When you wake, it's completely dark, and there's no sign of anyone. You try to sit up, only to hear your armor shift against someone else's. It was then that you realized that Bumblebee was next to you, his arm around your waist. You smile softly, and try to ignore the throbbing in your spark.

You didn't want to bring up the pain in your spark, now that you knew what it was. While you had slept, you had dreamt of your brothers. Except it wasn't a dream. They had come to visit you, to tell you something that had been shared by Primus.

"Sister!" Thundercracker exclaimed when he saw you.

"Hey, Thunder, Sky. What brings you to my dreams tonight?" you ask. Your brothers share a glance that spoke volumes and you immediately feared the worst. "Guys, what's wrong?"

"It has to do with your spark pains", Skywarp murmurs. You stared in shock at them.

"How do you know about those?" you ask.

"Primus knows everything and he chose to share this with us", Thundercracker says solemnly. You were instantly afraid.

Thundercracker was never solemn. So... why was he now?

"Guys, what do you know that I don't?" you ask, fear lacing your voice, and vibrant in your optics.

Skywarp sighed softly. "Your spark is failing you. That is why it has been hurting so much. The blast to your chassis did more damage than what Ratchet thought."

"Is there any way to fix it?" you ask fearfully.

"That is for you to figure out", Thundercracker says. "Primus did not give us any more information."

You frown in frustration, before looking to your brothers.

"I'm going to wake up soon. I'll see you guys later..."

You shake your helm, before gently moving Bumblebee's arm. He groaned quietly.

:(Y/N): he mumbled sleepily. :Where are you going?:

You smile softly at the mech you loved. "Just need to stretch my legs. I'll be back soon. Go back to sleep."

:Mmkay:

Light snores filled the air as Bumblebee fell back asleep. You were glad he had stayed with you but now... you didn't want to be near him if you were just going to die again... you couldn't do that to him.

You walked towards the main room where you saw Ratchet leaning against the computer, fast asleep. You smile softly before walking further into the base, only having to stop and bend over as your spark throbbed painfully. Much more painfully than it had been before. You knew it was getting worse. You quickly found an abandoned room and closed the door.

Opening your spark chamber, you looked and found your spark flickering between lit up and dark. It was struggling to stay alive, which meant it was struggling to keep you alive. You lean against the wall, and close your spark chamber. Staring up at the ceiling you couldn't help but let out an upset cry of anguish.

You fell to the floor and started crying quietly. You didn't want this. You didn't want anyone to worry about you. You didn't want anyone to know about this, but at the same time, you did. Your mind felt conflicted about what to do with your struggling spark.

Could Ratchet fix it or would it be beyond his expertise? How could you tell someone that you are dying without having any proof? Would anyone even care?

"(Y/N)?" a familiar baritone voice came from the doorway. "Are you alright?"

You look up to the blue and red Autobot. They must have retrieved him while you were asleep. No wonder Ratchet was so tired. Same with Bumblebee.

"I'm... okay, I guess. How are you, after spending quite a bit of time with the Decepticons?"

"I do not remember my time with the Decepticons, though Ratchet did fill me in on what had occurred here at base", Optimus answered as he came and say by you.

"Oh. So you must know about the whole thing with me dying and coming back thing."

Optimus chuckled. "That was one of the things Bumblebee did not hesitate to tell me. He told me how he was so ecstatic to find out that you were alive."

You laughed quietly. "Yeah. I think he was mad at Ratchet for me dying, but I came alive... though I fear it may not be for very long."

"What do you mean?" Optimus asks. You look up at him and saw his curious blue optics that held the faintest bit of worry in them. You sigh before explaining.

"My spark... I... I keep getting these throbbing pains in my spark. It's like losing a bond to someone, though not nearly quite as painful. And... I just had... a vision, I guess, of my brothers, Thundercracker and Skywarp. They told me that Primus told them that my spark was failing. And... when I looked at it just now... it was flickering. Like it's fighting to stay alive. I don't know what to do about. Can Ratchet fix something like this? Is it fixable? I don't know what to do...."

You fought back tears but they came anyway, and a choked sob came up your throat.

"Shh, shh, just let it out", Optimys murmured, gently stroking my back, avoiding my wings as if he had done this before. Somehow he knew that seeker wings were very delicate. "No one is going to judge you for crying, it's okay to cry."

That was all it took for you to start crying freely. Loud sobs shook your body even as you tried to quiet them. No one came to check on you though, and you were grateful for that. Optimus was like a father to you at the moment, comforting you in a quiet manner. He had started humming an old Cybertronian tune and soon you were calm enough to listen to him.

"I had a sparkmate once", Optimus murmured. "She was the most gorgeous femme I had ever met. She was part of seeker trine. Trine's are very close knit, and their sparks help stabilize the others."

"Is your sparkmate how you knew to avoid my wings?" you voice was shaky as you spoke. Optimus chuckles.

"Yes. I touched them without her permission once and she nearly sent me to the allspark", Optimus said, amusement clear throughout his voice. You couldn't help but chuckle, able to imagine what he spoke of. Optimus continued speaking.

"I know you are part of a seeker trine, though I do not know your trinemates. How is your bond with them?"

You sigh. "Not good. My sisters left me for scrap on Cybertron, and I've kept the bond closed ever since. Well, there have been a few times it's been opened, usually when I just wake up. Especially when I woke up from my coma. I was quick to close it off though."

"Open it up again, and see how your spark is afterward", Optimus says.

"It's not that easy... I hate them for what they made me do as a youngling. And then they left me on Cybertron for scrap and the only way I was able to get off was by joining the Decepticons. I don't want to talk to them."

"What have you felt from them whenever the bond was open, even for just a brief second?" Optimus asks.

You sigh before thinking back on it. "There was worry, relief, and regret in the past couple times it's been open."

"Perhaps you should see what they meant by those feelings?" Optimus suggests. You sigh softly.

"Why must you be so persuasive, Prime?" you mutter. Optimus doesn't say anything, he just stands up to leave. Before he does though, a sentence slips out of your mouth. "Thanks, Sire."

You instantly clap your hands to your mouth in shock and horror.

"Optimus, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to call you-" you were cut off by a deep laugh.

"Do not worry, (Y/N)", Optimus murmurs. "I will be something of that sort if you become sparkmates with Bumblebee."

"Oh... wait, what?!" you exclaimed, causing Optimus' resonating chuckle to fill the room.

"I believe the humans call it father-in-law", he answers before exiting the room. You stare after him before shaking your head in confusion.

Time to open up some bonds that you've kept closed up for several years.