Chapter Text
"(Y/N) watch out-!"
After shoving Jack out of the way from a flying Decepticon, you neglected to watch out for your own safety. Starscream knocked into you and took you flying up in the air. The snout of the plane punctured through your shirt, nearly stabbing into your bulletproof vest. As a mockery, he dropped you from midair.
When you woke up, you found yourself bound to a hospital bed with June doing her best to keep you alive. You were badly injured, despite Optimus's attempt to soften your fall.
Your arm is in a sling. You could feel multiple bandages stretched across your face. Looking in front, you find both your legs bandaged... yet you don't feel them. The normal sensation of the silky bed just did not register in your legs.
Weeks breeze by, and soon you've recovered.
June helped you get into her car, clutching your arms tightly as you struggle to get up from your wheelchair. Jack was supporting your waist, then carefully lowering you down to the car seat.
"Are you comfortable?" June asked.
"I am, don't worry," you smiled.
June got on the driver seat while Jack sat at the front passenger seat. Soon, you were headed towards the base.
-[]-
"I do not wish to further endanger your life. Therefore, my hope is that you can continue serving by assisting Chief Burns of Griffin Rock to lead the rescue team stationed there," Optimus declared.
"That's grea- wait what?" you asked hesitantly. "That means I'm no longer part of Team Prime?"
"For your own safety," Optimus confirmed. There is something in her that is so valuable, even the Decepticons had already invented a mind-control chip just for her...
"Your legs too," June reminded. "You can't walk anymore."
"Right..." you looked down at your legs. Sitting on a wheelchair made serving in a galactic war impossible. Tragic end to your career in fighting.
Agent Fowler, right on time, came out from the elevator. "Don't worry, recruit, there's always something else in life that you can do."
"Sir..." you looked up at the platform Agent Fowler was at. "I can't just change professions just like that, right? Besides, I ventured into becoming a recruit since I couldn't get a degree..."
"And you will find something else to do," Agent Fowler walked down the stairs. "Being part of the communications team with the Rescue Bots doesn't require a degree." Now, he was walking towards you. "It's a safer job for you."
"And more convenient," June added. She crouched down right in front of you and gave you this motherly glance. Then, she whispered: "The Decepticons have been actively looking for you, because of your high intelligence. They want to control your sentience for their benefit. That's what Optimus is worried about."
"Griffin Rock is protected with a signal blocker," Optimus said. "You do not need to worry about the Decepticons finding you ever again."
"I've never heard of the place," Jack mentioned, scratching his chin lightly.
"It's not in the World Map whatsoever," June explained. "Griffin Rock is so small and insignificant to the world economy that no one didn't bother to add it in the map."
A small place and good amounts of peace and quiet. Sounds fun.
"I don't want to go there," you begged. "Please, Optimus, I can stay here with Ratchet and help out the injured."
"I promise you, you will have a great time with the rescue team - with us."
You turned your wheelchair around. At the base entrance stood a man dressed in a police uniform who looked around his 50s. Majority of his hair is white, but you could spot some batches of greyish-black hair scattered across his head.
"This is Chief Burns, the head of the rescue team and the father of his children, who are rescuers as well," Optimus introduced.
"Sir," you nodded as a salutation.
"Don't underestimate rescue work, (Y/N). It is just as difficult and important as your usual war duties," Chief Burns said.
You turned to look at Optimus, who only gave you a nod.
"We didn't unpack your bag after your hospital stay," Jack held up your bag. "You can go as soon as you want."
"I..." you were lost for words. After only a few months with the team... time cannot be any shorter. "I want to spend another day with Team Prime... just to say goodbye."
"Alright then, I'll pick you up tomorrow evening?" Chief Burns suggested with a smile.
"Yeah... that would be great."
-[]-
Another day had passed, and it's time for you to depart to Griffin Rock via the groundbridge. You hugged June one last time, who had been the best mother figure you could ever ask for, and then hugged Jack, who gave you wisdom despite him being much younger than you. You saluted towards the whole of Team Prime and Agent Fowler before Chief Burns pushed you into the portal, instantly zooming you both into Griffin Rock.
"She's here!" an excited female voice exclaimed.
You find yourself in the bunker of the firehouse, surrounded by new faces: Kade, Dani, Graham and Cody, the youngest. As you looked up, you found the Rescue Bots behind them, inspecting the new arrival.
"Everyone, meet (Y/N). She will be our newest member who will be assisting Cody in the command centre," Chief Burns introduced.
After everyone exchanged greetings and names with you, Chief Burns helped you to your new room. It was an empty guest room, but it did not feel like a spare room at all. It was cleaned to perfection: the tabletop neatly tidied with books you can occupy yourself with, a clean (F/C) bedsheet decorated with patterns of your favourite TV show and a comms tablet - a spare Cody had.
"Welcome to your new home, (Y/N)," Chief Burns said as he put your bags down. "Do you need help with unpacking?"
"Yes, I do," you replied. "The blue bag in your hand- nope, your left hand- yeah so ..."
A few hours passed by, and it was dinnertime. Doc Greene and Frankie had offered to come over to prepare dinner for everyone. Meanwhile, you were in the shower, feeling hyped that the shower seemed to have been renovated to accommodate you. Chief Burns showed you how to use the shower, then left you on your own.
When you were done showering, Chief Burns helped you over to the dining table, where you sat next to him. Everyone talked and had a good laugh when Dani failed to launch a tomato into Kade's mouth.
Spending time with your new rescue team doesn't seem horrible, after all. It's only your first day here, but you are already adjusting well into this family.
-[]-
"Dad, the housing might collapse," Cody advised through the comms.
"I'll be in and out before you know it, Cody," Chief Burns replied, then ventured into the house.
As expected, the house collapsed. You were watching the whole thing from the firehouse at the command centre. When the bots finally managed to find him, he had already fainted.
After that incident, you secretly worked with the hospital, hoping that someday
you can walk again.
-[]-
"... I'm betting... two cubes of Energon!" Blades exclaimed.
"(Y/N)'s doing her best in trying to walk again to assist Chief," Heatwave commented.
"Additionally, she has been learning about police codes and such from me persistently every day," Chase added. "I would bet that she confesses first as well - same with Blades' bet."
"Never knew you gamble," Heatwave laughed.
"This is not gambling... this is for entertainment," Chase defended.
"I think Chief is going to confess first, though it may be difficult for him. I think he is brave enough to confess first," Boulder said.
"What do you mean 'difficult'?" Heatwave asked.
"(Y/N) is at maximum 30 years old, and Chief is 20 years older than her," Boulder mentioned.
"How would that be an issue?" Chase asked, purely out of curiosity.
"Age gap, most relationships with such a large age gap usually don't last very long..." Boulder slowly let go of the last word of his sentence.
The bunker then echoed with Ohhhhhh's.
"Chief might not accept his feelings," Boulder continued, "since he already has children with someone else. He might be afraid that his children won't accept the relationship if it were to happen."
"That implies a lot of conflict," Chase concluded.
"But I believe Chief will confess first," Boulder added with a cheeky smile. "Watch me win the bet."
-[]-
Today's treatment was super tough. Due to the rise of emergencies lately, you had to skip some of your sessions, resulting in your legs lacking practice. A few weeks ago, the doctors had proclaimed that it was a miracle that you could move your legs.
"Take it slowly," your physiotherapist had advised. "Practice at home."
And you did.
Now, you have been practicing for 15 minutes and it was enough to wear you out. When you heard footsteps, you immediately sat back on your wheelchair, picking up a random book and opened to a random page. A few knocks were heard and then the door opened.
"Charlie!" you exclaimed.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Chief asked.
Chief had allowed you to call him by his name a while ago when he realised that you shared the same interest as him in police matters (and the two of you were getting close as a result).
"No, no you're not," you smiled. "Come in."
Charlie closed the door behind him and pulled out the chair from the table. "How have you been? You went missing for the whole morning. I heard from Graham that you got up quite early."
"Oh, it's nothing," you replied, flipping your book to the next page. "I like going out to enjoy the peace and quiet."
"I used to do that," Charlie sighed. "Emergencies have been on the rise for these past few years, so I stopped waking up so early. Gives me more time to catch a couple of winks."
"I bet it must have been difficult," you said, "without the bots. But now you have them."
Charlie nodded in response.
"Listen, there's something I've been meaning to tell you-"
"Listen, there's something I've been meaning to tell you-"
The both of you stopped.
"You go first."
"You go first."
Silence fell.
"Ladies first, I suppose," you let out a nervous chuckle. "I've been doing checkups in the hospital, and..."
Suddenly, you stood up almost too quickly. You took a moment to adjust your dizziness. Charlie let out a gasp.
"Because you got injured..."
You took one step away from the wheelchair.
"And I could only sit and watch..."
Another big step.
"I was determined to walk again."
One step.
"(Y/N)..." Charlie gasped. "Please, don't strain yourself for me."
"No," you immediately shot back, "this is what I wanted too."
You missed your balance and fell. Charlie caught you quickly by the waist and assisted you back to your wheelchair slowly.
"All of this... because you saw me injured," Charlie said.
"Is it stupid of me to fall for an old man who already has children?"
"Is it stupid of me to fall for a young lady who deserves better?"
"Woah," you were taken aback. "We just- woah, we are way more synchronized than I thought," you chuckled.
"We can... work this out," Charlie motioned at the space between the two of you. "We don't need to tell the others yet."
"Agreed," you nodded. "Chaos is the last thing we need."
Charlie carefully pulled you into a hug. You returned the embrace, content to have found someone you truly care the most.