Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ratchet tensed as you laughed again, his grip on the tool in his servo tightening. His back was towards you but he could picture the look on your face, the way your nose scrunched up when you laughed, how your eyes would shine with amusement, one of your hands moving to cover your sweet smile, and he could just as easily picture the flirtatious grin on Wheeljack’s face as he regaled you and the kids with yet another story about some epic battle he had fought and won. Another bout of laughter reached his audials, and without meaning to, he clenched his servo and snapped the tool he was holding. The sudden silence told him that the rest of the base had noticed and Ratchet gritted his dentae as Wheeljack approached.

“Woah Doc, you should be a little more careful. Don’t you need that?” Wheeljack’s tone was light and teasing but Ratchet’s foul mood only worsened as the other Autobot peered around him to look at the damage. “Give me a few hours and I can have it up and running again like new.”

“I am perfectly capable of fixing it myself.” Ratchet’s words were strained but Wheeljack either didn’t notice or was ignoring the moodiness in his voice, reaching to grab the pieces.

“I said I could handle it!” Ratchet snapped, snatching it up before Wheeljack could and moving past him to retreat to his hab suite. You all watched as he stormed out, Wheeljack waiting for him to be out of earshot before giving a low whistle.

“Something’s got him on edge.”

“Yeah,” you frowned, “I think I should go check on him.” You took off after Ratchet, easily navigating your way to his hab suite. He had given you the code to the door previously so you let yourself in, greeted by the sight of the medic hunched over and sitting on the edge of the berth that had been installed after the Autobot’s arrival.

“Hey.” You approached him slowly, waiting to gauge his reaction. “Things got a little heated out there, just wanted to check in and see if you were okay.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be back out there with Wheeljack?” You recoiled slightly, caught off guard by the venom in his words.

“I’m exactly where I want to be right now, so can you please just tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.”

“We both know that’s a lie, and I can’t help if you don’t tell me what exactly is wrong.”

“The only way you could help would be if you stopped hovering over me, it may be difficult for you to understand this but I don’t need you! Why would I ever need a human’s help?” Ratchet regretted the words as soon as they slipped out but it was too late to take them back now, your expression already going flat and your eyes cold.

“So I’m just some stupid human to you then.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“Do I?” You moved back to the door, pausing before the threshold. “I love you Ratchet but I can’t keep carrying this relationship on my own, not when you’re always looking for a way to sabotage your own happiness.” And with those parting words you left. Even with the door now between you, Ratchet could still hear you let out a choked sob, the sounds of your distress growing fainter as you moved away.

-

You were back home now, lying on your couch and staring at the television blankly. You hadn’t absorbed anything that had occurred in the show you were watching, still too wrapped up in the day’s events to pay attention. You likely would have stayed there all night but the sudden flashing of lights in your front yard made you sit up. You peeked out your window, startled to see Ratchet, who so rarely left the base, parked in your driveway. Shoving on some shoes you slipped out the door, Ratchet switching off his emergency lights as you drew near.

“Ratchet! What are you doing here and why the hell were your lights on? Are you trying to draw attention?”

“Yes, yours.”

You sighed, far too tired to deal with this. “Yeah well you have it now, what do you want?”

“I wish to speak with you.”

“Oh so now you want to talk to me, huh?” You glanced around, checking to see if any of your neighbors had taken notice of your late-night guest. “Fine. But not here, I don’t want anyone asking questions later about why there was an ambulance in front of my house. Open up.”

Ratchet’s passenger door swung open and you climbed in, settling yourself in the seat. It was silent as he drove out of town into the desert and once the two of you were far away enough he pulled to the side of the road, letting you back out as he transformed.

You watched with arms crossed as he knelt before you, servos hovering awkwardly in the air for a moment before he let them fall to the side.

“I am…sorry for what I said. It was not only cruel but untrue. I was angry and I took it out on you.” He paused and you looked at him expectantly. “And you’re right. I’m scared of losing the ones I love so I push them away and try to convince myself that they left because I wanted them to and not because of me, and I bottle up my emotions so that I can pretend I don’t have them. I was jealous of Wheeljack and instead of being mature about it I lost my temper. I know I haven’t done enough to show it but I do love you and I want the chance to prove it.”

“You’re kind of an ass, y’know that right? You shifted your hands to your hips as you stared him down. “Not to mention rude, prideful, and stubborn as hell. But,” you paused, giving him a small smile, “you are also selfless, hardworking, incredibly intelligent, and you care so much more than you let on. If you really mean it when you say that you’ll put in the effort then I mean it when I say that I want to be with you every step of the way.” At this point you had moved forward, hands delicately perched on his bent leg. “Now let’s go home and get some rest yeah? We can talk more in the morning.”

Bending forward carefully, Ratchet lightly pressed his face into your hair, sighing softly. “Yes. Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

You can’t help but notice that Arcee has been avoiding you lately. She was subtle about it, scheduling her patrols for when you typically stopped by at the base and placing the rest of Team Prime in between you and her when she couldn’t leave, but her avoidance was glaringly obvious to you. In the past few months you had grown closer, slowly but surely breaking down the walls Arcee had put up. You even thought that the connection the two of you had formed went beyond friendship, the stirrings of something exciting and new pulling at your heart. Now though it seemed as if she couldn’t even stand the sight of you and that stung more than you cared to admit.

You knew that this issue would continue to eat away at you and that you had to talk it out with her if you wanted any sort of explanation, so with a little help from Jack, you managed to finally catch Arcee alone on the roof of the base. She was sitting on the ledge, staring out at the Nevada night, hunched over in a way so unlike her normal proud stance that it made your chest ache. You know that she’s aware of your presence but she made no move to leave as you approached, which was already more than you had hoped for. Leaving a respectful distance between the two of you, you settled down along the edge of the rooftop, turning to look up at the stars.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” You kept it short and simple rather than beating around the bush, something you knew Arcee would appreciate.

“Yeah. I have.” Her response is just as short, her voice heavy with an emotion you couldn’t identify.

“I just want to know why. I thought we were friends Arcee, and maybe, I don’t know maybe more than that, but you shut down on me and I’m ok if you don’t feel the same way, I’m not gonna let that stop me from being your friend, I just don’t want to lose you.”

For the first time in weeks Arcee looked at you, really looked at you, and what you saw in her optics had you reeling. There was anger of course, you knew how easily Arcee slipped into anger as a defense, there was pain, there was sadness, all of which you had expected, but what truly threw you off was the pure want in her expression.

“I’ve lost too many people in this war, people that I loved. I couldn’t protect them, couldn’t save them, and they died. I told myself that I wouldn’t get attached like that again. Then Jack came along and I let him in and it was fine. But you, you made me feel something that I thought I would never feel again, that I swore to myself that I would never feel again, and even when I pushed you away you still kept coming back and being kind, and funny, and patient, and I tried my best to not feel anything for you.” She laughed but it was bitter rather than joyful. “Guess what? I failed.”

She turned away from you again, only to look back when you stood up. Like this, with her sitting and you standing, you were able to make eye contact without straining your neck. Walking forward, you pressed your forehead to hers and cradled her face in your comparatively tiny hands. “Y'know we humans have a saying; better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I can’t promise that nothing will happen to me, but I can promise to do my best to always come home to you. I know there’s a lot of reasons for us to stay apart but you don’t get to pick and choose who you love and I love you Arcee.” You grinned at her playfully, “and if you really do feel the same way and want to see where this goes, well, then you’re stuck with me.”

Your heart was beating wildly and you were simultaneously terrified of what she might say and tentatively hopeful. After a few moments of prolonged silence, Arcee brought up one servo to curl gently around your torso, the other covering one of the hands you had placed on her. “I love you too. And,” she smirked, amusement in her optics, “I have no intention of letting you go.”

Chapter Text

“Do you think we’re bad people?” You idly traced the Decepticon symbol adorning your frame, looking anywhere but at the silent mech standing next to you. “I know that at the start of all of this Megatron had every reason to stand against the council, and we followed him because it was the right thing to do. But now? Now I’m not so sure what we’re doing is right.”

Gesturing helplessly out at the vast desert that lay below The Nemesis, you finally moved to look at your companion. “We destroyed Cybertron, we destroyed our home, with our war, what right do we have to sacrifice another planet to a struggle that doesn’t hold meaning anymore?”

He still hadn’t moved, the light of the setting sun making his ever-present visor gleam. You hadn’t expected a response, though you had hoped for one, and you took one last look at the view before moving to head inside. Soundwave’s arm shot out, thin digits wrapping loosely around your wrist. Startled by his sudden movement you froze. With a crackle of static, his visor lit up as he pieced together different recordings. “Watch what-you say-treason is-punishable by-”, and then finally in Megatron’s voice, "death.”

You stared at him silently before pulling back from his touch. His gaze followed you as you slipped back inside. That night, when you fled The Nemesis under the cover of darkness, Soundwave turned a blind eye. You both knew that he could raise the alarm in seconds and stop you. You both knew that he wouldn’t. By the time Megatron noticed your absence, all footage of your escape had been deleted and you were gone without a trace.

-

The next time Soundwave sees you is on the battlefield. You stand proud, the red symbol on your chassis gleaming as you shift into a defensive stance. When you spot him there’s a brief moment in which you falter but you quickly recover. You’ve made your decision, to side with the Autobots and to preserve the life on this planet. Now it’s time for Soundwave to make his decision; you or Megatron.

Chapter Text

You were seated on the command center, idly dangling your legs off the edge as you watched Ratchet work. He was currently tinkering with some device, he’d explained what it did earlier but you’d been too focused on how handsome he’d looked to really pay attention. He looked just as good right now, optics narrowed in concentration and derma pressed together in a stern frown. After a few minutes he took note of your gaze, eyeing you suspiciously.

“Can I help you?”

“No.” You gave him a cheeky grin. “Actually, maybe you can. I was just wondering about something.”

“And what, exactly, were you wondering about?” His tone was exasperated but you knew him well enough to recognize that there was an undercurrent of fondness in his words.

You beckoned him closer, smiling when he grumbled but obeyed. “Can you do me a favor and set me down and mass displace?” He carefully moved you to the ground then shrank down till he was only a few feet taller than you.

“Now what exactly is it that you wa-”

He was abruptly cut off as you yanked him down into a kiss, strong enough to resist but too surprised to pull back, not that he particularly wanted to. You kept it brief, releasing him as you smugly brushed a hand against his cheek. “Thanks for satisfying my curiosity Ratch, that was all I wanted to know, you can get back to work now.”

You moved back, only to find yourself swept up off the ground and into Ratchet’s arms, your own arms circling his neck to support your weight. He leaned in and kissed you, nipping lightly at your bottom lip before drawing back. “You didn’t think we were done already?”

You didn’t have a chance to respond before he kissed you again, feverishly devouring your mouth as you shifted your legs to wrap them around his waist. You swiped your tongue teasingly across his derma and smirked as his engine revved. If this was the result you’d have to bother the good doctor more often.

Chapter Text

When the Autobots never showed up to pick up the kids from school, Jack had taken it upon himself to call you for a ride. You had immediately driven over, trying to keep your worry for the ‘bots, particularly Arcee, under wraps so as not to stress the three teens out. After you had picked them up you headed for the base in search of answers, Ratchet having refused to say anything other than that they were busy.

Unfortunately, you never made it. Soundwave and Starscream had descended upon you before you could do little more than scream for the kids to get down, the Decepticons tearing the roof off of your car with frightening ease. Soundwave had secured Miko, Raf, and Jack separately, each in some sort of container while Starscream took it upon himself to pluck you from your seat.

“Well, if it isn’t Arcee’s new…partner. As if it wasn’t bad enough that they had these pets.” He turned to leer at the children, only turning back when you began to thrash wildly in his grip, snarling out curses. “She had to go and involve herself with one of you disgusting creatures.” You went still as he dug the clawed tips of his servo into your body, blood welling up where he had punctured your skin. “I should put you out of your misery here and now but your usefulness has not yet run out so I suppose I’ll just have to wait for next time.”

He unceremoniously dropped you into a container like the ones the others were trapped in, your head slamming painfully against the glass. Dizzy with pain, you drifted in and out of consciousness as they brought you aboard The Nemesis. You weren’t sure how long you stayed there for, blood dripping from you as you weakly attempted to reassure your friends that you were fine. After some time had passed the four of you were picked up and you struggled to your feet as you and Jack were carried through a bridge by Starscream.

You didn’t recognize any part of your surroundings but it was easy to put the pieces together and realize that you were on Cybertron. Perhaps in different circumstances, you would’ve been more excited, but all you felt now was fear as Starscream set you down to scrape his claws against Jack’s containment unit mockingly as Megatron bartered with the Autobots.

“Optimus, get the kids, I don’t care what happens to me but you have to get the kids.” You focused on him, afraid to see the hurt in Arcee’s optics. He looked back at you, then to Megatron, before slowly lowering his weapon, the rest of the team following suit. You could only watch helplessly as the exchange was made, Smokescreen carrying you back to the others when it came time to trade you. All you could do was stand in your cage as the Decepticons opened the Omegalock, only to be stopped by Optimus. Before you could process what was happening you were back at the base, dividing into teams of two to be sent out to different locations. You didn’t even have time to say goodbye before Arcee was speeding through the portal with Jack while you climbed into Smokescreen’s alt mode, turning to look at Ratchet and Optimus one last time.

-

Arcee was worried. She hadn’t said anything about it but it was clear to Jack that your absence was weighing heavily on her. It had only grown worse when Ultra Magnus had told them that he had only seen five Autobot life signals on his radar, and even as she reassured him that it was probably because the other two were shielded, she was tense. When they found the others, with still no sign of Smokescreen or you, he could tell that her panic was rising, but she still didn’t bring you up beyond asking the others if they had heard from you. By the time the Autobots left to mount an attack on the Decepticon stronghold, she still hadn’t broken under the strain of her fear, but Jack watched with worried eyes as she stepped through the groundbridge, hoping for both her sake and yours’ that you were fine.

-

You hastily stepped out as Smokescreen transformed back into root mode, watching with awe as Darkmount fell. You could hear the sounds of engines revving and you tore your gaze away from the smoking structure just in time to see Arcee come speeding down the road, smoothly transitioning from motorcycle to robot as she swept you up in her arms.

Her derma pressed against your lips in a desperate kiss, tears of relief, joy, and overwhelming love welling up in the corners of your eyes. Smokescreen shifted awkwardly on his pedes before turning back into a car and moving to meet the others, who were waiting further down.

Arcee pulled back, resting her forehelm against you as she knelt down, still clutching you to her. “I almost lost you.”

“Hey, I’m fine, I’m still here. You’re stuck with me, remember?”

She brushed her servo against your cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen. “I remember.” She leaned back in again, derma just barely brushing against your lips as she spoke. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” You kissed her again, smiling through your tears. “I love you so, so much.”

Chapter Text

You watched from your spot on the catwalk as Ratchet rummaged through one of the many drawers in the medbay, muttering angrily to himself. “You looking for something Doc?”

He paused briefly in his search to glare at you, optics narrowing when you gave him a cheeky grin in response. “Don’t call me that. And yes, if you must know I’m looking for my field kit.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You mean the big red box with the white handle?”

“Yes that’s the one, have you seen it?” He rose from his crouched position, looming over you now that he was standing straight.

You pointed behind him, “Yeah it’s on top of the command center where you put it this morning after fixing up Bulkhead.”

He turned to look, bringing one servo up to rub at his optics tiredly. “I’m an idiot.”

You shrugged, “You may be an idiot, but you’re my idiot.”

He glared at you again but you knew there was no real heat behind the expression so you blew him a kiss and winked, laughing when his face flushed as he stomped over to the kit.

Chapter Text

Music filled the air as you swayed back and forth, humming to yourself. Everyone else was out and about doing their own thing so you had the base to yourself, which meant you could play some of your sappier songs without fear of any judgement. At least, you thought everyone else was gone, but the sight of Optimus standing in the entryway proved you wrong. You froze, staring at him as he stared back, clearly a bit flustered as his cheeks were stained a faint blue.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just-”

“No, no its ok I should probably move anyways I-”

The two of you spoke up simultaneously, speaking over each other before abruptly going silent once more.

“Let me try that again.” Optimus gave you a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, I wanted to slip by but you just looked like you were having a nice time and I got a little distracted.”

You opened your mouth to tell him that it was fine but without meaning too, you blurted out an invitation to dance. You could feel the heat rush to your face and you averted your eyes, only to snap them back to Optimus as he moved closer.

“I’d like that.” His smile was gentle, if a touch unsure as he hesitantly held out a servo. Your hand was far too small to hold his but you did your best to do so anyways, smiling back at him. The height difference made things a little awkward but you made due, slowly leading Optimus into a gentle back and forth shuffle.

“Keep your eyes on me,” you murmured, wanting to reassure him as he still looked nervous. Slowly he began to relax, movements becoming more fluid and he even managed to spin you on his own after you had shown him how a couple of times. Suddenly you realized that you could hear voices, meaning the rest of the team had returned. You had lost track of time, having danced to song after song, and as the noise grew louder, signaling how close your friends were, you and Optimus sprang apart, nervously looking anywhere but at each other as the others came in.

Ratchet looked at the two of you suspiciously. “What have you two been doing all afternoon?”

“Nothing really, just listened to music that’s all.” The corner of your lips twisted up into a playful grin, one that Optimus returned with a knowing look in his optics as Ratchet eyed you both before grumbling and shaking his head.

“Young love huh?”

Chapter Text

“Orion!”

Turning to greet whoever had called for him, Orion’s optics landed on you as you rapidly closed the distance separating you from him.

“I heard that you and Megatron were going to speak to the council tomorrow, I just wanted to wish you luck.” You flashed him a smile, servos reaching out to clasp his. “You’re going to do great things Orion Pax.”

“Thank you.” His optics shone with gentle affection. “But as I recall, it was you who told me that if I did not like this world, to change it. This would not have been possible without you.”

You laughed, helm tilted back as you gave his servos a playful squeeze. “You would have reached this point with or without me, all I did was speed things up a little. Besides, its you and Megatron who do all the heavy lifting, I’m just here to make sure you two don’t run yourselves into the ground.”

“You give yourself far too little credit, Megatron and I both value your opinion and your assistance.”

“Is that all you value me for?” You teased, laughing again when he looked away shyly. “I have to go now, but before I do I have something for you and Megatron. You’ll just have to pass it on for me since I couldn’t find him.”

Before he could ask what it was, you had leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss to the corner of his derma. “That ones for you.” You pressed another soft kiss to his derma, opposite to the first one. “And that’s for Megatron.”

Before he could do more than give you a stunned stare you had slipped away, disappearing into the crowd with one last smile.

-

Many, many years later, when you are long gone, along with Orion Pax and the Megatron you once knew, Optimus Prime will think of you and ache for what could have been.

Chapter Text

“What did you do? Ratchet watched with exasperated optics as you sheepishly held an ice pack to your head.

“Nothing I swear, just took a little spill that’s all.”

Arcee, who had been the one to bring you to the medic, snorted. “You mean you fell head first off the catwalk and I had to catch you.”

You winced, meeting Ratchet’s glare with a rueful smile. “Ok maybe it wasn’t so little.”

His optics narrowed and both you and Arcee could sense the incoming lecture. She was quick to slip away, giving you an apologetic shrug. You steeled yourself for what was sure to be a scalding reprimand for your carelessness but relaxed as salvation in the form of Optimus approached.

“Are you alright?” His derma were twisted into a worried frown as he took in your appearance. “Arcee told me that you were injured falling from the catwalk.”

You gave him a thumbs up and a cheerful grin. “Never been better boss bot!”

Ratchet pointed at you threateningly, shaking his servo in frustration. “You need to stop being so reckless! If Arcee hadn’t caught you then you would be a lot worse off.”

“But she did catch me so it all worked out, no problem.”

Ratchet sighed, pressing his palm to his faceplate out of exasperation. “At least try to be a little more careful, and keep the icepack pressed to your head for at least 10 more minutes.”

Optimus took this as a cue to leave and offered a servo to you, carefully cradling you against his chassis once you jumped on. You gave Ratchet a wave as you were carried out, still grinning. “I make no promises Doc but I’ll try!” He just sighed again, waving back dismissively.

“I really don’t mean to worry anybody, I just forget to look before I leap sometimes.” You looked up earnestly at Optimus as the two of you entered his habsuite. “I know I’m a bit of a disaster but I can’t help it.”

“You may be a disaster but,” and he gave you one of his rare, teasing smiles, optics sparkling with amusement, “you are my disaster.” He brushed his derma against your forehead, careful to avoid your injury. “And I would not change a thing.”

Chapter Text

“C’mon, I said I was sorry!”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it Bee!” You turned away from him, arms crossed over your chest as you resolutely ignored your whining boyfriend.

“How was I supposed to know that it was gonna save over your file?”

“It literally had my name on it! Do you know how long I spent on that game? And now I have to start all over again!”

“That’s easy.” He waved his servo dismissively. “How many hours did you have? 10? 20?”

You whirled back around to face him, fists clenched at your side. “Easy! You think it’ll be easy? I had over 200 hours on that game!”

“Oh. That’s a lot of hours.”

“Yeah it was. I was so close to fully completing it and now I’m back at square one.” You threw yourself onto the couch with a huff, squeezing a cushion to your chest and burying your face into it.

“What if I promised to help? I am amazing at video games after all.” You peeked up at him from behind the cushion before ducking back down. “And I’ll watch those nature documentaries you and Prowl like so much.” That caught your attention and you let the pillow fall to the side as you eyed him calculatingly. “I’ll even let you choose the music the next couple of times we go driving.”

You sat up finally, scooting over to make room for him as he snuggled up to you. “I really am sorry.”

“Yeah,” you said, turning to kiss him briefly, “I know.” He moved to follow your lips for another kiss, only to be pushed back by your outstretched hand. “But don’t think for one second that you’re off the hook. I’ve got a ton of nature documentaries that I’ve been wanting to watch.” He groaned in response but as you leaned back in for another kiss you could feel his derma quirk up into a smile.

Chapter Text

You had been gone for two weeks, away on business, and in the meantime Arcee had missed you. She had always considered herself the loner type, content to be on her own, but after months of gentle affection and your near constant presence she had grown used to being with someone. Now that you were gone she was suddenly aware of how lonely her life had been before. She had the other Autobots and the kids to keep her company and for that she was thankful, as there was a time when she would have been totally alone with her thoughts, but the way she felt about them was completely different from how she felt about you.

You had awoken something in her, and though she had been scared of it at first and pushed you away, your love had been unrelenting and had washed over her in a wave of understanding and acceptance. She had fallen for you hard and she had fallen for you fast as a result, slowly growing comfortable with letting you see her at her most vulnerable.

Now it had been two weeks since she’d last seen you and, according to the schedule you had given her, it would be another week before you came home. Her processor said that wasn’t that long at all, that she had gone thousands of years without seeing others she had known and not been bothered, but her spark said otherwise.

In an attempt to escape her thoughts Arcee had gone out on patrol, speeding up and down the desert roads, letting the steady rhythm of her engines soothe her. Just as she was feeling a little better she received a comm from Optimus telling her to return to base. Unwilling to disobey an order, even if she somewhat resented being disturbed, she turned to head back to base.

When she rolled in she was surprised to see the rest of the team looking excited, having assumed that some emergency was occurring and that was why she’d been called back.

“There’s a surprise waiting for you back in your hab.” Wheeljack was grinning as he spoke and Arcee raised an optical ridge at that. Wheeljack of all mechs promising a surprise wasn’t exactly reassuring.

“Don’t worry,” Bulkhead reassured her, side eyeing Wheeljack with a fond but exasperated look, “Jackie didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Wheeljack took a playful swipe at Bulkhead as Bumblebee let out a series of beeps that had Arcee smiling in spite of herself. “Yeah? Guess I’ll head back to my habsuite then.” Nodding to Optimus who gave her a nod in return and a knowing smile, Arcee made a beeline to her room.

Stepping into the darkened room, she froze as she realized there was something, or someone, on her berth. Moving quietly she approached it with caution, ready to fight if necessary, only to reel back in surprise as she realized who exactly it was that had made themselves at home in her habsuite. Curled up in a nest of blankets and pillows that you had started keeping there once Arcee had began to invite you to spend the night, was you, fast asleep and expression serene as you nuzzled into your blanket. Slightly overwhelmed, Arcee took a seat on the edge of the berth. She didn’t want to wake you up but she did want to be near you so for now she contented herself with just watching the gentle rise and fall of your chest as you continued to sleep. She didn’t have to wait long before you began to stir, rising up and rubbing tiredly at your eyes as you sleepily observed your surroundings. She could tell the exact moment that you registered her presence, eyes shooting wide open and all traces of drowsiness disappearing instantly.

“Arcee!” You scrambled into her lap, beaming as you pressed a kiss to the side of her faceplate. “I’ve missed you.”

Her optics softened and she cupped her servos around your back. “I’ve missed you too.”

“I wanted to surprise you by coming home early but you were out on patrol and Optimus said it was fine for me to wait for you in here. Guess I was a lot more tired than I thought.” You rubbed the back of your head sheepishly.

“I’m just glad you’re home.”

“Me too.” You kissed her again, exchanging small, loving kisses with her before drifting off once more, secure in the arms of your partner.

Chapter Text

“Stop Bee, stop or I-” you shrieked, scrambling backwards on the couch as his servos brushed against your sides.

“You’ll what?” He wiggled his fingers playfully, inching towards you again.

“You better not Bee, or I’ll do… something.” You pouted at him, arms wrapped around your stomach in an attempt to shield yourself.

He paused, seeming to consider your words for a moment. “Guess that’s just a risk I’ll have to take.” He grinned, lunging for you and you squealed, squirming as he tickled you relentlessly.

After a good 30 seconds he finally relented, leaning in to kiss you as you giggled. You teasingly flicked one of his horns and he laughed into the kiss, smiling against your lips as you wrapped your arms around his neck and brought him closer.

Chapter Text

You hummed softly as you stroked Bumblebee’s servo, which was currently curled around your waist. The two of you were enjoying a rare moment of peace, one that he had desperately needed. When you had seen how worn down he was you had convinced the others into taking off for the night on a camping trip, leaving the scrapyard empty, and more importantly, silent.

You had bought takeout for yourself and sat down for a nice dinner with Bumblebee, listening to him vent while offering nods and a few sympathetic words to let him know that you were listening. Now the two of you were seated in front of the command center, with you nestled comfortably in his lap. Earlier in the day you had talked Fixit into helping you connect your laptop to the visual display and now you were streaming one of the cowboy movies that he liked so much.

Bumblebee was enraptured by the film but you found it much more enjoyable to watch his facial expressions. The excitement in his optics whenever there was a particularly action-packed scene put a smile on your face and when he cheered as the main character defeated the villain you couldn’t resist standing up to place a quick kiss on his faceplate.

“What was that for? Not that I’m complaining.” He had a faint blue blush that only worsened when you leaned in to peck the other side of his faceplate.

“That was just because I was thinking about how cute you are.” You moved your hands to the sides of his faceplate. “And this is just to show you how much I appreciate all that you do around here.” You leaned in, pressing your lips to his derma in a slow and sweet kiss. You pulled back, grinning at his dazed expression before hopping out of his lap. “I’m gonna start the next movie, is that ok?”

Bumblebee had to reset his vocalizer before he could respond, still staring at you with a lovestruck look. “Sounds great.”

You hit play, moving to settle yourself back into your previous spot, ducking down to press a kiss to the back of his servo as he gently cradled you. You’d definitely need to do this again sometime, Bumblebee needed the rest and you had enjoyed pampering him, and judging from the happy sigh he made as you snuggled into him, he had enjoyed it too.

Chapter Text

You and Optimus were scoping out the museum where the Energon Harvester was located in the daytime, taking note of all the security measures in preparation for your heist. In order to avoid suspicion Optimus was accompanying you in his holoform, giving you the perfect excuse to take photos with your phone under the guise of taking pictures of each other, though in reality you were mapping out all the cameras.

You were walking ahead of him, rounding the corner only to frantically turn back as you caught sight of a familiar face. You didn’t know what SIlas was doing here but you knew that you had to act quickly before he spotted you. You had only encountered MECH once but you were sure in the time since then they had thoroughly studied whatever they could find on you.

You hastily walked down the hallway, afraid that moving any faster would draw too much attention. Optimus, who was still further down, looked surprised to see you coming back so quickly though his expression became grim as he took notice of your panicked look.

You moved to stand between him and the wall, pulling him back towards a slightly more secluded corner as you quickly glanced around the room. “Do you trust me?”

“You know that I do.”

“Good, then follow my lead.” And with that you snagged his hands, moving them so that they were against the wall, caging your body in with his. Your own hands reached out to grasp his face, pulling him down so that his lips were against yours, tilting your head so that your face was hidden by his own. For a brief moment he was frozen, then suddenly his mouth was moving against yours with a gentle, restrained passion that caught you off guard. You saw Silas move by, giving the two of you a disgusted look, before your eyes slid shut and you returned the Prime’s kiss.

After a few more moments you pulled back, hiding your face in Optimus’ shoulder as you checked to see if the coast was clear while also trying to catch your breath. You hadn’t anticipated the fact that he would respond so ardently, though you certainly didn’t mind. The Autobot leader was attractive and you had entertained a few ideas about a relationship with him, but had ultimately dismissed it as little more than an unrealistic fantasy. Though judging from the way he had kissed you just now, he obviously found some appeal in the idea of pursuing something beyond what you two currently shared.

“Sorry about jumping you like that, I spotted Silas and needed a quick way to hide my face.”

“I am the one who owes you an apology, I fear that I let myself get carried away within the moment.”

Feeling bold, you gave him a wink. “Trust me, there’s no need to apologize for a kiss that good.” You ducked under his arm, making a beeline for the exit. “Now let’s get back to base and figure out how we’re gonna pull this off.”

Optimus watched you go, cheeks still flushed as a slight smile appeared on his face. “Yes, let’s head back.”

Chapter Text

You didn’t know where Soundwave had come from, or if there were others like him. All you knew was that one day he had landed in your backyard, and for some reason unknown to you, he had returned again and again and again until he became a permanent fixture in your life.

Over time you had grown used to his unusual method of communication and his looming presence and had even come to enjoy it. You had gradually fallen in love with him, so slowly that you hadn’t even realized that your feelings were changing until you were already head over heels. You had kept your feelings to yourself, unsure of what his reaction would be, but you should have known better than to think you could hide anything from him, he always seemed to know everything, and if he didn’t already then he soon did.

He had approached you, making the fact that he returned your affections very clear and from there the two of you continued on as smoothly as you did before, with a few changes to the nature of your relationship. You had been happy, unbelievably so. You only wished that you had taken the time to truly appreciate what you had before it had all fallen apart.

Soundwave had stopped coming one day, which initially hadn’t been cause for worry. There were occasions when he would disappear for a short period, only to come home to you in the end. But as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months, and the months turned to years, you slowly lost any hope you had for his safe return. Soundwave was loyal to a fault and would not leave you alone like this of his own free will, and the implications of his extended absence were too painful to even consider.

So you moved on as best you could, going through the motions of your everyday life and pretending that your heart didn’t ache every time you looked out the window and he wasn’t there. As time passed it became easier to think of your memories of Soundwave fondly, though you still missed him dearly.

On one of those days when the past was at the forefront of your thoughts, you decided to lounge out in your backyard, soaking in the sun to try and drive away the chill that filled you whenever you thought too deeply about your lost love. You dozed, feeling more at peace than you had for awhile, though the sudden disappearance of the sun’s warmth on your skin had you frowning as you sat up.

Any words you had died on your tongue as you stared up in shock. He was different from how you remembered him, but that didn’t matter, not when he was standing here before you now, real and solid and so very alive.

“Soundwave.” It was an acknowledgment, a question, a prayer, a plea, all wrapped up in one breathless word. “Soundwave.” You couldn’t help but call for him again, reaching out tentatively to brush your hand against him and choking back a sob as you felt the warmth of living metal again for the first time in years.

He said nothing, but he didn’t need to, he never did for you to understand him. He picked you up, cradling you to his chassis as he pressed his visor into you and with that simple, familiar gesture you felt the dam within you break. You sobbed, a steady stream of tears dripping down your face as you pressed kisses to every part of him that you could reach, stuttering on your words as you tried to speak. “I thought- I thought that you were- that you were dead, and I didn’t know what to do, how to find you, if I should mourn you or keep on hoping, I didn’t- didn’t know what happened to you, and I missed you, I missed you so, so much.”

Soundwave delicately wiped away your tears with a single digit and you clung to it, staring up at him with a tearful smile. “I love you Soundwave.”

He spoke, not in his usual recordings but in a voice you assumed to be his own. “I love you too.” You laughed in amazement, face still wet with tears as you pressed another kiss to his visor. Soundwave was home and that was all that mattered.

Chapter Text

You and Wheeljack were off planet, tracking the signal of another Wrecker which had popped up while Wheeljack was visiting the team on Earth. The S.O.S was originating from an alien planet that was friendly to both robotic and organic lifeforms, so when he had offered for you to come with him you had jumped at the chance, making all the arrangements necessary before leaving with him.

The signal had taken you as far as a specific port but from there it was impossible to narrow down the location. Now the two of you were strolling through an open air market, trying to dig up any information on Cybertronians in the area.

You had stopped to admire one booth in particular, picking through the items in search of souvenirs for the kids. You were debating between a few options when suddenly Wheeljack, who was mass displaced in order to more easily navigate the market, was tugging at your elbow.

“We need to go. Now.”

“Why?” You frowned, setting down what you had been holding as you furtively glanced at the crowd around you. “Are there Decepticons here?”

“Nah, no ‘cons here, just a few locals who didn’t take too kindly to my questioning.” He gave you a slag eating grin and you eyed him warily, wondering what exactly he had done to piss them off. Regardless, you let him lead you away, ducking into an empty alleyway as he looked back around the corner.

“Promise you won’t get mad sweetspark?”

“Get mad? What would I be m-”

You were cut off as Wheeljack moved so that he was leaning back against the wall, dragging you with him as he pressed his mouth to yours. A distant part of your mind registered the sound of footsteps, which paused briefly at the entrance of the alleyway before moving on and fading into the distance. However you were far more invested in deepening the kiss, nipping lightly at his derma before finally pulling back.

“Looks like the coast is clear.”

“Yeah.” Wheeljack looked as smug as you had ever seen him, optics still focused on your lips.

“We should go.”

“We should.” He nodded but you doubted that he was really listening to what you were saying.

“Now, Wheeljack. We’ve still gotta find your team mate and I don’t feel like being here when your new friends come back this way.”

That seemed to finally catch his attention and he let his arms fall away from where they had wrapped around your waist as he stood straight, no longer needing to tuck himself away into the wall. “When you’re right, you’re right. We should get out of here.” He gave you an appreciative look, winking when you gave him a pointed look. “But once we’re done dealing with this we should revisit this ‘conversation’.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes but when he reached out to take your hand you let him, intertwining your fingers with his as you stepped back out into the market.

Chapter Text

You were both more than Ratchet deserved. Optimus was a hero and the leader of the Autobots, and you were his human other half, so much stronger than your fragile form suggested. The two of you were well suited to each other and Ratchet had no right to yearn for either of you, let alone both of you, but he could not suppress the selfish desire that had overtaken his spark.

With each passing day that he was allowed to exist in your presence Ratchet only found himself craving more and more than what he already had. Disgusted with himself and frightened of how far down the rabbit hole he had fallen, Ratchet began to isolate himself, ignoring the ache in his spark as he distanced himself from you and Optimus. He was so caught up in his misery and self loathing that he missed all the ways in which the pair of you invited him closer, opening yourselves up to him.

So to find himself here now, with your lips against his derma as he held you with shaking servos, seemed impossible. But the gentle press of your mouth and the warmth of Optimus standing behind him was undeniable, and the sensations were so much more intense than anything his tired processor had ever come up with on the nights he was too restless to fall into recharge that he could not mistake this for some fantasy.

Pulling away from you took more strength than Ratchet thought he had in him but he did so anyways, still unable to believe this was happening. “I’m sorry, are you sure-”

You placed a hand against his mouth, smiling at him with love and understanding in your eyes. “I’m sure Ratchet.”

Optimus moved closer, wrapping an arm around Ratchet so that you were both cradled against his chassis. “As am I.”

As you placed kiss after tender kiss against his faceplate, while Optimus lovingly pressed his helm to Ratchet’s, the medic finally let himself relax into the shared embrace, tentatively reaching out to take one of Optimus’ servos in his own while shifting the other so that he could brush his thumb against your cheek. They were simple gestures but they spoke volumes and you shared a look with Optimus before turning back to showering your new partner with affection.

Chapter Text

“Heatwave!” You waved eagerly at the incoming firetruck, bouncing on your heels with barely contained excitement. He’d been gone for a few days assisting Optimus and you, along with the rest of the team, had missed him dearly. The only thing keeping you from throwing yourself at the Rescue Bot and showering him in affection after he transformed was the fact that public displays of affection made him uncomfortable. So you settled for taking his servo in your much smaller hands and giving it a gentle squeeze, smiling at him before stepping back to let the others welcome him home.

After the general hubbub had died down and the others wandered off to do their own things, you and Heatwave sat down in the Sigma to catch up without having to worry about any prying eyes. Heatwave was reclined in the captain’s chair, a servo placed over your back to support you as you sprawled out over him. You lazily traced random spiraling patterns on his faceplate, admiring how relaxed he looked with his optics offlined and his normally rigid posture falling slack.

Leaning forward on your hands you placed a kiss underneath one optic then the other, mapping out his features with soft pecks before finally placing a sweet, lingering kiss on his derma. “I missed you.”

His optics onlined and he sat forward, catching you in his servo before you could slide off of him. His mouth met yours in a kiss that was much more zealous than the one you had given him and you were slightly dazed when he finally pulled away. “I missed you too.”

Chapter Text

Wheeljack
- Wheeljack isn’t one for propriety so he doesn’t bother responding to your snappy salute with more than a lazy grin and an even lazier wave. He’s busy tinkering away with some explosives so he doesn’t engage beyond that but if you happen to wander over and ask what he’s doing then he doesn’t mind sharing some tips on how to get the most bang for your buck so to speak.

- Considering who you are and what your job is, you’re not so bad, and you’re definitely not as uptight as some other individuals he knows so all in all Wheeljack wouldn’t mind talking with you next time you pop into Autobot headquarters. And hey, if he slips you his personal comm link with a wink and an invitation to test out some explosives sometime then that’s nobody’s business but yours.

Bumblebee
- Bee is always excited to meet new people and as soon as Fowler is done with your formal introduction he greets you with unbridled enthusiasm, Raf happily playing the role of translator as Bee eagerly asks you about yourself.

- Now that Fowler and Optimus are no longer paying attention you’re free to loosen up and you more than match Bumblebee’s energy, the two of you and Raf chatting right up until you have to leave. He can’t wait to see you again and volunteers give you a ride to base next time, or anytime really as long as he’s free.

Ratchet
- He’s not going to take much interest in you, there are already far too many humans running around the base in his opinion and the last thing he needs is another one getting underfoot. The most you’ll get out of him is a nod, and even that is only because Optimus is watching.

- Your position requires that you be professional and polite, something that comes as a relief to Ratchet as Raf is normally the only other individual on base who can be expected to behave. As far as first impressions go it’s not too bad, considering how ill-tempered the medic can normally be, and he’ll be a little less likely to snap at you the next time you come around.

Chapter Text

Optimus:
Considering the fact that you had just watched him send multiple vehicons flying, he thought your initial reaction would’ve been a bit more on the fearful side. Instead you’re staring up at him with wide eyes, breathlessly calling him handsome in a tone that could best be described as reverent. It catches him off guard and there’s an extended pause where you both stare at each other silently before he moves to kneel before you and politely asks you to come with him. Without any hesitation whatsoever you climb onto the servo he holds out to you, steadying yourself against his curled digits. As he comms Ratchet to open up a ground bridge, he glances down at you only to find that you are still looking at him, smiling when his optics meet your eyes. His spark flutters in a way it never has before and as he steps through the ground bridge he wonders if perhaps it’s time for him to become a guardian as well.

Ratchet:
You had unfortunately found yourself in the middle of an Autobot/Decepticon battle, stray debris hitting you hard enough to knock you onto your back. By the time it’s over you’ve managed to sit up but that was as far as you got before the pain became too much. The yellow robot spots you, beeping frantically as he gently scoops you up and all you can do is hold on as he carries you through a glowing green portal. There’s more of them on the other side and they all seem startled by your presence, but after some more beeps from the yellow one, they relax, a smaller blue one saying that she’ll call someone named June. The robot carrying you carefully lays you out on an examination table that is meant for a body far larger than yours. A red and white robot looms over you, asking if you can speak but all you can do is stare at him, unable to form any thought beyond the fact that this metal giant is unfairly attractive. He repeats himself and when you open your mouth to let him know that you can speak, you instead blurt out that he’s a total babe. He splutters, whipping around to glare at the others who are all snickering, before resuming his examination, muttering under his breath that you must have hit your head. You’re completely mortified and quietly comply with him, wondering idly why you can suddenly hear the sound of fans.

Jetstorm:
You’re at the local scrapyard in search of some new vintage decorations, when you suddenly hear an ominous creaking sound. You turn around and freeze at the sight of an entire rack tipping over, unable to move even when Denny desperately yells for you to. All you can do is shut your eyes and wait for the inevitable impact, but rather than being crushed you instead find yourself swept off your feet. Tentatively opening your eyes you see that you’re completely unharmed and cradled in the arms of what appears to be a robot, who looks just as surprised by his actions as you are. You’re oddly calm, despite how close you came to being crushed, and rather than panic over the fact that you’re currently being held by an apparently sentient machine, you instead reflexively bring your hand up to rest against his chest. You whisper that he’s beautiful, so quiet that he can barely hear it. He’s so overwhelmed by the wave of emotions that the sincerity in your voice brings up in him that he nearly drops you, only to instead instinctively pull you closer to himself.

Slipstream:
You had accidentally discovered Bumblebee and his team’s presence on earth when one of their fights had ended up in your backyard. You hadn’t fallen for any of their usual covers and after some persuasion, you had convinced them that you could help out as a member of the team. All in all your time with them had been fairly uneventful, right up until you found yourself driving up to a fight in the middle of the scrapyard. At the sight of Rusty and Fixit being cornered by two Decepticons, you had thrown yourself out of your car, scooping up a random wrench into your hand. Planting yourself in front of them you grimaced, ready to fight only to watch as two other mincons you had never seen before knocked them back. They turned and the red one approached you, asking if you were alright. Grinning, you winked at him and told him you were more than alright, especially since you had such a dashing ‘bot to thank for saving you and the boys. Your words flustered him but he tentatively returned your smile with one of his own before turning around again to continue the fight.

Chapter Text

Fixit
-He’s by no means a doctor, especially not a human one, but when you roll up to the scrapyard bundled up in 5 layers, shivering, coughing, and radiating enough heat to rival the sun, it’s easy to tell that something’s wrong.

-He’s quick to usher you into the command center and by the time you settle yourself onto the couch he had put in for you and the other humans, he has already researched your symptoms extensively.

-The best thing for you to do would be go home and rest but you’re far too stubborn to leave so he settles for making you as comfortable as he can.

-Denny offers to make a run for some cold medicine and soup since Fixit can’t exactly walk into a store, and in the meantime, Rusty helps him scrounge up some extra blankets and pillows and Fixit does his best to swaddle you and surround you with cushions.

-He settles down next to the couch, working on his datapad with one servo while the other rubs soothing circles on your back. He shushes the other ‘bots when they get too loud so that you can rest peacefully until Denny returns, reassured by Fixit’s presence.

Ratchet
-The second you walk into the base, Ratchet knows you’re sick. Please, he may not be a human doctor but he is still a medic and you can’t fool him into thinking you’re fine when you’re very clearly not. He grumbles under his breath about how stupid it was for you to have been out and about while ill, but his touch is gentle as he lifts you up to the bed they’ve set up in the human section of the medbay.

-Fortunately, June had started stockpiling some medical supplies at the base and Ratchet is quick to identify which medication would help and even quicker to make sure you take it.

-He’ll deny it if anyone points it out but for the rest of the day he hovers over you, glaring at anyone who might disturb you and every time you stir he immediately moves to look as if he’s busy doing something else.

-It’s night by the time you finally wake up from your much-needed sleep and to your surprise Ratchet volunteers to take you home. It’s late so no one is likely to notice the fact that an unmarked ambulance is driving by and you live on the outskirts of Jasper so you have few neighbors anyways. You don’t mention the fact that you could just as easily take the groundbridge home and you definitely don’t comment on the fact that Ratchet takes the scenic route. Instead, you just curl up in the passenger seat and let the rumble of his engine lull you back to sleep.

Wheeljack
-He’d noticed that you’d been sluggish lately, especially since you were normally far more enthusiastic whenever Wheeljack took you for a ride on the Jackhammer yet you were struggling to keep your eyes open as the two of you cruised through the skies far above Nevada.

-He’s no stranger to fatigue, he’s seen plenty of ‘bots worn down by a lack of rest, so he doesn’t think twice about setting the ship on autopilot and scooping you up with one servo.

-You snap awake and protest at being manhandled but he just chuckles and points out how tired you are and he takes you to the berth in the back of the Jackhammer. There are already blankets and pillows from a previous trip and with a tenderness most wouldn’t expect from him, Wheeljack tucks you in.

-He sits on the edge of the berth, content for once with staying still and enjoying the moment as you finally drift off into sleep.

-He returns to the controls and does a few more laps in the Jackhammer before he reluctantly returns to base. You’re still asleep and Wheeljack could use some rest himself so he carefully curls his body around yours and slips into recharge, one servo shielding you from the rest of the world.

Knockout
-Knockout’s medical expertise is quite good but he doesn’t need training to recognize how poorly you’ve felt lately.

-You’ve been running yourself ragged but fortunately for you, you’ve got a giant alien robot who won’t hesitate to snatch you away from your responsibilities for a little R&R.

-First things first, you need to eat and just this once Knockout will let you eat your greasy fast food in his alt mode.

-Once you’ve got the food, he rolls into the drive-in theater so the two of you can enjoy some films together. The two of you make fun of the cheesy special effects and whenever something startles you enough to make you jump Knockout laughs and teases you relentlessly until something startles him and you start teasing him mercilessly.

-Finally, he takes you for a drive through the desert, silent as you stare out the window at the landscape rushing by, until you eventually nod off and he turns to take you back into town. He wakes you up when he reaches your home and you sleepily thank him for everything. You can’t see his optics at the moment but you can practically feel him wink when he purrs out that you’re welcome to play hooky with him anytime.

Predaking
-He is extremely attentive so when your movements are strained and slower than they normally are he picks up on it immediately.

-He promptly asks for an explanation and when you tell him that you’re sore from falling rather hard he checks you for other injuries, irked that you hadn’t told him about the fall in the first place. He may come off as harsh but he just wants to make sure that you’re safe.

-He disappears briefly, returning with a variety of items to help you, and while you are curious about how he got them you decide that it’s simply better not to ask.

-You had told him once before that heat could help soothe aching muscles so he cradles you against his chassis, in the hopes that his considerable warmth will provide you with some comfort.

-He is far larger than you and strong enough to tear through metal, but he is also capable of being gentle, and he is gentle with you, running a single digit down your back while you doze. You lean into his touch, sighing happily as you shift and Predaking rumbles in contentment, pleased to have you so near.

Chapter Text

-You’re just one of the many humans who tag along with the Autobots on their missions, there’s no reason for Shockwave to take notice of you. Despite this, he can’t help but let his attention drift to you every time you cross paths. It’s a distraction he neither wants nor needs but he just can’t seem to shake it.

-You are quite intelligent, even by his standards, and refreshingly logical, more so than some of his fellow Decepticons at least. There had been more than a few occasions in which your quick thinking had been the only thing that ensured the Autobot’s victory. Even repeated defeat at the hands of the enemy is not enough to make his growing feelings for you take a negative turn.

-Your one-on-one time has been extremely limited and overshadowed by the fact that you were a captive, but he still manages to pick up on the fact that you’re far more reserved than the other humans Shockwave has encountered. He’s observed Soundwave’s footage of you interacting with others, and even with the rest of the Autobot team, you are shy. It is…endearing.

-Another trait of yours that he has come to notice is that you can be rather awkward in social situations. He might be more empathetic if he hadn’t long discarded any care he had for social niceties. Still, he takes note of what does and doesn’t make you uncomfortable, for research purposes of course.

-He won’t make a move for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the fact that you both serve opposing factions, the difference in species, and because Shockwave no longer believes himself capable of love. He spent a long time by himself on Cybertron, abandoned and left for dead, yet he had never felt anything beyond the need to continue his work. Now, surrounded by other Cybertronians with you just out of his reach, he feels something that he hasn’t felt in a very long time. Loneliness.

Chapter Text

Tfp Optimus
He’s working on decoding the Iacon records when you wander over. Without looking away from the screen he holds out a servo, allowing you to climb on before carrying you up to his shoulder. You settle down, content to just sit with him and enjoy each other's presence, something you rarely get to do. Without really thinking about it you turn and press a soft kiss to his face. For a moment he stops typing before resuming as if nothing had happened. There’s the faintest hint of a smile on his lips and later, after he’s finished his work and the two of you are alone, he presses a gentle kiss to your forehead.

Tfp Bumblebee
You’re cradled in Bee’s servos as the two of you watch Raf decimate Jack and Miko in their newest video game. The kids had offered you a turn but you were happy to just watch them play, your arms loosely wrapped around one of Bumblebee’s digits, one hand tracing the ridges and dips of his finger. When your boyfriend looked at you questioningly, you just smiled at him sweetly before pressing a fleeting kiss to the spot you had just been caressing. You can tell from his beeps that he’s a little flustered but that doesn’t stop him from bringing you up to his helm so he can nuzzle his face into yours, much to the kid’s disgust.

Tfp Smokescreen
You were perched on his shoulder listening as he animatedly described his latest fight against the Decepticons. His enthusiasm was adorable and you couldn’t resist leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. He stopped mid-sentence, gaping at you for a solid minute as his face flushed blue. You just grinned and gestured for him to continue his story. After a few more moments he returned your grin and went back to rambling about his battle. Later, when you’re talking to Arcee and Bulkhead, he swoops in and plants a slightly clumsy smooch on you then leaves you to stutter as your two friends snicker at you.

Tfa Blitzwing
Random had decided that he wanted to dance and had swept you up into his servos as he twirled around the room, laughing wildly. You clung to him, laughing just as hard, and when your little impromptu dance session ended you lovingly pecked his cheek. He cooed at you before rapidly switching to Hothead who demanded a kiss as well, blushing when you pressed your lips to his face. Of course, to keep things fair you had to give Icy a kiss too and he accepted your affection with a slight smile, returning the gesture by delicately kissing the top of your head.

Chapter Text

Tfp Wheeljack
He tends to shift around in his sleep, he doesn’t roll over or move around too much, but it’s still enough movement that the best place for you is on top of his chassis. He’ll place one servo over you to help keep you in place and he has a tendency to absentmindedly stroke your back until he falls into recharge. If you drool or talk in your sleep he teases you about it when you wake up.

Tfa Prowl
When he recharges he is absolutely still and one might think he was dead if not for the hum of his spark. He likes to lay on his side and since you’re too small for him to properly spoon you he just curls his whole body around you. He wakes up earlier than you and he always takes at least a few moments to just appreciate how peaceful you look and occasionally he’ll spend a little extra time just cuddling with you before he starts his day.

Tfa Jazz
He likes to play relaxing music at night when the two of you go to bed and some nights you fall asleep to the sound of him humming, or if you’re lucky he’ll sing you to sleep. His preferred sleep position is with one arm around you, keeping you close by his side, but he doesn’t mind you sprawling out on top of him. When you two wake up he enjoys just staying there and talking quietly for a little bit about whatever comes to mind before finally getting up for the day.

Chapter Text

Ratchet tensed as you laughed again, his grip on the tool in his servo tightening. His back was towards you but he could picture the look on your face, the way your nose scrunched up when you laughed, how your eyes would shine with amusement, one of your hands moving to cover your sweet smile, and he could just as easily picture the flirtatious grin on Wheeljack’s face as he regaled you and the kids with yet another story about some epic battle he had fought and won. Another bout of laughter reached his audials, and without meaning to, he clenched his servo and snapped the tool he was holding. The sudden silence told him that the rest of the base had noticed and Ratchet gritted his dentae as Wheeljack approached.

“Woah Doc, you should be a little more careful. Don’t you need that?” Wheeljack’s tone was light and teasing but Ratchet’s foul mood only worsened as the other Autobot peered around him to look at the damage. “Give me a few hours and I can have it up and running again like new.”

“I am perfectly capable of fixing it myself.” Ratchet’s words were strained but Wheeljack either didn’t notice or was ignoring the moodiness in his voice, reaching to grab the pieces.

“I said I could handle it!” Ratchet snapped, snatching it up before Wheeljack could and moving past him to retreat to his habsuite. You all watched as he stormed out, Wheeljack waiting for him to be out of earshot before giving a low whistle.

“Something’s got him on edge.”

“Yeah”, you frowned, “I think I should go check on him.” You took off after Ratchet, easily navigating your way to his habsuite. He had given you the code to the door previously so you let yourself in, greeted by the sight of the medic hunched over and sitting on the edge of the berth that had been installed after the Autobot’s arrival.

“Hey.” You approached him slowly, waiting to gauge his reaction. “Things got a little heated out there, just wanted to check in and see if you were okay.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be back out there with Wheeljack?” You recoiled slightly, caught off guard by the venom in his words.

“I’m exactly where I want to be right now, so can you please just tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.”

“We both know that’s a lie, and I can’t help if you don’t tell me what exactly is wrong.”

“The only way you could help would be if you stopped hovering over me, it may be difficult for you to understand this but I don’t need you! Why would I ever need a human’s help?” Ratchet regretted the words as soon as they slipped out but it was too late to take them back now, your expression already going flat and your eyes cold.

“So I’m just some stupid human to you then.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“Do I?” You moved back to the door, pausing before the threshold. “I love you Ratchet but I can’t keep carrying this relationship on my own, not when you’re always looking for a way to sabotage your own happiness.” And with those parting words you left. Even with the door now between you, Ratchet could still hear you let out a choked sob, the sounds of your distress growing fainter as you moved away.

You were back home now, lying on your couch and staring at the television blankly. You hadn’t absorbed anything that had occurred in the show you were watching, still too wrapped up in the day’s events to pay attention. You likely would have stayed there all night but the sudden flashing of lights in your front yard made you sit up. You peeked out your window, startled to see Ratchet, who so rarely left the base, parked in your driveway. Shoving on some shoes you slipped out the door, Ratchet switching off his emergency lights as you drew near.

“Ratchet! What are you doing here and why the hell were your lights on? Are you trying to draw attention?”

“Yes, yours.”

You sighed, far too tired to deal with this. “Yeah well you have it now, what do you want?”

“I wish to speak with you.”

“Oh so now you want to talk to me, huh?” You glanced around, checking to see if any of your neighbors had taken notice of your late-night guest. “Fine. But not here, I don’t want anyone asking questions later about why there was an ambulance in front of my house. Open up.”

Ratchet’s passenger door swung open and you climbed in, settling yourself in the seat. It was silent as he drove out of town into the desert and once the two of you were far away enough he pulled to the side of the road, letting you back out as he transformed.

You watched with arms crossed as he knelt before you, servos hovering awkwardly in the air for a moment before he let them fall to the side.

“I am…sorry for what I said. It was not only cruel but untrue. I was angry and I took it out on you.” He paused and you looked at him expectantly. “And you’re right. I’m scared of losing the ones I love so I push them away and try to convince myself that they left because I wanted them to and not because of me, and I bottle up my emotions so that I can pretend I don’t have them. I was jealous of Wheeljack and instead of being mature about it, I lost my temper. I know I haven’t done enough to show it but I do love you and I want the chance to prove it.”

“You’re kind of an ass, y’know that right? You shifted your hands to your hips as you stared him down. “Not to mention rude, prideful, and stubborn as hell. But”, you paused, giving him a small smile, “you are also selfless, hardworking, incredibly intelligent, and you care so much more than you let on. If you really mean it when you say that you’ll put in the effort then I mean it when I say that I want to be with you every step of the way.” At this point you had moved forward, hands delicately perched on his bent leg. “Now let’s go home and get some rest yeah? We can talk more in the morning.”

Bending forward carefully, Ratchet lightly pressed his face into your hair, sighing softly. “Yes. Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

Ratchet
Ratchet watched with tired optics as you recharged on the berth in the medbay. It had been touch and go for a few hours as he fought to stabilize you but you were stable now and Ratchet had sent the rest of the team to go get some much-needed rest. They had all been hovering worriedly as you underwent surgery and only once he had reassured them that you would pull through had they allowed the fatigue of battle to overtake them.

Allowing himself a brief moment of weakness, Ratchet took your servo in his. “Why do you have to insist on rushing headlong into danger? It’s like you’re trying to give me a spark attack.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “I only just got you back. I can’t lose you again.”

Absentmindedly he began to stroke the back of your servo. “You asked me once if I could ever imagine settling down after the war and I never answered you. How could I have? Cybertron had fallen and I had given up all hope, and then I lost what little hope I had left when you disappeared. But if you asked me again, if you asked me to stay with you, I would.”

He moved to let go, only to freeze as you gave his servo a weak squeeze. He looked up to see that your optics had onlined and that you were smiling at him. “I’ve been waiting a long time to hear those words. I’ve got no intention of letting you go now.”

Ultra Magnus
You tensed as the newest Autobot arrival came into view, watching warily as he conferred with Optimus. It had been a long time since you had last seen him, all those years ago when you had departed from the Wreckers with Bulkhead to join up with Optimus. The two of you avoided each other as the day went by, with you pointedly ignoring the worried looks Bulkhead was shooting you.

Once night had fallen and the others had retired for the night, you stood at the command center, keeping an optic out for any trouble that might arise. You could hear the sound of someone approaching you and you didn’t have to turn and look to know who it was. He stood there silently, personal interactions had never been his strong suit and that clearly hadn’t changed.

You still didn’t turn to look at him, optics trained resolutely on the screen before you. “If you had asked me to stay, I would have.”

“I know.” His reply was short and flat, devoid of any emotion.

“So why didn’t you?” There was silence and then the sound of heavy footsteps as he walked away again. Coolant welled up at the edge of your optics and you stifled a sob, unwilling to let him break your spark once more.

Soundwave
Soundwave restarted the message, listening as you gave a weak gasp. “Soundwave I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I never wanted it to end this way, I had so much I wanted to say to you, so much that I wanted to do.”

You laughed but it was a pitiful sound, and it abruptly ended as you coughed, likely choking on your own energon. “It’s too late for all that now but I can’t just leave it like that. I just, I wanted you to know that if you had asked? I would have stayed. I would have never gone on this stupid suicide mission, I would have told Megatron to send someone else on his fool’s errand, and I would have done anything for you if you had asked.”

There was a pause and the only noises were of you shifting and biting back sounds of pain. “I don’t even know if this message will reach you but if it does, I just want you to know that I love you Soundwave, I always h-” The message cut off abruptly, leaving behind only a heavy silence. For a few seconds all was quiet. Soundwave restarted the message.

Chapter Text

Tfp Ratchet
He doesn’t understand on why you insist on feeling the kids’ foreheads to determine whether or not any of them have a fever when Ratchet has a perfectly good scanner that could tell you all that and more. Admittedly it is rather endearing to see you fuss over them, though he’ll never tell you this, opting to grumble quietly as you send them home to get some rest. When you come into the base one day, clearly ill, he discreetly scans you but instead of just telling you that you have a fever he presses the edge of his servo to your forehead and then confirms what he already knows out loud. It makes him feel ridiculous but it’s worth the smile you give him.

Tfp Wheeljack
It’d been a particularly hot day and you had convinced Wheeljack to give you a ride into town so you could get a slushie to help cool you down. On the drive back you chatted with him, sipping at your drink absentmindedly. Suddenly you were groaning in pain and clutching at your head, slushie forgotten. He’ll never tell you or anyone else this but it scared him to see you go from perfectly fine to hunched over like that and he’s quick to pull over. After you explain to him that you’re fine and what a brain freeze is he laughs it off as just another weird human thing.

Tfa Jazz
He’d moved past his fear of organics, having realized that they don’t spit acid, spew goo, or do any of the things Sentinel claimed that they did. At least he thought he’d moved past it. The first time you sneezed in front of him, he had jumped, startled by the noise. Before you could tell him it was fine, you sneezed twice more in rapid-fire succession. Poor Jazz looked like he didn’t know if he should help you or run for the hills. It’s only after you explain to him that it’s harmless, for you and him, does he relax. Even then he still flinches sometimes when you sneeze.

Rid15 Grimlock
You’re sitting contentedly in his lap as the two of you watch some old horror movie. He’s never seen it before but you have, so you occupy yourself by munching on various snacks. Apparently, you ate them a little too fast since you started hiccuping. At first, Grimlock doesn’t notice but after the third time he realizes that there’s a weird squeaking sound and after you hiccup again he figures out that it’s coming from you. He doesn’t know what’s happening but since you’re not panicking he isn’t going to either, plus he thinks it's adorable. When you tell him that one of the popular cures is to scare the hiccups out of someone he takes it upon himself to try and help. It isn’t very effective but when your hiccups finally go away on their own you tell him that it was thanks to him, just to see him smile.

Chapter Text

Bumblebee
Anyone who can’t appreciate you or your freckles is obviously a glitchhead. He wouldn’t be afraid to tell them that to their faces either, he won’t hesitate to defend you if anyone makes a negative comment about you in general. Obviously, they’re all just jealous of your cuteness, and if you need a reminder of just how cute you are then Bee is more than happy to provide.

Blitzwing
Hothead is the first to react, wanting nothing more than to hunt down the people who made you insecure in the first place. He’s quickly followed by Icy who cooly insists that your freckles are nothing to be ashamed of. Finally Random comes out to add his two cents, alternating between cooing over your freckles and threatening the ones who hurt you, all in the same breath.

Prowl
He’s silent as you admit to him how insecure you are about your freckles but as soon as you’re done speaking he rests a servo against the side of your face. Lightly stroking your cheek he tells you quietly that you’re beautiful, every part of you is beautiful, including your freckles. He ends his little speech by pressing a soft kiss to your head, humming softly as he holds you close.

Jazz
He likes your freckles, they’re just one of many things that make you unique. You don’t have to say anything for him to tell that you’re self-conscious about them, he goes out of his way to slip in little compliments throughout the day. He just wants to boost your confidence and give you the love you deserve.

Jet twins
Freckles are an entirely new concept to them, Cybertronians don’t have anything like that, and the fact that you have some only endears you to them further. They can’t understand why anyone would shame you for having them but they do understand that you feel negatively about them so they happily spend hours telling you how much they love you and your freckles.

Chapter Text

“What were you thinking? Oh wait, you weren’t!”

“Back off Heatwave! I did what I had to, to get the job done. That’s what this job is all about right? Saving lives?”

“You could have waited and let me handle it, I’m built to handle this kind of stuff, you’re not.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not exactly your average human.” You had shrunk back down after pulling the Lad Pioneers out of the river’s rapids but now you let your power flow, fueled by your anger. Instead of Heatwave towering over you, it was now you who was taller, having grown to twenty-five feet, giving you an extra five feet on the rescue bot. You bent over slightly, face hovering over his. “Waiting for you would have taken too long, I was there and I could do something about it so I did, end of story.”

“Being taller doesn’t make you invincible, slamming into the rocks would have been more than enough to crush you, enhanced durability or not.” He had moved further into your personal space, denta clenched together as he growled at you.

“I’m not gonna just sit on my hands and watch from the sidelines while people’s lives hang in the balance, if you’ve got a problem with that then that’s something you’ve gotta deal with, not me.” You emphasized your point by jabbing a finger into his chassis.

The two of you stood there for a moment, zeroed in on that single point of contact, staring at each other with heated looks. Then the tension snapped and suddenly your hands were cradling his faceplate and his servos were on you, one wrapped up in the fabric of your uniform and the other curled around your shoulder as he pressed up against you. He kissed you aggressively and you were just as forceful, only breaking off when the need for air became too much.

“This doesn’t change the fact that you should have waited for me instead of diving into danger headfirst.”

“Shut up,” you said breathlessly, pulling him back in.

Chapter Text

You grinned as you got into a starting position, your body already humming with adrenaline. Kade had bet you that you couldn’t run from the base to the dock and back in 30 seconds or less and you were eager to prove him wrong. In the name of fairness, Dani had volunteered to be the one to time you, and when she gave the starting signal you took off.

You sped through the town, weaving in and out of traffic as you headed for the dock, moving so quickly that you created a draft that sent the leaves skittering across the ground in your wake. As soon as you hit the edge of the dock you spun on your heels to retrace your path, pushing yourself to go as fast as you could.

When you made it back to the station you were greeted by the sight of a cheering Dani and a pouting Kade. You smugly held out a hand, smirking when he reluctantly slapped a twenty-dollar bill into your palm. Unfortunately, your celebration was cut short as a frowning Chase approached, the other two humans hightailing it out of there before they could be scolded for encouraging you. “I hope you weren’t running through traffic again.”

When you gave him a guilty grin he sighed. “You know that violates a multitude of municipal codes.” He started to list off the various traffic infractions you had committed and you knew you should pay attention but you couldn’t help but be distracted by how nice he looked in the sunlight. Without really thinking about it you skipped forward, easily perching yourself on the edge of his chassis as you pressed your lips to his derma. His words trailed off as he registered what you had done, and you hopped back down, pleased with yourself.

Chase reset his vocalizer in what you had come to recognize as the Cybertronian equivalent of clearing your throat. “This does not change the fact that you should not be running through the streets.”

You gave him a blithe smile. “I know.”

Chapter Text

You were seated on the couch, hands lazily stroking the fins on Blade’s head. He was far too big for you to hold him so he was laid out on the floor, helm nestled into your lap. The two of you were marathoning horror movies, each one cheesier than the last in your opinion. Blades however clearly didn’t feel the same way as you. Every jump scare had him flinching and turning his face into your stomach, where he stayed until he worked up the courage to peek at the film once more, repeating the cycle every time something frightened him.

You didn’t really understand the appeal of watching these movies if they scared him so much but you couldn’t bring yourself to say no when he asked you to watch them with him. At least it gave you the excuse to hold him like this, Blades eagerly seeking out comfort that you were more than willing to give.

“Ooh this next one’s supposed to be really scary, Cody said he’s not even allowed to watch it yet, it’s so scary.” You had been so caught up in your thoughts about Blades that you hadn’t even realized that the current movie had ended and a new one was playing. You watched disinterestedly as the story unfolded, only half paying attention to the paranormal activities taking place on screen. You were starting to drift off, eyelids growing heavy, when the lights went out. You snapped awake immediately, reflexively raising a shield around yourself and Blades as he let out a shriek.

“It’s a ghost! It’s going to get us, just like in the movie!”

“I doubt it’s a ghost but even if it was, it would have to get past me first.” To emphasize your point you expanded then retracted your forcefield.

Before Blades could insist that it was a spirit, your comm link crackled to life, Graham’s voice sounding out. “The circuit breaker just needs to be reset, then the electricity should come back on. Boulder and I have it covered and should have it back on in just a few minutes.”

“See?” Your lips turned upwards in the faintest hint of a smile as you leaned down to brush your lips lightly over the top of his visor. “All is well.”

Chapter Text

You did your best to stay still as Boulder delicately moved his brush along the canvas. He had asked you to pose for him weeks ago and now that you finally had some downtime you were more than happy to oblige.

You hadn’t anticipated how tiring it would be though, straining to hold the same pose for hours. You were aching all over but didn’t want to ruin this for Boulder so you bit back any complaints you might have had. When he finally gave you the ok to move you let your shoulders drop, sighing in relief.

You walked towards him, stopping just short of the easel and shyly rocking back and forth on your heels. “Can I see?”

“Of course.” He stepped back, delicately taking your hand in his servo as he guided you forward.

You looked at the painting, studying it thoroughly before turning to beam up at him. “It’s beautiful Boulder.”

He smiled back down at you. “You’re beautiful.”

Your smile became flustered as you buried your face in your free hand, willing yourself to calm down before you accidentally burst into flames and Heatwave had to hose you down. Again.

Once you had a hold of yourself you finally let your hand fall back to your side and turned to face Boulder.

“Do you think you could kneel down for me?”

“Of course.” He knelt down smoothly, watching patiently as you moved closer. He seemed to catch on to what your intentions were, bending his head down. This wasn’t your first time kissing him but it was your first time initiating one and you bashfully placed your hands against his chassis to balance yourself as you stood on the tips of your toes. Even with him down on one knee and you stretched out like this it was still a bit of a struggle for you to reach him.

It was worth it though when you felt the gentle press of his derma against your lips, one servo coming up to curl carefully around your back in a tender display of affection.

Chapter Text

-He assumes it’s only a passing curiosity so he mostly leaves it to the other ‘bots to answer any of your questions, especially since it can be…difficult for him to talk about Cybertron.

-However, once you’ve shown that you have a genuine desire to learn all about them and their culture then he takes the time to help you with your studies.

-As a medic, he is well versed in Cybertronian biology and brings up helpful diagrams to show you what exactly makes them tick. Your lessons progress to the point where you’re able to help with treating some of the smaller injuries which can be helpful when Ratchet needs to deal with the more pressing wounds.

-To meet you halfway and deepen his own knowledge he invites you to help him learn about human medicine. He wants to be better prepared if any of the humans on the team need medical attention and he wants to spend more time with you so it’s a win-win.

-When it comes to cultural things it’s a little harder for him. Science is easy to talk about, he can be clinical when discussing Cybertronian biology but to talk about their traditions and stories, most of which have been lost to the ravages of war, is painful.

-He starts off with some of the simpler stuff like general myths and legends that all Cybertronians knew and the other Autobots occasionally chime in to tell you their version as it varies depending on what part of Cybertron they came from.

-Later, as he starts to get more comfortable with the topic, he starts telling you the specific traditions that he had taken part in. Occasionally he gets overwhelmed but reassures you that it’s fine, that he wants to keep talking about it. It helps, talking about it.

-Ratchet has never been one for singing, before the war or now, but on late nights when you’re the only two in the base’s main room and he’s lost in thought then he starts to hum. You’d be silent and still until he stopped out of fear of interrupting him and when you ask him about the song he’s startled as he wasn’t really conscious of what he’d been doing. He’s a little embarrassed but explains the song’s meaning and in the future, you might even be able to convince him to sing it for you.

Chapter Text

Megatron
-Megatron has no love for your species and finds it to be worthless as a whole, but you’re ambitious, something he can respect. You carry yourself like a true leader, a deadly combination of intellect and strength, and even Megatron, a master manipulator, finds himself swayed when you speak of your aspirations. The Autobots have some human allies of their own, and you’re far more competent than Silas, so an alliance with you and yours isn’t unappealing and in fact would be advantageous.

-At the start, Megatron established himself as the dominant one in the partnership, intent on using your organization to further his own goals. However as time went by, he began to value your opinion more and more, seeking out your council even on matters that didn’t necessarily concern you. He tells himself it’s merely out of curiosity, that he wants to test you, but he cannot lie to himself. Your dedication and unrelenting confidence, in tandem with your level head and cunning, is attractive.

-Megatron is no fool, he stops and considers his own feelings and the consequences they may have on your partnership before he even contemplates making a move. He observes the way you act around him, looking for any signs that you may return his affections, subtly modifying his behavior to gauge reactions. He is used to taking what he wants and this will be no different in the end, though his respect for you dictates that he should win you over rather than just outright claim you. The thrill of the chase is half the fun after all.

Starscream
-From the very beginning he is wary of you. The last time he tried to work with humans it cost him his t-cog, an experience he is not eager to repeat. You are surprisingly charismatic, for a human that is, and seeing how smoothly you handle your interactions with Megatron, is fascinating. As second in command, he often finds himself working with you, occasionally acting as a go between for you and the Decepticon leader. You aren’t dismissive of him, and often thank him for his contributions or commend his work, and it’s a refreshing change for someone to appreciate him.

-You’re ambitious, something Starscream can relate to, and he won’t admit it but he is in awe of how easily you reach out and take what you want. It is an attractive trait, especially since he refuses to make himself vulnerable by making the first move, leaving the initiation of any potential romance up to you. Despite all your positive traits, you are still human, and beneath him. Additionally, just because Megatron tolerates working with you does not mean he will tolerate one of his soldiers becoming involved with you.

-Starscream begins posturing for you, more than he did before, both in the hopes of impressing you and of receiving more of the praise he so desperately craves. He knows that this alliance cannot last, not when Megatron intends to wipe out all organic life on the planet, but for now he can pretend that he is worthy of someone’s love. Your own ambition has helped him realize his own once more and he begins plotting Megatron’s downfall, determined to succeed this time. If he has the power of the Decepticon forces at his beck and call, then nothing will stand in his way and he will be free to sway your affections to him.

Knockout
-He’s lower down on the chain of command so he doesn’t interact with you nearly as much as he does with your subordinates. They’re irritating, poking and prodding the equipment in the medbay, setting up their own pitifully primitive technology in the corner, and just generally getting on his nerves. You, however, are nothing like them. Even though the Decepticons tower far above you, you still demand their attention when you walk into the room, your presence alone enough to captivate the room. You’ve certainly captured Knockout’s attention.

-He still isn’t particularly fond of humans, at least not beyond the entertainment they provide, but you are the exception. You clearly know how to enjoy the finer things in life, and Knockout spends even more time than he used to touch up his appearance on the off chance you’ll appreciate him too. He’s always been flirtatious but he takes it to the next level, every word dripping with sensuality and innuendo, with little subtlety as to what his intentions are. He only ever tones it down when the higher-ups are present, and he’s delighted when you respond just as smoothly as you would to any other interaction. Whether it’s because you’re genuinely not interested or because you’re playing hard to get he’s not sure, but he’s eager to find out.

-Knockout has some aspirations of his own, though they aren’t quite as expansive as your own, so if you were to rise to power and needed a trusted confidant then he’s more than willing to serve, in more ways than one. Decepticons, with few exceptions, are not known for their loyalty, so when your alliance comes to an end it takes very little encouragement for Knockout to abandon his post and join you. Due to the more personal nature of his relationship with you, he’s more committed to this cause.

Breakdown
-He’s only a soldier and a part-time medical assistant, so he takes no part in the making of the alliance, nor is he part of the meetings where plans are made. Instead, he finds himself under your command, as ordered by Megatron. At first, he is disgusted by this, loathing the fact that he is being made to play subordinate for a human. But as you prove over and over again that your ambition is matched only by your strategic prowess, then he starts to warm up to you. Breakdown is good at taking orders and you’re good at giving them, the two of you making a formidable team.

-His disgust turns to respect, which turns to admiration, which turns to something far too tender for him to rightfully feel about a human. But he’s already in too deep by the time he realizes what it is that he feels for you, and unable to put into words what it is, he expresses these repressed emotions through his actions. On the battlefield he is more vicious than ever, executing every command with a single-mindedness that would be frightening if it wasn’t so pleasing.

-His devotion only strengthens when you come for him when MECH takes him. It is not Megatron who saves him, it is not the Autobots who liberate him, it is you. You’re as cool and collected as ever when your team storms the base, efficiently freeing him from his imprisonment, and without hesitating you blow the base sky high, watching with grim satisfaction before ordering Breakdown to take you away. It is this act that solidifies his loyalty and when you break away from the Decepticons, having gotten all you needed from the union, he goes with you.

Soundwave
-If Megatron wants to ally the Decepticons with humans, then Soundwave will not protest. Instead, he watches carefully for any signs of treachery, keeping track of all communications and personnel. The main subject of his observation is you, the leader of your organization. You have a magnetism to you that Soundwave has only ever seen once before, and he keeps a file filled with nothing but clips of you speaking, under the guise of studying you.

-You slowly but surely endear yourself to him, your passion and manner of speaking stirring something within him. He doesn’t act on it though, outside of his observations he does nothing else to indicate his interest, and Soundwave keeping meticulous records of everything is par for the course so no one suspects a thing, least of all you. Megatron would never accept you as more than a tool and Soundwave’s loyalty to the cause comes before all else, even his own happiness.

-After their defeat at the hands of the Autobots, when Megatron leaves, and Soundwave is confined to the shadow zone, he has nothing to occupy himself so he turns back to his old past time, watching you from afar. Now that the circumstances that held him back before have changed he is free to pursue you, but he is reduced to nothing more than a ghost, only able to see and not touch.

Chapter Text

-Ratchet has no desire whatsoever to be a guardian but Optimus has given him no choice in the matter so he just has to deal with it. At least you’re quieter than the other kids. If he had been assigned someone like Miko he might have short-circuited then and there.

-Over time he grows used to your presence and actually begins to appreciate it. Your constant calmness has a soothing effect on him and he starts to tone down just a bit on his harshness, wanting to help set a better example for his charge. It may not seem like much of a difference but the rest of the team notices and appreciates it.

-You don’t always speak up and as your appointed guardian Ratchet takes it upon himself to make sure you’re not left out. He’s slightly overbearing and the others tease him for it but are still glad that he does it. You can get a little lost in the mix sometimes, especially with how strong some of the other personalities in the group are, and no one wants to make you feel unwelcome.

-A lot of your time is spent sitting quietly by the console, busying yourself with some activity that won’t be distracting, or just watching as Ratchet tinkers with some equipment. Since you’re older and can be trusted to be mature when working with delicate machinery, he might show you how to help with some of the smaller, less complicated things.

-You’re at a point in your life when people expect you to start making big decisions and if you need advice then he is willing to provide it. Ratchet has been around for a very long time, but not so long that he’s forgotten the difficulties of youth. Cybertronians may not have the same life cycle as humans, but they do learn from experience in the same way and while he won’t make your choice for you, he can help guide you.

Chapter Text

Blades
-He loves movie night dates, there’s nothing better than settling in with you in his arms for a movie marathon. You guys watch all sorts of different movies and depending on the genre, Blades react differently. When it comes to horror he squeaks and flinches a lot and has a tendency to hide his face in your neck when he scarier parts get to be a bit much. During action movies, you might want to sit next to him instead of in his lap because he gets excited and moves too much for it to be comfortable for you, and while he’s not as into nature as Boulder is, he does like watching the documentaries and cooing over how cute the babies are with you.

-While quiet nights spent in at the base are nice, he’s also seen way too many romantic movies for him NOT to like the idea of grand romantic gestures. It’s a little hard, what with the whole having to hide his real identity thing, but with a little help from the others he manages to pull off some of his ideas. There’s been more than one occasion in which you walked into the base and found a trail of rose petals leading to a candlelit dinner for one. Blades can’t actually eat but he does like to sit with you while you do and just talk, maybe holding one of your hands in his servo.

-He thinks it’s adorable when couples match and since he can’t really wear clothes it’s up to you to find an outfit that matches his paint job. Every time you wear something to match him he spends at least five minutes gushing about it and then continually brings it up throughout the day. The rest of the team is sick of hearing about how cute you look in orange and white except Dani, who actively encourages Blades to talk about it since she thinks it’s cute too.

-He doesn’t like flying more than he has to, but for you, he’ll make an exception. There’s just something so romantic about flying above the clouds at night when the stars are shining and the moonlight frames you so beautifully, that Blades feels like he could cry. There’s also the fact that he can fly you to the woods or some other excluded place for a date so that he can actually spend time with you outside of the base without having to pretend to be a mindless robot.

-He’s very tactile, so every opportunity he gets to touch you he takes. Sometimes it’s in the form of brushing a servo against your shoulder when he’s out and about and unable to do more than that. Other times he’s scooping you up and holding you in his lap while he carefully brushed his digits through your hair and down your back. He’s too big for you to hold him so one way you’ve found to work around that is for you to sit on the couch with him stretched out on the floor in front of you, head resting in your lap. If you brush your hands along his faceplate and press a kiss to his forehead then he melts into your touch.

Boulder
-Boulder isn’t afraid to tell you how much he loves and appreciates you, and reminds you frequently of his adoration. You could be doing something as mundane as sitting on the couch with Blades arguing over what show is better and Boulder will walk by, smooth a digit over your hair, and tell you that he loves you before continuing on his way, leaving you a flustered mess and Blades the smug winner of the argument. Really all he wants to do is make sure you know and understand how loved you are, by Boulder and everybody else in your life.

-His favorite kind of dates are any that take place outside. There’s nothing better in this world than sitting quietly out in nature, with you tucked up against him and the soft sounds of the forest all around you. You have picnics at least once a week, sometimes inviting the others to tag along and sometimes just going on your own, but either way, he takes the time to explain all of the different species and types of plants and animals that you see. Sometimes animals will approach the both of you and it is awe-inspiring to see this metal giant be so very careful when he reaches out to pet them.

-Boulder has a tendency to ramble on about the science that he and Graham study and it can be more than a little confusing trying to keep up, but he’s a patient teacher and is more than happy to re-explain anything you might not understand. He gets a little embarrassed sometimes when he goes off on scientific tangents that he knows other people don’t necessarily care about, but if you reassure him that you don’t mind and enjoy seeing how passionate he is about it, then he falls a little more in love with you.

-Outside of brief, gentle touches, he doesn’t really initiate any physical affection, always wary about how much bigger and stronger than you he is so it’s up to you to make the first move most of the time. He adores holding your hand, it just amazes him to see how well you fit together despite the size difference, and it makes him feel loved whenever you casually place your hand in his servo since it shows that you trust him to be careful.

-He likes to give you little gifts for no particular reason other than the fact that he loves you. You have a steadily growing collection of pressed flowers, paintings, sea shells, and other little trinkets that he saw that reminded him of you. He doesn’t expect anything in return but treasures anything that you might give him, carefully placing it somewhere that’s easy to see but still safe enough that he can be sure nothing will happen to it. He also likes to display photos of the two of you, especially when he has some sort of keepsake associated with the memory that he can place alongside it. When the both of you start to run out of places to put the presents from each other, he builds you matching shelving, carefully painting a design with your favorite flowers on both sets.

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Tfa Prowl
Prowl is naturally silent when he moves, so it’s hardly surprising that you don’t notice when he walks into the room. You are standing in the center with your eyes shut, swaying back and forth and singing along to a song that he doesn’t recognize. It’s beautiful though and he’s far too entranced to really think about leaving, though he does feel a little guilty that he’s watching without your permission. When you finish the song you’re startled by the sound of polite applause, turning to see Prowl with one of his rare, full smiles.

Tfa Jazz
He knows a thing or two about music so when he hears the sound of singing he is immediately impressed by the singer’s voice. He’s burning with curiosity about who this mysterious vocalist is, though they do sound vaguely familiar. He follows the music to its source and is delighted to discover that it’s you. He’s already heard most of the music that Earth has to offer so he easily joins in, shooting you a wink when you jump at his sudden appearance. He grins when you wink back and start singing with even more gusto than before.

Rb Heatwave
Personally, Heatwave wouldn’t be caught dead singing, but that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate it when someone else does. You were preparing for the next Griffin Rock idol contest and had asked him to sit in on your practice so you could get used to performing in front of others. He isn’t sure what he was expecting but your voice is beautiful and he finds himself unconsciously swaying to the music. The song is sweet and slow and he gets just the tiniest bit flustered when you direct your attention towards him while crooning about love, though he’ll never admit it.

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Ratchet
It’s rare for him to actually allow you to drag him back to the berth to get some much-needed rest. He’d rather keep pushing himself and focus on his work, but when the exhaustion becomes too much then you can coax him away from his research with a few gentle words and touches. On these occasions he prefers to recharge with you on his chassis resting above his spark chamber, your familiar weight helping to keep the worst of the nightmares at bay. Sometimes if you fall asleep while waiting for him to come to bed then he’ll carry you to the habsuite and tuck you in, rarely joining you. Most of the time though he nods off at his workstation. If you woke him up to move to his habsuite he’d just keep working instead, so it’s best for you to just tuck yourself in the crook of his arm or neck and sleep there. In the morning he scolds you for sleeping in such an uncomfortable position but he truly does appreciate it.

Breakdown
On one hand, he finds it absolutely precious that you are so small and fragile compared to him. On the other hand, he finds it absolutely terrifying that you are so small and fragile compared to him. He’d never be able to recharge knowing that he might shift around in his sleep and accidentally hurt you, so he’d prefer it if you slept on top of him rather than beside him. Even then he’s going to insist on covering you with one servo, just in case, and he learns to sleep very lightly so that you can wake him up if need be. He likes to wake up before you do and take a few moments to admire how peaceful you look, before gently waking you up with a few soothing strokes down your back. You may think that you look like a hot mess in the morning but Breakdown thinks you’ve never looked better than when you’ve just woken up rested, relaxed, and practically glowing with contentment.

Knockout
He loves you, really he does, but if you drool on him when you’re asleep then don’t expect him to cuddle you again anytime soon. Other than that he adores sleeping with you, though he doesn’t have a particular preference for your sleeping arrangements. Some nights he’ll scoop you up and tuck you into his side, other times he’ll bury his face in your stomach, and on the rare occasion that he goes to bed before you then you’re free to lay out on his back. As long as he’s touching you in some way then he can slip into recharge without any problem. Mornings are an ordeal with Knockout. Neither of you wants to get up, but you need to get up and it turns into a cycle of one of you trying to get up only to fall back onto the berth when the other suggests taking five more minutes of rest. Eventually one of you manages to actually get up and rouse the other but by then an hour has passed since you initially woke up.

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Rb Boulder
He’s overjoyed when you tell him the news. He wasn’t even aware that your two species were compatible that way but he’s not complaining. He’s seen the way Chief and Doc interact with their kids and the idea of raising his own child with all the love and care in the world is one that appeals to him immensely. Just imagining you holding the baby is enough to fill his spark with warmth, and he can’t wait to show them all that Earth has to offer.

Rb Heatwave
He’s not entirely sure how to react at first. He’s pretty sure this isn’t what Optimus meant when he said to learn about humans but the longer he thinks about it the more he comes around to the idea of starting a family with you. He’s worried about the baby’s future as a techno-organic half-alien in a world that isn’t even aware that sentient robots and aliens exist yet, but knowing that the other ‘bots and his human friends will support his family is reassuring.

Tfp Wheeljack
The revelation frightens him. Humans are so fragile, children even more so, and the thought of accidentally hurting you or the baby is too much to bear and only worsens his commitment issues. He has to take off for a few days just to clear his head, though he promises you beforehand that he’ll be back for good after that. He’s still a little nervous when he returns but ultimately he’s looking forward to raising a kid with you and he’s already started referring to Bulkhead as “Uncle Bulk.”

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Chase
He rarely takes notice of the things humans wear, unless of course it’s a matter of safety, like wearing the proper equipment during rescues. You’ve never worn anything that would make it unsafe for you to accompany them on their missions, so he doesn’t really take note of what you wear, that is until the day you come into base dressed to the nines. While he still doesn’t really understand human fashion he has to admit seeing you this way is certainly appealing. He tries to let you know that he likes it but the best compliment he could come up with is that it was “acceptable attire.” You give him a flustered smile and thank him but the rest of the team is groaning over how painful it is to watch Chase try and flirt with you.

Heatwave
You dress practically and he likes that. Formal human clothing seems unnecessarily fancy and restrictive in ways that seem like they’d be irritating, and Heatwave thinks he’ll never understand why humans would willingly choose to endure something like that. Then he sees you looking absolutely stunning in an outfit that looks nothing like your everyday wear and he starts to understand the appeal. He gets caught staring more than once and Kade continually makes unsubtle jokes along the lines of “It must be getting hot in here huh Heatwave?” and “Woah buddy their eyes are up there!” The only one who finds it funny is Kade and Heatwave just considers it lucky (or unlucky maybe) that you’re not paying enough attention to pick up on what he’s insinuating.

Boulder
He knows that humans change the type of clothing they wear based on the weather and occasionally dress up for special occasions, but beyond that, he hasn’t really given fashion much consideration. It suddenly seems a lot more interesting when he sees you all dressed up for a gala that the mayor’s hosting. You’ve clearly put thought into every part of your outfit and it shows in the way you carry yourself with your usual confidence and a hint of something more. He smoothly compliments your appearance and you easily accept his words with a wink and a grin. As soon as you leave the room you bury your face in your hands, unable to believe what you had just done. Little do you know, Boulder is just as hot under the metaphorical collar as you are after that exchange.

Blades
He loves the way humans change their outfits constantly, if he could do it too he would. Your outfits tend to be on the plainer side so while he still likes them, if only because it’s you wearing them, they don’t capture his attention the way the big extravagant outfits in his movies do. So when you walk in one day wearing something that makes you look as if you’d just stepped off the red carpet Blades swoons, practically squealing when you do a little spin to show off all the details of your outfit. He spends a good five minutes just gushing about how nice you look, eventually going off on some tangent about how you look like the love interest in a romantic movie, babbling about how you and the main character would work so well together. It’s one of the more specific and out-there compliments you’ve ever received but you thank him anyway with a soft smile. Dani is giggling to herself over just how obvious Blades is and how oblivious you are.

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Optimus
Optimus is concerned the second your nose starts dripping blood, kneeling down in front of you as he asks if you’re alright or if he needs to go get Ratchet. You assure him that you’re fine and that it happens all the time but he’s still worried about you and he hovers over you whenever your nose starts to bleed. He starts keeping tissues on hand in his glove box so that he can offer them to you when you need them. Oftentimes you won’t even notice that your nose is bleeding until Optimus pulls out some tissues and holds them out to you, occasionally wiping the blood away for you if that’s something you’re ok with.

Bumblebee
The first time your nose started bleeding he immediately panicked, ignoring your protests as he frantically scooped you up and carried you straight to Ratchet. The medic finally gets him to calm down enough to actually listen to you when you explain that you’re totally fine and that it’s just part of your condition. Now and then he still freaks out at the sight of your blood before he realizes that it’s just another nosebleed and not something worse. It kind of grosses him out that humans can just start randomly dripping bodily fluids like that but he keeps his comments to himself and helpfully points out whenever your nose is bleeding.

Wreck-Gar
As far as he knows, your nose bleeds are nothing out of the ordinary so since you don’t make a fuss about it he doesn’t either. Then one of the other Autobots sees you and is horrified by all the blood on you and this in turn makes Wreck-Gar start freaking out, even though he doesn’t actually understand what the problem is. You have to get both of these giant robots to stop yelling and listen to you so you can tell them that it’s just something that happens to you sometimes. Wreck-Gar still doesn’t really understand but he’s eager to help however he can, keeping tissues and all other sorts of items in his pack for you.

Blurr
He’s spent very little of his time on Earth actually observing humans so he’s not certain whether or not you’re supposed to be leaking from the nose like that, but he gets the feeling that the answer is probably no, you’re not. He tries to ask you about it but he’s talking a mile a minute and you can hardly understand him but when he keeps gesturing at your nose you catch on to the fact that you’re bleeding and that’s what he’s referring to. You give him a rundown of your condition and from then on whenever your nose starts to bleed he catches on immediately and starts handing you tissues before you can even process what’s going on.

Blitzwing
When you walk up to Blitzwing, with blood dripping down your face and smeared into your shirt, Random scoops you up and laughs, telling you that you’ve got a little something on your face. He only gets a few more seconds to giggle over your befuddled look before Hothead comes out, yelling as he demands to know who did this to you so he can crush them. It’s only then that you notice that your nose is bleeding and once you get him to calm down enough to switch to Icy, you explain your condition. Icy understands now that there’s no reason to panic when your nose starts bleeding but that doesn’t mean Random and Hothead won’t overreact every time it happens.

Chapter Text

-When you come home looking absolutely exhausted and worn out, the logical conclusion your boyfriend comes to is that he needs to immediately hunt down and crush whoever made you look so miserable.

-After you talk him out of that plan, which only tires you out even more, he ends up just scooping you up and holding you to him.

-Random is very, very touchy, nuzzling his face into your body, stroking his digits through your hair and down your back, poking at any exposed skin, and laughing at your reaction, he doesn’t care what form the affection takes as long as he gets to touch you. He never gets tired of seeing how different your body is from his, though it’s a little hard to relax when he’s constantly jostling you around.

-Hothead on the other hand is very fussy about the whole affair. He gripes about having to just sit there holding you, but when you move to get off him he practically growls, not wanting to let you go. When you ask him to make up his mind about whether or not he wants to cuddle he just huffs irritably and adjusts to a more comfortable position.

-Icy isn’t particularly affectionate but you’re clearly stressed, so he’s willing to sit with you for a while. It’s not so much cuddling as it is just you sitting in his lap, but occasionally he will brush his derma against your head and rub a soothing servo across your outstretched legs.

-The next day your shift is canceled due to your workplace being caught smack dab in the middle of an Autobot/Decepticon battle and while Blitzwing doesn’t mention it that night when he sees you, he looks far too pleased with himself for it to be a coincidence.

Chapter Text

-When war had first broken out on Cybertron you had been away on a journey into deep space. By the time you received news of the conflict, things had already escalated and your home had been lost to you forever. Unable to deal with the grief you had drifted through the stars, alone and forgotten, rarely rising out of your self-induced stasis. It wasn’t until your ship’s computer picked up the first Cybertronian signal you had seen since your departure that you finally shook off the last of your despair.

-Arriving on Earth, you had been greeted by two factions. Autobots and Decepticons alike recognized you from the days before the war when you had been famous throughout Cybertron for your space exploration and both sides welcomed you with open arms. But you had no wish to fight, only to live in peace, and you soon found yourself traveling the planet alone once more in your new vehicle mode, observing the indigenous life forms.

-It was on your travels that you met Starscream. You knew of him, having heard of the former Sky Commander and his scientific exploits, but had never before interacted with him. His badge indicated that he was a Decepticon but it was clear to you that he had defected, scrounging for scraps of energon to survive. Unwilling to see him starve you had offered up some of your own cache. Your ship had been well stocked and during your time on Earth you had located a few untouched pockets, and while you refused to take part in the fighting, you weren’t averse to delivering some much-needed energon to the Autobots. You were sure Megatron was aware of your actions but you were strong enough to be a threat if you wanted, so for now he was turning a blind eye, and you hoped that he would overlook you taking in Starscream as well.

-He was haughty, proud to a fault, and even as he accepted your help he sneered at you with ill-disguised hostility. Yet you took no offense, recognizing it as an attempt to hide away any weaknesses or vulnerabilities, and as odd as it sounded his self-important mannerisms only endeared him to you. Your seemingly unending patience for his harsh words and selfish actions threw him for a loop and while he initially regarded you with suspicion, over time he began to warm up to you, seeing you as his one true confidant.

-He was ambitious, dangerously so, and more than once had you had to step in on his behalf. Despite his increasing displeasure with Starscream, Megatron still had no desire to engage you in combat, and for good reason. Your space-faring ways were not the only thing you had been known for back on Cybertron. You were old, even by your species’ standards, and strong, strong enough to have survived all those years on your own without any assistance, and while you wouldn’t win a fight against the entirety of the Decepticon army, you would decimate their forces before they managed to take you down.

-When you weren’t protecting Starscream from the consequences of his actions, you were preoccupied with trying to teach him to be a better leader. He had potential, but he was reluctant to accept your teachings, brushing you off whenever you brought it up. Occasionally he would listen to you without complaint but those moments were rare and at his whim. You didn’t stop trying though and sometimes, when he was executing another one of his plots, you would notice that he incorporated some of your advice.

-Your strange insistence on not just tolerating Starscream’s presence, the way others did, but on taking care of him was as unsettling as it was welcomed. It had been a very long time since anyone had even pretended to be invested in his well being and your sincerity was something new to him.

-At first, he planned to take advantage of your kindness for as long as it suited him. But your compassion and patience were endless, infuriatingly so, and at some point, he found that his view of you had changed. No longer did he see you as a weak-minded fool. Instead, he saw that it took strength to be as gentle as you were, a strength that he himself lacked. The emotions that you inspired within him were overwhelming, never before had he so desperately wanted the approval or affections of another. It was frightening that one person could hold so much away over his spark and he was almost tempted to take off and never look back.

-Now that he’s had some… realizations regarding his relationship with you it was hard not to interpret your actions as little more than pity, something he would loathe coming from anyone, but the thought of you seeing him only as some wretched pet project was especially painful. It hurt all the more to know that you were far too altruistic to ever consider that and that it was simply his insecurities getting the better of him and making him lash out in defense by rejecting your advice and teachings.

-He felt so unworthy of you, of all that you were, and the desire to better himself clashed with his reluctance to once again tie himself to another, to put himself in a position where he was vulnerable. But with every kind word, gentle touch, and warm smile, Starscream found himself just a little bit more in love with you and a little more willing to perhaps make the effort. The only question was whether or not you would be receptive to his advances, and the answer was something that he both feared and craved to know.

Chapter Text

Knockout
You’re a bit of a thrill seeker, something Knockout can appreciate considering his own need for speed. He doesn’t really share your interests, rock climbing and spelunking aren’t exactly associated with going fast and there’s the risk of him scuffing up his paint job, so they don’t really appeal to him. When it comes to skydiving, well there’s a reason he chose a grounded vehicle mode over one capable of flight. He’s willing to indulge you though and takes you out to places for rock climbing or spelunking under the guise of searching for new energon deposits, and if you ever scrape a knee or something along those lines Doctor Knockout is more than willing to kiss it better.

Breakdown
He loves dates where he takes you out rock climbing, though he rarely joins in out of fear that his size and weight may cause some rocks to shift, mostly he likes to just watch and admire the way your muscles flex when you pull yourself up whatever it is you’re climbing. Spelunking is something that you two can do more of together, he’ll take you to the mines and allow you to explore to your heart’s content and you’ve befriended a number of the vehicons who work there. Skydiving is the only activity that he can’t quite get into, he’ll happily wait on the ground for you to land but that’s about it, and he fusses over you beforehand to make sure you’ve taken all the necessary precautions.

Soundwave
Soundwave is a busy mech and rarely has leisure time, but when he can he joins you on your outings. He has hundreds of photos of you either rock climbing or spelunking, and every time you skydive he flies carefully nearby, recording your exhilarated expression and screams of joy. On the occasions that he can’t come with you he sends Laserbeak to go and keep an eye out for you, just in case something should go wrong. He’s very meticulous about going over your equipment for all three activities and will silently replace anything that seems even slightly worn down and it’s always top-of-the-line gear, sometimes of his own making.

Chapter Text

-As far as Swindle was concerned, the only one that mattered was #1. Sure you had a touch light enough to pickpocket even Swindle himself, were easy on the optics, for an organic at least, and had an absolutely killer sense for business, but that didn’t mean he was going to go out of his way for you.

-At least that’s what he told himself every time he let you sweet talk him into cutting you a better deal. Negotiations like that were Swindle’s way of flirting and you were definitely speaking his language whenever you presented him with the latest goods you had acquired.

-Overtime, your little meetings went from taking place in darkened alleys to being conducted in private rooms at high-end restaurants. Swindle couldn’t join you of course, but he always arranged for you to be on call with him while your meal was served, and he never failed to foot the bill at the end of the night without subtracting it from your payment.

-As entertaining as this little game of cat and mouse was, where every time he pushed forward you pushed right back, he’d like to see some of his gambles pay off sooner rather than later, so that meant turning up the charm and romancing you the best way he knew how.

-It’s somewhat vexing to him that even now when you’re so clearly interested in him the way he’s interested in you, you continue to dance around his efforts with the same grace you demonstrated whenever you pulled off a heist. He refused to pry into your personal life though, even a businessman as unscrupulous as him had some standards which included maintaining certain levels of anonymity with his suppliers and customers, and there was the fact that doing such a thing would ruin the fun.

-Then there came a day when you couldn’t make it to the intended drop off and had sent him a vague message about meeting you at a local park. Swindle knew the place you were talking about and had questioned why exactly you would choose there of all places, but as he cruised up to the park it had become quite clear. You were knelt down, looking softer and sweeter than Swindle had ever seen you, talking to two children who bore more than a passing resemblance to you. He could tell when you spotted him and the two kids had taken off to the playground by the time you had slid into his passenger seat.

-Swindle had burned with curiosity but remained as professional as ever while you presented him with your latest haul. Afterward, you had hesitated briefly before haltingly telling him that the two children were your siblings who you were responsible for. You hadn’t said much more beyond that but Swindle could tell that there was more to the story, and it wasn’t exactly happy. If he happened to transfer more than was strictly necessary to your account when he paid you for the stolen goods, then that was just him tipping you for such good work.

-This new revelation meant Swindle had to start switching up some of his tactics. Suddenly dinner reservations were set for three, you were meeting at the park more often, and Swindle has taken it upon himself to absolutely spoil your siblings rotten with toys and other gifts that he figured would catch their fancy. The first time you kissed him, he decided that maybe taking care of people other than himself wasn’t so bad after all.

Chapter Text

Prowl
-The two of you met while Prowl was out on one of his nature walks. He had been observing a nest of birds when you had entered the same clearing as him, completely oblivious to everything but the camera in your hands. You had taken picture after picture of the birds and surrounding foliage, careful not to disturb anything as you circled around to get different angles in all your shots. Even when Prowl had crept up to you, as silent as ever, you had ignored him beyond making a shushing motion to indicate that he should stay quiet. Prowl had stayed by your side until you were finally done taking photos and then he helped you carry your equipment back out of the forest while you excitedly told him about your photography.

-After that, it became a regular occurrence, where Prowl would join you on your trips into the woods around Detroit for a photography session. Sometimes the two of you would talk but most of the time you let silence reign, comfortable with just enjoying each other’s presence. Eventually, it came to a point where Prowl realized that he felt something more than friendship for you and he spent some time considering what exactly these emotions were and how to act on them. He wasn’t the type to do some grand romantic gesture; Prowl kept it simple and to the point. He waited till the two of you were out in the forest again, back to the same clearing you had met in, to carefully tuck a flower into your hands and tell you how he felt. When you smiled at him and took his servo in your hands, Prowl smiled back and the two of you sat together in the clearing until the sunset and the stars came out.

Bulkhead
-Sari and the others talked him into submitting some of his art to a local gallery that was showcasing the work of local artists. The gallery was also accepting photography submissions, which is how you found yourself in the presence of Detroit’s resident robotic aliens who were able to attend since the venue was an old warehouse. You had stood by your own display for the first half hour, answering the few questions you got, but you noticed that most people were avoiding the green robot whose name you couldn’t remember, or just asking him about wrecking things. You felt a little bad for him, especially when he looked down at the floor dejectedly, so you decided to pop over to his section of the gallery. You struck up a conversation with him and before you knew it, the gallery was closing for the night, you had learned his name and the names of his friends, given him your number, and made plans to take him out on one of your photo shoots so that he could learn a little more about photography and maybe find some inspiration for his own art.

-Things progressed from there and it became a habit to see Bulkhead at least once a week to paint, take pictures, or just chat. The two of you were incredibly fond of each other, a fact that Bumblebee and Sari relished bringing up constantly much to your embarrassment. Your only consolation was that Bulkhead became just as flustered if not more so than you every time they brought it up. Things hit a tipping point when you and Bulkhead were painting using one of your photos as a reference together. The two of you were avoiding eye contact, having been thoroughly teased once more before Optimus had cut in and told the team to leave you two alone to paint in peace. You asked him to pass you one of the paint cans but he had spilled it in his haste to hand it to you and then when you had moved to help him you had knocked over a different paint can and tried to clean it all up just smeared it across both of you. The two of you were both apologizing, speaking over each other, and making more and more of a mess, before your hand accidentally touched his servo. Then you were pressing your lips to his derma in a messy, paint-covered kiss as you left traces of wet paint along his face wherever your hands brushed against him and when you pulled away there were two matching hand prints on either side of his face, just barely covering the flush on his faceplate.

Bumblebee
-You were wandering through Detroit, snapping photos of anything you found remotely interesting when you first ran into Bumblebee. You took a quick snapshot of the yellow car at the end of the street, only to yelp in surprise when it suddenly transformed into a robot and began posing while telling you to get his good side. After your initial panic, you had recognized him as one of the Autobots and had obligingly taken a number of photos of him as he flexed. He was eager to see all of them and you somehow found yourself roped into developing the photos and meeting with him again to pass them off. From there you met Sari who had excitedly asked for some photos as well, and that quickly escalated into you taking pictures of the whole team, becoming the unofficial photographer for the Autobots, documenting their time on Earth with photos.

-Bumblebee still insisted on being the main focus of your photos, offering to model for you whenever and wherever, and when you jokingly offer to reciprocate he took you up on your offer. You found yourself on the other end of the camera for once, fighting back giggles as Bumblebee called out for you to pose and work for the camera. Without seeming to mean to, he let slip that he thought you were absolutely beautiful, face immediately turning blue after his impromptu confession. His blush only got worse when you grinned and said he was beautiful too, snagging the camera from his servos and snapping a pic as you pulled him down to kiss his cheek.

Optimus
-He had been out at the park with Sari again, supervising as she ran wild when you shyly approached him and asked if it would be alright to take a picture of him. He’d been surprised by your politeness, typically the citizens of Detroit just snapped whatever pictures they wanted, only approaching when they wanted a picture with the Autobots. He’d acquiesced, moving to kneel down so he could fit within the selfie, but you had quickly informed him that you actually wanted a picture just of him, having admired how he looked when he was contemplating the things around him. This threw him off somewhat, not having expected you to want a solo picture of him like that, but he agreed and let you snap some photos of him. From that point on he kept running into you when you were out and about taking pictures and every time he did you would grab another shot of him, teasing him about his continual surprise every time your camera flashed in his direction.

-Somehow those accidental meetings turned into planned meetups and the others teased him about his apparent dates, and though he insisted that they weren’t dates, they certainly felt like they were sometimes. It didn’t help that you had developed a habit of asking Optimus to pick you up and carry you or place you on his shoulder so that you could get a different perspective for your photos, staying close to him even after you had gotten your desired photos. Then one day you caught him off guard by placing a thank you kiss against his derma before turning your attention back to your camera and from there your relationship smoothly transitioned from friends to something more, as if the two of you had always been together.

Chapter Text

This was ridiculous. The Autobot’s newest enemy had some sort of reality-bending superpower and had so far forced them to live through twisted versions of Cinderella, where they had to find a glass slipper to fit Bulkhead, Rapunzel, in which a fuming Ratchet had been forced to let down his shining new hair, and Little Red Riding Hood, during which a shrieking Sari and Bumblebee had to be rescued from an abnormally large wolf.

Now everyone else was missing and Prowl was stuck fighting what appeared to be a dragon on his own. As he dodged a burst of flame he distantly remembered Sari showing Bumblebee and Bulkhead a movie that seemed similar to this and if Prowl was recalling it correctly, then the rest of his team was stuck inside the vine-covered castle looming in front of him, unconscious and unable to assist him.

In a series of moves that would have impressed even his old master, Prowl landed several blows on the creature before launching one of his throwing discs at it. The weapon struck its intended target and Prowl caught it with ease as it bounced back, watching as the beast faded away.

With that taken care of he moved into the castle, careful to blend in with the shadows in case there were any other enemies within. After searching a number of empty rooms, Prowl finally ascended the steps to the tower, relieved to finally find someone even if you were currently in recharge. Prowl called out your designation, even going so far as to lightly shake you, but you still didn’t stir and Prowl thought back to the movie Sari had shown them once more.

With only slight hesitation, he bent over and pressed his derma to yours, lingering briefly before pulling back. You immediately began to shift, optics flickering on as you sat up, staring confusedly at the rose in your hand.

“What happened? Where are we?”

“We’re in another fairy tale, I believe this one is called Sleeping Beauty. I have yet to locate the others but have achieved the main objective of the story by waking you, so I believe we should be moving on shortly.”

You tilted your head curiously, abandoning the rose on the bed as you stood. “How did you wake me up? The last thing I remember was getting rid of that wolf and the world starting to shift again.”

Prowl, in an unusual display of embarrassment, audibly reset his vocalizer. “The humans refer to it as ‘true love’s kiss’.”

Your faceplate tinted blue as the meaning behind his words hits you. “Oh.” Moving forward even as your surroundings began to dissolve, indicating yet another change, you took his servo in your own. You pressed your derma to his cheek in one quick motion, giving him a shy smile. “Thank you.”

Chapter Text

-Really Knockout should just drive away, should have done a U-turn and gone in the opposite direction the second he saw you coming down the sidewalk, but you’ve done this before and will probably do it again and he can never resist giving in.

-It had started off with the first time Knockout had been ordered to capture you. He had snatched you from your Autobot guardians, unceremoniously locking you within the cab of his alt mode as he peeled out at a breakneck speed. He had expected you to scream, to cry, to beat against his dashboard with your tiny ineffectual fists, but all you had done was laugh wildly as he sped up.

-Time and time again you were taken by the Decepticons, specifically by Knockout, but you never showed any signs of fear, only pure exhilaration. You would grin when you were carried off and you would have the same fierce grin when your Autobot friends whisked you away again.

-At some point you had begun approaching him, casually sliding into his passenger seat when he went to the drive-in, flagging him down at the races, shooting him a sly wink when he happened to pass through town. Despite himself, he found that the attention was flattering and he somehow went from belittling you to flirting with you.

-He started going out of his way to see you, pulling up to the curb outside of your house in a silent invitation whenever he wanted company. Many nights were spent with Knockout zooming down the lonely desert roads with you hanging out his window, yelling wordlessly into the whipping wind.

-Both of you know that what you’re doing is wrong. You’re betraying the trust of the Autobots and just talking to you would be enough justification for Megatron to have Knockout’s helm. But rather than deter either of you it only increased the thrill of your clandestine meetups.

-It doesn’t go anywhere from there, shouldn’t go beyond what already exists, but some unspoken thing hangs between the two of you, invisible but always present. It’s what Knockout thinks of as he takes a swing at Starscream. Winning team or not, it’s the team you’re on and he’d like to be on it.

Chapter Text

Waspinator doesn’t get nice things. The last time someone showed him any kindness it had been a lie and nearly ended with him dead. So when the human leaves sweets out for the third day in a row he’s suspicious, to say the least. But he’s also starving and has little hope of finding some other way of refueling so he snatches them up and retreats back into the safety and isolation of the wilderness.

The next day there are sweets laid out for him again. Then the day after that. And that day after that. A week goes by and he’s still receptive to your offerings so you start staying to watch as he emerges from the surrounding woods to retrieve the goodies you’ve brought him. You know he’s aware of your presence but beyond eyeing you warily he makes no move to indicate that you’re not wanted. You start moving closer and closer each time until it comes to the point where you’re close enough to reach out and touch him. You don’t though. Instead, you begin to talk, idly describing your day to him until he silently leaves once more.

This new pattern goes on for another week or so, you holding a one-sided conversation and him gathering up his meal and disappearing back into the woods. It escalates further from there, with Waspinator staying to actually listen to you as he nibbles at the food you’ve brought him. After a month of this, Waspinator began to crave your companionship, thoughts drifting to you whenever he was alone. You were so kind to him, so sweet and considerate. The first time you had touched him, just a brush of your fingertips against his mandible, he had nearly offlined, touch starved and desperate for your affection. You had pulled back immediately and apologized for overstepping but he had hesitantly pressed closer, shuddering as you carefully placed your hand across his mandible.

Waspinator knows that he’s not allowed to hold onto any good thing in his life, and that any happiness he finds is temporary. This arrangement can’t last, not with his luck, and he fears the day when he is separated from you. But for now, he soaks in all the positive attention and revels in your touch. He wants more, so much more, but he’s content to accept what you give him now and will hold onto the memories when his life inevitably falls to pieces again.

Chapter Text

-Neither you nor Ratchet is happy about the arrangement when Optimus announces that he is to be your guardian. Ratchet is irritated over being reduced to a babysitter and you’re angry that you have to have one in the first place considering the fact that you’re an adult and perfectly capable of taking care of yourself.

-The constant exchange of snarky comments is something the rest of the team has no desire to get caught up in. The two of you can be downright mean when you want to be though for the most part it seems that the pair of you actually like all the sarcastic remarks.

-If someone were to accuse either of you of actually caring quite deeply about the other you’d both scoff and deny it. Your actions say otherwise though, as there are many nights when you’re the only one who can convince Ratchet to get some rest and whenever you have a run-in with the Decepticons Ratchet is always the first to check you over for injuries.

-Wheeljack is the only one outwardly delighted by your animosity, though they all know that it’s just to hide how much you care. To him, it’s like having a mini Ratchet and he gets a kick out of calling Ratchet “sunshine” and referring to you as “little ray of sunshine.” It never fails to rile you up and Bulkhead spends far more time than he would like trying to rein in Jackie before Ratchet blows a gasket or you rupture a vein.

-It’s a rare occurrence but sometimes you and Ratchet just sit together quietly, him tinkering on some project and you busying yourself with your own activity. Everyone does their level best not to disturb you unless it’s absolutely necessary, partially because it’s nice to see you two get along and partially because they know you’ll both snap at whoever’s brave enough to bother you.

Chapter Text

You watch with amusement as the younger ‘bots, along with Sari, whisper and giggle amongst themselves. After a few more minutes of them sneaking glances at you and muttering to each other a determined-looking Jetfire marched over to you.

“Please may I be having a kiss?”

You raised an eyebrow at his eager grin. You didn’t know that the Cybertronians were even aware of what kissing was. Maybe the team stationed on Earth was more familiar with such things at this point but you doubted that Jetfire of all mechs was well-informed on the subject. Eyeing the rest of the group, who had gone silent with thinly veiled anticipation, you shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

You expected him to awkwardly hunch over and clumsily press a kiss to your forehead before going back to the game of truth or dare. What you didn’t expect was for him to suddenly shrink down so that, rather than towering over you, he was only a few heads taller and for him to then wrap his arms around you and pull you in so that your entire body was pressed against his. You really weren’t expecting him to bend you down into a dip that had you clutching at his shoulders in shock and you never in a million years would have expected him to press his mouth to yours in what was the most intense, passionate, searing kiss of your entire life.

After a few moments, he separated himself from you and placed you back on your feet, giving your arm a friendly pat. “Thanks be to you!” He turned back to the group, all of whom were staring with wide eyes and slack jaws with the exception of Jetstorm who was giving his brother a double thumbs-up. Jetfire, oblivious to the sudden shift in mood, moved forward and reverted back to his original size. “It is my turn to be daring you!”

You watched him with hazy eyes, hand absentmindedly reaching up to brush against your lips. Maybe he wasn’t so clueless after all.

Chapter Text

Optimus
He is aware that your past relationship had not ended pleasantly but doesn’t want to push you for answers. Instead, he does his best to offer his silent support. When it is appropriate to do so he initiates physical contact with you, careful to watch for any signs that you are uncomfortable with his actions. After a good amount of time in which he slowly coaxes you into feeling comfortable enough to freely give affection, you finally tell him why you had been so hesitant in the first place. It saddens him to know that you had felt it necessary to hide away part of yourself with him but he is glad that you now feel safe enough to fully trust Optimus with your heart.

Smokescreen
He’s very affectionate and takes every opportunity he can to just hold you or touch you in some manner. You don’t reject his touch but you also don’t initiate anything and he worries that perhaps he’s being too clingy. It’s not until you finally tell him that you had refrained from physical contact due to your past partner leaving you for being too clingy for their taste that he understands. After that, he somehow becomes even more tactile with you and every time you feel confident enough to make the first move he is quick to show his appreciation by returning your affections tenfold. The rest of the team is torn between being happy for the both of you or telling to to either cut it out or get a room.

Ratchet
He is not the type to seek out affection and rarely gives it so your own lack of initiation hardly worries him or even registers at first. But you start to close yourself off from him and it comes to the point where he’s suddenly realizing that he’s become the more affectionate one of the relationship, which frankly is a first for him. It’s also worrying because he knows that you are the type to enjoy things like cuddling, hand holding, or even just a simple brush of the fingers against the wrist, and the fact that you’ve somehow become less likely to touch him after you entered into a relationship with him doesn’t rightly make sense. It puts him out of his comfort zone but he tries to show some physical affection for you in the hopes of making you more comfortable and he is relieved when you finally explain the reasoning behind your actions, though he makes it clear that he entered this relationship fully aware of your tendency to seek out affection and wouldn’t have done so if it truly bothered him.

Chapter Text

Ratchet didn’t do romance. Maybe, when he was younger, he would have swept you off your feet and dazzled you with sweet words and pretty trinkets but years of war and loss combined with old age has left him burnt out. The only reason he was in a relationship now was because you had pursued him relentlessly despite his cynical attitude and belief that he was too old and broken for someone like you, insisting that he was everything you could ever want.

He still didn’t fully believe it, still thought that you deserved more than what he had to offer, but if there was one thing Ratchet had learned in his very long life it was to take what happiness he could get and enjoy it wholeheartedly.

So when you leaned in to kiss him for the first time, shyly placing your lips to the corner of his derma, he turned to capture your mouth with his, taking some satisfaction from your muffled squeak. He may not have been as suave as he’d once been but he’d been around the block a time or two and knew what he was doing, a fact you were quickly learning to appreciate.

After a few more moments you had to pull back and press your face into his neck, the cool metal soothing against your heated skin. “Didn’t know you had it in you.” Your tone was teasing but the breathlessness of your voice ruined the effect.

Ratchet snorted. “I’m old but I’m not in the scrapheap yet.”

You laughed, smiling up at him. “No, no you’re not.”

Chapter Text

Optimus
-Optimus has learned many things throughout his lifetime but the art of healing was not one of them. When you express your desire to study the medicine of his people in order to help both them and the inhabitants of Earth he directs you to Ratchet and offers his support in whatever way he can. More often than not he is busy with his own tasks but when he can, he assists you in your studies or pulls you away from them by offering for you to accompany him on his patrols. Many nights have ended with you nodding off in his cab, exhausted by your immersive studies and Ratchet’s stern tutelage, and he often lets you stay there and takes a rare moment of peace for himself. Optimus understands firsthand how stressful it can be to hold others’ lives in your hands and would prefer to shoulder as much of the burden as he can, though he knows he can’t fully protect you from something like this. Still, you have chosen to pursue an admirable path, one that puts you in place to heal and save rather than destroy and he cannot fault you for that even if his spark aches at your involvement in their war.

-Your commitment to helping as many as you can, regardless of species, is more than enough to endear you to Optimus. At some point, this regard turns to something more and suddenly your presence has his spark aching for an entirely different reason. He does not pursue these feelings though, no matter how strong they become both out of respect for you and a fear of the target his affections would paint on you. He is the leader of the Autobots and the safety of the planet rests upon his shoulders, you are a doctor and cannot afford any distractions from your potentially life-saving research. All he can offer to you is his continued support, nothing more.

Ratchet
-It has been a very long time since Ratchet has used his vast knowledge of Cybertronian medicine for anything other than treating battle wounds and an even longer time since he’s attempted to pass on his knowledge to another. Your request to apprentice under him hits close to home, reminding him of all those bright young sparks he’d been a mentor to who had been snuffed out one by one over the course of the war. He starts off by giving you a basic introduction to Cybertronian anatomy, providing you with charts and diagrams that haven’t seen the light of day in eons and he helps you brush up on human biology even as he himself begins to learn about it beyond the basics. From there he allows you to sit in on minor things like checkups and occasions where he treats light wounds. He’s a strict teacher and won’t allow you any hands-on experience until you can prove that you’ve taken your studies seriously enough to be trusted with performing repairs. It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, it’s that he needs you to understand the responsibility being placed upon you every time you operate, no matter how minor the procedure seems. This is especially important as you are in the process of creating a whole new field of study, combining human knowledge with Cybertronian medicine and while it has the potential to help it also has the potential to go horribly wrong.

-Your enthusiasm is such a stark contrast to his own cynicism that he is charmed by it despite his best efforts to brush it off. With you now spending the vast majority of your free time with him researching and helping, he is suddenly far more aware of you as an individual than before and he quickly grows to care for you in a manner that is far different from how he views the rest of the team. He insists to himself that it would be inappropriate to pursue a relationship with you; you’re lab partners, members of the same military outpost (lax as it may be), members of a different species, and your lifespan is but a fraction of his own. Despite this he still catches himself spending more time staring at you than conducting actual research.

Knockout
-Knockout is a medic, not a teacher, so when you ask for him to teach you all that he knows he’s at somewhat of a loss on how to do so. He has the knowledge but lacks the patience to pass it on, especially through a more formal academic setting. Instead, he simply has you sit in on all his work and assist him along with Breakdown who is kind enough to point things out to you when Knockout gets too caught up in his task to provide clarification. Your insistence on learning how to help him in the medbay is adorable but he doesn’t particularly see the point at first. After some time has passed he starts to take you a little more seriously when he sees that you’re making an obvious effort and knowing it means so much to you has him putting a little more thought into your training. When it comes to human medicine he is far more reluctant to help though he does make sure to know enough to take care of you if something should ever happen to you. He will never be fond of humans as a whole but if it makes you happy then he is willing to provide some assistance in furthering your research.

-It is difficult to know where you stand with Knockout. Every other word out of his mouth is flirtatious but he’s also made it clear that he finds humans to be off-putting. He himself isn’t entirely sure how he feels about you. You’re different from the rest of your species, he knows that much at least, but as to how far his affection for you goes, well that’s another question entirely. Still, the amorous comments he fires your way start having more truth to them than they previously did and late-night study sessions start ending with invitations to join him in his habsuite for a private lesson.

Megatron
-Your time with the Decepticons has mostly consisted of you shadowing their leader. When you are not by Megatron’s side you can typically be found in the medbay, keeping the good doctor and his assistant company. He had assumed it was just another way for you to pass the time but when you approached him to ask for formal medical training his interest had been piqued. Unlike your fellow humans in MECH, you wanted to piece his soldiers back together rather than take them apart and your intentions were entirely altruistic. You remind him of someone he once knew, but unlike that individual he has no intention of losing you, so he actively encourages your passion for medicine. He himself had never been particularly invested in medical science beyond what it could do to enhance him but this has no bearing on how he views your interest and he respects your drive to know more. When it comes to light that you want to use this newfound knowledge to help humanity, his willingness to indulge you decreases significantly. There are a few tense days where the rest of the ship is walking on eggshells to avoid provoking Megatron’s wrath, but ultimately he allows your studies to continue. In the end, he intends to conquer your planet and while you will be spared, the rest won’t. What will it matter then that you studied human medicine in conjunction with Cybertronian science?

-Your presence on The Nemesis indicates that on some level, Megatron already holds you in high regard. For him to give in to your request is a sign that his emotional attachment to you extends far beyond that of a leader and his follower. It hangs heavy over the ship, the crew giving you a wide berth, and even Knockout has reined in his flirtatious personality, none of them wanting to be the one that sets off Megatron. You remain oblivious to it all, too deep within your pursuit of knowledge to take notice of the sudden shift and Megatron is in no rush to disturb you from your post. Now that he has decided to make you his, there are steps to be taken to ensure you stay by his side. After all, there’s no reason that between you and Knockout you can’t find some way to extend your painfully short lifespan.

Chapter Text

“Whatcha doing Jetstorm?”

He looked up from the bottle he was currently focused on, catching it in his servo before it could spin away. He lifted it up to show it to you, giving you a beaming smile. “Playing spin bottle!”

You seated yourself next to him, leaning against his crossed legs and smirking a little when his vocalizer emitted a brief burst of static. “By yourself? That doesn’t seem like a very fun game of spin the bottle.”

He tilted his head, looking adorably confused. “Why?”

“You do know that it’s more than just spinning the bottle right?” He gave you a blank stare which you took as a no. “You’re supposed to kiss whoever it lands on. And since I wouldn’t want you to not get the chance to experience the game properly, I’ll play a round or two with you.” As he processed the implication behind your words you could see his emotions play out on his face, going from confusion, to shock, to eager anticipation. You motioned for him to give you the bottle and bit back a laugh as he all but shoved it into your hands. You sent it spinning and politely pretended not to notice when Jetstorm sent a little gust of wind its way to help guide the bottle toward him.

Moving from your spot on the floor you stepped up onto his lap, knowing that your weight on his legs wouldn’t hurt him in the slightest. “Guess I owe you a kiss then, huh?” You placed your hands on either side of his faceplate, which was rapidly warming under your touch as blue stained his cheeks. He was too big for you to properly kiss him so you pressed your lips to the corner of his mouth, then pressed another one to the opposite side for good measure.

Hopping down from your perch, you gave him a wave, grinning when he dreamily waved back. “I’ve gotta bounce but maybe we can play again sometime.” You winked and laughed, your exit accompanied by the sound of cooling fans whirring to life.

Chapter Text

-You’re a disgusting fleshy but you’re HIS disgusting fleshy and only he gets to call you that. Whirl has all sorts of weird pet names for you that would be insulting coming from anyone else but are strangely endearing coming from him. Most of the time at least.

-He manhandles you a lot and has no problem with just scooping you up in his claws to get your attention, regardless of what you are doing. He’s spirited you away from your duties more than once and Ultra Magnus is sick of it. You spend a lot of time perched on his chest because he’ll just pick you up and set you there whenever he feels like it and he feels like it a lot.

-Generally has no concept of personal space. He’ll shove his optic into your face in his version of a kiss, crowd you when you’re at Swerve’s, and curl his entire body around you when you sleep. He’s not used to having physical contact with someone outside of violence and now that he’s had a taste of your soft touch he can never get enough.

-He’s super into over-the-top obnoxious PDA, partially because it’s funny when it bothers others, partially because dammit he really does love you (though he’ll never outright confess to the second half). Everyone is getting real sick of Whirl draping himself all over you, or at least as much as he can considering the enormous size difference, and it’s difficult to hold a conversation when he’s butting your head gently with his every few seconds and making a loud ‘mwah’ sound each time. On the bright side, he’s getting in a lot fewer bar fights now since he’s constantly got a lapful of humans to occupy him.

-When it comes to defending you, Whirl is without mercy. He’s taken ‘bots down for far less and if anyone thinks that he’s really going to let them snatch away the first bit of happiness he’s had since they took his watchmaking away from him, then they’ve got another thing coming. On the flip side, he’s also just down to pick fights with anyone who so much as looks at you funny, claiming that it’s to ‘defend your honor.’

Chapter Text

Megatron
He’s greatly amused to see that you have a breaking point after all. He had been curious to know how far the ‘proper’ exterior extended and now he has his answer. He starts referring to you as the little warrior, though whether this nickname is meant to be mocking or endearing is difficult to discern.

Starscream
He’s impressed in spite of himself and perhaps even intimidated, though he’d sooner go offline than admit that a human frightened him in the slightest. He listens sympathetically while you explain why you had never expressed yourself freely before while taking note to never provoke you unless, of course, it would be to his advantage.

Predaking
He had been mistreated in his beast form, reduced to a subservient role much like yourself, and given no respect. When you let loose and take a stand he is immensely pleased and quite proud of you, encouraging you to establish dominance in the future so that fools like this one will know their place

Optimus
He disapproves of your actions yet he cannot fault you for them, at least not entirely. He’ll pull you to the side later and offer an open audial should you feel the need to discuss things further, but for now his focus is on de-escalating the situation and taking you somewhere safe to cool down.

Ratchet
His first instinct is to check you over for any injuries you might have sustained from the fight. His second instinct is to ask what were you thinking? Don’t you understand how badly you could’ve been hurt? Once he’s cooled down then he’s more understanding about why you’d reacted that way and offers some advice.

Chapter Text

-His first thought when he had met you had been along the lines of ‘Oh no! They’re cute!’ and the more he got to know you the more he grew to like you. You were so tiny, and nice, and funny, and a whole bunch of other things and before he knew it he was head over heels for you. The entire ship knew it too because he’d blurted it out one night at Swerve’s and the minibot couldn’t keep a secret to save his life so the news had quickly spread, until everyone but you knew about it.

-You like him for him and not just his forcefields, which is a total surprise to him. He’s known as the force field guy so it means a lot to him for someone to just know him as Trailcutter, their friend (and maybe more if he’s lucky).

-You appreciate him for more than his ability but you still think it’s cool and he so badly wants to impress you. He does little tricks, like lifting your drink over to you, giving you boosts, making shapes, and all sorts of little things that make you smile at him with glee. Sometimes he gets so distracted by you that he loses his concentration and his fields will flicker before he can get them back under control.

-One time at Swerve’s you had asked for him to lift you up on a platform and when you were close enough, you leaned in to kiss his cheek. He got so flustered he accidentally let the field you were standing on fade and he initiated one of his panic bubbles when he frantically moved to catch you before you could hit the ground. He had to spend the next thirty minutes with you sitting in his lap apologizing for startling him while the rest of the crew made kissy faces, or in Whirl’s case lewd gestures, though they all pretended to be focusing on their drinks and conversations whenever you turned around. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life, which was saying something considering just how long he’s been alive, but he doesn’t regret it in the slightest and the thought of your lips on him is often his last thought before he slips into recharge.

-He’s very self-conscious about his ‘forcefield face’ so he actively tries to avoid making it in front of you, but he uses his ability so often and he’s so used to unintentionally making that expression that he immediately fails at hiding it from you. It doesn’t help that you tend to stare at him when he does and he’s worried that you think he looks gross or dumb. He’s completely caught off guard when you make an offhand comment that he looks positively adorable when he’s concentrating on his forcefields and his face instantly flushes with equal parts embarrassment and pleasure. He’s on cloud nine for the rest of the day, somehow more cheerful than normal and Whirl makes gagging noises when he walks by, not that he notices. He’s too busy daydreaming about holding your hand and being bold enough to return all the compliments you’ve given him, and maybe even working up the nerve to kiss you, a thought that puts a goofy grin on his face.

Chapter Text

Ratchet
You’ve been avoiding him lately and he can’t say he’s surprised. Ratchet knows that he can be abrasive and as much as he had hoped to rein himself in he knew that it was only a matter of time before you realized that you could do so much better than an old ‘bot like him. As much as it hurts, he knows he needs to talk to you so that the relationship can be ended properly rather than being left to hang over you both as a reminder of his emotional shortcomings. When he asks to speak to you privately you’re skittish but acquiesce and when you two are finally alone there’s a moment of awkward silence. Ratchet haltingly starts giving you an apology, only for you to cut him off and tell him that if he wants to leave you, to just get it over with already, a statement that throws him for a loop. His confusion leaves you at a loss, and you explain that you had overheard him talking to Optimus about how you didn’t belong together. Suddenly your avoidance makes sense to him and he tells you what he really meant when he said that, about the part you must have missed. When he said that you didn’t belong with him, it was not because he didn’t love you, it was because he didn’t think he was worthy of you.

Wheeljack
He doesn’t spend too much time at the home base which means he doesn’t get to spend nearly enough quality time with you as he would like, so when you avoid him he’s irritated and confused. He’s considering taking off in the Jackhammer again since you clearly don’t want him around but Bulkhead insists that he talk to you first before doing anything stupid. So he waits till you’re alone then confronts you, asking straight off the bat why you’ve been keeping your distance. You react just as aggressively as him, and in hindsight, this approach wasn’t the best idea he’s ever had. When you mention how you’d overheard him in his last confrontation with the ‘cons refer to you as some ‘no-name’ human then he starts feeling like an ass, both for the comment and his method of bringing it up. He explains to you that he’d said that to try and dissuade them from targeting you. It wouldn’t be the first time a Decepticons tried to get to him by targeting the ones he loved and he just can’t lose anyone else.

Soundwave
It’s hard to avoid someone who has eyes and ears everywhere but you do your level best. As attentive as he is, it would be impossible for Soundwave not to take note of your conscious efforts to be anywhere that isn’t by him. If he were not duty-bound to remain at his station he would seek you out, but as it is Megatron has commanded him to monitor the Autobot frequencies and he cannot disobey him. So you were allowed to stew in your silence for some time before Soundwave could finally approach you and when he did you stubbornly refused to so much as look at him. It’s fine though, Soundwave is a patient mech and if you think an extended silence is enough to drive him away then you’re going to need a different strategy. Eventually, you break under his quiet stare and tell him that you’d heard Megatron demean you, talking about you as if you were a mere pet to be disposed of once the novelty of your presence wore off. Soundwave simply gathered you into his arms and held you close, silent and still and solid beneath your touch.

Chapter Text

You were languidly spread out over your towel, the warmth of the sun on your skin making you drowsy. Had it not been for the shadow of your boyfriend looming over you and blocking out the sunlight, you probably would have fallen asleep then and there. Instead, you cracked an eye open.

“What’s up, babe?”

Riptide gave you a sharp-toothed grin, holding out a servo to you. Cupped in his palm was a seashell, white with orange ridges. You took it from him, flipping it over to admire the way its opalescent inner half gleamed in the light. You tucked it away into your bag, standing up and stretching to kiss him in thanks, Riptide eagerly meeting you halfway.

“We can add it to the collection when we head back to the ship. But before that, how about we go for a swim first?” The two of you waded into the water and you quickly had to begin kicking to stay afloat while he was still capable of reaching the ocean floor, though soon enough you had gone so far out that he had to begin swimming as well. The two of you splashed around for a bit and occasionally he would forget how much smaller you were and would send a wave your way that was big enough to completely engulf you, sending him into a panic until you popped back up again.

Once you’d had your fill of goofing off Riptide went from treading water to floating on his back, lifting you out of the water to place you on his chassis. You sprawled out on top of him, content to let your fingers trail through the water as you relaxed in the sunlight, practically melting into your boyfriend.

“This is nice.”

Riptide hummed in response and brought up one servo to rest over you in a gentle hold. “Yeah. Real nice.”

Chapter Text

-It’s the little things you do that initially catch Rung’s attention. He has a tendency to fade into the background which gives him plenty of opportunities to witness all your small acts of kindness that most of the others don’t pick up on. It warms his spark to see such unbridled goodwill. His admiration for you increases when you present him with a batch of homemade energon goodies. You had heard from Swerve that Rung’s own supply of sweets had been low and knowing that it would be some time until the ship would stop at a port where he could restock, you had taken it upon yourself to learn how to make them.

-From then on you made a point of seeking him out, occasionally to bring him a fresh batch of desserts, but mostly just to chat with him. People rarely ask Rung about his interests or how he feels and it’s a nice turn of events for him to be the one to speak up for once. He’s lost count of how many hours the two of you have whiled away talking about things ranging from cultural differences to what you hope to accomplish during the journey to find the Knights of Cybertron.

-You’ve also become his partner in building his model ships. You’re so much smaller than him that you can easily handle the minuscule details that he might otherwise struggle with and Rung helps you build your own Lost Light replica to display in your habsuite. He also took the liberty of asking Ten to craft some of his dolls of the crew for you so that you can place those with it to provide a little more personalization to your room. He can’t help but blush a little when you set the miniature of himself next to yours, insisting that they belonged next to each other.

-He’s a psychologist, trained to recognize and categorize emotions properly, but he can’t help but feel a little blindsided by his own feelings. At some point, he had gone from viewing you as a dear friend to seeing you in a more romantic light. At first he considers whether this might be a passing infatuation, a knee-jerk response to being acknowledged as a fully realized individual for the first time in who knows how long, but as time passes he comes to realize that his feelings for you are genuine.

-Outwardly nothing about your relationship changes after he has his epiphany but on the inside, he becomes somewhat conflicted. You’re not one of his patients so there’s no issue there but he still worries that you may feel coerced or compelled to accept his advances due to some reason or another and he would never want to force your hand like that. In truth, he’s overthinking it but he’s content to just keep things the way they are currently, just knowing that you remember him when no one else ever does is enough for Rung to be happy even if he privately wants something more.

Chapter Text

-It’s another one of those late nights in which he’s working tirelessly to decode the Iacon records and while everyone else has either gone home or retired for the night, you insist on staying up with him to keep him company. He appreciates the gesture and offers you a spot on his shoulder while he works.

-The desert gets cold at night and there’s no reason for the Autobots to regulate the temperature inside the base so to help combat the cold you snag one of the blankets off the couch before letting Optimus carefully pick you up and set you on his shoulder. You settle in against him, curling up underneath your blanket and occasionally offering up some commentary though you largely remain silent so that he can concentrate on the task at hand.

-After an extended period of silence he looks down to you and realizes that at some point you had fallen asleep. You look so peaceful, so serene, and content just to be here with him like this that he cannot help but give you an adoring smile even if you’re not awake to see it. He finishes the line he was working on then moves over to the catwalk, slowly shifting you off his shoulder and into his servo as smoothly as he can manage so as not to wake you. He lays you out on the couch, adjusting your blanket so that you’re fully covered and not at risk of being woken up by the chill of the base. He gently brushes the knuckle of one digit against your face in a gesture of affection before resuming his work.

Chapter Text

Riptide
-He forgets how small and squishy you are in comparison to him sometimes and you have to continually remind him since he keeps trying to lay on top of you when you cuddle. It wouldn’t be so bad except you literally can’t breathe when he smothers you like that. A good compromise is for you to lay back and let him wrap his arms around you as best as he can while nuzzling his face into your stomach. He’s also happy to lay back and have you sprawled out on top of him while you ramble on about whatever comes to mind.

-Takes every opportunity he can to go swimming with you. If the planet you’re currently on has any sort of body of water that’s safe enough for you then he wants to visit it. He’ll take you cruising in his alt mode but he especially loves to float on his back and have you hang out on top of him like one of those floating bed things you told him about. The only problem with this is if something catches his attention he’ll sit up and send you tumbling into the water by accident though he’s always quick to apologize and make sure you didn’t swallow any water.

-He’s very absent-minded when it comes to showing affection. If he thinks about holding your hand, then he’ll hold your hand, if he has a thought about kissing you then he kisses you. It’s adorable but occasionally embarrassing as he doesn’t always think about his surroundings first. Megatron had been lecturing the both of you once, for attempting to see if Riptide’s alt mode could glide down the hall given the right push, but he had ignored him, instead fixating on your lips. Before you could think to stop him he had leaned in and pressed his mouth to yours, drawing back with a happy grin. Megatron had just sighed and walked away, so in a way it was a win since you’d gotten out of the lecture, but it was still an embarrassing moment, for you at least.

-He gives you lots of little trinkets and gifts, things that he saw that made him think of you. These items range from a cool rock he found to some lost piece of ancient treasure that he just stumbled upon and was like wow neat bet the love of my life would like this.

-Dates are very relaxed with him, he’s content with whatever you have planned, and likes it even better if you have nothing planned at all. Drinks at Swerve’s are his go to though movie nights are also another favored activity. Really any time spent with you is a date to him even if it’s something as simple as napping together.

Fort Max
-In public, he’s a little more reserved when it comes to affection. He’ll hold your hand and he’s fine with you giving him a quick peck on the check but anything more than that makes him self-conscious. In private though he’s much more free with his touch. He’s especially fond of cradling you to his chest or having you curl up in the crook of his neck and enjoys just stroking your hair when you two cuddle.

-As of right now you’re only dating but he’s already thinking about asking you to be his conjunx or to put it in human terms he would like to propose to you. The idea of devoting himself to you in such an intimate way is very appealing and he thinks blending your human marriage traditions with the conjunx rites would be a nice symbol of your inter-species relationship. He can’t wait to be able to introduce you as his spouse/conjunx to people it’s such a nice concept and he thinks about it frequently.

-VERY big on romantic gestures, both big and small. He just wants you to know how much he loves and appreciates you and that means planning special dates and purchasing gifts that have a deep emotional meaning to them. For a long time, he thought that he wouldn’t be at a point in his life where he could be this happy and this in love but you’ve helped him realize otherwise and nothing he can do will ever be enough to repay you for that.

-He’s away fairly often since his job as the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accords requires him to travel. During these periods he calls and or face times with you as frequently as both of your schedules will allow and if he can then he sends you good morning and good night texts. The calls are mostly just him listening to you describe your day, even the most mundane story will hold his attention as long as it’s you telling it. His favorite kind is when you fall asleep in the middle of the call, lulled into slumber by the sound of his voice.

-Domestic activities are seemingly mundane but doing them with you gives him a warm feeling in his spark. He doesn’t eat but he likes to watch you prepare your meals and then sits down with a glass of energon so that you can enjoy a sit-down dinner together and talk about your day or whatever else comes to mind. Even cleaning is enjoyable to him when you do it together and he especially likes lifting you up so that you can reach the higher hard-to-get spots that are too small for him to handle.

Chapter Text

Knockout
Hadn’t really kept track of how much you’d been drinking but by the end of the night you’re clearly inebriated and in no state to take care of yourself, which unfortunately means Knockout has to. He wouldn’t mind so much if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew some humans threw up when drunk and the entire time he’s helping you he keeps saying that if you even think of throwing up on him he’s leaving. He makes you go to bed, even though you keep trying to wander off, and waits for you to finally fall asleep before making sure that there’s water and aspirin readily available for you when you wake up. He’s very amused when you wake up in the morning hungover and miserable, though he’ll still grab you more water or painkillers as needed.

Breakdown
He’s very worried about you hurting yourself or doing something foolish so he’s been keeping an optic on you the whole time you were drinking and he was the one to cut you off before you could have too much. Even then you’re still quite tipsy and need a helping hand just to walk so he ends up just picking you up and carrying you, though he keeps his movements as slow and steady as possible so as not to make you sick. Once he’s gotten you back home he sits with you until you fall asleep, nodding along to your drunken ramblings. When you wake up he immediately gets you some water and painkillers and if you’re up for it then he insists that you have some breakfast and if not then he’s content to just cuddle with you till you feel better.

Soundwave
Soundwave had been monitoring your alcohol intake and knew what you could reasonably handle so when you hit the point where it was time to stop he had just quietly scooped you up and carried you away, ignoring your wiggling and whining. He helps you get ready for bed since you keep getting distracted and firmly tucks you in so that you’re less likely to get up and take off to who knows where. When you wake up with a killer headache he does his best to make you as comfortable as possible, dimming the lights and getting you some water. He’s always quiet so there’s no need to worry about him making a racket and worsening your headache but the rest of the ship can’t be trusted to keep it down so Laserbeak hovers outside your room and silently stares down everyone who passes by.

Chapter Text

You hadn’t really been thinking when you’d done it. At least that was what your defense was when Strongarm asked you why you went for Sideswipe of all mechs. It’d been a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, a celebratory ‘wow I can’t believe we’re not dead!’ kiss, and definitely not an ‘I’ve been sorta kinda in love with you since the moment we met whoops did I not mention that before?’ kiss, though the look she gave you when you described it that way said that she didn’t believe you in the slightest.

And she was right not to. You were absolutely in love with Sideswipe, despite his rather glaring character flaws, and while the kiss had been a reaction to just barely escaping death at the hands of a Decepticon, it had also been motivated by your feelings for him. Feelings that he didn’t return, judging by the way he had gaped at you after you pulled away, for once at a total loss for words. You’d panicked and had basically dived through the groundbridge as Fixit opened it, rushing past a confused Denny and Russell with a hasty goodbye as you got into your car and sped home.

That had been nearly a week ago and since then you’d avoided the scrapyard, throwing yourself headfirst into anything that offered up some distraction from the mortification of what you had done. The only reason you were talking to Strongarm now was because she had managed to corner you at home, parked in your driveway when you returned from running errands. She was currently hunched over in your garage, eyeing you with a mixture of pity and exasperation as you buried your face in your hands.

“I can never show my face at the scrapyard again. He probably thinks I’m weird or maybe even hates me!”

Strongarm shifted awkwardly, carefully moving to pat your shoulder comfortingly without knocking anything over. “Have you considered just talking to him?

“No. I can’t just talk to him, what am I supposed to say? Oh geez sorry about kissing you the other day, I’ve just been in love with you for months and finally couldn’t stand the thought of going another day without knowing what it was like to kiss you, even if it was just once.

“I don’t think you have much of a choice. He’s already outside.”

You whirled around, peeking outside of the window, and panicked at the sight of the red sports car pulled up in front of the garage. Strongarm shifted into vehicle mode and you turned to her, whispering in the hopes that Sideswipe wouldn’t hear you. “You can’t just leave!”

“You’ll be fine, you just need to talk to him. Now can you please open the garage door?” You reluctantly hit the button and watched as Strongarm drove out and Sideswipe drove in, waiting for you to close the door again before transforming.

After a few moments of pointedly looking anywhere but at you he finally spoke up, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Your voice was shaky with nerves and you gave him a half-hearted wave. “How much of all…that did you hear?”

“Pretty much all of it.”

“Oh man, that’s really embarrassing, sorry for putting you on the spot like this and for kissing you in the first place, I uh, didn’t really think it through and you just looked so happy and I was, I dunno, excited to be alive and it seemed like a good idea at the time and now I’m rambling and I don’t really know how to stop because if I do that means you’re gonna respond but if I don’t I’m just gonna keep sticking my foot in my mouth and-”

You kept moving your mouth for a few moments, still trying to talk even as you registered the fact that Sideswipe was kissing you. You stared up at him with wide eyes as he pulled back, blinking owlishly. “Woah.”

“For the record, I’ve ‘been sorta kinda in love with you since the moment we met’ too.”

“Oh. Neat.” You flushed as he laughed at your response, hastily leaning in to kiss him again which quickly silenced his laughter as he eagerly responded, tugging you closer and smirking against your mouth.

Chapter Text

You sat on the observation deck, staring out into the vastness of space as soft and sweet music spilled out from your speaker. It was hard to believe how far from home you were, the distance between you and all that you loved back on Earth too large to truly comprehend. Sometimes it got a little lonely being the only human in a sea of metal titans, where even the smallest Cybertronian still dwarfed you by a considerable amount and your presence often went unnoticed simply because of your size.

Still, you supposed it wasn’t all bad. You’d found a family in the crew of the Lost Light, a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless, one that you wouldn’t trade for any other. The friendships you had built would last a lifetime, and while you didn’t like to dwell on the fact that your Cybertronian companions would outlive you by a millennia or more, it was comforting to know that they would carry the memory of you with them long after you were gone.

You’d also found love, as improbable as it seemed. You’d resigned yourself to the fact that you’d never be in a relationship again when you’d agreed to come aboard the Lost Light, believing that your species was enough of a factor to prevent anything more developing between you and one of your shipmates, assuming you’d even like any of them that way in the first place.

But then you’d met Rung. You hadn’t noticed him at first, too swept up in the shenanigans of your captain and the other, more rambunctious members of the crew to take note of such a quiet mech, but after the initial rush of activity, you’d found yourself craving some time to unwind. In your search for a haven, you’d let your feet carry you to the observation deck, which often went unused, and had stumbled upon Rung sitting in there alone. You’d apologized profusely for disturbing him but he had just given you a sweet smile and assured you that it was no bother at all, inviting you to join him. After a brief moment of hesitation, you’d sat down by him, leaving a comfortable amount of space between the two of you. You spent a few hours just watching the beauty of space pass by, Rung’s presence adding a layer of peacefulness to the experience.

You’d returned the next week, finding him already sitting and waiting for you patiently, and from there, it became a tradition for you to join him once a week to gaze at all the universe had to offer. Oftentimes you simply sat in silence and enjoyed the brief moment of serenity, but it was not unusual for the two of you to talk about everything and nothing, conversation ebbing and flowing to match the mood. You also began to seek him out in other places, drawing him into conversations at Swerve’s, inviting him to accompany you on shore leave, and reaching out to him whenever you saw him being left out of the proceedings. Each little moment had you falling for him more and more until you had finally confessed to him your love, a sentiment he shared.

Falling in love with him had been easy and shifting your relationship to one more romantic in nature had been even easier. For you, loving Rung was as natural as breathing and every beat of your heart was for him and him alone. Your relationship did not burn as brightly as others; it was a steady warmth that settled deep within you, filling your chest with a sensation that was too heavy to bear and feather-light all at once, welling up inside of you every time you so much as thought about him.

Even now, after almost a year of being together, you could feel your chest ache pleasantly as he walked into the room, dipping down to press a kiss to your forehead as he sat beside you, close enough that you were touching while still leaving you enough room so as not to feel suffocated. You didn’t say anything as you leaned into him, but you didn’t have to. He silently wrapped an arm around your shoulders and gently cradled you to him as the mellow music continued to fill the air, the stars outside the ship shining brightly with the promise of more to come.

Chapter Text

“I’m going to kill Wheeljack once I get out of this.”

Ratchet snorted, delicately cutting away at more of whatever the substance covering you was. “You’ll have to wait your turn. Arcee already tore free and is less than pleased with him, to say the least.”

You huffed, wiggling your arm free now that Ratchet had cut away the surrounding webbing. “Well, I call dibs on whatever’s left of him after that. This stuff is going to take ages to remove and I’m gonna need an hour-long shower just to get rid of what’s in my hair. The next time Wheeljack wants to conduct an experiment he can damn well do it on his ship and blow himself up for all I care, as long as I’m not anywhere near the chaos, or the resulting mess.”

“Yes dear.” Ratchet’s expression remained flat but you could hear the amusement in his words and shot him a glare.

“Don’t you ‘yes dear’ me, I don’t care if he’s a big bad Wrecker I’m going to kick his ass all the way back to Cybertron if he so much as thinks about throwing some chemicals together on base again. He’s just lucky that the kids weren’t here today and that this wasn’t toxic or harmful, or else I really would tear him a new one.”

“No reason you still can’t. I for one won’t stop you.” Ratchet had freed your other arm now as well, meaning you could now start effectively picking at the remnants all over your clothing while he worked at cutting away the parts holding your legs down. Once he had cleared it away you stretched, loosening the tension in your muscles. Gesturing for him to bend down, you placed a thank you kiss against his derma, giving him a soft and affectionate pat on the cheek as you pulled away.

“Thank you Ratch. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need a shower, a change of clothes, and to hunt down Wheeljack, in that order.” You swept out of the room, head held high even as you irritably flicked a piece of webbing off your shoulder. Ratchet watched you leave with fondness in his optics, derma twitching with a barely repressed smile. It was a good day not to be Wheeljack.