Through Thick and Thin
by SMYGO4EVA
Wheeljack vented out a sigh as he finished buffing up the scratches on the medic's helm and torso. He wished that he could fix him up all in one go, but Ratchet refused. It was a mixture of pride and not wanting to let the underlying hurt of the attack show, when he was captured by the Decepticons. One look in his optics was enough to tell Wheeljack that.
It had been at least a while since Megatron's demise and the Decepticons disbanded, and even though Ratchet was safe and sound, and he was on the path of recovery, there were still thoughts that came back to him in recharge. Escaping death from the thrashing by Predaking, Bumblebee dying and then coming back; those images kept coming to him and never left him alone. They never will.
Today had the medic on guard and refusing to get of the scratches he received and Wheeljack feared the day they got worse, the day he couldn't be there to help.
"Wheeljack, stop fussing over me. I'm all right now," Ratchet said to reassure the Wrecker.
Wheeljack set down the buffer before sitting next to Ratchet, "That may be, but you still went through the Pit and back. The whole team knows that. You don't have to put up a front for any of us, Doc."
"I know I don't," Ratchet replied, "Wheeljack, I know that I've been through a lot. We all have. But at least that Cybertron is restored, I can at attempt to be enough. But….still…"
The unspoken 'I'll never be enough' lingered between them, the medic's past issues with not being enough easy to read all over his faceplates.
Wheeljack smiled at him, reaching out to pout a hand on the medic's shoulder, "Hey, no matter what happens, you will always be enough for to the team, and to me. Like I said a while back, we're still on the same team, Doc. Always will be."
Ratchet looked up at Wheeljack and nodded. "You're right. It may take a while, but I know I can still try to rise above this. Thank you."
"No problem, Ratchet."
It took some time to get acclimated with each other, but both the medic and the Wrecker did indeed go through thick and thin, and surviving and living for now was all that mattered.