The Diego Diaries: REALLY!? (dd8 94)
=0=Later that afternoon in Ratchet's officer
"WHAT! YOU NEVER DISCUSSED THIS WITH ME!"
"I DIDN'T HAVE TO! YOU WERE THE ONE SLAGGING ME ABOUT THIS! I FIXED IT!"
Ratchet stood optic to optic with Ironhide in the middle of his office. They glared heatedly at each other, then Ratchet grinned. "You sort of turn me on, Old Mech."
"You can't bring The Sexy up now. Not in front of the infant," Ironhide said as both glanced at Halo sitting on his desktop eating a cookie as she watched them yell.
She grinned at them.
They grinned at her.
"Did you tell Amma Tub-Tub?" Ratchet asked as he walked to his desk to sit. He pulled a can of candy out and tossed it to Ironhide who caught it, then walked to the couch to sit and cram his face. Turtles. Yum.
Ratchet put up his peds on the desk, then began to eat from another can. Just as he did, the door opened and Amma Tub-Tub came in with a beatific smile.
He stopped by the couch, then yanked Ironhide off his aft. "IRONHIDE! YOU DID IT!"
"Uh, you can put me down, Amma," Ironhide said as the big mech complied.
Turbine glanced at Ratchet with the happiest smile Ratchet had ever seen. "I never thought I'd live to see this orn. AND ITS MY TINIEST BABY!" He picked up Halo, kissed her, then turned to Ironhide. "She's with me. We have to tell the news." With that, Turbine swirled out and the room was silent again.
They both stared at the door, then each other. Ironhide glanced at the can in his servo, then sat heavily. "Frag," he muttered.
Ratchet was too busy laughing to say anything himself.
=0=Around
:Hardie:
:Here, Delphi:
:Turbine just came here and he's ecstatic. Guess what?:
Delphi told him.
:Raptor:
:Here:
Guess what little mech did?:
He told him. Raptor told someone who told someone until everyone knew.
=0=That afternoon at The Fortress, Ops Center
They came in from their districts on Cybertron stopping by Ops Center to drop off data as per the usual. They stopped in every night after signing off shift to check the sit-rep and shoot the shit before going home or anywhere else. They gathered in the Center around the command table.
"Anyone seen Ironhide?" Blackjack asked as the others grinned at Prowl and Prime.
Prowl and Prime glanced at each other, then them. "No."
"Hm … we'll go look for him then," Hardie said as the mob that included Flint, Steiner and Scout of all mechs headed for the door and the city beyond.
Prime and Prowl watched them go, then glanced at each other.
Prowl checked the grid and found Ironhide in his man cave. "He's in the man cave. Should I tell him?"
Prime considered that, checked the time, then rose. "Not until I get there. Coming?"
Prowl glanced around, then rose. "Parry, I have a thing. Could you manage until I come back? If I do?"
Paragon who saw the strange moment grinned. "No problem. I do have dibs on what's up though."
Prowl grinned. "You got it," he said as he began to follow Prime toward the door. They were gone from view in seconds.
=0=Man cave in a tower nearby
He sat at a table eating a big bowl of ice cream and bitching silently to himself while alternating second guessing his decision. Ratchet hadn't been the problem. He wouldn't be upset beyond him sneaking around behind his back. It was the rest of the slaggers that gave him pause. He heard footsteps coming toward his cave so he girded his guts for whatever walked in.
It would be his entire family minus just a few of the adult kids.
=0=Behind the family who they gave the heads up when everyone was just about in the right location
Prowl and Prime walked in to the smirking group that had Ironhide surrounded at the table where he held a bowl of half eaten ice cream and a spoon in front of himself in a self defensive posture as he stared back at them warily.
"What?" he was asking.
"Turbine informed us of your decision. I'm under the impression that you did this without asking Ratchet."
"Did he say that?" Ironhide asked.
"No. You just confirmed my guess with your answer," Hardie said as he pulled a chair to sit. Everyone found a place including Prowl and Prime, then sat to silently stare at him.
Ironhide glanced around himself clutching his bowl as he took in the lay of the land. "What, you slaggers? You think you can intimidate me? I AM IRONHIDE!"
"I think I want ice cream," Hardie said with a grin.
"Its in the fridge, Appa," Ironhide said.
Huge laughter greeted that as several began to prepare ice cream for everyone and refill the 'little mech's' bowl. It was silent a moment as everyone ate, then Hardie leaned forward. "Tell us of your decision. I want the strategy behind it."
"Why would there be strategy?" Ironhide asked cagily.
"Because we know you," Raptor said with a chuckle. "Spill, infant."
"Where's Halo?" Ironhide asked with a slight pout.
"She's coming. Turbine had to make a short detour but he's …" Raptor seemed to listen to something only he could hear. "He's just landed. I called him to come here."
"Good. A MECH HAS A SPARKLING! A MECH WORKS HARD TO BRING HOME THE BACON AND KEEP THEIR SPARKLING IN NEW BOOTIES! THEN A SLAGGER TAKES HER ALL THE TIME!"
"Here. More chocolate sauce," Delphi said as he squirted more on Ironhide's ice cream.
"Thanks, Amma," he said almost reflexively. He frowned. Frag good manners.
"Talk," Hardie said.
"I got a message that she was ready for school so I looked at all of them. I decided on this one and that's that," he said brazening it forward. "I have spoken."
It was silent a moment, then everyone chuckled. That was when Turbine walked in with a smiling Halo on his arm. Everyone greeted him as Hardie took Halo. He stood her on the table, then grinned. "How is my sweet baby?"
"APPA! I LOVE LOU!"
Everyone took a moment to love her back, then she smiled at Ironhide. "ATAR! I GOOD WIF SHES!"
"You are," Ironhide said with pride.
"Tell us about her new school, Ironhide, and the plans for her," Turbine said as he leaned forward on his elbows with delight.
Ironhide stared at his radiant amma, then swallowed hard. "Uh, she's going there."
"That's a rather prestigious placement. What did you have to do to get one of the places?" Sun asked.
"I asked?" Ironhide said.
Huge laughter greeted that.
"The Temple School," Turbine said. "FINALLY ONE IN ORDERS!"
"WAIT A MINUTE!" Ironhide began but it was too late. He was buried in familial approval.
After a moment it was silent, then Hardie grinned. "Tell us why you really put her into the Temple Pre-School."
Ironhide glared at all of them, then sat back with a smug expression. "Because every four orns there's two off because of the Temple rites."
HUGE SLAG buried him alive.
He wouldn't regret a moment of it.
=0=Moments later
The kids left after dropping off sub sandwiches, pizza and beer. A nice bottle of juice sufficed for Halo as everyone ate food and played cards. Halo was the 'chip girl' who helped bring the Oreo winnings to the one who claimed the pot. She usually managed to get two or three there before the rest were swooped in. About this time Ratchet finally showed up.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Prowl said as he ate one of his Oreos.
"You should really speak better of yourself, Prowler. People might think you have a complex or something. I suppose you all know about how Halo is entering a convent."
"FRAG THAT!" Ironhide said as he was slapped on the helm by several elders.
"It was a dream I had, that little mech would take up orders and be a singer in our clan," Turbine said dreamily.
It was silent a moment, then riotous laughter greeted that.
"Frag all of ya," Ironhide said with a grin. "I, IRONHIDE CAN SING!"
"Do it," Hardie said. "Don't consider it an order but do it anyway. That's an order."
Ironhide stared darkly at his grandfather, then everyone else.
"Do you need a Primal assist, General?" Prime asked with a grin.
"If you feel so inclined," Hardie said as he smirked at his grandson. His deeply beloved and wondrous grandson.
"You don't want me to sing. You just want to frag with me. Right?" Ironhide asked.
Nope.
One song later …
Ironhide glowered at the entire room as he ate his second bowl of ice cream. Given that he was the only 'son' in the family for ages, given that they doted on him, all of them, to the nth degree, he was never going to win. Whatever he asked for or said, they would 'give' it to him.
With them, he was never going to learn.
=0=TBC 02-17-2021 02-21-2021
beatific: (bee-ah-tih-fic) heavenly, holy, like haloed stuff.
Cagily (caje-il-ee) warily, with caution, holding back