rehab 3 WE'RE STILL GOING AT IT

[staygoldponybot]

Who: op and sentinel
What: THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF MAKING AN ASSHOLE FEEL BAD
When: post bang botanicals
Where: bar then other places
Warnings: Vodka Aunt sentinel


Unbeknowst to him, Sentinel's comm device was buzzing away, rattling across the floor. It had rolled off the table about an hour ago but he hadn't noticed.

Instead, Sentinel had made a somewhat decent decision to rewire his wrist mounted guns into non-lethal tasers. It wasn't anything outside his area of expertise - though admittedly, he was much better with guns that would actually kill. Ah, c'est la vie. Apparently during the goddamn war, someone decided murders were "unethical."

Anyway.

Despite trying to do something positive, Sentinel had also made the bad decision of drinking while doing so. It's made his concentration suffer but frankly, after what happened in Kaon, he's amazed he's not comatose in a gutter somewhere. Fuckin' Megatron. Fuckin' Decepticons. Fuckin' political apartheid that eventually and, he supposes in hindsight, inevitably violently spilled over the bubbling pot.

Fuckin' Megatron.

Comments

[staygoldponybot]

MAYBE HE IS, MAYBE HE ISN'T. ONLY TIME WILL TELL. It takes a few more seconds, but he manages to put himself back together and flexes his hand a few times to make sure all his fingers still worked. They're still all broken, but at least they respond to the pistons moving. Ow.

He watches Optimus for a second. Nope, still no idea how to describe his trip home without sounding completely insane.

"You first."

[optout]

If you're looking for pity on that, Optimus sure isn't going to notice and/or care. He's already got one body part he has to look out for for you, surely you can handle a broken pinky. Asshole.

But he starts to walk, making his way out of Macaddam's and holding the door open for him.


"I'll start with the obvious. What were you doing back there?"

[staygoldponybot]

Of course he was...n't.

"Tasers. I am rewiring them into non-fatal tasers."

He shrugs.

"I will be having my back cannons removed. Thought I might as well go the whole non-fatal hog."

[optout]

...

Can you see those eyes widening? That is genuine surprise right there.

"I'm...impressed."

He really is. He didn't even TELL Sentinel to do that (yet), but Sentinel had taken it upon himself.

"I could help you, of course."

[staygoldponybot]

Good, this is the reaction he wanted. Sentinel is not consciously aware he pretty much did this purely to impress Optimus.

"I can rewire my own weapon systems." Unless Optimus is referring to sticking his hands elsewhere.

...

"Uh. Thank you... for the offer..."

Is this how you do it right

[optout]

Well, consciously or not, you certainly did, Sentinel. He's impressed at both the fact that you decided to do this on your own AND that you actually followed through with it. It takes a moment for it all to sink in, actually.

"Ah, of course." An awkward phrase, as if he was caught off guard by it. Wiring was sensitive, and it was a little odd poking your hands into someone else's, now that he thinks about it.


"You're welcome."



...Okay that was weird.


"What was your question."

[staygoldponybot]

Dimming his optics, he presses a hand to his face and exvents heavily. Oh, boy.

"I..."

Well, there's not many ways around this. If Optimus thinks he's insane on being a complete psychopath... well. Sentinel doesn't imagine Optimus' opinion of him could get much lower.

"Went home. Then came back here. Somehow."

[optout]

It was so strange to see Sentinel hesitate like this. For someone who had no qualms about telling thing like they were--or even more so, bluntly--Sentinel was being awfully dodgy with this.

It shouldn't be this worrying.


...

Wait.

"You went home? HOW???"

[staygoldponybot]

"I don't know. I would've put it up to just a dream had it not been..."

He trails off, frowns.

"Several days. I only seemed to come back to consciousness here after Megatron killed me."

Kinda sucks that despite everything here, it still went the same way. Sentinel isn't sure what he expected, though. He doesn't really understand science enough to figure out how the timelines would've worked and the one time he tried drawing it out he got frustrated and punched a wall.

After a moment or two of silence, he reaches out and puts his hand on Optimus' shoulder, poking the Autobrand lightly with his fingertips. He's just realised he has genuinely no idea if any of this right now is even real or not.

[optout]

The touch is new, and his plating rises ever so slightly. Not out of being threatened, for once, either. No, it was just out of sheer surprise that someone would touch him that gently, let alone SENTINEL. His eyes flick to it, and flick back to Sentinel, stopping in his tracks for a moment.

"So you went home at the exact moment you left it, continued with your life and...came back."

A pause.

"You retained no knowledge of your time here?"

That shoulder may or may not lean slightly into that touch.

[staygoldponybot]

Tilting his head, Sentinel presses his thumb into it. Then drops his hand down. Okay, he's fairly certain Optimus is real.

"Don't know. I like to think I would not have fought Megatron if I had."

That's a lie, he hates Megatron enough that he absolutely would've even with what he's learned here. He just decides that pretending to not want to rip the miner to pieces and play kickball with his organs is better for his survival than admitting it.

He shrugs. "Maybe it was just bad energon."

[optout]

"....I believe you."

It's soft, as he looks away into the distance as they walk. The drive would have only been for a short while, but if they walk, it'll certainly be a lot longer.

"I've spoken with Cybertron and it told us it brought us here. If it did...there's no reason why it can't send us back."

[staygoldponybot]

Well... that's a step up from what he was expecting. Which was 'holy shit you're crazy get away from me!'

Sentinel's quiet for a moment.

"I suppose it thought I needed a little extra... persuasion. Seeing as I was back for all of half a day, died, then woke up here again."

He snorts.

"I'd almost take it as a threat."

[optout]

To be honest, once you speak to the planet you can't really make that argument ok. As much as he wants to deep down inside.

He waits for him to speak again, ears flicking ever so slightly.

"It's...possible. After recent events, I've come to the conclusion that it finds amusement in using us as playthings."

[staygoldponybot]

"...Recent events?"

Guess who was unaffected and pretty much slept through the whole thing? This guy. This guy did.

"Did something happen?"

[optout]

"..."


No. No he is NOT telling Sentinel about this.


"Nothing."

Optimus you are the absolute WORST liar.

[staygoldponybot]

Robot eyebrow: raise.

"Whatever happened you said was enough to make you believe this Cybertron considered us it's playthings."

His tone takes on one not unlike a mother who caught her kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"What was it."

[optout]

Why does he suddenly feel like he's in the hot seat now? Because...he really didn't want to admit this.

He'd rather do ANYTHING ELSE, honestly.


A large exhale.

"Cybertron decided to make us all...aroused. As a tactic to get us to get along."

[staygoldponybot]

Okay, remember when he let out that short laugh earlier? He's doing it again. Only more... hysterical. He can't help it, that's the funniest shit he's heard all year.

Sentinel doubles over for a moment, then puts one hand on his knee for support, wheezing. The other one goes to his face as he squeezes his optics shut while trying to calm down. Little pin prick light strands form at the edges of his optics and he makes a garbled noise not unlike 'oh my fucking god.'

[optout]

...

Something...strange is building up in Optimus. Something he hasn't felt since...since a long time ago, when he was but a cop in the Rodion district.

Anger.

His body doesn't move, not yet anyway, as all that rage builds up in him as Sentinel outright laughs.

And then, in one swift motion, he trips Sentinel up, sending him down to the ground before he can even blink.

[staygoldponybot]

Sentinel expected this, he just honestly didn't care.

He wheezes on the ground for a few moments.

"I'm sorry. I just--"

He doesn't know how to explain it. Better he laugh than vomit everywhere?

[optout]

...


"Are you finished."


He can step on you too, Sentinel, he doesn't mind.

[staygoldponybot]

After wheezing one more time, then coughing, he lets his head drop back onto the ground. Sentinel rubs his face, then exvents.

"Done."

Actually, he had more but y'know.

[optout]

"Good." His answer is curt at best, holding a hand out to help him up.


Which is saying a lot because he wants to throw you into acid right now.

[staygoldponybot]

Sentinel actually takes it this time.

"Seriously. My condolences. That must be awkward."

Not for him tho. He's never been happier to have missed a major event.