Work Text:
“Ambs, when are you coming to bed?” Trailbreaker’s voice cut through the suffocating silence of Ambulon’s office.
Said mech had been hunched over his desk, still deeply engrossed in his paperwork hours after his shift had ended. He didn’t look up, didn’t look over at Trailbreaker, who’d been hovering at the door for a few minutes before he spoke.
Ambulon did this often, staying put in the medibay long after he was meant to clock out, frequently well into First aid’s nightshift; which was exactly what he’d been doing up until that moment. Trailbreaker hated it. He hated seeing his partner working himself ragged. He hated not being able to help even more.
“Give me a bit longer; I’ll be done soon,” the medic pulled another datapad off a stack. Trailbreaker sighed.
“Come on Ambs, don’t you think its a bit late?” the van had made his way over, standing behind a still-seated Ambulon. He placed a servo on the mechs shoulder, rubbing a small circle with his thumb- he could feel how stiff the medics joints were under his thick plating.
Subconsciously, Ambulon leaned back against Trailbreaker’s palm. “You know I need to finish this…” he trailed off, clearly distracted by his partners presence, even as he pretended he wasn’t.
No, you don’t Trailbreaker wanted to argue. Ratchet would understand- the CMO never forced work onto the other doctors, Ambulon simply took it upon himself. Trailbreaker knew all too well why the medic did it, even if Ambulon would never admit it. The poor mech had some bloated sense of guilt, like he was responsible for making up for every little transgression he made all those decades ago, when he was still a decepticon.
Trailbreaker insisted no one held it against him. Ambulon would nod, but he didn’t agree.
The van sighed again. He dragged the servo on Ambulon’s shoulder over, cupping the back of the medics neck. Continuing his earlier idle fidgeting, rubbing circles on Ambulon’s spinal strut now, Trailbreaker could feel how stiff his neck cabling was- strained from the medics poor posture. He pushed down a little firmer, trying to sooth the ache he knew was there.
Ambulon’s servos stalled. His backstrut stiffened, before he melted slightly. It took Trailbreaker a moment to realise- and then he smiled. If Ambulon wasn’t going to relax on his own, Trailbreaker had no qualms with helping him.
Bringing his other servo up, he brought it over to Ambulon's other shoulder. He rubbed it, warming it, before dipping a thumb in the joint that joined it to the medics back. It too was rigid with tension, and he fought against it, intent on smoothing the cables there.
By now, Ambulon had seemingly forgotten his work entirely. The datapads in front of him lay abandoned, his attention pulled down to his partners gentle ministrations.
“Trail-”
“Shush, just relax,” Trailbreaker could hear Ambulon’s usual argumentative tone, even in that stilted murmur of his name- he’d been with the medic long enough to know when Ambulon was genuinely arguing, and when he did it out of some sense of obligation. He had a bad habit of picking arguments whenever he started worrying he was overstaying his welcome, worried whoever he was talking with was growing annoyed with him. Trailbreaker was tired of it- it upset him to know that Ambulon was always so vigilant, always looking for an indication that someone hated him. He pressed a kiss to the back of the medics helm, lingering close afterwards. “Just let me do this for you, yeah? You deserve it.”
Ambulon sighed, finally slumping back in his seat. Trailbreaker even thought he caught the medic stifling a yawn. Cute, his processor supplied. Ambulon would’ve acted offended if he said it out loud- but even then, his flustered face would’ve been cute too. Trailbreaker smiled openly, moving the servo on Ambulons neck back over to his shoulder- copying the motions he was doing with the other- giving him an opening to press another soft kiss where his thumb had been.
After a while, Trailbreaker had made his way across Ambulon’s frame, working tension out of each joint- the medic had so much exposed mechanics, having no extra kibble to hide it, which made the vans efforts easier- and for once Ambulon didn’t argue.
In fact, Trailbreaker was almost certain the medic was currently trying not to fall asleep. Every few minutes, Ambulon’s helm would dip slowly, before shooting back up. He held down a chuckle.
“Ambs?” Trailbreaker’s voice was barely above a whisper, not wanting to truly rouse the medic.
Ambulon made a mumbled noise, something that sounded questioning, as his head lolled on his shoulders. He turned to look at Trailbreaker- or, more so the general direction of him. His optics were dim with exhaustion, and he was clearly having difficulty focusing on the mech beside him.
“I think it’s time for bed, yeah?” By now, Trailbreaker had moved his arms from where they’d been idly draped over Ambulon’s frame, and was instead wrapping them more firmly around the mech. When he saw the medic nod- a sluggish, tired movement- he took that as permission. He pulled Ambulon close and, in one smooth motion, hoisted the mech up into his arms.
He stood there for a minute or too, his partner bundled in his arms in a bridal carry, just watching. In his tired state, Ambulon had less reason to uphold his usual professional composure. He’d absent-mindedly pressed his frame closer to the larger mechs, seeking out Trailbreaker’s warmth. Lacking the usual heating systems a mech with a regular vehicle alt mode possessed, Ambulon was often left rather cold. Since they’d started seeing each other, he often stood closer to Trailbreaker, trying to pull in the heat the vans frame chucked out- something the larger mech found rather endearing. Like this, in Trailbreaker’s arms, the medic was enveloped in the warmth he’d missed so badly. And seemed pretty content to fall asleep right then and there.
Trailbreaker pulled Ambulon up higher, holding him closer. He smiled into the medics forehelm. Then, he walked them out the cramped little office. Just as the van was leaving the medibay proper, First aid looked up from the equipment he’d been organising. The smaller medic gave him a ‘thank you’ nod and whispered a near-silent “goodnight.” Trailbreaker gave him a similar nod, before heading towards his and Ambulon’s shared habsuite.
When Ambulon woke up the next morning, just in time for his morning shift, he remarked that it’d been the best sleep he’d had in years.