Xobit: yes we know!! Buzzsaw and Laserbeak aren't femmes… except in this fic! Seriously people we already made Frenzy, Rumble, Ravage and 'Cade cute'n'cuddly, Soundwave a model father figure and basically none of 'em should be a Decepticon what with all of the cuddly stuff we throw at 'em so give it a chance see if ya like… and if ya don't stop reading it!!

Disclaimer-thingy: do we have to do these at every chappy?? Don't own, don't get money!!!

Loki: Do we have to write disclaimers for every chapter? Awww slag well I guess I fragged up….. Oh well (shrugs)

Chapter 3: gratitude is overrated!

The next Orn was spent in recharged and watching over his little partner… of cause it also had a lot of Casseticons visiting, Rumble and Ravage being the most frequent ones, along with them he had the pleasure of meeting Buzzsaw, Laserbeak and Ratbat the rest of Soundwaves notorious Creations and, to Barricades horror, infrequent visits from Soundwave himself. His quarters had never been cleaner or more frequented and he was getting a bit paranoid about it all!

Another thing altogether was that he really liked Rumble, yet the more he saw him with Frenzy the more jealous he became, as the two of them spent a lot of time in the relatively 'private' inner room. He wasn't sure what kind of relationship the two had and it drove him to distraction. Still he couldn't bring himself to ask nor could he deny Frenzy time with his family, at least when Ravage came visiting he had something to do while Rumble scanned Frenzy's injuries… if that was all they did.

He and Ravage got along great both had a passion for nitrus racing, who cared if Ravage won more then 'Cade… when he had to fight to win he couldn't wonder what his partner was up to. The rest of Frenzy's extended family was full of intriguing personalities; the twin flyers, both to 'Cades surprise femmes, Buzzsaw and Laserbeak. The first aggressive and very talkative yet gentle around her brother and the second seemingly pacifistic very quiet and equally gentle towards Frenzy.

Rumble had come in with both of them in tow and said "ohh hi there 'Cade this is our sisters Buzzsaw and Laserbeak" Barricade had stared at him and he continued, "Yeah I know femmes! But ya' know they grow on ya' if ya give 'em a chance"

Lastly Soundwave himself introduced Ratbat. He was almost as old as Ravage, and like the black catbot, he didn't talk much and Barricade had the feeling that he reserved judgment on his brothers 'partner'. Not altogether a pleasant thing to contemplate, when the fact that all these excellent spies also had extensive training in demolition and sabotage, was brought into the equation.

He came on-line slowly, groaning not in pain but in pleasure. He felt so good… someone was caressing the sensor node in his left shoulder, digging under amour as it moved towards his chest. A weight shifted and moved on top of him, seeming to follow the trail of pleasure…

"Umm…" he arched his back when the hands digging in his wiring found one of his chest nodes, his recharge foggy processor beginning to search for the memory of witch 'Con he was with. It quickly ran into the fact that he couldn't be with anyone… he was confined to quarters!

Before this could really sink in, the second hand found another node and 'Cade was reduced to a quivering mass of metal.

""Yesyesyes 'Cade-de" the stuttering voice had Barricades optics online and his head up so fast he was afraid he had done damaged to his neck. Frenzy was on his chest his arms deep in 'Cades circuitry, he was horrified what was the hacker doing?

"Isis ok-ay-ay Cadecade just w-whanner make-keke you-you fe-e-el go-od-od" the hacker murmured his attention focused on stroking 'Cades circuits. Barricade felt a surge of desire and joy, until the little 'Con continued "youyou've donedone so-o-o much-ch for-r-r meme..."

It hurt! The hacker was doing this out of gratitude? In an astrosecond 'Cade confronted and admitted his feelings for Frenzy… he loved the little Casseticon… and Frenzy most likely had a relationship with Rumble. Angry at himself for his vulnerability and at his partner for doing this to him, Barricade gripped Frenzy and got to his feet. He held the little 'Con up to his faceplate and growled "I don't want this out of gratitude!"

He then proceeded to gently plunk the shocked 'Con on to the recharge berth and stalked out of their quarters.

Frenzy had no idea what to do… 'Cade was under orders to stay in their quarters and now he was missing or rather he had stomped out in a huff almost a Joor ago. He was ready to glitch! Okay he hadn't expected instant accept or declarations of love… more like he had figured on being chucked on his skidplate outside the door.

Instead a livid 'Cade snarled something about 'gratitude' and gently dumped him on the berth.

He really didn't get the gratitude thing and… well the gentle part wasn't exactly easy either. True 'Cade didn't often get violent unless someone hit him first but really normally he didn't treat Frenzy as if the hacker was made of unstable energon crystal.

::"Rumble?? I need help! "::

::"what's up bro 'Cade being naughty?:: Rumble sounded amused by the idea, he had of cause known that Frenzy planned on making the big 'Con aware of his feelings. ::"he doing something ya can't handle...::

::"please Brother… it… it went horribly wrong and I don't know why…::

A wordless wave of worry came from Rumble and Frenzy knew he was on the way.

"Hey Barri where's your little twitching friend? Huh did you finally dump the little glitch and get a real partner?" Barricade ignored Mixmaster and the group of battle high Constructicons who yelled taunts and comments about his relationship with Frenzy… most were extremely vulgar and rude dealing with how sparking would work with a mech so small….

With a growl the large mech walked right on through head high, pain and jealousy clashing violently in his processor making him head strait for the high grade. For a while he just sat there sipping the intoxicating liquid and brooding, ignoring the groups of Decepticons passing him and the taunts they lobbed at him. When he was the last one in the room he started guzzling large quantities until he was drunk off his aft.

'Cades head was swimming when a hand clasped his shoulder, "You are supposed to be confined to quarters Barricade why are you here?" The mech looked up, but was in his drunken haze unable to recognize Soundwave's face, "Ma' parzner twied to gib me pity spark bond-d-ding."

His superior officer frowned and sat next to the 'Con, noticing the energon shot optics and slight tremor. "You are drunk,"

"Yep! Been drinkin' for some time now t'en I gotta go back to Frenz' and make sure he's ok t'en need to make sure his bondededed isn't dare an–"

"Stop,"

"Wha'?" Barricade asked dumbly staring at the hand that stole his drink like it was some poisonous robocobra.

"No more for you."

"But why?" he whined, "Please?" Soundwave shook his head and spoke in a patient voice as if he was talking to one of his creations. "No Barricade that's enough,"

"But I wanna drown my sorrows in high grade!"

"Look at me," he slowly looked up sobering slightly. "Let me see…." Again gently something probed his fuzzy processor, he felt himself want to tell the other Decepticon everything, it was an overpowering urge and because of his drunken high he was unable to resist.

By the time he was finished Barricade was in Soundwave's arms clutching the bigger Decepticon and sobbing uncontrollably, said 'Con rubbed circles on his back and tried to calm him down. "You have it wrong 'Cade Frenzy and Rumble are brothers, twins they are not 'bonded' he loves you and no other."

H-h-how d-do you-u-u know?" Barricade sniffed calming a bit and sobering up even more. He was frame tired and could feel himself nodding off in his fellow Decepticons arms.

"I just do….." Soundwave sighed.

This was a problem, Soundwave considered just sending Barricade back to his quarters and prolonging his 'grounding'… but only for a minute, too many 'Con's had seen him drinking and all of them knew that he was violating his punishment.

He had no choice but giving Barricade an Orn in the brig and some sort of disciplinary assignment, he had to think about the last. Right now he had a very drunk, tired and emotionally drained 'Cade to drag to the brig.

The guards on duty gaped at the sight of the spy commander carrying a drunken Decepticon into the brig; however they weren't stupid enough to ask questions and just showed him the nearest empty cell.

After laying the giggling Barricade on the recharge pad Soundwave brought Ratbat out of his chest compartment.

"keep watch on him and tell me when he's on-line and reasonably sober" the blue Decepticon shook his head at the now prone Barricade "I would be amused if it wasn't my Creation court up in this… why the slag did he think Rumble and Frenzy where bonded?"

Ratbat adhered himself to the sealing answering his Creator only when he was positioned and hidden "perhaps because that was easier then admitting he was in love with someone his peers would never accept. I'll keep an optic on him!"

Soundwave stood still mulling over Ratbat's answer for half a Breem then shook himself and walked out of the brig, ignoring inmates and guards alike.

His entire frame hurt, he had the sour taste of half processed high grade on his glossa and he felt like kissing the first 'Con he saw… Pit… He'd even kiss an Autobot!

Somewhere in his energon foggy memory unit the clearly recorded soundbyte of someone saying, 'Frenzy and Rumble are brothers, twins…' floated about. Right now he wasn't sure why this was so fantastic, but he really needed to tell Frenzy because… because it would fix everything! He just really, really couldn't get up right now.

"Heeeeey Barricade" the sing song tone was sickly sweet and the voice high and sharp, making 'Cade cringe as it assaulted his over energized audio receptors. "I heard you had a private party going in the rec room… and that while you're confined to quarters tsk tsk… if you lacked intelligent company you could have called you know"

Ohhh yeah right, 'Cade thought while snickering drunkenly, as if!!

"Sorry Runamuck I had plenty of intelligent company back at our quarters, I actually don't think they could have contained anymore… intelligence"

"Our quarters?" Runamuck's tone was still sickly sweet but he didn't even try to hide the disdain.

"yeah Frenzy's moved in… it's actually a while ago, I'm surprised you hadn't heard" had he been sober he wouldn't have said these things to Runamuck, a notorious blabbermouth, but drunk and goaded by that thinly wailed disdain, he couldn't help barreling on.

"Moved in… well I suppose it's a bit hard to say no to the spy commander…" the Decepticon mused. Ugh! Overly cheerful and condescending really don't go well together Runamuck 'Cade thought.

"Seriously no" he answered, "true it was because of orders in the beginning…" he could feel a silly grin start to stretch his faceplate "but ya' know those Cassetticons grow on ya'" he cracked up in helpless laughter as he rephrased Rumbles introduction of his younger siblings Buzzsaw and Laserbeak.

Runamuck said something and then stomped off. Barricade didn't hear and didn't give a slag, still convulsing in laughter and quickly shutting down again as his body demanded recharge time in order to processes the remaining high grade in his systems.

Ratbat idly wondered if Barricade would even remember that conversation when he on-lined again, however he made sure to file the name Runamuck away, marked of cause to remind him to find out more about the Decepticon later on.

He then looked at the drunken 'Con under him and made a weak beeping sound, the slagger was alright even in his buzz he had defended his partner and the rest of the Cassetticons. Yes! Ratbat would consider him a part of the family. That decision made he went into spy-mode and shut down all systems not required to monitor Barricade.

Barricade groaned as he on-lined and ignoring the pain in his head he sat up to lean on the wall and attempt movement. "You are sober I take it?" The 'Con froze, Soundwave was here? No please no Primus no! He prayed slowly turning towards the voice. Sure enough his superior officer sat on the other side of his cell looking at him through the bars, "You've been off-line for quite awhile I was beginning to worry."

Worry? What had he done?! "I…. I what did I do?"

"Do you want the long or short version?"

"Oh primus…."

"I take it that you want the short version then, first you disobeyed a direct order to stay in your quarters then you got drunk, broke down, and passed out." 'Cade put his head in his hands and groaned again, the pain in between his optics deepening and becoming a throbbing pulse.

"What do you remember Barricade?" Soundwave's voice kicked him, he had to think hard and could only remember some 'con helping him, telling him that Frenzy and Rumble weren't bonded……..

"I… remember a 'con…. Helped me….. Told me things…… that's it."

Soundwave sighed shaking his head at the hung over Barricade, and thought of the visit Ratbat had been witness to.

Xobit: Yayz I promised and I delivered!! Sorry it's sooo short but hey it's a prequel to Loki's Thoughts so go read chappy five of that if ya what more 'Cade x Frenzy smut!!

For those who wonder and haven't seen it in other stories the time periods mentioned are following:

Astrosecond – 1 earth second

Breem - 8.3 Earth minutes

Joor - About 6.5 Earth hours

Orn - About 13 Earth day

Vorn - About 83 Earth years

The sentences in "cursive" is still the binary dialect that Soundwave and his Cassetticons talk together

The sentences framed by :: these thingies :: are telepathic communications between the Cassetticons and/or Soundwave