Archive of Our Own ^beta

The Lost Light had landed on a planet in order to refuel and restock their inventory. The planet the crew were on was filled both with organics and Cybertronians, including some Cybertronian wildlife that had made their home here, lightyears away from their home planet.

A small, deer like creature walked carefully through the organic woods, stopping at a small creek. Drift's movements were so quiet, that the deer's keen ears couldn't pick up on his footsteps.

Drift settled into a bush, watching the deer carefully.

Three.

Two.

One.

Drift quickly leaped out of the bush, and ambushed, the deer not having any time to react to the attack.

His sword sunk into the metal of the neck, energon starting to leak out. He brought the deer closer, licking the spilled energon. He removed the sword, keeping his grip on the deer. Drift opened his mouth, and sunk his fangs in the neck, drinking the energon.

Drift could consume the normal rations on the Lost Light, yes, but it couldn't sustain him. He took these small trips as a way to refuel, and he made the most of it.

He had already made his way through 2 other creatures, filling his tanks up with energon. He had planned to take one more, and then head back, acting as if nothing had happened.

*

Through the mess of mechs all clamoring to get off the ship, Ratchet had managed to lose Drift in the crowd.

For once, he had actually planned to do something on the planet they landed on, but he would actually have to find the damn mech first.

He had attempted to comm Drift, but for some reason, it wasn't going through. As if he had no service. As if he was away from the town.

As if he was in the woods nearby.

God, Drift liked to make things more difficult for Ratchet.

Ratchet carefully padded his way through the woods, looking out for any organic creatures that might've been caught under his pedes.

Eventually, he came to a grim sight.

An originally Cybertronian creature dead.

He took a closer look at it. Two bite marks in it's neck, and a slash in it's torso. L Judging from the corpse, it had died from energon loss, and recently.

Very recently.

Ratchet shuddered at what could've been wandering in the woods, and feared if Drift came into contact with it.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be bigger than Drift, and would leave him alone.

*

Brushing away at foliage, Ratchet caught the sight of his mech, hidden within the bushes.

"Good god, Drift, what are you doing here, getting weird nature spiritual shit-"

Ratchet stopped at he got the full sight. A dead Cybertronian deer, a stab wound, Drift's sword covered with the deer's energon. Drift's face turned, his mouth covered with the same energon.

Ratchet's breath hitched as he realized. Drift had killed that poor deer. In fact, he most likely killed that other Cybertronian creature.

"Drift...?"

Drift was in a hunting trance before realizing that his partner had found him in his feeding.

He quickly wiped the energon from his mouth, and placed his sword back to where it rested along his hip.

"Ratchet! It...uh...doesn't look like-"

"Were you...drinking it's....energon?"

Drift fell silent, looking away from Ratchet.

Carefully, Ratchet ventured further to Drift, trying to ignore the corpse beside them both.

"I...can't...."

"Survive off of rationed energon."

Drift looked up at Ratchet, finding his hand placed on the speedster's shoulder.

He slowly nodded as he grabbed onto Ratchet's free hand.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

Ratchet's optics were filled with sincerit as Drift leaned his forehead against Ratchet's.

"Please don't tell anyone."

Ratchet's hand came off of Drift's shoulder, and came to cup his face.

"Just don't kill anyone on the ship, and we're good."

Drift let out a shaky breath and shuddered his optics, placing his other hand onto Ratchet's, leaning into the touch.

"I would never. There's a reason I'm out here."

Ratchet let out a small chuckle as he leaned both of their foreheads together.

"Don't kill me."

It was now Drift's turn to chuckle. "Not in my wildest dreams."

****

Drift needed energon.

It had been a long ride, and it was still a ways away from the Lost Light. Drift had insisted he was okay, that Ratchet didn't need to worry about him.

But it felt like he was going to offline from hunger at any time now.

He curled further into the chair, trying to ignore the pain. He was so tired, yet he couldn't recharge. Drift had left the small berth, not wanting to bother Ratchet with his pains.

To his knowledge, Ratchet hadn't picked up on his low energon levels or pain.

It was something he picked up from the Dead End, hiding pain from others, covering it up with drugs and other substances.

But he had quit long ago, and now it was up to his own ability to cover up his pain.

Suddenly, he felt another field against his own, and looked up from his curl.

"Ratchet?" His voice was quiet, too exhausted to managed anything else.

"Drift, are you okay?"

Drift's breath was shaky as he buried his face into his knees.

He felt one of his ports open, unable to do anything as Ratchet plugged one of his cables in.

"Primus, Drift, your energon levels are low, how are you not dead yet?" His voice was now laced with panic.

Drift didn't respond, just letting out a low hum to let the other know he had heard him.

Ratchet unplugged his cable, and lowered himself to Drift, and moved the speedster's head carefully.

Drift's optics were empty and emotionless, only showing pain. Ratchet turned his head, showing his neck.

"Ratchet...?"

"Take my energon. You need it."

Drift's head started shaking. Ratchet was his conjunx, he couldn't take his energon.

While in exile, he had taken the energon of the rogue Decepticons he killed, but with Ratchet....he couldn't.

"Drift, please."

Drift continued to do nothing.

"You won't kill me. I know you won't. Please."

Ratchet placed his head to Drift's.

"I came all this way to find you. I'm not losing you."

Finally, Drift nodded, and Ratchet pulled back, showing his neck again. Drift moved closer and closer, and eventually, sunk his fangs into Ratchet.

Energon immediately hit his glossa, a sweet sensation, and he began drinking quickly, filling his tanks.

Almost everything in Drift was telling him to drain Ratchet of everything, but he didn't want to. Ratchet was his conjunx, it felt wrong.

He just needed enough to tell his tanks that he had energon, that they could stop bothering him.

Drift soon unstuck his fangs, leaving a bite mark on Ratchet's neck.

Ratchet turned back to Drift, relief filling Drift more than energon could, just knowing he hadn't accidentally killed his lover.

"Are you okay, Ratty?"

Ratchet sighed. "Ya...just....ya."

Drift turned and went to where they stored their rations, and quickly returned with one for Ratchet, helping him restore his energy.

Both ended up sitting on the ship's floor, leaning against each other, Drift's arm wrapping around Ratchet.

"Thank you, Ratchet."

"Anything for you." Ratchet mumbled tiredly, and Drift placed a kiss onto his helm and felt Ratchet fall into recharge, against Drift as they continued floating through space.