#and having my apartment flooded and ruined and then ALSO seeing that they had endangered my plants

[eowyntheavenger]

This was simultaneously a HORRIBLE day and also the best day I’ve had in MONTHS. I am experiencing so much emotional whiplash right now. Sorry but I have to vent, and this will be sort of long.

First of all, this morning I went to my apartment to see the damage from the flood. I had left on Tuesday to take care of my mom, and a pipe broke in the building on Wednesday and so obviously no one was in the apartment to notice. Literally the worst timing ever, because if I had been at home then I would have seen it and called someone right away, but instead the water just kept flowing and flowing and ended up damaging the floor. We still don’t know how bad the damage is yet because it hasn’t fully dried out. We also don’t know why a pipe broke, but it’s a very old building. They’re expecting repairs to last at least a month, during which time I obviously can’t live there.

I was expecting to see damaged furniture and the floor all messed up - the wood floor actually looked fine (although it may still crack when it dries fully and contracts) but they did have to rip up the kitchen floor because it’s some kind of vinyl and water got under it and it can’t dry out. And my furniture is fine - I saw no water damage to chair/table legs - so better than I was expecting. 

But then there was something much, much worse than I was expecting, and I am LITERALLY SO UPSET. Because the thing is, even if there had been water damage to furniture, that would have been bad, but objects can be fixed or replaced. You know what can’t be fixed or replaced? My plants.

I have four ferns of various sizes and a Juniper bonsai that is extremely important to me. I love all of my plants, but I have had the bonsai the longest - for three years. It turns thirteen years old in the fall and it is exceptionally beautiful and special and I love it like most people love their pets. If I had to lose all my belongings, the bonsai is the ONE thing I would save. 

The repair crew who came to deal with the water damage had set up heaters to help dry out the floor. The problem is... they aimed one of these giant heaters straight at my bonsai. They also took one of my ferns out of its outer pot and smashed it up against the bonsai, bending their branches and leaves and potentially harming both of them. 

Who aims a HEATER at a PLANT? WHO THINKS THAT’S OKAY? I am LITERALLY SO MAD! It’s a living creature! You can’t do that! It is so bad for the soil of the bonsai to be completely dried out, and that’s exactly what happened! I have never seen it so dry, because I’ve never let it GET that dry! If the bonsai experiences drastic changes in temperature it can become stressed and it could potentially die. If this was too stressful it could literally DIE BECAUSE OF THIS. I AM SO UPSET. I took my plants from the apartment and packed them into the car and I literally couldn’t stop crying. I can’t lose my bonsai. And there’s nothing I can do to fix this other than give it water and try to keep it in a stable environment from now on. But there’s nothing I can do to reverse the stress it’s been under.

I couldn’t come to the apartment yesterday (the first full day of repair work) and I was told by the building manager that they were being careful with my belongings... that was obviously not true. I was also told that they had brought “fans” into the apartment, not heaters, and I certainly didn’t think they’d aim one right at my tree.

And to be clear, the overall temperature in the apartment was not that high when I went in today. If the bonsai hadn’t been so close to the damn heater, and right in its path, it would have been fine! And I understand that they had to move the plants away from the window in order to open it and help the apartment dry out, but why not move the bonsai COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WAY? And WHY remove the fern from its outer pot? And why cram them next to each other and bend their branches when there is literally so much space on the table? WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS OKAY? 

I have a small asparagus fern that was on my coffee table, and someone had actually moved it onto a higher chest of drawers near the wall, presumably because it was out of the way there. So why didn’t they move my bonsai and my other plants out of the way like this too? Like...SOMEONE moved ONE of my plants to safety. And just let a heater cook the other ones. 

I took me like an hour to drive to my mom’s and I just felt more and more upset and then I had to water my plants and find a good place for them at my mom’s house, which was not easy because she has cats and now I have to protect my plants from them (I love my cats but they would destroy my plants without a second thought). Also some of my plants are toxic to cats (if eaten) which is why I never brought them to my mom’s in the first place! The solution for now is to put the plants in the guest room and keep the door closed all the time.

And then there were a few hours where I had to talk to my landlord and the building manager about what’s happening next - someone is assessing the damage on Monday so then I may have a clearer idea of how long repairs will last. And my landlord is returning this month’s rent to me, so that’s good (because I’m not able to live there so I won’t be paying rent until I return).

I also told the building manager I was not happy to find that my plants had been damaged by the repair crew and she was SO DISMISSIVE ABOUT IT. She literally interrupted me and was like, “Well, you know, other people in the building have had worse water damage than you, so...” Like okay but I’m not talking about water damage! I’m talking about the damage that people did! I’m fairly sure that a rational human being should have been able to figure out that it’s a bad idea to point a GIANT FUCKING HEATER at a SMALL TREE in a CERAMIC POT. I am literally so mad. And then the building manager was like, “Well then you should have been there to take care of your plants.” I was taking care of my mom who has a BROKEN ANKLE AND IS IN A WHEELCHAIR! And I shouldn’t have to protect my own belongings from a repair crew who enter my apartment! I shouldn’t have to tell them not to do this stuff!

And then at the end of the day I got a phone call from my LITERAL DREAM JOB and they told me that they’d like to extend me an offer and I was like DYING OF HAPPINESS as the woman on the phone rattled off all the benefits (like I needed to be convinced?) and I literally can’t believe this but IT’S EVEN BETTER THAN I COULD HAVE IMAGINED because get this: they’re offering me a more senior position than the one I applied for with a salary SIGNIFICANTLY higher than the max salary listed in the job ad! It’s like they promoted me before even hiring me!!!!! I can’t believe this!!!!!!!!! I am literally overjoyed and I can’t wait to start working there - I will start on June 21st - and this is the end of a job hunt that has lasted one full year!!!!!!!!! GOODBYE to the stress of job hunting! HELLO to financial security! HELLO to working at a job I love in THE EXACT field I want to work in (which is very hard to find jobs in). YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So yeah. Emotional whiplash. At least I ended the day on a high note.

#personal #needed to rant :( #I know this probably seems unhinged - but I really love my plants - #and having my apartment flooded and ruined and then ALSO seeing that they had endangered my plants #was the final straw

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Frivolous Miracles

Written for the @do-it-with-style-events "Who Needs a Great Plan" event; Day 2, prompt "Bastille."

(This is the first of my angstier fics; warning for mild violence and emotional abuse with the implication of more off-screen. Also, unfinished, to be completed later!)

--

The manacles hung heavily off Aziraphale’s wrists, chain ringing as it dragged across the ground.

He’d been hauled from one cell to the next all day, as the guards tried to decide what to do with the well-dressed Englishman they’d caught. He wasn’t even sure what crime he’d been accused of, but apparently it was a capital offense.

In the last hour or so, he’d been pulled from a leaking basement cell swarming with rats, to a crowded pen of people shouting in French, to a large, nearly empty cell from which he could hear the Place de la Révolution.

And there he waited, as the cell became more empty.

His fingers traced across the heavy iron holding his wrists. It wouldn’t take much. One miracle. A second, for the door. Another to slip past the guard, and one more for the exit. Maybe one or two more on the way, depending how crowded the fortress was.

How many would it take to alert Gabriel? More than one, he thought. Less than five.

Could he wait longer? Try to escape from the tumbril on the way to his own execution? Break the ropes of the guillotine before it could be lifted? Would he be able to slip away in the crowd?

Perhaps he was being foolish. Being discorporated—apart from the pain—would mean truly spectacular amounts of paperwork for him, yes, but for Heaven it meant the loss of valuable property and resources, or, if they wished to recover the body, an extravagant use of personnel who could likely spend their time doing something far more meaningful. So, surely, they would want Aziraphale to spend a few miracles to keep the body safe, and save everyone a great deal of time and hassle.

Normally, he would have.

But last month…

He wasn’t sure which miracles had put him on notice, precisely. He’d had a busy few decades. Floods in the far north, and earthquake off in the west, a return of the black plague down in Egypt. Wounds impossibly healed, endangered property miraculously recovered, desperately needed supplies arriving just in time.

And that was only the jobs themselves. He needed to ensure he got places on time; certainly the roads and waterways were safer than a century ago, but a few miracles took care of any difficulties. He needed clothes, to fit into local customs. He needed to speak the language. And, something he had found impossible to explain to his superiors, after a difficult task, he needed to take care of himself.

One day, he’d been sitting in his set of rooms, shuffling through a more mundane sort of paperwork. Aziraphale was going to buy property, a shop, in London. He’d looked at a dozen possible locations, from fashionable Mayfair to quaint little villages along the main roads into the countryside. None of them had been right, but he continued to look. He would findit.

His concentration was interrupted when the door burst open.

And his day was ruined when he saw who stood there.

The note, written on the crisp, clean paper of Heaven, a little too smooth, a little too perfect to actually exist, every swoop of dark ink perfectly catching just a hint of the light, as if it were still wet. The letterhead shone in embossed gold, and the whole thing smelt faintly of incense.

It began “It has come to the attention of myself, the Archangels, and the highest Choirs of the Angels of the Lord, that Aziraphale, Principality, Angel of the East, has utterly failed to represent the best interests of Heaven, or indeed of those he has sworn to protect.”

It ended “It is our hope that the Principality will take immediate steps to ameliorate the situation, or we will have no choice but to take drastic measures.”

In between, a detailed explanation of his failures, his every action deemed unsatisfactory, his every miracle a waste of resources. Each line dissected his decisions, cast aspersions on his ability to fulfill even the most basic requirements of his position. Every word dripped with the disappointment that all of Heaven felt.

Even Gabriel’s signature seemed to glare off the page at him.

And then, to make sure the message was received, he’d sent three Archangels to deliver it.

First, Michael read the list of every assignment for the past five hundred years. For every one that didn’t measure up to expectations, she cut a mark in his back with a small holy blade as a reminder.

Next, Uriel presented a full accounting of the resources Aziraphale had misappropriated, embezzled for his own pleasure and amusement. Each wasted miracle was repaid with a pinch of Aziraphale’s own Grace, collected and weighed to ensure Heaven was fully reimbursed.

Then, Sandalphon. The first two angels departed, so that he could give Aziraphale a taste of the drastic measures Gabriel had invoked.

Forbidden from using any miracles on himself, it had taken most of the next month to heal. Even now, his eyes still ached in too-bright sunlight.

Testing the manacles about his wrists again, Aziraphale tried to consider his options. So long as he performed no more than three miracles today, he could probably escape without anyone noticing.

As he ran through possible strategies in his head, he became aware of a soft noise somewhere behind him, whimpering, sobbing.

Twisting on his bench, he saw one of the remaining prisoners, seated a little closer to the window. A young woman, no more than thirty, wearing the remains of what had clearly once been a fine dress, curled in a ball, crying softly.

It took even more effort for Aziraphale to shift his body enough to face her, manacles still pulling his hands awkwardly behind him. As he struggled, she looked up, tears pausing for a moment, brows furrowed in confusion as she watched.

“Hello, then,” he said, as brightly as he could. “I know things look bad at the moment, but…but it’s still a lovely day, with every chance of things improving. Why, just think, we could…”

“Monsieur,” she said, face crumbling, followed by a stream of French too quick for him to follow, apart from the accusatory tone. Then she lowered her face again, sobbing harder than ever.

“Ah…” Aziraphale had miracled away his knowledge of French twenty years ago, so that he could experience learning a language the human way. His understanding was that getting frustrated, giving up, and forgetting you’d ever planned to learn it in the first place was an essential part of the process.

The woman snapped something else angrily at him.

“Bonjour…madame…il fait…nice weather?”

Another stream of sobbing, angry French. Somewhere in the line, he caught the word “morte.”

“Oh, I know that word! Morte. Death. Oh, yes, I see. Well. Well. I’m sure it will…”

He glanced out the window again. The cell was almost within sight of the Place de la Révolution. He could hear the cheering of the crowd, vicious and angry; hear the occasional scream from a prisoner being pulled up the final steps and across the platform, to their place of execution.

#good omens fanfiction #good omens prime #aziraphale #bastille #bad angels #angst #was going to be hurt comfort #but it ends before crowley shows up #oops #ngl bastille day was a weird day for me #do it with style events #who needs a great plan? #my writing #my wips

[storytimejustice]

October 6th: Tree

The new and first president of Elkmire Cain Roth had just landed on the small island that used to be named the Kingdom of Stars. It's the last place where native Primwallians have homes and he hopes to tear that apart. But little does he know there's a lily pad stuck to the bottom of his ship with two girls inside that refused to allow that to happen.

"President Cain Roth gaining more land for Elkmire to prosper" "President Roth rehoming natives and merging them with civilization" "The new president is doing something the heroes refused to do in procuring this land and helping the natives" different medias read flooding the screens and pages across Elkmire.

"You're absolutely crazy." Florina said towards Totsi as she threw her bow over her shoulder and grabbed a singular arrow, tossing her hair braided with a pegasus feather over her right shoulder. Florina grabbed her sunflower bracelet and the rose that she intertwined in her hair and finally grabbed a small beige pouch that seemed to be filled with sand. 

"Then why are you coming with?" The older girl asked as she walked through the portal on the roof of Starlight mansion and winding up in the Celestial castle.

"Because you'll need backup and I care about your family's history not being lost to time. I know I'm just a descendant of an Earthling but I don't follow Roth's mindset. You know no one in Chimera Blade does." Florina explained as the two walked up to a map on the wall.

Totsi pressed the arrow against the wall and watched it disappear but left her hand there and Florina took a pinch from the beige pouch and blew it toward the map while Totsi spoke out "Cain Roth". The two girls saw swirling colors around them and then when they reappeared they were on top of the main mast, Florina lashing out vines to grab Totsi and keep them locked onto the mast. "Sometimes I hate that map." Florina whined as the two looked around seeing that Roth had already begun traveling towards the Kingdom of Stars. Overnight while the ship carried itself over the waves towards its destination Totsi and Florina had moved into the lily pad under the ship. 

As the sun rose to begin a new day Roth and his crew walked off the boat and onto the beach and they began placing small figures on the soil ahead. "Grandir" Roth spoke and the figures grew to become large machines with blades to chop down trees and some bulldozers. Florina had controlled the lily pad making it grow larger and cover the duo and move over to the beach. Putting her fingers to her lips the lily pad shrunk and flew into a small hidden pouch on her dress and as they were about to go around the other side of the beach Florina ran over to the ship and shoved a small seed into hole in the wood before following Totsi.

Totsi faced the rubble before her that used to be the kingdom of stars before Nova had totaled the island by finding and taking the Phoenix pendant. Although if the Earthlings hadn't built over the ruins they wouldn't have had to worry about the world falling apart around them. Pulling her bow off her shoulder Totsi pulled the string back and Florina put a seed pinched into the string. As an arrow of light appeared the seed coiled around it and as it was fired into the rubble vines lashed out lifting different portions and creating a tunnel through it and a secret shortcut to Totsi's family.

Sadly they were too late though. As they arrived Roth was already in front of the small village and trees were being chopped away and rows of white sage that grew on a nearby hill was being harvested while Totsi's family stood still and scared between Roth and their village. Their last piece of history. 

"You get your family to safety." Florina mumbled to Totsi and blades of grass flew up around Florina and she was gone but Totsi heard a loud rumble and looked over as the harvester that was stealing the white sage was being crumbled by vines and Totsi nocked an arrow.

"I recommend staying away Mrs. Osyka." Roth stated and the earth moved below her but she moved nimbly evading a large stone that protruded through the earth. "You know I can split this land in half and send them straight into Bile's domain. I recommend just allowing me to work. And I'm guessing from the harvester that Florina is with you but I brought someone to deal with her." Roth informed but barely dodged an arrow of light.

"If you split open this land you don't have the power to keep the water from the ocean pouring in and you don't have the power to put it back together to build upon it." Totsi hummed catching his bluff and dodging another unearthed chunk of rock. "You're weak to take from my family. The Earthlings that did before are weak too. They think that power lies in strength but really power lies within hidden weaknesses and strength lies in the ability to know when you're outmatched." Totsi hummed and spun her bow and fired another arrow, her eyes darting everywhere across Roth's body. He dodged the arrow but didn't see the air bullets coming and got hit with each one sending him flying backwards and causing bruises to quickly form. "They don't break the skin but they can break bones. You have many weaknesses from your sense of you being royalty because of your position to your posture as you use your spells. You leave yourself very very open." Totsi hummed and when she looked over, flower bulbs surrounded each of the remaining natives and they burrowed into the ground. 

"Well now that I kept you busy with my monologuing" Totsi hummed and a gust of air planted Roth against the ground giving Totsi time to look around and see that all the machines were crumbled and coiled up with vines. Cain was getting angry and Totsi could tell as his attacks seemed to be getting faster and more random but all of the members of Chimera Blade had trained for fights against him knowing it'll come down to him or the heroes in the end. With one more gust of air Roth flew backwards and Florina appeared behind him with her sunflower shield catching him and forcing him towards the ground before vines entangled him and began creating a slingshot. As the slingshot released Totsi gave it an extra blast of air and they watched as Cain was shot into the distance and made a large splash about 500 feet into the ocean.

"Hey I have something I need to take care of real quick. Make sure your family is okay. Also look out for a flamehead he's the only one I wasn't able to take down from Roth's crew." Florina hummed and Totsi watched as the bulbs that had submerged underground reappeared above ground and unfurled showing Totsi's family. As soon as they all seemed to get their surroundings and take in what had happened Totsi had them all in a group hug having not seen them in years.

Florina had made her way back to the ship dropping pinches from the pouch she had with her along with dropping small nuts and seeds as she walked until she made her way back to the ship. Sensing the small seed she planted within the ship and the seeds and nuts she dropped on the way and the trees that had been chopped down Florina got into a meditative state and focused pouring all of her magic out. A tree grew through the full length of the ship and embedded its roots into the salt water and sand below and small plants and regular sized bushes and huge trees began erupting across the land including surging through all of the crumbled machines and surrounding the small village of natives.

Everything seemed fine until she heard a chuckle and heat. Florina's eyes snapped open as the last of her magical energy coursed out of her and turned around to see one of the Flame Runners from the beginning of Roth's campaign. Florina stood up wavering a bit from how much energy she just poured out but she still had her sunflower shield grown and she was ready to fight. As fire surged towards her though it was cut short by a gust of air and Florina watched as the ocean around her began picking up until a wave came in and right hooked the Flame Runner into a tree and for just a second Florina thought that she saw a face in the tree she had grown through the ship. 

It was a week after Florina and Totsi had stopped Roth's attack on the remaining native land and it was still the talk of the media speaking ill words of the natives and of the heroes leading to members of Chimera Blade taking turns watching over the natives and the island to make sure no one would attack.

Totsi and Florina had gone back together once to regrow the white sage and Totsi used a bundle of it to cleanse the toxic land.

Just because something is easy to take doesn't mean you should. White sage is now an endangered plant and is being stolen from Native American land. If you are not Native American do not use white sage to cleanse. If you do wish to use Salvia apiana I recommend finding a way to grow it yourself. Although there are other sages you can grow or get that aren't endangered nor stolen from Native American land. (Yes I know some spots of the internet say it is not even close to endangered but from what I understand they're talking about two different white sages and Salvia apiana is endangered)

#siarven #@siarven #night of the living writer #native american #florina starlight #totsi osyka #salvia apiana #white sage #endangered plant #stolen plant #fantasy #magic #plant magic #light magic #air magic #chimera blade #elkmire #primwall #kingdom of stars #cain roth #halloween

[cybertronianlovenest]

Kiss of betrayal: Part 13

Jazz POV: My optic ridges pulled together, trying to think. There was something I was meant to be doing but I couldn't for the spark in me remember what it was. The burn of optics on me finally made me online mine to see Soundwave watching me. I bolted up, frantically checking on him as he chucked and smoothed me back down. "Everything is well Jazz. How are you feeling now? Prowl said you were quite tired." A long vent was cycled as relief flooded my systems. "Am sorry... Didn't mean to leave ya alone." Soundwave offered a smile and kissed me lightly. "Jazz did not leave us alone. I'm certain had things change you would have detected it and woken up. You have quite the knack for that after all. Jazz needed the rest and we are fine." I did feel a lot better now that I'd had a few groons of recharge. "Thanks Sounders. How are ya feeling?" His helm tipped to the side was if he were trying to decide before he answered. "Tight. I believe would be the best word to describe this sensation. It is uncomfortable but not painful yet and the twins have been recharging since I've been awake." My hand drifted over his middle, feeling the plating ripple with a contraction. I kept my hand there, waiting for several breems until the next one hit. "About 10 breems. Gonna call Ratch to take yer pain receptors offline before ya get any farther. Don't want to be late for that." He nodded, pulling me a little closer to him so his middle was pressed against mine. Ratchet answered quickly and I could tell he was ready to come at a moment's notice. "His contractions are about 10 breems apart. Figured ya can take his pain receptors offline now." "I'm on my way. I thought Prowl was staying with him?" A light kick against my middle stole my attention from Ratchet and I smoothed over where our little ones ped had twitched against Soundwave's over stressed plating. "Jazz?" I turned my attention once more to Ratchet. "Sorry, one of the twins was kicking. Prowler swapped shifts with meh 8 groons ago. He's working construction but ahm getting ready to com him after ya." A short hum was the only response I got before the line went dead. Prowl accepted my com just as quickly as Ratchet had but with an excited edge in his voice the medibot had lacked. "How is everything? I trust you're feeling better after your nap?" I smiled as I heard anticipation lace into his voice. "Am feeling a lot better, thanks Prowler. Ah really did need that. The twins are recharging right now and Sounders's contractions are about 10 breems apart. Ratch is coming to take his plan receptors offline now. He's awake if ya wanna talk to him." "I would like that. Thank you." Soundwave smiled wad I glanced toward him. "How is construction coming?" "Very good, we're finishing up the top floor now and everything should be completed by the orn. It will still need furnished obviously but it'll will be livable until we get the finest details put in place... " He trailed of and I frowned, nervousness forming in my spark out of old habit. "Prowler?" "I'm here, sorry. Optimus ask if he is allowed to visit later. He's rather excited about the twins. That will have to be up to you Soundwave, after they have separated though. You'll likely be quite tried afterwards no matter how much recharge you got before hand." I inclined my helm even though he couldn't see me, and he was talking to Soundwave. "Query, Prowl will be home shortly?" He paused for a second and I thought I heard him talking to someone before giving us his attention once more. "Yes, I'm leaving now. I will see you both shortly. I love you." A fond smile crossed my lips as Wave squeezed my hand. "We love ya too Prowler. Hurry home love." The call ended and I focused once more on Soundwave. Soundwave POV: I sighed as I waddled more than walked down the square of the medical center. Ratchet seemed to think that walking would help to stimulate the twins into separating. So far that hadn't worked. They were still recharging but Ratchet said when they finally woke things would likely move very quickly. Prowl leaned over enough to kiss me from his spot under my arm while Jazz stayed just behind me. My balance hadn't been the best since their frames began growing so I hadn't moved around much without my mates being there. I didn't want to do anything to endanger the twins after so long wanting but believing I couldn't have sparklings. Arms circled around my middle as Jazz pressed flush to my back. "How are ya feeling? Need a break?" I glanced back, nodding softly and he helped me into one of the benches placed in the waiting room. It was then I realized just how lazy I'd gotten. "You both have ruined me." Jazz chuckled softly straddling my lap as Prowl leaned into my side, tracing delicate patterns over my middle. A sharp kick made me jump. Even though it didn't hurt I hadn't been expecting it. "Someone woke up. I'm sure they'll wake up their twin as well. Let's get you into the room. Now that they're awake I doubt very much they'll be inclined to wait on our convenience." Jazz hopped back down and I grunted at having to get to my peds again so soon. "I know, you can relax once we get into the room though." Prowl slid back under my arm and we slowly but surely made out way to where Ratchet was waiting on us... Jazz POV: I watched in fascination at how the plates moved as I held Soundwave's hand. I'd never seen a sparkling separate before and it was intriguing to watch. His middle bowed out as one of the twins shoved against their confines and I was glad Ratchet had taken his pain receptors offline already because that had to hurt. Fingers tightened around mine and I smiled. Soundwave made an amazing carrier. Before the war a few of my friends had been expecting and their mates had gone through some pretty adverse temperament changes. One femme even had to spend a orn in the center because her lover just snapped. Of course he had apologized profusely after that but she just waved him off. It had only been an accident that she'd taken the tumble anyhow. I missed those two, what Wingsweep lacked in size he sure made up for in personality. StarSymphony had often said he had the spark of a mech twice his size and would torment him on occasion by carrying him under her arm like a misbehaving youngling. More than one time he been mistaken for her sparkling much to his Chagrin. My lips slowly fell and I let out a vent. "What is bothering you Jazz?" Soundwave held my hands a little tighter. "Just thinking about some old friends... What do ya think of StarSymphony for a femme?" His thumb circled my knuckles. "It is a beautiful name. Our young one will ware it well." "If we hava femme. She was a really good friend of mehn..." "I am sorry for Jazz's lose." I shook my helm. "Thanks Wave. We all lost bots that were important to us though. Who knows, maybe she's still out there some place, she was pretty tough." I cycled a vent, turning back to the matter at hand. "Should be coming real soon... Yer contractions are less than a breem apart now." Soundwave nodded, glancing towards his middle just as the first plate split. "Ratch! Plates are pulling away!" He spun from rearranging his shelves and walked at a clipped pace over to us. Oddly colored energon gushed from the tear in his side and I reached up to hold his hand with both of mine. His optics were bright as he watched in awe as the plates parted, making way for a little black ped to pop free. It sucked back in a second later and another contraction tore through the soft protoform so his sparkling tank was completely open. What started out as amazement quickly turned to horror as my tank did a flip. "Ah think ahm gonna be sick!" The chair clattered backward was I fled to the sink, barely making it before I lost my fuel... Prowl POV: It was more than a little unsettling to see my mate opened up like this but I knew he wasn't in pain. "Ah think ahm gonna be sick!" I frowned, looking up in time to see Jazz dash for the sink as I shook my helm. "Its a good thing he didn't opt to keep the sprite before if he loses his fuel over watching." I rolled my optics but Soundwave was more concerned with watching as a little light blue frame shoved its way from between the plates. A femme. I caught her in a fluffy towel and she wailed loudly, expelling the processed energon from her vents as she reached for her carrier. She was beautiful... The towel slid smoothly over her frame, wiping away the sparkling fluid until Soundwave's keen caught my attention. He had tears streaming down his face as he reached for her and I hurried to set her against his chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were so distressed over losing contact." The little mech was handed over and he finally calmed down, managing to think through his panic and I wondered about that. "That's normal, especially for a carrier that has lost a sparkling before. Once he's home make sure that he doesn't come online without them for the next few orns. They should be kept in his sparkling hold while he recharges. It will keep him from becoming stressed and also ensure the little ones form a proper carrier bond." I nodded as Jazz flopped back into his seat. "Ahm really sorry Sounders. Guess ahm not gonna be cut out for carrying. Ya do a wonderful job though." He vented softly. Stroking over our sparklings oh so tiny fluttering doors. They both had them but only the little mech had my Chevron. The femme had Jazz's helm horns and deep purple optics as she nibbled her captured finger with her fangs. Her little optics crossed over each other with frustration and she yipped loudly making me laugh and Ratchet groan. Jazz grinned wide as he offered her his wrist and after a second longer of teething her carriers finger she gave up and bit the cable in his wrist instead. Ratchet handed him a cube and he knocked it back watching our new sparkling suck down her full of his fuel. A frown crossed my face as I watched him. I couldn't seem to recall a single time he'd taken fuel from me and I wondered why he hadn't now. "Ya never offered, ahm not in the habit of just taking it either." My frown deepened and he laughed. "Come on Prowler, ya think ah lost meh touch or what? Think ah can't tell what yer thinking anymore?" He smiled, licking the bite when our femme had her fill. The coded traces of transfluid healed the tiny fang marks quickly and I sighed. "We'll have to address that once we return home. I'm not opposed to letting you fuel from me Jazz. I just never really thought about it before." He shrugged, easy going smile back in place. "Ah look forward to it Prowler." Jazz POV: I sighed as Symphony bounced her little aft on my chest, cooing loudly. I could feel someone watching me but knew it was only Prowl. For the last deca-cycle it had either been him watching me or the other way around. Another sharp excited coo from my little one finally made me online my optics. Only to see Prowl standing over me in wolf form completely frozen there as the low rumbling growl I should have picked up on first rattled my plating. Every came in his frame was poised to strike as his lips pulled up to reveal gleaming fangs. His fur was raised up making him look bigger than he was, not that it was necessary. I snapped my optics to the door only to freeze as well. For several kliks I could only stare in shock before disbelief over ruled commonsense. "Symphony..." Her optics flicked to me and Prowl sprung from the bed. Two leaps and they collided with her just managing to shield Wingsweep. I rolled to my peds dropping my femmling next to her carrier before I managed to get out the door and override Prowl's frame with my coding. He slumped onto the floor with a strut rattleing howl. Symphony scrambled out from under him, holding her badly leaking arm as she looked at me in shock. Soundwave ran into the hall next, looking between us. "You just keep that thing as your pet?! It nearly took my helm off!" Prowl snarled loudly and I knelt to check him over and calm him down. "Why would ya ever bring anyone here without coming us first Optimus?! Ya know how Prowl's coding reacts to anyone outside our family! He shot ya in the aft and we served under ya for vorns!" He took a step back ah my yell but I was more concerned over getting everyone safe once more. "Come on Prowler, it's all right. Go keep the little ones from getting into anything while we get her patched up. Ah'll explain to ya once yer coding calms down." I ran my fingers down his face, using my coding to force his offline as he slipped back into the room, snatching up our ever courious femme by her scuff bar. Starcross had stayed on the bed, he didn't share the same sense of adventure as his sister just yet. "Come on. Ah'll call Ratch. He'll get ya fixed up." Prowl POV: It was quite some time later that Jazz finally came in and I sighed. "I'm sorry I attacked your friend." He waved me off gently tugging me to my peds. "Its not yet fault, Bossbot should have known not to bring anyone else in here while our bitlets are so young anyhow. Ya'd think that hole in his aft would be reminder enough of why that isn't a good idea" I chucked softly. Pulling him into my lap as the little ones tussled beside us. "Is she still here?" He shrugged. "Yes and no. She's not in our flat but she just moved into the tower. Kept hinting around at us needing to get away and how it would be no problem for her to watch the twins." I narrowed my optics before I could stop it and Jazz chuckled. "Don't worry Prowler, it wouldn't be for a while anyhow. Oh, they didn't seem to put off by the fact yer fluffy aft tried to rip her helm of either. Apparently most Praxian's very super broody when they have sparklings around, go figure." Jazz said, grinning as he rubbed my Chevron between his thumb and finger. "Where is Soundwave?" "He decided to watch tv for a while. Wanna join him? Just us now." I nodded, kissing him softly before collecting our pups... Time skip: 50 vorns Soundwave POV: Ped falls scrambled across the floor at a run before I was tackled by Starcross who wiggled and squirmed until he made room for himself between me and Prowl, blinking overt bright optics up at me. His sister wasn't far behind but instead of making room she just jumped on top of me grinning impossibly wide as Melody came to stand in the door way. "Can we go with her to see the music?! Please carrier?!"Symphony begged with bright watery optics until I nodded. "When will you be bringing them home, Melody?" They were already in her arms before she could even answer. "Its going to last about a groon I think. After that I thought maybe we could stop for treats. Unless you don't want them to have any goodies." She smirked and I raised an optic ridge. "They may have all the sweets they want. After all, you did tell me they were spending the off cycle with you." Her optics brightened. "No I-" "The whole off cycle?! Really!? Thanks miss Melody!" Starcross cheered giddily as he beamed a bright smile her way. Samantha struggled for an out for a moment before finally resigning herself to her fate. "Have fun and remember to eat a few goodies for me." Melody gave me a look as she turned. "Well played Soundwave, but I'll win next time." I chuckled softly as the excited cries of my younglings faded away leaning me with my mates once. And to think this all started with a kiss of betrayal...

#transformers #Jazz #Prowl #Soundwave #kiss of betrayal