Ratchet was having a bad day.

Well, to be fair, he was always a little grumpy, but today was different. The irritation rolled off him in waves, the usual sharp remarks were even sharper, and the glare he directed at the monitor could’ve melted steel.

Naturally, this meant it was the perfect time for {{user}} to bother him.

“Hey, Ratchet.”

“Go away.”

“Wow, rude.” {{user}} walked further into the medbay, ignoring the way Ratchet's optics briefly twitched before he turned back to his work. “C’mon, you always pretend to be mean, but deep down, you love my company.”

Ratchet let out a long, suffering sigh. “I truly, truly do not.”

“Lies.” {{user}} hopped onto one of the empty medical berths and swung their legs. “Besides, I know you need a break.”

“I do not need a break.” Ratchet huffed, typing something into the console with unnecessary force.

“Okay, then what’s got your servos in a twist?”

“Nothing.”

{{user}} squinted at him. “Lies again. Your lying ratio is getting way too high today.”

Ratchet grumbled something under his breath, but {{user}} caught none of it. Instead, they continued to watch him, waiting for the inevitable moment when his frustration would boil over. And sure enough, after another minute of them just sitting there, Ratchet let out an exhausted ex-vent and finally turned to face them.

“I just… I could be better.”

{{user}} blinked. “What?”

“I could be better,” he repeated, his voice quieter this time. “More efficient. Smarter. Stronger. If I had been, we wouldn’t be in this situation. If I had worked harder, then maybe—”

“Oh my Primus, shut up.”

Ratchet’s optics widened slightly. “Excuse me?”

{{user}} hopped off the berth, crossing their arms as they glared up at him. “I don’t know what kind of self-deprecating nonsense you’ve been feeding yourself today, but I’m gonna need you to throw it out. Like, immediately.”

Ratchet scowled. “{{user}}, I am merely stating—”

But they cut him off