Updated - 04~08~2022
While I wrote this fic, something happened. I had, out of the sudden, new ideas for a fic I had long on hiatus and a new story I recently began writing. I feel euphoric!
Also, I thought this chapter to be the last one, but, I'm happy to announce it won't be that way. It might even have a sixth one!
Don't know when will I update, but I hope it's soon.
Enjoy!
4
The old Autobot carefully prepared his tools, selecting the most appropriate ones for the task. He shortly studied his precision welder and his fine tweezers, before he left them on the vent's corbel, satisfied. The only things he had missing were the replacement for the fusebox elements, which, given the size of them, he didn't possess. But building functional things with no more than junk was something he had learned over wartime.
He remained thoughtful for few clicks, pondering what kind of materials would suit such delicate procedure, and something came to his mind. Out from his subspace, he extracted some spare metallic plates and thin caliber cable filaments, which he had stored from that time he had helped the kids with their school projects. He analyzed them. It wasn't much, but it was right what he had been look for.
Ratchet then took his time to have a good look inside the fusebox. He first ran a scan of the existing components to see how many of them were affected. Once the diagnosis was completed, he counted the damaged pieces, and proceeded to measure their sizes, trying to get an idea of the things he had to manufacture. For his surprise, most of them still remained intact despite the time gone. He would only have to deal with a pair of blown fuses and three or four peeled and burned cables.
With ideas clear in mind, he got his servos down to work.
The crimson mech stared up in utter boredom, his frame braced against the ladder. Thirty unbearably long human minutes where gone since the old cranky model had climbed up there, and tiresomeness was already having its effects on him.
In the beginning, Knockout had fought to appear responsible in front of the azure femme, firmly holding the ladder while looking good. Yet, it seemed the kids had all her attention. That got the mech silently huffing, leaving him figuring out what else to do for her to notice him.
He had been deep in thoughts, his distracted gaze darting around the ceiling, when the sudden sound of her pedesteps had him turning his helm over his shoulder, unconsciously puffing himself up again. But all his expectations were brought down when she had just walked by without muttering a word, heading inwards base. The only thing he had received from her had been an enigmatic side look, which he wasn't sure how to decipher. That had confounded the mech more than he already was.
Unable to follow her, nor entertain himself where he was, the young medic had finally succumbed to the boredom. He no longer cared if that dirty thing was in contact with his much appreciated finish. At its side, he would rust faster than the ladder itself just by standing there!
A deep heavy sigh escaped him, his optics rolling as he found himself lowering his helm. He rested his forehelm on the step right in front of him and closed his optics, murmuring something for himself in Kaonian. If only the out-of-date model could speed things up up there…
"Any advances yet, Knockout?"
Upon hearing the femmenine voice next to him, the mech almost startled, abruptly raising his helm to try locate her, optics wide in shock. Standing there by his side, the azure femme stared up to the older medic, her servos rested on her waist. She had been so stealthy he hadn't even hear her approaching. He wasted no time trying to regain his composure before he gave her a proper response.
"It's hard to tell, but if Ratchet's taking his time up there it's most likely because he has found the source of the malfunction." He explained with apparent calm, diverting his gaze up too. "I don't think it'll take him much longer. Vents should be working anytime soon."
"Those will be good news for the kids. I have never seen Jack as suffocated as he is right now." She commented, giving a short look over her shoulder in their direction. "I brought them an energon cube from the storage. The much cooler glass should provide them some refrigeration while Ratchet works."
The former 'Con hummed in response, darting a quick glance over his shoulder guard too. So that's where she had been off to a while back… He had to admit he had completely forgotten about the humans. Fortunately for him, the kids were too distracted to pay them any attention at all, what would grant him a chance to talk to the femme, undisturbed.
"Do you need help with the ladder?" Arcee offered, bringing her optics up to his. He stared into them for a moment, before he pushed himself off the ladder into a fully standing position, resting both his servos on the rails. The ladder lightly wobbled.
"Don't worry, Commander. I got this." Knockout confidently smirked, winking at her. "This ladder shall not move an micron while I hold it." He added vainly, raising his helm up with a sly gaze in his crimson optics.
The femme shortly nodded without responding to his flirtations and brought her gaze up to the heights again.
The white and orange medic was deeply concentrated detaching the burned cables when he sensed the subtle tremble on the ladder. He raised his gaze from the panel and zoomed out to have a downwards look. He descried the former Decepticon at his place and the commander looking up to him. Nothing seemed out of place, thus he concluded Knockout must had reaffirmed his hold onto the structure.
Anyway, he shouldn't worry about it, not when he had more important things between servos.
He dismissed the matter and returned to his task, nimbly extracting the last burned cable. He studied, for a moment, the delicate filaments in his servo and compared them with the replacements he had made. He grinned. Except for the discoloration, they looked almost identical.
Ratchet picked his fine tweezers on his left and the precision welder on his right and prepared to weld the first replacement in place.
Back at the ground level, both cybertronians stood in silence, watching their chief medical officer at work. Well, mostly Arcee did, while Knockout's gaze couldn't focus on the old medic. What he didn't know was the azure femme actually knew it.
"It is my understanding you have a patrol shift tonight, is it?" He took the initiative side looking at her, hoping his words would give way to a conversation.
"That's right." She confirmed, not yet returning the stare. "Why you ask?"
The mech didn't reply right away. Instead, he remained silent for a moment.
"I've been thinking that, perhaps, I could join you and grant you some assistance." Knockout suggested, carefully picking his words up. "Would there be any objection to that, Commander?"
She too took few clicks to ponder her decision, crossing her arms over her chest, thoughtful.
"I don't see any." Arcee conceded, a subtle grin appearing on her face. "Two 'Bots can surveil better than one." She added fixing her intense cerulean gaze on his crimson one. He would have sworn there was something else hidden deep within those optics, in which he lost himself for an instant. Her reply though, brought to his lips a smile of his own. Things looked like they were starting to work out!
Encourage by her positive reaction, he decided to take another step further, see where she had placed the red line.
"Is there any protocol we must follow right after patrol is over?" He interestedly inquired as he rested both his forearms on a step and his chin on them, leaning closer to her. She stared into him for few clicks, before she proceeded to answer calmly, raising her gaze up.
"According to Autobot rule number five, we are to return back to base…" Arcee concreted, serene. Knockout frowned. That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. She still had her helm tilted up when he was met with her halfway closed askance look, dragging all his attention back to her. "… Nobody said it has to be right away, though." She added, lowering her helm to face him. A smart smile appeared on her lips. "So tell me, what do you have in mind, pretty mech?"
Many would have been taken aback at her sudden direct and confident come back, intimidated. Knockout, instead, smugly smirked.
The azure femme's ability to easily read through him always amazed him. It seemed as if she was always one step ahead of him, knowing well there was a hidden intention behind his interest. And that was, perhaps, one of the things he most admired from her.
"Maybe once it's all over, we could go someplace…" The crimson mech deepened his voice, directing her a seductive gaze. "How about we go watch a movie?" He crooned, never parting his optics from hers.
"A movie?" Arcee echoed, raising an opticbrow. Her winglets twitched up, reflecting her intrigue. "Where to?"
Knockout chuckled, boastfully straightening up, but never answered. He just brought an elbow to a higher step and then leaned all his weight on the now shaking ladder. His confident optics brightly flashed at her for an instant, before he diverted them to have an unhurried look around.
He knew well what he was doing.
Ratchet was almost done building the second fuse with the remaining thin metal plates when the intense tremble almost shook him of balance. He momentarily forgot about the tiny component in his servo as he fought to keep his firm hold.
After a brief fight, the old medic regained his stand, his vents working hard to make his altered spark at ease. It took him some breems, but finally calmed down. That had been close.
He knew the heigh wasn't enough to severely harm a cybertronian, but it was enough to cause him some serious troubles if he didn't watch his steps… Or if his assistance decided to involuntarily bring him down.
Speaking of which…
The old medic dared to have a look down and, as he had suspected, discovered the crimson mech was no longer properly holding the ladder. He rolled his optics in exasperation. He had expected the former Decepticon to behave in front of their commander, but now that he had all her attention, all those expectations had vanished in thin air. Knockout was more focused on getting noticed than keeping him safe.
Why did this mech never do as asked?
Ratchet didn't know.
The white and orange mech returned all his attention towards the minuscule fuse in his tight grasp. He opened his servo only to discover he had accidentally crushed it while trying not to fall. He cursed. He wasn't sure he had enough material to build a third one. If he wanted the vents working, he would have to restore the one he was currently holding.
He just hoped he could finish the work before things got to worse.
