Work Text:
The sky was a unique mix of reds, golds, and purples as the last rays of sunlight pierced the desert horizon and created a wonderful mosaic of colors. The vibrant shades seemed to bathe everything in a warm comforting glow, including the infamous Decepticon warship. The Nemesis was positioned bow towards the Sun, which allowed the dwindling light to flood through the windows and in turn gave the ships inhabitants a lovely view of the scenery around them.
And to most it would have been a comforting sight, if it weren’t for the fact that the main spectator of the sunset was contemplating just how he would raze the planet to little more than ash and dirt.
There in the middle of the bridge, overlooking everything, was Megatron. The silver mech stood strong with his hands positioned behind his back, his hulking frame stood upright and demanded respect as he thought up another plan to turn the tides of the war. The Vehicons below him worked silently, paying no mind to the daily marvel of the planet, but today was not a normal day on the warship. Definitely not.
Something seemed.. off, despite the fact that the ship’s overall hierarchy was running smoothly, and everyone was busy with work at their stations. Things just seemed to be going far to well for the Decepticons as of late, and with Optimus Prime being the one the universe obviously favored, Megatron was slightly worried to see what bullshittery fate would present to him on a pretty silver platter this time. Not that the mech would ever vocalize his concerns, he was far too prideful for such things.
By the time Megatron moved, the sun had disappeared below the horizon line and all of its light was replaced with the cool blackness of the night. A dull ache thrummed annoyingly at the base of his head and the sudden urge to rest was imminent. Despite the warlord’s overly stubborn demeanor he found himself giving into his body’s requests, not that his outward appearance gave any signs to his inward turmoil. Maybe it was the slight ache in his protoform, or the ever so slight heatedness of his frame that caused Megatron to turn in early that night but it certainly didn’t go unnoticed. As the warlord turned and began to make his way towards his room, the ever seeing eye that was Soundwave tracked his lord’s movements, something was definitely amiss.
When Megatron reached his berthroom the mech entered just as calmly as he walked down the hall, but the instant that the door closed and locked behind him he seemed to deflate a little. A small groan of irritation left his lips, this feeling that was taking over his frame was bound to be detrimental to his health. And if there was one thing that Megatron hated more than anything it was being weak. Yet, it seemed as though the warlord didn’t have much choice in the matter as his frame slowly got warmer and aches in his frame intensified.
The only thing Megatron could do was hope that recharge would knock this dreadful feeling, he certainly did not want his affliction to be what he suspected it to be. As the silver mech sat down on the berth he could feel the unease in his frame, an almost unnoticeable prickly ache shook him from the inside out and his armor felt far too heavy. Finally, the titan gave in and laid down on his back, cruel red optics glaring at the ceiling as he mulled this over. There were one of two options that could be going on here, both of which he hadn’t experienced in millennia and neither of them were optimal. Either Megatron was going into his first heat cycle in ages, or he had somehow managed to contract the Cybertronian version of the flu.
If it was the former Megatron suspected he would have no issues with getting Soundwave to help him with the matter, regardless of the weak position it would put him in. His Third in command was the only one he could really trust anyway, so no, Soundwave wasn’t the issue. The issue would be getting Starscream to behave long enough for him to come back to some semblance of strength.
If the issue was the latter, well that was far worse than the first, not only was there the chance of the entire crew becoming infected but there was also the very plausible chance someone namely Starscream would make another attempt at his life. Not that they would get very far, but still, it was an annoyance. In addition the thought of Knock Out fussing around the medbay, scrambling to whip up a proper vaccine while keeping his finish perfect gave Megatron a headache... He could already hear Knock Out’s whining from the med bay.
Megatron sighed once more and slowly allowed himself to close his optics, whatever this turned out to be it wasn’t going to be fun and he would have to fight in order to keep his ship in order. Nevertheless, the warlord finally allowed his train of thoughts to slip into unconsciousness.
That night Megatron’s rechange was a fruitless one, heat rolled off of his frame in waves and his fans worked overtime in order to cool his systems down. He could hear every pump of his fuel lines, every joint and ‘muscle’ in his body ached and vibrated slightly which only spiked his internal temperature higher- this. This was definitely the flu. Even rolling over took monumental effort, and if Megatron was being honest with himself, he was disgusted with how easily he had been brought down to such a level. One tiny virus was all it took and he was teetering on the edge of wanting to roll around in order to find some semblance of cool and wanting to purge his tanks off of the side of the berth.
As Megatron’s optics bore into the ceiling panels, he heard a small knock at his door. It was almost so quiet that Megatron suspected that it was probably his fever tricking him. No one would be foolish enough to come to his door at this ungodly hour without first notifying him, right?
Nevertheless the warlord groaned and forced himself to sit up, the nausea that he was feeling before intensified tenfold and he suddenly found himself purging energon off of the side of his berth. And despite being in the less than favorable position, Megatron quickly twisted himself to face the door, cannon drawn when it suddenly opened with a loud ‘hiss’.
There was only one mech other than himself that had the password to his hab suite, but that didn’t stop the possibility of someone breaking in. Especially when it was this late in the cycle. Luckily for Megatron the bot that greeted his sights was an all too familiar grey blue. Soundwave stood silently in the doorway, the harsh light from the hallway flooded the room and gave Megatron a clear outline of his Third in command. And just as quickly as his cannon had been activated, it was powered down again and his hand was making itself useful at his side holding up his tremendous weight.
“Soundwave… I'm assuming there is a good reason as to why you have entered my room uninvited?” The warlord said in his normally gruff voice, though it held a sense of hoarseness that one can only get from purging their fuel tanks out.
These words seemed to spurr something in the blue mech as he tilted his head ever so slightly and took a step forward. Once Soundwave was out of the way ,the door quickly closed and the pair was enveloped in darkness once more. “Abnormal behavior observed. Investigation Necessary.” Came the simple calculated response of his Third in command.
If Megatron was a different type of bot he may have laughed at Soundwave’s behavior, but of course the surveillance mech had noticed him leaving his station early. The warlord instead stared at Soundwave with cold calculating eyes before he gave up and permitted the spy’s presence.“I suppose that is.. allowed, Megatron said slowly as he began to lay back on his elbows.
Megatron didn’t remain in that position long as the unease of his body pressured him to lay back down. Of course he could fight it and force his body to operate but he also recognized that Soundwave was the least dangerous mech to be around and the sooner he rested the sooner he would heal.
That seal of approval was all Soundwave needed to move in closer to his lord and he simply came to stand by the clean side of the berth, looking down at Megatron with that emotionless screen of his. Not that it bothered Megatron any as the mech had already closed his optics and was focusing on releasing shaky exvents. Steam billowed from the seams of Megatron’s armor and Soundwave easily registered the heat. At that point it didn’t take long for him to be come concerned with his lord’s rising temperature.The spy considered calling Knock Out for a moment but quickly decided against the idea, as Megatron certainly wouldn’t appreciate that. This left him with only one option. Soundwave would have to take charge of his lord’s care.
But that in itself was a tricky subject wasn’t it? Megatron was a headstrong mech and any attempt at helping him would most likely be taken as an insult, yet Soundwave’s symbiote coding was screeching at him to do his job. So he took the leap.
“Permission to touch?”, Soundwave’s ‘voice’ suddenly broke the silence and brought Megatron back to the present. The silver mech’s lips curled up to reveal his shark like dentae and displeasure was written all over his face, but for a second time that night Megatron relented and gave Soundwave a miniscule nod of approval. “...Yes”
Megatron had closed his optics and was searching for the semi-comfortableness he was in before he had been bothered when a cool sensation began to spread across his chassis.The slight relief was unexpected and drew his attention away from resting once more. The sight he was greeted to when he opened his optics was interesting to say the least. Soundwave had leaned forward slightly, hovering over Megatron’s frame, as one delicate hand used a rag to rub some sort of gel on him. The other hand held the container and as the medicinal scent reached Megatron’s olfactory sensors he quickly identified it as a liquid fever reducer. While it wouldn’t do much in the way of actual medication, the substance was useful in easing the sensations of the frame enough to recharge.
And while Megatron would never verbally admit it, he was thankful for the cool numbness that had slowly started to seep into his frame. The slight tingly, yet cold feeling on his chest and neck was enough of a distraction to ease him into less fitful recharge. A deep enough recharge that he wouldn’t wake up until late in the ship’s day cycle.
Soundwave had left sometime early in the morning to start his shift, the spy mech knew he would have to keep an increasingly close eye on the inhabitants of the warship. Megatron’s absence on the bridge was abnormal and was bound to cause rumors to spread across the ship. Soundwave had already overheard several Vehicons muttering amongst themselves, placing bets about the warlords whereabouts.
Realistically a couple of drones weren’t a problem, the problem came in when a certain jet began to suspect something was amiss, and as if on cue an all too familiar voice filled the room.
“Soundwave!! You wouldn’t happen to know where Lord Megatron is, do you?” The seeker asked, his lithe frame held regally as he all but strutted towards the surveillance officer. Overall Starscream looked absolutely smug, his wings were held high and proud and his hands were clasped at the small of his back. His overall posture screamed an entitlement that Soundwave knew would never be displayed to this extent if their lord was in the room. It was annoying, but that was Starscream; Annoying.
Soundwave almost didn’t give the seeker an official response but the grey blue mech gave in when sensed Starscream growing impatient. Soundwave could practically feel the sassy shift of Starscream’s hips and the tapping of the seeker’s heeled ped against the floor made the spy mech pause his typing on his workstation. Soundwave stood stark still for a few moments longer, staring at the screen and silently asking Primus why he had to deal with this idiot every day of his existence before he silently turned his head and some of his upper body towards the second in command.
It wasn’t even a full turn, just a slight acknowledgement in the seekers direction to signify that Soundwave had processed what Starscream had asked. Luckily the seeker didn’t seem to take notice to Soundwave’s blatant disrespect, but then again it was difficult for most mechs to tell what he was thinking so the foolish flier probably thought he was just busy in his work.
“Lord Megatron busy. Location whereabouts confidential information” Soundwave clipped together before calmly turning his attention back to his station, fingers once more tapping at the keys as if nothing had happened. Starscream on the other hand looked livid at the answer.
“WHAT?!? Confidential?! May I remind you that I am Second in command here Soundwave!! I have the right to know where our lord is! More so than anyone here!!!” The silver warbird squacked, his hands were now in fists at his sides and his wings were hiked up in defensive agitation.
Soundwave almost rolled his optics behind his screen face this was ridiculous. It was almost time for him to collect the items he had requested from Knock Out this morning and having Starscream hovering over him was not an option right now. The grey blue mech did the only thing he could think of, so he turned and began to give Starscream his very own showing of ‘Starscream’s greatest hits’ which featured every foiled plan to overthrow Megatron that Soundwave had the pleasure of recording. The resulting reaction was as expected from the narcissistic seeker. Starscream’s face and wings seemed to drop in unison, the silver mech’s red optics were wide and surprised, his frown almost cartoonishly big and his wings were pointed down at the ground in a matter of seconds. Oh how the seeker’s emotions changed so easily.
Though, as clip after clip played on Soundwave’s screen Starscream was quick to get the idea and put up his hands in defeat, swallowing a portion of his pride before he tried to reason with the mech who had now turned the showing off.
“Soundwave! Let’s not be rash here.” Screamer said, his optics darting left and right as he hunched his posture some,” Yes I have made mistakes in my past… I was greedy, I wavered in my dedication to our lord and I’ve since paid the price but can’t you see I’ve changed!! I only want the best for Lord Megatron and his absence is… Unusual.” Throughout the whole speech Starscream’s voice dripped with fake humility and he used unique hand movements to exaggerate his claim, though this held no bearing on Soundwave who now stood face to face with Starscream.
After a few moments of this silent treatment Starscream seemed to realize that he was getting nowhere with this and let out an irritated huff, “Very well, If you see him please notify me I would like to speak with him”, The seeker said as he turned sharply and began to stalk off, his wings fluttering ever so slightly in agitation. Soundwave knew full and well that the humble mask Starscream had put on during his speech was now replaced with a scowl and some very sharp words in his direction, but that meant nothing to the surveillance officer. Soundwave simply waited for Starscream to be as far from the area as possible before turning off his workstation and walking to the medbay. Megatron would be waking up soon after all.
A short walk later and Soundwave stood at the door to the medbay, he wasted no time walking into the sanitary room.
When Knock Out noticed Soundwave enter the medbay he instantly perked up, “Oh Soundwave! there you are!” His voice was its normal timbre as he placed the datapad he was looking at carelessly on the counter next to some miscellaneous medical tools. “A part of me wondered if you were coming at all. I know you said the matter was confidential in your message, but just know if laserbeak is having issues, or anyone really it may be in everyone’s best interest that I see to them. What you asked for is very specific, and I, like many others on this ship would not want an outbreak of any sort.”
As Knock Out spoke he brushed a single hand over his red chassis as if getting dust off of it, but it was obvious by the cautious way the red mech carried himself that he was genuinely worried about something spreading. And while it seemed like a noble thought, the fact remained that Knock Out was probably looking out for his own aft. Nevertheless Knock Out spoke up again without waiting from any prompting from Soundwave.
“With that in mind, I’ve made my peace. I won’t pry, and the things you asked for are in the corner, and the energon is in the heater as requested.” Knock Out dismissed casually with a wave of his hand, Soundwave was the commanding officer after all, and the sooner he got the items and left the better. Primus knows that the blue mech gave Knock Out the creeps and he doubted there was anything that he could say to change Soundwave’s mind.
Back in Megatron’s room he woke up with a jolt, his entire body felt horrible and his throat throbbed relentlessly. Countless warnings about overheating, low system power, and maintenance flashed angrily in his HUD and made the warlord’s head pound. With an aching groan he dismissed every single one, he could deal with them later. For now he would have to deal with getting to the bridge. Firm in his decision, Megatron shakily slid his legs off of the side of the berth, they felt far too heavy and his systems were refusing to work. Nevertheless, Megatron forced his body up and frowned when the memory of last night fluttered through his mind, as he had just stepped in his own purged energon hadn’t he? Luckily he had not, and as Megatron glanced downwards at the floor he was pleasantly surprised to find the unsightly spot gone.
But who? Megatron thought to himself before flashes of grey blue assaulted his tired and overheated mind. Ah, yes, Soundwave had been there last night. It all felt surreal, and had it not been for the lingering scent of the medical grade gel on his frame Megatron would have suspected all of this to be some sort of weird sickness dream but no- the evidence was right here. Soundwave had not only taken care of him last night but he had also lowered himself to the job of cleaning up his lord’s purged energon.
Maybe it was the sickness talking but Megatron found himself having a newfound respect for his Third in command. As much as he loathed the thought of being coddled, the undying loyalty that Soundwave held was truly commendable. However, all of these thoughts came crashing down, quite literally, as the silver mech attempted to take a step forward and found himself losing all sense of direction as black spots laced his vision and vertigo took over.
With an angered roar Megatron fell back against his berth, his arms unsteadily holding him up as he attempted to scramble his way back up. Fresh warnings flooded his HUD and Megatron could feel rage boiling in his mind. Rage directed at his own body, the body that survived eons of war yet crumpled at a mere virus that made it hard for him to function. But at the same time that Megatron was exhibiting such anger he was wasting energy, energy that his tired frame just didn’t have, and so as he straightened himself up again he had to immediately sit back on the berth. Oh how the mighty had fallen, and in such a short amount of time that it was sickening.
Eventually, through the ragged pants and the utter exhaustion, Megatron laid down and continued his ritual of angry staring at the ceiling. The warlord had considered calling Soundwave, but fortunately the mech didn’t have to bring himself so low as to ask for help when a familiar and firm knock came to his door. Within moments Soundwave walked through it. However, that in of itself opened a whole new can of worms, because in Soundwave’s arms were several thermal blankets, bottles of medical grade gel, fever reducers, and topping it all off was what appeared to be a cube of warm energon.
“Soundwave, what is the meaning of this?!” Megatron growled out, his optics narrowing as he watched his Third in command calmly walk over to a work desk in the corner of his room and gingerly place the supplies on it.
“Objectives: Soundwave’s care for Megatron, Megatron rest and recuperate” Soundwave responded without missing a beat as he grabbed the cube of warmed energon and held it tenderly in front of him.
Megatron couldn’t help but look at Soundwave with an unamused frown and a raised optical ridge, ”I refuse to be pitied and I certainly refuse to be treated like a sparkling” the warlord bit out viciously as he forced himself to sit up despite the intense nausea and dizziness. Soundwave, however, was unconvinced by Megatron’s display of anger and instead calmly stepped forward, bringing the delicious and bright blue life substance closer.
The movement didn’t change the warlord’s resolve as he continued to glare daggers into the blue mech’s frame, so Soundwave eventually patched together another response for his lord that would hopefully get the mech to listen to him. “Soundwave’s intentions- improve Lord Megatron’s- Physical health… Fellow Decepticons- Suspicious”
That seemed to get a rise out of Megatron as he slowly began to realize what even a single day’s worth of missed presence implied to the rest of the crew, and with Starscream’s incredible track record of doing dumb scrap when he was away…. He needed to be in tip top shape as fast as he could. So, totally not because his fuel tank was begging him to, and the fact that despite his nausea the fresh warm fuel smelled lovely, he took the cube from Soundwave’s hands.
As he took a sip, the warlord hummed at the care that was put into the cube. It was obvious from the tart, medicinal taste that this wasn’t normal energon. It was likely that the energon was mixed with a concoction of nanites and anti-nausea medication, if the slight ease in his fuel tank was any indication. And Megatron started to feel more and more relief with every sip taken.
Soundwave had moved away from Megatron the moment that the silver mech had taken the cube, partially in order to let the overly prideful mech enjoy his meal and to check up on the other items he had received. Soundwave would have to head back to the medbay frequently to get energon of course and take sanitation baths every time he left the room but other than that it appeared that the grey blue mech had everything he needed in order to take care of Megatron.
As Soundwave glanced back at Megatron, it was becoming quickly apparent that the medicines in the fuel were having an effect on him. The warlord seemed much more relaxed, drowsy even, which was good- it meant that Knock Out had done his job. It only took a few more minutes after that for Megatron to begin to Lay back down again. The medications in his system weren’t meant to be overpowering but they would certainly help with the pain and the symptoms he was feeling.
Eventually, Soundwave’s goal was met, and the now empty cube rested in his hand on his abdomen. Soundwave grasped the thermal blanket in a hand and carried it over to Megatron’s berth, the bot seemed less than thrilled at first but as the tendrils of sleep were calling him again he seemed to lose his will to fight. In response, Soundwave simply grabbed the empty cube and placed it on the work table before unfolding the thermal blanket and draping it over the mech’s legs. Megatron may not have been a bot of comfort or luxuries, but the blanket would help when his fever broke and the chills crept in. Besides at this point he was too far on his way into recharge to resist. “Soundwave orders rest”
The audio clip was so quiet it was almost a whisper, and before Soundwave returned to his work he made sure to lather more of the cooling gel against his lord’s armor. As Soundwave prepared to leave he glanced back at Megatron’s sleeping frame, and he couldn’t help the warm feelings that flooded through him. Though no outsider would ever be able to tell just what he was thinking, Soundwave knew deep down, that he would do absolutely anything for Megatron. With that he stepped out into the hallway, and back into his daily routine. All he had to do now was keep this up for several more days. Juggling work, keeping the troops in line, and taking care of Megatron shouldn’t be too strenuous right? Soundwave suspected he was going to need a small break after all of this was over.
All in all that was how the following week went, whilst Megatron laid sick in bed Soundwave tended to everything on the ship, and as far as anyone else knew their lord was on an urgent mission away from the Nemesis.
Starscream was as noisy and pestering as ever, and as the days wore on the bold little seeker even had the audacity to follow Soundwave around to find out where he was going in his spare time. Eventually, on the fifth day, when Starscream caught Soundwave taking an energon cube out of the medbay the grey blue mech caved and allowed Screamer to follow him. But not for reasons that the seeker might have suspected. At this point Megatron was just about at full strength and whilst he still had some lingering effects from his cold he was in overall perfect shape now. Soundwave simply liked bringing his lord heated energon, and the heater just so happened to be in the medbay.
But this unknown fact didn’t stop Starscream from squawking the whole way towards Megatron’s quarters, and by the time they stopped in front of the warlord’s door the seeker was in a full blown rant.
“See, Soundwave!! I knew it! I knew Lord Megatron was in distress, and yet i’m appalled that you wouldn’t allow me to help!! What kind of second in command would I be-” Screamer’s words all faded into background noise at this point and Soundwave felt a wave of smug satisfaction rush through him when Megatron finally opened the door.
The silver mech stood tall and proud, his gaze imposing as he glared down at Starscream incredulously, “You appear to be quite misinformed, Starscream, as you can clearly see I am in perfect health” Megatron said as he leaned down slowly. The intimidation of the warlord’s gigantic frame caused Starscream to instantly shrink on himself and his wings went towards the floor in an instant.
“Ah- Oh!! L-Lord Megatron!! It’s so great to see you!! I’ve been quite worried about you!! Ah- uhm”, The seeker floundered over his words as he brought his hands together and tinkered with his talons.
“Mmmm yes, I’ve heard quite a lot about your pestering while I was away, so much so that Soundwave has had trouble working on several occasions due to your insolence” Megatron’s voice held that particular edge to it that screamed danger but at the same held that mock niceness that promised death.
“What?! No!! I was only asking him about your well being!! I Swear!! You see, several Vehicons were starting to act up and-” Starscream didn’t get to finish his sentence as Megatron glared at him.
“I could care less for your reasoning Starscream. Since you want to ‘help’ so bad instead of working at your station, may I suggest you start cleaning the entire ship, Immediately, I hear there is a sickness going around… I would hate for anyone to catch it” Megatron sneered down at Starscream before pushing past the seeker and heading down the hallway, Soundwave in tow.
In the end Screamer was left looking absolutely flabbergasted in the hallway, mouth open ridiculously wide in disbelief. “L-Lord Megatron!! WAIT!!” Starscream called out desperately but neither bot answered, oh sweet Primus this was going to be a long week…