"Let's get outta here before ratchet the hatchet comes busting out with his wrench of doom!" You shrieked as you leaped inside wheeljack and both took off in a mad frenzy.
You have been sneaking out with wheeljack and doing stuff together for a couple of weeks now but ratchet has caught on and nearly caught you as you sprinted out of the base.
"So kid what do you have in mind this time?" Wheeljack asked once you were a safe distance away. He always felt a sense of ease once you were back with him again.
Your mind went back to when miko invited you to dune bashing with bulkhead a couple of days ago.
"Let's go smash some dunes!"
Wheeljack wanted to roll his optics. Sand was a major pain in the aft, he could almost already feel the grittiness under his plaiting and jamming his gears.
But wheeljack didn't complain. Since it was for you.
"Sure thing kid."
You stretched and lounged in wheeljack's comfortable seats.
You watched as the scenery peacefully flew by.
Wheeljack still had some things on his processor from your first time you spent together. He wanted to ask but figured it would be best to wait. But it bothered him. He didn't even knew why. It gnawed at him more than it should and it drove him insane.
"So, kid. What was your life like before you joined the autobot cause." Wheeljack asked feeling awkward, cutting the heavy silence.
He felt your body tense and your body temperature rise.
"Well, I had my parents and my overall family. Though wasn't very big. I lived in a house and went to school like any other kid." You shrugged, pretending like talking about the past was no big deal.
Wheeljack could see through your disguise. What bothered him was that you spoke in past tense. What happened to you? The gnawing only intensified on his spark.
"You never really said how you are familiar to fowler or how you got here."
You took a shaky breath. "Well... I'd rather not talk about it." You turned and looked out the window again.
Wheeljack felt his energon tanks tightnen.
"You know I'm here for you. You can talk to me if you ever want to." Wheeljack actually nervous saying that. Primus, he didn't know why.
You examined your feet. "Ok, I'll keep it in mind."
Silence came and settled on the two of you.
But not long after ratchet called in and filled the silence with his annoyed voice.
"Hate to break up your little eloping adventure but (name) is due for a checkup and will require her to come back to the base."
"WE ARE NOT ELOPING!" You and wheeljack yelled in unison.
Ratchet just grunted in irritation and cut the communication.
"I don't want to go." You crossed your arms and huffed. "I hate check ups."
Wheeljack chuckled. "I can agree with you on that one kid."
You chafed your arms and looked down.
"Hey, can we go cliff jumping or mountain riding instead?" Your voice felt small.
"Isn't that a little too dangerous?" Wheeljack poked at you.
"So? I think my life with the autobots is dangerous in general."
"Alright kid what will it be."
You wrinkled your nose, "Both."
~
You were in the middle of racing down the side of a steep hill when ratchets voice blasted around the cabin inside wheeljack.
"Hate to break up your little session but (name) really is due for a checkup and must return to the base as soon as possible. I'm locking onto your coordinates and sending a bridge.
Ratchet just had to place it right at the bottom of the slope so you went right through.
"NO NO NO NO NO! I do NOT want want ANOTHER checkup!" You waved your arms trying to give wheeljack the idea that you wanted to get out of there.
That's when wheeljack realized why you were in such a hurry to leave in the first place. A touch of nostalgia came over him.
"Look, you like checkups as much as I do kid, but there's no avoiding it." Wheeljack transformed up and walked over to the waiting ratchet with you in hand.
"You young lady should not have escaped when you knew you had to be examined what do you have to say about yourself!" Ratchet scolded you as he took you from wheeljack and sat you on the berth.
You chafed your arms uncomfortably as ratchet scanned you to check all your readings.
Ratchet turned to type your info into the computer. "How have you been feeling?" Ratchet didn't look back.
"Fine, good, can I go now."
Ratchet grumbled and looked over at wheeljack and back at you.
"I'm required to check on you, especially during this time."
You looked away, he had to bring it up.
This caused wheeljack to look at you with concern. It twisted your heart to see such an expression on him. The last thing was you needing him to worry over you as well. You wouldn't break that easy.
"Well yeah I'm fine. Can I leave." You said rather sharply.
Ratchet heaved a sigh. Fine you can go." Ratchet then turned around and gently picked you up. He took a step towards wheeljack and acted like he was going to hand you to him before he gripped wheeljack's rotary cuff and led him to the berth.
"Since it's been awhile since YOUR last visit... It's your turn." Ratchet made wheeljack sit down.
You sat back and laughed at all of wheeljack's grunts and groans of irritation and the multiple faces he made in protest. Once finished ratchet let wheeljack go but before you both could escape ratchet stopped you once more but briefly.
"(Name)"
You turned around to look at ratchet fighting a scowl."
"Yes ratchet." You tried to keep your voice even.
"Be careful, keep those readings up, especially now."
You bit back all emotion. "Yes ratchet."
Wheeljack transformed down and ratchet bridged you back to your original coordinates.
"Ok now what was THAT all about" wheeljack idled on the hot sand so confused and concerned.
"Ratchet is just concerned about my well being, that's all."
Wheeljack transformed up and took you out, holding you in his servo.
"What did he mean by especially now stuff. Are you sick? Are you injured? What's going on." wheeljack tensed as worry started to creep up within him.
You tried to wave your hand in dismissal. "Gross human stuff you don't understand." you lied.
"Ok try me" wheeljack held you up to get a good look at you. Showing he wasn't going to give up so easily.
You huffed. "Well you see, us FEMALE humans go through something a little different. How we have young is by carrying them inside of us until it's time for them to come out..."
Wheeljack started to make a face, already regretting asking.
"But our bodies always prepare for the young even if we are not carrying a baby and we go through where all the stuff inside us which is lots of blood comes out and..."
"OK OK I GET IT I GET IT!" Wheeljack began to shout feeling grossed out to the point where he sat you down on the ground to compose himself.
"You're not doing that right now are you?"
You went into a defensive position. "Not yet."
Wheeljack had to compose himself again; which was actually pretty funny; before he picked you up again.
"Why? Would you think less of me if I was? Or would you just leave me out here."
Wheeljack felt taken aback. "Of course not!"
You rolled your eyes. Uh huh, sure."
Wheeljack transformed down around you and took off full speed.
"Where we going?"
You could just imagine wheeljack's smirk. "You'll see."
You sat quietly but started to feel on edge as you were heading straight for the cliff.
You started to grip wheeljack's leather seats. "Ok we can slow down now."
Wheeljack's speedometer continued to climb.
"Wheeljack!" You began to shriek and bunch up, pressing against the backrest of the seat as the drop off got closer and closer.
Wheeljack could feel your elevated temperature and racing heart.
You shut your eyes, fingers digging into the seats, fearing what was going to happen next. "WHEELJACK!"
Right when it seemed as if you two were about to go over wheeljack slammed the breaks and jerked hard drifting away from the edge by a mater of meters and rocketed away from danger.
"YOU PRIMUS SLAGGING..!!"
You couldn't contain your emotions.
You were scared mad, excited, confused. All as adrenalin ran through your veins.
Wheeljack's laughter rang out. Bright and loud. He loved seeing you like that.
You cursed him with every insult that came to mind. Wheeljack was impressed with your colorful vocabulary.
Though it was all in good fun, dangerous, scary fun.
You slumped into the seat with a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong kid." he very well knew what was but he liked to mess with you too much. You were so easy.
You grumbled, "damn near gave me a heart attack."
Wheeljack gave a hearty laugh. "You wanted thrills."
You gave a slight smile. "Yeah, I know what I got into."
You spent the rest of the time talking and racing around the Nevada sands until it was time to go back to the base.
Upon entering ratchet approached you and you felt your stomach tighten.
Ratchet got down on one knee to get more to your level.
Ratchet spoke in an unusually soft voice. "How are you feeling (name)."
"I'm doing fine."
Ratchet knew he wasn't going to get a whole lot out of you.
He reached his servo out and you climbed on.
He slowly took you to a private place to talk. Once you reached the spot he set you down.
"How have you really been feeling lately. I don't want to hear fine again."
You almost shrugged but you realized how serious ratchet was.
"Much better to be honest. It's still hard though."
Ratchet nodded. "I can tell. Your systems have been showing positive signs since your last checkup." he gave a light smile your way with the positive news.
You looked down, again having jumbled feelings.
"I'm guessing wheeljack must have a factor in this." Ratchets voice was a little quieter.
"Does that upset you?" You asked ratchet and placed your hand on his knee plate.
"I don't want you getting attached because wheeljack has a tendency not stick around and I'm afraid that if you get too attached you're going to get hurt and the emotional damage will be too much. After all that you've lost already, you don't need to lose someone else you care about."
You held back the threat of tears. "I-I understand."
"Please be careful."
You nodded and sniffled a bit.
"Alright get to your berth room. I'll see you tomorrow."
You nodded and tried to smile. "See you tomorrow."
You went into your room and almost instantly your phone buzzed and Miko's ID shown on the screen.
"Hey, what's up?" You asked as you answered the call.
"How's it going? Did you and wheeljack do anything exciting?!"
You laughed. "Nearly went off the side of a cliff, and both got checkups from ratchet the hatchet."
"That sounds like it was fun! Wish I was with you. Can't believe I have to miss all the fun because of school."
You chuckled, "don't worry, you'll be out sooner than you think."
"Not soon enough."
You both chatted longer until Miko's host parents declared time for miko to wrap things up and you wanted to sleep.
"Hey how have you been feeling. I know how today is hard for you."
You nodded. "I'm doing better."
"I'm glad to hear that. Got to go, host parents nagging me. Night (name)."
"Night miko"
With that the line was quiet and you sat and thought about everything. You never really thought about wheeljack actually leaving. Sure it's crossed your mind briefly every now and then but this time you were actually concerned and it seemed like a real fear.
No, no, you wouldn't think about that and trouble yourself about that right then. I'll just worry about that tomorrow, you thought to yourself as you laid in bed.
You had a rough night as you were plagued with those nightmares of that day not so long ago mixed with the newfound fear of losing the bot you became so fond of. While the said bot had the same haunting dreams of losing you.