< Transformers > YMPT: Meet the Dinobots
Title: You and Me...Plus Two?: Meet The Dinobots
Chapter: 1/1
Authors: crazedwolf and cloud_sama
Rating: G
Series: Transformers (Mostly G1 based)
Characters: Wheeljack, Ratchet, OCs, Grimlock, Slag, Snarl, Sludge, Swoop, Paddles
Warnings: I guess OCs would be a warning..nothing else as of right now.
Summary: Sparklings and Dinobots are a dangerous combination.
Author's Notes:
Hello Hello! =D We're back with the first of many stories to come in the “You and Me...Plus Two?” series! There were a lot of requests for this sort of thing, so the Dinobots are first up!
Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!
"Oh Ratch', come on! They won't hurt 'em!" Wheeljack whined a bit as his fins flashed, the inventor tugging on the CMO's servo a bit as he attempted to give him the best 'puppy eyes' that he could. "They'll be as gentle as can be with the lil ones, I promise!"
Oblivious to the serious conversation that was going on with his parents, Steam Rider was plopped down on the ground playing with some toys that Wheeljack had designed for them, steaming billowing out of his mask every now and then. Both sparklings had been developing wonderfully under the watchful eye of their creators and caretakers, speech coming easily to them just like many of the other functions they'd need to learn down the line. They were much better about strangers now as well, Velocity warming up to most of the others without hesitation and Steam Rider following along at his own pace; he was interacting and that's what mattered most!
There...was just a certain group of bots that they had yet to meet and Wheeljack thought it was about time they did.
Ratchet, on the other hand....
"Absolutely not! They don't even have the common sense to be gentle with big bots or equipment. They'd crush the sparkling!" the CMO exclaimed irately.
"They do too! They just..choose...not to most of the time!" Wheeljack shot back, fins flashing in a sort of indignant way. "They'll be good, I promise!"
"Small brains, 'Jack," Ratchet reminded him. Huffing a bit, the inventor let go of Ratchet's servo, crossing his arms over his chestplate.
"You're being mean, Ratch'. Let's just give it a try! They have to meet 'em sometime!"
"When they're bigger," he put his foot down on the subject. Optics dimming a bit, Wheeljack glared halfheartedly before he looked away, shoulders hunching some. Realizing now that something was going on, Steamer looked up, processor tilted, a soft squeak escaping him. The squeak caught Ratchet's attention, and he lowered himself to the ground in a sitting position across from Steam Rider, reaching over to rub the little mech's helm.
"Nothing to worry about, Steamer. Just had to settle a difference in ideas."
The little bot squeaked again, looking to Wheeljack then back to Ratchet as he leaned into the touch a bit. A chirp escaped him as he nodded slightly, rocking forward then scooting across the floor until he was able to crawl into the CMO's lap.
"Always so pushy..." Wheeljack murmured, obviously rather depressed over not being able to let his 'children' all meet, the inventor sighing as he rubbed at the back of his helm some and glanced around. "Where's Velocity at?"
Cue an angry sounding roar right...about...here.
The question, in correlation with the roar, made Ratchet's spark nearly stop. In a flash he was up, Steam Rider scooped into his arms, and running towards the sound of the noise, Wheeljack right on his heels as the sparkling let out a confused and scared series of chirps.
"RAAARRRR!!" Velocity, in the Dinobot's den, roared as ferociously as he could back at the Dinobot king, glaring like an angry raptor and balling his little servos into fists at his side. Grimlock stared down the little, and I mean very little in comparison, bot, optics narrowed as his tail swung back and forth irritably. Behind the Dinobot king, the others were all watching, though Snarl was more sulking than anything else, while Slag just snorted and stomped the ground, looking
ready to jump in should he need to.
"Little bot no sound like king to Grimlock!" the t-rex finally proclaimed, little clawed-servos curling and uncurling as he lowered his head down and let out a loud snort at Velocity. "Little bot too tiny to be king." Velocity blinked at the burst of air, but his fierce expression returned quickly enough, and he snorted back.
"Me is too king!" he insisted, stomping one foot. Swoop was watching carefully from his perch, ready to snatch the little one from harm's way should his leader show too much aggression, and Sludge was slowly moving forward, bumping past the others so he could see right over Grimlock's head with his long neck. The water of a nearby pool stirred, but nothing was visible on the dark surface.
Ratchet came to a nearly screeching halt at the entrance to the den, waiting to see what happened, since rushing in could upset Grimlock even more. Curled up in Ratchet's arms, Steam Rider looked terrified as he saw the towering figures, letting out a loud chirp and ducking down to hide himself as best he could. Behind the pair, Wheeljack skid to a halt, grabbing ahold of the CMO for balance as he looked at the group before them.
"Grimlock! Back down!" The Dinobot king had been about to snap his jaws at Velocity in a bout of anger but, hearing Wheeljack made him pause, a low, angry sound bubbling in his vocal processor.
"Me Grimlock no like little bot! Little bot stupid!"
"Not as stupid as you, Grimlock," Slag pipped up in a huff, tossing his head a bit.
"You Slag stupid too!"
"Slag is stupid," a voice came from the pool as a yellow head and part of a long neck emerged, nodding to enhance his agreement.
Turning himself around, tail lashing violently, Slag glared at the pool of water than now contained a head, tossing his head once more as he stomped the ground and let out an angry snort.
"Me Slag hate you stupid water thing!" he growled, fire licking at his snout as he dropped his head and charged the water.
Ratchet rolled his optics, passing Steam Rider off to Wheeljack and striding forward to grab Velocity, who made a disapproving noise and began to struggle against his bonds.
"No! Me Veloc-... Vel-os-i-dy-rap.... rap-dor!" He protested. "Me king!"
"Velocity, you're not a--Ratch' watch--" Wheeljack didn't get to finish as Grimlock moved forward, nudging the CMO with his head and growling.
"No take little bot! Me, Grimlock, not done being King to little bot!" Ratchet stumbled forward a few steps, then glared back at the T-Rex.
"He's just a sparkling, Grimlock. He's sorry he offended you, and now I'm going to take him out of your way, alright?"
Over by the pool of water, the aquatic Dinobot let out a small "eep!" and slipped back under the water once more. Swoop, having been startled by Slag's sudden action, took off into the air, flapping a few times before he landed beside Grimlock.
There was really no uniting the Dinobots, and especially no uniting their attention. Sludge seemed to have picked up on the pass-off, and his large neck swiveled around slowly so he could get his head right up near Steam Rider.
And while everything else was going on, Slag, unable to stop himself once he got going, tried to get some traction before he hit the edge of the water and failed, tumbling head first into the murky depths that was home to Paddles. Said dinobot's head and neck emerged from the water once more, and he stared down at the ripples where Slag had just fallen in, making no move to help the Tricerabot. In fact, he looked rather amused.
"Me Grimlock--" He paused, head lifting as he looked over at the water then focused on Ratchet again. "--Me Grimlock need to show little bot who real king is! He stupid and no know!"
"Grimlock that's not very--Sludge!" The inventor backed away from the curious bot as Steamer let out a loud squeak of terror, scrambling to get himself up on his creator's shoulder to hide behind his processor. "Ah! Steamer! Steamer ya' gotta be careful!" Sludge frowned and backed off a touch, but still remained relatively close, watching Steam Rider curiously.
Swoop came closer to Ratchet now and raised one wing to shield the CMO and his charge from Grimlock. "Grimlock leave Ratchet alone!" he insisted.
"Swoop no leader! Me leader and me Grimlock say move!" the rex announced with a roar, jaws snapping angrily as Wheeljack attempted to get Steam Rider back into his arms, tossing worried glances towards the pool of water while the others argued.
"There!" he said as he got the frantic little one settled against his sparkcase, looking up and past Sludge back towards the water. "Paddles! Help Slag out!" Paddles frowned, then dipped his head under begrudgingly to grab Slag by the crest with his mouth, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground outside the pool.
Back with the others...
"No. Swoop no move," he said firmly, crossing his wings over his chest like a bot would their arms.
Velocity was still struggling up a storm in Ratchet's arms, and he finally managed to launch himself from the medbot and land on Swoop, crawling up to his shoulder to glare at Grimlock. "Me say stay!" Swoop completely froze, afraid if he moved the little bot might fall. Startled by the movements of Velocity, Grimlock jerked back a bit then growled, little servos curling as he leaned over, snout close to both Swoop and the sparkling.
"Little bot no have say! Little bot little, no king!" he growled, leaning in a bit closer to blow out a snort. "Grimlock big king! Me real king!"
Having let out a sigh of relief as Slag was tossed onto the ground, the inventor made his way over as the tricerabot transformed into his robot mode, sprawled on his back as he groaned.
"Slag no like water..." he grumbled, glaring at the ceiling. Wheeljack's fins flashed a bit as he glanced at Ratchet then back to Slag, kneeling down beside the soaked bot.
"It's not that bad. Are ya' alright?"
"Me Slag fine. Me Slag hate stupid water thing."
"I figured as much,” he said fondly, patting the dinobot's arm then looking back at the others, fins dimming moments before Paddles made a rather large splash in response to Slag's last comment, soaking the tricerabot, inventor, and sparkling in one go.
There was just no getting along was there?
Ratchet might have been a little more concerned with Slag if he wasn't so worried that Grimlock was going to eat his sparkling and the head of his favorite Dinobot.
"Velocity, knock it off!" He ordered in a firm, reprimanding tone that clearly spelled no dessert for a week and made the sparkling cower.
"Sorry.... You king," he conceded, looking down at the ground and curling up on a still frozen Swoop's shoulder.
Grimlock let out a satisfied sound, lifting himself up to his full height once more as he puffed his chest out (or tried to at least) and rumbled happily.
"Me Grimlock best king!"
"Yes and bein' a good king means not fightin' anymore, okay?" Wheeljack spoke up as he stood, gently wiping off Steamer's helm and faceplate. "Steamer and Velocity are family, and ya' have to be nice to family."
"Me, Snarl, like little bots," the loner Dinobot finally spoke up from his corner, surprising the other Dinobots, having been watching the whole thing quietly.
"Me Swoop do too." Swoop agreed, nodding very lightly as he eyed Velocity, who was shifting down to take a seat with his legs dangling over the pterabot's shoulders. Sludge nodded, having shifted once more so he could follow Wheeljack and Steam Rider with his head. Slag rolled himself over and started to climb to his feet, lip components pulled into a light sneer as he glared at Snarl then at Swoop...but nodded all the same.
"They not bad...they make Grimlock angry so me like them."
"No! Me Grimlock like them! They no make me angry!" the Dinobot king growled, glaring at the transformed Slag as Wheeljack edged his way over to Ratchet.
"So you're not going to try to eat them?" Ratchet asked bluntly, trying to ascertain the safety of the sparklings with the bunch.
Attention focusing on Ratchet now, argument momentarily forgotten, Grimlock and Slag shook their processors, the tricerabot crossing his arms over his chestplate.
"No," they said in unison, quickly exchanging glares.
"Swoop not let little bots be hurt," the flier assured the medic, nuzzling Velocity lightly, causing the white and silver mechling to scoot a touch further away from his head, frowning a touch. He wasn't fond of affection when he was in a sulky or defensive mood.
"Good. Ah, well I guess introductions are in order.... Everyone, this is Steam Rider and Velocity," he began, gesturing to the sparklings in turn. "V, Steamer, this is Grimlock, Swoop, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, and Paddles."
Steam Rider, who had been confused by the sudden appearance of another bot-bot, was watching Slag with a tilted processor from the safety of Wheeljack's hold as introductions were made. The mechling squeaked faintly and lifted a servo in a slight wave before ducking down again as Snarl crept closer to look at him.
"It's okay, Steamer," Wheeljack assured him with a gentle gaze, looking over at Velocity. "Say hi, lil guy!"
"Hhiiii," Velocity greeted dully, waving half-sparkedly. He was still angry that Ratchet had ended his game.
"I think someone needs a break from all this," Wheeljack commented as Steam Rider peered over the inventor's arms at Snarl.
"....Hilo," he said softly, opening and closing a servo in an odd sort of wave gesture which made Snarl perk up a bit, tail wagging slightly.
"Nooooo," Velocity whined, staring pleadingly at his creator. "I wanna staaaaay!"
"Then shape up," Ratchet concluded for his mate.
"'Kay..." Not one to go unnoticed, Sludge once again closed in on Wheeljack, bumping his big head gently into the inventor which caused Wheeljack to sway slightly, the mech flailing his free arm slightly to keep his balance as Steam Rider squeaked loudly.
"Sludge! Ya' have to be careful!" the inventor said as he turned and rested a servo on the Dinobot's head. "I know you're there, I promise!"
"Sorry," Sludge grumbled, lowering his head a touch in an apologetic gesture. Ever the soft-sparked bot, Wheeljack moved a bit closer, bumping his processor against Sludge's.
"Hey, don't apologize! Just be gentle okay?" he said as his fins flashed. The inventor received a happy nuzzle from the long-necked dinobot in return.
"Sparklings are Creators'?" Swoop finally asked, turning to look between Wheeljack and Ratchet. The inventor looked over and nodded, gazing down at Steam Rider.
“Ya', they're ours.”
"So little bots are me Grimlock and other dino-bots brothers?" the Dinobot king spoke up, having been thinking very hard about everything that was being talked about apparently.
"Erm... Well I suppose, in a way," Ratchet said hesitantly. He wasn't too fond of the idea of calling the Dinobots his children, but someone had gotten the idea in their heads and they hadn't let it go.
Grimlock went quiet with thought before he nodded suddenly, a low rumble in his vocal processor.
"Me Grimlock say Dinobots protect little bots forever! No one ever hurt little bots or me Grimlock destroy them!" Behind him, Slag snorted and rolled his optics a bit, unimpressed by the supposed king's proclaimation but he said nothing to object as Snarl wagged his tail happily and leaned into Wheeljack's side opposite where Sludge was.
Swoop squawked in agreement and nodded, pulling Velocity down off his shoulder and craddling him against his chest protectively, much to Velocity's dismay.
Once again, Paddle's head emerged from the water, but this time it was followed by the rest of his body as the Pleisiosaur dinobot emerged onto land to get a better look at the little ones. Upon looking them over, he smiled and nodded. "We Dino-bots keep them good safe!"
Very pleased with the turn of events, and shooting Ratchet a 'I told you so!' look, Wheeljack reached down with his free servo to pat Snarl's head as Steam Rider stared over at Paddles.
"Glad to hear it!" he said happily before looking to the CMO again. "See? Nothin' to worry 'bout!"
The older bot rolled his optics, letting out a heavy sigh. "Alright, you win."
"We play with brothers?" Sludge asked, looking at Steam Rider, then Velocity. Glancing down at the sparkling in his arms, Wheeljack tilted his processor a bit in a questioning manner. Steam Rider shrank down a bit then looked over at all the Dinobots one at a time, thinking carefully before he blew out a bit of steam and nodded.
"...Kay," he murmured, processor turning as he looked over at Velocity. "Right?"
Velocity seemed to do the same, looking at the ones he hadn't come in direct contact with just yet, and then nodded. "Right."
"Then it's settled!" Kneeling down to set Steamer on the ground, Wheeljack gave him an affectionate pat on the helm, fins flashing. "Go on and have fun lil' guy." The mechling swayed some, looking up at Wheeljack before his gaze focused on Sludge and, after a moment, he lifted his arms, reaching for the big bot.
"We play now!" Grimlock announced in a happy roar of sorts, moving over to get closer to Swoop and Velocity, the older bots forgotten now.
There was an advantage to every situation, one just had to find it. Ratchet was pretty sure he'd just found the advantage here. "We're going back to the lab. Keep them safe and don't leave this area, alright?" he ordered the Dinobots, not that any were really paying attention to him. "C'mon, Jack, let's go," he urged his partner, turning to leave the den.
Wheeljack blinked but followed, waving goodbye to his creations as he went, optics focusing on Ratchet once he was out.
"What's up, Ratch'?"
"I want you to myself," he purred, dragging Wheeljack away and off to their quarters.
-
A couple joors later...
Having fallen asleep for...various reasons...Ratchet and Wheeljack would be woken up by the sounds of distorted crying and something crawling up onto the berth rather awkwardly, said something plopping down on the CMO's chest with a sad little whimper.
"Pop--Poppa!" Steam Rider whimpered, chestplate heaving as steam poured out of his faceplate.
Ratchet groaned at the interruption of what was supposed to be uninterrupted rest, cracking his optics open slightly to glare groggily at the sparkling on his chest. "Wha-whoa!" he startled, sitting up a touch, but not enough to throw Steam Rider off.
"Huh?" Wheeljack shifted, optics flickering back to life as he focused on the sparkling...and promptly sad up as well. "Steamer what happened?!"
The little sparkling looked like he had fallen into a human garbage can or something, the outer, canvas-like part of what makes up an umbrella stuck over his processor, one of his arms stuck up in it from where he had tried to get it off. In his other servo he was clutching what looked like a watergun for some unknown reason.
"Vel--Velocity said--He said I was--was a dilafa--dilafasoar-us!" he whimpered loudly, more steam pouring out of his mask.
This new information on Steam Rider's predicament was met with a blank stared for a moment before Ratchet glared over at his mate. "They're your sparklings."
"Our sparklings," the inventor said firmly, glaring at him before reaching over to scoop Steamer up. "Where's Velocity at now, lil' one?"
"Glu--gluin' fea'ers to his processor."
".... nope, definitely yours."
"Ratchet!" Glaring at the CMO, Wheeljack pushed himself up with the sparkling in his arms, heading back for the lab. "It's gonna be alright lil' guy, I pro--Ohhh Primus." Stopping just inside the lab, the inventor stared at the other sparkling perched on top of one of the tables, feathers strewn about around him.
"Velocity what..."
"I'mma raptor!" he announced happily, hopping down from his place on the table. He had a surprisingly nice crest of mismatched feathers taped to his head, and tied around his waist was a strap that was attached to a cardboard tail of sorts. On his feet were glued cut-out siclical claws to complete the ensemble.
He pointed to the feathers proudly. "I'm scien-tific-ly correct!"
"....That ya' are lil' guy," the inventor said as he tried his best not to laugh, fins flickering some. "I think ya' need to go show poppa."
"Kay!" Velocity grinned, running off with his arms tucked close to his chest, leaning forward into the run slightly and making chirping noises as he disappeared from view.
Ratchet was not going to be quite so happy about the sight....but it would be so worth it.
Chapter: 1/1
Authors: crazedwolf and cloud_sama
Rating: G
Series: Transformers (Mostly G1 based)
Characters: Wheeljack, Ratchet, OCs, Grimlock, Slag, Snarl, Sludge, Swoop, Paddles
Warnings: I guess OCs would be a warning..nothing else as of right now.
Summary: Sparklings and Dinobots are a dangerous combination.
Author's Notes:
Hello Hello! =D We're back with the first of many stories to come in the “You and Me...Plus Two?” series! There were a lot of requests for this sort of thing, so the Dinobots are first up!
Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!
"Oh Ratch', come on! They won't hurt 'em!" Wheeljack whined a bit as his fins flashed, the inventor tugging on the CMO's servo a bit as he attempted to give him the best 'puppy eyes' that he could. "They'll be as gentle as can be with the lil ones, I promise!"
Oblivious to the serious conversation that was going on with his parents, Steam Rider was plopped down on the ground playing with some toys that Wheeljack had designed for them, steaming billowing out of his mask every now and then. Both sparklings had been developing wonderfully under the watchful eye of their creators and caretakers, speech coming easily to them just like many of the other functions they'd need to learn down the line. They were much better about strangers now as well, Velocity warming up to most of the others without hesitation and Steam Rider following along at his own pace; he was interacting and that's what mattered most!
There...was just a certain group of bots that they had yet to meet and Wheeljack thought it was about time they did.
Ratchet, on the other hand....
"Absolutely not! They don't even have the common sense to be gentle with big bots or equipment. They'd crush the sparkling!" the CMO exclaimed irately.
"They do too! They just..choose...not to most of the time!" Wheeljack shot back, fins flashing in a sort of indignant way. "They'll be good, I promise!"
"Small brains, 'Jack," Ratchet reminded him. Huffing a bit, the inventor let go of Ratchet's servo, crossing his arms over his chestplate.
"You're being mean, Ratch'. Let's just give it a try! They have to meet 'em sometime!"
"When they're bigger," he put his foot down on the subject. Optics dimming a bit, Wheeljack glared halfheartedly before he looked away, shoulders hunching some. Realizing now that something was going on, Steamer looked up, processor tilted, a soft squeak escaping him. The squeak caught Ratchet's attention, and he lowered himself to the ground in a sitting position across from Steam Rider, reaching over to rub the little mech's helm.
"Nothing to worry about, Steamer. Just had to settle a difference in ideas."
The little bot squeaked again, looking to Wheeljack then back to Ratchet as he leaned into the touch a bit. A chirp escaped him as he nodded slightly, rocking forward then scooting across the floor until he was able to crawl into the CMO's lap.
"Always so pushy..." Wheeljack murmured, obviously rather depressed over not being able to let his 'children' all meet, the inventor sighing as he rubbed at the back of his helm some and glanced around. "Where's Velocity at?"
Cue an angry sounding roar right...about...here.
The question, in correlation with the roar, made Ratchet's spark nearly stop. In a flash he was up, Steam Rider scooped into his arms, and running towards the sound of the noise, Wheeljack right on his heels as the sparkling let out a confused and scared series of chirps.
"RAAARRRR!!" Velocity, in the Dinobot's den, roared as ferociously as he could back at the Dinobot king, glaring like an angry raptor and balling his little servos into fists at his side. Grimlock stared down the little, and I mean very little in comparison, bot, optics narrowed as his tail swung back and forth irritably. Behind the Dinobot king, the others were all watching, though Snarl was more sulking than anything else, while Slag just snorted and stomped the ground, looking
ready to jump in should he need to.
"Little bot no sound like king to Grimlock!" the t-rex finally proclaimed, little clawed-servos curling and uncurling as he lowered his head down and let out a loud snort at Velocity. "Little bot too tiny to be king." Velocity blinked at the burst of air, but his fierce expression returned quickly enough, and he snorted back.
"Me is too king!" he insisted, stomping one foot. Swoop was watching carefully from his perch, ready to snatch the little one from harm's way should his leader show too much aggression, and Sludge was slowly moving forward, bumping past the others so he could see right over Grimlock's head with his long neck. The water of a nearby pool stirred, but nothing was visible on the dark surface.
Ratchet came to a nearly screeching halt at the entrance to the den, waiting to see what happened, since rushing in could upset Grimlock even more. Curled up in Ratchet's arms, Steam Rider looked terrified as he saw the towering figures, letting out a loud chirp and ducking down to hide himself as best he could. Behind the pair, Wheeljack skid to a halt, grabbing ahold of the CMO for balance as he looked at the group before them.
"Grimlock! Back down!" The Dinobot king had been about to snap his jaws at Velocity in a bout of anger but, hearing Wheeljack made him pause, a low, angry sound bubbling in his vocal processor.
"Me Grimlock no like little bot! Little bot stupid!"
"Not as stupid as you, Grimlock," Slag pipped up in a huff, tossing his head a bit.
"You Slag stupid too!"
"Slag is stupid," a voice came from the pool as a yellow head and part of a long neck emerged, nodding to enhance his agreement.
Turning himself around, tail lashing violently, Slag glared at the pool of water than now contained a head, tossing his head once more as he stomped the ground and let out an angry snort.
"Me Slag hate you stupid water thing!" he growled, fire licking at his snout as he dropped his head and charged the water.
Ratchet rolled his optics, passing Steam Rider off to Wheeljack and striding forward to grab Velocity, who made a disapproving noise and began to struggle against his bonds.
"No! Me Veloc-... Vel-os-i-dy-rap.... rap-dor!" He protested. "Me king!"
"Velocity, you're not a--Ratch' watch--" Wheeljack didn't get to finish as Grimlock moved forward, nudging the CMO with his head and growling.
"No take little bot! Me, Grimlock, not done being King to little bot!" Ratchet stumbled forward a few steps, then glared back at the T-Rex.
"He's just a sparkling, Grimlock. He's sorry he offended you, and now I'm going to take him out of your way, alright?"
Over by the pool of water, the aquatic Dinobot let out a small "eep!" and slipped back under the water once more. Swoop, having been startled by Slag's sudden action, took off into the air, flapping a few times before he landed beside Grimlock.
There was really no uniting the Dinobots, and especially no uniting their attention. Sludge seemed to have picked up on the pass-off, and his large neck swiveled around slowly so he could get his head right up near Steam Rider.
And while everything else was going on, Slag, unable to stop himself once he got going, tried to get some traction before he hit the edge of the water and failed, tumbling head first into the murky depths that was home to Paddles. Said dinobot's head and neck emerged from the water once more, and he stared down at the ripples where Slag had just fallen in, making no move to help the Tricerabot. In fact, he looked rather amused.
"Me Grimlock--" He paused, head lifting as he looked over at the water then focused on Ratchet again. "--Me Grimlock need to show little bot who real king is! He stupid and no know!"
"Grimlock that's not very--Sludge!" The inventor backed away from the curious bot as Steamer let out a loud squeak of terror, scrambling to get himself up on his creator's shoulder to hide behind his processor. "Ah! Steamer! Steamer ya' gotta be careful!" Sludge frowned and backed off a touch, but still remained relatively close, watching Steam Rider curiously.
Swoop came closer to Ratchet now and raised one wing to shield the CMO and his charge from Grimlock. "Grimlock leave Ratchet alone!" he insisted.
"Swoop no leader! Me leader and me Grimlock say move!" the rex announced with a roar, jaws snapping angrily as Wheeljack attempted to get Steam Rider back into his arms, tossing worried glances towards the pool of water while the others argued.
"There!" he said as he got the frantic little one settled against his sparkcase, looking up and past Sludge back towards the water. "Paddles! Help Slag out!" Paddles frowned, then dipped his head under begrudgingly to grab Slag by the crest with his mouth, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground outside the pool.
Back with the others...
"No. Swoop no move," he said firmly, crossing his wings over his chest like a bot would their arms.
Velocity was still struggling up a storm in Ratchet's arms, and he finally managed to launch himself from the medbot and land on Swoop, crawling up to his shoulder to glare at Grimlock. "Me say stay!" Swoop completely froze, afraid if he moved the little bot might fall. Startled by the movements of Velocity, Grimlock jerked back a bit then growled, little servos curling as he leaned over, snout close to both Swoop and the sparkling.
"Little bot no have say! Little bot little, no king!" he growled, leaning in a bit closer to blow out a snort. "Grimlock big king! Me real king!"
Having let out a sigh of relief as Slag was tossed onto the ground, the inventor made his way over as the tricerabot transformed into his robot mode, sprawled on his back as he groaned.
"Slag no like water..." he grumbled, glaring at the ceiling. Wheeljack's fins flashed a bit as he glanced at Ratchet then back to Slag, kneeling down beside the soaked bot.
"It's not that bad. Are ya' alright?"
"Me Slag fine. Me Slag hate stupid water thing."
"I figured as much,” he said fondly, patting the dinobot's arm then looking back at the others, fins dimming moments before Paddles made a rather large splash in response to Slag's last comment, soaking the tricerabot, inventor, and sparkling in one go.
There was just no getting along was there?
Ratchet might have been a little more concerned with Slag if he wasn't so worried that Grimlock was going to eat his sparkling and the head of his favorite Dinobot.
"Velocity, knock it off!" He ordered in a firm, reprimanding tone that clearly spelled no dessert for a week and made the sparkling cower.
"Sorry.... You king," he conceded, looking down at the ground and curling up on a still frozen Swoop's shoulder.
Grimlock let out a satisfied sound, lifting himself up to his full height once more as he puffed his chest out (or tried to at least) and rumbled happily.
"Me Grimlock best king!"
"Yes and bein' a good king means not fightin' anymore, okay?" Wheeljack spoke up as he stood, gently wiping off Steamer's helm and faceplate. "Steamer and Velocity are family, and ya' have to be nice to family."
"Me, Snarl, like little bots," the loner Dinobot finally spoke up from his corner, surprising the other Dinobots, having been watching the whole thing quietly.
"Me Swoop do too." Swoop agreed, nodding very lightly as he eyed Velocity, who was shifting down to take a seat with his legs dangling over the pterabot's shoulders. Sludge nodded, having shifted once more so he could follow Wheeljack and Steam Rider with his head. Slag rolled himself over and started to climb to his feet, lip components pulled into a light sneer as he glared at Snarl then at Swoop...but nodded all the same.
"They not bad...they make Grimlock angry so me like them."
"No! Me Grimlock like them! They no make me angry!" the Dinobot king growled, glaring at the transformed Slag as Wheeljack edged his way over to Ratchet.
"So you're not going to try to eat them?" Ratchet asked bluntly, trying to ascertain the safety of the sparklings with the bunch.
Attention focusing on Ratchet now, argument momentarily forgotten, Grimlock and Slag shook their processors, the tricerabot crossing his arms over his chestplate.
"No," they said in unison, quickly exchanging glares.
"Swoop not let little bots be hurt," the flier assured the medic, nuzzling Velocity lightly, causing the white and silver mechling to scoot a touch further away from his head, frowning a touch. He wasn't fond of affection when he was in a sulky or defensive mood.
"Good. Ah, well I guess introductions are in order.... Everyone, this is Steam Rider and Velocity," he began, gesturing to the sparklings in turn. "V, Steamer, this is Grimlock, Swoop, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, and Paddles."
Steam Rider, who had been confused by the sudden appearance of another bot-bot, was watching Slag with a tilted processor from the safety of Wheeljack's hold as introductions were made. The mechling squeaked faintly and lifted a servo in a slight wave before ducking down again as Snarl crept closer to look at him.
"It's okay, Steamer," Wheeljack assured him with a gentle gaze, looking over at Velocity. "Say hi, lil guy!"
"Hhiiii," Velocity greeted dully, waving half-sparkedly. He was still angry that Ratchet had ended his game.
"I think someone needs a break from all this," Wheeljack commented as Steam Rider peered over the inventor's arms at Snarl.
"....Hilo," he said softly, opening and closing a servo in an odd sort of wave gesture which made Snarl perk up a bit, tail wagging slightly.
"Nooooo," Velocity whined, staring pleadingly at his creator. "I wanna staaaaay!"
"Then shape up," Ratchet concluded for his mate.
"'Kay..." Not one to go unnoticed, Sludge once again closed in on Wheeljack, bumping his big head gently into the inventor which caused Wheeljack to sway slightly, the mech flailing his free arm slightly to keep his balance as Steam Rider squeaked loudly.
"Sludge! Ya' have to be careful!" the inventor said as he turned and rested a servo on the Dinobot's head. "I know you're there, I promise!"
"Sorry," Sludge grumbled, lowering his head a touch in an apologetic gesture. Ever the soft-sparked bot, Wheeljack moved a bit closer, bumping his processor against Sludge's.
"Hey, don't apologize! Just be gentle okay?" he said as his fins flashed. The inventor received a happy nuzzle from the long-necked dinobot in return.
"Sparklings are Creators'?" Swoop finally asked, turning to look between Wheeljack and Ratchet. The inventor looked over and nodded, gazing down at Steam Rider.
“Ya', they're ours.”
"So little bots are me Grimlock and other dino-bots brothers?" the Dinobot king spoke up, having been thinking very hard about everything that was being talked about apparently.
"Erm... Well I suppose, in a way," Ratchet said hesitantly. He wasn't too fond of the idea of calling the Dinobots his children, but someone had gotten the idea in their heads and they hadn't let it go.
Grimlock went quiet with thought before he nodded suddenly, a low rumble in his vocal processor.
"Me Grimlock say Dinobots protect little bots forever! No one ever hurt little bots or me Grimlock destroy them!" Behind him, Slag snorted and rolled his optics a bit, unimpressed by the supposed king's proclaimation but he said nothing to object as Snarl wagged his tail happily and leaned into Wheeljack's side opposite where Sludge was.
Swoop squawked in agreement and nodded, pulling Velocity down off his shoulder and craddling him against his chest protectively, much to Velocity's dismay.
Once again, Paddle's head emerged from the water, but this time it was followed by the rest of his body as the Pleisiosaur dinobot emerged onto land to get a better look at the little ones. Upon looking them over, he smiled and nodded. "We Dino-bots keep them good safe!"
Very pleased with the turn of events, and shooting Ratchet a 'I told you so!' look, Wheeljack reached down with his free servo to pat Snarl's head as Steam Rider stared over at Paddles.
"Glad to hear it!" he said happily before looking to the CMO again. "See? Nothin' to worry 'bout!"
The older bot rolled his optics, letting out a heavy sigh. "Alright, you win."
"We play with brothers?" Sludge asked, looking at Steam Rider, then Velocity. Glancing down at the sparkling in his arms, Wheeljack tilted his processor a bit in a questioning manner. Steam Rider shrank down a bit then looked over at all the Dinobots one at a time, thinking carefully before he blew out a bit of steam and nodded.
"...Kay," he murmured, processor turning as he looked over at Velocity. "Right?"
Velocity seemed to do the same, looking at the ones he hadn't come in direct contact with just yet, and then nodded. "Right."
"Then it's settled!" Kneeling down to set Steamer on the ground, Wheeljack gave him an affectionate pat on the helm, fins flashing. "Go on and have fun lil' guy." The mechling swayed some, looking up at Wheeljack before his gaze focused on Sludge and, after a moment, he lifted his arms, reaching for the big bot.
"We play now!" Grimlock announced in a happy roar of sorts, moving over to get closer to Swoop and Velocity, the older bots forgotten now.
There was an advantage to every situation, one just had to find it. Ratchet was pretty sure he'd just found the advantage here. "We're going back to the lab. Keep them safe and don't leave this area, alright?" he ordered the Dinobots, not that any were really paying attention to him. "C'mon, Jack, let's go," he urged his partner, turning to leave the den.
Wheeljack blinked but followed, waving goodbye to his creations as he went, optics focusing on Ratchet once he was out.
"What's up, Ratch'?"
"I want you to myself," he purred, dragging Wheeljack away and off to their quarters.
-
A couple joors later...
Having fallen asleep for...various reasons...Ratchet and Wheeljack would be woken up by the sounds of distorted crying and something crawling up onto the berth rather awkwardly, said something plopping down on the CMO's chest with a sad little whimper.
"Pop--Poppa!" Steam Rider whimpered, chestplate heaving as steam poured out of his faceplate.
Ratchet groaned at the interruption of what was supposed to be uninterrupted rest, cracking his optics open slightly to glare groggily at the sparkling on his chest. "Wha-whoa!" he startled, sitting up a touch, but not enough to throw Steam Rider off.
"Huh?" Wheeljack shifted, optics flickering back to life as he focused on the sparkling...and promptly sad up as well. "Steamer what happened?!"
The little sparkling looked like he had fallen into a human garbage can or something, the outer, canvas-like part of what makes up an umbrella stuck over his processor, one of his arms stuck up in it from where he had tried to get it off. In his other servo he was clutching what looked like a watergun for some unknown reason.
"Vel--Velocity said--He said I was--was a dilafa--dilafasoar-us!" he whimpered loudly, more steam pouring out of his mask.
This new information on Steam Rider's predicament was met with a blank stared for a moment before Ratchet glared over at his mate. "They're your sparklings."
"Our sparklings," the inventor said firmly, glaring at him before reaching over to scoop Steamer up. "Where's Velocity at now, lil' one?"
"Glu--gluin' fea'ers to his processor."
".... nope, definitely yours."
"Ratchet!" Glaring at the CMO, Wheeljack pushed himself up with the sparkling in his arms, heading back for the lab. "It's gonna be alright lil' guy, I pro--Ohhh Primus." Stopping just inside the lab, the inventor stared at the other sparkling perched on top of one of the tables, feathers strewn about around him.
"Velocity what..."
"I'mma raptor!" he announced happily, hopping down from his place on the table. He had a surprisingly nice crest of mismatched feathers taped to his head, and tied around his waist was a strap that was attached to a cardboard tail of sorts. On his feet were glued cut-out siclical claws to complete the ensemble.
He pointed to the feathers proudly. "I'm scien-tific-ly correct!"
"....That ya' are lil' guy," the inventor said as he tried his best not to laugh, fins flickering some. "I think ya' need to go show poppa."
"Kay!" Velocity grinned, running off with his arms tucked close to his chest, leaning forward into the run slightly and making chirping noises as he disappeared from view.
Ratchet was not going to be quite so happy about the sight....but it would be so worth it.