So...this took a lot longer than I thought X_X sorry everyone! Between life and writers block, I've had trouble getting this chap finished!
Thanks to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, PMing and faving and/or following this story! I appreciate the time you all take to read this, it makes me feel happies! XD
I really hope you all like this chapter, and please review or PM if you have any ideas for the next chapter, or future chaps!
Enjoy!
When Lockdown finally returned, the ship was quiet, the only sound being the soft, muddled hum of the lights.
He lumbered in, removing the hook he had on at the moment. He reached the main control room, expecting to find Jack awake when he entered. But instead, the hunter found his human companion fast asleep, chest rising and falling with soft breaths, raven hair feathering lightly over the boy's pale face.
Setting aside the now removed hook, Lockdown quietly moved over, sharp red optics inspecting Jack. And then...He smiled. And it wasn't one of his sarcastic, taunting smirks. It was a real, true smile.
Reaching forward, the mech gently brushed a finger over the teen's inky locks. The boy stirred, then mumbled something incoherent before curling up on his side and dozing back off. A slight chuckle wormed its way past Lockdown's lips.
"Sleep well, Jack." The hunter said, voice hushed as to not wake the boy. Lockdown then turned away, leaving for his room, stopping only to grab a cube of high-grade.
Once in his quarters, the mech groaned slightly as he sat down, tired joints protesting.
"Ah scrap, gonna have t' get Jay t' look at my joints t'morrow." Lockdown muttered, reclining in his seat and taking a large swig of his high-grade.
Scrap. That didn't sound right.
Just what was Jack doing to him? When he'd first taken the human child, he had been looking for a pet, some company, nothing more! Yet now...In just a couple of weeks, the boy had become something very important to him. He was far more than a pet.
Lockdown sighed, shifting so that he sat with his elbows on his knees, running a servo over his helm. He'd been trying to act kinder towards the boy, trying to help him feel more comfortable. But so far, his attempts had all failed, and Lockdown knew it was because he lacked the ability to actually be kind and gentle towards another.
But he wanted to try. He wanted to be able to have Jack trust him and see him as a friend. Why couldn't the boy see that he didn't need the bots?! If he would just stop being so fragging stubborn for just one second-
Lockdown was startled from his thoughts when the relative silence of the ship was suddenly split...By a scream.
The hunter was immediately on his pedes, abandoning his high-grade on a nearby shelf and bolting for the control room. A thousand thoughts were racing through his processor: Was Jack hurt? Had someone invaded the ship? Was Jack in trouble?
Entering he control room, Lockdown was surprised to see that Jack was perfectly safe, though looked a little worse for wear. The boy was sleeping in the pile of blankets that served as his bed, sweat soaking through his clothes. The teen tossed and turned, soft whimpers and small cries of fear leaving him.
Lockdown remembered reading about this sort of thing on the human internet. Nightmares, they were called, if memory served him right.
Great, what was he supposed to do now? Could one even 'cure' nightmares?
Pausing, the mech's optics dimmed as he searched the internet. All the suggestions varied, so the hunter simply formed a plan that made the most sense and moved over. He summoned his holoform, which appeared on the workbench, near Jack. He moved over, kneeling down and lightly shaking the teen's arm.
"Jay, it's jus' a nightmare. Wake up."
The boy didn't wake, and only continued to tremble and whimper softly. Seeing the teen who he knew as strong seem so...Vulnerable, it...Well, it was disconcerting for Lockdown, to be honest. He didn't like seeing Jack like this, and so he was dead-set on helping the boy.
The false human that held Lockdown's consciousness carefully shifted Jack until the teen was cradled in his lap, head in the crook of the hunter's neck. The mech was sure he was on the right track when he felt Jack's trembling lessen.
"It's okay, Jack. Yer safe 'ere, r'member? I'd never let any'ne lay a fraggin' finger on ya."
His gruff, rumbling voice seemed to aid in his mission, and the fearful whines of the boy in Lockdown's arms hushed to little more than whispers. Smiling slightly with relief, the hunter continued to murmur comforts (or at least his version of comforting words) to the teen. Jack was warm and seemed so fragging small, curled up against his holoform's chest. For what seemed like the first time, Lockdown could truly see Jack for the child he was, with soft black hair that fell over a pair of what Lockdown knew to be innocent eyes.
He was drawn from his thoughts when the teen squirmed uncomfortably in his arms. Slowly, dark eyes peeked open, meeting Lockdown's own gaze.
"Mgh...Wh...What..?"
"Ya had a bad dream, kid. Jus' go back t' sleep, alrigh'?"
The boy was far too tired to argue, and only hummed, closing his eyes once more. Lockdown chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Poor Jack was exhausted.
Well, now what was he going to do? He wasn't about to go into recharge, the teen's screaming had jarred his senses and left him wide awake. And he couldn't go back to his room and enjoy some high-grade, he was (though he'd never admit it) worried that his ward would have another horrid dream, and Lockdown wasn't about to leave the boy to face that alone.
So that meant he was stuck here.
Great.
Lockdown wasn't sure when he had dozed off. All he did know was that when he woke, he was seeing through the eyes of his holoform, sitting up with his back against a wall, and he had an arm wrapped protectively around Jack's shoulders. The teen in question was sitting beside him, head cushioned on the holoform's shoulder, and he looked much better than he had during the night.
Lockdown had quickly decided that he despised nightmares. He despised seeing Jack have them- there should've been some sort of rule that those who were brave and kind like Jack couldn't get nightmares. But, far from being a fool, the bounty hunter knew that such an idea was childish and impossible.
He could feel his legs cramping, the sensation traveling from his robotic body to his human projection, and Lockdown decided now would be as good a time as ever to wake Jack up.
"'Ey, kid." He said, lightly bouncing his shoulder in an attempt to wake the boy. "C'mon, time t' get up."
The teen groaned softly, a frown marring his face as he squirmed.
"Nnnggghhhh..."
Lockdown rolled his eyes, but chuckled all the same.
"I know, I know, but my legs 're crampin' up."
Jack stirred, blinking tiredly, looking rather unhappy at being woken up. It took him a moment to process his surroundings.
Then he looked up at Lockdown's holoform.
Then he yelped.
Lockdown looked at Jack, surprised, when the teen jumped up and stumbled away, tripping over his feet.
"What the scrap?!"
Taking in the boy's incredulous tone and shocked expression, Lockdown raised a brow.
"What's with you?"
Jack gaped at the holoform, brows furrowed in confusion, a strange contrast to his alarmed gaze. The boy tried to speak, but only a strangled sound left. Quickly swallowing to clear his throat, he tried again.
"Wh-what're you doing sleeping out here?! You have your own room!"
The fake human blinked, then a smirk slowly pulled at the holoform's thin lips. Lockdown, finding this all just far too funny, threw his head back and guffawed.
"Ah, kid!" He managed through his laughter. "Yer seriously tha' worried 'bout personal space?"
Jack looked thoroughly offended.
"Well excuse me, but not everyone enjoys waking up to your ugly mug!"
Lockdown's smirk widened, and he pawed at his chest where a 'heart' was supposed to be.
"Aw, tha' hurts me righ' here!"
"Good!"
Lockdown chuckled, holoform vanishing in a burst of static. The mech stood, rolling his broad shoulders, bright optics focusing on Jack.
"C'mon Jay, take it easy. I jus' wanted t' make sure ya'd be alrigh'. Was some fraggin' bad nightmare ya had there las' night, kid."
The teen looked confused for a moment, and Lockdown wondered if the human didn't remember. But that idea was discarded when the youth reddened, looking away in embarrassment. It didn't escape Lockdown's notice when Jack rubbed at his ribs, where the hunter knew several scars hid. The mech raised a brow, optics still on the teen as he went to grab a half-finished energon cube he had left on a shelf the day before.
"Wanna talk 'bout it?"
Jack scoffed.
"No offense, but that sounds weird coming from you."
Lockdown shrugged, a huffing laugh leaving his vents as he turned his optics to search the shelves for something.
"Jus' tryin' to help. I'm kinda in charge of yer health an' well-bein', y'know."
Jack scowled, rubbing at his shoulder.
"Only because you took me away from the 'bots." He retorted tartly. Lockdown chuckled, going to the main console and sitting, reclining there.
"True, true..."
A long silence fell, in which there was only the hum of the ship's inner-workings. Jack sat on the workbench in his makeshift bed, rubbing at his shoulders and sides, sometimes even his legs. Lockdown noticed all this, but didn't say anything, still facing away from the teen and drinking his energon. It was a good fifteen or so minutes before Lockdown broke the silence.
"Y'know, Cybertronians don' have dreams 'r nightmares." Jack jumped in surprise, looking up at the mech's voice. "When we recharge, Cybertronian's get memory file recollection. Y'know, our processors sometimes need t' reconfigure, so we see previous mem'ry files. Sometimes good." A slight frown marred the hunter's face. "Sometimes bad."
A pause, then,
"Which is it for you?"
Lockdown was quiet for a second, then he chuckled, seat turning so he could look at the teen with a raised brow.
"Kid, considerin' my life? Good mem'ries are few an' far between." The mech leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "But I can't imagine my own processor comin' up with 'nightmares'. Sounds too complicated an' unbelievable, y'know?"
Jack hesitantly nodded.
"Yeah, but I...Not all nightmares are just figments of imagination. Sometimes nightmares can be memories, too."
Lockdown hummed, nodding his head slowly, mulling this information over in his mind.
"Huh. So, which did ya have las' nigh'? A 'figment of imagination', 'r a mem'ry?"
Jack looked away, eyes misted and distant with thought. Lockdown waited patiently, watching the young human silently. Finally, the Jack looked up at the hunter.
"A memory."
Lockdown glanced at the teen's hands, which were rubbing at hidden scars under his shirt.
"Uh-huh. So, a mem'ry 'bout how ya got them nasty scars?"
Jack gave a start, not expecting that question.
"H-huh?"
Rolling his optics, Lockdown set aside his now empty energon cube.
"Ya keep rubbin' at yer sides, yer arms, yer legs...Anywhere there's scarring. So, I can only assume tha' yer nightmare was 'bout how ya got 'em. Am I right?"
The way the young human shifted uncomfortably, the mech could tell his guess was right on the money. The hunter shrugged to himself.
"Guess so. I won' pry, though. Everyone's got their own stories, sometimes they ain't meant t' be shared." He reclined in his seat, turning back to the console. "But frag, relax, Jay! Not like yer th' only one with scars, I mean look'it me! No amoun' o' paint in th' universe coul' hide all my platin' issues."
Silence began to reign once more, and Lockdown was fine with that. He knew that if Jack wanted to talk about his problems, then he would. Until then, though, he'd have to be patient and-
Lockdown's optics dialated slightly when the mech heard a whisper of a voice. Jack's voice.
"Uh...Sorry, Jay, didn' catch tha'. What did'ja say?"
He turned once more to look at the boy in question. Jack was looking at his shoes in embarrassment (or perhaps it was because of anxiety, Lockdown was having a hard time telling which), and when asked to repeat, the teen's shoulders slumped.
"I said..." This time the boy lifted his head, though his eyes were still averted. "I said the nightmare...Memory...Whatever. It was about my dad. How he...You know."
The teen made a motion with a hand, reminiscent of stabbing and slashing, hoping to get his message across. Lockdown understood it clearly.
There was a long moment in which Lockdown was frozen, optics wide and expression dumb-struck. Then, slowly, his optics brightened, brows furrowing with anger and a scowl dragging his mouth down. Jack felt considerably more nervous, squirming as the intense gaze of the hunter bore into him.
"Lemme get this straight." Lockdown said slowly, voice little more than a rumbling growl. "Those scars...'Re from yer dad?"
Jack winced, wondering why he thought it was fine to tell Lockdown, but he nodded all the same.
Lockdown said nothing...Then-
Jack yelped in alarm, jumping to his feet and stumbling away when Lockdown gave a roar of anger, standing and slamming a shelving unit to the ground. Jack watched, surprised and a bit terrified as he watched the fearsome bounty hunter all but rampage about, attacking shelving units and walls. He was yelling in Cybertronian (though Jack was sure that many of the words were cusses that he shouldn't hear at all), and he was leaving more than a few dents in his wake.
"L-...Lockdown?" Jack tried (and failed) to get the mech's attention. He tried once more, this time louder. "Lockdown."
Blazing red optics turned to the teen, and Jack immediately froze, feeling both frightened and a bit awkward.
"It...It's okay. My dad got thrown in jail, he's locked up for life. He can't hurt me, not now."
Lockdown growled.
"Kid, ev'ry fraggin' nightmare ya have, that's him hurtin' ya. Tha' fraggin'-"
"I'm not a little kid, Lockdown. If I have nightmares, then I have nightmares. I'll be alright."
With the boy's warm, dark eyes on him, Lockdown felt his anger ebb away. Slowly, the hunter's shoulders slackened and he sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck plates tiredly.
"Nine a.m an' I already need some high-grade." He muttered, going to one of the fallen shelving units and lifting it back up. Everything was quiet for a minute or two, and then Jack suddenly spoke up.
"Thanks."
Lockdown gave a slight start, looking at Jack in confusion and surprise. No one had ever said that to him, and now to hear it from a kid, a sparkling? It made the mech feel a bit fuzzy around the spark, like there was static in his chassis. It was not at all unpleasant, and Lockdown wondered if this was how a parent felt when they were with their child.
Shaking those thoughts away, Lockdown raised a brow.
"Eh? Fer what?"
The teen hesitated, then offered a smile. Not a half-hearted grimace, or a smug 'I-pissed-you-off-and-I'm-glad' smirk. It was a real, true smile. Lockdown nearly turned to see if there was someone behind him, someone else that Jack was smiling at, but the hunter knew there wasn't.
"For being angry about my dad. No one...No one's ever really cared enough to be that mad."
A disbelieving look.
"An' here I thought th' 'bots would-"
"Actually, they don't know. I've never told them, and they've never asked."
Lockdown's expression became one of shock, then a smug smirk took over.
"So lemme get this straight: ya've jus' told me somethin' you never even told th' Autobots?"
Jack shrugged, distracting himself by starting to fold up his blankets neatly.
"Well, you're...You're not a bad guy, at least not like the 'cons. Bounty hunters just take people to the authorities and stuff so they pay for their crimes, right?"
Lockdown gave a slight shrug.
"Well, I take 'em t' whoever pays me."
Jack hummed.
"Still. I think you just pried most of these mods off of them before you delivered them. And sure, you're really, really rough around the edges, a little too smug, maybe too hard-headed than is safe-"
"Yer point?" Lockdown asked dryly, feeling his ego deflate a little. Jack grinned slightly, dark eyes still turned away.
"My point is you've obviously had it tough. You've shown regret almost every time you've hurt me, and I've seen that despite what you say, you're capable of mercy and compassion."
Lockdown gave a humorless laugh.
"Don' make me out t' be somethin' I'm not, Jay."
Jack shook his head, looking up at the hunter.
"I'm not. Look, all I'm saying is I told you because you asked, and you're not a total aft, at least not all the time. So I told you. And I appreciate you care enough to get angry." A small scowl. "But don't go thinking this means I'm not going to try and escape next chance I get."
There was a pause...Then Lockdown grinned, patting the teen's head with a large metal finger.
"Ah, I wasn' 'bout t' think tha', kid! I'm a bounty hunter, not 'n idiot."