Mirage was in the room alone as Optimus had gone to the med bay with the twins, as both Optimus and the twins needed to be seen. Mirage needed to be seen as well, but he hadn't wanted to go. He still felt guilty for taking that mission that led him to his current condition. He felt alone. Like no one understood. He didn't realize he could have talked with Jazz, as Jazz would have understood.
Optimus, worried about Mirage, commed the bot. "Jazz, Mirage is feeling kind of down, could you please talk with him" Optimus asked over a private comm. Jazz informed Optimus that Jazz would do so and Jazz then headed over to the quarters.
Mirage reluctantly let the bot in, not realizing at first it was Jazz. "You look like you could use someone to talk with" Jazz stated softly, not wanting to scare Mirage off.
Mirage sighed deeply, tears in his optics. "There is nothing to talk about…"
Jazz went up to his adopted son and put an arm around him in a hug. "You aren't alone" Jazz whispered softly.
"Yes I am no one else understands" Mirage nearly screamed, as the rape was affecting him badly.
"Mirage….do you know the story behind my son and your brother Wingspan?" Jazz asked, hoping to reach the bot before Mirage broke and did something stupid.
Mirage shook his helm. "no…all I know is that you raised him alone until Prowl came along" Mirage said, calming slightly but still having tears drip down his face.
"I raised and kept Wingspan because he is my son. He, like the precious little ones you carry now, was the product of a rape. I was raped by a seeker many years ago. I was a youngling living on my own in the streets of another city. IT wasn't too far from Vos, where Seekers lived in isolation. I was digging through trash one night, trying to survive when a seeker came upon me. He tried sweet talking me at first, but when I refused, he became physical. He stole something very precious to me and kept going and going. I am not sure how long he went, as I passed out sometime before he left. When I did wake up, I was alone and without my very special possession. He had stolen it as a trophy. I wandered around until an old medic found me and took me in. He fixed what he could, but he told me I was with sparkling. He encouraged me not to hurt it. I trusted him and now, I still have Wingspan and now my family has grown" Jazz told Mirage, hoping to reach the distraught bot.
Mirage listened to the story, hearing the pain and anguish that Jazz had gone through just to keep Wingspan. Mirage was still upset about the whole thing, but he could see that he wasn't alone. He wasn't the only bot who had had this happen. He wasn't alone. He cried still. He cried into Jazz's shoulder that Mirage had leaned into. Jazz just held the bot close, knowing Mirage needed this, needed this cry to help him move through this.
"I know it hurts, son. I know it does. And to be honest, the hurt will never go away, it just lessens with time" Jazz stated, wanting Mirage to know the truth. Mirage didn't like hearing that, but it was what needed to be said.
Meanwhile, in the med bay, Ratchet and First Aid were checking on Flasher, Keeper, and Optimus. Flasher was healthy and was quickly completed with his checkup. Peacekeeper was next and his took a bit longer as Ratchet wanted to make sure that the young sparkling had no residual from having played in and drank a small amount of high grade energon. Thankfully for Ratchet, Keeper was a very patient sparkling, unlike Flasher.
Last but not least was the Prime. His sparklings had grown huge inside him and he now looked extremely big. But in addition to his larger size, he had a larger appetite for energon and interfacing. It was all poor Mirage could do to keep up with the bot. Optimus looked distressed as Ratchet scanned him.
"Something wrong Prime?" Ratchet queried, knowing that Optimus wasn't quite as focused as usual.
"No… its nothing" Optimus replied, not wanting to have to explain about Mirage's absence in the med bay or Mirage's depressive mood swings.
Ratchet wasn't going to fall for that old line. "Come off it, Prime. Something is wrong and it seems to be bothering you…. And your developing sparklings" Ratchet pointed out, hoping that pointing this out would prompt the Prime to talk.
Optimus sighed. He knew Ratchet was baiting him, but he had to tell someone. "Mirage isn't being himself. It's like a huge dark cloud looms over him much of the time" Optimus revealed, sending worry into Ratchet. "And it seems like nothing I do helps. I just hope sending jazz over will work or I am out of Ideas."
"I hope you are right Prime" Ratchet responded. This was getting trickier and Ratchet didn't like it.
Back in the quarters, Mirage had cried himself to sleep. Jazz kept an optic on him. Jazz could only hope Primus would help Mirage, as Mirage seemed lost. Mirage was dreaming as he slept. He felt something warm and loving surround him. It wasn't his mate, he knew that. But this felt so good.
"My son…." Primus called out lovingly.
"Who…who are you?" Mirage asked quietly, still hurting.
"I am Primus" Primus replied, "and I have come to help you." Mirage trusted this unseen force to help him and soon, guilt and anger seemed to subside. Mirage was slowly feeling better. Primus continued his work, knowing Mirage would be better once Mirage woke up.
As Mirage slept, Optimus headed home, hoping that this time Mirage would feel better. Keeper and Flasher snuggled into their father as he carried them home. When Optimus arrived, Jazz was still there.
"I talked with him Optimus, sir. I just hope he was able to be reached" Jazz said.
"You and me both" Optimus responded.
"Here, you two need some time, let me take the little ones" Jazz said and he left taking Flasher and Keeper with him.
Optimus took one look at his mate and hoping it would help, snuggled up next to the bot. Optimus knew he needed this and he hoped Mirage did as well. Though asleep, Mirage curled into Optimus. IT was a good sign. Optimus held Mirage tight and drifted off to sleep.