[TF] Scars of Yesterday - 22

[dracoqueen22]

Scars of Yesterday
Chapter Twenty-Two

Blurr woke up, and the universe hated them.

Sideswipe tried to be gracious about it. It wasn’t Blurr’s fault. He didn’t pick this moment to wake up, but he did, and now all of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker’s efforts to get Soundwave alone and into their nest had to be set aside.

Blurr waking up meant chaos.

The humans had a thousand questions. Blurr had a million questions. Starscream didn’t want to leave Blurr’s side – understandably. And apparently, Blurr waking up meant other humans had to show up, too because there were legal issues?

Sideswipe didn’t understand it all, and it was none of his business.

The only thing that mattered to him was that his fantasies of spending the next few weeks teasing and coaxing and courting Soundwave had all turned to ash. All they had now were stolen kisses in passing, breakfasts shared early in the morning, and dragging Soundwave out of his office late in the evening so he didn’t work too late.

They slept curled around Soundwave every night, and it was a special kind of torture. He was warm, and he smelled good, and Sideswipe had permission to touch now, except he couldn’t.

Because of Blurr.

It was the worst.

Laserbeak suggested they just move back into the family nest. "You're with Soundwave now. There's no reason for you to sleep separately."

"That's sweet, flitterling, but we still need our own space from time to time," Sideswipe told her, though he softened the blow with a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Don't worry. We'll still spend a lot of time with you."

"It's still home to us," Sunstreaker added as he tickled under her chin. "But I think your siblings will really appreciate it if we have somewhere else to go from time to time."

Laserbeak chuffed. "Well, I don't care, but Buzzsaw is kind of stodgy about these things." She wrinkled up her adorable little nose, but conceded their point.

Besides, they slept beside Soundwave nearly every night, save when they needed privacy to work off the temptation of being so close to Soundwave, but being unable to do anything about it.

It was the epitome of frustrating.

So Sideswipe threw himself into weapon practice with Drift -- he was starting to get pretty good at his swordsmanship. Sunstreaker, meanwhile, took up a new artistic pursuit in the form of knitting. He was working on a scarf, and he wouldn't show Sideswipe his progress no matter how much Sideswipe begged.

Rude.

He consented to sparring with Sideswipe from time to time at least. Sideswipe worried they were getting rusty, since they didn't have to fight for their lives every day of their existence. It was nice to be safe, but Sideswipe didn't want to get soft.

Plus, well, it was just another way to vent his frustrations.

They couldn't be with Soundwave yet.

This would have to do.

~

Clearly, the universe was conspiring against him.

Payback, Soundwave presumed, for his hesitation in accepting the Twins. Now that he was ready and willing to begin their relationship, catastrophe could not help showing its face.

Or perhaps he was being overly dramatic. After all, Blurr could not have chosen this moment to awaken on purpose.

"I would accuse you of trying to pull a trick on me, but I know it is none of your style," Detective Mikaela said as she scrubbed her forehead. She looked as tired and worn as she always did, and a part of Soundwave longed to pull her into their Aerie and never let her leave.

She'd be much safer and much better cared for with them, though perhaps not happier. As tired as it made her, Soundwave could read how driven she was, and how deeply she believed in her cause.

"I assure you, this is no trick," Megatron said. "Believe me, we are as surprised by the circumstances as you are."

Mikaela leaned forward on the table, clasping her hands together. "So this has never happened before?"

"No," Orion answered with a sigh. "Unless, of course, you believe one version of the Tale of Adaptus."

"And you're absolutely sure harpies don't have any... errr, magic or something I don't know about?" Mikaela asked.

Shockwave snorted. "No magic but that which enables us to fly, which by all laws of nature, insists should be impossible."

Mikaela scrubbed at her forehead again, exhaustion rippling around her in dull waves. “You all sure know how to complicate my life in the weirdest of ways.”

“At least we keep things interesting?” Orion said in perhaps an effort to lighten the mood.

Mikaela huffed a laugh and leaned back in her chair, sweeping her hair out of her face. “Luckily, the university has a good relationship with you all, so it won’t be hard to explain Dae’s absence to the college itself.”

“What of his family?” Megatron asked. “Should we expect friction from them?”

“No,” Mikaela sighed, and now a mix of anger and disappointment settled heavy on her shoulders. “From what I’ve learned, they’ve all but disowned him. He paid his tuition with sports scholarships.”

“His friends are his family,” Shockwave mused aloud, and he leaned in toward Orion, the two of them sharing a meaningful look.

It was an emotion not uncommon here in the Kaon Aerie. Many of them had been ostracized by their families for their choices.

“Yes, so that’s the only easy thing about this whole mess.” Mikaela flattened her palms on the table and rolled her head, no doubt trying to ease tension in her shoulders. “The dean expects you to call him shortly. Should Dae’s parents come looking, though I doubt it, we will handle it on our end.”

“Surely you don’t intend to tell them that he’s become a harpy?” Megatron asked.

Mikaela snorted. “No. I’m not telling anyone that. Who’d believe me?” She flopped a hand dismissively. “We’ll say he’s fine. They can write him letters or talk to him, etcetera, but they just won’t see him. He sounds the same at least. According to his friends.”

“He might very well be able to finish his education if so desired,” Shockwave said thoughtfully. He scrubbed at his chin. “Our kind is becoming common enough on campus that no one would think twice about a harpy attending classes.”

“Sure. Why not?” Mikaela shrugged. “That’s for you and the dean to discuss. I’m just here to solve the legal part of it. Which there’s nothing illegal about all this, if only because no one’s thought to make it a law.”

Soundwave stirred. There was something in her tone that sat unwell with him. “Do you feel we’ve erred?”

Mikaela sighed. “I don’t know. Dae-hyun clearly didn’t expect this, and didn’t outright ask for it as far as I can tell. This was done without his consent.”

“But–” Orion interjected, but Mikaela continued, “But none of you know how it happened, and I believe you when you say that. So I don’t know. It’s sticky.”

“He does not appear to be unhappy,” Megatron said as he shifted in his chair. “Confused, yes, and a little angry. He’s asked if we could change him back, but otherwise he’s adapted with remarkable speed.”

“He doesn’t have to stay here if he doesn’t want to either,” Shockwave pointed out. “He’s not our prisoner. We kept him under observation for his health, and we worry that humans might try to experiment on him, but if he wishes to leave, we won’t stop him.”

Soundwave shook his head. “Starscream might.”

“Wait. Starscream.” Mikaela flipped open the file in front of her and started paging through the documents there. “That’s the name of the harpy he’s friends with?”

“Friends?” Megatron echoed, and barely restrained his snort. “They are lovers.”

Understanding dawned above Mikaela’s head. “Ah,” she said, and flicked the folder back closed. “I wasn’t aware that was a thing.”

“The two of them have the market cornered on ‘firsts’,” Shockwave said with a chuckle. “We see no reason to protest. They are both adults and consenting to the relationship.”

Mikaela exhaled noisily and dragged her hands through her hair. “Yeah, no. I mean, not gonna judge, and you’re right, it’s not illegal or anything. Just… never crossed my mind is all. Huh.” There was a note of curiosity in that last ‘huh’ which amused Soundwave greatly.

Perhaps the detective would be seeing them in a new light now?

“Well, you’re right then,” Mikaela said after a moment of contemplation. “I don’t see where this is going to be a problem. I’ll want to pop in now and again, check with Dae’hyun to make sure he’s got no complaints. Even if he is a harpy now, I still feel we should be somewhat responsible for him.”

“And I’ve no doubt his human friends will appreciate your concern,” Megatron said. “You know you are always welcome here, Mikaela. You are one of the few humans we trust.”

Pride radiated around Mikaela in rosy bursts. "Thank you, Megatron. That is ever a compliment, especially given what I know." Her shoulders sagged. "We're sure we've cleared the surrounding area of that scum who tried to take your kin. I'm currently following leads to a larger ring based out of Tesaurus, but it's out of my jurisdiction so getting cooperation from the other districts is a battle."

"Other humans do not care," Soundwave muttered.

Mikaela drooped. "Unfortunately, that is often the case. But I promise all of you, I care. And I will do whatever I can to keep you safe."

"We believe you," Megatron said.

“We were able to rescue another harpy from a slaving ring just past the Turst Trench,” Mikaela said with a jolt of anger sharp around her before it softened. “He’s one of the small ones.”

“Smol,” Shockwave supplied.

“No, I don’t think so. Smaller than that,” Mikaela said, tone not dismissive but distracted. “His name’s…” She shuffled some more papers and flicked one out of the stack. “Fuck, he doesn’t speak English, so I don’t know what this means.” She pushed the paper toward Orion. “We can’t tell if he’s painfully young or if he’s supposed to be that size.”

“Bumblebee,” Orion read aloud, and there was a burst of sympathy. “Or at least, I believe that’s what this says. This is a very old dialect. Where’s he from?”

“I have no idea,” Mikaela said with a sigh. “Like I said, he doesn’t speak a lick of English, and he’s in pretty bad shape. I was hoping you and yours would take him in, Megatron.”

Megatron rumbled with anger, though fortunately, Mikaela did not feel frightened. Perhaps she knew his anger was not directed at her. “Of course. There is no question.”

“I figured as much, but fair word of warning, when I saw bad shape, I mean bad shape. Worse than where we rescued your kin,” Mikaela said. Her tone tightened, and the temperature in the room dropped as she continued, “He was the only survivor, and to be frank, we thought him dead when we first found him.”

Shockwave breathed a Tesauran curse he must have learned from Roadbuster. “How many?”

“There was something akin to a graveyard on site. We’re still, um, excavating.” Nausea mixed with disdain as Mikaela added, “We counted at least five others in the cells where we found Bumblebee. And all of them were his size.”

Small.

If they were not younglings, then they were adults from Uraya or Tetrahex where the smaller breeds tended to cluster, pygmies like Frenzy and Rumble or flitters like Laserbeak and Buzzsaw.

“Bring him to us,” Orion said when the silence grew too heavy and it was clear Megatron couldn’t speak. “We will care for him, and if he wishes to go home, we will make sure he gets there safely.”

Mikaela exhaled quietly. “As soon as he’s well enough to travel, I promise. Though I might come by here first, see if someone wants to ride along. A non-human face might comfort him.”

“I will go,” Orion said before anyone else volunteered. “Please fetch me first.”

“I promise,” Mikaela said. “And I’m sorry to dump this on you, though I’m sorrier still that humans are responsible for this kind of monstrous behavior.”

“It is not your fault,” Megatron said gently, belying the anger in his voice. “We thank you for your efforts, Detective Barnes. Was there anything else you needed from us today?”

She shuffled the papers on the table in front of her. "No, I think I'm walking out of here with plenty," she said. "I'll follow-up about Mr. Song in a few weeks unless he requests me sooner.”

“He seems quite comfortable with Starscream right now, but he does have your information if that should change,” Megatron said. “And you’ll of course be back for Orion when the time comes?”

“Yes, of course.”

Shockwave rose from his stool, offering Mikaela his good arm. “May I walk you out? I’d like to discuss Bumblebee a bit more, if you don’t mind.”

Mikaela rose and slid her chair back under the table. “Sure. I’ll tell you what I can.” She tucked her papers into her saddlebag and slung it over her shoulder.

“Allow me to join you,” Orion said as he hurried to join them. “I have some suggestions for how you can communicate with Bumblebee as well.”

“I won’t turn down two handsome escorts,” Mikaela said as she offered an elbow to each of the much larger harpies. “Have a good evening, Megatron, Soundwave.”

“And you the same.”

Mikaela left, taking the mated pair with her, and in their absence, the conference room was much quieter. Though calling it a conference room was a stretch. It was a small space consisting of a table and half-dozen chairs with a single window to provide ventilation. It was not comfortable, and not meant for long stretches of use, but it suited its purposes.

There was little chance of eavesdroppers in this tucked away corner of the Aerie.

Soundwave sighed.

It was late. Which was probably why Shockwave and Orion had insisted on walking Mikaela out. It was past dark, and while they couldn’t convince her to stay the night in the Aerie, they could at least ensure she made it to where she left her vehicle safely. Granted, there was a little a quickly drawn handgun couldn’t frighten away, but it never hurt to be careful.

More than that, it was quite late. Soundwave had missed dinner with his twins because of this meeting, and he had little doubt they’d already gone off to their private nest. He likely wouldn’t get to snuggle them tonight.

“That was a heavy sigh.”

Soundwave flicked his gaze toward Megatron, but his dearest friend was carefully mastering his emotions, and there was little escaping for Soundwave to peruse. “Bumblebee,” Soundwave murmured.

“I am angry about that as well,” Megatron said, but the weight of his stare seemed to burrow into Soundwave’s chest. “But I do not think that is where your thoughts were. Even before that, you were a bit… testy during the meeting.”

Was he?

Soundwave couldn’t recall any sharp words, but then, his habit of speaking tersely could sometimes be interpreted that way. He spoke rarely a-purpose, not only because it saved the delicate structures of his throat, but also because people tended to forget he was there if he didn’t speak, and he could better read them for their honest emotions.

“Apologies,” Soundwave said.

“None needed.” Megatron slid closer, resting one elbow on the table and leaning over as he looked Soundwave up and down. “I suppose it’s because you haven’t been able to spend time with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Am I right?”

Heat stole into Soundwave’s face. Thank Adaptus for his mask and visor. “Blurr timing inopportune,” he admitted.

Megatron chuckled. “Yes, that’s what I thought.” He hummed and rubbed a hand around his jaw. “I don’t see why you can’t take some time off. The detective has the legalities well in hand, and there’s nothing left from this point on but to let Blurr adjust to his circumstances.”

“Unnecessary,” Soundwave murmured. “And Bumblebee–”

“Is something I can handle with Orion and Shockwave’s help,”” Megatron said, and he sighed, a quiet little sigh of regret. “I don’t think you’ve allowed yourself to breathe since we came to Kaon all those years ago. You’ve been working by my side without pause, and taking care of your siblings on top of that. Allowing yourself a week of frivolous pursuit is hardly unnecessary.”

Soundwave absorbed this.

He hadn’t paid much attention to how much time he spent devoting care to Megatron, to the Aerie, to his siblings. They were matters that needed to be handled, things that needed to be done, and he didn’t weigh what he deserved by his actions.

“Perhaps,” he conceded.

“I’ll make it an order if I have to,” Megatron said, and he rippled with relief and affection. “I’m delighted you’ve found companionship and happiness, Soundwave. Especially with those two. I think all three of you will find what you need in each other.”

Soundwave did want to spend time with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, and it would be preferred if that time was not interrupted. It couldn’t hurt to step away for a few days, and surely the twins would appreciate that as well.

“Good.” Megatron clapped him on the shoulder. “Go on home. Let your vacation start tonight.”

Soundwave startled. “So soon?”

“I don’t see any reason to delay.” Megatron squeezed his shoulder and stood, leaning over the table to gather up the documents. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of these.”

“Thank you,” Soundwave said, feeling a bit dazed. He let Megatron point him in the direction of the conference door, and he made his escape.

A whole week without work, surely he’d go mad from boredom. But then, if such time was spent with his potential lovers, perhaps it wouldn’t be too terrible after all.

The aerie was quiet and still this late in the evening, and Soundwave enjoyed the silence. Sometimes, the daily noise was too much for him to bear. Chatter on top of the miasma of emotions wafting out from his flock left him drained. Somedays were worse than others, of course, but still.

He liked the quiet.

He honestly never imagined he’d find romance with another. He assumed the constant influx of their emotions would irritate him. Never mind that his own quirks would be off-putting to others. It was a mix of no one wanting him, and Soundwave not wanting to try, only to realize his partner’s emotions were too much.

It was easier to be alone. He had his siblings, whose emotions were nothing more than background noise to him at this point, like Megatron’s and Orion’s.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were different. He didn’t know if it was because of how they had lived, or if it was because they were twins, or if there were some supernatural force pulling them together, but their emotions felt… right. Not so much that Soundwave felt ‘home’ when with them, but that he never noticed the rasp of their emotions.

He, at first, attributed it to the fact they were twins, but now… he wasn’t so sure. Maybe something within all three of them was what drew them together.

Or perhaps it was pointless to ponder the whys and simply enjoy it for what it was.

Soundwave pushed back the curtain of his nest and stepped inside, the sense of home and affection and family, greeting him in a radiating warmth.

“You’re late!” Buzzsaw said imperiously.

“Apologies,” Soundwave murmured, tracking the ripples of color in the room, counting warm bodies – all of his siblings plus Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. A full house. “It won’t happen again this week.”

“Better not,” Buzzsaw said from where he was tucked into his nook, a bit of a sulk clinging to his shoulders. Whether Soundwave was to blame or Laserbeak, he couldn’t be sure.

“This week?” Frenzy echoed, and he sounded suspicious. “Is all that crap with Blurr done now?”

“For the most part,” Soundwave said as he moved further inside, contemplating where to slot himself in the comfortable pile of family. “Vacation given.”

“Really?” Laserbeak said, and a burst of mischievous delight radiated from her tiny form. “A whole week? Hmm.”

“Yes,” Soundwave said, and moved to step down into the nest, where Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had shifted to make room for him, already reaching out for him with a hand each.

And then Laserbeak kicked him in the shin.

It didn’t hurt in the slightest, but it had the effect of getting his attention. Soundwave blinked, looking down at her, confused.

“You can’t sleep here,” she said, hands planted on her hips before she lifted them to flick both in his direction. “You need to take Sideswipe and Sunstreaker and go sleep in their nest.”

Soundwave stared.

Frenzy and Rumble broke into delighted laughter, so loud it caused them to collapse against each other with titters. Ravage made a sound that might have been a snort of laughter.

“This nest mine,” Soundwave pointed out, completely perplexed. “You have a nook.”

“Yeah, but you snore,” Laserbeak said, giving a nudge to his ankle with her foot. “Sunstreaker hogs the blankets, and Sideswipe smells funny.”

“Do not!” Both twins said in unison, rippling with the same affront.

“You’re too big for the nest anyway,” Laserbeak huffed and turned, grabbing Sideswipe’s nearest arm to tug on it. “Come on. Out. Out. Out. Take Soundwave to your nest.”

Ravage’s jaw cracked in an audible yawn. “You’re very subtle, Laserbeak,” he drawled.

Understanding dawned.

“Perhaps sleeping elsewhere would be appropriate,” Soundwave said carefully as he stepped back on his heel, retreating from his nest. “If Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are willing to host me.”

“I do not steal the blankets,” Sunstreaker said with a huff. “I don’t even like blankets. I get too hot, and they get caught in my talons. Sideswipe’s the one who–”

“Sunny,” Sideswipe interjected with humor rich in his voice. “I love you dearly, but this is in no way about blankets. Or snoring. Or how much I smell – which I absolutely do not.” He climbed out of the nest and tugged his brother with him.

Sunstreaker still rippled with offense, but something in the look Sideswipe gave him must get through, and he sucked in a deep breath. “Fine,” he said. “We’ll go sleep somewhere else. Come on, Soundwave.”

He stomped off, embarrassment wafting from him in tiny curls.

Sideswipe chuckled. “He’s so cute when he’s like that.” He took Soundwave’s arm and squeezed. “You’re welcome to join us if you want. Or if Laserbeak kicks you out.” He winked and followed his brother out.

Soundwave sighed and looked down at Laserbeak, but she stomped one foot and pointed to the door. “What are you waiting for?” she demanded.

“I’ll see you all in the morning,” Soundwave said. He knew when he was beaten.

He followed Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

“You’d better not be here in the morning!” Laserbeak hollered after him, and Soundwave had far too much dignity to spare her a retort. Frenzy and Rumble’s uproarious laughter had dissolved into helpless hiccups of hilarity.

Soundwave sighed and let the curtain swish shut behind him, cutting off the obnoxious noise. He loved his siblings, truly he did.

Fortunately, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe’s nest was a few short feet away, and Sideswipe waited for him in the entry, curtain swept back invitingly.

“You look exhausted,” he said.

“Long meetings,” Soundwave admitted.

“But now you have a whole week of vacation,” Sideswipe said as he tugged Soundwave inside and let the curtain slide closed. “A whole week to be ours.”

Inside, it was warm and smelled of both twins. Their nest was much smaller, meant more for sleeping and some storage of their personal items, but it was cozy. The fairy lights twinkled above, and Sunstreaker was already curled in the berth.

“Yes.” Soundwave removed his mask, setting it aside in a small nook where other items had been stowed. He twisted his jaw, easing the ache of a long day spent behind the mask. “If you wish.”

“Do you wish?” Sunstreaker asked from the nest. “It’s not just about what we want, you know.”

Soundwave eased his way closer to the bed and lowered himself down beside Sunstreaker, who had left plenty of room for Soundwave and Sideswipe both to join him. “I do wish,” he murmured. “Very much.”

Sunstreaker made a hopeful sound and leaned in, brushing his lips gently over Soundwave’s. “Good,” he murmured. “But tonight, you sleep.” He reached up, carefully removing Soundwave’s visor and twisting to set it on another nook.

“With us,” Sideswipe said as he bounced into the blankets behind Soundwave, nuzzling into his nape and planting a warm kiss there. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” Soundwave said.

While a part of him buzzed with ideas of other things, he couldn’t deny he was exhausted. It had been a long day of meetings, conversations, and social interactions, in a series of equally long days. Couple that with coming off the tail end of healing, and yes, he wanted to sleep.

Preferably between the twins.

“Sounds good to me, too.” Sideswipe flopped down, pulling Soundwave with him, nuzzling into the back of his neck as he did so. “Mmm. Smells so good.”

“Keep it in your feathers, Sideswipe,” Sunstreaker said with a snort. He joined them, curling into Soundwave’s front, tucking his head under Soundwave’s chin.

“I’ll do my best,” Sideswipe promised with a cheeky air. “Besides, I’m not that rude. I want to take the time to finish properly wooing Soundwave first.”

“Oh?” Soundwave asked.

“It’s a surprise,” Sunstreaker murmured, his words a warm puff against Soundwave’s feathers. “We do want you but…”

“But we wanna do it right,” Sideswipe finished and cuddled closer. “We’re gonna be super-romantic and stuff.”

Sunstreaker breathed a laugh against Soundwave’s throat. “And stuff,” he parroted. “Very eloquent, our Sideswipe.”

‘Our.’

Soundwave’s core warmed. They wanted to woo him, to romance him, to treat him like he was special, and honestly, Soundwave wanted to do the same for them. Rutting and all of that, it would come in time, but this… Soundwave agreed. He wanted to take it slow as well.

“Oh, you hush. I’m tired,” Sideswipe said. “Go to sleep.”

Soundwave swallowed a laugh so as not to encourage them, and their bickering petered out into a comfortable silence, their emotions a soothing background hum that quickly lulled Soundwave to sleep. Safe and sound in their arms.

***

The End. Until next time. ;)