Unexpected Involvement

Agony

The scent of warm, sweet sparkling energon filled Steeljaws nostrils as he took a deep breath of contentment. Smiling to himself with a kind of sappy joy, he moved his head to the sound of a small form crawling across the blankets. A tiny pup whimpered as it bumped into his muzzle, his miniscule snout sniffing for guidance as he searched blindly. Growling with affection, he used his head to push the bitlet back to the group, nestling him amongst all the other snoozing newborns. He settled with a quick snuffle of comfort, his tiny form curling up to stay warm amongst the fat and happy bundles. Steeljaw let himself settle for a nap alongside them, exhausted but far too content to care. His newborns were here, safe, and very well fed. He'd call that a victory worth celebrating...

"Agghhh..."

A sharp, tight pain in his gut made him gasp and lift his head with a hiss. The hot agony washed away the pleasant haze of his half sleep and the dream he didn't know he'd been having. In a single moment he found himself back in reality, where his pups were still coiled and crowded in his near bursting belly. Venting deeply through his muzzle, he put a few tender claws over the swell to center himself and get a feel for what was happening. Another wave of pain in the same spot cleared his processor enough for the obvious to register.

The pups were on their way. Finally.

A cringe pulled on his lips in utter distaste at the inconvenience of the timing. Of course, in the middle of the night, when he was in bed beside an overprotective sire.

Cracking his optics open, he looked over to Thunderhoof, who was fast asleep on his back and snoring without a care. Primus willing, he would stay that way... Sucking in a bracing vent, he rolled to get his pedes on the floor, struggling to make as little noise as possible. The process was slowed by how terribly off balance he was and how much strain the pain was putting on him, but eventually he managed to get himself off the bed. Setting his pedes on the ground, he grimaced as a new pain formed in his stomach. Hissing through the discomfort, he cradled his belly and ventilated like the few data pads he'd found had suggested, riding through the contraction until it faded. Putting careful attention to his noise, he started walking to the door, praying he could be free of any incidents.

"Eh, what's up?"

Apparently not.

"I'm hungry. I'm going to get something to eat." He said, looking back to the half awake mech. Keeping his tone flat, he watched for any sign of detection. He was prepared to make a break for it, if necessary. Thunderhoof yawned and rubbed at his optics.

"Want company?"

"No." He clipped, not intending to sound do desperate or curt. It was a little hard to act calm when a brood was starting to push down, after all.

"Whatev... See ya later." Came the slurred response. As the big mech fell back asleep, Steeljaw heaved a sigh of relief and started moving. It wasn't anything personal. He just... really needed to be alone for this. Something told him he wouldn't want anyone to see what he was about to go through. Not that it mattered. He was in the clear. Now he just needed to grab some supplies.

Sneaking was hard with an aching belly, but he found his ages of experience made it go without a problem. Gathering up the kit he'd hidden amongst the various corners and crevices of the base, he was only a little bit winded by the time he had a bag full of everything he believed he would need. Slipping out the exit, he headed off into the cold forest, shivering in the dark as he stepped into the now familiar path. The pain was regular enough now for him to predict when it would come, and still bearable enough that he could keep moving while it rippled through his belly. Not that it was easy, of course. The dense tangle of earth vegetation had him panting in an embarrassing amount of time, and even the light bag in his arms was starting to feel very heavy.