the early stages are the most vital. We just want to make sure there aren't any complications or factors that would negatively affect the growth of the sparkling."
Darkstorm vented in annoyance but sat down on the medical berth. "Just…. make it quick. My tanks are killing me."
Knock Out grabbed an instrument from a nearby table and carried it to Darkstorm's side. "Define 'killing me' and tell me how long it's been doing so."
"At least five cycles." The answer to the first part of Knock Out's statement seemed apparent as Darkstorm hissed in pain, bringing a servo to her abdomen. "Slaggit!"
The medic grumbled. "You should have told me the first cycle. And there's no need for that kind of language here." He ran the instrument in his servo above the Seeker's abdomen, scanning for any anomalies.
Darkstorm glared at the medic. "You try fragging carrying a sparkling and then you can tell me that. And I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to worry. Bumblebee's already worried enough as it is."
Knock Out tapped Darkstorm's forehelm with the scanner, gentle enough not to hurt but hard enough to emphasize his next point. "He'll have more reason to worry if you don't check out every ache and spasm and there turns out to be a problem with your sparkling. It's everyone's job to worry right now."
"But I'm just," Darkstorm winced again. "Fine!"
"You're just," he poked her abdomen above her tanks. "Not."
Darkstorm's optics narrowed dangerously and she reached to grab the nearest medical instrument. She snarled and moved to hit him with it. "I said I'm-!" Knock Out winced, shielding his facial plating with his servos. Darkstorm abruptly stopped, her moods switching again. She gazed at her servos in horror as she saw what she had almost done. She let it fall from her servos as coolant flowed from her optics freely, the stress from her pregnancy and the tense situation at base beginning to show. "I'm…. I'm…" She buried her facial plating in her servos. "I'm so sorry!"
Knock Out quickly set his own tool aside before moving closer to her again, placing his free servo on her arm comfortingly. "Think nothing of it, my dear. You have more hormones running through your veins than usual; your frame is just struggling to cope with it."
This did nothing to ease Darkstorm's cries. "But I… I… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it! I…. I'm so terrible."
Knock Out's servo moved to her shoulder, applying a little more pressure than he applied on her arm. "It's O. K. You'll have a lot of moments where you don't know exactly what you're doing or why over the next while."
"You mean, this is going to happen more?"
The doctor smiled. "The longer you're sparked, the more of a grip you'll get on it. You'll get it under control, 'Storm. Right now everything's just new."
"How can you be so calm?" Darkstorm weakly lifted her helm. "I don't know if I can deal with this anymore, Knock Out."
"You forget, I was the chief medical officer of the Decepticons. Compared to some of the glitches who stumbled into the medbay, both before and after you departed our ranks, you're as the humans would say 'a piece of cake.' Even if a little . . . emotionally unstable." His matter-of-fact face and tone turned to a smirk. "And I'm afraid you'll have to 'deal with this.' This is only the beginning of your adventures in carrier-hood."
She slowly buried her helm in her servos again, though her crying was much softer than before. "How can I do this? All this pain…. and I don't even know how to be a carrier. I never grew up with one. How am I supposed to take care of her?"
"Them."
Darkstorm paused, gazing at the medic in disbelief as more coolant streamed from her optics. "What?"
He offered her a calm, genuine, non-smirky smile. "You're carrying twins. And if your treatment of your charge and sparkmate are any indication, you will make a fantastic carrier."
"Twins?" Darkstorm asked slowly. "Are they…. split-sparked?" When Knock Out nodded, Darkstorm too smiled. "Split-sparked twins…." She wiped the stray drips of cooling off of her facial plating. "Just like Dreadwing and Skyquake. Do you… know the gender of the other sparkling?"
"One femmeling, one mechling." He tilted his helm slightly. "Congratulations, Darkstorm."
The other was a mech…"One femmeling… one mechling." She placed a gentle servo on her abdomen before chuckling shakily. "Wouldn't it be fitting, if the little mech is a Seeker, to name him Skyquake?"
"It is entirely your decision." The medic's smile widened slightly. "Though I do believe Dreadwing would be proud that your sparkling would be his brother's namesake."
"Indeed." She smiled tiredly and stared at Knock Out pointedly. "Just don't tease Ratchet too terribly about this, hmm? I know how you two fight and how you can use this discovery as leverage that he was wrong or blind."
Knock Out rolled his optics at the elder medic's name. "I'll try not to hurt the old timer's feelings."
"Thank you," Darkstorm grinned before embracing the medic and uncharacteristically squealing. "Twins! I never would have thought."
Knock Out's smile and light demeanor returned in a flash as he tilted his helm sideways and absent-mindedly reached for a scanner. "Nor would I have. It's a rare occurrence."
Darkstorm nodded excitedly, her optics bright, before she paused. Her expression softened significantly. "Knock Out, Skye recently informed of this tradition… of a sort of guardianship. When humans give birth, oftentimes they name a "godfather" or "godmother" for their children. And I was wondering if you would wish to become my little femmeling's godfather."
He stared at her with wide optics, unable to voice, or even hide his surprise. After a moment he blinked a couple times and shifted as he returned to reality. "Y . . you would entrust me with her?" Of course she did! She asked, didn't she? Still, he just couldn't swallow it.
"With all my spark," Darkstorm smiled softly and nodded. "You have changed since we have first met, my friend, all thanks be to God. And I…. well…" She averted her gaze shyly. "I thought it to be a good idea."
The doctor tried to respond, but his first attempts were but stammers, a mix of breaths escaping. Finally, he seemed to absorb the shock to release some intelligible speech. "I w-would be honored."
Darkstorm seemed to glow with happiness as she grinned. "Thank you, my friend. I am honored that you accept." She winced, though this time it was with a smile, as she placed a servo on her abdomen once more. "And it seems the little one is, as well."
Knock Out gently laid his own servo over the growing sparkling as he reached up to activate some medical equipment above Darkstorm's helm. "Now I can't wait to meet her."
Darkstorm giggled. "Oh, I can imagine you and Emusa spoiling her terribly."
"I can't imagine what else you're supposed to do with a sparkling. Well, you're supposed to discipline. But I can teach her the finer points of etiquette and grace."
"I can't imagine a better mentor for her," Darkstorm smiled up at the medic before venting softly. "Discipline… I hope that I can be a good carrier to her and her twin brother. I've taken care of my brother nearly all my life, of course. And Skye is dear to me but… raising two sparklings. It will certainly be a challenge."
The medic's servo shifted to her shoulder plating. "One I am sure you're up for."
Darkstorm chuckled softly. "Now I know why Emusa is so taken with you. I thank you for the confidence you have in me."
Knock Out's smirk returned. "You dealt with me for voors in my worst state. Sparklings, they'll hardly be a challenge for you. But . . . you're welcome, nonetheless."
"True…" Darkstorm's facial plating became sorrowful once again as her optics became unfocused. She was so scared, so terribly frightened of becoming a carrier. She didn't believe she could do it… But, at least the war was over. Her sparklings would not be left as orphans to fend for themselves.
"Hey." Knock Out waited until she looked at him before continuing. "You'll do fine." His optics shifted to the equipment he had just activated, then patted her shoulder plating that his servo was still resting on. "Now you get back to your sparkmate. You have some happy news to share."
Darkstorm immediately brightened again. "Alright. Thank you for everything, my friend." She embraced him tightly before running, nearly skipping with excitement, towards the door.
Emusa stumbled backwards as she was nearly run into. "Hey, what's-?" Her voice was cut off as Darkstorm embraced her tightly. "Ah, girlie. I can't breathe-"
"I have twins, Emusa! I have split-sparked twins! Isn't that wonderful?!" Darkstorm practically squealed.
"Yeah, yeah," Emusa chuckled slightly. "It sure is."
"Oh! I've got to tell 'Bee!" Darkstorm grinned before immediately transforming.
"Hey, wait until you-!" Emusa was cut off as Darkstorm laughed happily, racing towards the outside. Emusa raised an optic ridge at the Seeker's odd behavior before shaking her helm in amusement. "Get outside..." She turned to Knock Out with a smirk. "So, twins, huh?"
He vented as he placed his servos on his hips. "Guess so." He turned to his sparkmate, a vaguely mischievous smile on his facial plating. "And we're the godparents of one of them."
"Godparents?" Emusa asked, not being familiar with the human term.
"Eh, yeah. Some human concept or something. Not sure exactly what it entails, but it's a title, nonetheless."
"Hmm, I like this title," Emusa grinned as she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And I for one would love the chance to spoil the dear, especially we have yet to have any sparklings of our own."
His digits interlaced behind her hips. "Well, we could certainly try and change that if you like."
Emusa laughed. "Oh, I'm sure the old timer can take care of things." She smirked before kissing him. "And here I always thought you were no fun."
His lips curled into a slight smile before he broke away, but didn't put any space between them. "Oh contraire, my dear." He planted another quick kiss. "I aim to please."
Neither the happy couple nor Darkstorm were able to notice the pair of orange optics glowering in the hallway. A growl escaped Sunstorm's throat cables, his facial plating seemingly frozen into a snarl.
He could barely stand the fact that the femme who should be his was bonded to a grounder but sparked. Sparked with his children who would most likely become grounders, too?
"Blasphemy," Sunstorm muttered darkly as he turned on his heel strut, storming down the hall.
He should have known. How was he so blinded? The various visits to the medical bay, her occasional outbursts, the slight way her abdomen was continuing to grow.
He was a fool!
Slipstream paused in her walk towards Skybreak's quarters, startled at her brother's appearance as he stomped past her. Very rarely did she see him this livid.
"Brother?" she asked tentatively. "What's-?"
She was silenced by a fierce glare. His bright orange optics seemed to swirl with hatred and anger but, if one looked deep enough, pain, as well.
"Do not speak to me," he hissed out of clenched denta. "I wish to be alone."
"Wait a minute, when I 'wish to be alone' you prod but when you're struggling you get to run away? No. Now what's wrong?"
He gave her a look akin to that of a cornered animal. "I do not wish to discuss it!"
Slipstream seemed taken aback but quickly recovered her usual expression, albeit with a quick roll of her optics. "Fine, what do I know? I'm only the one who always talks to you in these scenarios." She started to turn away, "Not that I don't know what you're angry about."
Sunstorm stopped her by roughly grabbing her arm. "Oh, really?" he snarled. "You know why. You always seem to know why, don't you? You're the eldest, you're loved, you hold all the answers!" Realizing the strength of his grip and the volume of his voice, he slowly released her before turning away with dark optics and a bitter tone. "Just… leave me in peace." He returned on his course down the hallway.
His sister let out a long but quiet vent as she watched him go, rubbing her sore arm. "I know enough to help sometimes, Bruda." She turned her attention back to the hall and took a deep breath before continuing on her way.
Skybreak immediately brightened as he saw Slipstream enter his quarters. "Hey, gorgeous. What's-?" His smile fell as he noticed her current state. With concern in his optics, he approached her. "Slipstream, what's wrong?"
She vented with frustration as she sat with a servo to her forehelm. "What's always wrong?"
"I don't know, you tell me," Skybreak frowned as he gently sat next to her. "It has to be a pit of a problem if it's got you actin' like this."
She rubbed her optics with her still-raised servo. "Sunstorm. He was upset and turned on me when I asked why." She groaned, "Though I already know why."
Skybreak's frown turned grim. "My sister?" Though it sounded more like a statement, rather than a question.
"I can't think of anything else it could be. I've never seen him so aggravated as when anything concerning Darkstorm comes up." Slipstream paused and looked to Skybreak, "I like your sister well enough, but Sunstorm . . . I've never seen him turn on me like that. Ever."
Skybreak hesitated before placing a servo over her own. "That's what worries me. I'm scared for my sister…" He looked into her optics. "For you."
"I know I can handle myself, it's Darkstorm and Bumblebee who I fear the most for. Not saying they couldn't take care of themselves but I know Sunstorm, I've fought both against and by his side. I know how he is. Your sister . . . I see how she prefers the peaceful solution but that'll get her offlined, and is not effective against my brother in the least when he's like this."
Concern filled his optics again. "What are you saying? That he'll try to hurt them?"
She idly shook her helm, "I'm saying that I've never seen him like this, and the closest I have seen were times that I retreated to my quarters until he came to his senses."
Skybreak vented. "If you ask me, the fragger should have been shot a long time ago." He paused before turning back to her. "No offense. I know he's your brother and all but I hate staying awake worrying about 'Storm and the bug." He rubbed his forehelm. "Pit, we've all been on edge since he came here and it isn't helping that my sister's-..." He suddenly froze, wings raising in alarm. "Don't tell me. Please tell me he doesn't know that she's sparked."
She waved her servo nonchalantly. "Don't worry, I've known for a while. It's a bit hard to miss." She smiled humorlessly. "Well, it's hard for me to miss. I think that could be part of why Sunstorm is so enraged of late. And believe me, I spend a fair bit of time thinking of your sister's safety as well, but it's not like I have many options right now."
"And he won't listen to you?" Skybreak questioned before venting once more and burying his facial plating in his servos. "Maybe… Maybe I should talk to Optimus. I know he's your brother but… we need to do something."
Slipstream winced, "I'm stuck here. I mean . . . Sunstorm's all I have, always has been. But at the same time it's not fair of me to look the other way when all you have may be at risk." She vented before returning her wayward attention back to the mech, "So if you think you need to bring him into this, I won't argue."
He squeezed her servo reassuringly before smiling. "Thank you and you know, Slipstream, I'll always be here to help you, don't you?"
She turned her optics on his servo before lightly nodding and biting her lower lip component. "Thank you," she said in a voice that was little more than a whisper. A choked up whisper at that.
Skybreak's smile softened before he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. "Hey, it's okay. Everything's gonna be okay."
She tensed at the contact at first, not used to such even from Sunstorm. After a moment though it slowly dawned on her that someone was implying that she wouldn't be the one having to fix everything on her own, probably for the first time since she was young. With this thought in mind, she slowly leaned into the contact she'd normally have instinctively shied away from.
"We're going to be okay," Skybreak whispered as he tightened his hold on her slightly, content to feel her in his arms. And it was then he realized that he had given more of his spark to this femme that he had previously realized.
D/N: Teh feels, teh feels. Su'sain is going on a downward spiral and poor Slipstream… is just trying to cope. And I have to say, I am loving the romance going on between Slipstream and Skybreak. They're just gah! It's like Jasmine and Aladdin! So perfect!
In other news, my parents say I have to take the SAT again so if there is a week or so where I'm silent on here or Tumblr, that might be why. You have been warned.
To Mindwipe: I simply try to share God's love with others. And while I hardly think I deserve the title of angel, thank you. You have a wonderful day too, hon!
To Bluefeather4299: You'd be the only one as of the moment, darling. But thank you. I promise you, the sympathy will only increase as the chapters go on ;) As for Skybreak, yes. I can imagine him being totally clueless and needing help. He may seem like a casanova but in reality, he's super insecure and shy (especially around Slipstream).
To Windcharger: I'm sorry to hear that you're still in pain but I am glad you are finally out of the hospital. Praise God! And thank you. Your messages always make my day! God bless you for your kindness.
To Sparkcrusher: Darkstorm's expression morphed into one filled with sympathy. "You are never alone. God is always there and He will always love you… I know how it feels to be alone but just know it cannot last forever. There is always hope." (I am so sorry to hear about that, dear :/ I shall definitely be praying for you.)
To Super Shadic: Well, I shall definitely be praying for him :/ I shall pray that the Lord heals his heart and gives him hope. And I am glad you are feeling sympathetic for poor Su'sain. Wee darling certainly needs it.
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" Romans 10:9
May God bless you and your day, my lovely followers!
Until next time, Dream'sRealm
B/N: I'll be honest, when I first saw Skybreak's interest in Slip my first thought was "good luck dude, you're gonna need it." But dagnabit if I don't ship these two now . . . like hard. Not only that, but writing for Slipstream is so natural to me now . . . hope this doesn't mean that I'm getting all cynical and whatnot ;A;
Windcharger (TiAFD): Welcome back~ and I hope your pain goes away soon amg D: just remember to wean yourself off any narcotics they gave you, percocet and vicodin dependency are scaaaaaary things
