CHAPTER 5
COMMON GROUND

Tony remembered the one time he'd been in a gym. He'd been with his Dad, who had worked out, a lot. It was the reason that when he was side-by-side with him, Tony looked like a whimp. Meanwhile, his Father, Jared, looked like he'd eaten the Rock and absorbed his muscle mass. The gym was filled with A LOT of people like that, the difference being they all seemed friendly, his Dad, well... Tony shook off the memory of his parents, his childhood hadn't been great, he hadn't been abused, ever, but he'd experienced horrors like that first hand.

Tony cringed, ever so slightly, he rarely had memories, but when he did, they hit hard. He was sure there were a lot of kids with those problems, especially foster kids. Ironhide noted the look on Tony's face, and gently reached forward. He set his hand onto the boy's shoulder, noticing how tense he was. "Hey, kid." Tony jumped, as if just noticing him "Ye okay? If ye don't like it here, we can leave and do something else." He explained.

"I'm fine... Bad memories, it's no big deal." Tony replied, attempting to simply shrug it off "So, when do you want to start this up, I got the gloves on. I'm ready whenever you are." He stated quickly.

Ironhide knew the way he was acting, he wasn't blind, nor stupid. Nor was he a particularly good liar, and because of that he knew when a person was lying. Ironhide stared at Tony, than thoughtfully followed the trail of his eyes. "You know, they all look tough." Ironhide tried to assure Tony, observing what may have been the problem "But I know everyone here personally. And they're the biggest bunch of softies I've ever met." He then added "No one here will hurt you." He noted.

"I'm not afraid of that."

"Yeah, ye are. I may only have one good optic, but I still see quite well." Ironhide snorted.

"What happened to that 'optic' anyway?"

Ironhide fell silent, he stared at Tony, surprised he had dared asked him about that. Frankly he didn't want to talk about his creators right then, much like Tony, his living environment when he was very young had been bad. That was all he ever said about his scar, that his Father Creator was an abusive, drunk, monster that he hoped was rotting deep within The Pit. He was a terrible mech, sober, OR on High Grade, and to even think about him brought great pain to the normally calm and collected mech.

"I will leave it at this. There was a day where I could very well have used 'Foster Care'." Ironhide explained, not wanting to go any further "So, I've been told you have bullies at this school of yours." Tony nodded affirmatively "While I don't condone unnecessary violence. Let's start with showing you a bit of self-deffense." Ironhide noted "This is a JAB." He did a quick jab into the air "RIGHT HOOK." He gave a right hook in the air "And THIS is an UPPERCUT." Ironhide finally showed this off "These are the three most basic moves in boxing.." He noted, he then added "I'm going to shout them out, and you're going to throw them at me." He noted.

"You want me to HIT you?" Tony asked.

"Trust me kid, I've taken far worse punches then yer about to dish out." Ironhide smirked a bit "Hit me with your best shot." He added.

Shout after shout, move after move, Ironhide became more and more impressed. Tony was a natural at it, he moved with grace, each punch becoming a little deadlier then the last. Had this boy been up against a real human, and not a holoform, he might have kept his opponent on their toes. "You're a natural, kid. Now, defensive stance." Ironhide nodded as Tony brought his arms up a bit in front of him, staring at Ironhide "Now I'm not going to hit anything but the gloves." He noted.

"You're going to punch BACK?" Tony gulped.

"Stay on yer toes." Ironhide smirked.

Ironhide threw back his gloved hand, and slammed forward. To his amazement, Tony was quick to block, and counter with a swift jab to the stomach. It had actually been hard enough to knock Ironhide back a little. Ironhide's eyes widened quite a bit, who was this kid? He could see that this boy had seen boxing before. Had his Father or Mother been involved in the sport? Ironhide stared at Tony curiously. "Yer a natural, kid, really." Ironhide stared at Tony "How did you get this good?" He asked.

"My Dad." Tony muttered, he stared at Ironhide "I never boxed but when I was little I saw him do this a lot."

"Was yer Dad a boxer?" Ironhide asked.

The look on Tony's face could only be described as one of pain. Ironhide got the feeling that his Father was no boxer, and that those moves he picked up were not in any ring. Tony didn't show any apparent signs of former abuse, recent, or even as a child. At least, from what his scans could see. So who had these moves been used on? Ironhide took a deep breath, removing the boxing gloves. Tony had already begun to do the same, and slowly walk away. "You know..." Tony stopped, and turned to Ironhide "My Dad was a real piece of work too. I know how ye feel." He noted.

"My Dad isn't a bad guy, he loved me. He just can't take care of me." Tony shook his head "He's getting help, he really is."

Tony shook his head, clearly in denial, he headed to put the boxing gloves back. Ironhide knew this feeling all too well, it was denial. He remembered the "getting help" part most. For the first time, Ironhide actually sympathized with the boy. Perhaps he wasn't as bas as he thought, he actually reminded Ironhide slightly of himself. He considered for a moment, whether to tell Will of what he believe to be his secret. But he for once, chose not to. He didn't want to put Tony in a rough spot, even if they weren't exactly on the best of terms.

He didn't want any child to go through what he had to.

...

Tony sat awake in bed that evening, mid-way into a book. He hadn't realized that it was late until the door creaked open and Will came into the room. "Hey bud, it's time for bed." Will noted, Tony turned his head slowly to look at him "It's almost midnight, way past your bedtime." He noted.

Tony set the book on his nightstand, then looked over at Will. For the last month, Tony had formed a bond with him and Sarah that he couldn't explain. Every Foster Home before it had been somewhere between okay, to a living hell. He'd never been able to look at them as real parents, even though his own ones had been far from good ones. But he and Sarah really felt like real parents, even now. Most Foster Parents never cared when he went to bed, but as weird as it was, he liked having a bed time.

"I'm sorry, Will. Didn't notice." Tony replied, laying his head down on the pillow "Did I keep you guys up?" He asked.

"Not at all, I just saw the light when coming up."

Will made his way over and smiled, pulling the covers over Tony a bit. The boy was still not used to being tucked in, but yet again, it was something he was really growing to like. Will leaned a hand over and gently stroked his hair for a moment, Tony let him too. That was new, as he never let most of his Foster Parents touch him in that way. But with Will, or even with Sarah, he liked it, he liked it a lot. If his Father couldn't come for him, he knew he could get used to living there, he really could.

Will stared at Tony calmly, looking thoughtful. Tony knew that Will wanted to say "I love you", his eyes said it. But Tony knew it was too early for either of them to say anything. It had only been a month, and this feeling of mutual 'love' the three of them felt could have simply been a false belief. "Still scared of Ironhide?" Will asked, rather than saying the statement Tony almost wished he would, as he sat on his bed.

"Nah, he's starting to get nicer, at least." Tony replied, quietly.

"Good, because I don't want my son, and my Guardian fighting." Will replied.

Tony stared at Will, and smiled a bit, sure he probably meant "foster son". But Tony felt his heart well up at the statement, his own Father had never actually called him that, and it felt good. Will leaned in slowly, kissing his forehead ever so gently. "Goodnight, bud." Will whispered, quietly "Sweet dreams, and I'll see you in the morning." He noted.

Will flicked off the light, and exited the room slowly. Tony sighed, wondering if any of them would ever work up the courage for the "L" word. Sure, he had hope, a lot of hope, his Dad would get better. That the state would consider him a fit parent, and not a drunk, not a wife abuser like he'd been deemed. He knew his Mom would never kick her pot habit, she'd smoked it when she was pregnant with him, and she was lucky that didn't cause any severe problems on account of it. But his Dad, he'd always held out hope for his Dad.

Yet he also liked it here, here with the Lennox's it felt like home, like he belonged somewhere. He let his eyes close, and his body drift off to sleep as he left these thoughts behind. Unaware of Ironhide, who stood outside, having watched the entire scene. After today, Ironhide felt he knew Tony better, like for once, he'd been wrong about Tony. This boy wasn't an intruder, he was a boy in need of as much love, if not more, than Annabelle had received. Perhaps, he really deserved what Will and Sarah gave him.

Perhaps this boy really deserved the chance he hadn't given him. Perhaps, even though his common ground with the boy, or what he figured was his common ground, was not the best. It would prove that this boy was worth treating better than he had been treating him.