Transformers Prime belongs to Hasbro.

Requested by Blooms18. Sorry if this took long but hope you like! Also this story seemed relevant to last night when actual thunder kept me up. Hehe.

Thunderstorms

The weekend rolled around again. As usual, the Autobots expected their human friends to come over and spend the weekend at base since they had no school. But this time, only one of them spent the night at the Autobots' base.

Earlier that day, Ratchet was surprised to see that only Rafael showed up. He expected all three kids to show up, but he assumed, since it was only Raf, things would be much more quieter at the base.

Later on, Ratchet overheard from Raf telling the other Bots that Miko couldn't come because she was grounded and Jack was stuck home with the flu.

Several times, Ratchet interrupted Raf and Bumblebee's playtime to do a physical scan on the little human to make sure he hadn't come into contact with the contagious flu or any other illnesses. Raf had to assure Ratchet many times that he was feeling healthy, and how he made sure to stay away from Jack while he was sick with the flu.

Although the medic expected the afternoon to be more quieter, he got the opposite, actually. For almost two hours, he had to listen to Bumblebee and Raf's loud child-like laughter and shrieks as they occupied themselves with a game of Freeze Tag.

"Ughh...those two are even louder than Miko and a room full of hyperactive sparklings," Ratchet sighed as he rubbed his temple. "Optimus, how does all this racket not bother you one bit?"

Optimus, who was standing across from the medic and busying himself reading a report from Agent Fowler, simply replied, "They're both children, Ratchet. Let them have their fun. After all, you do get accustomed to hearing the sounds of their shrieks and laughs after you have spent more than a decade raising a hyperactive youngling yourself."

Ratchet just grumbled and returned to his work. His temper almost snapped when he heard Bulkhead and Smokescreen join in on the fun, and how it seemed like their laughter increased a few octaves. "Primus, give me strength..." he muttered tiredly. Optimus chuckled lightly.

Bee and Raf's playtime was interrupted again when the base's monitors began beeping erratically. That sound indicated that there was an emergency.

Bumblebee gently put his little friend down and went over to Prime's side. "Emergency, Optimus?"

The leader nodded then turned to face his team. "I just received an emergency distress signal from Agent Fowler. He and his group of military soldiers were ambushed by Decepticons, and are currently being held hostage. We must hurry. Fowler has also stated that there are several soldiers injured." He turned his gaze to Ratchet. "Ratchet, we will need your medical assistance so you will be coming along."

Ratchet nodded. "Understood. But I will need someone to stay here to open the ground bridge for us."

Prime looked to Arcee. "Arcee, we will need you to stay here to open the ground bridge for us."

"Got it," she answered.

"Excellent. The rest of you, come along. We must hurry and get those trapped humans to safety." Optimus slid on his battle mask, then turned around one last time to look at Arcee. "One more thing. In case you have not noticed, Rafael is staying the night with us so do be sure to check on him to make sure he's alright, and if he needs anything."

"No problem, Optimus. I'll be sure nothing happens to the little guy."

Bee quickly went over to Raf's side. "Well, duty calls. We won't be long."

"Just be careful. Okay, Bee?" Raf told his guardian.

The scout gently ruffled his little friend's hair with one servo. "Of course I will. See ya, Raf."

"Optimus, wait!" Ratchet stopped the leader before he walked through the ground bridge. "My sensors detect a dramatic change in the stratosphere. A thunderstorm is approaching fast. We'll need to hurry if we want to avoid any severe lightning strikes."

Prime nodded. "Understood. Quickly, everyone. I advise everyone to drive quick, but with caution. Autobots, roll out!" And with that said, the team left and the whole base grew quiet.

Arcee decided to remain close by the monitors in case the team needed to alert her for assistance. But then, she also remembered she had to be watching over the youngest member of their human alliances. Fortunately for her, she heard Raf announce that he felt tired and was going to take a nap in Bumblebee's room.

"I even brought my blanket and pajamas to change in," Raf said.

"Here," Arcee said, leaning down to gently pick the boy up. "Let me help you. You'll hurt yourself if you try to climb up on Bee's berth." She carried him to Bumblebee's room, and set him down gently on top of Bee's thermal blanket which was nearly folded. "Do you need anything else?"

"Uh, no thanks," said Raf. "I'm okay. I'm just gonna rest for a bit."

Arcee nodded. "Okay well if you need anything, I'll be right by the ground bridge. But you can just yell for me if you need me."

Raf nodded. He then tensed up when he heard the muffled sound of thunder booming from above. "W-What was that?"

Arcee stared with a bit of confusion. "That was just the thunder. A storm's supposed to be approaching this way this evening."

"A-A...thunder storm?" Raf squeaked out. He hugged his blanket close to his chest.

The Autobot femme looked past the young boy's fearful expression. "Well, yes. But relax. There's no way the storm will harm us in here. I gotta get back to my post but if you need me, you know where I am."

After Arcee left the berthroom, Raf suddenly lost the desire to sleep. Despite being in his pajamas and under a blanket, his body rattled with cold shivers. Thunderstorms always scared him like they do for majority of kids, but Raf's fear of them grew after one particular former incident.

The booming thunder now reminded Raf of the terrifying moment where he and Bumblebee had been struck by Dark Energon after Unicron had awakened. And worse, it also brought back the unpleasant and painful memories of what it felt like to be infected with Dark Energon.

In an attempt to comfort himself, Raf wrapped himself tightly with his blanket and curled up in the fetal position. He still shivered with goosebumps despite being under the warm layers.

The little boy tried going to sleep to forget about those unpleasant memories, but he still couldn't. He shifted uncomfortably, tried thinking about something else, twiddled his fingers, pushed his blanket off, and even got up to pace around Bumblebee's metal berth. But nothing worked.

Every time he heard the booming sound of thunder, he shut his eyes tightly and let out a muffled whine, tightly clasping the end of his blanket.

Pretty soon, Raf's muffled whines and sounds of distress grew louder and repetitive. Arcee, who was carefully watching the monitors, suddenly perked up when her audio receptors detected the sounds of distress. It's Rafael. Something's wrong with him!

She rushed to Bee's room to see what was the cause of the boy's loud whines and moans. Her frame rattled with panic when she saw the little twelve-year-old shift and squirm uncomfortably on the berth, eyes tightly shut, and emitting moans as if he was in pain.

Is he hurt? Is he sick? What's wrong with him? Should I comm Ratchet? Arcee's processor was over flooded with frantic thoughts and questions. Taking a breath to calm herself, she carefully reached her hand out to gently shake the boy's shoulder. "Raf? Wake up. Wake up!"

Raf finally jolted awake when he heard the thunder again. He quickly sat up, eyes wide and heart racing. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was.

Arcee knelt down to the boy's eye level. "Are you okay? You sounded like you were in pain just a few seconds ago. And I could hear you all the way from the main room."

The little boy shifted his gaze to focus on his own lap, his fingers fumbling with the folds of his blanket. "Oh...sorry. I-I didn't realize I was s-so loud..."

"It's okay. Is everything okay?" Arcee asked again. "Are...you okay?"

"Oh, well...um..." Raf wasn't sure how to answer. He suddenly winced with a yelp when he heard the thunder again.

Seeing the boy's reaction made Arcee realize what was the problem. "I see...is it the thunder? You're scared of thunder, right?"

Raf lowered the blanket's end that he was using to hide his face. "H-How do you know?"

"Well, no offense, but your reactions prove otherwise. So are you actually afraid of the thunder?"

Raf hesitated for a second, and then shyly nodded. When he opened his mouth to speak, he let out a little cough and then licked his lips, which now felt dry.

"What's wrong? You feel sick?"

The boy shook his head, then answered hoarsely, "No. Just feeling really thirsty, and my mouth feels kinda dry."

Arcee remembered that Ratchet had some emergency supplies tucked away in the storage room reserved just for their human alliances. These supplies were stored away just in case the children had to temporarily stay at the Autobot base. "Hold on," she said. "I'll be right back."

She went to the storage room to fetch a bottle of water, to which Raf greatly accepted as he gulped it down. "Thanks. And...sorry you had to hear that. I-I didn't mean to interrupt you watching the monitors."

"No, don't be sorry," Arcee assured. She gently ruffled the boy's slightly messy hair. "You were just scared, that's all. But, if I may ask...why does the thunder scare you?"

Raf clutched his blanket close. "Um w-well...it's—it's uh..."

Arcee noticed how fidgety the little human looked. "If you don't want to say, then that's fine. I won't push you."

"No, no, it's okay," Raf quickly cut in. "I think I should tell someone this rather than just keep in inside." He took a deep breath. "Well...thunder storms have always freaked me out, but now I'm even more scared of them after...after what happened with Bee and I...during that Dark Energon incident."

Arcee took a moment to let that sink in to her mind processor. So that's why he's afraid. It reminds him of that time they both got struck with a Dark Energon strike. Aww poor thing.

Arcee perked up when she heard the sound of whimpering. Raf was clutching his blanket tightly and had his eyes shut tight as the offending sound boomed again. She reached out to rub the trembling lump in a comforting manner. "Aww you poor thing. You can't sleep because of it, can't you?"

Raf shook his head under the covers. "Nuh-uh. I can never sleep through a thunderstorm. It always scares me when the sound comes so unexpectedly."

Arcee felt bad for the poor scared little human. And she, too, could also relate to Raf's fear. In fact, everyone on Team Prime could. After years of countless battles both on Cybertron and Earth, the Autobots couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear whenever they experienced thunder or lightning storms because it reminded them of those unpleasant battles.

"Aw it's okay," she said, still petting the lump. "You know, you're not the only one this scared of thunderstorms."

Raf shyly poked his head out from underneath his blanket. "I-I'm not?"

"Nope. In fact, let me let you in on a little secret here," Arcee said, leaning a bit closer. "I'm actually afraid of them, too. And so is everyone on the team, including Bumblebee. And I also bet Optimus is, too, even though he may not show it."

"Really? Even...even Bee? He—He never told me he was afraid of—y'know that."

Arcee nodded. "Of course yes. He probably just never told you because he might feel embarrassed to admit it. But I know how you feel about the thunder. To me, it still rattles me because the sounds really remind me of the sounds of our battles back on Cybertron. And obviously, that's not a very pleasant memory. You know how it might feel for a human soldier to come back from recently fighting in a war?" Raf nodded. "Well that's how we feel occasionally. Sometimes, a sudden noise or action will trigger a memory for one of us...and we get scared."

The boy tilted his head innocently. "Wow...I never knew you guys were scared of thunder, too. I guess it's nice to know I'm not the only one."

Arcee smiled. "Of course. So, are you feeling okay now?" The sudden sound of thunder answered her question as she saw Raf wince and hug his blanket.

He sighed. "No...And I don't think I can be able to go back to sleep, either. It still sounds too scary!"

Arcee sighed internally. She really wanted to make the boy feel better since she hated seeing him this way. But she felt she wasn't exactly the expert when it came to making younglings feel better. Or so she thought.

It was at this very moment where Acree recalled a faint memory of her helping little Bumblebee with his fear many Astro cycles ago back on Cybertron. She had actually went through the exact same situation she was dealing with at that very moment: helping little Bee overcome his fear of thunder in a very wholesome way. Although it didn't take away his fear permanently, it helped him out greatly so he could always recharge peacefully that same night.

Arcee figured that could also work on Raf since he could use a wholesome technique to help with his fear. And she didn't need to hesitant to think twice since her assumptions were proven true after witnessing a previous playful interaction between the three young humans.

"You know, Raf, I think I might know a way to help with your fear," the fem bot said, breaking the silence.

Raf perked up. "Really? You do? How?"

Arcee nodded. "I went through the same thing with Bee when he was younger, and this technique worked really well. It didn't eliminate his fear a hundred percent, but it always helped him recharge more comfortably and peacefully. And if it's okay, I'd like to show you this technique. Maybe it might end up helping you, too."

The little boy's eyes shined with hopefulness. "Okay! Sure! I'll do anything to help get rid of this fear. Even a little bit."

"Good. But first, lie back down. You need to feel comfortable and relaxed for this to work." Raf silently and eagerly obeyed, making himself comfy under his soft blanket. "Now, you also need to close your eyes for this next part." Arcee gingerly took the little boy's hands, and placed them over his eyes. "And finally, just focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly. And when you hear the thunder, try to concentrate on your breathing no matter what. Got that?"

Raf nodded behind his covered eyes. "O-Okay then. I'll try."

It was a good thing Rafael couldn't see anything because then he wouldn't notice the playful smirk Arcee was flashing right above him. She only needed him to be distracted and blinded momentarily so that she could make her next move. And it needed to be unexpected and also timed perfectly.

"One more thing, Raf," she said, waiting for her cue. "You know what happens after you hear thunder, right?"

"Of course. A lighting strike usually follows before you hear thunder again. Lightning comes before thunder. Everybody knows that," Raf answered.

"Right. And you're lucky you're protected inside our secret base. Otherwise, you'd most likely be struck by the lightning if you were outside." Then, as if on cue, thunder boomed again and Arcee took that opportunity to quickly and lightly jab her servos against the boy's exposed sides.

Instantly, Raf squeaked and brought his arms down with a cute giggle. "H-Hey! Wha-ha-hat was that for?"

"Oh, just a little technique I used on Bumblebee whenever he got scared by the thunder," Arcee answered casually. "I'm hoping this will help ease your fear a bit by distracting you from the sounds."

Before Raf could protest, he heard the thunder booming above him and then felt Arcee's servos jab against his ribs. Except this time, she kept wiggling and poking her fingers until Raf couldn't take it anymore and finally burst out giggling uncontrollably.

"Ahh! A-Arcee-hee-hee-hee-hee! S-Sto-ho-ho-hop! Hee-hee-hee-hee! T-That tickles! No!"

"Oh really? Then that means it's working," Arcee said casually.

"W-Wha-ha-ha-hat's working?!" Raf giggled out.

"Well this, of course. My distraction to distract you from the thunder. Isn't it working?"

Despite this sudden unexpected playful attack, Raf had to admit that this actually was working. It was distracting him from the continuing thunderstorm, which he didn't even realize was still going on outside. He was too busy giggling uncontrollably and trying to squirm away from Arcee's still wiggling servos that now moved higher to slip underneath his arms.

"W-Wait! AAAAHHH! THA-HA-HA-HA-HAT'S E-EVEN WORSE! NO-HO-HO-HO!"

Raf tried to bring his arms down, but Arcee's fingers were in the way. Now he couldn't even bring his arms down all the way to protect himself. He could only lay there and deal with this playful fem bot who kept making him a giggly happy mess.

It was all over once Arcee got sneaky enough to slip her fingers underneath the boy's pajama shirt that had ridden up to expose the skin of his sensitive tummy.

Arcee actually jumped back, startled at the sound of Raf's sudden loud shriek he emitted when she lightly ran her finger across his exposed belly. But that didn't stop her from continuing her playful assault.

It wasn't until Raf suddenly started laughing silently and wheezing a bit through laughs that she ceased the little tickle session. She helped Raf sit up, and gave him some more water to help him recover. "You okay? You look kind of flushed."

Raf just giggled in response and brushed his messy hair out of his face. "I'm okay. And—hey. Did the thunder stop?"

Arcee nodded. "Yup. Wasn't too bad of a storm like other days. Which is good news for the team. Now they won't have so much trouble returning back to base." The fem bot twitched in surprise when she suddenly felt a little warm form latch on to her hand. She saw Raf had his little arms wrapped around her hand, hugging it as best as he could while nuzzling his little warm cheek against the cold metal surface.

Arcee didn't admit it out loud, but she was touched by the sudden gesture. She didn't realize how affectionate humans could be until now. Especially young humans. She always thought all humans were the same. But today, she was proven wrong.

She curled her fingers around the small boy's body, attempting to hug him back. "How are you holding up? Feel good now?"

Raf slowly nodded. "I think so now that the thunder is gone. But...I still feel kinda lonely a-and a bit...scared to sleep here by myself. Usually when I sleep in Bee's room, he's always here with me."

Arcee thought for a moment then answered, "Okay, tell you what. How about for tonight, I let you sleep with me in my berthroom?"

Raf quickly let go of Arcee's hand and stammered, "Oh n-nonono! I-I don't wanna be a bother to you. And—I don't wanna distract y-you from your—from your Autobot duties! I-It's no big deal...really! I'll be fine here."

But Arcee shook her helm. "It's fine. It's no problem at all. I can still manage to watch the ground bridge and watch over you at the same time. Besides, I did promise Optimus and Bumblebee that I'd take care of you and anything that you need for tonight." She gingerly picked up the boy, wrapped him with his blanket, and cradled him in her arm. "See? No problem."

Raf relaxed a bit in her embrace. He expected Arcee to feel cold to the touch because of her metal form, but was surprised when she actually felt warm. Smiling lightly, he snuggled against her, enjoying the warm comforting embrace.

"H-Hey, Arcee..?" he asked sleepily, eyes barely open.

"Yes?"

"I've never actually admitted this out loud 'cause...'cause I didn't want you to take this the wrong way or anything, but...you're very nice. Almost like—" he yawned. "Like...like a big sister to me."

Arcee right away stopped typing on the monitor's keyboard. She felt like her spark was going to melt just by those little words that were directed towards her. She glanced down, and smiled when she saw that Raf was now sound asleep.

That same feeling in her spark didn't go away for the rest of the night. The words kept echoing in her audio receptors. And they made her feel prideful. You're very nice. Almost like...like a big sister to me.

She couldn't believe it. This little boy looked up to her like an older sister just because of her little comforting act. But even that said small comforting act really meant a lot to Raf.

In no time, the little boy had fallen asleep, happily snuggled up in Arcee's arms. And when the rest of the Autobots had finally returned, they couldn't resist quietly gushing about how adorable Raf looked so sound asleep in the femme's arms.

And later that night, Arcee carefully carried the still sleeping child back to her berthroom, where she gingerly laid him on top of her chest so that he could feel the warm pulses form her spark chamber. She wanted to make sure that Raf would sleep more comfortably and snug. And thankfully, Bumblebee didn't mind having his little best friend spend the night with another Bot.

For almost the whole night, Arcee kept stroking and rubbing the little boy's back and shoulders, keeping him in a deep comforting sleep. She almost forgot about getting some recharge herself because she couldn't stop looking at how peaceful and adorable Raf looked when he was asleep.

The next morning

"Awwww! I can't get enough of watching this! They're just too adorbs! So kawaii!"

"Shhh! Quiet, Miko! You'll wake them up!"

"You know, I can't remember a time where Arcee looked this peaceful in recharge. This is a first."

"Same, Bee. They almost look like a mother and son sleeping together. Still...they look so cute together! Awww!"

"Come now, everyone. We shouldn't disturb our slumbering friends. Let them rest."

Team Prime, and even Jack and Miko—who had stopped by for a visit—woke up to encounter what seemed like the most adorable thing they had ever seen happen at the Autobot base: Arcee and Raf, snuggled up together and sleeping peacefully. Arcee had her arm wrapped around Raf like a protective mother, and Raf was snuggled up against her side while cuddling her arm.

It was truly an adorable sight to see and gush about. While everyone else quietly left to let the still sleeping guests enjoy their slumber, Miko stayed back for a few more seconds to snap a few pictures to save to her photo memories. Then, with quick tapping of her fingers, she sent the photos to Raf and smiled to herself.

Raf would have some adorable photos waiting for him on his cell phone the minute he woke up.

THE END