Summary: Kicker is on a Energon-Finding mission. Kicker ends up being in some trouble and Hotshot's there to help him. Kicker is 10. Four Years after Armada.
Warnings: Energon-finding mission going wrong.

Bond of Boy and Autobot
One-Shot #2

Hotshot did not like this. Not one bit.

How Jones convinced Optimus to allow Kicker to go on Energon-finding missions with them a year ago in the first place, he had no idea. Nor did he have any idea of how Jones convinced Optimus that letting the said ten year old to travel down a deep ravine on a random planet with just a cable that was around his waist and was attached to a device that was slowly feeding as Kicker slowly went made his way down deeper and deeper was a even better idea.

Hotshot shifted beside the device up top as he peered down over the edge, optics focused solely on Kicker. His newly acquired shoulder door wings(as Jetfire liked to call them) were twitching nervously as he watched. He could hear Jetfire over his comm, reassuring him that Kicker was fine. It seemed like only the Air Commander could pick up on his mood via his shoulder door wings. He really tried to believe Jetfire, but he couldn't help it. He just continued watching and he noticed that the kid was now out of arms reach. He tried his best to keep come after realizing this fact but it was a rather hard thing to do, especially when the kid's foot slipped here and there. Hotshot was sure he was going to have a spark attack before this mission was through.

Of course, fate had decided to give him a major spark attack it seemed.

He could see Kicker slipped again and this time, he was falling backwards. The cable tensed and held for a moment, stopping Kicker before it suddenly snapped lean in half. Hotshot didn't waste any time and jumped, the gravity taking hold of his form and he dropped like a rock. In no time, he had scooped the screaming Kicker out of the air and dug his fingers and feet into the cliff, sliding down a few more feet before coming to a stop. He brought his other hand that had Kicker in it closer to his chest, letting his thumb stroke the boy's back.

"I got you Kicker, it's alright." He did his best to sooth the still shaking boy. Hotshot eventually began to click to the other, hoping that it would calm the other down more before he unlocked his elbow joined and straightened his arm out, almost as if he was crouching before pushed himself forward, fingers and feet leaving their grooves. He continue to do this again and again before his hand caught the edge of the cliff and he pulled himself back up, his hand now covering Kicker completely and pushing him against his chest.

He made his way a little ways away from the cliff's edge and he knelt before setting Kicker on the ground. He was about to pull his hand away when two, small hands grabbed his finger, halting him. His optics locked onto watery brown eyes and he watched as the human kid pressed his face against his finger, sniffling and still trembling.

His optics soften before he sighed and reached out his other hand until its behind Kicker and he began to stroke Kicker's back again. No words were shared between them, even when the others got to them. All that was said was through their locked gaze.

One of a plea, the other of a promise.