My little contribution to Valentines, had this on the backburner for a while and finished it just in time. Fair warning it is quite self-indulgent. Reader gardens.
Summary: Three time you and Hound got closer, and one where he bridges the gap.
___________________________________________________
It was quite a hasty decision really.
There was a Cybertronian post not too far from your home, and as part of the alliance humans would help the Cybertronians adapt to the environment and in turn they would help teach humanity new sciences. Thus, Scientists, engineers, and diplomats were all handpicked to better help the new relationship forming after the war. To avoid too much public speculation the base was stationed at the edge of a forest in a huge clearing.
Which is how you know about it, since you lived in the middle of nowhere and quite liked that forest. You helped a couple of humans and bots alike reorient themselves out of the lush maze.
Truly, you were simply a person with a fascination for plants that slowly accumulated to an extensive knowledge of said plants. Which is why one day when someone came down with horrible blisters and skin irritation on their hands and wrists, you were the only person in the area with some knowledge that could help.
Walking into the ship felt even more disorienting than looking at it from the outside. You hope the mech escorting you will also help you back out. It would be embarrassing to be caught lost when you’re often leading the lost. The Mech in question looks back at you, you believe his name was Hound, and looks at you with a sort of pitying expression. Maybe he’s actually amused? It’s hard to tell.
You’ve met Hound a handful of times before and have found that he’s always been eager to understand the forest surrounding the two of you.
“We know. We have doctors aboard here. However, for what little we know about organic health, we know even less about which plants do what and it would be really helpful if there was someone to point out the plant before we act.”
“There’s thousands of plants that you shouldn’t touch in the forest, did you want a list?”
“No, we have the plants. Apparently a diplomat was gathering flowers to make a bouquet to try and …uh ‘press the flowers’? I don’t know if that's the correct terminology.”
______________________________________________________
You aren’t sure how you managed it, but after that one meeting and immediately identifying white poison hemlock within the bouquet, and that those injuries should be seriously treated, you were given an invitation as a resident of the outpost.
Obviously, you aren’t the most helpful in the med bay or identifying deadly toxins, however your input is apparently, always appreciated. One of the many bots who you often talk to is Hound. He has always been very welcoming and very intent on learning.
Placing boarders for plant beds is a lot easier when there's a kind mech so eager for conversation at your door. While your greenhouse was getting set up, he was quite the common visitor, and he definitely made your days interesting.
Dropping a large bag of dirt near you Hound opens it and begins to pout it into the beds the two of you laid out. "Remember when that diplomat picked hemlock?"
Shovel in hand, you stop to look up at him (were his optics always that bright?) and answer slowly, "Yes? That was a while back right?"
"Yeah it was, I guess I was just wondering how you found it so quickly."
You sit back on your knees and prepare to think out your answer. “Well aside from Hemlock being quite the well known plant, there’s normally a couple signs in a plant that you shouldn't touch it.”
“Well, the big red flag on the Hemlock is the smell. It doesn’t smell great, it's kind of sour on it’s own, and it smells really bad when it’s crushed up. It’s like the plant is quite literally screaming ‘don’t eat me!’”
Hound hums, “That’s useful information, did you study for that?”
“…No? Well, kind of. But not in the same category as a scientist would. My knowledge is more from experience and being a nerd. Some people do go through an extensive amount of schooling though, however it isn't needed for basic knowledge like mine.”
“I wouldn’t call your knowledge basic. I think it’s impressive that you know this much without anyone guiding you. You’re cute and independent.”
Looking up at the mech, you try to discern if his comments come from a place of friendly banter or something a little more serious. However it’s impossible to tell as Hound seems to have found something interesting on the ceiling and is intent on keeping his stare there.
___________________________________________________
Always a sweet guy, out of everyone, Hound's been the familiar face that you can talk to when the day’s been rough. You feel a little guilty that you’re always the one blabbing but he insists on listening.
Suddenly appearing in your greenhouse mass displaced, there’s a fuzziness in Hound’s helm and he realizes that he has to turn down the brightness in his optics when he sees the features in your face he’s long memorised glow when you realize he’s here to see you.
“Was it a quiet day or just needed a break?”
“A bit of both.” He sits crisscrossed beside you as you transfer a giant bush of basil that you were growing from water into a pot of dirt. Fresh herbs always bring morale up in the kitchen. You spend a moment too long swallowing a sudden lump in your throat to properly contribute to talking and miss your first chance at a meaningful conversation.
A little guilty to push, but really wanting some sort of connection to you outside your nature walks, Hound huffs before shifting a little closer to you, “… I’ve seen videos that vary how plants get potted. Is it just technique or is it up to the species of the plant?”
Blinking for a moment, you stop in confusion and a bit of embarrassment before focusing on the plant in your hand and not the cute mech brushing your thigh, “A bit of both really. And also the condition of the plant sprout. If you grow them from seeds you won’t see the roots when transferring pots. What I'm planting now was originally a clipping that I waited to root in water before putting it in soil.” Always instinctively looking up to his optics, you blink back as they don't seem to be as bright as normal.
Hound's right next to you now as your warmth seeps into his side. However it leaves all too soon as you get up to place the pot next to a ladder. “Why plant that one in a pot all by itself?” Hound always loves to hear you ramble, but really wants to drown himself in the bliss that is your full attention and shy touches. However the fuzziness clouding his processor slowly dissipates as you climb higher on the ladder.
Maybe you put a bit too much soil into this pot. It is a bit heavy to be dragged up the ladder, but you already cleared a spot for it among the other herbs. “It’s because basil can grow like a weed and will suffocate any of its neighbours.”
Hound stands up and walks over to the ladder to hold it steady. “You could have asked me to mass displace to help.” Would’ve done it in an instant too despite the slight strain it would place on his wires for going back and forth between sizes.
Looking down, you're cursing at yourself as you realize just how high up you are as your feet clear the height above Hound. “You’re here on break aren’t you? I don’t want to put you to work.”
Really wishing he offered his services earlier, Hound really questions the safety of your planting system, “You could work me to my struts and I’d be fine because it’s you asking.”
Immediately, Hound regrets absentmindedly speaking and crossing a line he’s been dancing on for so long. Hound regrets it even more as you spin around to look at him only to lose your balance and fall off the ladder. You get your ankle wedged within the corner of a step on the ladder which only propels you to fall clockwise onto the bottom steps all while you’re pretty sure this thing is going to come toppling down on you as well. However, instead of crashing onto the steps, you feel a big metal hand that's splayed to catch your head. when the rest of your body continues to dip from the fall, Hound quickly lets go of the ladder in favour of gripping the underneath of your knees and moves his other servo around your shoulders.
“Woah there! Are- are you alright?” Despite the humour in his voice you can feel the alarm is his hold.
“Apparently so, .. Uhm- may I come down?” At your invoice Hound attempts to gingerly lower you, only for the ladder to follow his movements and screech across the ground while you make a quiet pained noise. “Sorry! Sorry! Are you stuck?”
“It’s okay! I think I just wedged my ankle.”
“No! No! I’ve got it, you’re already carrying me.” You try lifting your ankle from the corner, however the friction from freeing it causes a small amount of pain to shoot up your leg.
“Did you hurt yourself?” You only hear concern in his voice, however the embarrassment of hurting yourself right in front of Hound resonates as he continues to hold you in the air, looking around for something. “It's fine, I think I only skinned myself.”
“Skinned yourself?!” Hound rushes to an elevated area where he can place you down, and then proceeds to kneel before you and gingerly brings your injured ankle closer to him. “Should I get a medic? That sounds painful.”
Once again you only hear concern in his voice, however you can feel him gripping and releasing the fabric hiding your ankle in a way that reminds you of a nervous habit. “Not skinned like- well I mean- It’s skinned like the expression! My skin didn’t really- I mean it did but it’s usually not…” Cursing yourself for how stupid you sound, the way you feel stupidly light, and how warm you are now that big gentle servos are cradling your ankle, you take a moment to recollect yourself. “… It’s usually not bad. At most it would need disinfectant." You reach down yourself and pull the fabric so that he can observe the roughened skin and few drops of blood starting to well up. “See? Not that bad, most of the time getting skinned is just an expression for a common injury. My skin isn’t coming off. I think the proper word to use is abrasion, but everyone would look at you weird if you said that.”
Gently rubbing the skin above the injury, Hound takes his time observing the abrasion caused by simply cornering yourself to metal and is reminded of how fragile you are. “I feel like that saying has very little correlation to the actual injury.” Looking up at you for once, the fuzzy cloud blocking his processor returns as Hound observes just how red your face has become.
“I’ll bring it up with a linguist if I can find one.”
___________________________________________________
It was quite late out, the two of you had spent the entire day scouring the forest. Both of you turned up decently grimy and muddy so you decided that it was likely better that Hound hold you in his servos rather than get his cabin all dirty. Hands are much easier to clean.
However it is starting to get cold out, and you curl in on yourself when a particularly cold gust of wind brushes by.
“Are you sure you don’t want to drive? You’re shivering.”
“Of course, if we cut through here it’ll take around the same amount of time, and I don't want you to get dirty on the inside too.” Hound cups his servos a little tighter to shield you from the wind when a thought hits you, “how did you know I was shivering?”
“Ah! Well, armour’s just thinner and more sensitive in the servos. Can feel more there.”
He can? How much can he feel? Looking up, his optics shine in the forest, and occasionally a moth has to be blinked out. “How much more sensitive? Like can you feel just my shivering or can you get a read on my blood pressure.”
Hound laughs a little, “Not myself, but a medic probably could. I can feel your spark… er heartbeat if I directly touch your skin.”
You place the palms of your hands onto the centre of his servos. “So you feel it now?”
The smile stays on his face when he answers, “… A bit? It’s quite faint.”
Keeping your palms in roughly the same place you plant your face against his servos, “Here?”
Apparently, this action surprises him a bit more as you feel the jolt within his frame, but hear humour in his voice, “Not really there either, I don’t think the face has a very good pressure point. However…” At the contradiction, you look up at Hound again, except his thumb has gently made its way to cradle the side of your body and press against your neck which greatly distracts you from anything you were going to say. “…There it is. I see this point in a lot of human media and television. Apparently some of the medics were caught watching a human medical drama and the show itself spread throughout the base.”
You laugh and curl yourself into the warmth that cradles you, “did First Aid find it?”
Watching you laugh, Hound thinks about how rough his servos are and it makes him fuzzy and warm to watch you so at ease. “Haha! Yes he did, how did you know?”
Resting your head against his digit you close your eyes, “It just sounds like something he would do and something you would listen in on.”
The rest of the walk to the base was in silence, however it was quite comfortable as Hound had begun to gently run his digit up and down your side.
__________________________________________________________
The majority of people on the base have taken the day off to either enjoy Valentines with their loved one or to enjoy the Valentines sales. You’re taking the opportunity to have a silent day at the base. Maybe get some work done but you’re mostly here to laze around.
However upon turning the corner, you have an inkling that you won’t be getting the silence you were expecting as there’s a few mechs (including Hound) hurdled around the outside of your greenhouse. The group is all pretty friendly around humans so you know them well. It’s Bumblebee that stands out to you most as he plays snippets of different pop love songs that fill the hallway. Next is Ironhide, simply for the fact that you have no idea why he’s here, but seems to be patting the middle of Hounds back (for comfort?) while simultaneously pointing at the greenhouse while Hound stands as rigid as a statue. Last in the crowd is First Aid,. You wonder why he’s here as he normally stays close to the med bay and common areas. It’s hard to recall, but you don’t think you’ve ever seen him in the greenhouse. Standing in the middle of the hallway, a little confused, you don’t realize that First Aid notices your arrival and calls out to you.
“Hey there! Hound was looking for you.”
Suddenly returning to a being capable of movement, Hound practically whips around to look at you, stumbling a little before Ironhide physically steadies him. For a reason unknown, Hound looks at you in horror as Bumblebee increases the love music's intensity. “Uhm.. I uhm.. Would you- or, would you like to-.” Ironhide roughly pats Hounds shoulder and murmurs something to him that you’re too far away to hear before looking at you, “I’ll be taking the rest of these mechs since Hound needs to talk to you in private.”
Oh god did you do something bad? Did you upset someone or did something wrong? You weren’t an initial hire or anything so you haven’t been given any lessons in proper etiquette. As the mechs leave the hallway and the music starts to fade (but it’s still faintly heard) Hound takes a knee and places his servo out for you to step onto it. “Ah.. well, I think we should probably go outside.”
Walking through the base you can really feel your anxiety start to spike. It seems that Hound can notice too as he begins to rub your shoulders with an oversized servo. “We're not talking about anything bad.. I just think that some privacy is needed. You aren’t in trouble or anything.” Well that’s good, however you’re a little embarrassed since he can probably tell just how hard your heart is pounding.
“Is it important or just private?”
Once outside, Hound holds his servos not far from his faceplate and you stand up to look at his bright optics. His face looks hopeful, however the nervousness in his frame keeps his shoulders rigid. “Um.. as I was saying earlier. Or, well trying to, is that- well.” He takes a deep vent in and you can feel the air move against you. “…I was hoping that we could maybe pick a bouquet together in the forest today? For.. uhm for Valentines? And maybe teach me how to press flowers?”
It takes you a moment of stupidly standing there for your racing mind to come up with anything, “is this like … a date?”
The nervousness that racks Hound's frame only ascends as he looks around before answering you very quietly, “If you’re okay with that I definitely would be. But no pressure or anything! I get that this can be.. Uhm, a bit of a big ask.”
There's a buzzing in your head and lightness that threatens to knock you from your senses, “I’m sorry Hound, it would be pretty hard to find many flowers this time of year.” There’s no indication on his face for how he feels, but the slump in his frame doesn’t go unnoticed by you. “However! I do think that the drive in movie theatres are doing a special for tonight.. If you’d want to go with me? I kinda need a ride.”
Hound stands still for a moment before his entire face lights up. “Oh.. Oh! Of course, why didn’t I think of that.”
“Flower picking is still quite cute, we can do that when the weather gets warmer.”
“Okay. Okay! I’m okay with that!” Awkwardly looking up at Hound in his servos once you’ve both run out of things to say, it’s only then do you notice the faint sound of romantic pop music playing in the background.
“Please ignore them, they got excited."
________________________________________________________
Not my best work, but I felt a little inspired to make something for Valentines. If you want a part 2, I'd be willing to write something in the future if I need a break from the bitlet AU.
