Little ficlet that came to me while listening to Vienna Teng's "Daughter.

~Zex

-x-x-x-x-x-

Ironhide stood at the bar in Macadam's II in Autobot City, cup of high grade in his hand. He turned to look at the femme sitting at the nearest table. It was his day to watch the kid. The hulking black mech watched her tapping away at a portable console - some kind of homework thing for her first academy class. It was Elementary grade work, but the little femme was Elementary grade as well.
Damn kids. He shook his head - he shouldn't say that. He swigged the high grade oil in the cup. Ironhide's vents sighed as he let the cup rest on the counter again.
Behind the counter, Hoist wiped out a freshly washed glass, glanced at Rawhide, and let a slight chuckle escape his vents.
"Before you know it, she'll be up to your shoulder, and askin' for her first blaster lesson." Hoist shook his head with amusement all over his face.
Ironhide grunted. "Ain't gonna happen." The two frozen energon cubes in his cup clinked together as he took another swig. He turned blue optics to the young femme still working hard at the small console as the sun set behind the taller buildings in Autobot City. A sliver of orange cast over the femme, and in Ironhide's optics, it made her look like the heavenly figure every parent sees in their child.
"Oh really?" An optic ridge rose on Hoist's white face. "Not following in her indestructible imprint's locomotion tracks?"
Ironhide shook his head, finished off the last bit of his drink, and set the cup on the bar surface. "Not if I can help it."
Hoist set aside the cup he worked on, and picked up another. "Guess it's asking for trouble - getting into your kind of business."
Ironhide turned his optics to the mech, his left damaged almost shut. "Trouble ain't the half of it, Hoist, an' you know it. Another." He said.
Hoist poured Ironhide another drink then replied. "She'd be as good as her old model, you know."
Ironhide didn't reply, just took the newly filled cup, and turned his head to look at the young femme again. She glowed bronze in the dim sunlight, so focused she failed to see Ironhide staring at her yet again. Deep in the core of his spark, Ironhide could feel the years catching up to him - the battles, the injuries, the poor quick fixes he'd inflicted upon himself in the field. He was nowhere near joining the Matrix, but neither was he the young bot he used to be. Years from now, he could see himself sitting crippled over with his best femme, Chromia, trying to recall the days like this when Rawhide was still young.
Would he wish he had done more? Where had the days gone when the two would sit in pretender form at the Lennox house, and watch old spaghetti westerns together? Was it too late? He set down the cup, barely drained, thanked Hoist, and approached the femme at the table. Ironhide stood behind her, his hand gently patting her head.
Rawhide looked up as if startled from a deep sleep, and smiled.
"Oh, hey 'Hide." Rawhide sighed. "You startled me." She checked her internal chronometer. "We leavin'?"
"Yeah." Ironhide let the femme stand, and followed her out of the bar.
Rawhide had grown. Ironhide had not noticed at all how fast she had matured into an adolescent already. In Earth years, Rawhide could be considered something around twelve, maybe thirteen. She spent most of her time studying with that stuck-up, stiff-sparked Tourniquet.
As Rawhide's imprint, Ironhide had a few things to say about Tourniquet, but Chromia would always give him that look, or slap him on the shoulder.
"Rawhide." Ironhide said after a couple of blocks.
Rawhide turned. "Are you gonna expel, 'cause I'm not explainin' to Chromia why you drank too much again."
Ironhide started. Was that all she thought of him? A high-grade guzzler she had to make excuses for? What had happened to them, and the relationship they'd had; A relationship of father and daughter - not this.
" 'Hide." Rawhide waved her hand in his face. Her hand reached his face. "You in there?"
Ironhide turned his head down, his optics meeting hers, and said in a gentler tone than usual. "I'm here."
Rawhide started, but quickly recovered, and a small smile spread across her face. "I'm here, too, 'Hide."
The two continued down the walk, until Rawhide murmured. "Rollin', rollin', rollin'."
Ironhide joined without realizing it, both softly crooning.
"Rollin', rollin', rollin'. Rollin, rollin', rollin'."
"Move 'em on." Ironhide started.
"Head 'em up." Rawhide chuckled.
"Set 'em out." Ironhide winked.
"Ride 'em in!" Rawhide sang a bit louder.
The momentum stopped, and Ironhide smiled.
"Cut 'em out." Rawhide prompted, smiling.
"Ride 'em in." Ironhide draped his arm across his sparkling's back, and patted her opposite shoulder.
Rawhide smiled, and leaned against her imprint - her father, and said just loud enough for the large mech to hear.
"Rawhide."
END