Chapter 16

Interim

Auri awakes with a warm and content feeling. Without opening her optics, she knows she is in med-bay and the sun has risen just enough to put a little glow in the sky-lights of the room. By the feel of cushions under her, she knows she is on one of the couches. And she knows Prowl is asleep nearby; her spark and his touch tell her that he is near, and the quietness and slowness of his cooling system's tiny gusts of air tell her that he is asleep. His frame isn't against hers, but his hand is in hers, secure and gentle and completely motionless. Someone else is nearby, too, also asleep, but it isn't Praxus; she knows Praxus's presence, and this isn't it.

Building up just enough curiosity to blink her optics open languidly, she peeks. Then a giggle rises and escapes from her lips. Prowl is on the other couch, which is cattycorner and pushed close to her couch, and Sunstreaker is snuggled up against Prowl, a golden arm draped over Prowl's back. Prowl's hand trembles as he wakes, and Auri gives it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. His cooling system gives a louder gust as he shifts slightly and looks to her with sleepy flickering optics.

"G'morning," she whispers, smiling at him.

"G'morning," he whispers back, and she smiles more, thinking that his hazy waking smile must be the sweetest of his smiles. He gives her hand a little squeeze and then releases it slowly, drawing his arm in to move gingerly, testing it for soreness.

Auri sits up and moves her own arm cautiously, finding it a little stiff from her sleeping with it extended to Prowl as it had been.

"Ow," Prowl whispers with some dry amusement, meeting her optics with another smile.

"You hurry up and bond with me," she whispers back, optics twinkling as she rubs her shoulder. "Then we won't have to do with such odd sleeping accommodations or positions."

"And we'll have some privacy, too," Prowl murmurs, giving her a tiny smirk. Then he reaches back with the intention of prodding the arm that rests across his back. "You're practically on top of me, Pr…" he trails off as his fingers make contact with an arm that is definitely not Praxus's. He realizes that the spark signature next to his isn't Praxus's either. He'd been too distracted by Auri to notice.

He cranes his helm around to look at the arm as Auri stifles a giggle. It's golden.

"Sunstreaker?" He cranes his helm the other way to confirm that Sunstreaker is indeed snuggled up against him. Turning his helm forward again, he presses his face against his pillow to smother a chuckle that shakes his wings.

"I'm sure he wasn't on this couch when I crawled onto it," he whispers to Auri after he gets control of his mirth.

"Oh, he wasn't," Auri confirms, grinning. Being at the party last night had tired Prowl and her both to the extent that neither of them had wanted to walk all the way back to their respective quarters, so they'd opted to crash in med-bay. They'd spent so much time in med-bay anyway that it felt somewhat like a second home. "Guess he did like Praxus does and woke up lonely in the middle of the night," Auri says, optics twinkling.

"It appears so," Prowl says. He turns his helm to look at the golden mech again as Sunstreaker shifts minutely.

Sunstreaker shifts slightly a second time after a moment and then sniffs, detecting the scent of Prowl's armor polish. "Prowwwl…?" he asks in the labored tones of someone with something like a hangover.

"Yes," Prowl answers.

"What… happened…?"

"You downed some high-grade after Ratchet gave you some painkillers," Prowl tells him.

"Huh." Sunstreaker doesn't move. "That… sounds… stupid. You… sure?"

"Not entirely sure, but fairly sure, based on what you said last night."

"Huh."

"We'll check later to confirm," Prowl tells him, watching him with fondness in remembrance of their younger years. Sunstreaker had never been much for snuggling the way Sideswipe had, but he hadn't always been as touch adverse and standoffish as he normally was these days.

"How are you feeling?" Prowl asks gently.

"Uh… remember… that… femme...?" Sunstreaker asks, seeming to have gone right off topic. "Turquoise armor… silver and white accents and pin-striping… gold optics… talked about art and… intelligent stuff?"

Prowl thinks for several moments before it occurs to him that the likelihood of him recalling a single bot out of the thousands that he's met over the years, based on armor colors and conversation topics alone, is unlikely. "I don't think I do."

"The hook-n-hack femme, Prowl," Sunstreaker clarifies patiently.

"Oh-" Prowl's wings flick in realization. That femme. "I remember the incident."

"Yeah. After her… that is how I feel," Sunstreaker says. "Exceedingly fragged. And I mean… both… literally in my helm and… carnally in my body."

"Ah," Prowl says, enlightened now.

"Every muscle relaxed but also sore," Sunstreaker adds, enlightening Prowl perhaps a little more than Prowl wanted. "And my helm is aching like my processor's been shredded."

"That's rough," Prowl says with compassion. "We can see if Ratchet might be able to help."

"Nah…" Sunstreaker murmurs. "No Ratchets. Just wanna lie here."

This amuses Prowl somewhat, but he only smiles and doesn't laugh. "Okay," he says. He turns his helm to meet Auri's twinkling optics and gives her smile. She clearly thinks hung-over Sunny is cute, and he has to admit that there is something endearing about Sunstreaker snuggling like Praxus.

Sunstreaker sighs. "She really knew how to lay a mech," he murmurs pensively.

Prowl has absolutely no idea how to respond to this, and his expression says as much to Auri. Auri grins; mildly disconcerted Prowl is also on the list of things she finds cute, especially when his wings give a small flutter like they do and his cooling system gives that little gust.

"Uh," says Prowl.

"I might not remember accurately, of course," Sunstreaker adds slowly. "She did try to scramble my processor right as we got best, and I haven't bedded anyone since then, you see. Didn't care for the risk, after that."

"That… is probably wisest," Prowl manages to say, his wings giving another flutter.

"Sadder and wiser and celibate," Sunstreaker reflects.

Prowl looks to Auri. He needs to be rescued. She's covering her mouth with a pillow and trying quite hard to not giggle aloud, her wings trembling with the effort. She thinks this is hilarious, Prowl realizes. Most certainly he needs to be rescued. Auri sees this. He telegraphs with his wings that he's lost. She'll save him.

"Good morning, Sunny!" she says cheerfully, somewhat as if she has just arrived and hadn't been sitting there the entire time.

"It's kinda… early, but good morning," Sunstreaker answers.

"I didn't have a reason to sleep in very late," Auri offers. "Sparkling upgrade parties don't go on to all hours of the night, you know, not like other parties."

"Oh... Party…" Sunstreaker remembers the party now, or at least some of it. "How… was the party?" he asks. "Did you guys steal the noodles…?"

"It is a good party," Auri tells him, smiling at the remembrance of it. "We stole the noodles and took them to the clubhouse, made a pillow fort, and played some games. Then we came back, and Starlight gave a speech, and then we had more food and games plus dancing. We enjoyed ourselves, and Starlight was very happy with everything."

"Nice," Sunstreaker says. It is all a sparkling can ask for on this base, he supposes. She has no playmates her age, so that area of her life is deficient, but the adults really care for her and look after her well. And teach her well, too. He smiles faintly at one clear memory from last night. "She told me… she hoped I… would enjoy the party," he says. "Like… I don't think she wanted… to. But she was trying to be nice… despite how she felt."

"She did?" Prowl's tone is one of surprised hope.

"Uh-huh. Shortly before you found me… I think."

"That's nice to know," Prowl says, a little paternal pride putting a smile on his face and in his voice.

"Mm-hm." Sunstreaker nestles his helm a little better against Prowl and sighs. Talking isn't helping how his helm feels, but he is glad he told Prowl.

"We'll be quiet and let you rest," Prowl says, and Sunstreaker answers with a murmur of gratitude.

They rest quietly for a while until Ratchet comes in and Prowl checks the time. It's physical therapy time, and Prowl reflects that after the dancing they did last night, they'll certainly find more little aches to work out than they usually did.

"How are we doing this morning?" Ratchet asks, peering at the three of them.

"Pretty well," Auri answers for herself, and Prowl nods in the agreement. Pretty well aside from all the little aches.

"Ugh," Sunstreaker says.

Gently, Ratchet helps Prowl slide off the couch and get to his pedes without jostling Sunstreaker too much. Then he puts a light hand on Sunstreaker's neck, checking his spark-pulse and his temperature.

"Helm-ache?" he asks.

"Uh-huh," Sunstreaker answers. "Feels like I got fragmented by a gorgeous but evil hook-n-hack femme."

"That is what happens when you mix high-grade with powerful painkillers," Ratchet says, his tone mild and patient, his experience enough that Sunstreaker's illustration is of no particular note.

Annoyance crosses Sunstreaker's expression. "Mixing those is exactly the sort of thing I don't do."

"You said you downed a half-empty cube in your studio," Ratchet tells him. "And that it might not have been plain energon. Just a simple accident of distraction that anyone might have made," he adds soothingly.

Sunstreaker doesn't intend to be soothed, but he doesn't feel well enough to fight it. "Mkay," he has to say.

"We'll get that cube checked out later," Ratchet tells him. "Then we'll know for sure."

"That's what Prowl said," Sunstreaker murmurs.

"Well, it's the plan." Ratchet puts a blanket over him. "We need to know to be sure it was the mixture and not a reaction solely to the boosted painkiller. Just rest now. I'll be just down the hallway with the Praxians if you need anything."

"Mkay."

OoO

Later that morning, after physical therapy, after breakfast, after a walk down the street in the sunshine, Prowl and Auri settle at their workstations in Prowl's office. Auri starts reviewing a report, and Prowl studies the outline of a project proposal he'd started drafting last week.

It's not the easiest thing to switch from a conversation with one's love and settle into quiet studious work, but they both manage. Producing excellent work result is point of pride for both of them, and they have that reputation to uphold. Time passes, and Auri finishes reading the report, marking her name at the top corner of the first page to signify that it's been reviewed, and then she labels its contents as low importance.

Prowl fills in some points in the project proposal and then adds a few more, building the plan meticulously. Auri finishes reading another report and signs it. Medium-low importance. She reads another report that turns out to have contents of low importance as well, aside from one paragraph, which she highlights. "Low importance – plus possible importance," she labels it in shorthand.

She's been sitting in her chair long enough now, so she rises and stretches and then heads over to the storage room so she can transfer the reports to their filing system. Prowl is too absorbed in his work now to notice much, but Auri glances over and smiles fondly at the look of concentration on his face and the relaxed flare of his wings.

The storage room is less bright, lacking the giant windows that let streams of sunlight filter into the main room of Prowl's office. Auri files the reports, listening to the hum of the system as the data uploads. She hears someone enter Prowl's office, but she still takes a moment to check around for dust. Dust is a bother, but they've cleaned recently enough that there isn't any, or at least there isn't enough to notice.

She heads back out and finds Sunstreaker sitting in a chair pulled up close enough to Prowl's desk that he can rest his helm on the desk.

"Hi, Sunny," she greets softly. "How are you feeling now?"

"Oh, more or less like someone used my helm for a battering ram unsuccessfully and then threw it in a ditch," he answers. "But I didn't want to stay in med-bay. Sides got that energon cube from my studio, and Ratchet analyzed it, and yeah, high-grade mix. I know I didn't drink it on purpose, and Ratchet does, too, but now he's a little worried about me being absent-minded." He huffs. "I was in an art flow. I'm just absent about the real world when I'm in an art flow. I'm perfectly alert about everything else the rest of the time."

"I'm sure Praxus can reassure him about that," Auri offers. "He understands art and artistry."

"Mm-hm," Sunstreaker agrees, though not with exact certainty.

"Ratchet will get over it shortly," Prowl adds, knowing Ratchet well enough to be fairly certain.

"Eh… well, yeah… that's true." It takes Sunstreaker a moment with his aching helm to decide this, but he knows Ratchet nearly as well as Prowl does. Ratchet will let this minor thing pass in time.

"Did you come to spend lunch with us?" Auri asks.

Sunstreaker lifts his helm enough to look at her. "Is it lunch time?"

She nods, smiling. "Almost."

Sunstreaker settles his helm back on the desk with an indecisive sound.

Prowl puts his fingertips lightly on Sunstreaker's shoulder. "I'll make you a frothy light-grade with a generous bit of coolant swirled in."

"With some crushed crystal candy sprinkled on top?" Sunstreaker asks, slightly tempted now and willing to be more tempted.

"Yes." Prowl is willing to sacrifice some of his small stash of crystal candy for Sunstreaker.

"Okay."

While Auri fetches her office chair, rolls it over to Prowl's desk, and settles into it, Prowl goes to the storage room to get some cubes from the little energon cupboard. He pauses and then opts to froth Sunstreaker's light-grade in the storage room; he doesn't want the whirring sound of the mixer to exacerbate what's left of Sunstreaker's helm-ache. When he returns, Sunstreaker has his chin propped up on his hands and half a smile on his face. Auri's optics are twinkling. Prowl can't help but smile back, even if it is just a hint of a smile.

"What did I miss now?" Prowl asks, cautiously lowering the energon service tray with three energon cubes to his desk.

"Sunny asked if he was crashing a lunch date between us," Auri tells him as he settles into his chair. "And I said no, we were just going to plan out the names of all our future sparklings."

"Obviously I knew she was joking since Praxus has them all named already," Sunstreaker adds, a smirk touching his lips. "Though I think he might be overestimating your virility."

Prowl's wings give a startled, embarrassed involuntary flick. Opening his mouth to reply, though, he finds a lack of words. "Uh-"

Auri is giggling now, optics twinkling. Sunstreaker chuckles. He'd been teasing.

"Well, see if you get any crystal candy on your frothy energon now," Prowl says, letting a tiny smirk touch his lips as he teases back.

Sunstreaker grins, chuckling again. "Ah… you promised, though. Unconditionally."

Prowl doesn't reply but whisks coolant and a few spices into the frothy energon, making the colors swirl and glow. Sunstreaker and Auri watch the process with a certain amount of expectancy, and Prowl halfway smiles as he sprinkles the promised candy crystals over the mixture.

"There you go," he says, sliding it over to Sunstreaker.

"Thank you." Sunstreaker gives him a smile and then turns his optics to the energon, savoring the anticipation of drinking it. "Ready for the ceremony?" he asks as Prowl starts mixing an energon for Auri.

"Very close to it," Auri says, her face lighting with joy and an anticipation that makes Sunstreaker's anticipation for his special energon look like nothing. "Mostly all that is left is just shining our finest armor, cleaning our jeweled ornaments, and making sure I have the vows all memorized. And the rehearsal, of course."

Sunstreaker has to smile at the way her wings flit eagerly with her words. "It'll be time before you know it," he says.