Author's note: This story is about the Spychangers. It takes place a few days after the episode of the RiD 2001 series episode Mirage's Betrayal. It's also my first attempt to use the "-" symbol, so I hope I used it correctly.


Ironhide sat in his darkened quarters. The only light coming from the light on his television. As hard as he tried the day's events kept replaying in his mind, the hurtful words echoing in his mind.

'I don't care about them and I don't care about you.' He forgave Mirage a few hours ago, but those words had cut deep and brought forth some insecurities the spychanger didn't know he had.

He startled out of his thoughts when a hard knock rang through his silent room. He refused to say anything. His red optics furrowed and he glared at his door.

'Go away,' The white and black mech thought bitterly.

"Ironhide." Mirage. Mirage was on the other side of the door. The marksman was worried about Ironhide after he locked himself in his room. While his best friend had said he forgave him, he hasn't been himself a few days after they returned to the base. "Ironhide! Open the door."

After a few more seconds of silence, Mirage sighed. He placed his head against the door before turning to get some reinforcements. If he couldn't get Ironhide to open up, maybe one of the others could.

"Ironhide. I'm only going to ask once," Hotshot commanded. "Open the door or W.A.R.S. has my permission to break it down." The flamed leader was also worried. This wasn't like his teammate and he was going to get to the bottom of it. The rest of the spychangers silently stood behind their leader.

Ironhide sighed and pressed a palm against the doorpad and returned to his original place on his berth. Finally, the spychangers filed in and took up different spots in his room.

"What's going on with you? You feeling alright?" Ironhide avoided meeting his teammates optics. Guilt made his tanks churn and the feeling only got worse when he heard Crosswise's concerned tone.

"Yeah."

"Come on, Ironhide," Rev cut in. The yellow mech took a seat on the other mech's berth. "We're all concerned about you. You're our friend and we want to help."

Ironhide clenched his fists, trying to keep his composure as his teammates watched him expectantly. His chest tightened as the words replayed in his mind once more—'I don't care about them, and I don't care about you.' They hurt more than he'd let on, and no matter how hard he tried to push them away, they clung to him like an unshakeable shadow.

"I don't need your pity," Ironhide muttered, his voice hoarse, but his tone sharper than intended. His optics flickered, refusing to look at them. The silence stretched on, thick and heavy. The spychangers shared glances. Now, they KNEW they needed to do something.

Rev, always the one to speak up when things got too quiet, shifted uncomfortably. "That's not what this is, Ironhide," he said, his voice low. "None of us are pitying you. We just want to understand."

Crosswise, ever the calm one, spoke next, his voice gentle. "We're not here to make you talk if you're not ready. But we won't leave until you know we care. You don't have to go through this alone, Ironhide."

Hotshot's expression softened under his visor and mask, though the determination in his body language remained. "You're more than just a teammate, Ironhide. You're one of us. And we don't leave anyone behind. Not like that."

Ironhide felt a pang of something, perhaps guilt, perhaps fear, as the words hit him harder than he anticipated. He couldn't keep this wall up forever. Maybe... maybe it was time to stop pretending everything was fine.

"I just…" Ironhide finally spoke, his voice quieter now, the bitterness fading from his tone. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this anymore. Mirage-what he said—it got to me." He paused, then looked up, meeting their gazes for the first time. "I've always been strong, someone who kept it together when everything else was falling apart. But what if… what if I'm not enough? What if I'm letting everyone down?"

There was a heavy silence in the room. The Spychangers were all looking at him, some with soft sympathy, others with concern, but all with an understanding that made Ironhide feel exposed in a way he wasn't used to.

Mirage stepped forward, the last to speak. He felt incredibly awkward as he wasn't used to this. He looked at Ironhide with such a quiet intensity that it felt like the room was holding its breath. "Ironhide, what I said… I didn't mean it. Not like that. You're more than just the strong one. You're my brother. My family. And no matter what, I'll never stop caring about you."

Ironhide swallowed, feeling something tighten in his chest. Mirage had always been there, even when things were hard. But hearing the vulnerability and the sincerity in his voice—it cracked something inside him. His usual defenses started to crumble, and the weight of the past few days seemed almost too much to bear.

"I… I didn't think it hurt that much," Ironhide whispered, his voice breaking. "But it does. And I don't know how to deal with that."

Hotshot nodded, understanding what his teammate was saying. "You don't have to deal with it alone, Ironhide. We're here. And we'll always be here." He clapped a hand on Ironhide's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to be perfect. None of us are."

Ironhide exhaled slowly, looking around at his friends—his family. For the first time in days, he didn't feel so isolated. He realized then that he didn't have to hold it all together on his own. He had them. And that, in itself, made all the difference.

A small, uncertain smile tugged at the corners of Ironhide's mouth. "Thanks," he said quietly, his voice rough but sincere. "I guess… I guess I'm not as good at this as I thought."

Mirage smiled softly and placed a hand on his friend's arm. "None of us are. But we're learning, together."

For the first time in days, Ironhide felt the weight in his chest ease, just a little.

"Thanks," Ironhide smiled broader, meeting each of his friends' optics, his normal sparkle finally taking it's place.

Mirage pulled him off the berth. "Anytime, Buddy. Now, I'm pretty sure there's some highgrade in the rec room with our names on it."

Hotshot cleared his vocalizer. "Actually, Koji's here tonight. It'll have to wait." Silence fell over the room as they thought about what to do.

"There's a race on TV that Sideburn said he and Koji were going to watch. Anyone want to place a bet on the winner?" WARS offered. With laughter echoing through the halls and camaraderie filling the air, they knew that whatever came next, they could handle it.