A big thank you to everyone who has read and/or commented. I love hearing your thoughts. Keep it up and I shall reward you with more chapters. Cheers for that, right?! (Hopefully:)

So… I gave Soundwave a breed. Hey, if we can have seekers and shifters and whatever the frag Megsy is, then I can have this. I do what I want.

Chapter Warning/Tags/Kinks-Violence, robot gore, language


Chapter 7-Soothe Me


So…?

Laserbeak: elaborate.

What happened?

Repeat: elaborate.

Master you know what I mean!

Affirmative. Laserbeak: be explicit. Excitement: insufficient excuse to forget training.

Rrrgh. Did he say yes? Are you courting him?

Affirmative. Soundwave felt an intense spike of pleasure from his symbiont as she took flight and circled the room repeatedly. He was pleased that she was taking such joy from this moment but he was not enthusiastic about the situation and she started to pick up on that.

When she settled back down fully he could feel the pleasure ebbing and a slightly saddened curiosity forming. Master, why are you not happy?

Soundwave: refrains. Courtship: lengthy. Likely outcome: incompatible.

You haven't even started yet! It doesn't have to be a lengthy process either. You just make it complicated.

Laserbeak: disrespectful. Soundwave: prefers caution.

She calmed down a bit and replied in a much more resigned, deferential tone. I know you aren't the impulsive type. Why is it likely that you are incompatible?

Soundwave: criteria. Makeshift: criteria. Likelihood of sufficiently matching criteria: 45.4%. But that was only considering their personalities and what he was feeling from Makeshift every time they were together. What almost guaranteed this would not work was that they were two different breeds. The idiosyncrasies of their respective breeds were mismatched and their coding only had a 12.6% likelihood of being accepted by each other's frames. Soundwave would not maintain a relationship with somebot he couldn't potentially bond with. And he wouldn't know that until, if ever, they tried to spark merge. Which meant they could be together, potentially content, for some time before it was certain whether their relationship had been inconceivable from the start.

He had never tried nor had any urge to try to start a relationship with some bot in a sexual manner. He had interfaced plenty of times partly out of curiosity and partly because every mech needed a release at some point. Those had been cold, calculated affairs. He picked a bot sometimes at random to use for a night and he was gone before they ever onlined.

Never before had he wanted to maintain a relationship with another and for good reasons. Other bots were a threat to his only remaining symbiont and she was more important to him than any other ever could be. He also found feelings to just be dangerous. They provided others with a way to damage you and pain of the spark was often worse than pain of the frame. Something about Makeshift made him feel for the first time in vorns and that wasn't something he appreciated. He would have preferred to remain alone until this war was over, if not forever.

Master, you have moved from neutral to decidedly unhappy. What are you thinking?

Feelings: unwelcome. Relationship: undesirable.

Why?

Inevitable outcome: pain.

Why are you so sure this isn't going to work?

Makeshift: Shifter. Soundwave: Cnidactiner. Expected result: possibly compatible of mind. Definitely incompatible of frame and coding.

If that is what you think then why did you ask? Soundwave didn't have time to process the question before she supplied the supposed answer. Because you desire him. All of him. Whatever you have seen, you like, and that is why you feel different. Why you are feeling anything at all. He disapproved of her bold statements and denied their legitimacy with a wave of skepticism. Master, I was your first. I have been with you through enough acquisitions to know when you covet somebot.

Previous acquisitions: symbionts. Different.

It's different and yet it is the same. She supplied him with a data flux that relayed her desire to end this topic and he respected her wishes. She was not through with the conversation itself though. So when will I get to spend time with him?

Laserbeak: information unknown. Decepticons: think mindless drone.

But master he is not just some other Decepticon. Please?

Laserbeak: behavior unbecoming. Situation: remains unchanged. Relationship: furthers? Soundwave: reconsiders. She was well aware that he did not tolerate whining, complaining, or sulking. Why his symbiont was acting so out of character was beyond him. She did not share his almost completely emotionless demeanor, none of his symbionts had, but she was usually more reserved than this.

Yes, Master.

Soundwave: to recharge. He laid down on his berth, allowing his limbs to stretch out to their fullest, his tensioners recalibrating and joints realigning. Shuttering his optics, he lowered the light levels in the room, closed the automatic panels over the windows using his data uplink with the Nemesis, and enjoyed the silence.

Master? The tone was almost hesitant through the bond, her intentions becoming immediately clear to him. She was about to ask for something she seldom ever did anymore.

Acknowledged.

May I sleep docked tonight?

Query: why?

Our conversations have stirred up old memories.

It would be best for them both if she didn't of which his symbiont was well aware. Emotional turmoil more easily overtook the processor in power down mode and would manifest itself through dream sequences. The hardline connection that was established through docking would have them sharing each other's dreams. Soundwave could not stop them because he never fully shut himself down. He didn't trust his frame's safety to anybot in any situation, even while aboard the Nemesis. It was also logical as he could maintain his uplink even while recharging and therefore never miss anything that he needed to know about.

Negative. And this time she behaved. There was no whining or pleading, she merely found a perch to rest on and remained quiet. She could not however control the sadness that had overtaken her field and the hurt he had caused her. As emotionless as he most often was, his symbionts had always been his weakness, which was the main reason he would not reveal Laserbeak to anybot unless he was positive. As of right now, Megatron was the only one who knew Laserbeak's true intelligence and Soundwave was pleased to see that the warlord treated his symbiont respectfully. As far as he knew there were no other bots left online on either side that had information regarding a Cnidactiner/Symbiont relationship except Optimus Prime and maybe the Autobot medic, Ratchet.

Affirmative. It took her a moment before she realized what he meant. There was no response but the bond felt lighter as she flew toward him, which indicated her slightly elevated emotional state than from before his affirmation. He expanded his chest armor to allow her to dock but she landed on his chest instead. Gently, she nuzzled his collar plating in a rare display of her affection for him.

Master, I don't want you to be alone anymore.

Laserbeak: dock and recharge. The comment was soothing not reproachful and she immediately followed his gentle command. The bond became softer and softer as he smoothed his servo down her tiny body until she finally drifted into recharge with Soundwave not far behind.

XXXXXXXDreamSequenceXXXXXXX

…soft-sparked, foolish Autobot," Soundwave heard Rumble shouting excitedly from down the hall, most likely at his brother.

Sure enough, Frenzy's voice joined in, "He obviously had some cogs loose to think he could take us alone." His twins continued to take potshots at the Autobots back and forth as they came into his viewing range.

They were walking side by side, perfect mirrors of each other, as they headed toward him. Unlike his other symbionts, they had bipedal root modes and they transformed into high-powered cannons that attached to his shoulders. Rumble's protoform was bright white where Frenzy's was pure black. Their overlaid outer armor was an intense red, which matched their visored optics and their luminescent circuitry. The only other color that graced their frames was the purple Decepticon sigil proudly branded on their chestplates and shoulders.

Soundwave watched them move, over-confidence clear in the fact that they were not surveying their surroundings, and found himself disappointed. They had only been with him a vorn and a half, much less time than Laserbeak or Ravage but he had taught them better than that. His twins were young, impressionable, and impulsive, everything he was not, but they had spunk and were incredibly smart. They were also one-eighth his size, which was extremely helpful for repairs and why he had taught them engineering skills.

The traded chatter finally stopped when they saw him working on the control panel a few meters away. "Boss, guess what?!" and they both jogged toward him, fields snapping outward.

Frenzy, Rumble: restraint. Communications array, north side, requires repairs.

"But, Boss," interjected Rumble, "Guess what?!"

Query: what? He said in annoyance and a hint for them to hurry up.

"We slagged an Autobot."

"Yeah, got him real good. Made the floor cave out underneath him and then Frenzy drove a pole through his spark. You should have seen his stupid face!"

Report to north side. Emergency.

"Aw, Boss, aren't you proud of us?" They were so excited he couldn't separate himself from their emotions, their feelings kept overriding his own both through their fields and the bond.

Affirmative. Now Go. They each gave him a genuine smile, hugged his legs, and then scampered off, shoving each other as they ran. He couldn't help himself, his lips twitched in a half-sparked grin at their enthusiasm and then he sighed. Ravage?

Yeah, Boss? He replied as he stretched lazily inside Soundwave as only a feline truly could. The communications specialist shifted his backplates and let the tech-animal jump down. The cyber-cat was the perfect soldier when it came to stealth. His body was two shades of grey, one light and one dark, the perfect contrast to enable him to disappear. Silent in his movements and lithe of frame, he performed the espionage Soundwave couldn't and any surveillance that wasn't able to be done from the air.

Go with Twins. Surveillance. Autobot incursion close.

Right. Mechling detail. And he was gone in mere nanoklicks, moving gracefully down the hall with long, bounding strides.

Master, should I go as well?

Negative. Twins, Ravage: sufficient.

Want me to dock?

Negative. Soundwave released his feelers so they could slide farther into the ruined console and reach the damaged circuitry he needed to work with. His tendrils wrapped around encased wires and started the high-voltage connection. The console was outwardly slagged but the internal circuitry was mostly intact except for a few places that he had to bypass by rerouting the current flow.

Cycles passed and he continued diligently with his work, maintaining constant contact with his distant symbionts. Ravage remained ever watchful while Frenzy slipped into the array to reconnect some loosened wires and Rumble worked the controls. His symbionts were more capable than most of the useless pede soldiers Megatron had found to be cannon fodder. His group was the most efficient asset Megatron possessed and Soundwave prided himself on his superiority.

Five more cycles and the control panel was done so he retracted his feelers, the lingering static feeling pleasant as they were encased within his frame. He started down the hallway in the direction his symbionts had gone, Laserbeak surveying ahead, when he received an encrypted transmission. / Boss. We finished. We are heading back now. /

/ Acknowledged. /

/ Boss, why did you send Ravage to sparklingsit us? / inquired Frenzy in mock annoyance.

/ Because you two troublemakers need a sitter. / the tech-animal in question chimed in. Soundwave got the sense that Ravage bumped the black twin in a playful manner, which was uncharacteristic of him, while Rumble moved ahead of them.

/ Boss are you going to le… / and the transmission turned into a buzzing static as an explosion rocked the ship. Laserbeak screeched in agony and dropped out of the air landing roughly with a loud metallic clank. Her body began convulsing against the ground but there was nothing he could do as he too was busy fighting his own body. The pain was blinding, his thin servo immediately moved to clutch his chestplate directly above his whirling spark.

Soundwave felt everything. He felt Ravage and Frenzy as they were snuffed out almost instantly, their minds coalesced with his one nanoklick and then gone the next, only a pain-filled hole inside of him where their consciences used to be. He felt Rumble as the explosion scorched his frame and pain shot through him in repeating waves. He was hurt, hurt badly and Soundwave's spark struggled to maintain the connection, which had been so effortless only nanoklicks before, between himself and his dying symbiont. The ebb in his spark signature was telling, and the bond faded and reignited as Rumble fought to stay online.

Soundwave scooped up Laserbeak and rushed toward him faster than he had ever moved before but somehow he knew it wouldn't be fast enough. Rumble was crying out for Frenzy, he was in so much pain. Pain of the frame and the mind and the spark. He screamed his suffering wordlessly across the bond, agonizing shudders racked his spark as he tried desperately to reach his twin. But Frenzy was gone.

He reached out to Ravage next, comming him over and over but there was no response. Rumble was only causing himself, Laserbeak, and Soundwave more pain by refusing to let go but how could he? He had just lost his spark twin, his second half. His mind, body, and spark were alone for the first time in his existence and he couldn't understand it. He wanted the comfort that was his brother, and Ravage who had always been the young twins' silent support.

/ Soundwave! / He cried over the comm. links, the first time he had ever said his designation, and the spy was tormented by that sound. That's when he knew, knew that he was going to lose Rumble in addition to everything else he had lost in that moment.

And Rumble knew it too. / Boss. I'm sorry. I'm… sorry. /

Only moments before he had been annoyed with him and now all he wanted was his symbiont safe in his arms. / Rumble: perseverate. Soundwave: en route. /

/ Bossss… I… / Static. The bond stuttered again. / We… we lll… love you. / And the pain lanced through him.

Rumble was gone.

Laserbeak was moaning over the links and the bond / They're gone. They're gone. They're gone… / Soundwave couldn't think, couldn't process data as he helplessly moved toward his symbionts, his spark feeling like it was going to implode. The pain kept shooting through him, his spark throwing out tendrils and bands in search of the others that should be there. His comm. link kept trying to establish a connection even though he knew it was futile.

He reached the area and saw the devastation that had been caused by an apparent bomb. The walls were blown outward and the floor abruptly dropped off 15 meters from where he stood. There were piles of shrapnel, circuitry, and metal plating littered one on top of another completely covering the floor.

And then he saw them…

Autobots, and from the look of the detonator they held, the ones responsible for this. His only processing thoughts were of fear for his remaining symbiont. He accessed his Cnidactiner core programming and used it to override his symbiont's free processing capabilities turning her into a true drone for the moment. With her processor shut down, the added pain and distraction she had been causing him disappeared and he could think. He initiated both their docking protocols and when he was sure she was safe, turned to face his enemies.

There were three of them, one primarily green, one yellow, and one that was two-toned blue, all grounders. They started firing on him and he moved out of the way of every blast, his battle protocols taking full control. Realizing that they weren't going to be able to hit him they rushed forward and he prepared himself for the impact. Soundwave danced around evading blows, blocking with his arm plates, and slashing at their frames whenever there was an opening. He was landing every blow he attempted while they continued to miss, and he felt them all grow more and more frustrated. Three against one was not good odds but his wrath was stronger than his sense in that moment.

The green one lunged forward skillfully but he grabbed the Bot's extended arm before the punch could land and threw him into the yellow one at full strength. They crumpled to the ground in a tangled heap, which left only the blue one on his pedes. Soundwave rounded on the other and released his feelers at the last moment. The mech was small enough that he could lift him off the ground, all four tentacles coiling around him. There wasn't time for him to go as slowly as the mech deserved but he would make his deactivation painful nonetheless.

He started up a charge, low at first, and tightened his feelers around the mech's chassis. The bot was snarling at him but he kept going, tighter and tighter, upping the charge with every nanoklick. Eventually the snarls turned to screams but he continued on heedless of the mech's pleas to stop. After a full cycle there were no more noises, only the smell of charred protoform, discharged ozone, and a pile of congealing energon and wretched metal.

He turned to the other two who were struggling to get up, both their frames covered in slices and flowing energon. The yellow one had two dislocated joints in his right leg and obviously wasn't going anywhere so he turned his attention to the green Bot. Soundwave slammed him back down into the ground with his heavy pede, shoving harder and harder until the mech's chestplate began to cave inward. The heat from the stressed spark was coming though the mech's front and into the spy's pede but he didn't stop. He didn't stop until the metal gave out completely and the spark was crushed underneath him, the agony clear on his assailant's faceplates and through his empathy.

Of course, the nanoklick he turned toward the last one, the pitiful creature began to beg and crawl away from him, useless leg sliding against the energon stained floor while the other scrapped along trying to gain purchase. He flipped the other onto his backplates, staring into his optics the entire time and let the voice blare out of his speakers in a doctored, rage filled tone, "Foolish Autobot."

Soundwave brought his wing plate across his neck cables slowly, sawing back and forth, inch by inch while the mech screamed. Soundwave, ever vigilant and focused used his telepathy to pry into the mech's mind, which caused him to scream with renewed vigor. He extracted all the information he could about the Autobot's plans and movements while he simultaneously decapitated the other oh so slowly. He felt every excruciating moment of it and this time the other's pain didn't bother him in the slightest. The yellow mech was pushing against the spy, trying in vain to dislodge him and free himself. The energon lines began leaking into the intakes such that the shrieks of pain turned into a gurgling choke. Next the intakes were severed and all noises were cut off. The light began to fade from the mech's optics and he applied a final force, removing the helm completely.

Battle over, he stood up his anger still consuming him but his focus returned to his symbionts. Soundwave started sifting through the wreckage searching for any signs of his missing partners. He shoved large pieces out of the way and threw metal everywhere in his frustration. Why?

He lifted a large slab and there he was, lying face-up on the floor, frame already cooling in offlinement. Rumble. Feisty, youthful, aggressive Rumble and he was gone. Torn out of his own life so prematurely seemingly for no reason at all. One of his arms was missing, his pelvic armor was wrenched awkwardly to the side, and part of his face had been blown off. The scorch marks Soundwave had felt through the bond were disfiguring him such that he was almost unrecognizable. There was a large metal rod shoved through the very edge of his spark case, the fatal blow. Only a few centimeters to the right and he would have recovered. Rumble's words came back to him, 'Drove a pole through his spark.' In that moment he cursed Primus for his sick and twisted sense of irony.

Soundwave picked up the lifeless frame and cradled it against him, allowing himself to feel every emotion in that moment without regret. He would remember this, he would remember this for the rest of eternity.

XXXXXXXDreamSequenceXXXXXXX

Soundwave was woken from his tumultuous recharge by Laserbeak's flailing as she attempted to disengage from him but his chest armor wouldn't let her go. Laserbeak: relax. Dream sequence: terminated. Her wings calmed ever so slightly and she came back from her panic little by little. When she was stable of mind he expanded his chest armor effectively releasing her. The tech-animal rose up until she was at the most elevated position possible in the room and perched on one of the beams. The fact that she had distanced herself was not lost on him.

Master I am s…

Laserbeak: desist. That solarcycle had been the first time Soundwave had ever questioned his decision to join the Decepticons. They had lost so much…

…but he had moved on. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to be reminded of it anymore.

There was nothing else said between them because there didn't need to be. They both understood and as hard as it had been for him, it had been twice as hard for her. Soundwave lay in his berth for 12 cycles allowing Laserbeak to regain control of her warring processor. When she was composed, he allowed her to dock, and they headed out the door to get a very early start on his shift.


Makeshift was able to recharge for about six megacycles before his internal alarm woke him at the designated human time of 8 a.m. The excitement from last night had waned before he had even fallen into recharge and he returned to his skeptical self rather quickly. Vorns of being treated a certain way had damaged him and he knew that. The way he had compartmentalized his life had saved his sanity but now he was sure things were going to be drug up that were better left buried. Soundwave was offering him something he so desperately wanted, but caution was still in order.

Rising from the berth, he decided to go through the data core and historical records to learn what he could of general Cybertronian courtship. Last night after Soundwave had left, he had attempted and failed to find any in depth information regarding his own society or its courtship rules. This had prompted him to ponder for some time what Soundwave knew about shifters. He knew no bot besides himself from his old community had really ever ventured out nor had they had much contact with strangers. So why does Soundwave have that recording?

Two ideas generally came to mind, either Soundwave had surveyed the shifters unbeknownst to them because of his fascination with accumulating knowledge. Or, Megatron had ordered him to do it after the war had started to identify the possible advantage or threat they posed to his power base. They were equally likely and the true explanation was possibly a summation of both. Either way it meant Soundwave could, and probably did, know things about his society that he himself didn't even know.

This put him at a disadvantage because he was not aware of the spy's breed nor origins. He was fairly sure Soundwave was not a normal Cybertronian, who all descended from either Alchemist or Solus Prime, like he himself was not. That meant Soundwave would most likely have a different take on courtship than whatever he could find in the data core but it was the best he could do for now.

The data core explained that Cybertronian courtships were an older practice to gain another's favor but had been less and less prevalent toward the latter part of their planet's history with the exception of isolated groups on the outskirts of normal society. The general purpose was to showcase your skills specifically in regards to your ability to provide for your mate and protect intended sparklings. Those who were being courted often also evaluated their pursuer's ability to please them both mentally and physically. Should the pursued accept the pursuer's advances and deem them worthy the roles would reverse and it would become the courted's turn to court. The length of time varied greatly but it was usually between 1 and 10 stellarcycles, which seemed like a long time to him. In the grand scheme of a Cybertronian's life span it was nothing but still…

There wasn't much on what one actually did to court another but he tried to find meaning amongst the numerous pages of text. Many sources suggested that those engaging in courtship should spend a large portion of their time together learning about one another. They also indicated that mutual feeding, grooming, and recreation were important. How much time together and how aggressive the pursuit were based on the individuals.

Having gleaned all the information he could about that he moved on to the personal directory. Unfortunately, Soundwave's biography wasn't very helpful as there wasn't much in the way of detailed personal information.

Breed: Unknown.

Carrier and Creator: Unknown.

Sparked Date/Place: Unknown.

Medical History: Classified.

Bondmate: Negative.

Sparklings: Negative.

Symbionts: Laserbeak, functioning. Ravage, deceased. Rumble, deceased. Frenzy, deceased.

And that was it. Soundwave's historical record was even more sparse than his own. How he had ended up a gladiator in the pits of Kaon most likely no bot had ever known except maybe Megatron. His curiosity peaked at the mention of past and deceased symbionts besides Laserbeak. He was unaware of what a symbiont actually was but from everything he had seen it was just a useful surveillance drone. He wanted to know but best to refrain from asking about deceased partners for now. Probably bad form during a courtship.

In addition to what he had just learned, he didn't know much about Soundwave other than his lack of outward displays of emotion and his value of loyalty and honesty. And he knew exactly nothing about what the other liked to do in his free time not that any bot aboard the Nemesis had much of that besides himself.

Lastly, he consulted the human internet, not that he expected to find much useful information there, but honestly it couldn't hurt. Apparently human courtship had entailed similar motives as Cybertronian and had also followed a general pattern of becoming less important with each successive generation. Participants also spent an increasing amount of time together and learned of each other's histories. Unlike Cybertronian courtship though there did seem to be more rigid guidelines on what one did during the act, which included three important factors:

1) Both parties put an emphasis on appearances, enhancing their best characteristics and distracting their intended from any flaws if possible, which was done through clothing, by changing the shape of their bodies, disgusting fleshies, and some sort of body paint called make-up in the case of females, and occasionally males. The closest thing he could do would be to get himself buffed and waxed, which he would schedule with Knockout as soon as possible.

2) Humans also showcased their monetary status, which Cybertronians didn't have anymore, and materials were important not only to have but to give to your intended as gifts. He didn't have anything to give nor did he know if Soundwave would appreciate that.

3) After the majority of the courtship was over, couples then had to get approval from their intendeds' families. Nothing to worry about there.

As he suspected, no help at all. Humans truly are a useless species.

Fact-finding mission over, he left his quarters intent on refueling in the rec. room. He had plenty of cubes in his rooms but he needed to speak with Steve and that was where he was most likely to be at this megacycle. He couldn't bring himself to feel bad about what he was about to do but he did hope that Steve took the news reasonable well. He entered the lift, ascended the 4 floors to the rec. room, and wandered inside.

There was a group of vehicons at one table near the energon dispenser and a group of eradicons adjacent to them. There seemed to be more tension than he would have expected between the two groups, which only escalated at his entrance. He saw that both Zero and Steve were present among the eradicon group so he made for their table. They both stood when he was only a meter away and they glanced at each other, probably curious about who he wanted at that moment. "ER-ST3V3. I need to speak with you."

"Yes, Officer Makeshift." The shifter paused by the dispenser to grab a cube and then headed for the farthest corner table. It was where he usually sat because it was in the darkest part of the hall and it provided the privacy that was needed for this conversation. He noticed that all the drones were sneaking looks, the vehicons had particularly angry expressions, but he hardly cared.

When they were both seated comfortably he took a sip of his cube and waited for a moment trying to decide the best way to accomplish this task. He was about to speak when Steve piped up out of turn, "I was worried that you were angry with me."

He had intended to be gentle but Steve's prior indiscretions and his disrespectful address now stole all of his patience. "ER-ST3V3 remember your place. Despite our arrangements I am still your superior officer."

"Yes, Officer Makeshift. I apologize for my impertinence."

"As I told Zero before, I am not angry with you. At least I wasn't until I had another drone asking me questions involving our relationship on your behalf. Who else have you spoken to about this?"

"No bot. I just figured Zero was okay because he already knows."

"An inappropriate assumption on your part. Do not speak with anybot else. I would not have my business spread around the Nemesis."

"Yes, Officer Makeshift."

"Speaking of which, unfortunately something has come up such that I will not be available for quite some time. Possibly indefinitely but I am not certain as of right now."

"So… you… you're not going to contact me anymore?"

"For the foreseeable future no. I will let you know if anything changes."

"I'm sorry I spoke with Zero about this. I won't anymore."

"That is not the reason. It really has nothing to do with you." The drone wasn't convinced. He was clearly trying to find an explanation for why this had happened. His field kept flickering in confusion and hurt. When he realized that it was still splayed outward he snapped it in quickly and looked at Makeshift. Steve didn't know how to respond and neither did Makeshift. There really wasn't anything else to say. "Return to your comrades," he said gesturing at the far away table.

The dismissal was not harsh but Steve took it that way. "…right." He crossed the room at his normal pace even if his gate did look forced and sat down with the other eradicons. Zero, who had been peering at him curiously the entire time, now looked between them obviously confused. Steve's field could have been registering anything at this point.

Makeshift turned back to his cube and tried to get comfortable even though the ambience was not his ideal. Honestly he would have preferred to be in his room now that he had gotten that over with but he was hoping to catch Knockout or Breakdown and ask them about the beginning of their relationship. Neither of them were all that private so he was betting the question wouldn't bother them. The next mech to walk through the door was not Knockout or Breakdown however, it was Soundwave. The spy's presence caused his plating to warm, not in arousal but in something else, and he felt that gentle flutter again. Now that he understood what it represented it was no longer a dreadful churning but a pleasant tingle instead. He had promised himself that he would have low expectations about this whole situation. Now was as good a time as any to try not to care.

He watched as Soundwave moved across the room and grabbed a cube to everybot's astonishment; he never refueled in front of others. The surprises just kept coming as the spy instead of sitting down by himself turned toward Makeshift's table and advanced. His intake caught sharply as he realized the communications specialist was going to sit with him in front of everybot else in the rec. room. The rules of their engagements weren't explicit but he had assumed Soundwave would want to keep this, whatever this was, hidden.

When the other mech stood by the table he inclined his helm, a request to sit, and Makeshift nodded. He sat down next to him but at a respectable distance so that they could still face each other comfortably. The cube was left on the table forgotten and Soundwave didn't acknowledge him again, just maintaining his calm exterior. Makeshift wasn't sure what he had expected, obviously there wasn't really going to be a conversation between them. It was at that point that Soundwave faced him fully and printed, 'Conversation: acceptable.'

That was strange. Was it more unexpected that Soundwave had said that right after he had thought it or that he had said it at all? Both. It didn't matter because he wasn't sure what to say anyways, what do you converse about with Soundwave? Every conversation they had had so far had been spur of the moment.

'Query?'

"Yes?"

'Steve?'

At the mention of the drone, Makeshift grew defensive but tried to calm himself. It wasn't an accusatory statement, merely a curious one. "I just took care of it."

Nod.

There was no more conversation after that because neither of them really knew what to say or at least he didn't. The silence was comfortable though and he slowly sipped his energon while everybot else gaped at them. Inwardly, his pride flared a little at being the bot who had caught Soundwave's attention. He, Makeshift, the shifter everybot had used and never thought twice about, was being pursued by the most desirable mech on board the warship. As much as his ego was stroked by thinking that, some part of him still couldn't believe it, still couldn't understand why the spy had chosen him. He didn't know if anything would happen between them but just the fact that Soundwave had asked was noteworthy.

There was the mystery factor, the fact that he had never shown interest in any other bot, for sure but this was more than that. After all the spy was a prize. Outwardly, Soundwave was handsome, thin framed and yet stronger than that physique would suggest. He had an air of confidence and superiority that was highly attractive in a primal manner. Inwardly, his processing and multitasking capabilities were legendary, and that was actually more arousing to Makeshift than anything else.

He was infallible, perfect in every way and just thinking about that had the shifter's plating heating rapidly again such that he hoped it wasn't noticeable. He had to draw his field inward because his whole body was starting to show the signs of his arousal. His processor and frame immediately went to interface because that was what he knew. Makeshift was unfamiliar with how to act around somebot he was considering a relationship with. He knew how to seduce, flirt, and interface, all the things he did because Megatron had dictated it, but this he did not know how to do.

Fortunately for him Soundwave turned and printed, 'Shift: 1 cycle, 38 nanoklicks. Tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Nod.

Soundwave returned to the bridge 36 cycles after the start of their meeting for the remainder of his shift and Makeshift went to the med bay. Knockout and Breakdown were both present and looked guilty as he walked in the door as if they had been doing something.

"Makeshift, did you need something?"

"Actually I wanted to ask you something personal." Knockout waved his servo idly as if to say go ahead. "How did you and Breakdown meet?"

"Well that was not what I expected. He was actually my assistant before my berth-toy," and he grinned at that. "The big lug was apparently fascinated with me…"

"Actually I was really just fascinated with his pert aft," Breakdown inserted.

The sports car smirked at him. "It is quite nice, isn't it?"

"Very."

He turned back toward Makeshift, "Well long story short he followed me around like one of those Earth animals. The one the humans love to keep as pets, dogs I think they are called. After a while he just burst out that he wanted to lay with me and… that's about it."

"So you two didn't do any kind of courtship?"

"Courtship? You mean like designated meeting times, planned outings, and gift giving. All that scrap?"

"Yeah, all that scrap."

"No. We fragged. A lot. The feelings kind of grew from there. Why so interested?"

"Merely curious since you guys are… well, you guys are Decepticons. Decepticons who are bonded."

"And? Megatron's slag about feelings is all talk you know. I don't know when you were sparked but a lot of Cons had bond mates or at least partners before the war. Megatron is the one who has perpetuated this rumor that Cons don't feel for one another. That interfacing is just about using another for fun."

"It has been my experience that Cons are just about violence and interfacing. Not much else."

"War brings out the worst in mechs and most who have lost their bond mates don't ever really recover. It's true that they tend to use others just for interfacing. The rest of the lot though, volatile for sure and Cons don't spend all solarcycle playing games and laughing like a bunch of fragging Autobots, but that doesn't mean others don't want to find a mate to call their own. I've seen the coding, it's built into every Cybertronian, an instinctual need to claim another, own another." He stayed silent after that thinking heavily about what Knockout had said. As a medic, he probably did have ample experience on the issue of Cybertronian biology and bond mates. "Did you need anything else because if not I have things to do?"

Ever impatient. "I need some detailing."

Knockout scoffed at that. "I'm busy for the next few solarcycles. I'll contact you when I've got some time."


The next morning he went to the rec. room and Soundwave met him again. Each one was content to sit in silence. Besides that first conversation they didn't speak again except when Soundwave addressed him at the end always with the same question, 'Tomorrow?' At some point Makeshift figured doing nothing might get boring but it never did, for either of them.

Only recently because it had been so gentle, Makeshift noticed that Soundwave's field had been rubbing and licking at his this entire time. The field was meant to soothe him, a calming influence on his own chaotic personality, and it was working for a human week had gone by and he had barely noticed.

This morning he walked into the rec. room and Soundwave was already sitting at their table. He took notice of the fact that no bot was around as he obtained his cube and then sat down feeling relatively comfortable. So far the courtship had been the two of them sitting together and just getting used to each other's presence. He kept wondering if they were they going to do something else, if Soundwave had other things planned.

'Yes.'

"Yes?"

'Soundwave: plans.' A nanoklick later and what he said sunk in. Makeshift recoiled both physically and mentally. He couldn't possibly. Telepathy wasn't real. Those rumors were just everybot's way of making him seem more mysterious and explain how he knew so much. Makeshift had always assumed it was just jealousy, they made up a fictional method in which he acquired so much information as opposed to admitting that he was just superior to themselves. It was an illusion others created to explain the cryptic spy… and yet he had 'answered' Makeshift's thought had he not? Coincidence. But… Soundwave, are you telepathic?

'Yes.'

Makeshift's mind went rampant. What had he ever thought about in front of Soundwave?

So many things, he had thought so many things and he couldn't even compile the entirety of them into one list because there were SO MANY THINGS. He had avoided Soundwave throughout their time aboard the Nemesis but that had never stopped him from thinking whatever the pit had crossed his mind when he was forced to be in the company of the spy.

Everything, he had thought everything. Private things, impertinent things… traitorous things.

His field snapped in around him and he pulled farther away. He couldn't even look at the other, the fragile calm he had been building gone, his recent comfort collapsing around him, and his emotions started to rage again. This… this wasn't going to work. Makeshift couldn't… he couldn't be with somebot who could hear his every thought, it compromised the little privacy he had left. He had done things, shameful things, allowed things to happen to himself under the guise of his duty that he didn't want Soundwave to know about. The spy approved of strength and will, not of a weak mech who had allowed himself to be abused because Lord Megatron had ordered it.

His audios picked up the sound of hydraulics only nanoklicks before thin digits touched his wrist joint tentatively. His thoughts cut off abruptly and he stared at the servo laying against his arm, plating warming already. It was the first time Soundwave had touched him since that night in his wash racks. Makeshift looked up at the other's visor.

Data burst, Soundwave wanted to know if Makeshift would like to go for a flight with him tonight. 'Makeshift, Soundwave: speak after.'

He was apprehensive. He recognized that Soundwave had been doing things to make the shifter more comfortable around him but this had just undone everything he had accomplished. He was more uncomfortable than ever but…

…Soundwave made him feel like no other ever had before. He wanted this to work, wanted once again something he never imagined he could have. That didn't stop him from pulling his wrist away from the other though, feeling disconcerted at the moment. 'Answer?'

He nodded slowly.

The reticent spy gave him a curt nod in return, a lingering gaze directed at his faceplate, and then left to return for the bridge or so he assumed.

It wasn't long before he found himself alone in his quarters. The courtship had seemed to be going well until now. Soundwave said they were going to speak about this, he shouldn't think about it until he knew more. That didn't stop him though because he couldn't help it, his mind was always rolling, always spinning whether he wanted it or not.

By the time night had fallen on this repugnant planet he had worked himself up with all his thinking. He was agitated and he almost didn't want to go through with this. When he arrived on the flight deck Soundwave was nowhere to be seen and that only enhanced his discomfort. Makeshift grew more agitated as the cycles clicked by and eventually he decided to leave, moving for the door as his processor cycled with unknown emotions. The shifter was almost there when the sight of a ground bridge portable opening to his left made him pause. Sure enough, Soundwave stepped through and the swirling mass of bright blues and greens collapsed behind him.

He did a full sweep of the area before his visor landed upon Makeshift so near to the door, his intention obvious. Swiftly his gaze filled with dark plating as Soundwave moved close to him and Makeshift fought the urge to step back. Always the patient one, the spy just waited while he fought a silent internal battle with himself. He wanted to accept what the spy was offering but he was still guarding himself, still didn't believe it was real. Vorns of damage would not be undone in 7 solarcycles. Soundwave stood still and Makeshift stared at him.

Eventually he calmed and then that soothing field brushed against his, almost a tactile slide of metal on metal to his senses. His first instinct was to pull in his field, collapse it inward so that the invading presence could no longer touch him. More cycles passed, the stoic one ever waiting, and he relaxed into the feeling again.

Soundwave spread his field's influence farther until it was enveloping his, caressing him such that Makeshift shuddered in something close to appreciation. He felt the field pulsing sluggishly in that calm manner and then it started to fluctuate until it synced up with his and finally they merged. He grew weak against the unfamiliarity of another sharing a merge with him and instantly locked his knee joints to keep from falling. It wasn't considered a sexual act but in many ways it was intimate, something you didn't do with another on a normal basis.

Heat, intense heat filled him, spread outward through his circuits and set his inner plating ablaze. The electricity kept surging, kept flooding him until his inner plating was on fire and his outer armor began to be affected. His optics couldn't focus and he barely registered when Soundwave moved in even closer to him. As much as he burned though, he could still feel the heat of the other's frame invading his personal space.

When he finally regained some of his higher processing power, he watched as one thin servo moved to his chestplate, that same maneuver as before, and the digits laid themselves over the Decepticon insignia. Liquid fire was all he felt, turbulent rushing of energon through his lines and light-speed defying arousal wracked his frame. He made optic contact with the visor, 'Ready?' and all he could do was nod because his vocalizer wouldn't work.

Soundwave pulled back and the influence practically disappeared. He intook harshly trying to calm his rushing lines and overheated frame. The whole experience was electrifying and yet slightly… annoying. How could one bot turn him on so rapidly, so effortlessly? It was almost as if he were a mechling who had never experienced interfacing before. Frag it, he was long passed experienced. He was sinfully good at what he did, he had prowess in the berth and manipulated others into such exquisiteness. His pride peaked in that moment and he refused to look weak in front of the other, refused to be outdone.

Growling at Soundwave in an ambiguous way, he sprinted toward the flight deck's edge knowing his precise movements and deadly frame looked elegant in his haste. Not bothering to look behind him to see if the other was following, he leapt into the air and allowed his body to descend. His frame tucked in close, caving in upon itself, and he picked up speed, shooting toward the ground as a dark blur indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness.

The mildly invoked challenge and resurgence of his pride made him forget everything but the wind on his plating and the sensory feedback he was receiving. It felt good and he let out a deep, gravely chuckle in appreciation. Adjusting his balance the slightest bit, he started a rapid spin and began his transformation sequence. 10 meters before the ground his transformation completed, he engaged his thrusters at the last moment just barely skimming the surface of the Earth, and then rocketed back upwards.

It had been so long since he had flown just for the want of it. He wasn't a seeker, flying wasn't built into his core programming, but he heavily enjoyed it nonetheless. Caught up in the moment, he had completely forgotten about Soundwave so he cast his sensors out in an attempt to locate the other. Soundwave was only a few meters behind him, which meant he had been able to keep up with Makeshift.

We'll see. He slowed down until the other mech was almost on top of him and then cut his thrusters abruptly dropping out of the sky. He felt Soundwave dive after him so he flipped around and shot off in the opposite direction of the one they were facing. His engine stroked hard, thrusters pushing him even faster but still he felt the other gaining on him. Soundwave was lighter and more aerodynamic than himself even if Makeshift was more powerful.

He banked hard twice moving in a zig-zag pattern and spun as he pulled sharp turns at high velocities. His complicated maneuvering kept him one step in front of the other and kept his mind busy on his task. He didn't think, didn't worry. He pushed his body, pushed his frame to do more, go faster, turn sharper, and he forgot about everything else.

When he started to grow tired from his exertions he slowed, turned in the direction of the now faraway Nemesis, and started his ascent. Soundwave caught up to him quickly enough and they flew together back to the warship. Transforming mid-flight, he landed lightly on the flight deck and intook heavily. Soundwave transformed next to him and stood silently while he practically panted.

'To quarters?' Not even the slightest quiver to indicate that he had exerted himself in anyway. The shifter nodded as he still couldn't trust his vocalizer not to tremble from his rough intaking. Makeshift started toward the inner of the ship and Soundwave fell in beside him. They didn't speak, they never did.

When they finally arrived at his quarters his nervousness about the impending talk returned but not his apprehension. They moved immediately into his true quarters and Makeshift grabbed them both cubes. He sat down on the couch and his guest stood a little ways off, frame angled to take in both the shifter and his surroundings. The silence was pleasant and it remained there between them for many cycles.

'Makeshift: queries?'

"I need to know about the telepathy." He received a data burst that gave him everything he needed to know on that subject and more. Empathy that he could mostly shut out until strong emotions or intense thoughts from another impeded this ability. True telepathy came about in such cases or he could focus on an individual to pull information out if need be. He had no want to do that and rarely ever used the ability anymore. He had used it with Makeshift in that moment on purpose because they needed to talk about it. He would never violate Makeshift's privacy on purpose but he needed to understand that there was the possibility of things leaking over.

Makeshift let all that information sink in and monitored Soundwave's field during the data burst. It hinted that Soundwave was not fond of his 'gift' and he could see why. Not being able to be alone inside your own processor had probably become infuriating after a while. "Was this a mod?"

'Negative.'

"So you were sparked like this?"

'Affirmative.' He stayed silent for a while. Soundwave had been like that since the beginning. No wonder the spy preferred to be alone, it must have been exhausting. 'Acceptable?'

He understood the question, was Makeshift agreeable to continuing the courtship knowing that this would always be there, a factor that could potentially cause tension between them? He thought about it, really thought about it. Did he like it? No. Did he want his partner knowing everything he thought? No. Should he walk away? Probably. Would he? Primus…

Maybe it was these newfound feelings or his pride or maybe even the exhilaration from the flight was affecting him but… no. No he wouldn't.

He lifted himself off the couch in one fluid motion and stalked over to where Soundwave stood facing him. Their frames were close and Makeshift could feel the slight heat from the other as he reached up and scrapped his claw gently against the royal purple luminescence of the other's protoform now accessible in Laserbeak's absence. He let his digits scratch idly against the minute ridges and said in a low growl, "I want you." His confidence had come back during his flight, his slagging Decepticon pride dragging it out of him, and for the first time since they had started this whole affair his voice held no hesitancy.

There was a surge of heat from Soundwave's plating and an almost infinitesimally small tremor that moved throughout the frame. Makeshift saw it though, no matter how small it was he saw it and he had felt the change. A reaction, one of obvious pleasure, and he had drawn it out of the spy. The satisfied smirk that marred his faceplates was arrogant and in that moment he had every right to be.

Soundwave didn't react again but it didn't matter. After a couple more nanoklicks he pulled his servo back and waited for a response. It came as expected, 'Tomorrow?'

"Yes."

Nod and the spy left.


Over two weeks I know, the depravity! Good news? Yes! This chapter and the next actually started as one but kept growing until I split them up. So… much of the next is already written, yay!

So…? Let me know what you thought. I know, enough already we want hot steamy robot smut but… it has to be believable. Patience, we'll get there or somewhere, who knows? I do and I'm not telling.

Reviews are much loved. Thanks for reading.