The Diego Diaries: Home Time (dd6 143)
-0-Home
Ratchet walked into the house and paused in the living room. No one was home. Everyone was farmed out and/or finishing up work and/or whooping it up at the Valles. He sauntered down to the end of the house three (former) houses down where the big(ger) kids lived. Peering into Fireball's berth room, he noted that it was immaculate. It was so with Quasar and Genesis. Glancing into the wash room, it was spotless as well. He walked into the room that Sunspot and Partition now shared. It was fine and dandy. Just before he walked out, Ratchet noted some things on a desk by the window. There was the framed image of Partition's family and his medical books which looked well into the study phase. He was obviously applying himself. He sort of reminded Ratchet of Orion, someone who had a focus and used it. There was also a nice blade in a familiar-appearing sheath, one that looked like those RTR made.
Ratchet picked it up, turning it over and over with an expert optic, then grinned. He put it down, then walked out. It was a blade from RTR. His genitors must have given it to him. That infant was getting to be intensely alright in Ratchet's book. Partition was well on his way to becoming what he wanted and not what he was trying to be for other people. He could stay here until he either found someone or moved out on his own.
Ratchet sat on his chair and considered who he knew that would be a nice fit for a lonely kid coming into his own. The door opened and the core of his universe walked in with a grin. Behind him, tottering along on his tiny peds, Prowler followed. "ADA! I COMED TO HERE!" he said as he ran to Ratchet.
Ratchet lifted him up, then hugged his tiny self. Sitting the baby on his lap, they grinned at each other. Ironhide who grinned at both of them opened the fridge, extracted two beers, then tossed one to Ratchet. They took a moment to open and sip the ice cold contents. "What have you two been up to?"
"We had to clear up a few things, organize my desk, shoot the slag with Prime, check out where everyone was and what they were doing … the usual," he said as he sat down. Prowler smiled at him. He smiled at Prowler. "What about you?"
"House work. Tons and tons of it. I had to clean every single berth room. You should check them out. They're immaculate now," Ratchet said as he booped Prowler's nose with his bottle. Prowler cackled loudly, tried to get a drink, then frowned at Ratchet when he couldn't have one. Both of his genitors grinned at him so he grinned back.
"Liar. No one messes up this place but Orion. Mech needs to put his stuff into the toy box," Ironhide said.
"Where's everyone?" Ratchet asked.
"Well … Orion and Praxus are with Amma. Appa has Hero. Sunspot is with Amma and Appa. So are the three little mechs. They're at the water park in the Tri-Cities Mall," Ironhide began.
"Why aren't you?" Ratchet asked. "You could get Spliff here cleaned from stem to stern before berth time."
Ironhide grinned at his son. "I could. I thought I'd come home to see what you were doing."
"Ah," Ratchet said as he clicked his bottle with Ironhide's, "you romantic slagger, you."
"I am," Ironhide said with a small preen. "The big kids are at the race track watching Blurr practice for the double ticket tonight. They want to go, all nine of them. They wanted to ask if we cared."
"You told them it was okay, right?" Ratchet asked.
Ironhide nodded. "I did. They had to be home at a reasonable time." He sipped his beer. "We took a stop in at the Performing Arts Center to see Amma and Appa."
"That's about to open," Ratchet said. "Scout and Trooper are about to have fits of excitement waiting for it. I suppose we have to go to the opera now?"
Ironhide grinned. "No. I remember when I was a kid, we had to go to the opera, to the symphonies, to the huge plays and dances. I got to go back stage and meet the actors and musicians. Appa and Amma made me sing for them."
"Oh, frag," Ratchet said with a grin. "Good thing you have a good voice."
Ironhide nodded. "Don't tell anyone. Appa wanted me to be a musician but I had other ideas. Thank Primus, I had good family to let me get into trouble on my own."
"You and me both," Ratchet said with a grin.
"What's the word on Corr? How's he coming along? It seems like eons since we had a chance to get together," Ironhide said.
"His protoform wasting is getting into the satisfactory stage … that is, less than 25%. No more signs of dementia. I think I'm still shaken up over that."
Ironhide nodded. "They had a hard time. My family did better but then they weren't stuck on Cybertron or in a prison like yours."
Ratchet nodded. "They get it all, all of them. They made the hard times better at their own expense so now its my turn to make things nice. We have to have a family dinner. Get Prime to come and tell lies. I know that Thanksgiving and Christmas Surprise are coming but we have to get a thing going before that. I think it might be optic opening for Partition."
"He signed his brothers up for the Home Guard," Ironhide said with a grin. "Aunt Lissie said she saw their name on the updated lists. She says that they like camping, that they try all the stuff the mechs are doing like climbing 5.5 rock faces. The Valles is filled with 5.15a faces so there's a lot to do and learn. I don't want him climbing anything beyond 5.8 until he gets more experience. All of those faces have small grips but they're using pitons and ropes."
"Good. I don't want to patch them together if they fall," Ratchet said. "What do you want for dinner?"
It was quiet a moment, then Ironhide glanced at Ratchet. "We haven't hit the store lately. I have a craving for some of those little things in mustard."
"Sardines?" Ratchet asked with an expression of disgust. "You have zero taste."
"Maybe, but I know what tastes good," Ironhide said with a grin. "What about it, Prowler? You ready to help your old pa get some grub?"
Prowler who was messing with a meter that Ratchet had unsubbed for him glanced up to his father. He smiled brightly. "We going somewhere?"
"Yup," Ironhide said. "I'm going with or without you, old mech. Better get ready for a truck load of sardines, weird cheese, all kinds of peppers-"
"Frag that," Ratchet said as he stood with Prowler. "I'm coming with you, slagger. You're not getting a room full of crap."
Ironhide grinned as he followed Ratchet to the door. He would try. They would spar. He would get what he wanted. He filled the cart with slag he didn't want so that in the end he could have what he wanted. He walked out the door with a grin on his face.
Ratchet led the way to the elevator with a grin on his face and Prowler in his arms. Ironhide liked to fill the cart with slag he didn't like so he could sneak things in that he did. It was a game and he liked to play it. Sometimes, the slag Ironhide picked out wasn't too bad.
Sometimes.
-0-Grocery At The Mall of Metroplex
Prowler was slipped into a seat on the cart that would hold all their slag. He smiled, then looked around for the inevitable cookie that always come with a jaunt at 'the store'. Going to 'the store' was a favorite pastime and Ironhide knew it. That's why they came sometimes when Ratchet wasn't around to be a killjoy. Both of them liked a cookie break. Ironhide pushed the cart, grinned at his son and followed the shapely aft of Ratchet as he swished into the huge facility to get something for dinner. They found themselves in the 'bread' aisle, or as Ironhide called it, "Bun Heaven". The rows went on forever and they walked past them with their own needs yearning to be met. "What's this?"
"English muffins."
"What's this?"
"Bagels."
"What's this?"
"Crescent rolls." Ratchet glanced at Ironhide who smirked at him, then the cart. One of each was in the basket. "You're a slagger. We need room for other things."
Ironhide leaned down and stacked the bags of bread. "There. Room."
Ratchet laughed and they pressed onward.
-0-Hero and Appa
Raptor stared down at the tiny femme who had shown him things and wanted to hang out. They were at a children's store filled with toys, clothing and other items for the well turned out infant on a cold hard world like Mars. She was trying on knitted gloves that were lined with a material that kept out the cold. "What do you think, Appa?" she asked holding up a mittened servo.
"I think it's pretty, Hero," he said with a grin. She was the apple of his optics, the only little femme in the family. In the fashion of a family with adopted children, they didn't distinguish between their own CNA and someone elses adopted in. All the children, young, medium and older were as loved as could be. But there was something about babies. When she looked up at him with a big smile and her sweet innocent optics, he could feel the mainsprings inside go boing. Whatever she wanted, he would give her.
She smiled at him, then put them on the shelf neatly. Pulling on another pair, she held them up. "What do you think, Appa?" she asked.
He grinned. "I think they're pretty, baby," he said.
She smiled and put them back. Pulling on another pair, she held them up. By the time she chose a nice little pair of white gloves with matching onesie and hat, they had looked at a lot. The one she chose was white, had a little white peplum-like skirt and was soft and warm. The clerk boxed it up, then handed it to her appa. She smiled at him. "THANK YOU, APPA! THAT'S SO PRETTY!"
Raptor picked her up, then thanked the clerk. Walking out with his little princess, he grinned. "I'm so glad. What's next, infant?"
"What about lunch, Appa? Are you hungry?" she asked with a smile as she sat on his arm.
"I was born hungry," Raptor said as he slipped the little package into his carry hold. They walked along the street heading for a cafe where the food was good and the booths cozy. They would eat a sandwich, share fries and tell stories. It would be awesome for an appa who never expected to have any grandchildren let alone a granddaughter.
-0-Orion, Praxus and Amma
Turbine walked behind the two as they sauntered through the Temple. Turbine had finished his class, then met Ravie by the door when he came in with the two. Ravie and Tie Down were finishing up crucial moments of construction for three swords so they were handing off the babies for the afternoon. Orion and Praxus were good to go with anyone anywhere so they hugged, 'KIPPED! BWAHAHAHA!' and waved goodbye, then grinned up at Amma Turbine. Turbine grinned down.
"AMMA! I LOVE HERE! WE COMED HERE TO SHE!" Orion said excitedly as Praxus nodded enthusiastically.
Turbine grinned. "I know. You come here in school. Lady Sela is your teacher."
"SHE MY SHE!" Orion said with a giant smile. Others there glanced at him with grins as they went about their business. "Where we going, Amma? We doing the thing, here and there?"
Turbine picked them both up, kissed them, then settled them on one arm. "We can. Are you hungry?" They were. He walked to the railing to bow to the AllSpark before leaving. Orion watched him, then looked at the AllSpark. "You doing to the she?"
"I am. I respect it and it protects all of us," Turbine said as he grinned at the babies. They grinned back.
"I like the AllSpark, Amma. We come here and she tells us things," Praxus said.
"Lady Sela?" Turbine asked.
They both nodded. "She my she," Orion said with a matter-of-fact voice and a serious face.
Turbine laughed. "Alright, but remember … you're my shes, too. Okay?"
Both of them smiled, then leaned against Turbine. "Okay, Amma," Praxus said as Orion nodded. They would head out to lunch, a loud and happy event, then eventually all of them would converge on the apartment in the sky.
-0-Big kids at the race track
They watched as Blurr ran in root mode around the track. He wasn't even trying but it was enough to dazzle nearly everyone there. The nine of them sat in the bleachers watching as the great racers worked out the kinks for the night's racing card.
"He's so fast," Lumi said as the others nodded. "I can never be that fast."
"No," Fireball said loyally," but he can't stop Megatron dead in his tracks like we can."
Lumi thought a moment as he watched Blurr flash by. "There is that," he said quietly as the others chuckled.
-0-Sunspot, the three little mechs and Amma and Appa
Sunspot, Spot, Co-D, Reflector, and Bos sat at a table near the water park eating lunch as they took a break from sliding down one-by-one or all together to crash into Amma and Appa who were floating in the pool. Reflector still had a slight fear of heights and it helped to have someone waiting at the bottom. Hard Drive and Delphi had no problem being there. Now they were eating hot dogs, chips and having a great time telling about school, life in other houses and how 'fun it was to be a family again, Amma and Appa!'
Delphi grinned. "We will always be family. I'm glad to hear that your adas and atars are on their feet and doing things for themselves. It was hard to be apart."
"It was, Amma. My atar has a great job now. He's a painter," Bos said. "He's painting ships. That's a hard job to get right. They always need repair and painting."
"I know," Hard Drive said. "I used to paint ships when I was a kid. That was my job. You have to do it right or it impairs the flight."
"YOU PAINTED SHIPS!? I thought you were a general," Sunspot said with surprise.
"I wasn't always a general. I'll have to tell you sometime," Hardie said with a grin. "I go back a long way."
"You do? Did you know Primus?" Reflector asked with amazement.
"I actually didn't though I saw Him but I knew someone who did," Hardie said. "Maybe I can tell you at Thanksgiving. I hear that your families are coming over for dinner."
"We are," Co-D said with a big smile. "We're going to be in the cookie contest. Amma said she would help us make some. Then we can enter, too."
"You have to save us some," Delphi said as Hardie nodded. "I want to try them."
They chatted about cookies, ate their lunch, then ran for the water park again. They would slide down the long winding slides, Spot sliding with them until they were worn out completely.
-0-Store
The cart was filling up with things that were needed since they had nine kids living at home full time now. That didn't count the other 18 or so that had housing elsewhere and three who were someone elses full-time infants until they came to stay overnight with them twice a week. Then they had the full magilla*. Right now, they were getting enough food for three or four orns. They would come in again, Ratchet probably, and do more later. They ambled along loading up, then reached the bakery and candy section again. They both stared at it, then each other. Ironhide grinned at Ratchet. "We're going to need another cart."
Ratchet nodded in silent agreement.
They would.
-0-TBC 9-30-17 edited 10-04-17
NOTES: :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
A full magilla is everything. An entire pie is a full magilla. It's an old fashioned slag thing. When you have everything of something, you have the full magilla. It was also a cartoon ape's name, Magillla the Gorilla. :D Yes, I am old. ;)
Scale for rock climbing: From 5.5 to 5.15a, a flat walk to a straight up face like El Capitan in Yosemite. They are the scale for assessing skill and danger. 5.15a is dire.