Chapter Thirty-Seven: New Arrival's
A/N: EXCPLICITNESS IN THIS CHAPTER IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ SKIP THE .~:*:~. PART AGAIN! HOLOFORM BOT/HUMAN WARNING... you know the drill. Archiveofourown. o r g works/880706/chapters/1818029
October was in the shower at her little cubby hole of a place washing her hair. She had a new set of clothes set on top of the hamper and was just enjoying the feeling of her fingers running through her hair. Ironhide had finally comedown from whatever cloud nine he had been on and talked to Optimus and Ratchet over a private link. He explained how he had been overloaded, but his spark hadn't dared touch her intimately for it knew she was not ready.
Calming the medic and leader down, he said he heard her calling for him and cut the com off. Of couse she wasn't calling for him, but he was tired of explaining this. It was a private thing for Primus' sake! they wouldn't ask a single question had she been a bot! Activating his holoform, he went into her house.
Going up the set of stairs, he followed the sound of running water until he came to a closed door. He knew it was invading her privacy, but he wished to repay her for earlier. Entering quietly, she never knew he was in there until his arms were wrapped around her. Her eyes having been closed to keep the soap out, she hadn't seen the curtain silently open or close. "Ironhide!" She gasped out having what she thought was a mini heart attack.
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works/880706/chapters/1818029
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His fingers slowly left her, and he lowered them to the ground so that her shaky legs could give out. The water finally ran over her as he positioned them so that it would wash her own juices off of her. "What was that for?" she asked wearily.
"Earlier when you sent me over, during the bond." She 'hmm'd and closed her eyes, needing to rest after that. Lifting her up, he left the shower and covered her in a towel before setting her on her bed. Going back into the bathroom he turned the water off and gathered up her clothes. He would have liked to let her continue to rest, but Optimus made contact with him, calling for him to come with him and several others to meet the incoming group. They should be arriving in about ten to fifteen minutes.
"October, wake up, sweetspark." He ran his fingers through her hair causing her eyes to flutter, "get dressed,we have to go." She grumbled and tried to snuggle back down into the bed further, but Ironhide would not allow that.
Reluctantly she got up and dressed. Following his outside she let his human looking holoform led her to this passengers side door. Once in the seat she snuggled back down and sighed contentedly when the seat conformed to her and she was allowed to rest again. The holoform disappeared, and he drove off with her dozing contentedly in his passengers seat. If he was in his bipedal mode, or even if his holoform was out, he would be watching her with soft optics and a gentle smile. Primus save him if either of the terror twins found out.
The drive to the coordinates that Optimus had sent him was quick, and before he knew it he was parked in the area where the six bots should be arriving. "Just a few more minutes, my friend," Optimus said to Ironhide, who still had as of yet to transform. Thinking about this last time that Ironhide refused to shift had Optimus kneeling as low as he could to peek into the cab. Sure enough October was resting inside of the mech. "It would be best if you were in your true form," advised Optimus.
Reluctantly Ironhide agreed and woke October up again. She obliged his request to exit his form, and once he stretched out, he picked her up and she rested on his shoulder. Though this time, she did not fall asleep. Ratchet took note of how tired she was, and scanning her made a loud choking sound. Her hormones and pheromones were so raised that he knew that they had done something sexual! A lot of attention turned to him, and try as he might he could not remain professional.
::What is the matter Ratchet?:: Optimus asked over the comm link. The twins, Jazz, and Ironhide awaited his answer.
::How many times must you two mate in one day! Primus, if her hormones alone are anything to go by, she's already wanting to go again!:: Ironhide's optics brightened, and he looked towards the tired girl on his shoulder.
Closing off the link, he opened a private one with the medic. The sputtering and stumbling of the other bots in the area worried the humans, but Ironhide was not distracted. ::Must you announce it over the entire link you stupid Fragger? Besides, we have not mated.:: Ratchet obviously scanned October again and sent a disbelieving look towards Ironhide. ::Foreplay and mating are not the same thing.:: The lighting up of Ironhides optics showed the doc bot his teasing.
But Ratchet felt slightly scarred for life. The comm cut off, and the bot refused to look at Ironhide anymore. Optimus moved a few feet further away, and he too would not look at Ironhide or October. Though he stole glances, he refused to look at the two outright like Jazz and the twins were. He was envious of that relationship. Like Ratchet had been, he too longed for a sparkmate. One that would understand he had to put himself last, and her before him, but was unable to put her before two entire races of beings.
The rumbling and heaviness of the air drew everyones attention away from what ever had been the center of it, either Ratchet or the sparkmates, and into the sky where six orbs burst though a layer of clouds. They were arriving.
No one could be certain who was who as the metal shells fell from the sky. All any of the bots were certain of was which three were the male wreckers and which weren't, for the wreckers shells were larger than the femme's shells.
Once all six landed, Optimus and Ironhide made sure to head for one of the wreckers each. Neither were really ready to face the femme that had broken their sparks long ago. October managed to shake off any weariness, deciding it best to confront Ironhide about his action in the shower later, when alone and without an audience, and had been able to watch the show of falling bots with great awe. Was this how he had come to earth- how long had he been on earth?
His barrier was still up, so she poked at it when he began to head for a fallen comrade. He jumped slightly not having realized the barrier had been up but all the same took it down. Instead of bothering with her questions, she just cuddled up to him and settled in to meet the new bots. Clicking and whirring of a different planets language was met by Ironhide's own metallic reply.
"Tha' frag is dat on ya shoulder? You got a bug dere 'Hide." The wrecker said. Ironhide waited for him to climb up closer to the edge of the hole before holding out a servo for him to grab. Hauling Leadfoot up out of the ground was a feat that made him feel younger than he was.
"Nice to meet you too," October grumbled low enough that Leadfoot didn't hear, but being right next to Ironhide's audio receptors had him hearing her mumbled words crystal clear. He couldn't help but chuckle at his sardonic femme.
"Ironhide? Is that you?" Wrong femme now. The one bot he would rather still be lost in space (Primus forgive him) was behind him. "Would you like me to terminate that bug on your shoulder, babe?" she asked. Ironhide froze as his processor registered her words. His optics darkened as red tinted his vision, turning the blue into a purple. He tried to fight the battle mode that tried to take over.
His spark knew that its mate was in danger, had just been threatened with termination, so it had initiated his battle mode. It was a last ditch effort that was initiated when a bot was close to offlining in battle as a self preservation tool. But it had been said that if one perceived a dire threat to their sparkmate, then the spark could initiate their battle mode. Ironhide's spark perceived Chromia's raised cannon as a threat to it's sparkmate. It's tiny, defenseless mate. Ratchet sensing the difference in his friend sent out a warning to the twins and Jazz. Just in time too, for the twins latched onto his arms that raised their activated cannons, and made his shots hit the ground feet from Chromia. Jazz caught October before she could get hurt falling with the knocked over Ironhide.
Optimus passed the hurt wrecker he had been checking over to the third wrecker, and raced to help subdue the weapon's specialist that was back on his pedes with the Lambo twins hanging still onto his cannoned arms. It was a sight to see when Optimus tackled Ironhide as he roared. "What is going on?" Chromia asked in surprise. She had never been so close to deactivation as just then. No con had ever gotten as close as Ironhide had just then.
"She's safe, 'Hide. Look, she's fine save for being shaken up a bit. Take her and look for yourself. But you must deactivate your weapons lest you hurt her." Jazz said, his accent gone with the seriousness of the situation. Ironhide snorted and smoke came from his olfactory sensors. Purple optics landed on October, and as her eyes made contact, she jolted, her fear of his great anger obvious.
Relaxing under the four (Ratchet had joined the pile when he nearly managed to dislodge Optimus) they were wary about letting him up. Jazz moved between Chromia and Ironhide to set October down, and shakily she made her way over to him.
"Tuff Stuff?", she said nervously. Her voice was small, and Sunstreaker released Ironhide's arm. The bots on him tensed, but Ironhide just hid her with his hand, bringing her close to his face. She was alright. There was no need to fight.
One by one the other bots got off of him and carefully he got up. Moving away from his desired target, he held October close to his face nuzzling the shaken girl. "What just happened? Why did he just attack me? Is he glitching?" Chromia asked Ratchet when he moved to check over her.
"If you had just threatened my sparkmate like you did his, I'm sure my battle mode would cry out for me to attack you too." Ratchet rumbled as he looked over the slight scorch mark Ironhide's shot had left. It was, luckily for the protoform femme, just soot.
"Sparkmate? What are you talking about? That bug can't be his sparkmate. I am-"
"The past," Elita-1 said coming up to her triplet. They were not really triplets, but the three never went anywhere without the others, so they had been dubbed the Arcee Triplets. They had all balked at it being Arcee who's name had been taken, until they realized that alphabetically she came first. Idiot Cons couldn't even figure out who the leader of the group was. "You never bonded with him. After so much time, I am not surprised he moved on. Like I had hurt Optimus, you had hurt Ironhide. We are their past now. Nothing more."
"You have gotten wise over the years." Ratchet said to Elita-1. He distinctly remembered her childish temper tantrum when Optimus had refused to give up on the Autobot cause. Now she seemed as wise as their leader. She knew that she had hurt him in a way no mech could ever forgive.
"It does not matter," Chromia growled. "He was my mech, and is supposed to still be my mech. That femmling isn't worth his time. I will show him that, and fix this match."
Ratchet grabbed her arm before she could move too far. "They aren't just bonded, Chromia, they are sparkbonded. You hurt her in any way, and Ironhide will know. If she is killed, he too may die. There is no hope left for you; you should just give up now."
"There is no hope left for the Autobots, but do we give up?", she hissed at him, causing Elita's optics to widen along with Ratchet's. Fear shook Elita. She had a feeling that the triplets may become twins soon. Each day that passed, Chromia seemed to become more Decepticon like.
Both shook off the feelings as she walked away, heading towards Arcee for now. "Have you heard anything from Cliffjumper?" Ratchet asked Elita.
"No, but Arcee is positive that he is alive somewhere. Weak and dying, but alive."
"I hope, for her sake, that her sparkmate will come here soon."