Cover Me

By Black Dragon Queen

Author's Note: If this chapter seems short... it's because it's only HALF of the chapter. The rest of the chapter is rated NC-17 meaning there is no slagging way that I'm posting it here! (even if I could) I kid you not. IT IS SMUT. If you would prefer to read the complete chapter please visit my profile for the alternate links. Thank you and please enjoy!

Chapter Eighty-One: Frazzled Feelings

Ironhide could not sleep the night after their return and it wasn't just the sounds from outside as he could hear the varying degrees of surprise from the other hangers as Prowl and Wheeljack returned to their bunks only to find their mates already there. Ironhide quickly shut down his audio receivers after the first happy outcry. 'Honestly. You would think they would realize how thin these walls are…' Ironhide groused to himself.

He sighed as he shifted his position from where he was leaning up against one of the boxcars. "Slagging floor," he muttered angrily. He knew that he should have shifted to his own truck mode but for some reason, he was rather hesitant tonight. He could not, for the life of him, remain still for longer that ten minutes and he knew the reason why. Will.

Will had quite thoroughly pulled the pavement out from under Ironhide's tires when he whispered that small admittance just a short distance away from home. To be honest, Ironhide had been so surprised that it was almost as if he had gone completely numb from head to know as he tried and processes Will's confession. That Will had confessed at all had been enough to render Ironhide into stunned silence.

Ironhide sighed. In his shock he had almost completely blown Will off but he had to have time to actually cope with the situation, didn't he? He had never actually thought that Will would eventually come to reciprocate his feelings. Ironhide was happy but this presented new problems. Well, he at least thought they were problems.

That and Will's timing really had sucked. Ironhide knew that the fallout from returning with Soundwave was really going to put the others in quite a stir. There was going to be shouting and yelling and arguing and fighting and screaming and-

"Slag…" Ironhide groaned as he got to his feet. He needed some air.

Will sighed as he rolled over to his other side, bunching up his pillow beneath his head. There was no possible way for him to fall asleep and he knew it. His mind was awhirl with thoughts that seemed to chase one another and jostle one another for position in the forefront of his consciousness. The main emotion that currently seemed to dominate was that of embarrassment.

'I can't believe I actually confessed,' Will thought as he felt his face heat up in a blush. Despite this feeling however, Will couldn't seem to lose the large grin dominating his face. "I think I'm in love," he chuckled as he rolled onto his back, dragging his extra pillow onto his chest and hugging it like mad. "Man what a rush."

Will stared at the ceiling for a while before the darker thought began to push aside his euphoria and the smile finally dropped. 'But he didn't say anything,' Will thought fearfully. 'I thought he would at least be happy about it but he seemed… upset?'

Will shook he head as he rolled back onto his stomach. "What if I made him mad?" he wondered aloud. "I don't know anything about their customs or what their relationships are like…" Will frowned at this. It was true he didn't know about the Cybertronion's customs but that was partially his fault, wasn't it? After all, he never made an effort before to try and learn them.

"Screw this," Will huffed as he finally released the pillow and dragged himself out of bed. Slipping his bare feet into his boots, he didn't even bother to lace them up as he pulled the comforter over his shoulders. It was still winter in California and the nights tended to get cold.

There was no possible way that Will was going to get to sleep and if he was going to be up then damn it, so was Ironhide. This was their problem and they had to try and figure this out, together. With determination, Will yanked open his door and left his lonely, empty bedroom behind.

Ironhide was by the fence line when Will stepped out of the barracks building. Will wasn't sure why he had decide to look in the opposite direction from Ironhide's own hanger but he was glad he did as there was no mistaking that particular silhouette. Will frowned at the sight of him even as he changed directions and headed out towards the others position. 'What is he doing outside?'

Ironhide had to have been deep in his own thoughts to not have heard Will coming. Will's boots were rather loud and the smaller human made no efforts to disguise his approach. He stopped a few paces off to the side and tried to look nonchalant as he looked out across the desert, trying to figure out what it was that had Ironhide so enthralled.

They stood there, in silence for what had to have been at least twenty minutes, not saying anything just staring out into the desert. Will couldn't help but glance up every few moments at the mech's profile, gauging Ironhide's rather blank expression and trying to ascertain what it was that the Cybertronion was thinking. As of yet however, Will was still clueless as to what the other could possibly be thinking.

The silence stretched until Will felt as if he could take no more and he opened his mouth to try and break the rather tense situation when Ironhide moved. Will blinked in surprise as Ironhide whirled around and took a few steps away from the fence line. Will felt as if his heart was going to break as he watched Ironhide turn away from him. Was Ironhide not even going to speak to him? What had Will done wrong?

So it was surprising when Ironhide suddenly walked out of the base, over the moat and transformed into vehicle mode. The passenger door swung open. "Get in," Ironhide's gruff voice sounded strained and Will wasted no time darting across the small gangplank and climbed into the truck's cab. Ironhide revved his engine as he turned and headed down the road, leaving the still quite base behind.

"What is it?" Inferno muttered as there was a sudden whistle from the direction of where Red Alert had been dozing.

Red was instantly awake and he quickly shut off the alarm while he patched into the small security camera feed from the fence line. He stared at the images for a few movements before he smiled and switched them off. "Nothing," he said quietly as he turned and dropped back onto Inferno's chest. "Nothing at all."

Inferno just nodded as he wrapped his arms around his smaller partner all the while wondering about Red Alert's rather large, happy smile and what it could possibly be about.

They drove in silence, ignoring the turn into Tranquility City and continuing on into the small mountain region. Will was vastly surprised to find they had reached the Look Out. Amazingly there were no teenagers up there that night and Will suddenly remembered that it was actually Wednesday. Strange how time seemed to get away from him.

Ironhide's door opened and Will quickly took the hint as he stepped out. The small crater from the first transmitter's explosion were still there off to the side and Will shook his head as he stared at it. It seemed the Cybertronions presence were not as subtle as the government had hoped.

The sound of gears turning quickly took Will's attention away from the small dent in the Earth and he turned just as Ironhide had finished transforming. Will watched as Ironhide began pacing seeming to still be deep in thought. It was nerve wracking but Will knew that they had to have this discussion no matter how hard or embarrassing it might be. "Ironhide-"

"Are you sure?" Ironhide interrupted him quickly as the mech stopped his pacing and turned to stare at Will dead on.

Will jerked slightly in astonishment, the comforter falling to the ground as he released it in his surprise as he just stared at the other warrior. He knew exactly what the other was asking him and Will could feel his temper immediately jump to the forefront. "What?" he yelped angrily. "What do you mean 'am I sure'? Of course I'm sure!"

"I'm just saying," Ironhide huffed. "How do you know that you don't just think you feel this way?"

"I think I know my own mind 'Hide," Will snarled. "And I know what being in love feels like and I can tell you that I am…" Will trailed off hesitantly before he steeled his resolve and looked up into those dark blue optics staring down at him with disbelief and just a little bit of hope in them. "I'm in love with you."

The tension in Ironhide seemed to drain out of him as he finally dropped to the ground, he head falling to rest in the palm of his hand. "I'm too old for this emotional slag," he muttered.

Will stared at the Autobot for a long moment, trying his best to suppress the small chuckle that threatened to escape. "Sorry to put such a burden on you," he said a little crossly even as he tried not to laugh at the picture Ironhide presented. He knew exactly what Ironhide was complaining about. They were a little too old for games.

"What? No! I mean- I wasn't- I didn't-" Ironhide tired rapidly to correct his statement when he finally dared to look up and Will sent him a small frown. The head dropped again as Ironhide groaned. "I didn't mean it like that," he muttered.

Will couldn't stop the laughter this time and bright blue peeked out at him from between fingers. Will gifted Ironhide with a bright smile. "I know," he said softly. "We are kind of past all this aren't we?"

"We should be," Ironhide huffed, finally allowing his hand to drop.

The two starred at one another for a long moment and Will shifted slightly nervous. "So what's the next step?" he asked quietly. "Do we like, date or something?"

There was a snort from Ironhide. "I believe we are past the 'dating' point," he chuckled.

Will blinked in surprise as realization dawned on him. It wasn't like they could go on what was considered a typical date anyhow and the whole reason for dating was to determine whether or not you had feelings for someone. They already knew how the other felt. "Oh… I suppose you're right," Will said softly.

Ironhide meanwhile continued to stare down at the small human and Will shifted nervously brining up his hands to rub at his arms as he felt a slight chill. There was a sigh and Will jumped slightly as Ironhide reached out. For a moment he thought the mech was going to pick him up so he was surprised when the hand passed him and soon he felt his comforter dropped on his head, burying him. He could hear Ironhide's soft laughter as he finally got out from under the blanket. He glared at Ironhide who didn't look at all chastised. "You humans feel the elements so clearly, can't you."

Will frowned at this puzzled but this time when Ironhide reached out, he did pick the smaller being up and set him down on his thigh. Will ducked his head as he arranged the comforter about his shoulders. "Thanks." Ironhide hummed slightly in response his gaze never leaving the small human. Will could feel the blush rising but he tried his best keep a brave front. "Just what is our relationship now?" he finally had to ask. "Are we a couple or…?"

There was a shift from Ironhide. "I thought that was the next logical conclusion."

Will rolled his eyes at the statement. "So we're together now." Will couldn't help but grin as he said this and he was amazed to see that Ironhide was smiling now as well. "Right… so should we tell the others?" he finally managed to ask.

There was a snort from Ironhide and Will looked up surprised at the reaction. "If they don't already know they can figure it out for themselves," Ironhide snarled and Will jerked in surprise.

"What do you mean 'if they don't already know'?"

Ironhide actually looked embarrassed as he quickly took his gaze away to look out at Tranquility City. "Let's just say Jazz and Ratchet are way too nosey for their own good."

Will couldn't help but groan as he brought up the edge of the blanket to bury his face in it. "What happened?"

"Aside from some very invasive questions?" Ironhide huffed.

Will let out a small chuckle borderline on hysterical. "Great…" he muttered.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ironhide groaned.

Will's laughter died down as he through about the situation. "Do you suppose anyone else knows?" he asked quietly.

"Optimus," Ironhide said without delay. "Though I doubt 'Bee knows anything."

Will smiled. "I suppose you're right there. He has had other things to worry about lately, hasn't he?"

There was a nod from Ironhide and the two lapsed into silence once again. Will shifted slightly, pulling the blanket around him more as he tried to find a better position. He nearly jumped a mile high when there was a sudden pressure at his back and he looked up to find Ironhide had brought his hand down to shield Will from the wind. Will could feel the blush rising again. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Will smiled as he leaned back against the sturdy palm. "So if dating is out, then where do we go from here?"

"I suppose we'll have to find out the next step together, don't we?" Ironhide said with a small grin.

Will smiled as well. "I suppose we shall," he said softly and Will knew that they would make this rather bizarre relationship work, no matter how many obstacles they had to climb over, he knew that the feelings he felt for Ironhide and the ones Ironhide felt for him were real. They really were hopelessly in love with each other. Things would work out in the end.

"It's sex, right?" Ironhide suddenly stated.

Will's eyes went wide in surprise at the eager look that Ironhide was sending him. "Err…" 'Then again…'

A little while later in a universe not so far away: "Down in front!" Primus called out as one of the small orbs lights suddenly floated in front of the TV screen. Primus frowned as the orb effectively blocked his view. It was just getting to the good part and the star of the show was just about to announce who the murder was. The small orb chirped before there was a sudden "clurrp?" sound and the light popped out of existence.

Primus stared at where the orb had been in surprise. "Well that was… unexpected."

There was a sudden clamor behind him and Primus turned just in time to see a few of the blue orbs float towards him with his hand mirror. Nodding at the orbs, he took the item from them and glanced at it. The mirror did not show his reflection as a normal mirror would, but rather showed the Earth and his children that resided on it. Currently it was showing one lounging with a small human curled up on his chest contently.

"Well what do you know," he chuckled before his attention turned back to the TV screen just in time to see the credits start flashing by. "Slag it!" Setting aside the mirror, Primus reached forward for the multiple little stick-like objects on the coffee table. "Now which one of these is for the blasted TiVo?" he muttered as he started sorting through them. The stereo clicked on, blasting at full volume. Primus cringed as he clicked the button again "Slag it," he huffed. "Not that one." The microwave turned on. "Not that one either!" Primus could hear what sounded like a garage door opening in the background. "Do I even have a garage?" he wondered as he tossed the latest controller up and over the screen.

There was a high pitch squeal and Primus cringed as he looked up. Three of the orbs were floating around yet a fourth one that was whining pitifully, the remote lying on the floor in front of them. A fifth orb retrieved the deadly projectile, aiming at him, while sixth soon floated up right in front of Primus' optics and began chittering angrily at him. A seventh orb floated by with what appeared to be a bag of popcorn retrieved from the now silent microwave.

Primus looked back down at the little angry orb a bit embarrassed. "Er… oops? I didn't mean to hit him you know but really you should know to watch where you're going and-"

The orb retriever glowed victoriously, completely ignoring Primus' rather miffed expression as he pressed a rather innocent looking button and every orb in the vicinity began 'laughing' hysterically at the now muted Primus.

-To Be Continued (Remember links to the full smut filled chapter are on my profile!)

Author's Note: RUN AWAY! THE ORBS HAVE TAKEN OVER! I think I had WAY to much fun with Primus at the end! Just wanted to mention again that if you want to read this chapter in it's entierty then please go to my profile for the alternate links! Hope you enjoyed it! Please join us next time for chapter Eighty Two: They're Multiplying