The Diego Diaries: Home Front Again (dd9 224)
(This was to go out last night but a guy came to fix something at 2 pm and left at 11:00! GAH!)
=0=Morning after the rush
They walked into The Diner On The Corner to find their way through the mechs and a few of the government workers who had breakfast every morning in the homey and familiar haunt of the locals. Sitting in a booth with a baby carrier on the berth beside him, Drift waved them over.
Ironhide and Ratchet walked over to push a table next to their own, then sat.
"How's the baby?" Ratchet asked with a dazzling smile. "Like, hand him over."
Drift grinned as he held up the basket to Springer. He passed it to Ratchet.
"Come to Granny," Ratchet said as he pulled back blankets to reveal a sleeping baby. "What a spectacular baby."
"He is," Springer said proudly. "He's coming up on his last check up before they do the gene therapy. You're on for it by the way."
"I know. Its tomorrow at noon. We can get the good news, then eat lunch somewhere," Ratchet said. "Have they explained the process of the therapy to you yet?"
"Sort of. I don't listen to that. Drift's supposed to," Springer said as he glanced at the grinning mech sitting across from him.
Drift glanced at him, his grin fading slightly. "I thought you did."
"Well," Ratchet said as he covered the baby in blankets again, "its probably good I listened." He sat back as the baby made his way back to Springer. "They infuse him. Its a solution that they inject into his port and it works its way through his CNA. Its a process and its not comfortable. It can make someone nauseated. It has to do with our protoform being viscous to a degree and therefore has to absorb rather than being overwritten."
"He's going to be sick then?" Drift asked with alarm. "What do we do?"
"You hope he doesn't and if he does you comfort him. It only lasts about a couple of joors before its fully absorbed. A couple of joors each time. I don't know what his course is but I would be surprised it was less than four or five," Ratchet replied.
"Frag," Springer said as he stared at the bundle in the carrier sitting on the seat next to him. "I've never heard him cry. I don't want to."
"Follies of genitorhood, slagger," Ironhide said. "Come to the Armory if you find it too much. We can ride the trains. The movement of the cars helps settle tanks. Halo has a touchy tank for hot things so we ride the rails. Or we used to," Ironhide concluded as he glowered at Ratchet.
Ratchet dazzled him back.
Snickers rounded the room as they ate breakfast and enjoyed themselves. Soon enough, they would all go to their jobs and the world would spin ever onward.
=0=Later that morning
"I have to go to Cybertron to help Appa with something," Ironhide said as he messaged Ratchet.
"I'll get Halo. She's due for some check ups," Ratchet said as he sat in his office behind a mountain of data pads.
"Then I'll come and liberate her," Ironhide said. He grinned. "See ya, slagger." He commed off.
Ratchet grinned at the screen. "Not if I see ya first."
=0=Springer and Drift
They sat in their office going through work as the baby they adopted formally and forever lay on his tummy on a soft blanket on the floor. He was 'flying', that bobbing and waving of arms that pre-walkers did when they tried to move. He was having a great time and smiled at them every time they took a moment to look at him.
"That kid is so cute," Drift said as he sat at his table in front of Springer's desk doing most of the paperwork.
Springer who was doing the rest, the part he couldn't dump on Drift grinned. "He is. I'll be glad when the slag coming up is over. He's such a good kid having him fussy is going to be tough."
Drift nodded. "What do we do if one of us has to stay with him, to help him?"
"That's up to you," Springer said like the chicken shit that he was.
"Oh, really?" Drift asked pointedly.
"Two throws out of three," Springer said as he sat back with a grin.
"At the dojo?" Drift asked knowing full well what the big mech was saying.
"Only if you're an exhibitionist," Springer replied.
"I'm not embarrassed if you aren't. After all, who dropped their drawers and who didn't?" Drift replied just to twist the knife.
Springer's frown disappeared immediately. "I don't have enough high grade in my system to revisit those mental images."
Drift snickered. He stared at Springer pointedly. "Have you ever wondered what it felt like fragging in another format?"
"No. You?" Springer asked almost defensively.
Drift considered the question. "I have. I like to know and understand things. When we shared the same bedroom on that mission, when we had to sleep in the same berth, I spent a bit of time looking at you when you were asleep."
"You did? You're saying then that in any format I adopt you can't get enough of this," he said as he flexed slightly.
Drift grinned. "That's right. By the way, your sheet slipped and you were as naked as the day you were separated."
Springer stared at him. "You saw me naked. In a human format. With that … thing. You saw it, me, that thing?"
"I did."
Springer sat back for a moment. "You disgust me."
Drift who was slightly disgusted himself at the memory went for the gold. "You didn't disgust me."
Springer stared at Drift, someone who could be as unpredictable as the weather on Jupiter. "You didn't want to shoot yourself?"
"Nope."
"You saw me in all my … glory and such." -Springer aka S
"Yep." -Drift aka D
"And … what?" -S
"I sorta wondered what it felt like having … what do the humans call it? Having … sex with you like that." -D who was howling on the inside watching the emotions pass over Springer's face like storm clouds.
"Well, I can understand you wanting to experience the magnificence that is me in all my many amazing and staggeringly sexy formats but that's one that will NEVER happen." -S not getting the subtext from D
"Haven't you ever wondered?" -D
"Nope."
"What did you think when I dropped my pants and you could see me in all my human glory?" -D
Springer stared at him for a moment without expression. "I was thinking about how I never hope to see anything like that again. I was thinking about how you could use a good ironing."
Drift guffawed which drew Tell's delighted attention. They both grinned back, then Drift stared at Springer. "You're truly the biggest sissy and all around wuss I've ever seen. I must discuss this in all its minute detail with Ma."
"If you go near that maniac with this I'll be …" Springer paused to consider what he'd be.
"You're at a loss for words," Drift replied with a chuckle.
"You're playing with fire taking anything to Ma. He's certifiable, just so you know," Springer said as he rose to walk to the 'buffet' counter nearby where Maxi always kept 'the good stuff' in great supply for 'her boys'. "By the way, basketball starts in two decaorns. Are you going to play?"
"No. I decided to be wardrobe boy for Ma," Drift replied as Springer handed him a plate and beer.
They both laughed as Springer picked up Tell to sit him on his lap. He would get bits of this and that but no beer.
Poor Tell.
=0=Later that afternoon
She walked out of the school to halt before Ratchet. "ADA! LOU COMED TO ME!" Holding up her arms, she was gathered up, then walked out with her old Ma. "Where we goin'?"
"We goin' to get you detailed before you go to have a couple of check ups. Maybe I might even get you an embellishment. Given that I'm your ada and that's my thing to do for you, the two you have still piss me off. Your sisters are being too good to you and Hero."
"I get thing?" Halo asked as she tried to look at the two tiny stars that were on her shoulder courtesy of older sisters with good taste.
"Yep," Ratchet said as they disappeared into the pedestrian crowds around them.
=0=At an apartment in a town in a Crater District
Amaldo of Iacon sat by the window reading a book as his bond, Corsair worked to clean up their apartment. It was neat as a pin and filled with personal touches that they'd acquired during time spent with their sons, Mack and Jetta. The place fairly sparkled with homeliness and comforts. Images of their children, their bonds and the now three grandchildren covered the walls. Mack and his bond were nothing if not prolific.
"What do you want to do today, 'Maldo?" Corsair asked.
"I think I'd like to take the train to Autobot City and visit the big bookstore at Metroplex. I think I need a few more books," he said as he glanced at the big sweet mech who was his bond. "What do you want to do, Corey?"
"Anything with you," Corsair said as he glanced around the room. "I think my chores are done here."
Amaldo put his book down, then rose to walk to Corsair. He hugged the mech who hugged him back. "The house always looks wonderful, Corey. Let's go for a walk," he said.
They walked to the door, then down the hallway to the elevator. They would walk all over their city, then take the overland train to the station near the Temple in Autobot City. A visit there and a longer one at the Bookstore in the Mall of Metroplex would make a fine few joors until they met their sons for lunch.
Life was getting better everyday for Corsair and Amaldo of Iacon.
=0=Sela
She straightened up the tiny chairs around the tiny table where the students worked on their 'academic' exercises. Drawing, coloring, cutting with blunted scissors, listening to stories and eating their little prepared lunches from the kitchen of the Temple was accomplished at the tiny table that sat in the corner of the carefully designed and immaculate classroom that was home to just eight children.
Sela taught a lot of people, some of them adults in the University but this was where her spark resided. Having tiny imps around learning things and spreading their child purity in all directions was the best way to spend one's orn. She had opened two other infant schools on Cybertron and they were going great guns having student bodies of 25 babies each. This school was small because her duties were greatest here.
Glancing around, feeling happy and fulfilled, Lady Sela of Iacon walked down the hallway to sit and write the copious notes that she took every orn on every child. The genitors would know what their children did every orn when conferences came and she gave them each a bound book with the pages and images inside.
It would be the biggest and best surprise for all of them. It would also only happen in the tiniest schools with the smallest number of students, this labor intensive thing.
The Temple schools were coveted postings for many reasons including this one.
It would amuse Ironhide and Ratchet when they received their first tome and noted the transition in Halo from Gothic pouter to happy child in the many, many pictures included therein.
=0=Ratchet and the Goth
She stood on a platform raising this and that as she got a 'pro scrub' from the experts at The Paint Box. She was a regular, brought in often by whoever had her at the time so she was up to the process. Her shiny 'hair' was wrapped in a towel to remove it from the expert wash and rub down she was getting. It had its own washing coming, getting such long strands as clean and shiny as possible.
Ratchet sat nearby watching with a grin as Halo kept up a stream of chatter and observations punctuated by mad cackles at her own hilarity. The adults, Ratchet included would grin at her as she obliviously entertained her with her patter.
It was damned good to be home.
=0=TBC 08-06-2021
I should be now back in the track of writing every day. HUGS!
I added the tome or book of information for this school because I used to have to do it for my first graders back in the day. :D