For The Race – Prime Protector.

Chapter Seven.

Sam found that Bumblebee's suggestions were helpful. When she did things with Optimus in the company of others, like Mikaela, Ironhide or Bumblebee, she found herself worrying less about what Optimus might do or say. Spending waking time with him was less stressful, and when Mikaela was able to, she joined Sam for recharge, sleeping curled up with her back against Sam's warm, concave stomach.

She got to wash Optimus in both alt and robot mode, and Optimus, with Mikaela's help, washed and polished Sam in both forms in return. He kept his touches professional and functional, not wandering, at least as far as Sam could tell, to her chest or hips and crotch. Sam washed herself down there, having earlier discovered the catches that released her crotch plate by accident, and not really wanting to ask about the warm narrow recess that lay beneath.

Sam found herself watching Optimus a lot, his ease of movement and his fluid grace, something Sam found surprising for a mech of his size. She had to admit that there was a strange appeal about the big Prime that she could not deny, but she told herself that that did not mean she wanted to jump onto a berth with him.

She found herself getting curious about the crotch-plate issue, wondering if it were a femme thing, or whether all the 'bots (and presumably the 'Cons) possessed detachable armour down there. There was absolutely no way she was going to ask Optimus – apart from the embarrassment factor, she didn't want to think of where and what that might lead to – but decided she could cope with asking Bumblebee.

He was very forthcoming, and explained that all Cybertronians possessed this nifty piece of removable protective armour plating, but what lay beneath depended on the gender. Mechs, he explained, possessed an interface device, which was usually referred to as the interface rod, and femmes possessed an orifice the spike fitted into which was referred to as her "port" but beyond that, Bumblebee could not be more specific.

"If you want to know the details, Sam you could ask Ratchet," the scout said. Sam thought about it, then remembered Ratchet's penchant to explain in detail, sometimes too much detail, and decided against it.

"What you've told me is fine, Bee, I'll pass for now but I'll keep it in mind," she said.

"Sam, would it satisfy your curiosity about mechs at least, if I showed you what the interface rod looks like?" Bumblebee asked hesitantly. Sam, realising what that meant, nodded uncertainly.

"If you wouldn't mind," she said, hoping she wasn't pushing Bumblebee into doing something he didn't want to. Bumblebee, seeing her hesitation, rushed to reassure her.

"It's a bit like humans, it's not considered polite to show it in front of anybody, particularly femmes, but if you want to know and won't tell, I'll let you see. We're in my room, and I think you know your own mind enough to tell me to cover back up if it offends you." Sam thought about it for a moment, and nodded. Bumblebee took the nod as assent and reached down, flipped the catches and slowly lifted the plate away so Sam could see what lay beneath.

She didn't say anything for a while, just looked. Bumblebee didn't know how to take the reaction, but just before the silence moved from awkward to uncomfortable, Sam said "Do all mechs have the same...umm...arrangement?"

"Pretty much," Bumblebee said. "It may differ in size, certainly, and sometimes shape. In the non-bipedal, or those with an unusual body structure it may occupy a different location, but yes, each mech has much the same structures and arrangement."

"It looks similar to the human male's um...equipment, even to looking as if it can get longer and thicker," Sam said.

"It can, Sam, remember femmes too will come in different shapes and sizes, the rod will fill out to take account of this, but will never swell beyond what is capable and comfortable for the femme. At least, that's what Ratchet told me when I asked what would happen if a Optimus found a little femme." Bumblebee recalled that Ratchet had then told him to stop being so inquisitive about the Prime's private life, but Bumblebee decided Sam didn't need to know about that.

"So...Optimus...he has the same?" Sam asked.

"Oh yes, but due to his size it can get longer and thicker, and from what I've been told, none of the femmes Optimus had pre-war had any complaints, even the little ones. He told me they all considered him a considerate partner."

"You've discussed this with Optimus?" Sam squeaked, having a sudden vision of Optimus telling Bumblebee to set Sam at ease for him.

"Sam this was vorns ago, while travelling through space. Even us, with our extended lifespans, needed something to talk about on our way here. With all of us bar Ironhide being unbonded mechs, and travelling in a group with a Prime, well, questions regarding femmes and what they might like came up," Bumblebee said. "Optimus wasn't offended, in fact he said he was surprised that Jazz and I hadn't asked earlier."

Sam supposed that like any all-male group, the talk would eventually turn to sex. She and Miles had been no exception, although they used to have top-shelf magazines available to stimulate discussion and their imagination. She recalled discussing the hot girls at school, she-when she had still been a he-and Miles comparing their own private opinions about the attractiveness of a girl's vital statistics. She grinned: it seemed that the males of their species at least had at least one more thing in common with each other!

A slight scraping noise and the snapping of catches signified that Bumblebee decided Sam had had a good enough look, and in fact he was right: she had. But Sam did have one more burning question.

"If femmes are rare, and what ones are around have Prime's Owned status, how do you cope?" she asked. Had she still been human, her face would now be scarlet. She had never, ever thought to find herself asking quite such personal questions!

"Sam, not all femmes are Prime's Owned, only the unbonded ones. Those who have bonded – that is, who have chosen to be bound to one another, which is more than marriage but that's the nearest analogy – are protected by their bonded rather than the Prime, although Optimus will defend any he sees who need it. However, I assume you are asking how unbounded mechs, like me, or bonded ones without their mate, like Ironhide cope. Well, Sam, we either self-stimulate or go with each other for relief."

Sam tried to imagine Ratchet and Ironhide with each other, and couldn't.

"Each other?" he squeaked. "But...how? Unless you're hiding more down there you don't have a ...hole... you can use!" Sam saw Bumblebee's shoulders shaking in the way they did when the yellow mech found something intensely humorous, and wondered just what Bumblebee found so funny.

When the yellow mech was able to speak, he said "Sam, even I know that sexual contact between humans usually involves a lot of stroking and cuddling. We are not so different. The rod does not have to be inserted into a hole or tube to be stimulated. We can use our hands on each other's rods, or rub them against each other, that's more than enough, and sometimes the rod is not used at all."

Sam decided she already knew too much, and had trouble stopping mental images parading through her brain of scenes she devoutly hoped she'd never see actually happening.

"Okay, Bee, I think I get the picture," she said, and stopped herself from asking Bumblebee if he'd ever gone with someone else in the Base, because she was scared he would answer yes. If she couldn't cope with mental images of Cliffjumper and Ironhide, she knew she wouldn't cope with the same images featuring Bumblebee and Ironhide.

"I think we should head back to Optimus' office, he'll wonder where we've been if we delay any longer, and if he finds I've had my crotch plate off in your presence he'll want to know exactly why and what was said." Bumblebee suggested.

"Yeah, I could do without Optimus giving us the third degree," Sam said, getting up, and following Bumblebee out of the room.

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Once back in Optimus' room, Sam found she had a problem. Optimus was telling her and Bumblebee what progress Ironhide had made on creating a warp disruption field, and although he had a desk, Optimus tended to walk up and down in front of it while talking, rather than sit down. This had never before been a problem, but then again, Sam had been entirely clueless about interface cables and crotch plates before.

Now that she knew, Sam found her optics kept moving to that silver piece of armour, which even appeared to have a substantial moulded bulge to it. Every time she caught herself looking, she deliberately focused her optics upwards, but the movement of Optimus' long legs as he slowly walked back and forth drew his optics down again a few minutes later. Even more worrying, Sam found herself wondering what Optimus, (or more precisely his groin area) would look like if the piece of crotch armour was removed.

Thankfully, Optimus' summation was fairly brief and to the point. Ironhide had made some progress and felt that he was fairly close to a breakthrough. He thought that he would soon have a working prototype, although his biggest concern was that he had no way of testing it. In theory, it should work, but until and unless Skywarp attacked again, they had no assurance it would work in practice.

As they got ready to leave, Optimus asked Sam to remain behind for a short time. Puzzled, Sam did so, and watched as Optimus walked back and forth in front of her without a word. Once again she found herself watching the bulging silver protuberance that looked like nothing more than a robotic codpiece, and once again brought her optics up to look at Optimus' face. The mech suddenly stopped pacing and turned to face Sam, beginning to speak as he did so.

"I am curious. I have noticed that several times during the meeting, your optics appear to have been looking at my hip region, specifically at an area in the middle of and slightly above where my legs join my lower abdomen, just as I observed you doing just is new behaviour from you, and I wondered if you could provide any explanation for this."

Optimus' mobile face and sonorous voice did not appear to be displaying amusement or annoyance, and his whole demeanour was serious, and not censorious, but right at that moment, Sam was wishing the ground beneath her feet would open up and swallow her.