Title: Secretly
Verse:Prime
Series: none
Rating: T
Warnings: mentions of stalking.
Pairings:Soundwave
Summary: Soundwave dwells.
Note: The November Prompt Revival Challenge! For tf_prime on LJ. Prompt: Secret Admirer.
A follow up to: Watching.
Megatron looked out the window of the control room, the terran landscape stretching as far as he could see. The horizon soft in the night-time-hour obscuring the gentle curvature of the earth. He clasped his hands behind his back, silent for a moment.
Soundwave stood behind him, clearly uneasy. He tried not to figit, which was wholly unlike him.
"Now is not the time." Megatron said, still looking at the night-scape. "But when we win this war-and we will-my most loyal will be rewarded as such."
Soundwave was silent as his listened to Megatron prattle on about rewards, and winning the war. It sit ill with him like nothing else his leader had ever proclaimed had. He remained silent though, what else was there to say on the matter?
"You are, and have always been one of my most trusted followers." Megatron continued, unaware of the thoughts bouncing in Soundwave's head. "I will not begrudge you a slave when the time comes and the Autobots are finally crushed. There will be many to go around." He gave Soundwave a toothy smile.
He had watched her for years, left her gifts. He had hoped that should could, perhaps, come to feel the same way that he had-that he still did. He admired her. Had admired her for more vorns than he cared to count. The thought of her spirit being broken and reduced to such made him feel like purging his tanks. The last thing he wanted was for her to be his slave.
"Be patient." Megatron continued to talk. "Continue as you have, and you will get what you wish."
Soundwave only half listened. That was not like him. He nodded his head, acknowledging his lieges leniency. He could have off-lined Arcee. Certainly. He sighed inside, or at least the Cybertronian equivalent. Megatron finally took his leave, and for once Soundwave was relieved.
He made his way to his own quarters, just another ghost aboard Nemesis. His rooms were quiet, which was to be expected. Rumble was in an a joining room, deep in recharge. He could tell that through the bond, just as he could tell from the thin filament that Frenzy was as well. He could tell little else, it was stretched so thin. Keep her safe. He sent across it urgently, and hoped Frenzy would heed it.
He crossed the room, picking up one of the cubes from the shelf. He had gone about things all wrong, clearly. He had thought it best, at first. It was not an uncommon way of courting in Simfur. It was even preferred. Secrets and gifts until your suit was accepted. She was not Simfurian.
An Iaconian, which Arcee was, could never understand. He vented heavily. He did not want her on Megatron's terms. He could have had that a million times over. It was all he had left, though, and reluctantly he accepted it. Eventually, it would come to pass and he would make the most of it.
In the mean time he had to make sure she survived the coming battles. He had thrown Arachnid off enough. He could not even say that he hated the Femme, but she was a nuisance. A nuisance he would deal with permanently if it became necessary.
::Boss, you okay?:: Rumble asked, suddenly coming on-line.
::Affirmative: All is well.::
::I don't buy that boss. Is Frenzy-is Frenzy okay? I can barely feel him.::
::Frenzy: functioning optimally.::
The little bot groaned. "Whatever, Boss. I don't like any of this, and I don't like hiding. And I really don't think...that femme is crazy. I thought she was gonna off-line me and Frenzy when she caught us."Rumble huffed.
"Arcee: A different tact. Secret presents: Ill advised."
Rumble snorted. "As the the humans would say, no shit, Sherlock. Secret admirers and paranoid Autobots do not mix, Boss. Why don't you just kidnap her and get it over-with."
Soundwave x-vented loudly. The suggestion did not even warrant a reply.
OoOoOoOo
He waited a week. Flying out from Nemesis he skimmed through the dark nights sky. The stars barely illuminated his flight path. The presents were tucked away in his subspace. Three data-pads taken from the great library in Iacon before it burned.
He was more careful about it this time. He watched her as she watched him warily, it was more of a glare, and not a friendly one by any stretch.
He set the offering carefully at the end of the driveway, and backed away slowly, afraid any sudden move would send her skittering away.
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything or flinch away. He finally gave up waiting, and jumped into the air in a fluid motion. He transformed mid-air, shooting into the stratosphere. His black form blending in with the inky heavens.
He could nearly feel her optics on him as he climbed, and finally shot through the sky back towards Nemesis. He was afraid to scan the area and see if she even accepted the gift. Don't look back. Don't look back.
He was treading a very thin line,he knew this. If Megatron found out he would be more than just displeased. Soundwave had been warned once, but he could not leave it be. Soundwave shivered inside.
He wanted her, and not on Megatron's terms. It made his spark uneasy. It made him doubt. Doubt his leaders choices. Doubt Megatron's vision of the future. He cursed inside and tucked the thoughts away deep in his processor to examine later.
Everything was falling apart.
OoOoOoOo
Arcee watched him until he was out of sight, and finally stooped to pick up the data-pads. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn't seem to stop. She glanced at them before finally sub-spacing all three. She looked back up at the sky, and shook her head.
"What am I going to do?" she murmured to herself, stumbling into the garage. She transformed and let herself slip into recharge.