#Like they're chilling in the background while those two are trying to kill each other

[fragmented-ghost]

Transformers One au where B-127 is not only older than the others (technically we don't know he isn't), but he's actually older than Sentinel's reign. And the reason he was able to recognize Soundwave, Shockwave, and Starscream immediately by name without any reminding is because he knew them personally because they were friends.

Why did they gag him then? I dunno, you ever just wanted to make your friend shut the fuck up for a few seconds? It was probably just a running bit they had with each other. Why do you think Bee was able to get it off so easily?

I think there's a lot of fun to be had in an au like this, whether comedy (Them bringing up inside jokes on the battlefield, everyone being flabbergasted on how someone like B-127 is friends with someone like Shockwave) or angst (their friendship being why B was thrown in Sublevel-50 alone, both sides having to reconcile the fact the other isn't the same as they were before Sentinel took over) or just shenanigans (the reason B was able to just mow down people in the final fight is cause his friends taught him how to fight).