thefolder | If you can't adapt, you'll rust. [Closed]

Who: Wheeljack & Bulkhead
What: Arcee tells Wheeljack to make amends with Bulkhead. And finally stops running away from him/them.
When: Post-battle
Where: Out on the sidewalk, where else?

Arcee told him to try. And Wheeljack, knowing full well when he was in the wrong, despite his reluctance to admit it, said he would. Granted, it was underneath the disguise of a bet, but it was one he knew that both of them weren't going to take seriously. The bot had always remained distant from the other members of the team until recently. When he arrived, Arcee pushed him away, and he in turn remained curt with Bulkhead. It wasn't a family, it was three soldiers in the same predicament.

That is, until Arcee and Wheeljack both extended a proverbial hand in friendship. And maybe have given each other advice. Some that he should probably put to work. So when he calls Bulkhead saying he wants to meet at the same spot he was at the day he got burgers, well...

He brought burgers. Eating had become something of an everyday thing for him, whether he knew it or not.

It made things easier. He just wished he knew how to say what desperately needed to be said. Maybe it'd come to him. You, on the other hand, was scampering in the grass from a distance, where he kept a close watch on her.

When did things get to be this complicated?

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The last two months had been strange, with a ton of stuff to adjust to. Between sudden humaness and now having this digital partner. Not to even mention just the going ons of the city they were in. Doing the menial jobs to earn cash here. The lack of action grated on him, the old routines from back home gone, and having to find new ones. It's been rough, but knowing that he wasn't alone here had helped immensely. That Wheeljack and Arcee were going through the same things he was, even if Arcee had been here longer.

Still, the stuff happening recently has done him some real good. Between the invasion, and then that battle out at the Dark field he'd gotten involved in. It perked him up. It felt good to be back out on the battle field, fighting stuff again. Working in a team for the same purpose. In the end he was tired, but it was a good tired. The kind that came from a successful mission.

When he gets the call from Wheeljack about wanting to meet up, he's glad for the chance to meet up with him. He remembered the spot, so he and Boulder headed there. It didn't take them long to find Wheeljack and You.

"Hey Jackie." Bulk's moving to sit down next to him, though not too close.Boulder meanwhile settles down nearby, idly watching You scamper in the grass.

"Hey Bulk," Wheeljack managed to get out as he finished that burger. Funny, as soon as he arrived, he didn't feel quite as hungry. A shocking revelation for him, who'd had the impossible-to-fill stomach. Setting the bag down, he wrings his hands together, leaning his elbows on his knees.

...

This was tough. Where did he even start? Did Bulkhead even notice how he avoided the team? Probably. He was always good with picking up on subtle hints like that. And leaving twice back home probably didn't help. His eyes remain fixated on You, watching her chase a butterfly as he tries to word this properly. ...Only problem was, he couldn't word.

"So uh...wanted to talk to you. About...you know, Team Prime."

That's a good start.

Bulk had noticed. The first time he could dismiss it. Sad as he was to see him go, after they'd only had so much to actually catch up after the imposter Makeshift. Going back to the stars to find more of the Wreckers, or any other Autobot refugees, was a pretty legit reason for leaving. If it meant more Autobots to help, all the better. Primus knows they could've used all the help they could get.

But the second time he'd started to suspect something was up. That he was avoiding them for a reason. Even after everyone but Ratchet(even if he did try later) chimed in, trying to get him to stay with the team. But he wasn't sure why. He was on the same planet now, they could call him for help on missions. But no matter how many times it was tried, he never took the invite to come back to base.

He shifts some where he sits, and sends send Boulder off to hang out or play with You. Something in the way Wheeljack said it, he got the feeling maybe their partners shouldn't hear. Once his partner is settled in actually trying to have fun, wow why did he wind up with such a serious partner. He tilts his head toward Wheeljack, looking curious of what he wanted to talk about the Team.

"Sure, what about the Team?"

Each time was an excuse. He could admit that, although not out loud. Searching for Autobot refugees, the old crew...it was a distraction. Something to get his mind focused on, instead of possibly dealing with...this. What he'd been avoiding for so long.

And then taking off after he got his vehicle mode, to see the sights. Even then it was just so he could find the time to face this. To contribute on the sidelines until he could get into the frontlines.

To face Bulkhead again.

"Figured we should...since I've been missing in action back home. And whatever I did that I don't remember."

The last time on the sidelines, after he'd helped Ratchet, had been the biggest problem. That revenge stunt with Miko. It's one thing they have in common, as Bulkhead doesn't remember it either. Only his is because he was fighting for his life at the time. He'd had to hear about it from the rest of the team. From Miko. But they'd at least waited to tell him when he wasn't as out of it from the injuries.

"The rest of the team's not happy about it." As evidenced by Arcee. He ducks his head some, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his head. "I was...conflicted over it. But...it don't feel right ta blame ya fer somethin' ya don't remember."

He would remember something like that too. He was ignorant at times, but not senile. And it aggravated him that he couldn't do anything about something he couldn't remember.

But that was all in the past now. Arcee had forgiven him, or it seemed like it at least. And Bulkhead, well, his opinion was out in the open now.

"I woulda had a good reason, Bulk. I know what she means to ya."

If you can't adapt, you'll rust. [Closed]

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