[ THE "DRIFT GOT HECKED UP BY TARN" CATCH-ALL POST ]

[auramatic]

Who: Drift, Rodimus, Ratchet, Megatron and whoever else wants to chime in
What: the inevitable fallout of the fucked up shit Tarn just did to Drift
Where: Red Alert's clinic
When: starting a few days after Tarn beat the shit out of Drift
Warnings: a lot of sad. a lot of gay

jk i'm lazy, thread starters below

Comments

[rodders]

Getting Ratchet to rest is a near impossible task, one that Rodimus knows well. It's one of those things he's just come to accept about the Chief Medical Officer - he's not even sure an order from him would get the other bot to stand down. Rodimus himself hasn't kept still, he's tried, sure, but no matter what he's always moving. It could be him just standing up and pacing around the clinic or fingers tracing a design into Drift's berth when the other isn't awake.

It keeps him occupied until something's going to be done, and that's all that matters.

His optics flick up once, meet Megatron's gaze, and narrow suspiciously. Not saying anything, because Drift's on the mend for all he can tell and maybe some of that is because of Megatron. But that doesn't stop his arms from crossing and giving Megatron a full on glare. So maybe he's a bit protective of Drift. Who wouldn't be after their best friend got mauled by someone who modeled his actions after the writings and beliefs of the person he's staring at?

Say something to him, Megatron. He dares you.

[aminerproblem]

Rodimus is ignored for a few minutes as Megatron continues his examination of Drift. Although lacking the sensitive built in instruments of the other medics, he'd managed to find some auxiliary tools to scan Drift with. They seemed to be behaving for the time being.

Taking readings and making tiny adjustments turns out to be the majority of what happens between major surgery and recovery, which is what he'd been intermittently doing while Drift was unconscious. Not particularly exciting or risky, and would have been utterly dull to look at if it wasn't Megatron who was doing it.

As it were, he'd gone through this routine several times before. Approach, scan, occasionally glared at by Rodimus, and leave. Only this time, something makes him look back.

"Can I help you?"

[rodders]

"This," he gestures at Megatron and Drift. Mostly at Megatron. "Is weird. Feel free to take offense when I say I'm not used to seeing you help people instead of killing them."

A novelty he doesn't like because he doesn't trust it. There's a choice to be made, and maybe this one is choosing the one that doesn't lead to four million years of war and killing and slaughter, but helping out in a clinic doesn't count for anything. Megatron at least grudgingly follows the Autobot code out of what Rodimus can only assume is necessity. He doesn't know with this one.

[aminerproblem]

"I don't think you'd prefer the latter," he adds curtly, which he realizes ends up sounding more threatening than intended after he says it.

Well, it should be obvious enough that he doesn't want them dead, so he doesn't retract it. He just does his last scan before putting the tools aside, and writes down notes on a datapad.

[rodders]

"Try it and see what happens." Megatron's might not have been a threat, and Rodimus' is simply a statement. He's worn out, stressed out, and doesn't have the time to deal with anyone else harming his crew.

But his curiosity for Drift's conditions momentarily wins out over the enormous amount of ill will he has for Megatron - any Megatron. "How is he?"

[aminerproblem]

Megatron just quirks a bemused eyebrow at that. Rodimus certainly liked to be inflammatory, and he's finding himself liking the Autobot's rebellious fire. As long as it didn't get in the way of patient care.

"His vitals have stabilized. For a while, I was considering asking if you and Drift had planned anything in case he was incapacitated."

But Ratchet, unsurprisingly, turned out to be an incredible medic. His systems would almost certainly return to completely normal function soon.

[rodders]

Your eyebrows don't even compare to the not-you that's wandering around, Megatron, don't even front. The implications of what Megtron has said completely go over his helm, however, and he just looks confused.

"Planned anything?"

Yeah, someone's going to have to elaborate on that.

[aminerproblem]

"Well, yes. If he's unconscious he can't very well tell us what he wants, can he?"

He puts the datapad down. Then again, Rodimus really didn't really seem like he spent too much time contemplating his life decisions, so maybe they hadn't brought it up.

"Not that it's relevant here, he should be up fairly soon."

[rodders]

"No, I got that. But why would you assume he'd talk to me about that sort of thing?"

They're best friends, sure, but that was left to people like Chromedome and Rewind, not-- himself and Drift. Also: rude, but accurate.

"Good. That's... really good."

[aminerproblem]

"I'd assumed you two were close. Excuse me if I'm wrong."

Rodimus wouldn't leave his side for days, that seems like something far stronger than a casual friendship.

But, maybe it was. Didn't hurt to ask in the case of medical matters, though.

[rodders]

"He's my best friend," Rodimus says - hand gripping Drift's forearm briefly before he lets it fall away, fingers brushing over the plating unnecessarily. "We just haven't seen each other in months before ending up here."

Which is all he's going to say to any version of Megatron about Drift's exile and ensuing fallout. He doesn't need to know any of that, as far as Rodimus is concerned.