A Simple Thank You

This is my first attempt at a story on here and it is done with my OC Melinda in it. Please do not use her without my express permission. I am working on a story that tells how she met the Tfs, but I am a procrastinator.

I do not own anything but Melinda.

Ratchet has had better days. First, those slaggin' twins had managed once again to frag themselves up with another failed attempt of jet judo and then Wheeljack blew himself and half the base up by mixing highly unstable chemicals. I mean come on! How many times do you have to tell a bot to get it through a processor? Ironhide was the next problem bot. He had tinkered with his own cannons to 'improve' them he said. The resulting recoil knocked the old bot on his aft along with dislocating everything in his shoulder, struts and all.

Ratchet barely had those four idiots repaired and out the door when Melinda walked in begging him for help with her advanced physics human minutes and fervent thank you's later, she left.

With a sigh, Ratchet gathered up the data pads strewn across the berth they had been working on. Juggling the stack with one hand, he reached out the other to type in his access codes to his office only to drop them with a loud curse. Once again, he gathered them up and made his way into his office. Ratchet turned on the light and started to put the data pads on his desk.

To his immense surprise, there was a large cube of energon on his desk. Warily looking out for prank, Ratchet drew closer to the desk. There underneath the cube as a tiny, humanized piece of paper. He carefully grabbed the paper and unfolded it. If Ratchet had eyebrows, he would have raised them in puzzlement. It was a human grade card and underneath the grades were some sentences in Melinda's untidy scrawl.

"Ratchet, I knew you were more than likely exhausted so I snagged you a cube of energon with Jazz's help." Ratchet could vaguely recall Jazz telling him that he was going to put some reports on his desk when he was working on Wheeljack. He continued to read "(I would honestly think about changing your codes ASAP, Jazz mentioned something about selling them to the Twins. Beware!) It's just a small way of showing you my thanks for all the tutoring sessions. My teachers can't believe the improvement. I'm thinking that you don't hear those two special words enough, so I'm going to say them as often as possible; thank you, thank, you, thank you! Melinda. Ratchet glanced back up at the list of classes and grades. They read,

Advanced Physics- A-

Calculus 3- A

English Comp 2- B+

Spanish 2- A

Agriculture Education 4- A+

Chemistry 2- A-

Linear Algebra- A-

A tiny hint of pride snuck its way into his spark was he looked over the paper once more. When that little redheaded girl had come to the base the first time, she was a minor annoyance. However, one day when he spotted her in the corner of the rec room, trying her hardest to get a stack a homework done, his spark went out to her and offered his help. It had become a routine that everyday after school she would stop by the med bay to get some help or ask him to check her problems.

A tiny smile ghosted its way across his face as he moved to change the codes to his office. Once done, Ratchet picked up both the cube and piece of paper. As he took a drink, he subspaced the paper for safekeeping and he headed for his recharge berth.

The next morning as he was checking over Wheeljack's repairs, 'Jack started to look at him strangely. "What are you staring at?" "You seem awfully chipper this morning. You keep smiling while staring into space." "You would be surprised what a simple thank you can do for your mood." "Care to elaborate?" "You know 'Jack, how I've been helping Melinda do her schoolwork everyday?" Wheeljack nodded and gestured for him to continue. "Well she left me a note expressing how much she appreciated my time in helping her." "Yes, it's amazing how the simplest gesture can make you feel wanted." "You got that right 'Jack"

Suddenly, Ratchet whacked him across the head with a wrench. "Now get out of my med bay." Wheeljack ran out of the bay as fast as he could. "AND STOP DOING STUPID THINGS IN THE LAB!" Ratchet shouted after him. With a chuckle, he laid the wrench down on the waiting tray. At least his day was going much better. The humans were such surprising creatures. He had to admit, he was growing fond of them.