#*bumblebee with the humans inside him roll up beside them*

[coldclawer]

the season 3 spongebob episode pranks a lot and the season 2 transformers episode attack of the autobots are long lost siblings in a way

[bones4thecats]

TFP Ratchet x Fembot reader, where on Cybertron they both had a sparkling, but when the war started the Sparkling was taken away from them along with other Sparklings to train them for war, on earth the reader is pregnant, and when the episode where Bee are taken away from her C-cogs, Ratchet wants to give him his, but when Bee goes on the mission, and Ratchet goes for him, the Reader ends up telling why Ratchet wants to save Bee, since their Sparkling died in Ratchet's arms due to a Decepticon attack in the war from Cybertron. , Ratchet had to try to save his son in the infirmary only for him to die due to lack of energy, Ratchet still blames himself for his death same as the reader

TFP! Ratchet and S/O w/ Deceased Child

Character: Ratchet (Transformers Prime) Requester: @zinnia1506 A/N: This was so much fun to write. I love this guy so much!! By the way, the ending may be a hint rushed, but I need to start planning for my Q&A here soon. I also know the titles kinda clunky, but I tried making it sound good. Anyways, enjoy!!! ⚠️ Trigger Warnings for: Mentions of war, death, human organs (like once, not even that descriptive), and loss of a child ⚠️

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Ratchet ═══════════════════════════════╝

⚕️ As the Decepticons neared their goal day by day, you grew more and more worried for your sparkmate's stability. He hadn't been recharging as much as he should and the amount of injuries coming in certainly weren't helping any

⚕️ You were helping Ratchet out in the med-bay when you heard Bulkhead come inside while Bumblebee... walked? Why wasn't he in his vehicle mode instead?

"Bumblebee, Bulkhead? What's wrong?" You asked, making Ratchet look up from the screen and cock an optical ridge like you.

"Bee said he couldn't roll out. I don't know what's wrong with him."

⚕️ Looking from the large green-mech, you looked at the young yellow one and nodded, motioning for him to take a step onto the metal 'bed' for him to lay on for a scanning

⚕️ You were concerned as Optimus stood beside you, resting a servo on your shoulder pad and attempted to keep you from bursting with emotions. He understood why you were acting more worried than ever

"You can fix Bee, can't you?" Rafael asked, looking up at the medical bot with a matching concerned face.

"Bumblebee was hit pretty hard. The stun-blast may have fried his T-Cog." He answered, resuming with another scan.

"Is that like a T-Bone?" Miko asked.

"Not exactly. It's the organ that allows us to scan vehicles and transform." Arcee answered while you busied yourself making sure nothing was outwardly wrong with Bee.

⚕️ The beeping of results coming in made you all look up at the screens behind Ratchet, and you pat Optimus' servo with yours to reassure him you were fine, allowing him to nod and take it back to his side

"By the Allspark..." Ratchet began, "Bumblebee's T-Cog isn't damaged. It's missing."

"But the Decepticons transform too. Why would they steal that?" Jack asked, saying what you all were thinking.

"Megatron may be known to raise zombies but he's no ghoul."

"If Megatron wasn't behind this... then who was?" Raf asked again.

⚕️ As you began to wonder just who, any Decepticon, or even a rogue Autobot would do such a thing for greed, Bulkhead gave you the one group you wouldn't think of

"The ones who cannibalized Breakdown."

"And tried to gut me." Arcee added.

"M.E.C.H. And it would appear their knowledge of Cybertronian bio-tech has grown sophisticated."

"But why would they want Bumblebee's part?" The youngest human once again pried, being followed by Bumblebee's impaired beeping he used for speech.

⚕️ As Bumblebee stood and began to walk away, Optimus moved slightly from your side and laid a servo on his chest plate, making him stop walking forward like he once planned

"Bumblebee, please. You are not presently equipped to handle this." He said, making the youth bleep back at him.

"You are mistaken, my friend. I do know what it's like to lose a vital part of ones self. And, as a result, I know the value of putting ones faith in the strength of those around you. We vow to do everything in our power to make you whole again."

"And if not, Ratchet can just make you a new Cog-thing, right?" Miko asked.

⚕️ You could feel the frustration radiating off of Bumblebee as he groaned glitchily and sat back down on the berth, his helm in his servos

"What'd I say?"

"Miko, a T-Cog is a bio-mechanism not a scrapyard find. If it were that easy, don't you think I would've replaced Bumblebee's voice box by now."

⚕️ You made your voice known among the others as you replied with your own response

"Losing a T-Cog is like you humans losing your liver. You cannot just make a new one from scrap after losing it and put it inside you like nothing ever happened."

⚕️ Bee's beeping became more erratic as he spoke, making Raf step forward and begin trying to make the mech's mood lighten up a bit. After all, he was still the same adorable Cybertronian without such an important part of his biology. Unfortunately, Bee was having none of it and began moping heavier by the second

⚕️ As the others spoke of ideas for helping out Bee, you just hoped this nightmare would be over soon

»–•–«

⚕️ Everyone in the base could tell that Bumblebee was beginning to lose his patience, he had been far more snappy and acting like how Miko would call it, 'a typical earthly-teenager' would, which only upset the bot more

⚕️ You noticed how protective Ratchet had grown towards Bee when he tried leaving for a 'walk'. And while normally you would just sigh and chuckle at the actions, this time, you saw how deeply this was hurting Ratchet and Bee. Bee was hurting for more obvious reasons, but Ratchet was one only you and Optimus knew about

⚕️ And after the... predicament with Ratchet being unconscious while the rest of the group, minus Bumblebee, you, and the kids, went off to find an Iacon relic, everyone was shocked when he yelled about Bee going off on his own

⚕️ It was only days after Bee's T-Cog got repaired after being blown to near-scrap by Starscream that the kids asked you why Ratchet seemingly lost himself worrying after Bee

⚕️ You currently had the three kids in your alt mode, an Koenigsegg CCR, and were telling them a short story of your first day on their home planet, making them laugh at how oblivious you once were

"Hey Y/N, can I ask you something personal?" Raf asked, shifting nervously in the passenger seat while Miko took her headphones out and sat up to listen.

"Go right on ahead, kiddo."

"Ratchet cares about the team, and I know that! But, why did he seem so much more- protective over Bee while his T-Cog was gone?"

"Yeah! He acted like he was Bee's dad or something!" Miko chirped in.

"Miko!" Jack yelled.

"It's alright, Jack. I suppose you kids should know since you're practically members of our small family." You began, making the two boys and girl look at your radio with curiosity.

⚕️ You shook off any feeling of nervousness and began to speak your story, radiating everything off of your spark, allowing the kids to back out of hearing the tragedy any time

"Back on Cybertron, there were two Cybertronians. And in a similar way you humans do, they had a what you call 'child'. The two were very happy to bring such a cute and valuable part of their kind into the universe. And, swearing on their sparks, they would make sure they lived a happy life."

⚕️ Raf could hear your voice drop at the mention of a 'happy life' and so, in an effort to save you some pain, he finished your sentence

"And then the war broke out... right?"

"Yeah... the carrier, or mother in your terms, had taught him how to fight whilst the sire, or father, taught him how to heal himself and others if the time came. And it did, unfortunately."

⚕️ Flashbacks of watching an orange and white mech teaching a smaller, and more fragile one, how to weld an injury together began to come back to you, making you slow down more while driving

"While they tried their best to keep their child out of any major danger, when the Decepticons launched an attack on the building they were staged in, he ended up getting severely wounded, to the point where it took nearly ten medics and doctors to help the large number of harmed members heal quick enough for a rebuttal."

⚕️ Jack looked down while Miko looked visibly saddened and Raf tried to stay calm as you continued

"The father Cybertronian had tried healing the young one, attempting to close up any major wound until he could receive proper treatment... but that... didn't work that well."

"I'm gonna guess that the father Cybertronian was Ratchet and the mother was you, right Y/N?" Jack asked.

"You'd be correct. Ever since the day that Ratchet and I lost him, I couldn't stand the mere mention of his name."

"What was his name?" Miko asked kindly, attempted to sound far less curious then she was.

"We named him Ultrasound. Since he seemingly could hear so much more than he should have when he was young." You said, a small laugh coming from you and the kids.

"Hey Y/N... do you think Ratchet sees Ultrasound in Bumblebee?" Raf asked.

"It's quite possible. I see him inside him as well. The way he pouted reminded me of when Ratchet would tell Ultra to go to his quarters because he did something bad. I believe that Ratchet does see our offspring in Bumblebee, though, you may need to ask him yourself." You finished, before telling them it was time to get them home for the night.

⚕️ They all nodded and sat patiently as you began to drive them home, dropping off Jack, then Miko, and finally Raf off at their homes

⚕️ But, before Raf went inside and probably to bed, he looked at your radio again and said something that would stay with you until the end of your time living

"I think Ultrasound is always with you, like what my mother always told me. Someone isn't fully gone, there's always a part of them with you. Whether it be in your heart, or I guess spark for you guys, or in your memories."

⚕️ You hummed and giggled at Raf's maturity before opening your door for him to get inside his home

"Thank you for the advice, oh wise Rafael. Now, get in your home. Your mother's probably worried."

"No problem, and thanks again Y/N. You must've been a great parent."

⚕️ You were shocked as he stepped out and ran into his house to speak to his mother about why he was slightly late home, he was probably going to say that his friend needed some help understanding some homework

⚕️ Once you arrived back at the base and looked at your sparkmate working away, the memory of him holding Ultrasound in his arms, smiling down at the newly-made Cybertronian, made you give a matching one and walk up to hug him

⚕️ Ratchet looked at you and smiled, wrapping an arm around your back, pulling you into his grasp. Oh he wished this war would be over so you both could live once again like normal beings and not helpers in such a violent time

"I love you, Ratchet."

"I love you too, Y/N."

[still-not-over-transformers]

hi! could you do i mirage x fem bot where she's kinda got the build of a mech and is super self conscious about it. and when noah and elena meet her they think she's a mech and she gets upset and they've got no clue whats going on but mirage does and he comforts her? sorry if this doesn't make sense 🫶

Just the Way You Are

ROTB Mirage x Femme Autobot Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1300

You had heard much about the Autobots’ human allies. As you waited patiently inside a warehouse which was the current hideout for Optimus Prime and the Autobots, you couldn’t help but feel excited. You had never directly interacted with humans during your short time on Earth, and you were looking forward to finally meeting them. Shortly after the Transwarp key had sent its beacon into the cosmos, you had followed its signal in your ship to Earth. This is where you would come to join up with the Autobots and make this planet your temporary new home. 

As for your new comrades, you found them to be welcoming but you got along with some better than others. Of course you regarded Optimus with the utmost respect, but he wasn’t much for conversation and you didn’t want to risk embarrassing yourself in front of him. Arcee was informative and kind; Bumblebee was quirky and fun; but Mirage definitely made you feel far more comfortable. Actually, he made you laugh quite a bit, and despite Mirage’s antics often butting heads with Optimus, you couldn’t help but want to spend more time with him. Besides, he was highly in-tune with human culture and close friends with their human companions. 

Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard the familiar rev of Mirage’s engine, causing you to transform from your vehicle mode into your Cybertronian form. In usual Mirage-fashion, the mech peeled into the warehouse in his Porsche vehicle mode before halting to a sudden stop. You couldn’t help but roll your optics slightly, thinking to yourself Always with the dramatic entrance. 

As Mirage parked, both the driver’s side and passenger doors opened, allowing two humans to emerge. Once his cab was empty, Mirage transformed from his vehicle mode and stretched his limbs. As he glanced around, Mirage’s optics focused on you, “Hey, Y/N! Ready to meet my friends?” His tone was upbeat and full of excitement as he beamed with eagerness. You took a few steps forward before focusing your gaze towards the two small human figures standing before you. “I’m glad to meet your acquaintance. I am Y/N,” you lower your frame slightly, trying to decrease the height difference as much as you can. 

Mirage steps in to introduce everyone, “Y/N, this is my boi, Noah, and the badass Elena.” Both Noah and Elena smile up at you, with Noah stepping forward to address you, “Y/N, it’s an honor to meet you. It’s great to have another Autobot on the team. Maybe Mirage, you, and me can head out on the town afterwards. Just the three of us guys hanging out.” Before you can fully process Noah’s words, Elena chimes in, “It’s nice to have you joining us, Y/N. Hopefully Mirage and Noah don’t rub off on you too much. Honestly, we don’t need too many boys misbehaving after all.” 

You pause briefly, taking in what you just heard, Do they think I’m a… mech? You tried to keep your thoughts to yourself, attempting to force your emotions to the back of your mind. As much as you tried, you couldn’t stop the surge of emotions that would ultimately bubble to the surface. You were aware that your frame build wasn’t as feminine as a bot such as Arcee. That you were built thicker and more muscular than the average femme on Cybertron, a fact that had plagued you even before the war, as many a mech would make a jab at your more masculine appearance and voice. It all would become too much, and your body language betrayed your thoughts and feelings. 

Noah and Elena watched you in confusion, unsure of what was bothering you. Noah stepped forward to speak, “Hey, Y/N, are you okay? Was it something we said?” 

Unable to contain your emotions any longer, you turned suddenly and glared down at 

Noah and Elena. “Yes it was something you said! It’s something that everyone, human or Cybertronian, apparently has to point out!” Your words came out in a tone of both anger and agony. You would swiftly turn away and transform into your alt mode, before driving out of the warehouse, your destination: anywhere but here. 

Both Noah and Elena are left speechless and with a sense of guilt, although they had no idea why. Mirage looked down at the two of them and gestured to Noah, “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ve got this.” He quickly shuffled away from them both, transforming into his vehicle mode then driving off in pursuit of Y/N. After a short drive, Mirage follows your trail to a secluded and abandoned lighthouse on the edge of the bay. Mirage had been here before and knew this was usually where you went to relax or calm down after a hard day. Mirage transformed from his vehicle mode and walked around the exterior of the lighthouse, finding you sitting down, your back leaned against the building. He notices your dour demeanor and softly speaks, “Hey… Y/N, are you feeling alright?”

Although you weren’t expecting Mirage to follow you after your outburst, you weren’t surprised as he was Mirage after all. You kept your gaze averted from Mirage, “...I could be better…”

 Mirage tries to keep a positive attitude and sits beside you, scooching closer to you, “I’m really sorry for Noah and Elena… I promise you they didn’t mean to offend you. Even humans can make mistakes and I’ll let them know what’s up.” His optics are locked onto you, his expression soft but clearly full of concern. 

“I’m sorry if I overreacted, but… it’s not just them, it’s just… everything and it’s hard not to be affected by it.” Your entire life you had to struggle with your appearance and how so many Cybertronians mistook your gender. You always tried to ignore and deny how this made you feel, but there was only so much you could handle. Despite having known him for a short time, Mirage had always tried to make you feel better in his own quirky way. You always laughed at his jokes and you were always down to join him on patrols or occasionally risk a lecture from Prime after breaking curfew. Primus forbid anyone should know you had developed a crush on him, although you never thought you had a chance with someone like him. 

Sensing your distress, Mirage shifts towards you and places a servo on your shoulder. “Y/N, I’m gonna be honest with you. You’re cute as hell and I think you are one of the finest femmes in the universe.” He flashes a brief smirk before his expression changes to be softer and more vulnerable. Mirage begins to go off on details about your personality and how he finds your mannerisms absolutely adorable. But this mech isn’t done yet. “Don’t get me started on how a chick who could bench me is beyond hot as slag. And don’t get me started on what’s ‘feminine.’ Cause what even defines that? Tall, short, skinny, built, thick, all the same to me.” He fires off a shameless wink towards you before clearing his throat and re-focusing, “Look, Y/N, I’m sorry I haven’t told you sooner, but I really like you. As in… ‘like you’ like you. But… I understand if you don’t feel the sam–”

Before Mirage can finish his sentence, you wrap your arms around him and pull him close, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Catching yourself, you quickly pull away embarrassed, “...I-i’m sorry…! I don’t know what came over me—” You are in-turn surprised as Mirage brings you close once more and kisses you, 

As his lips slowly pull away, Mirage smirks to you, “I one-million percent feel the same.” 

END

[pickledpascal]

Love’s Train

Chapter Four: 2020: A Semblance of Normalcy

Warnings: existential crisis, sneaking out.

A/N: pandemic doesn’t exist, fuck that

Word Count: 1.4k

Love’s Train Masterlist

Previous Chapter  |  Next Chapter

Two years passed and Quinn was slowly starting to become a normal girl again. Besides the fact that her best friend was a yellow and black robot that could transform into a Camaro and, well, she certainly didn't look like a normal government official. At twenty-one, her arms were covered in various tattoos and her hair was dyed blue at the tips. She had a handle on all the Congress stuff after a while. As it all calmed, she wasn't needed as much, so it was the perfect opportunity for her to apply to colleges. She still wanted that degree, hoping she'd get a cool job with inventing. 

Who could pass up accepting the woman who spoke for the Autobots in their college? 

Which meant Quinn had her choice among what felt like hundreds of different colleges but her parents wanted her to be somewhere close. Preferably in-state. So she did. The college she chose was a two hour drive away from the five acre piece of land her parents owned. Far enough for Quinn to feel independent but close enough that she could drive back for a weekend if she wanted. 

To celebrate Quinn going to college, her parents threw a party. They invited friends and family from all over. Not that Quinn ever really met them but she appreciated the gesture. 

She made her way outside the two-story home, through the porch door and sighed as she stared at the setting sun. Most of the party-goers were inside, getting drunk and laughing with friends. Quinn looked back inside for a moment, catching a glimpse of her brother clinking a beer with someone. She let out a light laugh. 

Seeing Jake drunk was always fun to watch. Especially when he wanted to challenge Quinn to a beer pong game. He'd somehow win yet be leagues drunker than Quinn. 

A horn honking grabbed Quinn's attention. She realized it was Bee when his car door opened. Skipping her own party? What was more Quinn Harlow than that? She glanced back at her house before she stepped down from the porch and quickly got in Bee's driver's seat. The car moved as soon as Quinn got in, traveling down the dirt road that was shaded by tall trees.

"Where we going Bee?" Quinn asked, cocking her head as she looked around. She'd played in these woods when she was younger, even went camping with her family since it wasn't too far from the house.

Bee didn't respond, just the sound of his engine purring and his tires moving against dirt. That wasn't like him….

Soon, Bee stopped. He opened the driver's side door to signal Quinn to get out which she did. She looked at Bumblebee with narrowed eyes before she caught sight of that blue truck with red flames driving towards her. It stopped until it was just a few inches away from her then Quinn could see Optimus transforming into his Bot form. Gears, parts, lights, and tires rolling into place until Quinn could properly see the thirty foot tall bot. He kneeled down to be face to face with Quinn. Even then, she had to tilt her head up to look at him.

"Hello, Quinn Harlow." A deep voice rang out from in between his metallic lips, one she didn't expect but it fit. "I must commend you for all the things you've done for our race." Optimus hummed, blue optics taking in Quinn's form. Almost as if he was studying it.

It seemed all Autobots had blue optics, a detail Quinn would come to know very well.

Quinn was speechless. She'd seen Bee transform all the time but this… it was different. Optimus was a prime. The peak form of a Cybertronian. Perhaps that's why he was so goddamn big. 

The human coughed slightly and shrugged. "I, um, it's nothing." Quinn quickly said as she felt something start to prickle at her forearm. She tried to ignore it best she could. Whatever it was, it wasn't as important as meeting Optimus.

"It's not nothing." Optimus huffed out a laugh, a noise Quinn wasn't sure Optimus was capable of but it seemed he was full of surprises. "Every time you walk into that white building, you risk being ridiculed and endangered. I'm glad to call you a friend." He nodded, holding up his hand to Quinn's.

Quinn's eyes flicked from Optimus' face to the hand in front of her. It was probably as big as her entire body and she was six feet tall, above average for girls. "Um, you too." She smiled, awkwardly taking one of his fingers in her hand and shaking it. 

Optimus lowered his head a bit to be more level with Quinn and took his hand away. "I must also congratulate you on being admitted into college. As I understand these past few years have… as you say, thrown a wrench in your plans." He was certainly much more composed than his Autobot brothers. He spoke eloquently and clearly.

If only little Quinn could see her now. Conversing with that blue and red truck who led the Autobots.

"Th-Thanks." Quinn stammered slightly. Seeing Optimus close up was intimidating yet weirdly… attractive. She could see the little details of the metal plates that made up his face. "I mean, helping friends is more important than anything, right?" Quinn glanced back at Bumblebee who had transformed into his Bot form and sat at the stump of a tree.

"If only other humans could be as gracious as you." Optimus smiled lightly, a bit of a bitter tone in his voice. Not at Quinn. She could tell that already. 

—------

As Bee dropped Quinn back off at her house, she immediately made her way up to her room. That prickling on her arm was starting to bother her to no end. Like an itch she couldn't scratch. Quinn threw off the jacket she wore and rolled up her sleeve to see if anything was stuck on her skin or anything. 

There was nothing. No little bug that had managed to crawl its way into her sleeve, no raised red rash. Nothing. Well, except…. 

In the Cybertronian language, a deep blue mark appeared on the expanse of Quinn's forearm. While she couldn't read what it meant, she could tell what it was. Her soul mark appeared.

Right as she met the leader of the Autobots.

"Holy fuck." Quinn blinked, eyes wide as she slowly lowered herself onto her bed.

Of course she just had to be soulmates with Optimus fucking Prime. An alien robot. To be fair, she loved Bumblebee. But that was platonic. Like a brother and sister. But to be in love with a Cybertronian? As a human? It was hard to wrap her head around. Could they even… no, she didn't need to think about that. 

Quinn ran her hands through her hair. It was bittersweet. After all this time of wanting any sort of soul mark and she finally had it. But her soulmate wasn't human. She didn't think it was possible. But perhaps Cybertronians were more human than she had originally thought. Quinn took a few deep breaths, shaking her head from her thoughts. 

It's not like Optimus had a mark. He wouldn't have to know, especially if he didn't know about humans having soul marks to begin with. So it would be easy to hide. 

"It's okay, Quinn. You have a mark now, you're alright." Quinn whispered, trying to calm herself. 

Her thoughts about Optimus, being desperate to meet him, feeling almost betrayed when he crossed paths with her, it started to make sense. Quinn pursed her lips before she looked at her mark again. She'd saved a space for it among all the tattoos she got, still holding out hope. At least it looked at home among all the ink around it. 

If Optimus didn't know already then Quinn certainly wouldn't tell him. Not right away. Maybe down the line, when they actually start to know each other. That night was only a meeting to finally see each other for the first time. The human fighting for Cybertronian rights and the leader of the Autobots would have to meet eventually.

Funny how their paths were so acutely intertwined. 

Quinn let out a breath. College was just around the corner, that would give her time. Time to breathe, to get her thoughts together, to figure out what the hell she was gonna do. 

[primevein]

The Prime of His Youth: Book II: Quest for Fire: Ch32: Old Friends

Jack had Arcee stop, and he climbed from off her back. He pulled the scanner out of his inner jacket pocket as Arcee transformed. He looked, trying to follow the where the scanner was pointing. It wasn't until he looked up, seeing scratches on the ceiling.

"What do you see?" Arcee asked.

"Claw marks?" Jack asked. He then looked at the scanner before looking at the ceiling. He pointed at a spot. Arcee transformed her right hand into her longshot blaster and aimed. She fired, at first once, and then a few times more. A box fell out. She leapt up. transforming her hand back as she caught it. She landed beside Jack, carrying what similar to an Energon cube.

Jack looked distant for a moment. "Something the matter?" Arcee asked him.

"I don't know?" Jack asked, "I thought it would be harder." He then pointed Arcee down. She kneeled down and opened the box. Inside were a number of ampules with what looked like autoinjectors. Jack then closed the box and held it. "If it's like this, we can hit another couple of points before we head back to base."

* * *

They stood in the base with their dozen-box stash of innoculators.

"We're not getting shots?" Miko asked.

"First, we do not know what kind of effect it would have on Humans." Roxana stated, "Even with with the injections."

"And?" Miko asked.

"The injections last for a cycle." Roxana stated.

"Meaning?.." Miko asked.

"Meaning we have to wait for Ser-Ket to get pissed off." Jack replied, "Then we have to pick a fight."

"It's amazing how he can make an epic showdown boring." Sludge stated.

"I know!" Miko shouted.

"Rip - her - wings - off." Grimlock stated.

Miko gave Jack a deep, expectant look. "What?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, thought it might ruin your peacenicking." Miko stated.

"There's one important thing Optimus told me." Jack stated, and paused, "Some villains can't be reformed. Ser-Ket is the biggest thing stopping the Dinobots. We have to stop her."

"Not, you know, reform?" Miko asked.

"You think you can pull it off?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, that's not my strong suit." Miko stated, and pointed at him.

"Thank you for having faith in me, but I doubt we could capture her." Jack simply replied.

"So, what's the plan?" Miko asked.

"Arcelia has some shock sensors." Jack replied, "Windblade will set them up. When Ser-Ket gets closed, we strike a target. She attacks, falls into our ambush. Roxana will have us innoculated, so, we can actually fight her, despite the ToxEn. Hopefully by that time, the safe passage will be ready to New Kalis. We can then kidnap the Forged and Foundlings, and hopefully break their indoctrination."

"He manages to take the wind out of my wings." Swoop stated.

"Prudence." Arcee stated.

"Want - fight - now." Grimlock stated.

"Does it look like I'm stopping you?" Jack asked, and Grimlock and Slug gave him a curious look. "We'll contact you when Ser-Ket's in play. We can them meet up and pick a target."

* * *

Ratchet pulled up to the house in New Kalis and paused. The doors opened and Knockout stepped out. "Get your rusted old gearbox in here."

Ratchet drove into the house as Knockout stepped aside. "I honestly wasn't sure what to expect." As he rolled in he saw a functioning lab setup.

Bumblebee walked up to him, "When he called us, he wasn't sure we would have a lab. Through the power of him being Jack, with some help from the Elite Guard and this fair city, we have a safe route between here and the Dinobot base."

"Dinobots?!" Ratchet's rusted voice asked. "I half thought they were rumours and legend. Though, thinking about it, Grimlock was always... I honestly can't think of a polite way to put it."

"Loose cannons?" Knockout asked.

"Yes." Ratchet stated.

"Brutal savages?" Knockout continued.

"Yes."

"Apparently they are even worse after Shockwave got through with them." Bumblebee replied. "Let's get you unloaded."

* * *

Finally unloaded, Ratchet transformed and looked around. He let out a disappointed sigh.

"What's the matter?" Knockout asked, "You're not that old."

"THAT old?" Ratchet asked, "Do you have any idea how?.."

"Anything we can help you with?" Knockout asked.

"It's just... I hoped... I would see..."

"Over here!" Raf shouted. Ratchet looked over to see him standing on a Cybertronian console, waving at him. A smile immediately appeared on Ratchet's face as he walked over. "The lab here has come quite a ways." Raf said. He looked down and then up, and his glasses automatically adjusted themselves on his face.

"Still, I'm not too old that they could have called me." Ratchet uttered.

"The plan was to wait until we could get you a lab to work in." Raf said.

"Until we had the safe corridor, we couldn't make the most use out of you." Bumblebee stated.

"I still could have helped." Ratchet asserted.

"How much to you like dodging Insecticon swarms?" Knockout asked, and Ratchet just grumbled.

"We also didn't get the newcomers." Bumblebee stated, and pointed at the freed scientists.

"And they are?"

Gella walked up to him, "Were enslaved by Shockwave. We were lucky to get discovered before they blew the lab up." She put on a forced smile.

"You were what?" Ratchet asked, "What is Jack doing?"

"From the sounds of it," Bumblebee stated, "smash and grab. The whole point of this is to find a way to break their brainwashing.

"Break it?!" Overland shouted, "Undo it!"

"Heal it." Gella stated.

Ratchet slowly nodded his head.

"The big bad is Ser-Ket." Knockout stated, "If you think the Dinobots were boogey-men, Ser-Ket was... is... even worse. She was surgically altered to adopt a form similar to a Predacon, and breathes ToxEn."

"Nooooo." Ratchet gasped.

"We have an injection!" Overland shouted, and turned back to his work.

"Injection?" Ratchet asked.

"Over there." Raf said, and pointed at the stack of boxes. Ratchet walked over and opened it up. He pulled out one of the phials.

"Autoinjectors?" Ratchet asked, and looked about, until he realized Gella was the one that wanted to answer.

"Originally to help Ser-Ket tolerate the ToxEn." Gella stated.

"Tolerate ToxEn?!" Ratchet asked, "Could this be an innoculation against ToxEn exposure?!"

In reply Gella just developed a cheshire grin.

"Leave it to Shockwave to take something like that and not use it to help anyone." Knockout stated, "Even, you know, his own side."

"He was probably afraid of it being used against him." Ratchet stated.

"I will admit I haven't always been... ethical..." Knockout stated, "But if we had a cure, every Decepticon medkit should have had one."

"Which is why you are an Autobot now." Raf said with a bright smile. Knockout slowly nodded.

"I do actually want to help people." Knockout asserted.

"It's a pleasure to actually work with you." Ratchet said, and offered him his hand. Knockout nervously took it and the two shook. Ratchet then turned to Gella, "Ratchet." he said.

"Gella." she said, and pointed to Overland, "That's Overland." she added, and turned to Angle Drive, "And the last is Angle Drive."

Angle Drive barely acknowledged his existence.

* * *

Sirenia stood over Jack and he turned to look up at her, "Ratchet has joined them in the lab." Sirenia said with a smile.

"Wish I could see him under better circumstances." Jack said.

"Would you prefer the Great War?" Arcee asked, and Jack shrugged.

"Either way, that means we can start, right?" Miko asked.

"Right." Jack stated.

Arcee turned and walked towards Roxana, who nervously turned to look at her. She looked her deep in the eyes before leaning in to give her a passionate kiss. "I'll need to borrow your shock prod."

Roxana just stood there, dumbstuck.

[blackthornprime]

A Fiery Spark- Chapter Two: Cautious Curiosity

The Predacon walked up the hill, looking around curiously. He had been getting itchy lately and he whined loudly in annoyance.

And as if something or someone was making fun of him, he had been encountering a lot of strange creatures while he was staying in the woods. It almost made him regret leaving but he knew that eventually, he had to go.

There was a distant sound and he frowned as he walked towards it. Below the hill was some kind of building. It looked like a base.

He tilted his helm before he started walking down the hill and he made his way to the base.

Inside the base, the monitors started beeping. Ratchet blinked a few times, "Optimus, there's a life signal heading this way."

"Autobot or Decepticon?" Ultra Magnus asked as he and Optimus Prime walked up beside the Medic.

"I-it's neither," Ratchet replied, startled.

"Stay here," Bulkhead said to Miko, Raf and Jack as the Autobots hurried outside. They looked around before they saw the Predacon.

"Predacon?!" Smokescreen yelped, his optics widening.

"I thought they were all dead!" Wheeljack exclaimed as he unlocked his blasters. The Predacon stated at them as he continued walking towards them.

"Hold your fire," Optimus ordered. The Autobots looked at him in shock.

"Optimus...?" Arcee said nervously. The Predacon tilted his helm left and right as he got closer. He sniffed the air around Optimus before he sat down and stared up at him. The Prime stared back, much to the confusion and the uneasiness of his fellow Autobots.

Optimus slowly held out his servo and the Predacon leaned his helm forward. At first, nothing happened... then the Predacon licked the Prime's servo and nuzzled it, his tail wagging.

"Awww!" Miko squealed and the Predacon looked at her. He tilted his helm again before he got up on his back legs and he put his paws on Optimus' chestplates.

"What the Pit is it doing?" Wheeljack questioned, completely baffled. The Predacon barked softly and licked Optimus' faceplates.

Optimus gently pushed him away. He looked at Ultra Magnus and the others.

"I do not believe that this Predacon is a threat to us," he said, "if he were to attack, he would have done so by now. But he is incredibly docile for someone unlike Predaking."

"Prime's got a point," Wheeljack hummed. "When does he not?" Smokescreen asked quietly.

"Optimus, you can't be serious. What if the Deceptions come looking for him?!" Ratchet asked nervously.

The Predacon tilted his helm before he walked over to Ultra Magnus. The lieutenant tensed up in surprise and the Predacon stared at him before he looked at his prosthetic servo. He sniffed at it before he looked up at the commander. Ultra Magnus stared at him in confusion.

"So... can we keep him?" Bumblebee asked, looking at Optimus.

The Prime looked at the Predacon. "I do not see why not."

The Predacon looked at him and his tail wagged happily before he barked and he did a happy little dance. Miko laughed.

Arcee smiled. She had to admit that it was adorable. Ratchet rolled his optics and he huffed.

"I may as well give him a checkup then," he said. He walked over to the Predacon and he knelt down and scanned him. The Predacon looked at him curiously.

"Goodness, you're filthy," the Medic huffed.

"Why don't we just give him a bath then?" Raf asked.

"A bath?" Ultra Magnus repeated in confusion. "It's something humans and animals take to get clean," Jack explained with a small chuckle.

"We're also going to have to name him," Miko giggled. Ratchet and the Predacon walked over to one of the hangars.

The Predacon sat down and he looked around curiously. He looked at Ratchet as the medic gestured to a tub full of water.

The Predacon stared at it with confusion before he walked over and he climbed into the tub. He sniffed at it as Optimus walked over.

"Optimus, can you wash him? I have to see if there's anything about him that we should know about," Ratchet said.

"Of course, old friend," the Prime replied with a nod. As soon as Ratchet left, the Predacon looked at Optimus and the Prime started to wash his fur. The Predacon tensed up in surprise before he started to relax. He even started purring.

Optimus smiled as he washed the Predacon. Dirt, mud and energon washed out of his fur and into the water.

"He seems to be enjoying it," Jack chuckled as he, Miko and Raf stood by the hangar entrance with Bumblebee and Smokescreen.

"What are we gonna call him?" Miko asked, a little too eagerly.

"I'm pretty sure he should already have a name, Miko," Smokescreen chuckled and he looked at Optimus and the Predacon, "but... feel free to think of something."

"Why not Moondust? Or Nightblade," Miko smiled. Jack regarded her with a curious look, "I'm surprised you're not choosing anything more... wrecker-like."

Miko rolled her eyes as Ratchet walked over. "His name is Blackthorn," he said, making everyone look at him.

"I honestly thought he didn't have a name since we, uh...," Wheel jack fell silent and he looked away. The Predacon, Blackthorn, tilted his helm. He didn't know about the tension that threatened to spill. He leapt out of the tub, surprising Optimus.

Before anyone could react, Blackthorn shook himself, spraying water all over the hangar and all over everyone else.

"Aaahhh! Blackthorn!" Ratchet exclaimed. His faceplates burned as he could hear the kids, Smokescreen and Wheeljack laughing. Optimus smiled softly and he rubbed Blackthorn's helm.

The Predacon looked at him with a happy smile, his tail wagging.

"Looks like he's gonna fit in with us just fine, huh?" Wheeljack asked, amusement in his voice. Blackthorn wagged his tail more and he barked happily. He kicked Ratchet's faceplates and the medic grumbled softly.

Ultra Magnus stood outside of the hangar, a concerned expression on his faceplates. While he wasn't happy about the idea of a Predacon staying here, he could see that Blackthorn was anything but hostile. It was almost shocking to him.

But he silently told himself that he had to try and keep an optic on the newcomer. And hopefully he could talk to Optimus about it.

Blackthorn looked up at Ratchet and Optimus, his tail wagging. He barked happily and his fuel tank rumbled. His ears flicked forward and he looked around before he looked at Optimus.

"You are hungry," the Prime explained. "I'll get him an energon cube," Ratchet said and he walked out of the hangar.

Blackthorn wiggled his nose and he huffed softly, shaking his helm. He yawned softly before he settled down on his stomach and he laid his helm between his paws.

"Awww," Miko giggled softly as Jack and Raf smiled. Blackthorn stared at the three with sleepy optics before he slowly fell asleep. He had never felt safe until now.

And he was thankful for it.

[sohotthateveryonedied]

Dad...I’m Bilingual

Read here on AO3!

Summary: 

Dick hums—a quiet, sleepy sound. He’s drifting, but only slightly. The painkillers are doing their job. “It’s dumb,” he says. “I can beat up bad guys an’ stop an apocalypse, but I can’t even tell my own dad I’m bilingual.”

Bruce just stares at him. Realization kicks in a moment later. “Do you mean bisexual?”

“Yeah, bionical.” He said that, didn’t he? Bruce must be getting slow in his old age.

When he wakes up, the first thing that Dick’s sluggish mind can latch onto is how tingly his tongue feels. His taste buds buzz like someone poured a can of Pepsi into his mouth while he was sleeping, bubbles tickling the path down. Or maybe pop rocks. Or tiny little bumblebees, their legs scritching and scratching the surface they tread. The tingling spreads outward, Dick notices as he careens toward the wakeful part of wakefulness. Mouth to neck to torso to fingers to the cement block that he is pretty sure used to be his right leg. Soda and pop rocks and bees, the whole way. A quiet, questioning groan slips through Dick’s heavy lips. He cracks his eyes open and squints, blinking against the unforgiving brightness of the room he’s in. “Mm. Bruce?” A nearby chair squeaks. “Dick? Are you awake?” Bruce’s voice is uncomfortably close, booming in the short space between them. Dick grimaces. “C’n you...back up? Your breath smells like meatloaf.” He opens his eyes fully and is greeted by Bruce’s lined face, bags sagging under his eyes. They’re in a hospital room, white walls and white sheets.

Bruce’s meatloaf breath huffs once in amusement, then retreats. “I’ll take that to mean you’re back up, then.” In his lap is a magazine laid open to a page that’s all squiggles and bumbled lines. It matches the rest of the room. Dick’s head swims.

The numbness has receded mostly now that Dick is back online, but his stubborn cement leg takes longer to reboot. “Feels like I died. Then came back to life. Then died again.” His mind churns slush and soup. “You did just get out of surgery,” Bruce tells him. “Leslie said you’ll be woozy for a few hours.” Dick frowns. “I can’t feel my leg.” He has to parse his words carefully, his mouth working slowly like his muscles have melted into molasses. “I should hope not. You just had your knee put back together.” That part sounds...somewhat familiar? Dick has mismatched memories of surfing a stop sign across Clayface’s back, then sirens so loud and so close they split his head in half. He remembers Leslie yelling into one ear while the other listened to Bruce and Steph arguing about a video she uploaded to the Batman Incorporated Twitter account. That was completely irresponsible, Bruce said, out of his Batman suit and in one of the backup outfits he has stored in Leslie’s office for nights like that one. You’re lucky he only broke his knee. That stunt earned the Bat brand fifty Twitter followers, Steph snarked back. I need a goddamn vacation, Leslie said. “Tim left to crash a jet ski in the harbor,” Bruce continues, though Dick doesn’t remember asking, “so your alibi is taken care of. Jason and Cass went to track down the pudding cart, and Alfred took Damian home to sleep.” The half-drawn curtains make it hard to decide if that’s a sunrise or a sunset he’s seeing. Either way, it speaks to long hours of sitting and waiting and hoping. “I think…” Dick licks his dry lips. “I think they cut my leg off?” It feels like it. Did Leslie take his leg away as punishment for being dumb? Is the hospital hiding it from him? Bruce snorts. “Then what is that?” He gestures to Dick’s leg, the entire thing encased in weighty layers of gauze and plaster. “An imposter,” Dick says. Duh. “They gave me fake metal parts like Vic.” Dick slumps against the pitifully flat pillow behind his head. “My brain feels fuzzy. Did they take stuff out of my head?” That would explain the foggy memories and the way all of his words swim away from him like he’s been plunged underwater. Underwater hospital. Now there’s an idea. “You’re on painkillers,” Bruce says plainly, licking his thumb and turning the page of his magazine. “Heavy ones, it looks like.” Dick can’t remember if painkillers are supposed to feel like bumblebees buzzing around inside his thoughts. Maybe they’re made of honey. “Y’know, last time I woke up all confused in a hospital room, a bullet stole secrets from my head.” Bruce looks pained. “I assure you that all of your secrets are intact this time around.” Dick hums. “You should...take the painkillers out.” “Why is that?” “‘Cause I don’t wanna spill stuff.” Bruce frowns. He doesn’t say anything for so long that Dick wonders if he spoke in Portuguese by mistake. Bruce places his magazine on the plastic chair beside him. “Well, I can’t take out the IV because you’ll be in pain, but I promise you that the room is safe. Tim checked for bugs.” Why a bug would be in the human hospital, Dick doesn’t know. He shakes his head. The front pieces of his hair fall into his eyes, but his arms are too tired to fix it. “That doesn’t work, ‘cause then...then you’ll know. And that’s bad.” “This isn’t about your secret identity, is it?” Another head shake. “I might acci-mentally tell you ‘bout how I spilled tapioca on the Batmobile’s seats.” Bruce’s eyes widen. “That was you?” “Yeah, but don’t tell Bruce, ‘kay? You gotta promise.” Bruce rubs his temples like he’s sleepy. “I spent ten minutes yelling at Jason for that. I made him clean the seats.” “Yeah, ‘cause you’re an asshole.” Dick huffs, blowing at his pesky bangs until Bruce rolls his eyes and pushes them back for him. “Thank you.” “I appreciate you telling me about the tapioca. We’ll talk more about that when you’re sober.” Dick makes a face. “The whole point’s that I can’t tell you about the tapioca. It’s a secret. I’ve got too many of those—a whole big fuckin’ army of secrets. And it’s too many. No fun when you can’t share ‘em.” “What about Nightwing?” Bruce asks. “‘S different. You already know that one. I can share it.” “But you can’t share the other ones,” Bruce finishes. Dick snaps his fingers. “Zactly.” Bruce studies Dick—his bundled-up leg and the clear bag hanging on the hook beside his bed, pumping drugs into his bloodstream. “I should let you rest.” He starts to get up, the action somehow guilty despite there being no inherent guilt in vacating a chair. Bruce can pour guilt into anything if he tries hard enough. “You wanna know the worst part?” Dick continues on like Bruce hadn’t spoken, words spilling freely over compromised lips. “I could tell you. I could. But I’m a scaredy cat, so I can’t.” Reluctantly, Bruce sits back down. “I don’t know about that. I think you’re very brave.” “I’m not. If I was, I’d be able to tell you, because I know you’ll still love me no matter what I am, and I’m still scared. And that’s what scaredy cats do. They run away.” When Bruce’s face wears that expression, that gentle turn of his mouth and that pang in his eyes, Dick is stricken by memories of being nine years old. He’d go out every night in the Robin suit, wearing it like a suit of armor and trusting that nothing could hurt him. Bruce would be there by his side, protecting his Robin from harm at all costs. His soul wrapped around Dick’s like a second layer of armor, and it was then that Dick started to wonder if it was possible to have two fathers. “There’s nothing wrong with being scared sometimes,” Bruce tells him now. “There is if you’re a superhero.” “Even then. Sharing a secret can be a scary thing, even when you know it’s safe. That’s why they stay secret for so long.” If Dick didn’t know any better, he’d think that Bruce already knew what Dick desperately wanted and didn’t want to say. But not even Batman can read minds. Dick hums—a quiet, sleepy sound. He’s drifting, but only slightly. The painkillers are doing their job. “It’s dumb,” he says. “I can beat up bad guys an’ stop an apocalypse, but I can’t even tell my own dad I’m bilingual.” Bruce just stares at him. Realization kicks in a moment later. “Do you mean bisexual?” “Yeah, bionical.” He said that, didn’t he? Bruce must be getting slow in his old age. Bruce leans back in his chair with an odd, bemused expression. It’s not an angry one—more like when he’s cracked a case and lets the truth soak in. What case he’s cracked, Dick doesn’t know. Puzzlement morphs into something soft. “Okay. You’re bisexual. That’s not so bad.” “Yeah. But it would change stuff if you knew.” “Not exactly,” Bruce says. “You’re still you, Dick. Nothing’s changed—not really.” “Mm.” Dick’s chest warms. That must be a delayed effect of the painkillers, surely. “Maybe I’ll tell you sometime, then. Later,” he amends. “When my head���s not full of mothballs.” “Sure, son.” Bruce reaches out to ruffle Dick’s hair. “Whenever you’re ready to tell me, I’ll listen.”

[earthstellar]

Rewatching Transformers G1 S2: Episode 1: Autobot Spike

Yes, this is where the Surprised Ratchet meme image comes from:

This episode has a lot going on including near-death of a human character on screen, body horror/a Frankenstein plot, and some genuinely unsettling scenes mostly made creepy due to the combination of some interesting dialogue/voice acting and typical G1 Quality. 

And Spike shoots Starscream in the ass mid-flight, which is fantastic. 

He also shoots his dad, which is less fantastic. 

Being a horror nerd, I love this episode, so here we go! 

Gonna put this below a cut because I’m taking a lot of screenshots here:

You can watch the whole episode on YouTube here in 4 parts, if you want to watch along! 

Alright, so it opens with Sparkplug trying to create “Autobot X”, which is straight up just a Frankenstein’s Monster of autobot parts. It’s weirdly creepy, and vaguely reminiscent of the infamous Ratchet-Megatron fusion in the Marvel comics.

I want to point out that Sparkplug says “I wanna see what I can do with a lotta spare Autobot parts and some human ingenuity” before the reveal shot above, and that’s horrific if you think about it for more than like, three seconds. 

It also may have been the origins of the MECH plot line in TFP, actually! Very similar body horror type thing going on. Anyway.

It works briefly, but it flips out and has to get shut down. 

Ironhide fires a laser, problem solved, nobody’s worried. They put Autobot X in storage, because surely a rampantly aggressive seemingly sentient pastiche of random Autobot parts is nothing to worry about. It’s fine. 

Wheeljack is like, hell yeah, I’ll help you work on it later. Which is when we get the Surprised Ratchet image, because yeah, I bet Ratchet’s freaked out a little since this thing is made of SPARE AUTOBOT PARTS. 

Then we’re swept immediately into a fight with Megatron, as many Seekers as you can fit in frame at one time, and Soundwave. 

For whatever reason, Bumblebee shows up driving through a bunch of partially blown up missile/rocket components, with Spike in the driver’s seat. Even Spike is like, dude, why are we here? And Bumblebee is just like, I mean, we couldn’t NOT show up. lmao

Unsurprisingly, Bumblebee gets shot-- In alt-mode, with Spike inside. Uh oh. 

Megatron leaves, because Frank Welker can only voice so many characters at once, and our attention is turned to the carnage. 

Ratchet is like, sure, I can fix Bumblebee right up! Meanwhile, Ironhide is like oh god, oh my god, is this how you hold a human??? Is it dead??? Optimus is gonna be pissed. 

So Optimus rolls up like, listen, take him to the hospital, come on. Ratchet lets him in the back of his ambulance mode, and Prowl goes with him so that he can throw his emergency lights on to give the illusion of a police escort, ensuring the drive is even quicker. 

(I miss the days when Prowl wasn’t a total asshole.) 

It cuts pretty quickly to Spike in an operating theatre; Apparently getting shot by alien space lasers isn’t conducive to human health: 

It cuts again to the attending physician standing at Spike’s beside, presumably in ICU although they appear to be in a private room, with Sparkplug on the other side of the bed. 

The doctor says “Hmm, if only there were a way of separating Spike’s mind from his body while we work...” Which, uh, what? What surgeon says that? You can sort of already do that in actual human medicine, it’s called an induced coma. 

But sure, we need exposition here, I get it. The screenplay here is tight. Sparkplug says he has an idea...

Back at the Autobot hangout, things seem fairly chill, considering. 

Ratchet is welding Bumblebee’s ass in alt-mode, while Bumblebee complains about how long it’s taking. lol 

Meanwhile, Wheeljack and Sparkplug somehow have Spike hooked up to a Ghostbusters colander helmet, which will hopefully transfer his mind into the malfunctioning/in stasis Autobot X frame. Yikes. 

It works! Spike is now also Autobot X. We will call him Spike X for short. 

And for some reason, Spike saying “D-Da-ad?” with this faceplate expression is incredibly funny to me, while also being really weird and creepy: 

However, this is only cool for like two seconds, at which point Spike X truly starts to lose his shit. 

It gets real creepy here, with Spike X saying in a very oddly flat inflection “Why? Why did you do this to me? Why?” and it’s pretty wild. There’s even a mild strobe effect for a few frames. 

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker try to help calm him down, but Spike X throws them both across the room. 

Optimus is like, oh shit, we made a giant metal teenager. Stop him, but use low power, because if the Autobot X frame is damaged too much, then Spike’s consciousness may not be able to be returned to his actual human body. 

Note that Optimus says this in a pretty relaxed way, then levels a shoulder mounted cannon straight at Spike X, which is incredibly funny. 

It quickly gets deeply weird and creepy again when Spike X is temporarily able to talk with his dad, and states that “it’s hard to think, like something is telling me to do... bad.... things!” Yiiiiiikes. 

He gets it under control again, apologises to his dad for the outburst (I think it’s OK, Spike), and Optimus says that he’s cool to stay at the base and he’ll be taken care of while his human body heals up. 

However, oh shit, the Decepticons have found out that Spike now has an Autobot frame-- And they know he’s unstable. 

Starscream tries to roast him, but Megatron’s like, shut up nerd, we’re gonna make Spike X turn against the Autobots! It’s a good plan, I’m serious! 

Back at the Autobot base, Ratchet is still welding Bumblebee’s ass, and Bumblebee is still complaining. Wheeljack hooks up Spike X with some network television, and he’s watching... Frankenstein. Because the six year old kids who are the intended audience of G1 may not be familiar with the source material for this episode’s plot, I guess, which is fair. (Frank Welker nails it here as Dr. Frankenstein, but that’s unsurprising, because he always nails it. I think he’s also voicing Frankenstein’s Monster, but I haven’t checked the credits.)

Obviously, this isn’t a great thing for Spike X to be watching at this particular moment, so he freaks out again. 

Wheeljack and Sparkplug come running, and somehow Sparkplug is covering ground faster than Wheeljack. It’s fine, don’t worry about it. 

Ratchet’s progress on welding Bumblebee’s ass is interrupted by Spike X breaking through the wall and seemingly flying away. lmao 

They just sort of stand there, like, well, we lost him, I guess. 

Bumblebee is like, alright, gonna go get my boy. 

So he drives out of this massive crater, and Ratchet is like, wait! Your radio transmitter still doesn’t work. (Apparently their radio transmitters are located in their asses. Fascinating.) 

Spike X sits on a cliff and says “what a drag”, which, yeah. Being a Frankenstein space robot would be cool if not for the immense psychological damage this is absolutely causing. 

However, he also calls himself a “walking garbage can” in a completely genuine put-out tone of voice, which absolutely sells that this is a teenager in a giant robot body and I laughed, I won’t lie. 

Some of Megatron’s cronies locate him and hold his position. 

At the same time, Bumblebee shows up and tries to talk Spike X down from a random destructive rampage. 

He throws Bumblebee off the cliff! And Megatron’s squad is rolling up. (Well, flying up, anyway.) Uh oh! 

Spike X is like, hell yeah, bring it. More ass to kick. And it turns out his arm mounted cannon works, because he shoots Starscream directly in the undercarriage and says “YEAH, MAN!” and it’s so genuine. 

This is the perfect reaction to being a teenager in a giant robot body and just suddenly being able to shoot lasers and kick ass. Look at how happy he is, that he just shot Starscream in the butt mid-air. It’s awesome.

Unfortunately, the Seekers do actually beat him up, although Spike X puts up a good fight. 

Megatron then takes advantage of his further weakened state, and swoops in to pitch a classic “Join Us” speech. Spike X calls him “Megacrumb”, which is probably acceptable because he’s absolutely concussed by this point. 

Megatron is willing to overlook this for the sake of teaming up. 

Bumblebee eavesdrops, and drives away-- But Spike X gives Megatron a handshake, and agrees to “make them pay”. Oh shit! 

For some reason, Optimus and Ironhide are back at the rocket facility to watch a launch. Because I guess whatever, this whole situation is chill, let’s go watch rockets? IDK 

But either way, Optimus roasts the inferior quality of human technology, while Bumblebee just drives up on site despite Military Police levelling sniper rifles at him in order to report that Megatron is taking advantage of Spike X’s inability to think clearly. 

Optimus says “I feared something like this might happen”, which, if that were the case, why not take actions to prevent it, maybe? Not the strongest Optimus episode. 

To be fair though, Ironhide transforms and is already driving off before Optimus even gives the order to roll out, so I guess Ironhide either really wants to kick some ass or cares slightly more about Spike X’s wellbeing. He has no dialogue here, so we can only guess. 

They get there, with even more Autobots who showed up at some point in the rapid scene cuts here, and Spike X is super unhinged-- Charging his weapons, he starts speaking in a more strained and angry way, and engages the Autobots! 

He hits Optimus with what appears to be a chest laser? It’s hard to see. But it’s super effective: 

Optimus pleads with Spike X to calm down, but Spike X straight up pulls MEGATRON IN GUN MODE out of his sub-space and shoots Optimus directly in the faceplate. Damn! 

The Seekers and Soundwave drop in, and start rapid firing on all the Autobots present. 

We get some great shots of Megatron in his gun alt-mode as he tries to convince Spike X to keep attacking. Optimus and Bumblebee hide behind cover, attempting to bring Spike X to his senses long enough to disarm him. 

Suddenly, Wheeljack and Sparkplug roll up; Sparkplug attempts to talk some sense into Spike, too. 

Optimus and Bumblebee are at a loss; If they take out Spike X, the damage might take him out for good. 

However, Sparkplug fails in his efforts to talk to Spike X; He SHOOTS HIS DAD AND KNOCKS HIM OFF THE CLIFF. 

Can you imagine if they put an ad break here? lmao 

Luckily, he has like, a claw machine arm, and he catches his dad before he becomes a human smoothie. 

This shocks Spike X badly enough that while he still has Megatron in gun mode, he takes a few pot shots at the Seekers and the Decepticons decide it’s time to bounce, so Megatron bails too. 

He apologises for almost killing his dad, his dad is like hey no beef man, and it cuts to them in the hospital: 

Sparkplug takes his son’s body back to the Autobot base (that sounds worse than it is), and they prepare to transfer him back into his body. 

What’s extra funny here is that he nervously laughs and says “Hope you fixed this thing up good, Ratchet!” And Ratchet says absolutely nothing. Not a word. 

It’s a success! Dad and son hug, totally not even addressing anything that happened this whole episode, because that’s a job for a therapist. 

Ratchet, who continues to not really care about any of this, tells Wheeljack “You know, I could probably repair that mess, but I think it’s best that I don’t.” (This is a play on what Wheeljack said earlier in the episode when he offered to help Sparkplug fix up Autobot X to begin with.) 

I love how tired Wheeljack looks. LOL

Spike, now recovered, leaves us with a great question to close out the episode: “I wonder what it’d be like for a robot mind to be transferred... to a human!” 

Depending on what kind of kid you were, his question was either imagination fuel for fun humanformer ideas, or was a blatantly bad question indicating he learned nothing and providing nightmare fuel trying to imagine one of the Autobots losing their shit in a human body the same way Spike lost his shit while inhabiting Autobot X. 

Anyway, great episode! 10/10 Scary, funny, creepy, Starscream got shot in the ass by a teenager. 

[silkling]

Could you please write another “Sierra joins Team Prime” fic? I loved the first one, I’d really like to sea Sierra meet the rest of Team Prime and talk with Jack, Mimi, and Raf.

YES!!!! I would be very happy to! I have ideas for Smokescreen and Sierra shenanigans! Smokescreen is basically a giant puppy because he tries very hard and only wants to make people happy and he doesn’t have the necessary life experience to understand why the things he’s doing may not be the best. But he tries!!! And I love him. :D

———————————————————————————————————

There was a white, blue, and red sports car parked outside the school when Sierra stepped out from the doors. She stopped for a second when she saw it, before she managed to get over her shock and walked over to it. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised, she mused. Jack, Esquivel, and Nakadai did get picked up by their guardians everyday. It made sense too, if she thought about it further.

She came up to Smokescreen, running the tips of her fingers along his hood. She was about to call a greeting when she heard someone behind her.

“Smoke- I mean, Sierra, hi!” It was Jack.

She turned to face him, smiling. “Hi Jack.” she greeted. “Is there something you want?”

Jack was shifting. “Uh, no? I mean, yes. I think that car is here for me?”

“So you own a motorcycle and a sports car now, do you? I didn’t know working at KO burger paid enough to earn that much extra cash.” she said dryly. She could see both Esquivel and Nakadai hovering nearby, obviously listening in. They were probably worried she was close to learning their secret.

“No, I mean, it’s not? Not mine, I mean.” Jack fumbled as he spoke.

Oh, poor boy. She could see his brain working in overtime trying to produce a good excuse. She supposed it didn’t help that he still had that crush on her. She’d noticed. Of course she had. She wasn’t blind, thank you very much.

Sierra decided to be merciful. “Actually, Jack, this is my ride. I’m sure your motorcycle will be here soon, though.” she said cheerfully. Then she turned, smoothing a hand over her partner’s hood. “Hey, Smokescreen. Thanks for coming to get me. Do you mind if I get in?” She knew she had to anyway, but it always paid to ask first. Besides, it was only polite to make sure the giant robot you were about to hitch a ride with was okay with you climbing inside them.

“Sure!” The young bot answered. His voice was quiet, but still cheery.

His driver’s door popped open partway, and she pulled it open enough to climb inside. It closed after her, and once she buckled herself in she looked up to see Jack and his two friends gaping at her. She smiled at them, lifting her hand in a wave, and then Smokescreen was backing out of the parking space and driving off. They got further away from the school, and then both of them broke into laughter.

“Oh, the looks on their faces!” Smokescreen gasped, delighted. “Sierra, Sierra that was amazing. Oh Primus Sierra you should have seen how they reacted when you called my name. I’m never going to forget it.” he sounded so giddy. It was adorable.

Sierra giggled, a hand curled over her mouth. “I wish I did, but their faces as you drove off will have to do. God, Smokescreen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a teenage boy look that confused by something that wasn’t the opposite sex.” she said, very delighted. Just because she had manners didn’t mean she didn’t like having fun, after all.

Smokescreen made a sound that couldn’t be described as anything other than a giggle. “I really don’t know what that means. But I think I get the idea. Did you see Miko? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her speechless before.”

She smiled, patting his wheel. “I did. I don’t know her as well as you but from what I’ve seen of her I’d have to agree with your sentiment.” she said lightly.

She glanced up to see they were coming up to the base. Mentally, she planned what she’d need to do this evening. She had homework to complete, and she needed to do it because she refused to fall behind in any of her classes. She didn’t care that she was now privy to America’s greatest secret, she had a GPA to maintain and no giant alien robot war was going to stop her. But, after she did her homework, she fully intended to relax and have fun. She was, after all, partnered to a giant alien robot. She had to take advantage of that.

When Smokescreen pulled up into base and popped open his door, she grabbed her back and slid out. “Thanks for the ride, big guy!” She said brightly.

Smokescreen transformed, rising to his full height. “It was my pleasure!” he chirped, his winglets–or doorwings, as he’d told her they were called–wriggling at his back.

Sierra smiled, and was about to say something else when she heard engines, and then Jack came in on his motorcycle, shortly followed by a green SUV and a yellow sports car. The other humans disembarked, and the three other bots transformed. Sierra smiled, waving. She’d met them the night she’d been introduced to all of this, after Agent Fowler had gotten her up to speed on everything. She liked Bumblebee. He was sweet. It made her determined to at least try and learn to understand him.

“So what’s the deal, huh?” Miko demanded, looking irritated and ready to storm over. “This was supposed to be just our thing! How’d you find out about it?”

Sierra snorted, and turned to Smokescreen to find he was already crouching and offering her his palm. She smiled, stepping up and gratefully letting him transfer her to his shoulder. It seemed he liked having her close just as much as she liked being up here. It was cute. He was a sweet bot.

“Calm now, Nakadai.” she said dryly.

“It’s Miko!”

“Fine. Miko.” Sierra rolled her eyes. “I found out because Starscream decided to try and abduct me. Apparently, the Decepticons have been watching you three and have learned that I mean something to Jack. They thought they could use me against you.” She said, directing the last part towards the boy in question.

Jack looked stricken, his face paling and his eyesight blowing wide. “Oh hell, Sierra, I’m so-“

“Save it.” she cut him off. “I’m not mad. It would be wrong to say you’re not allowed to have friends beyond Miko and Esquivel just because you know a secret like this.” he said, making a vague gesture around her.

“Um, you can just call me Raf. Or Raphael. Whatever you prefer.” Esquivel said, sounding a little awkward.

Sierra shot him a warm smile, then turned her attention back to the still irritated Miko. “Anyway, Starscream was about to grab me when Smokescreen stopped him.” she said. “He got me out of there, brought me back here, and now I guess I’m part of this, too.” he shrugged.

Miko huffed, obviously still annoyed that the secret was even a little less exclusive now. Still, she made no more arguments, instead walking to the small deck Smokescreen had described as the “human entertainment nook” and firing up the TV. Raphael stared, looking back and forth between the two girls before sighing and going up to join her. He sat on a separate seat, pulling out his computer and settling back. Jack stared at Sierra, then sagged and sighed.

“I am sorry.” he said after a moment. “But I am glad you’re alright too, and that you’re here. Welcome to the team, Sierra.” he said, then quickly went up to sit next to Miko.

Sierra snorted, arching a brow and glancing at Smokescreen. “I’d say that went quite well, wouldn’t you?”

Her partner snickered, his doorwings fluttering, and even Arcee chuckled as she went off to do…whatever she did in her spare time. Bulkhead looked incredibly awkward and sheepish, shooting Sierra an apologetic look as he moved further into the base. Bumblebee, for his part, just buzzed his amusement and went to sit on the ground by the entertainment hook.

Sierra hummed, then shared one last look with Smokescreen before she settled further on his shoulder and pulled her bag off her shoulder.

‘Well,’ she thought. ‘Time to get to work.’

——————————

Sierra had just finished her homework and was settling down on the couch to read her novel when Smokescreen returned. He’d gone out at some point in the past hour, leaving her in what she’d decided to simply call the Nook, and gone off to do…something. Currently, Raphael was up on a higher platform doing something with the computers, Miko was in another room playing her guitar with Bulkhead, and Jack was curled on the Nook’s armchair watching TV. As far as she could tell, Arcee was off doing…her things, Bumblebee had gone out for a patrol, and Optimus was with Fowler, trying to deal with something. Ratchet was working quietly with Raphael. It was peaceful.

And then Smokescreen came back, and it caught Sierra’s attention because he was walking. He held his hands cupped in a sphere in front of his chest, padding over to the Nook and beaming. Immediately, Sierra started getting a feeling in her gut that Something Was Up.

“Sierra!” her partner greeted cheerfully. His doorwings flapped. “I remember you were telling me about your research for school, about the local wild animals, and I thought I’d help!”

‘Oh no.’

“Help.” Sierra said carefully. “I see. Help how?”

Smokescreen looked like he was going to say something, but then-

“BLAAAAAAAAA!”

Sierra froze. Jack froze. Raphael froze. Ratchet froze and turned to face the scene very, very slowly. The look in his eyes promised doom and destruction. No one said anything.

“Smokescreen.” Sierra said slowly. “Please don’t tell me you caught a wild goat for me.”

The adorable, idiotic giant robot tilted his head. His right doorwing twitched once. “I didn’t? I caught that sheep thing you mentioned.”

“You caught a desert bighorn sheep.”

“Yeah, that’s the one!”

“BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

“Smokescreen, put it back.”

“What? Why?” And bless him, he looked so confused.

Sierra could see Ratchet losing his patience. She had to diffuse this, fast. “Because it’s very cruel to take a wild animal from its home. It’s terrified, Smokescreen. I can finish my research with stuff from the library. I don’t need an actual bighorn sheep. I wouldn’t know what to do with it. Please put it back.”

Smokescreen blinked. “Oh.” he paused. “I guess I shouldn’t bring you that owl you really like, in that case?”

And oh no, he sounded so sad. The poor bot just wanted to make her happy. Oh, oh no. She couldn’t be mad at this. He was trying so hard and she couldn’t fault him for genuinely not knowing any better. He hadn’t been here for years and years like the other bots had. God, he was just excited the have a friend, wasn’t he? It was almost like he didn’t have the type of social connections he so clearly craved with the rest of Team Prime.

‘I will find who hurt him and I will destroy them.’ she vowed to herself. ‘It is going to be slow and painful, and I will make the devil himself fear my fury.’

“Probably not.” she agreed, her expression and tone gentle and kind, showing nothing of how she actually felt. “But how about you can come and get me and bring me to it if you ever see an animal you think I’ll like?” she offered. “And if you know I’m busy, I’ll never say no to a picture.” she gave him a warm grin. “Now, how about you and I both go put that back, and I’ll even tell you more about that species on the way?”

“BLAAAAAA!”

It seemed the sheep agreed.

“Alright.” Smokescreen said, sounding faintly embarrassed.

Sierra put her book down, then took the Nook’s stairs to the floor and looked up at her partner. He set the sheep down and transformed, then popped open his backseat door. Before she sheep could bolt, Sierra scared it back towards her partner and herded it to jump into his backseat. The door slammed shut, and Sierra hopped in to the open driver’s seat. Then, they were driving out of the base.

In the rear view mirror, Sierra could see the shock on Ratchet’s face. Almost like he hadn’t expected her to fix the situation the way she had. It made something angry curl in her gut, as she remembered how tired and resigned her partner had sounded that first day when Ratchet had been scolding him over the comm. line. It made her wonder how the bots usually dealt with Smokescreen making mistakes. She hoped it wasn’t just yelling and berating him.

Sierra sighed, forcing those thoughts to the back of her mind, and refocusing on her partner. “So.” she said. “How’d you even catch it, anyway?”

“Oh that? It was pretty easy, actually. I accidentally scared it off a cliff and I caught it before it could fall.” he said cheerfully.

‘Huh. That’d work.’

“Well, thank you very much for bringing it to show me, Smokescreen. I appreciate the thought and the gesture.” she said.

“You do?”

“Of course! You saw something you thought I’d like and you brought it back for me. That makes me happy. Just, please. No more animals, okay? I won’t say no to plants and flowers, if you really want to bring me something. No cacti, though.” she told him.

She could practically feel him brightening now that he knew what he could bring her instead. “Alright!”

“Now, let’s get this guy home. I’m sure it’ll be very happy to be back where it belongs.” she looked back at the terrified sheep huddled on the backseat. “Right, fella?”

“BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’

———————————————————————————————————

And there it is! I know it’s not exactly what you asked for, but there was some of Sierra talking with the others! The idea with the sheep just wouldn’t leave my head though so I had to. I just did. I hope you liked it!

This ‘verse is fun. I like it. But for now, back to my other work!

Until next time, friends!

[unimooshi]

Christmas Fluff Snippet Megapost

(brought to you by your host Mooshi bc I’m stuck at home and wanna procrastinate cleaning my room :) )

Rated: G/Fluff

Relationship(s): Literally as many I can think within the span of 3 hours as they’re all basically 1 paragraph long. Feel free to read whichever ones you want I’m making word soup rn. We smackin’ tonight kings, queen, and royals in between😌😭✨

All relationships can be whatever universe you want, unless stated otherwise. Have a good time

Also please keep in mind that I haven’t read a lot of the comics and have a limited knowledge on the cartoons bc I haven’t watched some of them, but I’ll try my best to write out the dynamic as I see it.

1) Starscream/Optimus (StarPrime) you knew we were gonna start with OTP

“I know you wanted to visit Earth for a small vacation, but did you really have to choose the coldest of Earth months to visit?”, Starscream said with borderline disgust as he stared at the snow at the bottom of their ship, the only redeeming thing about the environment was the setting sun.

He kneeled down and scooped up a pile of snow, watching it crumble away between his digits. His internal heating system kicking into overdrive to compensate, little puffs of steam floating into the air. It wasn’t that it was cold, the issue was how wet it would be. The mess that would be made inside their circuits and the water dripping from exposed wiring made Starscream shiver.

“No, I didn’t have to but Earth has such a happy culture this time of year and I wanted to share that with you. I think you’ll like Christmas. Cheer up, let’s take a walk.” , Optimus planted a small peck on the side of Starscream’s helm and stepped outside, the soft crunch of snow following the Prime.

Starscream reluctantly stepped into the snow and groaned with how much water his sensors were already detecting, “How happy could this holiday possibly be with frozen condensation falling from the sky and getting into your circuits?”

“Well, according to what can be found on the internet, it’s an annual religious festival, but most humans use it as a time to see loved ones and celebrate their love for one another.”, Optimus took Starscream’s servo and interlaced it with his own, removing his battle mask to reveal a soft smile with blue optics to match, “and besides you can take a warm lather in the washracks later while I warm up some energon. I know you like watching Earth movies every once in a while.”

Starscream really couldn’t argue with his conjux and just vented out more heat, the puff leaving a trail of white steam as it floated into the evening sky. If being on a mud ball planet meant Optimus would be relaxed then he supposed it would be worth getting his circuits drenched for. Honestly, doing anything was worth it if it meant his Prime would stop thinking about his responsibilities even for just a cycle.

“Your strobes are blinking by the way.”

Starscream stopped walking and flapped his wings into view then dipped them low, brushing it off.

“It doesn’t mean anything.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t.”, Optimus rolled his optics and laughed, holding his conjux’s servo a little tighter.

———

2) Knockout/Breakdown (KOBD)

“Merry Christmas Knockout!”, Breakdown burst into the Medbay with a clumsily wrapped box.

Knockout nearly dropped his datapad and jumped from the sudden intrusion, his servo switched out for his buzz saw until he saw who it was.

“Breakdown!”, Knockout vented out and transformed his servo back, “Don’t scare me like that so suddenly.”

“I’m sorry, but I just wanted to finally give you this. I knew you just had to have it when I saw it and I really hope you like it.”

“All is forgiven. Thank you.”, Knockout casually tore away at the wrapping and lifted the lid, his optics glowing brighter.

“Well...do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it!”, Knockout unfolded the white stripe vinyl inside to it’s full length, laughing with a full smile, “You always know just what to get me!”

He put his gift down on the examination table and went to go hug his conjux, climbing up a little to properly plant a kiss.

As high as the mood was brought up, it was quickly shot down again.

“Wait, I’m not done with your gift yet.”, Knockout left for his datapad and scrolled through something.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to give me one. Your company is the only gift I need.”, Breakdown tried to comfort his conjux, but Knockout held out a servo to stop him.

“That’s a sweet sentiment, but it doesn’t feel fair if I had my gift before yours is even done and I don’t want you seeing it while it’s incomplete.”

“I’m sure I’ll like it even if it’s unfinished. The thought matters more than what it is. Can you tell me what it is?”

“Are you sure?”

Breakdown nodded excitedly.

Knockout sighed and handed over the datapad, “It’s only about 75% of the way done, but it’s a transcription of that Earth book you wanted to read but couldn’t find an online PDF version of it.”

Breakdown scrolled through the pages of words and felt his frame melt.

“I know it’s not as good as what you gave me but—”

“I love it!”, He lifted Knockout off the ground and squeezed, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome but watch the paint!”

———

3) Bumblebee/Blitzwing (TFA Blitzbee)

Bumblebee wasn’t one for snow to be perfectly honest. Sure, making snowmen and having snowball fights with Sari were fun, but he mostly did those activities to make her happy as her best friend. The frosty windows on the base served as another reminder as to why he liked to stay inside where it was warm and there was plenty of oil to drink, so it was rather ironic when he started seeing a mech who could make ice and enjoyed just burying himself in the frozen stuff.

“Come outside my little bee~”

Random sang softly and taunted him from outside the Autobot base. The heat from Blitzwing’s system fogging up the window further. Everyone else in the base had retreated back to their rooms for the night, leaving Bee free to do what he wanted in the living room. At least, he would be if there wasn’t a giant beige and purple bot trying to get him outside.

“No way Blitzbrain. It’s beyond freezing out there. I’m not locking up my servos just so you can eat street snow again.”

Bumble whispered harshly and opened the window, a gush of frozen air creeped their way through the cracks of his frame. His central heating system kicked online.

Random’s glossa slithered out of his intake, “Aww why not?”

“Because it’s gross. And that’s saying something when it comes from me!”

Vrrrr.

“I suppose that’s true.”, Icy’s lips pouted outward as he pressed his digits to his chin. His sharp features standing out in the crisp darkness of the night, “But aren’t you the one always wanting to go out? Why is it so different this time?”

“Because time impossible to drive in snow and I don’t wanna deal with traffic.”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“So?”

Vrrrr.

“So why don’t you want to come out here and spend some time away from this stupid base you tiny bug bot!”

Bee held a digit to his intake, “I’m right here idiot, you’ll wake everyone up and then they’ll see you and then we’ll have to fight.”

Vrrrr.

“You’re afraid of the snow aren’t you.”

“What? No. That’s not—I’m not afraid of it are you kidding me? Only sparklings are afraid of stupid things like that.”

“Ok, so you just don’t like the cold.”

“So what if I don’t?”

“Even if you can’t drive, it’s still a nice night for flying.”

Bumblebee’s optics widened, “Flying?”

“Yes. Calm winds, clear skies, no organics or bots in the streets, what more could you wait for?”

“You’re gonna take me flying?”, Bee’s voice rose in pitch and he looked up at his mechfriend with stars in his eyes.

Vrrrr.

“If you keep repeating the same thing I’ll crush you with this wall!”

Vrrrr.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen something go splat!”

Random laughed at his own morbid thought.

“Ok, first of all, don’t crush me. You’re like three times my size, you don’t need a wall. Second, as long as I don’t have to get my servos wet I’ll be there in a nanoklik.”

Bumblebee gave a quick peck before racing away to touch himself up a little for his small impromptu date.

———

4) Megatron/Soundwave (MegaWave)

Megatron was busy. Again.

Soundwave didn’t mind it much as he just worked on his reports, but deep in his spark he really hoped he would’ve made some time to be with him. There was no such luck unfortunately. Soundwave knew his leader was always busy which is what made their small times together all the more special and intimate. Nobody ever saw the side of the warlord that he did and he was quite proud of that. It made him feel special.

>Soundwave.

A private communication line blipped open from Megatron. What convenient timing.

>Yes, Lord Megatron?

>I need you to send a message to Shockwave about the latest export of energon. There will be a delay because of Autobot meddling, but it shouldn’t take more than a couple earth cycles to have everything in order.

>Message received. Will be sent as soon as possible.

>Good. By the way Soundwave, I’ve left something for you in your desk compartment. Consider it a token of my appreciation for all you’ve done staying loyal to the Decepticons.

>Understood. Thank you Lord Megatron.

With that, the line cut off and Soundwave was left alone again in the communication center. His optics glanced over at the large compartment in his desk and opened it. Inside he found a small stack of datapads and one single use datapad filled out.

—

‘To: Soundwave

Silent as a thief in the night

You crept into my spark and took flight

Your visor so full of mystery

Yet take away much of my misery

In war there is treachery

In war there is loyalty

No words could ever be strung to say how much you mean to me

Merry Christmas,

From Megatron

—

A/N: I’m done with this post. Whoop. 4 short stories in one post. This is all I could crank out in a few hours. I didn’t anticipate this day to be so busy for me😭😭. I’ve been hanging out with family and dropping off gifts for friends at their door step. You can kinda tel I gave up at the end and poems aren’t really my thing. I’ll finish the rest tomorrow, so just pretend that whatever I post tomorrow was done today. Tell me what you think and have a nice night. I’m gonna pass out now. Mwah.

AND YES WHEN I WRITE MEGS IN ANY FIC HE IS A MUSHY BASTARD WHEN HES NOT AN ASS HAT AND THATS ON SOFT BASTARDS😌✨✨

[sylvanfreckles]

Fear (Comfortember 2021)

By Love Overcome

After the terrible ritual that made him human, Castiel is trying to adjust to life in the bunker. Thankfully, he has his friends and family to help along the way.

(This is a direct sequel to By Grace Undone, from Whumptober 2021. You can catch it on Tumblr or AO3 if you want to catch up!)

Chapter Eight: "I'm not going anywhere."

It was so late it was officially early morning when Dean pulled himself out of another nightmare. They were almost all the same…life in the bunker, Cas slowly recovering, everything finally settling down into an odd kind of peace.

Then the blackness. Oozing up from the corners of the room. Cas’s face, that same, teary smile as the Empty wrapped around him to pull him away. The dungeon, the bleakness of the end, of an empty world awaiting him.

He didn’t even bother with the lights, just rolled out of bed and crept over to the next room, pushing the door open just enough to peek inside. Cas was still there, illuminated by the faint glow of his bumblebee nightlight, wrapped in the same drab blankets Dean kept meaning to replace. He hesitated on the doorstep, but when Cas made a faint, distressed sound in his sleep Dean slipped into the room and let the door close behind him.

They’d all been having nightmares, ever since that day everything vanished. He’d heard Sammy up at all hours, pacing the hall, his eyes shadowed in the morning as he threw himself into another project to try to wipe away the nighttime fears. It was better when Eileen was here, some tangible proof that all was right with the world again. They weren’t the only ones left. The world was safe.

Maybe they all needed a vacation.

Dean settled down in the armchair beside Cas’s bed and leaned forward to run his hand over the dark-haired man’s arm. It was a familiar gesture by now, and with no other witnesses he didn’t feel the compunction to deny the touch they both so desperately needed. Cas stirred under his touch, and Dean offered a tentative smile when his friend opened weary eyes to stare at him.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Cas struggled to sit up, and Dean slid an arm behind his shoulders to help him. “Is everything all right, Dean?” he asked, voice thick with sleep.

Images from his nightmare were still bouncing around in his mind, and he shook his head to try to clear them. “Just needed to make sure you’re still here, I guess.”

The ex-angel sent him a deadpan look that had so much of the old, all-powerful Castiel in it that Dean didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. “Where else would I be?”

Dean swallowed, eyes stinging as he tried to blink back tears. “The Empty?”

“Oh, Dean,” one of Cas’s rough hands slid into his. “The Empty has no claim on me now. I’m not an angel.”

“I know that,” Dean wrapped both hands around Cas’s. “It’s just a stupid nightmare.”

Cas rested his free hand on top of Dean’s. “I have them, too,” he whispered.

“This can’t really compare to yours, man,” Dean shook his head. “I mean, what you went through-”

“I dream about the Empty.” Cas’s words were bleak, and when Dean looked up his friend’s gaze had gone distant. “Not just my deal…I dream it takes you. And Sam…Jack, too, and I can’t stop it. The entire world is just gone, and I’m all alone. I can’t get back to Heaven, and I just walk. Miles and miles of endless road without a sign of life. Everything withering around me while I remain, deathless and unchanging, on a dying world.”

Dean’ squeezed Cas’s fingers. “Cas…”

Cas tried to pull himself together and met Dean’s eyes with a shaky smile. “But they’re just nightmares.”

Nightmares, trauma, PTSD…whatever it was Dean felt woefully under-qualified to deal with it. Maybe they needed to make a few phone calls in the morning. “Didn’t mean to bring this all up, man. I should’ve let you sleep.”

“It’s difficult sometimes,” Cas shrugged, then glanced over at the empty side of the bed next to him. “We should…try to sleep?”

“Yeah,” Dean sighed and pulled his hands free to rub them over his face. “Don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“We’ve, ah, doubled up before?”

Dean let his hands drop to stare at Cas. The other man wasn’t quite meeting his gaze, but there was something vulnerable about his posture. Something that made him look suddenly so small and alone, it made Dean’s heart ache. And, hell, it’s not like they hadn’t done it before. If Dean remembered, that had been the first time Cas had really slept since he came back.

“All right, but no spooning,” he teased, crossing to the other side of the bed to slide under the blanket. Cas awkwardly turned to face him, his face cast into shadows now that the nightlight was behind him. Cas’s hand lay on the mattress between them, and Dean tentatively reached out to rest his hand on top of it. “I’m not going anywhere, Cas.”

Cas turned his hand just enough catch the tips of Dean’s fingers, his voice a hushed whisper in the dark. “Neither am I.”

[the-delta-42]

Liberation

Liberation

Optimus fired several shots into a Vehicon Flier, the Decepticon crashing to the ground. Mirage looked through the scope on his rifle, taking out Decepticons, while also counting off where the Decepticon heavy hitters were. He’d already counted off Dreadwing, Soundwave and Knockout.

Ironhide shifted himself carefully, as not to knock Adrien off his shoulder. Marinette was riding with Ultra Magnus, the two taking the situation seriously, as in more serious than Cosmic Rust. Jetfire and Trion transformed and landed in front of Optimus.

“Wheeljack’s cloak worked like a charm,” Said Jetfire, his battle mask and visor retracting, “The Decepticons didn’t see us observing them.”

“Not even Soundwave noticed us.” Said Trion, as Konton stopped beside him.

“I think Soundwave’s got bigger problems right now.” Said Mirage, before chucking his scope down to Optimus, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but that looks like Blaster.”

“Blaster?” Asked Marinette, from Magnus’s shoulder, “Who’s that?”

“Blaster was our Chief of Communications back on Cybertron,” Said Cliffjumper, as Arcee frowned, “The last anyone heard, he’d vanished at Tyger Pax, after Soundwave activated a Space Bridge inside the base, making it collapse in on itself.”

“How many other Autobots are there?” Asked Sideswipe, frowning.

“I’ve spotted Jolt and Mudflap,” Said Mirage, “So, Skids isn’t far behind, I think I saw Sunstreaker, but I couldn’t really tell.”

Marinette frowned, “How many Autobots were with Blaster when that base went down?”

“Seven or eight, give or take.” Said Mirage, waving his hand.

“We will need to contact Blaster, have him pull his forces away from the Decepticons so that we can all regroup.” Said Optimus, advancing further into the ruined city.

“Already on it,” Said Jazz, looking down at his wrist, “Blaster will meet use next to the Louvre, it’s one of the places that the Decepticons are ignoring.”

“Once we have regrouped and planned our next course of action, you and Adrien will become necessary to taking down Megatron.” Said Optimus, looking at Marinette.

“That’s if he decides to make an appearance.” Said Marinette, as Ultra Magnus frowned.

“Megatron has always prided himself as a leader who’s led by example, he will be in the battlefield.” Said Ultra Magnus, as Wheeljack scowled.

“It’d be best if you and Adrien remain with Magnus and Ironhide.” Said Optimus, before looking at the city again, “There is less chance of either of you being harmed that way. Wreckers go with Ultra Magnus and Ironhide and provide covering fire for us, Jetfire, Springer and Trion, perform ariel bombardments, Bumblebee, take Arcee, Jazz and Cliffjumper to rendezvous with Blaster and his team, everyone else is with me. We will meet up at the Louvre, now Roll out.”

“Hold on.” Said Ironhide, as he shifted into his vehicle mode, with Ultra Magnus doing the same. The group of humans and Autobots broke up, each heading in a different direction.

L

Blaster shot a Vehicon through their spark, with Mudflap and Skids sped around an Insecticon, Jolt was patching up Sunstreaker and Windblade, while Leadfoot and Airazor were retrofitting a Decepticon fighter to work with Autobot inputs.

Blaster caught sight of a mangled protoform, he wasn’t sure if it was Powerglide or Perceptor, as both had been in the general area of where the Space Bridge had cut off. A shot flew past Blaster’s head, making him turn and see Bumblebee with Arcee, Jazz and Cliffjumper charging towards them.

“Great to see you, Blaster.” Said Arcee, as Bumblebee tore a Vehicon’s arm off.

Cliffjumper jammed his tri-cannon into a Decepticon’s chest and obliterated its internals, with Jazz punching another Decepticon into submission.

“Do any of you have vehicle modes?” Asked Arcee, as Bumblebee walked up to them.

“Only the grounders, those of us that can fly still have our original alts.” Said Blaster, before firing at a Decepticon.

“Do you know where the Louvre is?” Asked Cliffjumper, looking around.

“Yeah, we’ve still got a signal with their worldwide network.” Said Blaster, as Jazz nodded.

“We’re to regroup with Optimus there, I suggest you help Jetfire, Trion and Springer with their bombing runs.” Said Jazz, before he fired a shot at an Decepticon.

Blaster nodded, before he, Airazor and Windblade took into the air and set out to look for the other three flying Autobots.

L

Kup scowled at the Decepticon below him, as Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Konton took up positions flanking the Decepticon and their group. Ultra Magnus and Ironhide drew their weapons and opened fire on the group of Decepticons, taking most of them out before they could react.

Bulkhead and Konton pummelled a Decepticon until it was just a pile of scrap metal, as Brawn punched a Decepticon towards Wheeljack, who then impaled it on his swords.

There was a thumping on Ultra Magnus’s chest, prompting him to open it up. Marinette groaned and slumped he head out of the hole, “Sorry, I think I threw up on your seats.”

“I was aware.” Said Ultra Magnus, allowing Marinette to hop onto his hand.

“Where’s Adrien?” Asked Marinette, as Ironhide shifted his shoulder to reveal a turret with Adrien sitting behind it.

“He’s got mah flank.” Said Ironhide, before the panel that had been protecting Adrien snapped back into place.

Magnus glared at Ironhide, before readjusting his internals so Marinette was a bit more comfortable inside him, “What happened to Steadfast?”

Ironhide grimaced, “I loaned him to Optimus, Prime said he needed him for something.”

Ultra Magnus frowned, before he heard the sound of engines. Hound, Ironhide and Bulkhead readied their weapons, just as Arcee, Bumblebee, Jazz, Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper, Mudflap, Skids, Leadfoot and Jolt drove up to them.

“Aw, shit, now we have added weight.” Said Hound, prompting Konton to hit him.

“The flyers are joining the other three in the sky,” Said Arcee, looking up at Ultra Magnus, “They’re going to regroup with Optimus and meet up at the Louvre.”

“Very well, Soldier.” Said Ultra Magnus nodded his head, “Now, get ready, we still have more than a few Decepticons between us and the Museum.”

Hound, Kup, Ironhide, Bulkhead, Konton and Ultra Magnus all transformed and waited for the NEST soldiers to get in, while Brawn, Smokescreen and Wheeljack proceeded on foot. Bumblebee glared at the wreckages.

“Megatron’s going to pay for this.” Said Bumblebee, as he advanced with the rest of the Autobots.

L

Elita watched as Optimus tore through the Decepticons between them and the Louvre, Mirage had spotted Megatron, looking unwell, sitting on the remains of the Eiffel Tower. A Vehicon was shot out of the sky by Jetfire, with Springer and Trion dealing with other flyers. Sideswipe was covering Crosshairs, who was covering Drift, while Warpath drew the Decepticon’s fire.

A turret that’d been built by the Decepticons suddenly exploded, as Blaster, Windblade and Airazor flew over. Hot Rod and Cogman returned from their scout, dragging Lockdown behind them.

“Look what we caught.” Said Hot Rod, throwing Lockdown in front of Optimus.

Trion transformed and landed next to Optimus, Elita frowned at the wound her adopted son was bearing.

“Lockdown, why are you here?” Asked Optimus, as Prowl trained his gun on Lockdown’s chest, “The last I was aware, you were a neutral bounty hunter and not a Decepticon.”

“That, Prime, is my business and my business alone.” Said Lockdown, as Hot Rod punched him in the back of the head.

“Answer the question.” Snapped Hot Rod, while Trion levelled a rifle with Lockdown’s head.

Sideswipe prodded his swords into Lockdown’s back.

“I guess my loyalties are truly with the Decepticons.” Said Lockdown, smirking, before Optimus shot him in the face.

The now dead bounty hunter fell to the ground, as Optimus glared down at it, “We should be clear to head to the Louvre, Knockout’s sticking with Dreadwing and Dreadwing isn’t going very far from Megatron.” Said Mirage, peering through his scope again, “Looks like Soundwave’s dragging something to Megatron… It’s Starscream.”

“Anything else happening over there?” Asked Sideswipe, as Mirage frowned, and his entire face went slack.

“Megatron just tore Starscream’s spark out…and he’s just taken a bite out of it.” Said Mirage, disgust clear on his face.

“Eww, disgusting.” Said Crosshairs, as the Autobots started to move out towards the Louvre.

Trion transformed and took to the air again, signalling for the other flyers to head for the Louvre.

L

The Autobots looked around the cavernous space around them, it’d been mainly left alone, while the rest of the city was being torn apart.

“With Blaster’s interference,” Said Ultra Magnus, as Brawn and Bulkhead looked at some art, “Only a quarter of the Decepticon arm remains, with most of them easily distracted.”

Ironhide looked over the map Windblade had provided.

“It seems Megatron, Dreadwing, Soundwave and Knockout are not moving from their place near the Eiffel Tower,” Said Ironhide, frowning, “Considering what Ratchet told us over the comms, Megatron wouldn’t be able to smash a scraplet.”

“I bet he’s regretting killing Starscream now.” Said Mirage, as Steeljaw returned and rejoined with Blaster.

“Apparently, Airachnid’s turned up and met the same fate as Starscream.” Said Blaster, as he reviewed the footage from Steeljaw’s optics.

“So, he’d finally gone completely mad.” Said Cliffjumper, as he looked out a window, “Dreadwing’s been quiet.”

“Even so, we have a direct opportunity to end Megatron, once and for all.” Said Optimus, engaging his battle mask, “Move out.”

The Autobots got a total of thirty feet, before Soundwave landed in front of them. The Decepticon silently looked at them, before retracting his visor.

“I am here to defect.” Said Soundwave, before his visor snapped into place, playing footage showing Megatron killing Dreadwing and other Decepticon forces, “Unaccounted for; Shockwave, Knockout and Slipstream.”

Optimus frowned, before narrowing his optics, “Soundwave, when did Megatron succumb to the Dark Energon?”

“Three Solar Cycles ago.” Said Soundwave, before Optimus noticed that Laserbeak was missing.

“Was Laserbeak consumed by Megatron?” Asked Optimus, making Soundwave flinch.

“How’d we know if this weren’t a trap, Prime?” Asked Ironhide, glaring at Soundwave.

“Because, Soundwave wouldn’t use defection as a ruse, even if it was on Megatron’s orders.” Said Optimus, as Elita called for a ground bridge and ordered Bumblebee to escort the other Autobots away, while she, Ultra Magnus, Ironhide, Jetfire and Optimus remained to deal with Megatron. Marinette and Adrien quickly made their way to the roof of the Louvre, as Optimus and his team approached Megatron, who was prowling around the area like a caged beast.

“I always thought that when he defeated Megatron, we would be fighting a powerful warrior to the death,” Said Ironhide, watching the Decepticon leader, “Not performing a mercy killing.”

Optimus unhooked the Star Saber from his back and approached Megatron. The Mindless Decepticon froze, before slowly looking at Optimus.

“Forgive me, Brother.” Said Optimus, as Megatron roared and started to scramble towards him. With one quick stroke, Optimus removed Megatron’s head, the Decepticon skidding to a halt behind him. Megatron’s headless body flailed, before falling still.

Optimus heaved the Star Saber up and waved it, giving Marinette the signal to transform into Ladybug and release the cure. Optimus watched as the city was fixed around them, all traces of war gone, the ladybugs had even restored the lifeless husks of the deceased Decepticons. Optimus gazed down at Megatron’s face.

“Farewell, Brother.” Whispered Optimus, as he called for a ground bridge.

L

Marinette grinned as she watched Optimus shake ‘hands’ with the new Mayor of Paris. There’d been a memorial service for everyone killed in the Decepticon attack. Optimus had also managed to locate the All-Spark, deep below the surface, in an underground cave.

“I’m also proud to extend the offer,” Said the Mayor, “of French citizenship to all the Autobots.”

Marinette tried not to wince at how loud the cheers were.

From what Soundwave told Optimus, Gabriel had been crushed to death by Lockdown, while Lila had caught Megatron’s optic and had been integrated with one of Starscream’s clones and renamed Slipstream.

Marinette paused at the sight of Cliffjumper illegally parked with a parking ticket under his wind screen wiper.

[writingbakery]

“[bi]cycles of love”🚲

this little piece was originally written as oc content, then reworked for a different fandom, and finally comes to rest here. it’s very special to me, as i’ve never fully learned how to ride a bike, & i always wanted a friend to teach me, so we could fall in love over the handlebars <3 taglist; @shinhoetoshi @secondhand-trash @keigos-dove @redbeanteax @katsukisprincess @shinsouzone

[pairing; shinso hitoshi x gn!reader]

[warnings; romance, crushes, friends to lovers, growing up together, slice of life, too many bike references]

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ

┌─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐

pinarello; an italian bicycle manufacturer

based in Treviso, Italy. founded in 1952

raleigh; a british bicycle manufacturer

based in Nottingham. founded in 1885

└─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘

hitoshi loves his bike.

it’s a pretty thing, a pinarello, painted gold over the chrome and cream along the framework. a tiny silver bell sits across one handlebar, the grips sturdy enough to tie whatever he’s carrying on as he rides. the seat is a tan leather, red stitching bold at its seams, just wide enough for comfortable sitting.

six years of wear and tear have left the chains a little rusted, the leather of the seat dimpled in the middle like the indents of hitoshi’s cheeks. the gold is chipped here and there, but he spends every weekend painstakingly painting over the glimmers of chrome, pouring all his pride into the fullness of his tires, the sheen of his spokes.

he can still remember the way his chest had tingled with excitement the first time he’d laid eyes on it, propped up in the tiny garage against his father’s workstation. the bright red ribbon is garish, too flashy & overbearing for such a simple gift, and the rough strokes of gold against the metal are clearly from his father’s calloused hands, but no present has ever been so special in his eyes, and it shows.

he’d shot up like a weed that summer, legs scraping against the concrete every time he dragged his cherry-red raleigh down the street. long outgrowing his training wheels, the bike was a relic even when he’d received it at four years old, and the chains rattled dangerously every time he went over three miles an hour.

still, he’s fond of the old thing, and adding the red stitching to his new bike was a little nod to the bike of his childhood. the only thing he loved more than the raleigh was his pinarello; and the only thing he loved more than his pinarello was you.

you had been in hitoshi’s life since you were born, really, a chubby cheeked tomato of a baby that had babbled excitedly every time you’d seen hitoshi’s too-big, two year old eyes. even so young, hitoshi had felt an overwhelming urge to keep you close, cuddled right up against his baby pink heart that beat too fast whenever you so much as smiled at him.

you had loved the raleigh almost twice as much as toshi did, always begging to sit behind him as he cruised up and down your quiet street. you’d scoot yourself up so close to hitoshi’s back, socked feet against the red pegs of his training wheels, chubby little hands digging into his waist. stuck together like that, your excited giggles would wash over the shell of hitoshi’s ears, smooth and sweet like the breeze.

at ten, you weren’t much taller than you’d been at four, six, eight, always comfortably nestled against hitoshi on the dilapidated raleigh & if it weren’t for both of the chains finally snapping one afternoon, hitoshi would’ve given it to you. the deep, wobbly pout on your lips had been far too much for his twelve year old heart to bear, already thumping with the beginnings of sweet babylove, and that’s how he finds himself promising to take you along on his pinarello always.

the pinarello is bigger than the raleigh, longer & a little wider in the seat and suddenly you’re not leaning forward against hitoshi but sitting, chest pressed tight to his back as you sail around the neighborhood. like this, hitoshi can feel the steady thump, thump, thump of your heart, beating in tandem with the giggles that escape you every time hitoshi rounds a corner too fast, the wind ruffling his messy, home-cut bangs and teasing your pink cheeks.

hitoshi takes you everywhere, to the corner store on fifth & main, the park, the library, to school in the morning and back home at night. those are his favorite moments, when the sky is tinged with dawn or dusk, sleepy whines floating up from the smaller human clinging to his body, warm cheek pressed close against his back. like this, you’re soft and sweet and so painfully close that hitoshi can almost call you his, the love in his chest innocent & fresh like baby powder.

the love grows and grows and blooms so wide and bright that it hurts sometimes, pushes against the confines of hitoshi’s chest and winds up his throat like it wants to bubble from every corner and edge, spilling from his eyes and mouth and ears like kaleidoscope lights, dotted with the shine of your smile.

and yet, hitoshi tucks it close to the ever steady beat of his heart, not quite ready to let it blossom the way it wants to. he’s not prepared to face the light in your eyes, the sunshine of your smile and tell you that your are hitoshi’s everything, just in case you don’t want to be. and hitoshi would be okay with that, really, in the same way you’d be okay with your favorite teddy bear losing its stuffing, or the stars twinkling out slow, one by one. it would sting and hurt and ache but eventually, the world would right itself again, and he’d breathe like he did before he fell in love with soft cheeks and sweet smiles. your happiness has always been his main priority, and he’s determined to uphold that silent promise.

and he spends so, so much time preparing himself for the worst, bandaging up his heart before it can break, that when he finally pours his heart out to you, sits you down on the soft leather seat of the pinarello and tells you he loves you, that he’s woefully unprepared for your face to break out into a smile as wide as the morning sun shining down on them, the gleam of it outshadowed by your pretty glow.

now, he finds himself pacing outside of your house, two down and one across from his own, his best plaid pants on and his good black turtleneck - the one his mother had said made him look “distinguished” - tucked into them, the glint of the afternoon sun bouncing off his silver belt buckle. he’s nervous, and understandably so, the little drops of sweat rolling down his temple and skating along his jaw. he’s regretting letting his mother fill in his eyebrows and line his eyelids with her kohl pencil, certain that you’ll think he’s overdoing it, worry and panic rolling in slow, methodical waves inside him until he’s ready to fake the flu and escape back into his bed.

the soft squeak of a door, followed by a gentle click of its lock snaps him to attention again, and suddenly all the air’s left his body, fear and worry melting into a forgotten puddle at his feet as you make your way down the porch steps and towards hitoshi.

you’re dressed a little more appropriate for the warm spring weather, a maroon pair of corduroy overalls with a baggy black sweater tucked underneath, the collar wide to expose your glitter speckled collarbones. your black creepers have maroon laces to match, and if he squints right hitoshi can see a gold and maroon bumblebee pin in your hair, a gift from him. you’ve got more glitter on your eyelids and cheeks, and if he were twelve still, he’d worry about getting glitter against the back of his turtleneck as you ride down the street on his pinarello.

as it stands, he’s lucky he still remembers how to breathe.

you give a timid little wave, hand covered in pretty silver rings that catch the fading sunlight. “hi, toshi,” you say into the cool air, voice shy and rich with all the nervousness hitoshi’s holding in his stomach. somehow, though, knowing that you’re feeling the same way he is soothes the stress creeping up his throat, and he smiles dopily back before he can stop himself.

“hi kitty. you look amazing, so pretty. really pretty,” he manages to say before the nerves creep up again, the crimson flush staining his cheeks mirrored on your own. you stutter quietly, dig your toes into the dirt and smile; “you too, toshi. you look handsome,” you mumble, but the sunshine is written all over your face. your eyes flick up after a moment to rest on hitoshi’s face again, and you can see the warmth lying there, the fondness that you know is all for you. then they fall just behind him, and the endearment only grows.

right. the bike.

at eighteen, hitoshi still hasn’t gotten his licence - he’s not a bad driver, per say, he just hasn’t gotten rid of his driving jitters, and he’s far too embarrassed to ask his parents to drive them. besides; “i thought it’d be meaningful for our first date, kind of? i did promise to take you everywhere, right?” he asks hopefully, a hand coming down to rest on the handlebars. the answering smile he gets in response warms his heart, the love forcing its way up in the open air.

you easily step up to the pinarello, pausing to wrap soft arms around hitoshi’s waist in a welcoming, calming sort of hug. it’s a silent affirmation, one that he appreciates immensely; you both have always been able to read each other, and he’s certain the relief blossoms out over his face clear as day. swinging a leg over and settling into the seat, he grins up at you widely, face full of unbridled enthusiasm. “your chariot awaits, your highness,” he teases, and that earns him a wind-chime bout of laughter, sweet and tinkling down into his ears. they’re older now, not quite as small as they used to be and your legs are crowded just behind his own, knees knocking together with nervous excitement.

you easily snuggle into hitoshi’s back, one hand reaching up to tuck an earbud into his ear - a recent new tradition of yours, sharing headphones and alternating on whose library they listened to - an easy, soft beat filling the silence. it’s upbeat but slow, a perfect soundtrack to the picnic they’re headed to along the river, a sweet spring afternoon of newfound love. when they get there, hitoshi will drop the pretty necklace he got you from the flea market into the river via sheer nerves, and you will spend too long rambling about nothing in an attempt to soothe your own anxieties. you’ll share a chaste, too-shy kiss in the glow of the sunset, then another, and another until you’re giggling into each other’s mouths, honey soaked declarations of love in the moonlight.

but for now, you’ve got your cheek pressed to hitoshi’s back, your arms wrapped close around his waist and one hand tangled in hitoshi’s own. hitoshi’ll ride slow to avoid the cracks in the sidewalk, your giggles floating up to his ears amidst the smooth melody of their music and he’ll know that everything will be alright, the world will right itself again.

he’ll always love his bike. but he’ll always love you just a little bit more.

[yourfavmagicpiano]

“Christmas Blues”

((Enjoy this little Christmas oneshot for the Autobot Knockout AU! Happy Holidays!

Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee pulled into the base, the human children parting from their guardians in excitement.

“Hell yeah! Two weeks of no school!” Miko cheered, running back to Bulkhead to grab the decorations she had brought.

Arcee grumbled and walked away, leaving the others to their “holiday cheer”.

Knockout walked in the room just as she was about to leave. The ex Decepticon watched in confusion.

“What’s with all of the colorful lights and shiny items? Is there something going on?”

“We’re getting ready for Christmas, Knockout.” Raf smiled at the shiny red bot.

“Christmas?”

“It’s a human holiday. A rather annoying one, to be honest.” Arcee sighed, walking up to Knockout’s side.

“Aw come on, Arcee! Don’t be such a grinch.” Jack teased.

“A what? What’s a grinch?”

•It’s a scary green guy that hates Christmas!• Bumblebee chirped excitedly. •I’ll explain everything if you help us out!•

“Well...alright, I guess it couldn’t hurt.” He approached the group and picked up a strand of garland. “What do I do with this?”

“Hmph. I’m going on a drive. Have fun.” The blue femme transformed and drove out of the base.

“Jeez, what’s HER problem?” Miko huffed.

“Hey now, be nice. Arcee’s just a little upset because...” Bulkhead’s voice became more hushed. “It’s her first Christmas without Cliffjumper. Just give her a little space.”

“You guys celebrate Christmas?” Raf tilted his head in confusion.

“Not at first, but after being on Earth for 3 years, we kinda got into it.” Bulk gently patted the small boy’s head.

“Do you think she’s alright?” Knockout stared at the exit to the base. He understood how Arcee must’ve felt. The death of her partner still haunted her, as he was haunted by Breakdown’s death. “Maybe someone should go check on her?”

•She just needs a little space. Now come on, these decorations aren’t going to hang themselves!•

Over the next few hours, Bulkhead, Bee, and the kids did their best to explain Christmas to the new autobot, but Knockout could barely pay attention. His thoughts kept drifting back to Arcee and how lonely she must feel.

What was more concerning was that she hadn’t returned yet. Where was she? Paranoia continued to build until he couldn’t stand it anymore, excusing himself to go find her.

The moment he stepped out of the base, he heard a faint sobbing from above. Knockout almost smacked himself, of course she would be at Cliffjumper’s grave. He walked back into the base and made his way up to the top.

Arcee was sitting by her fallen comrade, hugging her knees and bawling her eyes out.

“Arcee?” He spoke softly, crouching by her side.

“Leave me alone...” She sobbed, her voice hoarse from crying.

“And leave you out here while it gets dark? I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He sat beside her, rubbing her back. “I feel like I say this a lot, but I’ll say it once more: I’m sorry for your loss...”

The femme tensed you at his touch, before relaxing and starting to lean into him. Knockout wrapped his arms around her for a hug. She hesitated for a moment before reciprocating, holding him close.

“Shhh...it’s alright. Just let it all out.” He continued to rub her back as she sobbed into his chest.

“Thank you, Knockout...” She sniffled, surprising him with a kiss on the cheek.

Knockout felt his face flush, but he only hugged her a little tighter. Now wasn’t the time to let his silly crush get the better on him.

“You’re welcome.” He spoke as calmly as he could. “Let me know when you’re ready to go back in.”

“A-Alright.” She stuttered, snuggling more into the ex con. “I’m gonna guess Bulk or Bee told you why I’m, pardon the pun, feeling blue?”

“Yes, they did.”

“They really need to mind their own business.” She laughed, wiping her eyes.

“Perhaps so, but they’re worried about you. I...I’m worried about you.” He blushed, not able to meet her optics.

“You’re so sweet. How did such a nice mech like you end up with the cons?”

“Well...I didn’t really have a choice. Think like a “join us or die” situation.” He shut his eyes, remembering how he had been threatened into joining the cause.

“I...I’m so sorry...” Arcee started. “I didn’t-“

“Nothing to apologize for. I made my decision then, but I’ve made my decision now to be better.” He cupped her chin, giving her a warm smile. “I do wish Breakdown could be here with me though...”

Arcee hugged him.

“We would have welcomed him the same way we welcomed you.”

Knockout felt tears prick at his optics at her words.

“Thank you.” He softly kissed her forehead. “Ready to go back inside?”

“Yeah...thanks, Knockout.”

“Anytime, my dear.” He offered her his hand to help her up. She took it with a smile, walking back into the base by his side.

The inside of the base had been turned into a winter wonderland. Miko was standing back, admiring the work she and the boys had done,

“It’s perfect! Absolutely PERFECT!” She squealed.

“Wow...okay, even I gotta admit, it’s kinda pretty.” Arcee smiled. “Nice job, guys.”

“Thanks, Arcee!” Raf smiles at her, before his gaze was drawn to something above her head. “Uh oh.”

“Uh oh?” Knockout looked above them, spotting a small green plant with white berries. “What in the allspark is that?”

“Oooooooh! Mistletoe! You know the rules!” Miko cheered.

“I’m afraid I don’t?”

“When two people stand under the mistletoe together, they gotta KISS!”

“W-WHAT?!” The red and blue Cybertronians exclaimed at the same time, nervously looking away from eachother.

“I...Uh...I mean...I would *like* to kiss Arcee, but only if she was alright with it! Which she’s probably not, so-“ Knockout was cut off mid sentence by Arcee grabbing his face and kissing him on the lips.

“There.” She said after breaking the kiss, blushing hard. “Are you satisfied, Miko?”

Before the girl could speak, Knockout cupped Arcee’s chin and kissed her again.

“I’m satisfied. Merry Christmas, Arcee.” Knockout smirked.

Arcee rolled her eyes and smiled back.

“Merry Christmas, elf ears.”

((Happy Holidays, everyone! ❤️💙

[bot-imagines]

The Autobots Discovering a Forced Fusion

(TW: Human experimentation, body horror, and vomiting.)

(Seriously, it’s gonna be gross, you guys. I surprised myself with this one.)

(A follow-up of sorts to this piece)

The Autobots had managed to pinpoint the Nemesis’ location and had opened a groundbridge in a desperate attempt for energon. Ratchet had been pulled along as well, leaving Rafael in charge of manning the groundbridge controls.

Miko saw her opportunity when Raf had been focusing on something on his laptop and Jack had gone to grab a snack. With a grin, she bounded down the stairs and made a beeline for the glowing portal. She heard Raf shout something just before she passed through, and then suddenly, she was in the Decepticon warship.

She’d been onboard a few times now, but she still felt a sense of awe every time she was here. She took a moment to take in the utter magnitude of the ship, with its dim lights and hallways that stretched for what felt like miles. 

She was about to run off to find Bulkhead and the others when she was suddenly pulled back by the arm. “Hey!” she exclaimed.

“Shh! Do you want Megatron knowing we’re here?!” Jack whispered harshly. Miko pursed her lips in annoyance and yanked her arm out of his grip. 

“You didn’t have to follow me, you know. I was going to go find Bulk.”

“Miko, we gotta get out of here. This isn’t just a scouting mission.”

“No way! Come on, we should check this place out!”

“Did you miss the part where I said Megatron was here?”

Miko only shrugged as she started backing away. “That old buckethead doesn’t know we’re here. And besides, he’ll flip out over Optimus being here before he’ll even notice us. When that happens, he’ll sound the alarm and we make a run for it. Simple enough.”

“Miko-” Before Jack could launch into his explanation of just how bad of a decision that was, Miko had turned and run off. He had no choice but to follow.

-

Miko wasn’t sure which way the Bots had gone, but after almost twenty minutes of wandering, she had come to the conclusion that she was completely lost. So she wandered. She skittered from door to door, peeking inside to see if she could find something cool or something to break. Jack was following behind at a distance, but she knew he’d be able to keep up. 

They’d just passed another hallway when Miko’s phone rang. She fumbled with tit for a moment in her haste to answer, and she saw Jack running towards her in her peripheral vision as she finally managed to flip it open and accept the call.

“Are you nuts?! My ringtone is on! Do you want me to get caught?!”

“Miko, where are you?” Bulkhead’s familiar baritone eased her nerves slightly.

“How’d you know I wasn’t at the base?”

“Raf called. Said you ran after us and Jack followed you. Come on, where’d you run off to? We need to get going.”

Miko frowned, pouting slightly as she turned to glance at Jack. “Aw, already? I haven’t even found anything yet.”

“Miko...”

She grumbled, but with both Bulkhead’s scolding and Jack’s hard glare, she gave their location.

“Alright. Stay there. We’re finished up here so we’ll head your way. Don’t move.” Miko opened her mouth to argue, but he hung up before she could. She huffed and shut her phone.

“Let’s try to stay out of sight until the Bots get here,” said Jack. 

“You guys are no fun,” she grumbled.

“Does this really seem like fun to you?! Sneaking around an alien ship filled with giant robots that’ll try to stomp on you if they spot you?!” Miko didn’t answer. She just crossed her arms and stared down at the floor. Jack sighed and took her by the elbow as he guided them to a wall they could press up against.

Ten minutes passed and no one showed up. Miko debated getting her phone out and calling Bulkhead, but she didn’t want to risk giving away his location in case he was hiding from any Cons. She had to fight back to urge to groan from boredom.

There was a harsh hiss of pressurized air nearby, followed by the thud of giant footsteps. Jack’s hand tightened around her own and Miko found herself squeezing back. They both pressed back against the wall in the hopes that they would go unnoticed by whoever was passing by. 

Miko dared to look up, and saw the Decepticon scientist Shockwave looming overhead. He hadn’t seen them, or at least, she was pretty sure he hadn’t. He was looking ahead with that one large red eye as he walked by. She watched him go for a while before looking back in the direction he’d come from. Setting her jaw, Miko let go of Jack’s hand and made a break for the doorway. She didn’t wait to see if Jack had followed her as she came to a stop in the front of the door and ran inside.

She could tell right away that it was a lab of some kind. Computer screens lined the walls and displayed all kinds of readings and writing that she couldn’t understand. Something was glowing from around the corner and Miko grinned as she ran over to investigate.

Lined up along the wall were a series of tubes. They were rather small for a Decepticon and she wondered what they were for. She could see that there was something floating in the bright green fluid. Cautiously, she approached.

Up close, she could make out the vague shape of a person, but the green goo was so foggy that she couldn’t really tell. She leaned in closer until her face was almost pressed up against the glass.

Something slammed against the glass, causing her to shriek and leap backwards. She crashed into something warm that grunted before she toppled to the ground.

“Careful!” Jack said. Miko rolled off of him and scowled at him. 

“Stop sneaking up on me!” Jack glowered at her and opened his mouth to argue when there was another slam. Both of them jumped before turned to the tubes. 

Pressed up against glass was a human hand. 

They stared, frozen in place. 

“There’s... someone in there?” Jack muttered under his breath. He met Miko’s eyes. The stillness was broken as Miko pushed herself up onto her feet. 

“We’ve got to get them out of there,” she said as she walked around the tube, searching for some kind of opening. 

“Wait, what?” Jack was on his feet now too. 

“Come on,” she said as she got on her knees and leaned down, still searching, “Help me find a way to get this thing open.”

“Miko, I don’t think-”

“Jack? Miko?” She shot up just in time to see Bulkhead and Bumblebee entering the lab. “What are you two doing? We gotta go!”

“Bulk, you gotta help us get this open! Someone’s in here!” Bee buzzed something before Arcee came in. Bee repeated whatever he’d said as Bulkhead came up to the tube Miko was standing next to. 

“Stand back,” Bulkhead said as he wrapped a hand around the top of the casing.  With a quick tug, the top came off with a creaking sound and the crunch of glass. Wires were attached to the inside of the lid and disappeared in the strange goo. “Wha-”

An arm shot out of the tube and grabbed the edge. The tube began to wobble as whoever was inside tried to pull themself out. Bulkhead cursed as he tried to snatch up the tube, but whatever was inside had covered the glass, making it too slippery for him to get a grip on. 

The tube fell to the floor and broke apart with a crash. Shattered glass and fluid splattered out all over. Jack pulled Miko back, away from the broken shards. Miko could only stare at the lump that began to move. 

It was shiny with the nasty looking goo, and Miko felt her stomach turn at how slimy and thick looking it was. The lump wriggled on the ground for a moment before an arm reached out to balance itself. Then another. Then another.

Miko could only stare as a pale, hairless thing that vaguely resembled a human slowly brought itself onto its knees. It slowly lifted its head, revealing two sets of milky white eyes. If she really looked at the thing, she could see the human features: shriveled up ears, a nose, and thin lips. Its body was gangly and frail-looking, and even from this angle Miko could tell that its ribs were visible. It looked like someone had stretched paper-thin skin over a human skeleton. Neat lines marred its body, and the precision pointed to surgical scars. The left arm was normal enough until the elbow. From there, the forearm split up into two, giving the thing three functioning hands. 

The wires that were attached to the inside of the tube were connected to what looked to be ports in the creature’s back and around its neck.

It stared at Miko for a moment, unblinking and trembling.

Then it opened it mouth and let out a garbled noise that made Miko wince. 

“Jack! Miko! Get back!” Bulkhead stepped in-between the creature and the children, and Miko was suddenly being lifted into the air by Bumblebee.

“What the scrap is that?” Arcee asked, her face twisted in disgust. The creature warbled out again and began to twist its head this way and that. Almost as if it was looking for something.

“Whatever it is, it’s not normal,” Bulkhead said. His voice was steady, but Miko knew her wrecking buddy well enough to know that it was all for show. 

Jack was still staring at the thing on the ground when he said quietly, “Miko.”

Miko turned to her friend, confused by the frailty in his voice. Jack looked at her. “It’s human.”

“What?” Arcee brought Jack closer to her chest as she took a step back from the slimy body. “That’s no human.”

“Can’t you sense it?” Jack sounded so small, and it took a moment of Miko looking at the thing before it finally registered.

She’d been looking at the thing’s physical appearance and not its mental one. There was a feeling she got from looking at this pale, squirming thing.

It felt sour, mutated, and - to her horror - familiar.

“That’s... That’s a fusion,” she choked out. From above her, she could hear Bee let out a loud whirr of shock and confusion. Bulkhead was saying something else, but Miko didn’t hear it.

She couldn’t stop staring at the thing on the floor. The human on the floor. The humans on the floor. 

She glanced up at the row of tubes that seemed longer and longer now.

If this is what was in this tube, then did that mean that all of these...?

A loud bang set everyone on high alert. Miko had just enough time to see that a team of Cons had entered the lab, guns raised and shooting, before she was quickly set on the floor next to a stunned Jack.

Bumblebee had joined Bulkhead in engaging the Cons while Arcee kept guard on the children. She used her commlink to call for Raf to open the groundbridge. From the door, Optimus was striking down drones left and right as he fought to reach the others. Miko and Jack crawled further away from the fight.

From the corner of her eye, Miko saw the deformed fusion was still trembling, trying desperately to stand.

Now that she was looking for it, she could sense feelings that only humans who had fused before could pick up on.

There was confusion, and fear, and overwhelming anguish.

And there was pain. So, so much pain.

Her eyes began to prick with tears at the sheer intensity of the emotions the fusion was emitting. 

There was a crash as three drones worked simultaneously to bring Bulkhead down. They forced him to back up, forced him to go on the defense.

“Bulkhead!” Miko cried out, only to regret it immediately. Bulkhead looked at her, away from the drones, and didn’t have time to block the next punch. It sent him toppling to the floor.

Miko’s heart stopped as he slammed into the other tubes. 

Slimy green fluid burst out, covering Bulkhead as well as the floor. As the goo began to drain, other bodies started appearing.

Now that Miko knew exactly what they were, what the Decepticons were doing to them, her horror and nausea only grew.

There was one fusion with two heads and three legs, with one deformed arm sticking out of the middle of its torso.

Another was attached only by the head, and Miko let out a sob as she beheld the jumbled mess of flesh that made up its face.

One after another, the grotesque human fusions slipped out of their containers. One unlucky one had fallen onto a large shard of glass that still stuck to the tube, effectively impaling the thing. It was wriggling and clawing at the glass, cutting up its hands as it screeched in pain. 

Bile was rising in her throat, and Miko could only hiccup out another sob. 

She couldn’t move. 

She couldn’t think. 

She wasn’t entirely sure if she was still breathing.

Miko was vaguely aware of someone shaking her, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer. And then she was being hugged. It took a minute or two for her to realize that it was Jack. She reached up and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into the fabric of his t-shirt. 

“Jack!” Arcee was running toward them, only to be tackled by another drone. Jack pulled Miko to her feet and forced her to look him in the eyes.

“We have to find better cover,” he said. He looked around for a moment before pointing to a nearby computer console. There was what looked to be a series of drawers. A few were open, no doubt having been knocked into at some point during the scuffle. “There!” Jack grabbed Miko’s hand and ran for it, pulling her along. She had to force herself to run, despite the numb feeling in her limbs. 

They were close when something wrapped around her ankle. She cried out and she fell to the floor, grunting as her chest took the full impact. She scrambled to get up, but whatever had her was pulling insistently.

Miko looked back and immediately wished she hadn’t.

One of the fusions had wrapped one of its five hands around her ankle. It split at the hips into two torsos, two sets of arms, and two heads. One of the halves was fighting to sit up with shaking arms, a dark blanket of hair masking its face, while the other one tugged her back.

Miko screamed and tried to kick away its hand. Her boot only slipped on the slick liquid covering its body. 

The fusion warbled, reaching out another hand to wrap around her calf. She could feel the slime soaking through her leggings and making her shudder. She whimpered as she met its eyes. It opened its toothless mouth and, to her horror, spoke.

“Hhhhuuuuu... Huuuuu... Huuulllll...” 

“Miko!” Jack grabbed her hand and tried to pull her out of the fusion’s reach, but it was no use. Jack swore and let go, looking for another way.

“Hullllll... Puh... Huuuullllp... mmmmeeeee...”

Jack appeared above them and before Miko could react, he brought his foot down on the fusion’s arm. He did it again and again before it finally let go of her leg. Miko scrambled to her feet and ran.

She and Jack reached the drawer, and he gave her a boost before climbing in. They crawled over datapads and miscellaneous tools until they were at the back of the drawer. They could hear the blaster fire and the clash of Cybertronians fighting. Miko’s ears were absolutely ringing with it.

“Jack...”

“We need to stay here. We’ll be crushed if any of those Cons see us.”

“J-Jack, that... those humans,” Miko whimpered. Jack looked back at her, and for the first time, Miko saw the tears brimming in his eyes. 

“Not now,” he said quietly, “Please, Miko. Not right now.”

As if in answer, there was a deafening crash before a familiar voice shouted out, “Jack! Miko!” Ratchet sounded out of breath and both humans peeked out of the drawer to find him looking rather frantically around the lab. Jack got to his feet and waved to the medic. Ratchet was there in an instant, pulling the drawer open and scooping them both up. “I’m getting you out of here,” he said.

Miko didn’t fight it this time.

-

The moment they were through the groundbridge, Ratchet set both of them down and began frantically prepping the medical bay. Miko’s legs felt like rubber as she stumbled to the nearest wall. 

Jack managed to take a few step before he fell to his knees and heaved. A thin line of bile splattered on the concrete and Miko felt herself start to retch as well. As her nausea squeezed her stomach, tears spilled down her face, and she could only whimper as she body arched with every heave.

At some point - she wasn’t sure when - Miko had been picked up and taken to the small bathroom that they sometimes used whenever they came to the base. She had curled up against the small metal toilet as she continued to throw up, her body sore and shaking with the effort. 

After what felt like hours, she managed to gain enough control of herself that she was able to go to the sink and wash out her mouth. She splashed some water on her face in an effort to clean up a bit, but she still looked awful. Her eyes were pink and puffy, and her cheeks were sallow. She had a glisten to her skin, and she knew that it was sweat. 

She stared at herself in the mirror. The longer she did, the harder it was to keep from crying again. 

Miko suddenly didn’t want to be alone anymore, so she left the bathroom and wandered back towards the main area. She was about to turn the last corner when she heard the Bots speaking in hushed tones.

“I knew that the Cons were evil,” Bulkhead muttered, “but I didn’t think they were that bad.”

“The Decepticons have been known to practice unethical experiments of all sorts,” Ratchet grumbled. “Especially Shockwave.”

“Yeah, on other Cybertronians maybe.” Arcee sounded angry. The sound of an engine drew everyone’s attention a moment later, followed by the familiar sounds of transformation. 

“I trust that Rafael made it home safely?” asked Optimus. Bumblebee answered with a quick chirp. 

“Should we really keep this from him? I mean, he’s human too,” said Bulkhead.

“Absolutely not,” Ratchet hissed. “You saw what happened when Jack and Miko saw those things. They were completely devastated.”

“Ratchet is correct,” said Optimus, “While Rafael is quite mature for his age, he is still a youngling of his species. Such things do not need to be brought to light at such a young age.”

“And what about Miko?” Bulkhead snapped. “Frag, Optimus, how the pit am I supposed to help her? I don’t even know how I feel about this.” Bumblebee buzzed again before Bulkhead grumbled out “I don’t want to think about it.”

“So what do we do?” Arcee asked. “We have to do something. We can’t just leave those... those humans as they are.”

“I still can’t understand it,” Ratchet said. “I was able to grab a few of the data slugs that held information about the experiment, but none of it is making any sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“From the research I’ve done and what we’ve witnessed with Mack, fusion is a complicated process for even willing humans. How in Primus’ name did Shockwave manage to forcefully fuse them together?”

“I don’t think I want to know.” There were murmurs of agreement followed by a beat of silence.

“I will speak to Agent Fowler about our next move. We will need the humans’ knowledge if we are to help these fusions,” Optimus assured.

“...Can we help them?” Arcee asked quietly. No one spoke, and Miko could feel her eyes stinging again.

A hand rested against her shoulder. She looked up and found Jack standing next to her. “Are you okay?” he asked softly. She stared at him for a moment. His face started to blur as the tears began to fall. She shook her head before wrapping herself around him in a firm hug. Jack hugged back with equal ferver, squeezing her close to his chest as he rested his chin on her head. 

Miko wasn’t okay.

Jack wasn’t okay.

But maybe, with time, they would be. 

As long as they stayed together.

[smkkbert]

We ended as lovers (12/13)

Summary: Three years ago, Felicity’s life was perfect. She was offered a job at two great companies. Her boyfriend just started his own fashion label, and they picked a perfect apartment to live in together. The more heartbroken she was when Oliver got cold feet and it all ended. Now, Felicity is coming back to Starling City, well aware that she is destined to run into her ex-boyfriend there. While old feelings revive quickly, the pain still goes deep. Besides, for some reason Oliver seems to be angry with her.

Previous Chapters: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11 or read on Ao3

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Chapter 12: Made-to-measure

Unlike most mornings, when either her jarring alarm or the thought of work pulled her from sleep ungently, it was the tickling feeling in the back of her neck that woke her up this morning. Her hackles rose in the best way possible. Goosebumps spread from the back of her neck all the way down her spine. Her muscles felt like they were made of putty. They were so relaxed that they almost melted into the mattress.

The memories of last night washed over Felicity like a warm shower, embracing her in this comfortable feeling that made a content feeling spread over her and inside of her. She remembered the fashion show and the hours spent with Oliver after that. Most importantly, she remembered all the times they had made love last night.

Made love. Felicity had never really been a fan of that term. It sounded corny, cheap and like a lie because sex and love didn’t require each other. She had had sex without being in love with that person several times, and she had loved Oliver for years although they hadn’t had sex. One could easily exist without the other. After last night, she couldn’t deny that having sex could be equaled with making love because it had just been so much more than sex last night. It had been a reunion, a homecoming, a declaration of love.

She felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips and quickly turned her face into the pillow although she couldn’t say why. She was sure that Oliver was smiling too. Even if he hadn’t, he probably couldn’t even have seen her smile because her curly blonde hair was covering her face completely.

Once more, she felt like a stupid teenager. She wouldn’t be surprised if she started giggling and wouldn’t be able to get a hold on it. Love did that, Felicity guessed. It turned people, no matter how serious and focused they usually were, into brainless shells of a human.

The thought was usually something to scare Felicity because brainless, was the last attribute she wanted to be connected with her. Today, she didn’t mind. Being brainless meant that you didn’t see the disadvantages of being brainless either.

“Morning,” Oliver whispered eventually, “how did you sleep?”

Taking in a deep breath, Felicity turned her head. With her cheek resting on the pillow, she opened her eyes to look at Oliver. Immediately, everything inside of her started tingling like a thousand bumblebees were inside of her.

Oliver had his head propped up onto his hand, looking at her. His deep blue eyes were filled with adoration and love, all directed at her. With the tousled hair and the sleep wrinkles on his face, he looked incredibly cute. Lifting her hand, she stroked her fingertips through his stubble and couldn’t contain a smile as she realized that Oliver was really here.

“Morning,” she whispered eventually, “how did you sleep?”

“I asked first,” Oliver replied, putting his hand to her back and moving his fingers up and down her spine, “so you answer before I answer.”

Felicity chuckled, but she guessed that Oliver was right. He had asked first, so his question had to be answered first. Her brain just continued to have trouble working properly either because it was still sleepy or because it was completely taken by Oliver’s presence and all the ways that made her feel.

“Good,” she replied with a low sigh, “better than I have slept in three years I guess.”

“Me, too,” Oliver agreed and his hand stopped its movements to rest flat against the base of her spine, “all because you were lying next to me.”

It was amazing how Oliver could be so broody and withdrawn with other people around and yet carry his heart on his tongue like he had never done anything else when he was around her. Something about the fact that Oliver could only talk this openly when he was around her made her feel incredibly light. It was a great feeling to know that she could open him like that.

Instead of saying anything about that, Felicity asked, “Why are you awake and staring at me when you had such a good time sleeping?”

“Because the only thing that’s better than sleeping is looking at you.”

With a fluent movement, Felicity pulled her pillow away and hit it right into Oliver’s face. While Oliver looked at her indignantly, Felicity chuckled. Shaking her head, she pushed the pillow back under her cheek.

“What was that for?” Oliver asked. “I was all sweet and corny, being the perfectly romantic guy, and you just hit me.”

“Because you are terribly corny,” Felicity told him, punching his chest playfully, “so I can hardly take you seriously.”

“Oh, come on,” Oliver said, “you love when I am corny.”

“Oh yes,” Felicity replied sarcastically, putting her hand to her heart, “if only I could express myself this eloquently, so I could really express my love for you too. You have to believe that I don’t love you at all with how brusquely I-“

Felicity stopped when Oliver suddenly started tickling her. Laughing and screeching, she tried to get away from him, but Oliver’s arms were wrapped around her firmly. They didn’t allow her to move away. All laughing, squirming and kicking didn’t help her with it.

“Okay, okay,” Felicity managed to say between some laughter, “I admit defeat. I surrender. I surrender.”

Oliver stopped immediately. Instead of giving her space, he rolled himself on top of her. His naked body pressed her equally naked body into the mattress. His face was hovering right over hers. After brushing some strands of hair from her face, he perked up his eyebrows, waiting for her to tell him more.

“You, my dear,” she said with a smile, cupping his cheeks with her hands, “are the perfectly romantic guy. Your words warm my heart like only you can do.”

“I still don’t feel taken seriously,” Oliver replied, amusement sparkling in his eyes, “but it’s better than nothing, so I’d say it’s fine.”

Watching her with a soft expression in his eyes, Oliver stroked his fingers through her hair. His thumb brushed against her forehead again and again. A warm smile spread on his face. Felicity could see just in the way he looked at her that he loved her and that he wanted to be nowhere but here with her.

Putting her hands to his face once more, she pulled his head down towards her. Her lips captured his in a loving kiss that made Oliver sigh. He pushed an arm beneath her body, holding her to him. His tongue swiped over his bottom lip. His muscles almost melted with hers. His hops pushed between her open legs, his already half-erect cock moving against her sensitive folds.

Quickly, Felicity pushed at Oliver’s face to break the kiss. She chuckled when she opened her eyes and found Oliver looking at her grumpily. He wasn’t too pleased with the interruption. They had been interrupted too many times already. Now that it was just them, there shouldn’t be any further interruptions. They should just be able to do whatever the hell they wanted, and it was quite clear what Oliver wanted right now.

“Just five minutes,” Felicity asked and pecked his lips, “give me five minutes and you can ravish me all you want.”

“I will hold you to that.”

Felicity smiled, already feeling a jolt of pleasure going through her core. She and Oliver definitely wanted the same right now.

“I hope so,” she whispered and pecked his lips once more, “just five minutes.”

With that, she pushed at Oliver’s shoulder until he rolled off of her with a long sigh. He pushed his arms beneath his head and watched her while Felicity was rolling to the edge of the mattress. She considered wrapping the blanket around her naked body, but she knew it would be ridiculous, so she took couple of steps to the bathroom in all her naked glory.

Stepping through the door, she turned her head back over her shoulder to see that Oliver was still watching her. His eyes were moving up and down her body, taking in her naked curves. When they met her eyes, she could see the hunger inside of them, and it made a shiver run down the length of Felicity’s spine.

She winked at Oliver before she closed the door behind herself and stepped in front of the mirror. Although she did look a little exhausted from the long flight and the last night that hadn’t offered a lot of sleep, Felicity didn’t miss that she looked very happy. There was a smile on her lips and a content expression in her eyes that had been missing for a long time.

Felicity put on her morning robe that was rested over the rim of the bathtub and splashed some water into her face and brushed her teeth. She wouldn’t call herself vain or anything like that. Since she had smelled the peppermint on Oliver’s lips, she knew that she had brushed his teeth though, and morning kisses really weren’t the best of kisses when morning breath bothered the greatness.

Grabbing a washcloth from the drawer beneath the sink, Felicity wetted it and cleaned herself a little. She could feel how sore she still was. All the times Oliver had thrusted into her last night, adapting rhythms that had been slower sometimes and quicker other times, had left their marks on her it seemed. Closing her eyes, Felicity felt the memories of last night washing over her and had to catch her bottom lip between her teeth to restrain from letting out a hungry sigh.

She remembered the way Oliver had looked at her with so much adoration, desire and love that she had just felt like a slave to her hormones. Everything inside of her had wanted and needed him. She had wanted and needed to feel the touch of his fingers, the taste of his tongue and the pleasure of his orgasm. He had been everywhere around her and inside of her just by looking at her. Her mind had been unable to fight her body on that need, not that it had had any good arguments to start with. Her mind had wanted Oliver as much as the rest of her body because it had known how good he would make her feel.

When he had touched her, her entire body had felt like it had been set on fire. Everything had prickled. The feeling on her skin had been something on the small line between pleasure and pain. She had been caught between these feelings, every moan falling from her lips a sign of her insecurity what it was. At the end, the pleasure had outweighed the pain though. It had been so much stronger.

Then his lips had brushed against hers, capturing them in a gentle kiss. Despite their need for each other, they hadn’t hurried through the kiss. They had taken their time. They had explored each other’s lips. They had let their tongues dances together slowly. They had lost themselves in the kiss and found themselves in each other.

With him inside of her, she had been completely lost to her pleasure and yet she had felt that much at home as she had never felt. The thought that the feeling of a cock inside of her felt almost a little bit ridiculous now. She was a grown woman that was very proud of her work and defined herself through her work much more than she defined herself through any man. With Oliver, it was different though because he just made her feel so unique.

After their first round and some good snuggles after, Oliver had excused himself to the bathroom. He had cleaned himself. When he had come back, he had had a washcloth with them. He had wiped their juices off the inside of her thighs too. Throwing the washcloth back into the bathroom, he had climbed back into bed with her then. With his arms wrapped around her waist and his chest pressed to her back, they had fallen asleep.

Felicity couldn’t say when she had slept that peacefully for the last time. Everything from the moment she had fallen asleep to the second she had woken up had been perfectly calm. She had felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She had felt well and protected. She had felt perfectly.

Oliver had woken her up around four a.m. with his lips caressing her shoulder. He had peppered kissed all over her skin until he had felt her waking up. He had deepened his kisses then, licking and sucking at the sight of her neck. Looking at herself in the mirror now, Felicity could see the hickey he had left between all the beard burn of his stubble.

She guessed it was good that she didn’t have to go back to work before Monday. With the beard burn and hickeys, she’d become the center of gossip. Well, the press had probably taken care of that already given the photos they had taken of her at the fashion show. She was sure that at least some gossip magazines would already print wild stories about the fact that she had been there.

Shaking her head, Felicity pushed that thought away and rather thought back to last night.

They had had sex again, making love beneath the blankets. Their bodies had cradled each other while they had rolled around on the mattress again and again. The urge to get as close to each other as possible had been overwhelming and absolutely needed. She had wanted Oliver and only Oliver. Nothing else had mattered, just like hours before.

Thinking about all that times that they had had sex, Felicity could feel herself growing hungry for Oliver once more. She wanted to feel the way she had felt last night. She wanted to become one with him over and over and over again.

Throwing the wet washcloth into the laundry container, Felicity shot a last glance at her reflection in the mirror. Smiling about how good and relaxed she looked, she turned around and opened the door.

“Less than five minutes and I am ready to be ra-“

Felicity stopped when she saw that Oliver was no longer lying in bed lazily. Instead, he had sat up and was leaning back against the headrest of the bed now. A small notepad was resting on his thighs. He was leaning over it, sketching some designs Felicity guessed. His hand was moving furiously, drawing what looked like arbitrary lines, but Felicity knew that he could see more in those lines than anyone else. His face looked exhausted and focused, but his eyes sparkled with inspiration.

“Oh,” Felicity said, “do you want to work?”

“Huh?”

Oliver lifted his gaze, looking at her with surprise. He looked like, at least for a moment, he had completely forgotten where he was and that she was here with him. Knowing Oliver and how lost he could get in his work, Felicity was sure that this was exactly what had happened.

“No,” Oliver said quickly, “absolutely not.”

He hurried to throw the pencil across the room. He closed the notepad and dropped it to the floor. His fingers moved through his hair, the fingernails scratching over his scalp. Although Oliver’s actions looked very determined, his face said something else. He looked confused, the way he always did when he stopped work abruptly in the middle of a boost of creativity.

Felicity frowned, putting her hands to her hips. “Yes, you do.”

Shaking his head, Oliver crawled to the edge of the mattress. He got up onto his knees there. Reaching out his hands, he put them to her waist and pulled her closer.

“You can work if you want too,” Felicity said while Oliver was already undoing the knot of her belt, “I wouldn’t mind. I know that you need to make good use of every boost of creativity, especially right after a show. I mean the boost of creativity you get after a show, thinking about everything you could have done better and what-“

“Fe-li-ci-ty,” Oliver whispered in that low singsong that he often used when he was saying her name and pushed her robe down her shoulders, so she was standing in front of him nakedly again, “stop talking.”

“But I know how important this flow of work is for you,” Felicity continued, “because comparing the designs from after the show to the ones that made it to the catwalk always shows you what you think you could have made better and what you want to have an eye for when the next fashion show comes. I-“

“Felicity,” Oliver whispered once more, faster this time, “I had a short boost of creativity as you called it, but I need some more inspiration. Besides, you promised that I would get to ravish you in five minutes, and I am sure that it’s already six by now.”

“Oh, really?”

Oliver hummed, nodding his head. He moved his hands from her waist to her back. While he was smiling at her, Felicity was leaning in for a kiss. Before her lips touched his, Oliver turned them and leaned forward until Felicity’s back landed on the mattress. His chest was pushing her down into it.

Felicity was chuckling, but her chuckle died in her throat when Oliver guided his cock to her entrance and pushed into her with one deep thrust. Moaning, Felicity arched against him. Her chest was pressing to his. The new angle let him go even deeper, touching her in spots that she had wanted him to touch her again and again since last night.

“Oliver.”

His name fell from her lips in a feverish whisper as Oliver stayed completely unmoving. It was maddening to feel him inside of her and not have him moving. Her fingernails clawed into the skin at his back, holding him to her.

Oliver didn’t have to be asked twice. He started moving, thrusting in and out of her with firm movements. He wasn’t going particularly slowly or gently. His face was hovering right over hers. They were breathing the same air while their eyes were locked onto each other’s.

They had taken so much time to explore each other last night that this, this morning, was just to still their need for each other. It wasn’t less intense as the lock of their eyes felt like their souls were connecting directly. They just didn’t take the time they had taken last night. They already knew each other by every inch. They knew what their bodies felt like, knew how to bring pleasure, knew how to make them feel like one.

Oliver moved relentlessly, continuing to thrust in and out of her in the same rhythm of firm thrusts. Felicity put her feet to the mattress next to Oliver’s thighs. She used that to lift her hips and meet Oliver’s thrusts. Their bodies were slapping together, the sound filling the room. The headboard of the bed moved against the wall with every thrust like they were in some shabby hotel.

The thought made Felicity smile with amusement. Whoever was living in the hotel room next door right now probably felt like they had picked the wrong room. When Felicity had been able to hear their baby cry when she had gotten ready for the fashion show yesterday, she was sure that they could hear their noises of sex now.

“What?” Oliver asked between two moans, continuing to thrust rhythmically. “What’s so amusing?”

He thrust into her particularly hard. It was almost like he wanted to tell her that there was nothing amusing about having sex with him. When they were united like that, he wanted to have her just for himself. He didn’t want any other thought to be part of this moment.

“I am sure our neighbors can hear us having sex.”

Oliver directed his gaze to the wall behind the headboard of the bed. His lips were twitching into a smile as he couldn’t hide his amusement.

“In that case,” he whispered, leaning down even closer to her, “I suggest that we give them a very good morning show.”

With that, Oliver moved his hand between their bodies. His thumb flicked against her clit. Before Felicity could bite down on her bottom lip to bite back a moan, it was falling from her lips loudly. The sound of pleasure almost echoed through the room. It filled everything around them like it was all that mattered.

It didn’t take long until Felicity felt the pleasure overtaking her. She was right on the edge. Every thrust of Oliver’s hips and every flick of his thumb against her clit brought her closer to it. She felt like she was trying to keep her feet on the ground firmly, but like she was slowly losing her balance.

Her fingers clawed into Oliver’s skin even more. She was sure that she would leave marks in the form of halfmoons on his back. They would stay with him for a while, reminding him of this morning as she would be reminded by the sore feeling that would certainly be with her even longer now.

Felicity was still on the edge when Oliver’s hips lost their rhythm. They pushed in and out of her on their own accord now, just trying to get the release he needed so much. With one last thrust, he buried himself inside of her once more, sending both of them over the edge at the same time.

Oliver slumped down onto her exhaustedly. His face pressed against the side of her neck. While his arms pushed beneath her body to hold her closely, his lips peppered sweet, little kisses against her pulse point. His cock moved in and out of her lazily, tickling the last waves of pleasure out of her.

Propping himself up onto his forearms, Oliver looked at her. The same expression of adoration, desire and love that she had seen last night already was in his face again. He moved his hands over her forehead, wiping away from of the sweat that had gathered there, before he leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss.

Felicity sighed, framing his face with her hands. She loved these slow kisses after sex because they showed how much they meant to each other. Even when they weren’t taking time, having sex was some way of making love to them. It was just a different form of love in that moment, and, still, it was love.

Deepening the kiss, Felicity felt her need for Oliver growing once more. She wanted him, and she couldn’t picture a single moment in the next days that she wouldn’t want him. The bare thought of the feeling of having him inside of her and having him move inside of her was overwhelming. It took over her entire body, making her entire world spin around it.

She could feel Oliver’s cock already growing hard inside of her, needing her as much as Felicity needed him. That their feelings and needs were mutual meant as much to her as the bare existence of her feelings in the first place. Her legs wrapped around his hips and-

The growling sound of her stomach made them move apart. Oliver looked at her with perked up eyebrows for a moment. Then they both started laughing.

“Okay, you really gotta get something in your stomach.”

Rolling off of her, they both groaned at the loss of contact. Oliver hurried to lean over and brush his lips against her temple. His hand moved over her cheek, his fingertips brushing against her skin very gently.

“I,” he told her with a smile, “will order everything there is on the menu for breakfast. I need you to be energized. I have plans for us today.”

 * * *

 Half an hour later, they were sitting in bed, half-dressed. Oliver, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs, was spread out on the side of the mattress she had slept before, his head propped up onto his hand while he was watching her. Felicity, on the other hand, was sitting in bed with her back resting against the headboard of the bed. She was wearing panties and his shirt.

Plates with all different kinds of food were lying on the mattress around them as Oliver had indeed everything the menu of the hotel kitchen had offered for breakfast. Various newspapers and magazines filled the empty spots between them.

“The Return of Happiness marks the return of OJQ as we got to know it,” Felicity read the last line of the article and watched Oliver’s expression closely, “and we couldn’t love it more.”

Oliver lowered his face, but he wasn’t quick enough for her to miss the smile that had spread on his lips. While Oliver certainly had his moments of vanity and he had every reason to be proud of his work and the great critics it had evoked, he was still feeling almost a little embarrassed at having her read these critics out for him.

Felicity only shook her head slightly. He loved to see the failures and what he could have done better, overlooking everything he had achieved already. Sometimes, she guessed, Oliver just had to be pushed to accept how great he was really doing. It was why she had decided to read those reviews out to him because she had just known that they would appreciate his work and celebrate it as a success.

Indeed, every article she had read for him had pointed out that this new fashion show was bringing Oliver back to his roots. They proved what Moira had stated already, that Oliver’s latest designs offered what a lot of the designs in the last two fashion shows had lacked. Nobody had been able to find the right words to name it, but it was quite clear that the heart might have been missing a little before.

Well, maybe it hadn’t been missing. It had just been at the wrong place and in a really rough spot. Luckily, that was different now.

With her hand at his cheek, she lifted his face until his gaze met hers. Her fingertips moved through his stubble, and Oliver leaned his face even more into her touch in response. Cocking her head, she smiled at him.

“The reviews are really great,” she told him, “because the fashion show had been a success. Everyone loves it.”

“I am sure that, if we just search long enough,” Oliver replied, scrunching up his nose and nodding to the newspapers on the bed, “we will find negative reviews.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “There are always some idiots that don’t realize something’s greatness. Don’t let that be the thing you take away from this.”

Oliver puckered his lips. “Are you that uncritical when it comes to your work too?”

“Are you crazy?” Felicity chuckled. “When my work isn’t perfect, people lose their ability to move their legs while driving down the highway. When your work isn’t perfect, the worst thing that happens is that you are the center of attention for the worst dressed person of the evening.”

“And here I thought you were seeing more in my work than just the production of clothes.”

Oliver winked at her and squeezed her thigh, letting her know that he was only teasing her. He knew that Felicity understood that his work was more than that. He was doing art with his fashion, giving women the possibility to express themselves through their clothes.

Smiling, Felicity watched Oliver putting some marmalade to one of the croissants and offering it to her. She took a bite of it without hesitating, definitely needing some more in her stomach before she and Oliver would come at each other again. While she was chewing the delicious pastry that tasted like it had just been flown in from France, she folded the newspaper back together and dropped it to the floor. It joined at least ten other newspapers there.

“Your mother told me that you changed a lot of the designs within the last couple of days.”

Oliver grinned. “She told you or she complained to you about it? I swear that I was driving her insane with it.”

“Maybe a little,” Felicity replied with a low chuckle, but she soon shook her head, “she said that your new designs, as frustrating as those changes that short before the fashion show have been, have been the best designs she has seen in years. She basically prophesized these critics already.”

Oliver looked at the newspapers briefly before he lifted his gaze towards her again. He shrugged his shoulders all too casually. Felicity could see at the tip of his nose that he wanted to brush this subject off without saying anything more about it, but she didn’t want him to get away this easily. She perked up her eyebrows, asking for an answer without saying a word.

Sighing, Oliver rolled himself onto his back. He stared at the ceiling, folding his hands on his stomach. Felicity wasn’t sure if he was thinking about her answer, or if he was trying to buy time, hoping she’d forget about her question and the answer she wanted.

Careful not to end up in any of the delicious food on the bed, Felicity kneeled on the mattress and crawled over to Oliver. She straddled his lap and waited until he wrapped his arms around her waist before she stretched herself out on top of him. She rested her forearms next to his face and brushed her fingers through his hair.

Their eyes locked, and she could see that Oliver was struggling to find the right words. As easily as he was carrying his heart on his sleeve sometimes, as much trouble he had with it at other times. The human soul was complicated.

“The new designs had their roots in the better inspiration,” Oliver replied eventually, shrugging his shoulders, “because their inspiration was love and happiness. During the last two fashion shows, the feeling that drove me forward most was anger. I used my emotions to design, and all I felt was anger. That just didn’t end up the way it should have. Nothing ended up the way it should have after you weren’t here anymore.”

Felicity smiled sadly and nodded her head. She knew exactly what Oliver meant because she had felt the same way. She had done her work, and she had done it perfectly. Since her work just needed a lot of brain, it had been easier to be successful because that was what she had told herself to focus on after her heart had been crushed to a point of what had felt like no return.

For Oliver, whose work was based on the heart foremost, it must have been harder. He had presented some great designs through the years. They had always been admired. They just hadn’t been as good as the designs before had been – good, but not good enough as the critics has once called it.

“I loved all of your collections,” she whispered, “because they all had that special touch only you can offer. I loved your last collection even a little bit more than I loved all the ones before. When it comes to that, I guess I will buy every single design of that one too.”

Oliver chuckled, turning them around. Once her back was pressed into the mattress, her head resting on the pillow, Oliver lowered his hips, resting them against the juncture of her legs. Felicity spread her legs a little, accommodating his hips.

“You, my dear,” Oliver whispered with a low chuckle and placed a firm kiss on her lips, “are a designer’s girlfriend now. You don’t have to buy clothes anymore.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows. “I guess I will just run around nakedly now?”

“I love it when you’re naked.” Oliver pushed a hand beneath the blanket and stroked his fingers from her knees up her leg. “It’s just not what I meant.”

“Oh, really?” Felicity cocked her head. “What did you mean then?”

“Well.” Oliver lowered his head and nuzzled her nose with his. His eyes stayed on her face the entire time. “As a designer’s girlfriend, you will wear individual items now and nothing else. Everything you will wear will be something that I designed just for you.”

The thought of wearing individual items of fashion every single day was tempting. Felicity loved fashion. As a tiny, blonde woman in a powerful position of STEM, she knew the difference a good outfit could make. When she dressed like the wallflower she had used to be, people saw her as that wallflower. When she dressed as something else though, she was taken for something else.

It wasn’t the thought about fashion that was spinning in Felicity’s head. The words Oliver had just said to her were much more important than anything else.

“A designer’s girlfriend?” she asked, cocking her head. “Is that what I am now?”

She wasn’t exactly surprised that Oliver had called her his girlfriend. After their I love yous last night and the wonderful hours of rolling around on the mattress that had followed, she knew that she wasn’t just a fling or an affair. She was important to him, just like he was important to her. They both wanted to continue where their past had left them, being together the way that they should have been those last years already.

Girlfriend. It was a big word between them. As long as they didn’t define what they were, they didn’t have to think about the consequences. All they had to do was to enjoy the moment. They could live in the here and the now which was nice because right here and right now everything between them was perfect.

As soon as they started thinking about the future, they would have to work to make this work. This dream would turn reality and reality meant that someone could get hurt.

Oliver, completely taken aback by her question it seemed, stared at her for a moment. He turned his gaze away and stared at the wall with empty eyes for another moment. Just a second later, his eyes found hers again and he was smiling softly.

“Are you a designer’s boyfriend?”

“I asked first.”

They both smiled as they had had a very similar conversation earlier this morning. Now, the roles were just a little bit reversed.

Oliver puckered his lips, watching her for a moment longer. Felicity really couldn’t be more relieved that Oliver was the one who had to answer this question. He was the one who had to take the first step of defining what they had. He had to put his heart all in before she had to do it. It was good because it made her feel safe, even if she felt a little bit sorry for him.

“Felicity Megan Smoak.”

Felicity’s eyebrows perked up even more. He sounded like he was about to propose to her which was equally amusing and scary.

“Don’t worry,” Oliver whispered, “I am not going to propose.”

He pecked her lips, and Felicity chuckled against them. Of course he knew exactly what was going on inside of her mind. He always knew.

“Felicity Megan Smoak,” Oliver repeated once more, waggling his eyebrows, “do you want to be a designer’s boyfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, of course,” Felicity whispered quietly, “nothing I’d rather do. I mean Tigerlily Hill is very hot. I’d say she’s the hottest fashion designer around.”

Oliver pursed his lips. He knew she was only teasing him, but he was so easy to tease. Even knowing that she was just teasing him couldn’t stop him from reacting to it. His hips pushed against hers, leaving no doubt what he wanted to do now.

“I am going to show you who’s the hottest designer around.”

With that, he caught her lips in a searing kiss. His tongue moved against hers, thrusting into her mouth in the same rhythm his hips thrusted against her hips. His hands roamed over her body, taking in her curves.

Soon, his lips lowered from hers to the edge of her jaw. They continued their ways down the side of her neck, kissing, licking and nibbling. Felicity felt like her body was set on fire all over again. All it took were some touches and a couple of kisses, and she was completely lost in Oliver again.

Only this time, her mind was unable to let go and enjoy what he was making her feel. Her mind was racing, thinking about all the consequences that would follow now that she had officially agreed to being his girlfriend. They couldn’t live in the moment anymore. They had to think about the future, and they had to think about it soon because her stay in Starling City was going to be over again soon.

Fact was that Oliver’s home was in Starling City. His family was living here. His friends were living here. His company was working from here. Starling City was the center of his life, and he couldn’t leave it easily.

Felicity, on the other hand, had her center of life in Hub City. Her friends were there. Her townhouse was there. Her company was there. Almost everything she needed in life was there, and she couldn’t just give it up.

There was no easy way to make this work. Neither of them could just move and doing a long-distance relationship was going to be terrible too. They hadn’t been really good at doing long-distance the first time around, and they would have only managed to make it work once more for her job in Gotham City until they had found some other solutions. Three years ago, that would have been easy because Oliver’s company hadn’t been that successful and Felicity hadn’t had a company yet. Now, it was different though.

“Fe-li-ci-ty,” Oliver whispered against her skin and brushed three more kisses against the side of her neck before he propped himself up onto his forearms and brought his face right over hers, “I can hear you thinking?”

“Really?” Felicity asked with a sigh, moving her fingers up and down his back slowly. “What am I thinking?”

“You are thinking that things always get complicated when they have a name,” Oliver said, “because it means that it’s real, and real things can hurt people. We lived in this little bubble for the last hours and that was nice because we didn’t have to face the reality of things that really aren’t that nice.”

Felicity knew she shouldn’t be surprised. Only minutes ago, she had thought that Oliver always knew what was on her mind. She just hadn’t thought that he could look into every detail of her thoughts like that. It was nice knowing that there were no words needed for them to understand each other though. It made things at least a little bit easier.

“I love you,” she told him honestly, digging the tips of her fingers into his skin slightly to keep him as close to her as possible, “and I want to be with you, but I can’t come back to Starling. I would if I could because I love this city, but my life’s in Hub City now. I can’t uproot my entire life, not even to be with you.”

“I know,” Oliver replied with a slight frown like it was absolutely unnecessary for her to say that, “you are doing important work in Hub City. I would never ask you to leave there. You are needed there.”

Felicity nodded her head slowly. Taking in a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around Oliver’s middle tightly. She wanted to hold him as long as she could.

“I guess we have to make our relationship work around her schedules,” Felicity said, shrugging her shoulders, “so maybe we can see each other at the weekends at least and-“

“Felicity,” Oliver interrupted her gently, a low chuckle falling from his lips, “I am a designer.”

He said it matter-of-factly like it was the solution to everything. Still chuckling, he leaned down and pecked her lips. When he propped himself back up onto his forearms, she was still looking at him doubtingly. Obviously, she didn’t understand him as easily as he got her every thought.

“I can work from wherever the hell I want,” Oliver explained to her, smiling softly, “whether it’s Starling or Hub City, it doesn’t matter. I mean, of course I have to show up at the company every now and then and probably more before a fashion show, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t live in Hub City for the most part. I could live there for the most time and only spend like two days a week here in Starling, or I leave the administrative headquarters here and move my atelier to Hub City completely, so I just have to travel back to Starling every now and then.”

Felicity frowned. “And you think your mother will agree to that?”

“She has to if she wants to keep me as a designer for the company.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Otherwise, I will leave OJQ and start something new.”

“You really want to blackmail your mother?”

“Drastic times call for drastic measures.” Again, Oliver just shrugged his shoulders, but he soon released a long sigh. “All I am trying to say is that we will make it work somehow. Maybe I don’t know how exactly we will make it work, at least not yet, but I will find a way. I promise you.”

Felicity nodded her head, repeating his words, “We will make it work.”

Although she tried to let the words sink in, her mind was still racing. When Oliver talked about uprooting his life, it sounded so easy. She doubted that putting his plans into action would be as easy. There were a lot of hurdles they would have to overcome. She could feel it already. Those hurdles at the start of a relationship could easily cause the entire thing to burn down in ashes before it had really started and-

Frowning, Felicity noticed that Oliver had propped himself up onto his hands to have an even better view on her. He was looking her up and down. The expression in his eyes was critical. Something about what he was seeing bothered her.

“What?” Felicity asked. “What’s wrong?”

“This shirt…”

“Your shirt?” Felicity looked down at the shirt she was wearing, Oliver’s shirt, and frowned. “What about it?”

“It’s…” Oliver pursed his lips. “How am I going to say it?”

“Directly?” Felicity suggested. “And right now?”

“This shirt really doesn’t work for you.”

Felicity rolled her eyes, but she could see the teasing sparkle in Oliver’s eyes. He had already forgotten about what they had talked about, deciding that it was time to move back to the more fun side of them being together now.

“I should take it off,” Oliver said, already pulling at the hem of it, “so I can make you something new.”

Perking up her eyebrows, Felicity lifted her arms over her head and lifted her chest off the mattress. Oliver took the shirt off quickly and threw it somewhere behind him. Slowly, he lowered himself onto her, a soft smile on his lips.

“Right after I took measurements of your body.”

“Oh, you will?”

“Oh, yes.” Oliver nodded his head and peppered some kisses to her cheeks, her forehead and her nose. “But since I have forgotten my tapeline, I guess I have to take your measurements with my tongue.”

With that, Oliver lowered his head slowly. He kissed her lips, brushing his lips against her mouth gently. The touch was feather light. When Felicity tried to deepen the kiss, he lowered his head to her jaw though. Peppering a line down the side of her neck, stroking his tongue along her skin, he took measurements of her.

Felicity hummed, enjoying the caress as it made a content feeling spread everywhere inside her. She felt like everything that had been on her mind seconds ago was forgotten and irrelevant all of a sudden. When Oliver said that they were going to find a way, then they were indeed going to find a way. She knew that Oliver wouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep.

Everything was going to be okay, no, better. Everything was going to be great, maybe even perfect.

* * *

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