Prompt: "You should be in bed."
Word Count: 3k
Warnings: Thunderstorm?? Good ol' fluff
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As nice as it was for Ratchet to have dropped me home in the evening, it was rather unfortunate due to the immediate downpour that ensued the moment I stepped foot inside. The downpour paired nicely with bouts of thunder and cracks of lightning every so often, the sounds surprisingly soothing to my ears.
At first, Ratchet was against the idea of having a charge. I spent several weeks feeling like a burden, getting rides to and from the Autobot base in his ambulance altmode.
Eventually, he put his annoyance with humans aside and finally managed to strike up a conversation with me that didn't involve a jab at my life or hobbies. It was nice, actually.
Now that I'd known him for almost six months, I'd come to enjoy the grumpy doctor's presence. I actually enjoyed listening to him complain and even put up with his grumbling as he worked on something new at base. Sometimes it felt like I was getting somewhere with him. Taking down those walls he held so high around him.
Speaking of, Ratchet was lucky to find a place to park his altmode for the night. He wasn't going anywhere in this storm, and I was adamant against that. He'd already tried to convince me he was needed at base, but I knew better. They could do without him for one night.
For an hour or so, I had opted to curl up on the couch with a blanket, but the lack of warmth and someone to talk to was getting on my nerves. Ratchet was probably attempting to recharge outside in the cold when he could just stay in here in his holoform.
Getting him to do so would be hard. However, he was such a mother-hen that I quickly devised a plan to get him inside and make him stay with me. If I ran out into the rain to join him, he'd force me back inside by any means. And if I had to endure his role as doctor for the night due to my idiotic plan, then that was fine by me.
Grabbing a hoodie from my wardrobe, I pulled it over my head and put up the hood, making for the front door of my house. With my parents away on a holiday to Fiji and school out for the holidays, the house was empty and made it all the easier to bring Ratchet inside without my parents or my annoying little sister asking questions.
After admiring the harsh downpour for a few seconds, I proceeded to sprint out into the rain, shutting the door behind me as I followed the footpath down the road. Underneath an overpass, Ratchet was parked in between a clump of trees and clearly saw me coming as he flicked on his headlights, nearly bloody blinding me.
"Y/N! What in the name of Primus are you doing??" His door opened just in time for me to climb into his altmode, wrapping my arms around me as I shivered from the cold. It hadn't taken long for the rain to completely soak through my hoodie and dampen my shirt.
"I got lonely inside so I came out to see you," I managed to give my excuse, brushing my now damp hair out of my face.
He gave an audible sigh, the lights inside his altmode dimming. "I see. But I can't keep you warm out here all night. And you'll be more comfortable inside."
Toying with my hands, I let the sheepish smile come to my face. "Well... will you come inside with me and stay the night? Please?"
The silence inside the ambulance was almost deafening. As far as I knew, I could be pushing him to do something he didn't want to do. He'd certainly become more accommodating in the past months, but his socialization with me had been purely beneficial so far. Mutually, due to the fact I spent so much time at base, and that he preferred to be on good terms with his charge whom he had to spend several hours with at a time.
What if he had no intention of actually becoming friends with me? What if these genuinely nice interactions with him were simply to make me easier for him to deal with?
"Only for tonight, alright?" With the usual grumpiness edging his tone, Ratchet suddenly engaged his holoform, the older man once again drawing my attention with ease.
Not necessarily because he was an older man; but because he was so damn handsome. The times I'd seen Ratchet's holoform were far and few in between, and yet every time I saw it, I had to take a moment to study it further. Further, as in I never allowed my gaze to stay very long. So every time I looked, I would notice something new.
"Are you sure you're okay with it?" This time, it was the twitch at the corner of his lips, indicating a hint of a smile at my question.
"I wouldn't agree if I wasn't, would I?" His previously illuminated interior darkened rather suddenly as he prepared to bring me back home. "Now let's go, before the storm worsens."
As opposed to going back out into the rain as I was, I felt better knowing Ratchet was coming with me. There was little solace from the overpass as I hopped out of the ambulance, Ratchet's holoform joining me at my side. "It's now or never," I heard Ratchet mumble under his breath before we both took off running into the rain.
If it was cold the first time, it was colder the second time. By the time we made it to my front door, I struggled to open it with my shaking hands. But I kicked off my shoes the moment I was inside, and Ratchet was quick to shed his now damp lab coat, placing it on the nearby kitchen bench.
"Quite the interior decorator," Ratchet mused, eyeing the colourful painting of a tropical scenery adorning my wall.
As I pulled off my soaking wet hoodie with some effort, I couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh in response. "I made that for my art class last year, believe it or not."
Out of the corner of my eye, I swore I saw his eyes widen for a second. Perhaps he hadn't considered that I completed pieces now and then. He'd seen a few of my sketches lying around the base, as had everyone else. But today was the first time he or any of the team had seen a finished painting.
"You're a wonderful artist." His quiet mumble brought a shy smile to my lips as he examined my painting for a long moment. It wasn't often I saw the gentle side of Ratchet, so it was a little monumental.
"Thanks, Ratch."
It was a bit of a step over the metaphorical line, trying out giving him a nickname. But, he didn't seem bothered by it, surprisingly. He simply continued on throughout my house, eyes trailing over the photographs hanging in picture frames, and pausing to take in the other artworks of mine.
I left him to his own devices while I went to dry off and change into some warm pyjamas. Luckily, he wasn't like Miko in the slightest, and when I returned, he was sitting on my couch looking rather lost.
The first and last time Miko was here, she managed to knock my mom's favourite vase off the bookshelf and it shattered.
"You look a little lost, doc."
Upon hearing the other, more disliked nickname, Ratchet lifted his head like he was about to snap at me, but once he was finally looking at me he faltered.
Was it my Batman pyjamas? Or the blanket wrapped around my shoulders like a cape?
A little ashamed of my appearance, I pulled the blanket closer to my body, shielding most of it from view since it was a very fluffy black throw from my bed.
It was extremely unusual for me to see Ratchet like this. He'd never been lost for words before, or unable to snap at someone with a .2 second delay.
"Do I really look that bad?" I murmured, walking past him to sit on the armchair in the corner of the room.
It took a moment for Ratchet to catch up; his mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to respond. "No. I've just never seen you in anything other than a sweater and those torn pants you like so much."
I had to conceal my giggle at his interpretation of 'ripped jeans'. Unbeknownst to me, Ratchet's processor was grasping at metaphorical straws. He'd never before seen something that looked so soft and warm and adorable.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, so loud that it nearly shook me to my core. It was definitely getting closer. There was a chill in the living room, but my blanket kept me shrouded in warmth.
Ratchet was sitting completely still, looking like a statue. I couldn't even see his chest moving to imitate breathing.
"You're allowed to relax." My words were small and barely audible. I was tip-toeing around him as if he would lash out like he usually did if I bothered him while he was working.
I almost flinched when he turned to me, eyes narrowed and dark from what I could see in the dim light. I wanted more than anything for him to be friendly towards me.
To my surprise, he gave a soft grunt, sitting back on the couch until he could cross one leg over the other. I found myself shamelessly admiring his holoform as he crossed his arms, biceps straining slightly against his white button-up.
Ratchet wasn't all muscle, however. Just like his bi-pedal form, he was somewhat stocky, shorter than Optimus but still hovering around 6 foot. Even under two layers (usually three when he had that dorky red sweater vest on) I could tell he had a little bit of a stomach going on.
As the storm worsened, rain pounded against the roof, forming the familiar melodic tune of nature I'd come to know well. It helped me sleep on the odd occasion.
Before I could get lost in the myriad of noises, Ratchet's unnaturally soft voice spoke up. "I think it's high time you get some rest, Y/N," It wasn't long before the familiar roughness returned to his tone, "...and pray to Primus you don't get sick from your excursion into the rain. Because I will not be babysitting you if you do."
Rolling my eyes, albeit with a smile, I forced myself to get up from the comfortable armchair. As much as I wanted to stay in the living room and enjoy the storm, I did need to rest.
I just wasn't aware of it until I stood and felt the heaviness in my limbs.
Ratchet got to his feet after me, ushering me towards my room like a farmer herding his cattle. The only reason he knew which room was mine was that he'd had to watch me climb out of my window on multiple occasions due to me being grounded.
It's not my fault I got home late. Ratchet's always busy.
Stumbling slightly with heavy eyelids, I made my way over to my bed and climbed in as Ratchet lingered in the doorway. To my surprise, he was still there once I was situated, leaning against the doorframe.
He looked almost... domestic, in a way. There was a softness to his appearance. The missing labcoat and tousled silver hair didn't help the matter.
It felt as though time had slowed down, leaving me dormant in the moment. Slivers of moonlight through my window danced on the wall, illuminating several shining silver strands of Ratchet's hair as they passed over his still form.
Time only resumed once Ratchet murmured from the doorway.
"Goodnight, Y/N."
As I snuggled further into my blankets, finally letting my eyes close, I completely missed the way Ratchet lingered in the doorway, watching over me for a few precious seconds. Within minutes, I was out like a light.
| | |
I wasn't planning on being woken up violently by a particularly ear-splittingly loud clap of thunder, but my heart pounded almost painfully as I sat bolt upright. My chest heaved, lungs screaming for air.
The clap of thunder dissolved into sparse rumbles, leaving the rain to take its place, thrumming against tile. But I was wide awake now, and no amount of rain was going to lull me back to sleep.
Reaching out blindly for my nightstand, I sought after my phone. It was still on charge, and I winced as the screen lit up on full brightness. 2:18.
Wild shadows played in the corner of my room, branches from the few trees outside casting them like a puppetmaster. Rather than blinding myself further by turning on my lamp, I scooted off my bed, walking on momentarily wobbly legs towards the kitchen.
Maybe a drink could help me calm down and return to my blissfully sleepy state.
I knew my house like the back of my hand, but I kept an outstretched hand against the wall, using my fingers to trace my way through the house. Before I made it to the kitchen, I noticed a silhouette in the dining room, standing in front of the sliding door to the backyard.
I would've been scared if I didn't recognise the stocky build of Ratchet's holoform. Abandoning the idea of a glass of water, I instead crossed the cold wood floor towards Ratchet.
I was sure to walk carefully and quietly, but even with the sounds of the storm raging on around us, Ratchet still somehow heard me coming.
He turned around, eyes searching the darkness until they found me, bathed in faint moonlight.
As I joined him by the door, watching the rain rhythmically hit the pavement of the patio, he turned back to the darkness. We remained in silence, but it didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable.
If anything, it was comforting to have him here. In an empty house, there was always a sense of loneliness hanging in the air. The silence was always too loud.
Ratchet's presence was a new experience. It felt odd to have him in my personal space. I'd always separated him from my personal life since he was, in a sense, the part of my life that I kept hidden from the world.
But here he was. Standing next to me, in my house, lab coat hanging on the coat hook by the front door. It felt all too domestic, if I was honest. Yet I couldn't help but take a moment to enjoy it.
It almost gave me a fright when Ratchet's voice greeted me.
"You should be in bed. It's late."
There wasn't a hint of barely concealed irritability in his voice. It was more like playful chiding.
Reaching up to rub at my tired eyes, I fought back the yawn that threatened to drag me back to bed. Instead, I hummed to myself, shifting my weight onto my left leg, leaning dangerously close to Ratchet.
It wasn't often I found myself so close to his holoform, let alone in a situation that wasn't fueled by danger or adrenaline.
"I could say the same to you, Doc."
He gave a familiar grumpy huff at the nickname, shaking his head. "I've told you many times to stop calling me that. Wheeljack is a horrible influence on you."
Holding back a giggle at the way he said Wheeljack's name, I focused on the situation. I was so damn close to Ratchet, inches away from my arm brushing against his. How far would he let me get before he closed himself off like he usually does?
So lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the chill in the room that slowly absorbed my body heat until it caused a shiver to rocket down my spine. Ratchet glanced over at me in confusion.
"Are you alright?" He waited ever so patiently for my reply as I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing at my arms in a feeble attempt to generate some heat.
"I'm fine. It's just really cold out here."
I did my best to appear fine, but the second my breathing hitched from the shivering in my limbs, Ratchet grumbled and opened his arms.
I looked over, glancing between his open arms and his ignorant expression. My brain must have shorted, because he huffed and rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'm not doing this because it's fun, Y/N."
Despite my internal shock, I shuffled over towards his waiting embrace.
He stared at the darkness behind me as I leaned into him, finding an unexpected warmth waiting for me. "Humans... so susceptible to temperature." I heard him grumble under his breath as his arms enclosed around me.
It was so... weird to be this close to Ratchet. But I couldn't help leaning against him since he was radiating heat and smelt faintly like mint and sterilisation, like the hospital. Usually, that was super overwhelming, but on Ratchet, it smelt normal.
It didn't take long for the sleepiness to return to my body. Ratchet's chest rose and fell despite the lack of need for air in his holoform. Maybe he was just doing for my own peace of mind.
"I thought you didn't like me," I whisper, tentative to wrap my arms around him. Though, as I did, he exhaled slowly, one of his arms shifting as if he was about to pull me closer. "At first, I didn't." He murmured in response.
It was a bit of a shock when I felt him rest his chin on top of my head.
"But I can't deny, you've grown on me." It seemed that was the extent of his emotional moment for the night. He clamped up right after, simply letting me lean against him and share his warmth.
Even if this was the only moment I would ever share with him, I would be okay with that. Because this moment was perfect. Maybe tomorrow, everything would return to the way it normally was.
But I would always remember this moment.
~*~
Let me know if you're enjoying these! I wrote this for a friend of mine since she's a huge Ratchet fan. I wanna try writing more Ratchet at some point, so let me know if you'd be interested in reading them! 😊