Chapter Text
The seekerling grew quickly. After only a few cycles, vas eyes were already open. Though, va didn't seem able to see much. Vas audials were soon to follow. The little thing was curious, tempted to follow every unfamiliar noise despite barely being able to crawl.
Va spent most of vas time in Blast's cockpit, but in the few moments that Blast couldn't take vam with na—such as hunting—na would leave vam with Thundercracker and Skywarp. Na did it wordlessly. Often, Thundercracker woke to the chirping of a seekerling, the tiny thing clutching his chestplates. This morning was no different.
"Hi," he mumbled, reaching up to pet the seekerling's helm.
The little thing purred. Beside him, Skywarp stirred. Wa lifted waz helm, squinting at the seekerling. Va peeped at wan.
"Oh," Skywarp said sleepily. "Hello, you."
Blast would be back soon enough. In the meantime, it was easiest to stay in. The seekerling was still tiny, vulnerable, and uncoordinated. Thundercracker didn't trust it to be safe out in the open, especially with the distaste Dirge's trine showed for him, Skywarp, and Blast.
Pedesteps made Thundercracker freeze. They were too light to be Blast's. His first impulse was to shove the seekerling into his cockpit, but it was still full of pain patches and energeon candies. So, he pushed the seekerling at Skywarp and rose, fanning out his wings to block the entrance.
Scarlet optics stared back at him. Before him, Starscream knelt, wings high. In kas arms was a turbofox. Thundercracker may have forgotten to ask Skywarp what Starscream's actions meant before, but there was no need for that now. The meaning was clear: ka wanted to be the one doing the courting.
Thundercracker held out his arms. Carefully, Starscream laid the turbofox in them. Thundercracker glanced behind himself. Wings wide and plating flared, Skywarp stared back at him, the seekerling peeping from inside waz cockpit. Thundercracker turned back toward Starscream and dipped his helm.
"Come in," he said, backing away from the entrance.
As he laid the turbofox between him and Skywarp, Starscream entered. Kas optics landed on the seekerling. Va pawed at the glass of Skywarp's cockpit with vas arms. Starscream's olfactory ridge crinkled.
"Blast's seekerling," ka said.
"Yes," Thundercracker said. "Na leaves vam with us sometimes."
"Va has no hands," Starscream said.
Thundercracker flicked his wing. Starscream's optics followed the motion.
"Va was wanted, and that's enough," Thundercracker said.
Starscream glanced back at the seekerling. Kas wings lowered slightly. The air grew heavy, but Thundercracker couldn't put a name to the feeling.
"I suppose so," Starscream said.
After a few moments of quiet, Skywarp released the seekerling. Va crawled up to Starscream with a curious peep. Ka ignored vam as ka tore scutes from the turbofox, handing one to Skywarp and the other to Thundercracker. The seekerling crawled into kas lap, peeping insistently.
When it laid its nubs on kas cockpit, ka finally looked down at vam. Ka frowned and bopped vam gently on the nose. Va flinched back with a hiss, then launched vaz forward, biting kas finger. Starscream snickered.
"You don't even have dentae yet," ka said.
As they finished eating, something caught the corner of Thundercracker's vision. Starscream's wings twitched. He studied them closer. Was that…? It was!
Thundercracker scooped up the seekerling and handed vam back to Skywarp. Skywarp stared back at him, optics wide and confusion in the air, until wa followed Thundercracker's gaze. Then, wa scooted away, pulling the seekerling close.
Thundercracker pounced. With a startled squawk, Starscream fell backward. Ka thrashed for a moment, dentae bared. Thundercracker reached for kas wing. Ka went limp.
With practiced precision, Thundercracker picked at the seams of Starscream's wings. They twitched slightly under his claws, but were forced back into place the moment they moved. Although Thundercracker hadn't cleaned another Seeker's wings before, he had helped Prowl enough times for the motions to be familiar. Skywarp's wings were always clean—almost obsessively so—but before him were wings that probably hadn't been touched in orns.
"Your wings are filthy," Thundercracker said.
Starscream rolled kas optics. "Hard to keep up with when I'm spending every moment of my day hunting to survive."
Thundercracker dug his claws into a particularly deep seam. Starscream flinched. On impulse, Thundercracker nuzzled kan.
"That's going to change," Thundercracker said.
Starscream was his now, and he was going to take care of kan. He paused, surprise rippling through his body at the wave of possessiveness that surged in his processor. But he quickly shook it off and returned to the task at hand. Starscream stayed still as Thundercracker cleaned kan. Ka didn't even attempt to rise until Thundercracker was finished.
Before ka could leave, Thundercracker wrapped an arm around kan, pulling him to the bottom of the nest. Starscream stayed pliant, relaxing beneath Thundercracker as he purred. Skywarp laid down on the other side of them, with the seekerling wriggling vas way on top of Thundercracker.
It was the safest Thundercracker felt since he arrived. He was warm and comfortable. Slowly, the purrs of the other two Seekers lulled him into recharge.
When he woke, both of them were still asleep. The seekerling was as well. Va was stretched out on his cockpit. Absentmindedly, he noted that the glass had finally healed. He poked the seekerling's tiny nose. Va stayed asleep.
Ahead of vam, a pair of optics came into view. Carefully, Blast reached forward, taking the seekerling from Thundercracker's chest and putting vam inside nas cockpit. Nas optics landed on Starscream before drifting back toward Thundercracker. Na smiled.
"Congratulations," na said.
!!!
Thundercracker's plating was crawling. That was the only way to describe it. He fluttered his wings. A ball of energy had gathered inside of him, but he couldn't let it out no matter what he tried. He rolled over, but the change in position did nothing to help.
Skywarp stretched beside him. Wa kicked waz pedes out before swinging into a kneeling position. On the other side of him, Starscream stretched kas wings and shook kas plating.
The two always recharged with him. Starscream was distant, but that was what he expected. It didn't stop him from flying out and dragging the other Seeker back into the burrow if ka was out for too long. As long as Thundercracker had a say, ka would no longer be disappearing for cycles on end. Begrudgingly, Starscream had allowed the fussing.
It settled something in his spark. Unlike when Prowl and his Autobot friends went away, Thundercracker could go find Starscream or Skywarp and drag them back. If they didn't come back to the burrow, he could just go get them. Neither of them protested, despite it interrupting whatever they were doing. Was it another Seeker thing? He hadn't noticed any trines doing it.
Skywarp headed toward the entrance. Wa paused before it, turning back toward the other two occupants of the burrow.
"I'm hungry," wa said. "You guys wanna hunt?"
Thundercracker's fuel gauge was low. He sprung up, an affirmative at the ready, but paused. For once, he wasn't particularly eager to hunt. The ball of energy in his chest tightened into a knot of anxiety.
He fluttered his wings again, willing it and the crawling feeling to go away. Optics burned into his back. He turned, catching Starscream staring at his wings just before ka turned away.
"Uh, sure!" Thundercracker forced out. "Let's go!"
They went together, as they had for the past couple of decacycles. The forest was unusually loud. Thundercracker forced his plating to lie flat, trying not to flinch at every little sound. The knot in his chest only grew tighter.
The turbofox never saw them coming. They had it surrounded before it could even suspect it was being stalked. Everything was going well. Thundercracker fluttered his wings again and ruffled his plating. Claws brushed gently against his arm and he jumped away, a squeak escaping from his vocalizer. The touch burned.
Starscream's optics narrowed, fixed on his wings. Ka kept watching his wings. Why did ka keep watching his wings?
They carried the turbofox to the edge of the forest, but just before they could leave, Starscream paused. Ka threw an arm out. Kas wings flew upward, twitching slightly. Pedesteps reached Thundercracker's audials. He stopped himself from hissing. Not again.
"Give us the turbofox and no one will get hurt."
Thundercracker did hiss then. He whirled toward Ramjet and Dirge, spreading his wings wide. The knot of anxiety in his chest grew hot, morphing into anger. Ramjet laughed. Waz optics landed on Starscream, and wa grinned.
"Oh!" Wa said. "You picked up the little freak. You know ka is too pathetic to defend your trine, don't you?"
Starscream hissed, rattling kas wings. Thundercracker growled. Sure, Starscream was a Claw, and Claws supposedly handled inter-trine conflict, but Thundercracker didn't care. There was nothing stopping him from defending his trine, and if Starscream wanted to help, he wouldn't stop kan.
Ramjet's wings flicked. Waz optics drifted from Thundercracker to Starscream and back. Then, wa shook waz helm and snickered.
"You would be the kind to go nontraditional, wouldn't you?" Ramjet said, leaning toward Starscream. "What kind of trine needs two—"
With a screech, Starscream launched kaz at Ramjet. The other Seeker threw kan. Ka smacked into a tree. Ramjet approached Starscream's fallen form, charging waz rays. The anger in Thundercracker's frame drove him forward. He leaped onto Ramjet, dragging his claws down the other Seeker's wings. Ramjet howled.
Large, forceful claws tore him off Ramjet. Thundercracker kicked as he turned, forcing Dirge to let go. With a growl, he summoned the thing that roared. The ground rippled beneath them. Dirge staggered backward.
Thundercracker turned it off, but kept it at the ready. He didn't need to use it again. Ramjet and Dirge were already fleeing. Pride surged within Thundercracker, but the high quickly crashed. The knot returned to his chest. His plating crawled. He fluttered his wings again.
The urge to go back and hide in the burrow weighed on his processor, growing heavier by the moment. He fluttered his wings again, turning back toward Starscream and Skywarp. Starscream's plating was scuffed and dirty, but Thundercracker could fix that when they got back. Skywarp didn't have a single mark.
"We should go back," Thundercracker said.
Skywarp glanced between Thundercracker and the turbofox. Wa took a step, then paused. Starscream huffed and walked over, hoisting the turbofox into kas arms. Then, ka thrusted the turbofox into Skywarp's chest.
"If you aren't going to fight," ka hissed. "The least you could do is carry our kill."
Skywarp frowned. "Isn't that your job?"
Starscream threw kas helm back and sighed. Then, ka pushed the turbofox into Skywarp's chest again.
"Look at me!" Ka said.
Skywarp stared at kan.
"Oh," wa said, finally taking the turbofox. "But if that's the case, shouldn't Thundercracker, um…?"
"Thundercracker is not carrying the kill!" Starscream hissed.
Thundercracker didn't particularly want to carry it, but he was the largest and strongest of the three Seekers, so it made sense. He did just fine carrying the carcasses when he had to hunt on his own. Was this another trine role thing?
"Why not?" Thundercracker asked.
Starscream's wings twitched under his gaze, flicking up and down as if they were fighting not to lower. The air buzzed.
"You're—well—" Starscream ruffled and unruffled kas plating. "You shouldn't be carrying anything right now."
Thundercracker scrunched his olfactory ridge. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Starscream grimaced. Ka flexed kas claws, the tension in kas frame fading slightly.
"Let's just head back like you wanted to!" Ka said. "It doesn't matter who carries it at this point."
!!!
The moment they settled into the burrow, Skywarp dragging their meal in with them, a burning need emerged from the depths of Thundercracker's processor. The pain patches and box of energeon candies in his cockpit brushed against its walls, and his mind clocked it as wrong. He shuddered and unlatched his cockpit. He removed all of the pain patches and the energeon candies, then buried them beneath the leaves that lined the nest.
The knot of anxiety in his chest abated slightly, but the crawling sensation was still there. He crept back toward the turbofox, fluttering his wings as his plating crawled again. Starscream watched the movement. The air hummed with anticipation.
The three made quick work of their meal. Thundercracker had to stop himself partway through, having eaten much more than what should've been his share despite his fuel gauge not being full. But Starscream shoved another piece at him and he gave in. The moment they finished, he settled into the nest. Starscream and Skywarp laid on either side of him.
Thundercracker pulled them closer, but it still wasn't close enough. He growled quietly, but it came out like a whine. Starscream rolled over and reached up, gently stroking his wing. A purr rumbled from Thundercracker's engine.
Starscream leaned forward, pausing briefly. Thundercracker muffled another whine. He didn't know why, but he needed this. He needed both of them close.
"Stroke nas other wing," Starscream said.
Skywarp scrunched waz olfactory sensor, but did as wa was told. But Thundercracker's processor latched onto something else: nas. There was rarely any need to refer to him in third person while he was present, so he'd managed to escape hearing it. But there it was: nas. They thought he was a Spark.
Was he? He couldn't say he wasn't one. That was what everyone assumed. But they all seemed to understand something he didn't—even beyond all of the expectations. Being called a Spark felt wrong.
Thundercracker sank the rest of the way to the floor, burying his face in his arms. He closed his optics. Starscream and Skywarp continued to stroke and cuddle him. It soothed the anxious knot in his chest, but it didn't go away. He needed something else. They needed to be even closer to him somehow.
"What's going on?" Skywarp whispered.
Thundercracker hummed. He didn't know. But something was definitely happening to him.
"Na is experiencing Data Hunger," Starscream said. "Didn't you see how na was fluttering nas wings earlier?"
Data Hunger… right. Sunstorm said damage to the cockpit glass froze the cycle. The crack in his glass was healed now. He just didn't expect… well, he had no idea what he expected. Why was it so uncomfortable?
"Oh," Skywarp said. "Oh. Then why isn't na flying around?"
Starscream sighed. Thundercracker's optics were still closed, but he was sure Starscream was rolling kas optics.
"Na has us," Starscream said. "Na doesn't need to go find trinemates. Na just needs us to stay close. Na likely won't even want to leave the nest."
Thundercracker searched the Vosian language bank. All of the usual sets popped up—ka for Claws, na for Sparks, and wa for Wings. The only other was va for seekerlings. Thundercracker wasn't a seekerling. Were there really no other options?
"Huh," Skywarp said.
!!!
True to Starscream's words, Thundercracker didn't want to leave the nest. He protested every time Skywarp or Starscream had to leave, and had to be dragged out when his waste tank was full. It was embarrassing, but something in his processor wouldn't let him go. He needed to be in the nest, and he needed Skywarp and Starscream with him.
He was miserable. The knot of anxiety in his chest never went away, and no matter how much the other two Seekers cuddled him, his plating still crawled. He could barely recharge, which left him simultaneously tired and restless. He spent his time fixing small imperfections in the nest he typically didn't care about, having nothing to do but stare at it.
Skywarp nuzzled him. Thundercracker pushed himself into wan, shoving his helm into waz chest. Waz spark hummed in his audials.
"This sucks," he mumbled.
Skywarp shifted, bringing waz arm around Thundercracker's shoulder. "I think I know how to help."
"How?"
Skywarp let out a couple of clicks. "Well… your frame wants to link up, right? I heard that linking up makes it last less time. Tricks your body into thinking it got what it wanted. We've just gotta make sure you don't receive any spark packets."
Aside from the brief moment where Skywarp sent him the Vosian language packet and medical checks, Thundercracker hadn't actually linked up with another mech before. And even then, the kind of linking up done to sate Data Hunger was different. If he agreed to link up, he could kindle, but Skywarp seemed so confident, and he was so uncomfortable…
"Sure," Thundercracker said, rolling onto his side. He offered one of his arms and slid open its panel.
Skywarp unspooled waz cable and plugged in. The alert came through quickly, and Thundercracker accepted the connection, lowering his firewalls. He trusted Skywarp. Data came through, the stream slowly settling the knot in Thundercracker's chest.
"It already feels a lot better," he said quietly.
Skywarp smiled.
Thundercracker was presented with a set of options as Skywarp lowered waz firewalls. One of them was to run a trining protocol, which he ignored. Although the option being available meant it would probably work without Starscream, Thundercracker didn't want to do it without him present. Besides, he had no idea what the program would actually do, and hadn't asked Skywarp beforehand.
That left the other options. But before he could go through them, a notification came through—spark data request sent. As Thundercracker struggled to find the option to cancel the request, Skywarp stiffened beside him.
"Did you—"
Thundercracker cut wan off. "I wasn't trying to!"
Fear stung the air, but it quickly dissipated. Skywarp let out a couple of clicks.
"That's fine," wa said. "It's still compiling the data. Progress is only at one percent, and it's moving really slowly. I can disconnect."
"Okay," Thundercracker said. The idea of disconnecting from Skywarp suddenly seemed very unappealing. The knot retied itself at the thought. "But, uh… can you stay a little longer? You said it's moving slowly, right? So you don't need to disconnect yet."
Skywarp's lips sank into a frown. Waz wings lowered.
"Y-yeah!" Wa said, voice strained. "I guess so. Let me, uh…"
The data stream shifted. Anxiety hummed beneath Thundercracker's plating, but it didn't belong to him. Despite never having another mech in his processor before, the presence was so Skywarp that Thundercracker didn't have to guess. He followed the thread of anxiety, gently reaching for it. As he soothed its jagged edges, Skywarp relaxed against him.
"What're you doing?" Skywarp mumbled.
"I don't know," Thundercracker said. "I could feel you were scared so I followed it."
Skywarp hummed. Waz presence intensified, blanketing his mind. Wa pulled at something. It snapped. Thundercracker went strutless.
"Did I do it?" Skywarp said.
Thundercracker purred. He nuzzled Skywarp. Wa nuzzled him back. Waz presence searched his processor again. Wa poked a particular thread that sent a shudder through his frame. Immediately, Skywarp's presence retreated from the thread.
"Sorry," wa mumbled.
Skywarp searched again, pulling another thread. All of Thundercracker's anxiety and fears melted away as warm bliss flooded his mind. He purred louder. Skywarp caressed his helm. He wanted to tell Skywarp how nice it felt, but the words wouldn't come. So, he settled for pushing himself into wan.
That was how they remained—cuddling, purring, and prodding at each others' minds—until another notification came through: spark data received. Thundercracker read it again. Spark data received. Skywarp stiffened against him, the air flooding with fear. It crept into the corners of his mind, leaking through the connection.
"Scrap!" Skywarp whispered. Wa rolled over, disconnecting waz cable. Waz panel snapped shut with a click. "Scrap!"
Thundercracker just stared. The knot in his chest was gone, but the rest of him was numb. The air stung him, cold and unforgiving. Skywarp's retreat left his mind empty.
Skywarp continued to curse, waz voice raising. Wa dug waz claws into waz helm. Thundercracker crawled to the other side of the nest and curled up, panic rising inside of him. He didn't know what to do.
"Scrap what?"
Starscream's voice drew him from his fear. Skywarp went silent. Scarlet optics blazing, Starscream laid the cybereagle ka caught at the side of the nest.
"What happened?" He said.
Skywarp stammered. Waz wings shook. Thundercracker forced himself to uncurl.
"We linked up," Thundercracker said quietly.
Starscream stared. Kas claws flexed. In a swift motion, ka buried kas face in kas hands and sighed. Ka growled and shook out kas plating.
"Okay," ka said. "Do you want a newspark?"
Did he want a newspark? Thundercracker had never thought about it. He hadn't entered Data Hunger before, so it never seemed like a possibility, but now…
Starscream groaned. "Do you want a newspark right now?"
Thundercracker shook his helm. He wasn't ready. Even if he wanted a newspark—which he wasn't sure of—he was in no position to have one.
Starscream threw kas helm back and stomped kas pede. Ka motioned toward the cybereagle.
"Eat that," ka said. "I'll go talk to Sunstorm."
Ka left. Silence blanketed the burrow. Thundercracker crept forward. Anxiety made him reluctant to eat, but his fuel gauge was low. So, he forced himself to pry metal from the cybereagle. After a few bites, Skywarp joined him.
They still weren't finished when Starscream returned. Ka crouched in front of Thundercracker, holding out kas palm. In it rested chipped crystal flower petals.
"If you don't want to have a newspark," Starscream said. "Take these."
Thundercracker took the petals. He turned them in his hand. They clinked together.
"It'll prevent your spark from fragmenting," Starscream said. "No fragment, no newspark. It won't even develop."
Thundercracker took the first petal between his fingers. At least he wouldn't be killing a newspark if he took this now. He would just be preventing one from forming at all. He popped the first petal in his mouth and bit down. It was bitter, but he forced himself to swallow. He downed the others as quickly as he could.
Starscream joined the meal, taking some of kas powder before and during it. It wasn't abnormal—Starscream had taken it every time they shared a meal—but with the idea of medicine freshly on his mind, it stood out. Ka seemed to have a good amount of it, at least for the moment.
Skywarp nuzzled Thundercracker weakly, resting waz chin on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," wa whispered.
"I was the one who said to stay," Thundercracker whispered back.
At least it was over now.
!!!
"You've been in here for breems."
Prowl didn't respond. There was nothing to say. He rested a hand on the berth, the fibers of the blankets atop it brushing against his fingertips. Everything on the berth was meticulously arranged save for the corner Thundercracker exited it from, left completely untouched.
Prowl sighed. Was his… project still alive? Or had the wild Seekers killed him the moment they realized where he came from? They were savage, fickle beasts—nothing like Thundercracker at all.
His… scrap it all! His creation was a gentle giant. Prowl did his best to instill a love of nature in the Seeker. He taught him everything he knew about mechanimals and plants, of weather patterns and biomes. Thundercracker drank it up like a desiccated crystal flower. Prowl may have provided the knowledge, but it was Thundercracker himself who deserved credit for his interest and gentleness. Prowl only nurtured it.
"Prowl."
Ratchet's voice was closer. Prowl finally turned around, not withdrawing his hand from the berth. Ratchet stared back at him with a furrowed brow.
"Your lights are dim," Ratchet said. "When did you last refuel?"
Prowl rolled his shoulders in a rough approximation of a shrug. Ratchet brought a hand to his face and pinched his olfactory ridge.
"I figured," he muttered, unlatching his storage space. He pulled out a cube of energeon and held it out. "Please."
Prowl took it and popped it open. Just as he raised it to his lips, an urgent message came through his communications module. He reclosed the cube and stored it away. Before Ratchet could stop him—the old mech's face was already drawn into a scowl, his mouth opened in preparation to speak—Prowl brushed past him.
"I'm needed elsewhere," Prowl said.
Elsewhere was one of the detention rooms. Bulkhead stepped aside, opening the door for him. Prowl stepped through.
Bumblebee sat at the table. Another Autobot was across from him. The Autobot was red, white, and blue with sparse yellow accents. His plating was dull and scratched, bearing gashes in many places. A few were rusted at the edges.
"We found him at the perimeter," Bumblebee said, motioning toward the injured Autobot. "Before you ask why he hasn't received any medical attention—" Prowl shut his mouth, about to ask precisely that. "—he insisted he see you first."
Prowl stayed silent for a moment, the information slowly sinking in. Based on the state of the Autobot before him, there was a ninety percent likelihood that the mecha heading their way would not be arriving.
He already suspected as much when the party he sent to meet them returned empty handed.
"What happened?" Prowl said.
The blue Autobot's audial fins lowered.
"Seekers attacked us," he said. "They targeted our camp and supplies."
"Where were you?"
The Autobot described the route as Prowl pulled up the one sent to him. They shouldn't have been there at all. His party had searched in the complete opposite direction.
"Why were you there?" He asked. "That doesn't follow the route we were sent."
"It was the route we were sent," the Autobot said.
That didn't line up. It had to have been misread. The Magnus wouldn't have sent them two entirely different routes. Though, as Prowl calculated probabilities, he couldn't deny that the chance was non-zero. It could have been a mistake, but the Magnus rarely made mistakes.
"My crew was killed. The Seekers didn't stop until they were all dead," the Autobot said. "I have something important to tell you, but I don't know if you're going to believe me. It's about the Seekers that attacked us."
If the Seekers were trying to eradicate the Autobots, why did he survive?
"What is it?" Prowl said.
"One of the Seekers spoke to me," the Autobot said. "It let me go and told me they wouldn't stop until we all were dead."
Prowl's spark nearly froze.
"What did the Seeker look like?" He asked.
The Autobot scrunched his olfactory ridge. Prowl searched the air. It returned with the light tingle of confusion.
"It was blue," the Autobot said.
Thundercracker. He was alive!