touchscreens | [Voice]

[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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