Transformers Short Story

Bad Words

GoldLine hummed to herself as she thought over the puzzle her Sire had given her. It'd been late yesterday when she'd received the gift and she hadn't had the chance to play with the intriguing toy until now. Her audio fins flickered to the other room when she heard her Carrier and Sire conversing softly but they were too far away to make sense of any of their words. GoldLine narrowed her optics and huffed in frustration, she couldn't figure out where this particular shaped block fit. She tried to shove the piece into another hole but it wouldn't budge and she dropped it, watching the block roll away from her to the main part of the living room. GoldLine looked over the puzzle again, lifting it and twisting it another way so she could view each side; nothing. She blinked before picking herself up, gathering the toy in her small servos and wobbling to the living room. She picked up the other piece with difficulty and padded diligently over to her Sire's study, where both her Creators were talking undisturbed. GoldLine almost tripped as she tried to knock on the door with her full servos but the sound seemed to still the conversation inside and the femme could hear movement as someone answered the door. The metal door slid away and her Sire looked down at her, his gaze full of amusement but GoldLine didn't share his mood, "Sire--what block?" She motioned to the puzzle she had in her servos and shifted so she was holding out the matching piece to the larger mech, "Where go?" Optimus blinked before taking the block from her servo gently, motioning for the box to be laid on the ground before him but a tsk stopped his movement and Ratchet appeared at his side, "Let her figure it out Optimus, she can do it." GoldLine blinked up at her Carrier with a large pout, "No--where go?" She pointed to the puzzle again before taking the block from her Sire's open palm, "Don't fit." GoldLine shoved the block into a couple random holes before giving up with a defeated whirl and a pout, "Sire-where go?" Optimus glanced back at Ratchet but the orange and white Medic shook his head firmly and repeated, "She can do it on her own." Optimus ex-vented, patting her helm before raising back up to his full height and disappearing back into his study with his mate. GoldLine blinked, recycling her optics before looking at the puzzle again. She sat down heavily in the study's open doorway and turned the box, looking for a shape that matched the piece she had. She twisted it again but gave up; it was impossible. She set the piece down on top of her puzzle and practically face planted into the toy, grumbling to herself as she waited for her Creators to rescue her. She waited for a couple of clicks but her Creators conversation never stopped nor did she get help from either of them. The femme let out an ex-vent before whining, "Frag it all." That got her Creators attention and both mechs looked over in her direction with shock lining their face plates and fields. Ratchet was the first to reach her side and his disproving tone made the femme look up in surprise, "GoldLine, what did you say!?" GoldLine blinked before motioning to the toy, holding out the block for her Carrier, "Can't do it, where go?" Ratchet took the piece from her servo, looking from the toy to Optimus, who had joined them at the door, his field filled with worry, "I have never heard her use those words before today..." Ratchet glanced back at the femme and repeated sternly, "Where did you learn those words GoldLine?" GoldLine seemed to sense her Creators angry because she shrank back, "I don't know." Optimus placed a calming hand on Ratchet's shoulder plating, before leaning down addressing the femme in a calmer voice, "Did you hear these words at the Halls?" GoldLine clicked her voice box off with a pop and shook her helm, taking the block from her Carrier's servo with a shy look in his direction. Ratchet stuttered with indignation, "Did you hear those words at the clinic?" The femme paused in trying to fit the block in another hole and her voice box turned on with a whirl, "Yes---bad words?" Optimus couldn't help the small chuckle that left his intake at the admission or at Ratchet's furious mumbling about his staff and patients. GoldLine set the toy aside, "Carrier angry...at me?" Ratchet stilled but ex-vented, swooping up the femme and tickling her sides to get laughter from her intake, "No, no...not mad at you but I will be having some words with my staff and regulars, who'd you hear those words from?" GoldLine blinked, turning to her Sire with hesitance, "I don't want Carrier to get in trouble." Optimus's optic blow wide and he couldn't help the chuckles that fell from his intake, "No little one, Ratchet won't be in trouble...he just needs to learn to hold his glossa." Ratchet seemed to sour at his words but before he could retort GoldLine said proudly, "Fist Aid also said, Slag and-and Spike-sucker!" That seemed to be the last straw for Ratchet because he placed GoldLine in Optimus's servos and pulled up his monitor, pressing on First Aid's contact to call the mech. The call went unanswered for a couple rings but after a little while the familiar voice of First Aid filled the study, "Hey Ratchet! What's up?" Ratchet rolled his optics and hissed, "You need to watch your intake around GoldLine!" The line went silent before First Aid replied, his voice hesitant, "I don't know what you're talking about Ratch." Ratchet looked to GoldLine and said, sweetly, "Sweetspark, can you tell First Aid the words you said?" The femme blinked but giggled, "Okay--Slag and Spike-sucker!" The room went quiet until buoyant laughter started up and First Aid was barely able to get out any words, "I--Oh my Primus---that is the funniest thing I've ever heard...can I record her saying that?" Ratchet face plates slipped into a deeper frown and he interrupted the mech before he could get any farther, "First Aid! Those are inappropriate words and you know it...she shouldn't be going around saying things like that!" The other Medic coughed to cover another laugh, his voice a little bit more put together, "Your right, sorry Ratch...didn't mean to give you a spark attack, she must have heard me use them while I was working on that patient a while back....the one with rust up to his helm." GoldLine giggled at her Carrier's deadly expression but Optimus pulled her away to let them finish the rest of their conversation. He placed the femme on the ground near her toy, picking up the piece and fitting into it's hole neatly, his tone gentle, "GoldLine, this is very important...we don't use those words." GoldLine cocked her helm to the side, "Why?" Optimus vented, sitting gracefully next to her, "They are not nice words, do you understand sweetspark?" GoldLine hummed, thinking over what he'd said, "Yes." Optimus smiled, rubbing her helm affectionately, "Good, why don't we play a game while your Carrier...talks it out with First Aid?"