Famiy Ties

by Phantom

Chapter Eight

The gossip mill was working overtime at both Metroplex and Cybertron. Word of the previous night's events spread like wildfire, whispered from one breathless Autobot to another. And the tale grew each time it was told – Optimus had hit Hot Rod; Optimus had been spotted leaving the club with three women; Hot Rod had pulled a gun on Optimus; Optimus had busted the joint and shut it down for good. Nobody was really sure what had happened that night, but they sure loved to talk about it!

One thing was for sure – Optimus had come back in a foul mood, which had only gotten worse the following day. He had awoken with a pounding head and a body that felt like it was full of cement. He had called in late to try to recover, something that definitely attracted attention, a rarity in itself. When he finally appeared, the whispers grew even stronger. Optimus looked like he had been through a wringer. He had dark smudges under his optic sensors, and his paint job was dull, since he had skipped his usual waxing. Everyone scrambled to get out of his way, for he growled and barked orders irritably at everyone he saw. The only thing that seemed to cheer him up was the sight of Hot Rod, who was in even worse shape. The young Autobot had dragged himself in at the crack of dawn and was late to roll call. Optimus had made it a point to show up in person and lead the day's drill. The punishment for tardiness was worse than usual, of course. Two hundred pushups, and he made the culprits count each one out loud. And if they did one sloppily or improperly, they had to start all over again. The troops were amazed- Ultra Magnus was a real stickler for being on time and following the rules, but even on his worse day he was never this bad. By the end of the drill, Hot Rod was barely able to stand upright.

After nearly five astrominutes of standing outside the door of the Autobot leader's office, Ultra Magnus finally got the courage to press the buzzer. There was a moment of stifling silence, then the door opened and the occupant said curtly, “Come in.” Ultra Magnus entered with trepidation, and the door closed soundlessly behind him, shutting him in.

Optimus fixed his old friend with a cold stare. “Well, what is it?” he asked crossly. “I'm very busy, so come out with it. I don't have all day.”

Magnus flinched visibly. “I just wanted to know how you were doing,” he said softly, trying to soothe Prime's simmering anger. Optimus was in rare form today. Sure, he got upset or angry about things, but he rarely took it out on his troops. And the way he had badgered Hot Rod at drill practice – it was nothing short of bizarre!

Optimus sighed and propped his chin up on his hand. “Not so good. That obvious, huh?”

“I think that even the Decepticons know it,” Magnus said jokingly. The joke seemed to lift his friend's spirits, and he felt encouraged. “Optimus, what happened between you and Hot Rod last night? I know you were supposed to go with him to a club – it was all he could talk about. I'd never let him drag me to one of those infernal places. Was it really that bad?”

“Worse,” Optimus groaned. “It wasn't at all what I expected. I suppose it's my own fault for agreeing to it. But you should have seen him, Magnus! He was just out of control, doing the most disgusting things – I just couldn't stand to be part of it any more. So we got into a fight.”

Magnus nodded, wisely deciding not to tell Optimus about the wild rumors that were circulating. “I know from Spike that parenting isn't always easy. Though he has awhile until Danny starts frequenting the local clubs.”

Optimus chuckled at the thought of Spike dragging his son out of a place like Club Cyber. His mood had lightened considerably since Magnus had shown up. “I just don't know what to think, Magnus. I want to make sure that he grows up to be a good Autobot, but he just won't listen to me. I suppose I should let him find out for himself, but I'd hate for him to get hurt in the process. Sometimes I wonder how he managed to lead the Autobots so well when he just acts like a goof.”

Magnus struggled very hard to hide a smile, with little success. “I know a certain Autobot leader who got into more than his fair share of trouble when he was young.”

“But that's different--!”

“How so?” Magnus pressed him. “You were just a silly young 'bot – Primus, we all were – and you had to grow up fast when Alpha Trion made you the Autobot leader. Roddy found himself in the same situation, and believe me, he grew up very fast. He may seem to do nothing but goof off and get into trouble in search of the next thrill, but he's more mature than you know. Maybe more than any of us know.”

Optimus thought hard about Magnus' words. Perhaps he really was being too hard on Hot Rod. But if the 'bot was really as mature as Magnus claimed, why did he insist on doing such foolish things? It just didn't make sense to him.

“So are you feeling better, or do I have to remove my armor and do a belly dance for you?” Magnus asked jovially. Few people ever suspected that the City Commander had a humorous strut in his whole body, but those that knew him well understood that he had a lighter side in there somewhere.

Optimus laughed out loud, convincing Magnus that his foul mood had lifted. “I don't know, Mags,” he teased. “I may need some more encouragement. Why don't you get started while I set up the video camera?”

Magnus punched his buddy lightly on the shoulder. “In your dreams! I've got to go check over Kup's security report on Metroplex. I'll see you around, okay?”

“Okay,” Optimus nodded. The two commanders saluted each other. “Just keep your armor on, okay?”

“I'll try,” Magnus said, deadpan.

Optimus waved his friend out of his office with another laugh. Perhaps he had given up too soon. Maybe this parenting thing was worth another shot after all.


end of Chapter Eight

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