Ironhide was itching for a drive but, since the wreck, Will absolutely refused. Ironhide recognized the signs as PTSD and a panic attack. Will was terrified and Ironhide didn't blame him. the weapons specialist was a little afraid too, but Will wouldn't even get in his alt mode anymore and Ironhide was getting worried. he watched Will and frowned.
"Will?" Ironhide ask. the man was laying on his hood, the only thing Ironhide could convince him to do.
"yeah Hide?" Will ask.
"are you afraid of me?" Ironhide ask. Will hugged his hood.
"no. absolutely not." Will smiled slightly.
"then... why don't you like to take rides anymore?" Ironhide ask carefully. he was trying to bring this up as gently as possible and Will appriciated it.
"well...." Will swallowed hard. "I, uh, I remember." Will said.
"you remember?" Ironhide ask. Will nodded. "I don't.... what happened?" he ask.
"I thought we were dead." Will said softly. Ironhide's holoform appeared quickly and held him gently.
"it's okay." Ironhide murmured.
"no it's not.... I just... I... remember getting hit and rolling over and over and over.... and we stopped... I tried to... I dunno... I remember reaching out and then nothing. I woke up in the hospital." Will said.
"I have a semi corrupted memory file of the accident, if you'd like to watch..." Ironhide said, pulling him into his lap.
"is it of outside or inside?" Will ask.
"a little of both. thats why its corrupted." Ironhide said. Will curled up to him.
"okay..." he murmured. Ironhide projected the memory file on the garage wall. he held Will tightly.
"I will hide from this if I don't like it." Will admitted.
"okay." Ironhide said. he held Will tightly, especially when the man screamed in fear, then in agony. Ironhide shouting for him to stay calm that everything would be okay as they rolled over repeatedly. Ironhide quickly turned Wills face into his chest, watching the blood and glass go flying. the noises stopped and Will looked up. watching himself slowly lift his head up and reach out for the radio shakily asking quietly if Ironhide was okay, before he was flung around the cab again. hitting his head on Ironhide's consol and stopped moving. Ironhide's painfilled calls for Will to answer him. painfilled and desperate, hoping Will was okay. then they could see Ratchet kneeling in front of him. the medics worried quiet voice filled their ears. Ironhide's weak voice telling Ratchet he couldn't do anything and that Will was laying inside.
"how long is this file?" Will ask.
"until Ratchet knocks me out at the base." Ironhide said. Ironhide's pain filled noises as their friends rolled him over and he slowly collapsed under his own weight. the worried voices of the other Autobots and Ratchets constant reminder to be careful with him as he was already hurt. the pathetic attempt to start his engine. his pained cries as they loaded him up, strapped him down, and headed back to the base. the noises he made trying to tell Optimus that his speed hurt. Jazz's call that he was leaking energon so bad.
"turn it off." Will said. Ironhide was staring. Jazz saying his side mirror and bumper came flying off. "turn it off!" Will cried. Ironhide jumped and turned it off quickly.
"sorry. sorry." Ironhide said, holding him tightly. "shhhh." Ironhide murmured gently. Will clung to him sobbing quietly. Ironhide rubbed his thumb gently over Wills cheek, holding him tightly. "it's okay. I'm right here in one piece. you're here in..." Ironhide trailed looking at his crutches. "do those count as part of you?" he ask. Will sniffled.
"no." he muttered smiling a little.
"then you are here in one piece too. it's okay Will." Ironhide soothed gently. Ironhide held him tightly. Will nodded and held him tightly.
"right. right. I'm sorry. I just-" Will tried.
"it would hurt me to hear you in such pain too." Ironhide assured, nuzzling him gently. but Will had been knocked out in the accident, well at least when they'd been hit the second time. after the first hit though, he remembered the agonizing pain, but reaching for the radio desperately, internally begging for Ironhide to answer as he ask if he was okay.
"why didn't you answer?" Will ask. Ironhide seemed shocked.
"huh?" Ironhide ask.
"when we landed, upside down. I ask you if you were okay and you didn't say anything.... I.... why didn't you answer?" Will ask. Ironhide frowned a moment.
"I don't think I could. I was so... out of it." Ironhide said. "when we got hit again and I felt you hit your head really hard, I forgot about myself but there was nothing I could do to help you.... when I started asking you questions you wouldn't answer and I could read your heart beat but I was scared you were dead." Ironhide said. Will nuzzled him gently. "and I thought I had missed my last chance to say that I love you because I was in shock." Ironhide admitted. Will smiled slightly, but it fell.
"I've never heard sound like that.... you guys usually have such strong armor and what ever it was that hit us.... almost killed us both." Will said. Ironhide scooped him up and hopped off his hood.
"can you stay with me tonight? I know you don't want to, but please." Ironhide said. Will nodded slightly.
"yeah okay." Will murmured quietly. the back door opened and put Will inside, climbing in with him. he laid behind Will holding him tightly as the mans heart beat sped up immediately. he pulled the man closer, warming the cab gently.
"its okay." Ironhide murmured, rubbing his thumb over Will's cheek. Will's eye's were clenched shut tightly and he curled up. Ironhide held him tightly. "it's gonna be okay." Ironhide soothed. he got quiet a moment. "stay right here I'll be right back." the holoform said jumping out of the truck quickly, running into the house.
"what are you doing?" Will ask.
"going after something for you." Ironhide replied. his holoform came back out with Wills blanket and laid with him, covering them both.
"why?" Will ask. Ironhide smlied slightly.
"research shows that blankets are considered safety items." Ironhide smiled. Will curled up under the blanket.
"thanks." Will murmured. he nuzzled the seat. "you don't have to keep your holoform on Hide. it's okay." Will said softly. Ironhide chuckled softly.
"Will you and I both know you wouldn't be comfortable without it." Ironhide said.
"I love you. you're so.... you're not judging me for being scared." Will murmured. Ironhide nuzzled him.
"I can't judge you. I'm afraid too Will. I'm nervous. really. I could've lost you." Ironhide said softly. Will laid quietly in the backseat with the holoform for a bit, until he eventually fell asleep. Ironhide hunkered down silently in the garage, keeping an eye on Will, but slowly allowing himself to relax. he was just thinking about recharge when Will's heart beat spiked. he hoped it was just a small thing, it happened sometimes when Will slept, but when he started screaming he immediately knew he was wrong. Will was struggling and screaming for Ironhide to watch out. "Will! wake up!" Ironhide shouted, the holoform shaking him. Will screamed and sat up, feeling himself all over terrified. he looked around quickly and turned, throwing open the back door and basically falling out of Ironhide. he laid on the ground his back, chest heaving rapidly. Ironhide's holoform quickly appeare behind him. "hey. it's okay." Ironhide assured, leaning over him carefully.
"I-I...." Will panted looking around. Ironhide smiled slightly at him. he scooped the man up gently.
"come on. I'll take you upstairs." Ironhide murmured reassuringly. he carried Will inside and up to his bed, then went for his blanket. when he came back up, Will was curled up the best he could. the boot on his foot prevented him from curling up too much. "hey are you okay?" Ironhide ask.
"I'm sorry." Will said softly.
"it's okay Will." Ironhide said tucking the blanket around him. Will had lasted 1 hour, 45 seconds and that was longer than Ironhide thought he would. he spent the rest of the night comforting the man and making sure he was okay.
as the days went by, Ironhide worked with Will carefully. getting Will to slowly stay longer and longer in his back seat. he absoutely did NOT try the front seat. the only time the two tried, Will had nearly passed out. Ironhide refused to try again. eventually, Will was sleeping in his backseat all night, every night. Ironhide stayed absolutely still. if he moved too much Will's heart beat would spike and Ironhide didn't want to set him off. the man didn't go to the base, he couldn't. he couldn't ride in a moving vehicle. even when they needed him at the base, Will stayed home, today that had to change.
"Will." Ironhide said to the man in his back seat.
"yeah Hide?" Will ask.
"we have to go to the base today." Ironhide said. Will paled slightly. "don't panic. I have worked something out with Ratchet." Ironhide assured.
"yeah like what?" Will ask nervously.
"would you be okay if we sedated you to move you to the base?" Ironhide ask. Will looked confused. "if not we'll find another way, but Ratchet believes it would be the best, and fastest, way to get you to the base." Ironhide said.
"I'd be asleep the whole ride?" Will ask.
"yes. if you're not comfortable riding with me, Ratchet has offered to let you ride with him." Ironhide added.
"no!" Will panicked. Ironhide jumped slightly. "I mean... I'd rather ride with you." Will said.
"okay. I will let Rachet know." Ironhide assured. Will nodded and the medic arrived a few moments later. Will seemed slightly uneasy as Ratchets holoform walked over.
"I'm glad to see you up and moving around William." Ratchet said. Will nodded. "I assume Ironhide told you the plan since he said you wanted to ride with him?" Ratchet ask.
"yeah. I'll be, like, unconscious the whole time right?" Will ask semi nervously. Ratchet nodded.
"it'll be like being asleep, but when you wake up, you'll be fine." Ratchet assured. Will nodded back. Ratchet explained to him as he had Will lay in Ironhide's back seat.
"Will are you alright?" Ironhide ask when his heart rate spiked again.
"I feel stupid." Will muttered.
"you're not. it's okay." Ratchet assured. Will sighed softly and let Ratchet sedate him. as soon as Will was out Ratchet looked at Ironhide. "we have approximately 2 hours to get him to the base before he wakes." Ratchet said. from Wills, it was almost three hours, if he drove the speed limit. Ironhide smirked.
"thats just enough time." Ironhide said. Ratchet nodded and flipped on his sirens.
"lets make it an hour and a half." Ratchet said. Ironhide agreed and followed the siren blaring ambulance to the base. they made it there in an hour and fifteen minutes. Ironhide parked quietly outside the base until Will woke up.
"Ironhide?" Will mumbled.
"we are at the base Will. are you alright?" Ironhide ask.
"yeah. I'm okay." Will murmured. Ironhide opened the door after a minute and let the man out, before transforming. Will smiled slightly and patted his leg. Ratchet walked over.
"we will do the same when you return home." Ratchet said.
"thanks." Will smiled slightly. Ironhide scooped him up gently, putting him on his shoulder. Will held onto him as the weapons specialist walked. "why are we here?" Will ask.
"Optimus would like to debrief us on the accident and he wanted to give you time to heal some." Ironhide said. Will paled. "its okay Will. you know him, he won't push it." Ironhide assured.
"I don't want to do this." Will said.
"it'll be okay Will. I will be showing him my memory file. if you don't want to talk, just tell him you don't remember." Ironhide said. Will nodded slightly.
"okay. do I have to watch the file?" Will ask.
"no. I will leave you in the rec room." Ironhide assured. Will nodded. Ironhide took him to the human rec. he sat Will down gently, handing him his crutches. Will smiled slightly, having been unaware Ironhide brought them. he took them from the mech and watched him go. Sam look up from his video game, he was playing with Bumblebee's holoform, and his jaw dropped. he threw the remote down and jumped over the couch.
"Will!" Sam shouted excitedly, running over. he hugged the man gently and Will hugged back. the entre room seemed excited to see him and it was honesly surprising. these guys really loved him. they were his family. he hugged anyone who wanted one, before complaining his leg hurt. they moved and let him sit on the couch. Sam immediately sat beside him. the teen was like his own son and Will smiled. Bumblebee sat on his other side, as if to protect him from everyone else. "so what'cha doing?" Sam ask.
"Optimus wants to debrief the wreck." Will replied. Sam frowned and Bumblebee shifted uncomfortable.
"what for?" Bumblebee ask.
"we still don't know what hit us." Will sighed. "I'm seriously not sure I want to talk about it." Will muttered.
"I'm sure Optimus would understand if you don't want to talk about it." Sam said.
"I hope so because I'm not going to talk about it..." Will said. "I'm still having issues with it." Will muttered. he felt a thump on the back of his head and looked up. Ironhide was standing behind him. he motioned for Will to follow him. Will sighed and got up. he followed him out into the hall and smiled slightly at his alt form, not entirely excited to do this. he heard the Prime come closer and looked up. immediately his heart sped up and his brain screamed danger. he hit the floor and curled up screaming for Ironhide to watch out as the semi stopped infront of him. everyone was in shock, except Ironhide, who quickly transformed and grabbed him.
"Will it's okay it's Prime." Ironhide said. he frowned at Optimus' holoform some and walked off quickly, taking Will to his room quickly. Ironhide didn't use his room much, but he hoped getting Will away from everyone else would help him calm down some. he sat Will on his berth and sat down beside it. he ran his finger down Will's back gently. "Will it's okay. it was just Optimus." Ironhide said quietly. Will slowly calmed down and looked at Ironhide.
"sorry." Will mumbled.
"it's okay. just stay right here. I'll be right back." Ironhide said. Will nodded. Ironhide sat right outside the door, and his holoform went back to the rec room. Sam was cuddled up to Bumblebee holding Will's crutches. Ironhide walked in and took them.
"Ironhide what the hell was that?" Bumblebee ask. Ironhide frowned slightly and walked out with them. he walked right into Optimus' leg. Optimus looked down and his holoform appeared infront of Ironhide.
"Ironhide." Optimus frowned. Ironhide sighed slightly.
"I told you he wasn't ready for it. we sedated him to get him here Prime." Ironhide said.
"what happened?" Optimus ask.
"he had a panic attack Prime. you came rolling towards him and scared the slag out of him. I mean for Primus sakes Prime, I just got him to even enter my alt form. I told you he wasn't ready for this. Ratchet warned he wouldn't be ready. I realise he clearly remembers something I don't, but we're not going to be able to force it out of him." Ironhide glared. "we'll be staying here tonight because I'm not sure he'll be safe to sedate and move tonight." Ironhide said. Optimus nodded.
"I didn't mean to scare him. I did not realize how sensitive he was right now. that is entirely my fault." Optimus said. Ironhide nodded in agreement. "if you decide to leave to night let me know." Optimus added.
"of course Prime." Ironhide replied heading back to his room. he left the cruches beside his alt form, then appeared behind Will on the berth. he wrapped his arms around him tightly and held him. he hoped Will would get better soon, he missed their drives.
