They cheer me up, okay?!
No AtLA unless you are my Rin, my Spyri, or my Pux. I am still pretty burned out. Transformers are encouraged because I love writing pregnant giant robots. Other fandoms I write are Sailor Moon, Codex Alera, Jackie Chan Adventures, and the Matrix.
Three requests per person. I promise to fulfill at least one.
I am going
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Also, other commenters, this is written for someone who hasn't seen "Partners" or the season finale. No spoilers!
"Aw man, I hate carrying!"
Soundwave paused at the entrance to Medical. Knock Out required his opinion on a medical matter. He did not understand why the doctor needed an opinion: Megatron was fine.
The door swooshed open, and he saw Breakdown sitting on an exam table, his chest opened up for a medical scanner. Knock Out stood at his side, one hand on Breakdown's arm, his optics on the data displayed for all to see.
Soundwave whistled an interrogative.
"Ah, Soundwave!" Knock Out turned to face him. "Breakdown is carrying again- stop glaring at me- so I wanted to know if we have the spare energon to carry them to term. Or should I terminate them?"
"We aren't carrying," Breakdown growled. "I'm carrying, an' I don't want them."
That settles the matter in Soundwave's mind, and he waits to see how Knock Out will terminate them. He has never had the chance to observe such a procedure before. Starscream rarely allowed younglings to get through his filters to even begin formation. The few times he missed one, he noticed long before a medic did.
Soundwave supposed it was because the Seeker was so light and finely-built. The shift in his body would be much more noticeable, especially if it affected his flight.
Knock Out cycled air through his vents as if he had been racing. "Breakdown, I like younglings-"
"Then you carry them!"
"-and I don't have anywhere near the armor to properly protect them in this war." He rubbed his knuckles against Breakdown's abdomen, leaning in close. "Now Soundwave may still say we don't have the energon for children, in which case I will happily terminate them. But if we can carry them-"
"There you go with that 'we' again."
Knock Out rolled his optics. "If you can carry them, I think you should. You wouldn't have to be more involved with raising them than you want to be, and the Decepticons could always use more soldiers with your... unique abilities."
Breakdown's engine snarled, the sound of it vibrating through Soundwave's frame like a living thing. Knock Out staggered, his hands clutching at Breakdown's knees, fear there and gone on his face.
Soundwave pointedly let a visual feed for the vibration appear on his face.
Breakdown looked suitably chastened while Knock Out righted himself and made a show of checking his body for damages. Soundwave expected the doctor would find some; he himself would have to re-tune his body after this.
He pointed at the glyph for 'five' on the data-displays.
"Ah yes. Breakdown carries multiples. He's from a five-mech group, if you recall." Knock Out's tone of voice suggested he hoped Soundwave didn't recall. Breakdown's first team had been split up for very good reasons.
Soundwave reviewed the energon data. Even accounting for losses to Autobots and other troubles, they could bring five younglings to term. Knock Out did not carry defective programming, despite how Starscream might view his preference of vehicle-modes. Breakdown's defects were within acceptable parameters, especially combined with a stable mech like Knock Out.
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Knock Out cocked his head, exchanging a glance with Breakdown. Electricity buzzed in the air as they commed each other. "... Soundwave?"
He should have brought Starscream along. He displayed Breakdown's schematics on his face, pointed at the five again.
"In here," Breakdown said, touching his opened chest lightly. "There's room for them to squish my internals around a bit."
Not much. Not with five.
"They'll be very small when they begin to cut their way out," Knock Out explained, "but they'll go through their first several instars rapidly. They will reach standard height and weight for newly-emerged younglings inside a year."
Soundwave looked at Breakdown. He still heard the buzz of their comms back and forth, Knock Out alternately cajoling and berating to wear down Breakdown's resistance.
He shrugged. "I'm not going to be hitting as hard or taking as many hits. Wouldn't be a problem if we didn't have Bulkhead around."
Soundwave nodded. That could be taken into account.
Knock Out and Breakdown looked at him expectantly. He really should have brought Starscream along.
He nodded again, more emphatically, and both their optics brightened.
"Right!" Knock Out declared. "Well, I'll do the necessary adjustments to Breakdown's interior and submit a more detailed report shortly."
Soundwave left. Outside, a comm pinged him, and he tilted his head at Knock Out's soft 'thank you'.
He looked down at Laserbeak and wondered if the vain car felt as much affection for his younglings as Soundwave did for his mini-cons. Surely not. Knock Out had not been upset by what M.E.C.H. did to Breakdown. If humans had done the same to someone as closely partnered to Soundwave, he would have whispered their secrets to the universe.
But Knock Out could surprise him, even more than Starscream. Maybe he would surprise him again.
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