randomplaces | TFA 'verse. Autobot base in Detroit. Reset 2

The first thing Optimus noticed was his splitting processor ache. He wasn't surprised by that, though. It was actually less than he'd expected from a night of drinking himself senseless in the Nexus bar.

The second thing he noticed was that he was being snuggled. That surprised him, and gave him a horrified moment of wondering just where he'd wound up last night after he'd drank himself stupid.

But then he heard the low rumble of Ratchet's voice as the medic passed his partly open door with Arcee on their way to looking for breakfast, and recognized the quiet sounds of the newly revamped base on Earth. He was where he was supposed to be, at his Magnus-appointed posting.

"You going to sleep all day, Optimus?" asked a low, amused female voice that he knew as well as he knew his own.

He froze, then lifted his head and looked at the purple and black femmebot who lay at his side. "...Blackarachnia?"

"Elita 2." She smirked at him, blue optics bright and pleased.

"I... what... where... how?" He frowned with bewilderment as he cautiously sat up, but then he paused to look at his memories and swore softly. "It's happening again. Reality shifted sometime last night while I was drunk."

"Actually, you made some wishes where the right person could hear them while you were drunk." Elita stretched like a cat and then sat up herself.

"I don't remember." He scowled and held his head in his hands, but waved away the headache tab she offered him. "It'll reset in a few clicks. It always does."

"So you're still the hard light ninja of doom." She put the medical program back into her glove compartment, expression thoughtful now. "According to the big bot who brought you home last night you wished that everyone would be where and what they were supposed to be."

"And that put you on my berth?" Optimus facepalmed, and then winced and regretted it.

"No. I put me on your berth. I was tired, and you were having nightmares."

"Myrrh!" He looked up with alarm.

"On Dinobot island with Grimlock, Swoop, and Swish. Apparently Slag's not there."

"No." He rubbed his faceplates, slightly dizzy from relief. "He went north with Scrapper a few solar cycles ago, during the winter of the cycle you blew the island up."

"Ah. Alright." She hugged her legs. "And your big green friend?"

"Bulkhead? He's head of the Space Bridge department."

Elita lifted a brow ridge. "So he's Bulkhead Prime."

"Yup." Optimus smiled faintly, remembering his friend's confusion and pride the day he'd been promoted. "And Bandit's a Minor, and his second in command."

"I'm not taking the CO2."

"What?" He looked over his hand at Elita.

She grinned back, her eyes dancing with mischief and affection. "I may be your word mate now. But I'm still not taking any kind of command."

"Word mate?"

"Where and what I'm supposed to be. You proposed last night in front of your whole command crew."

"Oh. Um.... I don't remember." And he found he wanted to. And that he was surprised by how glad he felt. Regardless of how he'd felt for Elita One during their academy days, he'd come to rely on having Blackarachnia by his side during the latter end of that last time flux. Knowing that she was here, and happy to be so, gave him a small surge of joy.

"Don't worry. That's what witnesses are for." She chuckled, but then sobered and looked over toward the foot of the berth as a small sound came from there. "You also wished that Megatron wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore, and that he'd be somewhere safe and happy."

Optimus' optics widened. "What did they do?"

"They didn't do anything. I think as far as Cybertron Command knows we did get another flux." Elita moved over to the end of the berth and lay on her stomach to lift two small forms from what Optimus now recognized as a larger version of the cribs that human infants used. She then rolled over and sat up, and Optimus gasped as he realized she was holding two tiny chibies.

Two tiny familiar chibies. Megatron was looking around with big blue optics as he sucked on his thumb, and Blackout was curled up still peacefully in stasis as she hugged a yellow stuffed scorpion doll.

Optimus stared, feeling his spark sink. "I did that to them?"

"No. That's how big blue and untalkative translated your wish." Elita leaned down and kissed Megatron on the helmet, and the tiny mech glanced up at her with a gravely quizzical look that turned to a slight grin as she smiled at him. "Paradox is going to love you guys."

"Paradox...." Optimus perked up. "Prowl?"

"Still gone," said Elita quietly, without looking up from the chibies.

"Still gone." Optimus' shoulders drooped. "Then I guess he's where he's supposed to be."

"For now." Elita shifted closer and put tiny Blackout into his arms, then leaned against him. "But maybe not forever."

"Yeah." He bowed his head, optics shuttered against the grief that still felt so sharp, even after five years. "Maybe. We've seen weirder things happen."

Elita kissed him gently on the cheek, then tugged gently on his arm. "Let's go see if Ratchet left any cookies for the rest of us."

"Cookies?" Optimus lifted his head and looked at her, slightly cheered by the prospect of a favorite treat.

"Yup. You brought home a crate last night." Elita chuckled. "And there are more flavors there than I knew existed."

"...Well, I guess I did something right, then." Optimus turned and slipped his legs over the side of the bed, then stood, clicking softly to Blackout as she stirred and unshuttered her optics. "Shhh. It's alright. Are you hungry?"

Those big optics turned up toward him, and then the little chibi nodded seriously before nuzzling her doll and giving a mighty yawn that somehow managed to seem bigger than the bot it came from.

Optimus cuddled her and rubbed her back, surprised by the rush of protectiveness he felt. Then he startled slightly and looked over at Megatron as the second chibi spoke.

"May we have some cookies as well?"

"Well, I think you might be a little small for more than one," said Optimus uncertainly, remembering how Paradox had needed to be coaxed through things sometimes when he was tiny.

"Probably." Megatron frowned at himself thoughtfully, then smiled that grave little smile. "But I'm large enough to have one."

"Yeah." Optimus was surprised again to find himself smiling back at the tiny being. "Maybe we should each get one of a different flavor."

"And share bites." Megatron brightened. "I like that idea. What do you think, Blackout?"

The tiny femme nodded, then yawned again and buried her face in the soft fabric of her doll.

Optimus clicked softly and smoothed her helmet, then turned toward the door. "Let's go. Maybe I can make some sweet energon for us to dip them in. Sari used to eat her cookies with milk that way...."

Elita watched him leave the room, still talking to Blackout, then shuttered her optics for a moment and breathed a nearly silent thanks before she followed.