His moments of silence were precious and few, making his lingering uneasiness with them something of a real worry. He had not exaggerated when he'd told Wheeljack of his love of peace and quiet. Well, his seemingly former love of peace and quiet. There was none to be had here and he struggled with that as much as everything else. He had never felt so restless and off-kilter.
He gave his chest a fond pat, entirely sure this was the sparkling's doing. He had no doubt it had already grown to love Prowl and Jazz. That it wanted its substitute sires to come back from their shifts.
A happy little thrum of agreement came up through the carrier/creation connection. Oh yes! Oh yes! When are it's sires coming back? it seemed to say.
Thundercracker was not entirely surprised (or unpleased, if he were being honest with himself) when the door announced a visitor. It was nearly time for Smokescreen to slip in. It would be a welcome distraction this time around. It was somewhat of a shock when it opened to reveal a grey chevroned mech, a Praxian that looked more than a little nervous, instead of his favorite Shadow.
"Hi, I'm Bluestreak, I don't think we've met, not really, I mean we've met on the battlefield, but that doesn't count? Does it? I'm pretty sure it doesn't cause that wasn't really an introduction so much as us trying to shoot each other, and I really don't want us to shoot at each other. I kinda didn't really want us shooting at each other before to be honest but I guess that's what war makes you do, and that makes me just all kinds of sad. You really have no idea how sad it makes me cause there were really no other bitlets cause of the war, so I never had anyone my own age to play with growing up but at the same time that's okay because everyone was super nice to me so don't worry about it with my little brother okay? Not that he's my little brother but we're all family on the Ark and that sort of makes him my little brother right? Carrier said you were going to be alone all afternoon and he knew I was off duty so he asked me to come over and see you and make sure everything is alright. He's so very worried about you, and the bitlet plus Carrier has always just been very thoughtful, you have no idea how thoughtful but you will. So is progenitor, he didn't say he was exactly, worried I mean not thoughtful though he is really thoughtful too, but I can always tell. Carrier is a real worrier, you've probably noticed, he worries and worries and just can't help it. Then progenitor gets all stressed out because because carrier is. But that's okay because they wouldn't worry if they didn't care and I know that 'cause they worry about me all the time. Of course I half think they think I'm going to babble for too long at the wrong mech and then they'll have to go retrieve me from Ratchet but I don't think so because for the longest time they were worried about me hanging out with Sunstreaker and that's been fine so far."
"Oh." Was all Thundercracker could eek out at the torrent of words. He blinked at the little mech and began to speculate. Bluestreak obviously had Prowl's battle computer and not a processor to match. He'd heard of such a thing before, though it was a very rare processor anomaly. Most bitlets couldn't handle the overwhelmed processors and deactivated from overheating. Bluestreak may not have liked the war, but it may well have saved his life by giving him a large amount of training to focus on. At the very least mismatched internals would explain the constant babble.
"Do you mind if I come in 'cause you haven't invited me in yet and I overheard Jacky telling sire that you like your quiet, and I've been waiting and waiting til shift was at least half over to make sure you got some rest and quiet but I couldn't wait any longer. Plus Sideswipe wanted me to come play football with him and Sunny and the Dinobots and someone said the minibots are playing too but I can't see how that's a very good idea at all, do you? At least they're not going to let Spike play or I hope they aren't 'cause I did see him heading outside with Bumblebee and I'm kind of hoping they're only going out there to watch cause I'd hate for Bee to get hurt and I'd hate it even more for Spike to go squish. Did you know humans squish if you step on them? Well I'm sure you do cause the Decepticons were never as careful as we are about fighting around them, at least I assume so 'cause I never saw any of them taking any pains to avoid it but that isn't to say I think you would do something like that cause you seem really nice and I bet it's easier for the fliers to avoid stepping on things..."
Thundercracker stopped him before the little bot could get up to full speed again. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Of course I'd like for you to come and visit with me."
It wasn't entirely a lie. He didn't mind Bluestreak when he was visiting his creators and the little bot seemed harmless enough. Smokescreen spoke so fondly of him that you'd think the Praxians had been given a real relationship instead of the half one Smokey had been forced to carve out. Bluestreak's face lit up in delight, practically bouncing into the room to find a seat in the living area.
"Does it hurt, the spark I mean." Oh good, more babbling. "Or tickle cause I bet it tickles cause if it hurt why would so many mechs and femmes have put up with it before Cybertron fell? I can't imagine having something against my spark like that even if it does tickle because I think I'd be tossing and turning as the humans like to say in my recharge all night. The humans have a lot of neat sayings don't they, they really are a nifty little species for as unevolved as they are I guess, I don't know if they're really that unevolved or if Sunstreaker just says that to make Powerglide angry because of Astoria. Carrier said you had two more months to go, that is such a long time, I couldn't stand to wait that long. It seems like a very very very long time, but then so is six orbital cycles. Although humans wait longer. Nine months, can you imagine? Three more than us which is weird since their bitlets are so much smaller than ours or not really cause I've seem datapads with my sparkling files on them and I really wasn't any bigger than Daniel is now, then again Daniel is a third grown according to Carly and she would know cause she is his carrier, though he says mother cause I guess humans call them mothers cause they're all weird and have two distinct sexes and I don't know how they can stand that cause Sire says most sentient species have more than two but each species to their own like Carrier keeps telling him. Anyway I know it isn't really long in the grand scheme of things, I mean vorns are long but not really, but living here I guess I've gotten used to the way humans see time and well just about everything else. It seems like we've been here forever but I guess we really haven't at least not while activated cause you could count the time we were in stasis and that was a really really really long time."
Thundercracker could only blink and nod. Bluestreak babbled worse than Warp when the purple flier had been overcharged. The thought made Thundercracker cringe inwardly. There was no getting a word in edgewise with either of them.
"Oh, now I remember what I was going to tell you, 'cause I did come down here because Carrier asked me but I was halfway going to come down on my own anyway, cause I've been meaning to talk to you but it seems like so many things come up each day even without the Decepticons acting up and I'm easily distracted. Chip calls it Shiny Ball Syndrome but I think he made that up, then he called it ADHD and I don't think he made that one up but I haven't looked it up yet to check. When I was hanging out with Sunny...er...I mean Sunstreaker he told me to tell you he is very very very very very sorry he was going to shoot you 'cause he didn't think you were really carrying. I don't know why he would think someone would lie about something like that, because you know most people wouldn't but he's really suspicious about everyone, and he thought you were-well I don't even know what he thought you were doing but he doesn't think before he does things sometimes. Ratchet says he has anger issues but I think it's just 'cause he and Sideswipe were orphans and isn't that sad? Could you imagine growing up without any creators at all 'cause I couldn't imagine life without either one of mine and to not have any! But at least they had each other and I think that's why Sunstreaker is the way he is because he never had anyone to teach him otherwise, and I have heard he's really changed since he got assigned to the Ark. I guess the old Sunny wouldn't have apologized but now he is very very very really sorry, so please don't be mad at him cause it would make me very sad. I know you probably don't care about that yet, but you know we are like family now and family looks out for each other carrier says so."
"I'm sure he does." Thundercracker said after a moment's thought. So Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were orphans, like Skywarp. If only Starscream and Megatron had taken their heads out of their afts when the Autobots changed regimes. The old ones were bad, yes, but he was willing to bet that the Autobots under Optimus had more similarities than difference to the Decepticons.
Bluestreak took that as a cue to keep talking and rushed on. "But you know how he is, well Sunny not carrier obviously, 'cause he doesn't want anyone to think he actually cares or anything but he does and Cliffjumper doesn't care but Sunny is sorta kinda actually nice. He even lets me call him Sunny even though everyone else has to call him Sunstreaker even Sideswipe so Sideswipe sometimes calls him Sunshine and he gets really mad like today. Sideswipe told him to stop being a slagger and finally come down here cause he's been putting it off and tell you he was sorry, and Sunstreaker hit him for calling him a stupid slagger, and then I had to break them apart. And then they started yelling at each other so Sideswipe hit him again, and Sunstreaker called him all sorts of names, and hit Sideswipe until Sideswipe finally sat on him, and got Sunstreaker's paint all scuffed up and I thought Sunny was going to kill him because of it because he really cares about his finish but Sides said he wouldn't get up until Sunny agreed to apologize which he's really bad at because Sideswipe says he's an arrogant aft so he asked me to tell you. He should probably tell you himself, but he's really prideful, so he probably won't. He is sorry though."
"I'm not mad at him, Bluestreak. I'm really not. I probably would have done the same thing in his place." Thundercracker said with a shrug, putting a protective hand over his midsection. "It wasn't uncommon in the early days for some mechs to lie about carrying to avoid being shot at. Then some real carriers were deactivated and it just seemed safer all around to not carry when avoidable."
The Praxian's doorwings hitched up high, his distress apparent. Thundercracker could have smacked himself; the youngling might have been thinking of the danger his own carrier has put himself through, or might be thinking of the danger the Seeker was in now. Either way he looked like he was working up to being in a state. It pinged at Thundercracker's creator protocols. The mech might have been grown but there was clearly much youngling in him. He probably had just gotten his adult protocols right before this mission.
"I wasn't hurt, and neither was the bitlit. That is what is important, right?" Thundercracker's tone was kind as it came out of his vocalizer. He wondered how much Jazz and Prowl were rubbing off on him, because the thought of upsetting the youngest Praxian suddenly had his insides in a knot. "It's fine, I forgive him."
"Thank you." Bluestreak said, impulsively hugging the Seeker. "Thank you so very very much."
Thundercracker hugged him back after a moment, more than a little bit stunned to have a Praxian barnacle clinging to him. Well, this Praxian barnacle at least. Though he didn't know why. It seemed like every Praxian he encountered any more wanted to attach themselves to his side. "You're uhm...welcome."
Bluestreak finally pulled away, not looking the least bit sheepish. "I'm glad my creators have you, I really really am and you have no idea how much I mean that. I know things are hard...I mean I understand." He said shifting from foot to foot. "I had bad things happen to me and I know it's not the same, I really do understand that, but if you ever want to talk you can always have my audial, cause every now and then I need to learn to listen instead of just yammering away, at least that's what Carrier keeps saying. And I'm really happy about the sparklet. I've always wanted a sibling, even though I know he really won't be, but it would almost be like he was because your with my creators, and would you really mind terribly if I treated him like he really was 'cause it would make me so so sooooo happy?"
Thundercracker stared at the little 'bot and tried to untangle the rush of words. "No...I wouldn't mind. I'm sure you'll make a fine big brother."
"Wonderful." Bluestreak said, hugging the Seeker again.