Ep 0.5 - Family Business Pt II (Blue) - Closed

Chuckling, Ironhide leaned in, pressing a cheek to his youngling's in greeting. "Every time Ah've rocked yeh into recharge," he replied, "an' a couple times Ah've caught yeh dozed off on Jazz."

Straightening, he took a more serious look at the other. "Didn't really get a chance t' finish talkin' last night before everyone bailed. Yeh busy?"

Ironhide huffed softly in amusement, following Bluestreak in and letting the door slide shut behind him. "That? That was subtle. Yeh've seen not subtle."

He took a seat on the edge of the berth, reaching out to curl his fingers around his youngling's wrist. "Know we didn't really finish talking last night, an' Ah'm sure yeh've got questions. Ah am sorry, Blue. Ah was gonna tell yeh as soon as Ah knew what it was Ah was tellin'."

Ironhide reached out, gathering Bluestreak into his arms, the smaller sniper tucked against his chassis. "No," he reassured quickly. "No, it's not like that. It's..." he sucked in a slow ventilation, vocalizer clicking softly. "It's... hard t' explain," he finished awkwardly.

It wasn't anything he had tried to put words or thought to yet, but it was entirely Bluestreak's right to ask. Ironhide tucked his chin against his youngling's helm, trying to find the right way to express things that were still so new he hadn't named them yet. "Ah ain't givin' up on Mia, Blue. Ah promise. Cleaver an' meh.... it's somethin' good, but it's a different kind of good than Mia. It's... Ah ain't ever met anyone like either of 'em." He huffed softly. "Pulsars an' black holes, Blue. You'll see when yeh meet her. They ain't alike, except for knowin' their own way, an' yeh can't replace one with th' other."

Ironhide laughed softly. "Why do Ah get th' feelin' Ah'm gonna be hearin' that question a lot from all of yeh?" He hugged Bluestreak, automatically fitting them together where he could keep his sparkling safe and warm against his spark. "It's hard t' say, bitlet. Ain't like she's just servin' in another base an' can request a transfer. Neutrals... there ain't really a set way of how we deal with 'em, and them with us. Complicates things."

He stroked a hand down Bluestreak's back, between the doorwings that fluttered a little bit at the touch. "Ah can tell yeh this - if we're a little bit patient now, might get a whole lot easier in th' future. She ain't th' only Neutral here, an' they're settin' to make somethin' a little more permanent of it. Get Prahm on board, an we might all have a no-fraggin'-factions zone t' go mingle in." He grinned, old memories and amusement brightening his field. "Think yeh might've been too young t' really remember th' one we had on Capssic. They kept t' themselves, but they had th' best fraggin' brew in th' system an' it didn't matter if yeh were a 'Bot or a 'Con - yeh left yer weapons at th' door and kept a slaggin' throttle on yer vocalizer. Made for some interestin' times."

"Depends," Ironhide replied. "DMZs only get set up if both factions agree in th' first place. Local commanders say yes, anybody who steps outta line is dealin' with their own top ranks comin' down on 'em. So we toed th' line, an' th' 'Cons did too."

He vented slowly, EMF wavering slightly before he damped it down. Cleaver, he reminded himself, would be fine. Probably. Almost certainly. "This case... it's Prahm an' Megatron that would have t' agree t' a cease fire neutral area. Ah don't think Prahm'd have a problem with it. Megatron..." he shook his head. "Crazier than a burnt out circuit board in a glitched CPU, if yeh ask meh. Frag only know what he'd do any more."

Ironhide managed to chuff a short laugh. "Yeh might be right," he allowed. "Maybe more crazy will work t' our advantage for once."

Shuttering his optics, he pressed his cheek to Bluestreak's, the sniper's systems humming in harmony with his own. "Oh, she can take care of herself," he agreed. "Think she'd have more'n a few things t' say about it if Ah tried t' say otherwise." He shook his head slightly. "An' medics can walk where others fear t' put pedes."

Exventing, he tucked his chin against the top of his youngling's helm. "Ah know yeh need t' meet her an' all, but... this ain't some quick flash thing, there an' gone. We ain't had much, but she means a lot t' meh already. Ah'm hopin' yeh take t' her too."