They made it to their shared berthroom, one of them moody. "How you can put up with this for over a week is a wonder." Ratchet started.

"It is not that bad." Optimus started as they sat down on their berths.

Ratchet scoffed, "With all their harassment-"

"They haven't been-" Optimus started.

"Well now that I'm here, they wouldn't dare." Ratchet grumbled. Oh no, he's thinking he's the 'top dog' again.

"No Ratchet they haven't." Optimus started.

"Oh please, with how Megatron's been looking at you, you mean to tell me he hasn't harassed you?" Ratchet started.

Optimus thought on it, "He held his cannon to my helm, but I had just stabbed Breakdown." He said.

Ratchet blinked, "What? No, that's not what I mean-"

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked.

"He's trying to get in your pants." He said, like he was pointing out the obvious.

"I don't wear pants?" Optimus asked, confused.

"Erm, human saying-He's trying to get in your plating."

"He's a bit big for that?"

Ratchet spluttered. "How would you know?"

"He's taller than me." Optimus stated, Ratchet's time with the evil Autobots must have been stressful. "If he were the size of a scraplet- maybe-"

"No, what? Never mind." Ratchet huffed and laid down.

"You are recharging?" Optimus asked in surprise.

"Yes." Ratchet grumbled and powered down. "Having a break from that predator." He added.

Some recharge will really do him some good. "He's not a predator." Optimus mumbled.

"An opportunist then." Ratchet grumbled and started to power down. Weird, Optimus followed soon after.

-

-

They awoke in the morning later than they would have liked. They slept in (by Ratchet's definition) and only woke up thanks to a large, vibrating, 'thunk'. Ratchet let out a grumble, "So ignorant."

"We should probably help." Optimus noted but could not be bothered to get up.

"No we shouldn't." Ratchet shot back. Okay then they'll just lay here and be unproductive.

And lay there they did. That was untill they started to hear weird sounds. At least Optimus heard weird sounds, he had the better audial receptors. Or Ratchet wasn't acknowledging the sounds, either way, there were weird sounds.

"Argh!" Ratchet grumbled and sat up, "What are they-"

"So you hear it?" Optimus asked, of course he heard it, he wouldn't have reacted if he didn't.

"Yes." Ratchet grumbled and tapped the wall. The noise stopped for a bit then continued. "Hrmp?" Ratchet started and Optimus got up and decided to check the vent.

He not even a second after he got the vent off, he was assaulted. "Jeepers!" He exclaimed and shook his servo to fling it off.

"What are 'jeepers'- Arrrrggh!" Ratchet shrieked and jumped on the berth.

Meanwhile, Optimus started shooting and one shot hit. They stared at the remains, soaking it up.

"No." Ratchet started.

"No?" Optimus started.

"Not again! I'm leaving, you are too-" Ratchet yelped and started to drag Optimus along.

"But the others-"

"Can ditch the base too." Ratchet grumbled as they walked through the hallways.

"It's just one Scraplet." Optimus started, although that sentence might be belittling the problem a bit.

"Just one? Just one!" Ratchet shrieked as they entered the main room, "You know the rhyme-"

"Don't-"

"Where one will swallow the rest will follow-" Ratchet started but Optimus slapped him.

"That rhyme tormented me through my younger years and you know it!" Optimus whisper shrieked.

"What tormented you?" Soundwave asked, the rest where there too, save Megatron and Starscream.

"A nursery rhyme." Ratchet started.

"Oh!" Breakdown started. "Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome,

"He'll eat your soul,

"Turn your spark to stone,

"Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome,

"Run, little robot, run away home." Breakdown practically sang, "That one?"

"I liked that one." Optimus started.

"Doesn't matter, we're leaving." Ratchet yammered.

"Why?" Knockout asked.

"It is just one Scraplet." Optimus started, trying to be brave himself.

"Scraplets!?" Knockout shrieked and jumped over to Breakdown.

"Huh?" Soundwave started, "HUH!" He said again and raced around to the back room, he raced back. "The thing- It's a Scraplet trap!" He started.

"Oh not again." Ratchet grumbled and elbowed Optimus in the side, "I bet five shanix that the ground bridge is already down and Megatron and Starscream will be stuck in the Artic."

"This is no time to be placing bets!" Knockout started, his paint was on the line after all.

"Huh?" Soundwave started and started up the bridge, it let of some sparks and that was it. "Fra-"

"Language." Optimus started.

"Where are the humans?" Ratchet asked.

"School, it's Friday." Breakdown said as Dreadwing watched everyone freak out. So they were already at school after the sleepover? Optimus thought sleepovers happened on weekends?

"They were the only reason we survived!" Ratchet started.

"It is about time you started to appreciate them." Optimus muttered.

"How?" Soundwave asked.

"Scraplets don't eat meat." Ratchet said. "But- but! We have two bots who can repair the ground bridge!"

"Double the efficiency-"

"Yes- Run a diagnostic." Ratchet instructed and started lifting panels.

"What happened to leaving?" Optimus asked (somewhat smugly).

"Ep ep!" Ratchet waved him away and got back to work.

-

-

So everyone apart from Soundwave, Ratchet and Laserbeak sat on crates and watched. While they listened to the Scraplets boring of course.

"So, you had this problem back in your dimension?" Breakdown asked.

"I was stuck in the Artic." Optimus said.

"What do we actually do when the ground bridge is up, let the Scraplets eat the other two?" Knockout asked.

"No." Dreadwing said.

"Use the biggest as bait and lead all the Scraplets through, they will freeze." Optimus explained.

"Dibs not!" Knockout started while Breakdown and Dreadwing stared at each other. At least Optimus wasn't a option.

"Why are you- He's bigger!" Breakdown started.

"In height, but perhaps not in mass." Dreadwing pointed out.

"We could collectively be bait." Optimus pointed out.

"An 'all you can eat', lovely." Knockout grumbled as Soundwave came over.

"Subsection C, there's an energon leak, fix it." He said and handed Dreadwing a welder and patches. "Laserbeak will go with you." He added and got back to work.

"Why me?" Dreadwing whined.

"Breakdown's a clutz, Knockout's a coward and if Optimus does it, we'll be waiting for at least an hour." Soundwave grumbled. "Get going! If you attract the swarm on the way back, well, we'll have the bridge up a running."