Chapter 125 - Rota
(OPOV)
Optimus roused himself, enjoying the quiet, beautiful hum of the spark beside his own. With a small smile, he called up the recordings made by the backup processor and watched his gorgeous femme as she teased him into one of the most powerful overloads he'd ever experienced, and noting his personal reminder with a grin.
Kae stirred slightly beside him, venting a sweet, contented sigh as she pressed a bit closer to him in her recharge. With infinite care, Optimus began to stroke her body, watching with a smile as she slowly onlined, arching into his touch.
He caught her hand and gently brought it to his lips before delicately pinning it above her head.
"Let me take care of you this morning," he whispered, leaning down to feather gentle kisses down her neck and shoulder.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly, her free hand reaching up to cup his cheek gently.
"Better," Optimus rumbled over her spark chamber, kissing her mark, then his own before he rose to hover over her, looking into her optics. "Every morning that I wake with you by my side, the universe could end and I would be content."
"Flatterer," she chuckled before gasping, her legs spreading to hitch around his hips as he nosed his spike against her valve. Optimus moaned softly, she was so wet already, she squirmed beneath him, bucking into him and moaning as he slowly, gently thrust into her.
He rolled slowly, carefully to the side as her leg hitched to hook around his hips. Keeping him nestled deep in her valve.
What felt like minutes went past, simply holding, stroking and kissing his Kae, loving the way her hands mapped his frame. His internal clock stated it had been over an hour; he could gladly spend an eternity kissing her.
Her hips rocked against his lightly, Optimus smiled and pulled back slightly, threading a gentle hand into her chamber as she moaned.
"Tell me what you like, my goddess," he rumbled softly, utilizing the tone that he knew would thrill her sensors, her valve spasmed around him.
"Optimus," she whimpered softly as energon built around and through her, a wayward processor noted a group of bots and human soldiers making a beeline for his quarters. He vented a mildly irritated sigh, torn between being up and ready in deference to his Kae's human heritage, or giving the bots a show. Kae registered it and moaned. "Make me scream," she whispered.
Optimus smirked broadly, drawing back and thrusting deeply into her perfection, they could interrupt if they wished, but that most certainly didn't mean he had to cut this short. Kae's spark chamber opened in front of his, their sparks merging absolutely once more as she wriggled against him, gasping and beginning to beg.
"Rise and shine love... birds..." Ironhide rumbled and trailed off, an entire entourage standing and staring in shock as Kae overloaded in his hands, he followed gently behind her with a quiet groan. He quickly re-synced his processors and looked at Ironhide.
"What is the emergency?" he rumbled placidly.
"No emergency," Will stated from Hide's hand, blushing furiously.
"Good, then either go away or join us," Kae murmured, burrowing herself into him a bit more. Optimus smirked, knowing he looked precisely like the cat that had not only got the cream, but had thoroughly enjoyed it. He loved how kittenish his Kae got after an overload. He gathered her a bit more closely and lightly tucked her helm beneath his jaw, loving the way she cuddled into him as he stroked her sensitive frame.
"He's back!" Chromia squealed, immediately rolling into the room and disengaging her armour, scrambling onto the berth to jump on Kae.
Optimus laughed as Kae did, they simultaneously reached out and caught the little wildcat of a bot, tickling her mercilessly as she laughed.
"That is definitely my cue to run away and call Sarah," Will stated, red-faced and struggling with his expressions.
"You're allowed to laugh, or put on a look of horror," Ratchet stated blandly, "we alreadyknow your species is bizarrely uncomfortable with sex."
"I'll take laughter, more manly," Jacobs snorted, "Right, Optimus, seeing as Will is now completely and absolutely distracted and desperately thinking of his wife we're dragging you lot out for beer and gossip later. Moreshower's joining us."
"Boys night out?" Kae piped up with a bright smile.
"Femmes are invited," Jacobs laughed, "now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go for a nice wank to get the sound of you screaming for more out of my head."
"You are welcome to join us, Jacobs," Optimus rumbled placidly.
"Flare is quite possibly the most talented multi-tasker this side of the universe," Sideswipe added with a grin.
"After all, what happens in the Primes' quarters, stays in the Primes' quarters," Flare purred, onlining her holoform to wind around Jacobs. "Sexual harassment charges are worth it just to see if I can get you to blush."
"I really, really need to call my wife now..." Will mumbled.
"Are you alright, Major?" Ratchet asked in a concerned tone.
"No I'm good," Will nodded, "but at this point I'm definitely thinking I'm going to take you up on your offer Kae." Ironhide snorted and lightly set him down. "I neither saw nor registered Flare's proposal either, we're both off rota anyway. All yours man." Will added over his shoulder to Jacobs. The man grinned and promptly lifted the holoform to his hip as Flare beamed at him, Sideswipe promptly picked the femme proper up and carried her into Optimus' quarters, closely followed by Ratchet and Ironhide.
Optimus onlined an extra processor and hacked the room controls, opening the reveal.
"The rocking bed is still there," he added with a broad smirk.
"Always wanted to try that thing out," Jacobs rumbled cheerfully, promptly carrying Flareup's holoform through the doors and laying her out on the bed.
"I've got a human conquest, Chrome," Flare smirked at her sister, "top that."
"Currently sandwiched between two Primes," Chromia shot back at her. Arcee laughed at the both of them and disengaged her armour, winding herself around Ratchet.
"Really? As a gorgeous femme, and a field marshal, don't you outrank me?" Jacobs rumbled.
"You're going to quibble about being a conquest?" Sideswipe laughed at him.
"Oh I'll gladly take the title conquest," the man snorted, "I just want it established, my beauty, that I fully recognize you as a true, drop dead gorgeous creature."
"Oh look at him go!" Arcee murmured as Jacobs stripped his shirt off and leaned down to murmur in the holoform's ear.
"I want to make you scream, I want to make you writhe beneath me as I pound myself into you, I want you to overload so many times you'll need to recharge for days, but as always you have but to bid me, and I stop, do you wish a safeword, my beauty?" he whispered, feathering kisses down her neck.
"Safeword is Starscream," Flare whimpered. Jacobs and Sideswipe both grinned.
Flareup was gasping the next second, she and her holoform both winding themselves around the males holding them.
Ironhide smirked and disengaged his armour as Chromia grinned at him, he plucked her out of Kae's arms and promptly began teasing her couplings.
Optimus looked around at his earthbound unit with a smirk and promptly returned his attentions to his beloved Kae.
Her fingers danced over his frame, making him moan softly. He caught her hand and kissed her palm again, caught in her gaze.
Paradise.
(WPOV)
Will hovered outside Optimus' door, laughing as Jolt walked past, carrying a laughing Lena on his shoulder on their way to Communications central.
"Do I want to know?" he called up with a grin.
"Best. Back massage. Ever," Lena grinned down at him. "Jolt's spoiling me."
"But it's so much fun spoiling you!" Jolt laughed. "You keep getting the short end of the stick besides! No pun, by the way," Jolt added with a grin. "I get a lot more out of the contact than you do."
"You spoil me rotten, let me get some of the best shuteye I've ever had and you're still claiming that I've got the short end of the stick?" Lena laughed. Will watched them with a grin as they carried on down the corridor.
"It's nice to see Jolt capable of being in a symbiotic relationship again," Ratchet stated with a smile beside him. Will looked up curiously.
"He's a technician," Ratchet explained. "He stayed alive for two vorn by allowing his captors to live parasitically from him before Arcee got him out of there. On one side of the scale we are sustained by contact with each other, on the other, it is possible to take without giving."
"Wow," Will whispered, turning to watch the pair as they disappeared into communications central.
"I would appreciate it, Will, if you allowed Lena to remain with Jolt without scorn," Ratchet added quietly, onlining his holoform beside him. "She does not realize it, but she is pulling Jolt away from his own cliff edge. She is actually giving more than she receives right now, Jolt has been desperately needing spark-contact for the past couple of vorn..."
"Duly noted," Will nodded firmly. "I'll pull Lena aside later, with you, if you don't mind."
"Thank you," Ratchet nodded with a smile. "Now, shall we go enjoy the time off?"
"YES!" Will grinned cheerfully as the doors to Optimus' quarters opened, bots piling out and laughing raucously. Jacobs was smirking broadly as he walked with Flareup's holoform on his arm.
"Don't tell," Will commanded with a snort. "That expression is a thousand words more information than I think I can digest without my wife holding my hand."
"Duly noted," Jacobs snorted. "Can you do me a favour then?"
"What?" Will asked curiously.
"Turn around a minute?" Jacobs smirked. Will groaned and turned around, listening to the catcalls as Jacobs no doubt dipped Flare in his embrace and kissed her.
"Do try to not scar the humans?" Optimus rumbled placidly. "Care for a lift, Major?"
"Please," Will grinned up at the mech, sitting comfortably in the offered hand.
"Where we headed?" Kae asked cheerfully.
"Red Rose Pub on seventh," Will grinned. "Practically everyone walks to it, or takes a cab, so there should be enough parking for you lot.
"Excellent," Ratchet grinned, he looked at Ironhide. "You ready to get whipped at whatever game we can find there?"
"Bring it you cocky old bot," Ironhide smirked. Will couldn't help but laugh at them.
"Ready?" Optimus rumbled, grinning down at Will. He looked up curiously.
"For?" Will asked curiously.
"Don't move," Mikaela giggled beside him. Optimus promptly transformed around Will, depositing him lightly in the passenger's seat with barely a jostled limb.
It was freakin' cool to see all of the big man's moving parts from this perspective as he shrugged into his truck form.
"So cool," Will moaned, looking around.
"I know right?" Mikaela's holoform giggled from the sleeper as Optimus backed into the smaller trailer she formed on her own.
(OPOV)
Optimus took point, driving casually to the bar Will was directing him to. He listened with a light spark as his unit teased and bantered with each other. His femme was calmly allowing him to tow her along behind himself, connected to each other absolutely.
"If you sound any more content with your lot in life, I may have to hit you," Will stated with a perfectly straight face.
"You have a wife and hatchling, whom I am going to escort you home to this evening," Optimus rumbled in amusement. "And yet you wish to harm me for being content that I now have my Kae? I thought you were my ally!"
Will began howling with laughter.
"Which reminds me, is your government going to accept their bonding as a wedding, or do we still get to dress them up and parade them around!?" Chromia called out gleefully.
"Oh we're totally gonna dress them up and parade them around," Will stated seriously before he burst out laughing again.
Optimus snorted and reached for his Kae.
"Admit it Chromia!" she called out with a laugh. "You're just trying to find an excuse to go clubbing!"
"That too," Arcee trilled cheerfully. "You need to transform into your land vehicle mode so we can ditch the menfolk for a little while and go dancing."
Mikaela began laughing.
"I'm already bonded, whose engagement are we celebrating now?" she asked cheerfully.
"We're gonna celebrate your bonding, my raising to Ironhide's spark-guardian and we're gonna go make the human males drool," Chromia stated smugly.
"Oh, done deal," Mikaela laughed.
Optimus couldn't help but smirk about that.
"So you gonna drop me off and go make an entrance?" Will murmured with a smirk.
"Oh we totally are," Ironhide rumbled over the radio.
"Totally are what?" Chromia asked curiously.
"We are going to drop Will off and have a proper male's night," Optimus rumbled calmly. He could feel his Kae's amusement at the slight omission.
Optimus spied the pub Will pointed out and circled around back, gently releasing his Kae as she quickly transformed from trailer to her land-vehicle mode.
Holoforms winked online. Mikaela bounced over to him and caught the arm he offered to her with a smile. Together, they walked around to the front.
"Over here!" Chris Moreshower bellowed, already nursing a pint beside Barry.
Ratchet and Ironhide promptly walked in and began scanning the area.
"Where are the games?" Ironhide rumbled with a small frown. Will laughed and caught hold of Ironhide's arm.
"We've got pool, darts and air-hockey," he grinned, pointing them out.
Optimus snorted as the medic's face blanked for a moment before a full fledged Ratchet smirk caught hold of his face.
"Be back," he muttered to Ironhide, walking back out of the pub.
"Where's he going?" Will asked curiously.
"Darts," Ironhide smirked.
"Ratch fancy himself a thrower?" Barry smirked, opening his briefcase.
"Is that why you're always carrying that damn thing around?" Chris demanded with a snort. "Just how much crap do you have in that thing?"
"When a man builds you a compartment for your darts, you take your case everywhere," Barry stated airily.
"Brother," Ratchet stated formally, handing Ironhide a set of darts.
"Thank you, brother," Ironhide rumbled just as formally before the two of them promptly grinned at each other.
"Shall we win some drinking money then?" Ratchet smirked.
"I believe we shall," Ironhide smirked.
"Oh here we go," Optimus snorted, settling down beside Chris and wrapping an arm around his Kae's holoform.
"What?" Chris asked with a laugh.
"All we need now is for somebody to find a steel ball and the lobbing will begin," Optimus snorted in amusement as his senior officers began their routine.
"Lobbing?" Will asked curiously.
"It is a game, of sorts," Optimus snorted. "Two bots of a generally equal size take turns throwing a ball of dead-metals at each other until one falls over."
Kae began giggling softly. Optimus smiled down at her.
"Ratchet was the lobbing king, wasn't he?" she laughed softly.
"The medic!?" Chris demanded incredulously.
"Everybody says that, they forget to take into account that as a medic, Ratchet has in his memories the specifications for every last one of our forms, modified or not. He knows precisely where to throw a ball to make a bot fall over," Optimus snorted. "Anything that requires balance or throwing he will beat you at. I promise."
"Well he doesn't seem to be throwing all that well," Chris stated calmly, watching Ratchet and Ironhide's game with a critical eye.
"They are laying their trap," Optimus snorted, he pointed.
"Oi! You bandy boys up for a match!" an already somewhat tipsy man bellowed, proffering his own darts.
"I don't know," Ironhide shrugged, looking at Ratchet.
"Got better things to do than whittle around with wager-less games," Ratchet grumbled.
"Alright, how's this, fifty that I whip your tails!" the man growled.
Optimus bit down a snort as Ratchet and Ironhide looked at each other.
"You're gonna need a second man," Ironhide rumbled calmly. Optimus reached out and lightly snagged Barry's arm for a moment.
"It would be wise to observe your opponent's skills before challenging him to a match," Optimus rumbled calmly. Barry rolled his eyes.
"Oh let him be," Mikaela laughed softly beside him. "Barry's quite proficient."
"I shall buy the first round then," Optimus snorted. "Ease the sting."
"Yes dear," Mikaela stated contentedly, tucking herself into the circle of his arm as they sat back to watch the match. Barry promptly shook the tipsy man's hand.
"Hope you're a hot todd-e," Barry nodded to the man.
"Wha's that mean?" the man asked.
"You throw well after a few," Barry snorted, shrugging out of his blazer and tossing his darts in a practice throw.
"This shall be interesting," Optimus rumbled with a grin, looking down at his Kae. She looked up at him and laughed softly.
Caught by her eyes, Optimus couldn't help but lean down to press a light kiss to her lips, loving the way she smiled at him as he pulled back.
"Saps," Chris snorted.
"Without a doubt," Optimus rumbled contentedly, smiling as Kae's head rested lightly on his shoulder as they watched the match.
It rather quickly became a death match between Ratchet and Barry. The two of them were grinning rather manically at each other as the first match concluded, monies handed over and the tipsy man wandering away with Ironhide.
Optimus couldn't help but smile as Ironhide bought the man a drink. He always had excellent manners in the correct arena.
Ratchet and Barry were quickly renewing their game.
"They're gonna wear out that dart-board, and I'm gonna have to save the winnings just to buy this place a new one," Ironhide snorted, slapping the money down on the table. Mikaela looked over and smirked.
"I'm going to go shark for a little while," she smiled up at him. "Cee, Chrome, Flare, shall we go win a bit of clubbing money?" she smirked.
"You go," Arcee laughed softly, she shrugged out of her own coat and leaned back. "We're going to make sure none of us have to pay for a drink."
"That's my sister," Kae laughed softly walking behind Arcee. "Ready?" she murmured.
Arcee promptly reached up and caught Kae's hair, the two of them kissing lightly as the men in the crowded bar gaped.
"You... your..." Will sputtered slightly across from him.
"Is buying the next round," Optimus rumbled innocently.
"Right in front of you?" Chris demanded.
Optimus turned confused eyes on the General.
"Aren't you even the least bit worried that they'll run off together and leave you behind?" Will demanded incredulously.
"Our sparks are bound," Optimus rumbled with a snort, leaning back in his chair again.
"No matter where the lot of us run to, Optimus will always know where his Kae is," Arcee stated comfortably, smiling at the men.
"It is remarkably difficult to feel jealous of the attention my Kae receives," Optimus laughed softly, watching as his femme stood calmly beside the pool tables as a drink was pressed into her hand along with a pool cue.
She smiled gently, took a sip of the drink, set it down and set herself up to make the first shot, pointing that gorgeous arse in full view of the men. The fact that the male's eyes were glued to her arse no longer bothered him. It didn't have to, she was his.
"Okay, that's taking tolerance to an entirely different level," Will stated flatly.
"Why? She belongs to him," Ironhide shrugged, watching his niece with a smirk as she began schooling the men on how to play.
"Isn't that a bit chauvinistic?" Barry asked with a frown, accepting the drink Chris shoved in his general direction.
"It would be," Arcee shrugged, smiling as an enormous tray of shots was placed in front of her by a smirking waiter. She smiled at him and reached for her wallet.
"No!" the waiter protested immediately, he leaned down toward her confidentially. "Compliments of most of the men in the bar who want to see the two of you kissing again."
Arcee caught the man's eyes as they smirked at each other.
"Well played," the waiter smirked, nodding to her and making his retreat.
"Where was I?" Arcee asked calmly, lightly collecting a few of the shots and gently placing the tray in the middle of the table.
"It would be chauvinistic," Will prompted her calmly.
"Except that Optimus equally belongs to Mikaela," Arcee nodded. The three femmes picked up their first shots, clinked them together and threw them back.
"You mind?" Chris asked curiously, pointing to the tray.
"Have at," Chromia giggled, "there's gonna be more where those came from."
"So on Cybertron, did you have anything like this?" Chris asked curiously, looking at Optimus. He smiled tolerantly as the femmes began laughing gleefully.
"Central Hub!" Chromia crowed.
"Oh now those were the days," Arcee sighed with a smile. "Even during the war, the nights that Central Hub was lit were some of the best orns."
Optimus laughed as the humans looked confused.
"I shall have to bring up the holoform of Central Hub when you have returned," he told Will with a smile. "Picture a neutral zone, where bots of every size, creed and caste would gather together, a place where politics were practically banned, even the most eloquent of speakers would be shunned the moment they tried to..." he trailed off in thought, looking for the correct phrase. He reached for his Kae.
~Stand on their soap-box and preach~ his Kae sent through their sparks. He smiled.
"Stand on their soap-box and preach," he rumbled.
"Kae's helping you translate across the pub?" Will demanded with a snort.
"Their sparks are bound," Chromia shrugged. "Technically, Kae could help him translate from the other side of the universe."
"How does that work again?" Chris asked curiously.
"Our sparks are twined together," Optimus rumbled calmly. "In essence, half of my spark now resides in her chamber, just as half of her spark remains in mine, but the essence of our selves remains our own. Our sparks are split in half but remain whole, everything that we are an extension of the other."
"Wait, so the colour variations between the two of you were your sparks literally splitting in half and binding to each other?" Barry asked interestedly.
"Precisely," Optimus nodded, he looked around carefully and leaned in among the group of men, extending his holoform into a minute diagram of two bared sparks. "Our sparks are whole within themselves, we have no skeleton or skin, but there is a boundary around our spark nevertheless. When you split a spark there is a moment when there is an evident difference between it's outside and centre, and a powerful magnetization that struggles to draw the two parts back together. When Kae and I bound, our sparks split in half and bound to each other."
"Doesn't that hurt?" Will asked curiously.
"If a spark is split by accident? It's excruciating," Arcee stated calmly. "It takes vorns to heal properly, and at times a bot will lose several memories in the process. But done safely, in a guarded circle between two physically bound together, the sparks do not split entirely until the healing has completed. It still hurts, but much the same way..." Arcee trailed off, thinking hard. "I need Kae's help to find a parallel." she admitted calmly after a moment.
(MPOV)
I smirked slightly as the men stared at my ass, feeling Optimus' amusement that I felt the need to start my evening teasing them.
I sank the last ball and another slapped a fifty on the table, smirking as he chalked his cue. I let him break, he got three down before he scratched.
I cleared half the table before purposely scratching. Didn't want to appear too good, after all. A good predator looks innocent so as to not scare away her quarry. A killer whale to their sharks.
I felt my Optimus struggling for a phrase, he trailed off and reached for me, a motion that had become automatic between the two of us.
~Stand on their soap-box and preach~ I supplied calmly. He smiled at me and their conversation continued.
The games continued, I racked up again and noted that I'd already made seven hundred. I let the next man win, he took fifty. The graceful way to exit.
"Next round's on me boys," I smiled at them, throwing a hundred down.
That got a cheer, the best way to leave a competition. I swayed my hips as I walked back to my Optimus.
"If a spark is split by accident? It's excruciating," Arcee was stating calmly. "It takes orns to heal properly, and at times a bot will lose several memories in the process. But done safely, in a guarded circle between two physically bound together, the sparks do not split entirely until the healing has completed. It still hurts, but much the same way..." Arcee trailed off, thinking for a long moment. "I need Kae's help to find a parallel," she stated calmly.
"Which sucks, because I can't really think of one," I stated musingly. "In theory, a female losing her virginity, where pleasure overrides the pain..."
Optimus looked up and reached for me, tucking me into the circle of his arms.
"It doesn't bother me, beloved," I murmured gently, stroking his cheek. "I had you as my first interface. That's what counts."
Optimus smiled and pulled me a bit closer. I shot him an impish grin.
"However I do believe that us girls are gonna leave you to your manly devices and go dancing." I smirked, holding up my wad of cash as Chrome, Flare and Arcee began cheering.
"Wait!" Chris grinned at us.
"Chris?" I asked curiously.
"A Banes, A Moreshower, and a Matteer walk into a bar," Barry stated innocently.
I grinned wickedly and went to the bar, waving the bartender over.
"I'm going to make a bit of a scene, family reunion type, do you mind?" I asked with a grin.
"Is shit going to get broken?" the man asked worriedly.
"No, but I am going to steel a barstool for five seconds," I smirked.
"Okay," the man shrugged.
I grinned and stood up on the barstool.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" I called out loudly. "The next pint is on us!"
The bar erupted into cheers then quieted as I stayed for a moment longer.
"As I went home on a monday night, as drunk as drunk could be," I began walking through the pub, singing brightly. "I saw a horse outside the door, where my old horse should be, so I called me wife and I says to her will you kindly tell to me, who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?"
Barry and Chris stood up so quickly they toppled their chairs, belting out the chorus with me.
"Ah you drunk you drunk you silly old fool, still you cannot see! That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more! But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before!"
The entire pub began cheering raucously.
"And as I came home on a tuesday night, as drunk as drunk could be, I saw a coat behind the door, where my old coat should be, well I called me wife and I says to her, will you kindly tell to me... who owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be?" Chris picked up the second verse cheerfully.
The Pints began making their way around and the three of us were standing together, holding them up as we sang. The fact that the holoforms were all standing and singing with us just made it so much better.
"Ah you drunk you drunk you silly old fool, still you cannot see! That's a woollen blanket that me mother sent to me, well it's many a day I travelled a hundred miles or more, but buttons in a blanket sure I never saw before."
"As I went home on a Wednesday night, as drunk as drunk could be," Barry sang, sounding perfectly tipsy and grinning as he managed to get his tie around his forehead. "I saw a pipe upon the chair, where my own pipe should be..."
"So I called his wife and I says to her, will you kindly tell to me..." Chris broke in with a grin, the pub began roaring. They mockingly glared at each other for a second before grinning.
"Who owns that pipe upon the chair," the chorused.
"Where my old pipe should be," Ironhide broke in with a shit eating grin. I caught him in an enormous one armed hug.
"Ah you drunk you drunk you silly old fool, still you cannot see, that's a lovely tin-whistle that me mother sent to me. Well it's many a day I've travelled, a hundred miles or more but tobacco in a tin whistle sure I've never seen before."
"And as I came home on a..." Ratchet started, he trailed off, putting on the appearance of being truly bad off.
"Thursday," Ironhide nudged him with a smirk.
"Thursday night, as drunk as drunk could be, I saw two boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be. So I called me wife and I says to her, will you kindly tell to me, who owns the boots beneath the bed where my own boots should be?"
"Ah you drunk you drunk you silly old fool, still you cannot see, they're two lovely geranium pots me mother sent to me, well it's many a day I travelled, a hundred mile or more, but laces in geranium pots I never saw before."
"Well as I came home on a Friday night, as drunk as drunk could be, I saw a head upon the bed, where my bald head should be!" Chris called out with a laugh, rubbing his head, the pub cheered him on. "Well I calls me wife and I says to her, would you kindly tell to me? Who owns that head with you in the bed, where my own head should be?"
"Ah you drunk you drunk you silly old fool, still you cannot see! That's a baby boy that me mother sent to me, well it's many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more but a baby boy with his whiskers on sure I've never seen before."
The pub was howling, stomping, people were pouring in from the street to see the ruckus. The bartender was beaming at us.
The pub goers pressed pints into our hands. I looked at the girls. They grinned.
"It's gonna be a looong night!" Chromia sang. Arcee was looking at Optimus with a smirk. Men thundered down the stairs carrying instruments.
"We got singers!" the eldest bellowed with a grin. Optimus smirked and strode over, murmuring in the man's ear. I watched him, puzzled as the men hooted and grabbed chairs, picking up a lively tune.
"I took a stroll down the old long walk on the day I ay I ay," Optimus sang out with a grin. My bot had such a gorgeous voice. "I met a little girl and we started to talk on the grandsoft day I ay-"
"And I ask you friend," Optimus rumbled gleefully, clapping a man on the shoulder and gesturing to me. "What's a fellow to do? Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue. And I knew right then, I'd be taking a whirl, round the salthill prom with a Galway girl." the unit all sang out brightly. Optimus grinned and caught my hand, twirling me around. The flatterer.
"We were halfway there when the rain came down on the day I ay I ay. And she took me up to her flat downtown on the finesoft day I ay I ay." Ratchet and Optimus sang together.
"And I ask you friend, what's a fellow to do, if her hair was black and her eyes were blue?" Ratchet sang demandingly, cupping Arcee's face.
"So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl, and I lost my heart to a Galway girl." they sang together again, Arcee was laughing, dancing with Ratchet. Ironhide scooped Chromia up, even as Sides caught Flare with a grin. We couldn't stop laughing as our males danced us around the cheering pub to the lively music.
"But when I woke up I was all alone, with a broken heart and a ticket home." Sideswipe sang out with a pout.
"And I ask you friend, what's a fellow to do? If her hair was black and her eyes were blue. See I've travelled around, I've been all over the world, I've never seen nothing like a Galway girl." the males sang out gleefully, dancing us around.
"MORE!" the pub shouted out.
I caught Arcee, Chromia and Flare.
"You ready for a challenge?" I murmured with a smirk, quietly passing the lyrics to them. They smirked right back at me.
"A 'níon mhín ó sin anall na fir shúirí," I began singing quickly. A mháithairin mhín ó, cuir na roithléan go dtí mé."
"Dúlamán Dúlamán Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán Gaelach Dúlamán na farraige, b'fhearr a bhí in Éirinn," the girls chorused with me.
The Irish in the bar began hooting, cheering us on. The four of us smirked as we sang the song for seaweed.
"Alright, my turn," Ironhide rumbled with a smirk. We all stared at him in shock as he walked to the band. "Red Rose Cafe," he rumbled. The men grinned at him.
"They come from the farms and the factories too, they all soon forget who they are. The cares of today will be soon washed away as they sit at a still by the bar. The girl with green eyes in the rolling stones shirt doesn't look like she works on the land. And the man at the end he's a very good friend of a man who sells cars secondhand." Ironhide sang out beautifully. Everyone was staring at him in shock.
"Down at the Red Rose cafe, in the harbour. There by the port just outside Amsterdam. Everyone shares in the songs and the laughter, everyone there, is so happy to be there."
He shot everyone a shit eating grin. I couldn't help but cheer him on as Chromia beamed at her prospective mate.
"Well the salesmen relax with a few pints of beer, they try not to talk about trade," Ironhide continued with a grin, men at the bar raised their pints to him with a grin. "The poet won't write, any verses tonight, but he may sing a sweet serenade. So pull up a chair and forget about life, it's a good thing to do now and then. And if you like it here well I have an ideare, tomorrow let's all meet again!"
Everyone cheered.
"Down at the Red Rose cafe, in the harbour. There by the port just outside Amsterdam. Everyone shares in the songs and the laughter, everyone there, is so happy to be there!"
"Down at the Red Rose cafe, in the harbour. There by the port just outside Amsterdam. Everyone shares in the songs and the laughter, everyone there, is so happy to be there." We all sang with him, Chromia was beaming, winding herself in his arms.
"Why didn't you tell me!?" she demanded.
"What? That I am in fact, capable of carrying a tune in a bucket?" he rumbled with a smirk. "You didn't ask."
Chromia pouted at him, and he leaned down and pecked a kiss to her nose.
Which had her melting.
"We'd better go before you melt," Arcee teased her gently. Ironhide snorted as Chromia giggled, pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw.
"Kae!" Barry shouted. "Hallelujah before you go!"
Optimus grinned and gave me a gentle shove. I rolled my eyes somewhat and gestured toward the piano. The man rose with a grin and I laid my hands lightly on the keys, rapidly downloading the musical method and playing chords as a microphone was grinningly placed in front of me.
"I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the lord, but you don't really care for music, do you? Well it goes like this the fourth or fifth the minor fall and the major lift baffle king composing hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah..." I sang softly, the entire pub murmuring the hallelujahs with me.
"Well your faith was strong but you needed proof, you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you. She tied you to her kitchen chair and she broke your throne and she cut your hair and from your lips she drew the hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah..." I sang, a bit of pain touching my voice as I recognized how the song would touch my Optimus. I caught his eyes and my voice almost broke as he strode forward, cupping my shoulders in his hands.
His beautiful voice joined mine, singing in astonishing accompaniment.
"Maybe there's a god above, but all I've ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you. It's not a cry that you hear at night, it's not someone who has seen the light, it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah..."
I gently released the piano and stood, turning to cup my Optimus' face in gentle hands.
"I will wait for you," I murmured gently.
The sadness in his eyes melted away, he smiled at me. I reached up and pressed a lingering kiss to his jaw.
"I'll see you later," I murmured, smiling and holding his hands for a second before letting the girls drag me off.
A/N: The Songs in this Chapter are Seven Drunken Nights, The Galway Girl, Dulaman, The Red Rose Cafe, and Hallelujah, I've heard several versions, but my favourites belong to one band in particular: Celtic Thunder. Check them out if you've a scottish flavour someday, it's worth it.