• ~ (Y/n)'s Perspective ~ •

The morning came too quickly. Ratchet had slept inside again. I gave him the guest room this time though. I had explained to him that Freckles could sleep in the same room as him, he just had to leave the door open.

In the end he was alright with it. Ratchet had also asked me to wake him up in the morning, once I was awake. So that's what I did.

I stretched out my arms above me and give a pleased groan when I felt a pop. My body didn't feel ready to wake up, but it didn't matter. I didn't have to wake up this early anyway, I just chose to. The next few minutes were spent trying to keep myself awake before I could finally escape the comfort of my bed.

My next stop was the guest room. The door squeaked softly as I opened it slightly wider for me to get in. Freckles was still asleep, so I traced my finger on her nose and up her snout which made her slowly open her eyes. She was going to get up anyway once Ratchet got up.

I knelt down beside the bed. He was snoring softly and laying on his side. Though his position looked uncomfortable, he seemed quite comfortable. I smiled softly and sigh.

"Ratchet...~" I hum softly and watch his eyebrow twitch in response. "I'm awake, which means you need to get up too...~"

It took a minute, but he sat up and I got back on my feet. I smiled at him as he yawned. His eyelids were halfway down, still a dazed from his rest which it seemed like he didn't get often.

"It is really early and I won't actually be leaving for another hour. If you're still tired you could go back to sleep." I offered in a gentle voice, seeing as he just woke up and loud noises are the last thing you want to hear when you wake up.

"No no. I'm fine, I'm awake." He quickly brushed off my offer and got onto his feet. I shrugged and gently soothed Freckles out of bed next, because she was refusing to get up. She kept using her paw to cover her face, which was, nonetheless, adorable. Once she had gotten up though, I turned my attention back to Ratchet.

"I can make us some coffee?" I said with a slight questioning tone. He raised a brow at me.

"And what is coffee?"

"It's a beverage that helps wake humans up and give them a bit of energy." I explained, with a smile, ready to hear no. He just shrugged and nodded.

"I'll try it."

We went downstairs and I let Freckles out back. Once she was outside, me and Ratchet went to the kitchen and I made the coffee. Also explaining to Ratchet how the coffee machine worked. Then I excused myself to take a quick shower.

I went upstairs after instructing him what to do when the coffee was done. Personally I prefer (hot/cold) water in the morning, so I turned it to my preferred temperature. Then I stripped and got in the shower. I did the basics then got out and dried myself off.

The next step was to change. I put on some appropriate wear and went downstairs. My name tag was in my purse so I wasn't worried about that at the moment.

Arriving back in the kitchen, I found Ratchet drinking coffee and had poured some into another mug for me as well. I thanked him and drank some of mine (added supplements optional).

"Would you like something to eat again?" I asked as I searched the fridge for something for breakfast. My fridge wasn't very full, because I only bought the necessary the other day for a few lunches.

"Sure." He replied, watching as I took some stuff out then closed the fridge. I made breakfast while also making my own lunch on the side. After breakfast was done and my lunch was packed away, I let Freckles back inside and fed her. We all ate, me and Ratchet talking.

"Is your morning usually this full?" He asked, making me raise a confused brow.

"This is barely my routine. I still have to finish and do the other half of it. Then I head to work." I answered calmly. He nodded.

"You do this everyday?"

"It's usually cut in half on weekends, more or less depends on if I'm leaving the house or when. If I don't have to leave, I sleep in, take care of Freckles, take care of myself eventually, and just be lazy and work every so often." I answered with a shrug. "But I'd like to change that. I'm not a fan of being lazy."

"Well, you have to come to base everyday. That'll change that." He replied, earning another shrug from me.

"I guess you're right. But I do have to go out of town soon. So I don't know how that'd work..."

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, my sister's wedding is coming up. I'm the maid of honor, so I really can't miss it. It'll just be for a couple days though."

"Then that should be fine." He replied, still thinking about it though. I smiled and nodded. A question then seemed to pop into his head. "Do you have a lover?"

"Me? Heh... no. I am not relationship material." I laughed it off, wondering why he'd even ask that. Maybe it was because of the whole wedding things.

"Why not? You're a good person." He said, making me blush, now feeling embarrassed and flustered.

"That's sweet of you Ratchet, but I'm just... bad with relationships. I've only dated a handful of people and failed miserably each try."

"How'd you fail?" He asked, making me frown slightly and sigh heavily.

"Ooh, I don't know... my first boyfriend said I didn't do what girlfriends are supposed to do, my second just straight up despised me and was only dating me to pass a class. And last but not least, baby crazy dude. Wanted to jump into everything and it scared me and made me question a lot of things." I explained, dragging to ooh out to express my discomfort in my explanation.

"That sounds like it was more a them problem than a you problem." He said with a soft sigh and sympathetic look.

"I guess." I shrugged, finishing my coffee and food. I cleaned up and excused myself once more. I did my other humanly duties, such as brushing my teeth and drying/brushing my hair and styling it.

When I came back I found Ratchet on the couch with Freckles, looking at a book. It was a memory book and kind of like a diary. It had photos in it and if you took a photo out, you'd find a note written on it.

"Are you leaving when I leave?" I asked with a hum, leaning against the couch behind him. He glanced back at me and set the book down. He shifted himself to make eye contact with me.

"Yes. I need to make sure you leave safely." He responded, making me smile and nod. I then went and let Freckles back outside and joined Ratchet on the couch.

"So are you snooping through my stuff?" I asked with a playful tone. He didn't seemed to take the playful hinting in my tone and began to stammer excuses. Giving a soft, tch, I then laughed. "I'm kidding. I already said I have nothing to hide. Well, out here anyway."

Ratchet was blushing, clearly embarrassed. The look on his face made me smile, knowing I got him flustered. He had the book opened to a page when I was younger. Maybe 4 turning 5. Around the time I got to my now parent's home.

"So which ones are your creators? I assumed this one is you?" He questioned. Assuming he meant parents, I just told him that the little (h/c) haired kid was me and which ones were my loving parents.

"That's my mother," a young woman with long brown hair— at the time— that was braided in the front and straight in the back. "And that's my father." A tall man with jet black hair and a goatee, he was also wearing a suit.

"And the rest are your siblings?" He asked, motioning to the rest. I smiled and shook my head.

"Nooooope. There's Aunt Paula and Uncle Quills," an older woman with neat short curly dyed blonde hair and a man with auburn hair the was up in a surprisingly neat man bun. "And my grandfather Aaron and his 2nd wife, grandma Penelope." The oldest people there. Grandfather was a worn down older man who wore his uniform proud. He was a veteran after all. His first wife was as well, but she died from cancer. Penelope was a frail old woman with rosy cheeks and dark hair accented with aged grey locks.

"And I thought Raf's family was big..." He mumbled. A giggle escaped my lips and I shrugged.

"Raf does have a big family. But I'm only 4 or 5 in this image. My family gets a lot bigger real quick. There's only 5 siblings of mine in this image." I comment, pulling out the image. "And my older sister's boyfriend, now husband."

Flipping the image over, I see the writing I had written when I first got the image. The writing was crap but it said "my new family" and everyone in the picture had signed it. My smile was one that held fondness.

"Sometimes I feel bad. I was such a pain when I came to their house. 4 barely able to walk or talk. Terrified of everyone. A complete burden. And yet they accepted me anyway." I whispered under my breath, not sure if I wanted for him to hear or not.

"They chose you didn't they? Even if you were a bit of trouble for them, they still chose you." He commented, making me nod in agreement. Then I put the image back.

'Wow did that feel great to get off my chest...' I think to myself as I glanced to Ratchet. He had a soft look on his face as he examined me. Being stared at made me blush and shift awkwardly.

"Wh-what?" I asked, embarrassed, thinking I did something. He looked me in the eyes then looked away then slightly holding my gaze again.

"It's nothing. It's nothing..." He mumbled, moving his head slightly side to side in a spaced out in thought kind of way.

Checking the time, I get up and let Freckles in. Excusing myself once more, I did whatever else I needed to do or wanted to do before returning.

"It's time for me to head out now. Sooo..." I said, picking up my bag and holding it and my keys. Ratchet nodded in response and got up, patting Freckles on the head before walking out with me. "Have a good day."

He grumbled and nodded his head before his holoform disappeared and he drove off. I shook my head and got in my car and headed off to work.

Though I couldn't believe some things slipped off my tongue this morning, I felt a little better today. I was ready to face the day, with a confident smile on my face.

I arrived at the school before the kids did and went in to the nurses office. I signed in and such and got the sign in laptop ready for when the day started.

The school morning was just as before. The rude lady who was the student's guidance councilor— I will never understand why mean, selective hearing individuals get the job; it's like they hire anybody— had her daily conversation with me about how great she is and how annoying the students are. The principal was a nice guy, asking me if I was ok and such. News said to the public it was a quick open-close kidnapping that I escaped from, so I didn't have to really say much, just that I was fine. Last but not least, the asshole of a secretary who thinks he owns the place and tries to bully me into doing his work, was trying to bully me into doing his work.

My first student guest today, was a concerned student who faked having a migraine just to ask if I was ok. As much as it was sweet, I said that they could've come see me before school, during lunch, or after school about that. I sent him back to class after giving him a second to himself. He had problems at home and when bad things happened, he had a problem with panicking. When I became the nurse, the first thing he did was start coming to me instead of the councilor, I understood though and welcomed him.

Second student was a student who usually only came to the nurse's office to escape class, but this time, they had actually gotten into a fight with the third student who came in after the second student was taken care of. Both girls who were always so violent and brutal with fighting; police usually had to separate them. One had a broken nose and the other broke a nail. Otherwise it was just bruises and cuts and head pain.

Soon it was the afternoon. Students who talked to me instead of the guidance councilor started stopping by. They either didn't have class or it was lunch.

The next student after had tripped on a desk and cut his ankle on a loose screw. Then a student who actually had a headache. One a diabetic who came in everyday, another an ADHD kid who a teacher decided worked better with me in the room and needed the kid to finish a test that needed to be done.

The end of the day were usually just girls who got their periods and needed pads and boys who were skipping a class by pretending to be sick. I usually ended up convincing them to go to class. Sometimes in between classes, the late kids will come to me, stay with me for a few minutes, then I send them to class with a note. They only did it when a teacher of theirs was being petty and sending them out last minute.

My day ended when all the kids went home and I was cleaning and sorting things. I was about to leave when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I called to whoever was knocking. And uh oh. It was another terrible employee. A man who was probably 15 years older than me. He was a teacher. The gym teacher. "Hello Coach Jakobs, can I help you?"

(Trigger Warning)

Shifting my weight, I stand up straight and properly. A soft smile on my lips, though it was fake. I was just trying to be professional. He smiled back at me and leaned against the door, trying to look cool and laid back.

"Oh I was just going to ask about bandaids. I was supposed to get more today but I didn't get any. Was wondering if you had them." He said, it was a dumb excuse, as I've told him many times that that is the front desks responsibility, not mine.

"Coach Jakobs. I put the bandages— that were provided to me, from the front desk— on the kids. I don't say bipity bopity boo and bandaids appear." I replied calmly, my smile going into a neutral look. Not a smile or a frown, just blank and stern.

"No need to get feisty, hun.~ I'm just asking you." He said smoothly, running his fingers through his hair and approaching me. Memories started shooting into my mind and my body tensed. I tried not to show fear though.

"Please take a step back. You're in my personal space and I'd hate to file a report for work place harassment." I replied, sounding as calm as I could. He frowned and rolled his eyes.

"Now you're accusing me of things I'm not doing." He said, taking another step into my personal space. My breathing shifted uncomfortably and my heart beat picked up.

"You are in my personal space. Back up. I already asked nicely." I snapped back in response. He raised a brow at me and smirked. I was shorter than him and he was quite fit. A curly haired brunette with a small beard that was just a little too hairy to be peach fuzz, trapping me in my own personal space, in the already small office, against the wall.

"Come on, (Y/n)... you can—"

"Miss (L/n)?" A student called from outside of the office. The coach backed up from me. Entering the room, he saw me and Coach, too close together. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Ye—" "No. Come in. Coach Jakobs was just leaving." I interrupted the coach, sending him a menacing glare. He tensed a little and left. The student tensed as well.

(End of Trigger)

"Um Miss (L/n)? I wanted to ask if you could give me a ride home." The student asked. I looked at him and smiled.

"Of course. Can we call your parent first?" He nodded and we sat at my desk and made the call.

I couldn't believe that happened. I mean, it's life, but still. I'm pretty sure these offices have cameras. When I get to base, I'm going to have to fill out a report on sexual harassment/harassment in the workplace. It might've been "after hours" but it was still on school grounds.

I ended up taking the kid home and meeting his grandmother, who was too ill to pick him up while his mother was out of town and he was doing makeup work. I then headed back home to wait for Ratchet to pick me up.

I felt uncomfortable. Memories coming back and feelings I haven't felt in a while returning. I couldn't wait for dinner tonight so I could talk to June.