I'll give you something to believe in
I'd rather fail than never try
Broken pieces will fall apart
Promises
Will tear down the trust
Find a reason to give your heart
And I'll find a reason for us
I'll find a reason
Broken Pieces~ Andy Black
Blaster left the ship cautiously. The misty morning felt good against his face and he latched onto the comfort and joy his symbionts exuded as they scampered through the long grasses. Somewhere in the tattered shroud of fog was a small Polyhexion that didn't like being seen.
Not by you, no one wants to see you
Freak
Die
Twitching his entire frame he turned up his music to drown out the voices that still nipped and tore at him when the quiet stretched too long. Steeljaw returned to him, no longer as jubilant. His tail lashed through the grasses, ears pinned back as he slunk to Blaster's side. Taking a steadying breath he picked up Steeljaw and held his symbiont close to his spark. Steeljaw's connection blazed certain and strong in his spark and in his mind and the last echoes of laughter were pushed to the dark place where they waited.
Keeping the small lion in his arms he began his search. Steeljaw's nose and whiskers twitched as he scented the wind and gave Blaster a better idea of which direction to begin his search. Eject flew high above but the fog was just thick enough unless Jazz was standing in a deliberate opening the avian wouldn't find him. Still, the glorious stretch of Eject's wings and the crisp bite of cool air ruffling feathers buoyed Blaster's spark. Eject hadn't been able to even stretch his wings in the hangar while Ultra Magnus had been in charge.
In the back of his mind the yawning dark opened, reaching for him and in the heart of the darkness the whispers screamed. Steeljaw growled softly and Blaster flinched away from the darkness like he would a physical blow.
But there—distraction—Steeljaw's nose caught Jazz's familiar scent and the lion demanded he be put down so he could follow the trail. Blaster jogged after his symbiont telling himself he needed the stretch, but the whispers still followed, the darkness remained.
"Blaster," Jazz greeted with a slight head tilt. "You're up early." Steeljaw stopped a fair distance away, nothing about the Polyhexian's posture inviting either of them closer. Blaster nodded and edged out of the ship's shadow into a weak morning patch of sunlight.
Go away
See, he doesn't want you
No one wants you
Orphan
Useless
Die
Blaster's hands started to shake, the darkness lunged closer, the whispers louder. Laughter raked across his mind like razors but Jazz didn't seem to hear any of it. No one did. No one heard the screaming and laughter that filled the silence. No one ever heard the screaming. Steeljaw cowered against the ground and Eject added his own scream to the mix trying to regain his meditative flight. Jazz glanced up as the terse sound tore through the delicate morning.
"What d'you want, Blaster?" Jazz asked finally looking at him. Blaster hugged himself and looked at the ground. He wanted the voices to be quiet and everything to be okay again because things were not okay right now. Even though Red Alert and Prowl were back and Bluestreak was on his way, nothing was okay. It wasn't better. The laughing never stopped. He couldn't recharge, even his dreams weren't loud enough to make the voices stop. He wanted to be okay again.
Steeljaw shivered in the dewy grass no longer enjoying the cold. He belly crawled to the sunlight searching for warmth. Above, Eject dropped into a dive and found a rock to perch on, his wings weak and unwilling to hold him. Steeljaw uttered a guttural sound that Blaster translated to words Jazz could understand. "I'm sorry," his voice was soft, the trembling not as pronounced as it would be if he spoke at his normal volume. He felt Jazz's full attention shift to him. Steeljaw mewled, the fearsome lion that fought and won against mech's five and six times his size reduced to a cowering kitten as the darkness stretched out dampening the connection between him and Blaster. "I d-didn't…I was mean to Prowl and that wasn't right," he said in a rush trying to think past the screams in his audios. "A-and I know that made you mad and I'm sorry." He couldn't breathe. Even in the sun there was no light, no warmth. Snatching Steeljaw off the ground he crushed his symbiont against his spark. Steeljaw didn't protest the rough treatment, his efforts concentrated inside on ripping and rending the darkness trying to snuff out his connection with Blaster. Eject similarly pecked and tore at the darkness creeping into his connection.
Pathetic
Die
No one wants you
Broken
Die
A warm hand touched his trembling arm and his optics snapped back into focus. The morning was still bright, the sun still shone on him. Jazz stood next to him, hand still resting on his armor. Blaster seized the spark of warmth and fought the darkness back. The whispers fell back laughing and screaming. Steeljaw panted in his arms, ears low and tail limp.
"Blaster," Jazz said softly. His thumb rubbed his arm soothingly and Blaster focused on that calm repetitive motion. "Mech, a lot happened the last few kels," Jazz continued in a soft voice that the whispers couldn't overpower. "And some of it I'll never be able to tell you, but I promise you one orn I will, I have to. I'll tell you everything I can." It was easier to breathe with Jazz talking. Jazz acting like he used to. Like things were okay. "But right now," he said, voice going a little rough, "I'm not the mech I need to be for that talk. I'm not the mech you need me to be either." The hand left his arm and then two hands held his head gently. Jazz had to stand on his toes and Blaster had to dip his head but Jazz pressed their foreheads together. "I promise mechling, we'll be okay." A clawed thumb gently brushed away the fluid that fell from Blaster's optics. "We'll be okay."
oOo
A/N: Thank you Squidgy for the story idea! It's not exactly what we discussed, but I think after the sequel to WtLOR that particular story can be written as well.
As always, Thank You for Reading/Reviewing/Favoriting/Following.