Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.
Enjoy. ^-^
Chapter 6
"The All Spark." Optimus repeated, staring back into Jazz's visor as the silver mech shrugged.
"Yeah."
The four of them stared back at him for at least two whole klicks before Ironhide mumbled. "That's not possible."
"That's that I said!" Jazz snapped, throwing up a clawed hand and waving it around at them.
"But you're looking at it." Prowl said quietly.
"But I don't get it!" Jazz growled, waving his claws around in frantic frustration. "It's gone! They blew it up! Millions of vorns ago!"
"That's an old tribal tale, you don't know for—"
"You really think it's just a story?" Jazz challenged. Turning to look hard back at his friend. Optics narrow behind his visor and claws tense around the table before him.
Prowl knew the challenge there in Jazz's gaze. That old fire of still defending the life he had been born too. Jazz might have hated his sire, but he did not hate his tribe. He still held tight to many of the things he grew up with. For that matter so did Ironhide.
Which was why the massive weapons specialist looked like he did standing there just inside the doorway. This confused dim in his optics as he thought. He knew the story as well as any of them did. He had been a part of a tribe just as much as Jazz had.
He knew the story of how the Knights destroyed the All Spark. Myth or not that was the story they had all been told growing up. In the tribes or not the civilized knew that story. Whether or not they believed in the Knights or anything else the tribes did. That had been the explanation for the missing artifact for all of them. It had also been one of the points of starting the fight with the tribes in the first place.
They all knew it.
It was supposed to be gone.
Forever.
"Hold on for a klick." Chromia spoke up; walking forward until she was staring down at the data Jazz has sorting though. "How do you know it's the All Spark? How can you just know that?"
"I don't for sure." Jazz admitted. Arms crossing over his chest. "It's just, the readings all seem to be coming up with the same thing. Giant, cube shaped, thing of power. Sounds like the All Spark to me."
"Or any other weapon the Cons might have come up with." She challenged. "They had a fraggin' Ion Cannon."
"Yeah," Jazz nodded. "And where the frag did they get it? Something is going on out there in the desert. There is a reason he was out there in the middle of nowhere. He found something, or he's looking for something. But we're not gonna know what is going on until you decide to let us go find out."
His bright blue optics were fixed on Optimus now.
The Prime, his own arms crossed over his chest, stood thinking as he looked down at him. "This can't be a coincidence."
"I agree." Prowl put in softly. "The only question is why. Who sent this, why was Jazz able to get it, what are we missing?"
"As usual, what is right in front of your fraggin' faces."
They all spun, more than a few weapons systems on lining as they all flung their gazes to the right corner of the crowded room to find the towering form of dark black armor and ice blue optics.
"Trickster." Optimus rumbled lowly, lifting a hand and placing it on Ironhide's shoulder to stop the mech's whining cannons.
A half grin was spread brightly over Trickster's lips, glittering in the light of the room as he gazed back at the Prime. "Hello, Optimus. Long time no see."
"No long enough." Ironhide growled, under his breath.
Trickster gave a mock gasp, plastering a clawed hand over his spark. "What? You mean you haven't missed me? Mech, I'm wounded. Truly I am. Why, I don't think I'll ever really recover."
Prowl snorted at him. "Don't be dramatic, Trickster."
"But it's in my very nature." The black mech chuckled.
Pushing off the wall and strolling forward with little to no concern as to the glares the mechs gave him. Instead he simply slipped around Ironhide's growling bulk and Optimus' narrow gaze to smile down at the femmes.
"Hello," He smirked. "I don't think we've ever been properly introduced I'm—"
Mia's fist slamming hard into his nose plate the Guild member had to admit he didn't see coming. With a startled yelp he reeled backward, hands clasping his rapidly leaking nose plate, as he blinked stunned down at the glaring dark blue femme.
Jazz and Hide busted out laughing.
"A glitch." Chromia hissed at him. "What do you want?"
"Gah!" He whined, backing up a few more steps as he pinched and started rubbing at his stinging nose plate. Pulling his hands away to stare at the drips of blue before pinching his noseplate again in an effort to stop the leaking. Glaring down at her now and the grinning femme. "That hurt!"
"It was a punch, it was supposed to." She snorted at him.
Pulling his hand away as his nanites clouted enough that he could let go, Trickster sneered. "You know, I've never punched a femme before, but right now I'm thinking about it."
Ironhide's cannons cycled a burst of charge, heating the plasma in the barrels with a hot whine as he growled. "You even try it and—"
"Enough." The Prime suddenly rumbled, drawing all their optics back to him. Even Trickster's. "Did you really come here to start a fight with a femme that could kick your aft, Trickster?"
"I don't think she could kick my aft." He retorted.
"Wanna bet?" Chromia hissed at him. "Just think about coming anywhere near my youngling, we'll see."
Those ice blue optics drifted back down to Mia's dark ones. "Is that what you're being bitchy about? Please. If I wanted the mechling, I'd have come to the mechling. Obviously, I didn't, which means I'm still not interested. Yet."
Her optics narrowed into thin slits, a growl rumbling through her loud enough to match Ironhide's, but when Elita's hand curled gently around her upper arm she stopped. Casting her sister a glance while Elita held her gaze on the Guild member.
"What do you want, Trickster?"
"Well," He drawled, straightening up and steepled his hands before him. "It's funny you should ask."
"Is it?" Ironhide huffed at him.
"Yes." Trickster nodded, but there was something dark creeping into his optics, and then there was a datapad laying on Jazz and Prowl's desk. Appearing in a little flash of light that made them all tense a bit before their optics settled down on the rather harmless looking device.
For a nano they all stared at it, then slowly, Jazz reached forward and picked it up. Sliding his claw across the screen watching it light up. For a klick he was quiet then looked up at Trickster with a confused expression.
"What is this?"
"Call it a hint. And technically I'm cheating, so don't tell Prui, but well I don't entirely think it's fair."
"What's not fair?" Prowl pushed.
Those ice blue optics settled on him before dancing back to Optimus'. "What comes next."
Something dark and heavy settled into all their chest as Trickster went on.
"I'd keep an optic on the little mech if I were you. Things are happening."
Then he was gone.
Jazz was growling again.
"So what is it?" Ironhide asked after a good ten klicks of standing there watching Jazz mess with the datapad Trickster had given them. The saboteur ignored him in favor of choosing at that moment to bang the little black device onto the desk repeatedly while cursing.
"Damn, stupid, fraggin', Guild! Can't give a fraggin' straight answer to save their damn lives! How hard is it!? Honestly!? How fraggin' hard is it to just tell us something straight up!?"
"Stop that." Prowl softly chided him, reaching out to take the datapad before the next hit he could give it. "Calm down, Jazz."
"Calm down!?" Jazz hissed at him. "Calm down!? He did it again! He just shows up with these vague threats and warnings and then poofs away! Like he expects it to be helpful! It's not helpful!"
At that Prowl turned his optics to Optimus letting the silver mech fall back down into his chair and fume quietly.
"We'll work on this a bit more. I'll call you in the morning."
Optimus didn't looked pleased, but then, that was because he wasn't. However, he gave a slow nod and a tilt of his helm for the rest of them to go. Ironhide was grumbling as much as Jazz was and Chromia hadn't glared like that in orns, but they followed Elita and Optimus all the same out into the hallway with a shared sigh.
"I really hate that bastard." Ironhide growled. "What was it even about this time?"
"Who knows," Optimus huffed. "If Prowl and Jazz figure out that datapad we might know, but its Trickster. I've no idea what he's talking about even when he's not speaking in riddles."
"He's a glitch." Chromia glared back at the door behind them as if the Guild Member might still be back there.
"Just be glad he's staying away from Bumblebee." Elita told her sister quietly, ignoring the hot flash through the slightly shorter femme's optics as that glare swung to her. "He's not wrong, Mia. He can go and do whatever he wants whenever he wants. The only reason he or any of them have left Bee alone is because it's by their choice. Not by ours."
"I'll skin him." The darker femme whisper hissed, and it was no idle threat. Still, Ironhide's hand lifted and curled around her thinner, smaller fingers. Grounding the wound up femme with a low pulse over the bond.
It took a moment but eventually Mia let out a breath with a firm shake of her head. Squeezing Hide's hand back for a nano before she pulled away and headed down the hall. "I'm going to find my mechling."
Ironhide's dark blue optics followed her with amusement until she rounded the end of the hall and then he smiled over at his friend. Optimus nodded back to him. Thankful at least that this time they weren't all totally off the wall with Trickster showing up.
It had been so long since they saw any of them, that him being here suddenly now of all times did rattle Optimus a little, but it was like Elita and Trickster himself said. If he wanted Bumblebee none of them were going to be able to stop him.
As much as they despised that very notion.
So far though of all the slag Trickster, Evermore, and Impulse had pulled they hadn't lied and they'd never given the slightest hint that they wanted to hurt Bumblebee. Use him, sure, they very much wanted to do that for whatever slagged up greater plan the idiot Guild member kept alluding too. But they seemed to have no problem leaving him where he was for now.
If this wacky little family could make themselves forget—which they weren't doing all that well at—the shouting match Wardrums and Trickster had had involving the only reason they wanting Bumblebee was so that he could die the three glitches almost seemed harmless.
But they weren't harmless.
Optimus knew all too well.
Trickster hadn't denied Wardrums' snarls. There was something more, something darker, bubbling under it all. And the Prime had vowed to do everything within his power to keep the little yellow thing they found in the ashes of catastrophe safe.
The problem was he knew very well that up against these odds he was fighting a losing battle on all sides. It left his spark shivering in his chest.
Optimus cast his optics down to Elita, watching her bright optics stare down to where her sister and her sister's mate had vanished off in search of their little mech—that belonged to this whole family—but was claimed by them.
It left the mated pair standing quietly for a moment before Optimus let out a long breath. "I suppose it's time to go fill in Magnus."
"Where is he anyway?" Elita questioned.
"He went to check on Roddy last night. I imagine he's still making sure he's alright."
Elita's optics dimmed slightly at that. "Is he alright?"
"I suppose it's time to go find that out too."
A low, rumbling purr took up Hot Rod's whole world. From the tips of his toes to the tips of his crest as he was tucked into the hard but very welcome pin against his berthroom wall. Whole frame encompassed in the warm, massive bulk that was Ultra Magnus. Strong, long arms wrapped tightly around his back as he was pressed tightly to both the wall behind him and the strong frame before him.
Though most of all that was kind of nothing but background information. All he could really process at the moment was the firm, soft press of the larger mech's lips against his own. Hardly breaking a part for more than a quick invent.
A breath Roddy was convinced he didn't want any part of.
Oxygen seemed like such an overrated concept right now.
Really, what was the purpose of it? He was much more content with letting Magnus still every single breath he had from now into . . .well forever if he saw fit. Because Roddy sure had no plans on calling for a stop of any kind any time soon.
Lips yielding under Magnus', whole frame going slack and content as he submitted out of the quick, hard, sudden press. Bowing out of the short fight for control letting Magnus' overwhelming strength press him in and pull him close. Dominating and comforting all massed up in this purring expanse of colossal mech.
Purring right back at him, Roddy shifted in the slowly shifting urgency of their lips that was becoming lazier and happier by the nano. Purring in return to match the deep baritone of Magnus'.
Spark pulsing, surging, and dancing. Almost slamming against the front of its chamber as if it thought that would be enough to convince the protective paneling and locks to peel away and bare itself completely to the one slamming just the same before it.
Magnus' self control over his spark and his frame wasn't much better than the happy slump and curl Roddy was doing. Every fiber in my demanding to pull him closer, tuck him in completely, and never let the smaller go ever again.
His own spark hammering against its chamber in a demand for what it wanted.
It was only sheer force of self control that stopped Magnus from twisting and dumping Roddy on the berth to the side as his spark so demanded. Reining in his spark's yearning with a low rumble as he slowed down the frantic kissing with a few more soft brushes against those soft lips before pulling back just enough to press their foreheads together.
Opening those bright blue optics to find an even brighter shade staring back at him. Slow smile working up those oh so soft lips as the bright mech blinked a little dizzily at him. It might have done a little more for Magnus' self confidence then it necessarily should have to be given that hazed out on emotion stare, but he really wasn't all that bothered by it.
Not when Roddy's arms were laced around his neck, his legs were hooked around his hips, his optics were sparkling like that, his engine was purring so contently, his once before so chaotic and distressed field now buzzing with heat and happiness as it meshed so easily with his own, and those lips. Oh those lips were grinning at him as he leaned forward again and pressed them to Magnus' thicker, fuller ones with a few playful nips that got the larger mech's engine rumbling all over again.
His weight shifted forward until he had even inch of Roddy pressed as tightly to him as he could. Not really surprised by the heat through his own modesty plating, but a little surprised by Roddy's. Even if maybe with the heat in his optics he shouldn't have been.
A high pitch whine echoed out of the smaller mech at the touch, his grip around Magnus tightening and pulling all at the same time as he tried to get even closer than they already were. The tell-tell sounds of the beginnings a very specific transformation process reaching Magnus' audios and it was only a quick grab to Roddy's hip being enough of a shock to stop the younger mech that saved Magnus from the very last shard of his sanity and self control snapping.
"Easy," He whispered, for some reason his deep voice unable to lift above that as he pulled back just enough to put some space between them. Hardly a breath of air really, but the cool space between them didn't go unnoticed and it was hardly appreciated by the smaller.
Roddy whined again, arms and legs tightening in an attempt to pull Magnus flush against him once more. Processor and spark dizzy with the aftermath of the feeling of that kiss. The only thing really clear to any of him was the need to be closer. The need to be as close as fraggin' possible.
Because he loved him.
He fraggin' said he loved him!
"Roddy," Magnus scolded lightly, but it was with a warm almost strained pitch to his voice that Roddy didn't see much of the point in listening too.
Nope.
Not at all.
He wanted closer.
His spark wanted closer.
What were words?
What was the need for them now?
Ask him and they were saying more than enough with their lips pressed together then they had managed to do for vorns before. He was much more then content with going back to doing that.
Yep.
Totally.
"Slow down." Magnus pressed again, with his voice, not his frame. Putting another inch of hated but rapidly heating air between them no matter how much Roddy tightened his hold. He was still no match to the sheer power that made up the larger mech's frame.
Now was probably a horrible time to remember how attractive that was too, wasn't it?
Oh well.
"Why?" He purred, craning forward again for another press of those tantalizing lips. That firm hand on his hip lifted with a drag up his long, aerodynamic side that Magnus knew he shouldn't have done—he was only making this slim grip of control he had even harder to grasp too—but those slim, brightly plating curves dotted with bight red biolights had teased him far too long. And now they were there, right within reach, and they begged to be touched as Roddy arched with it.
And Primus damn him Magnus was only a mech.
However, the touch was brief and light. Just a skim up Roddy's side until he managed to make himself go on so that he had the purring, whining commander by the cheek. Now snuggling and nuzzling into the expanse of the large white palm that took up the length of Roddy's entire head.
The reminder—not that he really needed one when he had his whole frame picked up and pinned before him like he weighed little more than a sparkling—of the younger's size was enough to give Magnus back some since of control. Keeping his frame just out of the clinging reach Roddy had him in while also refusing to let him go.
Instead he bent his neck forward just enough to brush his lips over Roddy's lips one last time before tilting to peck him on the nose, on the cheeks, between his optics, over his crests and his flares, then back again for a repeat.
"Because you need to slow down." For the both our sakes.
Magnus never claimed to be a saintly mech and he'd been waiting far too long to have the younger this close. Stepping back just this much was harder than he ever figured it would be. Let alone experienced.
He had loved Artemis. They had loved each other, in their own way. Though their relationship had been built and maintained on nothing more than duty to their creators' wishes. Artemis never wanted anything more then to be the mate to a respectable mech and have a family. She cared very little for true love or anything of the sort.
Magnus had accepted that, and never asked her to be something both knew they were not. And over time they had grown very fond of each other. He had called it love, for it was in a sense, but it was not like this.
Nothing like this.
This burning, surging, demanding pull of his spark. This pining he had dismissed and tried to ignore for so long. This never dwindling need to be close to this mech who undoubtedly drove him absolutely crazy more often than not but never failed to amaze him. With his sheer determination, his cleverness, and his resolve.
Roddy knew and had lived through pain that much of which Magnus had witnessed but could hardly imagine. Compared to Roddy's his life before the war had been a cushioned, easy one. For it was.
He was born to a well off pair, with a high position in the social order, and his life had been laid out clearly and easily before him for his whole youth. And it had all suited him just fine. Ultra Magnus liked order and structure. He found it a key and needed concept that he had no trouble at all with.
It was why Enforcer was a position he had excelled at.
It was only when Optimus found his way into his unit and Magnus found his way into the strange group of family the coming to be Prime had made for himself that he ever began to question any of the world around him.
As much as he was ashamed of some of that now, it was simply the truth.
Hot Rod had been one of the biggest causes of that. Because even if these feelings he had for the younger mech now had not come to be—at least in the way he understood them—until well into the war he had always had a soft spot for the spunky mech.
He had wanted to help him and see him succeed, but it was only after the fall of their whole world that Roddy got the chance. And that was an awful thing, but the truth of it was he was never going to make it out of Sentinel's shadow of shame as long as the old bastard was alive.
No matter how hard he, Optimus, Elita, Ironhide, Chromia, Ratchet, Arcee, Prowl, and Jazz had tried to keep the mech hidden—though Magnus hadn't know the real reason as to why until just a few vorns ago—the ruling Prime had wanted the young mech gone.
And he was willing to do everything and anything to make it happen. Or at least his damned council was.
Including sending a lying, cheating, manipulative glitch into Roddy's life to work his way in and then claw his way out through Roddy's very energon and spark.
The reminder of Grayscale sent a shiver down Magnus' backstrut and an angry fire surging through his belly. As it always did.
But he managed to hide the reaction as he pressed the kisses he was still planting all over Hot Rod's faceplate just a tiny bit harder in the reassurance to himself that he was there. That he was safe. That now he was in Magnus' arms and the colossal mech had no plans on letting him go ever again.
"But I'm a speedster." Roddy giggled at the still going light and feathery kisses, the sound and the sight pulling Magnus back from the darker thoughts he'd slid into. "I don't do slow."
An amused rumble was pulled out of him as he tilted his head to the side then and nuzzled into the soft cabling of Roddy's neck. It got him a whole new note of a purr out of the brightly colored mech that Magnus cataloged to memory and back up files with a tag of 'fraggin' make him do that again'.
Before pulling away and pressing their brows together. Smiling down at Roddy as their cooling fans hummed on lazily in the background at the hotter air between their frames. Opposed to that silence drifted between them. Only their frames creating noise as they lent there together against the wall staring into each others optics.
That crooked grin of Roddy's softly in place as he gazed back up at Magnus.
Then, softly, in hardly more than a breath Roddy whispered. "I love you."
The low, happy hum through Magnus' chest and another long, hard kiss was his answer. Frame arching up and melting against the stretching of the larger in a happy keening bend before Magnus pulled away just enough to whisper back.
"I love you too."
Roddy whined and pressed harder into him. "Primus, I've been waiting so long to hear you say that. Again, say it again."
Magnus' engine gave a hard rev as he pressed them harder together against that wall. Not a micro inch of space between their frames, crushing his lips hard into Roddy again all while speaking through breaths stolen between them.
"I love you. I love you. I love you."
Another high, happy sound through the smaller as he surged back up into the kiss and the hold. The click of a keying lock followed by the soft swish of an old door went completely unnoticed to the pair of them. To lost in each others' touch in both frame and field to be bothered by the world outside the hot surging of the air around them.
That is, until Optimus shouted.
"What the frag!?"
He couldn't get much more buried then he currently was.
Okay, so that wasn't really true.
He could.
He supposed.
But that would take the effort of getting off the berth and right now Bumblebee had no interest in that concept what so ever. The blankets he'd already had on his berth were just going to have to do well enough. Considering there were at least six layers of mesh fabric of various softness and age between him and the outside world he figured that was just about good enough.
Now rationally, the mechling was old enough to know that blankets were not actually much defense against the monsters of the outside world, but frankly he didn't give a damn. He didn't care how old a bot got, there was just something remarkably comforting about yanking the covers over your head and hiding from what it was that had scared you. About pretending that there was nothing out there bad that could hurt you.
Considering he was pretty sure he was seeing ghosts—and his hounds thought it was perfectly normal—he was pretty sure he deserved to hide under the covers like a sparkling and wish the monsters away.
Therefore, that was exactly where he was.
Curled into the tightest ball he could manage with every limb wrapped up tight, doorwings plastered to his back, antennas tucked tightly into their notches he just lay there. Optics squeezed shut in an attempt to make some of it go away. Maybe.
When he closed his optics he saw it again though.
That burning, surging, angry life.
And it was alive.
Whatever it was.
Bumblebee knew that much.
He didn't really know how he knew that, or what it was exactly that told him that, but he knew. Somehow.
He'd tried explaining that to Scout and Echo as well. How was it he could be seeing dead things but know that thing had been alive. To that they'd had no answer either. Big, glittering black optics staring up at him with this kind of expression he didn't know how to decipher.
Considering the bond they shared that was saying a lot.
Normally he understood the hounds without even have to try. Now he didn't have a clue in the universe what the frag they were talking about. They didn't seem to understand why he was so bothered by all of it either.
That was one of the weirdest parts about all of it. To them it seemed completely normal. No need to be questioned at all.
Which was why they didn't seem to get the cold upset brewing in the bottom of his tanks, or why he was hidden so far under the blankets not even their clawed pawing could get him to come out. After a breem and a half of it that no amount of whining or pawing at him could change they eventually settled for a pile of hound on top of him and his blanket fortress.
It was a decision that was perfectly alright with him. Feeling them breathing over him, the weight of their frames, was a reminder that he wasn't by himself. It too was a great deal comforting.
That was how Mia and Hide found him a few klicks later. The door swishing away was not a sound he bothered coming out of the fortress to face. If anything he was a tiny bit scared to. So under the covers he stayed, balled up as tightly as he could manage.
Scout and Echo however popped up as soon as the key lock chimed. Tall audios pointed and optics wide open to see who it was that was coming in. At the sight of their brother's creators Echo's tail gave a low wag that was nowhere near the reaction she normally had to them. She scooted around on the berth with a low whine. Dipping her head and folding her audios in an attempt to convey to those that couldn't understand her that something wasn't right.
Bee felt like flicking her on the audio for it.
Scout gave a low growl as the pair of adopted creators glanced around the room before realizing the little yellow thing they were after was tucked under that pile of hounds and blankets. At Echo's uneasy reaction and Scout's low warning growl it only took half a nano for the two of them to figure out something was wrong.
"Bee?" Hide rumbled lowly across the room. The door shutting behind them as Mia hurried over to the tiny fold up berth pressed to their own make shift one. Crawling up into the middle of it without so much of a glance at the hounds. Echo made a show of shoving her brother who was growling and hissing his unhappiness the whole time, but went along with his sister. Hopping off the berth in favor of curling up just to the side on the floor. Watching carefully as Mia placed herself down carefully beside the blanket covered lump in the middle of the berth as Ironhide came around behind her. Tucking his far larger frame around her and the little lump in the middle of the berth as he too sat down.
The whole cot sagged probably more then was good at the weight of all three of them, but it held. Ironhide's right arm was holding up his leaning weight on the other side of the lump of hidden Bumblebee while Mia leaned down her weight just to the other side of him.
When the blanket lump that was their mechling didn't so much as twitch the dark shades of blue optics met then Chromia's hand slowly went to shifting through the edges of blankets in the area she figured her little mech's head was as she quietly murmured.
"Bumblebee,"
That one got her a whine, though she wasn't sure it=f that was because of her shifting through his all this blankets in an effort to find him or for some other reason.
Ironhide's larger hand laid behind hers in her search. A low sound echoing out of him.
"I know there's a mechling in here somewhere." He tried to tease, knowing how much a once palm-sized sparkling had loved to burrow away in blankets and 'hide' from his caretakers. There had been many a game of hide and seek with Bee when he never went even further then under a blanket in some bot's lap. A giggling, wiggling, chirping adorable mess that had lead to more than a few late nights of laughter for the ebony mech.
This did not seem to be one of those playful mechling times though.
The simple fact that Bee was no answering the short, curious, worried pulses from both their sparks and his EM field was plastered down so tightly to his frame it wasn't responding at all to the flickers of their own.
Another shared glance between the mated pair and even a glance to the hounds laying on the floor looking up at them before Mia finally found the last mesh layer between her and her mechling. Peeling it away just enough to find the glow of baby blue optics shining dimly back at her.
Her own immediately softened at the distress no amount of trying on the little one's part could hide from the optics of his carrier. Adopted or not.
"Bee," Her voice dripped worry, pulling away blankets for a couple of nanos before suddenly that little ball of yellow was no longer hidden under those blankets, but instead was curled up in a ball in her lap. Clinging tightly, fingers curling into the few sparkling holds in her armor that he could still fit his fingers into. Burrowing his faceplate down into her chest.
Her arms came up around him in little more than a blink. Tightly around him and rubbing at the pinned appendages against his back. A smooth, comforting purr rising up through her chest before any conscious thought went behind it. Pulling his frame—still small enough to be movable by her even if he was starting to catch up in height—up and close. Tucking him up in her arms much like he had been in his blankets.
When Ironhide's strong arms curled around the both of them and shifted them both up into his own lap some of the tension in the little mech went away. Leaking out of his frame and field once no matter what was going on in his processor and his spark. It was instinctual to be calmed in the protective hold of the two that adopted him.
Safe in the strength and protection that was the pair of them. Chromia's thin strong arms and Ironhide's massive cannon welding ones. The plasma filled barrels were humming slightly, warming the energy in their holds to warm the metal that surrounded them. Quickly providing a warm expanse of strong metal that made the little mechling relax a bit more.
Both by the reminded power they wielded and the warmth that was pressed against his back. His pinned winglets and doorwings slumping from their tight hold against his back. Not fully but enough that Hide could work his fingers down to the base joints of the broad doorwings and rub at the tension in them.
Bee's field was harder to hide now that he was burrowed up in the two of them. Though that might have been some of what Mia and Hide were after. The reassuring, warmness that was their familiar and comforting fields meshing against his own in a coax for the truth of his emotions was hard to fight off.
The same could be said for the pulses through the bonds that linked them. The two of them calling softly for him to open up and let them in. Something he rarely had an interests in denying.
This time though . . . .
The truth of all this was something different.
He didn't know what to do.
He didn't know what to say.
He didn't want to tell them.
He was afraid to.
"What is it, little one?" Mia purred softly against his antennas. Hands rubbing in time with Hide's against his plating.
He was seeing ghosts.
That was what was wrong, but how the frag was he suppose to say that?
His spark clenched.
Fear licking up his backstrut and settling into the bottom of his tanks like a ball of lead. He swallowed hard, hiding away in Mia's armor as if somehow that would be enough to make it all go away.
Some part of his spark said tell. Said that he should not be afraid of Mia or Hide. That of all bots in this fragged up world they were the two that would never look at him like something was the matter with him.
But . . . that wasn't true . . . .
There was.
There was something the matter with him.
Deep down in the darkest places inside of him, the places he tired to ignore, he knew that. He knew it all too well.
He wasn't normal.
He wasn't . . . right.
Something was the matter with him. He was different, from all of them but he didn't know why.
He didn't want to be, but he was.
It hadn't taken him long to realize that once it did finally make itself noticeable. He wasn't like all the rest of them. No matter how hard he tried he just wasn't.
Admitting that out loud though, to more than just his own spark. It sent a cold chill through his chest and left him gripping harder at Mia's armor as if pressing his faceplate hard to the armor between him and her safe spark was enough to make it all go away.
It wasn't.
He knew that deep down.
Maybe that was why for the first time in his life, Bee lied to her and Hide.
With a soft whimper he said he missed them all. All those that were gone.
Blurr, Kup, and so many others.
Which partly was true, it wasn't a complete lie. Maybe that was why it turned out to be believable.
Why Mia and Hide didn't press that truth any further. Even if Scout and Echo huffed unhappily at him from the floor. For now they could be ignored, they weren't being much help in any of it anyway.
And so that was the problem with him, the lied cause of his hiding that seemed to be more than enough to convince Ironhide and Chromia. They tucked him up close in the dimness of the berth room and held on tightly.
Keeping him safe in every way they could possibly.
And Bee buried it.
The real reason he was afraid, the truth that he had been hiding in more ways than one for a long time, got shoved down. Tucked deep down in the bottom of his spark to hide and worry about later.
It didn't fix anything, but nothing probably would.
So he hide it.
He lied.
And his spark shivered in his chest with it.
Dropping Roddy at the sudden voice hadn't really been in Magnus' plan, but considering Hot Rod just about leapt down it wasn't totally his fault. However, the startled yelp and spin was more than enough to get his grip to slip. Then the massive white, blue, and red mech was twisting around to find Optimus and Elita standing there in the doorway staring at them.
Optics wide and jaws more the slightly dropped open.
For a moment there was silence. Strut chilling silence and then Magnus noticed Roddy was shaking. Pressed tightly against the side of Ultra Magnus' leg. Optics blown wide, faceplate flushed blue, as he stared up into his big brother's wide optics.
Magnus' hand curled around Roddy's back half in an effort to keep him from bolting and half to keep him from possibly falling down onto his face. Which he kind of looked like he might do with how hard he was shaking.
Suddenly Optimus' jaw worked, but no words came out. For a long several klicks that was all there was, but then those bright optics that matched the same shade of Hot Rod's narrowed into thin slits and a deep growl thundered through his chest.
It hardly took a flick through his processor before Magnus had Roddy pushed fully behind him and met Optimus growl with one of his own as the Prime stalked forward.
"Magnus," He snarled, stalking across the room in a quick motion that if he was any bot other then Optimus a frame that large shouldn't have been able to do. But he was Optimus, and he was no normal mech. Squaring his shoulders with a snarl of his own Magnus glared until they were squared up in the center of the tiny berthroom. Hardly further then noseplate to noseplate. Two pairs of snarling engines and narrowed optics, but before either of them could so much as twitch a move more toward the other Elita was between them.
Shoving in between and shoving them back. One hand plastered to each their middles and pushing as hard as she could to wedge her smaller frame between them. A growl of her own in her chest as she snarled between them.
"Stop it!" She hissed.
But Optimus wasn't much listening to her. Glaring back at Magnus' own dark glare as they glared at each other.
"Back off, Optimus." Magnus warned. One hand still shoved behind him wrapped tightly around Hot Rod's side.
Maybe he should have backed down now. Maybe he should bow his head and give a better explanation then just a snarl, but Roddy's scared shaking was making that hard to do. He wasn't sure just what it was that had Roddy shaking, but he was pretty sure he had a good enough idea.
It was the reason for the anger in Optimus' optics now.
Magnus wasn't a fool.
He knew what the sudden flare of anger was caused by.
But it was reason enough to have the anger rising in him as well. For his friend's audacity to even so much as think that in his direction.
"What the frag do you think you're doing!?"
Magnus growled. "Listen Optimus—"
"No you listen! Just what—slaggin'—how dare—he's—just like Gra—" Optimus wasn't making much sense at this point. There was too much shocked anger flaring through his chest to pay much attention to the words falling out of his mouth.
But it didn't take much to know what the cut off name that came out of his mouth was and it was more than enough to have Roddy flinching so hard in his shaking that he nearly came out of Magnus' hold.
The feeling in both touch and the feeling through that field still meshed with his was enough to tear a roar through his engine with the heat of anger that flashed through him.
"You watch your tongue, Prime!" Magnus spit.
"Stop it!" Elita snarled again, but this time the hard shove she gave was enough to rock them both back several steps. The dark glare in her own optics knocking them both out of their fogged anger. "Both of you knock it the slag off!"
The pair of them paused.
Optics darting down to the remarkably tall but still small to them femme as she glared at the pair of them.
"Stop it! Look at what you are doing!" Though this time her optics were cut to Optimus alone and the hand she had had pressed to Magnus' middle was now flung back in a motion to the red mech shivering and clinging behind Magnus.
Optimus stopped.
A deep breath rattling through his chest as those bright blue optics drifted back to the wide shade staring back at him.
He stilled.
Spark stilling as well when he let the anger roll out of his massive shoulders. Frame sagging as he shifted just enough to look around Magnus to look down at his little brother.
"Roddy," He sighed.
"I—I—I." He whispered, hands wrapping tightly around the hand Magnus had motioned back to him griped hard enough that the plating of those long white fingers creaked. It had to hurt, but Magnus didn't seem to even feel it. He just wrapped his fingers tightly back around the shivering ones.
Suddenly Optimus felt like utter slag.
"Easy Roddy," Magnus rumbled back at him. Turning his gaze from Optimus and Elita in favor of looking back at the shivering mech.
Optimus took a step back at it, half because of it and half because Elita was still pressing hard against his belly.
Some of the shivering stopped then. Though his grip didn't listen. Instead he leaned harder into Magnus' space glancing up into his optics before he glanced back at Optimus. Seeming both embarrassed, afraid, and a little hurt.
It was then that Optimus realized the name that had almost slipped through his lips and the implications of his anger. His spark chilled in its chamber.
Head lowered and frame sagging he softly said. "I'm sorry, Roddy. I didn't mean—"
"Don't ever call him Grayscale." The quiet hiss was enough to make the mighty Prime flinch. His optics dimming at the waver in the shorter mech's voice.
"Roddy—"
"Don't." He spit back at him. "He is not Grayscale and despite how much you think I am, I'm not a complete idiot. I'm not the desperate, stupid, mechling that fell for that con anymore. I'm not stupid, Optimus."
"I know you're not stupid, Roddy." Optimus hurried. "I don't think you are, I—"
"And I don't need your freaked out over protective snarling. I can take care of myself. But fraggin' Primus its slaggin' Magnus for crying out loud. It's not like he's gonna slaggin' hurt me."
Magnus' hand curled tighter around Roddy's.
"I know that, that was—" And then he sighed, gaze lowering before he quietly sighed. "I'm sorry. Both of you, I'm sorry."
Magnus let out his own sigh at that. Letting the anger fall out of his own shoulders as he quietly pulled Roddy around from behind him. Arm wrapping around his smaller frame and tucking him close as he let his gaze rest fondly on those bright optics that tilted up to meet him. The slow, warm smile on his lips had Magnus smiling back at him.
Then, Elita was speaking quietly in more of a purr than anything else. Drawing their optics back to her as she smiled at them.
"Well, I can't say I didn't see it coming." She smiled fondly at them.
Now it was Roddy's turn to drop his jaw as Magnus snorted a laugh.
"Was I that obvious?" He asked her with a tilt of a grin.
She nodded solemnly at him. "Yes. You both were."
"What?" Roddy squeaked, hands coming up to rapidly fumble around before him. "I was not!"
"Oh please." Elita giggled at them. "Mechs are so fraggin' oblivious, I'll give you that much, but I'm not mech."
"But . . . ." Roddy blinked at her for a moment before he huffed with a slow smile. "You knew. You knew all this time and you didn't say anything?"
"No bot could do this for either of you other then yourselves." She looked back at him with almost pride in her optics before she went on. "Are you happy, Roddy?"
An almost goofy smile curled up his lips and he ducked his head. Leaning harder into Magnus' hold as he nodded.
Even Optimus had to smile at that as Elita just about gushed as him.
"Magnus?" She went on.
"You know the answer to that already, Elita." He smiled back at her.
"Well then." She nodded firmly. "I think that's just all there is to any of it. Right, Optimus?"
"So I might have over reacted a little bit. I'm sorry. I had no right to. I had no cause to I was just—"
"I understand, Optimus." Magnus told him back softly. "I really do. Don't you think there's a reason I have been hiding it all these vorns? Even from myself. I didn't want to hurt him, Optimus."
"Hey!" Roddy snapped up at him with fake and somewhat real annoyance. "I'm a grown mech. I'm not a youngling anymore that you all need to walk around the feelings of and make sure I don't do something stupid to hurt myself. I can make intelligent decisions. Most of the time. Some of the time."
He paused.
"Okay this is different! You're not Grayscale, that was . . . that was . . . ."
"Wrong for me to bring up ever again." Optimus said hoarsely. "I'm sorry."
Roddy's gaze lowered a little. "It's okay. I was stupid, we all know it."
"No, Roddy." A level of conviction filled the Prime's tone. That leader voice he very rarely used with his little brother coming out and drawing the smaller mech's gaze up. "You were not stupid, Roddy. You were used. That is not the same thing, and I will forever be so terribly sorry I allowed it to happen."
Red shoulder's tipped with yellow flares at his shoulder blades shrugged as he gave his older brother a half smile. "It's not your fault, Opt. It just happened. It's a long time ago now. And honestly I kinda just want to forget it."
"I know." Optimus nodded slowly. "That is why I am sorry even more now. To you and Magnus. I should not have let that thought—"
"He's your little brother, Optimus." Magnus cut him off with a smile that only Optimus and him shared. That old fond look from the orns back in the Enforcers. "I'd be pissed at you if you didn't get pissed off to find your best friend kissing him."
The Prime tensed a little at that making Roddy about keel over in a half laugh half embarrassed blush as he smacked at Magnus' hip. The big blue mech simply grinned at the pair of them as Elita fell back into Optimus front, arms wrapped around herself, giggling.
Optimus pinched the bridge of his noseplate. "Can we, uh, please not talk about that? Gah, it's like thinking about Bumblebee kissing somebot."
Roddy's laughter sobered up, Magnus did a bit too, at that though Elita's only got worse.
"Oh slag no." The red commander went to waving his hands around again. Making violent slashing motions as he hissed. "No. No. No. That's awful! Why would you even say that!? He's so—so—so—little! He's just a sparkling! Gah! No!"
"He's going to grow up eventually." Elita's found tone had a hint of future warning in it as she looked hard at the three mechs. They all shuddered at the notion.
"No he's not." Roddy huffed. "He's gonna stay a tiny little mechling forever. You'll see."
Elita lifted an optic ridge at him.
Magnus huffed. "Let's all save ourselves some trouble and not remind Ironhide of that prospect."
"Agreed." Optimus nodded stiffly, as he let his gaze rake over the pair again before he slowly asked. "Well . . . does either of you want to explain this a little bit more to me?"
The two bots shared a glance with each other.
"You sure you want us to talk about it?" Roddy asked carefully. "We, uh, haven't really had all that much chance to talk about it ourselves."
"I'm wondering how I never noticed what apparently so painfully obvious." Optimus sighed.
Elita snorted at him. "You're a mech, dear, there is really no other explanation needed."
Optimus elbowed her in the ribs—lightly mind you, but he still did it.
Elita slammed the tip of her heel so hard down into his toe the massive mech yelped like a sparkling and went to suddenly bouncing around the room on one foot holding the other.
This time Roddy really did fall over laughing as Magnus threw his head back in a deep roaring pitch of his own and Elita stood there with her arms crossed in a huff with an expression that screamed how much the glitch deserved that.
Perched on a rock ledge staring up at the cloud covered sky above them the tall, curved, sleek purple, blue, and green form of Evermore sat staring out as the expanse before her. Impulse was not far from her.
His massive, jagged, grey frame leaned back against a crumbling edge as he stood gazing out beside her. His claws wrapped tightly around the hilt of the battleaxe he was swinging around in a lazy, humming arch.
The tip of the razor edge double head grazed the rock he stood on with each swing sending a spray of sparks with each pass. It was making an awful grinding noise with how fast that lazy swing was spinning around.
It probably should have been annoying, but Evermore was more then use to Impulse's methods of keeping himself sane.
Watchers they may be, but that didn't mean they were all content with it.
To be perfectly honest, Ever was actually the only one of them that had liked to sit back and watch at all.
Trickster was too flighty and impatient. Looking for his next amusement or chance for trouble in every shadow and crevice. Wanting to get on and get to something. His nature demanding he be in the middle of the action where-ever it was. Up to something all the time.
Impulse just wanted something to do. It didn't have to be much or important, but the mech always needed motion. It was his nature as well. Not as wild and willing as Trickster's but he was motion all the same.
Order and chaos.
Different, but the same.
Never still.
Always in motion.
She didn't blame them and she was more then use to it by now. It got worse when they weren't together, though she knew better then to point that out to them. It made them both prickly and far too annoying.
Rolling her bright green optics she went on gazing up at the storms brewing overhead. They'd figured it out somewhere down the line. Give or take a few million vorns, but they'd figured it out all the same.
Right now they had bigger things to worry about. Much bigger things.
In a flash of blue light a heavy black mass of armor thudded down beside her. Not so much as bothering to catch himself before he was sprawled out there on the rock beside her. Flat on his back with limbs thrown all over the place repeatedly banging the back of his tall audio pointed head into the stone under him.
Evermore did little more than twist just enough to look down at the spectacle Trickster was making out of himself this time. Simply lifting a blue optic ridge down at him.
Impulse however was much more affected. This time he even did a slag job of hiding it. The larger grey mech over to the black one's side in an instant. Battleaxe strapped to his back again as he knelt down beside the lump of black armor that was Trickster. Forcibly making him stop banging his head and pulling him upright.
It got him a hiss and a growl, but Trickster didn't bother to fight him as the other sat himself down, keeping a firm arm wrapped around the other's thin shoulders.
"What is the matter with you now?" Impulse huffed at him in fake annoyance, but he was still checking over Trickster's frame looking for something to be wrong.
Trickster shrugged, letting himself be check over as he look out over the growing storm with Evermore.
"Nothing." He sighed. "At least nothing we can do anything about."
"Who the slag punched you?" Impulse suddenly bit. Getting a grip of Trickster's chin and suddenly pulling him around to face him.
That got Ever's attention.
Pulling her gaze form the sky to turn and see her black painted sort of sibling trying to get Impulse to let him go.
"I'm fine, Pulse." Trickster chuckled, finally giving up under the bigger mech superior strength and let him press carefully around the healing break.
"It's broken." He growled.
"It won't be for long." Trickster shrugged.
"Who hit you?" He snapped again.
"What did you do, is the better question?" Evermore lifted an optic ridge at him again and Trickster grinned sideways out her.
"I was just trying to introduce myself to Chromia and Elita. We hadn't actually met before."
Evermore rolled her optics and Impulse slugged him in the shoulder. Though there was no real heat behind it and he was still looking him over.
"Glitch. What did you do?"
"I said hi." Trickster shrugged. "And she punched me. It was all rather extreme if you ask me. I don't think I deserved it."
"She is afraid for her youngling around you." Evermore shrugged. "And you were probably being a glitch. So you probably deserved it."
Trickster glared down at her as if greatly offended for a moment before he barked a laugh and shrugged again. Leaning hard into Impulse's side grateful this time that the larger didn't shove him away.
"Yeah, I probably did." He chuckled. "But they needed the hint."
"So you gave it to them?" Ever questioned.
"Yep."
"Are you sure you should have done that? We're not even sure if it is time for that yet."
"Oh it's time." Trickster nodded, though there was less bounce in his voice and his expression now. Now it was darkening and he leaned a little harder against Impulse.
"Did he talk to you and you not tell us?" Impulse rumbled down at him, voice vibrating through Trickster's whole frame.
"Yes."
"What?!" Ever snapped. "Why the slag didn't you say anything!?"
"You were right." Was all Trickster said at first. Ice blue optics slowly drifting over to his might as well be sister.
She paused.
"Right about what, Trick?"
He just smiled sadly, then gave a low hum of a note and sang a few long haunted words. "There are two. That darkness will rue."
Evermore and Impulse went completely still.
Optics widening as they both slowly twisted to stare hard at him. Trickster just stared back.
"No." Impulse suddenly growled. "No. No, that's not possible."
"Apparently it is." Trickster sighed. "We were fraggin' fools to think otherwise. There are always two, Impulse. You know that. There are always two."
"How do you know now!?" Evermore hissed at him.
"Prui was in my dreams last night." Trickster said softly. "He told me to give them the old words. So that was the hint I gave them. Not the coordinates. They already have those, Ever."
"You gave them the lyrics?" She blinked those never ended green optics at him. "The lyrics. To the old words."
"Yes." He nodded. "Our Master told me too. We were made to do as we were told, Ever."
"But . . . they won't even be able to read it. That language is older than Primal Vernacular. It's the language of the Knights. They can't read it let alone would they understand it." Impulse huffed.
"They don't have too." Trickster shrugged. "Dust and War can, besides, they know the prophecy. They were there when it was written. Besides, we all know who it is really there for. And he will be able to read it."
"But . . . what does that mean?" Evermore whispered. "Two . . . there is only one, Trickster. There is only him. Deathtoll is still alive. There can't be another."
"That's what I thought." Trickster sighed. "Apparently we were wrong."
"Wrong!?" Impulse snarled. "We weren't wrong, they just never bothered to tell us! How could they not tell us!?"
Suddenly the massive mech was shoving himself to his feet. Pacing in tight angry circles as his engine snarled along with his vocal processor.
"What the frag!? What—where—how—"
"Now," Trickster cut off. "We go and find the missing piece."
Impulse stiffened up and Evermore straightened.
"Prui said to go find him?" She breathed. "It is a him, isn't it?"
"Yes." Trickster nodded. "To both."
"He told you where he was?" Impulse growled. "He didn't tell us where the little runt was! We spent vorns looking for him! Why tell us this one!? What the frag is going on!?"
"Things are happening, Impulse. You know what comes next."
They all went quiet at that. Hurt and guilt and anger swirling in their spark before they shook it off.
"Yes." Impulse grumbled. "I know. We all know. I don't like it, but I understand it has to happen. My point is why are we just finding this out now?"
"We should have always known." Trickster shrugged. "In a way I think I did. We know it is about him. We've always know there would have to be two and it wasn't our fallen brother that was the other side of it anymore. And the others have already failed. It would have to be a new set. We should have guessed we were missing something."
They had to agree with that.
They should have, they really should have known. They were fools to think otherwise. That one would be enough. It would never be enough, but with Shootingstar still alive in Bumblebee's spark. Well they had just assumed . . . .
Wrong.
They had assumed wrong.
"What now?" Evermore asked. "We still can't interfere. No more than we dance the lines as is."
"We're not." Trickster smiled down at her. "That's why I put a little extra hint in there. They won't be able to read it, but Dust and War will. They will understand. Once I give them a few hints more along the way. For now, we're just going to go check. I want to see it for myself. You two wanna come?"
"You think you're going without me?" Impulse snorted. "Yeah slaggin' right."
Evermore nodded. "You know I'm in."
With a flash of Trickster's twisted smile they were gone once again.
Well now, that was interesting. Its only taken me almost four years and four parts to get to this turning point, but here we are! *dances* It's all adding together (though there is a still a whole lot to go through before it does completely) but I actually got to write some of it! (even if it was just two sentences)
Can't wait to see what you all think of this one! Hints galore to be found.
Thank you all once again for all the wonderful reviews. I adore you all and I'm so happy you are enjoying the story. ^-^
See you next time!
-Jaycee