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Soundwave felt uncomfortable walking through your neighborhood in the middle of the day with people out and about, all of them staring at them with their beady human eyes and fear in their faces as he made his way to your house. It was cold outside, the fall weather gradually cooling down and flaking away to reveal what he knew was going to be a bitter winter. The trees around him were barren and nothing but trunks and flurries of branches, the leaves on the ground that had been a gorgeous assortment of warm colors such as auburn and golden now faded to a dark, dingy brown.
He honestly couldn’t wait for spring to come, a thought that flooded his processor more and more with every gust of wind or passerby drowning in that fuzzy, fluffy protective human clothing.
Having known you for a couple years now, Soundwave knew that this weather also seemed to affect your temperament, to say the least... Even if you wouldn’t admit it. You became more withdrawn, distracted, like something was wrong with you that you wouldn’t admit. It had already been kicking in since the snowstorm that had kicked off the season just a week before, leaving you energetic and unengaged when you saw him.
Soundwave was always sure to check on you more during this time of year. He didn’t know what it was or how humans worked, but he found himself concerned about you, so he did what he could
That’s why he was at your doorstep now despite all the awkward looks he received from humans while walking through your area, knocking as gently as he could with Laserbeak resting on his shoulder. Ravage, hating this weather, opted to stay at home.
...Silence.
He knocked again.
Minutes passed.
No answer.
Soundwave blinked his optics, now a bit concerned. Laserbeak seemed to feel the same, as he was flying off of Soundwave’s shoulder and around the perimeter of your house, only to return a few moments later to gesture towards your window, a signal that the minicon had been able to see you through there.
With a furrowed optical ridge, the blue and green con grabbed the spare housekey you gave him from his storage compartment and used it to open your front door, walking into your house, only to see you laying on your living room couch. Since the living room was right in front of your entryway, he knew that you’d heard him knock and chosen to ignore him or been too caught up in your own thoughts to even notice- either way, he was worried about what that meant.
“(y/n), why aren’t you answering your door?”
“S-Sorry, Soundwave, I’ve just... Been busy,” You stammered and sat up, wrapping yourself in a huddle of blankets. It was clear that you had been there for a while, (h/l) (h/c) locks a complete and utter mess, (e/c) eyes hazy with sleep, body stiff as you stretched out a bit.
“Busy? It appears to me that you’ve been laying down all day.”
“Listen,” You gave a guilty smile and looked to the side, and then down, avoiding his optics. “You should probably go home.”
“I wanted to spend time with you today.”
“You really shouldn’t.”
“Why not? I-” Soundwave started, but quickly stopped when he saw that tears had started welling up in your eyes and streaming down your cheeks- a sign that humans were either extremely sad or extremely happy, and he knew that in this situation, it definitely wasn’t the latter. “Oh, you’re leaking.”
“It’s called crying,” You explained and tried to wipe the tears away, only for more of them to fall. “Sorry you have to see me like this. I know it’s awkward for you.”
“Awkward, yes, but I’m also concerned. What’s going on?” The Decepticon asked and sat down next to you on the couch. Laserbeak, caring for you just as much if not more than Soundwave did, flew into your lap and crawled into your pile of blankets, allowing himself to be hugged by your trembling arms.
“I don’t know- I mean, I know, but it’s hard to explain,” You sighed as Soundwave placed a servo on your shoulder. He was tentative and unsure of himself, but still, he wanted to reassure you that you’d be okay. You were always acting so happy and content, unbothered and carefree, but just like everyone else, you had your hard days- you just bottled things up and hid from everyone instead of talking about them. He knew you worked a hard job with long hours to get yourself through school and had already been through a lot in your short life, so naturally, it made sense... He just wished you’d made a habit of confiding in him. “Life just feels so crazy recently. Work is too much, my social life is too much, my own mental state is too much. I can’t even think straight anymore and any time I’m alone too long by myself I just spiral into my own self hatred. I haven’t been able to get good sleep in weeks, because when I do try I either stay up overthinking or end up having some sort of nightmare that wakes me up.”
“That’s... A lot. I can’t say I understand fully, but I’m here to assist you in whichever ways you may require. Do you know where it’s all stemming from?”
“Just stress, I think,” You confessed with a bitter smile. Soundwave found himself frowning. Humanity was cruel, and your luck was horrible even though you were an amazing person- meanwhile, there were those who abused their power and acted unjustly who were in a much better position than you. It wasn’t fair. “My job is hard. I work long hours but it’s never enough and I’m drowning in bills, I’m failing half of my classes because I work so much that I can’t focus on school anymore, and... I love my job, but God, it’s all just too much! I hardly even have time for myself anymore.”
“Why have you chosen to hide this until now?” Soundwave finally demanded, wanting to know why you weren’t comfortable confiding in him until he caught you in the midst of a mental breakdown.
“I would’ve kept it hidden forever if I could, Soundwave,” You rested your head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around you. “It comes from the dislike I have for myself. I don’t like the way I look, I don’t like my personality, I don’t really like anything about me, and I feel like I’m already bothering you by telling you all of this- I don’t deserve the attention or the comfort, really.”
It was sad to think that such a beautiful, kind, talented, intelligent, hard working human could think such things. Soundwave shook his head as he recalled how he met you. During a fight with the Autobots in the middle of the forest, Laserbeak had been blasted down in the sky. Soundwave had been unable to find him for hours afterwards, struggling to recover and repair his companion, only to find you on the forest floor the next morning with a freshly welded and fueled Laserbeak on your lap, on track to a full recovery. You’d found the minicon and fixed him up without question, even with the Decepticon logo splattered across his body, which most humans knew was considered ‘bad’. After that, you and Soundwave had quickly connected, becoming fast friends, and for him, something even more than that.
“I’m not meaning to invalidate your feelings, but you’re wrong about yourself, (y/n). You’re... Sufficient.”
“Heh,” You laughed through your tears at his verbiage, but seemed oddly comforted by it, even if it had come off as both awkward and unconfident. “You’re so funny, Soundwave.”
“W-Wait, I was trying to be- how do you humans say it, comforting?”
“I know you were. I appreciate it.”
“...What do you need from me? What can I do to make you feel better?”
“Hold me for a bit?” You asked, your voice cracking, tone the softest and most unsure he’d ever heard from you.
“Of course.”
So, he did. As the wind howled outside, the brown leaves on the ground falling to pieces, snow melting on your roof, life growing hectic, Soundwave held you tight in his arms; because if that’s what you needed, he’d provide it for you, no matter what.