ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴅᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ

"Only a little?"

"I mean, yeah! There's other stuff you could do to him that'd be way worse. Like burying him in a hole and making him sort garbage until his joints rust and his pretty golden patina wears off completely!"

Change

Based on this lol

"  what ?!     me,  not have a reason for keeping  you  around?  "     orion brings one servo around to clutch at the gaping hole in the center of his chassis,  feigning shock.     "  as  if !     c'mon,  d,  we're like ... attached at the hip joint !     there's  no  me  without  you,  right?  "

the ambient light of the miner's quarters hopefully does something to mask the faint twinge of blue that rises into orion's cheeks at the stupidity of what he's just said,  especially when combined with the gift that he's about to give to his friend.     is this a step  too  far?     oh primus,  he's starting to second guess himself—— & that won't do.

"  well ... only one way to find out !     c'mon !  "     orion's free servo snaps out to encircle d—16's forearm,  tugging him along behind him in a mad dash through the crowded halls of the mining complex & down towards the shaft they'd left earlier in the day.     he barks a mixture of apologies & greetings & goodbyes to mechs as they pass,  earning them a variety of responses in return,  from curses to mumblings of 'typical orion pax'.

typical  orion  pax.

it doesn't bother him that no one knows him quite like d—16 does ;   if anything,  it only makes their bond  that  much  more  important  to him.     d—16   (  who is wonderful for doing it  )   is the only mech that has bothered to get to know him,  to talk to him like  an  equal  instead of an annoyance.     his optimism is often viewed as a pain in the aft,  a virus,  a sickness,  something that needs to be worked out of his system to everyone else ... but not to d—16.

the crowd thins the closer they get to the entrance to the mine.     keen optics flick to either side,  then over his shoulder to ensure that they aren't seen,  before orion is abruptly turning to the left & wrenching open the door to a storage closet for old or otherwise out of service mining equipment.     this spot will be  perfect,  at least if everything works as it should ...     so he drags d—16 into the room & shuts the door behind them,  the sudden & oppressive darkness lit only by the glow of their optics until orion briefly clicks on his headlamp & adjusts it to its lowest setting.

"  okay okay ...here.     look.  "     a stabilizing vent,  then orion takes a step closer to his best friend & unfurls his digits to offer up a small holochip.     he lets d—16's amber optics linger on it for a moment before resting it on the pad on his own forearm to engage its program ;   instantly it explodes in a veritable kaleidoscope of color & light,  painting the walls & tools around them in the patterns & sparkling beauty of what is supposed to be  outer  space.

orion has to bite his glossa to suppress a whoop of pride.     it  works !     it works & it's beautiful & oh he hopes d—16 likes it ...

He doesn't get a chance to consider it further when Orion suddenly grabs him by the arm and rushes him haphazardly out of the mining quarters. "Hey — wait, where are we going?" D-16 stumbles along beside him, doing his best to weave around other workers and equipment and ushering apologies for who and what he doesn't avoid. He nearly falls over when Orion suddenly jerks him into a storage closet.

Amber optics attempt to adjust to the sudden enveloping darkness as Orion shuts the door behind them. "Please don't tell me I spoke too soon about you getting away because this? This feels less like a gift and more like hiding. Hey!" D-16 shields his optics when the light of Orion's headlamp suddenly bursts through the darkness before quickly being adjusted. "Warn a bot before you do that!"

D-16, however, looks down when he's prompted, and he feels the heat of Orion's frame as he shifts closer. His optics find the small holochip, the mechanisms behind his lenses shifting and his optics burning brighter. For a moment, he wonders if his friend has found more information on the Matrix and is choosing to share the information with him, away from prying optics. A swell of warmth seems to rise from his spark — there would be no greater gift than seeing Orion's happiness.

Before he can ask, the chip activates and the room bursts with shimmering lights and color. In the cramped space, a noise of awe falls from his intake, and D-16 gazes upwards as the colors seem to dance and shift along the walls. Slowly, he looks down, turning over his arms and shifting to watch as the lights pulse and shine against the dullness of his frame. Looking outwards, he feels lost in the hues that drip over Orion's frame, the light of what he believes are stars sparkling in the blueness of his optics.

"Orion, this is...this is amazing!" he bursts with awe-struck excitement as he surges forward and wraps an arm around Orion's shoulders. He pulls him close, hearing the familiar clang of their metal slotting together. Basking in the moment, he's silent as he looks around the room, listening to the gentle timbre of Orion's voice. Eventually, D-16 looks to him. "Even if we never get to see it — the sky, the surface — I'll always remember this."

Letting his arm fall from his shoulder, D-16 reaches down to give Orion's hand a careful squeeze, gently leaning against him. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

"  oh  come  on,  d,  i'm capable of doing things without you to back me up !     i got away  completely  by   myself  this time !  "

orion is grinning like an absolute lunatic as he approaches his friend,  a spring in his step in spite of all the running he's just done.     it's only fair that d—16 would be  dubious  about this,  given his rather wretched track record of getting into trouble & dragging the other miner down with him ... so orion  supposes  that he can forgive him for that.     it doesn't change how his servos are folded neatly behind his back as if he's hiding something,  something  precious  that he wants to give to the only mech in his life that really matters his closest companion.

He means it, even if his tone is playful, jesting. He wouldn't have anyone if he didn't have Orion. Maybe it is selfish, but saving him time and time again is a way of saving himself from the lonely, isolating misery of the status quo — not that he'll ever tell Orion that.