Shadowstrike eventually pulled his attention away from the twins, and turned to look at Ratchet.
He knew this bot was the Chief Medical Officer, and the bot that had taken care of him. The lack of any pain told him the medic had done an excellent job of it. He was never not in some kind of pain- not even when Poppy had finished with him in the Healer's Wing, though she had tried.
He chirred reaching out towards him with one servo while still gripping Sideswipe's chassis armor with the other. He waited until Ratchet came over, and then he reached out to tap the medic's faceplates, making happy thankful chirping noises in place of the verbal words.
He saw the medic's optics soften and he murmured to him "You are welcome little one."
He chirred happily in response before he returned his attention to Sideswipe. He reached up towards the red bot's faceplates, wiggling his fingers demandingly. He knew he should be embarrassed about the rather childish behavior…but he wasn't.
It was like…he knew he was a 17year-old, that he was considered an adult by wizards, in his old world. And his mind- his processor- knew that but it also recognized that as a sparkling- as his Animagus form- a 17year-old was a newborn and therefore he had no reason what so ever to be embarrassed about any childish motions or urges. It felt utterly and completely natural to react the way he was and Shadowstrike saw no reason what so ever to question it. Cybertronians were- for all intents and purposes- immortal. So long as the spark- the heart- was left intact and the bot had the will to keep going, Cybertronians could live forever.
So he wasn't embarrassed and saw no reason to be.
Sideswipe dipped his head and brought his faceplates into servo-range and Shadowstrike took instant advantage as he carefully explored the mech's face. It was interesting and warm and Shadowstrike enjoyed it as he explored all the little pieces that made up the red mech's face.
He went still as a warm feeling swelled over his processor, something like amused fondness, and blinked-shuttered- his optics with surprise.
That wasn't his feeling.
Shadowstrike immediately turned his attention inwards, looking for the source of the feelings. He was hesitant and worried as he looked for the source, remembering the last bond he had that transferred emotions—Voldemort had not been a pleasant presence.
The amused fondness became alert and comforting, even as Harry found the source and began to follow the link.
It took him a moment to realize it was Sideswipe. He recoiled sharply for a moment, then he slowly, carefully reached out to the red mech. Sideswipe was infinitely gentle as he reached back, peace-protection-strength flowing over the bond Shadowstrike had found, and he found himself relaxing into it.
It took him another moment to realize that Sideswipe was making a soft comforting crooning noise, but once he did, Shadowstrike relaxed further.
This was not like the bond with Voldemort at all. It felt natural- not slimy and dark and painful- and went two ways- felt equal and good in a way the bond to Voldemort never had. The information in his processor told him it was entirely natural and expected since his programming had chosen Sunstreaker as his Guardian- one of a set of split-spark twins- that Sideswipe would also have a Guardian Bond with him.
When Shadowstrike pulled back a little bit and went looking, he found the bond that led to Sunstreaker and followed that as well.
O~O~O~
Sideswipe had to very, very carefully control his rage when the sparkling recoiled from the feel of the Guardian Bond. He wasn't sure what the sparkling's last caretakers had been like, but he could sense over the bond as the sparkling remembered pain-rage-suffering in relation to his last Bond.
The idea that someone- anyone- would use their bond with a sparkling to hurt the sparkling was repulsive. He could sense the wrath that stirred in his twin as Sunstreaker monitored the interaction using his Bonds with Sideswipe and Shadowstrike and came to the same conclusion as Sideswipe had.
It took a few seconds that felt like ages before Shadowstrike carefully reached out to Sideswipe again, tentative and terrified though he tried to hide it. Sides reached back, gentle and patient as he gave the sparkling the time he needed. The sparkling followed the bond back to Sideswipe and submerged himself in Sides' half of the bond, feeling out the mech, searching his core feelings and intent though the sparkling was unaware of doing so. Sideswipe pulled on feelings of peace-protection-strength allowing them to flood the bond and pour into the injured sparkling, crooning in time with it.
He was rewarded for his efforts as the little seeker relaxed in his hold, his wings settling from their tense position, and the sparkling slowly backtracked along their Bond until he was back to his half. Once the little sparkling was there, he searched and found Sunstreaker's part of the Bond, following along it to repeat the process he had gone through with Sideswipe.
O~O~O~
Sunstreaker was going to murder whoever had held Shadowstrike before he found him.
Painfully.
Slowly.
Slag being an Autobot- he was feeling very Gladiator about this situation. No sparkling should ever recoil from a Guardian Bond like that. Should remember rage-pain-suffering in relation to a Bond of any kind. The little seeker had been terrified about having a Bond at all.
The only thing that had fixed it was Sideswipe allowing the sparkling to submerge himself in Sides' half of the bond so completely that he could sense the core of Sideswipe. Could sense that Sides would never, could never, hurt him using the Bond.
So when the little seeker reached for him as soon as he was sure of Sideswipe, Sunstreaker reached back without hesitation.
This was his sparkling and he refused to have the little seeker be terrified of the Guardian Bond between them. If that meant letting the seek-ling submerge himself in Sunstreaker's core, Sunny would let him.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
TIME MEASUREMENTS:
Astrosecond: .5 seconds
Nano-klik: 1 second
Klik: 1 minute
Breem: 8 minutes
Cycle: 24 hours (one day)
Deca-cycle: 4 weeks (one month)
Mega-cycle: 96 hours (four days)
Meta-cycle: 12 months (one year)
Stellar Cycle: 6 months
Vorn: 83 years
Mega-vorn: 83,000 years (1000 vorns)
60 mega-vorns: 4,980,000years