Brand new fic, everyone. I have it all nice and edited. I'm sure you'll be happy about this. It has Optimus/Oil Slick as the first pairing. Then you will see what all happens later :V
Transformers belongs to Hasbro
When Powerdrive had learned that he was carrying a sparkling, he had rejoiced with Steelbolt for a very long time. They had gone out for celebratory high-grade, which they could hardly afford on their strict budget-but they were with sparkling, and considered meager rations for a few sols worth the celebration.
When they had onlined the next sol, Powerdrive and Steelbolt had sat in front of their loom and began to weave their sparkling's first blanket wrap. Powerdrive had kissed Steelbolt who was intent on getting the weave perfectly straight, which was quite difficult to do on their crooked, half-broken loom. "I am going to the thrift store to see if they have any cloaks that will suit him when he is old enough for them," Powerdrive had informed his lover, and Steelbolt had simply nodded, knowing they could not afford new cloaks.
"Can you buy a few lem of uncarded metal fibers?" Steelbolt had come from a spinning family, and was quite good at turning the fibers into useable metal cords. Powerdrive had promised he would, and had gone off, wrapping his own well-worn cloak around his frame. The secondhand stores were all in a more conservative area of the city, so he covered his helm with a hat as well, hiding his headfins from view.
There would be many trips before their sparklings was born, and many long megacycles after returning from the factories, sitting in front of the loom, weaving blankets and cloaks for the coming sparkling.
On one thing both mechs were in utter agreement. Their sparkling would learn how to weave on the loom as soon as he was old enough to hold a metal thread without snapping it. They couldn't afford to make all of the clothes for him.
When the sparkling finally emerged a vorn later, they had a good supply ready for him. Optimus blinked sleepy blue optics and reached up at them with tiny servos, clutching at the medical cloak that Powerdrive had been draped with for the procedure. They had never been happier than that moment, when the medicbots took the drape from them and carefully bundled Optimus in it, the sparkling getting even drowsier as he was wrapped tightly in metal cloth. Powerdrive held Optimus in his arms and had smiled, taking the tiny cube of sparkling energon to feed the little mech. They were so blessed.
Optimus stares up at his papas, and then looks back uncertainly at the cloak they are holding for him. "No." He pulls his cloth wrap closer around him, scowling at the loose cloak. It is not the same at all, and he doesn't want it.
Papa Steelbolt smiles, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, "Yes, sparkling. You're finally old enough for it."
He pushes it away, scowling angrily, "No." He doesn't like it.
Powerdrive slowly started to remove the cloth wrap, "Isn't it nice? Blue and red, just like you. Won't you look pretty in it?"
He clings to his cloth wrap, "No!"
His creators shared a look, carefully holding him, "Quickstart said this might happen, didn't he? Why don't you want it, sparkling?"
He dug his claws into the wrap, not letting go of it, "Don't like it." It isn't safe. Too loose, won't keep him warm, and he's seen other sparklings in them. Those sparklings don't get held as much as the ones in the wraps. He likes being held. "No."
Powerdrive grabs his servos and Steelbolt carefully unwraps the blanket, and Optimus screeches as loud as he can, kicking his peds wildly. "You are going to have you aft paddled if you don't stop that, Optimus. You can't wear a blanket wrap now. You're too big for one, and the wrap shows off the shape of your frame. You get to wear a nice cloak instead, and hat. I bet you want a hat, don't you? You love putting papa's hat on."
Optimus stops screeching, considering the offer, even as his blanket is torn from him. He does like Papa Powerdrive's fluffy hat. "Don't want cloak." Optimus brightens a bit, feeling very naked, "Blanket and hat?"
"Nope," Steelbolt says, wrapping the cloak around him, pinning it in place with a magnetic pin. "You can only have a hat with a cloak."
He squirms irritably at how it falls over his frame, "No."
Powerdrive carefully places the hat on his head, "There. Isn't that better?"
He stops squirming, giggling happily at the feeling of the fuzzy warm hat, "Yes!" He can live with the terrible cloak if it means he gets the hat.
Optimus shivers unhappily in the desk, hating how cold it is in the class room this time of the stellar cycle. The fact that he's next to the windows doesn't really help, and he just wishes the teacherbot would just stop talking about history and let him go talk with the other sparklings. He wants to go see if he can trade his chest wrap for something. He likes trying on new clothing.
Finally, after a billion megacycles of lessons, he gets released, and Optimus scampers out the door into the snow-covered play area. He shivers, and passes the cold metal bars and heads into the indoor play area, which has warm heaters on all four sides, keeping the place a comfortable temperature. Optimus sits on one of the benches an kicks his peds, reaching under his cloak to start unwrapping his chest wrap. "I want to trade," he announces loudly, and several sparklings close to his size come over to investigate what he's offering.
Several already have a chest wrap, and see that he has it before moving away, but a cyclebot moves closer, looking at him curiously, "What is it?"
"This," he holds it out, "my chest wrap."
The cyclebot frowns, "I don't know how to use it, I don't really have as large as a chest as you."
Which is very true. The cyclebot was almost obscenely thin, Optimus could likely wrap both servos around his waist, touching fingertips, but he has very large servos for a sparkling for his age and development right now. "You could wrap more around you. Tie it around your arms or waist."
"I don't know." The mech frowns and holds the cloth, moving it back and forth. "Maybe. What do you want for it?"
Optimus touches the hat the other sparkling is wearing. "I want your hat."
The mech stares at him, "But you've already got a hat on. Why do you need another one?"
Optimus blushes, "I like hats." He pulls his cloak closer around him. "I want your hat. Will you trade with me?" He really hopes the cyclebot will trade with him. Then he'll have two hats to wear on his head instead of just one.
The cyclebot frowns, tapping metal meshed boots on the floor and gloved claws against his arms, "Only if you do something."
His spark sinks, "What?"
The bot raises his arms, "You have to help me with putting it on, I don't know how."
He beams, "I can do that!" He wraps his arms around the bot, reaching under the cloak, and carefully wrapping the chest wrap so it won't crease uncomfortably with long practice. "There!"
The cyclebot gently pushes him to a chair, placing his hat on top of Optimus, "Yes, now I get to sit on you, since you are going to be wearing two hats, and you keep shivering. We get to cuddle under our cloaks."
Optimus is pretty sure you aren't supposed to share cloaks. That they'll get in trouble for it.
But the mech feels so warm . . .
"Okay." He lets the cyclebot wiggle under his cloak, adjusting the magnets on both cloaks so they're wrapped together in one warm bundle of fabric. "Mm. You're warm," he wraps his arms around the cyclebot. "I'm Optimus."
"Oil Slick," the cyclebot says, rubbing Optimus's cloak with his claws. "Why are you wearing a summer cloak?"
He flushes in embarrassment, "We... we can't really afford-"
Oil Slick nuzzles him, "That's okay. My mamas say that it doesn't matter what you can or can't afford as long as you're a good person. Are you a good person, Optimus?"
He blushes, "I like to think so."
The cyclebot leans on him, "I think so, too."
They end up falling into recharge on one of the heated benches, nuzzling into each other's frame. Optimus wonders if he's finally made a friend.
This sol is a very important sol. Optimus is going to learn how to weave this sol, on his papas' big loom. He wants to weave on the big loom so bad. He watches his papas work on it all the time and they make beautiful things for him. Pretty, soft things. Papa Steelbolt likes making pretty, lacy things to sell.
When he's older, he'll understand that Steelbolt made lace because it used less material and the wealthy bots liked buying it to decorate their fancy cloaks and hats.
For now, all Optimus knows is that he's going to learn to weave and he's going to make something amazing.
"You remember what we told you about being careful?"
He nods. It has been drilled into him since he could only transform into a cube that he doesn't do anything around the loom. It isn't good to do anything to the loom. This is what they use to make extra money for when they aren't working in the factories, or for making the clothing when they don't get it from the thrift store. "Yes, papa." He'd never not be careful around the loom.
Papa Steelbolt pats his head, putting him on his lap, "Well, let's begin, sparkling. You are old enough, and I've been looking forward to this. You know that everyone on Haydon IV learns to weave at your age."
Optimus nods eagerly, "I want to learn! I want to make something for Oil Slick!"
His papas chuckle, and Steelbolt tickles him, fingers sliding up under his cloak. "It sounds like someone has a sparkling crush." Optimus doesn't want to crush anyone. He doesn't understand. "We'll make sure you have something to give to him when you see him tomorrow." Steelbolt lifts Optimus's servos. "This is our loom. It is very old, and very delicate. You cannot put too much pressure on the parts, or it will break. Do you understand, Optimus?"
His fingers shake, "Yes, papa. I'll be extra careful." He doesn't know if he can do this, but he wants to. He knows every other sparkling in his class is learning, and doesn't want to be the only one not learning.
His papa kisses the top of his head, "Good. We know you can do it, sparkling."
He takes a deep in-vent, and starts listening to what they have to teach him.
He rushes over to Oil Slick the very next sol, reaching into his subspace to pull out what he made. "Oil Slick! Oil Slick!" He skids to a stop, seeing him in front of two imposing femmes in very nice clothes, better than the clothing that the bots papa Steelbolt sometimes goes to on the decacycle to show the lace to. "S-sorry, " he stutters out, rushing away to hide behind his papas' legs.
Steelbolt shoos him back out, "Go show him what you made for him, sweetspark. Go on, now." Optimus feels his peds drag on the ground as Steelbolt pushes him forward. His little spark trembles, not used to seeing such pretty femmes with such expensive clothing.
"H-h-hello," he stutters out, squeaking when one of the femmes kneels down in front of him, her elegant cape spreading out all around her like it was made out of something really soft, like the fuzz on the turbofox that Optimus had once seen in the park. Her face is a pretty white metal and blue accents. "I m-made this for Oil Sl-Slick." He thrusts out his servos, offering the femme the little rounded cap-like object. "It's for his d-decoration." Gift thusly offered, he scurries back behind Steelbolt's peds.
She spreads it out in her long gloved claws, and smiles, "It is very lovely." It isn't, really. It is bunched up in parts, and the weave is very lopsided and wrong. "Are you just starting? Oil Slick hasn't started yet, since his claws keep ripping though the metal, and he can not learn with gloves on."
He blushes, he hadn't realized that Oil Slick hadn't started yet. He had thought the cyclebot had already started, since Oil Slick is almost a full vorn older than him. "I... I am just starting."
The white femme gently removes Oil Slick's hat and places the cap that Optimus made on his head before putting the hat back on. "It is lovely. And extra warm. Now he won't have to worry about his headscrews freezing."
The other femme comes closer, frowning down at him, and Optimus cowers, clinging to his papa's ped. "Is that a summer cloak?" Her face is dark and imposing, a few hints of yellow at the edges, and the prettiest golden yellow optics he's ever seen. "Why in the pit are you wearing a summer cloak at the peak of winter?"
Optimus doesn't understand. He has two cloaks and they are normal cloaks that he wears all the time. Steelbolt answers for him, "I ask that you not curse around my sparkling, and that you don't judge what we are capable of providing for our sparkling."
Papa Powerdrive pushes him gently over to Oil Slick while the femme looks angrier, "Sparkling, how about you play with your friend? We'll talk with his creators."
He gives the imposing femme a terrified look, knowing instinctively that mechs do not do well in arguments with femmes. "Papa, no. I want to stay with you."
The white femme sees his distress and moves closer, putting a servo on the angry femme's arm, "Wildstar," her voice is soft, not meant to be heard even if Optimus can hear it, "you're only noticing the fact that the sparkling is covered in lace and other decorations. Not that the lace is filled with flaws. Their cloaks are even worse than little Optimus's. Calm down. Yes, their cloaks have lace that is stunning, but I bet they sell it to just get by."
Optimus pokes at the lace on his cloak. It's very nice lace, and the pattern is very pretty. His papa worked a very long time to make lace, and he gives Optimus test-batches because they're ones he can't sell. Optimus knows that his papa is the best lace-maker in the entire world, and Papa Powerdrive is the best at picking out metal fibers.
He shrieks with distress as the dark femme picks him up, examining his cloak carefully. "No, no, down!" he reverts to simple sparkling demands, and actually chirps several times, instinctive fear robbing him of language.
Oil Slick reacts to that as well, rushing up towards him, "Mama! No! Put him down!" Ending up reverting to chirping as well out of terror.
Glitterfrost grabs him out of mean femme's grasp, giving him to papa Powerdrive instantly, "Oh, Primus, I'm so sorry-"
Optimus breaks out into sobs, clinging tightly, "I want to go home! I don't... I don't..!" He's so upset, he's not sure how to articulate what he doesn't want.
His papa cuddle him closely, soothing him, and several of the teachers and other creators rush forward at the commotion.
"Primus," the evil dark femme says, "I didn't mean to frighten him. I just wanted to look at his-"
One of the teachers cuts her off, "Don't say anything more. You've upset the sparklings enough this sol. I want you to take Oil Sick home. You can speak with Optimus's creators another time, to discuss a proper apology for this." He turns to Steelbolt, "You should take Optimus home as well."
Steelbolt shakes his head, "We can't. We're both working full shifts this sol. He's only had half a cube so far. He needs to get his mid-sol energon here. He'll be fine." Steelbolt shifts Optimus and kisses his forehead, right beneath the brim of his hat, "Won't you? You can be a strong sparkling for us this sol. I bet you'll get a sweet if you're good."
He wants nothing more than to insist that he go home, and stay home, but he knows that isn't how it works. He clings to his papa extra tight, hugging him a little longer than normal, "Y-yes, papa. I-I can be st-strong."
He's given a hug and a kiss from papa Powerdrive, "There's our good sparkling. You can do it." He's set gently on the ground, and his papa pulls out a small bit of lace from his sub-space, "You can practice your sewing on your hat during break like you've been wanting, sparkling. Just remember where we told you it would look best."
"Okay, papas." Optimus clutches the lace and the tiny needle that his papa gives him. He's already been entrusted to keep small bits of metal thread in his subspace. "Does Oil Slick have to go home?" He wants to see if the mech liked his gift, and then he wants to curl up under their combined cloaks for a long stasis nap after they get tasty energon. Much better energon than what he gets at home.
The teacher sighs, "He does not have to go home, if you are comfortable having him here, Optimus."
Oil Slick is suddenly by his side, clinging to him, "I want to be with Optimus."
The cyclebot is a warm weight on his side, making him feel better, "I like him with me."
The teacher shrugs, "Then he can stay." The bot turns to their creators, "You are still going to be discussing what you did, Wildstar. That was absolutely unacceptable."
He takes Oil Slick's servo, walking with him to the building, "Do.. do you like the cap I made you?" He knows it isn't very good, but he doesn't want Oil Slick to think it is terrible.
"I like it." Oil Slick curls his gloved claws around Optimus's fingers. "Does this mean you want to bond with me? When mama Glitterfrost decided she wanted to bond with mama Wildstar, she wove a hat for her, and then a few decavorns later they had me."
Optimus blinks, "I . . we're too young to bond."
Oil Slick shrugs, "We could be betrothed? Lots of bots get betrothed."
That sounds reasonable to Optimus. "Okay. We'll get bonded as soon as they let us. How old do we have to be?" He's not sure. He sits at his desk, and Oil Slick slips onto his lap.
"I don't know. Maybe next stellar cycle?" Oil Slick lays his head on Optimus's shoulder.
One of the teachers, a big, strong mech named Crunch, comes over to them with a scowl on his face. "You can't share desks."
Optimus blinks again, "But we're betrothed."
Crunch frowns at him, "No you aren't."
Oil Slick wraps his arms around Optimus possessively, "Yes we are. I will bond with him."
The teacher sighs softly, "If you were betrothed, I'd know."
They blink up at him incomprehensibly, and one of the other sparklings raises his servo, "How would you know that?"
Crunch rubs his optics, "Very well, this sol, we'll be learning about bonding and betrothal contracts. But," He holds up a single finger, "only if you all behave and realize there will be a test at the end of the sol. And Oil Slick has to sit in his desk."
"No." Oil Slick clings to Optimus, and then wraps Optimus's cloak around himself. "We're betrothed and you can't stop me from loving him." He shrieks unhappily as he's picked up by Crunch and placed at his own desk.
"Sparklings sit apart during lessons. You know the rules, Oil Slick. If you misbehave again, you're wearing the sack for the rest of the sol."
Oil Slick sits up straight, suddenly attentive and well-behaved. No one wants to wear the sack. It's an ugly, lumpy metal thing with painted lettering that boldly declares 'I was a bad sparkling.' And it's itchy.
Crunch leans on the desk, "Now then, who wants to learn about betrothals?" All the sparklings raise their servos. "Even if I give a test about it at the end of the sol?" The servos stay up, even if they are a little more hesitant. "Well... Okay, let's start on why I would have known if Oil Slick and Optimus had been betrothed."
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