Chapter 29

Affannato

Nobody would have ever considered the sound of the energy generators of the Nemesis base as beautiful.

But Nocturne did. In that moment the humming of the monotonous engines became a melody as beautiful as the chant of the ocean that surrounded the big ship in which she had found her own paradise.

Protected by the strong arm that embraced her with surprising tenderness, her face leaning on the wide chest beneath her body, Nocturne enjoyed the song of the generators the same way she would have enjoyed the most exquisite immortal melody. Being in Soundwave's arms, feeling him so within her, no difference between their bodies whatsoever… everything around her tasted like a smile.

And a smile was precisely what she could see on the uncovered face of Soundwave. It wasn't an explicit smile; any other witness of his bare face perhaps would have considered his expression serious, but Nocturne now knew better. There was an aura irradiating from every circuit of the Decepticon, so alive and warm, surrendered totally to her after having lived the most beautiful ecstasy.

Her face should have been radiating as well. She could feel every component of her face plates shining with self light, even more when Soundwave caressed her again with his penetrating stare.

"State reason of your happiness," he said. His voice sounded different without his face mask, but kept his beautiful harmonics.

Nocturne smiled even more. She didn't need to question him or dig into his thoughts; she knew he was teasing her, giving her the first taste of his sense of humour. It was marvellous how, after their sparks had bonded, she could feel his thoughts as tangible as his body, a feeling that far surpassed the one of being part of his link with the Cassetticons.

"As if you don't know…" she said, softly giggling. "Was it as beautiful for you as it was for me, Soundwave?"

"Affirmative," he responded after a moment of silence. "You should know it."

"Yes, I know," she said, cuddling as much as she could against his frame. "Everything is so intimate now, and yet so physical… It's hard to explain."

"Explanations: unnecessary."

Nocturne dimmed her optics, losing herself to the caresses that Soundwave started to deliver to her body. Her hands reciprocated; softly travelling from the Decepticon insignia on his chest until they reached his recently discovered facial features.

"You are so handsome, Soundwave… did you know that?"

He seemed to be surprised by her words.

"Handsome?" he repeated.

Nocturne nodded. "Handsome, yes… very handsome… You will be surprised to know this, but the squad of female Autobots that I was part of back on Cybertron, always considered you one of the most attractive Decepticons, even though there are no records of your face anywhere."

Nocturne could feel Soundwave's embarrassment as clear as if it were her own.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Soundwave, I'm sorry," she laughed. "But truth is… sometimes they talked about their intimate fantasies with enemies and your name was one of the most recurrent in those talks… They… they also mentioned your gorgeous body."

This time, the embarrassment came from Nocturne herself.

"Behaviour: unexplainable," Soundwave said, grabbing Nocturne's chin and attracting her face toward him. The kiss was as natural as the ocean outside, as the noise of the generators, as the bond that had been created between them…

"What about you?" she felt Soundwave asking through their new link, much more intimate than the one he shared with his Cassettes.

"Mmmmh?" was all she could say in that space in which ordinary voice didn't exist.

"Did you also have those kinds of fantasies?"

A wave of shame from her spark, and Nocturne broke the kiss, looking for shelter on his chest.

"No, no, I… I couldn't have imagined something I had never experienced before."

Nocturne felt his happiness through the bond. Of course Soundwave must have noticed her lack of experience since the first time they had had intimacy, but hearing it from her own voice was filling him with satisfaction.

Nocturne lifted her head and stared at him. "Nothing that I could have imagined could surpass this…"

Her hand reached for Soundwave's face and started to caress it.

"Why do you use a face mask, Soundwave?"

"Emotions exposed: a weakness."

"I can understand that, but still…"

Soundwave grasped her hand and kissed it. "Not everything was created to be understood, Nocturne," he said.

"No, they weren't," Nocturne said as her fingers left his lips to trace his jaw line. "But that doesn't mean I can't try."

Silence fell between them as they lay together, Soundwave's fingers still caressing her body, grazing her face.

"You like being an enigma, don't you, Soundwave?" she asked from within their bond, not wanting to disturb the peace surrounding them.

"Affirmative," he responded.

"Well," she said, "you're a beautiful enigma."

Nocturne raised her head from his chest and kissed Soundwave's lips softly; she could feel the Decepticon's smile growing briefly as their mouths united.

"I...I would never have thought that you...that you could be so passionate, so tender...so honest..."

"Appearances are sometimes deceiving," Soundwave replied with an almost playful tone.

Nocturne huddled tighter against his frame as their lips separated, her fingers returning to his face. "I...mm..." she intoned nervously, an embarrassed smile colouring her features. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For seeing something more in me...for giving me so much..."

For a moment it seemed as if Soundwave might say something, but only silence graced his lips. Instead, his response came in the form of a mental embrace, so warm and intimate it almost seemed tangible.

Dimming her optics, Nocturne welcomed his gesture, once again losing herself to him. She pressed her audio against Soundwave's chest, allowing the sound of his spark to wash over her.

"Your spark is singing to me," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"As is yours."

"Yes, I can hear it... They harmonise so perfectly, it's like music."

"Do you like music?" she felt him ask through their bond.

"Yes...I can hear music in everything, even in the very air around me. I..." Nocturne paused, her lips curving into a sheepish grin as her optics onlined again. "You must think I'm silly."

"Negative," he replied warmly, "I hear it too..."

"You don't know how happy that makes me," Nocturne said. "All my life I've felt as though I've had this...secret...almost... Like I was the only one that could really hear the world around me, and I couldn't share it with anybody."

"It is a rare gift."

"Your creations...can they hear it too?"

"Ravage has some ability, the others: negative."

"That's a shame," Nocturne said, running her fingers over Soundwave's chest compartment. "Still, at least they must get some sense of it through you. What is it like, Soundwave, carrying your creations as you do? Does your link to them intensify when you carry them?"

"It intensifies to a point," Soundwave replied, his hand drifting to Nocturne's back. The mention of his creations reminded him of her encounter with Ravage; a wave of guilt rippled unintentionally through their bond.

Nocturne looked up in surprise, her blue optics meeting Soundwave's crimson visor with burning intensity. "Soundwave, what's wrong?"

She felt his fingers gliding softly over the wounds he had repaired for her, sending a shiver through her systems. It still felt surreal...so much had passed between them since that cycle in which she had lain down before him, surrendering to his touch for the first time...

"Ravage should not have attacked you," Soundwave said, breaking her train of thought.

"He was only acting on instinct, I understand that."

Soundwave didn't reply with words, but Nocturne could feel the Decepticon's discontent as clearly as if it were her own. He seemed to be looking for a way of expressing himself; Nocturne wondered if perhaps her last statement was the wrong thing to say.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked after a moment of hesitation.

Is was strange that he would ask such a thing, given how intense their bond now seemed...she could feel every one of his emotions, surely, being a telepath, hers would be tangible...

"Only a little," she said honestly; she wasn't sure denying the slight sting would make him feel any less uncomfortable.

Again, Soundwave didn't respond to her words immediately. His hand made its way to her cheek, grazing it softly.

"My actions earlier..." he finally spoke, his voice soft, uncertain.

"It's okay, Soundwave."

"No...no, I... I shouldn't have raised my arm against you. I..." Soundwave paused, unable to express himself.

His next statement passed through their bond in Cybertronian.

"It wasn't necessary, but apology accepted."

Nocturne returned her attention to his chest, her fingers sliding indifferently over his purple insignia.

"You know..." she said mischievously. "I envy your creations."

"What? Why?"

"Because they get to spend so much time so close to you...inside of you..."

A wave of pleasure invaded their bond, sincere and fulfilling.

And then she heard it.

Soundwave laughed.

It wasn't anything more than a quiet chuckle, but to Nocturne's advanced audios it was the most beautiful sound she had ever detected.

"Jealousy: unnecessary," he said playfully.

"Mmmhh, I think it is..."

Soundwave rolled onto his side, adjusting his position so that his visor was level with Nocturne's optics. The faintest of smirks coloured his face as he pressed his body against hers; Nocturne couldn't resist the temptation of his lips as she felt the buzz of his spark against her chest...

-----------------

Soundwave looked down at Nocturne's slender form and smiled, tightening his embrace. The femme had remained silent for nearly a breem, her fingers softly caressing his chest, her optics fixed on the movement of green over blue. He could feel her happiness within him, a sense of peace so removed from the world beyond the walls of his personal quarters.

"Low energy levels detected," he said, his visor still fixed on her. "Recharge: recommended."

Nocturne shook her head slowly. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Energy levels below thirty percent."

"It can wait, Soundwave. I want this moment to last...I want it to last forever..."

Soundwave ran his fingers over her cheek, revelling in her beauty. "Nothing lasts forever, Nocturne, but that doesn't mean that it can't be replaced by something equally as striking."

Nocturne looked up at him then, her blue optics so bright despite her weariness. Slowly, she raised her chin and kissed him again, her lips grazing his so softly; Soundwave returned the kiss tenderly.

"I want to feel your arms around me, Soundwave... When I'm in your arms I feel so safe, so warm... if I go into recharge... please...I don't want to wake up alone."

"You won't."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

Nocturne broke the kiss and stared deep into Soundwave's optic visor, smiling warmly. "In that case," she said softly, running a hand over his helm, "I will see you when I wake up."

"Affirmative," he responded warmly.

Soundwave watched her as she settled against him, a smile gracing her lips even as she dimmed her optics. It wasn't long before she entered recharge, the tranquil purring of her processor washing over him like warm energon.

It was strange... He had honestly thought that happiness would elude him until the end of his days, so long had it been since he had last felt contented...

And yet there it was, embodied in the femme resting peacefully in his arms, fulfilling him in a way he never expected.

Soundwave placed a gentle kiss on Nocturne's forehead before returning his face mask to its proper place. Perhaps there was a world out there that would not accept what he and the Autobot had shared, but in that moment such thoughts were so far removed from his processor they could not even be considered spectres of misfortune.

The chaos could wait...all Soundwave wanted in that moment was peace...to watch that beautiful femme as she lay recharging in his arms, dreaming...

-----------------

The Nemesis base was a labyrinth. Even for those that had inhabited it for years, there were corridors that seemed to lead nowhere, huge empty rooms with remains of bulkheads, weapons and all kind of devices; there were places that were not even marked on the diagrams of the space ship, hidden on purpose to shelter the large amount of contraband that had increased after the Decepticons had arrived on Earth.

Laserbeak flew through the endless hallways, indifferent to anything happening beneath him. He ignored the few Decepticons he crossed with, considering them in the same way he considered the walls. Laserbeak had a target and that was his priority.

He found it resting in one of the oldest arsenals of the base. Laserbeak had never understood why Ravage liked that place, and he never thought about asking him, especially in that moment in which he was looking for someone who could exchange mature points of view about a certain subject.

Ravage watched him arrive without any surprise. He was certainly expecting him, despite the sudden silence of the link.

"You left them alone," Ravage transmitted through the link.

Laserbeak nodded slightly after perching on a big crack close to the ceiling. "Nothing else could have been done. That was a lost battle. Better to step aside and leave Soundwave to control the situation as he considers it proper."

"Control…" Ravage repeated. "That is something I dare to consider as an absence from now on."

"Perhaps it's better this way. Uncertainty… could be deadly."

Ravage got up and stretched his front paws. "Deadly… What could be deadlier than Soundwave computing affection for an Autobot?"

Laserbeak let out a high cawing. "We still don't know that yet."

"We have known since the first moment he allowed her into the link. Trying to stop it was delaying the inevitable. You understood that."

"Affirmative."

Ravage sat on his back paws. "Or perhaps it is true that you feel gratitude toward the Autobot because she saved your life."

Laserbeak gawked something resembling a disdainful exclamation. "Gratitude is illogical, especially if it is misguided."

"Enlighten me then, brother. Do you approve of whatever happens between Soundwave and the Autobot prisoner?"

Laserbeak didn't reply. His silence was more meaningful than any answer could have been.

Ravage growled. "I see…"

"You consider me a traitor, Ravage."

"I didn't say that."

"Can I count, then, on the benefit of the doubt?"

"Never," somebody said aloud, answering instead of Ravage. Both Cassetticons turned around to stare at the newcomer, both surprised that, for once, Frenzy hadn't announced his presence with a scandal through the link.

"I consider you a traitor, Laserbeak," Frenzy continued. "And Ravage… you surprise me even more. If I expected some loyalty from someone during all this, it was you."

"Don't rush conclusions," Ravage growled.

"I say what I see, and apparently both of you have accepted that Autobot bitch as Soundwave's bondmate."

"Bondmate? You'd do well in not talking nonsense, Frenzy. If anything, she is nothing more than some pleasure relief for Soundwave," Laserbeak said.

"Pleasure relief? And that's why Soundwave blocked us from the link? To give himself a moment of… relief? Frag that, I say! Now it's you who's talkin' slag, Laserbeak. It feels weird, doesn't it? You, the logical and centred sucker…"

"Shut up."

"This is your fault," Frenzy spat viciously. "You had the chance to kill her an' instead you brought her straight to him! Yes, brother, I saw ya carryin' that bitch in your claws, carryin' her like fraggin' royalty. You should've killed her. You should've killed her like any other worthy Decepticon would've done!"

"And how do you suggest I would have done that, brother?"

"Just like ya would any other piece of Autobot scum, you stupid slagsucker! That slut deserves nothin' more than a painful death and instead...and instead Soundwave..."

"Instead Soundwave gave me my orders and I followed them," Laserbeak said harshly. "Tell me, Frenzy, what would I have achieved by killing her anyway? If her presence is altering Soundwave's behaviour, then killing her would only have made the situation even more precarious."

"You only say that because you're on her side! You're just as bad as him, you traitor!"

"Laserbeak does have a point, Frenzy," Ravage interrupted. "Despite what you might think, I don't like this either. But killing the Autobot right now is not the answer."

"Not the answer?" Frenzy cried angrily. "It's the only answer, slaggit!"

"Hasty actions will only lead to mistakes, brother."

"The only mistake I can see right now is you two sitting back pretending that this isn't happening. Well slag ya both, I'm not gonna let this happen."

Laserbeak squawked scandalously. "You are foolish to think you can stop this on your own, brother. You are asking for trouble and nothing else."

"Oh, listen to the traitor," Frenzy said, slamming a fist into the wall. "Trouble is lettin' that bitch live. Trouble is lettin' Soundwave take her as his bondmate. He doesn't give a slag about us, he doesn't even give a slag about our cause anymore."

"Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me, Frenzy," Laserbeak transmitted coldly. "You would be wise to silence your vocaliser now before it is silenced for you."

"Are you threatening me, glitch head?"

"No, I'm simply warning you to keep your poorly processed thoughts to yourself. Soundwave will not tolerate this foolish..."

"Soundwave?!" Frenzy interrupted. "Soundwave is too busy with his new bondmate to pay attention to the real world. What is wrong with you, Laserbeak?"

"The same could be asked of you. How many times do we have to tell you that Soundwave hasn't bonded with her?"

"Slag, you're a real afthead, ya know that Laserbeak? Did that Autobot bitch mess with your optics as well as your processor, because if you can't see what's goin' on then there's somethin' wrong with ya. Why don't ya just go and join those fraggin' Autogeeks now, Soundwave won't have a problem with it, he'll fraggin' join you. Then we real Decepticons can come an' blow your slaggin' heads off an'..."

"Shut up. You accuse me of treason yet you speak of our creator like this."

"Oh, so now you're gonna talk about loyalty to creators, huh? Well, it's all good for you to speak, but..."

"Shut up," Laserbeak repeated.

"The times of you giving orders to me are over, you hear me birdbrain?"

"I am older than you. You will be careful how you talk to me, or else…"

Frenzy violently kicked a close metallic container and crashed it against the wall, almost impacting one of the windows that allowed them to see the bottom of the terrestrial ocean. "I have no respect for a traitor!!"

Laserbeak remained indifferent to the violent outburst from his younger sibling. "Your immaturity continues to be remarkable. You will be a child until the end of times."

"Immaturity? How ya dare talk to me about immaturity when all I'm doing is defending our origins?! That Autobot doesn't have slag to do with us, even less with Soundwave! Where's your loyalty to Vita, you flying slagsucker?!"

"In the same crypt in which her remains rest in coldness."

A light illuminated the walls, immediately followed by an explosion. Twisted metal could be seen in the place in which Laserbeak had been just one astro klik before.

Ravage growled, showing his fangs. He was used to the skirmishes between his brothers but he immediately recognized the severity of the current situation. Frenzy had shot to kill.

Even with the smoking gun in his hand ready to shoot again, Frenzy didn't see quickly enough the flash that attacked him from within the shadows. Instinct, or a fleeting alarm coming from the link that was in chaos at that moment, made him move, saving his head from being separated from his body. But his luck was not infinite; Laserbeak's sharp wing reached Frenzy's right arm, almost amputating it at the elbow joint.

Frenzy screamed. First because of the pain; next, driven by vengeance. He barely used the powerful ability of his voice, mostly because it affected him as well as his enemies, but in that moment he was willing to unleash the insane harmonics that turned everything around him into an inferno of hallucinations and delirium.

Laserbeak crashed against a wall, unable to resist the sonic attack. Frenzy advanced toward him, trying to stabilize his gun enough to shoot again, but two sharp fangs caught his leg and threw him violently toward a wall, interrupting his deadly scream.

Frenzy got in his hands and knees but his right arm collapsed and the Cassetticon returned to the floor, shaking like a child about to cry.

"You two will stop this now!" Ravage demanded, ready to turn his siblings into scrap before letting them kill each other.

"He!" Frenzy cried. "He said that Vita… he said that…"

Laserbeak moved his wings awkwardly, failing in getting into the air again. He managed to stand on his claws and stared with a strange tranquillity toward his attacker.

"There was no treason in my words, but the most logical truth. If you are so stupid as to let your caprices blind you, so be it. But if you try something like this again, I will cut your fuel line and watch you dry until death."

Ravage placed himself between them, growling threateningly. Frenzy got up as he could and walked to the door.

"You'll regret this… both of you…" he stammered.

This time there was no doubt. Liquid fuel was coming from his optic visor, and not precisely because of a malfunction.

To be continued.



We would like to point out now that the final sentence contradicts what was said earlier in our fic about the Transformers' ability to cry. However, we do have an explanation for this which will be included sometime in the next couple of chapters. In the mean time, if you feel the need to comfort Frenzy please join the queue to your left; for huggers of Soundwave and/or Nocturne, join the queue to your right.

Many thanks for your warm support guys! Your reviews mean so much to us.