Happy new year, this has been in my WIPs since August and it is very self-indulgent! Just like...everything else on this page! Still best ship, best scenario, great babies. Please enjoy (though I'd recommend reading Our Souls Will Shine Like New, the first part of this little series)!

"Soundwave!"

Beside Cosmos, Sonata held tightly to his hand, his free one cupped around his mouth. "Soundwave!" he called in his little voice. "Comet! Where are you?"

He hadn't been at his main console, which meant he was at one of the smaller ones—which meant he'd taken Comet there, too, or maybe given him to a cassette, which he wasn't supposed to do without letting Cosmos know, but of course did all the time anyway. This morning Cosmos had ended up with Sonata, to teach him some constellations. When Soundwave's oldest son had begun to fuss, having seen all there was to see from the window, they had set out to find his carrier and little brother.

Normally this was easier. Soundwave did not have that many workspaces to bounce from, and generally a cassette could point them in the right direction. Normally it wouldn't have bothered Cosmos all that much, either. Soundwave's privacy could only be intruded on by his birds or his sons.

With his spark twisting around, though, reaching outwards and aching for Comet's presence, Cosmos had gone hunting.

Laserbeak, he commed, for the third time. For spark's sake, where's my baby?

To his relief, he got a reply.

With his sire.

Cosmos suppressed his frustrated sigh, and held tighter to Sonata's hand. I gathered. Where with his sire, we've talked about this!

Records Room 2, third level. And calm down, Autobot. You know he's fine.

He knew, of course, but it didn't mean his bond with Comet didn't ache. It seemed that he felt it stronger than his son these days, but that didn't matter. Soon it would fade, and Cosmos planned to enjoy their quality time until then.

"Found your carrier," Cosmos told Sonata. The little mech instantly brightened, plating ruffling a bit like one of Soundwave's birds. (Was that learned?) "Let's get the elevator."

At least Laserbeak hadn't lied. She was there to greet them when the room door slid open, and Cosmos had to briefly squint in the darkness of the little room. Why he would want to work down here, and bring their bitlet with him...

Still, it was a charming sight. Soundwave sat, relaxed (when was he ever relaxed?), and from his lap and broad arms peeked two tiny blue optics. Buzzsaw sat on the chair back looking down at the sparklet, the furthest thing from working. When he saw Sonata, he brightened instantly. The sparklet brightened too, brushing off Cosmos to rush the symbiotes.

"Well!" Buzzsaw said as he flapped down. "There you all are! I thought Cosmos had finally kidnapped you."

"Don't be stupid," Laserbeak said. She was already nuzzling Sonata's helm, and Cosmos considered, again, getting a picture for the bots on the Ark. He decided it would be safer not to bother, though he knew the insults had no bite.

Soundwave had risen, Comet almost lost between his arm and his torso. He was so small, and Cosmos felt his spark warm instantly at the sight of his son. Tiny blue optics in a round face, little hands reaching out...

...and his mouth and new dentae, chewing insistently on his sire's thumb. Cosmos sighed.

"You're not supposed to let him do that," Cosmos said. "I mean—Primus, he's wearing down your paint."

He could feel Laserbeak rolling her optics and ignored her, as Soundwave gently removed Comet and set him in Cosmos's arms. Right away his son was trying to chew on his fingers, and had to settle for sucking his own thumb as Cosmos turned away. Soundwave, naturally, did not look the least bit irritated.

"It soothes him," he said, like it wasn't ridiculous to let a sparklet chew on you. In the same moment, he'd bent and set Sonata on his hip. "I can repaint."

"We'll have to find a better solution until his dentae harden up," Cosmos said, sighing. There were probably worse things for a sparklet to ingest, but it was more about letting him get away with it. "Did Sonata do this?"

"No," Soundwave said. Comet knew he was smiling under his mask. "It must be the Autobot in him."

"Yeah, yeah," Cosmos said. "It always is."

Comet was, again, trying to chew on someone else's hand. When Cosmos moved his out of the way, his son peeped sadly, reaching out.

"He chews on blocks, too," Sonata said calmly. "And datapads. I saw him."

"He's a baby," Laserbeak said. "'Course he does."

"And he's got to learn not to," Cosmos said. Four million years of ruthless war and spying, and his sparklet's sire was useless in the face of an infant. Astonishing. "His upgrade's soon. A mask, maybe? Soundwave?"

His son's sire nodded, slowly. "If you wish it."

"I do," Cosmos said. He bounced Comet once, gently, in his arms. His son was wriggling and his eyes too bright, telltale signs. "I also wish for a nap, while this one needs it."

Buzzsaw followed them, claiming he needed to watch over the bitlet. As if anything would happen on this space station, or Cosmos was incapable of doing so. No matter. If a bird wanted to stare at his son while they recharged, rather than getting on with his day, Cosmos wouldn't stop them. Maybe they could keep Comet's thumb out of his mouth.

"Awww," Frenzy said, drawn out. His head was tilted, and he was standing a few healthy paces back.

"Wittle guy!" Rumble had bounded close, staring hard at Comet. Unlike Buzzsaw and Laserbeak, Soundwave wouldn't let him or his brother babysit unsupervised.

Comet's new mask was charmingly tiny, green like his accents. Soundwave had presented it the next day, and fastened it over their son's mouth after his morning energon. He was late to his duties today, watching Comet frown and try to move his faceplate, to see if it would dislodge. He always lingered when it came to the children, ridiculous mech.

"He looks funny," Sonata said. He was sitting on Laserbeak's back, legs dangling over her tail.

Cosmos smiled, hidden under his own mask. "He won't have to wear it all the time. Just until he's stopped chewing."

"He's like a little Insecticon!" Rumble said. "Always munching on stuff."

Soundwave sighed. Frenzy had elbowed Rumble in the next moment, making him yelp, and instantly Buzzsaw's plating ruffled in irritation. They were truly all a sight together.

Comet made a small sound, one little hand over his new mask. Cosmos tried to ignore his son's irritated protests through the bond. He was very charming, in his little mask, and it would be good for him to stop putting his mouth on everything.

"He's unhappy," Soundwave noted, hand cupping Comet's tiny head. His optics were narrowed beneath his visor. "I don't like to see him so...sad. You wish him to keep wearing it?"

Laserbeak snorted, and Cosmos sighed. "He'll get used to it. He's a baby, Soundwave, they don't know what's good for them. Go and see to your Decepticons."

Soundwave pulled back reluctantly, picking Sonata up as he did. His older son brightened instantly, waving cheerfully at Cosmos as they turned to go. His symbionts filed after them, or transformed to rest in Soundwave's chest, but it was unlikely they'd all disappear. Cosmos gotten used to bird optics on him, reporting back. As if anyone would harm him under Soundwave's watch, or they believed that he was still, somehow, a spy.

Cosmos looked down at his son. Distress tinged the edge of their bond, and he sighed, stroking Comet's head.

"Let's have a nap," he said. "That's one thing I like about carrying, sweetspark. Sleeping when we please, not in shifts. Syncing and bonding and all those things we're supposed to need." He ran his thumb over Comet's helm. "You're a lucky thing, born after the war."

According to the literature, anyway. Cosmos didn't have many points of reference on parenting, but he wasn't one to pass up a nap. Wondering idly what D.O.C might be doing (there were plenty of things he missed about Autobots, and drones) he bounced Comet gently and headed for their room.

Comet's sounds woke him, which was normal. The big blue mech leaning over them and mumbling, familiar as he was, still made Cosmos start. That was unexpected, to say the least. Soundwave paused, hands hovering over Comet's tiny head, looking...sheepish, as he regarded his partner.

Cosmos did what he was best at, and observed. One of Soundwave's hands did hover, holding a tiny piece of metal between thumb and forefinger. The other was resting gently on the side of Comet's helm, that forefinger dipped against Comet's face...

...so he could chew, apparently quite happily, his chirps and gurgles loud enough to have woken his carrier. Said carrier worked up the most disappointed look he could muster, and directed it straight at the galaxy's most formidable spy and communications officer, now leader of the last of the Decepticons.

Soundwave sighed. "I came to check on him. And he was so miserable. I had to."

"He's a baby," Cosmos sighed. "Really, Soundwave, four million years of war and you think he knows miserable?"

It was probably the worst thing to happen to their son in his short life, but it was beside the point. Soundwave tapped the side of his helm, and projected onto the nearest wall. Cosmos realized that he looked ridiculous when in recharge, one hand flopped over his visor, and wondered how he could get Soundwave to delete this. Comet, sitting up next to him, had his little optics screwed up in anguish. The video continued, and Cosmos watched his son chirp hopelessly and claw at the catches on his mask.

It was, really, very funny. The squeaking, how Comet almost rolled himself over in his fervor...Cosmos changed his mind. He would have to save this video for when the boys got older, and they could all have a chuckle at the anguished baby brother.

Future Cosmos would, anyway. Current Cosmos felt a miserable, guilty tug at his spark, and he looked at his son. He rested one hand over Comet's very small ones, and flickered his optics. Comet squealed, around the finger in his mouth, and chirped with adoration.

"See what Camiens make for sparklets," he said finally. "They have babies like organics over there, I'm sure they've got something for them to chew on."

Something crunched. Cosmos watched the pieces of Comet's tiny mask fall to the floor, and listened to them clink. He sighed. Soundwave straightened up, obviously pleased, and Comet flopped backwards on their berth.

"Honestly. If babies were all it took to soften you up, the Autobots should have knocked you up years ago."

"Hush!"

Cosmos laughed, and thanked Primus that these were, for the moment, the worst of his problems.