Chapter Text
“I’ve had warmer welcomes from decepticon combat brigades.” A gruff voice sounded over the comm link.
Bulkhead suddenly lurched forward, pushing to get closer to the communication’s array
“Wheeljack? You old con crusher! What are you doing all the way out here?”
Ratchet stood stiffly as he listened to his teammate welcome the new voice over the comm. At Optimus’ word he quickly patched over a predetermined set of landing coordinates.
“See you soon buddy, I’ll make sure you get a proper welcome!” Bulkhead said over Ratchet’s shoulder excitedly as he closed the comm channel.
Arcee was the first to address their teammate’s excitement at the new bot arriving soon, “So who’s the boyfriend?”
Ratchet, still frozen in place at the main array, turned his head slightly at that, audials tuned to hear the conversation as he continued reviewing the information on the screens.
Bulkhead gave a good natured laugh at Arcee’s question. “Me and Jackie go way back. We were part of the same war unit- the wreckers. Which means the cons are gonna wish he never found us.”
Ratchet let some tension release from his shoulders at that. It didn’t seem as though Bulkhead would describe their relationship as Arcee proposed but if they did so happen to be bonded.. Then it was none of his business. He and Wheeljack’s paths parted long ago and it was mere coincidence they met again.
Inevitable really with so few of us left and only so much universe to roam. Ratchet thought grimly as he tried to shake off the surprise of hearing the wrecker’s voice after so much time.
Wheeljack had always been able to handle himself, it should come as no shock that he was alive and well or that he knew Bulkhead.
Ratchet knew both were wreckers but Bulkhead rarely talked about his time with the unconventional unit, understandably given their mortality rate.
Memories of losing bots they cared about in a war that seemed unending wasn’t something the team focused on much, especially now with the children in their care.
It had been quite some time since Ratchet had thought about Wheeljack. With the war spanning thousands of years and the evacuation of Cybertron, it had been several hundred years since Ratchet had let himself think of his life at the beginning of the war.
The medical officer shook himself, quickly shutting out the line of thought.
It serves no one to reminisce on a past long lost to time and there's work to be done in preparation for a new autobot’s arrival.
—----
Ratchet flinched as the ball whirled past his head and hit the cement wall, leaving a crater in its wake before falling and striking the paneling next to the bridge control.
“You know - I am attempting to perform sensitive calibrations here!” He barked at Bulkhead. He was tense enough to have the second wrecker in the base without the risk of damaging their access to the outside world.
“Sorry Doc, I guess we’re a little charged up”
Ratchet wordlessly returned to his work at the bridge console. If Wheeljack seemed to forget he even knew the medic, why bother acknowledging the speedster. There was work to be done and the team seemed perfectly content celebrating without his participation. Before he could regain his concentration however, the wrecker paused before returning to their game. Ratchet tensed.
“Built this bridge from scratch huh?”
“I did.” He kept it short and professional.
“That’s quite a feat of engineering.”
What is he playing at? Was he surprised the medic was able to engineer something on this scale without assistance? It had been thousands of years since they worked in a lab together but Ratchet was capable and the war had given him many opportunities to grow his skills.
“Yes.. it is.” He stated, stiffly accepting the compliment.
The wrecker wasn’t finished with their conversation, asking for more details and specifics for current use. The ex-engineer should have been able to guess at least some of what he was asking. Before the war he would have been taking paneling off to inspect and see for himself how the bridge was functioning instead of asking how long a defrag would take.
“A few hours if we’re lucky.” He turned to look at the wrecker, trying to get a read on his face and was met with a blank stare. “Maybe longer.” He shrugged, returning to the array.
Thousands of years can change a bot, they can forget things. It’s not as though bridge technology was broadly studied. Perhaps he truly is just unfamiliar and curious.
His thoughts on the matter were unimportant. Wheeljack returned to celebrating with the rest of the team and he had work to address. If Wheeljack’s bond with Bulkhead was what the ex-engineer felt secure in presenting then he would accept that. The time they knew each other was long ago and much had changed.
—-
Ratchet was somewhat surprised and relieved that the Wheeljack they had been hosting turned out to be a decepticon spy. Perhaps there was still a chance things could be amenable between the old mechs who knew each other once.
Since his arrival at the base however, Wheeljack had spent more time fixing his ship than with the team. Once his ship was repaired, the team attempted another party. A few energon cubes and some catching up between the wreckers later - it seemed Wheeljack was ready to move on without so much as a word to Ratchet.
The CMO silently opened the bridge without turning to watch the group return Wheeljack to his ship. As the bridge closed, he allowed his shoulders to sag and gave a sigh.
“What is it, old friend?” Came Optimus’ booming voice from behind the medic.
“Nothing Optimus, we’ll be fine without Wheeljack’s assistance.” He muttered, avoiding eye contact with the prime.
A light servo came to rest on the white and red mech’s shoulder plate.
“Indeed we will, but I fear there is more to your frustration than our team’s numbers not increasing.”
Ratchet stood staring at the bridge controls, unwilling to acknowledge the tension Optimus had clearly picked up on.
“If I recall correctly, you and Wheeljack knew each other well at the beginning of the war. It was your referral that allowed him access to the autobot labs in the first place, was it not?”
Ratchet’s field pulsed with frustration as memories flooded his processor. He tensed, turning to face the prime and shake the servo from his pauldron.
“Optimus please! That was a long time ago and if the real Wheeljack’s visit was anything to go by- there's a good chance he doesn’t even remember the bots we were before the war. He doesn’t seem keen on sticking around, not even for Bulkhead. It’d be best to …let things lie.” He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, sighing as he finished speaking and shot the leader an apologetic look.
Optimus simply nodded and turned to give the medic some space.
Suddenly a ping hit his personal channel.
::Catch ya later Doc::