Family Secrets.

Chapter 10.

Aurora stood in the hall just outside of the two rooms Korinthia and Daniel were being held in for interrogation, waiting for Fowler to get back from grabbing a coffee.

Once he returned he handed her a sugar cookie, and she took a bite.

"This isn't poisoned, is it?" Aurora asked jokingly.

"Please, I'm not Daniel." Fowler laughed.

"You know about that?" She asked with a laugh.

"Everyone involved in your case knows, Aurora." Fowler said, taking a drink of his coffee.

"I figured." She says before taking another bite of her cookie.

"You ready kid?" He asked, and she nodded. With that, they stepped into the room Daniel was being held in.

"'S about damn time." He huffed, pulling at his cuffs.

"Now be a good girl and release me, Aurora." Daniel said nonchalantly, as if he didn't know he was in deep shit.

"Not happening, Daniel." She said.

-♡

Questioning Korinthia was easier as she'd spilled her guts once Fowler provided her with evidence of Daniel cheating and then threatening to take her job.

Her head still reeled around what she had been told, so she sat on Ratchet's shoulder plating once more, dozing off slightly with her head resting against his audial.

The sound of his digits tapping the keys lightly was a welcomed sound to Aurora.

Finally, Ratchet ceased his typing and lightly tapped Aurora's foot to gain her attention.

She opened her eyes, the mismatched colors hazy as she brought herself out of whatever daze she was in. "Hm..?"

"Are you ready for the testing?" He asked, voice low.

Aurora nodded, sitting up to stretch and yawn. "Yeah." She muttered, wiping her eyes.

"Alright."

With that, he scoops her into his servo and takes her to a medical berth in the medbay. He sets her down gently before getting the supplies ready and then activates his holoform. Aurora sits down in the small nest of blankets, hoodies and pillows she'd made while he grabbed the supplies and he readied her arm for the injection.

"This can go one of three ways. Not as bad, same as the last energon exposure, or worse." Ratchet explains softly.

Aurora shrugs with a huff. "It's only a 33% chance of death. No biggie." She joked.

Ratchet rolled his eyes before injecting Aurora and watching as the energon slowly fused into her skin, momentarily making her veins glow bright blue.

"Woah.." she muttered, her other eye turning the same icy blue as the first one.

"Feel anything?" Ratchet asked.

"I feel like I'm humming with electricity, and my arm feels tingly, but nothing negative yet." Aurora tells him.

"Good. You don't seem to be going into shock yet." He mutters, feeling her pulse.

Miko walked in, limping. However, her condition was quickly forgotten by her as she noticed Aurora on the medical berth. "Is she okay??" Miko asked, voice low.

Ratchet nodded, keeping his eyes on Aurora. "Tis only a test." He says simply.

"What kind?" The spunky teen asked.

"He pumped me full of energon." Aurora said, she knew exactly how it sounded and knew he'd likely scold her for it when Miko left the room.

"Really?" Miko asked.

"Yeah, my veins are glowing." Aurora said, and Ratchet's holoform fizzled slightly as his bipedal form bent down to pick up Miko and place her on the berth.

"Don't touch anything, Mi." Aurora instructed, and for once Miko followed orders.

She simply sat next to Aurora and watched intently. "Y'know," Aurora spoke up, drawing both Miko and Ratchet's attention.

"You'd be a good scientist. Much like Raf." She finished, free hand reaching up to smooth down Miko's hair slightly.

"How? I'm literally so impatient." Miko deadpanned.

"You got the smarts, the curiosity, the drive, the ambition, the craving for knowledge of the unknown, and when its something you enjoy you'll hyperfocus on an assignment for hours on end. I've seen you do it." Aurora says, making the teen blush lightly and huff.

"I guess.."

♡- -♡

Aurora was hooked up to a heart monitor to record any mishaps with the energon regarding her heart, whilst Ratchet slowly began to inject the second dose of energon into her other arm.

The energon had made the other arm bruise and the vein collapsed before he could even try to get the second dosage in, however other than that her body seemed to be reacting beautifully to the blue substance.

"Still feel okay?" Ratchet asked, his cerulean eyes looked at her in concern.

She cupped his cheek with her free hand, rubbing his cheek gently with her palm. "I'm fine, Ratchet. Stop worrying so much. You'd know as soon as something went wrong." She said, a small smile playing onto her lips.

He nodded, a small blush creeping up his neck towards his cheeks. Aurora's own pulse sped up lightly, making him start to worry a bit.

"Ratchet, it's okay. Nothing is happening." She chuckled, a blush of her own forming.

-♡

"Okay, that's the last dose for today. How do you feel, Aurora?" Ratchet asked, the same worried expression on his face.

"I feel.. fine, actually." Aurora said, smiling.

"Good, we'll start with one cube every week until I'm sure you won't have a negative reaction, then we'll move to one every two days." He says, going into 'docbot' mode. As if he wasn't already there.

She nods, before he let's her down and she runs to the human area. Optimus approached his medic, and laid a servo on his shoulder as they watched Aurora show the others that her veins were still glowing softly.

"She will fare just fine, Ratchet." Optimus says lowly, both of them failing to notice Aurora witnessing the sweet moment between them as Optimus's servo rests on the small of Ratchet's back.

She smiles before her demeanor shifts, and she let's the kids go back to smiling before she heads to her makeshift nest/bed and curls up with a book.

A while later, Miko plops down next to her with two bags of food. Aurora takes one and pulls out an ear bud, Summertime Sadness could be heard faintly.

"A bit sad don't ya think?" Miko teased, making Aurora chuckle.

"I guess, yeah." Aurora said, pausing the music with her phone.

"Aurora, once you're done, do you want to accompany me on a patrol?" Optimus asked, pausing his steps by the human area.

"Yeah, sure!" Aurora beamed.

He walked away and Miko grinned at the small blush coating Aurora's pale cheeks. "You like him." She said.

"How long did it take you to figure that one out?" Aurora teased, making Miko sputter.

"No fair, you're supposed to deny it."