The Chronicles of Orion: Part Seven

=0=Late afternoon in a living room in a high rise in Autobot City, Mars

"This is good."

[Grin] "Football is pretty interesting to watch, son. Some of the tactics are interesting."

"I like football."

"I do too but your Ada loves it best."

"Ada?"

"What, sparkling?"

"Do you love football?"

"I do." [Grin] "I love Cybertronian football."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Ada?"

"What, sparkling?"

"What is Cybertronian football? Is it like this?"

Ratchet looked at the big screen television that sat on the wall mount in the living room. Sitting at the table doing the endless datapad slag of the last refugee group as they waited for the newest he considered the view.

Ironhide was lounging in HIS CHAIR, his big old peds propped up on the small table in front of it. Sunspot was sitting on his Atar's lap lounging too, Ironhide's arms around him as they watched Monday Night Football on the screen. In front of the window on a small stool a little Christmas tree sparkled. Outside in windows in their building and elsewhere the same thing could be seen.

"It's some like this but mostly not. We have a handle on our ball which is made of steel. You have two teams but you do a lot more running around and hitting. You can pass but it's sideways or backwards. You have a goal but it's on a tall pole and is a hoop that you have to get the ball through. It's a great game. This? Its okay but it isn't half the game that ours is."

Sunspot looked at him as he sat with great contentment. "How come we don't play it here?"

Ratchet grinned and considered that. "I'll ask Uncle Optimus."

Sunspot grinned and nodded. "Good," he said.

Ratchet smirked and looked under the table. Orion was sitting there with a dollie in each servo. The infant was having a conversation with them holding up each one as they replied back to him. The steady stream of cute noise meant he was doing the talking for three. Lying on the couch nearby drifting off to recharge, Praxus slumbered. The channel clicked and another program appeared. The favorite horse opera of Ironhide and Sunspot was on at full gallop.

"I love this show."

Ironhide smiled. "So do I. You're fond of cowboys too I see."

Sunspot nodded. "I love cowboys. I love horses. They're pretty."

"They can't fly," Ironhide said.

"No. But they run real nice."

"They do. Here comes Marshall Dillon."

"Does he like that lady, Atar?"

"Miss Kitty?"

"Uh-huh."

"I think so."

"Are they bonded?"

"I don't think humans bond, Sunspot," Ironhide said with a grin.

"Oh." Silence. "I think Megatron and Shockwave are bonded."

For a moment it was silent and then Ironhide tightened his arms around the little Seeker. "How do you know, sparkling?"

"They lived in the same cabin on a ship I was on."

Ironhide glanced at Ratchet who looked at both of them with concerned optics. "How do you know this, Sunspot?" he asked gently.

The sparkling looked up at Ironhide and then the television. "I used to hide in a place near where they were when I was on their ship once. They had a cabin where they lived."

"You would hide, sparkling? How?" Ratchet asked as he pretended to work on his datapads. His tone was soft and interested.

"There was a cover that was loose and I would slide it and hide. No one ever saw me but I saw them. I heard them too," Sunspot said. He grinned. "See! There's Chester!" Both of them looked at the screen where the character Chester hobbled into view. Sunspot smiled at Ratchet. "I like him. He's funny and nice."

"You mean he's just like you?" Ratchet asked forcing a small smile.

Sunspot smiled back. "I don't limp."

"No. You're strong as a Seeker's supposed to be, sparkling," Ironhide said.

Sunspot raised an arm and flexed it. "See?"

Ironhide gently felt the tiny arm and nodded. "That is one fine example of a strong youngling," Ironhide said. "You're growing like a weed, sparkling."

Sunspot chuckled and vented a soft sigh of contentment. "Look at them fight."

The saloon burst into a brawl and Miss Kitty reached for a shotgun ending the outburst.

"That femme lady is pretty brave," Sunspot said.

"She is. Reminds me of Arcee," Ironhide said.

Ratchet considered the two and felt a pressure on his ped. Looking down he saw Orion looking up. "I see a sparkling."

Orion, grinning broadly chuckled. "ADA!"

Ratchet reached down and pulled him up sitting him on the edge of the table. "What a loud little noisemaker you are," he said grinning.

"Orin is cute. He's my brother," Sunspot said with a grin. "I love him."

"He loves you, son," Ratchet said picking the sparkling up and rising. He turned and plopped him into the little sink on the counter of the kitchenette. Orion, looking up, his helm barely visible over the edge of the sink smiled. Warm water flowed through the fawcett and when he was waist deep Ratchet began to wash him. "He's got red on his aft."

"I meant to tell you. He eats crayons." Ironhide grinned. "He prefers colors in the warm spectrum or so Herling says."

Ratchet grinned as he dunked Orion. The little sparkling sputtered and frowned at his Ada with the most comical intensity. "That will teach you to eat crayons, you little hoodlum."

Orion, glancing at the smiles of his Atar and brother grinned up at Ratchet. "ADA!"

"Orion," Ratchet said plucking him up and wrapping him in a towel. He walked to the chair next to Ironhide and sat holding the sparkling in the towel. He looked like a little cocoon and he grinned at Sunspot. "POT!"

"Orion!" Sunspot replied.

Orion chuckled, a fat sound rising up from his toes. "Pot."

They turned and looked at the screen. Matt Dillon was smiling at Miss Kitty. "Your cowboy has a femme fetish."

"No one's perfect," Ironhide said with a grin.

"Where have I heard that before?" Ratchet asked with a smirk.

"From me … IRONHIDE! DESTROYER OF WORLDS!"

The laughter was long and loud.

From everyone.

TBC

2011 (12)

PS Cybertronian football is canon but the details, most of them, are mine. ;)