The Diego Diaries: Old Times (dd8 586)
=0=The lounge at RTR Tools
"I haven't thought about them in literally vorns of ages, Ratchet," Tie said as he sat beside Ravel who was fretting. Chan and Corr looked scared.
"I'm going to report this and have a security set up put in here. I don't want you to have any conversation with them, not these three, not anyone. You're not making the sword or any other item for them. That's canceled," Ratchet said.
"But they want one, son," Ravel said with concern. "What will they think if they can't get what they want?"
"I'll take care of that," Ratchet said with a pat to his ada. "No one comes in here and menaces you. This isn't Iacon in the orn and no one hassles you again, ever."
They looked at him, two small mechs with genuinely kind auras, then nodded.
"Alright, Ratchet," Tie said.
"If you think so, Sonny. I just hoped," Ravel said, then trailed off as his face crumpled with emotion.
Ratchet pulled them both in for a hug. "I'm a soldier. Half your family is that and police. We're going to make sure that your life is good. Don't be afraid or worried. I promise you that you'll be safe and your life won't change."
They hugged a moment, then Chan and Corr rose.
"What do we do, Ratchet? We remember them don't we, son," Chan asked Tie.
Tie glanced at his father with a tense expression schooled to calm and control. "Don't worry, Atar. Ratchet will have it sorted out. Those mechs are in the past. We're doing just fine right now."
Ratchet stared at the four little mechs standing around him with worried auras. A little box filled with sweet little things for the kids sat forgotten on the table nearby. They had a lot of fun finding things that held meaning and it'd been spoiled for them with the arrival of these slaggers. "I want everyone to close the shop and come to the apartment. We're moving things in and when the kids come from school they're going to see their new home."
The elders perked up at that news and with a gentle prod or two they closed the store and walked toward the Mare with Ratchet. The next time they opened it they wouldn't do it alone.
=0=Earlier
They stood in the middle of their apartment staring at the vastness of its 'longitudinal-ness' as the hallway seemed to disappear into the next city. The construction crew just left, a merry band of finish carpenters, electricians and interior design specialists from a private firm that Jetta asked to do this as a favor to himself.
Jetta was, is and always will be a good son.
As the door closed a rap was heard and when Ironhide opened it Speedy Delivery was there with boxes, bulletin boards and huge beds from Ty's apartment for the new addition. Marveling at the size of the apartment they entered with their usual chattiness and good humor, amusing Ratchet and Ironhide with stories about 'those slaggers in Stanix … they know how to have big families … the stories I could tell you' the mini-con movers said … then they told them as they put beds where Ratchet pointed, dressers, book shelves and the like. Boxes and boxes of the stuff the kids owned personally including their computers for school were piled outside berth room doors for them to unload once they figured out whose room was whose.
Ratchet and Ironhide watched them come and go, then leave a number for the two to call for retrieval of the boxes because 'waste not, want not' the eldest of them said with a cheery goodbye. The door closed and the whirlwind subsided.
"What the frag would we do without mini-cons?" Ratchet asked.
Ironhide nodded quietly.
"I have to help Amma and Appa do some Christmas Surprise shopping, then I'm going to walk them to the store to carry the box. See that pile of stuff? Make their beds, Ironhide. Have this place shined by the time I get back or my ped up your aft will commence," Ratchet said smiling a dazzling smile. He swished out the newest door and it closed behind him.
Ironhide grinned as he left, then looked at the pile of bedding, bottles of lotion to load into the dispensers in this, the FOURTH wash rack and other general chores that would make the life of six big kids happy that was his to do. "Frag," he whispered as he began to put his (pug) nose to the grindstone.
=0=Some time later
They walked in, four little mechs and one big one. Ironhide was sitting on his chair watching the teevee and greeted them. "Just in time. The kids get home in a few moments. Ty, Danny and Clipper should be here in a moment."
"Did you do the chores I gave you or should I file my ped to a point?" Ratchet asked.
"Sounds like fun," Ironhide said with a chuckle.
"This is such a long hallway, Sonny," Corr said as he marveled. "I can remember trying to fit you, Tie and Ravel into a tiny two room apartment once upon a time."
Ratchet smirked at Ironhide who was feeling the willies for a moment. "I can, too. I don't know how we did it."
"You were brave," Chan said sweetly as the door opened.
Appa Ratchet poked his helm in, then entered along with Docker. "Everyone is downstairs waiting for the kids. They told us to come up and sit. Said the place needs a straw boss."
Snickers rounded the room as they found places to sit.
Ratchet walked down the hallway to inspect things, then walked back. He sat in his chair, then grinned at Ironhide. "Your obedience is much appreciated."
"I, IRONHIDE OBEY NO ONE!"
"How about a beer, Only One?" Ratchet asked as he sat back to relax.
Ironhide began to rise. "Sure thing," he said to huge laughter.
The door opened as Lissie, Steiner with Starlet now less, Flint and Raptor walked in.
"WHEN DOES THIS PARTY GET STARTED!" Raptor asked as quietly as his grandson.
"Ironhide, we need more beer," Ratchet said as the door opened again to admit Hard Drive and Blackjack. Scout and Trooper were behind them.
"We got kicked upstairs," Hardie said as Ironhide tossed him a beer.
Just then the sound of something materializing by the kitchen sink was heard as Danny, Ty and Clipper appeared.
"Looks like we're just in time. How about a beer from the Never Ending Beer Locker™ there?" Ty asked.
A sticker on the side of it said 'Never Ending Beer Locker, Inc'.
Everyone got one, then everyone sat.
"This is so nice," Clipper said. "We're keeping the kids rooms for them so we can play around with this. Its going to be a nice spare set of berths with all the titans that want to come and check things out. We have so many requests to come here to settle to house individuals. Some want to be here to fight and defend, others to transport if needed but most want to settle and host again."
"That's awesome to hear. You might let Prime and Jetta know," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "Who's coming to stay?"
"Several scholars, really old good friends from the haze of the old orns. They were scientists and scribes back and want to come to help with the collections being retrieved. One of them carried the team back to Cybertron from somewhere in the mix who created the Omega System and the Keys," Ty said. "He wants to go through things, look through the books and scrolls with the scribes at the Monastery to find the riddles. He calls them riddles. They explain what happened to them, how the system works and what to do. They did it that way, in the notations, to protect them and everyone from someone getting them. Its a really comprehensive process when the Omega System is used."
"If they found it we could reformat Cybertron with our plans in minutes," Ironhide said.
Ty nodded. "Sylph is a very smart, very old titan. We're going to be hosting this bunch for a time. They want to get back into study and the idea of doing it at this level with the pretender gear is almost beyond their hopes and dreams."
"The more, the merrier," Ratchet said as the door opened and kids began to run inside.
"ADA! APPA! AMMA! I LOVE YOU!" Orion led the charge, then slammed on the breaks with everyone piling up behind him. He stared up at Ty, Danny and Clipper. "ADA! WHO THE SHES!?"
Danny reached down and scooped Orion onto his servo. He brought Orion to his face, then chuckled. "I heard about you."
Orion stared at the huge mech with the visor, then smiled. He hugged Danny's face. "I, ORION LOVE YOU!" He sat back. "Who you?" he asked.
HUGE laughter greeted that as more kids came in with elders, then nine big kids, a dog and Sunspot.
It took a moment to retrieve leashes and harnesses, sort kids out and put book bags in a pile by the wall. Then everyone settled.
"Well, isn't this just cozy," Corr said as he sat between Lumi and Fireball on a couch.
Big laughter greeted that.
"We came to see the unveiling," Ty said as he grinned at the kids. "I imagine there's an unveiling in here somewhere."
"There is. Its about five miles that way," Ironhide said pointing to the hallway as he rose from his chair. "Grab the little slaggers and follow me."
Everyone grabbed a kid, then rose to follow Ironhide down the kitchen to the start of the hallways. He paused. "This is the 'Land of the Sunny Bunnies'," he said as he pointed to a plaque that he had affixed to the top of the hallway door. "We have three little mechs loaned out to their families that stay here often and this is the domain of Sunspot and Spot." He walked on with others following.
They admired the area where all the big little kids slept before they reached the area where the big little kids slept. Sunspot patted the plaque as he walked under it in the arms of Raptor. They reached the next place, a large area with a lounge.
Ironhide turned to the group. "This is the 'Land of the Dreads'," he said patting the second plaque he put up. "Note the amazing design. I did this one myself."
Ratchet grinned at him as he carried Halo. "You did, you design genius, you."
"I am aren't I?" he preened to rave reviews and agreement, then he walked onward. He patted the plaque over the new section. "This is the 'Land of the Titans'," he said. "The lounge is a bit smaller because there's six berth rooms here but its also a design of mine." He grinned with a smirk, then stepped aside. "There's six rooms here, infants. Choose yours, then haul the boxes inside. You can put things where you want them."
The dread kids who were marveling at their area walked onward to the berth rooms, huddled, chose up, then began to haul things in with the dread kids help. They were as happy as they could be.
The adults watched them, then glanced at Ratchet and Ironhide who smiled their best cheese-eating smiles.
"You're a glutton for punishment, I see," Trooper said with a snicker.
"Its not all bad. We have four, count them, four wash racks," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. "I don't think the prison has that many."
HUGE LAUGHTER!
They would order in, more would show up and marvel including Prime and Company, then they would dine, chat and enjoy the kids who were over the moon. Ratchet wouldn't sit down with Prowl, Springer and Prime about Pyrite of Capital City until the next orn when he would go to The Fortress with his elders to tell the tale.
Right now, it was all for family and all for fun.
=0=Later that night
They walked through the apartment as quietly as two big kids could. Pausing in the darkened kitchen, they got a drink, then snatched cookies before walking quietly back to their rooms.
As they did, Cousin would watch them from a pile of cats. Two more joined him in the house, Fuzzy and Queen. Two cats patterned after Main Coon cats, they were huge, as friendly as dogs and a good cushion for a small cat like Cousin to lay on when he slept.
It was all good.
=0=TBC 12-10-2022