Work Text:
“So how do we do this?” Maggie peered up at the uncomfortable looking shelf that Wheeljack had called a recharge slab. “Cause, I’ve got to tell you, that’s going to be hell on my back.”
“Oh, I added padding for you.” Wheeljack reached down, offering his hand so she could ride up. “Let me show you.”
“Okay.” She sat down on his hand, grateful that he always offered rather than just picking her up. Some of the other humans didn’t mind being manhandled by the Bots, but it bothered her when they didn’t treat her as the autonomous person she was. “But I reserve judgment until–”
“Until you’ve laid on it,” he finished with her. Then he grinned and lifted her up. “I remember. I tried to match the specs to the mattress you picked out for your apartment, but doing that and keeping you from getting static charged was surprisingly difficult.”
“Guess we’ll see, then.”
“Yep.” Wheeljack set his hand down on the slab, which didn’t look terribly changed to her eyes, and let her step off. Once she had, he moved to the corner furthest from the door. “Here, come take a look.”
She walked across the slab and as she reached the corner, he pressed a button on the side of the recharge slab. A moment later, a compartment folded back and a comfortable looking mattress lifted up from the interior. She heard it lock in place with a series of clicks and a series of tiny LEDs turned on, glowing a faint purple and marking its location.
“I know the light isn’t the best for human sleeping patterns, but I think I’ve got them set right so that they won’t bother you. But I had to do something to highlight you, so I wouldn’t accidentally squish you when I was half-asleep.”
“No, it’s clever. We might need to move them a little, but I’ll let you know.” Maggie smiled at him. “And we’ll need sheets and blankets, if the mattress is right.”
He nodded. “I didn’t want to order anything before we knew.”
Maggie nodded. Then she stepped up beside the mattress and put her hands on the top. They didn't sink in immediately, which was a good sign, so she leaned her weight forward a little. The mattress had a little give, but not so much that it wouldn’t be supportive and she approved.
“Good?” Wheeljack asked.
“So far.” She lifted her left leg and put her knee carefully onto the mattress. When the mattress didn’t shift, she rested her weight on her knee, and pulled herself up onto it. Then she laid down on her side, letting herself relax into the material and feeling how it supported her.
It felt a little bit like heaven, honestly.
She flopped into her back after a few minutes, and grinned when nothing so much as twinged. “I think it’s perfect, Jackie.”
“Yeah?” His vocal fins flickered happily.
“Yeah. You want to fire up your half and we’ll make sure it’s still right?”
“You got it.” He reached for, presumably, another button and there was a faint hum as his portion of the recharge slab turned on. She could feel a bit of static building up, but it wasn’t enough to even lift her arm hair. “Good?”
“Might still be too much static after a full night, but we’ll probably just have to try it in real time to be sure.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, we could just take a nap and see how it goes.” Wheeljack grinned, and Maggie couldn’t have kept herself from grinning back at him if she had wanted to.
“Sounds great to me. And then we can get dinner after.” She turned back onto her side so that she could pillow her head on her arm more easily. “I heard that the new guy was actually cooking for you guys tonight.”
“Really?!” Wheeljack sounded delighted as he climbed onto the slab, which didn’t even wobble as he got comfortable. “Did you hear what he’s making?”
“I think Bobby said some kind of stew, but I was debugging some code so I might have misheard.”
“I hope it’s circuit stew.” His hand curled around Maggie’s mattress, and she reached out to rest her hand over his thumb with a contented sigh. “I haven’t had that since… since before we lost the capitol.”
“Well, if you don’t get it tonight, I hope he can make it for you soon.” She squeezed his thumb. “Sleep well, Jackie.”
“Sleep well, Maggie.” He shifted just slightly, and then she felt the warm exhalation of his ventilation system blowing across her back like her own personal heater. Wheeljack was absolutely the best boyfriend she’d ever had.