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“Do you ever look into the stars and imagine that they’re the sparks of other bots who’ve passed on?”
“That’s not a very scientific approach, though I suppose I could see why someone would be inclined to believe that.”
Two bots, together on Cybertron. Both gazing into the starry sky, asking and answering questions that the other had asked, servos intertwined. Three optics looking at the cosmos with intrigue and fascination, soft words being spoken. Tender and loving touches, not being bothered with war, deciding that this quality time was worth much more of their time.
“You know, Shockwave, I’d like to think that the sparks of those who’ve passed, both before and during the war, are reborn as stars,” one of the two said, placing a servo on the side of Shockwave’s helm.
“I don’t see the harm in it, though it’s not the most scientifically accurate view Starscream,” Shockwave said, only to hear a light chuckle come from the seeker he stood beside. “What? Did I say something amusing?”
“No, I just find it funny how you didn’t completely shoot down my belief,” Starscream said, a small smirk on their face. “In fact, I think it’s cute.”
“That’s absurd.”
“I don’t think so, plus that’s not the first time you’ve done something cute,” Starscream jested, now trying to softly poke fun at their partner. Shockwave let out a huff, not saying anything verbally, but turning his attention back to the sky, holding onto Starscream’s servo just a bit more tightly than he had been before.
A silence had now fallen between the two, comfortable and welcomed. They were fine with simply watching the stars glimmer in the sky, though Starscream eventually had to speak up.
“When the war is over and once we’ve won, maybe we could… oh I don’t know… make this official?” Starscream asked, Shockwave looking at them with surprise.
“You would really want to do that?” Shockwave asked, almost too quickly and too eagerly, getting another chuckle out of Starscream, though this time it was more than deserved. This time Shockwave only let out a soft yet content sigh, even he realizing that he’d been just a bit too eager.
“Of course. I promise you that we’ll make our relationship official, as soon as we’ve won this war,” Starscream said, a small yet genuine smile on their faceplate. Shockwave pulled starscream close, trying to hide his excitement but absolutely failing.
The Decepticons had to win this war.
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Alone. He’d ended up sad and alone as the guardian of Cybertron and look at what happened. He’d spent so much time separated from the love of his life, only for their life to be cut short by a certain someone, and Shockwave couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Shockwave was miserable, doing his best to hide it around his comrades yet shattering whenever he was alone. He’d finally had a shot at being happy, for things to be right and well once this war was over, but it had been ripped from him.
Of course, Shockwave couldn’t break old habits, reaching out absentmindedly to hold Starscream’s servo when it wasn’t there, trying to comm them only to remember that they were long gone. His actions hadn’t gone unnoticed either, though nobody dared to call him out on it. Not whilst he was still grieving.
Of course, Shockwave still went out at night to their old meeting spots to look up at the stars. Part of him hoped that Starscream would show up out of the blue, so they could reunite and be together. But Shockwave knew that was impossible. He couldn’t get back the one he loved so dearly.
Not in the form they once were.
Sitting alone, Shockwave counted the stars in the sky, hoping that one would just appear, hoping that one would outshine the rest. Foolish, silly hope, hope that got him nowhere.
“Weren’t you supposed to be reborn as a star? Weren’t you supposed to give me some sense of peace by doing that?” Shockwave questioned, hoping for any sort of response. Though that response never came. No matter how many times he questioned, he never received an answer.
“Weren’t you going to shine for me? For our cause?” Shockwave continued, his vocalizer just slightly wavering as he spoke. “Weren’t we supposed to stay alive for each other?! So why, why did you have to leave me?!” Shockwave cried out, his tone changing for his usual monotony to one of anger.
Grief had finally washed over him, Shockwave finally bursting, a dam bursting over with a tidal wave of so many emotions. And yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty for all of this.
“I love you, I know I do, but… but did you know that I loved you? Because I did, and I still do… Starscream, I love you.”
No response.
“I said I love you! And please, please… please, just be my guiding star. Please,” Shockwave said, his yelling dying down to but a whimper, continuing to mumble things to himself. He looked up at the sky, the stars glimmering. Glimmering just slightly brighter than they had been before.
Shockwave couldn’t help but sit and stare, just like he had before. Just like he and Starscream had before, back when their love was new, before they’d truly seen the horrors of war. Yet in Shockwave’s personal darkest hour, the stars seemed to gleam brightly, as if trying to call out to him.
Though gone physically, Starscream would never be permanently gone, not to Shockwave. Though they weren’t reborn into a single puny star.
They’d made the ones closest to their lover shine just a little bit more brightly, and Shockwave was more than grateful.