Winter
(f) Red Alert x Ratchet
"Ultra Magnus?!"
"Darling, it's the third time they have pinged you. You might want to answer them."
The naked General is a little busy nibbling on his mate's hip to answer his ship's com-line. He cants his helm ever so slightly in a classic, "You really want me to stop now?" look. Just for that, he touches her in just such a way, that even she did not hear the fourth ping of his name.
This next time a different voice and a different call is made, "Ultra Magnus, just what are you doing?" Crap, it's not like he can really ignore the Prime. The others he could pull rank on, but not this one.
"Shit," he hisses the Earth term shocking his mate, "What!" he barks back into harshly activated com unit, instantly regretting his tone only to swear again.
"Uh, Magnus? Are you alright? It's not like you not to answer our calls."
"I'm busy."
A long silence before the Prime asks again carefully, "Doing what?"
The great older mech takes a slow deep cleansing breath. Its been a few days since he gave his spark to Firestar (his Sparky). So far they are keeping it quiet lest someone judge them for bonding on the same night Inferno finally let go and passed on. To them, Inferno needed to see them together before he did. The others may or may not take the news so well.
Anyway, so just like any newly bonded pair who have been abstained for who knows how long, they can't get enough of each other. Just to add icing to the cake, they are trying desperately to make a sparkling. This interruption to their morning lovemaking is not helping one little bit.
"Nothing," comes out a bit calmer this time. "What do you need, Sir?" Mags plants his kiester to the berth pad and slumps onto the corner of his alcove-berth. His mate settles herself into his lap snuggling into his wrapping arms, and nuzzling into his throat. A hurr escapes his throat when she begins to nibble this time.
"We picked up another signal and we need someone to check it out. Wheeljack is still trying to work on M'lady. Can you make the trip or are you too…. 'busy'?"
Mags purses his lips. Optimus knows, damn. At this close, she can read not only his facial and body language, she can also read his spark-language.
"Maybe, but what EXACTLY does he know?" Firestar quietly asks to her secret mate.
Optimus coughs in a gentlemech manner hearing her, "Firestar, I know that something is up when my Second in Command doesn't ask me what I need on the first ping." He takes his own sigh, "I don't really care what you two are up to, it might even be good for you both. Go with him for all I care, he could probably use the company. Just go check out the signal. Please?" The last part is clearly a deep exasperated plea.
Mags clunks his helm back against the hull, "Fine. We take off in twenty. I have a pre-flight inspection I need to finish. Just zip me the information and we will check it out."
A whoosh is heard from the other end. "Thank you, General. Out."
Mags suckles into her neck, "Now, where was I?" She takes his hand and plants it back to her hip. "Riiiiiiight," he continues where he left off.
***
Twenty minutes of 'pre-flight check', and then five for a real pre-flight check and the couple find themselves looking over the transmitted data. Firestar taps the map of the solar system. "Mags, this is all the way out at their planet called Pluto. It's going to be cold and dark."
Feeling like millennia have fallen off his rough life, his spryer form leans over her chair at the science terminal and breathes his young-bold desire into her audio. "I'll keep you warm if you are afraid of freezing." Her hands skip a beat on the screen and he smirks arrogantly.
She turns and lets him kiss her hotly before she smiles against his lips, "Darling, I have no fear of the cold or dark with you around, but I was thinking you need more than a mere field medic on this trip if there really are bots out on that place. Remember what Arcee said about when she and Optimus got trapped at this planet's north pole, this place is going to be far worse."
He actually growls. That does make her shocked. "Mate, are you threatened by Ratchet?"
He turns the chair and kneels before her, "I am threatened by no one." He tries to hide his pout. She can't help but smile because he looks so CUTE and no one would ever suspect Ultra Magnus of all bots as being cute and jealous! "I just wanted… you know…," he flushes to his immature side being needy for her.
Firestar slips her arms around his neck, bringing her closer to him, "When we get back, take me around the moon and we can finish this morning's wake up call."
"The sooner we leave, the sooner I will have you back under me." She shivers hearing that dark predatory sound coming from him.
WOW! Her spark flutters. Even Inferno had not been this possessive! It's thrilling and yet a bit worrisome for her. Ultra Magnus has always been a gentleman and she doesn't want the Autobots losing their much needed commander as he becomes her mate and sire to their sparklings. Chewing on her lip, she ponders this new side to him. The medic-side of her latches onto a thought to his new domineer.
"Um, darling, I'm going to ask Ratchet to bring a certain device."
"What KIND of device?" He isn't so sure he likes her being sneaky. Feeling her adjust, he finds his hand laid to the spot just below her spark chamber where the gestational pod is. "Oh, right. Good idea," he feels dense for not having thought of that.
With her sweet smile and a last peck to his lips, he rolls back to stand tall and touches his comm. with his clear and dignified military tone. "Doctor, we request you join us. The conditions appear to be quite severe and the well being of the new arrivals might need your expertise."
"Very well. I will gather my kit."
Firestar patches in and asks him for one last piece of equipment. Although the doctor hesitates, he does as she asks and bridges to the place Magnus normally hides his precious ship.
Magnus closes the door and lifts off as soon as Ratchet is aboard. Ratchet ignores the pilot and comes to the field medic. "Look, I don't want to get your hopes up, Inferno was pretty sick, I'm just not sure that his-" Ultra Magnus growls.
Ratchet looks between his former student and the former leader of the Wreckers. Firestar looks down to her hands, "Just do the scan, please."
"Fine," he pulls out slowly curious to Ultra Magnus' super tense posture. "Let's go to the back, you know the procedure, correct?"
"It's been a very long time, but refresh me?" She looks back over her shoulder once more, but her mate is concentrating, and then heads to the now pristine berth. Removing a few bits of armor, Ratchet begins his scans on the femme's torso.
"Well, it certainly looks like you have been trying," he tries to give a straight face now understanding the great mech's growling-attitude and seeing the viable evidence of their 'pre-flight check' in her body. With a soft breath, continues his scan, "I don't see anything else…. Yet," he pushes for her not to give up hope. Averting his optics, she turns away to snap on her armor.
Respectful as ever, he says nothing else about her scan or who has made a new deposit to her body. He's not sure if she is hopeful or worried and decides to play it safe. "It's a good thing you asked me to bring it, I have a feeling with all the bonded pairs showing up, it will just be a matter of time before this gets a lot of use. I'm going to look it over and make sure everything is in working order."
With a silent nod, Firestar makes her way back up to the cockpit and takes a seat beside her new mate. Ratchet watches them closely: Her helm slumps, Ultra Magnus' hand gives hers a squeeze, her helm turns to him, he smiles encouragingly. Ratchet smiles. It warms the medic to see both Firestar and Ultra Magnus no longer alone in life. The broken sparks have found a new hope to latch onto.
Sinking his optics to the device in his lap, his hand absently rubs his own aching chest. Once more he tries not to let his own dying prayers and lost hope override the current situation of rescuing another Autobot or Magnus and Firestar's new life. With a shaking breath, he makes sure everything is calibrated properly and rechecks his med kit once more.
Cruising all the way out to the tiny ice ball of a grey blue planet called Pluto, the group is very professional. Ratchet makes sure Firestar gets some much needed rest while saying nothing to Ultra Magnus about the relationship he witnessed. Ultra Magnus is grateful and stay tactical and professional as well.
Soon enough they arrive. Sledgehammer bucks and jerks against the nasty icy winds. More than a blizzard, the good sized ship is buffeted and beaten by flying rocks of ice. "We better hurry. This signal looks like it's fading."
Firestar looks to the two mechs for advice. Ratchet hands her a data pad, "Get these ready."
Ultra Magnus grabs his hammer from above his berth and points to the elevator, "Close it once we get down. I don't want ice building up on the telescoping rods. I'll give you plenty of notice to drop it for us." He's left just standing there just looking at her. She knows better than to be worried for him but still, it's the first mission he's been on since they bonded.
Ratchet shakes his head, "I'm turning my head, just be quick will you?" And heads for the lift.
Firestar steps closer and Mags rest the hammer head to the floor lightly, "Hey, it's going to be fine. Just a little ice and cold."
She presses her forehelm into his bowed one, "I know. It's just…. It's a rescue mission, you know like we used to…."
He gives her a soft smile rubbing a thumb over her lips, "Hey, its alright to miss him. I sure do." She nods accepting his support. "Just… be awake when I get back, promise me that?" She nods again into his own loss he hopes not to repeat. With that, he gives her a light warm kiss and takes his hammer back up. Firestar lets her mentor and mate down into the ice and chill to save another life.
When the Ambulance and the Armored Transport arrive within sight of the crashed ship, they are both left shaking their helms. The hull is cracked like an egg. There is no salvaging of this mangled wreck like M'lady. Anyone in here is going to be either very lucky or wishing they were very dead.
"OH Primus!" Ratchet grips his tightening chest and rushes into the ship. Magnus just blinks in surprise trying to follow the white mech through the swirling blue and white flurries lit up by Sledgehammer's external lights. Even with his longer leg strides, he has a hard time keeping up. Something is driving the older medic with quite the passion.
"RATCHET!" but his words are whipped away in the wind. He arrives just in time to see the mech disappear inside the crack. For him, he has to rip and tear at the gash until there is room for his larger frame. This time he uses his com-line, "Ratchet, what is it?"
"My Red Alert!" it's a panicked wail.
Magnus shoves himself forward harder and faster. He knows the pain of an aching bondmate. Ratchet has been without his Red Alert for how long and if she is the only life sign they were receiving from this wreck! He surges carefully once more hoping that his bulking frame won't implode the twisted and buckled shuttle. Following the headlights on Ratchet's chest, he finds Ratchet pushing one dead body off another frozen form. With out a taking a breath, Ratchet grabs the femme by her chest grill and shakes, "RED! Wake up RED!"
Magnus taps his comm. back to his ship, "Firestar, prepare the med-kits for hypothermia. Get the thermal blankets and start them up!"
With a clasp of a hand to the CMO's shoulder he barks an order, "Get her back to the ship, I'll continue here. Go."
Ratchet didn't have to be told twice and scoops up his frozen love. Pulsing his words and spark love hard over her, he races back to the intact blue ship with his precious cargo. Even slipping through the icy and drifts he surges back to the safety of Sledgehammer. Firestar is at the ready to help her mentor as the lift slowly brings them up inside. She tries to take the frozen femme, but Ratchet won't release his mate continuing to mutter to her unresponsive form.
Tugging his arm as the chunks of ice slide off his body melting on the floor, Firestar pushes out her support, "I have the thermal blankets ready. I have a spark monitor charged. What else do you need?"
He lays the white and red form out and takes a deep breath to shove his personal thoughts to the back of his mind leaving room for his professional side to take over. "Hypothermia."
Firestar sees the professional everyone trusts coming back round. "Yes. Her core temperature is dangerously close to death already in stasis lock."
"Help me," he begins pulling at his armor.
"Right!" She snaps to understanding the best way to reheat a near death-frozen form is body-to-body contact. Swiftly she begins tugging at the femme's white and red armor while Ratchet continues toss his own aside.
Firestar is quite surprised to see how quickly the stocky mech can shluck his own armor and is helping her roughly discard the rest of Red Alter. Laying his larger, fuller form over the still one, his hands begin the rough rubbing to stimulate circulation. Firestar wedges her smaller hands here and there in between them to get monitors stuck on to the limp one.
"Come on Babe, come back to me. You've made it this far, don't you dare give up on us now!" Ratchet's tone is firm but also warm.
"Ratchet, her spark is retreating." Firestar taps the monitor really hoping she is reading that wrong. Ratchet is a bit firmer in his aggressive touches trying to get Red Alert to come round.
"Wait, how close are you to Red," Firestar asks the delicate question.
Ratchet stalls and turns his head. Terror of losing the love of his life is quite evident across his face. "We are sparkmates."
Firestar beams, "Perfect!"
That pulls his face instantly from worry to confusion, "Come again?" Now it's his turn to feel dense when she explains.
Firestar grabs a retractor stimulant, "Half of her life is yours. Reach in there and bring her home. Don't let her give up."
Normally a forced spark merge could be considered the equivalent of rape, but not what she is implying here. What she is saying is, reaching within yourself and find your other half and safe it from dying. His spark is not going to 'take' or consume Red Alert's, no, he's going to reach in and touch it lightly letting her know they are home again. With that touch, she won't give up…hopefully. The down side to this is that if Red is that far gone and Ratchet dives in for her retreating life, she could take him with her into the Well of Sparks and Firestar will lose them both.
With a touch to his furrowing brow, Firestar smiles, "Would you have it any other way?"
Ratchet shakes his head and takes the stimulator that will override and retract her spark chamber doors, much like spreading a ribcage to do open heart surgery on a human. Firestar pulls the thermal blankets over the bonded pair and the tugs the berth curtain closed to both give them privacy and added trapped warmth.
The half grieving mech looks down on his beloved mate. This will either bring them back together, or kill them both. "Babe, I'm coming for you. Hang on."
First he retracts his own spark chamber panels and then lightly touches the stimulator to her own chest. He's hoping that her spark will hear his calling out. Nothing. So he brings it up another notch and touches again. The locking pings retract and he tosses the stimulant rod aside so his light thumb can caress and gently push the doors aside. No need to leave the patient more battered by the cure than the curse.
Once more, his spark softly calls out for her. Nothing. So he lays himself fully over her and sends his spark into her chamber. There she is, his spark flares and reaches out.
Cold, lost and ready to give up, it's so small and tucked away to the deepest recesses of the chamber, she ready to join the AllSpark. Ratchet's spark sinks, kneeling before her.
"I'm here. I'm really here. Please, stay with me," he pleads.
"You're here where? In the AllSpark or in the real world?"
"In the real world. I'm never letting you go again. You will not leave my side again, I will not let you go without me."
"It's warm again, maybe we should just go Home where it is safe," she still ponders if he is real or not.
He waves his comfort over her spark. "I know, Babe. If that is what you want, then I will go with you, but I would like for you to consider something else before you decide."
She sighs, but listens. "The bonded are coming back together again. There is talk of starting families. I'm ready. I'm finally ready. You don't have to hide anymore. I will give it to you."
"Really?" She blinks and flares. Having seen a lot in his vorns, the older mech has refused for so long to give her his half of a sparkling. The last argument had been so bad that he stormed off to protect the Prime over staying and giving Red her deepest desire. She thought she died that day when he left.
Now, she can feel his spark-tears too. That day had been just as awful for him as well. Everyone takes his grouse for being just a cantankerous old grouch. Only Optimus knows that he is kicking himself for being an idiot for running away from his hurting mate.
"Ratchet, bring me home, please," sweet and firm Red Alert wraps herself around his spark.
The gentlemech extends his graceful bow, "It would be my honor and privilege."
Firestar hears a femme's gasp of reawakening from the closed berth. Ratchet's deep voice is muffled but the soft crooning is pretty obvious. She is pretty sure she knows what is going to happen next, but ahh where to go to give them further privacy. Swiftly she goes to the cockpit and taps into the comm.-link. There she distracts and keeps Ultra Magnus off the ship for a bit longer helping him decide what materials and data files to bring over from the wrecked ship.
Back behind the curtain, Ratchet removes the last two pieces of red and white armor. Maybe they shouldn't be doing this right here and right now, but even as a medical professional he knows that intimate body to body contact is the best way to stimulate frozen circulation inside and out. Besides, this is his long lost spark mate begging him to cuddle and refill their love.
He is very careful in slow tender movements and open suckling kisses along her body. Red has never felt more alive that right now. Every kiss, every touch brings her body online again. There are places she forgot her body even had. Nothing brings her more around that the sweet look in his optics that he only ever had for her.
Soon she bites her lip and begs him for further deeper caresses. With a compassionate kiss, he does. She's not the only one coming alive. Having her form against and around him reminds him all he is living for. Cybertron be damned, his life is in his hands right now mewling out his name with each careful stroke against each other.
Red grips the back of his neck and yanks him down into a drinking kiss, surging her spark up into his chest as hard as his body is pressing into hers. It makes him laugh to thing of her possibly implanting into him instead of the other way round. With another surge of her chest shooting grappling tingles into his chamber, his body reciprocates into hers.
Both bodies pant. Both sparks collapse back into their respective chambers. The soft glow of the berth nightlight illuminates their flushes cheeks.
"Warm?" She asks him.
He gives her a rakish smirk, "On fire."
She giggles and snuggles into his form slumping to his side. "Please don't let go."
He strokes a finger down her nose, "Um, you are under a doctor's care. You aren't going anywhere."
With that, she pulls his arm so that his lies more over her, "There, now I'm under your care." He chuckles and tucks her face into the hallow of his throat.
With the still of their love making, a creak of hull snaps him back to full reality. "Oh shit!" he touches the comm. above the berth, "Firestar, get your mate back on board before he freezes to death!"
A warm chuckle come back over the line, "I'm here and safe, Doctor. How fairs your own mate?"
Red looks up to Ratchet with a most sedate grin. Ratchet's worries whoosh out and he takes two more breaths before answering, "I have her back."
Ultra Magnus hums and then fires up the engines. "Good, good. Unfortunately, we could not save anyone else. I am going to blow the ship."
Red soothes a hand over Ratchet's closed spark chamber bringing her cheek to it as well as he frowns. She was the only one to survive this trip and he nearly lost her as well. With a nod of her helm, she gives the authorization to destroy her ship and bury her teammates in the icy tomb.
The medical mates clutch each other as the ship rises and the weapon is discharged. The rocking to the ice-rocks pinging against the reinforced hull bottom has them rolling a bit, but Ultra Magnus is a certified pilot and has them heading back to Earth in a short matter of time.
From the cockpit, Magnus cuts the berth nightlight. In other words, he tells them to get some sleep. For the first time in a long time, Ratchet follows someone else's medical advice and does so. For the first sleep in such a long time, both of them find their dreams comforting and warm.
By the time they arrive back at Earth, both of them are well rested and Red is able to walk off the ship hand in hand with her mate.