C.M.D: It's update period! And for October, I've only got two, but extra large, chapters to share with all of you! We'll start off with our favourite space muffin and his statue of a mech, and finish with another fan favourite, poor, angsty Roddy! There is a little "berthroom fun" included in this update, so as always, this one will be censored but you can find the full version up on archiveofourown (link in my profile). Moving on... Please enjoy this bigger-than-average treat and happy reading, dear followers!
Title: Blast Off and Cosmos IX
Rating: M
It was almost impossible to believe that he was sparked.
After all that crying, fretting, praying... Yet, one little stick had told the pyrenees just that. Cosmos kept the pregnancy test hidden away in a drawer in the berthroom, pulling out the container he used to house it and prying back the lid every time he needed to reassure himself. Unfortunately, the precious plus symbol faded from the plastic readout after a couple weeks and in a panic, Cosmos rushed to the nearest drugstore and bought every test off the shelf.
Then he hurried back home, taking another test right away, feeling his spark settle down as the results came out positive again. This lasted for a month before Blast Off caught onto the autodog's anxiety-induced habit. Calmly, the kittycon suggested a trip to the vet, where upon the clinic was happy to perform an ultrasound for the couple. Circuits sparking nervously, Cosmos had laid on the berth, ever so terrified that the nurses would find nothing.
What if he'd read the test wrong? Or imagined the whole thing?!
But then there was a blip and the monitor screen near his helm flashed to life; a small, forming shape could be seen, hardly bigger than a grape.
"The bornling's coming along nicely," the nurse smiled down on the stunned mech. "In a few months, we'll do another scan and see who the lil' 'bot is going to be!"
They went home shortly after that; the pyrenees clutching the printed sonogram image to his chestplates the entire way. When they were finally in the safety of their home, Cosmos could hold back no longer, and he bawled as Blast Off gently led him to the couch. He was happy. So overwhelmed with joy. Cuddled in his bondmate's long arms, the autodog smiled, fat, merry tears sliding down his face as he buried it into the siamese's chestplates.
xxXxXxx
Blast Off was a 'bot of tradition and formality.
"Family," the siamese announced, standing in the living room doorway, one servo cradling his bondmate's, "We are happy to announce that Cosmos is expecting."
Skydive leapt to his pedes immediately at the news, accidentally dislodging the bottle from Motormaster's mouth. The black bornling glowered for an astrosecond at his interrupted feeding, before bursting out into angry wails. The shih tzu was quick to deposit him in Onslaught's arms before racing over. "Congratulations!," the blue mech squealed, hugging Cosmos. "Oh this is fantastic news! Isn't it, Onslaught?"
"Of course," the serval gruffed, rising to his pedes slowly. He juggled the twins precariously as he did; two bottles clenched in his fists. "But if I may...?"
"O-oh, sorry!," Skydive apologized, rushing back over to grab Motormaster. The autodog's optics still shimmered in joy and his tail beat a rapid pattern behind himself. "Let me go get tea! Cosmos, do you want tea? Cookies? Oh, are you having cravings yet?"
"N-no, I-i," the astronomer stuttered, greatly overwhelmed by the attention he was getting, "I-i mean, it's e-early and I haven't... Craved... u-umm..."
"It's alright," Onslaught interjected, gently urging his excited bondmate to the kitchen. Skydive took off like a rocket, bouncing an unhappy mechling on his hip. Readjusting Dragstrip in his arms, the kittycon approached the couple, beaming as he grabbed Blast Off's servo in a firm shake. "This is very good news. Congratulations, Cosmos. I know you'll make a great carrier; my son is lucky to have you."
"L-luck- O-oh, I-i-i don't t-th-think I-i'm-," the pyreness blushed, feeling unworthy of the older mech's praise.
Gentle claws silenced his self-deprecating words, drawing Cosmos even closer to the siamese's side. "Thank you, Dad," Blast Off said, the additional suffix shocking to both mechs. The tall mech turned his helm downwards, his grey optics staring deep into the astronomer's own. "There is no one else as precious as Cosmos; I'd know no happiness without him."
Vision filling with happy tears, Cosmos pressed his face into the siamese's open palm, hearing faintly as Onslaught coughed uncomfortably. "Yes, well... I'm just happy for the flux of grandchildren! Didn't think I'd ever have any, what with the set of blocks your brothers and you have for helms...," the serval grumbled. His tone changed as a smile returned to his face. "I just hope you know that Skydive will want to throw you a bornling shower."
Cosmos perked up at the words in alarm. "B-bornling shower?!," he yipped.
"We can even have it here in my backyard," Onslaught suggested, "Or rent a hall. Whatever suits you better. Our guest list will be fairly small but I'm sure your parents will want to be there, and any other friends and relatives."
"Pa-parents?!" The pyrenees had nearly forgotten about his own creators. Oh, the squealing Lightbright would make when she heard the news...
"That sounds agreeable," Blast Off agreed, nodding his helm. "My gratitude, again."
"Are you talking about a bornling shower?," Skydive piped up, coming back to the living room in a hurry. He was barely aware of the tea tray swaying precariously in his own servo as he trapped his wriggling son to his chestplates. "I want to plan it! Oh, please, let me!"
"I will provide you with Cosmos' creators contact information tomorrow," the brown kittycon said, grabbing the tray before it tipped. "I'm sure Mrs. Lightbright would like to also be involved in her son's bornling shower, once we visit them in the morning with the good news."
"Of course, no problem," the shih tzu replied. His tail was wagging away like mad and he was even beginning to sound a little winded in his excitement. "Oh, we should go shopping together- I know some of the best stores and where you can get some yummy treats when the cravings kick in!"
"O-okay...," Cosmos hesitantly smiled, letting Skydive drag him to the couch. Seated between the other autodog and his bondmate, the pyrenees couldn't help but realize how he'd come to view this place as much a home as the one his creators owned. A sensation he had never thought he'd experience.
It seemed Blast Off wasn't the only lucky 'bot.
xxXxXxx
"Congratulations!"
A squeak escaped the pyrenees as an explosion of confetti erupted in his face, thankful for his bondmate's quick response at batting away the worse of the glittery paper that cluttered his field of vision. "W-wha... What is t-this?," Cosmos stuttered, looking around the large convention hall. A series of teal, silk sheets swept across the ceiling, matching the two dozen round tables, decorated with giant pretend baby bottles, pacifiers and diaper-pin confetti. Even the three long, buffet tables were covered in the same theme, between an excessively large quantity of food. And that wasn't counting the several dozen or so guests, either. "Momma?! I said a 'small gathering'!"
"Oh, don't be mad, honey pie," Lightbright chirped, tossing her confetti popper towards Dug Base as she pulled her son into a hug. "I just wanted this to be the best party ever! My baby is having babies. Besides, you didn't let me plan your wedding!"
"B-because I knew y-you'd get c-carried away, just like this," Cosmos choked, trying to wriggle free from his carrier's hold. He turned desperate optics towards his sire. "Dad! Please, help!"
Chuckling, the mountain dog stepped forward, gently prying his bondmate off of the astronomer. "Come on, sweetie. You're gonna strangle the pup if you keep that up. Besides, don't you want him to enjoy the party you and that Skydive spent so long planning?," Dug Base asked.
"Oh my- Of course! Of course!," the femme replied, giving her son a little push. "Go; mingle! I'm going to familiarize myself with all your friends and in-laws too. Good thing I brought the photo album!" And then she was off; racing towards the nearest group of party-goers, a servo already pulling a large binder out of her purse.
"Dad!," Cosmos squeaked, servos covering his face in embarrassment.
"Don't worry," Dug Base smiled, "It's only your bornling and wedding photos in that album. I made her leave the really embarrassing photos at home." He patted the top of his inconsolable son's helm. "And just to be safe, I'll keep an optic on the grandma-to-be. Go have fun, son."
His sire bent down and kissed the pyrenees' forehelm, giving a polite nod to Blast Off, before the large autodog lumbered off in Lightbright's general direction. Cosmos surveyed the hall with a sigh, rubbing the spot where Dug Base had kissed him awkwardly. "I-i just... It's a lot of people," he mumbled, turning slightly to Blast Off.
The kittycon was gently massaging his shoulders, the softest hint of tenderness visible in those grey optics for Cosmos alone. At the sight of it, the autodog felt a giddy smile start to tug at the corners of his mouth. "The number is several more than we had anticipated," Blast Off agreed, "But all present are family and friends. There are no strangers here, nor will I allow-"
A thunderous crash interrupted the siamese -Brawl had discovered the dessert table. An exasperated huff escaping the brown mech, Blast Off leaned down and pecked his bondmate quickly. "Please excuse me," he apologized. "There is a punch table in the left corner, empty at the moment. I made sure the beverages were to your preference." And then he was straightening up; moving across the room quickly to assist Onslaught in reigning in Brawl's wild rampage.
Cosmos opened his mouth to beg his partner to stay... but he couldn't find the words fast enough, plus, he knew that Blast Off had to help. The serval was his brother after all. Rubbing nervous circles into his growing belly, the astronomer hurried across the room, doing his best to avoid being spotted by the few gathered groups, chatting amiably amongst themselves. He wasn't particularly thirsty but he hoped that he could distract himself long enough with the punch bowl until Blast Off was free once again to join him. It was just his luck that another mech was approaching the table at the same time the pyrenees was.
"Oh...," the devon rex huffed, pausing as he spotted Cosmos.
"H-hi," the green mech smiled back shyly. "Y-you're um... S-swindle, right? Blast Off's brother."
Purple optics rolled at the question, grabbing a cup off the table. "Yeah. And you're my brother's 'beau'," Swindle replied dully, filling his glass to the top. "So word is you're sparked too."
"Y-yes," Cosmos stuttered, playing with his fingers as he dropped his gaze to the floor, "I s-should be due s-six months after y-you and-"
"Oh, Primus, yeah," the kittycon groaned loudly, "Then the nightmare really begins. It's so fragging unfair that we have to suffer this slag. I mean cravings are bearable granted you're not mixing weird things like chocolate and onions, but the nausea? Dizzy spells? Purging your tanks every night at three in the morning?! And we can't even abort the lil' scraplets 'cause of Onslaught and his slagging over-bearing 'pro-life' attitude!"
Swindle paused to throw back his drink, angrily refilling it afterwards. "Thank Unicron I'm already more than half-way through it. Did you know some 'bots actually want this? They even keep the parasite after too, treating it like some sort of rare gem! Don't you think that's so fragging insane?," he asked, snapping his helm toward the silent autodog. His sneer fell the moment he noticed the wide, tearful optics staring back at him silently. "A-and... and clearly you're, u-uh, one of them... E-excuse me..." And with an uncomfortable cough, the kittycon was waddling away rapidly with his half-finished glass, leaving behind the devastated Cosmos.
Insane? Parasitic? Was... was that all true? Was he sick in the helm for wanting this? Yellow fingers clutched at his abdomen tightly, the autodog's intakes sputtering into a choking hyperventilation. Maybe this really was a bad idea. After all, what did he know about having a bornling? Or raising one, for that matter? He'd just screw it up somehow, the pyrenees knew, then the authorities would come and take his bornling away and they'd deem him unfit to work ever again and Blast Off would leave him because he was such a failure and he'd be alone again... Biting back the sob that nearly escaped, Cosmos shuffled out of the party quickly. He just knew that the dam of tears was about to break forth any moment and he could not bear the thought of having everyone present see him for the worthless wreck he was when it did.
He made it as far as the bathroom doors before he could silence his cries no longer.
xxXxXxx
"I'm back," Blast Off greeted, gently closing the apartment door behind himself.
"W-welcome," Cosmos huffed, shifting on the couch cushion. He thought to get up but couldn't find the strength in his aching frame, so resigned himself to his spot, watching the t.v miserably.
"There's been no change still?," his bondmate asked, crossing the room. He put down the bag of groceries on the coffee table, shifting the empty noodle cups and teapot to one side neatly before sitting down beside the pyrenees. Cosmos only shook his helm in response, trembling servos clutching at his swelling belly.
"N-no," he whimpered. "I don't understand why he doesn't c-come out... H-he's fully grown now!"
"Perhaps," Blast Off replied, stroking at a soft ear tenderly, "The bornling does not want to."
That did little to calm the hormonal astronomer. "B-but I've tried everything," Cosmos wailed, tears collecting thickly along his optics, "Spicy food, e-exercise, teas... Why won't he come out already?! Doesn't he want me as his momma? I bet he doesn't. I bet he hates me!"
The siamese responded immediately, grabbing the autodog from under his thighs and pulling him up to his chestplates. Cosmos buried his face into the other mech's shirt as soon as he was close, his hiccuping cries muffled between the fabric. "The bornling does not hate you," Blast Off soothed, his fingers stroking down his bondmate's back and through his tail. "On the contrary, you've made such a pleasant home for our cub in your womb that he does not want to leave. And who can blame him? The outside world is not as kind or safe as the one you've provided for him all this time."
The pyrenees sniffled as the kittycon spoke, his tears ebbing yet still ready to fall at a moment's notice. "B-but...," he mumbled, nuzzling shyly into Blast Off's shirt as those larger servos continued to pet him, "I-i really want him to come out. I w-want to hold him in my arms, hug a-and kiss his l-little face, and hear a-all his little sounds and... a-and... I-it's just not the same when he's o-only inside me..."
The brown mech was silent for a long klik as he held his distraught partner, before he pulled away a few inches, turning Cosmos' face up toward him. "Our bornling will come -whether it be tomorrow or in a few orns time. But," he added when the astronomer opened his mouth in protest, "If you'd like to try and aid the process along, there is one thing we have yet to try."
"W-what... What's that?," the autodog asked dubiously, his exhausted processor scrambling through the list of suggestions he recalled from his birthing class. His mind blanked though as the claws at his chin suddenly trailed down his frame, stirring up a stifling heat as warm lip components captured his own.
"Interfacing," the siamese's sultry vocalizer supplied when they finally parted again.
Cosmos flushed instantly, pushing away from his bondmate and covering his face in embarrassment. He forgot he was supported by Blast Off's servos though and, obviously, could not get very far before his bondmate was pressing soft kisses about his lowered helm. "It has been a long time since we last connected...," the kittycon said, fangs nibbling on the edge of one of the autodog's soft ears, drawing a breathless gasp from his partner, "I will respect your choice if you decline, though."
It really had been a long time since they had last been intimate. Nearly the whole pregnancy, Cosmos noted. Between morning sickness, aches and pains, dizzy spells and general exhaustion, the autodog had not been capable of wanting to frag the siamese, let alone think about it. Of course, Blast Off had never demanded anything of him either; dedicating himself instead to taking care of his lover's every need and desire so as to save the smaller mech any trouble. Reminded now of their unintended celibacy and the way that the kittycon had pampered him all this time, turned the astronomer's budding arousal into a raging inferno; engulfing him in an intoxicating spell of heat that needed to be sated, immediately and preferably roughly.
Shivering in newfound lust, the autodog pressed into his bondmate, brazenly kissing at the long neck. "P-please," he whimpered, fists tightening in Blast Off's shirt, "Please, d-do it. F-frag me. Now."
Grey ears perked upright at the desperate whine, astroseconds before a heat scent flooded over Blast Off. Fangs partially bared, he cycled an intake deeply, reveling in the sweet musk. He had never smelled anything so delicious before in his life and it shoved aside all sanity and propriety as a primal beast took control over him. He had Cosmos' robe ripped off before the smaller mech could even shutter his optics, leaving marks all over his neck cables and chestplates. He wanted to devour the astronomer right then and there, and judging by the way Cosmos keened and writhed in the kittycon's grasp, it was obvious that the swollen autodog wanted the same thing. Rising to his pedes as they shared another wild, starving kiss, Blast Off crossed the apartment in several easy strides, depositing the pyrenees on the berth in their room hurriedly.
Several long kliks later, Blast Off gently withdrew, concerned for the astronomer's well-being after having lost control of himself.
"Cosmos...?," the soft vocalizer prodded, claws moving the damp ears out of the pyrenees' face. "Cosmos, I apologize... Are you hurt? Can I do something?"
The green mech wanted to assure his lover that he was not hurt (in fact, every circuit in his frame twitched spastically, sore, but he still thrummed with heat and pleasure) yet could not find a way to grasp at the sound of words through his heavy pants. Primus, how he felt so... Something twisted in his tanks and Cosmos shifted weakly, trying to circle a servo around his suddenly nauseous abdomen.
"Cosmos?" Blast Off noted the slight change in the autodog right away and he hurried to roll the astronomer over with as much care as possible. "Where does it hurt?," the siamese questioned, his brow furrowed in worry as he looked his mate over. Little scratches from his claws and fangs littered Cosmos' frame; the berth beneath damp from their wild tryst.
As the brown mech looked for anything unusual among the mess, he saw as a trickle of energon slowly gushed out from between Cosmos. Spark halting for a moment, Blast Off felt relief crack his normally cool demeanor when the frightening show of energon was followed by an equally-coloured, but gummy, bit of slime slipping out of his partner's valve. "You've shed your proto-plug," he informed, after studying the viscous goop for a few moments.
"I-i... Wha?," Cosmos huffed, clutching at his swollen belly as the nausea quickly grew to a crushing clawing at his tanks.
"It means you are going into labor," the kittycon explained, giving the autodog a kiss on his forehelm as he helped him move to the edge of the berth. "You will be holding your bornling very soon."
The pyrenees wished he could have been happier to hear that. But all the wondrous bliss from their interfacing had rapidly disappeared, leaving only the smaller mech's aching hips and the painful rippling of his abdomen, growing more intense by the klik. "C-can we get to t-the hospital? P-please?," Cosmos hiccuped, hit by another spike in contractions.
Blast Off nodded, wiping his lover down quickly and dressing him in a clean robe for the trip. Shouldering their overnight bag, he gently picked up his mate, cradling him as was most comfortable to the autodog before hurrying out of the apartment.
xxXxXxx
By the time they had reached the hospital, the contractions had transformed from uncomfortable to downright unbearable. "S-Stop! STOP!," Cosmos shrieked, trying to hug his abdomen and shove away from Blast Off, all at once. "P-please! PRIMUS! Make it STOP!"
Personnel were racing through the emergency ward, swarming around the kittycon as he tried to keep his grip on the squirming autodog; all attention on the odd pair. "He's well into his contractions. Nearly a klik apart now," Blast Off informed loudly, as the astronomer began a new retinue of wheezing sobs and high-pitched pleas for help. "The proto-plug flushed out of him thirty kliks ago; he is past his due date by eight orns."
Two of the nurses tore away from the group, rushing to a side wall where empty gurneys were kept for situations such as this. They ran back over, the substitute berth clacking and clanging loudly, while the rest of the staff yelled at each other just under Cosmos' screaming; a vet and two other nurses reaching up and trying to tug the pyrenees free from his mate's hold. Anger flashed through the siamese's optics as their callous actions caused the autodog to shift, producing another painful shriek, before he shook them off and set Cosmos on the gurney himself.
"You, you, you and you," the vet shouted as he reoriented himself, pointing at a few of the staff, "Come with me! The rest of you, back to your stations. We need to get the patient to the birth ward- STAT!"
"IT HURTS," the green mech wailed pitifully. "I-it HURTS! I-i don't want it anymore; I DON'T WANT THIS! Ge-get it out of me! PLEASE! GET IT OUT! I D-DON'T WANT IT!"
Blast Off pushed through the smaller throng now surrounding his bondmate's gurney, grabbing one of Cosmos' servos and squeezing tight. "It'll pass, Cosmos," the brown mech soothed, wanting to grab the small astronomer and hold him close. Alas, it would not save him from the pain he was currently suffering, and that, coupled with the physical sight of the pyrenees' twisted and coolant-drenched face, brought an upsetting chill to the kittycon's spark. He felt so useless...
"Excuse us!," the vet snarled, slapping their servos apart and pushing the taller mech away. "Nurses! Elevator, NOW!"
Murder crossed the siamese's processor in that instant, his claws raising to grab the vet's helm and twist it from his pretentious shoulders, before they paused half an astrosecond after; Blast Off displeased to know how quickly he had made this uncomfortable scene an even more unpleasant one. The hospital staff were simply doing their jobs, he told himself. The vet might have possibly been near the end of a long and exhausting shift. The brown mech's optics were thin slits as he hurried after his mate's entourage, knowing exactly where they were going and which elevator system they would take. Blast Off would brush off the vet's foolish actions for now; his only priority was to get back to Cosmos' side and stand there as his pillar of strength while the pyrenees' delivered their son upon this world.
Blast Off kept this in the forefront of his processor as he sped up the hospital stairs, practically shooting out onto the birthing ward. He caught a glimpse of Comso's gurney down the opposite end of the hall, turning into one of the rooms, and the siamese increased his pace; pushing past the security doors as if they never existed. Shouts of surprise erupted from the nurses' station as he rushed by it, closing on to the door that the astronomer had been wheeled into. Cosmos' screams echoed out of the birthing suite in confirmation, calling to Blast Off. Before the brown mech could even set one pede into the room though, the vet from earlier was moving to block his path; barring the door and refusing to let the kittycon past.
Blast Off glared down on the smaller autodog, feeling his jaw clench. "Move," he hissed lowly.
"Only staff are allowed past this point," the vet snapped back.
"That is my bondmate!," the siamese snarled, rapidly losing control of his temper. That urge from before -to dig his claws deep into the other mech's soft abdomen and tear- was returning, thrumming along his neural net like a siren's song.
The vet sneered at Blast Off's words, shoving against the kittycon when he tried to barrel forward at another one of Cosmos' miserable yelps. "I don't know what sort of 'fairytale' you're living but you are not coming into this room. Only the patient's family may see him after delivery and if you don't leave now, I will have the Enforcers personally escort you to jail!"
Grey optics flared brightly at the autodog's threat, chased by another shriek from his bondmate, this time calling out the kittycon's name with a broken wail. It happened in the blink of an optic: one moment the vet was sneering up at the tall mech; the next, the siamese had slammed him into the wall, servos covering his face as his claws dug deep into the other's helm.
"STOP!," a stern vocalizer yelled.
"Let the mech go or we'll shoot," a second chimed in.
With cool rage, Blast Off glanced behind him, his bright optics taking in the small congregation that had gathered around him suddenly. Six different security guards circled him on either side, tasers -not guns- out and aimed at the kittycon, while a gaggle of nurses stood back a few paces, watching everything unfold with horrified optics.
"Drop him or we'll fire!," the first security guard ordered.
He could slaughter them all so easily... Yet, Blast Off merely stepped away from the wall, allowing the vet to drop to the floor, hacking and coughing as his poor vents hurried to cycle fresh intakes. The security team believed it a smart opportunity then and there to step forward, handcuffs appearing from one mech's belt as they moved quickly to intercept the brown mech. The kittycon, obviously, was far quicker. In a flash, four guards had been disarmed and scattered around the wide hall while the remaining two shuttered their optics in confusion; realizing, belatedly, the siamese moving down the hall and to the emergency stairwell faster than a fleeting shadow.
By the time they could respond to the turn of events, Blast Off was already gone from the hospital grounds. The vet, after a quick check from the stand-by nurses, rose to his pedes with an angry wince and hurried back into the birthing suite to his screaming patient.
xxXxXxx
He felt tired. So exhausted... He could barely even keep his helm upright, the world around him blurred; one colour smearing into the next, unable to retain shape. How long had he been in this room? The pyrenees couldn't remember. He could not even recall his own name at this point. Every inch of his frame burned, as if the sensors had all been lit on fire and then sealed in a dome to melt away in the never-ending inferno. Vocalizers echoed all around him for quite some time, their words distorted static to his frazzled ears, but one by one, they began to vanish. Before they did though, cold, plastic-like servos prodded and pushed him about; moving him in a way that his unknown molesters were content with, a weight settling into his arms.
Muffled static mumbled at his left side, then it too was gone, leaving only the clammy wetness between his thighs and the writhing bundle that rotated further into his chestplates. What was that? The question flitted faintly across his jumbled processor. What did he now hold? Was it safe? Should he drop it?
As the pyrenees sat and contemplated the queer weight in his heavy arms, something sunk the right side of his berth, claws wrapping around his shoulders. "Cosmos," a soft vocalizer said, so hushed and deep and familiar. It repeated the name -his name- a second time, bringing awareness to the drained autodog.
"W-where... y-you weren't...," he hiccuped, optics hot as they overflowed with fresh coolant.
The claws brushed up his cheekplate, the other set cupping under his arms, searching for a servo. "There were some problems with the intake forms," Blast Off informed, his words soothing Cosmos with every utterance. "I did not wish to miss this. I regret missing this." His claws squeezed around the pyrenees' torso, reminding him of the bundle he carried.
"I-it's...?"
"Our son. I see," the siamese confirmed. "He is healthy. Recharging. He is tired from the long delivery, as I can tell you are too. Rest, my star. I shall see you when you awake, alongside your carrier and sire."
He didn't want to rest though. His spark cried for Blast Off; wanted nothing more than to curl into the brown mech's long, powerful arms and feel the thrumming of his own spark and be comforted by it. It had been horrible to be alone for even a short period. Yet, Cosmos' optics could not stay online any longer... They shuttered, dousing everything into shadows as he felt Blast Off tuck both him and the bornling in snug, a kiss ghosting across his forehelm.
"I-i don't want you...," the pyrenees tried to say in one final plea, his vocalizer beginning to fail next, "Go... this t-to end..."
Other vocalizers were returning to the room; the claws vanishing immediately, leaving Cosmos to lay alone in the berth, with only the company of his slumbering bornling.
"W-without you, I-i... b-be dead, ple-please... don't let t-this..."
It was time to recharge himself.
"E-end... Dead... end..."
xxXxXxx
It was an early morning in the post-labor ward. Only a couple of nurse were stationed at the desk, awaiting the upcoming shift change, when a brown kittycon stepped out of the elevator. The two nurses shuttered their optics at the mech dully, before one suddenly straightened up in her seat, elbowing her partner and pointing to something out of sight behind the desk. Recognition flashed across both of their optics; one rising quickly to intercept the siamese while the other hastily picked up the phone.
"S-sir? Sir! I'm sorry, but you're not allowed up here," the femme informed, throwing her arms out in a weak attempt to stop the brown mech. He kept walking forward until he was an inch away from her servos, before he paused, staring down upon her with his steely gaze.
"Is that so?," he quietly asked. "Perhaps you could elaborate as to why."
The nurse shrunk beneath the mech, her knee joints knocking together loudly in her struggle to stay upright. "W-why?!," she squeaked, fumbling to come up with an excuse, "B-because, bec-cause... I-it's not yet v-visiting hours! Th-there's still t-thirty more kliks 'til t-then and only sp-spouses are allowed on the floor o-outside of th-those cycles."
The femme nearly fainted when the grey optics narrowed into thin slits, the kittycon bowing from his monstrous height to be more level with her. "How fortunate then that it is my spouse I am here to see. The pyrenees -which room is he in?," he demanded coldly.
As the nurse stuttered, the elevator doors pinged again, noting another arrival to the ward.
"There he is!," an annoyingly familiar vocalizer snapped. One glance informed the pair that it was the on-duty vet -the same one that oversaw Cosmos' delivery- and accompanying him, two large, burly Enforcers. The nurse was visibly relieved to see the trio but the siamese did not react... That is, until the elevator chimed once more, depositing a comical pair of autodogs onto the floor.
"Blast Off!," Lightbright squealed, her words echoing in unison with the vet's sharp, "Arrest him!"
The femme paused in alarm at the sight of the Enforcers, Dug Base angrily shifting the multitude of gift bags he carried as he waddled to catch up. "What's going on here?," he asked lowly, glancing from each mech present while a scowl carved deep into his lip components.
The vet turned a cutting gaze to the couple, sniffing disdainfully at the sight of them. "Excuse me but who are you? Non-patients are not allowed on this ward right now."
"Non-patients-," Lightbright gasped indignantly. "I am here to see my son and grandspark! What, is that somehow illegal now?"
The vet shuttered his optics in surprise, before a sickly smile was plastered to his face. "Oh! You're Cosmos' creators, then? Perfect," he cooed pleasantly, servos clapping in mild joy. "I'll be happy to escort you personally to the young mech, but first, I need to make sure this cat is arrested and charged for the criminal he is. So sorry for the inconvenience."
"Criminal?!," Dug Base bellowed this time. He pulled up to his mate's side, huffing and puffing at the sudden exertion. "That mech is no criminal- he is my son-in-law!"
Blast Off allowed himself the quickest of smirks as the vet coloured a nasty shade of plum, his hackles raising in ire as the Enforcers looked on, confused. "Nonsense!," he snarled, squaring his servos on his hips. "This thug attacked me- he nearly strangled me to death! He's nothing but a low-life and I will not have him near my patients just because of your poor judge of character!"
The Enforcers moved again at a snap of the vet's fingers, storming forward and grabbing Blast off roughly by both arms. Lightbright, her optics bright with horror, stared up at the brown mech in desperation. "I-it... it's not true is it, Blast Off?," she mumbled.
The siamese stared at her intently. "No," he replied flatly. "Quite the opposite actually. Not only did this mech interfere in conversations between Cosmos and myself, purposefully try to hide him from me and was physically aggressive to me when I did locate him again; he refused to listen that Cosmos is my bondmate and called me a liar. I do admit that I snapped at one point, when he implied that I would stoop so low as to rape and stalk Cosmos."
A stunned silence followed Blast Off's statement, until the vet opened his mouth again; his face a darker shade than before at the incredulously disgusted looks he was receiving from those present. "No real autodog would ever agree in sound processor to affiliate, let alone commit to consensual interfacing, with the likes of you!," he growled, glaring at the kittycon. "You're just trying to cover your aft and you've entrusted a couple strays into this charade, but I won't be fooled! You're going to rot away for a long, long time behind a set of bars and you'll never see that poor, disillusioned-"
The vet was cut off by a purse slapping into his face, throwing him into a stagger as he clutched at his face with a yelp of pain. Optics half-shuttered through the rise of coolant, he glared around the hall for his attacker, finding himself shoved again when Lightbright jabbed a finger into his chestplates.
"'Disillusioned'?!," she snarled, her gaze blazing with an enraged light, "'Real autodog'?! You sad, disgusting, bigoted jerk! That is my baby you are talking about! How dare you try to keep his bondmate from him just because he's a kittycon! And you made by baby go through a seven-hour delivery alone?! You're fragging lucky my son-in-law isn't a criminal because I'd have you skinned from helm to pede for putting my lil' mech through that. And now you're trying to actually have him incarcerated?!"
The pyrenees shoved at the vet a third time, knocking him on his aft at last. "You racist slime! What else have you decided to 'fix', huh?! Did you remove Blast Off from Cosmos' personal records? Or did you not even bother to read them? What about my grandspark? Surely, he's a hybrid- did you plan on having that 'problem' taken care of before my son could protest too?!"
One of the Enforcers released Blast Off, catching Lightbright's arm before she could pummel the shaken vet with her purse once more. "Okay..," he sighed, nodding to his partner, "We'll take it from here, ma'am. Why don't you all proceed to the patient's room and we'll contact the hospital director."
"And you make sure he speaks to us!," the femme grumbled, swinging her bag back over a shoulder. "That grease stain is the reason there's so much wrong in the world."
The Enforcers replied with a calm "yes", sending the trio on their way as they collected the vet and nurses, making some calls at the hospital desk. The fluff of her tail all ruffled up in anger, Lightbright took the lead after a timid nurse gave them the room number; calming down only once they reached Cosmos' door. "I... I'm sorry for my outburst back there," she said, turning to face Blast Off.
"There's no need to apologize," the kittycon replied. "Your words greatly reflect my own thoughts and feelings on this matter."
"Yes, but to..." Lightbright tried to find her words but just ended up grunting in frustration, twisting the hem of her dress violently. "They made you miss the birth of your own son...?"
"You should have let us know when we texted you that we were coming down," Dug Base added lowly. "It's not right what that vet did. We could have demanded to talk the director before we even got here."
The siamese was silent for a long moment, staring at the door of Cosmos' hospital room. "I did not wish for the vet to be interrupted nor corrupt his duty towards Cosmos and our son. They are the first and foremost priority... though I will never forgive myself for not being there for him at such a critical moment. And I would kindly ask that you do not discuss why I truly wasn't able to be there during the birth, if you don't mind. At least," Blast Off finished, "For the time being."
Lightbright opened her mouth to protest but her mate cut her off before she could get the chance. "Let's just enjoy this morning, ok honey?," he urged, nudging her gently. "Our son's been through a rough night and is still recovering. Blast Off's right that we shouldn't bother him with this stuff right now; you know how he is sometimes."
The femme made a face at that comment, yet sighed, nodding. "Yes, I suppose you're both right. But I am seeing the director before we leave! There's no way I want that vet near my baby, or his baby, for the rest of their stay!"
No vocalizers rose to contest her and after a quick conference of agreement, the trio entered the room with smiles and expressions belying the earlier stress and anger they'd all gone through. The patient room was dim; the blinds drawn so as to keep the morning sunlight from seeping into the space and disturbing its two sleeping occupants. In the hospital berth slept Cosmos, his face a little worn but otherwise peaceful. In an elevated bassinet beside the berth, rested the swaddled bornling, also recharging soundly.
"Oh my goodness gracious!," Lightbright squeaked softly, padding over to the bassinet as Dug Base struggled to set down all the gift bags quietly, "Have you ever seen something so precious?"
She gently toed the lock on the bassinet's wheels, pushing the entire cart over to the two mechs. As one, they looked down on the new bornling, staring at the little, maroon thing. "He looks an awful lot like you with those colours," Dug Base whispered from the corner of his mouth.
"He's tiny," the siamese returned.
The mountain dog smothered his chuckles as the pyrenees reached into the bassinet. "Bornlings often take after their carriers, stature-wise, in Light's family. But who knows? Maybe the pup will sprout up like you," he grinned.
"Well, I think he's the perfect size for cuddling," Lightbright cooed, holding the bornling in her arms now. The hybrid did not stir much during the transfer, giving only the tiniest, snuffling mewl before he curled up comfortably in the femme's arms.
"Light," the larger autodog groaned, "Couldn't you have waited until the pup woke on his own. I mean-"
"Oh, hush. He's my grandson. I need to-"
"Good morning, my love," Blast Off said, causing the couple to fall to a hush. He'd stopped paying attention to them some time ago, watching the slumbering pyrenees with rapt focus. He was the first to notice Cosmos stir, his optics slow to shutter open, revealing the early dawn sky for the kittycon to gaze on.
"Cosmos!," his creator greeted joyfully, huddling around the foot of the berth.
"How are you doing, son?"
"My sweetspark... You made such a gorgeous bornling! Have you thought of a name yet?"
"M-mama...? Dad?," Cosmos yawned, rubbing at an optic groggily, "Blast Off...? When did you get here?"
"We've been here for a little bit," the kittycon answered. He circled around the berth, perching on the edge as he pulled the astronomer to his side; mindful of his tubes and wires as he wound an arm around his waist. "We didn't want to disturb your rest."
"That's," the green mech yawned a second time, melting against the siamese's side contently, "That's okay. I'm not sleepy anymore..."
Lightbright chuckled, holding out the bornling towards his creators. "Good thing then- I do believe the lil' one is ready to eat," she beamed. "And you still haven't told us his name yet, honey! Do you have a list of possibilities? I have some suggestions if you're having trouble deciding."
Dug Base was fiddling with the hospital bassinet, thumbing out a piece of paper from the chart folder as Blast Off handed their son to Cosmos' arms; the dazed astronomer taking a moment to free the bornling from his blankets and wiggle between his chestplates for the feeding tubing.
"Um, name... I don't..."
"Says here, his name is 'Deadend'," the mountain dog piped up.
"...Deadend?," the siamese repeated, his expressionless mouth turning down slightly with a frown. The large autodog nodded.
Cosmos canted his helm as the hybrid snuffled in for a feeding, his brow furrowed in half-awake puzzlement. "Did I... Maybe I named him last night? I don't remember...," he mumbled, glancing down on his son. "I think I must have. Well, Deadend is a lovely name, don't you think Blast Off?"
Anxious looks passed between Lightbright and Dug Base as the green autodog smiled up at his partner, but their exchange was ignored by the kittycon as he bent low and softly pecked his bondmate's helm. "I think your opinion is correct," he replied, cycling in the pyrenees' scent when he snuggled a tad closer. Looking at Cosmos' creators, the brown mech noted that they now wore smiles on their concerned faces; Lightbright clapping her servos together and gently shoving her partner towards the gifts.
"Yes! I think it's a great name," the femme chirped. "Now, before you finish feeding and head back to sleep, let's check out the gifts your dad and I brought! Even the neighbours sent over some things, along with their blessings."
Cosmos smiled as his creators began to open the gift bags on his behalf, while Blast Off watched on. His grey optics continued to steal glances at the little hybrid though when he was sure no one would notice; his processor replaying the prior conversations with silent concern.
xxXxXxx
The orn was finally over.
Blast Off sat on the hospital berth, Cosmos lifted onto his lap and resting on his abdomen. The entire floor had fallen into silence a few cycles ago as visiting hours ended, but the occasional bornling cry and intercom announcement could be heard out in the hall. In their room, though, the quiet was never once broken.
Not only was his son minuscule, but he was also a silent one too. The kittycon could be content with that, he mused, gently pushing the bassinet away from the berth. The director had made his presence known earlier, promising that the vet would be suspended and an investigation run, while the nurses involved would go through a re-training period. A course of action, sure, but not one Blast off was happy with all the same. He wanted nothing more to do with any of the staff in this hospital and as long as no one made a peep -the bornling especially- none of the nurses would even need enter their room.
In the morning, he could take Cosmos and the bornling home. The only nuisances to be had there were the rare call from his sire. Blast Off returned his attention to the green mech, claws stroking through the ruffled fluff of his tail tenderly. The bornling sported one just like his carrier's; his an odd shade of grey, tinted purple if one squinted just right in the light. There were quite a few similarities between the hybrid and Cosmos... If life was fair, it would not give his son the same personality.
Anything that could not bring happiness to the pyrenees would not be condoned in his optics, the siamese knew. At the moment, despite the little hiccups, Cosmos' spark swelled with joy at the life they had created. His vibrant lil' star in a worthless world. Blast Off let his optics shutter partially, hypnotized by the sight of his mate, so tranquil and still a tad plump around the middle from carrying for several months, wrapped tight in a killer's claws.
Yes, he thought, dipping forward to kiss a cheekplate faintly, any and all sins were worth committing for this mech.
But perhaps 'Deadend' could prove his initial feelings wrong in time.
C.M.D: And that FINALLY concludes Blast Off and Cosmos' personal adventures. With their story arc complete, I can put a little more time into 'Merry Go Round', where their baby Deadend and the rest of the stuntibabies will have many crazy adventures of their own as they grow. Boy... What a finish to these two, huh? Anyways, stick around for another chapter featuring dear Rodimus or pop a glance at the stuntibabies fic if you haven't yet! And as always...
Be kind; give me your mind~ REVIEW, please?