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“I'm just saying Trailbreaker, it would be a good idea! Rise morals and all, Primus knows we need it nowadays.” Skids and Trailbreaker were walking to the mess hall to get their mid-day energon, and Skids has an idea. A really good idea.
“Skids, I’m not saying it's a bad idea, but you need to check it over with Senator Shockwave first. Theres too much that could go wrong.”
It was coming up to Cyber-Solstice, and literally everyone at the Academy was in low spirits. With the current hunts, and the Senate cracking down on any kind of dissent. Every outlier was at risk constantly. But Skids had an idea. For a party.
Not a big one, mind you, just like, the outliers, professors and perhaps a few plus-ones if people had them. Nothing would go wrong with a gathering of maybe fifty mechs.
Skids and Trailbreaker talked all the way through getting their cubes and finding the rest of the Outlier crew sitting at a table. They weren't all particularly close, with trust being a rare commodity these days, but well, the Outliers all tended to drift together, safety in numbers and all.
Soundwave leaned into the conversation, having been listening since they started having it several hallways away. “Soundwave: thinks it is a good idea but agrees with Trailbreaker. Skids: should tell Shockwave.”
“See, Soundwave agrees with me.” Trailbreaker rolls his eyes
“Yes, yes, alright. I'll tell Shocks. But if he says no, I’m blaming you two.” Skids finally relents. “Ruining my fun.” He mumbles.
They had gained some of the other's attention, possibly simply for the fact that Soundwave was talking.
Skywarp spoke up first. “And what genius idea would that be, Skids?” He leaned over the table, putting his helm in his servo. “Yeah, you’ve got us all curious now.” Thundercracker added.
“Okay, so, imagine. Cyber-Solstice night. The Academy has a big (or moderately sized depending on what Shockwave says) ol’ party. Engex, gifts, plus one’s, and everyone has a decent fun time to just be normal for a second. Everyone has been so down lately, and I think we all deserve to let loose.”
“Plus one’s?” Thundercracker says skeptically. Skids gestures,
“Yeah! I mean we would invite everyone at the Academy, and I’m sure some folk have like conjunxes they wanna bring! Besides, at least one of us has gotta have at least one friend or partner out-with the Academy!” Skids looks around at the Outliers. Maybe. Hopefully. Otherwise, it would just be sad.
“Do any of us have any other friends?” Thundercracker said hesitantly, looking around the table. Skids looked over at the two seekers expectantly.
“Yeah, ‘course we do, but I am certainly not inviting them to this party. They’d get too overcharged and trash the place, or spend the night trying to radicalize everyone there.” Skywarp mumbled the last part, absentmindedly.
“Oh my Primus, he totally would though.” Said Thundercracker.
“Which one?”
“Both.”
Skids rolled his eyes, ignoring the conversation the seekers were having among themselves, then looked around the table at the other Outliers.
“Windcharger? Any special someone at home?” Skids asked, starting to sound increasingly worried for his friend’s social lives.
“A couple of close friends. But I’m pretty sure they're all in the main branch of the Academy, so they’d be there anyway.” Windcharger shrugged.
“Scoop?” Scoop looked up from his energon and shook his helm.
“So, none of us have a lick of social interaction outside of the Academy? Primus. We’re doomed.”
“What about Glitch?” Trailbreaker offered. Skids side-opticed him, but cleared his intake and looked at the mech, who had been seemingly lost in a datapad the entire time, not having heard a lick of the conversation.
“Sooo, Glitch?” Skids slid up to Glitch’s seat. The orange mech turned his head from his datapad, seemingly confused at why the attention had suddenly focused on him.
“Yes? Sorry, I haven't been paying attention, I was reading.” Glitch’s helm tilted to the side, waving the pad slightly.
“Thats alright my mech. We were wondering if anybody had any friends outside the Academy.”
Glitch looked uncomfortable for a second, then contemplative.
“I do have someone...” Glitch said. He sounded nervous.
“Yeah, I have a partner. Maybe even future conjunx if everything keeps going well!” His chassis puffed out and he sounded confident, surer of himself.
Skids, well, Skids loved the mech but was slightly skeptical. It felt horrible to think, and he could tell everyone else at the table thought the same. Glitch wasn't the kind of mech you would... associate with having a romantic partner. It wasn't just the empurata. No, no. Plenty of empuratees had relationships previous to the mutilation. But Glitch could barely go outside nowadays without having a processer meltdown due to anxiety. That was to say that he wasn't on Skids’ top pick for longest lasting relationship in the group (apart from the two seekers, but Skids didn't really know what was going on with them). Either way, he kept positive.
“Really? What are they like? I know you don’t talk a lot, but you’ve never mentioned a romantic partner before.”
“Yeah, he never really encouraged talking about us, due to the Senate and surveillance, you guys know. And I guess it just passed on ever since then. But oh Primus, where do I start. He’s an amazing doctor, a forged medic, I think he called it. A jet frame, not that alt-mode matters! He’s very ‘high society’, taught me all I know about the opera. A-and um confident! So confident. He’s really perfect. He uh he took me in after my empurata, said I needed medical help, and everything just went from there. But yeah, he doesn't go to the Academy, and granted if he did, he’d probably be teaching...”
Yeah, Skids didn't buy it. And by the looks of everyone at the table, no-one else did either. Glitch was practically rambling at this point.
Skywarp whispered out of earshot to Glitch “A jet? He couldn't have come up with something more original?” to which Thundercracker whacked him over the head. This didn't deter Skywarp who then said to Glitch, “So he goes to a different school, then?” And Thundercracker whacked him even harder.
And Glitch. Poor, socially awkward Glitch responded. “Well no. He’s already a fully qualified Doctor; he graduated years ago.”
Skids sighed. Skywarp giggled even harder. Maybe at this party, Glitch could meet some new people, maybe actually find a partner!
“Listen. We are-” Trailbreaker interrupted “You are” “-We are planning a Cyber-Solstice party for the Academy. Thats why we were wondering. Granted none of us do anyway, so it's now that big a dea-”
“You should invite your hot jet conjunx!” Skywarp interjected, everyone else at the table rolled their optics, there was no need to poke fun at Glitch’s obviously fake partner. Skids groaned internally.
“He’s not my conjunx yet! Also, he’s not really into like ‘parties’. He uh much prefers us to stay at home and drink high-grade together. Or go see a performance. I’ll ask, but I do not know if he will want to come.” Oh Primus below, he was really trying for this. Skids was getting secondhand embarrassment from it.
“Alright Glitch. Just- there's no pressure to bring anyone, y’know?” Skids tried.
“Yeah, for sure. Thanks Skids,” Glitch looked deeply grateful for the reassurance.
_____________
It was the night of the party. Getting permission from Senator Shockwave wasn't hard, the mech was practically vibrating out of his seat when he had heard Skids’ idea. His only condition was that it be kept under the radar, with the new curfew underway, the party was technically illegal, but if Skids (and the rest of the attendees) played it safe, there should be no issues.
It was in the main gymnasium, with mood lighting, music. It truly looked like some graduating party out of a cheesy holo-film that Trailbreaker was into. Skids was proud of his friends. They had been working on decor all day, perhaps instead of training, but who really cared. Training could be missed for a day.
Personally, Skids was glad to have a break from his theory work for the moment. Truly it could drag on a bit when he had already worked the answer out. Especially when the professor just didn't understand why he already knew.
So, the decor was nice. More than nice, it was perfect. And people were beginning to arrive. Mostly just Academy students, most of the Outliers had stayed after setting up, stating that they might as well. The seekers left, something about redoing their detailing. And Glitch. He left to try and convince his very real and not at all fake partner to come. Skids just felt bad for the mech, he obviously wanted to prove something to everyone. But he may have been pushing it slightly.
There were a sizable amount of mechs there by then. And oh, the seekers were there. Skids had to admit, that detailer did a good job, they looked sleek as all pit. Skywarp was showing off his new paint job, with Thundercracker looking more confident than usual but still reserved, standing behind Skywarp.
Skids walked up to the two of them, wanting to know if they’d seen Glitch anywhere, he was the last of the Outliers to show and Skids was worried he’d bailed.
“Hey guys, I like the new paint!”
Skywarp looked over at him and lightly rolled his eyes while Thundercracker actually responded.
“Thank you, Skids. You have done an excellent job decorating. The lighting is a nice touch.”
Skids smiled and tilted his head in appreciation, readying his next question. “Listen, have either of you seen Glitch? I'm worried that he’s taken this whole ‘conjunx’ thing too seriously and withdrawn from the whole event.”
“Ah, so you don't believe the little empuratee either?” Skywarp piped up.
“I... would love to, but y’know I’ll... believe it when I see it.” Skids felt bad for the mech, thinking that he had to do all this for what Skids assumed was the respect of his peers.
“Anyway, no we haven't seen him, sorry mech.”
“Ach alright, I’ll let you two go, enjoy your night! Oh, and try the engex, its real nice!” Skids relented and jogged away as he saw Trailbreaker across the hall.
Perhaps he should try and just enjoy his night. There really was nothing he could do, even if he did want to help. Perhaps Glitch could just work it out himself.
_________
Some time passed before anything else happened. Skids got pleasantly overcharged, saw Trailbreaker, talked and occasionally hit the dance floor if he felt so inclined. Until Skywarp waved him down from across the hall.
He had to weave though the sea of bodies, the party being well attended to Skids delight, to get to the seeker, but once he did, he saw the devious smile and unexpectedly shocked EM field of both seekers.
“Skids. You won’t believe it. We found Glitch.” Skywarp’s voice was aghast.
Skids face scrunched up in confusion. “Okay..? I know I wasn't sure if he would show but-”
Skywarp pointed across the hall, and Skids’ optics followed him. Seeing Glitch for half a kilk before realizing that he wasn’t alone.
His jaw dropped.
Standing next to Glitch, was a tall sleek jet.
Any possible feelings of skepticism about their relationship status were immediately dashed as he watched the jet lean down to Glitch’s audial and whisper something in it that Skids could see from across the floor had the smaller mech flushing and smacking him on the arm.
“Oh, my Primus. C-could it be... like... fake?” Skids asked hesitantly, he didn't like questioning his friend so thoroughly, but the chances of his story being real were... unrealistic.
“Nope!” Skywarp said, popping the p. “Look at the wings, medic symbol. It would be too specific.”
“Frag. Then I guess we were wrong about him.” If the mech could pull that angelic thing, then what the pit else could he do?
“Both of you, shush! They’re coming over!” Thundercracker was right, Glitch had spotted the group of Outliers and was walking over to them with his mysterious partner.
“Skids, Skywarp, Thundercracker! There you guys are!” Glitch waved as he approached, his perplexing paramour walked a little behind him, field making it clear that he was only here by request of his partner.
“I'd like to introduce you to Pharma, my better half. I managed to get him to come, somehow.” Skids doesn't doubt that.
This Parma extended a servo to Skids, whether he was expecting a shake, or for Skids to grovel and kiss it, Skids had no idea, so he decided just to shake it. The mech seemed regal like that. Like he saw everyone and everything below him and his own. Skids didn’t like that very much.
“It is such a pleasure to meet you, we’ve heard a lot these past few weeks. Glitch seems very proud about you.” Skids enthusiastically cut in before Skywarp did, not letting the seeker talk was the quickest way to a successful conversation, especially in awkward situations such as these.
“Ah, the pleasures all mine. You must be Skids? I’ve heard a lot too.” That threw Skids off. Pharma immediately came off as the type of mech to not really care what was going on outside his life, maybe Skids had judged too quick?
“I'm surprised, I didn't expect Glitch to talk much about his time at the Academy.” Skids said back. If there was one thing he was good at (and he was good at a lot) it was being able to read the room. He wasn't going to embarrass Glitch next to his apparently real partner, just because he got a weird feeling about him. He wasn’t Skywarp.
“Oh yes, my Da-- Glitch does seem to love it here. And I’m glad, it’s much safer than most places nowadays. Especially for a mech such as him.” Pharma rubbed one of Glitch’s claws with his servo. It was disgustingly sweet; Skids could feel the love pouring out of Glitch’s EM field in response.
The conversation went on. It both confirmed Skids’ hypothesis towards Pharma being rather up his own aft, but it also plainly showed how much he cared for the little empuratee. Which put Skids at ease for the moment.
Glitch clearly meant a lot to Pharma. And it was clear that this wasn't a new relationship. Skids knew that Glitch had known Pharma longer than he had known Skids, but it was different to see how close and well they knew each other.
After a while, Skids quickly excused himself from the conversation upon seeing Trailbreaker double- triple take at the sight of the two, his optics comically widening. He sauntered over to his friend as casually as possible.
“So...” Skids started.
“Is that-” “Yup.” “Glitch wasn’t-” “Nope.”