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“Come on, Arcee, push me harder!”
“I thought you were stronger than that,” the mech replied teasingly.
She did just that, and the mech on the swing shrieked with delight.
“Of course I am,” she replied smugly. “And just wait until I get in my adult frame, I’ll be able to take down Megatron himself!”
Springer smiled from his seat on the swing next to them. He didn’t like going high like Arcee and Hot Rod did, so he was content to gently sway back and forth, watching.
Though other kids were outside on the playground with them, they were the only ones at the swings. Most kids were inside, napping or watching TV.
That reminded him.
“Hey guys, what time is it?”
“Time for you to get a new chronometer, Springer!” Hot Rod responded, giggling.
He blushed in embarrassment. He’d broken his chronometer last cycle when he tripped over his own pedes racing with some of the other kids.
“Hey, keep being mean to him and I’ll stop pushing you!”
“Ughhhh, alright, sorry, Springer,” the mech replied, not sounding sorry at all.
“It’s noon, why?” Arcee asked, pushing the other absentmindedly.
“Doesn’t The Wreckers come on at noon?” Springer asked, scratching his helm in thought.
At that, the pink mech gasped.
“Why didn’t you guys say anything!?”
She reached out to stop the swing abruptly, causing the mech to be thrown off.
“Oof,” the mech wheezed as he faceplanted.
“Ughhh, now we’re gonna miss the whole show!” she said, throwing up her arms.
“We aren’t gonna miss your lame show, Arcee,” replied Hot Rod from his place on the ground.
“Shut up, Hot Rod! The Wreckers are not lame!” she exclaimed, pointing at him.
The Wreckers was a show about, well, the Wreckers. Arcee had taken a liking to it after stumbling upon it by mistake.
He honestly didn’t think the show was for kids, though. Some of the scenes were kind of scary.
Springer wasn’t as into the show as Arcee, but even he had to admit Impactor was cool. He liked watching the mech fight; the experience was both terrifying and exciting.
“Come on, guys, let’s go!”
She grabbed Hot Rod off the ground, basically dragging him, and grabbed Springer’s arm too, pulling them both back inside to the entertainment room..
Arcee also thought Impactor was cool, but she mainly watched for Ultra Magnus. He was her favorite wrecker actually, and probably the only reason she watched the show. Well, she also liked the explosions.
Springer thought he was too serious, and Hot Rod agreed.
Hot Rod mostly watched for the action; he didn’t care for the Ultra Magnus or Impactor or any of the other mechs. He was more interested in the current prime. He constantly gushed about the red and blue mech and even ranted about all the things he could do better, even though he was a sparkling who knew nothing about politics.
Springer thought the prime was cool too, but he didn’t have much frame of reference; they were all pretty young when Sentinel Prime was around.
Resigning to his fate, Springer let himself be dragged into the entertainment room. There was no one watching TV at the time, most of the other kids knew it was their turn with the TV since they watched the show at the same time every cycle.
Not that it mattered. Arcee and Hot Rod never minded fighting over TV privileges if they had to.
Ignoring the couch, they flopped onto the floor in front of the TV while Arcee grabbed the remote to change the channel.
They were just in time.
Arcee squealed as her idol showed up on the screen.
The blue mech stood tall and imposing, staring ahead at the audience, hands crossed behind his back, as he spoke with his voice clear and confident.
“Greetings, viewers. I am Ultra Magnus, second-in-command of the Autobots and a leader of the Wreckers unit. I have sworn to protect my fellow Autobots and Cybertronians alike.”
He firmly struck his fist to his chest.
“This program presents our many battles and hardships, and above all, reveals what exactly it takes to be a wrecker.”
He finished assuming his previous stance.
“Viewer discretion is advised.”
It was always the same prerecorded intro of Ultra Magnus or Impactor that played every time they watched the show.
To Springer, the blue mech always looked like he was being forced to do it; maybe he did it to make his friends happy. It reminded him of when Arcee and Hot Rod would beg him to show off his flight alt mode, and he always did, cause then they would go on and on about how cool it was to be a triple changer.
He smiled to himself.
The mech finished his introduction, and the screen blanked before switching to another member of the Wreckers, Perceptor.
Before getting to the action, the show usually had a section where the scientist would go on about his many scientific discoveries and all the weapons and devices he created to aid them in their endeavors.
It was extremely boring.
Instead of keeping his opinions to himself like Springer did, Hot Rod said everything he thought out loud.
“Ughhh This guy is suchhh a geek.”
“I’m growing tired just listening,” he said, faking a yawn.
Arcee shrugged.
“Yeah, he is, but look at all the cool weapons he makes!”
“I’m totally getting a bigillion installed when I get into my adult frame,” she said, grinning.
“Yeah, same! Plus, I’m gonna be taller than you, so I’ll have more space for installation,” Hot Rod finished smugly.
“You are not gonna be taller than me!” she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.
“You’ll probably be that height for the rest of your life!” she giggled, pointing at him.
“No, I won’t!”
Springer phased them out as they began arguing.
He had hit a growth spurt first, so he was currently about a head taller than both of them; most of their arguments lately have been about which of the two of them would be next.
Whew, all this talk about growing up was making him feel grim. He liked being here with Arcee, Hot Rod, and all the other sparklings at their school, but it had to happen sooner or later.
He brought his focus back to the screen. The Autobot might’ve been geeky, but knowing that much about anything at all was pretty cool. Maybe he’d enroll in the academy and be a scientist like Perceptor.
“Hey, guys,”
They kept arguing like they hadn’t heard him, but he knew they had, so he kept going.
“What are we gonna do when we get older and stuff?”
At that, they both stopped to turn and look at him.
They both squinted at him for a moment before they each put their thumb and forefinger on their chins, feigning deep thought.
They could be so alike sometimes, for all they argued.
Hot Rod responded first.
“We just told you that we’re all gonna get super cool weapon upgrades, didn’t you hear?”
“Yeah, maybe he busted his audioreceptors when he broke his chronometer!” Arcee responded, and both of the mechs cackled.
“No, you idiots!” He flushed at the reminder of his fumble. “I mean, what are we gonna do do?” he said, throwing his arms wide for emphasis.
Both squinted at him before Arcee’s eyes widened slightly.
“Ohhhhhhh”
“Oh, what?” Hot Rod asked, still not getting it.
She ignored him and assumed her thinking pose again. Then she perked up and punched her fist into her other hand.
“We’re gonna join the Wreckers obviously!”
Hot Rod’s eyes widened in realization while Springers squinted in thought.
He thought of Ultra Magnus and Impactor and imagined himself fighting alongside them.
Springer was pretty strong, plus he had two whole alt modes. He’d be a great wrecker!
He smiled, clapping his hands together.
“You’re so smart, Arcee, that’s a great idea!”
“Frag yeah it yes!” Hot Rod chimed in loudly, pumping his fist.
Springer laughed at the mech’s dramatics.
Most of all, he wanted the three of them to stay together. Arcee and Hot Rod were his bestest friends, so they had to stay together when they grew up.
He reached out to pull the two of them into a crushing hug before they could protest. He knew they’d start making fun of him for being a sap, so he made it quick.
“Whatever we do, let’s just make sure we stay together, okay?” he said, squeezing them tighter.
“Ughhh, come on, Springer,” Hot Rod groaned, wriggling to escape the hug. “Of course we will, alright!”
Arcee squeezed him back lightly before doing the same. “Of course we’ll stay together, no reason to get all mopey about it.”
They pushed him off, but they were both blushing embarrassingly, and he could only laugh.
They would fight off the Decepticons together, and Springer would be able to protect the two of them at the same time.
It was his duty as the tallest of course.
“Alright guys, it’s back to Magnus, shh,” Arcee spoke, placing her finger over her mouth.
Springer moved to sit between his two friends, snuggling against them.
As the show played, he watched contently, full of motivation for their future.
After all, they had everything figured out.