Transformers: A Matter of Fate

MAKING PLANS

CHAPTER 9

Making Plans

"You have to go to these foster care classes for ten weeks."

"I'm aware, Crosshairs."

"And we'll need his room set up beforehand too?" Crosshairs threw his hands up "Did you even think before you agreed-?"

"Crosshairs. I know." Hound stood to his feet from the grassy plains "What choice do we have, though? Mark's a target now, so much so we have three of us stationed at that hospital." He explained "And with the situation itself, one us was gonna have to take him. So why not me?" There was a long silence between the two mechs "This way, we don't have to worry about if he moves. We won't let him move."

Hound knew that Crosshairs wasn't very happy with it, but he tried to push that out of his processor. Mirage wasn't happy either, he'd barely talked to him since he'd come back from talking to the woman about his work. "So we what? Put him with a NEST family until you can get custody of him?" Hound nodded, and Crosshairs sighed "You should have just left him, Hound. I know it's not your style but this has taken a far more complicated path than it needed to."

Hound shuttered his optics, knowing that Crosshairs was partially right. But at the same time, he had wanted this, even if he couldn't admit it yet. He'd wanted nothing more than to become Mark's guardian, and now he would get his wish. So long as the young man didn't run the second that he found out. "Listen, Crosshairs, I have made my decision. If you don't want to help with him that's fine." Hound told him "But I've made my choice to take care of this boy and keep him safe, as we should for any ally that needs it." He then added "If Optimus were here, he'd do the same thing, and you know it."

"That's low you know, playing the Prime card." Crosshairs replied.

Hound sighed, and looked down a bit before staring Crosshairs in the optics. "Think of it this way, Crosshairs. What if that was your son? And he was in danger, alone, and afraid. But you weren't alive to take care of him and help." Crosshairs optics softened "Wouldn't you want someone, former enemy or not to step in and take care of him?" He questioned "To give him a better chance in life than just begging on a street corner?"

"Our enemies are Decepticons mostly, and-."

"Some Decepticons have sparks, they're just on the wrong side." Hound argued.

"Fine. Yes, I suppose I would." Crosshairs replied with a frustrated grunt "You really want this, don't you? To be his surrogate father?" Hound nodded his head slowly "I hope you know what you're doing, Hound. Because taking care of and raising someone outside your own species won't be an easy task." He explained "You're lucky you'll have at least some of our help."

"Should I really call your help lucky?" Hound teased.

"I haven't fought things too hard, have I?" Crosshairs replied with a snort.

"Only every step of the way."

Crosshairs had the desire to flip his close friend the bird, but slowly fought it off. "So, you're going to go tell the kid, right?" Crosshairs noted "We don't even know that he won't run the second you do." Hound frowned "What?"

"Judging by what we talked about yesterday, I think he wants this. He just won't say it." Hound shook his head "Now I really have to get this filled out, Crosshairs. Not to mention I have to speak to Colonel Lennox about the situation so he can get approval to house him on-base. So if we're done here..." He looked at his friend expectedly, but the mech finally nodded "We'll talk about this later."

As Hound left, Crosshairs crossed his arms, only turning as Drift approached. The mech expected a spiritual talk at any moment, and one he didn't want to hear right now at that. "I think it will do us some good to have a youngling around base again." Crosshairs turned to him "Despite all our suffering these past few months, perhaps such youth may bring happiness to our lives."