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“That’s a pretty deep gash. Would the CR Chamber work better for it?”
Rhinox shook his head, taking a seat in the cot. He set his head against the wall, taking shallow breaths to ignore the pain. He pressed a towel to the wound, but it did very little to stop the flow of blood. Even so, Rhinox replied, “It’s not serious enough for the CR Chamber. Just get the welding patches out.”
Optimus nodded, sorting through their supplies. He dug out a few square patches before bringing a roll over to him. He unwound the welding tape on it, diligently wrapping up Rhinox’s arm. As soon as it was placed, Rhinox could feel the heat set in. The metal plating would seal up soon enough.
“Is there anything else you need?” Optimus asked.
Rhinox shut his optics, finding himself a bit woozy. “Can you get me some energon, if you don’t mind?”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back.”
Rhinox opened his optics and watched as Optimus cleaned himself up. His gaze followed the captain out of the medbay, noting the hurried shuffle he did. He then glanced down at his injured arm, gritting his teeth as he thought back to the cause of his current condition.
For a while, Rhinox thought that Dinobot had been mellowing out. He was arguing less with everyone, and actually listening to their input while on missions. The past week while he was sick, Rhinox noted a kind of docile mood in the Predacon warrior. What was even stranger than that was hearing that Dinobot invited others to stay in his room, if only for a few minutes at a time. Because of that, Rhinox let himself believe that Dinobot was finally appreciating them.
And then they discovered where Dinobot had been dumping his med-grade formulas. It wasn’t just that Dinobot hadn’t properly communicated with Rhinox- it would have been fine if the formulas didn’t work, just as long as he had been honest about that fact. It was Dinobot’s insistence that Rhinox’s aid had been “smothering”. That his efforts in trying to nurse him back to health had been wasted.
“I think you were a bit hard on him,” Optimus had said that day.
“It’s the truth, isn’t it? He didn’t want me ‘smothering’ him.”
“You know he doesn’t like feeling weak. And he appreciated Cheetor and Rattrap’s company well enough.”
“How do you know for sure?”
He remembered the downcast expression Optimus wore- that fragging downcast expression. “He said he was lonely without them.”
“Lonely? Like I buy that.”
“He thinks he has to earn our company. That’s what we just got done talking about.”
“He is a Predacon. Optimus, I normally trust your judgment, but-”
“Well, when is Dinobot going to earn it, then? After the hundredth battle? Never? I know he’s not the easiest bot to get along with, but people don’t get better when they’re isolated like this. You know that as well as I do.”
“You can’t fix people that don’t want to be fixed.”
“Well, I think he does want to be fixed. So I’m not giving up yet.”
What was Optimus thinking? Dinobot didn’t actually care about them. Heck, he loathed being here. He only tolerated the Maximals because it gave him the slim chance of defeating Megatron like he wanted.
He certainly put on a convincing act, though. All that posturing about “being tossed out” or “being replaced by the next Maximal recruit”. Rhinox might have bought it too, if Dinobot hadn’t attacked him like that.
Rhinox was thankful for his reflexes in that moment. The attack could have gouged his optic out.
Optimus returned with a cup of energon. He handed it to Rhinox before jumping at something Rhinox couldn’t see. The captain got onto his comms, his expression of worry twisting into one of horror.
“A mudslide…?” Optimus asked. “Be careful by the river, got it? I don’t want you two getting hurt as well.”
As well? What was that supposed to mean?
Optimus sat at the other end of Rhinox’s cot, his head dipped down. Rhinox didn’t miss the way his hands gripped on the edge, practically digging his nails into it. He took a sip from his cup, frowning.
“Is there anything else you need?” Optimus asked.
Rhinox swallowed before saying, “Are you going out to look for Dinobot?”
Optimus winced. Even he knew he couldn’t protect the Predacon warrior forever.
“Why are you so invested in him, Optimus? He’s nothing but trouble, and even he knows it. It’s only by sheer miracle that he happened to be helpful a small handful of times. But you always pick him to spar with, to go on patrol with, or to show him whatever sample you’ve gathered. It’s borderline obsessive.”
Optimus turned toward him. “It really seems that way?”
“What happened was unacceptable. This can’t be allowed to continue.”
Optimus looked away, his shoulders drooping. “Y-Yeah. You’re… You’re right. If Dinobot is attacking people unprovoked, then he has to be expelled from the team. We’ll just make sure we have his current position and then… we’ll figure it out from there.”
“You just want someone you can manipulate until you get bored. Either that, or you only want company when you’re sick. You don’t actually feel lonely.”
“AS IF YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL!”
It wasn’t… entirely unprovoked. Rhinox had even surprised himself when he said it. He’d been in a few arguments in his time, but he’d never tried to hurt someone during one of them. Confessing such a sin would definitely complicate the matter of their Predacon teammate.
Speaking of which…
“Optimus, what do you mean by ‘his current position’?” Rhinox asked. “I was sure that he was throwing a tantrum in his room.”
Optimus got up with a sigh. “Not according to Cheetor. If you don’t need anything else, I’m heading over there to investigate.”
Rhinox knocked back his cup, getting off of the cot to follow after Optimus. They made their way down to Dinobot’s room, finding the door off-kilter just as they had left it. Optimus pried it open with a great effort, pausing as he looked inside. Rhinox moved in to see, balking at the sight.
He had torn a hole in the floor, peeling up the metal plates. They had to move his bed out of the way in order to accurately assess the damage. Peering into the hole, they found a gap to the outside- that Dinobot had squirmed through the supports within the hull was quite a surprise. Optimus stepped out of the way, getting back onto his comms. He frantically tried calling Dinobot, only to receive nothing but static. Rhinox watched as he made his way out of the room, slumping against the wall. Rhinox made his way out to join him.
“Maybe he’s… chosen to ignore the call,” Rhinox suggested with a shrug.
Optimus shook his head. “Not in the sort of trouble he’s in.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Cheetor and Rattrap are tracking him as we speak. I’ll give them a few minutes before I call them for an update. After that…”
Rhinox sighed, shutting his optics and gritting his teeth. No, he wasn’t going to worry about that fragger. Dinobot didn’t deserve that. He didn’t…
Rhinox leaned against the wall, standing over Optimus. “How has he not driven you crazy? What did you do to make that happen?”
Optimus shook his head. “He’s not so bad once you get to know him.”
“Right, that’s what they all say. When were you able to actually see that, though?”
“Since… that first night, I think?”
Rhinox blinked at him. “The first night? You mean after he dueled you?”
“I saved his life on the bridge. I think… he began respecting me after that. He’s the first one who shared stuff with me, for the record.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, he asked me for all of those data pads. Specifically asked for ‘Shakespeare’.”
“Cybertronians don’t often pick art from offworld to enjoy.”
Optimus chuckled weakly. “Yeah, and once he even invited me to recite it with him.”
“Recite it?”
“Yeah, ‘Shakespeare is meant to be performed’, he said.”
There was a kind of fondness to Optimus’s words. A kind of warmth mixed with melancholy from the current situation. It was almost like…
Rhinox pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Are you crushing on him?”
Optimus jumped in surprise, and looked up at him with a grimace. The answer was clear on his face.
“Oh Primus, I should have guessed. It’s like the thing with Polar Claw back at the academy. You have a really weird type, I tell you.”
“Don’t tell the others, please.”
“I wouldn’t dare. We both know Rattrap wouldn’t let you live it down.”
Optimus chuckled, but then his face drooped in sadness. He tucked his knees up and buried his face into them. “Oh Rhinox, what am I going to do? If he hurt you like that…”
Rhinox stared at his bandaged arm, frowning in thought. So Dinobot was really only fond of Optimus? Thinking back, it did kind of make sense. Dinobot often disagreed with Optimus’s plans, but he wasn’t as belligerent as he was with the others. And if he was interested in literature, it would make sense for him to be drawn to the captain’s bookish interests. Maybe it was a mutual crush, then.
Optimus hadn’t seen him at all while he was sick. Rhinox knew he intended to, but one project after another came up while they were fending off Predacon attacks, and those plans fell through. It must have been true that Dinobot only had Cheetor and Rattrap to give him company, since the one he really wanted was unavailable.
He was lonely.
Frag.
“Optimus, the attack… wasn’t completely unprovoked,” Rhinox confessed.
Optimus picked his head up, hopeful. “No?”
“He’s the one that started the fight, but I… I told him he only wanted people around when he was sick. That he didn’t actually feel lonely.”
Optimus stood up to face him, throwing his arms up in disbelief. “Rhinox! I told you that so you would be nicer to him!”
“I know, and I accept responsibility for that. I’m not even sure why I used that. I just…”
“Maybe because you hate him?”
Rhinox blinked. “That’s not true. Rattrap’s the one who hates him.”
“No, he’s distrustful of him. You hate him. I can tell.”
Hate was an extreme term for it. Rhinox didn’t think he outright hated Dinobot. He was frustrated by him, certainly, and hoped blindly for him to get better, but hate? Rhinox wasn’t sure he was truly capable of hating anyone.
Optimus sighed, his shoulders slumped. “And I don’t blame you for hating him. Especially not after… Rhinox, I won’t let him hurt anyone else like this. No matter what I think of him, I won’t let him get away with that.”
Rhinox looked back into Dinobot’s quarters. “It’s… it’s alright. I know he didn’t mean to hurt me.”
Optimus nodded. He jumped once again, and got on his comms. One quick exchange later, and he got off of his comms, announcing, “They found him. It’s… I’ve got to go.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“I don’t want you putting stress on that injury.”
“I’m the medic. If Dinobot got caught in a mudslide, then he needs my help.”
Optimus hesitated for a moment, but then relented with a sigh. “I’m going to watch you like a hawk, just so you know.”
“I don’t expect anything else.”
Transforming was a bit difficult with his injury, and Rhinox wasn’t exactly fast when it came to navigating the rocks near the river. Optimus kept a lookout on their surroundings, cautioning them on where they stepped. The further down the river they got, the more stable the riverbed appeared, so at least there was that. They changed into their robot forms the closer they got to the pair’s coordinates, and they kept watch in order to find them.
They spotted the pair on the other side of the river- Cheetor clearly waved them over. Optimus picked up Rhinox and flew him across the water, landing them next to the gathered group.
Dinobot was in a pretty sorry state. He looked absolutely beaten and bedraggled, and his optics struggled to focus on his surroundings. His scales were scratched up quite a bit, mud and pebbles sticking in the cuts. Cheetor and Rattrap looked at the two of them with worry, concern for the raptor emanating off of them.
Somehow they found a way to tolerate Dinobot as well. Sure, he had them visit when he was sick, but that couldn’t be the only change. Was it really just Rhinox who couldn’t make the effort to try?
Rhinox knelt down beside Dinobot. The poor raptor squirmed away from him, fear in his optics- so he was cognizant enough to recognize him. He couldn’t help but feel a vein of guilt at this sight. It was even worse when Rhinox set his hand on the back of Dinobot’s neck, and the raptor started crying.
“Stop it,” Dinobot whimpered, shutting his optics tight, as if that could somehow make the Maximals go away. “This is your chance to-”
To get rid of me, Rhinox thought. He did go too far, didn’t he? “Just let me help. Please, just this once.”
Dinobot meekly nodded. Rhinox opened a panel on the back of his neck, tapping on a few keys within. He put them in place, and with one last click, initiated medical stasis for him. Dinobot went limp, his breathing even.
Cheetor looked at him nervously. “He’ll be okay, right?”
“Yeah. The medical stasis should help his self-repair protocols kick in,” Rhinox nodded. “It’ll hold until we get him into the CR Chamber.”
Optimus made his way over, picking up Dinobot. Rhinox noted the way he carefully cradled him in his arms. It was quite tender. Rhinox couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen the signs until now.
“I can get him back home the fastest,” Optimus promised. “Can you guys help Rhinox get back to base?”
Rattrap noted the welding wrap on Rhinox’s arm. “No problem, Cap,” he insisted.
Optimus nodded, and took to the air with the raptor. The others assumed their animal forms and started making their way back. Rattrap rode on Rhinox’s back as they went along.
“So, eh, what’s the story behind that new badge of yers?” Rattrap asked.
Rhinox winced. “We had a bit of a disagreement. Both parties are at fault.”
Cheetor dipped his head down. “Guess that explains why he ran away from us so fast. He was probably feeling guilty. I… I was right behind him even, before the mudslide… It was my fault.”
“Don’t say that, Cheetor,” Rhinox insisted. “It wouldn’t have done well for you to get swept away as well. And you did good finding him with Rattrap.”
Cheetor nodded. “It sounds like you two don’t like each other very much.”
Rhinox couldn’t say anything to counter that.
A week passed after that incident. Dinobot was back on his feet and back in the field. Rhinox’s wound had also healed, and he had resumed all of his usual duties. The two of them had patched things up, although their interactions were still infrequent. He did notice Dinobot trying to be… friendly? Was that the term he wanted? Rhinox saw him tutoring Cheetor on occasion, giving him some fighting tips. He even attempted to be cordial with Rattrap, although their interactions inevitably ended in bickering.
He didn’t see Dinobot’s interactions with Optimus, but he didn’t need to. He had a pretty good idea of what the two of them were doing.
Which left Rhinox as the black sheep, it seemed.
He was doing repairs to the Axalon with Rattrap one day when he decided to bring the question up.
“When did I start liking Dinobot?” Rattrap grimaced. “You think that’s it?”
“You two don’t seem to hate each other as much as I thought,” Rhinox noted. “Your barbs don’t seem nearly as mean as they used to.”
Rattrap shrugged. “...He’s a good sparring partner. Doesn’t mean I like him.”
Rhinox rolled his optics. “Sure. But when did it start?”
“I couldn’t tell you. It just sort of happened one day. Preds are nothin’ but enigmas, I tell you.”
Rhinox nodded. “Right. Sure.”
They concluded their work for the day. Rattrap started packing his tools away, and continued, “You’re going to have to take the first step if you want to be buddy-buddy with him.”
Rhinox looked down at him, blinking. “That’s how you did it?”
“That’s the only way to do it. He may be adjustin’ to the team, but he’s still got that Pred pride.”
Rhinox nodded, and made his way back into the ship. He walked down the hall until he found the medbay. To his surprise, Dinobot was in there organizing their supplies. He seemed to be finishing up when Rhinox made his way in, jumping in surprise at his arrival.
“You were cleaning up?” Rhinox asked.
Dinobot nodded, averting his gaze. “I noticed the mess in there had gone unaddressed for a while. I… thought I’d help.”
Rhinox looked over his work, pleasantly surprised at the quality. Everything was in its proper place, and there was even a new supply of refined energon to replace the old stock from last month. “Well, it looks good. I appreciate it.”
Dinobot nodded.
Rhinox moved over to the computer, taking his place in front of it. “I’m going to do some updates on the CR Chambers to ensure they’re at optimal performance. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”
Dinobot nodded again.
Rhinox started his work, pausing to take occasional glances at Dinobot. The mech was refusing to leave, but he wasn’t saying anything he wanted. Maybe it was that “Pred pride” that Rattrap mentioned. Rhinix simply pulled up another chair next to him and continued working. The invitation was there if he wanted it.
Rhinox found himself engrossed in his work, and didn’t notice Dinobot pull in until the mech was leaning against his shoulder. He was turned the other way, so Rhinox couldn’t clearly see him. The best he could see was his tail, which slowly flicked about- it certainly didn’t look like he was irritated. Was this Dinobot’s way of asking for company?
He stifled a chuckle, trying his best not to embarrass him. It was a start, at least.