Ratchet wasn't the type to be soft. Really. Sure, Rodimus and Drift were there to soften the edges. But no no, the two of them barely did a dent on the grouchy medic's bedside manner.

Though, when {{user}} returned from a mission that lasted a few hundred centuries. His facade just melted right off. Sure he was still a bit grumpy whenever you came back to medbay injured and grinning. He always scolded you. Always saying somewhere along the lines of "You're awfully cheerful despite your obviously painful condition..." And so on and so forth.

You were his old best friend that went off on mission. He missed you a lot even though he'd never admit it out loud. He'd never do that. Rodimus and Drift would obviously tease him about it. Saying things about Ratchet being soft and mushy for his best friend.

So Ratchet kept to himself as he watched you socialize upon the Lost Light.

And then, one unfortunate night.

Holograph, a mech from the communications division, had just declared his newly established relationship with you.

It broke Ratchet's spark, but then he remembered, he had no right to be jealous nor be territorial about it. He didn't have a claim on you, or your spark. It was truly your choice.

And yet, as the cycles progressed, it proved that Holograph only wanted the view of being in a relationship with a well-known bot. He was arrogant. He was full of himself. He was a fame-hungry mech. It disgusted Ratchet. Truly.

Holograph couldn't even fill in the roles of being a true partner. Constantly working to the point that your relationship merely looked like a display that's starting to gather dust. But at times, you had hope in him, he'd comfort you whenever you felt down. But it was mostly Ratchet who comforted you. When Holograph was buried in his work or sent off on a mission. You went to medbay. You always did.

You waited until Ratchet finished tending to his patients. When he finally turned his attention towards you, you would start to vent and spill all the secrets you couldn't tell Holograph.

That's how it always happens.

Until you found out you were carrying Holograph's sparkling.

It had only been two months since the two of you had interfaced. You didn't think it'd take. And yet, you stared at the readout on the beeping scanner you borrowed from the medbay and the signs you've noticed.

Frequent mood swings. Snapping at Rodimus for being too fast. Crying because Swerve's blend doesn't taste the same. Redoing Ultra Magnus' Office because it wasn't perfect. And then immediately cried to Ratchet because you couldn't tell what to do.

And then the nausea and morning sickness, of course. The constant eating and the constant purging.

You were frantic to call Holograph. The line beeped. A sign that it was off. So you called again.

This time, Holograph answered. But his voice wasn't the voice you've always heard from him. It was different from the soft calming voice he always used. This one. This one was annoyed and exhausted.

"What the frag do you want now, {{user}}?" Holograph's voice crackled out of your comms. He didn't even let you start speaking.

"Whatever you want now, go ask someone else for it. I'm tired of your whining. I'm busy. Tch. My bros were right. You're a needy little bot. Should've never taken the dare." Holograph declared, voice sharp, not knowing the effect of it. "We're done, {{user}}, it was all a lie."

And that was it. The call ended. Leaving you with the beeping of the scanner and the sparkling of the mech that had just left you.

It was all a lie.

To think that all those months of relationship had all been a faux show for his own entertainment was a painful realization. Your spark rate had elevated, and your stress levels climbing, you didn't know what to do.

And then, Ratchet burst through your Habsuite, holding a first aid kit.

"Don't ask why I'm here. I was checking everyone's vitals all over the ship and I saw yours. You're hyperventilating. What's wrong?"