I Hate You: Chapter Three

Sunstreaker x Prowl x Sideswipe

Characters: Prowl, Ratchet, Megatron, Optimus, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Red Alert, Bumblebee, Smokescreen, Jazz, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Autobots in general

Rating: T – because I'm paranoid

Words: 2064

Summary: Prowl has a surprise for Jazz, but what happens when the saboteur cheats on the tactician?

Author's Notes: Reviews make my day. ^^

Ratchet slapped Prowl on his back plates with a smile, proud of his youngest brother for telling the dumb fragger off. It was even better when he started in Seeker cant. He got extremely creative in cursing the mech out and threatening him with all kinds of harm. Letting his frustrations out like that was certainly giving the medic more work though as many of the mechs on base were asking him to run a processor scan on the black and white. Some of the more perceptive ones even asked for Red Alert to get one, having noticed that the base had not been inundated with alarms.

"Well, that takes care of that." The scanner in his hand was returned to his instrument tray. "I have to say that that was impressive. Remind me to take lessons from you, please."

The Second-in-Command grinned. "Megatron placed a vid call to Optimus and demanded to talk to me. He asked for a translation because the Seekers, apparently, took notes. Starscream pushed him out of the way and told me I was under his Trine's protection because they wanted to learn more."

"So I should be expecting a Seeker escort on you then."

"Yes. I need to inform Red according to Optimus, but I could feel his laughter, so he already knows. I'm just wondering who they're sending of it they're all coming."

The medic laughed. "So does that mean Optimus is informing everyone of their new residence?"

"That was where I left him."

Prime massaged his temples as he waited for all of the Autobots to gather in the rec room even though it did no good. How to explain to them that Prowl, the Head of Tactical and Second-in-Command, was now going to have an escort of Seekers? Pit, he was still wondering why and the Decepticon leader had been no help, though he could have sworn that Soundwave's shoulders had shook with suppressed laughter. For that matter, what had the tactician done to warrant such behavior and what had he ranted at Jazz in? That sound could have damaged audios!

"So Prahme, what's tha meetin' for?" Ironhide asked, hand resting on the Autobot leader's shoulder plating.

"I am just about to begin, my friend."

The red mech shrugged and went to find a seat. At least his mate's humor would probably be explained soon. He hoped so in any case. It was a little weird to feel that and the cause not be the Twins.

"Autobots, I have important news." All noise stopped as the mechs gave Prime their undivided attention. "The Decepticon Seekers Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp will be living here on the Ark for the foreseeable future and functioning as Prowl's bodyguards on and off the battlefield."

All of the Autobots were quiet for a moment in stunned silence before the dam broke and they began yelling.

"What in Pit?" "They defecting?" "You've got to be joking!" "Guarding Prowl?"

The noise quieted as Red Alert and Wheeljack burst into laughter, holding onto each other to keep upright and not end up sprawled on the floor. "Seekers are really protective of Seeker-kin, aren't they?"

Red Alert answered between giggles, "Not only that, but he impressed them! Again! Those insults really did the trick!"

"Hey Prowl!" Skywarp exclaimed as he landed right next to the Autobot SIC and threw his arms around the Praxian-framed mech. "That was awesome! Ya gotta teach me! I wanna call Megatron a 'glitched-faced fragger that is stupider than a drone that's been deactivated for stupidity' to his face plate!"

Prowl ran a hand over the leading edge of the black and purple jet's wings in greeting. "You will want to be careful about that, Skywarp. Now what's the proper way of greeting Seeker-kin with wings?"

The Seeker vented a sigh before stroking the top of his doorwings. "Yes, Professor."

"Nah. That was Creator. I was just used for demonstration. Now, did you leave Starscream and Thundercracker behind to get here first?"

"Of course! They wouldn't let me warp them with me though, so it's their own fault! So what happened? We had thought he was your sparkmate, if not your bondmate."

"He cheated," Prowl said with a shrug to one of his few friends from his younglinghood. "I walked in on him kissing Tracks in the rec room. He didn't have the decency to at least confine those actions to one of their rooms. I did get my answer to why he had never moved in with me though."

The other two Seekers landed as he finished speaking and greeted him politely before wrapping him in the middle of them in a "Seeker hug". They stood like that for a long moment before breaking away from each other. Since the last time they had all engaged in one so many things had happened, but they were determined to work through it for what had been a strong friendship, even if it was millennia after the fact.

"Be prepared to wake up to Seeker cuddles again," Starscream warned the grounder. "Your lock can't keep us out."

Prowl snorted. "If I thought that, I'd be glitched."

Thundercracker had an arm slung companionably across Prowl's shoulders as they walked up to the Ark and was listening to the plans that he and Skywarp were formulating. They were up to their old tricks already and the Autobots would soon learn to fear when they were together. At the Academy in Vos those two had been known for their pranks, but rarely caught even if they had a distinctive flair and had chosen a "calling card" to identify theirs – a complicated pattern of black Xs that no one else had been able to replicate. It was fairly appropriate that they were planning to first prank the Prime as the first mech they had ever pranked – even if it was on accident – was the Dean of the Academy.

All of the Autobots – besides Skyfire, Ratchet, Red Alert, and Wheeljack – that were there to greet them gaped at the sight and at how their stoic tactician was grinning with the black and purple jet. Starscream glanced around at the assembled mechs and sniffed disdainfully. Had they never seen friends interacting before? Pit, they had been friends for most of the activation before the war started and had, at one time, almost bonded the grounder into their Trine. They were close in ways that most could not imagine.

"Oh! Hey!" Skywarp said with an enthusiastic wave as he glanced up before turning back to Prowl to resume their plotting.

The blue and red jets vented a sigh with a shake of their helms. They weren't coming out of planning any time soon and Primus help the Autobots when they did.

"Hey Thunder! Hey Scream!" Wheeljack called, waving foolishly.

Ratchet walked up to the four mechs. "Sorry Prowl, but I'm borrowing your partner in crime. You three. Med bay. Now."

The Seekers hurried to obey. Never piss off the medic. Especially this one. They learned that long before joining the Decepticons. Hook actually liked them since they did what they were told when he was acting as medic.

"But Ratch…." With a slight nudge on their sibling bond, he also pouted, hoping he could get his way. Company in his new office would be nice as there was now a small enclosed area around his desk, collapsible of course since he would not be there permanently.

"I'll send them to you as I finish. Primus knows you'll want to get reacquainted with them. Just try to not traumatize those on monitor duty. I sure don't need them inflicting that on me and Smokescreen. For that matter, don't go giving Red any ideas. I still wish I had what the humans call 'brain bleach' so I didn't have that visual of my youngest brother with three Seekers," Ratchet stated as they walked through the halls of the Ark to the med bay so that the medic could begin his work.

"I did tell you that they were coming over that orn, so it isn't really our fault you saw us like that. At least I learned from some of the best interface partners and didn't have to come to the med bay from excessive pain when I lost my seals."

The medic's helm dropped into his hand and rubbed harshly, trying to scrub the image out that way. "That I did not need to know!"

"Oooo…. What do you not need to know? That we 'faced until we all off-lined that first time? Or that Prowler likes to put on a show? And likes to watch one?"

He repeated his earlier action with a bit more force. "That makes me want this 'brain bleach' even more, Skywarp! You know I wasn't raised as close to Seekers as my younger brothers were. I've told you this on numerous occasions."

"My past will be raising a number of optic ridges without my interfacing habits joining the mix, thank you," the doorwinger said, earning him a pout from the teleporter.

"Can I warp us all from somewhere to your quarters then when we want a good 'facing session?"

"That depends on the duties I have that particular human day. And if I have my room's soundproofing on."

The two mechs looked at him and asked simultaneously, "You have soundproofing?"

"Dude! Did ya see how close Prowl was to those Seekers?" Bumblebee asked. "What's the story behind that?"

"Hol' up! Wait a sec! Prowl was close ta Seekers?" Jazz asked in surprise. His former lover was not one he would have pegged for a possible traitor.

"Yeah. And you should have seen the smile on his faceplates!" Smokescreen added. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was going to be prankin' someone with that smile looking suspiciously like Sides's. Of course, that can't be true, but that's what it looked like."

The saboteur frowned. For all that he knew of the tactician, that didn't seem right at all. What was going on? "So ya know why they come 'ere?"

"Something about Seekers taking care of Seeker-kin and them being impressed," the yellow spy answered with a shrug. "And that comes from Red Alert and Wheeljack."

Well, that certainly explains why he was near insatiable in the berth.

"Starscream!" Prowl exclaimed as he was pulled part way across his desk by the data pad he was holding that he had been carrying an analysis out on. "Give that back!"

"Nope!" Skywarp said. "You've been doing that all day! And I want a cube and so do Star and Thunder."

The tactician sighed through his vents. "We're walking there. Ratchet doesn't want you shot while you're in base."

"You're no fun, Prowler," the teleported said with a pout. Part of the fun was scaring the slag out of the Autobots.

"I am, just not while I'm working."

"Well! Come on then! Thunder and Ratchet are in the rec room waiting."

Their walk through the hall gained them numerous looks as the black Seeker gestured wildly while he described some of his antics on the Nemesis and some of the fights that the Decepticons got into with themselves. Starscream cut in every so often to offer a cutting remark or sarcastic comment. The usually stoic tactician was grinning at the mechs and walking between them at ease and in a better mood than many of the Autobots had ever seen him in. The closest they had seen was with Jazz or Red Alert. With the past in front of them cleared, the walk to the rec room took no time at all.

It was eerily quiet as they stepped inside until Skywarp broke the tense silence with an overjoyed "Thunder! I missed you!"

"And this is part of the pride of the Decepticons air forces?" Prowl muttered to the red jet jokingly. He got a smooth laugh for his efforts.

"That just tells you how bad the rest of the forces are," Starscream snickered, grabbing a cube for his black wing mate along with one for himself after pushing one into the Autobot SIC's hands. "You don't get enough and you need a good waxing. Your colors used to contrast so beautifully. They aren't as striking anymore."

The doorwinger purred quietly, his wings fluttering. "That would feel wonderful."