Fanfic100-ish: Prompt Friends

Friends

“They haven’t acted like this in a long time.”  Ironhide commented, drawing Ratchet’s concentration away from his knee joint.  Both mechs were currently seated in make-shift “chairs” with Ironhide’s leg held up in Ratchet’s lap as he worked.  The black mech flinched as the welder came close to sensitive wires. 

“Hold still.” the medic groused.  He finished his current task of repairing a minor stress fracture in Ironhide’s knee before acknowledging what had been said.

“Who’s been acting like what?” Ratchet asked, placing the welder on the table. 

He took a quick glance around the room, finding it empty except for them.  Ironhide simply gave him a dark chuckle and a shake of the head.  Next thing the medic knew, he was hit from two different directions by strange projectiles, making him nearly jump from his seat.  The sounds of two others laughing and running in separate directions told him everything he needed to know about the perpetrators.  With a resigned sigh, he bent and picked up one of the objects that had struck him.  It was of foam construction, yellow and blue in color, somewhat shaped in the form of a human arrow.  The only marking on it simply said “NERF”.  There was another chuckle emanating from Ironhide.  Ratchet gave him a scowl and tossed the little foam arrow at him, striking the weapons specialist in the head light. 

“This is why they should be outside.” Ratchet fussed non-heatedly.

“Yes, but you said that Jazz couldn’t leave the warehouse until you gave him the clear.  Besides, it’s pouring outside.  Water and fresh repairs-”

“I know, I know.  Rust.” Ratchet said, cutting him off.  “I just don’t get those two sometimes.”

“We didn’t get them then and so we won’t get them now.  It’s just good to see this kind of behavior for once.”

Ratchet didn’t have to ask when “then” was.  He remembered a time, before the Battle at Tyger Pax, when both Bumblebee and Jazz were fairly fresh recruits.  Neither had known the other before coming to this unit but the moment they met, chaos ensued.  Well, Ratchet considered it chaos.  Ironhide found it funny because it got on Ratchet’s nerves.

There was a flash of white and yellow that streaked through the warehouse.  A few moments later, there they were again, ‘Bee catching a ride on Jazz’s back as Jazz ran back to the direction they came from. 

Ratchet remembered seeing them do that once before.  He and Ironhide had simply been outside, enjoying the calm that was Cybertron before the fighting really kicked off.  They’d heard a ruckus below and leaned over to see what the noise was about.  What they saw startled both of them.  There were two mechs, both looked extremely young, and they were fighting.  Well, it had -appeared- that they’d been fighting.  Another look revealed it to be nothing more than sparkling play, though both looked well old enough to no longer be considered sparklings.  One would jump on the others back and get gently dumped off onto the ground.  The other then straddled the first and seemed to shock him in the side, eliciting a high pitched laughter from his captive.  Then they’d be off again, tumbling around on the metal floors in an impromptu wrestling match. 

“Hey!  If I see either one of you in my bay for repairs from this, I’m welding both of you to the floor!” Ratchet threatened from above as the pair rolled into the balcony barrier. 

Both mechs below looked up at the sound of his voice before dissolving into laughter and running back inside.  Ratchet leaned back away from the rail, shaking his head.

“They’re going to drive me insane, I just know it.” Ratchet groused, non-heatedly. 

“Oh, come on, Ratchet.  I’m sure they’ll be fine.”  Ironhide had replied.

They had been, for a while.  But Jazz and Bumblebee, as they would become known, had a knack for landing themselves in Ratchet’s repair bay, much to the medics chagrin.  Sometimes it was for a battle injury, others it was due to recklessness.  Never once had it been because they’d been playing.  In fact, he hadn’t seen them ‘cut loose’ since.  After the fighting started, both seemed to mature rather quickly.  So quickly in fact, that it seemed like no time at all where Jazz was promoted to First Lt.  Not long after, the Allspark had been launched away from Cybertron and Bumblbee’s voice had been irrevocably damaged in Tyger Pax. 

Ironhide had told him once that he now feared for the two friends, worried that they may die far too young.  It had already seemed like the life had fled them.  The carnage left behind from the battle in Mission City only made that thought much more realistic.  One had died too young.

But now, Jazz was alive and Bee’s voice had started to return to normal.  With these changes, it seemed, the youth was put back into them.  It seemed that they were now allowed to act the part that they were denied before.  And, as another projectile lodged itself in his frame - a paper airplane that held a remarkable resemblance to Starscream - he knew they were destined to drive him over a cliff.  Preferably at high speeds.  Ironhide simply chuckled as Ratchet placed his repaired leg on the ground, having long since finished working on it.  As Ratchet stood and began stalking towards the two younger bots, Ironhide grasped him by the elbow. 

“Don’t hurt’em too badly, Ratchet.  You’ll have to fix them then.”

Ratchet smiled, “Oh, don’t worry ‘Hide.  They’ll be fine.” he said, walking casually across the room. 

“Besides,” he began, stopping in the middle of the room with his arms crossed over his chest, “I was thinking of giving them upgrades.  To weed eaters.”

The sounds of running feet heading away from the medics general vicinity, followed by hushed whispers, eventually faded off into the furthest rooms in the warehouse.  Ratchet gave Ironhide a smirk as the weapons specialist started laughing.

“You wouldn’t hurt them and you know it.”

“Yes, but they don’t.” was Ratchet’s reply. 

He did have to admit, it was good to have them, misbehaving or not.  Things just wouldn’t seem normal without it.