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It hadn't been long at all since the bots from Iacon had found the High Guard, reaching an impasse with them. D-16 had wanted to make a statement immediately, but with help from Elita One and Orion, he was just barely able to hold back. B-127 had been ecstatic ever since they arrived, rambling endlessly about the High Guard and how they contributed to the early days of Iacon.
“...And, it was said that they were there for some of the first ever battles with the Quintessons, closest to the Primes themselves!” B-127 went on. The best chambers the four Iacon bots could get were the scraps of what the High Guard base had to provide. It was barely comfortable, very bare, but none of that seemed to dissuade B. Orion gave a weary nod, trying to keep a polite smile as he only barely listened. His optics were trained on D-16.
Ever since they'd begun arguing more, Orion would constantly stare after him like a longing sparkmate. He noticed how tense D was, how he'd barely stopped pacing since they'd got there. It still lingered in Orion's processor, the look on D-16's faceplates when they pulled him back from snapping at the High Guard's leader. He'd never seen D so enraged before. And it was completely understandable, he knew that. He was still reeling from what he figured out about Sentinel, knowing that the Prime D-16 and all of Iacon had admired and entrusted their lives to lied to them. D-16 paused his intense rambling he was doing under his breath, looking over his shoulder to see Orion. His optics, having faded from comforting yellow to an almost bronze, narrowed before he looked away.
Orion felt the sting in his spark. He couldn't even feel D-16's EM field anymore. He felt like he craved it, needed the comfort it provided to feel what the other was experiencing. But his field couldn't even sense the other's anymore. It made a sinking feeling clog his chassis, only being pulled out of it when he saw the shadow of someone entering off to the side. He looked over, B-127 still going on and on as Elita One and Starscream walked in. “If you're going to be here, you all need to pull your weight” Starscream spoke up, which finally got B to quiet down, optics immediately shining as he saw the leader. “I'm going for a reconnaissance mission to see if Sentinel's scrapheads are still lingering around” Starscream began, immediately getting cut off as B-127 excitedly raised his servo. “Oh!! Me! I can help! I'll go with you” he said with a broad grin.
Starscream looked over B's helm, looking at the other three “Anyone else? Anyone at all? Other than him?”. D-16 just growled in the background, servos clenched tight. Elita One sat across from Orion, who kept his gaze on the ground. Starscream let out a suffering sigh of a vent as B-127 was still bouncing around in front of him. “Alright! Come on, yellow one” he grumbled. Orion chuckled seeing B jump up and cheer a small ‘yesss!’ as he immediately scrambled to Starscream's side. “We won't be gone long. Don't mess up anything” Starscream said to the other three, turning and beginning to walk out as B-127 followed behind him excitedly.
Starscream passed by Soundwave and Shockwave, clearing details with them to temporarily hold control while he was out. B-127 was practically glued to the Seeker’s side the entire time. “You're taking him?” Shockwave asked, tone pointedly conveying doubt on the choice. “He's the only one of those Iacon brats who agreed” Starscream muttered lowly, tilting his helm back to see B-127 only a few feet behind him. The bot waved, and Starscream rolled his optics. “Good luck, come back soon” Soundwave responded as Starscream moodily shifted back to where the yellow mech was.
“Come on, we're on the way out. Keep up” he said, B perking up “Right now? Of course right now, I'm sure you're very busy. Primus, it's amazing being able to work with you! I've always been so curious about the High Guard, and to see you all here— really here— it's so amazing! I don't think I've ever had anything more exciting, except for maybe when I met my current friends back on Iacon-” Starscream groaned as he was now subjected to the intense ramblings, trying to tune out the chattering mech as they walked outside the base.
After about a joor of time, B-127 was showing absolutely no signs of stopping. “I can see why Shockwave was infuriated with you” Starscream commented, making B pause “Oh yeah! Hey, pretty cool that so many of them have ‘Wave’ as a part of their names, huh? Soundwave, Shockwave, there's probably enough ‘Waves’ to make a whole other force!” he chattered on and on. Starscream growled softly in annoyance under his voice, keeping his optics on their surroundings. At the very least it seemed like everything was clear. He was just about ready to turn back, when a faint crackle registered into his processor. He narrowed his optics, turning around slowly towards the sight of the noise. “Did you hear that?” B-127 chimed up, leaning on Starscream's shoulder “Who was it? Do you think it's one of Sentinel’s Guards? Did they come back? Ca-”
B was quickly silenced when Starscream put a servo over his mouth, holding his jaw tightly. There was a tense weight in the air as the bots waited. Another crackle sounded, this time with a rustle. The second there was a snap, Starscream launched forwards. His pedes moved with intense speed, jets activating to launch him into the air. He swung his leg down, crushing the foliage where the noise had come from. When the leaves cleared, it revealed some small creature. Round, metal, with big ears and little optics. It stared up at Starscream before hopping away. B-127 chuckled. “Thanks for the defense,” he teased. Starscream got up with a grumble “Shut it. If it was one of Sentinel’s spies, we'd have gotten them. It's better to be prepared”
“Well yeah, but if you're all jumpy all the time, then you're just gonna wear out your processor by filling it with fear” B-127 replied. “That must be why yours is so empty” Starscream muttered. “Exactly!” B replied, leaning against the nearest brush “Just take after me, and you'll- WAUGH-” B yelped, sliding and immediately falling on top of the brush due to his weight crushing it. As soon as he stood, a hoard of metal bugs that had been nesting in the foliage came up. They immediately swarmed the mech, who jolted up and began sprinting away, yelling in fear the whole time.
Starscream's optics followed B as he scrambled around. He was at first completely bewildered, but despite that, a small huffed chuckle left him. He snorted when B ran directly into a twisted root, falling on the ground. Starscream stepped over, waving the insects away. B-127 pulled his faceplates out of the dirt, rubbing his nose ridge. “Is it broken?” Starscream asked. “I don't think- it might be. Is there anywhere to fix it out here? Oh Primus what if I'm stuck like this?! What i-”
B immediately fell silent when he felt a servo cup his chin. His helm was titled, and he was soon looking into Starscream's bright red optics. The leader leaned in closer, scanning his gaze over B's faceplates. B-127 felt his spark stutter, ventilation hitching at being so close. He'd always admired the leader, Starscream was the most captivating of the High Guards. But seeing him up close was an entirely different experience. Seeing the way his optics ridges furrowed in concentration, the way his thumb digit was gently brushing B-127's jaw. B nearly felt his faceplates heat up when Starscream smirked at him, small sharpened canines visible. “Those pests finally got you to quiet down?”
“Ah-! Yeah, um- they scared me pretty bad” B chuckled, trying to play it off. Starscream leaned back, standing back up “I'll see if Soundwave can look over you when we get back. Come on now, I don't want to be out here for another joor”. B-127 nodded, immediately standing up and following behind Starscream once again. Starscream gave an amused glance back to the bot, the little smirk he had was still visible. B returned it, although his was much shakier.
Back near the entrance of the base, Soundwave and Shockwave were taking time off together in Starscream's absence. "How do you think he's doing, dealing with that chatterbot?" Shockwave asked absentmindedly. "I wouldn't expect to see the yellow one back in one piece" Soundwave responded. Shockwave gave an amused hum, glancing to Soundwave with his one yellow optic "They've been out for quite some time now. I expect he's already disassembling him as we speak". Soundwave added, "And even then he wouldn't stop talking". "It's unbelievable how the bots with the smallest processors tend to talk the most" Shockwave noted. "Careful, Shockwave" Soundwave began "Starscream wouldn't like to know you're speaking of him like this". Shockwave laughed "As sharp as always, Soundwave". The two quited down soon when they heard the familiar sound of pedes approaching. They pretended to be back at attention, acting as if they had been keeping watch the whole time.
Starscream walked in, seeming much more relaxed than when he had left, B-127 being oddly quiet for once. Shockwave and Soundwave glanced to one another before watching as their leader re-entered. "Starscream," Shockwave greeted "I can assume the mission went well?". "None of Sentinel Prime's guards to be found" Starscream responded, strolling past them with ease as B shuffled in. The two couldn't help but stare, following with their helms as their processors filled with curiosity. "Oh, and Soundwave," Starscream began, putting a servo on B-127's shoulder "Give our guest here an examination, would you? He seems a little flushed". B tensed, his faceplates warming noticeably this time. Soundwave gave a stoic stare to the yellow mech, before stepping off to the side. "This way" he said, B glancing back to Starscream before scrambling to follow after.
"He seems oddly compliant" Shockwave commented once Soundwave and B were out of sight. "Oh, he's absolutely hopeless" Starscream responded, chuckling as he stepped back up to his throne. "You seem pleased depsite that" Shockwave replied, Starscream taking his seat back in his throne. He leaned back, spreading out and melting into the familiar resting spot. "There's a charm to it" Starscream admitted "He's much more entertaining than I was expecting". "Am I correct to assume that we'll be seeing more of him, then?" Shockwave asked "Oh, absolutely" Starscream responded. Shockwave let a pause linger, making a mental note before simply nodding.
Meanwhile, Soundwave let a holographic beam sheet across B-127's form to process his condition. "Condition: optimal" he noted. "So I'm free to go?" B asked hopefully. "Not yet" Soundwave responded "Your mental processing seems different". B tried desperately to stop his face from flushing again. "Oh-! I ran into some bugs or something while we were out. Just shook me up a bit" he hastened to explain. "Are you sure that is all?" Soundwave asked, and B nodded eagerly "Yeah! Yeah, like- they probably got me with some kinda venom or whatever, I should recharge to get the effects off" he said quickly. He scrambled out of the room, moving as fast as his pedes could go back down the hallway. Soundwave stared after him for a moment. "Soundwave make note: report findings to Shockwave" Soundwave said to himself once B had completely vanished.
B-127 finally made it back to where he and his friends had been staying, running in and collapsing against the wall to let his vents rest. Elita One immediately stood, rushing over to him "Primus- B, are you alright?" she asked. "Who? Me? Yeah, completely fine, the most fine I've ever been, better than ever, actually, I'm so great-" B babbled as a response. "You're not hurt? That scraphead didn't do anything?" Elita asked, B shaking his helm. "No, no! Not at all! I'm- I'm fine, really! He was amazing. I mean- of course he is, he was a part of the High Guard. It's just- he's- well, he's great! And I knew he was gonna be, but it's somehow way more than I thought, but exactly what I expected at the same time?". B caught up to his own mind eventually, panting gradually dying down "He's really brave and smart, he was able to hear what I couldn't. And he's really pretty, like there was this time where I fell and he-"
"Pretty?" Elita repeated, B squeaking in response before immediately closing his lipplates. "Did I say that?" he began awkwardly "Oh jeez maybe my processor really is on the fritz, I must've hit my helm harder than I thought" he continued as he stood up "Ehehem- where's Orion and D?" He quickly asked. "D stormed out, and Orion went to find him" Elita replied, a small smirk forming "But let's back up a little". "Psshh- nah, no need to do that at all! I didn't really mean to say that, so it doesn't matter! I mean not that I think he isn't pretty, he definitely isn't bad, but I wouldn't exactly say he's the best, you know? I haven't really met many bots but he's definitely the best I've seen so far— um— from a certain view" B rambled. "Uhuh. And what kind is that?" Elita asked. "Oh you know just the normal sight kind, that everyone who can see has" B replied. He anxiously tapped his digits against his arm before standing a little straighter. "Well! I'm going to go recharge, tell me when D and Orion come back, have a good night!" He said before stepping off quickly. Elita chuckled at his actions. If she could get Orion to back off of D-16 for a second, she'd absolutely be telling him about this.
B finally relaxed as soon as he got back to his own minimal berthroom. He sat on the berth, leaning back on it as he put his helm in his servos. "Come on, 127, get it together" he murmured to himself "You can't slip up like that in front of the High Guard! Ough, I hope Starscream won't hear about any of that" he vented to himself. "Just relax. Relax! It's fine. Just recharge. Just take some time, and... chill out" he said, motivating himself to lay down on the berth. He closed his optics, but recharge was the last thing on his mind. Instead, his servos fidgeted as his processor kept replaying the way Starscream had looked to him. The glint in his optics, the sharp smirk, the way he stood and swayed a little as he walked... it held a vice grip on B's spark.