Bobbi didn't want to go back to her parents' house right away. So, Ratchet felt inclined to drive her around town. This little get away was, after all, so he could meet her parents and so they could spend time together. Off of base, and away from annoyances and distractions.
At least, Bobbi had been looking forward to it as such; she had no idea if he saw it the same way. Hesitantly, she stole a look at the medic curiously; once more cursing the fact that they had left her helmet back at the house.
She always felt bare and naked without it.
Ratchet didn't appear to notice, or at least, didn't make inclination that he had.
Returning her gaze to the world outside her door window, Bobbi watched as they went from the more relaxed side of town; to the crowded and overpopulated shopping district. Eyebrows raising in surprise, the field medic leaned forward on her upper legs to get a better look. There didn't appear to be any parking spots-
Ratchet swung his ambulance form smoothly into an open place, having seen it before it had even become visible via his scanners. At times, she wore he had powers. Magical powers. Maybe he was a mutant from outer space; like from X-men. Only alien like.
Bobbi shook her head, trying to clear it of the weird thoughts plaguing it- clearly she was spending too much time watching movies and the like. She was broken from her thoughts when Ratchet shut off his engine and leaned back in his seat, letting out a heavy breath through his nose. Bobbi fixated him with a concerned look. He didn't look like he was looking forward to this. Guilt swirled in her lower stomach.
The CMO was there because she wanted to go, and he didn't seem to be enjoying himself at all. Reaching out, she threaded the fingers of her closest hand through the fingers of his closest hand. The appendages locked together, her hand over his in a silent form of comfort and apology. An offer, unspoken though it was, hung in the air. They didn't have to go and do this if he wasn't comfortable with it and didn't want to.
It was quiet for a moment.
Slowly, Ratchet shook his head, and offered her a crooked half smile. It eased the scowling lines his holoform had- to make it more 'realistic'. Bobbi's heart just about exploded. Handsome- he was so very handsome when he smiled like that, and she wished he would do it more often. It made her insides quiver and turn to jelly.
He slipped his hand from her's, opened his door and swung down from his ambulance form. More reassured now, Bobbi did the same, moving to join him at the other side of the vehicle, her hand trailing along the side of his true form. Was it just her imagination, or did he quiver beneath her touch when her fingers brushed over part of the side mirror?
Before she could investigate further, Ratchet quickly took her hand back into his own. The one that had been touching him. "Where do you want to go first?" The gruff question had her smiling. He was doing this for her, and that both warmed and made her heart swell within her chest.
Still beaming a bit, Bobbi pointed out a popular book store on the other side of the street. She rather enjoyed it, as it wasn't too expensive and they often had rarities that she liked to look at. Ratchet nodded, shoved his free hand into his jacket pocket, and started walking that way. The brunette followed him, one hand linked with his and the other trying to pull her coat closer to herself. It was freezing out thanks to the fact that it was winter, despite there being no snow just yet. Bobbi had faith it would at least flurry once before spring, however.
Bright blue eyes darted over to her slightly shivering form before she felt the hand leave her own- and she was suddenly wrapped in a strong, lean arm and pressed against a warm side. Discreetly, Ratchet heated up his holoform; raising its natural temperature level. Almost immediately, Bobbi stopped shaking and relaxed, sighing softly. She snuggled into his side, and he could feel her smile. It was all the thanks he needed; and the CMO hid another crooked grin, instead looking ahead and helping navigate them a path through the crowds of people spilling through the streets like water.
To Bobbi, it all held a certain vibe of surrealness, as if it shouldn't be real.
She was walking down the street, tucked into the side of a powerful, disguised alien that was thousands of years older, and so much smarter than her. More so than all of the human race, really. And yet, no one knew it. Those passing by them remained unaware of the awe inspiring being not a couple inches from them. It made her insides tingle and swell, a strange, almost dizzying feeling coming over her. How lucky, Bobbi thought, how lucky she was. Out of all these humans, she was the one of the few allowed to meet the Autobots, fight alongside them, and get to know them on a personal level.
Not to mention being allowed to have an actual relationship with one. It was strangely mind blowing to think about. But the arm wrapped around her shoulders was proof in and of itself. Bobbi snuck a glance at Ratchet's face, wondering what he thought of it all. Then again, she already had a pretty good idea of what he did think, and it drew a smile to her face. She knew him. Maybe not as well as the other Autobots, whom he'd been around for thousands of human years, but the mute did know him to an extent. It made her heart swell and her insides warm with something other than the heat coming off of the CMO's holoform at her side.
They slipped through the crowd with close to no difficulty before making their way across the street. Thankfully, there were no cars at the moment and their journey across the road was uneventful. Despite this however, Ratchet made certain to keep an eye out just in case.
Once across, the medic put out a hand and pushed the door of the bookstore open. A bell greeted the two, and they stepped in together. A warm wave of air washed over them both, engulfing them like a blanket and Bobbi found herself smiling at the familiar feeling and smell that instantly surrounded them. Like old books and peppermint. Her favorite. It was why the tiny woman loved coming to places like this. The smell, the warmth, and the friendliness of the employees. Not to mention the books! All the wonderful, amazing literature lining the walls of the shop, just waiting to be opened up and read. It made the tips of her fingertips itch.
Ratchet, for his part, preferred to quietly eye everything around them carefully. He noted the slight dust on some of the shelves, and at least three different health violations that could be dangerous for Bobbi, but merely filed them away. It wouldn't do them any good to suddenly become overprotective, as he was prone to doing. Clearly, this was something she enjoyed immensely, and so he would simply have to keep an eye on that bookshelf that was leaning forward precariously due to one of the bases having been damaged, and that mountain of stacked up books- it really looked like a wall of literature- that swayed ever so faintly.
Not to mention a few other things that made the medic a tad bit twitchy.
Bobbi didn't even seem to take note of any of these things, and instead shot him a half grin and proceeded to drag him further into the building. This was her territory- where she was comfortable. And it showed. Ratchet didn't think he'd ever seen her so relaxed, padon when she was at her parents' house; even in the med bay there was always this sense of readiness. As if she were still just doing her job, despite it being her down time. It always made him feel a bit edgy himself- like a cold spreading.
His hands slid into his holoform's pants pockets as Bobbi slipped from his hold and twisted down one of the many book aisles almost immediately. Musing to himself that this must be one of her few hobbies that didn't involve her job, the medic strode after the little mute in question. His medically inclined side was delighted that the human had something to relax and enjoy; instead of constantly burying herself in work- though a little part of him whispered that he wasn't much better when it came to that sort of thing.
Ratchet was quick to push the voice away.
It wasn't long before his gaze began to wander over the many books. More than a few concerning human medicine caught his attention, and the medic stopped a moment to pull them out a take a look, certain that Bobbi wouldn't go far. She couldn't- not really- thanks to the small size of the store, and he'd hear the bell go off again if she left. He felt fairly confident he could take a moment to look through the books himself.
Maybe he'd even find something to discuss with Bobbi. That would be very nice- to have a conversation on something that wasn't stressful or pertaining to work. The thought itself had his lips twitching, fighting to turn upward slightly. Maybe he could even draw her a little more away from her work, giving the little woman something to enjoy.
Deciding there was nothing there he didn't already know or that the information was outdated, he put his chosen books back and began to explore the many worn volumes along the shelves. Thusly, an hour or so passed. Ratchet found himself absorbed in the knowledge the bound paper could offer; the drive to learn that had pushed him to become a medic and a scholar of sorts, flaring to life under the stoking of the ink upon the surface of the literature.
It was because of this that Bobbi was able to scare the bejeezus out of him.
Ratchet had been turning the pages of a particularly large tome when the tiny medic had approached him from behind and laid a hand on his upper arm to gain his attention. The carpet, thick and soft as it was, masked her footsteps perfectly, and her short stature gave her the edge in creeping up on him from the angle she was coming from. He never saw or heard her coming; and when she put her hand on him- poor Ratchet nearly had a spark attack.
Whipping around, gripping the book tightly, the medic fixated large, startled blues on her. His holoform gave a sudden and unexpected static-y noise and flickered sharply, as if it was close to disintegrating. Bobbi, in turn, gave off a silent yelp and stumbled away, the hair along her arms and head standing at attention. She gaped at him, her eyes wide and her arm still outstretched towards him. Her body tilted backwards from where she had moved away from him, barely standing upright.
"Are you alright?" Regaining his wits, Ratchet stepped forward and quickly began assessing her physical condition, his medical side in full affect. For the most part, it was just static electricity. When his holoform fizzled in and out of existence, it released a large amount of electrons; causing her hair to react to it much like if a blown up balloon had been rubbed over it. Bobbi managed a shaky nod as he came to the conclusion that she was alright. "Sorry." The grumbled out apology brought a smile to her face as she relaxed and pulled herself back together. Ratchet didn't often apologize. Not unless he was one hundred percent sure it was his fault and not anyone else's. Even then, it was hard for him.
Bobbi doubted this was different. Still, she didn't mind. Apologies or no, that was just how the medic was, and she loved him anyway. Reaching out, she took his hand in her own, and began tugging him towards the front of the store. Ratchet took a moment to set the book still in his hand down and allowed her to pull him along.
His thoughts began to drift.
The books had been distracting. So much so that he hadn't noticed the passage of time or the fact that Bobbi was headed towards him. Holoform's took a fair amount of concentration and focus to pull together and keep steady. When she surprised him, Ratchet's had wavered, and he had nearly lost it. Thankfully, no one else was in the aisle or nearby; or that could have been a lot worse than it was. He would have to be careful not to do that again- though he was fairly certain he needn't report this to Prime. It wasn't like anything bad had happened, persay.
Ratchet was pulled from his thoughts as Bobbi picked up her bag of purchases, and exited the little shop with him. Cold air crackled over his face, making him far more acutely aware of his surroundings. Almost instantly, the little field medic at his side tucked herself into him, shivering slightly. Instinctively listening to his spark, Ratchet wrapped an arm around her in response and increased his heat output.
Most of the little stores, the doctor noted as they walked together, were closed due to it being so close to Christmas.
And then Bobbi began to laugh.
It was silent, and so he didn't notice at first. But then her body began to shake from the force of it, and she bent over against him nearly double. Confused, Ratchet stopped walking in order to wait for her and try to figure out why the hell she was about to pass out from laughter of all things. Why was she laughing? The answer eluded him. Snorting and giggling, Bobbi managed to calm enough for a moment to straighten up and look at him. But the moment she laid eyes on his face, she was bent over again, cackling without sound.
"What's so funny?" The CMO raised an eyebrow at the mute, his confusion apparent.
'Your face! You should've seen!' Her signing was shaky and nearly incomprehensible, but he managed to make it out. Still, he remained confused, and Bobbi decided to clear up the mystery. 'When you zapped me you silly goose.' And then she was in a torrent of laughter once more. Slowly, a smile crept onto his mouth as he remembered the human's own shocked, gaping face. Then a small trickle of chuckles left his mouth. Just a few, one or two. And then it increased. After a minute; he was laughing with her; loud and sincerely. Not a fake or hysterical laugh but a real, genuine laugh. One that draws up from your gut and the very marrow of your bones in sincere amusement and joy.
The kind of laugh that shakes your whole body like a Chihuahua.
How long had it been since he had laughed? Not cynically or bitterly or anything like that, but truly laughed? Ratchet couldn't remember. It felt… good. And he wanted more of it. It was wonderful. And as Bobbi fell against him, giggles leaving her like a rolling river, he found he couldn't stop. The laughter continued in a never ending supply.
He didn't even care as some people stopped on the sidewalk to openly gawk at them, or stepped out of the nearby few shops that were open to see what was going on. He didn't even care when a few of them muttered either about the 'damn Christmas spirit' or wondered if they were high off some sort of drug. Because it didn't matter. They didn't matter. For all Ratchet cared in that moment, they could fuck right the hell off as they humans said.
Bobbi didn't seem to give two shits about them either. Just the way it should be.
And so, ignoring the other people, they slowly continued to make their way down the sidewalk, holding onto one another and laughing. While Ratchet didn't laugh as much as Bobbi; he did, and he did his best to use his alien, robotic brain to capture the moment to keep forever. Everything from the pure white snow to the clear, star filled sky and large, crescent moon. And Bobbi, with her red, grinning face and tear speckled eyes that sparkled with amusement.
Because these things were worth keeping for all of eternity.
(AN: I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE! D:
Okay, now that that's out of the way, lemme 's'plain some things. Cause some people like 's'plaining. First off, for those who cared about the last AN, we got little Kiwi and put him back in his cage. We've also clipped his wings so he can't take off outside like that again and scare the living daylights out of us.
Secondly, this chappy did not wanna be written. I don't have writers block or anything- I have this whole story planned out right to the end- but things just kept cropping up. I had to spend a week packing, then I got pulled off for a week long cruise, and then when I got back I was sickly from the water and shit they fed us so I had to rest for another week; then I got a bomb dropped on me that was farther behind in school then I thought and I've had to play catch-up.
No one likes playing catch-up. No one. YOU HEAR THAT CATCH-UP?! YOUR UNLOVED!
Then the insurance company was like 'mer mer mer mer mer you need stairs and hand-railings on the porch or we'll drop you blah blah blah blah blah' so I had to help dad make those and get 'em set up. Then I had to paint more of the screened in porch and the outside bay window.
Needless to say I've been busy. Busier than a busy bee in a garden, bro.
On top of all this, my motivation to write this story is at an all time low- don't get me wrong! I'm NOT EVER going to abandon a story, and certainly not this one! But again, my motivation is making me write slow, cause I've got all these cool ideas for OTHER stories... yeah. I've got another 2 stories going besides Hear Me and this one; though I'm doing those in private so far. Why? Cause I don't wanna post what I have and then get begged to post more and then feel all stressed out and awful cause I don't got time to work on all of 'em in a timely manner.
That'd make me feel like a dick. A huge dick. And no one likes that feeling. It hurts the heart, bro.
So, here's to hoping there will be more updates in the future! :D Have a wonderful week and leave me some feedback, yeah? ^^~
Oh, and regarding the 'static' thing? In every relationship, there's always those cute little moments that seem insignificant to most. But their really the most important. Their the ones your going to look back on and smile at. I love writing silly little moments like this; cause theirs really nothing to them. And a lot of writer's don't incorporate them into their stories too often, when they really should. Its important man! :D So just sit back and enjoy the fluff.)