Wings of Love Chapter 5
Title: Wings of Love
Fandom: Transformers AU
Author: ledishae anddeathmustangg
Pairing/Characters: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Ratchet, First Aid, Tracks
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Harpies, creatures with angelic faces and the bodies and talons of the fiercest hunting avians, had long been rivals of the gryphons, the eagle/lion beasts of legendary might. Yet, being inthe wrong place at just the right time brings three would be enemies together against a common foe.
Warnings: Mature situations, mentions of rape.
Word Count: 3778
Disclaimer: All Transformer characters belong to their respective owners, I'm just having a little fun.
Jack woke early, the morning sky still black and cold from the night. The distant eastern sky slowly heralded the coming dawn with the vague lightening of the black vault towards blue. Pensive, he glanced off towards the curtained room that held his brother. His mind drifted back to life before Tracks took Ratchet away from him, to the time when Ratchet had been strong, undaunted by anything and free.
Ratchet never spoke of what Tracks had done to him, never breathed a word of how First Aid had been sparked. Jack only knew that whatever the despicable mech had done to his brother had made Ratchet soft. As younglings Jack had always longed to reach his majority, anxious to flee Ratchet's fiery temper and their carrier's acid cold superiority. Now, with his own harem and free of both he longed for Ratchet to come back fully, prayed for the day he would hear the long absent cursing that told him everything was alright.
"You're worried," Jack flinched as soft arms embraced him from behind, a shorter helm resting lightly against the middle of his back.
"I miss him, Blue. I miss how Ratchet used to be." Jack sighed, reaching a hand up to embrace the smaller hands within the embrace of his warm fingers. "He could curse our carrier out of the skies and into new molt with the words he used. Creator and I would always bet on how long it took for carrier to be rendered speechless when Ratch'd win their arguments. I always won."
He chuckled at the memories and watched as Bluestreak circled around him, moving to stand before him to encircle his waist with deceptively slender, strong arms. "The stories you told the younglings of him yesterday, were they true then?"
"Yup," Jack smiled crookedly, handsome features creasing with disquieted amusement.
"Maybe he's been quiet because everyone walks on eggshells around him. You always talk about the fights you two had, the times your creator would physically throw you both to the winds when you got too obnoxious. Whenever he's here you tiptoe around him."
Jack sighed, nodding his silent agreement. "You're right," He looked over Blue's helm, watching the sun rise. "I just don't know what to do." They stood in silence, holding each other close as memories and fears enshrouded them in pensive silence.
"You sorry, slagging, two-legger whelped, little glitches! Get the Pits back here!" A roar resonated through the nest as giggling younglings poured out of Ratchet's nook each bolting past Jack and Bluestreak as they swiftly leapt off the high branch into the thin morning air winging into the brightening skies.
"Morning Uncle Jack! Uncle Blue!" Hot Spot waved exuberantly as he passed before launching into the air, his brothers right behind him. The cackling youngsters vanished into the skies their laughter trailing after.
"Hot Spot!" Ratchet bellowed as he stormed from the nook, frame painted in pink blotches and magenta stripes, his face smeared green into that of the old mech's face all manticores bore. Around his arms lengths of vines had been wrapped ending in springy claws tipping over his finger tips.
"Wow Ratchet, you look great." Jack cackled as he looked his brother over. He leaned back in his chair nearly falling over as he laughed.
"Quit laughing, Jack," Ratchet smiled saccharine sweetly as he slowly advanced on his brother. The painted maticore mask turning his features into a nightmarish visage. "Or I might feel offended."
Jack's optics bugged, his laughter freezing for all of a spark pulse before his laughter bellowed all the louder, sides heaving with his mirth, "Sure - thing - carrier!"
Ratchet stopped in his tracks, optics wide as realization hit that he had used their carrier's favorite expression for being angry. "Don't get cocky brat."
"I'd never think of it, little brother!" Jack wheezed with a chuckle and a wince when Ratchet thumped his helm hard. Behind the brothers Jack's mates were torn between laughing themselves sick and protecting their mech as duty dictated by standing between him and the threat of Ratchet's fist. Their frames collapsed in the doorways proved they chose the former.
"Go get my obnoxious mechlings out of the sky before they get eaten while I clean up." Ratchet ordered as he vanished from the room leaving Wheeljack and his harem the task of finding the flown younglings who were undoubtedly laughing themselves sick somewhere in the lower canopy.
Ratchet laughed in the sunlight walking behind the scampering mechlings. The morning slowly brightened as they approached their first stop. The trees sang overhead with the playful breezes, their metallic song mingling joyfully with the laughter of Hot Spot and his brothers as they played their game of tag. This was the life he had sought for so long. Aid was happy they were free from Tracks' shadow and the dark memories of Aid's conception.
"Wait up!" Ratchet called happily once his brood had vanished over the next gradual hill. He jogged after the swiftly receding young sparks. He did not fear for them here, this close to the lands of the lesser rocs. The massive bird mechs took their prey from the sea and kept the hunters at bay. This territory was safe from Hunters that took the lives of the free mechs.
Movement overhead caught his optic, a faint golden glimmer sparkled in the sun and vanished before he could focus on it. He shook his head, forcing the traitorous longing in his spark to go away. He was happy. He swallowed tightly as a deep loneliness crept into his spark. If he was honest with himself, and he was damned if he would be, he would admit he missed the gryphons.
Ratchet snorted softly under his breath. Yeah, he was lonely for a pair of mechs he got to tumble during heat. He knew two things about them, their names and they were brothers. They could be serial killers or harpy eaters for all he knew. He shuddered; they could be searching for him now seeking to get him sparked anxious for the youngling to be born just to have a tasty delicacy of infant harpy hybrid fricassee.
No, Ratchet stood straighter and pulled his shoulders back resolutely as he once more loped after the receding younglings. The gryphons would not come back and if they did he would rip them to shreds before he let them touch one feather on his young.
Ratchet waved farewell to the forester village on the common side of the forest past the burbling brook that marked the boundary between free and common lands. His first stop on his journey was finally over with, and he could only smile. First Aid, Groove, Blades and Streetwise raced back and forth along the road, each adorned with a talisman from Wheeljack.
Their journey since leaving his brother four days ago had suddenly become long days filled with adventure. Every plant and animal had to be investigated by curious younglings. Boulders suddenly needed to be climbed and a million questions filled the air. Each morning found Ratchet cursing them roundly and chasing them covered in something distasteful and each chase ended in a pile of giggling youngling put down by the dread tickle-beast Ratchet would become. Despite his many failed attempts to throttle the imps Ratchet loved every moment.
Hot Spot walked beside Ratchet, smiling at his brothers, and grateful to be left out of their play for a while. "Thank you," Ratchet looked up at Hot Spot gratefully breaking the calm mutual silence that had spread as the drab village faded behind them.
"For what, Uncle Ratch?" the youngster asked confused looking around for something his larger frame might have unconsciously shielded his uncle from.
"For demanding to come with us," He nodded towards the playing younglings before them, "Aid needed his brothers, especially you."
"Uh huh," Spot grinned mischievously, "In other words you spend too much time alone and you've forgotten how much trouble undersized mechlings can be."
Ratchet sighed with a chuckle, "You got it in one, although you're normally the instigator with your silence. Still, it's good to have you all with me."
"We know," Hot Spot smiled, jogging ahead to capture First Aid in his arms, "I've got Aid!" He cackled and ran holding his youngest brother high.
"Ratchet!" Streetwise called, "You've got to save Aid!"
Laughing, Ratchet chased after Hot Spot. Streetwise, Groove and Blades each attempting to tackle their brother's legs. The family raced and tackled, played and tickled in the early afternoon sun. Distracted by their games they ignored how the forest quieted about them; overlooked the heavy anticipation building in the wind.
The cold winds high among the clouds bit sharply into Sideswipe's nares acting as a soothing balm to his rising fury that scorched his spark. His rage paled in compared to Sunstreaker's which writhed and seethed across their twin bond like a vile wyrm etching venom into their sparks. The slowly passing days had been filled with the silent misery of seeking their mate since they had won Ratchet in flight. The agony had only increased as their bound mate remained an elusive enigma somewhere in the forests that stretched past the horizon in all directions.
:: The main road :: Sunstreaker sent intensely, his presence along their shared twin bond cold and emotionless as he forced Sideswipe to look to the faint brownish swath that marked the boundary of the harpy forest and the rolling burgundy plains of the two-leggers stretching out like an ocean into the distant horizon.
:: Look :: Sideswipe spotted a shimmer of movement along the roadway below. They banked lower, circling gradually as they finally caught sight of their beloved harpy traveling along the winding pathway bordering the lands on foot disguised as a common mech - with five younglings. The group ran and giggled like new sparks scampering along the roadway. :: How can an unmated bachelor have so many young?::
The question was asked jadedly as Sideswipe searched the grounds looking for Ratchet's real mate. Numb, they could have been cut in half or beset upon by the flying bat djinn of the distant deserts and they would not have felt a thing. So numb they could not even flinch as a pale green mech much larger than Ratchet slipped from the forest behind the harpy family. The larger figure strode confidently behind the others, long strides eating the pathway between him and Ratchet. They both swallowed tightly at seeing the sire of Ratchet's many young slowly approach. :: Let's go. ::
Sunstreaker banked from the loving scene he was sure to witness. He did not want to see Ratchet embrace his mate adoringly, refused to watch the younglings clamber over the larger mech happily. He could not bear to watch what he wanted most to be held by another.
Laughing, Ratchet chased after Hot Spot, Streetwise, Groove and Blades each attempting to tackle their brother's legs. The family raced and tackled, played and tickled in the early afternoon sun. Distracted by their games they ignored how the forest quieted about them; overlooked the heavy anticipation building in the wind.
"Save Aid!" Blades hollered, barreling towards Hot Spot's knees forcing his brother to stumble just enough for Ratchet to grab Aid safely to his chest while Groove and Streetwise pulled Hot Spot to the ground in a breathless, cackling mass.
First Aid clung happily to his carrier, giving a raspberry to Hot Spot from the safety of Ratchet's arms. Ratchet knelt by the youngling pile setting Aid down upon his peds and reached to wrestle Hot Spot into submission - until dark laughter filled the air and terrified screams sounded as Groove and Aid were lifted away. Ratchet spun, watching as a massive mech colored green raced with First Aid screaming under one arm and Groove under the other.
Watching his younglings being taken from him filled Ratchet's vision with black fury. His scream rent the air echoing as he shifted, flinging his frame into the air. His wings beat effortlessly, overtaking the vile two-legger in a sparkbeat. Enraged he saw only blackness and heard only screams. Mindless he fought the one who stole his younglings, who dared touch their small frames.
A familiar scream rent the air, pulling Sunstreaker and Sideswipe back to the road. They darted to the place they last saw the one they had thought was their mate and watched as the green mech ran away from Ratchet's family carrying two younglings in his arms. Ratchet's cry still ringing in the air heralded the harpy attacking the two-legger, ripping off the mech's head and rending him into basic components, mechblood and circuits splattering all around bathing the ground in shimmering grey. Behind the grisly scene the tallest youngling gathered the others to him as all screamed and cried out for Ratchet to stop.
The twins acted without thought, folding wings to land behind the traumatized younglings. In fluid motion they shifted from gryphon to common mech and moved to calm and restrain the mech they had fallen for. "Ratchet!" They called to the enraged harpy as they firmly folded themselves around him, uncaring of the gore that streaked their chests and stained their plating.
Slowly the vicious talons ceased their attacks and Ratchet stilled, his optics clearing and sense returning to him. He looked to his younglings, struggling from whatever restrained him and moved to hold them close. "Did he hurt you?" The words were harsh, promising death anew to the slaughtered hunter as Ratchet looked Groove and First Aid over carefully.
"You were scary." Aid whispered, hugging Ratchet tightly. "You were way scarier than grand-carrier." The last was murmured with childish fear and praise, young optics staring adoringly up at his carrier.
"Scarier than grand-carrier, huh?" Ratchet smiled and held Aid close, pulling Groove and the others close about him. "How did you stop me?" He asked of Hot Spot, frowning worriedly when the eldest youngling pointed behind Ratchet with a trembling finger and the other fell into tense and fearful silence.
Ratchet turned slowly from the clustered youngsters not wanting to see the thing that cowed Hot Spot and scared Blades. His optics landed on them finally, the mechs from the giant forest. The mechs of crimson and gold, "Oh slag," Ratchet gulped nervously transforming once more to his harpy form to mantle his wings protectively over his brood.
Chapter: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4