you know you are as small as the things you let annoy you {backdated before robot prom}

[asafepairofhands]

It's a little while after Sixshot has dug all of the medics up from whatever underground art bunker they had been briefly trapped in, miraculously without anyone killing each other, and Ratchet is back in the medibay at work. He is still half-legless and especially foul-tempered, especially considering the upcoming festivities, which he plans to avoid as completely as possible.

COME BOTHER HIM



[CLOSED TO RODIMUS]
It's not long after the medics are back that Ratchet sends a message to Rodimus privately, apropos of what seems like nothing.

Come to the medibay. I need to check something.

Comments

[officerjuicebox]

Oh, of course it'd happen. Of course, of all the stupid things, he'd pop a finger out of joint trying to fix a terminal in the building he'd taken up residence in. It was nothing major. Really, Roller just intended to patch it up himself. Borrow a couple tools and be on his way.

But as he steps inside, he's promptly smacked in the face with the sight of another familiar face.

"... Ratchet?"

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet starts, staring a little, his optics widening helplessly.

"Roller," he says, almost numbly, and barely manages to close his teeth on anything else. He has no idea when Roller is from, and it only takes him a second to get his bearings, shifting on his crutches slightly. "It's... been a while."

[officerjuicebox]

"... Yeah. If what Pax--Prime said is about where you're coming from."

Literally and figuratively.

He takes a few cautious steps forward, moving lightly for a big guy, and holding a hand out to try and steady the other bot. "Sorry, I didn't think anybody was in here. I um."

Pause. Cycle air.

"Hey. Again."

[asafepairofhands]

"Yeah." Ratchet shakes off his surprise and manages something like a smile up at Roller, his mouth crooked. "I'm all right, promise. Doesn't hurt or anything, I'm just stuck in root mode until I get it fixed. You been all right here?"

[officerjuicebox]

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt? Even a little? I mean... part of your leg's off."

Which is so utterly at odds with how he'd last seen Ratchet he doesn't quite know how to fully process it. In answer though... he looks away. Rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, it's easy being all right when everything thinks you're going to step on them."

Except I know what I did to Shockwave now and that's sort of horrible and also apparently I ditched my partner and --

"Or something like that. I have a TV now."

[asafepairofhands]

"Well, it was unpleasant at the time," Ratchet concedes. His paint job is a little altered from when Roller last saw him but mostly he looks... tireder. Older, somehow.

"Haven't seen you in a long time. It's--" His voice warms. "It's good. What's the last thing you remember? If you don't mind my asking."

[officerjuicebox]

Oh, yeah. He sees it. He doesn't want to, but he does. It shows in his expression, the way it falls slightly as he takes him in.

"Hey, always good seeing someone who doesn't... you know. Hate you." Not that one version of Shockwave did. But -- well. That depended on whether the other was even capable of hating him or not. "You probably don't want to know the last thing I remember. It wasn't exactly my most shining moment."