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."
"Don't tell Hound I said this..." Crosshairs stated quietly "But I think he's doing the right thing too, I just wish it didn't have to come to it." He muttered, clearly not happy with that at all "Look, I'm gonna go get some recharge before I blow a fuse just thinking about today." He grunted "I'm gonna need it if I'm gonna get through tomorrow."
"A pleasant recharge to you, Crosshairs."
Crosshairs gave another grunt as he transformed down and took his place near the house. Had he really just admitted that Hound was doing the right thing? What in the world had possessed him to do that? Of course he had at least partially thought that, but admitting it meant that some small part of him cared about what happened to the boy. His engine rumbled, and he let his systems shut down, he needed to silence himself before he had admitted he honestly cared any further for this enemy spawn.
The last thing he needed was anyone thinking he was going soft.
...
When Mark came to, he was in a strange white room he didn't recognize. Immediately, he was aware, and thrashing, or rather trying to as pain shot through his arm. A hospital, how had he gotten into a hospital? He vaguely remembered the blast, and Hound holding him. But after that, his memory was lost to him. "Mark! Mark!" Mark's head shot to the side, finding Hound's holoform "Easy, boy, easy... You'll hurt yourself."
"What am I doing in a hospital?" Mark breathed "Hound, you didn't-."
Hound held up a hand, locking eyes with Mark. "You were severely hurt, Mark. You needed a hospital or a medic, and unfortunately, as of now, we lack a proper one." Mark moaned, frowning a bit as he laid his head to the side "It was either take you here and save yer life... Or keep our deal and let ye die, and you'd better slagging believe the latter wasn't even an option."
"How long was I out for?"
"Only the past twenty-four hours."
Mark rubbed the back of his neck with his good arm slightly, sighing. So this was it, his time on the run was over. He was going to be turned over to social services, and whether he liked it or not, he was going into foster care. A part of him wanted to scream at Hound, for letting him live to go through that, but the other knew that he had done the right thing. "So I guess that's it then." Mark replied "You guys are going to have to give me up, or whatever."
Hound's face seemed to contort a bit, and he looked thoughtful. What was wrong? Had they decided not to put it in after all, had he decided on something else? "For a few months, give or take, yes, that will be the case." Mark raised his eyebrows and Hound looked down at him "Mark, I was wondering what ye would think about coming to live with me for a while..."
Mark was silent for a moment. "The barn's gone though. Cyclonus blew it up, right?" Mark asked "And the government wouldn't let me live there anyway, that'd never work..."
"I was thinking more on a military base, with NEST." Hound told him calmly "We'll be moving there in a few months time. And until I can get the approval of social services to foster you, we'll put you in a short-term foster home with one of its members. You'll be watched over by one of us, and safe." Mark blinked at that "We've done a lot of thinking the past twenty-four hours, if ye couldn't see."
"You're going to take me in?"
Hound nodded his head, he didn't even have to think about how to answer that one. He held a hand out, and ran it along Mark's cheek carefully The boy closed his eyes and leaned back. "If you'll trust me enough to take good care of ye." He explained, removing his hand after a moment "I lost a son, and you lost a father... And I thought perhaps... We can work on making that void a little smaller." Mark had a ghost of a smile on his face at that.
"Social services will let you?"
"On the condition I go through the legal process." Hound nodded "It'll take time, and a lot of people are going to fight me on the subject. I can't promise it will be an easy or a quick road. Ye may not even get to see me for a couple of months." Mark nodded his head slowly "But if you want to come and live with me - live with us... I'll keep fighting."
Inside, Mark thought over the whole situation quietly. He had no idea what to say, could he actually live with these Autobots? Live under their rules? Live under their care? Start to look at Hound as less of a friend and more of the surrogate parent that he was so severely lacking in his life. With a long intake of breath, he slowly but surely nodded his head. "Okay." Mark stated quietly "I think I could get used to that." He looked at Hound "Does that mean I'm staying here?"
"Yes." Hound nodded his head slowly "They're working to bring your remaining things from your former home." He explained "I hope you're really okay with this, Mark. I understand it's going to be a tough transition... Having to rely on someone again." Mark was silent at that "But I'm going to try to do right by ye, like I wish I could have by my own son." He noted.
"I know... You were already pretty good at it before." Hound chuckled slightly at that "Just don't expect me to start calling you "dad" or anything... I'm not really sure I'm ready for that yet." He explained "Last time I put my faith in a "dad". Well..."
"I never expected you to."
As Hound slipped his holoform's hand on top of Mark's the boy relaxed. Somehow, he found himself ever so slightly holding it back. Perhaps he needed the extra reassurance that everything was going to be okay, or maybe he just wanted to. But he knew as the mech squeezed back that everything was going to be okay now. "Alright, you're still in dire need of rest." Hound stated as he gently released his hand "Get some sleep, you need it."
"Alright." Mark replied "I'll see you later?" He asked.
"Count on it." Hound replied "As long as you're here I'll be visiting."
As Mark turned over and Hound fizzled out, the mech could only hope for as smooth a transition for the rest of the process as this had been.