Chapter 172 – Celebrations and Recuperations
(WPOV)
Will was hiding in his office. Or rather, he was hiding in the section that Prowl had allotted him as a shared office, which he found he preferred. It was way bigger than the 'broom closet' Optimus had deemed his office beforehand. It was nice, quiet, and Prowl's continual presence in this office made sure that he wasn't bothered. Prowl wasn't in here at the moment, he was at the party.
Which leads back to why Will was hiding. He was infinitely tempted to sneak back and keep watching the fun, but Prowl had promised to update him when it was safe again.
Safe for him.
Because Ironhide was pissed.
That and Will couldn't stop laughing, he was trying to tie up a last bit of paperwork while he waited for the all-clear, but he wasn't having much luck. He'd see Ironhide's name on the paperwork and start laughing again. He gave up and sat back, grinning at the distant ceiling as he waited for Prowl.
Eight hours ago.
"PARTY IN CENTRALI!" Chromia shrieked, whizzing down the corridors and dodging humans for all she was worth as she shouted.
"What's the occasion this time!?" Will bellowed back with a laugh. He wondered if the femme could hear him, she was halfway down the corridor now.
"Ratchet and Arcee's bonding, and Lena's onlining!" Flareup trilled behind him. Which made him jump. Again. Wait...
"Ratchet and Arcee bonded!?" he demanded incredulously. "Why didn't anyone invite me, or tell me!?"
"They didn't tell anybody," Flare snorted, smirking as Jazz let loose a wolf whistle as he passed her.
"Why?"
"Because it was Ratchet's second bonding, and I'm not that ceremonial," Arcee murmured. How the hell the femmes all managed to sneak up behind him like that was beyond him. Flare was grinning at her dominant sister as Will turned again. Oh. Holoform. That worked.
"Then why the party now?"
"Ironhide finally got ahold of the fact that we're bonded," Arcee chuckled, looking down the corridor. Will followed her gaze and snorted. Ratchet was being all but dragged behind Ironhide, a massive pile of brightly glowing blue cubes balanced precariously in his other arm.
But Will knew those bots both, now. Ironhide was dragging Ratchet, and Ratchet was putting up a token struggle. And you could tell, because when you got right down to it, no way Ironhide would get that energon pile and Ratchet down the corridor against the medic's wishes.
"High Grade!" Sideswipe bellowed the next second.
"Get the second batch mechs!" Ironhide roared back at the twins.
They didn't need second bidding, disappearing into the med-bay as quickly as their servos would carry them. Bots were flooding into the corridors, and the humans on base were flooding after them, investigating the noise. Well, Director Meraring had voiced it about that they were on emergency standby only...
"Lieutenant! All advised! As of eighteen hundred we are at full lockdown, everyone in, nobody out." Will shouted, a half dozen lieutenants snapped to attention, saluting him. "That'll keep the suits out, then get the beer!" he shouted with a broad grin. From that moment, the noise in the corridors was deafening, bots laughing, several cheering, and the humans following suit with gusto.
And when that happened, it didn't take long for the central to be packed. Three levels of catwalks were crowded with humans, and the bots had the floor.
The Primes were the last into the Central, Optimus standing between Kae and Sentinel.
Dead silence. Quiet enough that Will started to wonder if the Primes were even going to allow the party.
Then, Optimus took three cubes, passed one to Kae, and one to Sentinel. He popped his open and held it up.
Yeah, Optimus wasn't going to outlaw a party. Will grinned and held his beer up to Optimus.
"To good friends, to the bonding of Ratchet and Arcee, and to the onlining of Lieutenant Lena 'Banshee Hawk' Elizabeth Davies. May we all survive to do this again." He rumbled gravely. Then amid the howling cheers of the auto-bots and humans: downed the cube, Kae and Sentinel right behind him.
Will rolled his chair back with a broad grin, lifting an ankle to settle comfortably across his knee and thinking of the multitude of things he'd learned in the course of the evening.
Optimus had promptly settled Kae into her place in the central with a few cubes of high-grade close at hand. She stayed right there, smiling at the rowdy crowd and sipping at her second cube.
"Come on Prime!" Sunstreaker shouted tauntingly at her, a pile of empty cubes sitting beside him and a tipsy Jacobs sitting on his shoulder. "You can do better than that!"
"You are correct, I can," Sentinel rumbled with a smirk.
And downed five cubes in one go. The twins. Both sets. Stared at him in awe.
"Hay Ratchet, what'd happen if I drank this?" Chance demanded, already weaving somewhat as he stared at a spare cube in front of him.
"You'd experience extreme hallucinations, maybe death, then again there's always the possibly that your spark might start showing itself, at which point I'd likely have to build you a body." Ratchet stated cheerfully, nursing another cube as Arcee watched him with a rather dreamy smirk. "But probably death."
"You're way more fun when you're drunk," Chance grinned up at him.
"I am not drunk-"
"He's overcharged," Arcee giggled.
"Overcharged?"
"It kinda feels like a bit of alcoholic tipsiness, mixed with a bit of morphine numb grogginess and a shit ton of caffeine," Mikaela finally snorted, looking at her half-full cube.
"Humans get to sort those into different categories, I almost envy the massive difference in fuel types," Ratchet expounded cheerfully. "Except the squishiness, I can't say I'm fond of the squishiness although..." he looked at Arcee.
"Yes we can try it out with the squishiness," his mate giggled cheerfully.
"All the new things to try!" Ratchet practically sang!
Overcharged Ratchet was ridiculously cheerful.
And that had only been hour two.
Hour five had been even more fun. Overcharged Ironhide sang. A lot. And in Cybertronian to boot, so Will couldn't really tell if he was singing well. Mind, by the way the twins, both sets of twins, and Wheeljack, and Mirage, and Jazz, and Optimus, and practically every mech in the room but Ratchet sang along, either he was singing well, or they were too overcharged to care.
Will couldn't bring himself to care either, the sixth beer tended to do that to him.
"Hay!" Chance bellowed over the singing. "C'mon mate! We need a translation down here!"
"Otherwise we'll screw it up singing along!" Jacobs added.
"Uh..." Sideswipe pursed his lip plates.
Silence for a moment, which Ratchet looked somewhat grateful for. Arcee was still giggling though.
"Don't make me wait in the dark, bless me with your sweet spark," Sentinel began belting out! "To the pit with the circle's girth! Come my femme let me bind you in our berth!"
"Well my sweet femme I've finally found you," Jolt sang sweetly, kneeling in front of Lena as she giggled and blushed. "For as long as your spark is with me I'll remain true. Please don't make me wait in the dark, bless me with your sweet spark!"
"To the pit with the circle's girth! Come my femme let me bind you in our berth!" the mechs howled.
Will grinned and looked around, Kae had a hand over her mouth, shaking around the laughter trying to escape her.
"Berth bond, Berth bond, ain't nothin' wrong with a berth bond," Ironhide rumbled. Off key. Nobody seemed to care. "Sweet femme and light of my spark, don't leave me waitin' in the dark-"
"TO THE PIT WITH THE CIRCLE'S GIRTH! COME MY FEMME LET ME BIND YOU IN OUR BERTH!"
Okay, it was the fifth hour, and the sixth. Somehow, Will got the feeling that translations weren't effective enough for Ironhide, all sorts of verses were popping up from the mechs.
And the femmes, Flare and Chromia were belting it out right alongside the mechs after a while.
Will wished he had a camera to capture the smug look on Jazz's face when Flare was singing.
She was definitely overcharged. And still singing perfectly.
There were dozens of energon cubes around Jazz, too, but by this point, Will had taken a real fascination to watching Jazz pilfering other bot's empty energon cubes and adding them to the pile.
Saboteur keeping his wits about himself. And completely awesome to watch, because every now and again, Bee would take Jazz's empties.
That was a thought.
Will immediately scrambled to his feet.
He wanted his video camera. He might not be able to record the night, but he could certainly catch the morning after. The doors slid open, and Soundwave chose that moment to peer in at him.
"Video-camera: unnecessary."
"But-"
"Soundwave: recording. Directive: inform Colonel Lennox all clear."
"How the heck are you recording it?"
"Symbiont: Ratbat."
Will narrowed his eyes at Soundwave somewhat.
"You're spying on them?"
"Habit," Soundwave shrugged. Will blinked. That was the second time the bot had done that.
Except it was different this time. Maybe it was the beer. He frowned somewhat and grabbed a glass of water. Wait...
"How long have you been recording it?"
"Soundwave recording: four joor."
"Did you record the twins?" Will grinned.
Soundwave nodded.
"And Ironhide's reactions?"
Soundwave nodded.
"Can I watch it again? Please?"
(MPOV)
I smiled somewhat. Will was still awake. It was three in the morning. He was sitting and watching Sunstreaker and Sideswipe paint Ironhide bright pink. Ratchet and Arcee were long gone, so were Flare and Jazz, Chromia was sprawled against Bee, who was deep in his recharge with his face in my side.
I was pretending to be asleep and recording Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.
Optimus was long gone in his recharge, sitting upright and holding me tightly against his chest.
It was ridiculously comfortable.
"Where did you get this pink?"
"I mixed it."
"Nice bro."
"You expect any less from me?" Sunstreaker asked airily.
"Just pink, or do I get to watch you guys do some serious pinstriping or swirls or something?"
Sunstreaker promptly stared at Will. So did Sides.
"I like the way he thinks." Sunstreaker stated finally.
Sides grinned at him and strode over, lightly picking Will up and depositing him carefully on his shoulder.
He stayed still for a moment, making sure tipsy Will wasn't going to tip off of his shoulder before rejoining his twin. I had a hard time keeping my face in sleeping repose when Sideswipe's nanites idly dyed Will's hair pink though, matching Ironhide's paint job.
Ironhide was obviously a massively deep recharger, the twins spent a solid hour getting just the right complimenting pinstripes on his pink armour.
I couldn't help but smirk slightly. Sunstreaker was very obviously a master of shades and colours, Ironhide's armour looked incredibly feminine now, somehow, without a single modification to frame, he looked like he had the same exaggerated chest plates that the femme trine were so proud of.
The piéce de résistance though? Will. Carefully supported on Sunstreaker's hand, painting on pink eyebrows and lipstick.
My arms were more or less free, I raised my hands and clapped ever so softly as they stood back, admiring their work.
The twins were immediately staring at me, Sideswipe grinning the second he realized who was clapping.
I held a finger to my lip plates and winked, sending them a copy of my recording of their artistic endeavours. For their logs, of course.
Sunstreaker grinned as I relaxed against my Optimus again, nuzzling my helm against his chest plates and winding an arm around my little brother.
Will was deposited comfortably on my leg, where he promptly passed out. The twins took their leave then, headed back to their quarters.
I dropped into a half cycle, comfortably ensconced in my mate's arms.
That didn't last long. The first sound I registered was a high-pitched scream.
"WHAT THE FRAG!? Why am I a FEMME!? RATCHET!"
My optics snapped online, Optimus was aiming at Ironhide's shouting voice. An idle glance at my chronometer stated that Will would most likely have slept off his tipsiness.
He was sitting bolt upright on my leg. Staring at Ironhide as the mech groped at his armour and 'equipment.'
"What the hell happened to you?" he demanded incredulously.
I'd have to show him my logs later if he actually couldn't remember his eyebrow and lipstick addition.
"Not a femme, I'm not a femme... Why in slagging pitfire am I PINK!? TWINS!"
Will obviously lost his battle as he fell over, laughing his ass off as Ironhide began storming toward the doors. At least he was until Ironhide turned around again.
"What are you laughing at?" Ironhide growled in his 'shit's gettin' blown up' voice.
"Pink suits you 'Hide," Will grinned at his guardian.
Bad move.
Will obviously knew that, he was scrambling off of my leg the next second and high-tailing it out of the entrance bay, Ironhide hot on his heels.
I made to go after the weapons master, but Optimus wound me into his arms again.
"He won't injure Will," Optimus rumbled gently. "And Prowl will no doubt get to the twins before Ironhide does." I snorted somewhat and cuddled against my mate a bit more.
Chromia was blinking drowsily, right beside Bumblebee.
"Did we do anything last night?" she muttered to the scout.
Bee was silent for a few minutes, obviously replaying his logs.
"You and Flare were singing the berth-bond song with the rest of us." he stated finally. "And you got betrothed to Ironhide."
"I'm already his intended."
"No, betrothal bond."
"That's the worst of it?"
"Uh huh."
"And the twins painted Ironhide pink?"
"I dunno, I was recharging."
"You too huh?"
"Uh huh."
"Fair enough. Excuse me?" Chromia tottered off of the berth and in the general direction of the decon chamber.
I couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Softly, my mate's processors were rather delicate this morning.
I'd bug him for it later, for now, I fully intended to tuck him into berth for a better recharge. I lightly touched the frequencies and smiled.
The twins were hiding. Both sets of twins. Skids and Mudflap had heard Ironhide shouting and were hiding out of habit. The terror twins were already deeply ensconced in the med-bay, hiding in Ratchet's storage bay. In the meantime, bots were rousing to Ironhide's roars. Flare was definitely smug, tangled in Jazz's servos.
I made a note to tease her later.
Sentinel was still dead to the world. Evidently he was still sleeping off the three dozen or so cubes of high grade he'd managed to down. Of course that in itself had impressed the younglings enough to not challenge him into a drinking contest again. Somehow I got the feeling that that had been the point...
I shrugged somewhat and looked up at Optimus.
He was shading his optics somewhat.
"Come on dear," I chuckled gently, squirming out of his arms and hauling him to his pedes.
"Kae, have mercy," he groaned as I lightly tugged on his hands.
"I'm not that evil, come on," I murmured gently. "Offline your optics, I'll make sure you don't step on anyone."
I could feel my mate's gratitude as his optics offlined again, gently, I led him to our quarters.
"Sleep it off, my mate, I'll take care of the politics today," I murmured.
"Stay?" he murmured wearily.
I looked at my mate in concern, I could feel the outer edges of depression beginning to touch his spark.
::. Arcee?.:: I sent tentatively on the private channel.
::. Yes daughter?.::
Worriedly, I sent the impression of my mate's spark to my mother-sister.
::. Loneliness creeps up on all of us, mated or not.:: she sent gently. ::. Cuddle your mate, re-assert your presence. Ratchet will attend to the excuses.::
I smiled and lightly touched my mate's nasal ridge.
"Why are you still wearing your armour?" I asked in mock innocent curiosity.
My Optimus smiled, finally, sitting up slowly and disengaging his armour.
I took that opportunity to crawl into my side of the berth – I was still tired – and gaze at my mate's protoform. He was magnificently built, after all.
Optimus turned and looked at me curiously, and rather than bother putting thought and emotion into words, allowed my mate to simply feel them. Allowed him to feel my joy at his resultant thoughts.
We were not alone, no matter the distance we were bound, we were together. His familiar, habitual thought that I would eventually leave him behind at the Well immediately quashed by my instinctual pain at the very thought of his discontinued presence.
No words were necessary between us.
The silence between us was broken only by the synchronized hum of our bound sparks and the soft, gentle hissing sounds of my mate's frame as he released the tension carried across his neurals. He laid down again, and rolled to his side as he always did, winding an arm around me and pulling me tightly to his chest.
We stayed that way for a long time.
"Shall we attempt the waking again?" he murmured finally. I looked up at him and pressed a kiss to his jaw, making my mate smile.
"I think we should attempt the recharging again, before we try waking." I murmured with a smile.
"I am not dreaming?" he murmured in mocking curiosity.
"Not yet," I chuckled.
My Optimus hummed thoughtfully, tucking me a little bit more tightly into his chest.
"Hmn?" I murmured, nuzzling into him a bit more.
"May we survive to do this again," he rumbled softly.
Wound tightly together, between one chuckle and the next, we dropped into our recharges.
(IPOV)
Ironhide was pink. And his processors hurt. A lot.
He wondered just how much of last evening Bee had recorded.
He'd have to bribe Bee into discreetly passing him the logs.
Who knows, he might have even recorded whichever set of twins had painted him pink, pink handed.
He smirked somewhat then grimaced. His processors hurt. He'd given up the search a while ago, his roaring hurt his processors, and Chromia's processors.
Wait...
::. Chromia?.:: he sent tentatively.
::. Ow, yeah?.:: she muttered, the door to their quarters opened and his femme staggered in very, very quietly. The doors closed behind her and she shed her armour, the both of them wincing at the clatter of it falling haphazardly on the floor.
"Did we bond last night?" he whispered. He could feel his femme's processors aching beside his own!
"Sort of, not really," Chromia murmured, crawling up and burying her face into his chest, that felt a bit better.
"Sort of?"
"The humans were harping about bonding, so we initiated the betrothing protocols," Chromia murmured.
The one that they could break, and probably would when they bonded in full. But it still looked the same. Ironhide nodded tentatively and cautiously pulled his Chromia a bit closer.
"That I don't mind," he murmured softly. Chromia nodded into his side.
"Except for the feeling your processor ache beside mine," she grumbled softly.
"Mmnph, I'll shut my motor controls down, yes?"
The feeling of his Chromia's perception of his thoughtfulness almost erased the processor ache. It felt really, really nice.
"If this is the betrothed bond-" he started softly.
"Almost makes you wish you didn't swear you'd stand in the circle?"
Ironhide smirked, he couldn't help it, he could definitely get used to the idea of his femme knowing what he was thinking.
Hmm...
"You can figure out what I'm thinking later," Chromia muttered. "Interfacing is not a good idea at the moment."
Slag. That was true. Ironhide shut his motor controls down, this morning was not the kind of morning that Chromia would tolerate his restlessness.
But she said later.
He'd do it later.
He made a special note in his processors just for it.
"Less thought, more recharge," Chromia groaned.
That was a good thought too.
(LPOV)
Lena onlined her optics, and wished she hadn't.
Not that the sight of Jolt recharging with his arms around her wasn't enough to make her spark flare, it just hurt to online her optics.
Cybertronian or not. Apparently, she still got hangovers.
That sucked.
And it was really, really bright in Jolt's quarters.
She wanted to be online. But she hated being online with her optics off.
Being awake meant seeing.
Which meant she had two options.
Turn the lights off, or find some sunglasses.
She looked at Jolt again and shrugged somewhat. He'd had far more energon than she had, he'd probably be hurting worse now. Probably better to let him stay recharging. Carefully, she began squirming out of his arms.
"Please don't move?" Jolt whimpered softly.
Lena jumped, she could have sworn he was recharging.
"I won't," she whispered, cuddling back into him. "Jolt what's wrong?"
"It's so cold," he whispered. "It hurts so much it's so cold..."
Lena stared at her intended and ran through her systems. Scanner, scanner, for gods sake please have a scanner! Two systems checks and nothing!
::. Ratchet!.:: she sent desperately.
::. Shhh.:: the medic muttered.
::. Ratchet please!.:: Lena sent desperately, if quietly.
::. What's wrong Lena?.:: Arcee responded gently.
::. Jolt says he's cold-.::
::. Then turn the heat up.:: Ratchet grumbled.
::. He doesn't feel cold!.:: Lena whimpered, gently touching her bot's faceplates and frame.
::. Then why-.:: Ratchet started.
::. Ratchet hush.:: Arcee murmured gently. ::. Go back to your recharge.::
Lena was about to protest until she heard a soft tapping on the door.
"Come!" she called out softly.
Dear, sweet, beautiful Arcee strode into their quarters, nodding to her patiently as Lena shot her a grateful look.
"Now then," Arcee murmured gently, crawling up onto the berth. Her optics dimmed somewhat as she scanned Jolt. She shook her head. "Why you would be one of those to burn through high-grade so Primus damned quickly is beyond me." she chuckled, gently tapping Jolt's helm.
Jolt flinched away from her finger, and Arcee frowned.
"Lena, turn somewhat and keep his spark burning, I'll be back." she ordered crisply.
"Arcee!" Lena whimpered.
"Open your chest-plates dear, then open your spark-chamber. Reach for his spark-chamber with your spark and caress it open, the same pressure you used as a human. Contact with your spark will keep him online." Arcee stated patiently, already striding toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Get him some energon," Arcee stated before the doors closed. Lena turned somewhat and did as Arcee had told her, reaching for her Jolt's spark with her own. Except his chamber wouldn't open.
"Please open?" she whimpered softly. Jolt was silent.
::. Arcee I can't get to his spark!.:: Lena shouted, hangovers be damned.
::. Tap his helm.:: Ratchet snapped back.
Lena obeyed. Nothing.
::. Nothing!.::
::. Now stroke his chamber with your spark, feel around, you'll find a a seam close to his mark.:: Chromia stated flatly. Lena obeyed in a panic, touching every inch of her bot's chamber and memorizing it.
::. Now what?.::
::. Push against the seam.:: Chromia commanded.
::. I don't-.::
::. It won't hurt him.:: Arcee interjected.
Lena obeyed and almost sobbed as she pushed against the seam, it barely opened, but it was enough for a little tendril of her spark to reach in.
~Jolt please don't leave me behind!~ she sobbed against the chilly force touching her spark.
Then, to her joy, the force began pulling on her, drawing her closer as the chamber beside her own began to open somewhat more.
~Mate?~ Jolt's spark asked curiously.
~I'm right here Jolt~
~Mate?~
~That's right, your intended mate,~ Lena told him gently.
~Mate!~
~Yes dear~ Lena chuckled. That was more her Jolt.
Except something kinda weird was happening, Jolt's spark was twisting around her, she shrugged and did the same, maybe he was trying to get closer for the warmth? He was rather chilly, after all.
In a few moments the two of them were a mass of tangled spark tendrils, Lena had absolutely no idea where she started and Jolt finished.
Not that she minded, really, she knew herself, and she knew Jolt.
Lena wondered if this was what being bonded felt like.
Until the pain started. It left her gasping, Jolt right beside her as he evidently felt the same. It diminished, and then they were separate again. Sort of. They were tangled together, and separately together?
The doors opened again and Jolt struggled to aim his cannon.
Her poor bot was so low on energon, he had barely enough to charge the cannon.
Dead silence.
"Lena, you know you didn't have to bond to keep him alive, right?" Arcee asked innocently.
They were bound?
Tentatively, Lena pulled back somewhat, and found that Jolt stayed with her. She pulled back a tiny bit more and grinned.
Jolt was in exactly the same place beside her spark. Her mate – she actually got to call him that now! – was still groggy and disoriented, spark reeling and processors struggling to sync properly. Jolt was disoriented, and Primus was she tired!
Arcee was chuckling as she placed a couple of cubes of energon on the berth and crawled up, lightly opening the first and handing it to Lena.
Immediately, Lena gently held it to her Jolt's lip plates.
"Drink love," she murmured softly, ignoring the processor ache slowly creeping back into the forefront of her attention and smiling as Jolt began to swallow the energon slowly being tipped into his mouth. Arcee was smirking at her, Lena looked at her curiously.
"That's adorable," she murmured with a low chuckle. "Now you drink this one, you need it in your systems sweet-spark."
She did? Lena curiously did a systems scan and realized that she was low again. Curious, she'd started with a full charge... She shrugged and downed the open cube Arcee handed to her.
"Thank you," she murmured earnestly, looking at the elder femme.
Arcee chuckled and settled into place, watching as Jolt finally managed to sync his processors.
"Lena!" he gasped out finally. "Lena what -?"
"Shh," Lena murmured. "Sync your processors again love."
Jolt nodded and his optics dimmed somewhat, his spark cycled down for a moment before his optics brightened. He sounded far calmer, now.
"What happened? Your spark... why can I feel you?" he murmured in a confused tone.
"You over-burned, Jolt," Arcee murmured patiently. "Lena held you from going out while I got some energon." Then, then she smirked. "Obviously your sparks are fully intent on not being separated, you bonded her while she held you in this dimension."
"Lena I-" Jolt immediately began. But he didn't need to say it, or stammer it.
Lena could feel his remorse, not in bonding her, but in not courting her properly before doing it.
Her dear mech. He was still stammering apologies, then going back and trying to properly define the definition and reason for his apology. To any but his new mate, he would have simply been digging himself deeper into the dog house.
Lena smiled and did the one thing that made Jolt shut up when he was like this.
She squirmed slightly and kissed him.
Fully on the lip plates, proper kiss. The kind that tended to make her Jolt not only shut up for a moment, but stare at her incredulously.
"Shush," she stated with a smile. "You know how much courting you need to catch me, Jolt. You aren't regretting bonding me, and I know you can feel how much I'm currently enjoying the fact that your spark is in my chamber, and mine is with yours. Best accident to ever happen. Now shush and lemme enjoy the afterglow while it's keeping my processor-ache at bay."
Jolt froze, but now Lena knew why.
His processors simply couldn't figure out how something so good was happening.
It was so terribly sad, and sweet at the same time.
"You can hug me Jolt, it won't make me run away," she informed her bot with a smile.
Instantly, Jolt's arms were around her, holding her close to his spark. She loved it when he did that.
"Definitely not running for a while," Arcee stated patiently. Lena glanced at her. "Yours wasn't a planned bond, it's still fragile. The two of you need to remain close together for the next few days, let the bond solidify."
"Days?" Jolt murmured, pulling her closer.
"Within one hundred feet of each other for the next three days, then no further than across base for the next two orn," Arcee ordered calmly.
Lena could do that.
And judging by the way her Jolt was already making notes to request as much communications time as possible? He fully intended on staying right beside her.
Arcee was nodding patiently.
"Remain here for the day, I will bring you more energon later," she ordered patiently, Lena nodded and the older femme took her leave.
"I love you," Jolt finally murmured.
"You better," Lena grinned, turning her head to look at him. "You're gonna be stuck with me for quite some time, my mate."
Those words alone, her Jolt's processors popped.
But the giant grin on his face said it all. Lena squirmed around in her Jolt's arms and settled herself comfortably, quite ready to go back to her recharge.
Except for one thing.
The lights were still too bright.
~Jolt?~ she whispered.
~Lena?~
~How do I turn the lights out?~
Her Jolt chuckled softly and showed her the frequencies. Lena grinned and nuzzled her face into her mate's chest, an idle thought hacking into their quarter's environmental controls and shutting the lights off.
(RPOV)
Ratchet groaned as the Primary came alive again.
::. What happened this time?.:: he grumbled.
::. Accidental berth-bond.:: his mate replied in amusement.
::. Sweet Primus have mercy! Not another one!.:: Sentinel's voice moaned.
The bots still conscious and listening to the Primary laughed. Tentatively. There were several sore processors in the early joor of the orn.
Across their bond, Ratchet could feel his mate smirk, even as she wandered across the base, handing out cubes of mid-grade, and a few low-grade.
Skids and Mudflap were still three sheets to the wind, and still hiding from Ironhide's wrath, even though to Ratchet's knowledge, Ironhide was now recharging, and the Chevy twins hadn't done anything to incur his wrath.
Lena and Jolt were recharging. And bonded. Adorable.
Kae and Optimus were dead to the world, so were Chrome and Ironhide.
The only conscious, un-affected bots were Arcee and Soundwave.
Not that Soundwave hadn't accepted a few cubes of high-grade, he'd only drunk those few and returned to communications.
Big mech, small cubes.
He probably had had nothing more than a pleasant buzz.
Lucky slagging mech.
Arcee had simply made him drink all of the cubes handed to her, choosing to experience the high-grade buzz secondhand through his spark.
Ratchet relaxed a bit more on their berth, offlining his optics and focusing on his mate's calm, amused presence as she nursed the base through the multitude of hangovers.
Finally, finally she returned to their quarters, shedding armour and crawling back into berth.
"It's your turn to get slagged on high-grade, next party," Ratchet muttered.
"With the provision that Ironhide lets you get away with it," Arcee chuckled softly.
Ratchet snorted, and between one process and the next, dropped into his recharge with his mate in his arms.