touchscreens | [Voice]

I've been through worse, I promise.

[He makes his voice as reassuring as possible and steps out into the hallway. Sure, he doesn't look good, but he can still walk so that's something. Rewind's gesture towards him makes him hesitate, completely unsure how to react to it.]

Let's do the walking and talking thing. Hopefully I'll be able to avoid trouble by hanging out with you.

I know you have. That's not going to make me worry less.

[The little bot notices Chromedome's hesitant reaction to his gesture and very awkwardly lowers his hands back by his sides. He's so used to Chromedome's body language and gestures just meshing perfectly with his own that it's kind of strange and terribly upsetting for his signals to be missed or ignored. But right, walking and talking... Something else to focus on.]

Why do you think I haven't left your side for so many years? Seems like any time we're apart, one of us gets into trouble. [Injecting, buying 'snuff' movies, sneaking around... Technically the whole Overlord incident could have been prevented if he'd kept a better eye on Chromedome. Maybe that was where they should start.] ... Let's walk down to the lake, that should give us enough time to talk about everything on our minds. [And without further ado, Rewind is already heading in that direction.] Do you mind if we start with a talk I promised we'd have before everyone thought I was dead...? How much do you remember of the incident with Overlord?

Edited (I can't TYPE) 2014-07-27 23:40 (UTC)

[Chromedome's shoulders stiffen at the mention of Overlord. Really? They're going to start with that? He wonders how much the little guy knows.]

All of it. Overlord escaped and I ended up blasted him into space. Lost my arm when I dislodged the sword that was jamming the doors.

[Which is an extremely condensed version of the story.]

What sort of talk were we going to have?

[Rewind narrows his optics at the bigger mech.]

... I don't know if you'll believe me, but I hope you give me the benefit of the doubt considering you scrambled your circuits. I'm the one who dislodged the sword. You tried to stop me, and jammed your arm through the door, so... I cut off your arm. But I guess none of that really matters now...

We were going to have a talk about why you lied to me. You promised me you wouldn't inject anymore, and then you went behind my back and started injecting on Overlord. I still don't know why Overlord was on the ship in the first place, why you were injecting on him, or why you thought it was okay to lie to me about it...

[Rewind sighs and folds his arms over his chest as he walks.]

I'm still... so upset about all of it. I need to know why it happened. I need to know what you were thinking that made you believe what you did was okay.

[OH BOY.]

...You know, on second thought I think I hear Magnus calling me.

[He stops walking and starts edging away.]

[Annnd Rewind is severely regretting this route of a topic. Maybe he should've known he was pushing his luck with asking him about this first, even if it was the one answer he was quite literally dying to know.

He stops and turns on a dime the instant he notices Chromedome inching away, rushing forward and grabbing his hands tightly.]

Stop. Please. I'm not mad at you. I'm just trying to understand. Just give me an answer, tell me the truth, and then we don't have to talk about it anymore.

You want the truth?

[He vents heavily and glances away. All of this isn't really going the way he'd hoped it go. He thought they'd be getting to know each other, not directly confronting Chromedome's broken memories.]

One word: Prowl.

[Rewind stands there in silence for a moment, looking down at his pedes.]

... That explains a lot, actually. In fact, that explains everything. You don't remember, but I was there for the argument you had with Prowl just before take off...

[So this was what that had all really been about. Obviously Rewind has more follow-up questions, wondering what Chromedome had even been doing in the first place, but he thinks he can get those details from Magnus instead. And he doesn't want Chromedome trying to run away again.

Rewind doesn't let go of Chromedome's hands, instead turning his gaze back up to him, looking apologetic.]

... Your turn. You can ask me something now. If you're still up for this.

He

He wanted me to do it and wouldn't take no for an answer. I didn't want to inject anymore I honestly can't remember why but he kept insisting. Eventually he just stuck Overlord on the ship and I had no choice at that point. You don't say no to Prowl. He doesn't care what you think.

[Chromedome has been so wrapped up in the past Prowl that he's almost forgotten his hatred and resentment towards the present Prowl. Bitterness edges into his voice and his hand tightens around Rewind's.]

I'm up for this. Just... just give me a moment.

I understand. I get it.

[And something- probably common sense- is telling him that Chromedome isn't the only person on board who was coerced. In fact, he knows that Drift was also involved. And likely several others.

Rewind looks down at Chromedome's hand clutching his own. It's so strange to think that the needles that caused both of them so much grief just aren't there anymore.]

Take your time. And let me know if I'm overstepping my bounds with anything I'm saying. I'm used to us being more... y'know, intimate.

I don't... mind.

[He doesn't either. The idea of being intimate with someone fills him with longing. As if there's a great big hole in his spark that's desperate to be filled. Maybe Rewind will be the one to make it better. His thoughts drift towards Prowl and he guiltily pulls himself away from them.

Rewind's hand, however, he continues holding onto. It feels nice.]

Okay, let's start with... favourites. What's your favourite movie? Colour? Numbers? Have you been paying your tab at Swerve's bar?

[Rewind tilts his head curiously at Chromedome. He didn't expect Chromedome to be so okay with the intimate little habits Rewind had developed over the many, many centuries they'd been to together. Well, he's at least glad for the leniency. And of course that's what he views it as, leniency, not longing.

Letting go of one of Chromedome's hands, Rewind squeezes his other, small fingers shifting to lock with his as he tugs him along, back on their walk.

His questions make him actually laugh a little. Rewind wasn't sure what he'd been expecting Chromedome to ask first, but that wasn't it.]

Do you actually care or are you just being funny? [It's a rhetorical question; Rewind decides to answer his questions anyway, because he knows Chromedome doesn't remember any of the answers. Some small part of him hopes it'll spark some kind of recollection, despite being more than aware that that wasn't how mnemosurgery worked.] Favorite color: gold. Favorite number: 1024. Both cliché answers, I know.

I have been paying my tab at Swerve's, and I made sure you were paying yours too, so if you were wondering why you ever bothered, mystery solved.

Also, I have over four million years' worth of footage on my hard drive, and several hundred thousands of movies... Asking me to pick a favorite is pretty much next to impossible. I can say without a doubt, though, that I could narrow it down to the footage that I've taken. That footage is a lot more important to me than any movies I've collected.

Hey, hey.

I'm perfectly capable of remembering to pay my own goddamn tabs!

[Most of the time.]

Okay, so tell me. What's your favourite footage? I think Magnus told me you were an Archivist, so I'm guessing you have a little bit of everything?

[Anything of them, he wonders. Of the time they've spent together? Of course there is, but Chromedome's not entirely sure he's ready to see it just yet. But he has to keep going. He wants to make Rewind happy.]

[Rewind laughs a little, shaking his head at Chromedome.]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[He pauses in response to Chromedome's question, unsure of exactly how to respond to it. Yes, he has a countless amount of footage of the two of them... if he really tried to, he probably could narrow that footage down to a favorite clip. But while Chromedome's probably not ready to see it, he doesn't think he's ready to share it.]

It's... a little personal. Sorry. [Annnd moving on from the awkward answer.] But if you'd like me to share something, I think you'd probably appreciate the documentary about the Lost Light Rodimus asked me to put together! I can even show you the version that Ultra Magnus didn't censor.

Hey, is it my turn for a question now?

No.

[He hasn't "smiled" in weeks. So this is what it feels like to be Magnus. Strange.]

[Rewind tilts his head at him, smiling back.]

Alright, fine. But you've got to let me talk to you about some of the really important stuff eventually. We can't put it off forever, as much as I know you want to. So, what else do you want to know?

Okay... What sort of things did you and I do together before I...

[He hesitates. So far he's avoided saying what he did out loud. Rewind's right, he can't putthis off forever. He wants to, but he can't.]

How... How much did we love each other? It must have been a lot, because even now I feel like we have a connection. A deep one. I want to make you happy... is that weird to say? But I can't because I'm such a-

[Miserable, stupid, mess-up who destroys the lives of everyone he comes in contact with.]

I just find it hard to believe that I ever deserved your love.

[Rewind goes quiet as he lets Chromedome talk. He squeezes the bigger mech's fingers gently, trying to comfort him, reassure him somewhat.]

... Chromedome, nobody means any more to me than you. I can't even attempt to measure how much we loved each other... I want to think it was immeasurable. [He moves to walk closer to him, thumb stroking the back of his hand.] You're the one who deserves to be happy. I know you don't believe it, because you never did, no matter how many times I've said it... but I don't care what you think, or what anyone else thinks. It's the truth. You deserve to be happy.

[Rewind averts his eyes down towards his feet, remaining silent for a moment, letting his words hang in the air. He then turns his gaze upwards, towards the stars.]

... One of our favorite pastimes was stargazing and making up constellations.

[That sounds far too wonderful to possibly be true. There's absolutely no way that someone like him could have won the love of someone as kind and loving as Rewind. Streaks of light start to float from his optics, and he sinks to his knees to wrap his arms around Rewind's tiny shoulders. Rewind is so much smaller, but Chromedome feels like the archivist is far stronger than he'll ever be.

A long moment passes as Chromedome allows himself to feel how warm and solid Rewind is. He can convince himself that Rewind is real.]

Losing you must have been agonizing.

[He whispers, light leaking from his optics heavier now.]

I'm sorry.

And it might mean less than it did before but... I... love you.

[Or he was currently falling in love, but the exact wording doesn't matter.]

If that's wrong...

[Rewind's body seizes up at the unexpected gesture. He's stunned into silence, trying to process the fact that Chromedome is currently hugging him and holding him... Sure, this gesture was familiar to him, to both of them, so it shouldn't feel so strange. But of course, that's the big thing. It's familiar. And suddenly the strangeness of it melts away, as clarity dawns on him: Their relationship really did go beyond just memories and experiences. It had a foundation so deep and so profound that not even the most skilled mnemosurgeon in the universe could erase that or cover it up. Rewind isn't exactly a big believer in fate, but if any two bots in the whole of existence were simply meant to be together, he thinks that it really must be them.

Slowly, the small mech curls his arms around Chromedome in return as he presses his cheek to the much larger mech's spark casing, his own spark beating faster.]

... You love me? [His voice is small and crackling as tears of light begin to streak from his own optics, his grip around Chromedome's waist growing tighter.] I... I don't know if I understand...

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