Grrr... School. *shudders* Anyway, here we are, the eleventh chapter of Tiny!
Starts in Optimus's POV and I don't own the Transformers.
Hope ya like it!
I did not expect for the air vent grill to have so much dirt behind it. The child within me was curious and I allowed myself to crawl over to vent. Before I realized it, I was covered in the black soot. All I could do was attempt to rub all of the dirt out of my optics, a task I was failing at. This is very embarrassing.
I felt myself being picked up and dusted off. I soon realized that it was Ratchet who had taken me off the ground.
"Now I'll have to give you a bath!" The child within me instantly panicked, but I was able to remain in control of my tiny frame. I sneezed, dust escaping my vents, and looked up at Ratchet. While I thinking of what I could say to the irritated mech, I heard someone speak.
"That was so adorable!" Bumblebee said, speaking in a slightly higher pitch than his normal voice. Arcee rolled her optics at the scout.
"You are such a sucker for cute things." Bumblebee's doorwings bounced slightly as he turned to Arcee, servos on his hips.
"And you're not? Weren't you the first person to hold baby Optimus?" The argument continued back and forth, though it was a decidedly playful one. Ratchet shook his head and told Ms. Darby that he would continue their conversation in a little while. He walked down the hall towards the makeshift waskracks he had constructed some time ago.
Once he entered and set me down in a chair in the room, I pondered the fact that I was going to receive a bath. It had been a long time since I last had one, since my frame is normally too large for the method of cleansing. The child within wished to hear none of this and did not want a bath under any circumstances. Knowing that the child within is capable of seizing full control of me at a moment's notice, I suppose this will be an interesting experience.
The bathing tub Ratchet built looked very similar to the ones humans use. This one was constructed of stainless steel and various other metals he had found in the silo. Normally, the type of bath a Cybertronian could expect to have would be one with oil. But, the oil from Earth would mostly irritate the sensitive plating on the frame. I can assume that the plumbing will provide water rather than oil. Ratchet turned the water on and the sound of the liquid beginning to fill the tub met my audio receptors.
I was intrigued at the idea of being bathed in water. On Cybertron, water was so rare that it was synonymous with myths and legends of the old. I recall first learning about the unique liquid while working as a data clerk. Initially I did not think that water could exist in such large quantities on relatively small location, but in my travels across the galaxies, nature has proven me wrong numerous times.
Suddenly, I felt myself being picked up from the chair I sat in and placed on my back on a nearby table. I stared up at Ratchet as he loosened the armor on my arms and chest, as well as on my lower body. I was instantly very grateful that Ratchet closed the door. I would be extremely embarrassed if someone other than the red and white mech standing over me saw my exposed body.
I curiously blinked up at Ratchet as he grumbled irritably about dust and how hard it would be to clean all of the dirt off my frame. He lifted me from the table and moved over to the large metal tub and turned off the water. I looked down. I could not tell exactly how deep the water was, but, I doubt Ratchet would have allowed the depth to become an issue. I heard Ratchet's knee joints creak slightly as he kneeled next to the tub. He shifted me to one arm and braced himself on the edge of the tub, most likely so that he would fall into the water. Once he was settled, he gently placed me down into the water that would be up to my chassis if I sat down in it. Its warmth took a moment for my frame to grow used to, and after a few seconds, I began to relax into the water. The liquid seeped through the small seams of my frame, giving me the illusion that the water was warming me from the inside as well.
"Let's give you a good rinse first…" Ratchet had pulled a cloth out from beside him. It looked to be a large white towel left by the previous tenants of the missile silo. For him, towel appeared to be no larger than his cleaning rag. Ratchet turned on the water again and I watched as he soaked the towel in his servo.
"Now, shutter your optics." I did so obediently and I felt the pleasant liquid wash smoothly over my little helm. I could not help smile in a relaxed manner as I sat in the still water.
"Well, we got most of the dust off you, but you still need a proper bath," Ratchet said as he took a can of frame wash from a shelf above the metal tub. He poured some of the blue tinted liquid onto the towel. It was not any kind of frame wash I have ever seen from Cybertron, but Ratchet had given a can to all of us one year after we arrived here, all of the nature derived scents differing depending on the bot. Perhaps he made it himself. I smiled at the familiar scent of Cybertonian frame wash as he rubbed the wash into the towel until it formed glistening white foam. I can only wonder where he learned to create the wonderfully scented frame wash.
Ratchet gently took my arm and used the frame wash towel to cover it in the white foam. Before long I was completely covered in the delicately scented foam, aside from my faceplates. I could feel the child within me growing mischievous and decided to allow the child to act out. By now, the tub was filled with white foam constructed of millions of tiny bubbles.
"Hmmm, where did I put that frame wash..." Ratchet turned around briefly to look for the can. I looked at the foam floating around my frame and swept my arm through it. I cocked my helm to the side when I saw that my arm had left a trail. I scooped up some of the foam and held it in my servo. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as this scenario became very familiar.
…Ratchet's POV…
I'm starting to believe that I somehow lost to can of frame wash in the tub. I grumbled as I looked around for it. Things like that don't just disappear. I briefly glanced over at Optimus.
My sparkling was very well behaved, but that was to be expected. He just sat, covered in fluffy white foam, and occupied himself with something as I continued my search for the missing can. While he was getting to foam off his little servos, I saved the image in my CPU, reminding myself that I would transfer the data to a datapad to show the others. I smiled slightly to myself.
Optimus never fails to show me just how adorable sparklings can be.
Ah, here it is. I held up the can of frame wash that I must have accidently kicked and turned back to Optimus. I was about to say something to Optimus when I received a face full of bubble-foam.
…And he never fails to show me just how annoying they can be.
I instantly stood and took a small step back as I wiped the bubble-foam off my faceplates. I heard a lot of giggling coming from a certain white and gold sparkling.
"Ha ha, I forgot how to laugh," I grumbled as I crouched next to the tub again. He just continued to laugh at me, large optics bright. I grabbed the soaked towel and proceeded in scrubbing the filth off his frame. There were no further sparkling antics (thank Primus), and I gently rinsed him off. By then, the frame wash bubbles had settled down into the now clouded water. This is when Optimus decided on the oh so wonderful choice of splashing around.
"He- Hey! Will you stop it?! You're getting water all over the floor!" I exclaimed as I attempted to stop my sparkling from hitting the water's surface again. I reached towards his arm, but before I could, he deliberately splashed me!
"Alright, you little monster, time for you to get out-" Optimus's optics grew wide at the idea of me detaching him from the thing he was having so much fun with at my expense and attempted to wade out of my reach. I rolled my optics and leaned over to grab him, supporting my weight on the edge of the tub.
I should have known my servo would slip.
The next thing I know, I had landed on my face in the tub. Because of the height of the edge of the tub, my pedes were up in the air. I can hear that sparkling laughing hysterically at me. I stayed right where I was and groaned. I will never live this down.
"Ratchet, we heard a loud boom and-… What are you doing?" I groaned even louder at the sound of the snickering voice. Primus, why me? It just had to be Bumblebee. I tried to put my pedes back on the floor, but quickly realized that I couldn't do that without making an aft out of myself. So I just opted to shift around until I see some of Bee standing in the doorway, who was trying far too hard to hide his laughter.
"Evidently I'm taking a bath as well," I quipped, left optic twitching. Go ahead and laugh, Bumblebee. I have no more dignity left to lose.
"I'm just gonna... I'll just leave." Bumblebee laughed as his doorwings quivered. Thankfully, he walked back out and closed the door. I righted myself (even alone with Optimus, I made an aft out of myself trying to stand up) and begged Primus to make sure Bumblebee doesn't say anything to the others about.
A second later I heard a roar of laughter from the main room.
I sighed and looked at Optimus, who was sitting innocently in the clouded water. Shaking my helm, I pulled the plug to let the water drain. I grabbed the soaked towel, rang the water out of it and grabbed another, dry towel. Then I picked Optimus up and dried him off. His shining armor squeaked under the towel in my servo, making me nod in approval.
Once I was done, I stepped away from the now empty tub and laid Optimus down on his back on the table to tighten his armor. He silently stared at me with his huge, bright optics. Optimus looked like he was ready for a nap. I wrapped him up in a fresh towel so that only his faceplate was visible. That'll encourage him to sleep. I smiled when I heard Optimus emit a soft purring sound. Shifted him to the crook of my arm, I began to quickly clean the mess the two of us had made in the room.
My sparkling's optic shutters grew heavy as he lay wrapped in the towel in my arms. I smiled and walked out of the room with my engines humming. The sound of my engines and sparkbeat was helping lull my sparkling into recharge, something I wouldn't mind him doing. He's been up for a while now.
Walking back to the main room, I remembered my conversation with Nurse Darby that was cut short.
...
Everyone looked up as I walked into the hard white light of the main room. Everyone looked, aside from Arcee and Wheeljack, who must've gone to places elsewhere in the silo. I glared at Bumblebee and the others in the room as they started to laugh.
"Shut it! Optimus is sleeping!" Thankfully they quieted down once they saw my sparkling recharging peacefully in his towel. The children were preoccupied with their games in the recreational corner and Nurse Darby was watching them while she leaned on the railing. Her face lit up as soon as she turned around and saw me.
"Hello, Doctor." She glanced at Optimus and smiled sympathetically up at me. "Did he give you a hard time?"
I was instantly reminded of the bubble-foam my sparkling threw at me, the water he seemed to love splashing on me, and when I slipped and faceplanted into the bottom of the tub.
"No, not particularly."
Nurse Darby nodded. "That's good. Ratchet, I've been meaning to ask you something..." She glanced back at the children and moved to go down the stairs. I swayed from side to side, feeling the warmth of my sleeping sparkling, as I watched her walk past Bumblebee, Bulkhead, me and towards the hallway. I stepped closer to the hallway and looked down at the human curiously. What did she want to ask me that needed to be answered in private?
"What did you want to ask me, Nurse Darby?" I asked. That's when I noticed that her face was turning slightly red. It was not cold in the room and I'm certain she doesn't have a cold or fever since she is showing no other symptoms. Humans did this when they were embarrassed. I cocked my helm slightly to the side. What was embarrassing her?
I heard her take a deep breath and compose herself. I arched an optic ridge at her question. "Exactly how to sparklings come about?"
It was a legitimate question, albeit an awkward one. Well, I can't just ignore her question. The notion of robotic organisms like us being capable of having children must be hard for an organic to grasp. I will give her the best explanation I can without traumatizing the children, in case they overhear our conversation. "...Well, we Cybertronians can come about through two methods. The first being the Well of AllSparks."
Nurse Darby nodded in recognition. "I heard you say something about the Well of AllSparks a while ago. I just never knew what it was."
I briefly wondered when she overheard me saying that. "The Well of AllSparks serves as a direct conduit to the life force of the creator of our species, Primus. On Cybertron, mechs and femmes emerge directly from the Well as a protoform. A protoform is, simply put, a Cybertronian without an alternate mode. They wander around the nearby area until they were found by the bots stationed there. This unfortunately no longer happens since Cybertron's life giving core has gone dark. Anyway, the bot that emerged from the Well was promptly placed into a caste and assigned a guardian. This guardian taught the new bot to assume their most natural alternate mode, among other things."
The human looked very interested in what I had to say. I suppose that's not surprising, considering the obvious differences between our species. My sparkling shifted in his slumber as I spoke again.
"The second method is less common among our species. I refuse to go into the details in such close proximity to the children, but it is similar to how you humans procreate. One major difference is that gender, or frame type, doesn't determine the carrier. However, femmes are better known on our planet for being carriers."
"How is that possible?" She asked, a confused look crossing her face.
"How is what possible?"
"How is it that the gender doesn't matter when it comes to carrying the sparkling?" I can understand why she asked. Only human females can carry the child within her. Such a difference must be hard for a human to understand. I blinked down at her.
"There are a multitude of reasons as to why this is, but that is a question you'd have to ask Primus."
"...Does the carrier show the way our females do?" Nurse Darby asked cautiously. She must be worried that she is going to somehow offend me. I don't understand why. She knows I'm a medic and have no issues with explaining these things to anyone who wants to know. I adjusted my hold on my sparkling and answered her question.
"It all depends on the carrier's frame size and type. The growth of the sparkling within the gestation chamber of the carrier normally does show, but the size of the carrier themselves determines how much they will become noticeable."
"Interesting. Is the delivery like ours?" Nurse Darby asked while she brushed a lock of hair out of her face. I nodded.
"Complete with the pain and contractions."
"It's amazing how different and similar Cybertronians and humans really are. Right down to the biology," Nurse Darby said thoughtfully. She was right; it is amazing how two species, whose origins are galaxies apart, can be so strikingly similar.
There was a brief silence and I gazed up at the children who were absorbed into their game. Bumblebee and Bulkhead were watching them and cheering along when their charge's car sped ahead of the others. Optimus was clearly enjoying his nap wrapped in the warm towel. I could see a tiny smile on his shiny faceplates. I reached up and gently stroked his little face with my index finger. My spark warmed when his tiny smile grew at the contact.
"Do you have any kids?" Nurse Darby suddenly asked. The question was relevant, but I didn't see it coming.
"I do not. Though I wish I did."
"I thought you considered him yours." She said, gesturing up towards Optimus.
I looked down at the human, optics brightening. "Make no mistake, I do, but he is not my biological child."
"Oh, I get what you mean. Well, you'll meet that special person someday." I smirked at her last statement.
Soon after that, Nurse Darby had to leave. She said she was working the nightshift at the hospital. The children all said their goodbyes and continued to play their game, laughing and joking with each other, as well as with Bulkhead and Bumblebee. I stood off to the side, content with holding Optimus close to my chassis. Checking my internal chronometer, I proceeded to smile to myself and continue with my plans. I will need the assistance of the others for tomorrow. It was a very important day.
In human terms, tomorrow was Optimus's birthday.
...Soundwave's POV: Datapad Journal Entry #43...
I was quite surprised to see Lord Megatron carrying Starscream back onto the warship. …Although, 'dragging' would be a better word for the action. The beating Starscream suffered did inflict much damage on his frame. However, nothing irreparable was damaged. The Seeker was taken to Knockout's medbay to be repaired.
Lord Megatron could have killed the treacherous Seeker for attempting to murder the sparkling, whom I suspect he has come to think of as a younger brother. But, I believe that he has determined the punishment the Autobot medic gave him was enough.
I have concluded that everybot on the warship has silently agreed to give Starscream the 'cold shoulder', as I once heard the top Vehicon officer, Volk, say. No one has obeyed any of his commands, and Lord Megatron knows about the insubordination but hasn't said a word. The entire crew of the warship now knows of what he attempted to do to Parvolus. Word of the incident traveled very quickly around the ship. Everybot is angry, upset, or extremely disappointed in Rudder's case, at Starscream. In my personal opinion, they have every right to feel the way they do towards Starscream.
Parvolus is the first sparkling in a very long time, and many of the bots who remember a time when sparklings could run and play freely without the threat of danger around every corner were very enthusiastic about raising the little one. I assume that the faction of the little one did not matter to the majority of these bots. The idea of the start of the next generation for our dwindling species excited all of us.
I don't know if the entire ship yet knows of Parvolus's absence, though I do know that some have taken notice. Through my surveillance system I viewed footage of Vehicons repeatedly asking Breakdown and Rudder where the sparkling was. The Vehicon officer, Tripwire, approached me in regards to the little one's location. The mech was trustworthy and knew how to hold his glossa. I gave him a vague explanation as to where the little one currently was using my recordings.
Rudder came to my office not long ago, saying that I did the right thing with the sparkling. I was comforted by the old mech's words. Normally a Vehicon would not approach me on such a personal matter, but I was fine with Rudder doing it. The old bot was the one who helped deliver Wingspar and tried to save Halli before she died of Cosmic Rust. I first met him in the medbay of the Tagan Heights factory complex I worked in many vorns ago. He soon got to know my sparkmate, Halli, who was carrying then and guided us through the carrying stage. He became a close friend of the family. I am honestly surprised that the mech joined the Decepticons, given his kindly, care giving nature. But every mech has his reasons.
Ravage misses the presence of the little one, as much as he would hate to admit it. While I was working, he would often entertain the sparkling. Parvolus thoroughly enjoyed playing Ravage's tail. I'm sure Parvolus reminded Ravage of a cyberkitten, judging by the way I had seen him carrying the little one. I once saw Ravage sleeping with Parvolus, his tail curled around the little one.
Even Lord Megatron cannot hide the fact that he too misses the sparkling. He is doing his absolute best to conceal it, though there is no hiding the increases irritation and annoyance. Unlike the others, he has not spoken of the little one. However, my sensitivity to electric pulses in the CPU allowed me to conclude that his mind frequently wandered over to the well-being of the little one. The electric pulses in Lord Megatron's CPU strengthen when he is more irritated than usual, a feature unique to him. The sparkling's absence is the only thing that would irritate him in this manner. At the moment he is not irritated because of Starscream (I can't precisely tell what he feels about the Seeker as of now), so I can assume he is not an issue. Lord Megatron tended to project in the presence and absence of the little one that he didn't care about the sparkling, but the fact that he is attempting to give that impression makes it known to me that he truly feels the opposite.
He feels like a brother to the little one, whom he had taken a liking to calling 'runt', and undoubtedly feels Parvolus should be here with the Decepticons. While the little one was here, Parvolus often napped in Lord Megatron's office. Of course, our leader was there with him to keep an optic on the little one. He enjoyed the little one's cheerful presence.
All in all, the little one left a lasting impression on the crew of the Nemesis. Once he was gone, it felt as if a piece of us all was taken away.
...There is something that I wish to do, though I am not sure if I will be allowed to. But, the only way to confirm that I can is by asking.
~Soundwave
Birthday boy Optimus is going to get one heck of a surprise tomorrow! What's Ratchet planning? And what does Sounndwave want to do? So many mysteries! XD
In regards to the conversation between Ms. Darby and Ratchet about Cybertronian anatomy, I created the second method of procreation in my mind using pure logic. I will not be doing anything related to slash romance. That was just an anatomy lesson.
KayleeChiara, you are full of awesome ideas. I dedicate the anatomy lesson to you.
EndlessHope'22, how do I know so much about Cybertron places and whatnot? I am a really REALLY big Transformers nerd and have done a huge amount of research on that sort of stuff. So... yeah. X)
Optimus's girl, I have read the fic you recommended in your review, but it was super long and I couldn't read it all. I plan on fixing that, though.
I wanna thank all of you who reviewed the last chap! :)
Sparkling Prime is going to get gifts, and you get to decide which ones they are! Go on; don't be shy!
As always, if you have comments or ideas, just drop a review. See ya'll next time!
P.S. I keep hearing about these youth sectors on Cybertron that got destroyed by the Decepticons, but I can't find any information on the event. I heard that Bumblebee was the one of the only to survive the whole thing, but that's about it. Can you help me out here?