Siege Ratchlock. After two bots beat the hell out of Drift he meets a kind mech with a kond touch. A touch that will leave him with a hunger he can't fill.
The Dead End, damp, cold, unyielding and cruel to all of it's citizens. Old bots or new, here not even the light of the sun would give it's people hope.
Drift was a straggler, whatever whites he had were long soild. The aches, damage, pain on his frame have long pass the point of background static. Walking with no direction, walking because it made time move forward faster. Because it was harder than to let his thoughts take over.
"Like that one." An enforcer voice clip rang in Drift's microphone. "You there, we're investigating this rumor and would like your cooperation." They speed up to catch up to him.
Drift keeps walking, he stop caring a long time ago about bots trying to talk to him. "There's talk of a medic running an unauthorized medical center here in Dead End. Have you any information?"
"No." Primus, what kind of idiot would build a hospital here. They're just going to get their supplies stolen. That's not including whatever gang leader plan for them.
"Maybe we ought to smoke him out." The other bot following him to his left said. "Obviously these low lifes ain't gonna to tells us where their biggest hit will come from."
They push Drift to the ground, one of the microphones in his finals blew out. The metal crack in half, and one of the enforcers bent in his armor inwards. The exhaust goes up his throat, the fine grounded energon leave his mouth full of grit. The bands on in his engine snap, and it starts to click as the first warning of his system about to dying.
-----
There was a touch...
It was gentle, kind, coaxing him to wake up. Then a soft light enters his vision, too blurry to figure out where he is. Nothing really but a nice cyan blue against a faint gold aura. Drift didn't want to get up. You think being dead wouldn't hurt this much. Or even that you get to sleep in more but no, guess the universe doesn't work like that.
"Come on...", a voice came from the left side of his frame spoke. It too was soft, even though the it was on the lower register. "I know it hurts but please wake up." Melodic, cooing at his mic, making the fins flutter. However, it also carried a sorrow to it. As if it already knows that Drift has past away.
That soft touch turns into a gentle caress. It first pinches his dulled claws, then it moves to hold his hand. It feels so good that when it tries to move away Drift tightens around the retreating hand and pulls them closer. "Not yet..." Drift couldn't recognize his own voice. There was too much static, flipping through to many different stations to try to sound coherent. "Just a few more seconds..." he tries to plead with the kind touch.
Drift is not too sure about how he wakes up. All he sees is that bright cyan turn into a handsome face with the most divine smile. He can feel his intake start to go dry, and a hunger he's never known form. The way the other mech's field intermingled with his, relief joy and pride. It was all so beautiful and that's when he knows that he could never be full again, not without that wonderful field around him.
He finally opens his eyes and really looks back at the mech. "Oh thank Goodness." The mostly white bot squeezes their hands. "Your alright." His grey faceplate stopped worrying showing his true beauty.
"Yeah... I guess I am." How could either of them know that Ratchet would doom him completely.
There's a Virus that is going that will reunite Deadlock to the mech that helped him.
Tw: for refereference of financial abuse. It happens in the last portion of the fic. And surgery for a lodge bullet wound at the beginning. While I tried to make more like a mechanic pulling out peices of the engine, it still something to weary of it.
He was saved by a space bridge engineer. Not a nurse, not a doctor, not even a damn medic. No just an of the so called neutral parties whom claim to only wish to help, but they never want to. Deadlock would have to bring up the law to force them.
So how pathetic must he be to still be weak for any mech with a soft touch. Deadlock has a reputation for fragging medics, but that wasn't entirely true. He also goes for former clockmakers or mechanics, or any bot who could make his engine purr properly. He's looking for a mech who could match the touch of the engineer, or at least get close enough.
So when a new viruse hits the Decepticon base he currently is stationed at. Many of his comrades give him a knowing look. High command managed to get some mechs who would come in to investigate the illness. The first order of business is that all personal would be quarantined until further notice. That's when the doctors will go into each individual room, and stay until they get an all clear.
At least three full days with a mech with a good touch all to himself. Yeah, they all already know that he's going to come out with another file in his folder.
A knock on the door, his doctor, his target. "Please stand stand back while I setup the sanitation ionization." That voice... "Good. I will now enter your room." The lock blinks three times red, turns green as the door opens and in comes in his doctor.
His doctor, that damn space bridge engineer. With a soft grey faceplate, a darker Chevron amongst pearlescent plating. If only he had his golden aura, then Deadlock would truly be in the well.
"Well, well." Deadlock moves to hover over him. "Surprise to see you here, doc." The mech flinches, guess he doesn't like being reminded that he isn't under the board. "Didn't imagine that they would manage to get someone like you to help us lowlifes."
"Don't say that." Ooo he's got a fire in him. "All bots deserve help." He leads Deadlock to the berth, guiding down with more than a suggestion than force. "Alright." he pulls out a medical scanner. It usually something you would notice, not until someone points it out. "Scans are coming out good." He rattles the thing as if it would suddenly change the results.
Deadlock gives him a smug look. Yeah he's done his best to make sure the mech's hard work wasn't undone. It wasn't for praise, since he didn't know if they would ever meet up again. If he was being completely honest, the idea of him being the last mech to touch him deeply sits well with him. "So green across the board, doc?"
"Hum. I wouldn't say that." He digs two finger into the swivel underneath his chassis. Fuck did that hurt, he tries to hold the cleanser back. "You have a deep cut here. Your suspensions are shot and the serpentine belt are five turns from snapping."
There's a small smile hiding underneath all that professionalism, one that Deadlock is more than happy to pull out. The mech then grabs his faceplate, forcing Deadlock to look at him and forcing his mouth open. He literal takes the words out of his mouth as he pops open and uses his flashlight. "You also have a chipped fang and your energon filter is almost full." He gets his fingers out of his mouth.
"I thought you said I was doing good." Deadlock lips are still pursued, like he was waiting for a kiss. Ratchet then pulls him back down and closes his mouth. He still has that small hidden smile, he was enjoying himself.
"In terms of the virus going around, you had no contact. And considering what you Decepticons do, only having one major injury, I say you're doing well for yourself." He makes notes on the scanner, angling it so Deadlock could have a better look. "Anything else you'd like to bring up? Sometimes diagnosis can't really get everything." He has his finger hovering over the save button.
"Yeah..." he moves closer. "See I have this thing on my lip." He gives him space to let him look at him. Deadlock returns the smug smile. "The only way to cure it is if you give it a kiss." He makes obnoxious kissing sounds, he probably would have chase the mech down but the gentle caress on chest stops him.
"Well I'll look into that too." The mech walks back to the entrance. "But first lets get all of these kinks in order." He stands by the door, not doing anything. Was he getting his bearing or did Deadlock come on to strong? "By the way." He looks back at him, and damn if that full smile didn't look good on him. "You should take this time to learn some manners and try asking for a date first, okay."
"How about your name?", and he walked out.
---
"Oww." Deadlock whines as the mech pulls out the stray bullet that was logged underneath his armor is being yanked out. It is a good thing that the quarantine shields also block out sounds. Because the last thing he wants the team hearing cry about some little wound. Well it was more because that little wound was his fault.
"I put in five pain numbing chips." The mech uses his right hand to hold him in place. "Sorry, none of your files mentioned that you burn through them this quickly." He unspools more of the cords from the side of his body. Yikes he's pretty sure those aren't supposed to be out like this. "Okay I got it."
If he cried like a new spark, no he didn't. The mech starts to wipe down the cables he pulled out. His touch is still gentle... "So..." he looks down, wanting to see him work again. "What's my status?"
"Well I got the bullet out, though it is strange that it is a metal one..." it is true, sliver metal is expensive to get, and even more to use. However it has a better chance of slowing down a mech on the run, as normal energon shots instantly cauterize the wound. The down side is that they need a lot of training for proper care. One that Deadlock didn't have at the time he fired it. "But I don't want to start the other surgeries just yet. You still have to flush out the pain chips before I can use the blockers."
"Ohhh..." he feels heat growing up in his faceplate. Should he ask for the doctor's name? Or maybe he should ask about how the operation of his fang will go? He should at least say something and not lay here mute.
"Unfortunately I don't have any with me right now. So after this I'll have to go outside." He gives the joints that bend his leg a shake, like some kind of youngling. "That will give you at least more time to get some manners."
He gives him a scoff, "Says the mech who has his arms three meters deep in my internals." Then a yelp escapes his lips as said mech tugs a cord a little too hard. "Hey if I have to get manners, then you have to get better bedside manners."
"Excuse me?" Oh that fire in his eyes is back. The mech doesn't mess with his frame again, no he just keeps plugging cords back into their connectors. This time he gives them a nice rub.
"I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt you to be a little sweeter to ya patients."
"Yeah." He finish putting everything back in his body. He pulls a bigger surprise by patching the wound and giving the still cooling metal a kiss. It was more of a ghost kiss than anything else. "Is this what you want? Me kissing your boo boos and rubbing your head like a good little mech."
"It would be a start." Deadlock takes the other bot's hand and moves them to his lips.
"Too bad." Before he could kiss them, they're snatched out of his grip. "Now I have to get those blockers. So just stay there and don't get up." The mech gets up and goes for the door.
"Wait." Deadlock knows he'll be back, but he has to get this off his chest. "How about I show you how nice I can be? Say over a nice dinner, my treat."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, once all of this is over. Just look for me and I'll take you somewhere fancy."
"Well..." sweet Primus he's considering it. "I don't really date my patients."
"Good thing once this is over I won't be."
"And I don't even know your name."
"Deadlock. The name is Deadlock."
The mech scans the door and stands for the sanitation system to clear him. He turns to walk away, and he almost leaves without an answer.
"Ratchet."
---
After all the noise that was the virus running around the base, Deadlock finally gets to leave his damn room. More importantly he gets to go on that date he promised to Ratchet.
Buffing his armor and waxing his face. He wants to be extra tempting tonight, because despite his plan to berth the mech. Deadlock didn't make that happen, so better to have insurance.
He makes his way towards a high end bar in the middle of Praxis. As one of the few cities still completely neutral, it allows him to spoil Ratchet. That and the owner still owes him from saving his business, so he gets unrestricted access to one of the private rooms.
"I must admit." Ratchet comes from the corner of the street, looking up and examining the building. Neon lights bounce off his frame. "This is a pretty swanky place." When he's satisfied with where they would go to, he turns around giving Deadlock a smile.
"Well if it isn't Ratchet?" Before either of them could say another one to each other another mech comes in. He isn't much to look at, and Deadlock certainly isn't threatened. However, he sees that his date is tense and that doesn't sit well with him. "I'm surprised you can afford to go to a place like this."
"I can't." Ratchet wraps himself in Deadlock's embrace as if he could physically block him. For his part the con deepens the hug, flaring his plating to imitate the newcomer. "My date here is the one treated me."
The mech gives a hard look, evaluating if Deadlock could actually afford it or not. "Somehow I don't believe you..." Okay, this asshole is going to-
"That doesn't matter." Ratchet tries to lead them to the building, but he doesn't let him. Deadlock isn't going to let that mech talk to Ratchet like that. "That's the truth."
There's a sinister smile that passes through that mech's face. "Oh yeah." Then he moves to enter the club. "Then maybe you can convince him to pay for my drinks too." He laughs away or he could. Until he reaches to the bouncer and looks back. "By the way Ratchet." He waits for his full undivided attention. "That's going to be another 100, since you clearly can afford it."
As the mech is allowed to go in, Ratchet just shuts down. Deadlock realise that when he guids him to the pent lounge and sits him down at the seat that hits the corner. "No..." Ratchet says in nothing but a whisper. "I was so close."
"Hey." He won't let that mech ruin this date or let him get one over Ratchet. "What was all that about?" Deadlock is firm, he needs Ratchet to know that through thick and thin he wants to be here.
"Nothing... it's nothing."
"Try again." He slams his hand on the table, scarring away the minicon that was assigned as their waiter. Ratchet is still passive, nothing like that sassy mech he was stuck with for five days. "C'mon Ratchet. I want to be able to help."
"Oilslick." He doesn't change much but having a name is something he can work with. "I don't know how much you know about how sponsors work." Ratchet shifts his position to put his hands on the table to rub them and soothe himself. Deadlock puts one hand to join him. "But when you join the academy, they pay for your tuition. They do that to encourage more bots to join in. However it gets quite expensive." Ratchet shifts his hold to put his hands in between his, and darn if it didn't feel good. "To mitigate the cost, they sell the debt to places that will hire mechs. So not too strange to see mechs get stuck in as servants to the places they work. Most of the times the intrest rates are outrageous to make sure talents stay in one place."
"And he bought yours."
Ratchet nods but still doesn't look at him. "He got me at a discount." Deadlock does his best to keep his rage in line. "It's hard to get work when you have a record for malpractice."
He supposes that Ratchet thinks that this would shock him, and when he found out it did. How could any engineers have a touch like his, but he figured that not being a doctor would get you flagged by the Senate. "So he lords that record over you?"
"Yeah... calls me a financial lost. So he charges what he thinks I should have been making for him." He's starting to cry. "I was finally so close to pay it off. Just one more job I would have had the money. I could have gotten out of there."
Deadlock can't stand this. He was never good at being comforting, but for Ratchet- "There, there." He forces him into his embrace, letting him hide his shame between his frame. "It's going to be okay. We'll find a way to get you out."
"Huh?" Ratchet looks up as if he misunderstood what he said.
"I know this is our first date, but I need you to know I'm going to help you through this. Even if this thing between us doesn't work out. I want you to know that I will get you out of this." Ratchet field is erratic, he's scared to trust him. "You saved my life." He moves to pet his head. "Let me pay it forward."
It's a tall ask. To hand over years of gear and worry. To take the thing his worked the hardest at and to let go. However, if Deadlock can do this, why shouldn't he. If getting Ratchet to a promise land for a small fee. Then yeah it would be worth it.
What he failed to think about is how much the travel to reach there would take.
