#sparklight

[bubbykat]

yaaaay 2nd gens

[littlesparklight]

Do you have a Aeneas design?

I was going to say no, but I scrolled through my art folder first and found the one I do have! But I also decided he should have his mama's nose, actually, aside from her eye colour, so I did a quick edit on it:

Maybe I'll draw him again some time, but yeah. He mostly looks like his dad.

[andromedaseoexpert]

SparkLight AI Product Demo

[asterxicy]

Aster decided to make a visit to another city. He can’t believe what the newspaper wrote about him. 

Art Fight is going on, you can find this attack here: https://artfight.net/attack/1441407.electric-heroes-take-the-scene If you want to join, jump on in!

[laurlovescookies]

The Aquitaine Princess

Tribute and follow-up ficlet to sparklight’s chapter forty in her marvelous “In Which Our Intrepid Hero Doesn’t Escape” series. (Fiercely-protective Mommy Vader wasn’t something I understood I desperately needed until I encountered it! And I love genderbent “Luca” as well. ^_^)

If you’re wondering about the title, it’s a reference to a beautiful French poem known as El Deschidado, which references an “Aquitaine prince with a destroyed tower.” Technically Luca would be a princess (though I’m not certain how comfortable she’d be with the title), hence the change.

Trigger warning for a panic attack. I don’t feel Luca is any less badass than Luke, but you’ve got to keep in mind that the poor kid’s in a seriously traumatizing situation. (Let’s hope there are some Imperial therapists available in the ranks.)

L & V are being a bit more emotional than normal, mainly because I think genderbent Luke and Vader might be a little more in-tune with their emotions (albeit Vader a smidgen more so.)

Thanks again to the very-excellent sparklight, whom is an angel, saint, and a bag of chips!

I am the Dark One, – the Widower, – the Unconsoled The Aquitaine Prince whose Tower is destroyed: My only star is dead,- and my constellated lute Bears the black Sun of Melancholia.

In the night of the Tomb, You who comforted me, Give me back Mount Posillipo and the Italian sea, The flower that my afflicted heart liked so much And the treillised vineyard where the grapevine unites with the rose.

—Excerpt from El Deschidado

-O-

"... what do you want?" Luca asked, quiet and shamefully soft, even as her back was almost painfully stiff. The hand around her wrist tightened, making the metal of the cuff dig in a little, and the other gloved hand finally rose up, not quite touching her cheek.

Foreboding gathered in her gut as she watched those starkly yellow eyes wash out into bright blue again, watched the harsh twist to Vader's mouth soften a shade.

"My daughter."

-O-

Luca had flinched at that. Partially because her stomach had rolled sickeningly and she had to take deep, shuddering breaths to keep the remaining contents of her stomach from heaving their way up. She braced a glistening palm against the wall, nearly slipping.

The hand poised over her face slowly fell. She wondered wordlessly why Vader bothered if she couldn’t actually bring herself to touch her affectionately, but the hand had hesitantly reached for Luca, as if of its own accord.

Dimly, Luca felt the writhing flare—something like a supernova—of Vader’s wintry force presence hardening, crackling as it rapidly frosted over into a pernicious arctic armor. And suddenly it seemed to be much farther away, as if Luca were looking at it through the wrong end of binoculars, though Vader’s hand still clutched her wrist so tightly she was rapidly losing feeling in it.

Luca immediately felt a hot rush of shame as she gazed up at over-bright eyes, starkly-blue embers hovering in the dark, unblinkingly watching her. Did Vader sense her revulsion?

Her next thought stepped on her question mark: Why should she care if she hurt Vader’s feelings? Insanity, it seemed was catching.

Or genetic.

Her free hand drew itself into a shaking fist, nails sinking in her palm. Uncle Owen had lied about her mother, and while she could maybe, albeit begrudgingly, understand why he had, she couldn’t help resenting him even if the feeling came with a maelstrom of guilt.

And when he and Beru had been murdered, the only person whom saved her from being crippled with grief was Ben, whom gave her what she’d wanted her whole life: The knowledge that she was meant to do something special—albeit more so than she ever could’ve guessed—and that her mother had been, too. She bit the inside of her mouth hard, and something metallic and hot flooded her mouth. Vader snapped something she heard, but didn’t understand.

Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi knight, a paradigm of strength and goodness, whom also had her life cut short by Vader. If Luca hadn’t already wanted vengeance for Beru and Owen, now it became a purpose, which had been the only thing sustaining her all this time, her friends aside. A lump rose from her chest and lodged itself in her throat.

Her grief for her mother had vapidly skyrocketed, something she hadn’t even thought possible. But Vader wasn’t anything she anticipated, the demon she’d needed him to be, and she felt pity for him—her—before Luca remembered and her contempt washed it away.

But Vader was her mother, there was no use in not accepting it, the force had no feelings and resonated the affirmation over and over again—

“Young one.”

Vader was urgently saying something else, her hand still bracing Luca’s back. Luca stared blankly at Vader’s rapidly-yellowing eyes.

Ben had to have known Darth Vader was her mother and he’d lied, just like everyone else in the galaxy so desperate to turn her into a pawn, he’d lied when Luca had no one and nothing left, not even a home. Ben wanted her to kill her mother—she shrank back from the thought as if burned, it felt traitorous. But it was true.

Now she could never trust even Ben’s memory ever again. The only person she could understand innately wasn’t lying was her mother. Her mother was alive, the sweetest and most secret hope Luca had ever cherished, but it’d devolved into a nightmare. Vader was a genocidal and vicious maniac. Nothing short of evil.

Luca probably imagined the faint tremor in Vader’s hand still clutching her wrist. Vader, whom for all Luca’s training, for all her giving everything and then some, had stolen her away as easily like a cat would a kitten, regardless of her struggles.

She let out a noise that came out both a strangled laugh and a sob. Vader was the only person whom she could innately understand wasn’t lying, and yet she in all likelihood wanted to use Luca too, her own child. Both Obi-Won and Anakin Skywalker died second deaths in that moment.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Exhale, exhale, exhale—

Her lungs plunged rapidly for air, seeming to end only at the base of her neck, not drawing nearly enough oxygen, regardless of how much she gulped for it.

Her mother’s hands grasped her shoulders as Luca’s vision blurred orange, bled red. Her mind churned in a near-indecipherable blur of terror and hysteria. Her ears rang and someone must’ve been screaming while her throat burned as if it were filling up with blood. She thrashed hopelessly in Vader’s hold, too panicked to care that there was no escape on the ship, that her wrist at this point had become a distant, stinging star of pain as the manacle dug into her skin. Why not, why not, what did it matter she didn’t care nothing mattered anymore—

“ENOUGH!”

Vader’s ear-splitting roar sliced through the air and the force; Luca’s eyes widened, freezing as Vader seized her in a too-tight hold, pinning both her arms to her sides. Still Luca struggled, and in Vader’s now-palpable concern, her icy barriers thawed and Vader’s force presence rushed to meet hers. Luca fell limp at that, and if Vader hadn’t been clutching her upright she would’ve certainly tumbled to the floor.

At first it was worse, because Vader’s mercurial force presence loomed like an enormous, blackish-red tidal wave over Luca’s, reaching for her like so many hands. Barriers flew up in Luca’s mind as she frantically retreated deeper into herself, but Vader had been using the force longer than Luca had been alive, and when she pursued the blockades were carelessly knocked aside.

A second later Vader’s mind immobilized her own in a perfectly-implacable grip, rippling with furious dark energy—the first icy jolt upon being badly burned. Luca would’ve cried out if she could’ve, bracing herself for a certain mental assault and the agony certain to go with it.  

Something tentatively—tentatively?—and gently brushed against Luca’s petrified subconscious, the lightest of touches. Stunned, Luca tried to speak, but a cool energy glided over her feverish and distressed thoughts, plunging them into white background noise.

Shaking like mad, her head tilted and fell against Vader’s armor-clad shoulder.

There was a quiet hum coming from the gentle energy flowing into her. It did not quite make her calm, her heart was beating too quickly for that—but it hushed the frantic, blind energy that would’ve sent her battering herself against the ship walls. Luca’s eyes slipped shut. It wasn’t quite unlike the time she’d been slipped inside a bacta tank.  

Another light caress, albeit still uncertainly so, as if Vader were frightened of her, which was absurd to the point of being hilarious. Vader’s force presence was infinitely larger than Luca’s, could’ve crushed hers into dust. But while the idea was baffling, it felt like Vader’s mind was actually cradling hers.

More likely, Luca had somehow sustained head trauma when she’d been electrocuted earlier.

Her breathing was still shuddery, but slower and deeper. Awareness returning, Luca sharply inhaled as she sensed a ring surrounding her, comprised of a black, thrashing maw of blazing toxic energy.

Alarmed, wishing desperately for hers—Vader’s—saber, Luca was shocked by the sheer fury and hatred these flames emitted, something she could dimly understand had been kindled by raw despair.

This force energy jabbed violently out, like so many knives and so much broken glass and while Luca had once scoffed at the word bloodcurdling, she could not do so now. Approaching them would be suicidal. She redoubled her efforts to be free, and Vader had only tightened her mental grip the way she had Luca’s wrist.

While unharmed by the barrier, Luca desperately wanted to shy away; the flames were comprised from malevolence, lashing out and seeking so many targets; possibly the whole galaxy. And yet, oddly enough, not at the girl they surrounded.

But the force defense was more than pure anger; there was a staggering amount of possession and protection radiating off them in waves, something near-feral in intensity and if Vader meant to harm her all along (though Luca didn’t think so) why couldn’t she get it over with?

Young one.

Vader’s voice within the force struck a rich, deep alto. No rasping, no staccato breathing, no intermittent noises from her support. Luca’s eyes flew open, startled.

You are safe.

The voice began hissing the beautiful words over and over again, and the comforting cool energy coming from Vader increased, lulling. Eyes flickering once again, Luca sagged in the gloved hold, fighting to stay conscious.

Her brow furrowed, bewildered as to why this seemed dimly familiar.  

-O-

Sometimes when Luca slept she remembered something, or at least upon waking she dimly remembered recalling something, from a very, very long time ago. Before she’d been born.

In a night without stars, she was a nebulous being whom didn’t think in words. Her nascent mind wandered, eventually approaching a much larger presence than her own self.

Innately she understood without understanding how whom it was, and brushed against it curiously. At first it started in blinding-white-shock, iron-defenses shooting up before they crumbled into an intense tenderness, something tremulous. It recognized her.

The awestricken luminosity softly pressed back, with something akin to playfulness. It’d wrapped around her so tenderly and tightly she’d been happy, a profound sense of contentment and rightfulness stealing over her in their burgeoning force connection. The other used it to send peaceful waves passing over her, both of them basking in mutual adoration.

That had been the first time Luca’s consciousness encountered Anakin Skywalker’s, but it hadn’t been the last.

-O-

When Luca came back to herself, there were tears streaming silently down her face. Vader held her in a not-quite an embrace, pinning her arms, which was it was confining as much as it was comforting.

At last by unspoken agreement Luca tugged back and Vader slowly released her. The former turned to look determinedly at the wall while rubbing her face.

And she prayed that Vader couldn’t understand that her earlier revulsion was not least because a little girl from trillions and trillions of light-years miles away (but not far enough) had looked up at the dark lord’s words, was scrubbing her dirty face and scrambling to her feet, staring expectantly at the sky.

The silence between them was every part as uncomfortable as the shouting. Luca’s face burned and she couldn’t quite bring herself to look back.

However dire the situation, it was the most profoundly awkward one Luca had ever encountered. Vader seemed to feel the same, considering just how quiet she was, save for the intermittent breathing on the oxygenator.

It was childish, but Luca couldn’t help but reach out with the force towards Vader again, and for her credit was firmly pushed away. The latter’s force presence was rapidly resealing itself in its fortress.  

“Will you be still now?” Vader said at last, sounding as weary as Luca felt. “Can I trust you not to harm yourself?”

Luca just nodded wearily, still wiping her eyes. Thankfully Vader didn’t see, or pretended not to. The two remained chained together, though both were looking in opposite directions of the dilapidated old ship, lost in her own thoughts.

Anakin Skywalker was still alive. Anakin Skywalker was still alive.

She mopped her face once again, took a few deep breaths.

“Where are you taking me?” She asked, not quite trusting her voice.

“My ship.” said Vader shortly, after only a moment’s hesitation. The woman’s eyes remained fixated on the windows ahead, reflecting her ruined face stricken of any color, so badly burnt that hair refused to grow. “You’ll be interned in quarters there.”

Luca felt a sharp spike of irritation. Exactly how well had Vader thought this plan through before kidnapping her? “And what, you’re going to lock me up forever, is that it?”

“Don’t tempt me,” snarled Vader, pulling at their chain. “As it stands, the idea of having you handcuffed to my person at all times has its merits.”

Luca went very hot and then very cold at that, because Vader wasn’t someone whose bluff you wanted to call.

“Please,” she tried again, her voice again reaching that painfully soft and embarrassing register. “You can’t just—“

Vader spun on her heel to face her, bluing eyes flashing.

“I can. You are safe with me, not at the beck and call of a ragtag, hypocritical army of anarchists whom will step on your throat the moment you become a liability.”

“The Alliance would never—“

“Yes, because they clearly had ‘Miss Vader’s kid’s,’ best interests at heart,” Vader scoffed, and Luca nearly had the heart knocked out of her.

It would’ve been one thing if Vader kept shouting lies in her ears—annoying, but bearable because she knew otherwise. But the moment Luca discovered her parentage the soldiers had closed in on her—

They wouldn’t have hurt me. I didn’t know. I didn’t know.

“No, you did not. But your innocence would not save you; you were culpable in being born my child.”

It sounded so awful spoken aloud, given shape. Luca had to count to ten to avoid screaming.

“I can’t turn. I can’t be like you. You have to let me go.”

“I have to do no such thing. What I must do is my obligation, which is to keep you from harm.”

Surprise flitted on Luca’s face and her breath caught. Vader pointedly looked away, her force presence growing positively polar, an icy warning to keep a safe distance.

It was a very strange dance. When Luca stepped forward, Vader stepped back, and however much Luca had tried denying her parentage, Darth Vader had only told her the truth over and over again.

Too exhausted to argue anymore, and knowing it was useless in any case, Luca sank to a sitting position again and closed her eyes, so emotionally drained she could scarcely move.

Vader had stolen yet another thing from her. She couldn’t imagine harming her now.

-O-

Sometimes when Luca was small, she woke up crying in the middle of the night. Aunt Beru would come in and rub her back, assuring her that her nightmares were only ever just nightmares.

And she did have dreams of black, white-eyed creatures dragging her away and eating her (she couldn’t scream, because they’d eat that too), but sometimes she didn’t dream at all, but only woke up crying from a fissure so horribly hollow and hurting it made her worry she might never stop.

-O-

When Luca came to, she awoke wrapped in a black cape, as whomever was carrying her marched across a white bridge. A docking chamber.

Suddenly remembering and returning to hell, she warily turned to gaze up at Vader—whom by now had her unholy black mask restored, eyes shrouded in black. What color were they now, and what was she thinking?

Luca wearily shoved at Vader’s front so as to least have some decency in walking, but she might as well as pushed a wall for all the reaction Vader gave.

Luca pressed a hand against her eyes and was annoyed when it came back wet; she’d been crying from the old place again, the one with bits of her that had never grown up, not really.  She hid her face upon wondering what the imperial soldiers must’ve thought, to have seen the dark lord carrying a girl draped in her cloak and crying as if her heart were on the verge of stopping.

Vader had turned grief into murderous, destructive power. Luca could only let it turn into pain and something tenderer, infinitely more vulnerable. Maybe that was why Vader turned—sheer fear of being torn apart by this raw emotion.  

She sulked, hating the fact that she couldn’t hate Vader, despite the enormity of her actions. The woman had razed entire civilizations and now Luca needed her and that thought was so disturbing so she feebly tried pushing against Vader again, wriggling in her hold and knowing the futility.

“I can’t stay here.”

“You can and must. At my side, you will be a princess.”

Luca’s mind wiped itself blank, faintly hearing Biggs laughing. “I’m not a princess. I have it on good authority I am the opposite of a princess. A princess told me that.”

“You were one before you were born, child. It is your birthright.”

“Please. My friends will come for me in any case.”

This was something Luca did and desperately did not want, for Han, Leia, Threepio, Artoo and Chewie to appear. They’d be in mortal danger, and yet Luca was already missing them.

“I will kill Palpatine for what he did,” said Vader coldly as they stepped into yet another long white hallway. “He told me you had died, and so I’ll burn him from existence. Here is another lesson, child. I’ll destroy anyone whom tries taking you from me.”

Luca’s jaw dropped, and despite the cloak draped around her went cold.

…..oh. Um.

Escaping was going to be an ordeal.

[k1tcaliber]

hey i was wondering if i could get a short fic or something regarding merging/bonding sparks with starscream. i read the thing you wrote about it, and idk i'd love to read an actual narrative piece. that poor precious boy is too damaged and needs some good old loving in his soul ~

so uh i know you asked for a “short fic” but

i kind of took it and. ran with it. i’d already had a portion of this written out for the Sparklight AU, so i just...well, finished it.

and it is almost 3500 words long.

below the cut, for...well, the above reason really.

“I…haveno idea what any of this means, Starscream,” she said, opticalridges pressed together in confusion.

Hefrowned – of course she didn’t. She still had a lot to learnabout her new body. Her new life. “Right. Well…it’s simple,really. We just…open up our chestplates and…touch our sparkchambers together.”

“That’sit?” She asked, almost monotone.

Henodded once. “More or less.”

“Moreor less?” She repeated, questioning and confused. “What are youleaving out?”

“Nothing.That’s the process,” he said bluntly, crossing his arms. Therewas a pause, and Sparklight noticed his wings fall a bit before hespoke again. “Oh, alright, there’s…usually some sort of…vowssaid,” he explained, his voice tapering off, volume lowering as tobecome nearly inaudible.

Sheheard it anyway. “Vows? Like…at a wedding?”

Helooked away, frowning deeper. “F-Forget I said anything…it’stoo soon to have this discussion.”

“What?Why? What do you mean, ‘too soon’?” She was deeply confused bynow, and it irritated her. His unwillingness to talk about the thingthat he himself had suggested wasn’t helping either.

“Why?Because you still have a lot to learn before you can make thisdecision. It’s too soon, you have too much to learn still, it wouldbe irresponsible of me to—”

Thelook in her optics grew wild. “What are you talking about? I stillhave a lot to learn? About what? I don’t…I don’t understandanything you’re saying!” She yelled, hands balled up into tightfists, body stiff.

Hisexpression showed shock and a bit of fear for about a second beforehe regained his composure, his optics staring off into the distance –away from hers. “Bonding with someone is…not a decision to betaken lightly. It creates an unbreakable, lifelong bond between thesparks – the very life energy – of two bots, and…our lives arelong, Sparklight. If…” He stopped himself and shook hishead a couple of times. “Never mind that.”

“Stopdoing that!”

Hefinally looked into her optics again, only to be met withexasperation and building tears.

“S-Stopdoing what?”

“That…thatthing where you cut yourself off midsentence and tell me to forgetwhat you were saying! I h-hate it! I’m not stupid,Starscream! Just fucking tell me what you—”

Witha growl and a sneer, he interjected. “Fine. If we were tobond, and you decided a million years from now that maybe I amjust as insufferable as everyone says, you would be stuck bonded tosomeone you hate!” His volume was increasing, and not at a slowrate. “You would never be able to bond with someone youactually love! It would haunt you every single day of yournearly limitless existence, as a reminder of the terrible mistakeyou made as a newspark!”

Aperiod of silence ensued. He was venting hard, clearly affected byhis own words. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights,shaking.

Herelaxed considerably, his expression turning concerned, as herealized his own mistake. Slowly reaching out a hand towards her, hestarted to speak again, this time quietly, as if it would drain someof the volume out of his outburst. “Oh, Primus, no, I’m sorry, Ididn’t…I didn’t mean to—”

Sheslapped his hand away and burst into tears before nearly launchingherself out of her seat on the berth. He watched her nearly stumbleas she ran across the room and into the washroom before lockingherself in – and the whole time, he felt as if he’d been stabbedthrough the spark chamber.

Andhe was angry. Not at her. Never at her. But at himself. Thoughtsswirled around his processor. I can’t do anything right. Ireally am a failure. I don’t deserve her. I don’t deserve anyone.I’m a waste.

Hestood up and crossed the room in the opposite direction – towardswhere the table and chairs stood. His last step wasn’t a step –he swung his leg back before kicking forwards, knocking over thechair and sending it skidding a few feet away, its motion disturbingthe table and other chair as well.

Hestood there for a moment, once again venting heavily, his handscurled up into fists as his mind cleared itself out.

Hehadn’t been paying attention to the time, but he realized he didn’tknow how long he’d been standing there or it had been since she’drun away – and he hadn’t heard anything from her at all. Heweighed his options: one, he could sit back down and stew in hisself-hatred until she decided to emerge; or two, he could go check onher now that he’d calmed down.

Thelatter was really the only option.

So,calmly, he crossed the room and knocked on the washroom door.

“Sweetspark?”He called out, making sure he could be heard from behind the door.“Are you alright?”

Therewas a second of silence, and it felt like his energon ran cold.

“Wh-Whatdo you want…” Her voice was weak and lacked much intonation; shewas clearly still upset, but he couldn’t help but sigh in reliefthat she hadn’t done anything drastic.

Hepaused for just a moment, collecting his thoughts – he wanted tosay the right thing. But what that thing was…he didn’t know. Sohe tried it anyway.

“I…wantto see you again. I want to…to say I’m sorry.”

Moresilence came, and he waited. He stayed close to the door, but hewaited. If he called out again, he’d be rushing her. So he took adeep vent and waited for her to make her the decision on her own.

Thedoor slid open and he showed great self-control in not immediatelyrushing forwards and holding her tight to his chestplate. She wasstaring at the ground, her arms crossed in a peculiar fashion – asif she was holding herself.

Heplaced one hand on her shoulder and the other hand on the side of herface, rubbing gently. “I’m so, so sorry, Sparklight. I-I didn’t…Ididn’t mean to do that. I love you. I love you dearly.”

“Il-love you too,” her reply came, shaky and quiet. He opened hismouth to speak again, but she cut him off without even realizing it –by stepping forwards and pressing herself against him. He wrapped hisarms around her, and she managed to uncurl her own arms and embracehim in return.

Hecould have cried. “I’m so, so sorry,” he repeated, in awhisper.

“Iforgive you.” Her response was equally quiet, though morestatic-filled than his was.

Hepaused for a moment. “A-Are you sure?”

Shenodded against him and tightened her grip on him.

Withoutanother word, he picked her up and carried her back over to theberth, then lay down with her and cuddled her tightly.

“Let’s…justforget that whole thing happened, okay?”

“N-No,”she said, extracting her head from its position to look up at him. Hesaw her optics for the first time since she’d run from him – theywere dull from crying, but still as beautiful as ever. “I want…tofinish it.”

Hesighed deeply and pulled her back in. “…How about we just relaxfor a bit first,” he suggested.

Therewas a short pause before she spoke again – most likely weighing heroptions.

“Okay.”

~~ ~

Theysat where they had been before – her near her pillows, he on theopposite corner.

Hesighed, and began. “The reason I wanted you to forget what I saidis that…you’re just too young to make a decision that permanent.You’re so young, and you’ve only been a Cybertronian for fourmonths. You have a lot to learn still – I mean that quiteliterally. You…you’re practically a newspark, but without eventhe basic knowledge libraries.” He looked up at her, his opticsflicking from their place on the berthsheets to meet hers. “Th-Thatisn’t an insult, either, it’s just the truth, I swear.”

Shenodded in understanding. “I know. Compared to you, I’m a baby.But…I am—er, was, anyway—an adult human with plenty ofknowledge and skill. I have the logic and reasoning ability tounderstand anything you tell me – if you tell me everything I needto know. If you don’t tell me anything, or refuse to, then I can’thave the understanding you want me to have.” She paused to collecther chaotic thoughts. “Why did you ask me if I’d heard aboutspark bonding before?”

Heanswered meekly. “Because…I wanted to talk about it with you.”

“Whathappened to change your mind?”

“I…rememberedhow young you are. How much you still don’t know. It…made me feelirresponsible. Like I’d made a mistake.”

“Star…Iknow there’s a lot I still have to learn. But I want to learn itwith you. I want you to teach me. I want you to explainthings to me. I want you to be with me while I learn about you andyour world – my world too, now.”

Hestared at the berthsheets once more, mouth hanging open a tiny bit ashe processed things.

“Soplease…” she started, without allowing him to speak – not thathe’d tried to, yet. “Explain to me one more time what sparkbonding is. Why it’s important. Why you want to do it with me.Please. I need to understand.”

He took a deep vent before starting. “…Very well. I can’t takeback what I’ve said. So…” He paused for just a moment. “Sparkbonding is…a ritual, of sorts, performed between two bots. You andyour partner. It is done by opening the chestplate to reveal thespark chamber, then…touching the spark chambers together. Thesparks will be able to connect through the metal, and…a bond isformed.” Another pause. “You recall that our sparks are our verylife force, yes?”

She nodded. “Of course. That was Lesson One,” she remembered,with a giggle. It was one of the first things she learned about theCybertronian body – before she'd even had one.

A smile slowly appeared on his face – her laugh was a powerfulthing, to him. “Right. Well...when you bond your spark withanother, it creates...a link, between you and your partner. You'llstart being able to sense their emotions. It's...” He paused again,the smile falling back off his face. He noticed hers fell too. “It'sa major decision. It's irreversible. You...if you bond with me,you'll be bonded to me for life. A bond only dissolves when one ofthe sparks goes out.” His volume was lowering, and he didn't knowif he meant to do that or not. “I love you, Sparklight. I've neverbeen more sure of anything in my life, and I've lived a very longtime.”

He looked up at her, not having realized that his gaze had evenlowered, and he could practically see the gears turning in her brain.

Suddenly, she looked up, a confused, inquisitive expression on herface. “Starscream, are...are you asking me to marry you?”

His exhaust fans went up a couple of notches. “Ah—well...I guessthat would be the human termfor it...”

“Yes.”

It took him a couple of seconds forher statement to process, andwhen it did, hisoptics opened as wide as they could, and he turned to look at her.“What?”

She leaned forwards, tears buildingup in her optics as she took his hands in hers.

“Yes, Starscream. I will.”

“A-Are you sure?! This is—youhave millions of years ahead of you, and—don't make—”

“I did this for you. I went fromhaving a hundred-year lifespan to a hundred million-yearlifespan because I wanted tobe with you. I want tobe with you. I gave up everything I knew and loved because I knew Iloved you more.”

He had no words. For once, his mindwas quiet inside. But his spark was overflowing, whirling in hischest with the repeated realization that he is loved, that he isworth something to someone.

“...Star?”

Her sudden quietinterjection pulled him out of the daze he was in, and he felt herlift a hand to his face and sweep her thumb across his cheek –removing a tear he hadn't realized was there. He looked at her andhis vision was blurred – more evidence that he'd started cryingwithout realizing it.

In the span of about three seconds,he freed his hands from hers and lunged forwards, onearm around her and the other hand on the back of her head, and pulledher in close, theirfaceplates meeting with a slight clang,their lips meeting in a kiss. Her yell of surprise at suddenly beingpulled forwards was cut off by their lips connecting.

Itwas only a few seconds until they pulled apart. He started shaking,his wings held low, and Sparklight wrapped her arms around him,guiding him into an embrace, his head coming to rest on her shoulderas he let go and allowed himself to cry.

“I know,” she whisperedsoothingly, rubbing his back. “I know. It's going to be alright,Star. You're going to be alright. We'regoing to be alright.”

~ ~ ~

It only took a minute or so for himto finish. He lifted himself off of her, hiccupingas he wiped his face with his hand.

“No, don't do that...”Sparklight half-whispered quickly, before snatching up a fistful ofblanket and using it to clean him up. “You could scratchsomething.”

He gave a half-hearted chuckle andsmiled. “You care too much about me.”

“I could nevercare too much about you.” She smiled back at him as she spoke,finishing her self-appointed task.

“...So...you really want to...tobond with me?” He actually looked timid– a very rare occurrence.

“Yes,” she responded calmly. “Ido. I would give myself to you over and—”

He held up a hand to stop her.“Please, sweetspark, take it easy, I'm an old bot, I can't handlethis much emotion.”

She gave a small chuckle, butnodded. “Alright, alright. I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. Now, we have...a coupleof things to work out.”

Her optical ridges drew low and shecocked her head. “Like what?”

“Well, a date, for one.”

“We can just...do it, at any time,right?”

He nodded. “Well, yes,but...there's a bit of a snag, with that. It's best if both partnersare as close to emotional baseline as possible, or...or else, itmight...it could—”

“What? What's the problem?”

He sighed, once again casting hisgaze towards the mattress beneath them. “If something goes wrongduring the process, the bond could...fracture. A fractured bondis...”

“You don't need to tell me aboutthat, Starscream. At least, not right now. I'm not worried about it.”

“Okay. I'm just...” He paused,thinking about how to phrase his thought. “...Nervous,” hefinally admitted.

“So am I, love, but...honestly,what are the chances of something going wrong?”

“...Not very high. Notnon-existent, not in the slightest, but...the chance is rather low.I...I still want to wait a while before doing it.”

“Of course. What were youthinking?”

“One week from now, measured inhuman time. At night, before recharging.”

“Why a week?”

“It gives us both time to thinkabout it,” he explained. It frustrated her slightly, but...she knewhe had a point. “I don't want to jump into something, and...I don'twant to push you into anything.”

She opened her mouth to retort, buthe held up a hand. “I know. You want to do it. But...I just don'tfeel like making this decision on the same day you learned about itfor the first time is a good idea.”

She looked somehow disappointed, butalso understanding. “...You're right. So, one week, then?”

He smiled warmly, placing a hand onher cheek. “One week.”

~ ~ ~

The lights were dim, and Starscreamsat himself neatly on a chair close to the berth while Sparklightstayed where she was, a fewfeet away.

“Are you sure you're ready forthis?” He asked, his brightly glowing optics piercing through thedim light.

She nodded once. “Yes. I'm ready,Starscream.” She didn't wait for him to beckon her forwards beforewalking up to him herself.

Silently, he helped get her settledon his lap, facing him, chestplates nearly touching.

“Do you want to go first?”

She shook her head. Despite knowingexactly what she was going to say, she still wanted to know if sheneeded to adjust anything to sound...well, not like an idiot.

“Okay.” He took a deep ventbefore starting.

“Sparklight. When I met you, I waslost. It stings to admit it, but I was just...floating along, with noreal purpose. I was resigned to my fate, I was resigned to the factthat I would either die alone on this rock entire galaxiesaway from home, or I would spend the rest of my life being beaten byMegatron. You came along andchanged everything. Even as atiny organic creature, you made an immeasurable impact on my life. Isaw the light shining inside you. You gave up everything so that Imay be blessed with your presence formillions and millions of years, and I will be grateful until the daymy spark goes out. I love you, Sparklight. Open up your spark to me,so we may never be separatedagain.”

Fighting back her tears, she took aslow, deep vent of her own to calm herself.

“Starscream. BeforeI met you...I, too, was lost. My life had no direction, no vibrance,no light. We met by sheer coincidence, and when you asked me to comewith you – to help you – I went. I learned that the help youneeded from me wasn't the help you'd asked for. And as it turns out,I needed your help as well. I willingly left behind everythingbecause you mean so much to me. I would rather have you than all ofthe material possessions on Earth. IfI had to do it all over again, I wouldn't do a single thingdifferently. Everything I do for you, you do for me. We're strongertogether. I love you, Starscream. Open up your spark to me...so wemay never be separated again.”

A moment of silence followed, andtheir chestplates slid open, nearly in perfect unison. The area wasilluminated by the soft blue glow of their sparks through theirchambers – one layer of metal was just not enough to contain thelight emitted.

And then he pulled her the lastcouple of inches in, embracingher tightly.

Their spark chambers met, and energyimmediately began to arc between the metal surfaces. Their opticsclosed and their venting became slow but heavy andslightly labored as theirconsciousnesses combined. It felt like they were both floating, freedof their bodies and reduced to their sparks, inside a cloud, combinedinto one being. They couldtell what the other was feeling, and they both knewthat the other was experiencing the most intense, divine sensationthey'd ever felt.

Suddenly, a thought entered hermind. She didn't hear him speak it, but she knew he sent it.

Are you alright?

Yes, she sent back. Areyou?

Yes.

And that was it – no more words were necessary. Just feelings. Andthey were more than content to sit there bathing in the light oftheir combined love for a while.

Getting tired.

The message decoded itself to him. He began to give off concern, andhe felt an apologetic wave.

Don't be, he said, sendingover reassurance as well. We can stop.

A pause.

Are you sure?

Of course. Don't strain yourself.

Another pause.

Please.

And that was all it took – theypulled apart, the energy stopped arcing, their venting began to ease,and they quickly slid their chestplates shut once more sothat they could lean against each other and recover. It was astrenuous affair – but well worth it.

“Well...” he started, ventingstill labored. “Shall we...go lay down?”

She nodded against him. “Uh-huh.”

Nearly effortlessly, he stood up andhefted her into the air before carrying her the short distance to theberth and laying her down before getting in next to her.

Everything was different now. Theyknew it, yet the words to describe it continued to evade them.

But they both knew that the lovethey shared was stronger than it was before...and it was mostcertainly stronger than their fear.

[bubbykat]

musing on some flashlight fankids 🤔

[k1tcaliber]

i finally finished Sparklight’s design

this took me forever for two reasons: 1) i’m awful at drawing and 2) motivation is a difficult thing for me to come by sometimes

here’s a better shot of her face, because the above was too small for me to get the details very good: