Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The dust settled. The smell of ozone in the air as the remnants of the battle faded away. 

Drift stood outside of the group that had gathered around Wing. He shouldered his way in, trying to get a look at him. When he saw him laying there on the ground, motionless, he almost fell to his knees. Dai Atlas knelt beside Wing, servos placed on his chassis, optics darkened. 

“This could have been prevented,” Dai Atlas said. “I was a fool,” he admitted. Drift can’t help but stand there, staring at Wing. He’s sick of it. He’s sick of losing everyone he cares about. His finial flicked for just a moment as he looked at Wing’s frame a little bit closer. His paint isn’t fading. 

Then the realisation hits Drift. He’s still in there. Alive, barely holding on. And they’re losing time the longer they stand here. Drift lunged forward and grabbed at Wing. 

“What are you doing?! ” Dai Atlas exclaimed. 

“Wing’s still alive,” Drift yelled, picking Wing’s frame up. “There’s one thing at least I’ve known throughout my years as a Decepticon, throughout my years killing . I always waited to see their frame grey and if it didn’t I finished the job. His hasn’t,” he said, fangs bared. He wasn’t going to let Dai Atlas fight or argue with him on this when time was of the essence. “We need to get him to a medical bay right now . He’s still holding on. I’m not giving up on him. You were able to rebuild my entire frame after I had received a beating that should have killed me, you must be able to do something to bring him back from near-death.”

Dai Atlas’ plating flared for just a moment and he then only nodded. If Wing was still alive in there, he’d do everything to at least try and bring him back. 

“Redline, get Wing to the infirmary quick,” Dai Atlas ordered. The rest of the Circle of Light took Wing off Drift’s servos and they began to race back to the city with Wing in tow. Drift and Dai Atlas were the last two, Drift went to transform before Dai Atlas stopped him, placing a servo on his shoulder. “We need to talk, Drift,” Dai Atlas started. Drift turned but didn’t say anything. “I owe you an apology… I was wrong about you.” Drift’s finials flicked in response as his optics widened in surprise. “Wing saw something in you that I refused to see, there is good in you. You demonstrated that today. Crystal City will no longer be hidden. We will grow, our message of peace will be heard. So I am asking on his behalf to extend an offer to join our Circle of Light. Will you join us, Drift?” 

Drift looked back towards the city and back to Dai Atlas.  

“Can I give you my answer… once I know Wing is better?” he asked. Dai Atlas didn’t reply for a moment. “When we first met, I promised Wing I’d help him free the slaves and return them to their homes. That’s a promise I intend to keep,” he continued. “But I don’t want to just leave Wing when I know he’s fighting to stay alive,” he finished. Dai Atlas only hummed in response. 

“You’re in love with him,” Dai Atlas surmised. Drift’s face flushed and his plating flared for just a moment before he took a deep breath and exhaled. “I would not blame you for falling in love with someone like Wing,” he then said. “Very well, you can give your answer when Wing is better. I’ll make the arrangements to house the freed slaves for the time being until you are ready to take them home.” 

“Thank you,” Drift said. The greatsword in Drift’s servo felt heavy. 

“Come, let’s check on how far they are with Wing,” Dai Atlas said. 

The two returned to the confines of the city, silent and wordless. The two had other things on their mind after all. 

The infirmary was closed. There was no room for distraction especially when it came to relighting a fading spark. Drift paced outside of the doors, picking at the chipping, cracked paint from the battle earlier to distract himself. A couple cycles passed, the exhaustion from earlier was beginning to catch up to him. Wing’s greatsword was off to the side, set atop a nearby bench. The doors to the infirmary finally opened and Drift grabbed the greatsword subconsciously. Redline was the first one to step out, tired but a soft smile on his face. 

“He’s stable,” was all Redline said and Drift let out a sigh of relief, his frame finally relaxing after having been tense for the past couple of cycles. “He’s recharging right now, we don’t know when he’ll online but… you can see him.” That’s all Drift needed to hear before he raced past Redline and skidded to a stop. 

Wing had taken up residence on a medical slab that had a protective cover over it. There was a barrier between him and Drift, an effort to make sure the relit spark wasn’t smothered. Energon lines were hooked up to him. But his frame was still colourful, it wasn’t greyed out. The greatsword Drift had been holding clattered beside him as he fell to his knees. 

He wished he could hold Wing’s servo. For now he’d have to watch him through the barrier. He let out a shaky breath and pressed his forehead against it, offlining his optics. 

“Please be ok, Wing,” was all Drift could say. 

All Wing saw around himself was darkness. Void as far as the optic could see. He looked around. The Allspark was meant to be here right? He looked up as soon as he saw a glimmer. Far, distant. A bright blue star that seemed to be growing closer and closer. He reached up, his golden optics showing no fear. He knew deep down in his spark, he’d done well. 

“ Hello there, ” a voice around him said. He faltered for a moment, lowering his arm to look around. He turned around to suddenly face a ram horned Cybertronian with kind, blue optics. 

“Hello,” Wing replied politely. 

“ Do you know who I am? ” the voice asked. He could only guess who it was, though it was fairly obvious. 

“You’re Primus,” he said. 

“ Indeed, I am, ” she smiled. Wing immediately knelt. 

“It’s an honour to meet you,” he said. She waved her servo.

“A noble Circle of Light member in my presence, I wasn’t expecting to see you here so early,” she said. Wing stood up this time, confused. 

“I thought it was my time to go?” he asked. 

“ Evidently not, despite being ready to accept death like a proper Circle of Light member, there is a part of you that is still fighting to stay alive. ” She looked up towards the Allspark. She pressed her servo against Wing’s chassis that felt strangely heavy. “ He needs you, you know, ” she said. Wing looked down for a moment and then to her. “ And I don’t think you’re ready to leave him yet. ”

“Drift,” he breathed. She only nodded. A window opened in the void and he saw Drift, sleeping atop the barrier Wing was in. 

“ You’re at the brink of existence, my dear, ” Primus said. “ It’s your choice whether or not you’d like to join the Allspark or continue your journey. ” Wing glanced up at the Allspark for a moment before looking back at the window. He shook his helm. 

“My work isn’t finished,” Wing confessed. Primus gave him an amused smile. 

“ Then I think you know what to do, ” she replied. Wing lifted his servo and almost went to touch the window before looking at Primus. 

“How will I know it’s the right thing?” he asked. She didn’t reply, fading away into the darkness. Wing’s plating bristled a moment before he looked at the window once again. He took a deep breath, exhaled and touched the window. 

The next thing he saw was a bright white light that eventually dimmed around him. His optics shuttered online, adjusting to the brightness. 

His entire frame was in pain and he let out a groan. A frame jolted itself beside him and he heard Drift’s voice, muffled through the barrier. 

“ Wing !” Wing couldn’t help but smile.

Chapter Text

He heard a groan. Drift’s optics onlined, shaking away any grogginess as his optics focused to look at the moving frame in front of him. Suddenly, he’s fully awake and his gaze darts to Wing’s face, whose optics are weakly blinking online. 

“Wing!” Drift exclaimed, servo slamming on the barrier. Wing seemed to hear him as he gave Drift a weak smile. Drift’s finials wiggled in excitement as he stood up. “Wait just a second, I’ll grab Redline,” he said. He didn’t care how sore his frame was for recharging on the ground near Wing these past few days, he didn’t care how his joints creaked and squealed from the sudden movement. He ran out of the infirmary and sprinted down the hall to Redline’s room, slamming his servos on the door frantically. Redline opened it, trying to hide his annoyance. 

“Drift, this better be-”

“He’s online, Wing- he’s-” Drift stopped himself. Redline’s finials flapped to attention and his optics brightened as a wide smile grew on his face. It didn’t take him long to join Drift in his running back to the infirmary. 

“He’s ONLINE!” Redline announced as he ran through the hall. Other Circle of Light members immediately changed their direction to follow the two. Redline made it to the stasis pod Wing and immediately keyed in the code for the barrier to lift off of him. It rose to the side with a hiss and settled down. Drift set himself at the foot of Wing’s medical slab and tightened his servos, unsure what to do.

Drift found himself surrounded by other Circle of Light members, everyone had streamed into the room to circle Wing, all relieved and elated at the fact that Wing was still alive, that he was online. Various voices surrounded Drift, trying to speak to Wing, telling him how relieved they were that he was ok. But all Wing could look at was Drift. And all Drift could look at was Wing. 

His golden optics looked into Drift’s blue ones, and Drift couldn’t help but shrink for just a moment, EM field clamping up with nervousness and anxiety. His spark spun and he knew why. 

You’re in love with him . 

Dai Atlas’ voice echoed in his processor. Drift doesn’t realise what he does in the next few moments. His frame moves before he can process it, everything is just a blur for only a second until his frame collides into Wing’s, grasping him in a crushing hug. He lunged at him. Right in front of everyone . He doesn’t care. He’s been waiting for this, for him, for the past few days.

Wing has Drift in his arms and he can’t help but smile and laugh at the situation. It’s only when Drift kissed Wing that his laughter quickly died down. The crowd around them began to disperse, still congratulating Wing for surviving, for making it, for fighting. But all Drift cared about in that moment was kissing Wing, his arms wrapping around him, holding onto him desperately, as if he was terrified of losing him again. Because he was . The room was soon empty after that, with Redline off to the side, looking away to give them some privacy. Drift held onto Wing and exhaled sharply as he pulled him into more of a crushing kiss, tears streaming down his cheeks. His fangs nicked at Wing but Wing wasn’t exactly complaining. The two pulled away for a moment after kissing for a bit and Drift hid his helm in the crook of Wing’s neck, embarrassed at the fact that he was so vulnerable and expressive. 

“I thought I lost you,” Drift murmured, vocaliser slightly vibrating Wing’s neck cables. 

“You didn’t,” Wing said. He exhaled shakily, tears filling his optics. He held Drift close, nuzzling his helm against Drift’s. “You didn’t. I’m still here.” The two held each other silently for a few moments until they heard the tell tale clearing of Dai Atlas’ throat. 

“Seems like I’m interrupting a moment,” Dai Atlas said. Wing and Drift looked up to see Dai Atlas and Redline standing there. Drift quickly scrambled off of Wing, face flushed and coughing into his fist. 

“You were,” Wing smirked, swinging his legs off the side of the medical slab. Dai Atlas only chuckled at his response, despite it all, Wing was still cheeky. He stood up shakily and Dai Atlas pulled him into a brief hug before pulling away. 

“I’m glad you’re alive, Wing,” Dai Atlas said. 

“Thank you for saving my life,” Wing replied with a slight bow. 

“Actually… it was Drift, who knew your spark had survived,” Dai Atlas said, motioning towards him. Wing turned around in surprise. A smile grew on his face. 

“Really?” he said. Drift nodded. 

“Your frame didn’t grey,” Drift said. “I just wanted to give you a fighting chance,” he said. Wing only smirked and Drift’s face flushed, the two very well knowing what they just did earlier.

“Drift, if you don’t mind… I need to speak to Wing for a moment,” Dai Atlas said. Drift made his way out of the infirmary before glancing back at Wing for just a moment. The door hissed shut and he rubbed at his face irritably, still thoroughly embarrassed at that moment of vulnerability earlier. But when his thoughts went back to Wing and how nice it was to kiss him again… that irritation faded away. 

He made his way back to Wing’s habsuite and decided to take a well needed shower in the washracks. He’d wait for him there.

“How long was I offline?” Wing asked. It wasn’t like him to dance around it, especially with how important this question was. 

“Approximately 3.8 megacycles,” Redline answered. 

“How long was Drift there for that?” Wing asked. 

“The whole time,” Dai Atlas said. 

“I tried to make him leave but he almost bit me,” Redline sighed. “So I left him be. I at least insisted on patching him up and repainting him. He’d been picking at his paint the day you were in surgery.” 

“Sorry,” Wing apologised on Drift’s behalf. 

“He was very protective of you, you know,” Redline then said. “He even kept this on him,” he said, picking up Wing’s greatsword from under his medical slab. “It took me a bit to coax it off of him and set it under you.” Redline handed the greatsword over to Wing and he held it in his servos, looking down towards it. 

“Drift and I have been discussing what the next step is,” Dai Atlas started.  “I’ve asked him to help join us in our quest for peace,” he said. 

“You want him to join the Circle,” Wing surmised. Dai Atlas nodded. 

“He told me he’d only give me an answer once he knew you were ok,” he then said. Wing couldn’t help but feel his spark spin faster at that. “But he told me he intended to keep the promise he made to you on returning our new freed friends to their homes.” 

“He did?” Wing asked. Dai Atlas nodded. He then set his servo on his pauldron. 

“Drift will need your help on his new journey and I have a feeling you’d like to accompany him anyway,” Dai Atlas said. “You have my blessing, if you are looking for it,” he then said. Wing blinked at him and Dai Atlas gave an amused chuckle. 

“To leave?” Wing said. 

“I think you know what I mean,” Dai Atlas said. Wing could only smile and he laughed. “I didn’t approve of him at first, but he fought for you and I know he’ll continue to fight for you,” he said. “Just like you did for him.”

“What will happen to Crystal City?” Wing asked. 

“We’ll no longer be hiding and do our best to help any Cybertronian out there, just like you two will be when you’re on your journey,” he replied. “We will thrive, but… we will miss you,” Dai Atlas said, his voice growing fonder.

“I will miss this place too… but I do think it’s time for me to leave and explore what’s out there,” Wing said. “Am I cleared to return to my habsuite?” he said, turning towards Redline this time. 

“Just need to do a few checks and I’ll send you on your way,” Redline replied. 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Dai Atlas said. He gave the two a curt nod before exiting the infirmary.

The door to Wing’s habsuite opened, Drift standing up from the berth to meet Wing as he entered. Immediately as the two grew close, Wing and Drift went to hold each other, servos meeting with the other, chassis pressing together. 

“You were going to return our emancipated friends?” Wing hummed. 

“Of course, I promised.” He paused. “But I couldn’t leave without knowing that you were ok,” Drift replied. Wing gave a soft chuckle, the two slowly dancing now.

“You’re that in love with me?” 

“Maybe,” Drift grumbled. Wing kissed Drift and smiled as he pulled away. 

“I love you too,” Wing said.

Chapter Text

“You met Primus?” Drift asked, astonished. Wing could only nod with an excited smile. 

“She was very kind, I wasn’t expecting to meet her honestly,” Wing confessed. “But it seems she had something to say and convinced me to come back,” he said. 

“Did you want to move on?”

“You know that Knights of the Circle of Light are trained to accept death in any way shape or form, especially in battle.” Drift frowned. 

“But part of you wanted to stay,” Drift pointed out. Wing frowned this time and he sighed. “Was it fear?” Wing shook his head. 

“I think… I just felt there was… something tethering me to the living world,” Wing said. He looked up towards Drift this time. “I think that tether was you,” he said. Drift’s face heated up just for a moment. His servos grabbed Wing’s and his thumb rubbed circles into his. 

“I was that tether?” he asked quietly. 

“I don’t know what else would have made me want to stay,” Wing replied softly. Drift’s circling paused for a moment and his EM field flared with embarrassment and affection. “I had unfinished business. And that business involved you,” he said. “I was ready to go, I reached for the Allspark when I was in limbo. But… then she showed me you,” Wing said. “How could I leave you?” his voice cracked this time and he reset his vocaliser. The two sat in silence for a moment, Drift leaning against Wing as the two sat on the edge of the berth. “When does the ship leave?” Wing then asked. 

“Which ship?” Drift asked. 

“The one that you will be taking, you’re returning the freedmen to their homes after all,” Wing said. Drift hummed. 

“The launch is tomorrow,” he replied. “I have to speak to Dai Atlas before we leave, I’m assuming he’s going to want me to continue my training even when I am gone.”

“I wonder who will be teaching you,” Wing mused.   

“I dunno, whoever it is I’m hoping he’d be handsome, knowledgeable, flight-frame… kicks my ass pretty easily,” Drift replied. Wing couldn’t help but snicker at the description and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. 

“You don’t have to flatter me like that,” Wing chuckled. Drift laughed. 

“I want to,“ he replied. His laughter died down for a moment and he seemed to be struggling to say the next thing he wanted to say. “I love you, Wing,” Drift said, voice quiet and soft. “I don’t know what I would have done if I wasn’t able to tell you and you d-” He hid his face in the crook of Wing’s neck this time after cutting himself off. “I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life,” he confessed. Wing sighed and didn’t reply. He didn’t know what to say. What do you say to someone after almost dying? All Wing could do was bask in the comfort that Drift loved him so much that he choked on it.

He moved for just a moment, laying Drift down onto the berth. The kiss Wing gave him was needy and desperate. If words couldn’t show how much he appreciated Drift, he was going to show him another way. 

The two made their way down the halls of the Circle of Light, Drift being the first to enter the chamber hall where Dai Atlas had been residing for the day. 

“Drift,” Dai Atlas said evenly. “I’m assuming you’re here to give me your answer?” Drift nodded, Wing entering soon after and standing beside him. 

“I’m willing to join the Circle of Light and complete my training, but I also know my presence here poses a great danger,” Drift said. “I don’t want Crystal City to become a target of the Decepticons because of my being here and I have a promise to keep, so I will be taking my leave,” he said. “But I do intend to return once the war is over,” he said. “I just hope that is soon,” he added. 

“If you’re going to complete your training then you will need a teacher to accompany you,” Dai Atlas said. 

“I will be accompanying him,” Wing said, stepping forward. “I’m hoping my knowledge is enough to complete his training,” he said. There was some doubt that he felt deep down. He’d been bested just a few days ago. He almost died because of it. So was he truly the best teacher for Drift? Part of him believed so. But the rest of him reasoned that perhaps Drift would be better off with a more well seasoned Knight. Drift may need Wing on his journey regardless, he knew that deep down. It felt wrong for Wing not to go with him. But maybe… maybe Drift would be better off with another teacher. 

“Do you feel confident enough in your skills to teach him the Way of Light?” Dai Atlas asked. Wing’s plating bristled and his face dropped. 

“No,” Wing said shakily, forcing his honesty. “But I would still like to accompany him on his journey,” he repeated. “Despite my failure-” he forced out, confronting the one thing he didn’t want to in this very moment. “I still think Drift and I would be stronger together,” he finished. He didn’t know why he was trying to justify himself. Dai Atlas had already given his blessing to Wing, he knew Wing was going to leave no matter what. He didn’t even ask for it, he wasn’t going to. But it was some sort of reassurance to himself, something that he needed to hear for himself. 

“If you believe yourself to be unworthy of teaching him then I will ask Axe to accompany you two on your journey,” Dai Atlas offered. Drift’s plating bristled for a moment and he looked towards Wing frantically. 

“”You don’t have to do that,” Drift cut in this time. “I know you’re hoping to spread the Circle of Light and their message, as well as growing the Circle, but-” he paused for a moment. “Wing was the one who started teaching me the ways, it wouldn’t feel right to suddenly switch,” he said. Dai Atlas hid his amusement but Wing picked up on it. 

“Very well,” Dai Atlas said. “Drift, you had told me you wanted to leave tomorrow, we should prepare for your departure,” he said. Drift nodded wordlessly and turned to leave, waiting for Wing to follow beside him. 

The freed slaves were already moved onto the ship Drift was going to be embarking on. It was one of the slavers’ ships, reformatted and fit for Cybertronians and organics alike. Drift trailed his servo alongside the hull, looking up at the exploratory vessel. To think that this was used to traffick helpless individuals… he huffed and shook the thought away. 

It had been repainted into the traditional Circle of Light colours, with a new symbol painted onto it. A neutral symbol, but one that represented the Way of Light. It was a half crescent that dipped down, two prongs coming off of the ends. Nothing Autobot related, nothing Decepticon related. That was how it was meant to be. 

Wing entered the ship bay anxious and doubtful. The anticipation and revelation that he was leaving his home was finally hitting him. He’d called this place utopia to Drift the very first time he met him. And now he was leaving it behind. 

“Still unsure on what we should call it,” Drift said as he sauntered up to him, standing beside him as he looked up at the ship. 

“You haven’t named it yet?” Wing replied. 

“Was waiting for you, I guess,” Drift shrugged. 

“You wanted… me to name it?” he asked. Drift hummed in confirmation. Wing’s optics looked back up towards the ship. “The Discovery ? Hope ? The Lost Light ?” he said, throwing out ideas. 

“I like Lost Light, but we should table that for a later ship, save it for an even bigger ship you know,” Drift mused. Wing had to curb his teasing that Drift would want to get a bigger ship, however way he might get it. 

“Okay…” Wing said. He sighed, scratching at his helm. “How about Found Faith ?” 

“I can see it,” Drift replied, his lip curling. “ Found Faith , though? Sounds very Circle of Light of you,” he teased.

“Hey, you wanted me to name it,” Wing retorted. Drift hummed and wrapped his arm around Wing’s waist, pulling him close. 

“ Found Faith , it is.” 

“I’ll be flying outside when we depart,” Wing said. “I just want to see Crystal City one last time before we leave, especially now that it’s on the surface now,” he said.

“Alright, we’ll be waiting for you in the ship bay when we exit the atmosphere,” Drift said. “Take as much time as you need.” Wing smiled and kissed Drift. 

“I won’t take too long,” he said. Drift disappeared into Found Faith , making his way up towards the bridge. 

Wing felt his engines turn on, whirring as he transformed into his altmode. 

“ Found Faith requesting clearance,” Drift’s voice echoed in the ship bay. When he received permission, the ship’s engines turned on, warming up to a high pitched whirr. It lifted off the ground and slowly began to exit the bay area, entering out into the open air. The engines then came to a roar and flew off into the sky. Wing quickly followed after, tailing behind it at a safe distance. His altmode roared as he sped through the sky, circling New Crystal City multiple times. Wing looked below, searching for his apartment, for Dai Atlas’ apartment. He saw the Citadel, a shining beacon of light. Emotion swelled within Wing. Everything he knew was down there. But everything new and unknown was out there . He circled a few more times before straining his engines to catch up with the Found Faith. 

He activated his comm. link with Drift to notify him he was going to need access to the ship bay. The doors began to open slowly and Wing made sure not to crash into anyone as he squeezed in, slowing down to a stop and landing on the metal. He transformed out of his altmode and stretched, the smell of ozone radiating off of him. The bay doors closed and Wing made his way up to the bridge. 

He stopped in the hall at a nearby window, watching New Crystal City slowly shrink into a dot as the ship exited the atmosphere and entered into the vast expanse of space. All Wing could feel was excitement.

Chapter Text

The slavers had collected various races, from various planets. Wing and Drift stood at the navigational array, pressing at keys as they charted out their course. 

“Amazing that there’s so many giant organic races out there,” Wing hummed. “I suppose the atmosphere allowed for them to evolve like that?” he said. Drift acknowledged his musings with just a flick of his finials. 

“I’ve been around the universe but not that far,” Drift said. “They grabbed people from the Naklav sector,” he said in disbelief. “That’s 800 lightyears away!” he exclaimed. 

“It’ll be our last stop then, seems like we’ll be hitting the Tyr system first,” Wing pointed out. “Once we get into the atmosphere, we’ll contact the Tyrians.”

“Hopefully they don’t try to destroy us,” Drift said through gritted teeth. “A lot of organics aren’t particularly friendly towards Cybertronians.”

“I wonder why,” Wing replied sarcastically. Drift snorted. 

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you,” he grumbled. “So… seven stops. That’s not that bad,” he said. “We should have enough fuel for the quantum engines as well…” 

“Long as we don’t strain the engines, we can’t afford to be dead in the water when neither of us are engineers,” Wing pointed out. “Especially with others on board, I don’t want them to get restless or prolong their return home more than it should,” he sighed. His arms were crossed this time as he looked out into the vast emptiness of space. 

“Tyr system, huh,” Drift said. “Says it’ll take a few hours for us to reach it, so…” he whirled around to face Wing with a mischievous twinkle in his optics. “Wanna do something to pass the time?” 

“I think we should explore the ship and get familiar with it before we do what you’re suggesting,” Wing said, gently pushing him away and walking off. Drift growled for a moment before running to catch up with Wing. “I’d rather do that when we have more privacy, Drift,” Wing chided. “Besides, patience is one of the Circle of Light’s virtues.”

“You’re tutoring me now? Seriously?” Drift asked. 

“This ship’s fairly large, don’t you think we should familiarise ourselves with it?” Wing replied. “It’s not a standard Cybertronian ship, in fact I don’t think it’s Cybertronian in origin,” he said. Drift silently conceded and followed Wing down the halls. They passed a few of the freed slaves that had been walking around in the ship, who were also taking the opportunity to explore. Drift and Wing slowed to a stop. 

“Thank you for returning us to our homes,” one of them said. They were Ilxians, with dark eyes and tentacles on their heads. 

“We’ll make sure you’re home soon,” Wing said in their language, his translation modules activating. “For now, please make yourself comfortable, we will let you know when we near Ilixios.” They departed after that and peeked into the engine room after going down to the lower deck. 

The warp core was bright, as if it were a gigantic spark. It was spinning in a clockwise measure, the core working hard to travel through time and space. They quickly closed the door to the engine room, knowing it was better to leave it be for now than try and enter and mess something up so early into their journey. 

Drift and Wing made their way to one of the storage rooms, large boxes stacked in the room, energon tucked to the side in a safe container. The ship’s fuel was set aside in a corner. It was a small amount of dysonium, the standard for non-Cybertronian spaceships. Luckily no one was in there, it would have been concerning if there were. Drift had set up a security code to access the storage room anyway. The docking bay was at the end of the ship and the two looped around to see yet more of the secondary storage room. This one was full of the organic goods that were going to be used throughout the trip. Eventually, it’d diminish and the two could possibly use the room for sparring. 

They made their way back up to the upper deck, looking at an empty habsuite. 

“Hmm. Should we claim this?” Wing asked. The room was decently sized, it was just stock full of supplies for the trip. There was a double berth, big enough for both Wing and Drift to sleep on. The berth was recently installed, since Found Faith was reformatted to fit a Cybertronian lifestyle. An energon dispenser was installed into the wall as well. Hopefully that wasn’t the only energon dispenser on the ship. They’d have to check the small dining hall that was in this ship. 

The dining hall was crude to say the least. It was tiny and not large enough for the amount of people on this ship. Luckily there was an energon dispenser as well as various organic foods that their guests would be eating throughout the trip. Hopefully upon dropping off their new friends, they’d be able to resupply in case they ran out of anything. They weren’t expecting any outposts or planets to have energon, especially with how scarce it was as well as the fact that any stockpile of energon would have attracted the wrong crowd. 

They left and went to the lounge. Most of the people they were bringing home were hanging out there, either looking out the window as space passed by them or chatting amongst each other. At least they had people to interact with for the trip. The two left the lounge, feeling it was too crowded and made their way to the second habsuite.

This one was empty, but still had the newly installed berth as well as the energon dispenser. 

“This one’s probably better,” Drift said. He entered the room and set his greatsword up on the mantle the Knights had so graciously installed for the both of them. His sword in comparison to Wing’s was missing the gem in the centre. 

“Is that Axe’s work?” Wing asked.

“Yes, despite his… disapproval of me at the beginning, he gave me this greatsword for when I was ready to bond with it,” he said. His digits traced the empty groove where the gem would have been as he examined the greatsword. “He said you’d teach me how to make the gem,” he looked up towards Wing this time. Wing’s wings fluttered for a moment as a smile grew on his face. 

“We’ll have to find a planet that has the materials but… I’d be honoured to teach you how to make it,” he said. Drift couldn’t help but smile. He kicked at nothing this time as he realised how much time they still had. 

“We still have a few hours,” Drift sighed. “Anything you want to do to pass the time since you’re waiting until everyone is gone before we have a bit of fun?” he said. Wing chuckled at Drift’s impatience poking at his EM field. Not even that far into the trip and he was already needing to let off some steam.

“I want it as much as you,” Wing confessed. “But perhaps we should get to know our new friends for the time being.” He offered his servo to Drift this time and he took it with an annoyed sigh. 

“Alright,” Drift replied, conceding and kissing Wing’s cheek. The two exited the habsuite, making their way towards the lounge. When Drift entered the lounge, he didn’t know exactly what to feel. All he knew is that he felt out of place. And that interacting with new people was definitely more of Wing’s strong suit. He steeled himself and walked beside Wing as he approached a couple of Catharsians. They were mechanical like them, but instead of being able to transform or have sparks, they had different systems. Nonetheless, Wing spoke to them as a friendly gesture. Drift kept his EM field tight to himself as they conversed, unsure whether or not Catharsians had the same ability to recognise each other's emotions through said EM field. 

These Catharsians seemed friendly enough. When they asked who was piloting the ship, Wing informed them that the auto pilot had taken over for the time being and that they would be dropping out of quantum drive when they neared the first planet. They then moved onto the Eurythmans.

A rather peculiar race, Drift thought. They spoke in a singing manner and Wing mentioned how their planet was music based. 

“If you’d like, you are absolutely able to sing to make things livelier or more comfortable,” Wing said offhand, his voice lilting and singing in their language. Drift couldn’t help but enjoy hearing him sing. He was too embarrassed to join in and simply listened.

“When will we reach our planet~?” one of the Eurythmans asked. 

“You’re the fourth stop, so halfway, I’m sorry that it may take a while~,” Wing replied. One of them hummed a discordant note in disappointment and then nodded. 

“We can only be patient for the time being~,” they lamented. Wing gave an apologetic smile. Wing continued to speak to the other aliens on the ship before Drift tapped his nacelle, frowning. 

- I’m going to head to the bridge, I’m getting a bit overwhelmed. - Drift comm. linked Wing. He never was the best in social settings. He was more of a loner anyway. 

- I’ll join you soon, I’m sorry for keeping you here :( - Drift could only bite his lip and he pressed a chaste kiss to Wing’s cheek, hopefully communicating that it was fine before leaving the lounge and heading back to the bridge. He sat on the captain’s chair with a huff, relieved that he wasn’t surrounded by strangers anymore and rubbed at his face for a moment before looking ahead into the void of space passing by him at light speed. It was going to be a long trip. But as long as Drift had Wing, it’d be much more bearable at least.