Iridescent: Chapter 17
A/N: Happy Easter!!! Also next update is probably going to be another one-shot so keep an eye out for that! And don't be alarmed if there isn't a new chapter on this fic in three weeks time as it will be a separate story! Xxxxxxxxxx
Ao3
FF.net
Jazz spent the rest of that night in the officers' washracks trying to scrub away the stench of waste and stains of energon.
In the morning, he finally went to see Ratchet who claimed to be lost for words at the fact that he'd somehow been walking around for the past three days with a broken back strut. After proceeding to get yelled at for the next forty-five minutes, Jazz left with a fixed back and ringing audials.
Still, even though Jazz hadn't slept a wink during the night, (what was one more day after staying awake for a week straight?) he didn't regret waiting till the next day to get seen too. If Ratchet had tried to shout at him yesterday, Jazz probably would've stabbed him.
Plus, waiting until the morning to go to the medbay gave Jazz an excuse to check in on a very important patient.
After his examination, he pushed back the curtained of the area that been sectioned off for Bumblebee.
Swaddled in a blanket he looked as small as he had the day they'd rescued him.
Unsuprisigly, Optimus was by his berth side. One servo stroked Bumblebee's helm, the Prime's hand never quite leaving his sparkling's touch.
Optimus didn't even look up as Jazz took a seat besides him. Only the slight nod, of his head acknowledging that someone else was now in the room besides Bumblebee
"How is he?" Jazz asked.
"He is stable." Optimus whispered as though scared that even speaking too loud could accidently cause the unconscious bot further damage. "It was only his throat and jaw that received substantial damage."
"And his voice box?"
Optimus recoiled as though Jazz had just punched him in the face. Jazz watched as his oldest friend took a deep breathe before forcing the next words out of his mouth.
"There was nothing left to fix. And even if there was we would not have had the spare parts to fix it. We will never hear his voice again."
Jazz sunk into the seat. Even though he had been there to witness the event, his brain module still found it hard to process the information.
They both turned their attention back to Bumblebee taking in the the quiet vents of his slumber that mean that he was alive.
With the energon cleaned away, Jazz could now clearly see the extent of the damage for himself. Not only had his throat been ripped off, part of his lower jaw was gone too. Bumblebee was so small that even a dead mech's jaw wouldn't have fit him so instead a miss match of scrap metal had been used to reconstruct it, leaving only a round hole so that he could still drink energon. Jazz didn't doubt that Ratchet had done the best he could. But it didn't change the fact that perhaps the one thing that was worse than never hearing the young scout speak again, was that they would never see him smile.
Jazz couldn't help thinking of everything that had lead to this point. Particularly how he had trained and spared with the young bot growing up, telling himself that it was all in the name of self defence.
"It wasn't your fault." Optimus said because even without the Matrix, he had been one of the few bots able to tell what was on Jazz's mind.
"It wasn't yours either." He told their leader.
Because as Prowl had remined him, Megatron was the one who had done this.
"Megatron has to be stopped." Jazz stated.
"I know." Optimus conceded. Whatever they had been in the past, and frankly Jazz had never wanted to know the details, it was finally over. There was no coming back from this.
That was when for the first time since escaping the Nemeisis, Bumblebee opened his eyes.
Blue light flickered as their optics darted around the room, suddenly widening as they caught something in the shadows that neither of them could see.
Bumblebee thrashed against an imaginary enemy, the machines surrounding him screeching out an alarm as he yanked out the energon drip from his wrist. Optimus leapt to his feet to hold him down but Jazz grabbed him by the shoulder to hold him back.
"Don't." Jazz warned. "Just talk."
Reluctantly Optimus nodded, joining Jazz as they tried their best to soothe Bumblebee down with soft words of reassurance.
Jazz watched as their voices must've have eventually broken through whatever horror Bumblebee was experiencing, as those big blue eyes settled on the bot that he had come to see as his sire.
Bumblebee tried to speak, probably Optimus's name, but all that came out was a static BZZZZZ.
Jazz was powerless to help as Bumblebee clutched his throat, eyes widening once again as he no doubt remembered why he could not talk.
Moments later, he broke down into a fit of static fits, not even able to properly cry.
Jazz finally let go of Optimus's shoulder, letting their Prime lean down to cradle the bot they'd raised into a hug. Bumblebee latched onto him, the claws of his servos digging into the Prime's armour. Not that Optimus appeared to care, as he held his ward's scared face against his spark.
Jazz let the pair be.
The last thing Bumblebee needed right now was for him to be The Fun Uncle.
There was no fun to be had when coming to terms with the fact that your body was broken beyond repair.
Besides, Bumblebee wasn't the only person he owed a visit too today.
It was still early. Most mornings shifts weren't due to start for another hour. But Jazz knew Prowl well enough by now, so he was well aware that the mech would already be up re-reading meeting notes and overanalysing battle plans.
Jazz made his way quickly down the empty corridors to Prowl’s room. He reached up a hand, about to knock on the door when it opened and he had to catch himself from accidently hitting his fellow commander on the chassis.
Immediately Jazz's eyes were drawn to Prowl's wrist. Prowl's self-healing nanites had been hard at work over night and now the crack was barely noticeable. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it. But Jazz was.
Now Jazz knew that he had done bad things in the name of the greater good and that when this was all over he wouldn't be surprised if Primus condemned him to the pits for it.
But he tried.
He knew what he was capable of and refused to let himself cause harm without a damn good reason.
Injuring Prowl whilst in the middle of a mental breakdown was not a good reason. And he hated himself for it.
"I'm sorry." Jazz said, even though the words felt inadequate for what he wanted to say.
"It doesn't hurt." Prowl reassured him, no doubt having noticed Jazz looking at his wrist.
"That's not the point." Jazz said, his voice coming out as more of a spat than he would usually allow in public. Not that there was much point pretending in front of Prowl anymore when the mech had seen him at his worse.
For once Prowl didn't take the opportunity to argue with him and instead decided to move on to the other cyber-elephant in the room.
"Have you seen Rung?" He asked.
"There's no point." Jazz snorted, his laugh genuine if still slightly bitter. "I already know what's wrong with me."
"But are you doing anything about it?"
Well Jazz had to admit that Prowl had him there. As Jazz struggled to come up with a retort, Prowl continued.
"I don't care if you hate me for telling you this, but you need professional help."
"I know." Jazz couldn't help but sigh. He could feel Prowl's calculating gaze bore into him. The intense look making him feel naked and not in a fun way. At least the bot wasn't looking at him with disgust, or worst pity. Jazz did his best to match his stare. "And I know that you don't care if I hate you but I want you to know that I don’t."
Jazz walked away. The last thing his physical needed today was to hear how much Prowl still despised him. In his haste, he almost missed Prowl's reply.
"I don't hate you either."
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this or that
tagged by @vogelmeister so let's go
• honey and lemon or milk and sugar
• musicals or plays
• lemonade or iced tea (although really, why not both?)
• strawberries or raspberries (not that i eat either)
• winter or summer
• beaches or forests (this is how you explore!)
• diners or cafés (24/7/365 diner my beloved)
• unicorns or dragons
• gemstones or crystals
• hummingbirds or owls
• fireworks or sparklers
• brunch or happy hour
• sweet or sour
• rome or amsterdam (rome is far more of a tourist trap than amsterdam x)
• classic or modern art
• sushi or ramen
sun or moon
• polka dots or stripes
• macarons or croissants
• glitter or matte (fucking love a glitter eyeshadow)
• aquariums or planetariums
• road trip or camping trip
• coloring books or watercolor
• fairy lights or candles
tagging uuuuh @ellmovy @bumbelbee and @rai-knightshade
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