Sunstreaker's Charge ✔️

Ch. 18 Consider it Probation

Sideswipe's P.O.V.
"What the frag were you thinking?!" I rage.
"Dealing with an annoying fleshie."
"What happened to trying to get Lily to like you again?" 
"That'll never happen. All this is doing is getting soldiers to think I'm soft!"
Sunstreaker tries to be angry, but while he does not like soldiers thinking he's getting soft, he's still not liking how terrified Lily is of him. He still goes into the room to see Lily.
I wait for him to leave to go back into the room.

Crosshairs and Drift stay with Lily, hoping to get her to do schoolwork, but I knew there'd be a meeting about what Sunstreaker did. I'm never part of these meetings. This can't be good.
"A soldier disappeared, and no one can contact him! What else do you think happened to him?!" Ironhide rages, "we know how this goes. How long before another soldier is dead or Lily?! He doesn't care if he's locked up or sent to Cybertron!"
"I don't know, Ironhide —," I try to argue.
"You're defending him?!"
"Hold on, Ironhide, you know Sideswipe doesn't defend Sunstreaker's killing," Optimus argues.
"I felt his sadness while he argued he does not like the soldiers think he's getting soft. Like Lily, I think he's uncertain what to think."
"We're talking about a mech with centuries of pain and horrible coping mechanisms," Ratchet comments, "which is also a problem. Things could go well with building a friendship with Lily, but she'll see him kill again one day, and I'm not talking about in battle."
"But she knows that's who he is," Prowl adds, "to be his friend, she'd have to, at the very least, get used to Sunstreaker killing humans. Which we know will not stop no matter how much he wants to be her friend."
"So we're letting him walk around the base after what he did?" Ironhide rages, "send his aft to Cybertron! Better for everyone, especially Lily!"
That'll not help Lily, but it's better if I say nothing. The others couldn't believe Optimus will not send Sunstreaker to Cybertron — yet.
"We have a few options for deadlines for Sunstreaker to at least work with Lily so she's not terrified of him. May twenty-ninth is Lily's last day of school unless she needs to do summer school. If she doesn't need summer school, the deadline is July first, before Lily goes to summer camp," Optimus explains.
"Hmm, I don't know if things will be good in a month, but I don't think Lily should be here while in summer school," Ratchet comments, "but it's not a good idea to allow a break with a goal like this," Ratchet points out, "there's a good place to get to before she leaves and the goal can resume when Lily returns from camp. They need to get to where She isn't afraid of him and wants to spend time with him before she leaves. Consider it probation. He screws up; he's in trouble."
"Thirty-one days, though?" Prowl asks.
"I know, but it's all the time Sunstreaker has to get Lily's relationship with him to at least be neutral," Ratchet comments, "the nightmares stop, and she's not afraid of him. Then, when she can come here, she will hopefully want to spend time with Sunstreaker. I'm not sure if Lily will return to school, which could help Sunstreaker, as I doubt Lily will have eight hours of school daily."
Ironhide and Prowl are still determining the plan but agree. Once Lennox agrees with the plan — with the same concern as Ironhide and Prowl — we get Sunstreaker in the conference room.

Sunstreaker's P.O.V.
A month to get Lily to not be terrified of me and the nightmares to stop seems impossible. If I'm lucky and have two months, that's still not a lot of time. Even when Lily is no longer afraid of me, is it possible for us to be friends? Sideswipe and I agree we must talk to Crosshairs, Drift, and Lightning later tonight. I hope Lily can do some schoolwork.
I try to do a little workout, finding it hard to believe I'm missing Lily spying on me.
My workout only lasts for a short time before I go to my art room.

"I want to go back to school," Lily tells Ratchet.
I try my best to hide.
"Why?" Ratchet asks.
"So I can see my friends," Lily claims.
That's not true. She wants to leave and never come back here. Scrap, does she know what I did?
"I don't know, Lily. You still have nightmares, and you can't use sleep aid for a long period," Ratchet explains before having her come with him to the medbay.
I think Ratchet knew I was listening to the conversation. This doesn't concern me, as I'm not Lily's guardian. I wonder if Sideswipe can tell me anything, but I'm certain he'll be called to the medbay.

Ratchet's P.O.V.
Lily doesn't feel safe here, even with three mechs around her. We must deal with this, but Lily also wants to see her friends. 
"The best I can do that's safe is sleep aid for two weeks because you haven't used it consistently."
Even knowing this, and that would mean only going to school for two weeks, Lily still wants to go to school. We're far from her being ok with Sunstreaker taking her to school or picking her up. This will probably mean the routine he's been doing will be paused. Even on the days that he has a patrol, Lily would leave for school just as he returns to base. I inform Sideswipe, who can inform Sunstreaker. They could figure something out. This change of plans could be good, requiring Sunstreaker to try harder, having less time, or make this impossible.

Once I talk to Luke, Prime, Prowl, and Sideswipe, and they agree, we decide Lily will return to school Monday.
"Sunstreaker will not like this," Sideswipe worries.
"It's also a test for Sunstreaker," Prowl points out.
This adds to the concern that Lily could be in danger, but she's always with a mech. Sideswipe will fight his brother if he has to.