CHAPTER 24
Home is Where The Spark Is

"Anthony Dale Hide." Tony stated as he leaned against Ironhide's hood, on a hill overlooking the small town "I think it has a real nice ring to it, don't you? I think I'd prefer "Hide" over "Iron"." He explained.

Ironhide thought long and hard on that, Tony did need a post-adoption identity, that much was certain. Before, it would have been Lennox, but with Ironhide he didn't exactly have a last name. So it was a matter of deciding how to change up his name a little bit to give him a last name. "Hide... Short, sweet, to the point. I agree m'boy, I like it." Ironhide replied "I somehow believe we should think of an alias instead, however, just in case-"

"Dad, the Decepticons are gone. And even if they aren't you and I both know it wouldn't stop them." Tony shrugged "And I know hardly anything about them." He admitted, he made a good point at that "Besides, I knew I would be in danger if I agreed to this. I'm ready for whatever comes with it" He patted the mech's hood gently "Hope you're ready for what comes with me. You at a PTA meeting..." He paused for a moment "Is going to be VERY interesting." He noted.

"I can behave..." Ironhide replied, he paused for a moment "Or at least, I can try." He noted, a bit more honestly.

"If you don't the first time around I'm using Will as a stand in. I love you, but if you pull your cannons on someone I could get expelled." Tony explained, he chuckled lightly at the mental image of Ironhide with his cannons pointed at a teacher "Just keep that in mind when and if you get involved in my school." Tony slowly climbed off of Ironhide, standing to his feet.

"There isn't even an 'if', m'boy. I'll be getting involved, whether ye like it or not." Ironhide transformed up, stretching his servos lightly "Yer going to get embarrassed by your Father, just like every other child on this planet." Tony chuckled lightly, Ironhide simply smirked "I had my fun with Bee, that's fer sure. But I didn't legally adopt him like I'm going to adopt you." He explained.

Tony smirked, he supposed that Ironhide made a point, all parents did that to their kids. He was sure there was some form of parents handbook that pointed out they had to do it. Tony sighed a bit, he crossed his arms a bit. "Well, you might get your chance sooner than you thought." Tony shifted a bit "There's this Open House thing on Friday. I was going to talk to Will or Sarah about it. But now, I feel like..." He looked down "I really want you to be there. Since, I mean I know you're-" He began.

"I'll be there." Ironhide interrupted quickly "After all, I am your legal guardian now, or will be by then." He smiled a bit, seating himself down "And believe me, Anthony, I'm more than happy to be there. Just give me the time I need to be there, and I promise to be there." He smiled a bit "No promises that if any of your teachers are rude... I'll play nice, though." He shifted a bit.

"Yeah, I don't expect you to." Tony chuckled.

He made his way towards the mech, seating himself down. His eyes slowly focused upon the stars in the sky and their beauty. Ironhide seemed to be doing the same, keeping a close eye out for signs of home. "Do you... Miss Cybertron?" Tony asked, Ironhide stared down at him "I mean, it's got to be hard for you. I heard half of it was gone, after Chicago." Ironhide was quiet "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" He began.

"Some days, I do miss it, very much. But this planet, this world... It's..." Ironhide was quiet for a moment "I feel as though it is my home. In a way I like to believe I was brought here for a reason." He shook his head a bit "If I had not come here, I would never have met the Lennox's... Or you." Ironhide looked over to him, Tony smiled up at him slightly "Though I miss it, even if we have the means. Even if it was in one piece, I could not return." He then added "My life is here now, and has been for the last many solar cycles." He added.

"Why? I thought it was your home." Tony replied.

"Home is where the spark is, youngling. Right now, my spark is with the Lennox's and you." He cupped a hand around Tony gently "The only way I could ever be coaxed into returning there, is if you could come with me." Tony stared up at him, surprised "And it would be near impossible to take you there. The journey is far too long, you'd spend the rest of your life on a ship. Unless you were in cryostasis, which is far from fun." He shifted a bit "I wouldn't leave without my family." He noted.

"I bet Cybertron would be amazing to see though." Tony replied.

"It would have been pre-war. I can't even begin to describe its beauty." Ironhide picked Tony up, holding him close to his spark "Look out upon the city. And imagine towers, as far as you can see. Pure metal, shining, sparkling. Roads that run the entirety of the planet. Metal foliage not unlike the organic ones you have here." Tony stared out, getting the imagery within his mind "And at night? it all lights up, of all sizes and colors." He added.

"It sounds amazing." Tony replied.

"It really was, son. Earth comes very close to its beauty, but nothing compares." Ironhide rubbed the boy's back "The only thing that comes close to the happiness I felt there. Is the happiness I feel with the humans I've befriended." His optics fell upon Tony "You, however, you don't just come close. You bring me that same joy, as hard as it may be to believe." He smiled to himself "You bring out a side of me not even Annabelle did." He added.

"What side is that?" Tony asked.

Ironhide smiled a bit, he leaned against a tree thick enough to hold him. "You make me feel like myself before the war, Tony." Ironhide replied "After my Father was dead, I had a hard time. But that was many, many vorns before the war. And after I got over it, or at least, did partially. I was not tough, I wasn't a hard-ass." He breathed in deeply, shaking his head "It was the war that did that to me. And while I was kind and soft around Annabelle, I dropped it when I wasn't around her." He noted.

"But with me?"

"I feel like it's before the war again, and I have no worries." Ironhide replied, leaving out that he did worry about his Father "If I were to be honest, you alone are most likely the reason I could not leave this planet." He looked down "I could never look at Cybertron the same way again, not after the war, it would be too hard." He closed his optics "I am very content with the idea of spending the rest of my life. Here with you and the Lennoxes. Watching you grow, fighting whatever rogue Decepticons dare show their face." He snorted a bit "Being a Grandfather, perhaps?" He noted.

"We're a few years away from that Dad." Tony chuckled.

"Either way, they are things I'd like to look forward to." Ironhide noted, he shook his head "I can only hope that this war never returns in your lifetime so that I may enjoy them in full." He smiled slightly, holding him close to his spark as he noted Tony starting to grow tired "And to think, no more than six months ago, all I wanted was you out of my life." He snorted quietly.

"Maybe that was the point, we were supposed to learn to love each other..." Tony rested his head against his spark chamber, listening to the soft beating of Ironhide's spark "I sure didn't like you at first either. We were both kinda, sorta, well... Jerks." He closed his eyes slightly "I mean if someone told me, six months ago, that you were going to adopt me, I'd laugh it off." He shook his head, snuggling into the metal slightly "Now I can't wait for it." He added.

"Sleep, youngling, you are very tired." Ironhide told him quietly.

"But-"

"I'll tuck you in, you never lock your window despite my pleas anyway." Tony smiled slightly as Ironhide made the comment, amused "That's changing when you move in with me by the way, especially if Jason Pearson is not caught yet." This time he got no response, Tony had fallen sound asleep to the sounds of his gently beating spark "Sweet dreams, son." He whispered.

Ironhide held the boy like this for a moment, a visible smile slowly growing on his face. To think he could become so loving towards a being so young, so fragile, a human child. After Annabelle had stolen his spark, he'd tried to avoid it happening again, but he was surprisingly thankful that it had anyway. Tony was someone he had always needed, even if he hadn't known it, the more time he spent with him, the more he knew. The more he chastised himself inwardly for treating the boy like such crap for as long as he had.

He stood slowly, cupping the child gently as he did. The sound of shifting made his scanners get right to work. For a moment, he waited, careful not to let whoever watched them know they'd been spotted. But when nothing turned up, he relaxed slightly. Carefully, he transformed around the boy and drove off. Needing no other reason to quickly leave other than just in case Jason had finally found him.

...

A/N: Woo, three chapters in one day? Can you guys say serious muse high? Haha Really happy with how these three chapters turned out though.