A/N: Here's a Valentine Day Special from me! (Even though it maaaaayyy be a little late XD)

This is a Raylor one-shot, so if you have not read anything about these two, I would suggest that you do! And if you have, I would also highly suggest reading the latest "OTP Questions" and "Raylor Headcanons" in my Raylor Bloopers and Headcanons book! Mostly because this One-Shot takes place after they've been married and have started living with each other. (This means Ratchet is in his holoform a lot, including all of this one shot.)

Be ready for some ANGST.

And then FLUFF.

~

Taylor sat on the couch, her fingers drumming against her leg. Her light blue eyes were slightly dazed, lost in thought as she stared at the ring on her finger. A small smile played at her lips as she lifted her hand, lightly touching the diamonds on her ring with her fingers. She played with the ring a little longer, thinking back to that day. She sighed softy at the memory, lifting her eyes away from the ring to once more glance at the clock, for what seemed like twentieth time. The clock hands daunted her, the time making her chest feel tight. It was half past six. Ratchet was supposed to have been home from his late shift nearly an hour ago.

She sighed, this time more out of worry and sadness, leaning back on the cushions and resting her head on the back of the couch, her head leaning upward. Her silver hair, now sliding past her shoulders and nearing her chest, gently tickled the back of her neck as she did so. The tingling sensations reminded her a little of when Ratchet held her and traced his hands behind her head and down her neck, sliding over her back comfortingly.

Those thoughts became the same ones that she had been pondering over for the past thirty minutes. Lately, Ratchet had been avoiding her. For the past two weeks, he hadn't been giving her messages from work to check up on her, like he normally did. He spoke to her in the morning, but all his conversations were distant. He used the excuse of work to avoid spending much time with her even after he came home. Meals were awkwardly silent. Even young Hospice was a bit unsettled by his sire's sudden distance and distress.

Why was Ratchet distancing himself? What had him so upset? What was making him so quiet?

Even though she was asking herself these questions, Taylor already knew the answers to these questions.

This had happened a few times before. Each time, it was similar feelings plaguing him. She could feel them sometimes, through their shared sparks. Despite how lonely he was as he forced himself to become more distant, the reason behind it was generally the same.

Ratchet did not feel he was enough.

She sighed, feeling a bit of tears sting in her eyes. The two of them had been through this many times. There were times when she just could not understand why he would think that; he was so perfect. He was always there for her, and for others when they needed him. He was protective, and in his own way, very kind and loving. He was smart, helpful, and a great mech. She saw all of these in him, even when he didn't, and she loved him for it.

However, deep down, she could sympathize with him. She had struggled with her own feelings of worth before, when her friends had all abandoned her. Though struggled more with her own identity and her feelings of loneliness, she could understand where he was coming from. Because of how much suffering he had seen, there were times where he felt his efforts were not enough. That he himself was not enough.

Even though she had always been everything she had needed him to be.

As she sat and waited, her mind wandering in these thoughts and her heart longing for her sparkmate, she heard little feet begin to walk through the house. She lifted her head as a five year old boy peeked out of the hall, his tousled white and orange streaked hair gently matted from sleep. His teal blue eyes rested on her, and in them, rested a child's innocent worry and curiosity. The mother smiled softly at her son, sitting up straighter and holding out her arms to him, no words needed.

Hospice brightened, quickly bounding over to her, his feet making louder patters against the wooden floor. He jumped into his mother's arms, hugging her waist. Taylor leaned down a little and squeezed him, resting her face in his soft hair and breathing in gently. It smelled of strawberries, like the shampoo the family loved, a soft, cheerful, sweet, and inviting smell. She rubbed his head a little before leaning back up, gazing at him softly and gently stroking his cheek with her thumb.

Her little boy smiled and started to crawl up into he lap. She helped him up, and she sat across her legs, his little body leaning against her chest. He gazed up at her with a bit of sadness. "Is sire gonna be late for dinner again?" he asked, his small voice a little downhearted.

It hurt her to see her son like this. She offered him a small, gentle smile, pained as it might be. "Yes. Sire's a little busier today." She gave him a warm side-hug, gently rubbing his back. "I'm sorry, sweetie. He probably got caught up."

"But he's not been coming a lot," he said, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Something's making sire feel upset." He crossed his arms with a pout, his cute little face scrunching up. "And I don't like it when you or sire are upset," he added firmly, nodding once as if he had just made a very proud point.

Taylor couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, feeling a sense of awe towards her own child. Hospice was definitely a special one. The boy had such enhanced intelligence, sometimes she thought he had the mind of an adult in a child's body. Still, he had a young boy's sense of naivety and innocence; but he was usually very keen to picking things up, including things going on in the family.

She sighed a little again, ruffling his hair a little. "That's very sweet of you. I'll talk to him. I'm sure he'll be alright. He just... has a rough time, sometimes. Everyone does," she told him, a little bit of sadness in her voice.

Hospice looked up, still frowning, though his eyes softened a little. He turned a bit and wrapped his arms around his mother firmly, as if to protect her from her own upset feelings. She returned the gesture, and the two of them remained there for several minutes.

She felt him coming before she even heard his engine. Her spark tingled a little, lifting in excitement, but also sinking at the depths of the despair she could feel in Ratchet's own spark. She lifted her head, her eyes catching his headlights out the window as he parked outside. She let go of her son and stood up, looking down at him.

"I'm going to talk to him alone for a bit, alright? Can you wait?" she asked softly, bending over and putting a hand on his shoulder.

He looked down at the floor a little dejectedly, but only for a moment. He raised his head again quickly, nodding with a cheerful smile. "Sure! I'll go teach Kitty some more math!" he said, his voice raising a little in pitch in excitement. "Can I please read a bit of sire's science book, too? I promise I won't bend the pages or the rim! Pretty please??" he begged, his eyes pleading.

Taylor chuckled again, standing up. "Alright, but be careful. Run into our room and get it. Stay there for a little bit, okay? Kitty should be resting there."

Hospice nodded delightfully, his previous worry gone as he ran back to his parent's room, where Ratchet had several books on earthly science. The young woman watched him go for a moment before sitting back on the couch. She didn't need to wait at the door to get him, she decided. She waited there, knowing when he came in, they would need to talk.

She could feel that he was reaching the point where he needed her.

He wouldn't resist being with her this time.

Taylor heard his keys jingle, and then the door handle turning. She sat still on the couch, staring down at her lap with her hands folded. Now that the time had come, she felt a little nervous and awkward. She took a deep breath as the door creaked open quietly; Ratchet needed this.

The medic closed the door silently behind him. Taylor glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and by just that she could tell that the emotional weight he was carrying was starting to drain him physically. His shoulders were a bit slouched, his eyes had dark rims under them, and his face was a painting of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. His wavy hair was slightly unkempt, most likely from running his hand through it several times. This time, as he began making his way back to the bedroom, he did not give his wife a "hello" or even a small wave. This honestly stung her a little bit; but she couldn't be angry at him for this. He was nearly past her when she called him.

"Ratchet," she said softly, not even looking back. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to let a feeling of calm wash over her. "Come here."

This was not so much of a command as it was a request. Still, Ratchet stopped in his tracks guiltily, as if he had been caught for doing something wrong. Perhaps, in his mind, he had. He turned his head and looked at her, although she wasn't looking at him. He said nothing as he nodded softly, turning around and walking into the living room. Taylor finally looked at him as he sat on the couch, and her spark broke a little. He looked even worse up close.

She reached up slowly, gently pressing her palm against his cheek. He sighed softly and leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. His pained expression relaxed ever so slightly, making her smile a little. She rubbed his holoform's skin with her thumb, watching him with careful and concerned eyes. He was silent for several minutes, slouched on the couch with his head cupped in her hand. Finally, his eyes opened slowly, resting on hers. She offered him the same smile, her hand sliding away from his face.

Without saying a word, she held out her arms. There was a moment of hesitation, the medic's expression flinching a little into one of guilt and deeper sadness. It only lasted for a second, however, and he slowly fell into her, resting his head in her shoulder and hugging her limply. Taylor wrapped his arms around him, closing her eyes as she squeezed him tightly for several minutes. They remained that way for a little while, the two of them holding each other.

Finally, Taylor loosened her grip ever so slightly, letting her arms relax so she could begin rubbing his back. She sighed softly and opened her eyes, staring ahead as her hands slid up and down his coat. She waited quietly, feeling him begin to tense. His arms lifted and he wrapped them around her tighter, his fingers starting to grip her shirt harshly.

Slowly, he started crying.

Ratchet was a silent cryer. Most of the time, Taylor couldn't even hear him sobbing, only hearing him sniff every once in a while. She could feel the wetness of his tears on his shoulder, and feel his body shaking as he sobbed. She could also feel his spark crying out, his emotions overwhelming him and spilling out as he cried into her. She remained silent for a while, letting him cry and let out everything he had bottled up.

"I-I'm sorry..." he finally whispered, his voice trembling. His fingers were holding her sweater tightly, the fingernails beginning to agitate her skin underneath.

She rubbed his back again, this time, sliding up to run her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "Why?" she asked a little.

He sniffed softly, taking ragged breaths that were uneven. "I.. I must seem like.. a failure to you right now," he said quietly, clenching his teeth.

Taylor was not surprised by these words, having heard them before. She held back a sigh, playing with his hair a little bit. She said nothing; right now, intervening would mean he most likely wouldn't let out all of his thoughts. She remained silent, and he eventually began to speak again.

"I look at other families.. I look at other couples," he began softly, "and I'm reminded of how little I can do for you. Even now... I know so little about your world. I.. I can't give you a normal life, no matter how much I try." He hugged her tighter, his shoulders beginning to shake harshly. "It seems as though.. I can never do enough.. for you.. for Hospice.. for everyone."

Taylor turned her head slightly, looking at the back of his head with a bit of surprise, her heart sinking. She had heard several reasons for his own self loathing and the feelings of not being enough, but most of them revolving around Team Prime and his own planet, or his own abilities as a doctor. However, it had been a long time since Ratchet had ever verbally said that he felt he wasn't enough for her. Her expression turned sad and she bit her lip, glancing away before replying.

"Ratchet," she said, moving out of the hug slightly. He was hanging his head, too ashamed to look at her. She gently cupped his chin in both of her hands again, lifting it up. She stared into his pained teal eyes, glistening with tears. She smile ever so softly at him, her sadness growing a little as well. Taylor felt horrible that her sparkmate had to go through this.

She rubbed his tears with her thumb, leaning forward and gently pressing her lips on his in a very soft kiss. "Ratchet," she said softly as she pulled away. "You are more than enough for me."

His eyes finally flickered up to hers, still wet and full of despair. He seemed unconvinced, but he was listening. He lifted his arms and gently took her hands in hers as she held his head up.

"I don't think I could have ever asked for a normal life," she said, her voice gentle. "I knew that before I married you." She rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs more, feeling a bit of her own tears rising. "I don't want anyone else. You take care of me just fine. You love me, you watch over me, and you're always thinking of me. Even now," she added with a chuckle.

His eyes softened a little as she spoke. He rubbed the back of her hands a little with own thumb, saying nothing so she could continue.

"It's okay, Ratchet," she said, her voice faltering a bit. "You're everything I needed when I was down, hurt, or unsure. You still are. Even if you make mistakes." She closed his eyes and pressed her forehead against his. "Everyone makes mistakes."

For a few moments, there was silence in the air. Finally, he sighed softly, letting go of her hands and taking her hand in his hands. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips as well, his eyes closed. She opened hers a bit and smiled a little under the kiss, rubbing his cheeks some more. The two of them held the kiss for a little longer, before letting go and pulling away, each of them with small smiles on her face. Ratchet pulled her into a hug again, this time resting his head on top of hers. She grinned and leaned her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you," he said eventually, his voice gentle. "You really mean all of that, don't you?" he said, in a more lighthearted tone.

She chuckled a little, pulling away from the hug for a moment. "Well, of course, or I wouldn't have said it!" she laughed, knowing a more loving and cheerful aura had returned. She moved back into the embrace, closing her eyes as she hugged him.

He sighed a little contentedly, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry for being this way. I am glad that you are hear to help me like this," he told her.

"You're alright," she told him in assurance. "I don't mind being here for you, you know," she added. She lifted her arm and gently brushed her hand through his hair again, even though she couldn't really see his face in the position she was in. "I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetspark."

The two of them remained in their embrace for a long time, each rubbing each other's backs and occasionally sighing softly. They would sometimes pull away for another short kissing session, running their hands down each others' faces or through their hair. Each time they pulled away, a little more light returned to their eyes as they smiled and chuckled at each other. Each time they pulled back into the hug they snuggled closer.

It was like a breath of fresh air after a long week of a storm.

"Mommy!" came a dejected voice. The two of them looked away from each other to the source of the noise, just in time to see their son running towards them. He bounded over to them and jumped in his sire's lap. "You can't have a cuddle without me! I told you!!" He squeezed into the middle of his parents, wrapping one arm around each of them before they couldn't react. "It's not allowed!"

The couple blinked down at him, not having expected a sudden bug attack from their son. They glanced up at each other, similar expressions on their faces. Mere seconds later, they both burst into laughter, squeezing their son into an even tighter hug. They tickled each other and hugged and laughed for several minutes, enjoying their time together.

Finally, nearly an hour and a half after Ratchet had come home, Taylor let go of the hug, taking Ratchet's face in her hands again. "By the way," she said with a smile as she kicked his cheek, "Happy Valentines Day."

~

Happy Late Valentines Day!! I'm sorry this is so late! I meant to get this done a while ago...

Anyway, do you remember that head canon I had? The one where Ratchet will cry into Taylor and spill everything and then they just CUDDLE??

I had someone request that I make a one-shot for it. So here it is!!

Hope you like it!

(Also, I posted this in my One-Shot book as well.)