Yea, might as well take part in the TF Rare Pair Fest since I ship a rare pair (...or two). The only other thing I did is already posted and you can find it on my DeviantArt (Walloptrout), Tumblr (sturthepotofmadness), or Twitter (Ghostegg5).
Real quick stuff [in brackets] means via comms.
Pairing: Prowl X Optimus
Continuity: Animated
Prompts: Ghosts / Newly Born
A few things are implied to have taken place during canon, but the rest is Post-Canon, but it's also a bit of headcanon in the biology and culture aspects.
Also, I know, uncreative title. I didn't know what else to call this.
He couldn't believe they managed to hide this from the others for so long, especially Ratchet. How the medic never noticed, he didn't know, but it kept their secret hidden. That would most likely throw Ratchet through a loop once he learned. Optimus would be unsurprised if he learned something soon, especially after that stunt he just pulled.
Optimus laid on the next of blankets they had set up when they finally noticed, in a cave a few miles out from Detroit and along the coast. Cans of oil and what few Energon cubes they could find were stacked along one of the cave walls, a small pile of metal supplement cans sitting next to the fuel on the side not facing the entrance. He felt the newspark move again, wiggling within his chassis and attempting to push through to its frame. He whined slightly at one of the harsher pushes, rolling to lay on his side.
There was a crackle of energy and Optimus looked up before smiling slightly. Prowl knelt down to him and attempted to place a ghostly servo on his arm, but it just faded through. Another painful push and Optimus whined again.
"It'll be alright, beloved," Prowl stated, moving slightly to sit next to the pile of blankets, a ghostly servo hovering over his stomach area. "Let our child make its way out."
"E-Easy for you to say," Optimus choked. Prowl shook his head slightly, then ghosted his servo over his body. Optimus shivered slightly, then he released a staticky screech as the newspark finally pushed into its frame.
"Vent," Prowl stated, his servo stopped over his shoulder. "Forgive me for not being able to help."
"N-Not-" Optimus began, only to be cut off by another screech as the tiny frame within him pushed. "-Your fault," he finished with static in his voice, before whining and curling his helm down.
"Relax and vent," Prowl repeated. Optimus gave a small nod as the tiny frame continued to move and make its way out.
It was painful, it was long, and at some point Prowl seemed to react with shock but to what he didn't know, but eventually the tiny frame was out of his body.
Optimus vented harshly before looking towards the sparkling. He reached and gathered the crying little one in his arms, bringing it up to his chest. Prowl seemed to stare at where the sparkling laid when it came out for a few moments, then looked to his mate and sparkling. The sparkling, besides being small and thin, had black and dark blue plating, faceplate a greyish blue and optics shut closed as it cried, attempting to snuggle closer to its carrier's spark. However, on its forehead was a four pronged bright yellow star-like, one of its ends going between its shut optics. Grubby little servos gripped onto Optimus's plating as Optimus clicked at the sparkling and rubbed its helm with a servo.
"Beautiful..." Optimus whispered, tired optics trained on the small being.
Prowl moved somewhat closer and looked at the sparkling's face. "Indeed, like a little star," the force-ghost stated.
"Star..." Optimus tiredly repeated. The sparkling softly touched its helm to Optimus's chest, its little mouth opening slightly as if trying to find something. Optimus allowed panel that hid away his feeding lines to open up, the sparkling near immediately noticing it and moving its helm to the line. It sucked and Energon began to make its way into its tiny, hungry frame. "Star fits," Optimus finally said.
"Little Star," Prowl hummed, then nodded.
A few seconds passed in mostly silence, the duo watching Star as it feed. Prowl frowned, looked back towards the other end of the nest, then said, "Optimus, I fear something broke when Star was coming out. You're leaking Energon from your valve."
Optimus didn't seem to notice Prowl said anything, quietly shutting his optics.
Prowl looked at Optimus's faceplate, then recoiled and said, "Optimus, wake up, not now, the sparkling needs you." When no reply came, Prowl attempted to touch his frame, but it just faded through like it wasn't there.
Star near immediately noticed something was wrong, releasing the feeding line and beginning to cry.
Prowl lowered his helm and lifted a servo to his visor, ghostly frame shaking.
-(…)-
"Ratchet said Optimus's signal suddenly went out around here, right?" Bumblebee asked, stopping for a moment and looking Jazz. He stopped on one of the rocks that lined the shore, some of the water splashing onto his plating.
"Yea, mech," Jazz nodded, walking up to Bumblebee. He waded through the water, ignoring how his white plating was dirtying up. "Kept an optic out. Ratchet said the signal came from some kind of cave, so say if you spot one." Bumblebee nodded in reply before bolting ahead of Jazz. The white cyberninja made a small grin and followed the somewhat small yellow mech.
Jazz paused and looked towards the sun as it sat on the horizon. He shook his helm, then his attention snapped towards Bumblebee as he made a screech. Jazz bolted over as Bumblebee stumbled back, crashing into the water.
"What's goin' on?" Jazz asked, coming up to Bumblebee as they sat up in the shallow water. Instead of answering, Bumblebee pointed in front of him. Jazz turned towards where Bumblebee pointed, then froze up. There was a cave, but along one side was fuel and in the center was a nest of blankets with a gunmetal grey frame and a crying black and dark blue sparkling within it.
Jazz bolted into the cave, collecting the sparkling and looking over them. The sparkling cried out, little servos reaching out towards Optimus's dead frame. The cyberninja hugged the sparkling to his chest, watching the little one's faceplates as they continued to cry. He clicked at them, but that just caused the sparkling to cry more and attempt to get out of his grip.
Bumblebee stood up, frame twitching slightly before he lifted a servo to press on his commlink. "Ratchet?" he began.
[Did you find him?] came the immediate reply.
"Yea... but..." Bumblebee started, but went silent.
A few seconds passed, then Ratchet asked, [Kid? What happened?]
"Grey," Bumblebee finally said. Jazz walked out of the cave, keeping the sparkling close to his chest as it cried and squirmed in his arms. Bumblebee heard Ratchet curse as Jazz moved a servo to his helm.
"Somethin' else was with him," Jazz said into the commlink. "A sparkling."
Ratchet snapped, [How in the Pits did he hide that?!] Then he asked, [Is there anything wrong with the sparkling?]
"Other than losin' their carrier and most likely never knowing their sire? Other than probably bein' hungry, nothin' I can tell," Jazz answered.
"But aren't sires always with the carrier when the sparkling is born, no matter what?" Bumblebee asked.
[Before birth, it's possible to look at the sparkling's code to see who the sire is, so the only exception is if the sire is dead.] Ratchet stated.
"Guess we gotta check the little guy's coding," Jazz muttered as the sparkling cried again, snapping its helm to look at the shadows and squirming.
"What about Optimus?" Bumblebee asked, glancing towards the body.
"Sparkling comes first," Jazz said before lowering his servo and beginning to run back.
[If there's one thing we can do, it's making sure his sparkling doesn't die on us.] Ratchet added.
Bumblebee stared at the body, then softly muttered, "...Alright." He lowered his servo, stared for a moment more, then bolted after Jazz.
They never saw the pair of ghosts that watched them from the shadows.