× Adopted ×

×Chapter 16×

SONG: The Score - Stronger

'I wonder if fears ever really go away, or if they just lose their power over us.' -Veronica Roth.

•~••~•

"Ironhide, I need you to-"

"No Ratchet, I made a promise. I am not leaving her side!"

"Ironhide, you're stressing her out more! The less people-"

"Ratchet! I am staying and that's final!"

Ratchet glared at Ironhide whom easily glared daggers straight back, the pair clashing with eachother instantly. Which defiantly wasn't helping me at the moment.

With a Sigh, Ratchet looked down at me while Ironhide grasped my hand tightly, maybe a bit too tight since my hand ached from his squeezing. I forced a small smile at this, such a sweet mech under all that anger he held.

Ratchet simply shook his head uncertainty written all over his face. "I don't know how to deal with human symptoms I am still learning." Ratchet whispered to William who bit at his nails nervously in stress. "She may need to go to the hospital. Get some medication to ease her down if the panic attack does not stop soon."

My breathing was uneven at this, my fear of hospitals already kicking in at the mention of it. "Easy kid. You aren't going to the hospital. You just got to calm down." Ironhide reassured softly in hope to calm me down. It was hard to breathe, have my lungs failed me?

"Hazel, listen to me" Ironhide sternly demanded making me look at him, my breathing slightly calming down. My brown eyes met his blue ones and it was at this moment I realised that hearing his voice always seemed to sooth me.

"Just take slow breathes. Calm down. there's nothing to be afraid of, I promise" Ironhide told me softly. I listened and tried to obey. Remembering the mech made me a promise beforehand, I willed myself to trust him.

Nothing will hurt me. I'm not in Mission City. I am not in that battlefield no more.

"...It's working." Ratchet mumbles in slight surprise to William as they watched from afar, giving us distance in hopes to help the situation.

Hearing a crunching sound. I jerked and started to wheeze again, scared it was a Decepticon. Which was silly knowing that there was 2 Autobots, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. "Calm Hazel... It was just a twig snapping from Will." Ironhide claimed, wrapping one of his arms beneath my back he sat me up gently.

"O-Okay." I whispered while grasping at his grey shirt for comfort, my breathing slowly going back to normal.

"Everything's good... you're safe now" Ironhide whispered to me, resting his chin ontop of my head to hug me a bit tighter.

The fog that had covered my mind started to clear up. I felt guilty and ridiculous, how stupid am I to have a panic attack over a gun?

"I'm sorry" I whispered to him. catching him off guard. My eyes stung and I tensed when he tensed.

"What?" Ironhide stumbled out dumbly looking at me with confusion. His eyebrows furrowing forward in total dismay.

"I'm such an idiot-"

"Don't ever say that again!" Ironhide snappee at me bitterly. I looked up at him with guilt written on my face.

"You can be thick and have no common sense at times... " Ironhide paused tilting his head slightly. "Well most of the times, but you're not an idiot."

I stared at him with a faint smile on my lips even though he kinda insulted me unintentionally, I knew that it was his own way of comforting me and telling me his opinion.

It was the Ironhides way and I knew he struggled with expressing his emtions. While I seemed to over-express said emotions. Funny that.

"Even though you're trigger-happy and bold headed. I know you're a softy deep down." I retorted cheekily with a tap to his nose, making him raise an eyebrow at me and scrunch up his nose in retaliation.

"I am not soft. I am a weapon specialist! One of the best of the best! I have never been soft and never will be soft" Ironhide exclaimed with offense by my statement, pride and dignity raising up to hide true fact that he was a softy.

I smirked when I noted the appreciation in the mechs holoforms eyes. There was a cloudy warmth of happiness. "Don't get cocky Ironhide, whoops I mean Softhide" I tease making him grunt loudly.

"Incorrect; I am made out of metal. metal is not soft so your point is Invalid!" Ironhide now growled at me, getting defensive. I struggled to contain the laughter that threatened to spill out at how well he bit at my teasing. "-and I am not afraid to squish you!"

"When Metal is melted it is turned to a soft substance." I retort to the weapon specialist who scoffed at my nonsense and by now Ratchet and William had watched our conversation with utter amusement. Well Ratchet was more flabbergasted than anything.

"I'll show you what melting is when I blow you up with my cannon!" Ironhide threatened me waving a fist in fury, Ratchet scoffed at this with a roll of his turquoise eyes.

"My point is proven. you are bold headed" I grinned at the weapon specialist who halted and became confused.

"I do not understand" Ironhide blurted out gaining everyone's full attention onto him .

"Understand what?" I ask as William casually walked over to us, Ratchet followed his lead amd crossed his arms.

"Hazel, I assume you are blind or not well" Ironhide started with a confused look.

"No...her health is perfectly fine. Although she did just recover from her panic attack her eyesight is perfectly normal" Ratchet claimed sniffing the air with a twich of his nose.

Why does he sniff the air like that? I'll have to ask later, since William and Ironhide seemed to not be phased.

"Ironhide please explain, you have lost me" William pushed for Ironhides answer, becoming unsure himself.

"You claim I'm 'bold-headed'" Ironhide simply stated using his fingers as quotations.

"Well you are..." I trail off my sentence. Completely confused, even William was confused now.

"It is rather obvious that I have hair. I am certainly not bold" Ironhide told me bluntly, placing my hand on his black hair to prove his point. "See? The hair is here, on my head."

"Ironhide!" I laugh madly with William. Ratchet and Ironhide give each over confused gazes. So Ratchet was confused too then.

"What's so funny? Was it something I said?" Ironhide bitterly asked, not happy me and William were laughing at him.

"You have no idea!" I clutch my stomach while laughing madly, stomach hurting from such action. William bent over slightly when chuckling while Ratchet facepalms, finally looking up what the term meant.

The medic mumbled something about. "Stupid human terms and their way of saying things."

"Humans. Ratchet, I'll never understand them" Ironhide muttered under his breath, but still held onto my smaller frame. Making me smile lightly.

"Agreed old friend. Agreed"