Chapter 40 - Kisses
"Fly safe grandfather," Mikaela replied, standing on her toes to peck a kiss to his throat. Ratchet grinned. Even in human form they were honouring Cybertronian tradition.
(OPOV)
"What's that grin?" Chance asked curiously, looking at Ratchet. The medic jumped, looking at the soldier in consternation.
"Oh come on," Jacobs grinned, "We know those expressions, grumpy Ratchet we let Kae deal with. Grinning Ratchet needs to tell."
"Oh go on," Ironhide smirked at the medic. "Don't make me twist your arm."
The old medic glared at the grinning weapons master, just as they had always done for as long as he had known them. Optimus couldn't hold back the snort of laughter. The two of them promptly turned to stare at him incredulously.
Kae walked back and plopped down between Will and Bumblebee again, looked at the circle for a moment and burst out laughing. She grinned at Optimus and announced.
"Ten Rell says Ironhide's next words are going to be: 'It's nice to have you back, Optimus.' which Ratchet will agree with, even if it's silently."
Optimus looked at her in shock for a second and burst out laughing along with his senior officers.
"And how am I supposed to give you Ten Rell?" he rumbled with a snort. "Ratchet would tear me apart, we're supposed to keep your levels down."
"We'll sort something out," Kae smiled at him, Primus but he loved that smile. "But I'll give him this, Ironhide is absolutely correct, it is nice to see you laughing."
"I'll agree with that, and on the topic of laughing," Will stated cheerfully, "C'mon Ratch, we never get to hear your ghost stories, what's got you smiling?"
"It's just nice to see the old traditions alive again," Ratchet stated with a gentle smile. Anyone could see the past in the medic's eyes, memories of a happier time.
"Which one?" Jacobs nudged him.
"The placing of kisses," Ratchet shrugged. "Jetfire is a seeker, claiming grand-fatherhood to Kae. As a grandfather, his voice is a voice of wisdom to be revered, and so a grandparent receives a kiss to their vocal processors." Ratchet pointed to his throat. "One who is cherished – Kae – gets her temples and forehead kissed by most of us, except Bumblebee, Sides and the Femmes, who lay claim to her cheeks as well, as siblings."
"So you guys have rules about kissing?" Jacobs asked in a stunned tone.
"Not so much rules as... tradition," Ratchet shrugged. "A..." he frowned and looked at Optimus. "how do I explain it?"
"Kae?" Optimus grinned, privately wondering if she actually knew.
"An informal re-affirmation of a relationship," Kae smiled. "So that rather than going through the mouthful of: ∂Gladly do I greet you Bumblebee, brother of my spark,∂ you do this," she caught Bumblebee's holoform and pecked a kiss to his cheek as he giggled, pulling his sister close and kissing her back. Yes, she definitely knew.
He wondered if she knew just how much her kissing his jaw had meant to him.
"What'd she say?" Will asked curiously.
"Gladly do I greet you Bumblebee, brother of my spark," Ratchet translated with a low laugh. "Or if I were to greet you, Will, in our capacities as Major and Medic, I would either say: ∂Gladly do I greet you, Major William Lennox, compatriot of my Prime.∂ He repeated himself patiently in english. "Or, I could simply offer you this salute." he held up his left arm, canted across his chest and his hand in a fist.
"How do I answer that?" Will asked wide eyed.
"Like this," Optimus rumbled with a grin, lightly knocking his forearm against Ratchet's. "During an introduction a greeting is spoken, informally we use a wordless salute. Ceremonially, we use both."
"Oh now I gotta ask what a formal greeting looks like," Jacobs grinned. Ratchet and Ironhide smirked as Optimus stood his holoform and went to kneel in front of Kae.
"During a formal greeting, our full names and titles are spoken," Ratchet stated calmly, gesturing to Optimus as he offered Kae his left arm. She delicately threaded her own through it, matching the strength that Optimus used to pull back.
∂Gladly do I greet thee All-spark Healer, Mikaela Banes, cherished Guardian-reliant of my spark.∂ He rose slightly to press a gentle kiss to her left temple. Out of the corner of his eye, Ratchet opened his mouth to coach Kae and found he didn't need to. It was a brand new shock to hear her voice speaking the full titles. She sang the words, seeming to caress his name.
∂Gladly do I greet thee Beloved Guardian Prime, Optimus,∂ Kae replied with a gentle smile. ∂Cherished guardian of my spark∂.
Optimus watched in shock as she knelt slightly to press a gentle kiss to the holoform's jaw. The bots' holoforms around them beamed at her as his eyes deepened to a rich cerulean blue, pride resonating softly from his spark.
"Translation," Jacobs grinned, nudging Ratchet's holoform.
"Optimus said 'gladly do I greet you, All-spark healer Mikaela Banes, cherished guardian-reliant of my spark," Ratchet stated with a small smile. "She responded perfectly with 'gladly do I greet you beloved guardian Prime, Optimus, cherished guardian of my spark'. Kissing his jaw is the semi-submissive respect of a reliant to their guardian."
"Backwards name?" Will frowned.
"No, title first," Optimus snorted. "Formally, a title is used first, which is why-"
"You were calling me Will Captain," Will snorted. "That makes so much more sense now." His eyes widened. "That's why you're always calling me Major Lennox!"
"You were always calling me Optimus Prime, or simply Prime," Optimus shrugged, "It is merely courteous to address you with the same, if somewhat constrained."
"So wait, that means that informally..."
"You call me Optimus," Optimus rumbled, laughing softly. "It is my name, or rather, it is the translation of my name."
"How do you say it in Cybertronian?" Chance asked with a broad grin.
"Oh don't go there," Ironhide chortled, Mikaela looked at Optimus for a long second before snorting back a laugh. He looked at her irritably.
"I'm sorry, I'm not going to slow your name down," she stated with a low laugh. "That was your nickname though, wasn't it? There are far worse." she stated consolingly, kissing his jaw again.
"Am I allowed to ask?" Chance asked warily.
"You share and I will," Kae murmured, looking up at Optimus with mischief in her eyes.
"Oh alright," Optimus snorted. Bumblebee grinned at him and scooted over, making room. Optimus promptly settled down between his Kae and his scout. "When you slow down the vocalization of my name it means nitpicker, perfectionist."
"There are worse things to be called," Mikaela snorted.
"Like what?" Optimus nudged her with a smirk.
"Grub, among other things," Kae stated in an irritated tone.
"What were the other names?" Bumblebee asked with a broad grin. Kae glared at him until he shot puppy dog eyes at her. Optimus couldn't resist mimicking his scout, just to see what happened.
"Oh fine," she sighed, glaring at the both of them. "Now you've got Optimus making puppy dog eyes. I hope you're happy." she told Bee.
"Immensely," Bee grinned, Optimus laughed and wound an arm around the scout's shoulders.
"I've been called Mikaela, Kae, Kaelie, Kaela, Grub, Legs, Cricket, Banes, Alainn... I think that's about it."
"Angel," Bumblebee piped up. Optimus watched in shock as her hand twitched before she quickly fisted it.
"Am not," she shot back with a snort.
"Oh! Recycled nickname!" Chance called out with a laugh.
"Oh please no!" Kae frowned, Optimus lightly caught her hand in his own.
"The name upsets you," he rumbled with a frown of his own, Kae's eyes widened, and she quickly looked at the ground.
"Why?" Will asked curiously.
"It's... um... new topic?" Mikaela choked.
"Please Kae?" Optimus murmured softly. She looked up at him and sighed.
"Angel... Angel was the code-name dad had for me." she whispered. "It was the emergency word. Anytime he called me angel, it meant that the shit was going to hit the fan, and I needed to get into the panic room, get my gun and train it on the door, safety off until either the safe word was sung out in a recognizable voice, or ten days had passed."
She looked up at the circle of stunned bots and soldiers with a smile that vainly tried to reach her eyes, or at least be wry. "Now aren't you sorry you asked?" she added, looking up at Optimus.
"No," he rumbled calmly, catching and holding her eyes. "when did they call you Cricket?" Mikaela promptly began laughing.
"You're all about the getting me to talk tonight, aren't you?" she snorted, glaring at him.
"Yeah we are," Epps grinned. "you're the newcomer here, don't matter if you've been at base a month, the campfire is where we get to know each other proper. Size of campfire may vary." he added cheerfully, pointing at the stove.
"Cricket was uncle's name for me," Kae said with a sad smile of remembrance. "Paddy called me alainn, but everyone else called me either Cricket or Kae."
"You said they called you grub too?" Chance asked curiously.
"Right up until the summer Brick taught me the five minute shower," Kae grinned.
"The what?"
"The five minute shower," Kae laughed. "When I was working in the shop with dad, I'd always have grease on my hands, or if I was getting pissed off, grease on my face. Children are idiots, so they called me grub. Up to the day that Brick taught me how to get cleaned up in a hurry. Then for some reason, the school populace decided getting on my bad side was a terrible idea." she snorted.
"Whose ass did you kick?" Bee grinned at his sister.
"Not one," Kae snorted, winding herself around Optimus to give her brother a little shove. Optimus was hard pressed to not simply ensnare her there.
"You shoulda," Bee pouted, "give Sam and me the satisfaction of Trent gettin' beat."
"I did that and you got it on film," Kae snorted. "Moral of the story, by the way, watch your P's and Q's around Bee, he friggen films everything."
"Play it!" Chance howled. Bumblebee smirked and onlined the holo outside of the circle, pointing. Faces whipped around with broad grins.
"Yo Wi ki ki!" Trent shouted.
"Wit. Wickey," Sam stated patiently.
"Spring break Kee kee," Trent stated cheerfully. "You're a small fry here, just how small are you gonna be in college Kee kee?" he shoved Sam to the side and walked toward Mikaela. "No ring Mikaela?" he smirked. "You can always wear mine, you know, hop in the back seat like a good little bunny."
Optimus bristled.
"How can you-" he started.
"Shh!" Bee's holoform grinned beside his. "This is the best part! You missed it! Look! Look at her shoulder!"
"For Primus sake Bumblebee!" Mikaela protested indignantly as the holo backed up slightly.
"What?" Bee grinned at her.
"It's bad enough you're showing that, now you're gonna broadcast my tells!?" Kae demanded.
"Play it!" Ironhide commanded with a broad grin.
"Primus sake," Mikaela grumbled, rolling her eyes.
Bumblebee promptly made puppy eyes at his sister.
Kae glared at him for a second before crossing her arms with a small pout.
Which was absolutely adorable. It was something of a strain for Optimus to not simply lean over the mere inches and kiss that pout.
"Spring break Kee kee," Trent stated cheerfully... again. "You're a small fry here, just how small are you gonna be in college Kee kee?" He shoved Sam to the side again and walked toward holographic Mikaela. "No ring Mikaela?" he smirked. "You can always wear mine, you know, hop in the back seat like a good little bunny."
Optimus bristled again, even as holo-Mikaela's shoulder twitched slightly. Then, of all things, she smiled at Bumblebee and winked.
"Trent," Mikaela stated sweetly, turning to look at him with a smile, the boy grinned at her, thinking he'd won. "I can see that ignoring your imbecilic and frankly unwanted advances isn't going to work this time, so let's get one thing straight. As you have no doubt noticed, judging by your inability to keep your hand off your crotch, steroids shrink your already undersized dick. Which frankly was the only interesting thing that you even potentially had to begin with."
"You Fucking Bi-" Trent started bellowing as people began laughing at him.
It was so fast, his hand was reaching forward to slap her, hers came up and casually knocked the blow away, her right flicked up, catching him on the point of the chin. He stood for a long second as Kae turned and walked to Bumblebee. Winking at him as the offending boy fell over.
Optimus promptly turned and cupped Kae's face, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead.
"That's my femme," he rumbled proudly.
"Fighting isn't supposed to be the answer," Kae stated, blushing furiously.
"Hey! If one of us isn't around to punch assholes like that for you, you gotta do it yourself!" Jacobs rumbled indignantly. "Nobody calls our little sisters bitches!"
"Agreed," Bumblebee nodded firmly, he turned to grin at Kae. "Although it's probably better that you hit him. I sure as hell wouldn't have bothered onlining my holoform to hit him."
"And then we'd be picking bits of him up across state lines, that's a felony little brother." Kae stated with a snort as Ironhide began hooting with laughter. "And I didn't punch him." she added offhandedly.
"Well you knocked him out, that's good enough for me," Bee stated cheerfully.
"What's the difference?" Ratchet asked curiously.
"Open hand isn't a punch. Heel of the hand to the chin? That's a hit, and far more humiliating. Fists you can see coming," She lifted her hand, rigidly back and close to her chest. "This is a lot harder to see, but while we're at it, you missed a rather crucial point, Bee."
"What?" Bee asked wide eyed.
"Death by dissection, Level one little-brother," Mikaela stated sweetly, looking at the bots with wide-eyed innocence.
"Explain," Ironhide demanded with a broad grin.
"A hit? That's nothing, showmanship. I killed his sex life until he reached graduation." she smirked. "Top. That."
Bumblebee dove across Optimus and tackled Kae.
"That's my big sister!" he shouted, laughing gleefully as she halfheartedly batted him away. Not even trying, the dear femme.
"You're teaching my daughter that," Will stated with a grin.
"If I survive that long," Kae snorted.
"You will," Optimus rumbled sternly. "I swear upon my spark, Kae, you will survive."
Mikaela looked up at him with mild astonishment in her eyes.
"I'd take his word for it," Ratchet grinned at her. "He's a dreadful liar without his battle-mask." Optimus turned to shoot a glare at his Medical Officer.
"Oh don't bother with that," Ironhide rumbled cheerfully. "That's a point in your favour, Optimus. You know damn well how much I enjoy serving liars."
Optimus gave into the temptation and rolled his eyes at his senior officers as they laughed at him.
(MPOV)
I could feel Optimus' eyes on me throughout the entire evening. His holoform finally touched my shoulder.
"Stay with me?" he murmured gently.
I smiled and let the holoform lead me to the sleeper, climbing up through the hatch and closing it as as the holoform winked out.
Powerful arms wrapped around me from behind.
"I did promise," Optimus purred, a warm hand sliding up my stomach to rest just below my ribs. I leaned back against him, closing my eyes with a contented moan and tilting my head to give him better access to my neck.
"How do I get to your spark chamber in this form?" I murmured, running my hands along the paneling.
"You're already in it," Optimus growled softly in my ear, pressing me firmly, if gently down to rest in the now softly glowing hammock.
"You devil," I murmured with a small smile, running my fingers over the finely meshed light. It was his turn to moan. Of it's own accord, the netting wrapped itself around me, ensnaring me as effortlessly as a fly in a spider's web.
I gasped as the light passed through my skin, reaching urgently for my spark. The breath deepened as I arched into it, my soul reaching for his with an almost desperate abandon. Light flashed in front of my eyes.
He stood in front of me again, a knight resplendent in his armour. A gentle hand caressed my cheek as I stepped closer to him, coiled myself around him. He bent down to press a gentle, teasing kiss to my lips. I responded in kind, pressing tightly against him as I feathered kisses along his jaw and down his neck, I gently nipped one of his struts, eliciting a low moan to rattle through his frame.
Then, then his spark began humming discordantly, the tones I heard as fear, fear and desperation.
Lightning fast he gripped my shoulders, pulling back to look down at me. His optics had taken on tones of amber, mixed but still distinct from the blue.
"Run," he whispered desperately.
"No," I said calmly.
"If I take you I won't let you go," he moaned. "I can't, I can't trap you to me."
"Optimus," I murmured softly, reaching up to cup his cheek, "I won't live long, if you don't want me I'll understand. But how do you tell a bot that he's threatening you with precisely what you want?"
He pulled me in tightly against his spark, enveloping me in a gentle, steely embrace.
"Do you have any idea, just how badly I've wanted you all day?" he groaned softly, his face nestled into the crook of my neck.
"Then take me, I don't mind," I murmured into his neck with a smile.
Binder cables snaked from his limbs, hesitantly twining around me, searching for couplings. I pulled back slightly to look up at him, smiling as I guided him with gentle fingers. The first slid home, attaching to the base of my spine. A flood of information was followed by a surge of pleasure. I gasped, my optics dimming for a moment. It felt as though we were floating, flying, gravity was meaningless.
"You feel so good," I whispered, pressing myself tightly against him as he connected further, more cables finding ports normally hidden beneath armour. He moaned into my shoulder, gripping me tightly as energon flowed between us.
"The last," he whispered desperately, his frame was vibrating against me.
"Optimus?" I looked up at him worriedly through a haze of pleasure.
"One last coupling," he moaned, "Primus, please..."
"Where?" I whispered, delicately running my hands over his frame. Searching.
An enormous cable snaked out to reach for my fingertips, I ran my hand along it, teasing, tickling, sensitizing the thick bundle of neural fibres before guiding him between my legs. He froze, staring down at me in shock as the cables teased and investigated me, finding a final coupling.
"The second I am free to tell you the secrets I must keep, when my family is safe you will know them," I whispered, reaching up to cup his face. "Until then, all I can give you is my body, my heart and my soul. I give them to you freely. To Optimus. To my beloved."
His eyes flashed to the most beautiful of cobalt blues, one hand reaching up to tenderly cup my face as the other reached down, lightly skimming my side.
"I will love you for eternity," he whispered, the words ringing with a truth two connected souls could not hide. In an instant I was caught in a vice grip as every cable dove into the connectors, drawing the energon excesses out of my tissues as I screamed my pleasure.
"Tight," he whispered in my mind, "Kae, oh my Kae you're so tight, so hot. Oh Primus Mikaela." I came down from the initial burst and wound myself around him, pulling him closer and stroking everything I could reach.
"Optimus," I whispered, "you feel so good, don't stop, please don't stop, don't hold back your overload for my sake. Let me feel you take your pleasure."
Optimus let out a heartfelt moan, his optics flickered to a shocked, icy blue before warming to a glowing umber.
"Mikaela," he husked, looking down at me as he teetered on the edge, "we do not divorce, a Guardian's bond is a life bond."
The warmth of certainty settled around my heart, he was already an integral part of me, I reached up and cupped his face in my hands.
"Where you go, I will go with you," I whispered, looking up at him. "Life is meaningless without my love, worthless without my soul. I cannot be without you now."
Optimus gripped me hard, his frame shuddering over and around me.
"I don't want to release it," he whispered, "I want it to last, I don't want to lose this feeling. Not now. Not yet."
"I'm not going anywhere tonight," I murmured, wrapping my arms around his chest, holding him as tightly as I could without hurting him. Arching back I craned my neck and caught his lips with mine in a featherlight kiss.
He began to move, to writhe and thrust as I whimpered beneath him.
"I'm hurting you," he gasped.
"Don't stop, don't you dare stop, I'd tell you if you were hurting me," I moaned, arching into him. "If you were we'd find another position now for Primus sake Optimus don't stop I'm so close don't stop."
Optimus increased his pace, gripping me hard.
"Look at me," he moaned, my optics onlined to watch him. I reached up to gently cup his cheek again.
His frame began to vibrate, hard. Light flickered around us, every spectrum intertwining into a pure, sweet, intense white.
I could feel him teetering on the edge of overload.
"Optimus," I whispered softly, gently, filling each syllable with every ounce of love and trust that could be contained within one spark for another.
He gasped, roaring as energon flooded our systems. He began thrusting savagely, remorse beginning to flicker behind the lust in his optics.
I pulled his face down to mine and kissed him as savagely as he thrust. The light flared again, stronger, powerful, rushing around us in a torrent. I could hear gasping, pleasured moans of the other auto-bots as the energon we produced passed to them. Charging, repairing, strengthening them.
In a moment of pure ecstasy I felt their approval, Sideswipe, my brother strengthened the EM field around us as he onlined an extra processor to take up the watch as everyone slipped into recharge cycles, utilizing the Energon pouring from our joined consciousness.
Optimus gave one last hard, deep thrust and froze, a low, sparkfelt moan vibrating our frames as a final, slow burst of light flickered around us.
Gravity seemed to return, he rolled to the side and gathered me close.
"Sleep beloved," he murmured, his face pressed into the crook of my neck.
I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep with a relaxed, sated smile on my face.