Chap 6

Bird Bath

Once you start crying, it's usually very difficult to stop. It's not as if you are used to crying, more that you are used to stifling back your emotions before you get to the crying stage. You know that once you start, it is decidedly hard to stop. Crying for you (when it does happen) is an all-out affair. Ugly heaving sobs, gross wet eyes, trembling, snot, hiccups - all of it. Even now with your new robot body, you expect the same. Colour you surprised when all it takes to calm you down from a pent up stress session is a couple of strokes from a long taloned digit and warm warm servos underneath you.

In the depths of your wailing, you barely notice what is happening above you. Something about Ratchet's desperate pleas make you want to go to him, but you feel just as inclined to stay as far away from him as possible. There's a conflicting myriad of emotions both within you and above you, and the ones within you are so overwhelmed it's hard to hear things clearly. The arguing above you is ongoing and consistent, with Ratchet's pleading tone frequently interrupted by the gravelly rumble of Starscream. Skywarp is decidedly silent, as it seems his task is to be a living wall between the two of them. Every heavy step forward that Ratchet takes is one that Skywarp interferes with by getting in his way.

The arguing contains a lot of words you're not familiar with. Even if you picked out the words you did understand from their heated conversation, you definitely don't have the energy at this point. In the past few hours alone, your room had blown up, you ran across a raging battlefield, got picked up by a friendly blue jet, got said blue jet killed, and got kidnapped into space. While you are still super embarrassed about crying in public like this, you give yourself a minor pass because yeah it's a lot to go through in one day.

Your face feels hot, and your weird tears make it hard to see. Using your own metal hands to rub your eyes, you notice Starscream staring down at you. Trying to make yourself presentable, you do your best to stifle your cries, breathing heavily while doing so, you look back up at him with a question in your optics. He doesn't say anything in response, but instead positively beams at you. And to your horror, he lifts you up to a vantage where you get a good look at Ratchet's face.

For a brief moment you panic – is he giving you back to them? You feel vulnerable in the open like this. You ran so hard to find the Seekers and they are just going to hand you right back over? But that brief moment passes without servos passing you over and instead you catch a look on Ratchet's faceplate that makes your spark clench. He looks absolutely devastated.

Confusion rings in your processor. There's so much you don't understand about these weird alien dynamics. Factions and war and Seekers and Sparklings, everything is too much. Tears begin to well up again, unbidden, and you tear your optics away from Ratchet's destroyed visage. A moment later Starscream's wing blocks it from your view entirely and you feel the distance between you and Ratchet growing. Footsteps echo in the corridor and the light bounce of your body weight in Starscream's palm clues you into the fact that he's walking away from the medic. A purple shape follows close behind, ensuring the distance between you and the doctor is kept, and soon Ratchet falls out of view.

A few murmurs are heard above you, most likely Skywarp and Starscream discussing what to do with you. Your cries are calming to a more manageable occasional hiccup, but there's still liquid pouring out of your optics. The talons stroking you never cease, and a soothing vibration seems to warm the air around you. You catch snippets of their conversation, and try to make sense of the last few minutes. Finding out what they'll do with you is highest on your list of importance, and you have to explain to them clearly that you need their help. Even if they are less inclined to help you after what happened to their brother. You wouldn't blame them.

Skywarp's voice is heard clearly overhead. "-swear to Primus we're the luckiest trine alive, look at them!" His servos lean forward to give you a little scritch on your helm, it weirdly feels good. You notice his wings bounce a little, either from excitement or his high energy steps, but you're unsure which.

"Yes," Starscream drawls back, both pride and caution evident in his tone. "And we must ensure they have a safe place, away from those pesky Autobots."

"That will be tricky on a ship of this size."

"Yes but we have an advantage, don't we?" Starscream's red optics shine down on you. "They came to us willingly." He smiles, showing his sharp denta. His footsteps falter a moment, and Skywarp's pause beside you as well. It is Skywarp that finally addresses you directly.

"Yeah, why did you come to us?" His red optics bore into you, but you find the question honest and simple. There isn't any subterfuge in his tone. You take a moment to clear your optics of the remaining fluid, and steel yourself to answer the difficult question.

"Th-th-they k-k-k-kid k-kidnapped m-m-me." Damn these hiccups, making it so hard to enunciate.

Skywarp's cheery wings immediately fall, and the soothing air around you turns to violence. A snarl rips out of Starscream's chassis and it is followed in quick succession by Skywarp.

"They what?!"

Starscream immediately turns back down the hallway where you came from, presumably to confront the medic who was no doubt a part of your blatant kidnapping, but you raise your small servos to stop him.

"W-wait! Don't make me go back there, please!" The tears threaten to leak out of your eyes again. You're trying your best not to wail, but the tension is building.

"I-I-I'm so sorry." You manage to get out. "About your br-br-brother." You cast your optics downward, ashamed to meet their gaze. "It's all m-my fault." A few tears drop to Starscream's palm and they're so small he probably doesn't even feel them.

You try to do the same, making yourself seem as small as possible in his servo, but one of his long talons tilts your helm up to meet his optics.

"Oh, little one. It's not your fault. Thundercracker was acting under my orders to keep you safe. He knew what he was doing." His red optics seem warm, and you're surprised to find that he doesn't look sorrowful at all. Instead, he looks at you as if he understands everything.

Skywarp chimes in. "Yeah! TC knew exactly what he was doing. And besides he's -" He cuts off like he's been interrupted, but neither you nor Starscream have said anything aloud. Skywarp's optics flash to Starscream's for a moment, and then back to you. "Anyways, don't worry, we'll take care of you."

You're lightly chuffed at this, both feeling both annoyed and pleased. Sure being cared for is nice, but you've been doing a fine job of it yourself so far (besides being turned into a robot and kidnapped into space). What's with all these giant alien robots making decisions for you?

Your thoughts are interrupted when Starscream addresses you again. "Where is your Sire?" You blink up at him, expecting further clarification. Instead he asks another question. "Your Carrier?" Nope, you don't know that word either. You shake your head to show you don't understand. He ponders for a moment and meets his brother's gaze. They share a brief moment of contemplation (Maybe they're talking over comms! Why didn't you think of that earlier?) and then he looks back at you.

"What's your designation, little wing?" Designation. Ratchet or Optimus asked you that before. You know this one, designation is weird robot talk for name! But you didn't give your name to the Autobots when they asked, and you still don't know these two that well despite what's happened recently. So you choose to keep it to yourself, and shake your helm once more at them.

Starscream raises a talon from his opposite servo to his faceplate and ponders heavily while looking down at you. He says nothing, but carries on walking. "No matter," he says after a moment, "I'm sure we'll find a designation that suits you soon enough."

Well that isn't what you expected, but there's not a whole lot you can do. And besides, getting a cool robot name from some jets sounds better than getting one from your kidnappers. You fight the urge to stick your tongue out in the direction of Ratchet down the hallway. Making you think they would help you, hah, you should've known better. Adults don't do anything without wanting something in return.

Which brings you back to the present situation.

"Uh, uhm," You start speaking, not knowing where to begin. Better to start small. Getting more information is key. "Do you know where we're going?"

Starscream continues his walking and answers you without looking down. "You'll have to be more specific."

"I-I mean, where is the ship going? What's its destination?" You're proud of yourself for speaking without stuttering too much.

Skywarp looks at you quizzically from his place next to Starscream. "We're going to Cybertron, didn't anyone tell you?" You shake your head, and then the information kicks in. Cybertron is where Cybertronians were from! Dread wells up in your spark. You really are in space, there's no denying it now.

The moment the horror wells up, it is immediately squashed down by a warm, soothing vibration. It's soft and heavy, and makes you feel a bit sleepy. You fight back a yawn behind your denta and you hope neither giant jet notices. They make no remark.

Starscream hums above you and turns a corner down the long corridor. The lack of windows makes you feel a bit claustrophobic, and you wonder if it's any better or worse for the other Cybertronians since they're so big. You suppose it doesn't matter if there are windows, since in space it's perpetually dark outside.

Even in the warm servo of Starscream you shiver a little, the chill from before not completely gone. You hope, like the yawn, he wouldn't notice such a small movement from you, but you're immediately proven wrong. His optics shoot down at you like a laser and then back up to Skywarp.

"Little one, do you have a berthroom aboard this ship?" He sounds rushed.

Berthroom. Sounds like bedroom? Probably isn't bathroom, you don't think robots need to use the bathroom. At least, you knew you don't. You take a gamble and answer. "Y-yeah, but it got blown up." You fight back a shiver and fail. "I-I wouldn't want to go back there anyway."

He curses under his breath. "Frag, I hadn't planned for this." His eyebrows furrow on his faceplate. "We need a safe berthroom for the Seekerlet, one where those blasted Autobots wouldn't dare enter." He looks down the corridor and back as if calculating.

After a moment's contemplation, he turns to Skywarp. "Go and find the nearest Autobot that isn't the medic or the Prime." Skywarp nods and takes a step as if preparing to leave. "Tell them we'd like a berthroom close to an emergency exit and big enough for all three of us." Skywarp nods and is already heading down a nearby corridor. His footsteps echo until they resound distantly in your audials. Starscream's talons curve above you again, half stroking your helm and half protecting you from any potential enemies.

He lifts you slightly, the motion shaking some of the sleep from your over-stressed body, and turns you over gently as if getting a good look at you. He tuts and thumbs one of your wings where a large dark streak still remains from the explosion. "Going to need a cloth and some solvent too." He mutters quietly, almost too softly for you to hear if you weren't so close. His optics scan over your form, and the red light has a gentle sadness to them. You're not hurt, only scuffed, and their brother got the worst of it. And here he is fussing over a little scrape when his brother just died.

Unable to help yourself, you take your servo, so small in comparison to his, and you hold the end of his talon. You hope that this motion will be received as an 'I'm so sorry for your loss' because you don't think you can get the words out without crying. You pat the talon gently and give it a small squeeze, and as soon as you do the soothing vibration around you gets so warm that it feels hot. It feels almost heavy in its thrum, and you can't fight the croon that bursts out of your chassis. Starscream immediately brings you close to his faceplate, crooning in return, and you feel the chill that was so present in your body for so long get chased out by the vibration. His cheek touches your helm, and you can't help nuzzling into his faceplate now that you have the proximity. He growls low in his intake, but the sound isn't threatening, more soothing. Like the rumble of an engine that lulls you to sleep in the back seat of a car. But in this case it's more like the rumble of a giant cat and you feel your insides turn to mush. The vibration is heavy, and the feeling of sleep fights your active senses.

The warm light of Starscream's optics cast a red glow on your form, and your servos reach up and caress his cheek. Letting go of his other talon, you give the base of his palm a little squeeze and his optics close as if he's tired as well. A sigh leaks out of him, and you can see the tension seep from his shoulders.

A few seconds, or maybe minutes pass like this, and Starscream gives out one final deep shuddering breath and places you high up on his shoulder armour. The base of his wing moves confidently behind you, and you grip the plates beside you to keep your balance. It's a little unnerving, being up this high, but you like it. You allow yourself a little smile, knowing he can't see your expression from his perspective, but he caresses your knee one last time before letting his servos drop.

Skywarp returns a few moments later, with a pink Cybertronian behind him. You've never met this one before, and they look stocky and maybe a bit smaller than the Seekers. When they see you, their faceplate changes quickly through a variety of expressions. Surprise being first, followed by happiness, followed by grief. Their footsteps make you think they're high energy, but they seem more and more subdued the closer they get to you.

"O-oh. You were telling the truth." She speaks, voice decidedly feminine, but you aren't sure who she is addressing. Her blue optics shift from you to Starscream and then back to you. They don't leave your form for a good long while, and her gaze makes you uncomfortable. Awkwardly, you give a little wave but you don't smile.

The pink Autobot doesn't smile back or wave. She just keeps staring.

"Arcee, if you would please lead us to our assigned chambers. The little one needs some sanctity after the events of today." Starscream purrs her name, and sounds overly smug.

This shakes Arcee out of her reverie. "Huh? Oh right." Her optics tear away from you with noticeable effort. "This way."

She leads the three of you down a few hallways and farther away from where you left Ratchet, which makes you feel a touch relieved. You don't think you could face him right now.

Arcee walks quietly beside you, stealing glances whenever she dares, as if losing an inner battle with herself. She looks like she wants to scoop you up and start running, or maybe talk to you, but everytime she tries either Skywarp or Starscream steals your attention with a question or some servo caresses. After a while she stops trying.

Soon you approach a wider hallway with sets of doors on either side. It almost looks like a dormitory hall, and you're proven correct when the green and white mech from the battle earlier peeks his head out and stares at the group of you, his intake open in shock. You shuffle behind Starscream's helm to hide yourself from the green one's view, and you can feel the form purr beneath you.

Arcee leads you all past the regular dormitory areas and to a larger door at the end of the hall. She opens the door into a large empty space with a wash rack off to the side and a large, soft looking bed lying on the opposite wall. All around on nearby shelves are pieces of medical equipment and some devices that you don't recognize. Those ones are colourful with shiny parts, but they don't hold your interest for very long due to your lack of energy. There are also a few piles of blankets folded neatly near the foot of the bed, and Skywarp immediately rushes forward and grabs a few of them with his huge hands.

The blankets are all human sized, and thus the size of washcloths for the huge robotic beings. But for you, tiny you, they are enormous.

Arcee says something you don't catch, because Skywarp snatches you off of Starscream's shoulder with a laugh and wraps you in the biggest blanket you've ever seen. Only your helm peeks out the top, and your wings and pedes peek out the bottom. He folds it over you a few times until you're a big burrito, and you fight the urge to giggle at the weird but funny situation you find yourself in. He sets you on the floor, and you notice he takes the other blankets and starts making a circle of them around you. Getting the image of a mama bird in your mind, you actually do giggle, and Skywarp laughs right back at you, his faceplate honest, mischievous, and happy.

Starscream continues talking in his prideful tone to Arcee, his inflections rising and falling with his unique timbre. Arcee doesn't raise her voice, and speaks so quietly you can barely hear her through the layers of blankets surrounding you. The sound is muffled, and you only catch a brief glimpse of her form leaving the room. Before the doors close, her optics meet yours one final time and then she's gone from your sight.

"Well, that was easier than expected." Starscream's voice rings clearly through the room, even through the layers of blankets. "Apparently this was to be the good doctor's room, so he volunteered to gift it to us." You can hear the grin in his voice. "He was meant to share the space with the sparkling, so it only seems right that we take it instead."

The words hit home for you. You had held onto hope that Ratchet wasn't a part of Optimus' plan to kidnap you, but you didn't have concrete proof of his guilt until just now.

If Ratchet had known about the voyage and prepared for you to stay in this room with him, then he was never going to help you get back to normal. Your spark aches at the betrayal. You liked him, but none of it was real. Your sudden sombre attitude and lack of giggles catches Skywarp's attention.

"Whoa, whoa there little one, what's the matter? Are you uncomfortable? Did I wrap you up too tight? Scrap." His gentle tone does nothing to soothe the discomfort in your spark.

Why were they being so nice? Sure, they said that it wasn't your fault, what happened to Thundercracker, but you still feel awful. How are they still smiling and trying to make you laugh? They either have really good coping mechanisms or they're really good at hiding their grief. The thought sours your mood further and you fight the tears welling up in your optics.

Two purple servos reach down and hold you in your blanket cocoon. The warmth seeps through the blankets covering you, and you can feel it even down to the tips of your wings. His voice is low when he speaks.

"Shh, little wing, it's gonna be ok. We'll never let anything happen to you." His servos give the gentlest of squeezes, careful not to hurt you. He walks over to one of the shelves with the medical equipment and strange devices. Holding you carefully in one servo, he plucks one off the shelf and places it in front of your face where you can see.

It's an angular machine of some kind, either made of brightly painted metal or plastic, you can't tell. There's a light bulb on the tip of it's triangular shape, and it's coloured red and white just like the medical equipment. Skywarp moves it in a funny way, swooping it up and down and making windy sound effects.

As you get a closer look, you see some areas are soldered together quite messily, like it was homemade. Definitely metal then. Skywarp continues to make the noises more and more desperately, until he gives up for some reason. He sighs and says. "I guess you don't like toys, huh?"

You scrunch your optics. This was a toy? You take a closer look with this new information, you guess it does look vaguely plane-like, but it doesn't look like any plane you've ever seen. The soldered together quality must mean that someone made these with you in mind. Judging from the fact this was supposed to be Ratchet's room, you deduce it must be him. The thought of playing in this situation sickens you, and you scowl at the toy plane. Skywarp gets the clue and puts the toy back on the shelf.

"Geez, I got it. No toys, understood." He gives a mock salute and the motion helps you regain some of your previous cheer. It wasn't Skywarp's fault that your mood is sour, you shouldn't make him feel bad. So you smile at him, and he positively melts.

"Ah, could you be any cuter?" His digit pats the top of your head but your arms are contained so you can't swat him away. Your dignity is in shambles. Your smile easily turns into a scowl at your inability to move. And if possible, Skywarp beams more.

"Screamer look! They've got your scowl down pat! Already showing that you're a part of the trine, lookit you go."

Starscream walks over to get a closer look at you, and he smirks in response to your sour expression. "Hah, they've got excellent taste. Taking after the leader of the Command trine! Already this smart at this frame size, they take after my looks and smarts already." He preens, and you can almost visualise a hair flip if he had hair.

"Can't wait to take you for a fly, little one. You're gonna love it." This gets your attention and your eyes go wide. The eagerness is open on your faceplate, and both of the Seekers share an expression that you can only describe as doting.

"R-really? You'll teach me?" Your voice is muffled by the blanket, but it looks like they hear you just fine.

"Are you kidding?" Skywarp is practically jumping. "I'd love nothing more." He's elbowed by Starscream who shoots him a venomous look. "Er, we'd love nothing more."

"Indeed, Seekerling, you'll be under the tutelage of the finest fliers of Vos." His wings flicker, drawing your attention to them. "I have no doubt that you'll be a natural in the air under our supervision. No one else on this ship is more qualified than us, especially not those Autobot Grounders."

"U-uhm," you wriggle a little, trying to get an arm free, but it doesn't work. "What's a Grounder?"

Skywarp scoffs, "Ugh, a Grounder is a ground based Cybertronian, no flight form." He carries you around the room, Starscream following behind him. "There isn't a single Seeker among all the Autobots, so it's fitting that you stick with us, lil Screamer."

You catch Starscream's preen at the nickname, he seems delighted that you're sharing some of his traits. He chimes in, "Those wretched Autobots didn't even know they were causing you serious harm by locking you up and leaving you be. Seekers aren't meant to be alone, they're alway surrounded by their kin." He gestures to Skywarp. "This idiot hasn't left my side since we were sparked."

Your optics mist a little, thinking of their other brother that couldn't be with you at all right now. You change the subject. "What do you mean by harm? I'm fine, nothing's wrong with me."

Starscream tuts and grabs more blankets off the shelves to add to the pile on the floor. "Flight sickness is caused when a Seeker is left somewhere without access to the skies. Worse yet, if they're alone. Seekers are a group culture, and it's embedded in our CNA. Even if you weren't sparked on Vos, you're a Seeker through and through, which means you're just as susceptible as we are." His faceplate scowls. No doubt similar to your expression from earlier. "By leaving you alone those Autobots have caused you serious harm. No doubt your internal temperature gauges are going haywire thanks to the flight sickness, it's why you're shivering."

Oh. That explains why everything feels so cold all the time. And why the Seekers feel better; they're literally the antidote. If Seekers are a group culture, then the best way to get better faster is to stick with them until the chills subside. You're no doctor (and you're not going to Ratchet), but you're satisfied with this conclusion.

Long taloned fingers pluck you out of Skywarp's grasp and lay you down again in the nest of blankets, bigger this time. The floor is literally four blankets deep below you, and the warmth surrounding you brings back that sleepy feeling.

"Sleep, Seekerlet. No doubt you're exhausted from the events of the day. We'll watch over you."

Trying to fight the drowsiness from overtaking you, you realise quickly that it's a moot effort. Two giant servos tuck you in tighter, one long and taloned, the other purple and blunt, and sleep quickly overtakes you.

With warmth surrounding you on all sides, and two giant jets looking after you, you sleep so deeply you doubt another explosion would wake you up.

Optimus Prime sat in the control room and buried his helm in his servos. He had gotten a comm from Ratchet moments prior, explaining that the sparkling was now in the possession of the Seekers, and that they had left willingly. He also explained that their methods of protection had caused the Seekerling to become very ill, all of this happened under his very watch.

So many things had gone wrong so quickly. Thundercracker's death was a great loss to all Cybertronian kind. Without him the Command Trine would fade, perhaps not die, but they would never be the same without him. The last known trine from Vos was broken, and with him, much of its culture lost.

Optimus hadn't factored in the trine's involvement in the voyage. He had kept his processor away from thoughts of Seekers the moment the Autobots gained possession of the sparkling, and that had been his downfall. He had avoided thinking of them, convincing himself that they were miles away and wouldn't interfere with the mission. His reaction had been to avoid thinking of these potential factors and it had resulted in two enormous losses. His spark hurt due to his failure.

Arcee had found him some time later in the same position, seated with his servos still cradling his helm. She entered quietly, which was unlike her. She addressed Optimus.

"Uh, sir? I've escorted the Seekers to Ratchet's room as he instructed."

Optimus let his weary optics look at Arcee. "And the sparkling?"

"With them, sir. Skywarp was telling the truth." She bit her lip, as if holding back words. Optimus sighed and nodded, gesturing for her to speak.

"Sir, if I may, we far outnumber the Seekers. Getting the sparkling back would be–"

Optimus silenced her with a weary move of his servo. "The sparkling chose to go with them of their own volition. It was their choice." His body felt so old. "Freedom is the right of every sentient being, and the freedom to choose is not exempt." The guilt he carried in his spark burned at the statement, he himself was guilty of not heeding his own words when it came to the sparkling.

"We will continue with our mission, and restore life to Cybertron. The sparkling will remain where they choose, in the Seeker's care. We can only hope that they are willing to let the little one interact with us."

Arcee's voice carried in the quiet control room. "The sparkling seemed open to interacting, at least from my perspective." She shuffled her pedes a little. "They waved at me. It was the first time I'd ever seen a sparkling." Her voice was quiet, contemplative, unlike her usual energy. "They're so different from the Terrans. I had to shut down coding I didn't even know I had. Was it like that with you too, sir?"

Closing his optics, Optimus nodded. The sparkling had been so small in his servos. He thought he'd never get to see one again after the fall of Cybertron. Now there was a chance, and it had already slipped right through his digits.

But maybe not forever. There were plenty of ways to take care of a sparkling, and here was an entire crew with long-dormant guardianship coding that now knew of the little one on board. With some luck, perhaps one of his Autobots could regain the sparkling's favour and encourage them to take their side. His dream of having the Aerialbots return was still in play, and he knew deep in his spark that it was possible the sparkling would choose them over the Seekers.

After all, he could hardly picture the Seeker trine as parental.

He looked up at Arcee, hope shone in his optics. "I encourage you to keep with your attempts to bond with the sparkling. Send out a comm to every Autobot on board to do the same." He paused. "Even Ratchet. I know he is broken by the sparkling's choice, but he was closest with them besides myself, and deserves a chance to try again."

Arcee nodded, and raised a servo to her helm to send the missive as she exited the control room. Optimus still had a primary mission aboard this ship, no matter what his coding was screaming at him. Getting the Emberstone to Cybertron was still priority number one; taking care of the sparkling was mission number two. He still had time to complete both.

As leader of the crew, and captain of the vessel, he had other things to occupy his time before he made his own attempt to coerce the sparkling. Sending a private comm to Elita-1, he asked for an update on their other unexpected guest.

Waking up from your sleep, you can't remember the last time you felt so rested. The last few times you'd woken up from your many recent bouts of sleep, you'd felt worse than when you'd gone to bed.

Waking up now, you feel warm, rested, and secure. That vibration you keep feeling, the one that makes you all warm and gooey inside, is still there but getting harder to point out. Almost like you're getting used to it.

As you angle your helm (your body is still very much trapped inside a blanket burrito prison) you notice a black tinted wing in your periphery with a strange purple symbol on it. You don't recognize the symbol, but you noticed it on Starscream's wing too, so it must be important to them. You'll ask them about it later if you get an opportunity.

The wing connects to Skywarp who is dozing lightly beside you, curled around the blankets on the floor. It can't be comfortable, but he seems content enough. You look around a bit more to find the other Seeker, only to see the slightest bit of him poking out of the washracks. There's the sound of water running in the background, and the pitter patter of droplets hitting the floor. Wriggling more intensely now, you try to release yourself from your entanglement.

You are met with success this time, as you deftly get an arm free (the blankets must've loosened while you slept) and wonder just how long you were asleep this time. A small speck of fear creeps into you as you think about how much farther you are from Earth since you slept while travelling through space, but shake it away as quickly as you think of it. There was no use fretting while you were so tired, and you got a lot of much-needed information before you went to sleep.

Getting your other arm free, you cautiously release your legs and wings from their captivity and use the cushion of the blankets surrounding you to dampen the noise of your pedes.

Sneaking past the sleeping Skywarp is trickier, as his thigh is directly in the path between you and your goal. There's a small gap between his knees that you squeeze through without touching him; you don't want to wake him since he too, had a rough time before you slept.

Walking as silently as possible towards Starscream, mostly curious to see what he's doing, half curious to see if you can sneak up on him, you arrive at the base of the washracks with his pointed pedes within touching distance.

From here you can see that he is fiddling with the taps, perhaps testing the temperature or something. He's got one of the blankets in his claws, a green one that looks especially fluffy. On the shelf nearby there's a few tubs of an unknown substance, but judging by the smell in this room it's probably oil of some kind.

The drain below you must lead somewhere, and it's doing a great job of draining the water that's pouring out of the taps. Idly you wonder if the kind of metal you are now can rust. Your next thought is interrupted by Starscream turning and noticing you.

"Ah, excellent timing. I have everything we need here to ensure your plating returns to its optimum shine."

Oh boy, bathtime.

"Uh, I can do it myself if I can just…"

"Nonsense, it would be better if I do it. I can reach places that you would have trouble with." He picks you up and places you on one of the shelves near the barrels of oil. Trying not to make a noise when you're lifted, (these robots really don't know how to ask) and to your surprise the shelf supports your weight just fine. You suppose that if the barrels of oil are supported, your weight would be too. Now that you're closer, you notice the oils have a kind of sweet smell to them.

(You try not to think about if you can fly at this height)

Starscream picks up the blanket (more like a washrag in his large servos) and one of the oil buckets. Flicking the lid off deftly, he dunks the rag in the oil and rubs it between his digits. The sweet smell is stronger now, and he moves the oil soaked rag closer to you. Taking a pede in his talon, he rubs the oil into your joints, wiping away any grime or dust from the explosion. The metal it leaves behind is shiny and wet looking, but Starscream makes no move to wash it away.

Instead he focuses on covering your entire body in the substance. Gently and methodically, he wipes away the remnants of the blast, tsking lightly when he finds a spot that makes him scrub a bit harder. None of his touches hurt, and the care he gives your wings especially makes your spinal strut tingle. They seem more sensitive than the rest of your body, but maybe that's because you're not used to having them.

The glimpses you get of his expression are…a soft scowl is how you'd best describe it. You can't help but want to know more about these giant jet robots. It's like it's coded within you to want to know.

Scrubbing a few more minor nooks and crannies, you realise that you aren't even trying to stop him from washing you. Your body doesn't want him to stop. Whatever mechanical processor that is working as your brain now trusts the Seeker enough to wash you. That is more than you could say for the Autobots as of late.

Starscream picks you up once more and his red optics scan your form for any places his scrubbing may have missed. Nodding once (to himself, mostly) he turns and faces one of the faucets that comes out of the wall panelling. Turning a knob, water gushes forth and he waits a moment until steam appears in the air. Testing the water, he puts a single talon into the water as if warming it up. After a few seconds he brings that same talon over to you and speaks.

"Touch my digit and feel if it's too hot for you. If the metal is too warm to touch I'll turn it down."

You do so and find his talon is pleasantly warm underneath your fingers. You instinctively clutch the tip and Starscream smiles lightly. Embarrassed at your action, you mumble " 's fine," and before you know it you're dunked under the faucet.

Gasping with surprise, you rub the water out of your optics and glare at Starscream who's laughing lightly. He shrugs without a word and continues to rumble with light laughter as he rinses the majority of the green oil from your body.

When you emerge from the water, you're obviously wet, but much cleaner than you had been. Your metal is shiny and sweet smelling, and you promise to yourself that you'll prank Starscream sooner or later. Maybe if you're lucky, Skywarp will help you; he seems like the prankster type.

Starscream's silent laughter peters off, and he grabs a dry blanket to rub the remaining moisture off of you. Honestly you half expect him to just shake you dry, but he's just as methodical getting every ounce of moisture out of your metal panels. Before drying your wings however, he gets your attention by meeting your gaze and gesturing at his own wings. He flutters them lightly, like a bird in a birdbath, and gestures for you to do the same.

Your attempt is much less graceful, but you do manage to move your wings a little. A weird sort of pride wells up in you (this was the first time you've gotten your wings to move on command), and you meet his gaze again this time with a small smile on your face. He rubs you down with the drying blanket anyway, but is extra careful on the wings. If there are any wet spots left (which you feel is doubtful) those will be left to air dry.

Turning off the faucet and heading towards the bed, you perk up your finials and ask awkwardly. "Did you sleep?"

A red glow washes over your form briefly.

"Hmm? No, I will recharge later. One of us must always be awake to ensure your safety." He glances over at Skywarp, still snoozing surrounding the blanket nest. "That one will always recharge when he gets the chance. His quirk takes a lot out of him, and he overused it during the battle."

"His quirk?" You question.

"His special ability. Skywarp has the ability to teleport, although it's not without cost."

Whoa. Teleportation is cool.

"Will I be able to teleport?" You try not to sound too eager. Getting back to Earth would be easy with teleportation.

"Probably not, as far as I know Skywarp is the only one with that ability. Thundercracker–" He stops when he sees the sorrowful look on your faceplate.

"Thundercracker had an ability he called a Sonic Boom, a blast that affected the audials of nearby Cybertronians, literally weaponizing sound." Starscream sounds a touch envious.

"And you?" You ask eagerly.

Starscream pauses before responding quietly. "I don't have one. Unless you count my devilish good looks and impeccable flying prowess." He flutters his wings in emphasis, clearly deflecting.

Oh, you hope you didn't bring up a sore subject. But wait, isn't he the leader?

"It must mean you're the leader because you're like the best flyer. Didn't you say you were the best trine in the galaxy or something? You must be the best of the best."

Starscream's wings are so high they practically touch the ceiling. Both of his servos are now patting you and petting you, and your body resumes that boneless feeling at his ministrations. You can tell he's pleased by your comment, even if he doesn't say anything. You can see it on his faceplate.

His optics are scrunched and his denta are exposed in a sharp smile. His chassis rumbles with a soft laughter again as he preens at your compliment.

"And you," he starts with his raspy voice, "Couldn't be more correct. Who taught you to be so smart, hmm?" His ministrations turn ticklish. Laughter peals out of you.

"Nobody, nobody!" You laugh louder, unable to escape his merciless attacks.

"You take after me, no doubt about it. No one would doubt that a Seekerling as perfect as you would originate from my genetic material." His tickles don't cease and you can barely hear him through your own laughter.

"Hey hey! Are you both having fun without me?" Skywarp must have woken due to your loud laughter, but you don't have enough control to stop yourself and apologise for waking him.

Another finger joins the tickle fight, barely finding room, and you can barely breathe with the attacks coming from all sides. Tears stream down your faceplate, ones caused by unceasing laughter this time, until you can take it no more. You finally get out a few "I yield, I yield!" and the digits slow their attacks.

Heaving heavily, boneless, you look up at the two Seekers. Your body can barely move, laying down completely on Starscream's palm. You can sort of see the family resemblance between the two, something about the shape of their eyebrows and optics are the same. Their colours may be different, but you've been with giant robots for long enough to notice where there are human similarities and where they are decidedly alien. You're a bit curious as to how, and if, Cybertronians are born, but that's not a question that you're gonna ask anytime soon.

"Well then," Skywarp begins, "That's enough for a warm up. How about we go for a fly?"

Optics widening, you nod eagerly and the bonelessness from seconds ago is replaced by vibrating excitement. This whole time you were promised a flight, and you were finally gonna get to practice.

Looking at Starscream, you wonder if you need his permission to fly. As the leader, does his command apply to you? Is that what the command part in Command trine means? The leader in question looks back at you and shows off a sharp denta.

"Let's go then, shall we?"