Written for nkfloofiepoof, who generously donated to one of my "ficlets for charity!" calls. You can thank them for this extension of Hound the Carrier's Cassette Adventures. :) Hope you enjoy!
Chapter warnings: tactile sex, bestiality...kinda? Ravage is offended that I'm even calling him a beast. All usual Prima's Blessing warnings apply.
Ravage wandered the edge of the ritual, unseen and watchful as ever. It was interesting, seeing which mechs first approached which, how long they stayed, who they chose next, and then who they ended up settling next to once the first rush of blessing wore off. Some of the pairings he could have guessed: Starscream and Skyfire, for instance, was as obvious a pairing as could be. Skywarp's apparent self-imposed quest to try out as many frametypes as possible and the Autobot twins' penchant for flightframes were also fairly predictable, all told.
Others, though seemed random or downright surprising. Cliffjumper and Thrust's trine, for instance. Cliffjumper had come off the dias somewhat dazed, then wandered around a bit before circling cautiously around the edges of Thrust's trine before there was some kind of tense exchange, and then the trine had closed in around him and by the time Ravage had gotten close enough to observe, it'd just devolved into an orgy that all four were obviously enjoying.
A mystery. Nonessential information, but it irked Ravage's professional sensibilities to have obviously missed intel significant enough that it produced that sort of unexpected reaction. Ravage made a mental note to ask the other cassettes if anyone had been close enough to film that exchange.
Not, Ravage thought, that the other cassettes were focusing terribly hard on information-gathering at the moment. Except for Laserbeak...sort of. He was at least recording (...everything...on the highest definition possible), but his focus was terribly narrow at the moment. Soundwave and the Autobots' Second in Command were apparently making up for lost time, and Laserbeak was going to have enough footage for an entire pornographic film series, which no doubt Soundwave would appreciate once the ritual was over.
The wind picked up, flowing lightly over Ravage's bare protoform. His audials twitched, then twitched again. They were sensitive without their outer plating, the metal shivering against the air pressure. Ravage vented a sigh and curled his tail over his feet. Those at least still felt like themselves. Soundwave hadn't wanted to risk Ravage getting some bit of Earth muck caught in delicate inner workings.
Though really, Ravage thought with an internal smirk, the medics were going to be picking mud and rocks and bits of organic plants out of very intimate places for weeks to come, if the view from Ravage's perch was any indication. Not everyone was fully stripped down, but hardly any of them appeared to be concerned about rubbing themselves and their partners all over the ground as they went about their...worship.
Some bedding or cushions or at the very least some tarps might not be a bad idea for next time. If there was a next time.
Ravage shook his helm at the entire situation. This was all so unexpected. That Prime had offered, and that Megatron had brought the Decepticons to attend. And the orgy currently ongoing had not really been the plan at all, as far as Megatron had shared anything resembling a plan with them. Starscream had certainly looked incandescently livid when he'd stalked up to the dais. Ravage had expected the entire thing to go to the Pit in a hail of gunfire at that point, honestly. Instead...well, Starscream was not complaining now, spread out on Skyfire's lap, both hands wrapped around the shuttle's spike while Skyfire's fingers plunged into his valve. Charge crackled over his frame as he overloaded, arcing from fingers to Skyfire's spike, and it all went downhill from there, the shuttle's rumble almost overriding Starscream's moan. Skyfire slumped to the side, a rather goofy smile on his face, and he eased a strutless Starscream to the ground as well, curling up around him protectively.
Well, Ravage thought, ears twitching. Well, well.
Ravage was old enough to remember the rites on Cybertron. Soundwave and his cassettes had never been this close to the Prime and Lord High Protector during them, of course, but the rites had trickled down to the lower castes in various ways. Soundwave had been fairly religious, in the early days, and Ravage remembered accompanying Laserbeak and Soundwave to the local lay temple, enjoying the ritual singing and dancing and then, once he or she arrived, the blessed, white-opticked laypriest who would welcome all comers.
Ravage remembered the first time he had been brave enough to go up to the blessed himself. How she had, tired but still glowing, pulled him close and he'd curled up on her broad chestplate and let the blessing soak into his spark like a warm oil bath.
Mmmm...
Ravage stood, stretched, and considered the options laid out on the valley floor below him.
Unfortunately, he found himself only really interested in two options. One of which was on the dais, however, which still had quite a line in front of it. The other, well...Ravage sighed. He did so hate to admit when Rumble and Frenzy were right, but...
Hound was evidently not much for the orgy. Even after Rumble and Frenzy had wandered away to go sample everyone that was available to be sampled, Hound had not moved from his quiet vantage point away from most of the activity. He'd been visited a few times, by his minibot friends and by the Autobot twins, but when Ravage arrived he was lying back, apparently enjoying the view of the rest of the ritual without feeling the need to participate.
Ravage wasn't exactly sneaking up on him, but his default mode was, as the twins said, "ninja". Still, to the scout's credit, it didn't take him long to turn and see Ravage sitting there, even in the dark. "Oh. Hi, there."
Ravage's tail flicked in amusement at the friendly-yet-uncertain tone. "You can relax. I already know. I saw you with the twins earlier."
Hound's white optics widened. "You did? Oh dear..." He looked out onto the valley floor, toward where Soundwave was, if Ravage wasn't mistaken. "I...I suppose it was too high a hope to have it stay a secret."
Ravage looked at him, deadpan. "You wanted. To keep a secret. Involving the twins? You're not terribly observant, for a scout."
Hound laughed. "True, true, they are rather...rambunctious."
The Autobot's field was fond. Rather ridiculously fond, actually. Ravage sighed deeply. So much for this not turning into a mess. He blamed the twins, as always. "I hope that you aren't under the misconception that Soundwave won't find out."
"You haven't told him already? I'm surprised."
"He's...distracted. When he reviews our footage, though, he'll know. He'd know now, if he could focus on our feeds."
"Distracted, heh." Hound grinned. "Rumble and Frenzy said the same thing. It's...it's kind of impressive, really. And sweet. Never knew that Soundwave had such a thing for Prowl."
Ravage huffed in amusement. "This isn't some romantic tale. Soundwave's priorities are exactly where they've always been. He just has a...THING for Praxians. Also for logic and competence. Prowl just manages to hit all of those fetishes at once."
Hound hmmed thoughtfully and glanced back out at the valley. "So what you're saying is that if Prowl and Smokescreen and Bluestreak all surrounded Soundwave and whispered sweet nothings in his audials about tactics and strategy and windspeed calculations he might be even more distracted?"
Ravage found himself startled into a laugh. "Possibly. The look on his face would certainly be worthwhile."
"Reaaally? How interesting." Hound was grinning, and Ravage didn't even have to try to detect the comm he sent, or the way that both Bluestreak and Smokescreen's helms came up from different areas of the valley like cyberhounds catching a signal.
::Make sure you get a good angle,:: Ravage said, arching his spinal struts.
::Oh, don't worry, I will,:: Laserbeak replied.
Hound's optics had focused back on him as he stretched. "So, if you're not over here to kill me, then...?"
"You can delete right now any thoughts of me climbing into your chest, that's for sure," Ravage said, making his disapproval of their earlier activities exceedingly clear.
The Autobot at least had the decency to look guilty. "I know, that was...so very inappropriate. Utterly consensual! And in no way meant to be disrespectful! But...very inappropriate. I just...they were so..." Hound vented a sigh, leaning back on his elbows to contemplate the Earth's moon. "No, 'I was lonely and they were gorgeous and extremely eager' isn't an excuse. I know that, and I apologize. I'll throw myself on Soundwave's mercy when the time comes." He snuck a look at Ravage. "Do uh...do you think that might save me?"
Ravage pretended to think about it. "I doubt he'll kill you...at least not outright."
Hound's shoulders slumped. "That isn't reassuring."
Ravage resisted a chuckle. There were a lot of pieces in motion, but if any sort of peace came out of this ritual, then he thought it likely that Soundwave wouldn't actually disapprove. Hound was, by all their intelligence, a kind spark, and aside from his Autobrand seemed to be excellent carrier-mate material. But it wouldn't do for the Autobot to know that, and it certainly wouldn't do for him to think that he could get away free and clear with the sort of inappropriate shenanigans that he and the twins had been up to. Ravage heartily agreed with Soundwave that tradition was important, especially since there was so little of it left.
He padded over to Hound, rounding his side with the lightest of scrapes of inner plating as he circled. "I suppose you'll have to make the most of the time you have left, then."
Hound sat up slowly, shifting so he had his hands free but keeping them to himself. "I suppose so." He smiled, field warm against Ravage's inner plating. "Don't suppose you'd have any suggestions?"
"I might," Ravage said, circling once more before stepping into and lying down crosswise in Hound's lap. "You may pet me."
"Oh, good," Hound said, hands immediately starting to stroke along Ravage's back in long, steady sweeps, fingers dragging along the fine joints in his tasselated protoform and deftly applying pressure where pressure would feel best. Ravage shuttered his optics and arched his back a bit, his vocalizer purring almost without his approval.
"Like this?" Hound asked.
"Yessss," Ravage replied, nonetheless digging some claws into the Autobot's plating in reproval for the too-innocent tone.
"Ow ahaha, I probably deserved that."
"You did," Ravage agreed, optics slitting as Hound's hands moved up the back of his neck, edging toward his audials.
Hound leaned forward, nuzzling the back of Ravage's neck and coincidentally bringing his spark closer. It was, Ravage decided, a nice spark. Steady, strong, high-spinning with blessing.
"Can I make amends, beautiful one?" Hound murmured, kissing plating right between Ravage's shoulder joints. "I'll do anything."
"Hah," Ravage snorted. "You'll promise a spec ops mech 'anything'?"
"Mmm...you're right...probably not a good idea. Anything that doesn't involve death or betrayal? And might I suggest that this anything be sexual favors?"
"That is a very conditional 'anything'." Ravage tilted his head back, pressing the bases of his audials into those blunt fingers. Charge buzzed pleasantly through his systems. This was good, he had to admit. The Autobot was no Soundwave, did not know all of the best places to press and stroke, but the difference was a nice change of pace. The spark pressed to his back was a familiar song sung in a different key.
Ravage slid out from under Hound's hands, reluctantly, butting the top of his head into Hound's chest to push him back, back, until Hound realized that he was supposed to lie down. His arms came around Ravage to hold him steady as he moved, which was entirely unnecessary but nonetheless a nice thought.
"I suppose I can find some use for you, though," Ravage said, sliding up to drape himself over that lovely chest compartment (and really, how had they missed that?) He let his linkages relax, sinking down into full rest and incidentally to widen the gaps on his inner plating. The blessing in Hound's spark didn't need that, of course, but the play of the Earth wind through his plates was interesting...as was Hound's fingers stroking over sensitive, bared components, trailing from the base of his audials all the way down to the tip of his tail.
"Keep doing that." Ravage said, his frame relaxing a final, crucial nanometer as Hound's spark quested for his. Ravage's spark pulsed back and was met with...hmmm, yes, that was definitely Primus. Familiar, from all those vorn ago in the temple.
"Yes, sir," Hound murmured, charge stating to crawl lazily between their plating.
Such a strange night, Ravage thought, as he offlined his optics, laid his helm down on top of that happily singing spark, and purred.