Work Text:
“I… really don’t want to hurt Optimus Prime, sire,” D-16 - no, Megatron; Megatronus Prime had to remind himself every now and then - mumbled, fiddling with his digits. His red optics stayed glued to the floor, like he was afraid of looking his sire in the optics. He probably was. “He is still one of your brethren, is he not? I don’t think it would be right if I murdered him a second time.”
Megatronus’ back plating was kept to facing Megatron, knelt down on one knee and tinkering with an organic plant with one servo, keeping his gaze on the soft, velvet leaves, and ignored the urge to shred it into brown, withered pieces, but he couldn’t, as a whatever this generation of bots call him these days. A ghost. He passed through everything, despite being able to touch his sparkling and hug him. He wasn’t that abusive of a sire.
They were in the middle of a forest, one of the only on Cybertron that weren’t ruined by the civil war raging all across the surface, destroying everything in its path even when they tried not to. Megatronus has seen much worse when he fought with Unicron alongside his brothers and sisters, along with his creator/sire, Primus.
He felt a bit guilty betraying his creator for his own sparkling and supporting him, but oh, loyalty ebbs and flows like a beating spark pumping energon throughout your body. And Megatron was doing very well for his plans for universal domination, considering its only been a few
Hm. Megatronus should probably just call himself Prime to not get his own name confused with his sparkling. Yes, that sounds good.
“You’ve killed him once before,” Prime said. “Why not just do it again?”
“It…” Megatron hesitated. “I have been doubting my motives.”
“No.”
Megatron flinched. Finally looked to his sire’s back strut and working his way up to the back of his purple helm. Good. That was much progress. “I’m sorry?”
“You have been doubting your motives because you love Optimus Prime again, like when he was Orion Pax,” Prime answered. “Where he used to see you as a brother, you saw him as a love interest. Now, when you are enemies, you find his matching strength admirable, and I must say I’m concerned when saying this, sexy .”
“That is far from the truth! I-” Megatron sputtered, probably looking away once more out of embarrassment. Prime had to teach him not to care about those silly emotions. He also didn’t have to turn around to see Megatron have a blue faceplate flushed to the brim with energon. “I do not love him, and I never did . End of story.”
“Then after some battles, why do you stare after his retreating aft?” Stars above, Prime forgot how fun it was to tease others since he left his siblings. He was known to have a light-hearted side, even though it was less rare to see him at your throat then see him crack an actual joke. His family brought out that side of him. It was nice to use it again, though Primus usually didn’t approve of his taunting. “I would think that this is far from the end of the story, possibly even the chapter.”
Megatron’s engine revved angrily. Aw, how cute - he was trying to act powerful and angry. He could scare average mechs, but not his sire. He’s seen it all compared to Megatron. “I’m in the middle of a war and your teasing me of who I like ?! I came here for advice, not how to woo a fragging mech !”
Prime stood slowly, and turned. He saw Megatron flinch, and his spark ached. But he couldn’t be soft - he was one of the original Primes, offlined or not. “Look, child. Do you think it will be good if you kill the bot you want so badly? It won’t remove the longing, it will be replaced by guilt. Trust me, child, I have experience on this. Don’t do it.”
“Don’t. You. Dare. Try. To. Convince. Me. To. Stop,” Megatron said through grit denta. “This war needs to happen.”
“Does it really?” Prime floated (walked?) over, trying to place a servo on his shoulder.
“Don’t you dare turn this into a therapy session for me!” Megatron barked, ripping away from the touch. The flush of energon faded from his faceplate. “Either you help the universe come to peace with each other by my side or you go away and never let me see you again. I don’t want to hurt Optimus Prime.”
Prime could see so much of himself in his sparkling, and wanted to take it away. They could sometimes be horribly bad qualities. He sighed. “I will always be with you, child. Just… try to not get yourself killed on the battlefield. And you may have to kill him.” Maybe he had PTSD, maybe he was selfless and overprotective of the bots he loved, but he didn’t want anyone else he wanted around him dead.
Never again.
“War is like that,” Megatron snapped. “But I can avoid it. I know I can.” He turned away and started marching downhill. “Goodbye, sire.”
Prime sighed, watching the gray mech stomp away, before he transformed and actually left. “Goodbye, my child.”
I know this is the last time you’ll try to see me, and I understand.
Even when this planet dies, I will be tethered to it. To this very spot. And you cannot bring me along. You will continue on without me. It is your destiny.
I’m so sorry.