The Diego Diaries: Up There (dd8 55)
=0=Up there
They sat on every surface in the enormous apartment and out into the hallway. They'd come, hordes of individuals, many invited and more tagging along. There were families, individuals, partners and bonds with and without children. There were elders and youngers, infants and friends everywhere.
Sitting on a couch in the living room with a beer after eating two plates filled with all manner of food, Optimus Prime was feeling no pain. He'd checked on the progress of the wind up of the mission and was assured that all was well. All of the ships in the enemy fleets were inventoried, stripped of useful things and sent into a star. Those that weren't were towed back to Mars and the shipyards at Ceres Depot and Saturn Shipyard.
The prisoners were being housed on the stockade on Fort Borderland's tiny moon, the officer's corp at Luna Detention Center and the prison here at Autobot City. Some of the prisoners were being processed as provisional refugees and given over to the Former Decepticon Association's mandate. They were the family mechs and those that had come along to defect, wanting something better out of life than what they had. Those last would have tighter supervision because they were here on their own and had less motivation, family or whatever to keep them on the right track.
The force at Borderlands was set in place and the crews were transferring off duty after a two joor service by bridge. By the time two more orns passed, they'd be on for their regular tours. There were two more orns of holiday vacation time for everyone before things went back to normal again. After New Year slash Veteran's Day, there would be no more Cybertronian or human holidays off until the Festival of Primus.
All was getting back to being normal once more both here, out there and on Cybertron.
Win-win.
Sitting on the floor nearby fronted by a passel of kids both related and not, Drift and Springer were 'sharing' their ice cream. It was like stuffing worms into the big wide mouths of baby birds feeding them this way. Across from them huddled together on the floor, Partition and Lancer along with Greenlight and a mech named Hollow who was a Home Guardsman and Ops Center Communications shift worker were discussing hanging in the Valles the next two orns with a good dozen of their closest friends and siblings.
Sitting on a number of couches and chairs gathered in a semi circle by the fire place and one of several trees in the room, Hercy held court with Kup, Jack, Steiner, Sun, Auntie Lissie, Hard Drive, Delphi, Flint, STU-RT and Splice. With them were a good dozen young kids, all of them Home Guard who were listening to the wisdom and the amazing stories their elders were dispensing. Lounging on the coffee table with them were Leonora Huttle and her husband, Camera Man Zeb along with Cynthia Tomas and her 'boyfriend' Paolo of Brazil. A half dozen of the mentor kids were sitting on the floor sipping cold drinks as they listened transfixed to the 'masters' tell them stories of their youth and adventures.
Kids ran about stopping before stranger, family and friend if the food they held on plates interested them. They were fed a bite, smiled brilliantly, then would run onward in a flock like pheasants. Babies were held in arms by ammas, appas and interested individuals, youngling mechs and femmes from the mentor kids were helping serve and chatting up the odd adult while Sunspot and the other kids his age were playing with the trains in the 'train room' on the other side of The Residence.
Food was eaten from groaning tables of things brought by or ordered in. A number of pizza boxes, all of them empty were stacked by the kitchen door to be recycled as nearby a stack of hard and not so hard drinks waited to be embraced. Dishes, themselves nearly completely eaten sat in kind together on every surface in the kitchen and even as the group outside of it were still eating, a cadre of elders were getting ready to put the entire mess to rights.
Kestrel, Tagg, Styre, Stealth, Ravel, Corr and Chan were gathering things to put in one of the now two dishwashers, increased for just such an occasion as well as get other things ready to be washed by servo. Conversation was happy and when the big kids walked in with their plates, they joined in to help.
Ratchet who was sitting next to Prowl, both of them slumped in their chairs as the party rolled onward were having a chat together off line. :What time tomorrow, slagger?:
:I have to check the schedule. Optimus might have things to do: Prowl said, then grinned smugly. :He is, after all, Optimus *FREAKING* Prime:
Ratchet grinned. :He is that. He's a fine figure of a mech, Our Optimus. He's right up there with Magnus. Both of them are that kind of figure:
Prowl glanced over to stare at Magnus who was sitting beside Arcee on a couch deep in conversation with Venture, Fenix, Jetta, Hauser, Rainmaker and Paragon. :He's a big one. But there's no one in the same league as Osimus:
Ratchet smirked at Prowl detecting the telltale signal of his impairment. :Osimus is pretty nice. Do you want to get arrested tomorrow or do you want to just dine, hit the bottle, dance all spastic, then limp home?:
Prowl considered that as he stared at Ratchet's amazing profile. :I'll get back to you on that. I don't think Osimus needs to go to jail:
:Who would you kick in the slats at the prison now that Sentinel is with the fishes?: Ratchet asked using a gangster descriptor of someone who was murdered and dumped into the ocean/lake/river of their choice.
Prowl glanced at Ratchet with a slight frown. :I don't play around. That being said, I'd like to kick Polity in the after burner. He bothers me for some reason, the slagger:
:He's a good one. I'd like to go rounds with Motormaster. He looks like fun: Ratchet said.
:He'd wipe up the floor with you: Prowl said without a qualm. :You might as well pick up on Turmoil:
Ratchet snickered, then glanced at the son-in-law sitting on a couch nearby chatting with the twins, Twin Twist, Sandstorm, Saber and Warlord, two of Rainmaker's sons. Nearly sitting on his lap was a very contented Chromia. "Maelstrom."
He glanced at Ratchet, someone who he had come to love. Chromia thought the world of Ratchet, according him her highest level of esteem … "Ratchet is a good arm wrestler, Maelstrom. Don't be fooled." "Ratchet?"
"Who do you think would win in a fair fight … me or your brother?" Ratchet asked.
A few groups halted their conversations to turn to Maelstrom.
He glanced at them, then Ratchet. "No offense, Amma, but I think Turmoil would clean your clock."
Amusement greeted that as Ratchet smiled beautifully. "I'll pencil him in."
Chromia snickered. "I heard you and Prowl were going on the town tomorrow. I heard that Dad," she said as she glanced at Optimus, "is going along as well."
Optimus grinned, raised his beer, then waggled his fingers in a wave, something that drew snickers everywhere. Optimus when drunk got cuter and sweeter. He never got mean, bad tempered or belligerent. He just got cuter.
"You don't think I could take him? What about Chromia?" Ratchet asked.
Maelstrom glanced down at Chromia who grinned at him. "Chrome could take him. Chrome is a stand up femme."
An 'aww' moment was taken before the conversation picked up again.
Ratchet glanced at Prowl who was smirking at him. "You don't think I can take him?"
"Nope," Prowl said. "Now, me, on the other servo," he said with a smug expression. "I'd sky kick his aft, then do Metallicato on his backside."
"Show off," Ratchet said. "I'd just use this." With that, he unsubbed a gigantic rotating blade and ran it full speed ahead.
Mechs within four feet of him startled, then moved back as the room stilled to see what was happening.
"WHAT THE FRAG IS THAT!?" Smokey the Younger and Much Louder™ exclaimed.
Ratchet glanced at him. "I use this for dental hygiene exams." Huge laughter erupted as he subbed the device again. He glanced at Prowl who was frowning at him rather prettily.
Prime thought so as he watched both through a slight alcoholic haze.
"Top that, Granny."
Granny thought a moment, then flipped up a giant, huge, very big gun with a blazing muzzle. He held it up toward his face like some kind of automotive James Bond, then grinned at Ratchet. "How about this?"
Ratchet who had never seen the gun but heard about it from frolics past grinned at him. "That thing?"
Prowl frowned, then flipped it back into subspace. "I see that you're as mentally unstable as ever. Anything else in the room but Cybertronians?"
Ratchet considered the question and the time the polar bear bid goodbye. He had nothing hallucinatory going on but Prowl had asked so … "You mean the giraffe over there?" he asked glancing toward the wall comm station.
"Giraffe? Are you still having hallucinations?" Prowl asked with a slight tone of concern.
"You asking?" Ratchet said.
"Not really," Prowl sniffed. "I've had hallucinations myself. Nothing there to be too concerned about."
"What were yours like?" Ratchet asked as someone passed him another beer. He handed it to Prowl, then caught another for himself.
"There was a when I got a virus and found myself on a flat landscape with talking rocks," Prowl replied. "I was airlifted shortly later so it was only a small amusement. You, on the other hand are permanently insane. I imagine that there's many a strange thing happening at anyone time around you."
"I saw penguins 'facing on your desk," Ratchet said.
Prowl thought a moment, considering whether to continue this line or take the high road. "Penguins," he said as he shifted down toward the gutter. He sighed. Tomorrow would be a long rave.
He couldn't wait.
=0=Later that evening's
Everyone made their way out, some with dishes and some without. Booze was stockpiled into a closet in the pantry for more raves later on as everyone slowly began to clear the decks. Elders came out to let everyone know things were cleaned up, then grabbed children and danced out of the place with presents and plans.
Prowl, Ratchet, Ironhide and Prime watched them go, then glanced at each other.
"That was fast," Prowl said with a yawn.
"Don't yawn. Every time I see someone yawn, I yawn, Ratchet said as he yawned.
"Yeah? Well, every time I even READ someone yawned, I yawn," Prowl said as he, Ratchet and Ironhide yawned.
Optimus who was watching them like they were playing ping pong grinned. "Is it my turn yet?"
"It's always your turn, Prime," Ironhide said as he semi dozed in the chair.
"I would say something but … here's one. Every time you two yawn, my peds go to sleep." Prime grinned.
Prowl and Ratchet who were staring at him saw the little mech staring back at them, then both chuckled. "That's a good one, Only One," Prowl said.
"I try," Optimus said sweetly. "Shall we go home or do we sleep here where we fell?"
Prowl who was comfortable considered that. "No kids. Why not see who can stay up the longest?"
Ratchet snickered. "Whoever yawns, loses."
Ironhide yawned. "Okay."
Huge laughter greeted that.
Conversation continued.
They were all deep in recharge before five minutes had passed.
No one won.
We all won.
Happy New Year and Christmas Surprise to one and all.
=0=TBC 1-2-2021 01-08-2021
LATE HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 2021! HOPE IT DOESN'T SUCK! SMOOCHES! -ME!
(Betcha yawned. More than once. Muahaha!)
:D:D:D