Trap
"Why do Ah feel like Ah'm walkin' into a trap?" Ironhide was not a happy mech, not by a long shot.
"It's funny you should say that." Jazz laughed as the group of Autobot warriors came to a stop outside one of Iacon's major Energon holes. The place was officially named 'Traveler's Approach' but the neon in a majority of the letters had long since burned out leaving only 'TRAP' lit.
The warrior had long since mastered the 'why me' expression due to moments just like this one. "Why am Ah doing this?"
"Joint venture with the femmebot unit to have a good time." Sunstreaker was grinning like a moron. At the moment, Ironhide thought it was fitting.
"BumbleBee, keep an optic on Jazz." Prowl ordered sternly.
"Why aren't you going to be keeping an optic on him?" There was only curiosity in the small mech's vocalizer.
"I'm still on duty, my patrol just happened to have me down here. I'll be back later when I'm off."
With another laboured sigh, Ironhide finally gave up and followed Jazz, BumbleBee, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe into the dark bar.
It was all as predictable as clock work. Jazz was already at the bar. Sunstreaker had an arm around two femmebots while Sideswipe ordered High Grade for the four of them. BumbleBee shyly made his way over to Moonracer to attempt (again) to break the frozen nitrogen and vocalize with her. Ironhide took up a post at the corner of the bar and slowly nursed a cube of High Grade while watching his comrades get over energized while (in the case of the twins) getting the femmes equally juiced.
Shaking his head, the warrior sighed and attempted to turn back to the bar. He wasn't looking and bumped into a small mech that had appeared beside him. "Ah beg your pardon ma'me."
The blue femmebot blinked her optics in surprise. "A 'bot who remembers his manners, you don't find many like you."
"Ya don't get no where bein' rude." The red mech didn't know what to do, she was a beautiful bot and, unlike her own comrades, wasn't over energized.
"Are you Ironhide?"
"Yes ma'me Ah am, but unfortunately Ah don't know your name."
Before she could answer, Jazz went tearing across the room, hands in the air, squealing like a sparkling. When he reached his target, the first lieutenant flung himself on the poor unsuspecting Prowl.
"I thought I told you to keep an optic on him!" The security officer yelled over the noise of the bar at BumbleBee.
The yellow mech, just as energized as Jazz, grinned from where he sat, nestled in Moonracer's chest plating. "I did!" He hicced. "I watched him go to the bar and…."
The blue femme looked at Ironhide. "You know them cowboy?"
"Ah'm afraid so." He admitted watching Prowl stagger to the bar under the weight of his best friend clinging to his neck.
She laughed, not at the spectacle of Prime's best acting like fools, but Ironhide's honesty. "I commend you. Had I been in your struts I would have denied it!"
He gave her a crooked smile. "Yeah well, better or worse, they're my friends."
She observed her own friends. Moonracer was cuddling BumbleBee like he was the cutest thing in the universe. Starsprinter and Novarunner were all over the very happy twins. Firestar was attempting (unsuccessfully) to seduce Prowl. "I know what you mean, but it gets harder to remember that as the night goes on."
"Ah don't mean ta be bold, but is there a reason why ya won't tell me your name?"
The blue bot gave him a smile that clearly said she knew what she was doing. "Chromia."
"Thank ya, Chromia. Ah like knowing who Ah'm talkin' to. Ya came up here for a reason though, can ah buy ya a cube? Ah'm going to be workin' on this one for a while."
Chromia's smile became softer. "That would be nice, I'd like that."
A/N: Starsprinter and Novarunner are the names I have humble assigned to the two femmebots seen and not heard in "Search for Alpha Trion" (the green and purple/orange femmes respectfully)