Chapter Text
Optimus sighs softly and lets go of Soundwave's servo after some time, standing up with his optics fixed on the spymaster as softly as he can manage. "Soundwave, I am... going to have to talk to Agent Fowler about exactly what you are doing here, and it is going to have to be soon. Out of respect for your privacy, I intend to be as... nonspecific as I can. You are also not at all obligated to interact with him in any way, if you do not wish to. He may not be very happy to see you, given that... Laserbeak kidnapped him for interrogation. Now- I assume you do not wish to interact with him?"
No, he does not want to speak to the government agent. Not without his visor and enough new paint to hide the marks on his legs. Soundwave shuts his optics and firmly shakes his helm, a polite but firm refusal, and leans back to pull a blanket up over himself a bit further. He would also like to not think about the possibility of another person finding out about this, but... it is inevitable. He could hide himself quite well, of course, but, given that Fowler is the Autobot's point of contact for supplies, he's... going to find out eventually. Hopefully the human doesn't end up spreading this particular bit of information too much. Soundwave does not like being the subject of interesting pieces of information.
And, apparently, it shows in his faceplates, because Optimus has a sympathetic look in his optics now, and Soundwave is very much not certain if he wants to hide from that look or...
Much to his dismay, more than a bit of his processor would like him to chirp softly and curl up against Optimus in lieu of hiding under blankets. Sympathy from the Autobot leader is oddly... enticing.
No thank you, though, he's just going to lean back a bit and try to look casual as he hides from everything.
"I am sorry, Soundwave. I would give you more time if I could, but... this is a matter which I do not believe it would be wise to conceal, even passively. Fowler will be here soon for a situation update, and I intend to make your presence here part of that update. Which is why I must leave now." Optimus sighs, turning away and opening the door-
And ducks as something flies over his helm.
Laserbeak, evidently, is awake. Awake, afraid, and flying as fast as she can down the hallway.
She is in the Autobot base and that is Optimus Prime and this is bad this is very very bad where is Soundwave?
Optics unfocused, chattering in panic, Laserbeak circles the main room of the Autobot base exactly twice before diving for-
For a dark, elevated, suitably shaped space that looks like a very appealing place to stuff her entire body.
Which turns out to be underneath a couch that is currently occupied by the smallest human. Who is now sputtering in confusion and appears to be torn between bolting and looking under the couch to see what exactly is happening.
Whoops.
Help!
Soundwave whines in dismay and leaps up off the berth, pain searing up his spine but failing to stop him from bolting after her. It does, however, stop him from sending any convincing amount of reassurance over their bond without it being accompanied by pain. But that doesn't matter, because she's awake and flying and that means she's going to be okay-
She's afraid, and so is he, but she'll be okay and that is good- but he has to get to her first, has to make sure no one else gets near her, has to protect her from the world and the Wreckers in particular.
Neglecting to consider anything other than Laserbeak and keeping her safe, Soundwave darts out into the main room and climbs up onto the raised area, balancing on the edge and reaching to pick Laserbeak up... realizing only too late that he has just given the human on the couch a very good view of every weld mark and sealant-coated gash down his front. And most of the ones on his thighs, too, with how he's crouching.
There's... more than one human, also.
The government agent he'd been hoping to avoid is standing in front of the couch, weapon out, staring up at him.
And, given how (oddly) similar the humans are in build and organ placement to Cybertronians, they are very unlikely to miss the connotations of exactly where all those claw marks are.
Soundwave stays perfectly still for several long moments, even shutting down his vents to disguise that he would be panting otherwise, staring down at the humans and unable to disguise the fact that he does not know what to do about this. Nor does he want to act hastily... he'd rather not seem to be threatening them. Also, there is a gun pointed up at his face. Admittedly, it's human-sized, but could still cause serious damage if fired at his optics. He'd rather not have that fired at him, or do anything to risk it being aimed at Laserbeak instead.
So he stays still, even as his frame starts to protest in earnest. Stays, crouched over the bit of furniture with it raised in one servo and the other servo halfway reaching for Laserbeak. Stays, even as two shocked gazes trail slowly down his front and the urge to hide grows, even as something in his stomach gives way and energon starts to slowly drip onto the platform under him. He's... somewhere between terrifying and pitiful at the moment, really. Crouched over the smaller beings as if attacking them, but with his wounds visible and with an expression of growing pain, desperation, and fear. Fear for himself, and for his little one.
Laserbeak, wisely, has gone silent. She has far more optical sensors than are readily apparent, and she sees the human with the weapon. Sees where the human is looking, too, and can feel Soundwave's discomfort growing with every passing nanosecond. She wants to comfort him, of course she does, but she can't move without the risk of startling the jumpy human who is probably mad at her for kidnapping him. It wasn't personal, but... the human is armed and on edge, and it is wise to respect people who are armed and on edge. If only temporarily.
A couple of increasingly painful minutes of staring later, Fowler lowers his gun, stares up at Soundwave's face for a second more, notices the spymaster very clearly trying to avoid his gaze, and turns away to look at Optimus. "I... take it this was the 'unexpected development' you were going to tell me about?" he asks, holstering his gun at the realization that Soundwave is not being threatening.
Optimus steps a bit closer, slowly, hoping to not startle the unhappy spymaster, and very carefully brings one servo up when he's certain Soundwave can see him. "Er... yes. This, and... a certain amount of explanation. But first- Laserbeak, hello, please do not attempt to electrocute me." the Prime rumbles, carefully picking the symbiote up, and holds her very gently in one arm as he steps away from the platform. "Soundwave- would you put Raphael down and come off of the platform, please?" he requests, holding out his other servo in a silent offer of support, but doesn't offer Laserbeak- partly because he's trying to support the small frame against his chassis. "Come here... I promise I am not holding Laserbeak hostage."
Optics locked on Laserbeak, Soundwave climbs off of the platform, trying to keep himself upright but limping badly as he approaches Optimus. Walking hurts. But he needs Laserbeak, and then he needs to hide somewhere safe and warm and away from people, and that is going to involve some walking. Whining a soft, constant sound of pain, he limps over to Optimus and just about snatches Laserbeak, holding her close until she docks, then hisses and turns away from the humans staring at him. He's vulnerable, he's afraid, he wants to run and hide and get away-
"Soundwave- come here. Stop trying to walk, you're going to hurt yourself. Come on- the medbay is right there, we can pull a curtain around so no one can see you." Ratchet whispers, firmly putting an arm around Soundwave's frame for support, and carefully steers the spymaster towards the medbay area. Once there, he immediately pulls a thick curtain around the berth, then helps Soundwave to lay down without putting any further strain on his frame. "Easy... you're all right. I'm not going to take Laserbeak- just lay down, be still, and listen. Easy. I have you... promise." he sighs, speaking softly enough that no one else in the room will be able to hear him, and places a servo very gently on Soundwave's arm- careful not to get near Laserbeak, who's hidden under the spymaster's crossed arms. "I'm not about to take her away, Soundwave. That would be extremely counterproductive for all of us, not to mention cruel."
Soundwave hisses softly, once more, then shuts his optics and lets his vents start up again. He's been keeping them clamped down, and for good reason- when they start up again, he's panting, a blatant signal of distress that he is not at all proud of. But he obeys- he shuts his optics and stays still, hugging Laserbeak against himself, trying to focus on listening to what's happening outside- that is very relevant to him, he needs to know what's going to happen. What they might do to him.
At least the Wreckers aren't in the room to be angry with him or mock him for his fear.
Now... much as he wants to curl into Laserbeak and focus everything on her, he needs to listen.
"Do you recall when I said that I thought Megatron's erratic behavior was worsening, and that I thought it might not be long before he lost himself entirely?" Optimus sighs, approaching the platform to speak directly to Fowler, and pauses- probably looking down at Raf, considering whether this is a conversation to have around a youngling.
Admittedly a clever youngling who has probably already figured things out.
Fowler waits before speaking, probably also eyeing the youngling, but eventually steps forwards to look up at Optimus. "I take it that's what's happened here? Because, if I remember right, those two are supposed to be pretty close. That did not look like close. Or anything even remotely decent, holy Hell."
"That is what the evidence indicates. Which... explains why Soundwave is here. Before you protest- he is no threat to security. Him giving the Decepticons our location would end very poorly for all involved, most likely including him. Therefore-"
A pause, and what sounds very much like a large mech bracing their pedes apart and crossing their arms, "-he is staying. And, in addition, Ratchet will most likely be requesting supplies for repairs. We will receive those supplies. Soundwave has been a formidable opponent, but he is a good person, and he does not deserve to be in pain."
"Yeah, I figured he'd be staying, by the look of him. I'm not about to argue with you. Not sure how I'm going to explain this to the brass, though. It'll probably be easier to get them on board if you can get him to talk about somethin' we can use, say, last known location or how many of those identical ones are left, but... I'll leave that up to you. Figure he doesn't wanna talk to me. Don't really wanna talk to him, either, or that flying menace that clings onto him. Now- anything to report other than the... unexpected acquisition of a spy?"
Soundwave listens for a bit longer, but they're just discussing supply expenditure and recent expeditions. Useful, before. Nearly worthless to him now. And... far less important than the other information he's just gotten.
It's not what he was expecting. Mostly because he was expecting very bad news, and this...
Well, he can't call it good because some portion of a government is still going to be hearing about what's happened to him, but... it doesn't sound like he needs to start running. Which is good, because he's quite certain he can't run very far, and he probably can't transform with his leg and stomach still healing. He doesn't have any way to escape, but apparently he won't need to. He's okay. This is not a great situation, but it's a reasonably safe one. He's okay. It's... it's okay. He can stay here for now, there's no imminent danger, he's not dying, Laserbeak is awake...
He's okay.
He just hurts.
He hurts a lot, actually, apparently he's pulled on all the wounds and ow.
Soundwave gives a short, soft little cry of pain, optics still shut tightly, and bares his fangs at the air. Before remembering that the air around him also contains a Ratchet.
Whoops.
Cautiously opening his optics, Soundwave blinks up at Ratchet, chirruping very quietly in apology. He was snarling at his own innards, not at Ratchet. Ratchet isn't doing anything wrong, just-
Oh.
He's focused too much on listening, and has completely neglected to notice two things.
Number one, Ratchet has a servo on his stomach, applying just enough pressure to stop the dripping of energon from whatever he's pulled loose. Presumably repairs were about to happen before Soundwave interrupted.
Number two, Ratchet has stopped those repairs, and is staring down at him with a rather concerned expression.
Which is probably due to...
To the tears dripping down his face.
He's not crying, not really. He's panting a bit, but his vocalizer isn't trying to activate, and he can definitely shut his vents off if he wants to. So... this is a bit odd.
He was already panting before he got on this cot, but.. the tears are new. Hm. No wonder Ratchet stopped- one single, silent indicator that usually means extreme distress is not a good sign in a patient. Soundwave is fairly certain that Ratchet isn't to blame for this, though, he really doesn't mind the medic's servo on his stomach. Doesn't hurt. Not an especially private place to touch. A bit vulnerable given the lack of plating, and he's certainly quite sore, but... not upsetting enough to warrant tears. So... why is he crying?
Wrapped up in trying to figure his own emotions out, Soundwave completely forgets to alert Ratchet that nothing is especially wrong, and is pulled from his own confused thoughts by the lightest possible touch to his cheek.
"Hey, shadow... you in there? Soundwave, look at me- I need to know what's wrong. Or- what is currently upsetting you the most. If you're in pain, I can fix that. If I'm the problem, I'll stop whatever it is. But you gotta tell me, shadow, I don't read minds." Ratchet sighs, lightly tapping the spymaster's cheek in an attempt to keep his attention. Hopefully one that won't lead to being bitten. "And I need those bright optics of yours on me, all right? Gotta be sure you're still with me. So... I'm gonna need some form of acknowledgement. Okay?"
He gets his acknowledgement. In the form of a narrow servo tapping him on his nasal ridge. Which... would be cute if not for the circumstances.
"Yeah, that works. Now, Soundwave- is there something you want me to change right now? Anything I can physically do. Name it."
He would, except he can't figure out what the main problem is.
Yes, he hurts, but something else is wrong. Something to do with Ratchet. It's not the servo on his stomach, that's fine. It's not the medic's voice, he likes that. Ratchet doesn't have claws, doesn't have sharp edges or visible weapons... nothing threatening. Smooth edges, sturdy without being overly threatening... standard medic frame. Not intimidating by anyone's standards, especially not by Soundwave's.
So... what exactly is the problem here?
Soundwave clutches Laserbeak closer and lets his optics sweep up Ratchet's frame, once more, still confused-
And it clicks.
Every bit of plating on Soundwave's frame clamps down, the spymaster hissing softly and trying to melt into the berth, and he makes an unhappy little growling sound up at Ratchet. Because that's the problem- up. Ratchet is standing over him, looking down at him, one servo on his stomach- and that's the problem, because he has never in his life been on his back with someone over him and had it go well. Because that means pain, means he's been defeated and is at someone else's mercy, mercy which is seldom ever granted-
Optics widening further, Soundwave whines and braces both servos on Ratchet's arm, digging his claws into the medic's paint and trying to push him away. No, stop, get away, don't stand over me like this, hopefully clear enough in the gesture for Ratchet to understand. It's not the touch- it's the height difference.
"Ah- I get it. Easy- I can work with a different angle." Ratchet mutters, removing his servo for long enough to sit down next to the berth, and moves up a bit to sit beside the spymaster's chassis instead of down by his hips- hopefully much less intimidating. "There we go... let's try this." he declares, reaching over to press on the bleeding area again, and glances up to see how Soundwave is doing. Those bright orange optics are fixed on him rather than on the ceiling, but they're still far too wet, and Soundwave is still panting quietly- a sign of distress in circumstances not involving high heat or significant exertion. The panting is starting to ease, though... that's a good sign.
"There we go, shadow. My bad- I shoulda realized you wouldn't want me standin' over you. Now... you have to be in pain. I have a local anesthetic I can give you, as soon as this bleeding stops. I'm not going to go digging for it because it isn't bad enough to need any attention- your systems will handle it if I keep pressure. After that... getting the right painkillers into you would involve a few different injections, around your stomach and hip, and should last a long time without hindering your movement too badly. You do still need to be careful, the lack of pain does not mean you can move all you want, but I imagine you'd like the pain relief. You think you'd be okay wi' a few needles? Either way, as soon as you stop bleeding we should probably wrap your abdomen up, since you keep insisting on being so damn flexible and pulling things loose. Stay there, keep pressure on with this.
Soundwave relaxes considerably as soon as Ratchet is no longer standing over him, the clinging sensation of wrongness easing, and chirps very quietly in appreciation. Yes, thank you, that helps very much. More than he wants to admit, honestly, it's such a small thing. But it has apparently been added to his list of things that he is going to have to pretend don't bother him. It's not a good one to have, either- standing over people is a very common intimidation tactic. And, apparently, it is now one that Soundwave is much more vulnerable to. Which is... not something he needs. Urgh. He needs his visor back, and quickly, or he's going to embarrass himself... even more than he already has. Hopefully not in front of Optimus Prime, he's done enough to make himself seem weak in front of a mech he has a good deal of respect for. But there's not much he can do about that right now, aside from venting deeply and trying to calm himself down.
And... he doesn't like needles, not at all, but... they're not that bad, and he'd rather be stuck a few times than continue to be in pain. Plus, he has Laserbeak. She's not speaking up at the moment, she's fluttering softly against his chassis and too busy processing information to offer any sort of input, but she's here and awake. Which is about the most soothing thing he's likely to get any time soon. So he accepts the folded bandage that Ratchet presses into his servo, and he holds pressure on the bleeding spot as the medic awkwardly edges away from him. Which looks odd, and confuses him for an instant, before- oh! That's what's going on. Ratchet is trying not to stand up anywhere near him. Which looks a bit odd, and is probably more care than is necessary, but... much as it angers him that any care is needed at all, the consideration feels... good.
When Ratchet comes back over, Soundwave lifts the bandage and chirrups quietly, pointing out that the spot he'd apparently pulled loose has stopped bleeding.
"All right... you wanna try the painkillers? Yes? I got 'em. Just try to relax, and- if you aren't so good with needles, you should probably look at something else. Or- no?" Ratchet mutters, noticing that the spymaster's optics have locked on him, and shrugs slightly. "Or, if you'd rather see everything I'm doing, I can work with that. Just... try not to kick me, and please don't be ashamed to tell me if you want to pause for a few kliks or just outright stop. This shouldn't hurt too much, but I am gonna have to touch you in a few places I'm guessing you'd rather I not. Just... nice, deep vents, Soundwave, and tell me if you want to stop."
Soundwave is absolutely not going to ask Ratchet to stop. He can handle a few needles. Had plenty of practice, after all- practice with pretending, for medics who would absolutely take advantage of his weakness if they knew, that he is absolutely fine with needles. And... Ratchet is correct that looking away usually helps, but he can't shut his optics now because he's quite certain that looking away from where Ratchet's servos are will just make this much, much worse. Because, if he keeps his optics open, it's Ratchet touching him. If he shuts them, it's Megatron.
So he watches, unblinking, as Ratchet braces a servo against his outer thigh and slips a needle into a gap in his hip plating. His tank clenches unpleasantly at the sight, at the sting of cold metal piercing delicate protoform below his plating where most things can never reach, but he doesn't pull away and he absolutely does not flinch. Not at the burn that follows, either, as the chemical spreads through his hip section. The burn lingers for seconds, though, and then fades... and takes the pain with it. Not everything, but... enough. Enough to be more than worth the creeping unease and the initial pain.
He's okay with the next, too, up a bit higher and between two claw marks. The next two are across his stomach, placed evenly apart, and then another over his other hip joint. His claws dig slightly into the berth with each initial sting, but that's the only real indication of any distress- it's really not that bad.
"All right, Soundwave... that should get most of your stomach numbed up. Now- I have two more that would mostly numb up your equipment, but it would involve me getting needles into two veins fairly high up on your inner thighs. You think you'd be okay with that, Soundwave?" Ratchet asks, very softly, reaching up to touch Soundwave's lower arm in an attempt at comfort. "I just need you to hold still for a little bit longer, if you can manage that. Think you'll be okay?" he asks, and he doesn't quite trust the shaky nod he gets in return, but... relaxed muscle cables heal better, so he does need to get as much sedative into Soundwave as he can.
Humming gently, he coaxes Soundwave to lean slightly to one side, then places a servo on his inner thigh with just a slight gap between his fingertips- searching for the vein. The access point is high up, in what is usually an erogenous zone and is uncomfortably close to Soundwave's pelvic panel, so... not somewhere he wants to be touching right now. But it's not exactly avoidable.
Surprisingly enough, Soundwave actually stays almost perfectly still. His other pede twitches and his claws dig into the berth much deeper than before, but he doesn't move away, and the tears don't start again. So, despite lingering misgivings, Ratchet braces his servo on Soundwave's other thigh for the final injection-
And hesitates at the whimper it earns him.
When he glances up again, Soundwave's optics are shut, and the spymaster is gripping the berth as tightly as he can with both servos. Ratchet doesn't stop, though- he already has the right spot located and the syringe in one servo, so he delivers the injection as quickly as he can, then lets go and edges up to sit right behind Soundwave's chassis instead- stroking his arm in an attempt at offering comfort. "Easy, Soundwave, easy- that's all, I'm done, it's okay. I still want to get your stomach wrapped up, but we're done with sharp things, shadow, an' I don't have ta touch anywhere but your stomach for that. An' you can stop tryin' to hold still- you don't have to stay on your back any more, if you don't want to."
Too much. Just... just slightly too much. Soundwave shakes his helm slightly, claws scraping at the berth, and curls onto his side- pressing his thighs together as tightly as he can, holding Laserbeak to his chassis with one arm. No- he doesn't want to stay on his back, not at all, and it is more of a relief than he wants to admit that he can curl up like this. He doesn't pull his arm away from Ratchet, though. The touch is... actually rather appreciated. It's nice enough, unobtrusive, and... definitely not something that belongs in the memories trying to drag him down. Helps.
He stays like that for a few moments, optics mostly shut, panting very softly in distress, then opens his optics, reaches out, and tugs at Ratchet's arm- trying to coax the medic's servo over to his stomach. He'd like to get everything over with, please, so he can go back to hiding.
Ratchet doesn't move, though. Sits still, rubbing small circles across his arm, and hums softly down at him. "I have you... all right? And I know you probably just wanna get everything over with, and I understand, but... if I keep going, I think it's going to be too much for you. And there is nothing wrong with that, Soundwave, you are allowed to have limits. I am not going to mock you for having a limit to what you can handle, I am not going to take advantage of it... understand? I am just going to... sit here and try to keep from pushing you over that limit. Because... either you crossed it for a moment there, or you were very, very close. So... you stay there, keep venting, and tell me when you think you can handle this rather than just when you want to get it over with. Okay? We have time."
Oh.
Okay.
He... he can do that.
Soundwave curls into himself as much as he can comfortably manage, optics dimming, and... attempts to in-vent deeply. It doesn't quite work, his frame has evidently decided that he ought to be panting, but he tries. Laserbeak is still clutched against his chassis, so, in the interest of relaxing, he focuses everything that he has on her, nudging her until she finally, finally docks and the physical connection snaps into place. A soft, shaking croon meets her, and he reaches out for her through their bond, just in time to meet her coming out of a partial reboot.
Unsurprisingly, he's slapped in the face by emotions.
Laserbeak has finally woken up enough to process all the input from him, to fully register what happened and who is responsible and where they are, and, after a forced reboot to get everything to slot into place, everything has hit her at once.
Her initial response is fury. Blazing, white-hot rage at the betrayal, at someone daring to hurt her host. At everything that has ever happened to make him feel like this.
Then, well. Then it gets complicated.
A tangled, shaking mess of what's meant to be entirely comfort/reassurance/affection but is still shivering with anger/hatred and more than a little bit of fear, spilling over the link in response to Soundwave's... well.
Soundwave just hurts.
He's relieved that she's awake, and that Ratchet is giving him a break, and the painkillers are starting to soak in deeper, but...
He hurts. He can't even manage to be angry, can't manage anything resembling ire, just... disbelief/betrayal/pain. That's... that's it. He should probably be angry, Laserbeak's fury seems reasonable, but... it's hers, and hers alone.
He doesn't try to speak, doesn't try to communicate anything in particular, just strokes her back with one servo and chirps sadly. She can figure out the situation herself. She knows what happened, she can definitely hear Optimus Prime and Agent Fowler continuing their discussion (on current supply needs, still not very relevant to him), and, well-
The most confusing thing currently here is the fact that Ratchet is sitting next to them, watching them both with soft optics. But Soundwave isn't trying to escape, and Ratchet is gently petting his arm, so... not a threat. Apparently. Just... something he should clarify, maybe?
::He is trying to help. And succeeding. Please do not shoot him.::
Laserbeak flickers her wing flaps at Ratchet, then lifts her helm loose of the dock and stares up at the medic, making suspicious noises for him to hear. She is not in the mood to trust anyone. At all. Especially not feared Autobot medics who know where all the important parts are on someone's frame. The petting is strange, though, and- yeah, no, it's difficult to take firm strokes along someone's forearm as anything other than an attempt at reassurance. So, not certain if he can even understand her, she tucks her helm down and mutters //Kill you if you hurt him.// up at the larger mech.
Of course Ratchet understands Laserbeak. Symbiote dialects vary between hosts, but the base structure is usually the same, and Laserbeak isn't one of the ones with the odd speech patterns.
It's not surprising that her first words to him are a threat, either.
"Wouldn't blame you. Don't plan on it, though." Ratchet mutters, then lightly pats Soundwave's arm with one servo, lifting a roll of wide mesh bandages in his other servo. "Looking a bit better, shadow. You think you'd be okay wi' this? You don't have to do anything, just... uncurl a bit so I can reach you, and let me lift you slightly so I can get it wrapped under you. After that, we can get some energon into you and you can go back to all the blankets and the not being bothered. Deal?"
Seems doable, so Soundwave nods just slightly and relaxes as much as he can, not resisting as Ratchet lifts him up in order to slip the roll of bandages under him. Ratchet is... almost alarmingly strong, standard for medic's frames, but it's not being used to hurt or unpleasantly manipulate him. Only being used so he doesn't have to put any strain on sore muscle cables. Again, consideration. He... he likes consideration. This, especially, since it is actually needed and "my stomach region has been recently shredded" is a valid reason to not want to move.
The bandages are... oddly comforting. Something about the pressure feels nice, and the knowledge that it reduces his chance of bleeding is also a good thing. Soundwave kneads his claws on the berth as Ratchet works, watching skilled servos move gently over his frame, and finds it... calming. Any display of competence is rather nice, but this... especially so. Competence being used to assist him is always pleasant. And... it's been a very long time since he's had a medic who doesn't either unnerve him or make him want to smack them. He doesn't want to smack Ratchet, and he's... not unnerved?
Aware that Ratchet could kill him in quite a few different ways, yes, but that goes for most people he's around on a regular basis. Only the deadly people are still alive. Ratchet doesn't have any motivation to kill him, and is putting too much effort into calming him and easing his pain to be intending any sort of torture. Potential for harm doesn't matter as much as incentive to harm, and Ratchet has no incentive.
...right?
Given that his patient is unusually flexible and will probably be prone to twisting in odd ways, Ratchet wraps Soundwave's entire abdomen in the wide strips of mesh, covering every bit of exposed protoform just to be sure. He has to lean over Soundwave a bit to reach, but that doesn't seem to be a problem- the spymaster is still looking up at him, petting Laserbeak, and is- hm. His optics are still overly damp, and every now and then a blink dislodges a tear, but he's not really crying. Mildly upset, but stable.
"There we go. You leave that on, understand? You can tell me if you want it off for any reason, but, for now, you need to keep it where it is. It doesn't hold water terribly well, so you can shower with that on if you'd like, but-"
He's interrupted by a set of claws digging into his arm plating. Ow.
Soundwave starts to push himself into a sitting position as soon as Ratchet is done, but stops that effort in favor of grabbing Ratchet's attention (and arm) at the possibility of a shower. Yes. Please. He doesn't let go, either- in fact, he digs his claws in as much as he can casually manage, leaving small puncture marks with his clawtips. And, despite what's left of his pride, he doesn't try to hide the desperation in his optics. He'd forgotten until now how much he wants a shower, but- yes.
"Okay, okay- easy. We'll get you a shower. Sit up nice and slow, now- you probably shouldn't be walking after runnin' in here pullin' on everything, so we are gonna have to figure out a comfortable way for me to carry y-" Ratchet begins, carefully not pulling his arm away, and is cut off again by, well-
Miko would call it a hug.
It's more like Soundwave somehow hopping from the berth to Ratchet, data-cables unfurling to wrap tightly around his frame as the spymaster attempts to just cling to him again. Which works well enough when sitting, but... maybe not so much when he has to stand up.
"So I'm wearin' you again, then? All right. You don't weigh much. Just- lemme have my arm back?" Ratchet mutters, hooking said arm under Soundwave's legs to add a bit more support as soon as it's free, and waits until Soundwave feels relatively settled. Both legs tucked under Ratchet's arm, one arm hooked over Ratchet's shoulder, data-cables around Ratchet's chassis to provide the majority of the support. He has a spymaster draped over his backpack, but it's secure enough, and probably more comfortable for Soundwave than anything else.
It's just a bit difficult to stand up like this.
And he's quite certain Laserbeak is cackling at him.