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This was the only way for the war to cease despite Hot Rod being reluctant.
Both Autobots and Decepticons had been at war for vorns and there was no end in sight. Both sides had lost soldiers and Cybertron was dying because of the destruction it caused.
So both Optimus and Megatron decided to a truce and discussed a much better peace treaty. It was soon decided that a form of matrimony from both sides was the only way.
The Autobots decided to draw lots. Whoever would be picked up would represent their side to be wed to whoever from the Decepticons' side.
Hot Rod's name wasn't supposed to be in that pot until it was.
And his name was picked, much to his shock and Optimus' sorrow.
They had no idea who would put his name in the pot, and it felt like this was set up because Hot Rod was supposed to take his adopted sire's mantle as the next Prime despite the young mech being satisfied to be a soldier more than a leader.
It was horrible timing, because the Matrix acted up and Optimus suddenly felt weak. Left with no choice, Hot Rod accepted the relic and accepted the role of being Conjunx Endura to whoever that Decepticon was.
And so came the time when Hot Rod, now Rodimus Prime, approached with his Autobot entourage to the gates of Kaon. And as it opened, there stood Megatron and his loyal communications officer Soundwave.
He took a deep breath, showing his golden red bracelet indicating that he was picked to be betrothed to any of them. Megatron looked at Soundwave, and the latter showed his deep blue bracelet.
So Soundwave was to be his Conjunx Endura…
The Conjunx Ritus went off without a hitch, and both the Autobots and the Decepticons began their truce in order to rebuild. Rodimus and Soundwave were to set their honeymoon on a neutral ground to avoid restarting a conflict. But before that time would come, he asked for one thing.
"I want to visit my old home."
"Nyon?" Soundwave guessed. Rodimus nodded.
Both bots knew that it was destroyed during Sentinel's reign as Prime. It wasn't a good memory, but Rodimus insisted. So they visited the ruined city where Rodimus sullenly gazed at where the Temple of Primus was supposed to be standing.
To his surprise, Soundwave expressed sulk. To his bigger surprise, the spymaster was careful not to break what was left of the temple.
They stood silent for a moment until Soundwave played a song that Rodimus thought was lost a very long time ago, as buried as his place of forging. It was a traditional Nyonian bonding song, a supposedly joyful melody. The tape deck played it with a somber tune.
"Why did you do that to the song?" he asked Soundwave.
There was sorrow behind Soundwave's visor, while his condolent faceplates were hidden behind his mask. "It feels wrong to play it with an upbeat tune," he said. "Of all the music Cybertron ever had, Nyon's had been close to my spark. Of all the cultures, Nyon's. The city was a place I desired to set pede and marvel at its beauty, only for Sentinel to destroy it because he couldn't get his fuel. In the end, he burned it to the ground."
Rodimus sulked, knowing well that Sentinel didn't nuke Nyon with his Vamparc weapon. It was all on him.
He planted volatile Energon bombs, wishing to perish with his people.
But he didn't die. He survived when his fellow Nyonians didn't.
"What's wrong?"
The young prime froze. He didn't realize that he was crying quietly, that he was carrying the guilt of letting them die while he couldn't.
Perhaps Soundwave had known what he did. Exposing Rodimus' crime would be detrimental to the Autobots' faith in him.
He realized that he had doomed his fellow Autobots. Now that he was discovered as a mass murderer of his own kind, there was no point staying as a Prime!
"It's not your fault."
"What else do you know?!" he snapped at the Con.
"You did what you could to save them from becoming living fuel dispensers for Sentinel. They accepted their fate long before you pressed the trigger," Soundwave answered. "I was enamoured by the city of Nyon. I desired to keep every culture and tradition of Nyon alive before it was destroyed out of necessity. I lament at the reality that it is gone until I have a file about you. An idea came to me. Just as an engagement of war occurred, I studied you, recorded all things Nyonian from you, but it wasn't enough. I realized that I wanted to know you." He offered his servo to Rodimus. "I want to show you something, if you want to."
Decepticons were not to be trusted, but Rodimus took his servo albeit puzzled. They returned to Kaon, but not before the Nyonian looked back at the city he once called home.
He was taken to Soundwave's suite, and to his surprise, it was decorated in Nyonian ornaments. He recognized the vases, the tapestries of multicolored mesh, holographic screens of Nyonian artworks and everything else he thought was lost forever.
"How...?"
"...An Autobot sent data about Nyon before the war, although some of the data remained incomplete. The rest had been gathered by my cassettes, Buzzsaw in particular, and I redesigned them based on the files sent to us by the mole."
"The mole?" Rodimus contemplated. "Was he...responsible for the draw lots too?"
"Affirmative, but the reasons are not out of malice," he answered, sorrow in his tone. "Nyon was a place I once dreamed of visiting. Their music, their dance, their culture. They represented what Cybertron would have been without the war, without the caste system but I wasn't able to even take a glimpse of its beauty. I never had the chance to."
"...So you arranged our marriage...?"
Soundwave nodded. "I understand if you disapprove and refuse to reciprocate all this. After all, you weren't supposed to be part of the picking gauntlet. What we did was orchestrate everything so your name would be included, because since the war I wanted to know more about you and I still do. It's inexplicable. I cannot find the reason why, but I just want to. As if my spark yearns for Nyon and what remains of the city, and it feels stronger in your presence."
He paused, debating over Soundwave's words as well as his honesty. But it was such a strange feeling. There was a possibility of a trap, and he had to admit that he was tempted to jump into it.
"Listen to me, Soundwave," he began. "Just because we are now Conjunx doesn't mean that I have to trust you completely. This is merely a marriage of convenience for you. In Nyon, the bond lasts until either or both deactivates. It should be made out of sincere love."
Soundwave nodded. "Understood."
He headed toward the cabinet, making Rodimus wonder what he was up to. When he came back, he had a music box in his servos.When it played, there was this familiar melody that only Rodimus knew, but the song was cut a little short, and he made a sad, disappointed frown.
"I'm sorry," Soundwave apologized. "I know it feels too short for your taste. It's all we have. It was supposed to be a gift for you once we bond, but I know that you don't want us to bond yet."
Rodimus stared at the music box and spun the key. The music played and still cut on the same line. He spun it again, but this time he sang, continuing even as the music box clicked to a stop.
Soundwave listened and realized that Rodimus was singing the remainder of the song, words and all.
He had finally figured out the missing pieces of the song through the young prime.
It finally completed the song, and Soundwave's spark was more than pleased. He gazed at Rodimus, who was now staring back at him.
"What's the matter?"
"...You completed the song. So, it's a bonding song, correct?"
Rodimus looked at the music box. "Yeah. it is. It happened to be my favorite. I used to sing it." He sulked, emotions forming on his faceplates. "Everyone in Nyon loved it."
Soundwave embraced him, surprising him from his moment of loss and despair. He wiped Rodimus' coolants away from his sorrowful optics and kissed his helm gently.
Rodimus paused to look at Soundwave with a moment of confusion. Being held so tenderly made him wonder if the Con was being seriously caring, but he digressed.
Decepticons tended to be deceiving, but he couldn't push Soundwave away. They stayed sitting on the berth that way until he felt the need of recharge.
He fell asleep, and Soundwave arranged him comfortably on the berth. The deep blue mech laid down beside him and embraced him.
In Soundwave's mind, their bonding hadn't materialized properly yet, but he couldn't force the young Prime to sparkbond nor interface with him. He wanted to give Rodimus time.
And hopefully they'd become fully bonded and not by the Conjunx bracelets alone, in frame and in spark.