Title: Forever Young
Rating: PG-13
Series: G1
Pairings: Ironhide/Sideswipe
Summary: A brief look at the lives of two warriors. (And yes, sucky summary, sorry!)
Warnings: Character death, potential tissue requirement
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 June Challenge prompt - "Second star to the right, and straight on til morning."
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
“I swear he don’t seem ta age at all.”
“Unlike you, eh Ironhide?” Ratchet nudged his long time friend, ignoring Wheeljack’s splutter of ‘you’re the same age!’.
“Frag off.” Ironhide retorted good-naturedly, taking another long drink from his cube of high-grade.
“You’re right though.” Ratchet grinned. “No matter how long we’ve been at this war, he still has that youthful innocence about him.”
“Like Peter Pan.” Prowl put in quietly.
“Peter Pan?”
“The boy who refused to grow up. Earth literature.” Prowl explained.
“Yeah, that sounds like him. Young at spark.” Ironhide nodded in agreement.
“Young in the processor too.” Ratchet muttered. Ironhide shrugged.
“He has ta burn off energy somehow.”
“And he doesn’t burn off enough with you? You’re slacking in your old age, Ironhide.” Ratchet couldn’t help but tease. Ironhide had had quite the reputation before the war.
“I ain’t sayin’ he doesn’t. But he needs more than one outlet.” Wheeljack choked on his energon.
“Well, I for one would prefer it if he spent more time in the berth with you than planning pranks.” Prowl murmured. “I’d even rearrange the duty shifts to accommodate it.” Wheeljack gave up all pretence of trying not to laugh. Ratchet and Ironhide stared at Prowl, not quite able to believe they’d heard correctly.
“I’ll happily take ya up on that offer there, Prowl.” Ironhide grinned, downing the rest of his cube and standing up. “But fer now, I got meself some time with a handsome younger mech.” He shot a smirk at Ratchet and left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
True to his word, Prowl had actually changed the duty shifts so that Ironhide and Sideswipe were able to spend more time together. Which actually seemed to reduce the number of pranks the Lamborghini pulled. Which meant that Ratchet was calmer because he wasn’t having to repair any mechs that got caught in his more… outlandish… pranks. Ironhide had read the literature Prowl had referenced and had taken to calling Sideswipe ‘Peter Pan’. In private of course. In public, he would never admit he had a pet name for his lover.
Time went on, the normal routine unchanging - the Decepticons would attack, the Autobots would respond, both sides would take injuries and retreat back to their respective bases for repairs, and the whole cycle would start again.
Then came the day when Sideswipe was gravely injured in battle. The ‘Jet Judo’ he and Sunstreaker played with the Seekers took a turn for the worse when Starscream managed to dump him right in front of Devastator. Ironhide heard the words ‘Devastator crush!’ and raced towards Sideswipe. The sickening crunch of metal and Sideswipe’s agonised scream told him he was too late.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“He hasn’t left, Optimus.” Ratchet glanced back at Ironhide, sitting next to Sideswipe’s berth, the warrior’s remaining hand clasped tightly in both of his.
“Sideswipe?”
“There’s… there’s nothing more I can do for him. His spark’s too weak.” Ratchet sounded annoyed with himself.
“Ratchet…”
“Don’t tell me I shouldn’t blame myself.” Ratchet hissed. “One of my oldest friends is sitting over there, watching his lover die because I can’t do anything!” Wisely, Optimus didn’t say anything further, resting one hand on Ratchet’s shoulder and looking over at Ironhide and Sideswipe.
“Ratchet’s said there’s nothing more he can do.” Sideswipe tried to make a joke of it. “Looks like Prowl’s finally rid of me.”
“And what about me?” Ironhide muttered. “I don’t wanna be rid a ya.” His voice dissolved into static, and he tightened his grip on Sideswipe’s hand.
“I’ll be waiting for you in the Matrix…” Sideswipe cut himself short with a gasp of pain as another system gave up.
“As long as you don’t get lost on the way there.”
“I got lost once! And besides, you know I’ll come back and haunt you if I do.” Sideswipe managed, before dissolving into wracking coughs, energon leaking from his mouth.
“I hope ya do.” Ironhide murmured, reaching out to wipe the energon away once Sideswipe had settled again. Sideswipe’s optics flickered and dimmed.
“Never did tell you I love you Ironhide.”
“I knew. Always knew. An’ I love ya too.” He leaned in to kiss Sideswipe, and when he straightened, Sideswipe’s optics had dimmed completely. Carefully, almost reverently, Ironhide placed Sideswipe’s hand on his chest plating, watching as his chassis began to grey in front of his optics.
“Second star to the right, and straight on til morning.” He murmured, stroking Sideswipe’s cheek. “Wait for me there.” Abruptly, he turned, nodding to Optimus and Ratchet as he left the medbay.
“Ironhide…” Ratchet started after him, only to be stopped by Optimus’s hand tightening on his shoulder.
“Let him go, Ratchet, he needs to be on his own at the moment.” Ratchet said nothing, mechanically moving to disconnect all the monitors from Sideswipe’s grey chassis.
“I just hope that’s all he wants to do…” He murmured quietly, glancing at Sideswipe. “I hope he doesn’t do something aft-headed like following you…"