re_alignment | AUDIO;

Entry tags:

✘ tf: shattered glass | soundwave (crau)

AUDIO;

All right, so.

That was... a thing that happened, yeah? Eh-heh. Look...

I got no excuse for my behavior. I could blame the page I wrote on. I don't think I can. Not for me. I know what I said and did.

So I will say, I'm sorry for, uh. Bein' a downer.

Not too sure about singing right now. But I do got a piece to play for you all.

S'all I got. Take care, dudes. I'm gonna work on finishin' up the recreational center.

[ooc: Characters, if they listen to the piece, could feel inspired to be more determined!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

W-what! It's not like the last song I sang you was bad. Was it? I thought you liked Sinatra.

[after a long pause (because he's listening d'aw) he chuckles softly] I'm just glad you're back to ...what constitutes your normal.

Sort of.

You want help with the--rec center?

Me not being crazy depressed? Depressingly crazy? Yeah, not that. Eh-heh.

Well, if you wanna help, I wouldn't say no. Did... did you talk to Blurr yet, though?

So you were going through a rusty patch. Don't waste time denting yourself over it after the fact.

[even despite that good advice (which he offers and rarely follows), Starscream's voice goes a little more...controlled.] ...Yeah I did. We should definitely talk about that.

It's just... Ah. No, yer right. Okay, yer right.

Well, you know where to find me, Stars.

I usually am.

[and then he's heading off, to meet Soundwave, staying back and lurking for a while until he knows he's alone before approaching.]

So the good news is, I think the Blurr thing is fixable.

[It's good to see Starscream again. There's a moment in which he'd like to run up and see him and maybe hug him, but he refrains, still embarrassed.]

Hey.

Yeah, I didn't think so at first, but it sounds like it's been taken care of.

[Starscream knows people--their patterns, anyway--and the lack of physical affection at first concerns him, but he discards it rather than demand an explanation. ...It might reveal itself.]

Taken care--of..? [because to him Blurr being a shaking twitching mess is far from taken care of, but maybe Soundwave knows something he doesn't.]

Yeah, I mean. Blurr said that he didn't remember it. Memory's not there anymore.

[Starscream opens his mouth. Then he closes his mouth.

Then he glances off somewhere intensely into the distance and remembers that he once said treachery is in the heart of all creatures and he doesn't want to be right. But Blurr lied to one of them by process of elimination, and he's about to lie to Soundwave, so that's a twofer right there.]

...Right. Yeah. 'Course. I was just thinking, you know, if anybody else told him. Which...we should be careful about. [it's strange, he can't remember feeling this bad about a lie before.]

[The body language comes off as weird, but. Well, a lot of weird stuff has happened lately. So, Soundwave pauses, his visor dimming. Maybe Starscream's acting funny because of ... well, you know. Ah ha, that kissing and the song, he doesn't know.

And completely takes this at face value. Gently, he places his hand to Starscream's shoulder.]

I didn't tell many. Jus' you and... well, a little bit to Drift, not much. Drift doesn't know what it was.

It's a big relief, though. I'd... I'd offer to remove it, but I probably wouldn't have managed that with his kind of processor. A-anyway, no worries now about that.

You gonna stop beating yourself up over it, then? [he reaches up with a hand of his own to touch the hand on his shoulder, the kind of reassurance he thinks Soundwave needs.]

Should we worry about you and me, instead? Give it to me honestly, Soundwave.

Ain't any promises, but it does make me feel better. Ain't a single person that deserves that memory. [He pauses at the hand, and settles under it for a moment.

Then Starscream asks that instead. Soundwave looks alarmed, then tugs awkwardly at the ends of his headband.]

H-heh heh, whaddaya mean? About us? [Oh boy. Why is even trying to evade that, Soundwave can't lie for crap.]

I can think of a couple. [Mostly Megatron. And Prowl. And--maybe a few others.] ...Sorry, I... shouldn't joke about it.

So--oh. I'm - I mean, you were out of your sensors, I'm not going to ...[hold him to anything. He didn't mean the kiss. That makes sense, given his awkward physical overtures now, he's a nice mech. He doesn't want to lead Starscream on. That all fits, nice and neat.

Time to change the subject.]

Nevermind. I really did come here to give you a hand, you know. Lifting things, or...whatever it is you need.

Well... I know what you meant. But I really couldn't do that to anyone.

[Soundwave rubs his forehead and he slowly shakes his head.] Stars, I... unlike the others, I remember everything. Not everything was... I can't blame everything on a magical paper page doohicky. So, um. I'm sorry.

[It's easier to assume that Starscream wouldn't be interested at all. Soundwave isn't like his Decepticons. Or... anyone, apparently. Sometimes it's hard to even fit in with "normal" Autobots.

No. He's just the abnormal one. Which is okay, but. Yeah. Anyway. This is him fretting mentally.]

Just, uh. Sorting out th' bar right now... [Oh, this is so awkward.]

Nobody's going to ask you to. [hopefully.]

Apology accepted? I don't--Soundwave, you don't know what I've done, so you unnerved a couple people for a couple days. Nobody died, they'll get over it, and you've done so much good work it's not like the karmic scales are tipped forever against you.

[pause]

...You're still worrying.

I know, I know. That's not what I mean. It's... man. I just didn't mean to weird you out, with what I did. M'glad you aren't bothered by it...

[He ducks his head.] Y-yeah. I can't help it. I'm not that worried about everyone else with what I was doin'. Mostly jus' you and Blurr.

You ...[he's not sure if he should make a joke about it, or what.] You're never going to get between me and my one true love; me.

[maybe that was awful timing. He's looking everywhere but at Soundwave. Those are fascinating bar glasses he's got there.]

I mean, you didn't. Mean. That kiss. Obviously.

...Right?

H-heh...

[At the question, he lowers his head. Not in shame, but in worry.]

...M'sorry. You don't... gotta think anything of it. But that was... that was me. All the way.

Wh--..I, uh.

[clears his vents, and looks up at Soundwave, completely taken aback.]

...Soundwave, you're not serious.

Scrap. I shouldn't have, uh. Said anythin'.

But I can't lie to save my tailpipe, so even if I tried, you would'a known. L-look, like I said... you don't hafta do anythin' about it. I got no expectations. I think we got more to deal with right now, anyway.

So you'd rather not talk about it. Well, that's fine, you can just listen.

[he bobs down behind the bar and starts putting glasses away (ostensibly anyway), trying to regain his equilibrium mentally] You know, it's funny. I thought I'd be the last kind of mech you'd go for. I'm ...I'm not even the best of my people, and my people aren't that great. Bunch of disgruntled thugs, mostly.

Now me, I'm a disgruntled thug with delusions of grandeur.

[he resurfaced from the bar, leaning his hand against the counter] Did I tell you I actually led them in wartime? Primus. You know what they did while I was in charge? They started eating each other.

How's that strike you?

Stars...

[He listens, carefully. Nervously, he plays with a glass in his hand as he listens.]

I...

I-I never assumed you were. Innocent of anythin'. Who is? I just...

I think you had to work hard to become a better mech, Stars. And that's okay. I don't know who you were. I know who you are now. That's who I like. That's...

[He trails off and spins the cube in his hands.]

It's not like I'm some fraggin' perfect dude, either. We've all done somethin' we ain't proud of. Some more than others. Maybe you did some scrap that was awful. Okay, fine, but I don't see you doin' that now. Not as I got to know you.

I'm not gonna... argue that as someone who wants to be with you. [Though in his ember he knows he does. He wants that, but he shouldn't.] I'm sayin' that as your friend who'd never turn his back on you.

[He leans both elbows on the counter, pressing his fingers together in a rough steeple as he stretches forward, a bit like a cat not sure if this is a safe lap to jump into or not.]

I really like you.

[this is said like a confession of firebombing, of theft, of genocide.] "Strength should come from within, not without." External resources are currency, they can be taken away, they're tools of enslavement. Anyone tapping strength from another mech is tapping a finite resource.

That's Decepticon ideology, as far as I understand it. If you can't stand alone, you don't deserve to stand at all. I didn't--...

I know you'd be a good friend to me. [and more. Maybe more. He dares.] You could be a good anything you wanted, to me.

..I think you missed a spot polishing this bar.

[Oh. The glass almost falls from his hands at that. Both the confession and just kind of how Starscream positions himself, he isn't sure why, but. Yeah. Maybe it's silly, but his ember flutters a little.]

I... I don't know if that's true. About me. But I... ah, frag.

All I should say is that we don't have to be anythin' you don't want. I appreciate th' warning, but I think that's just your way of saying that you're lookin' out for me. And that's real super nice of you.

I guess I just. Um. [Hooooo. Soundwave sets down the cube and rubs at his facemask for a moment.] I-I know my... mindreading makes you uncomfortable. That's okay, I get it, I know why, it's okay it's-- [Starscream said he wasn't a freak, that's nice, he appreciates that, but it's the first time he's probably made Starscream that uncomfortable or upset.]

I think Blurr likes you too so maybe I. Shouldn't. Um.

[It's not an excuse, he argues to himself. He's just trying to look out for his friend. He isn't eager to crush Blurr's spark if that's the case.]

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