The Diego Diaries: Tell (dd8 58)
=0=Elevator
They rode up the elevator to the apartment that belonged to Springer and Drift with full holds and arms. It was silent until they reached the proper floor, then Ratchet grinned at Springer. "Getting cold feet?"
Springer glanced at him. "No. It's odd and different but I'm not regretting it. He's a cute little kid."
Ratchet grinned. "That's what you get for watching The Mandalorian." The door opened so he stepped through heading for apartment 18.
Springer followed. "The Child … Grogu? He's cute. I'd even have that one. But this one feels like he was made for us, that he was the one we were waiting for."
They reached the door, then entered.
Ratchet knew it would be painfully neat inside and it was. Soldiers were either slobs or spartans. He knew that the boys were adult enough to care about this, their first home and keep it up well. It was oddly enough personal enough to tell something about both, yet not overly done like his own genitors. Drift's input and Springer's were clear and evident. He turned to the big mech who was closing the door. "Where now?"
"Follow me," he said as he passed Ratchet to go down the hallway. Pausing at the spare room door, Springer opened it and walked inside.
Ratchet followed.
Stacked in the corner were guns and swords leaning against the wall. The closet was open and held a lot of personal weapons, both useful and ceremonial that had come from different species all over the galaxy. It was nice and airy with good curtains and no wall embellishments.
He turned to Ratchet. "What now?"
"Well, I put this stuff here. You're going to need a dresser and leave the bottom drawer for toys. Kids love to have a drawer filled with toys. These things you can stow in the dresser or in the shelves in the closet. You're going to have to store all this slag downstairs. Downstairs, not in another room. Unless you have a really good gun safe, they'll get into things and better safe than sorry," Ratchet said as he put down a box filled with blankets and bedding. He pulled out boxes of toys and clothing, putting them on shelves in the closet. "Sort this out when you have the furniture. I'd get a rocker and a bouncy chair for him, he's so small. We can go by The Infant Center when he comes home."
Springer nodded. "We kept them by the window so they could look out, the other kids."
"Put this one in your berth room for now. They have schedules and its easier to be there with them than walk into here. Besides, you three have to get your mojo going so being together will be better that way."
Springer turned around and carried the bassinet toward the door, out the hallway and into his berth room. A huge bed dominated the room and there were images on the wall of far away places and the two of them goofing around. A long set of shelves held the cars and 'dollies' or warrior figures that they both collected. The pictures were cute and showed the bond that the two carried for each other. He walked toward the window and set the child bed down.
Watching as Ratchet set it up expertly, he turned toward Springer when he finished. "We can go finish the adoption application, get the kit from the hospital for newborns which he theoretically is, then go get the things you still need. Prepare for ammas and appas to lose their shit."
He laughed. "I expected that. Thanks for that. Sometimes we're going to need help."
"For a while, then it'll be good. You're going to have to modify your life with him. You can only carry him so many times around in your hold with our lifestyle and bouncing on a horse might be distracting," Ratchet said.
"I thought we'd give it a try," Springer said with a grin.
"You're as hopeless as your Old Pa," Ratchet said as he walked toward the hallway. "Come on before you decide to back out of this."
The two of them headed for the door and the short walk back to the hospital.
=0=Arriving there
They walked into the office and saw that ammas and appas were both gathered to take in the spectacle of the new grandson. Grinning like lottery winners, they passed him around, noting his beauty and sweet personality.
Glancing up at Ratchet and Springer, Raptor grinned. "He looks just like me."
Huge laughter greeted that as Ratchet walked to his desk to pull up the paperwork. Chat was had as he worked out his part, then got the rest ready for signatures. Glancing at Springer and Drift, he grinned. "Are you sure?"
They both nodded.
"Here's the paperwork. Sign it and send it back. I'll stamp it as a witness, then send it to the Bureau of Refugees, the Office For Child Social Welfare where all the orphan reports go and then to the Office of the Primes for review and signature by Prime. When that happens, if you go through all the channels, he's yours. Consider it a formality."
They looked relieved at that. Reading the paperwork, then adding their glyphs, they sent it back to Ratchet internally. He stamped it, time and signature, then sent it copy-copied to all the relevant places. He sat back, then grinned. "Well, Prowl is just going to lose his sh-"
"My what? What will I lose?" Prowl asked as he materialized at the door. "I, for one gained in this transaction. One more of my children has shown up and I'm here to claim him. I hear he looks just like me."
The abuse he got was richly deserved.
Prime who was standing behind him grinned. "We heard and came to congratulate everyone."
"Thank you," Prowl said.
More abuse hit him but he was undeterred. Pulling rank, he got the child handed to him. Grinning as he pulled back blankets, he glanced at Springer. "He looks beautiful and Tell is a good name."
Springer nodded. "It is. He was just through the bridge when we saw him."
"Well," Prowl said as he grinned at the baby, "I expect regular reports on his progress and many visits or I'll have to personally revoke your temporary custody of this, my son."
More abuse.
Chat was had, the infant observed and praised, then Ratchet stood. "On to The Infant Center."
"We're going and I'll meet you later at the house?" Prowl asked as he relieved Raptor of the baby with supernatural ease. Walking to the door past Optimus, he paused to look at the three who were gawking at him with amusement. "Coming?"
Springer, Ratchet and Drift glanced at each other, then nodded. Hoo-hawed out of the office, they left. It was silent a moment, then everyone glanced at everyone else.
"Well, there goes two more into deep genitorial servitude," Raptor said.
"One more kid for Prowl to hallucinate over, Optimus. Lucky, you," Hard Drive said with a chuckle.
He grinned. "I know. Is it not great?"
Everyone agreed it was around their howling laughter.
=0=The Infant Center, Downtown Autobot City
They walked into this, the original store for children on Mars. It was vast now having enlarged many times over to meet the demand. Some of the things inside were their own brands, many of which were very popular on Earth at the Autobot Outpost stores. The mechs stared at the plenitude, then each other.
"You go with Prowler, Drift. I'll go with Springer. I'll get gear and you get stuff they need to take care of him. He's going to be bottle fed, by the way," Ratchet said as he walked toward the toy and apparel aisles.
"Lucky you," Prowl said as they walked to the device and doodad side of things.
Browsing …
"Look at this."
Springer did. It was a blue onesie that had 'Atar's Little Boo-Boo' on the front. He chuckled. "That's cute. What do you think?"
"I think I like having babies around," Ratchet said as he dropped it into his carrier basket. Matching hats and mittens joined it. "Look around. If you like it, get it. Try and find some police gear or better yet, criminal garments." Ratchet smiled at him brilliantly. "Tiny handcuffs sound like fun."
Springer laughed. "Baby guns, too?"
"I wouldn't doubt they had them," Ratchet said as they meandered here and there.
Many the cute thing would go into the basket along with soft toys, blankets, little books and mittens. Hats with ears and horns went also. Cute bunnies and puppy pictures were chosen to be delivered later for the berth room walls.
"I have the silver bath basin and kit for him," Ratchet said patting his hold. "I got one from the hospital. When it comes back we can engrave his name on it like its done with every baby born here."
"That would be nice," Springer said as they waited for Drift, Prowl and Tell to catch up with them.
Drift was carrying a baby bouncy chair and some more bedding and baby towels with wash rags. They paused together. "I was told that Ironhide would have the best know how on bath stuff," he said, then held up a book.
On the cover was the fierce visage of Ironhide. It was a thick book with a lot of images illustrating the writing and it was called 'Ironhide's Slagging Fine Book On Raising Slagging Fine Infants-1,001 Things To Know'.
"I didn't know he actually decided to do that. I knew he was going on about it but …" Springer took it and flipped through. "Frag. This is going to be handy."
"What you need to know about raising slagging fine infants, he has in abundance. He's also got a slagging fine aft. Why the other night in the berth-" was as far as he got.
Walking back to the Metro with the goods …
They carried full holds, Drift and Springer, while Prowl carried their now son. Entering a car, they made their way to Iacon, then the apartment building, the elevator, corridor and apartment door. Pausing to be let in, they wandered behind Springer as Drift brought up the rear with a smirk.
It took a moment to remove everything, put it away, move things out so that furniture coming would have a space and hang pictures. It was a beautiful room when it was finished. All it still needed was the dresser and a toy box.
"This is good. Acceptable. I may let you borrow him for a bit longer," Prowl said with a smirk.
"Give up that infant, Granny, or I'm going to post hole you," Ratchet said.
"In what dimension is this possible?" he asked as he gently handed the baby to Springer.
They walked out to get a demonstration about bathing, about formulas and feeding from a bottle. A schedule was posted on the fridge, then everyone glanced at each other.
Ratchet grinned. "Well done. I'm on call 24/7. Do it if you need it."
Both nodded.
"I, myself, delegate the grunt work. Call him. Also, daily reports, endless images and visitations. That's an order," Prowl said with a grin.
"Okay," Springer said.
A moment's chat ensued, then both Prowl and Ratchet left. The door closed behind them.
Springer and Drift stared at the door, then each other, then the baby.
"He's really cute."
Drift nodded.
"We can carry him in our hold on night patrol."
Drift glanced at Springer, then the baby. He nodded.
"I won't be able to go into the fights and shooting if I'm carrying him and visa versa."
Drift nodded.
"This is real. How do you feel about this?"
Drift glanced at Springer. "I'm good. You?"
Springer nodded.
It was silent a moment as they stared at this, their son. Tell of Somewhere Far Away was now Tell of Polyhex-Kaon of Cybertron. Given his orphan status, he would take the homes and planet of his genitors. Given that they were both mechs and there was no ada involved, they would be called Abi by the baby. Ah-bee, father without an ada, or single dad.
Both of them.
"Well, what now?"
Springer glanced around, then walked to the couch to sit. "Grab a blanket and make a soft pad for him."
Drift did, then sat. He watched as Springer carefully unwrapped the baby and lay him on the pad.
They both stared at him, at his tiny little green perfection.
"He has your color. I like your color. You know that," Drift said as he stared at the baby.
Springer nodded. "We have to add something white for you. I love white."
"I know that," Drift said.
They stared at him in silence a moment.
"I want the twins to shine him up. Detail him to give us a baseline. Then we have to get our names etched on him. Then a poem. Do you have any poems that you like?"
Drift considered that. "Some. What will we do then, you know … dedicating him?"
"We can take him to the Well and the Allspark when he's kitted out," Springer said as he gently examined the tiniest ped he'd ever seen. "I think that's a good thing. My folks would have wanted it."
Drift nodded. "I need to show him to Heatout and get the blessings from him and at the Monastery." He glanced at Springer. "We have two points of view here, Temple and Guiding Hand."
Springer nodded. "He can know both, then choose when he wants to. He might not. He might hold the good from both."
Drift nodded. "He's never going to be a soldier."
Springer nodded. "No. He's never going to fight."
It was silent a moment.
"I wish my family could see him. They'd love him."
Springer nodded. "Mine, too. Maybe some day."
Drift nodded. He leaned into Springer, sliding his arm around his shoulders. "One day," he said softly.
They would sit and watch him sleep, then give him his first meal. It would be something they would remember forever.
=0=TBC 01-05-2021 01-11-2021