The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box Interlude 5 (232/70)
-0-Later that night
They huddled together in their sleeping bags giggling as they told jokes and enjoyed the idea of camping in their own tent. The family had stayed a while then begged off piling in to go back home again. Spirit had been torn between going home and staying, the idea of Ada not being with him painful.
But then, baby steps to independence can be that way.
He had stood holding Rambler's servo as the ship lifted off, then walked back to sit with Optimus for the rest of the evening. When bed time had come, he had been quiet and anxious. The darkness was daunting. After tucking the big younglings in, Optimus and Ironhide stepped out zipping the tent door shut.
After a moment of silence, they settled into a giggle fit with 'what if there's a targ outside?' and other possibilities. After a moment, Spirit joined in. He would spend the entire night in the middle of the bed area.
A mech can't always be as brave as they want to be all the time.
Ironhide stood before the fire and looked at the sky. It was fragging dark. Glancing at Optimus who was bussing the camp, he grinned. "You are compulsive."
"The army life, old friend," he said with a grin. They both stared down at the ground. Four little mechs were somewhere down there, their little blue optics signaling where they stood. "Two for you, two for me. We were fools not to have them go back with Ratchet and Prowl."
"I hope you're not right," Optimus said with a chuckle.
Orion grinned in the darkness. "ATAR!"
"Orion," Ironhide replied.
"ATAR! WHAT ME!? I GO HERE!?"
"What exactly does that mean? Do you really know what he's saying?" Optimus asked.
Ironhide grinned. "Nope."
"So you admit you're a fraud," Optimus said with a grin.
"Always, but never around Ratchet. He'll tell me that without prompting." Ironhide leaned down and gripped his two. "I will claim these."
"I have these two," Optimus said picking up Miracle and Kaon who patted him.
"I suppose we have to turn in now. I don't suppose they need us back at Ops Center," Ironhide asked looking around. The campfire had been turned off and it was slagging dark.
"I don't think so," Optimus replied with a grin. "So I guess this is good night."
"I guess so," Ironhide replied looking around again. It was habit to know the surrounding area on bivouac.
Orion who was sitting on Ironhide's servo looked from Uncle Optimus to his Atar and back again. "ATAR!"
"What?" Ironhide asked.
"WHAT YOU! I GO WHERE!?"
They looked at him. "That's a new word isn't it?" Optimus asked.
"I think so," Ironhide said with a grin. "It's going to be a long night I think."
"I think I agree with you," Optimus said turning. "See ya," he said as he stepped into his tent. A headlight allowed him to bunk down his babies, the shadows of their bodies playing puppets on the tent walls.
Ironhide watched until the light went off, then looked at his brace who were watching Uncle Prime. Orion looked up at him, Praxus following. "ATAR! WHERE OTIS GO?"
Ironhide snorted, then chuckled. "Otis?"
Orion smiled brilliantly. Praxus did too because he was a team player. "OTIS! WHERE HE?!"
"He's in sleeping bed just like you two are going to be," Ironhide said as he turned and entered his tent. Setting the two down, he zipped the tent. Turning, he knelt and inflated the two little sleeping bags. The sparklings blinked and looked at him, pointing at them with their fat little digits.
"ATAR!" Praxus asked with a comically surprised expression. "WHAT SHE?!"
"Beds. You are going to sleep in those little cocoons," Ironhide said. He picked one up and scooped up Praxus. He kissed his little face and slipped him inside. The flap zipped to his neck and the little bag formed snugly around his little face. He looked like a smiling bug in a rug. Putting him down, Ironhide did the same with Orion. That little mech looked at Ironhide in surprise. "ATAR! WHAT ME?!"
"Recharge time, boo boo," Ironhide said putting him down next to Praxus. Turning, activating his own, Ironhide crawled in and zipped up. They all lay quietly a moment.
"ATAR!"
"Orion."
"ATAR, WHY?"
Ironhide grinned in spite of himself. "Because."
Pause.
"ATAR!"
"What, Praxus?"
"WHY SHE!?"
Ironhide offlined his vocal processors and laughed long but not loud.
-0-Nearby
"It's really quiet."
"I know, Spirit."
"Do you think there's ghosts out there, Rambler?"
"I don't think so, T-Bar."
"It's really dark out there."
"It is, Spirit." Pause. "Do you want to sleep next to me?"
"I do, Rambler."
(SCRUNCH. SLITHER. HOP, HOP, HOP. Settle)
"That's better."
"I'm glad, Spirit."
"You are nice, Rambler."
(Grin) "You are too."
Pause.
"Rambler?"
"What, Sunspot?"
"Do you want me to move closer to help you?"
"You can, Sunspot."
(SCRUNCH. SLITHER. HOP, HOP, HOP. Settle)
"Thank you, Sunspot. Tee and Spirit don't like the dark."
"I don't either, Rambler. I was always afraid. But its fun with you three and our Atars are just next tent over."
"Good thing."
"I think so too, Spirit." (Grin) Rambler snuggled into his sleeping bag and the four of them chatted for a long time until one-by-one they fell into recharge. They would sleep all night long.
-0-Nearby
Optimus lay in his soft warm sleeping bag listening to the 'chat' going on between Kaon and Miracle as they babbled and giggled to each other. It was incredibly amusing he thought and a lot different than he remembered from the many times he had slept outside under the stars of some place, most of them forgotten or unnamed. He was an urban boy, someone who had grown up in a huge vibrant ancient city.
He had learned to appreciate primitive places finding value in almost anything, such was his nature. But urban he was and even though this had been an amazingly fun interlude, he would be glad to be home in his own berth tomorrow.
:Prime:
:Ironhide:
:How's it going?:
:Fine. They're talking to each other:
(grin) :Lucky you:
:I know. How's it going with you?:
:Can't complain:
Prime grinned. :Wouldn't matter anyway, right?:
:Bingo: Ironhide grinned. :Good night, Optimus:
:Good night, Ironhide:
Ten minutes later …
"ATAR!"
Silence.
A tiny black Autobot sat up through sheer force of will, his sleeping bag having almost no give at all. Looking at the dark mass in front of him, he struggled to get free. It wasn't going to happen.
"ATAR!"
Ironhide feigned sleep as he listened to Orion. It was humorous as the Pit.
"ATAR!?"
Silence.
"BAD ATAR! ORION, ME! I, ORION! YOU, ATAR! YOU COME ME!?"
Silence.
"Pax."
"O?"
"Atar bad."
"Atar bad?"
"Atar, bad," Orion replied firmly.
Silence.
"ATAR GOOD!" Praxus voiced his deep disagreement as he struggled to sit up. It was futile. He fell backward and relaxed. "ORION BAD! ATAR GOOD!"
"ATAR BAD! ATAR NO GO ME!"
Silence.
"ATAR GOOD!" At that point Praxus burst into tears, his wailing sharp and loud.
:Ironhide?: Prime inquired.
:Praxus and Orion are having a difference of opinion: Ironhide sat up and reached for both of them holding one of the cocooned little botlets in each servo.
:About camping or what?: (grin)
:About whether or not I'm a slagger: (grin)
:What's the consensus opinion?: (grin)
:Fifty-fifty at this point:
:Good night, Ironhide: The smirk in the remark fairly glowed in the dark.
:Same to ya, Prime: Ironhide grinned and felt Prime's mirth in return, the slagger. He looked at the bits in his servos. "Go to recharge, Orion and Praxus."
"ATAR! O BAD!" Praxus said through his sniffles.
"Orion," Ironhide said looking at his oldest youngest son. "Stop being bad."
They both looked at him with sad faces. He kissed them and put them both on his chassis. They lay on the softness of his plush sleeping bag. Both of them sniffled.
Ironhide almost joined them.
-0-At home
Prowl walked through the apartment fixing this and that microscopically askew thing. He stood in the doorway sparkling-free and felt the sting of being without his light. The family was his light at the end of a tunnel he had spent a lifetime reaching. It was cold and empty without them home.
He considered that as he sat. Then he considered getting the twinnies. Then he considered how needy that would look and changed his processor. It would be a long night.
-0-Below about half way
Ratchet dried Hero off and put her on the floor. She sat looking upward with a smile. "You and me, kid. That's it for a few joors. I wonder how Prowl's doing? He grinned. :Prowl:
:What?:
:What are you doing?:
:The usual. You?:
:The usual. You going to recharge?:
:Maybe. You?:
:I have a sparkling, Prowl. I might play a few games, snuggle during a movie with her and generally have a good time:
Pause.
:Slagger:
:Whiner. Come on down:
:What's on the teevee?:
:I don't know. Come and look. What am I? Your nanny, Granny?:
:Slagger. I'll be right down:
Ratchet grinned and looked at Hero. "My needy sad friend from upstairs is coming. Be nice to him. He's from Praxus."
Hero just smiled.
-0-TBC
2013 (3)