Remedy

[winged_knight]

WHO: Wing and First Aid (as Wing wakes up), then anyone who decides to come by...
WHERE: Ratchet's Medibay
WHEN: Now. After this, and this, this, this.
WHAT: Wing wakes up in medibay, mostly recovered from the accident with Soundwave.
WARNINGS: None yet. Probably lots of FEELS though?



The accident with Soundwave's nightmare had taken them all by surprise, none more than Wing himself of course. He'd been out for a few days, and though he'd woken long enough for the medics to determine there was no permanent damage, the ache in his cortex was such that returning to blissful unconsciousness during recovery was better all around.

The anomalous activity of Wing's spark had been quiet for a few days now, the readings more within normal range, and the spike in brain activity also gone now that his own set of nightmares had ceased.

When the repair status of his systems reached certain tolerances, he's coaxed back to the waking world. Wing comes online slowly, step by step, diagnostics held in temporary check thanks to treatment protocols, to be run manually later after full system boot.

Amber light flickered from behind the shuttered optics, opening slowly to take in his surroundings. A groan as he put a hand to his helm instinctively. He raised up onto an elbow, trying to push through the disorientation and get his bearings.

~~~

A short time later, he'll be sitting on the med berth, still achy, disorientated and perhaps a touch distressed, but capable enough to carry on a conversation with anyone who comes by.

Comments

[inferiordude]

Funny enough, he was planning on stopping by the medbay specifically for Wing, if only because the guilt is laid on pretty fragging thick. Soundwave's messed up more than enough times, and this is one of the big ones. Even in comparison to all of the people he's let down in the past, this is directly by his hand.

It feels awful.

So he comes inside, quietly heading for Wing's berth.

And he's sitting up, awake.

Soundwave jerks back in surprise. Ratchet did say that the mech would be okay, but still!

"W-Wing!" There's such relief in his voice. "Dude, you're okay! ...You're okay, right?"

[lifepersists]

First Aid knew every patient he's had by name. It wasn't really much of an accomplishment in the general calm of Ratchet's medbay, but it was something that he had prided himself in. They weren't just part of his job; they were individuals as well.

First Aid didn't really know Wing very well. He understood Vandal and Drift were quite fond of him and they had exchanged some passing words, but not much. During Wing's recovery he'd taken to chatting to the unconscious mech as he watched over him.

Pharma's been... up to something lately. He's been spending more time at Ratchet's medbay because of it and that meant doting over Wing. It was just a routine check on the mech's progress; First Aid wanders in with a datapad in hand, then nearly drops it when his optics settle on him.

"Oh, you're awake!" He bustles on over, settling the pad down on a nearby table. He places his hands on the edge of the medical berth. "How do you feel?"

[raceme]

Saying that the lasts days had been troublesome was an understatement. Blurr had been so busy trying to stop Prism, starting the construction of the new building with McCrane, trying to figure out how to help Soundwave and getting into an argument with Gunmax that he didn't even notice that Wing and Drift were hurt until Vandal told him.

Now that Prism was trapped in his room, even if he was still a pain in the aft, Blurr had some time to visit his friends. He walked inside the medbay, actually walked because he was too exhausted to go running around when it was not necessary. He approached the white mech, smiling because he was really happy to see him, and trying not to sounds tired.

"Wing hello I'm glad to see you are doing better AND sorry for not coming to see you sooner."

[winged_knight]

The sound and movement catches his attention; he cycles his optics, gazing at the other mech. Wing's HUD identifies him as First Aid, and after a moment full recognition comes to him.

A tentative smile at a familiar face, despite the dull ache lingering in his head. "First Aid. It's good--"

His words are cut off as recent memory retrieval occurs, sensations flooding back to him from his nightmares. It's chaos, full of trepidation, pain and the need to fight or flee. It's different than his experience with Soundwave. Distant, as if not his body, yet felt in his very core. Most disturbingly, there's the overbearing notion that Drift is at the heart of it all.

A hissing in-vent as it happens, and he shakes his head in shock and dismay, the motion reminding him of his lingering aches. Terrible notions swim through his processor as he tries to comprehend it all, only adding to his disorientation.

"F-First Aid..." Wing reaches out, the other hand covering half his face. The words stumble out at first, getting tighter and more paniciky as he goes on. His grip, when he makes it, is hard with worry. "Drift. Where's Drift? Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay. And that nothing's happened!"

[sword_redemption]

He doesn't get back until late, and he feels the strain of the day in his servos--the sudden desperation, thinking he had a bomb in him, and then the rush to Vandal and then the sudden vertiginous relief from that. All while still healing from Prism's assault.

A day in the life, really. And he's never been so eager to get back to his berth in the Medibay. All he wants to do is curl up in a ball and just shut down for a while.

He nearly stumbles in the darkened Medibay....

[winged_knight]

Wing looks up at the sound of his name. He'd been lost in thought, not so much deep thoughts as many tiny fleeting ones, when Soundwave's greeting brings him back to reality. There's a sense of relief at sight of the other mech, whom to Wing's understanding had left medibay before his treatment was done.

"Hey." Wing offers a sincere if somewhat frail smile and waves the other mech over. He doesn't want what happened to create awkwardness between them. "I'm okay. Still working towards 'good' but you know, these things take time." There's no bitterness in his tone, just truth.

He tilts his held, "What about you?"

[winged_knight]

Wing had a lot of odd, squirrelly thoughts running about his head. Maybe it was a side effect of his recent experiences or just restless boredom, but they were thete and he figured getting them out might help. He'd been making notes, catching his random thoughts in a datapad when Blurr enters.

He looks up and manages a smile for the blue mech. "Hello Blurr. It's good to see you." He waves off the apology, "I've only been awake a few hours. If you'd come much earlier I wouldn't have been much of a conversationalist."

Judging by the other mech's words and the slack way he carries himself, Wing can guess Blurr's been busy. He just hopes it's with good things.

"How are things? I was out for longer than I expected. And oh, I'm sorry our earlier conversation got cut short. That wasn't intentional of course." A rueful twist of his mouth, that was about the time his visit to medbay had become an extended stay.

[winged_knight]

Had he forced the issue, Wing probably could have gone home to rest. There was no real physical danger anymore, just the informative desire the medics had to monitor for any resurgences of anomalous activity. Both sets of Wing's circumstances had been unusual, which often made medics take extra precautions.

In truth Wing had little desire to object. He hoped that if Drift had been in medibay earlier that the grounder might return here. It was his best hope for catching him. But it'd gotten late so he'd started a full internal diagnostic running and slipped into a light recharge.

So there Wing is, quite literally lying in wait, stretched out on a medberth half on his belly. Dim moonlight from a nearby window catches on the lines of his wings, turning them silvery. The panels rustle gently as Wing stirs, the jet making a soft sound as he ex-vents an uneasy sigh.

[raceme]

"Even if you weren't awake..I ^should have noticed sooner I should have paid more attention to things..." Lately it's like nothing he does is enough. He should have stopped Prism sooner and he should have found a solution to help Soundwave already but he wass out of ideas. Blurr gave Wing another smile to try to cover up the tired look on his face.

"I contacted mcCrane and we started talking about the Rec building and all that needs to be done before we even start constructing anything. And how are you feeling now? Do you need anything? Are you hungry? I can go get you something? Were you bored? "

[inferiordude]

With some hesitation, he does approach, as if he's afraid that just being in Wing's vicinity will cause the other Cybertronian to implode or something. Soundwave pauses, fidgeting, before he goes in to pull Wing into a tight hug.

"I-I'm good, I--"

He exhales through his vents. "I'm. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Wing. It was an accident and, like, I'd totally understand if you never ever wanted to see me again or somethin'."

[winged_knight]

It's true that the concept of what Soundwave is capable of is dismaying on several levels. And there's an instinctive part of him that tenses when the mech dips in for the hug, but the fond crush of Soundwave's arms and the penitent touch of his field dismiss it and Wing wraps the moral officer in a forgiving embrace.

Rather than release him immediately, Wing tucks his helm in near Soundwave's audio and speaks until he feels some of the tension ease.

"I could tell you didn't mean it 'Wave. That's not the kind of mech you are. Mistakes are made, bad things happen, but I'm not going to make a bad thing worse by refusing to be your friend." He vents softly, giving a firmer squeeze before loosening his grip a bit. "I'm sorry Prisim hurt you so badly that you still feel the need to lash out. But you've got a strong sp--ember, you'll heal in time."

[winged_knight]

Blurr's dedication is something Wing has yet to seen the end of; it's quite admirable.

"Don't worry yourself over it too much, I know you would have been here had you known and had the chance. I get the feeling things have been hectic?"

His Link access had been limited to make his recovery easier, so he's only gotten bits and pieces of news here and there.

"Oh that's great!" All of this had happened right after he'd done so much to coordinate the gathering of materials for the Rec building. "Soundwave did mention that he had some ideas and could draw up blueprints, I was going to introduce him to McCrane..." And well, that's when things got a touch difficult.

"I'm doing well enough. Still a bit achy and it seems like everything's a bit jumbled." His chronometer had reset, his comm feeds had been scrambled and just about everything that required calibration well, still needed to be checked and probably re-calibrated. "But aside from that I'm healthy. And Ratchet been good about getting me what I need."

He looks down at the datapad in his hands. "I was making some notes to pass the time. On the Rec building, the legal stuff he'd been talking about earlier, a few other things..." Possibly of a narrative fictional nature that he won't share with anyone.

[sword_redemption]

After all that, he can't settle down, the fading frantic energy making him restless, like static through his sensor net. It's dark, so he's moving slowly now, pacing each step, feeling the difference between the daytime bustle and the night time silence.

He pauses in one doorway arrested by the soft sigh, letting his optics rove over the intricate shapes of Wing's armor. The sound is unhappy, almost, Drift thinks, as though he can sense Drift's proximity.

"_{I'm sorry.}"

[inferiordude]

The hold that Wing provides in return makes him settle a little, less nervous, but he still frets internally. He knew what he did, he feels awful for it, he wishes he could take it back, but. You can't; you accept your mistake, and you carry on with the consequences.

"I was just... I was scared," he murmurs, feeling a little ridiculous for it. Usually, Soundwave is the one to help people with their nightmares. In this case, though...

Soundwave is a bit ashamed. He hurt a friend, and he ran away from the medbay because of it.

"I'll manage. Always do. I just... I've never done that before." Soundwave's visor dims in worry. "Never been an issue."

Of course, he's always been trying to avoid the telepath thing for ages. Trying to never use it. It crops up here and there, but he tries to pretend it doesn't exist. Lately, that's been failing.

[winged_knight]

The sound of footplates carrying through the hall stirs him further from his slumber; the murmur of a voice pulling him to wakefullness. Wing's helm lifts as he pushes up to an elbow, the white tips of his audials turning in the dark until the gold glow of his optics rotates into view.

He's uncertain, all he can see is the tilt of the blue optics, but his tone is hopeful. "...Drift?"

[winged_knight]

"Fear is a terrible burden Soundwave. It's not small thing to deal with." His voice is gentle and small, he speaks like he understands this better than one would guess.

"Guilt is, as well. And they tend to go hand-in-hand." Wing wishes he could grant complete absolution the same he offers his own forgives, but he knows that Soundwave has to forgive himself for that absolution to happen.

"Why do you think it happened?" It's a tentative question, since it's not a happy subject and Wing's not certain Soundwave wants to talk about it, but if it helps him feel better than it's worth it.

[inferiordude]

Today, he doesn't think he can forgive himself. Rarely does he. All he can do is turn, look at himself, and say do better. So he works at that. It's not quite like forgiveness, but it works.

His mistakes stay, like a notch in his ember. They never really go away.

"Well, I don't..." He can't approach the subject in true detail. Soundwave rarely experiences his own nightmares and that was probably the bigger issue; he usually dreams something else, from people around him. Maybe his own experiences have just been catching up on him?

"Not sure," Soundwave says carefully. "But... I guess. It's hit me a lot harder than I thought. A-ain't the first time I'd been cut open, but this was... brutal, I guess. Almost more invasive..."

[sword_redemption]

Frag. He'd tried to be quiet; the last thing he wanted was to disturb Wing when he should be healing.

"Yeah. It's me." What else could he say? He doesn't move closer into the room, one hand wrapping nervously around the door's frame.

[winged_knight]

It wasn't the first time he'd woken to the sound of footsteps, or that someone had stopped to look in on him, or that he turned towards the door to see who it was...and hoping.

But this time Wing is rewarded with what he's been waiting for.

A soft sound full of relief as he pushes to sit up. "I'm happy to see you. I was--are you, alright?"

[sword_redemption]

'Happy to see him?' Drift hung in the doorway, fingers clenching as if to steady himself.

"I'm fine. Sorry. Got back late and couldn't recharge." He offers a wan smile.

[raceme]

He's many things and not exactly perfect, but he is very determined when it comes to help others.

"I wish It was that easy not to worry." He wants to protect mechs like Wing not only because it's his duty but because he consider them friends. He doesn't have many of those. One of his hands moves to Wing's berth and his optics lower briefly. He wants to touch the other bot to make sure he's really there and safe but that might not be appropriate nor wanted.

"Hectic doesn't cover it BUT things had been mostly taken care of now so don't worry about it and rest There still important things that we need to fix but I will find a solution eventually." There's a brief nod and a happier smile.

"There's time to do that later when you all are feeling better. I Am not sure about what happened to you Vandalonly mentioned that you went on stasis." He gives the datapad a brief look."Oh..I keep those in my processor It's unhackable." Being a secret agent his brain is the best place to keep important information." Fanfics, uh? FA hobbies rub on people

[winged_knight]

"Good." It's one word, but it holds the easement of so much worry. Wing ex-vents some of the tension he didn't realize he was holding.

He raises a hand and beckons gently. "Would you join me? I'm not...recharging well either." Wing's optics tilt in the darkness and his voice carries a longing, for company, for comfort. "Please?"

[sword_redemption]

Like Drift could ever refuse Wing. Especially when Wing was asking what he, in his spark, wanted to do.

He steps over the threshold, one hand raised. "Not recharging? Do you want me to find Ambulon or First Aid?" Because they could help: Drift could not.

[winged_knight]

A rueful chuckle comes at that. "No, no, I've bugged them enough. It's just..." He shrugs, "Been down for days and kind of restless I guess."

If medics were what Wing needed then he'd be more than satisfied. No, what he needs is right here now.

[sword_redemption]

"Restless?" He edges a bit closer. "You sure you're all right?" He feels guilty for not visiting earlier. He stops about a hand's reach from the berth, just taking in Wing's frame in the moonlight, rapt and breathless.