(Please see all previous disclaimers)
"Well now that the air is clear…. Did they give you a good fragging? You looked like you needed one?" Aquaformer teased, a glint in her optic. Lancex blushed something fierce. She had hit a bit of a sore spot, but had done so gently. Still, he didn't want to answer. "I take it that means that did Frag the stress out of you?"
"Kind of like your mates put stress into you?" Lancex shot back, as two could play at this game.
Aquaformer pretended to be offended but wasn't really, "so when is the official bonding ceremony?" Aquaformer asked,
"When was yours?" Lancex shot back.
"When you were still trying to figure out your way around this base" Aquaformer answered. "So when are they going to have you help increase the population? I can't do it alone."
Lancex wanted to bite back, but he realized she was only teasing him because she wanted the best for him. "You know my heat isn't due yet."
"Can't wait to see how you will be once sparked" Aquaformer replied, "hopefully not as big as me."
"I know bots get bigger when sparked, but why are you so big?" Lancex asked, curious.
"Because I carry at least four between two development chambers" Aquaformer replied, and once that came out, even the submissive mech Lancex felt his systems react to the sparked femme in the room. Aquaformer sighed, she hadn't seen that coming. And the tow continued to talk like old friends.
Meanwhile, elsewhere with the dinobots, Grimlock held his helm high and annouced to this dinobot brethren that he had finally claimed Lancex. The others congratulated him. Grimlock told them that he expected them to respect his new mates. They agreed to do so.
And yet elsewhere in the base, Optimus and Cosmos had finally rounded up everyone involved in the cockamamie scheme except Aquaformer. "I want answers and explanations" Optimus annouced, with Cosmos staying just behind a Prime. "We're you all involved in the plan that Aquaformer suggested?"
"Which one?" Ultra Magnus asked, as Aquaformer had planned lots of things.
"Of the plan involving myself, Lancex, Grimlock, and Cosmos?" Optimus mentioned.
"Why does it matter Prime?" Ratchet asked trying to deflect.
"I know you were involved, Ratchet. How else would we be caught in the med bay of all places" Optimus retorted. Ratchet just shrugged, as it made no difference to him.
"I had no part in this scheme" Prowl uttered.
"Other than allowing your mates to participate" Optimus shot back.
"Optimus, have you considered why Aquaformer may have done this?" Skyfire and Mirage asked.
"Does it really matter why? I am not pleased about this at all" Optimus stated.
"Even if bringing you four together would ease the tension in the base?" Jazz asked.
Cosmos and Optimus looked at each other, confused. "What do you mean, Jazz?" Optimus demanded to know.
"The only reason many of us agreed to help Aquaformer with this crazy plan was that she told us of all the tension she had seen in the base, how bots were walking around on egg shells so to speak to avoid making you and Grimlock mad. She showed us how things were going sideways. When she suggested having you four finally bond might fix it, we agreed to help" Jazz answered.
Optimus sighed. He had no idea things had gotten that crazy. Cosmos rubbed Optimus' lower back out of support. "I still don't like that this was done behind my back, but if she really was seeing that, I guess I can't blame her." The others just nodded, as it was all they could do.