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soundcrusher · 1 year

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Of computers and mechs

Alright, after two days of writing and one headache, I can finally present this mess of a story featuring @cuppajj's version of Lord Imperious Delirious and my newest boy.

I don't know if I managed to grasp the being that is LID and write him correctly, but hey, I tried. And in the process, I set myself up for a second part. A part for which I already have an idea, but still.

What is it with me and being unable to just write a one-shot?

Either way, I hope you all enjoy this. ^^

(Should something be wrong with LID's depiction Cuppa, let me know. I'll change it then.)

----

Empty ships were nothing new. Especially not when there were many races who had already perfected the art of space travel. But it was strange for a cybertronian research ship to be abandoned without a single crew member in sight.

Usually, there should be someone around, be it alive or dead, but the stretching emptiness of winding halls where the dust and neglect has slowly settled in showed otherwise. There weren’t even corpses lying around. Granted, the ship wasn’t damaged, minus the small and simple blaster shots on the outside of the spaceship, but that didn’t have to mean anything. After all, it doesn’t always have to be a fight that kills Cybertronians. There are a plethora of reasons why a mech or femme could meet their end. Diseases had every race, and while the names and effects might be different, with a closer look, they were all the same.

And yet, it seemed like the crew of this research vessel hadn't disappeared because of a spreading disease, or a scraplet infestation. Both scenarios would have left something behind. Which means, the lack of crew could mean that they simply left. That theory was supported by the missing escape pods, but what happened doesn’t really matter. Not when the one who entered the ship was searching for information.

But for that, he would need access to the ship in general, but every time the ‘visitor’ tried to overwrite the ship’s passwords and security measurements, an [Access Denied] would pop up on the screen. It didn’t matter how many tries he took, or how much he changed his approach, it was always [Access Denied].

However, the tries did not go unnoticed. For what the visitor didn’t know was that the ship isn’t as empty as it may appear. There was still one crew member left behind. Tugged away in a sef-induced stasis that left them unresponsive to the happenings on the ship.

That was, until the intruder started to mess with the very code of the ship. Because for every access that got denied, the mech in stasis slowly started to wake up. Although, despite being ‘awake’ again after a long time of staying in stasis to protect himself, his mind still needed time to adjust. However, that time wasn’t given to the poor mech. Instead, the pain in his processor grew worse and worse with every [Access Denied], until things started to change on the ship.

At first, the engines deep within the bowels of the ship started to rumble and holler like wounded animals, before the lights turned on. Bathing the bridge in a cold, clinical, light as yet another [Access Denied] flashed across the screen. Although, before the visitor could try his luck again, the terminal started to shake. Folding in on itself while other parts extended. And as the keyboard snapped back and in place, there no longer was a control terminal/computer sitting in front of the visitor, but rather a slightly smaller than average Cybertronian.

An angry slightly smaller than average Cybertronian.

“Can’t you read?! When your access is denied, it usually means that you should stop! Do you have an idea about how many processor aches I get, whenever one of you greenhornes forgets the passwords and just tries their luck?” Asked the smaller mech, as he japped one digit at the other. “At least as many failed attempts as you made. And you know what that means?”

“I do not-”

“The ship’s security systems stop working correctly! And then I have to transform back and wait for security staff to come along and fix the problem. And I HATE when security comes. They're always rough and… wait…” The small mech stopped for a second to take a good look around the bridge, and as he saw that no-one else but them was there, he quickly got up. Stumbling a little bit due to not being used to moving after such a long time, before walking as far as his connection cable allowed it. “Where is everyone? They should be here… Th-They should be here!”

“Perhaps they had to evacuate.” Suggested the visitor, as he watched the still weak bot stumbled around the bridge. “The escape pods are missing after all and I haven’t found one single body on this vessel, except for you, which means that they must have left.”

“No. Nonononono! If they really left, then they wouldn’t have left me behind. They wouldn’t leave me behind. So, they’re probably on one of their scouting missions. I’m sure of it! They did talk about having found an interesting race after all.” Said the smaller bot as one of his keyboards snapped from his back to the front, while a small screen appeared above it. And as soon as he could, the small bot started to type away. Checking logs and camera feeds while sifting through information in rapid succession.

And as the small Cybertronian was occupied with searching for his ‘missing’ crew members, the visitor took his time to observe the smaller one. He’s heard of the various forms someone from the cybertronian race can take on. Cars, planes, boats, even beasts, and yet, he hardly has heard about anyone taking on the form of a control terminal, let alone a computer. It was fascinating, to say the least, but at the same time it means that gaining access to the ship’s archives would be more difficult than before. Especially if this small cybertronian’s connection to the ship runs as deep as he made it out to be.

Although, the visitor was sure that he could work with that too. Who knows, maybe he would even gain a new ally for his little group of misfits, if he played his cards right.

“Say…” started the visitor. Gaining the cybertronian’s attention in the process, if the little twitch of his head was any indication. “When was the last time you saw or interacted with your crew? I mean, if your first reaction is this, then it must have been only recently for you, but the state of the ship suggests otherwise. Surely, by now you must have noticed all the dirt and dust scattered around.” The visitor said, as he took a seat in the captain’s chair. One knee crossed over the other and servos folded, resting on said knee. “Also, I do not know why you’re calling me ‘greenhorne’. I am neither a newly constructed being, nor a green horn.”

While the small mech was looking at the visitor with uncertainty in his optics, which were hidden beneath his visor, the last sentence got a chuckle out of him. “Na, you might have horns, but they aren’t green.” He said, before shaking his head and letting his keyboard snap back onto his back. “And I tend to call new crew members ‘greenhorne’, especially if they forget the password and make too many attempts to gain access to whatever they need access to… But looking at you now makes me think that you aren’t really part of the crew…”

There was silence for a moment, before the smaller of the two sprung into action. Or better said, the small cybertronian quickly dove behind a console, and only peaked his head out, while a hatch in the ceiling opened and a small laser gun came down. Pointing straight at the visitor.

But the visitor wasn’t faced by any of that. He’s seen scarier security measures than that, and a simple laser gun shouldn’t do much against him. And yet, he still raised his hands in surrender, as he watched the other one. “Yes, I’m not part of your crew, nor am I a threat.” That didn’t seem to convince the small bot. In fact, it only seemed to make him even more tense, but the visitor simply continued his small speech. “I am only here, because I was curious. A ship like this one, stranded with holes in its hull but intact inside, surely you can understand my curiosity. And then, it only grew as I found a small terminal standing in an unusual place. If I had known that you’re a Cybertronian, I wouldn’t have tried so many times to gain access. I am deeply sorry if I caused you any pain, it was not my intention.”

While him admitting to have come for the information the ship held didn’t seem to help his case, the apology did. Because after he said sorry, the laser gun retreated. The small bot still stayed behind the console, but at least there wasn’t any weapon pointing straight at his head. And that was a small win. “Thank you. I don’t want to admit it, but having a gun pointed at me made me a little bit nervous.” A lie, but the other one didn’t need to know that.

“Well… you’re sorry…” Muttered the small cybertronian, as he slowly came out from behind the console. Arms crossed over his chest and tilted his head at the visitor as a sign of gratitude. “Not many apologise for causing me processor aches…”

“They don’t?”

“Na. They would usually yell at me for not giving them access, even though I know them.” The mech shrugged, as a small pout pulled at his lips. “But I can deal with the yelling. The kicking is worse. I mean, sure, they’re angry because they can’t do their work, but I don’t make the rules. If you need a password, you need a password. Captain’s rule. Not that they would get it though… it’s always the computer's fault if they can’t do what they want to do.” He muttered quietly, before shaking his head and looking over at the visitor. “Either way, you got a name?”

The visitor tilted his head at the small mech. Looking intensely at the cybertronian computer who was left behind by his own people, without ever knowing what happened to them, or why they didn’t come for him, and he lowered his hands back to rest on his knee. Nodding his head as a greeting. “My name is Imperious, sometimes Lord Imperious, it is a pleasure to meet you…?”

“I don’t have a name.”

That was surprising, and Imperious’ optics widened slightly at the simple admission, before they squinted in amusement. “Surely, you must have a name. Every cybertronian I have met so far has had one.”

The small mech simply shrugged his shoulders, before walking over to the communication terminal and sitting down in the chair in front of it. “Well… I did have a name, at first, but with time I forgot it. There wasn’t really a need for me to have a name, when everyone called me ‘Cybertronian Research and Security System’ or ‘CRaSS’ for short…. And even if I had one, I would probably not like it.”

“Then why not choose a new name.” Asked the taller one, as he gestured towards the other. “Why should you let others reduce you to nothing more than a machine? Why should you let others take your name and give you one that restricts you to nothing more than your function? And even if you liked that name, wouldn’t it just mean that you have accepted your fate to be nothing more than a tool for those seeking to take advantage of your uniqueness?” Imperious could see that his words struck something within the mech’s spark, if the way his lips pressed together or his body grew stiff was an indicator. But there was still wariness and reluctance. “How about a new name then? One that liberates you from the shackles put onto you by others. Would you like that, Quick Search?”

“Quick… Search?”

“If you don’t like that name, you can change it. But given the way you seem to be able to quickly search through information and find what you’re looking for, I thought it might be fitting. Or, perhaps, I should come up with a more suited name for a mech like yourself?”

Quick Search was quick to jump out of his chair and shake his servos viciously. “No!” Before realising what he was doing and stopping. Kneading his fingers together, as he bashfully looked to the side. “I… I mean… I like that name. Quick Search. It’s… different… Has a nicer ring to it than ‘CRaSS’. It sounds more like a name too…” Muttered Quick Search quietly to himself, before a bright smile broke out on his face, as he put his hands on his hips. Grinning up at his visitor while walking back to where he usually stands when using his alt-mode.

“Alright! I, Quick Search, number one Research and Security System and computer/control terminal of the ship ‘Wandering Scholar’ officially give you, Imperious, security clearance number 1 for one day. With that, you can access some rooms of the ship and some of the archived data without much problem. But that’s just for you to satiate your curiosity and as a ‘Thank you’ for giving me a name I actually like. Should you come back after your day is over, you’ll be noted as a visitor and nothing else.” Said the mech, before he transformed back into a terminal/computer. With his screen lighting up and displaying a mini version of himself on a side screen. “Well, what are you waiting for? Curiosity doesn’t really satisfy itself.”

“Maybe not, but it is still fascinating to see someone transform into such a unique form.” Said Imperious as he stood up from the captain’s chair and walked over to the terminal. Leaning over it, and this time, when he typed on the keyboard, he not only got a [Access Granted], but also a good impression on how much information this ship, and therefore Quick Search, hid beneath the surface.

Information he, with time and patience, will soon enough be able to access as well.

#I did it! I wrote something!#yay me!#lord imperious delirious #this is cuppajj's version of LID #transformers #transformers oc #quick search #you guys don't want to know how often I listened to the beast wars uprising comic dub to get a feel for how LID speaks ^^'#and even now I feel like I messed him up... -.-#either way; this was fun and I will write a second part #hope you like this cuppa ^^#edit: just correct something cuppa pointed out

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animemascotarchive · 2 months

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Moon from Beast Wars Second Chou Seimeitai Transformers!

#anime mascot #anime #anime mascot of the day #anime pet #mascot #anime pets #anime mascots #mascots #Moon #beast wars second Chou seimeitai transformers #yellow

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rocksinmuffin · 2 years

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are you excited for the new inferno figure

What what what what WHAT

#ask #anon #rantsinmuffin #transformers #transformers beast wars #beast wars inferno #beast wars #I legit had no clue about this before 2 seconds ago but omg I need him #either this figure has a permanent scream or he has a jaw that moves and either way I need it

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in1-nutshell · 1 month

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Hi, again! I want to try mixing Generations this time. This one have a human Buddy that is very tired and VERY done, but selfless human that keeps reincarnated to different Transformers universes everytime they passed away. They have no idea why this is happening - no idea what's causing this. Human Buddy is knowledgeable and very experienced of the Cybertronian wars. They are skilled at healing humans and Cybertronians. I have no doubt that there will be alot of confusion on how Buddy knew how Cybertronians work and why Buddy is never suprised about the Cybertronians existence. Everytime Buddy sees their Cybertronian friends counterparts for the first time, they looked at them blankly and say, "I'm getting too old for this.", despite they don't look old, Buddy can feel aging mentally. Characters - Bumblebee Movie: Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts: Optimus Prime, Shattered Glass: Soundwave, Earthspark: Megatron, and IDW: Prowl. Please and thank you. Have a nice Day/Night.

Buddy is so tired of getting flung all over the place and occasionally gets scared by their friends new frames or universes rules.

Hope you enjoy!

Human Buddy gets reincarnated in different universe with Bumblebee from The Bumblebee Movie, RotB Optimus Prime, SG! Soundwave, TFE Megatron and IDW Prowl

SFW, Platonic, tiny bit of angst, Human reader

BB Movie/ RotB/ SG!/ TFE/ IDW

The Bumblebee Movie: Bumblebee

Bumblebee and Charlie were startled at the sudden 15-year-old at the opening of the garage door.

The kid looked at Bee then at Charlie before entering and closing the door.

Before Charlie could say anything, they introduced themselves as Buddy.

This introduction was one of the rockier ones that Buddy had to endure.

“Listen! I know this is going to sound weird, but Bee here—”--Buddy

“Bee?”--Charlie

“Well, his full name is Bumblebee—”--Buddy

“I named him that!”--Charlie

“Shush!”--Buddy

“Don’t shush me, you’re like 15!”--Charlie

Buddy slapping their hand on their face.

“This is going to take a while…”--Buddy

It took a bit to explain about their reincarnation to the two of them.

Charlie was a bit skeptical, but the number of details they were putting and the genuine concern they had for her and Bee seemed to put out the fears.

Bumblebee on the other hand, completely trusted this new human and what they said.

Sure, he was still trying to piece things from his past, but everything else seemed to check out.

He does try and ask Buddy the best he can about the other universe they had been a part of.

Buddy is sitting in Bee while Charlie takes a nap in her room.

Buddy gently pats Bee’s wheel hearing some sad whirls.

“You know… I knew a version of you who also didn’t have his voice box.”--Buddy

The whirls stop.

“He lost it to Megatron back on Tiger Pax. But he was one of the best scouts I ever met, and I’ve been around.”--Buddy

Buddy gently puts their head on Bees wheel.

“You’re doing a great job Bee.”--Buddy

Bee whirls happily making Buddy chuckle a bit.

Rise of the Beast: Optimus Prime

Buddy, now an 80-year-old, stood in front of the small group of Autobots, humans, and Maximal with their hands on their hips.

They honestly got worried for a second that they weren’t going to see any of their friends at this age they spawned in.

But just as they were taking a stroll by the docks and nearly got smashed by a flying tire, they found their family again.

“Hi!”--Buddy

Everyone freezes.

“I would have thought you took your whole ‘robots in disguise’ thing a bit more seriously Prime.”--Buddy

“… Who’s that?”--Mirage

Buddy adjusts their glasses a bit.

“…Mirage? Oh, it is you and—SWEET PRIMUS WHAT HAPPENED!?”--Buddy

Buddy hurriedly moves to Bumblebee’s fallen body.

Optimus tries to move in between them and Bee.

“Move it Prime! Let me look!”--Buddy

“How do you know my name?”--Optimus

“I’ll tell you if you let me look at your scout!”--Buddy

Optimus moves a side and lets Buddy take a closer inspection.

Mirage bends over to Noah and Elena.

“Are you guy’s psychic too?”--Mirage

“No!”--Noah

“No, I’ve just been tossed from dimension to dimension all the time and have picked up on a few things.”--Buddy

Mirage is about to say something else when Buddy throws a wrench at his helm without even looking.

“Learned that from Ratchet.”--Buddy

It was a bit harder to talk with this Prime than others they had the pleasure of meeting.

Mainly it was because of his wariness against humans, which Buddy completely understood and didn’t push Prime on the subject too much.

Optimus did ask from time to time about his other alternatives and how they fared in the war.

Buddy tried their best to tell him about the other Prime’s, but they did get upset when they saw him try and mimic some of their styles.

“Prime, we need to have a talk.”--Buddy

“About what exactly.”--Optimus

Buddy gesturing at him.

“You. This. All of this. You’re not acting like yourself.”--Buddy

“I am—”--Optimus

“I mean your authentic self. Listen, I know this is absolutely terrifying. I’ve been through this war almost, if not longer than you have. I lost count a long time ago.”--Buddy

“What—”--Optimus

“Shush!... Optimus, you shouldn’t have to change yourself to fit into a mold of another. You’re the best you in this universe and nothing is going to change that. You have a team, a growing family, that loves you for who you are. Don’t change that. Now, yes improvements are necessary here and there but that’s a part of growing up. So, stop trying to act like some one else and lets find out how to stop Unicron.”--Buddy

Optimus smiles at them tiredly.

“Thank you, Buddy,…”--Optimus

“Anyways you have a mellowed version of Primal on your side, if that’s not an added bonus I don’t know what is.”--Buddy

“A mellowed version?”--Optimus

Shattered Glass: Soundwave

Soundwave was moving some crates to the main room when something warm attached itself onto his pede.

He looked down to see a human hugging his pede.

“Umm… hi? How did you get in here?”--Soundwave

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard your voice Soundwave.”--Buddy

Soundwave looked at his cassettes who were just watching the interaction.

“…Who brought the elderly human to the base?”--Soundwave

“Hey, I’m just 60! I’ve been 104 one time.”--Buddy

“Excuse me you’ve been what.”--Soundwave

Once Buddy was through with the explanation again Soundwave was ecstatic.

He had heard of reincarnation before, but to see someone actually remember their previous lives was exciting!

He wants to know everything about his other alternatives and the outcomes of the wars. Maybe they could help them beat the Autobots once and for all and peace can finally be restored.

“So, you’ve met different versions of us?”--Soundwave

“Like I’ve said before, yes.”--Buddy

“So do you have a favorite?”--Soundwave

“Not really.”--Buddy

“Why?”--Soundwave

“… You have to let go of that thought if you want to stay sane for the next universe that needs you. It’s nice to remember but you can’t keep your head in the past.”--Buddy

“I’m… I’m sorry to hear that…”--Soundwave

“Its not all bad… it’s a pain to reintroduce yourself for the millionth time and earn trust and all. But if it means getting to have moments with my friends, from the ones who keep on dying to the ones who seem immortal, I’ll take it.”--Buddy

“I hope I’m your friend in the next universe you go to.”--Soundwave

Buddy looks at him sadly.

“I hope so too.”--Buddy

Earthspark: Megatron

None of the Autobots or Maltos were prepared to see the random 10-year-old stare at them wide eyed and drop their juice box as they ran over to Optimus and Megatron hugging their pedes.

“Finally! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good Megatron!”--Buddy

“What?”--Megatron

“Who let a 10 year old in the base!”--Dot

Buddy taking notice of the new badge on Prime and Megatron before face palming.

“Primus… This is another shadow government things again…”--Buddy

This universe by far took the record for bots believing their story of reincarnation.

Buddy looks like they are going to pass out when they hear more about the Terrans as they are furiously scribbling things in their book.

Megatron does feel a bit weird that Buddy hangs out with him so much than the children or other Autobots.

He tries his best to refrain from asking about his alternatives…

But he does let one question slip out…

“You have met other versions of me who stayed with the Decepticons? How did—”--Megatron

“Terrible. Most Megatron’s I knew that went against Prime didn’t exactly end up with a happy ending. Not even in the universe were things were the opposite.”--Buddy

The what universe?”--Megatron

“Doesn’t matter now. I say you should focus more on what here with you now than the ‘what if’s’ and questions your alternatives did.”--Buddy

“Ohh…”--Megatron

“You have a lovely family and great friendship with Dot, Megs. The last god Megatron I knew didn’t have what you had, but the family he formed helped him have some sort of closure and redemption others tried to deny him.”--Buddy

Megatron gently pats Buddy’s head.

“You are wiser beyond your years Buddy.”--Megatron

“You get wiser when you’ve been doing this for years.”--Buddy

“…How long—”--Megatron

“Hey, look at that cow! Imma go touch it.”--Buddy

IDW: Prowl

Prowl had just got back to his habsuite with his new data pads when he saw a human child on his berth.

The child looked at him wide eyed with some tears prickly around.

Prowl scooping up the child.

“Who are you and what are you—”--Prowl

The child grabs his digits and hugs them as tightly as they could.

“You’re here… you’re here…”--Buddy

Prowl looked at them gently patting their back as they started crying.

“It’s been so long since I last saw you I was beginning to think that… Oh Prowl…”--Buddy

After Buddy was finally able to calm down, they explained their situation to Prowl.

Something that he refused to believe.

It wasn’t until Buddy pulled out the book with their notes that he realized they might be right.

Prowl is wary around Buddy, still plagued with the reminder of Spike Witkicky in his processor and keeps Buddy at arm’s length.

He is set on not getting attached to Buddy.

Too bad for him, Buddy has spent years knowing how to befriend Prowl’s for years and while they are a bit rusty, they know that it’s only a matter of time before they worm their way into his spark.

“Spike sucks.”--Buddy

Prowl freezes for a second.

“What are you talking about?”--Prowl

“Most Spike Witwicky’s, and most Witikcky’s, I’ve met in general are just the worse. There was this one universe where he brought SOUNDWAVE into the Ark after just getting attacked by him earlier that day!”--Buddy

Prowl snorts a bit while looking in disbelief.

“Are you serious?”--Prowl

Buddy looks at him in the optic.

“Like a heart attack.”--Buddy

“…are there more stories like that? Or about my alternatives reaction to that?”--Prowl

Buddy gives him a toothy smile.

“I swear when that Prowl found out he looked like he wanted to bang his helm on the table then flip it into oblivion.”--Buddy

#transformers x reader #maccadam #human buddy #bumblebee movie #rise of the beasts #transformers shattered glass x platonic reader #tfe x reader #idw mtmte #idw tf

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reduxulousoctopus · 5 days

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X-Men '97, Post-Episode 7, ~2500 words Morpherine established relationship, missing scene (unless the show actually does explore what happened during that fight, in which case boy is there egg on my face).

I follow established show canon by referring to Morph as he/him in diegetic works (fanfic and fan art) and they/them in non-diegetic works (my episode analyses and reblogs), because that's the stupidest option and, like Morph, I am also an enby with a terrible sense of humor.

Now come watch me struggle to write two whole lines of dialogue for one of my favorite characters in the series, Beast, because Me Too Stupid to Write Smart Talk Good.

“You wanna explain what the hell happened back there?”

Although he considers pretending he didn’t hear the question, Morph reluctantly glances across the center aisle of the Blackbird to see Logan glaring back at him with an expression as hard as the adamantium underneath it. Although it’s a look he’s seen plenty of times before as an innocent bystander, Morph has only been the target of that glare on a handful of occasions. Usually when he’s severely fucked something up. Or when Logan is completely out-of-his-mind, cuckoo-bananas worried about him.

Morph suspects that this time, it’s a little Column A, a little Column B.

A wiser person might realize they were in a hole and stop digging; Morph smirks and asks, “What, the Summers Family Reunion? Well, you see, when a man and the clone of his wife love each other very much…” Morph chuckles. “By the way, this might be a bit creepy to say as one of his honorary uncles, but Baby Nathan grew up to be a serious hottie—emphasis on serious.”

No laugh. Okay, maybe that wasn’t his best material, but not even a lip twitch? Logan must be pissed.

Morph sighs and slouches in his seat. God, he doesn’t want to talk about this right now. Or maybe ever. He can feel his throat literally closing up to stop the words from coming out.

When enough time has passed that what little patience Logan had left in the tap completely runs dry, he goes right for the jugular: “I thought you were dead. Again.”

Morph winces.

“I saw that… ‘Trask Sentinel’ blow your goddamn head off. Then, next thing I know, you’re up and walkin’ around like nothing happened.”

“Not that you’re complaining, right?” Morph asks with a weak attempt at a laugh. “You know what they say about gift horses. Although, you’d think the lesson from the Trojan War would be that you should look gift horses in the mouth.”

From the seat behind him, Morph hears: “Although it’s a common misconception, that phrase actually has nothing to do with the Trojan Horse. The proverbial ‘gift horse’ is a literal, living horse, and to look it in the mouth—”

“With all those books you read,” Logan grumbles, “I thought at least one of them would've taught you it's rude to eavesdrop.”

“It would be difficult not to overhear, given the two of you are speaking quite loudly in a confined space while surrounded by people,” Beast points out. “Have you considered that this perhaps isn’t the best venue for a private conversation?”

“He is a super-genius. We’d better listen to him,” Morph tells Logan. “We’ll talk later, okay big guy?”

The stubborn set of that heavy jaw says Logan knows damn well ‘later’ means ‘never,’ and he isn’t gonna let Morph weasel out of this that easy. “If you ever want me to let you off this plane, you’ll talk now.”

“Let me?” Morph scoffs. He transforms into Quicksilver, puts on his best smug speedster grin, and says, “Just try and stop me, slowpoke.”

To his shock, Logan actually flinches. It’s a subtle thing, Morph might not have even noticed if he didn’t know Logan so well. The cause eludes him, however—until Morph remembers that he looked like Maximoff when the Thrask Sentinel… when everything went dark and quiet for a few seconds.

Funny. There was a time when Morph, blinded by youthful naivety and hero-worship, would have insisted Wolverine wasn’t afraid of anything.

Returning to his default form, Morph mutters out an apology. He tries to imagine what it would be like to see Logan die, only for him to get up a few seconds later and act like nothing happened. With that healing factor of his, they’ve gotten damned close to that exact scenario more than a few times.

How much worse would it feel, if Logan had kept his quick-healing abilities secret and Morph had to find out the hard way?

Morph takes a breath, looks out the window at the black clouds rushing by, and starts from the beginning.

“You know how most of us don’t know we’re mutants until we hit puberty, and our powers manifest? Well… I didn’t have to wait that long. Problem is, since I was just a baby, I had no idea how to control my powers—no more than a normal baby is born knowing how to walk or talk.

He holds out his hands with his palms cupped together to form a shallow, makeshift bowl.

“When I was born, I looked like a wriggling lump of white clay, about yay-big. No arms or legs, no face, no ears, no eyes. Just a mouth that would appear somewhere on my body whenever I was hungry or wanted to cry.”

Whatever Logan was expecting to hear, from the look on his face, it clearly wasn’t that.

“But even at that tender age, someone clearly recognized my star potential. I was only two days old when I made my media debut: Severely Deformed MUTANT Born In Pittsburgh Hospital.” Morph shrugs. “Not the most positive review, I’ll admit, but you know what they say: all publicity is good publicity. After all, that’s how the professor found me.”

Logan’s frown returns, more confused than angry. “You told me you didn’t meet Xavier until you were thirteen—after your mom passed.”

“That’s when I moved to the Institute. Turns out we actually met quite a lot earlier than I remembered, which is pretty embarrassing. Ideally, you don’t want to meet your future high school principal, college instructor, mentor, and world famous civil rights leader while wearing a diaper. Even worse, I was wearing a diaper, too—and I told him, mister, one of us is going to have to go home and change his outfit and it sure isn’t going to be me.”

That gets him a smile and a huff of a laugh, which would be an encouraging sign if he didn’t know how the story ends.

“So Xavier talked to my parents, explained the whole ‘mutant thing.’ Dad wasn’t happy. Then again, I’m not sure he ever was. He would have been disappointed to have a girl—a sentient lump of polymorphic biomass was right out. Thankfully, Xavier was able to use his telepathy to coach me through my very first transformation. He showed me how to turn into a normal baby boy, who would eventually grow up to look like this.”

Morph transforms into his old default, the one he still uses whenever he wants to pass: pale (although not that pale) skin, brown eyes, brown hair, hooked nose, pointed chin, gaunt cheeks, arched brows. Not exactly Fabio, but it’s the face Logan used to know him by—the face he sometimes worries Logan might secretly still prefer.

“Then he put some psychic blocks in place to limit my powers to something a bit more… manageable. Don’t give me that look. It sounds shady, but the professor messing with my head was the only reason I got to have a normal, happy childhood with my parents. God only knows what would have happened otherwise—if I’d even be alive now.”

The worry and suspicion that appeared on Logan’s face at the mention of psychic tampering grudgingly fade away. “When did you find out?” he asks instead.

“A couple months after the professor… y’know,” Morph sighs. “I hacked his personal files. Since he wouldn’t be around anymore to help you recover your memories, I hoped that maybe I could find something small he overlooked, some clue that might give us an idea where to look next.”

Logan’s eyes widen and his mouth goes slightly slack. “Morph…”

“I didn’t find anything, before you get excited. Not about you, anyway. Sure found out a lot about myself, though—a lot more than I was bargaining for.”

“That’s when your default form changed,” Logan realizes.

“Yeah. It was kind of hard to think of this,” Morph replies, gesturing at the face of his human-passing form, “as my ‘real’ face after that. Not that my new look is any more real, of course.”

“Who else knows?”

“Other than our friends listening to this conversation right now?” Morph asks pointedly, causing an entire plane full of X-Men to each make their best attempt at looking busy. Nightcrawler’s method of peering thoughtfully at the radio controls with one hand on his chin is particularly masterful—Logan mentioned he used to perform in a circus, so it’s no wonder he’s got such a good instinct for stage-business. “I told Hank and Moira not long after I found out. Seemed like a bad idea to keep that information from my doctors. Especially when one of them is also my therapist.”

At receiving a glare from Logan, Beast develops a sudden and convenient fascination with the view through the Blackbird’s window.

“But you didn’t want anyone else to know.” Logan could accept that, even if he doesn’t like it. Nothing personal. A man’s business is man's business, after all—even for a not-quite-man like Morph.

Too bad it wouldn’t be the truth; no more ‘real’ than any face that Morph wears.

“I didn’t want you to know.”

Morph can handle Logan’s anger, no problem. That’s almost charming, after all these years. But it’s the flicker of hurt, just like that little flinch earlier, that really cuts him to the quick.

“Not because I don’t trust you, or want to keep things from you or anything, it’s just… I didn’t—I couldn’t—”

He sighs and looks away again. He transforms back into his new default: smooth white skin, mask-like face. Obviously inhuman.

Still a lot more human than he looked when he was born, though.

“So, yeah. That’s why I’ve apparently gained the ability to survive having my head blown off. It sure would have been handy to know that my organs were optional the last time a Sentinel put me down. Now, instead of being out of commission for two years I’ll never get back, I can just squish myself back together and keep on keepin’ on.”

Logan doesn’t respond, and slowly, the mutter of other conversations step in to fill the void. Morph stares at nothing, sick with nerves. It’s deeply unfair that he can still feel nauseous even though he doesn’t have a stomach anymore.

He would say it’s all in his head, but if he can survive without one, maybe he doesn’t have a brain, either.

Badum-tch.

Good line. Hopefully he’ll remember it after the existential horror wears off, in the brief window when things will be funny again before the heartbreak sinks in.

Because there’s dropping a bombshell on a relationship—then there’s dropping a fucking nuke.

Oh God. There isn’t going to be a window, is there?

“Morph. Look at me.”

Although he considers pretending he didn’t hear the command, Morph reluctantly glances across the center aisle of the Blackbird to see Logan looking back at him with an expression as soft as the heart he usually tries to hide.

“No matter what you look like, there’s one thing you’ve never been able to change,” Logan tells him. “That’s real enough for me.”

A wiser person might realize they were in a hole and stop digging; Morph can’t stop himself from opening his big stupid mouth. No wonder that was the one feature even Baby Morph knew to give himself. “There are more blocks Xavier left behind that I haven’t pushed through, yet. Maybe I’ll even figure out how to change my scent, someday.”

From the look on his face, Logan clearly hadn’t considered that possibility. Morph immediately wishes he could take it back, feeling like he’s just tarnished something sacred.

It’s always been strangely intimate, the way Logan can recognize him by scent alone. Even from the beginning, when Morph decided to pull a prank on the grumpy new recruit, only for Wolverine to sniff him out mere seconds into his planned routine—it was as if, like the Emperor’s New Clothes, he suddenly realized he had been naked the entire time.

Another, smarter shapeshifter might have avoided Logan after that; Morph couldn’t get enough.

One-sided pestering turned into an unlikely friendship, turned into friends-with-benefits, turned into… whatever they have now. That which dares not speak its name.

The thought of losing that connection, the idea that someday he may be able to change himself so thoroughly that even Logan won’t be able to recognize him anymore… It’s too awful. Cursed knowledge. Like learning about the solar cycle when he was a kid, and suddenly having the horrible realization: if even the sun is going to die someday, what makes him so sure Mom will get better?

Out of the corner of his eye, Morph sees Logan’s hand start to move, stop, then start again, reaching across the aisle towards him. For a insane, terrifying moment, he thinks Logan’s about to hold his hand, outing them in front of God, the other X-Men, and everybody—but of course, that enormous, rough mitt lands on his shoulder instead. Perfectly platonic, approved for all audiences by S&P.

Though they’re shooting through the air at supersonic speed, under the heavy weight of that hand, Morph feels rooted to stable ground. He closes his eyes and takes a few slow breaths he doesn’t actually need, with lungs he only has when he remembers to make himself some.

If there are any people left when the sun finally burns out in a few billion years, they’ll still be telling each other jokes as they go into that endless good night. Just think of the money we’ll save on sunscreen. Maybe, but you know the light-bulb companies are gonna take us to the cleaners. Ha ha, freeze frame, theme song, end credits.

Even as her body slowly wasted away under the combined onslaught of cancer and chemo, Mom always laughed at his jokes, no matter how many times she heard the one about the chicken who crossed the road. His most appreciative audience, to the very last curtain call.

The world is pretty fucking scary right now, and only getting scarier. Sinister. Genosha. Losing Gambit. Sentinels again, in all new and even more monstrous forms. Even worse: total war between humans and mutants looming over the horizon, shaking the ground with each step, getting closer and more inevitable every time someone mentions it, like a demon whose power grows every time you says its name.

But just because things are scary doesn’t mean the world's turning into a horror movie, and just because things are sad doesn’t make it a tragedy. Everyone gets to choose the genre of their life story—and Morph will always pick comedy.

He gives the hand on his shoulder a friendly pat, and uses the motion to disguise a slightly more-than-friendly squeeze. “I’m alright, just a little airsick. I think it’s making me maudlin.”

As he pulls his hand back, Logan frowns a little in confusion—he knows Morph is experienced enough in the air that he shouldn’t be getting nauseous over what are, for the Blackbird, barely above pleasure-cruise speeds.

“How unfair is that, by the way?” Morph asks. “I don’t even have a stomach right now.”

Logan chuckles. Nah, baby, don’t give it up for me that easy, Morph thinks, fighting a grin. You gotta make me work for it a little…

He needn’t have worried, though. When he does make it to the punchline, Logan laughs so hard that he snorts, the laugh-lines Morph has personally carved into that seemingly indestructible face creasing and growing deeper still. And as their friends who Definitely Weren’t Eavesdropping join in—even Rogue, so teary and congested that her laughs would sound like sobs if she wasn’t smiling—Morph knows all their attempts to hide their relationship have been for nothing, because there’s no way that all the love he feels for Logan in that moment isn’t writ large all over whichever face he's wearing right now.

That’s real enough for him.

#x men 97 #x men #morph #wolverine #morpherine #my stuff #wait what this actually ended up good #have I actually been a good writer this whole time and just too depressed to notice?#what the fuck that's not fair

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