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Soundwave could feel Megatron's excitement long before he saw or even heard him. The waves of satisfaction and pure unadulterated joy that pulsed through their amica bond came so suddenly that he mistyped an entire line of code and had to start over on his current decryption. When the door to the bridge slid open behind him and Megatron's voice boomed through the room, he could only guess as to what had happened.
“Clear the bridge. I must speak with my third in command,” he said.
There were hurried pedesteps as the vehicons shuffled out, their EM fields flaring wildly at their leader's sudden intrusion and quick dismissal. Soundwave managed to keep his own field close to his spark, but that didn't stop his very light annoyance from seeping through the bond. Megatron uttered a laugh as he reached him and draped his heavy field around him.
“Dearest Soundwave,” he started, placing a servo on the shorter mech's shoulder, “can you forgive me for the interruption? I bring excellent news and I just couldn't wait to share it.”
Soundwave glanced at the unfamiliar servo gripping him. He had been surprised Megatron chose Liege Maximo's arm in order to wield the forge, but bearing the right servo of the so-called ‘Prime of Lies’ was rather fitting for him. It was also the easiest to access since Megatronus had no tomb.
He shifted his gaze to Megatron, turning his head back and acknowledging him wordlessly. He sent him a burst of curiosity which was met with an equal burst of humor. Megatron smiled and released him, allowing him to resume his work.
“The Dark Star Saber is incredible. Its might is second to nothing I've held before. I used it in the field and there was barely a moment in which I did not feel like I was ever going to lose. It cut through that prime's puny relic like a soggy rust cake.” He rolled his neck, popping a few joints before he placed his servos behind his back. “You should have seen Optimus Prime's face when his precious Star Saber shattered like glass and with it, his dreams of an Autobot victory.”
He now understood his friend's emotions. The Star Saber was one thing that made his resolve falter. Even though Soundwave had spent an entire off shift trying to reassure him, Megatron had been adamant that the weapon could very well turn the tide of the war. It was mythic in nature, an almost magical relic of Ancient Cybertron. To destroy something so powerful? Soundwave did indeed wish he had seen Prime's face.
Megatron continued, “Granted, Optimus will be more determined than ever to discover the locations of the remaining Iacon entries before we can.”
As if on cue, he typed out the last string of code and smiled behind his visor as the latest set of coordinates locked into place. He looked up and admired his work, just as Megatron came to stand behind him.
“Ah, very good.” He leaned in just enough for his chest plating to brush up against Soundwave's back. “I see you have decoded the next set of coordinates.”
His smile vanished as he heard the sound of pedes, alerting him to the fact that the door to the bridge had never been closed.
“Way to step things up, Soundwave,” came Knock Out's confident voice.
The medic's intrusion made Megatron back up, pulling away his comforting warmth. Soundwave went back to typing, busying himself with the next database entry and ignoring his now cold plating.
A camera tracked his movements, mostly out of nosiness and not a sense of danger. Knock Out walked down the runway like he owned it. It was almost as if he had completely forgotten his embarrassing failure of a mission just days before.
“I do hope this Iacon relic is something less sacred and more profane, like an electro-disruptor cannon. We could use one of those.”
“Indeed, Knock Out,” Megatron said, not even hiding the bite as he uttered the mech's name. There was a small beep as he activated his comm. “Dreadwing, report to the bridge immediately.”
Knock Out scrambled forward, reaching out with a servo. “Please, Lord Megatron, allow me the honor of retrieving this relic for you.”
Megatron turned to glare at him. “I'm surprised you would risk your finish so soon after your accident.”
Knock Out winced at the memory, but said nothing.
“Nonetheless,” Megatron said with a shake of his head, “I remain unconvinced that you are the best choice for the task since you failed to secure the phase shifter.”
“I lacked the proper tools, but since Soundwave's currently occupied, I can't imagine he'll mind if I borrow this.” He paused for dramatic effect as he held up the resonance blaster. Soundwave couldn't help the flare in his plating as he saw the relic in that greasy mech's servos. He'd almost lost Laserbeak in his quest to retrieve it and here was Knock Out about to give it right back to the enemy. “So that I might better secure your prize and heap some hurt on the Autobots.”
Megatron stared at him for a moment before telling Dreadwing that he was no longer needed.
“Alright then, you may go. Do not disappoint me again or there will be consequences.”
Once he was gone and the bridge was again theirs, Megatron settled back into his spot. Soundwave continued to type as the warlord watched from over his shoulder. He could feel the excitement stirring again through their bond. It was only a matter of time before the silence was broken again.
“When was the last time you refueled?” Megatron asked.
Soundwave checked his vitals and noted that he was low, but no lower than he usually was. He sent them to Megatron who uttered a low “tsk-tsk”.
“You're terrible at taking care of yourself. It's the warship. You'd never have neglected your needs when we were in the arena.”
“If you don't refuel, you die. Got that?” Soundwave played the old recording of some trainer from the Pit.
They were no longer in the Pit though and Soundwave did a lot less manual labor now. Keeping himself hooked up to the Nemesis afforded him an energy boost that helped his own fuel reserves burn slower. He was only low now because he'd had to spare the energy to go get the relic as well as fend off those Autobots.
He laughed. “Ah, Jawbreaker. I wonder what happened to him.”
Soundwave found out and sent him the data in less than a second. Killed at the start of the war in a train derailment of all things. Megatron hummed as he read.
“He had the best stories, you know? Perhaps we can reminisce in my quarters.”
He continued typing, not even shaking his head in reply. Megatron knew this was more important than an energon break. He could refuel once his work was finished. He managed to make it through three more lines of code before a servo was on his shoulder and coaxing him to turn around.
“Work is important…You can rest when you're dead.”
He tilted his head in a silent challenge, but Megatron only laughed. He really was in a good mood.
“You as well as I have earned a small reprieve, Soundwave. Besides, thoughts of the arena have given me an idea. I need your help seeing that idea through. Come along.”
Megatron turned and strolled to the door, but Soundwave didn't follow. He had work to do. Time sensitive work! His emotions pulsed clearly through the bond, but then Megatron turned and smiled at him. It was so disarming that Soundwave thought he was staring at Megatronus for a second. His spark fluttered at the sight and he felt his resolve weakening.
It was rare to see him in such a good mood and perhaps Optimus was back at his base licking his wounds. Surely it wouldn't hurt to relegate the decrypting to the back of his processor so that he could continue, albeit slower, while he indulged his friend.
With a subtle droop of his shoulders, he shut off the console and stalked toward the door. Megatron gave him a smug smirk as they set off for his quarters.
Half an hour later, he found himself lounging on a plush couch while Megatron continued to tell him every detail of his earlier battle. His processor was swimming from the vintage high grade, only coming back into focus when a servo was slammed into the table across from him.
“That's when that newest weakling showed up. Smokescreen, if I recall. He took the relic and allowed Optimus the opportunity to escape.”
Soundwave perked up at that. The entire reason he had gone out there in the first place was to retrieve said relic. In his joy over destroying the saber, he failed to mention that his primary objective had been stolen from right under his pedes and by a youngling no less.
He let out one of his tendrils, snaking it under the table and delivering a sharp jolt of electricity to Megatron's pede. He barely reacted, but stalled in his storytelling. Soundwave tilted his head in exasperation.
“Perhaps I deserved that,” Megatron said. He looked under the table, but the cable had already been retracted. “But what is one relic lost when the victory is so mighty?”
Soundwave leaned back in his seat and shook his head. Anything less than complete victory was nothing short of failure. Megatron should've known that most of all.
“You aft, what if that was important?” he said with an old recording of his own voice just to drive the point home. “Sometimes I think the…arena has damaged your processor.”
His leader merely rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his energon. “You just love to worry. I admire that about you, but I can't agree. The saber changes things. Whatever I lost will be recovered when I destroy them all. Every blow to them just weakens them further. Whatever it was, it wasn't a weapon. No great loss.”
What a thick headed, meandering battle mech! Soundwave threw up his servos. He repeated the last sentence, but twisted it into a mocking tone.
“No great loss.”
Megatron chuckled at his usually stoic friend's outburst. “Perhaps you have been working too hard. You're so high strung!” he teased.
Soundwave kicked out a pede, aiming for his shin. He caught it with his new servo in a surprisingly strong grip. Red optics filled with mischief stared at him. Before Soundwave could find another recording to get his point across, Megatron released his pede and leaned forward.
“I mean it, old friend. Within my spark, I hold the power of ten mechs. If I so choose, I could destroy this planet. I understand your caution, but I promise you that all will work out. For now…I feel overcharged, but I'm not in the mood to spar.”
“You had an idea.”
“Yes!” He set his arm on the table and held out a servo to Soundwave. “Let us arm wrestle, like old times.”
Soundwave would've laughed in his face if he could. He was mad, drunk off power and perhaps the high grade, and filled to the brim with restless energy—and his solution was to arm wrestle. Against his better judgment, Soundwave decided to go along with it. When was the last time he had seen Megatron in this carefree state anyway? It was best to savor it while it lasted.
“Why can I never say no to you?” his voice again, caught in a burst of laughter.
He set his elbow on the table and grabbed Megatron's servo in his. The last time they had done this, Megatron still went by Megatronus and Soundwave still had a gladiatorial frame. Their circumstances were much different now and Soundwave was surely at a disadvantage in his state, but his confidence never faltered. Instead he displayed their arm wrestling record on his visor.
5,834 - 0
Megatron grinned wickedly.
“I've always had a soft spot for you. Some might say it's my greatest weakness.”
Soundwave displayed a smiley face on his visor next. The nerve of this mech to act like he'd been going easy on him all those times before. That he had let him win.
Megatron counted down like always and then the match commenced. Soundwave noted that he was definitely having to push his arm harder in this frame, but that Megatron's borrowed arm was also not as strong as his normal one. Both were at a small disadvantage, but it did nothing to break either of their resolves.
There they sat, either arms barely moving as they devoted all their strength to taking the other down. With time it became clear that Megatron was getting frustrated. This was how it usually went. The greatest gladiator to ever grace the wastes of Kaon did not like to be beaten and Soundwave knew how to use that to his advantage. It was never just brute strength that helped him win battles, it was his cunning. His ability to get into the mind of his opponent was his greatest weapon.
The sound of loud cheers rang out from his visor and filled the room. Megatron's optics went wide with recognition.
“MEGATRONUS! MEGATRONUS!!”
His once adoring fans were forever immortalized in these recordings. How would they sound if they saw him struggling against a mech that looked like he should've been able to snap like scrap metal. He played the recording louder and twisted the audio, making the cheers turn into jeers.
Megatron grit his dentae and uttered a low growl. “Clever mech. You are playing with fire, Soundwave,” he muttered, pushing his servo even harder. “That won't help you though. You always try to distract me and it never works.”
Soundwave leaned forward, keeping his arm relatively steady, and played a video of a match in his visor. It was theirs. Though the match had ended in a draw, Megatron took it like a loss. He studied the video for days on end, playing it frame by frame from multiple angles. He needed to know how Soundwave had managed to survive. How he seemed to know what moves Megatron was going to throw before he even thought of them. Watching did nothing and so he ended up cornering Soundwave in the training room and requesting that they spar. Soundwave would never forget the look of shock on his face when Soundwave dared to say no.
That started a dance between them that lasted weeks. He asked every day and was met with the same silent refusal. Later he started trying to ambush Soundwave and trap him in a fight, but the mech managed to elude him. When they met in the arena again and it ended in a draw again, Megatron had enough. He pushed Soundwave against a wall, trapping him between his massive servos, and demanded to know what the pit his problem was.
Soundwave merely looked up at him and said that his right pede was 13 degrees off center when he stepped back to throw a left uppercut and that if he moved it just a bit, his entire body would be much steadier when moving to attack. Even now, all these eons later, Megatron still remembered not to move his pede too much when in battle. It was just one of the many small tweaks he made under the guidance of Soundwave.
That was before they decided to become amica endurae, forgoing the need for Soundwave to speak much of anything out loud to him. Their thoughts became one, much like their ideals. There was almost nothing that one did not share with the other.
Soundwave never did tell him that his elbow placement at the start of each match created a small yet barely detectable stress on his bicep that led to his weakening arm strength the longer they wrestled. He also never mentioned that the sound of cheers or their match was not a distraction like he seemed to think, but rather an accelerant. It sped up the stress process by 482 percent.
Just as their match came to its end, with Megatronus’ sword pressed into Soundwave's neck and Soundwave's tendrils poised to tear his main fuel line from his body, the back of Megatron's arm slammed down onto the table.
He let out a great roar and probably would've flipped the table if it wasn't welded to the floor. Instead he stood up and began to pace. He felt Megatron trying to reach into his mind through the bond and so he carefully guided him away from his logic center and into his mirth instead.
“You cold sparked calculating glitch!” he said. “There must be something I'm doing. There is no chance you aren't cheating.”
Soundwave sent a recording of their match to Megatron, smirking when he saw it on his HUD and glared.
“I studied for deca-cycles and still nothing! How did you beat me?” Soundwave played the recording of that heated exchange after the second match.
“Perhaps I will study this then. You never know, you may have just given me the key to your downfall.”
Soundwave tilted his head affectionately, causing Megatron's shoulders to drop. They both knew he'd find nothing in the video or any other video for that matter.
Megatron crossed the room and knelt down before Soundwave. He took Soundwave's servo in his own and squeezed gently.
“Thank you for this. I was quite charged from my battle. There's nothing like getting humbled in an arm wrestling match to bring me back down.”
Soundwave shook his head. “Not down… Soundwave merely…keeps you focused. Megatron is…easy to indulge.”
“As are you.” He cupped the back of Soundwave's head and brought his forehead to the spy's crest with a gentle tap. Their bond filled with the pleasant feeling of their easy friendship, an emotion Soundwave had never been able to describe properly. “Thank you for everything, Soundwave. Sometimes I have no idea where I would be, if not for you at my side.”
“You would be where you need to be regardless.”
“For all your wisdom, I must disagree with that statement.”
Soundwave's shoulders twitched in a silent laugh just as there was a ping on Megatron's comm. An alert appeared on Soundwave's HUD letting him know the ground bridge had just been activated. Knock Out was back and that meant they should probably head back to the bridge.
Megatron vented in annoyance. “Back to reality then.”
He onlined his optics and pulled away from Soundwave. It took him less than a minute to notice the text now gracing his friend's visor.
5,835 - 0
Megatron shook his head and chuckled.