Not Going To Break
Title: Not Going to Break
Series: Long Time Ahead (ff100)
Pairing: Ironhide/Ratchet
Summary: After sending Ironhide to Praxus with a team of young medics to help deal with the aftermath of a surprise attack, Ratchet is feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Notes: This is spawned from the ff100 thing that was going around a while ago. I'm linking to the story on FFnet (yay for the pit, sometimes) because I'm not entirely certain that they're all on LJ anywhere. This series (sometimes known to me as The Academy Series) is a story of how our old married couple became an old married couple.
www.fanfiction.net/s/3662035/1/Long_Time_Ahead
Not Going to Break
The body count from Praxis was rising with every solar cycle. The secondary team of medics Ratchet had put together had been shipped out just as soon as they could pack and Ironhide had left with them. Despite the numerous, and often extremely loud, arguments they had, the medic trusted the other mech to keep an eye on his medics. However, he still could not completely push down this sense that something was not as it should be and that it involved the party sent to the now burning city. The bi-solar cycle updates from Prime helped. But when, late one cycle, he got the comm from Ironhide, he felt his tanks sink like slag in the smelter.
“Ratchet-”
“What happened? How are my medics? Are you-Is everyone alright?”
“Easy, doc! Everyone is fine. Your medics are all healthy.”
“Then what-”
“We’ve got some cases here that they want to bring back. According to them, they’re stable but need “Ward 4 maintenance on priority stat”. Whatever that means.”
Ratchet sat back a moment. “Ward 4?”
“That’s what the pad says.” Ironhide said, pausing to deliver direction to someone away from the comm before adding, “I’m assuming that means something?”
“Yes…that’s…and the patients are stable?”
“So I’m told.”
“When are you arriving?”
“We’re sending the patients on ahead. Details to follow. So far, there’s been no real problems.”
It was another fortnight of solar cycles before the med team and their enlisted ‘defense’ returned to the Academy. The Ward 4 patients had arrived much sooner and were already undergoing treatment. The long cycles, now not only filled with the instruction of the current students but tending to patients as well, left Ratchet working nearly round the clock and constantly on call.
Ratchet rose goggily from his berth as the door chime rang for the third time. Fully prepared to give the verbal lashing of his career, he palmed the door open. And stopped.
“You uh…you wanted to know when we were all back. And they’re all safe. Sorry to wake you.” Ironhide said, obviously seeing the near murder in the medic’s optics when the door first slid away. The expression had not lasted, however, and had given in to a more shocked countenance. Having delivered his message, the still bedraggled black mech turned to head to his own quarters.
Only to be forcefully yanked back and inside Ratchet’s own quarters before he could protest.
“You sorry slagger.” Ratchet muttered, engaging the door lock once again and pinning Ironhide to the wall next to it.
“I’ve tried to hate you.” the medic continued.
“I know.”
“I can’t.”
“…I know.” Ironhide said, voice quiet.
“This isn’t over yet, is it?” Ratchet asked, suddenly unsure as to if he was asking about the situation with Cybertron or the situation they were currently in.
“No…it’s not.” Ironhide answered, carefully and after a moments thought.
Ratchet dropped his head down to the black mech’s shoulder, huffing out from his vents. Things had been building up so quickly on so many levels that the medic wasn’t sure how much more news or bad situations he could handle. If there was one thing Ratchet hated, it was feeling powerless to do something. Ironhide hesitated a moment before pulling an arm over the other mech’s shoulders. He did not press the medic, knowing full well that the variety of patients sent in from Praxus had managed to get under his plating. Eventually, the moved to the berth to sit. Ratchet kept himself pressed close to the other mech and neither one spoke another word.