Julien Caeg requested this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy! :)

Transformers Prime belongs to Hasbro. I own nothing.

A Good Leader Doesn't Let His Men Suffer

"Alright, we got the Energon," Arcee said.

"And it's quite a haul," Knockout said. "This will not only replenish our stores but also give us some extra."

"That will be good," Ratchet said. "I always worry when I have to use some of our Energon stores to replenish the medbay."

Ultra Magnus checked the readouts. "Smokescreen and Wheeljack have found another cave with Energon," he said.

"Oh, good," Optimus said. "Bulkhead, you and Ratchet get this load back to base. The rest of us will go help Smokescreen and Wheeljack."

With the findings of Energon, everyone was in a good mood. Not even the rain outside was bringing them down. The former 'Cons had found more Energon earlier that week and mined it successfully and now were helping out with these next shipments. "We'll have the vault filled to the brim soon," Megatron said. "We may need to look into another vault."

"That might not be a bad idea," Soundwave said.

"I have been considering it," Optimus said. "Soundwave, would you and Starscream be willing to work with Bulkhead and Wheeljack about constructing another vault?"

Both nodded, feeling humbled that the red-and-blue Autobot selected them to help with the important task. "With the four of us, we can make the vault as strong as the other one," Starscream said. "I think I know the perfect spot for it too. There's an unused storage room just past our resting quarters."

"And we can make it bomb proof as we did when we fixed the other one," Soundwave stated.

"That will be good," Megatron said. "It will keep enemies out."

"And make it very difficult for any intruder to get out if they manage to get in," Predaking said.

They finished mining and had more than enough to fill the vault and for Ratchet and Knockout to replenish the medbay and most of them headed back while Sideswipe, who had been patrolling and on his way back, found another Energon mine and called Optimus to tell him to come and check it out.

To say the leader of the Autobots was shocked would have been an understatement. "This is a huge Energon mine," he said in awe and called Soundwave, who said they'd have the new vault ready by the end of the day, which was good news and the others were excited to hear about the huge Energon deposit that Sideswipe had found.

Optimus and Sideswipe had just started mining the Energon when the rain began to really pour down, making the roads dangerous. Bulkhead told them the roads were very slick and starting to flood. The leader of the Autobots suggested they stay in the base and see about sending a Groundbridge to the new mine coordinates, but with the storm, it wasn't possible to set up a stable portal, so it was decided to wait until the storm let up. Sideswipe contacted Sunstreaker through the bond and was comforted that his twin was right there.

"Well, looks like we'll have to wait until the storm clears," Optimus said.

"Hopefully it won't be long before it clears up," the red mech said softly.

He had never told anyone this except for his twin, but he was scared to death of thunderstorms. The sound of thunder reminded him of an attack on Cybertron when he was younger. A missile had exploded near their home. Thankfully, no one got injured, but it scared him so bad that whenever he heard a missile land or explode, it brought back that fear ten-fold. One would think a missile would be louder than thunder, but to Sideswipe, they sounded the same, especially if the thunder crashed overhead, something he really didn't like.

Deciding to do some more mining to get his mind off the storm, the red mech continued working, noting that Optimus was doing the same, something he was grateful for. They worked for a bit longer until the thunder suddenly crashed very loudly over their heads.

Optimus glanced up, but didn't react. However, he jumped when he heard Sideswipe cry out in alarm and looked to see the red mech had skittered back towards the wall of the mine, fear in his optics as he began shaking. Concerned, the leader of the Autobots stood up and went over to him. "Sideswipe? What is the matter, soldier?" He asked, using a calm tone.

The poor mech was still shaking and didn't respond right away, so the red-and-blue mech kneeled beside him, placing a comforting hand on Sideswipe's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to try and get the mech's attention. It seemed to work as Sideswipe took a deep breath and began calming down. "Sideswipe? What spooked you, soldier?" Optimus asked in concern.

Sideswipe flushed as red as his armor, looking very embarrassed. "It's nothing, sir," he said softly.

But instead of letting it go, the leader decided that he was going to get answers another way and he knew exactly how. His experience as a father certainly came in handy at times.

The red mech didn't even notice what Optimus was doing until he felt something wiggle into his neck and he squealed, quickly moving to get away, but was pinned down by his leader, who reached for Sideswipe's neck again and wiggled all ten fingers into it, making the trapped mech squeal again before giggles and laughter erupted from him.

"OPTIMUHUHUHUHUHUHUHHUHUHUHUHUHUS! SIHIHIHIHIR! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Sideswipe pleaded through his laughter.

"Are you willing to tell me what spooked you, Sideswipe?" The red-and-blue mech asked teasingly. He had a feeling he knew it was the storm, but he wanted the red mech to admit it. He let him have a breather, but kept his hands hovering over his trapped victim, wiggling his fingers teasingly and playfully moving his hands closer to the mech's stomach, making him giggle nervously in anticipation. "Well, are you?"

Sideswipe looked away. "It's really nothing, sir," he said.

"Is it the storm?"

Though the question was asked gently, the red mech still flinched hard and looked upset. "The thunder?" Optimus asked, his voice again gentle.

The poor mech sighed. "Yeah," he said softly. "The thunder's really loud. Kind of like a missile."

Optimus couldn't argue that point. "What brought on this fear, Sideswipe?" He asked.

The gentle, understanding tone of his voice helped Sideswipe to calm down and explain. "A missile exploded near my home once," he said. "No one got hurt, but…it really shook us up. Sunny and I were barely younglings at the time."

The red-and-blue mech nodded. "No wonder you were spooked," he said. "And the thunder crashing overhead isn't helping either."

"No. It brings back those memories and…well, you've seen."

Optimus helped Sideswipe up to his feet. "I won't tell anyone, soldier," he said. "But…you can always come talk to me whenever."

That made the red mech feel better. "Thank you, Optimus," he said gratefully and he looked outside. "Hey, I think the rain is nearly gone."

They looked and saw it was. "Ah, good," Optimus said. "Let's see if Ratchet can get a Groundbridge here."

This time, the attempt was successful and they picked up the load of Energon and were ready to step into the portal for home. "Optimus," Sideswipe said before they entered. "Thanks again. I'm honored to be one of your men."

The leader nodded. "And I'm honored to have you as one of my men, Sideswipe," he said before they entered the portal. Optimus then turned to him again. "Remember, a good leader doesn't let his men suffer."

Sideswipe nodded. "And you're a good leader, Optimus," he said honestly.

They arrived at base and everyone jumped in to help with the new Energon load and put it in the new vault that had been built. Everyone was in good spirits and Sideswipe hugged his brother, who returned the hug. "You okay, bro?" Sunstreaker asked.

Giving Optimus a grateful look over his brother's shoulder, the red mech nodded. "Yeah, I am," he said, hugging his brother again.

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418