Chapter Text
Staracream and Thundercracker were both lying on their berth, Thundercracker reading a datapad. At the same time, Starscream stared at the ceiling absentmindedly—Until they saw a flash of purple light and looked up to see Skywarp now standing in the middle of their quarters with a sparkling held out in front of him like some stray kitten.
“Look what I found!” Skywarp said excitedly, adjusting his hold on the squirming sparkling.
Thundercracker blinked, dropping the datapad he was holding.
“…’Warp?” Thundercracker muttered.
“Yeah?” Skywarp grinned.
“What are you doing?!” Staracream stood up, wings flaring in anger.
“Well, currently I’m standing—“
“No! What are you doing with that! A sparkling? A grounder no less?!” Starscream sneered.
“What do you mean? She's got wings!”
“Those are doors, you idiot!”
The tiny sparkling whined at the loud voices, squirming in Skywarp’s servos that still held her aloft.
“Stop holding her like that…” Thundercracker sighed, pinching the bridge of his olfactory.
“How did you even find this thing?” Starscream walked over and reached for the sparkling, but Thundercracker took her before he could.
“Hey!” Skywarp whined.
“You’re holding her wrong,” Thundercracker said while rolling his optics. He adjusted his hold on her, cradling her against his chest with one arm supporting under her and the other resting on her back.
“Put that filthy grounder back where you found it!” Starscream interjected.
“I’m not putting her back in the forest!” Skywarp picked her back up and held her out to Starscream, earning an irritated groan from Thundercracker. “Look at how squishy and pathetic she is! She’ll die!”
The sparkling in question babbled, pedes kicking as she reached for the ground with a grabby motion.
“You found her in the forest, who puts a sparkling there?!”
“You, apparently,” Skywarp grumbled.
“I would not!”
“Would you two settle down?!” Thundercracker exasperated. “You’re upsetting her! Do you want someone knowing she’s here?!”
“Oh, please. Soundwave probably already knows. And if Soundwave knows, Megatron probably does!” Skywarp huffed, poking one of the sparkling’s doors and causing it to twitch.
Thundercracker and Staracream froze, their optics widening with fear as they looked to each other.
“…Or- Or you know- Maybe not?” Skywarp smiled nervously, his wings drooping. “Yeah…?”
“Idiot…” Starscream sighed, hiding his face in his servos.
“If we haven’t gotten a comm, it’s fine. For now.” Thundercracker tried to reassure.
Starscream inhaled deeply, lifting his helm from his servos, “Can you at least clean it? It’s filthy.”
“Don’t call her and ‘it’…” Thundercracker mumbled. He could feel a headache forming between his optics.
“Uhm…” Skywarp looked down at the dirt-covered sparkling who looked back as he furrowed his brow.
“You have no idea how?” Thundercracker said dryly.
“Yes! No- no…” He mumbled shamefully.
“I don’t think I’d trust you to put her in a bath anyway.”
“Then how am I supposed to clean her?!”
“Clean her like we do each other.”
“So… like, preen her?” Skywarp asked.
Thundercracker shrugged. “Why not?”
Skywarp sat down on the large berth with a soft thump and set the sparkling in his lap. His servos hovered over her tiny frame, unsure where to start.
Both other seekers stared at him expectantly.
“I don’t know how to start!” Skywarp snapped.
“Just start on her wings!” Thundercracker exasperated.
“Doors.” Starscream corrected grumpily.
“What if I scratch her protoform?!”
“Oh, for Primus sake!” Starscream snatched the sparkling up and set her in his own lap, wincing when she squealed. “Shush.”
He began to pick the dirt and rocks from the seams of her plating, his ministrations careful and precise even as he tried to hold her still at the same time. Starscream picked out a leaf from the hinge of her door wing, cringing in disgust. “Grounders are so odious… she smells like earth.”
“I like the smell…” Thundercracker muttered with a frown.
“You would, freak.” Staracream sneered, brushing the rest of the dirt off the sparkling’s plating. “Now I have to wash…”
The sparkling purred when he brushed his knuckles over her doors, coaxing a brief flutter from them.
Starscream squinted his optics, wings perking, “…hmph.”
“Gimme,” Skywarp smiled, now lying on his stomach and reaching for their little guest.
“Take it.” Starscream rolled his optics, handing the sparkling over and ignoring the weird feeling that snuck into his spark for a moment.
Skywarp hummed happily, gathering her in his arms to hold her close. He nuzzled his cheek against hers, relishing in her giggle.
“You know we can’t keep her, right?” Starscream laid back against Thundercracker, the blue seeker sighing and moving his datapad up so he could keep reading.
“Yeah, we can,” Skywarp said dismissively, still smiling goofily as he cuddled the purring sparkling. “No one was watching her, so they obviously didn’t care enough if she stayed or not!”
Starscream grumbled, rubbing his temples. “Fine! But she’s getting your rations!” He pouted and crossed his arms. Thundercracker sighed, wrapping one arm around him and patting his arm affectionately.
“That’s fine,” Skywarp murmured happily.
“You don’t have wings, you can’t fly… I’m not really sure what to do with you.” Skywarp mumbled, poking the sparkling’s side and causing her to fall over in his lap. Skywarp chuckled. “Grounders are weird…”
The sparkling was trying to get back up, her little limbs flailing as she chirped and beeped in distress.
“You can’t do anything.” Skywarp teased, grabbing hold of her little servos and pulling her back up.
He glanced at Starscream and Thundercracker, making sure they were still in recharge. Once he was sure they didn’t stir from the sparkling’s fuss, he turned back to her.
“You gotta be quiet, they’re both grumpy when they wake up,” He whispered playfully, chuckling at the confused noise that left her. “You’re gonna love it here.”
The sparkling yawned widely, filling Skywarp’s spark with a warmth that made him grin and his wings flutter. He laid down next to Staracream and Thundercracker, cuddling her close and tucking her helm under his chin.
“We’ll find a name for you…” He promised quietly. “We can teach you how to fight and everything… I’m sure we can find a little blaster for you, or Star could make you one.”
“Oh, it’s still here,” Starscream grumbled when he awoke from recharge. Thundercracker was gone.
"Of course she is, why wouldn't she be?" Skywarp was still snuggling their little guest as she slept.
"I'd hoped it was a bad dream."
"She can't bother you that much!" Skywarp whined.
"She does."
Skywarp glared at and stuck his glossa out at the tri-colored seeker, holding the sparkling closer as if to shield her from his words.
“Jerk,” he grumbled.
The sparkling stirred awake at the yelling, her hiccups indicating she was going to start crying.
“Oh, no no no. Don’t do that, someone could hear you!” Skywarp panicked, cradling her against his chest while patting her back in a soothing rhythm that thankfully calmed her before her cries could start. “Phew… good morning.”
A squeal accompanied the sparkling’s yawn, her droopy optics opening one at a time.
“Weirdo.” Skywarp snorted affectionately.
Just then, Thundercracker walked in while holding three energon cubes in his arms.
“Where’s the bittie’s?” Skywarp asked.
“You need to share. We don’t get more than the amount of us,” he he stored vaguely to the two seekers in the room, including himself. He sat down on the berth, handing Starscream a cube. “Unless you wanna try explaining why you need a fourth ration without looking suspicious.”
“I could do it!” The purple seeker chirped.
“No,” Starscream shut down quickly.
“Fine…” Skywarp took his cube and offered some to the sparkling first. Eager little servos grabbed at the cube as he brought it to her lips and he chuckled. He tipped it slightly, allowing her to drink.
“You’re already smitten with that stupid little thing.” Starscream groaned.
“Don’t talk about Warp jr like that.” Skywarp huffed.
Starscream choked on his energon before slamming it on the berthside table. “WE ARE NOT CALLING HER THAT.”