Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dragonfly was sitting in Optimus' favorite meadow. Optimus was away from the base for a few days working with the human liaisons. Her processor recognized that the current environmental conditions that would be unfavorable to a human. It was hot and humid, disgustingly so when the heat was added in.

Whirrrr. Fitz. CRACK! Dragonfly jumped and then cringed as chunks of rocks flew into the air and pelted her armour. She turned around and glared at Ironhide. “What did the rock do to you?” she asked him, her glare melting into a slight smile.

“Ah sorry,” Ironhide said, sheepishly, “Ah get twitchy out here. Was the place you ‘n Orion first got hit by ‘Cons when ya were together.”

“Yes I know that, Ironhide,” Dragonfly said, “And that’s the only reason that I consented to you coming along with me. Is there any chance you can subspace your cannons for now until we get back to base? Just sit back and enjoy nature, think of it as a chance to hone your intelligence-gathering skills.”

“Tha’s Jazz’ job,” Ironhide complained.

Dragonfly vented a sigh, “It’s also your job to protect Optimus, isn’t it?”

Ironhide stiffened and stood up straight at this statement, “A’course it’s mah job tah protect Optimus.”

“And you need to watch for sneaky Cons who would try to take him by surprise. What better way to continue improving your skills by watching nature? It’s so much smaller than a Decepticon,” Dragonfly said, “If you can catch sight of a mouse scurrying across the field, then no Con will get past you.”

Ironhide vented a sigh and sat himself down on the largest rock he could find with a thud, “Ah right, Dragonfly.”

Dragonfly laid back in the grass, offlining her optics and allowing herself to go into a light state of recharge, keeping her sensors active for signs of Cybertronian lifesigns other than Ironhide.

Fitz! Crack! Boom! Dragonfly’s optics snapped online and she turned to look at Ironhide, “Another evil rock?” she asked him, then she noticed the clouds in the sky and how dark it had become despite being mid-afternoon. “Hmmm...”

“Thunderstorm...” both Dragonfly and Ironhide said at the same time. Ironhide’s voice was decidedly wary.

Dragonfly sat up, a grin slipping onto her faceplates. “Nice, I was hoping to catch a thunderstorm under these conditions.”

“You an’ Orion both. Ah don’t get it mah self. The rain gets in mah seams. Ah’d just rather be at the base with mah weapons,” Ironhide said, shaking his helm.

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say that you’re scared of a little storm,” Dragonfly said, turning her helm to grin at her friend.

“An’ if yah weren’t Orion’s friend, ah’d hafta shoot yah fer that comment,” Ironhide grinned back at her. His grin turned into a scowl as the rain started to fall, pinging off his armour and causing small tufts of steam to float lazily upwards from where the rain was making contact with his heated armour. He walked back to the treeline where it afforded him some measure of protection from the rain.
Dragonfly watched Ironhide, smiling and shaking her helm. Then she turned to the grey skies and bent her helm back slightly, letting the rain wash over her faceplates.

Crack - lightning arced across the sky, briefly illuminating it. “One thousand, two thousand, three thousand....” Dragonfly counted, even though she could have used her internal chronometer, it was better this way. BOOM!

::Dragonfly, ah think we should head back tah base before it gets too close,:: Ironhide said, over a private comm channel.

::We do have rubber wheels to ground us, Ironhide,:: Dragonfly replied, but she pushed herself to her pedes anyhow. Venting a sigh softly, Dragonfly felt the empty bond to her mate, ::Orion, I wish you were here to enjoy this with me,:: she said into it, not expecting a reply.

Seeing her rise to her pedes, Ironhide left the cover of the treeline, frowning as the rain hit him full force. “Let’s go then, Dragonfly,” he said, touching her elbow, then he transformed himself into his alt-mode.

Dragonfly looked one last time at the sight of the storm over the meadow, then transformed as well. ::You need any help drying off when we get back, Hide?:: she asked her friend.

::Nah, ah’ll be fine, Dragonfly,:: Ironhide said, ::After I shake out the water from me.::

::Well be thankful that the meadow isn’t too far away from the base,:: Dragonfly said, chuckling over the comm as she followed Ironhide back to the base.

As the pair was about to drive back into the base, the rain eased up into a light misting shower. Dragonfly stopped short of the base, turning around as she transformed. “How can you not enjoy this, Ironhide?” she asked.

Ironhide had driven into the base where it was dry, transformed and vented a sigh as water spilled out of his truck bed and through his frame. “That’s why....” he said, as the water pooled around his pedes, “And there is no water on Cybertron. Water an’ electronics don’t mix too well.”

Dragonfly turned to look at her friend and bit back a smile at the sight of her friend. She pulled a towel from where it hung near the entrance to the base and walked to him with it. “I’m sorry you had to spend an afternoon in the big bad rain,” she teased him, as she dried off his back. She tossed the towel over his helm and stepped away from him, smiling.

“Alright, take care, ‘Hide,” Dragonfly said, patting his shoulder, “I’m heading back to my quarters to recharge or stare at the ceiling tiles,” she said with a smile.

Ironhide, who had now pulled the towel off of his head and was using it to dry the rest of himself off, looked at her. “He’s only gone a cycle or two, Dragonfly.”

“I know, Ironhide,” Dragonfly said. “It’s just a joke we share between us.” She smiled at him and then walked off down to Optimus’ office to let herself walk through it and into their shared quarters. She vented a sigh, softly as she paused at his desk before turning to the keypad to enter the code to gain access to their quarters.

Dragonfly punched in the code to their quarters and slipped inside as the door opened for her. She crossed the floor over to the berth and stood there looking at it for a nanoclick before sitting herself down on it. Normally the berth didn’t feel so odd as it did right now to her. The berth was sized for Optimus’ considerably larger frame, not her own smaller type.

Sensing that the bond was still inactive, Dragonfly moved to lay down on the berth. She rolled onto her side, taking up her usual position for cuddling with Optimus. She was right on the edge of falling into recharge when she felt the bond with Optimus re-open, he was on the edges, but there.

::Good night, Dragonfly,:: Optimus said.

::Did you... drive all the way from the human base to say good night?:: she asked him.

::Yes,:: he replied. ::It has been a long day here.::

::You crazy, big mech. I love you, Orion. You missed Ironhide getting soaked in a storm today, though.:: Dragonfly said, grinning. ::As usual, he tried to stay out of the rain, but ended up with the water flowing from his truck bed through his frame when he transformed.::

::Poor Hide, I am sorry I missed that,:: Optimus said. ::I love you, Dragonfly.::

::Be safe, my love. I’ll see you tomorrow?:: Dragonfly asked, but she felt that the bond had already been broken again by distance. He must have turned around to go back to the humans’ base. She fell into recharge shortly afterwards, able to sleep after hearing from Optimus.

Chapter Text

Ratchet sat in his office optics closed as he listened to the radio. He had been thinking about doing this for some time now and there was finally a lull in patients at the medbay where he figured he could do it. Hearing the weather, he got up and headed for one of the exits. ::Hide, meet me outside,:: he said as he stepped out into the rain, enjoying the ping sound it made on his armor and the feel of it.

Ironhide heard the comm and frowned a little as he walked to the base entrance. He looked at the clouds and the rain bouncing off the ground and his friend. “We do have washracks if yer lookin to get clean,” he said. ::An’ ah’d be more’n willin’ tah clean ya’off.::

“Yes but this is nice,” Ratchet said looking at Ironhide. ::Come join me, Hide.::

Ironhide stepped out into the rain, walking towards Ratchet. The medic walked over kissing Ironhide. ::Not so bad now is it?:: he asked as Ironhide wrapped his arms around the medic, one hand slipping up his back, the other resting on his aft. Ironhide's engine gave a rev as he eagerly returned the kiss. Ratchet moaned into the kiss, wiggling his aft.

Ironhide suddenly had an idea pop into his processor. He broke the kiss with Ratchet, ::Prime, would it be okay tah take Ratchet up to yer lil meadow? Ya got First Aid in medbay....:: he asked via private comm.

::Yes, it would be alright,:: Optimus said.

“Think ya can still transform?” Ironhide playfully teased his good friend.

“Yes,” Ratchet said transforming into his alt mode.

Ironhide smiled and ran his hand over his friend’s frame as he moved aside to give himself space to transform. ::Follow me, I want to show you someplace special,:: he said, driving towards the meadow. Ratchet followed Ironhide down the highway.

Ironhide turned off the highway and onto an infrequently used logging road. His shocks and struts easily absorbed the bumps on the road. Ratchet followed Ironhide for a while on the logging road but stopped and transformed.

Ironhide stopped, sensing Ratchet; he transformed as well to his normal mode and turned to Ratchet. “Yah okay?” he asked.

“No, it was getting a bit rough driving here,” Ratchet said carefully picking his way over to Ironhide, who held his arm out for the medic.

“Here, take mah arm,” Ironhide offered with a lopsided grin. Ratchet took Ironhide’s arm and Ironhide led the medic up the rest of the road to the meadow. He had been here enough times that he knew what the meadow looked like; he was far more interested in seeing Ratchet’s face as the mech didn’t get out enough.

With Ironhide’s hand Ratchet avoided some of the rougher parts of the road.

“Here,” Ironhide said, helping Ratchet over the log that separated the logging road from the grass. “It’s all soft ‘n grassy on this side.” He looked down at his pede, “An’ mebbe a bit muddy.”

“At least it is not so rough,” Ratchet said stepping down.

“This is Prime’s favorite spot, ‘specially up against that rock there. He’s made ‘imself an indent in the grass and dirt,” Ironhide chuckled.

“So this is where he runs off to,” Ratchet said walking and looking around.

Ironhide sat down on the rock that Optimus would usually rest his back against, watching his friend. He took a look up at the sky, frowning as the rain continued to pelt down on his faceplates.

Ratchet smiled looking over at Ironhide, thinking how nice yet sad he looked all wet.

“Usually I just come up here to protect him when he’s in those moods,” Ironhide said. “Thought ya might like this place too.”

“Yes it is nice,” Ratchet said moving towards Ironhide. The weapon’s specialist reached up, looping his arms around Ratchet’s waist, and pulled the medic into his lap. Ratchet sat crosswise in Ironhide’s lap and kissed him, wrapping his arms around Hide’s neck.

The rain pelting down on Ironhide’s chassis, turned to evaporation and trails of steam floated up between the two bots.

Ironhide moved his large hand up the back of Ratchet’s helm, gently pressing the medic deeper into the kiss. The tips of his fingers grazed the back of the chevron and he closed his optics, moaning softly into the kiss.

Ratchet groaned into the kiss at Ironhide’s touch on his chevron. Ironhide grinned at the response he got and he stroked the back of the chevron again, this time with a little more pressure.

::When you said take me, you really meant face me did you?:: Ratchet said at the touch on his chevron.

::Not out here,:: Ironhide said, ::Too risky. Not about to set double standards if ah ain’t gonna let Prime an’ Dragonfly do that here.::

::Ah makes sense,:: Ratchet said. ::Perhaps when we wash the mud off.::

Ironhide broke the kiss with a chuckle. He grinned at Ratchet for a moment before he reached down and scooped up a ball of mud, and smeared it on Ratchet’s chestplates.

“Two can play that game,” Ratchet said grinning. He picked up his own ball of mud smearing it on Ironhide’s shoulders.

“Oh no, my finish. Whatever shall I do?” Ironhide said, making fun of Sunstreaker who hating getting dirty. He reached over and pushed Ratchet into the mud, so the medic was face down in it.

::Very nice move,:: Ratchet said pushing himself back up.

Ironhide scooped up Ratchet and set him down on his pedes. “Ahm sorry. Ahm just used tah fightin’ dirty with Prime,” he said. “Sometimes ah guess, liter’lly too.”

“Thank you,” Ratchet said. “I suppose we should head back now and clean off.” Smearing some mud on hide’s chest as he kissed him.

::Ah s’pose,:: Ironhide said, lingering a few moments longer in the kiss. He reached down to tangle his hand up in Ratchet’s hand.

Ratchet broke the kiss letting Hide lead the way back to the logging road.

Ironhide led the way to the logging road. He remembered that this was a little too rough for Ratchet’s alt-mode, and picked up the medic. He transformed to his alt-mode as Ratchet landed a little awkwardly in his cab bed.

“You could have at least told me you were going to do that,” Ratchet said, as Ironhide started to drive down the road. Ratchet finally just relaxed and tried to enjoy the ride.

With a final lurch, Ironhide pulled to a stop at the edge of the highway. ::Wanna drive from here? Or ya enjoying the ride?:: he asked, smiling inwardly.

::I think perhaps, I’ll drive, as nice as this is,:: Ratchet said climbing out of Hide and then transformed.