Author's Note: Hello, I am alive! I decided that I wanted a frest start, so I deleted all my older stories and decided to start uploading my more recent writing. I'm mainly basing these stories in IDW's Transformers comics, in case anyone's curious. So far, all of it will be focusing on my and my friend's Transformers fan characters and their relationship - they're such fuckin gay disasters and I love them more than I love myself mndhdhfhdjfh
Software belongs to my best friend on Instagram, ssoftwave.s (who doesn't have an account here as far as I know), while Spotlight and the briefly mentioned Roundhouse and Bluepoint are mine.
Anyways, enjoy the first part of the series! I'm probs gonna be doing these out of order bc I'm a thirsty lil binch who writes whatever the hell my current inspiration deems worthy of writing lmao
Also this was written a while ago and I like to think that I've improved a bit already, so yeah ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Another quiet, boring day, another visit to Blurr's bar. Software only briefly paused to greet a passing red mech out of habit as he trudged through the doors and into the crowded bar, swiveling around as he avoided being accidentally trampled by the much larger mechs all around him. A few of Blurr's regular patrons spotted him making his way towards the counter, some waving enthusiastically and some merely nodding towards his general direction, optics distant and unfocused from all the engex in their systems. Blurr himself raised his helm at the sound of Software padding closer and smiled.
"The usual?" the blue mech asked, tilting his helm to the side in an inquiring manner.
"The usual," Software replied cheerfully before clambering onto a nearby stool with a small grunt. Blurr slid a small glass of engex towards him without another word and went back to cleaning another empty glass himself. Software retracted his face mask and took a sip after thanking the bartender, settling into a more comfortable position on his chosen seat. He shivered slightly as the fluid slid down his throat, the familiar electric tingle of the drink bringing back a sense of comfort to the purple minibot. Letting out a pleased sigh, he let himself relax and simply settled for observing the other customers scattered across the bar.
Mechs of all sizes and frame types came and went, all chattering cheerfully with each other as they joined the loud crowd and socialized. Software decided to entertain himself by counting how many mechs of different colors he could spot, only pausing occasionally to order another drink. Red, blue, purple, silver, green… The minibot had gotten to his seventh glass of engex before his vision started fizzing slightly, and he only distantly realized he was getting drunk again. Oh well, it's not like he had anything important to do the next day anyway. Forcing himself to concentrate again, he resumed his task of counting the multicolored frames of bots all around him. Bronze, yellow, orange, teal… wait. Briefly putting down his eighth drink, Software tried activating the zooming function in his optics to get a better look at what he thought had been a very familiar flash of pearly white. Squinting for a minute or two, he looked for the mech that had caught his optic, but was forced to quit after his HUD issued a small chime, displaying a warning about using the zooming function for extended periods of time while intoxicated. With a displeased huff, Software blinked and turned back towards the counter, downing the rest of his engex in one go. Blurr's optics flicked to the minibot's face, and the bartender paused in his self-appointed task of cleaning empty glasses to lean towards him with a curious hum.
"Hey, Softy, why the long face? Somethin' on your mind?" the blue mech asked quietly, a small smile on his face as he waited for the minibot's response. Software paused for a moment, optics narrowing as he gathered his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his words slurred slightly, there was an oddly focused look in his optics that Blurr couldn't help but notice.
"Nah, I just… I just thought I saw someone I knew. Or, well, I don't really know them per se, but I met them once, and I just…" Software muttered, blinking slowly as he let the sentence trail off. Blurr's optics widened a tad, and he tilted his helm to the side once again, his previous smile not fading.
"You're not in trouble, are you?" he said with a good-natured chuckle. Software sat up a bit straighter and let out a surprised huff, optics fixated somewhere in Blurr's general direction.
"'Course not, Blurr! It's just…" he paused. "There's this new mech in town, y'know, that medic guy," he continued, absently fiddling with his empty glass. Blurr nodded after a moment, humming thoughtfully.
"Sure do know them. They don't come by very often, though - don't really seem like the type to drink. They probably have work to do," he mused calmly, watching as Software propped one arm up and leaned his helm on it, still twirling his glass.
"Ugh, Blurr… y'know… why do all the cute ones gotta be so busy," he responded after a slight pause, words slurring even heavier and optics distant. It was only after he heard a loud, barely concealed snort from his right that he finally gathered enough energy to sit up straighter, optics flicking towards the source of the noise. There sat a prussian blue- and orange-armored mech, holding a large glass of flavored engex in one servo, shoulders trembling as he fought to contain his laughter. It took him a few moments, but eventually he managed to collect himself and turn to face a scowling Software with a cheeky grin.
"Well, well, well. Looks like someone's got a crush," the mech drawled in an infuriatingly smug voice, bright orange optics twinkling with mirth. Software narrowed his optics, slowly raising his arm to point a single digit at the mech with a rather unimpressive snarl, "You. Roundhouse. I suggest you zip it before I climb over there and jam this glass right into your vocalizer."
The larger Autobot, Roundhouse, leaned away from the purple minibot with a suppressed snicker, waving a servo through the air in a placating manner.
"Easy, Softy, chill. I was just teasin' ye. B'sides, it's about time ye got yerself a conjunx. Someone oughta keep ye from draining all of Blurr's reserves," he replied, grinning as the aforementioned bartender made a sound that resembled both a choked wheeze and a snort. Roundhouse turned back to look at Software, who was wearing one of the most hilariously unimpressed deadpan expressions that he had ever seen on another living creature. Another laugh threatened to escape his vocalizer, but the surprisingly icy glare in Software's optics suggested he shouldn't test the small mech's patience. Minibots tended to become rather terrifying if they were ticked off enough, after all. Simply settling with a pleased smile, Roundhouse turned his attention away from Software to focus back on his drink. The small purple minibot next to him huffed, then ordered another drink of his own. Blurr's optics shone with visible concern now, but he didn't comment as he slid a glass towards the small mech. Software nodded once and immediately took a sip, seemingly lost in thought. Blurr watched him silently for a moment.
"Hey, Softy, I think you should try talking to the medic. See if you two click, y'know?" he suggested after a pause, watching as Software heaved himself upwards to look at the blue mech with an expression that mirrored confused exasperation.
"But… Blurr, c'mon, what would I even say to them? Last time I met them I made a complete fool of m'self, I don't think they're ever gonna take me seriously again," he muttered sourly, slumping onto the counter with a defeated sigh. Blurr's interest was piqued, however, and he leaned closer with his optics widening a bit.
"Oh, come on now. It couldn't have been that bad, now could it? What even happened?"
Software let out a long, suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of his olfactory sensor between two digits.
"It's… it's a long story."
~Flashback~
Barely dodging a large mech's pede that came dangerously close to punting him across the hallway, Software let out a high-pitched yelp as he ducked and swiveled away from incoming bots while struggling to keep a tall pile of datapads in his arms from toppling over. Some bots noticed him skittering around and quickly moved out of the way, some of them flashing sympathetic smiles at the minibot. Barely having time to thank them, Software made his way towards the quarters of someone called 'Spotlight', according to the labels on the datapads on top of the large pile.
Once he finally reached the door with a silver name tag that read 'Spotlight, medical officer', he sent a withering glare at the control panel located almost right at the top of the wall surrounding the door. With his arms preoccupied and him unfortunately being devilishly short when compared to most bots, he had practically no way of opening the door.
"Great. Just fragging fantastic," the minibot muttered sourly, still glaring at the control panel. Then, he heard the sound of nearing pedesteps, and turned his helm to look at the newcomer.
The bright electric blue femme with a light blue visor, doorwings and pointed helm fins watched him for a moment, helm tilted to one side and mouth quirked into a lopsided smile.
"Havin' trouble with the door, 'lil fella?"
Software looked at the femme silently for a moment before he nodded, wearing a slightly sheepish smile under his face mask.
"Uh… yeah. Mind lending me a servo?"
The femme smiled wider, then sauntered closer to reach towards the control panel. Her doorwings twitched as she placed her palm on the panel, and the door slid open with a small hiss. Software let out a relieved sigh and sent a grateful look towards the femme.
"Thanks." He paused for a moment, squinting at the door. "Jeez, how tall is this 'Spotlight' guy anyway? Mech must be a fragging titan to need a door this big," he continued with a huff. He swiveled his helm to look at the blue femme after hearing a loud snort, optics widening with surprise when he saw her nearly doubled over and leaning on the wall, clearly struggling not to laugh. A few small giggles still managed to escape her vocalizer, however, and once she got her laughter somewhat under control, she turned to look at him with a wide grin.
"Oh, kid, you have no idea," she murmured, shaking her helm with a snicker. Leaving Software staring at the door with a puzzled and mildly concerned expression, the femme flicked a casual, two-digit salute his way, turned around, then walked off. Software went to call out to her, but then snapped his mouth shut with a quiet growl. Ah, it's fine. He could do this just fine by himself - he hadn't needed help from strangers before while delivering datapads, why would he need any now? He had bothered the femme enough already.
Shaking his helm a bit to clear his thoughts, Software steeled his nerves and stepped through the door.
His olfactory sensor immediately picked up the faint scent of medical equipment and med-grade energon wafting through the air, and Software forced himself not to cringe. He had never been particularly fond of being in hospitals. Still, he had a job to do. Doing his best to ignore the smell, he glanced around himself to try and find his current target. He almost dropped the pile of datapads with a surprised shriek when a soft and mildly curious voice suddenly rang out from one of the corridors to his left.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Cursing quietly, Software wheeled around to locate the owner of the voice, optics settling on a door not too far from him. He paused for a moment before responding.
"Uh… yeah! I'm Software, and I have a bunch of datapads here that are all labelled to you," he began, slowly padding towards the door. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, almost startling the purple minibot again, and the voice replied warmly;
"Ah yes, of course! I was already beginning to wonder if they were lost somewhere," it said, the owner of the voice clearly smiling. There was something about the voice that instinctively made Software relax, but he had no time to ponder why before he stepped into the room and set his optics on the mech inside.
He had originally thought that the blue femme from earlier was exaggerating, but there truly was no other word to the describe Spotlight other than 'titan'. Easily at least four helms taller than him, the mech towered over Software in a nearly frightening fashion, heavily armored limbs and large shoulder pads adding even more volume to their already imposing silhouette. Covered from helm to toe with shining, pearly white armor, accentuated by a few lone stripes of light blue, orange and magenta, they seemed almost knightly in a bizarre but oddly comforting way. Software's optics traveled from their wheeled pedes to their silvery abdomen, vents hitching just a bit when he spotted the mech's second pair of arms hanging loosely at their sides. Continuing upwards, he focused on the royal blue medical insignia on Spotlight's chest plate, and then looked up at their face.
First, he noticed the softly glowing blue visor covering Spotlight's optics, then the orange antennae arching over their forehead and pointed upwards. Their mouth was stretched into a warm smile and their eyebrows were quirked upwards, giving their square-ish face an overall kind and welcoming look.
Software didn't even notice how his hold on the datapads had loosened, and once he did, he had little time to react before the entire pile tumbled from his arms onto the ground with a loud clatter. Frantically diving downwards and scrambling to collect the datapads, a long string of quiet swears flying from his vocalizer, he felt his face heat up and his cooling fans activate with a loud whirr. Well, shit, he thought, there goes any credibility I might've had before getting here. As he reached for the last datapad on the floor, a large, silvery servo appeared to grab it before Software could. Looking up from the ground, face still glowing blue, he saw Spotlight smiling, a touch of seemingly genuine concern shining on their face.
"Are you alright?" they asked softly, tilting their helm to the left. Software stared at them for a few seconds, then jolted sharply and nodded.
"U-uh, yes! I'm fine! Thanks!" he stammered, internally slapping himself on the face when he realized he had just yelled the phrase much louder than he had intended. Primus, please just kill me now.
Software began internally contemplating if he should just get up and excuse himself right then and there. Then, before he could react, Spotlight laughed.
The noise tumbled out of the mech's vocalizer in short, steady waves, seemingly bubbling from their very soul and ringing pleasantly in Software's audials. It was a bright, melodic sound - it was somehow both loud and gentle and warm, and Software swore it made his spark sing.
"Well, I'm quite glad to hear that," Spotlight replied after a moment, beaming at the smaller minibot next to them with a pleased smile. Software simply stayed quiet, afraid that if he spoke he'd embarrass himself even further. Spotlight gently reached for the rest of their datapads, collecting them into a neat pile, then slowly rose up from their crouched position and extended an unoccupied servo towards Software with an inquiring hum.
"Need any help?"
Software jolted, watching the offered limb for a moment, then gingerly grabbed it and pulled himself upwards with a small grunt.
"Thanks," he mumbled quietly, avoiding looking at Spotlight's optics. The mech merely gave another chuckle, gently patting the minibot's shoulder, then strode back towards their desk on the far end of the room.
"Thank you, Software. Please, try to be careful," they said, taking a seat and placing the datapads on the desk. Software resisted the urge to sigh loudly, then nodded once and positioned his servos into somewhat awkward, casual salute.
"Uh… yep, will do," he replied in a shaky attempt at sounding cheerful, voice still somewhat distant. Then, without another word, he whirled around and zipped back towards the exit as fast as he could without seeming suspicious. Letting the door close behind him, Software slumped against the wall of the hallway with an exhausted groan. Primus, how had he managed to screw up that badly? What was it about Spotlight that made his spark pound against its chamber with enough force to feel like he was suffocating? What was it about them that made their smile cling to Software's memory clearer than any regular client of his?
Software's spark gave another longing pulse, and the minibot glared at his chest icily.
"Don't you fragging dare," he muttered to himself quietly, but he already had a sinking feeling that his efforts were futile.
~Flashback End~
"So yeah, that's the story of how I screwed up a simple datapad delivery and probably lost any chance I might've had with Spot."
Blurr had listened to the story carefully, optics shining with curiosity. There was a small smile beginning to form on his face.
"Well, I don't really think you messed up that bad. Sounds to me that they were genuinely concerned for ya, y'know." He paused, leaning towards Software, smile widening a bit. "C'mon, just try talking to them. I'm sure they could use some company."
Software looked at the bartender, squinting, then slumped back onto the counter with a sigh. An idea was, however, already forming in his mind.
"... Blurr, can I have another drink?"
At this, Blurr let out a loud, somewhat exasperated snort.
"Softy, no. That's your tenth one. I know, I did just tell you that you should talk to Spot, but drinking until your body shuts down and goes into a four-week coma ain't exactly the best first impression."
Author's Note: Well, there. I'm perfectly aware that there may be small mistakes here and there, but I had fun writing this so I honestly don't even care. Saltfish out, lads.