The Diego Diaries: Paradigm Shifted (dd3 525)
-0-Night time that orn
"You asleep?"
"No."
[Silence]
"Are you?"
"Nope." (Night vision comes online as a huge Autobot looks sideways at another big Autobot) "Are you dwelling on Commotion?"
"Maybe. Probably."
[Silence]
"What a waste, Ironhide."
Ironhide nodded, then considered the situation. "I'd relax. You did what you could. If you need to think you need slagging, notice the two holes in your chassis, old mech."
[Silence]
"Yeah. But you know what they say..."
(grin) "What?"
"It only hurts when I laugh." (grin)
(grin) "Well then, I won't tell jokes."
(grin) "I like your jokes, Ironhide. Its not everyone who can tell them wrong and get bigger laughs then saying them right."
"That's me. An iconoclast."
[Silence]
"Do you see them too?" (grin)
"I do. What do you want to do?" (grin)
"Bring them up. Set proximity sensors."
Ironhide turned his helm and saw three sets of bright blue optics looking at him in the dark. They seemed to hover low to the ground. "What are you doing up?"
"ATAR!" Orion began before Hero turned to shush him.
"Orion … don't be loud. Ada is recharging," she said in a soft voice.
Ratchet grinned.
Ironhide grinned.
Praxus looked concerned.
Hero was discreet.
Orion covered his mouth with his servos looking upset. "Ho-Ho." He said her name in his sneakiest voice. That is, it was the voice he used in his 'stealth' mode. It could be heard just fine in the apartment but not beyond its walls.
Like his normal voice sometimes.
That one.
He looked up at Ironhide. "Atar."
"What?"
"I come me you?" he asked earnestly. "She and she, too?"
They all looked up at Ironhide.
He pretended to think, then nodded. "Alright."
Squees and hugs were had. Then they rushed Ironhide with giant smiles. Holding up their arms, they were scooped up, then deposited between the two of them. They sat on the soft berth looking up at the two of them as they moved over to stare down at three little pairs of blue optics.
"Ada?"
"What, Hero?"
"Are you going to be home? I like when you come and be around the house," she said in her tiny sweet voice.
(Silence as two genitors verklempt a moment) "I like to be home, too, Hero," Ratchet said.
"Can we stay home when morning comes? We can play," Hero said as two mini-Ironhides nodded with giant grins.
:Slag. What now, Ironhide?: Ratchet asked.
:Uh … we need to give them a fun orn, Ratchet. Okay?:
The hopeful tone in Ironhide's voice was comical.
Ratchet considered that. :I have to do inquests tomorrow. What about you having an entourage? You're the one who gets to do your normal job. I'll be at the courthouse until lunch. What about you doing the duty until I get free?:
:Well, I don't want to rain all over your parade. I know that you want to play, too, but tell ya what? I'll have them with me and you can join us at The Pit Stop for lunch:
Ratchet grinned. :Alright:
Ironhide's burst of bliss was tamped down immediately. "Hero, I think you and your brothers can come with me tomorrow. We can meet Ada at The Pit Stop for lunch."
Hero squeed as Orion and Praxus looked at her with giant smiles and a little bit of confusion. She explained it to them. "We can go with Atar tomorrow and play!"
Three squees greeted that.
Ratchet laughed, then looked downward. "You have to recharge now. Okay?"
"We will. Can Sunspot come with us, too? And Spot?" Hero asked as she pushed her brothers gently into lying down. Orion popped up, then was pressed down again. "Lie down, Orion. We have to recharge."
He smiled at her, then looked up at the two adults looking down. "ADA! I go here?"
"You do. Recharge now or I'll punt you," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
They lay quietly, grinning upward as their tiny blue optics roamed here and there. At long last, they were asleep.
Ironhide and Ratchet who locked their limbs so they wouldn't move continued to chat about this and that including their next orn for a while longer.
-0-Tie Down and Ravel
They cleaned up after dinner together chatting about the events that had shaken them deeply. "It was easier to know that he was a soldier without seeing him in the line of fire. Our boy got shot twice, Tie. I'm appalled."
Tie Down put the last dishes away. "I know. But he's a dedicated mech and we can't change him, Ravie. He was meant to help others with his gift. Fortunately, he doesn't have to be put into danger too much now in this place."
"That's true." Ravel walked toward the living room. "Atar? Are you ready for dessert?" he asked in his sweet voice.
"Dessert?" Appa Ratchet asked looking up from the book about the History of Autobot City called, "The Martian Chronicles: The History of Cybertronian Habitation on Mars", the book that Tie Down had gotten last Christmas Surprise. "There's dessert, too?" he asked with a smile.
"I got your favorite, Atar. I'll bring it with your drink," Ravel said as he dialed up heated liquid energon. Holding a cup under the spigot by the stove where a base energon delivery mechanism was placed, it filled nicely. It was possible to get base energon liquid in different viscosities as well as brick form delivered in a separate chamber of the machine. It would then be used by the home owner for different purposes or taken right then. Popping supplements and different favorite items into the cup, Ravel took it and a piece of a confection he'd gotten that his father liked over to where he sat. "Here you go, Atar," Ravie said putting both on the end table next to his chair.
"Thank you, Ravel. I've been watching the Bulletin Board and there are two holidays coming up. One is something called Thanksgiving and the other is Christmas Surprise. What are they, son?" he asked taking a sip of his drink. He smiled. "I've never had such good energon."
"It's revived you, Atar," Ravel said handing a drink and plate to Tie. He sat on the couch with his own and relaxed. "They're two of the three holidays the Prime added to celebrate our relationship with the humans. Thanksgiving didn't get celebrated last time because of things going on but its on for this year."
"What do you do?" Appa Ratchet asked.
"Well ..." Ravel spent a moment researching, then looked at his father. "It's a family celebration, Atar. You get together with our family to eat dinner, talk and celebrate what you're happy and thankful for."
"That sounds very nice, Ravel," Appa Ratchet said. "What is Christmas Surprise?"
"I really like this one, Ratch," Tie said. "It's a religious holiday on Earth for some but we don't celebrate that part. It's the children's part that we use to give the babies a good time. When the garrison lived on Earth, there were orphans so the humans gave them Christmas as a surprise and this is what we celebrate. There's beautiful decorations, lots of presents and programs. We get entertained by the schools who show us their learning, then we have fireworks. It's so nice, so lovely. Everyone enjoys it so much."
"I'll have to add another two names to the list for presents for the youngsters," Ravel said with a big smile.
"Why, Ravie?" Tie asked as Ratchet looked up.
"Ratchet and Ironhide have adopted another youngster," Ravel said. "We have another grandchild and their bond."
"What?" Tie asked with a grin. He glanced at his father-in-law. "Your grandson is insane."
Ratchet who was smiling gigantically paused his fork near his mouth. "What's this, Ravel?"
"Some time ago, there was a mission in which the bond of the Chief of Security for this planet, the Wrecker chieftain, Springer, was taken captive. In fact, so was our Sideswipe," Ravel said, his smile fading slightly. "They captured them back but for a while it was very dangerous and uncertain. Springer asked Ironhide to adopt him. He was upset and wanted reassurance, I think. The joke helped him but he went through with it when all was well anyway. Sometimes, Atar, not having more family than your bond is very frightening." Ratchet nodded. "So Ironhide agreed. Then they both decided not to tell Ratchet. It was their little joke."
Tie and Ratchet digested that a moment, then both grinned. "That youngster hasn't changed a bit," both of them said at the same time.
"No, he hasn't. We have a lot of youngsters now, Atar. The older ones are Springer, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Their bonds are Bluestreak and Drift. The infants start with Sunspot, Orion, Kaon, Praxus, Uraya, Iacon, Hero, Prowler … is there more?" Ravel asked as he went over the list in his helm.
"You ask me?" Tie asked with a smirk. "I'm still digesting another youngster with Springer. He's that tall nice green and yellow mech with the dry humor, right?"
"That's him. I've met him in the shop and his bond as well. They're really inseparable," Ravel said nodding.
"We need to make them something really nice for Christmas Surprise," Tie said. "I'll draw up some things tomorrow. You can help me make them when we agree on the designs, Ravel."
"I will," Ravel said. "Atar, you will like Christmas Surprise."
"I think I do already," Appa Ratchet said.
They sat quietly chatting about this and that as the evening wore onward.
-0-In the Bosom of Love …
"Orion." (tiny whisper)
"HO-HO!" He blinked, then covered his mouth with his tiny servos. He was lying on his back like Hero and Praxus between his genitors. His normal impulse to talk in his optimal sparkling voice overtook the stealth requirements of the moment. "Ho-Ho," he whispered.
For him.
"Orion, can I have a dollie please?" Hero asked in her tiny whisper soft voice. "I forgot mine."
"You want she? I don't she," he said softly, staring at his empty little servos. He, too, had forgotten his sleepy bed dollie.
(Sads begin to rise up)
"Pax?" Hero asked.
"Where you dollie?" Praxus asked as he lay on his back between them.
Orion looked around noting that he'd left his dollies in his bed. "No she. You she?"
"I my dollie. Ho-Ho?" Praxus asked.
"Praxus?" Hero whispered.
"Ho-Ho?" Praxus whispered. He actually did. Whisper, that is.
"Where are your dollies? I don't have one. Do you have two?" Hero asked.
Praxus looked at his 'sleepy-bed' dollie and considered giving it to his sister. Then he did.
Hero took it and hugged it closely. "Thank you, Praxus. You're so nice," she whispered having all the feels.
It was quiet a moment.
"Pax?"
"Orion?"
"Where she?"
"Ho-Ho has it," Praxus answered.
It was quiet a moment.
"Ho-Ho?"
"What Orion?" Hero asked.
"Where she?" Orion asked.
"Praxus gave me his. I forgot mine in my bed," Hero replied.
It was quiet a moment.
"Orion?"
"Pax?"
"You have a dollie?" Praxus asked suddenly anxious without his 'sleepy bed' dollie.
Silence ensued as a yellow banded infant looked around. "Pax?"
"What?" Praxus replied.
"No she." Orion vented a tiny sigh. "You want she?"
"Yes." Praxus vented a tiny sad.
"Do you want my dollie, Praxus?" Hero asked suddenly concerned.
"Yes," Praxus said slightly tearfully.
"Here," she said handing him back his dollie.
"Love my dollie," Praxus said hugging his Bluestreak 'sleepy bed' dollie tightly. It grew quiet again.
"Ho-Ho?"
"What, Orion?" a forlorn little voice asked.
"What you she?" he asked concerned for his little sister.
"I forgot it on my bed."
It grew quiet again.
"Ironhide?" (grin)
"What?" (bigger grin)
"Do you want to go recharge in their berths?" Ratchet asked with a snicker.
"Not a bad idea," Ironhide replied with a chuckle. "We'd miss the show though."
"Ada?" A new voice appeared in the darkness along with bright optics.
"What, Sunspot?"
"Can I recharge with you? I can't recharge," a sweet little Seeker asked.
"Sure. Why not," Ratchet said with a grin.
A tiny Seeker was placed in the middle and lay quietly with three ULTRA happy little sparklings who were already there.
"Ada?"
"What, Sunspot?"
"Can Spot sleep here, too?"
[Silence]
"Why not." Ratchet grinned as a big huggy dog climbed up and walked in a circle several times before settling.
It was quiet a moment.
"Ada?"
"What, Orion?"
"Why she?" he asked as Spot licked his ped. A giant smile resulted.
"Because your atar and I are wienies." (grin)
[Silence]
"Ada?"
"What, Orion?"
"What wee-wees?" he asked.
"Your atar, sunshine," Ratchet replied.
Ironhide snorted. "Speak for yourself."
It was silent as two gigantic mechanisms, three tiny ones, one less tiny and a big old dog reclined on a big old berth.
"Ada?"
"What, Hero?"
"I forgot my dollie," she replied with a little weep.
Ratchet grinned. "I'll get them, one for all of you." With enormous care and carefully choreographed effort, Ratchet managed to extract himself. Walking to Prowler's room to re-tuck his blankets, he went from room to room retrieving 'sleepy bed' dollies.
Re-entry was harder still as he managed to lie back down. Passing dollies out, Ratchet relaxed. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night, Ada!" -Sunspot, Orion, Praxus and Hero.
"Good night, Ratchet."
"Good night, Ironhide."
It was silent a moment.
"Ada?"
"What, Sunspot?"
"Spot says good night, too," he said.
"I never doubted it, sparkling," Ratchet replied as he and Ironhide had a huge internal belly laugh.
-0-TBC November 22, 2013 12-22-2020
Happy Creation Day, Zeng, my friend. Hug those sparklings for me. :D
PS-We had a peninsula wide power outage today that was pretty bad. I thought I wouldn't have an outlet to post this. If I ever miss a posting, there was a storm blowing through. I will always post. Hugs!