Raf took the change… as well as could be hoped.
From the moment the Autobots had known him, he'd been in the middle of the two older children. Where Miko had barged forwards in eager amazement and Jack had withdrawn back out of (sane) caution, Rafael Esquivel had simply gone with the flow, happy to step into the friendly alien car that took him to a secret hideout filled with new strange beings he could never have imagined, but also letting Jack pull him back behind cover when the blasters started firing.
But actually becoming one of those strange beings? Even Miko had had a few moments of regret, and she'd always wanted to escape the mundane any way she could; becoming a 'giant alien super robot' was ultimately something she embraced with enthusiasm after the initial post-squish nerves wore off.
Raf though? He'd been an outsider in school because of his intelligence, but he'd still had strong human connections to his family. Sure, he, Jack and Miko all had a background of being isolated from other kids for one reason or another, but where Miko had rebelled and rejected the conformist culture of her home country; Raf had always wanted to fit into his. Not to be 'normal' or have to pretend to be less intelligent than he was, but just to have friends at school and do kid stuff instead of studying in case he got a few points off a hundred percent on the next test.
Then one day he'd gotten those friends in the form of Jack, Miko and the bots. He'd gotten to do kid stuff with the other humans and Bumblebee. He got scared a lot because of the fights and Miko nearly getting them killed sometimes, but he'd gotten what he wanted and wouldn't have traded it for the world.
While he might have occasionally imagined what it would be like to be an Autobot like his big yellow friend, actually waking up in a metal body with no way back was no dream come true.
"… But then Bulkhead tripped him up on his story and it turned out Wheeljack was actually this spy who could shapeshift into other bots- he was trying to learn where our secret base is!" Miko happily babbled as she slowly walked with Bulkhead and her mom- who was half-jogging to keep up anyway- away from their 'stage' in the silo (really just one of the alcoves of the silo with a makeshift raised section for Miko's mom to avoid getting 'recruited' when the two Cybertornians were rocking out). "- so he grabbed me and almost squished me- but then the real Wheeljack…"
Raf eyed in them with a from his own spot close to Ratchet's terminal, having made one of the storage boxes a table while he fiddled with one of the medic's many machines. Rafael Esquivel had already been a genius capable of understanding and modifying Cybertronian technology even before his conversion- but now with his new body and servos he could actually handle the devices he'd once needed Bumblebee or Ratchet himself to alter.
"… And that's how we met Wheeljack!" Miko cheerfully declared, waving around her free servo for emphasis. Her other was occupied with carrying the odd instrument of cables and steel frames that Raf and Bulkhead had put together to mimic her old guitar's function, the same one that her mom now carried as her own instrument.
It turned out that the one to teach Miko how to play the electric guitar had actually been Mrs Nakadai, and the two had rekindled their bond through their old joint passion. Apparently whatever awkwardness mother and child had over Miko's sudden change in stature and species couldn't help but be washed away in the midst of a good rock out. Even Bulkhead had managed to join in, forming an ad-hoc three 'person' band, after the elder Nakadai had noticed the friendly bot practically hovering over Miko.
The friendly wrecker had spent almost every moment since Miko's transformation 'sneakily' observing her and clearly not quite sure what to make of the new situation yet. Arcee was far more subtle, but Raf was reasonably certain Jack knew what she was doing as she casually found reasons to be in the same general space.
Bumblebee however had dispensed with any such subtly and just outright volunteered himself as Raf's 'guide', helping him through all the minutia of actually living as a Cybertronian.
(Raf pretended not to notice Jack and Miko 'not listening' whenever Bumblebee explained things- since they were now capable of understanding him thanks to their translators.)
Right now his still-bigger friend was essentially sitting on his hands (servos) a little ways away after being banished from Ratchet's space for breaking something important (namely the thing Raf was now working on in fact). But Raf knew he'd readily come over- upset Medic or not- if it looked like he needed him. As it was, Raf just met the scout's big blue optics and gave him a subtle nod.
The yellow Autobot sagged with relief, and chirped. Raf quickly spied Arcee standing in the hall, and then locked ey-optics with Ratchet, giving them both the same signal. The two were less dramatic with their relief, but equally obvious as they switched on their Audials.
Raf had no need however. Despite having quickly picked up on manipulating his own code to turn certain systems on and off again, he had lost out on straws and thus been doomed to 'listening duty' for everyone else while the band was active. Because not even Bumblebee's sympathy and worry were enough to make him take on that particular burden in his place.
"… Can you combine with the others?" Mr Nakadai's question floated over, and Raf watched as Bumblebee cringed, Arcee frowned, and Ratchet vented.
"Hiroshi!" Mrs Nakadai gasped, "you can't just ask that- and she's not some cartoon super robot!"
"I disagree," Mr Nakdai countered, his expression not shifting by an iota.
"Wha-"
"She very clearly displays the characteristics of a super robot- albeit with real robot elements." Mr Nakadai looked up to his daughter, "wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah, I'm totally a Super Robot!" Miko concurred, prompting her mother to sigh in resignation, "and…. I… don't know!" Miko's voice was practically alight with curiously. "Hey Ratch-"
"No, no she cannot." The medic called out, marching over to the drive-in entrance to the silo where Miko and her parents were speaking (overseen by the very confused Bulkhead). "I don't know about of any similarities to these co-called 'super robots', but Combiners are a specific type of Cybertronian, and while the specifics of Miko's frame aren't as predictable as an established model's, I can say for certain that she has none of the characteristics that would allow for that particular form of transformation."
He took a moment to confirm from Miko's displeasure that his lecture had been properly dispensed, then pointedly turned to start marching back to his terminal.
"Aww…" Miko pouted. Then she did what she did best and promptly forgot about her problems in favour of something more interesting; "hey Mom, Dad!" Her yellow optics practically sparked with her sudden glee; "wanna see our last battlefield!?"
"Battlefield!?" Mrs Nakadai snapped, and Miko's faceplates froze in chagrin as she realised her impulsive mistake (as always) too late. Ratchet's stride faltered for a moment, and a flicker of anticipation crossed his faceplates as he carefully returned to his workstation. Oblivious or uncaring to her eavesdroppers; the elder Nakadai female pointedly turned to look at Bulkhead.
"Uhh, yeah… you see…." The massive mech wilted under the parent's penetrating gaze. "Miko drove through the Groundbridge on our last mission before it closed and got in the fight. We got her out before she got hurt but-"
"Drove though before it closed?" Mrs Nakadai's eyes narrowed, and Miko's faceplates froze. "You mean to say she went into a warzone by choice?"
-"I thought she couldn't do that?"
"She's can't sneak through any more." Arcee wryly reminded. "She only drove through once though, the price for that was… heavy- we'll get to it later."-
"Hah! Yeah," the question prompted an affectionate bark of laughter. "She's been doing it since before- uhhhhh," the wrecker trailed off as he looked down properly at the unamused Maki Nakadai, and his optics flickered over to see an uncharacteristically nervous Miko. The femme would surely have been sweating if she still had skin and her optics pleaded for aid. "I mean…"
Mrs Nakadai silenced him with a raised palm, and cast a cool look to her daughter; "Miko, how many times have you done this?"
Miko's faceplates twisted for a second, shifting between what might have been calculating the odds of her being able to get away with her antics due to her new state- to a moment of resignation; probably because she knew her carrier would find a way to punish her regardless. Finally she just looked away as if not meeting Mrs Nakadai's eyes would do her any good. "… Not that much?"
"Is that so?" Mrs Nakadai's lips pressed together. "Is that a 'not that much' like you going to strange stores behind our back or 'not that much' like you spending time with those yankees down the street? I wonder… maybe Prime could explain?"
The suddenly stern woman pointedly held out the guitar in her hands to Miko, who meekly took it between two digits on her free servo. Then, without a word, Maki Nakadai turned on her heel and strode towards the console Optimus was currently working at.
"I'm doomed." Miko sagged where she stood.
"I agree." Mr Nakdai calmly affirmed.
"Aw-" Miko turned to her sire with giant optics, "but Dad; I'm already banned from missions and I never get to go off base without Bulk anymore! I'm already getting punished!"
"Perhaps," Hiroshi Nakadai agreed. "But no amount of metal skin would ever make a mother relax with her child in danger." His seemingly ever smooth expression broke just a little as his eyes tightened at the edges, "nor would it for a father for that matter."
Miko seemed to shrink under the tiny lifeform's disapproval, and started babbling some excuse or the other. Raf was distracted by the rare instance of an openly gleeful Ratchet watching the proceeding.
"At last," the medic paused in his latest task to marinate in Miko's misery. "She's finally getting the message from someone she actually seems to listen to!"
It was triumph for the long-suffering Autobot to be certain. Miko had committed many, many infractions during her time with the Autobots and her latest dance with death had risked revealing the miracle of organic conversion if any of the Decepticons had recognised her. However in spite of Miko getting rinsed for her antics, Raf couldn't help but be envious of her as the rest of the conversation floated over;
"...And I practically never break anything anymore!" Miko gleefully insisted. "Maybe I can even hold Chi Chi and Ding Dong next time!"
"I'm sure they will get used to you again soon," Mr Nakadai calmly concurred. "But they'd be too scared to go through that Groundbridge. If only you could still leave your base freely, how troublesome that is no longer the case dear daughter…"
"Aww, c'mon Dad!" Miko whined. "It's not like I planned to get shot at- and I totally got away scott free!"
"Truly? How impressive." Mr Nakadai calmly concurred. "Yet Prime still punished you? How very odd…"
The conversation stalled as a very stone-faced Mrs Nakadai approached with Optimus walking carefully behind her. Raf drew his attention away as Miko's faceplates fell in anticipation of a very overdue tongue-lashing- though he could see Ratchet was doing the bare minimum to pretend he wasn't training every sensor on the fiasco in motion.
(He was probably recording it too.)
Still though, despite her change in species and her parents likely about to bring a Prime-enforced grounding of a lifetime upon her newly metallic head; everything seemed to have worked out for Miko.
She didn't care that she'd never human again, or really about anything she'd 'lost' from her human life. She still had all the friends and family she wanted and she got to live her fantasy of being an 'amazing alien robot' without any regrets.
"Hey Raf," Bumblebee interrupted his thoughts. "I think you're done."
Rafael was taken aback as he glanced down to the device in his servos, and realised he was on the verge of breaking a screw by over-tightening.
"Oh- thanks 'Bee," Raf sighed as he put the device aside and searched for his next project. "My mind's… someplace else."
After all, why would something like a chore hold his attention?
There had been complications- but today was finally the day when he'd see his parents.
"It was difficult just to get the Esquivels to believe we were real in the first place," Arcee remarked. "Even after it took them a while to accept Raf's situation."
"So, it didn't go well?" Smokescreen absently turned the ball over in his servos.
"You could say that," Arcee laid her optics on the Lob-ball. "But it could have gone worse."
"So, this is your 'Computer Science club' Rafael?"
If Mrs Esquivel felt any trepidation in staring down her metal giant of a son, her cold expression certainly didn't give it away. Her husband, a man who heavily resembled Raf's human self save for his downright impressive height (by human standards) looked up by her side with disappointment in his framed eyes.
Unlike the Nakadais, the Esquivels had driven into the base by the vehicle entrance in their own family vehicle and now stood on the same floor as the other beings in the silo. There'd been a moment of trepidation at being so close to the alien giants who'd already crushed humans by accident- but the second they'd spied the former humans it had vanished under first shock, then something indiscernible. Their entire focus lay upon the smallest of the mechanical beings, their son now standing framed by the two other changelings on either side of him.
"Y-yeah…" the glow of Raf's optics dimmed a little. "Mama-"
"And these are your friends?" The dark-haired woman demanded. "These… 'Autobots'?" She cast her gaze around the room, taking in the full sight of each of the beings in question standing throughout the silo. They were carefully standing around the edges of the massive room, well out of the way of the assorted humans nears the entrance, with Agent Fowler standing a little behind the Esquivels. The Nakadais and June stood near to their respective children, framing the set of former humans with Hiroshi and Maki to the left with Miko, and June to the right with Jack.
Optimus matched her gaze with a regretful tilt to his head. She held it for a moment before turning back to her son without acknowledgement; "does Memorial High take aliens now Rafael?"
Raf's optics aimed anywhere but at his parents. "N-no Mom-"
"We knew you weren't just spending all that time in some club at school."
Raf's vocaliser failed, and he returned his gaze to his father.
The tall man's gaze was steady as he took in his transformed child. "We were just happy you were making friends Raf. Even if they were older." Mr Esquivel's eyes flickered over to Jack and Miko for a moment. "We thought you were safe."
It was Bumblebee's turn to look away, shame and failure briefly spiking through his field to uncomfortably resonate with the other sparked beings.
Raf tried to say something, but petered out again under his parents' eyes.
Mrs Esquivel's lips pressed together and she pointedly looked away from her son, turning her attention to each of the tall beings who stood around her one by one. Bumblebee's expressive optics shrunk down and he couldn't meet her eyes anymore than her son could. Finally she reached Optimus Prime.
"You were responsible?" She curtly demanded.
The leader closed his optic shields and solemnly nodded. "I am."
She studied his features silently for a moment, then calmly started walking towards him. If she had any trepidation in approaching the massive alien machine who'd already crushed three humans by mere accident, none of it bled through into her stride. Finally she stood before him, vanishingly small against his frame.
"My son cannot be changed back?" Her tone was cool and clipped,
"Indeed." Optimus calm baritone held a regretful tinge. "The process that changed them is beyond our understanding, to even attempt a reversal would be to court… failure."
Rafael's father flinched at the implication before catching himself. Mrs Esquivel's lips merely tightened.
"I see," she stiffly concurred, her voice remained cool and steady; like she was interrogating a substandard teacher instead of discussing the irreversible change in her son's body. "Agent Fowler says that you're fighting a war."
"We are," Optimus gravely confirmed. "One that will consume this world as it has countless others if our enemies cannot be stopped."
"And my son has been fighting them with you." It was a statement rather than a question. "My son, my child," she emphasised, "has been fighting in a secret war for… months now?"
Her lips twitched and she took a moment before she continued; "Mr Prime- does your species have a concept of children?"
A brief spike of shame issued from the normally solid field of the Prime, and Ratchet's optic shields narrowed at Mrs Esquivel. Optimus spoke before his old friend could intervene however;
"Yes." The word was as heavy as a neutron star.
"Do you care for them?" She demanded.
Optimus' optics focused, and he straightened slightly, "the lives of our young are priceless, and we hold humanity's in the same regard."
"Yet you still used ours as soliders." Mrs Esquivel's tone brooked no dissent.
"Agent Fowler told us about some of the things you've done." Mr Esquivel looked up at his son, drawing attention away from his wife for a moment. "I'm… proud Raf." His voice was thick; "but it wasn't ever your fight."
The words hung in the air as father and son faced one another
"I…" a mix of emotions crossed Raf's faceplates. His optics flickered over to Bumblebee, who somehow looked half his usual size from sheer shame. The former human's features firmed up as he came to a decision gazed down at his father; "I-I'm sorry but- but it was." Mr Esquivel's expression turned to stone, but Raf persisted; "The Decepticons were going to harm the world, the first time we came here they were going launch an invasion-"
"So it had to be you that went to war Rafael!?" Mrs Esquivel whipped around to demand an answer from her son. "You and what- two teenagers!?"
"Fowler was down, we were the only ones who could get into facility in time!" Raf blurted before his bravery failed him.
Mrs Esquivel's eyes bored into her son before she spoke again; "and then these 'Decepticons' took a picture of you and your friends didn't they? Then you were targets; that's the reason Agent Fowler gave us for why you had to stay with these 'Autobots'."
"Yeah…" Raf admitted, "but-"
"He neglected to explain something to me though." Mrs Esquivel cut over Raf, "just how did one of these Decepticons get so close they could see you, and not just-" her voice caught for a second before she pushed on, "-just kill you there and then- hm?" She threw an arm out towards him, "you're the smallest one here Rafael, and you could still crush me and any other human here in a second- so how exactly did a Decepticon catch you conducting espionage against them and not end you!?"
There was another moment of silence as the three former humans silently relieved those moments when Soundwave's appendage had simply carried the fire-ax away rather than bringing it down upon their collective heads.
"He… Soundwave…" Raf stalled. "… He let us go. We never found out why."
Mrs Esquivel silently stared at him, as if she was hoping he'd realise something. Finally she pointedly turned her unforgiving gaze to Fowler; "and what about after that?"
"Uh…" Agent Fowler unfolded his arms. "Excuse me?"
"From the way you explained our son's involvement with these Autobots, that was far from the last time they acted as part of their 'team'." She snapped. "Was that actually needed? Were you always 'incapacitated' when these Autobots happened to need human aid- or did the Government feel that one Agent and three children were enough for an interstellar war over our world!?"
"There's been… communication problems," Agent Fowler uncomfortably adjusted his tie. "Top Brass and the Team don't always see eye to eye-"
"Politics?" Mr Esquivel cut in.
"… Politics." Fowler admitted, his hands dropping to his sides.
A bitter laugh erupted from Mrs Esquivel's throat and she whirled back to Optimus again; "he's part of your war." Her hands clenched at her sides, "he's not my little boy anymore, he's your soldier now- he's not even-" she gasped, and Mr Esquivel was suddenly next to her- having crossed the space between them in the blink of an eye to hold her steady. Nonetheless she retained her glare up at Optimus; "can he even have a human life anymore? Go to school, get a job? Use one of those holograms to pretend to be like he was?"
She snapped out her demands one by one, but her eyes welled with tears she refused to release.
Optimus held himself steady, but vented before he spoke. "… No. Our holographic technology is too restrictive to participate in human society, and Rafael is now… one of us." He turned to Fowler for a moment, "while I will never compel any being to join our cause, the children now fall under the same terms of the agreement we Autobots hold with your government. They must all remain in disguise or seclusion from humanity for the foreseeable future, with only rare exceptions-"
"Including his family?" Mrs Esquivel snapped out, "c-can't we." She swallowed and studied herself," can't we take him home?"
"… Not at the present." Optimus reluctantly admitted, Mrs Esquivel's hand clenched around her husband's offered one, and Optimus allowed her a moment before he continued; "before he can be allowed outside of the base, Rafael must learn to live as a Cybertronian. We must teach him transform and disguise himself, how to-"
"Fight?" Mrs Esquivel interjected, her displeasure colouring her words.
"It would be absurd if we did not!" Ratchet finally stepped forwards, frustration leaking from his field and faceplates at the same time. The Esquivels turned to face him with stony expressions. "Like it or not Mrs Esquivel; we are at war. A war that has lasted since long before your species even existed against a Madman who kills entire worlds as a matter of course," he emphasised. "I can personally assure you; there is no conceivable future where Megatron would simply leave any Cybertronian who appeared on this world alone- even if he believed they were unaligned."
He threw a servo towards the three former humans, "the second he became aware of their existence, he would be on a warpath to either indoctrinate them into his ranks- or simply dispose of them if he realised their true origins." His denta were grit tight together. "With Megatron you are either for him, or an enemy-"
"Ratchet-"
The old medic failed to heed his Prime's words; "Rafael, Jack, Miko- like it or not they must all learn to defend themselves or they will become…." he trailed off as he finally realised he was looming over the couple. "… Casualties."
An uncomfortable silence hung after that last word, the Esquivels suddenly seeming every bit as small as their frames. They huddled together, Mrs Esquivel's features were still stern but she trembled slightly in her husbands arms, both the lips of both being pale and drawn together.
"I repeat," Optimus broke the silence and drew the room's attention back himself. The Esquivels turned, and found the mighty mech kneeling down as close to their level as he could manage. "I would never compel any being to join the Autobots. Though in time Rafael and his friends may choose to do so, or choose another path entirely; for now they are still children under our care regardless of their form.
They are our charges, not our recruits and we will protect them," he swore. "No matter the cost."
The Esquivels stared up at the solemn giant…
And Mrs Esquivel snorted- shortly followed by a biting laugh.
-"She laughed in Optimus Prime's face!?" Smokescreen demanded.
"She didn't exactly meet him under the best of circumstances," Arcee admitted. "Reverence and respect weren't really on the table."-
"Oh how kind of you to start!" She bitterly chortled, and her laughter took on a hysterical edge as she suddenly jerked away to look into her son's changed eyes. "He's only like this because you didn't!"
"Mom!" Raf gasped, and his words rushed forwards before he lost his nerve. "Optimus saved us- they all did- they're protecting everyone!"
"EXCEPT YOU RAFAEL!" She heaved, and her knees buckled. In a flash Mr Esquivel was at his wife's side again and she steadied herself with his offered arms. She looked up up again and pleaded; "don't you understand? Even before this- if everything Agent Fowler said was true- they let you put yourselves in danger, let you paint a target on your backs just by helping them…." she grit her teeth. "Fowler told me about why you were 'sick'."
Raf froze, and Mrs Esquivel pressed on; "that week when the world was 'ending'. We thought you were just sick and stressed, but you'd nearly died and we never even knew it." She cast her eyes over to Bumblebee who again looked away, "nearly died just because you were near him, near them." She piratically spat the words, and she almost growled the next; "now it doesn't matter if you wear that face of theirs or not- you're…."
She waved her free hand up to Rafael's new form, and she tightened her grip around her husband with the other. A tear rolled down her cheek, finally breaking free from the liquid between her eyelids.
Her lips however twitched up; "why are we even here?" She snickered, but it was a broken thing devoid of the humour humans and Cybertronians both enjoyed.
"Mom?" Raf's field burst with a hint of confusion… and a mix of worry and fearful loss.
"What are we going to do- what can we do?" Mrs Esquivel chuckled again and took in her son's full form again, "spank you? Ground you to your room?" She turned to her husband, "Gael, what do you think? How do we discipline our son?"
Mr Esquivel silently closed his eyes, but his wife had already turned back to Optimus without waiting for an answer. "It doesn't matter what we decide anymore does it?"
"Mrs Esquivel," Optimus' stoic demeanour broke just enough for the edges of his lips to turn down, "I understand that this is difficult, but-"
"No, no, no…" Mrs Esquivel cut him off with another spiteful laugh. "Raising a family on minimum wage is difficult, realising your child has an entire life you never knew about is difficult. This…." she stood on her own power once more and raised her arms to encompass the entire silo room, "this is impossible.
You," she pointed at him,"are a multi-story alien machine fighting a secret war the American government is colluding to cover up.
My son is now one of you.
Just what exactly would happen if I said I wanted him to come home with me tonight?" She advanced to the Prime, "would I be allowed to take him?"
Fowler intervened, "that wouldn't be a good-"
Mrs Esquivel whirled to face him, "can I take my son home Agent Fowler? Right now?" She demanded.
Fowler hesitated, and she laughed again, "of course I have to ask you; you and Mr Prime are the ones who choose what happens to my son now. If we tried to take him without permission, you'd stop us wouldn't you Agent Fowler?"
She advanced on the increasingly unconformable agent; "then if I complained too loudly, you'd stop that too. Maybe put us someplace nice and far away with the other inconvenient people."
Fowler's expression hardened, "Ma'am, that's not-"
"Then what would you do?" She stopped in front of him, eye to eye. "What would you do if we disagree with leaving our son in these Autobots care."
The Agent closed his eyes for a moment, "Ma'am, I'm sorry but this is for the best-"
"Of course it is, of course it is," Mrs Esquivel snickered, then pointedly turned her back on him, looking up at Optimus again; "of course it's for the best that Rafael lives however some aliens we'd never heard of yesterday choose. Why not?
We can't stop you, why pretend anything we want matters?" Another tear ran down her cheek. "Clearly he didn't care even before this."
"I… Mom, Dad…" Raf vented and stepped forwards, "I-I promise it wasn't like tha-"
"Who knew?" Mrs Esquivel cut her son off and pointedly looked anywhere but him, scanning around the room to find the other parents. "Did anyone know their children were involved in this?"
"We... only found out recently," Mr Nakadai spoke first. "Miko was in an entire other country on… exchange. When Agent Fowler contacted us, it was the first time we learnt about all of this."
"Hmn," Mrs Esquivel agreed, then her eyes flickered over to the silent nurse next to her own son. "But you did, didn't you Ms Darby?"
June blinked in surprise, "yes, for a while now." She admitted, and looked up to Jack. "I found out after one of the Decepticons attacked me."
Mrs Esquivel studied June's features for a moment, "I'm sorry to hear that." Her words were softer than they'd been since she'd entered the silo with her husband. "I also understand that I have you to thank for helping to save my son's life after he was attacked.
From one mother to another, you know that words cannot express my thanks." The quiet gratitude in her voice shifted to something hard as she continued. "But why in God's name would you let our children stay with them after that!?"
June drew in a heavy breath before answering; "it wasn't that simple. There are things that only the Autobots could protect them from, things that wouldn't just go away if I tried to separate them…" she looked to Bumblebee. "And they have protected them, protected me with everything they have-"
"Until this." Mrs Esquivel curtly interrupted her. "But either way, it wasn't your decision to make, not for Rafael. Not for my child." Her eyes flickered over to him. "… But apparently it wasn't ours either."
Raf's servo reached out to her- and she stared at him, daring him to say something- anything. But his words failed under her gaze and his outstretched arm faltered with them.
Her lips twisted as she took his new form in again; "is this really what you wanted Rafael?" She practically whispered, "you don't need to lie again; we don't have a choice in any of this anymore."
Raf field rippled out in shame, and a whimper escaped his vocaliser as he looked down at his peds.
She waited a full minute for him to speak up, but finally his mother just turned from him; "it's alright Rafael, it doesn't matter anymore." She briskly walked towards Optimus once more, tugging at her husband's jacket to draw him with her. "Mr Prime, despite everything else you haven't lied to me. I think Agent Fowler has been sparing with his story about everything that my son has been involved in." She grit her teeth, "would you be able to explain everything that happened to Rafael since he met your Autobots?"
Optimus vented, "of course," his optics briefly rested upon where Rafael was now being quietly supported by Bumblebee and his fellow former humans. "Please follow me, my quarters would be the best place for this."
"Ouch," Smokescreen winced, "I thought you said it could have gone worse?"
"Optimus has a way with words," Arcee remarked, "they weren't happy when they left his quarters, but the Esquivels… came to terms with the situation."
"So everything's fine now?"
"Well, they're not exactly thrilled about the situation," Arcee turned an optic towards the smallest of the three former organics. "But they've learnt to live with it." Her lips twitched up, "and they told June and the Nakadais some of their ideas about how they could still parent the kids..."
A/N:
Special thanks to Geosdad for Beta-reading.
Raf is surprisingly the hardest of the trio to write for beyond a surface level. In the show he's the human main character with the least development- even Fowler and June both get arcs of a sort, even they're short. Raf however never really goes beyond 'nice boy genius', which makes trying to extrapolate something like this far more difficult than with even Miko and her never-addressed home family.
Even things about his family are mostly fanon, so I had to build things from the ground up out of a single very blurry picture Raf presented to Ratchet about his family, and what little was established about Mrs Esquivel.
Still though, it has provided an opportunity for a very different family to present the harsher consequences of such a conversion. In Human-to-Cybertronian Prime fanfics, Raf's large family and the reality of his transformation have almost never been addressed in these kind of stories- and I only say 'almost' because I assume there might be some story I have yet to read- so here it became on opportunity to explore those areas.
Not quite where I expected to go when I wrote a oneshot about ball-based Cybertronian conversion, but I think it works out well enough. Most of the dialogue between Optimus and Mrs Esquivel was written so that it could apply to any scenario where Rafael became a Cybertronian anyway, so the core sillyness was put o the backseat for this chapter.
Unfortunately, this chapter while being hard to write also ballooned well past the expected word count; little Raf will be gettig two chapters where the others get one (though to be fair, Miko went and pinched a good third of this one anyway). Hopefully it will be out by the end of the month, but we shall see.
On a side note, my Beta-reader was kind enough to make a little omake based on their idea on how a certain scene could have played out:
Omake by Geosdad:
"What are we going to do- what can we do?" Mrs Esquivel chuckled again and took in her son's full form again, "spank you? Ground you to your room?" She turned to her husband, "Gael, what do you think? How do we discipline our son?"
Mr. Esquivel brings a finger to his chin and thinks for a couple seconds before an idea popped up. He takes out his trusty Home & Yards magazine from his back pocket to a page he's marked down.
"You said he can transform into any vehicle, can he transform into this?" Optimus and the autobots stood shoulder to shoulder to observe the page marked before them. Ratchet nodded his head with a smile.
"Easily!"
...
"This is so embarrassing..." the youngest member replied as his treads were getting stained green from newly cut grass, Mr..Esquivel wearing his shades leaned back, drinking his imported alcoholic beverage. "We needed a new lawnmower for a while hijo!"
"What you needed to do was keep it clean before it got rusted! I have to clean myself after this you know!" Rafael's new form, decided on by his parents was a tractor style lawnmower. He asked Ratchet if he could change after or pick another alt form but learned it was only possible after a complicated procedure involving more energon than they have at the moment.