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- First meeting: Praxus. Prowl working as a rookie enforcer gets called to a local oilhouse to break up a fight. Gets there and sees the twins fighting other bots. Notices how good looking they are, but shuts that thought down quickly in order to stop the fighting. Arrests all parties in the fight and brings them to the station for questioning. Sideswipe flirts. Sunstreaker stews in anger. Prowl gets a better look at them and acknowledges that they’re both attractive, but thinks that they’re just troublemakers. Twins didn’t start the fight. They get released after the charges have been settled.
- Prowl sees them around Praxus occasionally. He’ll just be patrolling and from the corner of his eye he’ll see a bright yellow and red paintjob. Doesn’t think much of it.
- Prowl actually takes a day off and goes to the Helix Gardens. While there he happens to see the twins again. Sees that Sunstreaker is scribbling something on a datapad. Sideswipe is looking over Sunstreaker’s shoulder giving his input. Feeling bold he goes up to them to see what they’re up to. Sideswipe notices Prowl first and jokingly asks if he’s there to arrest them. Doesn’t remember who Prowl is and thinks he’s just another enforcer. Prowl denies the claim and tells them he was curious about what Sunstreaker was doing. Sunstreaker shows Prowl his sketch and says he’s trying to get some inspiration from the scenery. Prowl is in awe of his artistic capabilities and tells him how amazing it is. Sunstreaker is pleased and goes back to drawing. The three of them tour the gardens together. Sideswipe and Prowl converse with each other the whole time. Prowl finds conversing with Sideswipe to be quite enjoyable. Figures out the twins travel all over Cybertron looking for inspiration for Sunstreaker’s art pieces. Today was their last day in Praxus and they’ll be heading out tomorrow. The conversation ends and it’s time to leave the gardens. Sunstreaker gives Prowl a datapad and says it’s thanks for distracting Sideswipe while he drew. The twins leave first while Prowl stands there a bit stunned. He turns on the datapad to find a sketch of himself in the crystal gardens. He clutches the datapad and believes that he’ll never see the twins again.
- Millions of years later: War breaks out. Prowl is taking care of the recruitment of new Autobots. He notices two familiar faces on the list. He goes to greet all the new recruits and sees the twins in the crowd. Secretly happy that they’re still alive and that they weren’t on the opposing side. After all the other recruits Prowl finally gets to speak to the twins, but he keeps it professional and doesn’t acknowledge that they’ve met before. He realizes that they don’t remember him. Feels a bit disappointed because he’s the only one who found that moment in the gardens to be one of the most precious and memorable times of his life. Doesn’t show it on his face and remains impassive. After evaluating all the soldiers, Prowl goes back to his office to write reports. Distracted, he pulls out a worn out datapad and turns it on. He sadly smiles and stores it away again.
- Prowl wasn’t in love. It was just a small infatuation.
- They only have professional talks. Slightly unprofessional because of the twins but otherwise they have not had a casual conversation outside of work.
- Prowl thinks back about his first presumption of the twins and believes it to be true now. They are troublemakers. The amount of fights, pranks, complaints, and annoyances he has to deal with. His paperwork has doubled, no tripled ever since they arrived. Why did he want to ever see them again? Just because of a fleeting moment of joy? It was illogical to hold on to something so meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Yet despite his grievances he still gets happy when he sees them around base.
- The twins are sometimes scorned by the other Autobots. There are often rumors spread by victims of both Sideswipe’s pranks and Sunstreaker’s fists. Usually about how volatile the both of them are and that you should try to avoid them at any cost. But even with the sneering, the twins are willing to protect their fellow Autobots. Out on the field they’re bots who you can entrust your life to. Strong, reliable, able to adapt in any situation. They’re some of the best soldiers out there. Even if another bot and them have a grudge against each other, after an arduous battle you can find them all just having a drink in celebration of surviving. Prowl finds them admirable.
- The twins are used to being avoided by others. They’re dangerous. If they wanted they can rip a mech in two. Besides Optimus Prime there are only a few mechs the twins willing to respect and listen to. One of them being Prowl. Even after seeing them fight, he didn’t fear them. Or if he did he didn’t show it. He looked at them straight on. Eyes clear and calculating. Prowl also showed them the decency and respect he showed everyone else. He treated them like they were just regular mechs. So for respecting them, the twins respected him back. Doesn’t mean Sideswipe’s not going to prank him though. Prowl gets to be treated like any other mech after all.
- After every battle, Prowl surveys the field to check for any stragglers. He then heads straight to the medbay to check the conditions of the soldiers. It may just seem like a damage report to everyone else but Prowl genuinely cares how everyone is.
- When either or both of the twins are in the medbay, Prowl tends to linger a bit longer. If Sideswipe or Sunstreaker is by the other’s side, Prowl will gently comfort him with the promise that the other is in capable hands. This does not go unnoticed by Ratchet.
- Rumor has it that Prowl is sparkless. He doesn’t have feelings and is just a drone disguised to look like any other bot. He’s heard it all before. Even before the war, he was seen as an emotionless mech. Walking by he overhears a conversation being had about him. The same old tune. “He’s a sparkless drone.” Then he hears a familiarly jovial voice speak. “Him? Sparkless? Then you’ve never annoyed him enough to see how pissed off he can really get. It’s sort of funny seeing that usually stoic face scrunch up!” Another more gruff voice joins. “Yeah. He’s weird but he’s not a drone.” What the twins said wasn’t endearing in the slightest, however warmth still filled Prowl’s spark. He was glad those two didn’t go along with the rumors.
- Prowl would occasionally speak to them about things outside of work if he happens to bump into them in the rec room. It’s small talk but it’s nice.
- The first time other mechs thought Prowl wasn’t sparkless was during the fall of Praxus. The Shock. THE RAGE! …the despair… It was subtle since Prowl was trying to hold himself together, but everyone still felt it. During that time, the rumors stopped. No one could deny that Prowl was a mech like the rest of them. And if anyone did they would face the consequences from either high command, their fellow soldiers, or a pair of volatile twins.
- After rescuing Bluestreak from the ruins of Praxus, everyone saw a different side to their cold tactician. Prowl stayed by the survivor’s side the whole time he was passed out. The other commanding officers would bring Prowl all his work to the medbay. Ratchet grumbled but allowed him to make a little home in the corner. With this arrangement he can also watch over Prowl and make sure he refuels on time. The twins would come every now and again to bother/check up on their favorite enforcer. Ratchet once asked what relationship Prowl and the twins had but Prowl said it was just of soldiers and commander. Ratchet let it go since it wasn’t the time to pry.
- Smokescreen also comes to visit Bluestreak. He and Prowl both know that the three of them are probably the last remaining mechs of their frame type. They never interacted before until now, so it’s a bit awkward at first. Smokeecreen eventually brings up his favorite cafe in Praxus. That gets the ball rolling. They both start to reminisce about their home city. They realize that there were so many instances where they were at the same place at the same time but just never bumped into one another. Now they’re here… Prowl finds Smokescreen as someone he can speak comfortably with and Smokescreen finds Prowl more interesting than he initially thought.
- Bluestreak and Prowl got along great. Even though Bluestreak would go on loooonnnngg rambles, Prowl would sit there and quietly listen. They became close friends. A lot of mechs say that the only mech that can soften Prowl up is Bluestreak, but no one noticed his soft spot for a certain pair of split sparks. Except maybe Ratchet.
- This battle in particular made Prowl realize something. Something he didn’t want to acknowledge. Prowl and the twins were leaving the battlefield after a job well done when they were caught up in a surprise attack. As someone’s last stand, they set off an explosion nearby. Both twins were severely injured. Neither of them waking up. Crying out to Ratchet over comms, he made sure neither of them lost more energon than they already had. Ratchet finally got to the twins and rushed them to the medbay. Prowl went with him not wanting to leave their side. He waited outside the doors. He calculated the chances of them surviving. Calculated the things he should have done to prevent this from ever happening. He ran through everything once, twice, thrice all to take his mind off the possible future that he may have to live without them. Having thought that he realized… he couldn’t… He couldn’t imagine a future without those two pit-spawned twins. Not only that, he didn’t even want to think about a future without his twins. Who would annoy him with nonsensical pranks? Who would he listen to about the different types of waxes one should use? Who would he come back to after every battle? …That’s when Prowl realized, he’s fallen for them… He’s in love with the twins…
- Prowl hides this. After the twins are discharged, he treats them as he always had. He has to remain professional. There is no time for love. Besides there’s no way the two of them would feel the same. Best to avoid embarrassment and ignore the fluttering in his spark. The Autobots come first. His feelings don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
- Millions of years later: Earth. The Autobots have settled down on their new base of operations. They learn about many things on this planet from Spike and Sparkplug. That includes their holidays. Valentine’s Day was just around the corner and Prowl wanted to gift the twins something that day to show his admiration. He’s been holding in his feelings for millions of years, so what’s one day to show he loves them? No one has to know either. It’ll just be one of those secret admirer’s gift Spike has talked about in one of the Earth shows… Earth has made him far too relaxed. But Prowl was determined to do it. Then he realized one problem. Red Alert would have to know. The security director has cameras all over the Ark. He would definitely catch Prowl placing a gift outside the twins’ door. Since Prowl has never acted like this before, Red Alert would most likely fritz out in a panic claiming that a Decepticon disguised as Prowl placed a weapon in front of the twins’ door. Prowl could sneak around and disable the cameras but that would make Red Alert be even more paranoid. He did not want to do that to one of his friends. (They came to be friends after speaking safety and defense protocols over the years. And related to one another for having a glitched processor.) In the end, Prowl walked over to the security room to tell Red Alert of his plan. Red Alert saw Prowl coming before he even announced he was there and let him in. Preparing for the worst, Red Alert waits patiently for Prowl to compose himself and tell him of his plan. What he was not prepared for was Prowl’s confession of love for… their local pit-spawned twins…
- Prowl rushes Red Alert over to the medbay. Ratchet hits Prowl with a wrench for making Red Alert crash. Ratchet starts interrogating Prowl on what happened but Prowl is already embarrassed enough confessing once that he refuses to confess again. Red Alert wakes up and demands Ratchet to run a processor scan on Prowl. After the all clear on the scan, Red Alert asks if Prowl was serious. He shyly nods. Ratchet wondering what’s going on pesters Prowl for answers. Finally, Prowl confesses to both of them about his feelings towards the twins and all these years he’s been keeping them hidden. “I knew it. With the way you looked at them I knew something was up.” Prowl sheepishly hides his face in his hands. These were some of the moments where he wished his friend wasn’t so perceptive. Red Alert asks why he told him, and Prowl tells him of his plan for Valentine’s Day. Red Alert agrees to keep quiet and offers his help to keep a look out. Prowl takes that offer. Ratchet shakes his head and wonders why Prowl just doesn’t confess. But he also understands why he doesn’t. Believing no bot will ever come to love you, it would be hard for anyone to confess. Ratchet pats Prowl on the shoulder and wishes him all the best. Then he kicks the two out of the medbay.
- Being friends with the security director really comes in handy. Red Alert would comm Prowl of when and where bots were so there would be no witnesses to Prowl’s location. He finally arrived at the twins’ door. He placed the gift down, knocked on the door, and rounded the corner. After seeing Sideswipe pick up the package, Prowl went back to his office and thanked Red Alert over comms.
- Prowl was happy the twins enjoyed his gifts. For Sunstreaker, he got the highest quality of wax Earth has to offer. Prowl saw said mech strut into the rec room showing off his new shine. For Sideswipe, he got the new release of a highly coveted videogame series with the help of Chip. Prowl overheard Sideswipe talk excitedly to his friends about how good the series was and how excited he was to play it during his off time. Prowl couldn’t be happier making the people he love smile. He took a sip from his drink to hide his own.
- Prowl was working in his office when Sunstreaker suddenly came in asking for advice. Prowl patiently waited for whatever Sunstreaker had to ask. Then his spark shattered. Sunstreaker was wondering if there was anything specific Praxians did to court another mech… He wanted to court Bluestreak… Since Sunstreaker didn’t like Smokescreen very much, he came to Prowl for advice. Sunstreaker noticed Prowl’s pause and waves his hand in his face. Prowl gets out of his stupor and asks what he likes about Bluestreak. “I don’t know. He’s just a friendly mech I guess. He’s able to talk to anyone without fear of who they are… Even me. The rambling is annoying but it’s tolerable after a while.” “I see…” Prowl stays silent for a second processing, and recalls some of the lessons he was taught on how to properly court a mech. Sunstreaker thanks him and asks if he can get his help again. Prowl agrees. Once Sunstreaker leaves, Prowl locks his office and cries.
- A few days later, Sideswipe comes looking for Prowl’s advice as well. This time the spark break didn’t hurt as much, but it was still gut wrenching. Sideswipe has fallen for Smokescreen apparently and he couldn’t ask Bluestreak for help because he doesn’t want to cause a misunderstanding between him and his brother. “Sunny is way too obvious when he is interested in a mech. A mech not being scowled at all the time is a good indicator of him liking them.” “If you don’t mind me asking, what made you fall for Smokescreen?” “He’s a fun mech! Brings excitement to life you know. Cheeky too. It’s annoying when he cheats but there’s excitement in that too.” Prowl tells him what he told Sunstreaker about Praxian courtship. Sideswipe cheerfully leaves when Prowl agrees to help him with anything Praxian related. Prowl once again locks his office door so no one can walk in during his moment of weakness. His feelings really were meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
- Prowl goes to see Red Alert. Red Alert notices on the cameras how depressed Prowl has been for the last few days, so he lets him in immediately. The instant Red Alert asks Prowl what’s wrong, the tactician starts bawling. The security director, not knowing what to do, awkwardly hugs the SiC and comms Ratchet to come over. The medic finally arrives and sees the state Prowl and Red Alert are in. He eventually gets Prowl to settle down and tell them what’s wrong. “Are you a dumbaft?” “Ratchet!” “What?! He is! Prowl, why would you agree to help them if it’s just going to tear you apart?” “I… I just want them to find happiness.” “Prowl. Their happiness shouldn’t come at the cost of your own.” “…I know…” “Do you?” “I…” The three stay quiet for a little. “So what do you want to do?” “…I still wish to help them.” “Dumbaft.” “Ratchet!” “Perhaps, but maybe with this I’ll be able to move on from them knowing that they’re happy with other mechs.” “…Fine. But if it becomes too much just end it there, got it?” “Alright.” Ratchet pulls Prowl in for a hug. “You may be a tactical genius but you’re still such a dumbaft.”
- Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came to visit him often. It was usually at separate times but this time they happened to coincidently arrive at they same time. This was the moment Sunstreaker realized who Sideswipe had a crush on. “Really? That cheat?” “What can I say? I like ‘em bad.” After this moment, the two of them would come visit Prowl at the same time. One on one was bad enough, but now having two on one… Ratchet was right. He was a dumbaft.
- Even though it wasn’t under the greatest circumstances, Prowl still enjoyed sharing his knowledge and experience of Praxus and its people to anyone who would listen. It felt like his home still lived on through that. The twins were attentive listeners. Asking questions and reminiscing on their visit there. They spoke of their time at the Helix Gardens. Just when Prowl thinks they truly have forgotten him. “Hey Sunny. Do you remember that cute little enforcer we met there?” Prowl’s doorwings subtly shift up. “Yeah. What of it?” “Just wondering. You know, Prowl, you kind of remind me of him. You both have similar paint jobs.” “…I see. Are you saying all Praxian enforcers look the same?” “Not cool dude.” “Wha- Wait! Wait! That’s not what I meant at all!” Prowl chuckles. “I know. I was only joking.” The twins stare at him in silence. “…What is it?” “I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you laugh.” “Yeah… It was-” “Weird.” Prowl lowers his wings. Sunstreaker hits Sideswipe. “NOT IN A BAD WAY! It was weird in a good way! It was cute and I’m just not use to seeing you like that. You should laugh more often.” Prowl blushes. “…I see. Well I’m only comfortable laughing in good company.” Both twins feel slightly humbled by this. “Awwwww. You love us. Admit it.” “…I believe your shifts start in five. You best go before I write you up.” The twins leave. Prowl stares at the door with mixed emotions. “I do.”
- The twins go to visit Prowl even more than before. And not just for advice anymore. They just do it for the sake of spending time with him. They find his company enjoyable. Sometimes when Sunstreaker wanted an escape from everyone else, Prowl would allow him to draw in his office while he worked. And when Sideswipe was bored Prowl would play a few rounds of chess with him on their off time. Since Prowl has been doing so much for them, they started doing things for him too. Like bringing him energon when he forgets to refuel or threatening to get Ratchet if he starts overworking himself. Prowl is just digging a deeper hole for himself while the twins are oblivious to their own growing affections toward him.
- It has become common place for the twins to show up unannounced. Prowl was still working as usual. Sunstreaker sits to draw. Sideswipe pesters Prowl on when he’ll be finished, and Prowl suggests he grab something to read while he waits for him to finish. Sideswipe notices a worn down looking datapad and pulls it out. He sees the sketch of Prowl and realizes it’s one of Sunstreaker’s. “Prowl… How do you have this?” Sunstreaker gets up to look and is shocked. “This was at the Helix Gardens.” Prowl locks up in panic. “You were that enforcer? Why didn’t you tell us?” “…You two didn’t seem to remember so I just never brought it up.” “But this is great! I honestly thought you died in Praxus, but knowing that the enforcer from back then is actually sitting in front of us. It’s amazing!” “…So you’ve kept it all this time?” “…Yes… It was the first time someone gave me something so meaningful…” “So how long have you known it was us?” “…It’s quite hard to forget you two.” “So from the beginning?” “…Yes.” “Aww. Have you been thinking about us this whole time? You love us. Admit it.” “…I do” “…Huh?” “I said I do love you. And not just as friends. I love you in a romantic sense.” Prowl gets up to leave his office. “Wait. You love us?” “…Yes. And since you know now, I’m sorry but I can no longer give you any advice. I wish you two the best with your pursuits.” Prowl runs off before they could process what just happened. The twins go after him but can’t find him anywhere.
- “You’re a dumbaft.” “Sorry Prowl. This time I’ll have to agree.” “…I know.” “You can’t hide from them forever.” “…I’ll try for as long as I can.” “…You’re a dumbaft.”
- Prowl’s avoiding them. Even going as far as to not be in his office. They’re getting really irritated over not being able to find him. But what annoys them even more is not getting their designated Prowl time. They didn’t realize how much they really enjoyed his presence until it was gone. After a week they decided to stop searching for him out of spite. If he no longer wanted to be with them then fine. They didn’t need Prowl anyway. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe continue their pursuit of Bluestreak and Smokescreen respectively, but quickly realize they weren’t in love with them. They’re both great mechs and it’s great hanging out with them, but that’s all. They can only see them as friends. The one truly on their processor was their elusive enforcer. The twins decide to continue their search for Prowl.
- Unluckily the search had to stop. The Decepticons were on the attack again. Luckily it seems the twins will be in the same group as the tactician. They head out on their mission. Both of them try to get Prowl to talk about that day but he just stays hyper focus on their mission. It finally comes to a breaking point. The hurt Prowl sees on the twins faces breaks his spark. He caused this. He never wanted to cause this. Before he gets to apologize he notices a seeker coming their way. He pushes the twins away and gets carried off. He shoots at his kidnapper and in turn the seeker rips one of his doorwings. He shoots again and they both go down. Sideswipe uses his jetpack to catch Prowl and land safely on the ground. Prowl’s severely injured. The twins comm Ratchet and head to the medbay.
- It’s been a few days and the twins remain at Prowl’s side the whole time he’s been out. When it’s Sideswipe’s shift Sunstreaker would stay with Prowl and vice versa. They didn’t want to let him go again. The twins were so overly protective him that they only allowed Ratchet to touch the SiC. During this time they realized their feelings and prayed on everything that he would wake up soon.
- Eventually Prowl wakes up and find the twins on either side of him. They worriedly check over him and ask how he’s feeling. He tells them that he’s been better. Prowl apologizes for worrying them. He also apologizes for avoiding them all this time and hurting them. He was just afraid of their rejection. He still loves them so he understands if they’re not comfortable with still being friends with him. The twins look at each other and go to kiss each of his cheeks. Prowl is stun locked. “You’re a real dumbaft, Prowl.” Then Ratchet comes in. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
- The twins confess their feelings for Prowl, so he doesn’t mistake their actions for just friendship somehow. Once he fully processes that they want him just as much as he wants them, Prowl starts crying. It freaks the twins out but he eases their worries, letting them know it’s just tears of joy. Cute moments in the medbay with them bringing Prowl his energon and making sure he’s not in too much pain. Ratchet just grumbling in the back that he has to bear witness to all their PDA, but secretly happy Prowl’s love was requited.
- Once Prowl is discharged, the twins are just smothering him in affection. Not that he’s complaining. He may have been the first to fall, but they definitely fell a lot harder.