Optimus Prime and Bumblebee - 天使の微笑 - The Angel's Smile
見つけられる (found)

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Optimus Prime smiled sadly as he looked down at the yellow sparkling before him, his spark full of love. Sitting in a plain metal chair by the tiny creature's berth, he kept careful watch over him, ready to react to even the smallest sound or movement. He slowly reached out and gently stroked the side of the protoform's helm with the back of a single digit.

The child had been found, abandoned, in the eastern sector of Iacon, left to fend for himself. Another unwanted protoform sparked and then abandoned because of the energon shortage… Every case like this was a tragedy that caused Optimus Prime's spark to ache, especially when so many of these protoforms, unable to care for themselves, soon went offline from starvation and the elements.

This one had been lucky. Even though he was sickly and had had to have medics attending to him constantly since his discovery, and even though he was, even now, still so likely to go offline… At least he still had a chance. That possibility of life beyond sparklinghood, and the opportunity to fight for that possibility, was something that far too many abandoned protoforms never got.

An older orphan named Jazz had been the one to find him whilst rummaging in a garbage bin for salvageable parts he could sell. He hadn't known what to do with him, and had considered just leaving him there in the garbage, but ultimately, he'd taken him with him anyway.

Unable and unwilling to take care of a sparkling, Jazz had looked for a place he could take him, and had brought him here; a recently-established facility attached to the central Iacon military base that had been created to care for abandoned sparklings like this one and for Autobot civilians left orphaned, injured, or mateless by the war.

Jazz, being without parents himself, had been taken in as well, but he was already much too old for the nursery. Instead, after receiving energon and medical care, he had joined the Autobot cause as a soldier, and was now in training.

Jazz would go far someday, that much was clear. Optimus could only hope that he would be able to say the same about the sparkling.

Gently, he stroked the sparkling's white cheek. He had known better than to get too attached, but it was much too late now. Already, he felt a deep love in his spark that caused it to ache. The thought of losing the yet unnamed protoform was painful.

The sparkling stirred in his stasis, emitting a soft cooing sound. His bright blue optics slowly blinked online, and he looked sleepily up at Optimus.

"Well, hello there," Optimus greeted softly, smiling down at him, his facemask lowered.

The protoform was quiet, unusually so for a child his age, and made little effort to acknowledge the much larger Autobot's presence. As sick as he was, it was rare that he became noisy or especially aware of his own surroundings, and so this came as no surprise to Optimus. Even so, it was always a little disappointing to see that this had not changed.

"How are you feeling?" Optimus asked rhetorically, his voice quiet and soothing. "Don't worry, you'll get better soon…"

Amazingly, the sparkling slowly extended a tiny servo up towards the Autobot leader's blue finger, and feebly clasped the tip. Optimus's optics widened, and he felt excitement well up within him.

This was the first time the sparkling had mustered the strength to raise his servo. It was a great sign, meaning that he was on the road to recovery, and, somehow, it felt like an honour even to the great Autobot commander that the first thing he'd ever reached for was him.

His smile grew in size and warmth. He could barely contain his joy at this event, and it took restraint not to pick the sparkling up from his berth and hold him then.

"You know… You're going to need a name." Optimus whispered. "What shall we call you?"

The protoform cooed again, his yellow servo still clutching Optimus's finger.

"Hmm… How about…" With his free servo, Optimus scratched his chin thoughtfully.

Naming the child was another thing he knew better than to do. In fact, this was probably even worse than just growing fond of him, since giving him a name personified him and made him feel like more than just a sick abandoned protoform in the medical ward. But, just as he had gone against common sense and warnings alike and gotten attached to the sparkling, he now took it a step further.

"Bumblebee." Optimus said proudly. "That sounds like a good name for you, don't you think?"

The sparkling cooed again, even more quietly this time. He still did not smile or laugh, or oftentimes even cry, and Optimus wondered what he might be thinking, in that little helm of his. Would he come to like the name he'd chosen, even if he did not understand yet what it meant?

"Bumblebee," Optimus repeated, now addressing the sparkling. "That's your name now. Bumblebee."

Perhaps he was just imagining things, but for a klik, he thought he saw a smile, as pure as an angel's.

Optimus Prime would spend the night sitting there by the newly-dubbed Bumblebee's berth, his servo rested at its edge, still in the sparkling's feeble grasp. When nurses looked in on them, they couldn't help but smile; just looking at them, it was impossible to tell that they were not parent and child.

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It is important that no one copy, imitate, or base derivitives on anything in this fan fiction. On this I am steadfast! Do not do it!

The Japanese version of this story is presently unavailable. My apologies for any inconvenience.