Spark Deep -- Chapter 5: Fairy Tales
Title: Chapter 5: Fairy Tales
Rating: K+
Continuity: AU G1
Notes: The bunny is running away with me. Help! I'm being taken by rabid bunnies! (Because I've now got bunnies for two more stories in this 'verse. o.O)
Chapter 5: Fairy Tales
Again, Bluestreak spent the night in his room. Hound had gotten him a datapad with a few stories and a couple games on it, and told him that he could visit the library sometime if he wanted to, before he left.
The night went by quickly. The games were rather simple, but entertaining, and the stories... Bluestreak laughed when he opened one of the files and saw a familiar title; a fairy tale.
Well, that explained the glint in Hound's optic as he had handed over the 'pad.
With a smile, Bluestreak settled in to read, sitting comfortably on the couch in front of the fire, pedes tucked under him, doorwings settled easily on the cushions.
He read the night away, and was surprised sometime before sunrise when there was a knock on his door. He jumped, then called out, “It's open!”
The door opened to reveal the broad-shouldered silhouettes of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.
“Good morning,” Sunstreaker said, and Bluestreak blinked. They were just standing there... and now that he thought about it, that was all they had ever done. They had never once come in...
“Um... come in?” he tried hesitantly, and could barely see the small, half-smile on Sideswipe's face.
“Thanks, Blue,” he said, and he and his brother stepped inside the room, leaving the door open behind them. “We don't have much time until sunrise, but... We wanted to ask how your night was?”
“Good. Hound got me this datapad, and...”
“Hey, that looks familiar,” Sideswipe said, stepping forward again.
Sunstreaker stepped up next to him and glanced at the datapad. “Of course it does. That was your favorite story when we were younglings...”
“The fairy tale stories?”
Bluestreak laughed. “Yeah. I thought it was funny that Hound brought me this one.”
Sideswipe nodded, smiling, then hunched over as a shudder ran through his frame. “Urgh,” he grunted as he straightened. Beside him, Sunstreaker's face was twisted into a pained grimace. “Sunrise. We've gotta.... We'll see you l- ugh... later.”
Bluestreak watched with wide optics as the Twins staggered from the room, the door closing behind them.
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
For a long time, he simply stared at the door. It was... painful? It sure looked like they had been in pain.
And they went through that every morning?
Bluestreak cycled his vents heavily, then rose from the couch, subspacing his datapad. Then he paused. What could he do?
“I can't stop it from hurting them,” he murmured to himself. “I... this is...”
One more heavy vent, and he left the room. Slowly, he walked through the manor, pedes taking him to the dusty, dark, West Wing. He paused when he realized where he was. Their hall.
Another vent. Well, he was here now, and he was going to be here for two hundred vorns... might as well get used to... the way they were.
Right?
Slowly, he walked to the door at the end of the hall and lifted his fist, ready to knock. The door swung open before he could land his knuckles to the metal.
A black helm was cocked to the side, blue optics flickering curiously. Bluestreak jerked back slightly, then looked down.
“H- Hi?” he stuttered
Sideswipe gave a little yip, fangs bared in a feral grin. Then he jerked his helm backwards slightly, backing away from the doorway. Beckoning Bluestreak into the room.
Hesitantly, arms and hands held close to his chassis, the gray mech stepped inside, glancing around nervously.
A steady EM field pressed up against his, and he turned to see Sunstreaker, optics half-closed, crouched beside him. Sideswipe's more turbulent field fluttered against his on his other side.
For a long moment, he remained tense, doorwings twitching. But the EM fields... they were so... normal. Sunstreaker's was so steady. He was temperamental, but... Bluestreak was beginning to think that was a front. He had been so... kind. A bit distant, but... not at all cruel. He reminded Bluestreak vaguely of Prowl. In a yellow, less logical sort of way.
And Sideswipe... he was more mischievous than anything. He liked to laugh. And even though the laughter sometimes came at the expense of others, he wasn't... spiteful. He was like a youngling, Bluestreak thought. Almost like he didn't know any better.
But he had been kind. They had backed off when he asked. Sideswipe had not called him “Li'l Boy Blue” again. They had treated him like an honored guest, not a contracted apprentice. By all rights, they could have stuck him in the servants' quarters and put him to work for two hundred vorns.
He offlined his optics for a long moment, twitching his doorwings, paying attention to only the fields. Sideswipe rumbled a curious growl, but Bluestreak ignored it.
For that moment, he could forget entirely that they were anything other than normal mechs.
Then he opened his optics, and once again saw the fangs, the sharp edges, the claws, the sinuous, wolf-like features.
He shuddered, plating rattling, and took another heavy intake. Sideswipe whined.
“It's... It's okay. I’m okay. Or I will be... I just... You're...”
Another whine, this one understanding and regretful. They both took a couple steps back. Their EM fields pulled away from his, and Bluestreak felt the panic rising in him again. Predators!, his processor screamed. Run! Fight! Do something!
“No, no, come closer, come back, it's- your EM fields, they're not- I need- feel...”
Sharing a confused glance,Sunstreaker hesitantly stepped closer, the field brushing up against Bluestreak's once again. The gray mech pushed his field back, winding them together, pulling that part of Sunstreaker that was still normal into him.
The panic receded.
Sideswipe stepped up as well, field winding together with the gray mech's. Sunstreaker growled lowly, helm cocked to the side.
Bluestreak closed his optics again, cycling his vents. “I... your fields feel normal,” he said in answer to their curiosity. He could hear it in the growl, feel it in their entwined fields. “When I can't feel them, my processor... it sees you and automatically starts up self-protection protocols. I... You guys look like cyberwolves. Kinda. And... Your fields... stop that?”
Sideswipe huffed something that sounded like a laugh, and Sunstreaker rolled his optics.
“I... I just thought... I’m going to be here... I should...”
The red wolf-mech huffed again, and nodded, fangs once again showing in a grin. When Bluestreak flinched, he took a half step back, enough to give him space, but not enough to bring their fields out of contact.
Bluestreak cycled his vents again and forcibly settled his armor.
“Um... I could... I could...” He scrambled for something to do. Then he remembered the datapad. “I could... read?”
Sideswipe yipped, nose jerking upward. His tail twitched, and his glossa lolled out the side of his mouth. Once again, he reminded Bluestreak of a turbopuppy. Sunstreaker rumbled at him, and Bluestreak was surprised at how similar it was to the frustrated revving of his engine when he was annoyed with his brother. He could practically hear the yellow Twin saying the familiar, ”You look like an idiot, Sides.”
The gray mech chuckled, then started walking toward the couch. The two wolf-mechs flanked him, keeping their fields in contact.
Settling comfortably on the couch was a bit of a challenge; Bluestreak flinched whenever they touched him. Eventually, the Twins curled together on the floor in a tangle of red, yellow, and black limbs, and Bluestreak sat, curled up, on the couch above them.
He pulled out the datapad and flicked it on, choosing one of the tales he had read that night. After a moment of staring at the screen, he began to read.
“Once upon a time, a young prince lived in a shining castle...”
He read through the first story, then the second, then started on a third. Halfway through the third, he found himself trailing off mid-sentence, helm and doorwings drooping, optics flickering. Sideswipe lifted his helm and gave a worried, curious whine. Bluestreak lazily flapped a hand.
“Jus' tired... up all night... I’m jus'... gonna... take a little...”
And he fell into the velvety darkness of recharge.
Rating: K+
Continuity: AU G1
Notes: The bunny is running away with me. Help! I'm being taken by rabid bunnies! (Because I've now got bunnies for two more stories in this 'verse. o.O)
Chapter 5: Fairy Tales
Again, Bluestreak spent the night in his room. Hound had gotten him a datapad with a few stories and a couple games on it, and told him that he could visit the library sometime if he wanted to, before he left.
The night went by quickly. The games were rather simple, but entertaining, and the stories... Bluestreak laughed when he opened one of the files and saw a familiar title; a fairy tale.
Well, that explained the glint in Hound's optic as he had handed over the 'pad.
With a smile, Bluestreak settled in to read, sitting comfortably on the couch in front of the fire, pedes tucked under him, doorwings settled easily on the cushions.
He read the night away, and was surprised sometime before sunrise when there was a knock on his door. He jumped, then called out, “It's open!”
The door opened to reveal the broad-shouldered silhouettes of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.
“Good morning,” Sunstreaker said, and Bluestreak blinked. They were just standing there... and now that he thought about it, that was all they had ever done. They had never once come in...
“Um... come in?” he tried hesitantly, and could barely see the small, half-smile on Sideswipe's face.
“Thanks, Blue,” he said, and he and his brother stepped inside the room, leaving the door open behind them. “We don't have much time until sunrise, but... We wanted to ask how your night was?”
“Good. Hound got me this datapad, and...”
“Hey, that looks familiar,” Sideswipe said, stepping forward again.
Sunstreaker stepped up next to him and glanced at the datapad. “Of course it does. That was your favorite story when we were younglings...”
“The fairy tale stories?”
Bluestreak laughed. “Yeah. I thought it was funny that Hound brought me this one.”
Sideswipe nodded, smiling, then hunched over as a shudder ran through his frame. “Urgh,” he grunted as he straightened. Beside him, Sunstreaker's face was twisted into a pained grimace. “Sunrise. We've gotta.... We'll see you l- ugh... later.”
Bluestreak watched with wide optics as the Twins staggered from the room, the door closing behind them.
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
For a long time, he simply stared at the door. It was... painful? It sure looked like they had been in pain.
And they went through that every morning?
Bluestreak cycled his vents heavily, then rose from the couch, subspacing his datapad. Then he paused. What could he do?
“I can't stop it from hurting them,” he murmured to himself. “I... this is...”
One more heavy vent, and he left the room. Slowly, he walked through the manor, pedes taking him to the dusty, dark, West Wing. He paused when he realized where he was. Their hall.
Another vent. Well, he was here now, and he was going to be here for two hundred vorns... might as well get used to... the way they were.
Right?
Slowly, he walked to the door at the end of the hall and lifted his fist, ready to knock. The door swung open before he could land his knuckles to the metal.
A black helm was cocked to the side, blue optics flickering curiously. Bluestreak jerked back slightly, then looked down.
“H- Hi?” he stuttered
Sideswipe gave a little yip, fangs bared in a feral grin. Then he jerked his helm backwards slightly, backing away from the doorway. Beckoning Bluestreak into the room.
Hesitantly, arms and hands held close to his chassis, the gray mech stepped inside, glancing around nervously.
A steady EM field pressed up against his, and he turned to see Sunstreaker, optics half-closed, crouched beside him. Sideswipe's more turbulent field fluttered against his on his other side.
For a long moment, he remained tense, doorwings twitching. But the EM fields... they were so... normal. Sunstreaker's was so steady. He was temperamental, but... Bluestreak was beginning to think that was a front. He had been so... kind. A bit distant, but... not at all cruel. He reminded Bluestreak vaguely of Prowl. In a yellow, less logical sort of way.
And Sideswipe... he was more mischievous than anything. He liked to laugh. And even though the laughter sometimes came at the expense of others, he wasn't... spiteful. He was like a youngling, Bluestreak thought. Almost like he didn't know any better.
But he had been kind. They had backed off when he asked. Sideswipe had not called him “Li'l Boy Blue” again. They had treated him like an honored guest, not a contracted apprentice. By all rights, they could have stuck him in the servants' quarters and put him to work for two hundred vorns.
He offlined his optics for a long moment, twitching his doorwings, paying attention to only the fields. Sideswipe rumbled a curious growl, but Bluestreak ignored it.
For that moment, he could forget entirely that they were anything other than normal mechs.
Then he opened his optics, and once again saw the fangs, the sharp edges, the claws, the sinuous, wolf-like features.
He shuddered, plating rattling, and took another heavy intake. Sideswipe whined.
“It's... It's okay. I’m okay. Or I will be... I just... You're...”
Another whine, this one understanding and regretful. They both took a couple steps back. Their EM fields pulled away from his, and Bluestreak felt the panic rising in him again. Predators!, his processor screamed. Run! Fight! Do something!
“No, no, come closer, come back, it's- your EM fields, they're not- I need- feel...”
Sharing a confused glance,Sunstreaker hesitantly stepped closer, the field brushing up against Bluestreak's once again. The gray mech pushed his field back, winding them together, pulling that part of Sunstreaker that was still normal into him.
The panic receded.
Sideswipe stepped up as well, field winding together with the gray mech's. Sunstreaker growled lowly, helm cocked to the side.
Bluestreak closed his optics again, cycling his vents. “I... your fields feel normal,” he said in answer to their curiosity. He could hear it in the growl, feel it in their entwined fields. “When I can't feel them, my processor... it sees you and automatically starts up self-protection protocols. I... You guys look like cyberwolves. Kinda. And... Your fields... stop that?”
Sideswipe huffed something that sounded like a laugh, and Sunstreaker rolled his optics.
“I... I just thought... I’m going to be here... I should...”
The red wolf-mech huffed again, and nodded, fangs once again showing in a grin. When Bluestreak flinched, he took a half step back, enough to give him space, but not enough to bring their fields out of contact.
Bluestreak cycled his vents again and forcibly settled his armor.
“Um... I could... I could...” He scrambled for something to do. Then he remembered the datapad. “I could... read?”
Sideswipe yipped, nose jerking upward. His tail twitched, and his glossa lolled out the side of his mouth. Once again, he reminded Bluestreak of a turbopuppy. Sunstreaker rumbled at him, and Bluestreak was surprised at how similar it was to the frustrated revving of his engine when he was annoyed with his brother. He could practically hear the yellow Twin saying the familiar, ”You look like an idiot, Sides.”
The gray mech chuckled, then started walking toward the couch. The two wolf-mechs flanked him, keeping their fields in contact.
Settling comfortably on the couch was a bit of a challenge; Bluestreak flinched whenever they touched him. Eventually, the Twins curled together on the floor in a tangle of red, yellow, and black limbs, and Bluestreak sat, curled up, on the couch above them.
He pulled out the datapad and flicked it on, choosing one of the tales he had read that night. After a moment of staring at the screen, he began to read.
“Once upon a time, a young prince lived in a shining castle...”
He read through the first story, then the second, then started on a third. Halfway through the third, he found himself trailing off mid-sentence, helm and doorwings drooping, optics flickering. Sideswipe lifted his helm and gave a worried, curious whine. Bluestreak lazily flapped a hand.
“Jus' tired... up all night... I’m jus'... gonna... take a little...”
And he fell into the velvety darkness of recharge.