Cause there's something between us anyway

So Soundwave was right then about this having to do with whoever Starscream thought might be coming to rescue him. For whatever parts of the story held any sort of truth, it would seem that Starscream had met with one of these twins and they had formed some level of trust if the seeker held such faith in her. Still, it didn't change the fact that this was a bot that was unaccounted for. Someone he didn't know and it bothered him. If they were to be part of the plan, it would be most helpful if Soundwave knew exactly what he was working with. How did he know they wouldn't turn traitor just as Starscream had in the past? There were too many unknown variables, and it bothered him greatly.

And apparently it bothered Starscream that Soundwave was bothered by it at all.

Sighing, Soundwave once more rubbed his helm. He really wished that the seeker would understand where he was coming from with this.


He didn't sound angry as he spoke, but rather concerned. He wanted Starscream to understand that Soundwave was not aware of who this person was, and did not want to bring in the chances of their plans being sabotaged by an unknown source. If it was someone he knew, this would be so much easier.

Starscream really wasn't getting it was he? Living in this delusion that Soundwave was against him, but that wasn't it at all. He wanted to be sure that this femme whoever she was wasn't going to just leave the seeker hanging, leaving him with false hope that he would be rescued when a rescue never came. He knew better than anyone what it was like to wait for something, only to be disappointed when it never happened. That's what the Council seemed to be best at, and that's precisely why the former Council member had said what he did. They needed to understand that what they were doing to the people of Cybertron was not okay and that many suffered while they kissed each others afts on tall pedestals. Despite his attempts at making sure Starscream knew what he was getting himself into, even if they were poorly worded, the seeker was completely dead set that this femme would never betray the cause and would never betray him.

Soundwave supposed that would have to be good enough for now.

Yet the former second-in-command's words irked him. He knew fragging well what it meant to let go, and he knew he could not control everything. If he could, the Council would have listened to his warnings instead of being the arrogant fools that they had been. Look what it had left them all now. Though the idea of playing music wasn't without it's merit. Turning his back to the window, Soundwave sat on the floor and leaned against said window. Searching through his music, he came across a song by an Earthen band. He felt the lyrics fitting of this moment, letting his speakers play the music out loud so that they both could hear.

Soundwave didn't expect Starscream to enjoy the music, and frankly at that moment he didn't care. If he was going to pick the music, he was going to pick something he liked.. but he also wanted to pick something that resonated with the mood. The frustration, the pain both physical and mental from the millions of years that had encompassed the war both on Cybertron and on Earth. A hope that things would one day be better. It encompassed Soundwave's feelings and it spoke with more words than he'd ever care to say anymore.

What he truly did not expect was for the seeker to not only enjoy it (even if just a little), but to start playing his own music afterwards. Though through grainer speakers that were far inferior to Soundwave's superior bass boosted ones, the spy jerked in recognition, immediately turning in the other's direction. He knew that song! It was a song by that human duo known as Daft Punk. The mech knew their music well, and had even taken inspiration from their own looks to use as his holoform in the event he actually need to use one. An interested hum escaped from Soundwave, watching Starscream carefully before playing the music over his own speakers to match the former air commander. Playing in stereo, Soundwave enjoyed this strange musical conversation they were having.

On completion of the song, Soundwave was unsure of what would happen next. Would they resume the chit chat or continue with this strange song and dance of communicating through music? He quickly received his answer in the form of yet another Daft Punk song over grainy stereos. Picking up on that cue, Soundwave began to play the song as well to create another stereo effect while he enjoyed the song. Though just what was Starscream trying to say with this one? That his original thoughts about Soundwave had been misguided? It was really hard to tell, but one thing was for sure. Starscream was trying to admit to something and that he appeared to want to make amends of sorts.

He let the song play out, nodding along to the beat until it finally came to an end. There was a brief moment of silence as Soundwave processed what being said. Once more he hummed with approval, though he didn't know what song he wanted to play next. What he wanted to say next. Soundwave felt that the both of them had said everything they had needed to, and as such he opted to speak instead of playing another song. At least for now.

Soundwave had thought their musical conversation to have reached its end, but here Starscream was continuing it with a song that he did not know. He did not look for it to play the song in stereo with the seeker, but instead tilted his helm as he listened to the words. Just what was Starscream attempting to convey with this song? At first it seemed stereotypical of Earth robots, but the more he listened the more it seemed to be.. pointed toward him? That had seemed to have been the case as he often hid his emotions having once been a bot filled with a burning passion to speak his truth.

He once had fire, passion and desire. Still did, only he chose not to offer those willingly anymore.

The mech too knew love and passion, but kept it to himself. The words did not seem to fit at first, but knowing Starscream these were pointed words. Insults. Clearly he was not getting some message that the former air commander was attempting to tell him, but just what was it?

Or was it that.. he was trying to get Soundwave to open up a bit more? As the song reached its end, the spy hummed curiously to himself before speaking.

And just like that, Starscream seemed to be much more alert than he previously had been. He’d finally gotten up, seeming confused as he looked himself over. Soundwave wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, but one thing was for certain: the seeker seemed much calmer in this moment. It was a rarity indeed to see Starscream in such a state, but one could easily take it over his obnoxious shrieking that he was infamous for. One had to wonder if that’s how he had gotten his name.

A lone star screaming through the skies.. both in flight and in voice.

Regardless of preference, it was still strange to have this moment of silence between them even with Soundwave speaking to him. Had he just really been that out of the loop? Still he couldn’t deny that the former air commander definitely seemed to look better than he had earlier. How strange.

But that’s when the music resumed, or at the very least a single line from a song that had already been played. Soundwave stared at the mech, attempting to figure out its meaning in this context. Was Starscream still wanting to continue this musical conversation where lyrics spoke what they’d wanted to say in words they could not find themselves?

As an idea struck in his processor, Soundwave fired up a song. Starscream wanted the game? He’d get ‘The Game’.





Halfway into the song, Soundwave cut the music as the chorus wrapped up.

It almost seemed like Starscream was enjoying this musical conversation as much as Soundwave was. How odd that this was what it took for them to not argue and actually have a halfway decent talk, but it was fitting all the same. Soundwave didn’t like to speak more than he had to, and he could let the music fill in the gaps. Maybe it showed a bit more of him than he’d really wanted, but songs were great for having different meanings depending on how you interpreted them. In this case, it was just a matter of determining what the other was trying to say with their specifically chosen songs. To other Decepticons in the jail, it could almost seem like they were just sharing random music, but it was deeper than that. The closest to speaking from the spark that the spy was willing to do.

But the next song from Starscream left Soundwave utterly confused. It felt much different from the others, yet he could see a pattern based on previous choices from the seeker.


That could have implied anything, but Soundwave took it to mean that Starscream was attempting to extend trust. That this was new territory for him and was very uncertain, but that wouldn’t have explained the repeated lyrics of ‘giving up on you’.


Oh.

Was.. Starscream flirting right now? Was he this whole time and Soundwave just hadn’t noticed? Did he think Soundwave didn't care? This wasn’t something he had expected from the former SIC, but maybe he’d just been blind to it this whole time due to how he’d focused his full attention on Megatron and his Cassetticons. With Megatron out of the picture, his viewpoint had shifted. There was a gaping hole in his spark that was once filled with friendship and loyalty to the former miner and gladiator that he called friend. He’d treated Starscream poorly for his betrayal attempts, but if Soundwave had realized for a moment that Megatron was going to betray the Decepticons.. would he have agreed with Starscream sooner? Caught in this maelstrom of confusion, Soundwave reciprocated with another song. One that was from the superior Daft Punk, and just so happened to be from the same album Starscream had already played two songs of thus far.


Maybe those last lyrics didn’t quite fit under the intended context, but there was such a thing as loving someone as a friend, right? Like familial love. Platonic. Romantic wasn't something Soundwave was quite familiar with, but wasn't out of the realm of possibility.