TF: Decisions
Rating: PG-13
Series: G1
Pairings: Megatron/Ratchet
Summary: A powerful senator and a junior medic… who was to say they weren’t meant to be together, regardless of the war that was about to begin?
Warnings: A little bit of mind-fuckery at the end.
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten…
Authors Notes: For the tf_speedwriting December Advent Calendar - December 9th. And evidently, Ratchet is my fandom bicycle. I appear to have also incorporated the ficlet I wrote for another tf_speedwriting day into this. Of sorts… And yeah, it started off following the prompt but took on a life of its own!
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
Prompt: Joyful
Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
“You came.” Ratchet voice sounded almost surprised.
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“I… I wasn’t sure you’d have the time.
“For you, Ratchet, I will always make time.” Ratchet’s smile at that made any sacrifices Megatron had made seem insignificant.
“Thank you.” He whispered his thanks against Megatron’s chest plates, wrapping the larger mech in a fierce hug. Megatron smiled, hands coming up to circle Ratchet, one resting on the back of his helm.
“Never think that you are not important to me.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ratchet was only a junior medic, and that Megatron, the powerful senator had taken an interest in him was spectacular. He was overjoyed at it. And not to mention more than a little smug at the jealously displayed by his colleagues. The fact that someone as important as Megatron had taken interest in a lowly junior medic was something that he couldn’t help but be impressed and awed by. Megatron was everything he wanted in a mech; strong powerful systems and a deep voice that sent a thrill through his circuits. He’d been surprised that he’d been called in to work on Megatron when the senator had come into the medical center, but he was glad he had been after meeting Megatron. He hadn’t been able to hide the shiver that ran through him as he saw the size of the mech sitting on the berth,
“I won’t bite unless you ask me too.” Megatron had given him an indulgent smile and Ratchet realised he was already falling for the mech. He knew it was ridiculous to have such an infatuation so quickly, but he couldn’t help it. He’d done the work and sent the mech on his way, fingers still tingling from the power he could feel beneath Megatron’s plating.
He hadn’t expected to see the mech come in the next day with a box of energon truffles as a thank you. Megatron had explained that mechs seemed to shy away from him because of his position and power, but Ratchet hadn’t. Surprised, and not thinking straight, Ratchet had blurted out his reasons for not shying away from Megatron. Megatron had smiled again and nodded as though he’d just found out something very interesting and important before he turned and left. Ratchet stood there, holding the box of truffles, staring at Megatron’s back thinking that he’d ruined everything before it even had a chance to start.
Then Megatron had turned up at the end of his shift and whisked him away for a night on the town. They had gone to all the best clubs in Iacon, and drunk far more than they probably should have, but neither of them cared. They had ended up back at Megatron’s spacious home, stumbling through the corridors until they reached Megatron’s berthroom where they fell upon the berth, fingers and lips attacking every part of the other’s plating.
That Ratchet had not made it into work the next morning was the talk of the medical center. He wasn’t fired because the owners worried about what retribution Megatron might effect should they fire his latest lover. Because that’s what they thought Ratchet was. A new plaything for the senator, to be discarded once he was bored. But at the same time, they knew Megatron had influence and could wreak havoc on the clinic should he choose to. So Ratchet had been given a days leave and nothing more was said.
Of course, Ratchet knew nothing of this, and had been surprised when he’d turned up late to be sent home saying that he was on leave. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ratchet had commed Megatron to tell him that he had the day off. He was immediately whisked back to Megatron’s home. Megatron cancelled all his plans for the day and they spent it together.
Since then, they had been virtually inseparable; Ratchet spending every free minute he could in Megatron’s presence. If the mech was working from home, Ratchet would study, sprawled on the floor with his medical texts while Megatron worked and took conference calls. But they were together, and that was all that mattered to Ratchet. He didn’t mind if Megatron’s full attention wasn’t on him, because he knew that it would be after he’d finished working. Ratchet had never known anyone as intense as Megatron.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Megatron led Ratchet away from the medical center, arm wrapped around the smaller mech’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure exactly how the medic had managed to worm his way so deeply into his spark, but he had. So much so that every word Megatron had just spoken to Ratchet was nothing but the truth. He would always make time for Ratchet, and had done since the first night they spent together. Ratchet was fast becoming the most important thing in Megatron’s life, and he was loathed to lose him. Which was why he had arranged their meeting, a celebration of their relationship and a step towards what he hoped would be something far more permanent.
“So where are we going then?” Ratchet asked, leaning against Megatron, relishing the hum of the powerful systems next to his.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you my dear Ratchet.” Megatron smiled indulgently at his lover, who just pouted playfully in return. All it made Megatron want to do was stop and kiss that pout off his lips. He wanted nothing to touch Ratchet.
The high-class restaurant was quiet as they entered, empty tables everywhere. Ratchet noticed, but didn’t say anything, hanging on to Megatron’s arm as the mech introduced himself to the maitre d’. Once they were seated, he couldn’t help but remark on it. The previous times they’d been to the restaurant, it had always been busy, so to see it so empty was disconcerting.
“I’m afraid that’s my doing.” Megatron gave a self-deprecating smile. “I booked the whole restaurant because I wanted us to be alone tonight.”
“Oh…” There wasn’t much more Ratchet could say. It was thoughtful of Megatron to do that, but he sensed there was some sort of hidden agenda.
Dinner was fairly quiet, both of them chatting about their days. It was only in the lull before dessert that Megatron made his move.
“Ratchet… how much do you know about politics?”
“Enough to get by.” Ratchet shrugged. He didn’t care much for politics unless it affected him directly. He kept up on current events because of Megatron, wanting to know what his lover was doing, but that was about it.
“There is turmoil in the senate.”
“Oh?” Ratchet leant forward, intrigued.
“There are those that would wish for Cybertron to stagnate and dwindle away to nothing.”
“That’s not right.”
“I know. But there are also those that would fight for Cybertron’s right to be foremost in the galaxy.”
“You?”
“I would fight. Cybertron deserves more than to waste away. Already I can see it infecting our society and I will not stand for it.” If Megatron’s tone became a little harsher, Ratchet didn’t notice.
“A war?”
“Perhaps. I wish for you to be safe, Ratchet.”
“I… I can’t take sides, I’m a medic. I swore to help anyone who needed help.” Ratchet glanced down at the table, at his hands. Megatron’s lip curled in something that could almost be disgust.
“Stay with me. You need not work, I will look after you.”
“I…” Ratchet wasn’t quite sure what to say. All his life, he’d wanted to become a medic. And he’d succeeded, graduating with high honors, finding a job at a prestigious medical institute.
“You don’t need to answer now. Just know that I wish to protect you from what may come.”
“Thank you.” Ratchet was glad when their desserts arrived.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“How dare you?” Megatron thundered at his Air Commander. “You were not supposed to destroy all the medical centers in Iacon!”
“My lord, it would look strange if the Decepticons were lenient.” Megatron growled as Starscream pointed out the uncomfortable truth. It had only been weeks since his meal with Ratchet in the restaurant, but things had progressed quickly. Cybertron was now in the midst of a civil war; Autobots against Decepticons, both fighting for what they believed was right. Ratchet had never answered his question, and Megatron, out of fear perhaps, had never pressed for an answer.
“Leave me now.” Megatron turned his back on Starscream, processor frantically trying to work out what to do next. He needed to find Ratchet, needed to make sure his medic was all right. When he’d given orders for the air strike on Iacon, he hadn’t expected Starscream to raze everything, just the targets he’d been given. Which did not include the medical center that Ratchet worked at.
Caught up in his work, he hadn’t seen as much of Ratchet as he would have liked, but the medic understood, and even supported him. Would he still support him now? It had been a risk telling him what was going to happen, but Megatron trusted Ratchet. He had wanted to tell him, wanted to protect him, to keep him safe from the war that he knew was inevitable. But Ratchet had never given him an answer. He knew that he had likely offended the medic by suggesting that he couldn’t take care of himself, or that he ought to give up his job, his livelihood, his dream… to become a kept mech. But all that had mattered to Megatron was that Ratchet would survive the war at his side.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When the first bombs had dropped, Ratchet had helped move the patients to the basement, hoping that they would survive the attack. He hadn’t expected the bombs to hit them, but they had, rocking the foundations. He slipped amongst the debris, trying to reach one patient left on the upper levels, when the floor disappeared from under him. He cried out, both from surprise and fear as he suddenly plummeted down, hitting something hard on the way and causing pain to course through his systems. Then everything went black.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“And his condition?”
“I have repaired his damage Lord Megatron, but until he onlines, I cannot be sure of any processor damage that might have occurred.” The medic left as Megatron absorbed the information. He stood at Ratchet’s berthside, one hand resting on the medic’s arm. The plating was clean again now, the pristine white glaring under the harsh lights in the repair bay.
Ratchet groaned, warnings flooding his HUD.
“What…” He croaked, vocaliser hoarse and staticky.
“Ratchet.” Megatron’s rich voice rolled over his audios and he relaxed. He felt a hand on his plating and onlined his optics.
“What happened?” He tried again.
“The Autobots retaliated and bombed Iacon.”
“Why…” Ratchet struggled to understand. The Autobots based themselves in Iacon, why would they bomb their own city?
“I have no idea Ratchet, but I sent my Decepticons in to help and found your clinic in ruins. I’m just glad we found you.”
“The others?”
“Alive and well.” Megatron neglected to say that the medics had been recruited for his cause and were undergoing reprogramming.
“Thank Primus…” Ratchet murmured, optics flickering offline briefly. Megatron’s hand found his and he squeezed back in response.
“You’re in Kaon now. Safe.” Megatron answered Ratchet’s question before Ratchet even knew he wanted to ask it.
“I should have taken you up on your offer.” Ratchet tried to sit up, groaning a little as it stretched the repairs made to his frame. “I didn’t know the Autobots were going to be so vicious.”
“Neither did I.” Megatron answered, a strange smile on his lips. “But you are with me now. This war will not touch you. You are far too precious to me to lose.” He pulled Ratchet into a gentle hug, mindful of his recent injures, feeling the smaller mech relax against him.
“You must rest now. When you are fully recovered, you will take your rightful place at my side.” Ratchet nodded as Megatron helped him settle back down on the berth.
“Rest, my medic. You’re safe now.”