Back again after forever. I am now a freshman in college currently writing this at 1 in the morning. Figured now is better than later because I have two exams in less than three days. Wish me luck!

I hope you

~enjoy ❤️

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"What is a sire?"

A confused expression crossed the femme's face at Soundwave's question. It was starting to hurt her brain, hearing all of these alienated terms. They sounded so surreal. Then again, this was coming from a girl in the hands of a giant robot- one that could fit an entire human body in its hand.

Lynlee played with her hair, expecting no answer in return. Soundwave was a bot of little explanation- it was normal for him to simply ignore the question, but this time was different.

They were playing twenty questions. Something that Soundwave has discovered was of little importance and held no significant meaning whatsoever. It simply indulged in the humans overbearing, and annoying, curiosity.

Yet, here he was playing along. The communications officer couldn't help it. He himself was full of questions and curiosity that should never have gotten the better of him.

"Human... fa-ather. Human that-that...holds repro...repro-duction capabilities- one that... h-holds se-ed-"

"Okay! Okay, I get it." Lynlee shook her head, a blush spreading from her face down her neck. She coughed while continuing to nervously fidget with her hair.

"So a sire to you guys is like a father to humans?"

Soundwave simply nodded, pushing away his want to explain any further.

"A-and you want to know who my-my sire is?" She trembled at the thought of the monster who brought her into this world.

He stopped, noticing Lynlee's immediate discomfort. She continued to shiver in from both the fear and cold. It was growing dark out, and they still stood in the middle of nowhere.

Soundwave has been pushing aside Megatron's orders- something he seemed to be doing often lately. He just knew though, that the faster the job was done, the faster he would be back on the Nemesis. There was too little time. He needed to figure out a plan. He couldn't return yet.

Without thinking, Soundwave bright his servo closer to his chest platings, where his spark hummed. The other servo hovered over the top of Lynlee's head, creating a small bubble of warmth as she comfortably pressed into the surprisingly warm metal.

She gasped as the heat began to get warmer, and snuggled closer, wanting to absorb as much of it as she could.

Though he would never admit it, Soundwave felt a small level of satisfaction at the femme's actions. Though it sounds impossible, Lynlee could have sworn she heard the humming in his chest grow louder.

"H-human femme... sca-red. Scared- o-of sire?" Soundwave stopped walking and observed the area around him as he waited for a response.

It would get colder- it was towards the end of the earth's cycle-soon white frozen particles would be falling from the sky, and the temperature would drop. Though he knew it would not affect him unless it went subzero, Soundwave understood enough of the human race to acknowledge that human flesh was... inferior. Very squishy and delicate.

She would get cold.

Soundwave didn't want the human uncomfortable.

He also wanted to smash his processors in for caring so much.

Meanwhile, Lynlee was in her own thoughts as she tried to find a way to explain her relationship with her father.

"Me and my father were never on the best terms." She whispered softly while pulling closer to the warm metal beside her. "I can't say he didn't love me at one point. His fixation and view of certain things just became a little... unbearable."

She continued to listen to the leaves crunching as Soundwave began to walk again. By now it was getting dark, and she could see white stars twinkling in the sky.

Up ahead, Soundwave finally spotted something. There- a large barn in the clearing. The trees would no longer scrap and scratch his platings. A vent of relief escaped him as he stepped into a large clearing. Tall grass the area, though it was no problem to him as he marched forward towards the sodden structure ahead of them.

Lynlee's eyes widened as she finally noticed the barn. Its paint was worn out over the time, it looked like, but was surprisingly stable looking and out in the middle of nowhere.

A gasp of surprise left her lips as everything suddenly stopped moving and she was slowly lowered to the ground. Two warm hands wrapped around her arms and she let out a startled squeal.

Soundwave ignored her obvious discomfort as his holoform adjusted to make sure her ribs would not be harmed as he gently scooped her into his arms.

Then, without much thought, he cradled her bridal style to his chest and began to search for an entrance to the barn. 

Lynlee felt her cheeks warm at how close she was to him. Her ribs ached, but she was slightly surprised at  Soundwave's gentle approach to moving her. She'd thought she was a burden to him, yet here he was trying his best to be gentle.

Now here she was, completely mortified with Soundwave oblivious to her terror as he entered into a large mass of warmth. In the corner, a pile of hay sat, along with large blankets Lynlee assumed were for horses to wear for protection in the winter.

He sat her down gently among the hay and she immediately pulled into herself, teeth still chattering despite the rise in temperature. Soundwave scanned her for a short second before grabbing the blanket beside him and tossing it at her.

Lynlee sputtered, trying not to suffocate as the thick mass smacked her in the face.

Soundwave would have been amused if he was still not stuck on her words from earlier.

"Did sire... not like... human?"

It was not uncommon for a sire to reject a sparkling on Cybertron, but it was deeply frowned upon. That is, before the war. Megatron himself took the initiative to slaughter hundreds of sparklings himself in cold energon- Autobot and Decepticon alike- something Soundwave could never forget. 

He was one of the lucky ones. He supposed Megatron grew fascinated with his skills at a young age and wanted him to flourish. Now, here he was, second in command and communications officer of the Decepticons-in a war going absolutely nowhere. 

The two sat in uncomfortable silence. Lynlee had tried to ignore Soundwave's question by burrowing herself deeper into the blanket of warmth surrounding her, but his holoform was distracting as he stared right at her.

She finally huffed. "Not a lot of human sire- father's- on this earth love their children, Soundwave. Or even tolerate them." she grimaced, tracing a large scar that was hidden under her shirt. "Of course, there are lots of children who have parents who love them. Just... not all of them. It can be triggered by anything, I guess. Some people are selfish and blame the innocent ones for their own actions, and others just never wanted you to begin with."

Lynlee watched as Soundwave settled himself against the wall, sitting with his legs outstretched and crossed over one another. He stared blankly at her but there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes. On his chest sat her mother's necklace. She'd noticed that he always had it on him, whether it be in his robot form or human form. 

Frustration built up in her at the sight. "My mother was one of many secrets. She didn't tell me much about her own childhood, other than one particular story, and was always quiet. But she loved my father a lot. To a point where I find it unhealthy, but I guess that's what love can do to you.

"I remember him hugging me and spending time with me when he was younger. He was always so kind to me and her. We would play out in the sandbox he made me for Christmas once and even went on hikes with me when I got a little older. I adored him. I really did-" her voice hitched and she bit her lip.

Could she have embarrassed herself any more? Soundwave wasn't even looking at her anymore. He held no interest in her past. She was just rambling to ramble, hoping someone would finally listen to her. Someone other than her mother. Lynlee felt tears burning her eyes at past memories and embarrassment before finally lying down and placing her head on the hay. 

Little to her knowledge, Soundwave was very interested to hear her story. The stone around his neck glowed brightly and he was brought out of his trance to find the human already fast asleep. He shook his helm before closing his eyes and ordering Lazerbeak to take watch outside while he recharged. 

With one last look towards the femme, he finally allowed himself to fall into recharge.