HEYYYYY did you fuckfaces miss me? Woohoo! Here's a chapter for y'all!
In any case, please enjoy!
Christmas Eve came sooner than expected and the Rousseaus had been busy, especially Cecile. After a wonderful and filling breakfast, Cecile went to go and compose some more music, but this time it was more for herself and less for anyone else. She decided to take the Trio's advice about her own needs.
But that didn't mean she did nothing for anyone else.
Cecile had just finished supervising the wrapping of the presents she had gotten for her brother and Lucia. Silky had been helping her with the actual wrapping while Cecile had decided the designs and so forth. This was something she missed – being able to wrap presents. She remembered how excited and happy she and her mother were whenever they wrapped presents.
The memories of a young and carefree child, so much younger and innocent, playing with her mother brought tears to Cecile's eyes. She quickly wiped them away and smiled, forcing the sadness away. It was no time to dawdle! Christmas was coming! It was not a time for sadness. The presents were wonderful and she was so excited to place them under the tree.
But she had a dilemma on her hands. She wanted to get the Trio a present, but she was not sure what to give them. She didn't even consider if they would get something for her. The question was, what to get for each of them? They all had their own personalities and interests she imagined.
And suddenly, she realized something – just how little she actually knew about them. But somehow, she felt like there was a connection. But she didn't know what any of them wanted for presents! She didn't have time to further muse on her thoughts before she heard a knock at the door.
"Come in." She called out in French. She heard the heavy footsteps of a man and recognized them immediately – Julian.
"Hello Cecile." He said plainly. Cecile immediately put away all of the wrappings and smiled warmly yet mischievously.
"Julian! I'm wrapping presents! I thought Lucia told you not to disturb me." She replied with a teasing tone. Julian smirked as he walked over but averted his gaze from her wrapping.
"I know, but I've come to check on your progress." He examined the wrappings and nodded once in approval. "They look very well done and the colors are excellent. I'm assuming you had your robot's help?"
"Of course!" Cecile exclaimed as she gestured to Silky, who just made a nodding gesture. The mechanical whirs of the bot made Cecile giggle. She knew Julian did not like machines but Cecile could care less – Silky was her friend and not someone to be regarded as trash. "Silky's wonderful, per usual."
"Right, well," Julian said as he turned away and she heard him walk away from the table. "I hope you know that tonight is the party. And you know what I want you to do?"
Cecile's face fell slightly. "You want me to remain in my room and practice…" She said sadly.
"Yes." At this, Cecile's face fell further and she turned away. Julian smiled softly before he approached her and he knelt down. "It's all right, Cecile. They are all boring businessmen and women who you would find utterly drab." He chuckled teasingly and Cecile found herself smiling too despite herself.
"Okay, I will stay put." She admitted. While she didn't think she'd find business people boring, she wasn't going to question Julian. He ran the Company after all.
"Good." He stood up. He walked to the door and stood in front of it as he turned to face her once more. "I'm sure you will find some way to occupy your time. You needn't practice tonight."
"Thank you, Julian!" Cecile exclaimed as she grinned happily.
"Of course, Cecile. You practice so much and while it is very wonderful that you do so, I don't want you to tire yourself out." He chuckled and Cecile smiled. With a swift nod, Julian left with a solemn look on his face with Cecile none the wiser. When she heard the door latch close, she smiled excitedly and blushed as she thought of the Trio's warm and inviting voices. All of them made her legs weak and her heart flutter. She couldn't wait to see them again!
"I know exactly how I'm going to spend tonight!" She announced happily as she called over Silky and had him bring the phone.
Blitzwing had been sitting in their personal chambers. They didn't know what to do about Cecile having the Shatter Crystal. They weren't sure if it was the one they had been tracking the first day they met, but it seemed that way. But they needed to consider how they could take it from her. After all, it was important…
"No!" Random refused.
"What do you mean 'no?!'" Hothead yelled.
"Just… no! We're not taking the Crystal from Cici!" Random put his servo down at that moment. It would take a sun exploding to convince him otherwise and Icy knew this just as well as Hothead did. But Hothead was not one to back down from a challenge.
"We have orders We cannot disobey them!" Hothead retorted.
"Yes, but this is Cici! Our special femme! She's been through so much, can we really add onto that and take her carrier's present from her?" Random rationalized. Hothead grumbled. "And besides, you don't want to do it either!"
"O-Of course not!" Hothead wanted to pound Random a new one for even thinking for a second that he wanted to. "I don't want to see her hurt, just as much as both of you do."
"Then let the Crystal go! We can find another one!" Random added.
"Random does have a point," Icy voiced his thoughts. "We can indeed just find another Crystal. And besides, didn't we already agree that our holoform and Decepticon lives are to be separated? Including all that goes on in those lives?"
"That is true…" Hothead grumbled under his breath.
"So, as far as we know, why would Cecile be in the possession of a Shatter Crystal? She is a human, a human we do not know. We only saw her jump off a bridge, henceforth, we do not know anything about her or what she has in her possession."
"But we do know her!" Hothead yelled in response.
"Yes, but we as a Decepticon did not save her from an awful offlining. The holoform did that. The Decepticon did not spend time with her for many hours on end, go shopping with her, share personal stories, and care for her. The holoform did." Icy said confidently.
"But… we're the holoform?" Random half asked and half reassured.
"Indeed we are, but to Cecile, we are not a large, frightening, and terrible machine. We are a human male, early in their adult stellar cycles and who just so happened to stumble across a very lonely femme who was about to do something she could never take back. We spent time with her but as a disguised human. As a Decepticon, we don't know her, henceforth, we have nothing to feel guilty over. Do you see my point here?" Icy explained.
"Yes, I think I do." Hothead replied. And Random just nodded happily.
"Then we are in agreement. We do not attempt to take the gem from Cecile. She has our trust, and I fear that breaking that trust will hurt her more than it will hurt us." Icy stated.
"I can definitely see that happening…" Hothead said defeated. He didn't like to admit it, but seeing Cecile in pain would cause just as much pain to him as it would Icy or Random. The very idea of hurting Cecile made him want to crawl into a ball and go offline. "Lucius, Heinrich, and Raine are not the same as Icy, Hothead, and Random. At least not in her eyes…"
They all gave an in sync sigh.
"Wait a minute!" Hothead suddenly realized. "Why do we care so much for a human! An organic?"
"I dunno." Random replied. "She's very nice and treats us like we matter!" He retorted as if it was very obvious.
"Well, yes! But, clearly we care for her as more than just a friend!" Hothead replied. "I just want to know why? Why this human? Why a human to begin with?!"
"Are you implying what I think you are implying?" Icy asked with uncertainty.
"Maybe I am!" Hothead spat. "Maybe we've all gone full on fragging insane and now we're having a dubious friendship with a human girl! Again, if any Decepticon found out, it would mean doom!"
"Maybe more than just a friendship!" Random teased. "I personally still wanna kiss her!" He repeated with just as much vigor and excitement as the first time he announced the ridiculous idea to the others.
"We are not talking about this!" Hothead exclaimed, having had enough of Random's craziness.
"As much as I want to say that I agree with you, Random does have a point. The way we've interacted with Cecile has been anything but platonic…" Icy responded.
"But we don't really mean it..? Right?" Hothead asked, his voice sounding tough but faltering slightly at Icy's silence. "Right?!" Hothead repeated, sounding even more confused and unsure than before. Icy shook his head.
"I do not know…" He muttered.
"I just think you two are in denial!" Random exclaimed, giggling slightly as he thought about Cecile and her pretty face. Her long, flowy hair, the way she fit so perfectly into his arms. She was so dainty and small but adorable and sweet. She was the complete opposite of Blitzwing in general. "We totally love Cici! She's a special one! Ooooh! What if she's our spark-"
"Alright! That's going a bit too far, even I can say that now." Icy interrupted, trying to push back that thought. "Cecile is someone we care deeply about, of that we cannot lie. But to suggest that we are intended? That requires time to figure out. And besides, it's unheard of for Autobot or Decepticon to develop a sparkbond with a creature of a different species, let alone an organic."
"Well, fine! But I definitely know that we are in love with Cecile!" Random exclaimed surely. Hothead groaned but said nothing to Random's statement. Icy remained suspiciously quiet. "Awww come on, admit it!~"
"Maybe…" Icy finally voiced his thoughts. Random gasped loudly before cheering joyously.
"Slag yeah! Now all we have to do is fly over there, confess our love, and-"
"You are forgetting something, Random." Icy replied with a slightly sour tone. Random was confused as he listened for Icy to explain himself. "Cecile is human, she has a natural human form. We do not. A relationship with her, even with a holoform, would be difficult to sustain. And besides, how do we even know that she would return our feelings for her?"
"I still think that Random's utterly insane!" Hothead retorted. Random brushed him off. But what Icy said made sense – how could they know that Cecile cared for them just the same? And even if she did return the feelings, how could they have a fulfilling relationship with Cecile if they could not even touch her without exerting so much energy? How could they keep Cecile from knowing the truth?
"I…" Random sounded defeated and saddened as he slumped his shoulder pads and exhaled. "...You're right…" He said finally, knowing that it wasn't easy for even Icy or Hothead to acknowledge. And even if Cecile knew about them being a 'con, would that even make it easier? If other Decepticons knew of Cecile's involvement with Blitzwing, they would kill her. Of that, Blitzwing was sure.
For now, the best they could do is remain friends with Cecile. And hope for the best.
A buzzing from within their comlink alerted the trio out of their stupor. Icy immediately picked it up. "Blitzwing here."
"Oh! Hello Blitzwing!"
"Oh, Cecile." Icy replied softly yet fondly. Oh, thank the All-Spark it wasn't Shockwave or Lugnut but their sweet, wonderful Cecile. Icy found himself smiling at her voice and leaned against the seat, relaxing their pistons. "Why the sudden call?"
"I wanted to invite you to a party tonight! It's in my room and I will have all sorts of goodies and foods for us to eat! Oh and movies to watch, er, in my case listen to!" She laughed at her own joke. "Also, I would love to get a chance to dance with Raine!"
"Awww! That's so sweet, Cici!" Random immediately popped up and before the others could protest, Random made his move. "I would love to come! When is it?"
"Tonight at 9 pm!" Cecile replied excitedly. "Don't be late!"
Random giggled at her teasing and smirked. "Oh, trust me, I won't be!~" He gave a soft purring noise and he could practically feel Cecile's blushing face and her excitement.
"Okay!" She replied and Random grinned widely, glad to have made her so flustered.
"I mean, this is a party… in your bedroom.~" Random added, with an even more seductive tone, which sounded so not seductive to any of the other alters. Cecile went deathly quiet on the phone before they heard a squeak and some major shuffling. Hothead immediately took over and was completely embarrassed.
"Ignore him! He is a monster!" Hothead shouted with nervousness in his voice. He didn't want Cecile to know anything about how they felt and here was Random, blurting it out as if the trio were courting the girl! Instead of any negative reply, all Hothead heard was laughter.
"No, it's all right! I don't mind Raine's flirting." She replied honestly yet sweetly. There was a brief pause before she continued. "So I will see you tonight?"
"Definitely." Icy replied, resuming control. They could almost hear Cecile smiling as she nodded.
"It's a date!" And with that, she hung up the phone.
The next couple of hours passed by painfully slow. Blitzwing desperately wanted to see Cecile but they had so many other things to do. They had to go patrolling for a Shatter Crystal, and again, with no luck. It was to the point where Shockwave would prefer he return with one.
Which was fine by Blitzwing, seeing as they had a very special date to attend.
When 9 pm did eventually roll around, Blitzwing immediately flew to her house. All three alters were equally excited to see her and they all wanted to spend time with her. Icy had been constantly asking the others if they had her presents to which the two would reassure him. Hothead was nervous about the whole ordeal and what would happen. He didn't want Random to do something stupid.
Blitzwing arrived quickly and landed in the forest but not too far away so that they could walk to Cecile's house with the presents in hand. It cost them a lot of energy but smartly they had drank a whole can of oil beforehand alongside some pretty decent energon. So the trio figured they would be safe and not exhaust themselves.
It was snowy but not crazy like the previous day. It was light with plenty of snow on the ground. This didn't bother Blitzwing, as their body was made to withstand far, far worse. They made their way over the snow easily. They remembered where to go to get to Cecile but holding a bag full of presents for her complicated things.
So they decided to do something rather unorthodox for them.
Lucia had been in the kitchen, helping to prepare dinner and food for all of the guests. She was the main Lady of the Manor and so she was damned if she wouldn't perform her duties properly. She was barking orders at cooks and waiters sending out food for Julian's ridiculous party. She exhaled, not finding this fun whatsoever.
She heard a tapping noise on the back door. Confused and unsure of why a guest would use the kitchen door, she went over and opened it. Her confusion instantly vanished when she saw who it was.
"Lucius." Lucia said with an almost concerned tone due to the snowstorm. Once again she wondered how he had gotten pass security.
"Hi, Lucia!" It was definitely not Lucius this time. Perhaps another one of his alters? Regardless, she exhaled and let him in.
"Come on, you have a special someone waiting for you." She said politely yet fondly. The alter grinned excitedly at that comment.
"Lead the way!" He exclaimed happily. Lucia smiled slightly at his enthusiasm but that didn't get her to drop her guard down. She led him through the kitchen, earning confused looks from the other staff but one look from Lucia told them to mind their own business. No one questioned Lucia after all.
The two made their way up the second set of stairs of the manor. These were not nearly as used as the main stairs but were often used by staff like Lucia. Julian or Alice never came up this way. When they were upstairs, Lucia had Lucius follow her down the long hallway. She could sense his curious gaze but waited for him to say whatever he wanted to say.
"Lucia?" This voice was deeper but gentlemanly. This was Lucius probably.
"Yes, Lucius?" She replied.
"How long have you worked for the Rousseaus? You seem to be very familiar with Cecile and this family." He observed. Lucia smiled; this man was certainly intelligent.
"Since when Cecile's mother and I met. Madam Amelie was a good friend and treated me with respect and dignity." Lucia explained, remembering the day Cecile's mother accepted her into her family as through it were yesterday. It was a day she would never forget. "She saved my life."
"Amelie? That was her name?" Lucius sounded fascinated and yet saddened by the mention of Cecile's mother. Lucia thought that perhaps Cecile had told him of the accident for him to have such a visceral reaction. And truth be told, she herself was not unfazed by what happened that day.
"She was a wonderful woman and truly remarkable." Lucia said simply yet honestly. Before long, the two reached Cecile's room and Lucia stepped to the side, allowing Lucius to approach the door. He gave her a curious look and she smiled. "You can knock. I'm not going to disturb you two."
Lucius nodded once before he knocked on the door, announced himself, and entered. The Director of the Manor simply left the two alone…
Blitzwing stepped into the room and was immediately surprised by the way Cecile was dressed. She was dressed in a form fitting yet stretching, long sleeve, carmine red, dress with green tights. Around her neck was the necklace with the Shatter Crystal but also there was a white and poofy scarf wrapped around her neck. Overall, she had the look of a festive person around this time of the year, Bitzwing noted.
Not to mention she looked absolutely gorgeous. They hadn't expected to find her in such a form fitting and yet short dress. And she was breath-taking!
They were so consumed by their awe that they needed a moment to realize that there was soft and classy Christmas music playing in the background and her room was decorated with lots of lights and ornaments, alongside a small tree in the corner of her room, which was decorated but there were boxes around it. Blitzwing did not know for what purpose this was but they figured Cecile would tell them.
"Hello Lucius, Heinrich, Raine…" She greeted them softly as she shuffled slightly, shifting her weight and looking rather awkward suddenly in her current attire.
"Cecile," Icy greeted her pleasantly as he approached her and decided to turn on the charm to make her feel better. He didn't often do this but he knew that she must have dressed up for them and must have been expecting a response. They definitely had a response to it but she couldn't see it, so it didn't count. Nonetheless, he knelt before her, took her hand, and kissed her knuckles tenderly, mimicking what Random had seen in human films.
They could feel Cecile's small jump and tenseness. Icy looked up to see Cecile blushing like a red star. It was so obvious that Cecile was enjoying this, seeing how she smiled and tried to hide her expression. Icy chuckled as he released her hand, stood up, and smiled warmly.
"You look stunning." He whispered gently and Cecile's eyes went wide as she covered her face and squealed in delight. Random took control and laughed at how flustered she was.
"Aww, Cici, don't hide, sweetspark! We don't bite. Well… maybe a little!~" He teased, which caused Cecile to make a prolonged squeaking noise. Random giggled. "I'll stop if I'm making you uncomfortable."
"No!" Cecile almost immediately exclaimed, uncovering her face and looking up at him. Random just smiled at her as she cleared her throat, looking sheepish as she smiled. "I mean, I'm not bothered by it whatsoever."
Random couldn't help the boyish grin as he giggled, which Cecile smiled fondly at. The emotions he felt made him inhale suddenly, stunning himself. They were those of utter delight and happiness, ones that expressed the purest sense of joy and affection he had ever felt. It made their spark melt as he realized something that the other two were fervently in denial about.
They were in love with her.
They were so in love with her.
A jolt of happiness spread through the crazed alter as he grinned and did his best to hide his thoughts from the other two. In his distracted state, he let Icy take over once more.
"So, what now?" He asked gently. At that, Cecile's smile turned more excited as she gestured for them to follow her to the small set up by the tree, where there was a couch and a projection set. Cecile looked very happy as she plopped down on the couch and patted the spot beside her. Blitzwing put down the bags they were carrying and sat beside her as she grabbed a remote and started to fiddle with the device.
"We're gonna watch a movie! Do you know any Christmas movies that you enjoy?" Cecile asked kindly. Blitzwing had no idea how to answer her. They had never seen a Christmas movie, let alone even knew much about Christmas itself.
"Truth be told, Cecile, I have never seen a Christmas movie. I never had time for it and my family never celebrated." Icy explained, technically telling the truth. Cecile looked saddened by that news but then smiled reassuringly.
"Well, if it would be acceptable with you all, I would like to remedy that." Cecile said sweetly, which made all three alters feel very mushy inside.
"That would certainly be acceptable." Hothead replied with an equally soothing tone, an unusual show of softness from the usually angry alter. Cecile grinned as she nodded once.
"Perfect! In which case, let's start with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!" She cheered as she bounced up and down in her spot, excitement pouring out of her body like radiation. It affected the con beside her as well as they all waited curiously to see what she was going to show them...
Edited: 3/1/2022