Archive of Our Own ^beta

Shockwave isn’t the most social mech out there. For him, it was logical.
But the war between Autobots and Decepticons has ended. Everyone got a new life, and it wasn’t about violence, or whom will try to take control of the faction, or even trying to prove which idea is better.

Optimus Prime and Megatron has made a truce, and it surprises everyone—including Shockwave the most—that Megatron took this quite normally and was very satisfied.
Everyone got a new life, when they arrived back and rebuilt Cybertron again, the war had ended years ago. They all learn something from the human, and so did the human.
But what did Shockwave learn? He thought, he learns nothing. He was furious, at first, having an internal crisis of 5 stage of illogical instead of grief. Shockwave doesn’t have a feeling, but maybe he does, he did, or he will.

Megatron had move back to Kaon, to rebuild another city and lead the planet along with Optimus Prime. Some others Decepticons follow him back to Kaon, even some Autobots were also there to help him.

“As you, Shockwave… I need you to help Optimus Prime in Iacon,” Megatron ordered him one day before he went to Kaon.

Shockwave just stood there, blinking his one yellow optic and looking at his former warlord.

“I beg your pardon, Lord Megatron?”

Megatron grumbled. “I’m not your lord anymore—I tried to change here. You can call me Megatron just fine. But please, Shockwave. I know you don’t like talking much or socialize with others, or maybe you just love your lab more than any living beings, but I really need you to take this job. If it’s not for yourself, do it for me. At least make some new friends.”

Shockwave blinked again. “Friendship is… illogical, Megatron,” he paused for a while, groaning when he heard Soundwave was practically sobbing on his back. “But yes, I have one… coworker.”

“Soundwave didn’t count. Find someone real out there. A friend, a group, frag even a new enemy. But I do really hope it’s a healthy enemy.”

Megatron stop talking, contemplating his own words with a weird frown.
“Regardless,” he continued, “I wish you the best. You are my best brain, my best scientist, now that we all, uhm, what does the right word? In peace? Right! Now that we are in peace, I do wish you are going to your expertise in a good place—the world has changed, and I really wish you are changed too, Shockwave.”

Well that was just… interesting.

Shockwave wish he could vanish right now by some hungry scraplet. He did take the order, but again, it’s Shockwave. He kept himself lock inside the lab that was supposed to be shared with Wheeljack and Perceptor.

Day one he already makes lots of enemy—and it wasn’t healthy either.

“Shockwave?! What the frag?! That was my tools!” Wheeljack gasped and screamed in pain as Shockwave took all of his lab stuff for “experiment”.

“I thought we are sharing lab—”

“SHARING THE LAB! NOT MY STUFF! RATCHET GAVE ONE OF THOSE TO ME AS A GIFT LAST WEEK!” Wheeljack growled. “You cannot just take someone’s stuff just like that!”

Shockwave didn’t understand why this Wheeljack is so mad.
And another day, he makes another enemy.

“For Primus sake! You cannot just do an experiment with a live being!”

“I thought this one is a drone…”

“Excuse me!” Wheelie gasped and growled. “I am not a drone! If I’m a drone, then you are a hopeless aft bot who I believe nobody wanted to be friends with you!”

Shockwave’s day couldn’t get any worse than this, but when Megaton scoffed at him on a video call meeting, and Optimus Prime lecturing him for three hours straight, he decided to lay low, and disappear for a while.

He went to the tallest building in this city, watching over the entire night city, which is being rebuild.

He just stays there and watch. All by himself. All lonely Shockwave.

“Hey Shockwave!” Someone actually know he was here? Shockwave use all his energy for the day to turn back his helm.

“You are… Bumblebee,” Shockwave said, “correct?”
Bumblebee nodded rapidly. “Yeah! What are you doing here anyway?”

“What are you doing here?” Shockwave asked the same question.

Bumblebee shrugged. “Was walking around the city with Mirage. Got bored, we both got here.”

"You both got here?” Shockwave one optic narrowed. “Where is Mirage?”

“I’m right here…” Shockwave could hear a voice but there’s no one around them, he decided to brush it off.

“What are you doing here?” Bumblebee asked again.
Shockwave didn’t reply it for a while, his optic was locked into the busy street down there.

“I don’t think your Autobot friends don’t like me,” he said calmly. “I think they hate me or find me weird or… annoying.”

“We all weird—I have lots of weird friends. Even Optimus could be weird and annoying at some point. But we were not acting like coworkers or friends. We are all family here! Including you!”

Shockwave glanced. “Me? Illogical. I’m nobody’s family.”

Bumblebee shrugged. “To me, to some of us, you are!”

"But they hate me.”

“Upset, not angry—it’s different. I take it you really pushing yourself to socialize with others? You seem really want to talk with Wheeljack by… hm, stealing, his stuff, or talking with wheelie, just to know how to talk with Perceptor! Oh Primus…”

There were a big awkward silent, until Mirage, still in his camouflage mode said, “Frag you really are an introvert mech!”

“Wherever you are Mirage, I will push you down from this roof,” Shockwave snarled coldly.

Bumblebee gave Shockwave back an awkward pat. “Don’t push yourself too much. I mean you can’t force someone to be an extrovert or introvert, right?”

“You can if you want to messed up their brain module,” Shockwave said bluntly.

“Now that is very different,” Bumblebee replied immediately. “And… not very nice. You could be nice by being you. You don’t need to be someone else just to get their attention, or… maybe just to get one or two nice words. As long as you still nice, being yourself while also a bit annoying won’t make anyone hates you. If they did, well they are a jerk. They probably just want you to be something they expected like… why is it your fault?”

Shockwave didn’t say a word. The yellow mech waved a servo at him when he (and probably Mirage) left the rooftop, and Shockwave can’t help but the wave his servo too.
After the yellow mech left, his optic glanced a bit to the hiding spot not too far from his back.

“How long have you been hiding in there, Soundwave?” he said without looking, staring back down to the busy street.

“Long enough to know and hear everything,” Soundwave replied as he comes out of his hiding spot and sat next to the one optic mech. “Shockwave… depressed?”

“That’s… Illogical—but maybe yes.”

“Shockwave want to repair everything?”

“Indeed, but I don’t think it could be repaired by science or… I don’t know. My brain module cannot handle this… thing!”

“Maybe science could help you…” Soundwave waved his servo and whispered something to Shockwave,

For the next five days, Shockwave was seen to be very busy, but also a bit different. He tried to greet everyone he meets, although he sounds scarry and stiff, everyone appreciates that. Even Wheelie apologize for his bad words the last time Shockwave almost do an experiment on him.
After several days, he builds another tool for Wheeljack, and a new datapad for Perceptor.

“An apologize gift,” he said. “For my annoying behavior lately.”
The two-scientist glared at each other, and decided not to talk about how annoying Shockwave was before, and start to invite him and even teach him how to be less stiff and more socialize.
He gives almost everyone a gift, something they likes, something they secretly don’t like, but they appreciate it anyway.

“You give us too many things!” Ironhide said. “Maybe we should give you something in return too?”

“Illogical—I don’t need anything right now.”
But still, everyone is planning on something, while Shockwave was busy making another gift.
Soundwave came to his lab, bringing a box.

“What is that?” Shockwave said without looking.

“A new tool,” Soundwave replied. “Shockwave need new tools. Old one was rusty.”

Shockwave glared, confuse. “Why?”

“Why not?”

“I mean why? You usually don’t give me something.”

“Act of Profference…”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will, Shockwave. One day you will…”

Days have passed and everyone was getting used to Shockwave. But that one specific day, was making him a bit confuse.

It was a very unusual day. The base was silent—and for some reason it bothers him. there are no loud voices between Mirage and Cliffjumper, or another shout from Mirage, or when Swindle get caught stealing energon, or no Soundwave’s cassettes fighting with Blaster’s cassettes.

It was total silent, and it was odd.

“Where is… everyone?” he murmured, walking around the entire base, not having a single clue.

But then, he got surprised by a small pop sound, followed by glitters and confetti in the air.

“SURPRISE! HAPPY FORGE DAY SHOCKWAVE!”
Shockwave blinked, everyone didn’t know he was all this emotionless, or he just overwhelmed by the hug and care surrounding him right now.

“This… is illogical,” he said, with a bit of happiness. “I didn’t even say my creation date to someone.”

“Except Soundwave and Megatron!” Bumblebee smirked. “But Megatron wasn’t here, so Soundwave is the only closest for us to ask! But don’t worry! Megatron send his regard too!”
Frenzy and Rumble came with big and wide energon cube, with candles from pipe on the surface.

"Come on! Blow it and make a wish!” Frenzy said, grinning.

“Yeah, Shocky! Blow it quickly! I want to try this Energon Soundwave made for you!” Rumble grumbled.

“Rumble!” Soundwave growled, silently asking him to shut the frag up.
Everyone was waiting, they were also holding a box, a gift that hopefully, won’t be too illogical for him to have.

But either way, this is not the moment Shockwave had ever expected. He blew the candles, and wish nothing.

He doesn’t need to wish something illogical when they are already here.