Ratchet stood at the front door of the manor, anticipation thrumming through him. He slowly opened the door and ventured inside.
He noticed the smell of alcohol was rather punctuating. "Orion?" He called out carefully, drawing the pepper spray that was in his bag. "Orion, I'm home…"
He carefully walked towards the dining hall, looking for him. "Ratchet…?" A soft voice echoed from the kitchen.
Ratchet rushed towards it, droppingd his bag onto the floor. He turned the corner into the kitchen, and his spark dropped just a little bit as he met Optimus's optics. He sat on the floor, behind the counter, with a knife in his hands. He was shaking. There was energon everywhere. It leaked down the sides of his helm. Bruising formed around his optic on the left side, there were cuts on his hands, and dents all over him. Particularly around his arms and on his neck.
"Ratchet, thank Primus…" he murmured, shaky tears slipping down his cheeks.
"'Rion…" he murmured, kneeling next to the Prime. "What happened?" He asked, grabbing kitchen towels and pressing it carefully to the bleeding gash on his temple.
"We… we had a fight…He-he was fed up…Primus, it hurts…" he slurred leaning his bleeding
"I know, I know. It'll feel better after a little bit. Everything's going to be just fine," he said, pressing the towel a little tighter to the wound. "What did he do?" He asked lowly.
"He broke a bottle over my head…"
Ratchet would have done anything to break that mech in half. He wanted to slaughter him right then and now. He drew in a deeper breath. "Where is he?" He asked.
"I'm not sure… he went out saying that he needed to cool off, last I remember. That was… an hour ago?" He hummed softly, blinking slowly.
"Alright… can you stand up?" He asked.
"Maybe?" He murmured back.
"Just go slow," he said softly, gently guiding him.
Optimus was incredibly shaky but he did manage to get standing on two legs. With some encouragement, Ratchet managed to get him off of the floor and into a chair. He pulled out a first aid kit and carefully began cleaning him up, disinfecting the cuts.
"Ratchet…?" Optimus murmured softly.
"Yes?" He asked.
"I… I owe you an apology…" he murmured softly, his audios pinning down. "I should have listened."
Ratchet shook his helm. "You can keep your apology. You didn't do anything wrong. You had every right to feel upset."
"What am I supposed to do here?" He asked softly.
He paused for a moment. "What do you mean by that?" He asked.
He looked down at the ground, looking so unsure. "You were right…" he said softly. "He's not good news… I used to adore him, and he used to be so kind but… but I don't…" he sighed, shaking his helm.
Ratchet eyed him. "You want to end it with him?"
He seemed to sink even lower at this. "…yes. I do. I… I don't think I can ever look at him the same, after what he did to me…"
Ratchet gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Optimus looked over at him. "You're making the right decision…"
"I know…" he said softly. "I don't know how he's going to take it…I don't know how I'm going to go about this and I don't know how this is going to affect the movement we have going-"
"Don't worry about the movement. Don't worry about politics right now. This is about your safety and your happiness." He said softly. "Everything's gonna be fine. As for how… all you need to do is tell him, and the rest of us are going to help. We'll be right there."
Optimus fell quiet as Ratchet finished cleaning and dressing the wound on his helm. He carefully started wrapping a bandage around his helm and on the parts of his hands he thought needed it. Ratchet noticed he was trembling. Normal, he must be in a lot of pain…
Then he heard a small sniffle. Ratchet looked over at him. Tears ran down his face in smal streams. "Optimus?" He asked softly.
He shook his helm. "I don't understand how this happened… I didn't think he would ever…" he murmured reaching up and touching his bandaged temple.
He sighed softly, reaching his field out in sympathy. "I know. But he's already gone too far… "
"Maybe this was a one time thing… he's probably sorry…"
"Was he sorry the last time he hurt you?"
"…yes…"
Ratchet frowned. "How sorry do you think he really was if he turned around and did this to you?" He asked.
Optimus looked down.
"Optimus you didn't deserve this," Ratchet murmured. ""I don't care what you think you did to warrant this."
He shook his helm.
"Will you walk me through what caused this?" Ratchet asked.
"I came home from a lot of meetings and such… I was tired and I had a headache. I cooked dinner and he was raving about politics, and I….I just didn't feel like talking and I asked him to lower his voice a little bit… he went into this rant about how I never listen to him. How I'm so entitled and how hard his life used to be… I tried to defend myself and he told me he would give me a real headache and he hit me…" Optimus said softly.
"Optimus… that isn't any way to be treated… Being born in a high caste is not your fault. You have done everything you can to offset that."
Just then, the door opened. "Optimus! Where are you, I'm home!"
Fear overtook Optimus's optics. Both of them could hear Megatronus walking through the entrance hall before he appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. Ratchet put himself between the two of them.
"Ah. Ratchet, you're back from your trip. How was your family?" He hummed, not sounding happy to see him at all.
"You have some nerve coming back here," Ratchet growled.
"If you're accusing me of something you're going to need to watch your tone with me, medic," he replied waking over and setting the bouquet of flowers on the counter. "Optimus, dear… I know I got a little rough earlier. I'm very, very sorry. I forget how delicate others can be sometimes. I got you a little something while I was out to make up for it," he smiled softly.
"This is how you apologize for breaking a bottle over his helm?" Ratchet snarled. "How dare you. How DARE YOU. How dare you think that sweet words and flowers are enough of an apology for this! How dare you take advantage of his beliefs! If you want to bully and beat things like a barbarian then you're welcome to kill something back at the arena- you two-faced, rust-infected, scum filled, scrap of bio waste!" Ratchet snarled, advancing on him.
"You have been treated with nothing but respect and adoration by him and this is how you pay that in kind! You disgust me! You are one of the most tank churning, purge worthy, vermin that graces the Cybertronian Empire! You're a slag stain among all the horrible people I've spoken to, and I've spoken to the Senate! You're the lowest person I've ever met! Now you can go fuck right on off, and never turn back because we're done working with you." He tapped him on the chest with a digit. "We wouldn't want to taint our ideals with the presence of the likes of you! And if you truly care for what has been accomplished, or Optimus- then you'll turn around, walk out the door, and not come back!"
Megatronus scoffed at Ratchet, looking over at Optimus. "Optimus… you can't just let him prattle these insults at me. Dearest-"
"Don't call me that," he said coldly. "You left me bleeding and terrified."
"I needed to so we both could settle-"
"You need to leave. I didn't see it before, I thought you were teaching me to be mindful of the kind of Privilege I have, of what I was born with, but you were teaching me to submit to you. This was supposed to be an equal partnership!" He said
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about-It was equal!" He snapped.
"Oh really! Taking advantage of being stronger than me is equal? Throwing me around is equal? Hitting me is equal? Never taking no is equal? How many times, Megatronus? How many times have you guilted me into cooking an elaborate meal, cleaning up after you, serving you!! After I told you I wasn't feeling up for it! Well I'm tired. I'm tired of this, and I don't want to do it anymore…" he replied.
"Orion… I had no idea, we can work this out!"
"No. I don't have the time or the energy to deal with feeling like I'm in danger around someone I'm supposed to trust. I'm done... We're through…" he said softly.
Megatronus frowned deeply, looking away. "…fine. Be that way." He growled, turning around. "If you don't want to be an ally then you choose to be an enemy. Don't come crawling back to me when the masses flock to me rather than you." They heard the door slam shut behind his footsteps.
Ratchet sighed, rubbing at his face. He had taken a walk out to the gardens to try and clear his head and calm himself. Try to calm the turbulence in his spark.
He wanted to reach out to Optimus but there was no way in hell he was going to. That would be an awful idea.
It had only been a few weeks since he came home and found Optimus like that… At least he is healing up well. It was probably going to scar but it wasn't going to be overly visible. The public had asked questions, and Optimus replied that someone had tossed a bottle over the fence and got a lucky shot in. They were able to spin it rather easily.
They hadn't heard from Megatronus in a little while. Ratchet also tried to comfort him while still keeping his distance. Even if he knew how he felt… All the same…
He leaned against the rail of the gazebo looking out at the early evening. He had to wait until things settled down, but how long was long enough? Optimus was hurting… he knew that…
He sighed, shaking his helm.
Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. "Ratchet?" A voice asked.
Ratchet jumped, startled out of his mind. He turned around looking up at the prime. "Optimus! Ah, you're stealthy for someone so large…"
Optimus chuckled softly. "You seemed so deep in thought. I called your name a few times."
Ratchet blinked slowly. "Ah… Sorry I didn't know that…"
"It's fine, Ratchet, I'm just a little worried about you. You seem a little distant is all. Did your visit home not go well?" He asked.
Ratchet hummed. "No, it was fine… It was nice to see everyone again."
Optimus walked up to the rail, leaning up against it. He still had a lot of patches on to help against infection, but they weren't as big or bloody. "I'm glad," he replied
Ratchet nodded looking down at the gardens.
"Ratchet? You seem like you want to say something. It isn't exactly like you to stay silent on something…" Optimus said softly.
Ratchet stiffened up a little bit. Oh great, he had seen it. "Oh… um… I don't know what that may be… "
Optimus quirked an optic ridge. "You sure you don't want to tell me? We can talk about it."
Ratchet sighed gripping the edge of the gazebo a little tighter. He might not get another chance.
"I wouldn't mind talking about it.. I guess…" Ratchet murmured.
Optimus smiled down at him. "Alright… what's on your mind?"
Ratchet sighed, beginning to feel his plating start to burn. "This is something that's a little hard for me to talk about…"
"Oh, well that's okay. You don't have to if you don't want to, I'm just looking out for you."
"I know… and I do want to because I don't know if I'll be able to again…" Ratchet said softly.
Optimus looked down at him, curiously.
Ratchet sighed. "Look, um…you're an amazing person. You're smart, you're patient, you're passionate. And you're respectable, and kind… you're understanding. And I love the way you carry yourself, how you know what the right answer is, how you do just the littlest things to make life better and you don't tell anyone…. Like that waiter down in Iacon… he came to me asking if that huge tip was a mistake. Or that kid that came up to you after a protest asking you what it was like being so tall…" Ratchet cracked a small smile.
"You make me laugh," he chuckled. "You make me happy. I like being around you, and that's a first for me, I've never really liked being around anyone."
Optimus chuckled softly with him at this. Ratchet spark raced all the faster.
"And I didn't understand… for a while. I thought I was sick. I didn't understand any of these emotions I was having, because I had never had them… look at me prattling on about feelings…" he scoffed. "And I know… I know that talking about this right now is selfish. And impatient, and unkind, especially after what happened but… I don't know if I'll be brave enough again… but I adore you. I really care about you... I think I love you… I don't want an answer right now. Take your time saying yes or no or whatever. But don't answer me today. Please…"
Ratchet felt like his face was on fire. It was getting hard to talk too…"now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go hide in my room for a while. I cannot describe how embarrassed I am," he chuckled, slowly turning and walking away. He didn't look back at Optimus.
"I'll see you for breakfast, right?" He heard behind him.
Ratchet stopped where he stood. He couldn't help but smile just a little bit. He didn't turn though. "You will."