TFA: Together We Stand (Season 1)

Chapter 17: Mantis's Life Story; Saboteur at Your Service ~6~

Back to the present time...........

"So.....yeah....that's how I was saved." Mantis concluded.

Prowl didn't know how to react.

So many emotions were swirling around in him like a typhoon and he hated it; this was why he hated emotions and why he was so cold. They were always a mess, always unpredictable and always rebellious, never listening to its host more often than not.

He was happy; he was relieved; he was grateful- no words could describe how.....how he was just so glad that Mantis managed to somehow defy the odds fate stacked against her and survive, and live on to this moment.

Prowl also made a mental note to thank this Drift Autobot should he ever go back to Cybertron. For once, he was willing to suck up his pride and admit that he truly owed that bot a great deal.

However, he also felt so many negative emotions in that typhoon. He was angry at the slagging Decepticons who shot his sister off a fragging cliff and nearly offlined her; he was disappointed in himself for letting her down and having to leave her to someone else who thank Primus showed up at the right moment to save her and care for her; he was upset at how fate had to deal someone so young such a bad hand; he was sad because it merely confirmed how much he's lost; he was-

"Brother?"

The voice of his sister- his online sister who was here, was still here and functioning, broke him out of his inner turmoil.

Then he rushed forward and hugged her, more on impulse and emotion than anything. He felt the need to do so, to confirm that she was physically there and not just another image his processor cooked up to mess with him.He wrapped his servos around her and pulled her into him and Primus he just hugged her, he just wanted to keep hugging her- to keep doing that simple action of affection until this whole mess that was his life was over.

"I'm sorry." He said. Then he pulled away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. "I'm.....I'm so...so...sorry." He repeated again, not knowing what else to say.

"Stop it." Mantis said.

Prowl blinked. "Stop...what?" he asked confused.

"You have that look on your faceplates." She said.

"What look?" he asked, wondering where this was going.

"You're blaming yourself." Mantis clarified. "You're beating yourself up, you're scolding yourself and you're insulting yourself- basically slagging yourself in general."

Prowl opened his mouth but of course, Mantis beat him to it. Damn it.

"Don't try to deny it." She said with a I- know- what you're- talking- about- can't- fool- me look that reminded him of Yoketron, pointing a digit at his faceplate and Sweet Solus Prime, she sounded so....mature, it was far from the childish twittering youngling's voice that would pester him for affection.

Again, he had to remind himself she had grown....a lot.

Then her features softened and she smiled. "You haven't changed at all, you even have that same done with life look on your faceplate." She said.

"I am not done with life." He defended.

"Well you don't exactly smile much either and happily greet the new day, do ya?" she shot back with a smug smirk.

Prowl glared at her but.....darn it, he could already feel his mouth twitching upwards slightly and found that he couldn't stay mad.

"Back to the point." He said, straightening and becoming more serious. "You still haven't explained how you got onto that escape pod." He pointed out.