Chapter 3
The first thing Sideswipe noticed as he came to was a weight on his chest plate. He onlined his optics and found Sidestep sitting on him and peering down at his face. Sideswipe stared back at the sparkling, unsure what to say.
After a few moments of silence Sideswipe uttered a, "Hi…"
Sidestep did not reply back.
Sideswipe frown with concern towards his lack of response and was about to voice it when Ratchet came over.
"It's good to see you online again."
"Yeah…" Sideswipe replied back. "What's wrong with him?"
"Well," Ratchet begun as he lifted Sidestep off the red frontliner's chest, "I believe that he hasn't gotten over his shock."
"Shock?" Sideswipe asked as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the berth.
"First having some stranger grabbing him out no where, then learning his femme-creator is dead, and then taken from the one home he knew as safe to an entirely new environment where he's been gawked and gaped at like one of Wheeljacks newest invention that's bound to explode in our faces." Ratchet sighed rubbing the sparkling's crest in a comforting manner, and said sparkling leaned into that comfort. "Give him some time to get over it."
Sideswipe nodded as he stared at Sidestep who continued to stare at him like he was the most strangest thing he ever saw. Ratchet leaned against the berth and sat Sidestep down next to Sideswipe. "How is he?" the bigger mech asked unable to look away from the little one.
"There are no physical injuries or any mental disabilities nor any viruses. I even checked for malnourishment and from what I can see, he's been well fed."
"Mama always gave me lots of enegon. She said I need them more 'cause I'm so small and still growin'." Sidestep spoke up.
Both Ratchet and Sideswipe stared at him as he turned his gaze to them.
"Do you know where your mama is?" Sideswipe asked, knowing it was a stupid question.
Sidestep stared at his lap and nodded. "Mama is gone; mama's spark went in tha Matwix."
"Did Jazz tell you that?" Ratchet asked gently and Sidestep shook his head.
"Mama said she go to Matwix someday. When she does, she hoped that I would meet my daddy."
"Did she tell you who your daddy is?" Sideswipe asked.
Sidestep nodded and points to Sideswipe. "When she 'scribe daddy, she 'scribe you… but you look diffrent."
Sideswipe chuckled and said, "That's probably 'cause this planet's vehicles are different from Cybertron's."
"Oh."
While father and son were chatting, Ratchet had taken a datapad out and began looking through it. Sideswipe chanced a glance at the medic and just watched him lean against the berth reading the datapad and thought how much he wanted to run his hands all over that sexy medic's frame and entice moans out of him. A small hand touching his arm jolted him from his thoughts.
"Daddy?"
"Yes Sidestep?" Sideswipe asked. 'I'm going to need to get used to that.'
"I'm hungry."
Ratchet chuckled. "That would be your cue to take Sidestep to get energon." He said handing the datapad to the red Lamborghini, who stared at it once it was in his hand. "I had Telatraan-1 download everything on sparkling care."
"Thanks…" Sideswipe replied a little unnerved that Ratchet was being so nice.
"Now if you don't have any missing limbs, bleeding everywhere or in dire need of repair of any kind, get the slag out my med bay." Yep there was the Ratchet that we all know and love.
Sideswipe glanced down at Sidestep, expecting to see his optics wide or ask what 'slag' means. But he didn't seem at all fazed.
"Please tell me Eclipse didn't say 'slag' around you all the time." Sideswipe groaned.
"Only when she was mad," Sidestep peeped. Sideswipe shook his head but smiled and hoped Eclipse left some Cybertronian words for him to teach their sparkling, but he figured that if she didn't, he could teach him the human curse words. He got off the berth and Sidestep automatically held his arms out to him. Sideswipe picked him up and headed out the med bay.
Sidestep shifted in Sideswipe's arm and looked over the red Lamborghini's shoulder. "Bye-bye Ratset." He said as he waved.
Ratchet merely smiled and waved back.
Sideswipe knew that it was a bit of a walk to the rec. room and was glad he hadn't run into another Autobot, but he knew that Red Alert would probably be watching him from his security room (unless Inferno was distracting him) and he also knew that there will be a few Autobots in the rec. room. No sooner had he entered the rec. room, he instantly felt optics on him, but he ignored them. He walked over to an empty table and set Sidestep down on top it.
"Stay." Sideswipe told his sparkling and Sidestep just stared at him. Sideswipe walked over to the energon dispenser, he grabbed a regular sized energon cube for himself and fiddled with the dispenser until it dispensed a smaller cube for Sidestep. He headed back to his table; he sat in one of the chairs and gave the smaller cube to Sidestep.
Sidestep stared at the cube for a nanosecond and slurped. Sideswipe smirked at that, took a sip of his own cube and started reading up on Sparkling Care. He only got through the first paragraph when Jazz sat down at the table with a grin. "Congratulation daddy."
"Not in the mood for a joke." Sideswipe mumbled.
"I'm not here to poke fun at ya." Jazz indicated, hurt at the assumption.
"I know Jazz. I'm sorry." Sideswipe replied and put the datapad down.
"It's cool Sides. I know what it's like bein' a dad." Jazz stated as he busied himself wiping energon from Sidestep's face. Sideswipe watched as his sparkling squirmed and said, "Thanks for being there for Eclipse and finding Sidestep."
"Welcome."
"Did Sidestep give you trouble?"
"He wa' scared so I understood why he kicked me a couple times and clamped his dentures on my fingers when I picked him up."
Sidestep stared at Jazz and stared down at his hand, he rest his small hand on top the hand he bit and said. "I'm sowwie."
"It's alright lil' Sides; I ain't holdin' it against ya." Jazz told him with a smirk and tickle his sides, coaxing a giggle and some squirming out of him.
Beachcomber was watching from another table, he got up and walked over and smiled. "Hello, I'm Beachcomber." He introduced himself. "And you are?"
"Sidestep." Sidestep answered shyly.
Beachcomber turn his gaze to Sideswipe and back to Sidestep, he smiled more and said, "I can see the resemblance between you and your dad."
He left for his patrol and Sideswipe turn to Jazz, "Did you or any of the others tell the crew about Sidestep?"
"Nope, Prowlie thought it was best they find out about the sparkling themselves."
"Powie?" Sidestep wondered tilting his head.
"You met him. He's the white an' black Autobot that stood next to daddy in the med bay." Jazz told him.
"Oh."
"What do we have here?" Mirage asked as he lean down to look at the sparkling.
"We have a sparkling sitting on the table, that's what we have here." Sideswipe snarked a little annoyed.
"Yes, I can see that." Mirage murmured with a roll of his optics and to the sparkling said, "I am Mirage and what is your designation?"
"Sidestep."
"Interesting." Mirage said casting his optics onto Sideswipe. "Are you an orphan?"
"Ofan?" Sidestep wondered staring up at Sideswipe.
Sideswipe fought back a smile as he answered his son. "An orphan is a sparkling that doesn't have a mommy or daddy."
"No." Sidestep told Mirage.
"Oh? And do you know who your parents are?"
"Mama's dead and he's my daddy." Sidestep answered pointing at Sideswipe.
Mirage shuttered his optics at Sidestep, the mech looked ready to crash before regaining his composure. "It figures." He murmured with a roll of his optics again.
"What's that 'pose to mean?" Sideswipe demanded.
Suppressing a smirk similar to Ratchet's formed on Mirage's face and he said. "Think about it." He turned and saunter off.
Sideswipe glared at the spy's retreating back and mumbled. Jazz smirked and bit back a laugh. The doors swooshed open and Prowl stepped in. He scanned the room and spotted the red Lamborghini and strolled over to the table.
Sidestep took a gulp from his energon cube when the SIC caught his attention and after placing his cube onto the table he utter, "Powie."
Prowl stuttered to a stop and his door wings twitched. Jazz's grin grew wider as he said. "Ain't he the cutest thin' you ever lay you optics on?"
"Indeed." Prowl agreed sourly but narrowed his optics at Jazz.
"Need somethin' Prowl?" Jazz asked as he ignored the glare.
"I came to check up on Sideswipe and… Sidestep."
"We're both doing good, right Sidestep?" Sideswipe said and Sidestep nodded vigorously.
Prowl stared at the two and turn back to his datapad and his fingers flew swiftly over the keys. "Regarding your sparkling Sideswipe, Prime and I agreed that you will have time off so you can have time to be with him."
Sideswipe stared at the stoic mech in surprise. "Seriously? How long?"
"Until all the Autobots on the base are aware and comfortable with the presence of a sparkling living amongst them." Prowl paused and added "And we shall create a sparkling sitter schedule if anyone chooses to watch him when you are on duty."
"Ok." Sideswipe said with a nod.
Red Alert decided at that time to get an energon cube and head back to the security room. He had only taken a couple of steps towards the energon dispenser when he stopped and slowly pivoted and stared with wide optics. And within a micro-second, he ran out screaming, "Holy Primus they spawned! Optimus! The pit-spawn twins are multiplying!"
Jazz burst into laughter, Prowl just stared at the door and Sideswipe was miffed at Red Alert's comment.
"Who that, daddy?" Sidestep asked.
"That was Red who's our security director and is currently on paranoid mode." Sideswipe answered.
Prowl turned his frown at Sideswipe and Jazz chuckled softly as the doors opened once more and allowing five new Autobots in.
"Does anyone know why Red Alert ran down the hall screaming like Ratchet or the Unmaker's after him?" Fireflight inquired.
"I think the mini Sideswipe is the answer." Blaster noted.
The five new Autobots turn towards the interesting sight and before they could ask anything, Sideswipe blurted, "This is Sidestep and he's my sparkling. Sidestep, that is Silverbolt, Fireflight, Groove, Smokescreen and Blaster." Sideswipe pointed to each Autobot as he told his son their designation.
Sidestep stared at each one and extend his forefinger. "Silva, Fia, Groob, Smoke and Blasta."
"Ain't he a cutie? He looks just like you Sides." Blaster comment.
"Yeah, if you like having him mispronounces your designation." Smokescreen muttered.
"Ah come on Smokes, he's just sparkling. He doesn't have a big vocabulary yet." Jazz replied grinning down at Sidestep.
"And if you recall, Blue used to call you 'Scree' when he was a sparkling." Prowl added.
"So this is what a sparkling looks like. I never thought they'd be so small." Groove remark.
Sideswipe started feeling protective towards his sparkling and drew him closer towards his chassis. Sidestep was unconcern about it and wrapped his tiny fists around his daddy's forefingers. Jazz couldn't help snap a picture of that adorable display before him.
"If nobody needs me, I will head back to my office." Prowl informed them and headed for the door.
Jazz smirked and said. "I think I'll go too." he scooted out his seat and quickly followed after Prowl.
"I think I'll go too and collect my winnings from a few Autobots." Smokescreen said with a sly smile and rubbed his hand together.
"Winnings? What winnings?" Sideswipe asked with a frown.
"Well, after you and Sunny joined the Autobots, Ironhide and few others betted that neither you nor Sunny would ever have a sparkling. And I won the bet that one of you would." Smokescreen answered and left himself to search for the Autobots he made the bet with.
Sideswipe muttered something incoherent and Sidestep stared up at him curiously.
"At least we'll be able to tell them apart when he's older." Silverbolt stated as he stared at the blue on Sidestep's helmet.
"Yeah." Fireflight agreed.
Sidestep suddenly yawned, rubbed his optics and lean against Sideswipe as his optics dimmed.
"Looks like the little guy's in need of a recharge." Blaster smiled at the cute scene of Sidestep cuddling into his father.
"Am not." Sidestep mumbled sleepily.
Sideswipe smirked, placing his datapad into his subspace as he got up from the table, "Time for you to sleep." He told him smiling affectionately at another sleepy protest.
"Goodnight, little one." Grooves told Sidestep with a smile.
Sideswipe left the rec. room and headed for his and Sunny's quarters. Once he reached his quarters, he tapped in the code and walked in. He looked at the two berths and said. "I guess you can sleep on Sunstreaker's berth." Sidestep's optics glowed as he stared at the berth and to Sideswipe and wrapped his arms around Sideswipe's neck. Sideswipe shuttered his optics at this. "Come on Sidestep, you need to recharge now." He told him.
"No!" Sidestep replied back and clung tighter.
"Sidestep, let go." Sideswipe ordered.
"No!" he repeated.
Sideswipe gave up with a sigh and stared down at the sparkling and noticed the slight tremble. "Why not?" Sideswipe asked him gently.
"Don't wanna sleep alone. Always slept with mama. Was afraid of the 'cepicon." Sidestep mumbled into Sideswipe's neck.
Sideswipe expelled air out his vents and said "Ok, you can sleep with me." he sat on his berth, he felt Sidestep loosen his hold on his neck and he carefully lay the sparkling on the berth.
"Daddy sleeps too?" Sidestep inquired as he looked up at him with dimming optics.
"Not right now Sidestep, but I'm going to lay here and read for a while." Sideswipe answered as he lay down next to Sidestep and brought his datapad out his subspace.
"Ok." Sidestep yawned, offline his optics and snuggled closer to Sideswipe.
Sideswipe was half way through the datapad when he felt himself getting tired; he saved his spot and placed it back into his subspace. He heard Sidestep sigh and mutter "Mama…" Sideswipe wrapped his arm around Sidestep and with a sigh of his own whispered, "I miss ya too Eclipse." He offline his optics and went to sleep himself.
Hope you all like this chapter.