#thundercraker

He has been unusually quiet all day long. Normally, despite being a reserved type, he would break the ice, but today he was so absorbed in his own datapad (just like an ipad kid) to even pay attention to you, minutes ago he almost stepped on you  without noticing. Did Starscream assign him too much work? With that frown on his face, you could assume he was beyond annoyed…

And you craved that attention. You were already small next to him- a colossal metal alien robot that now towered above you on his chair. Since last week it has been particularly windy and today was exactly like that, you were FREEZING, the frigid air seemed to seep into your bones. There weren’t functional heaters around, you desperately needed something to warm you up, but that blankie of yours wrapped around your shoulders surely wasn’t enough to keep you warm and fuzzy. You could feel the numbing fingers of winter creeping in, and all you could think about was how to escape the chill that enveloped you.

You eyed Thundercracker, his massive frame radiating warmth while he remained completely oblivious to your suffering.  The audacity.

You tugged your blanket tighter, but it was mostly useless. The cold was relentless, and he was right. There., an actual walking, talking heater—yet he wasn’t even sparing you a glance, his optics reflecting the datapad blue hue.

You let out a frustrated huff. Maybe a little, gentle nudge would remind him you existed, right there, just under his pedes, seeking his attention. Taking a few steps closer, you reached up and gave his leg a push. Nothing. Not even a glance. Alright, desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Thundercrackerrrrrrrrr” you whined, voice muffled in your blanket cocooned around you. “I’m cold.”

Across from you, the Seeker remained hunched over his datapad, completely absorbed in whatever he was reading. His wings twitched—progress. But still, no real reaction. Certainly not what you were hoping for.

Pouting,you tried again, stomping your foot for emphasis. “Hey, I know you run warm! C’mon, let me borrow some of that Seeker body heat, instead of hoarding it like a selfish jet!!”

That finally got his attention. With an exasperated sigh, he lowered his datapad just enough to give you an unimpressed look. His optics flickered over your bundled-up form before deadpanning,“You could just say you want attention instead of making it sound like an emergency.”

“It. is. an emergency, are you mocking me??” you insisted, eyebrows raised dramatically, wrapping your arms tighter around yourself “I’m dying, TC. Right here. Right here in front of you.”

He scoffed dismissively, clearly not buying it. His gaze right back to the glowing datapad in his hands “You’re not dying.”

“I could be,” you shot back, snuggling deeper into your blanket. “Hypothermia. Frostbite. Who knows how much longer I have before I become an ice sculpture!” His mouth opened to protest but you quickly shushed him, raising a finger "Don't you dare gaslight me, you glorified built-in heater"

He exhaled through his vents, optics narrowing slightly. “That’s not what gaslighting means.”

“It is when I say it is,” you huffed, refusing to back down “Now, are you gonna let me mooch off your internal warmth or am I filing an official complaint to the Decepticon HR department?”

His optics dimmed in exhaustion. “There is no HR department.” He stated, his patience wearing thin with the back and forth.

“That’s only because they haven’t heard my case yet. There will be if I keep suffering like this.”

Thundercracker stared at you for a long deliberate moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with an audible sigh of why me, he set his datapad down and shifted just enough to allow you closer. “Fine. But if you drool on me, I’m launching you outside to let you freeze.” What a big fat lie he just told.

Grinning in triumph, you wasted no time in pressing yourself against his side, gently being picked up by hi hand and put near his neck, already blissfully basking in the warmth radiating from his cables.

Oh. Oh. This was so much better.

Thundercracker, however, barely spared you another glance before refocusing on his datapad. His optics flickered as he scrolled through whatever had him so engrossed, his expression unreadable.

Naturally, that only made you more curious.

“What are you writinggg?” You craned your neck, attempting to peer over the massive digits partially shielding the screen. Immediately, his servo shifted, cupping around your face to block your view as he turned the datapad further out of reach. “Nothing,” he said a little too quickly. “Just Starscream’s work. The usual report that slag was supposed to do and hand to Shockwave but dumped on me—HEY! HOW—”

Being small had its advantages. Like a determined hamster slipping through the digits of his hand, you expertly wriggled free , using his own shoulder plating as leverage to climb higher. You leaned over, eyes scanning the glowing lines of Cybertronian script… Some of those strange glyphs seemed familiar. After spending so much time around Thundercracker, you had gradually picked up the language. Although you weren’t fluent, you could understand enough to realize that this wasn’t just another boring Decepticon report. You squinted your eyes, reading out loud :

"He would always find solace in the storm, caught not in the chaos of before or the aftermath, but in the very moment. The roar of thunder would speak to him without judgment, a familiarity he longed for. Decades of wishes led him to the only place he truly felt at home, where the howling winds would always wait for him. They would always hug his bigger frame with their smaller hands while he recharged, but especially when they joined under the stars—"

That definitely didn’t sound like the usual boring logistics or reports Starscream routinely dumped on Thundercracker. Your curiosity flared as you tried to decipher more, but before you could get further, a very flustered Thundercracker snatched the datapad away, holding it high out of reach.

“Alright, enough snooping, you little rodent ”

You grinned up at him, arms crossed over your chest. “That didn’t look like work to me. It looked like some kind of-” you paused for dramatic effect, “poetry.”

His optics widened slightly, then narrowed as he pointed a finger at you. “First of all, it’s not poetry.” The way his wings twitched violently told you everything you needed to know.

You smirked triumphantly. “Oh, It totally is.”

Thundercracker groaned, rubbing his faceplate in exasperation. “It’s just-something I write sometimes. It’s nothing important. Just classified information”

“It so is! You even wrote about the wind hugging you...oh!...oh my god, TC, are you writing self-insert romance?”

For a second, he remained quiet and scowled. “I've told you! That’s classified!” He kept insisting.

“No way!” You giggled, eyes darting back to the glowing text of the datapad, but before you could read another sentence, his large hand effortlessly scooped you up with way more ease than should be legal.

Dang it. He had size on his side too.

Grumbling, he plopped you back down into the crook of his neck as if that would make you forget everything. “You saw nothing.”

However, you couldn’t help but snicker, already warming up again. “Oh, no, I saw everything. And now I have so many questions just for you mister alien.”

Thundercracker groaned, muttering something about regretting ever letting you sit near his neck. "You promise not to laugh…?"

"I pinky promise!" you replied, raising a finger to seal the vow with mock solemnity.

Just then he hesitated, “Just so you know…this is uhm..meant for a more mature audience actually" His optics flickered between you and the datapad still clutched in his hand , raising his glasses. “I- I’ve tried sharing my work before,” he admitted, voice quieter now, like he was letting you in on a secret no one else knew. “Other bots- they don’t get it. They think it’s weird. Call me names for it.” His vents exhaled sharply, like he was forcing the words out. “So, I stopped.”

"Then something happened, one night…I've gathered some courage… I got the courage to start posting again. On a brand new blog,all mine.” His wings twitched, and if you didn’t know better, you’d almost think he was flustered." That's where..I started finding my own people, bots who enjoy my writings, who get it, who get me-they- uh,,it's embarassing to explain it" Your eyes widened. “You’ve got fans? followers??”

“Not fans, or er followers, I don't care if they're millions” he grumbled, glaring at nothing in particular. “Just… bots who don’t make fun of me.”

"….millions…?" A wide grin spread across your face, practically vibrating, grabbing his faceplate. “THUNDERCRAKER YOU'RE FAMOUS”

“Stop it.”

“Oh. my. god., you’re a secret literary influencer. AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME? Thundercraker I'm utterly disappointed in you…Do you have a pen name? Do you do Q&As? Do you-”

Clearly exasperated he let out a long sigh"…-I, yes." , getting it all out of his chest "on my side blog"Leaning even closer to his faceplace, your curiosity piqued “Wait, wait-what do you write on the side blog? Is it more poetry? Deep reflections? Or...” Your gasp was audible miles away, eyes practically sparkling. “Do you write fic?”

Thundercracker stiffened, as if the mere suggestion had thrown him off balance.

You inhaled sharply, realization washing over you. “YOU DO.”

His vents whirred with increasing intensity. “I will throw you.”

“Ohhh, seems like someone likes to write fanfiction about their peers!” you teased, grinning like you’d just uncovered Cybertron’s best-kept secret. “What is it?? Secret forbidden Decepticon romances? Dramatic retellings of mission failures? Starscream redemption arcs?”

He made a noise between a frustrated groan and a static-laced growl. “It’s not that.”

You gasped theatrically, pressing a hand to your chest. “Oh God, is it about Megatron?”

Thundercracker recoiled so hard his thrusters nearly flared to life, causing a brief shimmer of light around him. “ABSOLUTELY NOT…or well, yet”

You waved a hand nonchalantly, leaning back into your blanket. “Oh, come on, TC! I can just picture it now-Decepticons in love, right? You, writing about all your fellow Seekers in dramatic, very emotional situations. Spicy stuff too, right?”

Ah, you caught on even quicker than he expected. His wings twitched nervously, and his gaze flickered down to you“It’s not exactly… what you think,” he muttered, as if trying to downplay his fascination.

“Oh?” You practically bounced with curiosity. “So you don’t write about your fascination with your other peers? I mean, I’ve seen some pretty intense stuff on the net- wait a second…if that's not the case… then…” You leaned in closer ( if that was even possible), squinting up at him with a playful grin. “-Bot x Human?”

He froze. Silence stretched between you, thick enough to cut with a blade. His wings gave an involuntary twitch, his vents releasing a slow, steady exhale like he was already regretting everything.

“I knew it!That’s your thing! You’ve been writing about us all along!”

Thundercracker hesitated, his optics flickering, and there was no hiding the slight tinge of something deeper behind his words. “I… I just think humans are… fascinating. They’re small, but they feel everything so strongly. I mean, they’re capable of emotions and connections that-” He stuttered.

“Aw, TC,” you teased, your grin widening. “You’re a romantic.” *Thundercracker blinked at you, surprised by your response. “You’re… not weirded out?”

“Nope.” You grinned playfully. “Honestly? I think it's kinda sweet, even if it’s a bit scary. Picture a big Decepticon like you, writing stories about us humans and what makes them tick?” You snickered. “You’re like a secret human studies scholar! And from now on I'll be your own personal teacher! mhh, or maybe  human muse sounds more fun,  don't you think?”

“Also, I’m full of useful knowledge!” nudging his hand  "Before you know it, you’ll be an expert on humans. And hey, who knows? You might even get better at writing them… in all areas  eheh even the spicy bits, the things humans like to read about late at night. You know the ones.” You shot him a knowing look. “I’ve seen plenty of spicy fanfics out there. I’m sure your readers would love that content from a Decepticon writer!”

He vented against your face, his wings twitching nervously for the tenth time. "Fine then. If you want to help so badly…" You felt him mass shift beneath you, the air growing thicker, and tense.

In an instant, you found yourself nearly pressed against his side as his hand moved into a more comfortable position to hold you. The sensation of his body, now slightly taller and bigger than yours, felt like a strange mix of security and intimacy. Thundercracker shifted once more, making sure you were settled before his voice returned, quieter but with a hint of nervousness.

"If you'll allow me then-" his hands twitched and stopped just above your shirt.