Title: A Bond of Necessity (Part 2)
Verse: G1 AU
Rating: PG
Characters: Mirage, Hound, other minor unnamed characters
Warnings: arranged bond, slavery
Summary: Hound attends his own reception

Thank you to everyone who placed an alert on this story. Also, special thanks to the following for sending reviews: MyNameIsJag, Flyby Stardancer, naggingfishwife, Trickster91, Crazygrrl XD, and Sounddrive. I was surprised to find there were not many HoundxMirage stories out there (and I agree there should be more).

Time Reference:
astrosecond ~ one second
klick ~ one minute
joor ~ one hour
cycle ~ one day
deca-cycle ~ one week
orn ~ one month
vorn ~ one year

(I do not own Transformers.)

Hound stood quietly in the place of honor in the grand ballroom with a cube of high grade in one servo. Following his bonding ceremony to Mirage, he had been guided here. Outwardly he appeared calm taking a few small sips from his cube as he watched the reception before him. Inwardly he never felt so self-conscious and out-of-place in his entire existence.

A few of the gathered guests looked at the former slave and nodded slightly at him but no one spoke to him. That gave him plenty of time to simply watch the crowd as they enjoyed the high grade and gossip, both of which were in abundance. Hound was already well aware of how shallow these events were with their focus on appearances and social contacts but being the reason for the gossip was almost unbearable. He wished he could leave but he had been instructed in no uncertain terms by Mirage's sire that he was to remain in his place, on display, before the assembled guests. It was a complete mockery but being a former slave Hound knew his place so he quietly endured the humiliation. He certainly was not what had been expected and he could clearly see he was not desired by his legal bondmate. This was evidenced by the fact that Mirage was not at his side but across the room. The noble stood proudly gracefully sipping his high grade as he spoke to guests. He did not look happy but wore the neutral expression of a mech that had attended formal functions since he was a youngling and knew how to behave. Likewise, the courier tried not to show his discomfort at the situation. He was now free but his upbringing as a slave demanded that he do nothing that would embarrass his bondmate. He struggled not to think of Mirage as his master although that would have made it easier for Hound.

Hound wondered what path his existence would now take. He stood as a free mech for the first time ever but he was held captive in this unexpected bond. He would be expected to attend every formal event that Mirage did even if he simply stood ignored in a corner. He would be expected to be faithful to Mirage. He had every intention to do so, taking the bond very seriously, but he quietly despaired that he would never have the opportunity to interface again or have the hope of falling in love. Hound paused on that thought. Mirage was very attractive and Hound knew he wouldn't be able to help falling in love with him. He despaired that his feelings would never be returned. He had been a slave and now he was merely the fulfillment of a contract. He watched his bondmate across the room being careful not to stare. The blue and white noble moved with such grace and ease. He was so very pleasing to the optics. Hound looked down at the floor and was saddened that he had ruined the existence of this beautiful being. Mirage should have been happy at his own reception instead of treating it as another mandatory social function.

He couldn't help but think of the events in Praxus. Lord Prowl had bonded to a commoner, the musician Jazz. The details about how that had occurred were not known but gossip from Praxus was that the two mechs were madly in love with one another. He didn't know how Jazz had won Prowl's spark but he knew he didn't have either Jazz's looks with his graceful frame and mysterious visor or his singing voice. He was certain those attributes must have at least helped. By contrast, Hound had a simply boxy frame, plain color, and no special talents expect for the ability to navigate efficiently through all types of terrain. None of those qualities would have any attraction for a mech such as Mirage. He wondered if he would be locked away until his presence was required spending the remainder of his time in solitude.

After several joors Mirage worked his way across the room to quietly announce to his creators that he was retiring. With scarcely a glance at Hound he quietly commanded, "Follow me." Hound fell into place behind his bondmate and did not look up at anyone as they exited the ballroom.

The noble led the former slave through the halls he called home until they reached a door which apparently was the entrance to Mirage's suite. "This will be your home now," he said flatly. He gave Hound an access code and allowed him to try it to be sure it worked. The door unlocked with an audible click and with only a brief hesitation, he opened the door and stepped into the room. He moved off to the side giving Mirage plenty of space to enter the room and shut the door. Hound was suddenly fearful. What if this noble was the type of mech that enjoyed casual interfaces and wanted to race through Hound's circuits just for the thrill? That wasn't Hound's style but he would submit to his bondmate's desires. He did not have to like anything that his bondmate did; he only had to submit without complaint.

Mirage said nothing but stepped away into another room. Hound hadn't been told to follow so he stood quietly for a time with his optics downcast before gaining the courage to look up and scan his surroundings. He was standing in a comfortable but minimally decorated sitting room. A small alcove to one side held a selection of energon in case one wished to refuel in private. A room off of the sitting room contained a small office. The last room was clearly the berthroom. He approached it slowly and peered inside but did not go in. His bondmate was on the large and comfortable looking berth already in recharge. He looked around the dim room noting a spacious washrack through an open door at the back of the room.

He stood there looking at the resting noble unsure what to do. He wondered if he should climb into the berth but immediately decided against it. His optics roved over the trim form. His bondmate was still adorned with ornaments and he had to resist the urge to go over and touch them. Instead he returned to the sitting area and stretched out on the couch.

This was not how he had imagined spending the night of his bonding ceremony. He truthfully had not expected to interface since he had always thought he would be presented with a fellow slave he hadn't met before as a bondmate. Still, he had expected to at least spend the first night in a berth with his bondmate being able to talk and getting to know the one given to him.

He stretched and began to cycle down his systems. He was actually relieved that Mirage had fallen into recharge since it meant Hound did not have to deal with awkward conversation until the next cycle. He also knew now that Mirage would not press physical issues but that reminded Hound once again that both of them were sentenced to functioning without intimacy. He was tired and the couch was more comfortable than his slave berth so he quickly fell into recharge before he could think any more about the worst cycle of his existence.