Family | Tfp AU

Memorable Moments

The roar of a motorcycle engine was heard as Cliffjumper came around the corner, pulled into the driveway, and turned it off. Arcee dismounted the red bike, quickly followed by Cliff, and they made their way up to the doorstep, where they paused and turned to face each other.

"Well, it's been fun," Arcee said with a quiet smile.

"Yeah, it has," Cliff smiled back, knowing what he wanted to do, but not sure if he had the courage to actually do it.

Arcee turned as if to go inside, but then dawdled a little and played with the zipper of her open jacket. Cliff noticed this, and also noticed some loose pieces of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail had fallen in front of her face.

'This is a lot like Hitch...' He thought, trying to gather the gumption to brush her hair out of her face. 'Is that cliché enough to jinx me...?'

Arcee continued to play with her zipper, glancing at him, and Cliff realized he was quickly running out of time if he was going to do something. He took a deep breath, stepped forward a little, and reached up to her face, brushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Arcee looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

He was about to lean in, when he suddenly just froze. He couldn't do it. He just...couldn't...lean...forward...! Apparently sensing his sudden hesitation, Arcee looked down, her smile fading a little, and Cliffjumper mentally kicked himself for leading her along. With a deep breath, he reached out and tilted her chin up to look at him, and smiled, leaning forward most of the way, their lips a mere inch apart. Arcee smiled and leaned in the rest of the way.

A warm feeling surged through him as their lips met, starting in his stomach and rushing up to his chest, making his heart race, and then coursing through his whole body, making his thoughts a little fuzzy. Arcee put her arms up around his neck and he felt her lips turn up in a smile against his as he wrapped his arms around her, smiling back through the kiss. It felt like a lifetime later when Arcee finally pulled back a little, breaking off their kiss and smiling broadly up at him, their faces still close enough for their noses to almost touch. They just stood there for a minute, smiling at each other, before a voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Arcee? That you out there?" Jazz called, his smirk almost audible in his tone.

"Y-yes!" She called back.

"Don't kiss him!" Smokescreen shouted through the door. "That's gross!"

Arcee and Cliff shared a quiet laugh. "I guess I should go now," she smiled, giving him a quick peck before turning to the door and opening it. She was immediately greeted by her brothers' teasing- though they clearly hadn't actually seen them kiss. Cliff smirked and turned away, walking back down the path to his motorcycle.

As he climbed on the bike and put on his helmet, he noticed little Smokescreen standing near the edge of the driveway, watching him start up the engine. Cliff smirked and revved the engine for the small boy, who laughed and waved ecstatically as Cliff pulled out and drove away to go home. Once again, Smokescreen waited outside listening to the sound of the motorcycle engine fade away, wishing he could ride it like Arcee did, but knowing his parents would never let him until he was a lot bigger. So for now, it sufficed for him to simply watch and listen, saving the actual riding for his dreams.

"Smokes!" Optimus called from the doorway. "Come on inside, buddy."

"Coming, Daddy!" Smokescreen grinned, turning and running back to the door, where his father caught him in a hug, and then picked him up and flung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey! Put me down!" Smokescreen protested, laughing as he kicked and tried to free himself. Optimus laughed as well, and carried the small boy up to his room, where he dropped him onto the bed, the springs in the mattress squeaking as Smokescreen's momentum made him bounce several times before coming to a stop. Tears were falling down his face as he laughed, curled up in a ball and rolling around as he continued to laugh and laugh and laugh.

"Don't hurt yourself," Optimus admonished with a smirk as he watched the boy roll around on the bed. Suddenly, he jerked a little as he hiccupped sharply. There was silence for a few seconds, until Smokescreen hiccupped again, just as sharp.

"Ow~" The young boy groaned, holding his abdomen as if to hold back another hiccup. It didn't work. "Ow~!" He cried as he hiccupped again, painfully. "Daddy- *hic* - make it- *hic* - stop!"

Optimus smiled sadly and picked up his youngest son as he jerked from another hiccup. "Don't worry, little one, it'll stop soon."

"Whe- *hic* -en?!" the small boy demanded, looking up at his father with tears in his eyes; he was so sensitive when it came to pain. Optimus sighed and hugged him close.

"Just relax, and breath deeply."

"Hey, what's going on?" Arcee asked, stopping in the doorway of Smokescreen's room.

"Oh, Smokie here just has the hiccups again," Optimus smirked, rubbing the boy's back as he hiccupped again.

"Aw, poor little buddy," Arcee said with an empathetic smile. "Hope they go away soon."

"Me- *hic* -e too..." Smokescreen muttered as Optimus rocked him gently.

"So, how was your date with Cliff?" Elita asked as Arcee walked past her and Optimus' room.

"It was great," Arcee grinned, walking in and sitting on the bed next to her mother.

"What did you do?"

"Went to dinner and a movie."

"Oh? What movie," Elita asked with a smile.

"The Village," Arcee smirked, remembering how she had practically jumped into Cliff's arms barely ⅓ of the way through the movie.

"Ah," Elita smirked. "And how was that?"

"Not too bad, actually. I kinda enjoyed it," Arcee laughed, no longer thinking about the movie, but their moment together on the doorstep.

"Really, so you would recommend it?" Elita asked with a knowing smirk, pulling her back out of her thoughts.

"Well, probably not to Smokescreen," Arcee shrugged. "But I think the rest of us would like it."

"Well I'm glad you had a good time," Elita smiled, hugging her and standing up off the bed. "We should probably get ready for bed now."

"Yeah, it's only 10:57," Arcee teased, following her mother out of the room. "Smokie still hiccuping?" She asked as they came over to the boy's room.

"Ye- *hic* -es," Smokescreen mumbled, still being rocked gently by his father.

"But they're getting better," Optimus assured them, rubbing the child's back as he hiccupped again.

"That's good," Elita smiled, walking over and sitting on the bed next to her husband and son. "You gotta work on not laughing so hard, Kiddo."

"I kno- *hic* -ow..."

"What's goin on in here?" Jazz asked with a smirk as he came over and stopped in the doorway, next to his sister. "Shouldn't you be asleep by now, Smokes?"

"Yes, but I ha- *hic* -ave the hiccups..." Smokescreen explained with another hiccup.

"Aw, well I'm gonna go to bed now, so try not to keep me up," Jazz winked, walking in and sitting down on his own bed across the room.

"Jazz," Elita reprimanded gently.

"I'm only teasing, Mom."

"Hey!" Smokescreen said suddenly, sitting up in Optimus' lap. "I think they're gone!"

Optimus chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "About time. Now go ahead and get your pajamas on." Smokescreen grinned as he jumped off his father's lap, and went over to the closet to find some dinosaur jammies.

Arcee smiled and said goodnight to her family before turning and walking over to her own room. After closing the door behind herself, she turned to the mirror and used a wet wipe to take her makeup off. It had been a good day, from her date with Cliff, to her adorable little brother.

Especially Cliffjumper....