The Diego Diaries: Chaos 27
=0=In the bosom of love
They sat around the room, the infant now carefully tucked into her daddy's big arm. She looked at him with her tiny blue peepers, her little pug face examining the most important mech in her life.
Thus far.
Ironhide looked down at her. "She's really a cute little thing, Ratchet. She's looking at me."
"I can see that," Ratchet said pausing in his conversation with Tie Down. "She likes her old dad."
He grinned. "Her old dad likes her," he replied, his optics riveted upon her.
The door opened and infants toddled inside. Orion and Praxus walked in on leashes and Kaon with his sisters appeared with Bluestreak. Sideswipe unhitched the babies and they stood staring around at all the adults.
IT WAS AWESOME.
Orion smiled enormously at his doting grandgenitors, turning in a circle slowly. Praxus walked to Alor and looked up at him. The big bot smiled and held out his servos gathering the infant into his arms. "This sparkling makes me laugh every time I see him. I know you said there was a story behind this paint scheme."
"Ironhide had a dream that he was a red mom van … a car without any sex appeal that is used to haul human younglings around. He was chasing a medic that looked like me," Ratchet began.
"You were slagging sexy in the dream, Ratchet. Red and white is really a good color for you," Ironhide said with a grin.
Ratchet snorted. "The dream Ratchet had a chevron. So I got one."
"Does it do anything?" Alor asked with a knowing smirk.
"Nope," Ratchet said with a laugh.
Alor laughed out loud. "You crack me up. Is there anything he can ask that you won't do?"
Ratchet thought a moment and then shrugged. "Nope."
Ironhide grinned, the warmth of their bond going both ways. "Putty in my servos, Ratchet."
Scorn ensued.
Orion seeing the center of attention slipping away did what all babies everywhere do when they find themselves sidelined. He clapped his servos and smiled. Everyone looked at him and smiled. "ATAR! ME, ORION! LOVE ATAR!"
Ironhide snorted and grinned. "Come here, Orion."
The infant looked at him and marched right over. Pausing, he looked at the bundled infant in his atar's arms. A delicious delectable morsel had presented itself to him and he blinked. "Atar?" he asked pointing at the baby.
"Orion, this is your sister," he said leaning slightly forward.
The baby looked at the infant with a laser focus. He reached out and touched her tiny servo. Smiling, he looked at his atar. "Atar!"
"This is your sister and you have to be careful. You can't hold her and you can't touch her without someone around you." Ironhide glanced at Ratchet who nodded. "Even Ada wants you to be nice."
Orion leaned in and looked at the baby. Leaning farther, he kissed her arm. Leaning back, he looked at his atar. Ironhide grinned. "Good, Orion. That was nice."
Then he grabbed her tiny ped.
Insanity ensued.
Moments later...
There were several crying in the room and several more that wanted to. Ironhide held a wailing Orion. Ratchet sat holding a weeping femme-let. Sunspot sat pressed against Sunstreaker who looked gray. Everyone had hovered out of their chairs when Orion gripped the little femme's ped. A high pierced squeal from the femme startled everyone.
Handing her to Ratchet, they watched as the big medic examined her. "She's fine. I think he just scared her."
She wept as if her little spark was broken and finally settled, Orion who was on his atar's lap staring at her through his own tears. He leaned back and whimpered. It was happening all over again. He just wanted to play. Ironhide rubbed his little helm. "You don't know your own strength, spud."
"Atar," he said softly. "Orion, ow me."
Ironhide picked him up holding the limp tragic infant like a wet sack of flour. "You'll learn. There's no other way we can go." He settled the infant against his shoulder.
"You will have to be alert, son," Blackjack said.
Ironhide nodded. "I know."
They settled back and the evening came on them, dinner being brought in and company being kept. When it was dark outside, they began to beg off and leave. The short walk down the corridor for some was made with escort, Ironhide walking along with each of them. When he came back it was down to the twins and their infants. Sitting down, lifting Sunspot into his lap, he looked at Ratchet. "How do you feel, old mech?"
"Good. You?" Ratchet asked.
"Better." He looked at Sideswipe. "How is she?"
"Recharging," Sideswipe said looking down at the infant in his arms. "She's a pretty cute little pug-nosed baby and quiet. My kind of infant."
"Mine too," Ironhide said with a grin. "How's it going with the filmmakers?"
"Fine," Sunstreaker said. "They follow us everywhere. I don't know what they want or what they're doing but as long as they get me right I don't care."
Ratchet grinned. "They should get your good side on the screen?"
"There are only good sides, Ada," Sunstreaker said with a grin.
Scorn and hilarity ensued.
-0-Some time later
They walked out of the tower and headed toward the Metroplex District. The evening was coming on, the night life beginning to arise. Crossing the street, they noted that the filmnmakers were back. Pausing, the twins waited for them to catch up. Staring down, they waited.
:Hi. I thought we'd never catch up with you two: one of the humans said. He stood on his segway while the cameraman filmed.
The twins glanced at each other and then looked down again. "We were busy," Sideswipe said. "Where have you been?"
:Looking for others to film: one of them said. :We've been all over the place for a while:
The twins nodded. "We're going home now."
:You won't be out again?:
"No," Sideswipe said glancing at Sunstreaker. They nodded and turned heading for the barn so to speak. The humans watched them go.
"I want to know more about those little bots with them," one of them said. "And that other bot with them … Bluestreak? I want to know more about him."
"We need to go back and check the footage," another said. With that, they turned and sped off heading for the tower where they lived.
-0-In the apartment
"She's really little," Sunspot said. "Smaller than Uraya and Iacon."
"She is," Ironhide said as they sat together staring at the femme in his arm.
"I have a great name for her," Sunspot said. "Ada told me to find one in my spark. I think I did."
Ironhide grinned. "We'll call her Tiny until you tell us, Sunny."
He looked at her. "That's a cute name."
Ironhide smirked. "Keep the one you settled on, son. Don't let anything change your processor."
Sunspot snuggled closer to Ironhide's chassis. He reached for the baby's servo and held it. The tiny digits were incredibly small. "She's really cute. I love her."
Ironhide squeezed his son. "I love her too. I love all of you."
Sunspot smiled. "That's good," he said quietly. They sat and watched the baby while Ratchet dozed nearby.
-0-Prime Residence
"I wonder what Sunspot is going to name her?" Spirit asked to no one in particular.
"We will find out in two more days, son," Prime said. He sat on the couch relaxing after the antics of the orn. Prowl was somewhere and Miracle was toddling around T-Bar and Rambler who were playing a game. They were good natured about the infant's participation and Optimus enjoyed the sweetness of their efforts to keep the baby from toppling over their puzzle.
Prowl walked into the room and paused. "You look comfortable."
"I am," he said patting the couch.
Prowl walked over and sat on the couch putting his peds on the coffee table along side those of Optimus. "This is comfortable."
"I think so." It was quiet a moment. "How long will it be before you glom that sparkling?" Optimus asked with a smirk.
"About 17 seconds after the name is announced," Prowl said with a grin. "I can't wait. I love sparklings."
"So I noticed," Optimus said. "I want you to know that I don't not want a big family," he said in a soft voice. "I do."
"I know," Prowl said nodding. "When things die down a little bit perhaps."
"Done deal," Optimus said with a nod. They sat together and watched the younglings play.
-0-Venture and Miler
"I see them," Miler said looking over his shoulder at Venture. "They're home."
Venture walked to the window and looked out, to the left and down. The living room of the trine was filled with light as the family came into the apartment. They watched as Kaon ran madly around the room and paused in front of the window. He put his little servos on the window and patted it.
They watched as Sideswipe crept up and grabbed him, the little infant smiling enormously as they turned and walked out of sight. Miler grinned. "That is one happy little sparkling."
"He is. But then, look at the love he lives with everyday."
"He has a lot of adults loving on him," Miler said nodding. "That new baby is going to be something else. Another femme. Ironhide is smitten."
"He is. But who wouldn't be?" Venture said as they stood together watching the nightlife and the change of shifts by Seeker squadrons as several returned and several blasted off to fly their routes.
-0-Tie Down and Ravel
"That baby is so wonderful, Tie," Ravel said stirring supplements into his 'tea'. He turned and handed a cube to Tie Down. "We are so lucky. I just love those infants."
"You and me both," Tie said waiting as Ravel joined him on the couch. "In two days, we will know her name."
"I like Praxian customs, Tie," Ravel said. "They bind families together I think."
They sat and discussed the orn as the bright light of Phobos glittered in the sky as it made its fourth revolution of Mars.
-0-Blackack and Alor
He came from the berthroom refreshed from a shower. Sitting on the chair next to Alor, he watched the silenced screen of the monitor for a moment. "How do you feel, Ali?"
"Numb," Alor said squeezing Blackjack's servo. "I think that is one of the greatest orns of my life. We got here in time to see our granddaughter separate."
"I'm still trying to assimilate it," Blackjack said nodding. "Ironhide is a good atar. I am so proud of him. I hear so much from others about how he manages the infants. We did something right, Ali."
"We did a lot right, 'Jack." Alor grinned at the hulking center of his life. "I can't tell you how pleased I am that she takes after Ironhide. Ratchet is a good looker but Ironhide's face on that tiny femme … it makes me ecstatic."
"You and me both," Blackjack said with a grin. "Ratchet takes after you, Ali."
"That's probably why we hit it off so well," Alor said with a grin. He unmuted the television and they sat together listening to The Hourly News on IntraComm.
-0-In the bosom of love
The mechs were in their beds tucked in for the next orn. Ratchet and Ironhide stood in their berthroom staring down at the bassinette that the trine had made for the femme until she was 'old enough for Ironhide to let her have her own room, Ada'. That had led to a lot of comedy.
The little bassinette was filled with soft blankets and was next to Ironhide's side of the berth. "We gave in to the inevitable," Sideswipe had said with a smirk.
Ratchet held the infant as Ironhide made her nest 'just so'. He had fed her through the feeding tube that he still had in his wrist. "Are you ready for her, Ironhide?"
"Yep," he said turning and peeling back her blankets. He took her gently and lay her on her tummy. She fussed a moment and then relaxed. A soft blanket covered her and she was back into recharge. They stood staring down at her. "Do you think she needs anything more? Or maybe she has too much?"
"She looks comfortable." (Grin)
"I think so too, Ratchet." Pause. "I could stand here for a while in case she needs something."
"You could." (Bigger grin)
"I won't go into recharge too deeply. She needs feeding. I set internal alarms for that," he said glancing at Ratchet. Ratchet nodded with a grin. He looked at her, his tiniest little sparkling. "She's a good sleeper."
"She is." (grin)
"I think her color scheme is brilliant. Sorta feminine and the like."
"I think so." (grin)
"You go to the berth and recharge, Ratchet. I'll be with you in a minute. I just think I'll watch her just in case."
"I will." (grin) Ratchet turned and walked to the berth settling back.
Ironhide glanced at him, then turned the light off. He stood watching his daughter, his sensors tuned to Ratchet and his three little mechs. The only light was from the hallway where a night light threw a slight illumination into the room.
It was quiet a moment.
"Ratchet?"
Ratchet turned his helm gazing fondly at the hulking shadow standing over a tiny bassinette. "What, Only One?"
"I love you."
"I love you more."
"You can't. Can't be done."
"Okay."
It was silent a moment.
"Ratchet?"
"What, Only One?"
"Don't tell anyone." (grin)
"I won't." (grin)
It was silent for a long time as Ironhide stood sentinel over the tiniest newest Autobot of them all.
=0=TBC
2012 (9)