CHAPTER 9
Quality Time
Wheeljack had introduced him to training, now it was Jake's turn to teach him to something, namely bonding. Being that Wheeljack was, of course, in some odd way his Foster Parent, quality time was something that was needed. Needless to say, if Jake had any hope of convincing the mech he was worth adopting, he needed to try. They'd stopped over in a small town, small enough that in the days of medieval times, probably would have been considered a little village. The perfect place to take a day off the road and just hang out.
How Jake had ever convinced Wheeljack to do this, he had no idea. Wheeljack wasn't the kick back and relax type of mech these days, but it didn't matter, he could handle it. After all, there was no reason that they couldn't take one day just to have fun, with no worries, and no Deepticons on their tail. Jake had convinced Wheeljack to stop at a park, though he'd stopped to pick up a football along the way. "So what's the point of 'catch'?" Wheeljack questioned as Jake raised an eyebrow "Do we throw it back and forth for some purpose?" He asked.
"Yeah, because it's fun. You know fun, that thing you might have read about?" Jake asked teasingly.
Wheeljack smirked at the boy slightly, shaking his head. "Oh yes, I've done PLENTY of research on having fun. Punk." Wheeljack replied, roughing up Jake's hair a little "I had five kids, all boys. But none of them asked me to play catch." He lifted an eyebrow a bit "So forgive my-" He began.
"'Jack, think fast."
Jake threw the football before Wheeljack had a chance to finish the sentence. Leaping forward, and catching the ball easily, Wheeljack looked at Jake slightly. "Getting tired of my rambling, eh?" Wheeljack smirked, he tossed the ball up and down "This is an Earth sport, it can't be too hard." He tossed it back, faster than Jake could blink "How did you say that, think fast?" He asked.
To his amazement, Jake leapt to the side, and caught the hard thrown ball with ease. The mech's jaw dropped a bit, he had purposefully thrown it fast and hard in jest, but that had been far too easy for him all the same. "Whoa." Wheeljack noted "Nice catch." he admitted.
"Yeah, I uh... Played a few pick-up games in my day." Jake shrugged.
Looking up the meaning of his words, Wheeljack nodded a bit. "Why not play for a team?" Wheeljack questioned.
Jake looked at his body, he wasn't a twig, but he wasn't exactly a football player. Jake didn't work out, he hadn't really had a need to. He got enough of a work-out tending to the farm, but even so he didn't really have enough muscle tone. "Eh, I'm not entirely built right for a Football Player. Plus it's really dangerous." Jake shrugged "I just do flag football for fun, or used to." He shrugged.
"Makes sense, according to my data, football can result in bodily injury." Wheeljack observed.
Jake nodded, tossing the ball at Wheeljack again, the mech caught it with ease. Jake turned his head to a small family who was also playing a game not far off. Now that was something he'd always envied, family games. It wasn't that Tom wasn't willing to play them, but at his age it would end badly. "You know my eldest..." Wheeljack interjected, Jake turned his head to him "Used to play "Hyper Ball", it was a lot like your football." He added.
"You guys have sports?" Jake asked.
"Of course! Some of my fondest memories are playing around in a similar manner back on Cybertron with..." Wheeljack felt a tinge of guilt saying 'his kids', knowing Jake was his charge "Your Foster Brothers... No beating around the bush, I suppose. Being your "surrogate" Father, at the very least earns you the title of my Foster Son." He stated, honestly.
"Really?" Jake asked.
"Well I can't say it's official as I haven't signed any papers or anything." Wheeljack shrugged "But, between us, I think we can call it a foster relationship." He explained "But either way, we did a lot of sports playing around my home. It was fun." He then added with a smile "This is too." He admitted.
Jake caught the next throw, smiling a bit, looking down, and almost blushing. The fact that Wheeljack had just compared this to time he spent with his own kids meant more than his guardian would ever know. "Yeah, well, I've never played anything like this with a guardian." Jake smiled a bit, looking up at Wheeljack "It's a lot more fun then doing it with friends." He added.
"Your friends must be missing you." Wheeljack noted.
"I'll call them up when we're safe and in Jasper." Jake replied, he shrugged a bit "I wanted to while we were on the road. But with psychotic mechs on our tail I figured that would be a bad idea." Wheeljack nodded in agreement "Besides, they'd ask questions that I couldn't answer." He shrugged a bit.
"What's your excuse going to be when you call them, then?" Wheeljack questioned.
"I'll tell you when I think of one."
They both chuckled upon that joke, admittedly, Jake didn't know what to say. Perhaps, if word wasn't out about Social Services being unable to find him, he'd say he was taken in by someone in Jasper. No matter the outcome there, Jake had a strong, odd feeling that it would't be too far from the truth. "Hey 'Jack, did they have movies on Cybertron?" Jake questioned.
After looking the term up Wheeljack shook his head. "Why?" He asked.
"Because I think I'm going to show you one of the best parts of Earth culture tonight." Jake grinned.
After all, after he'd learned so much about Wheeljack's culture, it was only fair he showed him some of theirs.
...
The Drive-In in town had been the closest theater, ironic as that was. That night, they'd driven to it's location at the edge of the small town, paid the fee, and sat down to a round of "The Three Stooges". Wheeljack had to admit, the movie was funny, and they both were enjoying it a great deal. For the first time, in a way, even if it was comedically, Wheeljack came to understand the orphanage, the thing Jake had once said he'd grown up in. He'd understood what it was like to grow up, never being adopted.
The mech turned to the boy, who, tiredly, leaned against him. For the first time since Tom had died, nearly two weeks prior, Wheeljack saw Jake happy, smiling at something other than a joke in fact. Slowly, Wheeljack found himself putting an arm around the boy. A smile tugged against his holoform's own lips, and for the first time with a kid, since his youngest had been taken away from him... He had to admit, he was happy too.
As the credits rolled onto the screen, Wheeljack looked down at Jake, for a moment, thinking. "Yes." Wheeljack said softly.
"Huh?" Jake looked up.
"My answer, it's yes." Wheeljack smiled a bit, Jake blinked, confused "I'll adopt you. Or... At least, I'll try." He explained.
Moving a bit to stare at Wheeljack, Jake's confusion showed in his eyes. "That was quick, just a few hours ago-" Jake began.
"I've only been beating around the bush, and making excuses... Even to myself..." Wheeljack rested his arm on his steering wheel "But after today, after seeing that movie, and as funny as it was..." He turned his head "Understanding what orphanages here are like." He paused a bit "I think I've realized that I never could let you go back to that." He shook his head "All I could think during the entire first half of that movie was about you." He shook his head.
"'Jack..." Jake began to say.
"It isn't pity, Jake. It's realization." Wheeljack admitted, quietly, he ran a hand along the boy's cheek gently "I've been traveling the stars, alone, lonely... Whether I admitted the latter or not." He then added "When all I really needed? Was a reason to stay." He then added "And I think I've found that reason: You. I mean, it can't be coincidence I crashed into your farm. Or that we're on this journey of ours, can it?" He asked.
"You'd stay on Earth for me?" Jake asked.
Wheeljack smiled a bit, nodding his head a little bit. "I mean the war's here, my friends are here... And you're here." Wheeljack explained, chewing his holoform's lip a bit "What reason do I have to leave this planet behind when I have a lot going for me here?" He sighed a bit "Besides, who else is going to manage to keep up with a spitfire like you?" He said, pulling him into a chokehold and giving him a small noogie, releasing after a minute.
"Thank you." Was all Jake could manage to reply with.
"Well, thank me when we're in Jasper and we find out whether or not this will work." Wheeljack eyed the boy calmly "We still have a lot of ground to cover before you're my son. But... I'm going to do what I can to make it happen." He placed a firm hand on Jake's shoulder "Everything I can." He added calmly.
Jake only smiled, that hole that Tom had left behind wasn't totally filled. But he was no longer alone, not at all. Yeah, it was going to be a long journey to Jasper, and it could easily be a hard journey to adoption, but at least Wheeljack was willing to try for him. At least someone who he genuinely liked and felt safe and secure with in the same way he had with Tom wanted him in his family. "This means I'm going to have to train more, doesn't it?" Jake asked with a groan of realization.
"You'll thank me for your training if and when this things happens." Wheeljack commented "Get some sleep though, we're hitting the road, and you're tired." He then added "Training and talk of it can wait until later." He added, calmly.
"Yeah, goodnight." Jake nodded, not even fighting.
"Goodnight, kid."
Jake smiled as he climbed into the backseat, and pulled the blanket over him that night. Happiness didn't properly describe how he felt, elation would have been the better term, without a doubt. Wheeljack turned his head to look at the boy, his mouth curved in a smile. Would this be easy? Not at all. But he did know one thing, after tonight, he was certain of one thing, it would be worth it.
...
A/N: Gah! I hope that didn't come off as too cheesy, the drama caused by this forming Father/Son relationship WILL continue. But that last part of the chapter came as natural progression to the storyline to me. LOL Reviews make my day!
