hooked on a feeling

[Ratchet]

For a brief moment, Ratchet gave Wheeljack a questionable expression towards his request, but found a fair amount of humor in it once he'd finished what he was saying. He laughed a little more, though not as hard as he had previously. "So they're out of the will, are they? And what of your physician? The one that saved your aft? Does he perhaps get a cut in this?" Ratchet grinned back, laughing a little more. Primus he needed this, and he knew that the Wrecker did too. After how this morning had started, it looked like things were finally starting to turn around. Now they were sitting here together, joking and bantering with each other as they prepared to watch Wheeljack's movie.

Naturally, the movie had only gotten stranger after that depressing as frag opening scene with the boy called Peter. After he had been abducted by those aliens, time had skipped and it would seem that he eventually grew up to become some sort of.. bounty hunter. Dancing along to some music, he quested for some sort of sphere, only to be swarmed with what must have been the guards of this strange orb he had been looking for. Eventually Peter would venture to another world, be arrested, and join up with a group just like him in a way.

He merely rolled his optics at the mention of 'Magnus', knowing exactly who he'd been referring to. Ultra Magnus was one of those authoritarian mechs, and had been placed in charge of the Wreckers some time ago. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you absolutely have something against Ultra Magnus." It would make sense. Wheeljack was crazy, did things the way he wanted, and Ultra Magnus was orderly mech who could be rivaled only by Prowl.

One thing he couldn't help but notice was that relationship between Peter and Gamora. In a way, the two of them had started exactly as he and Wheeljack had, only to eventually grow on each other, even dancing a little before she had attempted to kill him. The CMO glanced over to Wheeljack, the other deeply invested in the plot of the movie. Would the two of them end up being like that one day? He mentally shook his head hard, trying to bury that thought deep down before returning himself to the movie. It seemed that Rocket and Drax had gotten into some argument, so it was best to get back into the movie before he missed out on the plot some more. Not too much longer after their squabble, he felt Wheeljack begin to lean into him. He quickly turned to look at him, smiling softly once he realized he was alright. Ratchet would let him lean into him if he was comfortable, and he looked to be quite so, though the feeling of this closeness made his spark flutter a little.

The Wrecker only kept leaning in further until the climatic battle, coming closer until he bumped his helm into the medic's. Ratchet let out a short, surprised noise, turning towards the Wrecker. He flushed a bit, looking to Wheeljack but not moving. There was something about this closeness he liked, and it started even the medic to come to that conclusion. Either way, Wheeljack looked just as shocked as he had. "It's.. It's alright. I don't have a problem with you. leaning against my shoulder if.. you're comfortable. I trust you."

Ratchet let off a shy yet nervous smile, the flush still visible for all to see. Truly he was curious to see just how far they could push this, see where they would go with this. It'd been a long time since he'd felt this way about anyone, but.. oh scrap.. did he just admit to himself that he..? No! No, he wasn't. He focused his attention back on the movie, just in time to catch Groot sacrificing himself in order to protect his dear friends. It'd been extremely touching, so much so that now Ratchet hadn't noticed that he was starting to lean closer to the Wrecker, letting his optics close for a moment.

With their powers combined, they stopped the evil Ronan and vowed to guard the galaxy together. He had to admit that it had actually been a not so bad movie! It didn't seem like his sort of thing at first, but somehow it turned out to be fairly good. Just as the credits began to roll, unknowing of the infamous post-credits scene, Ratchet turned to Wheeljack, only to notice he'd leaned in a bit. "S-sorry.." Just how much more awkward was this going to get?

"Thank you for.. letting me watch this with you. We should.. watch more movies sometime. Perhaps tomorrow? Or.. if you really wanted.. we could watch another?"

[Deleted]

Oho, so that was how it was going to be? “He might be mentioned in the will,” The Wrecker said with a mock-casual drawl. Another delighted thrill went through him at the sound of the medic’s laugh, and the sight of his normally stern and sombre face lighting was perhaps one of the best things he’d ever seen in his life. “‘Hi, Sunshine’, Right at the bottom. If he’s nice to me, though, I might even leave ‘im a shanix or two.”

Not even some of the old Cybertronian movies he’d managed to save before The Exodus could match this human movie. It was thoroughly entertaining and a hell of a lot more fun than what he’d been expecting! The visuals were stunning (not to mention surprisingly accurate for a species that hadn’t yet attained any sort of useful space travel capabilities) and the characters complex and dynamic, with a story that actually managed to hold his attention for longer than a few minutes.

Of course, he’d had to go and make things more awkward than they were by practically lolling against Ratchet’s shoulder and bonking their heads together like a grade-A aft. His talents seemed to be running along those lines as of late, but the older mech’s patience with his behaviour had been nothing short of a miracle. When their helms clanked together Wheeljack froze, suddenly nervous that what progress had been made would now slip down the drain. Ratchet’s reaction -- or, rather, lack of -- surprised him.The other Autobot didn’t make some snippy comment about personal space, or pointedly scoot away to re-establish the boundaries between them, but seemed to actually be alright with the invasion of his space.

Wheeljack blinked. Was Ratchet… blushing? To his mortification, as if by command, the plating of his own cheeks began to heat up.

“Uh,” he eloquently repeated for the third time, before finally managing to wrangle some words together into something resembling coherency. “I trust you too,” he blurted out, which had not been the words he’d been planning to blurt out at all but he supposed he had to work with what he was given. “I mean, I’m comfortable, but- y’don’t- uh. If you’re sure?” There was no denying that even with the awkward head bonk, Wheeljack felt incredibly comfortable leaning against Ratchet, and it seemed the medic felt the same way. It had been a while since he’d ever trusted anyone to allow them so close and into such a companionable space.

The rest of the movie was spent turning over the whole situation in his head and picking apart each and every detail in hopes of finding some clue as to the reasons for the fluttery feeling in his spark chamber, all the while being settled comfortably against Ratchet’s side in companionable silence. He tried many times to try and re-focus upon the film, but his processor refused to cooperate. Finally, Wheeljack realized that there was just no avoiding it any longer: he was having feelings he’d not had for any other bot in a long, long time.

It scared the ever-living pit out of him.

There was a reason he’d held practically every person he’d grown fond of at a solid arm’s length. Being a Wrecker, there had always been the chance that he’d die on any mission, and he’d never wanted to inflict such a loss on anyone else. Wheeljack had also been careful not to get too attached (not that that every worked, mind, but he tried) to any one bot, for he’d lost friends aplenty and even lovers over the course of the War. He’d thought that the War had rendered him utterly incapable of feeling such closeness, but now he was being proven wrong in the best and worst of ways. He had to face that he had somehow become fond enough of Ratchet that he’d ended up practically on top of him while watching something so simple as a movie - and had not even noticed it until now.

If he was lucky, this was just a crush, and crushes always faded with time. There was nothing Wheeljack could do now about it but wait and hope that Ratchet didn’t notice. He didn’t want to make things even more awkward, or drive him off.

The movie ended in a spark-clenching sacrifice by Groot to keep his friends safe and a spectacular show of fireworks and comradery, but the Wrecker ended up being more preoccupied by his own thoughts… as well as by the fact that Ratchet was now leaning against him, too. Wheeljack knew then that something was changing between them, some invisible boundary had been redrawn, and while part of him was thoroughly alarmed and hoped that whatever this was would fade away like a proper schoolbot crush, another part of him was quite happy with the companionable contact.

“You’re not so bad as a movie partner yerself, Doc,” Wheeljack said, and hoped that his voice didn’t give away how uncharacteristically nervous and shy he himself felt, “I’m not all that tired,” Wheeljack admitted. This was true - the minor crisis he’d had just now about acknowledging he had grown attached to someone had left him feeling wide awake. “-So I’m game if you are. For another one. A movie, I mean. I’ve got a bunch of ‘em I watch when I got down time, so if you’re up to it…?” A few taps on the pad and he’d switched from Guardians of the Galaxy to another human movie called ‘Pacific Rim’. This one had caught his attention not due to the name but due to the fact that there was a robotic mechanoid on the cover punching what seemed to be a bioluminescent organic monster.

“Miko suggested it. Somethin’ about how I’d ‘love the genre’, whatever that means?” Granted, Miko was pretty good at giving him movie suggestions he usually ended up liking, but Wheeljack had no idea if this was a movie that Ratchet would enjoy. “Only if you want to,” he then tacked on, flushing again. ‘Like a pit-damned schoolbot’, he thought to himself in mortification, ‘Jackie, you’re scrapped’.

[Ratchet]

That was it!? Just a couple of Shanix was all Ratchet was to him after saving his hide? He merely scoffed, rolling his optics with a playful smile. You might have won this round, Wheeljack, but the war was far from over. He'd be sure to get the Wrecker in the next round of banter they had with each other. It was quite a lot of fun.. actually.

While Ratchet wouldn't say that this was his absolute favorite movie, it had to be among his top five or so. Maybe if they watched it together again one day, it's go higher up on that list. Many of the references had gone over his head, and apparently Drax's as well, but he did enjoy it for what it was. Perhaps he could seek out the source material, whatever it was, and perhaps then he'd understand things a little more. Marvel.. was it? They'd made such a big deal about 'Marvel' at the beginning of the movie, after all.

As Wheeljack unknowingly leaned into him at a slow pace, Ratchet couldn't help but watch him when he felt scenes in the movie were taking too long. With a soft smile, he kept an optic on the Wrecker to make sure he wasn't falling asleep, ready to catch him should he suddenly fall forward. The more he thought about this whole thing, how things had changed between them, he wondered.. would it be such a bad thing to like him a little more than a friend? While love hadn't exactly been in his cards before, he himself had had his fair share of crushes, all of which ended up fading one way or another. Eventually he gave up on the idea altogether, certain that he'd be one of the many that would be doomed to be single forever. And yet.. he had to remind himself that they were still at war, which made romance that much harder. He'd never forgive himself if he were unable to prevent the death of someone he cared for..

Shaking the thoughts from his processor, he turned his attention back to the movie only for Wheeljack to bump his helm into him. Both of them seemed a bit startled, the Wrecker to the point that he forgot how to speak. Ratchet indeed blushed from the sudden closeness, but then told him it was ok if he wanted to lean in. If it'd been anyone else.. he would've said no. Granted, the circumstances were different. Wheeljack was still recovering and was still considerably weakened. If that's what made him comfortable, then he'd deal with it. "Yes, I'm sure. I mean.. you aren't exactly feeling up to snuff and.. if you're comfortable then.. I don't exactly want to impede on that." Excuses~.

Soon the movie was coming to an end, Ratchet leaning against the Wrecker as well. At first he'd been surprised, apologizing, but then succumbed to comfort. Leaning against someone like this really wasn't all that bad, but he'd really only been used to doing something like this with Pharma back in his medical school days. Never once did he ever think he'd be comfortable doing something like this with someone else, especially someone he didn't see as family. Something about this.. just felt right..

"I almost certainly had you pinned as the type to talk all throughout a movie, so.. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised." Ratchet glanced over to him, surprised that he was still awake enough to tackle a second movie. The medic wasn't about to argue, enjoying this moment of theirs, but he wouldn't have blamed him if he wanted to recharge instead. "I suppose a second movie would be fine. If you need to rest, however, we can always pick it up another time." He watched as the Guardians of the Galaxy went away, and in it's place some movie called Pacific Rim. Knowing nothing about it, he could only wonder if this would also be a movie he'd sort of enjoy or not. However.. if this was one of Miko's choices, he wasn't about to get his hopes up on that.

"Sure. Of course I'll watch it with you. Whatever you want to watch, that's fine with me." He smiled softly once more, not even aware that he was starting to smile around Wheeljack a whole lot more than he would with anyone else. It'd only be a matter of time, but for now he'd remain blissfully unaware. "We can do this again tomorrow... if you'd like. And.. depending on how your leg is.. we could try getting you back on your feet for a short time. I don't want to push it too quickly, however.. but just a little movement in the meantime helps."

[Deleted]

The more time ticked by, the more Wheeljack began to realize the scope of the trouble he was in.

Apparently Ratchet was more than comfortable with letting him lean up against him -- so comfortable, in fact, that the medic now was leaning on him as the companionable silence stretched on between them. A part of the Wrecker wanted to retreat, alarmed by just how hunky-dory he was about letting Ratchet so close, but a larger part of him… well, it didn’t think that this close proximity was quite so bad at all. That part of him actually liked it, which was a big thing for him considering he’d practically spent the entire war keeping his distance from just about everyone.

‘Just a schoolbot crush,’ He reminded himself. ‘It’s just a dumb little crush, a temporary thing that’ll go away.’

Besides, Ratchet was probably just humoring him because he was injured and couldn’t exactly move around that easily. There was no way in the world that a bot like Ratchet would ever even be interested in a bot like Wheeljack, anyways: he knew he was obstinate, rude, with a habit of barely hanging around, all the things that were the opposite of ideal for any sort of healthy relationship. Just friends. That was all they were. Friends who were quite content to lean on each other and watch movies together on a berth.

“Glad I could exceed your expectations, Doc. I can always chitchat through the next one, though, if it’d make y’feel better?” He might have actually been offended at the very implication that he was the type to yap through a movie had he not been too busy being distracted by Ratchet’s cyan blue optics. It wasn’t like he’d never seen them before, of course, but suddenly noticing the exact shade (and admiring it) was a rather new and recent development. After ‘exact optic shade’ came ‘smile’, and he was then distracted by the soft expression being directed at him. “-Yeah, I’m up for it. I even promise not to go jumpin’ around and throwin’ myself at the ground again tomorrow.”

‘Scrapped for sure,’ he told himself, giving his head a gentle shake once Ratchet looked away, ‘Thoroughly scrapped.’

Unlike with Guardians of the Galaxy, Wheeljack didn’t do a quick background check on the human internet, and thus they both were going into the movie with little idea of what they’d be seeing (other than what Miko had told him, as well as the whole ‘giant robot punching a bioluminescent monster’ on the cover). The intro of the movie was as farfetched as it was entertaining, immediately beginning with a monster from another dimension laying waste to three cities. The most logical solution to the problem of alien monsters destroying things the humans came up with was apparently to build giant robots piloted by two people with something called ‘Drift Compatibility’. The deeper the bond, the better they fought together as one.

“Pity they don’t actually have any of those lyin’ around. Those probably would’ve come in handy fightin’ off the ‘Cons. Can you imagine ol’ Buckethead’s face if he saw one of them come to kick his aft?”

It was exactly the sort of movie Wheeljack liked, especially when he realized that the giant human-made robots were around the size of a city titan. Miko, as usual, had not failed to disappoint with her movie recommendations.

… Which was why it was outright embarrassing when Wheeljack’s optics flickered open the next morning, his processors sluggish as they came out of recharge. He remembered… giant robots (bigger than the resident giant robots, of course) and giant aliens, and a place called ‘Hong Kong’, and something about a Coastal Wall. It took him a bit longer to work out why he was sitting half-slumped on his berth, and a few moments more to figure out just why he wasn’t sprawled out on his berth or asleep in the pilot’s seat: he’d conked out in the middle of the movie, and, by the looks of it, had fallen asleep with his head lolling against Ratchet’s shoulder.

It seemed Ratchet had also drifted off, so at least he didn’t have to be embarrassed alone.
Wheeljack blinked once, twice, holding perfectly still, finding himself utterly unwilling to do anything to wake him up. He told himself it was because Ratchet needed the rest, especially after spending so long taking care of him, but in truth, it was because the medic looked so peaceful while he recharged. The Wrecker was content to let him be, and returned to lightly dozing.

[Ratchet]

Whether he was humoring him or not, Ratchet had been serious about letting the Wrecker rest against him. He needed to be comfortable, considering the damage he'd done to his leg earlier on in the day, but more than that.. Ratchet actually didn't mind him leaning against him. He'd convinced himself that it was all to keep the Wrecker comfortable, but there was something about the whole thing that made him feel comfortable as well. It would have been weird if Optimus had done something like this? Smokescreen? He probably would've shoved him off. But Wheeljack..? Something just felt different about it, and he couldn't pinpoint just what it was.

And that was the part that bothered him the most. Until he could figure it out, he was going to let Wheeljack stay like this for as long as he wanted.

"Oh very funny. I suppose I wouldn't be against a little idle chat.. unless this movie of yours, or rather Miko's, manages to catch my optic and draws me in." He'd been so distracted by his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized that the younger mech had been staring so deeply into his optics that he was trying to discern just what color his optic was on a technical level. If he'd realized it, his blushing would have only worsened, both for better and for worse. Either way, he'd been smiling. "Good, because I'm not going to put up with that a second time. That's why I don't want you to walk or even try to walk tonight. You need to let your leg rest up after trying to do it without me, and it should be well enough to give it another try by morning."

As the movie started, Ratchet found himself having a harder time latching to the plot of the movie than he had with Guardians of the Galaxy. It just seemed so out there, and yet he was curious to see where it all went. What had his attention was the 'giant robots' that had been operated by humans. It seemed quite so strange, but even Wheeljack's comment about them wasn't without merit. "I agree, not that we need their assistance in the battlefield or anything. I am rather curious to see how Megatron would react to such a machine. The humiliation of being taken down by mere humans would be more than he could bare."

The medic had continued to watch the movie, not noticing that Wheeljack had fallen asleep on him at some point during the middle of the movie. It had only been during the climax that Ratchet had noticed that the Wrecker had been quiet for some time now. "Wheeljack..?" He turned his helm, looking to the younger mech leaning against him, only to notice just how at peace he looked as he recharged. Smiling softly, he chuckled before closing his own optics. So much for being awake enough to tackle another movie. "Rest well, Wheeljack. You need it."

It'd probably been one of the best recharges he'd had in quite some time, even staying asleep after the Wrecker himself had woken up. He'd been out like a light, his helm leaning against Wheeljack's as he rested peacefully. So deep in his recharge, he wasn't even aware that he'd started sleep talking a little.

"Wheeljack..? Is this.. what being free's like..?"

It came as little surprise that Wheeljack had managed to sneak into his dreams, but the vorns of war had taken it's toll on him as well. He barely remembered what life without war was like, especially when he'd lived through a portion of the Golden Age. It was all he knew now, and he was stuck in this role until the war either ended or he offlined in process.

He was quiet for some time after that, eventually blinking awake as he turned to look at the slightly smaller mech. "Wheeljack..? Are you awake?" Just how long had he been out for, anyway?

[Deleted]

Despite this Pacific Rim being exactly the sort of movie Wheeljack lived for (he couldn’t help it: he loved the senseless nonsense ones, especially when it involved a giant alien monster getting punched by giant mecha), Ratchet didn’t seem to be quite into this movie like he had been with the last one. Ah, well. Every bot had their preferences, and maybe they could find something that Ratchet liked to watch later to even things out a bit. Still, this show was good for watching mindlessly and not having to worry about thinking too much while still being entertaining, so it wasn’t too bad.

The tiredness crept up on him slowly, sneaking up on him and gradually taking hold of him before he even realized it. Before long, he found himself blinking blearily and having trouble following along with the storyline even despite the giant alien monster punch-fest. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to just… rest his optics…? Wheeljack did so, resolving to shutter them only for a moment.

Such a sneaky trap to fall in, and Wheeljack could hardly be blamed for doing so after the long and strenuous day he’d had. It was no wonder he drifted off into recharge, apparently having underestimated his inability to stay conscious for the duration of the movie. Surprisingly, even with the fact that he was sitting half-slumped against Ratchet at an awkward angle, it was one of the best recharge cycles he’d had in awhile, even better than the two previous nights’ combined!

Ratchet’s soft murmurs gently nudged him out of his contented dozing. “Hmm, Doc?” It took him a few moments to process and comprehend the quiet words spoken, but once he did, they left Wheeljack blinking blearily in confusion. A quick glance -- without turning his head, mind, for he didn’t want to disturb the other Autobot’s slumber, especially considering Ratchet’s head was resting against his own -- revealed that the medic was still fully in recharge, so he had to have been talking in his sleep.

There was an all-too-familiar tight, flickery feeling in his chest as he turned Ratchet’s words over in his mind. Ratchet was… dreaming about him? Wheeljack was stunned. Why in the world would the medic dream about him? And by the sounds of it, it was a rather interesting dream indeed, but what could possibly be meant by ‘Is this.. what being free's like..’? It sounded almost as if-

As if Ratchet was dreaming of coming along with him on one of his jaunts.

Of course, that might not be what Ratchet was dreaming about at all, but that’s where Wheeljack’s mind went automatically. He sat in stunned, nervous silence, thinking hard. What did this mean -- that the medic wanted to come along the next time he went to blow a ‘Con mine sky high? That he wanted a more extensive vacation from the others? That he might just be open to joining Wheeljack when wanderlust took root in his spark and drove him to once more take to the stars? No more words got mumbled, and it seemed Ratchet had slipped back off deeper into sleep.

It was ridiculous, of course, because this couldn’t possibly be what the other bot could be dreaming of. Besides, there was absolutely no need to psychoanalyze Ratchet just because he happened to mumble a couple of meaningless words. He probably wouldn’t even remember them or whatever it was he dreamt of when he woke up! And regardless of everything -- there was no way a bot like Ratchet would ever actually want to be with a bot like Wheeljack. ‘He’s just talkin’ in his sleep, it means nothing,’ he told himself sternly. The tight, flickery feeling did not go away.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, the Wrecker did not fall back into a doze. No matter how many times he told himself it had only been a dream, the thought had been planted in his head, and now it was all he could actually think about. ‘Great,’ he thought moodily, ‘Now I’m daydreaming about running away with my doctor. Next comes the name-glyphs carved in a wall somewhere. This schoolbot crush couldn’t fade away quicker, could it?’

Finally, as the sun rose again in the sky and cast dawn rays through the front viewscreen of The Jackhammer, Ratchet began to stir. “Good mornin’, Sunshine. Hope my head was a good pillow,” Wheeljack drawled lightly, his tone teasing as he turned to smile up at the sleepy bot beside him. “Your shoulder wasn’t too bad, I give it four outta five.”

He sat up straighter, pulling away from where he’d been half-hunched against the medic’s bulky kibble, and gave a bit of a stretch: first his arms, then his torso, and finally his legs. He winced and grunted slightly as the injured leg gave a reluctant twinge, but it was nowhere near the level of pain as before. The rest he’d been prescribed had indeed been helpful!

“Day four of my imprisonment. So what’s on the agenda today, Doc? Got some interestin’ torture activities planned for me?” His doorwings gave a final little flutter as he did a cursory little stretch to loosen up the joints, and Wheeljack gave Ratchet a jaunty little grin-smirk to show he was just joking around. “We didn’t finish that movie last night, did we?”

[Ratchet]

Just what exactly had Ratchet been dreaming about? That had been a good question, but Wheeljack's guesses hadn't been too far off. While he hadn't been dreaming of going with him on a raid of a Decepticon controlled energon mine, he had been dreaming about going places with him.. perhaps for an extended period of time. It'd been after the war, long after everything was all said and done. He wasn't sure who had won in the dream, but it didn't matter one bit. The medic was with Wheeljack, and he was experiencing freedom at it's best.

And if one had to ask.. he was quite content with that.

As the sun arose, the elder mech slowly began to open his optics, allowing them to adjust before moving around too much. He didn't remember what it was he'd dreamt about, but he did remember small bits and pieces of the dream. Blinking once more, he heard the voice of the Wrecker he'd fallen asleep on, quickly moving his helm away. Scrap, he'd been sleeping on him this whole time?! "I.. I guess it was. Primus, I'm sorry if that made you feel even the slightest bit awkward." It did seem, however, that Wheeljack was just as fine sleeping on his shoulder, surprised that he had been as comfortable as he has been for the entire duration of the night. He had figured that at some point of the night, Wheeljack would have moved into a more comfortable position, but he'd stayed. Had it been that he didn't want to disturb the medic's slumber? The thought alone had a small blush creeping onto his faceplates.

"You were that comfortable, were you? I guess that's one thing to be relieved about. Don't worry. I won't let anyone know about this." The guy had a reputation after all, as did Ratchet.

As the younger mech straightened and began to stretch, Ratchet hopped off the berth, giving Wheeljack a little more room to stretch while he preformed a few stretches of his own. At first he gave the Wrecker a bit of a look at the mention of his 'imprisonment', but then smirked a little. He knew he was joking, and he certainly wanted to keep that friendly banter of theirs going in order to humor not just Wheeljack, but he himself. What could they do today..? He'd wanted to get Wheeljack on his feet for a little while, taking a few steps and see where he was at from that point. Ratchet knew full well that he was going to need a couple more days at the very least in order to be functional on his own, but they'd take baby steps until then.

"Well.. first on the agenda is to refuel. You're going to need your strength, so we should get some energon before we do much of anything. After that if you feel ready, we can try walking a few steps and then bring you back to your 'cell'. I'm merely joking, but we'll see how you're feeling after a few steps. I'll walk with you, but I'll only hold you if you absolutely need me to. Otherwise I will stay in close proximity to catch you should you stumble. I don't want to risk any extra damage to that leg of yours."

Oh, that's right! The movie! "No, I.. don't believe we did. Once we're done with your rehab for the day, we can pick up where you left off if you want. I remember being online longer than you, so I would have to backtrack, but if you want to watch a different movie.. or do something else entirely, I won't stop you."

Finishing off with a single servo stretch, he turned behind him to grab a couple of cubes from the energon dispenser, carefully bringing both cubes over to the berth, setting them down before handing a single cube to Wheeljack. "Go ahead. Have some energon. I may return to the base briefly tomorrow for some additional supplies, but I'll bring some extra energon with me to replenish what I took from you. It's only fair since I'm your 'house guest' of sorts, isn't it? If there's anything else you want me to get for you while I'm at the base, just let me know before tomorrow and I'll do my best to get it for you. Does that sound good?"

[Deleted]

It seemed that they were both in apparent agreement that yes, they had recharged practically on top of one another, and yes, were both alright with it. Wheeljack took a moment to wonder when he had become so comfortable with tactile interactions, and of letting other bots be so close to him when he recharged. He ought to have been baffled by it, but the Wrecker was actually sort’ve pleased instead: Ratchet was a person he trusted, after all, and he obviously didn’t mind being snoozed on.

“Thanks, Doc. Don’t want anyone to think I went soft or anythin’,” Was that not exactly what was happening, though? He could’t bring himself to worry too much about it, though, because it was Ratchet. “I promise I won’t go tellin’ everyone ‘bout how comfy your pauldrons are, otherwise everyone would want to use you as a pillow.”

Ratchet hopped to his pedes and did a few stretches of his own, and Wheeljack could not help but stare (more than a little openly, but hopefully Ratchet didn’t notice) and admire the medic’s sturdy frame - and admire he did! Had the medic always looked so good, or was this just the stupid schoolbot crush speaking? He distracted himself by reminding himself he ought to be smugly pleased at the look levelled at him in response to the word ‘imprisonment’, and was successful in that he felt even more so when Ratchet gamely played along. He smirked.

“Refuelin’ sounds good now. Can’t deny I’m lookin’ forward to gettin’ back on my feet, though.” Wheeljack agreed, listening to the proposed itinerary dutifully, “Though, y’know, there’re two bots in this ship, and I ain’t the only one capable of makin’ decisions.” His tone took on a gentle teasing register, “Y’don’t need to humor me just ‘cause I’m stuck on my aft with a bum leg. If you wanna watch somethin’ else, you just gotta say it.” Picking up where they’d left off with that movie was an appealing idea, though, as Wheeljack had honestly enjoyed it.

An energon cube was handed to him and Wheeljack took a grateful gulp; Ratchet was right in that he definitely needed his strength, for it was four days after his near-death experience, and it would be a few more days at least before his systems recovered from the shock. “Sounds good,” he echoed back with a nod. The Wrecker paused for a moment then. “Wait, you’ve been bringin’ energon from the base? Why didn’t you just take some from my stash I got on the raid? It’s all meant for you, anyways, y’might as well use it instead of dippin’ into reserves.” ‘You’, of course, was intended to mean ‘the group as a whole’, but it came out suspiciously sounding a lot like ‘you’ in the singular form. Woops.

To cover it up, Wheeljack decided that right now was a great time to go for a walk. He might have been unusually obedient and cooperative as of late, but he was still the same obstinate bugger they all knew and loved. He felt as good as ever, anyways, so he thought he might as well give it a go. With a grunt, the Wrecker used the edge of the wall and the berth itself to lever himself up onto his feet, and to his relief, his injured leg only gave a cranky twinge in protestation.

He was able to stand unaided for a good long while, which he took as a victory. He took a tentative step forward, wincing as the leg ached but otherwise held up. Wheeljack took another step, and then another, small baby steps compared to what he was used to, but even he knew what progress looked like. “Well, so far so good,” he grinned, “Maybe today I won’t be inspectin’ the floor with my face again!”

Of course his leg had to go and give out just then, because Wheeljack wasn’t ever allowed to have any sort of victory without a reminder of a setback. He ought to have known better than to jinx it! He ended up pitching forward straight into Ratchet, nearly smacking his head against the medic’s chestplates, and had to grab on tight to his shoulders to keep from crumpling to the floor. “Fraggit,” he hissed, trying to get his balance again, “Sorry, Sunshine, didn’ mean t’try and headbutt you or anythin’,” Nevermind the fact that they were now in rather close proximity, rather unlike last night when they just recharged. To cover up the awkwardness, Wheeljack then drawled, “What can I say, I gotta do a little prison riotin’ to keep my warden on his toes.”

[Ratchet]

"Don't worry. Your reputation will remain untarnished." Honestly he was glad that Wheeljack wasn't about to go blabbing about last night to anyone either. Last thing he needed was the humans attempting to fall asleep on his shoulders, as well as the younger bots around the base. Just how in the world would he get any work done under those circumstances? He most certainly wouldn't, with the possible exception of anything he could do from his datapad.. which wasn't entirely much when you were a medic.

As the medic retreated from the berth to stretch, he remained unaware of the Wrecker ogling him. If he had noticed, he wouldn't have even known what to do.. aside from fight the urge to chuck a wrench at him. That urge would easily be suppressed, however.. given Wheeljack had still been recovering from his near-death experience. That could be saved for another time, perhaps after the next energon mine raid he went on? If it were up to Ratchet, he'd have him stop these absurd excursions of his.. but there was just no talking any sense into this guy. Not easily, anyway.

If anything, he'd just been glad he agreed to the energon, but it was what he'd said afterwards that threw Ratchet for a loop. The medic stared at the younger mech in astonishment, mouth slightly agape. Two on this ship capable of decisions..? He was really willing to give him that sort of luxury here? "But, Wheeljack.. This is your ship. I'm just a visitor. I don't want to impose on anything you want to do, but.. if you really want me to.. I.. guess I could? I, uh.. Thank you." Grabbing the energon and bringing it over to Wheeljack, he thought for a moment. He really wasn't familiar with Earth movies.. "Why don't.. Why don't we finish the movie we were watching last night, and then.. perhaps.. you can show me what all movies w-.. you have." Scrap, where had that almost 'we' come from?!

Bringing his own energon cube to his lips, he nearly spat a small amount of it out as he was questioned why he was bringing his own energon in. The stash that was here.. it had been meant for them? Well now he just felt silly. "I didn't want to assume that was all for us, and a part of me felt guilty for taking what I thought had been yours so.. I had wanted to replenish what I took from you. But if that energon is for us, I suppose that will save me a trip to the base in terms of energon." He chuckled to himself, a bit on the nervous side, but smiled as he took another sip from his cube.

It had seemed that Wheeljack was ready to try walking again, and Ratchet was more than prepared to assist if it was needed. He knew the Wrecker was going to need to take it easy, so he wasn't surprised when he'd started to take it slow. Setting down his cube on the berth, he stayed close with each step, smiling at his progress. "You're doing great, Wheeljack. You're really making progress."

And then he stumbled. As Wheeljack grabbed onto the medic's shoulders, Ratchet quickly grabbed him by the waist in order to give him better support. "Are you alright?" He smiled, listening to the other mech's apology. "There's no need to apologize. You weren't trying to hurt me or anything. I'm fine. What matters most is that you're making progress and you're getting your strength back each and every day. Give it a few more days, and you should be back at the top of your game.. or close to it anyway." It was only then that he realized just how close the two of them were, even closer than when they'd fallen asleep on each other just the previous night. It made Ratchet blush a little, but he didn't let go. He wanted to give Wheeljack that extra support physically until he got back to his feet, whether he wanted to try walking some more, or wanted to resume his hop/shuffle dance back to the berth.

There was no way Ratchet could avoid laughing when the prisoner and warden routine returned to play, genuinely finding the comment to be funny. "Well then, I think it's time to return you to your cell. Ready to try again or do you want to rest for a little bit? I'm not going to push you into doing anything, but I'm here if you absolutely need me to help you back to the berth. Just thought I'd give you the option."

[Deleted]

Well, wasn’t this a strange case of reverse hospitality! If Wheeljack were a good host, he’d be the one plying on the niceties. It was a bit odd, to be honest, as he was used to Ratchet bossing everyone around, but he knew the medic was just trying to make things easier. “If you wanna pick up where we left off, I’m fine with it,” Wheeljack said in amusement. He definitely wouldn’t mind at all, as the movie had been entertaining… and watching movies with Ratchet was a rather pleasing experience anyways. The Wrecker perked up a bit, catching the near slip of ‘we’, and smiled. “I got a lotta movies downloaded, so… yeah, we could do that. Have no idea if you’d like ‘em or not but we can give ‘em a go.”

He can’t help but laugh when he caught sight of Ratchet’s gob-smacked face. “What, you thought I was blowin’ the mines for fun? What’d you think I was doin’, hoardin’ all the energon for myself?” There was a special irony in Ratchet replenishing energon meant for Team Prime with energon from the base that Wheeljack had likely brought in before. Since the recent (and not to mention strange; he didn’t remember so many bots around) influx of new faces at the base, Wheeljack had figured they’d be burning through their meager reserves faster than they could refine more anyways. Stealing energon was the option the Wrecker preferred, and in his opinion it tasted better for the thievery anyways. “I mean, not gonna deny it, blowin’ those mines is fraggin’ fun. But still. It’s just a classic smash-an’-grab-an’-boom mission.”

When he did try his luck with his leg, Wheeljack felt emboldened by Ratchet’s encouraging words. The medic was right in that he’d made progress, but as evidence by his sudden faceplant into the other’s chest, there were obviously still some limits to his abilities. There was a brief, frantic moment where Wheeljack scrabbled to grab hold and catch himself from sliding even further, but between him holding onto Ratchet’s shoulders and the medic’s arms firmly around his waist, he didn’t go down.

Wheeljack made a bit of a sound at Ratchet. “I’m fine, are you okay? Didn’t dent you with my head or anythin’? I got thick plating up there for a reason.” Wouldn’t be the first time: he’s headbutted his fair share of ‘Cons as well as thumped a few brothers in arms after too much highgrade. The Wrecker then blinked once, twice, realizing that Ratchet seemed a bit flustered and that likely had to do with their close proximity. He started to feel a bit flustered too. Was this… shyness?

To cover it up, Wheeljack joked, “I think I’m done now, ‘cause this leg is achin’ and I dunno if your chest plates can take another hit from me. Return me t’my cell, warden!” It delighted him to have gotten a laugh out of Ratchet, for each laugh seemed like something more precious than energon itself. He limp-hopped back to the berth, holding tight to the other bot until he was safely sitting on the berth.

He extended his leg gingerly, wincing a little. It was definitely sore, and maybe he’d pushed it a bit too far, but the pain is something he can deal with because it’s nowhere near as bad as it was before. Wheeljack finished up the energon cube he’d left forgotten. With a swig, he asked teasingly, “So, what d’you do when you aren’t playin’ nanny t’busted Autobots and chuckin’ wrenches at people’s heads, Doc?” What did Ratchet get up to, anyways? He knew Ratchet preferred to stay on-base and rarely ran missions, instead fulfilling a support role. Beyond the gentle niggling, he was honestly curious and wanted to know more about the medic.

[Ratchet]

Sure Ratchet could be bossy, but even he knew that there were times where he would just have to accept the hand that fate had dealt him. This had been one of those times, and he was willing to do whatever it took to ease the Wrecker's frustrations. Even if it meant putting all of Wheeljack's needs first and his own second, but it seemed that wasn't good enough for the Wrecker. He wanted Ratchet to be able to make decisions too, even if they were as simple as choosing a single movie to watch. "A lot means that you have plenty to choose from. I'm sure that you have something that could peak my interest."

Naturally he had been confused and baffled when Wheeljack had questioned why he had been replenishing his energon supply when said energon supply had actually been meant for the Autobots. "No, I know that. I know you bring energon for us, but I didn't want to just assume that all of that was for us, or any of it for that matter. You need to keep a stash of your own as well and I just wanted to play it safe." He chuckled for a moment, closing his optics. "And now I know." And that was only half the battle. If only Wheeljack knew just how thankful he was that he was bringing them all the energon he had been. With all the new faces, they were burning through energon at a faster pace. In a way, it made the medic panic a little. He'd need to find some solution to their energon shortage.. and quickly.

Soon enough Wheeljack had gotten onto his two peds, Ratchet standing by in the event that he stumbled. It was all going well until that leg of his went out, sending the Wrecker towards the ground. As Wheeljack grabbed for the medic's shoulders, Ratchet wrapped his arm's around Wheeljack's waist, cringing momentarily before shaking it off. He was glad that Wheeljack was alright, but the Wrecker wanted to know if he had been ok, too. Releasing the slightly smaller mech with one arm, he felt around his chest plate. Everything seemed fine and, wait no. Maybe there was a bit of a mark there. "Just a small one, but nothing I can't fix. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I've been through far worse than simple cosmetic damage. I'm not upset with you. I know it was an accident. I'll just fix it after you're all healed up." His optics softened, staring directly into the younger mech's optics for a brief moment, not even realizing he had been doing so until a moment later. He could only feel that blush growing stronger, a twinge of embarrassment coming forward. Primus, just why was he getting so embarrassed over this? It wasn't even like they were doing anything.

Ratchet managed to shake the feeling when Wheeljack continued the warden and prisoner motif, laughing it off as Wheeljack kept it going. "Alright then. Off to the cell block for you, and then you can think about what you've done." He teased, chuckling as he helped the Wrecker back to the berth. He hadn't expected to enjoy this as much as he had, but now he was just having fun with it. Besides, when did he ever have the time for fun? Wheeljack was giving him something he hadn't had in a very long time.

Which was why he was completely thrown for a loop when the Wrecker consulted him about the things he did when he wasn't fixing injuries for mechs and femmes alike. No matter how hard he thought, he just couldn't come up with a great answer for that question. "I, uh.. I'm sure it's not the answer you're looking for, but I research. I research and try to do what I can to find a way to help bring the war to an end. Nothing exciting, I can assure you, but I haven't exactly had the time to fit 'me time' into that schedule." Hopping back up onto the berth to sit beside the other mech, he stared at the wall on the other side of the ship as if expecting it to suddenly make a move.

"However.. being here with you? It's forced me to re-learn how to enjoy things that don't involve a medical bay or even a Decepticon attack. Sure, you've only shown me movies, but.. it's a start, isn't it? So, um... Thank you."

[Deleted]

It took some squinting and some careful observation, but eventually the Wrecker did see that there was indeed a small dent where his head made contact with Ratchet’s chest plates. He felt guilty then (which was a rarity in itself, but Ratchet was proving more and more to be an exception to nearly every rule), even when it was barely noticeable. The other mech didn’t seem to be all that worried about it, though, and soon Wheeljack’s worries are washed away by their casual back-and-forth banter that had become characteristic of their unlikely friendship. Ratchet even laughed!

“Guess that means no parole for me, huh? Dentin’ a guard probably evaporated my chances of gettin’ out on good behaviour,” Wheeljack teased back, making a bit of a show at returning himself to his ‘cell’. With a cocky grin, he added, “Lookit! I’m the model of remorse. I feel absolutely awful fer my actions. Totally ashamed.”

Whatever answer he’d been expecting from Ratchet, it certainly wasn’t the one he got. Wheeljack stared a little in disbelief. “...That’s it? Y’don’t do anything else ‘cept… more work?” It was hardly healthy, but then again, they were at War, and many of them -- Wheeljack included -- had picked up a few unhealthy habits. At Ratchet’s next words, it was the Wrecker’s turn to be thrown for a loop. The medic was thanking him… for showing him movies? “If I’d’a known you were lookin’ t’be reminded on how to have a good time, Doc, I’d’ve chucked a movie at you sooner.” Granted, being stuck in a ship with a moody injured Wrecker probably wasn’t the definition of ‘good time’, but they’d made some progress, at least.

“It’s a start,” he agreed then, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. “Y’still got a long way t’go, though, so I guess this means I gotta teach you how t’loosen up a bit more, huh?” And he would later be ashamed to admit that he did not once think of alluding to some sort of innuendo with his words. “... Every bot needs some time t’themselves t’take care of themselves, Sunshine. Movies are a good place t’start, but there’s gotta be a few other things y’could try. Like, uh…” He thought hard for a moment, wracking his processor, before an idea came to him, “-I’ve got some of those old puzzle holocubes. I used t’use ‘em ‘cause I needed somethin’ t’do with my hands, ‘till I figured ‘em all out,” Wheeljack pointed then to one of the storage compartments built into one of The Jackhammer’s walls. “They’re in there if y’wanna take a look and borrow ‘em.”

It’d been a long time since he’d taken a look at those puzzle games, he’d almost completely forgotten about them. Unfortunately for him, he’d also forgotten that that particular compartment also contained something other than clever old toys meant to help hone a bot’s wits.

[Ratchet]

Of course Ratchet hadn't been concerned about the dent in his chest plates. It had hardly hurt, and he knew that Wheeljack hadn't stumbled on purpose. It was bound to happen, and that's why Ratchet had stayed as close to him as he had. He wanted to be sure that Wheeljack didn't fall and hurt himself, which is why he had tried to catch him. It only fueled their prisoner and warden scenario that much further, and the two of them had been enjoying it. "No parole for you, however there is a chance you could be released early for good behavior if you pick up extra volunteer work. Now back in your cell." Ratchet laughed as he helped Wheeljack back onto his berth, smiling as he watched him, only for another chuckle to escape at his exclamations. "You feel bad, do you? Well that certainly didn't take long for you to think about in your cell."

He knew full well that the Wrecker wasn't going to be as thrilled with his answer when he was asked what he did for fun. Truth was he didn't. When did he have the time? He was the only medic on the team unless another medic suddenly crash landed on Earth, and there was an energon shortage that was plaguing them.. one that Wheeljack was attempting to save them from. Truly he was thankful for the younger mech for his help, even if it had been a little unorthodox. The medic hopped onto the berth, continuing their discussion. "Nothing but work.. and maybe recharge when I can. Being the only medic isn't exactly as fun as it sounds, you know." Leaning back a little, he relaxed as they continued to talk, not even catching onto Wheeljack unintended innuendo. If he had, he would have blushed fiercely. "Perhaps, but you would have had to have dragged me out of the base in order to get me to cooperate. Maybe there was reason for all of this.. your injury I mean. We were able to bond and find things we both enjoyed." Oh scrap, did he just word it the way he thought he had?! "I-I.. I mean.. bond as in get closer, not.. not like that.."

And there was that intense blush now.

The Wrecker then proceeded to try and give the medic ideas of what he could do for fun aside from watching movies. Puzzle holocubes sounded like they could be fun for a little while, but they could only hold interest for so long at the very same time. And here he was offering to let Ratchet borrow some. He smiled at the thought, nodding as soon as he knew where they were. "Thank you. I think I'll take a look now, and then we can continue your movie if you'd like."

Ratchet hopped up from the berth, walking to the compartment in question. Upon opening the cabinet, he found some of the puzzle cubes that had been mentioned. Grabbing one, Ratchet pulled it out only to find something else being knocked out of the compartment by the holocube. The elder mech made to catch it, accidentally powering the apparent datapad on. Close call.. He looked to it for a brief moment, only to be wracked with confusion upon seeing it's contents. These were.. complex equations! Bamboozled, he turned to Wheeljack.

"Is.. this yours?"

[Deleted]

The Wrecker couldn’t help himself: at Ratchet’s words, he snorted out a laugh. “You sayin’ Primus intended for me t’get stabbed an’ almost bleed t’death so I’d be able t’teach you how t’have a good time?” His tone was teasing, of course, and now there was indeed a bit of innuendo insinuated with a few browplate waggles. “Good to know that almost dyin’ brings you out of your cave! Never took you for the religious sort, though.” Still, there was something a bit poetic about what the medic was trying to say. Wheeljack wasn’t really one to believe in that sort of thing, mind, but he could appreciate it for what it was.

Of course, Wheeljack was even more delighted (in the good-natured sort of way) at the opportunity presented when Ratchet tripped over his own words. He gleefully jumped at the chance to rile him up even more. “We can bond over lots of other things,” He shamelessly said, “An’ I’m pretty sure when you get back t’base, the rumors’ll be flyin’. Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone’ll have already started a gift registry.”

He would admit that he had completely forgot about the other thing he’d stashed in that particular compartment. Wheeljack watched in much the same way one would watch a trainwreck as the mysterious object, which was definitely not a puzzle cube, fell from its perch only to be fumblingly caught by Ratchet’s quick hands. At the sight of the old datapad being held up, he cringed. “Yeah, that’s- uh, nothin’ important.” If he weren’t stuck with a bum leg he might have even jumped up to try and stuff it back out of sight and hope Ratchet might just forget about it entirely. “Just, old stuff. Very old stuff, not important.”

It was a datapad even older than the one he watched his movies on, and it was full of all of his old work from his university days. All of his complex equations (advanced physics and structural chemistry, though there was some high-level calculus work there as well), all of his notes and projects (mostly to do with things that went ‘boom’), and every one of his papers that had been published (to highly prestigious journals) before the War. Certainly not something anyone might expect a Wrecker even remotely capable of. As far as he was concerned, it really wasn’t important at all. “Really, really old stuff. From a long time ago.”

[Ratchet]

If there were ever a time that Ratchet wanted to facepalm, it was at this precise moment. It was funny, especially when they'd just gone through this the other day. "No, I'm not glad that you got hurt for the reasons you almost died. The only thing I'm glad about is that we were able to use this as an experience to get to a better understanding of each other. I've learned that you aren't the worst thing ever. And.. I do too know how to have a good time!" Ratchet grew flustered at that infamous brow wiggle, his faceplates flushing by the mere action itself. He glanced aside, only to return his attention when religion was brought into the discussion. "I wouldn't say that I am exactly. You can hope and pray all you want, but I don't want to cling to such a notion either. I'm not saying that you're wrong if you are, I'm just giving you my two Shanix on the matter."

Naturally, however, he'd let his own words slip and had insinuated something more than what he had felt about the situation. Bonding.. that was what two close Cybertronians did, and the medic so wasn't ready for that. He'd merely meant getting closer and getting to know each other better! But it was too late now, and knowing the Wrecker, he was going to take full advantage of this little slip up.

Which was precisely what he had done.

"Ugh.. You hush. If anyone were to start one of these 'gift registries' as you refer to them as, I would not be surprised in the least if Smokescreen were the one behind it, if not Strongarm." Naturally the younger mech wouldn't know who Strongarm was, unless he'd met her without his knowing, but it didn't matter. At least.. not at the moment anyway. He'd get to meet her in due time. "However, don't blame me if Bulkhead or Miko decide to unleash this registry on you first."

As he got up from the berth to look through the puzzle cubes, he had most certainly not expected a datapad to come calling from the compartment. Just barely had he managed to catch the thing, but now he couldn't help but stare at it, wondering why it had been locked in there in the first place. So many questions, and Wheeljack wasn't talking. It wasn't important, he'd said, but Ratchet felt otherwise with just the small findings he had seen on the device. "Not important? You say that this isn't important?"

The medic returned to the berth, taking a seat beside Wheeljack once more as he held the datapad out to him. "You do know what these are, do you not? These are complex equations that the average mech and femme could only dream of trying to understand. Just why would you have something like that in there if it weren't important?" He dwelt on the information he was given, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together in his processor. Something old and something not important.

"Wheeljack.. if it is alright for me to ask, just what exactly did you used to do before you joined the Wreckers? I understand if it's something you don't want to talk about, but I have to admit that I'm rather curious now."