My Darkness One-Shots

I'll Do It For You

Cliffjumper and Arcee from T-Night's:

A Prime's Fate

~~~~~~~~~~

The entire trip back to the beginnings of the urbanization on Cybertron, through all the towns starting to come to life with bots, and the lights of their towns, the sounds of the citizens with their trines. Through all the still desolate reaches of the Sea of Rust, and through the fuming wastelands of the once vast and chaotic battlefields on the way to the Kaon government centers, and the deceitful Council within, all Cliffjumper could think about was the conversation he'd had with Optimus, prior to him and Wildstrike leaving to help their detained teammates.

~ Cliff and Wildstrike were about to board the small shuttle ship that would take them back to Cybertron when Optimus called Cliff back.

"Cliffjumper!" The red mech turned back, nodding over his shoulder at Wildstrike to continue onto the ship, before walking over to the Prime.

"What is it Optimus?" he asked.

"Our teammates are likely to show some surprise and hesitance at your and Wildstrike's appearance," the leader began. Cliff nodded in agreement.

"Seeing someone who's supposed to be dead would do that to you, I figure," he said jokingly. Optimus ignored the effort.

"Whatever you two have decided to tell them, be sure it is the truth," he warned instead. Cliffjumper raised an optic ridge.

"Ok. I don't see how we could really tell them anything but the truth. 'Hey, we're just your supposedly dead teammates who never actually died! Heh, surprise, we were only acting!' Cause that's supper convincing."

"Your teammates deserve the truth," Optimus added, nodding. "All of them."

Again, Cliff raised an optic ridge. He figured Optimus was trying to tell him something, but he wasn't quite picking it up.

"Well of course all of them," Cliff said. "All teammates are my teammates.....?"

Optimus smiled lightly, clearly picking up on the red mech's confusion. "All of your teammates, Cliffjumper," he said again. "Deserve to know the truth." He pause. Cliff stayed silent. "Those teammates include Arcee."

Cliff had to do a double take. "What... wait... I mean... well, yeah I know Arcee's my teammate," he stammered. He knew what Optimus was hinting at now. But the Prime didn't know... did he? "She was my partner, remember?"

"Cliffjumper, Arcee is more than just a partner to you, and you to her. I may not have been the most adept at identifying the signals before, but I know them now because I've felt them. And Arcee was not just devastated over the loss of a partner. There was more to her sorrow than that." The Prime blinked, his optics locking with Cliff's. "Do not hold back your feelings for her any longer. It won't do either of you any good, and I can speak for Arcee from experience. You two need each other."

Cliff nodded. He did like Arcee. He'd liked her even before their little trip to Earth. Their time on Team Prime together only made him realize how much more she was to him than just a partner. And he'd wanted to tell her. Only the moment the Decepticons showed up at that mine, he knew that he'd missed his chance. And that thought had haunted him, even in the All-Spark.

"I'll do that," Cliffjumper promised the Prime. Optimus smiled again.

"It is for the best." He paused again.

"Cliffjumper?"

"Yeah, Prime?"

Optimus looked down, before meeting his optics again. "Take it from someone who knows: Grab Arcee and hold onto her tight. Never let her go, no matter what. Their sorrow, her sorrow, is never worth whatever safety you saw."