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Chapter Text

Nothing in particular separated this battle from any other. It had begun like many before it, with gloating and spewed insults from Starscream and hot headed responses from some of the Autobots. Optimus Prime and Megatron had, of course, taken some time to reiterate their monologs to one-another, insisting that the other step down. When neither stepped down, the two large mechs began their fighting. The rest of their troops fell in step behind them until the field was nothing more than a sea of flying dust and gun shots. There was nothing notable about this pattern, it had been done before and it would likely be done many more times after. The troops involved engaged in this fighting as they had every other, almost to a point of perfect rehearsal. To say that the Autobots and Decepticons had been fighting for a long time would be a gross understatement. If this fight were like the many fights before it, it would end with one faction retreating to safety as the other stayed to hand the land back to the humans, or alternatively, pillage the land for the resources it had and flee. If this battle was like the many before it, it would be a short-lived skirmish that left the mechs involved with wounds to repair and resources to restore. Very few battles on Earth resulted in mortality for either side. The civil war was dying out, Cybertronian populations were dissolving amongst the stars. If it where possible to win a battle with non-fatal tactics, both factions had an un-spoken agreement that this would be the case. Far too many mechs had been lost in the horrifically wasteful early days of the war, the remaining few were far too low in numbers to slay and slaughter without a thought. Besides, what would be the purpose of winning the war if it meant killing off most of the remaining population? This unspoken agreement between the war-exhausted Autobots and Decepticons was honoured most days, and if this battle were like any other battle, this would be the way.

Soundwave slid down the muddy hill, he braced himself with his servo as he dropped. The battle was progressing as he had estimated, Megatron and Optimus had come to blows already, the troops were engaged in their typical groups, yelling and fighting amongst each-other. With a quick scan across his bonds, Soundwave checked on each of his cassette’s status. Rumble and Frenzy were functioning well, perhaps even enjoying themselves as they taunted and chased the humans. Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat were circling the field, watching their siblings and swooping in to claw at unexpecting Autobots. Ravage was slipping between the peds of fighting mechs, completely undetected. Soundwave double checked with Ratbat, his youngest creation, who was still relatively new to the battle scenes. Ratbat confirmed his status with a friendly ping and turned down Soundwave’s offer to dock him for the rest of the battle. With all of his cassettes in good shape, Soundwave turned his attention to his Autobot counterpart. Blaster stood before him, servos resting on his hips and his typical playful grin spread across his faceplates. How Soundwave hated that slag-eating, friendly grin Blaster always gave him.
“Well look who decided to join the party”, The red boombox joked, showing no signs of battle readiness.
“War: not a party”, Soundwave reiterated blandly, much to the amusement of Blaster. With a scoff and a playful swipe at the air, Blaster responded with his usual taunts and jeers. Everything was perfectly normal. Finally, with the blue mech stepping forward, the boomboxes engaged in their typical fighting habits. Their movements were laced with verbal jeers from Blaster, telepathic lashes from Soundwave, and an oh-so-typical power balance that had always left both mechs and their cassettes able to walk away. Neither mech would wish to harm the other’s cassettes… That would just be wrong. By an extent, killing the other would be harming their creations, and thus their sparring continued, both knowing full well that neither wanted to offline the other… No matter how much they made each-other’s energon boil. Soundwave placed a solid kick to Blaster’s knee, bringing the orange mech to the ground for a moment. Blaster pushed himself forward from his crouch and grabbed Soundwave’s legs, toppling both mechs into the dirt. With a mutual distaste for prying stones from their armor later, both stumbled back to a stand and faced each-other again.
“Is that all you’ve got, mech?” Blaster teased, he pretended that the other mech couldn’t hear his fast-cycling intakes.
“Negative”, Soundwave grit back. For a moment, both mechs stared at one-another. Blaster grinned… Soundwave hated when he did that.

Megatron snarled as he was shoved back. He stumbled for a moment, then regained his balance and hissed at the Prime. Optimus gave him hardly a moment before hauling back into the fight, using his immense frame to weight each strike. Megatron responded with the same desperate ferocity, doubled only by the biting hunger in his processing tanks. It had been so long since his troops had a decent re-fuel. They needed this victory so badly, their energon reserves were dwindling.
“Step down, Megatron”, Optimus rumbled in his usual calm tone.
“Give up, Prime”, Megatron hissed in response. The battle raged on.

Ratbat glided over the fighting mechs. Dirt and pebbles were kicked up into the air from the action below, so he took care to stay nice and high. Ravage nudged him through the bond, reassuring himself as much as his youngest brother that the battle would be over soon. Ratbat had only witnessed a few fights before this one, he had yet to be physically involved. His primary task was keeping check on his brother’s positions and notifying Soundwave if any of them got hurt. He didn’t mind this job. The fighting seemed so scary and loud, he didn’t want to go anywhere near it. His carrier certainly didn’t want him to engage in it either, he was far too small. The tiny cassette focused his optics on Megatron and Optimus as they continued their fighting. Those two mechs were the scariest of all during the fights. They were so big and loud, their armor crashed and crunched with every hit, dust flew up from their peds until the air around them was blotted out. Ratbat didn’t like that one bit, he chose to stay clear. He pinged Soundwave, watching as Megatron’s knees began to shake from exhaustion. It looked like the battle would be over quite soon.

The ground sunk below his peds as he took another heavy blow from Prime. Megatron wrinkled his nasal ridge in a snarl, he tried to mask his increasing exhaustion with fury. Optimus Prime was also feeling the strain, he blocked another swing from Megatron then used as much force as he could to ram his fist into the other mech’s abdomen. The warlord buckled under the hit, the air from his intakes rushed out in a wheeze. Starscream bombarded his intercom with requests to retreat, they were losing. The hunger in his tanks drove him on just a bit further. He needed to feed his troops, he needed to win this battle and the resulting crude oil with it. Perhaps processed energon from Earth oils was not the most appetizing fuel, but it was something. In a final act of desperation, he pulled a long dagger from his subspace. It was rare that he ever used the old thing. A ghost from his days in the gladiator pits, it was not much longer than his forearm, but the crooked old blade had been buried in many chestplates before and it was lethal. Optimus hesitated as his optics flickered to the cruel blade, many times he had been sent to the med-bay thanks to that thing. His hesitation lasted for but a moment as he stepped back towards Megatron with intent to end the battle. Megatron reared the blade at Optimus, his fingers spread on the handle in preparation to throw it. Optimus saw this stance, recognizing it from the few too many times the blade had been thrown and lodged into his side or shoulder. He blocked the throw by slamming his arm against Megatron’s, sending the blade spinning to the side instead. The Prime almost had to smile at his fast response, glad to have that nasty dagger out of their exchange. Before anything else could be done, his energon turned to ice. He watched in dismay as Megatron’s face also morphed into an expression of shock. Mechs around the field paused mid-fight to listen.

Six voices. No… Six screams. Energon curdling screams echoed around the field. Optimus Prime and Megatron locked optics for a moment before scanning their mechs for evidence.
“Soundwave’s cassettes”, Megatron breathed. Rumble and Frenzy had frozen where they stood, both clutching their chestplates and screaming. Their optics flickered across the field in anguish as they searched for someone, something. Ravage had flattened his frame to the ground, his audios pinned to the back of his helm and his lips pulled back to bare a snarl. Buzzsaw and Lazerbeak had landed, they shook as they huddled to each-other, looking disorientated and hissing at the larger mechs standing over them. Ratbat had landed next to Megatron. The small bat stared up at the two leaders with terrified optics. His wings trembled and he looked back and forth between Optimus and Megatron. In a soft, shaky voice he whispered, “something feels wrong”. Megatron whipped his held back up to the side, finally realizing where his blade had been thrown.

Soundwave stood shock still. Mud and dirt had been scrapped along his legs and back. Energon dripped down his frame, pooling in a fast-growing puddle at his peds. He stared down in bewilderment at his chestplates. Lodged in the center of his chest, perfectly dividing his docking station in half, was Megatron’s dagger. The telepath’s servos hovered midair on either side of the hilt, not quite sure what to do or how to do it; too shocked to do anything at all. Energon poured from his wound, his spark burned, his frame shook. He slowly looked up at Megatron, his mask and visor gave nothing away, but his trembling frame and overly bright visor displayed his horror. The only thought that crossed his processor was immense relief that Ratbat didn’t wish to be docked earlier. After a long moment of wavering on his peds, his knees buckled and he collapsed onto his back. Blaster stood next to him, his servos covered his mouth in terror as he watched his counterpart drop like a stone. He stared up at the two leaders with bright blue optics. Nobody on the field moved. Six voices screamed and cried without pause.

Megatron watched as his most loyal mech fell, his own weapon embedded in his chestplates. A sudden rage filled his spark and he roared at the Prime, leaping back into their fight with more ferocity and malevolence than before. The two leaders continued their fight, none of the other troops did. Hook sprinted from across the field to where Soundwave had fallen, he ripped out tools and supplies as he did. He reached Soundwave first, then let out a relieved sound to find the mech still breathing. Hook would hesitate to call the rasping gasps coming from the telepath ‘breathing’, but hell, it was something, certainly much more than he had expected. He desperately began his work; his servos flew over Soundwave’s frame as he fought to stop the bleeding. With much care he removed the blade from Soundwave’s frame, before he could do it himself, two red servos put immediate pressure on the wound. Hook looked up at Ratchet, they made optic contact. Hook opened his mouth to shoo the opposing medic away but he was interrupted as Ratchet interjected.
“He’s a father”, Ratchet hissed, “You need my help, don’t be vain”. Hook swallowed his pride and gave a curt nod, both medics worked together on Soundwave.

Blaster hadn’t moved. His servos remained clutching his face, his frame shook. He felt a gentle servo squeeze his arm and glanced down at Jazz.
“You good, mech?” he asked gently. Blaster gasped and his vocolizer suddenly snapped back online with a spurt of static.
“Primus Jazz, oh God it came out of no where”, his voice trembled, “we were just fightining and he just- there was just- like it just appeared in his- oh primus”. His voice shook and he glanced back down to the blue mech. Soundwave was hardly visible with a team of medics and their aids crouched around his frame. “His babies!” Blaster interrupted his own thoughts, he desperately looked around the field for the cassettes. Jazz directed his gaze to Soundwave’s creations. They were huddled together in a pile, peering out at their father from just down the field. None of them moved in the slightest, most of them clutched their chestplates as they huddled and cried. Blaster’s spark ached watching them, Primus knows that this was his worst fear for his little ones.
“He’ll be ok”, Jazz reassured his friend as he squeezed Blaster's arm, “Old Sounders’ is a stubborn thing, he wouldn’t leave his cassettes”. If only Jazz’s voice was reassuring as his words.

Megatron was thrown onto his back again, he let out a winded snarl as he hit the ground for the umpteenth time. He looked up at Optimus Prime, who loomed over him. He then glanced at the pile of medics surrounding what he hoped was an alive communications officer. With a groan and a heave, he pushed himself back to his peds and glared at Optimus for a long moment.
Finally, after a long pause he howled “Decepticons, retreat!”. The seekers were the first to go, they stormed into the sky at his command. The other Decepticons glanced again towards Soundwave before taking off after the seekers. Soundwave’s cassettes didn’t move, Megatron made no move to bring them. The warlord whipped to look at Optimus Prime. “You will regret this”, he hissed, “If he offlines I will-“. Optimus interjected in a cool tone, “the dagger in his chest isn't mine, Megatron". Megatron felt his cannon power back up at the reply, but with a growl and a glimpse towards Soundwave, he took off into the darkening sky. Optimus watched the Decepticons fly away, all but Soundwave, Hook, and his cassettes. His gaze flicked to the medics and then to the pile of shivering younglings, his spark sunk as he considered his role in creating this. Guilt clawed its way into his gut. Optimus knew full well that Megatron had thrown the dagger, he also knew that he was the one to knock it in an unfortunate direction. This was never the intention.

Soundwave’s spark flickered. Ratchet cursed, he hated when sparks did that. Hook’s servos trembled as he tried to steady the repairs. Primus, there was so much energon, too much energon. The spark in Soundwave’s chestplates flickered again, dimming to a smaller and smaller size with each passing moment. “Primus, don’t do this” Ratchet whispered to Soundwave. He knew the telepath was unconscious but he urged him on anyways. “You have creations, you can’t leave them here on this dirt planet during this primus forsaken war! Primus mech have some gall!”, he watched as Soundwave’s spark flickered, the light shrunk with each rattled breath.

Soundwave wasn’t sure where he was. Was he dreaming? He couldn’t remember much… although he could certainly feel an agonizing burning in his chestplates. He gripped at his cassette docks, trying to source the pain. Everything looked in order and his docks were empty… Strange. A soft pool of light opened in front of him. The white light washed over his frame, it was warm, somehow soft and familiar. His optics reset and he stared into the warmth with a sigh. It smelled of summer, of warm days from his childhood so long ago, and something else. He took a step towards it, enticed by the warmth. It looked so soothing, so comfortable, it called to his aching spark to come and rest. He wanted nothing more than to follow it, to bask in the warmth and sleep. He was so tired, and so cold. Wouldn’t it just be lovely to rest? He took another step. “You have creations, you can’t leave them here on this dirt planet during this primus forsaken war!”, the voice echoed from behind him. Soundwave stopped, his peds planted where they where. Did he know that voice? It sounded so familiar, yet so distant, almost from a lifetime ago. The telepath turned around for the first time to see what lay behind him. His optics re-adjusted but were met only with an inky darkness. He felt his frame shiver, the pain in his chestplates kindled back to life as he stared into the void. This path was different, it was so cold, so lonely, and so, so long. He stared into the darkness for a moment, then turned back to face the light. He felt the warm wash of summer bathe his faceplates, his shoulders relaxed and his aching spark was soothed. He wasn’t quite sure where he was, but he knew which path he liked more. He smiled, perhaps it was time to go home, after all, he was in such need for rest. Perhaps this light could warm his cold, war-torn spark. Soundwave made his decision. He took a step towards the light, the summer, the warmth, the rest, but then he stopped. Something pulled at his spark. Unconsciously, he had placed his servos over his glass docking station. He stared down at his chest with a frown, his fingers stroking over the glass. He glanced back towards the dark… towards his cassettes, then sighed. He shuffled his peds back, knowing quite well that he couldn’t bear to go into this warm lovely place while his creations were stuck back in the dark. He sighed, his optics flickered back to the light, before offlining. He let the warmth brush by his face, he breathed in the summer air once more. Perhaps if he stood long enough he could warm his cold bones. After all, he had a long, long journey ahead, and he was so very tired and so very cold. Soundwave turned his back to the light and walked away.

Ratchet hissed again as the spark faded and flickered. He glanced up for half a moment, taking in Blaster’s unmoving horror, the cassettes huddled together, Optimus Prime’s deep frown, and the other loitering troubled Autobots. “Come on,” breathed Hook, his servos desperately working to patch Soundwave back together, “come on, please”. As if called back to reality by Hook’s words, Soundwave’s spark roared back to life with a flash of light. The medics jolted back in shock, their work paused for a moment before leaping back to their duty. "Thanks" Hook murmured in mild bewilderment. It wasn't every day that asking nicely brought such results. Primus frag it, this slagger really was as stubborn as his reputation. With a sudden flair in his field, Soundwave jolted up with a gasp. The telepath hardly made it up before a hoard of medic’s servos pushed him back down, a group of voices demanded that he lay still. Soundwave choked and gasped for air, then turned his helm to the ground and coughed up more energon than could ever be considered well. The medics continued their work, they had a new speed and frenzy in their servos, and a new hope in their minds. Soundwave stared up from the ground, his vision was fuzzy and distorted, although he could recognize the red and whites of medics. His vocolizer spat static as he tried to ask questions. The medics around him patted his shoulders and squeezed his servos as they worked, their voices could be heard through a wall of foam and distortion. There was an Earth-shaking pain in his chestplates, he felt dizzy, warnings flashed in his HUD so bright that it was almost all he could see at times. It was cold, it was painful, but Primus damn it, he was alive. He felt his cassettes reach out tentatively through their bond. With a rush of relief, Soundwave sent his love and soothing thoughts through to his creations. They responded with a flood of love, worry, and hope for him.
‘ah’, Soundwave thought to himself, ‘there is my light’. He glanced once more at the medics before his optics shut down and he dropped into a deep stasis.

Chapter Text

The blur of red and white above him, muffled voices chattered together as they worked on his frame. His audios rang, his vision fritzed with static, the world swung around him in a dizzying sway. He couldn’t breathe, something deep in his chest spasmed and energon pooled in his mouth. Soundwave felt his frame shift as he was turned onto his side, his mask torn off by practised servos as he choked up energon into the dirt. Primus the pain, something seared in his chest, his spark wavered. It was so cold, he was so cold.

Soundwave sat up with a gasp. His frame was suddenly hit with a burning pain from his chest. He clutched his glass docking station, his vision blurred to nothing. Static roared in Soundwave’s audios until two strong servos rested on his shoulders and pushed him back to lay down. The telepath jolted at the touch but allowed the servos to guide him back. Soundwave shook his helm to help clear his senses, he could feel pillows being propped up behind him so he could sit up a bit better. Finally, his vision and hearing cleared. Soundwave glanced around the unfamiliar medical bay, then to the stabilizing systems and medicine drip we was attached to. He finally turned to meet the gaze of Autobot Ratchet. The medic stood next to his berth as he scanned the blue mech’s frame.

“Welcome back”, he stated. Soundwave noticed how relaxed his posture was, the medic had his servos crossed across his chest plates as he spoke. However, the telepath noted how closed up Ratchet’s field was, perhaps he wasn’t as calm and collected as he wished Soundwave to believe.

“You’ve been out for some time”, the medic remarked, he busied his servos in checking the equipment hooked up to Soundwave. With a hiss of static, Soundwave attempted to reboot his vocalizer. Nothing came out aside from a pitiful, static-laden warble, Soundwave winced. “Almost three days”, Ratchet answered the unspoken question. Soundwave re-set his vocolizer with a few clicks, his servos reached up and touched his mask and visor. “Don’t worry, I put your mask and visor back in place after operating on you” Ratchet added after watching the gesture. The blue mech gently moved his servos to trace over the middle of his chestplates, his fingers lingered where the blade had gone in. Patch work was evident enough; however, it was surprisingly neat and done with immense care. Ratchet watched as his unexpected patient rubbed over his chestplates, almost unbelieving that he was all in one piece. Finally, after a long moment, Soundwave’s vocolizer snapped back online. He looked up to the medic, his servos still resting over his cassette docks.
“Query: Why?” Soundwave inquired.

Ratchet stepped back from the medical equipment with a thoughtful hum. “I am a medic. War or no war, it would take a heartless mech to allow a carrier to bleed to death in the dirt while their creations watched."

Soundwave absorbed this and nodded stiffly. “Query: location of cassettes?” he asked. Despite the monotone voice, it was fairly obvious that there was a strain in his words.
“Well taken care of,” assured Ratchet, “After the incident we made sure that the cassettes were settled safely with everything they needed as well as supervision. They have been in to visit you every day”. The medic avoided the details on how the last few days in the medbay had been nothing but tearful visits and bawling cassettes. He cleared his throat, but was cut off when Soundwave asked “Query: …why?”.

Ratchet snorted, a smile etched on his faceplates, “well, we couldn’t exactly leave the younglings out in the middle of no where. Hook didn’t know how to bring them with him as he left, they refused to leave your side”. Soundwave gave a puzzled frown behind his mask, why would leaving them out in the middle of nowhere be the only option? Hadn’t the Decepticons attempted to bring them back to safety when they left? He pushed the worries and questions from his mind for now.

“Soundwave: wishes to see cassettes” he said. Ratchet nodded, “I thought you might say that, I have already sent for them”. Soundwave let out a relieved breath knowing that there would be no issue in seeing his family again. Perhaps they were being held hostage, but the soft-sparked Autobots would at least let them see each-other.

“How is the pain level?” Ratchet asked, he gestured to Soundwaves chestplates. Soundwave hesitated, his servos hovered above his glass as he looked down for a moment. He struggled to breathe, energon poured from his chestplates as he stared blankly at the hilt of Megatron’s dagger. His spark burned, he felt his intakes fill with liquids. Soundwave shook his helm to remove the memory. A chill crept along his spinal struts as he clutched his repaired plating.

“Pain: tolerable” he answered. The term ‘tolerable’ was, perhaps, a bit of an understatement. His chest ached from inside to outside, each breath brought with it fresh streaks of agony. Nonetheless, if he let the medic know the pain level he might not be granted access to his creations.

Ratchet nodded and jotted something on his datapad. He hadn’t missed a thing, nothing got away from Ratchet’s optics. He noted the random freeze Soundwave displayed as he stared at his chestplates. It was possible that some lingering fears and survivor guilt would be carried by the mech after that battle. He made note of it.

A knock on the door directed both mech’s attention to the entrance just as six excited cassettes burst through. With shrieks of joy, all six cassettes clamoured up onto Soundwave’s berth. They stopped at the foot of the berth, their optics lingered on their carrier’s chestplates. Soundwave sent a gentle greeting through the bond, he let them know just how happy he was to see them. Ratbat, being the youngest and most in need of proximity, was the first to move. Tentatively, he crawled up towards Soundwave. He let his carrier lift him from the berth and cradle him in the crook of his neck. Once Ratbat felt the warmth radiating from his carrier, he knew that everything was going to be ok. He churred and affectionately nuzzled his creator, who clutched the sparkling tighter. Gradually, the cassettes picked their way up towards Soundwave. They took care not to lean on his chestplates or place too much pressure on the healing wound. Soundwave greeted each with a gentle embrace and warm welcomes through the bond.

After a moment of adapting, the cassettes let down their hesitant walls and climbed all over Soundwave, finding their usual spots to cozy up to. Ratbat stayed curled up in the crook of Soundwave’s neck, Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw each perched on Soundwave’s shoulders, Rumble and Frenzy curled up on their carrier’s lap, and Ravage pressed his side to Soundwave’s.

::We missed you!:: the cassettes sent through the bond, ::We are so glad to see you awake::, ::When will we go back home?::, ::It’s really nice here!::, ::we have so much to tell you!::. The questions and messages bombarded Soundwave’s side of the bond, he accepted each message with a soothing burst of love and as many answers as he could muster.

“That was real scary, Boss!” Rumble was the fist to speak aloud. The rest of the cassettes joined him in a unison of voices.
“Yeah!”
“It was so scary!”
“I’m just glad you’re ok”
“I’m glad you didn’t offline”
“Primus Frenzy, don’t say that”
“Well it’s true!”.
Soundwave smiled behind his mask and listened as they chattered on to him. His servos gently smoothed down their dorsas in turn as he nodded and listened.
“It’s been fairly nice here” Lazerbeak remarked. The other cassettes nodded at this. “Query: Autobots treat cassettes well?” Soundwave asked them. More nods from the cassettes set his spark at ease.

“Yeah, they’ve been real nice” Rumble confirmed, “they feed us the nice energon, and let us play together, and let us visit you when we want”. Soundwave’s brow furrowed, what kind of hostage situation came with such freedom of choice? Soft-sparked Autobots indeed.
“Yeah, and Blaster is super nice too, he lets us watch human TV in the mornings and play games with his cassettes” Frenzy added cheerfully.

…What? Blaster? Soundwave felt his nasal ridge pinch at the idea of Blaster caring for his cassettes. As if on cue, a soft chuckle sounded from across the room. Soundwave’s helm snapped up to look at Autobot Blaster. The orange boombox was perched casually on a medical table, he winked at Ratchet and Soundwave.
“Yeah, your little fellas have been a dream” he remarked in a friendly voice, “I think the hardest part of all of this will be separating them from my little guys after all is said and done”. Blaster was met with a cool expressionless mask and visor. Soundwave stared at him for a long, hard moment. This is the supervision given for his cassettes? His creations had been in the care of his own nemesis. Soundwave felt properly miffed.

The silence and long stare from Soundwave dragged on until his cassettes jumped in.
“He’s been super nice to us!” Rumble hurriedly explained.
“Yeah, he takes real good care of us, you don’t need to worry” Buzzsaw added. The cassettes nodded their approval and tugged at Soundwave until he broke his gaze from Blaster.

Blaster spoke up again, “I know you’re probably not jumpin’ with joy to know I was the one watchining over your bitlets” he started, “I would totally feel the same way if I was in your shoes. Although, I'm the only bot here who actually knows how to care for these little guys, and they’ve been making pretty good friends with my cassettes”.
Soundwave nodded. Something in his gut still boiled, but he understood the reasoning. He glanced over his cassette’s conditions again, all seemed perfectly well and in place. If anything, they had better quality energon in their systems… all was in order.

Stiffly, Soundwave turned to face Blaster again. “Soundwave: is grateful that you have taken adequate care of cassettes”. Blaster grinned and pointed a finger gun at him with a wink, “Any time, my mech”. Soundwave wrinkled his nasal ridge again, he was glad that he had the facemask to cover his grimace.

Some time passed as the cassettes rambled to Soundwave about their stay, Blaster’s cassettes, the energon goodies, and the awesome pranks they had planned for when they returned to the Nemesis. Soundwave smiled and listened to them, more than content in just nodding and holding them as time passed.

Suddenly, a sharp pain jabbed Soundwave in his spark chamber. He clutched at his chestplates and gasped, his action instantly silenced his cassettes.
“Boss?” Rumble asked softly, tilting his helm to the side.
“I think it’s time you boys headed back with Blaster”, Ratchet intervened. The medic made short work of scooping up the cassettes and delivering them back to Blaster’s waiting servos. The last cassette he went to retrieve was Ratbat, who was still clutched in Soundwave’s servos. The medic put out his servos to receive the sparkling, he gave Soundwave a gentle nod. It was time to say goodbye.

“You can see them tomorrow morning” he assured in an unusually kind voice. Soundwave stared longingly at his youngest creation. Ratbat gazed up at him with big red optics. The telepath brought Ratbat up to his mask and placed a tiny little nudge from his mask on the sparkling’s forehelm; a mock kiss goodbye. Slowly, Soundwave placed his youngest in the medic’s waiting servos. Ratbat let out a little chirp as he was taken back to Blaster.

Soundwave watched as Blaster accepted the tiny bat in his servos, he held Ratbat close and with a warmth Soundwave didn’t expect. “I’ll take good care of them”, assured the orange boombox. His voice was uncharacteristically soft as he promised Soundwave. Gradually, Ratchet shooed the group from his medbay, Soundwave watched with an aching spark as his cassettes waved goodbye and the door closed behind them.

The gentle tingle of scans spread over his body as Ratchet worked to source the flair of pain. Soundwave silently watched as Ratchet adjusted the machinery he was hooked up to. The blue mech had nothing to say. Without his cassettes cuddled up to him the world suddenly felt so void again. He hollowly let the medic adjust his position to lay back down. The sudden urge to weep filled Soundwave’s throat, but he made no move to do so. He didn’t have nearly enough energy to cry. Soundwave watched as the medic worked around him, he could feel his systems shutting down for a recharge.

“Get some rest”, encouraged Ratchet, “Your system needs it. You can see more of your cassettes tomorrow”. Soundwave heaved a sigh and let his systems power down for the night. Somehow he already knew that his sleep would be fitful.

Chapter Text

It was no surprise to Soundwave that his sleep cycle was fitful. Despite his exhaustion, the telepath spent much of the night tossing about as he wavered in and out of nightmare laden recharge. On several occasions he woke to the empty and dark medbay with much disorientation. It took a few clicks for him to remember the eventful few days behind him.

Soundwave’s time spent in recharge consisted of nightmares and jabbing chest pains. His time spent awake was focused on the longing desire to be with his cassettes and the lingering frustration with being held hostage. Somehow, around 3 AM, Soundwave was able to drop into a deep recharge cycle.

Pain spread through his chest plates. Soundwave reached for the dagger but paused, unsure of what to do. A tight burning sensation spread through his spark like fire, every breath stoked the flames higher. With an agonizing groan, Soundwave looked down at his cassette docks. Everything froze for a long moment. Ice spread along his veins and tingled in his finger tips. Settled within his chestplates, perfectly split in half by the blade, was a small purple cassette. Soundwave’s intakes choked as he tried to scream. Sparks flickered from the wound as the cassette began to grey.
“Ratbat!”, Soundwave sobbed, his servos meekly pawed at his chestplates. “No! Please! Not Ratbat!”, he frantically clawed at his glass, trying desperately to remove the trapped sparkling. All of the strength in his limbs was sapped away until he wavered and fell. Why did he offer to dock him during the battle? Why did he let him die?
“Ratbat” Soundwave pleaded into the darkness.

Soundwave jolted from his recharge with a gasp. His servos clawed at the glass over his docking station for a moment. His optics adjusted to the dim room with a few blinks, gradually he let out a sigh and let the tension drip from his frame. The blue mech sat at the edge of his berth for some time, his servos continued to rest over his chestplates as his spark rate slowed back down.

His optics took in the soft light as is began to pour from the windows. The sun was finally rising again, it marked the end to a night he was more than glad to be done with. Soundwave’s optics flickered back up to the machinery he was hooked up to. The fluid drip was almost empty, the system stabilizers seemed to be working fine. For a brief moment Soundwave considered unhooking the medical equipment and sneaking out to find his cassettes. Once all together they could break out and head back to the nemesis. He mulled the idea over in his processor. Considering that it was so early in the morning the halls would be relatively empty and perfect for a quiet escape. That being said, he had no idea which room was Blasters, and he certainly didn’t know if he would be able to get far without being connected to the medical systems. With a soft huff, he disposed of the idea. He would have to gather more strength before an escape was even remotely plausible.

Soft ped-steps alerted the telepath to Ratchet’s presence as he entered the medbay. “You’re up early”, Ratchet observed. The tingle of passing scans spread across Soundwave’s frame again, he didn’t move. Ratchet hummed for a moment, looking over his scans before adding “you are looking good so far. You are healing just as fast as I could hope”.

Soundwave watched as Ratchet fiddled with the machinery he was connected to. The fluid drip was replaced with a fresh bag, how wasteful to use up such precious resources on a hostage. Soundwave watched as Ratchet looked through the information on the system stabilizer, the medic hummed and jotted some things down on a datapad.
“Restless recharge?”, Ratchet asked. His tone was casual, but Soundwave sensed a prickle of worry spread across the medic’s processor. How odd… To worry for the wellbeing of an enemy soldier. Soundwave’s visor dimmed and he responded with a simple “affirmative”.

Ratchet hummed some more, he gently tapped at the machinery with his datapad stylus. “Your spark rate jumped up and down quite a bit through the night. Do you recall having any nightmares or thoughts that could increase your spark rate? Otherwise I will have to open you up and take a look… I wouldn’t want your spark to jump around like that without cause”.

Soundwave stared at Ratchet for a long moment, he bit the inside of his cheek and with a soft glower responded, “Soundwave: had night-fluxes”.

Ratchet nodded knowingly. He looked at Soundwave with sympathetic blue optics. “Many mechs feel a little haunted after experiences like the one you had”, he soothed, “give it time and you should be able to move past it”. Soundwave worked to keep his plating from flaring at the kind words. Who in the pits was this medic to treat him like a sparkling? Primus all these resources and kind words being spent on him just made his tanks curdle. Where these soft Autobots forgetting that he was Third in Command of the Decepticons?

Soundwave took a long breath and blew it out slowly. He looked up at the medic before finally asking something that had bothered him all night. “Query: Why care for me to such an intense extent? What will Autobots have to gain from this?”.

Ratchet raised an optic brow at the question, he placed his datapad back into a subspace and walked across the room. The medic returned with a cube of medical grade energon and held it out to Soundwave. The telepath stared numbly at the cube, Ratchet gave the cube a shake, gesturing for the mech to take it. With a sigh, Soundwave accepted it.

Only after Soundwave took the energon did Ratchet answer the question. “Like I have already told you, I’m a medic. It goes strictly against my coding to abandon a needlessly injured mech -and a carrier nonetheless- regardless of the circumstance. I won’t be satisfied with my work until you are stable and back on your peds… That is just my role in this world”. Soundwave watched him silently, the full cube still sitting in his servo.

“drink”, Ratchet gestured at the cube. Soundwave schooled his frown back into a neutral expression before removing his mask and sipping from the cube. He had to admit, the energon sat nicely in his tanks. As he drank from the cube, Soundwave’s processor turned Ratchet’s answer over and over. The explanation, while truthful, just didn’t fill in the gaps of knowledge that really irked Soundwave. Why would the Autobots go out of their way to take him and his cassettes? Sure, caring for an injured mech was Ratchet’s duty, but why not let the Decepticons care for him? Why go out of their way to capture him and then spend all these resources to heal him? Wouldn’t it have been easier to step back and allow the Decepticons to take him and fix him?

Before he could reiterate any of these questions to the medic, a knock at the medbay door pulled his attention away. A small click filled the air as Soundwave’s mask was snapped back into place. He placed the empty cube on the table next to his berth. All at once, ten laughing cassettes exploded into the room. Soundwave distantly heard Ratchet’s mortified groan as the medbay flooded with Soundwave’s and Blaster’s cassettes. Blaster followed the wave of younglings in, a chipper smile on his faceplates. His smile quickly turned sheepish when Ratchet berated him for bringing all ten of their cassettes at once.

Joy filled Soundwave’s spark again as his six creations crawled up onto his berth and immediately all over his frame. Six happy voices yammered on at once, filling their creator in on everything they had done in the last day. Soundwave nodded and listened, his audios straining to take in every detail about the good energon, human video games, Blaster’s cassettes, colouring books, and how much they missed him. Soundwave pet and hugged each cassette as they joined him, he took a moment longer with Ratbat, assuring himself that his youngest was alive and well.

Blaster and his four cassettes perched up on a berth across from Soundwave and his family. The unfamiliar cassettes smiled and waved when he glanced up at them. Blaster’s grin widened as he watched Soundwave’s cassettes chatter on and on to their creator. It warmed his spark to see them so happy again.

Almost a breem passed as the cassettes babbled without pause, questions were asked faster than Soundwave could answer. Finally, exhausted from the excitement of seeing their creator again, and so comfortable to be in his presence, all six of Soundwave’s cassettes nodded off into light recharge.

“Primus”, the chuckle brought Soundwave’s attention back up to Blaster. The orange boombox shook his helm with a laugh, “they sure were thrilled to see you again”. Soundwave gave a simple nod and agreed, “cassettes: tire easily after over-excitement”. He glanced across the room to where Blaster’s cassettes had dispersed. Ramhorn and Steeljaw sat on Ratchet’s desk, their optics followed his servos as the medic filed away data. Rewind and Eject were sitting on the floor, they were seemingly preoccupied watching a human game of baseball on a small screen.

“So…”, Blaster started, his optics glanced around the room as he awkwardly looked for something to chat about. Soundwave’s optics dimmed behind his visor, he was never a fan of small talk, particularly not with this loud, boisterous, and seemingly reckless mech. “uh… how did you recharge last night?” Blaster finally settled on a topic.

Soundwave let out a soft huff and responded with deadpan honesty, “Recharge: fitful”. Blaster’s helm cocked to the side and concern coloured his optics. Soundwave just hated when Autobots gave him those empathetic optics, it made him feel like he was being viewed as a kicked puppy.

“Sorry to hear that, mech. Anything you want to talk about?” Blaster asked gently. Soundwave snorted, “negative”. A smile pulled at the corners of Blaster’s mouth at the dead-end answer. “Can I guess?” Blaster asked, that playful tone slipped into his voice again. Soundwave loathed that tone. Soundwave heaved a sigh, doubtful that a mech like Blaster would ever be able to guess his fears. At least it would be amusing to see him try to guess… “Affirmative”.

Blaster hummed and rubbed his chin, finally he made his guess. “Well, you got hurt pretty bad right here”, he tapped his own cassette docks, “and I notice that since you’ve been awake you have yet to put your little guys in their docking compartments”. He gestured to the sleeping minicons on Soundwave’s lap. “Now I know that when my little guys are napping they like to curl up in my docks, and I also like that because they are as close to me as they can get, and they are guaranteed safe there”. The boombox adjusted his position, then settled again as he got comfortable. “And I know just how scary it is to have little bitlets during the war, you only ever want to keep them safe and happy. But if the safest place they could hide out in, your docks, was suddenly no longer seen as safe by you, then you wouldn’t want to hold them in there anymore… So, I think that you had nightmares all about your docks hurting your kiddos, or maybe a cassette being in your chestplates when you were hurt”.

A long silence spread between the two mechs. Soundwave felt insulted to his core, Blaster had really hit that one right on the helm. Soundwave bit his glossa and glared at his counterpart from behind a bright visor. “Autobot Blaster: … good at that” he grumbled.

The telepath expected Blaster to jeer and laugh at him for his ridiculous fear, but the Autobot only gave him a warm smile and said “I totally get it, mech. The world is so big and scary sometimes, especially when you’re looking out for your creations. All we really want is for the little guys to be safe”. Soundwave felt an odd warmth spread from his spark, he hastily stomped it back down. This strange mech had perfectly summarized how he felt about his time as a carrier in such a simple statement. Slowly, Soundwave gave a nod and said “Blaster: smarter than he appears”.

The orange boombox grinned widely again, “thanks! I -uh-… I think”. Blaster leaned forward to get a little closer to Soundwave, his voice lowered to a soft murmur. Instinctively, Soundwave leaned forward to hear what he had to say. “Just between us, my mech,”, Blaster smiled, “I know you’re probably doubting your ability to protect your little guys after all of this. But I think you’re the most capable mech to do so”. Both mechs leaned back into normal sitting positions. Soundwave’s optic brows raised behind his mask at the sincerity of Blaster’s words. Typically, he wasn’t fond of the pointless friendliness the Autobots gave him… But for some reason, Blaster’s words carried some more weight. Hearing another split-sparker’s opinion on the situation soothed over his worries, to an extent. All Soundwave could do was nod and say “Soundwave: grateful for Blaster’s reassurance”. Blaster grinned.

It crossed Soundwave’s processor that Blaster may help bring some more clarity to his situation. Ratchet’s answers to his questions had been truthful, however sparse and simplified. Perhaps Blaster would bring some more light into this hostage situation and the intentions that came with it.

Soundwave leaned forward again, Blaster mimicked him with a curious look. “Query: what is the purpose and premises of this hostage situation?” Soundwave asked lowly. Blaster’s optic brows shot up with surprise, “the what now?” he asked in a higher pitch than usual. Soundwave sighed and repeated his question, “Concern: Soundwave wishes to understand the meaning and goal for being held hostage”.

Both mech’s leaned back to sit upright, blaster’s mouth worked but no sound came out. Finally, the orange mech let out a breath and gave Soundwave a concerned look. “Oh, geez, mech,”, he breathed, “I think there’s been some sort of misunderstanding here. We ain’t holding you hostage, we’re just fixing you back up”.

Soundwave blinked. He blinked again and his servo absent mindedly touched his mask. “Soundwave: not held hostage?” he repeated. Blaster shook his helm slowly. “Soundwave: free to go when desired?” he asked.

“Of course”, Blaster nodded quickly, “just so long as you’re strong enough to get back to the Nemesis safely”. Soundwave went quiet for a long moment as he thought everything over. The impressive medical care, the freedom his cassettes had, the kindness from everyone… He wasn’t a hostage, he was a patient being healed after an accident on the field. For the third time since his arrival, Soundwave asked “Query: why?”.

“Well, Ratchet couldn’t just leave you there to die,” Blaster said softly, “I sure as pit couldn’t leave you there with your bitlets all alone… And just between you and I, I think Prime feels real bad about what happened. He didn’t intend to hurt you, it was a slip up, and totally not his style”. Soundwave’s helm nodded slowly. Again with this ‘couldn’t just leave you there’ response. Were these Autobots forgetting that the Decepticons would have cared for him if they hadn’t taken him? Soundwave paused, something lined up and clicked in his mind for the first time since his arrival. He re-played Ratchet’s and Blaster’s answers in his helm, the way his cassettes looked at him when they visited the other day, the memory of blurred medics working over his frame as he lay in the field. A foggy memory file finally snapped open for the first time.

He was on the ground, the medics hovered above him as they worked quickly to stop his bleeding. His chestplates burned with pain, his intakes filled with energon. Despite the ringing in his audios, despite the blur of darkness that began to overtake his vision, Soundwave heard something. Somewhere in the distance he heard a yell, “Decepticons, Retreat!”. Engines fired as his troops shot into the evening sky. The medics didn’t pause their work. The world went dark.

Oh… He hadn’t been taken by the Autobots, there had been no argument or fight over his bleeding frame. He had been, quite simply, left. Abandoned in the dirt to bleed out. The Autobots hadn’t captured him or taken him before the Decepticons could help… The Autobots had stayed behind to save his life as Megatron and the Decepticons left him to die. Even Hook only stayed long enough to hand him over to Ratchet’s care. At the end of the day, his saving grace had most likely been his status as a carrier. With the Decepticons leaving him behind, the Autobots would have had to choose between letting him bleed out and pulling his cassettes into the well by their bonds... or saving him and by extent his six sparklings. Indeed, Soundwave realized, he wasn’t a hostage at all, he had been saved. His spark sunk.

“You good, mech?”, Blaster’s soft voice was accompanied by a gently servo squeezing his shoulder. Soundwave jumped at the touch and leaned away. He watched as Blaster’s optics filled with understanding and pity, Soundwave didn’t want Blaster’s pity.

“Soundwave: needs some time to think”, was all he could say. The remainder of the visit was spent in solemn silence as Soundwave cradled his cassettes and brooded over his new realization.
It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Chapter Text

Mechs were getting increasingly successful at avoiding the throne room. No Decepticon dared to bother Megatron with any issue, big or small, unless they were ready to feel his wrath. Megatron had been known for his streaks of rage before, but never like this. On the first day of Soundwave’s absence, Megatron’s behaviour had been fairly typical, if a bit moody. By the second day the Warlord had taken to hissing and grumbling to himself as his internal frustrations began to boil over. By day three, mechs from around the base took detours half-way across the Nemesis to avoid the fits of aggression and rage blistering from Megatron’s every action. By the fourth day Starscream had been to see Hook several times for bent wings and cracked armor. Day five was upon the Nemesis and a chilling silence had settled upon Megatron. Somehow the silver mech’s recent stillness was the most terrifying behaviour.

The silence sat in the throne room like fog, no one dared to glance at Megatron for more than a moment. Those brave enough to peek at the mech were always greeted with the same, unmoving sight. Megatron sat upon his throne, his elbow rested on the arm of his chair and his cheek was resting upon his closed fist. His faceplates didn’t move from his dissatisfied scowl and his optics never focused beyond their distant stare. Perhaps today would be a peaceful, quiet day.

“Thundercracker”, the demanding rasp of Megatron’s voice shattered the tense air. Every mech in the room froze and glanced at the Warlord, whose position was unchanged. Were it not for the new fire in his optics some may have thought that they hadn’t actually heard him speak.

Thundercracker stepped forward, he tried to mask the tremor in his wings before asking, “Yes, Lord Megatron?”. Another long silence passed as the silver mech stared at him with intense optics. Thundercracker swallowed thickly and fidgeted under Megatron’s gaze.

“Pull the Autobots up on the communications, I wish to speak with their medic” Megatron spat the last word out with enough malice to make the seeker flinch.

Thundercracker stared at the communications console with weary optics. The technology on the nemesis was outdated to begin with, but without the ever-working presence of Soundwave there, the communications systems had been shaky and dysfunctional at best. “I will… uh… see what I can do”, Thundercracker murmured as he tentatively approached the console. As if aware of his proximity, the wiring within the communications hub sprayed out sparks. The seeker stepped back in hesitation, but in hearing Megatron’s impatient growl thought better of it.

After much fiddling and cussing, the communications console groaned to life again. Thundercracker flipped through a datapad to find the calling frequency for the Ark… how did Soundwave remember all of these numbers and frequencies by spark? After almost half an hour of puttering and problem solving, the screen of the console lit up as it reached for the Autobots.

“Finally”, muttered Megatron. Thundercracker bit his glossa to avoid snaping back at the temperamental mech.

Gradually, the grainy image of Blaster, Optimus Prime, and Ratchet appeared on the screen. Megatron stood from his throne and paced over to the front of the console, he was fully aware when every mech in the room stepped far to the side to avoid his path. It made him smile.
“Prime” he greeted in his typical hiss, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”. He watched as Ratchet scoffed and rolled his optics. Optimus’s optic brows raised as he responded in a calm voice, “I was about to ask you the same, considering that you called us”. Megatron bit the inside of his mouth as he tried to morph a murderous scowl into a (somehow more terrifying) smile.

“I am calling to ask about my Third in Command and his little drones” Megatron’s voice carried a new strain. He ignored the disgusted look that crossed Blaster’s faceplates, of course another split-sparker would take offense to the term ‘drone’.

“Soundwave and his creations are still in recovery”, Ratchet explained coolly, “he has only been conscious for little over a day and a half”.
“He has been awake for a day and a half and he hasn’t returned to the Nemesis?!” Megatron roared, “that traitorous- “.
“He is still in recovery”, Ratchet interrupted, “he has hardly been able to stand, he is in no shape to leave my medbay, and certainly no shape to fly to a war ship in the mid Atlantic”.

Megatron’s temper suddenly ignited for the first time that day. “I demand that you send my communications officer back this instant! I don’t care if I have to fly out there myself and drag him back! I don’t care about his state! Get my solider back to me by tonight!”. Every Decepticon in the room took a large step back at the outburst, their fields shrunk closer to their frames as they cautiously waited for the next spit of rage.

“Your officer, your solider” Blaster muttered under his breath, his optics glared off-screen as he failed to mask his vehemence.

“Demands and outbursts like that are precisely why I will not be discharging my patient to you yet” Ratchet chided, “the last thing Soundwave needs is to be dragged across the ocean and put back to work. I don’t think you grasp how badly damaged he was, but your blade was successful in scratching the outer field of his spark. Injuries like that do not fare well when strained and stressed. The medical facilities and energon are much better here and so he stays”.

Optimus Prime put up a servo to calm the bickering mechs. Megatron practically steamed under his plating at the commanding yet calm action. “We cannot withhold one of your troops from you, considering that this is not a hostage situation,” Optimus said, “while I recommend that we listen to and respect Ratchet’s words, as he is a seasoned medic, I will be giving Soundwave the ultimate decision in when and whether he leaves”.

“Whether” Megatron spat venomously, “there will be no such ifs and maybes, he will return to me within the next three days or he will be marked as a traitor to the Decepticons and punished as such upon his return”. With that said he snarled at Thundercracker to shut down the communications line. The seeker fumbled with the console as he tried to decipher the best way to cut the line.

“I will relay your message to him” Optimus said just before the line dropped off. Megatron boiled in rage, he despised when Prime got the last word in. A long silence stretched through the throne room. The Warlord turned to see his troops staring at him with uncertain optics. “well?” Megatron growled. Every mech hustled back to his work, but the wisest glanced over their shoulder occasionally, just in case.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Soundwave sat up with a choke. He clawed at his chestplates again for half a click before registering that he had been dreaming. The telepath let out a soft breath and tried to relax his frame, he just couldn’t shake the tremble from his systems. His fingers rubbed over the glass of his docking station, his chest still ached. With every spark-beat pain radiated through his frame, it made his tanks churn. Almost five minutes passed before the pain settled and he let out a soft sigh.

Gently, with much stiffness in his joints, Soundwave leaned back to sit against his propped-up pillows. Despite the ebb in his pain level, he struggled to repress the shivers that jumped along his frame.

A soft knock at the door made him perk, he sat up straight and a smile bloomed under his mask. When the door opened only Ratchet and Optimus Prime stepped in. Soundwave felt his spark tighten, he settled back against his berth. Typically a knock on the door resulted in a bombardment of cassettes and Blaster visiting for at least a couple of hours, he tried to hide his disappointment when it wasn’t them. Even if Blaster was annoying and chatty, it was nice to have someone to listen to. Sometimes the orange boombox even played music during the visits.

Optimus watched as Soundwave physically wilted back into his berth when he saw them. It was subtle, but the larger mech noticed it nonetheless. It seemed that Ratchet also picked up on the unfamiliar mech’s body language, as he casually mentioned “Blaster and your cassettes will be visiting later tonight, we just had some things to review with you”. A single nod from Soundwave prodded them on.

Optimus cleared his throat, a useless habit he had picked up from the humans, before slowly approaching Soundwave. The Decepticon tensed in the slightest, but relaxed more when Optimus pulled up a chair and sat in-front of his medical berth.

A small pause stood in the room as Optimus watched Ratchet jump from machine to machine, monitor Soundwave’s levels, then trade out his medicine drip.

“Before I even begin,” ventured Optimus, “I just wish to extend my apologies. My role in your injury was entirely unintentional and I would never want you to think that any damage you sustained from that incident was from a place of malice. While we are at war, taking the life of a carrier would be unethical at best. I would never want to be responsible for such a thing, considering the risk it would pose for your creations". Soundwave digested each of the Prime’s words before nodding slowly. His suspicions were finally confirmed, his life was most likely saved due to his role as a carrier. Even in war, no mech (least of all a Prime) would want to kill off the life-source of six sparklings.

“I considered coming to see you when I first heard that you were awake” Optimus continued, “however, I assumed that you would desire some space so soon after the accident. I hope that this was the right decision. I do not expect any forgiveness from you, I just hope that you will accept my apologies”.

Soundwave’s optic brows had risen from behind his mask, he observed the Prime in silence before selecting his words. “Soundwave: does not blame Optimus Prime for injury. Soundwave: felt guilt and pain in your processor when it occurred” he gently tapped his temple as he spoke. It astonished Soundwave how sincere and genuine the Autobot was being. The Prime had harmed an enemy solider, was that not a part of Autobot warfare? Even if he was a carrier? He had to suppress a snort at the sheer outlandishness of the entire situation. His amusement was fleeting when he quickly realized that Megatron would never extend such protections to Blaster and his cassettes. Soundwave frowned behind his mask, apparently Megatron hadn't even extended any protections to him. He had fled instead.

Relief spread across Optimus’s field, Soundwave seemed so understanding. Of course, it only made sense that a mech with six creations would be well rehearsed in forgiving. “I am glad” he added, and he truly was. He filed a new piece of information about Soundwave away in his processor: The telepath was sympathetic… kind even. He certainly hadn’t expected that.

Optimus cleared his throat again. Soundwave tilted his helm in curiosity at the strange tic. “Now, there is more that brought me here to talk with you today” Optimus cautioned, “earlier this evening Ratchet, Blaster, and I spoke over the intercom with Megatron”. Soundwave perked at this, his visor brightened.

A scoff from Ratchet turned both mech’s helms across the medbay. “If you could even call it an intercom anymore. The static and background noise was horrific” he muttered. Soundwave winced at the idea of how much repair work the communication systems would need after his absence. The mere idea of another mech trying to use those busted systems made him grimace.

“Essentially,” Optimus started, “Megatron wished for you to return to the Nemesis as soon as possible, tonight even”. Soundwave’s processor swam with worry at the very idea of flying all the way over to the warship, his visor dimmed with anxiousness.

“And as your medic, I won’t allow it” Ratchet piped up from across the room. Soundwave was humoured at the phrase ‘your medic’, was Hook not ‘his medic’? … well… perhaps not at the moment.

Optimus chuckled softly before turning back to Soundwave, “the decision is entirely up to you, whether you go back in the next few days. Ratchet can explain the risks to you in detail once you two have more privacy, but it is quite clear to all of us that this would be a dangerous decision in your current health”. Soundwave nodded numbly.

“Are you going to fill him in on Megatron’s little threat?” Ratchet muttered. Soundwave’s optic brows pulled down into a scowl at the word ‘threat’. Megatron didn’t threaten him, did he? Surely not after everything he had done and sacrificed for the cause and even Megatron himself?

Optimus sighed, “of course”, he turned to look at Soundwave, his optics were sympathetic. Soundwave was too worried about the concept of a threat to be frustrated with more Autobot sympathy. “During our conversation with Megatron, he made it clear that he expected you back on the Nemesis within the next three days, otherwise…” his voice drifted off as he tried to select his words carefully.

“Query: Otherwise?” Soundwave prompted.

“Otherwise, you would be deemed a traitor to the cause, and punished as a result”, Optimus finished in a regrettable voice. Furious cursing carried through the medbay from Ratchet, but it fell deafly upon Soundwave’s audios.

Traitor? Punished? Soundwave had never before had those words used towards him from Megatron. He slowly sat back, allowing his dorsa to be supported by his propped pillows. “Megatron: views Soundwave as a …traitor for staying through healing process?” he breathed. A small nod from Optimus.

“It is up to you to decide on your next steps” Optimus said gently, “as far as I see it, you have four possible options… One: Leave before three days, understanding the risks, and hope to get back to the Nemesis safely. Two: Let one of our flying mechs, likely Skyfire, shuttle you back part way and then complete the end of the journey through Decepticon territory yourself. Three: Ignore Megatron’s threats, finish healing here and return to the Nemesis when you are stronger, also considering the risks. or…”. The Prime trailed off again before finishing his last option, “or… four: finish healing here then disband from the Decepticons, to stay with us”.

Soundwave’s processor reeled frantically. Disband? Primus the very concept made his spark clench! He turned to Optimus, his visor brighter than usual. “Query: explain reasoning behind idea of leaving Decepticons?”.

Optimus nodded, knowing quite well that this possibility would evoke surprise from one of the most loyal Decepticons. “Ratchet and I spoke about this earlier. We do not expect you to select this path, as it is only an option, however the offer does stand. This would not mean that you would be expected to become an Autobot, rather you could become an ally, or even a neutral, so long as you understood that no unofficial contact would be had with the Decepticons. Prowl was actually the one to bring this possibility to my attention, so I thought it would be wise to extend it to you. As far as Prowl sees it, each of the three other options carries with them great risk for your own health, wellbeing, and family. These risks all extend exclusively from Megatron either demanding your immediate return, or intentional harm brought to you in the case you do not return fast enough. Placing an injured mech in this type of situation is neither humane nor civil, and I am a firm believer that a mech should only be as loyal to his cause as the cause is to him”.
Soundwave swallowed thickly as his processor flicked back to the insult and betrayal of the Decepticons abandoning him and his cassettes only a few days ago.

Optimus continued, “given the dangerous situation that Megatron is purposefully placing you in, we wish to extend a formal offer of protection for you and your children. You would not be expected to wear our insignia and colours, nor would you be expected to agree with our philosophy, you would just have to accept the status of a true neutral. If it was discovered that you were aiding the Decepticons from here there would be consequences. With the status of a neutral you would be welcome to stay and live in the ark with the rations given to neutrals and other survivors of war. If you wished to earn more rations, for stocking or other uses, you would be permitted to work under contract in areas of your specialization, such as communications and tech repair. If desired, you could also join the Autobots, which would give you more work and a higher income of rations. Of course, the rations given to neutrals is more than enough to live comfortably for you and your creations. You do not need to feel obligated to this decision, it is only one option of many. However, we do hope that you make the best decision for the wellbeing of your family and yourself”.

Soundwave was quiet for a long time. He carefully picked through the information given to him and sorted it out in his helm. The stinging betrayal of Megatron’s threats still burned in his mind, he dismissed it for the moment.

“Soundwave: wishes to consider options more fully. Query: may the decision be made later?” he asked.

Optimus Prime nodded understandingly, he stood from his seat and stretched his frame for a moment. “I understand that this is a large decision to make. Please take your time in making it, as much time as you need. The only deadline you have is the one Megatron put in place” he said. Soundwave nodded his thanks as the Prime left.

Soundwave’s processor reeled, he sat in silence and listened to Ratchet write out documents at his desk. There was much to consider, he honestly had no idea where to start. More than anything Soundwave wished to dismiss the worries from his mind and see his cassettes again, at least for the moment.

A knock came from the door, it perked Soundwave up immediately. Blaster’s horned helm stuck through the entrance, he wore that typical smile on his faceplates. Soundwave’s audios picked up the soft giggles and bickering of his cassettes in the hallway.

“Hey! I hope we aren’t interrupting anything?” Blaster asked, glancing from Ratchet to Soundwave. The medic gave a silent permissive wave of his servo, not even bothering to look up from his reports. Blaster’s smile widened and he opened the door, unleashing six jubilant cassettes into the medbay. The cassettes climbed up to see their carrier, and Blaster took his usual seat on another berth across from Soundwave. The blue mech genuinely smiled for the first time that day. Somehow, he knew that everything was going to be all right.

Chapter Text

Soundwave had never been much of a claustrophobic mech, he was typically comfortable in small spaces, he always had been. However, spending the last three days confined to the medbay was beginning to make him antsy. The telepath spent much of his time staring with longing optics out the windows, he spent far too long thinking about how the wind would feel on his plating and the sun on his faceplates. He was anxious to get back outside, or even just out of the medbay.

Soundwave sighed and shifted his optics from the sun-streaked windows back down to his datapad. Much of his day had been spent huffing and glaring at the datapad, with occasional breaks to stare outside. Every few minutes he would pause and jot something down onto his growing pros and cons list. Another note was added to the list of pros as Soundwave let out a soft hum.

In a behaviour that was so stereotypically Soundwave, most of the telepath’s big decisions in life were placed in a datapad long before they were ever acted upon. Many of his scribbles and mental battles had been saved away on one datapad, he rarely re-read them, but it was amusing to reminisce sometimes. The newest edition to Soundwave’s datapad was an ever-growing pros and cons list for how and when to get back to the Nemesis.

The ruby visor flicked over his notes again, he reviewed his options. A) fly back in the next two days and hope for the best, B) get shuttled part way back in the next two days… also hoping for the best, C) Stay on the Ark for more than two days and return to the Nemesis healed but likely to be pummelled shortly after, or D) Defect from the Decepticons and stay on the Ark.

As far as Soundwave saw it, the least desirable option was C. While it would be nice to stay on the Ark until fully healed, the consequence of his return would only become more and more dire with each passing day. A shudder ran up his spinal struts at the threats Megatron had directed towards him. If those threats were followed through with Soundwave would likely leave one Medbay only to be placed back in another one shortly after. A small part of his processor did not wish to accept the reality that his own commander would lash at him in such a way. Something boiled in the pits of Soundwave’s tanks, he dismissed it immediately and moved on.

Option A was also unattractive and even more implausible. On the third day of his healing Soundwave could hardly stagger a few ped steps from his medical berth, the idea of flying back to the Nemesis boggled his processor. Not to mention, he would have to carry his cassettes in his cassette docks for the long journey. Not only was Soundwave still battling his own discomfort around using his docks, he also knew he wouldn’t be strong enough to carry his family to safety. The resulting flight would likely be cut short from exhaustion or a strained spark, a crash landing would be likely, and a fall into the Ocean would be a death sentence.

Option B seemed more realistic, that much was certain. Being shuttled part way to the Nemesis would help him get within a realistic flying distance. This option certainly had a longer Pros list than A and C. Soundwave could get back on time to the Nemesis, avoiding punishment or anger from Megatron, he could likely make it from the edge of their territory back to the ship unharmed (if a bit strained), and he would be back to the Nemesis where things made far more sense. Despite the numerous pros, Soundwave’s optics lingered on the equally long list of cons. He would still have to travel a decent amount from the drop-off zone back to the ship, with only the ocean to catch him, his return to the Nemesis would mean return to immediate work, the very idea of being back to work in two days when he could hardly stand was… intimidating. On top of that, Soundwave could not be certain if Megatron’s rage would be perfectly extinguished upon his early return, would the Warlord still decide to take his residual anger out on him? Not long ago, Soundwave would have never considered the possibility, but with the newest threats, the telepath didn’t know what to think. His return to the Ark would also mean return to low-quality energon which always left him hungry, certainly that wouldn’t help his already devastated energy levels. Most importantly, with his return to the Nemesis, and thus his return to work, Soundwave would be bringing his cassettes back to that … hostile… environment, while still too weak to defend them. There were many mechs on that ship who had experienced pranks curtesy of his twins, typically the mere presence of Soundwave was successful for warding any attempts at retribution. Now? He could hardly stand, who would be afraid of him? Who would hold back? The thought of bringing his cassettes back to the Nemesis virtually unguarded poured ice into his veins.
Soundwave glared at the last option. The pros list stretched far beyond the list of cons, much to Soundwave’s exasperation. He let out a huff, glaring at the lengthy list of pros: He could heal up without a rush, his cassettes were much safer here, the energon was of good quality and quantity, the mechs were kind to his creations (although certainly soft-sparked), he wouldn’t be immediately returning to continuous lengthy work shifts that gave him no time to relax with his cassettes, there would be no threat from Megatron hurting him if the Warlord couldn’t get to him, his cassettes had built friendships with Blaster’s cassettes (their very first friendships with other younglings!), the list went on. He glanced to the list of cons: he would have to relinquish his title in Decepticons, some Autobots may be suspicious of his presence for the first while, and if he left the Decepticons and Megatron found him one day… well… he didn’t even know what the Warlord would do to him. The usual treatment for traitors was death. Soundwave wasn’t sure if his long history of undying loyalty would make his treatment better or worse if he ran into Megatron. Optimus Prime’s words ran through his processor again, “a mech should only be as loyal to his cause as the cause is to him”. Well, the Decepticon cause certainly hadn’t been loyal to him in the last few days, first they left him in the dirt to die and abandoned his cassettes with enemy troops. Then Megatron called, not to see if he was alive, but to demand him back to work despite his state. Something boiled in Soundwave’s tanks, he shuddered with some emotion, he couldn’t figure out what. Fear? Frustration? No…

Before Soundwave could place a thumb on his emotions, a blanket was draped over his shoulders. The telepath jolted out of his thoughts and stared up at Blaster with a bright visor.

Blaster smiled at the blue mech, something uncertain was carried in his optics. “Sorry, ‘Wave. Didn’t mean to startle you like that, you were totally zoned out there,” Blaster said as he hopped back up to sit on another berth, “you were shakin’ a little, I assumed you were cold”.

Soundwave gripped at the blanket around his shoulders, it was nice and warm, he pulled it tighter around himself. His processor lingered for a moment on the nickname, he wasn’t sure if he approved of it or not. “Thank you” he said softly.

The telepath looked around the medbay, which was once again (much to Ratchet’s horror) filled with cassettes. Everyone had come for a visit earlier, as usual the first hour of his family’s presence had been happy talking, displays of recent art work, and games of “guess what we did today?”. Typical to their habits, the cassettes had worn themselves out and were now lazing around the medbay, simply content to be in their creator’s presence. Rumble and Frenzy were perched up on Ratchet’s desk, playing some sort of human card game with Blaster’s twins, Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw seemed content as they preened each other’s plating, Ravage was curled up on Soundwave’s berth, fast asleep, and Ratbat was recharging contently in the crook of Soundwave’s neck. Steeljaw and Ramhorn were busy exploring the crooks and crevices of the medbay.

Soundwave glanced back at Blaster, the mech in question was observing him quietly with thoughtful optics. Soundwave fidgeted under the unusually intense gaze and diverted the attention elsewhere. “Cassettes: have been a servo-full?” he asked, his helm tilted to the side as he spoke.

“Not at all, my mech!” Blaster grinned, “they’ve been great. Sure, the first few days were a little rough, but now that you’re up and they are getting along with my bitlets, it’s all good from here”. Soundwave smiled under his mask, he could tell that his cassettes would miss Blaster’s after their departure… well, if they did leave. He frowned again and his visor dimmed.

Blaster frowned softly as he watched Soundwave, he looked… tense. The orange boombox had to pause for a moment, was he actually getting better at reading Soundwave under that mask? The very idea made him smile a little. Blaster shimmied forward to the edge of the medical berth before asking, “I don’t want to overstep or anything, but you’ve been real quiet today… more than usual I mean, and you seem kinda’ tensed up, is everything okay?”. As he finished his question he placed a gentle servo on Soundwave’s shoulder to give a comforting squeeze.

Soundwave gave an irrepressible flinch at the touch, his visor focused on Blaster’s servo for a long moment before it was cautiously retracted. A long silence stretched between the mechs, Blaster blinked for a moment, it was almost awkward.

Soundwave stared at Blaster for a long moment, his visor was particularly piercing. Finally, he gave a nod and explained, “Soundwave: has been worrying about next step from here. Duty to Decepticon cause: requires quick return to the Nemesis. Return to Nemesis: contains many risks for my own health as well as safety of cassettes. Soundwave: disturbed by threats from Megatron, and uncertain what to do next”. He finished his explanation with a weary sigh and dropped his helm into his servos.

Blaster instantly reached out a servo to comfort the mech, but in remembering Soundwave’s previous flinches and jumps, pulled his servo back. “Awh, ‘Wave,” he murmured, “I’m sorry to hear about that, I can’t imagine how hard that decision must feel. I gotta’ admit, I was pretty cheesed when Megatron had that little threat tantrum. You’ve always been so loyal to him, you must feel incredibly let down”.

Soundwave looked up at Blaster, his servos worked the blanket tighter around his frame. Somehow Blaster had perfectly summarized what he was feeling… again. Soundwave never would have imagined Blaster to be so… attentive, certainly not this empathetic. All he could muster was a glum nod, before asking, “Query: if you were in this situation, what would your choice be?”.

Blaster sat back with a hum, he scratched his chin in thought before speaking, “well, as far as I can see it, your reason for heading back to the Nemesis would be loyalty and duty, and stayin’ back here would be for your own wellbeing and your kiddo’s safety. I don’t want to dis your duty or anything, but why would you want to return to a cause that doesn’t treat you right?”.

Soundwave’s visor brightened for a moment, his field flared with annoyance before he pulled it back in and schooled his expression. “Decepticon cause: treats Soundwave better than anything else did before the war” he reiterated, “Autobots: continually insistent that my cause is disloyal to me, or doesn’t treat me well enough, but this cause treats me far more humanely than the system ever did before it came along”.

Blaster held up his servos, he gave a regretful look as he soothed, “ok ok, I didn’t mean offence or anything… I didn’t know that. I just- I can’t wrap my processor around how Megatron talked about you, that’s all. He always drags on about how you’re one of his most loyal troops and faithful officers and stuff, but when you get hurt he didn’t even stay to see if you were going to survive! I mean how many times have you run out into open fire to safe that mech’s aft, and the one time you get really knocked down he runs away, leaving you and your kids with us. I just… I know you’re trying to repel a system that oppressed mechs for being certain classes, builds, or statuses, which is great! Trust me, we definitely don’t want to return to the same system as before. Don’t you think that Megatron has changed… just a little… since all of this began. I mean, he used to insist that all mechs should be treated equally with respect and liberty and all that, and now he’s the top dog and how does he treat his own troops?”.

Soundwave swallowed thickly, his helm drooped to look at his peds. Another bitter feeling gathered in his chestplates as coolant gathered in his optics. Why was this all so frustrating? He bit the inside of his mouth and blinked rapidly, once again he was incredibly grateful for his mask.

Blaster watched Soundwave wilt and immediately regretted his choice of words. Perhaps it wasn’t the best timing to bring up flaws in a loyal mech’s cause when he was still stuck in a medbay. “Er- uh, look,” he started, drawing Soundwave’s gaze back up, “I don’t want to make you feel pressured by what I personally think, I just want you to make the best decision for yourself and your little guys… And I kinda’ have a feeling that you know what that is, you just don’t want to admit it.”

Soundwave thought back to his list of pros and cons, one option in particular stuck out as the best… objectively speaking.

“And I mean, pits, you’ve been so incredibly loyal to old Megsy since like, forever. If he can’t handle you recovering where you're safe, why should you continue to stick your throat out for him? At least… it’s something to think about” Blaster added. Soundwave nodded slowly, digesting Blaster’s thoughts.

“Besides… If I’m being perfectly honest, I kinda’ would like you to stay here for more -uh- selfish reasons”, Blaster added sheepishly. Soundwave looked up at him with confusion, a silent prompt to explain. Blaster continued, “Well, it’s been real nice havin’ another boombox around the Ark, you know? It’s certainly nice to have another music lover around as well. My friend, Jazz, is also super into music, but our tastes can clash at times. I feel like we are way more in sync. Also, our bitlets are getting along so well! It would almost feel wrong to separate them, it’s so nice seeing them making friends of the same age!”.

Soundwave felt himself smiling again, he nodded and agreed, “Blaster’s company: has been much enjoyed last few days. Cassettes: seem very happy here”. Blaster smiled at him warmly, nothing else needed to be said. Soundwave leaned back in his berth and looked at his datapad again… There was much to consider. Blaster had given some interesting points, he added them to his lists.

Soundwave glanced out the windows of the Medbay again, he had much to think about.

Chapter Text

It was strange how something so simple could become a novelty once it was taken away. Soundwave braced himself with a servo on his berth as he stretched, he was finally on his peds again. The simple novelty of being able to walk across the medbay was a thrill to the blue mech, it was so much nicer than being berth-bound for the last four days. Soundwave rubbed at his cassette docks, he let out a soft hum. He certainly didn’t feel back to normal yet. Even just a few circles of the medbay left him tired and sore, but it was something!

Ratchet watched with attentive optics as Soundwave wandered shakily around his medbay. It was not the first time he had seen a patient walk around with no goal or place to be. It was always interesting to see mechs pace and circle, almost for entertainment, after being stuck off their peds for days. Ratchet smiled to himself before looking back down to the tools he was cleaning.

A soft knock on the door pulled Soundwave’s mood up even more, the sound of chattering cassettes in the hallway thrilled him.

Blaster’s helm peeked in, “knock knock!” he called. His smile immediately grew when he saw Soundwave standing across the room, “hey look at you!”, he laughed, “You’re back up on your peds! That’s amazing”. Blaster could tell Soundwave was smiling by the way his helm and shoulder were pulled together.

Ten cassettes streaked past Blaster’s legs with giggles and shouts. Ratbat immediately cuddled into his creator’s arms, Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw landed on Soundwave’s shoulders, Ravage rubbed past Soundwave’s leg, and Rumble and Frenzy grinned up at Soundwave from his peds.

“Lookin’ good, boss!” Frenzy grinned, “yeah, we should play a game!” Rumble added. All ten cassettes gave excited nods at the idea of a game.

Soundwave smiled down at his creations before saying, “Soundwave: too weak to play a game. Suggestion: in place of game, perhaps a walk?”. He glanced up at Ratchet and Blaster as he finished his question, Blaster nodded at the idea, Ratchet hummed thoughtfully.

“A walk around the base may help your systems stretch out a bit,” murmured the medic thoughtfully, “just don’t strain yourself, if you feel tired or sore come back immediately”. Soundwave smiled, maybe he would finally be able to get out of this damn room for the first time in what felt like forever.

Blaster smiled with a nod, “sounds like a great idea ‘Wave, and I can show you around the base while we are at it! It’s been quiet on the base today, so we should have a decent amount of privacy from the others. Of course, if we do run into some of the others they’ll know you’re not here for any fooling around or anything”.

Blaster was right, no Autobot on the base could ignore the boisterous new presence of Soundwave’s cassettes… especially Rumble and Frenzy. The twin minicons had already made quite the reputation for themselves within their short time on the Ark.

It was quite the scene, two boomboxes walking down the hallway followed by an army of miniature cassettes. The cassettes bounced and ran about the hallway behind their creators. Soundwave was thankful that the hallways were empty, the tiny parade they were making was certainly a spectacle.

“While we are on this little pleasure cruise, how about I show you around the base?” Blaster asked with that playful tone rising in his voice. Before Soundwave could accept or deny the tour, Blaster was already on it.

The orange boombox posed with his arms spread open to reveal a wildly under-whelming door. “Right here we have the public washracks,” his voice morphed to take on a comical sales-mech’s character, “these semi-private showers are pleasant after a hard day’s work, however many of the officers… including yours truly… have their own private washracks in their quarters”. The walked on.

Soundwave shook his helm with a snort, “Blaster: trying to advertise Autobot base to me?”.

Blaster grinned over his shoulder to see Soundwave’s disgruntled carrier pose, servos on the hips and visor dimmed with scepticism.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, mech” Blaster laughed. They walked further down another hall before Blaster struck the same silly pose. “Here we have our state-of-the-art shooting range,” he grinned as he opened the door for Soundwave to peek in. Soundwave leaned forward despite himself to see into the room, it certainly was nice, especially in comparison to the Nemesis.

The tour continued through the base, Blaster showed Soundwave the recreation room, sparing gym, science labs, and communications hub. They had to stop in the communications room as Soundwave refused to leave.

“Are you silently geekin’ out, or something?” Blaster teased his counterpart, giving him a playful nudge.

Soundwave didn’t remove his optics from the hub as he said “Autobot base: fully equipped”. It certainly was. The quality of the communications hardware was astounding, it was fully updated and rather modern for a civil war. Blaster really got to use all the bells and whistles for his role as communications officer. Soundwave felt a dusting of envy colour his field.

“It’s nice, right?” Blaster grinned, he could tell how impressed Soundwave was. Perhaps it was silly, but a part of his spark convinced him that this might help sway Soundwave to stay.

Soundwave hummed with admiration, he let his optics take in the advanced machinery. Maybe one day he would be able to work with such beautiful equipment. He shook the idea from his helm immediately, no need to pitter on silly fantasies.

“Can we go now?” Eject called from the door. The cassettes stood in a huddle, watching their carriers with unamused optics.

“Yeah, it’s boring here” Rumble agreed, “lets go back to the shooting range!”. The cassettes yelled a variety of excited agreements.

Blaster chuckled at the hoard of excited cassettes, he shook his helm fondly. While the cassettes were prattling excitedly among themselves, Blaster turned to Soundwave and asked in a quiet voice, “how ya’ feeling, ‘Wave? Think we can make it back there or are you thinking we should start back to the medbay?”.

With a soft hum, Soundwave touched his chestplates. He was a little bit sore, but it was nothing like the biting pain he had been experiencing over the last few days. He was certainly beginning to feel the tug of exhaustion, “Status: moderately comfortable, but my energy is increasingly low. Suggestion: walk back in direction of medbay using longer route?”.

“Sounds like a plan” Blaster winked and began ushering the herd of creations out of the communications hub.

The first mechs that the group ran into were Prowl and Jazz. Jazz grinned from down the hall and gave an animated wave, Prowl gave a more subdued nod of his helm. Before they were even within talking distance, Blaster and Jazz began shouting cheerful greetings to one another. Soundwave and Prowl both subdued their optic rolls.

“Hey fellas!” Jazz beamed as he gave some of the cassettes pats on their helms. The cassettes grinned up at the couple, they knew that Jazz was one of the mechs who occasionally gave them energon goodies.

As the cassettes dispersed along the hallway to entertain themselves (knowing Blaster and Jazz, it would probably be a long chat), the adults shared their greetings.
“Well, look who’s up on his peds and everything” Jazz smiled at Soundwave, “good to see you up and running. I honestly didn’t know if you were gonna’ make it”.

“Jazz…” Blaster chided in a soft voice, he almost sounded pained at the idea.

“I'm just kidding”, Jazz shook his helm, “we all knew you were too damn stubborn to kick the bucket yet, didn’t I tell you that Blast-mech?”.

Soundwave smiled behind his mask and gave a soft nod, “Soundwave: wasn’t certain of ability to recover either. Autobot medic: incredibly skilled”.

“Primus mech, you’ve said it” Jazz laughed, “old Hatchet is a jewel, a real jewel”. With a sudden brightness in his optics Jazz gasped, “oh! Blast-mech I gotta’ talk to you about something super urgent!”. In one swift motion the saboteur muddled Prowl towards Soundwave, “Make friends, play nice!” he teased his mate before dragging Blaster off down the hall.

Soundwave blinked at Prowl. Prowl blinked at Soundwave. This was… awkward. Certainly, at an arm’s distance the two mechs seemed fairly similar, but having the shared trait of being astonishingly quiet may not exactly be the correct trait to provoke conversation. Finally, after a long, unintentional staring contest, Prowl said “good to see you up, Soundwave. You certainly took a hit”.

Soundwave nodded stiffly before responding, “Statement: I am glad to be up”. Another long silence stretched between the two mechs.

Prowl swallowed thickly and glanced past Soundwave to look at Jazz, who was talking animatedly with Blaster. Soundwave glanced over his shoulder to watch the two friends chatter before turning back to Prowl, “Blaster and Jazz: certainly know how to talk”.

His observation earned a snort from Prowl, “the number of times I get stuck in the hall watching them chat is astounding”. The two mechs shared a soft laugh. Before the silence set in again, Soundwave settled on a topic “Query: have you read anything interesting lately?”.

Prowl smiled at the blue mech, “actually, I have.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

“Awwh, look at our nerds chatting away over there” Jazz crooned, he placed a servo over his spark chamber.

“They actually do look like they are hitting it off, don’t they?” Blaster mused before pausing, “the pit do you mean ‘our nerds’?”.

Jazz snorted and gave Blaster a sceptical look, “Blast-mech, don’t even try to kid me with that. I can sense a crush from miles away, and when I see one I know it”.

Blaster stared at his friend with incredulous optics, “crush? What’s that supposed to mean?”.

“It means that you got the hots for a certain mysterious blue mech… you know? The telepath? Do you want me to be clearer?” Jazz grinned as he waggled his fingers.
“Mech,” Blaster shook his helm with a grin, “you have really gone around the bend with this one”. He let out a surprised laugh, “I hardly even know the mech, a week ago we were trying to strangle each-other!”.

“And yet you liiike him” teased Jazz, he prodded jokingly at Blaster’s sides. He only grinned wider when Blaster swatted his servo away, “and now you're getting moody ‘cuz you know that I know that you liiike him”.

“Primus,” Blaster shook his helm, “I’m not getting antsy because I like him, I’m gettin’ antsy because he’s a telepath and you could give him the seriously wrong idea”. He gave Jazz a playful nudge and watched as Jazz’s smile grew more devious.

“Whatever you gotta’ tell yourself, Blastmech”, Jazz teased, “but that doesn’t exactly explain how you keep randomly brining him up in every conversation we’ve had since he woke up. It also doesn’t really explain why you’ve been scheduling in every visit with his cassettes so you can be there as well. You could easily just drop the little guys off, but you choose to stay and chat with Sounders’ anyways”.

Blaster snorted and rolled his optics, “you’re losing it” he muttered to his friend.

“Sure, Mech. But until you stop giving him those cyberpuppy optics every time you see him, I have yet to be convinced” Jazz grinned wider.

Blaster shook his helm at him, “You’re seeing things. Have you considered that maybe you just think we would be a cute item or something? It’s probably just in your helm”.
“I dunno,” teased Jazz, “do you think you two would be a cute item?”. That one earned another scoff from Blaster. Jazz didn’t mention how Blaster’s faceplates flushed the tiniest bit, although he did make note of it, it would be great ammo later.

“I gotta’ get ‘Wave back to the medbay” Blaster changed the subject. Jazz tried to reel him back in with “have we already moved on to pet names?”. Blaster stuck his glossa out at the shorter mech and walked back over to Soundwave and Prowl. It was hard to miss Jazz’s laughter behind him.

“Ready to head back?” Blaster smiled at Soundwave. Soundwave gave a small nod before sharing his farewells with Prowl. He decided that he liked Prowl. The tactician seemed very intelligent, perhaps with time they could foster a friendship. He immediately dismissed the idea from his helm, he wouldn’t be able to build friendships with Autobots, he would be back on the Nemesis soon either way.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The cassettes were sleeping again, to nobody’s surprise. Ratchet had finished cleaning his equipment and after setting Soundwave up to monitors and an IV drip, had retired to his berth for the night. Blaster and Soundwave sat across from each-other on separate berths, as usual. Each mech had a pile of dozing cassettes on their lap. The sun streaked through the windows as it disappeared bellow the horizon for the day. It was peaceful. It was also worrying. The sunset officially marked the end of day two since Soundwave received Megatron’s threats. He now had one day to decide on his path.

It was as if Blaster had read the very thoughts from his mind, “so… one more day”. Soundwave failed to suppress a sigh as he turned back to the orange boombox. He gave a drained nod.

If anything the last two days had only proven to make his decision harder. The longer Soundwave stayed on the Ark, the more he didn’t want to leave.

“Do you have a game plan?” Blaster asked softly. He watched as the blue mech mused over his question for a moment before shaking his helm.

“Soundwave: is not certain yet. If anything else: Soundwave is more confused” he admitted. Blaster nodded with understanding.

It was a hell of a dilemma to be put in. It was a hell of a dilemma for Megatron to place upon his still healing shoulders. Soundwave glared at his servos as something bitter churned in his tanks. He still could not tell what it was, but the feeling had lingered ever since he heard the Warlord’s demands.

“I’ll be worried about you, once you head back home” Blaster admitted in a soft voice. That was it. The kind spoken words acted like a spark, they lit something inside of Soundwave that he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Rage. It was rage. For the last two days it had sat there, boiling in his tanks and mind like sludge. Now Soundwave knew. He wasn’t hurt that Megatron had abandoned him, he wasn’t upset or disappointed or angry, he was blood-boilingly furious. After everything he had done for the mech, for the cause, everything. He had sacrificed so much, he had risked everything he had for a mech that ran as soon as he was injured. Now Megatron wanted him back. Not because he cared or even worried about his Third in Command, but because Soundwave would soon again be useful to him.

Soundwave shook with rage as he thought about it. This whole time, eons wasted bending backwards for a cause that paraded around preaching equality, care, and revolution. The same cause wouldn’t even look twice at him when he fell. He was angry enough that Megatron had left him to bleed and die in the dirt, but he could accept that. What really made him burn was the fact that Megatron willingly left behind Soundwave’s creations, his children with enemy troops. Soundwave knew how lucky he was that the Autobots were merciful, there were many mechs in the universe that would have killed his unguarded creations on sight.

Soundwave’s rage boiled down to a sickly feeling in his tanks, his processor swam with hatred and scorn for the cowards that turned tail and left him and his family when they were vulnerable. He couldn’t count the number of times that he had run out to drag an unconscious or injured Megatron off a field. The one time he got knocked down, Megatron left. He just left.

Finally, all of Soundwave’s rage boiled down to a grand climax. Without a glance at Blaster, Soundwave’s frame went shock still, then without a word he put his helm down in his servos and cried.

Blaster didn’t move. He stared at Soundwave with huge optics, completely lost for words. “Oh gosh, oh jeez, ‘Wave” he prattled, glancing around the medbay for something. In an instance he made it across the room to retrieve a blanket. He perched on the side of Soundwave’s berth and gingerly draped the blanket over the telepath’s shoulders.
Soundwave desperately clutched the blanket tighter around his frame. He was very aware how bizarre his sobs sounded through his vocoder, but he just did not care.

“hey, hey now, it’s ok, it’s all right”, soothed Blaster. He reached out a servo to comfort Soundwave, but then slowly retracted his servo in remembering the blue mech’s previous jolts and stares when touched.

The pile of cassettes on Soundwave’s lap stirred, but didn’t wake. They frowned in their sleep, feeling the residual distress through their bonds.

Soft clicks sounded though the air and Soundwave buried his faceplates into the bunched-up blanket. It took Blaster a moment to realize that the clicks came from Soundwave retracting his mask and visor. Interestingly, the metallic, monotone sobbing disappeared and was replaced by regular cries and sniffles. Blaster blinked… Soundwave’s un-mistakable monotone, it was from a vocoder in his mask! Primus this entire time he had thought that Soundwave just had a war-damaged vocolizer. Blaster couldn’t see any of Soundwave’s faceplates, the telepath had done a good job of concealing his face with the bunched blankets in his servos.

Finally, after a long moment of sniffles and whimpers, Soundwave leaned into Blaster. The orange boombox was certainly surprised by this. For a mech who seemed to stray from contact from anyone but his creations, Soundwave almost seemed to be reaching out for physical support.

Instinctively, Blaster wrapped an arm around Soundwave’s shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. “Hey now,” he crooned, “it’s gonna’ be ok ‘Wave, we’ll figure something out, all right? Whatever you want, we can make it happen. If you want to go back to the Nemesis we can give you a ride back to the drop-off point, if you want to stay, we will give you a place to live. It’s all up to you, promise”.

The sniffles from the blue mech began to subside, he stayed silent and still, he continued to lean into Blaster’s embrace. The orange mech was warm, and his voice was very soothing. While Soundwave was mortified that he had just bawled like a sparking infront of Blaster, he was glad to be comforted in such a kind way.

"Thank you, Blaster" Soundwave murmured down at his peds. The arm around him tightened in a friendly squeeze.

"Hey mech, any time" Blaster assured.

Soundwave kept his face hidden as he silently wiped the tears from his face. His mask and visor snapped closed again before Blaster could see a thing. The two mechs sat together for a while, Blaster’s arm continued to be a comforting presence draped over his shoulder. Soundwave added another mental pro to his list for staying on the Ark: Blaster was a friend. Somehow, Soundwave knew he would miss Blaster if he left. It would be nice to have a friend like Blaster. For the first time since his awakening, Soundwave didn’t shake off the idea of staying. He couldn’t help but feel that things were beginning to fall into place.

Chapter Text

Soundwave’s systems onlined slowly that morning. The telepath sighed and stretched his frame as he glanced around the medbay. It was empty. Soft light washed in through the windows, it bathed the blue mech’s plating in a comfortable warmth. Today was the day Soundwave had to make his choice. By the time the sun dropped below the horizon, he would either be back in the Nemesis with all the risks and woes that it possessed, or in the Ark with his family and the official mark of a traitor. Soundwave swallowed thickly, his spark seized at the thought. Today was the fork in the road he had never wanted to meet.

For the first time since his awakening, Soundwave could not recall having any nightmares through the night. No images of a blade in his chest sat upon his processer, no irrational terror for an injured cassette haunted his thoughts. Regardless, a distant dread continued to perch within his spark, Soundwave considered it probable that he did have nightmares through his recharge, he just couldn’t remember them. Considering the last few nights of dark thoughts and endless tossing and turning, it was an improvement, regardless of the small steps.

The weight of lingering nightmares continued to sit in Soundwave’s field like a fine dust, perhaps the best thing would be to shake it off. With a soft groan, Soundwave pushed himself up in his berth. He kicked off his berthsheets and turned to let his legs dangle over the edge of the berth. Soundwave let his systems cycle up gradually as he drank the medical grade energon Ratchet had kindly left next to his berth. He finished the cube quickly and placed it on the table as his optics scanned the medbay for something to do.

Perhaps some exploring would be interesting, Soundwave mulled over the idea as he eased himself onto his peds. It would be nice to indulge his curious nature by poking around the empty medbay. Certainly, he wouldn’t go looking into classified or private things, he was just attempting to distract his mind from the worries this particular day carried.

With a yawn, Soundwave stretched his frame out. A few clicks and pops sounded as joints and struts eased back into place. Oh the joys of old war injuries, some of them just never healed properly. Soundwave rolled his stiff shoulder a few times before setting off on his latest diversion.

There was certainly much to look at in the medbay. Ratchet kept the place in pristine order, Soundwave made sure to return everything as it had been before. His optics glanced over locked cabinets of medicines and tonics, his servos examined tools and replacement parts. The telepath fiddled curiously with the windows, he was overjoyed to find that they could be slid open by just a fraction. He leaned into the small opening to feel the cool breeze from outside. The fresh air felt so good in his intakes after being harboured inside for days on end. A few minutes passed in which Soundwave relaxed by the window with closed optics, breathing in the late morning air.

The windows were closed and locked again before the blue mech moved on to his next puzzle. A large set of drawers stood before Soundwave, he examined them curiously as he rubbed his mask. After some consideration, Soundwave let his curiosity get the best of him, and he opened up one of the drawers. His optics were met with stacks of medium boxes, they were closed tightly with fitted lids and labelled with names. It didn’t take long for Soundwave to conclude that they were patient files. Out of sheer interest, Soundwave followed the list of names down in alphabetical order to the ‘S’ section. Sure enough, Ratchet had even made a ‘Soundwave’ file.

The box was considerably new compared to the other files, his name was printed neatly on the lid. It would certainly be a breech of privacy to look into someone else’s files, however, looking into your own files was typically allowed. For a moment Soundwave considered that it would be wise to ask Ratchet’s permission to peer thought his own file, but his boredom and desire for a distraction won him over.

Soundwave perched on a medical berth with his box. It took some prying, but eventually the lid was removed and placed to the side. The first thing Soundwave reached for was a small stack of datapads. He onlined one of the pads only to be met with a coded password. Never to be swayed by a small roadblock, Soundwave took the password as a new game, and spent the next five minutes overriding the datapad to gain momentary access.

With a soft hum, Soundwave paged through the information. He had to admit, he was beyond impressed. Ratchet was diligent, that much was certain. The medic had noted every spark-rate, mood-shift, and bout of pain Soundwave had experienced since his arrival in the medbay. There was even some information noted that baffled Soundwave, the medic had to be incredibly observant and diligent in his note and pattern taking.

‘7:28 AM: Soundwave startled awake. Did not report nightmares, but it is likely. Note: watch sleeping patterns for a few more nights and discuss with Soundwave next steps to take (therapy, sleeping aid in energon, scheduled recharge routines, etc.)’.

’3:13 PM: Soundwave winced and gripped chestplates. Did not report pain. Note: look into spark rates at this time'

‘5:32 PM: Soundwave woke from brief nap to visit with cassettes and Blaster. Energy levels seemed high after visit. Note: encourage more rest and visits with cassettes to promote better energy and healing.’

Soundwave was beyond impressed with Ratchet’s effort. Clearly, he was a medic who loved and thrived within his work. The tiniest observations and trends were noted to the minute, suggestions and possibilities were written after each entry to consider the best treatment and recovery options for Soundwave. The work of the medic surpassed that of a high work-ethic, rather it landed in an area of true compassion and genuine care for his patients. The fact that Ratchet had written long-term healing and recovery plans for Soundwave, despite the likelihood of his leaving, was incredibly thoughtful.

With an astonished shake of his helm, Soundwave set the data reports on the medical berth next to him. Soundwave looked into the box and murmured with surprise. Settled into the box was a replacement mask and visor, specially made to match his own set. The telepath traced a finger over the ruby visor in admiration, it was impeccable. Ratchet must have taken an exact print of Soundwave’s mask and visor while they were off for the heavy repairs in his first few unconscious days in the medbay.

Carrying a spare mask and visor was something that medics used to do for their patients in the early days of the war. If a soldier had a crack or break in their visor, they could simply go to their medic and receive a new perfect copy right away. That way, if a mask or visor were damaged or lost, the mech didn’t have to wait hours for a replacement to be fit to their faceplates. It was something that considerate medics had once done, when resources were readily available, but certainly not for opposing soldiers.

Gratitude filled Soundwave’s spark as he traced the mask and visor. It was such a simple gesture, but it truly outlined how much Ratchet cared for his patients. Perhaps it was even more touching to Soundwave, as he knew that even the most loyal Decepticons didn’t get such a treatment. He had spent many hours sitting in a medbay as a new mask and visor were fitted to him, especially when resources began to run thin. Soundwave smiled and finally reached in to pick up the replicated mask and visor. He turned them over in his servos with a soft smile. How kind of Ratchet, how very considerate. With warmth budding in his spark, Soundwave turned to place the spares on the berth next to him. His optics flicked back into his file to see what else was left.

The warmth evaporated from his spark. The smile dropped from his faceplates and his visor brightened with fear. Sitting at the bottom of the file, loosely wrapped in medical gauze, was Megatron’s dagger. Soundwave made a soft gasping noise as he stared at the blade. He wanted to look away, but for some odd reason, Soundwave just couldn’t move. His optics were fixated on the blade, almost hypnotised by the memory attached to it.

His spark burned, something was wrong. Soundwave looked down to his chestplates and stared in bewilderment at the handle of a dagger. Energon pooled at his peds, he could hear his creations screaming in fear. With shaky servos, Soundwave reached for the handle. He stopped, frozen in place. What could he even do? Pulling it out would make it worse without a medic. He swayed on his peds, then looked up. Blaster stared at him with bright optics and his servos over his mouth. Megatron watched in surprise, his empty servo extended in Soundwave’s direction, a clear sign of where the blade had come from. Hook was running from across the field. A sickly feeling spread through Soundwave’s frame, his fingers went numb, static filled his helm. He swayed for a moment before feeling his knees buckle. The drop was over in an instant, but the harsh landing on the dirt floor knocked out what little air remined in his intakes. Medics swarmed his vision, blocking out the skies. His optics flickered, the world spiraled into darkness. He was so cold.

Soundwave gasped and jolted back. He fled from the berth, his file flew from his servos and clattered to the floor. The piled datapads and spare mask followed suit and crashed to the floor, covering the blade. Soundwave stood on the other side of the medbay, his servo gripped his chest plates and he stood doubled over and supporting himself on a table. Pain burned in his spark, fear bubbled up in his tanks as Soundwave lowered his helm to rest on the cool surface of the table. He offlined his optics for a minute, he focused on settling his ragged breathing.

Finally, after a long moment, Soundwave stood back up. He made wary steps back towards his piled-up files on the floor. Gingerly, the telepath knelt down on the floor, his optics observed the heap of items warily, as through expecting something to jump out and bite his servo. Pain continued to burn in his chestplates as he shakily packed everything back up. He placed the blade into his file first, his optics watched the ceiling to avoid looking at the blade again. The mask and visor were carefully returned to the file, placed in a way to cover the dagger completely. The datapads were piled back on top and the lid was fastened back in place. A deep thankfulness filled Soundwave that nothing had been broken by the fall. That would be challenging to explain. The box was gently returned to its drawer, Soundwave eased it back so slowly that it could have been mistaken for a live bomb.
Finally, Soundwave dragged himself back to his medical berth and pulled his blankets over his helm with trebling servos. He felt silly, almost like a sparkling, for hiding under his covers. However, there was something so comforting and warm about hiding away from the world in such a manner. He wished that Blaster was with him. The orange mech was always so good at lifting his moods. Eventually, before he even noticed how tired he was, Soundwave dropped back into a deep recharge.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The presence of three approaching minds woke Soundwave from his sleep. He groggily sat up and pulled the blankets around his shoulders. His visor glanced around the room before settling on the door as it opened. Ratchet, Optimus Prime, and Blaster walked through the door, they greeted Soundwave with nods and “good afternoon”s. Soundwave’s systems worked to recalibrate after such a long recharge, he nodded at the three mechs, still half asleep.

Blaster smiled at Soundwave. He had clearly just woken up, his visor was dim and he kept glancing around, clearly a bit disorientated. The fogged up, groggy behaviour was almost endearing. Blaster had to dismiss the urge to run over and hug the sleepy cassette player.

Ratchet pulled three chairs over next to Soundwave’s medical berth, Soundwave took this as cue to swing his legs back over the side of his berth. Blaster, Optimus, and Ratchet each took a seat in-front of Soundwave.

Ratchet was the first to speak, “Good afternoon, Soundwave, I hope we didn’t wake you”. He didn’t wait for Soundwave’s response before continuing, “As you know, today is the third day since you received Megatron’s expectations for your return. Considering that you are on a good healing path, and seemingly stronger each day, I am willing to discharge you as my patient. I do not think there is much else I can do for you here; your systems have been stable and your recovery is coming along very well. With continued rest and fueling with medical grade energon, you should probably heal up completely within the next Earth month. Some lingering effects may continue, however we can discuss these things in full once you have decided your next steps. While I do not think that returning to hard and constant work in the Nemesis would help you at all, I am no longer able to hold you here as an intensive care patient. Regardless of your next choice, I expect that you will be having weekly check-ins with a medic, continued use of medical grade fuel, and that you won’t be pushing yourself too hard in labour, war, or work”. Ratchet finished his explanation with a curt nod.

Soundwave nodded understandingly to the medic, his optics were pulled to Optimus Prime. “If you wish to return to the Decepticons,” the Prime began, “now would likely be your safest time to do so. Any day beyond this one would be ignoring Megatron’s threats. The choice is completely yours, I just hope that you choose wisely”.

Soundwave had to ignore the frown that spread across Blaster’s faceplates as Optimus spoke of his leaving. Something unnamed tugged within his spark at the look, he had never seen Blaster look so deflated.

“The offer continues to stand, however, for you to relinquish your title as a Decepticon and join us here in the Ark as a neutral, ally, or Autobot”, Optimus added, “what ever your final decision is, we will do whatever we can to accommodate for it”.

Soundwave nodded slowly, his processor span. He had to decide today, he had to decide now. Primus, he had spent the last few days obsessing over his options, but the actual time to make his choice was upon him. The telepath glanced back and forth at each mech before him. Ratchet watched him quietly with interested optics, Optimus Prime patiently waited with those understanding Autobot-blue optics, and Blaster returned the look with a soft smile. The orange boombox failed miserably to hide the forlorn look in his optics.

The four possibilities swam in Soundwave’s processor, his mind became muddled with all his choices and what they carried. He swayed just the slightest and suddenly felt horribly lightheaded. The sure servos of a medic braced Soundwave’s shoulders and steadied his swaying.

“Primus, kid,” Ratchet muttered, “don’t go passing out on us”. Blaster and Optimus had also stood from their seats, watching Soundwave with concerned optics as he attempted to stabilize himself.

After a long moment, Soundwave looked up at the group and said, “Query: May I get some air outside with Blaster?”.

“Yeah, might be a good idea to get some fresh air in his systems”, Blaster nodded, he looked at Ratchet.

With a soft huff, Ratchet nodded and let go of Soundwave. “Fine, but if he looks unstable or dizzy, bring him back right away”.

“Sure thing, mech”, Blaster smiled and offered a servo to Soundwave, “shall we?”. Soundwave accepted the servo.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
They walked silently for some time, they did not stop until the Ark was a looming figure sitting upon the horizon. The two mechs sat on the sand and leaned against a rocky outcropping. Neither spoke for a long moment, they just watched the sun settle closer and closer into the evening.

Blaster was the first to break the silence, “pretty hard choice you gotta’ make, can’t blame you for wanting to get outside”.

Soundwave nodded, the fresh air certainly was helping to clear his helm. “Earth environments: can be enjoyable”, he admitted.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Soundwave spoke, “statement: this decision is probably one of the hardest I have had to make”. Blaster hummed knowingly, he smiled at Soundwave with kind optics.

“I don’t doubt it, Mech”, he murmured. He reached out a gentle servo to comfort his new friend, but watched as the blue mech pulled away. He frowned and retracted his servo. A long moment passed as Blaster searched for the right words to say. “Can I ask you something?” his voice was softer than usual. When he received a nod from Soundwave he continued, “why is it that whenever I try to touch you, you jump away like I’m gonna’ hit you? You know I’m not gonna’ do that, right?”.

Soundwave sighed softly, “Flinches: unintentional, nothing more than reflex. Reactions: not personal, I do this with many mechs”. He glanced over at Blaster and watched at the orange boombox frowned in confusion.

“Can I ask why?” Blaster prodded gently. After a long silence, Soundwave nodded.

“Blaster: cannot share this information with anyone”, Soundwave said pointedly. He continued when Blaster nodded vigorously. “Soundwave: …uncomfortable with most contact from other mechs. Flinching began: before war, during my time spent as a slave in Koan”.

A soft intake from Blaster made the telepath pause, “you were a…” Blaster breathed. Soundwave nodded. The orange mech’s optics filled with worry as he waited for Soundwave to continue.

“Soundwave: was not born into slavery. Soundwave: born into poverty in the slums of Koan. My original family: died from disease and starvation long ago. Soundwave: can hardly remember them. Soundwave: captured as youngling and sold into slavery markets after the demise of my family”. The blue mech sighed softly, his visor looked like it was focused on some far away memory. “Soundwave: was not obedient. Lack of obedience to owners: resulted in my rebelling and attempts to escape. Soundwave: was a hard slave to keep, especially once I reached adolescence. Defiant behaviour: resulted in being resold to different owners, many times. Some masters: took it upon themselves to… break… the more difficult slaves”.

His voice trickled off to nothing and Soundwave sat completely still for a long moment. His plating was pulled in tight to his frame, a sure sign of his nervousness. His red visor suddenly turned to focus on Blaster. “Soundwave: has difficult memories about being touched. Soundwave: hopes you can forgive me for seeming to not like your presence, the flinches are unintentional and not because of you”.

Blaster nodded quickly, he swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. His optics fluttered in quick blinks to avoid pooling over. “I.. I don’t even know what to say, ‘Wave. Please don’t feel bad, you don’t have to apologize or anything for jumping. I’m sorry that I assumed it was personal”. Soundwave nodded, his helm tilted towards Blaster with a hidden smile.

“Soundwave: doing better now” he assured gently. Blaster nodded and blinked back more sentiment.

“Do -uh-, do you mind if I ask how you got your freedom?”, Blaster finally asked.

Soundwave smiled, it was certainly an interesting story. “Soundwave: was in late adolescence when purchased by a new owner. Senator Ratbat: was the last mech to own Soundwave”.

Blaster’s brow furrowed at the familiar name, “Ratbat,” he breathed, “like your bitlet?”.

Soundwave nodded, “Ratbat: named after the Senator”. He continued, “Senator Ratbat: was against slavery and drone ownership. The Senator: would purchase slaves from the most dangerous markets or the most abusive owners and would offer to give them a new life. Options were: leave right then as a free mech, or work in Senator Ratbat’s manor for fair wage and receive an education from his private tutors. Soundwave: chose the latter option and stayed with Senator Ratbat for a few years. Ratbat: helped Soundwave get cleaned up, gave Soundwave an education, and allowed Soundwave to select area of specialization. After years of working for Senator: Soundwave left to pursue a higher education. Soundwave: earned a scholarship and entered advanced communications studies. After graduation: Soundwave worked as communications officer on Cybertron. Ravage: was created not much later. Life: was much better for a while. However: conflicts continued on Cybertron, and Soundwave discriminated against for lower class status, telepathy, and optic colour. Megatron: came to power shortly after”. He concluded his explanation with a sigh and a pleased nod.

Blaster was struck mute. He nodded his helm slowly and stared at Soundwave. He searched blindly for something to say before mindlessly blurting “You’re amazing”.
Soundwave let out an amused snort at Blaster’s reaction, he shook his helm. “Soundwave: lucky” he concluded. Blaster had to resist grabbing Soundwave and shaking him back and forth. He shook his helm with a laugh.

“Primus mech, it sounds like you’ve been through pits and back, and here you are. I’m just- I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that. Seriously, mech, look at how far you’ve come”. He habitually reached out to squeeze Soundwave’s shoulder, but he paused, his servo hanging in the air.
With a hidden smile, Soundwave scooted closer and took Blaster’s servo. He gently looped the orange mech’s servo over his shoulder and let it rest there. Blaster smiled and squeezed Soundwave’s arm, “I’m glad you told me”, he murmured, “I really am. Thank you".

“Soundwave: glad as well”, the blue mech agreed. They sat peacefully for a little while longer, they watched as the sun inched closer to the horizon. The sky began to paint itself pink and orange, the third day was almost over.

Blaster looked at Soundwave and finally asked, “so… what’s the plan? Do you need a ride back home before the sun sets?”. Soundwave sat in silence for a long moment, he watched the sun as it began to dip past the skyline. For a moment, Blaster thought Soundwave hadn’t heard him. “Skyfire is on stand by right now, we can get you there on time, if that’s what you’re worried about”.

Soundwave shook his helm slowly. He thought long and hard. He thought about Megatron, what he once was, what he was now. He thought about his health, what the Decepticons had failed to do when he needed them most. His processor fixated on his creations, how happy they had been since their arrival, and he thought about Blaster, the dear friend he had made in such a short amount of time. Finally, he made his choice. He smiled behind his mask and broke the silence, “Soundwave: staying”.

Blaster let out an overjoyed whoop and pulled his arm back from around Soundwave. He faced the telepath and squeezed his servos. “You mean it mech? You're really staying here?” He asked, the excitement was clear in his voice. It almost remined Soundwave of how his creations reacted when they got a new toy.

Soundwave smiled and laughed, “affirmative, Soundwave: staying here”. Blaster’s servos tightened around his and the orange mech grinned audio to audio. Finally, he let go of Soundwave’s servos and returned to his spot, sitting next to Soundwave.

“I’m so glad”, was all Blaster could say. His joy was infectious, Soundwave smiled and chuckled.

“I am glad as well” Soundwave admitted, letting his monotone vocalizer shut down for the moment. He watched as Blaster turned and faced him with a surprised expression. The orange boombox’s face melted into happiness again. Nothing else needed to be said. They sat in peaceful quiet for a while.

Together, Soundwave and Blaster watched the sun trickle past the horizon. Soundwave reached out and gently took his friend’s servo, they held on as they watched the sun. Blaster squeezed Soundwave’s servo in gentle comfort, knowing exactly what the sunset meant to the telepath. Neither mech spoke as they watched the sun go down on Soundwave’s last day as a Decepticon.

Chapter Text

The new emptiness on the glass to his docking station felt… odd. Soundwave brushed his servo over his chestplates, his glass was void of the familiar Decepticon insignia. The absence of the logo was both surreal and exciting. How long had it been since he last saw himself without the purple insignia? He had long ago lost count. Ratchet had made quick work of the removal; the insignia was popped off and set on the medical table next to Soundwave. The telepath had taken a moment to hold his old badge, he brushed his fingers over the familiarity of it. After a long sigh, he did the honours of throwing it in the trash receptacle. It felt… suiting. After all of his years fighting for equality and peace, he now realized that the Decepticon cause would not be the one to usher that in. Ratchet was never the one to skip out on the details of his work. The medic, in the perfectionist nature that he carried, made sure that Soundwave gave himself a new polish. By the end of it, Soundwave felt wonderfully new again. He touched the empty spot over his chestplates, it was alien to have that void of his insignia. All the same, it was exciting too. It had been so long since he had taken a new path in life.

Blaster looked up as Soundwave and Ratchet stepped out of the private medbay room. He grinned at the telepath, “Hey! Looking good ‘Wave! Must feel nice to get rid of that logo” he tapped at his own chestplates as he spoke. Soundwave gave a soft nod and walked over to join Blaster and his creations.

“Removal of insignia: strange… but good” he agreed. Not much else could be said before a flock of cassettes swarmed Soundwave. He smiled at them behind his mask as he gave them room to perch upon and tug at his plating.

“Yeah! It feels weird!” Rumble agreed, he rubbed his arm where Ratchet had already removed his insignia. His brothers all agreed, it did feel odd.

“I’m just happy we are staying!” Lazerbeak chirped, this received more nods and excited voices from the cassettes.

Soundwave paused for a moment before settling on his knees on the floor. His six cassettes instinctively crawled on his lap and shoulders to grin at him. They knew that Soundwave always said the most interesting stuff after settling low enough to look them all in the optic. The carrier searched for words for a moment before finally asking, in a low voice, “Query: cassettes are all content with staying here on Ark? Soundwave: understands that the Nemesis was home for you for a long time,” he glanced at Ratbat, “Ratbat: has only ever had Nemesis as his home”. The purple bat churred and smiled at the attention. “Soundwave: does not want to make you feel that I am removing you from the only home you know”, he murmured to his cassettes.

“The Nemesis doesn’t mean home for me,” Ravage was the first to speak, “as long as you are with us, I will be home”. The rest of the cassettes agreed, their small servos gripped at Soundwave’s plating as they nodded. Soundwave bit at his lips behind his mask and nodded silently. He was glad for the mask again, he had to blink rapidly to keep himself from tearing up. The soft static his vocolizer carried was hint enough to his cassettes that he was moved by their words, “Cassettes: mean home for Soundwave as well”. The pile of creations huddled closer as Soundwave wrapped them up in a gentle hug. The family stayed like that for a moment, cuddled together in such a familiar way, in such an unfamiliar environment.

“awwh, now would you look at that”, Jazz crooned softly. Blaster jumped and turned to look behind him. Standing just inside the door to the medbay was Jazz, Prowl, and Optimus Prime.

“I hope we are not disturbing”, Optimus said softly, he tried and failed to conceal the soft smile from his face as he watched the family embrace.

Soundwave pulled himself back up to a stand, his cassettes continued to cling to his plating. “Statement: you are not interrupting” he said, his optics continued to linger on his little family. Soundwave joined the rest of the group as chairs were pulled up. Blaster patted a chair next to him and gestured for Soundwave to sit next to him. The telepath did, his cassettes clambered over each-other until they settled comfortably on their creator’s shoulders and lap.

Blaster gave Jazz a pointed glare when the smaller mech elbowed him with a wink. The orange boombox swatted his friend’s arm when he took it upon himself to silently tease Blaster for saving Soundwave a spot beside him.

Optimus began the impromptu meeting with his usual friendly tone, “Soundwave, now that you have renounced your position as a Decepticon, you and your creations are more than welcome to stay aboard the Ark. Jazz, Prowl, and I have been discussing our next steps from here. I think that we should give you some time to settle in and continue recovering from your injury before asking you to make any more decisions. I will remind you that you have the option to remain a neutral to the war and live aboard the Ark, the fuel and living spaces for you and your family will be provided for under the Autobot War Protections Act. You also have the option to sign on as an ally to the Autobot cause, this would allow you to work under contract for things such as communication and tech repair. You would not need to take on the role, title, or beliefs of an Autobot, you would simply need to support the cause when possible and comfortable. Your contract work would result in more earnings and rations, and perhaps larger quarters over time. Lastly, you have the option of joining the Autobots. Given your skill sets and talents, we would be more than happy to take you aboard as another communications officer. At the moment, we only have Blaster as a specialist in the area, I think that it would be beneficial for everyone to have two. Given your seniority in the Decepticons, I also imagine that you would be able to provide helpful information about what happens in the Nemesis and Decepticon ranks. Working as an Autobot would, again, earn you even more rations and larger quarters. Of course, you may take as much time as you need to make this decision. You are free to change your position if you find that one does not suit you. Until you decide, you have been listed as a neutral”.

Soundwave nodded as he processed all of his options. He felt a tingle of excitement at the flexibility he was given for his decision. It was nice to be able to take his time to consider all of the options fully. He accepted a datapad as Prowl handed it to him.

“This datapad contains all of the expectations and compensations each role contains”, Prowl explained, “it also contains the goals and principles of the Autobot cause. You are more than welcome to look through this information in making your choices. The Autobot cause has changed in many ways since the beginning of the war, I recommend that you look over our mission statement. I have a feeling that you will agree with many of our long-term goals”.

The telepath gave a thankful nod as he subspaced the datapad, it would be interesting to refresh himself on the ethics and codes of the Autobots.

“Now, as for your new living quarters,” Optimus continued, “we are currently having a bit of a space shortage in the Ark. Prowl, Jazz, and I have been looking into having a storage space cleared for you and your family. It will not be a large space, but it should be able to comfortably fit everyone, at least for the moment”.

Soundwave smiled behind his mask and nodded, “Soundwave and cassettes: accustomed to small quarters. The Nemesis: is very small in comparison to the Ark. Small quarters: will be more than enough for us”. His cassettes grinned and nodded.

“Or…” Blaster blurted, he froze when everyone’s optics settled on him, “I mean… it’s just a thought… But you guys could always move in with me and my kiddos. I mean, we have been pretty comfortable with your six cassettes staying in my quarters, what’s one more mech, right? I have two berth rooms, but my little guys usually sleep in my berth or my cassette docks, I have a feeling that you guys are the same, right? So, I basically have a berth room that isn’t being used anymore, you’re more than welcome to it. Besides, my quarters are plenty big for all of us, it would probably be a lot more comfortable for you. It would also mean you would get to share our private washracks, and I already have a work space all set up with communications tech, you could probably make good use of that. After all, your little fellas have been pretty comfortable living with us, it would be kinda’ lonely to go back to just four cassettes… If you want”.

The room erupted with begs and pleads from Soundwave’s cassettes. Their small servos clung to his plating as they stared up at their carrier with big optics.
“Please, Boss! We should stay with them!”

“Yeah! Eject and Rewind are so fun, we want to stay with them!”

“They have human video games and they share them with us!”.

“And there’s so much room for games! You’ve love it!”

“They even have a bath tub in the washracks! It’s so nice!”

“Please, please!”.

Soundwave stared at his pleading cassettes with a bright visor. He looked up at Blaster and seemed to consider it for a moment. He held up a servo to silence his cassettes before saying, “Offer: greatly appreciated. Considering cassette’s desires: I think we will accept your suggestion”. His cassettes cheered and whooped with joy, they grabbed at his plating and jumped around with excitement.

Blaster grinned at the scene, “It’ll be great, ‘Wave. I’m sure you’ll like it too”. One glance at Jazz confirmed his suspicion. The spy grinned at him widely, his elbow nudged and prodded Blaster playfully.

::Already moving in with the boyfriend?::, Jazz teased over intercoms.
Blaster rolled his optics back at his friend, ::Awh, stuff it:: he muttered over their com. link. His short response only earned more snickers from Jazz.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Blaster had certainly delivered; his quarters were quite spacious and very comfortable. The ten cassettes had been overjoyed to hear about their continued time as roommates, they had cheered and hugged before dragging Soundwave around the Quarters to show him everything. As fast as they had showed him his new home, they were gone and setting up a video game to play. Soundwave could hear their miniature tournament from down the hall as he stood in his new berth room.

“I hope it’s big enough”, Blaster said, both mechs were looking over the room.

Soundwave snorted, “This berthroom: larger than my entire quarters back on the Nemesis”. He had to resist laughing at the shocked stare he received from the orange boombox.
“Primus, mech”, Blaster muttered, “and you were one of Megatron’s top dogs, too”. He shook his helm in disbelief before bringing his attention to the blank walls. “Sorry about the bareness of this room. We almost never used it until your little guys took it up. If you want we can look for posters and stuff to put up? Wheeljack makes large prints of basically anything if you ask nicely”.

“Decorations: not necessary at the moment. Thank you: for the offer” Soundwave smiled at Blaster from behind his mask. The orange boombox picked up the smile in his voice and returned it with a grin.

The remainder of the evening was spent in relaxation. Blaster and Soundwave joined their cassettes in the living room. The two mechs settled on the couch and watched as their creations played racing and battling games. Soundwave felt… good. He smiled to himself, he actually felt very good. He was distracted from the remaining ache in his chestplates, he felt stronger and better rested. He had more decisions to make for himself soon, but this time there was no rush to decide.

Later that evening, Soundwave and Blaster helped their creations settle into each respective berth. The two mechs shared their goodnights before retiring to their individual rooms.
Soundwave sighed and removed his mask and visor. He watched his sleeping cassettes, they were cuddled into a little pile on the berth. They had left enough space for him to climb in with them. The telepath crawled into the berth and pulled the blankets over himself. It was much more comfortable than the berth he had back on the Nemesis. He yawned contently as his cassettes wiggled closer to him, they were so pleased to be with their carrier all day and night again. Only visiting him for a few hours a day had been an untold strain on them, they were much happier now to have him with them whenever they wanted. Soundwave rolled over onto his side, he cradled his sleeping creations in his arms. His optics focused on something new. Hastily stuck to the wall was a band poster. Soundwave smiled into the pillows as he realized that Blaster had snuck into his room at some time during the evening to add some colour to his new room. He had to quell a chuckle when he recognized it as one of the many band posters from Blaster's berthroom. It was a reprint (curtesy of Wheeljack) of one of the popular bands during Cybertron's Golden Age. The simple gesture warmed something in the blue mech’s spark. He sent a ping to his new roommate.
::I am deeply in gratitude for everything you have done for my family and I. Thank you:: he sent over a com. link. ::And thank you for the poster too::.

Blaster smiled from his own berth across the hall, ::Any time, ‘Wave:: he responded. The orange boombox sighed and closed his optics, he couldn’t quite wipe the smile from his faceplates. His processor drifted to settle on Soundwave. He was very glad to have the blue mech as a roommate, he was so smart, and surprisingly warm to his cassettes. He wondered for a moment what the telepath’s face looked like. He couldn’t help a chuckle escape when he thought about Jazz’s comments. His friend was usually pretty good at sensing when mechs had feeling for each-other, but this time he had been way off. Blaster grinned and shook his helm, ‘sure ‘Wave is interesting and different,’ he thought to himself, ‘but he is just so not my type. He’s so quiet, and reclusive, and…’. He grinned when he remembered the way that Soundwave brooded by crossing his arms and narrowing his visor. He wondered how Soundwave’s face looked when he pouted. Blaster could almost imagine the blue mech narrowing ruby optics and wrinkling his nasal bridge. It was a cute idea. Blaster’s spark skipped a beat.

‘…. Oh frag’.

Chapter Text

Megatron slumped in his throne. His fingers drummed impatiently on the arm rest as his optics stared out at nothing. His posture seemed calm enough, lax even, but the burning ferocity in his optics was enough to deter any mech from approaching him. It had been four days. Fours days since Megatron told Soundwave that he had three days to return.

The warlord had spent the third day simmering in silence, his optics rested on the door to the throne room. No Decepticon even dared to glance his way. Aside from his unnerving behaviour, the third day had been fairly quiet. When the end of the day rolled in Megatron had simply stood from his throne and walked out. The mechs present paused their work to watch him leave. Somehow, Megatron’s calm containment of his rage was so much more terrifying than his typical fiery spits of anger.

It was day four. The morning had begun like any other, Megatron brooded from his throne in deep thought as the mechs around him worked. The Nemesis was silent enough to hear a pin drop, no mech wished to break the thin glass that seemingly held everything together. They just waited and worked, their optics occasionally dared to glance at the stewing Warlord. It was quiet, far too quiet.

“Call the Autobots”. The harsh demand cut through the throne room, everyone froze in their work. The mechs cautiously directed their gaze to Megatron, who was unchanged, aside from the new burning that sat carefully behind his optics. No Decepticon moved a digit, they feared the turning of rage towards themselves if they even considered moving, order or not.

Slowly, almost leisurely, Megatron leaned forward in his seat. His optics burned holes into his crew as he let another hiss crawl from his mouth, “Call the Autobots, now”. His second order lurched his mechs into life again. Skywarp and Onslaught quickly stepped towards the communications hub across the room. They regarded it with hesitant optics. Ever since Soundwave’s absence the communications systems had began deteriorating, it had been hard enough to set it up to com. the Autobots four days ago… now it was looking doubtful.

Megatron watched in cold silence as the two mechs struggled with the machinery. Both jumped back with yelps as wiring spat furious sparks at them. After a long, cuss filled battle with the thing, they fell silent and stepped back. The hub whirled to life, the screen fizzed with static for a brief moment before the communications hardware gave a sickly heave and shut down again. Skywarp hardly had enough time to jump out of the way as Megatron fired at the hub twice with his cannon.

Smoke poured from the (now certainly destroyed) machinery. Skywarp and Onslaught stared at it with defeated optics before turning to look at Megatron.
“Well… It’s definitely not going to work now” Skywarp muttered. Instant regret polluted his field when his optics locked with Megatron’s.

“Would you care to repeat that?” the silver mech rumbled, his optics dared the seeker to speak. It would be a waste of resources to send another seeker off to the medbay, but the Warlord certainly could use a punching bag.

Skywarp fitfully shook his helm, his faceplates paled as he looked at his peds. “Then get out of my sight” Megatron hissed as he moved from his throne. The seeker was gone before another word could be said.

“Everyone leave” was Megatron’s next order. No mech hesitated to immediately start filing out of the room. “Except for you, Reflector” Megatron finished. The trio immediately froze where they stood. The rest of the crew trickled past them, only giving passing looks of pity as they left. The camera crew swallowed thickly and returned into the depths of the room. They stood at attention as Megatron settled himself back into his throne.

“I wish to know where Soundwave is” Megatron began nonchalantly, “Go to the Ark and gather some information for me. Take pictures, recordings if possible, and don’t get spotted. I want to know all about what my traitorous communications officer is doing there”.

A gleeful smile spread across the trio’s faces as they received their orders. It had been so long since they had received such a juicy mission. They had never been ordered to get the dirt on Soundwave before, he had always been so well behaved. On top of that, they knew in the past that if they did get caught spying on the telepath they would be the direct receivers of Megatron’s wrath. Before Soundwave’s disappearance, the third in command was practically untouchable under Megatron’s power. Things had obviously changed. The idea of spying on such a secretive mech sent glee through the trio. Maybe they would find something particularly good for blackmail. “We are honoured to do this for you, My Lord” they spoke in unison.

“Good”, Megatron dismissed them with a wave of his servo, “Go at once, be back by tomorrow”. Reflector turned and began for the door, their processors were already simmering over the fun things they might find at the Ark. “Oh, and Reflector?” Megatron’s voice halted their leave. They turned back to the warlord, failing to conceal the excitement from their optics. “Don’t disappoint me”.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Soundwave stretched lazily in his berth. He couldn’t help but notice the absence of his creations, it was unusual for them to get up before him. He pushed himself up with a satisfied sigh and stared out the window for a moment. This berth was much more comfortable than the little ones in the medbay, certainly it was larger and more comfortable than his one back on the Nemesis. He couldn’t help it as a smile spread across his face, he dimmed his optics and enjoyed how the sun warmed him. Having windows and morning light in a berth-room was a novelty to him. The Nemesis was so deep in the Ocean that it was dark constantly outside of the little portholes. The happy chattering of his creations could be heard from down the hall, as well as something unfamiliar, perhaps human media.

Soundwave slipped out of his room and walked through into the main living quarters. All ten of the cassettes were piled up on the couch watching some sort of human entertainment. Soundwave smiled at their excited voices and occasional hushes as they watched. Ravage and Steeljaw were the only two not watching, the two felines chose instead to groom and dote over Ratbat, who was wildly content to be receiving so much attention at once. The tiny bat churred and giggled as the two eldest helped clean his delicate wings of debris.

The scene seemed so natural and common for the group of younglings. Soundwave was reminded again that they had been spending the last week in these quarters while he had only moved in yesterday. It was probable that his cassettes had already settled into a new routine. It would take some time for him to adjust as well. Soundwave smiled when his creations noticed his presence and greeted him happily through their bonds.

“They’re called cartoons” Rumble said, he pointed to the TV screen, “Human sparklings watch them in the morning”.

“Human offspring are not called sparklings” Ravage corrected absentmindedly. His nose tickled at Ratbat’s cheek, prompting a squeak and giggles from the youngest.

“Well if you’re so smart, what do the squishes call their kids?” Rumble retorted with a defensive tone. The deadpan look from his siblings gave him the answer. “oh… right… kids”. The groups burst into hysterical giggles at the mechling. Rumble puffed out his cheeks and pouted. It wasn’t long before they were all zoned back into the cartoons.

Soundwave shook his helm with a soft laugh. He couldn’t help the warmth in his spark as he watched his creations interact with Blaster’s, they really got along well.
Shuffled footsteps entered the room behind him, followed by a soft yawn. “Morning", Blaster greeted his new roommate.

Soundwave smiled and turned around to face the orange boombox, “good morning”. He suddenly felt overly aware of his lack of mask and visor. Blaster’s blue optics immediately zoned in on his faceplates, they almost seemed to map out Soundwave’s features before Blaster unfroze and immediately tried to make up for his awkwardly long pause.

“uh… guh… hey! Yeah, good morning!” the boombox babbled, “It’s a good one, so bright. For sure… and uh… cartoons…”. Blaster stopped and put his face down in his servos. He only looked back up at the soft laugh Soundwave gave at his reaction. “That’s -uh- a nice laugh” he grinned, trying his best to stay casual. It only made sense for Soundwave to remove his mask and visor, they were his quarters now as well. It was just so unexpected… so … attractive.

“I assume that you must prefer my real laugh because you have associated my monotone laugh with having your aft kicked?” Soundwave said. His amber optics twinkled with something Blaster had never expected to see in the telepath; playfulness.

“I-… ohh mech, you’re askin’ for it”, Blaster laughed back. The two grinned at each other for a moment.

“I’m hungry!” Rewind interrupted the two carriers, they paused and looked over to the pile of cassettes. Nine other voices and nods joined in, they hadn’t fueled yet. Blaster gave Soundwave another dazed smile before the two mechs began handing out energon to their creations. The entire time that they were passing out fuel, Blaster struggled to tear his optics from Soundwave’s faceplates.

Finally, once all ten cassettes were silently drinking while watching their cartoons, Soundwave and Blaster grabbed their own cubes before sitting together across the room at a table. A long moment passed while the carriers drank in silence. Blaster’s optics continued to dart to and from Soundwave’s face. He couldn’t help the pull to stare into those unique yellow optics. Soundwave met his gaze with a blink and he awkwardly looked away again.

“I don’t mind” Soundwave said softly.

Blaster looked up at him with a half startle, “what?”.

“I don’t mind you looking,” the telepath answered, “I know my optics are unusual, I am used to stares when I don’t have my visor engaged. You will get used to it eventually, but I don’t mind. Stares don’t bother me anymore”.

Blaster nodded slowly, he couldn’t help the thoughts bubble up in his mind. Rare optic colours probably weren’t the only thing bots were staring at… Soundwave was one hell of a looker, it was almost impossible to not stare for many reasons. The soft upward quirk of Soundwave’s lips filled him with mortification. Primus, he really, really hoped that Soundwave didn’t just hear him thinking that.

If he did hear, Soundwave didn’t say anything about it. They continued fueling in comfortable silence. Excited yells from the cassettes brought both of their attention towards the couch. Something exciting must have been happening in the cartoons. The carriers shared a look before laughing softly to each other.
“Did you sleep well?” Blaster broke the silence between them.

“Very well” Soundwave nodded, “the berths here are much more comfortable than the medbay… or the Nemesis”. Blaster chuckled softly at that. The blue mech continued, “Although, I must admit, I am worried about how Megatron will react to my continued absence,” his servo brushed over his chestplates, the absence of his insignia was still so bizarre, “I wonder how long it will be until he acts upon this”.

Blaster leaned forward and squeezed one of Soundwave’s servos, “no matter how he reacts, you and your little guys will be safe here”. The gentle smile from Soundwave melted something in Blaster’s spark.

“Thank you” Soundwave murmured.

The rest of the morning passed calmly. The cassettes finished fueling and were sent off on their chores and training for the day. Shortly after Blaster left for his com. shift. Soundwave stood in the empty quarters for a moment. He thoughtfully touched his audio before shutting off the lights and leaving his quarters. Automatically, his visor shut over his optics. With some consideration, he left his mask off… Perhaps it would be easier for the Autobots to trust him if they saw his face and heard his real voice. He made his way down the halls as he mulled over how to phrase his decision.

The halls were fairly quiet, most mechs had already made it to their morning shifts, if they had one. Soundwave crossed paths with Wheeljack first. The chipper scientist waved at him and extended his morning greetings. His audiofins flashed a happy blue. Soundwave smiled and nodded back. Were all the Autobots always so cheerful? His question was answered shortly after when he crossed paths with a group of minibots. Cliffjumper, Gears, and Huffer crowded together and gave him suspicions optics. Bumblebee greeted Soundwave sunnily but was hushed by his friends. The telepath could feel their glares on his dorsa until he turned down another hall.

Soundwave found himself comfortably familiar with the inside of the Ark. Blaster’s tour a few days ago had helped, but his previous spying and poking around within the ship certainly gave him most of the familiarity. Finally, he found himself outside of Prowl’s office. He gave a gentle knock. Almost immediately the doors opened for him. Prowl looked up from his desk and raised his optic brows.

“Soundwave,” he greeted, “I wasn’t expecting you”. His optics glanced over the telepath’s face before focusing back on his red visor.

“I hope I am not interrupting” Soundwave said, he concealed his amusement at the surprise in Prowl’s mind at the unfamiliar voice. Although, Soundwave was certainly impressed by the Second in Command’s cool behaviour. If not for his telepathy, he wouldn’t have even known that Prowl had picked up a difference.

“Not at all, come in” the Praxian gestured to the chair across his desk, “have a seat. Is there anything I can help you with?”. Soundwave took the offered seat before nodding.
“I looked through the datapad you gave me, it was very interesting” He said, “I now realize the misconceptions I had about the Autobot cause… However, I am not here to enlist. I recall that one of my options was to work as an ally, I would work on contract for communications and tech repair”.

Prowl nodded and pulled out a new datapad, “were you interested in taking on this new role?” he asked.

Soundwave smiled, “absolutely”.

Chapter Text

That morning Soundwave woke with a dull ache in his chestplates. He elected to ignore it at first, choosing instead to busy himself with waking his creations for the day. By the time all ten creations had settled to drink their energon, the dull ache in Soundwave’s chestplates had turned to a sharp searing pain. The telepath stared blankly at his cube of Energon, he was almost impressed with how mind-numbing the pain was. A gentle touch to his servo pulled him back to reality.

Blaster was seated next to him, his servo gently rested over Soundwave’s. The orange boombox looked at Soundwave with concerned optics for a long moment before asking in a soft whisper, “You doing alright there, mech?”. Both mechs quietly glanced at their hoard of creations across the room before turning back into each other.

“I must admit, I do not feel well”, Soundwave admitted in a hushed voice. He was almost surprised by the immediate worry in Blaster’s field. He touched a blue servo over his tape deck and continued, “I have reason to believe that the injury is flaring up, or perhaps agitated”.

Blaster let out a low breath and nodded. His servo squeezed Soundwave’s shoulder as he murmured, “let’s get you in to see Ratchet, sound good?”. A slow nod from Soundwave was his only answer.

As quietly as possible, Soundwave beckoned Ravage over to the two mechs. The feline, who had just finished his own cube, casually stretched and joined Blaster and Soundwave at the table.

“Do you think you could watch over the bitlets for a few breems?”, Blaster asked the eldest softly. Ravage flicked his whiskers and nodded, his optics immediately landed on his carrier’s unusually flushed and creased faceplates. His optics focused for a moment on the pained grimace Soundwave was failing to conceal.

“What is wrong?”, Ravage asked, he had immediately joined them in whispering.

“You need not worry,” Soundwave murmured, still clutching his chestplates, “Blaster will just be helping me to the Medbay”.

Nine worried gasps immediately froze the three whispering mechs. They looked back across the room to find a cluster of eavesdropping cassettes. Soundwave sighed wearily.
“Medbay?” Rumble hurried over to clutch at Soundwave’s leg.

“What are you gonna’ do there?” Rewind cried as the group migrated to flock at their creators. A wave of worried voices quickly overtook the previously calm morning.

“’It's ok!”, Blaster crooned, wading his way through the disturbed cassettes, “’Wave is just feeling a little achy today, is all. Ratch’ is gonna’ make sure he is feeling better and we will be back, alright?”. His gentle reassurance was met with whimpers and small servos latching to Soundwave’s plating.

“I hate to be leaving you with this, kitty…” Blaster took Soundwave’s elbow and helped him stand, Ravage’s ear flattened at the nickname, “But we should really head out”. Soundwave shakily clutched to Blaster’s arm and allowed the other boombox to help him up. He sent packages of reassurance and love through his family bonds. Blaster blew kisses behind them as they stepped into the hall. Soundwave fastened his visor over his optics and sent his apologies to his creations just as the doors shut, leaving the cassettes alone in their quarters.

A long silence held the room as Ravage surveyed his brothers and Blaster’s creations. Immediately, nine worried sets of optics settled on him. He sighed and took a seat. This was going to be a very long morning.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Ratchet leaned towards the panel displaying his test results. He scrubbed his chin and sighed, then sighed again. Soundwave and Blaster watched in silence as the medic glared at the results, then glared at the telepath’s chestplates, then glared once more at the results. Several more scans and tests were completed with Ratchet’s hushed muttering and worried sighs.

Blaster swallowed thickly and squeezed Soundwave’s servo. This much silence from the medic was never a good thing. Soundwave looked oddly calm as he watched the medic curse his test results. Blaster had to wonder if Soundwave had used his telepathy to prematurely read his diagnosis from Ratchet’s processor.

“Alright,” Ratchet abruptly turned to the pair, “I have some good new and some bad news”. He didn’t wait for a preference of firsts before continuing, “Good news is, physically, you are in order. You are still healing, of course, but it is coming along just fine. There is no inflammation, errors, or infection”. The medic took a moment to look Soundwave up and down, his optics turned apologetic, “bad news is, well… have you ever head of pain flashbacks?”.

Almost immediately, Soundwave’s ruffled plating relaxed and he gave a soft smile. “I have”. The medic nodded and rubbed his jaw again. His optics flicked over to Blaster, who looked even more confused.

Turning to the orange mech, Ratchet explained, “pain flashbacks, in the simplest explanation, are neurological, sometimes chronic pains that linger after a traumatic episode. For Soundwave, this means that physically, he is healing well, there is nothing to worry about… But something in his processor is setting off the memory of the pain he experienced from a … disturbing event, in this case, the injury he had”. Ratchet gestured to Soundwave’s tape-deck, “despite the fact that they are not real, pain flashbacks can feel very real, and are easily mistaken for the real injury”.

Blaster’s worried optics immediately focused on Soundwave, he clutched the blue servos gently. “Primus, Soundwave, that must be so scary” he fretted. Soundwave blinked and shook his helm.

“I am simply glad that this was not brought on by a real complication. I am familiar with pain flashbacks, I will be fine”. He gently pulled his servos from Blaster’s, stood and thanked Ratchet, then turned to head back home. Blaster and Ratchet stared after him, then at each other.

“Keep an optic on that one”, Ratchet murmured to the boombox, “make sure he is taking care of himself”. When he received a shaken look from Blaster, he sighed and shrugged, “If he’s familiar with pain flashbacks… well, just keep an optic on him, is all”.

Blaster nodded quickly, his processor was already working through some of the things Soundwave had shared with him a few nights ago, as they watched the sunset. Something clicked into place in his processor, his plating deflated and he gave a morose “oh…Thanks, Doc. Have a good one”. He followed Soundwave though the medbay doors.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Their walk home had been relatively quiet, with only Soundwave back in good spirits. Blaster had attempted to ask his friend about the pain, Soundwave waved it off. “Knowing that it isn’t damaging makes it far more manageable” the telepath stated simply.

Their return to the quarters was met with much joy and excitement from their creations. Small servos clutched at plating as the cassettes asked piles of questions. Soundwave took care to answer each question while leaving out the exact diagnosis. Blaster helped sooth everyone, letting them know that everything was okay.

For some time after their return, Soundwave sat with six of his creations piled atop him. The family didn’t move for some time after that. Blaster watched with amused optics. It was so sweet that something inside him melted.

The rest of the day went particularly well. After waking to such an unpleasant scare, everyone was just happy to go about their normal routines. Soundwave felt quite pleased to spend his first day back to work. He hadn’t realized how numbed his processor had felt without something interesting to work on. His itching servos were finally relived when a heap of repairs were handed over to him. It was quite pleasant to have a distraction from his worries once more. While deep into his repair and tech work, he didn’t even think once about Megatron, and the ache in his chestplates slipped away to nothing.

If only the calmness had held onto him through the night.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Soundwave woke with a choked gasp. He didn’t know when he had sat up in his berth, but he has somehow managed to do it before becoming conscious. Six concerned optics stared up at him from the dark. He groaned and scrubbed his faceplates.

“What’s wrong, boss?” Frenzy whispered.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Rumble asked, his servo squeezed at blue plating. Ratbat didn’t say anything, but snuggled himself back into the crook of Soundwave’s neck.

“I am fine” Soundwave slowly extracted himself from the berth sheets, then tucked his creations back in together. “I just need some air” he whispered as he gently prompted Ratbat to curl up with Ravage again. Without another word, he slipped from the room and down the hall. He quietly made his way down the hallway, then reached the main living quarters. He closed the door to, then leaned against it, rested his helm back, and let out an exhausted sigh. His optics remained off as he scrubbed his faceplates, then froze. His telepathy picked up another presence. Who else was up at this hour?

Gradually, he peaked through his fingers and his optics were met with those of his unexpected company.

“… Hey”, Blaster grinned from across the room. He had situated himself at the table, piles of communications reports were stacked haphazardly around him. Quietly, he pushed back the chair next to him and patted the seat.

Soundwave stared at him for a moment before wandering over to the offered spot. “Why are you up so late?” He asked.

“I put off doing the reports for too long… so now I am up doing them late”, Blaster chuckled sheepishly, “I could ask you the same question”.

Soundwave shook his helm glumly, before answering in one word, “nightmares”. Blaster hummed and gave him those understanding and empathetic optics. Not long ago, Soundwave would have steamed under their gaze, but he had warmed up to them. He let Blaster put an arm around him to squeeze his shoulder.

“You alright?” the orange mech asked softly.

Soundwave nodded, “I am fine”. Blaster watched his down casted optics and frowned.

“Do you wana’ talk about anything?”, He asked.

For a moment, Soundwave seemed to mull over his options, then he shook his helm, “not particularly”. Blaster didn’t push, he simply nodded and leaned back.

They sat in silence for a long moment. Blaster glanced at Soundwave’s glum expression several times as he tried to think of something to do. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea. The orange boombox perked up with a grin, drawing Soundwave’s optics up from the table.

“How about we make some energon goodies?” he suggested boisterously. The deadpan stare from Soundwave was almost as amusing as it was cute. Blaster chuckled and stood, he took Soundwave’s servos in his own. “Yeah! Let’s make energon goodies! We have everything we need here to do it”.

Soundwave continued to fix him with a doubtful look. “It is past 1 AM”, He shook his helm, “our creations are all asleep”.

“We won’t wake them. We can play some quiet music and make them together… The bitlets will have no idea and I know they will love the surprise once they are up tomorrow”, Blaster pleaded, “C’mon, it'll be fun! And it will take your processor off of everything”.

Soundwave felt himself nodding… It did sound like fun. He had not made energon goodies in an incredibly long amount of time. Not since before the war. Not since he worked in Senator Ratbat’s manor. It would be a good distraction, and it did sound pleasant.

“Very well”, he stood, “but I get to select the music”. An excited laugh from Blaster made him smile.

As it turned out, they worked quite well together. Soundwave’s meticulous instruction following kept them on track, while Blaster’s “artful editions of pizzazz” …as he proudly called it… kept things interesting.

Soundwave glanced up at Blaster to catch the other mech licking their mixing spoon. Blaster was quickly met with a smear of batter across his nasal ridge. Blaster made a great laughing sound at this, as he easily canted back and brushed a glob of batter across Soundwave’s cheek. Soundwave gasped and choked on his own amusement before swiping more of the half-made goodies across Blaster’s tape deck. What else could Blaster do but throw a handful of the stuff right at Soundwave’s faceplates? The telepath’s quick duck out of the way resulted in the batter making a loud smacking sound as it hit the wall instead.

Both mechs stared at the batter as it wetly slid down the wall. They chuckled, then laughed, then gasped and howled. Their giggles were muffled into servos as they attempted to stay quiet for their sleeping families. Soundwave keeled over as Blaster slid to the floor, a half-empty mixing bowl still held in the crook of his arm. Soundwave joined him, and the two mechs laughed and wheezed at each other for what felt like ages. Soundwave couldn’t be sure if it was the sleep deprivation that made everything so hysterical, or if something in Blaster brought out his neglected humour. Either way, he knew that he had not laughed that hard for many, many years.

Out of nowhere, Soundwave up in a bolt. He went dead silent, his optics fixated on the windows of their quarters. Blaster’s laughter died out and he went silent.

“…’Wave?” he asked softly. A shudder ran down his spine at Soundwave’s answer.

“Someone was watching us”.

“… wait, for real? Are you sure?”

“yes… no…” Soundwave suddenly pushed himself up and picked his way across the room. He stared out into the darkness, then cupped his servos and squinted out past their reflections. It was so hard to see out into the desert night. Blaster quietly joined him at the window. A long moment stretched on as they stared.

The sudden ‘ping’ from the dehydrator made both mechs jump. They looked back into their quarters and silently went about removing the finished goodies.

“My telepathy,” Soundwave broke the silence, “I thought that I had picked up on a presence… I suppose I did not. Perhaps I am just overtired, and I am getting false readings”. He shook his helm with a sigh.

“Hey, it’s no big deal”, Blaster smiled at him cheerfully, “kinda’ my fault for keeping you up so late”. They smiled at each other and finished cleaning up.

“How about we shower off and hit the hay?” Blaster offered casually. Soundwave smiled thankfully at his friend.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Oh, Reflector had the juicy stuff alright. They huddled together and admired their work one last time before proudly making their way into the throne room. Megatron sat up in his seat and grinned at them. They could only smile back. They felt quite proud of this one. It was good work, yes, very good work indeed.

“Given the looks upon your faces, I must assume that you were able to find Soundwave, yes?” the Warlord relaxed back in this throne with a satisfied smile.

“We certainly did” The three mechs spoke in unison, their plating puffed with pride as they offered a datapad out to the larger mech.

Megatron accepted the datapad, then powered it up. “Pictures?” he asked simply.

“Of course,” Reflector smiled back, “he has been spending time in the Ark… He was in the medbay this morning, we lost sight of him through mid day. But the night was… particularly interesting”.

Megatron’s optics focused on the images as his listened to the report. He immediately scowled at the pictures. This was not good, not good at all. “What are they doing?” He hissed.

“Living together”, Reflector smiled at their work, “looks like Soundwave got pretty close to that orange one, Blaster”. Megatron flicked through the images, he felt the rage simmer higher and higher within him as he did. A picture of Soundwave and Blaster on the floor of their quarters laughing stirred a growl from his lips.

“Well done”, Megatron dismissed his spies with a wave of his servo, “help yourself to extra rations, if you please”. The team bowed and left, leaving Megatron alone in the throne room.

Megatron’s optics narrowed at the pictures. His finger traced across it for a moment. What a waste… What a horrific waste of a communications officer. If only he had known that Soundwave was so soft before, so easily influenced by the Autobots. He should have been dealt with long ago. The warlord couldn’t help but notice the lack of a mask, he flicked through each picture, growing more frustrated with each one. He especially hated the ones where Soundwave smiled at that damned Autobot. Almost all of that could be forgiven… if not for the clear lack of a Decepticon insignia. “Traitor”, Megatron snarled to himself.

Oh yes, this would be dealt with… It would most certainly be dealt with.

Chapter Text

Blaster hummed softly under his breath as he made his way down the hall. It was a quiet morning aboard the Ark, many mechs were still waking for the day. As a result, Blaster felt like he had the halls of the base all to himself. He typically wasn’t the kind of mech to enjoy his early bird shifts, especially the ones that stretched from 4:30 AM to 10:30 AM like today. Usually, he dragged his way through the early shifts, waiting for his replacement to come so he could book it out of the communications hub and back into his berth. Last night had been a particularly late night. In most cases, staying up so late would only make his early morning shift worse. Considering that he had only gotten a few hours of recharge, Blaster certainly was tired, but he just couldn’t help the spring in his step that morning. After all, it was hard for him to feel down when his late night had been spent with Soundwave!

Blaster’s spark skipped around behind his chestplates as he remembered how much fun he had last night with the telepath. Making energon goodies was really no big deal, but with Soundwave it was just so much fun. They certainly had made a mess of the kitchen, but even cleaning it up was pleasant in such attractive company.

His smile widened a little when he remembered the way they had laughed on the floor for the longest time. It was impossible to forget the way in which the blue mech shyly dipped his helm to his shoulder when he laughed, almost to hide his smile. Certainly, Blaster would never forget how cute Soundwave was when he laughed hard enough that no sound came from his mouth anymore. How did Soundwave manage to drive him stir crazy by doing the simplest things? Blaster didn’t know; however, he did know that he felt thoroughly intoxicated by the mech.

If he had things right in his helm, he might be lucky enough to spend the rest of the morning with just Soundwave! The herd of cassettes were scheduled to attend to their chores and training from 10 AM to noon, and Soundwave had a shift working on tech repair from 7 AM until 10 AM. For Blaster, if he was lucky, by the time he got home he would have a whole hour and a half with just Soundwave. No cassettes, no work shifts, no appointments with Ratchet, no nothing! Just the two of them, alone, in their quarters.

The entire morning, during his shift, Blaster had hummed and hawed over his feelings towards Soundwave. He wanted so badly to tell the blue mech how attracted he was to him. He didn’t exactly know how to label his feelings for the relatively new mech… but for the last week and a half since Soundwave woke up in the medbay, he really couldn’t get the mech out of his helm. It was like every thought was just a momentary distraction from Soundwave, but he always cycled back to think about him.

Towards the end of his shift, Blaster made it up in his mind that he was going to tell Soundwave how he felt… however it was that he felt… which he wasn’t really sure. After going over the options, he decided on the term ‘infatuated’. It felt suiting. Maybe, if Soundwave was willing to give it a try, they could go on a date or two, to see how they both felt. It was rare, after all, to get some privacy from their creations. It was hard to do much servo-holding and kissing with ten sets of tiny optics watching from every corner and crevice.

The idea of kissing Soundwave sent Baster’s helm spinning in a frenzy. Oh, that would be nice, very nice indeed! He had to wonder how the telepath would kiss… was he passionate? Or was he soft and tentative? Either way sounded nice… just so long as it was with Soundwave.

His peds paused outside of the doors to his quarters. Blaster pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. His spark continued to race regardless. He was going to march in there and tell Soundwave how he felt… He was going to ask him on a date and try to sweep him off his peds. If the telepath was interested, great! If not… Primus… what if he wasn’t interested?!

Blaster froze with his servo hovering over the key-in panel to the door. What if telling Soundwave made things awkward? Maybe Soundwave wasn’t interested at all... Primus maybe he was just being nice before and didn’t even enjoy his company as a friend?! Blaster shook his helm and tossed away the idea. Soundwave didn’t seem like the kind of mech to waste energy on pretending to like someone. He also didn’t seem like the kind of mech to agree to live with someone he didn’t really trust and like. After all, he had already told Blaster so many things about his history, even things that were very personal and sensitive. Blaster nodded to himself, his faceplates re-gained their confident smile, he could do this! It was time to sweep Soundwave right off his peds! He keyed open the door to their quarters and stepped in with a boisterous spring in his step.

Almost instantly, Blaster’s optics fell upon Soundwave. The mech in question was stretched out on the couch, an onlined datapad in his servo, and fast asleep. Blaster felt his excitement deflate a little, but he couldn’t feel all that bad. The scene was actually super cute. His expression softened, his rowdy grin dissolved into a soft smile. Almost by instinct, Blaster gently eased the datapad from Soundwave’s servo and placed it to the side. He grabbed a blanket from another chair and gently drabbed it over the sleeping mech. Soundwave sighed in his sleep and latched his servos onto the new blanket. He turned onto his side and curled into the warmth. Blaster had to hold himself from grabbing onto the mech and kissing him awake.

Well… it wasn’t the exciting morning he had hoped for… but at least he got a cute view! The orange mech stretched and found his way over to the table in their quarters. He pulled out his reports and started arranging them on the table top. This certainly wasn’t as fun as he had hoped… but when he looked across the room he could watch as Soundwave smiled in his sleep… So that was nice.

Working on his reports, Blaster wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Every few minutes he would peer back up from his work to watch the sleeping mech. Sometimes it was hard to pull his optics away. Blaster rested his cheek in the palm of his servo and sighed gently. It sure was hard to concentrate on reports when he could be admiring a pretty mech. Almost on cue, Soundwave stretched in his sleep. His servos reached up and unconsciously knocked his datapad off of the side table. He rolled onto his side and let out a soft sigh before his breathing evened back out.

Blaster hurried over to the datapad, he let out a relieved sigh to find that it wasn’t shattered from the fall. Gently, he eased it back onto the table, this time he pushed it past where Soundwave could reach. Blaster’s optics focused on Soundwave, who had somehow managed to struggle out from under the blanket. He seated himself on the floor next to the couch and gently pulled the blankets back up over the recharging mech. It was amusing to know that the typically calm mech was a restless sleeper.

With a gentle touch, Blaster smoothed the blanket back over the telepath’s shoulder. “That’s better” he murmured to himself. One of soundwave’s servos suddenly latched to Blaster’s arm. The boombox jolted, then let out a soft laugh to find the telepath was still sleeping. He really was a restless sleeper. Trying to detach the blue servo from his forearm also confirmed that the smaller mech had a hell of a grip.

After struggling to detach the servo from his arm, without waking Soundwave, Blaster finally pried the telepath’s grip loose. He let out a soft breath of relief. For a moment, Blaster paused with Soundwave’s lax servo in his grip. He glanced up at the sleeping mech, glad to see he was still fast asleep, before turning his attention back to the servo resting in his grasp. With a curious hum, Blaster turned the servo palm up and ran his optics over it. Orns of hard work were displayed by the hardened plating and the small scars. This was certainly the servo of a working mech, someone who constantly had to fix the tiniest things… wiring, communication tech, cassettes. Gently, Blaster traced his thumb over the scars left from years of combat and work. He turned the servo over to admire the back. He tipped his helm to the side and smiled as he ran a gentle finger over the scarred knuckles, he had to wonder how many of those little scars came from fighting him. It was a hilarious thought in retrospect, that they ever tried to hurt each other. Blaster gently soothed his servo over the back of Soundwave’s knuckles, he smiled to himself.

Blaster glanced back up at the sleeping mech, his gaze was met with two bright amber optics. A moment passed as Blaster gave Soundwave a dazed smile, while he was still holding the telepath’s servo. Soundwave didn’t make a sound, he just watched Blaster and blinked. It dawned on Blaster how… creepy… it must be to wake up with your new roommate just casually petting the back of your servo. With a yelp he dropped the blue servo and jumped back across the room. He watched as Soundwave slowly retracted his servo back under the blanket but made no move to get up.

“I was just-! I -guh- you see, ‘Wave, I was just… You dropped a datapad! And I-I-I picked it up and you… I… servo!” Blaster stammered desperately. “Oh Primus” He groaned as he dropped his faceplates into his servos, “there’s no way to rationally explain that one… is there?”. He felt the energon pool in his face, Primus, this was the most mortifying thing that had ever happened to him! Now he could never ask Soundwave out without seeming like a total creep!

A soft laugh pulled Blaster’s attention back up to the couch. Soundwave had pulled the blanket up to cover the lower half of his faceplates, so only his optics peered out at the boombox. A moment passed, and another stifled laugh came from the telepath, his optics peaked through the blankets with amusement. “What in the name of Cybertron were you doing?” he asked.

Blaster swallowed thickly. Soundwave’s amusement in the situation was soothing, at least… He didn’t seem offended or all that disturbed. If anything, it was almost as though the situation entertained him.

Blaster took a deep breath before trying to re-explain himself. “You moved in your sleep and knocked a datapad over and I picked it up and you grabbed my arm and I had to make you let go and then I just got distracted by the scars on your knuckles…” he explained in one burst. Another chuckle was pulled from Soundwave.

Slowly, the telepath sat up and stretched. He let out a satisfied sigh before fixing Blaster with a deadpan look. “You are very bizarre”. Blaster finally felt himself relax a little, a grin appeared on his faceplates again.

“Sorry mech, I hope I didn’t weird you out” he offered with a nervous chuckle. Soundwave gave a simple shake of his helm and a tiny reassuring smile.

Before anything else could be said, the doors to their quarters burst open to reveal 10 cassettes. The hoard of younglings piled in, they shared their greetings with each respective creator, then settled themselves casually in their quarters. Blaster glanced once more at Soundwave, who was busy chatting with Rumble and Frenzy, before letting out a final breath and relaxing his shoulders. He really needed to get stealthier at this whole… feelings thing.

It didn’t take long for the cassettes to cue in that everyone had the rest of the day off. Before long, they were all bouncing off the walls begging to do something fun. Rumble, Frenzy, Eject, and Rewind all tugged and pulled at their carrier’s servos, begging to go to a park. Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat all swooped around the living quarters with just as much zest. It sure would feel great to fly around in the open air! Besides, it was so sunny and nice out today! Ramhorn, Steeljaw, and Ravage lounged across the room and watched with amused optics as their sibling’s calamity unfolded.

“Alright! Alright! Alright!” Blaster laughed as he ducked away from the swooping fliers, “to the park it is!”. His optics met with Soundwave’s, who was being climbed upon by Rumble and Frenzy. “What do you say, ‘Wave? Up for some fresh air?” he offered as casually as possible.

Every cassette froze and turned their pleading optics upon the telepath. Soundwave calmly surveyed the cassettes before looking back at Blaster. A small smile finally appeared on his faceplates and he gave a single nod, “very well”. Instantaneously, the entire room erupted back into pure excited havoc.

After much scrambling around, some frenzied packing, and one quick trip to the bridging center, Soundwave, Blaster, and their cassettes found themselves stepping onto a beach. Soundwave let his peds sink into the sand, it was very soft. He smiled up at the sun and took a deep breath. How long had it been since he had stepped foot outside? Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t been outside since the day he defected from the Decepticons. Before that, he hadn't been outside since his injury… almost two weeks ago. Two weeks didn’t seem like an extraordinarily long time, but with so much rapid change, it felt like forever. In less than two weeks he had made his way from a battle, to an enemy medbay, to new quarters… to here. He returned his gaze to Blaster just in time to watch a herd of excited cassettes explode past him in a full run to the water. He smiled. Blaster looked up from where he was arranging two blankets on the sand, then gave one of the blankets an inviting pat.

“Come hang out with me?” the boombox offered cheerily. Soundwave finally moved to sit next to Blaster. They relaxed in silence for a moment as the telepath continued to reflect on the most recent updates to his life. The sun felt great on their plating. It was so nice to watch their creations run around. Wordlessly, the carriers glanced at each other, smiled, then turned back to watch their cassettes play in the water, build sand castles, and swoop to and from the water. Only Ravage stayed away from the mayhem to sunbathe just down the beach.

“This is pleasant”, Soundwave finally broke the silence.

“Hmm? Yeah” Blaster tipped his helm to give his friend a grin.

Finally, Soundwave granted Blaster access to his thoughts. “It feels like forever since I was last outside” he murmured. He turned his helm to meet optics with his counterpart before continuing, “however, at the same time, it feels like I just woke up in the medbay… everything has just occurred so fast. It seems impossible, but I already think of the Ark as home”.

Blaster chuckled, “well, you know what they say…”. He glanced over to Soundwave, who gave him a puzzled look and shook his helm, “time flies when you're having a life changing crisis”. He watched as Soundwave cracked a smile.

“Is that what they say?” amusement tinted Soundwave’s voice.

“…no… but I mean, I might say it” Blaster grinned. Both mechs chuckled softly.

“Fair point” Soundwave sighed and eased his way down to lay on his dorsa. Blaster mimicked his roommate to lay down next to him. A beat passed before Soundwave offered Blaster his servo. Blaster turned his helm to give Soundwave a puzzled look.

“I assume that you need to examine it before I am allowed to fall asleep” Soundwave said in a flat voice, his lips twitched at the corners with effort to hide a smile. Blaster let out a mock gasp and shoved Soundwave by the shoulder.

“I am insulted!” Blaster laughed.

“Are you?” Soundwave smiled back.

“… no… but I could be!” Blaster shot back. They both snickered to each other. Blaster’s optics flickered back to Soundwave’s servo. It was still held up in the air… being offered. Blaster bit nervously at the inside of his cheek before gently easing his servo over to hold Soundwaves’. A moment passed and both mechs were very still and very quiet. Blaster fretted that Soundwave might be able to hear the speeding rate of his spark.

Very gently, Blaster traced the lines of Soundwave’s servo. He let his thumb memorize the other mech’s knuckles, then his palm, then each finger. Neither mech looked at each other, they just quietly stared up at the passing clouds. Blaster didn’t really know what this was… Was this a romantic thing?? Or was Soundwave just letting him sate the curiosity he had shown before. A quick side glance at the telepath showed Soundwave’s optics dim and relaxed. Maybe it just felt nice to have someone hold his servo? After all, Soundwave didn’t let many mecha touch him… maybe it just felt good. It could be totally platonic… Blaster didn’t know what this meant, but he let out a soft sigh and decided to just go with it. There was no other signal that this was a romantic gesture from Soundwave. All the same… it was nice to hold his servo.

Time seemed to slip away into the afternoon. Both mechs stayed stretched out on the blankets. Blaster hazily watched the clouds drift overhead, his audios perked to listen to the lapping waves of the sea and the voices of their playing creations. Slowly, he turned to glance at Soundwave. The mech in question looked very serene, his optics were gazing up into the sky, almost dimmed off. His breathing was soft and even. His servo remained a warm presence in Blaster’s grasp. Blaster smiled to himself as he turned his helm back up to look at the sky. This was nice… This was really nice.

With the warmth from the sun, and the gentle press of Soundwave’s shoulder against his own, Blaster almost drifted off into recharge. He was so relaxed that he almost didn’t register the whirl of a spacebridge opening. Had 4 hours already passed? They weren’t supposed to get picked up until that evening… Maybe Prime just needed them back at the base for an emergency. Blaster felt Soundwave’s entire frame stiffen next to him, the servo in his grip closed into a sudden vice-like grip. The playful shouts and giggles of their cassettes fell dead silent.

Blaster slowly turned his helm to the side, pulling the open space bridge into his view. Steps away from the space bridge, and rapidly stalking their way, was a furious looking Decepticon Warlord. Before a moment could pass, the telepath next to him erupted into action. A flurry of sand fell from the sky as Soundwave pushed himself up and called to his cassettes to run far down the beach. Blaster, suddenly pried from his daze, jolted up and repeated the same message to his cassettes. Much to his relief, the cassettes didn’t protest and fled down the beach. Hopefully Ravage would be able to contact the Ark for backup.

“You traitorous, scheming, deceitful turncoat!” Megatron snarled as he advanced. His plating flared dangerously, soft whirs sounded as his battle protocols booted up. Every wire of the grey mech eluded aggression and fury. It was paralyzingly terrifying.

Blaster gasped and attempted to stumble to his peds, Soundwave was already standing next to him. The telepath looped an arm around Blaster’s and heaved him up.
“You stay away from me” Soundwave spat back with more aggression than Blaster thought possible. Soundwave’s mask and visor engaged, finally snapping shut to hide his frightened and livid expression.

“Is this what you do now?” Megatron roared, still advancing towards them, “relax on the beach with an Autobot like some overcharged entertainment drone?”. Soundwave took rapid steps backwards to buy more space from Megatron. Blaster stumbled to keep up as Soundwave tugged his arm on their retreat.

It was amazing how much bigger Megatron seemed in person… Sure, Blaster had seen the mech in battle before, but only in the distance as he fought with Optimus. And he certainly seemed much smaller on the screens of his communication hub. Now, watching the grey mech stalk towards them, he realized how huge Megatron really was. Within in instant, the mech was atop them, looming over both communication mechs like they were rodents.

“Having fun?” Megatron’s burning red optics turned to focus on Blaster for the first time. Blaster, for once, felt himself completely lost for words. Within an instant, the back of a heavy servo struck him across the faceplates. A mechanical gasp from Soundwave was overpowered by a loud ringing in Blaster’s audios. He stumbled to the side, pushed away from his friend by the sheer force of the blow.

“Command: Do not touch him!” Soundwave hissed, his plating flared. Blaster gave a dazed shake to his helm and looked back over at Soundwave. The blue mech had all of his plating flared out, he hadn’t budged from his spot. Megatron loomed over him, standing toe to toe with the smaller communication’s officer.

“Oh, brave now, are we?” Megatron crooned in a mock kindness. “I can’t help but notice that you are missing your badge”, his finger suddenly jabbed viciously at the center of Soundwave’s chestplates. Soundwave gave an obvious wince despite his mask.

“Hey!” Blaster cried, pulling both mechs to look at him. “Ease the frag up, mech! He was just hurt there!”.

Megatron’s optics pierced right through Blaster. The communications mech felt a nervous laugh bubble up from his throat. “Alright… How about we just stay nice and calm” he began gently, “Soundwave and I will get our cassettes home safe, and then we will give you a call over the intercom systems and we can talk, how about that?”.

Slowly, Megatron’s optics dismissed Blaster and returned to Soundwave. “Perhaps that could be done, if only our communication systems worked”.

Soundwave almost interrupted Megatron, still unmoving from his stance, “Query: How did you find us?”.

A sickly-sweet smile stretched across Megatron’s faceplates, “that is interesting, isn’t it, Soundwave? How about, I show you”. In an instant he had the blue mech by the wrist and started back for the spacebridge. Soundwave let out a startled gasp as he was dragged down the beach. The sand gave him little to no friction when he attempted to dig his heels into it. Desperately, his free servo clawed at Megatron’s larger fist.

“Negative!” Soundwave cried, “Negative! Desist!”. His unsuccessful attempts to pry his wrist free were only met with the tightening of Megatron’s grip. He kicked desperately at the back of Megatron's knees. The warlord didn't even seem to register the blows as he continued at the same pace towards the spacebridge.

“Hey!” He heard Blaster shout from down the beach. In an instant the orange mech was by his side, his plating flared and blue optics unusually bright. “You let go of him!” Blaster growled, his own fingers started prying at Megatron’s grip on Soundwave. Desperately, the orange boombox kicked and clawed at the larger warlord, “Let go! Fragging leave him alone!” he yelled.

Megatron turned in a flash, shoved Blaster back hard enough to send him reeling backwards into the sand, then whipped Soundwave forward with force towards the bridge. Soundwave let out a choked cry when he felt something snap in his wrist. He clawed with more urgency, watching with a bright visor as he was dragged closer and closer back to the spacebridge.

A shot from a handgun suddenly scorched Megatron’s audio. The warlord jerked in shock, letting go of Soundwave to grasp in alarm at his damaged audio receptor. Soundwave tumbled into the sand, his freed wrist made a disturbing crunching sound when he attempted to brace his fall. Pain radiated from his wrist to his elbow, but he pushed himself up anyways and booked it back across the beach. Distantly, as though through a fog, Soundwave could hear Megatron shouting commands to return, accompanied by some of his favourite threats. However, he kept his optics focused on Blaster, who was standing, a gun in one servo, and the other servo out to Soundwave.

In an instant, Soundwave found himself latching to Blaster’s plating. The orange mech looped his arm around Soundwave and guided him away from Megatron, his optics and revolver never left the warlord. Somewhere in the distance, another spacebridge opened. Soundwave peered over Blaster’s shoulder and felt a wash of relief as Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Ironhide poured through the new bridge.

Something in Soundwave felt… off. He glanced over to Megatron again. Despite the new arrivals, who were rapidly closing in on them, despite Blaster’s weapon trained on his every move, Megatron was looking directly at Soundwave. It felt like all the breath was knocked right out of Soundwave as he met optics with his ex-commander. His spark seized in terror as Megatron settled a smile on him, and in a voice, so relaxed and clearly directed to Soundwave alone, spoke “you will regret this… you really will”.

The light of the space bridge washed over Megatron as he stepped back into it and vanished. The bridge was closed before anything else could be done.

The beach stood in silence for a long moment. A horrible ringing sound had settled into Soundwave’s audios. The once warm sun was suddenly stiflingly hot, and his injured wrist throbbed with every spark-beat. With a shaky gasp, Soundwave turned away from everything and hid his faceplates in Blaster’s shoulder. The approaching footsteps signaled the arrival of Optimus, Jazz, and Ironhide, but the telepath didn’t budge from his new hiding spot. Blaster’s servo rested gently between his shoulder blades, it was reassuring.

“Is everyone alright?” Optimus’s voice was concerned, but he retained his usual calm.

“Yeah… I think so. The little guys are just down the beach. I think maybe ‘Wave’s wrist is broken”, Blaster spoke gently. Soundwave didn’t move to look up when he was mentioned, he just stayed close, tucked into Blaster out of sheer terror.

“Ratchet is on stand by in the medbay, he can fix your wrist right now”, Optimus directed his voice to Soundwave. Soundwave refused to budge from Blaster’s shoulder.
“Primus, old Megs’ looked pissed off”, Jazz chimed in, attempting to lighten the situation.

Soundwave finally lifted his helm from Blaster, then took a shaky step back. Instinctively, he clutched his broken wrist close to his frame. “He was”, he said softly as his lower mask retracted. “He has very angry… He will try to kill me soon” he whispered.

Silence stretched for a long uncomfortable moment as all four mechs stared at him, unsure of what to say… he wasn’t wrong.

“We won’t let that happen”, Blaster said softly. Soundwave finally looked up from the sand, his visor met with Blaster’s unusually serious optics. “I won’t ever let that happen,” Blaster shook his helm, “no way in the pits, no way. Not gonna’ happen”.

Despite himself, Soundwave felt his helm nodding. For some reason, he trusted that Blaster would do everything in his power to keep him safe. “Thank you” he whispered, “if you were not here today- “.

“-I was here though, and that’s what matters, okay?” Blaster cut off Soundwave’s ruminating. He reached out a gentle servo and looped it around blue shoulders, “C’mon ‘Wave, let’s get you in to see Ratch', sound good?”.

With a short nod, Soundwave let himself be guided down the beach. Optimus, Jazz, and Ironhide trailed behind the two boomboxes. Patiently waiting by the spacebridge, all wearing very serious expressions, were 10 cassettes.

Soundwave wordlessly stopped to kneel down. He offered his undamaged arm out, after a moment, all 6 of his cassettes clung to him in a tight hug. In the distance, he could hear Blaster greeting his own worried creations. Not a word was shared, they would talk later once Soundwave was able to steady himself. Quietly, the telepath tucked each of his cassettes away into his chestplates.

He stood and paused for a moment as the gravity of the situation became apparent to him. This was the first time he had docked his cassettes since his injury. Soundwave looked down at his docking station. With 6 warm cassettes tucked away, he felt much calmer. He let a shaky breath out and traced over his glass. For the last two weeks, his docking compartment felt like a dangerous place, where his cassettes could have been hurt while stored away. Now, with Megatron out there looking for him, the danger was no longer in his docking station. He smoothed a servo over his chestplates. It felt like a safe space for his creations again. A minor victory… in a very scary situation.

A gentle servo on his shoulder drew his attention back to Blaster. Blaster’s optics carried concern for a moment before they traveled down to look at the cassettes tucked away behind the glass pane. A proud smile grew on his face.

“Hey now,” Blaster smiled reassuringly, “that’s amazing ‘Wave”. Soundwave smiled back for the first time since he saw Megatron. It took another split-sparker to understand the importance of the moment. Soundwave peered over the beach once more before he let Blaster gently guide him through the space bridge back into the Ark… Back home.

Chapter Text

“And how does this feel? Any discomfort?” Ratchet gingerly rotated Soundwave’s wrist, prompting a groan of pain from the telepath. “Sorry,” the medic gave a guilty look and gave an encouraging squeeze to Soundwave’s shoulder with his free servo, “but I need to be certain that there is only one fracture in your wrist. Even the best scanners can struggle to pick up hairline damage". Soundwave nodded with understanding, then watched as Ratchet stepped back to review the scans and reports he had just taken. Soundwave numbly cradled his wrist and tried to ignore the burning throbs that radiated from his servo to his shoulder.

Slowly, Soundwave’s optics shifted to across the room. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched Blaster recount the beach attack to Optimus, Jazz, and Prowl. Over Ratchet’s mumbling and the whirring medical equipment, Soundwave couldn’t quite make out what Blaster was saying (without using his telepathy… of course). However, with Blaster’s animated narrative skills and aggravated hand gestures, Soundwave could almost hear the story. Blaster was so expressive sometimes, especially when he got worked up over something. Soundwave had to suppress a snicker at how much that contrasted Blaster’s usual laid-back happy demeanor. Soundwave silently observed Optimus Prime’s empathetic nodding, as well as Jazz’s light-sparked discourse which very thinly attempted to conceal the stern anger with Megatron’s actions. Prowl didn’t even look at Blaster as he listened, his helm was tucked down, almost into his chest, as he rapidly wrote notes in a datapad. Soundwave hummed under his breath, it was odd how familiar he had become with all three of the mech’s behaviour.

“Alright, Soundwave,” Ratchet’s voice called the blue mech’s attention back to him. Ratchet placed his datapad back on a side table and reached out to take Soundwave’s wrist in his grasp. Soundwave handed over his wrist and attempted not to wince as it was shifted. “As predicted, your wrist is broken, however, it is a simple fracture and fairly clean, so it shouldn’t take too long for me to repair”, Ratchet explained, pointing along the underside of Soundwave’s wrist where the break was hidden. Soundwave nodded and watched as Ratchet began working on his wrist. A silence stood between the two of them, but it was comfortable. Soundwave marveled at the deep contrast from two weeks ago, with the odd and slightly suspicious silences that would stretch during his first stay in Ratchet’s medbay.

Soundwave held still as Ratchet pricked him with a numbing agent. Before, long, he couldn’t feel much of anything past his elbow, it was a wonderful relief from the throbbing pain he had been enduring. With steady servos, Ratchet opened up the underside of Soundwave’s wrist, exposing circuitry, nerve endings, and a very fractured wrist strut.

Soundwave leaned forward with curiosity to watch as Ratchet gently moved wiring and sensors aside to better access the strut. It didn’t take long for Ratchet to weld the broken strut back into place. Most of the operation was spent with Ratchet double checking for any other damage inside his arm. Not much time at all had passed before Ratchet began re-arranging and closing up Soundwave’s wrist again.

“Thank you,” Soundwave said softly. He realized how long it had been since he had last spoken. The medic looked up from wiping the energon off Soundwave’s wrist to give an encouraging smile.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Ratchet murmured before looking back down at his work, “it’s what I’m here for”. None-the-less, Ratchet’s field glowed a little brighter, it wasn’t often that he was truly thanked for the little repairs. Always diligent, Ratchet gently maneuvered Soundwave’s servo and wrist into different bends, ensuring that everything would settle properly. Soundwave watched patiently, he still couldn’t feel anything in that arm.

Finally content with his work, Ratchet stepped back and nodded. The medic wiped his servos clean with a spare cloth and spoke, “your arm with probably remain numb for another couple of breems, it should be back to normal by the end of the day. Keep your weight off of your wrist, don’t do anything physically taxing, and try to avoid writing with that servo for long durations of time for about a week”. Soundwave nodded obediently and filed the information away for later referencing.

“Thank you… again,” Soundwave murmured, “you clearly put much care into your work”.

Ratchet smiled for a moment, then cleared his throat and returned to his usual professional demeanor. “You're welcome, kid” he said simply.

A gentle servo suddenly rested in Soundwave’s shoulder, and he turned to find that it was attached to Blaster. Behind Blaster, the rest of the medbay was empty. Soundwave hadn’t even noticed as Prime, Jazz, and Prowl left. It was likely that the three mechs wanted to give him privacy… which he greatly appreciated. The orange boombox smiled gently, his optics lingered for a moment on Soundwave’s newly repaired wrist, “ready to go home?”.

Soundwave nodded and let Blaster help him down from the medical berth. Even though his wrist was the only real damage he had sustained, Soundwave somehow felt incredibly stiff all throughout his frame. He let Blaster gently support him for a moment before he re-gained his balance, he continued to cradle his numbed servo against his chestplates. The two communications officers headed for the door.

“Keep him from over-exerting himself!” Ratchet called over his shoulder, not looking up from adding to his reports.

Blaster chuckled as they stepped out into the hallway before calling back, “I can try”.

The remainder of the afternoon had been uneventful, a stark (and appreciated) contrast with the morning. Soundwave’s cassettes had stayed tucked away in his docks for a few more hours before they began mentally kicking him to be let out. It was so nice to be able to dock again, especially after such a scary event, but even the calmest of cassettes could get antsy. Before long, all 10 cassettes were out again, they evenly split their time between examining Soundwave’s patched-up wrist and running around with excitement from how eventful their day had been. Rewind and Rumble put on a parodied imitation of Megatron stalking down the beach. It was both amusing and uncannily accurate, Soundwave could only let out a tense laugh. Ravage didn’t move from Soundwave’s lap for a great deal of the afternoon. Blaster also seemed to be glued to Soundwave’s side… not that he minded, of course.

The evening found everyone huddled on the couch to watch a movie. Soundwave was apprehensive about the human entertainment, however, his creations seemed to enjoy it. Blaster did as well, apparently. Throughout the movie, each creation began to nod off to recharge. By the time that the credits rolled, all but Soundwave and Blaster were fast asleep. What followed was a number of trips to and from each berthroom to deliver and tuck in all 10 creations.

Soundwave sighed and returned to his position on the couch. A moment later, Blaster plopped himself next to the telepath. Blaster offered an energon goodie out to the blue mech, one they had made the night before. Soundwave smiled in appreciation and accepted it. Both mechs sat in a comfortable silence for a moment as they each worked on a goodie. Soundwave let out a pleased sigh and turned to Blaster, who was licking his fingers clean, “those really were good”.

Blaster grinned back, “didn’t I tell you that you would be glad we made ‘em?”.

Soundwave smiled, “Yes, however I think that the best part was making them with you”.

Blaster tried and failed to mask a goofy smile, “yeah… that was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?”. Both carrier mechs sat in silence for a long moment, content to just relax next to each other. Soundwave absently stretched and rolled his wrist. It still ached a bit, but it was clearly healing, and much more tolerable now.

Blaster watched Soundwave’s wrist for a moment, “how does that feel?”, he asked softly.

Soundwave gave his friend a reassuring smile, “not bad… better”. His smile suddenly dropped from his face.

“What’s wrong?” Blaster inched closer to the blue mech, he let one of his servos gently rub at his friend’s backstruts.

A melancholy sigh lifted from Soundwave’s chest as he leaned into Blaster’s touch. His optics didn’t lift from his wrist, which was resting gingerly on his lap. “It’s just…” Soundwave shifted to turn more towards Blaster, their knees pressed together as he leaned in. “I just was not expecting that level of aggression… today… from Megatron”. Hurriedly, he added, “I have seen him aggressive before, of course. It has just never been directed towards me, until now”. He suddenly lifted a servo to gently touch the side of Blaster’s face, “and he hit you”.

Blaster’s engines whined as he forcefully held himself upright. Every inch of his processor begged him to lean in and press a kiss to Soundwave’s lips… until he realized that Soundwave was only touching his cheek because that was where Megatron had struck him. He let a breath out from his nasal ridge and cleared his throat.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, it’s really nothing” he assured gently. Soundwave watched him silently, his servo lingered on the side of his faceplates for a moment longer before it was retracted. Blaster immediately longed for its presence to return.

Soundwave’s gaze returned to his lap. Instinctively, Blaster leaned closer to wrap his arm around his friend’s shoulder. Soundwave leaned into the embrace. “whether or not it still hurts… it was not okay,” Soundwave’s voice was so low that Blaster had to strain to hear it. “It was inexcusable for Megatron to hurt you… or threaten our creations,” Soundwave continued, his voice began to strengthen, “or to hurt me”. His sad gaze shifted into a frustrated glare, still focusing on his lap. “The Megatron I once followed never would have done that… he never would have threatened me to return when I was critically injured either”, his servos began to ball up into tight fists.

Blaster gently took Soundwave’s repaired wrist in his servo and tried to loosen Soundwave’s grasp. “Easy, gentle… please,” he breathed, “don’t do that so tight, you could hurt your wrist”.

Soundwave let out a pressurized breath and loosened his servos and shoulders. He almost went limp against Blaster, his optics glazed over and he spoke in a hollow voice, “I thought I knew who he was, I thought I knew what our cause was about… but the more time I spend away from all of it, and the more time I spend outside of his influence, the more I realize how wrong he is… how wrong I have been”. The tremor in his voice poured over as he leaned forward to press his faceplates into his servos. Coolant began to leak from his optics and down his faceplates. “I was so blinded by my rage at the way that Cybertron had been, I completely lost sight of what I was fighting for. How could I?” he sobbed in shame, “I have done such horrible things in this war”.

Blaster tensed and immediately pulled Soundwave closer. He gently guided Soundwave to sit up and lean against his frame. Soundwave quietly let Blaster move him and turned his frame to press against Blaster, he hid his faceplates into his friend’s shoulder and wept. Blaster hugged Soundwave tight, his servo soothed over blue backstruts. “It’s okay, it’s alright” he tried to hum softly, but Soundwave stayed curled into his frame.

“I think we all have kinda lost our way since this war began,” Blaster soothed, “we just need to work together to stay on track”. He gently rocked back and forth, trying his best to sooth his friend.

Eventually, Soundwave’s weeping began to subside. He turned his faceplates to rest his cheek on Blaster’s shoulder. The telepath sighed and scrubbed his faceplates with a weary servo, then slowly pushed himself back up, out of Blaster’s arms. Blaster tried not to notice how much he wanted to keep holding Soundwave.

“I apologise,” Soundwave murmured as he finished wiping the tears from his optics. “I… I don’t typically weep this often,” He began to crack a smile, “I have cried too many times around you, you must think I am soft”.

Blaster urgently shook his helm, “no, no of course not!” he assured, “you’re in the middle of going through a huge life change, of course you’re gonna get a little emotional. That’s totally understandable”.

Soundwave’s expression sharpened as he nodded, “I suppose you are correct,” he murmured, “it almost feels as thought I am mourning a part of my life, some part of me that I can’t keep”. He ducked his helm down in thought. “I think I am ready” he said.

Blaster’s optics focused on his friend, he gave a puzzled look, “ready for what?”.

“Ready to complete this shift in my life,” Soundwave explained. His servo brushed against the empty spot on his chestplates, where the Decepticon insignia was once proudly placed. “I will never be a Decepticon again, not after all of this,” he looked back up at Blaster, who was still watching him with puzzled optics.

“I don’t want to be a neutral anymore,” Soundwave explained. Understanding began to dawn in Blaster’s optics.

“Are you actually saying that you want to be…” Blaster trailed off, his field radiated excitement and uncertainty.

“an Autobot.” Soundwave said.

Chapter Text

Soundwave’s gaze rested blankly on his own chestplates. His visor dimmed for a moment, then flashed brightly as he pulled in a deep breath. It was odd, almost surreal, to see such a bright red mark sitting in the centre of his chestplates. He was just getting used to a blank space in the centre of his glass… now this sharp red mark dominated his processor. Thinking retrospectively, it was almost uncanny how well he could track his recent life through what sat at the centre of his frame. One moment, a dark purple insignia… then a wound… scars… nothing… and now this. Soundwave’s visored optics narrowed sceptically down at the new mark on his chestplates. After so many years serving the Decepticons, it almost didn’t feel real.

The telepath lifted a servo and gingerly brushed over his new Autobot insignia. He almost felt detached from his own frame… surreal. The entire morning had been a flurry of paperwork, medical check-ups, meetings with the officers, and swearing oaths. Finally, after a number of gruelling fitness tests, Soundwave was passed as fit for duty as a solider. The whole process grabbed the blue mech by his heels and threw him back to joining the Decepticons in his late youth.

Soundwave had spent much of his tests and interviews with sceptical optics on the Prime, who always returned his gaze with a polite smile. As explained by Optimus, it was more of a bureaucratic endeavor than anything… every Autobot knew well enough how capable Soundwave was (his reputation as one of the scariest Decepticons ensured as much). However, every new Autobot recruit had to undergo the same physical, mental, and legal barrage to be official. It wouldn’t be fair if his reputation alone could fast-track him through the admittance when so many before him had sat through all these tests. Besides, he had just recovered from a nasty injury… another few checkups wouldn’t hurt before allowing him back into the active war. With a begrudging sigh, Soundwave admitted that it did make logical sense. Thus, Soundwave found himself tossed around the Ark all morning from officer to officer to medic, with the Prime, Prowl, Blaster, and 10 cassettes trailing close behind.

Finally, Optimus, Ratchet, Prowl, and Jazz all retreated to glance over his results one more time. It took them a whole of ten seconds to return and give Soundwave the final nod of approval. One more oath and a few handshakes later, and Soundwave was officially an Autobot. By immediate extent, Autobot citizenship was also extended to all of his dependents. His six cassettes cheered and laughed, rather glad that they didn’t need to undergo all of the same tests. Soundwave gave them his best parental glare from across the room.

Ratchet casually extended the offer to change Soundwave’s amber optics to blue. However, Soundwave declined. Even as a Decepticon, he never wanted to change his optics for a political statement… and he preferred a red visor. Ratchet seemed relieved. Next, of course, came the insignia. It took a matter of 5 minutes for ratchet to place the Autobot insignia in the centre of Soundwave’s chestplates. Ever since that new red mark had appeared over his spark, Soundwave just couldn’t stop staring at it. Somewhere across the room, he could hear his creations giddy with excitement as they also received the new emblems. Part of Soundwave wanted to look up and watch his creation’s excitement. Yet, another part of him was content just gazing down at his new insignia. After all this time, it almost felt like he was wearing the mark of an enemy. Yet, this ‘enemy’ was the reason he was alive… as well as his cassettes. Not to mention that this ‘enemy’ was making a lot more sense in this war than he ever thought possible. Somehow, after all this time… it felt right.

“Hey,” the familiar voice pulled Soundwave’s attention up. Blaster wore his usual cheer and smiled at Soundwave. Soundwave returned a small smile. Blaster casually scratched his chin, looking down at Soundwave’s new insignia. “Have I ever told you that red is your colour?” he gave a charming grin. Soundwave snorted and rolled his optics by instinct alone. Blaster laughed and rested a servo on his roommate’s shoulder, giving it a warm squeeze. “No, really” he said with a soft genuity, “you look great”.

Soundwave dipped his helm to hide a smile, “thank you” he murmured. Blaster’s spark almost seized with fondness. He felt a sudden urge to wrap his arms around Soundwave and squeeze and kiss him. Instead, he chose to stomp those feelings down to the back of his processor, praying to any power above that Soundwave’s telepathy didn’t pick up on them. It seemed that Primus was merciful that day, as Soundwave seemed suddenly distracted with watching his cassettes parade around the medical bay with their new bright red insignias.

Blaster chuckled and moved to stand beside Soundwave to watch as Rumble, Frenzy, and Ratbat made a great flourishing show out of their return. Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw took the more conservative route and quietly landed on Soundwave’s shoulders. Ravage stalked between the medical berths to avoid any extra attention. Soundwave smiled with amusement as Rumble and Frenzy proudly showed off their new insignias.

“Do we look good or what?” Rumble joked as he pushed Frenzy out of the way so that Soundwave could see him better. Soundwave gave a gentle nod, which seemed to please all of his cassettes immensely. Ratbat gave an excited twirl before landing in Soundwave’s cupped servos.

“Well now that you guys are all official…” Blaster grinned broadly, “Jazz and I actually had an idea”. Soundwave immediately knew that he wouldn’t like it.

Jazz practically skidded across the medbay to explain. “Old Blast-mech and I were thinking that maybe you could join some of us for your first official team drinks” his grin was just as broad as Blasters. “And maybe your ittle fellas could tag along and meet some folks over in the rec. room… what do you say?”.

Before Soundwave could get a word out, a chorus of cassette voices erupted from around the room begging him to agree. Soundwave sighed and gazed over to Blaster, who was trying very hard to hide his amused glee. “You know that I am not the most social of mechs”, Soundwave placed his words bluntly.

Blaster swung a lazy arm over Soundwave’s shoulders, then feverishly ignored the mischievous wink he got from Jazz right after. “Lucky for you ‘Wave, you’re gonna be hanging around with two very social mechs, right Jazz?”. Jazz grinned with a nod. Soundwave chewed at the inside of his cheek, then glanced over to the mob of small pleading optics. Immediately he turned away, it was near impossible to say no to begging cassettes.

“Very well… as you wish” he murmured. The arm around his shoulder tightened and gave him a little excited jostle as his (and Blasters) more excitable cassettes immediately made for the doors.

Soundwave allowed himself to be led (dragged) down the corridors of the Ark towards the main rec. room. Before he knew it, he was standing in the entrance to a horrifyingly densely populated break room. Teams of blue optics turned to stare at the new mech… with a new insignia over his chestplates. Given that his injury and recovery was well-known throughout the Ark, no one was surprised to see him… And given the new mark on his glass pane, a number of the friendlier Autobots raised a glass or offered a welcoming smile. A few mechs among the crowd, especially a number of the minibots, glowered silently at the mech they had memorized in their processors as the enemy.

Soundwave was ever grateful when Blaster and Jazz pulled him out of the public optic and into a more private booth against a wall. He let out a tense breath as Jazz, Blaster, Prowl, and his cassettes all clambered in, giving him a little more privacy. Blaster shared an encouraging smile and squeezed his servo briefly. Soundwave almost wished that Blaster would hold his servo… although he didn’t know exactly why… it seemed as though it would be comforting.

Jazz vanished from the booth for a moment, then returned with a stack of energon cubes in his clutches. He distributed them evenly over the table. Soundwave eyed the cube that was slid in-front of him. It glowed just a little too brightly to be a mid-grade level. A small sip confirmed his suspicion that Jazz had indeed selected from one of the higher possible grades. He leveled a glance at the saboteur, who grinned back mischievously.

“Don’t worry, I ain’t trying to get you drunk” Jazz chucked, “I just figure that it’s been a while since you’ve had a proper stiff drink”. Soundwave didn’t admit how accurate that assumption was, but he nodded and thanked the smaller mech. “Besides, I plan on watching how much you both drink. You're both scheduled for the real deal work tomorrow, and we don’t need any hangovers for your first day… or any other mistakes tonight for that matter” Jazz developed a mischievous glint in his visor as he listed a few possibilities, “after all, we don’t really want you to spend your first big day as an Autobot partying it up too hard… getting in trouble, pulling a prank, getting lost in the desert… confessions of love… none of tha- Aahk!” Jazz jolted back with a yelp and leaned down to rub his shin, he glared at Blaster, who gave him his usual -if a little strained- smile. Soundwave blinked back and forth between the two mechs, entirely uncertain of what had just happened.

Blaster suddenly grabbed his cube and held it up to Soundwave, “cheers” he smiled warmly. Soundwave tapped his cube to Blaster’s, then Jazz’s and Prowl’s, before they all took a swig. After a moment of settling into his new environment, and glancing around the rec. room for any possible threats, Soundwave finally gave the nod of approval to his cassettes and let them disperse themselves out to explore the room. All the same… he kept close tabs on them through the bonds. He wasn’t quite comfortable sending them out on their own completely yet.
The energon settled warmly in his tanks, and Soundwave felt a gradual glow appear over his faceplates. It had been a while since his last drink of high-grade. This was nice… He smiled warmly over at Blaster. Blaster failed to contain his entertainment at the mildly buzzed (and certainly pleased) expression on the telepath’s faceplates.

The conversation flowed nicely through the evening, and Soundwave was introduced to a number of Autobots who wandered over to say hello and shake his servo. It was certainly interesting to meet these mechs in a more civil way. The more polite mechs just said their hellos, chatted for a moment, then wandered off to the next table. The less composed few tried (and clearly failed) to avoid gawking at the fact that Soundwave did actually have a face (and a nice one to… according to some of the more intoxicated mechs).

Gradually, the cassettes returned with sleepy optics and requests to be tucked away into their carrier’s chest plates. Blaster and Soundwave welcomed each cassette back with a warm pat and a spot to tuck away and recharge in their docks. Finally, when Ravage and Steeljaw returned to their carriers requesting some rest, Blaster and Soundwave had all of their creations tucked away.

At some point in the night, Soundwave found himself walking back home with Blaster. A few cubes of high-grade buzzed contently through his frame and helped contribute to the few odd missteps he made. Blaster seemed just as warmed with high-grade as Soundwave felt. When they first left the rec. room, they had chatted back and forth for some time. Half way through their walk home, both mechs seemed content to just walk side-by-side in silence. Soundwave liked that about Blaster… as chatty and friendly as Blaster was, the mech always gave him some time to himself as well. It was nice. Blaster was nice. Soundwave smiled fondly over at the orange mech, who immediately returned the smile. At some point, the two mechs gradually slowed their walking until they had stopped in the middle of a large empty hallway. Soundwave wasn’t entirely sure why… but Blaster had a suddenly very serious and thoughtful expression as he gazed at the telepath.

Soundwave blinked a few times. For a moment, he felt the temptation to scan Blaster’s processor, it appeared that there was much on his mind. He immediately cut that thought out. He had worked hard to gain trust with the Autobots, and he hadn’t entirely earned it for many of them yet. It simply wouldn’t do to return to his old ways of mind-reading whenever the whim crossed him. Besides… he trusted Blaster, and he felt that Blaster trusted him… he didn’t want to misstep and offend his friend.

Blaster suddenly reached out and gripped Soundwave’s servo for a moment. Soundwave glanced down at their conjoined servos with a neutral expression. Almost as if burned, Blaster yanked his servo away again. Soundwave was confused by the mild disappointment that tinged the back of his processor at the withdrawal. He looked back up at Blaster, who had his mouth open as if to speak, but nothing came out. Soundwave tilted his helm to the side a little in a silent question. Blaster’s faceplates flushed, then paled. Suddenly, he snapped his mouth closed and seemed to return to his usual demeanor. He cleared his throat and looked around with some uncertainty. Suddenly his optics brightened and he stabbed his servo up to point with awkward excitement at a security camera mounted to the wall.

Soundwave almost jolted back at Blaster’s sudden demeanor change, then turned to look at the camera as well.

“The uh… heh, the uh security cameras are probably being watched by Red Alert right now”, Blaster grinned with some rare awkwardness in his tightened field, “apparently, it drives him mad when mechs made funny faces at his cameras”. Soundwave’s stern curiosity suddenly cracked into mild amusement.

“And do you plan on making a face at the camera?” Soundwave smiled coolly. Blaster chuckled casually, leaning back on his heels.

“My mech, you know I'm too mature for that” Blaster said, then immediately turned and made a wild face at the camera. He turned back with a straight expression, “I am an adult, after all”.

He wasn’t sure if it was the bizarreness of the situation, or the high-grade still circulating in his system… but Soundwave couldn’t hold in his laugher. Blaster seemed rather proud of himself for cracking Soundwave up, then wrapped an arm around Soundwave’s shoulders to continue their walk back to their quarters.

“Blaster,” Soundwave mused with a soft fondness in his voice, “you are an odd mech”. Blaster chuckled and smiled at Soundwave.

“I aim to please, ‘Wave” he grinned. Once again, they fell into a comfortable silence that lasted until they made it home.

_________________________________________________________

Megatron wasn’t in his throne today. In fact, Megatron hadn’t been in his throne since he ordered a bridge out to Soundwave’s predicted position. As was nature of the Nemesis, rumours immediately began to spread about where exactly the warlord had vanished off to after his unsuccessful recall mission. When the spacebridge opened to allow for the warlord’s return, the entirety of the crew stepped back to allow for a great berth… Either way, they predicted… Megatron was either going to return dragging along a fighting telepath (nothing that anybody wanted to get in the way of), or he was going to return alone and stark-raving mad. However, when he returned, Megatron hadn’t even glanced up at his frightened crew before stocking out of the command centre in a fume of rage. A communal sigh of relief echoed through the room as the door slammed shut behind the large grey mech.

A day had passed and Megatron was yet to make an appearance since. An eerie stillness spread through the ship and many mechs glanced over their shoulders on occasion. The only mech who seemed unabashed by the recent developments was Starscream, who had gladly taken lead in Megatron’s absence. Many of the Decepticons didn’t know what was scarier… being at the receiving end of Starscream’s searing rage for ignoring direct commands from an officer… or getting caught out by Megatron who had not technically passed full control over to his second in command.

In truth, Megatron had spend the last cycle in his own quarters. Upon his first arrival to his quarters, he had torn the room apart with rage. Then, cracked datapads and toppled furniture littered his floor for an hour and a half as he brooded, sitting on the edge of his berth. A meager knock at his door signified Hook’s arrival; and the warlord sat still to allow the medic a moment to quickly repair the bleeding scorch from Blaster’s pistol. Hook clearly didn’t want to stick around as Megatron simmered in anger, as soon as he finished his repairs he vanished with no medic’s orders. Megatron sat in silence for a very long time. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed until his internal systems alerted him that he had gone all night with no recharge or energon intake. With a frustrated sigh, the warlord pushed himself up and cleaned his destroyed quarters. It just wouldn’t be… functional… to keep them in such disarray; and he never liked a mess.

Eventually, with his space back in moderate order, Megatron sat heavily at his desk and forced himself to take in at least one cube of energon. He absent-mindedly flicked through the datapad that Reflector had been updating for him. Soundwave hadn’t been sighted all that much since the previous afternoon… of course. It seemed that the telepath and his little hoard of creations had vanished into the heart of the Ark since the attack. No surprise there. None the less, Megatron absently flipped through the pictures Reflector had shared since Soundwave’s abandonment.

A small voice in the back of his processor began to set a chill along his frame. He hadn’t realized how bad this whole thing had gotten… He was so blinded by his feelings of rage and betrayal… Soundwave was supposed to be his most loyal mech. A sudden ember of rage stoked itself back up for a moment, then he was doused in a freezing guilt as his processor replayed the sickening crunch he had felt in Soundwave’s wrist when he tightened his hold. He hadn’t meant to actually damage the mech to that extent… although… in the moment, it had almost felt good. Looking back at it, all he could feel was a cold guilt and echoes of sorrow. He never would have imagined this after all the years he had kept the telepath by his side.

A sudden conviction to make things right struck Megatron. He couldn’t go on treating one of his most loyal mechs this way. He would do the right thing. Next time he got a chance to retrieve Soundwave, he would be successful… and he wouldn’t underestimate that annoying orange Autobot that seemed glued to Soundwave’s side.

“Next time…” Megatron murmured to an empty room, “next time I won’t fail”.

Chapter Text

Soundwave couldn’t deny that he was getting older. When he first joined the Decepticons, high grade never seemed to bother him with hangovers. Perhaps, if he had a bit much the night before, he would wake feeling groggy, but it was nothing that a shower and a cube of energon couldn’t fix. Which is why, when he woke in the morning with a spinning helm and optics so heavy they almost didn’t open, he had to accept that he had aged.

Of course, age wise, there were mechs on both the Ark and the Nemesis that were much older than him… Ratchet, Megatron, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Optimus Prime, and Prowl… to name a few. None-the-less… he still felt that he was getting old. Soundwave could almost hear Ratchet’s scoff in the back of his helm at such an idea.

When the telepath had finally built up enough will-power to open his optics all the way, he groaned in pain as the light pierced his optics and ran straight to his aching helm. Why exactly had he said yes to another high-grade? … and another after that, and another after that… Did he have another one? He couldn’t remember at this point. Finally, Soundwave forced himself into an upright position in his berth. It took all of his energy to keep from falling back into the relief of his blankets. Maybe a shower would fix him up, it was hard to tell. The blue mech swung his legs stiffly over the side of his berth, then gingerly let his peds rest on the cold flooring. Was the flooring always this cold? A chill ran up his backstruts. The gravitational pull of his still-warm blankets increased sevenfold.

Slowly, painfully, Soundwave eased himself up to stand. He instantly regretted this decision. The room swung around him in a dizzying torrent and his optics swam with a horrific duo of pain and nausea. Soundwave plopped back down to sit on the side of his berth. Hadn’t Jazz said that he didn't want them to get too drunk last night? Specifically to avoid a hangover on his first shift as an official Autobot Communications Officer? Then again, Soundwave truly hadn’t felt too inebriated on his way home last night with Blaster, perhaps it had just been far too long since his last drink. A smile finally appeared on his groggy faceplates as he foggily recalled their walk home together last night. He had felt a certain warmth and fondness for Blaster that night. The hallways had been so quiet with just the two of them staggering home. Soundwave remembered the way that Blaster had touched his servo and grew almost stern for a moment… had that also been a part of his security camera joke? Soundwave couldn’t tell, he had never been one for jokes. Nonetheless, a warmth spread in Soundwave’s chestplates as he pondered on the night before. He couldn’t quite explain the fuzzy heat that erupted across his frame so suddenly… perhaps he had yet to completely sober up.

With a final push, Soundwave straightened himself back upon his peds. He still regretted it deeply when he did, but this time he stayed up. With a sigh, Soundwave scrubbed at his optics, then shakily made for the door. As soon as he stepped out into the hall, he was bombarded with the loud chattering of 10 cassettes trying to talk over each other all at once. Soundwave almost had to stumble back into his room and sit back down. Instead, the telepath rubbed at his nasal bridge and half-stumbled his way into the washracks.
As expected, a warm shower and a cube of energon did help settle his tanks and helm. He wasn’t quite refreshed, and an ache stubbornly lingered behind his optics, but he was functional. Thankfully, his cassettes seemed to sense his state, and (to an extent) hushed their chatter. Blaster’s cassettes (and Blaster himself) followed suit. Soundwave caught a grin from Blaster as they worked together to debrief and fuel their cassettes for the day. Why did the orange mech look so chipper and awake? Soundwave could have sworn that Blaster drank just as much as he did last night.

Once the cassettes were all sent off for their morning duties and training, Soundwave finally asked why Blaster didn’t seem as hungover as him.

“Because you’re a lightweight”, Blaster had answered with a simple grin over his reports. Soundwave feigned offense for a moment, but couldn’t hide his smile when Blaster cracked up into laughter. Just to get even, he tossed the pillow he was resting against straight at Blaster’s helm. That only seemed to make Blaster laugh more. Oh how the orange mech perplexed Soundwave.

Blaster leaned back in his seat at the table and put away his datapad. With a relaxed smile he stretched his servos all the way up, then relaxed them behind his helm. Casually, he observed Soundwave, who stared back at him from the couch.

“What?” Soundwave interrupted the silence.

“Nothing", Blaster said. A cool playfulness remained in his voice, it made Soundwave twitch. Finally Blaster continued, “So… morning off, the kiddos are all off with their chores, and we don’t start our shift together until the evening. What do you want to do?”.

Soundwave hummed for a moment, watching how far Blaster pushed his seat back onto its hind legs. He was uncertain if Blaster was going to be able to keep from toppling over at this rate. Their evening would be busy with Blaster showing Soundwave the ropes around the Autobot communications hub (something that Soundwave sensed a few angry minibots had protested about to the Prime). After all, the Autobot ship was far more updated and large than the Nemesis, it would take a moment to get situated. Blaster had already expressed that he was completely confident that Soundwave would be back at it in no time after a quick tutorial. Blaster always seemed to think the best of Soundwave, perhaps unrealistically so… but it did make the telepath feel reassured. Soundwave felt a small thrill at the idea of getting back into his work and learning about a new higher-tech system than he was used to. He had always been a work driven mech, especially when presented with areas of growth. Despite his eagerness, he was still glad that he had the morning off with his friend.

Soundwave pulled himself out of his train of thought and looked back at Blaster, who was patiently smiling at him. “I… I’m sorry, I became distracted” Soundwave murmured.
Blaster chuckled and settled his chair back down, “no sweat mech, looks like you have a lot on your mind”.

“I usually do,” Soundwave sighed softly.

“Something bothering you?” Blaster’s expression softened as he leaned forward over the table, “you can tell me, you know… if anything is”.

Soundwave smiled slightly and shook his helm, “no, I just tend to think too much sometimes. I get ahead of myself”. He felt a spark of comfort with how Blaster always seemed ready to offer his listening audio and support.

“Hey mech, nothing wrong with that,” Blaster grinned and eased himself back into his chair, “Sometimes I wish I could think more”.

Both mechs shared a soft chuckle, then dropped into silence as they both began thinking.

An idea suddenly perked Blaster up, and he glanced over at Soundwave, who had seemingly retracted back into his thoughts. Blaster was hoping to spend their morning off together. After all… he did want to get closer to the blue mech, some alone time might be ideal. Soundwave always seemed to enjoy being outside with nature and fresh air. The telepath seemed to de-compress outside. During long days stuck inside, his optics seemed to glance longingly out the windows. Then again… their last trip outside hadn’t exactly ended well. Not unless one would consider being attacked by Megatron and landing in the med-bay with a broken wrist “fun”. Blaster deflated. If Megatron really was having them tracked, he didn’t want to tempt fate by going out for a walk or a picnic. It just wasn’t worth the risk of Soundwave getting hurt, or dragged back to the Nemesis… or worse. Blaster swallowed thickly and looked over to Soundwave just to settle his sudden worries.

Soundwave had absorbed himself into a datapad. His un-visored optics flickered back and forth as he read. Blaster couldn’t help but admire the soft gold optics that illuminated the mech’s faceplates. His spark skipped a beat for a moment as he quietly observed Soundwave from across their quarters. The blue mech’s posture was always so perfect, but he was clearly relaxed and comfortable by the way his shoulders sloped down. Blaster let his blue optics trail down Soundwave and he admired the polished frame, before glancing back up to those soft faceplates. How could one mech have such perfectly symmetrical faceplates? Was that even fair? Well it was certainly working, because Soundwave really was worth a second glance. Blaster let his optics pour over the pretty features. His spark gave a burst of appreciation and endearment at the way Soundwave’s lips relaxed into a soft, almost not-there, smile. Blaster wanted so badly to run across the room, seize that face and kiss those sweet smiling lips. Instead he opted to bite the inside of his cheek at the thrill the very idea filled him with.

The blue mech just looked so content and relaxed, yet still so focused on his reading. Of course, Soundwave wasn’t just a pretty face. Blaster had to admire how poised and intelligent the blue mech always was. Now that he had really gotten to know him, Blaster could also admire how warm and caring and sweet Soundwave could be… around the right people. Not to mention how incredible all his rare traits were. Like, Primus! Blaster had never seen a mech with such pretty golden optics before! Even before all the Cybertronians began changing their optic colours to show solidarity, Blaster had never seen optics like Soundwaves. He had heard of mechs having that rare colour, but he had never really seen them before. Not to mention the telepathy! How incredible was that? To be able to hear what other mechs were thinking…

Blaster stopped cold in his thoughts. Dread filled him to the very center of his being. Oh… oh primus he had just been blatantly mentally fawning over a telepath who was sitting right there! How could he be so stupid? Blaster chewed on his glossa and nervously watched Soundwave for any sign of discomfort, or surprise, or… something. Soundwave remained seemingly undisturbed, his optics continued to lazily roll over the pages, his thumb gently traveled up the screen to steadily continue his pace. As if finally cluing in to Blaster’s gaze, Soundwave looked up from his reading and returned Blaster’s stare.

“Is something the matter, Blaster?” he asked with a tilted helm, “you look ill”.

Blaster gave a nervous laugh and shook his helm. “Maybe, uh, maybe the highgrade from last night finally hit me”.

Soundwave blinked. Blaster’s processor immediately spun into another frenzy, hadn’t Soundwave blatantly said ‘you’re lying’ to him before over a bluff? Did his telepathy pick up lies really easily? Or maybe Blaster was a bad liar? It’s not like he did it very often!

If Soundwave did pick up on the bluff, he didn’t show it. The telepath gave a single nod and then tucked himself back into his datapad. Blaster let a slow, shaky breath sink out of his nasal ridge. Why was he so nervous around this mech? He was never this nervous around mechs he had been attracted to before… at least, not in his adulthood.
Blaster’s spark still spun at an unsteady pace and he let out another soft breath. He had to be sure Soundwave didn’t know how much he had just been drooling over him… or at least… he had to know what Soundwave thought of said drooling… if he noticed… which hopefully he didn’t.

Blaster slowly sat upright in his chair and he casually meshed his fingers together and rested his servos on the table top. Wait, when had he ever done that before? Why was he suddenly so bad at acting natural? Blaster quickly rearranged his arms to rest his elbows on the table. Did he do that? For some reason he couldn’t remember. He glared down at his arms and re-arranged them again to cross over each other, while still resting on the tabletop. How did he ever use his arms before? Where they always this obvious? He glanced back up at Soundwave only to find the Blue mech watching him with slight concern in his optics.

Blaster gave a mild laugh, it may have been laced with a bit of fear. Soundwave frowned. “Blaster”, Soundwave said with concern.

“Soundwave” Blaster returned casually. At least he thought it sounded casual… hoped.

Soundwave’s optic brows pinched together in confusion for a moment, then suddenly returned to a neutral expression. The blue mech stored his datapad away in his subspace and picked his way off of the couch and across the room. He pulled a seat out from across Blaster and settled across the table from the overheating mech.

“Blaster?” he asked again, with a soft lilt of concern in his voice, “is everything alright?”. Blaster let out a condensed breath and finally relaxed his shoulders a bit (when had they even tensed up so much?). He awkwardly scratched at the base of one of his horns for a moment before he spoke.

“I just… you know… I’ve never lived with a telepath before. I don’t really know how much you hear, and I just… I don’t want to think anything that will make you… I don’t know… uncomfortable or.. something”. He glanced back up at Soundwave, whos worried expression had smoothed out into an understanding one.

“Oh Blaster”, Soundwave smiled, “you don’t need to worry about making me uncomfortable. I can promise you that whatever you were just thinking, I have certainly heard worse”. This earned the telepath a nervous laugh from his roommate. “However, I try to avoid listening in as much as I can.” Soundwave explained.

Blaster felt a wash of relief fill his frame as Soundwave continued. “I am a mech who really values my privacy, so I try to respect the privacy of my friends and family as much as I can. Before we were friends, I did read your mind more often… however, now that I trust you, I do not feel the need, and I try to avoid listening the best I can”. Soundwave leaned back to rest against his chair. “I certainly don’t want to listen to what everyone has to think anyways. If I always allowed everything in, that would be rather unpleasant. Mechs keep most of their thoughts to themselves for a reason… they aren’t all great. Besides, if I listened too much, I would guarantee myself a helmache, or even a telepathic malfunction. So, I try to keep my telepathy to myself… to the best of my abilities”.

Blaster looked up suddenly, “telepathic malfunction?” he echoed.

Soundwave nodded, “I won’t get too far into detail… it is unpleasant. It becomes hard to distinguish my own thoughts from others… I get confused and rather frightened, it’s very overwhelming and sometimes painful. When I was young, I used to get them very often. Now that I am older, and better at reigning in my telepathy, they are rarely an issue anymore”.

Blaster hummed softly, momentarily distracted from his worries. “That sounds awful” he whispered. Soundwave nodded with a shrug. “I’m glad you don’t get them all that much anymore” the orange boombox murmured.

Blaster placed his next words carefully and nervously, “so… you didn’t hear what I was thinking a little while ago”. Soundwave paused at the blatant question, then smiled and shook his helm.

“No” he said sagely, “I didn’t hear what you were thinking. I promise that whatever dirty thing you were thinking is safe from me”.

Blaster spluttered in horror and felt his faceplates flush deeply. “Hey! It wasn’t dirty!” he cried. Soundwave coolly observed his friend as he retorted, “and yet you were so concerned over my listening in”.

“It’s not like that!” Blaster laughed in mortified terror. Soundwave’s composure didn’t break and he leveled Blaster with a smile. “Don’t worry, even if it was, most mecha think about dirty things far more often that you would think. If I am in a busy room, at least six mechs are thinking about interfacing of some variety”.

Blaster’s embarrassment waned for a moment and he chuckled softly, “really?”. Soundwave nodded. Blaster cracked up into a chuckle, “that is more than I thought”. Then again, he thought, maybe that number was so high because Soundwave was in the room. The telepath was certainly attractive enough to stir up some dirty thoughts in a crowded room. Soundwave’s expression didn’t change from his relaxed smile. In a soft, almost tone-less voice, he said “I heard that”.

Blaster slammed his servos down on the table top and jumped up from his seat. “Okay, Hah! Great chat Soundwave!” His voice was definitely too loud and sunny to be hiding his embarrassment, but he continued none-the-less. “Good talk, mech” he pointed finger guns (when had he ever done that before?!) at the seemingly amused mech. His peds began stepping back and away from the table. Soundwave watched with amused optics as Blaster blundered over his forced calmness.

“I’m -uh- gonna hit the wash racks… so I’ll see you later… alligator” (primus why was he like this today?). Soundwave’s silent gaze followed him as he slid down the hallway. Blaster continued, “So, you know! Great talk” (Why did he keep saying that?!), “Let’s do it again some time!”. Finally, his palm met the door to the wash racks. He jumped into the security of the smaller room with a mortified groan.

Blaster let his helm thud against the wall and he stayed like that for a long moment. He was certain that Soundwave heard his helm hit the wall… at this point… he couldn’t even make himself more embarrassing.

Once Blaster had escaped to the washracks, he actually did have a shower. After all, what was worse: leaving an embarrassing conversation to go shower? Or leaving an embarrassing conversation to stand awkwardly in the washracks for half an hour?

______________________

Soundwave snickered to the empty room as he bent over his current project. He tightened a screw in an old pair of speakers. They were Jazz’s old speakers, recently replaced by a bigger, louder model. Soundwave couldn’t bare to see perfectly fine HiFi speakers go to waste. They were only a year old, and more than loud enough for his tastes. So when Jazz offered them up to the cassette player (who had yet to set up a sound system in his new berthroom), how could he say no? All they needed was some maintenance and a few upgrades and they would be good as new. Soundwave hummed and smiled over his new project.

Absently, the telepath re-aligned some wiring in the body of one of the speakers. His processor shifted away from his task and towards his recent conversation with Blaster. He truly hadn’t heard what Blaster had been thinking before, while he had been reading. Now he was curious, why exactly didn’t Blaster want him to hear it? It really wasn’t like him. Soundwave felt a flush grow across his faceplates as he recalled what he did hear from Blaster’s thoughts. He didn’t know that Blaster thought of him as so attractive. Soundwave shook his helm and tried to re-focus on the task at hand.

A sudden smile bloomed on Soundwave’s faceplates. He perked his audios up and turned their sensitivity higher. Over the sound of the running shower, he was almost certain that he could hear Blaster singing. He dialed his audios back down and chuckled to himself.

___________________

Blaster sighed to himself and paused his singing. He certainly felt a little better. Soundwave hadn’t seemed upset when the telepath caught him thinking… that. Then again, Soundwave never really seemed like a petty mech to begin with. Blaster shook his helm and cracked a smile; how could he be so clumsy with his thoughts lately? It felt like his feelings for Soundwave doubled, even tripled, whenever he spent time with the mech. He was turning more and more into a mess around his roommate. He really hoped that this wouldn’t upset Soundwave, or clue him in to Blaster’s feelings… at least, not yet.

But why not yet? Blaster glared at the wall. Why didn’t he just straighten up and tell Soundwave how he felt? The blue mech had already been living with him for a while… he seemed mostly recovered from the injury… they were already so close… Soundwave was great with kids… he was practically perfect! Meant to be!

Maybe that’s why Blaster didn’t want to say anything. Just last night, he had almost kissed Soundwave. They had paused in the hall… It was just the two of them. Soundwave looked so beautiful with the faint glow of highgrade in his face. Blaster smiled at the memory, then frowned. He had been so nervous, yet he had also been so sure that he would confess his feelings (whatever they were. What would he even say… fond? Crush? Uhg…). Maybe he was even going to give Soundwave a kiss, just to see what would happen. However, when Blaster looked into Soundwave’s optics, he had realized just how intoxicated the other mech was.

There was no way Blaster was going to try to kiss his friend when he was clearly drunk. That would be wrong, and he would never feel right about doing that. The last thing Blaster wanted to do was take advantage of Soundwave. Blaster sighed and scrubbed the solvent into his elbow joints.

Even if last night was a bust, maybe he could still make it work. But was it too soon to confess his feelings? Was Soundwave’s recent death scare too recent to ask the mech to jump into a committed relationship?

Hang-on. Blaster paused halfway through rinsing his arms. Was that what he really wanted? A long-term commitment? For some reason, he hadn’t really thought about it, but somehow it felt right with Soundwave. He had never really been much of a serious relationship mech before. Sure, he had his flings, and his dating and courting attempts, and plenty of very close and far too complicated friends-with-benefits before… but he had never really wanted a really serious relationship. He had always been more of a “see where it goes” mech. If it got serious, great! And on occasion it did. Nothing had really lasted far beyond that point. Then again, during their chats, Jazz had told him that he was once a flings-only type of mech. It was only when he met Prowl that he had ever considered something more. Maybe Soundwave would bring that out in him. Maybe Soundwave was the right kind of mech for something more serious.

Blaster shook his helm and huffed to himself. What was he even thinking? He hadn’t even told Soundwave about his weird feelings yet! Certainly now wasn’t the time to plan out their bonded life together. He rolled his optics at himself. He instantly stomped down the flip-flop of his spark as the idea of bonding with Soundwave crossed his processor. He instantly shut down those thoughts without further analysis.

What if Soundwave said no? Then what? They lived together, after all. How awkward would it be if Soundwave didn’t want anything more than a friendship with him? Would living together be super weird? Would Soundwave pick up his family and move to a new room? The very idea sent dread through Blaster. What if it got too weird and their friendship went down the drain? His optics glanced at the spent soap suds as they swirled down the shower drain. Blaster swallowed thickly. Not to mention, Blaster thought to himself, he really had no idea what Soundwave had experienced as a slave before the war. They had discussed it a few times before, but Soundwave never got specific… and Blaster had never prodded past his friend’s comfort zones. He knew Soundwave had experienced abuse of some sort… what if asking for a relationship, or going for a kiss, opened up something painful? Blaster grimaced to himself. Why was this all so complicated?

After neatly packaging away his worries, Blaster stepped out of the washracks. Soundwave, seeming to not notice him, was leaning over a half-repaired speaker, screwdriver in stilled servo, wistfully gazing out the window. Blaster watched the scene for a moment, he knew that Soundwave must really be longing for the outdoors right about now. After a moment, the stillness broke and Soundwave turned back around to smile at him. Blaster smiled back. Soundwave made him so happy. Somehow, everything seemed back to normal since that awkward chat. Things with Soundwave were so easily returned to comfort.

“I have an idea,” Blaster smiled. Soundwave perked up, giving the orange mech his full attention. “How about we go for a walk outside… But this time, let’s play it safe. There’s lots of safe territory around and on the Ark that we can checkout. It’s safe, and we can still get some fresh air and stretch our legs”. Soundwave smiled up at his friend.

“That sounds lovely” he murmured.
And so it was.

Chapter Text

Rain patted against the berth room windows. Soundwave startled awake with a choked gasp. The telepath pressed a trembling servo over his chest plates… right… he was fine, completely repaired. Soundwave pulled in a slow breath, then shuttered his optics again for a moment to let it out. He gingerly glanced around the room, his creations seemed relatively un-disturbed from his jolt awake. They slept curled against his frame and each other, clinging to whatever was closest. The blue mech smiled for a moment, he was glad he hadn’t jumped up from the nightmare and woken them. His cassettes looked so peaceful and happy. Letting out a final breath and decompressing back into his berth, Soundwave shuttered his optics and tried to fall back asleep.

Not even a minute passed before Soundwave powered his optics back on to stare at the ceiling. He just couldn’t help it… whenever he closed his optics, he kept seeing it. He had to glance back down at his frame again, just to make sure that he didn’t have a knife protruding from his chest plates. Almost on cue, a searing bolt of pain flooded his spark chamber. Soundwave grimaced and snapped his optics back up to the ceiling. Pain flashbacks, they were only pain flashbacks… remember? Soundwave forced his optics closed again, trying to strain against the pain flickering where he was almost certain there wasn’t a dagger. The image of an energon covered hilt protruding from his cassette docs swamped his vision. He could almost see his shaking servos reach for the dagger… did he pull it out? Did he leave it? Thank Primus that Ratbat hadn’t been in there. It hurt so much, why was there so much energon?

Soundwave opened his optics and almost failed to contain a rather pathetic whimper. He glanced back down at his chest plates… just in case. No dagger. Of course. The telepath let his helm rest back down on his pillow. He was being ridiculous. Absolutely, hilariously, ridiculous. He had gone almost a week with no nightmares or flashbacks… why did they choose to plague him on such a peaceful night? A sharp nagging pain began to buzz in the back of Soundwave’s helm. A jolt of fear surged through the mech as he felt his telepathy begin to tip out of control. The pain seared a slow path from the back of his helm to the front of his processor, pinching at the top of his nasal ridge did little to help. Frustrated with himself, Soundwave turned his helm to glare at the walls. His optics were met with the poster Blaster had given. He almost smiled. Blaster was always so sweet.

Soundwave turned back to stare blankly at the ceiling… yes, Blaster was so sweet. He shuttered his optics, feeling a bit more relaxed for some reason. Not even 2 minutes passed before he snapped his optics back online. No… this wasn’t going to work. He just couldn’t get it out of his helm. The pain in his processor flared back to life like a starved fire. The telepath let out a shaky breath as his control over his telepathy began to slip. Mental voices from around the Ark began to fill his processor. Soundwave tried and failed to stamp down the panic that rose in his throat. Why did this have to happen when he got like this? For a moment, Soundwave considered the possibility of just getting up for the day. He dismissed the thought when a look at the time confirmed that he had only recharged for just over 3 hours. Maybe Blaster was still up? Last time Soundwave wandered through their quarters due to nightmares, Blaster had still been working on reports. The telepath smiled to himself at the memory. The dreams and thoughts of the nightshift workers grew to a searing roar in his helm. Soundwave winced, he could feel the disorientation taking hold. He had to quickly swipe away at the voices closing in, before they became so loud that he couldn’t tell which were his and which weren’t.

Finally giving in to his unrealistic hopes, Soundwave gingerly sat up in berth. It only took a moment to re-arrange his cassettes back together. He couldn’t help but smile in an endeared amusement, cassettes could be such heavy sleepers. It took far too much self control to keep his servos from shaking while he shifted his cassettes around. After slotting all his creations back together like a little puzzle, Soundwave slipped off of his berth and quietly out of the room.

Immediately after stepping out into the hallway, Soundwave predictably had his hopes quashed. The quarters were dark and silent… Aside from the thunderous barrage of telepathic information drilling its way through Soundwave’s aching helm. Internally defeated, Soundwave slumped against the wall and dropped his helm into his (still trembling) servos. What was he supposed to do now? His spark stammered away in his chest plates, he was so nervous. It would be impossible to climb back into berth and actually fall asleep. Not to mention, this little telepathy episode felt like it was going to get much.. much worse if he kept brewing in nightmares and fear.

Perhaps he could go for a walk? Soundwave mulled over the idea. The fresh air would likely help calm him down. However, given the recent scare that happened at the beach last time Soundwave wandered far from the Ark… The telepathic bombardment almost doubled at the idea of getting caught out in the dark by Megatron. Soundwave bowed his helm over and clawed at his audios. Coolant began to flood his vision. Why did this have to happen to him?

Soundwave glanced up at the two berth room doors, his and Blasters. Blinking tears from his optics, Soundwave began to consider a new possibility. Could he knock on Blaster’s door and ask for help? Was that… appropriate? He really couldn’t be sure. He did feel close to Blaster, and he knew that Blaster enjoyed his company (for some reason). Would it be too personal to wake Blaster from his recharge? Soundwave muffled a whimper in his servo as his vision swap with the horrible mixture of panic and pain.

Dismissing all of his qualms, Soundwave straightened himself back up. He took in a deep breath and attempted to make himself look more composed. He was almost certain that Blaster would see right through his act… he always did. Soundwave shakily stepped up to Blaster’s door. This felt like a bad idea. He knocked very softly. His knuckles hardly traced the door. A moment passed and Soundwave couldn’t hear any shifting. All he could hear were the voices and dreams and thoughts and -Primus they were all so loud. Feeling fear rise back up to his throat, Soundwave knocked again, just a little louder. A beat passed, then some shifting in the room could be heard. Soundwave waited in agonizing regret for a moment before the door was cracked open. Soundwave cursed and thanked his decision.

Blaster peered at his roommate with bleary optics for a moment, almost not computing the presence of the other mech. He groggily scrubbed at his optics for a moment, then re-focused his sights on his friend. A moment passed in silence before Blaster suddenly blinked his optics into a bright alertness. Soundwave stood in the hall, visibly shaking, and entirely uncertain of what to say. The telepathic meltdown was so loud now… he almost couldn’t think… couldn’t hear… where was his voice?

“’Wave?” Blaster whispered, his voice was coated in a sweet concern, “are you okay?”.

Soundwave’s lips moved for a moment, trying to explain exactly why he had disturbed his friend’s recharge. Unable to form a cohesive answer, he gave into Blaster’s question with defeat. “No”.

Blaster’s optics flickered off and on with surprise. He gently reached out and took Soundwave by the elbow and guided him into his berth room.

Soundwave felt a touch of relief to see that Blaster had all of his cassettes in his docs. He really hadn’t wanted to disturb a sleeping creation. He meekly let Blaster pull him over to sit on the side of the berth. He could feel Blaster’s optics training on him very closely. Just being in Blaster’s presence and feeling that warm servo on his shoulder helped pull Soundwave from his panicked stupor. He took a trembling breath before elaborating on his first answer.

“I had a nightmare,” Soundwave whispered, “and then I couldn’t sleep, or stay calm. I kept seeing the dagger”. He gestured vaguely at his healed chest plates, refusing to meet Blaster’s optics. Still staring at his own lap, Soundwave continued, “my telepathy began spiralling, it became hard to control… and it hurt”. He paused and jolted up for a moment as Blaster wrapped a blanket over his shoulders. “I… I was just frightened…” Soundwave finished in a whisper. His fingers clung to the blanket and he pulled it snugger around his frame. “Thank you”, he murmured, his voice dripped with shame.

“’Wave,” Blaster sat next to his roommate, then wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “It’s okay, I promise,” he soothed, “I’m here, and I won’t let anything like that happen to you again”. Soundwave let out a pressurized breath and leaned into Blaster’s warmth. The voices in his processor began to wane, as did his panic. He pulled in another deep breath and let his friend’s soothing presence pull him back down to earth.

Soundwave then surprised himself. He looked up at his friend, and before even considering what he was about to say, asked “can I stay with you for the rest of the night?”. He blinked in shock at his own brash question. Since when did he ever pop questions like that so freely? He opened his mouth to apologise for being rude, but Blaster spoke before he could.

“Of course,” Blaster responded so instantly, his voice almost made it sound like the most common sense think to be asked. He immediately got up and began shifting pillows and blankets around the berth to make room for two.

Soundwave felt a rush of shame reach his faceplates. Did he really ask that? Why was Blaster so easy and friendly about it? The orange mech made it seem like second nature to share his berth with a frightened companion… was this common for the Autobots? No, he would likely pick up nocturnal movements with his telepathy if it was common to knock on your neighbor’s door around the Ark. Soundwave regarded his roommate. Maybe it was just something Blaster did? A streak of heat flashed across Soundwave’s optics. Why did the idea of other mechs sharing Blaster’s berth make him feel almost angry? He blinked at his own knee jerk reaction. Even if it was just for companionable comfort… the idea of Blaster sleeping next to other mechs made something uncomfortable fizzle in Soundwave’s tanks. The again, he would most definitely know if other mechs came and went from their quarters at night. His telepathy (not to mention sensitive audios) would most definitely pick up late night company in their quarters. Maybe… Maybe this was just something Blaster did for him? For some odd reason, Soundwave liked this alternative the most. Before he could further examine his emotional responses, Blaster patted a spot in the berth.
“You can take the spot I was sleeping in… it’s warmed up for you”, Blaster encouraged while laying back under the covers. Soundwave swallowed thickly and awkwardly moved up the berth to slide in next to Blaster. Why was his spark beating so loud? Was he about to panic again? He glanced at Blaster for reassurance, frame half laying next to his roommate. Blaster’s own processor was whirling with interesting emotions. Despite what his casual demeanor and friendly smile would suggest, Blaster also felt nervous about this. Maybe this was a bad idea… Maybe Blaster had said yes in an impulse and was now regretting his choice of not kicking Soundwave back to his room. Soundwave’s worries were immediately smothered as Blaster pulled up the blankets and corralled Soundwave to lay down under the sheets.

A beat of silence passed and both friends laid on their sides, facing each other. Soundwave blinked nervously at the proximity. They weren’t touching, but laying face to face felt so… intimate.

Blaster seemed to swallow thickly before asking, “comfy?”. His voice was so peaceful, Soundwave couldn’t help but relax a little.

“Yes,” Soundwave whispered. He felt his frame begin to relax and warm up under the covers. This was… actually kind of nice.

“Can I do anything to help you relax?” Blaster offered. Soundwave couldn’t believe how kind his friend was. He smiled shakily and shook his helm. Blaster regarded him quietly for a moment before murmuring, “You’re still shaking”. Soundwave nodded. “Are you still a little freaked out?” Blaster continued.

“I feel much better,” Soundwave started, “but… perhaps a little”. Blaster nodded sympathetically for a moment.

“Are you sure I can’t help in anyway?” He extended another soft offer.

Soundwave hesitated for a moment, “you’re already sharing your berth with me, what more could I ask for?”.

“plenty!” Blaster encouraged. Soundwave snorted at his friend… always so considerate.

“I could… uh… sing you to sleep,” Blaster winked, a cheeky smile replacing his worried expression. Soundwave couldn’t help when a smile finally grew upon his face plates, he smiled into the blankets and shook his helm.

“uhh, how about a back rub?” Blaster grinned. Soundwave pulled the covers over his nasal ridge to hide the flush that rushed to his face plates. His audios got so hot that he was certain Blaster could feel the warmth radiating across the berth.

“You’re ridiculous,” Soundwave muffled into the blankets, but his optics glinted up at Blaster. Blaster chuckled, seeming to relax a little more into the berth.

“Alright, here’s a good one… How about a couple funny stores from when I was a dumb kid?” Blaster countered. Soundwave started shaking his helm but froze… that did sound interesting. As much as he knew about Blaster, he really didn’t know much about his earlier life.

Blaster observed his friend’s hesitation. “Ah, I think I see some interest” he grinned. Soundwave rolled his optics, but nodded nonetheless.

“Now that I think about it,” Soundwave pulled his faceplates back up from the blankets, “I really do not know very much about your past”. He felt a wash of shame. Blaster has listened to his backstory… Why didn’t he ask about Blaster’s?

Blaster chuckled and settled into his spot. “If I’m being honest, it’s not all the most interesting stuff”. Soundwave shrugged, he still wanted to hear it. Blaster smiled, “alright then”. He wiggled almost an inch closer before beginning.

“Well… honestly, my early days were pretty chill. My family raised me in Iacon, and we were pretty tight” Blaster smiled to himself as his optics seemed to look back to something in his memory. “I had a pretty big family too… We always visited with our extended family, every holiday or creation day was a huge party. There was my creator and carrier. They were real great. Loved each other like crazy, so obviously there were a lot of kids. There was my eldest brother, Razershot, the next one was Radiowave, and then there was Blitzvoice… but we just called him Toaster”.

“…Toaster” Soundwave intervened in disbelief.

Blaster cracked into giggles, “yeah, good old Toaster. His real designation was so stern, but he was such a goofball. If he wasn’t going by Blitz… it was Toaster”. He shook his helm fondly.

“Then, of course, there was me” Blaster winked, Soundwave smiled in amusement. “Being the youngest had its perks for sure,” he mused, “I got away with almost everything…. Almost”.

“Do you know where they are now?” Soundwave asked softly.

Blaster’s smile faded instantly, his voice dropped to just above a whisper. “No, actually… Lost track of them during a late war bombing. Never heard from them again. I was a young adult by then… but it was still scary. I miss them like crazy, not a day goes by that I don’t wonder what happened to them. I really do have hope that they got away on a refugee ship… but there’s really no way of knowing until the war is over”.

Soundwave suddenly reached out a servo and gently touched Blaster’s cheek. Blaster startled out of his story and met Soundwave’s soft optics.
“I’m sorry,” Soundwave murmured.

Blaster practically span out of control at the tenderness of his friend’s gesture. “oh, no it’s totally fine,” he stammered over his own words. “I have my little guys now, and it’s been a while, and maybe one day they can all meet and… yeah…”, he took a deep breath and chuckled softly, recalibrating his processor, “maybe one day… maybe”.

Soundwave offered a soft smile before retracting his servo back under the berth sheets. Blaster’s entire frame decompressed before he could continue.

“We did have a lot of fun though… let me think. Ah! This is a good one,” Blaster grinned. “So my brothers and I would always take these little transport busses home from the youngling academy. We would always go in the same transport together to get home, every single day. Now, one day, Primus I must have been real young, my older brothers thought it would be funny to play a little joke on me. I don’t know how they convinced me… or how I was so gullible… but they basically had me believing that all the younger kids had to take a different bus home one day, just because”.

Soundwave gasped and covered his mouth with a servo. Blaster laughed, “I know right! Oh it was a mess”.

“So I get on this transport, and I recognize absolutely no one. So I was pretty worried, but no big deal, I just sat in the back. Now, we start dropping these sparklings off, and I begin to realize that there’s really not many of us left now… and I have no idea where the hell we were. All the kids start to get off the bus, and I’m still sitting there all alone at the back. I was pretty small as a kid, right? And these seats were made for bigger kids as well. So, I don’t think that the driver could actually see me from the front of the transport. Finally, I was the only kid on the bus, and I was freaking out. Like I was so terrified that I would get in trouble, so I just stayed there, ya know?”.

Soundwave shook his helm in disbelief and muffled laughter into his servos.

“I know! I know… I just kind of accepted my fate” Blaster laughed. They giggled a moment before Blaster sighed and continued. “So we reach like… the middle of nowhere. We are way outside of Iacon. I guess the driver lived outside the city, so internally, I was like… guess I live here now too. This poor mech got up and started cleaning the transport, front to back. Like I said, I was small. This mech worked his way all the way to the very back before he turned around and saw me there. I was all huddled up and slag, like trying not to cry and everything”. Blaster crackled into a laugh, “I don’t know why I was so scared of being found”.

“I damn near gave this mech a spark attack too, you should have seen him jump”, Blaster wheezed. Soundwave’s muffled laughter shook the berth a little, Blaster joined him. After wiping his optics, Soundwave asked, “then what happened?”.

“Well the poor mech had to drive me all the way back into the city,” Blaster grinned sheepishly, “he was real nice about it, but he must have been pissed. I got home pretty late, but my parents were so relieved and so was I”. Blaster chuckled and shook his helm, “my brothers got in a world of trouble for that one”.

Soundwave smiled and shook his helm, “it sounds like you were rather... suggestable”.

Blaster grinned, “if by suggestable you mean dumb… yeah”.

“That’s not what I meant!” Soundwave gasped, but he failed to contain his amusement.

Blaster laughed, “it’s true though… that’s not even the worst one”. Soundwave’s optics lit up with interest. “… Want to hear it?”. He grinned as Soundwave nodded.

“Alright… So I must have been around the same age.. maybe younger… in this story. Like I said, not my brightest age. I was playing hide and seek with my brothers, and I climbed into a little storage cupboard in the living room. All of a sudden, it locks behind me… to this day I still don’t know if I knocked it into place, or if Toaster was pulling a fast one on me”.

Soundwave snorted and shook his helm at the name. Blaster laughed, “I know, I know”.

“So anyways, I was real spooked at first. But then I could hear my parents looking for me, and it became some kind of game. I don’t know why I found it so funny, I just kinda did. Well they began getting real nervous, and at first it was more funny. Then they got real frantic and scared, and I realized that it wasn’t really funny anymore”.

“Did you tell them where you were?” Soundwave asked.

Blaster chuckled, “I never did anything simple when I was a kid”.

“Oh no… Blaster, how long did you stay in the cupboard?” Soundwave groaned.

“Just… well, a few hours” Blaster laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. Soundwave gave a mortified gasp. “I know! I know!” Blaster chided, “But like, think of it from my dumb kid brain. If I told them where I was, I would be in a ton of trouble. I would be so weird to have stayed silent for so long, and I got so nervous to be in such hot water that I just kinda… froze up”.

Soundwave laughed and shook his helm. “Oh, Blaster” he breathed, “what made you finally come out?”.

“Well… uh,” Blaster flushed, “Long story short, law enforcement showed up for a missing sparkling report”.

Soundwave practically screamed with laughter. He muffled it into his pillow. Blaster cracked up with him. How was one mech’s laugh so cute?

“Well, the longer I stayed in there, the worse it got… so I just kinda… knocked on the cupboard door,” Blaster shook with laughter as he continued his story.

Soundwave erupted into laughter, “no! Blaster!”.

“Ohh, yes, I did that” Blaster scrubbed his faceplates with amused shame. “And like… the whole room went completely dead silent”.

Soundwave’s laughter shook the berth and Blaster snorted with laughter.

“That’s mortifying!” Soundwave wept in his laughter.

“I know!” Blaster giggled “So my carrier came over and opened the storage unit and I was just sitting there like, ‘Aren’t you glad to see me!’”.

Soundwave ceased the story by lightly smacking Blaster’s arm. He kept his faceplates hidden in the pillows, but his frame shook with silent laughter. The only sound that came out were little gasps. Blaster laughed with him, too enchanted by his friend’s laughter to focus on much else. He had never seen Soundwave laugh so hard before, his spark swelled with affection. He wanted so badly to pull Soundwave into a tight embrace and laugh together and cover him with kisses… he was so close, just not close enough. He shook his helm and coughed to jolt himself out of his stupor. Hello… telepathy… duh!

Soundwave seemed too caught up in his amusement to notice anything unusual. He finally looked up from the pillows, tears of coolant were smudged around his optics. “Oh, Blaster, I can’t believe you actually did that”.

Blaster fondly chuckled, “I know right?”. Before he could even think about it, he reached a servo out and tenderly wiped away the tears of laughter that had smudged around Soundwave’s optics. Soundwave’s residual laughter fell away instantly, he stayed in an almost stunned silence and watched blaster as the mech touched his face plates. Blaster’s thumb trailed away from Soundwave’s optics and delicately trailed along the curve of the telepath’s cheek. Soundwave felt something very unfamiliar stir in his chest plates as he held Blaster’s sleepy gaze. He swallowed thickly as he felt a warm rush of energon flood his face.

A long moment of silent passed before Blaster really became aware of what he had just done. He yanked his servo back as if Soundwave’s warming face was suddenly burning hot.

“Sorry, I -uh- guess I’m more tired than I realized” he laughed nervously.

“It’s okay,” Soundwave’s voice held an almost dreamy note.

A long beat of silence held between the two mechs. They continued to observe each other, suddenly far too close together, and somehow, oddly far apart.

“It’s… late”, Soundwave murmured, glancing at the time.

“Ah, right! Yeah, sorry, didn’t mean to keep us up so long” Blaster grinned.

“No, it was pleasant, don’t apologize. It helped a lot, thank you” Soundwave whispered.

Their voices continued to sink into a calm silence.

“It’s nothing, ‘Wave… goodnight”

“Goodnight”

“… sweet dreams”

“You too”.

Rain patted against the berth room windows as they finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Soundwave was comfortable. When was he ever this comfortable? The telepath let out a sigh and buried his faceplates deeper into his pillow. The haze of sleep was only just beginning to lift from his frame. There was a heavy weight sitting on his dorsa, it wrapped around his frame and rested between his shoulder blades. Was that a cassette? Probably… although he couldn’t tell which one. Too comfortable to bother about the details, Soundwave stretched his legs out and sighed. A soft mist of sleep began to drop over his frame again, he let it. He nuzzled his helm into his pillow again. Then his pillow moved.

Wait.

Soundwave opened his optics so fast that they filled with static. He pushed his upper body up and rested on his elbows. The telepath blinked and shook his helm until the static cleared from his vision. He looked down at his pillow, only to meet optics with an equally surprised looking Blaster.

The two mechs stared at each other for a long moment. Soundwave became overwhelmingly aware of how tangled their frames and fields were. Their legs were twinned together rather intimately. The mysterious cassette on Soundwave’s back had actually been Blaster’s arm. Soundwave realized that his pillow had been Blaster’s chestplates… no wonder it had been so warm.

The groggy and shocked look in Blaster’s optics suggested that the orange mech had been woken by Soundwave’s sudden movements. His buzzing processor basically proved it.

“Uhh,” Blaster stared up at Soundwave dumbly. It looked (and felt) like he had just been clubbed over the back of his helm.

With a start, Soundwave ripped himself from Blaster’s arms. Blaster let the blue mech slip away from his frame; it took substantial effort not to let his disappointment show through the surprise and embarrassment.

Soundwave cleared his throat and stood up next to the berth. Blaster slowly joined him. Standing on opposite ends of the berth, neither mech knew what to say to the other.
Soundwave was instantly very interested in making the berth. Blaster decided that this was also suddenly of upmost importance.

Once the berth was made, both mechs remained across from each other. They met optics for a moment before Soundwave looked away.
Blaster finally decided to interrupt the silence.

“Good mor-“ … “Than-“

Both mechs started to talk over each other, then crashed to a halt again. Blaster rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry I w-“ … “Oh did yo-“

They started and stopped again.

Soundwave tucked his helm down and bit back a laugh. “Sorry, did you want to say something?” he murmured.

Soundwave’s shy smile was quickly picked up by Blaster. The orange mech’s frame decompressed and his shoulders relaxed again.

“Ah, it’s okay, you go first” Blaster grinned.

“Oh,” started Soundwave, “I was just going to thank you… for letting me stay here last night, that is… when I was upset”.

“Of course, ‘Wave,” Blaster soothed, “what are friends for, right?”.

Certainly not for cuddling like that, both mechs thought to themselves. Blaster didn’t mind though… not at all.

The awkward tension seemed to thin out of the air. Both mechs headed to the door. However, the awkwardness was still palpable when both mechs reached out to the door’s panel and almost touched servos. Soundwave yanked his servo back with a nervous stutter and let Blaster open the door. He dipped his helm and smiled, murmuring a thank you under his breath when Blaster motioned for him to step out first.

Why was he so nervous? Probably because he wasn’t used to any kind of intimacy and contact with mechs who weren’t his cassettes. It had been so long since he last shared a berth with another mech. Soundwave let out a sigh and scrubbed at his faceplates. He tried to forget about the confusing flutter in his tanks that he had felt when he was leaning over Blaster. He didn’t recall having any kind of bad energon yesterday.

Blaster followed Soundwave through the hall. Had they been cuddling? They had totally been cuddling! All he could remember was falling asleep across the berth from Soundwave. Then he had been half awake, and there had been such a pleasant weight and warmth curled into his frame. He hadn’t quite woken up enough to question the origin of said weight. Then he had suddenly been jolted wide awake, and Soundwave was leaning over his frame. The blue mech had been so close, their chestplates almost touching. Not to mention how tangled their limbs had been.

It had taken his processer a few seconds just to compute what was happening. Then his processor had been a buzz of excitement and (very pleasant) confusion… which quickly melted into shame for feeling so good about it when Soundwave jumped away like he had been smacked.

Both mechs entered into the primary room of their quarters. Soundwave’s cassettes were already squished together on the sofa. Their chatter screeched to a halt when they looked up at the two very guilty looking mechs. Rumble squinted at his carrier and Blaster. Frenzy slowly lowered his energon cube from his mouth before even taking a drink.

“We…. We had assumed that you were running an errand,” Ravage said. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw glanced back and forth between the two boomboxes. Ratbat, completely oblivious to the situation, chirped a morning greeting and glided across the room into Soundwave’s cupped servos.

“Yeah!” Ratbat giggled, “we didn’t know you were having a sleepover with Blaster… Good morning, Blaster!”. The orange mech let out a nervous laugh of a greeting.

“Yeah…” Rumble added in a more suspicious voice. “We were wondering where you were last night”.

Soundwave cleared his throat and immediately took the avoidant route. He settled Ratbat back in front of his energon cube and greeted his cassettes like any other morning. Not once did he even look over his shoulder at Blaster.

Things seemed to settle down again for a moment. Blaster let his own cassettes out of his docs. Oblivious to the weirdness filling the room, the cassettes grabbed their energon and settled with the other creations. Blaster and Soundwave sat together at the table with their cubes as usual. For the first time in a while, the silence between them felt uncomfortable. However, the conservation slowly melted back into familiarity. Before long, the two mechs were chatting like any other morning.

Blaster hoped that Soundwave couldn’t hear his processor still buzzing over the events of the morning. He watched Soundwave take a sip from his cube. The rim of his glass lingered on his lower lip for a moment… Primus, why was he envious of a cup? The orange mech shook his helm, then smiled sunnily at Soundwave as the telepath shot him a confused smile.

Blaster was just thankful that his own cassettes weren’t all suspicious like Soundwave’s were. They didn’t even know about the events of the morning. He glanced briefly over to their cassettes only to be met with 10 pairs of optics. The cassettes all quickly looked away and paused their hushed whispers. Well… so much for his cassettes not knowing.
Blaster sighed to himself, but he couldn’t help the smile. Could he really be so shocked that the cassettes would gossip with each other? They had all gotten so close.

“You look very preoccupied this morning” Soundwave observed. Blaster glanced back at the telepath with a grin.

“I think we both are” he countered. He was both very pleased and a little ashamed when Soundwave’s faceplates turned a soft pink. Had he just made Soundwave blush?? The telepath shyly rubbed at his cheek with a servo, almost like he was trying to push the flush away. It was so… so cute. Blaster’s spark clenched with affection. A sudden wash of confidence fell over him. His optics flicked back to Soundwave’s servo, which was resting on the table top. He could so easily just reach out and place his servo over Soundwave’s. The cassettes were far enough away that they would only be able to hear what he was saying if they were snooping (which they definitely were… but who cares?). He could take Soundwave’s servo up in his and give it a squeeze. Soundwave always seemed to have cold servos, he could warm it between his. He could tell Soundwave how he felt.

How did he feel?

What could he… no, what will he say? That he has feelings for him? He admires him? He wants to spend every night together like that because he loves him? Primus where did that come from?? Love? Could Soundwave hear his thoughts right now? No… probably not, the telepath looked absorbed in his datapad. Not that it mattered, because he was about to hear it with his audios.

Okay… Blaster chose a line and rehearsed it over and over in his helm. He would take Soundwave’s servos, give them a squeeze, then say ‘Soundwave, I admire you so much. I think you are so smart and talented and an amazing carrier. I have always found you attractive, but recently I have begun to feel more for you. I was wondering if you would maybe want to go on a date with me some time’.

Blaster nodded to himself. Yes, that was it, that’s what he would say. He sat up straight. His optics fixed on the mech before him, who was now absorbed in sorting and stacking his datapads. He reached out a servo and took in a deep breath.

“Okay, I have to run some of these datapads to Optimus”, Soundwave said. Blaster froze mid reach. By the time Soundwave looked up from his reports, Blaster had retracted his servo and fixed a casual smile on his faceplates.

“Sure thing, ‘Wave”, Blaster grinned. Soundwave’s optics lingered on the orange mech for a long moment. Blaster’s processor had just jolted so suddenly, it was as though the mech had just been startled to Cybertron and back. Had he done something to frighten him? Whatever it was, Blaster likely didn’t want to discuss it, he was acting far too casual. Soundwave gave a slow nod before standing up and disposing of his empty cube.

“Alright”, Soundwave turned his attention to his cassettes. “I have a few errands to run. Don’t forget to make it to your training and duties for the day”. He patted ten helms on his way out.

“We won’t forget!” Rumble smiled up. The rest of the cassettes called their goodbyes as Soundwave looked back, smiled at Blaster, then left.

Blaster decompressed into his chair. Damn… he had been so close. He scrubbed his faceplates with a sigh before finally standing. He tossed out his cube and composed his expression and field.

“Alright my little creatures! Up and at ‘em, let’s get you fellas ready for the day!” He turned his cheery smile back on for the cassettes. It didn’t take too long to get everyone sorted. He gathered the emptied cubes and filed everyone over to the wash racks. The cassettes chattered over each other as usual. Blaster helped Ratbat clean his wings properly. Soundwave’s youngest often needed assistance with little tasks like that. However, the little bat always reminded Blaster that he was getting better at doing things independently, Soundwave said so!

Nothing felt out of the ordinary anymore. By the time Blaster was helping them dry off, he had almost forgotten how he had woken in the morning. Blaster reached over to help Frenzy dry off around his helm. In the middle of drying off, Frenzy peaked out from under the towel and fixed Blaster with a grin.

“You like Boss, don’t you?”.

Blaster’s entire frame froze up, his servos still holding Frenzy’s towel. “…uhh”.

Rumble leaned over with a grin to match his twin’s. “You like-like him, don’t you?” The twins erupted into giggles. The rest of the cassettes fell silent and stared.

“uhhh…” Blaster continued hollowly. His faceplates burned deeply with his guilt.

Rumble and Frenzy’s laughter suddenly fell silent. Rumble narrowed his optics and scrutinized Blaster.

“Wait a minute… are you serious?” The cassette chided.

Frenzy’s focus also snapped to Blaster, the joking all gone from his voice. “Hang on, do you actually like Boss?”.

Blaster’s glossa suddenly felt very heavy and difficult to use, “I… well, you guys- I’m not sure how to put-“

“Oh Primus! You actually like Boss!” Frenzy shrieked. Blaster pleadingly hushed him, unsure when Soundwave would be back home. He guided the now excitedly chattering mob of curious cassettes back out into the main quarters.

“Wait! Hang on, we were joking! Do you actually?” Rumble trailed hot on Blaster’s heels.

“He does!” howled Frenzy. The room suddenly exploded into yelling cassettes. Some were mortified, others overwhelmingly excited. A barrage of questions and opinions were thrown at the communications officer.

“Are you going to go on a date?”

“Ew that’s gross!”

“Do you like him or do you love him?”

“Does he know?”

“Are you going to be bond mates and we can live together forever??”

“Yeah! Does this make us all brothers?”

Blaster hushed them nervously, the room finally fell to silence. All optics rested on him waiting for his answers. Blaster took a deep breath.

“Okay, I’m still kinda figuring this out, and Soundwave doesn’t know yet. So I would really, really appreciate if you guys kept this between us” Blaster pled.

“We can keep it quiet” Rewind assured.

“Yeah, this is just between us” Laserbeak agreed. More nods from the cassettes gave Blaster some more ease. It wasn’t a perfect situation… but it also wasn’t a total disaster. He let out a breath.

“Okay, so just between us” he double checked.

The cassettes nodded. Eject mimed closing a zipper over his mouth.

“Thanks guys, I really appreciate it” Blaster smiled.

With that, the orange mech gathered all of the cassettes and ushered them out the door to their duties for the day. With the door closed between him and the cassettes, Blaster finally pressed his dorsa against it, shuttered his optics, and let out a long breath of relief. He thumped his helm gently against the door, then sighed before opening his optics again.

His gaze met Ravage’s optics. Blaster jumped with a half yell back against the door. Ravage didn’t show any sign of noticing the embarrassing reaction. The feline observed him coolly for a long moment. The phrase ‘cat got your tongue’ suddenly made so much sense to Blaster.

Ravage silently picked his way around Blaster to the door. Blaster’s optics followed the cyber-cat as he shimmied out of the way. At the door, Ravage paused and looked back over his shoulder at the orange mech.

“I think you would make him happy”, Ravage admitted. The door slid shut behind him.

Blaster stood tense for another moment, then melted back against the door. He sunk down it and plopped onto the floor. His helm lolled heavily back against the door. He let one final breath of relief out of his frame and relaxed.

Blaster let out a yelp as the door he was leaning on suddenly vanished from behind him. He fell (none too gracefully) onto his back.
Immediately, he met optics with a very shocked looking Soundwave. The telepath took a step back and blinked at him.

“You really are taking me by surprise a lot today, Blaster” Soundwave finally broke into a smile.

Blaster dissolved into laughter, “Just trying to keep you on your toes”.

Soundwave laughed with him and offered his servo to help the other carrier up. Blaster took the offered servo and suddenly forgot what he had been so worried about in the first place.

Chapter Text

Blaster had always enjoyed his evening shifts. They were peaceful, especially the shifts that ran late into the night. They also gave him an excuse to sleep in the next morning. Granted, he still usually woke up at his typical time… but this way he got an excuse to lay in bed and relax for a while. The only downside that Blaster experienced with night shifts was that they could be a little boring. The Ark would be mostly quiet, with only a few guard mechs up for company. Sometimes if Bluestreak or Jazz were up on guard duty, Blaster could chat with them over the comms to pass the hours. However, if some less chatty mechs were taking the night guard shifts, Blaster risked being bored out of his processor. Sure, he could listen to his music. That definitely helped, but it also sometimes made him drowsy enough to fall asleep on his station. After a few years on Earth, he began scanning the local human television networks for something to fill his time. He would never admit it to anyone… but he did actually enjoy some of the human’s cheesy soap operas (especially the corny romantic ones). Ironhide once caught Blaster watching a soap opera… as it turned out, the weapons specialist enjoyed them too (but if Blaster told anyone, he would be skinned alive). On the very rare occasion, Ironhide might join him on his graveyard comm shifts so they could watch an episode together outside of prying optics. Of course, the best soap operas only broadcasted one new episode a week, meaning that many nights Blaster was left without even that to pass the time.

Luckily, something else came along that could help Blaster pass the time on those long, empty night shifts.

Soundwave spun absentmindedly in his chair. His visor was fixed intensely on the radio transmitter he was trying to fix. Deep in his concentration, Soundwave didn’t notice when his glossa poked out of his mouth just a tiny bit.

Blaster gazed fondly at his roommate. He was certain that Soundwave had no idea that his “concentration face” was so cute. He worked hard to stifle a longing sigh. He wished so badly to close the distance between them and cover the telepath’s faceplates in kisses. Instead, the orange mech swivelled his seat a little and continued his statement.

“Look, all I’m saying is that some human television is pretty decent! You gotta believe me, ‘Wave”.

Soundwave sighed, not even looking up from his most recent project. “I’m sure you enjoy the human entertainment, Blaster. That, however, does not equate to the shows you watch being ‘pretty decent’”. The telepath briefly glanced up with a slight smile, just to let Blaster know he was only kidding around.

Blaster mocked an insulted gasp. Soundwave chuckled to himself and span his chair in a full circle. “It’s true,” Soundwave smiled.

“Well, I’ll have you know,” Blaster began as he reached for his energon cube, “that what I watch is high quality content… so intellectual that you wouldn’t even be able to grasp it”.

“Really?” Soundwave finally stilled his working servos and looked up at Blaster.

Blaster smiled around the rim of his energon cube, “mhhmm”.

“Are you referring to those Primus forsaken soap operas you watch?” Soundwave asked casually.

Blaster choked on his energon. Soundwave gleefully relaxed back into his seat.

“How did… How did you know about-“?

“Oh Blaster,” Soundwave hummed, “I have my ways”. He coyly swivelled his chair to face the opposite direction.

Blaster cracked into laughter; Soundwave joined him.

“Aren’t you glad we aren’t sworn enemies anymore, ‘Wave?” Blaster grinned.

Soundwave turned his seat back around, he playfully kicked at Blaster’s peds. “Very glad, Blaster”.

The remainder of the evening shift was spent chatting. No matter how hard he tried, Blaster couldn’t squeeze any more information from Soundwave about how he knew about the soap opera secret. Before long, Sunstreaker arrived to take over Blaster’s comm shift. After sharing a few pleasantries with the twin, the two communications officers left for the night.

“Thanks again for joining me during the graveyard shift,” Blaster nudged Soundwave’s arm as they walked down the hall.

Soundwave smiled back, “of course. I know how long those shifts can feel… I figured you could use the company. Besides, I always have fun with you”.

Blaster’s spark fluttered with excitement.

“Really?”

“Of course”. Soundwave hesitated for a moment, he smiled shyly over at Blaster. “You’re my best friend, after all”.

Blaster swelled with joy. He swung an arm around Soundwave’s shoulder. “You’re my best friend, too”.

“oh no, I better watch out for Jazz… now that I’ve dethroned him” Soundwave laughed.

Blaster chuckled; his optics didn’t leave Soundwave’s smiling faceplates. A sudden bolt hit him in the spark.

Primus… Primus he was in love.

He was so madly in love. He stared at the telepath for a moment. How had this happened so fast? How did he never notice before?

Soundwave’s optics returned to Blaster’s. Both mechs slowed their pace until they stood still in the hall.

“Blaster, what’s wrong?” Soundwave gently shook Blaster’s arm. Blaster looked completely stunned.

Blaster shook his helm; he didn’t want to make Soundwave worry. “I’m okay,” he murmured. His voice was suddenly soft and almost breathless, “just a little tired is all, ‘Wave”.

The telepath only gave his friend a worried look and pulled him gently down the hall by his arm. Soothingly, Soundwave patted Blaster’s shoulder. “If that’s the case, we should get you to berth. If you still feel unwell tomorrow, you should probably see Ratchet. I hope you’re not coming down with something”.

“I think I might be” Blaster sighed.

---------------------------------------------------------------

When Spike Witwicky had first heard about Soundwave joining the Autobots, the alarm bells went off in his head. He didn’t trust that Decepticon, not one bit! Carly and Chip also agreed that this whole thing seemed kind of fishy. They all believed in giving someone the benefit of the doubt, of course… but this was Soundwave! The sneaky, mind-controlling, lapdog of Megatron! How could they trust this Decepticon when he was so obviously devoted to the causes of evil! Evil! Not to mention his sneaky cassettes. Spike held a personal contempt for Rumble and Frenzy. The smaller bots always pushed him around whenever the Autobots and Decepticons clashed around the humans. They never really hurt him too badly… but it always made him feel like a mouse being tossed back and forth between two giddy cats.

Of course, the teenagers has already received a talking to from Sparkplug, Spike’s Dad. The older man had urged them to give the new mech a chance! None of the humans had been allowed on the base for the last few weeks. At first it was a safety precaution. Optimus had requested that they stay home while they were holding the Decepticon second officer in the medical bay… just in case. Bumblebee still came out to visit the teenagers many times a week. It was nice to go for drives together and do fun things around the city… but Chip and Carly admitted that they missed the base and all of the other Autobots. Eventually, the humans heard wind of Soundwave staying on the Ark. Spike was just glad that his friends shared his scepticism.

During their next contact, Spike and Chip tried to convince Optimus that Soundwave was tricking them. He had to be! He was Soundwave! Optimus refused to share any details on Soundwave’s case, but he urged the youth to give the new mech a chance. Sparkplug agreed with Optimus, he always was so forgiving.

The three teens had decided to hatch a plan together. If the Autobots were going to be blinded by Soundwave’s latest tricks, they would have to save them! Weren’t there rumours of Soundwave being telepathic? Maybe he was hypnotising all of the Autobots! They would have to put a stop to the evil plan, whatever it was.

Somehow (probably through Sparkplug or Bumblebee) Optimus got wind of their plan to save the Autobots. The Prime then recommended (ordered) that the teenagers stay out of the base for another couple of weeks. After all, Soundwave was still settling in and recovering. The last thing Prime wanted was to throw a handful of angry, scheme hatching children in the mix. As much as it hurt Bumblebee to see his human friends looking so deflated, he had agreed with Optimus. The teens had tried to sneak aboard the Ark a few times. However, Bumblebee and Sparkplug were always hot upon their trail.

A couple more weeks passed before the humans were invited back onto the base. Spike, Carly, and Chip had braced for the worst as they entered the Ark. They were certain that they would be met with hypnotised Autobots, gun fire scorches on the walls, and maybe Soundwave sitting atop a throne of Autobot corpses.

Much to their horror, the Ark was operating business as usual. How suspicious! Maybe Soundwave’s mind control abilities were so good that the Autobots were hypnotised and didn’t even notice it! Was that possible?

No matter how much Optimus, Bumblebee, and Sparkplug tried to talk the teenagers out of their worries, they wouldn’t let up. Finally, Optimus decided that the best way to address these fears would be for the kids to meet Soundwave, face to face.

Soundwave quietly stepped into Optimus’s office. The Prime had already warned him about the teenager’s feelings towards him. He couldn’t blame them for not trusting him at all. He hadn’t exactly made an honest or honourable name for himself with the humans. If there was ever a time to amend that, it would be now.

Spark, Chip, Carly, and Sparkplug sat atop the Prime’s desk. Their backs were all turned to Soundwave as he slipped through the door. Optimus glanced briefly up at the telepath to offer a smile before immediately looking back to down to the disgruntled teenagers. He nodded sympathetically at the barrage of worries, questions, and theories about Soundwave.

“He’s a mind-controller, right!” Spike cried.

“Telepath” Chip corrected softly.

“Yeah, same thing,” Spike dismissed. “Couldn’t he just hypnotise you guys into thinking he’s a good guy? What if he just walks up to the door one day and lets Buckethead into your base?!”.

“Yeah, why should we trust him?” Carly added doubtfully.

Optimus paused for a moment before replying, “why don’t you ask him yourself?”. The prime nodded his helm up at the waiting blue mech.

The three teenagers whipped around to fix their glares on Soundwave. Spike immediately pulled Carly behind him.

Sparkplug stood up from his seat and walked over to the new mech. He extended his hand and said, “pleasure to meet you”.

Soundwave hesitated for a moment before reaching out a couple fingers to gingerly shake the man’s hand. That was the custom, he believed.

“It’s nice to meet you as well” Soundwave said softly.

Sparkplug chuckled as he retracted his hand, “a very gentle handshake for a giant space robot”.

Soundwave cracked a smile, “my cassettes-“

“Ah yes, I bet you are used to smaller, more breakable things” Sparkplug laughed. “The first time I got Optimus to shake my hand, he nearly broke all of my fingers”.

The Prime gave a regretful laugh from behind his desk. Soundwave glanced up with a tiny entertained smile.

“Dad!” Spike hissed from beside his friends.

Soundwave looked over to the huddle of teenagers. He couldn’t help but frown. Spike was certainly putting out a tough facade, but the telepath could feel the anxiety running through the kids.

Moving slowly, the blue mech pulled up a chair and lowered himself into it. Maybe being closer to their height would help. Carly only clung tighter to Spike’s arm.

Chip was the first one to directly address the new mech. Tentatively, he rolled his wheelchair forward. His two friends seemed startled by his approach.

“You have a face” Chip said softly. Unlike his peers, his suspicion of Soundwave was already beginning to simmer. He just seemed so different in person.

Soundwave smiled and held back a small laugh. “So do you” he observed.

Chip grinned up at the mech, “yeah, I guess I do”.

Soundwave glanced back up at the other two teenagers. “I don’t believe we have had a proper chance to meet” he started softly.

“Yeah, you were always too busy shooting at my Autobot friends” Spike bit back.

Soundwave winced.

“Spike!” Sparkplug chided.

“It’s alright,” Soundwave assured, “he’s not wrong”.

Spike blinked in surprise. He hadn’t exactly expected that.

“I want to apologise for all of the times I frightened you like that,” Soundwave murmured, “and all of the times I hurt your friends”.

“You didn’t scare me” Spike crossed his arms.

Soundwave smiled at the lie, “of course not”.

“He scared me,” Carly admitted softly.

Soundwave turned his visor to the girl, “I’m truly sorry for that, you didn’t deserve to get caught in the crossfire”.

Carly stuttered from the sincerity of the mech’s words. This wasn’t exactly the emotionless drone she was expecting to meet. She smiled faintly as she stepped out from behind Spike, “thanks, I appreciate that”.

“Carly” Spike whined softly. He glanced at his two friends before whipping back towards Soundwave. “You hypnotised my friends! You no good ‘Con!” he yelled.

Soundwave frowned, “is there anything I can do to prove to you that I mean no harm here?”.

“Yeah! You can get up and leave the Ark and never come back!” Spike cried.

“Spike” Optimus interjected. The teenager glanced back at the larger mech. “Soundwave is an Autobot now. I understand that you are scared for everyone’s wellbeing, however, Soundwave has been more than reasonable. There has never been one moment during his stay here that I doubted Soundwave’s sincerity”.

“But-“

Optimus raised a servo to quiet the boy. “I’m sorry Spike, but Soundwave lives here with us now, for as long as he likes. I don’t like watching my troops being yelled at”.

Spike deflated. Optimus felt a twinge of regret. The room stood in silence for a moment.

“I know that your suspicion of me comes from a good place” Soundwave finally said.

Spike turned to face the blue mech, “what?”.

“You clearly care very deeply for the people in your life,” Soundwave observed, “and you would do anything to keep them from being hurt, yes?”.

Spike nodded slowly, his eyes scrutinized Soundwave.

“I can see that very much,” Soundwave continued, “you only want to protect your friends, and lead them in the right direction. I respect that. I wish that I had been that considerate in my youth”.

Spike squinted, “are you reading my mind right now?”.

Soundwave smiled, “I didn’t have to”.

Spike pulled in half of a breath before letting it out. His eyes grew distant with thought. The room stood in silence waiting for his response.

“I don’t… I don’t trust you” Spike placed his words carefully as he looked back up at Soundwave.

The telepath nodded understandingly, “that’s okay, I’m not asking for you to trust me”.

Spike hesitated, “then what do you want from me?”.

Soundwave cocked his helm and smiled the slightest bit. “I suppose that I just want you to give me a chance… if you so wish”.

“I…” Spike glanced at his friends. Carly smiled; Chip shrugged. He glanced back at his dad, who gave him an easy thumbs up. Finally, he turned back to the mech in front of him.

“Fine, but only if you can just say one thing for me”.

Soundwave nodded and leaned forward slightly.

“Repeat after me…” Spike cleared his throat, “the Buckethead is a stupid tin can man”.

Soundwave choked in surprise. He cracked a laugh and immediately hid it behind his servo. After a moment, he composed himself. “Very well…” he sat up straight. “the Buckethead is a stupid tin can man”, it was impossible to resist the smile as he said it. He briefly locked optics with Optimus as he finished saying it. The Prime shook with silent laughter.

“I like him” Carly announced to Optimus.

Spike smiled with satisfaction. The whole situation wasn’t… great… but at least he got to hear one of the scariest (ex)Decepticons call Megatron a Buckethead.

“I think Rumble and Frenzy will like you” Soundwave smiled at Spike.

The boy snorted, “You can’t be serious”.

“I am,” Soundwave nodded, “you remind me of them quite a bit”.

Spike had to ignore the snickers from his friends behind him. “That’s… great” he boiled.

The door behind Soundwave suddenly slid open. The telepath glanced behind him to watch Blaster waltz in. He smiled at his friend’s cheery demeanor. Blaster casually stood beside Soundwave and rested his elbow on the seated mech’s shoulder.

“What’s up lil’ fellas? Long time no see” he grinned.

“Blaster!” Carly cheered. Chip and Spike both grinned up at the orange mech… he was one of the fun Autobots, like Bumblebee and Jazz. He was the one that snuck them into rock concerts past curfew.

“I see you're all getting to meet my best buddy”, Blaster hummed, he glanced playfully down at Soundwave. The telepath rolled his optics up at his roommate, but he couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

“Are you for real?” Carly laughed, “best buddy?”. Blaster nodded with a grin. Soundwave gave a brief confirmation as well. “But you’re both so… so different!”.

“Hey, what do you humans say? Opposites attract, right?” Blaster chuckled. “How has he been interviewing so far? Has he passed the test?”

“He seems nice” Chip answered.

“That’s what I like to hear!” Blaster grinned, “and quite the dreamboat too, eh?”.

“Yeah” Carly nodded.

“Hey!” Spike cried. Carly shrugged. Soundwave shrunk down in his chair a tiny bit as he tried to hide his flushed faceplates.

“and shy too” Carly giggled.

Soundwave looked pleadingly up at Blaster, “ready to go?” he begged.

Blaster laughed, “any time, ‘Wave”.

Soundwave had never been so relieved.

_________________________________________________________________________________

The evening had lazily rolled over the Ark. For the first night in a while, Soundwave, Blaster, and all of their cassettes had the night off. Their quarters were full, but peaceful. Soundwave watched fondly from the table as the cassettes played videogames together. Ratbat and Ravage occupied part of the floor as well. Ratbat was very focused on his colouring page and Ravage was watching with half-awake interest. It truly was quite the domestic scene.

Soundwave jolted and glanced up as a servo gently bopped him on the helm. Blaster snorted, mouth full of energon goodie as he pulled up a chair to join the blue mech.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle ya” the orange mech chuckled.

Soundwave smiled and accepted the goodie being offered to him. He wasn’t sure what it was… but the last few days, Blaster’s optics felt particularly fixed upon him. He didn’t mind, he had no reason to be warry of Blaster. None-the-less, it made him itch to use his telepathy. He wanted to peak into Blaster’s processor just for a second and see why his friend was so focused on him lately. Blaster’s new fixation did seem to begin after their walk home from a late shift a few nights ago. Perhaps it was just because Soundwave had admitted that Blaster was his best friend. Now that he thought about it… that was probably it. The telepath dismissed the curiosity from his helm, there was no need to overthink things.

Blaster hummed contently around the energon goodie, “these are really good, ‘Wave. You must share your recipe with me”.

Soundwave snorted and rolled his optics, “we made them together. It was your recipe”.

Blaster laughed. Soundwave smiled fondly at his friend. The orange mech seemed so chipper lately… almost giddy.

“Blaster has a sweet tooth” Rewind commented from across the room, his optics didn’t leave the videogame screen.

Rumble’s smile turned devilish as he glanced over to the orange mech. “You have a sweet tooth? You must just LOVE that energon goodie then”.

Frenzy was the first to catch on, he cracked into a snicker as he added, “yeah Blaster… do you LOVE the energon goodie?”. Slowly, the other cassettes were tickled with glee.

Eject wiggled with giddiness as he joined the suddenly rowdy bunch, “Gee, Rumble, don’t you just LOVE the weather we had today?”.

Rumble practically rolled over with laughter, “I dunno Eject, maybe I just want to see how things go with todays weather”.

Blaster sat frozen at the table; his fingers clenched together in a nervous fist. How mortifying! He could only sit stiffly and watch the cassettes in their hysterics. What if Soundwave picked something up? His spark pounded in its casing. Could Soundwave hear it? He cast a side glance to Soundwave. The blue mech had narrowed his optics at the giddy cassettes. Primus, if Blaster was a human he would be sweating buckets.

“I just LOVE this video game!” Frenzy giggled.

“But are you IN LOVE with it? Or do you just LIKE the video game?” Rewind struggled to catch his breath.

Soundwave sent Blaster a confused look. Blaster could only nervously laugh in response. This only confused the telepath more. Soundwave turned back to the cassettes with a squint. He never liked when Rumble and Frenzy laughed in that way.

“What are you all referencing?” Soundwave interrupted the fits of laughter.

Rumble sat up again from where he had flopped in giggles. The cassette wiped at his optic as he smiled, “Awh nothing boss, just an inside joke we all have with Blaster, is all”. All of his fellow cassettes grinned and nodded.

Soundwave glanced back at Blaster, who gave a tense laugh and nod. Soundwave raised his optic brows but leaned back in his seat. He wasn’t exactly one to pry.

Less than a minute passed before the cassettes were focused back on their game and Soundwave was occupied by his datapad. Blaster’s frame gradually lost its tension as he eased back down. His spark skipped around for another minute before he could actually relax.

Cybertronians didn’t have strokes, but Primus damn it, these cassettes were going to give him one.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reflector was nervous to show these images to Megatron. They was particularly juicy, so typically that would be fun. However, Megatron’s temper had been pretty mean lately. Not to sound too cliché, but they didn’t like the idea of being the bearers of bad news… not to a Megatron this angry.

Luckily, Megatron didn’t seem to be in a hospitable mood either that night. As soon as Reflector handed over the datapad of images to the warlord, he dismissed them from his quarters. They made a hasty exit.

At first Megatron didn’t know why Reflector had been so nervous to hand over the images… they looked perfectly normal to him. Soundwave and Blaster on a walk around the Ark, Soundwave and Blaster in their quarters, Soundwave in the halls of the Ark, Soundwave meeting some humans… disgusting. Nothing seemed too different from the previous few datapads he had received. Soundwave, his cassette drones, and his pet Autobot all seemed to be in a routine by now.

Wait.

Something was different. Megatron slowly zoomed in on one of the images. His optics squinted as he leaned over the datapad. It couldn’t be… It couldn’t possibly be.

An Autobot insignia. There was an Autobot insignia on his communication officer’s chestplates. A dizzy spell hit the warlord; he dropped the datapad to his lap for a moment. It couldn’t be. His optics were fooling him. The grey mech lifted the datapad back up to his optics and squinted.

Sure enough, the bright red insignia was still there. Spiderwebs of cracks crept across the screen of his datapad. The screen groaned and crackled under Megatron’s tightening grip. Shards of glass popped off of the datapad and showered down Megatron’s frame.

It was official then. Soundwave wasn’t just a traitor to the cause. He was a full blown turncoat. A boiling vat of rage filled Megatron’s throat. That traitorous, snivelling, pathetic glitch. The datapad finally succumbed to the pressure and crumpled into a ball of mangled metal and glass.

Megatron was filled with a sudden hard desperation. This was getting too serious. Soundwave couldn’t possibly mean to stay with the Autobots forever now, did he? The grey mech swallowed down a very uncharacteristic wave of panic. This wasn’t right. This was completely wrong. That traitor. If only he had taken Soundwave back that day at the battle… if only he hadn’t hurt him in the first place.

Megatron clutched at his helm as he fluxed from rage and betrayal to guilt and remorse. His frame tremored as he fought within himself. This wasn’t right, this wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Soundwave was supposed to be here with him! Somewhere along the way, the wires got crossed and now things were terribly, horrifically wrong.

Megatron’s frame suddenly went entirely still. He uncurled his posture and sat back up. Slowly, he removed his servos from the sides of his helm.

There was only one thing left to do.

Chapter Text

Soundwave was only half awake that morning when the alarms began to sound. He jolted up in his berth and glanced at his equally startled cassettes. They had heard the Ark's alarms go off before. In the past it meant that they had been discovered sneaking around as Decepticon spies. It was strange to be on the other side of things. Soundwave quickly ushered his cassettes up. Ratbat huddled into the crook of his carrier’s neck and Soundwave placed a soothing servo over his youngest creation. By the time Soundwave and his cassettes stepped out of his room, Blaster and his cassettes were stumbling into the hallway as well.

Soundwave looked at Blaster with silent concern… what now? Blaster glanced at the group of nervous cassettes converging at their peds.

“You fellas are gonna’ have to stay here, okay?” the orange mech addressed all of the cassettes first. A chorus of complaints and arguments were warded off as Soundwave agreed.

“Blaster is right. Please stay here… if we need you, we will let you know” he assured.

Alarm bells sounding first thing in the morning was an unusual event. It almost certainly meant an attack. Considering that Megatron’s optics were likely set on retrieving Soundwave, the last thing the telepath wanted was for his cassettes (or Blaster’s, for that matter) to be caught in the crossfire. Megatron played dirty, and that wasn’t something either mech wanted the cassettes to be involved in. It was too risky.

After settling the cassettes into their room, locking the doors, and promising they would come if called, Blaster and Soundwave hurried down the halls.

“What do you think it is?” Soundwave asked, now that they were out of audio-shot.

“I’ve been on the comm link with Prime,” Blaster started. It was so uncharacteristic to hear the orange mech in such a stern voice. It was rare that anything made Blaster too serious. “It’s Megatron, and most of the Decepticon army too. They’re launching an attack on the Ark”.

Soundwave winced, he really hoped this wasn’t because of him. He braved the question, “do we know what he’s after?”. The worried glance Blaster gave him was enough to confirm his worries. “Oh”.

A large blast rocked the ship. The corridors rumbled and shook with impact. Blaster automatically wrapped an arm around Soundwave to stabilize and shield him. Just as quickly, he pulled it back.

“So much for our morning off” Blaster grinned at Soundwave. His nervousness shone through his bravado, but Soundwave smiled back nonetheless.

The main console was bustling when Blaster and Soundwave arrived. A wall of worried thoughts slammed into Soundwave’s processor the second he stepped into the room. Optimus was pointing mechs to their stations as mechs ran in and out of the room.

The Prime’s optics fell on the two carrier mechs. He pointed across the room and quickly delegated roles. “Blaster, communications. Soundwave, you’re coming with me to see what Megatron wants.”

Blaster’s frame went cold. They were sending Soundwave out front? He glanced over at his roommate to see Soundwave give a stoic nod to the Prime. Soundwave’s visor met with Blaster’s worried optics. The blue mech immediately senses his friend’s concern and reached out a servo to squeeze his arm.

“I know Megatron more than anyone else here, don’t worry about me” he murmured below the busy room.

“Right, of course” Blaster swallowed nervously, “you got this”. Before he could even think about it, Blaster pulled Soundwave into a tight hug. He could feel the telepath tense up with surprise… he never was one for public displays of affection. Before Blaster could pull back and apologise, Soundwave tightened his arms around him to return the hug.

“I'll see you soon”, Soundwave murmured in his audio before pulling away and disappearing into the crowd.

Blaster stood stuck in place for only a second before turning on his heels and jogging back down the hall towards the communications hub. This would be interesting, that much was certain.

By the time Soundwave, Prime, and numerous other mechs hurried out to the front of the Ark, the battle was already in full gear. The first responders and mechs who were on guard were barely able to hold back the brunt of the damage. Megatron was shouting and raging as he kicked through anyone who got in his path.

The War Lord’s optics were suddenly fixated on the newcomers. In most battles, Megatron would shout “Prime” before heading straight for Optimus, guns blazing. Something was clearly different this time. Megatron froze, his servo half closed around Bumblebee’s throat. He stood up from his crouch and pulled the minibot up with him. The scout’s legs kicked at the larger mech, but could hardly make contact as Megatron held him at arms distance. A smile crept onto Megatron’s faceplates as his optics met Soundwave’s visor.

Almost out of instinct, Soundwave’s lower mask snapped shut. Megatron’s expression was sending a chill down his back-struts.

Megatron effortlessly kicked away any mech who tried to come to Bumblebee’s aid. The scout twisted his frame to sink a bite into the Warlord’s servo. Megatron didn’t flinch.

Sensing the bizarre situation, Optimus murmured to Soundwave, “go back inside”. The commander then started over to help Bumblebee. Soundwave took a few steps back to the Ark. Perhaps this was for the best. Even if he knew Megatron the most, it was hard to ‘know’ a mech who was acting so strangely.

“Don’t”, Megatron barked his command across the field. Soundwave stopped mid-retreat. Mechs froze and glanced at the large Decepticon. Optimus continued to charge through the crowds towards the still struggling Bumblebee.

With a growl, Megatron hoisted the scout higher off the ground and tightened his servo around his throat. Bumblebee choked and clawed at the larger mech’s arm. A well-known whirl sounded as Megatron rested the hot barrel of his fusion cannon against the side of yellow mech’s helm.

Optimus stopped hot in his tracks. Bumblebee’s breathing hitched for a moment as he stilled. It felt like an eternity as the battle felt into dead silence. Megatron had never taken this route before. Even the Decepticons looked stunned. Starscream hovered mid-air, his optics narrowed at Megatron. This had never been part of the plan.

“That’s better”, Megatron crooned in a sickly sweet voice. His optics surveyed the silent field before settling contently back on Soundwave.

The Warlord raised his voice to shout across the frozen battle at Soundwave, “You’ve been very illusive, haven’t you Soundwave?”. Soundwave could only stare back in silent horror. What the hell was going on?

“I’d like to talk with you, mech to mech… just for a moment”, Megatron continued. His voice was hauntingly calm for a mech in the middle of strangling a minibot.

Soundwave pulled himself out of his shock for a moment to respond, “What do you want?”.

Megatron rolled his optics and shook his helm, “what part of mech-to-mech don’t you understand. Come with me,” he gestured with a nod of his helm towards the empty desert, “I will talk to you alone”.

Blaster’s voice immediately erupted over Soundwave’s internal comm. link, “don’t go with him ‘Wave, it’s clearly a trick”. Soundwave took a nervous breath, his optics glanced at Optimus, then back to Bumblebee.

“What other option do I have” Soundwave replied before shutting down his comm. link and starting towards Megatron. The warlord grinned; his servo loosened just a fraction around Bumblebee’s neck.

“I’m glad you see it my way,” he rumbled. After a beat he jolted Bumblebee up with a cruel laugh, “I’m sure he’s glad as well”. Bumblebee choked at the rough treatment; his optics met Soundwave’s for a moment. He looked relieved... and terribly sorry.

Soundwave scowled as he joined the Warlord. They began distancing themselves from the two waiting armies. The peeved look on Starscream’s face was a clear sign to Soundwave that this method was completely unplanned. It was another one of Megatron’s schemes… which was never a good sign in terms of general safety.

They walked in complete silence until the Ark was a mere smudge in the distance. The only noise was the occasional choke from Bumblebee.

“Stop holding him so tightly” Soundwave glared at the larger mech. Megatron only rumbled a laugh in response and momentarily loosened his grip on the yellow throat. Bumblebee gulped in air and gave Soundwave a teary look. Soundwave could only frown in return.

Soundwave’s nerves stood on end as they finally came to a standstill. He glanced back to the Ark in the far distance. It was so far away… too far away.

Megatron unceremoniously tossed Bumblebee from his grip. The yellow mech hit the sand with a gasp and strangled groan. Before he could get back on his peds, Megatron had his cannon trailed on the yellow mech.

“Go” Megatron snarled. Bumblebee stumbled up, tripping over his peds. His large blue optics looked at Soundwave in concern. Soundwave nodded, he tried to show Bumblebee he would be okay… but at this point, he wasn’t too sure. In afterthought, Soundwave was just grateful that he had left his cassettes locked away somewhere safe.

“Go!” Megatron howled as he shook his cannon at the young mech. Bumblebee turned and ran back towards the ark. He send a short message to Soundwave’s Comm link.

::I’m getting help! I promise!::

Megatron and Soundwave watched the minibot flee back across the desert. Nothing was said until he was far out of hearing range.

Soundwave tensed as Megatron stared at him. The Warlord seemed to size him up and down in silence. The world seemed to stand still as the wind died out. Finally sick of the suspense, Soundwave broke the chilling quiet.

“What do you want?” Soundwave asked. He tried to keep the fear from his voice, but the tremor was painfully obvious.

“You’ve been rather busy, haven’t you?” Megatron spoke in a casual tone. It was indistinguishable from how he always used to talk to Soundwave before he left the Decepticons. Familiar... friendly even. Soundwave twitched in place. What was he supposed to say to that?

“You’ve been such a good little Autobot,” Megatron’s voice dropped to a near whisper, “It’s almost like you planned on doing this the whole time”.

Soundwave felt a sour anger bubble up in his throat, “What do you want?” he hissed his question again.

Megatron’s composure began to crack at the edges. “It’s time for you to drop this little protest and get back to real life” the warlord snarled, “no more galivanting around pretending to be an Autobot. No more laying around with that joke of a communications officer. It’s time to get back to real life”.

Soundwave’s plating ruffled in anger. “This is my life now” he snapped, “you have no say or business in it anymore. You betrayed me, why would I return to you?”.

“I betrayed you?!” Megatron’s composure exploded. Soundwave took a step back. “You traitorous, flimsy, entertainment bot of an officer!” Megatron bellowed, “the Autobots bandage your wounds, give you nicer quarters and energon goodies and you suddenly seem to forget what this war was even about!”.

Soundwave choked and trembled with a nauseating mixture of fear and rage. “I was left to die, Megatron! You expected me to crawl back as if… as if…” his voice dropped to a near whisper. “Nicer quarters and energon goodies” Soundwave murmured to himself. The anger trickled from his frame to be replaced by a churning uneasiness.

Soundwave squinted at the Warlord, “how do you know what my quarters are like? How… how do you know what I have been doing?”.

Megatron’s expression froze in guilt for a moment before curling into a sickening smile. Soundwave jerked back as the grey mech suddenly tossed a datapad at his peds. He took a step back and stared at the datapad before looking back up at the larger mech.

“Go on,” Megatron smiled, “see for yourself, if you are so curious”.

Slowly, Soundwave picked the datapad out of the sand and brushed it off with a shaky servo. He glanced suspiciously back up at Megatron before powering up the device. A gallery of images met Soundwave’s optics. The telepath’s tanks twisted into a nervous knot at he selected an image to view.

It was him. Soundwave blinked in shock and re-started his optics. The image remained the same… it was him, leaning over his desk and working on a report. It looked like the picture was taken through a window. Soundwave’s voice was caught in his throat as he scrolled to the next image.

There was an image of him playing with his cassettes in the living room of his new quarters… an image of him and Blaster walking together in the hallway, they were laughing about something. Next was an image of Soundwave in the medical bay having a routine checkup… then a picture taken of him and Blaster, pressed together and sound asleep in Blaster’s berth. Soundwave stared in horror as he continuously scrolled through the pictures. Each one seemed to get worse, more private, more terrifying to see.

Then came the image from weeks ago. It showed Soundwave and Blaster sitting on the floor in their quarters… they were covered in smears of energon goodie batter and laughing at each other. That night rushed back to Soundwave’s helm… the way he had suddenly felt like they were being watched. He had rushed to the window, but hadn’t seen anyone. They really were being watched… he was being watched constantly.

Soundwave’s breathing hitched and he dropped the datapad. He backed up as his mortified optics looked back up at Megatron. The Warlord was looking at Soundwave smugly, as though he had just proven a point.

“This is how you knew we were at the beach” Soundwave whispered in revulsion. Megatron fixed the telepath with a cruel smile. “You’ve had me followed… watched!” Soundwave gasped as he gripped at his audios. A wash of shame and humiliation ran through his frame. How much had Megatron seen? How many private moments? “How could you?” Soundwave groaned.

Megatron chuckled, “now that we are on the same page, perhaps it is time to return to reality. Don’t you think so, Soundwave?”

Soundwave’s mortification suddenly lit ablaze into a scorching rage. He choked over words and felt his faceplates flush with anger.

“How dare you” he snarled at Megatron. The Warlord’s smug smile melted away immediately. “How dare you do this to me!” Soundwave cried. “After everything I did for you and the cause! How could you, Megatron?”

Megatron stumbled over his glossa for only a moment. “What do you mean how dare I?” He growled back, “you turncoat! You disgrace! So pathetic and weak! I thought you were the best mech I had! I thought I could trust you with anything!”. The grey mech flared his plating and stepped towards Soundwave, but the telepath’s fear had been washed away by a wave of anger.

“You left me to die!” Soundwave yelled in an uncharacteristically emotional display. “You left me in the mud to bleed out! You left my cassettes with the enemy! You let the Autobots care for me and fix me as you lounged around waiting for my return!”. All of the frustration and betrayal Soundwave had experienced months ago boiled up and out of his mouth. Megatron stood frozen in surprise as the smaller mech continued his tirade.

“You threatened me when I was still in recovery! You marked me as a traitor even though you were the one who left me to die! You were willing to risk my safety and health only to protect your inflated ego!” Soundwave kicked up a plume of sand in his rage. His voice began to shake, “I dragged your unconscious frame out of so many battles. I heaved you through gunfire by myself when the rest of the Decepticons had fled. You were always so heavy, but I did it anyways because I was so stupidly loyal to you. When I fell you acted like I was something disposable! You left me, Megatron! You only wanted me back when I could benefit the cause! You’re just as bad as Cybertron was before the war… I was nothing but a tool for you to use and benefit from”. Soundwave’s voice dropped to a saddened whisper. His anger fizzled out and his plating shrunk back down against his frame. “I wasn’t the traitor, Megatron. You were”.

The two mechs stood in silence for a long moment. The only sound was the whisper of the wind picking up sand. Megatron stared at Soundwave with a pained expression on his faceplates. "I didn't mean..." Megatron whispered hoarsely, "this wasn't meant to...". Soundwave glanced back up at the Warlord.

With a sudden shake, Megatron's faceplates went completely blank. “I’m taking you back” he snapped. He took a few large steps to close the distance between himself and the telepath. His servo closed around Soundwave’s wrist and he started pulling the smaller mech towards an opening land bridge.
Soundwave gasped and pulled against the servo. He clawed desperately at Megatron’s arm and dug his heels into the sand. “No! No Megatron!” he cried. It was just like the beach, but Blaster wasn’t here for him this time.

Megatron growled at Soundwave’s struggles and seized the smaller mech’s frame to lift him up. Soundwave struggled harder and let out a yell. He kicked his peds against sturdy grey legs. Megatron didn’t buckle. Twisting his frame in wild desperation, Soundwave managed to turn and free one of his servos from Megatron’s grip. He viciously clawed at Megatron’s optics. The grey mech startled back and let out a shout of pain. His large arms loosened enough for Soundwave to kick and claw his way free.
The telepath’s frame hit the ground; with a gasp, his breath was knocked out of him. In a flurry of sand, Soundwave scrambled up and away from Megatron. The larger mech lowered his servo from cupping his faceplates. His expression was morphed into a terrifying growl, energon dripped from his clawed optic.

Soundwave’s processor screamed to run, hide, yell for help, anything! He stumbled back through the sand… There was nowhere to hide or take cover.

“You little glitch” Megatron snarled as he started towards Soundwave. The expression on his faceplates was completely murderous… Soundwave had never been at the receiving end of that look before. He had a feeling that no mech living had been.

“Leave me alone” Soundwave tried to hide the obvious shake from his voice. Megatron laughed and reached for the smaller mech again. In total desperation, Soundwave launched the most cruel telepathic attack he could muster. He burrowed his way into Megatron’s processor and flooded it with burning anguish.

Megatron’s frame froze and he seized his helm. He let out a scream of agony and bowed his frame. Large gray servos clawed desperately around his audios.

Soundwave continued to stumble back while his telepathy quickly depleted what energy he had left. He couldn’t waste all of his energy like this. He had to run. He dropped the telepathic hold over the warlord and turned tail to run. Behind him, he could hear Megatron groan in disorientated pain.

Silence held for a moment. Soundwave didn’t look back. He kept his optics fixed on the distant Ark and ran as fast as his frame would take him. If he squinted hard enough, he was sure he could see approaching frames. Help was coming!

Burning agony exploded on the outside of his thigh. Soundwave let out a cry and dropped to the sand as his leg gave out under him. Soundwave whimpered in pain as he pushed himself up to look at his leg. Primus, it was shot right though. He gasped and pressed on his open wound to try to reduce the copious amounts of energon pouring from his frame.

A shadow stained the sand around him. The whine of a fusion cannon re-loading sounded. Soundwave looked up from his leg. Megatron’s frame eclipsed the sky. He blocked out the sun completely. Soundwave stared in shock as the warlord pressed the burning hot cannon to his helm.

Megatron let out a low growl, “If I can’t take you back alive… so be it”.

Without thinking, Soundwave grabbed the cannon and shoved it away from his helm. The hot barrel scorched his palms. Another explosion marred the sand next to him. Megatron let out a furious snarl. His cannon whined as it instantly recharged. Soundwave desperately shimmied back in the sand, a trail of energon followed him. Megatron bared his teeth in an ugly display of rage.

As the Warlord aimed his cannon again, Soundwave desperately kicked out his working leg. It slammed into Megatron’s knee, which made a sickening crunching sound. Megatron stumbled back and let out a howl, his cannon fired into the sand again.

With a brief moment to arm himself, Soundwave fired up the sonic cannon on his shoulder. By the time Megatron looked back up from his knee, he was met with an explosion of sound. The warlord was thrown onto his back in the sand, he covered his audios in pain.

Soundwave tried to stand but his leg gave out again. He hit the sand and stumbled backwards. Megatron was getting up again, in a fog of panic, Soundwave fired another explosion of sound at the Warlord. The grey mech rolled back and stayed down for a moment.

Soundwave wiggled backwards in the sand; his optics stayed trained on the groaning Decepticon. He could feel the energon depleting from his frame… he could feel the horrible burn as sand filled his new wound. His audios rang. His helm was so heavy. Megatron began to push himself up again.

“Hey!”. There was a voice behind him. Soundwave glanced behind his shoulder and a wave of relief washed over him.

Thank Primus, he wasn’t alone anymore. Prime, Blaster, Jazz, and Rachet tore through the sand towards them.

A hollow groan pulled Soundwave’s attention back towards Megatron. The grey mech stumbled up, he clutched his helm in pain. A moment passed while the warlord looked at the approaching team. He was outnumbered. Soundwave watched him numbly from the sand. Megatron looked at the bleeding mech before him, almost in surprise.

Megatron stumbled backwards towards the land bridge. He didn’t look at Soundwave again as he backed through it and it closed around him.

Silence.

Soundwave’s arms gave out from under him. He stared at the sky in a haze. It was very blue. It would have been a nice day out. Distantly, over the ringing in his audios, he could make out the approaching mechs… but he didn’t have the energy to respond. He was alive. He didn’t think he would still be alive.

“Soundwave!” Blaster cried. The orange mech suddenly came into his vision. He blocked out the sun and created a cool shade over Soundwave’s frame. Soundwave smiled distantly at his friend.

“Hello, Blaster” he smiled meekly. Blaster sobbed in relief and dropped into the sand next to his friend. He pulled the telepath into a tight hug. It was nice. Soundwave hugged him back. The shaking of his friend’s frame suggested that Blaster had been more scared then he was. It seemed that the orange mech had abandoned his post and everything. Soundwave smiled.

Ratchet all but pushed the two mechs apart.

“Let me look, kid” The medic examined Soundwave’s leg before immediately beginning to seal off the bleeding. Soundwave hazily watched the medic before dropping back onto his dorsa. He was so dizzy, almost nauseated.

Optimus and Jazz hovered over his helm. Soundwave retracted his lower mask and gave them a dazed smile.

“It may be the energon loss speaking, but I am so glad you’re all here” Soundwave whispered.

Jazz grinned and crouched down beside Blaster. He gave an encouraging pat to Soundwave’s shoulder.

“You just stood up to old Megsy by yourself”, the agent said, “that’s pretty bad-aft”. Soundwave snorted. Perhaps it was, in a way. It certainly wasn’t his most composed moment.
“Thank you, Jazz” he mumbled. Soundwave’s helm turned back to meet Blaster’s worried gaze. He smiled encouragingly at his friend; Blaster managed to return a watery smile.
Soundwave couldn’t remember who started it… but looking back at that day, he remembered Blaster’s servo in his. The orange servo gave an encouraging squeeze. He returned a much weaker squeeze. Somehow he felt a little bit better.

Soundwave didn’t remember anything after that. Not until he woke up from his daze in the medical bay an hour later.

____________________________________________________________

Ratchet glanced up across the medical bay. Soundwave and Blaster were sitting together. The medic had been able to seal off most of Soundwave’s bleeding a while ago. It was a mean wound, but nothing critical so long as care was received before too much energon was lost. Luckily for Soundwave, Rachet was a pretty fast runner for his age. The medic huffed to himself as he gathered up a few more tools and carried them back to his patient. Soundwave was one lucky mech… or a very unlucky one, depending on how you looked at it.

Ratchet settled back on his seat and continued working on Soundwave’s leg. The bleeding was all but finished, now he just had to patch up the wiring and plating. The medic glanced up at the two mechs while he worked in silence. Soundwave sat in a daze; his helm was rested in Blaster’s shoulder. The telepath’s arms were looped through Blaster’s arm, creating a link. No wonder the kid was dazed, he had lost a fair amount of energon back there. The IV drip of energon was beginning to slowly revive the blue mech. Slowly but surely, Soundwave’s optics began to focus more on his surroundings.

Ratchet’s optics drifted from his work to Blaster. The orange mech was holding Soundwave’s frame against his in a way that could only be considered tender. The boombox was gazing at Soundwave in the fondest way. Rachet blinked at the interaction, it felt like something too personal to be seeing. He looked back down to his work. The medic chuckled quietly to himself. Young love.

Soundwave’s optics flickered and he gave a soft hum. Blaster’s servo gently rubbed his dorsa. Slowly, the telepath lifted his helm from Blaster’s shoulder. He met Blaster’s optics with his and gave a soft smile. Blaster let out a soft breath of relief. Nothing needed to be said as Soundwave rested his helm on Blaster’s shoulder again. It just felt right.

Chapter Text

Soundwave’s optics gazed out the window of his quarters. It was a beautiful day out, perfect for a family picnic with his cassettes. Soundwave heaved a sigh as he pictured it. He could pack up enough fuel for lunch, as well as some goodies. Blaster would bring the blankets, and the cassettes could bring supplies for whatever activities they wanted. They would all set up a picnic at a park. They cassettes could run around and play games while the two host mechs relaxed and chatted. Later, the creators could join their creations and goof around with them. Soundwave smiled wistfully. It all sounded so nice. Maybe they could even go to a beach. The cassettes could swim and build sandcastles.

The smile immediately dropped from Soundwave’s faceplates. Right… then Megatron could show up and start firing his cannon at the cassettes. Maybe the warlord could try to drag Soundwave back to the Nemesis again… He could even break Soundwave’s wrist, for old times sake.

The telepath dropped his dorsa against the back-rest of his chair in defeat. His optics didn’t leave the sky outside. It has been a week since Megatron revealed his collection of images to Soundwave during the attack. Soundwave shuddered in disgust as he remembered all of the pictures of himself. How had he not even noticed he was being watched?
With a defeated sigh, Soundwave dropped his helm down onto the table. He crossed his arms and rested his forehelm on them as a makeshift pillow. He hadn’t been outside in a week. He hated to admit it, but he was just too frightened. Megatron had Reflector’s optics on him, if he dared leave the base, it was likely that Megatron would know. It was just too risky anymore.

Soundwave would be lying if he said it wasn’t bothering him. He hated feeling cooped up. He was a telepath living on a very large and bustling base. The only thing that kept him sane some days was the ability to leave and go somewhere far-far away from all of these thoughts, dreams, and feelings. Since knowing that Megatron had been watching him, Soundwave hadn’t felt safe enough to leave the security of the Ark.

It wasn’t just that… Soundwave could feel himself becoming paranoid. Reflector was trained on his every move. It was hard to forget that. That little piece of knowledge had been sticking to the back of Soundwave’s processor like an itch he couldn’t scratch. Each day it got worse.

He started leaving the windows closed and curtains drawn shut. Now, Soundwave would only keep a window open in his quarters if he was actively looking out of it. He was on edge, to say the least. Nightmares had been plaguing him more often that not. His dreams often placed him in a room full of watching optics, in aquarium-like jail cells, and dark placed with the occasional flash of a camera. He was always aware that he could be observed at any moment. The thought alone was itching under his plating more often than not.
As much as he tried to hide it, Soundwave could tell that his cassettes knew. If Soundwave left a window closed and locked, they wouldn’t complain or try to open it. They had been especially gentle with him, and Soundwave felt an immense guilt for that. Soundwave’s worry for his own personal safety extended beyond just himself. Often times, the host mech found himself checking and doublechecking on his cassettes across the bond. What if one of them snuck out and got captured? What would he ever do? On occasion, Soundwave found himself fretting over the idea of Blaster being hurt too. Every time Blaster went on outdoor patrol rounds with another mech, Soundwave kept his telepathy fixed to Blaster’s processor, just in case.

Slowly but surely, Soundwave felt his resolve begin to crack at the seams. He was tired of being anxious. He dearly missed the sunlight, fresh air, and ability to distance himself from the bustling Ark. As much as he tried to maintain his normal conduct around his family, Soundwave felt himself slipping away from happiness. Blaster’s kind words and cheery attitude could hardly make him feel better. Some days, Soundwave even found it hard to smile when his cassettes joked around. Out of guilt, the telepath had occasionally faked a smile or laugh, just to keep his cassettes and Blaster from worrying, but it was becoming harder as the days passed.

Soundwave sighed but kept his helm down on the table. He was home alone now, so he didn’t have to put on a front. He let his frame relax a bit further, then pulled back his restraint on his telepathy and let his processor go lax. How could one week drag so much energy out of him? Primus, being constantly on guard like this was more exhausting than being in active, drawn-out warfare.

He almost didn’t notice it the first time. There was a soft brush at the back of his processor, a very faint presence. Someone small… but not one of his cassettes. Soundwave’s optics snapped open, but he didn’t lift his helm from the desk. Turning all of his attention to the presence outside his window, Soundwave let his telepathy spread out further. Now that he was listening, he could tell that he was actually sensing three very interconnected minds. Reflector!

For a moment, Soundwave’s spark span in a worried frenzy. The suffocating pressure of constantly being observed pressed down on him. Then, the blue mech’s processor reminded him how much bigger he was than Reflector. Soundwave smiled to himself, what an interesting idea.

There was certainly a lot of focus coming from the little processors outside his window. They likely assumed that he had fallen asleep on his desk, the little snoops. He could almost taste the excitement they got as they took their pictures, this was the kind of content that would please Megatron. This was the content that would secure themselves as important to Megatron… and thus safe. Soundwave understood the importance of that, especially for smaller mechs. Ensuring that everyone knew his cassettes were under his protection was always of great importance to Soundwave. No one wanted to pick on the little guys if they knew they would have to answer to a serious threat later. None-the-less, he couldn’t allow this to continue.

Soundwave waited until Reflector’s presence was close. He could feel the little mech’s nervousness as they leaned in close to the window to take images of the whole room. In a flash, Soundwave sprang up and snapped open the window next to him. Three unison cries of fear came from Reflector, who immediately started to scramble back. Before any real distance could be purchased, Soundwave seized one of the triplets by the scruff of his neck and yanked him in through the window. The telepath instantly slammed the window shut and bolted the lock.

The taste of Reflector’s panicking mind was overpoweringly bitter. Soundwave had to resist wrinkling his nose as he held the tiny mech in-front of him by the neck scruff. Now that he was holding the mech, it was remarkable how similar in size Reflector was to Rumble and Frenzy.

The Reflector triplet in his grip held his little servos together in a plea. “I’m sorry!”, he cried, “I’m sorry! I was just doing what was ordered, I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me! Please!”. The other two parts of Reflector pressed their small faces to the window glass and cried for mercy. This felt wrong… they were just too similar to his cassettes.

Soundwave shook the guilt from his processor, now wasn’t the time to get soft. He held up his servo to demand quiet. The three little mechs grew silent. The telepath turned his attention back to the trembling Reflector in his grip. The small mech still had his servos clasped together in a plea. “I’m sorry” he squeaked.

Soundwave let out a deep breath and held out his free servo. “Give me the pictures you took today and delete them from your internal memory banks” he ordered. Reflector nodded vigorously and immediately dropped a datapad in Soundwave’s grip.

“Done, they’re gone” the small mech held up his servos in a gesture of defeat. Soundwave scrutinized the small mech for a moment, but his telepathy didn’t sense any lies. With a stout nod, Soundwave turned his attention down to the datapad. He quickly flipped through the images before giving Reflector a glare.

“I’m sorry” Reflector pleaded, “I really am!”.

“You are sorry that you were caught, that is all” Soundwave stated before dropping the datapad and crushing it with his ped. Reflector whimpered as he watched his work for the day get demolished… So much for receiving Megatron’s praise. He then flinched when Soundwave’s red visor snapped back up to him.

“No more of this” Soundwave commanded, “no more following me, no more taking my picture”.

“But Megatron ordered u-“ Reflector began.

“No”, Soundwave cut him off. He gave Reflector a tiny shake to get the point across.

“There will be no more of this stupidity. You will stop following me, you will not take pictures of me and my cassettes. Next time that I catch you watching any of us, I will not be so kind”. Soundwave drew the small mech in closer, his voice softened as he asked, “have I made myself clear?”.

The Reflector in his grip nodded in silent terror. Soundwave turned his gaze to the two outside his window. Both Reflectors nodded in unison.

“Good” Soundwave pulled Reflector back away from himself, “I am glad we have that sorted”. With a second thought, Soundwave stated, “You will not be telling Megatron about this”.

Reflector gave a soft cry of fright at the order. “But what about when he wants more pictures?!”

“Lie” Soundwave said simply, “Tell him that you didn’t see me”.

“But-!”

“No,” Soundwave dismissed the protest. “You are creative, I am sure you can make something up. Isn’t that correct?”

Reflector nodded woefully, “I won’t tell Megatron” he said in a near whisper.

Soundwave nodded with satisfaction. “Good” he said, then opened the window and gently tossed Reflector back out. The minicon landed with a grunt in the sand before being pulled back up by his team. Reflector, whole once more, looked up at Soundwave, who casually leaned out of the window by resting his arms on the windowsill.

“The Autobots are not what you think they are” Soundwave hummed.

“…what?” Reflector paused as he brushed sand out of this joints.

Soundwave sighed, “Megatron has said many things about the Autobots for eons… Most of it is not true. They are not trying to restore Functionalism; they want what we have long been searching for”.

Reflector blinked up at him silently for a moment. Soundwave pulled himself back out of the windowsill and slammed the window shut for good. He closed the blinds, then paused and re-opened them. Reflector was already gone.

Slowly, the telepath returned to his seat. He smiled to himself.

That felt good.

___________________________________

Blaster and the cassettes slowly began to trickle home from their shifts and duties. Soundwave greeted them as usual as they came home and settled in for the evening.
Blaster casually made his way over to his roommate and dropped himself into the chair beside Soundwave. The telepath smiled at his friend as Blaster draped an arm around the back of Soundwave’s chair.

“How was your day?” Soundwave asked.

“Aw, pretty good, ‘Wave” Blaster said in his usual cheery tone, “How about you?”.

Soundwave shrugged absently, “it was fairly uneventful, but good”. He smiled at Blaster, who chuckled and leaned back in his seat to watch their hoard of cassettes play across the room.

Soundwave found himself silently watching blaster. The orange mech turned back and raised his optic-brows to meet Soundwave’s gaze. He grinned and Soundwave smiled back.
“You look good” Blaster observed, then scrambled for a moment, “I mean good as in… happier, or more relaxed or something”. He paused and then continued earnestly, “not that you don’t always look good, because you do. I mean it’s not that I’m physically attracted to you or anything! Er- or I should say I’m not unattracted to you. You’re an attractive mech! So I don’t want you thinking that I think you’re unattractive, because you’re not!”

Soundwave cracked into a soft laugh and Blaster broke from his nervous tangent to chuckle and rub at the back of his neck. “I just noticed that you looked happier… is all”, he finished in a more calm voice.

Soundwave let out a breath and relaxed his frame a bit more. “I do feel happier. You’re very observant, Blaster”.

Blaster smiled at his roommate as Soundwave turned back to watch their cassettes.

“Maybe tomorrow we should go for a walk outside with all of the younglings” Soundwave suggested.

Blaster raised his optic ridges in surprise, but he didn’t protest the idea. As far as he was concerned, Soundwave wanting to get outside was a positive change. So long as they were in a safe distance to the Ark, it shouldn’t be a safety issue. “That sounds like a great idea, my mech” He assured his friend.

Soundwave didn’t reply, he just smiled and leaned over to gently rest his helm on Blaster’s shoulder.

The orange mech’s spark fluttered with excitement at the intimate moment they were having. Trying not to let his excitement seep from his frame, he wrapped his arm over Soundwave’s shoulders.

Soundwave watched his creations play in the living room with Blaster’s cassettes. It was a peaceful evening, and the events of the day left him feeling just a bit safer. He had no idea what the future was to bring… but for now, things were okay.

Better than ever, really.

Chapter Text

“So, how’s the wife?” Jazz grinned as he set a cube of high grade on the desk for Blaster. He had taken the liberty to mix in copper flakes, just as Blaster liked it. That was one of the perks of being Jazz’s friend, he never forgot a drink order.
Blaster raised an optic brow and shook his helm, “wife?” he asked pointedly.

Jazz feigned a gasp as he dropped into his chair, “oh dear… divorce? What’ll happen to the kids?”.

Wordlessly, Blaster smacked his friend’s arm from across the desk. Jazz yelped and laughed at his friend’s amused smile.
“You’re an aft” Blaster chuckled with a shake of his helm. He leaned back into his seat, energon cube in servo. He took a slow sip before humming in satisfaction, “Jazz mech, you’re a genius”.

“’I know” Jazz smiled coyly as he rested his chin on a lazy servo.

It had been a while since the two mechs had a drink together. The war had been unusually hectic since Soundwave’s arrival on the Ark. Megatron really seemed to carry a grudge… no one was surprised by that. Not to mention that Soundwave’s presence had almost instantly sucked most of Blaster’s attention away from his other friends. It wasn’t until the telepath had urged his roommate to spend an afternoon visit with Jazz that Blaster noticed how much he had been neglecting that friendship. Luckily, Jazz was about as laid back as a mech could get (around friends, that is).

Blaster had to admit that he felt guilty for focusing so much on his and Soundwave’s friendship. The telepath’s presence was exciting for him, in many ways. Despite his recent friendship shortcomings, Blaster was welcomed back with open arms from Jazz. He had to appreciate that. Out of all the mechs on the Ark, Jazz was probably the most likely to understand how Blaster felt.

“Nah, for real though, how’s Sounders’ doing?” Jazz encouraged over a sip of his cube, “’I know he’s been kinda’ out of it since his tuft with Megs’”.

“You know, he was really glum for a little while there, but the last few days have been great” Blaster smiled, “he’s seemed a lot less nervous, and he’s starting to open the windows up again”. He wasn’t quite sure what brought on the sudden change in Soundwave’s mood, but Blaster wasn’t about to complain. His roommate had been acting more like himself lately but offered no explanation. Not that Blaster needed an explanation, he was just happy to see his friend in a better place.

“That’s good” Jazz rocked back in his seat, “real good to hear, Blast-Mech”. A beat passed between both mechs. Blaster could see the slag-eating grin slide itself onto Jazz’s faceplates, so he knew exactly what to expect when Jazz said, “when are you plannin’ on proposing?”

“Ha Ha” Blaster said flatly, “never saw that coming”.

“Aw come on, mech! You can’t deny that you love him” Jazz teased. He teetered his chair forward again and rested his elbows on his desk. He was never one to pass up an opportunity to egg on Blaster.

Blaster’s mouth opened for a moment then shut with a snap. He looked off to the side and gave the smallest of shrugs. “Jazz, c’mon mech” he mumbled in a low voice.

Jazz jolted out of his teasing grin. His optics narrowed down on Blaster’s distracted looking faceplates as he leaned in across the desk. “Say that again, mech?” he urged. In silence, Jazz watched as Blaster minutely shook his helm and continued to avoid optic contact.

“Would it be so shocking…” Blaster spoke unusually faint “for someone like me to fall in love with him?”. His blue optics refused to meet with Jazz’s.

A slow smile spread across Jazz’s faceplates. His voice started in a near whisper before erupting into a near yell, “’I… fragging… knew it!”. He had to resist the urge to jump out of his chair in joy. He eagerly leaned on his desk while grinning widely, “what did I tell you, Blast-Mech. I know a crush a mile away when I see it. And I saw it”. He laughed in excitement before finally toning it back down.

Jazz’s exhilaration flickered out like a dying flame as he focused back on Blaster. The boombox was still sitting as he was before, with a quiet frown. The saboteur reached over the desk to clap a servo on Blaster’s arm.

“C’mon, Blast-mech, it’s not the end of the world” Jazz consoled, “you caught feelings for him! That’s great! Feelings are great!”.

Blaster broke from his somberness to snort. He gave Jazz his best attempt at a smile, “that’s pretty easy for you to say, mech. You’ve been with Prowl forever… and you guys are the best together”. He gave a melancholy sigh, “I haven’t even built up the courage to tell ‘Wave that I have feelings for him”. The orange mech slumped over the desk and dropped his chin in the palm of his servo, “I’m just crazy for him, Jazz… I don’t know what to do”.

Jazz smiled understandingly. “Aw, Blast-Mech” He shook his helm with an amused smile, “look at you, all lovesick”.
“That’s not even the worst of it!” Blaster cried, “’he just makes me so tongue tied! I never stumble over my words or say stupid slag until I’m around him! Then as soon as I start talking to ‘Wave it’s like my processor drinks ten high-grades and slams itself against a wall. He must think I’m completely incapable of getting a coherent idea out of my mouth!”. Blaster dropped his face onto Jazz’s desk with a defeated groan.

Jazz chuckled with a shake of his helm. He gave the back of Blaster’s helm a gentle pat as he said, “that’s how you know it’s the real deal, Blast-Mech. I was a total fool around Prowler when I first met him”. Jazz chuckled to himself as he recalled it, “I damn near threw myself on that mech every time I saw him when we first met. It was only after I fell in love with him that I became too chicken-shit to try anything”.

Blaster’s helm slowly lifted from the desk. He studied his friend with a soft laugh, “really?”.

“Swear to Primus” Jazz beamed.

“huh…” Blaster puzzled to himself as he sat back up. He took a thoughtful sip from his cube before prodding, “you know, I've never heard about how you two met”.

Jazz grinned widely as he rested his elbows on the desk, “is this an invitation for a monologue?”.

Blaster laughed with an encouraging nod, “please. Maybe it will inspire me”.

Jazz gave a giddy grin, “I’ll take any excuse to talk about Prowler.” After a moment he fixed Blaster with a troublemaking grin, “on a scale from one to ten, how raunchy do you want this story to be?”.

“Awh mech,” Blaster laughed, “I do not need to hear that”.

Jazz burst into laughter before polishing off his cube. “Hang on a sec’” he murmured before hopping up to get a re-fill. “Want another?” he offered as he scooped up Blaster’s empty cube.

Blaster hummed in thought for a moment before deciding, “pits, why not?”.

Jazz walked backwards for a moment to point approving servos at Blaster before turning back to the dispenser. Blaster chuckled in fond amusement.

“Okay, so… Primus, where do I begin?” Jazz mused as he slipped back into his seat. Blaster thanked him as the saboteur slid a fresh high-grade his way.

“From the beginning, I guess” Blaster smiled as he settled back into this chair. Jazz nodded thoughtfully as he also cozied back into his seat.

“Well, I first met Prowl during the early stages of the war. Civil issues were just starting to crop up, and so the big mechs sent a tactician to meet with us special ops. ‘Course, that tactician just happened to be the hottest Praxian on all of Cybertron.”

Blaster chuckled with a shake of his helm, “so you had it for him from the very start?”.

Jazz grinned, “like you wouldn’t believe, mech. As soon as I saw Prowler, I made it my goal to get comfy with him”. He smiled with a shake of his helm at the memories before continuing. “However, I was a bit of a different mech back then. I didn’t have much interest in the romantic, couple-y slag. In all honesty, I just wanted to frag him”.

Blaster laughed in disbelief. He had known about Jazz's history as a more casual relationship-free mech. He hadn't realized that Prowl had been one of the mechs Jazz wanted to be casual with.

“It’s true,” Jazz assured, “’I swear to you, Blast-Mech. I’m glad it didn’t work out the way I wanted, because who even knows if we would have even become an item. I was all about the one night stands back then. Sometimes I would have a friend with benefits, but that’s about it”. The saboteur shrugged casually, “nothing else caught my attention that much. Of course, then Prowl came waltzing in all cute and stuff, and I had to give him a sample, too”.

Blaster gawked at his friend’s nonchalance. Jazz didn’t even seem to notice.

“So, I was pretty well jumping all over him right from the start,” Jazz laughed. “But Prowl was not having it. See, he wasn’t much interested in sleeping around… even with a fine specimen like you see before you”. Jazz jokingly swept a servo over his frame to showcase his point.

Blaster laughed and urged him on, “so Prowl wasn’t feeling it at first, then?”

“Tragically, no”, Jazz twinkled with glee, “not that he didn’t eventually get his fix”. He laughed as Blaster pulled a face.
“Okay, so… where was I? Prowler wasn’t into the whole sleeping around thing. He would always get so flustered when I flirted with him. At first I thought that was a good sign, but then he began to avoid me”. Jazz laughed, “oh mech, I was so frustrated, but I took his answer and stopped pushing for it. Over time, Prowler began to relax a bit more around me, he knew I wasn’t gonna try anything anymore. It all started off super casually, just like any other co-workers. But as time passed, I found myself really enjoying his company. We became friends pretty quickly after that. I'm sure that it helped that I was no longer trying to drag the poor mech to berth” Jazz laughed. “I actually started showing interest in getting to know him as a mech. And, Primus, I liked what I found. Mech, I fell hard and I fell fast. Before I knew it, I was helm over heals for a mech who had already turned away all my advances. Of course, at this point the last thing I wanted to do was to tell Prowler how I was feeling. He would think that I was just trying to berth him this whole time and lose all the trust we had developed”.

“That must’ve been awful” Blaster sympathized.

“oh,” Jazz scoffed with a shake of his helm, “the worst, mech”.

“Let me tell you, I knew I had to come clean about my feelings. But I just kept pushing it off and pretending that everything was fine. There was just so much fear that I would ruin our friendship… which I really valued no matter what”.

“Oh mech,” Blaster shook his helm mournfully, “I know exactly what you mean”. How many times had he almost told Soundwave how he felt? It was mortifying how much he could relate to Jazz’s story. Then again, Jazz and Prowl did end up becoming conjunx endura, so maybe there was hope for him and Soundwave. The very thought sent a thrill of excitement through the boombox’s frame. Blaster stomped down that idea as soon as it cropped up. He really shouldn’t get his hopes up like that.

“How did you finally confess?” Blaster asked.

“I didn’t have to” Jazz smiled. Blaster’s puzzled look pushed him on.

“well, one day, Prowler called me into his office for an emergency meeting. Mech, I was nervous as pits. I kept combing through my processor wondering what I was about to get in trouble for, but Primus there were just too many things to choose from!”.

Blaster laughed, “yeah, that sounds about right”.

“Watch it” Jazz chuckled playfully as he kicked at Blaster’s peds under the desk. “By the time I got to Prowler’s office, I was damn near ready to get fired. But when I stepped in those doors, the whole office was covered in crystal flowers from Iacon. Prowl was standing in the middle of the room, and Mech, he looked fragging terrified. I remember so well, he was standing there wringing his servos waiting just for me”.

Blaster gaped in surprise before melting into a softer expression, “really?”.

Jazz laughed warmly, “for real. Lemme tell you mech, I damn near passed out. To this day Prowler still won’t tell me how he was able to ship in hundreds of crystal flowers under the nose of special ops! Prowl started to explain himself. He started going on about how he heard that crystal flowers were considered very romantic. He started rambling about how he wasn’t sure how to express his feelings for me, but there were a lot of them.”.

“Oh!” Blaster pressed a servo over his chest plates, “that’s so romantic… what else did he say?”

“Nothing" Jazz grinned, “’I jumped on him before he could even finish”.

Blaster laughed and shook his helm, “of course you did, mech”. They laughed together.

-------------------------

Leaving Jazz’s office later that evening, Blaster found himself carrying a new level of hope. Maybe he really could make this work with Soundwave. After all, Prowl and Jazz were the power couple of the Ark. Not only did Blaster see similarities between himself and Jazz and Prowl and Soundwave, but he noticed a lot of similar feelings in Jazz’s story that he had experienced as of late.

Maybe things really could work out with Soundwave. After all, they got along great. That was something Blaster could no longer question. He knew Soundwave enjoyed his company and Primus did he ever enjoy Soundwave’s! He even had the approval from some of Soundwave’s cassettes (including Ravage, which was still surprising). Of course, they would need to find a moment apart from all of the cassettes… which was easier said than done. He had to do it right. Maybe he couldn’t do it ‘hundreds of Iacon crystal flowers’ right… But that wouldn’t hold him back from trying.

The boombox’s spark fluttered with excitement at the idea. He could almost imagine how great it would be. He wanted to kiss Soundwave so badly, the very idea sent a thrill through his frame. Blaster grinned to himself as he turned down the hall towards his quarters. He just had to figure out the best way to say it.

Chapter Text

Earlier that evening, Blaster had the perfect chance to steal a moment alone with Soundwave. The cassettes were pre-occupied with their games and gossiping, Soundwave was tinkering away at his recent project, and Blaster was drying off from his shower. Through his entire shower, Blaster’s processor revisited the conversation he had with Jazz earlier that day. He was set and ready to talk things through with Soundwave. Of course, he was still scared to the pit and back that Soundwave wouldn’t return his romantic feelings… and even more terrified that unrequited feelings could damage the trust and friendship that had developed between them. None-the-less, saying nothing would only result in more frustration and self-denial… not to mention the ever-hovering risk of Soundwave hearing about Blaster’s feelings through a cassette.

The opportunity had presented itself as Soundwave walked past Blaster, who was standing outside their private washracks, towel in servo. The telepath spared his roommate a small smile as he turned into his berthroom. Before Blaster’s processor could catch up to his mouth, the orange mech started, “Hey ‘Wave?”.

Soundwave paused, servo on door. He turned with a hum to look back at Blaster, who had frozen.

“Could… could I get a moment with you?” Blaster asked. He tried his best to keep his voice casual and friendly, but he noticed the raised optic-brow from Soundwave. There really was no use in trying to hide how nervous he was from a telepath.

Soundwave simply nodded and gestured with a servo into his berthroom. If they really wanted privacy from curious (and often snoopy) cassettes, they would need to place some walls between them.

Blaster tossed the towel in a hamper and entered the room, then looked back to watch Soundwave follow him in and shut the door. Great, now it was just the two of them.

… Primus, now it was just the two of them. Now was the time to say how he felt. Blaster felt himself freezing in the spot. Soundwave watched him quietly, but the telepath’s expression clouded with confusion as the silence continued to drag on.

“uh…” Blaster started suddenly. The orange mech cleared his throat nervously and tried to pick the best words in his helm to start this with. Primus, he really should have planned out what he was going to say.

A soft smile of amusement appeared on Soundwave’s faceplates. The blue mech interrupted Blaster’s frantic processor with a quiet observation, “many of the Autobots do that”.

Blaster blinked in surprise; his processor screeched to a halt. “Many of us do what?”

“Make that sound”, Soundwave elaborated, “in your throat, as the humans do”. Soundwave demonstrated by imitating a throat clearing sound.

“oh” Blaster smiled, then chuckled. “Yeah, I guess we kinda do, don’t we?”.

“The first time I heard Optimus Prime make that noise, I assumed he had untreated damage to his vocal cords, or perhaps a nervous tic” Soundwave mused.

Blaster laughed in amusement, “really?”. Soundwave nodded. “Guess the humans made quite the impression on us” the orange boombox grinned.

Soundwave hummed before dismissing the subject. He squeezed Blaster’s shoulder comfortingly as he spoke, “I apologize for interrupting, you wished to tell me something?”.

“Ah! Right yeah” Blaster trailed off again. It was so much harder to focus on placing his words well with Soundwave’s gentle servo resting on his shoulder like that… Not to mention those pretty amber optics looking up at him. There was not much of a difference in their height, Blaster was really only a fraction taller… if you squinted. It really didn’t matter all that much, but Blaster enjoyed knowing that if they ever kissed, they would really just fit together perfectly.

“Well, I have been meaning to talk with you for a little while, ‘Wave”. Blaster said. Soundwave’s servo withdrew from his shoulder, the telepath looked concerned. “Oh, don’t be worried! Nothing’s wrong or anything” Blaster assured (at least, he hoped that nothing would be).

After stoking up some courage, Blaster reached over and took one of Soundwave’s servos with his own. The telepath didn’t seem to be outwardly affected by this, but Blaster saw the miniscule movement as amber optics briefly flicked to the side to look at their interconnected servos.

Blaster finally steeled his nerves and began, “I’ve really enjoyed your company here, since you moved in”.

Soundwave’s look of confusion wavered into a smile, “I’ve also rather enjoyed living here with you”.

Blaster grinned, okay, good start. He took a breath before continuing, “your friendship is really important to me, but I have to be honest”. Primus it was so fragging cute when Soundwave tilted his helm to the side like that. “For the last while, I-“

Rumble and Rewind practically burst through the door. Blaster couldn’t help his surprised jump, Soundwave calmly looked over at the two cassettes. Had he sensed them coming? Blaster couldn’t help but wonder.

With far too much guilt in his quickness, Blaster yanked his servo apart from Soundwave’s. That definitely looked as guilty as it felt. For a moment, Blaster could feel Soundwave’s optics linger on him… analysing him.

“uuhh… are we interrupting something here?” Rewind scrutinized the two mechs.

Far too quickly, Blaster said “no, not at all. What’s up, fellas?”. Now he could really feel Soundwave watching him. The telepath’s optics seemed to bore holes in the back of his helm. Blaster tried to keep his thoughts focused only on the present cassettes… just in case.

“okay…” Rumble drawled suspiciously, then snapped into childish excitement, “can we have a movie night tonight?!”.

Rewind clapped his servos together as if he were a human in prayer, “please please please please?” A chorus of pleads could be heard from around the corner as a number of cassettes joined in from the living room.

Blaster laughed and looked as Soundwave. The telepath shrugged as if to say, “why not?”.

“Alright guys, but you have to all agree on a movie, okay?” Blaster grinned.

Rewind punched his fist in the air with excitement before running off, Rumble practically vibrated with excitement as he ran back to the living room shouting movie titles.

Blaster felt all the bravado stolen from him like wind gone from in a sail. He casually tried to slip back into the hall and towards the mass of excited cassettes. A servo grabbed his own and pulled him back to face Soundwave. He couldn’t help the excited flutter his spark gave at the gesture.

“Blaster,” Soundwave murmured, his optics seemed to search his roommates’ faceplates. “Is everything alright? You have seemed… unlike yourself lately”.

Blaster’s expression melted and he squeezed Soundwave’s servo gently, “I’m okay, ‘Wave”. Now just wasn’t the right time. “We can talk more about this later… when we actually have time” he assured his concerned friend.

Soundwave’s servo tightened in his to halt another attempted retreat. “Blaster”, Soundwave’s voice sounded upset, almost pleading. The orange mech turned back to face his companion again, this time in surprise.

“If I said anything to upset you, or distance you from myself” Soundwave wavered, his helm dipped into an apology, “I am incredibly sorry. Sometimes I say things that do not make sense or behave in ways that others do not understand. If I did anything to insult you without realizing-“

“Hey, no, no ‘Wave” Blaster turned his whole frame to face Soundwave again, he took up both of the blue mech’s servos in his snugly. Primus, this was the last thing he wanted! Of course, Soundwave noticed his odd behaviour lately… Blaster just hadn’t realized that Soundwave was reading these changes as something being wrong.

“No, ‘Wave! You didn’t do anything to upset me, I promise!” Blaster assured, “this is all my doing, I’m just working through a few things and I don’t want you to feel guilty about that”. The boombox’s spark clenched painfully as Soundwave looked back up at him with a pained expression.

“Are you certain there’s nothing I did wrong?” Soundwave’s voice was a near whisper.

“I’m one thousand percent sure” Blaster guaranteed as he pulled Soundwave into a tight hug. He felt so guilty about this… He had to get his slag together and stop acting so differently around Soundwave. Feelings or no feelings… nothing good would come of anything if he only served to distance himself from his friend.

Soundwave’s servos uncertainly returned the hug. A moment passed before Soundwave spoke, his voice muffled against Blaster’s shoulder, “one thousand percent is rather certain, isn't it?".

When he pulled back from the embrace (wishing he could stay much longer), Blaster assured his friend, “we’ll talk about this soon, I promise. I’ll explain everything, okay?”.

Soundwave nodded. It wasn’t long before they were pulled from the room by impatient cassettes. The movie of the night had been chosen, there was no need to stand around talking!

_____________________________________________

Blaster replayed the events of the evening in his helm again and gave a weary sigh. He had been so close! He rolled onto his back in berth and stared at the ceiling. It was almost as if Primus himself didn’t want him to say anything.

He mentally kicked himself again at remembering how upset Soundwave had been. The idea that Soundwave assumed Blaster was distancing himself from his friendship really wrung at his spark. How could he be so stupid? He was living with Soundwave, and that mech picked up almost every miniscule detail around him. Of course he would notice when Blaster started to stumble over his words and act unusually.

Blaster scrubbed at his faceplates. The events of the evening had kept his processor spinning all through the movie, and even more so now that he was alone in his berth. His cassettes were all tucked away in his chest-plates, which really didn’t help tromp the feelings of loneliness Blaster couldn’t shake.

His processor also kept returning to the vivid feeling of holding Soundwave so close to his frame. It had felt so right to tuck Soundwave into his arms to comfort and reassure him. The blue mech felt so warm, it all felt so right. Blaster recalled exactly how Soundwave relaxed his frame into the hug and tentatively returned it. Up close like that Soundwave smelled like the solvent he used in the washracks and energon with iron flakes in it. The remembrance sent an undeniable thrill and flutter through Blaster’s frame. Blaster let out a soft breath and rolled onto his side. Even if he couldn’t be with Soundwave in a more romantic way right now, he wished so dearly that he could just see his roommate and talk to him. He wished he could march across the hall to Soundwave’s berthroom and knock on the door. When it opened, he would take a big step in and pull the blue mech into his arms and kiss him very, very deeply.

Blaster’s fans clicked on at the idea. It was a rather pleasant idea. Of course, it was nothing he could do right now. It was the middle of the night, and Soundwave was probably asleep and oblivious to his feelings.

He just wished that he could talk to him right now… just the two of them.

It seemed as though Primus was being charitable that night. As if on cue, there was a soft knock at the door. Blaster jolted up and out of his berth. Was that Soundwave? Did the blue mech’s telepathy notice that he was awake and come over to continue their talk? Blaster’s excitement faltered for a moment as he considered the possibility that Soundwave could have also picked up his thoughts and was coming over to ask him to quiet his perverted mind.

Either way, Blaster couldn’t deny his excitement about having a private talk with Soundwave. With a spring in his step and a smile on his faceplates, Blaster opened his berthroom door. As soon as his optics focused on Soundwave, any idea of romantic conversations were shut down.

Soundwave stood in the hallway with his optics downcast to the floor. He was shivering with a chill; Blaster couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or from fear. The telepath’s entire frame was rigid with some sort of distress.

“May I stay with you tonight?” Soundwave whispered. Blaster couldn’t ignore the obvious twinge of shame in the blue mech’s voice.

“Of course,” Blaster whispered as he guided the telepath in with a gentle servo. “You look freezing” Blaster murmured. Soundwave only replied with a nod.

The orange mech pulled Soundwave into his berth. He made sure Soundwave got in on the side he was just lying in, as it was warmer. Soundwave thanked him softly but continued to avoid optic contact.

Blaster fretted over the idea that Soundwave was still upset from their earlier exchange. Silently, Blaster climbed in the berth next to Soundwave. He opened his servos out as an offer of comfort, but Soundwave visibly shrunk back. Blaster’s spark tightened.

“’Wave, what’s wrong?” Blaster whispered soothingly. It deeply pained him to see his love in such a disturbed state.

Soundwave gave a shaky sigh, “I just had a night-flux, please don’t worry over me”. Even now that he was talking, he avoided optic contact at all costs.

Blaster frowned, “do you want to talk about it?”. It was challenging to resist the urge to reach out and offer physical comfort to the distressed mech.

Soundwave quietly shook his helm no.

Something about this didn’t sit right with Blaster. Soundwave had come to him after a nightmare before, but he had been much easier to soothe. This one must have been a doozy of a night-flux. Looking at the still trembling mech before him, Blaster doubted that this night-flux was about the injury Soundwave sustained a few months back. Maybe it had something to do with Megatron’s recent aggression towards him. Blaster dismissed this idea, Soundwave would likely have had this night-flux sooner after the attacks, if that was the case. Besides, something about Soundwave was different. Blaster had never seen the mech so shaken, even when he was recovering and weak in the med bay months ago.

“Is there anything I can do to make things better?” Blaster offered in a soft voice, “I could tell you more stories from when I was a dumb kid”. His smile faltered as Soundwave shook his helm again at the offer.

“Thank you, Blaster, for your kind offers” Soundwave murmured. It was hard to ignore the distinctive tremor in his voice, “I just did not want to be alone. Please, go back to sleep. Do not let me disturb your rest”.

Blaster searched his processor for words, “are you sure, ‘Wave?”. Soundwave nodded silently before turning away from Blaster to face the wall.

“Okay,” Blaster whispered. He hesitated, then added, “if you want to wake me up at any point tonight, please do. I’ll always be here for you, ‘Wave”.

The room stood in total silence for a long moment, Blaster almost wondered if Soundwave had already fallen asleep. Finally, Soundwave murmured, “thank you, Blaster. I appreciate you”.

That was all they said.

Everything about Soundwave was huddled and drawn in. Even his field was pulled flush against his frame, it was almost wilted in on itself. Had Blaster closed his optics, he may not have even noticed Soundwave’s presence. It felt incredibly wrong to leave Soundwave like that. Every inch of Blaster’s processor screamed at him to reach out to offer comfort and support. However, Soundwave clearly didn’t want anything of that sort right now, and that had to be respected.

Blaster watched Soundwave’s frame. It was hard to tell, but it looked like the telepath was dropping into recharge fairly fast. His frame wasn’t trembling as much anymore, and the tension in his dorsa and field was starting to melt away. If he turned his audios way up, he could hear Soundwave’s soft breathing even out. At least he was able to calm down enough to get some rest.
What could have possibly brought this on? Blaster puzzled over this. Ever since Soundwave joined him here on the Ark, he had been through all sorts of slag. He recovered from that nasty injury, left the Decepticons, got attacked by Megatron… twice, joined the Autobots, and found out he was being stalked. While he had seen Soundwave in a bad state here and there… he had never seen Soundwave like that. At least when he was upset before, Soundwave was willing to talk about what disturbed him. Even when he didn’t go into details, Soundwave at least allowed Blaster to comfort him.

Blaster watched Soundwave’s dorsa. Now certainly in recharge, Soundwave’s frame had relaxed completely. His field had unwound from itself and was starting to relax out. Blaster shimmied an inch closer and let his field gingerly reach out to Soundwave’s. It was unmistakeable that something in his night-flux had deeply upset Soundwave. Now that he was recharging and thus free of inhibition, his field latched to Blaster’s for comfort. Blaster let his own field relax and soothe over Soundwave’s prickly, painful, distressed one. What could have caused this?
Blaster stumbled over a memory from the first day Soundwave decided to stay on the Ark and relinquish his place as a Decepticon. They had been sitting outside, watching the sun go down. Blaster had asked about Soundwave’s past and Soundwave indulged him with a vague personal history.

All at once, Blaster’s processor pieced together a puzzle he had long been uncertain of. Soundwave had said that he had been a slave once, long before the war. Many mechs had owned him and… how did Soundwave place it…

The memory file snapped open in Blaster’s processor:
“Some masters: took it upon themselves to… break… the more difficult slaves”

Primus, how had Blaster never seen it before? The flinches early in their friendship when Blaster tried to touch him, the way Soundwave guarded his cassettes from other grown mechs like they could turn and grab them at any moment, Soundwave saying he was familiar with pain flashbacks when Ratchet was explaining it to them in the med bay.

Blaster shuddered and felt his tanks turn into a knot. He had received so many hints and nudges… how did he not piece them together.

“Primus, ‘Wave… what did they do to you?” he whispered to the recharging mech.

Somehow, after tossing and turning for what felt like an eon, Blaster was able to slip into recharge. In retrospect… he must have been really tired.

________________________________________________

Blaster woke with a comfortable weight on his frame. Groggily, he let his optics start to online. He attempted to lift his servo up to scrub at his optic, but found it somehow pinned to the berth. Half aware of this recent discovery, Blaster opted to rub at his optics with the other servo.

Blaster felt incredibly comfortable and warm. It was so tempting to give into the fuzzy pull and fall right back into recharge. Done with rubbing his optics, Blaster dropped his servo down to rest on his chestplates. His half-asleep processor lagged when he felt his servo land on something that wasn’t his own chasis.

… wait.

Blaster’s processor snapped awake as he looked down at his frame. The memories of the night before flooded back into his mind as he observed Soundwave curled up snug into his arms. The blue mech was curled up, chestplates down on top of Blaster’s frame. Deep in recharge, his servos clung to Blaster’s sides as if his life depended on it. The crested helm was tucked comfortably on Blaster’s shoulder.

Blaster practically swooned at the moment. Soundwave’s breathing was so shallow and soft, he was obviously still deep in recharge. A wave of fondness washed through Blaster as he gingerly stroked his servo along Soundwave's backstruts.

Much to Blaster’s utter delight, Soundwave seemed to enjoy the sensation and the telepath smiled in his sleep. It was, perhaps, one of the most delightful things Blaster had ever seen.
However, all good things had to come to an end. Blaster tried to stamp every moment into his processor as Soundwave slowly lifted out of recharge. The blue mech let out a soft sigh and tightened his hold to Blaster. Then he nuzzled his faceplates deeper into their cuddle, Primus that was cute. Slowly, those amber optics booted online. They were incredibly dim at first. Still half aware of himself, Soundwave looked up and met optics with Blaster. He blinked a few times in a daze. Their faceplates were so close. Blaster could almost envision waking up like this every morning. All he would have to do each day was turn his helm in the slightest to press a kiss to Soundwave’s lips.

Soundwave’s optics shuttered off for a moment, then blinked in a sudden bright shock. Immediately, he drew back out of Blaster’s arms. Despite himself, Soundwave’s faceplates darkened into a deep flush. He pushed himself up to sit on the berth and watched as Blaster did the same.

“Sorry,” Blaster smiled, “you looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to wake you’”.

Soundwave shook his helm and slowly returned the smile, however the flush to his faceplates didn’t budge. “Thank you, I hope I didn’t keep you in berth longer than intended”, he murmured.
“Naw, I just woke up” Blaster dismissed with a wave of his servo. Soundwave looked relieved.

It wasn’t nearly as awkward as the last time they woke up together… that being said, it was still just a little bit odd. A long silence spanned as Soundwave and Blaster stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

“Blaster?” Soundwave started suddenly.

“Yeah, ‘Wave?” Blaster paused in the middle of climbing out of berth. Seeing the look on his friend’s faceplates, he settled down to sit again.

“Thank you”, Soundwave’s optics were suddenly fixated on his lap as he spoke, “I wish to apologise for my unusual behaviour last night. I hope I didn’t upset you, and I don’t want you to think I am ungrateful. Your presence was very comforting. You make me feel safe… thank you”.

Blaster’s optics softened and he inched closer to his roommate. Moving slowly, he reached out and pulled his friend into a hug. Soundwave looked shocked at first before gradually wrapping his arms back around his companion to return the embrace.

“Don’t be sorry,” Blaster murmured in his audio, “I’m just glad I was there for ya, ‘Wave. I’ll always be here for you”. He tightened his hold to give Soundwave a slight squeeze, “I know you haven’t exactly had an easy life, and I’m sure it weighs on you sometimes. If you ever want to talk about your past, I’m here”.

When he pulled back from the hug, Soundwave was looking at him in shock. As a telepath, he was used to being able to read others like open books. He was not at all used to others figuring things out about him so easily.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, “How did you know my night-flux was about something from my past?”.

Blaster puzzled over the question for a moment before giving a small shrug. “That’s a good question, ‘Wave. I don’t exactly know how I figured it out; I just did.”

Soundwave nodded slowly. A beat passed before he suddenly reached out and pulled Blaster into another tight embrace. Blaster gasped in surprise at the sudden change, but was more than happy to give in. Soundwave had never initiated contact like this with him before. Everything had been offered by Blaster first.

Blaster rubbed a soothing servo along Soundwave’s dorsa. He couldn’t help but notice how tense it was, but he didn’t dare breach the new level of intimacy they had suddenly established by giving Soundwave a proper massage. Soundwave’s faceplates felt warm pressed to his throat. In fact, Blaster could almost swear Soundwave was blushing again. The boombox smiled to himself. This felt right.

As quickly as he had started it, Soundwave pulled back out of Blaster’s arms. The telepath now seemed mortified with himself for such an act of intimacy, so Blaster squeezed his servo and smiled encouragingly at him… just to let him know it was alright.

Slowly but surely, Soundwave smiled back. Without another word, the two mechs climbed out of berth to begin their day.

______________________________________

Reflector was running out of excuses.

The trio shrunk as Megatron brooded down at them. The warlord was silent in his throne, his fingers drummed rhythmically at the armrest of his seat. Reflector couldn’t help but feel like they were a mouse being stared down at by a hungry cybercat.

“Explain to me again why you have no pictures for me” Megatron growled.

“Well… you see, My Lord” Reflector started nervously, “Soundwave hasn’t been coming outside lately”.

“Yes,” another Reflector picked up, “since you showed him the pictures, we took… he’s been avoiding us”. All three small mechs nodded in unison, but Megatron’s disapproving glare didn’t falter.

Slowly, dangerously, Megatron leaned forward in his seat. Reflector shrunk back. “Let me ensure I understand you completely”, Megatron’s voice carried that sickly sweetness that guaranteed nothing good was about to happen. “You were able to get pictures of Soundwave for almost a week after he found out you were watching him…” Megatron’s voice shifted into a booming yell, “but now, all of a sudden, you haven’t seen the bloody mech in over a week?!”

Reflector shrunk down in fear. They nodded pitifully, but even they could see the holes in their lie.

“Well, if you’re so incompetent at taking pictures from afar, why don’t you try going inside the Ark?” Megatron snarled.

The trio gaped up at him. “But, My Lord!” Reflector cried. “We are not spies! Our power lies in distant observation”. All three flinched back in terror when Megatron abruptly stood from his throne.

“You will do as I say,” Megatron snarled. His heavy peds closed in on the shivering bots, “I am your commander, and you will get me those pictures when I tell you to!”.

Reflector cowered back from the warlord. With an easy swipe of his servo, Megatron snatched one of the trio up. The two left standing cried in terror.

Megatron’s voice dripped with honey as he spoke, “need I remind you that this task should only require the efforts of one mech?”. The triplet in his grasp wriggled fruitlessly and let out a small pained whimper. “Unless you wish to become a team of one, I suggest you get inside that Ark and take those pictures for me… unless you are hiding something?” As he finished his remark, Megatron turned his attention to the Reflector in his grasp. His servo tightened threateningly. The small mech in his grip whimpered in pain.

“Wait!”, Megatron’s attention turned back to one of the trio standing on the floor. The minibot flinched at the attention, but continued, “we haven’t been spying on Soundwave anymore… He caught us and threatened us, so we stopped”. Megatron’s grip on the mech in his servos tightened. “Please! The Reflector on the floor begged, please don’t hurt him!”.

The grey mech simmered for a moment, his optics turned back to the minibot in his servo. Reflector whimpered and shrunk away from the gaze. For a moment Megatron considered crushing him then and there for insolence… but then again… Reflector -the whole Reflector- may be needed again one day.

“You’re off the case, clearly you are too incompetent for this task” Megatron hissed. With no effort at all, the warlord threw the mech in his grip across the room to the door. The minibot hit the closed door before crumpling to the floor without a sound. The other two counterparts dashed across the room and pulled the injured mech up to his shaky peds.

“Get out of my sight” Megatron snarled as he walked back to his throne. By the time he took his seat, the throne room was empty.

Megatron stared at the empty room. He glanced over his right shoulder to where Soundwave used to stand, then to the destroyed communications hub which Soundwave used to operate.

Then Megatron laughed.

Nothing could be heard in the entire west wing of the Nemesis that day. Nothing except for the distant echoes of Megatron’s laughter bouncing off the walls. Any mech who started towards that part of the ship heard the laughter and turned the other way. It was the safer thing to do.

Chapter Text

For about a week, things felt entirely normal. Soundwave relaxed further into his life as an Autobot, and the Autobots around him relaxed more at his presence. It had only been a few months since Soundwave woke up in the Ark’s med bay as a Decepticon. In Cybertronian terms, that wasn’t even a mere blink in a lifetime. However, with his cassettes living so contently, and Blaster’s friendly company, it was so easy for Soundwave to sink into this new life. Things were entirely calm and quiet for about a week, so it shouldn’t have been such a shock when the Decepticons decided to interrupt things.

On a calm afternoon, in the middle of his communications shift, Soundwave was jolted to full alertness. His bond with Laserbeak was suddenly flooded by a data burst. The avian had been on a flight around the area. He had informed his creator that it was to survey the territory, however Soundwave knew it was mostly just an opportunity to stretch his wings. It was most unexpected when Laserbeak found himself looking down at an oil rig infested with Decepticons.

Soundwave briefly scanned over the images Laserbeak had sent, sure enough, it appeared as though a small group of Decepticons were attacking a nearby oil rig. The telepath squinted at the data pad, Megatron didn’t appear to be in sight. Looking at the dulled state of the Decepticon’s armor, Soundwave considered it a possibility that they were starving troops searching for fuel behind high command’s backs. Soundwave sighed and shook his helm, that couldn’t possibly be a good sign. If Megatron was neglecting his own troops, things on the Nemesis really would be going downhill.

Soundwave fired a brief summary of the information to Optimus, Prowl, Jazz, and Blaster, then continued to survey the images. There were only three Decepticons at the oil rig, Bombshell, Ramjet, and Swindle. It wasn’t surprising that swindle was present, if there was any opportunity to funnel away some energon for profits and trades, he would be there. For a moment, Soundwave considered the possibility of bringing energon to the depleted looking mechs. He wondered if Optimus Prime would agree to that. The Autobots had never donated energon their way before, however, Soundwave still felt a faded sense of responsibility and comradery to the Decepticon troops. If Megatron wasn’t mining or raiding for enough energon, the troops would suffer at no fault of their own.

Soundwave was ripped from his thoughts by a sudden excruciating pain in his left wing…. No… Laserbeak’s wing! The blue mech gasped and jolted out of his seat as fear and pain flooded across the bond. Primus! His cassette had been shot! Laserbeak sent scrambles of frantic data through their bond. He was falling, spiralling, there was a forest, trees, a sudden hard ground, a thin cushion of leaves. Panic set in when the bond slipped out of Soundwave’s clutches, Laserbeak had been knocked offline by his hard landing.

The room felt eerily still and silent as Soundwave stared blankly at the communications monitor. Had that really just happened? Soundwave’s bonds suddenly lit up as his other cassettes bombarded him with worried questions. Buzzsaw immediately requested to fly out and find his twin, but Soundwave shakily denied the request.

The doors to the communications hub swept open as Optimus, Prowl, Jazz, and Blaster hurried in. Soundwave finally pulled himself out of his daze.

“Laserbeak is down” Soundwave gasped.

“What?” Jazz’s visor brightened in his concern.

“Laserbeak!” Soundwave could feel a frantic edge start to slip into his voice, “Laserbeak is down! He was shot”. He stopped silent and covered his mouth with a gasp then started up again with a harder voice, “I must go and retrieve him”.

Optimus held up his servo for calm, however Soundwave elected to ignore this gesture.

“I have to go get him; I can’t let anything happen to Laserbeak” he insisted.

Blaster appeared at his side in an instant, his servo rested firmly on Soundwave’s shoulder. It would have been reassuring and welcome, if one of his cassettes wasn’t on some pit-spawn forest floor with a hole blown through his wing. Soundwave felt his plating bristle and he swept Blaster’s servo off his shoulder. He attempted to ignore the immediate pang of guilt he felt for his coldness. He avoided looking at Blaster’s concerned faceplates.

Taking a step closer to the Prime, Soundwave couldn’t help but feel incredibly small.

“Let me go retrieve Laserbeak,” Soundwave pleaded, “I have to make sure he’s okay”.

Sensing Soundwave’s agitated urgency, Optimus replied with more brusqueness than usual, “Troops are already being mobilized. Prowl, Jazz, and I are about to leave and catch up to them. We will intercept the Decepticons and send out a search party for Laserbeak. You and Blaster need to stay here and mind the comms”.

“No,” Soundwave interjected immediately, “no, I’m going with you”.

“’Wave” Blaster said softly at his side.

“Please, take me with you” Soundwave felt the panic start to rise in his throat again, “Blaster can handle the comms on his own. I will be able to track down Laserbeak far quicker than a search party. Please” He clasped his servos together in a gesture calling for mercy.

Optimus looked uncertain, something in the back of his processor told him that Soundwave would go whether he allowed it or not. He hesitated before answering. “Megatron has been after you, Soundwave. It may be unsafe to go out there. You should be staying here; I assure you that we will find your cassette”.

“Please”, Soundwave’s voice tremored desperately. He could feel all of the optics in the room on him, all of their processors singled on his unusual behaviour. He hated all of the attention.

“I will find him faster than any search party. Cassettes don’t have much energon to lose before they bleed out. Megatron has been after me, if he finds one of my cassettes- … please!” Soundwave’s voice tapered into a near cry.

The Prime’s optics remained uncertain for a moment, then hardened in their resolve. He took a breath before turning to the orange boombox. “Blaster, take the comms. Soundwave, stay close to Jazz. The two of you will go find Laserbeak. Once you find him, Wheeljack will bridge you back to the Ark. Do not engage with the battle, and if you see Megatron, leave immediately”.

Soundwave let out a relieved breath and nodded vigorously, “thank you”, he whispered.

Blaster didn’t like this plan. In fact, he hated it entirely. However, watching his roommate’s frantic field, he completely understood. If that had been one of his own cassettes, he would be doing the exact same thing. When Soundwave’s visor suddenly turned to him, he jolted out of his concerned daze. Following something that could really only be called instinct, he grabbed Soundwave’s servos. For a brief moment, he held them tightly between his own. He could feel every nervous tremor in the telepath’s grip. He gave a tight squeeze and smiled reassuringly at his love. “You’ve got this” he smiled.

Soundwave blinked at Blaster for a moment, then gave a soft smile. “Thank you” he murmured as he pulled his servos from the warm grip and followed the other three mechs out of the room. Blaster stared at the closed door for only a moment before settling at the communications consol. He couldn’t shake the concern for Soundwave from his processor as he hooked up to the system. Megatron had been more and more aggressive recently… if this was some sort of trick, it might not be pretty. This was going to be interesting, whatever it was.

While in a half run through the Ark, Soundwave ejected Ravage and Ratbat from his docks. He double checked the locations of his other cassettes, thankfully, they were all still on the Ark. His orders to remain on the Ark were not well received. Buzzsaw almost demanded to fly out in pursuit of his twin, however, Ravage was able to calm his younger siblings. Their pleads to go with him to find Laserbeak fell on deaf audios and his decision was definite. They were to stay where it was safe… just in case.

Soundwave quickly found himself standing with Optimus, Jazz, and Prowl at the land-bridge station. The other troops stood waiting for their deployment. All of them carried that nervous twitchiness that only existed before battle. Soundwave shut his blast mask over his faceplates and pulled his concussion blaster from his subspace… just in case.

Wheeljack gave a friendly thumbs up as he activated the bridge from behind the consol. Soundwave’s peds automatically carried him with the small party of Autobots through the bridge.
Stepping into the sunlight, Soundwave immediately felt that something was wrong. The sun scorched down on an empty oil rig. The humans had evacuated already, and there was no sign of the Decepticons. As the rest of the troops emerged, Soundwave squinted through the sun at the barren refinery. This didn’t make any sense. He could feel a few glances from his team as the Autobots stared at a silent rig. After all, he had been the only one to call in this sighting.

Something prickled at the edge of Soundwave’s telepathy. He strained his mind and audios to listen. This wasn’t right… the realization hit him like a freight train. Soundwave jerked and his spark revved into a rapid spin. The telepath turned to face the bridge as it closed behind them. Following the erratic movements of the blue mech, the other Autobots turned to face the closing bridge.
The bridge evaporated from sight to reveal a large troop of Decepticons, their blasters trained on the smaller Autobot team.

“Drop your weapons” Starscream broke the silence, his mouth curled up in a rather pleased smile. His wings stood high over his shoulders; he was clearly very pleased with their ambush. Soundwave could tell that this had been the seeker’s plan.

At the shocked silence of the Autobots, Starscream pursed his lips in mock disappointment. Without a word he cocked his weapon, the soft click echoed through the silence.

Suddenly mobilized again, the Autobots found themselves lowering their weapons to the ground. Soundwave watched himself drop his concussion blaster to the ground, he hardly felt his own frame move as a sudden numbness flooded him.

Sparing a glance to his ex-associate, Starscream sent a haughty nod in Soundwave’s direction. The telepath dimmed his visor at the gesture… Starscream could be such a showboat sometimes.

“Starscream,” started Optimus, “what’s going on here?”.

The seeker seemed far too eager to elaborate, he started with a twisting smile.

“Clever, aren’t I?” he tittered, “you Autobots are always so ready to run towards trouble. I figured that we may as well greet you with a little welcome party”.

Some of the Autobots began to shift restlessly as Starscream spoke. The seeker turned his sharp gaze to them like a teacher towards a daydreaming student.

“You clearly all want me to get to the point, so… let’s get to it. You lot will stand over there” he gestured carelessly to the side with his pistol, “with your backs to us. Don’t worry about being lonely, Dirge and Ramjet will keep you company”. He smiled sweetly and nodded to the aforementioned (and heavily armed) mechs. “We are going to drain this rig completely, perhaps knock some of your kneecaps in, then head back to the Nemesi-“.

Starscream’s monologe was suddenly interrupted as another ground bridge opened to the side. The seeker jolted from his speech and narrowed his optics at the bridge. Soundwave felt Starscream’s uncertainty as though it was his own. Both Autobots and Decepticons turned to watch the mysterious bridge as a figure began to make itself known.

Fear seized at Soundwave’s spark as he watched Megatron emerge from the bridge. The warlord was shrouded in an ominous silence, his burning and prickly field was the only thing that betrayed his emotions. Despite the cool silence in which the Decepticon leader arrived, there was something simmering under the surface tension. Looking into his optics, Soundwave couldn’t help but feel that there was something not quite right there… something unhinged.

Soundwave glanced back to Starscream, who was still frozen. Disbelief and frustration flooded the seeker’s processor, Soundwave was very familiar with that feeling. Megatron was ignoring the plans, he was breeching the chosen tactics to do whatever he wanted to do. This sent Soundwave’s spark hammering. When Megatron veered from set plans, it was never to do anything safe or rational.

Glancing at the other Decepticons, Soundwave couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortable they seemed in the presence of their leader. Plating pulled in tight to frames and fields retracted away from the new presence… they were frightened. Soundwave’s optics narrowed behind his visor at the new dynamic. Something was going on in the Nemesis, and he had a suspicion as to what it was.

“How nice of you to drop by, Autobots” Megatron smiled. The large bulk of the grey mech strolled casually towards the team. Plating creaked and air intakes quickened as the Autobot team mutually tensed. The two armies stood still and rigid like a wire begging to be tripped.

“Megatron”, Optimus warned stiffly.

The warlord dismissed his protest with a lazy wave of his servo. He finally came to a stop at the side of Starscream, who was continuing to fix the warlord with an enraged and confused stare.
“Do any of you know what loyalty is?” Megatron addressed the troop of stiff Autobots. A sea of aggravated blue optics stared back at him in silence. “No?”, Megatron hummed, “that shouldn’t surprise me” his optics fixed suddenly on Soundwave. The Telepath felt his fingers twitch for his blaster, which was still laying pitifully at his peds.

You see,” Megatron continued languidly, “loyalty is when you retain a certain level of respect for your sense of duty. Loyalty is not when you run off with-“

“I am sorry” Soundwave’s voice cut through Megatron’s speech. The warlord jerked his helm to the blue mech, only to find that he wasn’t the one being apologised to.

Soundwave’s visor was focused on the Decepticon troops, who were staring back at him in surprise. His blast mask and visor were in place as they were used to seeing him, however, his vocoder was not being used to modify his voice.

“I didn’t realize it was this bad,” Soundwave continued, the Decepticon troops stirred nervously under his gaze. The Autobots waited in bated silence. “Do you truly believe that Megatron is still capable of leading the Decepticons?” the blue mech asked. Red optics brightened in shock. The Decepticons stood in silence, a mutual hesitation seemed to hold them.

“Silence!” Megatron roared, “you insolent little-“
Soundwave spoke over the warlord; his voice was unusually loud and clear. “He hasn’t been feeding you, has he? There have been no fuel raids since I left, your stock must be brimming on empty. It was Starscream who brought you out here for fuel today. Has everything with Megatron been about revenge since I left?”.

The silence that hung over the Decepticon troops was permeated by hesitant shifting. Their optics searched the ground and sky as they fidgeted. Only Starscream kept his sharp gaze on Soundwave, however his expression was unreadable.

“You dare speak to my soldiers!” Megatron snarled, his plating flared aggressively. Soundwave didn’t spare him a glance.

Soundwave continued, fueled on by the uncertainty of the Decepticon troops. “Can’t you see that he is incapable of being your leader anymore?” He demanded, “Megatron does not care about you. He cares as much about you as the old regime on Cybertron did. Is this what you want? Corruption replacing corruption?”.

Megatron was practically frothing at the mouth. His plating rattled with unchecked rage. “Silence!” He howled, “Starscream! Silence him!”.

Soundwave’s optics jerked to Starscream; the seeker had his pistol trained on him with renewed energy. However, he was hesitating. Soundwave’s optic brows raised behind his mask. Sensing his opportunity, he opened his servos and spoke in a softer tone, “do you not think that you deserve better than this?”.

A hush fell over the gathered mechs. The determination in Starscream’s optics softened. A conflicted expression appeared on the commander’s faceplates and his wings twitched with agitation. Slowly, he lowered his pistol by a fraction.

The discharging of a fusion cannon interrupted the trance-like silence. Soundwave felt the breath knocked out of his frame as the cannon fire hit him square in the chestplates. The glass of his cassette docks exploded into shards. Something that could only be described as molten agony spread through his chestplates and through to his fingertips. He must have crumpled to the ground at some point, which was interesting, because he hadn’t even noticed himself falling. His dorsa hit the ground hard, sending his already empty air intakes into spasm. Suddenly, all Soundwave could see was the sky. He could feel servos grabbing him under his arms… who was that? There were a few sets of servos, other Autobots, and suddenly he felt himself dragged backwards.
An explosion of voices overwhelmed his audios. His optics flickered with static as other Autobots stepped in front of him, closing him off from the Decepticons. For a moment, Soundwave was confused as to why these mechs were hiding him from Megatron’s gaze. It was after a moment of consideration in his sluggish processor that Soundwave realized the other Autobots were protecting him. How nice, to feel like part of a team.

In the confusion and violence, most of the Autobots had picked their weapons back up. They aimed at the Decepticons, however, the opposing troops seemed distracted and distant. Shock and anger flickered in their optics as they glanced from the Autobots to Megatron and back again. Megatron almost looked as shocked as everyone else. He stood stiffly, fusion cannon still held out, but lowered almost to the ground. His optics stared brightly into nothing.

“It’s over here, Megatron” Optimus demanded. He could feel the renewed anger and dispositions of the Autobots. The Decepticons could hardly focus on their opposition anymore, they seemed suddenly lost and confused. Even a novice could see that there was no competition.

Megatron hesitated for a long moment. Suddenly, he jerked out of his stupor, “retreat” he ordered, his voice sounded uncertain. Silence sat on the field for a long moment. None of the Decepticons moved.

“Retreat!” Megatron roared, jolting his army from their daze. Slowly, the Decepticons started to take off. Most of them glanced back over the Autobot’s helms to look at Soundwave as they gained altitude. The telepath had pushed himself up to his knees, he held the shambled remains of his chestplates closed over himself. A few of the other Autobots crouched next to him, steadying him and speaking over comms… likely for a medic.

Starscream was the last Decepticon to take off. The seeker stood for a few moments more. He leaned to the side to catch a glimpse of Soundwave around the Autobots, seemingly not minding the guns aimed at him. His brow was pinched in uncertainty. For a moment, he caught Soundwave’s visor and the two stared at each other. Starscream opened his mouth, as if to say something, then snapped it shut again. His thrustors activated and he shot up into the sky after his troops.

Silence sat upon the Autobots for a beat. A number of the mechs kept their blasters trained on the fleeing Decepticons until they were mere specks in the sky. Almost at the same time, the Autobot team turned to look down at Soundwave. At some point Ratchet had materialized next to the telepath. The two were engaged in a sort of struggle as Ratchet tried to force Soundwave onto his back.

Soundwave somehow remained upright on his knees. He felt suddenly cold, then realized that it was likely due to energon loss. He watched as a pool of energon formed around him, then swayed when a wave of nausea seized him. Distantly, he was aware of Ratchet’s servos on his shoulders. The medic was trying to make him lay down, but there were more pressing matters. He swatted the servos from his shoulders, then attempted to stand up. He swayed and immediately felt a team of servos on his arms and shoulders pressing him back. There was a dim wave of voices around him, helms swam in his vision as a number of the Autobots forced him to lay back. Soundwave twisted in their grip; his frame trembled desperately. A horrible wooziness sat upon him and he fought to stay awake. The sides of his vision began to close in, the pressure in his helm began to hurt.

Finally finding his voice, Soundwave managed to croak out, “Laserbeak”. Groggily, he pushed Ratchet’s servos from his frame. The medic slapped his servos away and tried to get back to repairs. There was a distant muffled drone, Soundwave couldn’t hear. Panic seized his spark. Had they found Laserbeak? Where was his cassette?

“No,” Soundwave groused. He attempted to push Ratchet away again, but his servos were seized by other Autobots and forced to the ground. He was so weak. They had to find Laserbeak! It was more important, they had to make sure his cassette was okay.

“Laserbeak,” Soundwave whimpered “please, where is Laserbeak?”. Ratchet’s voice echoed on the inside of his helm. It was muffled and distant. What did he say? Soundwave’s vision filled with black pools. Optimus was there, leaning over him. He was saying something… it sounded so far away. Soundwave’s optics looked to the sky. Where was his creation? His vision closed in completely.

Chapter Text

Why orange?

Soundwave often caught himself wondering this. The Ark was a magnificent ship. Not only was it absolutely massive in comparison to the Nemesis, it was also shockingly advanced for a wartime ship. Of course, it helped that it was built by and for the Autobots, who were primarily supported by the gentry of Cybertron. While the Autobots didn’t exactly support the hoarding of wealth and power by the upper class, they were a far better choice for that class then the Decepticons. The senate decided to support the party that wished to de-throne them… not de-helm them. Besides, with the Prime in heavy contact with the Senate, the Autobot party would be easy enough to manipulate with time. Perhaps, there was even a hope that the Autobots could be manipulated back to the functionalist status-quo of Cybertron, with time.

The Ark was an investment from the upper classes. By comparison, the Nemesis was a scrap heap that self-taught engineers built themselves. Some part of Soundwave always had a deep love for the grungy half-functioning quirks of the Nemesis. Certainly, the Ark was a work of art. It was far ahead of its time in functionality and weaponry. However, the Nemesis was just another symbol of the wills of the Decepticons. They had no advanced machinery, no mechs created and trained to be engineers, and certainly no high-quality materials… and yet the Nemesis took to the sky.
On his melancholier days, Soundwave missed the pride he felt about the pure stubbornness and strength of the Decepticon brand. He certainly agreed with the Autobot ideals, especially now that the Decepticons were being led by a power crazed zealot. However, there was always such a divide Soundwave felt as an Autobot. He missed the history, the brotherhood, and the strength that being a Decepticon meant to him. He couldn’t help but feel out of place as an outlier from the slums among the Autobots. At least on the Nemesis, many mechs understood what it felt like to be regarded as garbage, if not a tool to be used.

The Ark was a beauty, one that Soundwave had to appreciate. Yet, the question always returned to him… why orange?

Soundwave found himself on his dorsa. His optics flickered temperamentally as he attempted to fully re-boot. As with many mornings, Soundwave felt himself staring down the horrifically bright orange ceiling of the Ark. For such a beautiful ship, the horrid piercing orange really was such an optic-sore. It wasn’t anything like the sunny red and orange Blaster’s plating was painted in. The orange that Blaster sported was bright and happy and didn’t burn your optics within their sockets. The biggest shame was that the prickly orange ceiling could be found across the entirety of the warship. The telepath squinted his optics as though he was staring at the sun. Who chose that horrible colour?

Soundwave turned his helm and found himself in the medical bay. In a sudden violent flood, his processor finished booting up. His last conscious memories took his mind by storm. The oil rig, Laserbeak, the closing land bridge, being held at gunpoint, being shot, being held down as he struggled… Laserbeak!

Soundwave jolted up and half out of his medical berth. A wall of static filled his optics and a heavy woozy spell hit him as he moved so suddenly. Where was Laserbeak? Had they found his cassette? His frame ached and protested at the sudden movements, but frame be damned. The static cleared from Soundwave’s vision just in time to meet optics with Ratchet. The medic placed firm servos on the telepath’s shoulders and attempted to ease him back.

“Easy now,” the medic chided, “we won’t have any more of your fussing and fighting. You sure as pits didn’t want me to help you back on the battlefield”. Despite his scolding, Soundwave could hear the amusement and concern under the medic’s words.

“Laserbeak!” Soundwave started pleadingly. His servos clutched at Ratchets, which were still upon his shoulders.

“-is safe” Ratchet completed the sentence for Soundwave. He paused for a moment to let the information sink in before continuing. “After you conked out, Prime sent a search party and found Laserbeak in a forest not far from the rig. The shot he took was in the wing. I’m sure it hurt like pits, but it wasn’t anything critical. He was stunned from the fall more than anything else. After a few repairs, he was good as new. He’s already home like nothing happened at all”.

A moment held in the air as Soundwave processed the new information. Sure enough, when he checked his cassette bonds, he could feel Laserbeak there. Soundwave gave a slow breath of relief. Knowing that his creation was okay, Soundwave finally let his frame relax from the lock he held it in. Ratchet seemed pleased as he was finally able to get his patient to settle back down. He helped Soundwave re-arrange his aching frame to sit up against propped pillows. He nodded to himself, that was much better.

Still wrapped in his relief, Soundwave let his helm drop back and he shuttered his optics. Thank Primus. He was distantly aware of Ratchet moving around him. The occasional tingle of a scan ran over his frame as the medic fussed over his work. Soundwave opened his optics halfway to watch the medic. It was odd, how much things had changed. When he had first woken up in the Ark’s medical bay, Ratchet was formal and kind enough… however very guarded. Now, watching the medic hum over a datapad at his side, Soundwave could only be amused.

Where there had once been guarded professionalism and duty in the medic’s field, there was now a genuine concern and warmth. Not close enough to be considered a basis of friendship… but it was clear the medic cared about him.

Soundwave felt his lips twitch into the tiniest of smiles… soft Autobots. Not that he could really laugh, he was starting to get rather soft-sparked himself.

“Thank you” Soundwave murmured. Ratchet jerked his helm up to look at Soundwave. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting to be pulled from his work.

In his typical gruffness, Rachet said “don’t thank me, kid. It’s why I’m here. They didn’t bring me onto the Ark for my temperment". However, Soundwave could feel the softest glow of satisfaction in the medic’s field. All things considered; it was likely that the medic wasn’t thanked enough.

“Well… thank you anyways. For your services and your temperment" Soundwave said, turning his helm to face the medic.

Ratchet didn’t look up from his datapad, but he smiled down at his report, “any time, kid” he said in a softer voice. He suddenly cleared his throat, “now… let’s talk about you”. In a quick and practiced movement, he pulled a stool up next to Soundwave’s berth-side and perched next to the telepath.

“You are a lucky mech… again” Ratchet looked up to raise an optic brow at Soundwave. Soundwave shrunk with a nervous smile. “That cannon hit would have killed you… should have killed you, really. However, for whatever reason, Megatron had his fusion cannon dialed back to only about half-power”.

Soundwave blinked in confusion. “Half power?” he shook his helm, that made no sense. The only times that Megatron’s canon didn’t fire at full power included when he had just shot it moments before and fired it again before a full recharge, or when he specifically chose to dial it back. Megatron hadn’t shot his cannon twice, and between his dramatic arrival by land bridge and the moment he fired at Soundwave, there would have been ample time for a full charge. Soundwave stared down at his repaired chestplates. He looked good as new, even though he certainly didn’t feel it. He ran an inquisitive servo over the brand-new glass plate over his cassette docks.

“I recommend that you don’t ruminate on Megatron’s ways,” Ratchet suggested, “his behaviour has been erratic at best since…”. He dropped the sentence before completing it. However, both of them knew that Soundwave’s arrival to the Ark marked the last time Megatron truly acted in a predictable way.

Ratchet shook his helm, then continued. “Although the cannon hit was only at half-power, it still did some pretty good work on you. You lost more than enough energon. There was also some limited structure damage around your spark chamber… nothing to worry about anymore but expect to feel achy and lethargic for a while”.

Soundwave nodded slowly; he certainly did feel sore. Sore and tired. “How long was I unconscious for?” he asked.

“No terribly long,” Ratchet murmured as he glanced over the datapad in his grip, “less than 24 earth hours. You were out for all of yesterday evening and night. It’s only just getting to the early afternoon now. The battle was yesterday. All things considered, that’s a pretty fast recovery after getting hit with a fusion cannon”.

A small wave of relief washed over Soundwave. He hated lengthy repair stays in the medical bay. There was always so much guilt for leaving his cassettes worrying about him and missing him. His time since the battle felt like a small pocket of nothing, not a full solar cycle. However, he was grateful that it was no more than that.

“Moving forward, I want you to get plenty of berth rest. You don’t have to stay here for that. You are more than stable and can make a more comfortable and private recovery in your own quarters”. The medic fixed Soundwave with a stern look. “And when I say berth rest, I mean actual rest. No running around taking care of your cassettes, no sneaking off to work on anything… get yourself comfortable on a berth or couch and keep yourself parked there. I only want you getting up to stretch and move your frame gently. Your family can take care of you for once, medic’s orders”.

Soundwave gave a small amused smile. He really must be predictable. “I will rest” Soundwave assured Ratchet. The medic nodded his approval before tucking his datapad away into his subspace with finality.

“I have already notified Blaster to your waking,” Ratchet continued as he stood from his seat and started to unhook Soundwave from the monitors and drips. Soundwave was always pleasantly surprised with how gentle the medic was. His servos moved incredibly fast, but you wouldn’t know it. “He is on his way to take you home. I’ve already made him aware of my expectations for your resting”.

“Thank you, again” Soundwave murmured. The idea of seeing Blaster brought a spring of happiness to the telepath. His roommate always made him feel better, no matter how dreadful he might be feeling. A small kernel of guilt welled up immediately after. Poor Blaster, he must have been rather worried for the last while. Soundwave was well aware of Blaster’s worries for his safety around Megatron. Unfortunately, it seems as though his worries were not unwarranted.

Ratchet dismissed the thanks with a wave and helped Soundwave shift his frame to dangle his peds off the edge of the berth. The blue mech tried not to wince, but he knew Ratchet picked up on his discomfort either way. The medic hadn’t lied when he told Soundwave to expect aches and lethargy. Every movement felt like a herculean effort as he maneuvered his stiff and sore frame. The telepath wasn’t often one to lay around and rest, however, the idea sounded like a rather good way to spend his day now.

At some point during Soundwave’s maneuvering, Blaster arrived. Once again, Soundwave couldn’t help but be called back to his first awakening in the Ark. Blaster had been so calm and cool as they sat on the medical berths and chatted. Of course, they were only just getting properly acquainted at that point, but it certainly made for an impressive comparison.
Blaster’s blue optics shone with unusual brightness. It took Soundwave a moment to realize that that brightness was provided by the tears of coolant that were brimming the Autobot’s optics. Soundwave smiled softly at Blaster; he felt another singe of guilt for putting Blaster in so much stress… again.

“Hey”, Blaster murmured in a near whisper as he approached Soundwave. Ratchet was only just able to step out of the way before Blaster swooped in and wrapped Soundwave in a gentle hug. This close, Soundwave could feel the small tremors in Blaster’s frame. His friend’s field was a swirling vortex of worry, relief, and warmth. After a beat, Soundwave returned the hug.

The hug lasted a moment longer than usual, Blaster seemed to be re-assuring himself of Soundwave’s presence. Finally, with a soft sigh, Blaster pulled back and relinquished his hold on the telepath. If he could have it his way, he would never have to let go.

There was an obvious quiver in Blaster’s voice as he said, “I’m so glad to see you, ‘Wave. Primus, I was so worried. I’m so glad you’re okay”. With each statement, the orange mech took a gentle hold to Soundwave’s arms, as if to make sure the telepath wasn’t about to evaporate away into nothing.

With his telepathy suddenly overwhelmed by Blaster’s powerful emotions, Soundwave felt his own optics water up. “I am sorry” Soundwave murmured, he had to fight to keep his own voice from trembling, “I did not mean to make you worry”.

“No,” Blaster whispered. He clutched Soundwave’s servos in his own, “no, you did the right thing. You were a total bad-aft out there”. He gave a watery smile, “I’m just so happy to see you”.

Soundwave’s spark lurched with something unrecognizable. Distantly, he hoped it wasn’t damage from the fusion cannon.

“How are the cassettes? Laserbeak?” Soundwave asked, the guilt sat over his helm again.

“They are just fine, and Laserbeak is right as rain. You wouldn’t even know he got out of the med bay last night. They’re real excited to have you home again” Blaster grinned, “we all missed you. They were so pumped when I told them I was coming to get you, they almost made me bring them all to pick you up. I made them stay home though… thought they might be a bit much to all come yelling in here trying to climb on you”.

“Thank you” Ratchet grumbled from across the med bay.

The communications officers smiled at each other in amusement. Ratchet would never admit it, but both carriers knew the CMO had a soft spot for their cassettes… in small dosage. Soundwave had spotted Ratchet smuggling energon goodies to his creations on a few occasions. He always pretended not to notice.

With Ratchet’s okay, Soundwave was officially signed out of the med bay. Both the medic and Blaster helped get Soundwave back on his peds. Once standing, Soundwave firmly latched his servos on Blaster’s arm. Blaster happily obliged and kept his arm bent out for Soundwave to steady himself with as they started at a slow pace back to their quarters.

The telepath’s slight limp became more obvious as they shuffled down the corridor, but neither mech said anything about it. Soundwave was glad Blaster didn’t put up a fuss over it, he hated being coddled in public spaces.

They hadn’t even made it part way home when Soundwave glanced up at Blaster to find the boombox’s optics misted up again. The orange mech was looking at him already, his optics were filled with warmth and worry. Soundwave suddenly felt very bashful under the gaze.

Blaster broke the silence, “oh ‘Wave, I’m just so glad you’re alright”. Soundwave felt Blaster’s waves of emotion like they were his own. He tightened his grip on Blaster’s arm to give a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m relieved as well, I apologise for worrying you so much” Soundwave murmured, he tilted his helm to the side to gently brush his audio against Blaster’s shoulder.

“Primus,” Blaster breathed, “please don’t feel sorry, ‘Wave. I am just so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you". His optics blinked rapidly for a moment. He shook his helm “you’re just so precious to me, ‘Wave. You really mean so much to me”.

Soundwave turned to focus his gaze on Blaster. He didn’t speak, he only watched Blaster with vigilant optics. He knew that he was Blaster’s best friend. Blaster was also incredibly valuable to him. However, the specific words Blaster selected to express his feelings, they were more intimate that Soundwave would have expected.

Unaware of Soundwave’s sharp focus on him, Blaster continued. “I just don’t know what I would do without you,” he babbled, “after losing my original family in the early war, I just don’t think I can bear to lose anyone else that I love”.

Soundwave jerked to a sudden halt. His servos locked and he dug his heels into the tiled flooring. Love. That word slapped him across the faceplates. His overly bright visor fixed itself on Blaster, who seemed confused as to Soundwave’s sudden freeze.

Blaster blinked obliviously. Then his optics flashed with violent realization.

“Love! Yeah, I mean love like a friend!” Blaster laughed nervously. His field seized and collapsed in on itself until it was flush against his frame. “You’re like family to me, ‘Wave!” he scrambled desperately, “that’s what I meant”.

Soundwave stared at Blaster for a long silent moment. Slowly, his optic brows pinched in and he developed a small frown. His servos retracted from Blaster’s arm and he took a tiny step back.
“Tell me the truth, Blaster” Soundwave’s voice was a near whisper.

Blaster wanted to smack himself in the faceplates… right, just go lying to the telepath. That’s such a terrific idea. He watched as Soundwave slowly withdrew from his frame. In an attempt to right everything as it should be, he started “’Wave, I don’t know if now is the best time… you are fresh out of the med bay, we really gotta’ get you home and off your peds”.

Soundwave shook his helm resolutely, “no, I’m not going home yet. Tell me, please”.

Blaster felt his plating constrict down on himself. Why did he feel so claustrophobic all of a sudden? “’Wave,” he pleaded softly, “we can talk about this later, let’s just get home first”.

With a sinking feeling, Blaster watched as Soundwave’s plating ruffled with agitation. Ever since they moved in together, he had never seen Soundwave get upset with him.

“Tell me” Soundwave whispered. His optics searched Blaster’s. For a moment, Blaster considered the thrilling idea that Soundwave was hoping to hear feelings that he returned. However, one look at Soundwave’s confused and uneasy expression pushed that charming idea away.

At least the hallway was empty for this, Blaster thought to himself. With a nervous sigh, Blaster scrubbed at the back of his neck. “Okay, Okay,” he said, “I’ll tell you”. Primus, where the hell did he even start? He shaped his mouth into multiple opening lines, then dropped them before they started. He sighed and wrung his servos together as a sudden wave of apprehension paralyzed his peds where they were.

“Okay”, Blaster started again, “I’m just going to spit it out”. He glanced up at Soundwave, who was watching him intensely, then looked back down at his peds. “Since you got here, I’ve really enjoyed having you around. Like… a lot. I meant it when I said you’re my best friend. But, over the last while, I’ve really developed lots of feelings for you. I… I’ve been having romantic feelings for you”. He suddenly jerked his helm up to meet Soundwave’s optics, his voice carried a torrent of earnestness and warmth as he continued. “I think you’re so incredible. You’re so smart, and interesting, and fun, and such a good carrier. I don’t think there’s anything I could have ever done to keep myself from falling for you”. The breath caught in his throat for a moment, “you are so special to me, and it kills me every day that I can’t tell you how much I treasure you”.

Soundwave’s expression remained completely blank for a long moment. He swallowed thickly, then gave his helm a small nod, as if he was processing all of the new information. “To what extent do you feel these… romantic feelings towards me?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.

Blaster hesitated for only a moment. “Well, you see… I’m completely in love with you”.

The air suddenly felt like it was made of stone. Blaster couldn’t help but notice the way Soundwave was looking at him. It was somehow different. It wasn’t until the telepath took a tiny step back that Blaster realized what that expression was. He was shocked, almost frightened.

“’Wave” Blaster whispered.

Soundwave edged back just a tiny bit more.

Blaster’s spark seized painfully. This… wasn’t what he wanted. He could feel his entire field deflate and shrivel up.

“’Wave,” he murmured, “it’s okay. Clearly now wasn’t the greatest time for this. Let’s just go home so you can get some rest. We can forget that any of this ever happened, it’s no big deal”. He reached out a servo for Soundwave’s arm but watched in dismay as Soundwave jerked back to avoid his grip.

“Soundwave” he whispered; his voice dripped with spark-break.

Soundwave didn’t say anything, he just backed up a few more steps. His optics didn’t stray from Blaster.

“I just need some space” he said in a low voice.

“Please, just come home” Blaster begged, “I shouldn’t have said anything, we can pretend like I never did. We can forget about all of this; I’ll never bring it up again”. He watched in dismay as the blue mech shook his helm.

“I need to think” Soundwave protested, “I just need some space”. With that, he turned and hurried the best he could down the hall. His servo braced against the wall to support his limp as he turned the corner and disappeared from Blaster’s sight.

Blaster nodded to himself… okay… that did not go well. He stood in the empty hallway for a long moment, staring after the corner Soundwave had disappeared around. The sudden weight of what just happened settled on him like a block of concrete. It wasn’t often that Blaster could be swayed from his positive attitude, but right now, he could probably summarize his mood as completely devastated.

Slowly, Blaster slumped against the wall. He scrubbed his faceplates then stood up straight again. What the frag did he just do?

There was really only one thing left that he could think of doing. He had to go talk to Jazz.

With a heavy spark, Blaster turned towards Jazz’s quarters. Hopefully his friend wouldn’t mind the surprise drop in (and the numerous tears that would likely come with it).

Chapter Text

When Jazz heard a knock at his door, he certainly hadn’t expected to find a down-trodden Blaster on the other side. It took the spy a moment to take in his friend’s state. Blaster was unusually slumped over, his plating held limply to his frame, and his optics were dull and miserable at best.

“uh oh” Jazz said simply before gesturing for Blaster to enter his office. Blaster offered him a weak smile in return. Now in closer proximity, it was impossible for Jazz not to notice the heavy sadness and disappointment that weighed down Blaster’s field. Jazz kindly pulled out a seat in-front of his desk for Blaster, then gestured for the tired looking mech to sit.

Jazz settled in his chair behind his desk and silently scrutinized the communications officer for a moment.

“Now… I don’t wana’ be rude or nothing", Jazz started as he rested a casual elbow on his desk, “but, Master Blaster, you ain’t looking so good”.

Blaster offered a sarcastic snort at the observation, “thanks, Jazz”.

Jazz watched his friend with concerned optics for a moment more before hopping up from his seat. Blaster watched as the Second Officer filled two cubes of energon then returned to his desk. One of the cubes was slid across the desk to Blaster, who smiled in appreciation and took a sip. He was glad it was high grade.

“Wana’ talk to your old pal Jazz about it?” the mech offered.

Blaster let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair. His servos tightly clutched his energon on his lap. Blaster shook his helm and stared at the floodr in front of the desk.

“Aw Jazz… I fragged up, mech”, Blaster berated himself “things were okay, then I messed up the whole pot”.
Jazz remained silent and waited for his friend to elaborate.

“I just went to get ‘Wave from the medbay – he’s doing real good now, by the way – and I was so relieved to see him. We were walking back and I was yammering on like a dumbaft, and I just…” Blaster laughed in disbelief at himself and scrubbed his faceplates, “I let it slip that I love him”.

Jazz sucked in a breath and winced for his friend. “I’m guessing that Sounders didn’t take it so well?” he asked tentatively.
Blaster laughed again, this time it carried a note of frustration, “no, clearly not. He got all freaked out and ran off… well, limped off”. He then took a copious drink from his cube before dropping it unceremoniously on the desk. The orange mech then joined the cube and dropped his helm on the desk and clasped his servos around himself. “He was looking at me like I was a total stranger” he groaned into the tabletop, “like he thought I was gonna’ hurt him or something”.

“aw Blast-mech… that must’ve been real upsetting” Jazz soothed, “did he say anything at all?”

Blaster nodded his helm against the desk. “Not much” he signed, “he just kept saying that he needed space and time to think”. His resolve suddenly crumpled, and the tears started to flow. “I really fragged it all up, Jazz” Blaster sniffled, “what if he hates me now? I think I really spooked him off. He wanted to be away from me so badly that he limped off alone to Primus knows where when he should really be home resting. What if this ruins our entire friendship?”.

Jazz got up from his seat and walked around the desk. He silently crouched down next to Blaster and opened up his arms, offering a hug. Blaster’s breath hitched for a moment as he looked through teary optics at his friend. Slowly, he pulled himself up off the desk and returned the hug. The two mechs remained that way for a short moment, Jazz smoothed a reassuring servo over Blaster’s shaking shoulders.

“Hey, c’mon mech” Jazz crooned in his almost sing-song way, “I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end. Maybe Sounders really did just need to think about everything for a little while, ya’know? Maybe he just needed to run off and think some things through”.

Blaster pulled back from the hug, then scrubbed the tears from his faceplates. “How can you be so sure?” he asked in a watery voice.

Jazz returned to his seat with a mild shrug, “well, Soundwave seems like a pretty reasonable mech, right? Not to mention that you two have been like two peas in a pod ever since he got here”. He reached over the desk to squeeze at Blaster’s arm, “I really, really doubt that he would hate you for having feelings… he’s a telepath, he knows feelings exist better than most. And, if he did hate you for it, well then he just doesn’t deserve you”.

Blaster slumped back and brooded over Jazz’s words for a moment. “He deserves everything I’ve got to offer” he murmured to the floor, “I just really wish he wanted it”. Jazz nodded understandingly. He knew exactly how that felt.
“He’ll come around” Jazz murmured, “if he doesn’t love you in that way, I’m sure Sounders will still want to be your friend”. He watched as Blaster nodded to himself. The orange mech quickly drained the remainder of his energon cube, then watched Jazz quietly for a moment.

“Thanks, Jazz….” He smiled, “I appreciate you listening and all that. Sorry for crying all over your desk”.

Jazz laughed and shook his helm, “that’s what it’s here for, mech”.

A sudden urgency washed over Blaster as he checked the time. His faceplates clouded over with worry. The idea of Soundwave wandering around alone for long with that injury set a unique form of dread upon the boombox. Sure, the Ark was safe… but what if the telepath wandered outside to think and get away from all the mental noise? What if something happened? He would be practically defenceless in his healing state. The idea gripped Blaster’s spark with fear. What if Soundwave’s condition suddenly worsened and he collapsed alone in an empty hallway? Blaster knew his fears were irrational, however they still sat upon his shoulders like massive bricks.

Jazz watched as the changes darkened his friend’s features.

“You're worried about him” he observed, “go find him, you’ve got this Blast Mech”.

“Thanks, Jazz. I appreciate you, you’re the best!” Blaster hurried as he stood and quickly stretched. A few joints popped back into place and jazz winced. Blaster laughed.

“oil those joints!” Jazz called after Blaster as the orange mech left, “tall, dark, and handsome won’t wana kiss up to you if you're popping and creaking everywhere you go!”

Blaster considered a playful rebuttal for a moment but didn’t bother once the door closed. Instead, he chucked to himself and felt a wave of thankfulness that the hallway was empty.

___________________________

Blaster spent an embarrassingly long amount of time checking through the hallways for his roommate. Soundwave wasn’t in the communications centre, the rec hall, in Prowl’s office, or any of the hallways. In a worried fluster, Blaster questioned the guards at the door if they had seen Soundwave go out for a walk. Bluestreak and Trailbreaker had assured him that no one had left the Ark except for Red Alert and Inferno (who were going for a “cruse” together, Bluestreak added). Although Blaster was fond of Bluestreak’s gossip updates (and they both carried the suspicion that Red Alert and Inferno were dating on the down low), he didn’t stick around for the details.

There was only one place left to check, which is why Blaster felt incredibly stupid when he opened the door to their own quarters to find Soundwave waiting for him on the couch. Blaster bit the inside of his mouth and kicked himself mentally. Slowly, he stepped into the living room. It was empty save for the telepath, who was watching him intensely with those observant amber optics. By looking at his chestplates, Blaster could see Soundwave’s cassettes curled up inside his docks already. The boombox smiled to himself, they must have been so relieved to have their carrier back. Nothing felt quite as secure as docking. Blaster’s own creations were all occupied, Steeljaw was watching Wheeljack work in the lab, Ramhorn was napping in Blaster’s docks, and Rewind and Eject were at a concert with Sam and Carly. Which left the two carrier mechs staring at each other alone in their quarters. It was obvious that Blaster had interrupted Soundwave mid-thinking session. The telepath was perched on the couch, servos empty with no music on. He had been thinking. It seemed that he still was.

Soundwave took in Blaster’s state. His optics immediately went to the dark circles under Blaster’s optics… it was clear that the mech had been crying. A hard pang of guilt flooded Soundwave. That was because of him, it was his fault. Blaster’s field was heavy with doubt and worry, his mind was a scrambling mess despite his much calmer exterior. When Blaster stepped inside, and the door closed behind him, Soundwave could pick up a mild scent of high-grade.

Soundwave took in the bright blue optics that were desperately searching his. He allowed himself a moment to look over Blaster’s faceplates and frame. The telepath thought for a moment, still watching Blaster in silence as the orange mech fidgeted. Certainly, now that he was thinking about it, there was no denying that Blaster was an attractive mech. Not to mention Blaster’s upbeat and cheerful demeanour. The orange mech could always make him feel better, even when he didn’t need to be cheered up at all. His roommate was always such a pleasure to have around. Certainly, given Blaster’s personality, Soundwave knew that Blaster would (how did the humans put it?) “treat him right” in any hypothetical relationship. The idea brought an embarrassingly visible flush to Soundwave’s faceplates and for a moment he thanked Primus that he was the telepath and it wasn't the other way around.

All of this considered, Soundwave was certainly flattered. However, was he also attracted to Blaster? More than that, could he envision them in a romantic relationship? Could he one day return such strong feelings of infatuation and even love? The blue mech had spent the last hour raking these questions over the coals in his mind over and over again. Yet, no clear answer had presented itself. Soundwave had only gained a few washes of embarrassment and disbelief.

Soundwave had so many questions for his roommate. However, now that he was faced with the other mech, he couldn’t recall any that seemed appropriate to ask.

“’Wave, I’m sorry that I over did it” Blaster broke the silence, “I didn’t mean to upset or overwhelm you. Your friendship means so much to me, and I’ll take that any day you are willing to give it. Please don’t hate me, I’m sorry”.

Soundwave looked surprised at the outburst from his friend. Slowly, and with a fair amount of effort, he pushed himself up from the couch. Blaster immediately felt the urge to close the distance between them and brace his friend’s arm for support. He didn’t.

The telepath held a weak servo over his sore chestplates as he straightened himself. “You did not over do anything, Blaster” he spoke in a soft voice, “I asked you to tell me the truth, and you did. I wish to apologise to you. I… overreacted to your confession, and I am sorry that I left you like that”. The telepath looked off to the side, his faceplates displayed more shame than Blaster ever wanted to see on them again, “I never meant for you to worry that I hated you. I was simply overwhelmed and needed a moment to ground myself again. I also deeply value our friendship, and I appreciate that you are not pressing with your feelings towards me. Thank you… and I am sorry”.

“Primus, don’t be sorry” Blaster insisted, “I kinda dumped that on you”. There was a beat of silence, “I’m just so glad that we are okay” Blaster smiled. A wash of relief suddenly overpowered the orange mech. He felt his field and shoulders both relax. So maybe Soundwave didn’t return the feelings, but at least they would still be friends. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. Soundwave would always be there, just within reach, and Blaster would have to be okay with that. It would hurt, but he would be okay. It was better than losing his best friend.

Soundwave gave a soft hum of amusement before he spoke, “in retrospect, your feelings towards me do explain… quite a bit”.

Blaster groaned in embarrassment and pressed his faceplates into his servos. He was incredibly glad when Soundwave didn’t elaborate on exactly what could have given him away. Between the long bouts of mental admiration and the more recent heated dream sequences, Blaster wasn’t sure which would be more embarrassing for Soundwave to have noticed.
Soundwave slowly eased himself back down to sit on the couch again. Then the silence settled on the room again like a wet blanket. Now that the important things had been said, neither mech really knew what to say anymore. Should they just go back to acting like nothing had happened? Or would it feel too fake? They both stared at each other before Blaster gave a sudden jerk and walked deeper into their quarters.

Blaster was glad to see Soundwave resting as Ratchet had instructed. Without much thought, he grabbed the television remote and a blanket and brought them to the telepath. Soundwave seemed surprised at the gesture but accepted the offerings with a stiff thanks.

Blaster walked away again. Soundwave focused his attention on attempting to work the human technology. It was nice for the humans to supply the Ark with large scale televisions and remotes… however, Soundwave had no idea how to work the damn things. A few experimental button presses helped him power up the screen. However, there was this ridiculous business with the input channels and settings… Soundwave found himself glaring at a screen of static. How did his cassettes understand this archaic human technology so easily? It was both horrifically oversimplified and unnecessarily complex.

A chuckle to his side pulled Soundwave’s attention back up to Blaster. The boombox was standing over him, one servo held out to take the remote, and the other offering a cube of medical grade energon. Soundwave traded the remote for the cube with a soft thanks and attempted to peak at Blaster’s fingers as they pressed the mysterious arrangement of buttons that made the television work again. It was all gibberish to the telepath.

Soundwave took a tiny sip from his cube and refrained from wrinkling his nose at the blandness of medical grade energon. He silently observed as Blaster found a channel that was playing some form of human entertainment that the boombox seemed to deem appropriate. It felt so odd to sit and be cared for like this. Is this what it felt like to be taken care of? It was unfamiliar and strange, not in a bad way. Soundwave couldn’t help but feel a shocking amount of vulnerability and intimacy. It was almost embarrassing. Blaster may as well be tucking him into berth, reading him a story, and kissing him goodnight. Soundwave squirmed quietly under the blanket as he mulled over a tangled disaster of his feelings. There was a certain amount of discomfort there. However, it wasn’t alone. Soundwave couldn’t ignore the equal parts of unexplainable excitement and bizarre washeds of fondness for Blaster.

“You’re in luck, this is a good one and it’s just started” Blaster grinned over his shoulder at Soundwave. The telepath was jerked out of his thoughts. He deeply hoped that the heat in his faceplates wasn’t a visible blush.

“Pardon?” Soundwave asked in a daze.

“I…” Blaster studied Soundwave for a moment. He looked tempted to say something, then dismissed it, “Dirty Dancing is on. It’s a good movie, and there’s lots of music in it. You might enjoy it, or at least get a laugh out of it… up to you”. He offered the remote back to Soundwave.

Slowly, Soundwave took the remote back with a nod. The carriers stared at each other for another awkward moment.
“er… okay” Blaster stiffly continued, “I’ll just… uh… go over there” he backed towards the work bench across the room. Just as he turned around, Soundwave’s voice pulled him back.

“If you wish…” Soundwave started with an uncertain voice, he patted the couch next to him, “I wouldn’t mind some company”.

Blaster immediately perked up at the offer. He settled onto the couch. Instantly, his processor began spinning in circles. Was he sitting too close to Soundwave? Would the mech think he was taking liberties now that he had shared his feelings? Or maybe he was too far away. Usually they would sit really close together, maybe the new distance would come across like he was mad that Soundwave rejected him. He didn’t want to seem distant, but he also really didn’t want to come across as pushy!

Soundwave suddenly slid over towards Blaster to place themselves at the usual distance at which they sat. Blaster had a feeling that it was because his telepathy had tipped him off on Blaster’s fretting mind. However, he was grateful that the telepath wanted to stay just as close as they did before.

Blaster looked at Soundwave. Soundwave looked at Blaster. They smiled at each other. Somehow, things felt normal again.

Chapter Text

After spending the previous night recharging on one of the horribly stiff berths in the medbay, a night back in his own berth was much needed for Soundwave. When he onlined his optics that morning, Soundwave was pleased to find himself surrounded by his sleeping cassettes. The telepath had fallen asleep on his side, rumble and Frenzy curled up against the front of his frame. Most carriers found that their creations preferred to sleep against their chestplates. In that spot, creations could listen to their carrier’s spark; it was known to have soothing effects on most younglings. Ravage had claimed the nook at the back of Soundwave’s bent knees. The cybercat was curled up around Ratbat, who had a very hard time recharging without Soundwave’s or Ravage’s presence. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw had nested in the berthsheets against Soundwave’s dorsa. It was nice for Soundwave to be back in his own berth, even nicer to have his creations there as well.

The telepath let out a soft breath and turned his helm into the pillows. He had mustered up the courage to crack his window open the night before. Ever since his talk with Reflector, he hadn’t sensed the mechs’ presence watching him. However, he still felt a certain amount of hesitance about leaving his window open overnight. Either way, waking up to the fresh morning breeze was definitely worth it.

Considering that he had orders to rest, Soundwave felt pretty good. There wasn’t too much pain or stiffness in his frame. For a moment, the blue mech wondered if he could disregard Ratchet’s orders to do a few tasks. Slowly, to not disrupt his cassettes, Soundwave stretched his legs out under the sheets. He wiggled his arms free from under the sheets and stretched them up languidly above his helm. Thoroughly enjoying his hazy morning, Soundwave stretched out his dorsa as well. Then immediately regretted it.

Ah, there was the soreness from his recent injury. Soundwave stifled a pained groan as he eased back down out of the stretch. So much for being productive today. Now that he had done his job to agitate the area, the pain radiated from his chestplates up across his shoulders and all the way down to his torso. Primus, Ratchet always knew.

With a huff, Soundwave attempted to soothe the pain by sitting up. In his recovering state, he found it hard to move smoothly. As a result, he jostled his cassettes awake as he moved.
Rumble and Frenzy stretched and directed their tired optics on Soundwave. Ravage puffed a breath before closing his optics again. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw, thoroughly agitated from the rough awakening, squawked in displeasure until all 6 of the cassettes were wide awake.

“Aw shut your trap!” Frenzy hollered at the condor twins from across Soundwave’s frame.

“Make me!” Buzzsaw goaded his brother on.

“Watch it! I just might!” Rumble elected to join in on the disarray.

“Shut up” Ravage suggested.

Ratbat ignored his older siblings’ excitement to glide over to Soundwave instead. The telepath held out a cupped servo to catch the sparkling, then gently tucked the small bat against the crook of his neck. Ratbat churred and nuzzled his creator in his usual friendly mood.

“Boss!” Frenzy whined, “can you tell Buzz-brains to stop being so-“. The twin’s voice trailed off when he noticed how his carrier’s faceplates were pinched with pain. “Boss… you don’t look so good”.

The other five cassettes turned their attention to the telepath in question. Soundwave sighed heavily. “I am alright, just sore” Soundwave murmured; he brushed a gentle servo against Ratbat’s concerned faceplates. “Shall we get up? I believe you all have duties to attend to this morning”.

Suddenly in very good behaviour, the cassettes nodded and quietly climbed off of the berth. Soundwave let out a breath of relief and fondly shook his helm. He loosened his grip on Ratbat to let his youngest creation follow after the others.

With a wince on his faceplates, Soundwave swung his peds over the edge of his berth. Slowly, working hard to repress a groan, Soundwave forced himself up to his peds. Alright… it wasn’t too bad. He was up. It’s not like he was collapsing or anything. Ratchet had sent him off with a few pain repressing tablets. He would have to remember to dissolve one or two in his morning energon ration. Using a servo to brace himself on the walls, Soundwave shakily emerged from his berthroom.

Somehow, without being able to remember any it, Soundwave had guided his creations to the wash racks, helped Ratbat clean the more delicate parts of his wings, helped dry off his younger creations (any leftover moisture could result in rust, so one had to be thorough), and settled his creations at the table for rations. Before he could make it over to the energon dispenser to retrieve rations for his creations, Blaster appeared in his path.

“What are you doing?” Blaster asked. The orange mech had his usual friendly demeanour in place, however, his servos rested on his hips and his voice carried a bit more agitation than usual. Soundwave froze in place and blinked at his roommate… he hadn’t even noticed when Blaster entered the room. Was he really that out of it?

“I…” Soundwave started, “I am getting fuel for my creations”. He couldn’t help but feel like he was being scolded. Blaster shook his helm and clucked his glossa.

“I don’t think so, ‘Wave. You oughta get back to resting and off your peds,” he pressed a gentle servo between Soundwave’s shoulder blades and directed the blue mech to the couch. “You only just got home last night, you really shouldn’t be up and taking care of everyone else, okay?”.

Soundwave nodded dumbly and allowed Blaster to direct him to sit. He couldn’t miss the giggles behind him from his cassettes. He glanced over his shoulder at them, they were watching with much interest. The blue mech felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

“Boss is being bossed around” Rumble giggled softly to his twin. Frenzy gave a giddy snicker. Soundwave’s faceplates darkened pink.

Nevertheless, it felt so much better to be off his peds again. Soundwave let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in the entire morning as he sat down. Blaster disappeared for a moment as Soundwave attempted to find a more comfortable position, then returned again with a cube of medical grade energon in his servo. He offered it out to Soundwave, who took it with a soft thanks. After a moment of staring at the energon, Soundwave rummaged in his subspace to retrieve the pain blockers Ratchet had supplied him with. He dropped one tablet in and watched it fizz up and melt into the energon. After a moment of contemplation, Soundwave added another tablet.

Medicated low grade energon was never the most pleasant thing to drink. However, Soundwave found it easy enough to get down while he watched Blaster help all of their collective creations get ready. The orange mech doled out morning energon servings, cleaned up after the cassettes, helped a few of his own in the washracks, and reviewed their duties, training, and chores for the day with them. Blaster’s demeanour never dipped below his fun and sunny attitude, which made all the cassettes very energetic and happy.

Soundwave smiled over the rim of his cube. It felt like he was watching a private family moment. He didn’t usually take the time to appreciate these little things, but it was hard not to when he wasn’t so busy doing it all.

When it was time for them to go out to their duties, the cassettes all came to say goodbye to Soundwave. Rumble, Frenzy, and Ratbat jumped up on the couch to kiss their carrier on the cheek before leaving. Eject and Rewind opted to give Soundwave a hug (much to the telepath’s surprise and joy). He couldn’t help but notice the soft expression on Blaster’s faceplates as the orange boombox’s creations treated him almost like a co-creator. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw landed on the telepath’s shoulders and nuzzled him briefly before swooping out the door; lastly, Ravage, Steeljaw, and Ramhorn paused for a moment to each let Soundwave scratch under their chins. Soundwave watched in bewilderment as the last of the cassettes left their quarters. He hadn’t realized just how close everyone had gotten since the beginning of his living here.

Soundwave finally turned his optics to look up at Blaster. The orange mech smiled over his cube at Soundwave before tipping it back and polishing it off.

In a comfortable silence, Soundwave watched as Blaster finished getting ready before gathering up a few datapads and placing them at the table next to the door. Due to Soundwave’s orders to recover, Blaster had to work for the both of them. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad for the orange mech. He was really only working the same amount as he was before Soundwave came to the Ark, so it was no big deal in the orange mech’s mind. That didn’t stop Soundwave from feeling a pinch of guilt over it.

Without breaking the comfortable silence, Blaster walked around the room retrieving things for his roommate. Soundwave gave surprised thanks as Blaster brought him a blanket, the remote for the television, datapads filled with archived books and music, and a cube of medical grade energon for later.

“Blaster” Soundwave said, his voice betrayed how overwhelmed he was at the treatment “You don’t have to do all of this for me”.

Blaster smiled at him cheerily and shrugged, “well you gotta rest, like old Hatchet said. May as well get you comfy, right?”.

“Thank you” Soundwave whispered earnestly as he folded the blanket over his lap. He watched at Blaster gave him a smile and shook his helm.

It still felt so surreal to accept this level of care from someone. Soundwave couldn’t help but feel that lingering sensation of vulnerability and warmth. It was unfamiliar, even overwhelming, but very pleasant as well.

Things between the two communications specialists felt normal… as normal as they could feel. Soundwave silently watched Blaster as the other mech glanced over his schedule for that day. It was hard to ignore the fact that Blaster had just confessed his love to Soundwave the day before… and was quietly rejected. As typical as things felt between them, there was a weight sitting on their every interaction. Soundwave couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. Certainly, on his own end, he felt plenty of guilt for turning down his best friend. There was definitely also some worry for Blaster’s feelings. It wasn’t easy to be rejected, especially when the emotions ran so deep. Not the mention the pain that unrequited love brought to most.

However, Blaster didn’t seem to be particularity weighted down by this pain. Soundwave watched his friend through half dimmed optics. The orange mech was friendly and cheery as ever. Any other mech wouldn’t even notice something off about him. With his telepathy, however, Soundwave could feel a deep wounding in Blaster’s spark. What was worse was knowing how much his denial had hurt his friend’s confidence. Soundwave dimmed his optics off and sighed softly. Blaster didn’t let it show though. A part of Soundwave knew that this front was put up by Blaster to keep Soundwave from feeling guilty about his choice. That really stung the most.

He felt that he didn’t deserve Blaster’s unflinching companionship.

Each one of their interactions since that tense discussion in the hallway had been just a tiny bit… off. Soundwave was suddenly hyper aware of Blaster’s feelings. He couldn’t shake his own confusion about the entire situation. Every lingering look or touch felt suddenly foreign again, not because Blaster’s love made him uncomfortable, but because every time Blaster offered these gestures, the orange mech’s processor was whirling and fretting over the possibility of making Soundwave uncomfortable.

Why was this all so confusing?

Soundwave wished there was something he could do to ease Blaster’s pain and worry over this whole thing. He wished there was a way to answer his own confusion. If only there was a manual for emotions… he would definitely invest in that if there was one.

“Hey”, Soundwave’s optics flashed back online as Blaster’s voice spoke softly from in front of him. The telepath jerked to look up at his roommate, Blaster grinned apologetically. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you”, he chuckled and scrubbed the back of his neck. Soundwave shook his helm to protest the worry, but Blaster continued before he could interject.

“I’m headed to my shift now, I’ll be gone ‘till around 3. The little fellas should start showing up randomly starting around noon, so you’ve got the morning to enjoy the peace” Blaster chuckled. “You know the comm room is only a short skip away from here, so if you need anything, please just shoot me a message, okay? Like seriously anything, I’ll get it done. Even if you’re just too sore or lazy to get up and grab another cube of energon, I’ll bring ya’ one, okay?”.

Soundwave gave an amused smile and shook his helm. He couldn’t help but laugh a little. Once he looked back up at Blaster, and saw the earnestness in the orange mech’s optics, he realized that Blaster was being completely genuine.

“Really?” Soundwave asked softly.

“Of course,” Blaster shrugged like it was common sense that he would, “anything for you, ‘Wave”.

Soundwave blinked and studied Blaster for a moment.

“You really do love me… don’t you?” he said softly.

“I-“ Blaster hesitated. His faceplates gathered a soft flush as he let out a breath. “Yeah, ‘Wave” he murmured sincerely, “I really do love you”.

The room stood in silence for a moment and both mechs seemed to hold their breath as to not disturb it.

Soundwave found that his voice was caught in his throat suddenly. Over the months they had lived together, Soundwave had often sensed a suppressed fondness coming from Blaster’s mind when they were together. He had never really questioned it all that much, he had always assumed it was just Blaster keeping his giddy friendship in check around a more mellow mech. Now that he knew what those emotions were, Blaster wasn’t trying to hide them so much from him. The fondness and love for him that radiated from his mind when he spoke was almost enough to knock Soundwave right over. It was so much to take in, and it was so warm.

Soundwave floundered for a moment more before Blaster finally spoke, “you don’t have to say anything”. The telepath’s helm jerked back up to look at his roommate, Blaster was smiling at him. His optics held a cocktail of fondness for him as well as pain over the inability to express it. “I understand” his smile melted into something more morose before he cleared his throat and turned to face the door. “See you later” Blaster said as he stepped back into his upbeat façade, “just give me a shout if you need anything”.

Soundwave nodded urgently as Blaster stepped out the door.

“Anything” Blaster poked his helm back in to point a joking finger at Soundwave. The telepath managed a soft laugh and nodded.

“I will” Soundwave assured him.

Blaster smiled, then winked and finally let the door slide shut behind him.

Soundwave let out a compressed breath and dropped his frame to rest back against the couch. His processor felt like it was a tangled web and no matter how much he tried to work his thoughts and feelings out, they only got more and more tangled. Was it supposed to be this difficult? If he really had no feelings for Blaster, shouldn’t he just be able to say no and move on without these horrible feelings of confusion and guilt sitting on his helm? It was that hesitation that puzzled Soundwave the most. Perhaps he just hadn’t thought about it enough.

He shook his helm to attempt to clear it. Absentmindedly, Soundwave chewed on the inside of his cheek. He could try to envision himself in romantic situations with Blaster, then see how the idea made him feel. The biggest error in this was that he had no idea how these things would even be approached. Romance was something incredibly foreign to Soundwave, especially the soft gooey romance that Autobots seemed to partake in. The occasional “relationships” he had in the past had been incredibly non-romantic. There was plenty of interfacing involved, certainly. Sometimes it was good and sometimes it was rather uninteresting. Courting was a much more serious thing that Cybertronians did if they intended to find a serious mate. Soundwave had never met anyone that he would want to be “’junxies” with, as some of the other Autobots put it. Would he want that with Blaster? Blaster’s feelings for him shot incredibly far beyond the sexual attraction needed for just casual relations. Blaster wanted to hold servos and cuddle and kiss and probably court too… as well as all of the interfacing of course. Soundwave’s faceplates burned at the thought. Did he want that too? Could he want that with Blaster?

Blaster was definitely easy on the optics. He was incredibly kind and fun to be around. Soundwave smiled fondly to himself as he pondered over his closest friend. Blaster was so good at listening and telling funny stories. Not to mention how great he was with creations, even Soundwave’s cassettes. Yes, that was certainly a lovely touch.

However, that doubt and fear lingered at the forefront of Soundwave’s processor. As easy as Blaster was to be around, he had a hard time imagining the two of them being more intimate and romantic. However, that wasn’t exactly a … fair way to evaluate a potential relationship with someone. Ideas of romance and intimacy with just about anyone sent Soundwave’s processor spinning into anxiety. He hadn’t exactly had the healthiest of upbringings. He could hardly remember his original family, even when he tried to envision his carriers’ faceplates, he could really only recall a soft ringing voice. Then after their demise, his life had been a network of owners, some brisk and tolerant and others …. Well, they need not be thought about. However, their unkindness and mistreatment still left a hefty weight on Soundwave’s shoulders in situations such as this one. There really wasn’t so much as a friendly face in Soundwave’s life until Senator Ratbat had taken him in and offered an underground escape. In short, intimacy with other mechs outside of casual, familiar, and platonic settings was still a bit of a struggle for Soundwave. Even when interfacing with other mechs, Soundwave usually only did it to meet his needs. It wasn’t emotionally driven in most cases, just an attractive mech who found him attractive. They would have their fun in one of their quarters (or occasionally in an empty meeting room or storage closet) then go their separate ways until one of them was in the mood again. It was almost clinical, and certainly never romantic or even really intimate.

When Soundwave’s spark had first split, he had been so incredibly terrified of how he was going to raise a sparkling without completely ruining it. He was so frightened of the level of intimacy and love that a sparking needed, and he had a deep unshakable fear of not being able to provide it.

Then again, when Ravage came along, Soundwave finally understood. Ravage had been so tiny and helpless. He just mewled and pawed blindly for his carrier. As soon as he was handed the tiny package, Soundwave fell completely helm over heels in love with his creation. It had been that way with every single one of them. Loving his creations had never been a struggle, it felt like it was ingrained within his very nature. He came out as a better mech thanks to his creations. They were the ones that taught him how to even feel love. They gave him something to live for. Despite his worries all those eons ago, he wouldn’t take any of it back. But that was different… wasn’t it?

This was a different kind of love, Soundwave mused to himself. It was his duty to raise his creations to the best of his abilities. It came to him like second nature, like he was built to do it (of course, he was). Blaster on the other hand… he was totally different. It was a totally different kind of love, and a totally different level of intimacy.

Soundwave took a deep breath and let it out. Maybe imagining romantic scenarios wasn’t the best idea to figure this puzzle out. Perhaps looking into the past would bring more clarity. What were the most intimate things he and Blaster had done in the past? Off the top of his helm, Soundwave recalled the two nights he went to Blaster for comfort. They had talked together to the late hours of the night. To keep the cold at bay, they had lain close together and under the berth sheets. Then, the next morning, when they woke up in each other’s arms… It was awkward, but not unpleasant. Soundwave recalled how warm and happy he felt those mornings before totally realizing what he was doing. Both mornings he woke with his audio pressed to Blaster’s chestplates, the strong whirring of Blaster’s spark was such a soothing sound to wake to. Even now, Soundwave’s own spark hammered with something indistinguishable at the memory (Nervousness? Embarrassment? Excitement?). There was definitely some sort of unrecognizable thrill when Soundwave shared those mornings with Blaster.

Of course, there was also the night they had stayed up late making energon goodies together, as well as all of the late-night shifts that they had spent together talking and laughing. Most of the time, only one of them was actually on shift. The other just came to provide company and distraction from boredom. Not to mention all of their walks together, their movie nights, the times they spent playing with their creations like one large family.

Soundwave gave a deep sigh. Yes, Blaster was always there for him. He was one of the only mechs that Soundwave truly felt completely comfortable around. The telepath felt that he could be completely open and honest around Blaster, and Blaster would understand him. For all his social ineptitude, no matter if he was in a dark and quiet mood, Blaster would always be there for him. He had never doubted that once.

It happened to cross Soundwave’s processor that, by extent, he would always want to be there for Blaster. He would want to be there to listen to Blaster, comfort him if needed, laugh and talk with him, stay up late with him, share a berth with him when the nights were difficult. Where those all romantic things? It was hard to tell. Soundwave pictured someone else doing those things with Blaster instead of him, perhaps stepping out of the situation would help him decide if those behaviours sounded like things a couple did.

A sudden possessiveness clutched Soundwave. It seized him so viscously that it knocked the breath out of his frame. For some reason, trying to imagine someone else with Blaster in the ways he was with Blaster turned Soundwave’s vision red. He let out a confused hum and shook his helm. It was wrong. No one else could be with Blaster like that. Blaster was his.

Wait.

Soundwave furrowed his brows. Blaster was his? Blaster was his what?

Primus this was all so confusing. With a defeated groan, Soundwave sunk into his seat and scrubbed at his faceplates. He had a lot to think about.

Chapter Text

The morning that Starscream appeared had started off so normally. Four days had passed since Soundwave last woke up in the Medical Bay. It was hard to believe that it had only been four days. So much had happened and changed in Soundwave’s life. On that same day that he woke in the medbay, Blaster had confessed his love for him. The next three days consisted of medic ordered rest for the telepath. Begrudgingly, Soundwave had obeyed the orders and stayed in his quarters to heal.

Today was the first day that Soundwave could finally return to duty. The telepath absentmindedly swiveled his chair from side to side. His optics gazed at the screens before him. It was mid-morning on his first day back in action. Physically, he felt perfectly fine. Ratchet always did his work well, so this was no surprise. However, Soundwave still felt that twinge of unrest in the back of his processor.

Blaster loved him. It was a thought that had followed him for the last few days. He just couldn’t shake it from the forefront of his processor. Blaster himself had told Soundwave that they could forget about it… pretend that the confession had never even happened. And yet, here he was, staring at the screens blankly, with his mind continuing to orbit around Blaster.

Aside from his thoughts, everything else had settled back into relative normality. Blaster, though still a bit deflated, seemed a lot less spark broken than before. Although, Soundwave still caught the occasional side glance and thought floating through Blaster that betrayed the orange mech’s sunny exterior. It was hard to ignore the longing that sometimes occupied Blaster’s processor so strongly that Soundwave could almost taste it. The subject of Blaster’s love hadn’t come back up in the last few days. Neither mech had mentioned it, and thus they went on pretending that all was well.

Soundwave was still confused. It only made sense that he should be able to move on now. Blaster had shared his feelings, Soundwave gently turned them away, and now he should be able to move on.

But he hadn’t.

Soundwave felt his processor constantly cycling back to Blaster and their relationship. Something felt wrong. He just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Soundwave looked down to his datapad and glared venomously at it. He had attempted to create a list to help himself further understand his feelings towards Blaster. It had started off well enough. He listed all the things about Blaster that he thought were companionable. It was a rather long list. Blaster was friendly, sweet, fun to be with, a good listener, funny, a very good parent, certainly attractive… and so on. Soundwave had then gone on to list some of the things about Blaster that he didn’t like. Or, at least, he had attempted to.

Soundwave narrowed his optics at the blank page. His stylus twirled in his servo. As soon as he attempted to find any serious flaws that would compromise a relationship with Blaster, his processor went blank. Certainly, they were very different mechs. Soundwave had written that down first. Then he had erased it. Yes, they were very different, however, it never posed an issue to their friendship. Blaster knew that Soundwave was more reserved, quiet, and introverted. Blaster always knew when to give Soundwave his own space. He always checked with Soundwave before bringing over company to their quarters. If anything, Blaster’s sociability helped get Soundwave out and social on occasion. That wasn’t a bad thing.

Soundwave knew he was grasping for straws. It was obvious. Of course, Blaster wasn’t perfect… no one ever was. However, the flaws Soundwave could think of were knit-picky at absolute best. What was worse was that most of Blaster’s flaws helped balance out Soundwave’s flaws.

For example, Blaster could be a bit unorganized and spontaneous. However, in combination with Soundwave’s structured rigidity, they actually got along well enough. Soundwave sometimes had to remind Blaster to finish his reports before they were late, but in return, Blaster helped Soundwave break from his stoney routine to have some fun. Blaster made life fun. Soundwave smiled to himself, then scowled and erased ‘unorganized/spontaneous’ from his list.

By the time Soundwave glanced back up at the comm. station screens, an urgent call came through from Red Alert. Soundwave quickly powered down his datapad and stashed it in his subspace. The continuation of his brooding would have to wait.

The telepath opened the comm. line with Red Alert to be met with the security officer’s bright optics and violently sparking helm pieces.

::Soundwave!:: Red Alert cried, his faceplates jerked close to the camera, blowing his facial proportions out of order on Soundwave’s screen.

Soundwave jumped up from his seat and placed his servos on the communications console. ::Red Alert::, he said ::status report::.

Sparks jumped from the smaller red mech’s horns as he struggled to place his words. ::A Decepticon – guh… Starscream! He’s here! Outside::. With that, the security officer patched through am image from his security cameras.

Sure enough, the seeker was just outside the Ark. In a most Starscream fashion, the seeker was standing casually by himself in the dessert. His wings were held high with pride as he coolly examined his claws. Soundwave squinted his optics at the image of the seeker. He was waiting.

Waiting for what?

Soundwave leaned back and shook his helm, then finally responded back to Red Alert. ::Thank you, Red Alert. I’ll let Prime know and keep you updated. Let me know if his position changes or if anyone joins him::.

Red Alert gave a nervous nod before quietly shutting down his comm. stream.

Soundwave glared at nothing as he picked up a comm. line with Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz. He filled them in on the situation quickly enough. The Prime asked for Soundwave to also alert Ratchet and Blaster. The medic sent a confirmation ping from his medbay, he was on standby.

Blaster arrived in only a few minutes. After all, their quarters were very close to the comm. station. He smiled at Soundwave and casually walked up to stand next to him.

Quietly, both mechs evaluated the live stream security camera that was still on Starscream. The seeker hadn’t changed in posture since Red Alert had patched the feed through. Blaster watched Starscream’s casual demeanour, then shook his helm in bewilderment.

“huh…” Blaster murmured.

“I know” Soundwave agreed.

“It’s just so… weird”, the orange mech scratched his jaw.

Soundwave hummed in agreement.

“It’s like he’s in a waiting room or something” Blaster added.

Soundwave snorted, “I see exactly what you mean”. The smile fell from his faceplates and he scrutinized the seeker closely, “I wonder what game he is playing”.

Blaster hummed lowly, then placed a warm servo on Soundwave’s shoulder. The telepath discreetly glanced at his roommate. Blaster was still watching the screens; his blue optics were narrowed with confusion. The last time they had seen Starscream was directly before Soundwave was sent back into the medbay. The seeker was crafty, and Megatron was often lurking nearby whether the seeker liked it or not. Blaster’s servo gave an encouraging squeeze, then fell away. Soundwave wished it would stay.

Three new figures appeared on the screen. Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Prowl were driving up to the seeker. Seeing his new company, Starscream lowered his servo and crossed his arms defiantly. His wings hitched up the slightest as he watched the three Autobots approach.

The three new mechs transformed to stand and stood across from the seeker. There was a fair amount of distance between them, however, they were close enough to talk.

Soundwave and Blaster waited and watched the security camera feed. They couldn’t hear the conversation, but Soundwave could practically hear Starscream’s sneers by the way in which the seeker flicked his wings in agitation.

A new comm. line was suddenly sent to Soundwave from Jazz. The telepath quickly set it up on the console and let it play. Soundwave smiled to himself. Clever, tricky Jazz. It was a live audio feed to the conversation happening between the three Autobots and the mysterious seeker.

Blaster and Soundwave leaned forward and listened in closely.

::Look, I’m not here to do anything suspicious:: Starscream’s voice insisted. It was in the exact snide tone Soundwave knew it would be in. ::I just need to see him::.

::Starscream,:: Optimus cut in, ::You must see why the three of us are concerned about your request::.

There was a huff from the seeker as his plating twitched in frustration. He thrust his servos out to the empty dessert. ::Do you see any sort of ambush lurking around waiting to pounce? It’s just me here::.

::All the same, Megatron has been making aggressive moves to re-claim Soundwave:: Prowl pointed out.

::yeah, and you’ve been involved in a couple of his plans:: Jazz added, servos on his hips.

::Okay, alright, I was:: Starscream huffed, ::But I assure you that I didn’t plan on that last little trick from Megatron at the oil rig. I told you the truth that day. I was only there with some troops to collect energon and go… Megatron wasn’t supposed to find out::.

Silence stretched between the four mechs for a long moment.

::Starscream, please just tell us why you wish to see Soundwave alone:: Optimus requested.

Soundwave blinked at the console; Blaster sighed. They shared a brief look before returning their attention to the screen.

Starscream muttered under his breath and scrubbed his servos together. ::Look, things around the Nemesis have gotten pretty backwards in the last little while. I can’t really explain to you without possibly endangering myself and my trine. I just really need to speak with Soundwave. You have my word that I won’t try anything funny:: The seeker traced the shape of an X over his chestplates, ::On the safety of my trine, I swear nothing will happen to him::.

Soundwave’s spark gave a start. He had never seen Starscream quite this serious in all the years they worked together. Clearly, the other three Autobots also noticed something different. They scrutinized the seeker quietly.

Soundwave pulled up a private comm. link to Optimus. “I’ll do it” Soundwave said. The Prime stiffened for a moment, then his brows furrowed in thought.

::A moment, if you will, Starscream:: he said, then directed his two officers away from the seeker.

Jazz suddenly cut off the comm. link to Soundwave and Blaster. The two communications officers watched in silence as the three mechs spoke to one another. Just past them, Starscream impatiently tapped his ped.

“Soundwave”, Blaster whispered.

Soundwave looked up from the screen to his friend. Blaster had turned to face Soundwave; he wrung his servos together nervously. Soundwave couldn’t miss the worry and fear radiating from Blaster’s processor even if he turned the other way and walked 50 paces.

“Blaster, I’ll be alright” Soundwave assured his friend with a mild smile.

The orange mech shook his helm, “’Wave, Primus this feels so dangerous. You just got back on your peds”.

“I know, but something is off” Soundwave insisted “I have never seen Starscream like this. He swore upon his trine… this is serious”

“’Wave”, Blaster’s voice broke. He watched his friend though unusually somber optics, his field prickled with anxiety.

“Trust me,” Soundwave murmured “he is not here to harm me”.

Before Blaster could protest any more, the live audio feed with Jazz crackled back online. Both mechs turned back to the screens.

::Are you certain about this, Soundwave?:: Optimus directed a private comm to the telepath.

::Yes:: Soundwave said.

Soundwave watched as the Prime gave one more nod to his two officers before they turned back to approach the lone Decepticon. Starscream perked back up from his bored examination of the dessert.

::Soundwave has agreed to meet with you:: The Prime stated. Starscream nodded.

::However,:: Optimus continued, ::we will be taking protective measures to ensure his safety. Jazz, Prowl, and I will stay close. We will not listen to your conversation, however we will remain within firing distance::.

Starscream nodded, ::fair enough::.

The Prime gave one more nod before sending Soundwave the confirmation ping and a private message. ::Let Blaster take over at the communications station::.

Soundwave responded with a ping and took a breath.

“Alright, I’m going” he said to Blaster. He turned to the door and took a couple steps before a tight servo grasped his own. He gave a surprised hum as he turned back to Blaster.

The orange mech held Soundwave’s servo in a vice like grip. His optics were flooded with fear and worry and an unmistakable dose of love.

“’Wave” Blaster whispered.

Soundwave frowned and let out a breath. He took a step closer to his companion and let his other servo rest over Blaster’s.

Blaster struggled to speak for a moment, then whispered in a shaky voice, “just… please be careful, ‘Wave. Please”.

Soundwave felt something plucking at his spark. He nodded and allowed himself to take another step closer to Blaster. After a moment of hesitation, he leaned forward and let his forehelm rest against Blaster’s. This close, he could feel Blaster’s field brush over his. Blaster’s hitching breaths washed over him.

“Of course,” Soundwave murmured, “I will be back shortly. I promise”. He gave one last squeeze to Blaster’s servos before letting them go and stepping away. On his way out the door, he glanced back once. Blaster hadn’t moved from his spot, as though he was rooted into the floor. Soundwave sent him an encouraging smile before turning out into the hallway. Blaster’s frown didn’t budge.

By the time Soundwave got outside, Prime, Jazz, and Prowl were standing with some distance between them and Starscream. The seeker looked up as Soundwave joined the other three Autobots. Optimus assured him that he could step away from the conversation with Starscream at any moment, and that he could comm. them for assistance if needed. Soundwave thanked the three officers before walking past them to approach Starscream.

The seeker silently watched his approach. Soundwave belatedly realized that he had his visor in place but hadn’t remembered to close his lower mask. He sighed to himself but dismissed the thought. It was too late now either way. He could feel Starscream’s optics on his face. Once he was within speaking distance, the seeker made no comment, however the surprise was still apparent in his mind.

“Took you long enough” Starscream scoffed while crossing his arms. However, Soundwave could feel that his usual mocking bravado was only a shell placed over some unusual deeper worries.
“You wished to speak with me” Soundwave said flatly.

“Did I?” The seeker hummed coyly. His red optics studied Soundwave’s non-reaction before he sighed and dropped the façade. His wings slopped back down from their high position and his field loosened away from his frame.

“Yeah, Okay… look” the seeker started, “things on the Nemesis are getting worse. I would have sent you a comm, but the systems on board are shot and I don’t have your personal contact”.
Soundwave nodded stiffly, “if you wish, I could send you a packet of information on how to fix the communications console”.

Starscream shook his helm and regarded Soundwave with some humour in his field. “No, when I said ‘shot’ I meant it literally…” he sighed, “Megatron shot the console up in a fit of rage ages ago, the whole thing is dead”.

Soundwave felt a sense of cold dread drape over his frame. That was so… aggressive. Certainly, Megatron was known to have little bursts of anger, however, to completely destroy a part of the ship seemed irrational and over the top. For the first time, Soundwave really looked at the seeker. He became aware of the dark circles under the seeker’s optics, the slight tremor in the way he held up his wings – as though it was effort to keep them from drooping. He looked exhausted.

Soundwave frowned and felt plucks of guilt and worry. He had never been particularly close with the seeker. It was hard to build much of a companionship with the mech who was always trying to undermine Megatron. At least, it posed a challenge when Soundwave was the one always standing in his way. However, now he couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility. Starscream was a Decepticon after all, and Soundwave couldn’t shake the feeling that he had abandoned them.

Well… technically they had abandoned him first…. But it was all the same in the end.

Soundwave let out a huff, “Starscream, why are you here?”.

The seeker looked away from Soundwave. His optics blindly searched the dessert before he finally looked back to Soundwave’s visor.

“Megatron sent me to see if you were still alive”.

Soundwave sucked in a breath and opened his mouth. No sound came out. He couldn’t help the lash of pain that he felt at that. He closed his mouth and swallowed with a frown.

Starscream watched the telepath’s silence reaction. “I know” he muttered.

They stood in silence for a moment, both mechs stared at their peds. A mutual feeling of dread sat upon them both. The Decepticon cause had fallen so hard.

Finally, Soundwave found his voice again. “Could you tell me what has been happening in my absence… please?”.

The seeker studied him for a moment before sighing and nodding.

“I shouldn’t be saying this, so don’t let this get back to Megatron”.

Soundwave nodded, “of course”.

“Okay, well… for starters, Megatron has been very easy to anger lately. He’ll lose his temper over anything”. The seeker scoffed, “everyone is scared of him, we all tiptoe around him like he’s some sort of wild animal. He damn well acts like it”.

Soundwave nodded and hummed; the seeker continued.

“Our rations are brimming on empty. It’s gotten so bad that brawls keep hashing up over fuel. I’ll occasionally send small clusters of troops on raids – just to grab as much oil as we can and run before calls are made. But you know how much energy it takes to turn oil into energon. It takes multiple barrels just to make one cube! By the time we scrape together a bit of oil and run, we’ve really only made enough for a few days”.

That explained the exhaustion that Soundwave was reading off of Starscream. The dull plating and dark under-optics. He was starving, as were the rest of the troops. Soundwave felt a hard stab of guilt. They were starving while he had enough fuel to stay topped up and still make energon goodies with his creations and Blaster. Without thought Soundwave reached into his subspace and pulled out a cube of energon. It was going to be his mid-day fuel, but clearly it was needed elsewhere.

The seeker jolted at the sudden offer. His optics narrowed and his wings hitched up proudly.

“I don’t want your charity” he sneered.

However, Soundwave could feel the tight squeeze of longing that wrapped around Starscream’s processor. He continued to hold out the cube.
“If not for yourself, then for your trine” he insisted.

He watched as the seeker regarded the cube, then looked back up to him. Slowly, Starscream reached out and took the fuel and tucked it away into his subspace. He didn’t thank Soundwave but offered a tight nod instead. Both mechs knew that cube would never be mentioned again. Either way, Soundwave felt a soft wash of relief in Starscream’s mind, and that was enough.

“Go on” the blue mech prompted.

“Right… well, every time I take command and run a raid behind his back, Megatron gets really angry at me. He’ll scream and rage at me for taking more power than I should. Obviously, he’s hit me around a few times too”.

Soundwave grimaced.

“But, between the two of us, mechs around the Nemesis are starting to listen to me more. Megatron hardly shows up to meetings, he hides away in his quarters most days doing Primus knows what. So of course, the other Decepticons turn to me for orders”.

A wash of pride dominated Starscream’s field for a moment.

“It’s actually rather nice. I must admit that I run things far better than he does… and I don’t threaten to kill anyone while I’m at it”.

Soundwave gave an amused snort.

“It’s not all great though,” Starscream sobered, “because every time Megatron catches me taking command, he berates me for doing more than my position calls for”. He shook his helm in frustration, “I just don’t know what else to do”.

“What’s most annoying is that, whenever Megatron does re-appear to help with planning or command, he’s always focusing on catching you back. He’s obsessed with it, it’s all he talks about or plans for anymore”.

Soundwave swallowed thickly, “it has been that bad?”.

Starscream gave a weary sigh, “sorry you had to hear it from me… I have to admit it, your little speech the other day moved a lot of the troops. Some mechs are beginning to whisper some really treasonous things when Megatron isn’t around”.

“Really?” Soundwave asked.

Starscream nodded, “yes, obviously a lot of the Decepticons don’t like Megatron’s new leadership style. You definitely made them question if his removal is an option… I’m just not sure what to do now”.

Soundwave watched the seeker deflate. Then, in a simple statement, said “take over”.

Starscream choked. His jerked up to look at Soundwave.

“Have you busted your processor or something? Take over?” Starscream spluttered.

“Isn’t that what you have always wished to do?”

“Yes! But…” the seeker hesitated, his voice dropped, “then what?… another million years of war until I lose my mind and someone else kills me for command?”.

Soundwave frowned and looked to the side. He understood Starscream’s hesitation. He was tired, they were both tired.

“The Autobots,” he started, “they are not what you expect. They are not what I expected. Why do you think I stayed?”. Soundwave gestured to the red insignia on his chestplates. “I am not fighting for some new age senate. I am fighting for a peaceful and equal Cybertron”.

Starscream watched him with sceptical optics. Soundwave sighed.

“The Autobots are not like the original oppressive Cybertronian government. Things have changed for both factions since the beginning of the war. Do you truly believe that Megatron is still fighting for peace and freedom for all? Does he treat you with the dignity and respect that made us rise to war in the first place?”.

Starscream scoffed and shook his helm, “clearly not. The power had gotten to his helm… I think it did a long time ago”.

Soundwave nodded understandingly, “I was too blind to see it” Soundwave continued. “I failed to notice it eons ago when you did. I apologize for not believing you”.

The seeker glanced at him, his expression was twisted with confusion and frustration.

Soundwave continued, “The Autobots are not fighting to re-establish functionalism or the senate. I know that is what Megatron always said they wanted, but he was lying”. He pulled a datapad from his subspace, the same one Prowl had given him months ago when he was new to the Ark. Starscream accepted it with a side glance to the telepath.

“This datapad details the ethics and codes of the Autobots. You are welcome to keep it and review their goals in detail. I assure you that I am treated far better here than I was ever treated as a Decepticon”.

Starscream scrutinized the datapad, then tucked it into his subspace. His brows pinched and he thought for a moment. “They really treat you well here?” his optics narrowed.

Soundwave nodded, “very well”.

“Even though you’re an outlier?”.

“yes, they are actually very accommodating”.

“huh” Starscream shook his helm. His optics looked far past their conversation into something deeper. He puzzled over this information for a moment.

“Starscream” Soundwave said. The seeker looked back up at the telepath. “At the very least, this conversation gives you something to think about. Not everything is how it seems as of late”.

The seeker’s wings fluttered; his optics narrowed to two fine red slits. “Your point being?”

“My point being that you should take control of the Nemesis and work with Optimus Prime to call and end to this needless war. We could establish peace and equality for all”.

Starscream’s optic brows shot up, “you really think that could be done?”.

Soundwave nodded, “you would not have to do it alone. We can work together; I am sure the Prime will back you up. I think it is possible, if we are discreet”.

A puff of air was let out from Starscream’s vents. “Primus” he muttered and absentmindedly ran his claws along the side of his arm. He shook his helm while keeping his optics on the sandy ground. “I…. I need to think about this”.

“Of course,” Soundwave nodded, “it is not an easy choice, I would know”. He sent a ping to Starscream containing his personal comm line. “Reach out to me if you have any further questions”.

The seeker accepted it with a distracted nod, “I will”.

The dessert stood in silence once more. With everything said between them, Starscream stepped back to leave. After a moment, he paused and looked back at Soundwave.

“You know…” he said, “you really are different than what I expected”.

Soundwave tilted his helm to the side, “how so?”

“I don’t know” Starscream shook his helm, “you’re friendlier than I thought… younger”. He paused and frowned, “if things were different, maybe we would have gotten along better than we did”.

“Things still can be different” Soundwave spoke softly.

The seeker scrutinized him for a moment. “I know” Starscream sighed, “I’ll stay in touch”.

With that, his thrusters powered up and the seeker rocketed off the dessert floor. Soundwave tipped his helm back to watch the Decepticon transform mid-air and shoot off towards the ocean. Towards the Nemesis.

He stood in silence for another moment. Distantly, he could hear the approaching ped-steps of the three Autobot officers. He didn’t look back to them.

Perhaps things really could be different.

Chapter Text

Not much was said when Optimus, Jazz, and Prowl joined Soundwave. For a long moment, all four mechs tilted their helms up to the sky to watch as Starscream rocketed away. A low whistle came from Jazz when Starscream was no more than a spec in the sky. The Prime hummed in agreement, Seekers sure could move fast.

Suddenly broken from their trance, the four mechs turned their attention back to each other. Soundwave had to repress a small jump as Optimus’ servo landed upon his shoulder.
“You look perplexed”, Optimus observed “what did he have to say?”.

Soundwave glanced at the three officers. “Quite a lot” he said blankly. He was still processing all of the information Starscream had shared with him. It was a lot to pass on.
As the officers started their walk back towards the base, Soundwave began explaining.

“So… Let me get this straight” Jazz started, “Ol’ Screamer told you that Megs has been real aggressive and nasty to his own troops”. Soundwave nodded, they had reached the door to the communications hub, but had yet to go in.

“And he said that Megs is obsessing over catching you” Jazz continued.

“That part was obvious enough” Prowl observed. Jazz chuckled; Soundwave sighed.

“Rations on the Nemesis are running low, and ‘Screamer is almost taking command to get the basics covered” Jazz rubbed his jaw, “now that is real interesting”.

“I apologize if it was presumptive of me to suggest that Starscream should consider taking over” Soundwave spoke suddenly, “after hearing about the conditions of the Nemesis, it felt wrong to part ways without trying to help in some way”.

Optimus shook his helm, “it was not presumptive at all, Soundwave. You did the right thing”. Jazz nodded with an encouraging smile next to the Prime.

“Besides, offering to bridge a truce between the factions was a nice touch” Jazz grinned, “you know, that might actually work”.

Soundwave hummed softly, “I hope it does”.

“The least we can do is try” Optimus added.

Prowl hummed but didn’t look up from the datapad he was frantically writing on. Soundwave knew he was agreeing. He had taken a liking to Prowl’s company over the last few months. It had taken him a little while to become familiar with Prowl’s mannerisms and habits. However, now that he was familiar with them, it all felt like second nature. He had a feeling that Prowl felt the same way about him.

“I suppose all we can do for now is wait” Optimus said.

Soundwave let out a pressurized breath, “unfortunately”. His helm tilted up to look at the Prime when Optimus gave a warm chuckle.

“I’m sure Starscream will make the right choice” Optimus assured, “and regardless of his decision, we will move forward however we can”. He was always one to reassure. Soundwave knew that Prime always had faith in the goodness of others. Once he had thought that trait to be ridiculous and a sign of weakness. Of course, Optimus had given him the benefit of the doubt when he first woke in the Ark’s medbay… perhaps there really was something powerful within that trait.

Soundwave nodded, “I will alert you all if Starscream contacts me”.

“I sure hope he does soon” Jazz grinned, “things are starting to get interesting”. Prowl glanced up from his datapad and smiled at his mate’s eagerness.

A few short farewells were shared before the three officers left Soundwave standing outside the door to the comm. hub. Soundwave pulled in a deep breath and he felt his frame release some built up tension. For a moment, he stood in the empty hallway, looking up at that horrifically orange ceiling. This Starscream thing was going to be interesting. He deeply hoped that it wouldn’t backfire. Soundwave pinched at his nasal bridge; he could certainly feel a helmache coming on.

With a huff, the cassette player dropped his servo and turned to face the door. He palmed the panel and stood back to watch the door slide open.

Blaster’s helm jerked up to look at Soundwave, he quickly stood from his chair.

“’Wave” Blaster breathed.

Soundwave smiled at his friend, the relief rolling off of the orange boombox was immense. He was only able to take a few steps into the room before Blaster swept over and drew him into a tight hug.

One of Blaster’s arms wrapped snug around Soundwave’s waist. His other servo rested between the telepath’s shoulder blades, almost to assure himself that his roommate was back safe.

Soundwave smiled softly as he returned the hug. He could feel as Blaster’s servo trailed up to the point where his dorsa and his neck met. It felt almost romantic.

A sudden wave of guilt and worry shoved into Blaster’s processor. Soundwave could feel the icy doubt fog his roommate’s relief. For the umpteenth time in the last few days, Soundwave could feel Blaster’s processor winding up into a ball of worry. Was he pushing too far by giving Soundwave this hug? Would it make his friend uncomfortable? He didn’t want Soundwave to think he was ignoring his disinterest in a romantic relationship! Would Soundwave be upset?

With a small jerk, Blaster pulled back from the hug. Soundwave frowned and tilted his helm. Dissatisfaction curled in the blue mech’s fuel tank as Blaster retracted away. That hug had been a warm and welcome comfort after such a tiring event. It had felt nice to rest his helm on Blaster’s shoulder and let the orange mech’s arms block out the rest of the world for a moment.
Not long ago, such a gesture would have never been second guessed. It felt wrong to have this divide in their friendship. It felt wrong to watch Blaster jump through mental loops every time they touched.

Gingerly, Soundwave reached out a servo and rested it on Blaster’s forearm. He wasn’t quite sure how to express his feelings to Blaster. All he knew was that hugging his friend felt right, and he didn’t want it to end just yet.

Blaster’s optics met with Soundwave’s visor. He took in his roommate’s small, pinched frown and tense posture. Icy fingers of dread pinched under his plating. Had he pushed too far and made Soundwave uncomfortable?

“I… I rather enjoy when you hug me” Soundwave murmured. He suddenly found that his optics were glued to the floor.

Blaster blinked; his breath caught in his throat. “You do?” he managed to piece together.

Soundwave’s visor snapped back up to meet his gaze. “Of course,” his voice almost sounded insulted, “you’re my dearest friend… your presence comforts me”. His helm dipped back down to the side.

“It does?” Blaster felt a smile warm his faceplates. He let out a pleased breath and clasped his servo over Soundwave’s. A sudden burst of bravery filled the orange mech as he continued, “I’m just so nervous of overstepping your boundaries, ‘Wave. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable… I don’t want to make you feel like I’m taking liberties to be more intimate than friends usually are”.
“You don’t make me uncomfortable” Soundwave’s voice was a near whisper, “if anything, you make me feel safe”.

Blaster paused and absorbed Soundwave’s words. “… I do?” he smiled. His plating flared the tiniest bit as he swelled with pride. When Soundwave nodded, his smile grew. “I make you feel safe” he murmured the words, mostly to himself. Something about that information sent a flood of warmth and happiness through Blaster. His anxieties over making Soundwave uncomfortable crumbled apart and washed away. He made Soundwave feel safe. He could feel his plating rustle with satisfaction. He liked that… He liked that a lot.

“Why else would I come to you every time I am upset?” Soundwave shrugged. He couldn’t help the amused smile at Blaster’s flared plating. His friend’s relief and joy were infectious; he felt it wash over him like medicine.

“I suppose I never thought that far” Blaster grinned. His mood suddenly picked up. The orange of his plating seemed to glow brighter.

Soundwave smiled and shook his helm fondly at his companion. A beat of silence sat between them for a moment before he finally spoke.

“Hug me” Soundwave said softly.

“Hm?” Blaster’s optic brows shot up at the request.

Soundwave let out a tired sigh. “I could use one of your hugs” he admitted, “one that you aren’t worrying through”.

Blaster’s surprise melted into something softer and warmer. “Of course, ‘Wave” he crooned before leaning back in and pulling Soundwave into another hug.

The telepath allowed himself to be pulled in close. His helm automatically rested on Blaster’s shoulder as the orange mech encircled him in his embrace. It felt warm… and safe… and most definitely right. Soundwave allowed his optics to shutter closed and he let out a deep sigh. He allowed himself to sag the tiniest amount into the hug. Distantly, he felt Blaster’s soft breath wash over his faceplates.

Blaster couldn’t tear his optics from Soundwave’s faceplates. The smaller mech looked so peaceful and content. One blue servo rested over Blaster’s tape deck, the other was wrapped around to sit upon his shoulder. This close in their embrace, he would really only need to tilt his helm the slightest bit to press a kiss on Soundwave’s lips. Of course, he resisted the immediate urge, but a chill ran down his frame at the idea alone. Slowly, Soundwave’s visor onlined again; It had deepened into a softer ruby red. The telepath slowly pulled out of the embrace until they once again were totally apart.

Both mechs felt unexpectedly cold outside of the embrace.

Soundwave offered one of his small smiles, “thank you”.

“Any time, ‘Wave” Blaster murmured.

Soundwave looked up to meet Blaster’s optics. He took a tiny step closer and allowed his servo to rest on Blaster’s arm. The orange mech felt his spark pulse with more urgency, he swallowed thickly.

“You truly do mean very much to me” Soundwave admitted in a soft voice.

Blaster leaned in slightly, “you mean so much to me as well, ‘Wave”. He would have laughed at the obviousness of his statement had his spark not felt like it was about to spontaneously combust.

Soundwave’s optics dipped to Blaster’s chestplates, then lifted back up to his friend’s optics. “I don’t know what I would do without you” he murmured.

Blaster pulled in a small breath. His optics took in Soundwave’s every subtle move. “’Wave” he began.

Both mechs jerked apart when the comm. station chimed as a call came through from Sideswipe. Suddenly remembering that he was still technically on shift, Soundwave gasped with embarrassment and hurried around Blaster to the console. He tried to ignore the palpable disappointment that radiated from his roommate’s mind.

Sideswipe had just completed a routine sweep of the Ark’s territory with Bluestreak. They had nothing to report but checking in with the comm. officer on deck was routine.

Soundwave brusquely thanked the mechs for keeping schedule before ending the call. He stood staring at the blank screen for a moment in mortification. How had he totally forgotten about his own shift? Absently, he felt Blaster’s presence at his side.

Blaster’s hip suddenly bumped Soundwave’s. Soundwave jerked his helm to look at Blaster, who had a very playful smile on his faceplates.

“You should have seen your face” Blaster grinned.

Soundwave gave a short laugh and light-heartedly shoved Blaster’s arm. His friend cackled then unceremoniously dropped himself on one of the chairs.

Soundwave smiled and rolled his optics at his friend, then took a seat at the other chair. For a moment, the two mechs sat in silence. Soundwave quietly watched Blaster. Blaster tried to ignore the gaze as he leaned back in his seat, he absent-mindedly swiveled the chair back and forth by using his heel on the floor as a pivot.

“Blaster” Soundwave started, “may I ask you something personal?”.

Blaster lifted his helm back up to look at Soundwave. His optic brows raised but he nodded, “sure thing, ‘Wave”.

Soundwave hummed in thought before slowly and carefully placing his words, “out of curiosity alone… When you pursue a romantic relationship, what does that look like?”.

Blaster stiffened in his seat. He suddenly pushed himself up from his lax posture to sit up straighter. “Er… good question” he said, “I guess it would kinda depend on who I am with”. When Soundwave continued to silently watch him, he continued. “I suppose, right now, I would probably start off by dating them for a bit”. He wasn’t entirely certain who this hypothetical “them” was… but it was certainly less abrasive than saying “you”.

Soundwave gave a thoughtful hum, “dating?”.

Suddenly aware of the numerous cultural differences between Autobot and Decepticon intimacy, Blaster elaborated, “yeah, I mean like… going on dates with that mech. You know, spending quality time together, feeling out what romance would mean with them”. At Soundwave’s blank stare, he continued, “It would be time set aside for me and that mech to spend some quality time together, just the two of us. I guess a pretty classic date night could include things like a movie, fueling together, sharing goodies, talking about anything…” he playfully elbowed Soundwave’s arm with a wink, “maybe doing some light servo holding”.

Soundwave snorted and smiled at Blaster’s playfulness. However, in the back of his processor, he checked off a list of things that he had already done with Blaster.

Blaster continued, “I suppose at first, dating someone would be pretty casual… we would just spend a lot of time together to find out if we shared any kind of chemistry. If we found that chemistry to be there, then the question of more serious courting could come up”. He shrugged to punctuate his statement.

Soundwave nodded thoughtfully. He was decently familiar with the Autobot concept of courting. It was a fairly traditional practice that two or more mechs upheld when they were entering a serious relationship. They were yet to start the Conjunx Ritus, but that was the ultimate goal at the end of their courtship… if all went well.

However, this more casual level of dating still perplexed Soundwave. Was it not essentially the same as courting on most levels? Autobot culture was so different from his life as a Decepticon and lower class Cybertronian before the war. It made sense that the Autobots tended to be dictated by the middle- and upper-class cultural practices, and the Decepticons by the lower-class cultures. However, it never made it any less confusing when these cultures met.

At Soundwave’s confused expression, Blaster asked, “different from what you’re used to?”.

Soundwave hummed and nodded, “yes. While Decepticons do have courting in more serious long-term relationships, it is fairly rare. However, this level of romantic relationship you call “dating” doesn’t exist within the Decepticons”.

Blaster looked perplexed for a moment, then fascinated. “huh” he said, “well if you don’t have dating, what comes before courting?”.

“Fragging” Soundwave answered simply.

Blaster choked.

“Oh!” Blaster laughed, “yeah I guess that works too”. His amused fluster settled back down as he pondered for a moment.

Soundwave elaborated, “I do suppose that we have a non-official form of dating in the Decepticons. However, you aren’t in a relationship so much as a close friendship… I mean to say that you are not exclusive to one another unless that desire is stated. Even then, emotional and physical exclusivity is verging on courting”.

Blaster gave a low whistle; it was interesting to learn about the Decepticon side of things. However, the way Soundwave explained it made it sound rather impersonal. “What about when you love someone, but you aren’t together in any way yet?” he asked.

Soundwave puzzled over the question for a moment before admitting, “I do not know”.

Blaster blinked, then gave a slow nod. “Well, haven’t you ever been in love before?” he asked.

“No”

“…oh” Blaster tried not to sit up in his chair. Soundwave was suddenly avoiding optic contact. The orange boombox felt a wash of guilt. He scrubbed at the back of his neck. “I… wouldn’t have guessed that” he admitted in a low voice.

A cocktail of disbelief and guilt sat in Blaster’s fuel tank. He quietly observed Soundwave for a moment, then looked away again. His faceplates pinched in thought, then nervousness. He licked his lips then took a breath.

“Haven’t you ever been romanced before?” Blaster asked in a tentative voice.

Soundwave’s bright visor re-focused on Blaster. He slowly shook his helm, “no, I suppose that I have not”.

Blaster nodded casually; his optics looked up to the ceiling then back down to Soundwave. He cleared his throat. “Well… uh, just a silly idea,” he started “would you ever want to try it?”. Quickly he elaborated, “I mean would you want to experience what an Autobot date would be like? Not that you and I would go on an actual romantic date… but we could have a friend date – kinda’ like a trial run of what a real date would be like, just so you could experience it”.

He paused and watched as Soundwave mulled over the offer. In a nervous flurry, he continued, “I know it sounds kinda’ silly, but there’s a lot about going on a date that is hard to summarize without experiencing it firsthand. Technically most things you do on a first date could be done with a friend, the difference is mostly in the details”. He offered a playful smile, “besides, at the very least, I could set your standards for what a good date is”.

Soundwave broke from his trail of thought to chuckle at Blaster’s words. He hummed and gave a pointed smile at Blaster, “so you believe yourself to be a high-quality date?”.

Blaster grinned and puffed out his plating, “absolutely” he beamed, “no one romances like me…” he turned thoughtful, “except maybe Jazz – that mech is smooth as a fresh polish”.
Both mechs shared a laugh for a moment.

Soundwave gave a low hum and examined Blaster for a moment. “A fake friend date with you” he pondered.

Blaster grinned and spread his servos open, “kind of like a trail-run date 101… with a friend”.

Soundwave narrowed his optics for a moment and touched a servo to his chin. Finally, he gave a nod, “I accept your offer”.

Blaster grinned, his field swarmed with giddy energy, “just you wait mech, I’m gonna’ pull out all the stops”.

Soundwave laughed and tilted his helm, “try not to elevate my expectations too much, you’ll ruin my ability to date forever”.

“aw slag, that was kinda’ part of my master plan” Blaster leaned back in his seat with a wink.

Soundwave rolled his optics, but the smile remained on his faceplates.

“How’s tomorrow night sound, ‘Wave?”

“Tomorrow night?” Soundwave hummed with a smile, “sounds like a date”.

Chapter Text

Soundwave was never known to over-use his polish. If his plating were a lighter colour, he probably would hardly even use it. However, with his dark navy paintjob, Soundwave used a very light amount of polish on occasion… just to keep the navy from looking too stark.

Typically, Soundwave would give his frame a light polish every couple of weeks. He didn’t enjoy the gawdy feeling of a heavy-handed polish, it just didn’t suit him. It was a style that he could appreciate on other mechs… but just not himself.

After toweling off from his shower, Soundwave surprised himself by digging out his container of polishing wax. It had only been a few days since his last polish, and yet here he was, touching it up again. Of course, he didn’t use more than usual… he still preferred his softer polish over a hard shine. Perhaps the idea of going on this “fake date” with Blaster excited him more than he had expected. At the very least, it had been eons since Soundwave had the opportunity to do anything of this nature. Perhaps it just felt nice to get a bit shined up for a change.

Regardless of the internal meaning, it just felt right to be polished and presentable for the evening.

By the time he finished his polish, Soundwave realised it was almost time to go. He wasn’t entirely certain where Blaster was taking him, the orange mech had refused to give any hints, but Soundwave knew they were leaving their quarters.

The telepath tucked the container of wax away. For a moment, he wondered if Blaster would notice the new shine to his plating. Why this crossed his mind, he wasn’t certain. Soundwave slipped from the washracks and headed towards Blaster’s berthroom. However, when he ducked his helm in, the room stood empty.

Soundwave’s optics narrowed at the empty room, he smiled with a shake of his helm at the half-made berth. Distantly, he could hear their collection of cassettes laughing and playing in the living room. Perhaps Blaster was waiting for him with their creations. He let the door slide shut again before re-tracing his steps to the living room.

Much to Soundwave’s confusion, Blaster wasn’t waiting in the living room either. The blue mech let his optics scan across the room twice over before letting out a frustrated huff. A sudden bud of worry popped up in the back of Soundwave’s processor. What if Blaster forgot about their friend date? Perhaps something important came up.

A bubble of disappointment burst in Soundwave’s tanks, he suddenly realized how much he had been looking forward to this evening with Blaster. Even if he didn’t share Blaster’s romantic feelings, some quality time with the other boombox had sounded rather nice.

“Hey Boss, looking good!” Rumble’s voice pulled Soundwave back to the present.

The other cassettes, taking notice of the blue mech’s fresh polish, agreed in a chorus.

“Yeah, you look real spiffy, Boss”

“What are you looking so fancy for?”

“Trying to impress Blaster?”

Soundwave repressed his squirming and gave a soft smile to the room of giggling cassettes. They certainly knew how to get under his plating. Eventually, the cassette’s interests were pulled back towards the multiplayer videogame they were plating.

“Have any of you seen Blaster?” Soundwave asked the room of creations. A few of the cassettes glanced up from the screen, however, most optics remained glued on the game.

“Yeah, he just-” Rewind started, then gave a soft squeak when Frenzy pinched his arm. “I mean, no… no idea” Rewind finished.

Soundwave narrowed his optics at the cassettes, they were far too interested in avoiding his gaze now.

“Are you certain?” the telepath asked again, his servos navigated to rest on his hips.

Continuing to avoid optic contact, Frenzy said “Yeah, we have no clue”. He looked far too innocent for Soundwave’s comfort.

Soundwave gave a low hum. He wasn’t buying this little game. He activated his personal comm. line with intent to message Blaster. However, he stopped when a knock sounded at the door.
Soundwave carefully stepped over the floor of cassettes to get to the door. He couldn’t help but notice the weight of the cassette’s optics on his dorsa. The telepath cued the door open and was met with a casually grinning Blaster. The orange mech seemed rather pleased with himself as he stood in the hallway. It appeared that he had also taken the time to give himself a bit of a polish.
Soundwave let out a puff of air and shook his helm, but he couldn’t help the smile that grew on his faceplates. Distantly, he could hear a collection of giggles from the cassettes behind him.
With a suave grin, Blaster started “hey ‘Wave”.

“Blaster” Soundwave ventured with a smile.

“I was wondering” Blaster continued, “if you were free this evening for some pretend romance”.

Now Soundwave really had to try hard to ignore the giggles behind him. He gave a low hum before answering, “sorry, I already have a fake date scheduled tonight” before closing the door. The cassettes erupted into a near riot of laughter. Soundwave casually picked his way over to the couch before taking a seat next to Ravage.

The door opened again to let in an amused Blaster. The boombox’s optics twinkled with laughter as he shook his helm. Soundwave smiled sweetly at his roommate before letting the orange mech pull him up by his arm. Only a moment was spared to say goodbye to the collection of cassettes before the two mechs were alone in the hall.

“Mech” Blaster laughed as they made a comfortable pace walking down the halls. Soundwave gave a soft laugh and bumped Baster’s arm.
It was comforting to see Blaster again. Soundwave hadn’t noticed how nervous he had been for the evening. However, walking side by side with Blaster helped assure him that things wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Blaster was still his best friend, above all else.

Distantly, Soundwave felt Blaster’s optics linger on his frame. The other communications mech had noticed the fresh polish. The telepath kept his optics on the hallway ahead as he felt Blaster’s processor mull over whether to compliment him on the new shine or not. Soundwave smiled to himself as he felt Blaster make up his mind.

“You look great tonight… as you always do” Blaster spoke casually. His voice failed to mask the total sincerity the compliment was paid from.

“Thank you” Soundwave murmured, he turned his helm to meet Blaster’s gaze, “I like your new polish”. He couldn’t help the burst of amusement as Blaster laughed nervously.

As cool as Blaster was playing it, he was truly a bubbling nervous wreck underneath. The whole concept of a fake date was perhaps unwise, in retrospect… not that he would take it back in a million years. Obviously, he was more than happy to show Soundwave a good time. Any quality time spent with his roommate was bound to be enjoyable for himself at the very least. Not to mention how badly Soundwave seemed to be in need of some serious romancing. If anyone was to supply a sampler of Autobot romance, it would have to be him. The idea of sending Soundwave off on a date with another mech sent a mean stabbing pain in Blaster’s tanks.

By that same logic, however, came the biggest issue with this idea. Soundwave didn’t love him. At least, Soundwave didn’t love him in the way that he loved Soundwave. This wasn’t a real date, just an excuse to spend the evening with Soundwave and only Soundwave.

The reality of the situation was that Blaster could enjoy this evening with Soundwave, but he had to accept that this was it. There would be no second date, no kiss goodnight… they would go home together after all of this, and then slip back into their everyday lives as friends.

Blaster didn’t regret his offer, nor did he regret his feelings for Soundwave. However, he couldn’t ignore the muffled worry in the back of his processor that this was going to hurt like slag. He was basically dangling Soundwave in front of his own optics. It was almost masochistic. It was a glimpse into what his life could have been, if things were just a bit different. At the end of the day, Blaster was going to enjoy this evening. He had accepted that this was his only chance to truly express his romantic feelings with Soundwave, so there was no holding back… no regrets, no second chances. By tomorrow, he would be back to reality. So, at the very least, he had to enjoy tonight.

“So… Where are you taking me?” Soundwave’s voice broke Blaster from his thoughts. The orange mech grinned at his date as he guided them towards the door of the Ark.

“I figured we could start the evening off with a little walk” he said, “just around the Ark, of course”.

Soundwave seemed pleased with this idea, much to Blaster’s relief. It went unsaid that they were staying around the Ark to avoid the risk of another run in with a certain angry Decepticon leader. Neither mech admitted it, but it crossed both of their minds.

As they stepped into the early evening air, both mechs were pleased to find it was a perfect temperature for their walk. The sun sat lazily in the sky. The wind had evaporated away to nothing.
Blaster waved cheerily at the two mechs on patrol duty. Soundwave gave them each a nod. Before long, they were out of optic shot of the guards and side by side in the desert alone.
At first, neither mech knew what to say. Blaster was struck with a sudden nervousness that could only be found on a first date with someone. It was fascinating, how it could even happen with someone he knew as well as Soundwave. He glanced over at the blue mech, who seemed entirely undisturbed.

Finally, conversation bubbled back up and the two mechs felt themselves lulled back into some normality. After five minutes of walking and chatting, Soundwave offered out his servo.
Blaster stared blankly at the blue servo being offered to him, then he looked up at his friend.

“If I can recall”, Soundwave smiled, “yesterday you said that a date could include engagement in some 'light servo holding’”

Blaster nodded dumbly, then broke from his trance to grin and take Soundwave’s servo in his own. “You know, you have a very good point there, ‘Wave” he spoke in a voice that didn’t betray his seizing spark.

Both mechs walked in a comfortable silence for a while longer. They couldn’t help the sudden hyper awareness that greeted them when they took each other’s servos. Soundwave briefly glanced down at the way their servos twined together, their fingers interlocked with what felt like second nature. Why didn’t friends do this all the time? Blaster’s servo was warm and grounding. It filled his helm with an unrecognizable fog. It wasn’t bad, if anything, Soundwave wished they could do this more often. A small thrill fluttered through the telepath’s frame as Blaster’s thumb gingerly stroked over the back of his servo. His spark pulsed a little harder before lulling back down into warm comfortability.

Blaster had to use a fair amount of effort to keep from glancing down at his servo, just to make sure this was all real. He was holding servos with Soundwave. Soundwave was holding servos with him! The blue servo in his grasp was slightly cooler than expected, but he was more than happy to warm it up. He briefly glanced at Soundwave, who seemed content and relaxed. After a moment, he gave Soundwave’s servo a gentle squeeze. A flurry of butterflies appeared within his tanks when the blue mech offered a soft squeeze in reply. At the same moment, they both turned to look at each other. All of the breath in Blaster’s body was sucked out when their optics met… Primus, being in love was a hell of an experience. Soundwave offered him a soft smile before turning his attention back ahead.

By the time they finished lapping the Ark, Soundwave’s servo in Blaster’s grip began to feel completely natural. Which is why, when Soundwave gently slipped his servo out of the hold, Blaster’s spark simmered with disappointment. Of course, he couldn’t be surprised. Soundwave had never seemed like the mech to display affection in public spaces.
Their conversation didn’t even hiccup as they retracted their servos and stepped back into the Ark.

“Where are we going now?” Soundwave asked as they walked past the hall leading to their quarters.

Blaster offered a sly grin, “well, I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, ‘Wave”.

Soundwave snorted but followed along with Blaster until they reached the next destination. Before long, the telepath found himself staring at the door to spare quarters. This room would have been his, had he not moved in with Blaster months ago. He dimly gazed at the closed door, then turned to look at Blaster’s cheeky smile.

“Is this your way of kicking me out?” Soundwave joked flatly.

Blasted chuckled, “no… but wouldn’t that be slick”. They laughed for a moment, before Blaster continued. “No, Prime let me borrow this room for the day. He was kinda’ puzzled as to why I wanted it… but I assured him that it was for a good cause”.

Soundwave smiled and hummed, “how noble”. He watched as Blaster grinned, then finally cued the door to open. The telepath jerked in surprise, then silently stepped into the room. He could feel Blaster follow him in quietly as his optics took in everything before him.

“Primus” the blue mech whispered. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Somehow, Blaster had converted the small single quarters into a tiny private date spot. The berth had been folded up and stowed away out of sight. The desk had been pulled out to the centre of the room, two chairs faced it to create a makeshift dinner table. Dimmers must have been installed into the lighting to give the room a soft glow, assisted only by the mild evening light that pushed through gauzy curtains over the window. Soundwave’s optics travelled over the room to take in the candles, which were perched upon every surface that could hold one. Soft music played from a spare speaker, which had been tucked away into the corner of the room. Some of the brightest high grade energon was set out on the table, a cube for each of them. Most miraculously, Blaster had somehow gotten his servos on a rare bouquet of crystal flowers from Cybertron.
Silently, Soundwave stepped further into the room. His optics took in the full scene. It was like something from a pre-war romance zine. Those stories had never particularity interested Soundwave before, but he had to admit… being in one didn’t feel half bad. He gingerly touched a petal of one of the crystal flowers. It omitted a soft ringing sound at the contact, as the fresh ones usually did.

“How…” Soundwave started, then felt his glossa tie itself in knots. He turned around to face Blaster, who was standing in the entrance of the room. The orange mech smiled softly at him, which only made Soundwave continue to fumble over his words.
“Blaster…” he murmured as he turned back around to face the room. He heard the door close, then Blaster’s soft ped-steps as the other boombox walked over to join him.

“Do you like it?” Blaster stopped just behind Soundwave’s left shoulder.

“Like it” Soundwave breathed, “it’s like nothing I have ever seen before”. He shook his helm mutely, then turned around to face Blaster again. He couldn’t help but notice how close they were, but he truly didn’t mind. “Thank you” he whispered. Without thinking, he felt himself wrap his arms around Blaster’s shoulders to pull his friend into a hug.
Blaster was taken aback at the sudden hug, but he gladly gave into it. He let one of his servos gently stroke over blue backstruts for a moment.

“I’ll take that as approval then?” he kidded in a gentle voice. Soundwave silently nodded his helm in the nape of Blaster’s neck. Blaster smiled and felt himself puff up just a little bit.
After gathering himself back up again, Soundwave allowed Blaster to lead him to his seat. He bashfully thanked the orange mech as he even pulled out his chair.

“You certainly are setting very high expectations” Soundwave smiled over the rim of his energon cube.

Blaster grinned with a wink, “didn’t I warn you?".

Soundwave couldn’t get rid of his smile, even as he sipped slowly from his cube. It certainly didn’t hurt that the cube was some of the best high grade he had ever had. He shook his helm with a pleased hum.

“Where did you even get all of this?” Soundwave asked in his bewilderment.

Blaster offered no details, only playfully insisting “I’ve got my connections, ‘Wave”.

Soundwave had a feeling that these “connections” meant Jazz was somehow involved. He couldn’t help but feel incredibly flattered at the effort Blaster had put into the date… which wasn’t even a real date.

“I must ask” Soundwave started, “do you always put in this level of effort on your dates?”. He watched as Blaster grinned and put down his cube.

“Honestly, no… not really” Blaster admitted with a laugh, “but for you, I wanted to pull out all the stops”. He paused for a moment, his voice dropped down into deeper sincerity as he continued, “you’re worth it, ‘Wave. You deserve the best”.

Soundwave had to use a fair amount of effort to keep from squirming. “Blaster” he shook his helm, “you’re far too good for me”. He wasn’t certain where that statement came from, but once it left his mouth, he knew that he meant it.

Blaster looked as puzzled as Soundwave felt for a moment, then the orange mech reached over the table to squeeze his servo. “Not in a million years” he murmured. Soundwave let out a puff of air, then busied himself by taking another sip of his energon. He didn’t move his servo away from Blaster’s.

Once both mechs polished off their cubes of high grade, time seemed to slip by faster. Before they knew it, they had spent well over an hour talking and laughing together. Blaster had paused mid-sentence when he got a reminder notification. Without saying much at all, the orange mech jumped up from his seat and whisked Soundwave out of the room. He only paused for a moment to grab the bouquet of crystal flowers and hand them to Soundwave with a wink. Soundwave smiled into the flowers and allowed Blaster to guide him back into the halls of the Ark.

“I am guessing that there will be no hint as to our next destination?” Soundwave murmured. Blaster’s only response was a laugh, but Soundwave was more than happy to just go along with it.
Blaster guided them up the stairs to the top floor. Soundwave followed quietly, his field prickled with curiosity as Blaster opened a hatch leading to the top of the Ark. The telepath watched as Blaster pulled himself up, outside to the roof of the Ark. Then, always a mech of chivalry, offered his servos to help Soundwave up as well.

Soundwave smiled with amusement and didn’t remind Blaster that he was a flier, then he took the offered servo and climbed up onto the roof.
Blaster helped Soundwave up to his peds, then paused for a moment to allow the telepath to look around. He smiled as he watched Soundwave glance around the top of the Ark. Due to their crash-landing thousands of years ago, the Ark was still comfortably embedded within the side of a mountain. Wordlessly, Blaster took Soundwave’s servo and guided the telepath to their next spot.

A puff of air left Soundwave’s vents when Blaster presented their date location to him. Blaster had cleared off a small spot on the roof of the Ark. It was set up to be comfortable with blankets and pillows. Of course, there was music playing softly in the background. A small tray of energon goodies was set up next to a collection of candles, which cast a flickering glow on the ensemble. Clearly, Blaster had timed the evening down to the last second. They had made it right on time to watch the sun set together.

“Blaster” Soundwave laughed in awe. He let the orange mech take the flowers from his grip and place them out with the rest of the scene. “I can’t believe you” he laughed.
The orange mech looked up from where he placed the bouquet, then grinned and offered a servo up to the blue mech. Soundwave paused for a moment, then took the servo and let Blaster pull him down to sit.

Both mechs settled their frames to sit up against the pillows. Soundwave was still steeped in shock and flattery by the time they were both comfortable.
“All of this, for me” Soundwave whispered with a shake of his helm. He tilted his helm to look at his friend, who smiled warmly at him, “Blaster, why?”.

“Because you’re you” Blaster murmured earnestly. He paused for a moment and watched Soundwave digest his answer. It was so simple, but it was the truth.

Soundwave gazed numbly down at his lap, then he shook his helm slowly. “I can’t say that I understand, but I am beyond thankful” he said softly. He could feel Blaster’s optics on him, but he didn’t look up to meet them.

“’Wave” Blaster gently nudged the telepath’s arm. After a moment, the blue mech looked up to meet his gaze. “Do you remember the first sunset we watched together?”.

Soundwave blinked, then turned to look at the sun. It was just beginning to sink below the horizon. Suddenly, he turned back with bright optics, “of course. It was the night that I decided to stay on the Ark”.

Blaster smiled and nodded, “yeah, and I’m so glad you decided to stay. I really thank my lucky stars for it every day”.

Soundwave’s helm dipped down as his optics dimmed. “I am incredibly thankful that I stayed as well. Life here has been so much better for myself and my creations” he paused and finally looked up to meet Blaster’s optics, “and I have you now as well”.

Blaster’s smile melted into something softer, “’Wave, even if this is our only date, I’m just so happy to have you in my life… in any way. You mean so much to me, no matter what”.

Soundwave blinked rapidly as he choked back some very strong emotions. “I feel the same way, Blaster. I’ve never had a friend like you before, I don’t know what I would do without you in my life”. He paused for a moment, it felt like he was stumbling over his own feelings as he attempted to find the right words to say. After a moment, he regained some composure and said, “regardless of what may happen, you will always be a part of my family”.

Blaster couldn’t ignore the lump in his throat that suddenly developed. “’Wave” he murmured. He wanted nothing more than to lean in and draw Soundwave into a kiss… but, of course, this was not that kind of date. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him into a tight hug.

Soundwave leaned into the hug, he let his helm rest on Blaster’s shoulder. It felt so natural to do this, it felt completely right. When Blaster loosened his arms from the embrace, Soundwave stayed pressed to Blaster. He re-adjusted himself to cuddle into Blaster’s side, his arms wound around the orange mech’s middle and his helm rested comfortably on that familiar shoulder. He could feel Blaster hesitate for a moment, then a gentle servo wrapped back around his shoulders. This close, he could hear the steady pulse of Blaster’s spark. He felt entirely wrapped in his friend’s field. The fact that they hadn’t spent every moment together like this was completely inexcusable.

The two mechs quietly watched the sunset. The sky painted itself orange and red as the first few stars made their presence known. Blaster dared to glance down at the mech in his arms. Soundwave’s optics were dim and content. Their fields mingled together warmly, as though they had done this a million times before. Faintly, Blaster realized how much they must have looked like a couple. Any mech passing by would have assumed as much. Blaster’s spark twisted painfully with the knowledge that this was it. He had nothing more planned, he had no more ways to draw out their only date. He wished it would never end.

Blaster leaned over and grabbed a couple of energon goodies from the tray. Soundwave shifted minutely in his arms, but easily settled back into the embrace. Blaster held out a goodie for Soundwave, who accepted it with a thankful pulse from his field. Blaster quietly sucked on his own goodie. Neither mech said anything, the moment was too peaceful to disturb.
Only the very top sliver of the sun remained visible above the horizon. It simmered there for a long moment as Blaster tried his best to take everything in. He savoured the feeling of Soundwave’s warmth against his frame, the way the smaller mech shifted ever so slightly to remain comfortable. Blaster slowly lowered his own helm to rest on top of Soundwave’s. He focused on the telepath’s relaxed field, his steady breathing, his dimmed optics. The sun slipped out of sight. Soundwave slipped out of his arms.
Blaster tried to not feel too bitter over it.

“May I ask something?” Soundwave finally broke the silence that had held them for a long while. His servos stretched above his helm in lazy contentment.

“Of course,” Blaster smiled. It was suddenly hard to maintain his upbeat energy.

“How does a typical Autobot date end?” Soundwave asked. He let his servos drop back down and he picked up another goodie. He split it in half and offered a piece to Blaster.

“Uh… well it kinda’ depends” Blaster grinned sheepishly; he took the goodie. “There are a few ways that a date can end, depending on how close you are with your date”. He tossed the goodie up in the air and caught it in his mouth.

Soundwave nodded sagely “interfacing”.

Blaster choked on the goodie, then struggled to swallow it. “Well, I mean that’s one way to end it” he laughed nervously. He watched Soundwave pause as he sucked on the energon goodie, he puzzled over the answer for a moment.

“Is that not the very point of a date?” Soundwave asked before polishing off the rest of the goodie.

“I…” Blaster froze for a moment, “no”. Soundwave blinked at him for a moment and Blaster searched for words. “No, I mean Autobot dates can have a few other endings too”. Soundwave nodded to usher him on, so he elaborated, “I mean, depending on how intimate you are with your date, maybe it could end in interfacing… But for a first date? Well, I guess it depends”.

Soundwave watched Blaster closely, his helm tilted to the side as it usually did when he was thinking. “If this were a real first date, how would you end it?” he asked pointedly.

Blaster hummed, “well… I guess that I would probably end it with a good old-fashioned kiss goodnight”.

Soundwave’s optics narrowed into amber slits. “A kiss goodnight?”

Blaster chuckled, “you’ve never heard of that one?”. When the telepath shook his helm, he continued. “It’s kinda’ outdated, but I always liked a little old school romance. Basically, you have to wait through the entire first date without kissing them. It can be excruciating sometimes” he laughed, “but it’s super worth it. Because, you get back to their home to drop them off, and then you say goodnight and have your first kiss. Then you have to leave and wait until the next time you see them to get another kiss”. He sighed wistfully, “it’s all about that patience and pay-off”.

Soundwave smiled, he leaned back against the pillows and tilted his helm back to gaze at the stars. “It sounds charming” he admitted.

“It really is” Blaster smiled over at his friend. He paused for a moment to appreciate how beautiful the blue mech was. With his helm tilted back and the stars reflecting in his optics… it was hard to look away. Suddenly, those gold optics fixed back on him.

“Ready to go home?” Soundwave asked.

Jarred from the moment, Blaster gave a dazed nod. He failed to stifle the disappointment that seeped into his field. Of course, he started this evening knowing that it had to come to an end… it just sucked that it was actually over now. He wished very deeply that he could press a button and restart the whole thing. Maybe he would hold Soundwave just a little tighter.
Blaster distantly remembered gathering up the blankets and pillows with Soundwave. The telepath carefully carried the bouquet of crystal flowers as they cleared the top of the Ark until it looked as it usually did.

Blaster couldn’t shake the numb disappointment that sat on his spark as he slipped back through the hatch into the Ark. He watched as Soundwave used his thrusters to ease his descent, then felt a mixture of amusement and embarrassment that he had treated Soundwave like any other grounder on their way out.

They dropped by the room they had their dinner date in and dropped off the pillows and blankets. Blaster planned to swing by the next day to clean everything up (and return some of the more romantic items to Jazz). Soundwave maintained a tight grip on the crystal flowers, he seemed intent on keeping them. Blaster was glad to see that. He wanted Soundwave to keep them.

They walked down the hall together towards their quarters… towards their normal lives as friends.

“How would you do it?” Soundwave broke the silence.

“Hmm?” Blaster turned to face his friend. Soundwave was gazing contently at the flowers, then he looked up to meet Blaster’s optics.

“How would you initiate a goodnight kiss?” he clarified.

Both mechs slowed their pace, then stopped as they reached the door to their quarters. Blaster hummed thoughtfully, then took Soundwave’s shoulders and maneuvered the blue mech to stand across from him, just outside the door. The telepath glanced at the door, then back at Blaster, who stood in front of him.

“If it was a good date,” Blaster said, “I’d end it right here, by saying goodnight and giving them a kiss”.

Soundwave nodded, then asked “and if it was a bad date?”.

Blaster chuckled, “I suppose it would end with an awkward hug and a ‘see you around’”.

Soundwave smiled, “was it a good pretend date?”.

Blaster blinked, then nodded. “Best fake date I’ve ever had” he murmured.

Soundwave gave a soft laugh; he tucked his faceplates down into the flowers and let their crystal petals brush his cheek. He finally looked back up, “well, are you going to wish me goodnight?”.
Blaster watched the blue mech through a fog, “goodnight” he whispered faintly. Those deep amber optics didn’t leave his. They stood together for a long moment, as if they were swathed in ice.

“Kiss me” Soundwave whispered.

Blaster’s breath caught in his throat. Had he heard that right? “What?” he managed to choke out.

“Kiss me” Soundwave insisted.

Confusion flooded Blaster’s field. He stared at Soundwave for a long moment, but the blue mech only gazed up at him, crystal flowers held tight in his servos, waiting. A sudden jolt of shock ran through Blaster’s frame. Soundwave… Soundwave just asked for a kiss and he was hesitating? Primus, what was wrong with him? This could be his only chance to kiss the mech he was stupidly in love with.

Without another word, Blaster wrapped his arms around the blue mech’s waist and pulled him in tight. He tilted his helm ever so slightly and finally, finally pressed his lips over Soundwave’s. Jolts of excitement and joy and ‘holy slag I’m so in love’ flooded Blaster’s frame as he kissed the blue mech. Soundwave’s arms twined over his shoulders. Faintly, Blaster could feel the flowers in Soundwave’s grip tickling the back of his shoulders.

In a dreamy haze, Blaster pulled back from the kiss. Neither mech stepped out of the embrace. He watched Soundwave for a moment. The telepath’s faceplates were pinker that he had ever seen them before. It made blaster want to lean back in and cover the mech in more kisses.

With a soft puff of pressurized air, Soundwave said “I understand now”.

“You understand?” Blaster asked in a daze.

“Blaster, I must confess” Soundwave murmured, “I reacted far too quickly to your confession. I was afraid, and I didn’t know what to think or expect… but I know better now. I want to be with you”.

The breath was knocked out of Blaster with the telepath’s words. He blinked rapidly as he felt warmth grow behind his optics, “really? Do you really mean it, ‘Wave?”.

“Yes” Soundwave whispered.

“Really?” Blaster wasn’t sure if he should be laughing or crying. He could really do both.

“Yes, Blaster” Soundwave insisted, “because I love you”.

Blaster gave a shocked laugh. A bust of joy seized him and he tightened his hold around the telepath. “’Wave” he gasped and burrowed his faceplates against the blue mech’s throat. He could feel the soft wash of Soundwave’s breath against his cheek when he pulled back to look at the mech in his arms. “Do you really mean it?” he whispered.

Soundwave nodded insistently as he used his free servo to wipe at the smudges of tears that had gathered around Blaster’s optics. “Yes, I do mean it” he murmured, “I am sorry for making you wait. I know how much that hurt you… I also want to thank you for waiting, and being so patient and kind” his voice began to tremor as he continued, “you never once made me feel guilty for saying no. You have always been so good to me, even when I did not deserve it”.

“’Wave” Blaster breathed. He shook his helm with a smile, “you don’t have to feel sorry for anything. I meant it when I said that I’ll always be your friend, no matter what”. He couldn’t help the joyous laugh that bubbled up. “Soundwave, I love you so much” he crooned.

“You said my full name” the blue mech smiled shakily.

“I guess I did, didn’t I?” Blaster grinned. He leaned in again to press another sweet kiss to Soundwave’s lips. The telepath let out a soft gasp into the kiss, then tightened his arms around Blaster’s shoulders and returned the kiss with fervour.

“I love you” Blaster murmured as they pulled back. Soundwave smiled; his fingers lingered over his own lips as he attempted to make sense of the tingling sensation that he felt through his entire frame.

“I love you too” Soundwave whispered.

Blaster’s spark sang with joy at the words. He brought a servo up to brush the telepath’s cheek, exactly how he had wanted to do countless times. “Say it again” he pleaded.

“I love you” Soundwave smiled softly. He shuttered his optics as Blaster placed another kiss to his lips. Blaster’s thumb tenderly traced along the ridge of his cheek. It left delightful tingles in its wake. All of this was so foreign. It was like nothing Soundwave had ever experienced before. As they pulled back from the kiss, Soundwave had to marvel over how different these kisses felt from every kiss he had experienced before.

Soundwave felt so incredibly far out into foreign waters. This was like no relationship he had experienced before. A sudden curiosity flooded his processor, so he asked, “Blaster, what does this mean?”.

Blaster laughed softly; his optics moved up from Soundwave’s lips to meet his optics. “Are we already having the ‘what are we?’ talk?” he teased. At Soundwave’s confused gaze, he soothingly stroked a servo along the telepath’s backstruts. “We can be whatever we want to be, ‘Wave” he assured.

Soundwave nodded softly, “I wish to date you” he murmured, “only you”.

Blaster’s optics softened, “I want that too”. For a moment he considered his options, before continuing, “you know, the humans have pretty cute titles for when you’re dating someone. Most of us Autobots have adopted the phrases”. He watched as Soundwave tilted his helm before continuing, “when humans are dating each other, they call their significant other their ‘partner’”.

Soundwave blinked, then tested the word out on his glossa, “partner”. He hummed, “it certainly sounds very human”, then tested it again, “Blaster is my partner”.

Blaster’s spark did summersaults.

Soundwave nodded to himself before looking back at Blaster, “that should do”.

Blaster laughed and hugged Soundwave just a bit closer. “That’s sufficient for you?” he grinned, “you want to be my partner?”.

Soundwave shivered and smiled; it was a bigger smile than usual. “Yes”.

Blaster whooped with joy and leaned back in to kiss Soundwave again… to kiss his partner again. He could feel Soundwave smile into the kisses.

They stayed that way, kissing in the empty hallway, for some time before Soundwave asked, “wasn’t going home part of this ‘goodnight kiss’ situation?”. Blaster laughed, suddenly hyperaware that they had been standing right outside their own quarters for quite some time.

“You know ‘Wave, I think you’re onto something” he grinned. With that, he reached over to palm the door open. Both carrier mechs froze in place once the door filly retracted.
Just inside the door, standing with their audios against where the door once was a second ago, were ten cassettes. Soundwave gasped, how had his telepathy not picked up on their presence? Blaster really must have had him distracted.

‘Hey!” Blaster laughed as the cassettes exploded from their poses against the door to scatter away deeper into their quarters. He pulled out of Soundwave’s embrace to chase after the hoard of giggling and shrieking creations. Soundwave stepped in after the orange mech and smiled fondly as he watched Blaster start to collect handfuls of laughing younglings in his arms.

“Did you have a good evening?” Ravage asked nonchalantly by his side.

Soundwave briefly glanced down at the feline, then looked at the crystal flowers in his own servos. He smiled, then looked back up to Blaster, who had succeeded in rounding up the other nine cassettes and was playing and goofing around with them on the floor of their quarters.

“Yes” he smiled, “a very good evening”. His optics met with Blaster’s from across the room.

Chapter Text

Soundwave couldn’t sleep. The telepath stared at the ceiling above his berthroom as he mused over his predicament. There was nothing disturbing that was keeping him up… in fact he had nothing taxing on his mind at all. Rather, Soundwave found himself floating in a most unusual and euphoric state. How bizarre.

At first, Soundwave had fallen asleep just fine. After concluding their first date, Soundwave and Blaster had joined their creations to watch a few evening cartoons. The blue mech couldn’t recall what exactly the cartoons were about, all he could remember was the feeling of his helm on Blaster’s shoulder. At some point, he must have drifted off.

By the time Soundwave regained consciousness, he was tucked into his own berth, and rather alone too. It couldn’t have been terribly long since he dropped away into recharge on Blaster’s arm; a glance out the window confirmed that the moon was still high in the night sky. It wasn’t until Soundwave extended his telepathy out to the living room of their quarters that he located the sleeping minds of all ten creations. Apparently, they were in the mood for a sleepover. The telepath smiled to himself. Last time the cassettes planned a sleepover, they had gone the whole nine yards. A blanket fort was constructed in the living room, goodies were attained, and a list of movies and games were selected for the night. Soundwave had a feeling that this sleepover was very much the same.

After locating his cassettes, Soundwave was able to relax back into his berth. It was only then that he found himself enveloped in a cloud of emotions. Blaster loved him. The idea struck him over the helm as he turned to lay on his side. He loved Blaster… that part really threw him for a loop. Before long, the telepath found himself wrapped tightly in new feelings of excitement, joy, fondness, and warmth… with a heavy pinch of nervousness. After basking in the glow for a long moment, Soundwave discovered the other emotion that he had been feeling since he woke up alone in his berth.

Loneliness.

Having such a large berth all to himself wasn’t a common practise for Soundwave. Sometimes he technically had the berth to himself, with his cassettes tucked away in his docks… but that was different. His creations were still tucked up against his spark; he could envelop them in his field and feel their sleepy presence. This was totally different. The berth felt so much larger and colder when he had it all to himself.

For a moment, Soundwave pondered as to why Blaster left him here alone. He certainly wouldn’t mind sleeping alongside his friend… partner now. If anything, sleeping in the same berth would feel more natural, as a new level of intimacy had been established between them. The cassette player had a strong suspicion that Blaster was just as lonely in his empty berth as Soundwave was in his.

It wasn’t long before Soundwave figured out why he was alone in his berth. Blaster was always a considerate mech, especially in regard to Soundwave’s feelings and comfort level. Blaster had carried Soundwave to his berth, while the telepath was already deep in recharge. Of course, Blaster wouldn’t climb right in alongside his partner without asking. Soundwave huffed and curled up on himself tighter; Blaster would obviously leave him alone in his berth because he didn’t want to overstep with unestablished levels of intimacy.

“’Oh Blaster” Soundwave mumbled to himself.

Soundwave was jerked out of his half-daze when he received a message from a new contact number. He sat up in berth as he opened the message. It was from Starscream.
::I’ve thought about your suggestion. I’m in. I’ll look around and check for interest among the troops. Will keep you updated -SS::

Soundwave smiled to himself. Primus, it was happening. He leaned back to thump his helm against the headboard. They were taking underground actions to attempt to end the war. Starscream was siding with him… with the Autobots. He let out a long-compressed breath. This was a huge gamechanger. This grabbed the entire civil war, shook it up, and placed it upon its head. Megatron’s original top two officers were finally working in collaboration. However, they were working together against Megatron himself.

Soundwave quickly composed a reply for the seeker.
::I am glad to hear of your interest. I will pass on news of your involvement and be in touch. -SW::

The ping of acknowledgement in reply was all the telepath needed. This was truly happening. Before he could forget, Soundwave sent a quick message to Optimus.
::I received a response from Starscream. He’s interested in a collaboration -Soundwave::

He left it at that and marked it as non-urgent. He didn’t wish to wake the Prime if he was already in recharge. There would be time enough to worry about the next steps. They would need to arrange a meeting and establish a safe way to communicate with Starscream. It was going to be a lot of work… but it could pay off in a way that no other tactic had before.

With that all out of the way, Soundwave let his processor dismiss the subject. There was much to do, but he couldn’t do anything more now. Over-thinking about it would only keep him from resting peacefully.

Soundwave gave a weary sigh and let his optics drift around the empty room. He shivered and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders. His telepathy could sense Blaster’s processor just down the hall. It seemed that his roommate… partner… was still awake.
It confused Soundwave to no end how he could possibly miss a mech who was just across a hallway. Yet he did. Soundwave didn’t last another minute before he finally tossed off his covers and slipped out into the hallway. Tonight was simply not a night to be alone.

___________________________________

Blaster was surprised when the gentle knock came from his door, but he certainly wasn’t disappointed. He pushed himself up on his elbows and whispered, “come in”. He couldn’t resist the smile on his faceplates when a very shy looking Soundwave let himself in.

“Hey” Blaster murmured to the blue mech. Soundwave gave a small nod in reply as he gingerly slid the door shut behind him. “You okay?” Blaster asked in the same soft voice. As glad as he was to see Soundwave coming to him again, the last few times the telepath searched for his night-time company was after a nightmare. He watched as Soundwave nodded insistently.

“I am well” Soundwave found himself uncertain of where to stand, he awkwardly clasped his servos in front of him. He then changed his mind and crossed his arms over his frame. It was cold without his blankets. He glanced up at Blaster, who was still smiling at him with those warm optics. Instantly, Soundwave looked away again.
“Thank you for moving me to my berth” Soundwave said, “that was very sweet”.

Blaster hummed, “Aw, I just didn’t want to wake you, ‘Wave. The only sweet thing there was how content you looked in recharge”.

Soundwave smiled down at his peds as he struggled to maintain some composure.

“Would you mind if I slept here tonight?” Soundwave asked timidly.

“Feeling lonely?” Blaster murmured. He watched as Soundwave nodded, “yeah, me too” he smiled.
Warmth flooded through Blaster’s chestplates. He truly couldn’t be more pleased. He shifted over to create room for his partner and pulled back the covers. With an inviting pat to the berth, he grinned “well come on over here then”.

Soundwave hesitated as a sudden nervousness flooded his tanks. Was it possible that he had sent out the wrong idea? Now that they were dating, would sharing a berth mean that Blaster would expect interfacing? He froze after a step towards the berth. Of course, entering a relationship with Blaster meant that he would wish to be that intimate with the orange mech one day… Soundwave just wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet. He was only just getting used to Blaster’s romantic company. Their first “date” (which was spent together as friends) was only a handful of hours ago. Not to mention how much Soundwave needed to adjust to the intensity of Blaster’s feelings. The orange mech felt very strongly towards him. The few times Soundwave used his telepathy to glimpse into Blaster’s feelings towards him, it felt akin to squinting directly at the sun. Of course, Soundwave had strong feelings for Blaster too; but Blaster had developed his love for Soundwave some time ago. He had plenty of time to nurture those emotions into a strong blaze of love. Soundwave was only just starting his kindling, by comparison. If the moment called for it, and Blaster expected to interface right now, Soundwave could possibly stoke up that flame a bit more… but it would still feel premature.

Blaster watched as Soundwave hesitated and froze standing next to the berth. The orange mech reached out and gently clasped his servo around Soundwave’s. Jarred from his emotional calculating, Soundwave jerked his helm up to meet Blaster’s optics.
“It’s nothing like that” Blaster assured. A soft flush gathered on the orange mech’s faceplates, “I don’t want to give you the wrong idea, ‘Wave. I don’t expect anything more than maybe cuddling at most right now… if you’re into that. We can even just sleep next to each other, if you prefer”. He hummed; his processor momentarily dipped into his curiosity about Soundwave’s dark past. Just as quickly, he dismissed his more morbid worries as he said, “I want you to know that you never need to feel pressured to give me anything or do anything for me in that way… at any point… even a million years from now”.

Soundwave’s worried faceplates twisted into a cocktail of relief, embarrassment, and happiness. “Thank you, Blaster” he whispered as he finally allowed himself to slip into the berth, “you’re very considerate, thank you”.

Blaster hummed and shook his helm. His tanks twisted just the slightest amount at the idea that Soundwave found it considerate when he wasn’t being pressured into something. “I just care about you” he murmured.

Soundwave smiled and wiggled himself down into the berth. “I love you” he whispered.

Blaster smiled, “I love you, too” he reached over to trace an endearing servo over Soundwave’s cheek.

The telepath inched closer; their fields mingled for a moment before converging together. His amber optics flickered quietly over Blaster’s faceplates, they lingered on the orange mech’s lips for a moment. Blaster smiled and took the hint. He leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to his awaiting love. Soundwave sighed with contentment and let his arms lazily drape over Blaster’s frame. He naturally turned his helm to meet each of Blaster’s kisses. Another pleased sigh bubbled past his lips as Blaster pulled back to press soft kisses on his faceplates. His expression screwed up into a scrunched smile as Blaster brushed his lips along his nose and forehelm.

“Blaster” Soundwave laughed softly.

Blaster chuckled and let his fingers gingerly graze over Soundwave’s cheek again. The telepath watched him with affectionate optics; his optic’s golden glow warmed the room.
Blaster sighed and shook his helm in disbelief, “you’re so beautiful”.

Soundwave’s optics brightened and flickered with surprise. His faceplates warmed and took on a pink flush; it took all of Blaster’s self control to not lean in and pepper more kisses over those blushing cheeks.

“Thank you” Soundwave whispered, “I’ve always found you to be very handsome”. Blaster squirmed with glee and pulled Soundwave into another kiss. The telepath smiled and buried his heated faceplates into the crook of Blaster’s neck. As pleasant as they were, Blaster’s ministrations were almost overwhelming.

Naturally finding a more comfortable position, Blaster rolled to lay on his dorsa. Soundwave immediately followed Blaster over to rest his helm on an orange shoulder. Pleased with Soundwave’s interest in cuddling, Blaster twined his arms around Soundwave’s frame. It felt natural.

A moment passed as Soundwave adjusted himself into a more comfortable position in Blaster’s embrace. It was very foreign, being held this way. Of course, Blaster had held Soundwave like this before… but it was unintended and for a very short period of wakefulness. No one else had bothered to hold Soundwave in this way before. It was unusual, but very welcome.
One of Blaster’s servos started to stroke up along Soundwave’s dorsa. Soundwave gave a bubbly sigh of contentment. No wonder his cassettes always wanted for him to rub their backs… it felt amazing.

“Comfy?” Blaster murmured against the top of Soundwave’s helm.

“Very” Soundwave slurred. Blaster’s chest rumbled with amusement under Soundwave's audio. He would have laughed too, but he was far too relaxed.

Soundwave smiled to himself. He could definitely get used to this. He attempted to will himself to stay awake for a while longer. Pressed into his partner’s frame, with Blaster’s warm arms holding him snugly and that soothing servo rubbing his dorsa, Soundwave didn’t want to fall asleep. He wanted to stay awake so he could enjoy this for longer. Yet sleep claimed him almost immediately.

Chapter Text

Soundwave woke that morning to find himself embedded comfortably in Blaster’s arms. Unlike the last few times he woke in such a state, he didn’t immediately struggle free. The telepath tipped his helm back to look up at Blaster. It was difficult to move very much without jostling the orange arms that weighted down his dorsa.

Soundwave shifted his frame minutely to better understand his position relative to Blaster. He was curled up into the orange mech’s chestplates. Blaster was still recharging comfortable in his dorsa, a look of sleepy contentment on his faceplates. Familiar orange arms rested on Soundwave’s dorsa in a heavy yet comfortable presence. All in all, it felt secure.

Soundwave turned his helm back down to tuck it against Blaster’s chestplates. He watched as his exhale left a fog on Blaster’s cassette docks glass. He could hear the slow pulse of Blaster’s spark from this position, it was soothing enough to almost tempt him back into recharge.

For a moment, the telepath wondered if it would be more appropriate to wiggle free of Blaster’s sleeping grasp. However, this uncertainly was dashed aside when Blaster’s servo began to slowly rub circles on Soundwave’s dorsa again. The telepath’s amber optics flickered up to look at Blaster’s face. The boombox’s optics were just starting to online, although they were still heavy and dim with lethargy. Suddenly, those blue optics flicked down to meet Soundwave’s brighter ones. The telepath sucked in a quick breath and looked away again. Distantly, he could feel a soft rumble in the chestplates under his audio.

Uncertainty returned to Soundwave as he wondered if Blaster would want him to get off, now that they were both awake. It was strange, being this close to someone new. Whenever he shared a berth with his cassettes, it felt like second nature. He could tell by a glance when they would want space or not. With Blaster, it felt like he was swimming in much deeper waters.

“’Morning” Blaster’s hazy mumble pulled Soundwave from his thoughts.

“Good morning” Soundwave replied in a hushed voice. He glanced back up at Blaster and was met with a re-assuring smile. Blaster seemed so comfortable and certain in this situation. It filled Soundwave with a sense of awe for a moment. For Blaster, at least, this situation was almost like second nature.

Reassured by Blaster’s security, Soundwave let his frame go lax again. Clearly, Blaster wasn’t rushing him to get up and moving. So why hurry out of such a comfortable state? The servo rubbing along his dorsa was so soothing. Blaster’s frame provided just the right amount of warmth. Once Soundwave stopped overthinking it, he found it to be a most pleasing situation. Blaster’s chestplates rose and fell under Soundwave’s helm. The orange mech’s spark provided a steady thrum to listen to. All of these things combined helped Soundwave completely melt back into relaxation. It wasn’t long before Soundwave could feel his own optics getting heavy again.

Soft pleasant chills ran up along the back of Soundwave’s neck as Blaster’s servo kneaded at a sore spot on his shoulders. He failed to hold in the pleased sigh and could almost hear Blaster smiling. Yes, this was not a bad way to wake up.

Blaster silently watched Soundwave’s optics lull off and on again. He grinned to himself and let his servo drift up to rub gently along the back of Soundwave’s crested helm. The telepath’s lips curved into a hazy smile and his servo curled up the slightest bit above Blaster’s chestplates. His optics finally flickered offline with a satisfied sigh.

Primus, Soundwave was so easy to please. It boggled Blaster’s mind how easy it was to pull these reactions from Soundwave. The blue mech seemed uncertain of what to do when being treated with such tenderness. Not only was it exciting to provide such novelties to the telepath, but it filled Blaster with a sense of almost disappointment. The fact that no one had ever treated Soundwave with such kindness irked at Blaster’s processor. Soundwave deserved more than he had received in the past. With some satisfaction, Blaster accepted that he would have to make up for all the things Soundwave had been missing. He didn’t mind… not one bit.

Just in time to disrupt their relaxed state, the alarm clock next to their berth started to chime. Soundwave jerked out of Blaster’s arms, the orange boombox made a quick move to shut off the grating sounds. He glanced back at his partner and chuckled. Soundwave was just disorientated enough to suggest he had almost fallen back asleep a moment ago.

“Sorry” Blaster murmured, he let his servo cup Soundwave’s faceplates, then stroke back towards his audio.

Soundwave let out a huff and smiled down at Blaster, “do not be sorry. It is about time we got up either way”.

Blaster sighed and begrudgingly agreed… they would have to continue this another time. He quietly watched as Soundwave sat up on the edge of the berth and stretched. His optics lingered for a moment on the stretch of Soundwave’s dorsa. Ignoring the strong desire to flop back on the berth, Blaster pried himself up and followed suit.

The two boomboxes were greeted by a hoard of cassettes upon their entrance into the living room. The cassettes had clearly already been up for some time. They had succeeded in passing out morning rations to each other. The living room was an explosion of pillows and blankets, obvious remains of the fort that had been constructed the night before. Clearly, at some point in the night, their roughhousing had gotten wild enough to demolish their work. Too tired to rebuild their empire, the cassettes had been content enough to huddle together on the piled blankets for recharge.

Blaster laughed at the mayhem and dropped to the floor to greet Ramhorn and Steeljaw, who seemed pleased to butt his helm with theirs and return to their breakfasts. Soundwave raised an arm for the condor twins to perch upon. With his other servo, he scratched the tops of their beaks, where they liked it. Ratbat made himself known by clinging to Soundwave’s other shoulder. The telepath wiggled a gentle finger under the youngest cassette’s chin and smiled at the resulting giggles. The rest of the cassettes shouted their various greetings but were too tired to move away from their morning rations to physically greet their creators. Sleepovers were tiring work.

Luckily, there was plenty of time to recuperate for the day. Soundwave watched as his flying cassettes returned to their energon cubes. There were no duties or shifts for anyone in their family that morning. Blaster and Soundwave didn’t have shifts until the afternoon. Of course, the cassettes didn’t have any chores or training until their creators were on shift. Prime always tried to schedule things so that the family could have time off together. It was one of those little things that Soundwave appreciated greatly. He had never received such consideration from the Decepticon cause before. More accurately, he didn’t get much time off as a Decepticon at all. Being Megatron’s right-servo mech was a heavy role to carry. He didn’t typically get time off unless he was recharging… or in the medical bay in critical condition. Not for the first time, Soundwave found himself mentally thanking Primus that he had left when he did.

Blaster handed a cube of energon to Soundwave with a friendly smile. The telepath followed him to the table and gave an amused laugh as Blaster pulled out a seat for him. He accepted the seat and beckoned for Blaster to sit next to him.

“You are so considerate” Soundwave smiled before taking a sip.

Blaster grinned and inched his chair closer so he could drape his arm over Soundwave’s shoulder. “Only the best for you, my mech” he said.

Soundwave snorted, but he gently nudged his helm against Blaster’s to show his appreciation. He could feel the cassettes observing their interactions from across the room. It was hard to ignore their unusual mixture of emotions. Their creations were certainly happy for the new couple. Soundwave could feel that much. They were happy to see their creators happy. More than that, they were excited about what this new relationship meant for them as a family. They weren’t just a collection of roommates anymore, but rather a collection of siblings, if this went well. Under all of those positive feelings, Soundwave could make out just a tinge of disgust. This emotion puzzled Soundwave for a moment before Rumble unwittingly explained it for him.

As Blaster pressed a sweet kiss to Soundwave’s lips, Rumble mumbled from across the room, “ew”. Blaster snorted into the kiss and broke it with a smile. Soundwave felt himself fill with amusement as he realized that his cassettes had never seen him in an openly romantic relationship with anyone before. All of his other “relationships” had been non-affectionate and more of a ‘behind closed doors’ situation. It occurred to Soundwave that his cassettes had never seen him receive affection in any way from anyone other than themselves before.

“I’ll show you ‘ew’” Blaster grinned playfully at the cassette. Before Soundwave knew what that threat meant, he found his faceplates covered in kisses from Blaster. A sudden explosion of voices from his cassettes could be heard from across the room.

“EWW!”

“Gross!”

“Primus, get a room!”

“Yuck! Stop, that’s so gross!”

Soundwave found himself laughing at their collective disgust for the situation. He turned his helm and laughed as Blaster pressed one last kiss on his cheek.

“Primus!” Frenzy grumbled, “are you guys always gonna’ be this gross?”.

“Don’t tempt me with a good time” Blaster grinned in response. Soundwave laughed and found himself suddenly unable to formulate any kind of coherent words. He was painfully aware of how pink his faceplates had turned. He could feel the cassettes watching his unusual and giddy behaviour. He almost felt like a child again, laughing and blushing over a crush. Blaster just smiled at him; his optics sparkled with amusement.

Frenzy summarized the cassette’s feelings in one statement, “You guys are weird”.

___________________________________________________________

Now that Starscream was on board with the Autobot’s plans to undermine Megatron, there was much work to be done. The first meeting with the seeker was only a day after he agreed to follow along with Soundwave’s idea. Of course, meetings couldn’t be held in person. They had to be as discrete as possible to ensure Starscream’s safety while he still lived in the Nemesis. Instead, the meetings were held over a private comm. link, just past 1:30 AM Earth time.

It was too risky for Starscream to join these meetings during the day, when Megatron could overhear him. Rather, the seeker ensured that Megatron had retired for a recharge shift before setting up a portable comm. machine in his own quarters. The seeker had found success in bribing Swindle for an outdated special ops comm. system with a couple cubes of high grade. Of course, this high grade had been stolen from Megatron’s quarters… he wasn’t about to waste his own trine’s (already pathetic) rations. It hadn’t taken long for Starscream to make a couple basic repairs and get the portable comm. station in working order again. With all the stealing, bribing, and sneaking around done, Starscream was faced with the most difficult part of this situation… actually speaking to the Autobrats.

Soundwave glanced around the meeting room. The small, windowless room was only used for the most secretive and important missions. It was completely cleared by Jazz every time a meeting was to be held. It was rare that any bugs or mics were found (and interestingly enough, absolutely no mics or bugs had been found in the meeting room since Soundwave and his cassettes joined the Autobots).

The telepath glanced around the room at the primary officers of the Autobots. Optimus Prime sat at the far end of the circular table, Jazz and Prowl sat directly to his left. Soundwave pretended not to notice how Jazz’s servo was definitely on Prowl’s thigh under the table. He also pretended not to notice the antsy twitching of the Praxian’s doorwings. To Prime’s right sat Ratchet. The medic was not pretending to ignore Jazz’s servo placement. Instead, he delivered a kick to the saboteur’s shin under the table. Soundwave watched as Jazz rested his elbow on the table and then cradled his chin in his servo. It was difficult to make out Jazz’s exact words through the busy murmuring of the full room, but there was definitely some teasing remark about the medic wishing to play footsie.

Wheeljack was seated next to Ratchet, as he usually was whenever both mechs were anywhere together (which was often). Soundwave watched as the engineers’ headfins flashed as he laughed about something; likely at Ratchet’s grumblings. Soundwave wondered for a moment whether or not the medic and engineer would ever become an item. He deemed it rather likely.
Ironhide sat beside Wheeljack. The weapon’s specialist didn’t look up from polishing his gun. Soundwave could feel the gruff mech’s dissatisfaction at being awake at such an hour. Soundwave was seated to Ironhide’s right, and Blaster was seated between Soundwave and Prowl.

Finally, the comm. station in the middle of the table crackled to life. The meeting room fell into silence for a moment before Starscream’s voice finally carried through the static.

::This is Starscream. Do you read me?::.

“Loud and clear” Blaster confirmed, the smile carried through his voice.

::Good. I was worried this old piece of scrap wouldn’t work for me:: Starscream muttered.

“It seems to work just fine” Optimus leaned forward as he spoke, “thank you, Starscream, for agreeing to speak with us”.

A small grumble could be heard over the comm. line before the seeker spoke again, ::Yeah, whatever. Let’s just see how this goes before you get too excited, your Prime-liness.::

Soundwave felt his faceplates twitch into a smile. He had almost missed the snarky attitude that Starscream carried into every meeting. It was noticeably worse whenever the seeker was nervous about something.

The Prime’s good nature served him well as he chuckled at Starscream’s remark, “that is a good idea, Starscream. I’ll keep myself from getting too enthusiastic”.

The seeker paused for a long moment before he spoke again. Soundwave wondered how long it had been since the seeker was told he had a good idea in a meeting.

::So… Who all is it that I am speaking to?:: the seeker asked.

“Myself, Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Blaster, and Soundwave” Optimus listed off.

The seeker hummed before greeting the room, ::hey, Soundwave::.

“Hello, Starscream” Soundwave replied, it was difficult to ignore his amusement at being the only one acknowledged. His place within this meeting was held exactly for that reason. He was not a head officer of the Ark. Blaster was present to help work the comm. line and provide input as the Communications Officer with Autobot seniority. However, no one at that table knew Starscream like Soundwave did. Prime and Prowl had requested Soundwave’s presence in the meetings to help bridge the mammoth gap between the Autobot officers and the lone Decepticon. Not to mention that, if Starscream planned to double-cross them in the process, no one in the universe had a better ‘Starscream’s-about-to-attempt-murder’ radar than Soundwave.

“You know, I just have one question” Ironhide drawled. The red mech leaned forward and rested his elbow on the edge of the table as he continued, “why in the name of Cybertron should we be trusting you?”.

Optimus swallowed thickly as he watched Ironhide from across the table. Prowl had assured him that civility was of the upmost importance at this phase in the plan-making. Anything could make Starscream turn around and drop his involvement in this… which would be a massive tactical loss for the Autobots.

Static sprayed from the comm. line for a moment before Starscream finally responded, ::well, I don’t know about you lot… but I sure haven’t been enjoying this million year civil war::. In a less sarcastic tone, the seeker continued, ::Megatron is cracking. The Decepticon Empire is already crumbling with him. I know it’s not some Autobot self-sacrificial heroism slag… but I don’t exactly want to be inside this mess when it finally comes down on my helm. I also don’t want my trine to get caught up in this… or the other seekers and Decepticons. We shouldn’t have to pay for Megatron’s corruption. We… I just don’t believe in him anymore. I’m sure Soundwave understands::.

Soundwave nodded, “I do”.

A number of the officers glanced at Soundwave for a moment before their optics returned to the comm. console.

::Any other questions? Tests of character, perhaps?:: Starscream quickly returned to his more sarcastic tone, ::would you also like to know my zodiac sign?::.

Ironhide shifted warily in his seat. "His what?" He whispered to Wheeljack, who simply shrugged at the human term.

“Thank you, Starscream” Optimus chuckled, unbothered by the edge to the Seeker’s voice, “but you do not have to prove yourself any further. I am very aware that this plan we have is based deeply off of trust. We will choose to trust you, so long as you are willing to put your trust into us and work with us through this. The end of this war may be near”.

::No wonder you were able to get so many devoted followers:: the seeker grumbled, ::you sure know how to talk::.

“Thank you” the Prime replied sunnily.

Soundwave smiled down at the table. For once, Starscream may have found a commander who knew how to handle his presence at a meeting. In the past, countless Decepticon Officer meetings had ended in chaos and brawls because Starscream loved to antagonize and Megatron could never contain his temper. Now, with Optimus heading the meetings, Starscream’s rather brilliant plans may actually be listened to… despite the attitude in which they were delivered.

“With introductions out of the way, perhaps we should discuss next steps” Prowl suggested. The tactician glanced up from his datapad, onto which he had been furiously writing since the beginning of the meeting.

::Right,:: Starscream said, ::Well, I’m still assessing interest around here. It’s tricky to ask about everyone’s interest in a revolt without risking being ousted::.

“Of course,” Prime said, “and we would rather have you take your time and do it safely than rush and end up caught”.

“Have you had any luck with anyone yet?” Jazz asked. He casually tipped back in his chair until only the back legs of his seat were touching the floor. He looked one small breeze away from falling on his dorsa.

::Yes, a bit:: Starscream said, ::my trine and the other seekers are in… I’m currently working on the Constructicons… but, Primus, they are not too bright when it comes to picking up on hints::.
Soundwave snorted in amusement. Starscream certainly wasn’t wrong. He suddenly jerked forward in his seat. “Starscream, ensure that you leave Reflector for among the last to ask”.

::What? Why?:: The seeker asked.

“I have reason to believe that Reflector has been Megatron’s audios and optics since I left. I am unsure whether or not they would bring information of your revolt to Megatron, but they could be a potential risk” Soundwave explained.

Starscream hummed and was silent for a moment, ::that’s good to know. I’ll keep my optics on them… although::. The seeker fell silent for a moment.

“Is something the matter”, the Prime asked.

::Well, now that I’m thinking of them, I’ve only ever seen two of the Reflector trio running around for the last while:: Starscream murmured.

“Only two?” Soundwave whispered… that seemed eerily wrong. Reflector was always together as a whole. The idea of only two of them being seen for a period of time was unsettling.

::I’ll look into it:: Starscream said. The sound of a typing could be heard over the Comm. link.

“Please keep us updated” Optimus said.

Starscream hummed absent-mindedly.

With that, the meeting was called to a close. After a melee of very awkward goodbyes, Starscream cut the comm. line and the meeting room fell silent.

“That went well… I think” Wheeljack said.

“I’m with you there, mech” Blaster grinned.

Soundwave leaned back in his seat and nodded. It had gone well. Far better than he could have hoped for. However, Reflector continued to run through his processor. The small trio of mechs stayed on the forefront of his mind all the way back to his quarters with Blaster. How could an entire mech go missing? There was absolutely nothing he could do about it now… but the new information continued to crawl under his plating.

He glanced over at Blaster, who offered him a comforting smile and a squeeze to his servo. They smiled at each other, and Soundwave was finally able to relax.

Chapter Text

“You seem like you’re in a good mood today, Blast-mech” Jazz observed casually as he tilted his chair back onto its hind legs.

“Do I?” Blaster grinned over his cube of midgrade energon. As usual, Jazz had prepared his ration exactly how he liked it. As he so often did, Blaster considered that Jazz would make an excellent bartender in another life.

Jazz hummed as he sipped from his cube, then he elaborated, “at least, you look like you're in a better mood than you were last time we drank together”.

Blaster laughed awkwardly as he recalled his last drink with Jazz. The image of his tearful faceplates slumped against the top of Jazz’s desk came to mind. “Yeah,” he mumbled, “that wasn’t my best moment”. Jazz shrugged casually. “Thanks for that… by the way” Blaster said in a softer tone, “you’re a good friend, Jazz”.

Jazz grinned and shook his helm, “aww, you don’t have to thank me, Blast-mech. I’m just glad you're feeling better”. He watched as Blaster gave him an appreciative smile, then decided to prod at the subject, now that it had been (almost) brought up. “Speaking of Sounders… How are things between you two since… you know?”. Jazz softened his words at the end, just in case Blaster was still sore over the recent rejection.

“Well, actually” Blaster tilted his helm with a slight grin, “I was meaning to bring that up during our chat today”.

“Oh?” Jazz leaned forward over the desk. His optics narrowed down on his friend as Blaster kept that coy smile on his faceplates. When Blaster continued to withhold the newest gossip, Jazz prompted, “go on”.

“Well… ‘Wave and I got to talking about the whole thing, a few days ago” Blaster leaned back in his seat with an air a satisfaction, “and we decided to spend a little more quality time together for an evening just to feel things out”.

“uh-huh” Jazz leaned deeper over the desk until the edge of it jabbed uncomfortably into his frame.

“Long story short,” Blaster concluded, “’Wave and I are an item now”. The orange boombox jerked in his seat as Jazz’s fists instantly came down onto the desk.

“I knew it!” Jazz howled. Somehow, the saboteur had jumped up from his seat without Blaster even seeing the movement. His chair was halfway across the room laying on its side.

Blaster laughed as the smaller mech practically climbed over the desk, “I knew it! I knew I saw something between you two at the meeting with Screamer last night! I knew it!”. The black and white mech threw himself across the rest of the desk to pull Blaster into a shockingly tight hug. Blaster laughed in both entertainment and astonishment at Jazz’s reaction. Before he knew what had happened, the cube of midgrade had been swiped from his servo and replaced with Jazz’s servo. Blaster laughed even more as Jazz urgently shook his servo in congratulations.

“Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you walked in the door?” Jazz gushed “we’ve been drinking this slag the whole time!” He made quick work of pushing aside both of their energon cubes before disappearing into the next room over.

Blaster continued to laugh quietly to himself as he heard Jazz’s excited rummaging from the other room. His friend was still shouting out his enthusiasm, but it was impossible to hear over his fumbling and the muffle of the walls.

Just as quickly as he had disappeared into the other room, Jazz hurried back out with his servos clinging tightly to a bottle of high-grade. The tirade of his voice continued, now with Blaster able to understand it.

“I knew you were up to something when you came asking for all those romancing things! The high grade, the flowers, the candles… I fragging knew you were making your move!” Jazz babbled as he doled out the highgrade between them.

Blaster grinned and murmured his thanks as Jazz handed the cube to him, still talking.

“You gotta tell me everything! What did you do? Did you surprise him? How did you woo him? I want all the details” Jazz finally concluded his tirade as he threw himself in his seat and held up his cube, “but first… cheers, Blastmech. I’m happy for you. I have a feeling that this is the real deal”.

Blaster tipped his cube up and let it clink against Jazz’s. “Thanks, Mech. You’re the best”.

Jazz smiled and rested his chin in his servo, “I know” he purred, then he took a drink.

It didn’t take long for Blaster to recount the story to Jazz. Every detail of the night was still engraved in the center front of his processor, as if he had just experienced it a moment ago. If he closed his optics, he could still see the way Soundwave tilted his helm up to the moonlight; the warm glow of his optics fighting with the cool light of the moon. Blaster had a feeling that those memories were always going to remain just as fresh.

Jazz listened intently to Blaster’s re-telling of his recent romance. The saboteur was a sucker for a sappy story, and Blaster’s had lots and lots of sap. He leaned over his desk and supported himself up on his elbows and comfortably cradled his chin in a cupped servo. As Blaster concluded, Jazz grinned and clucked his glossa.

“I always knew you were a big softie” Jazz teased.

Blaster laughed and shrugged, “can you blame me?”.

“Only if I was the biggest hypocrite in the universe”.

Both mechs laughed.

“I’m happy for you, Blastmech” Jazz’s optics softened, “real happy for you. You both deserve lots of happiness together, and I have a feeling that that’s exactly what you're gonna’ get”.

Blaster ducked his helm with a smile, “thank so?”

“absolutely” Jazz took another sip from his cube, “I just know it”.

Instantaneously, Jazz’s visor blew bright, almost white. He slammed his cube down on the desk, then jerked across the table and slapped his servos, palm down, on the table in front of Blaster. “Double date!” he shrieked.

Blaster jerked back, then laughed uproariously. “I dunno’, mech, ‘Wave is pretty shy about public affection of any kind… even just around our cassettes”.

“Awww come on, mech!” Jazz whined as he slumped back into his seat, “I’m not asking you two to get up on a table and make-out for Prowl and I”. The saboteur paused and scratched his chin in consideration for a moment, “although… Prowl and I do have our anniversary coming up soon… in case you can’t think of any gift ideas”.

Blaster snorted, “no”.

Jazz snickered before continuing, “all I propose is a simple little movie date night. That’s not so bad, right? I promise that Prowl and I will be on our best behaviour”. He traced his finger in an ‘X’ over his chestplates.

Blaster smiled and thought for a moment, “I’ll bring it up with ‘Wave and see how he feels… I have a feeling he’ll be interested”.

Jazz pumped his servos in the air in excitement. In the spur of the moment, he reached across the desk again to deliver a few sturdy pats to Blaster’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Blastmech. I’m happy for you".

Blaster couldn’t keep the huge smile off of his faceplates if he tried.

_____________________________________________________________________

When Blaster got back to his shared quarters, he was greeted by a lone Soundwave. The telepath was perched comfortably on the couch. A blanket had been thrown over his lap and quiet music tinkled in the background.

“The cassettes have already gone to berth for the night” Soundwave looked up from his datapad as Blaster closed the door behind himself. “It appears as though they have all lain claim upon my berth” he nodded his crested helm towards his old room, “I hope you don’t mind if I share your berth again tonight”.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way” Blaster grinned as he leaned in to peck a kiss from Soundwave. The telepath tilted back his helm, his optics flickered dimly as he leaned in to prompt a few more kisses. Blaster had to refrain from purring.

“Go take a look” Soundwave urged; his voice had softened from Blaster’s ministrations.

Blaster slipped down the hallway to their quarters and peered through the door to Soundwave’s old quarters. Sure enough, Soundwave’s berth was dominated by a pile of cassettes. The ten of them spread out from the head to the very foot of the bed. Blaster grinned at the familiar comfort that seeped from the scene. It took a lot of self-will to not take a picture.
“Sweet, isn’t it?” Soundwave’s voice murmured from over his shoulder.

Blaster suppressed a jolt and turned to smile at his partner. Primus, he could be so quiet sometimes.

“Too cute for their own good” Blaster shook his helm fondly as the carriers re-entered the living room.

“I know” hummed Soundwave.

Blaster flopped down on the couch, then draped his servo over the back cushion and patted the spot for Soundwave.

The telepath smiled, then slipped into the spot next to Blaster. He rested his helm on Blaster’s shoulder and felt a familiar orange arm drape over his back. Soundwave let out a satisfied sigh and nuzzled into Blaster’s warmth.

“How did your visit with Jazz go?” he murmured into Blaster’s shoulder.

“Really well” Blaster hummed, then smiled, “he was so excited about us being together… kept yelling that he knew it was gonna’ happen”. He could feel the soft vibration as Soundwave laughed against his plating. “Actually, he asked if we would be interested in a double date” Blaster recounted, then glanced at his partner. Soundwave blinked up at him in confusion.

“oh, right…” Blaster chuckled, “double dating is a human thing, but it’s so cute that a few of us have picked it up across the Ark”. He ran a soothing servo along Soundwave’s backstruts and watched as his amber optics flickered in satisfaction. “Basically, it’s when two couples go on the same date together, at the same time. Jazz suggested a movie night. So Prowl, Jazz, you, and I would go watch a movie together… kinda’ like any other date, but with another couple present. That way we can have fun together as friends and also have a date night, in one go”.

Soundwave hummed with though, his optics remained dim for a moment. “That sounds like it could be pleasant” he murmured.

“Think so?”

Soundwave hummed his affirmation.

“Alright, it’s a date then” Blaster grinned.

Suddenly, Soundwave sat up from Blaster’s embrace. “Yes, it is a date. However, after this one, it is my turn to plan a date… just for the two of us”.

“I won’t argue with that” Blaster opened his arm back up as Soundwave snuggled back in, “although, I don’t think you can beat the one I planned” he teased. He felt as Soundwave scoffed against him.
“I will make you eat those words” Soundwave mumbled hazily; his optics flickered almost off.

Blaster snorted and tightened his arm around his boyfriend, “that has got to be the least intimidating threat I’ve ever received”. He watched as Soundwave’s lips curved into another small smile.
Suddenly, Soundwave’s optics flickered back online as he perked back up. “This is a good song” he said.

Blaster reached for the remote and turned up the volume from the couch. He grinned as soon as he recognized Elvis Presley’s voice singing ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’.

“Like this song, do you?” he turned to Soundwave, who nodded. Blaster thought for a moment, then offered out an open servo.

Soundwave’s optics flickered to the offered servo, then back up at Blaster.

“Want to dance?” Blaster offered with a grin. Soundwave immediately nodded and took the servo. He followed Blaster up to his peds and smiled as Blaster pulled him into a close embrace. Soundwave leaned in to rest his helm on Blaster’s shoulder as they swayed slowly to the music. He couldn’t hide the smile and blush as Blaster crooned some of the words to him, so he elected to bury his faceplates into Blaster’s neck.

Blaster chuckled softly and let his helm rest lightly on the top of Soundwave’s helm. He hummed the song lowly as they swayed. It was impossible to be unsatisfied with Soundwave’s warm presence wrapped up in his arms. As the song concluded, and Soundwave peered up from Blaster’s shoulder, Blaster pressed a sweet kiss to his partner’s lips. Soundwave sighed contently and leaned in for more.

Neither mech even thought about pulling away as the next song started to play.

Chapter Text

The Autobots weren’t typically known to be highly bureaucratic. Certainly, there were meetings, paperwork, and everything needed to command a ship; However, bureaucracy was not part of the stereotypes. In comparison to the way things ran on the Nemesis, however… the Autobot bureaucracy was a change.

Soundwave didn’t particularly mind the paperwork and order. Truly, most days he favoured it for the less hectic results it brought. Not to mention that most of the “red tape” found abord the Ark was used to support the Autobots in their everyday lives. This, however, felt very foreign.

Soundwave gazed sceptically at the office door as Blaster knocked on it. On their way to their private meeting, Blaster had explained to Soundwave the importance of this step, now that they had started dating. According to Blaster, it was something that every Autobot couple (or trine… or group) was expected to do – so long as the relationship was more than a brief fling. At Soundwave’s continued hesitation, Blaster assured the telepath that it was a step that every couple on the Ark had taken. Nonetheless, Soundwave couldn’t shake his discomfort at the thought of the impending meeting. He was a very, very private mech; discussing his private romantic life with Optimus Prime wasn’t exactly sitting on his bucket-list.

The office door slid away to reveal Optimus, sitting at his desk with his servos folded upon it. The Commanding Officer’s field was pleasant and sunny, as it typically was around the Ark. Even with his mask on, it was obvious by the mild squint to the mech’s optics that he was smiling.

“Soundwave, Blaster, come right in and have a seat” the larger mech gestured to the two chairs pulled up against his desk.

Soundwave glanced at Blaster and received a reassuring smile and wink from his roommate before following the orange mech through the door. As he lowered himself into his chair, Soundwave glanced over the paperwork already laid out on the Prime’s datapad. A wash of relief appeared for a moment in the telepath’s field as he realized that Blaster had already briefed Optimus on the subject of the meeting.

“Thank you for joining me this morning” Optimus started with a reassuring nod in Soundwave’s direction, “as I am sure Blaster explained already, on the Ark, I like to meet briefly with every new couple or trine that forms. I just wish to lay down some expectations as well as resources for the both of you. Maintaining a relationship during wartime can have some special complications, so I always try to lay out as even a playing ground as possible”.

Soundwave nodded awkwardly then glanced over at Blaster. His boyfriend had assumed a much more relaxed posture. He was leaning back comfortably in his chair; one ankle was crossed over the other knee and his left arm draped casually over the back of Soundwave’s seat. When he noticed the red visor on him, Blaster gave Soundwave his best grin. In an attempt to follow Blaster’s lead, Soundwave relaxed back in his chair just a tiny bit more. At the very least, it was re-assuring to feel the gentle brush of Blaster’s arm against his shoulders.

“I would like to start off by congratulating the both of you”, the Prime’s field radiated with joy for the new couple. Soundwave re-set his optics in surprise but couldn’t hold back a tiny smile. Just another thing that was so very different from the Nemesis.

“Thanks, Prime,” Blaster smiled. Soundwave gave a short nod and attempted to brush off his embarrassment.

“I know that you will likely want to keep this brief,” Optimus continued as he picked up his stylus. Soundwave knew that consideration was in place for his sake. “I have some paperwork here to go over, and after that, you will both be free to go”. His blue optics glanced back up at them with a smile, then re-focused on the datapad.

“Alright, to start off… has this relationship been labelled yet?” the Prime asked, “is this a formal courtship, casual dating, or sexual relationship?”. His voice remained level as he read over the options, “or something else entirely?”.

Soundwave squirmed in his seat and looked at Blaster again. Blaster returned his gaze with an awkward chuckle.

“Last I recall, ‘Wave and I agreed that we were in a more casual dating situation” the boombox’s statement ended almost like a question as he looked at his partner. Soundwave nodded at Blaster, then immediately nodded at Prime. There was a beat of silence as Optimus nodded and circled an option on the datapad.

“Excellent,” Optimus hummed absentmindedly as he scrolled to the next query, “when being referred to as a couple, are there any particular titles you prefer, or wish to avoid… such as partners, boyfriends, girlfriends, mates, and so on?”.

Once again, Soundwave found himself glancing at Blaster, who returned his gaze with a thoughtful smile.

“I mean, I don’t have any strict preferences or anything… but we’ve been calling each other partners so far” Blaster shrugged.

When Prime’s optics switched to him, Soundwave nodded, “yes, I agree”.

The Prime smiled and glanced down to mark the answer down. “While we are on the subject of public titles,” he started, “how public is this relationship intended to be?”. He paused for a beat then looked up at the couple to further explain, “there will always be a level of security that we wish to respect aboard the Ark, with regard to the war. As a result, there will be steps taken to assure that news of your relationship doesn’t reach the Nemesis. We don’t want your relationship to become a piece of strategic information”.

Soundwave swallowed thickly and felt Blaster’s field tighten minutely. He glanced briefly at Blaster and watched the orange mech nod in a more serious tone than usual. The idea of Megatron trying to get to him by hurting Blaster sent a curl of panic in the blue mech’s tanks. He mentally stomped on the idea and turned back to look at the Prime.

“News of your relationship will be purposefully repressed from leaving the Ark. The few humans who join us know never to share this kind of information with the human media, as it may end up in the wrong servos… or hands” Optimus assured as he sensed the change in mood, “however, it is up to the both of you how public you want to be within the span of the Ark. If you want, your relationship can be kept in a totally private basis. Ratchet, Jazz, and Prowl will need to be informed; however, we can make choices that will protect this knowledge from being found by the rest of the crew. For example, we can encrypt any file that mentions your relationship on it; and any question or suspicion that we encounter about your relationship can be dismissed or persuaded against”.

Soundwave considered how safe and secure the relationship would feel for him if this were the case. He hummed at how incredibly private it would all be. However, he knew Blaster wasn’t the same as him. This level of security would mean a total suppression of affection outside of their quarters. Soundwave glanced at Blaster for a moment then looked down at his lap. Although the privacy of a secretive relationship sounded nice, he knew that it wouldn’t be as enjoyable for Blaster. Blaster liked some forms of public affection. Of course, the orange mech would never step beyond what was comfortable for Soundwave, however, it would only be fair to meet Blaster somewhere in the middle. If Blaster wanted to hold servos in the halls, go on double dates, and slow dance together at parties… Soundwave didn’t want to take away those enjoyments away from his partner. Even if those things were not particularly his favourite.

When Soundwave looked back up, he found both Optimus and Blaster watching him. He jerked in surprise, then ruffled his armor for a moment. Soundwave turned his visor to meet Blaster’s gaze. He offered a soft smile at the realization that Blaster was waiting for him to set his comfort levels and boundaries.

“You do not have to hide our relationship for my sake” Soundwave assured Blaster, “I know you would enjoy being known as a couple by some of the mechs on the Ark, and I don’t wish to deny that”.

Blaster’s optics softened as he leaned towards his partner a bit more, “are you sure ‘Wave? I don’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable”.

Soundwave smiled at Blaster’s ever-present courtesy and shook his helm. Despite the weight he felt from the Prime’s presence, he reached over and squeezed at Blaster’s servo, “I want you to enjoy our relationship as well, Blaster. I know I can trust you to have regard for my comfort, including around other mechs”.

Blaster smiled and squeezed Soundwave’s servo in reply. His spark felt almost weightless all of a sudden. “Thanks, ‘Wave” he murmured before turning back to Optimus, “how about we meet in the middle? We won’t go around publicly announcing that we are in a relationship, but when word gets out, we won’t deny it”. He looked back over to Soundwave, who nodded in agreement.
“We can certainly do that” Optimus agreed as he jotted their preferences down on the datapad.

“Besides,” Soundwave murmured to Blaster in an aside, “how long do we truly think our relationship will remain secret with our cassettes already knowing?”.

Blaster laughed and nodded his helm, “you have a very good point there, ‘Wave”. They smiled at each other before letting go of each other’s servos and sitting back to face the Prime.

“Alright,” Optimus looked up at the couple, a pre-emptive apology already forming in his field, “now is the part of the meeting when I have to ask the more challenging and possibly uncomfortable questions. These questions are focusing more on the future and possible outcomes with regard to your relationship. You may take your time to answer, and if you need to, we can return to some of these questions at a later date so you may discuss the answers in private”.

Soundwave felt his plating clamp down tightly. They had only been answering the easy questions so far? Primus, this whole thing felt like a terrifying routine of mental and social gymnastics for him.

“To begin… in the unfortunate case of a breakup, do you think one of you will want to move out, with their cassettes, into their own private quarters?”

Soundwave blinked in surprise and immediately felt his helm snap over to look at Blaster. Blaster looked just as baffled as he felt. The orange mech scrubbed at his chin for a moment before looking over at his boyfriend with a troubled expression.

“I know it is a painful thing to consider so early in a relationship” Optimus admitted, “however, I need to know if I should be holding a spare room for one of you, if it is ever needed in the case of a breakup”.

“I guess ‘Wave and I haven’t exactly thought about the possibility of a breakup yet” Blaster admitted, his field narrowed in with discomfort at the prospect.

Soundwave felt a similar uneasiness at the concept. The very idea of breaking things off with Blaster created a constricting sensation around his spark.

“I… I do not believe that I would wish to live apart, if we ever break up” Soundwave admitted in a soft voice.

Blaster’s optics flickered and turned to look at him, “really?” he asked. The relief was apparent in his field.

“You are my best friend” Soundwave shrugged, “and I enjoy living with you. I cannot imagine living apart at this point… even if we broke up”.

Blaster grinned and added on, “me neither ‘Wave. Besides, I’m pretty sure that our cassettes would throw a riot if we tried to split them back up now”. Soundwave laughed; he could hear an amused rumble coming from Optimus.

“Very well,” Optimus hummed as he wrote quickly in the datapad, “the only other question regarding a breakup had to do with how you would be able to work together in professional settings post break-up… however, I am sure that if you continued to live together as friends, that there would be very few professional disturbances”. He glanced up at the two carrier mechs to confirm his assumption, then quickly tucked back down to write when he received two nods of approval.

Blaster turned to look at Soundwave and winked at his partner, then he curled his servo up into a fist and wordlessly knocked thrice on the top of Optimus’ desk. Soundwave’s brow furrowed and he tilted his helm at Blaster in confusion. Seemingly in on the joke, the Prime chuckled and agreed, “yes, knock on wood” without glancing up from his datapad. Soundwave looked back at Blaster with an even more baffled expression and watched at the orange mech shook with quiet laughter at his utter confusion.

::I’ll explain later:: Blaster sent over a private comm. line. His optics twinkled as he added on ::you always look super cute when you’re confused::.

Soundwave crinkled the bridge of his nose at Blaster and failed to completely supress a blush. Blaster’s smile only grew.

“Alright”, Optimus’ voice pulled both Communications Officers back to face him, “That concludes all of the questions I needed to ask you two today. I appreciate your openness and honesty. I only have one more brief thing to mention; that being Ratchet’s services”. The Prime sat up a bit straighter and cleared his throat before broaching the topic. “As I mentioned before, Ratchet will be informed of your relationship. In the future, if the both of you wish to solidify your relationship with a spark bond – and if we are still at active war - Ratchet can place specialized energy blocking mechanisms within your spark chambers to avoid accidental procreation”.

Soundwave choked and felt his faceplates turn a shade darker. He felt the embarrassed shock radiate from Blaster’s field as well. Optimus had to courtesy to look a little sheepish at the mention of the deeply private act of spark merging. Somehow, unlike Soundwave, he was able to keep his professional appearances intact.

“Of course, we have nothing against creations on the Ark” Optimus hurried to add, “as both of you are split-sparkers, and we are aware that you have no control over when your frame decides to create new life. However, most couples prefer some time to spend as a bonded pair before they start procreating together… and some couples have no interest in sparklings at all, or at least until the end of the war”. He cleared his throat again and shifted in his seat, “my point is, Ratchet offers energy blockers, if you wish to have them put in place… the decision is yours to make, and I wanted to make you both aware of that”.

Soundwave nodded understandingly, then glanced over at Blaster who was also nodding.

“Furthermore, Ratchet is also a good resource for any sexual health needs. If you need to acquire anti-virus walls or anything else he is your primary contact. My apologies for the prying subject, but I would rather you both be informed” Optimus concluded with a smile.

Soundwave nodded urgently; his visor didn’t meet Optimus’ gaze.

“Thanks, Prime” Blaster said. Despite his calmer exterior, the awkwardness could still be felt in his field. “Better to know now then go without, right?”.

Optimus agreed with a nod, “and of course, Smokescreen is always available for counselling. He offers both one-on-one and couples counselling… just in case you ever need it”. The Prime jotted a few more things down on his datapad before signing it and sliding it across the desk along with the stylus. Soundwave looked over the completed paperwork before signing his designation on the document. He then slid the datapad over to Blaster, who signed it without so much as a glance.

“Thank you” Optimus smiled as he accepted the datapad back and filed it away for processing. He stood from behind his desk, Blaster and Soundwave followed suit. “Once again, congratulations. If you want to change anything we discussed here today, or you find yourself in need of support, please do reach out to me”.

“Thanks, boss-mech” Blaster grinned as the larger bot walked them towards the door, “we’ll keep that in mind”.

Soundwave nodded “yes, thank you”.

With goodbyes out of the way, Soundwave and Blaster soon found themselves back in the hallway, walking back to their own quarters. Soundwave let out a pressurized breath and finally let his shoulders relax for the first time since that morning.

“I know, right?” Blaster murmured. His servo reached out to gently soothe over Soundwave’s dorsa, to which Soundwave gave an appreciative sigh. “You feeling okay after all that? I know it was a lot”.

“I am just glad that it is done” Soundwave shifted to loop his arms around Blaster’s, “I do see why some of those subjects were important. Do you feel alright?”

“Right as rain” Blaster grinned.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Yeah” Blaster chuckled, “yeah it’s a good thing”. He turned to grin at Soundwave, who smiled back.

Soundwave quickly retracted his arms from around Blaster’s as they walked past Wheeljack and Ratchet in the hall. Both pairs shared a few quick hellos as they crossed paths and continued in opposite directions. With the other two mechs behind them, Soundwave slipped his servo into Blasters. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to meet Wheeljack’s optics as the engineer looked back while also taking hold of Ratchet’s servo. The engineer’s headfins flashed a bright blue in shock. Soundwave gasped and quickly jerked his gaze away to look ahead again.

“What is it?” Blaster tilted his helm in the telepath’s direction.

Soundwave laughed quietly as they turned a corner together, “it appears as though we are not alone”. At Blaster’s confused smile, Soundwave chuckled and said, “I will tell you… but first you still need to tell me what ‘knocking on wood’ means”.

“Sounds like a deal” Blaster grinned.

________________________________________________________________

When Jazz opened the door to his and Prowl’s shared quarters that evening, Soundwave didn’t think it possible for the mech’s smile to be any larger.

“There’s my two favourite love birds” Jazz grinned before pulling the new couple in by their elbows. Instantaneously, the smaller bot turned to Soundwave and said, “do you remember that day, months ago, when you were still in the Medbay as a ‘con and you and Blaster were on a walk in the halls and Prowler and I met you properly for the first time?”. Completely taken away by the sudden precise questioning, Soundwave nodded dumbly. Jazz continued on the same breath, “well when Blaster and I were chatting down the hall, away from you and Prowler, I told him that he had a huge crush on you, and he denied it and-“ in a flash the saboteur whipped around to face Blaster and pointed a finger at his brightened optics “I told you so!”.

Soundwave found himself caught somewhere between laughing and silent bafflement. One glance at Blaster’s faceplates confirmed how true Jazz’s statement was.

“I always know a couple when I see one!” Jazz grinned proudly, “I call all of them before they happen, it’s guaranteed”.

“I saw Ratchet and Wheeljack holding servos in the halls today” Soundwave added sagely.

Jazz turned on his heals to face Soundwave “You what?” he gasped. Soundwave smiled at the shock in the smaller mech’s field. “Shut up” Jazz whispered in awe.

“I…” Soundwave stiffened.

“oh no! No, it’s a human phrase” Jazz laughed with a wave of his servo, “it basically means holy slag I can’t believe it!”.

“Good evening, Soundwave” Prowl called from across the quarters, “good evening, Blaster”. The much calmer mech held a bottle of high-grade in his servos. The boomboxes returned their greetings before Jazz excitedly shared the latest gossip.

“Prowler! Sounders’ saw Wheeljack and Ratchet holding servos!”

Prowl paused mid-pour and glanced over at his mate, then at Soundwave, “really?”.

Jazz cackled with giddy excitement and Soundwave nodded.

“Huh…” Prowl murmured as his attention returned to serving out the high-grade, “good for them”.

It didn’t take long for all four mechs to settle on the couch together. Each mech held a cube of high-grade as the movie started. Jazz had selected ‘Sleepless in Seattle’, an earth movie that Blaster instantly approved of and Soundwave was completely unfamiliar with.

Soundwave felt a burst of appreciation for Jazz as the movie started. He had been a bit nervous for the upcoming double date. The idea of being particularly romantic with Blaster while in the company of others gave Soundwave’s tanks a nervous little twist. Glancing over at the other couple, Soundwave made the assumption that Prowl felt very much the same with regards to public affection.

However, this wasn’t overbearingly intimate in ways that made Soundwave feel uncomfortable. It was simply watching a romantic movie, with his boyfriend and some friends, while they drank high grade and chatted during occasional breaks. Soundwave smiled and sipped from his cube as he felt Blaster’s arms wrap around his shoulder. He could feel Blaster’s optics on him, making sure that the embrace was appreciated and not uncomfortable. Soundwave reassured Blaster by resting his helm on his shoulder. Blaster smiled and turned back to watch the movie. Soundwave flicked his optics over to the other side of the couch, were Prowl and Jazz were in a similar position. He met optics with Jazz, who was watching the new couple with softened optics. Soundwave felt a blush rise into his faceplates from being observed, but he didn’t pull out of the embrace. Jazz chuckled before turning back to the movie; Soundwave smiled and did so as well.

Perhaps double dates weren’t all that bad, after all.

Chapter Text

“And the concept of ‘timshel’, I found it very interesting” Soundwave smiled over the rim of his energon cube. He watched as Prowl nodded vigorously, his doorwings were hiked up high.

“Humans truly have a talent for creating words that mean so much” Prowl agreed, “I deeply enjoyed that theme as well”.

“At the spark of it, what would you consider the theme to be?” Soundwave leaned further over the table, “agency?”.

“perhaps” Prowl murmured, before adding, “and the awareness and weight of free choice”.

“I suppose that is a trait we share with the humans”

“I do believe you are correct”.

Both mechs nodded before leaning back to rest into their chairs. Soundwave took a moment to glance around the rec. room, where he and Prowl had decided to share their mid-day fuel. The room was lively, however, quiet enough to allow for a private conversation. Prowl had offered for the two mechs to take their fuel in his private office, however, the rec room had a pleasant atmosphere, and a booth was available.

Soundwave had been looking forward to this lunch for a few days. About a week prior, Prowl had handed Soundwave a mysterious datapad. The Praxian had suggested that Soundwave read the human novel downloaded onto the datapad, and report back. At first Soundwave found himself filled with confusion at the request, however, within a few pages of the novel, he found himself deeply submerged with interest.

The novel was called ‘East of Eden’, it was written by a human called John Steinbeck. Soundwave did not recognize the name, however, Prowl assured him that the author was well known among the humans.

Within the span of 5 days, Soundwave mowed through the novel. Had more free time been available to the telepath, those days would likely have been cut in half. As Prowl had warned him, the datapad had been near impossible to put down. After completing his duties for the day and tending to his creations, Soundwave occupied much of his time with his optics glued to the words. On a few of the nights, especially towards the end of the novel, Blaster had almost had to pry the datapad from Soundwave’s servos to keep his boyfriend from going a night with no recharge. Soundwave appreciated Blaster’s consideration… begrudgingly at the time.

On the 6th day, Soundwave had reached out to Prowl in hopes to set up a meeting about the novel. However, their busy schedules did not align on that day. Thus, exactly one week after Prowl gave him the datapad, they met for lunch to discuss it. They talked about the characters, themes, writing style, and of course the word ‘timshel’.

Soundwave smiled fondly at his companion. It was so refreshing to have a mech like Prowl in his midst. This kind of friendship, one built on closely shared interests, was such a novelty to Soundwave. He hadn’t been able to have discussions on these kinds of subjects in a very long time. Back on the Nemesis, his reputation as Megatron’s lap dog hadn’t exactly granted him a lot of trust from the crew. Not to mention the fact that Decepticon high command didn’t often have friendships. There was no time, nor trust. Families and bonded trines were seemingly the only exception.

Now however, Soundwave had found a friend in Prowl. It certainly didn’t hurt that Prowl shared Soundwave’s interests in his tastes of literature, research, and discussion. Soundwave had never been a mech who needed a lot of friends. So long as he had his cassettes, he could be content. For eons, he had assumed that the company of any other mech would be unnecessary. Now, here on the Ark, Soundwave found himself proven wrong; first by Blaster, then by Prowl, and then by Jazz. He didn’t mind at all.

“Thank you, again” Soundwave held out the borrowed datapad, “I very much enjoyed reading this novel. However, I enjoyed discussing it with you even more”.

For a moment, Prowl hesitated. Then, wordlessly, he plucked the datapad from Soundwave’s servo. The Praxian’s doorwings twitched for a moment as he rummaged through his subspace. Soundwave blinked at the sudden silence. Prowl, suddenly finding what he was searching for, pulled out a small info-bank drive. He plugged the miniscule device into the datapad and selected a few options on the screen.

Soundwave tilted his helm and regarded his companion. For a brief moment, Prowl glanced up and met Soundwave’s optics. The first lieutenant flashed a mysterious smile at his friend before diverting his optics back to the screen. Even more perplexed, Soundwave leaned back into his chair and focused on polishing off his cube of mid-grade. In a sudden fluid motion, Prowl yanked the drive from the datapad and held out the datapad for Soundwave to take. Soundwave hesitated, then reached out to take the offered device.

“I have not removed ‘East of Eden’, I have simply added another novel to the datapad for you” Prowl stated as he tucked the info-drive back into his subspace.

“You did?” Soundwave breathed as he powered the screen back up. He glanced at the two novels, now displayed like a minuscule archive of two. In a whisper, he read out the title of the new addition, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”.

“Indeed” Prowl murmured from across the table.

Soundwave jerked his helm up to meet his visor with the tactician’s blue optics, “is this another piece of human literature?”.

“It is” Prowl nodded. He suddenly laced his fingers together on the tabletop. “I rather enjoyed discussing ‘East of Eden’ with you. It was very pleasant to find a shared interest in literature with you. Currently, I am reading ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ by Hemingway” the Praxian hesitated for a moment before he minced out the rest of his words, “I would deeply enjoy it if you joined me in reading it, and perhaps we could discuss it once we are both finished it… if you wish… of course”.

Soundwave felt a ball of warmth gather in his spark. He smiled down at the datapad in his grip, then up at Prowl. The Praxian’s doorwings lifted the tiniest bit at the smile.

“I would very much enjoy that” Soundwave said.

“Excellent” Prowl fixed Soundwave with a very rare smile, “I am pleased”.

Suddenly, as if pulled by an invisible string, Soundwave’s helm swivelled to face the rest of the room. Prowl paused and blinked at his companion’s unusual behaviour. He watched as Soundwave tilted his helm, as if to perk up his audios and listen. The Praxian turned the power of his audios up as high as possible and could only hear the low murmur of casual rec. room discussion. Soundwave’s brows furrowed in confusion and he glanced around the room once more.

“Is something the matter?” Prowl asked in a low voice.

Soundwave jerked back to look at his friend, almost as if he had forgotten he was with someone to begin with. His faceplates collected a soft blush before he leaned in the tiniest bit and murmured, “I am unable to make out exactly the reason why… but it seems as though I am suddenly a highly discussed and thought about subject in this room”. After a moment of consideration, Soundwave corrected himself, “no… across the Ark”.

Prowl frowned and turned to observe the mechs in the rec. room, almost as if he also had telepathy to observe what Soundwave was picking up. He narrowed his optics into a squint at the seemingly innocent room, before looking back at Soundwave. The mech in question had taken on a faraway look. His red visor was zoned off into another dimension as he focused on the mental ambience of Ark. His faceplates held a small, concentrating frown.

“It seems as though I am not the only subject of interest” Soundwave murmured, Prowl hummed with interest, “Blaster is being discussed in equal proportion”.

Within an instant, both mechs came to the same conclusion. Their gazed snapped together. Soundwave sucked in a breath and Prowl’s doorwings tightened on his back.

“Oh no” Soundwave groaned, “I had thought we would have more time”.

Prowl hummed empathetically, “news of your relationship with Blaster was bound to get out eventually”.

“But how?” Soundwave scrubbed at his brow, “hardly any time has passed since we started dating. How can the entire Ark already know?”

“Is it possible that someone spotted you two together in a way that could be deemed romantic? Particularly in the last couple of days” Prowl inquired.

Soundwave frowned in concentration and shook his helm. “I wouldn’t think so…” For a moment, the telepath considered crossing paths with Wheeljack and Ratchet in the hallway. Wheeljack had certainly noticed the way in which Soundwave and Blaster were holding servos. However, Soundwave had also noticed the two said mechs doing the exact same thing. The medic and engineer were not particularly gossip prone mechs; Soundwave suspected that the risk was even lower due to the fact that he also caught them in the act.

His helm suddenly snapped back up to look at Prowl, “unless…”. His mind suddenly fixed on the previous night. There had been a moment, however brief, at the end of the double date, when all four mechs stepped into the hallway to conclude their farewells:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Thanks for coming by, you two” Jazz practically crooned as he squeezed Blaster in a tight hug. The orange boombox chuckled into the embrace and refrained from wincing. His dorsa thanked him when Jazz’s servos released their death grip and allowed him to stand up straight again.

Soundwave was filled with surprise when Jazz suddenly rounded on him with open arms. “Don’t think you're getting away without a hug too, ‘Sounders’” Jazz grinned. Soundwave briefly met optics with Blaster, who was still rubbing his smarting dorsa, before he gave in and leaned down to accept a (shockingly) tight hug from the shorter mech. Soundwave gave a small wheeze as the air was forced from his vents. Jazz murmured just over his shoulder “now that y’all are together, you're part of the family too – like it or not”. Soundwave managed a pained laugh and delivered a few awkward pats to Jazz’s dorsa before he was finally released from the vise-like hold.

“Thank you, Jazz” Soundwave smiled through a wince as he stood back up, “it was a lovely evening”.

“So you're saying that more double dates are on the table?” Jazz perked up with a grin.

“I think so” Soundwave smiled as he glanced at Blaster. His partner grinned with a nod, “yes” Soundwave finalized. He immediately found himself pulled back down for a hug twice as tight. He laughed as Jazz crooned with excitement before letting him go once more.

Satisfied with his work, Jazz stepped back from the now aching comm.s officers to allow his mate to share his farewells. Prowl shook servos with Blaster and both mechs shared a friendly goodbye. When the Praxian turned to face Soundwave, both mechs hesitated.

Prowl cleared his throat and fidgeted for a moment. Suddenly, he opened his arms to offer a hug. Shocked at the gesture, Soundwave found himself nodding quickly and leaning into a very quick hug. Thankfully, Prowl’s embrace lasted for only a moment, and was feather light in comparison to Jazz’s spinal-strut crushing hold.

Jazz, seemingly overjoyed at the moment, unleased a myriad of coos and “aaaws”. Both Soundwave and Prowl flushed for a moment and shuffled back awkwardly. Jazz’s arms suddenly looped around Prowl’s as he grinned up at the two boomboxes.

“Look at our nerds,” he purred to Blaster, “getting along… being pals”. Blaster chuckled and looped a servo over Soundwave’s shoulder. Neither Prowl nor Soundwave protested the title… it was appropriate enough.

“Once again, fellas… I’m just so glad to see you together like this” Jazz grinned at the new couple. Soundwave smiled and glanced at Blaster, who shared a warm look with him before they turned back to Jazz. “I’ve known Blast-mech for eons” Jazz snorted at how old that phrase made him feel, “and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a mech that made him half this happy. Congrats, you two… I’m happy for you".

Soundwave smiled and turned his warmed faceplates into Blaster’s shoulder. He could feel Blaster’s field radiating contentment. They thanked Prowl and Jazz once more before heading home for the night, arms wrapped tight around each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The double date” Soundwave murmured, “at the end… when we said our farewells in the hall”.

“Of course,”, Prowl leaned back in his seat, “the hallways had seemed empty, but someone must have overheard from around a corner or through a wall”.

“Primus” Soundwave sighed as he slid a servo under his visor to rub at his optics, “I cannot believe I didn’t notice we were being listened to”.

“well… you were sufficiently overcharged” Prowl added, amusement was present in his voice. Soundwave sighed in response with a nod.

“It must be well throughout the Ark by now” Prowl calculated, “news travels fast… especially news pertaining to relationships”.

“Like wildfire” Soundwave grumbled as he extended his telepathy into a wider radius again. He rubbed at his chin as he listened to the flow of thoughts and discussions about his relationship with Blaster. Sure enough, Prowl’s estimates seemed correct. With the torrent of thoughts and discussions on his relationship, it seemed as though the change in status was the hottest new gossip aboard the Ark. It had only taken 12 hours for the news to travel around the entire ship.

What was worst, in Soundwave’s opinion, was the amount of opinions on his relationship with Blaster. Certainly, most of the thoughts carried excitement and positive emotions at the idea of a new relationship. The budding of a new relationship was always fun to observe for the more gossip prone individuals. Some mechs, however, had it in their helms that the gossip was false. They assumed that it was too unlikely, and Soundwave and Blaster were too different. Thus, they dismissed it as a tall tale that had made rounds around the base. Then, of course, there was the occasional processor that seemed to believe in the newest relationship, but foster doubt in how long it would last.

Soundwave frowned to himself at the more hurtful opinions he picked up with his telepathy. Brawn and Huffer, in particular, were engaged in a hushed rant over how unhealthy the relationship must be. In Huffer’s opinion, Soundwave was far too boring and quiet, he would never be able to keep up with Blaster. Brawn agreed with enthusiasm, Blaster would likely get sick of “that cold fish” and move on to someone more energetic. Soundwave hurriedly retracted his telepathy out of that exchange and attempted to press it to the very back of his attention. It was reassuring, however, that Brawn and Huffer were within a very small minority on the Ark. In general, the Autobots seemed amused, curious, or at least interested to learn about the new relationship. For that, Soundwave could be thankful.

Soundwave’s attention was instantly pulled away from his telepathy when he became suddenly aware of a mech standing directly in his personal space. Soundwave flickered his optics and craned his neck to look up from his seated position at Wheeljack.

“Hey Soundwave, hey Prowl!” the sunny engineer’s headfins flashed with a happy blue.

“Good afternoon” Soundwave murmured. He could hear as Prowl also shared his greetings.

“I heard the news” Wheeljack smiled, “it’s all over the Ark. Sounds like you and Blaster have made it public, right? That’s exciting”.

Soundwave smiled tightly and refrained from telling the engineer that neither he nor Blaster had actually intended for their relationship to be out yet. He didn’t want to make the well-intended mech feel guilty over the approach.

Wheeljack continued, “well, I just wanted to say congrats on all that. You two seem really nice together… you certainly match”. His headfins flickered as he bubbled into a laugh.
Soundwave’s smile evolved into a more relaxed and genuine one. “Thank you Wheeljack” he murmured.

“Oh, and Ratch’ wanted me to say congrats too” Wheeljack added, then he scratched at his chin, “well… actually Ratchet told me that I shouldn’t bug you guys about it, I don’t really know why. But then he said that when I ignore his advice and come to chat anyways, to say congrats for him too”. He quickly looped back into his sunny tone as he concluded, “but I just couldn’t resist! I love hearing happy news, it’s refreshing. So, I just wanted to say congrats!”.

Soundwave couldn’t hold back the soft amused laugh. Wheeljack’s sense of joy was always so contagious. He shook the servo held out by the engineer and made sure he didn’t stare too long at the scorch marks along his upper arm that somehow didn’t seem present past his elbow. If anyone was going to blow off his forearm and get a new one on a weekday, it was Wheeljack.

“Thank you” Soundwave nodded graciously, “and please tell Ratchet that I said thank you as well”.

“Yeah of course!” Wheeljack chuckled. He then leaned in a tad closer and lowered his voice into a near whisper “and … uh, now that I have you here, thanks for keeping that thing you saw yesterday on the downlow. Ratch’ and I are just testing the waters at the moment, and we don’t really want to create a big stir, you know? Lots of mechs have been betting on us for centuries, and if things don’t work out, we really don’t want to disappoint”.

“Of course,” Soundwave murmured with an amused smile, “and congratulations to you as well”.

Wheeljack’s lower mask hid his smile, but the way his optics scrunched up made it clear how large a smile it was. Just like that, the engineer waved to Prowl and headed back to the table he was sharing with Perceptor and Rachet.

Soundwave let out a condensed breath and leaned back into his seat. He slowly turned his optics back to Prowl, who offered a shrug.

With lunch concluded, Soundwave and Prowl shared a brief goodbye (sans awkward drunk hug) and headed their separate ways. On his way back to his quarters, Soundwave found himself stopped two more times by random, well-meaning mechs.

“Hey! I heard about you and Blaster!” Bumblebee practically bounded down the hall as they crossed paths. Spike and Carly, who were seated on his rounded shoulders, had to hold on tight to avoid being jostled from their seats. Soundwave had to resist a laugh as the teens broke into complaints. Bumblebee grinned apologetically at his human companions before turning his attention back up at Soundwave.

“News around the Ark is that you and Blaster are in love” Bumblebee grinned, “that’s great!”.

“You and Blaster are in love!?” Carly cried as she clasped her hands together in excitement.

“You and Blaster are in love?” Spike asked in a more scrutinizing voice. He gave a whine when his girlfriend lightly slapped him on the arm.

“It would appear so” Soundwave offered with a tired smile.

“Congratulations!” Bumblebee said jubilantly, “it’s so nice to hear about new couples. Primus knows that we need to enjoy the little things right now, right?”.

After thanking the scout again (and prying his way out of the numerous questions from the humans) Soundwave continued down the hall to his quarters. It bewildered him how open the Ark was in regard to relationships. Certainly, on the Nemesis there was plenty of gossip in regard to who was with who. However, it was more along the line of ‘who was fragging who’, and ‘who got angry over it and tried to murder who’. Most certainly, it wasn’t something that any Decepticon would dare approach another in the halls to discuss. Soundwave often found himself boggled at how friendly and open the Autobot culture was. It almost felt invasive… in a very well-intending way.

While rounding a corner, Soundwave found himself faced with another congratulatory mech. Thankfully, Beachcomber was more than happy to share a couple kind words and continue on his way. Soundwave was thankful for that.

After what felt like an impossible trek, Soundwave was finally able to slip into the peace of his own quarters. He firmly closed the door and pressed his dorsa against it with a decisive thump. He slowly onlined his optics to regard Blaster, who was smiling at him with confusion from the couch. The orange mech held a data report in servo as he regarded his partner.

“Everyone knows” Soundwave groaned.

“What?” Blaster’s confused smile gained an even more confused tilt.

“About us” Soundwave pushed his dorsa off of the door, “our relationship is the hottest gossip throughout the Ark. Everyone knows”.

Blaster let out a sudden burst of laughter. He reached out a servo to his exhausted looking partner. “How many mechs tried to talk to you about it?” Blaster snorted.

“Too many” Soundwave grumbled as he accepted Blaster’s servo and allowed himself to be pulled onto the boombox’s lap. Blaster stretched out under him to lay back against the armrest of the couch. Soundwave gave a thankful groan and adjusted his frame to lay atop his boyfriend’s. He pressed his helm to Blaster’s chestplates and felt a soothing wave roll over him as he listened to the strong whirring of his partner’s spark. He let out a deep sigh as an orange arm draped over his frame and reached up to rub at his audio. “Thank you” he murmured into warm plating.

“I had a feeling it would get out soon” the amusement was obvious in Blaster’s voice, “the Ark is always game for a good love story, and the gossip on this ship is next level”.

Soundwave hummed and let his visor retract away from his dimmed optics, “well, at least we have a good love story for them”. The chestplate under his helm rumbled as Blaster chuckled.

“Right you are, sweet-spark” he murmured lowly. Soundwave twitched at the pet name and was thankful for a moment that, tucked into his boyfriend’s chestplates, Blaster couldn’t see how pink his faceplates turned.

A few minutes passed in which Soundwave finally let his frame depressurize. Blaster hummed softly just over the top of his helm as he continued to read over data reports. Of course, it could only last so long. Just as soon as Soundwave let his frame relax completely, the door to their quarters opened.

“Doggy pile!” shrieked a small voice from behind Soundwave’s helm. Before the telepath could look up to ask what that phrase meant, he found himself and Blaster underneath a tsunami of cassettes. Blaster’s chestplates jostled with laughter and Soundwave struggled to wiggle into a new position. As soon as his arms were free, the blue cassette player seized the closest cassette he could find and pulled Rumble into a tight embrace.

“Ahh! He’s got me!” Rumble squealed with laugher.

“Oh no! Save him!” Rewind laughed as the cassettes attempted to climb over a laughing Soundwave.

Yes, Soundwave thought to himself. At the very least he and Blaster could supply the Ark with a good love story.

__________________________________________________________________

Reflector was shaking, and they couldn’t stop.

In fact, they hadn’t been able to rid themselves of their trembling for the last couple of weeks. The minibot glanced at their counterpart, another part of themself. Yet there was an empty space. Their processor filled their gaze with errors and warnings. There was only one other part of Reflector standing next to them, they were missing a part of themselves. Two Reflectors, it was wrong. There should be three parts in total, to make a Reflector… and yet there were only two of them. Two was not the right number. Two minibots did not make a Reflector. Without their last counterpart, they didn’t know who the remaining two were.

The two minibots scuttled into the war-room. Their tentative optics took in Megatron, who was, as usual, splayed over his throne. The warlord was drunk, Reflector could smell the engex from across the room. That was a lot of engex… if you could smell it from across the room.

The troops were still starving.

“My Lord,” one of the Reflectors started, “we have brought you the images you requested”.

The second Reflector continued, “yes, we hope this sates your needs”. Both Reflectors choked at the silence that greeted them when a third voice should have piped up to complete their statement.

“uh… we- we” the first Reflector stumbled over unnatural words that they weren’t supposed to speak, “we were hoping that you would let us be complete again”.

A long silence met them. Megatron’s helm slowly lolled against the back of his throne. He draped a limp servo out, waiting for the datapad to be deposited in his grasp.

Reflector shifted uneasily; their plating rattled as one of them stepped forward slowly to deposit the datapad in a very large servo. As soon as the pictures were in the grasp of the warlord, Reflector sprinted back out of proximity of the grey mech… they didn’t enjoy being within arm’s reach of him.

Slowly, the datapad was lifted up to be held before dark burgundy optics. Silence sat upon the war room like a heavy layer of ice. Reflector remember that, once, not that long ago, a datapad of images would have been met with thanks from Megatron. Sometimes, if the warlord was feeling generous, he would even offer them a cycle off, or extra rations for reward. Now, all they were met with was a cold, dead silence.

“M… My lord” Reflector whispered. “One of us… One of the Reflectors has been held in the brig for a long time. We- We were told that more images would grant his freedom”.

Dark red optics snapped to take in the two minibots. Reflector jerked as the war lord’s optics focused on them.

“You are dismissed”, Megatron’s low gravelly voice finally broke through the silence.

“My lord” Reflector pleaded.

“Get out of my sight!” Megatron bellowed. By the time the anger cleared from his vision, he was alone in the war room once again.

Megatron relaxed back into his throne, his posture slumped deeper. With a lazy servo, he scrolled through the fresh images Reflector had taken. His optics narrowed into slits at the quality of the images. They were far away, taken from outside the Ark’s territory. Reflector had been so frightened since Soundwave had caught them taking pictures of him. Ever since his warning, their pictures had declined in quality. The images were from farther away and predominantly from through windows. Certainly, Reflector’s zoom skills were impressive. One could still see exactly what Soundwave was up to in said images. However, there was a grainy film over the images taken from so far away. When Reflector zoomed in from that far, they lost the smallest details in the images… the way the light reflected on Soundwave’s new Autobot insignia… the miniscule crinkles that always appeared under Soundwave’s optics when he smiled… that tiny dimple that sometimes appeared when he laughed… but only ever on the left side of his faceplates, never on the right.

Megatron scoffed at the grainy images. Such a waste. Nonetheless, they would do for now. Moving forward however, Megatron would have to find a new way to “encourage” better image quality from Reflector.

With a heavy sigh, Megatron continued flicking through the images. Then he stopped. His optics narrowed in on a unique picture. In it, Soundwave and Blaster were seated together, on a blanket, on the roof of the Ark. The Warlord shuttered and re-booted his optics before leaning in over the image to ensure he was seeing things correctly. Strewn around the two boomboxes were pillows, candles, and a tray of energon goodies. It looked like a scene from an old Cybertronian romance drama. Megatron’s optics honed in on the way Soundwave was leaning on Blaster’s frame. The telepath’s helm was rested comfortably on an orange shoulder. Blaster’s arm was draped warmly over Soundwave’s shoulders.

A fine web of cracks crawled across the datapad screen. Pops and snaps of shattering glass and bending metal filled the room as Megatron’s servo tightened on the datapad. With a resounding crunch, the image turned into a rainbow of static, then the screen was completely black. The only thing left to look at was Megatron’s own enraged reflection, staring back at him.

With an anguished snarl, Megatron hurled the datapad across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into a fine rain of glass. The grey mech shook with rage. In a sudden motion, he jerked himself up from his throne and started to pace the empty room. Within him, a tiny kernel started to open and bloom.

Soundwave with the Autobots. The idea made him sick, it repulsed him. Soundwave with that Autobot. That inconsequential orange Autobot. Who was that Autobot to walk around the universe, holding Soundwave to his frame like that? What gave him the right?

Megatron felt a groan build up in his throat. The kernel suddenly exploded, the room around him stood completely still. That orange Autobot was nothing. Soundwave was wasting his time with the pathetic nobody Autobot. Soundwave was never meant to be with an Autobot, especially not that one.

No, indeed not. Megatron nodded to himself. Soundwave wasn’t meant to be with an Autobot. Soundwave was meant to be with a Decepticon.

Soundwave was meant to be with a Decepticon.

Soundwave was meant to be with a Decepticon… like him.

Soundwave was meant to be with him.

Chapter Text

Soundwave was tired. As motivated as he was about the late-night crew meeting with Starscream, being awake at 1AM to actually attend them was not always ideal. He minutely turned his helm to glance at Blaster, who was (as always) sitting next to him with a chipper smile and warm field. Soundwave often wondered how Blaster always had so much energy. It was almost as if the orange of his plating radiated inward to make him bright and sunny both inside and out. Blaster’s blue optics met with his and his partner offered a warm smile. Soundwave returned a much smaller smile and finally gave into his urge to lean his shoulder against Blaster’s. The entirety of the Ark knew about their coupling anyways, so there was no use in hiding it. Blaster’s field soothed over Soundwave’s wearier field.

Finally pulling his attention away from his partner, Soundwave let his optics glance over the officer’s meeting room. Unlike the last call meeting with Starscream, most of the mechs were in a relaxed state. The tensions of working with the seeker were, at least to some extent, partially deflated.

The same mechs were in attendance as last time. At the head of the table, Optimus Prime was reviewing a datapad with Prowl. Jazz appeared to be partially asleep as he leaned all the way back in his seat with dimmed optics. However, Soundwave could tell by his active processor that the saboteur was relaxed, but wide awake. Ironhide also appeared to be half asleep as he reclined back into his chair. Soundwave then realized that Ironhide truly was half asleep.

Wheeljack and Ratchet seemed to be the only two mechs unaffected by the tiredness that sat upon the meetings room. The two mechs were deeply focused on their conversation, which was hushed enough to stay semi-private in the small room. Their chairs had been pulled close together, so close that their knees touched. Wheeljack’s headfins flashed as he laughed at something. Ratchet smiled.

Soundwave smiled to himself at the scene before directing his visor back towards Blaster, who had also noticed the two mechs. Blaster’s optics flickered back to meet with his boyfriend’s, and they shared a knowing smile. It felt good to be in on an exclusive secret.

The communications console in the centre of the table suddenly crackled to life. The meeting room silenced. Ironhide jerked partially out of his seat as he re-gained consciousness.

Blaster’s shoulder retracted from being pressed against Soundwave’s, the telepath sighed and re-adjusted himself to sit up straight. Blaster’s side had been warm and comfortable. He watched quietly as Blaster leaned over the table to fiddle with the crackling comm. system. It gave a few more decisive pops before Starscream’s voice finally fed through.

::-ou receive me?::

“We’ve got you, Starscream. This is Blaster” The boombox smiled as he gave the comms. systems a few final tweaks and the seeker’s voice came through clearly.

::Good, I was worried that this piece of slag was about to die out on me:: the seeker grumbled in reference to his own make-shift portable communications system.

“Apparently not today” Optimus smiled, “it is good to hear from you again, Starscream”.

::Primus, that would be a first:: Starscream muttered.

“Pardon?”

::Nothing… Shall we get started? I have updates::.

“Please go right ahead” the Prime encouraged. Prowl’s servo hovered over his datapad, awaiting information to jot into notes.

There was a sigh and some rustling on the other side of the link as Starscream sorted through his notes. ::Alright, well… I’ve found some interest across the Nemesis:: The seeker started, :: obviously you know that my trine is already in. I finally got my point across with the Constructicons… I practically had to bang rocks against their helms, but they finally got it::.

“What did they say? Will they join us?” Jazz asked.

::Yes, they were surprisingly interested in removing Megatron from power:: Starscream said, ::at first I wasn’t sure if I could believe them, I almost wished I could read their minds like you, Soundwave::.

Soundwave smiled, “almost”.

::Almost:: Starscream confirmed. ::but even they have been nervous about Megatron lately. They saw the Reflector duo missing their third mech, they are scared that Megatron might separate them or do whatever he did to Reflector to them. So… They’re in::.

“Excellent” Prowl murmured as he scribbled down the names of the Constructicons on his datapad. They were a large group of mechs won over in one swoop.

“On the subject of Reflector…” Soundwave started, he failed to keep the tint of concern from his voice.

::Yes, I looked into them:: Starscream answered, ::I found the third Reflector down in the brig, alone::.

Soundwave winced. So Megatron had intentionally separated them. He must have done it as punishment when Reflector stopped taking pictures for him. A thred of guilt started to curl inside Soundwave’s tanks. Reflector had only stopped taking pictures of him because he told them to stop. Perhaps he should have predicted that Megatron’s anger would come down on the trio as a result. Maybe he should have let Reflector continue to do Megatron’s bidding… even if it meant a breach of privacy and paranoia for himself. Starscream’s voice continued before Soundwave’s guilt could fester over it any longer.

::I brought the imprisoned Reflector some fuel, but didn’t mention anything about the coup. Soundwave, you had mentioned that they were being Megatron’s main informant since you left… so I’ll tell Reflector last. I’ll keep them all fueled up though, while I can::.

“Thank you” Soundwave murmured softly.

“This is a disheartening piece of news” Optimus sighed, “the state of the Nemesis must be grim”.

Starscream hummed before continuing, ::why do you think it’s been so easy for me to gather up interest, your Primelyness? It’s a living Pit here::. He huffed then continued, ::the coneheads, of course, are also interested in joining us::.

As the seeker continued to list off names, Prowl wrote them down just as quickly. By the time the list had concluded, it included just over half of the mechs on the Nemesis.

“That’s an impressive list indeed” Prime beamed, “it sounds as though things are moving along excellently. What safeguards are being put into place to keep this information from reaching Megatron?”.

::Every mech who agrees to join us has to put their name and identity stamp on my datapad:: Starscream explained, ::I’ve made sure that any betrayals will be outed to Megatron as involved in the plan… no sane mech would risk that::.

Optimus grimaced at the plan, “so, essentially… if someone tried to take the coup down, they know that they will get dragged down with the rest of you?”.

::Pretty much:: Starscream sighed. ::Look, I know it’s not some cutesy ‘trust and friendship and love’ Autobot plan… but it works. No one would go running to Megatron over this knowing that they will be just as slagged as the rest of us… Trust me, Prime. No one’s going to get hurt. I may not be as good at Blackmail as Soundwave, but I have my ways::.

Soundwave grimaced and shrunk down in his seat. It had been a long time since he felt the need to dip his fingers into his old blackmail material… but Starscream was right, he had been very good at it. The telepathy certainly didn’t hurt.

Blaster’s shoulder gently nudged against Soundwave’s. The telepath glanced over at his partner, who offered a friendly smile and a wink. Soundwave managed to return a tiny crooked smile amid his embarrassment. Starscream really knew how to drop subtle jabs into his sentences. It hurt the most when they were completely accurate.

Optimus cleared his throat awkwardly, “well… moving forward, continue to reach out to other mechs aboard the Nemesis. It seems as though things are going well. Even if you struggle to gather any more interest in the other half of the crew, we still have a very substantial number of mechs for an uprising”.

::Megatron is easy to betray… accounting for his slag-headedness:: Starscream pointed out helpfully.

The Autobot officers chuckled.

Soundwave had to marvel at the moment, as even Ironhide gave a half-sparked grunt of amusement. Starscream was actually getting along with everyone. Certainly, they weren’t all sharing stories and making friendship bracelets, but no one wanted to stab anyone! At first, he hadn’t been sure if Starscream would play nice with the Autobots. Nor had he been entirely sure that the Autobot high command would have given Starscream the benefit of the doubt to actually collaborate with him. However, a shared evil had placed them all together, and they were actually working together decently well.

Little else had to be shared after that, and the meeting was concluded for the evening after plans for a follow up were made. All they really had to do now was unify the Decepticon forces involved in the coup, then inform the rest of the Autobot troops about it… then they could make their move. Prowl was already working on a variety of tactical maneuvers they could make to push Megatron from power. Before long, they would be able to review them and decide on a plan. Then the only thing left would be to actually do it.

Soundwave swallowed thickly at the idea of facing Megatron again. He glanced at Blaster as the two mechs made their way down the hall back to their quarters. The orange mech smiled at him then, sensing his nervousness, reached out for his servo and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“It’ll all work out” Blaster murmured softly.

Soundwave heaved a sigh and tightened his servo around Blaster’s, “I hope so”.

“It will”.

Soundwave smiled and nodded, then let his helm drop down to rest against Blaster’s shoulder, “how can you be so sure?”.

“’cuz there’s one thing I know for sure” Blaster grinned.

Soundwave hummed and tilted his helm up to meet Blaster’s optics, “and what would that be?”.

“No matter what happens, I’ve got you”.

Soundwave smiled and glanced down at their interconnected servos, “I have you as well”.

Blaster grinned and leaned down to press a kiss to Soundwave’s forehelm. Soundwave tilted his helm back to encourage his boyfriend to give him a proper kiss. Blaster did.

Chapter Text

When Blaster walked into his shared family quarters that afternoon, he immediately noticed how quiet it was. The orange boombox blinked and glanced around the empty living room.
“Anyone home?” he called out. When no voices replied, his optic brows pinched together. As far as he knew, the cassettes were supposed to be home at the moment. Had he looked at the wrong schedules for them that morning? He took a few more steps into his quarters and deposited his data pads and comm. reports on the desk he shared with Soundwave.

“’Wave?” he asked the quiet air.

He took a few more steps into the hallway, towards the berthrooms. Suddenly, right to his side, the door to the washracks snapped open and Soundwave stepped out in a flurry. A roll of fragrant steam wafted around the blue mech and was cut off as he hurriedly closed the door behind himself.

“Blaster” Soundwave smiled nervously, his dorsa still pressed to the washrack door, “you are home rather early”.

Blaster’s optics narrowed as he took in his partner’s unusually giddy state. Soundwave was fidgeting, almost nervously, as he smiled up at Blaster.

“uh… yeah” Blaster gave his helm a little shake, “yeah, Sideswipe was bored today, so he came to take over his shift a little early”. He craned his helm in the slightest to examine the guarded washrack door, “what’s up, ‘Wave?”.

“Oh” Soundwave hummed casually, his helm tilted in the slightest to look at the door just over his shoulder, “I was just having a shower. Your early homecoming surprised me, is all”. He nodded as if to re-assure Blaster that that was exactly the case. In a sudden swooping motion, Soundwave tucked his arm around Blaster’s, and he pulled his boyfriend back towards the living room.
“Where are the kiddos?” Blaster raised an optic brow at his unusually fidgety roommate.

Soundwave smiled innocently up at him and explained “I sent them on some errands for the afternoon. I believe they also planned on sparring and playing in the training room afterwards”.
Blaster hummed slowly and paused as Soundwave stopped them right in front of the make-shift kitchen their quarters were equipped with. His blue optics flickered over the supplies that had been set out neatly. The energon dehydrator was set up on the countertop and powered up. Just to the side of the dehydrator sat a datapad with a messily jotted recipe for energon goodies. The writing was familiar. Blaster detached himself from Soundwave and picked up the datapad, his optics narrowed at the familiar writing as he attempted to puzzle out who’s it was. A sudden memory burst of meeting notes popped into his helm and he whirled on Soundwave, completely star struck.

“You got Elita-One’s energon goodie recipe??” He gaped at Soundwave, who wore a rather proud expression. The telepath gave a small nod, his lips twitched upwards as he watched his partner's faceplates morph from surprise to awe.

“’Wave, oh my Primus” Blaster laughed, “Elita has the best goodies ever, and she never shares this recipe with anyone… how-?”. His voice trailed off with a shake of his helm as he looked back down and scrolled through the recipe. “How in the name of Primus did you get this? Half the mechs on the Ark have been begging her for a copy for centuries”. He laughed in disbelief.
“I haven’t tried them myself,” Soundwave smiled, “however, I have heard of their popularly. Jazz told me that Elita-One’s energon goodies were your absolute favourite, so I asked Optimus Prime how I could obtain some”. He smiled and tilted his helm, “I was assuming that, as I had heard across the Ark, Elita would never share her recipe, but would be willing to make an exchange for something else… perhaps an update or customization to a weapon or sound system. However, when the Prime got back to me, he handed me the datapad and said that it was a welcoming gift from Elita-One and the femmes to myself and my cassettes for joining the Autobots”.

Blaster laughed in disbelief, “I can’t believe this” he grinned at Soundwave, “’Wave, this is huge… this has got to be the most sought-after recipe in Cybertronian history”. Both mechs laughed softly, “I can’t believe she actually gave this to you” Blaster shook his helm.

“I was rather surprised as well,” Soundwave smiled, “Elita also left me a message with the recipe”. He scrolled up and paused to let Blaster’s optics trail over the letter.

“Dear Soundwave and family,” Blaster read aloud, “Optimus let me know that you were looking into trying some of my energon goodies. I’m glad to hear that even the newcomers have heard about them. I don’t like to brag often, however, I allow myself some bragging wiggle room in regard to my energon goodies. I have decided that, as a welcoming gift to you and yours, I will share this recipe. However, I do expect that this will be kept between myself and your family. If word of this gets out, I am certain I will be bombarded with twice as many recipe requests.
Welcome to the Autobots,
Elita-One”.

Blaster grinned and shook his helm as he scrolled back down to the recipe. “Primus, ‘Wave, this is amazing… although, technically, I don’t know if you’re supposed to be showing me this”. He chuckled playfully and nudged his partner.

Soundwave gave a low hum and tilted his helm to the side, “I wondered about that as well. However, Elita did specify that it was for myself and my family and… well, I would consider you a part of my family”. His optics stayed fixed on his peds even as he felt Blaster’s optics turn to him.

“Really, ‘Wave?” Blaster smiled softly. His smile grew wider as Soundwave nodded down at the floor, his faceplates darkened. The orange boombox grinned and swooped in to pull Soundwave into a hug.

“I feel that way too, you softie” Blaster murmured. He watched as Soundwave scoffed and then rested his helm on Blaster’s shoulder.

“Not nearly as soft as you” the telepath grumbled with a barely supressed smile. Blaster laughed and tightened his hold on his partner. He sighed for a moment and rested his helm on the top of Soundwave’s helm. His optics retuned to the kitchen counters, which he now realized were set up for making energon goodies.

“Wait a minute” Blaster’s faceplates gradually sprouted a grin, “the cassettes are all gone for the afternoon, you hunted down my favourite energon goodie recipe and have the kitchen all set up for making them…” his optics flickered down to an increasingly sheepish looking Soundwave, “you’re setting up for a date!”.

Soundwave slapped a servo over his faceplates, and he huffed, “you weren’t supposed to come home early. These won’t take long to make, I had things planned so that you would come home right as they were finished”.

Blaster snorted with laugher. He briefly looked back down at the blue mech in his arms, who was glaring up at him with a begrudging smile, before continuing to chuckle.

“aww sorry, ‘Wave. Looks like I ruined my own surprise” He grinned.

“You certainly did” Soundwave said pointedly as he pulled out from Blaster’s arms. His servos naturally gravitated to rest on his own hips in an artificial scold. Blaster laughed some more before he let his servo swing over to rest on Soundwave’s shoulders.

“That’s okay,” Blaster murmured, “I don’t mind… it’s still totally a surprise. Just a…” his optics glanced at the kitchen, “half-made one”. His faceplates suddenly lit up with an idea, “but now we can make them together!” he grinned.

Soundwave smiled with a nod, “it is always fun to make goodies with you” he mused, “I suppose that can be a part of the date”.

“What are the other parts of the date?” Blaster grinned. He laughed as Soundwave turned up his nasal bridge.

“I am certainly not telling you that” the telepath scoffed. They both laughed.

The afternoon rolled on hazily as the two mechs worked on the goodies together. Blaster played cheerful music and they popped open the windows to let the desert sun filter in. Soundwave was correct in assuming that the goodies wouldn’t take long to complete. The dehydrator pinged after only 26 minutes of work.

Soundwave paused his scrubbing a bowl in the sink. Both mechs held their breath as Blaster slowly pulled the tray out to reveal the goodies. The stared in silence at the tray, “they look about right” Blaster murmured. Soundwave hurriedly rinsed and dried the bowl before setting it aside to join Blaster.

“Do you want to try one?” Soundwave murmured, “you can tell me if they taste the same as you recall”.

Blaster nodded and picked up a goodie. He scrutinized it for a moment and then grinned at Soundwave, “I really hope we did them justice” and placed it in his mouth. For a moment, both mechs stood in silence as Blaster pondered. Slowly, a smile grew across Blaster’s faceplates and he grabbed Soundwave’s arms in a tight hold.

“You’re a genius” Blaster laughed around a full mouth.

“They are good?”

“Primus, they are just like Elita’s… try one!”.

Soundwave accepted the goodie that was thrust into his servos with a quick nod. He chewed on it thoughtfully, then gave an appreciative hum and dimmed his optics. “I understand why this recipe is so sought-after, these are incredible” he smiled.

Blaster laughed joyously and pulled Soundwave into a sweet kiss. The telepath’s vents hiccupped with surprise at the suddenness of the gesture, then he relaxed and fell into the embrace.
With sudden renewed urgency, Soundwave pulled back from Blaster’s arms. He quickly placed a few of the fresh goodies on a platter and placed it in the orange mech’s servos. Wordlessly, he ushered his partner across their quarters back towards the washracks.

“Where are we going, ‘Wave?” Blaster laughed.

“To the date I had actually intended on surprising you with” Soundwave smiled over his shoulder at Blaster, who chuckled. The two carriers stopped outside the door to the washracks, Blaster flicked his optics to the side to scrutinize the telepath.

“The washracks?” Blaster gave a puzzled smile. He turned to look at Soundwave, who’s determination had very quickly melted into hesitation.

“In Kaon culture, shared bathing is a common thing” Soundwave fiddled his servos together nervously, “it can be romantic and intimate, however, families can partake in it as well… of course, compared to humans and other species, it isn’t as intimate, due to the fact that our plating stays on during oil baths and showers”. The telepath’s voice trailed off to nothing as he looked over at Blaster.

Blaster’s optic brows raised, “is that what you were doing when I first came home? Making a bath for us to share?”.

Soundwave nodded shortly as he fumbled over his words, “I assumed you weren’t due for a little while, so I prepared it with very hot oil. It should be an ideal temperature now… so long as you don’t mind the idea”.

Blaster grinned and he let a servo gingerly trace along Soundwave’s faceplates. “I love it” he murmured.

“Really?” Soundwave’s optics brightened in his surprise.

“Yeah, it’s a great idea” Blaster beamed, “I’ve heard about the shared bathing in kaon before, I always thought it sounded so nice, and a great way to relax with someone you love”.

A puff of air released from Soundwave’s vents as his shoulders relaxed down, “oh good” he murmured, “I was worried that you would not like the idea”.

Blaster chuckled and leaned in to press a quick kiss to Soundwave’s forehelm, “no, I love it”.

Soundwave’s relieved smile brightened, and he reached over to cue the door open. Both mechs squinted as they were hit by a wave of steam. Soundwave gestured for Blaster to step in first, the orange mech did.

Blaster grinned as he looked over the room, his servo came up to rest over his chestplates. The bathtub was filled with a wonderfully fragrant oil, bubbles brimmed over the edge and sat in high frothy peaks. The lights were dimmed just enough to be aided by the light of a few candles – likely the same ones Blaster had lit on the night of their ‘fake date’. Soft music tinkled through the steamy air. Fluffed towels and cleaning rags were set aside by the oil bath, ready for use. Blaster let out a soft sigh then turned back to look at Soundwave.

The telepath stood just inside the door; his servos clasped tightly together. He watched Blaster in tense silence for a moment before asking, “do you like it?”.

“I fragging love it, ‘Wave” Blaster murmured warmly. He watched as Soundwave’s faceplates filled with relief then joy.

“I am glad” the blue mech murmured. He gingerly took Blaster’s servo and led the orange mech to the oil bath. For a moment, he paused and dipped a servo into the oil. He nodded and stood back up.

“It is a little hot still. It would be ideal for myself, however I can cool it if you don’t like higher temperatures”.

Blaster stepped over and dipped a servo into the oil. He hummed then nodded, “no, that’s perfect, ‘Wave”. He was rewarded with a smile from the blue mech.

Soundwave stepped in first. He paused for a moment before sinking into the oil with a satisfied sigh. Blaster immediately followed him in. The oil slipped into every creaky joint and spread a wonderful, heavy warmth through the orange mech’s frame. He gave a satisfied sigh in agreement and slid all the way in next to Soundwave. For a moment, the orange mech thanked the Primes that he had been given these quarters with his own private washracks. It was truly such a treat, especially considering how massive the bathtub was. Truly, if they wanted, they could fit all of their cassettes into the oil bath as well rather comfortably.

Blaster sank even deeper down, until only his neck and up were visible. He turned his helm to the side to meet optics with Soundwave, who was peering at him through the mountain of bubbles. Blaster chuckled fondly and maneuvered some of the bubbles out of the way so he could pull Soundwave even closer. The telepath quietly shifted into Blaster’s arms while retracting his visor.
For a long while, both mechs stayed in silence, enjoying the bath and each other’s company. Blaster tilted his helm to take in Soundwave’s dimmed optics and slow breathing. Unable to resist temptation, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to the blue mech’s relaxed lips. Soundwave onlined his optics again. He smiled at Blaster, then leaned in for another kiss. Both mechs sighed in contentment, then laughed softly at their twin sighs.

Soundwave suddenly shifted in the oil and sat up. He leaned over Blaster to reach for a cloth. Blaster helpfully stabilized his partner with a servo to his waist, which lingered long after Soundwave sat back. He watched as the blue mech dipped the cloth in the oil and bubbles then gave a surprised blink as Soundwave leaned over to rub at the back of Blaster’s shoulders with it.
A soft vent of surprise left Blaster’s mouth, then he smiled appreciatively and let his optics dim to enjoy it. After a while, he reached over to grab a fresh cloth and reciprocate the treatment to Soundwave. The telepath hesitated for a moment before he settled down on top of Blaster’s frame. Blaster smiled softly in encouragement before using the fresh cloth to gently clean at Soundwave’s back and shoulders. The blue mech was practically purring with contentment, which left a huge smile on Blaster’s faceplates. Gently, he scrubbed at the back of Soundwave’s neck, which earned a jolt from the telepath. Soundwave sat back up and shrugged Blaster’s servo off his neck.

The orange mech puzzled for a moment before his optics brightened with excitement, “are you ticklish?”.

Soundwave’s faceplates reddened, “no” he lied.

Blaster laughed, the oil and bubbles bounced around his shoulders, “you so are!”. He immediately started to reach for Soundwave’s neck again.

Immediately thinking of an ideal diversion, Soundwave leaned into Blaster’s frame and pressed their mouths together. Blaster’s servo hovered in the air for a moment before it naturally dropped down to wrap around Soundwave’s waist. His grip tightened minutely as Soundwave tilted his helm and deepened the kiss. Soundwave shifted under the oil and gingerly moved further onto Blaster’s lap in a straddle. He pressed closer until their chestplates were flush together.

Blaster let his servo caress warmly down Soundwave’s dorsa. His fans, which were already on due to the hot oil, ticked up a notch. Soundwave let his servos trail down from Blaster’s shoulders to rest on the orange mech’s chestplates. His frame gave an automatic shiver as he felt Blaster’s servos trail down to rest on his hips. Bubbling heat started to bloom in his tanks. They both pulled back from the kiss for a moment before Blaster leaned back in to capture Soundwave’s lips again. Slowly, the boombox’s orange servos trailed down to rest along Soundwave’s outer thighs. He felt as Soundwave’s engine revved a little heavier. Spurred on by the telepath’s heated kisses, Blaster let his fingers curl in to tweak under the plating of Soundwave’s thigh. A burst of hot air erupted from Soundwave’s vents that rivalled the heat of the bath.

In one sudden fluid motion, Soundwave pulled back from the kiss and sat back up. Both mechs stared at each other in silence as they attempted to catch their breath. Blaster watched Soundwave’s deeply pink and flustered faceplates for a moment. The telepath seemed lost for words; Blaster gave a hesitant smile.

“Sorry” Soundwave whispered, “I didn’t intend for…”

Blaster’s frame jerked in surprise, “oh… yeah, of course” he gave a soft chuckle, “don’t apologize, please… there’s no rush for anything at all”. He reached a servo out to trail along Soundwave’s burning faceplates. The telepath leaned into the touch.

“I did not think about what getting into this position may result in…” Soundwave trailed off as he glanced down at their frames. The bubbles had partially cleared from the oil to show how he was straddling Blaster’s hips. Both mechs jerked their helms back up to look at each other’s optics instead. Soundwave shakily climbed off of the orange lap in an embarrassed fluster. Blaster’s servos automatically appeared at his elbows to guide him. The telepath settled back into the oil at Blaster’s side, as they had started off.

“Primus, don’t feel sorry about anything” Blaster murmured, “positions and making out don’t have to result in anything, ‘Wave”. At his boyfriend’s hesitant expression, Blaster smiled and reassured, “seriously, sweetspark, there’s absolutely no rush”.

Soundwave smiled slowly, “thank you for always being so understanding and patient. I will be ready for more eventually… soon most likely”.

“There’s no rush, ‘Wave”. Blaster reiterated, his servos traced lazily along Soundwave’s dorsa, “I’m not pressing for or expecting anything. I’ll take a make-out session with you any day, no matter what does or doesn’t come next”. He watched as Soundwave let out a relieved breath and relaxed back into his arms.

“I do feel a little guilty,” Soundwave murmured in a soft voice, “for putting you in such a state and then pulling away”. His optics trailed over to the vents on the back of Blaster’s shoulders, where the rapid whirring of his fans could still be heard as they desperately tried to cool down his frame.

Blaster’s faceplates turned a warm pink as he noticed just how frantically his fans were working to simmer him back down. He gave a short-embarrassed laugh, then a fuller laugh as he saw Soundwave’s smile. Both mechs giggled to each other for a moment. In a sudden rare fit of playfulness, Soundwave scooped up a dollop of bubbles and deposited them silently on Blaster’s helm.
“Hey!” Blaster giggled before retaliating with a spray of bubbles in Soundwave’s direction. Soundwave laughed and returned the favour. Neither mech noticed nor cared as the plate of energon goodies beside the tub got splashed with oil and dissolved away. Giggles filled the washracks as the two mechs enjoyed a true moment of relaxation.

__________

“I don’t know how in the Pits I’m gonna’ top you during our next date” Blaster murmured absently as he toweled his audio dry, “this was so great, I think you just might have me beat”. He glanced over at Soundwave, who smiled at him coyly over his own towel before producing a jar of Blaster’s favourite polish from his subspace.

Blaster laughed in disbelief, “’Wave… how in the name of Primus did you get your servos on this stuff? I’ve been trying to find a fresh jar for months”.

Soundwave handed the jar over to Blaster as he hung up their towels and searched in his subspace for polishing cloths. “I have my ways” he smiled mischievously.

“And by your ways you mean…?” Blaster trailed off.

“bribing Tracks with gossip” Soundwave grinned. Blaster snorted with laughter.

Soundwave offered a polishing cloth out to Blaster. “I have a movie set up for the TV. Jazz recommended it, he said it would be enjoyable for the both of us. We can polish up over there”.

Blaster grinned at the plan, “you’re the best, ‘Wave. I love you" He watched as Soundwave smiled and stepped in for a soft kiss.

“I love you too” Soundwave murmured; his servo lingered on Blaster’s chestplates for a moment longer. Blaster smiled contently.

“What movie did Jazz suggest?” he asked on their way to the couch.

“Something called ‘Casablanca’” Soundwave said, “I am unfamiliar with most human media, but he assured me it is a classic. I hope it is something you will like”.

Blaster grinned as a looped an arm around Soundwave’s shoulders, “it’s definitely a classic. Jazz chose well”.

Soundwave gave a pleased hum and stepped away for a moment to set up the human media. By the time he returned to the couch, Blaster had it set up with a blanket to share and two cubes of high-grade. They smiled at each other before starting the movie.

Blaster held up the jar of polish, “I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine?”.

“Always” Soundwave smiled.

Chapter Text

As the days progressed, meetings with Starscream became more and more common. By their ninth meeting, Soundwave was utterly shocked that there had been no huge dispute or spat yet between the Autobots and Starscream. Rather, the group of mechs had gotten along shockingly well. Apparently, all they needed was a common greater enemy.

Starscream was gathering more and more interest aboard the Nemesis. It seemed that every meeting included a list of new allies for the Autobots. For the last few meetings, the rest of Starscream’s trine had joined in. Skywarp and Thundercracker didn’t often share much insight, however Starscream still insisted on their presence. Not only did it give his trine a chance to become familiar with the Autobot officers, but it also meant he didn’t have to call into the meetings while completely alone in his quarters. The seeker had never been a mech to fear the nights. However, as the days carried on, and Megatron’s moods dipped lower and lower, he liked the idea of a little bit of company through the nights… just in case.

The end of their planning was finally coming into sight. For weeks the Ark had been buzzing with nervous energy. The officers of the Ark were truly the only informed mechs as far as the undercover plan went. The rest of the crew could only tell that something unusual was afoot based off of the nightly absences and increasingly jittery nerves of the upper command staff. Nevertheless, the nervousness and excitement were contagious. Over half the Ark was revved up over something they didn’t even know about.

As the final push to end the war neared, more and more details came into play. The mission plan was due to happen in just over a week. First, the mechs aboard the Ark would be informed of the alliances and plan made in collaboration with the mechs on the Nemesis. Next, Starscream and his trine would convince Megatron to launch an attack on the Autobot base. Much debate was held over what would be used to lure Megatron out of his den. Wheeljack had suggested that they pretend the Ark’s defense systems were down and in repair. Starscream suggested that the mechs aboard the Ark pile up mountains of energon cubes and slowly load them into the Ark, one cube at a time. Jazz floated the idea that Optimus Prime could send a message to Megatron’s private comm. line to call him a “little bitch” and say he was “too scared to meet him in a fight”. The mechs contended over these ideas for quite some time before Prowl finally shared his idea. The Praxian suggested that they have Reflector inform Megatron that Soundwave was outside the Ark alone late at night. Only a moment of silence passed before everyone, even Soundwave, had agreed that Prowl’s plan was likely to be the most successful in drawing Megatron and the Decepticon troops out.

The next step of the plan relied heavily upon keeping their coup secret. Once Megatron and his troops (most of which would be working with the Autobots by then) landed in front of the Ark, the allied forces of the Autobots and Decepticons would knock Megatron from power in one fell swoop. The disagreements only began when said method of “knocking Megatron from power” was being decided on.

The telepath found his typical place in the officer’s meeting room next to Blaster. The orange mech in question held a sleepy expression as he passively listened to the almost violent dispute being thrown around the room. Soundwave’s visor lingered for a moment longer on Blaster’s familiar faceplates before he turned his attention back to the meeting.

“And why exactly shouldn’t we kill that tyrant?” Starscream’s voice rang unusually loud through the comm. line speaker in the middle of the table. “He has done nothing but obsess over power and violence for the last countless millennium… and obsess over Soundwave for the last half Earth year. What could we possibly gain from letting him live?”

“I think, perhaps, we shouldn’t consider what his survival will provide us with,” interjected Optimus in a much smoother voice, “but rather what his survival will mean in the beginning of a new era of peace”.

“Primus save me!” Starscream’s voice almost blew out the tinny little speaker, “you Autobots and your sanctification of every little piece of history. Why are we focusing on these ridiculous historical meanings when we have a raving warlord on out servos who will not stop until he owns half the universe or more?”.

“I believe every mech is capable of growth and change” Optimus pressed, “that belief doesn’t exclude Megatron”.

“This is ridiculous” sneered Starscream.

“I know it is not likely that he will turn over a new spark upon his defeat” Optimus admitted, “however, do you not think we owe him the opportunity to try? What would have happened if I didn’t place some trust in yourself or Soundwave when you both approached me with interest in changing?”.

A long beat of silence sat in the meeting room. The only sound that remained was the steady fritz of static from Starscream’s rapidly deteriorating makeshift communication console.

“I don’t like debating with you, Prime” Starscream’s voice grumbled over the static, “you actually make hard to dispute points. It’s much easier to win arguments against Megatron. All he does is throw furniture at my helm and storm off”.

A soft chuckle swept over the Autobot officers.

“That’s Starscream code for ‘I’ll try listening to your ideas’… so you better make your suggestions fast before he changes his stubborn mind back” Skywarp helpfully pointed out across the comm. link.

“Shut up” Starscream suggested in a huff. His trine mates tittered.

“Well, I don’t know about you fellas” Jazz casually scratched at his jaw, “but if ol’ Meggsy doesn’t want to cooperate with us, I’m not exactly planning on setting him loose to maul whoever he pleases”.

“Of course not,” Prowl interjected, “all we need to do is inhibit him for long enough to make a decision about what to do with him. I imagine that our final decision will be based upon his behaviours and willingness to comply with a peace treaty”.

A snort echoed over the comm. line from Starscream, however he didn’t share his sceptical thoughts.

“I think that Prowl is onto the right idea” Optimus agreed with the Praxian. His optics narrowed above his mask in a way that suggested he was smiling. “Even if Megatron refuses to cease, we can choose not to integrate him into the new Cybertronian era. His actions will greatly decide his fate”.

Nods appeared around the officer’s table before Wheeljack suggested, “if he’s cooperative and willing to work on getting better with the whole violence thing, maybe we can even work with him to restore Cybertron”.

“And if he is not cooperative?” Rachet pointed out. A beat of silence sat upon the meeting.

“We could always kill him?” Starscream suggested casually.

“Starscream” Optimus murmured.

“It was just an idea”.

“We could lock him up for good… kinda like one of those human prison things?” Skywarp added.

Optimus hummed in consideration for a moment before Prowl responded, “there is a reason humans lock away their worst offenders for the entirety of their lives. Their lives are incredibly short. If we were to keep Megatron locked away like that, eons may pass, and he would still be alive. Future generations, who were raised only in peace, may not know the severity of his actions and violence and could choose to restore his freedom… What then?”.

“touché” the shrug in Skywarp’s voice was apparent.

Starscream huffed, “this is why killing him is easier”.

“What about banishment?” Ratchet asked pointedly. The officers turned their optics on the medic.

Optimus rubbed thoughtfully at his mask as he regarded the CMO. “That certainly could be an option” he murmured. Ratchet shrugged before returning his attention to the cube of high-grade in his servo.

“Okay, fine. So, banishment could maybe work” Starscream pressed the meeting along in his usual hurried fashion, “we will just have to see, won’t we? Here’s another question for you, Prime… how are we going to impede Megatron for long enough to try to have a rational conversation with him like that? Do you propose we set out a big cage and put some energon goodies and weapons inside?”.

For the first time in the duration of the meeting, Soundwave sat forward and spoke, “I could try to knock him unconscious with my telepathy. It would work if I was able to get close enough to him”. A few mechs around the table nodded. Starscream hummed in agreement over the comm. line.

“Alright, telepath-extraordinaire, what if you can’t get close enough?” Starscream asked.

“Oh!” Wheeljack practically jumped out of his chair with excitement, “I can make some big tranquilizer darts”.

“Tranquilizer darts” Starscream repeated in a flat voice.

Wheeljack nodded vigorously despite the fact that the seeker couldn’t see him, “why not?”.

“As in, the same things humans use for wild animals?” the seeker clarified incredulously.

“Yes!” Wheeljack beamed, “but bigger!”. His headfins flashed with eagerness and joy at the idea. Ratchet failed to hide a fond smile.

“Sounds good enough to me” Starscream relented.

“Once Megatron is incapacitated, we can move him into the brig” Prowl suggested, “of course, we will ensure the tightest security regulations we have ever utilized. We will have backup aboard the Ark, perhaps you and the other new allies can join us on the Ark once treaties are drawn. It will be a tight fit, however, we are already expanding a few wings and creating spaces and additional rooms for more mechs to join us”.

“Once Megatron is in the brig” Optimus added on, “we can speak with him and give him time to speak for himself. His fate with or without us will depend on how he responds”.

A soft huff from Starscream echoed over the comm. link. “Sounds good enough to me” the seeker shrugged, “at least for now”.

The Prime smiled and glanced around the officers at his table. When met with a variety of nods, his optics brightened into a warmer smile. “Excellent, then we shall continue to work towards this ultimate goal”.

“Sounds like a plan” Thundercracker said, “we'll call into the next meeting at the same time next-”. His voice fell flat as a loud knock could be heard over the comm. link. Hushed whispers and movements could be heard over the comm. link as the Autobots listened in silence. The hush gradually spread out flat into the dull static hum of the speaker.

A louder knock shattered the silence from Starscream’s end of the comm. line.

“Starscream” Optimus lowered his voice with concern.

“Just… hang on for a moment” the seeker whispered hurriedly to the Autobots. Subtle shifting could be heard as he stood up and walked to his door. The Autobots in the meeting room sat in dead silence and amped up the sensitivity of their audios all the way. Chairs creaked softly as the officers leaned in over the desk to listen to the muffled comm. link. The speaker spat only static for a long moment as the Autobots waited with bated breath.

Distantly, through the static, an opening door could be heard. Starscream’s voice spoke over the din of the static. Soundwave leaned closer, dialing his audios up past a safe range. It was impossible to make out the muddled words, but the agitation in Starscream’s distant voice and the absolute silence from his trine didn’t instill any optimism. Another voice joined on the other side of the comm. link. It was deep, dark, and gravelly. Soundwave jerked in his seat as he instantly recognized the voice of Megatron. He felt the officer’s optics glance at him, checking to see if he could tell who it was. He tipped his helm up to meet the room of concerned blue optics before silently mouthing “Megatron” in their direction. The energy of the meeting instantly changed. Wheeljack’s bright headfins immediately darkened and shut down, Ratchet slid his energon cube out of the way and leaned closer to the speaker. Optimus and Prowl both sat rigid with concern, their optics didn’t leave the speaker as they attempted to splice out the words being spoken on the other end. Jazz propped his elbows on the table, his usually relaxed faceplates had very quickly morphed to carry a much stormier expression. Even Ironhide, despite his continued distaste towards Starscream, waited with an aura of concern around his frame. Soundwave tilted his helm minutely to look at Blaster. His partner was also seated at the edge of his chair. When he noticed Soundwave’s optics on him, Blaster slipped his servo into Soundwave’s under the table.

The strain in Starscream’s voice was obvious, even from over the comm. link. Heavy ped-steps could be heard as their voices gradually grew closer and easier to distinguish. Soundwave’s faceplates curled down into a displeased grimace, it sounded as though Megatron had been drinking. The gruff voice slurred and snarled in a way that could only be attributed to copious amounts of high-grade… all while his troops continued to starve. Soundwave had to bite his glossa to keep his distaste for the mech in check.

Starscream’s muffled voice began to carry a twinge of fear. Megatron’s only grew louder. Suddenly, sharp explosive sounds of violence reverberated through the comm. line. The creak and bend of impacted plating sounded alongside Starscream’s distant protests. The Autobots lurched back from the speaker. Their dialed-up audios rang with pain at the sudden bursts of loud noises. The scuffling sounds of a fight broke out through the call, alongside the panicked voices of Starscream’s trine mates. Megatron’s snarls could still distantly be heard over the line.

Optimus leaned forward and opened his mouth as though to speak, however Soundwave jolted forward in his seat and thrusted his servo out to the Prime. He shook his helm rapidly and watched as Optimus paused slowly closed his mouth again. The Prime realized exactly what speaking out now could result in. Megatron might not know about the coup. He was often angry with Starscream, and instances of violence were not uncommon between the two Decepticons. If Megatron was only angry with Starscream for a failed plan, taking control where unadvised, or feeding prisoners; speaking out now and giving away his call with the Autobot officers would only further condemn him to punishment. If Megatron found out that Starscream was planning a coup with the Autobots like this, a minor grievance could very quickly turn into a death sentence.

The sounds of fighting slowly trickled off to nothing. The comm. link sat in dead silence for a long moment. The steady buzz of static filled the audios of the uneasy Autobots as they held their breath and waited. The hush stretched out for almost a minute. Soundwave pinged Starscream’s private internal comm. line for the umpteenth time, almost begging him to respond. Finally, he received a ping of confirmation in response. He let out a soft breath and nodded to the other Autobots in the room. Starscream was alive. Optimus’s optics dimmed with relief and he sank back into his chair. A collective breath left every mech in the room as the silence lost just a fraction of its uneasiness.

A jostling sound finally broke through the quiet as Starscream’s comm. console was picked up. It must have been displaced during the scuffle. Some more movement could be heard over the call as the Autobots waited to hear Starscream confirm it was safe to speak again. Soundwave’s minutely relieved expression dropped off of his faceplates as the voice of their caller slithered through.
“You thought I wouldn’t know” Megatron’s voice hissed over the comm. link. The air in the meeting room froze over. Breath caught in intakes as the Autobots listened to Megatron’s slurred speech. The distant sounds of struggling could be heard over the call. A loud clang interrupted the fray; it was followed immediately by a burst of air and a painful wheeze. Soundwave was almost certain it was the sound of an already downed mech being kicked in the gut.

A gasp finally permeated from the Autobots around the table. None of the officers dared to speak. Their servos clutched tightly to the edges of the table and their seats. Soundwave could feel as Blaster’s servo tightened around his own.

Megatron’s voice cut through again, “You think I am too stupid to notice when my own crew is giving up on me”. A wash of cold air spread down Soundwave’s dorsa. Some of the other Autobots seemed to feel it as well, as they started shivering and shuddering at Megatron’s sickly sounding voice.

“I found out about your little plan” Megatron croaked, “you needn’t play shy, Autobots… I know it’s you on the other side of this call. Would you like to know how I found out about your little scheme?”. When nothing but silence met him, Megatron continued. “I found a strange datapad in Starscream’s lab. You see, when you are used to having someone plot against your every move, you learn how to snoop sometimes. I didn’t recognize this datapad, so I looked into it and found it was filled with the Autobot code of conduct”.

Soundwave’s intake caught in his throat. His spark tightened and seized in his chestplates. No, this couldn’t be happening.

“It seems as though one of you was charitable enough to share your slimy Autobot ethics with my first officer. How very kind” Megatron almost mocked a croon.

Soundwave felt tears of guilt flood behind his optics. He rapidly blinked them back and thanked Primus for his visor. That had been his datapad, he was the one who gave it to Starscream after they met out in the desert. Prowl had given it to him, many months ago, during his recovery in the medbay. Later, Soundwave had passed it on to Starscream, hoping to share the knowledge and inspiration he had gained from reading it himself. Now, it seemed, the datapad had found its way into Megatron’s servos.

“Well, I decided to look into this mysterious little datapad”, the warlord muttered darkly, “and much to my surprise, I found that many of my mechs were getting up to unusual little whisperings late at night. My defeat was a hotly contended topic aboard my own war ship… imagine that. These hushed conversations brought a lot to my awareness. I learned about lost interest in my ultimate victory. It seems as though the Autobot codes had been shared around the Nemesis, right under my olfactory sensors… and I hadn’t even noticed until it fell right into my servos”.

“I also heard all about your little plan” Megatron’s voice lowered into a near whisper, “and such a creative one it was”.

A long beat of silence spread over the room like a sheet of glass. Optimus leaned forward and took in a shallow breath to speak before Megatron cut him off.

“You’re there aren’t you, Soundwave?”. His voice dripped with reverence and hatred as he spoke. The combination filled Soundwave’s tanks with an indescribable nauseous churning. It felt like his glossa had numbed over completely. How could he possibly respond to that?

“I hope you plan on speaking soon, Soundwave… unless of course you want me to fill this silence with these seekers screams” Megatron coxed with a grim voice, “now, you’re here, aren’t you?”
“Yes” whispered Soundwave. It was impossible to hide the shake from his voice. Blaster’s servo tightened around his in a comforting squeeze. It helped, but not much.

“good” Megatron murmured, “you’ve been involved with this coup the whole time, haven’t you?”

Soundwave choked on his words for a moment, before his voice finally flooded through in an urgent stream, “do not hurt them, Megatron. We can still discuss this. The Autobots are not what you think they a-”. The telepath froze cold in his tracks as the bending and snapping of metal echoed over the comm. link. One of the seekers could be heard, crying in pain.

Soundwave sucked in his breath and sat in frozen terror. The rest of the Autobots sat in equally horrified silence as the screams and tearing finally came to an end. It was impossible to repress the shivers raking Soundwave’s frame as a wave of silence rolled over the room.

“That’s better” Megatron sighed after the pause. He continued in a casual voice, almost as though he was engaging in conversation with an old friend, “I heard some interesting news regarding you, Soundwave. It seems like you have found yourself an Autobot to frag, yes?”. The mockery in the gravelly voice couldn’t be missed as Megatron metaphorically slapped Soundwave’s personal life open upon the table.

Soundwave could feel Blaster stiffen to his side. Those comforting blue optics turned to look at him, however Soundwave couldn’t bring himself to meet that warm gaze. He could only stare at the communications speaker fixed to the centre of the table with a numb expression. The concerned gazes of the Autobots weighted on his mind. Soundwave knew they meant well, and truly didn’t know what to do or say… but he wished they would all vanish from the room.

“Megatron,” Soundwave pleaded in a near whisper, “please have mercy on th-”. The squeal of twisting metal and sobs of pain again interrupted his voice. He jerked back in his seat and shuttered his optics as feelings of dread and defeat washed over him.

Once again sated with the silence, Megatron leisurely continued. “Yes, you’re just having so much fun over there, aren’t you, Soundwave?” the warlord answered himself. “Is that what you left for? You just went galivanting off for the fun of it?”. Soundwave numbly shook his helm and continued to blink back the coolant gathering in his optics. His voice lodged in his throat; he didn’t dare speak with fear for the safety of the seekers.

Megatron’s voice dipped lower into a grave whisper, “to think you were my favourite for so long… to think that I once thought you would eventually belong to me”. His voice built up with gushed of anger as he continued, “I would have given you anything you wanted in the universe. I would have conquered Cybertron and placed it at your peds, if you had ever wanted it. I would have taken the helm of any mech who bothered you and delivered it to you… at your very whim. I would have done anything for you. I just didn’t notice until you left.”.

Stillness once again rolled over the meeting room, disturbed only by the heavy breathing of Megatron over the call line. Soundwave stared at the comm. station in shock. His lips curled down into a grimace of realization as curdles of freezing energon swam in his tanks. He could feel Blaster’s mind decoding Megatron’s words. He felt as realization dawned on the other officer’s processors as they sat in an icy stalemate.

“I just want you to know something, Soundwave” Megatron’s voice crackled through the comm. line. It warped and faded at the edges in a way that could only suggest how close he was leaning into the microphone. Shrieks of pain and much louder contortions of metal rang over the call line. The Autobot officers shuddered and grimaced at the sound. Ratchet clasped a servo over his mouth and Jazz hissed with anger.

“desist” Soundwave begged in a tremoring voice. The voices of the other Autobots joined him in pleads and demands to stop his actions.

The comm. link fell silence once more. A loud clatter could be heard as a piece of metal was thrown haphazardly across the room in dismissal. It was impossible to tell exactly what it was from the sound of it; however, Soundwave knew it was most likely a limb or a wing. Heavy breathing once more fed through the comm. line. It was punctured only by soft, muffled sobs in the background.

“Remember this, Soundwave” Megatron snarled through the comm. link, “this energon is on your servos”. With a final pop of static, the line fell dead. Static filled the room for a moment longer before the link disconnected and the communications console shut down automatically. A deep fog of quiet filled the room.

The Autobots sat in numb, dead silence for a long moment. Grim expressions settled on all their faceplates as they stared at the comm. device on the table. Slowly, the blue optics shifted up from the device to stare at Optimus. Their leader continued to gaze down at the table, his optics dimmed in an uncharacteristically defeated frown. He slowly lifted his optics up across the table, to meet gazes with Soundwave’s lone red visor. Soundwave stared back with a dazed expression. He felt as the rest of the Autobots gradually shifted their optics to him. He quickly flickered his optics over their faces. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to hate him. Expressions of defeat, concern, pity, and fear crossed their faceplates in a gradual shift. Jazz’s breath gave a shaky sigh. Ironhide shook his helm.

Soundwave shakily turned his helm to look at Blaster. His partner, still holding his servo, gazed at him with a pained frown.

Slowly, without a word, Soundwave retracted his servo from Blaster’s gentle grip. He crossed his arms over each other atop the table and let his helm drop down in them. He held his faceplates hidden between the table and his arms for a long while, to help conceal the tears.

Chapter Text

It took the collaborative efforts of Blaster, Ratchet, and Optimus Prime before Soundwave was able to fully calm down again. The telepath wasn’t a mech who launched into emotional hysterics when upset. However, the heavy, silent dread that emanated from him for almost 10 minutes after the call was cut off was deeply palpable. It was rare that Soundwave’s emotions leaked out through his telepathy enough to be felt by others, although sometimes it did occur. It was hard for the Autobot officers to ignore the alien sensations of horror and dismay that suddenly bloomed in their processors and weighed down on their composure.

“We are going to get them out safely” the Prime assured. Despite his close proximity to Soundwave, the epicentre of the leaking emotions, Optimus was as calm and friendly as ever. His optics crinkled into a hopeful smile, one that wasn’t returned by Soundwave. The telepath was still perched on his seat; however, it had been pulled back away from the meeting table in order to make room for his hap-hazard support group. Optimus was crouched down in front of the telepath, attempting to bolster his defeated mood so that the other mechs in the Ark didn’t wake up feeling equal parts dread and hopelessness. Due to the size difference, Optimus was able to crouch on the floor and still look down at Soundwave, who was sitting stiffly in his chair.

The Prime had heard about telepaths leaking their emotions into other mech’s processors in times of great distress. For eons he had assumed it was nothing more than a myth, however the acrid taste of unshakable misery emanating from the telepath was impossible to deny. It was almost like a shadow hung over Soundwave’s frame and stretched out to infect everyone within proximity of him. Under normal circumstances, Optimus would never attempt to rush a mech through feeling grief; however, these were not normal circumstances. Prowl and Jazz had been dispatched across the Ark to wake the rest of the troops. Everyone was to rally up and prepare for an immediate invasion on the Nemesis. It would take some time for everyone to fuel up and have the situation explained to them, but they were going to do it as fast as possible. In moments like this, Optimus needed his troops to be high energy, hopeful, and ready to take on the world. However, Soundwave’s seeping telepathic presence would put an instantaneous stop to that as soon as he walked into a room.

“How do you know if they are even alive anymore?” Soundwave whispered. His voice dripped with the same defeat that was being spread from his mind. Blaster, who was sitting on a chair directly to Soundwave’s side, gingerly tightened his hold on Soundwave’s servos. Optimus pulled in a slow breath, searching for the right words. In all honesty… he didn’t know if the seekers would still be online by the time they got to the Nemesis. It was a reality he couldn’t deny his belief in, in the presence of a telepath.

“We can’t be sure of anything, kid”, Ratchet helpfully filled the silence. The medic stood over the telepath on the opposite side of Blaster, “but moping about it isn’t exactly going to help save them, if they are still alive”. Optimus was thankful for the mask that hid his tightened frown. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate Ratchet’s support, but the medic wasn’t always the most soothing mech in cases such as these. He watched as Soundwave’s visor lifted up to look at the medic rather than the floor.

The telepath gave a miniscule nod before murmuring, “you are correct”. A tinge of humiliation coloured every mech’s processor within the Ark for a moment. Then in a slow, laborious wane, Soundwave’s telepathy pulled back into himself and shut itself away from the outside world. Optimus gave a soft breath of relief as the feelings of foreboding gradually dissolved from his mind. He watched at Ratchet and Blaster both physically relaxed a bit more.

“My apologies” Soundwave murmured. Despite his enhanced control over his telepathy, it was clear that he still felt his own feelings just as intensely as before. His lips curled down into a grim frown, his visor held a certain dim, empty light. “I have been such a fool, to think this would work” Soundwave whispered, “all this did was place the Decepticon troops at risk”.

“A risk that can be apprehended” Optimus encouraged honestly, “and we will need your help doing so. You know the Nemesis far better than anyone else here. We need you to guide us into the heart of the ship to find and extract all who need rescuing”.

Soundwave’s expression hardened with a new resolve. His visor met with the Prime’s optics with purpose. “I can do that” he agreed firmly.

“I know you can” Optimus smiled. He reached out a servo and delivered a quick pat to Soundwave’s shoulder. “I am going to start explaining our circumstances to the assembled troops. Considering that you already know the circumstances, take this time to get yourself ready. Ensure that you join the troops in 15 minutes so that we can all go over Prowl’s plan together”. The Prime glanced at both boomboxes to ensure they both understood their orders before he straightened himself back up. Ratchet offered Soundwave a rare encouraging smile before he followed the Prime out of the meeting room.

Blaster watched the door shut behind both mechs, leaving only himself and Soundwave alone in the room. He turned to look at Soundwave again and tightened his grip for a moment on Soundwave’s servos. Before he could share any encouraging words to his still glum boyfriend, Soundwave spoke.

“I never knew” Soundwave murmured.

“What?” Blaster blinked, his processor suddenly rolling back on itself to try to find the subject Soundwave was speaking about.

“About Megatron… his feelings for me” Soundwave’s visor lifted up to meet Blaster’s optics, “I had no idea”.

“oh” Blaster breathed. He nodded slowly, thinking back to the most unusual (and somehow violent) love confession he had ever heard in his life.

“I just… I did not want you to think I was hiding something like this from you” Soundwave hurriedly explained, “I have never been in any kind of entanglement with Megatron. I never even knew he felt that way”.

“I believe you” Blaster assured, “I think that kinda took us all by surprise. Who could have thought that Meg’s would have such a huge crush on you?” he gave a weak chuckle, then stopped short when Soundwave continued to frown at the floor.

“It is not funny” the telepath whispered. It was so quiet that Blaster almost had to dial his audio sensitivity up all the way. “All of this is my fault… the constant attacks on the Ark, the hostage situation with Bumblebee, Reflector being split apart, the seekers getting hurt or…” Soundwave’s voice dropped off to nothing. He took a shaky breath and finished with a heavy quiver in his voice, “none of this would have happened if I had just returned to the Nemesis when ordered to”. His frown convulsed and broke as tears started tracking down his faceplates.

“Hey” Blaster crooned. His servos delicately cupped on either side of Soundwave’s faceplates. He pulled the telepath’s helm up to create optic contact with him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, “it was insensitive to joke about that right now”. His thumbs gingerly swiped away at the coolant trailing down Soundwave’s cheeks. The telepath shook his helm at the apology, but no words came out as his vents hitched and choked instead.

“You aren’t to blame for any of this” Blaster continued, “those things didn’t happen because of your decision to stay with us on the Ark. All of those things happened because of Megatron’s awful, toxic behaviour. You’re as much of a sufferer in all of those situations as anyone else. None of those are your fault”. Blaster’s words paused and a pained frown fixed on his faceplates as Soundwave finally gave a soft spark-breaking sob. Silently, Blaster drew the telepath into his arms and wrapped him up into a tight embrace. “It’s alright” he crooned softly into his partner’s audio. He gently rocked back and forth as he felt more sobs racked from Soundwave’s frame. “We’re gonna’ figure this all out” he murmured, “once and for all”. Silently, Soundwave shifted in his arms to press his faceplates into Blaster’s shoulder. A soft shaky sigh was pressed into his plating as the tremors started to slow. Blue arms wrapped weakly around Blaster’s middle to return the embrace.

“I’m glad you didn’t go back to the Nemesis” Blaster murmured, “I thank Primus that you didn’t every day”. He stroked a soothing servo along Soundwave’s dorsa as he continued, “if you had left when called for, I never would have fallen in love with you… the cassettes would never have turned into that wild little gang they've evolved into”. Soundwave shook with a bout of soft, teary laughter at mention of the cassette’s recent antics.

“If you hadn’t joined us on the Ark, who knows what the war would look like right now” Blaster pressed, “the Nemesis has been way less productive since you left. If we can extract the mechs we need to save right now, and make that final push, the war might be over by tomorrow. Do you know why?” Blaster pulled back from the hug and cupped Soundwave’s teary faceplates in his servos again. “Because you did the right thing when you had the chance. You followed your gut and did what was right for your family. Then, when you had the chance, you created the first actual allyship we have seen between Autobots and Decepticons since before the war”. He laughed in soft amazement as he shook his helm, “all because you refused to go back to the Nemesis once you saw how corrupt things had gotten… So, don’t blame yourself for any of the things Megatron has done. Thank yourself for all the awesome things you’ve accomplished in the few months you’ve been with us here”.

Soundwave gave a watery sniffle and scrubbed at his faceplates as soon at Blaster retracted his servos. The two mechs sat in silence as Soundwave cleared the last of the few tears off of his cheeks. Slowly, Soundwave looked back up at his partner.

“I could never have made it this far without you” Soundwave murmured, he reached out a servo to squeeze gently at Blaster’s forearm, “thank you… you mean to much to me, I don’t know what I would do without you by my side”.

Blaster smiled warmly, “I love you”.

“I love you too” Soundwave finally managed a tiny smile for the first time since the call was cut off. Blaster immediately closed the space between them and pulled Soundwave into a deep but quick kiss.

Both mechs glanced at the time before looking back at each other.

“Do you feel ready for this?” Soundwave asked.

“Nope" Blaster grinned crookedly. They shared one more kiss before pulling apart and hurrying out the room.

__________________________________________________

“This is a load of slag!” Rumble whined in protest. A choir of cassette’s joined him in voicing their displeasure. Ravage sat quietly among his brothers and didn’t share his thoughts.

“It’s too risky” Soundwave stated firmly, “Megatron is extremely dangerous right now. He is still trying to get to me, and if he had a chance, I am certain he would use any of you to do so. I cannot put any of you at risk like that”. Another chorus of whines and protests followed his reasoning.

“What if you need us!” Steeljaw objected.

“Yeah!” Laserbeak joined in, “what if you need backup”.

“Fellas, we won’t be able to focus on what we are doing if you guys are also at risk” Blaster reasoned, “not only will staying here be safer for you, but also for us… This way we can be totally focused on what’s happening and not have to worry about your safety”.

The cassettes grumbled and shifted in the berth as they struggled to find adequate protests to Blaster’s point.

“Just promise you’ll come home” Ratbat whimpered up at the two boomboxes.

Soundwave crouched down by the berth and scooped his youngest creation into his servos. “Of course,” he murmured in the soft voice reserved for his cassettes, “we will be extra safe so we can come back home to our creations”. Ratbat hiccupped and nuzzled against his creator’s cheek before he was gently placed into Ravage’s care. Before he could straighten back up, the other cassettes pilled upon Soundwave in a goodbye hug. Blaster immediately dropped down to join the mass of cassettes and boombox.

“We’ll be back before you know it” Blaster assured as the two carriers slowly extracted themselves from the group hug, “in the meantime, Steely and Rav are gonna’ watch over you guys… so be on your best behaviour”.

“How are we supposed to go back to recharge now?” Frenzy complained. Soundwave and Blaster glanced at each other momentarily before Soundwave sighed and said, “you may watch a movie together, so long as you stay quiet and keep the doors and windows to our quarters locked at all times”. Blaster nodded, he tried and failed to match Soundwave’s sternness.

Suddenly feeling much better about their circumstances, the cassettes eagerly agreed to the plan. It wasn’t every night that they were permitted to watch movies at 3 AM.

“We’ll be good!” the cassettes cried after their creators as both sound systems’ stepped back into the hall.

“Stay in our quarters” Soundwave repeated strictly, “and keep the doors locked”.

“We will” the cassettes agreed.

“Love you guys!” Blaster called out just past the door.

“Love you both” The cassettes called back.

The door shut.

______________________________________________________

The emergency plans were put into place. Prowl hated last minute adjustments, but they couldn’t be avoided in this case. Luckily, most of the crew took to the idea of the allyship after things had been explained to them. There were some sceptics and lots of questions, however, there were no mechs arguing against the rescue mission. For that, Prowl could thank the Primes.

Aided by Soundwave’s familiarity with the Nemesis, the Autobots were going to raid the last Decepticon stronghold. All soldiers had strict ‘do-not-shoot’ orders on all known allies, unless the situation called for it in self defense. This order also extended to the Decepticons who had yet to be alerted to the new allyship. The only mech exempt from this protection was Megatron. Prowl intended for this to be a very quick and aggressive raid: get in, split into teams, find injured or endangered crew members, and evacuate. Considering the huge percentage of new allies on the Nemesis, Prowl calculated that the few unaware mechs would likely side with their peers, rather than Megatron. If all worked out, they may only have to worry about Megatron himself.

The Praxian glanced over the room of soldiers. Before raids and missions, this same room was usually loud and boisterous. A huge wave of excited voices would be yelling over each other as they waited for the dispatching orders. It helped keep the more nervous mechs grounded and calm while waiting. Tonight, the room was almost dead silent. However, it wasn’t the silent dread Soundwave had been radiating earlier that Prowl felt in the room. Rather, the troops were charged with a silent, calm energy. At first, Prowl wasn’t sure what to make of this unusual behaviour. Initially, he had chalked it up to the tiredness that a 3 AM raid meeting could invoke. However, looking out over the sea of faceplates set in certainly, he realized that every mech knew this was an attempt at a final push. The Autobot forces knew this wasn’t a typical rescue mission. This was, potentially, the last dying gasp of the war.

Prowl flicked his optics back to Jazz and Optimus. They were debating over how they could possibly get all of these mechs aboard a warship located at the bottom of the ocean. It was impossible to open a space bridge inside the Nemesis’s protective fields. The only way that could happen is if they had administrative access to the Nemesis’s own space bridge station… which they didn’t. Prowl had suggested a space bridge to the closest possible land mass. Then they could huddle in close in Skyfire’s altmode and drop down on the Nemesis from above. They would have to swim down to the Nemesis, which was never an easy or pleasant thing. Similar to humans, Cybertronians could only stay submerged in water for so long. Humans needed oxygen from the air to breathe in order to live. However, Cybertronians needed clean air of any kind to cycle through their vents to keep their frames from overheating and malfunctioning. Wheeljack had created little packs of pressurized air for mechs such as Jazz to use when sneaking in and out of the Nemesis. However, there were only a few to spare… and an entire Autobot army to get into the Nemesis. Prowl tiredly lifted his optics up to the ceiling. Why did Megatron have to have his break down on the Nemesis? Why couldn’t he have gone into a murderous rage in an open field… or anywhere that wasn’t at the bottom of the ocean?

The Praxian jolted out of his contemplation as his shoulder was suddenly seized by a strong servo. He snapped his optics to the side to meet with Soundwave’s bright visor. The blue mech appeared to be in much better sorts than he had been last time Prowl saw him in the meeting room. Prowl was glad. Blaster stood just to Soundwave’s side with a hopeful smile. Soundwave’s visor was brightened almost to a state of elation. His excitement was so intense that he also drew in the attention of Jazz and Optimus, who joined the small huddle.

“Starscream is alive” Soundwave revealed without need for prompting.

Prowl blinked; Jazz grinned. “How do you know?” Optimus asked.

“I just received a private comm. from him” Soundwave explained. The officers huddled around him gave a collection of relieved sighs.

“Well, what did he say?” Jazz asked with a grin.

“At first I was not certain” Soundwave’s excitement grew, “it looked like a random set of glyphs at first”. The other mechs leaned in closer, they fed off of the telepath’s newly foraged hope.

“It’s an activation code” Soundwave beamed, “it will allow us to take remote administrative control of the Nemesis’s space bridge”.

“Are you serious?” Jazz grinned and seized at Soundwave’s arms. The telepath gave a quick nod and Jazz whooped with excitement, “now we’re talking, baby!”.

“It’s a cry for help” Prowl mused for a moment before turning to Optimus, “and our best chance for winning this with as few losses as possible”. The Prime nodded in understanding. It was their ticket to the bottom of the ocean.

____________________________________________________________________________

The Nemesis stood in silence. An uninformed mech would have assumed it to be an abandoned relic, nothing more. The corridors stood bare and draped in darkness. Hallway floors shimmered with broken glass and lights hung dead, busted open. Only a few managed to give an occasional meek flicker. Soft, echoing drops of water were all that could be heard across the warship.
The spacebridge opened with an explosion of light and sound. It pierced the dimly lit bridging centre and bounced along the damp walls. Mechs steadily filed through, their weapons drawn and sensors on full alert. The first arrivals mechanically swept over the bridging centre with grimaces on their faceplates. They hadn’t been expecting a warm and homey environment… but this dripping sarcophagus was a bit farther in the opposite direction than expected.

Soundwave shuddered as his peds touched down on the floors of the Nemesis for the first time in over half a year. His optics steadily scanned the grim bridging centre and down the open halls for any sign of familiarity. Distantly, he heard as Blaster and the last few officers stepped through the bridge.

“Primus” Blaster whispered by his side, “is it usually this bad?”.

Soundwave slowly shook his helm, “no… never”.

Pre-drawn groups were quickly assembled under Prowl’s watchful optic. Soundwave glanced over his group and committed it to memory. He was paired with Optimus, Jazz, Ironhide, Blaster, and Sideswipe. It didn’t take long for all of the groups to dispatch and start exploring down the eerily silent halls of the Nemesis. Each group carried a small datapad with directions from Soundwave to follow in search for survivors. One group was sent to search over the brig, another was sent to the medbay, the third was sent to Starscream’s quarters, and Soundwave was to personally guide his group to the command centre… Where Megatron often lurked.

Soundwave’s optics flickered over the vacant hallways. His concussion blaster was a reassuring weight in his servos. He quickly glanced to the side, where Blaster walked alongside him, pistol in servo. A crackle of sparks spat from one of the busted lights and the small group jumped in unison. They watched in silence as the sparks flickered out and dropped to the floor.

Certainly, night shifts were more quiet than typical. Only a small portion of the crew would be needed to stay functioning at night. However, this was far, far too empty. Soundwave narrowed his optics as he glanced down a hall. Sideswipe swept quickly down a short hall to the side. Soundwave stepped in the opposite direction to sweep down another hall stemming off the main walkway. He glanced back over his shoulder to his small group just past the end of the hallway before skimming along an open door and glancing in. Nothing. No signs of life at all.

Soundwave’s frown deepened further, and he shook his helm. This made absolutely no sense. Silently, he turned on his heel and took a few steps back in the direction of his group in the larger hall. Blaster glanced over to him and give him an uncertain but most welcomed smile. Blaster’s smile was the last thing Soundwave saw before the door connecting the two hallways slammed shut between them.

Soundwave choked in shock and sprinted across the short distance to the door. He slammed his servos against the cold metal and gave a horrified gasp as it refused to budge. His spark gave an uneasy lurch as he glanced over his shoulder down the dark hallway. A distant light flickered to bathe the dripping walls in red light for only a moment. It felt like looking down a deep, gaping maw to the underworld. A jolt of fear rose into Soundwave’s throat as he pressed his frame against the door, willing it to open. Being separated from his team was the last thing he wanted now. Pressed to the door so close, Soundwave could feel the rest of his group trying with no avail to budge the secured door. It gave the telepath a distinct feeling of being a turbo-mouse caught in a trap.

Soundwave pressed his audio to the cold metal and suppressed a shiver as the chill seeped from the door into his frame.

“Blaster?” he whispered.

There came no reply.

With a huff, Soundwave raised his voice in the slightest, “Blaster?’.

“Wave!” Blaster’s voice could be heard through the muffle of the door. Neither mech dared to speak any louder with risk of attracting unwanted attention to their predicament. Optimus’s voice joined along side Blasters.

“Are you alright, Soundwave?” the Prime asked through the door.

“I am unharmed” the telepath assured his group.

“Are you alone?” Jazz asked in an uncharacteristically stoic voice.

Soundwave glanced over his shoulder to peer down the dark hallway. He suppressed a shudder as he turned back to the door. “Completely”.

“The door isn’t moving” Blaster’s voice could be heard again, the worry laced in it was obvious.

“We will have to meet up where the two hallways intersect again” Soundwave assured his group as well as himself, “it isn’t a far distance. You all just need to keep walking straight ahead in the direction we were going. I will walk deeper into the Nemesis, around a couple corners, and meet you back on your path… Once you reach the rec centre, stop there and wait for me”. He glanced back down the open darkness of the hallway, “I may be a while, as I have twice the distance to cover, however I will try to move quickly. If I take longer than a few minutes to meet you after you reach the rec centre, take the hallway to your right just before the rec centre and come find me”.

“Understood” Optimus’s voice agreed from the other side of the door, “we will see you there. If you run into any troubles, let us know with a comm.”.

“Be careful” Blaster’s voice pleaded alongside the Prime’s.

“You too” Soundwave murmured, “I’ll see you soon”.

“I love you” Blaster’s voice wavered, “so much”.

“I love you too” Soundwave pressed his helm to the door once more. Silence drew on for a moment as his group started in the direction of their rendezvous point. Feeling a new thread of fear open in his tanks, Soundwave turned and pressed his dorsa to the door. His optics stared down the dark maw of the hallway. He swallowed thickly, clenched his jaw, then pushed off the door and started walking.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“The comms. are jammed” Jazz stated flatly.

“What?” hissed Blaster, who instantly appeared by his side, “let me see”. He immediately attempted to send a message to Soundwave, but instead felt as it re-routed right back to him. “What the pit?” Blaster frowned. He looked at Optimus, who was walking between Sideswipe and Ironhide.

“They weren’t jammed when we got here, right?” Sideswipe asked.

“No… I checked” Blaster felt uneasiness curl in his tanks, “… I checked”.

“So… something or someone is jamming comm. frequencies then”, Jazz narrowed his optics incredulously, “that’s not good”.

“Last I can recall,” Optimus pointed out, “Megatron was rather incapable of even running a communications station… how do you suppose he is jamming comms. by himself?”.

“Well that’s the thing” Jazz’s voice drew grimmer as he pondered over the situation, “he’s probably not doing this alone”.

“We have to find Soundwave, now” Blaster urged as he picked up his pace. He was glad when the rest of his team also started in a jog by his side.

_____________________________________________________________________

Soundwave let out a shaky breath as he continued down the hall. He thanked Primus for the lights he was able to direct from his frame into the deep darkness of the hall. He simultaneously cursed Primus that his lights were so small due to the fact that he wasn’t built with proper headlights. How pleasant it would be if he could transform into a vehicular or flight altmode and race down the corridors, headlights blaring. Alas, he was designed to be a simple cassette player, so racing wheels and massive headlights he did not have.

Slowly, Soundwave drew around the first corner. His grip around the concussion blaster tightened. His visor flared in anger as he was met with another dark, empty hallway.

“Of course,” he grumbled to himself, “why would any of the lights work on this cursed ship?”.

Continuing in his cautious pace, Soundwave slipped silently down the hall. Soft crunches sounded under his ped as he walked over broken shards of glass. A glance up explained where the glass came from as Soundwave surveyed another broken light fixture. Uneasiness began to flood Soundwave’s frame. First the abandoned hallways, then the deliberately broken lights, then the automated closing door… something wasn’t right. No, rather, something was terribly, horrifically wrong.

Soundwave increased his walking speed and held his frame back from breaking into a full tilt run. His spark hammered in his chestplates as he focused all of his energy on staying calm and focused. Almost immediately after, Soundwave froze in place. He tilted his helm and listened for a long moment. His optics narrowed into slits as he slowly turned his frame to look down another smaller hallway. There had been a sound, a small muffled cry, from that hallway.

Soundwave teetered back and glanced down the hallway to his right. Technically, he was supposed to keep straight for a little while and then turn left. Then he would only have one more short distance and he would be re-united with his group. The telepath turned to look ahead; in the direction he was supposed to go. It was tempting to just keep going and ignore the little cry he had heard. Perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination.

A shuffling sound echoed from down the little hallway, Soundwave couldn’t deny his audios. The telepath snapped his helm to look down the dim space. His optics narrowed into a squint. Perhaps there was a hostage held down there. If that was the case, and they were hurt, Soundwave didn’t want to waste time getting to them. With a wobbly sigh and a longing glance back down the main hallway, Soundwave turned off his intended path and slipped into the new hall.

The cassette player kept his audios perked as he slowly moved down the short hallway. Another rustling sound could be heard at the very end of it. The telepath’s grip on the concussion blaster tightened as he regarded the storage closet at the end of the hall. He swallowed thickly and tried to brighten his lights to increase visibility. It appeared as though the door was a sliver open, however, it was impossible to see inside.

Sliding closer to the storage closet, Soundwave attempted to move his frame in a way that would shine more light through the cracked open door. Light bounced off of repair materials and empty datapads, however nothing of importance could be seen. The telepath glanced back over his shoulder at the empty hallways, then turned back to the closet. Soundwave took a deep breath and let it out through his nasal ridge. He then closed the gap between himself and the storage closet and used the tip of his concussion blaster to nudge the door open.

With a painfully loud creak, the door swung open. Soundwave ran his optics over the stored supplies and took a step closer. He slid a ped past the precipice of the closet and pressed his lights into the room. It appeared to be empty. Storage shelves littered with odds and ends extended just past what he could see from the hall. It was a rather large storage space, one that couldn’t be properly examined in such dark conditions without getting in a little closer.

With one last glance over his shoulder at the pitch-black halls, Soundwave stepped all the way into the storage space. His optics narrowed as he surveyed the rest of the room. His lights darted over empty shelves and floor space at the far end of the compartment. It appeared that he was alone…

It didn’t feel that way.

An icy shiver slid down the back of Soundwave’s neck. His telepathy screamed at him, there was another mind here. A very familiar one. Soundwave felt himself choke on the air; his spark hammered in the middle of his helm. He whirled around to face the exit of the storage unit. Standing just inside the door, mere metres from him, was Megatron. Soundwave watched in cold terror as the larger mech slid the door shut, securing the both of them in the closet together.

Three pieces of terrifying information ran through Soundwave’s processor at the same time. First, he had ventured off of the path he had told his group he would take to find them. If they went searching for him, they would pass this small hallway right by. Second, the communications were completely jammed. Without a few minutes at a comm. station, he wouldn’t be able to get them back up. And third, Megatron was smiling.

Chapter Text

Five mechs stood in the shadowy hallway. Their blue optics flickered and swept over the abandoned halls. Silence sat over the group like a layer of ice, punctuated only by the occasional pop and fritz of sparks from a broken light. Jazz’s optics narrowed down on the device in his servo. His squint turned into a grimace as the minutes passed.

“Still nothing?” Optimus leaned over the saboteur’s shoulder to peak at the device. The screen flickered mockingly and repeated the same line over and over.

: Communications link: not found.:

“Nothing” Jazz muttered “all comms. are still down”. He gave the small device a frustrated smack, as though he was attempting to knock some sense into it. Blaster materialized at Jazz’s side. Jazz didn’t have to look up to notice his friend’s presence. The boombox’s stormy field was more than enough to notify anyone within proximity. It loomed over Blaster like a great fretting shadow and slipped its dreadful icy fingers down the sensor nets of any mech around.

“Gentle” Blaster chastised as he stole the small device back from Jazz. It was hard to keep his voice level when his processor could only focus on the continuing absence of Soundwave. In fact, it was hard to focus on anything when Soundwave continued to not show up. Jazz had removed the communications device from his servos minutes ago when he saw the tremoring servos and glazed over optics of his friend. It made sense that Blaster wouldn’t be able to focus as easily with his boyfriend MIA in a creepy (abandoned?) warship. Blaster had thanked his friend for taking over with comm. trouble shooting at the time. Jazz was sufficiently trained with matters of communication in the field, Blaster trusted his friend’s abilities. What he didn’t trust was Jazz’s ability to be gentle to their only troubleshooting device when it continued to fail at patching up the comm. network.

“How long has it been?” Blaster’s optics focused pleadingly on Optimus, “I know ‘Wave told us he would be longer than us… but this feels like forever”.

The Prime checked his chronometer for the twentieth time since their separation from Soundwave before grimacing, “three minutes and twenty-seven seconds”.

The group of mechs simultaneously leaned back to stare down the hallway. It stared back at them, empty and cold.

“Nothing” Jazz muttered.

Four of the mechs all nervously glanced around at each other. Blaster’s optics stared hopelessly into the dark hallway for another moment before he turned back to the device in his servos. “We need to go find him” the boombox pleaded quietly, his optics stayed trained down on the screen. Another beat of silence spread over the team as Blaster’s spark hammered desperately under his plating.

“Jazz, Sideswipe,” Optimus’s sturdy voice cut the quiet of the halls, “go find Ratchet and his team”.

Blaster let out a tense breath from his vents as the order was given, he didn’t even know he had been holding his breath for so long. Finally, they were going to do something. He felt a firm squeeze on his shoulder and glanced up from the screen to meet Jazz’s visor.

“We’ll find him” the smaller mech assured before running off with Sideswipe at his side.

Blaster’s optics glanced around at the remaining mechs: Optimus, Ironhide, and himself. Both mechs had their blasters drawn in their servos. Ironhide’s pistol fit into his servos like an extension of his frame. It was commonplace to find some sort of weapon in his grip. To see the Prime’s servos wrapped around his own gun, however, was less common. It was both reassuring in its protective power and concerning that the Prime was worried enough to even have it out. Blaster let out a shaky breath and tucked the comm. device in his servos away into his subspace. He exchanged it for his own pistol of choice. The last time he had used it was months ago, on a beach, as Megatron tried to drag his best friend away. Blaster hoped it wouldn’t have to be used on the same mech again today… it was an unlikely hope in his mind.

The three mechs met optics before they started down the dark hallway.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Soundwave’s dorsa was pressed painfully back against the shelves. Datapads and repair supplies jabbed cruelly against his plating, but he only pressed back into them harder. His red visor stayed frozen on Megatron’s looming figure just inside the door. Soundwave was not a small mech by any means, however he always felt incredibly small in the warlord’s presence. Once, this size difference had felt familiar and even safe. It had prided him to know that few mechs could best Megatron in size and strength alone. Now, however, the hulking mech was lighting up his defense system like a fireworks display… or an atomic bomb. The heavy scent of high grade washed over Soundwave’s sensory unit like a tidal wave. Worst of all was the tyrant’s faceplates. They repeatedly morphed from a smile to a snarl and back again.

“Megatron” Soundwave whispered as a greeting.

“Soundwave” Megatron’s voice crept out in a deep growl. Soundwave felt himself pressing harder back into the shelves. “Have you come to visit, Soundwave?” Megatron continued, “it has been so long, since you were last aboard the Nemesis”.

The telepath swallowed the lump that had instantaneously developed in the back of his throat. “Megatron” he started in the calmest voice he could muster, “let’s step out of this closet and find the rest of the crew… we can all talk about this together”.

“Traitor” Megatron’s snarl cut him off.

Soundwave attempted in vain to still his trembling frame as he took a shaky breath and continued. “It does not have to end this way” he whispered, “we can help you”.

“Help me!?” Megatron’s calmness imploded into a roar. Soundwave shrunk back and turned his helm away into the shelving with a barely suppressed whimper.

“You dare insinuate that I need your pathetic help?” Megatron hissed. His frame drew closer to Soundwave, the air tightened. It felt as though gravity increased sevenfold on the room, compressing it smaller and smaller, harder to find for each passing second.

Soundwave’s defense systems screamed at him to do something. Run, fight, fly, anything. The blue mech glanced longingly down at his concussion blaster in his grip. He could tilt it up, just a fraction, and pull the trigger faster than Megatron knew what hit him. There was only one problem. His weapon was a concussion blaster… not a regular pistol. His optics flickered to the side to glance at the sonic cannon mounted on his shoulder. Again… not a regular weapon. Both blasters presented the same issue. He was locked with Megatron in a tiny closet. Both of his weapons utilized sound and shock waves. If he turned either weapon on Megatron in such a tiny space, the attack would bounce back off the walls and hit him as well. Considering how much smaller he was than Megatron, and how much thinner his armor was, it would have a detrimental impact on his ability to escape. Rushed calculations saw the most likely result of using his blasters would be knocking Megatron off his peds for a moment and potentially knocking himself completely unconscious. It was just too risky. The warlord’s burning red optics flicked down to the concussion blaster in Soundwave’s grip for only a moment before smirking back up at the blue mech. Megatron had clearly come to the same conclusion.

“You can stay now” the statement shocked Soundwave’s internal calculations to a standstill. His optics shot up to meet the warlords.

“What?” Soundwave whispered.

“You can stay now” repeated Megatron, his optics fixed intensely on Soundwave’s visor, “you must. You must stay”.

Soundwave’s vocalizer fritzed and spat out static for a long moment. He shut it down into a forced reboot and watched as Megatron took a slow step forward. He pressed his dorsa harder against the shelves and ignored the creaking complaints from his armor.

“You should have stayed” Megatron hissed, “you and I, Soundwave, were always meant to be on the same side. We were always meant to be together”.

Soundwave’s vocalizer rebooted with a pop as the telepath shook his helm, “Megatron, I’m an Autobot now. But we do not have to be on opposing forces. We can end this all now and usher in a new age of peace for all”.

“We can end this all now?” Megatron whispered, his frame loomed in closer and closer. Soundwave pressed back until the shelves dug under his plating and made it hard to breathe.
“Affirmative” his voice took on a new pleading tone, “statement: we can end it all now, together”. He felt himself losing control over his vocal pattern as his anxiety rocketed up.
Megatron’s optics burned holes in the dark. His field surged and rippled with intoxicating energy. Once it would have been empowering, now it was suffocating.

“Then let’s end it” Megatron growled deeply in his chestplates.

A cold shock of terror ran through Soundwave’s frame as he saw Megatron’s servos lunge for his frame. His servos automatically dropped the useless concussion blaster. It fell to the floor in a deafening clatter as Megatron’s servos seized him.

Large grey fingers drove dents into Soundwave’s navy plating. Soundwave jerked to the side and seized tightly at Megatron’s arms, attempting to break free of the vice-like grip. Soundwave reared his telepathic abilities up in his processor and barreled them through the space between himself and Megatron like a drill. He jammed his telepathy into Megatron’s processor and wrapped his attention around Megatron’s mind like a velvet cloak. Then he squeezed. Needles, fire, electric shocks. All the pain he had experienced first-hand that he could think of, he mimicked and drove into Megatron’s processor. The warlord’s processor lit up as his confused sensory system scrambled for answers. His grip released on Soundwave’s frame and he reared back with a thunderous roar. His servos clutched desperately at his helm as Soundwave pried past him towards the door.

Soundwave slammed into the door, trying his best to tune out the torturous howls from behind him. His servos grabbed at the door and jerked desperately for it to open. Icy dread seeped through his veins as it remained closed, locked in place. With shaking servos, he opened the panel beside the door and attempted to override the command. His blue fingers combed desperately through the wires, searching for the right connection. His telepathic focus slipped.

Heavy servos seized him from behind. Soundwave’s vocalizer bleated static as he felt himself ripped away from the door by a rough servo on the back of his neck. His clawing servos were torn away from the door as his frame was lifted off the ground. For a moment, his frame felt suspended in the air, weightless. The moment of suspension was shattered as his dorsa hit the floor with a resounding crack. The air in his intakes exploded from his frame. His chest plates seized up and for a moment, Soundwave couldn’t breathe. He choked and wheezed on the air for a moment before he finally succeeded in drawing in a feeble gasp. Just as soon as he regained the ability to breathe, the air was driven once again from his frame as Megatron’s knee dropped down on top of his chestplates. The glass over his cassette docks shattered, exploded upwards, then rained down over Soundwave’s faceplates. Plating groaned in protest as Megatron’s weight was pressed down on the cassette player’s frame. With more desperation than he was often prone to showing, Soundwave seized Megatron’s knee and tried frantically to heave it off his frame. His peds kicked against the ground as the weight on his chestplates only increased.

Megatron stooped over Soundwave’s frame, his optics pierced through the darkness of the closet. He watched with urgent interest for a moment as Soundwave gasped and struggled under him. Then, in a collection of trance like movements, his servos drew up to Soundwave’s neck.

“Desist” Soundwave pleaded desperately. He jerked and kicked under Megatron’s weight, but his strength was no match to the larger mech’s colossal weight. Grey servos gingerly stroked along Soundwave’s throat for a moment. The telepath shuddered and attempted to press away from the touches. The grey servos grew rougher before they wrapped around Soundwave’s throat and squeezed.

Static garbled from Soundwave’s mouth as Megatron’s servos tightened around his throat, blocking off his intake. His frame seized and jerked under the warlord, hungry for air. Without the needed ventilation, his frame started to overheat with all his panic and movement. Soundwave’s servos frenziedly clawed at the servos throttling his neck. His vision dipped in and out of darkness. The room started to whirl around him, his vision doubled, tears tracked down his faceplates from under his visor. One of Megatron’s servos lifted from his neck to gently wipe the tears away. Soundwave jerked his faceplates away from the soft touch, his mouth curled into a deeper frown. New tears slid down his faceplates. It took the telepath a moment to realize they weren’t his. His optics weakly attempted to focus through the static on Megatron’s faceplates above him. The warlord’s angry snarl had twisted to hold equal amounts grief. Tears trailed down the warlord’s faceplates and his mouth moved rapidly as he spoke. Soundwave strained to hear over the ringing of his audios. It was near impossible as his consciousness started to slip.
“I have to fix my mistakes. I have to fix my mistakes. I have to fix my mistakes” over and over again the warlord wept to himself.

Soundwave felt his optics start to shutter off. He knew an opportunity when he saw one. With what little strength he had left, he weakly lifted his servos away from the grip around his neck. He lifted them up, they jerked in the air as he fought against the impossible weight of gravity. His vision dimmed in and out, his spark rate slowed and started to skip. He pulled as much mental strength into his telepathy as he could. His servos reached up and up until he was dimly conscious of them bumping against Megatron’s shoulder. So close. He pressed all of the strength he could into moving his servos just a little farther up to Megatron’s faceplates. Soundwave watched through his flickering optics as Megatron’s optics brightened in surprise. The cassette player let his fingers brush away a tear from Megatron’s faceplates, an exact imitation to what Megatron had just done to him.

Megatron’s faceplates slackened out of his snarl. His optics widened and flooded with pain as he looked down at the blue mech on the floor. A moment of clarity reverberated through the grey mech for the first time in months as he looked at the quivering strangled mech under his servos. Soundwave’s servos dropped weakly down from his faceplates to the floor, palms up in defeat. His frame gave a final shudder as his optics powered down.

“Soundwave” Megatron whispered hoarsely. His servos around the navy mech’s throat loosened the slightest amount, just as expected.

In a sudden flair of light, Soundwave’s visor snapped online again. His telepathy reared back like a cobra before piercing through the air straight for Megatron’s processor. The grey mech above him choked and stalled as his processor was seized by invisible claws. Pain shot through his mind down through his limbs. A scream of agony tore through the larger mech. His servos tightened dangerously around Soundwave’s throat. Metal creaked and bent then finally, finally; his grip released. His servos lifted to grasp at his helm, all else forgotten.

Air. Soundwave wheezed and gasped desperately as his intakes flooded with air. His vision shimmered back into static-laden clarity. His servos clawed viciously at the warlord above him. He curled his fingers and tore at plating, audios, optics, anything. The telepath attempted to buck and jerk free from under the larger frame, never once letting up on the telepathic barrage. Screams filled the room to a deafening degree as he doubled down his telepathic attacks viciously. The warlord kilted back, some of his weight lifted from Soundwave’s frame and the telepath turned towards the floor. With frantic kicks and servos clawing at the ground, he crawled free.

Soundwave stumbled up to his peds. His legs almost immediately gave out from under him, he dropped the weight of his frame against the door to hold himself up. He still couldn’t breathe properly. The plating around his throat was twisted and bent inwards, partially blocking off his intake. He choked and wheezed in what little air he could as he blindly tore at the door’s wiring. Something popped and static showered into the dim room from the door’s panel, momentarily bathing Megatron’s agonized expression in light. The door opened against Soundwave’s weight and he once again found himself suspended in air until his frame collapsed against the hallway floor.

Gasps and coughs continued to wrack Soundwave’s frame as he blindly attempted to pushed himself off the floor. His spark tightened with dread as servos seized his arms and pulled him up. His dread only waned when he realized there were definitely more than two servos on his arms. His vision fritzed with static as he attempted to look at the mechs attached to the gentle servos as they pulled him up. Soundwave’s peds met with the floor and he found himself standing shakily, multiple servos still supported him by the arms. Without them, Soundwave was certain he would fall. Glass tinkled against the floor from his broken chestplates. He felt himself being pulled away. A gentle arm slid under his knees in an attempt to lift him. Before he could be taken off his peds, Soundwave struggled free. His intakes spasmed desperately for air but he had to take care of something first.

He turned on his heel to face Megatron again. His vision narrowed down on the warlord. He had his servos clasped over his helm; his faceplates curled into a hateful snarl. With one last push, Soundwave slipped his telepathy into Megatron’s base coding. He didn’t bother being gentle, not when his consciousness was slipping away again so fast. Megatron doubled over and screamed. Behind him, Soundwave could feel the proximity of the other Autobot’s fields wane slightly as everyone took a big step back. Everyone except for Blaster, who he realized had a servo still supporting his arm.

After tripping through Megatron’s processor for a long moment, Soundwave felt the coding he was looking for all along. He sent a burst of energy through his telepathy to trigger the coding. He watched as it lit up and activated. Megatron’s screams came to a sudden halt and the warlord stiffened. His optics flickered and then shut down before the warlord slumped forward and dropped to the floor, deep in recharge.

A long moment passed. The halls were suddenly so quiet, void of Megatron’s screams. All that could be heard was the steady breathing of Megatron in recharge, and the gasps and wheezed from Soundwave’s dented throat.

Soundwave was completely sapped from energy. He wavered for a moment, his vision flickered off and on again as he struggled to breathe. He distantly felt his knees give out and braced to hit the floor for the third time. Instead, gentle servos caught him and lifted him from his descent. He felt the halls move around him as he was carried away. His optics lingered for a moment on Megatron’s prone form crumpled on the floor. He watched as Jazz approached the warlord and slapped statis cuffs on his wrists. Distantly, he could hear cheering. It came to him as though funneled through a long tunnel.

Victory at last.

He welcomed the darkness when it came to him.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Soundwave regained his consciousness in less than ten minutes. At one moment, he was being hurried through the halls, dimly aware of gentle arms around him; the next he was laying on the floor with Ratchet, First Aid, Blaster, and a cluster of Autobots all looking down at him.

The first thing he could hear after his audios rebooted was a stream of curses from Ratchet, which was definitely a good sign. If Ratchet was berating and cursing him out, he wasn’t likely in too bad of a condition.

“’Wave” Blaster interrupted Ratchet’s tirade with a relieved sob.

“Blaster” Soundwave managed to croak out. There was a sharp pop and a snap of pain as Soundwave felt the plating around his throat get pulled from the dent by Ratchet. He winced for a moment, then sighed in relief as his intakes were able to pull in twice as much air. Blaster’s servos tightened around his own, Soundwave returned a much weaker squeeze. Another pop echoed down the hall as the last dent was taken out of his throat. The group of Autobots standing just behind Blaster winced sympathetically. Soundwave tried to laugh at their reactions but only poured out static.

Worry still curled around the telepath. It took a moment to realize that it was Blaster’s fretting, not his own. He offered his partner a reassuring smile and squeezed his servos with more strength than he was capable of a moment ago. Blaster let out a shaky breath and nodded in understanding. It still didn’t reduce the relieved tears.

“Megatron?” Soundwave asked as Ratchet finished his field patch by placing a protective barrier over his shattered glass chestplates.

“Moved to the brig” Ratchet assured him. His voice had cooled off and the curses had waned away as he finished with the basic repairs.

“The brig of the Nemesis” Blaster clarified. His servos hadn’t once left Soundwave’s since he woke up. Soundwave was thankful for that. The telepath nodded. It made sense to keep Megatron locked up securely for a while as they all parsed out the details of what to do next. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be progress.

“Alright” Ratchet groaned as he used a servo on Soundwave’s dorsa to help him sit back up. The world whirled around Soundwave’s vision for a long moment and he felt himself tilt around weakly and grasp at the medic’s arm for support. “It’s alright, kid” the medic assured “take your time”, his stable arm was unmoving from the telepath’s dorsa. Blaster’s servo joined the medics to help keep Soundwave upright as his strained sensors recalibrated.

There was a blur of blue and red colour in front of Soundwave that his scattered processor strained to understand. Slowly, the dizziness ebbed away and his vision sharpened again. He blinked to finish a rapid re-boot of his optics and found himself meeting optics with Optimus Prime, who had crouched down in front of him. The Prime’s optics crinkled at the edges, which displayed his smile despite the battle mask covering half his face. Prowl and Jazz sat beside the Prime, all three mechs waited patiently as Soundwave gave his helm a final clearing shake.

“Are you alright, Soundwave?” Optimus asked.

Soundwave nodded slowly, “shaken” he admitted softly, “but alive”.

The Prime nodded sympathetically, “we are all relieved to see you again, you had us worried”.

“I had myself worried” Soundwave said simply.

The mechs around him chuckled. Soundwave hadn’t intended to be humorous, but he wasn’t complaining.

“We all have you to thank” the Prime smiled. Soundwave tilted his helm quietly at the larger mech.

“Now,” continued Optimus, “this is entirely up to you. We are still looking through the Nemesis for the Decepticons. We have found some of them so far, but not all of them trust us enough to emerge from their hiding spots yet”. He paused for a moment and assessed the telepath’s state before continuing, “they’ll trust you”.

He didn’t have to finish the sentence. “I will help” Soundwave assured. He watched as the Prime smiled once more. Even with his faceplates partially covered, it was like looking into the sun.
Of course, Ratchet didn’t let Soundwave re-join the mission until he had drunk half a cube of energon and agreed to not over-exert himself. He nodded repeatedly and agreed to the medic’s conditions over Jazz’s shoulder as the saboteur squeezed him with an uncharacteristically gentle hug. Prowl and Blaster were the ones that supported his arms to help him back to his peds. He wavered for only a moment, then smiled at his companions and nodded. Prowl retracted his servos after a friendly squeeze. Blaster didn’t remove his servos at all.

Shockwave was among the first of the mechs to be found. He was pulled from his place behind the newly repaired communications console by a team of Autobots. Megatron hadn’t been working alone after all. Shockwave was the one who jammed the communication network and helped draw Soundwave away from his team. The purple mech was struggled into a pair of stasis cuffs, knocked offline, then brought down to another cell in the brig.

Many mechs were found huddled in their rooms. They shared stories of Megatron storming down the halls, beating anyone he crossed paths with and repeatedly smashing any lights he passed. They had ran to their quarters, huddled together, and locked the doors to avoid his rampage.

Soundwave finally stepped down into the brig. He felt the seeker’s processors right away. Shuffles sounded from behind him as the other Autobots worked to restore the lighting in the pitch-black space. However, Soundwave simply walked towards the familiar fields and crouched down in front of the bars. By the time the lights flickered back up, he met optics with a tense looking Starscream. The seeker’s optics flashed brightly, and his wings twitched up in shock. Just as quickly the tension dissolved from his frame and he shared the first genuine smile Soundwave had ever received from him.

“I knew you’d come” Starscream said. He didn’t move as the cell was unlocked and Ratchet stepped in to tend to the trine. Thundercracker was completely unconscious, his helm was rested gently on Skywarp’s lap. All three mechs were badly beaten, but stable. Skywarp and Thundercracker sported a variety of dents, scratches, and bent wings. Starscream was damaged more than either of his trine mates, one of his wings had been torn clean off. Regardless of his state, he looked happy.

A lone Reflector was found in the next cell over. They were huddled against the wall in a little ball. They didn’t respond to any soothing voices or an open cell door. Soundwave sent a couple mechs to search out the rest of Reflector. They returned shortly after with the two minibots and opened the cell door wide. The brig was filled with relieved sobs and laughter as the three minibots clung to each other and nuzzled each other’s helms fondly. The lone reflector was alone no more.

Soundwave glanced to Blaster, who gave him a smile. Soundwave smiled back.

For the first time in over a million years, the Autobots and Decepticons cheered as one.

Victory at last.

Chapter Text

The war was over. That information had yet to truly seep into all the minds of the mechs aboard the Ark. The warship was as busy as ever, with new quarters being opened, medical checkups rotating throughout the day, and the higher officers running to and fro, putting out (figurative and occasionally literal) fires. Despite the bustling atmosphere, the warship was oddly quiet. It could almost be called peaceful, which would be thematically suitable.

Due to the Nemesis’s horrible state of disrepair, the (ex) Decepticons had been invited to stay aboard the Ark for the time being. It was cramped, but it could be done. Some mechs moved in with 2 or 3 roommates, and storage closets and extra meeting rooms were re-purposed. However, it was much better than the half-flooded hallways of the Nemesis. Much better. The original Decepticon warship was in such a state of decay that Optimus had encouraged the previous residents to squeeze into the Ark. With the broken lights, sparking wires, and knee-deep water, it was only a matter of time before some unlucky mech got electrocuted.

It was the day after the final raid of the Nemesis. The general feeling of disbelief sat over everyone’s helms. After millions of years at war, it was near impossible to imagine that it was all over. Of course, it truly wasn’t completely over. An actual treaty needed to be drawn and post-war agreements had to be made before anything could be considered official. However, with Megatron locked in the brig of the Nemesis awaiting trial, and nobody else attempting to pick a civil war part 2, prospects were very hopeful.

Of course, the tension wasn’t completely gone. Mechs were moving into quarters on a completely different warship across the planet. Their new neighbors were the same mechs they had been shooting at (and being shot by) for millions of years. Nobody was quite comfortable enough to be making many friends or throwing any parties. The occasional petty fight had been broken up through the previous night, as quarters were being drawn and settled into. However, they were truly petty in nature, and easy to step away from after tense apologies.

Exhaustion sat over the Ark like a heavy mist. Off-duty mechs spent much of the early morning sleeping past their usual rising time. By 10 AM the day after the raid, the hallways were still as quiet and empty as they were at 5 AM.

Much to his surprise, Soundwave found himself partaking in this unusually late sleep-in. The telepath shuffled minutely in the berth and drew the covers closer around his frame with a half-awake sigh. He willed his optics to power on a bit more, however they struggled to fully open. Accepting of his fate, Soundwave let his optics flutter closed again.

He had been given the day off with his family for the day. After yesterday’s scare with Megatron, Ratchet and Optimus had practically booted him from helping any more once they all got back to the Ark. Soundwave had argued that he could be of use while settling the newcomers. However, Ratchet had put his ped down and grounded Soundwave to his quarters to rest for the evening. The Prime had agreed with Ratchet’s general idea (although was a bit less pushy about it) and had given Soundwave, Blaster, and their cassettes the next day off. Soundwave had tried to argue this stance, as he saw how useful he could be with helping avoid issues with the Decepticons. However, now that the next day had rolled around, Soundwave could see the logic in their decision.
Physically, Soundwave felt completely fine. Ratchet had repaired him quickly on the floors of the Nemesis so that he could breathe again. After finding all of the hidden crew and helping them settle in a bit on the Ark, Ratchet had dragged Soundwave to the medbay and finished the repairs. Other than a weariness that sat over his frame like a blanket of stone, Soundwave felt physically just fine.

He was, however, perhaps still just a bit shaken. It wasn’t every day that a mech gets strangled half to death by a weeping warlord. At the very least, Soundwave hadn’t put it in his schedule.
As soon as he had gotten back to his quarters with his family the night of the raid, Soundwave felt himself dragged to the floor with complete exhaustion. The cassettes had wanted a night of games and fun with their carriers to celebrate the (possible) end of the war. However, sensing Soundwave’s state, Blaster had talked the creations into having a day of fun the next day, and just taking it easy that night. The cassettes had begrudgingly agreed, but soon understood why Blaster had suggested that route when Soundwave fell fast asleep on the couch 7 minutes later.
At some point in the night, Soundwave could hazily recall being carried. He hadn’t opened his optics, but he could recognize Blaster’s arms around him. He fell back into recharge before he was even put into the berth.

The next thing he knew, it was just past 10 AM, and he had slept in hours past his usual rising time. A gentle servo traced along the outline of his faceplates. Soundwave’s optics flickered again. On the third attempt to open his optics, Soundwave actually succeeded.

The telepath blinked groggily at Blaster, who was still in berth but much more awake. The orange mech was smiling at him with that familiar gentle smile. His servo had extended out to gingerly stroke along Soundwave’s faceplates.

Soundwave gave an appreciative murmur before he scooted across the berth in a silent request for more contact. Blaster was more than willing to oblige as he opened his arms to welcome in Soundwave. Soundwave let out a soft, satisfied huff as he was enclosed in the warmth of Blaster’s embrace. He pressed his faceplates into the crook of the orange mech’s neck and off-lined his optics again. This was not a bad way to spend a day off… not bad at all.

Right on the precipice of sleep, Soundwave realized something. Megatron was being held in the brig of the Nemesis. He was under constant rotating surveillance of 2 or 3 mechs at a time. In other words, Megatron wasn’t free to follow him around anymore. Soundwave’s optics snapped back online. They lit up so bright that Blaster pulled back to look at him for a moment of sleepy intrigue.

“What’s up ‘Wave?” Blaster mumbled; his static laden voice was still heavy with sleep.

“I can go outside” Soundwave whispered.

“hmm?” Blaster gave a confused hum; his processor not yet awake enough to follow Soundwave’s train of thought.

“Megatron is in the brig” Soundwave explained, “If we go outside far from the Ark, we will still be safe… he won’t track us down and try to take me away”.

Blaster’s optics flickered back online as he processed the new state of the world. “hey, you’re right, ‘Wave” he murmured in a much more roused voice, “we can totally go for a day outside again without worrying about old Megs”.

Soundwave’s optics watched Blaster with an unusual brightness. A sudden burst of excitement hit the telepath that he hadn’t felt in a couple months.

“Let’s go outside” Soundwave whispered in a thrilled voice. His optics sparkled with happiness.

Blaster grinned and felt his spark seize at his partner’s joy. He took the telepath’s faceplates in his servos and leaned in to press gentle kisses along his faceplates. Soundwave laughed and wriggled under the sudden burst of affection from his boyfriend. Blaster planted one last decisive kiss on Soundwave’s lips before pulling back.

“Then let’s go outside today”, Blaster agreed. Soundwave smiled warmly at him. It was one of the best things he had seen in a while.

It had been easy to rouse the cassettes with the prospect of a day out. The creations had been twice as excited as their carriers at the idea and had immediately offered a variety of places they could go. As a group, they had agreed that the beach deserved another attempt. Their last time at the beach had been so pleasant but cut short by a raving warlord. Now, they could stay out all day, if they wanted.

It didn’t take long to pack up rations for a picnic lunch, grab a handful of blankets and towels, and find a ride out to the national park with Bumblebee. The scout was headed past that area on his way to visit his human friends. It was pleasant to have some company in the form of two inconspicuous boomboxes in his passenger seat.

Before long, Soundwave found himself on the beach again. He glanced over his shoulder at Blaster, who was waving goodbye to the distant yellow beetle driving away. The cassettes had already made a mad dash to the water, dropping their blankets and towels on the way. The telepath sighed and stretched, then glanced down the length of the beach. He could still pinpoint exactly where the spacebridge had opened up when Megatron came for him. He shuddered.

As if on cue, two arms wrapped around Soundwave’s frame from behind. Soundwave gave a little surprised jerk as he was drawn out of his thoughts. He turned his helm to glance at Blaster, who had let his chin drop down to rest on Soundwave’s shoulder.

“When we were here last” Blaster murmured, “I was so crazy in love with you, and had no idea what to do about it”.

Soundwave felt himself crack into a smile, “really?”.

Blaster hummed in confirmation. His raised one servo from around Soundwave’s waist to point down the beach. It was about where they had rested together in the sun all those months ago.
“We were lying around there,” Blaster murmured, letting his servo drop back to curl around Soundwave’s frame, “and you had offered me your servo, because you had caught me checking it out earlier that day. And I took your servo and was enjoying it, but totally freaking out on the inside”. He chuckled fondly at the memory, “did you know how much I was freaking out?”

“I had no clue” Soundwave admitted with an amused laugh, “about your love or your panic… although I’m glad I know now”. He turned his helm to smile at his boyfriend and received a warm kiss on the cheek in compensation. He glanced once more back down the beach, where Megatron’s space bridge had once opened. Clearly, he had been focusing on the wrong memory of this place. He let his optics flick back to the spot where, months ago, he had relaxed servo in servo with the mech who loved him. Then he smiled.

Blaster’s arms loosened from around his frame, then the orange mech slid his servo into Soundwave’s. The two cassette players made their way to the water, to play with their splashing cassettes.

_____________________________________________

The cassettes won the splashing fight. That much was an understatement. As Soundwave and Blaster dropped their frames on a couple of drawn-out towels on the sand, they could feel as the water drained from the cracks in their armour.

“Good to know that, if they ever get into a splashing battle to the death, they’ll never lose” Blaster grinned, turning his helm on the side to look at his partner.

Soundwave smiled slightly, then pointed out “perhaps it was unwise to challenge a miniature army of 10 to a water fight”.

Blaster snorted with amusement, “unwise is an understatement, my mech”.

The two carriers fell into comfortable silence for a moment. The sun was out that day, it helped bake some of the water away from their frames as they rested. Soundwave gave a pleased huff, then slowly turned his helm to Blaster. He found himself meeting the orange mech’s optics, which had already been trained on him.

“What?” Soundwave asked, startled to find himself being watched.

“Nothing" Blaster replied with a lazy grin, “just admiring you”.

Soundwave felt his faceplates heat at the statement. “Oh” he said dumbly.

Blaster grinned for a moment, then his optics flickered down as Soundwave’s servo was suddenly offered out to him. His blue optics glanced back up at his boyfriend as he found himself in a rehearsal of their last time on the beach.

“I assume that you need to examine it before I am allowed to fall asleep” Soundwave delivered his line in the exact way he had said it months ago. His lips twitched in a failed attempt to hide his smile.

Blaster snorted with laughter, then accepted the offered servo with two of his. “That sounds about right” he murmured, then brought the servo up to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it. He watched as Soundwave’s teasing expression instantly morphed into a flustered blush. All semblance of the telepath’s cool joking vanished at his faceplates burned pink.

Blaster gave a pleased grin at the effect he had on the other mech. He pressed another kiss to the servo, for good measure.

“I love you” Soundwave murmured.

“Love you, too” Blaster grinned. It was hard not to smile on a day like this.

Chapter Text

The rec centre was the largest room in the Ark. It spanned a huge portion of the ship and was often used for team wide meetings, parties, and any other large crew-wide events. On the average day, it was often the most bustling of the Ark’s rooms. The tables and booths were often filled with mechs who wished to fuel and socialize between their working shifts. It was a pleasant space to meet with friends, hold small non-secretive meetings, mingle with other mechs, or relax alone. Due to the sheer size of the rec room, it had never felt too small. Even with all the Autobots in attendance for a party or announcement, it was almost never at full capacity. Until that morning.

Soundwave stared intensely at his peds. His shoulder was pressed snug against Blaster’s. Thankfully, his other shoulder was not crammed up against anyone else, as he sat at the very end of the booth. However, just past a slim margin of space, more seated mechs were close enough to nudge if he ever chose to lean over a fraction. The rec room was stuffed full. Mechs and Femmes, officers and front-liners, Autobots and Decepticons. Every single Cybertronian on Earth was crammed in the Ark’s rec centre. The Femme crew had bridged over from Cybertron in order to join their larger Autobot team for this very day. Soundwave had finally been able to thank Elita-One in person for her recipe. She shook his servo. He thought she would make an excellent commander for anyone.

Soundwave briefly scanned his visor over the crammed room once more. Cybertronians of all makes and sized were crammed in, shoulder to shoulder, to the best of their abilities. Every chair was taken. Tables had been shoved out into the hallway to buy just a fraction more of valuable space. Spare seats had been taken from mech’s personal quarters. Yet a huge portion of those attending had simply decided to sit upon the floor or lean against a wall.

At the very front of the room, upon the shallow stage, Optimus, Elita, Starscream, and Prowl were speaking in hushed tones. After sharing a few nods of agreement, the group disassembled and went their separate ways. Prowl slipped off of the stage and started towards the booth Soundwave was sharing with Blaster, Jazz, Hound, and Mirage. It was typically only meant for four mechs at a time. However, with Prowl joining them, they would have to make six work. Jazz was more than happy to lighten up some of the tightness of the booth by instantly hopping up onto Prowl’s lap when his mate joined the group. Prowl looked flustered at the public affection, and deeply aware of the grins from other Autobots. However, he couldn’t argue the practicality of the position, so he didn’t protest his conjunx’s presence.

Soundwave slipped his optics back to his peds and attempted, once again, to reroute all of his attention on them. It was near impossible. For the average mech, the hum and babble of the full rec room may have been a bit noisy. However, for Soundwave’s sensitive audios, it was a solid wall of inescapable noise. His telepathy only worsened his predicament, as the closely jammed mechs around him were all thinking rather… loudly… with their excitement and nervousness. It created a continuous torrent of feelings, jitters, thoughts, and even more noise. The telepath struggled to keep his optics rooted on the floor. Focusing intensely on something could sometimes help with the overwhelming feelings of overstimulation. However, whenever he looked up into the crowd, he found himself hyper focusing in on the tsunami of thoughts, conversations, and feelings even more. It was like a never-ending roar of sound.

A painful throb had blossomed in the back of Soundwave’s helm not long after his arrival to the room with Blaster. As soon at the two boomboxes had stepped into the room earlier, Soundwave had stopped in his tracks. He found his peds suddenly rooted to the floor, overwhelmed and unable to comprehend past the sheer volume of noise. Blaster had accidentally walked right into Soundwave’s dorsa a second later. Jostled out of his delirium by the unintended shove, Soundwave made a hasty beeline to the booth where Jazz was waving frantically from. He could feel Blaster’s worried optics on him the entire way over to the booth. He could still feel Blaster’s optics burning into him after ten minutes of waiting in the rec centre for this meeting to actually start.
He was dimly aware that Blaster had asked him questions and attempted to speak with him. However, he found himself unable to really comprehend the other mech’s words. In a silent answer, Soundwave had slipped his servo into Blaster’s and gave it a squeeze. Blaster seemed to understand and returned with a squeeze and a gentle nudge with his shoulder.

The rec room slowly trickled into semi-quiet. Soundwave perked his helm up to glance around the room. Soft hushes sounded, voices dropped into silence mid-conversation, and helms turned eagerly to the stage. Soundwave flicked his optics towards the front of the room and found that Optimus had stepped forward onto the stage and was holding his servo up in a bid for silence. As soon as it had started, the hush of the room caught on quickly and swept around until no more voices spoke.

Soundwave’s shoulders relaxed a fraction and he let out a soft breath as he welcomed the new quiet. Of course, the thoughts and feelings of the congregation was still loud. However, cutting out the audible speech brought great relief to the cassette player. At the very least, he could focus on something other than the feeling of total overstimulation. Soundwave let his dorsa straighten back up and he gave his helm a small shake as more clarity returned. The pounding behind his optics began to wane, just the slightest amount. The helmache wasn’t completely gone, but it was welcomed relief.

Soundwave felt a small shifting to his side, and he turned his optics on Blaster. The orange mech watched him with concern softened optics. His servos still clasped tightly around Soundwave’s. Soundwave gave his partner a tiny nod and reassuring smile. The orange boombox’s optics warmed up with relief and he pecked a sneaky kiss on Soundwave’s cheek while the rest of the room was turned away to focus on the stage. Only Jazz seemed to notice from his spot perched upon Prowl’s lap. The saboteur gave an earnest grin at the scene before turning to watch the Prime.

Optimus’s servo lowered back to his side once the room had fallen into attentive silence.

“Thank you” the large mech rumbled to the crowd. He hadn’t spoken to a group this large since the very early days of the war. It was refreshing… if a little unnerving. He glanced over his shoulder at Elita, who gave him her ever familiar smile and nod of encouragement. Optimus smiled and turned back to the crammed room. He let his optics flicker over the familiar and semi-unfamiliar faces for a moment. While some jitters could definitely be observed in the audience, most of the mechs smiled back at him. There was hope in the room, more hope than anyone was used to feeling for many centuries. Optimus could practically taste it.

With a final clearing of his throat, Optimus began. “Friends, both new and old,” he greeted, “today is a day of hope. It is a day of relief, and collaboration, and new beginnings. Never before has there been a collaboration of this size between Autobots and Decepticons. Together, we are standing upon a precipice of possibility. For the first time in many eons, it feels as though the fate of Cybertronian kind is within our servos again. I can see that many of you feel the same way today”.

Optimus’s kind blue optics surveyed the mechs before him. He extended his servos open to the crowd as he continued, “and may I take this as an opportunity to greet our newcomers aboard the Ark?”. A wall of cheers sounded from the Autobots. Across the room, mechs shook servos with unfamiliar mechs, servos patted backs of previous enemies.

Soundwave’s frame jerked at the sudden cheering. His grip on Blaster’s servo tightened for a moment until the cheers died down. Blaster shifted his servos around so that his far arm could reach over and hold Soundwave’s servo. With his closer arm freed, he gently wrapped it around Soundwave's shoulders in a resting embrace. The telepath gave him an appreciative smile.

Optimus chucked as the room died back down into silence. The excitement was truly palpable. He pressed forward. “It has been brought to my attention that the mechs who have joined us from the Nemesis have officially decided upon Starscream as their new leader”. He extended an arm and gave a moment of pause as the seeker proudly stepped up onto the stage alongside him. Another roaring cheer filled the room. Thundercracker and Skywarp in particular could be heard above the din with screams and cheers of excitement. Starscream’s wings were hitched proudly up upon his dorsa as he gave a nod and wave to the cheering mechs. He smiled at Optimus as the much larger mech gestured for him to stand by his side. More than eager to share the spotlight, the seeker slipped beside the Prime.

“What was it that I said about you knowing how to talk?” Starscream murmured to the Prime through the side of his mouth.

A low chuckle of amusement left the Prime and he smiled down upon the seeker, "I believe it was something along the lines of having devoted followers because of my speeches”. The seeker had to fight off the urge to squint up at the Prime like a sun when he found himself at the receiving end of the warmest and brightest smile he had ever received in his life.

Starscream hummed in mocked thought before saying, “something like that”.

Optimus turned back towards the crowd and continued, “our initial plan with this collaboration was to eventually lead towards a peace treaty and the end of the Great Cybertronian War. After many conversations with upper command, all of us believe this possibility is still very feasible. We have called you to this meeting today in order to ask for your cooperation and blessings as we move forward towards collaboration and the end of the war”.

Starscream took a half step forward and addressed the troops, “what do you all say to a peace treaty?”.

Mechs leapt from their seats to stand in an uproarious cacophony of cheers. Thunderous applause and shouts of agreement filled the room as a unanimous decision was made by all. More hugs and servo-shakes were handed out among the crowd as the excitement doubled then tripled.

Pressed to Blaster’s side, Soundwave gave a soft groan and pressed his dizzy helm into his servos. He could feel Blaster’s arms tighten around him and could distantly hear the orange mech murmur in his audio, “do you want to step out?”.

Soundwave gave a weak shake of his helm. Not only did he not want to miss out on the official announcements, but he also wasn’t sure if he could make it to the door unassisted… and being carried out of a meeting this busy sounded simply mortifying.

Optimus smiled at the universal excitement at the prospect of peace. A sudden nudge at his side brought his optics away from the celebrating troops down to Starscream. The seeker looked up at him and gave his helm a small jerk to prompt the Prime to lean down closer. Optimus blinked, then stooped his large frame down closer to the seeker.

“Watch how loud things get in here” Starscream murmured in a low voice to the Prime.

Optimus squinted his optics in confusion and tilted his helm, “is something the matter?”.

Starscream flicked his optics and jerked his helm to subtly gesture across the room. Optimus let his optics follow the seeker’s line of vision and found himself watching Soundwave. The blue mech held his faceplates in his servos. His posture was pulled in and Blaster’s arms held tight around him. The other boombox was looking down at his partner with concern in his optics.
“One thing I’ve learned over the last few million years” Starscream murmured in Optimus’s audio, “is that telepathy and extremely loud spaces don’t always mix well”.

Optimus’s optics brightened in surprise for only a moment, then he schooled his expression and straightened back up with as much nonchalance that he could muster. He immediately held out his servos as a request for silence again but kept the smile and friendly air that made it seem natural. He would have to be careful about how much excitement he provoked going forward. Nonetheless, he was thankful to Starscream for pointing out the situation discreetly.

The room dropped back down into a soft hush. Soundwave scrubbed at his optics and straightened back up. He felt Blaster’s arms around him shift to allow for his movement.

“We can leave if you want” Blaster offered by his side in a low whisper.

Soundwave gave pause for a moment then shook his helm. He leaned in a fraction closer to Blaster before murmuring “no, I believe that I just felt Prime’s mind notice my state. I think he will keep things calmer moving forward. I do not wish for either of us to miss out on the decisions about to be made…”. He paused before turning to face his partner, “but thank you”. He smiled when Blaster hummed and gave him another quick kiss on the cheek.

“I understand that you are all eager” Optimus smiled, “I am as well. However, there is much work to be done before anything can be made official. A treaty must be drawn and agreed upon by both parties, decisions must be made with regard to Megatron, and much work must be done to place this war behind us. Only then can we move forward as a whole to usher in a new age of Cybertronian peace, freedom, and equality.”

A short cheer started up, however, Optimus pushed forward before it could build into anything too loud and out of control.

“Representatives will be selected from each group present here today. These representatives will work together to agree upon a variety of decisions to be made about the end of this war. They will draw out the peace treaty, make agreements about how we will rebuild Cybertron both on a physical and civilian level, and so on. Of course, all of the power will not be placed in these few mech’s servos. I believe that, if we have learned anything from the war, we must understand that placing ultimate power in the hands of a few does not lead to a fair or just system. After every meeting, the representatives will present their ideas to the rest of the mechs aboard the Ark. Open conversation will be a critical part of developing the start of our new peace. Questions will be answered, discussion and debate will be encouraged, and votes will be made about the decisions made. Each of you will have the power to vote on and impact the decisions made. If the representative’s decisions are agreed upon, they will be pushed into the next phase. If they are generally disagreed with or flaws are seen by the wider group, the ideas will go back to the drawing board for re-vamping, fixing, or dismissing”.

Optimus watched helms nod in thought and agreement as his words were processed. It would be a lot of effort, time, and work. However, it was the best way to assure everyone had an opportunity to be heard when shaping the new Cybertron. Prowl had suggested this route as a way to create a new world built upon communication, collaboration, and equality. It was, at the very least, a decent starting place. Nobody wanted to recreate the senate. Nobody wished to repeat that history.

“These representatives will also be voted upon” Optimus continued to explain, “you will all select your representatives through casting votes. Each bot will be given three ballots to cast. You may even vote for yourself if you wish”.

A soft chuckle echoed around the room.

“A team of twelve representatives will be selected. If you are selected as a representative and do not wish to be one, you may opt out and the next highest voted mech will take your place. Once these votes are casted, the top six highest voted bots from the Autobots will be invited to be representatives; and the top six highest voted bots from the Decepticons will be invited to be representatives”.

Optimus paused for a moment to allow the troops to think over the design. At his side, Starscream added, “and if any of you have issues with this voting system, let Prime or me know”.
Optimus nodded enthusiastically, “yes, any issues with this system must also be addressed if they occur”.

“The last thing we want to do is re-build a broken system with another broken system” Starscream grinned, “Primus, this is going to be a servo-full”.

The troops chuckled in response. Skywarp screamed and whooped from the back of the room as though it were a concert, “we love you Starscream!”. The chuckles turned into laughter.
Starscream crossed his arms and snorted, but the smile was still obvious on his faceplates.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Later that evening, Soundwave found himself outside.

The telepath pressed his cheek to Blaster’s shoulder as the two mechs swayed back and forth to the slow music threading through Blaster’s speakers. It had been the orange mech’s turn to plan a date, and Blaster never failed such endeavours.

Soundwave sighed with contentment and let his optics shutter closed. He was immensely enjoying the cool night air, especially with Blaster’s warm arms wrapped securely around him. It was a calm and quiet night in the park Blaster had suggested they visit. The two mechs had set up their cassettes for a night of board games and fun before leaving. This date was just for the two of them.

Blaster had selected a national park not terribly far from the Ark. Jazz had been more than eager to drive both the mechs out to the park on his evening cruise. This park was heavily wooded and filled with plants that Soundwave had never before seen. The lush greenery made the cool air feel even more refreshing. A small river babbled in the distance, but both mechs chose to stay on dry land.

The song came to a gradual end and Blaster punctuated it by pulling Soundwave into a gentle kiss. Soundwave smiled warmly as they pulled back, he nodded when Blaster gestured to the blanket they had set up on the grassy floor.

Blaster had selected this park for a reason. Not only was it closed to human access at night, but it was far from any human towns or cities. Due to the very limited light pollution, the park was infamous for its night sky views.

Soundwave followed Blaster to lay down on the blanket. Blaster opened up his arm in a silent offer, and Soundwave immediately curled up against his frame. He pressed his frame tightly to Blaster’s side and curled over to lay on his dorsa. Both mechs were silent for a moment as they watched the night sky. It was almost perfectly clear that night, the stars and moon shone down strongly on the two mechs.

“Not too shabby, right ‘Wave?” Blaster murmured with a grin to Soundwave’s side.

Soundwave smiled, “not shabby at all”.

They relaxed in another beat of familiar silence before Soundwave spoke up again. “I wish we could see Cybertron from here”.

Blaster hummed in agreement, then asked “do you miss it?”.

“Sometimes”, Soundwave murmured, “not every part of it… but some of it”.

“It’ll be better this time. For everyone”.

“I hope so, Blaster”.

Soundwave let out a soft breath and allowed his tired optics to shutter closed. It had been a long day. It was all very exciting, but that didn’t make it any less exhausting. He smiled as he felt Blaster’s helm lean in to nuzzle his own.

“What are you looking forward to the most about going home?” Blaster asked in a soft voice.

Soundwave’s optics powered back up. He turned his helm to face Blaster, then hummed. “That’s a good question”.

“Yeah” Blaster grinned. They both looked back up at the stars.

“When I was very young” Soundwave’s voice was hardly above a whisper, “I often saw a poster image of Crystal City. It was always bolted up on a particular wall just outside of an alley I used as a short cut”. He smiled softly and his optics took on a faraway glimmer, “I always thought the image of Crystal City looked so beautiful… magical almost. I had wished so badly to go one day, I wanted to see all of the amazing structures. Most of all, I wished to visit the crystal gardens. I never had a chance to see it before the war began. So, I suppose, I would still like to see all of that one day… If it still exists”. Soundwave paused and gave a short huff of air, then added, “but, most of all, I think I am looking forward to raising my creations on their own planet”.

Blaster hummed, “yeah, it’ll be so great to show the little guys around their home. Ratbat hasn’t even seen it in person, has he?”.

Soundwave silently shook his helm, “no, he was created here on Earth”.

Blaster gave a low whistle, “they’re all gonna’ love it… I just know it”.

Soundwave turned to Blaster and gave him a warm smile, “I think so too”.

“We’ll have to go to Crystal City together, one day” Blaster murmured.

“I’d like that, very much” Soundwave agreed. They shared a soft kiss for a moment, before Soundwave asked, “what about you? What are you looking forward to on Cybertron?”.

Blaster leaned back to rest his dorsa on the blanket again. He hummed in thought as his optics searched over the stars for his answer.

“Other than raising our bitlets back on their home planet? Probably the festivals and everything we’ll probably have”. Blaster grinned, “I used to love those festivals as a young mech… they were like huge, city wide parties. Everyone would be celebrating in their own way, you know. Some festivals would be all craziness and parties and dancing and music… and others would just be my family and I meeting up with some friends for gifts, games, and all sorts of crazy energon goodies”. Blaster sighed wistfully at the memory, “yeah, I’d really like to do all of that again”.

“That sounds like fun” Soundwave smiled.

“Loads of fun” Blaster grinned, “and just think. There has got to be a ton of Cybertronian refugees and ships hiding out there in the universe. Once we get everyone back home, it’ll really feel like the place to be again”.

“It will be nice to be home again” Soundwave sighed.

“Yeah… so nice” Blaster agreed dreamily.

They rested in silence for a while. Soundwave curled his frame closer into Blaster’s, he huddled his arms in close to absorb Blaster’s warmth.

“Hey, ‘Wave?” Blaster murmured, “can I ask you something”.

Soundwave looked up at Blaster from his shoulder, then nodded.

Blaster absent mindedly traced circles over Soundwave’s dorsa as he said, “I love you, so much”.

“I love you too, Blaster” Soundwave placed a servo over his partner’s chestplates.

“And I’ve been thinking” Blaster parsed his words carefully, “that no matter where this peace treaty leads us, I’ll still want to have you around every day”. He glanced down at Soundwave, who had turned his helm to watch him intently, “well… see, I’ve really enjoyed living with you in the same quarters. Not that it’s going to be an overnight change or anything, but, when we get to Cybertron, I don’t really want to live apart from you”.

Soundwave’s frame shifted out of Blaster’s grasp. The blue mech pushed himself up on his elbow and leaned his frame over Blaster’s. “Go on” Soundwave encouraged.

“Not to mention that our cassettes have gotten really close. They’re practically a little family in their own right” Blaster grinned fondly as he thought of their collective shenanigans. “Basically, ‘Wave… I was kind of hoping that, when we all move back to Cybertron, you’d want to get a place with me. That way we could all stay together… the cassettes, and uh… you and me”.
Soundwave smiled warmly at Blaster, “I would love that”.

Blaster practically jerked up from the blanket, “really?”.

Soundwave nodded vigorously, “I wish to stay together, as a couple, and as a family. I love you, and I love our creations as one big team. Regardless of what planet we are on, I want to be with you. I don’t know what I would do without you in my life. Now that I have you here, with me, I never want to go back to the way things were before. I truly believe that we are meant to be together”.

“Oh, ‘Wave”, Blaster grinned and pulled Soundwave into a tight hug. Soundwave relaxed into Blaster’s arms and rested his frame atop his boyfriend’s.

“I love you” Blaster murmured in his audio, “I want to stay together as well, no matter where this all takes us”. He pushed his frame up, lifting Soundwave up as he went. Soundwave allowed Blaster to shift them both up to seated positions on the blanket. He coiled his arms around Blaster’s neck and pulled Blaster closer in encouragement for a kiss. Blaster was more than happy to oblige. With a warm chuckle, he leaned in and ghosted his lips over Soundwave’s. Soundwave pressed in more and Blaster let him deepen their kisses.

When they pulled back, Blaster’s smile held a more nervous twinge to it. Soundwave tilted his helm at the expression.

“Actually, now that we’re on this subject” Blaster grinned nervously, “there’s one more thing I was hoping to ask you tonight”.

“What is it?” Soundwave asked. He felt silent when Blaster reached back over his own shoulders and picked Soundwave’s servos off of his frame. He clasped Soundwave’s servos together in between his own and rested their servos on his lap.

“’Wave” Blaster started slowly.

“Blaster?” Soundwave’s optics searched Blaster for answers.

“Would you want to start a formal courtship with me?” Blaster asked softly, “I know you’re the one for me, and I want to be bonded with you one day. If you feel that way too… then I’d love if we could start an official courtship. Down the road, I want to be your Conjunx… and you mine”.

Soundwave nodded in a series of quick, silent nods.

“Yeah?” Blaster asked, his voice picked up more excitement.

“Yes. Yes please” Soundwave answered shakily. His optics brimmed with coolant as he nodded again with more enthusiasm than he often showed.

“Really?” Blaster’s frame gave a giddy jerk as he grinned and tightened his hold on Soundwave’s servos, “you really mean it?”.

“Yes” Soundwave pleaded, “yes, I would love to. I would be honoured to”.

With a whoop of excitement, Blaster released Soundwave’s servos and threw his arms out wide. He swept forward and pulled Soundwave into a near-crushing hug. Soundwave’s laughter was muffled in Blaster’s shoulder as they embraced and wiped away matching tears.

“I love you, Blaster” Soundwave whispered into Blaster’s plating, “I know that I always will”.

“I love you too, ‘Wave” Blaster murmured, “there’s no one else out there for me… it’s just you. It’s always been you”.

Soundwave sniffled and pulled back from Blaster’s shoulder. He cradled Blaster’s faceplates between his servos and pulled the orange mech in for a kiss. Blaster smiled into it.

When they pulled back, Blaster laughed.

“Jazz is gonna’ lose his mind when I tell him”.

“Let’s get him drunk first” Soundwave suggested with an innocent smile.

“Primus, I love you”.

Chapter Text

The representatives had been voted upon and selected over a course of two days. Every mech had the chance to vote a few times, and as a result, twelve mechs were chosen. The six highest voted upon Autobots and the six highest voted upon Decepticons then found themselves in an unwitting collaboration for their entire race.

Soundwave scanned his visor over the room. At first, he had been shocked that he had been voted upon enough to make it into the representative group. However, he hadn’t complained. Perhaps he was even a little bit excited about his chance to participate in such a huge part of Cybertron’s new history.

As it had turned out, many of his votes had come from Decepticons. In Decepticon votes, he was second only to Starscream. It made sense that they were trusted by the Decepticon troops. Not only were they two former higher officers, but both mechs collaborated in leading them to this peace treaty.

Soundwave glanced around the table. It was the same meeting room he had been in with a collection of Autobot officers during their coup with Starscream. Now, however, the table was filled with more mechs, and many who were not officers. Representing the Autobots, the six mechs selected were Prowl, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz, Elita-One, and Soundwave. Mixed in with these six mechs were the highest voted upon Decepticons; Starscream, Thundercracker, Hook, Onslaught, Dirge, and Ramjet.

The twelve assembled mechs created a rather unusual group. The chemistry became especially foreign when Optimus Prime and Starscream specified that they would not be acting as leaders within the meetings, but rather as peers. It made sense to ensure everyone had equal amounts of power and influence within the committee, however, that didn’t make it any less odd.

Soundwave twitched his helm to the side and once again caught a number of the Decepticons with their optics fixed on him. It took almost an earth minute for Soundwave to realize that, aside from Starscream, Hook, and Reflector, none of the Decepticons were used to seeing him without his battle mask obscuring his lower face. A number of them may have seen him on occasion without his mask, during raids or the evacuation of the Nemesis. However, it would have been nothing more than a glimpse before their attention was refocused on a more urgent matter. Hook was likely the most used to Soundwave’s faceplates among the Decepticon masses, as he had been the telepath’s previous medic.

When his visor fixed on them, Thundercracker, Ramjet, Dirge, and Onslaught jerked their helms away in the least natural fashion possible. Onslaught pretended to focus very intensely on the datapad in his servos. Ramjet and Dirge immediately jumped into a nonsensical conversation. Thundercracker seemed to think that whistling and nonchalantly twiddling his thumbs appeared natural. It didn’t.

Soundwave let his visor slide away from the nervous mechs after a momentary pause. He moved his focus to Starscream, who was debating hotly with Prowl (and had been for the last half hour).
“I’m telling you that he is refusing to work with us” Starscream placed his words in a voice strained from limited patience, “Megatron doesn’t change his mind… he won’t be willing to work with us no matter how much you try to ‘logic’ him into it”.

Prowl’s door wings stood stiffly on his dorsa as he interjected, “Megatron’s refusal to cooperate should not instantly remove all sense of moral compass on our end. We still have to find a way to handle him that is fair and justified”.

Starscream scrubbed his faceplates with an agitated sigh, “you seem to be underestimating Megatron’s abilities or stubbornness… or both”

“I underestimate nothing”

“Then how exactly do you think we can hold him back from trying to restart the war without killing him? As we already agreed, it’s not feasible to lock him away for the rest of his life. Cybertronians just live too long”.

“If you would let me explain my ideas in full before trying to dismember them, perhaps you would be able to understand” Prowl twitched, “I discussed my plans with Jazz yesterday and he agreed that they were sound. Isn’t that correct, Jazz?”.

Jazz smiled lazily at his mate from across the table, “you're hot when you debate”.

Prowl let out a frustrated huff and dropped his brow into his open servo. Starscream grumbled something under his breath and leaned back in his chair with crossed arms.

After a moment’s pause, Optimus shared his thoughts. “I do agree with Prowl that we must retain our moral compass with our treatment of Megatron”.

“Primus, you too” Starscream grumbled.

Optimus’s optics crinkled with a smile as he went on, unabashed, “even if you do not personally think that Megatron is worthy of a treatment he has never extended to others, I believe there are a few things we must keep in mind. Our decision on the treatment of Megatron will be the first ethical and judicial problem we solve in this era of peace. Do we truly want our new society to begin with violence and death?”.

Starscream scoffed in the back of his throat, however, he did not protest.

“Furthermore,” Optimus pushed on, “Moving into this era of peace, we are focusing primarily on forgiveness and growth rather than retribution and revenge. The past actions of Autobots and Decepticons are being forgiven, so that we may move on together in collaboration. Why would we keep a special exception to never forgive Megatron?”.

“Well, I mean” Ramjet started jerkily, “even among our more aggressive mechs in the Decepticons, no one was quite as brutal as Megatron”.

“This is true,” Hook added, “Megatron has a history of blood lust. I have had to repair many mechs due to his violence”. Ratchet nodded in agreement. He had cleaned up his fair share after Megatron as well.

“Although…” Elita-One added thoughtfully, “it is not as though Megatron was the only Decepticon known for violence. There have been a number of mechs, particularly on the Decepticon side of the war, that have a history of hurting others far more viciously than needed”.

“Yeah, and it’s not like we are killing all of them” Thundercracker pointed out. He smiled and twitched his wings in apology at Starscream’s glare.

“Exactly,” Optimus agreed, “all who are willing to put in an earnest effort are being given a second chance. It is not as though this war started for no reason. Megatron pushed for this war as a way to end a corrupt government and society. Although his ways became increasingly violent over the years, the original Decepticon movement started by Megatron and his officers-” Optimus nodded towards Starscream and Soundwave, “pushed for the banishment of slavery, functionalism, extreme poverty, discrimination, and more. The only reason we split into two factions is because the Autobots wished to take less severe measures to meet these goals. However, if it weren’t for Megatron leading the Decepticons, it’s unlikely that the Autobots would have even formed in retaliation. Despite his many flaws, Megatron started a war for the good of the people. Even if the good of the people is no longer his focus, would it look good for future generations that we executed the mech who started the revolt against an extremely oppressive and violent government? Furthermore, would it be fair if we executed Megatron only after we were able to benefit from the movement he started?”.

The room stood in silence for a moment. Starscream rubbed with aggravation at his forehelm. “Alright, alright,” he muttered, “I see your reasoning. Even if he is evil or crazy or whatever, it would look and feel pretty slagging awful to kill off Megatron when everyone else gets a new start… especially after what this whole war was over”. The seeker lifted his helm up and he planted his elbows on the table, “however, that still doesn’t solve how we are going to keep him alive and also not able to re-start a war”.

“This is your time to shine, babe” Jazz grinned at Prowl with a nudge. The rest of the table turned to the Praxian with newly attentive optics.

Prowl cleared his throat awkwardly and shuffled through his datapads. After a moment of settling himself, he looked back up to the watching room, “I propose a banishment”.

“How original” Starscream muttered sarcastically.

“Give it a chance” Jazz smiled at the seeker with an equally playful nudge, “his plan actually makes a lot of sense”. Starscream huffed, then nodded at Prowl to continue.

Prowl’s optics flickered around the table before he started again, “this banishment would be unlike any we have done before. To begin, Megatron would be banished from the quadrant of the galaxy that contains Earth and the one that contains Cybertron. However, this will not be a permanent banishment. As we have previously discussed, forgiveness and equality are our new initiative and focus for Cybertron’s judicial system. However, Megatron is refusing to back down. He wishes to continue the war and is willing to incite violence in order to do so. In order to protect Cybertron’s new foundations, while also not ignoring our own moral compass, Megatron must be given a chance… but not right now.

“To begin, Megatron will be situated with a well-functioning ship for one. This ship will have all weaponry systems removed, thus turning it into a civilian class space shuttle. Both Megatron and the ship will be tagged with chips. These chips will not be capable of harm; however, they will be able to track Megatron’s position and attempts at communication. If Megatron attempts to enter the atmosphere of Cybertron or Earth, if he attacks or attempts to build armies with other ships, planets, or societies, or if he attempts to remove his chips, authorities will be notified”.

“And what if he does? If you don’t plan on killing him, and you already have him banished, what does he have to lose by upsetting the authorities of Cybertron?” Elita-One asked.

“Excellent question” Prowl nodded, “if Megatron attempts to do any of these things, his right to one day rejoin Cybertron will be pushed back to a later date or removed altogether”.

“So, you think that Megatron may be able to re-integrate into Cybertronian society?” Hook asked.

“I do think it is possible, after much time and healing” Prowl stated.

“And what if he doesn’t care?” Dirge asked, “what if he doesn’t want to join us again one day and so keeps ignoring the rules?”

“If I may contend that” Soundwave started suddenly. He paused when the optics in the room turned to focus on him. “I am certain that, at first, Megatron will act as Dirge predicted, and not care about re-joining us. However, isolation is not an easy state to live in. Especially when the sheer length of our lives is taken into consideration. I believe that, after spending a few hundred years in banishment, Megatron will wish to rejoin us… possibly -and hopefully- in peace”.

Prowl nodded thankfully, “I concur”. He continued laying out his plan, “I think that a banishment of 700 Cybertronian solar years would be appropriate. This will create plenty of time for both Megatron and Cybertron. Cybertron will have a chance to heal and rebuild itself without Megatron’s influence. By the time those 700 years pass, we will likely be well situated enough as a society to handle Megatron’s presence and potentially risky influence. On the other servo, Megatron will also have plenty of time to calm down, heal, and work on himself. If he chooses to re-join us on Cybertron, he can use these 700 years to work on himself and prepare to rejoin society as a civilian, not a revolutionary”.

“What if he isn’t ready after those 700 years, but may still have potential later?” Optimus asked over his steepled servos.

Prowl nodded, “I thought of that as well. After the 700 years pass, Megatron will have the option to connect with a board of Cybertronian officials. These mechs will include medics, social workers, political leaders, and so on… perhaps some of us may be involved with this in the distant future. This group will evaluate Megatron’s state and decide on his ability to peacefully reintegrate into Cybertron. They will ensure that Megatron comes in peace, understands that the war is over, and is willing to make amends and move forward. If Megatron has calmed and agrees to live with us in a state of peace, he will be welcomed back as a full citizen. However, if Megatron is unwilling or unable to integrate peacefully, he will be banished for however much longer the council agrees upon. After that time period passes, he will have the option to meet with them again. For every re-banishment Megatron receives, there will always be the eventual opportunity to meet this council for an evaluation once more. In the end, Megatron will either peacefully re-integrate into Cybertron, remain in banishment perpetually, or chose to stay in banishment from Cybertron and create a new life for himself in another quadrant of the galaxy”.

Satisfied with his explanation, Prowl nodded once and placed his datapads back down on the table. The room sat in silence for a long moment as Mechs ran Prowl’s plan over in their processor.
“It makes sense to me” Ratchet shrugged, “it’s fair, and it ensures the protection of Cybertron”.

“I agree”, Optimus added. Soundwave also nodded his approval. The room filled with agreeing voices.

After a long pause, even Starscream gave a final huff and nod of agreement, “I suppose it’s good enough”.

“Of course, we will still have to discuss these plans with the rest of the crew and hear their thoughts” Elita-One added, “we can make any modifications based off of their input. However, I believe that this will be accepted”.

“What about Shockwave?” Onslaught asked pointedly, “he’s also refusing to cooperate. He wants to keep following Megatron into a war that’s over”.

“This plan may also extend onto Shockwave” Prowl reasoned, “Ratchet, Jazz, Prime, and I are still making attempts to reason with him. However, if Shockwave continues to fight for the continuation of the war, he may also receive a lesser banishment. We will have to ensure that he is sent to a distant quadrant and blocked from contacting Megatron in any way. His banishment will not need to be as long as Megatron’s before he also has a chance to meet with the committee of Cybertronians. All of the other rules would still apply to him”.

Optimus nodded before adding, “However, this cannot be said for certain yet. Shockwave is a very loyal mech, however, he is reasonable. I wish to still give him a chance to step down and join us… if he will take it”.

“Shockwave would be a good ally to have in rebuilding Cybertron” Starscream pondered “but the petty part of me still wants to see him banished”. Thundercracker gave his trinemate a nudge from the side and both seekers giggled in unison.

Optimus chuckled on Starscream’s other side. Ratchet rolled his optics but failed to hide his amused smile.

________________________________________________________________

Prowl’s banishment plan had been accepted by the rest of the troops. There had been many questions and debates. However, by the end of the week, the plan had been agreed upon and set into place.

After another week of planning and setting up, all was ready.

Soundwave stood close by Blaster’s side. His arms were comfortably looped into Blaster’s arm, their shoulders were pressed together for warmth. Nights in the desert could be chilly some nights, this was one of those nights.

A small mob of cassettes huddled around the carrier’s peds. Both Blaster and Soundwave had offered to let the cassettes dock for the time being, however, their offers were met with stern refusals. Tonight was a night of history, and no one wished to miss out on it. A jittery energy floated around the congregated mechs. Almost all of the Autobots and Decepticons huddled together in the desert sands. Tonight, Megatron was being sent off on the start of his banishment. Tonight, the war would officially be over.

The Cybertronians created a loose ring around the space shuttle. It was not particularly big. It was just large enough to comfortably allow a single large mech to live in it.

Megatron had already been informed of the rules of his banishment. He had been given a week to think over his oncoming lifestyle, request resources, and ask questions. The small space shuttle had been prepared with enough supplies for Megatron to survive on for a very long period of time. The ship had been set up by Wheeljack to bring Megatron to a distant quadrant of the galaxy on autopilot. Once in that quadrant, Megatron would gain control of the ship, however, if the ship was manoeuvred too close to Earth or Cybertron, it would switch back into Autopilot and fly Megatron back out into a safe zone.

Megatron was to be transported from the Nemesis’s brig to the Ark via land bridge. Then, he was to be walked out of the Ark, to his new shuttle, and sent off. Thus, everyone stood together, waiting to watch history unfold.

Soundwave glanced over at Blaster, who fixed him with a soft smile. Soundwave returned a smaller smile before his optics were pulled over to the entrance of the Ark. A cluster of figures emerged from the doorway. The excited chatter of the assembled troops immediately fell into a hush as Megatron appeared.

The warlord did not look pleased. His optics were rooted on the shuttle he was being walked towards. Occasionally, he glanced down at the cuffs that still held his wrists together. However, he refused to look up and meet optics with any of the assembled mechs. Optimus walked by Megatron’s side. The Prime was speaking in a quiet voice to Megatron, his tone seemed friendly. Megatron sharply turned his helm away from the Prime with a grunt. Optimus lapsed back into silence with a soft sigh. On Megatron’s other side, Jazz walked with a casual smile on his faceplates. The warlord dwarfed him in size, however, no mech questioned the decision to keep Jazz so close. The saboteur was small, but he was still lethal. To the rear, Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Prowl followed with attentive optics on Megatron’s dorsa. The group stopped just before the prepared space shuttle. Optimus turned to Megatron and spoke once more in a low tone to the Warlord. Megatron gave a final shake of his helm, then silently held his servos out so Optimus could remove the cuffs. The Prime gave a small nod, then unlatched the cuffs and gestured with an open arm for the Warlord to step back towards the ship. Much to the crowd’s surprise, Megatron gave a tired nod and stepped where directed.

Optimus and Jazz retracted themselves from Megatron’s presence and joined Prowl, Ironhide, and Sideswipe. As a group, the five mechs stood before Megatron and his ship. Optimus reached into his subspace and pulled out a datapad. He briefly scanned it with his optics as he began.

“Megatron of Tarn,” Optimus began, his voice echoed over the desert. “For your crimes against Cybertron and Cybertronian kind, and your refusal to rejoin us in peace, this collection of your peers has sentenced you to total banishment from Cybertron and Earth for 700 solar years”.

Megatron shifted where he stood, then turned his helm up from the ground. His optics slowly searched through the crowd as Optimus continued.

“This banishment is your opportunity to recover, consider your place in this universe, and build a new life of peace. In 700 solar years, you will be offered the chance to meet a board of Cybertronians who will consider your eligibility to rejoin us”.

Megatron’s optics finally came to a halt. Soundwave’s frame stiffened as he felt Megatron’s optics burning into him. He minutely turned his helm and found his visor meeting Megatron’s optics from across the sand.

All the while, Optimus continued, unaware of Megatron’s focus elsewhere. “As you leave Earth behind tonight, we all wish you the chance to grow and heal so that you may rejoin us as a creation of Primus”. The Prime concluded with a final nod, “Megatron of Tarn, until we meet again”.

Megatron’s gaze didn’t move from Soundwave as he murmured, “until we meet again”. With that, the grey mech stepped back. His frame disappeared as he stepped into the shuttle. The door closed and locked behind him with a pressurizing hiss.

Soundwave let out a shaky breath and glanced at Blaster. His partner was watching him with those familiar blue optics and a comforting smile. “We should probably tell Prime about that” he said. Soundwave nodded, then dismissed his worries to press closer to Blaster.

The space shuttle whined and whirled as the systems booted up. The exhausts spat out hot air as autopilot kicked in. The sand popped and melted into chunks of glass as fire licked from the ship’s exhausts. With a heave, the shuttle lifted off the Earth and started skyward. Momentum gained as it shrunk further and further into the heavens.

A hush sat over the assembled mechs. Every helm was craned back to watch the shuttle rocket out to the stratosphere and beyond. The silence remained until Megatron’s ship was no more than a mere speck among the stars. Slowly, helms started turning back down. Mechs glanced at each other in silence as they processed one thing. The war was over.

Slowly, building from a soft murmur, the Cybertronians broke into a cheer. Friends seized each other into tight hugs, couples embraced, strangers shook servos. The uproar could be heard for a mile.

Soundwave smiled fondly as he watched the cassettes running around in excitement. He turned to face Blaster and both mechs smiled at each other.

“Happy peace time, roomie” Blaster grinned.

Soundwave smiled, then answered Blaster by pulling him into a hug. He let out a happy breath as Blaster’s arms wrapped tightly around his frame. He glanced up from Blaster’s shoulder as the cheers suddenly grew louder and more excited. Both boomboxes pulled back to glance across the sand. Wheeljack and Ratchet had apparently decided to go public with their relationship… or at least they hadn’t thought about how public they were about to make things. The medic and engineer were sharing a kiss, which seemed all the more exciting to a number of the Autobots. Even more excited cheers and whoops sounded from a number of mechs, both those who had long wanted the two to become a couple, and those who had bet money on it.

Soundwave laughed softly at the uproar as focus quickly shifted from Megatron’s banishment to the new couple. Blaster grinned by his side.

“I guess we’re no longer the newest couple around here” Blaster grinned with a wink.

“I suppose not” Soundwave smiled softly.

“Are you gonna’ miss the fame?”

“Absolutely not”

Both mechs broke into a giggle. Their laughter was stopped short when a mob of cassettes tackled them at the knees and brought them down into one big pile of carriers and cassettes. Blaster laughed joyously as sand got into every seam of his plating. The cassettes excitedly climbed over the carriers to distribute hugs and excited chatter. Soundwave smiled and wrapped his arms around his cassettes in an unusually public display of affection. Blaster leaned over to wrap Soundwave in his arms until all the cassettes, Soundwave, and Blaster, were huddled together. Giggles could be heard from the cassettes all the way into the Ark.

Many of the cassettes had never known peace before. Soundwave smiled as he pulled his younglings close. Now they would.

Chapter Text

Soundwave watched as the flashing lights painted the desert sand with colour. Soft music filled the air. When he lifted his optics up to the sky, he was rewarded with the sight of a full dome of stars. He gave a small sigh, then let his chin tuck comfortably against Blaster’s shoulder again. The cold night air felt wonderfully contrasted to the warmth shared between his and Blaster’s frames as they swayed together in a lazy slow dance. The telepath smiled softly as he heard Blaster murmuring the lyrics of the love song, just barely loud enough for him to hear. He let his fingers curl and tighten gently against Blaster’s dorsa. This was nice. Slowly, Soundwave allowed his optics to shutter off until the song concluded.

Hazily, he onlined his optics as the desert momentarily dropped into silence between songs. Soundwave lifted his chin from Blaster’s shoulder and the two mechs stepped back from one another. However, when the next song started, it was another soft and slow one. The two carriers shrugged at one another before resuming their comfortable sway in each other’s arms. Neither mech was going to complain about dancing to Etta James’ ‘At Last’.

From over Blaster’s shoulder, Soundwave glanced around them. They weren’t the only mechs dancing together. Silhouettes of dancing couples and trines were backlit by the numerous colourful lights. Their shadows stained down upon the sand, illuminated by a wash of soft pinks and blues. Large speakers had been set up in the desert, just outside of the Ark. Jazz and Blaster had pulled out all the stops to plan the official ‘End of War Extravaganza’… as they had called it. A small canopy was set up, off to the side. Under it were chairs and tables for lounging mechs, most of which had cubes of high grade in-servo. The seated mechs were lit by the collection of flickering candles upon the tables. Strings of blinking lights wrapped around posts and speakers to help softly illuminate the makeshift outdoor dancefloor. Huge plumes of dusty purple and blue fabric were hung in whisps around the covered lounge and uncovered dancefloor. Lazily rotating spotlights splashed colourful lights upon the dancing mechs and the sandy ground. Off to the side of the dancefloor stood the makeshift DJ table. Jazz and Blaster had taken turns selecting music for the party. Even the DJ table was covered in whisps of fabric and soft twinkling lights. The event was truly something to be marvelled at.

Soundwave let his optics drift over the other dancing couples. Wheeljack and Ratchet were paired together in a slow sway. Wheeljack’s helm fins were lit up in a soft blushing pink. Soundwave hid his smile into the crook of Blaster’s neck. Hound and Mirage were dancing together, as were Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. The trine seemed content in one big group hug as they rocked to the music. Jazz and Prowl were dancing off to the side. When Soundwave flicked his optics over to the other couple, he met optics with a grinning Jazz. The saboteur gave a wink and a thumbs up over Prowl’s shoulder, obviously sending his approval of the coupling. Soundwave cracked a smile and turned his helm back into Blaster’s shoulder to hide his blush.

A few days ago, Soundwave had been unexpectedly approached by Optimus Prime. The larger mech had invited him to have their rations together for a discussion. This offer had surprised Soundwave, but he had accepted it, nonetheless. As it had turned out, Optimus was seeking some guidance with the designing of the party. With both the Autobots and Decepticons on the Ark, the regular recreation hub was cram packed when everyone was in attendance. Although Prime did not say it out loud, Soundwave quickly realized that the leader was attempting to subtly navigate hosting a large party in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm and exclude the resident telepath. Over their lunch, the two mechs designed a party that would be spacious enough for two whole crews while also being subtly “telepathy friendly”.

As a result, the end of war party had been spread out throughout (and outside of) the Ark. Just outside of the Ark sat the dancefloor and a small lounge and drinking space. Meanwhile, in the rec centre, a space had been set up for drinking, chatting, and playing games. Soft music and dimmer lighting had been set up in the rec room to help carry over the feeling of a party, while also making it more accessible for everyone. Energon goodies had been set up on trays in the rec room, as well as collections of drinking and social games. The hallways between the two parties had been decorated in streamers, fabric, and lights. All in all, Soundwave thought that Optimus had succeeded wonderfully at creating a welcoming space for everyone… telepaths included. Especially once Jazz and Blaster’s decorating and party planning were used to make the idea a reality. The Prime had even ensured that all parts of the party were held far away from Blaster’s and Soundwave’s quarters. That way, if Soundwave became overwhelmed in the crowds, he could seek refuge for however long was needed in the privacy of his own quarters. As far as Soundwave was concerned, it was perfect. Thanks to the Prime agreeing to spread out the party, he never once felt overstimulated or uncomfortable. Not even now that they were more than halfway into the evening.

Soundwave sighed softly and lifted his optics back up to the dancefloor from Blaster’s shoulder. Starscream had left his two dancing trine members to drink with Optimus under the canopy. The seeker seemed content to chat with the Prime. If anything, he looked unusually friendly with the larger mech. Soundwave watched as the seeker laughed and patted at the Prime’s arm with a servo. Optimus also gave a rumbly laugh at the conversation. Soundwave narrowed his optics in at the two mechs as he attempted to distinguish the nature of their interaction. Seeming to feel someone’s optics on him, Starscream lifted his optics to meet Soundwave’s. The telepath gave a small start when their optics met. He felt as the seeker sized up his pairing with Blaster, then slowly gave a nod of approval. Soundwave disguised his laugh as a smile, then turned his faceplates back into Blaster’s shoulder.

“What is it?” Blaster murmured as he sensed Soundwave’s soft laughter.

“Starscream just figured our relationship out” Soundwave smiled into his partner’s plating.

“It took him this long?”

Soundwave snorted with a soft laugh.

“I suppose we’ve all been pretty occupied lately” Blaster continued with a grin.

Soundwave nodded slowly, then added in a low voice, “and I have a feeling that Starscream is otherwise occupied with his crush on Prime”.

“His what?” Blaster choked.

Soundwave muffled his laughter into Blaster’s shoulder.

“I don’t believe you” Blaster laughed in a whisper.

Wordlessly, Soundwave nodded his helm towards where the two mechs were chatting under the canopy. Blaster slowly glanced over his shoulder at the two mechs. He watched in sceptical silence as Starscream casually placed a servo on the Prime’s forearm. The seeker’s servo lingered for just a moment longer than expected. Blaster turned back to Soundwave with bright optics and a huge grin.

“Holy slag” he whispered in a giddy voice.

“I know”

“Holy slag” Blaster repeated with a soft laugh. His optics rested in Soundwave for a moment before he gave a crooked smile, “I love dating a telepath. I get all the good gossip before it’s even gossip”.

Soundwave laughed with a roll of his optics. Their swaying slowed as the song tinkled to a close. Just at the tail end of the music, Blaster turned his helm and placed a soft kiss on Soundwave’s cheek. Soundwave smiled and turned his helm to tenderly nudge at Blaster’s helm with his. They stepped back from their dance and let their arms untangle as Soundwave watched Jazz run back across the sand to the DJ booth. The saboteur hopped up behind the booth and snagged up the microphone.

“Alright gentlemechs and gentlefemmes, who’s ready to amp this thing back up and really groove?” The black and white mech grinned to the party. Whoops and hollers from the crowd answered as Jazz cued up ‘Don’t Stop the Music’. The cheers grew in volume as the heavy beats of the song started. Couples split apart and new bots ran into the dancefloor to join in on the fun.

Blaster grinned at Soundwave, “I’m pretty danced out now, ‘Wave”.

Soundwave nodded in agreement.

“Want to go check out the other half of the party?” Blaster asked with a nod of his helm to the Ark.

“That sounds nice” Soundwave smiled. He looped his arms through Blaster’s offered arm and the two mechs stepped off of the dance floor to head back towards the ship. Soundwave glanced back over his shoulder then pulled Blaster to a stop halfway between the dance floor and the doors of the Ark. He nodded his helm towards the dance floor and Blaster searched the dancing mechs over with his optics. He then erupted into a huge grin when he found what Soundwave was nodding towards.

“Primus, look at them go” Blaster laughed.

In the centre of the dancefloor, Rumble, Frenzy, Rewind, and Eject were dancing very energetically to the music. Other mechs on the dancefloor cheered for the troop of younglings with drunken enthusiasm. Now that they were farther away, the two carrier mechs could also spot Ravage, Steeljaw, and Laserbeak perched on the top of the canopy watching over the dancing crowds. Soundwave shook his helm with a laugh before he and Blaster turned back towards the Ark.

The other half of the party was equally bustling. Soundwave and Blaster stepped into the rec room and scanned their optics over the tables of mechs. A soft murmur of voices and laughter drifted over the quieter music. The scent of engex cocktails and goodies gave the affair a very welcoming air. The tables were filled with laughing and smiling mechs of both factions as they shared stories and jokes, drank, and played games. Across the room, Cliffjumper was making a fantastic spectacle of himself as he attempted to mimic Swoop in a game of charades. Beachcomber was evidently no help as he continuously screamed different breeds of birds.

Blaster chuckled by Soundwave’s side at the scene before the two mechs headed over to pick up engex cocktails and find an available booth. Once settled, the two carriers were quickly visited by Buzzsaw, Ramhorn, and Ratbat. The three cassettes shared their helloes and a few exciting stories before they became distracted and disappeared into the party once more.

Soundwave gave a soft smile into his cube of engex as he watched the cassettes run off again into the party. Blaster’s arm comfortably looped over his shoulder as the two mechs sat and chatted over their high grade. After a few minutes, two small servos reached up over the edge of the tabletop. Soundwave and Blaster blinked at the tiny servos when they quickly realized that they didn’t belong to any of their cassettes. Two more sets of tiny matching servos also flattened up on the edge of the table. Slowly, with some effort, one of the three minibots managed to pull themselves up to peak over the edge of the table.

“Do you mind if we sit here for a moment?” Reflector asked.

Soundwave and Blaster gestured for them to sit and watched as the three minibots moved over to the available seat. The first two were boosted up onto the seat, then the last one was pulled up by their two companions. All together, Reflector settled into the bench seat. The table came up just past their chestplates. All three minibots took a deep breath before starting to speak.

“First of all,” started one.

“we want to apologize to you, Soundwave” another continued.

Blaster blinked at their linked speech, but eventually smiled with interest.

“It wasn’t okay that we were watching you”

“even though it was under direct orders” Reflector continued.

“Yes,” another one added, “for that breech of privacy, we are sorry”.

Soundwave shook his helm quickly, “there is no need to apologize. You were under order… and threat”.

“It still wasn’t okay” one of the Reflector’s interjected, “yes, and you showed us mercy when you found out”.

Soundwave sighed with a small smile, “very well… apology not needed, but it is accepted”.

Satisfied with the answer, the three minibots smiled up at the larger mechs.

“We also wanted to thank you” Reflector added.

“Yeah,” another continued, “for helping us be reunited”

“and also, for working with Starscream to help end the war”. All three minibots nodded in agreement with large smiles.

Soundwave gave a soft smile and huff of air, “it was mostly the work of Starscream and Optimus that ended the war”.

Reflector scratched their chins in unison as they thought. “Starscream told us that you reached out to him first” one of them said, “and that this was partly your idea” another added.
“I did reach out first” Soundwave shrugged.

“Then you played a part”, Reflector gave satisfied nods, “thank you”.

“Y… You are welcome” Soundwave blinked.

Seemingly content with the conversation, the three minibots hopped down from the booth and disappeared back into the crowds.

Soundwave watched them go before slowly turning to look at Blaster. The orange mech watched him with a bemused smile, "well that was interesting".

Soundwave smiled softly with a shrug, "full circle" he murmured. "Full circle" Blaster repeated with a grin.

With an excited shout, Jazz suddenly launched himself into the booth. “Fellas!” Jazz cheered as he fought to stay upright. Prowl quickly helped Jazz sit up in the seat properly before he settled down by his mate’s side. Pleased with this, Jazz lazily wrapped his arms up around Prowl’s shoulder’s.

“Hey guys,” Blaster grinned, “have you had a bit much to drink, Jazz?”.

“Nah” Jazz hiccupped.

“Yes” Prowl confirmed.

Blaster laughed.

“He’s been cut off” Prowl added. Blaster laughed harder.

“What?” Jazz whined, “By who?”

“By me” Prowl reminded his mate.

Jazz groaned and scrubbed his faceplates, “ugh fine… but only ‘cuz I love you and you are just so fine”. He punctuated his statement by pinching at Prowl’s faceplates. Prowl snorted but didn’t protest.

“How about a game of cards, fellas?” Jazz pulled a deck from his subspace and started to lazily shuffle them in his servos, “I put a big queue of tunes on the DJ booth for the dancers so we’ve got plenty of time”. Loose cards slipped from his grip and fluttered to the floor. The saboteur hiccupped, “oops” and re-gathered the fallen cards. He started shuffling them again, only to have more fall out of his grip. Finally giving up on shuffling properly, Jazz smacked the deck of cards down and randomly scrambled them all over the tabletop. Prowl rubbed his temples, but his optics held an undeniable fondness.

“Some card games sound great, Jazz” Blaster grinned as he watched his long-time friend smear the cards around aimlessly.

Soundwave nodded with a bemused smile.

Jazz finally re-gathered the shuffled cards and started to deal them out. After three attempts which ended in miscounting and skipped numbers, Prowl took the cards and dealt them out himself.
“You’d make a great professional blackjack dealer” Jazz slurred, he rested his helm in his cupped servo while watching Prowl distribute the cards, “you’d get lots of tips cuz’ of your sexy servos”.
Blaster and Soundwave suppressed their giggles as Prowl flushed at Jazz’s drinken flirtation.

Soundwave was instructed on the games as they went. He had never played human card games before, however the other Autobots had clearly become fond of them since their arrival to Earth. The countless decks of Cybertronian sized cards made that much obvious. He enjoyed the few games of blackjack they played, however he enjoyed when they played euchre even more. Slowly, as the night progressed, cassettes drifted over to their carriers to say goodnight before heading back to their quarters. As exciting as the parties were for the younglings, they were also wildly draining.

At a break between games, Blaster, Prowl, and Soundwave chatted as Jazz drifted off to sleep on his mate’s shoulder. The three remaining mechs played three more miniature rounds of blackjack before Prowl carted off his unconscious Conjunx.

Not too much later in the night, Soundwave and Blaster drifted slowly back to their own quarters. They slipped out of the decorated hallways and turned off into the more remote halls that attached to living quarters. Slowly, the party’s music grew more and more distant.

Quietly, Blaster slipped his servo into Soundwave’s. The telepath smiled as they laced their fingers together.

“Not too shabby for a party, right ‘Wave?” Blaster grinned.

Soundwave smiled slowly “not bad at all”. He glanced back up at Blaster, “it was actually very fun”.

“Yeah, I had fun too” Blaster sighed contently. They turned down another hall.

Soundwave’s optics drifted along the walls as he hummed to himself. Blaster turned to look at him.

“Do you remember, months ago, when the two of us were walking home from drinks with Jazz and Prowl in the rec room?” Soundwave asked.

Blaster hummed thoughtfully, “yeah, that was before we got together”.

Soundwave nodded, “yes, and right about here you stopped me”. He stopped walking and Blaster also paused to stand beside him. “You looked as though you were going to say something of importance” Soundwave murmured in thought, “but instead you made a face at the security camera” he nodded his helm to the camera just over Blaster’s shoulder.

Blaster chucked, “yeah, I remember that pretty well… We were both pretty overcharged that night”.

Soundwave hummed in thought, then his optics lit up and he looked at Blaster, “you were going to tell me about your feelings then, weren’t you?”.

Blaster broke into a sheepish laugh, “… maybe”.

Soundwave gasped and seized at Blaster’s arms, “I knew something was off when you played it as a joke”. Blaster laughed as Soundwave’s late realization.
“I definitely chickened out” Blaster chuckled, “I was worried you’d figure me out at the time… I can’t believe you’re only connecting those dots now”.

“I…” Soundwave paused, then laughed, “I was so oblivious”.

“Naw, it’s cute” Blaster grinned as he drew an arm tightly over Soundwave’s shoulders.

“Cute” Soundwave snorted.

“Yeah, cute” Blaster grinned as he gingerly bopped the tip of Soundwave’s nasal ridge with a finger. Soundwave’s nasal ridge screwed up at the unexpected poke, then he looked at Blaster in bewilderment. Blaster laughed fondly as they continued down the hallway back to their home. “Cute” he repeated with a confident nod.

“You’re cute” Soundwave said pointedly, his optics held a playful glimmer.

“Not as cute as you” Blaster grinned.

Soundwave scoffed, then smiled fondly at his partner, “I love you”.

“I love you too”

Just like that night many months ago, they continued their walk home. However, this time, they were glad that they were walking home, arm in arm, as a couple.

Chapter Text

The future was not something that Soundwave often indulged himself with thinking about. For as long as he had existed, the future was something to plan for, to hope for, but never to look forward to. As a young mech, Soundwave thought that the future looked bleak at best. It was impossible (and sacrilegious) to imagine himself as a free mech. Freewill and happiness sounded like far away concepts to the young telepath. They were illustrious ideas, of course, but nothing that Soundwave ever thought he could obtain. Freedom, families, and joy were reserved for the mechs above him… the mechs he served under.

After breaking free from his chains of servitude, Soundwave found himself facing a vast ocean of possibilities. It was frightening, but it filled him with the foreign sensation of hope. He no longer had to bend to the bidding of who ever held ownership over him. He was no longer an item to be owned and conquered over. He was his own mech. For a very brief blip in his life, Soundwave felt himself peer up at the vastness of the future with excitement. He could do anything. He could become whoever he wanted to be. He could even have his own friends and family. The thought enthralled the telepath. It overwhelmed him too.

Of course, the thin layer of peace on Cybertron shattered shortly after that. Then came the war. With a huff of resignment, Soundwave had fastened his dreams of a peaceful life away and had turned his focus towards justice. There was no time to dream of the future when there was a war to be fought. So long as Soundwave could ensure his cassettes made it through each day alive and well, he had accomplished his goal. Every ounce of Soundwave’s focus wrapped around the war and his creations. Even if he could never live a free and peaceful life on Cybertron, perhaps he could deliver that life to his family.

When he was injured all those months ago, Soundwave had nearly resigned himself to the end. Waking up in the Autobot’s medbay, in retrospect, was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. Becoming friends with Blaster doused cold water on Soundwave’s life. He felt more awake and hopeful than ever. The Autobots were a generally optimistic group, and their dreams of a peaceful Cybertron were infectious. Of course, Soundwave couldn’t let himself get pulled too far into these expectations. With the war still in full tilt, and Megatron personally after him, any day could be his last. All the telepath could do was ensure that he did his best to help create a Cybertron of peace and prosperity for his cassettes.
When Soundwave opened his optics that morning, something immediately felt different. Physically, he felt normal. He was curled up in berth with Blaster. The orange mech, still deep in recharge, had his arms fastened tightly around Soundwave’s frame. The blue mech let out a soft huff and he turned to nuzzle his faceplates against Blaster’s. The boombox smiled in his sleep, and Soundwave smiled back.

Indeed, something was different. He just couldn’t figure out what it was. His spark felt lighter… more hopeful. It was as though a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
“The war is over” Soundwave whispered to himself. His optics narrowed, then he gave a soft sigh and turned to press his faceplates into Blaster’s shoulder.

“The war is over” Soundwave repeated with his cheek against Blaster’s plating.

It felt surreal… and it was finally beginning to sink in. It had been hard to truly grasp that the war was over in days prior. Everything had happened so fast. First, he was recovering from his injuries, then he was helping the ex-Decepticons settle into the Ark, then he was attending meetings every day for hours trying to figure out what to do with Megatron, then he was actually following through with the designed plans, then there were parties to attend, more meetings, and endless discussions on the next steps. Today was Soundwave’s day off. As usual, Optimus had ensured that the day off was granted to every-bot in Soundwave’s family. Now Soundwave could feel reality setting in. The war was over. He was a free mech.

Now Soundwave could dream of the future again. For the first time in eons, Soundwave actually believed that he could live a happy life. Not only did he believe in it; Soundwave realized that he was already starting it.

Blaster shifted slightly under Soundwave’s helm. The telepath turned his attention from his musings to his partner. The orange mech shifted into a lazy stretch, then his optics slowly flickered on.
“Hey” Blaster’s voice was still thick with sleep as he smiled at his boyfriend. He languidly lowered his arms from the stretch to place them back around Soundwave’s frame.

“Good morning” Soundwave murmured, “the war is over”.

Blaster gave a low chuckle, “are you just figuring that out now?”. He scrubbed absently at his optics with a yawn.

“Somehow… yes” Soundwave admitted with a soft smile.

Blaster hummed and tightened his hold on the telepath to pull him into a nuzzle. “Then let’s celebrate today, ‘Wave. How about it?”.

“That sounds nice”

“That’s ‘cuz I’m a genius” Blaster mumbled, still half asleep.

Soundwave laughed softly. He pushed himself up from the pillows to rest his chin on Blaster’s chestplates. Gazing warmly down on his partner, he said “you make me happy”.

Blaster’s optics gave a flicker and brightened back up into wakefulness. After processing Soundwave’s words for a moment, he smiled broadly. “You make me happy too, ‘Wave” he crooned. He pulled Soundwave into a tight embrace, “I love you”.

“I love you too” Soundwave muffled into his boyfriend’s plating. With satisfied sighs, both mechs relaxed back into their berth for a while longer.

Only a few minutes passed before a soft knock sounded from their berthroom door. A small voice called from the hallway, “are you guys kissing or anything gross like that?”. Soundwave snorted at Rumble’s question. He could feel Blaster shaking with laughter under him. He shifted to sit as Blaster slowly sat up from the berth.

“Coast is clear, fellas” Blaster grinned at the closed door.

An instant later, the berthroom door snapped open and an avalanche of cassettes rushed into the room. They made quick work of jumping up onto the berth and onto their creator’s laps. The condor twins elected instead to land on the berth’s headframe. Ravage and Steeljaw jumped up onto the berth last and sat at the end of it, watching as their brothers climbed over the two boomboxes.

“All right you little monsters” Blaster laughed as he attempted to peel the cassettes off of his frame, “I guess you’re ready for us to stop lazing around, right?”. The cassettes giggled in return and clung tighter to the orange mech.

Soundwave laughed softly as he watched Blaster struggle to free himself from the pile of clinging creations. He finally spoke up, “how about we go out for a walk today?”.

“Yeah!” Rewind yelled, “in a park with lots of trees to climb”.

“Oh! And let’s make energon goodies and play board games later tonight” Frenzy added.

“Can we watch a movie too?” Buzzsaw asked.

“That depends” Soundwave pretended to muse aloud as he scratched his chin, “I suppose it will depend on how long it takes us to get ready for the day. The sooner we have morning rations and make our berths, the sooner we can start to-”. Before he could even finish, the cluster of cassettes detached themselves from their creator’s frames and trampled out of the room in a mad dash to get ready.

Blaster laughed as he watched Ravage and Steeljaw leave in a calmer pace. “So crafty” he grinned at his partner. Soundwave smiled innocently back at him as he climbed out of the berth. He paused with one knee still on the side of the berth, then quickly leaned back over to peck a kiss on Blaster’s lips. Blaster grinned and asked for another. Soundwave was more than happy to oblige.

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They really did look like a tiny parade as they walked down the halls of the Ark. Soundwave walked by Blaster’s side. He glanced over his shoulder to watch as their ten creations followed them. Rumble, Frenzy, Rewind, and Eject ran in circles after each other while still somehow keeping up with the group. Ratbat was perched on Ravage’s dorsa. The eldest creation seemed content to give his youngest brother a piggyback ride. The panther walked along side Steeljaw and Ramhorn. Buzzsaw and Laserbeak hovered around the group and occasionally rested by perching on Blaster or Soundwave’s shoulder.

“Blast-mech!” the familiar shout echoed from down the hallway. Soundwave turned his helm away from the parade of cassettes back to the halls ahead.

“Hey, Jazz!” Blaster grinned as their path met up with Jazz and Prowl. A collective groan sounded from the creations as they dispersed themselves out around the hallway. Knowing Blaster and Jazz, it would be a while before they got to continue on their way outside.

“Good morning” Prowl greeted both carrier mechs with a polite nod. Soundwave returned the greeting with a smile.

“Can you fellas believe the beautiful day we have out there?” Jazz grinned.

“We were actually just headed out to enjoy it” Blaster laughed.

“Need a ride out to a park?”

“Nah, we’re catching one with Bumblebee on his way into town” Blaster grinned, “but thanks anyways, Mech”.

“We shouldn’t keep you too long” Prowl said with a glance to the meandering cassettes, “your creations look eager to be outside”. Certainly, they did.

Jazz glanced at the cassettes with a chuckle. Rumble was trying and failing to break his push up record of seven, the other cassettes were cheering for him as he struggled. Frenzy jumped on his dorsa to ensure his failure.

“Do you remember,” Jazz turned back to the carriers, “when we ran into each other in the hall that first time you were staying in the medbay?”.

“Was that when you were giving me a tour of the Ark?” Soundwave asked Blaster as he flipped through his memory files.

Blaster laughed wistfully, “yeah, and when we ran into Jazz, he told me that I had a crush on you… I didn’t believe him”.

“You didn’t believe him?" Soundwave repeated with a laugh. Blaster gave a flushed laugh and scrubbed at the back of his neck.

“Told you so” Jazz grinned broadly at his friend. He had only brough up the memory to rub it in again.

“You told me so” Blaster rolled his optics with a grin. Jazz beamed.

“Much has changed since then” Prowl mused.

“Yeah,” Jazz grinned, “we got a new friend”. He reached over and playfully smacked Soundwave on the arm. Soundwave returned the smile.

“You look good, by the way” Jazz said as his optics scrutinized the telepath, “… happier, or something”.

Soundwave momentarily tucked his helm down to look at the floor. He failed to hide his smile before looking back up, “I am… happy” he admitted. He glanced at Blaster, who grinned back and took his servo to press a wordless kiss on the back of it.

Jazz grinned at the couple, “drinks tonight?” he asked.

“Sure, once the kids are tuckered out and in berth” Blaster agreed with a glance at Soundwave. The blue mech nodded in agreement.

They shared their farewells as they started in opposite directions again. Soundwave glanced back over his shoulder as he watched Jazz and Prowl turn a corner and disappear down the hall. It was nice to know that, even when going their separate ways, they would always have lifelong friends in each other.

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Jazz was right, it was a beautiful day out. Soundwave eagerly took Blaster’s servo as it was offered when they started down the nature trail. It was overgrown with huge trees, even taller than the carriers. Ivy and vines hung down in ribbons from the canopy.

The carriers watched as their cassettes ran ahead on the paths. It was soothing to not have to fret over every one’s exact location anymore. Without the war, life was safer. Both boomboxes, and even the creations, felt so much freer.

Both mechs smiled and watched their creations run and play together ahead on the path. They didn’t have to say anything as they both understood that the family was for them to share now.
The future was becoming more and more clear before Soundwave’s optics. He could almost feel Cybertron’s atmosphere wrapped around him again. He could see the home he would build with Blaster somewhere in Koan or Iacon… perhaps somewhere else entirely. Either way, it would be their home to share. It didn’t matter where it was, just so long as they had it together.

If he closed his optics, Soundwave could almost see it all. The festivals, the date nights, the days that would be spent decorating their new home together, mornings spent sending their creations to youngling academies, evenings spent swaying in each other’s arms to soft music, the giggling he would hear across the house when their cassettes hosted sleepovers with their new friends. He could taste the highgrade he would share with Blaster during quiet evenings together, as well as the energon goodies they would inevitably make. It was all there in front of him. The creation day parties, the bonding ceremony, the anniversaries, the movie nights and rainy days and double dates with Jazz and Prowl. Soundwave’s spark sang in joy as he unfolded all of the possibilities he could never before reach.

The telepath glanced over at Blaster, he couldn’t help the watery smile he gave the orange mech. Blaster looked confused for only a moment, then smiled. He understood. Without a word, Blaster pulled Soundwave closer and wrapped his arm around his love. Soundwave leaned into the embrace and turned his helm in the slightest to meet Blaster in a soft kiss.

They smiled and let their helms rest together for a moment, then turned their optics back to the path ahead.

In that moment, they both knew where they were going; and every step forward brought them closer.