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Drift was quick to wash when he woke, frustrated by the lack of private washracks in the tiny apartment he was renting at the moment. Some part of him knew it was only for a few weeks, just until he and Rodimus could secure a ship and get off of Cybertron, but it vexed him nonetheless. He started his day with the sunrise, meditation and katas, and then it was off early to wake up Rodimus and get things moving. He didn't much want to be here any longer than he had to be. It had been so long since he lived on Cybertron and the place felt alien to him now, uncomfortably so.
Not to mention the dirty looks he was getting from others in the Autobot-aligned housing quarters. Drift felt much more comfortable in Autobot territory during wartime, when he was confident his usefulness outweighed anyone's ire, but now that the war was theoretically over he had his doubts that such a tenuous alignment would continue without issue. He couldn't wait to get off-world.
Stepping outside of the habblock he was temporarily renting he saw optics turn his way even down the street. His neighbor, a little blue minibot he didn't recognize who was inspecting his mailbox, looked up as well, bright red visor glimmering. Drift was already preparing his "I'm not staying long, I promise" speech when his neighbor spoke.
"I don't think I've seen you around before!" the minibot said, "Nice to meet you!"
Drift blinked at him. He couldn't even remember the last time he met someone who didn't recognize him. Wing?
"Um, hello," he said, offering a hand awkwardly that the minibot shook with enthusiasm, "I'm Drift. I won't be staying long, I'm moving off-world, soon."
"How exciting!" his neighbor bubbled, "I've always wanted to live off-world. Well, on another world, I mean, I've lived on stations and Cybertron my whole life! I'm Pipes, by the way."
"It's nice to meet you, Pipes," Drift smiled, "I'm joining Rodimus's crew to search out the Knights of Cybertron, though. I expect we'll visit other worlds, but I'm returning to ship life."
"How romantic," Pipes sighed, leaning on his mailbox, "A quest. Getting to see the world without a gun in your hand. What I wouldn't give."
"Well, actually, he's trying to-"
"Pipes!" yelled a voice, and they both looked in the direction of it as another minibot, yellow, came running up to him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "We have to go," he said, giving Drift a look that could kill. Drift smiled placidly back at him, and then turned away to continue the direction he'd been going originally, the minibots whispering furiously to each other in a huddle behind him.
Drift felt exhausted.
He lay in his berth and stared at the ceiling, pig metal grey and dull in the dim light and wondered how he'd gotten here. He knew how he had gotten here, really, he could pinpoint each and every terrible decision he'd ever made that had shaped his life the way it had turned out, but knowing did not equal understanding. This was not who he had ever expected to be.
His doorbell rang.
Drift looked up and frowned. He did not get visitors. Certainly not here. The only person who ever looked for him was Rodimus, and he would just send a message and tell him where to go. He didn't even think anyone had this addres , he'd only been here a few weeks.
It was Pipes standing in front of his door when he opened it, visor bright and a bottle of engex in one hand.
"Pipes," Drift said, surprised and confused, "Can I help you?"
"Nah, I figure it's you that could use the help," Pipes buzzed cheerfully, and offered him the bottle. Drift accepted it.
"What? What do you mean?"
"This morning after Hubcap interrupted us everybody warned me you were dangerous and that I should stay away from you," Pipes explained, "And I figure, if everyone's staying away from you, you probably don't have a lot of friends. So, I'd like to be your friend, Drift!"
Drift stared down at the tiny Autobot, looking up at him in earnest, and felt something strange and staticcy in his spark he hadn't felt in ages. He pulled his door open all the way and stepped aside.
"Come on in," he said, gesturing into his habblock, "I was just about to start a movie."