Sometimes, Soundwave writes songs. Sometimes, when he thinks he's alone, he sings to himself, about love and loss and half-remembered promises.
The sight of you lit my spark, the sound of your words lifted it out of despair, your actions stoked the flames of the revolution but you would not live to see it.
"Soundwave...who does this speak of? They must have had a great impact on you."
Soundwave turned to look at his conjunx and amica, who manages to be so sneaky even when they're, quite literally, empathically bonded. "A senator I admired once."
"A...senator?" Shockwave's antenna were set to thinking very hard/dawning breakthrough. "What was their name?"
"Memory: corrupted. This was a very long time ago."
"Of course. Am I to believe you didn't know them for very long, then?"
"Affirmative. I only met him once. He offered me a place in his private academy, but he was executed by the Senate for his views before I could accept. Rumor: his academy was raided, so it is fortunate I was still in Kaon."
Oh no. Shockwave's antenna were flicking rapidly in impending crash.
"The senator...was not killed."
Shockwave stumbled back a step, and Soundwave hurried forward to catch him before he fell. "Shockwave?"
Shockwave looked up at him, antenna still twitching. "The senator was not executed. The senator was...mutilated." Pure hate Soundwave had never heard before filled the scientist's normally apathetic voice. "The senator was made to watch as his students were executed. The mechs he promised to protect!"
Shockwave's frame shuddered, and his optic suddenly went dark. The smell of hot (but not burned, thank Primus) components filled the air.
Behind his visor, Soundwave's eyes were wide as he put the pieces together. Shockwave, his Shockwave, and the senator he'd held close to his spark for so long, were one and the same?
It was almost enough to make Soundwave himself crash.
Unsteadily, he lowered Shockwave to the floor, and sat there with him for a long time.