Atonement

Chapter 6—In Between

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. They officially belong to Hasbro and Takara. I'm taking them for a short spin.

Optimus managed to get them to Prowl's desk, where now, Hot Rod was wrapped around him, the emotion coming from his field wasn't distress, but the heat of want. Optimus kept flashing glyphs at him, but Hot Rod wouldn't respond, only kept kissing him, grabbing at his shoulders and pulling him back each time he tried to move away. Not that Optimus minded the other mech grinding against his chest and other plating. Pleasant, and only a precursor of things to come.

Except he felt something hit his head, and Hot Rod was promptly pulling away.

"What in the Pit do you think you're doing?" Ratchet. Optimus turned around slowly, and the comment was clearly meant for him, from the fact the medic was looking at him with murder in his optics.

Optimus barely registered the fact Hot Rod slipped past on shaky legs before he found himself grabbed by his right finial, the medic earing him down like humans used to do with horses, dragging him out of Prowl's office, down the corridor and into his quarters.

"As I asked, what in the Pit were you doing?" Ratchet growled, not letting go, pulling Optimus' head down so their optics were level.

"What did it look like?" Optimus retorted, grabbing Ratchet's wrist, trying to free himself, but the medic only gripped his finial tighter. "Why is it even any of your business?"

"Prowl's desk with the door open maybe?" Ratchet countered. "I thought you had more sense than that. And you don't even know. . ."

Optimus frowned, and Ratchet let him go, the Prime backing up, rubbing at his finial. "Know what?"

"Of course not," Ratchet said. "Slow down, talk to him, and if you don't, I'm going to remove your interfacing array without putting you under."

The glare faded, replaced by a puzzled look. "What did you hit me with?" Optimus asked, changing the subject.

"A data pad," Ratchet said. "I was looking for Prowl because he hadn't come by the med bay yet."

"Is Echo doing well?"

"She's doing as well as expected," Ratchet said. "Holding her own."

"And Springer?"

"Resigned to the fact he's going to be stuck as caregiver for the foreseeable future," Ratchet said.

"Are we finished?" Optimus asked.

"Yes. For now," Ratchet said.

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Galvatron waited for a reaction from Starscream, who suddenly had a smirk on his face. "You honestly think I'd court you?" the Seeker asked.

"Why do you think I'm asking?" Galvatron replied, crossing his arms, anything to stifle the urge to throttle the flier.

"I might consider it, on one condition," Starscream said.

"This is not a negotiation," Galvatron replied.

"I'm giving my counter-offer, then," Starscream said. "How's that?"

"Well?"

"I'll consider it if you agree to my terms," Starscream said.

"What terms, Starscream?"
"Give me back what you've taken from me, and I might let you court me," Starscream said.

"What do you mean?" Galvatron asked, confused.

"Because of you, I lost my trine-mates, my brothers," Starscream said.

"They still exist," Galvatron said. "As Scourge and Cyclonus."

"Those abominations are not Thundercracker and Skywarp," Starscream said. "They died the day we attacked Autobot City."

"So did I," Galvatron said.

"But here you stand," Starscream said.

"I, as the humans say, 'made a deal with the devil,'" Galvatron said. "And look what it cost me."

"Yet here you stand," Starscream said.

"I died and was remade as something else," Galvatron said. "And you, I destroyed, and you also made a deal with the Unmaker, yet you're still the same conniving fool you always were."

"Conniving being the most important thing," Starscream said. "I know I'm a coward, and it's kept me alive."

"Yet you're foolish enough to continually challenge me," Galvatron said.

"Because you're possibly the only being in existence worthy of me," Starscream said.

Coyness. This was a new potentially interesting development from his former second in command.

"What would you have of me Starscream? I tire of this discourse," Galvatron finally said.

"I want you to be the sire of my offspring," Starscream said.

"If I court you, that will be part of the culmination of our relationship," Galvatron said.

"I have my pride and tradition to consider," Starscream said. "I demand reparation for the loss of my trine. Siring a sparkling is something any bot can do, but being worthy of a bond, I doubt you're suitable."

Galvatron closed the distance between them, shoving the Seeker against the wall. "Starscream, once again, you're starting a war you will not win," Galvatron said. "I will prove you wrong once and for all."

He captured Starscream's lips with his own, running a hand down the Seeker's cockpit and finally down to the plating over his interface array. The panel clicked open, and Galvatron pulled back, long enough to let Starscream see the smirk on his face. "Oh Starscream, how long I've waited for this moment. . ."

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Prowl sat cross-legged on the medical berth by Springer's, holding Echo in his arms. She was wrapped in a thermal blanket, and he had to be careful of the leads attached to her fragile form. He was almost afraid of holding her, but Ratchet said she wouldn't break, and sparklings were tougher than they looked. It still didn't make him feel any less guilty about the whole situation. His child, and he'd been unable to keep Springer from getting hurt, or the harm done to Echo.

Prowl hoped Springer cared about their daughter, and the fact he was willing to help with her meant maybe he'd want to work things out. Maybe they had been foolish, spark-merging, not thinking to consider the circumstances. They'd both been careless, physically and emotionally, and look what it almost cost—Springer and the life of their daughter. Prowl hadn't let himself completely deal with the gravity of that thought. Breaking down in front of Jazz was just a tiny bit of relief of what he was really feeling.

At the moment, that consisted of putting Echo in her berth, leaving her to Ratchet's care and crawling into the berth next to Springer and getting some recharge. Almost three days since he'd last recharged, and he was starting to feel it. Prowl didn't care if Ratchet knew. And recharging next to Springer would probably get him kicked out of the med bay by the triple changer. He missed waking up next to the other mech. Maybe he'd tell him if he got the chance, but Echo was waking up, and due another feeding. Prowl unspoiled an energon from his line, offering it to the little femme. She clicked as she took the line, and Prowl smiled. Her vocalizations were getting stronger, and becoming more frequent. All good signs, Ratchet said. Hope was a good thing, because at the moment, it was all Prowl had.

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Hot Rod locked himself in his office, leaning against the door, sliding down until his aft hit the ground, cursing Ratchet to the Pit and back. Maybe the medic thought he was doing him a favor, but he could butt out. Really. He'd be fine, even if something happened with Optimus only once.
He got to his feet, cycling air, coming back to his senses. There. Duty called.