harderfasterwrecker | CYBERFORMED 2.0 TIME

Can we talk?

[Pause.]

In person.

[More pause.]

About Tailgate.

Ooooh?

What'd Panic Legs do now?

[ He's not...very minorly worried. No. ]

What? He hasn't- [No wait.] -He may have stolen space drugs with Riptide, but that's besides the point.

Can we meet? In your room.

Oooo! Well, I know the next call I am making!

[ There's a beat. ]

Yeah, yeah. Come on over. Not like you haven't invaded my space before.

[He has regrets.]

It's not an invasion if you invite me in, Whirl.

[But in short order he's knocking at Whirl's hab-suite door, looking... uncertain.]

It's an invasion when I say it is!

[ That said, Whirl actually opens the door for him. And this time he doesn't even have a gun aimed at him! ]

Come on, come on. Time to spill to ol' Whirlybird about what's on your brain module.

[Cyclonus has come all this way to talk about his feelings. Again. But he's not going to be quick about it.

He takes a moment to look around Whirl's new hab suite. Another moment to settle down. Crosses his arms. Uncrosses them. Steeples his fingers instead.

Finally:]

You don't remember this, in the same way that I don't remember your army of sparkeaters, but before I came here we were together aboard another ship, the Moira.

Tailgate was there as well.

...He proposed to me.

[Whirl drops himself down into a chair, kicks up his feet, and stares Cyclonus down. This is an entirely familiar situation, isn't it.]

Good for panic button-

Wait! Is this cause othergate and this one aren't the same or some weird slag cause I'm gonna remind you about the multiple Rewinds if that's the case.

No, it's not that. It's...

[He pauses and pinches the bridge of his nose then drags his hand down his face before nervously clasping his other wrist.]

...I turned him down.

[ His optic cycles on and off ]

I'm sorry, you what?

I was... ill at the time. That's not an excuse, but-

[A heavy sigh.]

It was a mistake.

[ Whirl rocks so far back in his chair that it looks like he's gonna knock it over. ]

You're tellin me, that panic button took a look at your miserable self, said 'think I'd like that for keeps' and you said 'EH MAYBE NOT'

[ Whirl rocks the chair back forward until he's up out of it and physically grabs Cyclonus by the shoulders. ]

Was that 'sick' in the head??? Cause that's how it sounds!

We've had this conversation before. More or less. [He still has the conversation recorded on his MID. He's listened to it several times since his arrival.

He doesn't defend himself from Whirl's claws, just looking sad and tired as he's grabbed.]

It was Dark Universe contamination, if you must know. [So yes, sick in the head and body, actually.]

But that's irrelevant now, because I want to... I want to correct my error.

[ Whirl looks at him very closely, and then shakes him once real well just to make himself feel better. ]

Glad to know every version of me has some sense.

[ He takes a step back and shakes out his claws and himself just in general. Like an irritated cat. ]

So now you're looking to pop the question and hope he's still got the same terrible taste.

Which, for the record, I am sure he does.

Yes, I would like to- He means a great deal to me-

[Dammit, if he can't manage this here, with Whirl, then how is he supposed to say it to Tailgate later? And despite his deep discomfort with saying things that he would prefer to express in other ways... Tailgate deserves to hear it.

He wrings his hands hard enough hard enough to flake his paint.]

Whirl, I love him.

[ Whirl hooks his own claws over his helm, and watches Cyclonus through them as he fights through finding words.

Once upon a time he would have found this funny. Now he can't tell if he's irritated or just happy that Cyc can spit out the words at all, even being as far back and emotionally constipated as he is.]

Yeah. And? What are you gonna do about it? You're halfway to Junx-ing just cause'a all your...[ Vague claw waving. He means all the stabbing and getting shot and all that. ]

[This is basically a dress rehearsal for admitting his feelings to Tailgate.

And also maybe some part of him was still expecting Whirl to go 'you're stupid and don't deserve Tailgate, go take a long walk out a short airlock' even after their various conversations to the contrary.]

Halfway isn't good enough. I want to do this right. I should... I should get him a gift.

[This is the Cyclonus version of nervous rambling.]

[ At one point? He would have. Unfortunately Whirl has gained...*gag* a decent opinion of Cyclonus, and he has no reason to try and keep them apart otherwise...

Also, to his great irritation, he's invested now. He actually....likes both of these idiots. He got to see them after they finally figured their slag out, and it was actually...

They were happy. People like them don't get that.]

Gift. ....Giiiiiift. Right.

[ He makes a dramatic mechanical sound.]

Do you have any ideas, or am I gonna have t'help.

I admit gift-giving is... not one of my strong suits.

[Basically all of Cyclonus's personal belongings are utilitarian or gifts with sentimental value. Sometimes both. He's not a big possessions guy.

But Tailgate is, so...]

[ His optic narrows. ]

One of these days you're gonna have to list some of those strong suits for posterity's sake.

[ He cracks his neck and stretches his claws. ]

'Kay so, I am just gonna say, Hoverboard should probably be out if we want to continue having walls.

I can swing a sword. [There are deserts that aren't as dry as his voice.

But it's quickly followed by a huff of amusement.]

It would be difficult to top the one Ten made him, anyway.

[He rubs at his chin, thinking about the things Tailgate has showed an interest in. Besides space drugs.]

We already have a pet...

[ He waves Cyclonus off. Yeah yeah. Talk up the fighting skills, purple people eater. ]

Well, the problem is the number one thing I know he likes is you which doesn't exactly give us much to go on.

Problem is, we don't have the rest of the Minibot squad to ask. And Rewind's been married forever twice so I bet he's got pointers.

[ He is just kinda babbling. Don't mind him ]

[They are both making this far more difficult that it needs to be.

He thinks. He thinks deeper.]

...perhaps I should ask Riptide. They're friends.

They are.

[ Said in a way that....somehow is vaguely insulting. ]

Can't you just say gift giving isn't a part of your religion???

[That's remarkably tempting. And not entirely untrue.]

Tailgate deserves nice things.

CYBERFORMED 2.0 TIME

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