The Chronicles of Orion: Part 11 (I=Ironhide, O=Orion)
(This story is the evening of the day in part 424 of Diego Diaries 2. It helps to read that first.)
=0=Later that night...
They sat together each in their own chair, each of them with a sparkling on their laps. Sunspot stretched on the rug reading a Cybertronian language version of the classic, 'Lad, A Dog' was absorbed in the life of a very well bred collie. Ratchet had Praxus perched on his lap and they were playing the 'kiss' game. Ratchet would kiss the sparkling madly and sit him on his chassis. Praxus would laugh himself half sick when his ada would do that. Then it would begin again.
All in all, it was a good trade off.
Ironhide sat with Orion on his chassis listening to him tweet his day. When he wound down a bit Ironhide reached over the arm to a box filled with things he had collected since their conference that morning. Holding up a ball he waited. "Orion," he said the sparkling looking at him. "Ball."
Orion looked at the ball and reached for it. Ironhide moved it and said, "Ball. Buh-all."
The infant looked at his pa and then the ball. "Buh."
I: "Buh-all. Ball. Ball."
O: "Buh."
Ratchet smirked. "Nice. Almost there."
Ironhide looked at Ratchet and nodded. "Little mech has skills," he said looking at his son. "Ball. Buh-all. Bah-llll."
O: "Bah-lll."
I: "Orion, ball."
O: "Buahahahaha!" He grinned at his papa. "Bah-bah-bah ... BAH-LLL! BAH-BAH-BALL!"
They both stared at him. "He kind of had it," Ratchet offered. Praxus had turned to watch, hearing his brother's mad babbling. Watching solemnly, Praxus sat quietly fully absorbed.
"Here," Ironhide said changing out the object from ball to rubber duck. "Duck. Duh-uck. Duck."
O: "Duh."
I: "Duh-uck. Duck."
O: [smile] "Uck."
I: [slight frown] "Duck."
O: "Duh."
I: "Duck."
O: "Duh-uck."
R: "He's doing a psy-ops on you, Ironhide. He's lulling you for the kill."
"He's doing a good job," Ironhide said ruefully. "Duck."
O: "Uck." [ginormous smile]
I: "Orion... duck."
O: "UCK! UCK!UCK!UCK! Duh-uck. UCKA-DUCKA-DUCK!"
Ratchet laughed out loud and Praxus noticing began to laugh too. Ironhide didn't laugh. Orion merely chuckled.
"Okay, try this one..." Ironhide changed objects. Holding up a cup he said, "Cup."
O: "Up." [Ginormous grin, fat chuckle]
I: "Cuh-up. Cup. Cup."
O: "Up-cuh. Pup." He chuckled and flapped his arms. "CUP!DUCK-UH!BALL-LLLL! Duck."
"Two out of several isn't bad," Ratchet said with a smirk. "My sparkling on the other hand is getting them all right."
"He's not saying a word," Ironhide said smirking back.
"And he's doing a stellar job of it too," Ratchet said picking up Praxus and cuddling him against his cheek. The infant grabbed hold of Ratchet's face and pressed him own against it. Settling him on his shoulder Praxus snuggled up and vented a soft sigh. His world was now perfect. Ratchet patted him gently on his little red aft and smiled at Ironhide. "Keep going. Show him who's boss, Ironhide."
Ironhide rolled his optics and looked at his sparkling. "Duck."
O: "Uck."
I: "Cup."
O: "Puc."
I: "Ball."
O: "Bluh-pft." He paused a moment surprised at the sound and then burst into laughter falling backward and hanging off Ironhide's lap. "PFT!BLAH-BLAH-BLAH!" [CACKLE] "ATAR!ADA!ADA!ADA! DUCK! DUH-UCK! B-B-B-ALL!"
"He's in a feisty mood." Ratchet grinned. "Unlike two other sparklings I can name."
"He's full of it," Ironhide said reeling the little black and yellow sparkling back in. Sitting up, his smile almost face splitting, Orion looked at his dad for more. "Atar."
"Orion."
"Love Atar."
For a moment time stood still and everyone paused in what they were doing. Ironhide, his optics as large as truck tires looked at the smiling little waif sitting on his lap. Tears misted in his optics as he replayed the remarks inside his helm. "Love Atar." His son had said he loved him. Orion loved him. He picked up the little mech and held him a moment. "Atar love Orion." Then he kissed his son and cuddled him against his shoulder.
Orion cuddled down and grinned. "Love duh-uck."
The laughter would be a while dying down.
=0=Next day at school
They sat on the rug together, all the sparklings that could sit up being the 'elder' group. Sparklings that were too small or weak to do that were the 'younger' group. Mimi sat next to Praxus who had just been graduated to the elder group for his accomplished and highly acclaimed sitting up by himself. Mimi held his servo, the two tiny bots fast friends. Equal in temperament, equal in size, they were meant for each other.
Orion sat with hatchlings, three of Starscream's trine and four of Dirge's and the rest of the older more adept sparklings including Han who was sitting on his aide's lap. It was story time and soon puppets would appear mesmerizing everyone. When that was accomplished they would 'sing'. The infants would listen to the adults sing songs and it would be a long time before Orion learned that his Atar's ada, Alor had composed nearly every song the infants would learn and listen to.
At last that was accomplished and all the little groups began to break up for the rotation of classes that all of them took as a learning group. Mimi and Praxus were whisked off to swim. Han and three Seekerlings were going to physical therapy. The remaining infants were taken to their classes and at last Mr. Roto picked up Orion for his language class. Walking to the room where all the equipment and toys were, they sat. Taking his basket of objects that Orion had learned to say repeatedly and flawlessly, he held up a ball. "Okay, baby. Amaze me."
Orion smiled enormously. "Buh-all."
Roto blinked. "No, baby. Just say it. Not the sounds. Ball."
"Buh-all."
Roto stared at him a moment and then pulled another toy. "Duck." He smiled.
"Duh-uck."
Looking at the duck and then his infant Roto frowned slightly. "Duck, infant."
"Duh-uck... DUCK-UH! BALL-UH! QUACK! QUACK! SPOING!"
Roto sat staring at Orion who looked back at him with a huge smile and chuckle. "Oh slag," he whispered softly.
"SLAG!" Orion chimed in to be helpful.
=0=TBC
2012 (4)
NOTES: Ironhide made a typical mistake in teaching words to his son. You do not emphasize the consonant sounds. B is not buh. It is the sharpest and smallest b sound you can make. It changes a word from one part to two when you do what he did, the poor sparkling. :)