Okay, peeps. Lots of y'all were wanting me to write a one-shot on Optimus's sparkling-sitting experience, so here it is. Here's the deal, though.: I couldn't figure out how to make it flow as a one-shot, so I decided I would split it into four parts: Arrival, playtime, feeding/naptime, and pickup. I do not expect these to be long at all, just something to write during writer's block, but hey, they're something to read, right? Thanks for reading it, and I hope you enjoy. :)
Part 1
The Arrival
'This has to be a joke.'
This was the single thought of Orion Pax as he stared into the room of organized chaos before him. His mentor chuckled as he patted the future Prime on his helm. Sentinel Prime had been instructing young Orion on how to run Cybertron should anything happen to the currently reigning prime. Sentinel had commented more than once on the strange likeness running a planet had to running a daycare. Orion had only stared at him in confusion. Running a planet held much more prestige than running a daycare. Why would Sentinel even think about comparing the two. That was when Orion had made his mistake.
"If running Cybertron is like running a daycare, then it must not be too difficult."
Sentinel had immediately scolded Orion on making assumptions on two things he had never experienced and knew next to nothing about. Then the colossal red mech had decided that perhaps sparkling-sitting would give Orion some good training on caring for specific needs of specific beings. After all, different city-states needed different things depending on their global placement and terrain. Vosian buildings needed harder metal than Iaconian buildings because Vosian buildings doubled as landing spots and perching spots for Seekers. Working at the local daycare could help Orion's comprehension of that fact.
Hence their presence at the daycare center.
"Once again, Sentinel Prime, sir," the brown-nosing daycare runner said in a lofty voice, "there is no way we could possibly express the honor you have given us in allowing us to teach your ward how to care for sparklings." Orion resisted the urge to glare at the navy blue mech. Glaring at subjects was frowned upon.
"Of course, Freeplay. Orion has been looking forward to this all orn, have you not, mechling?" Sentinel said cheerfully. Orion sent him a withering look, then turned his attention back to the room before him. The door was cut in half horizontally, and the top half of the door was open. It was the first time in a long time that Orion had seen a door that actually swung open, rather than sliding open. The weird door had a knob instead of a keypad. How utterly low-tech. If this was the outside, Orion shuddered when he thought of what awaited him past this pathetic excuse for a door.
"Are you… sure about this… sir?" Orion asked hesitantly, looking up at his mentor with a pleading expression.
"Yes, my ward. You will need the experience."
"But I don't – do not –" he corrected at Sentinel's scowl. A prime did not use contractions like common work bots. "– know anything about sparklings."
"You will have assistance, and you will learn," Sentinel promised. Orion gave him a reluctant and worried look, causing Sentinel to chuckle."Come, my ward. Do not think of it as a death sentence. Treat it as a new adventure."
"I think I would rather take on the Senate," Orion mumbled as Sentinel turned the ridiculous knob on the bottom door. "At least they have some semblance to logic." The door opened, and a shout rose from the room.
"No! Catch him!" a female voice cried.
"Get back here, you little slagger!" a familiar male voice snarled. Orion's optics ridges rose as he stared at his younger brother, a mechling that he hadn't seen since they were sparklings, as he chased an alarmingly fast red sparkling. The sparkling cheered as it rushed past Sentinel's pedes, expertly avoiding the red prime's servos as it rushed toward freedom. Orion smiled as he bent down and neatly plucked the sparkling up by its scruff bar as it moved past. The sparkling gave a furious buzz and stuck its glossa out at the red and blue mechling as it was cradled close to the future prime's chassis.
"Now, now, young one. It is far safer in here than it is out there," Orion claimed. He moved into the room and closed the door behind him before setting the angry sparkling on the ground by his pedes. The sparkling gave another irate buzz before speed-crawling over to a yellow sparkling that looked identical to it.
"I see you've met our local escape artist, Sideswipe," that female voice said on a chuckle. Orion grinned as he stood and looked at the owner of the voice.
And froze.
She. Was. Beautiful! Pink armor was spread over sleek curves and accented angelic baby blue optics. Her musical, angelic voice carried over to him, though he couldn't decipher the words. That is, until Sentinel's servo connected with the back of his helm.
"Ow!" Orion snapped, glaring at his mentor as he was unable to decide if he should be more embarrassed by said mentor smacking him or by the fact that he had been staring rather owlishly at the femme youngling before him.
"Sorry, child. I was worried your optics were going to fall out," Sentinel said, unrepentant. Orion felt his ego take another hit as his cheek plates flushed blue and his cooling fans flick on in embarrassment. His brother's snickering didn't help the situation, either. "This is Elita," Sentinel introduced.
"H-hi," Orion greeted, cursing his stutter as he strengthened his spark signal in greeting. Elita smile, causing aforementioned spark shutter in its casing.
"Hello, future Prime of Cybertron," she replied, bowing at the waist. Orion frowned.
"There's –" Another smack from Sentinel. "– There is no need to bow to me. I am not prime yet. My name is Orion. Orion Pax."
"Okay… Orion," Elita replied as she straightened. His name on her lip components made a shiver run down his main support strut. His attention was grabbed by a low snort of amusement.
"And why are you and Soundwave here, Megatron?" Sentinel asked neutrally. Megatron scowled as he attempted to shake a recently attached seeklet off his foot.
"Punishment. Killswitch is torque because I snuck into a meeting."
"Sneaked," Orion corrected automatically. Megatron sent him a scathing glare.
"Grammar doesn't matter, you science twit," he snapped. "Neither do sparklings, the little monsters."
"Maybe if you took time to learn how to care for them and decipher their feelings, you'd actually understand them, and you might even start liking them," a blue femme youngling retorted as she appeared from the kitchen area with a blue seeklet and a black and purple seeklet on her shoulders. She grimaced a little when she bent down to grab the sparkling attached to Megatron's foot. "You're the only flier here, so of course the trine is obsessed with you! Now stop shaking Starscream!" she snapped as she lifted the red, white, and blue seeklet into her hands. She fought another grimace as she stood. The two seeklets on her shoulders would clamp their claws under her armor every time she moved, and the feeling was quite uncomfortable. She remedied this by placing the seeklet's on Megatron's wings, one by one.
"Slaggit, femme! What are you doing!" he demanded. The seeklets clamped down on the wings they were perched on with the blunted claws on their servos and pedes.
"The name's Chromia, and if you swear in here again, I will call my betrothed to offline you!" the blue femme snapped. Orion frowned. Betrothal was a rather barbaric idea to him. Auctioning your femme creation off to the richest family? It made him shudder.
"Orion, I must depart. Do your job well, and I will not make you come again." Orion looked up at his guardian as he left. The second the door opened, a red blur rushed toward it, only to be recaptured by the young future prime.
"Sorry, Sideswipe, but you may not leave," Pax said sadly as his mentor closed the bottom door and disappeared. The red sparkling whistled angrily and retreated once again to his yellow twin once he was released. "Now, what exactly does this job entail?" Orion asked as he straightened.
"Jeez. Are you always this formal?" Chromia asked with wide optics.
"Of course," Orion replied with a frown. "A prime is the face of his planet. His words must reflect his wisdom and knowledge, and his expressions must be controlled. A sloppy prime means a sloppy Cybertron."
Silence. Orion honestly couldn't understand these younglings' confusion. He had been taught since the very beginning of his younglinghood that his words and expressions reflected not only his mentor, but all of Cybertron. The last thing he wanted was to be metaphorically dressed down by the Senate. The silence was broken first by the curious clicks of the three seeklets, then Elita spoke up.
"Uhhm… Did Sentinel make you memorize that?" she asked hesitantly.
"Statement: logical," Soundwave suddenly stated in his monotone voice. Every bot in the room jolted slightly.
"Primus slaaaaaps," Megatron snapped, changing his last word when Chromia sent him a dark glare. "Don't do that!"
"Apology offered," Soundwave replied. Megatron scoffed.
"Warriors don't apologize," he retorted. Soundwave nodded sagely at Megatron's statement.
"So… what is our job?" Orion repeated, wondering if this was how Sentinel felt during his meetings with the Senate. They often had trouble staying on topic, if the scribe's meeting script was anything to go by.
"Just watch them and keep them entertained," Elita said with a shrug. Orion nodded.
"If that's all, then this really shouldn't be too difficult."
When would he learn?
For those of you who are wondering who all will be in this fic, here's my list.
Sparkling or youngling name: Age group - Adult who is picking them up
Orion Pax, future Prime of Cybertron: Youngling – Sentinel Prime, reigning Prime of Cybertron
Megatron, future Lord Protectorate of Cybertron: Youngling – Killswitch, reigning High Lord Protectorate of Cybertron
Soundwave, future bodyguard of Megatron: youngling – Killswitch, reigning High Lord Protectorate of Cybertron
Elita: Youngling – Beta (Yeah, I know it's a stretch, but whatever, right?)
Chromia: Youngling – Ironhide, Second in Command and bodyguard to Killswitch
Starscream, visiting Prince of Vos: Sparkling – Jetfire
Skywarp, member of future Vosian Royal Command Trine: Sparkling – Jetfire
Thundercracker, member of future Vosian Royal Command Trine: Sparkling – Jetfire
Jazz: Sparkling – Hound
Prowl: Sparkling – Hound
Bluestreak: Sparkling – Nightbeat
Sideswipe: Sparkling – Ratchet
Sunstreaker: Sparkling - Ratchet