Transformers ( Bayverse ) - I Bleed When I Fall Down

20 - Chain Reaction

    Optimus staggered up to the door, knocking. He was late, by hours, had missed work, and all because of a Con ambush. His metal body was aching, and he was trying increasingly hard to block the signals of pain it was sending his holoform, even as it sat dormant in the town’s small park ‘n ride. He knocked, hoping to see an irritated, but unharmed, Fay open the door.

    No such luck today. A rather irritated, but unharmed, Charlie was the one who opened up. Her hair was disheveled and askew, eyes reddened and face blotched. “You!” She exclaimed, grabbing the collar of his shirt. “You tell me right now where you have been and maybe, just MAYBE I’ll let you live, you hear me? I swear if you give me some shitty excuse and I find out you’ve been cheating on Fay, I will end you myself! Do you understand me you piece of shit? I. Will. End. You.”

    Optimus frowned as she let go, glaring at him. If looks could kill, he would’ve been dead long ago. But the words she spoke puzzled him further. Had the Decepticons been a decoy and sent Barricade or someone to kidnap Fay while they were battling miles away and recovering so close . . . ? Surely not . . . They would’ve noticed . . . Chromia was a last line of defense with Arcee and Elita-1 not far off. Out of sight, but if they would give any ‘Con a run for their money and alert the rest of the ‘Bots within moments.

    “Charlotte, what happened?” Optimus asked gently, a thousand possibilities dancing through his mind.

    “You stood her up, you jackhole! What’s wrong with you? She stormed out of here half an hour ago! I tried going after her on foot, in my car, but she’s vanished! I swear if you don’t find her and bring her back, I will mount your head on a stake in my front lawn so EVERYONE can see what happens when you double-cross me or Fay! You’ve got some nerve!” She was flustered, furious as she screamed at the top of her lungs, not caring if the neighbors heard.

    Optimus blinked. Fay had run out because he’d been late? That seemed rather extreme . . . “Charlotte . . . If you could please calm down and explain to me in detail what has happened as quickly and calmly as you can, I would be more than happy to look for Farrah.

    Charlotte took a deep breath, closing her eyes before she spoke again. “As you know quite well, your sorry behind was incredibly, stupidly, quite possibly PAINFULLY late for your pre-scheduled date with my best friend Farrah Meadows. Now, see, you, you sir, moved from, ‘I never want to see you again if it kills me’ status to ‘it’s complicated’ status. That’s huge, that means Fay might actually start to trust you some miniscule amount and you should not, ever ever ever, take that for granted.

    “Now. You. You went and ran over her shred of trust, which you gained in two dates. Two. Dates. No guy. Has gotten. Two dates. With that girl. Get me. Not only did you run it over, you took a heaping shit on it, threw up on it and put it through a paper shredder. So, half an hour ago, I heard Fay scream, jolting me from my otherwise peaceful nap on the couch, and before I was even fully awake, that girl was out the door like death itself was chasing after her! Did you send her a text or something? Because frankly, I want to punch you so hard you’ll feel what it’s like to be Fay on a sunny day!”

    His brows stitched together. She screamed and ran off . . . ? It was almost eight o’clock . . . Over five hours and she chose just a bit ago to run off . . . ?

    “She is a bomb some days, you stupid jerk. And you set her off on a bad day. I MADE her, MADE her accept your dumb proposition because it’s getting closer and closer to the anniversary of the accident and she just . . . She just needed someone new and interesting to distract her.” She looked him up and down, shaking her head in disbelief. “Obviously I was wrong about you. Bring her home or don’t ever come here again.”