Limo closed his eyes as he set his coffee cup down. The program was whirring in front of him, yet his mind was still far off, focused on things that had happened ever since Doun got arrested for child neglect. (Really, he had seen Doun favour Hana even when the twins were younger, how did he not put things together?) 

To be exact, his mind was focused on the snake that had appeared. His former project, 71214N, or Tritan for short, made back when he was still grieving and unable to fully accept his wife's death. Blaming Zero for everything, going crazy as the never-ending spiral of grief engulfed him. 

What he had DONE to the poor snake... He knew she had every right to mistrust him, and yet...

"What are you thinking of, Limo?" a familiar voice cut in, making him open his eyes to see his partner tilt his head. Zero seemed worried for him as he held out a coffee jar, his hands making it seem tiny in comparison. "Would you like another cup?" 

"No, I'm fine, Zero. Thank you. I just... I'm thinking about the past, I suppose. How to... make amends," he admitted. 

How could he make amends with his son, who he had betrayed by doing what he had at Boorong Motors? With Tritan, with Hana, Duri, everyone? He had messed up badly, he knew. 

Things were getting out of hand, though. 

His eyes landed on the screen in front of him. He had seen the reports. People had seen Tritan near the kids' school, and it was almost like she was following them. 

She's every bit of the parent you could never be when you were grieving, a small voice whispered gleefully. 

He bit his lip. "I... I messed up horribly, Zero. I'm the reason Tritan, she.... And you, I treated you horribly. Your past self. I... I don't know how to fix any of this. Doun is in jail for child neglect, for literally trying to end Duri's life by ripping the IVs off him when he was in critical condition..." 

Coffee long forgotten, he looked down. "I know I have to make up for it. Hana, Duri, Semo, Dingyo, even the others, all the kids had become good people despite their past. Tritan, she cares for those kids more than Doun and I had in the past. How do I earn her trust? How do I fix any of this? Am I..."

Am I really that bad of a parent?

He knew his father hadn't been present in his life. His mother had raised him for the first fifteen years before running away with money, leaving him to pick up the pieces of his life on his own. He barely remembered anything about them, now that he thought about it.

"I... I want her to trust me. I want her to understand that the kids don't need protection 24/7... I want her to know that I am sorry, that even if I can't take back what I did back then..." His voice was nothing but a whisper now. "I just want to be a good parent, damn it... But I can't..." 

"Limo..." The Tobot didn't know how to help. He knew that Limo carried a lot of guilt over what had happened to him before. He knew that it still ate away at him, and it had only grown after Tritan showed up. He didn't even remember that time, but his Pilot did and it was eating away at him. 

He... He wanted to help. But how could he?

His hand reached out to very gently pat his back as the other hunched over the chair. "I... I don't know what to say. I won't pretend like I DO know what to do, but... I do know that you won't do anything if you just sit here and mope." 

"It's just... Can I fix this?" It wasn't a question. No. It was a plea. He wanted to make things right, but didn't know how to. His own childhood was broken and it left him scrambling for answers he didn't have the answer to. Limo just wanted to.... He just wanted to help somehow. 

"You cannot force someone to forgive you, but... Time will heal all wounds, I hope. It happened to you, so I believe that it'll happen to her too. You just need to be frank about it." 

"But what if I fail, Zero!? Things are just... so confusing..." His grip on his head tightened. Just, what could he do now? How could he make things work out? 

"You can't magically fix everything, but you can do what you can," Zero offered. 

The inventor gave him a look of bafflement. "I... I don't understand." What did he mean, he could do what he can?

"Be honest, like I said. No matter how much angry she may be, she might want something from you. Something you don't think you're capable of giving but you are."

"Something I don't think I'm capable of giving?..." He adjusted his glasses, perplexed by his statement. "What do you mean?" 

"Isn't she your invention? So to some extent... she's your child, Limo," he said with a chuckle. For all his smarts, Limo sure could be an dumb-dumb, huh?

Limo's mouth went open before shutting close. "She... She wants a parent?"

"She wants someone who cares for her," he corrected. "You don't have to continue the cycle of hurt or be hurt. You don't have to hurt others to avoid the pain anymore, Limo. I trust that things WILL work out, even if the process is slow. So why not take that step into the unknown? It may be just as rewarding?" he offered. 

Limo blinked, slowly processing things. He... He had a point. Just because his parents were practical dirtbags in the past didn't mean he had to continue that cycle. He was... he did care for the kids. 

He DID care for Tritan, so...

He closed his eyes and let out a quiet laugh. "You have a point, Zero, I... Thank you."

"I'm glad I could help," was the Tobot's reply, and Limo felt the joy in his words. 

Right, yeah, he could do this. He wouldn't le his trauma get the better of him ever again! He would end the cycle of hurt for those around him, and for him no matter what!

Okay, I know this is short, and I am sorry, so let me know if you want to add anything to it. Littlexheatwave