Knockout scowled just lightly enough to not crease his faceplate. "You know I don't like sparklings, Breakdown. It was hard enough getting that thing out of Airachnid in the first place."
'And times like this I wish he was just left in her spark chamber.' He decided against voicing that though, dimly remembering Breakdown's hammer rampage over the Vehicons all crowding to see his newspark.
Speaking of the big mech, both he and the sparkling in his servos frowned back at Knockout. "Tough slag. I don't trust Starscream or Soundwave with Shattershock and you're the only one with a free schedule all day."
Knockout groaned and rubbed at his pounding processor. "Can't you just dump him in the command center with Megatron while he's monologuing to himself?"
Breakdown raised the eyeridge above his good optic. "I would, if I felt like having all my rations suspended for the next vorn."
Knockout rolled his optics. "
'Looking at the two of you, it'd do you both some good.' Breakdown always had a bulky frame type for heavy lifting- it was the whole reason he was of any use in a lab- but sirehood had given him more excess protoform than strength. And Shattershock was more like a globe than a sparkling, practically rolling around in his sire's grip. As Knockout made a mental note to put him on a proper diet, the sparkling must have saw something in the medic's optics as he instantly started wailing.
Breakdown almost jumped in shock, but recovered quickly enough to shovel the blame aside and nestle Shattershock near his spark. "Oh great, now you've upset him!"
Knockout scoffed indignantly, raising his voice above the sparkling. "You were clearly the one holding him too tightly!"
"Oh, don't give me that scrap-!"
"Breakdown." Both mechs halted at the sound of Airachnid's voice and even Shattershock's shrieks faded to whimpers, with Breakdown cringing slightly from her glare. "Give Shattershock to me."
Sheepishly, Breakdown handed the sniffling sparkling over while muttering, "Yes, dear."
Airachnid cradled Shattershock and lightly kissed his helm, morphing his wails into giggles. Even Knockout had to be impressed at the effect a carrier had on her child, especially one as off putting as Airachnid. She turned her attention to the medic with a more muted simmer in her optics.
"The patrol will take a few breems at the most, so make sure he gets his liquid rations," she rolled off by memory, letting the sparkling's helm rest against her chestplates. "He can't walk yet but he likes to crawl on top of things so keep him out of the med bay. If he starts wailing, just calm him down with a lullaby."
Knockout hesitantly reached out to take the sparkling for himself with another scoff. "Oh, yes, I've got a whole library of those saved somewh-" His complaints were promptly cut off by his servos suddenly being wrenched towards the floor by Shattershock's weight. He was heavier than he looked in the sense of a box of scraplets having a quantum engine hidden at the bottom of it.
"Primus, Breakdown, what have you been feeding him!?" Knockout grunted, trying to lift with his back without breaking his spinal column in half.
Breakdown got that guilty look again. "Well, whenever he gets upset I give him treats to cheer him up."
"And how often does he get upset?" Knockout asked.
"The optic patch scares him a little, so..."
Airachnid decided to spare her sparkmate any further accusation, stepping in front of him. "You have our comm frequencies, so we'll be going now. Goodbye, sweetspark."
Knockout's faceplate flushed from more than just the exertion of holding the sparkling aloft. "My, my, Airachnid, Breakdown hasn't even left yet-"
"I was talking to Shattershock," the spider deadpanned.
"Oh." Knockout's disappointment remained after the two had disappeared from view. He looked down at the sparkling, trying not to think of the pressure marks he must be leaving on his servo paint.
"Let just hope you mostly take after your carrier," he muttered, unsure he could put up with another oversized idiot on board.
Shattershock just blinked up at him. "Uncle Knocky?"
"Don't call me that."