My big boy

Promises

Erika yelled in pain as Dino tried to pick her up off the floor.

"Stop! Stop please!"

Dino gently lowered his servo, letting her rest upright on his palm gently as she gripped her side tightly. Her jumper was torn and burned on her right side, the skin you could see was burned and charred. Blood oozed from a hidden wound like there was no tomorrow, the red liquid seeping through her fingers as she weakly tried to stem the bleeding.

"Hold on, piccolo"

He gently stroked his thumb over her shoulder as she whimpered in pain, a puddle of blood starting to form underneath her already.

"Dad? Dad, is he alright? Is he okay?"

Dino looked over to the rifleman, who remained where he had fallen, still and unmoving. Pain gripped at the red autobots spark as he looked down at the young girl who was pale, almost as white as snow.

"He's alright. People are tending to him"

Erika breathed out softly in relief, allowing herself to sink back into Dino's hand gently, as much as she sank into his lie.

"Thank god...that's really good..."

Her words started to slur and her blinking was growing slow, her hand slipping from her side and landing in the puddle of blood beneath her. She laid her head back, on the cool metal of his hand and looked up at him, smiling softly.

"Dino...you...you never taught me Italian..."

"Don't worry, I will teach you as soon as you are better. That I can promise"

Erika looked forward with a quiet hum, looking down at the gaping wound in her side. She gently flexed her fingers in the puddle of blood, it still warm to the touch. Her mind was swimming, the loss of blood starting to affect her thinking.

"I can't feel anything, Dino..."

She coughed harshly and took a wheezing breath in. She looked up at the sound of someone transforming and smiled tiredly seeing Grimlock kneel in front of them, the hulking bot looking down at them.

"Grim..."

She reached up for him and he lowered his massive servo, offering his open palm. She gently laid her bloody hand on it, looking at his red optics. He looked her tiny frame over, his mind racing. He killed the con, he crunched that fragger into oblivion, how, how, HOW-

"Grim"

He looked back to her face, her long black wavy hair splayed over her shoulders, her eyes as beautiful as the ocean. Tears spilled from those eyes in thick drops as her voice cracked.

"I, I'm dying. I'm dying Grim, I can feel it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, oh god I'm so sorry!"

The tears fell faster as she started to cry loudly. Grimlock pressed his knuckle to her cheek gently, her small hand gripping onto it tightly. He wanted to pick her up, hold her to him but she was so small and he was too rough, he would make it worse and it broke that all he could do was sit there as she cried.

"I-I want to s-stay...w-with you..."

She sniffled, leaning her cheek on his digit as she looked up at him.

"Grimlock...will never leave his Erika"

His voice was deep and scratchy, the bellowing voice caused his servo to vibrate, the sensation rattling her bones pleasantly. She smiled gently, brokenly but sincerely.

"And I'll never leave you...just...as we promised right...?"

She laid her full weight into his large servo, her breathing shallow and short.

"I love...I loved...time with..."

She trailed off slowly, her grip on him loosening.

"You...mine..."

She exhaled softly, her arms going limp and her head falling forward, her face obscured by her raven hair. Dino sank down, watching the large dinobot cup his other servo behind her still body, keeping her from falling.

"Kid..."

Dino watched wordlessly as Grimlock gently scooped her into his large hand, laying her out gently as he stood, frame groaning. The large dinobot turned and walked over to Bo's body, gently picking him up and placing him in his rightful place by his daughters side. Grimlock looked at the two small bodies in his servo, both still and silent. He threw his head back and roared to the sky, the sound carrying for miles, carrying his grief and anguish. Dino looked down at his servo that had held the small girl and saw the red, not his red but the red of her blood. He stood, quickly heading into the base he rushed to his room. He hurried into the utilities room and turned the tap on quickly to the shower designed for his kind. He put his hand under the icy water and scrubbed at it quickly, the wet blood coming off easily. But the memory remained. He scrubbed harder and faster before cursing.

"Frag it! Vieni fuori, vieni fuori!"

He rammed his fist into the wall and dropped to his knees beneath the water, hitting the wall again harder this time.

"She was a kid! Frag it, Bo was still young! They had more living to do!"

He leaned on the wall, inhaling deeply as he closed his optics, focusing on the water running over him.

"Curse you, Primus. How many more do you need to take?"