Sun, Can You Spare A Dime?
AN: Horray! The muse decided to come out of hiding! I put pork chops in the middle of glue traps so hopefully, she'll stick around this time! Muhahhaah!
AN2: This chapter is a little sadder, but my prompt was "Sunstreaker's uncharacteristic charity." I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I think this unfolds quite nicely. :D I'm pleased with it. Hope you are too.
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One minute Sunstreaker was racing along the street, hot on the tailpipe of catcalling Wild Rider, and then suddenly, there was a huge weight grinding him into the asphalt with a tremendous scream. The next thing he knew, he was tumbling through the air and slamming hood first into a brick building, and then all was blackness.
When he woke up some undetermined time later, it was to three realizations.
One: He hated seekers. Most of all, Skywarp. The jet was a slagging bastard.
Two: It was now dark, so that meant Sunstreaker had been unconscious for the better part of the day.
Three: He was in a lot of pain and after a quick diagnostic, his HUD was a series of red error codes. He was thoroughly slagged up.
He really hated that slagging jet. Next time he saw the black and purple menace, Sunstreaker's wrath would cause the Pit Maker to shudder in fear. In Sunstreaker's opinion, it was a dirty trick to materialize out of nowhere, grab an unsuspecting mech, and teleport him to an unknown location and fling him into a building.
It was uncalled for.
And Sunstreaker had every intention of ripping the jet's wings off and shoving them up his skid plates and making him into a motorboat with wings for rudders.
But first, he had to figure out where he was and contact base. Since he had been unconscious, there was no was for his brother to detect him. Not to mention, there was no way of knowing if Sideswipe was injured and hovering between life and death in the medbay. He had a tendency to pick fights with the biggest, baddest, ugliest mechs, which more often than not, got him slagged up on the battlefield.
Radio was down, as was his ability to transform. His T-cog must have been busted during the impact. He was also dizzy and random sparks erupted from under his hood. He groaned, rocking on three good tires as one was now flat.
Thanks again, Skywarp! Slagger!
Sunstreaker's tires were expensive! Ratchet was going to throw a fit having to replace yet another one so soon. That particularly one had less than two hundred miles on it.
Sunstreaker rolled forward, trying to put distance from the building that now bore the mark of gold. Well, at least he stamped it with his excellent paint job. Too bad his paint was scuffed and hideous. It was going to take weeks to buff himself to gorgeous perfection!
Slagging Skywarp!
The area Sunstreaker found himself in was no more than a long alley with a dumpster on one side and discarded household appliances on the other. From his vantage point, he could detect a mattress with a tarp pulled over it, a rusted dryer, a washing machine turned on its side with the lid wedged open to reveal a stuffing of tatty material.
Pain made Sunstreaker grind to a halt close to the discarded appliances. He huffed, trying to dispel the aches along his circuits and continue on until he got out on the open road and attempted a distress signal, but it was no use. The impact had severely damaged his systems.
His spark sent out a distress to his twin, but given their separation, it was difficult to ascertain if Sideswipe could find him readily. Distance hindered the signal, and if Sideswipe was injured as well, he may be unable to give coordinates or direct Ratchet to Sunstreaker's aid.
Oh yeah.. Skywarp was SOOOOO going to get his wings rearranged for this!
Voices drew Sunstreaker's attention. He tensed, fearing a nasty human with intent on stripping a beautiful Lamborghini for parts, but to his relief, two small children appeared. Males, approximately 5 to 7 years old, according to Sunstreaker's human anatomy logs.
They bore dirt smudged faces, tatty clothes, untied shoes that flopped on their feet, unkempt hair sticking up at odd angles, and frames appearing to be thinner than standard for their age group.
Not that Sunstreaker was a good judge on such things. Actually, he detested humans, big ones or little ones.
The boys froze upon finding a sparkling golden gem sitting in the middle of the trash strewn alley. The bigger one shoved the smaller one behind him, but the youngest was curious and kept peering at the golden majesty parked in the bad part of town. The older boy's eyes darted around, examining every nook and cranny and shadow in the alley.
Sunstreaker mustered up the nicest façade he could conjure and addressed the wretches.
"I am an Autobot, I won't hurt you," Sunstreaker said gently. "I apologize for the intrusion but I have sustained severe injury and need to contact my friends to get help."
The boys gasped at the sentient car. The smaller one ducked behind the back of the bigger boy and remained hidden.
"You're…an… Autobot?" the older one asked, eyeing the car closely. "Like on tv?"
Sunstreaker grunted as a spark erupted under his hood.
"My name is Sunstreaker. I need to contact base and get help. My transmitter has been knocked out and I am unable to transform due to damage."
The older boy bravely stepped up, examining the golden hood and finding the red Autobot sigil amongst the crumpled metal. Pleased by the confirmation, he offered a crooked grin.
"I'm Robbie. This my brother, Sammy."
Sammy was too shy to respond, staying in his brother's shadow.
"I need you to go get an adult to help me," Sunstreaker said, hoping the two small humans wouldn't be spoiled brats and throw fits when commanded by an adult. Sunstreaker had witnessed enough parking lot tantrums to put him off humans for eternity.
"Don't have any parents," Robbie said, going to the driver's side window to peek in.
Sammy followed closely behind, being as unobtrusive as possible.
Sunstreaker rolled down his window so the children could see his dash board and prominent Autobot sigil on the steering wheel.
"Where are your creators?" Sunstreaker asked before he could stop himself.
Honestly, he didn't care. He only wanted an adult, any adult, to help him get home. Or at least contact the base for help.
Satisfied the car was really an Autobot, Robbie turned, grasping his brother's shoulders and steering him to the mattress protected by a tarp. "Stay here, Sammy."
Sammy nodded, crawling backward to press himself against the stone wall. He hid well in the shadows.
"Mom was arrested last year," Robbie explained, passing his brother a small plastic bag. "We went into foster care. Didn't like the place so we left."
Sammy immediately opened the bag and pulled out a half eaten sandwich, wolfing it down like a feral animal.
"And your father?" Sunstreaker asked. If he was able to transform, he'd kick himself. He could care less about the life story of these two humans.
Robbie shrugged.
"Don't know where he is. It's just me and Sammy. I take care of us." He pointed to his thin chest. "We only have each other. We don't need anyone else."
Something happened to Sunstreaker. Perhaps it was due to the damage, or maybe influence of too much television, but he paused, studying the two more closely.
Memories, long forgotten and buried, came flooding into his meta. Long days and endless nights of hunger and pain, scavenging for food, looking out for each other, struggling to survive. No home. No hope.
These two were not unlike Sunstreaker and Sideswipe when they were younglings. They too lived a dangerous life on the street, pilfering rations, begging for scraps, barely living from day to day. It was a horrible existence. But though they had no permanent home, no promise of food, they still had each other. Someone to protect and care for.
Something broke inside of Sunstreaker, and it wasn't because of the slagging jet.
The smaller boy, Sammy, crawled forward, holding up the few remaining bits of his sandwich to share with his brother. Robbie waved away the meager food and returned his attention to Sunstreaker. He rooted around in his pockets, pulling out a handful of change he and his brother had been able to scrounge up for the day.
"I don't have much, but I can try to call your friends to come get you. I hope they aren't far away. I might not have enough money."
Sunstreaker's spark faltered.
These tiny humans had nothing.
They raided trash cans for food, collected change or begged for pennies, and despite being so minor in life, they were willing to help Sunstreaker.
"You can call collect," Sunstreaker said, now glad Prowl was so insistent the base get a human land line in case of an emergency.
Robbie took out a small piece of paper from a muddy backpack and scribbled the information Sunstreaker provided. He told Sammy he'd be back and scampered out of the alley toward the payphone a block away.
Alone with a very small human, Sunstreaker became uncomfortable. Judging by the way Sammy kept his eyes trained on Sunstreaker's fender, he was feeling the same way. Sunstreaker spoke to break the ice.
"So, it's just you and your brother?"
Sammy recoiled, shrinking further into the shadows.
Sunstreaker nixed any further attempts at conversation. He recognized the reaction of a feral being, wary and alert.
A few minutes later Robbie returned carrying a half eaten pizza crust. Apparently he had found it on the way back and didn't want to waste the meal.
"I spoke to a guy named Optimus," Robbie reported between bites. He was so hungry he was practically swallowing his food without chewing.
Sunstreaker was struck one again with the comparison between himself and Sideswipe. Many times one went without so the other could have a fuller tank. The memory of little Sammy offering to share his meager meal with his brother broke Sunstreaker's spark all over again.
"He sounded like a nice guy," Robbie added as Sammy came out of hiding to sit next to his brother.
"He is," Sunstreaker said, finding a strange kinship with the street urchins. "When my brother and I had no where to go, Optimus took us in and gave us a home."
Robbie's dirty face lit up. "You have a brother?"
Sunstreaker made a pained noise as his sensors flared red hot, but he didn't want the humans to know how badly he was hurt. He played off the noise and added, "Yes. Sideswipe. He drives me crazy but he's still my brother."
Robbie sat for a couple moments, chewing the last bit of his dinner. Though Sammy hadn't had much to eat, he didn't attempt to take the scant meal from his brother. He simply sat, staring off into the distance, huddled close to his brother for warmth and comfort.
"Yeah, he said everyone has been worried," Robbie muttered.
"Did he happen to mention when they we arriving?" Sunstreaker asked, exasperation flicking over his nerve circuits. He had to keep reminding himself these were small humans. Their brains were still developing and therefore, they lacked the ability to compute quickly.
"Four or five hours," Robbie said, swallowing the last time. His stomach growled for more but he ignored it.
"What?" Sunstreaker gaped. "How far away are they? Where am I?"
"Redding, California," Robbie said curiously. "Why? Where are you from?"
Sunstreaker growled a Cybertronian oath. "Portland, Oregon."
"Is that far?" Robbie asked as his brother yawned.
"Bout four or five hours away," Sunstreaker grumbled. "Which means they should be here sometime in the night, whenever that may be."
Sunstreaker was pissed his chronometer was out of commission. He'd simply have to keep his audios attuned for sounds of familiar engines.
"You're welcome to stay here with us until your friends come. We don't mind the company."
Sunstreaker was touched by the offer, even though he couldn't move if he tried.
"Well, since you offered," he said, sinking on his tires. A hiss issued from under his hood.
Slagging Skywarp!
Sammy yawned, rubbing tired eyes with dirty fists.
"Bedtime," Robbie said, ushering his little brother to the rusted out dryer. The tatty material inside was Sammy's blanket. He crawled into his bed, offering his brother a head butt in good night and settled down to sleep. Robbie tucked him in with another blanket. With a couple of minutes, Sammy was snoring softly.
Sunstreaker realized the matching washing machine was also hollowed out and used as a bed, though Robbie didn't enter the sleeping area. Instead, he pulled over a thread bare area rug, folded in half. It wasn't very big, but neither was Robbie.
It broke Sunstreaker's frozen spark to realize these two little humans had to sleep in such conditions.
Robbie sat cross legged on the ratty, stained rug. Though he was obviously tired from having a long day and minimal food, he seemed determined to stay awake to keep Sunstreaker company.
Sunstreaker kept his voice low as to not wake Sammy.
"Robbie, does your brother not speak?"
Robbie glanced sadly to the partially open rusty door. Sammy's head was barely visible through the gap.
"Not since we went into foster care," he muttered sadly. He squirmed, obviously distressed over something but unsure how to voice his emotions.
Sunstreaker coaxed gently, "You can tell me what happened. I might be able to help."
If he had been in robotic mode, he would have kicked himself. Why was he so adamant about helping these waifs? Maybe because there was a part of him that didn't want these tiny humans to become like him or his twin. They had potential. They didn't deserve the harshness of life at such tender ages.
Robbie sniffed, rubbing the back of arm along his nose.
"The man wasn't very nice. He… hurt… Sammy. I heard him crying and the man was sitting on his bed telling Sammy to be quiet. When I tried to stop him, he hit me. The next morning, we left for school and never went back."
Sunstreaker was sick to his tank. Something similar had happened him and his brother all those long eons ago.
"Sammy hasn't spoken since," Robbie confided, rubbing his watery eyes.
Sunstreaker fought hard not to purge his tank.
"What was the man's name?" Sunstreaker asked, pretending to be curious. When he was healed, he planned on paying the human a visit.
Robbie lay down on the rug, smiling at Sunstreaker's bumper. Drowsily he recited the man's name and general address. It was a town several miles away. Apparently, the industrious kids had taken public transport to find this destination.
It was all Sunstreaker needed. Thanks to Prowl's involvement with law enforcement, Sunstreaker could get a more detailed location.
Hoping to play it off so the kid wouldn't be suspicious of his intent, Sunstreaker added, "Oh, I don't know him."
Robbie reached up, patting the corner of Sunstreaker's bumper. He liked that color.
"We won't go back," Robbie said sleepily.
"How long have you been here?" Sunstreaker asked, biting his glossa over grimy human fingerprints on his finish.
"Don't know," Robbie said around a yawn. "Weeks. School's out by now."
"Get some rest, Robbie," Sunstreaker said softly, detecting the child's lowering heart rate and slowed breathing. "I'll let you know when my friends arrive."
"K," Robbie muttered, curling up and falling asleep almost instantly.
Sunstreaker settled in the long wait, engaging subroutines to keep systems running to aid in his repair nanites. Without Ratchet's intervention, there was very little he could do.
Just before dawn there was a familiar ping in his spark. Sunstreaker instantly jolted awake, relief flooding his system as a flash of red drove by the alley at a subdued pace. There was the sound of fast transformation and Sideswipe's ugly mug leaned around the corner to grin at the golden gem.
"Slag! Warp really messed you up!" Sideswipe exclaimed, entering the alley and observing the smashed in yellow hood and fender.
"Shhh!" Sunstreaker admonished, but it was too late. Robbie and Sammy were awake, Sammy scrambling out of his bed to huddle in the shadow of his brother.
"Robbie, Sammy, this is my twin brother, Sideswipe," Sunstreaker introduced.
Sideswipe knelt, smiling at the two waifs as he scanned them innocuously. It didn't take long to realize their situation.
"HI. I'm the fun one."
As Robbie opened his mouth to speak, Ratchet appeared. He stomped down the alley, shoving Sideswipe out of his way. The children gasped and pressed themselves into the brick wall in fear.
Noticing the humans' reaction, Ratchet's expression softened dramatically. He resembled an angel instead of a demon.
"Sorry for frightening you, but Sunstreaker is my worst patient. He never listens and always needs to be fixed."
"This wasn't my fault!" Sunstreaker immediately argued. "Skywarp jumped me and teleported, throwing me into a building before escaping, the slagger!"
"Language," Ratchet snapped, noticing the Sunstreaker sized indentation in the wall at the back of the alley.
Ratchet popped Sunstreaker's hood and banged around on his engine a few moments.
Sideswipe stayed well out of the medical demons way, observing the two small children instead. They huddled together, the bigger one keeping the smaller one safe and protected.
Sunstreaker explained to Ratchet and Sideswipe over comms.
"Their male creator is unknown. Female creator in prison. They were placed in a home where an adult male hurt the smaller brother, Sammy. Robbie tried to stop him but was unable. They ran away and have been living on the street for many weeks."
Sideswipe remained crouched as to not further alarm the children. He smiled in a charming, devilish way.
"I'm sorry my mean brother had to stay here with you. We'll get him patched up and out of your hair as soon as we can."
Robbie offered a sleep chuckle.
"He's not mean," he argued.
"Oh, I beg to differ," Sideswipe said, waving toward the busted and broken Lamborghini.
"When he doesn't get enough sleep, he gets all cranky and grouchy and you just want to smack him with a brick."
"Oh, so not funny," Sunstreaker grumbled.
Sideswipe winked at the two children. "He also lacks a sense of humor," he offered a huge beaming grin. "I'm the funny one."
"Hey, clown, get over here and hold this wire so I don't solder off your brother's favorite array," Ratchet grunted.
Sideswipe offered an exasperating sigh and went to help. After a few moments, Ratchet stood, tucking his tools away.
"That's the best I can do until we get back to base. Prime's waiting several blocks away. He's too big to be on the street."
Sideswipe perked up, giving the kids a disarming smile.
"Hey, since you two looked after my brother so well, how about you come stay with us?"
Sammy shifted, clearing wanting to go but reluctant.
It was Sunstreaker who spoke, using a tone so gentle Ratchet's jaw squeaked in its hinge as it hung open.
"Don't be afraid. My brother and I won't let anything happen to you. Either of you. You have our solemn oath to keep you safe."
Sammy's dirty face turned up this brother, seeking answers.
And they had seen the broadcasts and announcements about the Autobots. They were the best of the good guys. If there was anyone to offer safety, then it was the robotic aliens. It had been a long, hard life on the street, and with winter coming within a few short months, they wouldn't last in the elements.
Hoping to sway their decision, Sideswipe added, "You can get cleaned up. Plenty of food. And if you want, we know some nice humans who have helped us. They could help you, too."
Sammy rubbed his dirty head on Robbie's shoulder and back as if to give encouragement and comfort. He didn't stray from his brother's shadow, fear keeping him in hiding. He'd peek over his brother's shoulder but quickly disappear when Sideswipe made eye contact.
Robbie glanced over his shoulder to see his little brother. Dirt smudged his face and body. His clothes were starting to fray and smell. Hunger was a constant companion. Sammy's large green eyes blinked owlishly in the semi-darkness. He was counting on his big brother to look out for him.
Robbie may not have been able to stop the mean man from hurting Sammy, but the Autobots could. They could stop an adult from hurting Sammy. And Sammy needed to be safe.
Slowly, Robbie nodded.
"Follow us," Sideswipe beamed.
"Grab his back end," Ratchet said, motioning to Sunstreaker who remained in vehicular mode.
"Dude, I'm not that kind of mech!" Sideswipe retorted.
Ratchet rolled his optics and lifted Sunstreaker's front while Sides lifted the back. Together they walked Sunstreaker out of the alley and six blocks to find Prime waiting in a department store parking lot with his trailer open, ready to receive the injured cargo. The children grabbed stained backpacks and shoved meager clothing inside, following the giant robots in the early morning dawn.
"This is so humiliating," Sunstreaker moaned.
"Shut up and settle down," Sideswipe snapped.
Prime's voice came through the comms. "You have a couple hitchhikers."
Sideswipe sent the details over private comms, but spoke out loud for the children's benefit.
"Optimus Prime, this is Robbie and Sammy," he said cordially. "They helped Sunny so we're bringing them with us to base awhile. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Prime said, his spark breaking with the thought of ones so young suffering so horribly. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."
Once Sunstreaker was secured, amid Cybertronian curse words, Ratchet closed the trailer door and transformed, opening his own doors for the children.
"Do you want to ride with the siren on?"
Sammy head butted his brother excitedly. Robbie answered for the both of them.
"Cool!"
They climbed into the cab, Ratchet secretly running biometric diagnostics as he turned on his siren. The kids giggled, staring wide eyed out the window as the smattering of traffic thinned to allow the ambulance to pass.
Sideswipe transformed and took up flanking position behind Optimus who followed in Ratchet's wake. Ratchet made a quick detour, going through a drive through and getting the boys breakfast, to which they wolfed down in a matter of minutes.
It took just over five hours to return to base. The children had fallen asleep in Ratchet's cab. They awed and marveled at the size and complexity of the Cybertronian ship half buried in the side of a volcano.
Spike greeted the boys with a friendly wave, Bumblebee shuffling behind and timidly waving at the newcomers.
Sammy stayed hidden in his brother's shadow but ventured further and further away as he took in Bee's mini stature he as assessed the bot to be a kindred spirit.
"The bots don't have some human luxuries, so Bee agreed to take us to my house so you can have a bath and wash your clothes," Spike said, pointing over his shoulder to where Bee hovered nearby. "I'll help you get settled when we get back."
Spike rolled his eyes and added, "And be warned, my girlfriend will be stopping by later. She may have gone shopping for you." He gave the two small boys an exasperated look. "I apologize for her craziness. She tends to get carried away."
Sideswipe walked by carrying his inert brother between himself and Ratchet.
"Talk about being carried away, I've seen you two kiss," Sideswipe put in mischievously.
As the Lamborghini hoped, Spike went scarlet.
Robbie curled his nose.
"Girls are yucky," he exclaimed.
To take the focus off his love life, Spike cleared his throat and added, "Hey, maybe we can stop by a restaurant and get some decent food?"
Robbie looked after Sunstreaker's immobile form being carried into the darkness of the alien ship. His brow creased.
"Sunstreaker will be fine," Spike explained, hoping to assuage the children's worries. "Ratchet's the best doc in two galaxies. He'll have Sunstreaker feeling better in no time! You'll see!"
The children seemed unconvinced but Spike provided a distraction.
"Come on, kids, let's go clean up and get something to eat. We'll check on Sunstreaker when we get back," he said as Bee transformed and opened his doors.
The kids crawled into the back seat with their backpacks and with a happy chirp, Bee was off.
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It was after six when Spike returned with his two young charges. The boys had taken baths while Spike washed their clothes, and Carly had stopped by with what Spike referred to as 'overkill.' As in the shopaholic had bought each of the boys ten new outfits, socks, superhero underwear and several toys, conveniently carried in matching superhero luggage. Sammy spent the ride back to the ARK with his arms around a teddy bear as big as himself. He nuzzled the plush fur drowsily.
Carly helped the boys remove their luggage so Bee could transform. Spike showed them the human sized rooms the bots had made for when they had visitors. They weren't much, more or less a converted supply closet with squared sections for privacy and housing basic necessities, like a bed, toilet, sink and desk.
Robbie picked a room and placed his new suitcase under the bed. Sammy copied him, hugging to his large teddy bear as if afraid it would escape his clutches. They followed Spike through the ARK finally ending in the medbay, where they found a thirty foot tall golden robot stretching and snarling at the white medic.
When they realized there were children, their attitudes immediately changed.
Sunstreaker knelt down, holding out his hand to the two humans.
"Thank you for helping me to get home so my friends could fix me," he said sincerely.
"Friends? Ha!" Ratchet barked, stowing away his favorite wrench. "I'm the one that puts your rusted tailpipe back together every time you do something stupid!"
Sunstreaker cast a dirty look over his shoulder. "If my tailpipe is rusted then my doctor is to blame for poor service."
Ratchet blustered, mumbling bad words in Cybertronian.
Sunstreaker grinned at his two new charges. Checking the time, he found it to be past their bedtime. Well, in his opinion. He wasn't sure how much rest a mini human required but by Sammy's droopy expression, fatigue was weighing the youngsters down.
Robbie opened his mouth to argue but decided against it. His belly was full. His clothes and body were clean. Sammy was safe and clean. They were in safe hands. He gave a nod, allowing Sunstreaker to lead them back to the human dorms where Spike was standing in a door across the 'hall' from the kids.
"I'm right across the hall if you need me," Spike said happily, making sure his door was open in case the kids needed something.
As soon as the humans were tucked in, Sunstreaker opened a comm., heading to the entrance of the ARK.
"Prowl, I need full details of this human," Sunstreaker said, sending Prowl the memory file of Robbie explaining why Sammy didn't speak. "Address, work, anything you can give me."
Prowl remained eerily silent as Sunstreaker slipped through the halls as a golden wraith. If any fellow Autobot saw him, they immediately gave him a wide berth. When Sunstreaker looked like that, it was wise to stay out of his crosshairs.
Prowl was waiting at the entrance, his face impassive.
"You're information," he said, transferring what he found via police channels.
Sunstreaker opened the file and found the human had a long list of violations, many of which were related to violence.
Sunstreaker transformed and to his shock, Prowl copied him.
"What are you doing?" he asked the patrol car.
"Backup," Prowl said flatly.
"I don't need backup to deal with a single human," Sunstreaker growled lowly.
"Alibi then," Prowl deadpanned, opening his engine and heading toward the listed address on the police report.
Sunstreaker's hood almost popped up in shock. Not wanting to be left behind, and to be the one to enact the revenge, Sunstreaker throttled on high, catching up to his alibi and praying the human was going to be home.
Sunstreaker had a few words for him.
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*singsongs* Someone's going to get it
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