✽ ﹒BACKSTORY

Alena " Azalea " Winters was born to a family of 5 as the youngest child. With both parents working full time during zheir childhood, Azalea and zheir older brother Danny were practically raised by their oldest sister, Zinnia. Zinnia, however, was only just starting highschool by the time Azalea was born, so of course the girl had other things she had to worry about apart from her siblings. This meant that Azalea was often left to zheir own devices most of the time, despite Zinnia's best efforts.

Azalea never minded. Shi had dolls to play with, books to read, and drawings to create. Shi seemed to always be in hir own little private dreamland when attention wasn't immediately on hir. It led to a further disconnect between hir and hir family. Especially when hir parents realized that Zinnia had allowed hir to play with dolls instead of "boys toys".

Azalea never understood that as a child. Shi understood that hir parents had wanted a boy instead of "whatever the fuck [ shi ] is", but shi didn't have the same parts as other boys. Shi didn't grow like they did. Shi didn't like dressing like they did or playing with the toys they liked to play with. Shi realized shi was intersex at a fairly young age, but didn't put together that the rest of hir experiences aligned with that of transfemininity until later in hir life.

Nonetheless, not being wanted by faer parents, being bullied at schools by faer peers and being ignored by faer teachers had faen devastated and alone. Fae felt horrible, like it was faer own fault fae got treated this way. That fae did something to deserve this. If fae was just like what faer parents wanted or what faer school expected maybe fae would be happier!

Zhey tried, zhey really did. But it made zhem miserable to try and live up to the expectations put on zhem. When zhey finally broke down to Zinnia about it, she cried with zhem and told zhem she was sorry she didn't notice sooner. That she would have helped sooner if she knew. She told zhem zhey were not broken, zhey were not wrong, and zhey didn't owe anyone anything like that ever. She bought zhem skirts and dresses, got zhem makeup, helped zhem grow zheir hair out. All in secret of course, out of fear of what zheir parents would do if they ever found out.

And that was finally when the pieces clicked into place that maybe shi was a girl. Maybe shi wasn't a boy at all because shi was a kind of girl instead. Shi had cried again, but this time in relief at the realization.

When shi reached highschool, shi finally met someone who understood. His name was Dominic, and he understood hir. He was only kind of a boy, in the way that shi was only kind of a girl. At this time, though, shi was using she/her pronouns, as shi was unaware there was any other option beside she/he/they. And Dominic respected that. Even though shi couldn't pass, even though shi had to use the men's room, even though eveyone else called hir          instead of Alena, he treated hir like a person.

Shi clung to him. Hir entire 4 years of highschool, shi was attached to his hip. They even started dating when they started 10th grade together. But then he started asking hir for some .. strange things. Shi'd never had sex before him, and their first time together had been gentle, with him taking his time with hir to make sure shi felt comfortable. Shi'd enjoyed it. So when he'd asked if shi'd be comfortable trying something new, shi'd been open to it.

Zhey hadn't exactly been comfortable with it. Zheir concerns were shushed with "reassurances" that it would feel good soon. Zhey hadn't liked it. But zhey hadn't said anything, because zhey loved him, and zhey wanted him to love zhem back.

But he kept asking for these things, and they kept getting more and more uncomfortable, until zhey had been wrapped up in sex work and sex trafficking without even realizing it. Zhey were only 16.

Shi was stuck in that loop for years. Shi never protested, never said no, never rejected a client, because shi was terrified of Dominic leaving hir alone if shi did. Shi was terrified of being alone. And it only got worse for hir. When hir parents found out shi was " gay ", and dating Dominic, they kicked hir out. Hir sister protested, fought, and tried to reason with them all she could, but they would not change their minds. So now shi was entirely reliant on Dominic. He housed hir, fed hir, clothed hir, "loved" hir. Obviously shi had to repay him by doing what he wanted.

Zhey were 18 now, and zhey were exhausted. Zhey wanted so badly to just leave. To be free. Zhey were sick of everything, sick of being used. Zhey ran away. Zhey grabbed zheir phone, two sets of clothes, zheir charger, as much money as zhey could find, and ran. When zhey finally got far enough away, zhey realized zhey were exhausted. Zhey hurt everywhere. Zhey were sore.

There was an abandoned semi truck. It was in a scrapyard, no one would notice. Shi opened the door, brushed off some of the cobwebs, and laid down across the seats. Shi was too tired to notcied the gentle startup of the engine, to notice the sway of movement, to notice the ambience of the night passing them by.

When zhey woke up, zhey were confused and scared. Azalea was sure zhey had fallen asleep in a scrapyard, in an abandoned truck, but now zhey were neatly parked in a large open field, and the cobwebs and dust of the truck had completely disappeared, replaced by a glossy finish.

He'd introduced himself as Optimus Prime, had told hir that he was the leader of a faction of autonomous mechanical organisms from the planet Cybertron. The shi could call them Autobots for short. He reassured hir shi was not crazy, he meant no harm, and that this was all real. He asked hir to wait five minutes, and he would be able to prove it to hir.

When the rest of the vehicles had pulled up, Azalea was sure this was a mob. That zhey were going to be murdered out here in the middle of nowhere where no one would find them. But then they had transformed. Into GIANT ROBOTS. But there were humans with them! Azalea had never scrambled out of a vehicle so fast. Zhey ran over to the other humans, asking if they were ok and if they were seeing what zhey were seeing. Sam and Mikaela. They were younger than zhem.

Then Optimus had transformed. He was large, he was broad, he was ... He was beautiful actually.

For months, shi learned to adjust with them. It was interesting, living with the autobots. They were much gentler than people would expect. And despite having to relocate to a secure N.E.S.T. base to avoid the general population's detection, they were cooperative. They were intilligent, gentle, respectful, diplomatic. But they were also angry. They were deeply angry with the injustices their planet had faced, and the loses of their autobot bretheren. They had every right.

Azalea had grown close with them. Shi was their unofficial ambassador. Whenever they needed something communicated to the humans, they would run it by Azalea first, and whenever humans needed to run something by the 'bots, they made sure to check with Azalea to see how they should word it. Shi'd grown close with Lennox and Epps as well. The two had practically adopted hir as their younger sister, and were uber respectful about hir gender and pronouns, helping hir transition wherever they could.

But all of that paled in comparison to the relationship that zhey had grown to have with Optimus. Zhey had turned 19 recently, and on zheir birthday, Optimus had offered to take zhem out on a late night drive so they could hang out and watch the stars. When Ratchet had developed and needed help testing holoform technology, Optimus had come to Azalea to ask for zheir opinions on what his holoform's appearance should look like.

When it finally happened, shi was sure shi was dreaming. He had come to hir quietly, asking if they could talk privately. Hir heart had been racing, and shi had agreed, trying not to seem too excited. And when he had spoken those beautfiul three words, shi had no trouble returning them. " I love you. " The base had noticed the shift in energy and behaviour, but couldn't place down what it was exactly. Lennox and Epps knew of course, as Azalea trusted them with everything these days. And they did nothing but grin.

Then fae had been kidnapped.

It had been a normal night, with the clouds hung low in the sky, blocking out the usual starlight. Azalea had been out on a walk alone for once. Fae didn't usually talk walks alone, but fae were feeling adventurous for once. Fae had faer earbuds in, singing quietly along to any particularly interesting lyrics as fae went along.

It probably explained how shi didn't hear the screams of the people around hir as a tank vehicle tore through the park off-road. Or the familiar shrieking sound of a T-COG stimulation as the cybertronian behind hir transformed. Shi did however feel the groundshake with the impact of them hitting the ground, and spun around just in time to see a giant hand closing around hir. Shi was snatched up in a large grip faster than shi could scream for help.

Lennox and Epps noticed first that zhey hadn't returned from zheir walk in much too long to be considered acceptable, and Ratchet was next to figure out that zheir comm link he had created for zhem had been hacked and switched completely off. Something was wrong. The team and the 'bot's looked around where Azalea's comm link tracking bite had last transmitted, and Optimus had roared with anger as he stumbled across a very familiar set of pede-prints.

"Shockwave."

It had taken much too long to find hir. And much longer to feel like they truly had hir back. 4 Months too many. They tried to reassure hir, to comfort hir, to offer hir help, but shi refused. Shi wouldn't accept anything, merely clinging to Optimus even more so than before. Not that he had a problem with it of course, as now he was very serious about hir not leaving his sight.

When fae finally spoke up, finally came to Epps and Lennox quietly and told them what had happened, the two had never felt more of a protective and rightful rage directed at someone who had clearly spent too long feeling superior to everyone. Fae had looked around nervously, making them swear not to tell anyone what fae were about to share. They both swore on their hearts and mamas, and so fae took a deep breath and showed them. The first thing they noticed was the horrible trembling of faer hands, like it physically pained faer to hold them still. Secondly, they noticed the scars littered across them. And lastly, what they probably should have noticed first, the crackles of electricity emanating from the tips of faer fingertips.

Shi wanted to keep it a secret for now, not forever. Just until shi figured out how to control them and how to safely utilize them. Shi had told them this was not the only power shi had discovered. Realistically, shi knew there was no way to reverse the torture inflicted upon hir, especially with human technology, so shi knew these miraculous powers would be here to stay. The two swore they wouldn't say anything, but made sure to assure hir that if shi started hurting hirself with them then they would squawk.

All zhey could do for now, was cope. Cope the best zhey could.