His chest felt heavy.
That was the first thing Ratchet noticed as his systems slowly returned online. He felt a weight in his chest, and it was strange, because he couldn't find a reason for it to be there. Perhaps if he had been through a surgery, or possibly something that had caused him great distress, but he could couldn't remember either of those situations occurring, and so he was unable to find a reason to feel upset. He remained strangely at ease, and he hadn't felt that way in a long time.
Nothing hurt.
With that in mind, Ratchet's optics slowly flickered open, though not fully, as he didn't seem to have the energy to fully regain consciousness. He saw a familiar looking ceiling, like the one in his quarters, which meant that he was laying down on a berth. But it was different. Ratchet looked around, and he saw a monitor beeping lazily beside him. The lines matched the pulsing of the spark in his chest. Ratchet frowned. Why was he hooked up to a spark monitor? He looked down at himself, and blinked.
Life supports cables. There were life support cables attached to his chassis. Ratchet wasn't shocked. He was more confused than anything. What had happened to him? It had to have been something very bad for him to require such extensive medical attention. His internals were not at peak condition, but he by no means needed help sustaining himself. That meant he had been there for a long time.
Ratchet made a move to sit up, be he decided against it after his limbs refused to move. His internals felt sluggish, as if they hadn't been used in a while. Ratchet frowned. How long had he been in stasis?
"Over ten Orbital Cycles."
Ratchet quickly turned his head to where the voice had come from, and immediately regretted it. He slowly placed a hand against his throbbing helm, optics shut tight as he let out a groan. He waited a moment before the pain dulled before he opened his optics, just enough to see who was standing in open doorway.
Voltlock watched his fellow medic with a calm expression, if not a bit relieved. Ratchet noted that Voltlock was covered in minor scratches and dents. Nothing serious, but it was strange. Ratchet was going to ask about Voltlock's condition before the words that were spoken before sunk into his processor.
He had been in stasis for four Orbital Cycles.
Ratchet let out a thoughtful breath. "That long?"
Voltlock gave a small nod of affirmation. Voltlock didn't say anything for a moment, looking over Ratchet with a tired smirk. "You look like scrap."
"So do you," Ratchet countered with a snort.
"At least you have an excuse," Voltlock replied, looking over his own frame. "Someone already tried to buff me. I told them I didn't want you to feel like you were the only one who got wrecked, so I refused."
"Voltlock," Ratchet rolled his optics, annoyance laced within his voice. "That is completely unnecessary."
"Hey, there's the Ratchet I know! Orion sure tamed you, didn't he?" Voltlock said with a chuckle that remained in his voice as he spoke. "Not even a snarky comment since you started treating him like your own."
At those words, Ratchet bolted into a sitting position, wincing at the sharp pain he felt by doing so. He remembered everything. He remembered Tanker, the chains, the fight, and he remembered his sparkling. His little sparkling had been hurt.
Voltlock watched Ratchet in shock, moving to help his fellow medic before Ratchet spoke. "Where is he?"
Voltlock stalled, his processor freezing up for a moment. "Uh..."
"Orion. Where is Orion?" Ratchet demanded, very close to panicking. His breathing quickened. "Is he alright? Where is he?!"
"Ratchet," Voltlock said quietly, trying to calm said mech down. "Ratchet, listen to me. He's okay. Orion is just fine. He's resting in your quarters right now."
The tension throughout Ratchet's frame slowly began to drain away, and he laid back down on the berth with pure relief written on his faceplate. Ratchet closed his optics, and didn't speak for a Klik, then he spoke with an exhausted voice. "How long was I...?"
"You've been gone for almost two Orbital Cycles," Voltlock answered. "You've been in stasis for nearly an Orn."
Ratchet groaned. He had been unconscious for that long? Orion must have been worried about him. Ratchet felt terrible for putting his charge through all of that, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do to change what happened, which made him feel even worse.
Voltlock frowned lightly, then he walked up to Ratchet, and began carefully unhooking the life support cables from his fellow medic's frame. "These could have been removed a few Orbital Cycles ago, but we decided to wait until you woke up, just incase your condition worsened."
As Voltlock finished removing the last of the cables, Ratchet opened his optics and watched him inquisitively, a look he had subconsciously learned from the sparkling he looked after. "How did you find us?"
Voltlock chuckled again. "Believe me, it wasn't easy to do. Cybertron's a big place."
The look Ratchet gave Voltlock quickly informed him that his fellow medic wasn't in the mood for games. He almost lost his sparkling again. He just wanted to know what had stopped that from happening. Voltlock gave a nod of understanding before he spoke.
"I entered your quarters to check on Orion, but he was gone. Before I could look for him, I was told that the hacker had accessed a file, so I used your datapad to see what it was," Voltlock explained. "The hacker was looking for your medical file. That's when I finally realized something was wrong."
Ratchet said nothing, only listening intently.
"It's not really hard to notice a sparkling wandering the streets. That rusted mech you always seem to treat said that Orion went outside," Voltlock went on. "I asked around, and a mech said that he saw Orion walk towards Iacon, and from there another one said that he got onto the monorail. The no one was actually eager to help find a lost sparkling."
Ratchet could clearly hear a small amount of venom in Voltlock's tone at that last sentence, but Ratchet wasn't going to ask about it, as it disappeared soon after and Voltlock's voice returned at a calmer level.
"Apparently Orion went to the Gladiatorial Pits, but when I asked if they had seen him some orange mech slammed the door in my faceplate," Voltlock continued with a shrug. "This miner said that Orion asked about a femme named Skylight, then got back on the monorail, so I went in a circle all the way back to Iacon."
At Skylight's name, Ratchet tensed up, but only slightly, as moving still caused him discomfort. Orion had been asking about Skylight. Ratchet wondered why he would ever do that. Had Orion somehow known about what had happened? That seemed impossible. Then again, everything Orion ever did was based on the impossible. Walking, talking...
Living...
Ratchet realized he was getting distracted, and quickly returned his focus to Voltlock.
"I asked around again, and he was seen going into a more abandoned part of Iacon, and some mech standing in front of a building said that Orion ran off," Voltlock frowned. "Then, I got lost. I had no leads at all. I asked, but no one saw anything. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was planning on returning to Protihex and seeing if he came back on his own, but I asked one last time, and he was seen going into the Hall of Records."
It came as no surprise that Orion would go there. Ratchet almost smirked, but it swiftly vanished. Orion's first trip to the place he had always wanted to go had been when he was lost and alone.
"...That's where you were," Voltlock finished, pausing for a moment to let out an exasperated breath. "Some abandoned part of the building or something. No one even knew it was there. Almost soundproof too, the clever glitch."
Ratchet never would have guessed that he was in the Hall of Records. The room he had been held in gave no sign as to where he was. Ratchet had thought that he might have been in Kaon, as the room looked filthy and uncared for, but he had to admit that it was somewhere no one would have ever suspected. The monumental archives in the high state of Iacon. Where a medic and a sparkling were almost offlined.
"I should have realized sooner," Voltlock said distastefully. "I met him before, slaggit. He was injured during the mine collapse. I didn't know his name, but still."
Ratchet didn't respond. He already knew that Tanker had been in the Medical Center before. He hadn't known about Voltlock speaking with Tanker, but he doubted that it changed anything in the end.
Ratchet merely hummed, unable to think of anything that could be said. There was nothing to be said. He and Orion were safe. His sparkling was safe.
Voltlock, on the other hand, felt that there was indeed something to be said. He averted his optics for a Klik before strengthening his resolve and speaking. "I need to apologize."
Ratchet blinked, once again pulled from his thoughts. He looked back to Voltlock again, a look in his optics asking his fellow medic to explain.
"For... everything. For saying those things to you," Voltlock let out an audible breath. "And for trying to remove Orion from your custody."
Ratchet stared at Voltlock for a long while, not exactly sure what to do with the words he just heard. Then, Ratchet waved a hand, as if to dismiss the matter entirely. "You did what you thought was right."
Ratchet ended it there, and Voltlock made no move to continue.
Ratchet was not angry. Voltlock could tell. At least, Ratchet wasn't angry with him. Voltlock wondered what Ratchet thought about the mech that took him. Ratchet might have been furious with him. Were he still functional, Ratchet might have tried taking him down all over again for harming Orion. But Voltlock could only speculate. He had no way of knowing what Ratchet would actually do if that situation were to have occurred. If he ever did want to know, he would ask.
But not right then. Perhaps never.
The sound of the door opening returned Voltlock to the reality, and as he looked towards the entranceway, a small smile grew on his faceplate. He turned to Ratchet, who looked as if he might conk out at any moment. Voltlock kept his voice quiet, but loud enough to be heard. "Hey, Ratch?"
Ratchet mumbled something unintelligible and lightly shook his helm to rouse himself before looking over to Voltlock with a tired and unimpressed expression. That expression quickly switched to one of surprise when he looked next to his fellow medic, and saw who had entered the room, and who watching him with bright blue optics glowing anxiously.
"Hello," Orion said calmly, as if he had only been away for a moment.
It took almost everything Ratchet had to keep himself from bolting off of the medical berth and grabbing Orion to look him over, then holding him close to assure himself that his sparkling was actually alright. But Ratchet could only say the first thing he thought of, with the same calm Orion possessed. "Hello."
Orion stood in the doorway for a moment, before he walked over to Ratchet's side, looking over his caretaker with concern. Then, he reached up towards Ratchet's arms, wanting something he hadn't received in a long time. Ratchet understood what Orion was asking, and he slowly leaned over and picked up his sparkling before leaning back on the medical berth with Orion held against him.
Voltlock decided that it was time for him to make his exit. With a final nod towards his fellow medic, though it was left unnoticed, Voltlock turned and walked out of the door, and it closed, leaving Ratchet and Orion with only each other.
No words were exchanged for the longest time, both wrapped up in the fact that they were finally together again. It was Orion who first stirred, locking optics with his caretaker. Ratchet didn't know what he thought would come out of the sparkling's vocalizer at that point, but he most certainly did not expect what did. Orion spoke in the most casual way Ratchet had ever heard. "Can we stay inside?"
Ratchet let out a chuckle. An honest one, not faked in the slightest. A content smile on his faceplate, Ratchet nodded, and Orion returned the smile for a Klik before it faded. Seeing that, so did Ratchet's. Orion began to softly trace a large dent that trailed across his caretaker's beaten chassis, from the side of his chest and across it up to just under his neck cables.
"I'm not mad," Orion said quietly. Ratchet watched the sparkling questioningly, and Orion continued, averting his optics. "I'm not mad at Tanker."
Mentioning that mech's name seemed to make the room feel colder, but that could have easily been Ratchet's damaged frame sending him false readings. He didn't know what to say. Ratchet was unsure of what he should think about what he had just been told. Orion was not angry with someone who had wronged the both of them. It was something Ratchet could not understand. Ratchet said nothing, just waiting for Orion to continue, possibly because he hoped that the sparkling's explanation would tell him why.
"Someone he cared about got hurt, and that made him hurt," Orion elaborated, resting his helm on Ratchet's chest. "I don't like what he did, and I wish it never happened, but I'm not mad. I know how he felt. I almost lost you, too."
Ratchet remained silent. He took in his sparkling's words, and they did tell him why. While he knew before, being reminded why Tanker had done what he did helped Ratchet figure out how he felt about everything that had happened.
Tanker had taken Ratchet, and he hurt him in every way he knew. Tanker tried to kill Ratchet to get revenge. Tanker was trying to get revenge for the one he felt was truly wronged. Through Tanker's optics, Skylight was murdered by Ratchet. The medic had hurt the one he cared about. If he had time, Ratchet could find it in him to forgive Tanker for what he had done to him.
But Tanker had tried to take Orion. Orion had done nothing wrong. Orion had not harmed a single being during his entire existence. He was innocent. A young, innocent sparkling who was forced to go through so much because of who cared for him.
Ratchet couldn't forgive Tanker for hurting Orion.
Tanker had tried to hurt and kill Orion to get revenge on the medic that he felt had done the same to Skylight. Tanker felt that Ratchet had taken Skylight from him. Skylight meant everything to Tanker, and so Tanker tried to take away who meant everything to Ratchet. To make him remember that one lost had caused so many more to be hurt.
Ratchet was most certainly angry with Tanker, but he could understand.
Orion clung to Ratchet, as if the moment he let go his caretaker would disappear. "I thought you died."
Those words struck Ratchet right in the spark, and the weight quickly returned. Ratchet held Orion closer, trying to console him. Before he could say anything, Orion continued.
"You were bleeding, and you weren't moving, and," Orion had to stop himself to take a deep breath. "And you were so hurt. It was the last thing..."
Orion trailed off into a coughing fit, much lighter than the ones he would normally have. That did not make Ratchet feel any better about it, though. He couldn't stop the sparkling from ending up in a state like that. He could only hold him. There was nothing else he could do.
"The last thing I wanted," Orion continued after catching his breath. He latched onto Ratchet, burying his faceplate into his caretaker's chest. "I'm so sorry you got hurt."
"It was not your fault," Ratchet said, and he really didn't intend to sound as harsh as he did, but he needed to make certain Orion knew that what had happened to the both of them was not his fault. "You did absolutely nothing wrong. Tanker did not do any of this because of you. He did not take me away because of you."
Ratchet hadn't known if Orion even thought that it was his fault his caretaker disappeared, but the sparkling's reaction to those words quickly proved Ratchet's suspicions correct. Orion flinched back slightly, hesitant if he should continue holding onto the only one who made him feel safe, and Ratchet immediately wanted to retract his words, just to say them in a different way.
Orion whimpered. "You never came back."
"I know, I know," Ratchet said calmly, caressing Orion's back. "It's okay, I'm alright. I'm sorry."
They stayed like that for a long time, just content with each others company. The caretaker and his sparkling, not saying anything, but just being with each other.
They both needed that.
Ratchet didn't know how long they stayed like that. Orion had shivered in his caretaker's arms until he had fallen into recharge to the sound of Ratchet's spark, the hurt fading from his faceplate and replaced with a look of relief. Ratchet watched Orion as he held him, feeling a need to reassure himself that his sparkling was there.
Ratchet let out a shuddering breath, optics beginning to blur.
Orion was his.
Orion would always be his.
Ratchet shut his optics, hoping that doing so would find him some sort of peace. Orion was there. Orion was right next to him, but Ratchet still felt like the one he cared for most was going to be taken away.
He started drifting into a light doze, still exhausted from what Tanker had done to him, and his sparkling. Exhausted physically and emotionally. So many terrible things could have happened, and some of them did.
Orion was so close to watching his caretaker die. Ratchet knew that the sparkling wouldn't have been able to handle that. It would break him. It would break him, and Tanker was aware that Ratchet knew that fact. What better way to hurt another than to make one that other cared about suffer?
Primus slaggit.
Ratchet hated himself so much. How could he have let Orion get involved in something that wasn't his fault? Orion had been hurt so many times, and not once did he ever deserve it. He didn't deserve to be sick, he didn't deserve to be locked away in a Medical Center, he didn't deserve to be given such a burden at such a young age.
He didn't deserve to be a defective.
And somehow, Ratchet felt like that was his fault. As if the little spark found long ago had left the Well because of something he had done. As if he had been the reason everything had happened. It wasn't completely unbelievable to him. Ratchet had failed to save Skylight, and Tanker had killed so many. Those at the refueling station, Oiltrack, Sorter, Rooter, just to get his revenge against him. Just because of one incident, did so many others occur. And Ratchet had started it all. The one who failed in the first place. Ratchet had lost so many.
Ratchet couldn't think of any reason how Orion's state could be his fault, but just the thought of it made his spark ache. But Ratchet wouldn't let it ache any longer. Orion was safe. Orion was still there. Ratchet didn't have a reason to hurt. Orion was still with him, and Orion was all he had left.
Ratchet had just begun slipping deeper into recharge, when he heard the door open. Ratchet didn't bother to acknowledge whoever entered. It was probably Voltlock, or an assistant medic coming to check up on him. Ratchet didn't really care, because of his lack of energy, or perhaps because he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts. Ratchet remained still and silent, expecting whoever entered to leave in a Klik or so.
The door wasn't closing.
Slightly annoyed at having his rest interrupted, Ratchet opened his optics and looked over to the entranceway.
Ratchet's optics widened, and were it not for the sparkling recharging in his arms, he would have snapped into a sitting position and yelled. "Motor?"
Motor nodded his greeting, and didn't even get a chance to speak before Ratchet started up again.
"You're-" Ratchet couldn't seem to find words to use. "Where- How did you-"
"Tanker attacked me after you entered the Guilds," Motor explained, almost in an attempt to calm Ratchet down. "He left me in one of Kaon's Medical Centers. I only just woke from stasis lock a Meta-cycle ago, and even then I had to go through recovery treatment."
Tanker? Kaon? Attacked? It took Ratchet a moment to understand what had been said. Tanker had tried to kill Motor. Why would Tanker have tried to kill Motor? He had nothing to do with what had happened to Skylight. Ratchet wondered if he misheard. Why would Motor have been attacked?
Wait.
Recovery treatment?
Ratchet noticed something he hadn't before, something that made him gasp sharply, though quietly.
Motor had braces on both of his legs, and they were obviously permanent. He was forced to wear them if he wanted to stand. Tanker had clearly destroyed some major systems in Motor's joints. Were he treated in the Protihex Medical Center, he would have most likely been fully healed and have a complete recovery. But Motor hadn't been in Protihex. He had been in Kaon, and despite that area containing the most injured out of all of Cybertron, they had the worst Medical system on the planet. Because he was treated in Kaon, his legs were repaired very sloppily, and in a way that crippled him.
Motor wasn't going to be able to walk on his own ever again.
"How did you..." Ratchet trailed off for a Klik, then looked Motor in the optics. "How did you survive?"
Motor frowned, though it was barely noticeable. "He said that I helped him by telling him who killed his bondmate. So, he decided to let me live."
Ratchet's faceplate went completely blank. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, though he could assume that it was because he was still so tired. Motor had told Tanker that he killed Skylight? No. Considering Tanker's state of mind, Motor probably said that Ratchet was treating her, and Tanker took that as murder. But Tanker had let Motor live. That meant there had to have been something good left in his spark.
It was too late for that. Tanker was dead. Even if he was still alive, it had been so long since then. Any goodness inside of Tanker could have easily been lost in that length of time.
But Ratchet would never know if it had been or not.
Motor watched Orion thoughtfully, and spoke in a way that was more like a statement than a question. "That's the spark, isn't it?"
Ratchet blinked, then glanced down to Orion, who was still recharging soundly. Ratchet nodded. "Yes."
Motor said nothing for a Klik, then he replied assuredly. "I'm glad I didn't extinguish it."
Ratchet also took a moment to respond. Then he spoke, without a doubt in his voice. "As am I."
Silence returned, though it only lasted briefly before the door opened again, and a fuming Voltlock entered the room. Ratchet stared at him with an optic ridge raised. The sound of the door opening caused the sparkling to stir. Orion's optics fluttered open, and he let out a click as he glanced up to Ratchet before looking over to Voltlock. Voltlock locked optics with Ratchet.
"The Guilds want to speak to you," Voltlock said almost spitefully. Ratchet didn't blame him, and if he had the energy to be angry he most certainly would be. They had permitted Tanker to take Orion away. Even though he was upset with the Guilds, Ratchet knew that it was unreasonable to blame them. The Guilds couldn't possibly have known. While they decided a Cybertronians fate, that did not necessarily mean that they kept tabs on one at all times. As Voltlock had said, Cybertron was a big place.
Orion looked back to Ratchet, slightly fearful. "Are you going away again?"
Ratchet quickly tried to calm his sparkling. "It's alright. I'll be back soon."
"You said that before," Orion protested, growing more desperate. "You said you'd be back, and you didn't come back."
"Orion, listen to me," Ratchet said, slowly sitting up on the berth. "No one is going to hurt me. I'll come back. I promise."
Orion watched Ratchet, still looking very worried, but he nodded. He knew that his caretaker didn't make promises he couldn't keep. With that, Orion carefully got off of Ratchet and hopped onto the floor.
Ratchet tried to get up so he could get on his way, but when he tried to stand, he found his limbs couldn't support him and he fell back onto the berth with a groan. He closed his optics in exasperation, only to reopen them when he felt a hand on his. Ratchet looked down to see Orion watching him with a smile.
"It's okay," Orion said, tilting his head slightly. "I'll help you walk again."
Orion pulled at Ratchet's hand, and Ratchet knew that the sparkling did not have enough strength to lift him. Ratchet tried harder for him, placing his free hand onto the berth to keep balance. It took much longer than it should have, but Ratchet stood, though he had to use all of his strength to do so. Orion looked very happy, and that only strengthened Ratchet's resolve to remain upright.
Orion held his caretaker's hand, gently pulling him forward. Ratchet's first steps were slow, but as his systems became used to the action, it became easier and easier to keep going. By the time they reached the doorway, Ratchet was walking as if he hadn't been injured in the first place.
Voltlock was clearly trying very hard not to laugh, while Motor watched the scene with mild amusement. Ratchet rolled his optics at both of them.
Orion looked up at his caretaker with happiness, before letting out another click and rubbing his optics. Ratchet smiled lightly and picked up the sleepy sparkling. Ratchet walked over to Voltlock and placed Orion in his arms. Orion watched Ratchet tiredly as his caretaker turned back to the doorway and walked through, beginning to make his way down the halls.
Other medics glanced at Ratchet, though they never spoke to him. They were not looking resentful or angry. They looked rather repentful for assuming that their fellow medic had done such terrible things to a sparkling. But they did not apologize, and Ratchet never expected them to. Ratchet quickly found himself at the Medical Center exit, and he left.
The path Ratchet followed was familiar to him. He didn't hesitate, because he already knew he was going in the right direction. He soon reached the door, the entrance to the Guilds of Cybertron. The door slid open silently, and the tunnel was as dark as it had ever been. Ratchet stepped inside, and found it to no surprise that the doorway closed behind him.
It seemed brighter than it was the last time he walked through, the light at the end of the tunnel glowing vibrantly. The clocks and buzzes of metal in the walls were almost nonexistent. Ratchet didn't think too much about it. He was more concerned about what the Guilds wanted from him.
Ratchet saw the doorway that lead to the main chamber. The guard who stood in front of it gave Ratchet a calm nod of acknowledgement, before opening the door without asking for identification. Ratchet said nothing, only stepping into the opened door, which shut behind him.
The room seemed lighter than it was before. Ratchet's steps slowed, but he continued forward until he was standing in the center of the room.
The Guilds of Cybertron looked down at him, waiting for a moment before one of them began to speak.
"Do you know why you have been summoned?" The Guild Member questioned, voice stern.
Ratchet felt nervous. He didn't like the feeling of what was going on. But he could not deny the Guilds. Ratchet waited, then replied. "I do not."
No one said anything for a long while. The Guilds of Cybertron watched Ratchet, and Ratchet didn't know what they were waiting for, but he feared that it would be very bad. The last thing the Guilds had done for him hadn't been for the best. They had tried to take away the only thing that really mattered to him. So what if they were the ones who gave Ratchet the position in the first place. They had tried to remove it.
Ratchet didn't know what the Guilds had prepared for him, and he didn't know if he would make it through.
"Recent events lead us to believe," A Guild Member finally spoke, voice deep and devoid of emotion. "That you are fit to resume your position as caretaker of Orion Pax."
Ratchet stared in disbelief, unsure if he heard what he thought and desperately hoped he heard. He was officially Orion's caretaker again. The Guilds weren't going to remove custody. Were he not in the presence of Cybertronians of such a high class, Ratchet would have certainly laughed with joy.
Orion was his.
"Tanker was damaged beyond repair, and so the Guilds are unable to provide a punishment for his crimes." The Guilds continued. They were clearly not taking any blame for what had happened, which annoyed Ratchet greatly, but he knew that saying anything about it would get him punished. They might have taken Orion away right then and there.
That was something Ratchet just couldn't handle.
"Orion Pax will remain in your care until we deem it is time for relocation," Another Guild Member spoke, but Ratchet was too pleased to really understand what had just been said.
Ratchet wasn't going to lose the one he cared for most.
The members of the Guilds were satisfied with the meeting, and the door behind Ratchet opened up again. Ratchet was more than happy to get out of there and head back to the Medical Center. He walked out of the room, passing the guard, and began making his way back through the passage.
The buzzing in the walls had gone completely silent. The tunnel was full of light. As Ratchet walked forward, he could see that the door was already open. With an optic ridge raised, Ratchet stepped through, then he stopped.
Orion stood in front of the entranceway, watching Ratchet calmly. Voltlock looked very sheepish behind the sparkling, and Motor was just waiting to see what would unfold. Ratchet gave Voltlock an unimpressed look before walking up to the sparkling who had been left waiting for him again.
"Orion?" Ratchet started, kneeling down onto the ground. The sparkling said nothing, just looking at his caretaker. Ratchet smiled softly. "They're not going to take you away anymore."
Orion's entire faceplate brightened at those words, and with a laugh he ran into his caretaker's arms. He was so happy. They weren't going to leave each other again. They weren't going to hurt anymore. Orion nuzzled into Ratchet's chest, and Ratchet embraced him, holding his sparkling tightly and vowing never to let go again.
Finally, everything was alright.