The Diego Diaries: Moving Forward, HO! (dd6 197)

-0-Around

Smokey and Hot Rod lay on the berth relaxing from their frolics. It was dark with evening having arrived. Both were part time Watch, part time-full time soldiers and had the next two orns off together. It was quiet, then Smokey rolled over to stare down into the handsome face of his boyfriend. "The races are going to be fun tonight," he said as he rubbed his servo on Roddy's chassis.

He grinned. "Some mechs are having dinner at the Club. We can go there first. You aren't supposed to go to your amma's house or your ada, are you?" Roddy asked.

"No," Smokey said as he rubbed his cheek on Roddy's shoulder. He grinned. "I was thinking maybe we should move in together."

"You think?" Roddy asked. "What about your family?"

"They don't have to know yet," Smokey said.

"We got a good thing going. Your apartment and mine," Roddy said. It was quiet. "Your family won't be happy."

"I don't care," Smokey said. He lay quietly a moment. "What do you think about me, Roddy?"

"What do you mean?" Hot Rod asked.

"You know."

Hot Rod felt his sphincter tighten. "Uh ..."

Smokey raised his helm. "You know. Do you love me?"

Hot Rod stared at the handsome face of the longest relationship he ever had. It was quiet.

-0-A joor later

The door opened and a youngling mech walked into the house of his grandparents. He paused with the door as the two of them turned to him. "Hi," he said.

"Hi, infant. Come in and sit," Smokescreen said. The two watched him as he closed the door, then walk in and stand awkwardly by the edge of the living room. The television running was muted as they scrutinized his poisoned aura.

"What happened, infant?" Devcon asked.

He hesitated, then sat heavily on a couch in the living room. "I thought I'd come for some pie. Is there any pie, Amma?"

"Always. For you, infant," Devcon said as he stood. He walked to the kitchen, pulled a big piece of pie out of a cake box he had made just for this occasion, then poured the sauce over it that Smokey loved and Dev made just for him. Walking to the table, he set it there. "Come here and eat for me, Smokescreen."

Smokey rose, then walked to the table to sit. He stared at the pie, then his amma with miserable optics. "I asked Hot Rod if he loved me."

Devcon nodded. "What did he say to you?"

"He didn't." Smokey stared at the pie. "I love your pie, Amma."

"I love to make it for you, my baby," Dev said quietly. He reached out to squeeze his grandson's arm. "I will always make it for you."

"Good. I think I'll need about a 100 if I'm ever going to feel better again," Smokey said with a sigh. He began to eat.

Devcon sat next to him patting his arm, then glanced at Smokescreen who was watching the two of them with a solemn face. It would be a quiet few moments as their precious and only grandson ate his amma's pie.

-0-Club Macadam

Hot Rod sat at the bar downing high grade. He had been blindsided by Smokey when he said he loved him. That word had the effect of napalm on Roddy's nerves, so he seldom said it to someone, even someone as swell as Smokey. They had a great thing going, a rollicking relationship together, one filled with fun, friends and 'facing, the three F's that he loved the best. He had never had a relationship where he felt love for his partner nor did he ever say 'I love you' to anyone before.

Now, Smokey had done that and he had frozen …

"Well?" Smokey said as he stared at Hot Rod.

Hot Rod stared at him. It just wasn't coming out.

Smokey stared at him, then rolled over and stood up. He turned toward Hot Rod, stared at him with a hurt expression, then ran out of the room. The door slamming jolted Roddy out of his reverie as he climbed up and hurried after Smokey. By the time he got to the lobby, Smokey was gone. Where he was heading, Hot Rod didn't want to know. He walked out of the lobby of his building and away into the night.

Macadam's was quiet, the lull before the evening crowd arrived. He sat at the bar and ordered. The bartender, Raven, brought them on, grinning at Hot Rod as he did. "You look like slag," he said.

Roddy downed a drink, then nodded. "I feel like it."

"Where's Smokey? On duty?" Raven asked. He leaned against the bar to listen since it was still quiet.

"No. We had a … misunderstanding," Roddy said as he downed another.

Raven nodded. "What about Devcon and Smokescreen? I wouldn't want to be you, Roddy."

Hot Rod paused the glass in his hand, then downed it. "I don't want to be me, Raven."

They chatted together until things picked up. Raven went to serve punters, pausing to chat with Roddy when he could. Roddy sat on his bar stool kicking them back.

-0-In an apartment elsewhere

"AND THEN I ASKED HIM!" Smokey said as he paced back and forth. His appa and amma were sitting in their chairs watching him calmly, their poker faces firmly in place. "I asked him stuff."

"Like what?" Smokescreen asked gently.

"STUFF!" Smokey said as a dread of disclosure filled him.

"You told him you loved him?" Devcon asked.

Smokey glanced at his amma, then flinched slightly. "NO!" he said, then he hesitated. "Maybe."

"That's when he didn't say anything, then," Smokescreen said.

Smokey sat down heavily. "Yeah," he said miserably. "He didn't say a word. I TOLD HIM STUFF! PERSONAL STUFF! He didn't say a word, Appa."

"You feel terrible," Dev said.

"Oh yeah," Smokey replied with a frown. "I'm sort of mad now. How did that happen?"

"It does. It's how things work," Dev said. "Another piece of pie?"

Smokey glanced upward. "I'm not a youngling anymore," he said defiantly, then he deflated just a bit. His amma made an awesome pie. "Yeah. I do," he said venting a sigh. He got up, walked to the table again and sat with giant youngling angst. Dev gave him some pie and watched him eat it. As he did, Smokescreen got up and walked out the door. Smokey glanced at him sharply, then his amma. "Where's Appa going?"

"To have a chat," Dev said quietly.

Smokey stared at him, the door and then his amma again. "I hope he punches Roddy in the face."

Dev grinned slightly. "Eat your pie. Then you can vent all you want. You will always be my little mech and I will always be your amma."

"And a bounty hunter. THE BEST ONE, I MIGHT ADD!" Smokey said as he looked at his pie. He felt a wave of angst and sorrow fill him. "You might keep one of these going for a while, Amma."

"For you, grandson, the moon," Dev said. It was a sad interlude for the both of them, Smokey for Roddy and Devcon for Smokey.

-0-Macadam's

They came in, about ten youngling mechs, all of them high castes from Traachon's group. They found tables near the windows along the far side of the bar, ordered, then began to play cards. Hot Rod, finding a bar stool inadequate for the size of his sorrows, rose and walked to a small free table two down from them. Sitting, he instructed the water to 'keep them coming'. It settled, the group of former high caste kids, Hot Rod, a number of mini-cons talking quietly over beer and bar food, several civilians sitting here and there in twos and threes along with a number of individuals playing pool and darts nearby. The band wasn't on yet but their gear was on the nearby stage. It was just before the rush and the quiet was welcome.

Standing in the doorway scoping out the room with the optics of a mech who could take care of himself, Smokescreen of Praxus watched the punters, sorting them as to threat. He spotted Hot Rod, someone he liked, though if he were honest, wished wasn't fragging his onliest grandson and namesake heir to the legend. The room was cataloged, then he walked in, reaching the table before sitting. Resting his elbows on the top, he leaned closer. "Hello, Roddy. How you doing?"

Hot Rod who was trying to get drunk and failing, forgetting to turn off his soldier software that prevented drunkenness in his moroseness, looked up at Smokescreen. "You here to kick my aft?"

"No," Smokescreen said. "I'm leaving that to the bond. I'm here to ascertain your intentions about my boy."

Roddy sat back. "I don't know what they are."

Smokescreen nodded. "I didn't know what mine were with Dev until he kicked me to the curb. Absence makes the spark grow fonder."

"He's a great guy, Smokey. I really like him better than anyone I ever knew," Roddy said. "I don't know more than that."

"That's the problem," Smokescreen said. "He told you he loves you, right?"

"I didn't ask him to do that," Hot Rod said.

"It's not your place to do that. My little mech expresses himself just fine on his own. I just want to know how much slag we can expect here. Dev, Moda, Tress, and me didn't raise him to be a plaything for you," Smokescreen said.

"He isn't," Hot Rod said. "He means more to me than anyone else."

"I've seen some of them, Roddy. That doesn't really answer my question," Smokescreen said. "What are your intentions with my grandson?"

Hot Rod stared at him. "You know … this is personal between him and me."

"Maybe it is with anyone else but I'm Praxian. Remember?" Smokescreen replied.

"Are you going to invoke?" Hot Rod asked.

"Probably," Smokescreen said. "It's my right and he has to and will obey me. Dev and I are resolved. We're Praxian born and bred. We uphold our rules and ways of living. You knew that coming in and so it shouldn't be a surprise that we don't want him exploited until you figure out where you stand. My boy will not be exploited."

"I wouldn't do that," Hot Rod said.

"Maybe you wouldn't see it like that," Smokescreen said. "We would. Our duty to our son and his family because of our city-state expectations and rules is unbending. It's who and what we are. Until you figure out what you feel, you may not see him. I'm invoking and will file the decree with Magnus. You will be in a world of hurt, Roddy, if you transgress the decree. Figure it out, then see me. I hold the decree, not Dev." He stood, then walked back to the door. He disappeared.

Hot Rod watched him go, then sat back in his chair. "Frag," he whispered under his breath.

-0-A few moments later

They sat at the kitchen table playing cards. Dev was teaching him how to cheat at the game they were playing and he was getting better. It took his processor off his problems. He looked up at his appa as the door opened, then closed. Joining the two, Smokescreen waited for the hand to conclude, then took cards as Dev dealt them. "All is well?" Dev asked with a slight grin.

"All is well," Smokescreen said. He ordered his cards, then looked at his grandson. "I invoked on Hot Rod, grandson. I will file with City Hall tomorrow."

Smokey stared at his appa with emotion, then it changed to anger. "Good," he said as he tossed in his ante. He had now reached anger on the scale of the five stages of grief.

-0-TBC 11-22-17 edited 11-26-17

NOTES THAT I LIKE IN CANON!

TF Wiki says this about Smokey and the boys: On their day off, Smokescreen played a game of 2-on-2 with Prime, Inferno, and Tracks, shooting hoops and shooting the breeze. (I remember Prime messing with a basketball in an episode) :D