#ratchet reader insert

You leaned forward in your car, squinting as if that would help you see through the haze of the white-out blizzard. The harsh, wintery scene on the other side of your windshield worsened by the minute.

In driving conditions that were so far below ideal, memories of a sunny day in Jasper played across your mind like a slideshow. You’d think it was some tropical vacation spot with the way you exhaled in a sigh that was just short of wistful as you struggled to keep the car in your lane. The nearest snowbank that lined the route seemed to be calling out to your vehicle, making it sway this way and that as the tires slid.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d suspect this rental car to be an undercover Decepticon trying to foil your travel plans back to the hotel.

Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea venturing out at this hour in the evening, but you couldn’t dismiss the desperate need of comfort food any longer- to hole yourself up in the hotel room with it and watch some TV.

It was all a distraction. The truth was, you’d only been away from home for a few days on business, but the homesickness reigned when the sun went down. It was no longer kept at bay with tasks to keep you busy during daylight hours.

You missed the kids; Jack, Miko, and Raf. You missed Optimus and Bee. Bulkhead and Arcee. Ratchet...  Heck, even Fowler crossed your mind as you went down the list of faces you wanted to be surrounded by again.

When you’d first told the group that you’d be out of town for work, Optimus voiced his concern and suggested that a bot accompany you on the trip. You politely refused, telling him he should have all servos on deck in case of something major. There was rising suspicion about impending Decepticon activity.

Truth be told, a small part of you was wondering what it would be like to experience a few normal days without Autobots or Decepticons or the fate of the world at stake. Just a couple days of peace and quiet.

It didn’t come as easy to you as you imagined. The quiet in your hotel room each evening was deafening.

Which is why you would do just about anything to not be faced with it right away- including driving around in the middle of a blizzard with dinner bagged up and buckled into the passenger seat.

“I think there’s a turn here,” you said aloud to no one in particular. “Oh. Oh…No.” 

It all happened so quickly. The tires began to slide as you took the curve just a tad too fast, and the steering wheel resisted your attempts to correct. 

“No, no, no!” You shrieked as the entire vehicle skidded to the right and sailed straight into the ditch.

You sat there in shock for a moment, the entire world tilted to the right from where you sat in the slope of the ditch. “Oh, great,” you grumbled. “This is just great. I’m still miles from the hotel.”

Silence.

Sigh.

Your forehead rested against the steering wheel, and the only thing you could see was his faceplate. Those stunning bright blue optics that at times you swore could see right through you. He hadn’t said much after the announcement of your business trip, especially after you insisted that no autobots accompany you. He’d simply blinked at you, the gears turning behind them, and returned to his work with no comment or even a huff at the very least. 

All this happened simply because you’d wanted some time away from the life and death scenarios...Well, not so much. 

In reality, what you sought was just a few days without hearing the gruff voice belonging to that exasperated, fussing, scornful, selfless, painstakingly diligent, kind, and most loyal bot.

A humorless laugh escaped you in the car. What had you expected? His insistence on your protection? Ratchet was never one to utter protest if it meant he got to stay behind.

With the car running, you climbed out to better assess the situation. The headlights illuminated the chunks of snow that fell from the sky. You peered at the fender from beneath the hood of your coat. Fortunately, there didn’t appear to be any real damage. It was just a matter of getting the vehicle pulled out. You hurried back into the car, shuddering, and took out your phone to search for the nearest tow company.

Just when you were about to dial the number, a piercing ring sounded from your device as the screen lit up. Raf’s name was displayed, and you couldn’t help but smile as you answered.

“Hi Raf, what’s up?”

“Hi,” he greeted on the other end. “The bots are on a mission, so it’s a bit quiet around here. I just wanted to see how your trip was going!”

Your smile softened. What a sweetheart he was. And you’d be lying if hearing a familiar voice wasn’t exactly what you needed right there and then.

“Oh, it’s going,” you replied, peering out the window. “I, uh… I’m having a bit of car trouble.”

“Car trouble?”

“Yeah, I’m actually stuck in a ditch.”

“You’re stuck in a ditch?” Raf repeated loudly in disbelief, and you heard another familiar, gruff voice in the background.

“She what?”

You covered the phone mic to hide your stifled chuckle as something metal clanged to the floor on the other end. Once the commotion had settled, Raf spoke again.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt at all, are you?”

“I’m fine,” you said. “A little worried about the rental car. It doesn’t look bad, but it’s hard to say how bad it is until it gets towed out. I’m out in the middle of nowhere.”

There was muffled talk, like Raf was repeating what you said to another. Then, there was that low voice from before again, saying,

“Tell her I’m coming.”

Then, you heard Raf’s voice again, clearly. “Hey, you still there? Ratchet says he’s coming to help.”

“It’s fine, really. There’s no need. I’m about to call a tow truck,” you rambled, panicking at the thought of the autobot medic leaving his post to deal with something so silly when you could handle it yourself.

You could picture Raf shaking his head. Once Ratchet made up his mind, there’d be no swaying it. “It’s too late, he’s locked onto your location and is activating the ground bridge now.”

A bright blue swirling light cut through the snowy darkness, growing in size until the orange and white autobot stepped through it, and then it closed behind him. His piercing optics shone beautifully as they immediately found you. You could hear the soft tic tic tic of snow clumps hitting the metal surface of Ratchet’s form.

You heaved a sigh and climbed out of the tilted vehicle once more, and Ratchet knelt down, one of his servos cupping around you as if to catch you if you stumbled.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked.

You nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. I wasn’t injured.”

He gave a sigh of relief before looking at the car. “You’re fortunate.”

“I suppose it could’ve been worse,” you conceded with a shiver.

Ratchet reached over to carefully lift the vehicle from the snowy ditch and set it back down on the road with ease. You approached it, avoiding his gaze as relief washed over you to see that it was all in one piece. His optics were narrowed as they surveyed the path ahead, and he scoffed.

“It’s no wonder this happened. These driving conditions are extremely hazardous.”

You gave a small shrug as if to say, “it is what it is,” and Ratchet eyed you. “I only have a few miles to go.”

“Not in this you don’t,” he replied, and you looked up at him in confusion. “Come back to Base for the night.” Before you could voice any protests, he continued, “I’ll groundbridge you back in the morning for work.”

Standing there, eyes traveling the length of the icy road before you as it faded away into the white out, Ratchet’s offer was beyond appealing. Your heart warmed at the notion of crashing on the Base couch for the night- as you had many times before. After this ordeal, you were exhausted, and falling asleep to the soft glow of the television on the loft with the sounds of keys typing and the clinking of test tubes in the background was what you wanted more than anything.

“Okay,” you agreed finally, and Ratchet lifted a servo to communicate with Raf- a request for a groundbridge. You got into the car and shut the door, lips pressed firmly together in a line as the luminous vortex appeared once more, and Ratchet stepped aside to let you through first.

You carefully drove through and found yourself smiling again as you found yourself in the middle of the Base. Ratchet’s heavy footsteps approached behind, and you got out of the car.

“Thank you.”

He merely gave a nod before heading back to his station, and Raf came running over.

“Hey! You okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s good. I guess I’m staying here tonight.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that evening, after feasting on your boxed dinner, you were all settled in comfy clothes, warm, safe, and sprawled out on the couch with a quilt covering your form. The other autobots had returned, and all the kids were taken home by their guardians. Even though the television was on, your full attention was on Ratchet in your peripheral. Aside from his usual grumbling about the others making noise before, he hadn’t said much. Despite having said, “thank you” when first returning to Base, something was amiss. It felt like there was more to be said, but what? You weren’t sure.

You turned, finally, to observe him without reservation. Resting your chin on the back of the couch, eyes following his enormous form as he moved between the computer and a table of experiments.

Ratchet returned to the computer and began typing again. Without looking up, he cleared his throat quietly and asked, “something on your mind?”

“Thank you for coming to make sure I was alright, for getting my car out of the ditch, and…for bringing me back here.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, and then paused, servo halted mid-type. “Things weren't the same.”

“Hm?” You shifted on the couch to tuck your knees under. 

“While you were away,” he clarified, his optics meeting your gaze. “This place wasn’t the same. I’m aware that you wished to take some time away, and I respected that. No matter how concerned I was that you were going unprotected.”

You smiled at his confession, and decided it was time to add your own. “I thought I wanted a few ‘normal’ days away from all this, but… as it turns out, it doesn’t sit well with me”

The corner of his mouth curled in a rare, roguish half-smile before shifting to grab a tool from his work bench. You were unable to take your eyes off him, wondering if you’d catch that expression on him again anytime soon.