"So what are you guys doing for the holidays?" Raf asked his fellow freshmen on the last morning before the holiday break at their lockers.
"Me? Just spending the two weeks with my mom. My aunt and uncle may or may not come by but nothing's set in stone. Either way, I'm having a turkey all to myself." Jack answered.
"Miko?" Raf turned to the girl.
"Huh? Oh uh, I'm heading on back to Tokyo. Spend the break with my folks back home. Y'know, family time and all that." Miko spoke, sounding a tad bit disappointed.
"What's wrong with that? I'm spending the break with my family. Then again, I'm always with my family. Being the youngest of five means I'm always sure to have company. Plus my grandparents are coming for Christmas, then my parents siblings, and then their spouses and kids-" Raf was now counting his family off on his fingers.
"Yeah, we got it Raf. It's just that, I've been in America for less than a year and I'm already going back. I like it here. It's certainly more exciting than what I left back home." Miko interrupted.
"Well, it's healthy to stay in touch with your parents. Both of them." Jack added the last bit in passing.
Miko raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about the comment. Instead, she sighed.
"Fine. Whatever, I'll just put on my best schoolgirl smile and pretend like I'm still their little girl. Like always." Miko replied as the bell rang.
"And there we go. Guess this is bye for now." Miko said as she headed off towards her homeroom.
"See ya later Miko!" the two boys called before heading off towards their own classes.
"Last day before the break! Woohoo!" Smokescreen exclaimed during lunch.
"Yeah, I'm excited. Two whole weeks free of nothin'!" Bulkhead agreed.
"Uh, guys, try remembering why we're getting the break in the first place please. Christmas? The holidays? Ringing any bells?" Arcee spoke.
"We're not forgetting. We're simply expressing our gratitude towards the holiday season for allowing us this time of rest and relaxation." Wheeljack replied.
Everyone stared.
"Wow Jackson," Ultra Magnus spoke, "that was almost poetic."
Wheeljack turned slightly red and huffed.
"Yeah, whatever."
"So, any special plans?" Jack wondered.
"Just stayin' with family." Was most of their answers.
"Snowboardin'" Bulkhead answered.
"Cool."
Nothing else worth mentioning happened for the rest of the day. (AN: No, I'm not writing any holiday themed activities even though they probably did some...I will leave it to your imaginations :D)
On Christmas day, with the tree pushed off to one corner of their house, Jack and his mom sat together and ate the special Christmas dinner that June prepared.
"This is great mom!" Jack said through a full mouth.
June laughed. "Jack, don't talk with your mouth full. You have presents to open up, don't make a mess."
Jack smiled and continued.
He spent the night opening up the presents that his extended family had sent, and the one that his mom had given him.
Holding the gaming console's box, Jack went over and hugged his mother.
"Thanks mom."
Raf sat at the couch. Laughing as his siblings and cousins played Risk. They didn't want Raf to play with them. Something about him always cheating and beating them or whatever. Regardless, Raf was having fun watching his family have fun. Well, play together.
The TV was also on. Some of the younger kids were watching Home Alone.
"Pilar! C'mon! I worked so hard to get that country!" One of Raf's cousins exclaimed.
The older girl smirked and stuck her tongue out.
"Oy! Kids! Dinner's ready!" Raf's mom called.
"Coming! Thanks!" Everyone replied.
Raf sat down happily and joined his family in prayer.
Miko arrived at the airport. She met up with her family's driver Hiro. The man who Miko considers to be the one with whom she spent the most time with growing up.
"Welcome home Mikoto-chan." Hiro spoke in Japanese. "I hope that your time at the Cybertron Academy has been well. Your parents received your mid term report card. They were quite pleased."
Miko ran her fingers through her currently untied, streak-less black hair.
"Thanks Hiro. Don't you worry about me. I'll keep up the marks. But you know the real reason why I'm going to high school in America." Miko replied.
Hiro chuckled and nodded.
"I am more than aware. You are far too rambunctious for Japan. I understood that the moment your parents brought you home for the first time."
"Yep. Alright, let's get going then." Miko replied.
Hiro drove Miko to the apartment where Miko's parent's penthouse was situated. Together, they went up on the elevator.
When they reached the door, Miko took a breath and smiled before opening the door.
"Mom? Dad? I'm home!"
Arcee and Chromia's families were pretty close, they spent Christmas together.
Chromia propped up the younger girl on her shoulders so she could put the star on the tree.
"Aw man, sure wish Elita could be here." Arcee spoke as she returned to the ground.
"Yeah, but we'll see her at New Years. Enjoy Christmas for now. I'm sure she is." Chromia replied.
Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and the rest of the Wreckers spent Christmas snowboarding.
Wheeljack raced Brandon Trayls, or Trailbreaker, down the slope.
"Merry Christmas ya slow pokes!" The boy exclaimed as he turned and sent snow flying in the faces of his friends.
"Ah! Frag!" Bulkhead shouted.
"Hey! Happy Hanukkah ya stupid slag-dump!" Wheeljack replied as he passed Trailbreaker.
"Yo! See ya in the New Year losers!" Samson Seas, or Seaspray shouted when he shot himself off of a rock and flew over the heads of his friends, landing several feet ahead of them, continuing to speed down the snow covered slope.
The rest of the Wreckers laughed as they continued their holiday race.
Lacy made a mess of herself as she ate the Christmas cake.
"Lacy. Watch yourself please." her mother whispered.
Soundwave leaned over to clean the icing off of his little sister's face.
"Thank you Wayne!" Lacy exclaimed before going back to her cake.
That was when the doorbell rang.
"Now who could that be?" Their father wondered aloud before getting up and answering.
Red eyes, spiky white hair, covered up in winter attire. It was Megatron. He was holding two wrapped presents in his hands.
"Oh! Mason! What a surprise!" Soundwave's father exclaimed happily.
"Hey Mr. Sounders. I just dropped by to say hi and drop off the presents." Megatron replied.
"Oh, shoot. I can't believe we forgot about you, son. Why don't come in? There's plenty to eat in here."
"Come eat with us Mason!" Lacy shouted.
"Nah it's alright. I've got a concert to go to anyways. I'm already kind of late." Megatron said.
"Oh, you and your Christmas concerts. Alright then. If you must. Thanks for the gifts Mason." The older man spoke.
Megatron smiled and nodded. Said his goodbyes to the Sounders, before walking off.
The teen walked through the snow. He stopped at the bus station waiting for the ride that would take him downtown. Alone under the streetlight until another, dark figure walked up to him.
It had begun to snow, so his vision was clouded. The person coming towards him was dressed in all black, his head facing downwards so Megatron couldn't make out the face. The person walked up to him, and Megatron saw that he was almost as tall as he was.
"Can I help you?" Megatron spoke cautiously.
"Megatron." The other person spoke, causing Megatron to gasp in surprise. He could never forget that voice, even if it had been a while since he last heard it.
Elita and Optimus sat besides each other at the massive dining table at Elita's house.
It was filled to the brim with gourmet Christmas food items and Elita's family.
The two high schoolers talked and laughed. Optimus stuffing his face with all the food he could fit into his mouth without looking like a total pig in front of his girlfriend's prestigious family.
After dinner, the two sat together and exchanged gifts by the illogically tall tree.
Elita gave Optimus his gift.
"The new Generation Morph Robots game? This doesn't come out for another 4 months!" Optimus exclaimed. "And a new Playstation? And Ellie...I told you I really don't need to play Last of Us."
Elita smiled. "Well, you have been complaining that you haven't been able to play the game for the past two years. And that you can't afford the PS4 so I...took the initiative."
"But...I..." Optimus stammered and Elita went up close.
"Hey, I spent actual money on these. You had better keep them. It's bad luck and just plain rude not to accept Christmas gifts."
"Aw hey who told you that?"
"No one. I just said so."
Optimus sighed. "Alright, but my gift sure pales in comparison...as it does every year."
Elita took the present excitedly and opened it up.
Inside of the wrapping paper was a picture frame. And it had an actual picture in it.
Six young kids standing side by side together. All of them looked beyond happy. That was because they had just graduated from the eighth grade.
"Optimus...this picture...where the hell did you find this?" Elita asked quietly.
"Oh, I may have been digging around the files in the main office of Iacon Junior High when I was volunteering there. Dug that old thing out of the moth balls...do you like it?"
Elita turned to him with a smile, light tears forming in her eyes.
"Oh Orion. This is one of the happiest memories I have. I love it."
The two smiled before leaning in to kiss. They never even noticed the mistletoe.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and have a Wonderful New Year!