♡ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏᴜʀᴀʟ ᴘᴀᴛᴛᴇʀɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ʙɪʀᴅꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴇᴋᴇʀꜱ ♡

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა 𝕁𝕌𝕍𝔼ℕ𝕀𝕃𝔼 ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

Although Megatron promised to help you, getting to the bottom of the mystery is the first thing on his docket. You'd rather focus on getting back than figuring out how you got here , but Megatron insists that in order to account for all future variables, it's necessary to find out how you got here in the first place so that this same situation doesn't happen again. Aggravatingly, he makes a good point.

Time with the Maltos is nothing short of great, something that you sensed the moment you met them. They're a perfect blend of Cybertronian and human culture, with healthy family dynamics and lots of open space to play. You're getting to know the rest of the Terrans, spending time with the flyers mostly, but they're all incredibly welcoming and warm to your situation.It would be easy to stay here if it weren't for the constant ache you felt in your spark. It's kept you up a few nights, whether because of the insistent pain or the fact you haven't recharged in anything but a blanket nest in the past twenty cycles. Even curling up on the floor, making a little blanket nest of your own doesn't stop the wrongness that hums through your cabling. You get a weird look when Mo comes to wake you up the next morning, but she waves it off just as easily. In this house, apparently, you don't have to explain yourself.It's been a few days now at the Maltos. Longer than you would have liked, but there's nothing you can do about it at the moment. Megatron left after taking a few scans of you, and of the area where you 'appeared'. He said he'd analyse them and get back to you, but it's been a long time since you've heard from him. You don't want to pester Dot about it too much, especially considering she's hosting you so graciously, but the nervous energy sits like an itch under your plating.Twitch and Hashtag are by far the most extroverted of the group, making you realise just how introverted you actually are. They talk a mile a minute at speeds so fast that you have to manually rewind their conversation in your processor to understand, but Thrash confessed to you privately that he's done that same thing many times. There's a part of you that fits in here, despite it all. If things had gone differently, maybe this could have been your home.The longer you stay here, the more you fall into routine again. Although this routine is a lot different from the one you had back on the ship. There's peace here, and tons of time alone. The Maltos seem to have an innate ability to sense when you need some time to yourself, and you're incredibly grateful for it. There's even been a few times when a Terran has been around during a mental health nosedive, and they've all been great listeners.Robbie takes you aside one day to a copse of apple trees, sitting down in the shade as you wonder why he's brought you there in the first place. He quietly apologises for name-calling your guardians, confesses that he's actually met one of your Seekers before, though it hadn't been in particularly positive circumstances.He tells you he briefly saw femme Skywarp on a battlefield alongside Nova Storm, fighting against Optimus and Megatron. All of your attention is enraptured; you're incredibly jealous that he was able to see her femme frame, though you feel a bit guilty when he confesses that he had almost been killed in the crossfire. It solidifies that there's a lot about the Seeker's past that you don't know. But you're heartened by the fact that there's a bunch of stuff that you know about them that nobody knows. Like how Starscream likes to fidget with his talons when he's thinking, or how Skywarp is the most reliable when it comes to empathy and seeing the whole picture. Thundercracker is by far the cuddliest Seeker you've ever met, but you think that might also be due to the fact he's making up for lost time.The talk helps you come to terms with yourself, as weird as it sounds. It allows you to look at the Malto's situation and how much it mirrors your own, as well as how it differs. It helps you recognize that your place (your place amongst your Seekers) is kind of a grey zone, and that's okay. The statement you made to the brothers during your last breakdown with them solidified that what you said was true; you were happy so long as you were all together. It doesn't matter where you choose to live after this, so long as you get to be with them.The Terrans and the Maltos feel like some extended family that you're trying to catch up with after a long time. They want to know as much about you as you do about them, and everyone seems open to swapping stories and laughing about antics. One particular evening, you're invited to family game night in the barn, which swiftly devolves into family discussion time, where you get roped in before you realise what's happening. Alex is in the middle of waxing poetic about Bumblebee when you finally clue in to all the yellow he's been wearing."Wait, you're a Bumblebee fanboy?" You know you sound shocked, a small smile on your faceplate. "Of all Cybertronians, your favourite is him ?"Alex looks mock affronted, a hand draped across his collarbone as if he were clutching a ring of pearls. "Of course him ! He played a vital part in ending the war, I'll have you know."You can't fight back your laugh in time, it bursts out of you like happy chirps. "But his wings don't even do anything. They're just for decoration!"The Malto patriarch looks unperturbed. "Well of course, his name is Bumblebee after all."Robbie chimes in from next to you, easily cutting into the conversation. "Well we know who Mom's favourite transformer is, right? That's obvious."Dot shrugs and takes a sip from her glass. "What can I say, the big guy's grown on me."Twitch and Thrash squabble from behind Robbie for a chance to speak first. "Ooh ooh! My favourite is Megatron too!" Twitch cuts in. "No fair, that's what I was gonna say." Thrash grumbles.Hashtag is busy playing with her tablet. "I'm my own favourite, obviously." Nightshade folds their arms over their long legs. "Tarantulas is by far the most interesting in my experience." That's a name you haven't heard before, and you thought you knew all the Autobots. Maybe you'll get a chance to ask later.Jawbreaker is the last to pipe up, raising a wide servo and waiting his turn patiently. "Uhh, I like Elita-1 best. She's really cool."You shoot up in your seat, servos clattering the discarded pieces of the board game on the table. "Right? I totally agree. Of the Autobots, she's totally my favourite."Mo looks at you smugly from across the table, a wry smile barely hidden behind her cup. "But you're chummy with Decepticons . Who's your favourite out of your Guardians?"You adopt a scowl that no one here would recognize, and pointedly refuse to answer. There's no choosing between the brothers, and you know exactly how to deflect the question back. "That's like asking who your favourite sibling is, Mo. Not exactly fair."She smiles smugly back at you, no harm done. "Touché."To your surprise, Nightshade leans a little more forward, signalling they would like to speak next. "What's it like? Being so close with Decepticons? For the most part, our experience has been fighting against them. I'm curious if our paths are similar."The rest of the room turns quiet, save for the human's quiet breathing and Hashtag's constant tapping on her tablet. It's not an easy question to answer, but you sense there's something more they're asking underneath their dry tone. Despite being a difficult question to answer, you know this is a safe place where you're allowed to talk about the brothers. And once you start talking, you find it hard to stop. All the thoughts and feelings you have surrounding them come spilling out."We would play this game where the brothers would throw me at each other, I think it was to get me used to flying. It was so fun. I never thought I'd have so much fun being the ball in a game of catch. Anyways, the best part was seeing the faces of absolute shock and horror on the Autobot's faceplates when they'd see me get launched in the air. I never hit the ground, one of the brothers would always catch me. Even when I fell on purpose." You let out a little laugh, feeling light. "Seeing Starscream scramble when he tried to catch me was funny too."The Maltos listen, giving you their undivided attention. "Skywarp's really sweet, he recharged with me every night. Starscream says it's because he does it as a hobby, but I think he just likes being nearby. Now that Thundercracker's back, we had to change rooms so that there's more room for all of us to recharge together." You look at Dot, who you've learned is quite the nature enthusiast. "They're actually weirdly like birds? They prefer to sleep in blanket nests and raise their wings to look bigger when they wanna look intimidating. Now that I think of it, there's actually a lot more similarities." Dot looks intrigued. "Is that so?" She hums and takes a sip into her cup. "You and I will have to go through some of my bird-watching books to see if we can find more similarities, then. You know, your colouring is actually pretty similar to a bird we see around here. I'll have to show you later."That sounds fun. You like the sound of that."They're good to you." Alex's voice is serene. "I can tell. While I find it hard to believe you think they're better than Bumblebee ," he makes a show of flipping invisible hair over his shoulder dramatically, "it's clear they mean a lot to you. In an alien kind of way."You smile at him, genuinely. "They're silly. You guys are silly too, but they're way goofier. Plus, they've been teaching me to fly like a Vosian. That is, if I ever get the chance to fly with them again. I didn't even get a chance to fly with them as a group yet. My wings kept tensing up, I don't know why."Twitch raises her servo impatiently. She uses her elbow to leverage herself higher using Thrash's helm. "Ooh! I know this one! I had trouble flying and transforming at the beginning because I didn't know where it came from. Turns out, all I needed was good vibes, and my family." She's smiling broadly, her metal cheeks stretched to the brim. "I bet that's why you couldn't fly, you were probably tense about something. We've only known you a few days, but boy oh boy, can I tell you're more anxious than even Jawbreaker here." Jawbreaker has the decency to look slightly insulted, though he doesn't speak.Twitch makes a good point; all the other times you've flown successfully it's been when you've been in a good mood. All the times you failed, it had been under duress. Plus, with Terrans being so close to what you are, it makes sense that there's some overlap in your experiences."Y'know? I think that makes sense." Twitch beams at your admission, though you're quick to follow up. "And hey, anybody would be anxious in my situation. You try being kidnapped across the galaxy." You stick out your glossa for good measure. She sticks her glossa out right back."Now now," Dot says placatingly. "Nobody's getting kidnapped again, not under my watch." She glances at you briefly, confidence shining in her eyes. "I'm more curious to hear about what Cybertron is like. You're probably the first human to ever go there. What's it like?"You fall into telling them all the details that stood out to you during your time on Cybertron. You cover the landing, the brief escapade with Barricade (you leave out the fact he, too, technically kidnapped you), and the surrounding vegetation and ruins. The Terrans are all enraptured and even Hashtag pauses her game to pay attention. The floor is yours and you can't help getting a little carried away while the evening sun dips lower on the horizon.The rest of the evening falls into a din of random conversation until the parents decide it's time for the children to go to bed. You fall into that category, and traipse your way upstairs to the room the Maltos have provided for you. It's human sized, a small spare bedroom, but it's cosy nonetheless. You've been trying to get used to not catching your wings on lamps and picture frames as you move around the house, far more accustomed to being in rooms made for much larger bodies. Steadily, you've been getting the hang of it, and luckily in here there are less things to bump and jostle.Curling up on the floor, surrounded by a thick duvet and some spare towels you 'borrowed' from a nearby linen closet, you nestle into your small nest and think of the Seekers for the umpteenth time that day. You hoped they were doing okay.________________Starscream couldn't think, as his pain echoed through his trine bond and reverberated ten times over. This somehow felt worse than when Barricade had stolen the sparkling; at least then they'd known the Seekerlet was on the same planet , now they didn't even know if they were still functional. Starscream tried to ignore the thoughts that peppered his processor, ones that whispered that the youngling might have been disintegrated through the portal rather than transported, but they licked at the edges of his thoughts like burning fire all the same.There had been no coordinates inputted into the Bridge when the portal activated. Thus they, the Seekers and the Autobots included, had no idea where the Seekerling could have gone. To make things infuriatingly, Pits-damne d worse, the Prime had made the judicial decision to focus on reviving the Allspark first before putting effort into searching for the only sparkling in existence . His argument was that they would have more resources at their disposal once Cybertron was revived, and that he would pull all his resources into searching for the youngling once their mission was complete.What utter scrap .Starscream and his brothers could hardly bring themselves to care about the revitalisation of their home planet when their Seekerling was somewhere, probably without fuel, and had been for cycles now. Who knows what kind of untold danger they were in while Prime and his Autobots were taking their sweet time with a different task. The medic was probably the only Autobot that agreed with the Seekers; a guilty look haunting his faceplate whenever they were in the same room or glanced at each other from across the hall. It was not lost on Starscream that now that the youngling wasn't here, neither he nor his brothers were bound to the ship; they could return to Vos and live there as kings as more of Primus' children flew across the galaxy to return.But what use was a crown when the jewel of Vos, the future of Vos, was missing?So the Seekers remained on the ship. If only to be a major reminder and a minor irritation at the bad choice the Prime had made; they remained to ensure the Autobots would rectify their mistake, and find the sparkling .Starscream had seen Elita-1 talking to Skywarp more than once, but his purple brother refused to let him in on the discussion. The only words he spoke were it's not important right now , and I'll tell you when it becomes relevant . Starscream never wanted to strangle his brother more.Thundercracker was in a constant fuming state. His cannon hummed whenever an Autobot came into view, and because of it, the Seekers were given more privacy than three so-called prisoners aboard the ship. Even Barricade was given more security than they were. Starscream guessed that Optimus had made the call that because the Seeker's goal was so obvious (get the Seekerlet back, at any cost) they were considered less of a threat. Another bad call from the Prime.The Seekers were desperate, and that made them dangerous.Barricade, unsurprisingly, agreed with the Seekers, something that initially made Starscream suspicious. But Thundercracker lightly reassured his brother that it's the Decepticons that were given good sense, not the Autobots. Starscream had to agree.Thus, the mission for the revitalisation of the planet continued around them. The Seekers, as well as Barricade, of course were not invited to the showing, proving once again that the Prime's bias against his former enemies was still evident to this moment.The flight deck was silent, the portal humming somewhere above them. The rest of the ship was empty of the Autobots, each one present for the moment that Cybertron would be revived. Starscream wanted to scream at them. It wasn't important. The Autobots didn't even care that they had left their ship unattended with only Decepticons present. Their priorities clearly lay elsewhere.When the moment arrived, and Cybertron was revived, Starscream and the rest of his trine were in their quarters, unable to cope with the pain that reverberated inside them. The first thing they noticed was the change in the air's frequency; the lifeless air that usually surrounded them slowly began to charge with energy. Then, small motes of light appeared outside, as if stars began to dance closer to the surface. Smells changed too, making the surroundings seem warmer, brighter.But the Seekers couldn't find it in themselves to care. The now beating spark of Cybertron would not bring back their Seekerlet, and the glimmers of light dimmed in the optics of three pained Vosian Seekers. What use were the living winds of Cybertron without tiny wings to soar through them? What use was functioning having tasted the future of their culture, only to have it ripped away from them?Despite the surge of life that came from beneath the surface, the air in the brother's quarters was dead. At least this meant the Autobots would finally focus on what should have been their primary goal, unless the Prime changed his mind. The doctor would surely fight for the retrieval of the youngling, having already shown his displeasure once his leader announced the tier of priorities. But now that Cybertron breathed again, the real work could begin.Starscream had waited patiently, almost too patiently, for the moment where he could take charge of the situation and steer the Prime's efforts into the necessary cause. Without analysing the Space Bridge, they could not find where the Seekerlet had been taken to. And without at least one engineer (Starscream hated to admit it, but it would be more preferable to work with Ratchet than that blasted, chattering Wheeljack), they could not fully unravel the mechanisms behind this mystery.Being a former scientist, Starscream theorised that the Bridge's malfunction had something to do with the experimental use of Emberstone charged liquid rather than the usual Energon fuel. The fact that such experiments had been conducted in the Seekerlet's presence at all was abhorrent; let alone one that thus far had already yielded such drastic and puzzling results. To further add to his inner fury, this was a device that had Wheeljack's servos all over it, the one engineer known for blowing things up , whether intentionally or unintentionally. For someone who considered himself a doctor, specifically a sparkling doctor, Ratchet really should have thought the situation through more carefully, and this disaster could have been avoided. Starscream could see the medic's guilty optics whenever they passed each other in the halls, barely looking up from his arm panel. It was clear the doctor was pouring himself into his work desperately, trying to avoid thinking too much about the mistakes he'd made.Starscream wouldn't forgive him, any of them. It didn't matter what reconciliations the Autobots offered, this crisis only proved that none of the Autobots were worthy of being a Guardian, let alone for one that was already claimed. The Guardianship protocol, having been both bestowed and accepted, only succeeded in fuelling his focus with every thrum of pain. The Seekerlet would be returned to them. For the Seekers would go to drastic lengths to get them back. Soon the Autobots would know just how unbearable a scorned Seeker could be.________________Megatron arrived the following morning, marking a full week with the Maltos. The Terrans are an energetic bunch, making good use of the wild space around them to play, explore, and invent new games. It's easy to fit in with them, usually tagging alone with the other flyers (unless the game in question considers two flight frames on one team unfair), reminding yourself that despite everything you've been through, you're still a kid inside. Playing games with them is incredibly fun, even if it takes a little longer to pick up arbitrary rules like the rest of them (you're also the only one that isn't a part of the collective hive-mind, which has to be a factor), but the Terrans are good at playing games fairly, evidently having practice with their human siblings. No one ever feels left out, or overwhelmed, and a lot of the time spent afterwards is spent talking about how much fun you've all had; funny moments that will become cherished memories down the road.The pain in your spark hasn't ebbed in the slightest, but it's becoming easier to ignore, like a bruise that refuses to heal. Twitch's comment ended up being entirely correct; as soon as you think happy thoughts (as cheesy as it sounds), you find it a lot easier to fly. Now that you know the root source for sure, transforming becomes a breeze.(The first time you saw Nightshade transform into a giant metal owl, you were gobsmacked. Birds had been an option this whole time?)You were playing in the nearby paddock when Megatron arrived, Twitch being the first one to notice his arrival. She screeched happily when she saw him arriving, not even waiting for him to land before she shot off into the sky, transforming into her alt-mode and flying circles around his much larger form. Feeling coy, you flew off after her, transforming as well, and caught the tail end of their conversation as you entered their open comm range. :Nice to see you too, little bird.: Megatron's accent was discernible even over comm. Twitch chittered gleefully in response. They hovered there for a moment, waiting for you to get closer.: And I suppose we have more than one little bird now.: You could feel Megatron's attention draw over to you. :You fly well. No doubt my former Seekers are proud.:You can't emote in your alt-mode, but you can feel your thrusters get a little hotter in a facsimile of a blush. They even briefly stall as you put yourself back together.Megatron lands gently, barely disturbing more than a branch with his descent. You and Twitch follow him down a touch less gracefully though, with each of your smaller sizes, barely a leaf moves out of place.Transforming with a whirr of mechanical noise, Megatron's red optics fall on you once more. Your pedes hit the grass in the same motion as your smooth transformation, and you can't help the jolt of excited expectation at his arrival. "Did you find something out? Is that why you're here? Is there a way for me to go back yet?"The hulking grey mech offers a chiding tone. "Easy easy, one thing at a time. I do have information, and I thought it'd be prudent for Dorothy to hear as well, so I don't have to repeat myself." Twitch latches herself onto one of his outstretched limbs, dangling as if from a tree branch. She's chosen the arm without the giant cannon attached. "Someone call for me?" Dot walks out of the house, a dishrag over her shoulder. She looks every bit the domestic housewife and none of the secret soldier that she is. She regards Megatron with mutual respect, despite the fact he could easily crush her with his size. Their relationship is an interesting one, and while you'd love to know more, you have more pressing matters on your mind."Glad to see you and your family are well, Dorothy. I wasn't able to properly make a visit last time due to the urgency of the matter.""Come onnn!" You're practically bouncing on the spot with anticipation. "We have time for pleasantries later, tell meee." Somewhere during your week with the Maltos, their childishness had rubbed off on you. A week ago you wouldn't have the nerve to speak with this immature tone to someone so much bigger and more threatening to you. You blame Twitch for her influence.Dot laughs gently, clearly happy to see that you've come out of your broken shell bit by bit. "You should start talking, Megs, it looks like they're about to take off like a rocket if you make them wait any longer."Megatron sighs good-naturedly, clearly used to these kinds of antics from the Terrans, all of whom are now surrounding the giant Cybertronian, awaiting the news as eagerly as you."From my speculation, I may have found the root of the mystery from the information you've given me, and some existing knowledge of my own. I had to confer with some data files back at G.H.O.S.T. headquarters to confirm my theory, but it seems to be sound." He leans down and regards you with gentle optics."It seems that due to the abrupt change in the Space Bridge's fuel source, which previously had only ever fuelled and transported beings charged by Energon, the Emberstone fuel overcharged the systems, no doubt calibrated with Energon in mind, and stumbled across the largest and closest similar energy source in the whole galaxy.""Our Emberstone fuel storage supply for the Terrans." Dot murmurs. "But that doesn't explain how the portal activated in the first place, unless the overcharged state activated the Bridge on its own."You raise a small servo, tiny talons glinting in the sunlight. "Actually, I think I have an answer to that. I was on the control panel when the fuel was being changed, and I slipped and fell on a button. I must've turned on the Space Bridge by accident." You turn to Megatron. "Then why was I sucked in? It's not like I walked through willingly; it was like a magnet pulling me in.""My theory is that due to the instability of the calibrations, the Bridge perceived you, an Emberstone created being, as an alternate energy source. When it found that you were a functional entity, not just energy, it transported you to the default coordinates."That all made sense, everything falling into place. Another accident due to Emberstone hijinks. "What about sending me back? Is that possible?"Megatron smiles gently, his odd M shaped chin crinkling. "Lucky for you, the Autobots left a functioning Space Bridge behind when they left Earth. And we have more than enough Energon here to support a portal for one as small as you." Relief surges through your body, deadening the painful throb of your spark. "Although, Cybertron is a large planet, and I am unsure where the Ark II landed."Unable to help yourself, your energy surges through your pede thrusters and rockets you into the air. This whole time after you'd been 'napped by Barricade, you paid more attention to logging coordinates in case the situation happened again. Every night, you'd go over the string of numbers that showcased the location of the Ark II all those light years away on Cybertron, thinking about the three Seekers that were no doubt looking for you there. Now, they would be put to use."I have them!" You're practically yelling, pedes burning with the force behind your thrusters. "I have the coordinates of the ship!" If they were a physical object, you'd be shoving them into his faceplate.Megatron's expression looks pleased. "Well done. In that case, we have all the information necessary to send you back. We can proceed as soon as we work out the finer logistics, but they shouldn't take long.You whoop excitedly, doing spins in the air to showcase your cheer. Wings fluttering, you're so happy , you'll be back with them soon. You can hardly contain yourself."Of course, if you are amenable, I would like to serve as your escort to ensure that Optimus stays in line. I'd like to see for myself how he's behaving."This stops your cheering only for a second, a thought pressing insistently in your processor. "Won't that take extra Energon for the Space Bridge?"Megatron laughs, low and brogue. "Not anymore than would make a difference. Space Bridges' smallest configuration is for the largest sized Cybertronian, so we'd be opening a portal my size anyway."You certainly wouldn't mind a big, scary escort when facing down the Prime again. But you're not sure how the Seekers would react seeing you with a Decepticon defector. You're hoping they'll be as happy to see you as you'll be seeing them again. "In that case, yes please." Your chirrup. "I'd be happy to have your company for the trip."He claps his big servos together, jostling Twitch from her place like she wasn't even there. "Delightful. We'll depart just as soon as we make the journey back to headquarters." He turns his gaze away from you and towards the Malto matriarch. "Dorothy, would you and yours care to accompany us to the Bridge? I am aware of your secrecy due to the safety of your family, but I figured I might as well propose the offer."Dot doesn't even get a chance to speak. Robbie and Mo speak up loudly, interrupting whatever she was going to say. "We wanna see them off! They're kinda like family now, so we should be there." Mo practically shouts."Yeah! It'll be like saying goodbye to family at the airport. Except in this case it's a trip across space, not just to the other side of the country." Robbie chimes. At their human siblings' interjections, the Terrans all speak over each other."I'll cut the internet connection so we'll be safer! I'm still connected to their system after all.""We'll be in and out. We'll see them off and then come right back. Pleaaaase?"A few more whiny voices are heard, but they parrot much of the same. Dot doesn't even have a chance to relent, her husband beating her to the punch."I don't think we're going to convince them otherwise, Dottie." Alex bumps shoulders with his wife, catching her hand. "Plus, I agree with them. There's a great place just outside of Witwicky that has the best Halo Halo I've been craving for years. We'll make it a road trip!"The children cheer, and Dot only smiles back in response. "Fine, fine. I was going to say yes anyways, no need to convince me." She turns her head back to Megatron. "In and out, right soldier?"Megatron laughs. "You have my word you'll all be safe. Before I'm through the Bridge with the little one, I will ensure that your family will have easy means of getting out of G.H.O.S.T. headquarters without issue." Dot nods back at him, it's evident they trust each other.You still can't believe it. You're going back ! Nothing's broken, nobody's hurt, and you'll see the brothers again soon. Spinning in the air cheerfully, not even the pain in your spark can keep you down."Hey!" Yells Thrash from somewhere below you. "If this is your last day on Earth, we better make it special!" He turns to the rest of his siblings. "Maltobots, and Maltosibs, you know what to do."Hashtag hollers cheerfully. "It's time to party!"________________The party is wonderful, in its thrown-together, haphazard chaos. There's loud music, a bunch of Emberstone mixed concoctions that you can digest, bright lights, and laughter. Hashtag pulled some LED lights from somewhere and strung them up outside the barn in a colourful fashion, and somehow connected them to the internet where she could manually control them to flash in tempo with the music. She danced like a maniac for hours, squealing ooh, this is my favourite song, after every song. Since she was in charge of the playlist, you got the impression she just plugged in her likes.You, Twitch, and Nightshade even got a chance to dance in unison, a little ways above the makeshift dance floor where you were less likely to step on a pede or hit someone with a swing of your wing. Flying with them is nice, though it takes a little forethought to fly in unison. All of your alt-modes are very different from each other so it takes some getting used to, but you manage, if a little awkwardly. Jawbreaker and Megatron stand off to the side, the only two not dancing. Even Dot and Alex are cutting a rug when they recognize the song playing. Both the shy Terran and the hulking Cybertronian have a drink of their choice in their servo, smiling cheerfully and clearly happy to be included in ways that make them most comfortable. Robbie, Mo, and Thrash are doing...some sort of coordinated dance, using Thrash's shield and wheels to spin in unison, though despite the fact she's laughing, Mo looks a little green in the face. At some point in the evening, Dot takes you aside quietly and pushes a book into your servos. The title reads Behavioural Patterns of Birds , and gives you a hug. "I've bookmarked the page about the bird you remind me of. Who knows, you might want to teach your Seekers a thing or two about where you came from." She shoots you a wink. "You'll always have a home here, if you ever need somewhere safe. And come visit if you get a chance, we'd love to see you and meet your Guardians." You mist up, optics welling with tears. That means so much to you. Despite their negative history with the Decepticons, you know that the brothers will be welcome here. You promise you'll make an effort to visit when you can."And remember," Dot says before she retreats back to the dance floor to reunite with her husband, "you'll always be family."She turns before the tears fall, warm and overwhelming. Only a few fall, but you can't help it. Despite the mishap that got you here in the first place, you've found lifelong friends and kindred spirits. You don't remember having a motherly figure in your life from before , but you hope she was someone like Dot. Either way, having her in your corner is one of the best gifts she could have ever given you. Clutching the physical gift, you store it in your subspace (something that Megatron taught you after you noticed him pull out a pair of honest to goodness reading glasses when Hashtag tried to show him something on her tablet. You didn't know alien robots needed glasses .) and rub the residual liquid from your optics. Considering how quick it was thrown together, this was the best going-away party you ever remember attending. The Maltos will always be your family away from home, and you'll come back to visit them for sure. Maybe Alex will send you back with some Emberstone Salabat if you're lucky, or at least his recipe book on Emberstone liquid infusions. As far as you know, he's the only one who's experimented with it.The feeling in your spark is warm and heavy, accented by a dull ache that's counting down the seconds until you're back with your Guardians. It feels like a promise.You walk out of the private alcove Dot brought you to, and are immediately ambushed by Twitch. "I can't believe you're leaving already ! It feels like you just got here!" She whines, pulling you into a midair spin. You've gotten used to her antics at this point. "I'm gonna be the smallest again when you leave. I don't know if it's possible to be penpals in space, but we should totally try." She's still cheery, always excitable. You find it hard to believe she's ever fought in an honest to goodness fight . "We'll exchange email addresses! Or comm links or whatever. Talk to whoever the internet person is on Cybertron and we'll get it set up." She holds out a pinky digit, hovering impatiently.You link it with yours without hesitating, a very human motion. "I don't think there is internet on Cybertron, but I'll look into it." Smiling back, you realise in this motion you'll miss her energy."Don't get into too much trouble when I'm gone, okay? Can't leave it up to Nightshade to fly after you when you get into trouble."She punches your shoulder playfully, laughing. " You're the one that got into trouble the moment you got here ." She tsks you lightly. "Trying to shoot Mom, I'm sure you know better by now."You roll your optics at her. "I was in crisis, Twitch. You would've reacted worse, I guarantee it."She flies off higher, her laughter trailing after her. Turning into a series of glowing orange lights in the sky, she retreats back to the dance floor and you can vaguely see her trying to convince Megatron to dance with her.They're a bunch of wackos, but they're fun. The warm feeling in your chassis swells, and you fly towards the beverages table. If this is your last chance to try flavour with Emberstone refuelling, you're going to get your fill. If you're overcharged tomorrow, it'll hardly be your fault.The party continues long into the night, and one by one, the Maltos bid their goodnights and venture to their respective alcoves for recharge. They each give you a lingering hug before they go, some wetter than others, and you decide to leave soon after. Megatron, Dot, and Alex are the only ones lingering after you decide to leave, and you commit the evening's events to memory.You've appreciated, no–loved your time here with the Maltos. They offered to put you up indefinitely as a member of the family as soon as you got here, and you'll never forget their boundless generosity. Just as they told you that you're family, they feel much of the same. Maybe not siblings, but close cousins. You'll never forget them as long as you live.As you tuck yourself into your small blanket nest for possibly the last time, you make a plan to think of ways to convince the brothers to come back here. This won't be the last you see of them.