Transformers: A Matter of Fate

SHARING AND SPARRING

CHAPTER 47

Sharing and Sparring

"Mark, wait up."

Mark turned his head as he walked along the main hangar, his eyes meeting the form of Crosshairs almost at once. He hadn't talked with the mech for a long time, he realized. But he also wasn't sure that he wanted to talk to anyone gruff and hardened like he was either. "Hey, Crosshairs," He greeted, trying his best to keep up a friendly appearance. "What's up?"

Crosshairs raised an optic ridge as he stared down at him. "What do you think is up? We all heard you leaking last night," Mark realized he meant "crying" and blushed slightly. "Are you okay, squirt?" He asked, the concern in his voice catching Mark off-guard. "I know I'm not usually the comforting type. But you're still the son of my best friend on this base," Mark smiled a little at that. "So if you need to talk to someone who isn't your old mech."

Mark stopped, and took a seat on a surface nearby. His eyes raised up to the mech in question, and he noticed that the paratrooper actually stopped in his tracks. A part of him was stunned that he actually cared, but the other should have seen it coming. "I'm okay, or as okay as I can be," Mark managed to say, his eyes staring down at the floor now. "Dad practically stayed with me all night. So I was able to sleep for a while at least," He looked up at him. "Was Prime right? About how bad it would have been on me?"

Crosshairs averted the gaze Mark gave him. It was definitely a difficult question to answer, especially given how upsetting the sight had been for the Autobots alone. He shuttered his optics a little, then stared over at him. "It was nothing that I would have wanted you seeing," He replied honestly. "Our one comfort was that you didn't have to see the devastation, the death," Mark nodded slowly in response, understanding. "You wouldn't have wanted to see it, Mark. Primus forbid you have to identify any of the remains."

"I'm still just processing the fact it happened," Mark commented, his voice low. "I knew most people on that block by name, and now... They're all names in the obituary," He added, noticing Crosshairs raise an optic ridge. "I did some searching the web about it this morning. Don't tell dad, okay? I don't think he'd like to know that I focused on it at all." Crosshairs nodded and gave a thumbs up. "I guess you guys know how this feels according to him."

Crosshairs bit his lower lip lightly, unsure of how to respond. It was like he said, he had never been good at comforting people. But he did know how to handle that pain, he knew very well. "When I was only five vorns old," He began, sitting himself down beside Mark on the surface. "The Decepticons led a raid on my own hometown themselves," He explained, his voice low, as if he was trying not to let anyone know what he was doing. "I was one of only sixteen mechs and femmes that were rescued from the rubble."

"Did your family-?"

"My uncle and I were the only surviving members of ours," Crosshairs replied, his voice cracked a little bit. "My grandcreators, creators, brothers and sister, even my other aunts and uncles... None of them made it," He then admitted. "A lot of us have a story like that, being orphans. But only a few of us have truly lost everything. Including me," He commented glumly. "Even my uncle's gone now, so I am literally the last of my line."

Mark frowned, he knew how rough a feeling that was. He looked up at the mech, it was probably the first time he saw the paratrooper actually show emotions. Something he could not miss given the fact that his optics seemed softer, and sadder. "Who ever thought we'd really have something in common," Mark replied, trying to lighten the mood, and getting a small smirk from Crosshairs. "I'm all that's left of the Savoy's too."

"Yeah, I figured that out when no one contested," Mark felt his frown return at that. "Hey, I don't mean anythin' by it. I just mean that if any of them were around, I'm not sure how they could leave a good kid in foster care." Mark's eyes widened at the compliment. "Hey, don't look so surprised. You've grown on me, I've said that much before. You're a good kid, and I don't think anyone would leave you behind," He added quietly again.