Author's note:
I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who's reviewed and followed my story! I never thought I'd get over a hundred reviews on any of my fics! I really, really appreciate all the love and support and hope I can continue to entertain everyone!
I'd also like to give a big shout out to Speedstreek360 who's been a huge help with a lot of my ideas! A lot of what you read from here on out will have had some of Speedy's ideas and suggestions peppered throughout. I've been meaning to credit them, but kept forgetting. ^^; Anyway, if you guys are looking for something to read in between my updates, give Speedy's "Three Little Words" a look! You'll be glad you did!
Thanks again, everyone! I hope to hit 200 reviews very soon ;)
The ground bridge at the Autobot base roared to life, allowing Starscream to pass through. He was alone today, having left both his mate and their twin sons behind for once. He'd left Dawnbreaker and Knightfall with Thundercracker, feeling he didn't need the distraction of chasing after his children keeping him from doing what he'd come here to do. The Seeker would have liked both of his brothers watching them, but as usual Skywarp couldn't be bothered. The jet prayed his trinemate would at least listen to Ratchet and try to not get himself sparked up, but he knew all too well that it was pretty much dependent on how careful Dreadwing chose to be at this point.
Starscream took a moment to look around, searching for a certain yellow bot. Optimus was standing at the control console discussing recent events with Agent Fowler, who was understandably finding it hard to adjust to having the Decepticons come and go through the base as they pleased. Ratchet was locked away in his med lab, no doubt making sure everything was ready for Knock Out when the sparkling came. Finally, he spotted Bumblebee sitting at a large table, his two teammates sitting on either side of him.
"Aww, c'mon Bee. It's not that bad, really." Bulkhead assured, resting a servo on the young scout's shoulder. Bumblebee vented out a heavy sigh, hiding his face in his folded arms against the table. He'd told the other Autobots that he was carrying a few days ago, though it seemed he was still having doubts about it all. Bulkhead and Arcee had been trying to get the sports car to stop worrying about not being a good carrier, but so far they'd had no luck. Bumblebee gave the two a few muffled beeps, keeping his helm down against his forearms. 'How do you know? Neither of you have any kids!'
Starscream vented a sigh, a small knowing smile spreading across his lips. Now he understood why Soundwave had asked him to come talk to the young mech. Bumblebee needed someone with experience having children to convince him everything would be alright. He was more than happy to help out, especially since the Autobot scout was having his Third in Command's child. The Seeker approached the group quietly, coming up behind the yellow bot and placing a servo gently against one of his door wings. Bumblebee looked up, giving the commander a depressed whistle. The jet gave him a soft smile. "Why the sad face, young one?"
The young scout vented another sigh, resting his chin against his arms. 'You're only here because Soundwave asked you to come…' he complained, glaring across the table at the opposite wall. Starscream gave a small huff. "You're right. He did ask me to come." He began, pulling up a chair and squeezing in between Arcee and the sports car. "But that doesn't make what I have to say any less true. Look, you can't keep moping around like this, if not for your own good then for your child's. I'm sure Ratchet's already warned you that all this undue stress is bad for the sparkling. You want your baby to be healthy, don't you?"
Bumblebee's optics softened a bit at that, looking off to the side. He didn't think he could actually hurt his sparkling by worrying so much. He gave a slow nod of his helm. "Good. See? You're already being a good carrier. All you need to do is make sure that sparkling has everything it needs and you'll be just fine." Starscream replied, giving the scout's servo a light pat. Bumblebee suddenly let out another sad whir, burying his face in his arms again. 'But I don't know what a sparkling needs! I've never had one before! I have no idea how to take care of one!'
Starscream folded his arms across his chestplates at that, narrowing his optics slightly. "So? Do you think one requires previous experience to be able to take care of a child? Dawnbreaker and Knightfall are my first sparklings. I wasn't planning to have them, and no one ever taught me what to do or how to raise them. You may not realize it, but you already have everything you need. You just need to be able to trust your instincts." He began firmly. "Besides, you'll have Soundwave to help you, and if you're not sure about something you can always ask Knock Out or myself for help. There's really no need for you to feel like you're in this all alone."
Bumblebee finally looked up at Starscream. He never expected the Decepticon Commander to be so nice to him. He'd always heard that the Seeker was a cold hard glitch, and from what he'd seen it looked like it was true. Well, up until recently, anyway. Was it because he'd had his two seekerlings? The young scout's face shifted into what equated to a smile for him. If someone like Starscream could change like that, maybe he really could learn. He sat up a bit straighter, his wings perking up slightly. 'Is… Is it hard?' he asked with soft whir. Starscream let out a scoff at that.
"You're kidding, right? Yes, of course it's hard. But trust me, it's well worth all the pain and sleepless nights you'll have to go through. And it's not like you'll be miserable alone. You can always drag your mate out of bed to take care of the sparkling for you when you can't handle it on your own. I used to do that all the time. I even made him activate his feeding protocols to help me out when the twins were still newborns." Starscream explained, giving the sports car a wicked smirk. The three Autobots could barely contain their laughter at that last bit. "You're joking!" Arcee giggled out, clamping a servo over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud. Bulkhead didn't have quite so much restraint. "Ahahahaha! You made Megatron feed the kids? Hah hah! That's the greatest thing I ever heard!"
"Heh heh heh… You bet I did. And all you have to do is give the word and I'll make Soundwave get his feeding protocols activated too." Starscream added with a light chuckle, elbowing Bumblebee's arm playfully. The scout stifled a small laugh, glancing away shyly. 'Starscream? I've got one more question…' he began in low beeps, his faceplates heating up slightly. The Seeker arched a brow plate, but gave him a small smile. "Anything, youngling." He replied softly. Bumblebee tapped a single digit against the surface table nervously. 'U-umm… H-how much does it hurt?'
"O-oh… Uhh… Well…" Starscream began hesitantly, unsure of how to answer without discouraging the young carrier. A verbal explanation didn't seem to be necessary, however, as a loud shriek echoed through the cavernous Autobot base. The four of them turned around in time to see Breakdown running from the ground bridge towards Ratchet's lab, carrying his mate in his arms. Knock Out dug his digits into the large mech's shoulder plating hard enough to dent the metal, screaming out a long string of profanities in both English and Cybertronian. Optimus immediately left his conversation with Fowler to help Breakdown get his partner into see Ratchet. Bumblebee let out an uneasy whistle as he watched them rush the red sports car into the med lab, his optics widening. That wasn't exactly the answer he was looking for…
"Oh Primus, why in the Pit did I let you do this to me? Ahh!" Knock Out screamed after being laid down on the medberth. Ratchet quickly got to work removing the extra plating over the sports car's abdomen, which was all that was keeping his interface panel from popping open. The old medic immediately glared up at Breakdown, who'd already taken his position next to his mate. "A better question would be why in the Pit did it take you two so slagging long to get here? He's practically ready to deliver right now! This didn't just happen a few minutes ago!" he barked out quickly, not so distracted by the task at hand that he couldn't scold the blue mech at the same time. "Hey, he's the one that took off suddenly! I spent two hours looking for him and I found him like this just a minute ago!" he retorted, not about to take the blame for something he didn't do. Ratchet vented a heavy sigh, shaking his helm.
"Knock Out, why would you run away like that? You know better than that…" the ambulance growled out, though he was much less harsh with the expectant mech than he was with his partner. Knock Out gave a loud groan of pain. "I don't know! I don't know! I-I panicked! Please, just get him out of me!" he sobbed out, grabbing tightly onto the edges of the berth as he felt another contraction coming. Ratchet gave another sigh. "Don't worry, it'll all be over in just a few minutes. Just stay calm, try to control your air intake, and push with the contractions, alright?" he instructed as calmly as possible, to which his patient gave a quick nod of his helm.
Breakdown braced his arm against his mate's back as he helped him to sit up a bit on the berth. He nearly bit his own glossa off when Knock Out suddenly grabbed a hold of his free servo, squeezing it tightly as he let out a loud shriek. "You're doing fine, Knock Out. Just keep going like that." Ratchet called out reassuringly, giving the red mech's knee a light pat. Breakdown let out a small whimper at that. If his partner kept going like that for very much longer, he'd be missing more than just an optic sensor. The Aston Martin gave another strong push, drowning out his mate's sudden yelp of discomfort with yet another scream of agony.
"Alright, I can see the helm! You're almost there!" Ratchet announced soon, readying himself to catch the sparkling as it came out. Breakdown could feel his sparkbeat racing when he heard that. "C'mon, babe. Just a little bit more." He encouraged his mate softly, caressing his helm with his free servo. Knock Out couldn't spare his partner a moment of his attention, instead concentrating on what Ratchet had told him to do. He gave one last big push before the med lab was filled with the piercing cry of a newborn infant. The old medic carefully supported the tiny purple sparkling in his servos, carrying him over to the small wash bin he'd set up earlier.
Knock Out collapsed back against the berth, still gasping for air as his systems started to cool off. He kept a tight hold on his mate's servo, his dim optics drifting over to stare up at him. Breakdown gave him a huge grin, still caressing the smooth crests on the sports car's helm. "See? It's all over now, babe. You did great." He whispered softly, leaning down to kiss his exhausted partner on the lips. The red mech replied with a weak smile before he felt a small nudge on his arm. He let out a small gasp, his face lighting up instantly when he looked over.
Ratchet stood next to the berth with a tiny purple mechling curled up in his arms, freshly cleaned up and wrapped securely in a soft cloth. Knock Out held out his arms, letting out a happy chuckle as his child was passed to him. The little sparkling gave a small sob as he clung to his carrier's chestplates. The sports car rocked the infant gently in his arms, shushing him softly. The child calmed down a bit, his amber optics flickering online to stare up at the Aston Martin. Knock Out couldn't help a broad smile from spreading across his lips as he ran a digit gently down his new son's rose tinted cheek. He was absolutely perfect.
Breakdown wrapped an arm around his mate's shoulders, letting him rest his helm against his chest. He was content just sitting there and watching his two lovely mechs lay there together, but he soon felt the child's body being pressed gently against his other arm. He glanced down, his spark skipping a beat as the sparkling was passed to him. The large mech gave Knock Out a questioning look, which was immediately answered by a reassuring smile. Breakdown cradled the little one against his chestplates, a huge grin on his face. He almost couldn't believe he was finally holding his son in his arms. This was what he'd been waiting for longer than he could remember. He was finally a sire.
"Deadstop…" Knock Out whispered softly. Breakdown looked down at his mate, raising a brow plate. The sports car gave him a light chuckle. "His name, babe… I want to call him Deadstop." He explained with a small smile. Breakdown looked back down at the newborn in his arms, who was already starting to fall asleep. Deadstop… A perfect name for their little mechling…
Bumblebee sat outside the med lab, fidgeting nervously. Ratchet had said that Knock Out was going to let the rest of them take turns coming in and seeing the new sparkling after he had the chance to rest for a while. Starscream had just gone in a moment ago, and the young scout had been promised that he would be next. He couldn't decide whether he was more excited or nervous. He could hardly wait to see the baby, but he was afraid that he'd do something wrong, or upset him somehow. That was the last thing he needed right now…
Suddenly, he heard the ground bridge activate across the main room. He was too busy thinking of how he should act once inside the med lab to bother looking up. He'd assumed it was just Megatron coming to check on his Chief Medical Officer. He hadn't expected someone to come up and tap him on the shoulder. Bumblebee looked up to find Arcee standing over him. "Hey, Bee. Your boyfriend's here to see ya." She teased with a small smirk, pointing over towards the ground bridge. The yellow mech's door wings perked up high as he looked over to where Soundwave now stood. Bumblebee let out a happy whistle, immediately jumping up to his pedes and running over to his lover.
Arcee couldn't help but stare for a moment as her teammate wrapped his arms around the Decepticon. The Communications Chief looked a little embarrassed, but still stroked the young mech's helm. The motorcycle still couldn't see what Bumblebee saw in him. Honestly, she just thought he was really creepy, but Bee seemed to love him. She would tolerate him, just like she tolerated Starscream. And speaking of which…
Arcee looked back over her shoulder when she heard the med lab's door open, watching as the Decepticon Commander made his way quietly out. He immediately started towards Soundwave and his young lover, a small smile on his face. "Ah, Soundwave. I'm glad to see you've made it. You and Bumblebee can go in and see Knock Out now." Starscream announced. Bumblebee's door wings drooped slightly, betraying his nervousness. Even so, he was quick to start over towards the med lab, Soundwave following closely behind.
Knock Out was lying in the medberth, holding little Deadstop against his chest. He'd managed to get in a quick nap before he had to wake up again to feed the sparkling, but he was still pretty exhausted. Breakdown sat next to the berth, presumably going back to his 'bodyguard' routine. Both of them looked up when they heard the door open. The sports car smiled when he saw Soundwave walk in. However, the Communications Chief came to a stop after a few steps, turning to look back at the door. Knock Out looked past him, a small smirk appearing on his face as he spotted two blue optics peeking around the door frame.
"Come on in, Bumblebee. It's alright." he assured, making sure to keep his voice low as to not bother the sparkling. The scout hesitated, but eventually made his way in. He immediately darted over next to Soundwave, peeking around his lover's arm as he hid behind him. Knock Out let out a soft chuckle. "You don't need to hide. He won't bite."
Bumblebee folded his door wings back, giving Soundwave an unsure look. The taller mech gave him a small nod, pushing him forward gently. The scout made his way over to the side of the berth, staring down at Deadstop with wide optics. "Would you like to hold him?" Knock Out asked, causing the young mech to flinch. 'A-are you sure I should?' he beeped out softly. The doctor gave him a nod, holding Deadstop out for him to take.
Bumblebee reached out to take the infant from his carrier as carefully as he could, all the while chanting 'Don't drop him, don't drop him, don't drop him' over and over in his head. He continued to stare down in amazement as he cradled the little mechling against his chest. He almost couldn't believe how tiny he was. How could something so small cause such a big fuss? Sensing the spark of an unfamiliar mech, Deadstop opened his bright yellow optics to investigate, staring back up at the scout that held him. Bumblebee froze as the child reached up to touch his faceplates, letting out a soft coo. Knock Out smiled.
"Looks like you've made a friend, Bee. I think he likes you." The red mech commented. Bumblebee let out a series of happy beeps, nuzzling his face gently against the newborn sparkling's tiny servo. Soundwave watched everything in silence, though he felt a wave of happiness and relief wash over him when he saw the way his young lover interacted with his comrade's infant son. It seems he wouldn't have to worry about Bumblebee doubting himself once he'd finally had their own child in his arms.