"Come in" Optimus answered the knock on his door.
"Hi" Elita greeted as she entered the primes office with a whimpering sparkling in her arms.
"Oh hi Elita how's it going he any trouble?" Optimus asked as he got up from his desk and walked to the femme.
"No trouble at all… I gave him to Mirage, Jazz, and the twins for an hour knew that was a mistake Ironhide decided to interfere and all hell broke lose" Elita rolled her optics.
"Yeah the boys are always causing some sort of havoc" Optimus laughed.
"You got that right" Elita laughed with Optimus.
"Anyway I figured it's the end of the day I've got to go prepare to go in the field with Ironhide so I thought I drop off your little bundle of joy" Elita smiled gently handing a clicking Bumblebee to Optimus.
"Ok be safe good luck in the field" Optimus said to Elita as she headed out the door.
"I'm going with Ironhide safety is not an option and don't need any luck as long as you're out of the way of Ironhide's cannons" Elita said as she disappeared down the hallway.
"True enough" Optimus laughed than turned his smile down to the tiny sparkling in his arm, Bumblebee gave a quite twitter as Ratchet entered the room.
"I heard the twins got to look after the sparkling figured I should check up on you and Bee" Ratchet sighed as he scanned Bumblebee.
"Luckily it was just a yell fest and not a brawl" Optimus said letting Ratchet see Bumblebee.
"Well he's been online line for two days and his optics are almost fully open they should be by tomorrow" Ratchet said happily.
"Can't wait to see them" Optimus smiled at Bumblebee.
"Yes optics are one of the most adorable things about sparklings, but that all changes when they get older" Ratchet laughed.
"Yeah" Optimus sighed.
"Well hey it's his second day he's filthy give him a wash" Ratchet told Optimus.
"Oh yeah I was thinking about doing that" Optimus held out Bumblebee getting a better look at the dirt on his tiny frame.
"just use a small crate or an empty energon cube and fill it with cleaning fluid and wash him he's small enough to fit in both" Ratchet explained as he and Optimus walked out of the primes office.
"Alright thank you Ratchet" Optimus said walking past the CMO that entered his own office.
"Now to get you clean" Optimus cooed as he entered the bathing room.
"Hello Optimus that's your little sparkling huh?" an aerial bot asked as he dried himself off.
"Indeed he is Skydive" Optimus chuckled at Skydive.
"What's his name it's been going around the ship butterfly or something…" Skydive questioned as he approached Optimus.
"Bumblebee…" Optimus growled.
"Oh Bumblebee right sorry didn't mean to offend" Skydive lowered his helm.
"No I'm sorry I didn't mean to say it like that it's just everyone seems to think the name is stupid" Optimus sighed.
"Oh well some bots just don't have an open mind like you, you like to be unique and just like your tiny sparkling here he's unique" Skydive put a servo on the primes shoulder.
"Your absolutely right Skydive thank you" Optimus smiled at the aerial bot as he filled a small crate with warm cleaning fluid.
"No problem Prime" Skydive smiled and walked off.
"Ok time for your first wash" Optimus cooed as he held Bee over the cleaning fluid and slowly lowered him in.
Bumblebee whimpered as his small foot touched the fluid making him curl up into a small whimpering ball.
"It's ok just a little cleaning fluid it won't hurt you" Optimus soothed as he held Bumblebee in his servo in the fluid and washed with the other.
Bumblebee eventually stopped being tense and gave a giant yawn as the prime finished up.
"Ok look at you all…. Um how does that saying go?…" Optimus wondered as Bumblebee gave him a squeak when he was pulled out of the warm liquid.
"That's it! Squeaky clean!" Optimus chuckled and gave quick gentle hug to his sparkling.
"Right you need to be dried off" Optimus said as Bumblebee dripped with cleaning fluid.
"Here figured you could use this" an accent came from behind.
"Mirage thank you…" Optimus walked towards the red mech leaning against the door with a towel in his servo.
"Yeah no problem just figured it could be useful to someone" Mirage handed the towel to Optimus.
"You were walking around with a towel?" Optimus wrapped Bumblebee in the towel.
"Uuuh no Ratchet said to put it the bathing room and you just happened to be finishing with Bee" Mirage told Optimus as they walked down the hall.
"Wow great timing Mirage" Optimus smiled.
"Yeah I guess…" Mirage rolled his optics.
"Something on your mind?" Optimus asked hearing the tone of the spy drift.
"No.. yeah kinda…" Mirage sighed.
"Well anything I can help with?" Optimus asked.
"No" Mirage quickly answered.
"Oh well what's going on?" Optimus questioned.
"Oh I'm just wondering something" Mirage told the prime.
"Like what?"
"I'm just wondering about safety"
"You are?" Optimus asked surprised with a hint of laughter.
"Why you laughin!" Mirage spoke quickly.
"I'm sorry it's just you hang out with the twins and Jazz and you boys just do the most unsafe things it's just funny hearing you talk about…"
"I meant the safety of the sparkling" Mirage interrupted the prime.
"Oooh…" Optimus sighed as he stopped at his doors.
"Well I just want you to know that if your in trouble I'm happy to help you and your sparkling" Mirage said passing by and disappearing.
"Than…" Optimus stopped what he was saying and shook his helm and walked into his room where a folded little blanket was on his berth.
"Ratchet.." Optimus sighed with a smile and placed Bumblebee flat on his back in the middle of the berth drying off the rest of his tiny frame than wrapping him in the new soft blanket.
Optimus smiled and lay on the berth next to Bumblebee pulling him close to his spark rubbing the tiny helm.
"Night Bumblebee" Optimus whispered and fell into recharge.
Middle of the night while everyone is recharging
Optimus got startled by a whaling sparkling and hopped off his berth scooping Bumblebee up.
"Shh what is it little one….wait you can't talk….Primus…" Optimus talked to himself and ran down the hallway and knocked on a door.
"Optimus what the hell!" Ratchet said as Optimus walked into his room.
"Bumblebee's crying what do I do!" Optimus panicked bobbing up and down while rubbing Bumblebee's back trying to sooth him.
"That's why you woke me…. Give him here!" Ratchet vibrated with anger as he took Bumblebee from the panicky prime.
"Optimus he's just hungry" Ratchet sighed giving Bumblebee back to the prime.
"At this time!" Optimus asked surprised.
"You really have know idea how to take care of a sparkling do you?" Ratchet face palmed and shook his helm.
"Uh well… No not really" Optimus smiled hopelessly.
"Agh…. Alright then I can see this is going to be one interesting sparkling to raise" Ratchet sighed.
"Come on let's go to the rec room get him a bottle" Ratchet tiredly trudged past the prime shaking his helm at him.
"Thanks Ratchet" Optimus followed.
"Yep… uhuh…." Ratchet said as he entered the rec room.
"What?" Optimus asked seeing a disappointed look on the mech that prepared the bottle.
"I TOLD YOU YOU COULDN'T HANDLE THE SPARKLING!" Ratchet snapped at Optimus.
"I know you said that but I'm trying different I can learn how to take care of him" Optimus defended himself.
"look Optimus you don't have the experience and you definitely don't have the time for Bumblebee you need to give him to someone else" Ratchet told Optimus giving the bottle to the prime.
"No Ratchet I'm keeping him I already said I would raise him it was his creators last wishes and want to fulfil it, do you really think mechs and femmes that have a sparkling automatically know how to take care of the sparkling and know it's every need…. No they don't but they prepare for what ever is thrown at them and raising a sparkling during a war is just a bigger obstacle I have to conquer and I'm willing to do that" Optimus told Ratchet that stood and listened to every word.
"Optimus I'm sorry for what I said… I'm just worried about you I just want to know you know what your doing and it sounds like you do" Ratchet smiled as they made their way back down the hall to Optimus's room.
"Well goodnight" Ratchet sighed to Optimus as he headed to his own room.
"Thank you for the blanket…" Optimus called after the medic.
"Your welcome"
"AAAW!" was all that could be heard from the rec room as Ratchet walked past the door.
"What… is going on in there…" Ratchet mumbled to himself.
"Hey what's all the commotion about?" Ratchet asked as he walked in the rec room where Arcee and choromia, the Twins, Jazz, and Mirage all stood around Optimus.
"Look Ratchet come see for yourself!" Arcee waved the medic over.
"Ok ok geez…. Oooooohhhh told you" Ratchet smiled at Optimus who was holding his gurgling sparkling that had big bright icy blue watery optics.
"Oh he's jus so cute!" Jazz cooed.
"Can't disagree with that" Sideswipe laughed.