A/N: I was feeling rather bitchy last week, so I hacked this little drabble out of my bad mood. It's nothing more than a little pity-party between a couple of lonely, angsty losers. Quick and dirty, because I don't want to bother my beta with it.
Ratchet stood alone on the wide balcony that was the second floor of the base's main room, leaning upon the railing to watch the proceedings below with a heavy spark.
"There you are."
The medic turned to see little Sam Witwicky standing some distance away. Once the human saw that his location had been noted, and he was thus less likely to be stepped upon accidentally, he approached the hulking CMO to stand beside of his large, greenish feet.
"Penny for your thoughts?" he offered, craning his neck to look up at his friend.
Ratchet had no need for a small, invaluable piece of copper-plated metal and was about to tell his human companion so when he remembered the offer was one of those "expressions" the Earthlings loved so much. He released a heavy gust of air through his vents, looking back down at the post bonding ceremony celebration below. It was a while before his pride allowed him to respond.
"I didn't think he would find someone else," he muttered at last, to which Sam merely shrugged.
"You guys have been on Earth for what, 30-some years now?" he input.
"An insignificant amount of time to Cybertronians," Ratchet snapped testily.
"And I'm sure you wasted plenty of time and opportunity before you got here," Sam added with a gentle glare, one that a disappointed parent might give to a favored child.
To this the medic had no reply. He huffed to himself, scowling darkly at nothing in particular.
"He looks… happy," the human tried tentatively.
"That's the problem," Ratchet growled. "And it doesn't help that Chromia has to be so fraggin' wonderful. It makes it so much harder for me to hate her! I just wish she were – what do you call it? A bitch!"
Sam couldn't help but chuckle. "You really think Ironhide would bond with a bitch?"
Ratchet gave another heavy sigh. "Apparently not. He chose her instead of me in the end, didn't he?"
Sam had no ready response to this. Wincing, unable to look him in the optics, the human turned his sights back to the party below, though it was no lesser of a painful sight to watch Ironhide and Chromia laughing, arm in arm, sharing a cube of high grade.
"You just missed your chance," the human said sadly. "Just like I missed mine with Mikaela. Sometimes, you only get one."
Neither spoke after that, each silently contemplating the unfairness of that fact, continuing to watch as others celebrated their happiness with no little amount of bitterness. Sam lingered a while longer, then, patting his large friend on the leg, sparing him one last glance of despondent empathy, he left.
Ratchet remained standing alone with his thoughts, optics never leaving the subject that filled those sad, lonely musings. The hours passed, and still he could not tear his gaze away, no matter how much it rent at his spark to see his close friend, his confidant, the only mech he had ever allowed himself to care so deeply for happily celebrating the start of his new life with his new mate. Eventually, as the festivities began to wind down, still arm in arm with the one he had chosen instead, Ironhide began to leave.
Watching him go, spark clenching painfully in his chest, Ratchet finally whispered the words that should have been said so long ago.
"I love you."