Pick Up
Picking up Orion Pax has sorta been a daily occurrence in the mines. Orion was light compared to most frames and quite small. At this point it is a running joke amongst their mining level to just yoink the Little mech and move him somewhere else.
Orion could be sorting through equipment and Jazz will walk back throwing the small mech up and over his shoulder causing the red and blue mech to laugh. Or when Orion is injured how Ratchet would oftentimes pick the mech up like a sparkling as he placed him on his hip and scolded him making the younger bot cackle or hide in embarrassment depending on the day.
D-16 did it the most. Orion wondered off? Oh never mind Dee got him. Orion attempted to climb up a scaffold? Nope dee got him. Orion did what? No wonder Dee just drags him around.
Bulkhead was one of the biggest in their group. Orion would pace circles around the pour mech before the bigger just grabbed him and held him out under the arm like simba from the lion king. As the smaller bot kicked his legs.
Breakdown also did something similar except he grabbed Orion by the ankle letting him hang upside down over his back as Orion talked with Knockout as they walked.
At this point Orion did even flinch when he was picked up. DIdn’t ask or care. And it started to become an issue when guards would do it too. When Orion was in trouble he’d just get yoinked much to Dee’s distaste and others fears. Orion was just so used to it. A guard or stranger just picked him up and left with the mech.
Unfortunately everything changed when Orion became Optimus. The first time it happened Optimus was arguing with Elita for the first time in the war. Prowl decided he had enough and put his arm around Optimus to pull him up onto his shoulder. And Optimus being so used to being Orion let his legs go limp. Earning a gasp from the pick femme as Optimus and Prowl crashed to the floor. The shock on Prowls face as he looks up at his leader was immediately saved into Optimus’s harddrive. Not that the special OPs needed to know.
The next time was ratchet. Optimus came back injured and limping from a battle. Ratchet after realising the giant idiot wasn’t coming to Medical Bay. Ratchet marched up to the Mech, snatching his arm in an attempt to pull him up only to flop down on his tush. Ratchet stared up at the Mech as if his own sparkling had grown up without telling him. Devastation fills Ratchet's optics as he realizes OPtius is no longer his ‘little one’. Bee and Jazz on the other hand were cackling like maniacs at the scene they just saw.
Slowly everyone realizes slowly that their little Orion was too big. They all still did it every so often. After a bit Optimus learned how sad they were that he was too big to be lifted up and out of the blue as Wheeljack was going back to work. Optimus swings back around and throws the Mech over his shoulder. And carries the Mech to his berth room just like they used to with him when he skipped out on recharge. It took a moment before anyone truly knew what was happening before several mechs burst into laughter. Or shook their helms fondly. And without much a thought another tradition was made. Of Optimus being a dad just trying to pick up his kids and help them out. Compared to their big sibling action toward Orion in the mines.
Except Elita. Last time OPtimus picked her up he ended up in medbay. No one mentioned it but they all watched the Prime avoid her like the plague for weeks. Much to their amusement
