Transformers Book of One-Shots Book 2 ✔

🍋 B | Ironhide X Ratchet Pt. 2: Everything Will Be Ok

Pt. 2 of @Emo_girl3365's request.

It's a challenge to help Ironhide deal with Ratchet being in stasis. Ironhide worries about the possibility of Ratchet being in stasis when Crosshairs goes into labor, hoping everything will be ok.
Warning: sexual content

"Want to play?" Annabelle asks.
Even at seven years old and with other friends, Annabelle enjoys playing with Ironhide and can tell the weapons specialist is unhappy.
Ironhide sighs and walks away, which he'd never do to Annabelle. Will watches, uncertain what to say to his daughter. Like the 'where do babies come from?' conversation, he thinks Annabelle is too young to learn that the Autobots can have babies. Add how it's a male who's pregnant.
Thankfully, Sarah calls for Annabelle to help her with dinner. 
"He'll be ok, Ironhide," Will assures him.
"Jolt says the same. We're just waiting for Ratchet to wake up, but... we had an argument a month before, and Ratchet ghosted me. I don't want to talk about it."
Will doesn't know what to say, and he can only guess what the argument was about.
Bumblebee pulls into the driveway.
"Ironhide?" Sam asks as he steps out of Bee, "hey, your brothers are worried. Do you want to —?"
"NO!"
Ironhide walks away.
"I thought he was happy that Crosshairs is sparked?" Sam asks.
Will knew he better not say anything. He goes with Sam and Bee back to base.

"... all we can do is wait," Jolt explains to Crosshairs, Drift, and Hound about Ratchet's condition. Not caring about rules, but worried he might have to break the rules around doing something in the health field he's not trained in, especially since it's been centuries since a sparkling was born. Jolt didn't get to that portion of school before the war started.
Crosshairs, Drift, and Hound leave the medbay, waiting for Ironhide to return. 

Bumblebee and Sam return and tell the three that Ironhide isn't coming back. Crosshairs wants to suggest going to the Lennox property, but he can't transform now. He's uncertain if Ironhide will come back if he says he wants his brothers with him and Drift during the birth of their sparkling.
"Drift, did we tell Ironhide when I'm due?" Crosshairs whispers.
"I don't think so. Don't tell me you're thinking about scaring Ironhide back?"
"No, but we know this sparkling could come in two weeks rather than six. I want my brothers with us, and maybe that'll get Ironhide to come back."
Drift goes to talk to Ironhide.

Ironhide worries seeing Drift walk into the barn that's been Ironhide's space on the Lennox property.
"Your brothers want you back at the base. Crosshairs wants you at the birth," Drift explains, "which could be next week or in six weeks."
Ironhide knows Drift is worried knowing Jolt isn't trained to deliver sparklings, but also Drift is worried about him.
It could be six weeks. Ironhide thinks but agrees to go back to the base with Drift.

Optimus talks to Ironhide, though it was pointless, and lets Ironhide's brothers and Drift help Ironhide. Everyone is worried that Ratchet could be in stasis for months, and they're in trouble if Ratchet doesn't wake up soon. 

"Come on, Ratchet, wake up," Ironhide begs, "even if we're through, no one else knows how to deliver a sparking. I can't watch my brother and his sparkling die, to put Drift through sparkbreak."
"Should I?" Jolt asks Optimus, "he's allowed to, but is it better for him than limiting his time by Ratchet?"
"No, he'll be a wreck no matter what."
Jolt hopes to find lessons on sparkling delivery somewhere. He notes he will have to tell Ratchet he'll have to teach him.

"You're going to what?!" Drift panics.
"Shooting range," Crosshairs repeats, "I'll be fine. Hopefully, this will help Ironhide."
Is he trying to go into labor? Drift questions.  Even if he'll be behind a barrier...

"You too?" Crosshairs sulks.
"I've already lost my sparkmate. I don't need to lose my brother and his sparkling."
"I'll be safe behind the barrier," Crosshairs argues rather than argue that Ratchet isn't dead.
Ironhide gives up arguing. He wants a distraction, but this may no longer be it.

Four hours pass before the two run out of the bullets they brought. Ironhide knows this terrifies Drift but hopes he can do this with both brothers.
The shooting range helps Ironhide a little though he also worries about Crosshairs to wher he's having nightmares about the sparkling's birth. This happens every night m, but he refuses to talk to his brothers.

Two weeks of the nightmares pass until Ratchet finally wakes up.
"I'm sorry," Ironhide immediately apologizes, hugging his groggy sparkmate while laying on him, crying.
Ratchet is uncertain about the reason Ironhide is apologizing...

... that is, until he sees Crosshairs walk into the room, still sparked.
Now I remember that argument. We need to talk. 
Crosshairs smiles, seeing Ironhide sleeping on Ratchet, hoping the two will work things out rather than seeing his brother hurt.
Maybe I should have Drift act like a relationship consoler? Crosshairs wonders.

Ratchet demanded that Jolt release him from the medbay that night. Arguing six hours of observation since waking up from stasis is enough. Ironhide and Ratchet return to their room.

The room is silent as the two sit on their berth.
"I'm sorry, I—." Ironhide apologizes  until Ratchet kisses him.
"No, I'm sorry. I do want us to have a sparkling. I just worry about the birth, but I want to be the one to carry the sparkling. I'm certain I can teach Jolt during Crosshairs' sparkling's birth and could probably find other ways to teach him."
Ironhide smiles and pushes Ratchet down onto the berth. The two remove each other's interface panel. Ironhide smiles, fingering Ratchet's valve while kissing him. Ratchet watches Ironhide's spike get ready, and the tip sticks out.
"You must be punished for worrying me," Ironhide scolds.
"Do your worst."
Ironhide starts out teasing. Worried about hurting Ratchet.
Ratchet still wasn't prepared for Ironhide's spike to enter him.
"Weak!" Ratchet teases, feeling Ironhide go slowly.
Ratchet feels the pain of Ironhide's spike going deeper in him as he moves faster but smiles. He pushes his worry about how the delivery of his sparkling will go aside, hoping to get sparked. The sound of the two mechs' armor snacking together echoes in the room as Ironhide punishes Ratchet.
"Yes," Ratchet pants.
Ironhide goes hard for a few minutes, hoping it's enough to get Ratchet sparked before laying next to him.
"I can't believe we just tried to get sparked," Ironhide pants.
"You're not dreaming. Maybe you'll be allowed to have practice with Crosshairs and Drift's sparkling."

Ironhide and Hound spend much time with Crosshairs, waiting for the sparkling to be ready to see the world. Though Ironhide and Ratchet have had a few more fun nights.

Three weeks pass before Ratchet finds out that he's sparked. Ironhide is overjoyed, and hugs Ratchet, and he wants to tell his brothers before any other bot.
"Congratulat—." Crosshairs is interrupted by pain before his water breaks.
"Someone else is excited," Drift smiles and helps Crosshairs to a room in the medbay.
"What timing," Hound smiles.
He and Ironhide wait to be allowed into the room.

Drift opens the door, smiling.
"It's almost time," he smiles but feels awkward explaining that Crosshairs' metra is opening.
Ironhide and Hound are allowed into the room. Neither remembers the last time they've seen Crosshairs without his paratrooper armor and forgetting the last time they saw him without his trench coat-like armor.
"He's naked, Ironhide," Hound jokes.
"Shut up!" Crosshairs scolds.

Ratchet has Jolt do the work and closely observes. The two didn't think Crosshairs would be ready in five hours. Everyone jokes the sparkling is in a hurry, though Ironhide and Ratchet's sparkling won't be born for months.
The two brothers and Drift couldn't believe how much pain Crosshairs is in, but the stubborn aft refuses any pain relief.
Jolt hid how terrified he is  and regrets not asking Ratchet if he could practice on a practice robot first. While terrified, he is happy that another cybertronian is being born. Hound only listens while Ironhide watches, happy that his brother is about to add to the family.
Ten minutes pass before everyone hears a crying sparkling instead of Crosshairs in pain.
"What is it, Ironhide?" Drift asks, smiling
"It's a (mech/ femme)," Ironhide announces.
The two brothers stay with the happy parents for a few minutes before leaving.

"I'm not even close to being ready," Ironhide hears Jolt.
"Don't worry; I will teach you," Ratchet assures him, "you did well for not having any training."
Ironhide smiles, seeing how happy Ratchet is, and soon the family will be a little bigger.