Chapter Text
Deadlock lay trembling, in pain, and miserable in his nest of blankets and cushions. Nothing had prepared him for how agonizing of an experience this would be. There were no accessible resources available to him, and if there had been, they were lost in millennia of constant war. He'd almost considered taking his situation to a medic. The only group of people he could bring himself to trust, regardless of allegiance. But that small sliver of trust was nowhere near enough for him to ever risk having them try to take what didn't belong to them. Or worse, whisk them away to be studied.
The source of his agony now lay beside him, shaking in a similar fashion to himself. It looked cold.
Deadlock reached an arm out towards it, still far too weak to move his frame. It was alive. He wanted to keep it that way. Desperately.
Squeaks of distress had his spark racing and Deadlock pushed through the pain to drag himself downwards, finally close enough to brush up against the small form. Shaking hands scooped up the sparkling and he brought it up to lay on his chest, now aching once again as he felt the consequences of trying to move so suddenly after his frame was forcefully opened in such an unnatural way.
It felt so wrong, having something that lived inside his body for so long, now outside of it, no longer protected by his reinforced frame. Exposed.
But it fought so hard to get out, so he supposed it was right where it wanted to be.
The trembling started to die down as the sparkling shifted its frame over the center of his chestplate. He could feel their sparks whirring in sync. It was alive.
Deadlock brought a hand up, hovering over its back, before resting lightly against its plating. The sparkling-his sparkling- leaned into the touch and Deadlock felt something in his spark he hadn't felt in so long. For a moment none of the pain mattered anymore. The cycles spent cooped up in this cave, the cravings, the unending hunger from another being taking residence in his frame and demanding nutrients he needed to live. He wasn't just looking out for himself anymore.
Deadlock wondered what Gasket would've thought. Probably would've been all over it, all cooing and sappy, wanting to hold it every waking moment. He could see Gasket's smile as he cradled it, taking the time to introduce Drift's sparkling to the rest of their group. Drift. That was a name he hadn't thought about in a while.
He didn't want to.
Deadlock's hand rubbed the sparkling's back gently and it let out a soft, contented sigh.
He wondered what Drift would've thought.
Weak little Drift. Probably would've panicked.
Drift let the one person in his life who mattered die before standing up to fight. Deadlock was determined not to let it happen again.
Although, he supposed he had two now. And one was becoming increasingly more difficult to keep an optic on. Stubborn old mech who insisted on throwing himself into the middle of the battlefield with no regard for his own safety. No consideration for the one continually saving his sorry aft in secret to the constant risk of his own position.
The sparkling looked up at him and Deadlock took in the little face gazing up at him like he was the best thing it'd ever seen. Ignoring the fact he was the only thing it'd ever seen.
"Hey." He brought his other hand up to its face, wiping a smudge off the cheek with his thumb. It gave a little squeal- Joyful? He hoped it was joyful- Before it chomped down on his thumb.
"Hey."
Deadlock kept his hand still as it continued gnawing on it relentlessly. Fortunately it didn't get Deadlock's teeth, or this would be feeling a lot different.
"Mean." The hand on its back stilled as he watched the little being on his chest trying and failing to devour his entire hand. He lightly tweaked the edge of its chevron, flicking off a peeled piece of paint. "You look more like him than me. Unfair."
He wondered what Ratchet would've thought.
The sound of his voice drew the sparkling's attention back to Deadlock's face. Bright, yellow optics. Optics that hadn't been beaten down by the cruelty of life yet. Perhaps he'd had those same optics once.
He'd make sure this sparkling didn't lose that life in its eyes. It wouldn't have to live through the hell he clawed his way out of, that much he'd promise.
It squealed again, a loud piercing sound and Deadlock had to cover his audial as he winced. "Alright, alright. I hear you." Another chomp on his hand. Hurt a bit that time.
"Ow. Hey." Deadlock pulled it away easily, placing it on the back of his now flailing sparkling. "Calm down, you little terror."
He couldn't help but smile at the voracity for life it had. So little time in this world already, and it was fighting like hell. Deadlock was proud.
And exhausted.
"I know you just got here, and you're excited-" Deadlock held a hand up to keep the sparkling from tumbling off his chest. "But I'm tired." Gold optics locked on to his once again as it ceased its crawling about. "Yes, because of you. You right there." The sparkling stared at the finger pointing at it and Deadlock took in a deep vent. It was getting difficult to stay awake. "Really took it out of me, you know that?"
Unsurprisingly, he felt another bite on his finger. Deadlock sighed and wrapped an arm around the bundle on his chest, gnawing away. At the very least it seemed to soothe the sparkling somewhat. But he really needed to find something for it to chew on that wasn't him.
He watched as the little terror in his arms slowed down, optics drooping and dimming. Deadlock nuzzled it up closer, finding the hum of its spark over his own and trying his best to send what he hoped were calming emotions through his EM field. That seemed to do the trick, finally pushing it over into recharge.
Deadlock pulled his finger back and watched as the frame atop his rose and fell softly. Not a care in the world. He was almost jealous.
"You don't have a name, huh. Can't just call you little terror all the time, can I?"
It didn't respond, already lost deep in slumber. Deadlock was slipping fast too.
He didn't have the right to choose a name for someone else. Every name he'd had were given to him. His sparkling would get to choose for itself.