I want to thank everyone whos been reading and reviewing my story! It's the first thing i've written, fanfiction or otherwise, in a really long time. The feedback from you all is what inspires me to keep going. That and the annoying lack of Autobot Guardian/Charge fluff in the TFP Fanfiction community.
XinterestingX: Thanks! And yeah I always thought the Autobots would be relatively clueless about the little ticks of humanity like being non-critically sick, etc. The Autobots encountering human culture is one of my favorite topics so expect to see more in the future.
DarkLord888: Thank you! Don't worry, there'll be more chapters. I haven't decided yet, though, if it'll be a sort fic or if i'll draw it out a bit more. Time will tell.
I don't own Transformers or their characters.
"What was that? Deceptions?!" Bulkhead exclaimed, spinning on his heels in the sudden darkness as if he expected them to be behind him.
"More like a power outage," Ratchet answered cooly, looking towards the dully glowing monitors as they flickered back to life. "We have backup power but just enough for essential functions." As if for emphasis, the lights clicked back on, but were only half as bright as usual. "It seems much of Jasper has been affected."
"I believe it would be wise if you three spent the night at our base." All eyes turned to the doorway where their leader stood. No one had heard him approach in all the commotion. "I recommend you call your parents to alert them."
Miko tried her phone and whined in frustration, "No signal, lines must be down." She shoved her phone into her pocket with a pout. Raf had no luck, either.
"We may be able to reach Nurse Darby via our communications system," Optimus turned to Ratchet as he spoke, silently requesting the Medic's assistance.
With a nod, Ratchet turned to the computers and began typing, "Very well, its best we contact her anyway to inform her of her son's condition."
"Don't you dare," Jack groaned, only to be shushed by Arcee.
"Are you unwell, Jack?" Optimus eyed the boy with hidden concern. Humans were just so fragile.
"He's got the flu," Raf explained before Jack could complain again. Optimus nodded slowly, though he still wasn't entirely sure what that meant, he could infer from his team's reactions.
Just then Ratchet spoke up. "Nurse Darby, can you hear me?"
Though there was no video, through the speakers they could hear the ambient sounds of a Hospital in chaos.
"What? Okay.. hold on, I've just-" there was a click of a closing door and the background sounds became more muffled. "There, sorry everyone's all worked up about the blackout. Even with the generators, we're scrambling to keep up. Is that what you're calling about? Is everything okay?"
"Yes and no, Nurse Darby. The kids are indeed here at the base. We feel it's safest to keep them overnight but due to the storm Rafael and Miko can't reach their parents." Ratchet hesitated.
"Oh that's no problem, I'll get ahold of them and say they're staying with me tonight."
Ratchet shifted on his peds. "That's not the only reason we've called, I'm afraid. It seems Jack has been affected by this 'flu'," He waited, fully expecting yelling.
"What symptoms is he displaying? What's his temperature? Is he dehydrated?" June slipped easily into nurse-mode, but her voice was tense with motherly concern.
"My scans show he's at 102.4°F, and adequately hydrated. He's developed a cough and is shivering, he's also a lighter color if that means anything." Ratchet rubbed his helm awkwardly, uncomfortable with his lack of knowledge on the subject.
Jack covered his eyes with his arm dramatically, partly from embarrassment partly because even the dimmed lights seemed to burn his eyes. "And a headache," he added in defeat.
June's voice softened as she addressed him, "Aww, I'm sorry honey, but you know the drill. Rest up okay? And Ratchet, thank you. He should be alright as long as he takes it easy and stays hydrated. If anything changes let me know, and if not, call me in the morning anyway."
Ratchet nodded, though she couldn't see him, "Of course, thank you, Nurse Darby. I'll keep you posted on his condition."
"Thank you, all of you. Love you, Jack, feel better sweetie." As June hung up they could hear her colleagues calling for her.
"Sleepover! Woo!" Miko cheered, which caused Jack to wince, and Arcee to glare at her. "Ah, headache, right. My bad," she grinned sheepishly and turned to Bulkhead. "I'm SO bunking with you, big guy."
Keeping go-bags at the base was Miko's idea. The Autobots had insisted it was unnecessary; until the kids got stuck there overnight for the first time. The three of them woke piled up on the old couch, its broken springs digging into them. The next day they had brought some things to the base, including sleeping bags. The Autobots had thought it better let them than to argue with three grumpy teenagers.
Miko grinned as she dragged the bags out of their storage cabinet, one of the many leftovers from when the base had been an active military silo.
"We're fine staying up for a bit, but Jack should probably go to bed," Raf added, pulling his laptop out of his school bag and doing his best to ignore Jack's pointed look.
Jack began to mumble a protest but Arcee was already gently lifting him from the couch. She took his things with her other hand. "Nice try partner, but you heard your mom. Time to rest up"
Next thing Jack knew they were in a room he hadn't seen yet. She had placed him sitting on the floor, but he got right to his feet again. Looking around, he realized that this was Arcee's room, even though it was distinctly impersonal.
Along one wall was a massive metal platform with a touchpad on the side. Her bed, maybe. He has heard the Autobots refer to them as berths. There were some training and weapon maintenance equipment scattered about, as well as what looked like a giant version of a desk. On the desktop was a shimmering image on a data screen. Jack had seen something like that once before, in Optimus Prime's office. The leader has told him it was the Cybertronian equivalent of a picture frame. He hadn't seen what Optimus's photo was, but on Arcee's desk was one he recognized.
Jacks face was lit up with laughter. He sat in the yellowed grass leaning back on the palms of his hands, totally at ease. This site had become painfully rare to Arcee.
" -and then the jerk fell back on his ass, and Miko knelt down next to him and took a selfie of his stupid shocked face!"
Arcee tried unsuccessfully to sound serious. "Jack, I didn't teach you hand-to-hand combat so you could use it on other high schoolers." She chuckled.
"Well I wasn't about to let him pick on Raf so," he shrugged, "I like to think of it more as protecting my teammate."
"So wait, what was it Miko did to him? I haven't heard of that move before."
"What move- oh! Do you mean a selfie?"
She nodded.
"Ohh no," Jack shook his head with a laugh, "it's not a combat move or anything. It's when you take a photo with someone using a front-facing camera. This way you're both in the shot and don't need someone else to take it. It's especially helpful if you're using your phone to take it. Basically, Miko took a picture with him to remember the face he made"
She tilted her head to the side. "Show me."
"Huh?"
"Your phone has a camera, right? Well, let's take a 'selfie' then. And I'd like to have a photo with you."
Jack recovered from his surprise with an amused smile. "Sure, but you have the long arms so you'll have to take it okay? Just don't break my phone."
He pulled out his cell phone and showed her how to use the camera. Arcee lowered from a crouch to sit on the ground and Jack climbed up onto her thigh. With some careful positioning and a few missed shots, the picture was taken. Arcee sent the image to herself before she handed him the phone back.
"See? All in one piece." She teased.
Jack didn't seem to notice, he was grinning down at the photo on the little screen. "This is awesome! Thank's Arcee." He plopped back onto the grass and turned to face the sunset.
"There's no need to thank me, Jack."
"Ugh!"
Jack snapped out of the memory and turned to see Arcee struggling to fold out his sleeping bag. She was clearly trying not to tear it, but her frustration was growing.
"Here, let me." He unwrapped his arms from around himself and knelt beside her. "So bots can't use velcro?" The thought brought a smile to his face. "And don't give me that look, this isn't exactly a strenuous activity. Although looks like you could probably make it one."
Hearing him tease her so casually put her processor more at ease. He had been quiet so far, and it worried her more than any of the other symptoms he was showing. She didn't want to let him set up his own bed, but he had finished before she could protest.
He sat down heavily on his sleeping bag and turned to her with a tired smile. "See? Easy."
"All I see is a partner who needs to get some sleep." Arcee teased, smiling back.
Jack sighed, untying his black converse, "Alright, I admit that sounds nice."
Arcee nodded and stood, pleased that he was finally accepting help. Jack turned to look at her and just..stared.
"...Is something wrong, Jack?"
"Ugh..yeeeeah, would you sort of leave?" She raised an optic bridge. "No offense, but I wanted to change. Sleeping in jeans is the worst..." He trailed off awkwardly.
The femme blinked. She had forgotten how private humans were with their bodies. "Oh, yes of course. I'll be right outside," She waved over her shoulder as she headed out the door. "Yell when you're done."
The door slid shut behind her, and Arcee leaned against the wall with a deep sigh.
"You look troubled, my friend."
She quickly stood up straight. "Optimus, I didn't hear you approach. I'm sorry."
"No need for apologies. It seems you were distracted by your own thoughts."
"It's just...Jack,"
"I know. It pains me to see our young friend suffering, but Jack is strong. He'll be okay, Arcee."
The femme nodded slowly. She knew Optimus was right, but her spark ached every time she looked at Jack. She was his guardian. She had sworn to protect him, but this wasn't something she could protect him from. Helplessness was not a burden she bore well. "Thanks, Optimus."
Optimus only nodded in quiet understanding and continued down the hall. A klik passed when she heard Jack call out. She spun on her heel and hurried back into the room. Jack sat with his legs crossed on his sleeping bag. He had changed into a white t-shirt and black pajama pants with white stars printed on them. He had a wrinkled green blanket wrapped around his shaking shoulders.
"H-hey 'cee"
She knelt down beside him. "Hey, now down," She put one finger against his chest and applied just the slightest bit of pressure. Jack allowed himself to be knocked onto his back. He alternated between laughing and coughing.
"Okay! O-okay, Arcee. I got the message."
Klik- Cybertronian unit of time, approx. 1-2 earth minutes