Without a Word-a TFP Ratchet Guardian Fanfic (Completed)

Chapter 7

I felt someone watching me. It wasn't Jack or Raf; I could see them in my peripheral vision playing a video game. It wasn't Miko, either, she was watching them. That just left Ratchet, but when I looked up, he was always facing away from me.

I ducked my head back into my notebook again, flipping a few pages to pretend to look preoccupied. After a few minutes I lifted my head sharply in time to see a surprised Ratchet staring at me. I flipped a page of my notebook and found the question I was looking for and showed it to him.

What do you want?

Ratchet took a minute to reply.

"Nothing. I don't want anything."

Ratchet's reply caused the others to stop what they were doing to watch the two of us. I got up from the couch I was sitting on and walked along the catwalk until I was next to Ratchet's work area as I was writing another question down.

Why do you keep staring at me?

Ratchet stared at the question for a second before replying.

"Because I still can't get over the fact you..." he trailed off, before turning back to his computer and continued working.

"Never mind."

I watched him for a second. His optics, as I had learned to call them, were focused straight on the monitor as his servos flew wildly on the keyboard, rapid typing sounds echoing across the room, eventually drowned out by the others' video game. I stared at the text on Ratchet's screen, taking a guess that it was Cybertronian. I had no idea what he was working on, but it was fascinating, sort of.

"Hey, Cassidy! You wanna try beating the undefeated racing champion?" Miko asked, gesturing to Raf. I walked back over to the others, but I shook my head as I showed Raf a question.

Can you do me a favor?

"Sure?" Raf replied cautiously as he pushed up his glasses with a finger.

Is there a way you could get Ratchet's number? He has a number, right?

I erased my answer immediately after Raf read it.

"Yeah. They're called comlink codes. Bumblebee gave me his on the first few days he became my guardian. He hasn't given you his yet?"

I shook my head and held up two fingers, trying to tell him he'd only been my guardian for two days.

"Arcee wouldn't give me hers for a week and a half. Give it time," Jack said with a small smile. I blew a stray strand of hair off my face in agitation as I wrote again.

If Arcee didn't give you hers for nearly two weeks, I can only imagine Ratchet won't give me his for a month. Maybe more.

"Then stay on his good side," Jack suggested.

It'd be easier to just get it, but right now staying on his good side sounds like a good idea.

The conversation ended at that, and I sat back down on the couch, before Ratchet's computer beeped, and Arcee's voice filled the room.

"Ratchet, do you read?"

The others and I looked in Ratchet's direction as he replied.

"Arcee, what is it?"

"We need backup. Since Megatron found a dark energon mine, a few hundred eradicons are here, along with Megatron himself. They're overpowering us."

"On my way," Ratchet said briskly, ending the transmission. He didn't look at us as he walked over to the GroundBridge.

"Rafael, man the GroundBridge. Jack, Charge, keep an eye on Miko," Ratchet ordered as he pulled the lever down and a swirling portal that opened filled the room with a greenish hue.