"CYBERTRONIAN"

"ENGLISH"

...

CHAPTER 35

Max wasn't very fond of visiting Ratchet, he compared it to seeing a Decepticon 'vet'. He was scanned over constantly, injected with fluids, and the like, all to make sure that the drugs were not in his system for the rest of his life. Ratchet was also working on a way to get the brand off of his back, it would be hard to do without leaving a scar or hurting him, but Ratchet hoped someday, he'd figure out how to get it off of him easily. Other then that, he checked the rash carefully that still laid around his neck, and the like. "Easy, I'm not going to hurt you." Ratchet stated at Max's wincing at a very gentle touch of his neck "Does it hurt that much?" He questioned, Max nodded his head "We really need to keep a watch over that then." The medic noted quietly.

It had been Optimus's turn to take Max for his check-up, and as such he felt tense. That rash was getting less serious, but it still concerned him. Taking a deep breath, then stroked Max's head lightly, carefully, gently. "And the drugs are slowly dissipating? As we hoped they would?" Ratchet nodded at Optimus affirmatively, to which the mech breathed a sigh of relief, and Max's eyes seemed to twinkle "That means we can finally begin the recovery process, little one." Max smiled so wide that he couldn't hardly contain his emotions.

"Sadly, however, we cannot reverse how you were raised." Ratchet noted, knowing Max shouldn't be misinformed on the situation, the boy turned his head slowly "You will ALWAYS struggle Maxwell, it is the sad truth. But being you are in a family that loves you. And, unlike most adoptive children, you've taken to them quite quickly. You might find it easier then most would." Ratchet noted, he still was curious about the boy's such willingness to accept Optimus and Elita, there was no doubt there "But the drugs are out of your system, completely, as far as I can tell, though I cannot be positive. I'll need to see you regularly for a year." He eyed Max for a moment "Think you can handle that?" He questioned, Max nodded at him slowly.

Ratchet sighed a bit, and motioned Optimus off to the side, knowing they needed to talk. "How is the boy doing?" Ratchet questioned, Optimus cocked an optic ridge at his friend slightly "I'm aware how he acts Prime, but how is he really doing? Any detachment issues when he's away from you or Elita for example?" Optimus seemed confused by the question "You may not know this Prime, but it's unusual for adopted children to call their adopted parents 'Mom' and 'Dad' so soon. Some are quick to do so, and it might, at times, be a sign of certain fears or attachment disorders." He explained.

"When I was adopted out of the orphanage at eight vorns, I took to calling my adopted creators 'Mother' and 'Father' right away Ratchet."

"Because you'd never had any one else to call that." Ratcthet corrected his leader a bit, Optimus frowned a bit, he knew that was right "I'm not saying that it's strange. It's very possible it is a result of how he'd been raised. The way you two treated him as if he were family very early on." The medic observed, there was a possibility, there might have been very few cases, but oddly-raised children did attach easily "I was simply worried it might be a result of detachment issues or fear. But given your reaction, I'd say it is simply a result of needing someone to call those names again." He noted.

Optimus nodded a bit, and looked toward Max. He hadn't shown any detachment issues, as of yet, anyway. But it did make sense that it was a certain need to belong again. Optimus himself had been stunned that Max had stuck with the titles himself. He had even heard that while Carter had tried to call Hound 'Dad' regularly, it had taken a full year for him not to slip and just call Hound by his given name. Max had never wavered in three months, Optimus was 'Dad' for the entire time, and a month ago, he'd settled into calling Elita 'Mom' as well. Optimus never found it unusual because he had been adopted later in life and been the same way, but he in truth, knew it was a rarity.

"You are right, it's VERY rare for such a thing to happen. But Max, is not a normal boy by any means." Optimus noted, this was rather true, and there was no avoiding that "It is not a reason for concern, however. If anything, it is his issues with trust outside of Elita and I that I worry for." The mech admitted, Ratchet nodded in agreement, knowing that was a problem that was sadly unavoidable "I hope someday, he will realize you all can be trusted. But until then, we will work on it. And monitor his actions when we leave him alone. Just to be on the safe side." He added.

Max shifted a bit as Optimus and Ratchet both approached the berth again. Optimus crouched, and laid a hand down, which Max instinctively climbed onto, allowing the Autobot leader to lift him up. Max sighed a bit, and leaned against Optimus's thumb as they exited the Med Bay. He couldn't understand them, but he had a feeling they had been talking about his oddities. He was new to all of this, but he could already tell by others reactions, he often did strange things. Calling Optimus and Elita "Dad" and "Mom" so early, was the one that he knew got people a lot. Even he knew it was in a way a very bizarre thing to do.

Max's actual reasoning, however, was simple. Optimus and Elita had taken him in without question, they'd cared for him. They'd given him a home, they were helping him to recover, they were like parents to him. It had been so bizarre, so strange, and so welcoming a feeling, Max had felt the reflex to say the words. It was instinct, or at least, what he felt to be instinct, to say such a thing when someone treated him that way. "You guys were talking about my strange attitude, weren't you?" Max questioned, Optimus cocked an optic ridge "I know it's weird... Probably that I'm so willing to..." Max turned away.

"It is unusual, but I find nothing wrong with it." Optimus knew what he was speaking of, taking a deep breath a bit "When I was adopted, I was older. Within three weeks of being with your Grandparents, they were 'Father' and 'Mother' to me. I cannot explain my reasoning entirely. But it as simple as the connection family shares." Optimus looked thoughtful, his optics fell upon Max "As an orphan, it is often hard to get along alone. When we are nurtured, and taken to be reared in someone's family, how quickly we come to accept them as such depends on the person. For some it takes years, for some, it never happens... And for a few, a very few, for people like us it is nearly instantly. It all depends upon the love you receive, and the connection you make." He noted.

"We did make a pretty good connection." Max admitted.

"Indeed. When I first saw you, I felt as though your appearance was not a coincidence. I truly believe you were supposed to make your way to Elita and I." Optimus tilted his head a bit, Max looked confused "Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing. But when it does, it is something you should embrace, and not avoid. Which is why I was so quick to take you in, why we were." Optimus looked to the side a bit "We discussed sending you to my Father, on the third moon of Cybertron, who we believed would keep you safer. But there is a reason we did not. You entered our sparks as if you'd always been there." He noted.

"So you think... I was always supposed to come here?" Max questioned, turning around to face Optimus "Always supposed to be adopted by you guys?" He questioned.

Optimus looked thoughtfully upon his son, and smiled gently. "They say an adopted member of the Prime Family is never found by chance. If an individual is brought into the long running Dynasty of Prime's, it was long ago said it would happen. Our Prime's were what were called 'Prophets'." Optimus explaind, Max seemed more then a bit intrigued by that "It was no accident that you were adopted by me Max. If the stories were true, it was probably written, somewhere, that a human boy would be adopted into the ranks." He chuckled a bit at the thought, stroking the boy's head lightly.

Max's thoughts on this were rather scattered, the Prime's had predicted such a thing? He couldn't even imagine how they knew humans existed, though perhaps, someday, he'd find out. All he knew was that talking to Optimus on the subject at least settled some of his fear of awkwardness. Something that at this point, he was more then thankful for. Max sighed a bit, closed his eyes and shifted a little, deep in thought. He almost wished he had been found sooner if that was the case, if he had always been meant to be a part of the Prime family, why couldn't his time as a pet have been avoided?

He closed his eyes, and let it go, he'd never get his answers and he knew it, but he could only hope there was some sort of reason for it. There had to be a reason for everything, he figured, if there was fate, fate had to have a reason, or at least, he hoped so.