Babe, it must be art~
Title: Cold Eyes and a Warm Smile.
Rating: PG-13 Pre-Earth.
Pairings: Implied Ironhide x Ratchet x Wheeljack.
Characters: Barricade, Ironhide, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Prowl, Inferno.
Summary: Sequel of " Cold Words and a Warm Kiss". Barricade watches his offspring growing from afar.
Notes: This is my take on a plot bunny spawned by cheysulinight. The Ironhide-Ratchet-Wheeljack 'pairing' is a nod to __wilderness__. Some readers asked for a sequel, and this is what the bunny farm handed to me. I tried my best to attempt to 'channel' the Decepticon point of view.
Thanks to nkfloofiepoof for beta reading this for me.
"Rise and shine!" Wheeljack smiled inwardly while he deactivated the recharge sequence of the tanks housed in the room that was modified into a nursery. So far, only three sparklings inhabited it: Jazz, Prowl, and a slightly older sparkling they chose to name Inferno since the sparkling survived a large fire that had engulfed the structure where he was found. Intense heat and fire weren't usually important threats for adult Cybertronians, but sparklings had no such luck. So, finding the sparkling sustaining no major injuries was a surprise.
Inferno was a little older and bulkier than the two sparklings he shared the nursery with, but the three seemed to get along fine.
"Someone's not a morning sparkling, huh?" Wheeljack chuckled when Jazz kicked his little legs in annoyance for being brought out of his peaceful recharge. The Autobot engineer set the sparkling in his arm and gathered Prowl to sit in the same arm. Inferno was too big to share his 'seat' with any of the smaller sparklings. "It seems someone's going to grow up into a really big boy!"
After accommodating the sparklings in his arms, the engineer left the nursery and headed for the medical bay where he and Ratchet would feed them. It was a routine they set for themselves and the sparklings they were raising. Sometime later through the orn, Ironhide would come and spend time with them, perhaps allowing a game or two of 'climbing the Ironhide Mountain' to allow the sparklings to bond with him as well.
At first, Prowl seemed to be waiting for someone else to show up. He had a certain pattern to wake up when he was supposed to be in recharge, apparently waiting for someone to come to him. The first times when Ratchet attended to the sparkling, Prowl reacted almost with what Wheeljack assumed to be disappointment. The next few times, when Ironhide attended to him, Prowl reacted with confusion but seemed content enough with his presence.
The Autobot engineer surmised Ironhide's primarily black scheme was closer to the look of the sparkling's creator or caretaker and was the reason Prowl accepted Ironhide better during those periods of unusual activity. Over the orns, the sparkling bonded better with all three of his caretakers and his activity patterns began to change until he no longer skipped out of recharge late in the orn.
Ratchet was meticulous about the care of the sparklings. He formulated a special concentration of energon to feed them and strict schedules for their nourishment. He even had a limited amount of goodies the sparklings could have every now and then. Wheeljack, however, wasn't above bending his lover's rules a little and every now and then would sneak a treat when he wasn't supposed to. Ratchet punished his behavior by handing him the duty of trying to put Jazz into recharge after being given more goodies than he should, a task that proved exhausting and frustrating but also hinted very well of the sparkling's abilities. Jazz was going to be one of the fastest Autobots one day, Wheeljack was sure of that.
----------------
For a couple of vorns, the war continued with a slow, steady pace. Megatron wanted uncertainty, cities fell, and a brief lapse of peace would follow until the next strike. After the war was officially declared, the Autobots took the Allspark and moved it from place to place. Sometimes, the Decepticons won the upper hand in some cities, and sometimes, their forces were defeated. He, Barricade, did his part in his Lord's machinations.
He tracked the Allspark to any city he was ordered to approach, but despite his best efforts, the Autobots always seemed to be a step ahead. Each new attack in search for the Allspark proved fruitless until he was finally appointed to Iacon when rumors were spread about the Autobots deciding to hide the Allspark away permanently and, thus, deny the possibility of new life to be created anymore.
The thoughts about the life-giving cube being hidden away brought the fate of his own offspring back to his processors. He wondered if he was even still functioning, if Beta was taking good care of him, or if his offspring had perished to the war vorns ago. And then it happened.
It wasn't something he expected. He was on an infiltration mission in Iacon to do what he was best at - infiltrate, spy, and hand over any potentially useful information back to his Lord. But he had never come this close to the Autobot Headquarters, and what he saw there surprised him in ways he wasn't sure he liked.
Barricade recognized the youngling - it was hard not to, for he was very similar in appearance to himself. The bright red chevron that rested atop a black one made him stand out along with those bright red optics in a sea of blue, playing games with those that were, in Barricade's opinion, inferior to him.
There was his creation, the same shell he put together with his own hands -- his child. He was playing games among the weak, being raised by Autobots, growing to learn their ways, their values, their prejudices towards the Decepticons, and perhaps growing to hate what he was at his core. The thought made Barricade sick.
He was no fool - he knew the chances of his sparkling growing fully into a Decepticon were near to null the moment he handed him to Beta. But he hoped he would grow with an equal amount of Autobot traits and Decepticon traits, keeping the balance that became Beta's signature point of view.
But it was evident to him Beta perished, and his child was now in the hands of the Autobots. Barricade knew among the Decepticons his child would be no more his than he was now, educated perhaps by Soundwave if he was lucky, or under Blackout if fortune wasn't on his side. He would become their sparkling to groom into whatever they saw fit if he was strong enough to survive.
Barricade couldn't help but envy Soundwave at that moment. He had something no one else among the Decepticons. His children's lives were his and his alone, they would follow Lord Megatron only if Soundwave did. Barricade had nothing, not even the power to keep his own sparkling to himself and be the one to shape him up into a great soldier.
At least under the Autobots' care, Barricade knew it was partly his will and his choice what would lead the youngling's destiny. It didn't make him any happier, but then again, nothing would.
---------------------
Despite their differences, Autobots and Decepticons shared many common rites among themselves. The branding of their offspring was one of such rites.
Decepticons usually branded their young before their first vorn of life, the Decepticon insignia would be placed somewhere in the plating of the sparkling, and upon reaching their adulthood, a string of glyphs would be embossed into their bodies.
Autobots choose to brand their offspring when the adulthood was reached, giving plenty of time for their young to identify with the Autobot views and values to accept to be branded as an Autobot of their own accord or brand themselves as Decepticons.
Decepticon sparklings didn't have that choice - except Barricade's, the same sparkling that was now a youngling standing in a line with other young Cybertronians awaiting to be branded and fully embrace the Autobot side.
Barricade watched from afar, parked in his alternate form close enough to watch the event but not enough to spark the suspicion of anyone. For the past few vorns, the Decepticon spy watched his child grow up among the Autobots, developing into a capable warrior and perhaps something else.
Barricade wasn't certain what his creation's abilities were as he could only watch him growing from afar. But whatever the case, watching him standing proudly in that line made Barricade feel a little pride himself. He could feel his youngling earned his place in that line.
The ceremony about to take place stirred feelings of pride and also of disappointment because he knew in just a few more breems, Prowl would be forever branded an Autobot.
Still, the ceremony was more than just the branding into a faction. It was the celebration of the younglings' coming of age, and in the middle of a war that had been raging for vorns, reaching this age was an accomplishment.
Barricade watched with a mixture of apprehension, nervousness, and pride, as Optimus Prime approached every youngling and carefully branded each one with the Autobot sigil with the aid of a specialized instrument Barricade was certain the Prime had to be trained to use. The instrument guided the hand to the appropriate place where the sigil should be embossed on the youngling's body. One by one, Optimus Prime branded the younglings until he came to the Prowl.
The black and white youngling with the bright red optics took a step forward and allowed the Autobot leader to run the instrument along his body, stopping at his forehead. Barricade couldn't hold back a soft hiss from his engine when the youngling's black chevron was branded with the Autobot insignia.
The procedure was painful - he knew from experience when Barricade's body was marked with the glyphs, but his youngling stood his ground and showed no signs of the pain the procedure gave him. Despite his apprehension, Barricade felt his spark swell with Pride -- even as an Autobot, his child was no weakling.
As Ratchet and Wheeljack applied a string of glyphs to each new Autobot, Barricade gave a last glance to his creation before driving away from the Autobot Headquarters.
Rating: PG-13 Pre-Earth.
Pairings: Implied Ironhide x Ratchet x Wheeljack.
Characters: Barricade, Ironhide, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Optimus Prime, Jazz, Prowl, Inferno.
Summary: Sequel of " Cold Words and a Warm Kiss". Barricade watches his offspring growing from afar.
Notes: This is my take on a plot bunny spawned by cheysulinight. The Ironhide-Ratchet-Wheeljack 'pairing' is a nod to __wilderness__. Some readers asked for a sequel, and this is what the bunny farm handed to me. I tried my best to attempt to 'channel' the Decepticon point of view.
Thanks to nkfloofiepoof for beta reading this for me.
"Rise and shine!" Wheeljack smiled inwardly while he deactivated the recharge sequence of the tanks housed in the room that was modified into a nursery. So far, only three sparklings inhabited it: Jazz, Prowl, and a slightly older sparkling they chose to name Inferno since the sparkling survived a large fire that had engulfed the structure where he was found. Intense heat and fire weren't usually important threats for adult Cybertronians, but sparklings had no such luck. So, finding the sparkling sustaining no major injuries was a surprise.
Inferno was a little older and bulkier than the two sparklings he shared the nursery with, but the three seemed to get along fine.
"Someone's not a morning sparkling, huh?" Wheeljack chuckled when Jazz kicked his little legs in annoyance for being brought out of his peaceful recharge. The Autobot engineer set the sparkling in his arm and gathered Prowl to sit in the same arm. Inferno was too big to share his 'seat' with any of the smaller sparklings. "It seems someone's going to grow up into a really big boy!"
After accommodating the sparklings in his arms, the engineer left the nursery and headed for the medical bay where he and Ratchet would feed them. It was a routine they set for themselves and the sparklings they were raising. Sometime later through the orn, Ironhide would come and spend time with them, perhaps allowing a game or two of 'climbing the Ironhide Mountain' to allow the sparklings to bond with him as well.
At first, Prowl seemed to be waiting for someone else to show up. He had a certain pattern to wake up when he was supposed to be in recharge, apparently waiting for someone to come to him. The first times when Ratchet attended to the sparkling, Prowl reacted almost with what Wheeljack assumed to be disappointment. The next few times, when Ironhide attended to him, Prowl reacted with confusion but seemed content enough with his presence.
The Autobot engineer surmised Ironhide's primarily black scheme was closer to the look of the sparkling's creator or caretaker and was the reason Prowl accepted Ironhide better during those periods of unusual activity. Over the orns, the sparkling bonded better with all three of his caretakers and his activity patterns began to change until he no longer skipped out of recharge late in the orn.
Ratchet was meticulous about the care of the sparklings. He formulated a special concentration of energon to feed them and strict schedules for their nourishment. He even had a limited amount of goodies the sparklings could have every now and then. Wheeljack, however, wasn't above bending his lover's rules a little and every now and then would sneak a treat when he wasn't supposed to. Ratchet punished his behavior by handing him the duty of trying to put Jazz into recharge after being given more goodies than he should, a task that proved exhausting and frustrating but also hinted very well of the sparkling's abilities. Jazz was going to be one of the fastest Autobots one day, Wheeljack was sure of that.
----------------
For a couple of vorns, the war continued with a slow, steady pace. Megatron wanted uncertainty, cities fell, and a brief lapse of peace would follow until the next strike. After the war was officially declared, the Autobots took the Allspark and moved it from place to place. Sometimes, the Decepticons won the upper hand in some cities, and sometimes, their forces were defeated. He, Barricade, did his part in his Lord's machinations.
He tracked the Allspark to any city he was ordered to approach, but despite his best efforts, the Autobots always seemed to be a step ahead. Each new attack in search for the Allspark proved fruitless until he was finally appointed to Iacon when rumors were spread about the Autobots deciding to hide the Allspark away permanently and, thus, deny the possibility of new life to be created anymore.
The thoughts about the life-giving cube being hidden away brought the fate of his own offspring back to his processors. He wondered if he was even still functioning, if Beta was taking good care of him, or if his offspring had perished to the war vorns ago. And then it happened.
It wasn't something he expected. He was on an infiltration mission in Iacon to do what he was best at - infiltrate, spy, and hand over any potentially useful information back to his Lord. But he had never come this close to the Autobot Headquarters, and what he saw there surprised him in ways he wasn't sure he liked.
Barricade recognized the youngling - it was hard not to, for he was very similar in appearance to himself. The bright red chevron that rested atop a black one made him stand out along with those bright red optics in a sea of blue, playing games with those that were, in Barricade's opinion, inferior to him.
There was his creation, the same shell he put together with his own hands -- his child. He was playing games among the weak, being raised by Autobots, growing to learn their ways, their values, their prejudices towards the Decepticons, and perhaps growing to hate what he was at his core. The thought made Barricade sick.
He was no fool - he knew the chances of his sparkling growing fully into a Decepticon were near to null the moment he handed him to Beta. But he hoped he would grow with an equal amount of Autobot traits and Decepticon traits, keeping the balance that became Beta's signature point of view.
But it was evident to him Beta perished, and his child was now in the hands of the Autobots. Barricade knew among the Decepticons his child would be no more his than he was now, educated perhaps by Soundwave if he was lucky, or under Blackout if fortune wasn't on his side. He would become their sparkling to groom into whatever they saw fit if he was strong enough to survive.
Barricade couldn't help but envy Soundwave at that moment. He had something no one else among the Decepticons. His children's lives were his and his alone, they would follow Lord Megatron only if Soundwave did. Barricade had nothing, not even the power to keep his own sparkling to himself and be the one to shape him up into a great soldier.
At least under the Autobots' care, Barricade knew it was partly his will and his choice what would lead the youngling's destiny. It didn't make him any happier, but then again, nothing would.
---------------------
Despite their differences, Autobots and Decepticons shared many common rites among themselves. The branding of their offspring was one of such rites.
Decepticons usually branded their young before their first vorn of life, the Decepticon insignia would be placed somewhere in the plating of the sparkling, and upon reaching their adulthood, a string of glyphs would be embossed into their bodies.
Autobots choose to brand their offspring when the adulthood was reached, giving plenty of time for their young to identify with the Autobot views and values to accept to be branded as an Autobot of their own accord or brand themselves as Decepticons.
Decepticon sparklings didn't have that choice - except Barricade's, the same sparkling that was now a youngling standing in a line with other young Cybertronians awaiting to be branded and fully embrace the Autobot side.
Barricade watched from afar, parked in his alternate form close enough to watch the event but not enough to spark the suspicion of anyone. For the past few vorns, the Decepticon spy watched his child grow up among the Autobots, developing into a capable warrior and perhaps something else.
Barricade wasn't certain what his creation's abilities were as he could only watch him growing from afar. But whatever the case, watching him standing proudly in that line made Barricade feel a little pride himself. He could feel his youngling earned his place in that line.
The ceremony about to take place stirred feelings of pride and also of disappointment because he knew in just a few more breems, Prowl would be forever branded an Autobot.
Still, the ceremony was more than just the branding into a faction. It was the celebration of the younglings' coming of age, and in the middle of a war that had been raging for vorns, reaching this age was an accomplishment.
Barricade watched with a mixture of apprehension, nervousness, and pride, as Optimus Prime approached every youngling and carefully branded each one with the Autobot sigil with the aid of a specialized instrument Barricade was certain the Prime had to be trained to use. The instrument guided the hand to the appropriate place where the sigil should be embossed on the youngling's body. One by one, Optimus Prime branded the younglings until he came to the Prowl.
The black and white youngling with the bright red optics took a step forward and allowed the Autobot leader to run the instrument along his body, stopping at his forehead. Barricade couldn't hold back a soft hiss from his engine when the youngling's black chevron was branded with the Autobot insignia.
The procedure was painful - he knew from experience when Barricade's body was marked with the glyphs, but his youngling stood his ground and showed no signs of the pain the procedure gave him. Despite his apprehension, Barricade felt his spark swell with Pride -- even as an Autobot, his child was no weakling.
As Ratchet and Wheeljack applied a string of glyphs to each new Autobot, Barricade gave a last glance to his creation before driving away from the Autobot Headquarters.