if it hadn’t been for Swearth he would’ve kept his avatar going...

if it hadn’t been for Swearth he would’ve kept his avatar going until his spark gave out, which wasn't going to be too much longer

i kinda want a thing where instead of splitting when he’s tossed into Swearth, Swerve goes over as himself and he’s watching the world go by

in a completely uninteresting apartment on a boring street and there are hijinks going on everywhere but Swerve is.... waiting

b/c of the way Swearth is set up he don’t know it’s not real, he doesn’t know what he’s waiting /for/, but he’s waiting for something

waiting for his cue to be called, for his friends to show up, for the plot to start, for the credits to roll. for /something/

his apartment’s floorpan is open, arranged like a tv set, he has all the makings of every classic plotline in various places around his home

but nobody calls. nobody shows

i think the closer Swerve gets to dying the more Swearth makes compromises. the population starts thinning

no one who’s part of Swearth notices people are disappearing of course, but there’s fewer and fewer people to ask “have you seen this guy?”

the sun starts setting despite the fact that they’re in deep space and there’s no sun for miles. darkness is easier for the to render

sitting on the roof of his apartment complex Swerve pushes his visor up to sit on the top of his head

he looks at the stars and laughs about how blurry they are w/o glasses. the fact that he’s crying has nothing to do w/ it

p soon there are only the nightlife places open. all night diners and bars and a couple coffeeshops

there’s no one in them except the people who work there and they all have the same script. “hey there! slow night. what can i get for you?”

the only people still walking the streets are from the LL. someone from the ship tells Rodimus over comms that the planet is disappearing

all that’s left of Swearth is the city they’re in

half the search party has to go back b/c their holomatter generators are going to burn out

another quarter have to tap out b/c the distance is too much for them to sustain any longer

Swerve curls up on an old couch in one corner of the roof. the one w/o legs that he isn’t /sure/ how it got up here but he must’ve had help

below him the city goes dark. all that’s left is the stars and the pavement

w/o the artificial rendering of the sun it’s almost impossible to tell when everything fades into grayscale

by this point there’s almost no one left. First Aid calls Rodimus w/ an update

even if they /did/ find Swerve and he could tell them what was wrong it’s probably too late to do much more than make him comfortable

there are only a few people still out there. the city is shrinking and they’re searching every building that’s left

Whirl finds Swerve dozing on the couch up on the rooftop of his apartment complex

his face is smooshed into the armrest and he’s drooling slightly and his visor’s askew on the top of his head

Whirl doesn't know what he’s expecting when he runs over and shakes Swerve to wake him up. Swerve jerks awake, flailing slightly to sit up

before Whirl has a chance to say much of anything Swerve throws his arms around him and pulls him into a hug. “you /came/“

“i thought everyone forgot, but you -“ Swerve’s voice cracks and Whirl hugs Swerve tightly in return b/c what else can he do?

he feels the tears on Swerve’s face where it’s pressed against his shoulder. “thank you. i thought i imagined it”

Whirl hates how the holoavatar lets him feel his throat constricting, too thick to swallow properly. “what did ya think you imagined?”

“having friends”

on the ground below Rodimus is telling First Aid that they need more time and can’t he do /anything/? it’s too far away for Swerve to hear

the ground crumbles away and w/ nothing to stand on and no gravity to answer to the rescue party’s avatar programs reorient back to the LL

Cyclonus catches the edge of the last building standing and starts to climb

the concrete and rebar dissipate beneath his feet, slowly catching up to him as he heads for the roof

there are no more apartments in the building. just stairs and empty floors

Swerve holds onto Whirl like he’s the last real thing in the world, the last scrap of color in the universe

“i shouldn’t be hugging you so much, huh? it’s bad for your rep”

Whirl hugs him tighter. “pfft, yeah right. as if /hugging/ could take down a rep like mine.” he digs his fingers into Swerve’s shirt

he tries not to think about how easy it would be to wrap his whole frame around Swerve if they weren’t here

exactly four hundred miles away from home w/ the floor threatening to disappear from under them

Cyclonus reaches the roof just as it starts to lose stability. all the defining features are gone. the couch. the bent antenna in the corner

he sees Whirl and Swerve together seconds before he loses balance off the edge of the shrinking plane and gets pulled back to the LL

Cyclonus waves away Tailgate’s concern to address those still waiting. “Whirl has him”

their expressions ranging from horrified to confused tell him they don’t know what to make of that any more than he does

Swerve shivers when the last of Swearth disappears. Whirl half expects to vanish along w/ it but apparently Swerve is anchoring him there

he feels Swerve’s fingers slip and holds on tighter. “what’s a guy like you doin’ in a place like this anyhow?”

Swerve laughs, quiet w/ only a slight hiccup in his voice “well i own the place.” Whirl realizes Swerve doesn’t know where he is. not really

Swerve sighs and it’s terrifying b/c he relaxes and Whirl feels him slipping away. “you should come by more often. i miss seeing you around”

“any time, since you’re doin’ the askin’. name a time and place and i’ll be there, i swear”
“tomorrow night?”

there’s a flicker hope in his voice that kills Whirl and he wants yell b/c why could he have just asked /sooner/?? “it’s a date”

“oh!” one exclamation. barely audible. “i’d like that”

“i’ll show you a real good time, i promise. someone else can make the drinks for once”

Whirl can’t risk sneaking a look at the smile he can feel pressed against his shoulder when Swerve laughs

he saw Swerve’s feet fading and his eye is closed so he can get through this w/o making it harder than it already is

Whirl can’t feel Swerve’s hands. he doesn’t think Swerve’s noticed. “i’ll try to make a good impression, then.”

Swerve’s weightless. Whirl knows they’re in space but there isn’t any mass to him now even tho Whirl’s arms can still feel the shape of him

“you already have. claw to Primus.” Whirl wishes he could hold on tighter

all that’s left is the shape of Swerve’s smile and the way his mouth moves when he speaks

Whirl’s throat feels heavy. “do you believe in miracles?”

Swerve catches the cheesy reference and his laugh is fuller than anything else that’s left of him “of course i do. you’re here, aren’t you?”

Whirl knows the moment his avatar resets to the LL. his frame is heavier and there’s a lot more noise

they’re waiting for him to do.… something. Whirl doesn’t know what they expect him to say. he keeps his optic offline a little while longer