StarStrukk left me to the Cybertronian tech that sat in front of me. I was relieved when she did, I couldn't stand talking about Summer, especially when she didn't even recognize me. The stasis pod had stopped her from aging, and I knew I looked different than I did when we knew each other. I did my best to hide my emotions from StarStrukk, she didn't need to know how I really felt, how much it hurt to see the one person that I cared about so much, to see her look at me and not even know who I was.
After StarStrukk left, she didn't even bother telling me where she was going, and I didn't really care. It was her business, she knew where to find me if she needed something. I kept my attention on Optimus and the others, checking on their progress once in a while. They were getting a Decepticon mine secured, so we could at least scavenge some energon. With the extra help, things were coming along quickly, and in no time I opened the groundbridge for them to carry some of the energon they managed to get their hands on into the lab I was in, where there were a few storages for the energon. I helped out a bit, but was more on groundbridge duty, Summer never came in through the groundbridge, but rather stayed on the other side to prepare more energon for departure. When I believed we had enough, even with the extra Optimus insisted we get, I had him order everyone back. Summer was last through, her optics still blazing with the fading adrenaline of the fight. I kept my view away from her direction, only planning on looking at her if she addressed me personally.
"Ratchet, I believe you still have yet to finish Summer's physical performance test." My spark dropped to my toes upon hearing his words. I sighed, doing my best to act annoyed.
"Right. Come on," I said to her, waving for Summer to follow me. "Don't touch anything, or break anything. I need it." She followed me to the room across from the laboratory, making sure to keep all of her appendages to herself. I had her sit on the berth, running a few tests that would take awhile first, so she was annoyed faster. By the time the tests were done, I was checking over her armour, testing its efficiency.
"Lift." I commanded, tapping her foot. She didn't move, and I looked up at her from my kneeling position, finding that she was staring off at the wall behind me.
"Summer." She jerked when I said her name, looking down at me and quickly lifting her leg slightly.
"Sorry, I was- lost in thought. Just thinking of someone." I hmmed, like I was interested, and I was, I was curious.
"And who would that be? If you don't mind telling." She sighed, turning her attention again to the wall behind me, just staring.
"His name was Ratchet, he was a medic too. Huh, what a coincidence, right? Poor lug probably got himself killed with that smart mouth of his." My self control was the only thing keeping me from throwing myself on her, but with every word that came out of her mouth, my spark ached with a horrible pain, like I'd been stabbed with an alien object. Time seemed to stop then, and I was sucked back into the past.
"Ratchet, come on," Summer said as she tugged at my arm, her sky blue optics sparkling with delight. "Isn't it amazing?" She asked me, twirling and holding her arms out, opening her home to me for the first time since she'd talked to Primus.
"They really hooked you up, didn't they?" Her entire being beamed with pride, shining so bright it seemed to come right from her spark.
"Yeah, isn't this cool? This is what it's like to live big, never thought I'd be here. Both of us." My confidence began to drain then, her soft, welcoming voice really got to me.
"Uh, yeah. Both of. . . us."
"So you wanna hear all that stuff about Primus, huh?" She made me sit, then flopped herself down next to me.
"Well, it's not really my choice, that's your secret, not mine." She leaned close to me to whisper something. I had memorized every feature of her, every single piece of armour, every little scratch, every line that made her the way she was.
"Well, between you and me, Primus said I could share with someone that I could trust with my life. I want to tell you, if you wanna hear." My spark melted, but I didn't break contact with her, she was so close. If I could just get a little closer. . .
The doors boomed open suddenly and the two of us stood simultaneously, surprised. Alpha Trion stood in the entranceway, Summer stuttered something that I couldn't catch over his voice.
"Summer, you're late for training."
"Oh, uh, okay. I'll be right there." He didn't move, either ignoring her hint or never catching it. She glanced at me, and I could see the excitement fade into a replaced nervousness. "Ratchet, go explore. Just don't go in the basement, I'll get in trouble if you go down there. If you wanna go home, I understand-"
"Summer, you're late enough as it is. You'll see him again." She gave me a last look of apology before rushing over to her mentor. They both disappeared behind the huge doors. It was never like Summer to run from her responsibilities, maybe she was scared, maybe. . . she just wanted to spend time with me?
"Let's not get jumping to conclusions." I said to myself, trying to persuade myself that I could never be the reason for her forgetfulness.
"Ratchet. . .?" I recognized that tone. She was scared, she was concerned for my safety, for my wellbeing. I blinked several times, trying to clear the memory out of my optics. It hurt to think about that, especially that particular time, when my feelings toward her had just begun.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me." I didn't dare look up at her, afraid I'd burst into random tears. The longing. . .
"No. Ratchet." She said firmly. Out of the corner of my optics, I could see her head turn slightly.
"What?!?" I demanded, glaring up at her now, no longer caring if she saw how upset I was. My optics were sucked into hers, which had filled with lubricant, spilling over her cheeks, and blazing trails down the sides of her jaws.
"My best friend. . . Ratchet. I thought you were dead. You couldn't of. . .? Just one contact from you?" Summer didn't bother in finishing her sentence, she threw herself on me, it was unexpected, I almost shoved her off of me in disgust. I tightened immediately, not used to the physical touch, until her scent hit me. It was the same as it'd always been, hers. There was no way of describing it, the only explaining I could do was that it gave me chills despite her warm arms wrapped around me. I instantly relaxed, returning the favor to her by wrapping my own arms around her waist. She climbed into my lap, burying her face into my neck, and began to sob. Horrible, spark wrenching, sobs that made me feel light headed. She talked randomly, some of it was comprehendible, but most was not.
"I thought I'd never see you again." She said through hiccups.
"I'm here now." Was all I said, but those three words made her cry even harder, holding me tighter through her stress and anguish.
"No. . . no, no. Don't talk, it hurts." I had no idea what she meant, but I didn't say anymore than I already had, in fear of actually hurting her. She stayed in my lap for nearly fifteen minutes, showing no signs of slowing her tears. I could hear footsteps echo behind me then, and I grew a little concerned of our privacy. It was Optimus, he stopped at the door, and didn't move. He had never been told about this part of my history, he had really no idea about it.
"Ratchet. . ?" Was all he said, I didn't say anything in return, and when he finally realized that I was in no mood to talk, he left quickly. After a few seconds Summer sat up, just looking at me. I stared into her tear stained optics, wondering where all the crying had gone and most of all: where it came from. I had never seen Summer cry before, she got upset at times, but she never cried. Hearing her being so upset, it actually seemed to physically hurt me.
"I can't believe I didn't recognize you." She reached up with her right arm as if to touch me, but pulled away reluctantly.
"Primus..." She said softly to herself, pressing a hand gently to her own cheek. "I can only imagine what I look like." Her words surprised me, she didn't know that she looked the way she had always been.
"You haven't seen yourself?" I asked her as I pulled her out of my lap, standing and approaching a glass cabinet door that reflected our images. She wandered up behind me, giving a little gasp and hiding behind me when she saw her reflection in the glass.
"By the All Spark, I look-"
"Like you haven't aged a day." She held my arm, standing on the tips of her toes to see over my shoulder. I turned to face her, bracing myself for what I wasn't prepared to say.
"We must look weird together," she said, letting out a small laugh and looking up at me. 'Together' a tiny smile turned her lips up into the face that I knew so well. Every fiber of my body was against saying anything that would provoke something but I had to say something.
"I don't care," I started. She blinked, her optics filling with confusion. "I don't care if we look weird together, just as long as we're together." I immediately cringed, expecting the phrase to sound as good as it was out loud like it was in my head.
"That was so old school. I can't believe you said that." She smiled now, a huge smile that told me she wasn't turning me down. I curled my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me, in need of her physical touch. She didn't shrug me off, she didn't shift uncomfortably, nope, none of that. Her arms lifted from her sides, suddenly tightening around my neck. She was so much closer now, her optics seemed to suck out my spark as I gazed into the endless blue waves. I felt her move and she got closer yet, telling me that she had shifted to her tip toes. It was just like in stories, our kiss was. Storybook worthy at least, it felt that way. It was just one single kiss, not some dramatic make out session with the whole- well, you know what I mean. I felt her smile a little and we both pulled away, staring at each other. Her sky-blue optics sparkled with absolute delight and a small blush had appeared on her cheek plates. Her hands slipped down my arms, covering my hands. I let go of her hips, letting my fingers intertwine with hers, and damn it all, it felt good to be this close to her for the first time.
We must have been standing there, just staring at each other for awhile because StarStrukk appeared back in the doorway, not even bothering to give us privacy at all.
"Ratchet, Optimus wants you. He's wondering what's taking forever." She left the way she came, and I didn't question her. I let my fingers slip out of Summer's hands and I walked out of my room, her hands wrapping around my arm as she followed me in the direction StarStrukk was going. The Predacon stopped in front of Optimus's room, and Optimus stood in the middle of his own room, looking a little irritated if you asked me. I felt Summer let go of my arm and I looked at her, it was like I could read her mind. She knew Optimus wasn't going to deal with anyone other than me at the moment, and I didn't feel like ditching her so soon. But her look told me that if I wanted to find her, I knew where she would be. She turned and left silently, not a word was said, and yet we knew exactly what our silent conversation about. I stepped into Optimus's room, preparing for the worst.