Disclaimer: Don't own Transformers…
Warnings: Unbated. Slight hurt/comfort, angst, and brief mention of death.
Pairing: Ratchet/First Aid
Rating: T
Author's Note: Thank you Forever Dreaming Grace, Qwertzu, renegadewriter8 and random anonymous person for all your reviews! I chose the Ratchet/First Aid pairing because it is less common then Twins/Ratchet and I want to expand my horizons. Hope you enjoy Qwertz!
(Edited…)
Prompt: Learn
The atmosphere in the medbay left much to be desired, the ins and outs of critically injured patients through the never resting doors were lost in the mixture of anguished screams and grieving wails that echoed and smeared together into a sea of white noise along once pristine walls and floors. The calls of young medics over the offbeat harmony of flat lining machines pierced the chaos for but a few moments of coherency before the voice was lost amongst the uproar of the many. All was panic in the roars and cries of frightened soldiers and inexperienced medics, all was pandemonium in the smoldering heat of a crowded room with too much activity and not enough order, an endless battle without a winner, a field soon to be emptied of players, awaiting the next round of devastation.
And then he appeared, graduated from the academy at the top of his class and brimming with enough passion to run the entire Autobot army with its ferocity; the head medic's new assistant.
There hadn't been anything particularly extraordinary in the white expanse of his chassis nor the standard red that littered his frame, nor the gray chevron placed upon his forehelm. He was neither exceptionally small nor large, neither too slight nor too thick in build, a standard frame with a standard medic's paint job. But there was something in the way he walked, that brisk, confident stride as he marched straight into the center of the chaos with his optics level and his hands steady, something in the was spoke, that strict, near snarling roar that sent a quiver of fear down every medic's spinal cord, that turned every helm his way and had every readily able hand conceding to his will.
And the young upstart with his trembling hands and his visored gaze, with only his prior training after his activation date to rely upon and his sheer determination to end the suffering of his fellow Autobots, could only watch with wide, blue optics as the mech took the entirety of the medbay under his iron fist.
"You, get those monitors cleared and that station ready for an emergency energon transfusion. You, move him to the depressurizing chamber and set the manual setting to half pass the 503.75 mark. You, standing there like a glitch, ready the berth for operation on a fractured chamber cable and prep the equipment. I don't want to risk an infection. You, get those three out of here, they're taking up space that could be used for another patient. And you-" The young medic met the other's hardened gaze for the briefest of moments at being addressed so suddenly, a flush of something warm and pleasant tingled at the base of his spark chamber before the new arrival continued. "Come with me and bring that sedative and the magnetizer. I need your assistance in realigning a severed spinal cord." And without another word the new medic turned away and set off to tend to the wildly screeching mech whose back was arched at a most peculiar angle and had a thick, wire-laden rod stabbing along his shoulder.
After a short, stunned pause in which his processor was still trying to regulate the sudden, unexpected flush of something through his young systems, the smaller medic finally came back to himself. "Yes, sir." He breathed quickly, nearly a gasp as he hurriedly grabbed the needed equipment from the table beside him and scurried off after the retreating medic.
The young upstart watched in wonder as the newest medic drove single-mindedly into the operations at hand, his piercing blue gaze intense with scrutiny and determination, his thin lips drawn back in concentration as he connected two frayed wires or pulled into a scowl as he cursed and barked orders, hands steady and precise, never a single movement wasted with unnecessary motion, never a stray injury left unmended.
And he watched, his young face slack in awe and hands ready to obey at a moment's notice, posture alert and optics focused despite all else, but his spark tightly woven with sensations he had never felt before, like a fluttering kiss lingering against his spark. And he watched as those life-giving hands reached towards him, demanding the device within his grasp with the same certainty that he did everything else. And the young medic listened as he was instructed as to how to save a mech's life, to do what this amazing medic before him did. And he felt something settle delicately within his spark.
That day, the young medic learned the meaning of hero worship.
"First Aid! What are you doing? I need to finish my reports and I can't very well do that with you standing in front of my office door now can I? Move!" Ratchet scowled, trying to project as much authority and annoyance into his voice as he could muster with so little energy reserves left, but as so many times before, he just couldn't put any bite behind the words, and in the end, the younger medic stood his ground.
Though that did not mean First Aid was not effected they the prospect of becoming to cause of his mentor's frustration.
With a heavy sigh, First Aid spoke. "You have not left the medbay for four days now, Ratchet. While I know that our cycles are different from the human's, it is still not healthy for you to lock yourself for joors on end in your office." At the narrowing of the rather temperamental medic's optics, First aid amended. "We're worried about you."
Ratchet shook his helm, knowing that his assistant was right, that his habit of continuous work without recharge or refueling on a regular basis was not beneficial to his health, but still he could not bring himself to break the vicious cycle. He just- couldn't bring himself to leave the medbay unattended, and even with First aid and Swoop present, he still felt that way. So many lives had been lost when he wasn't there, when he'd let his guard down for even an instance.
How could he keep away from the one place he was useful when the memories haunted him every joor of every cycle of his functioning when he was not within reach of his life saving equipments.
It was not till a gentle hand had wrapped around his wrist and begun to pull him away from the office door that he noticed he had been beginning to drift off with the tide of his memories, his systems involuntarily slowing to a sedated pace and his optic dimming to reserve power.
At first he tried to tug away, a token gesture that just came with the temperament he possessed, but soon settled for sulking in defeat and following the other silently. In truth he had no intention of hurting the other by using force, or making a spectacle of himself as he was dragged through the rec room to retrieve energon- unable to free himself due to his low energy levels. Still, he felt uneasy, but at least with his assistants close at hand the thought of leaving the medbay did not fill him with dread as it had once did before he'd met First Aid.
"Do not worry Ratchet, Swoop will watch over medbay until you are ready to return." First Aid said lightly while turning to give the Dinobot a brief nod, trying to sooth over the restlessness he knew must be boiling away under the surface of those too sharp optics and too stern posture.
Ratchet grunted in acceptance, casting a glance over to the tall, robotic pterodactyl standing naught bot a few berths away, catching the sight shift in those all too familiar optics and that steadfast expression, not liking the implications of the Swoop's searching stare as it flickered from his mentor to his fellow assistant.
The Dinobots were not gifted with numbers nor words, had no means of understanding most abstract concepts nor predicting possible futures beyond what they understood and could grasp with both hands, but they were by no means lesser beings. They were of a practical nature, seeing only what the world presented to them, obvious things that so many tended to overlook till it was pointed out to them, so caught up in their abstract thinking as most were. And Ratchet did not like the knowing glean in those too open optics watching him and First Aid with something resembling amusement.
"Me Swoop understands. Swoop will watch over medbay 'til creator Ratchet and First Aid returns." The Dinobot tilted his helm a bit, but chose to remain silent.
Of all the Dinobot brothers, Swoop was the only one besides Snarl who knew when to keep his observations to himself, and for that Ratchet was thankful. But still, even as he allowed himself to be led to the rec room's energon dispenser, he still could not shake the memory of that expectant look Swoop had so often fixed upon him in the presence of First Aid, waiting patiently as only a predator of Swoop's nature could.
Because not long after the day he'd first seen that youthful, trusting face gaze to him with such admiration, those too inexperienced hands working to be everything Ratchet had been forced to become, and heard that soft, but all so determined voice sooth a patient in his last moments, Ratchet knew he'd never be able to forget the young medic who'd stolen his spark with a single selfless gaze.
That day, the old medic learned the meaning of pure love.
However, a few short deca-cycles later, the two medics somehow found themselves locked in a small, out-of-the-way operations room near the back of the medbay, unable to open the door without a specific password or phrase- which ever it was- and their comm. picking up naught but static.
Luckily, they managed to get the blasted door open by the next cycle, unluckily, only to be met with the 'oh so pleased' smile Swoop was flaunting about at them for the rest of that cycle. Not even one of Ratchet's infamous rants could dampen that grin any.
That day, both medics learned that Swoop was a sneaky little fragger who was not nearly as innocent as many made him out to be.
Still, they thank Primus every chance they remember that Ratchet's creation was never so big on subtlety, if the password 'I love you' is any indication.
AN: Swoop you sneaky bugger! But I love you anyway. Anyway, I'm going to be doing some editing on this story soon, so if you suddenly see an influx of chapters coming and going you now know why. Hope you enjoyed it!
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