TF: It’s All About the Color!
Rating: PG
Series: Movieverse
Pairing: Ratchet/Sideswipe/Sunstreaker
Warnings: None
Prompt: Bayverse: Ratchet/Sideswipe: aesthetics
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…
Author’s Notes: Written for the tf_rare_pairing 2015 Fanwork-A-Thon. I’m opting in to the lottery, what can I say, the prizes are gorgeous!
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
Font Used: Snow White
“Really?”
“What?” That hadn’t exactly been the greeting Ratchet had been expecting. Sideswipe skated around him, looking critically at his frame.
“Really?” He repeated, stopping in front of Ratchet and tapping his bull bars. “Although, these are nice. Gives me something to hold on to.” Ratchet spluttered. This really wasn’t the way he was expecting this meeting to go. They hadn’t seen each other for what seemed like vorns, and all Sideswipe could do was criticise his appearance. Ratchet huffed. There were far more important things he wanted to be doing than defending his alt-mode.
“Sideswipe.”
“Yes, Ratchet?”
“Shut up.” Saying that, he pulled the frontliner into a kiss. True to his word, Sideswipe latched on to his bull bars to anchor himself.
“Well, hello to you too, Ratchet.” Sideswipe grinned as he pulled back from the kiss, not letting go of the bull bars adorning Ratchet’s chest plating.
“It’s good to see you again.”
“I’d say it’s good to see you, but I’m not sure my optics are calibrated properly. Really? What on Cybertron is that color?” Ratchet glanced down at his frame. Behind him, he could hear Ironhide laughing.
“It’s called chartreuse.” He answered, tone carefully even.
“It’s called optic blinding more like.” Sideswipe retorted.
“Hmmmf.” Ratchet huffed, reaching to grab Sideswipe’s hands. He held them a moment before releasing them. “It’s called camouflage.” He corrected. “Something that I know you know little about.”
“How can you be camouflaged when you be seen from miles away?” Sideswipe skated back a little, pretending to shade his optics against Ratchet’s paintjob.
“Because I took the form of a human emergency rescue vehicle. They’re meant to be conspicuous.” Ratchet’s tone was clipped.
“And you accuse me of not knowing about camouflage.” Sideswipe snorted.
“Being conspicuous as a rescue vehicle is camouflage on this planet.” Ratchet insisted.
“If you say so, Ratchet.” Sideswipe grinned, moving on to greet the other Autobots and leaving Ratchet standing there, more than a little confused.
“You do know that Sunny won’t like it, right?” Sideswipe murmured.
“What?”
“The color. You know he’s going to insist that you change it.”
“I can’t change it.”
“Of course you can… it’s just nanites…” Sideswipe shrugged, nestling closer to Ratchet.
“I know that.” Ratchet moved to cuff Sideswipe round the back of the head but thought better of it, instead just cupping the silver frontliner’s helm. “It’s just… the humans recognise me in this form. They know the vehicle as safety. That’s not something I want to change.”
“I liked the red and white.” Sideswipe mumbled, half-way to recharge.
“Glitch…” Ratchet muttered fondly. “You just liked that scheme because paint transfers showed up easily.” Sideswipe said nothing, vents evening out as recharge took him.
“Really?”
“What?” This greeting seemed familiar. All too familiar. And he was damned if he was putting up with it again. Sunstreaker skated around him, looking critically at his frame.
“Really?” He repeated, stopping in front of Ratchet and staring up at him.
“Let me guess…” Ratchet drawled, placing his hands on his hips. “You prefer the red and white.” Sunstreaker nodded once. Ironhide leant against Optimus Prime, not quite able to conceal his laugher. Optimus Prime wasn’t doing a great job either, though his battlemask hid his smile. Ratchet’s optics narrowed.
“Perhaps this time it’ll be the pair of you walking around with my paint transfers.” He snapped, reaching out and snagging Sunstreaker’s hand, all but dragging him into the base.
Ironhide could keep his laughter quiet any longer, dropping heavily to his knees as his vents stuttered. “Oh Primus, Sunstreaker’s face…” He wheezed.
“Perhaps…” Optimus Prime mused, his own shoulders shaking slightly with silent laughter. “… perhaps we should comment on Sideswipe and Sunstreaker’s appearance in the future as we did with Ratchet.”
Ironhide completely lost it.
“Prime… you are a Pit-spawned glitch, but I love ya.”