TF: Awkward
Rating: PG13
Series: Movieverse
Pairings: Potential Jolt/Ironhide
Summary: Jolt’s been avoiding Ironhide, and Ironhide still hasn’t come to any conclusions about what to do. At least Ratchet is there to give them the push they need?
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten…
Authors Notes: For the tf_rare_pairing prompt - Jolt/Ironhide -- 'I never said that!' Continues in the same series as War Is Over , Not Playing Around and Accidents Happen. Thanks to mmouse15 for enabling me.
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
After the incident in the training room, Jolt had avoided Ironhide. Knowing that Ironhide knew he liked him had made his spark freeze, and he couldn’t bear to be around Ironhide, just in case the older mech took pity on him. He didn’t want pity. He wanted Ironhide. And he wanted Ironhide to want him.
Sideswipe had found him on the outskirts of the base, practising with his whips. Any attempt to apologise on Sideswipe’s part had been ignored. Not that Sideswipe made much of an apology. He bluntly told Jolt that he should just go for it. And that Ironhide must be interested otherwise he wouldn’t be so shy about it. That conversation left Sideswipe with whip marks on his plating and Jolt even more determined to stay away from Ironhide.
And for a while it worked. Taking on more patrols meant that he was away from the base more often. Which meant that he didn’t have to avoid Ironhide as much. After yet another conversation with Sideswipe, Ironhide had made a more determined effort to find Jolt, and the blue mech had been hard pressed to avoid him.
It was strange, that not long ago, Jolt would try his best to be as near to Ironhide as he could. But that all changed once he realised that Ironhide knew how he felt. It felt… strange, being near him, knowing that he knew. It felt as though Ironhide were sizing him up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A Decepticon sighting meant that NEST and the available Autobots were airlifted to the location to deal with it.
Except that the single Decepticon sighting turned out to be a group of Decepticons. The battle raged hard and fast; the Autobots outnumbered by the Decepticons. Hard pushed, they fought back, managing to hold their own. Jolt lingered on the edges of the battle, more suited to ranged fighting, and looked for his opportunities. They were plentiful, unfortunately, and he downed a Decepticon on his own, and then another one before it could sneak up on Sideswipe. The silver warrior shot him a grateful glance before whirling around and diving back into the thick of the fighting.
Impatient with doing little (even if he was helping to protect the humans) Jolt made his way closer; keeping an optic on Ironhide and the three Decepticons he was fighting. Later would be the time to puzzle over how many Decepticons had made it to Earth without them knowing. For now, it was a battle to survive and win.
He watched as Ironhide knocked one of the Decepticons to the ground, turning and quickly despatching a second one, before the third one got in a shot. As Ironhide stumbled, Jolt watched as one of the downed Decepticons lined up a shot. Before he even had time to think, his whips had flashed out, catching the Decepticon around the neck, electricity arcing through its systems before it dropped back to the ground, chassis smoking faintly.
Unfortunately for Jolt, taking his optics off the rest of the battle meant that he never saw the shot that sent him to the ground, a gaping hole in his chassis.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Why are you here?”
“Just leave it.” Ironhide muttered, folding his arms across his chest plating. Ratchet just shook his head and checked Jolt’s scans.
“He’s going to be fine.”
“I know that.”
“It’s the only explanation as to why you’re hanging around here.” Ratchet pointed out. “Besides, I know the kid’s got a crush on you.” Ironhide seemed to slump as Ratchet said that.
“And you don’t know what to do about it…” Ratchet almost grinned.
“I didn’t say that.” Ironhide’s answer was short, and told Ratchet everything he needed to know.
“Look, do you like him?”
“He’s a good warrior.”
“Ironhide…”
“Yes, all right. I like him.”
“So why don’t you put yourself out of your misery and tell him?”
“Because…” Because of a variety of reasons. He was far older than Jolt (not that it really mattered), he was a frontline warrior, not a scout, and he didn’t exactly have a pleasing to the eye frame…
“Pah! You don’t have any reasons. Stop being so scared and do something about it."
“Like what?” Ironhide’s tone was sullen, but at least he was asking for advice.
“I don’t know. Kiss him, frag him, bang his bolts... At least talk to him.”
“I’ve been trying. Kid’s never to be found.”
“Well, he is now.” Ratchet waved a hand at Jolt’s inert form on the repair bay berth.
“Yeah…” Ironhide didn’t sound too convinced.
“And Jolt, you can stop pretending to be in stasis now.” Jolt’s optics jolted on in shock as Ratchet spoke to him.
“I’m going to go talk to Optimus. The pair of you can stay here and sort things out.” Ratchet nodded at the both of them and left, locking the doors as he left.
“Ironhide…”
“Jolt…”
Previous for Accidents Happen and Next for Hesitation