Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Oh, don’t be so upset, Mirage. It’s a good match. He’ll bring you a great deal of ...well, not prestige, but at least good reputation. You couldn’t have done half so well with one of the other Families.”

Mirage glared at his sire. “I haven’t even met him.”

“Well, you will in a few minutes. Honestly, it’s not like you have to bond with him today. The ceremony isn’t for another week.”

“It’s easy for you to be so dismissive.” The younger mech stood up and walked as heavily as he could, just shy of the stomp that would earn him a scolding at best, to the door. “You got to choose your bondmate.”

“If you think I chose your carrier out of love or something equally foolish, you are mistaken.”

“I am well aware it was a political arrangement. But you didn’t even ask before you bartered me off to a family in Iacon!” Mirage flung the door open, startling a pair of mechs he hadn’t even realized was on the other side. “Oh, forgive me. I did not realize we had guests already.”

“We’re here to see Lord Fracture.” The taller of the two, a pale blue mech with search and rescue decals on his shoulders and bright red optics, rested a hand on the smaller mech’s shoulder. “I’m Hot Spot and this is my brother First Aid.”

First Aid. The mech he was supposed to spark bond with in a week. Mirage studied him for a long moment.

First Aid wasn’t as small as he looked next to his brother, though he could never be described as tall. His plating was painted the bright white that most medics preferred, and was marked clearly with his professional sigils as well as glyphs that indicated he was qualified for military field operations and search and rescue. His optics were covered by a blue visor and his mouth was hidden by a mask, but Mirage was certain that it was removable and his sire hadn’t picked a mech that he couldn’t even dine with.

The medic oozed calmness, as well, obviously less agitated about their situation that Mirage himself was. That helped calm his own anxiety a bit; if this medic from Iacon was able to repress his nervousness, then Mirage could do the same--especially since he had been training to do so all his life.

“Yes, of course.” Mirage bowed to them and stepped to the side. “I am Mirage. My sire said you would arrive shortly, though I had hoped for a few minutes longer to prepare myself.”

“I think you look beautiful,” First Aid said softly. Then he looked shyly down at the floor, clearly embarrassed at having said the thought aloud.

Mirage wasn’t sure he had ever been called beautiful so sincerely in his life. “Thank you. Come in, and I will present you to Lord Fracture.”

Chapter Text

“Here, you are.” First aid opened a door, not large and grand like anything in his home tower but made from real wood that had to have cost a small fortune to import, to reveal a mostly unfurnished room. “We thought you should have your own space for privacy, where you don’t have to see any of us if you don’t want to. And I thought, maybe, you would want your own bed until we knew each other a little bit better.”

Indeed, a bed was the only piece of furniture in the room. Though there were curtains over a set of large windows and a rug that looked incredibly soft from where they were standing. Mirage wondered if it was also imported.

“Thank you, First Aid, that was very thoughtful of you and your brothers.” He stepped through the door to look the room over more clearly, though nothing else caught his attention. He hoped they would allow him to furnish the space to his taste. “Will I be allowed to purchase my own pieces for the room?”

“Of course!” First Aid’s optics crinkled in the way Mirage had already learned meant he was smiling behind the mask he rarely took down. “We ordered the bed on our uncle’s recommendation so it would be ready right away, but we wanted you to be able to decorate it to suit you.”

Mirage’s spark lifted a bit. No one had ever let him decorate his own space, no matter how small, in his family’s tower. “Thank you. That is kind.”

“Maybe, but it’s also, um.” The medic was thoughtful for a moment, “It’s reasonable. This is going to be your safe place. It should suit you, not me or my brothers.”

“Thank you again.” Mirage turned back to the other mech with a smile. “It’s wonderful, though I will have to adapt to the way you live here. In the Towers, I was never allowed to decorate to my taste or to really even have my own space that was truly mine.”

“Well, I’m glad you have it now.” First Aid stepped into the room and stopped next to him. When he reached out for Mirage’s hand, he let the mech take it and let himself draw the offered comfort from the gesture that was intended. “I don’t have time to take you shopping today, Iacon General wouldn’t even let me have a full deca-cycle off for my own conjuxing ceremony, but I would be happy to take you tomorrow or make arrangements with Uncle Shockwave for him to take you if you want. He said he would be happy to.”

“Surely the Senator doesn’t have the time for such frivolity.” Mirage gave him a sad smile. “It is all right, First Aid, I can manage on my own.”

Aid sighed. “Mirage. Uncle Shockwave offered to take you, whenever you wanted. He has time, for you or me or any of us. I’ll call him for you.”

“All right.” He resisted the urge to argue further. He did not want to take any of the senator’s precious time, but he also did not want his first day in his new household to be marred with a fight over something so petty. He would simply have to think of any appropriate apology gift for the senator.

“Thank you for not arguing.” First Aid nudged him gently. “He says he’ll be over in half a groon. That gives us enough time for a quick tour of the kitchens on our way to the front door.”

“That sounds lovely, thank you.” He had barely known where the kitchens were in his home tower. This would be an interesting experience, to be sure. And so would shopping with the Senator.

He would, he supposed, have to learn to live with such things.

Chapter Text

“Ah, Mirage!” Senator Shockwave–wearing a brilliant gold over red paint job that should have looked garish and tacky, but somehow worked thanks to the sharp angles of his frame–reached out and took the younger mech’s hands in both of his. “You look lovely today. That matte coat and the natural light here in Iacon suit you. And so does that smile. Did First Aid give it to you?”

“He did,” Mirage felt his smile grow as his face heated slightly with embarrassment. “But only because he was telling stories of his brothers’ wayward youth.”

“Well, given the length of the flight from the Crystal Towers to our estate, you hardly had time for anything more scandalous.” Shockwave winked, and Mirage felt his blush deepen. “Perhaps I should save additional teasing for after we have gotten to know one another better though.”

“I think that might make him feel better, yes.” First Aid stepped closer to the older mech and put his hand on top of Shockwave’s. “Thank you for helping us. I would much rather take him myself, but…”

“Yes, that hospital director of yours needs to have his emotional subroutines evaluated by a professional.” Shockwave gave the medic a wry look at the statement, and Mirage wondered if that was an inside joke between the two of them or if there really was something wrong with First Aid’s employer. “But I do remember how it felt to be dropped into the middle of a new household without any proper preparation, and it brings me a great deal of happiness to ensure that your Mirage does not suffer the same.”

“Still, I’m very grateful to you, Uncle Shockwave.” First Aid leaned forward and bumped his forehead briefly against the senator’s. “I won’t be back until well after midnight, unfortunately, so if you could–”

“I will make arrangements for Mirage as if he was my own sparkline. Furniture, delivery, fuel, and anything else a newlywed young mech could want.” Shockwave returned First Aid’s affectionate bump before releasing Mirage’s hands so that he could hold his nephew’s for a few moments. “And I will see what strings I can pull to get the two of you a few days of uninterrupted time together, too, the way you should have after the ceremony.”

“You don’t have to do that!” First Aid said with a laugh, overlapping Mirage’s protest of “Please, that isn’t necessary, Senator!”

The senator looked from First Aid to Mirage and the laughed himself. “I see the two of you are more well matched that Hot Spot and I thought you would be! Still, whether you think I need to or not, you deserve to have me pull a few strings for you. Now, you should get going before you have to spend extra for the high speed transport.”

“Yes, uncle.” Aid leaned forward and bumped the older mech’s forehead again before pulling his hands away from Shockwave’s. Then he turned and reached for Mirage’s hands. “I’ll see you tomorrow for midday fuel?”

“Yes, that sounds lovely,” Mirage replied. He wasn’t sure what to make of his conjunx’s forwardness with his uncle, and wished he had a few kliks to ask questions before he left. But they would have to wait for midday. “I hope your work is not too troublesome tonight.”

“It shouldn’t be, but thank you.” Aid’s optics crinkled for a moment before he pulled away. “Have fun with Uncle Shockwave and don’t be afraid to get the things you really want for your room.”

“Thank you. I will do my best.”

“That’s good enough for now. Good night, Uncle Shockwave! Will we see you for dinner tomorrow?”

“Unfortunately, I am expected at the Celestial Temple for dinner tomorrow. The dedication ceremony for the Lord Protector’s youngest is in the afternoon, and you know how those things get.”

“Ugh, I do.” First Aid made a face that Mirage couldn’t interpret through his mask, then shook his head to dismiss whatever he was thinking about. “Well, we’ll be here if you need a convenient excuse to get away.”

“Thank you, my dear nephew.” Shockwave smiled, then shooed the younger mech toward the door. “Now get going or you’ll ruin all my work with your administrators before I even get started on it!”

“Yes, Uncle Shockwave!” Aid laughed and walked quickly to the door, which was opened for him by one of the guards who had accompanied Shockwave.

“Well, now that we’ve got him on his way and out of trouble with old Sparkpulse, where would you like to begin, Mirage? I know the manor tends to run to vintage imported styles, but if you prefer more modern or contemporary looks, none of us will mind.”

“I am afraid,” Mirage cycled his vents. First Aid hadn’t judged when he said that he wasn’t sure what his tastes would actually be, but he wasn’t certain how the Senator would react. “That I do not know what I would like. “My carrier ruled the household with a titanium fist, and the extent of input I was allowed on the decor in my space was color.”

“Oh, Mirage.” Shockwave reached for his hands again, and squeezed them tightly. “How on Cybertron did they ever expect you to manage a household if you weren't even taught to decorate?”

“It was heavily implied that, as the third son of my house, I was expected to contribute to my conjunx’s sparkline and little else.”

Shockwave drew in a sharp vent as he stared at the younger mech. “What short sighted fools. I suppose I will have to teach you how to balance books and manage staff as well?”

“Fortunately not.” Mirage gave him a weak smile. “Our butler saw to it that I learned those things while my carrier was not looking.”

“Well. Thank Primus for him, then. Is he looking for alternate employment, by chance?”

“I do not know, but you could certainly make an offer. Though I do not know if you can give a better enticement than what my sire pays him.”

“Mirage.” Shockwave laughed. “My nephews are very minor nobility, but I am not. I can certainly provide a comparable benefits package for your former butler and any other mechanism on staff that would prefer alternate employment. I could even hire them to work here in the manor, if it would make you more comfortable.”

“I can adapt to a new household staff, but I appreciate the consideration, Senator.” Mirage smiled. The butler had been the only one of them he had ever been close to really, and he doubted the mech would leave his sire after so many vorns. “As for decorating and anything else, I shall ask questions as we go. Despite his best efforts, my sire was never able to break me of that habit.”

“Good.” Shockwave smiled again, though he still looked faintly concerned as well. “We should get going, then. Many of the delivery crews stop working after sunset, and I want your new belongings here before dinner.”

“Thank you, senator.”

“And please, Mirage, just Shockwave. We are family now, after all.”

“You will have to forgive me, Senator, but that may be too much change all at once.”

Shockwave laughed, and it sounded genuine. “All right, we’ll work on that slowly, then. Now, do you think you want to start with decor that is harmonious with the rest of the manor or something more modern?”

“I do like the look of all the wood, but adding too it seems like an unnecessary extravagance.”

“My dear Mirage, nothing is an unnecessary extravagance today.” Shockwave reached out and put an arm around his shoulders, in a way that should have been offputtingly intimate but instead felt friendly and welcoming, and turned him toward the doors. “But we’ll start with the fresh imports, for your sense of propriety. They’ll be less expensive than the antiques that match the manor.”

“Thank you, sir.” As the senator guided him past the guard and through the doors to his private transport, he found himself relieved that his worries had been for nothing and that Shockwave was very much like his nephew.

It was radically different in this house, and in Iacon, but he was looking forward to the challenge of learning to live here now.

Chapter Text

“Oh, Mirage!” First Aid’s optics were wide behind his visor as he looked across the feast table, set in a traditional Towers style with the finest crystal centerpieces and holographic place setting individualized for each mechanism in attendance. “It’s beautiful!”

“Is it? I was worried it was too much, given how little extravagance you and your brothers indulge in.” Mirage bit his lip, still nervous even though the staff had all been just as delighted by it.

“It’s wonderful.” Aid turned to him with a brilliant smile. “And it’s part of you, so that makes it perfect.”

“My carrier would have found five things wrong already.” Mirage returned the smile, actually feeling comforted by his partner’s words. “So, I am glad you like it so much. Your uncle said the centerpieces were perfect when I chose them, but I designed the place settings without anyone else’s input.”

“I love them. They’re so individual. I can even pick out Blades’ from here, and most people think he only has one personality trait.”

“In their defense, Blades prefers that they think of him that way. It has been a delight to gain the privilege of seeing the mech beneath the angry shell.”

“I’m glad you’ve gotten to.” Aid reached down and took his hand, lacing his fingers in with Mirage’s and squeezing gently. “I’m glad you’re here with us now, and that we’ve managed to become friends and not just a political match.”

“I am, as well.” Mirage squeezed back, despite how foreign the gesture still felt. He would get used to such tactical affection eventually, but that was a work in progress.

“We’ll have a wonderful view of the skydancers from this room, too. We won’t even have to get up if we don’t want to.”

“I confess that I did check their flight path before choosing this hall for our meal.”

“That was good planning.” First Aid bumped shoulders with Mirage. “So don't start apologizing for that. I appreciate it. But… I just realized.”

“What.” Mirage’s spark sank as he braced for the incoming criticism.

“I forgot to tell you about Uncle Shockwave’s plus one. He only told me this morning that he was bringing a companion.”

“Is that all?” Mirage forced his shoulders back down. “I can accommodate an additional guest with ease.”

“Really? I know we didn’t order–”

“Darling.” Mirage pinned his partner with a firm look. “We ordered plenty of food, and I have an extra place setting projector. Several, in fact, because one should be prepared for anything. Tell me who they are, and we will have something suitable programmed before the staff begins laying out the tableware.”

“You’re amazing!” Aid’s bright smile returned, and his enthusiasm warmed Mirage’s spark