Queen's note: Papa Ironhide and Grandpa Leadfoot, that's all I wanted out of life for the last few days [week]
Alien Grandpas
(Because why not?)
For a planet mostly covered in water, and with polar caps filled with ice chunks it was surprisingly warm on this world. At least where the older Autobot found himself, after a... well, admittedly strange trip from one continent to this one by way of a sad shuttle attempt. Hound wasn't sure how it even flew with his bulk sitting in the cargo hold. Though he was impressed that the native organics handled his sass so well, even some firing their own sass right back.
If it had not been for Optimus Prime's personal reassurances that the humans were safe, Hound would not have gone. Sure enough Ratchet and the Prime himself were there to greet the older mech when the cargo ship landed. Being introduced to this joint NEST crews had ended up making his last long and rather boring vron in space.
They had a whole bunch of things for him to pick a new alternate form, plus there were also old friends- real friends he had not seen in ages. It did not take Hound long to find Leadfoot, happy to exchange insults, greetings, a few armor smacks, and some energon before the commando settled down with the Wreckers. Chatting mostly in Cybertronian to update each other.
Topspin had gotten up and returned with some needed energon, and a smaller canister of high-grade of a far more concentrated 'shot.' Roadbuster had not minded the break, surprisingly from what Hound knew of him. The Wrecker Foreman was normally against leaving any project unfinished.
Hound felt so special.
A few mechs came for a while, Ratchet once he was free for a bit but did not fully join in the drinking. Roadbuster made a swipe at a small red minibot, missed, but Topspin flipped out his clamps to catch the protesting Hotrod. The wreckers happy to wedge one of their grown sparklings between them for a time, though Roadbuster had to use his talons to give helm scritches before Hotrod calmed down.
Hound frowned slowly at the little new comer as Ratchet laughed lowly. "Wait... Hotrod? That little messenger that used to run around ya'r crew? He's still so small."
"Watch it grandsire, just 'cuz I'm a minibot doesn't mean I can't kick aft on your frame type." Hotrod huffed and gave a growl that was alike to what Roadbuster could do. Just not as deep, and maybe in turn not nearly as threatening.
"With those two as ya'r creators ya should." Hound grunted as he shifted, grinning.
Topspin grinned, reaching down and over to make a motion sort of like a human would do for ruffling hair, only the larger hand muffled whatever Horrod was about to say as the bigger mech hummed. Leaning over on Roadbuster and further making his youngling stuck. Hound shook his head, leaving the minibot alone, not that he could do much or respond right now.
"Is this solar?" Hound asked after a few quieter kliks, filled with background sounds of an active base. There was some muffled cursing that turned into smaller rumbles as Hotrod settled down, accepting his fate being stuck between his creatures, it did help that scritches and scratches were offered to distract the scout.
"Aye," Roadbuster nodded, seemingly pleased under his protective visor. "One good thing about this rock, good basking temps, an' making energon usin' the Xianthum's outer hull, an' heat ta energon converters."
There was a becoming distinct sound if thumping of a bigger, warrior class mech walking down the paved road. Coming nearer and then the black form of Ironhide rounded a corner, his voice rumbling as he spoke, possible to his comms. Hound did not see that much off with that as he talked aloud into his comms a lot, even when they were internal sometimes. The commando warrior jerked and tensed as Leadfoot suddenly yelled from beside him.
"Oy!" The oldest of the Wreckers had sat up once taking a good look at the new commer. He was grinning now as he yelled out at first it seemed Ironhide as he walked by, "Get yea'r afts over here yea wankers, an' let me see that tiny soft spark!"
"What the frag ya old cog!" Hound demanded, thumping his fist against Leadfoot's arm and noticing at the same time that Roadbuster had tensed as well at the sudden yell.
Leadfoot smack Hound back in the leg, what he could reach easiest, then turned his attention back to Ironhide. "Get over 'ere!"
"Like ya have the rank ta make me fragger!" Ironhide rumbled back, though he was not exactly yelling the warrior waved a hand- and cannon, in their direction. He was slowing down and partly turning, but glanced down at ground level a few times as if checking for something.
Hound wondered if Ironhide had almost or did step on one of the native organics, and that was the reason for checking the ground... The big green mech re-set his optics. They flickered in a blink as he saw a strange movement.
"Imma adviser to the Foreman." Leadfoot said as he sat up from his slouch, flashing his fangs in a wicked grin at the younger wrecker leader beside him.
The foreman in question lifted his hands, holding them up not in a surrender gesture as his own talons were clearly visible, but something that he did not really want to deal with. "Leave me out o' this, I got my own runt right 'ere."
"The lil' lass is cute though," Topspin purred as he shifted to look around his mate to get a look at what was happening, letting hotrod squirm a little loose to see as well.
And then Hound had finally spotted what the others had. What they knew to look for. Between the black and grey pedes was one of these local organics. As fearless as those other 'Nest' humans had been before around Hound.
Why in Cybertron's name would these mechs be interested in one of the many soldiers running around? One that wasn't even in the on duty armor...uniform?
The old black Autobot was still snapping back at Leadfoot, moving over only after he glanced down and realized his companion had diverted course. Moving out from under Ironhide's shadow to peer over, the human glanced back to... to a second human? Tinier organic?
"Do you want to go over?" the older of the two was just barely heard by Hound as the commando was shifting forward to get a better look.
"Primus, is a sparkling," Hound realized, his voice low for now. To say he was surprised to see a youngling of this race so close after the spazz back when he first landed... well that would be an understatement. The bigger green mech did not catch what the organic youngling…what was the translation word? Child? He missed what was said as it was soft and the two older mechs were still grumping at each other.
Ironhide huffed though, and kept growling on the way over. Something about a proper threat to the Wreckers'- Leadfoot's spark really, if any hurt his two charges. The dark green mech was staring at the little organic sparkling giggling as she was slung up into the arms of the older one now (man?).
Leadfoot shifted again but his energy field was reflecting an even happier mood. He held out a hand out expectantly. His fingers twitched, but shifting the digits that his claws were not in the way. Hound watched in some amazement as Leadfoots snark turned into gravely rumble of pleaser when- of all things, that male human had willingly lifted his sparkling up into the waiting hand after she reached out. The oldest Wrecker present shifted his hand and lifted the little girl up.
"There's the lil' lass," Leadfoot smiled, settling back into his spot. Lifted his other hand like a guard to keep the young human from falling far if she somehow slid out of his palm, "Primus yea'r growin' too fast..."
The girl giggled, the sound not exactly the same kind of happy trill of a Cybertronian sparkling. Yet surprisingly smaller enough to get Hound's attention as he leaned over to look, getting looked at in return, "Who's that?"
"Old aft friend," Leadfoot flashed a wider, fang exposing grin. Yet even though the adult human male...man shifted as if a little unsure, the girl barely reacted. How used to Cybertronians was this little femling? The Wrecker leaned back and held the human up a little to let her look at the commando, "E's name is Hound."
"Hi!" The girl chirped, smiling up at hound fearlessly, and the new Autobot realized that this organic sparkling likely had no negative interactions with the mecha on base. Possibly off as well, "I'm Annabelle! I like it short to Ann."
Hound took a puff off his 'cigar,' and then taking it out, unable to help himself- but really it was more for the sakes of Leadfoot and Ironhide that his own voice settled to a softer rumble, "Nice ta meet ya soft spark."
It was not because Annabelle was cute in a not so strange way.
"This lil' lass is gonna be a fine crewmate once she's old enough ta come ta the Xanthium." Leadfoot said, though his field and tone reflecting amusement, he was not pushing something onto the human but more teasing for her sire and guardian.
"She is not," Ironhide growled as he came a little closer, enough that he could smack one of Leadfoot's peds with his own foot in a light kick. He pretended not to notice that Annabelle was rolling her eyes as she patted her own foot on the curved edge of Leadfoot's talon.
"Ann will go where she wants when she's old enough," Lennox put in, shaking his head as he moved out of the way of large peds, "And after school, where she wants to go, and school is important."
"Of course it is," Ironhide snorted looking at his human partner, waving at Annabelle, "None of my charges ever went without an educations even if I had ta resort ta making datapad my self."
"You do make her datapads that look like ipads and she is way too smart now for her own good." Will pointed out as he pointed up at the black mech, and at a snort turned to wave the finger at Leadfoot, "You're no better."
"If the lass wants to learn, then she'll be learnt. She picks up basic engineering at a sparkling level and by Primus, she's only eight local years old." Leadfoot snorted, again before grinning at Hound and added with a fanged smile at the other two as he was letting the human girl start climbing on his frame, "Plus I've already made plans up for her first weapon."
"No," Lennox glared, though Hound was picking up there was no real heat behind the words. Did some of the organics have an energy field stronger then others?
"Ya aren't doing that slag Leadfoot, she's my charge, I get that honor!"
Hound arched an optic ridge, glancing first at Ironhide who protested Leadfoot as well, but then pointed out that he had that honor thank you. There was a shifting from the Wrecker pile, more like they were tilting down as they shifted. The mecha seemed to be just dealing with loosing balance, the smaller one trying to get out and the other two keeping Hotrod from escaping. That's what it looked like. Hound, not distracted had noticed when Roadbuster glanced up and to the side, freeing his right hand.
"Neither of you are making weapons for my daughter," Lennox yelled out in exasperation, throwing up his hands and arms as if this was not the first time this happened.
The commando mech tilted his head a little, not staring directly as he took a puff. He watched the human child easily get to Leadfoots leg. Hound could easily see how her attention was grabbed by the shifting Wreckers. The big mech grinned as he watched Roadbuster silently reach out, and then Annabelle consider. Bracing on Leadfoot's budging middle for a moment she hopped down lightly, expertly dodge the red mechs hovering hand while he was still distracted. Only for her to safely drop into the curve of the Foreman's fingers with a grin back at where she had been.
Sparkling theft almost compete, Roadbuster lifted Annabelle to his face, grinning at her before giving the femmling- ...girl a quick nuzzle. He boosting the giggling girl to his neck as he kicked off Topspin and Hotrod as the argument continued. The blue mech leaning closer to give the girl a quick pet before standing up.
Did Roadbuster, the mech who had the title 'Master of Subtlety' for pure ironic reasons, really do something stealthy? The mech who was known for throwing a tool at someone and then yelling it be brought back to him?
Hound laughed, one of the first real laughs he had in some time, enough that he had to take out the 'cigar' out of his mouth or lose it. Inadvertently giving the other Wreckers some more get away time, "Primus!"
"What?" Ironhide demanded, frowning for a moment as he started looking down.
"Ya're both old clogged idiots." Hound decided, leaning back an grinning as he beard jingled.
There was a sound of a transformation, of three a little ways away.
"Goddamnit!" The human male yelled as he caught on first starting to take a few steps away. "Roadbuster you ass bring back my daughter!"
"What?!" Both the other two mechs finally caught on and looked around, Leadfoot heaving himself up and taking a few steps before he transformed along with Ironhide and took off after the other three fleeing wreckers. Leaving Will and Hound staring after as the mechs were forced to split up and make the two older, yelling mechs split up. There was no proof just yet for them that it was Roadbuster himself.
"Is this a normal thing?" Hound asked the human just as he was face-palming, amused at the similarity. Settling down from the amusement he put the round back in his mouth.
"Since a few years ago, it is." Lennox pulled his hand down, he sighed deeply an then looked up at Hound. "I wasn't kidding, no one wants me unless my daughter is around."
"Could be worse," Hound pointed out, leaning to one side and taking Leadfoot's abandon energon can. Hey, it was left behind and over half full.
"We were going to see Optimus in..." Will paused to check his phone, "Twenty minutes."
"Ah, well, ya can tell him what happened, or feed the Wreckers twisted sense of fun." Hound offered as he finished his can and Leadfoots before standing up, not sure where he was going to go now.
"Like I'm running after cars," The man snorted at pede level, moving out of the way but flashed a grin at Hound, "I'm going to tell Optimus. And Ratchet."
"Ya fight dirty." Hound blinked, optics flickering as he pointed down at Lennox.
Will started walking away, but adding as he did so, "Do you see my comparative height?"
"Good point." Hound chuckled as he started after the human, now understanding Ironhide's slower walk, it was better than fully shortening his stride.
"Coming to watch?" Lennox guessed as he stayed away from the commando's pedes, mostly as he did not know Hound as well as others.
"If its ratchet, I wouldn't miss it for all the high-grade right now." Hound rumbled a low laugh. He paused and then added, "Might get a better look at that femling of ya'rs."
The man at ground level smacked his face with a palm again and sighed, getting a laugh from above as somewhere in the semi distance Ironhide yelled in frustration as Hotrod yipped.