One powerful song
This is one of my first stories that I have posted, but my others were 2 or 3 years ago, there is a lot more Occness in this by Optimus and jack but you know I can do whatever. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, any and all credit goes to Hasbro and Avril Lavigne. Sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes, let me know about any critics or criticism, I will any and all advice about plot and contexts. Song: Head Above Water – Avril Lavigne.
Music had always been something that made him calm and relaxed when nothing else could. When he was angry or sad he would blast his headphones and sing until he couldn't talk anymore, Singing had been an escape from the reality that he lived: Abusive father to the point he's had to go to the hospital where his mother worked to get stitches and multiple casts. At night he couldn't sleep without music playing in his ears all night long, at school when the bullies came and beat him up in the locker room or the cafeteria or behind the school he would be found with a beaten body and broken set of headphones and he would be sad, not because he was hit, no, because he would have to endure the silence back home or base.
Today was different though, he had decided to take his homework and work at base while he waited for the day to be over so he could go home to an empty, silent, lonely house filled with horrible memories from his childhood, but today he decided he would sing while he studied, he went to one of the empty rooms deep in the Autoboot base so that no one could hear him singing.
I've gotta keep the calm before the storm
I don't want less, I don't want more
Must bar the windows and the doors
To keep me safe, to keep me warm.
Yeah, my life is what I'm fighting for
Can't part the sea, can't reach the shore
And my voice becomes the driving force
I won't let this pull me overboard
Unknown to him there was one Autobot that had excellent hearing. Jack Darby had been a stable and strong looking human, but Optimus could see right through his façade, because after all, that was precisely what he did around everyone, he would act like he was calm, cool and collected but in his spark he knew that he wouldn't be able to beat Megatron, not because he was not strong enough, but because he still believes that Megatron could return to the brother he once knew, but alas not everything you wish for is right.
God, keep my head above water
Don't let me drown
It gets harder, I'll meet you there at the altar
As I fall down to my knees
Don't let me drown, drown, drown
(Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown)
So pull me up from down below
Because I'm underneath the undertow
Come dry me off and hold me close
I need you now, I need you most
Soon Jack became so consumed in the world of Music, he wasn't aware that he was singing with more passion that he'd ever sung with, the sheer intensity that he put into the song made Optimus wonder what the song was about, the boy had tears in his eyes and a shaky voice, but he still sung with the same passion and sadness in his voice.
God, keep my head above water
Don't let me drown
It gets harder, I'll meet you there at the altar
As I fall down to my knees
Don't let me drown, drown, drown
(Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown)
Don't let me drown, drown, drown
(Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown)
And keep my head above water, above water
And I can't see In the stormy weather
I can't seem to keep It all together
And I, I can't swim the ocean like this forever
And I can't breathe.
God, keep my head above water
I lose my breath at the bottom
Come rescue me, I'll be waiting
I'm too young to fall asleep
God, keep my head above water
Don't let me drown
It gets harder, I'll meet you there at the altar
As I fall down to my knees
Don't let me drown
And Keep my head above water, above water
As the song ended, Jack then fell to his knees and started to sob uncontrollably with no care in the world if anyone heard him. The singing stopped and sobbing began, Optimus became worried for the boy, so the Prime started to walk to the room, and what he saw made his spark sink, Jack had huddled into the corner of the giant room clutching his head, immediately the Prime turned on his holoform and ran to the boy taking him into his arms in the form of comfort but noticing that the boy had several marks on his wrist.
"Why?" the shaky voice of Jack said looking up at the holoform with tears dripping down his face, it was a simple question that made the holoform stop and gazes into the teary eyes of the boy, the Prime could see the desperation for an answer but one that he couldn't answer for he had the same question: why him, why this war, why all this death, why this world, why these beings. He had prayed and cried to Primus to end the war for so long he's cried for his Planet, his family, friends, comrades, and the enviable death of the humans.
Optimus didn't answer the boy instead just held the boy while he released all the stress and emotion that he had built up into the tiny body, as the human cried and shook violently, Optimus soothed the child by rubbing his back and letting him cry into the holoform's strong shoulder. Once Jack had finally calmed down from sobs to shaky breaths of air, all the while Optimus just waited until Jack was ready to move out of the comforting arms around him securely keeping him in place, the boy gradually fell asleep on the holoform's burly shoulder as he became weightless, the Autobot leader stayed in the same position for an extended period of time to make sure he was asleep to not wake the sleeping teen, slowly lifted him in his arms bridal style and walked to the central part of the base, placing the unconscious body onto the human couch he then put a blanket onto the boy allowing him to rest and recuperate all the energy he had wasted.