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“Is everything ready?” Chromedome asks Brainstorm, who rolls his eyes.
“For the thousandth time, Domey, yes. It’s all ready.”
“There must be something left to do. Does Rewind need anything?” Chromedome glances at the door.
“No, Rewind doesn’t need anything. Tailgate and Swerve are detailing him, like I’m supposed to be working on you. Now hold still!” Brainstorm brandishes the brush in a way that only makes Chromedome more nervous.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Chromedome asks warily.
“How dare you question my genius?”
“I’m not questioning your scientific knowledge, Stormy. I’m questioning your experience detailing someone.” Chromedome does his best to stay still without letting Brainstorm do anything he can’t see.
“Stop worrying and let me make you look good for your conjunx. If you’re going to do this whole big vow renewal thing, you’re going to look nice for it.” Brainstorm’s mask is on, but Chromedome knows his typical tongue-sticking-out focusing face. “Don’t move. Your wheels are tricky and I don’t want to mess this up or Rewind is going to look better than you.”
“I don’t think it’s a competition.”
“Joke’s on you. Everything is a competition. Especially this.”
“Stormy, no.”
Despite his nonsense, Brainstorm is actually pretty good at detailing. By the time he’s done, Chromedome is gleaming from head to toe.
“Perfect!” Brainstorm steps back to admire his work. “Now don’t you dare scuff yourself between here and Swerve’s. Otherwise we’re going to lose.”
“There’s no losing here,” Chromedome insists, but Brainstorm has that look that gives Chromedome pause. “The polish you used doesn’t do anything weird, does it?”
“Weird? No, no, nothing weird. Promise.” Brainstorm’s wings wiggle innocently.
“Stormy, I swear, if I burst into flame or something I am going to kill you,” Chromedome swears.
“I would never make you burst into flame! I’m not done testing that polish yet anyway.”
Chromedome gives Brainstorm a suspicious look, but Brainstorm is already nudging him out the door.
“You’re very excited about this,” Chromedome says warily.
“What, am I not allowed to be excited for my best friend to get re-conjunxed in a big, fancy ceremony? Always so suspicious,” Brainstorm says as he pushes Chromedome along.
“You keep giving me reasons to be suspicious!” Chromedome yelps. He quiets as they approach Swerve’s. He can already hear the chatter of mechs waiting inside.
Brainstorm pokes his head in and quickly pulls back with an excited wing wiggle.
“Rewind’s already waiting for you! Go go go!” Brainstorm eagerly pushes Chromedome inside despite Chromedome’s attempt at a protest.
Oh, but all thoughts of protest vanish as soon as his eyes land on Rewind. His conjunx is beautiful. Rewind is always beautiful, but right now, plating gleaming, visor bright, Rewind is the most perfect sight in the galaxy.
Chromedome barely notices Brainstorm slipping in behind him and claiming the open seat beside Perceptor. He’s completely taken with Rewind, who reaches out to take Chromedome’s hands as soon as he’s close enough.
“Hi, Domey,” Rewind says softly. “You look...wow.”
Chromedome gently squeezes Rewind’s small hands. “You do too. You...you’re glowing...”
Rewind giggles and Chromedome’s spark flips.
Ultra Magnus is officiating, and he starts talking, and Chromedome doesn’t register a single word that’s being said. Rewind is holding his entire attention. He’s just so perfect, and Chromedome is so endlessly lucky.
They had to alter the ceremony a little. They can’t exchange inner-most energon, not since Chromedome has run out, and it’s not really necessary after all the time they’ve been together. So Ultra Magnus skips that part and goes straight into declaring that their bond as conjunxes has been reaffirmed. There’s raucous applause and cheering (especially from Brainstorm). Chromedome clicks his mask open and leans down to smooch Rewind’s faceplate.
“Domey, I’ve got a present for you,” Rewind whispers as Chromedome leans in.
“Oh?” Chromedome is expecting Rewind to say something dirty, or maybe something sweet? He never can quite tell when Rewind gets that tone.
What Chromedome is not expecting is for Rewind to reach up and remove his own faceplate to reveal...a mouth? A face? A pretty face with a mouth curved into a mischievous smile. Rewind stretches up to kiss Chromedome’s slack-jawed expression.
“Surprise,” Rewind says, still grinning. “What do you think?”
Chromedome gapes, only dimly realizing that the room has fallen into a hushed silence. He reaches down to cup Rewind’s face in his hands, brushing his thumbs across sweetly-dimpled cheeks.
“Have you had a face under there this whole time?” is what leaves his mouth, instead of anything even passably intelligent.
Rewind breaks down into hysterical giggling, hiding his face against Chromedome’s hand, and suddenly the entire room is full of laughter and Chromedome is pulling Rewind up for their first proper kiss.
Chromedome eventually has to pull back just to admire his beautiful conjunx. Rewind’s face is perfect. Absolutely perfect.
“So you like it?” Rewind asks, almost sounding nervous.
“You’re so beautiful,” Chromedome whispers. “So beautiful.”
Rewind’s answering smile is enough to light up Chromedome’s spark and make him lean in for another kiss, to a whole second round of cheering.
Ceremony transitions quickly to reception and party. Blaster gets the music going and suddenly the dance floor is packed. Chromedome finds himself sitting with Rewind on his lap, nuzzling at his new, cute, little face.
“So, you like your wedding present?” Brainstorm flops down beside them, wings fluttering.
“I should’ve known this was you,” Chromedome says, hugging Rewind close.
“Of course you should have. I can’t believe you thought for even a moment that anything this perfect could have been Forged.” Brainstorm’s wings twitch in righteous indignation.
“I should have known, of course,” Chromedome agrees. He smooches Rewind’s cheek. “Besides, you were too excited to get me to the ceremony.”
“Yeah, well. I wanted to show off my work. Besides, don’t you recognize the face?”
Chromedome peers at Rewind, who now looks vaguely concerned.
“I guess...it looks a little familiar. Brainstorm, whose face is this?”
“Did you dissect a dead mech?” Rewind demands.
“No! I built that face myself! Excuse me, that craftsmanship is too perfect to be made by anyone but me! No, Domey, that was the face you picked when I was designing my own face!”
Chromedome squints at Brainstorm. “You mean the face you immediately threw away because you said I had terrible taste and if I liked it it must be terrible? That face?”
“See, you remember! And it’s true, you have the worst taste and it was terrible.”
“Hey,” Rewind objects, tone somewhere between offended and concerned.
“Oh no, it looks much better on you. The red was really what it needed,” Brainstorm assures Rewind.
Chromedome leans down to stage whisper in Rewind’s ear. “Stormy just wanted the kinky face tubing.”
“Fuck yeah. I knew Percy would be really into it.”
“You picked your face before you met Perceptor!” Chromedome laughs.
“My genius let me predict it.”
“No, you’re just into the kinky tubing and you didn’t care who else was into it,” Chromedome says. He steals a kiss from his laughing conjunx.
Brainstorm sniffs. “Rude. Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you should say it, Domey.” He softens. “I am glad you like it, though. Both of you.”
“I love it,” Rewind assures him, reaching out to pat Brainstorm’s hand. Chromedome keeps a grip on his waist to keep his little conjunx from pitching out of his lap. “Really.”
Brainstorm looks like he’s getting choked up, his wings doing that particular twitch that means he’s a little overwhelmed.
“Am I interrupting?”
Chromedome looks up to smile at Perceptor. “Hey, Perceptor, not at all. Brainstorm was just telling us about my terrible taste in faces.”
Perceptor laughs and drops a kiss to Brainstorm’s head. “That sounds about right. Congratulations to you two, by the way.”
“Thanks for coming, and also thank you for taking care of Stormy,” Chromedome says.
Perceptor laughs over Brainstorm’s stammered objections. He kisses Brainstorm’s head again. “It is a challenge, but it’s more than worth it.”
Brainstorm’s wings flutter happily and he stretches up to kiss Perceptor properly.
“Come dance with me. Give Chromedome and Rewind a moment alone.” Perceptor pulls Brainstorm toward the dance floor.
“Oh, they’re cute.” Rewind laughs and watches them take the floor.
“Not as cute as you.”
Chromedome kisses Rewind’s cheek and takes a moment to delight in his conjunx’s laughter and bright smile.
“You know, we have a few million kisses to catch up on,” Rewind says.
“We’ve got all the time in the world to catch up on them.” Chromedome bends down to kiss him. “I’m excited to get started.”
“Me too.” Rewind kisses Chromedome back. “I’m going to need lots of practice. You’ve got a head-start on having a mouth.”
“You’re a fast learner. Here, we can start practicing right now,” Chromedome assures Rewind, leaning in to kiss him again.