CHAPTER 14
Ironhide Versus The Girl

The night of Tony's first date was agonizing for Ironhide, who'd much rather have been hit with Sentinel Prime's rust cannon yet again. Why Will had permitted it, especially being Tony was all of fourteen, was beyond him. He didn't even know much about the girl other than she was a popular teenager, a cheerleader. From what he'd gathered she had become Tony's lab partner and they'd hit it off. The Weapons Specialist snorted, not even in an amused way, in an irritated way. Tony was setting himself up for heartbreak, just like every time one the lunkheaded jocks at Annabelle's old High School had asked her out. The popular kids loved to see the unpopular ones suffer, and Tony was such a fragile youth. His disorder making him slightly immature for his age, coupled with the sensitivity he knew Tony had made him an easy target.

He detected the sound of footsteps to his immediate right and stiffened a bit. His headlights ever so subtly moved to get a good look at the girl making her way up the Lennox's driveway. She must have just gotten off of practice, hadn't even bothered to change out of her cheerleading uniform either. She was applying lipstick, while straightening her frizzy blond hair. The girl hadn't even bothered to ready herself before the date, strike one against her, Ironhide suspected.

She knocked on the door slowly, and Tony opened it. The topkick only faintly heard noises. But the two hugged, and there was some chit-chat between the two. Tony himself had dressed up nicely, or nicer than usual for the occasion. "I hope you don't mind." Tony noted as he headed for Ironhide "But my Foster Parents are out on the town, so..." He then added "Ironhide's driving us." He added.

"Ironhide?" Jennifer asked.

"The Autobot, my Guardian, remember?"

Jen stared at Tony and nodded finally. She looked less-than-thrilled by the prospect already. As Tony moved over to open the door for her, Ironhide locked the door quickly. As if to warn Tony one last time of the fact that Ironhide was certain he was making a very big mistake. "Ironhide." Tony whispered to him, irritated after the first few yanks of the handle "You promised me that if I let you drive us, you'd play nice." Silence "If you ruin this for me, I swear, I'm never speaking to you again." He added.

Ironhide didn't like the sound of one of the two human younglings he'd 'adopted' (the other being Annabelle) never speaking to him again. Annabelle had never suggested such a thing before, but he knew Tony may have been serious. He didn't have many friends, and the fact a cheerleader had even accepted a date, pity or not, could help that. Grumbling under his breath, he unlocked the door and begrudgingly allowed the girl into his interior, she took the passengers seat, while Tony seated himself in the drivers seat. Ironhide knew that no one would pull them over for the underage 'driver' simply because law enforcement knew to pay close attention for Autobot Shields of any kind.

Ironhide wasted no time to make sure to 'welcome' his new passenger. Strapping them both in, Jen's seat belt a bit more tight than Tony's he managed to break the sound barrier at the speed he took off at. Not literally, but to Tony, he may as well have. Jen however, coyly smirked, and turned to the dashboard. "Hey Ironhide, speed it up, this is AWESOME." Jeniffer replied, Ironhide nearly stepped on the breaks at that "Wow, with that speed you could be a speed demon if we took you to the races."

At that, Ironhide stalled for a moment, Tony turned to Jeniffer. "What races?" Tony asked.

"The Truck Races." Jen replied, she pointed to a spot quite a ways off "There's an old track they open up every year, once a year. My Dad races his old four by four every year." She chuckled, Ironhide groaned, either the girl was good or she was serious "The race is next week, you guys should come. Maybe Will can drive Ironhide?"

I'd never do anything so trivial. Ironhide thought, unamused by the suggestion.

Perhaps it was wrong to be doing this, after all it was what the humans called Valentine's Day. Or, before Tony had actually gotten a date, he'd also called it "Single's Awareness Day", which was the whole reason Will and Sarah were out. But something just told him the girl was bad news, and he couldn't shake it. He took a sharp turn, nearly knocking both teenagers over. "Ironhide." Tony grunted "Play nice." He noted.

I haven't thrown her out yet, have I? Ironhide noted to himself.

The next stop on the road to hell was a drive over a speed bump. It jostled them both, but Ironhide made sure Tony was secure, Jennifer, not so much. It only seemed to continue that way, and Tony could only feel himself getting more and more mad. Finally, Ironhide stopped in front of the restaurant that Will had made reservations for them at. "Hey Jen, head on in, I'll be right there, okay?" Tony replied "I have something to take care of." He added.

"Alright, see you inside." Jen replied, by this point, she was more than happy to leap out of the truck.

Ironhide felt a soreness on his dashboard as Tony violently kicked it. "What the HELL is wrong with you? GOD! You said you'd give her a chance, Ironhide." Tony growled, he got out, and stepped in front of him "Swallow your pride for ONE night, please. This is the one chance I've EVER had with a girl." He bit his lip, then added "Please."

"I don't trust her, Tony, something is off." Ironhide sank onto his tires "Please little one, I do not want to see ye get hurt. Forgive me if I do not trust her." He noted.

"Just like you didn't trust ME at first?" Tony stated, it was a bit harsh, but Ironhide knew he was just upset "Whatever, Will and Sarah get out before we do. I'll just call THEM to pick us up." He then added "Obviously you can't show an OUNCE of maturity." He added.

Ironhide felt a lot of guilt as Tony headed straight into the restaurant. Yes, he was just trying to protect the human he had come to see as a surrogate son, but perhaps for once, he had taken it too far. He'd never been this bad with any of Annabelle's dates he didn't trust, and perhaps Tony's immaturity made it that way. He stayed outside, hoping to make peace with them both when they got out, perhaps to even apologize. Looking inside the restaurant, things seemed to be going rather well.

Then she left, he heard something about the "Bathroom" with his sensitive hearing. But she walked right out the front door without Tony even noticing. Ironhide's fears were answered nearly five minutes later when a rather tough looking jock showed up. The embrace, the kiss, Ironhide roared his engine slightly, as quietly as possible so they would not even know he was still around. "You done with the dork, yet? Surely this was enough to earn the A, right?" The jock noted.

"Come on, baby. We had our date earlier. Remember? You, me, behind the bleachers?" Jen asked.

That was all Ironhide needed to hear, flashing on his high beams, he quickly blinded both the young humans. "What the hell is that? Yo man, turn down the lights!" The jock shouted, Ironhide only revved his engines, loudly, like a roar "Yo man, what the hell is your PROBLEM?" He asked.

Ironhide accelerated without a word, the jock's eyes widened, and he barely leaped out of the way. Jen screamed at the top of her lungs, and leaped out of the way herself. She was quickly met by a shot of lubricant out of his rear tailpipes, coating her in the blue liquid. Tony had come out, hearing the commotion, his eyes widened in horror upon seeing Ironhide was quite literally attempting to run down one of the school's jocks, who was quickly attempting to climb up a lamp pole. Tony rushed to Jen's side, crouching down. "Oh my God, Jen are you-?"

"Get the HELL away from me you FREAK." Jen shoved a very confused and hurt Tony away as she stood up "No A in science is worth putting up with a dork like you, and his frickin' PSYCHOTIC truck." Tony only reeled back at that "You'll be hearing from my LAWYER, and my DRY CLEANER." She shrieked, rushing off in tears, though Tony had little sympathy.

The jock that Ironhide had attempted to run down had jumped off the pole, and rushed behind a car. Ironhide transformed, staring down at the car slowly, but surely. "Is this your transport?" The jock simply nodded slowly, but soon regretted it as Ironhide lifted a foot and crushed it "Oh dear, it would seem you and your young femme covered in my ENGINE FLUID have to walk home in the FREEZING COLD." He let two exceptionally large cannons lift out of his arms "Now get out of here before I decide to do worse." He noted.

Transforming down quickly and watching as the jock ran after Jen, Ironhide let out a deep sigh. Tony stared at Ironhide, not sure what he was more stunned at. The fact his Guardian had just pretty much drenched his 'date' in fluids. Or the fact that he had been such a jerk when Ironhide was just trying to protect him. "Ironhide... I'm.. I'm so..." Tony bit his lip slowly.

"It's alright youngling, you had no idea." Ironhide told him quietly "I'm sorry you went through all of this trouble for nothing."

Tony looked down, letting a few tears fall, but thankful Ironhide had been there. Had he not been around he'd have bought into Jen's lies, and had his heart broken, only this time it would have been worse. "Thanks for protecting me, big guy." Tony gently ran a hand along his Guardian's hood "Don't know what I'd honestly do without you." He admitted.

"Don't thank me yet, thank me when I burn you a copy of the entire scene." Ironhide snorted "That could be quite useful." He added.

"You recorded that?" Tony asked.

"I believe that will be enough to keep either of those pit spawned morons from taking 'revenge'." Ironhide opened up the passengers side door slowly "Come on bud, lets get you home, there's no reason anyone else needs to see you this miserable." He stated, knowing Tony was far from done crying "She wasn't worth it, at all." He explained.

Tony smiled, sure, he was still single, and yeah it was on Valentine's Day. But he none-the-less was, for the first time, glad Ironhide had been there that night.