Ultra Magnus had a lot to do in a day. He had paperwork to sign, reports to read through, schedules to maintain, soldiers to debrief, and all of this left little time for him to bother with watching the security feed from the multitude of cameras around the base.
He started delegating some of his officers to the paperwork and reports, freeing up time to get a better idea of what his people were doing day to day. He couldn't lie and say it was just out of curiosity…
With two Conjux applications now sitting in a desk drawer, he wanted to know if Wheeljack and Knock Out were having him on or if they actually were as madly in love as the applications implied.
Knock Out had disconnected the camera in his hab-suite. He had also disconnected one of the two cameras in the med bay. This made Ultra Magnus feel deeply disappointed, but he also couldn't fault the medic for bad habits.
It called for an intervention, however. A quick check of the schedule showed that Knock Out had some free time that evening, and Ultra Magnus penned a request to meet for fuel and conversation. The response he got was as eloquent as he had come to expect from Knock Out, the medic even suggesting a time that worked for both of them.
"Good evening Commander." Knock Out called jovially when Ultra Magnus entered the rec room. "I must say, Commander, you're looking a little run down. When are you going to come see me about that hand?" He took the hook that Ratchet had created on Earth in his hand and let out a tsk.
"Good evening Knock Out. With all that's been happening, I haven't had the time to set aside for a lengthy medical procedure." Ultra Magnus explained calmly, gesturing to a table. "Why don't you take a seat? I'll get us our evening rations."
Knock Out bowed his head respectfully and sat, Ultra Magnus watching his body language as he moved away. There wasn't any outward nervousness, though he knew the medic had been avoiding him. There wasn't any shaking, any fear at all that he could see, but Knock Out's field was tucked in so tightly that it was difficult to get a clear read.
Retrieving two cubes of Energon, he returned to the table and took the other seat. "I wanted to discuss a few concerns I've unearthed over last week. You've disabled two cameras in your work area and your hab-suite."
"Ah yes." Knock Out picked up his cube, passing it from hand to hand in what Ultra Magnus registered as a distinctly nervous gesture. "Well, I have to admit that I find the subject of cameras in hab-suites a touchy one. It's our personal area, where we recharge, where we interface if the occasion calls for it… should there really be people checking in on us there?"
"You raise valid concerns, but the cameras are as much for your safety as they are for ours." Ultra Magnus tried to give off a calm, relaxing field. "If there's some sort of emergency, or if someone or something gets into your hab-suite while you're recharging, we need to be able to see it to stop it."
"I would really prefer to install proximity sensors that are coded to my spark frequency." Knock Out took a sip of his Energon. "That would suffice, yes?"
"Yes. That would suffice. But the med-bay-" Ultra Magnus began, Knock Out holding up a hand.
"Commander, the health care of my patients is confidential. I was merely attempting to make a more comfortable environment for them while I tend to their ills." He explained.
Ultra Magnus paused, getting the distinct feeling that the medic wasn't being entirely forthcoming. "Be that as it may, Knock Out, we need to be able to monitor all areas of the base. If something should happen, we need adequate time to respond."
Knock Out made a noise of irritation and looked down at his cube. Apparently, he had no solution for this one. "Very well." He sighed after a moment. "I will acquiesce to the camera in the med-bay being turned back on."
"Thank you for your cooperation, doctor." Ultra Magnus nodded. "It really is for your safety."
Over the next few days, the Commander kept an eye on not only the cameras, but the subjects themselves. He would never admit to sneaking… Ultra Magnus didn't sneak. He was however being cautious about being seen by both Wheeljack and Knock Out, wanting to catch them in candid encounters so he could judge their behavior for himself.
"Ow!" The sharp cry came from behind the not quite closed med-bay door, and Ultra Magnus stopped. He hadn't been intending to stop here, but it warranted examination. "Watch it!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, did your squirming cause me to harm you?" Knock Out's voice asked, dripping acid and discontent. "I don't understand why you can't just stay still!"
"Because you keep hurting me." Wheeljack growled furiously.
Ultra Magnus frowned. This didn't seem like healthy behavior…
"I wouldn't keep hurting you if you would just stay still. Is that so hard to grasp, Wrecker?" Knock Out sighed dramatically, then there was the sound of the stasis cuffs on the med berth deploying. "There." Now the medic was purring. "Is that better?"
Ultra Magnus' mouth turned down and he vented slowly. His suspicions were being confirmed, it seemed.
A welder started in the med-bay, then Wheeljack whined pitifully before yelping in pain again.
"Well if you hadn't let it fester for two days before letting me tend to it, it wouldn't be so bad!" Knock Out cried, and from here, Ultra Magnus could clearly feel the regret in his field.
"Wreckers don't call for backup… that goes for medical care too." Wheeljack ground out, hissing furiously when the welder began again. "Fraggit, Red, are you doin' that on purpose?!"
"I would never hurt you on purpose." Knock Out urged. "Now stay very still… this is going to be hard enough without you trying to jump off the berth."
Ultra Magnus crept away, leaving them to it. He was sufficiently horrified that Knock Out may have been using the med-bay for interfacing purposes, but confident that the two mechs did indeed have a measure of care for one another.
Maybe he would benefit more from speaking to the other officers rather than sneaking about.
Arcee was easy enough to engage, it was easy to approach the subject both naturally and casually. "My thoughts?" She queried when he asked about the union between their comrades. "Despite their seemingly conflicting personalities, it might be the best thing for both of them. They've… mellowed. And Wheeljack showing commitment to a mech like that? Bodes well for his ability to commit to other things."
"I guess I didn't think about it that way." Ultra Magnus murmured to his second. "You're quite possibly right about that. Wheeljack's always been more the type to run away from something like this."
"I was there in the shuttle after Knock Out was shot." Arcee's mouth turned down. "Wheeljack kept it together remarkably, but you could tell how scared he was. I've never seen a Wrecker get scared before… He begged Knock Out to hold on. If that's not love, I dunno what is, sir."
He thanked her before heading on his way with a lighter spark.
"There's definitely an attraction between the two." Smokescreen shifted from one foot to the other, avoiding eye contact, and Ultra Magnus pushed patience at him. "I was in the med-bay this one time, trying to convince Knock Out to fix my decals... " He fluttered his door wings to call attention to said decals. Ultra Magnus couldn't say he strictly condoned the waste of resources on something like cosmetic detailing, but moral did seem to be higher when the officers were looking their best. "And um… well… Wheeljack came in. They were sort of snarking at each other, really playful but trying to make it seem like it was nothing, y'know?"
"I think I may understand, yes." Ultra Magnus intoned.
"Knock Out was nervous about people finding out about them. Because of his past as a Decepticon and because of Wheeljack deserting a few times." Smokescreen rubbed the back of his helm. "So Knock Out asked me not to say anything… But Wheeljack came to me asking how to fill out a Conjux Endura application, and we sort of went through it together to figure it out."
Smokescreen's rambling was beginning to remind Ultra Magnus of another young mech he had met during the war. "So you helped him with the application? It was excellently written, soldier." He said with a genuinely pleased tone.
"Yeah? Yeah!" Smokescreen beamed. "It was, wasn't it sir? Anyway, I dunno so much about Knock Out, but Wheeljack's obviously head over heels. It's all in the door wings…"
Bumblebee laughed. Ultra Magnus felt a touch uneasy as he watched the former Scout throw his helm back, clutch his hands to his chassis and laugh like the Commander had asked the most hilarious thing in the world.
"I'm… I'm sorry sir, it's just so unlike you to ask something like that so casually!" Bee exclaimed, grinning up at him. "As for what I think about the whole situation? I think it's just what we need. Those two are leading by example. And Optimus would have been happy to have a little more love in the world."
"Yes, I daresay he would probably advocate more unions such as this." Ultra Magnus relaxed a little. "My question is more directed at whether you think it's genuine or not though."
"Definitely." Bumblebee said without hesitation. "Knock Out would never actually admit to himself just how much he cares about Wheeljack, but you can tell. His spark beats faster when Jackie's in the room. He's far more relaxed and at ease now knowing there's someone out there who unconditionally has his back. Not to mention-" Bumblebee stopped short, glancing up at him again then resetting his vocalizer. "Uh, not to mention, Wheeljack's been doing all the stuff he's scheduled to do without complaining."
Ultra Magnus raised an eyebrow but said nothing about the stutter in conversation. "I trust your observations. There isn't much that gets past you." He made a thoughtful noise. "I would have thought it would be you and Knock Out together in the end. You two seem to get along very well."
"Knock Out insinuated as much." Bumblebee shrugged in an easy going way. "I'm happy for them. I was never pursuing more than friendship with Knock Out. Everyone needs a friend. Especially when everything they've known for the past few million years has been turned upside down and shaken vigorously."
"Thank you for your insight." Ultra Magnus smiled at him and Bumblebee nodded back.
"I've never seen Jackie so happy!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "He was ready to rabbit before the application was sent in, but it seems like he's firmly setting down roots. Finally!" The big mech laughed.
"And with the war over, he's in no danger of going off on his own and potentially getting hurt. Or of doing something reckless and endangering others." Ultra Magnus murmured. "It's a nice change of pace."
"Jackie never meant any trouble. He's just got a rough personality." Bulkhead sobered a little, looking away awkwardly. "I think Knock Out can keep him in line if none of the rest of us can. Even if it means knocking him out and strapping him to something so he can't run away."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, soldier." Ultra Magnus grimaced a little.
He returned to his office deep in thought, and he didn't realize he wasn't alone until a hand stopped his door from closing once he was inside.
"You didn't come and ask me my thoughts." Ratchet's voice said, a teasing, amused tone to it. "Afraid I might ruin the elation?"
"Nothing like that, Doctor." Ultra Magnus ex-vented and offered the older mech a seat. "What brings you home?"
"Maybe I wanted to see you." Ratchet replied coyly. "Maybe I was just checking in. Maybe I was homesick… whatever the reason, I'm here now."
Ultra Magnus regarded the other mech, sinking into his own chair with a near inaudible groan. "And what is your opinion?" He asked, folding his hands on the desk.
"My opinion is that you've been working too hard. Again." Ratchet fixed him with a stern look. "Your back struts are a mess, your wiring is twisted and you've been cutting short your recharge to get more work done. You DO have officers who can take care of things for a few hours while you get some sleep, you know?"
"I meant your opinion on our soon to be bonded." Ultra Magnus pulled his lip plates into a tight line.
"I wish them the best of luck. They're both going to need it." Ratchet said simply. "Do I need to order you to the med-bay for a check up? Or can I trust you'll go yourself?"
"So you came here to lecture me, I see." Ultra Magnus grumbled and Ratchet let out a short laugh. "I'm perfectly capable of doing my job, Ratchet. I don't need medical care."
"A few more days in that seat and you'll be walking with a limp. Trust me on this one." Ratchet reached across the desk and closed his fingers around one of Ultra Magnus' wrists. "You'll perform better when your back isn't twinging while you recharge and keeping you awake. You could probably even stand to use the oil bath every few weeks."
"Guess I'm starting to show my age. An old war dog without a war." Ultra Magnus' impressive shoulders sagged and he reached up to rub his face. "It does get wearing, trying to run a world that's still in so many pieces."
"And no one could ask you to do a better job than you are already." Ratchet said, pulling his hand away. "But if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to do anything at all."
"I will consider myself sufficiently reprimanded." Ultra Magnus gave Ratchet a wry smile. "I am about to retire for the night. Would you like to take a drive?"
"A walk might be better." Ratchet mused, getting to his feet. "It's been some time since we had a moment for ourselves."
"Maybe we can go to the Well." Ultra Magnus also stood, lowering his optics. "Visit him."
"I'm sure he'd like that." Ratchet nodded. "And afterwards, you'll take a long, relaxing oil bath. Then I'll massage the knots out of your wires and we'll see where the evening leads us."
It wasn't an order, but Ultra Magnus was willing to take it as such if it meant seeing more of that smile on Ratchet's face.