Newsparks

When Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, he had not expected half the upgrades he received. The previous Primes kept much of their skill and wisdom to themselves, never revealing a thing to the public for fear of being assassinated or suffering backlash. As such when Optimus came from Primus’s core and got his first set of scans done, he was completely baffled.

“What is that?” He asked, shock evident on his face as he pointed toward a set of scans taken of his new frame. The scan showed a whole new set of organs that Optimus couldn’t see the use or activation for in his Prime programming, it was just there. It wasn’t a weapon, nor did it improve his frame in any noticeable way. It had three main parts, all of which left Optimus confused as pit.

First, a chamber of sorts just below his spark chamber but out of the way of other vital components. It was carefully packed away, with a thick layer of mesh keeping it insulated and protected from possible blunt damage from the outside. The organ was only about the size of his servo, but the Matrix gave him a vague feeling that the organ could expand to fulfill whatever purpose it had been designed for. The chamber also had its own set of transformation sequences that from what Optimus could tell when activated, would push the chamber forward so that it could be accessed with his chassis plating parted.

Odd, very odd.

The second part of the organ was a set of channels leading from his spark chamber to the new insulated chamber. They were similarly protected but small and hardly noticeable, about the size of a normal vein in his frame. They were almost completely indistinguishable from other channels if not for the fact that they connected to his spark chamber of all things and seemed to have a special lining that constantly thrummed with energy from the Matrix.

Similarly strange, but the last organ is what really threw Optimus for a loop.

Lastly, there was a new secondary tube of sorts that connected to his newly upgraded secondary purifier tanks and went all the way up to his intake. The tube appeared to also have a transformation sequence that would push it forward and out of his mouth to reveal the nozzle on the end of it. For what purpose would he need what essentially amounted to a feeding tube? One connected to his secondary purifier tank no less. Normal bots couldn’t even consume energon that was so purified in any sizable quantity without overcharging. Only sparklings could live off the stuff and actually benefit from it.

It was odd, incredibly so. But the Matrix merely hummed within him, seemingly pleased with the organ set and not at all upset about its existence.

Ratchet and the other medics in the room shrugged for the most part and squabbled amongst themselves until Optimus gave them the codes needed to dig around through old Primacy files he had never seen a need to explore considering the war effort.

They scurried about and dug through files with wild abandon until at last one medic made a noise of success and the others gathered around to see what had been uncovered. All the while Optimus sat on a medical berth, decidedly uncomfortable with the strangeness of his new frame and the fact that the medics, Ratchet included, kept giving him bewildered looks as they read whatever it was they had found.

“It does WHAT?!?” A medic piped up in mixed horror, awe, and likely a fair bit of shock. Warning bells immediately went off in Optimus’s processors. What could lead Ratchet’s team of medics to be so off put that they could be genuinely horrified? They were some of the sternest and stoic mecha he had ever met. As such watching them flounder and stare at him like he had scraplets crawling out of his audio receptors was unnerving, deeply so.

“Alright, get out! I will explain!” Ratchet shooed his cohort of medics out of the room, much to the dissatisfaction of a few who looked like they preferred to take Optimus apart rather than help him. Once all the medics were cleared out, the door was shut and Ratchet pulled up a chair to sit opposite Optimus. The Prime couldn’t help but shift ever so slightly in uncomfortableness.

“We looked over the records, and evidently that new organ set is designed to take sparks created by the Matrix, gestate them, and then nurture them afterward” Ratchet declared without even attempting to beat around the bush or douse the truth of the matter with kind words. Optimus stared at him blankly for a long moment, his mind reeling from the impossibility of what Ratchet had said.

Newsparks came from the well. Every bot, young and old knew this. Newsparks were not just… created out of thin air and gestated within a bot as the organics did with their young. They came from the Allspark, gained their frames in the well, and climbed to the surface to be raised by their elders. This was reality, this is what was true. How could he possibly do the same thing on his own just because of the Matrix?

“That cannot be. It is an impossibility” Optimus tried to retort with common sense, earning a sigh from Ratchet as the medic rubbed at his face and passed over a datapad. Optimus was skeptical but took the pad and began looking through the documentation himself. Before long he sat back and stared at images of what could only be another Prime gestating these supposed newsparks. The Prime, who looked to perhaps be Nova, had a series of pictures showing different stages of gestation.

The scans depicted newsparks merrily dancing around the Prime’s own, dozens of them. The next set showed the Newsparks having moved to the chamber part of the organ set, all of them likely having traveled using the channels his scans showed. After that, the images showed the Newparks gaining an odd pod that developed around them, tiny things that were not even as big as the tip of a digit. From that point on they grew, developed, and through the thin pod lining their small frames could be seen growing.

“It shouldn’t be possible,” Optimus remarked with yet another sigh as he looked over the last image showing all the little pods having been removed and rapidly growing in size in what looked to be an incubator. Ratchet made an agreeing sound from where he was sitting, still looking as exhausted and baffled as ever.

“And yet here we are” The medic commented dryly as Optimus passed the datapad back and contemplated reality. They sat in silence for a long moment, neither saying a thing as the truth settled. A pin could have been heard dropping amid the silence until Optimus broke it.

“Can I control when these Newsparks develop?” His question was somewhat pleading. As much as he would love to raise a Newspark of his own one day, it was not in the cards for him, not while the war raged. It would only be dangerous both for him and the potential young to have them forged without his express permission.

“From the looks of it? No. The records say that the Matrix periodically creates Newsparks seemingly without any regularity. It creates them when it sees fit” Optimus groaned at the information. This was going to be far, far harder than he anticipated. If he were reigning in a time of peace, he would be able to care for Newsparks whenever they came into being. But during the height of the war? It was simply asking for the Newsparks to extinguish.

“We will figure things out when the time comes, Optimus, and I will be with you all the way. But for now, you best focus on other things. The Newsparks have not come into being yet” Ratchet took Optimus’s servo in his own with a kind smile. Optimus returned it as best as he was able and refocused. Ratchet was right, there was no use worrying over what may or may not be. He couldn’t even be sure when the Newsparks would be created, he could only wait and move forward as he always had.

—----

For vorns, he worried over the possibility of the Matrix deciding to start creating Newsparks, and for vorns he constantly got scans done to check only to find nothing of note. As such with time and a lack of activity, he largely put away the knowledge of his additional organs and continued, fighting the good fight and leading his Autobots as he always had. Everyone who knew similarly began to forget that the possibility even hung in the air, even Ratchet in large part due to the stress of the conflict.

However this didn’t last, and during a meeting after the fall of one of their cities, Optimus felt a surge of activity from the Matrix. He immediately went still as stone as the Matrix pulsated, not hurting, merely warming him as small, innocent, and nearly unnoticeable little lives fluttered out of it to merrily circle Optimus’s spark.

His inner circle noticed and he even offhandedly sensed someone, perhaps Jazz waving a servo in front of his optics. But he did not acknowledge it as his focus was entirely within his being where the last Newsparks came from the Matrix and connected to him in a symphony of pleased waves of joy and curiosity. He tentatively reached out to the Newsparks, a little frightened at their sudden appearance and apprehensive as a whole. But as he felt for them, the dozens of little lives sent back waves upon waves of love, happiness, and excitement. That was enough for him to toss any and all thoughts of possibly removing the Newsparks by the wayside.

“Hey! Op! Anyone home?” This time he knew for certain it was Jazz as the special operations agent began incessantly tapping on his helm. Optimus reset his optics a few times, still not fully aware as lines upon lines of Prime coding activated one after the other.

Parental coding he hadn’t even known had been altered began to show itself, urging his gestation chamber to come online and to begin preparing for the newsparks by storing up resources needed to build their frames when the time came. Protective desires welled up within his very primordial code, pushing him to protect the little lives within him at all costs and to love them regardless of the circumstances. He felt he should have been frightened by the near brainwashing effects of the code, but all he felt was joy at having the honor of carrying the young within him.

More subroutines started to make their appearances, little things that would begin making his armor thicker, his frame larger, and his body better suited to store energon in case of times of strife throughout the Newspark’s gestation. Other quiet code lines also started to slowly activate, demanding he stores up on energon and find a safe location to have his young. Some even told him to fight off anyone around him and to hide away from prying optics until his young were ready to be introduced to the common populace. All the while his little ones sang their songs that only he could hear, their sparks already resonating with him in the way only a creation could bond with their maker.

“Prime! Are you alright?” Prowl, usually ever stoic, shook Optimus’s shoulders, at least as well as the smaller mech could manage. At this, Optimus finally pulled away from his new code and the little lives within him and returned to reality. He rebooted his optics several more times and had to reset his vocalizer once before he could answer the worried Autobots around him, all mere moments from carting him off to the medical bay.

“I… Primus has seen fit to bless us greatly this day” It was all Optimus could manage to say as he relished in the feelings his little ones were sending him as they fluttered about his spark in unrivaled joy. Emotions bubbled up within him unbidden and at that moment all he could feel was blessed beyond measure. How could he have ever feared the gifts the Matrix had given him? They were treasures, precious jewels, and far more valuable than even the whole of Iacon to him at that moment.

“Sir? Is something wrong?” Ultra Magnus placed a comforting servo on his shoulder, concern written all over his face as Optimus covered his optics, doing his best to not cry. Optimus didn’t answer and that seemed to be the final straw as the Prime could hear Perceptor booking it out of the room to fetch Ratchet.

“Optimus! Talk to me!” When Ratchet did arrive his first response was to shove everyone else away, standing beside Optimus where he remained seated at the head of the table. The medic threw his medical kit down and Optimus did his best to compose himself and not be overwhelmed by the glorious gifts he now carried with him.

“Old friend… please, what happened?” Ratchet took Optimus’s servos in his own as he always did, revealing Optimus’s tear-stained face, coolant still dripping down from his optics. The other mecha in the room gasped and shuffled uncomfortably, most having never seen Optimus cry ever, not even when seriously injured or grieving for his loved ones like Elita One when she fell. For him to be crying now must have been terrifying to them.

“The Matrix has activated… I can feel them, Ratchet. Every last one of them” Ratchet’s optics went wide with confusion before he must have remembered Optimus’s upgrades upon becoming Prime. It only took half a second for him to straighten his expression out and begin pulling out scanners which he rapidly used to get information on Optimus’s state. The rest of the inner circle simply stood around in bewilderment as Ratchet worked and Optimus focused on calming down.

“Do you want to keep-?”

“Yes”

The room fell into tense silence as Optimus shut down the question before it could even be fully formulated. His optics screamed of murder if anyone so much as touched his young, to which Ratchet nodded slowly and put away his things.

“Very well. With that said we best get you on a better diet” Optimus wanted to sigh, knowing that from this point on Ratchet would be on his case, but he was ultimately pleased. After a moment he stood, ended the meeting, and followed after his medic to get a few more in-depth scans to ensure his little ones would be in perfect health.

“What the FRAG was that?!” Jazz’s enthusiastic question echoed in Optimus’s audio receptors and it hit him that he had never actually told his inner circle about his new organs considering it never really had a part to play until now.

—----

Ratchet had ultimately been the one to explain his situation to Autobot High Command. It hadn’t been Optimus’s choice as at the time he had been too busy laying about feeling his little ones and getting to know them through their unique spark signatures. He managed to get some paperwork done, but he did not leave the base at all for around a week as he cemented every detail of his little ones into his processors.

Even once he was back up and moving, he was highly aware of anything potentially dangerous. He refused to so much as touch a blaster for yet another week while his newly activated Prime parental protocols calmed and worked alongside his combat protocols until they reached a happy middle of sorts.

High Command did not look at him the same after the revelation. It wasn’t a bad thing, no, not at all. They were very invested in his Newsparks and were pleased, albeit incredibly worried for him and his young, and made efforts to ease his discomforts and make work less stressful for him. Ultra Magnus took command of the army for an orbital cycle as Optimus adjusted, Prowl handled any paperwork that didn’t need to be seen by the Prime explicitly, and Jazz took to learning about how organics gestated their young before doing everything in his power to become the ‘fun uncle’ to the Newsparks when they were ready to emerge.

Perceptor, Ironhide, Ratchet, and other members of the inner circle didn’t treat Optimus all that much differently, save for taking all excuses to keep Optimus off the battlefield. It was a gesture he appreciated as it eased his parental protocols and gave him time to connect with his young and figure out how his gestation process was supposed to work. Although there were a few times when one of them would leave a suspiciously nutrient-dense energon cube on his desk or follow him around, keeping themselves between him and others protectively.

It was nice if a little over the top sometimes. His closest companions were excited, and rightly so. The well’s production of Newsparks had ground to a halt almost a vorn prior and showed no sign of forging more. So knowing that Optimus was carrying what could very well be one of the last waves of Newsparks? It was in a way, a miracle.
“Heyo bitlets!” Jazz dripped down from a vent and tapped at Optimus’s chassis with a goofy smile that didn’t fit the special operations agent.

“Uncle Jazz will be waiting to spoil you rotten when you come out! So you better emerge soon bitlets!” Optimus vented deeply in mixed amusement and exasperation as Jazz cooed at his developing young. The Newsparks were too small to understand words just yet, but they reacted to voices, often their sparks resonated with him whenever he sang to them. And since Jazz had taken every opportunity to talk to them, the little ones recognized the agent and even shifted their interest whenever he murmured little praises and well wishes to them.

“Well? How they feelin' Op?” Jazz’s visor glinted as he tapped at Optimus’s chassis yet again. The Prime wanted to roll his optics fondly, but it wouldn’t have been very mature of him and so he answered simply.

“They are perfectly fine and developing well Jazz” It wasn’t the answer Jazz wanted and Optimus knew it. The pleading look that met his statement had him clicking softly before he gave Jazz what he was looking for.

“The Newsparks recognize your voice and are intrigued” The special operations agent threw his arms up in the air with a cheer before screaming down the hall at Ironhide who had taken to being Optimus’s guard at all times.

“I FRAGGING WON! THEY RECOGNIZE ME!” Optimus’s optics widened a fraction as Jazz threw a cursing Ironhide several rude gestures that left the Prime worrying that he had missed something important.

“How could I have guessed the bitlets would actually latch onto your annoying voice!?” Ironhide screamed back, earning a devilish laugh from Jazz as the warrior handed over a sizable pile of credits. It was downright ridiculous, but seeing his Autobots so open and happy despite the war ravaging their world had him smiling.

His little ones had chosen a poor time to be sparked, but so long as he was able, he would protect them and ensure that they were loved. His precious miracles, his little star shards, his greatest blessings since becoming Prime…

—----

Of course, High Command couldn’t keep Optimus off the battlefield forever even if they wanted to. Unfortunately, he was needed and soon enough he was called off to war even while gestating his young.

He kept to the rear as much as possible, for once in his functioning actually taking care of himself and not throwing himself into battle regardless of the potential threat. His thicker plating ensured that most attacks brushed off him without inflicting any serious damage and his overall larger frame served to scare off most enemy units. Even Megatron seemed to contemplate avoiding Optimus the handful of times they were forced to clash for one reason or another.

Time passed, battles came and went, and the time for his young to emerge was nearing when he was called to a warzone where they were losing badly. Ratchet and most of his inner circle begged him not to go, but the area was vital to their efforts and held numerous resources that were required to keep the Autobots going. He was needed, regardless of whether he was carrying Newsparks or not.

“Sir, this is foolishness! They have triple changers, seekers, and a Primus-forsaken combiner! If you get hurt now-!” Ultra Magnus began only for Optimus to shake his helm sadly. He knew the risks, the Matrix knew it, and together he and the relic had come to the consensus that he was required. The wisdom of the Primes urged him on even as his young sent curiosity and mild fear to him through their bond.

“I must go, and you know this” Optimus retorted as his second in command prepared to come up with another comeback. Prowl looked incredibly displeased but ultimately in agreement with his decision while everyone else looked two seconds away from tying him down and sending someone else to the warzone instead.

“If the worst comes to worst and a choice must be made, save the Newsparks. They hold more value than the lives of a thousand Primes” Optimus issued his order with a grim expression as he turned, loaded his blaster, and stepped out to where his transport was waiting for him.

Looking back he should have listened. He should have stayed behind even if it meant they would temporarily lose control of a city. Maybe then he wouldn’t have lost his very first brood to a stab wound from his nemesis straight through his chassis, only barely missing his spark.

—----

He hardly recalled anything beyond pain as he was carted back to base while bleeding from a deep and vicious wound. He could feel his little ones calling out to him in terror and pain as well in no small part due to the blade having punctured their chamber. At least two of his Newsparks flickered out during travel and he couldn’t do anything to stop it, only weep silently and pray that the rest would survive…

“There we go, easy now Optimus” Ratchet’s voice reached him first when he came online again. The Prime groaned as his optics flickered in functionality, glaring at the light above and then shifting to Ratchet’s face. There was guilt written there, deep and all-encompassing guilt. Why?

“Stay still Sir, you took a great deal of damage… we nearly lost you” Ultra Magnus held Optimus still as he tried to move and sit up. He winced at his attempts and once he had calmed enough, reached out for his young instinctually… only, they weren’t there.

“I’m so sorry Optimus” Ratchet’s expression told Optimus everything he needed to know as he tried in vain to search for his young, his spark burning with the loss he hadn’t had time to process during his initial waking or the journey back to base. Coolant gathered in his optics before he could stop it and the Matrix pulsed in what Optimus could only assume was a degree of grief if the thing could even feel emotions at all.

“It was either you or the Newsparks. High Command elected to save you instead” Ratchet continued but it only served to make Optimus feel even worse. He had given them the order to save his young should he fall, he wanted to be angry, to hate them for their choice… but deep down he understood.

He was their Prime. If what the records said was true, he could always tend to another brood of Newsparks later down the line. His skill, knowledge, and experience were invaluable to their cause, logically it made sense for them to pick him over dozens of Newsparks who may or may not have survived being removed from him early anyway.

Even still, he cried and clutched at his patched and welded chassis, his spark weeping and reaching out for the little lives he had so deeply cherished only to find they were no longer there. Everything ached, and his body burned, but he didn’t care as he silently grieved. He had failed as a Prime, a parent, and as a living being. What parent couldn’t even protect their child? He was despicable.

“It’ll be alright Optimus… they are in a better place now” Jazz tried to comfort him while Prowl, Ultra Magnus, and Ratchet merely offered soft touches. It didn’t make him feel any better, if anything he hated himself more. He was foolish, so very foolish.

Never again. Never again would he risk his brood. Next time he would follow his instincts, he would hide away, and he would never let his brood so much as come near to the surface until he was sure they would at least no longer be damaged from him going off to war. He failed once, he would not do so again.

“We will handle the army for a while Sir, just… rest” Prowl alerted softly as he ushered everyone save for Ratchet out of the room. Once they were gone and his tears were spent, Optimus stared up hatefully at the ceiling, his servos clenched into fists. His grief faded under the weight of the Matrix and wrath reigned instead. He would make the Decepticons pay and next time… next time he would do better.

Vorns went by and with time the pains of his first lost brood faded, not completely, but enough to be a cautionary tale instead of a stark wound in his spark. The first few stellar cycles after his young perished were… difficult. He found it hard to work and not give up halfway. He feared battle for a time, the trauma of losing his young to it still fresh. More than one recharge cycle was spent reliving the agony of the loss of his brood and more often than not led him to fall into depressive states that could last for days.

But as with all things, he pushed through and eventually just as he finished coming to terms with his previous failure, the Matrix activated again.

“Optimus?” Once again his entire being was focused on the next batch of Newsparks that came from the Matrix. This time he was more prepared, he didn’t cry, but he did have to rub his face and take a moment to compose himself. Ironhide, who was giving Optimus his report, paused and looked worried up until Optimus gave him a faint but hopeful smile.

“It seems Primus has seen fit to give me a second chance,” Optimus remarked with well-hidden giddiness as his newest brood washed him in the familiar waves of joy and curiosity his previous brood had before their lives ended before they could truly begin. It took Ironhide a moment, but once he understood he pulled Optimus into a hug, dragging the Prime out of his chair with surprising strength as he boisterously laughed.

“Ya mean it? We’ve got more bitlets on the way?!” Optimus chuckled as Ironhide put him down, earning an even wider smile from his weapons specialist. The Prime placed a comforting servo on his companion’s shoulder plating and nodded.

“We do. At least two dozen but likely quite a few more based on what I sense so far” Optimus answered as calmly as he was able, however even with the Matrix keeping his emotions dulled, he couldn’t hide the joy that showed in his optics. He had a second chance, an opportunity to raise his second brood properly even amidst the ravages of war.

“By the Allspark! This is fantastic news! We’ve gotta tell the others! They’ll be practically leapin' out of their plating in shock!” Ironhide declared to which Optimus gave him a quick nod to give him permission. His weapons specialist and friend immediately took off, skidding down the hall and leaving scuff marks on the floor as he went.

Meanwhile, Optimus sat back down at his desk and focused on connecting to his newest brood. They were so very hopeful, innocent, and pure. They were his perfect little star shards. He would protect these ones even until his dying vent. He would not fail his second brood as he had his first.

“Ironhide wasn’t lying, right? You've got more Newsparks in that chassis of yours?!” Jazz came flying into Optimus’s office, knocking over a handful of datapads that had been stacked near the door. Ironhide came barrelling in after him, trying in vain to stop Jazz from leaping onto Optimus’s desk so that he would be at the correct height to tap at the Prime’s chassis.

“Get down ya fragging glitch!” Ironhide reached up and grabbed Jazz from off the desk before Optimus could respond and threw him to the ground. Jazz rolled and walked it off with a smug smirk that merely led the weapons specialist to fume. Optimus wanted to get up and intervene but found himself stopped when Ultra Magnus came into the office as well, doing his best to not look like he was overheating slightly from how fast he had come barrelling down the hall.

“I came to confirm if Ironhide’s report was correct” Ultra Magnus managed to get out after a moment of standing by the door, his fans shrieking as they desperately pulled in cooler air all while Ironhide and Jazz threw each other looks that could kill. Optimus nodded and prepared to speak when Ratchet and Prowl came skidding into the office as well, both looking thoroughly startled.

“Optimus!”

“Sir!”

Both nearly crashed into the other mecha in the room as they tried to stop in time to not go careening into the furniture. Optimus sighed deeply at the sight. He was going to explain, but as word was apparently traveling at lightspeed, he opted to remain silent and wait a while longer to see if anyone else felt like making an appearance. After half a second of not receiving any other sounds of possible approaching mecha, Optimus raised a servo to stop the tussle that was beginning among his inner circle.

“The Matrix has activated again and I am now carrying another brood of Newsparks. In light of this, I plan to remain in reserve until they are ready to emerge” The mecha in the office paused and rapidly straightened out. Jazz and Ironhide who were both doing their best to beat the other into scrap on the ground hurriedly got to their pedes. Ultra Magnus who had been knocked into a bookshelf by Prowl gathered up the strategist and helped him get up and stand at attention. Then there was Ratchet who marched over to Optimus and began scanning him as he continued.

“I understand it will be difficult to compensate for my absence during this time, but I will not risk my brood this time” Not a bot raised an objection to his statement, and all made sounds of agreement.

“I’ll get some rumors floating and some doubles out on the field to make it seem like you are still on active duty” Jazz declared, his visor bright as he spoke and his determination leaking into his field. Jazz hadn’t said anything after the first brood was lost, but it was obvious to any who really knew him that he desperately wanted to help raise the Newsparks Optimus was gestating at the time. It had crushed a lot of the agent’s hopes up until that point when the Newsparks perished.

For the first time since that accursed day, Jazz looked truly excited, not the fake joy he put up every day for the sake of his persona. He was genuinely pleased and eager, something that brought Optimus no end of relief.

“The Wreckers can move to fill in any places on the battlefield that require heavy hitters” Ultra Magnus added, his own desire to do what he could to assist evident in his stern expression. He had taken it personally when Optimus had been forced to go into battle and then lost his brood. The commander had seen it as a failure on his part that Optimus had been needed at all. An opportunity to do better was what he craved and thankfully was being provided.

“We can also use this to our advantage. Optimus’s absence will be suspicious and if we play our cards right, could inspire fear in the enemy” Prowl commented, his processors kicking into logical processing mode and emotion being thrown aside in its wake. Prowl had a similar mindset to Ultra Magnus in regard to his first brood.

“I’ll keep ya safe until the bitlets get here! Can’t have these ones getting damaged like the last lot” Ironhide chimed in, raising his blaster and popping some more ammo in it to prove his point. It was almost enough to get a chuckle out of Optimus, but he remained composed.

“I thank you for your cooperation and understanding” Optimus smiled as his friends and comrades finished speaking. It was going to be a struggle to keep the army running properly while still gaining ground, but for the sake of his brood, it would need to be done.

“Where do you intend to have this brood?” Ratchet asked once he finished his scans and began counting as many Newsparks as he could based on what he gathered. They wouldn’t know how many Newsparks were gestating until their emergence, a side effect of constantly being bathed in the Matrix’s glow.

“I would prefer to have access to medical equipment should intervention be required. As such if it is possible, I would prefer to have this brood in the safety of the medical bay when the time comes” The gathered mecha nodded and hummed at Optimus’s words before swiftly falling into a debate about how best to care for the Newsparks when they arrived.

Ultra Magnus and Prowl argued over proper protocols that should be put into place to ensure the Newspark’s safety once they emerged. Ironhide and Jazz bickered over who would be the better uncle for the little ones. All the while Ratchet looked like he would prefer to be anywhere else as Optimus watched the scene fondly.

A second chance at last.

—----

“Good, you are doing very good Optimus” Roughly a vorn after their gestation had begun, it was finally time for the Newsparks to emerge in their pods. It wasn’t a pleasant experience having to push his gestation chamber forward where it butted up against his spark chamber, but it wasn’t painful… until it was.

“Hush now Optimus, I’m here. You are doing fantastic” Ratchet patted Optimus’s shoulder as he and a team of medics did their best to help him even with lackluster data. This was new territory for all of them and it showed as medics stood with every conceivable tool that could be needed.

“The first pod is almost through, keep going!” Ratchet urged him as Optimus clenched the organ, eliciting a flash of flaring pain as his entire frame focused on getting his little ones out into the world.

Optimus didn’t know all the specifics, but based on what he could tell from the mirror above his optics showing him the process, he could see his exposed gestation chamber opening, the small hatch in it slowly cycling wide for the pods to slide through. It wasn’t the worst physical pain he had ever faced, but it was decidedly uncomfortable as he focused on clenching the organ again, allowing the head of the first pod to show in the mirror.

The medics around him made awed noises as they watched Optimus work his little miracle. He shuttered his optics to focus as the first of what felt like a hundred pods slid out of his chamber where it was immediately collected by the gloved and sanitized servos of Ratchet who placed it in a prepared incubator. Based on the records of previous Primes, the pods would remain in incubators or some other warm space for several Joors before their shells hardened and they could be put into a proper nest if so desired.

It was a useful fact, but it didn’t stop Optimus from worrying all the same as he looked over at the pod where the medic was tending to it and taking readings of the infant life within. The pod was a simple blue, the color of Optimus’s own optics, and nearly translucent enough for him to see the entirety of the small body developing within. The pod was still microscopic in comparison to his own frame, but oh did Optimus’s parental programming scream at him to curl up around his newly emerged young to both warm and protect it.

“Stay focused Optimus! We’ve got quite a few more to go” Ratchet reminded Optimus just in time for another wave of pain from his gestation chamber contracting on its own to assault him. He winced and refocused, determined to finish what was already commencing and quickly taking priority over anything else in his processors.

“First Aid! Get your aft over here with more incubators! We’ve got a sizable brood here!” Ratchet called out to his assistant as another pod fell into his waiting servos. The words blurred and time passed in a whirl as Optimus put all his attention on his singular task of helping every last pod out and into the world.

In his state he absentmindedly noted more incubators being brought in, each containing a dozen small pods. But beyond that, he was devoted to his task until he felt the last pod finally slide out of his gestation chamber. The last had been a difficult one to push out due to it falling back in his chamber without its siblings to push it forward. He had almost needed to get up and walk to try and force the pod out before it finally emerged.

“Well done, Optimus! Well done! You did perfectly!” Ratchet’s smile was wide and all around the medics looked similarly giddy. It had been so long since anyone had seen a Newspark. Most had begun fearing with the well’s dormancy that their kind might be doomed to extinction. But seeing so many little lives growing merrily in their pods dispelled that fear.

There were tears from some medics as they tended to the pods while the rest looked overjoyed. Even Ratchet who rarely smiled so openly and widely was beaming, pride and elation evident in his optics despite the exhaustion that also lingered there. Optimus smiled back, a tired but pleased expression as he met his old friend’s gaze and slowly pulled his aching gestation chamber back into his chassis where it belonged.

“How many?” He asked with a slight strain in his voice as he reset his vocalizer and looked over the numerous incubators lethargically.

“Seventy-four Sir!” A medic reported from where they were tending to one of the incubators. Optimus’s optics went wide as he smiled again, his denta on full display as he gazed lovingly at the pale blue pods that glowed softly as the lives within developed and grew.

“They are all healthy?” He asked, his Prime parental programming making an appearance as everything else was shoved aside in favor of ensuring his Newsparks were tended to.

“Yes Sir! All are in perfect health from what we can tell!” The same medic replied to which Ratchet hummed approvingly.

“Good. Now you should rest Optimus. We will handle everything until you wake” Ratchet’s recommendation took a moment to reach Optimus as exhaustion bore down heavily on him. He hadn’t thought the emergence had been all that tiring, but evidently, he was wrong as he soon felt his systems slowing to begin processor defragging and small repairs on his stressed internals.

“It will be fine, Optimus. The brood made it, they live” Ratchet comforted, his field wrapped around Optimus lovingly as the Prime smiled once more before giving into the allure of recharge.

—----

“Hey, littles! Uncle Jazz is here to visit!” Jazz came into the section of the medical bay Optimus had stolen for his young. The area was separated from the rest of the medical bay by a curtain and kept under constant watch with no less than four guards keeping the pods safe at all times. The area itself was covered in heating pads and soft thermal blankets where all seventy-four pods were laid out to give them plenty of room to grow.

“Such cuties already! I can tell they are all going to be troublemakers!” Jazz remarked with a happy chirp as he carefully maneuvered around the pods, all of which came up to the agent’s ankle joint since swelling in size. Optimus sat in the middle of the makeshift nest, his plating flaring instinctually and a warning growl growing in his intake before he suppressed it.

“Woah Op! I’m not gonna hurt the bitlets!” Jazz soothed with a cheery smile, standing still for a solid minute so that Optimus’s parental protocols could recognize him as not a threat. Once Optimus’s plating settled and his urge to shred Jazz abated, he nodded in return and allowed Jazz free reign of the nest.

“How’re they doing Op? Healthy?” Jazz asked as he looked over all the pods, eventually sitting down and plopping one in his lap which he proceeded to wipe down with a warm cloth. The Newsparks didn’t need to have their pods cleaned often, but they liked feeling others so close by. As such those who could visit took up the job as an excuse to get the Newsparks used to them and hopefully make an impression.

“They are in perfect health, Jazz. How does the virus on the surface fare?” Optimus put forth his own query as he curled up around a few of the smaller pods. He had a feeling they would be fine, but he couldn’t help but worry for the smaller of the brood. It was an ingrained instinct, one he didn’t feel the need to fight against.

“It’s of Decepticon origin, likely one of Megatron’s newest concoctions” Jazz informed simply, his field while usually controlled flaring out in concern and sorrow. The brood shifted in response, their small forms moving in their pods as they tried to find the source of the negative emotion. Optimus quickly began singing and wrapping them all in his more powerful field, effectively drowning Jazz out until he got control of himself.

“What details do we have on it and what is the current rate of spread and casualties?” Optimus grew serious as he spoke, his frame rumbling softly as he collected one of the smallest pods and held it near to his chassis.

“It’s bad Prime. It seems to spread from contact with infected energon and kills a mech in less than a week depending on how strong they are. Those who survive it tend to not get infected as easily but it's still a possibility” Jazz paused to pick up a different pod and coo to it as he proceeded to wipe it down, collecting his thoughts.

“The outer echelons have caught it and contamination is spreading fast. Some mecha don’t fall to it and unknowingly spread the plague to others by accident. Last I checked casualties have been rising rapidly” Jazz’s voice lost its usual chipperness and for a moment Optimus’s field wavered, his brood reaching out to him through their bond to him in worry.

He had heard of the plague and already issued quarantine and eradication orders to tend to the spread, but evidently, it wasn’t enough. Ratchet and the other medics had been working full-time to find a cure to little avail while Optimus and the rest of High Command did what they could to slow the spread. And with Optimus remaining with his brood as much as he was able and only letting the guards tend to them when absolutely necessary, morale was low.

“We best see to this issue as soon as possible. I will not have this plague take more lives than necessary” Optimus’s expression turned grim as he put down the pod he was tending to and flared his field wide to let his brood know he would be leaving for a time. They sent back feelings of objection and worry, but thankfully were soothed as he returned their concern with love and warmth.

He would return and they would be fine, he promised them that.

“Right! Can’t leave High Command waiting” Jazz joined Optimus once he had returned the pod he was tending to its proper place. Then as Optimus pulled the curtain to the nest aside he watched as the guards swapped shifts.

“Sir!” They saluted and Optimus nodded in acceptance as the newest shift of guards took their places. They looked like they had just come straight from the front lines, likely signing up for guard duty under orders to rest and recover. One guard looked a little ill though, prompting Optimus to give them all a reminder.

“Sanitize before you handle the pods. Understood?” The guards nodded and saluted as Optimus made to leave. The plague needed to be addressed, and the sooner he did something, the better off his brood would be. The plague hadn’t traveled far yet, but it was better he had the guards be safe rather than end up sorry later down the line.

He should have known better than to trust anyone else with his brood.

—----

“Primus no…” Optimus was looking over his brood as he did every cycle he wasn’t on the front lines when he spotted it. Creeping lines of black almost rust-looking infection sprawled across the surface of one of the pods, the little one inside so weak Optimus could hardly feel it.

“GET RATCHET!” Optimus frantically ordered the nearest guard who broke into a sprint, very nearly running into a wall in his haste. Time hardly mattered to Optimus as he knelt and moved away the other pods near the infected one, trying his best to keep the spread at bay with shaking servos. His healthy young called out to him in worry but he could hardly focus as he tried to stay on task and get gloves on lest the plague spread to him or the other pods via touch.

“Hush now little ones, all will be well” He cooed at his brood as their pods flared and a few small glowing optics could be seen from within some of the thinner-shelled ones. He wrapped them in his field, doing everything in his power to keep his brood calm as he collected the infected pod and removed it from the nest.

“By the Allspark… this is not good” Ratchet arrived with a handful of other medics who quickly put on gloves and masks. Optimus was reluctant, but he stepped back as the medics scanned the pod and then moved to inspect the remaining ones.

“The Newspark, will it live?” Optimus asked, his voice shaky as he felt the Newspark’s bond to him waver and begin to putter out. Fearfully he searched through his other bonds, finding that many of his Newsparks had begun to grow weaker.

“I’m sorry Optimus… I don’t think this one will make it” Ratchet spoke sadly, terror immediately freezing all the energon in Optimus’s veins. This couldn’t be happening. He had lost one brood, he couldn’t be about to lose another, not when he had gotten so far with this one. Unbidden, coolant gathered in his optics as he reached out with gloved servos to touch the infected pod. He could sense it. The Newspark inside was dying and he had no way to stop it.

“The others, check the others! For Primus’s sake check them!” Optimus ordered harshly, his voice cracking as he ran his digits along the surface of the pod's shell, the black creeping roots of the infection blocking out what little light his Newspark still emanated. He couldn’t save this one, he could feel it in his very being. And so with a grimace, he broke the pod’s shell, allowing the Newspark within to slide out in a mess of gestation fluid.

He wanted to hold his creation as it passed back into the realm which it had only just left. He refused to watch as his sparkling died all while he remained unable to comfort it.

“Hush now my precious creation. Rest, all will be well” He spoke in hushed tones as the newly emerged sparkling heaved, its frame too weak to even clear the fluid from its vents. Black lines of infection crawled all across its tiny frame and its optics were dim. It wouldn’t last long.

Sensing its fading bond to him, Optimus put on a surgical gown to keep the infected sparkling from touching him directly before he carefully collected the little ones with gloved servos and brought them to his chassis. Its small frame shook and struggled, desperate and fighting just to live, but Optimus could do nothing to assist, the sparkling was too far gone.

“Primus welcomes you my dearest one. Rest now… leave the pains of this world behind” Optimus murmured beneath his mask as the sparkling curled up against him, shuddering as its underdeveloped frame heaved one final time. Then before Optimus even had a chance to properly address his weakening bond to the sparkling, the little one vented its last and its spark puttered out, its tiny gray frame going still.

“Oh, my sparkling… forgive me for my failure to stop this before it could begin” Optimus barely managed to choke out the words as he laid the sparkling’s lifeless frame back onto the berth its pod had been on. He took a small sheet and covered its frame, unable to look at its infected form any longer. It only served as a stark reminder of his failure.

He should have seen this coming as soon as word of the plague reached him. He should have done better.

“Old friend, how many remain uninfected?” Optimus asked his grim question knowing that if one was infected, others doubtless were. Ratchet looked up from where he and his fellow medics were removing every pod and running scans. Even with his mask in place, Optimus could see the pain in his old friend’s optics. Ratchet hated this as much as he did.

“I don’t know Optimus. We don’t have a cure for this plague. All we can do is wait to see which Newsparks manage to pull through” Ratchet looked just as disappointed in himself as Optimus felt. They were both grieved and from what Optimus could tell, they both wished that they had noticed the signs sooner.

For Primus’s sake, he was with his brood every other day and countless medics checked on the brood twice as often. How had they failed to see the signs of this oncoming catastrophe?

“Forgive me Optimus” Ratchet uttered, his own voice shifting to static toward the end of his sentence. The Prime didn’t meet his old friend’s gaze and instead supported himself on the edge of the medical berth where his fallen sparkling lay. It took all his willpower to not break down. His brood needed him to comfort them throughout the long few cycles ahead of them.

If they were to die, Optimus wanted to be by their sides and hold each and every sparkling one before their time came. He wanted them to know they were loved.

—----

Within a Joor another dozen pods showed signs of infection which spread rapidly and took its toll by the cycle’s end. Medics stood by and Ironhide kept near to Optimus as he freed each of the twelve from their pods one by one and held them in his arms during their last moments. He burned every one of his sparkling’s faces into his memory as he held them, muttering sweet nothings and swaddling them in his love as their sparks went out.

More than one medic left to cry out in the hall, forcing another to come and replace them. Ironhide to his credit remained stoic, keeping watch and carefully removing every sparkling that failed to withstand the plague. Together with Ratchet, he put the bodies of the sparklings into small containers. Their frames would be incinerated and then their spark chambers would be crushed and spread over the remains of Rodion.

It was a simple funeral service, but one Optimus felt was fitting as more and more pods showed signs of infection.

Cycles bled into each other and Optimus hardly felt it. Ratchet gave him a shot of energon at one point, but beyond that, his whole world was one of agony as he held every sparkling that succumbed to the plague. He stopped counting how many fell, he couldn’t bring himself to as the third cycle passed him by and his brood grew ever smaller. Ironhide remained by his side, occasionally gently patting Optimus on the shoulder in a comforting manner when the Prime took a moment to quietly weep between pods showing signs of infection.

By the fifth cycle Optimus was exhausted, depressed beyond words, and only hanging on to life as a whole because of one small hope. Ironhide was passed out cold on the floor, exhausted from nearly a whole week of guard duty alongside several others who had been doing their best to help. Ratchet remained up and active, but he was just as dead on his pedes as Optimus was, his optics similarly glued to their last hope.

One pod, one pod remained.

Optimus had waited for over a cycle for the seeming inevitable… but as time ticked by, it never came. The last pod never showed the signs of plague, it remained healthy. It had been one of the smaller ones and as such Optimus had kept the pod apart from the others and simply forgot to place it back among its siblings, a fact that may have saved its life. Both he and Ratchet were waiting on a baited vent, scanners constantly running and their gazes locked onto the pod to search for infection. But by some miracle nothing appeared, the pod continued to glow, the sparkling inside blazing brightly as it prepared to hatch.

Optimus was terrified to move, fearful that if he so much as looked away he would return to find the pod covered in the dooming lines that spoke of lethal infection. However as the pod shook and prepared to enter the world, he finally took a vent and wobbled his way over to the washracks to sanitize his frame before he so much as laid a digit on the little one. He couldn’t risk losing his last sparkling.

“Optimus, the sparkling-!” Jazz had come in at some point and was waving Optimus over as he stumbled toward the pod where it was resting amid a pile of soft heating pads. The agent looked exhausted as well, emotionally anyway. He was nearly as frantic as Optimus was as the Prime hunched over the berth where his last Newspark rested.

“Come on… come on” Optimus pleaded as the pod shifted. Ironhide stumbled to his pedes at some point and Ratchet stood watching as well. Every bot in the room was so tense the air could have probably been cut with a knife as a small servo punctured the pod shell. Soon enough a small frame tumbled out of the pod, the sparkling flailing as it pulled itself out of his gestation fluid. It then lay venting, coughing up fluid, and looking around with wide innocent, and thankfully healthy optics.

“Thank Primus at least one made it,” Ratchet remarked, his tone tired but filled with a semblance of relief as Optimus gathered up the sparkling in his arms, his tears long since spent. He ran a digit along the sparkling’s helm as it chirped up at him, its small and still so vulnerable frame shaking due to the cold of the room.

“This one’s a fighter alright” Ironhide added with a small smile to which Optimus merely nodded, too enraptured with his only sparkling to care much. His spark was in agony from the slow loss of so many of his young, but this one, this one sparkling made it hurt a little less as it sent him all the love in the world across their bond. He would have cried if his coolant stores weren’t completely exhausted, but instead, he merely touched his helm to his sparkling with a saddened but hopeful smile.

“A warrior type I reckon” Jazz commented as the sparkling reached up and patted Optimus’s cheeks with an interested and joyous chirp that earned it a genuine smile from all those present. The sparkling was so small, so very innocent, and most certainly a warrior to have made it through.

“Praise Primus, my little warrior… I will not fail you too” The Prime pressed a kiss to his sparkling’s helm, the little one giggling in the way only a sparkling could and slowly working to patch the weeping wounds in Optimus’s very being. It would take a long time to heal from such a loss, but with even one sparkling, Optimus believed he could do it, he had to for his little warrior.

“Bumblebee, my guiding light for the future” Optimus murmured to which Bumblebee chirped in joy, not understanding but feeling Optimus’s love all the same.

“We can launch our next attack to the flank if we send out the 64th legion-” Prowl rattled off the various plans he had concocted, but Optimus was only half listening. The rest of his attention was focused solely on the swaddled sparkling in his arms that cooed up at him softly. Optimus couldn’t resist offering his sparkling a fond smile and running his digit along the crest of Bumblebee’s helm.

“Sir? Are you listening?” Prowl gave Optimus and most of the table an exasperated look as he watched nearly every mech in the room gaze upon Bumblebee adoringly. Jazz was most certainly not paying any attention if his attempts to amuse Bumblebee with a rattle were any indication. Ironhide appeared more invested in the planning session but he too seemed more enthralled with the sparkling than anything else.

“I am Prowl. Please do not take my behavior as a sign of absentmindedness” Optimus answered in short order before returning a majority of his focus to his charge. Across the table, Perceptor huffed in irritation and Ratchet looked rather displeased with the amount of distraction. Ultra Magnus was the only mech in the room who looked to be actually paying full attention, and so seeing this, Prowl sighed deeply and continued.

The meeting continued without issue, with Optimus rocking Bumblebee and occasionally offering his sparkling a digit to hold while he listened. Of course toward the end of the meeting, Bumblebee’s tanks made a loud churning sound that signaled his need for fuel. Not one to leave his only sparkling lacking anything, Optimus didn’t hesitate to activate the codes needed to push the feeding tube in his throat forward and out of his mouth.

Ironhide made a slightly queasy noise and Jazz looked put off, his smile becoming more strained as Optimus lifted Bumblebee in his arms until the sparkling could latch onto the nozzle on the end of the tube. Ultra Magnus coughed and looked away, Ratchet covered his optics, Perceptor focused on his datapad, and Prowl decidedly looked at the far wall and his reports. None of the mecha in the room would so much as glance in his direction aside from Jazz who was struggling to not gag.

Optimus raised a brow as if to ask if anyone had any objections to him feeding his sparkling, to which not a spark spoke out. Optimus was well aware that it wasn’t exactly the most pleasing thing to see. Having a tube emerge from his intake and come about half a foot out to feed a sparkling was an odd sight at best and downright traumatizing at worst. But after the loss of one brood and nearly all of his second, Optimus didn’t care what others had to say. He would care for his sparkling whether it was a pretty sight or not.

Bumblebee for his part didn’t have a care in the world as he got his fuel. He held onto the tube with his tiny servos and clutched it like it was going to run away from him as he suckled. Optimus would have chuckled if his intake weren’t completely blocked by the tube, and so he instead hummed happily. It was somewhat uncomfortable forcing energon from his secondary purifier tank to go through the tube, it was almost akin to purging. Overall not the most pleasant of experiences, but for Bee, it was worth it.

His jaw began to ache after about thirty kliks of continually feeding his sparkling, but as Bee didn’t need him to stare to fuel, Optimus focused on the meeting as Prowl wrapped up his report. However, after an additional twenty kliks and the absence of the feeling of Bee’s fueling, Optimus grew concerned and looked down at his charge.

Bee looked to be fully fueled, but he had passed out with his mouth still around the tip of Optimus’s feeding tube. The Prime could only sigh and slowly pry Bee’s digits off his feeding tube and slowly retract it, ending with a click as he loosened his jaw after so long with it stuck in its open position. Bee whined at the loss but thankfully remained in recharge.

“That will never not be unsettlin’ Prime,” Ironhide remarked quietly as the meeting concluded. Optimus merely smiled and carefully stood, prepared to leave and put his sparkling in his cradle where he belonged.

“Would any bot be so kind as to watch over him during-?” Optimus began as he made to exit, only to very nearly watch a murder play out as both Ironhide and Jazz leaped at the opportunity. Ironhide skidded until he stood before Optimus, his blaster aimed directly at Jazz but not firing as the special operations agent threw himself over the table as quietly as possible, his blade at Ironhide’s neck as he too came to a stop in front of Optimus.

“I can watch over him Op! I’ve got no missions for the rest of the cycle!” Jazz made his case first, earning a groan from Perceptor who opted to leave and not get involved.

“Ya can’t trust him with the bitlet! Let me watch over little Bee! I’ll keep him safe!” Ironhide proclaimed although he took care to keep his voice low as Bee shifted in Optimus’s arms. By that point Ultra Magnus and Prowl had vacated the area, neither wanting to fight against Optimus’s guard and personal agent over the sparkling. They both stole chances to look after Bee on their own time, generally when others weren’t available.

“I will have no say in this. Sort it out yourselves and whoever you have chosen may watch over Bumblebee while I am gone on the frontlines” Optimus answered after a moment of consideration, prompting the duo to begin playing a rapid-fire game of grounder, flier, outlier. Optimus refused to leave his sparkling in the care of any regular trooper, not after too many helping hands had led to the death of nearly his entire brood. No, he much preferred knowing exactly who was in contact with his sparkling at all times.

He didn’t look back as he left and heard a defeated scream from Ironhide who very nearly flipped the table in rage. Optimus smiled softly as the sound of Ratchet chewing his guard out reached his audio receptors. There had been much sorrow as of late, but there was also a small hope keeping them all going. So long as he had Bee, Optimus felt it would be alright.

—----

“There we go, come on my little warrior!” Optimus knelt and extended his arms to his toddling sparkling. Bumblebee made a happy chirp as he took a shaky step forward, leading every bot watching the interaction to sit on the edge of their seats so tensely that the sound of cables straining could be heard. Even Ratchet paused in his work to watch, his optics glued on the scene.

“Sire!” Bee exclaimed in joy as he took a few more steps, toppling right into Optimus’s open arms and earning a resounding cheer from Jazz and Ironhide. Ratchet smiled but otherwise said nothing as he looked over Bumblebee’s weekly scans, something Optimus had made mandatory to stop any possible ailment before it could take root.

He wouldn't risk Bumblebee, not for anything.

“Good job bitlet! Ya did fantastically!” Ironhide praised as he tapped Bee on the cheek, earning a happy giggle from the sparkling. Not to be outdone, Jazz passed Bee an energon goodie, something that was becoming shorter in supply the longer the war dragged on. Bee of course accepted it with unrivaled enthusiasm and gnawed on it gleefully while Optimus ran his digits down his sparkling’s back.

“That’s our little warrior alright! He’s growing up so fast!” Jazz cooed, quickly getting him into a tussle with Ironhide over Bee’s attention. Optimus almost rolled his optics fondly before instead letting Bee down to play on the ground with his toys and going over to Ratchet to review the scans.

“Anything of note, old friend?” He asked kindly as he looked over Ratchet’s shoulder at the scans. The medic hummed but shook his helm before gesturing to some data on the screen.

“Nothing extraordinary. He’s perfectly healthy, with no ailments, issues, or other problems that I can see so far” Optimus made an approving noise as he went over the numerous other scans that Bee had gotten during his visit. Optimus paid special attention to Bee’s frame analysis and searched dutifully for signs of infection.

After the tragedy that was the loss of his previous brood, Optimus had taken to learning everything he could regarding the medicine that could be applied to his sparkling. He had worked directly with medics under his care to learn of the diseases and viruses that could even possibly ail Bee at any point and trained dutifully until he earned the right to be called a medic himself, although the title hardly mattered when compared to his role as Prime.

Even with his medical training and the watchful optics of Ratchet constantly on his sparkling, Optimus worried, and if he was honest, he knew he was too overprotective. He couldn’t help it, his Prime parental programming demanded he protect his sparkling from anything or die trying.

“Oh scrap! Bee!” A crash sounded behind Optimus and the sound of Bumblebee’s wailing reached him mere seconds after. Optimus didn’t hesitate to physically throw himself over Ratchet’s medical berth, tuck, roll, and scoop Bee up into his arms faster than he could even process what he had done. It was all instinctual.

“You two are done” He nearly growled at Ironhide and Jazz and was only stopped from doing so by the Matrix’s mixed calming and urging signals holding him back. His plating flared, making Optimus look at least double his actual size all while he glared daggers at his companions despite knowing rationally that they held no guilt.

“Sorry Sir” Ironhide spoke quietly, meekly even as he backed up. Jazz looked equally disappointed in himself even though neither was responsible for Bee falling over. It was to be expected from a barely toddling sparkling, but with how overprotective Optimus was, the blame fell partially on them all the same.

“Leave. Return tomorrow” Optimus ordered, putting all his concentration on not snapping at them. He knew it wasn’t their fault, but he couldn’t stop the desire to fight whoever caused his sparkling to cry and so decided that sending them away was best. Once he was calm he would apologize and let them care for Bee again, but not yet, it was too fresh, his codes too hyperactive.

“Understood Sir” Both swiftly vacated the medical bay, leaving Optimus to sing softly to his sparkling to calm him. It took a few moments, but he managed to get Bee to relax before he let the sparkling down again. However, he remained close by, his optics trained on his creation as Bee toddled around and played with his toys.

Ratchet sighed from his place at his console and Optimus’s finals dipped slightly in guilt. He knew he had been too harsh, but he couldn’t help it.

“That was out of line Optimus,” Ratchet remarked, earning a noise of affirmation from Optimus as he continued his dutiful watch. The medic gave him a pitying and slightly concerned look before he closed the scans and slowly came near, careful to not move too quickly.

“You need to get control of this before Bumblebee gets any older. He won’t appreciate you micromanaging his entire life” The words stung, but Optimus understood. As he knelt to help Bee build his block tower he nodded simply to Ratchet. He was well aware of how dangerous this attachment could be if he let it get out of line.

He needed control back and he could only pray it returned to him with time.

—----

“Sire! Are you alright?” Bee ran up to him, his optics wide with concern and his expression the embodiment of worry. Optimus was absolutely covered in grime, energon, and minor wounds. He was sure he looked downright terrible but he smiled all the same and knelt before his sparkling, pulling Bumblebee into a gentle hug.

“I am fine, Bumblebee. How were your classes?” Optimus changed the subject quickly, hoping to draw Bee’s attention away from just how tired he actually was. He had been on the front lines for over a deca-cycle and while exhausted, he wanted nothing more than to be with his sparkling.

He could practically hear the lecture Ratchet was going to give him when he finally went to the medical bay. But for the time being, he ignored the looming doom that was his medic and allowed Bee to lead him by the servo so that he might see his sparkling’s creations over their time apart.

“Perceptor showed me how to make a drone! Ironhide taught me how to shoot the pistol he gave me! And Jazz gave me this!” Optimus nearly did a spit take as Bumblebee held up the pistol he had gotten from Ironhide and the not-at-all-safe set of blades he had evidently received from Jazz. Seeing them Optimus smiled kindly and gestured for Bee to put them down while making a mental note to chew out his companions for their flippancy.

Bee was hardly three vorns of age, hardly old enough to be left alone for any extended period of time, much less be given an actual weapon, at least in Optimus’s opinion. While he knew his sparkling would need weapons eventually, he was not fond of the fact that he wasn’t the one to introduce them to his creation and oversee his training.

“That is quite exciting. Did anything else happen while I was away?” Optimus asked as he took the weapons from his sparkling’s servos and put them back on the table they had been previously laid on. Bumblebee didn’t even notice as he went on about his activities excitedly.

Then the familiar pulse of the Matrix caused him to stop, his optics going wide as they always did when this happened. As the new little lives from the Matrix merrily made their way toward his spark where they circled him happily, Optimus’s legs gave out on him and he fell to the ground, completely enraptured.

“SIRE!” Bumblebee’s field flared in terror and his bond to Optimus spoke of complete horror as he watched Optimus fall. But at that moment Optimus could hardly focus, the lethargy from his long fight on the front lines combined with the sheer joy that came from the newsparks within him causing his mind to go blank.

“RATCHET! FIRST AID! SOMEONE HELP!” Bumblebee went sprinting out and into the hall shrieking for aid all while Optimus remained prone on the ground, tears running down his cheeks and his vents coming in short bursts as he relished in the feeling.

He had nearly forgotten the joy of having little ones develop within him after the trauma of the loss of his last brood and the fact that since then all his focus had been on the war and Bee. It was like a void within him had been filled, one he had hardly known but now found slowly being healed with every curious prod from his newest brood. How could he not cry? He had begun to worry that the Matrix would not grant him another chance to try again.

“OPTIMUS!” Ratchet very nearly threw himself into the room with how fast he came swerving down the hall and through the doorway. He was by Optimus’s side in a flash, Bee following not long after.

“Talk to me. What happened?” Ratchet had already begun pulling out tools when Optimus grabbed his arm to stop him. The medic looked startled but seemed to slowly come to a realization as a smile spread across Optimus’s face.

“What’s going on? Is Sire alright?” Bumblebee fidgeted worriedly as Ratchet aided Optimus in sitting up, putting a comforting servo on his back to keep him grounded as he looked to his sparkling. The Prime couldn’t contain his joy or stop his tears as he drew Bumblebee in for a hug.

“Primus has blessed us greatly this day, Bumblebee. In a vorn, you will have younger siblings to look after” It took a moment for Bumblebee to process the information, but once he did, he almost vibrated with excitement. His wide optics glowed brightly as his door wings perked up and flapped slightly, his denta on full display as he smiled.

“Younger siblings? Really!?” Optimus could see Ratchet smiling fondly as the medic packed up his tools, happy that there was nothing life-threatening to see. The Prime could imagine the panic Ratchet must have felt when Bee came flying into his medical bay screaming for help and likely babbling incoherently. But that was not the case, all was well, more than well in fact. Soon they would have more little pedes running around.

“Yes, Bee. You will have plenty of little siblings to help care for. I hope you are ready to be a big brother” Optimus affirmed, earning an excited squeal from Bee before he took off, likely to proclaim the news to anyone who would hear him. Optimus almost moved to stop him, but his lethargy prevented that.

“You best get some rest if you want this brood to turn out well Optimus” Ratchet helped Optimus up even as he chastised him. However even as his old friend went on and on about the potential threats, Optimus could only smile.

Another chance. This time he would not fail, he would make sure this brood hatched or die trying.

—----

“This brood is a lot smaller than the previous one,” Jazz remarked as he plopped down in the nest opposite Optimus, Bee, and Ultra Magnus. The special operations agent didn’t hesitate to pick up a pod and begin wiping it down while singing a cheery tune. Optimus for his part merely grumbled softly before his coding recognized Jazz and calmed.

“Resources have been scarcer the longer the war has dragged on. I can only assume the Matrix sensed as such and lessened the number of newsparks accordingly” Optimus commented from where he lay curled up around the smaller of his brood.

Jazz was correct in his statement. Where last time he had produced seventy-four, this time around he had only gestated forty-three, likely in large part due to the shortage of energon that was becoming a greater issue with each passing cycle. However, even with a smaller brood, Optimus was no less proud or careful.

As soon as he sensed the pods were ready to emerge, he moved to a separate location further behind Autobot lines. He had prepared a bunker in advance for this very purpose and had retreated to it with only Ratchet and a small team of guards. The bunker was right along their supply chain, meaning that when the sparkling hatched and were fully acclimated, Optimus could have them transported further into Autobot territory with little issue while remaining supplied.

The fact that his location was kept secret and that he had only taken a small escort with him was dangerous should he be attacked, but it would ensure the sparklings were safe from plague, possible targeting, and being stolen. To his knowledge, the Decepticons were still unaware of his ability to gestate young in large part due to the information being kept among higher command or those sworn to secrecy. However, Optimus wouldn’t take any chances, not when his young ones were on the line.

As such he had his brood hidden away underground, giving the location of his nest only to his inner circle so that they might visit should they wish but only after a thorough cleaning. Since his retreat, Jazz, Bee, and a select few others like Ultra Magnus had made the journey to his location to check on him and the pods once every deca-cycle or so.

“You may have less, but frag it all, they are huge” Jazz grunted as he removed the pod he was tending to, placing it back in its spot before reaching to grab another to wipe down. Bumblebee gasped from where he was similarly tending to another pod and put his servos on the sides of the pod as if to keep the sparkling inside from hearing Jazz’s crass language. Ultra Magnus also opted to throw the agent a dark glare.

“JAZZ! Don’t curse around the sparklings!” Bumblebee chastised while looking completely scandalized. Optimus’s only surviving sparkling had grown quickly during the time he spent gestating his third brood. Bee was nearly old enough to be considered a youngling and thus, eligible for combat training.

He didn’t want to see Bee go into battle, but it was inevitable with how fiercely his little warrior spoke of his desire to fight by Optimus’s side. Being forged and raised during a time of war certainly didn’t help his chances of remaining a simple civilian either.

“Keep vulgar language out of the nest Jazz” Ultra Magnus added as he glared daggers at the agent, earning a sheepish laugh from the mech in question. The commander would never say so out loud, but to Optimus, it was obvious that his second in command held a soft spot for the sparklings Optimus gestated.

The first brood never got much of Ultra Magnus’s attention simply because it never made it out of his gestation chamber. But the second brood got his second in command interested and swiftly invested in the care of the little ones, especially after all but Bee failed to survive till hatching. Since then Ultra Magnus silently spent much of his free time assisting in Bee’s care, and now tending to the newest brood Optimus had nurtured.

“Alright, alright, no need to get your cables in a twist” Jazz waved off the accusations and orders from the others in the nest and returned to his task. Optimus was content to doze and watch over the affairs until he felt a faint pull on his many fledgling bonds to his young.

His optics refocused as the pulls grew more adamant and he sensed something change. The pods began to lightly shake as if synchronizing in preparation. Seeing this the others in the nest promptly put the pods they were tending to down and stepped back a bit as Optimus growled, his plating flaring as he searched for the pod that was sending him the strongest signals.

“That’s it… come on little one” When he finally located the pod he knelt before it, his optics incessantly locked onto it as the shell cracked. He could hear faint gasps and awed hitching of vents from Bee, Jazz, and Ultra Magnus, but Optimus didn’t care at all. His focus was entirely on the first of his brood.

“Good job little one! Just a bit more!” He urged the sparkling with a wave of affection as its small servo punctured the shell of its pod, swiftly allowing the little one within to slide out of its confines with a mess of gestation fluid. Optimus didn’t hesitate to scoop the sparkling up and hold it close to himself as it vented harshly, clearing its vents and showing no signs of illness or disability.

The sparkling proceeded to chirp and look up at him lovingly, to which Optimus began to sing, prompting the remaining sparklings to begin making their way out of their pods. He was hardly aware of anything else that went on as he placed the sparkling in among the thermoplastic blankets he had gathered long before the pods emerged and began going from pod to pod, urging them onward. At some point, Ratchet made his appearance and began taking scans of every hatched sparkling. Meanwhile, Bee, Jazz, and Ultra Magnus swiftly joined the medic to assist in cleaning the little ones once they were confirmed to be in perfect health.

When all the sparklings had hatched, the nest was a mess of fluids and empty pods, but it was filled with happy chirps and Optimus’s contented songs. He had never made it this far with any of his broods before, only with Bee. The sensation of having his whole brood resting against and around him was more novel than he ever could have expected and filled him with no end of joy.

“I’m your big brother Bumblebee! Don’t you worry siblings! I’m going to protect you!” Bumblebee exclaimed in joy as Optimus shifted to allow him into the nest. The sparkling cooed and chirped in interest upon seeing their elder brother, none understanding just who Bee was but sensing he was kin through Optimus’s calming humming and acceptance. Ultra Magnus, Jazz, and Ratchet were kept firmly warded away, but even with Optimus’s parental coding running at an all-time high, they seemed pleased.

Optimus merely hummed as he watched his eldest creation carefully begin greeting his newest ones. The Prime’s field was laced with a warning for outsiders but warm and more at peace than ever before closer to himself. He finally had a whole brood make it. He was a Sire, a proper Sire to forty-three new little lives.

He couldn’t be any happier than he was at that moment.

—----

“Watch over them until my return. Keep them safe, even at the cost of your lives” Optimus ordered his chosen guards as he prepared to enter the transport ready to take him to the front lines. His guards saluted and stood at attention as he made to leave, to which Optimus nodded once.

He had not wanted to leave his sparklings so soon. It had barely been two deca-cycles and already he was needed. The Prime was well aware he couldn’t spend all his time sequestered away in his nest, but Primus, certainly wished he could. His brood was still so very young, not even old enough to crawl, much less flee if he was not there to help them escape in the event of an attack.

Still, this was what needed to be done. It eased his conscience a little to know that Bee was safe back at the command center if nothing else.

“Move out” Optimus ordered as he entered the transport with great reluctance. He sent as much reassurance to his sparklings as possible, calming them and soothing their cries for him across the bond he held to them. He had not left their sides since their hatching for more than a few kliks at most. The change was startling and made them fearful, and that made Optimus anxious beyond words.

He arrived at the front lines without issue and began organizing the attack against the Decepticon stronghold there. A few of his lower-ranked officers were there, helping him plan and direct soldiers to the point where Optimus only needed to be present for the sake of morale.

Throughout his time there he fidgeted, eager to return to his precious creations.

However, after eight cycles on the front, just after they had finished taking the fortress, Optimus felt nothing but absolute agony as his ties to his brood shattered all at once. At that moment he couldn’t think, instinct took over and he threw anyone who stood in his way aside as he threw himself into his alt-mode and sped back to the bunker where his nest was hidden.

He sensed others behind him, but his focus was on one thing and one thing only. He needed to get back to his sparklings, his very being screamed at him, causing him to see nothing but warnings on his HUD as he forced his frame past its usual limits. His spark screamed in agony at the loss of his bonds and Optimus very nearly felt his body give out, only pushed onward by the primal need to get to his creations in the vain hope that he could help them.

When he finally arrived at what remained of the bunker, he only had enough will to transform and stare in horror.

The bunker was completely leveled, fire and smoke blocking his view of the inside as what remained burned. It was obvious what had happened. An orbital strike that happened to land in the one place he kept his entire brood, decimating them in one fell swoop.

The small logical part of his mind that remained active reassured him that at least their deaths were swift, but the rest of him was a mess of emotion. Rage at the Decepticons for taking his young away from him for the third time . Grief at the loss of his entire brood all at once without even a chance to say goodbye as he had with his second brood. And a desire for vengeance, unlike anything he had experienced before.

The Matrix pulsed within him, trying to force him to calm down. But all Optimus could do as those who tailed him finally pulled up, was scream .

Bumblebee had never seen his Sire cry, not once… until he had been desperately called by Ratchet and dragged out to the bunker where his siblings were supposed to be. He recalled the scene vividly, it stuck in his processors and burned itself into his memory for eternity. The bunker was decimated, smoke rising from the smoldering remains and the distinct smell of burnt energon permeating the air.

Optimus Prime, his Sire, and the strongest mech he knew was on his knees, energon trickling from the plethora of self-inflicted wounds. His Sire was weeping, clutching at his chassis all while his vocalizer spat static. Never before had Bumblebee seen his Sire in such a state, and looking back, he never wanted to bring that same pain to him again.

“Optimus, please look. Bumblebee is here” Ratchet carefully brought Bumblebee forward, the elder mech shielding him with his own frame just to be safe. The Prime looked up and Bumblebee wished he had never come. His Sire looked so… broken. The mech he had always looked up to was shattered, his optics unfocused and his face covered in numerous cuts from where he had likely torn at himself in grief.

“There we go… see Optimus, you still have one left. They aren’t all gone” With utmost caution Ratchet ushered Bumblebee forward and the next he knew it, he was held gently in a hug. Optimus caressed his helm with shaking servos and pressed the crest of his helm to Bumblebee’s. The Prime took a deep and harsh-sounding vent as his fans continued to work overtime and all Bumblebee could do was awkwardly lean into the embrace, wanting to bring his Sire any sort of comfort.

“Sire, please, can we go home?” Bumblebee asked after a moment, to which his Sire wrapped his arms around him tighter. He couldn’t see Optimus’s expression with his face pressed against the Prime’s chassis, but he didn’t need to. He could sense the pain and anguish through their bond even though Optimus tried to smother it.

“Of course my little warrior… let's go home” Bumblebee had long grown into his youngling frame. He was far too old to be carried by any standard… but Optimus didn’t seem to care and picked him up as if he were a sparkling despite it. Bumblebee held on, wrapping his arms around Optimus’s neck as his Sire sang softly, solemnly, and ran his digits along Bumblebee’s back.

It was slightly embarrassing to be treated as if he were still a newspark, but he could sense that it brought Optimus a degree of peace amid the agony that he seemed to be in. For that reason alone, Bumblebee remained silent and merely hummed quietly, letting Optimus begin the journey back to base with him in his arms.

—----

“Absolutely not” Optimus shot down Bumblebee’s request as soon as it came out of his intake. Prowl stood uncomfortably behind Optimus as the Prime continued working on his numerous documents, not even looking up at Bumblebee amid his efforts.

Bumblebee could only sigh. Optimus had been involved in nearly every aspect of his life since the loss of his siblings. The Prime had overseen his training and education whenever he wasn’t leading the army or out on the frontlines and personally tended to him whenever he was injured. Bumblebee understood it, but he was not fond of it all the time. This was already the fifth time he had requested to join the army and every single time Optimus had shut his wish down. The Prime had done everything in his power to urge Bumblebee to take on a safer role, something behind the line like that of a scientist. However, that was not what Bumblebee wanted.

Too many times he had watched his Sire return from the battlefield bleeding and sometimes even broken to the point of needing to be carried in for repairs. And far too often he had found Optimus quietly mourning, returning to the site of the bunker again and again to silently suffer as his spark cried out in agony.

Bumblebee hated seeing his Sire that way. He wouldn’t allow Optimus to shoulder the burden alone.

“Optimus, you can’t keep me cooped up here. The Autobots need every mech able to fight to be at the ready, and I am more than able to accept a role on the battlefield” For once Optimus paused and sighed, seeming to consider it. There was no doubt that others had spoken to him about Bumblebee’s desire as well, likely Ratchet and Jazz most of all.

The Prime tapped his digit on his desk as he thought, which only served to make both Bumblebee and Prowl gaze upon him in growing nervousness. After a long tense moment, Optimus took a deep vent and reached up to his commlink.

“Jazz, I need you here for a new mission briefing” Bumblebee’s optics widened as Optimus made the call and then turned to face him expressionlessly. The Prime remained stoic up until the agent sauntered on into the office as if he owned the place, patting Bumblebee once on the shoulder good-naturedly as he did so.

“Sup Op! Whatcha need me for?” Jazz smiled wide and that eased Bumblebee a bit as Optimus seemed to come to terms with something and then spoke up.

“Bumblebee wishes to join the army. I would have you oversee his training and integration personally” The words seemed simple, but the underlying glyphs had a hint of a warning ingrained in them. It was slightly jarring to hear Optimus use such a tone with Jazz, but the agent seemed to take it without issue.

“I would be honored! Whatcha say, Bee? Ready to join the army?” Jazz smiled again, his denta on full display as he threw an arm around Bumblebee’s shoulder. It was slightly uncomfortable but Bumblebee returned the smile, albeit slightly less jovially. Optimus still looked less than pleased but Bumblebee was thankful as he sent love and appreciation over their bond. That at least made Optimus appear to relax a bit more.

“Absolutely!” Jazz laughed at Bumblebee’s answer and Optimus gave him a reassuring smile as Prowl finally seemed to relax now that the tension in the room had dissipated. Optimus wasn’t happy, that much was clear, but if nothing else he was willing to listen and that meant more to Bumblebee than he could ever truly project.

—----

“MEGATRON!” Bumblebee heard Optimus scream as his vocalizer was torn out and he was left to fall to the ground and bleed out. Everything was a whirl of pain from his frame as his processors slowed in response to the energon loss. All he remembered before everything went black was Megatron high tailing it as an absolutely maddened Optimus charged at him with nothing but pure bloodlust emanating from his field and through the bond.

When he woke again he was aching and in pain, his neck held in place by a brace and his servo held as though it were made of glass by his Sire. It took him a moment to remember, but once he did he reached up to feel the brace and then tried to speak only for nothing to come out. It was gone, his vocalizer was completely gone.

“Oh Bee, my little warrior… I am so sorry… I failed to keep you safe” For the second time in his life, Bumblebee watched his Sire cry, only this time, he cried with him. He wanted to whimper, to scream, to call out, to make any sort of sound. Instead, all he got was shooting pain and emptiness where he knew his vocalizer should have been.

“Forgive me Bumblebee…” Optimus’s tears dripped onto Bumblebee’s helm as the Prime held him close and as tight as he dared considering his condition. Bumblebee clung to his Sire, weeping and trying to sob only for at most, the hissing and grinding of gears to sound in his vocalizer’s stead.

His voice was gone. He would never speak again. How did it come to this?

“We will make this work little warrior, I promise you that. Just stay strong, Sire will fix things” Optimus’s field wrapped around Bumblebee tightly, swaddling him in love and affection even as it was tainted with guilt, wrath, and sorrow. Bumblebee leaned into the touch and extended his field, letting it mingle with Optimus’s lovingly as he wept in silence.

The next few deca-cycles after the loss of his voice were a blur of Ratchet poking around in his internals, introducing a faux vocalizer which he had to constantly adjust and Optimus singing Bumblebee into recharge. It was all just a big mess of pain as his neck was worked on and terror when the memories of Megatron haunted him most.

Many a recharge cycle was spent cuddling up against Optimus who sang for him. Bumblebee felt like a sparkling, useless waste of a soldier when he found himself high tailing it to Optimus’s quarters when he woke from nightmares. But Optimus always reassured him, running his digits along Bumblebee's back between his door wings and between plating to soothe old wounds with kind caresses.

*I saw him again* Bumblebee murmured on one such night. Optimus hummed a small saddened sound that spoke of guilt.

“He won’t hurt you again. I won’t let him” Optimus’s voice was soothing and deep, rumbling and calming the terrified pulses of Bumblebee’s frantic spark as memories of Megatron’s attack ran through his processors on repeat.

“He will not take you from me too…” His Sire murmured almost too quietly to be heard. Bumblebee was too exhausted to take much note of the statement and merely clung to his Sire tighter, his frame relaxing in the comforting embrace of the one mech he trusted most.

He hadn’t really realized how much he adored and craved the affection Optimus gave him until it was stripped away only a mere vorn later.

—----

*Sire? Would you be willing to go out for a walk with me?* Bumblebee stood awkwardly in the doorway to the room Optimus had claimed as his nest. Twenty-one small blue pods rested amid piles of thermoplastic blankets and mesh padding, heaters carefully placed between them all so that every pod was properly tended to. Optimus sat in the middle of the nest, his field wrapped protectively around every pod and his focus entirely on singing to his newest brood.

Bumblebee remembered the previous brood, the one composed of his younger siblings that were destroyed several vorns prior. At that time he found the concept of siblings exciting and new, a miracle in a way considering he had never seen one younger than him. He thought he would be similarly enthused when Optimus announced that he was gestating a brood once more, but as the last vorn had been filled with increasingly lackluster time with his Sire, he was no longer very excited.

Throughout the entirety of the brood’s gestation, Optimus had been paranoid to the point of it being almost dangerous to himself and others. He only let Ratchet handle him and refused to let anyone aside from Bee get too close for anything. Not only that, but he took to let the army know of his brood simply so that there would never again be a case of an accidental bombing even if security was partially compromised. The army was of course ecstatic at the news of sparklings in light of their dying world and took their mission of protecting Optimus with utmost seriousness, and that put the Prime more at ease when it came time for his brood to emerge.

However, throughout it all, Bumblebee hardly got any attention. He was old enough to be out on his own and care for himself well enough, but he craved the attention he had been basked in for his entire life. It was a sudden thing when hurt and jealousy started to become primary emotions plaguing his processors, but he couldn’t help it.

For over thirty vorns he had been Optimus’s only sparkling, his one and sole focus when not otherwise engaged. Now all of a sudden that attention was being directed elsewhere, leaving Bumblebee to pick up the scraps and steal what little affection he could when Optimus wasn’t tending to the pods, a rare event that was almost as mythical as a predacon at the moment.

“I’m sorry Bee, but I can’t leave the brood alone. Perhaps after they emerge from their pods we can do something together” Optimus replied after a moment too long, his optics only flicking away from the pods for a mere moment to smile at Bumblebee before his efforts were refocused. Bumblebee couldn’t help the way his door wings dipped or how his plating clamped down around him to help him stop his field from flaring in anger and disappointment.

*I understand…* He muttered softly, his binary voice ringing out in hardly decipherable chirps and clicks. Optimus once again gave him a look, one more worried than the last. He seemed to notice Bumblebee’s raging emotions and seemed to be contemplating acting before a gentle glow from his chassis, likely the Matrix had him back on track.

“Forgive me, little warrior, my efforts are currently needed here” The Prime’s attention was totally diverted, the conversation ended swiftly with the curtness of his statement. It took everything Bumblebee had to not cry right then and there. All he could manage was a stiff ‘understood’ before he strode out of the chamber and out into the hall. He was a Klik away from slamming the door behind him before he thought better of it.

He only got a few feet away before sliding down the side of the wall and curling up against it, his knees pulled up to his chassis as he choked back sobs. Logically he understood why Optimus was acting the way he was, it was only right. He was nearly grown, the brood was not even free of their pods, it was obvious where priority was to be placed. Still, Bumblebee was hurt, he wanted affection too.

“Hey, bitlet…” He looked up with optics blurred with coolant as Ironhide sat beside him, a comforting servo on his shoulder pauldrons. Craving affection, he leaned into the touch and rested against Ironhide’s side, a gesture the weapons specialist did not object to and merely moved his arm to pull Bumblebee closer.

“I know it's pretty hard right now, but I promise ya that Prime still loves ya more than the whole fragging universe put together” Bumblebee sniffled as Ironhide wiped a few of his tears away and gently hugged him, not getting too into his personal space but still giving his affection.

“I’m not sayin’ him leaving ya so alone is right, but I am tellin' ya that this is his fourth brood. Ya are the only sparkling he’s ever been able to keep alive, and with every lost brood he’s only focused on ya more” Bumblebee did his best to wipe his optics clear of the coolant as Ironhide spoke and wrapped his field around Bumblebee as lovingly as he could. It was an untrained maneuver, one that while well-meaning was not the same as Optimus.

“This is a miracle for him, a chance to finally raise a whole brood like he’s wanted since the beginning. The Matrix ain’t helping him much, forcing him to protect the current brood more than anythin’ else cuz of all the lost ones before it” The weapons specialist rubbed between Bumblebee’s door wings, likely in an attempt to mimic Optimus. The touch was nice, but just like with Ironhide’s field, it wasn’t Optimus, and therefore it wasn’t right.

“It will get better once the bitlets emerge and Prime calms down a bit. Just hang in there, alright Bee?” Bumblebee nodded simply, prompting Ironhide to drag him off for some energon. But all the while Bumblebee felt nothing but jealousy and anger.

He understood, but that didn’t stop him from hating the neglect all the same.

—----

“Listen to me Bumblebee, this may be the most important mission of your entire functioning” Optimus stood before Bumblebee holding the scout’s servos in his own with a pleading expression on his face as the twenty-one hardly toddling sparklings swarmed around him. The sparklings looked up at Bumblebee and Optimus with wide curious optics, their innocence so very obvious that Bumblebee had to restrain the urge to kick one of the little critters when the sparkling clung to his leg.

He had to remind himself that these were just sparklings, his siblings to be exact. And yet his irritation still lingered even as he found himself drawn toward loving the little things.

“I must lead our armies to the spaceports at Helix to guard them until our people can flee. The Decepticons know of my brood, they will try and take them while I am gone” His Sire’s words broke him out of his increasingly dark thoughts, prompting Bumblebee to nod in understanding. Optimus’s optics were wide and desperate, a hint of something aside from his primely nature peeking through.

“The sparklings need to be taken to the remains of Rodion where I have arranged for transportation to take them off-world until I can collect them again. Please, get them there safely” Optimus’s tone left no room for argument but also had a hint of affection lacing them. Optimus cared, Optimus trusted him.

“You will need to move on your own. I cannot risk you and the sparklings being made targets, but the journey is not long. You must only guard them for a single cycle” Optimus pulled away and whistled to the sparklings, calling out for them with a strange manner of speech that had all of them paying rapt attention immediately. Before Bumblebee knew it, he was being equipped with a special carrier of sorts which was strapped to his back. All of the sparklings were placed inside, their small frames not hard to keep in the container considering they weren’t even the size of a servo.

“Please, little warrior, keep them safe. I beg this of you” Optimus pressed the crest of his helm to Bumblebee’s, eliciting a partially happy whirl from him at the touch. The Prime smiled but it was a sad thing as he turned to his waiting team of guards and advisors and left Bumblebee with his precious cargo.

Bumblebee for his part saluted once before moving to complete his mission. The sooner he was done, the better. Perhaps if he did well he could even get a bit of alone time with Optimus after so long being kept away from him. The sparklings had taken every ounce of Optimus’s attention since emerging, leaving what meager time Bumblebee had to be swept away. Sparklings, much less twenty-one of them, were quite a bit of work.

Even with his distaste for the sparklings, Bumblebee was not one to falter in a mission. He would need to succeed, if only because Optimus asked it of him. And so he marched on toward the remains of Rodion without hesitation.

*Hush now* Bumblebee hissed at the sparklings a Groon into the trip. The sparklings were making a fuss in his carrier, all of them whining and worrying, likely in response to Optimus’s absence since the novelty of the trip had worn off. Bumblebee sighed and tried to keep moving, but eventually, the sparklings began to kick and fidget, making carrying them a very uncomfortable affair.

*Oh for Primus’s sake!* Another half a Groon later Bumblebee got fed up, and even though Rodion was only another Groon away, he stopped to let the sparklings out. He needed to recharge anyway and the sparklings could use the exercise.

He sighed in relief as soon as the pack came off, but not wanting to lose any of the sparklings, he waited patiently until he had secured the area and put up some basic barriers to let them out. The sparkling's first responses were to cry and then to begin trying to find Optimus. It was a little saddening to watch, but that burst of pity evaporated like smoke once the sparklings began trying to get everywhere.

He wished he could scream in frustration as what was supposed to be a break turned into him chasing sparklings around to keep them in one area. It was ridiculous, but with the aid of the singular binary song he could produce, he got the sparklings to sit still long enough for them to fall into recharge in one big pile like a bunch of cyber-cats.

If this is what Optimus had to deal with regularly, Bumblebee wanted to be somewhat grateful he was the only sparkling to survive in his brood. He was unsure how in the pits he would have gotten any attention if Optimus was busy running around as he had been with his newest siblings.

*This is ridiculous…* He vented deeply as he watched the snoozing pile of sparklings. He needed to remain vigilant, but Primus, he needed a break. It hadn’t even been a cycle and he’d had enough. Just a few Kliks to himself would be enough to clear his helm, right?

After some deliberation, he walked only a few feet away from his makeshift campsite and stood atop a vantage point overlooking it. He could still see the sparklings perfectly and had an excellent view of any potential threat. It was the perfect spot to take a moment to vent in peace. As such he sat down on the little hill and rested, his optics shuttering as he let his tired cables relax and his processors calm.

He didn’t even notice when he nodded off into unexpected recharge, only to be woken sometime after the skies had gone totally dark to the sounds of screaming and shrieking from the sparklings. He threw himself forward, blasters at the ready despite his sudden waking and his systems still rebooting. He could hardly see what was going on, but he could tell based on the badges who he was fighting.

Decepticons had found them and were trying to take the sparklings. That could not stand, not so long as Bumblebee’s spark still blazed. His mind was trying to keep up as he launched at the Decepticons, striking one of them and blasting at those attempting to flee. He managed to hit a few, knocking the sparklings in their grip free. However, before he could do much else he sensed a presence behind him.

In his half-recharged state he couldn’t react in time to stop the swift hit to the helm that knocked him out cold. The last thing he recalled thinking was how sad Optimus was going to be. He had failed to remain vigilant and lost Optimus’s only living brood. What would his Sire think of him now? He didn’t know, but a small part of him hoped he died so that he wouldn’t need to face Optimus’s crushed expression and possible anger.

—----

“He’s waking up!” Bumblebee’s optics came online slowly as he felt an incessant tapping on his cheek. He groaned as whoever it was who was touching him was shoved away and the familiar face of Optimus filled his vision. His first instinct was to be confused as the Prime held him tenderly and looked over him in concern… Then he remembered and froze up, his field turning erratic as he hurriedly shut his bond to Optimus.

He didn’t want to feel Optimus’s distress.

“Bumblebee, talk to me. What happened?” The Prime’s voice was urgent and desperate, a fact that only served to make Bumblebee shrink in on himself more. He felt his optics well with coolant for what felt like the thousandth time as he tried to respond.

*I-I’m so sorry… I failed… the sparklings-* He couldn’t finish his sentence, but the murmurings and the sad nods of others scouting the area seemed to fill in the blanks for his Sire. Optimus’s optics widened a fraction but the Prime merely dipped his helm and held Bumblebee closer, running his digits along his helm in a way Bumblebee hadn’t felt in over a vorn.

“Hush my little warrior. This shouldn't have been your burden to bear. The blame lays on me and me alone” Optimus didn’t cry, not this time. However, his sorrow was obvious and Bumblebee wanted to beat himself up with how horrible his Sire looked.

“They may not be with me, but at least they live. That is more than I have ever had before” Optimus pressed a gentle kiss to the crest of his helm, a sign of affection he had never received before due to the intimacy tied to it. The act only served to make Bumblebee cry harder and lean against Optimus as the Prime picked him up like he weighed nothing and began to carry him.

“Get a team out to find those sparklings. I don’t want to hear back until they are confirmed dead or alive” Optimus issued the order as he walked. He sounded stoic, but Bumblebee could feel his Sire’s pain as he reopened the bond between them. It was a simple fact that neither he nor Optimus was likely to ever see the sparklings again, not now that they had been taken.

He had failed, and now his Sire was suffering for it.

*Forgive me Sire…* Bumblebee pleaded as his vision went in and out again, the hit to his helm taking its toll once more. Optimus merely frowned and sang softly as he walked.

“You did all you could” Optimus reassured him, but all Bumblebee could feel was all-encompassing guilt. He had been so very selfish and look what it did. His siblings were gone, his Sire was in pain, and he had failed in the most important mission he had ever undertaken.

He didn’t deserve forgiveness.

He had failed this time, there was nothing he could do to change that. But he could redeem himself next time. Next time he would do better, he would be a better brother to the next brood and a better sparkling to his Sire.

He would do better…

“All are confirmed to be alive, but they are deep in Decepticon territory and already being ferried off world… we won’t be able to retrieve them without incredible losses if at all” Ultra Magnus relayed the information quietly as Optimus sat by his only remaining sparkling’s bedside. Bumblebee was out cold, the trauma he sustained to the helm causing him to go in and out of recharge erratically while his processors healed.

“I understand” Optimus replied curtly, his emotions too wild to be allowed free reign. Instead, he felt next to nothing as the Matrix took his emotions and held them in a death grip, ensuring Optimus only sensed the vaguest of emotions in regard to his lost brood.

“Do you want us to go after them?” His second in command inquired, knowing full and well that if Optimus were in any other state of mind he would have replied in the affirmative. However, seeing Bumblebee as he was and no longer having his brood near him made Optimus’s mind clearer. It would be foolish to act out now when the Decepticons had his sparklings among them.

Optimus could sense his creation’s cries across his bonds to them. They were fearful, lost, and hurting as they wept and reached out to him. He would have given nearly anything to comfort them, but as it was all he could do was send them waves of love and reassurance and pray that the Decepticons would at least treat them well.

He had failed again. And while his brood lived, they were lost to him. Somehow that hurt nearly as much as having them perish.

“No. The Decepticons may be cruel, but they will treat the sparklings well enough” Optimus gently caressed his sparkling’s helm as he thought, guilt bubbling up from where the Matrix’s grip was weakest.

How long had it been since he had last spent quality time with his little warrior? When was the last time he simply sat and sang to him? Optimus could hardly remember. The past two vorns with his latest brood had been such a blur and he had hardly been able to think amidst the push and pull of the Matrix urging him onward and blocking out all else. The relic within him was restless, it wanted to bring forth life even at the cost of Optimus and countless others.

He knew the Prime parental codes were strong, but seeing how Bee had wept at a simple touch had him wondering just how powerful they were. This couldn’t be right. Were the codes really meant to be this strong? Other Primes from days long past never showed such behavior or even any sort of worry or care. In fact when presented with sparklings most appeared to be stoic and apathetic.

The memories within the Matrix showed the Primes of old to be detached from their broods. While they cared, it was almost a distant kind of affection that could be applied to any young and vulnerable being. They weren’t like him, they didn’t tie themselves so fanatically to their creations.

Optimus had never experienced the distance that the other Primes had. Was it due to the Matrix wishing to keep the sparklings safe? A failsafe of sorts to preserve the little lives he produced when few could be trusted? That seemed to be the only explanation for his near maddening obsession with his creations that looking back seemed to be more harmful than helpful.

“With the Allspark gone, we cannot remain. Prepare the ships and begin splitting the army into teams to journey the stars” Optimus issued his order to which Ultra Magnus bowed and made to leave. Optimus otherwise didn’t react, his focus on Bumblebee as he contemplated.

Whatever was going on was… worrying. For him to have not seen his sparkling’s pain despite being bonded so deeply… It frightened him. The Matrix’s grip left his spark pulsing in uncertainty. Could he even trust the relic that had long become a part of his being?

“Forgive me, Bee… I never wanted this, but I promise never again will I leave you as I did” His previous promises had been broken time and time again, but with this promise, he would never break it. He had left his little one to suffer alone for nearly two vorns, and that was unacceptable. Never again would he allow such a thing to be.

“You may be Primus’s creation, but you will not keep me from him again” Optimus warned as he put a servo to his chassis, feeling the Matrix pulse within. He couldn’t tell what it was thinking if it thought at all. But he was near certain it understood his intent if nothing else.

It had taken him from Bee once. Never again. Not while he still lived.

—----

*Optimus? Are you alright?* Bumblebee’s binary voice broke through the fog that quickly clouded Optimus’s processors as the Matrix pulsed for the fifth time. His vents came erratically as he leaned against the wall of the Ark’s halls, waiting for it to pass.

The Matrix was evidently impatient in its desire to see life brought forth. It hadn’t even been a full vorn since then and the relic was already granting him another set of little lives to guard. The Prime parental codes began to activate with a vengeance, but Optimus for the first time in his functioning fought against them.

*Should I get Ratchet?* Bumblebee helped him to his pedes as Optimus shook his helm. Too many times the consequences of him making a fuss over his broods left him in more pain than comfort. This time he would keep the brood to himself. His paranoia and willingness to give into the Matrix had cost him enough. He would do things his own way this time. He had already lost every single brood he had gestated, what was the harm in taking a risk when the brood was near guaranteed to be small?

“No, I am fine, Bumblebee. It was merely a momentary lapse in protocol activation” Optimus lied simply. He hated the heavy feeling it left behind in his spark, especially with the newsparks circling his spark merrily as always. Bumblebee seemed to accept his reasoning and Optimus pulled him into a gentle hug, rubbing between his door wings kindly.

*I’m not a sparkling anymore Sire* Bumblebee pouted even as he leaned into the embrace. After everything Optimus had taken to showing his only remaining sparkling as much love as he could when possible. His surviving brood was too far from him now, and with every passing cycle, he could feel his bonds to them weaken. By the time they were grown, the tie he would have to them would only serve to tell him if they were dead or alive. Bumblebee was all he had left. He had forsaken his little warrior one too many times, but never again.

“You will always be my sparkling, little warrior” Optimus chuckled as he felt Bee’s core temperature creep up a degree in embarrassment. He could tell through their bond that the nickname was appreciated even if it didn’t apply as much anymore. Bee had grown so much, he was by no means as little as he once was. It brought a smile to Optimus’s face even as his spark swelled in guilt at the mask his sparkling wore to hide the scars of Megatron’s mutilation.

“Now go report to Ratchet, we will be taking off shortly” Optimus sent Bee off with a smile and a gentle wave, to which Bumblebee made a happy chirp and left to fulfill the order. How long had it been since he had seen Bee so happy? He really was a disgrace.

He rested a servo on his chassis with a frown as soon as Bee was out of sight. It hadn’t been long enough, what was the Matrix thinking? He reached out to the newest batch of newspark tentatively, only to receive nothing but love and adoration from them. His Prime parental codes fought him denta and claw to activate and take control, but Optimus denied it. He now knew what they were capable of now and he would not lose himself as he had before.

“I don’t know what you are planning or what you want of me, but I will not endanger my people again just to meet your demands” Optimus whispered to the Matrix as it thrummed in his chassis almost questioningly and with a hint of what Optimus could only think to be some kind of disapproval. He merely frowned and moved to march to the command deck, there was too much to do to worry himself with what the relic thought.

He had followed the Matrix’s will four times prior and every instance ended in pain. No longer. He would do things as he saw fit, and this time that meant keeping his brood to himself and not succumbing to the desire to coddle them.

—----

“Hey, Optimus! Look at this!” Rafael called out to Optimus from where he sat with his laptop. The human child’s expression was one of pure thrill as he showed Optimus his work keeping the team’s pictures off the web. The Prime smiled fondly as the boy showed him everything and explained his work in great detail.

The Matrix flared within him, demanding he let the Prime parental protocols surface. Optimus denied it again for what had to have been the millionth time. He had no interest in letting the Matrix control his actions, not now that they were on earth and couldn’t afford to have any sort of erratic behavior take root.

“You’ve done good work, Rafael. Thank you for your efforts. All you do means a great deal to me and my team” Rafael positively beamed at the praise and Optimus couldn’t stop himself from patting the child as gently as he could on the head. The children were just like sparklings, so small, so soft, and so very good at getting into trouble. It eased his aching spark and the long vorns of pain he endured to be able to keep them close without the threat of having them ripped away to be so stark.

They weren’t his sparklings, and admittedly his secondary reason for keeping them at base was just so that he could have someone to coddle, however in the end he believed everything was working out for the best. The children had proven very useful and helped heal age-old wounds in all of them. Optimus adored them, Ratchet tolerated them, Bee enjoyed their presence, Bulkhead was protective of them, and while Arcee would die before saying it, she too was obviously very enthralled by them.

It had been far too long since they had sparklings under their care. The children were not their young, but Primus, it was a blessed relief to be able to tend to them as if they were.

“I drew a picture, Optimus! Want to see?” Miko also stood up carrying her little notebook and a colored pencil. Optimus turned his attention to her with a similar kind smile, his field extended lovingly even if she couldn’t feel it. He was unable to stop the soft song that rumbled in his chassis at a pitch too high for Miko to hear. She was adorable and very innocent. She was just like his newly emerged sparklings in purity and excitement, if quite a bit more mobile than them.

The bonds he held to his surviving bond ached as he recalled his little ones. Over the past vorn, he had felt his connection to them weaken enough that he could no longer send them emotions or comfort over long distances. Without maintenance, it wouldn’t be long until they were lost to him entirely. The children were a pleasant distraction from that dark reality.

“Of course Miko. I would love to see your artwork” He could hear Ratchet huffing from somewhere at his workstation, but Optimus paid it no mind and kept his full attention on the girl as she presented her crude but the admittedly adorable rendition of the team to him. It warmed his spark in a way he had come to miss dearly as he looked over the artwork.

Bee used to show him such things too when he was younger. It was a memory of a happier time, one Optimus was glad to have forwarded in his memory banks as he gave Miko the same head pat he offered Rafael.

“It’s time to go home! Get your stuff!” Jack called out from where he was collecting his backpack. Optimus didn’t even try suppressing the fond chuckle that bubbled in his vocalizer at the sight of the children groaning and hurrying to fulfill the command. If the children noticed, they didn’t comment as they waved and hurried down to their guardians for a ride home.

*Let’s roll out Raf!* Bumblebee chirped to his ward as the boy hopped into his passenger seat. Optimus could only watch on fondly as Miko did the same with Bulkhead and Jack jumped into Arcee’s seat. There was so much joy with the children involved, it brought him no end of joy amidst the sorrow of their reality.

“Get home safely, return to us well” Optimus called out as the children and their guardians disappeared through the ground bridge. Ratchet made an irritated noise as he closed it and then gave Optimus a look that screamed suspicion. It had become a very familiar look over the past three years since their arrival on Earth. His brood development made him more parental even without the protocols there to amplify it.

“Optimus, you know you can talk to me right?” Ratchet uttered once the team was gone and they were alone. Optimus didn’t look at his old friend, he couldn’t, not after he continually lied on the daily to keep his newest brood to himself. At first, he had kept the secret with the intent to reveal it once they were safe, but now on earth where energon was scarce? Optimus simply never found the motivation within himself to speak when he knew it would only cause the team to fret.

“I know, old friend” He answered curtly, unwilling to continue the conversation and risk revealing more than he wished. Ratchet for his part took Optimus's servo and held it gently, his field wrapping around Optimus comfortingly in a knowing way.

“Then please, talk to me when you feel it is all too much. I am here for you Optimus” With one final pulse of affection with his field, Ratchet pulled away to return to his work. Optimus for his part retreated to his quarters as the little sparks within him fluttered about nervously in their pods, confused as to their Prime’s sudden distress.

He hated this.

—----

“It was an honor to serve alongside you Sir” Arcee’s words were hitched as the cold seeped into both of them. Optimus did what he could to huddle, curling around Arcee both to protect her from the cold of the Arctic and to desperately try to preserve the pods within him. The cold would kill him soon, but it was his hope that the pods would at least remain warm enough in his husk to be retrieved.

He could feel his sparklings pulsing in their pods, shivering even as he did everything he could to warm them. The ones closest to the outer parts of his gestation chamber were growing dim, their ties to him shaking and threatening to snap. Optimus wanted to cry more than ever as one by one, the outer pods flickered and faded.

He forced his engine as high as it could go even though he knew not moving would only damage him. However, he didn’t care at all. He needed to preserve his young. Even without the Prime parental coding clouding his judgment, this was the least he could do if he was to die anyway. He only prayed his frame kept them warm enough to survive until the team could come to fetch them and his corpse.

“Get down!” He snapped to attention as a ground bridge bloomed and Bulkhead came barreling out absolutely covered in bites and scuffs. Optimus used his frame to shield Arcee as they hobbled to the ground bridge and endured the barrage of scraplets that froze and fell to the ground uselessly.

Optimus didn’t waste a second in hurrying into the base as fast as he was able the moment the threat was gone. Already he could sense several of his creations had faded, not dead, but weak beyond words. It would be a miracle if they all survived now.

“Optimus!” Ratchet, Bumblebee, and the children greeted him with relieved smiles, but all Optimus could do was nod as with the children’s help, they dealt with the fallout. However all the while his frame warmed and his systems repaired themselves, Optimus was desperate to leave for his quarters. His sparklings were still so weak and more than one he sensed would not make it.

He couldn’t stay put, not when his sparklings were fading. Only once had he been able to say goodbye to his little ones in their final moments. He would not leave his few sickly creations to perish within him without first being able to experience the world at least once.

“I will be in my quarters if you require my presence” Optimus eventually stood, despite knowing his team still needed him there for moral support. He couldn't linger, not with his sparklings in such desperate need of him. Thus he moved swiftly into his private quarters despite the protests of his team and Ratchet’s concerned calls.

“I'm so sorry my dear ones… forgive me. Forgive me for failing you” Optimus slid down against the door the moment it was closed and locked. He pushed his gestation chamber forward and gazed at the little lives within through the help of a mirror. There were twelve, but three were still shivering in their pods. They wouldn’t last.

“Hush now my little miracles, Sire is here” With a careful servo he guided the weakest of the pods out of his chamber along with a soft push. The others were not fully developed yet, they still needed time. Thus they remained as he tentatively held the three weakest ones in his cupped servos, gazing down at them softly as he returned his chamber to its proper position and closed his chassis.

“Do not be afraid. Primus waits for you” Optimus sang softly as he broke the sparklings out of their pods. They were nearly fully formed yet still shivered and weakly held onto him as he held them against his chassis. He didn’t care for the gestation fluid that got everywhere or the empty pods which fell to the ground. All that mattered was these three little lives he was about to lose.

“Rest my sparklings and know that I love you” He murmured as one after the other, the three weakly sent him pulses in fear, love, and then peace before his bonds to them snapped. He didn’t even bother to stop his tears as he held their small bodies close to him, singing long into the night, uncaring of who heard him. His other sparklings shifted in his chamber and all he could do was sing louder.

Again he had failed. He would not risk them once more. Earth wasn’t safe.

—----

In the dark of earth’s night cycle, Optimus quietly sat hunched over on his berth, grunting softly as he forced his pods to emerge early. They weren’t ready yet, but they would survive well enough without being within him. It was the best decision he could make. His sparklings couldn’t remain on earth, not when energon was so scarce and the stakes so high.

“I am here, my dear ones. Do not fear” His fans were working overtime when he finally pushed the last pod out, counting a grand total of nine pods as he placed them into a small crate. He wrapped each one with a thermoplastic blanket and sang to them as the hours ticked by and the time drew nearer.

He knew what he needed to do, but that didn’t make it any easier.

He wiped his frame clean of the gestational fluid that tended to come after pods emerged, then he sighed and sent a simple prayer to Primus. He begged for the protection of his sparklings and nothing else. He could die, and his war could be lost, but he could only wish upon the stars that at least his sparklings would endure.

“Forgive me. I wish I could raise you, but that is not to be” He murmured softly as he finally composed himself and picked up the crate with all the tenderness he could muster while wrapping the pods in his field. He paused only briefly at the door before he emerged, walking straight into the hangar where the team was already gathered to bid Wheeljack farewell before he took off for the stars once more.

All optics fell on him and the room silenced immediately as Optimus strode in. His expression was grim and he didn’t bother to hide it as he made a B-line straight for the wrecker. Wheeljack tensed and everyone else just looked concerned. Bumblebee fidgeted in worry as he sensed Optimus’s grief over their bond and Ratchet gave him a knowing look that morphed into something sadder as Optimus stopped.

“Are those-?” The question hung in the air as Optimus passed Wheeljack the crate, watching with sorrowful optics as the wrecker took in the nine pods within that already cried out for Optimus for comfort. He sent them as much affection as he could as the whole team watched on with wide optics.

“My sparklings? Yes. They cannot remain on earth. They won’t survive” Optimus reached out with a gentle digit to touch the soft shells of the pods one by one, careful to send every sparkling his affection while he still could. All the while Wheeljack gaped like he had just been smacked across the face and then handed a thousand shanix.

“Take them away from here, I don’t care where so long as it's safe. Autobot, Decepticon, Neutral, it doesn’t matter. All I ask is that they find good caretakers who will love them regardless of their origin” Wheeljack nodded dumbly as he looked between the pods and Optimus, however, the Prime did not linger for any longer and returned to his quarters without answering any of the questions that followed him.

This was for the best. He had a war to win. He couldn't be distracted… still, he couldn't help how it hurt. All he could do was remind himself that he still had Bee and the children under his care. He still had them to fight for and his sparklings scattered amongst the stars.

He would endure… he had to.

Another brood gone. It was so very familiar now. He tried to take a degree of cold comfort in the fact that his creations weren’t all dead, merely gone from his sight. It was what kept him going when there was nothing else but Bee to hold him steady.

“Optimus… I brought you some energon” The door to his quarters opened, illuminating his dark room enough for his optics to cycle slightly to adjust. However, otherwise, he didn’t react, he didn’t want to. His spark ached too much and he would rather not spread his gloomy field to the rest of the base.

“You need fuel, old friend” Ratchet came in calmly, his steps steady and solid amidst the storm that raged in Optimus’s being. Even still he hardly twitched, his gaze locked onto the ground as he sat on the edge of his berth feeling his ties to his newest brood weaken even as they emerged from their pods.

He could feel their joy, he could feel how loved they were, how comforted and safe they felt. He wished he were there to be the one to give them those feelings, but no, instead he knew it was other mecha who had his precious sparklings in their care. Optimus knew it was for the best, but it didn’t stop his spark from crying out and trying to send all the love he could as well in a vain attempt to be known.

“Here… please, fuel Optimus” Ratchet pressed the energon cube into his servos and that was enough to rouse him to a degree. He missed his sparklings. He hated that he wasn't there to witness their emergence. It felt so very wrong even without the Matrix screaming at him at all times. It was instinctual, and it was rightfor a Prime to be there for his young, this he knew in the very core of his being.

And yet here he was, in a backwater organic world with a small team and Megatron’s entire inner circle as his enemies. He wasn’t being the Sire he wanted to be, and for all he knew, he never would be. He could die in this world without ever seeing his legacy aside from Bee.

“Thank you Ratchet” He managed to murmur as he took a sip of the energon. It tasted foul to him, but he logically knew it was likely only because he was in such a state. The energon was fine, it wasn’t great, but it was a good distractor from the pains that wounded his spark.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” There it was, the question Optimus knew was coming but didn’t want to answer. How was he supposed to explain that after so long and so many mistakes he just… wanted to try something else in the vain hope that it might change things? All he could do for a long moment was sip his energon and try to focus his thoughts. The Matrix helped as it gently prodded and offered wisdom.

“I didn’t want to risk anything. The Matrix’s grip on me was… great with my other broods. I thought that by keeping the brood to myself and by blocking the Matrix’s influence perhaps-” He didn’t finish his thought, he didn’t need to if the comforting servo on his shoulder was any indicator. Ratchet wrapped his field around Optimus in a soothing gesture and they remained in silence for a long while, not a word uttered and yet completely understanding the other.

“At least they live” Ratchet finally remarked, his tone soft and kind as he took the empty energon cube from Optimus’s servos and put it aside momentarily. Optimus made a soft noise of agreement before he returned to silence. Ratchet sighed and gave Optimus’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before standing and making to leave.

Optimus didn’t even bother looking up. Why should he?

*Sire… can I come in?* Not too long later the familiar binary tones of his sparkling echoed in his audio receptors, snapping him from his reverie. His optics widened a fraction before he managed to choke out a weak ‘yes’ to which Bee didn’t hesitate to come right up to Optimus and wrap him in a hug.

*I love you, Sire. I hope you know that* Bumblebee’s gentle tones had Optimus wrapping his arms around his dear sparkling in return. He didn’t even try to stop himself as he reached within his core and pulled up the only song he knew that seemed fitting.

Dear child, can you hear me?
Til the stars go out, here I remain
Forever I await your return

Bumblebee relaxed against him with every glyph he poured out. His sparkling chimed in as best as he could in his binary voice, filling the dark room with a discordant yet symphonic song meant only for them.

Can you hear my call?
Come home dear one
Rest in my arms
Let the woes of the world fade away
Let me hold you close
For you I would never betray

Together their voices wove a tapestry of emotion that eased Optimus’s spark and calmed his sparkling. He could feel it as they bond thrummed in time to the music, their shared emotion passing back and forth in a soothing wave. His bonds to his other creations faded away as he sang, focusing solely on the solitary sparkling he still had with him.

Can you hear my song?
I know your voice and your pain
Please, let me carry you away
Sleep, endure this no longer
Till time tears itself apart,
Here we will be, never long apart

The last verse passed by his derma with little effort and once the long reached its conclusion, Optimus felt more at peace than he had in vorns. He had lost much, but he had one gift left, one last miracle in the form of his dear sparkling.

If he was destined to lose everything, he would treasure what he had for as long as Primus saw fit to let him have it.

—----

The Cybonic plague was torture to endure, but it was nothing compared to the pain that came when Bumblebee’s bond to him began to waver along with his usual mannerisms after the fact. His connections to his other creations had long since begun to grow cold and so feeling Bumblebee’s turn distant scared him more than anything else aside from losing the war in its entirety.

He tried to help, singing softly to Bumblebee as he muttered about visions. Optimus had tried hoping with every fiber of his being that perhaps it was just trauma like when Megatron had taken his little warrior’s voice.

He was wrong.

“Bumblebee, please, talk to me” He put his servo on Bee’s shoulder comfortingly. They were still out in public and he couldn’t afford to be too affectionate. However, he couldn’t stop the concern he allowed to flow through their bond in the vain hope that it might help his little warrior to open up to him.

“I want to help you Bee, but I need you to tell me what’s wrong” Bumblebee’s frame slumped and he leaned against Optimus’s chassis, silent sobs rattling his armor and startling Optimus momentarily before he wrapped him up in a hug.

*I see him everywhere, every time I shutter my optics his face is right there. I want it to stop, it feels like I can hardly think* Bumblebee’s binary voice couldn’t convey as much emotion as a normal mech, but his emotions flowing through their bond told Optimus enough. His little warrior was scared, terrified even, and there was little he could do to help.

“I am here Bee. Focus on me, not him” Who he was speaking of didn’t need to be clarified, they both knew. Instead, he held Bumblebee tighter against himself and sang his song softly, uncaring of who may be listening when his sparkling needed him so desperately.

He prayed to Primus that it would be enough, that he would be enough. Nevertheless, Bumblebee continued to deteriorate and he could only watch on and try to offer what comfort he could.

He watched with increasing concern as Bumblebee seemed to fight with himself. He despised having to watch his sparkling be put into forced shutdown to try and combat whatever he was ailed with since his journey into Megatron’s mind. However, he did not object to it even if the sight brought back painful memories of his dearest creation suffering so greatly after Tyger Pax.

Optimus could hardly hold himself together when his bond to his sparkling went silent less than a few hours later. He feared the worst and moved as quickly as he could, soon finding his sparkling absent and Rafael and Ratchet nowhere to be found. He wanted to scream as he frantically gathered those of the team who remained to try and find his missing sparkling and friend.

He couldn’t stop himself from hurrying over to cup Bumblebee’s face and search for injuries when Bee and Ratchet were returned to base. At that moment he didn’t care that Megatron had returned, he just wanted to know that his one and only sparkling was alright.

—----

Smokescreen was a good youngling, a bit hotheaded, but worthy of being called a true Autobot. He would never admit it aloud, but he took great pride in watching the youngling grow. He had been denied the chance to watch the rest of his broods develop, and while it was by no means a replacement, seeing Smokescreen helped ease those pains.

When Ratchet asked, he said nothing. But they both knew. Smokescreen was a blessing wrapped in a great many blunders and innocent exploration. Bee had a brother now, and that brought Optimus no end of joy.

Smokescreen was an additional light alongside his little warrior to keep him moving. He thanked Primus every day for the chance to teach if not raise the youngling. He only wished he wasn’t dying on the ground in a dark cave not far from the destroyed base.

“The choice is neither yours nor mine to make…” He managed to wheeze out as his systems failed him. It was all so very distant as he spoke, his frame failing him and drowning him in pain even as his bonds to his creations shook and threatened to snap. He could feel the ones who had been taken from him pausing, concern and fear being sent back to him in waves. They didn’t know him, but they knew he was fading. The ones he had sent away gave him similar reactions, they too feared for him.

Bumblebee was of course the most distraught. His sparkling cried out across their bond, clinging to him desperately as if to ward off death through his will alone. It brought Optimus a degree of comfort even as the sorrow of having to leave his creations behind hit him.

He was hardly aware as he offered the Matrix to Smokescreen, all he knew was that Primus called to him. He didn’t want to reach out and accept the offered servo, but what was he to do? He couldn’t linger, and at least this way… perhaps this way things would work out for the better. Smokescreen was a good mech, he would do well as a Prime and perhaps do what Optimus could not. He only prayed his dear sparkling would endure without him…

He was ready for death, but it never came. The next he knew a rejuvenating wave washed across his frame, healing his wounds and remaking him stronger, faster, more formidable, and so much more. He wouldn’t need to leave his sparkling or his team. It was a miracle even if it lost them the forge.

Optimus couldn’t contain his joy as he flew through the skies to Darkmount, fought and ended the threat, and wrapped both Bumblebee and Smokescreen up in a hug. They both deserved it for their bravery. The wounds from his near-death lingered, but together it would pass.

—----

He thought the worst was over. He thought that even if all else failed, he could take the killing blow and possibly spare his Autobots. This… was not something he could have ever expected.

Megatron smiled like a madmech as his precious sparkling was impaled upon the abominable blade that was the dark star saber and fell into the omega lock. Optimus could hardly think amidst the agony that was the loss of his one and only. He screamed, his vocalizer turning into a mix of horrifying radio static and the shrill shriek of shredding metal. He could feel components tearing and ripping apart in his vocalizer and his cry of indescribable anguish carried out across the omega lock’s surface.

His other weak ties to his creations didn’t matter as he threw himself with wild abandon at his foe. There was nothing else aside from vengeance. Energon leaked from his battle mask as his shattered vocalizer that hadn’t stopped spitting monstrous sounds destroyed itself. His optics were wide and his spark blazed in his chassis. The omega lock didn’t matter, the team didn’t matter, and Cybertron was irrelevant. All his spark desired was to watch the fragger he had given mercy time and time again bleed.

His entire being was in absolute agony as he threw himself at his foe, millennia of anger, grief, and despair all exploding as he fought with enough ferocity to end whole worlds. Hit after hit, slowly but surely he tore into Megatron, the monster’s polluted energon sticking to his frame like a badge of honor with every drop. He relished in it.

He was hardly able to compute what was happening when Megatron gave him the slip just as he was about to blast the monster into oblivion and left him hanging on the edge of the omega lock. He snarled and flailed, struggling to power on his blaster and aim it at Megatron with his one free arm while shrieking static still, trying desperately to curse Megatron with every fiber of his being as his spark wept and wailed at the loss of his little warrior.

Then suddenly he fell silent, very nearly letting go in his shock as his bond to his sparkling… snapped back into place? It… it couldn’t be possible. His sparkling was dead. He watched the light fade from Bee’s optics. It couldn’t be, and yet as he stared in shock and awe at his sparkling who flew through the air with the star saber… he could only sob in relief. Even if he died here by Megatron’s blade, his sparkling lived.

Bumblebee lived.

“MEGATRON!” That voice, how long had it been since he’d heard it? He almost failed to recognize it if not for the waves of wrath that came from his dear sparkling across their newly reestablished bond.

“You took my voice. You will never rob anyone of anything ever again” He didn’t even have the strength to cry as he watched his ancient foe, the one who had taken so many of his creations and so many of his Autobot’s lives away… fall. He never thought he would live to see the day. Yet, here he was, observing in complete shock as Megatron’s tainted corpse fell toward the earth in a ball of fire.

His processors went totally blank and even the Matrix shut up as he hung on the edge of the omega lock for what had to have been at least two whole Kliks while Bumblebee celebrated his return to full functionality, wrapping Ratchet up into a hug and relishing in his voice. Optimus said nothing as his frame shook and he hauled himself up over the edge and onto solid ground. He didn’t even have the mind to let those back at base know of their success, he merely got to his pedes shakily and sputtered static, his battle mask retracted to stare on in disbelief.

“Sire! My voice! I’ve got my pipes back!” Bumblebee repeated his exclamation of joy as he barrelled over to Optimus, ramming right into his torso and very nearly sending him crashing right back to the ground. He shook so much he could hardly wrap his arms around Bumblebee without hitting the youngling by accident.

“M̸̰̽y̶̲̽ ̵̻̄l̸̨̎į̷̕t̶̺͗t̷̠̋l̶͗ͅe̷͉͝ ̶̗̑w̸̝͂a̸̟̓r̵̛̺r̸̬͆i̴̮͗o̶͇͑r̵̘̕.̶̯̿.̵̜͌.̸̢̓ ̶̬̒y̵̼̚ǫ̴̉ù̷̺ ̴̝͆ḻ̵̒í̶̹v̵̢̊è̴̟.̵̨̀ ̵̦̉T̷̼̄h̷͓̆á̷͍n̵̖͗k̸̪̕ ̶͚̎P̴̙͐ŗ̸̆i̶̩̕ḿ̵̬u̵͉͂s̸̞͠ ̵̝̏y̶̜͗o̸̙͐ṵ̵̈́ ̶͎̍l̶̖̈́ị̶͝v̴̝̈ĕ̴̫.̴͈̎” His voice was so staticy from the abuse he put it through and he could hardly see through the coolant that gathered in his optics. However, he didn’t at all care for how he might have appeared as he held his sparkling close, reaffirming their bond and assuring himself that his sparkling lived.

“I’m alright Optimus. I’m alive” Again his sparkling’s voice broke through the haze and Optimus managed a weak smile. They had won, things would get better now.

—----

He was so very wrong. Everything they had fought for now hung on him and him alone. The Matrix sang within him, urging him toward the Well even as Megatron took to the skies, now free of his enslaver. He couldn’t resist the call for long. The Allspark needed to be returned to the Well, he knew this in the very core of his being. However, that didn’t stop him from turning to his team with nothing short of utmost grief.

There was no other choice, he tried in vain to remind himself of this over and over again.

“You mean to say… that you are one? With the Allspark?” As he explained, Ratchet's words hit him like a blaster shot straight to the face. It took a great deal of effort to not flinch as he came up to Smokescreen first and pulled him into a gentle hug.

“You did well, Smokescreen. You would have made a fine Prime… I am honored to have had a part to play in your life” The rookie elite guardsman was confused beyond words as Optimus turned away. They did not have the caretaker-sparkling bond he shared with Bee, but there was affection there. With time perhaps they could have had something, but as it was, this is where they said goodbye.

At least Smokescreen wouldn’t have to endure the pain of a shattered bond. Optimus hated that he would need to inflict that same pain on his sparkling.

“Optimus?” Bumblebee looked so very confused. It hurt Optimus’s spark to see his little warrior in such a state while the rest of the team was coming to the increasingly grim realization of what Optimus needed to do.

“You left me once, and now I am afraid I will need to do the same” He muttered softly as he pulled Bee into a hug as well, pressing a gentle kiss to his sparkling’s helm crest even as the Matrix’s calls grew louder. He didn’t hear much beyond the demands of the Matrix as he pulled away and gave his final farewell.

There was so much pain over the bond he shared with Bumblebee and a faint sense of terror from his far-off creations whose ties to him were hardly there. However as he smiled down on his team, or rather his family… he wasn’t frightened. This felt right. He never got the chance to do a great many things, including raising an actual brood. But his sacrifice would ensure that so many other new lives could be born.

Was that not the duty of a Prime?

He took to the skies without looking back for fear that he would falter. This was his final duty, his last great act. He hoped it was enough to make up for all his failures.

Do not lament my absence

A smile grew on his face as the warmth of Primus’s core reached his frame and the Matrix pushed itself forward, for once calm and not pushing him every which way. It was content, and surprisingly, so was he.

For I know this is not the end

The light grew brighter and Optimus allowed his optics to shutter. He sent all the love he could back over all his bonds to his creations, letting all of them know he loved them. All would be well, this he knew.

Merely a new transformation…

Warmth enveloped him and for the first time since he took up the mantle. Optimus felt at peace. However, above all else, he felt incredible joy when dozens of small forms ran to him, all of which were so painfully familiar.

He was home.

—---------------------

“Optimus?” It had not even been a vorn into his return to the living realm when within him the Matrix once again pulsed. But this time… something was different. It wasn’t oppressive. There was a question in the Matrix’s action, a query regarding his thoughts and wishes. Not only that but as the small newsparks began to take their place circling his own, he didn’t feel nearly as connected.

The bond was there, yes, it was still as strong as his others. However this time, he didn’t feel the need to keep them close or to hide them away where they could never be harmed. No, instead he felt the foreign urge to share, to spread this joy. He loved his creations already, should he not share that love with others?

He almost stopped in his tracks at that thought. When had he ever wanted to share his young? Always he had abhorred the thought of his young being sent away, even if only a few mere feet. Now though? It felt right in a way. He wasn’t meant to keep them all to himself, there were too many little lives within him to keep by his side.

“Get Ultra Magnus and Prowl! We need to start preparing!” Ratchet’s voice hardly broke through the fog as Optimus continued to sit at his desk, his optics unfocused as the Matrix repeated its query.

Which life will you tie to your own?

He was near certain that was the question the Matrix posed. Thus on an instinct he didn’t even know he had, his conscience delved deep into his spark chamber, looking amidst the small sea of newsparks around him. They greeted his presence with joy, their bonds to him flaring with love and affection. He returned the gesture, his frame rumbling and his spark flaring in happiness at their innocent little proddings.

One by one he looked at each spark circling his own, the outside world totally forgotten as he focused on the lives he fostered. Most he passed by without more than a Klik of hesitation, sensing that they would do better away from him based on the waves of faint personality he could feel from them. Others he stopped to examine, sending a gentle query before turning away as they sent back confusion or he received the overwhelming notion that they had someone else waiting for them.

He was tempted to turn away and accept that these ones were not to be his when one caught his attention. One small spark fluttering so close to his core he very nearly missed it in his own presence. It was familiar and had the touch of divinity he associated with himself. This spark had potential and he could already tell it would need careful guidance.

It was one he would keep close to himself, basking it in the light of his spark until the time came for it to emerge. Then he would nurture it personally, one small spark to be his heir, one innocent being to continue his line should he fall and Bumblebee prove unworthy of the Matrix.

This one?

The Matrix posed its question and Optimus sent back his confirmation. Next, he knew it, his connection to that particular newspark grew solid, strong, and unbreakable in the way his bond to Bumblebee was. The others he was willing to watch go and grow up amongst the newest children of Primus, but this one? No, this one was his. No one would take this sparkling from him.

“PRIME!” He came back to himself after the bond was established only to be greeted with a harsh slap across the face that left him rapidly shuttering and unshuttering his optics rapidly. What was that for?

“Optimus! Look at me!” Digits snapped in front of his face, bringing him back to reality as a harsh light assaulted his optics at the same time.

“There we are. Welcome back Optimus. Now care to explain?” Ratchet looked not at all pleased and the other mecha in the room, including Bumblebee, gave him worried looks. Optimus merely vented for a moment before smiling softly.

“Primus has given me another brood. There will be many this time, more than ever before I imagine” Fearful but understanding expressions met his statement. There was some private commlink communication between those in the room before they nodded and prepared to act.

“We will prepare a secure bunker in Iacon with a private team of medics-” Ultra Magnus began only for Optimus to raise a servo in objection with a slight smile. The fields of those before him were bewildered at best and confused beyond measure at worst. Optimus was well aware that normally by now he would be hurrying off to scout potential nesting sites.

“That will be unnecessary. This brood will be for all of Cybertron” More confusion met his words, prompting Optimus to continue as the newsparks within him listened intently to his emotional waves, feeling his reactions to gauge how they should react. It was a feeling he had sorely missed.

“My nest will be open to all who wish to raise sparklings. I have only taken claim over one of this brood. The others are for the people of Cybertron to care for” There was a long and near-deafening silence as Optimus sat quietly while the information was processed. All the mecha in the room looked at each other as if to ask if everyone else had heard the same thing, then they all looked to Optimus again.

“Sire, are you sure? You’ve always cared so much for your broods. You don’t need to give them away anymore, it's safe now-” Optimus raised a servo again even if it hurt him slightly to silence his dear sparkling. This was what needed to be done, he felt it in the core of his being. Sparklings born of him were meant to be for all of Cybertron, that is save for the chosen he took under his wing.

His broods were far too large to raise on his own anyway, and who was to say he couldn’t meet his creations again if they were settled happily on Cybertron? He would need to arrange something with their caretakers, but if nothing else he could see them once a vorn or so just to check up on them. It seemed fitting.

“This is what a Prime is supposed to do. During the war, the Matrix was… paranoid. It didn’t want to lose any of the sparklings, so it forced me to act territorially. However, now that things are stable…” Optimus paused to look out his office window out onto the rapidly rebuilding Cybertron. It was a sight he never thought he would witness, and it brought him no end of satisfaction to see his homeworld free of tyranny at last.

“I no longer feel the need to keep them so close to myself” He finished quietly before returning his gaze to those in the room. Prowl looked like he had been slapped in the face and honestly, Ratchet and Ultra Magnus were no better. The only ones who looked like they were even reasonably composed were Bumblebee and Jazz who seemed to understand what Optimus meant.

“Makes sense Op. What should we do?” Jazz posed his question, to which Optimus hummed for a moment as he pondered. These newsparks needed caretakers of their own, but he couldn’t very well let anyone wander in and take one. He would need to see to all of the pods personally to ensure every sparkling found a good home. And that meant… an institution of sorts.

“We will build a hatchery, and there I will have my brood and oversee the distribution of the sparklings to worthy mecha” Again he seemed to catch those with him off guard. It took a moment for them to process his words, likely because of the shock that came from him being so radically different from his usual territorial self when it came to his broods. However, eventually, they came to a consensus of sorts over private channels and Prowl stepped forward.

“I will get the Vehicons to begin construction immediately” Optimus made another noise of understanding at Prowl’s declaration. He felt at peace despite the fact he was with a new brood. It was strange, but he was happy all the same.

Soon there would be new life in the world, and this time he would be there to watch it flourish.

—----

Exactly a vorn later Optimus sat among a small sea of pods in the newly constructed hatchery. Two hundred and fifty-three pods lay strewn about the cushioned and heated hatchery, each being methodically tended to by medics specifically chosen for the job as civilians wandered among the nest, stopping periodically in front of a certain pod to touch and feel, searching for connection.

As for Optimus? He sat in the very center of the hatchery in a nest of his own making with the singular pod he had kept for himself. He had the pod resting comfortably on his lap as he ran his digits along the surface. This one was larger than its siblings, quite likely because of Optimus’s influence. He noticed that Bumblebee was larger and stronger than others of his general age group when he was young. Perhaps it was also because he received Optimus’s near undivided attention.

Whatever the case he observed calmly as mecha meandered the hatchery. He could feel his young within their pods shaking with excitement when a mech they liked came near. He wasn’t sure how they knew which bot was for them, but when he sensed it, he would quickly move to assist in the process, pointing out the pod which called to the mecha the pod reacted to. He thought he would have been more upset when pods were taken one by one by happy caretakers, but instead, he found himself pleased, almost like he had done good work in spreading his creations among the population.

Besides, he had taken every precaution to ensure that only mecha with stable jobs, no serious record marks in the past vorn, and genuine pure intent to raise a sparkling could take one of his. He would have nothing but the best for his creations, and if he found a mecha wanting a sparkling in a less-than-stellar situation financially, he saw no reason not to pay a little bit of sparkling support should the mech be chosen by a sparkling.

“Oh! So sorry!” A youthful voice caught his attention from where he was watching so carefully. It was a femme, a heavily built one too. She apologized profusely to the bot she had run into and then seemed too scared to go near a single pod. He frowned at the sight and placed his chosen pod down in his nest before moving to intervene.

“Prime! My apologies! I didn’t mean to cause any trouble! I can leave-!” Optimus halted her efforts with a simple shake of his helm and a comforting touch to her shoulder plating. He smiled and gestured for her to walk with him, which she did after a moment of hesitant twitching.

“What is it you wished to gain coming here?” He asked kindly as he walked with her, leading her among the sea of blue and the occasional gold pod. She seemed fearful, so he tried to wrap her softly in his field, which thankfully seemed to calm her even though she appeared unaware of his efforts.

“I thought I might try to bond with a sparkling. I heard that if the sparkling chose the caretaker then they could take the little one home, but I can’t seem to find one…” She trailed off in nervousness. Optimus smiled again, making his field’s influence greater to calm the nervous femme walking beside him. This one was kind, there was doubtless a sparkling for her in his brood. She just needed to make herself known and he could help.

“Sing to them, let them hear your voice. One will reply, I promise” The femme paused again, this time in sheepishness as she looked around at the other mecha wandering. Seeing this Optimus raised his voice and sang first, his voice ringing out in the hatchery and causing every single pod to react positively, each sending love back across their bonds to him. Upon watching him, the femme seemed to gain some confidence and sang a marching song she had likely learned while in the army.

It wasn’t a pretty tune, nor did it have much sophistication to it, but it was pure and filled with intent. It was enough for Optimus to sense a sparkling quickly begin growing in interest.

He didn’t hesitate to wander the hatchery until he found it, the pod that reacted to the femme’s song. He hummed to it and sent affection and joy to the sparkling inside as he returned to the femme, passing the pod to her with utmost caution. She accepted it with total shock, even more, when she placed a servo on the shell, and the sparkling within reached out.

“This… I am honored Prime. Thank you! I will be sure to raise this sparkling to live up to your name!” The femme proclaimed boldly, to which Optimus chuckled and sent her on her way. So very youthful, so excitable, she would make a fine caretaker for that particular sparkling. He was near certain of it.

“I am back dear one, I did not wander far” Optimus murmured as he returned to his chosen creation’s side. The pod shook slightly as the sparkling within sent constant worry and joy at having Optimus near again. This sparkling was rather clingy, almost as clingy as Bee was when he was little.

“I am here, do not fear” He pulled the pod back onto his lap where it belonged just as the hatchery was closing for the day. The unfortunate mecha who failed to find the right pod in time murmured and left a little put off, but otherwise, the medics continued their work into the lonely hours of normal recharge cycles as Optimus sat. His chosen sparkling stirred as time passed and Optimus sang softly to his whole brood, each sending back pulses of love in return.

This is what he fought for, this is what he wanted so dearly. Most of these sparklings were ones he would likely never see again, or at least not often. Nevertheless, he was unconcerned, they would be cared for and on Cybertron. That was enough to put him at ease.

He remained lost in his thoughts right up until the pod in his lap shifted again, this time a definitive cracking sound causing him to snap his attention downward. He dared not so much as twitch as a small little servo punched through the pod shell with enough ferocity to have Optimus gape. This one was far more energetic than Bee ever was while so young.

“Very good little one” He cooed even though he was fairly certain this hotheaded sparkling needed no support. Soon enough a small face pressed up against the hole in the pod, quickly tearing it open and getting gestation fluid everywhere as the sparkling slid out. The little thing was a bright red, orange, and yellow, a little flame indeed.

“Welcome to the world little one” He almost purred as he carefully picked up the sparkling which was hardly the size of his palm. He swiftly wrapped the shaking newspark up in a blanket and held it against his chassis as he stood. The feisty little thing cried out to him with enough force to make Optimus question how strong its vocalizer was supposed to be so fresh out of the pod. However, he just smiled and alerted the staff to his impending absence as he made to return to the Primal Citadel.

“Your brother is going to be very excited to meet you my dear flame” The sparkling looked up at him with wide blue optics as he weaved between pods and worked his way toward the exit, uncaring of the gestation fluid that had been spread over his torso. It would dry and flake off before long, no need to waste time.

“I believe Hotrod would be a fine name for one as rambunctious as you” Optimus chuckled as the sparkling to hold of his digit and began to gnaw on it. Quite a troublemaker already. Jazz was going to have a blast with Hotrod, that much was certain.

Finally, things had worked out. So many of his young were lost to him, but at least this brood would always be near, even if he could not be the one to raise them all.

“Let’s go home” He whispered as he smiled down as his newest sparkling, pleased beyond words to at last be able to be a Sire without a war weighing on him. Within his chassis, the Matrix pulsed in approval, and for once they actually agreed.

This was what he was meant to do when not guiding their people. He was to be a Sire.

“Hotrod, please hold still” Optimus pleaded as he wrangled his rambunctious sparkling into his carrier. His little flame could not yet speak very well, his vocalizer still needing to finish developing over the course of the next vorn. However, despite that he made his wishes explicitly clear through his field and shrieks, a fact of life that left Optimus longing for the peaceful recharge cycles he had with Bee.

“NO!” If there was one glyph Hotrod knew, it was no. Optimus merely sighed and continued buckling his raging creation into his carrier. Soon enough he managed to get Hotrod buckled up and strapped onto his chassis. The sparkling was comically small compared to Optimus, even a whole vorn into his functioning. He was roughly the size of Optimus’s servo, making it far easier to take him around in a carrier rather than bundled up in his arms, especially since Hotrod was particularly fond of flailing.

“If you behaved I would be willing to let you attempt to walk Hotrod, but as it is, I am afraid I cannot allow that little flame” Hotrod wailed in outrage as Optimus left his quarters and passed through the Primal Citadel, nodding to guards who saluted as he made his way toward his destination.

[Ricochet: Almost everyone has arrived, my Prime. We wait only for you.]

Optimus smiled at the message that flew across his HUD, a warm feeling bubbling up in his spark as he read it. Hotrod seemed to sense his joy and babbled at him curiously, to which Optimus patted his helm gently and hummed.

The caretakers for those of his latest brood had called upon him together, requesting a chance for their charges to meet him once more. Optimus had been incredibly surprised when the caretakers almost unanimously begged for the chance to have a family reunion of sorts, but who was he to decline? Hotrod needed to socialize anyway, and Optimus would never say no to the chance to see his creations again.

It also helped that for this activity, Bumblebee would be returning from his mission to Earth. His little warrior had developed a great fondness for the planet, a fact that often kept him away since he was given the official designation of Cybertronian Liaison to Earth. Optimus had not seen him since he had introduced Hotrod to him nearly a vorn prior. Bumblebee had rarely returned to Cybertron during that time and had never stopped by to visit.

It was slightly saddening, but his little warrior had his reasons. Optimus was unconcerned. Besides, Hotrod was a sparkling that required his full and undivided attention more often than not. His little flame was nowhere near as calm as Bee was at his age and often screamed with such ferocity that Optimus occasionally woke in the middle of recharge fearing they were under attack.

“DOWN!” Hotrod demanded, his tiny limbs flailing in his carrier as he made his voice heard. Optimus sang quietly to his rambunctious heir in response as he headed toward his destination, a small group of elite guardsmen boxing him in to ensure that he was protected. He appreciated the gesture, if only so that a point was made to potential attackers.

“Soon little flame” He did his best to soothe Hotrod as their destination came into view. He smiled at the sight of the Hatchery, a place that when not housing a brood, served as a nursery for sparklings who needed to be tended to while their caretakers worked. It was an excellent place for a meeting of this kind.

He entered without much fanfare aside from the staff bowing slightly at his arrival. When he entered the main part of the Hatchery he found himself gazing upon what he could only call a small piece of paradise.

Two hundred and eleven sparklings ran, crawled, rolled, or otherwise moved about the space, playing with each other and messing around with the many toys strewn around the area. The sparklings unaccounted for were either ill, off-world with their caretakers, or simply could not make it for one reason or another. Optimus could still feel their ties to him, he could tell they were fine. As for the ones that were present, he watched on fondly for a long moment as their caretakers hovered around them dutifully, each keeping careful watch over their charges.

It was a touching scene, one that was broken by Hotrod screaming as if the building were on fire and demanding to be put down yet again. Somehow his little flame’s voice drowned out the numerous other chirps, whistles, and babbles of the sparklings in the room, quickly leading every helm to turn toward Optimus with wide optics.

“Hail Prime” The caretakers in the Hatchery bowed or knelt immediately, most refusing to meet his gaze. On instinct Optimus reached out across his bonds to his creations, reaffirming them as his voice carried out across the room, in a near sing-songy way.

“Rise, you need not bow to me while my creations are in your care” His tone was soft and loving as he spoke to the caretakers present. They were all so very young compared to him, so inexperienced. It was a lovely sight, one he did his best to burn into his memory banks for the future.

“SIRE! DOWN!” Hotrod screeched again, earning a tired sigh from Optimus as he unbuckled his little flame and put him down on the ground, allowing the sparkling to babble and wobble to his pedes. Across his bonds, to his creations, he could feel their joy and the surprise at reunion. Already his ties to them were strengthening again as he walked among the sea of sparklings, allowing Hotrod to mingle as he met with every caretaker he passed.

“Thank you, Prime for this blessing! Novaflare has been a treasure greater than any other for us! It has been an honor to raise one of your brood!” A young femme shook his servo excitedly, her companion smiling with equal joy as she held their sparkling. Optimus allowed his gaze to linger on the sparkling they had designated Novaflare. It was a fitting designation for a sparkling as wild as he knew this one to be. Even in her pod, he knew her to be a free spirit. Her caretakers would do her well.

“You need not thank me. Raise her well and with love, she will be flighty the more she grows. If you so desire, I would be honored to receive updates on her well-being” The femme practically beamed as she hurriedly gave Optimus her contact information, shaking his servo again as he nodded once to them in farewell and continued.

“My Prime, I have done everything I can to raise Aerowire to match your glory. I promise that he will serve you well once he is grown” Another caretaker, a burly mech with the symbol of the army engraved onto his shoulder pauldrons bowed as Optimus neared. Beside him the sparkling Aerowire did his best to copy his caretaker, bowing as best as he could considering his age. It was an adorable scene that had Optimus smiling even as he reached out across his tie to the sparkling and sent over affection in droves.

“I am honored by your devotion, but be sure to let this sparkling enjoy his youth first and foremost. He is young and innocent, do not let him be burdened by the horrors of reality too early” The mech nodded reverently, and beside him, Aerowire did the same as much as he could. Optimus smiled down at the sparkling and knelt to pat him on the helm once before standing again.

“If you feel so obliged, I would appreciate being able to receive reports relating to his growth and development” Optimus put forward the same query as before, earning him a bright smile from the mech and a happy giggle from Aerowire as the mech picked the sparkling up and laughed boisterously.

“Of course my Prime! I will be sure to send you updates on his development bi vornly!” The mech similarly gave his contact information before Optimus nodded in farewell and continued. He went from caretaker to caretaker, taking the time to meet each of them and get their information to be able to contact them on a personal level if need be. It was an enjoyable experience seeing how every caretaker went about raising their sparkling.

Some seemed exhausted with their charges, and to them, Optimus offered some financial aid if required. Others were giddy and a little over-excited, often hovering around their charges nervously for fear of their sparkling being damaged. There were also an odd few eccentric caretakers who either worshiped the sparklings they tended to or saw their charges as something precious beyond measure to the point of it being detrimental to caretakers and sparkling alike. To them, he quietly issued the order to see a therapist and reach out to him for aid.

Once he had met with every caretaker that was interested in speaking, Optimus took up his place in his nest in the center of the Hatchery. It had never been removed since he had built it so well and was reserved for his visits. He thought it a waste of space usually, but as it was he appreciated having a place to sit back and observe as Hotrod made a nuisance of himself.

“Sire!” Hotrod squealed as he gestured to his small collection of playmates. The sparkling had already managed to rope around a dozen of his siblings into friendly play. It was largely indecipherable to Optimus and likely most of the caretakers present, but from what he could tell his little flame was attempting to play some version of war with flimsy rubber blades.

“Having fun?” A new voice piped in, quickly garnering Optimus’s attention. He looked up swiftly to see a mech he had been missing for some time.

“Wow! You’ve gotten big little brother!” Hotrod shrieked as Bumblebee scooped him up and twirled the sparkling in the air. The cries quickly turned to giggles as Bumblebee carried Hotrod up to where Optimus was seated and plopped down beside him.

The sparklings Hotrod was playing with made a few noises of dissent before they continued their game without their somewhat tyrannical leader. Hotrod for his part still screamed down garbled orders in his half-functional language which were all promptly ignored if the sparkling’s reaction were any indicator.

“Hotrod, it is not the way of a leader to be cruel to those who serve under him. A leader is no different from the average mech, thus it is not your right to lord yourself over them as if you were” Weather Hotrod could understand him or not was up for debate, but his little flame pouted and huffed, plopping down on his aft with a scowl which caused Bumblebee to laugh.

“He’s a little tyrant! You better be careful Sire! He might end up becoming the next Megatron at this rate!” Bumblebee laughed again as he poked Hotrod in the side playfully, earning a cry of indignation from the vorn old sparkling. Optimus did his best not to react to the attempt at a joke. The subject of Megatron was still a sore one for him, but he knew speaking of the mech in a comedic fashion was Bumblebee’s way of working through the trauma of all that had happened in the past.

“NO!” Hotrod made his opinion known as he swatted at Bumblebee’s servo when the former scout attempted to poke him in the side again, grinning audial to audial as he did so. Hotrod’s still underdeveloped plating flared and he huffed loudly as Bumblebee merely chuckled and poked at his cheeks.

“You are so small and cute! So squishy too! Was I like that at this age too Sire?” Bumblebee looked up at Optimus quizzically as he gently pinched Hotrod’s cheek, earning yet another squeal of indignation. Optimus smiled fondly as Hotrod grabbed Bumblebee’s digit and did everything in his power to get his denta on it to bite down in retribution.

“You were indeed very small and damageable at this age-” Optimus began as Bumblebee began taunting Hotrod, poking him a few more times to watch his reaction before Hotrod finally got his denta clamped down on one of Bee’s digits. The former scout frowned and tried to gently shake Hotrod off, however even as he tried to pull away, he ended up dragging the sparkling up into the air as he refused to let go.

“-But you were never this active” Bumblebee tried to shake Hotrod off but the sparkling was quite firmly attached. Optimus watched for a moment longer just to see the outcome as his little flame growled and grabbed onto Bumblebee with a vengeance, doing his very best to tear it into his elder brother.

“Please can you get him off? He’s making my plating itch” Bumblebee pouted in a way that was very much unsuitable for a mech of his age but only served to have Optimus chuckling softly as he reached out to assist. He sent calming waves across his bond to his little flame and gently began prying him off Bumblebee’s digits. It took a moment, but soon enough Hotrod came off and squirmed until he dropped back to the thankfully cushioned ground.

“Sire!” Hotrod scrambled to his pedes the moment he was stable and hurried to climb onto Optimus’s lap. The sparkling sent him all sorts of emotions hinting at bitterness and irritation directed toward Bumblebee, to which Optimus smiled. Already there was brotherly emotion there, even if at the moment it was tainted with anger.

“I’m glad you don’t need to raise a whole brood of sparklings like him. I would lose my processors!” Bumblebee smiled again as he waved to Hotrod who frowned and opted to make his vents sputter in a reenactment of the human toddler’s disdainful act of blowing a raspberry. Sometimes Optimus regretted allowing Hotrod to watch human entertainment channels when he was busy.

“He can be a bit of work, that much is true. However, he is a blessing all the same. My little flame” Sensing Hotrod’s desire to get back out to play with his siblings before the gathering ended, Optimus gently helped Hotrod out of the nest, which promptly led to his little flame going right back to his tyrannical ways of lording over his fellows. Optimus sighed as he watched Hotrod very nearly punch another sparkling in the face before their caretaker intervened.

“A blessing huh? Well with a personality like that, he will certainly have opinions” Bumblebee reclined on a pile of mesh pillows in the nest while Optimus prepared to act if his sparkling got a little too rambunctious.

“He already has a great many opinions on all manner of things. Perhaps you would care to sparklingsit him for a few cycles during my diplomatic trip to our sister worlds?” It was more of a joke than anything else, but the pleading look he received told him all he needed to know. Bumblebee visibly shuddered as he watched Hotrod scream like a little wraith when his toy was taken after he put it down.

“Hotrod, no. You must be in control of yourself” Optimus hurriedly collected his sparkling before any more coolant could be shed and tiredly looked around. Caretakers were already beginning to file out with sparklings in desperate need of recharging. It would be more than acceptable for him to take Hotrod back to the citadel now that he was making a fuss.

“It is time for someone to recharge” Optimus did his best to not flinch as a wail of absolute despair rang out from Hotrod as he struggled yet again to get him into his carrier. Perhaps taking mercy on him, Bumblebee leaned as far away as he could but still assisted in the process, making it go far faster than it otherwise would have.

Hotrod still screamed like an engine two Kliks from detonation, but all the same, Optimus offered a smile to his eldest sparkling. Bumblebee returned the gesture as he followed Optimus out of the Hatchery, the elite guardsmen once again flanking them both.

“I will need to lay him down for recharge, but perhaps after that, we could walk the gardens?” Optimus put forward his suggestion as Hotrod’s wails died down to make way for exhaustion. Bumblebee appeared thankful at the lessened volume of Hotrod’s cries and nodded in agreement.

“That sounds good. Shall I meet you at the citadel gardens in a Joor?” Hotrod rapidly began to nod off as the excitement of the cycle hit him all at once. Optimus for his part rubbed his youngest sparkling’s helm lovingly, earning a contented purr from his little flame before he replied.

“That would be more than acceptable. I shall see you soon my little warrior” With a gentle push of affection across their bond, Optimus turned and went his own way, waving to Bumblebee in farewell all while Hotrod snoozed contentedly, kicking every now and then in response to whatever memory his processors were reviewing.

This was the life he had always wanted. Just him and his sparklings enjoying each other’s company like a real family.