Setting this in a soupy continuity where the LL returns to Cybertron but they’re going to make sure nobody’s dyingggg so we can all enjoy soap opera levels of drama:
Wheeljack and Ratchet have always this unspoken thing for each other. But with the war and post war stuff it never quite happened, though the mutual feelings are still there. Ratch, of course, as someone who’s crap at giving goodbyes doesn’t get out his feelings for Wheeljack before they leave. Lost Light happens, he falls for Drift and they’re conjunxed, somewhere in there IS a Wheeljack conversation, but with all the shit going on it’s a lot of maybes and ideas of what could happens between them all rather than any concrete plan.
Plans for the universal jump happen and that also throws a wrench into things and cause the opposite of talking about Wheeljack because you know, better world out there, freedom and adventure, and nothing would probably be harder to think about then idea of leaving the other love of your life behind in a completely different universe. (Drift tries to get him to open up, but this is one Ratchet is 100% being stubborn about until after the jump.)
The jump…doesn’t happen. Plans change, Mags and Roddy have made a plan that’ll help with Megs on Cybertron (tho we won’t focus on that here), the point is though, that as the lost light now is on the road home, it’s time for the much tougher Wheeljack conversation because being on Cybertron means seeing him and Drift wants Ratch to be happy with his dream polycule dammit (he’s also totally not fantasizing about him and ratch sharing a science bf, nuh uh.) which means planning, and drift and Roddy having terrible ideas together while ratchet facepalms because someone of these might just work because well, Wheeljack.
The trouble however comes, when once they arrive on Cybertron, news about their junxing spreads rapidly and suddenly, Wheeljack is impossible to find, with the only lead being his Amica. The problem with that though? His amica is Starscream, who absolutely is not taking their want to see Wheeljack in good faith.
HEHFGWG OH NO
Really interesting good!protagonists versus good!antagonist dynamic here, especially depending on how we go about Starscream here, and there is such s nice scene in Starscream not trusting dratchet with Wheeljack's emotional wellbeing here
I am absolutely supporting dratchjack poly here, I'm really curious as to how Drift and Wheeljack's dynamic would pan out :3
(There is SUCH a fun evil scene in them meeting Wheeljack again after the quest and Wheeljack is frustrated with Ratchet leaving without saying goodbye, especially considering how Ratchet initially treated his trip on the LL like his own death/retirement [pretty much the same thing to him at that point])
Many fun emotions here, and intriguing consequences to making a new ending that isn't the main ending or the alternate ending!! (Especially if there's a happier ending in mind for Ratchet, Drift, and Wheeljack here :3)