Title:Unintended: Pt. 2: The Alchemist in His Lab
From The Twisted Minds Of: Dellykins & Chi Shiro
Verse: G1 AU
Series: Unintended (flag ship story)
Rating: M
Warnings: Mech-preg, Character Death, Violence, Spark-sex, H/C, Angst, Dub-con.
Pairings: Megatron/Skywarp/Starscream/Thundercracker/, Later Jazz/Prowl/Thundercracker, Ensemble.
Disclaimer: We don't own.
Notes:
Chi:We are so very sorry for the delay in the updates. I've had some health issues I've been dealing with and Dell has been trying to get ready for a major move. Not to mention the minor muse revolt that we seem to have quelled for the moment. I hope this update is worth the delay.
Section Specific Warnings: Dell was channelling the idea of Wheeljack being an alchemist in his lab and we just ran with it...
Delle:Somehow between the two of us adding more we've managed to get it well over 30k. T_T I still scenes to write. So may scenes to write. D:
And yeah. I figure Wheeljack!Alchemist is full of all kinds of Win. 3
~D
OoOoOoOo
The hallway was oddly quiet in comparison to the mad house it had been earlier in the day. Either the others had grown tired of waiting for him to emerge or, and this was most likely, they had only cared about the state of Prowl and Jazz. He could not say he blamed them. Right now he didn't really want to be around himself either. The pulse of Prowl's EM field mingling with his own should have been soothing, it just served to make him feel more the traitor. It should have been him. He caused this. If he'd only let Scree... No, best not to go down that road right now. His tamp of his emotions was brittle at best. Hard to tell what Prowl and Jazz would be able to pick up since they were focusing on him. He couldn't let them know what he had done. Not now. Probably not ever.
They turned a corner and literally smacked into the sole unrelated Praxian on the Ark. Rather than looking agitated, the red and blue mech's optics lit up in interest. He gave Prowl half a nod before circling around them, pushing his own field against them in question. Ascertaining Thundercracker's situation. He nodded, more to himself than either of them, before sidling up to his left, a space Jazz would normally claim in this situation. Thundercracker gave Prowl a worried glance; standing in for a trine-mate without invitation when not a member of trine, family, or retinue, was normally something that could cost a seeker a wing. It was seen as staking an interest in the trine.
Apparently seeker-kin felt differently about the situation. Prowl quirked a brow ridge, shifting slightly on his peds, and his winglets fluttered almost imperceptibly. Are you sure you don't mind? Smokescreen's winglets rose higher before dropping back down, imitating a human's shrug. Why not? What else have I to do? Curious behavior indeed, one that made Thundercracker wish he'd studied seeker-kin harder instead of taking only the required courses at Vos' academy.
The silence was somewhat unnerving him. That was saying something given that he had been the resident stoic on the Nemesis. He preferred peace, quite, a chance to meditate on the events of the day over the bustle that went on around him. He had always been that way. It was a wonder he and Warp had gotten along the way they had.
That wasn't to say he hadn't joined in from time to time. A deeper voice adding to Warp and Star's off-key singing. A cube or so whenever they had high grade, he was not much of a drinker and it showed. He had even participated in the odd prank.
But this? He could not help the uncomfortable whine that escape his vocalizer as Smokescreen placed an errant hand on his wing. He knew it was probably something the other did without thinking, Praxians desired closeness as much as Seekers did and Smokescreen was the only Praxian who was alone. No kin but frame-kin. He had probably been commiserating with Prowl since the fall of Praxus. Jazz too. Seekers and seeker-kin always sought each other out for comfort in times of crisis and in times of peace. It was just the way of them, that much he did know.
He cursed himself for that tiny whine, small enough that no one should have noticed it. But Primus was not with him as the winglets of both mechs rose in worry. Smokescreen, much to his dismay, began to rub his wing in what he assumed was meant to be a comforting gesture. Prowl had stopped their procession and was looking at him in confusion and worry. "Is something the matter, Thundercracker? Are you feeling unwell? If that is the case we should return you to Ratchet before Jazz arrives home."
"I..." He stumbled, unsure of what to say. He did not know them, did not know their culture and the culture of the Ark in general. It would not do to upset his trine leader. "It's nothing. Really. Just something that flitted through my processor. Over and gone now. We should probably get to Wheeljack before Jazz gets back. We wouldn't want to upset Jazz any more than he already is, right?"
"Jazz will understand. In fact, he would most likely be upset if I allowed you to continue on without care if you are feeling unwell." Prowl gave him a look he secretly believed all trine leaders perfected in their spare time. Starscream had done much the same many times in the past, especially when he believed Thundercracker's goals to stand in the way of his own.
The seeker shored himself up. No matter what may come after the bitlet was sparked, for the moment his trine leader would not lash out at him. "I just... am unsure of something? Why is he coming with us?"
Prowl and Smokescreen exchanged an amused look, Smokescreen not entirely able to hold back a laugh. Thundercracker felt like a fool. Obviously there was something he should know that was escaping him. Probably some Autobot thing. They were all way too close and had a sense of brotherhood that the Nemesis never had.
He could have been happy here, among these mechs, if things had gone another way. If Starscream hadn't brought home his stupid pet gladiator and drug them along for the ride. Starscream and his inventions could have won them the war, could have negotiated terms for Vos and all the other war builds. This could have all been avoided. But the universe did not run on could or should, and the only thing this line of thinking was doing was causing him additional misery. And guilt, the guilt of blaming Starscream for what was happening to him now.
"Let's just say I have a vested interest in knowing what goes on around here." The red and blue clapped him on the back in a friendly manner, one that still made him wince.
Prowl chuckled, shrugging. "Smokescreen is often a font of information. He knows the goings on of the Ark as well as, if not better than, Red Alert. Only think of what you could accomplish if you applied those talents to your work instead of recreational activities, Smokey."
Smokescreen chortled. "Says you, Prowl. I prefer to think of that as my work. Our fine comrades need something to take their processors off the harshness of what we go through. If I can provide them with entertainment and provide myself with a little extra who am I to turn down things?"
"Are all Autobots completely insane, or just the ones I've had the good fortune to deal with?" Thundercracker ex-vented a sigh as Smokescreen laughed again and Prowl tried to hide a smile. He was going to take that as a yes.
"You quickly learn to stay sane inside insanity." Prowl gave him a soft smirk and Thundercracker was quite sure the mech's optics were twinkling. "Or you simply embrace the insanity. Either way, this will all seem quite normal to you by the time the bitlet comes. I promise. If you can handle Jazz you can handle anything else the Ark tries to throw at you."
Thundercracker ex-vented a huff, purposely making sure the recycled air flowed against Prowl. "Who says I can handle Jazz?"
"I have faith. You're a strong mech, you never would have made it this far if you weren't. Jazz is a drop in the ocean compared to what you've already been through." Prowl gave a firm squeeze to his wing before nudging him forward. "Come now, we're late as it is to meet Wheeljack. And Jazz will be back soon."
Thundercracker gave one last agitated huff but allowed himself to be led down the hall once more. Much to his annoyance, Smokescreen had taken up the place to his left again. But he supposed if it did not bother Prowl he should do his best to let it go. Besides, he was getting the distinct feeling that if he complained loudly enough in the vicinity of Jazz something would be done about it. In that Prowl was right, Jazz's protective programming could be used to his advantage.
The door to Wheeljack's area of the Ark did not exactly inspire faith in the poor seeker. As it slid aside to admit them he took notice that it was easily twice as thick as the other doors he had been through so far. The outside had been discolored with smoke. The inside of the door seemed to be pitted and dented from what could have only been numerous explosions. He gave another almost imperceptible whine and looked to Prowl. Prowl simply shrugged and pushed him further into the cavern.
And cavern it was. Wheeljack's lab was not an actual part of the Ark, but rather a cave in the volcano that the Autobots had deemed suitable for the inventor's uses. While it was brightly lit, almost cheerfully so, there was no hiding the fact they were now underneath a mountain. He shuddered as his inborn claustrophobia threatened to get the better of him. The high ceiling was probably the only thing keeping him grounded.
And it was a strange sort of mess. Organized chaos, as Starscream would have said. His spark clenched painfully at that. Starscream's lab had always been a jumble of beakers and tubes, chemicals he didn't have a name for along with some he wished he didn't know the name for. It had been a sanctuary for his wing commander to retreat to when the rest of the faction just became too much for him. Only three others had known the code to enter, and only one had really used it. Stepping into this place was like being transported back to the Nemesis and he could not help the shivering that ran through his plating.
But in some ways it was different from his trine leader's refuge. Where Starscream would have kept beakers, Wheeljack had unused stacks of coiling wire. A large rack of chemicals was replaced with piles of parts. Starscream had tinkered with inventions, but he really did prefer his scientific curiosity over his ability to piece together new toys that would amuse Warp or placate Megatron.
Starscream had also found most human technology to be paltry sparkling's play. Wheeljack must have been fascinated by it. There were several half dissected television sets piled in a corner. And it was quite obvious the science bot had been tinkering with a primitive combustion engine, perhaps seeing if he could get it to run on their cleaner burning energon. He didn't have Star's knowledge, but even he could tell the air quality on this planet was less than desirable for organics to be using.
Thundercracker took the lab in with a nervousness he knew he could not hide, optics wide as if he was expecting the place to explode about him. And if the door and piles of shattered rock were anything to go by, that was not an unreasonable belief. He began to inch back toward the door, salvation, and was stopped by a firm hand on his arm. He whined, and oh how he was beginning to hate that sound, and shot Prowl a pleading look. ::Is this really a good idea? This doesn't look safe in the slightest.::
The chuckle that reverberated down the bond didn't make him feel any better. Well, maybe slightly better. The Polyhexian didn't sound near as frantic as he had earlier. Perhaps he would get out of being "grounded", whatever that meant. ::Ah, dun be scareda Jackie, lil bot blue. He's like The Doctor and Q squished inta one cuddly robotic mess. Sure, sometimes things go kersplat, but he has the best a' intentions.:: Thundercracker was pretty sure Jazz was attempting to reason with him over the bond, but it was not working. Not in the slightest.
::His intentions could kill me.:: Thundercracker's optics darted to Prowl.
::We've not had many casualties.:: Prowl's voice was calm, reasonable; if a statement like that could ever be called reasonable. The seeker was not quite sure if his trine leader was playing with him. He still had a hard time getting a bead on Prowl, and when the humor was not really humor. These two were going to be the deactivation of him yet.
Thundercracker made sure to push all of his irritation down both sides of the bond. ::Now, that is comforting.:: Almost as an afterthought he pushed an even larger portion down towards the Polyhexian. ::And I am not "little bot blue". For starters, that sounds like a nickname you would give a sparkling; and I think we can all agree I'm well past that stage in my life. Another thing, I'm bigger than you. Hmph, little indeed.::
Prowl only laughed as Jazz began to send apologetic emotions down the bond. Worry/Sorry/Sorry/Worry/Love/Trust/Worry/Sorry . He shook his head, at least one of them would be able to resists Jazz's charms; however temporarily that might last. "Jacky, are you in there?"
Thundercracker wasn't sure how he had missed the bot standing among the carnage that was his lab. He just seemed to fit in there, like he was a part of it. An anaconda lying still on the forest floor. Or, more likely, a kitten half buried under a pile of blankets.
The primarily white mech stepped forward to embrace Prowl, his headfins flashing in what Thundercracker could only assume was a sort of greeting. The Autobots really were a touchy group of mechs. If someone other than the trine or Megatron had grabbed Starscream in an embrace like that, for example, they would have ended up in the med bay if they were lucky. The smelter if they weren't.
"Prowl, I've been expecting you. I've-Hello." He said, noticing Thundercracker's presence for the first time. He scanned the seeker over, much the same way Starscream would optic someone if he were taking assessments. Sure enough, he pulled out a datapad and made a few notes. "Hmm, must make sure to factor in extra material in case it's needed."
"Ah-Hello." Thundercracker blinked at him. 'Curiouser and curiouser', as Skywarp would have said. He had a vague inkling that Warp had picked that up from somewhere he probably shouldn't have been messing. Most likely he had gotten it from the same place he had gotten "chasing rabbits". Or was that "fucking like bunnies"? Skywarp had accumulated a wide collection of human colloquialisms that had yet to make sense to him. Another regret, that he had not spent more time humoring his more playful trine-mate. "What was that about needing extra material?"
"No offense meant, I assure you. It's just that you're quite a bit larger than the last carrier to come through my doors. Sometimes bigger carriers have bigger sparklings and it's best to have extra baseline nanites waiting in the tank in case we need to grow a larger frame." Wheeljack circled him once, hmmm'ing a little more and made another notation in his pad. "It's really no big thing. If the little guy needs them he'll absorb them as material. If not he'll either convert them into extra fuel or we'll pour them out as run off when he finally comes out of the tank. But given the impressive measurements of your wings, I'd rather be safe than sorry."
"Oh, well," Thundercracker hemmed slightly. He honestly didn't know what to say to that. The Autobots were willing to potentially waste resources to ensure his sparkling was properly sized and not stunted? "I...ummm. Thank you."
Wheeljack beamed, or at least seemed to, his head fins lighting up. Thundercracker noticed the headfins shown orange for a moment. Hmmm, he wondered what the inventor was telling the medic. "Come on, big guy, let me show you the plans. Now, you may have to give me a few more design specifications. I assumed a seeker mechlet would take the same basic designs as its carrier and sires so I programmed in all the basic stats I had on your trine. Hopefully we'll get a nice mix. And whatever I was off on the nanites should specialize in and adjust as he grows."
Reluctantly Thundercracker followed the bot deeper into the lab, allowing the smaller mech to pull him forth by a hand. He didn't think he would ever get used to just how much these Autobots liked to touch. Starscream would have had half this base slagged to the pit and back. Though Warp probably would have fit right in. He was always hanging off someone. The thought made his intakes hitch and he tried to ignore the pointed looks he was receiving from both Praxians. Stupid Prowl. Stupid Smokescreen. More so on Smokescreen. Just because he was one of the Ark's resident busybodies didn't mean he needed to be hanging around in this case. He really was going to complain to Jazz.
The area of the lab he was pulled along to seemed to be filled with plans. Half finished designs littered one table, quaintly mapped out on paper like an organic might do. One over-sized table was stacked to overflowing with datepads. Wheeljack stopped at this holo-table and pushed half the mound of datepads off the top of it. He fiddled with the controls, murmuring something under his intakes, until a three-dimensional rendition of the sparkling frame appeared. "Now this is just what Telatran 1 spit out when I entered in all of your designs. It can be programmed differently if you think something is amiss or want to add something that you think the mechlet can support."
Thundercracker let out a little gasp. This was... This was... "It's perfect." He reached out, marveling at it even as his hand passed through the rendering. He let out a breathy chuckle as it shimmered and then realigned itself. It made him think of how Skywarp looked just as he was beginning a teleportation. Suddenly he was struck by the hope that the mechlet could teleport. Which was rather foolish, as he would realize once he'd had time to think about it. A teleporting seekerlet would be a nightmare to keep track of. But still, it had been so long since he had seen a seekerlet. And this one was going to be his. His spark pulsed in true happiness for the first time since he'd lost his trine-mates, and the newspark answered in turn. This might work out yet.
"I was hoping you would think so." The inventor's headfins shown brightly once more. White. Blue. Calming colors. Happy colors. Thundercracker was genuinely surprised to find himself almost liking the inventor. "Shouldn't take me long to fabricate the frame once the cultures have grown. And I already have the start of the nanite cultures growing. Like I said, I'd rather make sure we have some extra in case the kiddo decides he wants to be a record breaker. Oh, and a growth tank built, of course." He nodded to the large tank at the back of the lab. Standard design, he knew. Starscream had kept one in his lab for when the odd grunt sparked. "We can move it to the infirmary before we frame the kid. Ratch'll want to pop him right in as soon as he separates."
Thundercracker nodded mutely. He could not understand why they were doing this. Why they would do this. No Autobot would ever get such treatment from the Decepticons, bonded or no. He simply did not understand.
Wheeljack took his silence as assent and turned to Prowl for a little good natured ribbing. "So, Prowl, why is it always your family keeping me busy with sparkling frames? Hmm? Not that I mind, it's always fun to tweak a design for the next generation."
"Tweak, hmmm? Is that why Bluestreak had that curious little habit of his when he was newsparked?" Prowl gave him an equally teasing punch in the arm.
Thundercracker almost boggled at that. If someone had told him a lunar cycle ago that the Autobot's second in command had a sense of humor, could actually be playful, he would have accused them of getting into bad high-grade. This really was just too much for him to take in. He fumbled for the nearest chair and sat down heavily as they continued their bantering.
Wheeljack was smiling, at least Thundercracker assumed he was smiling behind the mask. His optics were lit up in what could have only been amusement. "Don't go blaming that little bot's peculiarities on me. You chose to bond with Jazz. You get to deal with the sparks who take after him."
"True enough. True enough. I suppose it's too late to do anything about it now. Bluestreak is rather fond of him and would ask too many questions if his sire suddenly disappeared on a mission." Prowl stopped as if to contemplate something. "And, well, you know. I am more than a little passing fond of him myself at this point."
"Well, all you need to do is say the word and I can have a vat of acid whipped up for you within a few breems." Wheeljack's headfins lit up in amusement again and Thundercracker felt faintly ill. He felt his tanks churn at the thought of losing a trine member. He couldn't go through that again. Not again. How could Prowl allow Wheeljack to even joke like that?
To his amazement it was Smokescreen who seemed to notice his distress this time. The red and blue mech gave Prowl a rather sound hit across his left winglet. Once he'd gotten the other Praxian's attention he pointed to the blue Seeker and tapped his ped expectantly.
Prowl and Wheeljack both ducked their heads, obviously ashamed of themselves. Prowl probably more than Wheeljack, as it was just last night cycle that he'd been getting after Jazz for something very similar to this. Without saying a word he came over to his still upset bond-mate and leaned against him, brushing one hand questioningly over Thundercracker's wing. Thundercracker huffed but returned the gesture against Prowl's winglet.
They were okay. Well, as okay as they could be in the situation they found themselves in. He sent a weak warble of gratitude Smokescreen's way and received a friendly pulse in response. It was soothing. Oddly so. Like he should know this mech somehow, now that his defenses were down.
As if catching his train of thought, Smokescreen turned and stalked out of the lab without so much as a goodbye. Like he had something to hide. Something Thundercracker wasn't supposed to know. Or at least, he wasn't supposed to know yet. Curiouser and curiouser indeed.
Thundercracker gave a tired ex-vent. This really was too much for him. These Autobots with their outward friendliness. And yet it was obvious they were keeping some things close to the spark. He wondered if they'd ever trust him enough to let him in on it. Probably not. He didn't deserve it. Not when he had secrets of his own he wasn't willing to let go of yet. "Prowl, if you don't mind too much I'm feeling about as drained as I can be without slurring stupidly. Is there any chance we could head back to your quarters so I can get a little recharge in before Jazz comes back?"
Prowl gave him a nod and a look that clearly said he needn't have asked. "Of course, your rest is very important at this stage in the sparking. Do you require anything else before we return? Another trip to see Ratchet? Some extra energon? I think I may have still have some rust sticks left in my personal stash, and if not we can always have someone whip up another batch."
The black and white held out a hand to help him up. He took it without hesitation and made sure to lean more of his weight than was strictly necessary against his trine leader. Prowl let out a soft whoosh but did not say anything, even though it was quite clear from the look in his optics that he knew what Thundercracker was doing. He gave half a thought to just what all he could get away with while carrying before pushing it away.
The inventor followed them to the door, scuffing a ped against the floor like a dejected sparkling. The blue seeker could tell he still felt bad for making jokes about deactivating Jazz so close to the loss of Thundercracker's first trine. The Seeker reached out, tentatively laying a hand on the other's shoulder. "If I wouldn't be in the way too much, would it be okay if I came back at a later date to help you configure things? It was...uh, favoring Starscream's thrusters too much. They would only need to be that high if he favors extreme speed. I mean, that is to say, if you were serious about me helping with the design."
That seemed to be the right thing to say, as Wheeljack's headfins lit up once more in those calming shades of blue and white. Blue and white. It was hypnotizing, in a way. It almost made him forget just how dangerous Wheeljack's lab could be. And, as Prowl said, this was a sparkling frame. It wasn't like an invention that would blow up on him. He could be here safely. And he was surprised to find that thought not at all unpleasant.
The door slid open, signalling that it was really time for him to go lie down before Jazz came back. The saboteur had sounded quite a bit calmer the last time he had accessed the link, but perhaps that was the calm before the storm. If he was going to be "grounded", and he had a feeling it meant something different from being forbidden to fly, he wanted to have it happen with clear processors.
He stepped out into the hallway, the filtered light coming through a few half blocked windows making it seem somehow darker than it had been in Wheeljack's sanctuary. Funny that. He was closer to the air and yet it had felt lighter in the cave. One more thing to get used to while living with the Autobots, he supposed. Contradiction and conjecture, and things he would never understand.
He noticed that Ratchet was leaning against the wall directly next to the door. Bluestreak stood nearby. Both were smiling and watching him with almost predatory optics. What was going on? Had he done something wrong?
Prowl took a few steps out into the hall before noticing the smirk of the medic and the casual smile of his own spark. He sent a wave of questioning down to his creation, his doorwings twitching in amusement. Bluestreak sent it back almost immediately. Thundercracker couldn't help but feel something was about to happen, something he wasn't going to be pleased with, as Prowl gave a small laugh.
"So, something you three feel like sharing with me?" Thundercracker did his best to look intimidating, even though he was well aware he probably wouldn't be able to swat a fleshy the way he was currently feeling.
The medic gave a small chuckle and shrugged. "Oh, not really. I just needed to come down and confirm a few things with Wheeljack. And Bluestreak there was starting to wonder what had happened to Prowl. You know how it is, he's still a fairly young bot and likes to make sure he knows where at least one of his creators is at all times."
Somehow Thundercracker doubted he was getting the full story. He probably wasn't even getting the full title of the story if the slag eating grin Prowl was giving Bluestreak was anything to go by.
He caught the sound a moment too late, just as Prowl was taking a few steps further away from him and closer to Bluestreak. It was a sound he was well aware of from countless battles. The sound of a high powered sports car tearing through an area on a mission. He barely had time to turn his head, no time to think or react, as he saw a blur of black and white screech around the corner and transform mid-turn.
He felt himself hit up against the bulkhead before he registered the black and white was now standing in front of him. Oh good, Jazz was home.
He could hear the distinct sound of laughter filling the hallway, not that he could identify the bots making the noise. He was nasal plating to nasal plating with a frustrated Polyhexian and all he could see in his field of vision was a blue visor. Jazz pulled back slightly, just enough to scrutinize him. He felt the smaller bot's field press against his own, gathering basic data. Hands somewhat smaller than his pressed against him, checking every inch of his plating. He whined slightly and sent Prowl a look that clearly said 'Help Me!', not that his trine leader seemed too intent on moving from his spot next to his sparkling.
This was mortifying. The youngling was gawping at him not unlike some landed Terran fish. He could clearly see the medic now, bent over and trying to force air through his overheating systems as he bellowed in laughter. Wheeljack wasn't being quite so loud about it, but his headfins were flashing bright shades of red and yellow. Prowl was chuckling softly, definitely not going to help him as Jazz pressed insistently against him. He had a feeling the Polyhexian would have crawled under his plating if he could have managed it.
He pulled back in a grimace as he heard the soft chuffing of air being pulled along olfactory sensors. Jazz was...dear Primus, he was sniffing him. There was no way this could get any more embarrassing. Nope, nada. Oh wait, yes it could. He vaguely remembered that there were security cameras in all the major hallways of the Ark. Someone was watching this right now besides those present. Someone was making a recording of this right now. Oh Primus, what he wouldn't give to melt into a pile of slag and seep through the cracks in the tile.
"The bitlet?" Jazz's growl was a little darker than he thought he'd ever heard before.
Prowl stepped forward and pushed his mate away from the now thoroughly freaked out Seeker. Thundercracker shot him a look of gratitude. "The bitlet is perfectly fine, Jazz. You need to back up a little and give Thundercracker some room to move. You're probably making him feel claustrophobic."
He sighed in short lived relief as Jazz seemed to move away. Only to settle in at his side, pressing as close as he dared. "And Thundercracker?"
Prowl pulled at him, the saboteur clearly unhappy with being made to back away. Thundercracker wondered if any full-sparked seeker could have behaved in a more protective manner. "Thundercracker is fine now, sweetspark. He just had a little flux earlier, that's all. Nothing we weren't expecting. He's been through a lot. We all have. You don't want to stress him out any more, do you?"
Thundercracker sighed in relief when the flash of recognition registered in his new trine-mate's optics. Jazz shook his head slowly, and pressed close to Prowl. The Praxian was still murmuring things into his audial that Thundercracker couldn't decipher. He caught one word, 'Fall', and wondered what magic it held that Jazz instantly relaxed and seemed to melt completely into Prowl. The word had been said so quietly he wouldn't have believed he'd heard it if he hadn't seen the instant reaction to it.
He heard the snick of an automatic door sliding back into place and his head snapped up. The medic and the inventor were nowhere to be seen. Clearly they had decided the show was over. And obviously they, well, the medic at least, had known there was going to be a show.
Fragging Autobots and their fragged up sense of humor...
At the same time this was somewhat comforting. Obviously Ratchet wouldn't have left him out here if he'd believed him to be in any sort of danger. Jazz was just being protective. And Prowl had mentioned that he was very close to his coding. He supposed to should be grateful the smaller mech hadn't dragged him back to his quarters by a wing to do a more thorough examination. Best to not tempt Primus by thinking such things.
Bluestreak, the little bot, or maybe not so little bot (he was slightly taller than his sire), was now nuzzling against his creators. He hadn't been disturbed by his sire's behavior, obviously this was just a worried Jazz thing. Prowl and Jazz were nuzzling him in return, not unlike some organic felines comforting their young. The soft hum of content systems synching up was hard to miss. This was a family. A family that loved each other.
Thundercracker couldn't help but feel that he didn't belong. For all of Jazz's show of possessiveness, for all of Prowl's attempts at comforting him, he simply didn't belong. He probably never would. And he could accept that, he supposed, as long as his newspark received what Bluestreak was getting now.