I just wanted to say that I appreciate all of the support you guys are giving this story! Anyways on with the story! I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS!
(Clare's POV)
My optics lazily onlined, my vision slightly blurred with tiredness. I looked around gaze falling on the recharging forms of my adoptive creators. Oh that was right...I had fallen into recharge on their berth last night.
Sometime while I was out they had both conregated towards me and now I was trapped between them cuddled up against opi's chassis. Dad was pressed against my back, his arms wrapped around opi and squishing the three of us together.
It was rather comfortable, in fact if it weren't for my taking notice of the bright date and time flashing across my HUD I would have wanted to just lay there until I fell back into recharge.
December 25th, 6:30AM
As soon as I saw that I was instantly wide awake. It was Christmas!
I shot up from the berth. "IT'S CHRISTMAS!"
My creators shot up as well upon hearing my scream, weapons appearing in their grasp within an astrosecond.
It barely even registered to me as I ran to the end of the berth and jumped off of it. "OPI! DAD! IT'S CHRISTMAS WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" I dug the gifts I had hidden out from under it with the additions of what I had got for Jacky and Hot Rod.
I sorted through the stack until I found my creators gifts, before I climbed back up onto the berth to hand them over. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
My optics locked on their every move as they tore the wrapping paper off of their gifts. Opi seemed pleased with the cds I had gotten for him, shuffling through them with interest. Dad was much the same only less noticable, he was looking over the world history and tactics book with calculating optics. I could feel their joy and elation over the bond so I wasn't worried that he disliked it. It made me happy that they were pleased.
[T'anks babay spark.] Opi swept me into a hug pressing a kiss to my helm.
[You're welcome opi!]
Opi passed me to dad who hugged and kissed me as well. I purred happily in his arms. [I am quite pleased with my gift as well Clare.]
[I hope so! Figuring out what to get you guys was hard I'll have you know!]
They both chuckled, the noise all that was audible in the otherwise quiet room. We all cuddled together on the berth for another few kliks before rising to go about the day. I wish that they could stay with me and celebrate more but I knew that they had work, and no human holliday was going to get them time off.
Both apologized to me when they sensed my thoughts, but I understood. They were officers, high ranking, with lots of responsabilities. I didn't make any complaint or try to guilt them into staying, just smiled and waved them off for the day.
Aferwards I grabbed up all the gifts that I could and made my way to the twins room. I passed Arcee and Flareup on the way so I gave them their presents as well, mostly to lighten my carrying load of overflowing boxes. They trilled happily upon opening the wax and polishes I had got them, both thanking me profusely.
It made me feel better since I wasn't sure if they would like them. I had hoped, so I was relieved that they accepted my gifts graciously.
We chatted for a few kliks in which Arcee offered to teach me some more servo to servo combat coupled with extra shooting lessons. I accepted with a deal to meet her after I was finished distributing gifts.
After that I made my way to the twins room. The door was locked meaning that they were in recharge, but they had given me the passcode so I entered it and walked in anyways.
My optics landed on them curled up in their makeshift double berth which they made by pushing two together. They were laying on their sides facing each other arms thrown haphazardly over one anothers' shoulders.
D'awwww that was so cute! Sitting everybot elses' present near the door I made my way over to the berth and climbed up onto it. I crawled between their bodies until I reached their helms, where I leaned in and... "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
Sunny shot up so hard that he nearly knocked into me and sent me flying. I had to duck to avoid the flailing arm of pure death heading straight for my face. He snarled, optics shooting around the room wildly as if there was a threat there. When they finally fell on me huddled over on the berth his snarling died down. "Baby?"
I smiled sheepishly. "Ummm Christmas? Presents? Uhhh sorry I scared you?"
A soft snicker came from behind me. "Primus sweetspark you scared the slag out of us!"
"Sorry Sides didn't mean to..." Sitting up I handed their gifts to each respective recipient.
Sides who was still laying down after Sunny's episode opened his present with wide gleeful optics. He shot up from the berth, game clutched to his chassis as he danced over to the XBOX ONE sitting on their makeshift entertainment center.
Well he was going to be busy for a little while... I turned back to Sunny who was now sorting through each bottle of polish and wax. The polishing rags I had bought for him lay in his lap telling me that he wanted to test these new items out. "What no thank you?" I fake huffed.
"THANKS SWEETSPARK!" Sides called from the couch.
Sunny leaned down and kissed me briefly. "Thank you baby."
"You're welcome."
"That reminds me," Sunny started distractedly. He got up from the berth and reached underneath it pulling up something covered in cloth. "Sides and I made you something for Christmas."
I perked up in excitement. "You did?"
He nodded. "We didn't buy them since we didn't have credits, but we had the materials to make these for you."
I took the rather bulky object or objects in my servos. Sides paused his game so that he could come over and watch me open them...er de-cloth them. They looked excited. I was too.
With an excited tug the cloth fell away exposing a painting, and a set of clawed gauntlets. My jaw dropped as I fingered each gift in awe. These gifts were absolutely beautiful. The gauntlets looked absolutely wicked with their foot long curved claws made of gleaming cybertanium. I wondered where they got the material to make them?
Next was the painting, a painting of the plataeu overlooking the ocean. It was beautifully done. I realized that it was from the day that we had gone there for the first time, when Sides had flirted with me and Sunny had tossed me into the water. A soft laugh bubbled up in my chassis when I remembered that day.
My optics actually started tearing up...sure I had bought them something but they had made these for me! They had devoted so much time and hard work when all I had done was go to a store! Slagging idiots who made me cry with their thoughtfulness. "These are beautiful...thank you for making them for me."
"You like them?"
"Of course I do Sides! It's one thing to buy something but it's another thing entirely to make something like this! To me it's more meaningful." I sniffled wiping at a stray energon tear. "You guys are afts for making me cry."
Sunny sat my gifts aside on the berth and gathered me up in his arms, a soft rumbling starting up in his chassis.
I buried my face into his neck cables, nuzzling and kissing them. Another body climbed up on the berth causing it to shake, firm plates pressing against my back. Lips met my helm several times, one set rough and firm, the other soft and fluttering.
We sat there wrapped up in an embrace for nearly a half hour before I finally forced myself to get a grip. Pulling back I smiled affectionately at them both feeling my spark swell with affection for the mechs with me. "I wanna stay here...but I have to give the rest of the gifts out. Wanna come with me?"
"Sure, it's our off day anyways."
Sunny let me crawl up onto his shoulder, then they grabbed the gifts up from the floor and carried them for me. I pressed my cheek to Sunny's while we walked, purring happily the entire time. If I wasn't sure that I was falling before I was now, my spark was.
"Where should I keep the painting until I go home? Bob might try and eat it."
"I can keep it in our room until I take you home." Sunny offered.
"Ok. I'll hang it in my room when I go home. What about the gauntlets though? Aunt Judy will freak out if I bring them home."
"Subspace them and she'll never know." Sides shrugged. "You could always use a weapon to defend yourself with sweet. We'd rather you be safe than follow your familial units rules."
"True. It's still kind of weird that I can break things down atom by atom and store them within my body without feeling a single thing. It's fragging awesome!"
"It's all part of being a super advanced alien race."
Typical arrogant, egotistical, Sunny response. I couldn't help but to laugh at him.
We bumped into Optimus after rounding a corner near the rec room. It had been a while since I had last seen him! "MERRY CHRISTMAS OPTIMUS!" I called.
"Christmas?"
Optimus didn't know what Christmas was?! I huffed. "Give me Optimus' present Sunny." Sunny quickly handed me the small gift which I tucked under my right arm just before I lunged from Sunny's shoulder to Optimus'. "Christmas is a holliday where humans give presents to people they care about soooo HERE YA GO!"
He accepted my present with warm optics and a small smile. "Thank you Clare. If I may ask, who do humans celebrate on this day?"
"Ummm it's the day Jesus was born or something like that. He was said to have died for our sins so people celebrate his birth on this day. We do this by giving gifts and spending time together. That's all I really know though, I'm not religious."
All three mechs cocked their helms at me. "Humans are strange."
"Tell me about it...and I thought I was human six months ago!"
Optimus chuckled at me. "You fit in well enough with both species."
I shook my helm. "No I don't, I'm a weirdo. Ask Sam if you don't believe me! Humans thought I was weird when I thought I was one, and you can't tell me that you guys think that I'm perfectly normal either."
"No I suppose not, though I have met bots who were raised Cybertronian who were stranger than you."
"Are you teasing me Optimus? If you are you're going to wake up pink tomorrow."
"I would never tease you Clare." He smirked. Ohhh he thought that just cause he was like thirty feet tall he could tease little people. Well I was so going to get back at him later! Somehow! Some way! REVENGE WOULD BE MINE!
"Mean. So mean. I get you a present and you're mean to me."
Optimus handed me back to Sunny. "I thank you for your thoughtfulness in considering me somebot that you care for."
My spark softened a bit at that. "You're welcome."
"I will open this as soon as I return to my office. For now I would ask that you three stay out of trouble and enjoy this Christmas."
He said it weird...maybe it was a bot thing? But then again what about me? I said it right! So not a bot thing? No it definitely was. "Ok we will!"
Sunny and Sides started towards the rec room again which sounded loud. The reason for that, as we discovered upon entering the room, was that everybot on base minus Ratchet and Optimus was in there. It sure was crowded!
Everybot sat together, tables moved so that they could all talk amongst themselves. I waved to opi and dad, who were sitting with Ironhide and Jacky at the moment. They waved at me gesturing us over.
On the way I stopped and handed out gifts to everybot. They all seemed pleased with what I had got them except for the Chevy twins when everybot laughed at the encyclopedias and etiquette guides I had gotten them. Sunny didn't stick around long enough to give either of them a chance to complain to me. Not that I would have listened to it.
We walked over to my creators' table where I handed Ironhide and Jacky their gifts last. After that Sunny sat me down before he and Sides took a seat next to me. I watched Ironhide and Jacky's reactions to my presents and they seemed to like their gifts.
"Thank you Clare." Jacky smiled at me. I noticed that he had some tools along with a gun type thing on the tabletop but I most likely would not be allowed to go anywhere near it.
"You're welcome Jacky." Curiosity was nagging at me to ask him what that gun did. I refrained, just barely from asking him.
Ole Hide just grunted a gruff, "Thanks."
Well as long as he was happy enough with it. I guessed that opi and dad had explained Christmas to them already so that I didn't have to. That reminded me that I had some toys for Bob but he was still in my room! Oh scrap I forgot about him!
I shot to my peds. "I forgot to let Bob out of his cage!"
"He'll be fine for a few more kliks." Sunny reasoned.
I turned towards him, noticing Jacky fumbling with his gun thing from the corner of my optics. The dang thing was pointed at me as well, but I gave no thought to it really.
At least until Jacky released a startled cry as the thing fired a bright blue beam...
Straight at me! There was no time for anybot to react before it hit me.
All I felt was a tingling sensation...then nothing.
(Sunny's POV)
We were all too slow to react to the beam that hit Clare dead center in her chassis. Her body went flying over the edge of the table, bright light encompassing her from helm to ped. She made no sound as she plummeted over the edge.
The room went deadly silent. Nobot spoke a word. Anger welled up in my spark as Sides and I jumped up to rush around the table at the same time that Jazz, Prowl, Ironhide, and Wheeljack did. If Clare was hurt I was going to maim Jacky beyond repair.
What we all found was not what we expected.
It was most definitely Clare...but she was tiny...like less than 3/4 of her original size. Too large dark blue optics blinked up at us from a small chubby face. Her antennas were much too large for her small helm, her arms and legs were curled up making her look like a ball. A typical sparkling defense... HOLY SLAG SHE WAS A SPARKLING!
"JACKY WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Sides yelped, in turn startling Clare so bad that she started crying. "Oh I'm so sorry sweetspark!" He cooed at her and picked her up. She was tiny in his servos, easily being dwarfed by them.
I whirled around. "LOOK AT WHAT YOUR EXPERIMENT DID TO HER! FIX HER!
Jacky whipped around to grab up his aging beam or whatever it was... "Of course! Just let me-let me-!" As soon as he went to grab it the damn beam thing gave a shrill screech and exploded in a fiery shower of sparks and metal. "..."
"..." Everybot just stared at it until a soft sparkling laugh drew our attention back to Clare who was clapping and giggling at the explosion.
"Boo! Boo! Pow!" Her little antennas twitched as she giggled.
Sides' lips twitched into a small smile. (She's fragging adorable!)
(Sides this is hardly the time to be gushing like a femme over how adorable she looks! Jacky's aging beam just exploded! How are we going to change her back now?)
(Have Jacky make a new one.) He shrugged. (There's not much else that we can do now right?)
"You better be able to make a new one of those!" Jazz growled angrily, not using his accent which let us all know that he was slagged off. He reached out prompting Sides to quickly hand Clare over to her opiluck. She trilled up at him in question then pointed at Jacky.
"Hoo dat?"
(She's asking who Jacky is?) Sides sent a wave of confusion over the bond. (She knows him though...I don't understand this.)
A good point because I didn't know what the slag that meant either. I wondered if she knew who her creators were or if it was instinctively something that she knew only because of the bond she had with them. It wasn't something that could be erased, and sparklings depended heavily on creator bonds to function normally. They needed that connection.
Wheeljack fumbled with the remains of his aging beam frantically, finally gathering his thoughts enough to give Jazz an answer. "Of course I can make a new one! It just might take me a few solar cycles to get one with a low self destruct percentile." He rambled.
"Well what the slag are we supposed to do with Clare-" An excited voice cut Sides off mid sentence.
"Me! ME! I Cware! Dat's me!" She squealed.
Ok so even I was starting to think that she was too fragging cute for her own good. But could you blame me when she was sitting there chirping excitedly that she knew her own name? If I wasn't so proud of my cold demeanor I would be awwing like everybot else present in the room.
"Yeah baybay spark dat's yo'! Yo'r so smart!" Jazz preened.
"Whea Hammy at? Whea Peshy at? Gotta take 'im fo' a walk wit' Unca Won." Clare babbled on and on as sparklings are prone to doing. Jazz made sure to nod when she looked at him expectantly with those bright little optics of her's. His visor covered his optics but I could literally see the gleam in them through the dark glass.
Clare gestured down to the floor and wiggled eagerly. "Wan go down on da foo'. Go down pease?"
Jazz sat her down near his ped watching her closely as she crawled away on chubby servos, weaving in between the peds of other bots, chirping and squealing happily. The door to the rec room was closed so we didn't have to worry about her getting out. Even so the femmes broke off from the main group to keep an optic on her.
As soon as she was far enough away I turned and grabbed Wheeljack by the throat and jerked him into my face. "You better fix her or else!" I growled low in my chassis and squeezed his throat enough to make it difficult for the vents there to intake or expel air.
"I will! I will! Just let me get to my work room so that I can get started! It'll only take me a few solar cycles to rebuild it thanks to the schematics I have!"
"You better not screw this up Wheeljack! If you do, and I have to wait for my femme to grow up all over again I will de-limb you slowly and painfully!" I threated one more time before I sat him back on the floor.
He turned and scrambled to get out of the room as fast as he could.
My optics stayed locked on him until he disappeared from sight, then a soft weight against my leg made me look down at where Clare had latched on to hold herself up on her little legs. Her optics were locked on me. Mine locked with her's. I wasn't really sure what to do with her...or sparklings in general. I didn't even know what she wanted.
She lifted her arms. "Wan' up."
I hesitated until Sides nudged me with his elbow. My servos wrapped around her lifting her up from the floor...it made me nervous because I had never held a sparkling before. What if I crushed her tiny body? What if she got scared of me? What if-!
"Mine. Don' kno' hoo ou awe bu' ou mine." She chirped possessively.
I raised an optic ridge at her. "Your's huh?"
"Yup! Mine! Ou ta'e me ou'side no'!" She demanded.
(Wow she's a little spitfire.) Sides commented with amusement.
As if she sensed Sides speaking to me Clare turned her little helm in his direction and pointed at him. "Mine. Ou mine too. No' ta'e me ou'side no' pease?"
I literally felt Sides' spark melt because of those big blue optics. Why did sparklings have to be so cute? Why? Was it for the sole purpose of reducing mechs as ornery as Ironhide into a quivering blabbering mass of cooing metal? Because I was pretty sure that it was already happening to everybot here.
"Ok we'll take you outside." I ended up caving to her desires. As much as I hated to admit it, and I really did hate to admit it, I wanted to make her happy in any form. This revelation disturbed me when I first deduced it as being the reason behind some of my behaviors around her. She accepted us, that meant something to Sides and I.
Briefly looking to Jazz, I waited for him to either nod in approval or shake his helm to deny me. He finally nodded but added his own requirement first. "Ya gotta take 'er ta Ratchet first. She migh' need ta refuel, an' Ratch will wanna 'ave a look at 'er. Afterwards ya can take 'er ou'side."
I nodded in agreement before Sides and I left to take her to the med bay. When Ratchet saw her he was going to have a spark attack.
"Clareeeeee. We're gonna go see Ratchet the Hatchet!" Sides crooned to her as we walked towards the med bay.
"Hachet." Clare chirped. "Ou Hachet?"
"Our medic. Do you know what a medic is Clare?"
"Doc'er?" She chirped in question.
"Yes a doctor." Sides answered her.
Her bottom lip suddenly started quivering as a whine built up in her processor. "No doc'er! No gettin shots! Don' like it! We go ou'side no'! No go see doc'er." She protested.
We walked into the med bay anyways. "Sorry Clare but you have to see the doctor." I apologized to her.
She started squirming as soon as the words were out of my mouth. "NO! NO DOC'ERS! 'E GONNA POKE MY ASS WIT' A NEEDLE! NO LIKE NEEDLES! GO OU'SIDE INSEAD! WE GO NOW!"
Ratchet looked over upon hearing her outburst, optics taking in what was no doubt the first sparkling that he had seen in a very long time with a wide stare. "What in the pit-where did you get that sparkling?"
Upon approaching Ratchet realized just who I was holding. He choked. "Is-is that Clare? How the pit did this happen? I mean it should be imposs-Wheeljack." He suddenly scowled. "That whackjob did this didn't he?"
Clare turned to him curiously. "Wha'sa pit? Wha' it mean when ou say dat?"
"It's a bad word Clare. Sparklings don't say bad words." Sides told her.
She pointed a digit at Ratchet with a small affronted gasp. "OOOOO ou say bad wor'! I gonna tell mista daddy on ou!" She gave a little glare.
Sides patted her little helm. "Ooooo she's gonna tell Jazz on you Hatchet!" He laughed.
A sharp BAM resounded when Ratchet smacked him with a wrench hard enough to send him sprawling to the floor. Clare gasped and whirred in anger. "'Ey ou can' hit 'im like dat! 'E mine! I tellin Unca Won on ou!"
"Yeah you can't hit me like that Hatchet otherwise Clare will be mad at you!" Sides muttered into the floor.
BAM! The wrench found purchase on Sides' helm again. My idiot brother yelped but otherwise stayed silent in order to avoid a third assault in one day.
Clare was a whole other story, giving an affronted gasp she turned to me with a pout. "'E hittin mista red! Mista shiny do some'in ta 'elp mista red!"
Ratchet gave me a threatening look smacking the wrench into his servo repetatively.
"Sorry Clare no can do." I tuned her out for a moment so that I could address Ratchet. "As you can see Jacky hit Clare with that aging beam or whatever it's called, so now she's a sparkling. He said he can change her back after he makes a new aging beam, until then we have to take care of her. Since he had patrol Jazz asked us to bring her for a checkup and some energon."
"Sit her down on that berth." Ratchet ushered me over to the closest berth.
Clare trilled when I sat her down on the berth. "Ya betta no' poke my ass wit' a needle!" She warned with a scowl.
Ratchet flitted around the berth unconcerned with the tiny sparkling threatening him, gathering a syringe with a sparkling nanite booster in it just in case. He came back around the berth to scan her.
She chirped and grabbed at the pale beam of light shining over her form. "I catchit! Catchit!"
"Please sit still."
"Lookit I catchit! I catchit!"
"Sit still!"
"Catchit! Catchit! Lookit da petty cowors! We catchit! Shiny 'elp me catch!"
Ratchet had to actually hold her still so that he could complete his scan much to her displeasure. She trilled angrily, squirming as much as she could when trapped in Ratchet's servo; and she kept it up until he finally finished.
"Ou meanie! Ou pickin on me!" She accused.
Ratchet rolled his optics, though he looked amused as he picked her up to hand her to me. "Hold her so that I can do a nanite booster injection."
Clare perked up when she was placed in my arms, where I moved her so that she was situated against my shoulder. She chirped happily, completely unaware of the needle being lined up with her aft. Ratchet removed some plating to give himself a clear shot.
"Hold her still." He commanded.
I brought one servo to her back to hold her in place astroseconds before Ratchet stuck her with the needle.
An audio piercing shriek assaulted my audial intakes as the sparkling I was holding thrashed her little legs in an attempt to dislodge the needle stuck in her aft. I held her still until Ratchet had administered all of the nanite booster into her system, only loosening my hold when he pulled back.
"OWIE! OW! OU POKEDED MY ASS! NO LIKE OU NO MO'E!" Clare cried.
"You needed a booster to ensure that you stay healthy."
"NO! NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Somebot's really mad." Sides snickered.
In response Clare just stuck her glossa between her lips and blew slobber all over. Some of which got on my paint much to my chagrin, luckily it was an easy clean. If it had been anybot else I would have knocked their helms off...
"I ungwee." Clare suddenly declared, rubbing her little stomach plating in big circles. "Fee' me pease?"
Ratchet got her some sparkling grade energon out of his cabinet and heated it up in a makeshift bottle with a rubbery tip. He approached to take her from me but she humphed and turned away from him. "Ou pokeded my ass. Mad at ou."
"So who wants to feed her?"
Sides grinned. "I do!" He held his servos out for both the bottle and Clare, situating her in the crook of his arm so that he could bring the bottle to her mouth.
Only Clare wouldn't take it. She kept looking at all of us as if we were crazy.
"Time to eat Clare." Sides prompted her.
Her little optic ridges furrowed together in confusion. "Mista red I no 'ake babas no mo'e. I big giwl. Big giwls ea' big giwl foo'."
Well that stumped us. If she wouldn't drink the energon what were we supposed to give her?
"But Clare this is a big girl bottle." Sides told her.
She chirped. "A big giwl baba?"
"Yup! It has this yummy stuff in it! Do you want to try it?"
"It a big giwl baba dou righ'?" She chirped.
"Yes it's a big girl bottle."
"M'kay." Without further delay she took the tip into her mouth and started suckling the energon down. "Ummy! Ummy! Ummy in my tummy!" She sang between mouthfuls.
Primus...she was going to turn us all into mushy fraggers at this rate!
It only took her a few kliks to finish her bottle. Her little servos pushed the bottle away from her mouth as soon as the last drop was drained from it. "Aww done!" She declared.
"Good femme!" Sides cooed.
"Go ou'side no'." She chirped.
"In a klik sweetspark." Sides shushed her. "Ratchet there's something off about her besides her being turned into a sparkling. She doesn't remember any of us really, not our designations at least. Do you have any idea why?"
"Well she did not just reverse age in only a physical sense, it appears to have been mental as well. At this point in her life she did not know any of us, so since her processor reverted back to that stage she has no memories of us. That is my theory at least."
"Will her memories be restored when she reverts back?" I asked him. If she didn't remember us I was going to maim Jacky.
"She should. It may even be an issue caused by her short sparkling mentality. It is hard for them to concentrate on certain things, or keep track of their mental processes sometimes. The age she was reverted back to is the equivalent of a human toddler of perhaps two stellar cycles old, so in our years she would be at the mental age of a sparkling of one or two millenia old."
"Oh...well that explains a lot." I sighed. "We're going to take her outside now."
"Keep an optic on her otherwise she will wander away." Ratchet warned us. "Remember short sparkling attention span."
"Right. We'll keep an optic on her. Come on Sides, we have to feed Bob first."
He nodded and together we left the room and headed back to Jazz's room. Clare chattered excitedly during the walk back, preening about getting to go outside. Sides kept her entertained by making stupid faces at her eliciting a myriad of giggles.
When we entered the room Clare's optics immediately shot over to Bob who was clicking furiously in his cage. "Wha' dat?"
I bent down to take Bob out of his cage. "This is Bob." Grabbing his bowl I filled it with some pellets and set it out for him to eat.
Sides sat Clare down near his peds, where she proceeded to stare at Bob curiously. Bob stared back at her from where he had his helm buried in the bowl of pellets. He seemed to recognize her at least because the usual gleam that was present in his optics whenever she was with him before was still there.
After he finished off the last of the pellets he scurried closer to Clare. He was bigger than her now towering over her small form by maybe half a foot.
They clicked at each other for a moment, Bob sniffing at her, Clare grabbing him with her chubby sparkling servos. Then she stood on shaky legs and scrambled onto Bob's back when he laid down. "I ri'in 'im!"
Sides was getting a great deal of amusement watching Bob tote Clare around the room, instead of her carrying him. She seemed happy though.
"We go ou'side Bob!" Clare squealed. "Ou'side!" She pointed at the still open door.
Bob scurried for it as fast as his legs could carry him. We followed close behind.
The four of us made our way outside to a small patch of trees.
Clare dismounted Bob to toddle around on slightly unsteady legs, the insecticon following her around right on her heels. She toddled her way onto Sideswipe's knee joint where she sat staring up at him. "Hoo ou?" She asked.
"I'm Sideswipe."
"Hoo dat?" She pointed at me.
"That's Sunstreaker."
"Sunseaka?"
"How about you just call him Sunny?"
"Sunny." Clare chirped happily. "Sies n Sunny. Mine."
(She's a possessive little thing isn't she?) Sides murmured in amusement.
(We are too.) I shrugged. I stared at Clare as she crawled all over Sides' lap, a large servo following her every move to make sure that she didn't fall down. She didn't seem to notice it since her attention was caught up in playing with Bob who had scurried up onto my brother's lap as well.
Staring at her now I fully realized the beauty and innocence she exuded in any form. She was a beautiful sparkling, and a beautiful femme bot. I had noticed before but now it was even more apparent. It was all there in her optics which shone a deep sapphire blue, the way they gleamed when she was being mischievious or when she smiled; her features, from the antennas that twitched aop her helm when she was happy, or her soft facial features. She was just beautiful inside and out.
It made me feel torn that her innocence would not last. Our kind were at war and she would have to raise arms and fight one day soon. She would have to make the decision to either take life or let her own be extinguished. She would have to learn about what real suffering was. I only hoped that surviving would not cause her spark to completely shatter.
"Sunny! Sunny! Me n Bob n Sies pay hide n seek! Ou pay too?"
"Sure."
"Kay! Ou be it! Ou be it! Gotta coun' ta fify an' den come n fin' us!"
"Ok. Just don't go too far."
"M'kay! C'mon Sies we gotta go hide!" Clare tugged on my twin until he stood up. Without waiting she turned and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her in the direction of the treeline with Bob right beside her.
(Sides stay with her so she doesn't wander off.)
Sides sent me a playful shove over the bond. (Did you think that I was going to just let her go off on her own?)
(Just go.) I started counting out loud as Sides turned and walked off in the direction that Clare had disappeared in. "One, two, three, four-"
"No peekin!" Clare chirped from somewhere close by.
I heard Sides shush her. "If you talk he'll know where you are!"
She gave a startled gasp that made me smirk.
After that it was silent while I finished counting. Once I was done counting I stood and started in the last direction that they had gone in.
There weren't many places to hide, especially for Sides, save for a few rocky outcroppings dotting the landscape; and wherever he was Clare was. I prioritized finding him first, then seeking her out.
Part of me wanted to use my heat vision to cheat just to make it quicker but I refrained from doing so. It was just a childish game, one that really had no place for advanced tools such as that.
I looked around several outcroppings of rocks but found nothing. There were several more situated around the area, all of which I was making my way towards. Clare and Bob may be able to hide in or behind a tree but then Sides wouldn't be able to hide with them, and I doubted that he would let either of them go anywhere that he could not see them for many reasons. Mostly Jazz and Prowl's wraths.
A gleam of red paint caught my optic as I rounded a bend in the trees. Really? Did Sides really think that he could hide behind a patch of trees and not be seen?
He peeked out and waved at me. (There aren't many places to hide when you're my size, so I hid somewhere that would be easy enough for you to see me. Clare is gonna be a little harder to find.)
Huffing, I checked each rock and tree to see if she was hiding behind them. Nothing. I checked up in the tops of the trees but I could not see her peeking out from between the strage brown fruits or whatever they were called. Clare had once said the trees were called palm trees or something, they didn't seem to be very suitable for hiding in with their sparse foliage.
Where would a sparkling hide...? I looked behind the outcroppings, nothing still. She wasn't anywhere that I could see. My vision shifted to heat vision, my surroundings became stained in various colors, purples and blues for objects lacking heat, and yellows, oranges, and reds for objects giving off high amounts of heat.
I panned my helm around my surroundings looking for her. Most objects in the area radiated a good deal of heat due to our base being located on a tropical island, the majority showed up as either a shade of yellow or orange. Still no sparkling though.
A soft giggle broke me out of my thoughts, gaze shifting towards where the sound had come from. A palm tree was laying tilted over against another one and it's roots were loose. My optics zoomed in on the small heat signatures laying beneath the tree roots. It was barely noticable over the sand piled in front of the roots, only a small part was left open to provide air. Clever sparkling.
I knelt down next to the roots and peeked into the open space. Two tiny helms stared back at me, one with two sapphire optics, another with four glowing orange ones. "Found you."
"Sunny fin' me!" Clare squealed happily. She crawled out of her hole allowing me to pick her up. Bob came scurrying out after her, much to my chagrin he climbed up onto my shoulder. If Clare didn't love him so much I would knock him off.
Sides snorted. (Yeah right. You like the little insecticon too.)
(Frag off Sides!)
Our attention was drawn down to the little femme I was holding when she let out a yawn, her little optics drooping with fatigue. They shuttered once, twice, three times before finally sliding closed completely. A soft purr started up astroseconds later as her internal systems powered down to repair.
(I guess she was tired. She looks cute when she's recharging.) Sides mused.
I just held her for a moment unsure of what to do. She needed to rest to strengthen her systems and I didn't want her to be disturbed, but holding her the entire time she recharged wasn't favorable. Anybot could wake her up.
"We could use our sparkling holds." Sides suggested.
The idea almost made me want to balk back. Nobot had ever been in my sparkling hold before...nor had I ever given the thought to it ever being used. But the more I thought about it the less I was bothered with the idea if it was Clare, she would be safer in there.
"If you don't want to put her in your's I can put her in mine instead."
"No that's fine." I shifted my chest plates open and popped the latch on my sparkling hold so that I could gently lower her recharging form into it. Bob tried to scurry in as well so I shut it fast. The last thing I wanted was to put a sparkling insecticon in there.
He cocked his helm and clicked at me.
"Not happening slagstain." I gave him a pat as we turned and walked back to base. Each step I took made me painfully aware of the tiny form inside my hold, her form jostling slightly everytime I put my ped down. It was strange but not...unpleasant.
Jazz and Prowl would probably get a real kick out of being able to carry her around like this. Who knows? Maybe this would melt the perpetual ice encasing Prowl's cold spark?
Now that would be amusing to see.
(Prowl's POV)
I headed towards the twins' quarters to retrieve Clare for evening recharge. She would need to be refueled then put in either Jazz's or my hold for the night. Normally I wasnot excited or moved by much but I was eager to carry her the way all creators carried their sparklings.
The data packs I had downloaded on sparkling care also informed me that having her in my hold would strengthen our creator bond. Jazz and I would be sure to utilize this instinctual behavior in her, since it would only benefit our bond in the long run.
I arrived at the twins' quarters and walked in. The first thing that I saw was the back of each of the twins' helms. Both were playing some game on their console. Clare was nowhere in sight. However I did see Bob sitting on Sunstreaker's helm. They did not acknowledge my entrance until I cleared my throat to make my presence known.
Both turned to me. "Oh hey Prowl." Sideswipe greeted me. "Are you here for Clare?"
"Yes I am."
"Oh cool." He looked down at something on the couch. "You hear that Clare? One of your opis is here to pick you up!"
A soft chirp sounded back. "'E my daddy? I no gots a daddy befo'e."
Sideswipe picked her up and got up from the couch to bring her over to me. "Well you have two now!" He told her.
I took her from him as she trilled in confusion. "Da oter misa tol' me dat 'e was my daddy too. I gots two daddies?"
"Yes, but we call our..." I paused briefly to look up the proper human word. "fathers opiluck or opi for short. We do not call them daddy."
Her little optics stared at me widely. "Opis? Daddies?"
"They are the same, you may call me daddy. Jazz may be called opi." While I let her mull that over in her sparkling processor I acknowledged the twins. "My thanks for taking good care of her while Jazz and I were busy."
Their jaws dropped.
What I said was truly shocking, their reactions were not surprising. I had more pressing matters at hand than to comment on it. "Well Jazz is on his way back to our quarters so I must be going now. You have first patrol tomorrow so do not be late."
"Ok."
With that I grabbed Bob from Sunstreaker, turned my back to them and left the room.
"Bah bye Sies! Bye Sunny!" Clare chirped.
The doors to the twins' room slid shut before a response could be made. My sparkling was more focused on playing with Bob at the moment so she did not seem to mind it. I watched her more than I watched where I was going, my doorwings sitting alert on my back to catch any vibrations in the air around us. If anybot came near us I would sense it and be able to react accordingly. Not that I anticipated any incidents on base, however with both sets of twins, and Wheeljack on base it could not hurt to be prepared.
There were no incidents during our little trek. Jazz was waiting inside our room with a fresh bottle in his servo when we arrived back. He took Clare from me to feed her while I put Bob in his cage with a fresh bowl of pellets.
With the latch firmly in place I returned to the berth and sat beside Jazz. My mate's side of the bond was filled to the brim with love and adoration. We had always wanted a sparkling but with no Allspark, and neither of us having gestation chambers or carrying coding it was not possible. We had discussed adopting but then all of the sparklings had been killed by the Decepticons. All hope had slowly faded away until the small femme in Jazz's arms had come into our lives.
She was everything that we never thought we would have. I thanked Primus every solar cycle for giving her to us.
[Meh too Prowler. Meh too.]
[Would you like to keep her in your hold tonight?]
[Yeah ah woul'.]
Jazz set her bottle aside once she had finished it. She gave a tired yawn as he rocked her, eventually succumbing to recharge after a few kliks.
I watched her disappear into my mate's hold before the plates shut tight after her. We had a family...it was the happiest we had ever been.
Jazz leaned up and we shared a quick kiss before laying down for recharge with my arms wrapped around my mate's chassis protectively.
I sent my love and adoration over the bond to my family unit. [Good recharge Jazz, sparklet.]
Two swells of love hit me back, one conscious and one subconscious.
My spark had never felt so complete.
R&R! Some Jazz/Prowl/Clare family fluff for all of you! I know what you're all thinking! Wheeljack makes the story that much more interesting! I was soooo torn between doing this or just having him shrink her or something lol. In the end I chose a few sparkling Clare chapters. Hope you all like it!
Last chapter Reviews!
Coolgal02- The more Autobots the better! And don't worry about not reviewing! Just do it when you can!
himelove22- I would never eat those things...ever! Poor Sides and Sunny were just so dang desperate for those pictures that they didn't even care!
leebee14- Dawwww is right!
HeartsGuardianSol- Your klutz senses were right! XD
TerrorTwinEpicness- I haven't done that prank in real life but I wish I could. Wow your one cousin had great luck and the other had crap luck lol!
DarkshadowXsunny-Sides- Still trying to decide if I want to make Hot Rod a big issue. He's going to be a small one at least. You'll just have to wait and see what my convoluted mind comes up with.
Izzy-dragon-rider- Was this a good enough Wheeljack oopsie situation for you? XD! And I didn't really like his weird appearance too much either. I mean sometimes the wire hair looks nice but his was kind...weird. No his entire helm was weird looking and they made him like ancient!
Sorana3- Yup they legitimately exist in real life and they are disgusting! I would never take a bet like that either, but Sunny and Sides are as you said determined little perverts. We all love them though.
Muirgen79- Yup the twins are dumb. And yes you got your Christmas scene.