towerofanimus | Turpentine Erase Me Whole

Entry tags:

Turpentine Erase Me Whole

Characters: Rabbit and The Spine and whoever happens to run into either one of them
Setting: Dormitory floors
Format: Starting in prose, will match who shows up!
Summary: Rabbit has just come back from a bad case of being dead. He is not in good shape, and seeks out the only other person who can possibly make him feel better after all of this. Even if he was the one that did it.
WARNINGS: Oil.

The ten minutes where he couldn't move were terrifying. Staring at the ceiling, his arms and legs like dead weights, rapidly pulling air into his bellows and exhaling large clouds of steam into his room. What if he'd been broken for good? What if he'd never be able to move again after this? Serious problems arose from damage like that, and if he'd just been messily slapped back together, he might never regain the use of his legs ever again. It was horrifying.

At long last, he managed to roll out of bed, hitting the floor with a grunt and wildly scrabbling to get to his feet. He was up. He was.... He was alive. It almost felt impossible. Fear still ran through him though. He had to find The Spine. He had to know if he was alright. If he'd hurt anyone else or if he was still malfunctioning. And if he wasn't... Well someone would have to be there for him. Someone would have to help take care of him.

And Rabbit couldn't let things go and never see him again after this. He knew a malfunction when he saw it. He couldn't do that to Spine. He was out in the halls, frantically looking through every room for his brother, rubbing at his neck, and testing out his voice as soon as he was capable.

"S-s-s-spine? S-Spine where are ya?! Spine!"

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The Spine was wandering the dormitory hallways in an aimless daze. He was trying not to think. Thinking led inevitably to the sound of stressed metal, the feel of it giving, the pain on his brother's face and in his still-glowing photo-receptors. Oil and sparks everywhere. How had it gotten that bad... he knew it couldn't have happened. Not a malfunction of that magnitude. He was always so careful about maintaining his upkeep, regularly having his systems checked...

The malfunction couldn't have happened, but it had, and Rabbit had suffered for it.

It would be easier to erase the memories, but he couldn't do that. Not Rabbit's last moments. No matter how painful they were, he would keep them on record. It was all he could do, in this place that had taken the copper automaton's broken body, to honor him.

He was the only one that had been there. He was the only one that could remember how it had happened.

It was as he stepped off the stairs and onto the floor below his that he heard the shouting. Spine froze. Impossible.

"...Rabbit...?"

There it was again. That stutter was unmistakeable. He broke into a run, gears whirring and internals humming, steam hissing from his vents as he shouted: "Rabbit!"

He knew it should be impossible. He should be dead. Long gone and buried somewhere, or sold off for scrap or whatever would happen to him after he ceased to function. By all means he shouldn't even be able to move even if he was alive, he should have been paralyzed for life.

But here he was, moving and processing and alive. He shouted down the halls again, busting open yet another door in his frantic search for his possibly still malfunctioning brother.

"Spine!" And then he heard it. His voice down the hall. The room was forgotten and Rabbit sprinted towards the sound of The Spine's voice, spotting him just down the hall and-

He slammed into him, wrapping his arms around his brother with very little care about the fact. The fact that he'd been killed by the same robot not but a day ago. The fact that he was still strong enough to do it again should he malfunction. It didn't matter.

"S-s-spine... Spine ya know me? A-a-are ya okay now, Spine?" He clambered to reach for his face, peering into his eyes with a note of urgency.

"Are ya okay?"

This couldn't be happening. There was just no way. Dead was dead was dead, and Rabbit had definitely been it; yet there he was, barreling down the hall towards him. It just wasn't possible--

The Spine didn't have the luxury of coming to terms with Rabbit's existence before the copper 'bot slammed into him. It was a small miracle that they didn't topple over in a heap, Spine wrapping his arms around him and digging his heels in, skidding to a stop. His servos kicked in and, for once, didn't overcompensate for the lack of balance. Or maybe they did, but it just happened to be in the opposite direction Rabbit's momentum was taking them, so he wound up standing up straight.

The photo-receptors that met Rabbit's mismatched ones were bright green and wide with lingering disbelief. "...Fine. M'fine." No, he wasn't, but he wasn't a mindless murder machine, which was a step up from yesterday. "Rabbit, I d-d-don't--" His vocalizer started to glitch, making him stutter, and he waited impatiently for it to settle again. "How are you here?"

He could feel the leak starting at the corners of his eyes and didn't feel like doing a damn thing to stop it.

And yet here it was, happening anyway. Even Rabbit was hard pressed to find a reason behind his miraculous revival. Apparently Yotsuba was right about death being impermanent here. It still had been hell to go through and he would have preferred it never happened to begin with but still.

He kept his hands on The Spine's face, peering into his optics carefully and trying to see if there was any hint of the madness left. No... he seemed to be fully there. Fully himself again. That was all he wanted from him right now. Proof that he was still himself. He knew he wasn't fine though. Not with that tone of voice, and he buried his head in his chest, filling his bellows with air.

"I d-don't know. I don't know h-h-how I got here. I ju-ju-just wo-woke up in my be-bed an'..." Steam hissed from his vents as he wiped black tears on The Spine's front. He'd apologize for it later. Things were a little more important right now.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Spine... I c-c-c-couldn't save ya... I c-couldn't do anythin' ta.... I wanted ta...." He wiped his eyes again, this time with the back of his hand.

"I sh-sh-shoulda be-been able ta help ya...."

No, he wasn't fine, and the oil falling to spot the back of Rabbit's vest was testament to that. He held on a little tighter, uncomplaining. It didn't matter if his brother soaked his clothes through with tears. What mattered was that he was alive to shed them in the first place.

Just woke up. The Spine accessed memories of bland humans in red collars hauling Rabbit's body away despite his protests. Perhaps... perhaps they had fixed him, somehow? The damage had been so extensive, though... Even the Walter mechanics would have had trouble repairing it to the point that Rabbit could have been brought back online.

It was a mystery that would have to wait.

"There wasn't anythin' you could do," he said, not unkindly. He drew in a breath and rubbed his brother's back with a flat palm, wiping the oil from his own face with the back of his other hand. "You did your best, Rabbit, I-I remember that much. I remember you talkin' to me, tryin' your darndest to bring me back."

He still didn't understand what had gone wrong, exactly. Internal diagnostics reported no malfunction had occurred. "I can't believe I... did what... what I did." The recollection made him take a step back, fear suddenly twisting his features. "I'm not sure I'm even safe to be around, maybe you should--get back."

Rabbit just snuggled against him, comforted by the simple fact that he was being hugged not fought or punched or zapped or threatened with lasers or anything of the sort. Just gently hugged and even if he could feel The Spine's tears landing on the back of his vest, he didn't mind. Just so long as everyone was okay and alive and well.

"I-i-it was we-weird though. I thought... I thought that I'd ne-never get t'move again. I c-c-couldn't move when I first woke up. Ain't nu-nuthin' like it, Spine..." He stared at the wall, rubbing The Spine's back gently and sending air through his systems again.

"It was l-l-like... Like ya w-weren't even there, Spine. I saw ya t-tryin' to get out. Tryin' to tell me to leave. I remember that." And Rabbit had refused, lest he unleash his brother on everyone else. Something he did must have broken through the malfunction.

But Rabbit refused to let him step away, clinging all the harder as The Spine stepped back and letting out a noise of protest. "Ain't n-nuthin' wrong with ya. It's nuthin'. D-d-don't go, Spine. Please..."

His hands went to Rabbit's arms to shove him away, but instead he froze, standing perfectly still. Don't go. He didn't want to go anywhere, didn't want to step back, wouldn't have done it at all if he weren't afraid for his brother's safety. "I... it's not safe..."

It wasn't safe, but when would he ever be certain again? There was no one here to run a check on him. He had to trust his own, potentially faulty, diagnostics.

For a long moment The Spine just stared at Rabbit. Then, with a burst of steam and a quiet, static-laced sob, he tugged him close instead of pushing away. Internally, he was kicking himself. He was supposed to be the responsible one. The stoic one. The one that everyone could rely on, and here he was breaking down.

There was something wrong with him. He must have still been malfunctioning. It was the only explanation that made any kind of sense.

Why had he even bothered trying to clean the oil from his face?

"I d-d-don't care. I ain't l-leavin' you. Not ever again, Spine." He'd let him down. He was supposed to be the big brother. He was supposed to help his family when they needed him the most, and Spine and needed him and he'd failed. He'd made things worse.

He didn't want to live in fear of The Spine having another major malfunction. Of hurting him again and tearing him limb from limb. So he simply wouldn't, that was all that it came down to. He wouldn't hold it against him, he would even strike the memory from his banks if he could do it. He wasn't about to abandon him over something like this.

There was a soft sigh as The Spine hugged him, the older bot rubbing his back gently and mumbling reassurances to him. It was going to be alright. Everything was going to be just fine, just wait and see...

Oil dripped freely from his optics, he could hardly care about them, and he clutched The Spine close, stroking and trying to keep himself together. Someone here had to be the strong one.

Sola-ui has to stop and stare at the two robots talking in the hall. One, she is familiar with, but the other she has never seen before.

"...Rabbit?"

She calls to the one she recognizes.

Rabbit barely peeled himself away from The Spine, looking up with an oil streaked face to see Sola-ui. Oh... It was her again. He wiped at the tears on his face, still refusing to let go of The Spine for even just a moment.

"H-h-hey there. We'll m-move in a minute."

She frowns a little when she notices Rabbit's oil tears.

"No. It will be alright. Did something happen?"

Edited 2013-06-01 04:33 (UTC)

".... N-no?" It was personal, he knew The Spine wouldn't want him blabbing out exactly why the both of them were in tears right now. He wiped them away again, attempting to force a smile.

"J-just happy t' see my brother doin' well. Th-th-that's all."

Oh. Oh, dear. He had forgotten that this was a hallway in the dormitory levels and therefore frequented by people. The Spine made a curious static-y sound reminiscent--but not quite identical to--someone clearing their throat and did his best to wipe the stains from his own face with his tattered sleeve.

He looked from the unknown woman to Rabbit and back again before offering a weak smile and extending his hand (the other still firmly around his brother). "We're fine, Miss. I'm The Spine. Pleasure to meet you." Politeness is never out of fashion, right?

She nods.

"Good day, Spine. Rabbit has already told me about you."

She hesitates for a second, and then offers her hand to him.

"My name is Sola-ui Archibald."

Had he, now? "Only good things, I hope." Said with a smile to show he was joking. It was a pretty lame attempt, really, but considering the circumstances he deserved points for even trying to make one. The Spine shook her hand with exaggerated care. Rabbit might say there was nothing wrong with him, but he couldn't be so certain himself. "It's an honor, Miss Archibald."

"O-o-only the best things, Spine." He refused to let go of his brother, still snuggled up against him with his arms wrapped firmly around the taller automaton's chest. There was nothing that he could possibly do that would be able to shake the bot from his side at this point.

"He told me you were better with human mannerisms than he was. You did not disappoint."

She doesn't say anything about the two robots being intimate. It is not her business.

"I, uh..." That was quite a compliment, coming from a human. Of course he tried hard with his mimicry, doing his best to correct the inconsistencies of his adaptive programming. He adjusted his tie with a wider smile and gave his brother a light squeeze. Only the best things, indeed. "Thank you kindly."

See Spine, he thinks that highly of you. He squeezed back, just happy for the moment. At least the tears had gone, and it was nice to see his brother smiling after everything that just happened. Of course a comment like that would help lift his spirits.

"Spine's o-one of th' best there is. Ain't n-n-no one quite like him. One o' th' be-best little brothers I ever had."

That would earn a pat on the back, anything to bolster The Spine's mood.

If only Spine knew she was only speaking of his behavior relative to Rabbit's. Having seen, in her opinion, the worst, anything Spine did would only seem more human by comparison.

"I see. Then it is all for the better you two have each other here."

She looks back at Spine.

"I trust you will be able to...regulate some of your older brother's impulses."

Let him live the dream, it's the only thing he has going for him here.

If the circumstances were any different he would have given Rabbit a suspicious glance, suspecting that he had been up to mischief. As it was, the small frown he gave him was doubtful. Yeah, sure, best little brother. It wasn't like he'd killed him or anything.

"Ma'am, if you ever discover the secret to that I'd be obliged if you'd share."

Spine you are the best little brother, he loves you no matter what. Rabbit glanced up at The Spine at the mention of 'regulating' him, and then decided to... casually start tugging on his younger brothers body.

"We-we-well it's been n-nice, but we gotta go now, right, Spine?"

"Unfortunately, I was unable to discover such a method. If you who have lived alongside him for a good portion of your existences cannot do so, then perhaps it does not exist...aside from tying him to a bed."

She steps out of the way, in case Spine and Rabbit wanted to leave.

Oh, was Rabbit tugging on him? The Spine hadn't noticed. Yep. Hadn't noticed at all, his servos hadn't kicked on to keep him balanced or anything.

"I'm pretty sure he'd just chew through the ropes eventually, but thanks for the suggestion all the same."

Oh. Oh you can't say something like that and expect Rabbit not to say anything. Now he has to say something. He paused in his tugging, a devilish grin spreading across his face.

"Unfortunately, Spine ain't re-re-really inta that kinda thing. But we'll ke-keep it in mind."

"...It seems you truly are devoted to causing your mayhem, Rabbit. Perhaps I should be impressed."

Of course, her tone is as dry as can be.

Without so much as a change in expression, The Spine lifted his hand from Rabbit's shoulder and swatted the back of his head.

Gently.

Even so, there was a distinctly metallic clang.

"Don't be, it'll only encourage him." Love you too, bro.

Smack or no smack, Rabbit was cackling like a mad genius, rubbing the back of his head and shaking from head to toe. No he thought it was a great idea!

"I'm the ma-master o' mayhem! I should ge-ge-get an award! King o' shenanigans! G-g-grand pu bah of nonsense!"

Sola-ui throws a pity-filled glance at Spine.

"I suppose it is a relief that you would be a shoe-in for such titles. I only know one person with your type of manic energy."

"Rabbit." The exasperation in his voice was mostly just for show, and chances were the copper automaton would know it. Still, The Spine returned Sola-ui's look with a long-suffering one of his own.

Yes Rabbit knew it was for show, and he squeezed The Spine close to him again, grinning madly. This cheered him up somewhat, it was better than how he was feeling before. He couldn't have been more happy for the distraction.

"Spine."

She gives a very, very faint chuckle looking at them. They, especially Rabbit, almost seem like children.

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Turpentine Erase Me Whole

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