Chapter Text
Cybertron: many, many years ago.
Ratchet trembled, making his plating and the plating against his to rattle. He shifted, adjusting his hold on the mech he was pressed to so tightly. A hand on his back moved, stroking down his plating.
"Shh, let it out Ratch. I got ya."
Ratchet pressed the side of his helm to the plates in front of him, feeling the warmth of the spark under it. Small coolant tears slowly began to trip from his optics.
"Wheeljack..."
Wheeljack said nothing, instead shifting where he leant his back against the wall. The two of them were hidden in some nondescript alley, pressed tight together in their last goodbye. Wheeljack moved his arm to wrap around the medic's shoulders, the other resting on his hip comfortingly.
"Doc. Ya gotta promise me something."
Ratchet looked up, optics bright. "Anything."
Wheeljack smiled softly, bringing the hand on his hip to wipe away the tears on his face. "Don't ever forget I love you. Ever. But," Wheeljack cut Ratchet off when he began to retort. "But, be happy. Move on, love another in my absence. I won't have you lonely."
"Wheeljack." Ratchet was trembling even worse now. "How can I love another when you own my spark?"
Wheeljack moved the hand to gently caress his chevron. "You'll see. Just trust me Sunshine."
Ratchet could only nod. He didn't agree, but now was not the time for arguing. They didn't have much time before they were to part and depart from the planet.
Ratchet burrowed his face in the engineer's neck cables, relaxing in the comfortable hold in spite of the situation.
He knew this would be the last hug he'd get for a while.
Earth: Present day
Ratchet growled as the lights above his head flickered. The base the Autobots were in left a lot to be desired, but no one complained. They all knew it could be worse.
With a grunt of frustration, he continued working, typing away on his console. It was well into the night, but having to double as medic and scientist left Ratchet with little time to recharge.
The press of lips to the side of his helm startled him. He turned, relaxing when he was met with familiar blue optics and a blue helm.
"You should be in recharge, Optimus."
Optimus smiled softly. "As should you, my dear. It is la- well, actually, it is early."
Ratchet shook his head. "There are still things left to do." He turned back to his console.
With a sigh, Optimus reached around the medic and turned the console off. "And they will remain there until a later time. You need rest."
Ratchet slumped in defeat. He knew better than to argue with Optimus when he had his mind set. "Very well, Optimus." He turned, gesturing behind his leader. "Lead the way."
Optimus smiled, gently taking his hand and pulling him to his side. Ratchet tensed, then relaxed into the warm side. He was tired, now that he stopped and allowed himself to relax a little. By the time they reached their shared quarters, Ratchet was exhausted. Optimus guided him to the berth, laying him down and then laying down himself, wrapping an arm around his partner and drawing him close. Ratchet shifted to accommodate the mech against him, already half way to recharge.
Optimus smiled. "Rest well, Ratchet." He pressed a kiss to his helm again, before offlining his optics and falling into recharge as well.
Ratchet frowned. He had a feeling, deep in his spark, that something was off. It wasn't the first time he had had it. The first several nights he had been away from Wheeljack, he had felt it. He had felt it the first time he had shared a berth with Optimus as well, feeling like he was betraying his former lover. But the engineer had been right. He loved Optimus, just as he loved- still loved- Wheeljack.
With a familiar sigh of frustration, he forced himself to relax, falling into restless recharge.
Ratchet awoke to a siren. He jumped up, over an onlining Optimus, and bolted to the main hub. He reached it before anyone else, hitting buttons on his console, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Ratchet, what's going on?" Arcee asked. Bumblebee beeped, systems still whirring into awareness.
"It's... it's a signal! Someone is trying to communicate with us!"
"Can you open a communication channel?"
Ratchet glanced at Optimus. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He turned back to the console, typing even faster. There was a painful burst of static, before a voice cut through.
"Anyone home?"
Ratchet's intakes hitched.
"Jackie! Is that really you?" Bulkhead asked.
There was a pause. "Bulkhead?"
"Wheeljack! You're alive! Where have you been?"
Ratchet stumbled backwards, letting Bulkhead take his place. His spark was screaming, beating against its casing. Wheeljack was still alive. And he was coming here. Ratchet quietly backed out if the room, heading to his quarters, and collapsing to sit on the berth. He placed a hand over his spark.
He was elated by the prospect of seeing Wheeljack again. He still loved him with a fiery passion. But... he loved Optimus as well, with the same strength. And it wouldn't be fair to just dump him and go running into the arms of a mech he hadn't seen in millennia, who for all intents and purposes might not be or feel the same as he remembered.
"Ratchet?"
Ratchet jerked his helm up, looking at Optimus standing in the doorway. He stood, walking to him, pressing their lips together.
"I apologize for leaving. Wheeljack is an old, very good friend of mine." He pulled back, resting his servos on the arms holding his waist. "I thought he was dead. Or worse. It is a bit... overwhelming, to know he is alive and coming this way."
Optimus nodded. "I see." He walked out the doorway, waiting for the medic. "I would like you to come with me. We are meeting him away from the base, in the event that this is a trick. Since you know him personally, you should be able to recognize a trick, plus your medical knowledge may be needed."
Ratchet nodded. "Very well. I am ready to depart whenever you are."
Ratchet watched as Wheeljack and Bulkhead talked. They had been so easily fooled by the Decepticons. If Bulkhead hadn't caught him, they wouldn't have known until it was too late.
Ratchet reset his optics as a shadow fell over him. He looked up, and his intakes hitched.
"Hey there, Sunshine. How's it been?"
"Wheeljack." It came out more breathy than he intended.
The Wrecker chuckled, stepping back. "Yeah doc?"
Ratchet opened his mouth, yet stopped when he heard heavy footfalls behind him.
"Optimus." Wheeljack greeted warmly.
Optimus came to stand behind Ratchet. "Hello Wheeljack. I take it you are adjusting well?"
Wheeljack's optics shifted between the two mechs. Ratchet couldn't bring himself to meet them. He could feel how close Optimus was, feel the heat from his plating.
"Well as can be expected." The Wrecker answered with a shrug.
Optimus nodded. "Good." He turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, could you please excuse us? I need to speak with Wheeljack privately."
Ratchet nodded numbly. This was it. He was going to lose one or both of his lovers now. He rubbed over his spark. He didn't know if he could take that.
He sighed, settling heavily onto the berth. He lay back, offlining his optics and waiting for recharge to come. Might as well pass the time unconscious rather than staying up and worrying himself into an early grave.
Ratchet started awake as two sets of hands caressed over his plating. His optics onlined in a bright flash, taking a second to calibrate. Once they did, Ratchet was met with two familiar faces hovering above him.
"Wha- what are- what's going on?"
The two mechs shared a look.
"We have decided that, it would be cruel of us to make you choose between us." Optimus rumbled.
"Yeah, I mean, you love the both of us, and we both love you." Wheeljack leered at Optimus. "And we've reached the conclusion that we could love each other one day. If not," He shrugged. "Mech's easy on the optics."
Optimus chuckled, turning back to the shocked medic below them. "That is, of course, if you agree to it."
Ratchet shifted. This was... unexpected, to say the least. But not unwelcome. "Primus only knows how I'm going to put up with both of you." He spread his arms. "Come on then."
The two mechs smiled, shifting around until one lay on each side of him. He curled his arms in around their shoulders, each mech using an arm as a pillow. Two arms were thrown over his torso, two others rest above his head, and a white leg was wedged between his own. They all finally settled after a few moments.
"This is gonna take some practice." Wheeljack muttered.
"If you two don't smother me first." Ratchet snarked.
"Or one of us falls of the berth." Optimus added, looking pointedly at the Wrecker.
Wheeljack shrugged. "If I fall, you're both coming with me." He tightened his hold on Ratchet to prove his point.
"Oh, would you two just be quiet and recharge!" Ratchet griped.
Optimus smiled and nuzzled against his helm. "Sorry Ratchet."
Wheeljack clung tighter to him. "Yeah, sorry."
Ratchet scoffed. "No you’re not, neither of you."
Two chuckles answered him, and soon he was left with the quiet purring of systems in recharge. He smiled softly. It wasn't how he thought it would turn out, but he liked it better this way. He dropped off into recharge, this time without having to be forced.