To my dear readers, and my wonderful betas, a billion heartfelt thanks for your support and critiques. The writers know this, the readers less so: we thrive on your reviews, it is our creative bread and butter. Keep 'em coming folks! Ten more and I'm at 200! which has me quite frankly shocked to be honest... Anyway, without further ado:
Chapter 47 - Of Age
(MPOV)
I stood glaring at the pressure washer.
"It's not broken, Kae," Ratchet said mildly.
"It's cold water," I growled softly.
"You take an icy cold shower every morning," The medic snorted.
"That doesn't mean I like them," I grumbled. "They wake me up, and then hot coffee tempers my mood until I've reinforced my eternal cheerfulness."
Ratchet looked down at me and let go of the rumbling laughter he'd been holding back, onlining his holoform and rummaging amidst a couple of bags before presenting me with a bikini. I looked at it for a second before laughing myself. I glanced around and stripped my shirt off, flying into the bikini in seconds and leaving the jean cutoffs in place.
"Sunscreen," Ratchet stated calmly, "You don't have enough melanin built up in your skin anymore, I just finished rebuilding your body, now quit courting illnesses."
I snorted and accepted the tube, working a healthy amount into my arms, shoulders, legs and front while Ratchet helpfully did my back. He reached down and picked up the washer, carrying it outside and setting it in the newly established 'wash bay'.
I walked out and hooked up the generator and hoses. I stood and stretched in the sunshine, preparing for a long day of detailing. Bumblebee roared up to me and came to a screeching halt, transforming in front of me.
He was filthy.
"Bumblebee!" I shouted, "Where in the hell did you find mud!?"
The auto-bot grinned down at me unrepentantly as a half dozen filthy auto-bots and two dozen mud-blackened soldiers rolled in. I stared at them in shock.
"I win!" Bee shouted gleefully, raising his arms and dancing about as he played 'We are the champions!' loudly over the speakers.
"Fine!" Jacobs shouted with a laugh, "Auto-bots are faster than human drivers!"
I crossed my arms with a frown.
"They made a bet that they could win an all terrain race against us," Optimus rumbled gleefully, driving a foot closer to me.
"And so you lot decided to go mudding on the day that I needed to get you cleaned up and polished for the presentation parade in Washington?" I asked in a mild tone.
"Yep!" Bee chirped gleefully.
Ratchet took another step behind me.
"Oh, now you're in trouble," he rumbled with a low laugh, the generator kicked on behind me.
"You right prats!" I shouted, snatching up the wand and proceeding to douse both auto-bots and soldiers in icy water. Bee transformed and burnt rubber, getting away from the spray and throwing a load of mud at me in the process as shouts of surprise rose in the air.
"I'm sorry Kae," Optimus' holoform said with a worried frown as he onlined beside me.
"I don't know what should upset me more, that you've tripled my workload or that you didn't damn well invite me!" I shot at him with a pout. He stared at me for a second before bursting out in a full laugh.
"Next time. You ride with me," he rumbled, pulling me in tightly to his chest.
"Good," I said with a laugh, "Now go convince Ratchet that he should give me my energon pack so that this water isn't so damned cold."
"Yes Ma'am," Optimus chuckled, squeezing me a bit more tightly before looking at the medi-bot's holoform.
"That's not going to work," Ratchet stated calmly. "I might remind you that Mikaela takes an icy shower every single morning. Now take your cold water bath like a mech!"
"Oh come on Ratch!" I called out, shutting the generator off. "Cold water doesn't get the soap off right, do you want a cold water cleaning? You're going too!"
Ratchet stared down at me with a frown.
"Fine." he rumbled, and proceeded to help me with the pack.
"Kae," Chromia said gently, wrapping her arms around my waist. I looked at her curiously. "You know you don't have to do all of it, right?"
"Heh?" I looked up at her with a frown, she smirked and leaned down.
"You take care of Optimus," she murmured wickedly, "Ironhide and I are going to take care of each other, and the rest of them are already paired up to do the same. Your job is to make sure we pass inspection. Why did you think there are eight washers in there?"
I snorted back a laugh and looked up at her incredulously.
"You, are an evil and wonderful Femme. You know that right?"
"Hey!" she grinned, "what are girlfriends for?"
I hugged her and turned to the generators Ratchet was placing around the area, connecting myself to them one by one and causing it to transform. High efficiency heaters joined the setup, along with temperature gauges and water pressure controls.
Auto-bot cars, trucks and motorcycles lined up as holoforms onlined. Ratchet gleefully took my pack back and sat back to watch. I looked at him curiously as I walked toward Optimus.
"Wash day is now officially my day off," he grinned.
"He won the bet," Optimus murmured with a low laugh.
"Which is?" I asked with a laugh as I began powering the mud off of his body.
"That you would win the first argument of the day." he laughed.
"But I was arguing with him!" I protested with a grin.
"Your point?" Optimus laughed, his holoform dragged me close and dropped his voice, whispering in my ear, "Arcee has been looking for the excuse to polish him for vorns."
"So cute," I murmured back. Optimus laughed again and offlined the holoform.
After a few minutes I filled a few buckets with soapy water, climbing up to the roof of Optimus' cab and beginning to wash him down with a soft sponge. I could already hear a couple of polishers revving up. I glanced over and laughed to see Ironhide and Chromia shooting frankly wicked glances at each other as Flare and Arcee buffed each other's armour.
I turned back to my work, moving in wide, soothing circles as I slowly washed my way down his front. Then the doors, panels, tanks, tires, hubs, chassis, even going so far as to squirm about beneath him. A little over an hour and Optimus was sitting contentedly covered from grill to mudflaps in mild bubbles. I turned the pressure to low and made sure the water was warm as I rinsed him off. Chamois over every piece of paintwork and chrome. I left the rest of him to dry in the warm sunshine as I wiped down every inch of his interior, smiling as he hummed while I massaged conditioning oils into the leathers.
Back out I collected pads and one of the discs of wax, climbed to his roof and began again. Two more hours and he sat gleaming dully in the sunshine.
Arcee shot me a pleading look as she finished waxing Ratchet. I winked at her and turned to Optimus.
"Alright you," I said in a gentle, half commanding tone. "You, Ratchet and Ironhide are supposed to transform at the White House. Let's get you three done up properly."
Chromia and Arcee shot wicked grins at me as the three male 'bots jumped.
"Seriously?" Optimus onlined his holoform, staring at me in a positively adorable combination of shock and glee.
"You heard me," I grinned at him. He transformed and was quickly followed by Medical officer and weapons specialist. Ironhide immediately laid down on his front as Chromia gleefully went after his back with the polisher. He groaned, splayed out and showing every intention of thoroughly enjoying Chromia's attentions.
I quickly wiped down any unwanted grime from Optimus' back, applied a few dabs of wax here and there and started up the polisher.
"Tell me what you like," I murmured with a small smile, slowly working my way up his leg from foot to torso. Optimus merely sighed, his spark resonating the deep tones of pleasure that I simply adored.
"Just like that," he murmured quietly. His optics dimmed, staying online only to idly watch the goings-on around him. I began singing softly as I worked, a habit so old I didn't notice until Chromia picked up the second verse beside me as she followed my motions. Arcee joined us quickly as our respective males moaned in pleasure.
I walked to his opposite foot and began again, continuing once I reached his hip to slowly zig-zag across his back, down his arm, back up, down and back the other one until I was carefully polishing the back of his neck, then helm. He rolled over as I jumped down.
"Paradise," Optimus rumbled softly, laying splayed out on the ground.
"Amen," Ratchet mumbled, Ironhide groaned his agreement.
I laughed quietly and began singing again, working my way in the same pattern on his legs until I reached his side again, working up and down his arms, and moving in slow, concentric circles toward his spark.
Optimus was practically inarticulate by the time I finally squirmed through his chest plates, buffing the inside of them quickly before slowing the polisher and gently touching his spark chamber with it for a brief second.
Energon surged through his entire frame as he overloaded beneath my hands, his frame vibrating with minute convulsions, and the cooling fans roaring to bring his temperature down. I frowned in concentration and sent the polisher to rest beside my supplies before calling a cooling surge of energon into my palms and caressed his spark chamber with a firm touch, soothing without tickling.
He calmed beneath my hands, the fans gradually slowing. I climbed gently from his chest and grabbed a soft, slightly damp chamois and walked to his face. His optics offlined as I delicately washed his face, following an ancient pattern of care; caressing from nose to temple. His optics onlined dimly as his face turned lazily to look at me.
"Go to your recharge cycle my soul," I murmured in a gentle voice. His air intakes gave a low whoosh as he rolled to his side, running a gentle finger down my arm before he transformed and idled slowly to his parking spot in the hangar. I heard his spark resonation quiet as he drifted to sleep, an echo of sweet contentment remaining.
(WPOV)
Will occasionally watched with amusement as Mikaela spent hours doting on Optimus, cleaning, waxing and polishing him from head to toe and singing all the while. He grinned to see a gently smirking Chromia stroke Ironhide's bodywork as he drove into the hangar. Will listened as the quiet hum of his spark lowered to the point that he could barely hear it.
It was amazing what he could hear after those nanites had repaired the damage listening to bombs exploding tended to cause. Will decided to thank Mikaela for that again, he hadn't even noticed that he could hear the Auto-bot's heartbeats before. It was wicked.
He snapped out of his reverie to see Arcee sending a very content sounding Ratchet to go recharge, the girls' bodies already parked and humming quietly beside their companions.
Mikaela was slowly polishing her way around Optimus' front now. It was frankly amazing how long she could keep going without taking a break. Will was certain that no matter how good of shape she was in, her muscles had to be killing her.
"Is she!?" Arcee asked Flare in a shocked, hopeful tone.
"Oh she totally is," Flareup's holoform grinned, "listen to the bot, he's loving every astrosecond of it."
"And rightfully so," Chromia giggled.
"What's going on?" Will asked curiously, walking over to lean against the hangar wall beside the girls and watching as Mikaela slowly worked her way closer to his chest.
"She's, um..." Chromia gave Will a speculative look. In fact, the three girls all turned to look at him with expressions that clearly stated they were weighing their words.
"Before we answer that," Arcee began slowly.
"What do you think of the relationship the two of them share?" Flare asked calmly.
"What? That they love each other to death? And knowing Optimus probably well beyond that?" Will asked calmly, turning to watch as the woman worked her way across his chest plates. "Good for them. Hell, that kind of devotion is a star crossed love. Probably literally in this case. The light that shone when he onlined probably reached the earth when she was born."
The girls stared at him with gleeful shock in their eyes.
"What, you thought I was a prude or something?" Will chuckled at their expressions. "So would somebody tell me what the tattoo on her chest means? Your guys' reaction to it suggested it being far more important than a territorial marker."
"Think of a marriage, tied together with a wedding band," Chromia began thoughtfully. "Except we don't wed, we bond. Our spark is more than a heartbeat, it is a literal manifestation of our soul, it can never be destroyed-"
"-merely returned to the Well of All-Sparks." Flare finished for her.
"When our sparks bond, we return to each other, dancing from one life to the next." Chromia continued with a small smile, looking into the hangar toward Ironhide.
"Then..." Will frowned, he watched in shock as a massive surge of Energon flared over Optimus. The girls watched with gentle smiles as the bot calmed and cooled down under Mikaela's ministrations.
"Ratchet's spark-bonded was killed, along with his daughter," Arcee stated in a soft, lamenting tone, "the only way to break the bond is for one to die, and refuse the other's calls to join them in the afterlife. She refused him. So did Elita to Optimus," She looked at Chromia.
"We need to tell Mikaela that," Chromia nodded, "She almost broke Optimus when she woke up the first time."
"I don't..." Will frowned, watching as the girl carefully climbed from Optimus' chest and fetched a chamois. His heart gave a powerful wrench as he watched the loving way she gently wiped his face. Her voice wafted on the light breeze.
"Go to your recharge cycle, my soul," she said in the same tone his own wife used to send him to sleep. A voice that contained every mystery that was female and good. The voice that kept nightmares at bay.
Maiden, mother and beldame.
Optimus rolled carefully to his side and lightly stroked her arm before transforming and rolling into the hangar.
"Definitely need to tell her," Chromia nodded with a smile.
"Excuse us, Major?" Arcee asked with the same smile.
"Could you tell me what the tattoo means first?" Will asked hopefully.
"It's Optimus' mark," Flareup said with a gentle laugh, "it's a piece of him, worn proudly over her own spark. If she were an auto-bot it would be etched in her spark chamber. It's more than a ring, or a territorial mark. It means that she belongs to him, and when she has a mark of her own Optimus will etch it in his own chamber if she allows him, and that mark will state to anyone who sees it that he belongs to her, and her alone. It's not uncommon for a guardian to fall in love with their marked reliant, and it's certainly not uncommon for them to become spark-bonded. It's encouraged, really."
"But..." Will frowned, "what happens when they're reassigned?"
"They aren't," Chromia laughed softly, "A guardian is not a guardian for an orn, Will, they are guardians for life. When two trust each other enough to take each other's marks. They are together for life. Where one goes, they both go."
"We prevented wars that way, the equivalent of your Romeo and Juliet. When two can take each other's marks, it is proof that they belong together, no matter what their families. They aren't fully bonded yet, more... betrothed at the moment," Flare added gently.
"When the bonding happens, it means that they cannot be separated," Arcee continued. "A bonded mate is an extension of yourself, while still retaining your individuality. Oh you could tear their bodies away from each other, cast them to the opposite sides of the universe and they will always know when the other is happy, hurt. When one dies, the other will join them in the Well, and we accept that because it would be the worst of cruelties to force them to stay online."
"I hurt him when I said I didn't want him to follow me in death," Mikaela said in a soft, grieved tone. Oh, right, she could hear at insanely long distances.
Will looked over in shock, she was tidying up the mess of wax wrappers, used polishing pads and soap buckets. Except she was standing with her back rigidly straight now, agony was in that stance as she stared at nothing.
"Come here dear," Arcee called out quietly. Mikaela obeyed mechanically, coming to stand in front of the three female holoforms. Will stayed frozen, unsure what to do.
"You didn't know dear spark," Chromia stated gently, cupping Mikaela's cheek.
"We've watched him try to deal with losing Elita, he loved her much as he loves you, and she refused him in death, the only way to break that bond," Arcee finished calmly.
"When a wife dies on earth, on her deathbed she often tells her husband to take his time following her," Mikaela whispered, there were tears streaming down her face as she stared into the middle distance. That was a look of memory, not fiction. "The belief is that when we return to the well, our soul can wait at the gates for our mate." she looked up in determination far too strong for a girl. "I would wait for him at the gates."
Will stared at the young woman. The intensity that radiated from her meant only one thing.
"Go tell him that." Will stated firmly. Mikaela stared at him, as though just noticing him. "Yes I know the two of you love each other to and beyond death, go tell him that. Men can't divine these things by ourselves." Will grinned at her as she smiled weakly. "Now, If the girls are finished with you. I'll clear this up, it's almost finished anyway."
"Thanks Will," Mikaela whispered, she looked at the holoforms, who smirked.
"Go get cleaned up first, I don't think you're going to be going back to the shop for the next several hours," Flare grinned.
Kae nodded, her smile growing somewhat stronger. She turned and sprinted back to her tent.
"How the hell does she do that?" Will muttered, "I'd be dead if I'd spent that much time controlling that polisher for so long, and I'm not even in bad shape!"
The girls looked at him in shock.
"You didn't notice that she never once let up while she was taking care of him?" Will chuckled, "she kept on without a single break or even a drink of water. If that's not devotion I don't know what is. Her muscles have got to be killing her."
"It can't be," Arcee whispered.
"It can, and it totally is," Flareup grinned. "I watched the entire damn thing, now, if we're going to enjoy the rest of it we'd better hurry."
"What!?" Will asked with a broad grin.
"She's gonna take her mark!" Chromia squealed, offlining her holoform the next second.
"Take her mark?" Will asked quickly, looking at Arcee.
"A mark is revealed when one works a demanding task without rest for the benefit of another. Her mark is her identity, she has it already, but when it is etched it means she has come of age. Might want to shut down early tonight Will, give the boys time to pack for the parade," Arcee giggled. "And tell them to close the door behind them."
(OPOV)
Optimus roused himself from his recharge cycle to find an exhausted Mikaela laying down in his sleeper.
"Optimus," she whispered, "I never wanted to imply breaking my bond to you. Neither do I want to take you away from the bots who love you in this life. Take your time my beloved, if I cannot get back to you I will be waiting at the gates."
His mark was glowing on her chest, another mark shining around his. He looked at in shock.
"Your mark has been chosen," he whispered.
"I can't read it, what does it mean?" she whispered curiously.
"Archangel," Optimus murmured proudly, onlining his holoform to delicately trace the symbol over her spark. She reached up to cup his holoform's face.
ΩWhen we can, will you wear my mark?Ω she asked softly.
Optimus felt pride surge through his entire frame. Tears tracked slowly down her face as he dragged her close to his holoform's chest.
ΩI will wear your mark to the end of days and beyond,Ω he choked, crushing her close to his holoform and pressing her down into the brightly glowing hammock. She reached up and dragged his face to hers, kissing him with all the passion he'd watched her vainly try to hide from the world. He pulled the holoform back and dragged the clothes from her body before wrapping her in the neural fibres.
She stood fully formed before him now, delicate and powerful in her armour. Silvery hands reached for him, caressed him with a gentle touch as he saw for the true first time, the auto-bot she would be. He looked at the Femme in awe as she pressed herself tightly to his frame, wrapping gentle arms around him that belied her powerful strength. He pulled her closer, gently caressing her before pulling back and spinning her around, burying his hand in her chest and just barely grazing her spark chamber.
"You took care of me," he rumbled softly, "Let me take care of you tonight."
"Optimus!" she moaned in shock, arching into his hand.
"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he murmured into her shoulder, clamping her tightly to his frame with one arm as he teased her senses. "Do you know how absolutely exquisite you are? You are burned into my memory, so much a part of my processes I cannot survive without you. You are mine." She sang beneath his hands, the resonations of her spark chamber a sirens song.
"Overload for me," he whispered, "give me your trust, your love your mark your soul. Let me cherish you for the exquisite creature that you are."
She whimpered, arching, melting, writhing against him as his binder cables ensnared her, invaded her perfection. She bucked against him, driving him deeper into the couplings. It was his turn to moan as energon flashed between them.
"Beloved guardian you will tell me if I hurt you," she commanded softly, reaching back and wrapping a gentle hand around the back of his head.
She split apart against him, slowly integrating herself into his own body.
Optimus was dead, he was certain of it, the mark etching itself into his spark chamber should hurt. It didn't, it felt warm and cool at the same time. Adding. Completing.
We straightened, and almost collapsed at the incredible feeling of being 'we.' Standing almost double his size now. A warrior, a healer, if death took us we would go together, there was no other way. We would protect.
We began to tease each other. A dual consciousness in a single body, tweaking each other's nerves. Playing.
Mikaela sent a cool burst of energon across his sensors, driving him absolutely wild, he warmed it and sent it back, eliciting an impassioned gasp as the energon began building within her at an extraordinary rate. Optimus chuckled, his voice vibrating across their frame and teasing her neural fibres, a sensation he hadn't known she'd felt. It made him laugh more. The energon built just that much faster and he realized why.
"My voice makes you hot," he rumbled gleefully as she began losing control of her reactions. He reached for her spark with his own, chuckling as she overloaded again before he realized too late that it was going to flash back on him.
Too much, too fast, in a nanosecond he was overloading. The energon continued to keep pouring into and through their joined systems. It flashed out, and every auto-bot in the area joined the consciousness, gasping in pleasured shock as their recharge cycles were stepped-up.
Mikaela began to function again, caressing every mind as mother, sister, daughter. She drew threads of energon from herself and twisted them, weaving a fabric, a blanket of cherishing love and protection and draping it gently around each spark. Optimus reached for her spark again, holding her, caressing her as she gave without hesitation or remorse.
"Rest," she whispered, "sleep and dream of beautiful things."
Optimus pulled her closer and slipped back into his recharge cycle as she took a deep breath, revelling in the tingling feel of her muscles stretching and relaxing into sleep.