Transformers Short Story

Paint Job

Rose hummed along with the song, over the base speakers, as she worked on the Camero. Bumblebee whirred along too, though he instantly stilled whenever Rose got close enough to work on his grill. His grill had been dented badly in a recent scrimmage with the Cons and although Ratchet had fixed it, he wasn't the best at paint jobs, so Rose had volunteered for the job. Rose expertly added a few more strokes to his hood before stepping back to observe her work. She smiled, setting down the spray line, "Good as new! Let me know if you want any other touch-ups." Rose wiped her hands down the front of her apron before shooing the buzzing car away, leaving Bee to show off his new paint job. The base was extraordinarily quiet for a Friday, Rose mused. She paused and turned to glance around the base, getting the slight feeling she was being watched. Her eyes landed on the top helm crests of Slipstream and Jetstorm, who were stuffed behind shipping containers at the far end of the loading deck. Rose blinked before shaking her head with a knowing smile, Drift had most likely sent them on some sort of mission again. Rose busied herself with cleaning her equipment and packing up the sets she'd brought specifically to finish Bee's repairs. Rose side-eyed the shipping container before loading everything into a cart and proceeding out into the main loading dock to drop everything off in her car. After making the trip complete she flung herself onto one of the couches in the living area, a place where everyone, bots included, came to relax at the end of the day together. She closed her eyes and listened to the taps of peds creep around the base, no doubt belonging to her original watchers. A slight tug at her bond alerted her to her link and she begrudgingly opened her bond channel, "Whatever you're gonna say, he asked for it, so it's his fault." A dull prod hit her bond, "I wasn't going to comment on Bumbleebee's appearance...Are the mini-cons bothering you?" Rose sighed peacefully, "Nope Ratchet. I have no idea what they're doing and have no plan on figuring it out unless they make it my problem." Rose could feel Ratchet's bond flux as his mind distracted itself before he answered gruffly, "They might just make it your problem...What is that saying? A small fly creature told me?...something like that....the twins aren't doing one of Drift's assignments." Rose rubbed her eyes, "A little birdie told me is the saying by the way, and thanks for the heads up...Don't they know not to mess with me? They've watched me and Drift spar hundreds of times." Ratchet hummed over the bond, "Yes they have. In response to your first question, that's something you'd have to ask them yourself." Rose pursed her lips, "Or they could mess around and find out the hard way." Ratchet sent a warning tap through their bond, "Don't be too harsh...Drift will not be pleased if his mini-cons don't return in the same form." Rose rolled her eyes, something Ratchet was well aware of, "Great, there's never pleasing him anyway." Ratchet snorted, "I warned you." Rose shrugged mentally, "Yeah thanks...besides, I think I know what they want." Ratchet ended the link conversation with a simple affectionate tab, leaving Rose to her own thoughts. She sat up suddenly, surprising the two mini-cons who were practically peering over the couch, "You two want something?" Jetstorm impulsively blurted, "I'd like a paint job." Slipstream glared at his brother before adding more professionally, "What Jetstrom meant to say is we watched your skill on Bumblebee and we were humbly wondering if you would be able to do something with our paint jobs Master Rose?" Slipstream dragged his brother into a respectful bow, glancing up at her. Rose looked over the twin mini-cons before shrugging, "Just Rose, and sure, I could do something...I'll just have to set everything up real quick." Slipstream straightened, Jetstorm right behind him, "We will assist you." Rose watched the twins clamber over each other in their haste to reach her car. She watched with hidden mirth as the twins tried the doors on her car to no avail. She fidgeted with her keys before unlocking the doors with a beep. The twins opened the doors carefully before grabbing the entirety of her supplies and rushing back into the side deck, Rose following slowly behind. She instructed the two mini-cons to set up her stands and protective linings before placing the rest of her tools in their places herself. Rose fixed her apron to her body snuggly before turning towards the twins again, "So what did you want me to do?" Jetstorm glanced at his brother before glancing at her, "We'd like an...an imitation of Master Drift's facial markings...I want mine on...the equivalent to the human forearm." He pointed at the spot for more clarification before motioning Slipstream to speak. Slipstream blinked thoughtfully, "If you could, I would like mine on my shoulder plating." Rose smiled encouragingly, "I can do that...do you have a picture of the specific pattern?" Slipstream scrunched his nasal ridge, "Yes...it was extremely hard to come by." Rose chuckled before accepting the datapad Jetstorm had pulled from his subspace. The image was blurred at the edges but Drift's face was in perfect focus and his unmistakable frown was cast straight at the lens of the camera. Rose set the datapad on her stand before motioning to the twins, "Who would like to go first?" Jetstorm lurched toward Rose with a grin, "I would!" Slipstream glared at him before sitting down to observe. Rose instructed him to sit on the ground so she could position his arm comfortably. She glanced over Drift's facial markings before turning her attention to his arm. She painted in comfortable silence, letting Jetstorm occupy himself. Soon the bulk of the job was completed and Rose was starting to work on finishing details. She looked over the photo again making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, "Anything you want me to change?" Jetstorm looked over the piece before sending her an excited smile, "No it's perfect." Rose nodded before finishing the paint job, stepping back to allow both the twin to study her work. Rose tutted at Jetstrom as he made a move to touch the paint, "It needs time to set, so don't touch it until I finish Slipstream's." Jetstorm accepted this news with a pout before trading spots with Slipstream and setting his arm aside with a concentrated look. Rose shook her head fondly before prepping Slipstream's plating. She glanced over the surface before sizing up the photo. The markings would look better portioned to Slipstream's broad plating than Jetstorm's forearm but she still had to get the sizing right. Rose shook her thoughts away before starting on Slipstream's piece. A few moments had passed, much like with the first set and Slipstream was sitting like a champ. Rose rested the spray bottle aside before stretching her hand, "You can move if you want...just try not to move your shoulder." Slipstream overlooked her partial work and then to her stretching, "Does this work hurt your extremities?" Rose shook her head with a smile, "No, it's just the repetitive movements but I'm fine...how are you? You haven't moved an inch since we started." Slipstream shrugged before stilling, sending a worried look to his shoulder, "My apologies, I moved my shoulder." Rose checked over his plating before shaking her head, "You didn't move anything." Slipstream relaxed slightly, "As Master Drift's pupils we often practice self-discipline so this is almost like training." Rose raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, "Alright well I'm going to start again, let me know if you need a break." Slipstream nodded to let her know he understood before allowing Rose to finish her work. A few minutes later and the piece was gleaming brightly against Slipstream's muted color scheme. Slipstream looked at the piece the best he could before sending Rose a small smile, "Thank you...it looks amazing, you are truly talented." Rose nodded slowly, "No problem at all." Jetstorm piped up from behind Slipstream, "Can I touch it now?" Rose inspected the paint job before simply nodding, "It should be permanent unless you ask me to remove it." Both the twins nodded before comparing the pieces together. Rose glanced over her workspace before lugging everything into one pile and dragging it back to her car. She dusted off her hands and watched as the twins joined her on the main deck. Slipstream glanced at his shoulder again, "We can't thank you enough for your artwork...we are in your debt." Rose waved him off, "You don't owe me anything, just keep Dirft in a good mood today, won't you?...I've got a spar session tonight." The mini-cons shared a look before Jetstorm piped up, "Master Drift can't be mad at you." Rose raised an eyebrow and motioned to their pieces, "He will be." Jetstorm sent her a hesitant look, "Master Drift won't be too upset, will he?" Rose smiled, "I don't think he will, once he recognizes his markings." Slipstream placed an arm on his brother's shoulder, "We've got to polish Master Drift's swords before his sparring session, we'd better get going." The twins bowed out of the main deck, leaving Rose to herself. Rose placed herself back on the couch and tapped her bond with Ratchet, softly. Ratchet's response was delayed by a couple of minutes but his voice was warm and unbothered, "Did you find out what the mini-cons wanted?" Rose hummed, "Yes, you'll probably see it...they just wanted something added to their paint job." Ratchet muttered something to himself before speaking to the bond, "Alright, you've made me curious but I'll wait to see it myself....are you staying the night here?" Rose inspected her hands, "Yes...I've got a late sparring session with Drift." Ratchet tugged their bond playfully, "Drift again? You seem to spend a lot more time with him than anyone else now." Rose huffed, "Thanks for the observation Ratchet...how many of your certifications did that take?" Ratchet chuckled, "None, I've been a medic long enough to see these things sparkling." Rose shook her head, "Well then, I guess you'll think differently when I say you're wrong." Ratchet's bond pushed against her with mirth and Rose could tell he was laughing, "I'm not so sure...even Optimus is starting to see it and he's very oblivious." Rose rolled her eyes with a smile, "Whatever you say...sunshine." Ratchet stilled and he applied slight pressure to their bond in annoyance, "Don't quote Wheeljack...I hate being called that." Rose clicked her tongue, "You deserved it." Ratchet pressed, "What can't stand my teasing? I wonder why?" Rose ended their bond with an annoyed sigh, leaving Ratchet to his own musings. Rose settled more comfortably into the couch and watched the ceiling, bord.