TFP Ratchet x Reader Oneshots

A lot of nerdy tech talk in this one. Idk if half of the stuff I have you doing makes sense... but lets just go with it :)

-----------------------

Y/n had spent most of the night replaying yesterday's events- how the Autobots had looked at her differently, how Ratchet hadn't immediately dismissed her. It was... strange. Unfamiliar.

So when Ratchet had asked her to come by the medbay, she wasn't sure what to expect.

Taking a steadying vent, she made her way over. The space was cluttered with various tools and datapads on the workstation, and a half-disassembled console that looked like it had been through one too many failed experiments. Ratchet was hunched over a device, muttering to himself, optics narrowed in deep thought.

He barely looked up as he gestured toward the console. "Ah, you're here. Good."

Y/n fidgeted slightly. "You... wanted my help?"

Ratchet exhaled heavily before standing straight. "I wouldn't say wanted, but given your previous display of skill, I suppose I'd be a fool not to use the resources available."

That was... as close to a compliment as she figured she'd get from him.

He gestured to the table "This is a prototype power stabilizer for the ground bridge. It's supposed to help regulate energy distribution, but every time I test it, the output is- " He threw his servos up in frustration. "-completely unstable!"

Y/n stepped forward, her (e/c) optics eyeing the device curiously. "Have you checked the modulation frequency?" she asked quietly. "If it's too high, it could be overloading the distribution pathways before it has time to stabilize."

Ratchet blinked. "...Yes, obviously," he grumbled, though there was a bit of intrigue to his tone. "But I've recalibrated it twice, and it's still unstable."

She reached for a nearby datapad, hesitating before asking, "May I?"

He studied her for a moment before nodding.

She carefully examined the blueprint, the gears already turning in her processor. It had been a long time since she had worked with technology in a way that wasn't for the Decepticons. 

"I think I know what's wrong," she said tentatively, picking up a tool with which she began making small adjustments, carefully explaining her thought process as she went. "If we reroute the excess energy through a secondary regulator," she murmured, "we could distribute the charge more evenly before it overloads."

Ratchet hummed, "You'd need a failsafe capacitor to prevent buildup."

"Exactly. If we install an automatic discharge relay-"

"-it would prevent energy spikes from destabilizing the system." His optics flickered with realization. "Hmph. Clever."

She smiled slightly, feeling a small sense of pride. "It's something Shockwave used in experimental weaponry. I always thought it could be used for something more practical."

Ratchet gave a thoughtful nod. "A waste of intelligence, if you ask me."

She faltered slightly, unsure how to respond to that, but continued making adjustments to the devise. Her optics looking between the schematics and the exposed circuitry, processor working through each step in real-time.

Ratchet observed her quietly, arms crossed, waiting to see if she would stumble. But instead, she muttered to herself, completely immersed in the task at hand.