Optimus always enjoyed his visits to the temple. There was something soothing about the place that filled his spark with peace as he followed the High Priest through the halls lined with columns – until the sound of a canon powering up disturbed the silence.
"Ironhide?" What was going on?
"Why are there seventeen enforcers in the garden?" his loyal bodyguard demanded tersely, immediately scanning the surroundings for any threats and stepping closer to the Prime, ready to defend him with his life.
"Please calm down," the High Priest raised his servos placatingly, "they are here for their colleagues' bonding ceremony. It's starting in half a joor. We're expecting about thirty more to come."
"Oh," Ironhide sheepishly powered his canon down.
"A bonding ceremony?" the Prime perked up. "May I watch?" He had a thing for bonding ceremonies; but who could blame him? There was just something magical about love that brought two sparks together.
The High Priest chuckled. "Watch? You may officiate if you wish."
Oh. Right. As the Matrix-bearer Optimus was technically the highest religious authority on Cybertron. (He tended to forget that. He still thought of himself as Orion, a simple dock worker who became an archivist. There was nothing special about him. Why the Matrix deemed him worthy of being the Prime, he would probably never comprehend.)
"I would like that very much," he answered honestly.
The High Priest smiled in approval. "Very well. Lantern will help you prepare."
A cheerful looking yellow mech asked Optimus to follow him. They got into a brief argument with Ironhide because apparently some parts of the temple were for priests only, but eventually the guard relented. After all, the temple was surrounded with enforcers. If that wasn't safe enough, no place was.
Optimus was led to the innermost part of the temple. A group of acolytes helped him clean himself, retouched his paint and polished his armour almost to perfection. A golden stole was draped over his shoulders, indicating his status of a priest.
"Looking good. Nervous?" Lantern inquired with a grin, handing him a ceremonial dagger.
"Excited," Optimus answered honestly.
"Good. Do you remember the promises?" The Prime nodded. "Excellent. The Polyhexian's name is Jazz and the Praxian is Prowl. They wanted their adoptive sparkling to hold the ribbon. His designation is Bluestreak."
Prowl? Optimus was sure he'd heard that name before... Of course! That Praxian enforcer with absolutely amazing processor. His measures had helped reduce criminality in Altihex by 20%. Their meeting was brief but Optimus remembered him as an incredibly intelligent, albeit very stern mech. He had secretly wondered what Prowl looked like when he smiled – if the mech ever smiled, that is. It appeared his curiosity was to be sated that day.
Lantern left him so he could meditate before the ceremony. Optimus couldn't tell how much time had passed before the priest returned to collect him. He followed the mech into the garden and ascended the stairs leading to the Altar of Primus. It took enforcers a klik to realize that the tall mech with priest's stole over his shoulders was none other than Optimus Prime. When they did, they immediately stood at attention with a fist over their spark.
Not quite understanding what was going on, the little Praxian copied the adults. Optimus smiled at him; the mechlet – Bluestreak, he reminded himself – shyly smiled back. Acknowledging the formal greeting with a nod, the Prime gestured at the guests to sit down.
"Declare your intent," he asked the pair of bondmates-to-be.
"I, Prowl, wish to bond with Jazz," the adult Praxian said offering his servo for his partner to take.
"I, Jazz, wish to bond with Prowl," the Polyhexian replied, accepting Prowl's servo with a loving smile.
The Prime covered their servos with his own. "May the love that shines from your optics light your darkest hours. Servos joined, sparks joined. Beloved. From now on you shall rise together and fall together, laugh together and cry together, live together and die together. Do you want that?"
"I do," they answered as one, lost in each other's optics.
Optimus turned to Bluestreak and the mechlet handed him a golden ribbon. Together they wrapped it around the pair's wrists and tied it in a firm knot.
"Servos bound, sparks bound. Betrothed. No falsehood will ever stand between you. No distance will truly separate you. No darkness will hide you from each other. Do you accept that?"
Once again, they answered in unison: "I do." Energy swelled as their EM fields synchronised.
Finally, Optimus unsubspaced the dagger and cut through the knot. Clasping their servos he pulled them apart. They gasped softly as the bond between their sparks snapped into existence.
"Servos parted, sparks united forever. Bonded. Jazz, bondmate of Prowl; Prowl, bondmate of Jazz: united before Primus you stand. May he bless your union."
The newly bonded couple shared a warm smile as they rested their forehelms together. They were supposed to join their servos once again and descend the stairs together to indicate their common journey through the life. Instead, they turned around and reached out for Bluestreak. The sparkling took their servos with a smile so bright it made the Matrix tingle with happiness.
They descended the staircase as a family.
A/N: Thank you for staying with me. I have enjoyed writing this story - hope you've enjoyed reading it just as much :)
The bonding promise was loosely inspired by the one in The Freedom of Choice by Carmilla DeWinter - if you like OptimusxStarscream, make sure to read it!