In the beginning, there was…

A day-care.

Do not let its looks deceive you. Once the door closes and your carrier or sire leaves you behind in the padded rooms with countless toys, you are never coming back out until your parents retrieve you. And in that time, you are subject to the laws of the Day-Care Center for Sparklings.

In this day-care, there were sparklings that were to be great leaders, and great medics, and great warriors, but they were not to be so yet. Right now, they were great protectors of toys, and blocks.

The newest arrival was at the bottom of the pecking order, and the little mechling was called Orion Pax.

Megatronus looked up from roughly tugging on Starscream's sensitive wings and he pushed the little Seekerling away. "Who is that?"

Orion blinked around, holding onto his pedes as he rocked back and forth on his aft. He was perfectly content with what he was doing, and had no need for the toys strewn across the ground. He enjoyed just watching everyone else play.

Starscream took an instant disliking to the little sparkling and his wings twitched in anger. Megatronus was more concerned with the new arrival than with him! He whined for Megatronus' attention, but the silver mechling was too occupied with prodding Pax to notice. Starscream was taken over with a fierce jealousy. He pushed himself to his pedes and he walked over to investigate, hanging on Megatronus for support.

"Hai," Orion giggled sweetly. He purred up at them, unable to stand for long. Instead he sat on his knees and he reached up to be held, the way Megatronus was helping Starscream stand. Instead Megatronus pushed the little sparkling down, earning a squeal from Soundwave, an assistant at the day-care center.

He shook his helm in disapproval and he lifted Megatronus to set him into the playpen used for time-outs.

"I'll getchu for this, Pax!" Megatronus sat down heavily on his aft, glaring at Orion while he purred and waved sweetly. Starscream glared at him as he ran to his master, squeaking and trying to help him out (Plan B was to get in with him, which was established when Soundwave took pity on the little Seeker and he put him into the playpen as well). Megatronus growled as Starscream nuzzled him happily and he shot another glare to Pax.

The little sparkling laid down for a nap, curling into a ball as he listened to sparklings squeal and run around. He cried out when someone tripped over him and he blinked at the suddenly shy sparkling that laid across him.

Knockout blinked his blue optics over at Pax, slowly pulling each leg over his body and moving so they did not touch. Pax secretly missed the feeling of Knockout touching him and he whined quietly.

"You okkee?"

"I fine," Knockout promised. He stood slowly, then sprinted to hide behind the biggest sparkling, a blue mech with a red face: Breakdown.

When Soundwave scooped Megatronus and Starscream out of the playpen, the silver mech immediately pulled away from the Seekerling and he stopped as far away as he could possibly get from Pax. There he sat on his little blanket fort/tower and he glared at the little Orion while he curled back up to sleep.

There was suddenly a cry of pain and Soundwave left to retrieve the medic, a young mech by the name of Ratchet, and they walked to tend to a fallen Starscream. The Seekerling sobbed, having been pushed down the fort by Megatronus.

"What happened, little one?" Ratchet touched his bent wing and he gently cooed to calm him.

"I-I fell," he whined, his little wings shaking as he laid on his belly. "Meggy tried to stop me, but he couldn't grab me in time, and I fell."

Orion crawled over and he put his servo on Ratchet's knee, whining softly as he looked up at him. "I help?"

"Yes, lovely. I need you to hold him still, okay?" He purred as he watched Pax hold the Seekerling in his arms and he gently bound the wing so that it would heal straight. He felt a surge of jealousy when he saw Orion hold the Seekerling, but he pushed it aside. He was no older than the little mechling, he decided. It would be a short while before we can possibly date. He smiled at the thought, then he stroked each of their helms. "Get some rest, baby Seeker."

Orion watched the medic go with Soundwave and he smiled, slowly setting the Seekerling down on the floor so he could crawl and lead him back to a small fort in the other corner of the room.

"Can'tchu walk?" Starscream stood as he tipped his helm, watching the sparkling crawl.

"No," Orion admitted and he looked up at the Seekerling.

Starscream bit his lip, then he helped Orion to his pedes. "I gotchu…"

"Thank you," he murmured quietly and he let the Seekerling guide him to the fort in the corner. "Hewwo?"

Wheeljack ran out, putting his servo out. "Stahp. Who goes dere?"

Bulkhead poked his helm out, then retreated back inside with a low giggle.

Orion smiled and could not help but giggle as he held onto Starscream. "I Owion Paxth. Who you?"

Wheeljack looked him up and down, then shrugged. "I Wheeljack, but you can cawl me Jackie. Bulky does. Wewl, come on! Into da fort!"

Orion dropped to his servos and knees and he crawled in beside Starscream, gasping when he saw Bulkhead, a femme, another mech, and a smaller sparkling bundled up in the femme's arms. "Hai!"

Starscream sat closest to the door, ready to flee (since he wasn't exactly welcomed by anyone due to always being seen hanging around Megatronus, who was the day-care-bully). He watched the mech kiss the femme's cheek and he looked away again.

Wheeljack sat down against Bulkhead and they sat there, watching the sparkling in the femme's arms as he slept.

The femme spoke first. "I Arcee. This is Tailgate, and this is Bumblebee. He an orphan like us. We come to day-care to play sometimes, but we not here all da time."

Orion smiled gently as he nodded. He had seen the orphan buses come by to drop them off when he sat by his window. Sometimes the orphanages just didn't have enough room or enough volunteers to watch all of the sparklings that came in.

He smiled and he coaxed Starscream closer as he purred a bit, falling asleep against him.

Ratchet came to fetch the sparkling, purring when he found him with his friends. He lifted Orion out of Starscream's arms and he smiled gently when the sparkling woke up. "Hello, little one. Your mother is here to take you home. Did you have a good time here?"

Orion smiled gently, his optics dim as he nodded. He purred. "When can I come back?"

The medic laughed as he slowly passed the sparkling to his carrier. "You can come back whenever Stormchaser drops you off again, okay, baby?"

Orion hugged his carrier's neck, falling asleep slowly until Stormchaser spoke.

"Did you make any friends today, Orion?"

Orion thought about Starscream, Arcee, Tailgate, Bumblebee… He smiled and he laid his helm down on his shoulder. "I did, Mama… Can I come back soon?"

"Yes, lovely. You can come back."

Author's Note:

OMG, I love writing them as sparklings! This could possibly turn into a series! X3 Who should make a surprise appearance!?

*GASP*

The Dinobots!