Reconciliation - TFA, Overdrive + Lightning (OCs)
This was one conversation Overdrive wasn't looking forward to having. Things were still ugly between her and her brother.
It was kind of stupid, really, the reason why. Lightning had taken a rather instant dislike to Sentinel, and her attempts to convince him to change his mind, at the very least give the Prime another chance, had gotten her a heated argument and a bruised cheek for her efforts. The words he'd all but snarled-No sister of mine supports a mech who got our kind booted off Cybertron!-still stung.
If she had a human stomach, Overdrive figured it would be churning now, but the uncomfortable feeling she had as she approached her brother's room was probably an accurate substitute. The door was closed; he was still angry with her. It wasn't about the fact that he hit her anymore; no, it about the fact that she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was so very close to losing her best friend.
Maybe she was being paranoid. Maybe she wasn’t. There was only one way to find out. Had Overdrive been dealing with anyone else, she would have knocked on the door; angry or no, this was her brother, and as such she used a different set of rules-rules which demanded she push the door open and enter with neither permission nor announcement of her arrival.
Lightning looked up and over his shoulder at the sound of her arrival, but didn't speak. He blinked once… twice… then back to whatever he was toying with on his desk.
For a moment, Overdrive almost regretted coming here, but it was too late to turn back now, and she dropped onto the bed. "Hi, Lightning," she said, her voice quiet, almost contradicting the way she had come so confidently into the room.
"Hey," came the short reply.
Overdrive kicked her feet slightly. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked, voice quiet but words direct.
Lightning shrugged slightly, but didn't speak. Overdrive continued speaking before she lost the courage to do so. "I'm sorry about the fight."
Finally, Lightning spoke-but it wasn't to accept her apology. "I don't know what you see in him." The "him" to whom he referred was painfully obvious.
"He's hurt," she began slowly, wondering how much of the reason behind Sentinel's hurt she should share with her brother.
"He drove our people off Cybertron," Lightning noted icily, waving a hand dismissively, "and he hates techno-organics. He flinches when he sees our features."
Overdrive couldn’t deny the facts, but she could hardly resist pointing out, "Not when he sees me."
"Oh, the exception to the rule," he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why do you defend him so?"
"Because he's my friend," Overdrive replied, trying to keep a defensive note from creeping into her voice.
Lightning turned back to his desk, muttering, "If he's your friend, why don't you go hang out with him?"
Despite her young age, Overdrive had well above average hearing, and caught the words easily. She remember something Sentinel had asked her earlier-Have you been spending as much time as you used to with him when I wasn't positioned to stay on Earth? She admitted she hadn’t, and that had yet to change. "I'm sorry," she said softly, looking down at her hands.
"You already said that," Lightning replied irritably.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you," she clarified, lifting her head.
The words caught her brother's attention and he looked over his shoulder at her. He seemed almost surprised, but if his flicked up ears were any indication, he was listening intently.
"While I tried to help him," Overdrive explained, "I forgot that you were my friend long before Sentinel." She indicated the bruise on her cheek. "I kinda brought this on myself, I suppose."
"That was my fault," Lightning mumbled. After a moment of thought, he stood and went to sit on the bed next to her, wrapping her in a hug. "Sorry, Overdrive…"
"It's okay," she replied, smiling slightly as she hugged him in return. She didn't mention that she had already forgiven him.
They didn’t speak until they broke way from each other, and it was Overdrive who broke the silence, very quietly. "You should try to give him another chance."
Lightning hesitated. "I don't know if I can," he mumbled.
"Not right away," Overdrive replied, laying a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Think about it, please?"
Lightning considered the matter. His relationship with Overdrive was easily repaired; his relationship with a mech of whom he was extremely wary would be trickier. Trickier… but perhaps not impossible, he decided as he offered his sister a small smile and a nod.
-.-.-.-
Title: Reconciliation
Author: TheCrazyAlaskan
Fandom / Setting: Transformers Animated
Characters / Pairings: Overdrive, Lightning (OCs); mentions of Sentinel Prime
Rating: K+
Genre: General, family
Word Count: 781
Recommended Pre-Readings: Sentinel Prime Analysis, Friendship of the Unexpected
Summary: Some relationships can be easily repaired; some need more effort.
Commissioned by a user on DeviantArt who has the patience of a damn saint.
She requested a follow up to her short story "Friendship of the Unexpected," which was inspired by my Sentinel Prime analysis (both linked above). The Sentinel Prime essay isn't required to understand what's going on, but "Friendship of the Unexpected" is strongly recommended.
I think I wrote a bigger age difference between Lightning and Overdrive than actually exists (twins). Whoops. >>;
Regardless, I hope you like and thank you again for being so patient.
Sentinel Prime, Transformers Animated © Hasbro
Overdrive, Lightning © their original owner, used with permission