Co-Authered by Kitra and Omicron

"Human spoken dialogue"
"~Human speaking rough Cybertronian dialogue~"
"Cybertronian spoken dialogue."
::Cybertronian communication/Comm. Line dialogue::
-Bumblebee's translation dialogue-

Added note: Somehow I missed putting the proper chapter 9 up O.o so here's the update for that, look back at "Dark Energon" for the formally missing chapter!

Atlantis

Bath Time

Bumblebee gave a trill as he pounced, well used to wrestling and grappling in play, being raised by Chiffjumper after all. Getting Wing soaked some more, but holding back more to see if the Knight would play along.

The jet fought right back, trying to get the upper hand in the water fight. "You're going under!"

-Not afraid of water!- Bumblebee warbled as he jumped onto Wing outright, encouraged. Then buzzed as Wheeljack grabbed them both and pulled them under.

Wing kicked at Wheeljack, rounding on the wrecker and hugging him tightly. Yeah, your problem now Wheeljack, you've got a cuddly jet attached, Wing thought with glee.

The Wrecker worked his fingers into an armor seem, finding a ticklish spot and attacking it. Bumblebee had watched a moment before doing the same on Wing's other side. The jet helplessly squirmed between them, unable to fight back except for some very uncoordinated flailing of his arms.

Cliffjumper gave a thrumming sound under the water before starting up shallower, moving to Arcee the red mech was soon purring as he sidled up. By the time Wing was freed, Miko was on the surface above peering down at the three, but staying out of range on the surface.

The jet went limp between Wheeljack and Bee, purring in a way that it was audible underwater. He lazily eyed Miko, grinning.

She poked her tinge out, and bubbled a giggle as Wheeljack did the same right back before pushing the two off him. He started upwards, the girl padding after him so as the wrecker stood up she was flopped over his helm.

"You're so weird little wrecker." Wheeljack chuckled and purred himself.

"I knew loved me too!"

Wing prodded Bee and pointed to the two making a gesture that indicated Bee catching the girl as he pointed at himself, then showed pulling the wrecker back in. He waited to see if the scout would agree.

The scout tilted his head, glanced over where the red mech was and buzzed. He signed for care but seemed to agree.

The jet nodded then prowled after Wheeljack, keeping under water and waiting for Bumblebee to get into position. When he shot up, Wing made sure Miko would fall over to Bee as the Wrecker was pulled backwards, right back into the deeper part of the pool. Wing twisted around flopped on Wheeljack cuddling close and curling up on the others frame.

"What the frag?!" Wheeljack's voice was warped under the warter, reflexively moving to protect Miko, as a wrecker sparkling. The growled at Wing as above Bumblebee chitters at having the soft organic to cuddle, teasing her- and Wing.

Wing eyed Wheeljack with his best 'Who me? I'm innocent' look, then curled back against the war frame, nuzzling happily. Wheeljack now had one very affectionate jet attached to him, a jet that sure as heck wanted lots of snugs.

Growling, the Wrecker flashed his denta, and the fangs there, but despite some sounds coming from him, Wheeljack's hands didn't hurt. Not the softest mech around naturally, he was giving Wing some scritches along the back of his helm and neck cables, even around the brackets of the great sword but didn't touch it on intentionally.

Wing crooned and flopped happily. This he could get used to. Though he really couldn't wait for Achat to get here, only his creators cuddled better than his mate. It probably helped to that they were more used to giving and getting cuddles. Wheeljack wasn't, and he also was aware not to go into the Metrotitan when he came, fairly sure he would be soly blamed for Wing's jet-napping, so to say, those months ago.

There was a sharper clanking of a fist on metal, Cliffjumper hitting his leg for the attention of the two underwater to come up. Wing gave Wheeljack another look that said 'Don't wanna stop cuddling, not gonna let go' as he twisted and clung to the other mechs armor, making the Wrecker find a way to get up with the jet attached.

::Really?:: Wheeljack commed, pushed with his feet and an elbow, using the water's buoyancy to help himself get shallower. He was about to pry Wing off his personage when a larger hand reached down, stratching and rubbing between the knight's namesakes. Fully taking advantage as he learned this from before.

Wing went utterly limp, hands twitching loosely against Wheeljacks plating. The white mech purring hard enough to make the water ripple.

Optimus chuckled as he lifted the flier up and partly out of the water before walking in farther himself. He knelt down to get soaked, flaring his armor out to loosen dirt and grime from his last battle. All the while letting Wing limply cling and get more scratches and rubs, slowly moving away from that one spot.

It had Wing nuzzling Optimus, the Knight cooing away. He blinked and regarded Prime, trilling curiously.

"Did you tell the kid about the humans yet?" Arcee asked as she arched into her partner's touch, now her turn sitting in Cliffjumper's lap.

Optimus shook his head, "Just of the dark energon. But it seems time now, I will talk to Blaster when she and Bulkhead are back." The Prime looked over at where Bumblebee was cradling Raphael in both hands, clicking reassuringly as he let water into his cupped hands, but not deep so the boy could get a feel for the water again.

Wing tilted his head, audial fins twitching, knowing he was spoken about, though the large opticked look gave away he had not really been listening. Golden optics gave Optimus a very searching look, almost pleading to know what they had talked about.

"We have found there is a deeper connection between the natives of this world and our own." Optimus said, glancing to the side, and there was a softer affection as he saw the interaction of his scout trying to help Raphael learn to swim before June came over. Jack was kicking his feet over the water's edge, talking with Miko as Wheeljack set her down by the older teen before going to get a few scrubbers. "It explains how some can easily learn our languages- even if speaking it is harder. As well as why they are like us, protoform and sparkling like."

Wing chittered confused, nudging Optimus with his head, both for more scritches and to keep explaining. He briefly watched the others before returning his attention to Prime.

Optimus rubbed the back of Wing's helm lightly, "The reason can be very unnerving, and I waited to see if you can handle it." He slowed the rubbing, more supporting now.

The jet sat upright a bit more. "Tell me. It's no use putting it off too long." He sighed softly, aware it wouldn't be something to like.

"Just as Primus is the spark of Cybertron," Optimus said, ready just in case to hold onto Wing. "We found-" the hard way, "That this planet is the becoming shell of Unicron. The humans were influenced by him I believe, in form as well as actions, though I have seen just as much potential in the humans. They are much younger then they wish to admit."

Going quiet Wing mulled the information over with Achat, seeking reassurance from him. ~It makes sense my adorable jet, while Unicron is the unmaker, it not only explains the dark energon. Since he is the one who cannot create, he manipulates. Do not worry, he should be largely dormant for a while.~ The giant rumbled reassuringly, making it clear he meant 'a while' in the sense of his own perception, and it was a long span for someone as old as the Metrotitan.

Wing was back, flush, against Optimus plating, quivering.

The Prime extended his field, folding Wing within it as he rumbled out a bit of an unused purr. "Unicron is dormant Wing, back in the deep sleep like Primus." His other hand lifted to touch the spot over the Matrix, and then smiled down at Wing. He didn't seem worried.

The jet stayed curled up there, purring deeply at the feeling of safe he otherwise only knew from his family. "Achat suspected as much. It's good to know..."

"But there is still a connection," Optimus hummed, letting Wing snuggle close and not minding at all as he flared some armor panels to work in, "We do not have the proper scanners, and I doubt that Megatron will bother looking even if he suspects as well." He added softly for Wing only, "I don't wish to expose them to the Matrix, but I believe many, not all but many humans are housing their own sparks."

Had Optimus spoken to the less orthodox, more open minded humans, he would have found that they agreed with his beliefs.

As it was Wing hummed, shrugging lightly. He whispered back, "I think your assumption might be true, they teek, but uncontrolled."

"Sparklings," The Prime chuckled as he looked back at Jack, who was explaining Cybertronian nouns that he could produce to his mother. Then pointedly over where Wheeljack was giving a less than impressed Miko a quick scrub, like a mech would help give a friends sparkling a bath.

The jet nodded. "Very much so. Though I do doubt the adults are any better at controlling them, they mostly don't even realize they have them." He regarded the kids fondly for a while then turned to give the Prime a curious look. "So where did you get the ax?"

"Hmm?" Optimus looked down to meet golden optics, "I have a few of them Wing."

"The one you pulled out earlier." The jet clarified, golden optics taking an ever so adorably pleading look.

"That one?" Optimus chuckled as he looked up, then down at the cuddling flier again. "That was a gift from a kind mech in my own youth, just before the war started. And not overly long before the journey that made me a Prime."

"Oooh. It's pretty. Reminds me of those sire has. I like it, it's pretty." The jet crooned.

The blue and red mech shifted, his optics glittering as he pulled out the well warn but also well cared for battleax, turned away so not to hurt Wing but let him look at the inlays, as well as the crystal edges that protect the energy half of the blades. "It has been inlaid many times since it was given to me, but the mech still has his name on the hilt with my old glyph."

Wing chittered, a hand carefully trailing over the inlays, then the blade itself, chirring in admiration. At last he glanced at the hilt, blinking in surprise at the glyphs. "Axe?"

"Yes," Optimus nodded, "I think because of your Sire in part, I dared to try and find Vector Sigma."

Wing blinked. "So sire trained you when you were Orion... he never said what happened to you. Last time he saw you was at a market in Iacon." The jet smiled. "He'll be happy to know you survived the war."

Optimus rumbled, as pleased as he was sad, "Survived yes, though I am far from the mech he and your carrier once knew... I even fell off a bridge on the way back to the Great Library on the way to meeting them." he chuckled remembering that day.

Wing giggled. "Axe missed you quite a bit. He really did like you a lot. He's always had a soft spot for youngling like mechs, their innocence drawing his creator protocols out. I think if you had stayed with them, you probably would've been adopted. Now I can't say for sure." The jet explained, amused. "I hope you are prepared for pouncing triple, he's gonna snuggle you."

"That's Miko's job." Arcee piped in, her optics off as she let her mate clean her spines and winglets.

"Axe is a tad larger than Optimus. Maybe I can intercept him. I have managed to down convoy class mech with tackle hugs." The jet announced proudly, wriggling in excitement.

"I can imagine," Optimus chuckled, having seen similar with Bumblebee. "But I will hold my own Wing. At least I'm fairly sure I can." He added in amusement, letting the white mech slid into his lap and gave him a light scrub before he would have to push Wing off and start on himself.

The knight giggled and idly returned the favor, calmly scrubbing the blue and red mechs frame. The touch non arousing and firm, the white one obviously used to doing this with friends.

Arcee had come over once wing started, amused, but surprisingly Cliffjumper also came to help clean the Prime. Loyalty to him as a friend driving them to help, not duty to a Prime. As Optimus let Arcee boss him around in this, he was, for the first time Wing met him, truly relaxing. The jet happily moved with the other two, well used to scrubbing others down, whether they had been lovers or it was sparring partners trading back scrubs back and worth to get rid of the itching paint.

Optimus' paint job though seemed like he hasn't had a touch up or really anything other than when his scanned his alt-mode. The mech wasn't bothered by it, or the rest of the Autobots, even if Wing knew a few artists that would attach themselves to one them and hold hostage until they were clean in a new paint job.

Looking back over at Wing, the Prime rumbled, trusting only Arcee clean his neck cables, "Can you give me an updated estimation time of when Achet is coming Wing?"

The jet made a note to bodily shove these mechs at the artist. Even he knew a Prime should be looking better than 'worse for wear'. Though he understood why Optimus looked the way he did.

The jet shifted around to the convoy class mech's back moving his hands along neck and back sensors in a way that would make any mech crumble and melt happily, as similar to a back massage as it was, it was an easily learned skill to remove unwanted tension without working the cables directly, instead the stroking and petting across the sensors, made the mech in question twitch just the right way to un-kink them on their own enough to relax.

Arcee wrapped her arms around her Prime's neck, peering down his back as he leaned more on her. Taking comfort in his old friend's frame, and rumbling as Cliffjumper teased him for trying to take his femme again. The Prime rumbled again as Arcee kicked the red front line warrior and ordered him to finish the pedes before letting the mech cuddle against her as Wing worked on his back, lifting a few panels at a time in ingrained habit.

Wing cooed up at Arcee, grinning while he kept working away on Optimus back, reaching under the plates both to clean and rub sore spots, his entire field nothing but content and happy.

Before Wing was fully done with the last spot, a large arm pulled him around half against the Prime's side and front. Curling over him as well, letting his field relax and the hum of his Matrix extend to touch the sparks nearby, including a warm touch to the living sword, but it was a natural thing for a Prime. Wanting to be assured those he cared for were alive and healthy.

The jet went limp, cooing gently up at Prime, not at all bothered at being handled like that. His creators did that regularly.

Optimus lifted Wing, dipping his head to press his helm to the white one, "If you are willing to fallow this Prime, I have a mission for you, Knight of Light." He started, coming more aware.

"Always willing to someone who has proven he's worth it." The jet answered sincerely and faithful, believing that Optimus would earn his creators trust as well. "What do you ask of me?"

"I think we might be able to... narrow down a way to find Crystal City." Optimus said, holding onto Wing still in case he, or his linked mate got too excited.

"What do you mean?" He asked, vibrating with excitement.

Reaching up, the blue and red mech traced the great sword's hilt, touching the gem with a flicker of energy from the Matrix. "I have not done this in a long time, though with your training, and the help of To Pure For This World here, we might be able to at least find her spark."

"You are thinking meditation with sword and matrix?" Wing asked softly in awe of the idea. It would be easiest for Axe to find her, having been City Commander until the panic jump had ruptured the weak bond. Wing was by now the most likely mech, being bonded to Achat. "I will help you any way I can." He whispered, underlined by a crystalline hum from his great sword.

"In a way." Optimus rumbled, humming back to Knight and Sword, letting Arcee go to be grabbed by Cliffjumper and heaved underwater. The Prime's rumble turned to a dipper purr as Bumblebee, with his human charge came cuddling up into his lap with Wing. "It will likely be more...intense then what you are used to Wing."

"Talk to me about intensity? My mate is a Metrotitan... try withstanding him and then try a penance binding that lasts several orns..." Wing snorted amused and nuzzled the large mechs neck lightly. "I think I will manage."

Optimus chuckled as Bumblebee gave a trill at Wing, maybe knowing something before setting in to make his charge blush as the scout praised the boy's work on his swim lessen. The Prime giving him and Raphael his attention like a sire, and seemed happy when the boy retreated to climb up to sit in the spot by the Prime's neck cables, hiding like a sparkling, and like how Miko did against Bulkhead when not as active.

The white mech watched, fascinated. It was a dynamic he had seen before with his creators and young initiates they had taken on. He purred softly as he leaned against blue and red armor.

Optimus dipped his head, gently rubbing the edge of his jaw against the boy while humming to him, and in turn to both his scout and knight. Letting Bumblebee finish talking, it seemed like it had been a little while since they had a chance to just talk. For both mechs it was bonding time, and they didn't mind Wing, in part or because of this was why these Autobots where tight nit. The jet stayed where he was, lazily flopped and purring contently. He neither wanted to interrupt their time nor the peaceful mood with anything. Moments like these were what existence should be about. Family, friends and love.