Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters - Ignition

47. Acceptance

"It's about time," Li muttered, but a smile was still on her face, lighting up her eyes, and I swore I could see a bit of mischief there. Something told me she had a hand in this.

She was such a beautiful friend.

We kissed again, softly, before pulling away just slightly.

The Autobots were clapping, which I found ridiculous, but it was better than pure silence as they stared at us. The euphoria had washed over me completely.

"Don't think this means I'll become same tame little thing that's content to sit at the base while you go off and do all the fun stuff," I warned him gently.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my warrior maiden."

I laughed at his words, the way he accepted me as I was. I wasn't sure I'd ever find that in this world.

And I suppose, in a way, I hadn't. The human world was far behind me. Now I was in the world of Cybertronians. And it had led me to him, and the way he fit me so well.

Silvershade wobbled in, falling down a few steps into the room, and Firefly was close behind her, "Silver!" She scolded softly, and I expected the sparkling to begin to cry, but she sat there on the floor, just staring at us. I smiled as Firefly approached the youngling, but Silvershade began to crawl towards us, faster than I expected, and I knelt down to the young femme. It didn't take her long to reach us, and she stopped in front of my crouched form, smiling as she looked up before clapping, imitating the sound she'd heard when she'd entered.

I laughed softly as I picked the sparkling off the ground. "You seemed so helpless before," I murmured, offering her a digit that she promptly took hold of. "I guess I'm not as familiar with babies as I thought."

"To be fair," Firefly offered, "I'm sure the kind you're used to aren't the same as ours. I'm sorry she got all the way out here. I was just trying to help her develop a bit."

"What about your arm?" I asked, glancing at the injury.

"It's fine," Firefly answered quickly. "Wheeljack patched it up. I just have to take it easy for a bit."

Angel smiled from the railing. When I looked at her, I could see the pure exhaustion on her face, even though she tried to cover it up. "You pulled through," she whispered, and even though she was half a room away, I heard it. "Do you regret it?"

"If you're talking about living," I whispered back. "No. If you're talking about risking everything for them," I glanced down at the sisters, and my smile grew. "Still no. Not even a little bit." Silver squeezed my digit a bit, and the smile made me ache, but she was such a beautiful little thing. Her optics were so blue they looked like they'd been made of the midday sky. "I may have struggled, but I regret nothing I've done as a Cybertronian. It's all been for them."

~~~

I was outside late that night, letting the day wash over me. I glanced at my hand frequently, checking to make sure the band was still there, and that it hadn't been some delusion or dream. Every time I looked, it sparkled back at me in the moonlight, bringing back the smile I'd etched onto my face earlier in the day.

"Congratulations," Lauren said quietly as she walked up to my side. I would've jumped at her unexpected presence, but some part of me always knew where she was, even if she was silent halfway across the world. "I'm glad Optimus finally manned up and did it."

I laughed softly without looking at her. My optics roved over the stars, trying to piece together constellations from memory. "I wasn't expecting it, honestly. It was something I wanted, of course, but . . ." I looked down at her with a smirk, raising an optic ridge. "I hadn't expected someone to rat me out while I was under."