Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After a tough and somewhat violent run in with decepticons, Kup took his wreckers back to their base, taking three of them straight to the medbay. Drift, Blurr, and Perceptor had gotten badly hurt, but still managed to stay upright even if they clearly looked tired from the action. Perceptor limped over to a seat first, patiently waiting for a nurse to call him in as they were currently busy, dealing with several hundred injured soldiers already. Drift and Blurr followed Perceptor as much as they could while using Kup for support.

"I'm impressed you guys are still standing, or even awake, not many soldiers could deal with these kindsa' injuries" Kup said with a slight smile, trying to hide his own worries to make them feel better.

"I wish I was knocked out instead" blurr mumbled, while Drift whined at the strain in every part of his body, only wanting to lie down and sleep.

"I know, come on, just sit down here and I'll wait for the doctor with you." he reassured them. As the three injured bots waited together, watching the medical staff constantly moving about to help as many patients as possible. That is, until Drift noticed his doctor crush walk out of the double doors, holding it open for someone to pull a patient transfer through, then going over to assist a few nurses. Drift found himself admiring the doctor from his seat, the way he was able to go in right away and help others without hesitation, was something else. Just the act of simply watching Ratchet managed to make him forget about his injuries, making the pain fade in favor of being in his presence.

Kup seemed to notice who he was looking at, and turned to face Drift with a teasing smirk on his face. "someone you like?"

Drift felt warmth rush to his face at the little comment, and quickly shook himself out of his staring. "no!"

Kup chuckled quietly "you sure kid? really looks like a certain medic got your attention, especially now that you're blushing"

"uh..." he couldn't really argue against that now, his mentor could notice such things easily and it was no use fighting it. "yeah, kinda" he whispered, audials going down in embarrassment from being caught staring.

"Hmm, thought so, and I think I know who it is that you like" Kup said back, keeping his voice low to not embarrass Drift and keep his crush a secret. "It's Ratchet huh?"

"how'd you know?" drift asked, when he looked back over though, Ratchet was now looking in their general direction at the waiting area, talking to another doctor about who would treat which of the three patients. Before the two doctors could see his face, Drift looked down at the floor and pretended to look tired from his injuries.

"careful kid, he might notice ya blushing" Kup muttered, waving at Ratchet to be friendly and hopefully get them to come over to help. Ratchet waved back with a small smile, then gestured for the fellow doctor to continue talking as they approached the waiting area.

Unfortunately, Drift was now even more distracted when he realized they were walking over, his mind filled with thoughts of Ratchet subtly flirting with him as he treated his injuries. the charming smile he usually offered when helping people, the comforting blanket of his EM field, his friendly warm voice that rumbles when it gets low and always sends shivers through him. drift couldn't help being in a dreamlike trance everytime he was nearby, especially now, and was praying to Primus that he wasn't blushing, or at least not too much.

"What happened to these three? did a building fall on them?" Ratchet asked lightheartedly, hoping to make each of them feel less bad with some banter.

"oh, just a sudden rain of bullets and an acid bomb, that's all" Kup joked back, discreetly nudging Drift as if to say he'll be the one seeing Ratchet today, trying to be his wingman. Drift looked up at Kup with a slightly confused look, then understood the nudge when he looked at Ratchet.

"him first then?" Ratchet asked, seeing acid burns running from his left audial down to his thigh.

"yeah, unfortunately he's the only one who got hit by the acid pretty badly, you need me to help him walk?" Kup stood up and was about to pull Drift to his feet before Ratchet interrupted.

"oh it's fine, I can carry him no problem. but if you want to stay with him you can follow me" Ratchet said, it wasn't unusual for field doctors to carry patients around, especially the ambulances. It was easy and much more efficient than going around to look for a transport bed when they have arms strong enough to hold someone their size or smaller.

Kup nodded and gave Ratchet some space, watching as he easily scooped his arms under Drift's torso and knees. as Drift was being lifted out of his seat, he didn't exactly know what to do with his hands, but quickly settled on placing his left hand on Ratchet's left shoulder, since it was closer in reach. he looked over at his two friends, Perceptor giving him a barely noticeable smile, while blurr was snickering quietly to himself.

"you're gonna be okay kid, I'll come see you in a few minutes, once these two get sorted out" Kup said to Drift, to which he got a little embarrassed nod.

as Ratchet carried him off to a treatment room, drift felt so safe and protected in his arms, not having to worry about fighting anyone for a little while. All he cared about right now was having someone take care of him, to kiss his wounds better and make him forget about the world. Once Ratchet found an empty room, a nurse joined at his side to help, he walked over to the bed and carefully set Drift down. his hands lingered for a moment to make sure he was comfortable and happy on the soft sheets. The nurse took out a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around his right arm, while Ratchet sat down on the stool in front of the monitor, having it ready so he could write about his patient's condition.

"Alright, I'll just take a quick look at your burns first, treat them with an antibiotic gel, and wrap them up," Ratchet explained, offering a reassuring smile. oh primus, Drift was absolutely in love with him, and the gentle treatment was only making it more intense. but he snapped out of it before he could look like an idiot, and nodded in response, ready for Ratchet to do what he needed to help.

while Ratchet started having a close look at the burned areas, Drift looked at the nurse instead. She was already done taking his vitals though, so he was left with the medical machinery, the room, and his own legs to look at. Then he noticed Ratchet was done checking him, taking a cotton wipe to remove small flakes and fluid from the burns. After that, he took medical burn gel and started applying it to the side of his thigh. it stung, a lot, but he could deal with it as long as Ratchet's calming presence was near.

Ratchet looked at Drift while cleaning, he gave him another smile, this one softer and full of care. “You doing okay?” he asked, finding it sweet how Drift was watching him.

“yeah...” Drift responded quietly. He felt somewhat pacified by the treatment, all the pain dulling to a faint buzz in the back of his mind. His audials twitched in interest while he observed Ratchet as he worked. After Ratchet finished applying the gel to his arm, he reached his waist, and Drift needed to concentrate on not freaking out. He subconsciously tensed up in the stomach when Ratchet put the first dabs of gel on his waist, which got him a look from the doctor.

“Try not to tense up too much, I know it feels a bit strange, but I’m almost done” Ratchet said, having an idea of why he tensed.

Drift nodded, feeling slightly warm in the face. “Sorry” he apologized quickly, forcing himself to relax completely. Ratchet smiled when he did, and went back to putting gel on the burn. Drift reminded himself to vent in and out steadily when he felt the doctor's fingers on his waist again, gently petting up and down to treat his wound. It made him feel a little embarrassed, he didn’t know what to do with the fact that a handsome doctor was treating him so gently, helping him get better. He coughed up a bit of oral solvent that got stuck in his throat, accompanied by static from his vocalizer.

Kup knocked on the sliding glass door before opening it for himself to step inside, seeing how the two were interacting. “Everything all good?”

Ratchet looked over with a smile, his hand finally leaving Drift’s waist. “yeah, almost done dealing with the burns, and then I’ll cover them up so they can heal without getting irritated.” he explained, turning back to a shy looking Drift, who only had one burn left on his audial.

Kup walked closer and pulled a chair up next to the bed so he could sit near his soldier, offering comfort. “Be careful with those” he pointed at Drift’s audio receptors “they’re a bit delicate, so Drift tends to feel sensitive about em’ ”

Ratchet nods “right, I’ll be extra careful, it’s gonna be okay” he comforts Drift, trying to think about how he will go about this. He placed a careful hand on the audial, and put just a little pressure on the burned area, to which Drift winced and his audial twitched. “Hmm, it’s not too big, I could treat it pretty quick, but if it hurts too much we could numb it a little.”

Drift thought about it “numb it?”

Ratchet nods “yes, I could get a small numbing injection at the base of your audial, starts working in less than a minute.”

Drift’s audials drooped at the idea of getting an injection, he shook his head quickly. “No injection! I can’t do it...”

Ratchet backs up a bit “alright, that’s fine, the only other alternative is numbing gel, but I’d have to put it right on the burns, and it takes longer to work than the injection, you wanna try that?”

Drift looks at him for a moment before giving an answer “...no”

Ratchet nods again “that’s fine, it’s probably going to hurt when I apply it, but I’ll go quick, and it should stop hurting after a few minutes anyway.” he got up to leave the room, going out to get something.

Kup turned to Drift, having the same teasing look on his face from the waiting room. “Finally got a cute doctor to fuss over you, huh?”

Drift knew he was blushing bad thanks to the comment, groaning quietly to himself. “Shut up...”

Kup laughed heartily, placing a hand over Drift’s. “Relax kid, just teasin’ ya. Besides, this could go pretty well in your favor if you play your cards right, Ratchet’s th’ kinda doc to like shy bots, he thinks it’s cute.” Kup smiled at him and squeezed his hand, a reminder that he was there to support him, both in health and in romance.

Ratchet came back only a minute or so later, thankfully with the specially made burn gel in hand. “Got it, I’ll be careful putting it on.” he sat back down on the stool and rolled up to the bed, uncapping the bottle. He stuck a small cotton applicator into it, getting enough gel on it before approaching the affected audial. “Deep breath, it’s gonna sting.”

Drift closed his eyes, taking a slow breath as Ratchet said to. He felt one of Kup’s hands holding his own, while the other hand patted his head soothingly to calm him. Then he felt something soft and jelly-like touch the burnt part on his audial, he tensed up instantly, it did hurt, more than he expected. But the movement stopped and the applicator pulled away after a few seconds, leaving half of the burn with a stinging sensation, more intense than any other part on his body that was treated. His audial twitched in reflex.

“Halfway done, don’t worry” Ratchet assured, dipping the applicator for more gel. Though when he tried to put more on the wound, Drift’s audial flicked wildly, reacting to the gel before it was even applied.

“Sorry” Drift apologized sheepishly.

“It’s fine, no need to worry.” Ratchet said, then looking at Kup. “Kup, do you think you could hold his audial until I’m done?”

Kup hummed, moving the hand on Drift’s head to hold his audial still. “Go ahead, but be quick”

Ratchet quickly applied the gel to the rest of the burn, only taking five seconds before pulling his hand back. “All done! You did great, Drift.” Kup let go of his audial, and they both saw Drift visibly relax into the bed, his audial still twitching in pain.

“Thank you” Drift mumbled.

Both Kup and Ratchet smiled, while the latter spoke. “No problem, how about I get you an energon goodie?”

“Really?” Drift asked, looking at him confused.

“Yes really” Ratchet chuckled. “I mean it, no big deal, you deserve it after going through so much today.”

Kup nudged Drift “it’s true kid, getting burns like that, you basically earned all the energon goodies you could want.”

The comment made Ratchet laugh while he cleaned up, retrieving some bandages from the cabinet. He got the burns on Drift’s arm first by wrapping around his forearm and hand. “I can imagine a whole pile of energon goodies sitting next to his bed, but he’d probably get sick after eating six of them.”

After a beat, with Kup watching Ratchet dress the wounds, he leaned in closer to Drift “I’ll get you some dinner in an hour and tell your friends you’re here, but I gotta go for work, Ratchet will keep you company.” Kup patted his shoulder before getting up, giving Ratchet a wave, and leaving through the door. Though not without a final sneaky wink at Drift. Drift was a little disappointed that Kup had to leave, but inside, felt like he could score something with Ratchet.

Ratchet continued placing smaller adhesive bandages on the smaller burn areas, securing them to heal properly. When he finished up the left arm and audial, Ratchet started covering the burn on his waist with large square bandages and taping them in place. Drift thought it felt nice, having soft material on top of treated wounds. But it was until he got to his hip and thigh that Drift started to feel a bit heated. He knew though, obviously, this wasn’t anything weird, it was just a nice doctor helping him get better.

He looked down where Ratchet now is wrapping his upper leg, passing the roll back and forth to himself, over then under and back around. Drift could feel the slight wisps of touch from every movement, his fingers just brushing along metal, only to cover it right after, as if he was preserving his touch onto Drift with the cotton. Once complete, Ratchet held the bandage in place so he could cut it from the roll, then taped it down with a single wrap of adhesive. He placed Drift’s leg back down on the bed, leaving the bedside to write notes on the computer.

After that, Drift went right to sleep

Chapter Text

Drift woke up from his nap after hearing a knock on the sliding glass door. He opened his eyes to see his friends quietly walking in with grins, clearly happy to see him alive and doing better. Rodimus fell into the seat right next to his bed, laying his arms out across Drift’s midsection. “Hey dude, how you doing?”

Drift smiled tiredly “I’m good,” he started, sitting up to face them with his optics sparkling “but guess what happened when I got here?”

“What, what? Oh please tell me it’s something good, and not like, you know, some medical problem” he begged, giving Drift his full attention like the others were.

Drift giggled, already feeling giddy just thinking about it. “So... Ratchet is my doctor, and he treated all my burns!”

His friends gaped in surprise and excitement, Windblade even squealed quietly. Bumblebee burst into a small fit of laughter.

Rodimus stared at him for a good five seconds before remembering how to speak. “No way dude!” he sputtered “he actually did? That’s insane, actually insane, damn”

Windblade giggled “did he say nice things to you? Or get his hands all over you?” she asked playfully.

Drift made an embarrassed noise, the same blush from earlier coming back to his face. “Kinda, but not in a flirty way, just like a normal doctor way.”

Arcee rolled her eyes in joking annoyance “yeah, a normal doctor way, as if he didn’t have to treat your injuries and wrap bandages over them, he probably was glad to have that as his excuse.” she laughed at the image in her head, causing the others to join in as well.

Rodimus gave Drift a smug look when he scoffed, poking his friend in the cheek “you know, he could give you a full exam, if you know what I mean~” he teased with a low voice, fingers dancing up Drift’s arm just to rile him up.

“Shut up” Drift said quietly, pushing Rodimus's hand away and hiding his face in his own hands. His friends laughed harder this time, finding his embarrassment utterly amusing. They tried to calm down before anyone in the ward could hear them being too loud. but... much to Drift’s dismay and his friend’s sudden joy, Ratchet happened to be nearby and slid the glass door open. They each greeted him and gave each other sneaky knowing looks.

“Hey everyone” Ratchet greeted quietly, sliding the door behind him and adjusting the curtain “try to keep it down a little please, some patients are sleeping right now.” he gently scolded them.

Rodimus looked a little sheepish and apologetic “sorry about that doc, we’re just having fun with Drift to cheer him up, y’know?”

Ratchet acknowledged his apology as he walked over to the computer “I’m sure you are, and you don’t need to call me ‘doc’ Rodimus, you know me” he smiled, not minding the other three who snickered.

Rodimus noticed that Drift was still hiding behind his hands, and tried to calmly pull them away while responding to Ratchet “right, doctor Ratchet then, don’t wanna accidentally bring out the hatchet, I learned after last time”

Ratchet gave him an amused smirk “did you learn? Or are you just saying that?”

Rodimus felt himself droop a little from being called out, though was glad when Drift allowed his hands to be pulled away from his face, still tinted light blue “that doesn’t matter,” he scoffed “I care more about my best bro right now”

Ratchet huffed out a quiet laugh, looking over and noticing Drift’s faint blush “I’m sure you do Hot Rod, I aim to heal”

Drift turned himself away from Ratchet’s gaze with a nervous cough, instead finding comfort in looking at his best friend, who gave him a genuine grin. Though Drift got annoyed when bumblebee burst into another fit of giggles at his embarrassment. Rodimus quickly distracted Drift from his feelings by tickling his neck, getting him to squirm and laugh. “Hey!”

Rodimus laughed at his reaction, pulling his hand away when he saw Drift’s mood lift, he replaced the tickles with a comforting hug. “Feel better?”

Drift nodded, and Ratchet finished writing his notes on the computer. He moved closer to the bed on the stool to check on Drift’s bandages and overall well being. “Alright, just gonna have a look here...” he muttered quietly, his voice going into that familiar rumble that Drift loved, who struggled to contain himself. Rodimus could detect the slight hint of excitement as Drfit adjusted his position, his hand holding the other’s while watching Ratchet.

“Any pain still? Burning or tingling anywhere?” Ratchet asked, peeling back the large bandage on his waist to check the healing process, which looked less red compared to just a few hours ago.

“No, feels fine” Drift answered, seeing that Ratchet put the bandage back in place, pressing down to ensure it stayed in place.

Ratchet nodded, looking satisfied with the answer since he was the one treating Drift. He was also happy that Drift seemed to be feeling better mentally, especially with his friends visiting. “I’ll come check on you in the morning,” he reassured, before addressing his friends “and you all better not keep him up the whole night, Drift needs to rest to feel better.” Ratchet chided playfully. He signed out of the computer and slid the door open, holding it for Windblade, Arcee, and Bumblebee to exit with him. They all gave Drift and Rodimus a wave goodbye before disappearing.

Drift let out a heavy sigh, looking at Rodimus. “I feel better”

Rodimus smiled and leaned closer, his upper torso resting on the bed with Drift. “Good, I’m sure ratchet helped with most of that” he poked Drift in the side.

Drift grumbled, but was not annoyed at his friend “hmph, I guess he did...”

“Mhm, it was pretty obvious too” he snorted, standing up and nudging Drift “let me sit in the bed with you”

Drift wiggled himself to the left side of the hospital bed, letting Rodimus get comfortable next to him. He relaxed against Rodimus’s side, an arm resting around his shoulders. “Thanks for visiting me, are you staying the night?”

“Hell yeah, I mean, not to steal Ratchet’s thunder or anything, but we can do whatever if it makes you feel better. I’m not a doctor, but I’m still good at cuddling” Rodimus boasts with a proud grin.

Drift smiles, sharing the sentiment “I don’t think Ratchet would mind, he knows we’re best friends, and I’m sure other people have done the same thing” he turns on the tv in the room, looking through the channels for something interesting they could watch.

“So...” Rodimus starts, his attention half on the action show playing and half on his friend. “You think he’ll make out with you tomorrow?”

“Roddy!”

“What?” he laughs, suddenly remembering to keep it down as it was late for other patients. “I’m just saying dude, Ratchet definently likes you. He probably thinks you’re cute”

“Shush...” Drift chides, feeling warmth in his face as he adjusts his position again. “Ratchet would never do that kind of thing, he’s too professional”

Rodimus sighs dramatically “yeah, I guess he is, but I don’t think that can stop him from being all flirty with you”

Drift smiled, wondering what might happen tomorrow between him and Ratchet as he fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Kup helped Drift get out of his bed in the morning, having an arm around his shoulder while he reached over to lightly smack Rodimus in the head, waking him with a jump. “Rodimus, don’t act like yer’ more tired than Drift.”

Rodimus groaned, aimlessly waving Kup’s hand away. “I’m not, I just don’t wanna get up” he opened his optics halfway and looked at the two, sluggishly sitting up. “I thought Drift would be staying in bed all day, getting princess treatment from the nurses, y’know?”

Kup gave a sharp laugh, rolling his eyes “oh I know, but it’s good to have him walk and stretch his joints” he looks at Drift, shaking him by the arm to help wake his mind. Drift just hums in response.

Rodimus lets out a dramatic sigh, sitting with his limbs splayed for a moment before he heaved himself up and out of the bed. He followed Kup from the room, rubbing sleep from his optics. “What’re we doing..?”

“Gettin’ breakfast, of course,” Kup answered. He guided Drift out of the unit with Rodimus in tow, knowing they would both feel much better after getting some food. They took an elevator down to the first floor, walking down a hallway into the open cafeteria. Many patients and staff members alike were milling about the place, carrying plates of food to sit down and eat together, some starting their shift while others caught up with friends and visiting family. Kup led the two over to the breakfast line, handing a tray to Drift and letting him go first.

“Whoa, they have so much here!” Drift pointed out, immediately grabbing a plate of pancakes for himself and dumping various fruits on it. Rodimus grinned as he looked at the options, picking out a large waffle and bacon for himself.

“Ya know we can always come back for seconds, you don’t gotta pile everything on” Kup said with a short laugh.

“You don’t know that, what if they run out after everyone else gets food?” Drift asked jokingly, making both Kup and Rodimus fall into a short fit of giggles. After they finished getting food, he spotted many of his friends sitting together at a big table. Not just those who visited him last night, but Blurr and Perceptor too, who looked to be doing much better now than they did yesterday. Perceptor noticed the trio first and waved them over, followed by Bumblebee and Windblade.

“Drift! You’re still alive!” Bumblebee yelled cheerfully, only to get shushed by Arcee when others nearby looked in their direction. “Sorry!”

Drift and Rodimus snorted while Kup just shook his head in amusement. The trio sat down with them at the table, Drift of course being the focus of everyone’s attention now that he felt well enough to be out of bed.

“How long do you have to stay?” Perceptor asked, only having a few small cuts on his face, clearly healing up fast.

“Hmm, I think at least a week, it’s gonna take some time for all this to heal” He pointed at his entire left side, still bandaged from the day before.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Windblade responded. She offered him a piece of her cinnamon roll as a blessing for good health. Drift accepted it happily, eating it in one bite.

“It sucks but... at least he gets to have Ratchet all over him” Rodimus chimed in with a shit-eating grin, earning him a few laughs from the table and a huffy look from Drift. Kup even chuckled in amusement, then elbowed Rodimus to let up on the teasing. Rodimus pretended to be offended by it but still complied. Drift sat at the table quietly while listening to everyone else talk, just sitting there and eating his breakfast. Sometimes Perceptor or Arcee would ask him something, but other than that, he was happy to be with his friends.

Yet, by sheer luck or from Primus above, of course Ratchet had to show up now. He wasn’t alone though, three of his friends were by his side too, keeping to their group and talking as they got in line for food. Drift naturally acted like he didn’t notice them, continuing to look around absentmindedly. He wasn’t ready to face Ratchet, at least not until he was done eating. To his dismay once again, his friends just had to notice Ratchet showing up in the cafeteria. After the doctor and his friends went to look for a place to sit, Blurr, Arcee, and Rodimus (the bastards) decided to get his attention by wolf whistling and making playful remarks at him.

Ratchet clearly heard them and looked over, at first confused but quickly understood what they were doing, having an embarrassed but flattered smile as his friends laughed.

Drift could not bear with them and sunk his face into his arms. Blurr, Arcee, and Rodimus were definitely doing this to mess with him, and they were probably laughing at his misery. He waited until the three stopped before slowly looking back up again, making sure the doctor was relatively out of sight. “I hate you guys.”

“We love you too!” Rodimus joked back, giving an innocent smile as if he did nothing wrong.

“You three are lucky Drift was even willing to befriend you in the first place.” Kup commented, patting Drift on the back to make him feel less bad. The others didn’t have anything to say after that, so they continued to eat in peace for the time being. Bumblee did notice him looking across the cafeteria once or twice, but knew better than to say anything.

Once the table was done eating, Kup escorted Drift and his friends back to the assigned patient room, with Rodimus and Arcee having to leave right away after getting called in for work. Perceptor and Windblade sat against the window seat, with Bumblebee squeezing in between them, Kup took the chair next to Drift’s bed, and Blurr leaned against it.

“Feel better after eating?” Kup asked.

“Yeah, so much better, I was really hungry yesterday.” Drift replied.

“I could tell, you looked exhausted.”

Blurr nodded in confirmation, butting in with his own comment. “I almost thought you wouldn’t make it when you passed out, but once we got here my hopes were a lot higher. Plus, Ratchet did great helping you, even if I wasn’t there to see.”

Drift smiled, happy to hear nice words from his friend, who just a few minutes ago was basically whistling at his crush. The room fell into a comfortable quiet, with only the sounds of medical machines and bots walking past in the hallway. Everyone was perfectly fine just being there for Drift, keeping him company and helping his mood after a traumatic injury.