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"Sari, are you okay?! Did he break anything?! If you're not okay, I'm gonna-!"
"Relax, little friend, relax."
"I told you to quit calling me little!"
Blitzwing holds his servos up in surrender. "Apologies, apologies. But she is just fine, you see?"
Sari snorts. "Yeah, Bee, I'm okay! Soundwave held me kinda tight but I'm fine."
Despite the assurance, Bumblebee continues to inspect her, holding her high and low and every manner of way he can manage without tipping her out of his servos. He doesn't notice Blitzwing chuckling over his shoulder, which has Sari giggling as well.
"That's good," Optimus says, distracted by the now-empty entryway. Megatron and Soundwave had walked out of view a few minutes ago, and it was clear that it concerned Optimus, but he seemed torn on what to do about it. "Blitzwing, thank you for stalling for so long, too. I don't know what might've happened if you didn't keep Soundwave here for so long."
Blitzwing gives a half-smile and a shrug. "Merely doing what is required of me."
Standing by the old, dusty conveyor belts, Ratchet loudly scoffs, barely audible over the sound of his welder. "Just buyin' time for your buckethead boss to come swoop in and make everything better, huh?"
"Ratchet..." Sari and Bumblebee glance uneasily between Optimus and Ratchet, and Bumblebee shuffles a bit closer to Blitzwing.
Integrating hasn't been as easy for everyone as Optimus probably would've liked. Bulkhead was almost happy about being able to work with the Constructicons again, and he seemed to have made a little bit of a bond with Lugnut over being giant, lumbering, accident-prone mechs. Prowl was nearly indifferent to the whole thing, oddly enough, though he seems awfully interested in old war history now. Blurr is uneasy around the Decepticons still, but he at least makes himself scarce whenever they're around. Bee doesn't seem to like the Decepticons much either, though he and Blitzwing get along great for some reason; they're almost always hanging out together whenever Megatron doesn't have Blitzwing doing something else.
Ratchet, though? Ratchet can't seem to avoid snapping at the Decepticons, regardless of who or why. It has to be more than just because he's old and grouchy all the time. The rest of the Autobots seem to understand why, but they've never explained it to Sari.
"Actually," Blitzwing interjects, "I did not contact Lord Megatron. As a matter of fact, I presumed he would be much longer in arriving, if at all."
"What?! Then how did he end up here, three-face?!"
"Ratchet. I commed him," Optimus says firmly, servo on his chestplate.
Ratchet splutters for a moment, then turns sharply, pointing an accusatory digit at Optimus. "Why do you feel the need to invite that slagger closer than he already is? He's already got more bots here than us! And now he's getting even more," He grouses, waving at the empty doorway. "Some Elite Guard trainee you are, Prime; figured they taught you something in all those big-shot Academy classes, but I guess that's my fault for thinkin' so."
Optimus's optics narrow in an eerie imitation of Megatron whenever he gets annoyed, which Sari has been on the receiving end of quite a few times since the 'Bots and 'Cons stopped fighting. He glances out the garage door again. Then he shakes his helm. "And I thought you managed to find some empathy in all those data packets Prowl shared," He mutters, walking out.
"Data packets?" Sari turns up to Bumblebee. "What did Prowl find to show you guys?"
Bumblebee awkwardly rocks on his pedes. He seems like he's afraid of talking about whatever Prowl got a hold of.
Thankfully, Blitzwing swoops in before he has to figure it out. "Nothing for you to worry about, bitlet," He says, giving Sari a gentle pat on her head with one digit, "Old Decepticon stories zat Prowl was given by Shockwave." Sari just barely sees Ratchet at the corner of her vision, rubbing his servo over his mouth and reluctantly bending over a conveyor belt once again to get back to working.
Huh. That's two bots acting weird about the mystery data Prowl got from whoever Shockwave is. Probably a Decepticon, since Blitzwing seems to know them.
Sari glances out of the door, wondering if Optimus would come back in, only to see his silhouette disappear around the corner in the same direction as Megatron and Soundwave. She squints suspiciously; what did Megatron take the overgrown wind-up toy around the garage for?
She squirms in Bumblebee's servos, nearly falling out until he finally puts her down. "Hey, where are you going? Sari!" Bee calls as Sari dashes off.
What if Megatron and Soundwave corner Optimus and nobody knows? What if Soundwave does that processor-controlling thing and manages to brainwash Optimus? What if that's all Megatron was waiting for and all this peace stuff was a trick? It better not be, because Megatron's already on thin ice for kidnapping her dad! If he does something to Optimus, he'll be sorry. Sari will make sure of it.
It's a bit difficult to get to the outer walkways since the Autobots moved in and did so much rearranging. Sari frantically runs back and forth, Blitzwing and Bumblebee watching with curious optics whenever she reappears in their line of sight, but they make no attempt to stop her.
After six or seven minutes of dashing around, she finally spots the door to the stairwell, throwing it open and running in.
Sari storms up the stairs two at a time until she reaches the third floor, somewhere where she'll be out of sight from any spying Decepticons or brainwashed Autobots but still able to see everything those slimy bots might be doing. She peeks through the broken windows, slowly making her way towards the dark figures at the other end of the building.
The bigger one must be Megatron, taking slow steps away from the smaller, boxy shaped shadow, which has to be Soundwave, with those creepy animal-like bots giving his shoulders a spiky, menacing appearance despite the bright midday sun. "I suppose I could allow you properly into my forces, now that we are established. It would be such a waste to send you away, after all that I suffered to make you. But do not make me regret this decision, Soundwave."
What?! Megatron made Soundwave? But, her dad- Wait. This must have been before he knew Megatron was a Decepticon, when he was stuck in her dad's lab. Why would he bother making a silly toy like Soundwave, though? Sari shakes her head - this isn't the right time for that question!
Besides, Megatron is just gonna let Soundwave into the team? Without Optimus knowing or saying so? He doesn't know if Soundwave's safe to keep around or not. Or maybe he's counting on that...
Optimus suddenly rushes around the corner, servos clenched into fists. "No! Absolutely not!" His vehement denial makes the Decepticons turn towards him, and Sari can see the displeased scowl on Megatron's face from even her short vantage point. Yeah! Stick it to that big silver bully, Optimus! She thinks with a wild grin.
Soundwave's little creatures shuffle but don't move much otherwise, leering at Optimus from that overgrown toy's shoulders. Megatron shifts to properly face Optimus, still scowling, as if something like that would make Optimus back down. "This is not your decision to make, Autobot," He says, in that smug, narcissistic tone he never seems to drop.
In spite of Megatron's looming, Optimus stands firm. "He threatened Sari. Not just once, but twice now." More than threatened! Soundwave nearly crushed her! "And these things? What, they just dropped out of the sky? Who's to say Soundwave won't make more and keep threatening more humans, with or without them?" And that's just the start! What if he uses those animal-bots to snatch things for Megatron while the Autobots weren't looking? What if he uses them to claw out the Autobots' circuits and make them all helpless so Megatron can take over? It's not that much of a stretch!
Megatron tries to protest, but Optimus shuts it down right away. Sari cheers silently from her viewpoint. Ratchet and her dad seemed to think that Optimus would let Megatron do whatever he liked now that they're allies; shows them how well they know Optimus!
Then Soundwave pipes up. "Soundwave: offers suggestion." Sari glares despite being unseen. Big glorified boombox, what's he gonna suggest? Kidnapping everybody? Bet he's about to say Megatron should call all the other Decepticons down and take over the city! And then they'll gang up on Optimus and he's gonna need help and Sari's gonna have to run back into the base and hope Blitzwing won't listen to Megatron and- "Megatron: possesses alternate command station, correct?"
Huh? Alternate command station? He must mean that creepy abandoned mine that the 'Cons usually stay in, confirmed when Megatron nods.
"Soundwave: will relocate." That's definitely not what Sari expected.
Then Soundwave asks if Optimus agrees, and he should've nodded along with it. Maybe it's not the best idea to let Soundwave join the other Decepticons in their own base but it's at least better than having him hang around in Detroit causing trouble. Optimus doesn't agree right away, though, suddenly speechless, looking between Soundwave and Megatron, until he visibly deflates. "I- N-no, you don't...don't have to do that." No? No?! What the heck does he mean, you don't have to do that?! "Just don't attack humans anymore."
Soundwave and Megatron look almost as shocked as Sari feels. Both of them stare at Optimus with comedically wide optics - or at least Megatron does, though Soundwave does give the impression that whatever optics he might have are just as round.
He went from vehemently denying Soundwave a place in their little alliance to just giving up and letting him off with a wimpy warning. What could be wrong? Sari leans against the concrete boxing her in, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what could possibly have made Optimus change his mind so suddenly. Did Soundwave somehow make a weird cybertronian-specific mind-control noise? But Megatron probably would be less surprised by Optimus's sudden mood shift and more...well...Megatron-ish. That very specific blend of smug and superior and mean and conniving that made him so easy to hate.
The 'Cons recover rather quickly, though Megatron's optics don't stray from Optimus for more than half a second when Soundwave speaks again. "Relocation: still wise. Soundwave: despises humans, though will refrain from causing injury, harm, or other distress." Despise sure is one way to put it.
Optimus mumbles something Sari can barely hear, and she tries to lift herself up on the concrete frame to maybe catch it, but Megatron is suddenly talking to Soundwave, and his dumb voice is loud enough that whatever she might've been able to catch was drowned out. She doesn't pay much attention to whatever he says, more focused on Optimus, trying to figure out what would make him so...sad? Is that the right word for how he looks now?
Whatever the right word is, Sari doesn't like it.
It's not fair, she thinks as she rests her chin on the high wall. Optimus works so hard all the time, does so much for everybody else. Sometimes he's kind of uptight and stern, but it's because he worries so much for everybody. Or, well, that's what Bulkhead and Bumblebee say, but Sari believes them when they say it. Heck, he's been working even harder since the Autobots and Decepticons stopped fighting, constantly rushing around to make sure he gets Megatron whatever he demands, mediating whenever Ratchet or Starscream start causing trouble, plus having those strategic meetings or whatever with Megatron almost every day.
He shouldn't have to feel so bad about...whatever it is. Dumb Megatron and dumb Decepticons; if they weren't here now, Optimus wouldn't have to feel guilty for standing up to them.
Thoroughly depressed by what she's seen, Sari pushes away from the concrete wall. At least Soundwave took off, with heavy, clanking pedes and his little creatures on his shoulders, and he and Megatron didn't do anything to Optimus. Some video games with Bee should make her feel better.
As Sari steps toward the stairwell, the shadows outside move. Or - no, it's just Megatron that moves.
...just Megatron?!
Sari turns and sprints back to the wall, gripping the edge tightly. Megatron's reaching for Optimus. "No! Don't!" Sari gasps. Megatron's gonna grab Optimus, he's gonna hurt him, he's gonna-
His giant black digits dip under Optimus's chin and pulls his helm up. "That was an odd change of spark, little one." What is with that tone? It's so soft and gentle and...not like Megatron at all. Sari has gotten to listen to Megatron plenty since the 'Cons and 'Bots agreed to peace, and he's never talked like this before, all quiet and fond.
It's almost like the way Blitzwing interacts with Bumblebee. Constantly aware of their disparate size, tenderly handling the much smaller Autobot so he isn't hurt by mistake. That's how Megatron is handling Optimus.
But doesn't he hate Autobots? There's always that undercurrent of disdain when he talks with anyone that isn't his own Decepticons, but that's nowhere to be seen now. And Optimus, he seems to sink into the touch, until he jerks, shoving Megatron away. He mutters something quietly as he walks past Megatron.
Sari expects Megatron to blow up, but instead, he's quiet, merely turning to track Optimus as the smaller bot walks around him. "Speak plainly, Optimus," He says.
Optimus slams his fist into the side of the building, and Sari squeals as she covers her head and ducks. "Like the Elite Guard do!" Optimus shouts, spitting mad. "Like every other Autobot does! Like all of you Decepticons belong in some dark cave far away from society like a bunch of stupid savage animals! I don't-!" Sari peeks over the edge of the wall again. As quickly as Optimus blew up, he's quiet again, dragging his servo down his faceplate with a pinched expression.
For a long time, Megatron is quiet. Sari peers between the two of them, curious about the direction of their conversation now. She can just barely see the red glow of Megatron's optics narrow as he stares at Optimus.
His giant, heavy pedes make loud clangs as he steps closer to Optimus. Is he making his move, now? Sari tenses, ready to bolt down to the garage so Bee and Ratchet can come smack that buckethead in his giant helm.
Megatron's servos close around Optimus's shoulders and drag him close enough for Optimus to gently clink his helm against his red-edged abdominal plates. Optimus doesn't seem to resist at all, even sort of melts into the hold, letting Megatron bear his weight. He looks like he's relaxing into it. And Megatron - he smiles?! He can just do that?! It's tiny, more of a mild upturn of his derma than a real smile, but it's definitely there. "If you were as ruthless with your Autobots as you are with yourself, I would be in quite dire straits." Optimus suddenly grabs the black armor of Megatron's hips and it makes the larger mech chuckle softly. "I know perfectly well that you don't believe such things, little one."
There's that nickname again, little one. Optimus should be seething again, he's always seemed to hate how the 'Cons use their size difference to taunt the Autobots. But he doesn't. Instead, his tightly-hitched shoulders slump, as if some kind of clamp holding them up suddenly fell away.
Wait, does he... He likes being held like that. It's kind of like some of the covers of those cheesy romance novels her dad picks up from time to time, just with two giant robots instead of a weird oily looking about-to-be-married couple standing on a beach or a mountain or whatever other scenes they liked to put on those dopey books. It's actually kind of cute.
This has to be a new thing that happened after they came to peace. No way Optimus and Megatron were doing this before then, if only because Megatron was just a disconnected head, hand, and most of a body until pretty recently. And they've definitely been spending a lot of time together recently. Wonder if those extended strategic meetings are just an excuse for Optimus and Megatron to hang out together.
It is definitely weird. These two were just trying to beat each other into scrap metal not long ago. But, then again, Bee and Blitzwing were kind of on the same page, and they can have some kind of bond beyond just casual acquaintances. Those two obviously weren't as utterly opposed to each other as Megatron and Optimus, but it's the same idea.
Even if it's a Decepticon, even if it's Megatron, it's someone that makes Optimus happy.
Sari giggles as she ducks down below the edge of the concrete wall. She still hasn't really forgiven the Decepticons for kidnapping her dad and taking advantage of him, but, if Megatron can help Optimus relax a bit more and make him happy... Then she can be just a bit more lenient with the big buckethead.
Best to leave them now, she thinks. There will definitely be more chances to spy on them doing cute, sappy, gross couple stuff later if they really do like each other.
She skips down the steps, bouncing down two and three at a time, grinning to herself over her discovery. Imagine the look on Ratchet's face if he knew! Or even better, imagine Lugnut's reaction that his great and glorious master was totally a big teddy bear for an Autobot! Man, if only Starscream and Slipstream weren't so nasty all the time, they'd probably enjoy hearing about it. ...For all the wrong reasons.
Sari pushes open the creaky door to the stairwell and saunters out into the living room once again. Before she can get more than a few steps towards the couch, Sari yelps as she's accosted by a fussing Bumblebee. "Sari, where the heck did you go?! We saw Soundwave wander off a little while ago and we couldn't find you, so we started worrying that he grabbed you when we weren't lookin', and-"
"Next time, bitlet," Blitzwing interjects, covering Bee's running mouth with his much larger servo, "Make some mention of where you run off to. Your mighty protector frets over you," He adds, with the slightest smile and a pat to Bumblebee's helm.
"Right, right, because you didn't pull out the angry face when you saw Soundwave run off and weren't sure if he had Sari or not," Bumblebee teases as he nudges Blitzwing with his elbow joint.
"What can I say, your enthusiasm is infectious."
"You guys! I can handle myself sometimes, you know," Sari pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.
Blitzwing's faceplate whirls until it settles on his black and red one, bursting instantly into manic cackling. "Like a turbopup in a scraplet swarm? Hahahaha!"
Who knows what a scraplet is, but whatever Blitzwing said was probably meant to be an insult. Sari sticks her tongue out, and the triple changer pokes the top of her head with a subdued giggle. Then, she remembers what had her so excited in the first place, and grins. "I can take care of myself to do some good spying sometimes. Guess you don't wanna know what I found out," She taunts.
Blitzwing's faceplate whirls back again and he and Bumblebee lean in. "You found something out?" Bumblebee asks. "Come on, Sari, what was it?"
"Yes, bitlet, come now, elaborate."
"Okaaaay, but!" Sari shoves her index fingers into both mechs' faceplates. "You both gotta promise not to tell anyone! Especially not Optimus, or Ratchet, or Megatron! And super especially not Starscream or Slipstream!"
The two mechs share a curious glance. Then they turn back to Sari and nod simultaneously.
Sari hops from foot to foot, too excited to keep still now. She waves for them to come close, and Blitzwing and Bumblebee inch nearer. "I saw Optimus and Megatron around the side of the building," She whispers, glancing at the distant form of Ratchet off in the far corner. "And Megatron totally gave Optimus a hug!" She nearly squeals, bouncing on her toes and grinning so wide that she can hardly see.
When she opens her eyes again, Blitzwing and Bumblebee stare blankly, as if they didn't hear what she said.
She huffs. "Well? Come on, that's huge news, isn't it? Or did you already know and nobody told me?"
The two mechs share another look. Bumblebee rubs his palm over the back of his neck. "Sar, is this like...the Megatron? The giant dude that's been trying to scrap all of us for the past bunch'a months? That Megatron? The Megatron that's kind of legendary on Cybertron for not giving two scraps who he offlines or why? Or did you find another one?"
"Hey!"
"No, no, Bumblebee makes an excellent point, bitlet," Blitzwing says, helm tilting as he thinks. "Lord Megatron is not...how to phrase it? He is not affectionate. Even with mechs he does enjoy ze company of, he is more prone to-" His faceplate whirls back to black and red. "-Far more prone to squeezing zem until zey become new sheet metal! Haha!"
"But I really did see them! I'm not making it up!"
"Alright, maybe you saw buckethead do it," Bumblebee mumbles, optics slanted towards Blitzwing in a way that means he still doesn't really believe her, "But there's no way you saw the Boss-Bot do that."
Sari tilts her head and squints. "How come?"
"Prime acts like he's havin' a full-blown spark attack whenever anybody gives him a tap on the chassis," Bumblebee explains, "If he's not fighting, he can't handle that kind of thing."
Blitzwing's returning blue faceplate nods sagely in agreement, servo curled against his chin. "It is an Autobot social protocol, if I am remembering Shockwave's reports correctly. Zey are quite outdated for ze general populace, but strictly enforced for ze Elite Guard bots. Not to be violated lightly, either," He adds.
"Well, Optimus didn't really go in for it." Bee tilts his helm in confusion while Blitzwing merely squints. Sari sighs and turns, pacing in small circles. "He got really upset about something after Soundwave left, and Megatron just kinda...pulled him in. I guess it wasn't really a hug," She says with a shrug, "But Optimus really liked it! You should've seen him, it looked like the first time he's ever relaxed in his life."
That gets their attention, for some reason. Bumblebee shoots a quick glance towards Ratchet before plucking Sari from the ground and scurrying towards the hall in the back of the garage where their bedrooms are, Blitzwing close behind. "Dude," Bee gasps, turning up to Blitzwing, "Have you noticed Megs acting weird, too?"
"Rather often, as a matter of fact," Blitzwing murmurs, "I suspected ze meetings our master was holding with ze Prime were more zan strategic, but nothing like zis." He turns down to Bee. "I suppose you have made note of some strange behavior from your leader as well?"
"He freakin' smiles sometimes! He never did that working space bridge maintenance! The only time he got close was when he was watchin' all those old war holos during downtime."
"Curious..."
"Um. Guys?" The pair look back to Sari when she speaks up. She shrugs and throws her arms wide. "Isn't this a good thing? I mean, your bosses make each other happy, or something like that. That's great!" When they merely stare, Sari's confidence wavers. "Isn't it?"
"Under other circumstances, bitlet, it would be excellent to hear zat our lord has found a mech to...bond with," Blitzwing says carefully. He crosses his arms over his chassis and leans back, glancing at the still-occupied and distant Ratchet. "But zere are quite a few problems with a cross-faction relationship, even if it does not exceed platonic feelings."
"Like?"
"Yeah, like what?" Bumblebee chimes in, "Because I was just thinkin' the jets slipped somethin' into the energon and we gotta get 'em a good cleanout."
Blitzwing hums, tapping his digits on his arm. "In Lord Megatron's case, other Decepticons will question his leadership. Zey may defect, or take Optimus Prime as hostage, assuming he has altered our master's processor in some way."
"What, so he can't like an Autobot? Who cares about that?!" Sari cries, quickly shushed by Bee and Blitzwing.
They peer over their shoulders at Ratchet - he glances up from whatever he was working on for a moment, then grumbles indistinctly and returns to it. Bumblebee's armor relaxes over his frame, and Blitzwing sighs. "Bitlet, Autobot and Decepticon are not mere names we give to ourselves. Zey represent...deeper concepts," He says uneasily, glancing away. Sari peers up at the big flier and wonders what kind of "deeper concept" would make him seem so uncomfortable all of a sudden. "We have rightful suspicion of each other based solely on how we brand ourselves," He explains, framing the violet emblem on his chestplate with one servo, "So if Lord Megatron was revealed to all Decepticons to have attachment to an Autobot..."
"It's...that bad?" Bee asks nervously. "I mean, I'm pretty sure Boss-Bot would get scrapped by the Elite Guard for callin' a ceasefire without their say-so, but that's because he's just a crew captain. You're sayin' Megatron could get into slag over somethin' like this?"
Blitzwing shrugs. "Ze Decepticon name and brand goes far beyond Lord Megatron, despite what your kind believes. It's impossible to say how others will react to zis information. ...Actually, it would have been better if Optimus Prime was one of ze Elite Guard. Lord Megatron could frame it as a political move, in zat case."
"That's stupid!" The two bots look down at Sari as she kicks her heel on Bumblebee's wrist. "If they like each other, why does it matter what any other Decepticons or Autobots think about it? Besides, nobody's gonna know anyway." Bee and Blitzwing's optics go wide as they stare down at her. She throws her arms up in an arc, gesturing to the whole building. "The only way to talk to any other bots is through that Shockwave guy, right? And you aren't gonna tell anyone else, right?" She glares at the two until they shake their helms, then smiles at them again. "So no problem!"
"Oh," The pair says simultaneously.
"Soooooo, with that whole finding out thing not being a problem..." Sari trails off. "You're still happy for them, right?"
"Of course I am!" Bee half-yells, grinning wide. "Optimus totally needs another set of servos to chill out sometimes and, I mean, sure, it's fraggin' Megatron, but who cares?"
Blitzwing covers his mouth to avoid releasing an undignified noise. "Yes, with zat in mind, I am quite happy for our lord. Better zan Starscream, at least."
"Ewww, Megatron had feelings for Starscream?"
"Rumors only, but I had suspicions before arriving here."
"Rumors about what?"
The trio shriek in unison, Blitzwing curling protectively around Bumblebee, who pulls Sari close to his chassis. Optimus tilts his helm in confusion, the tiniest smile on his face. "When the heck did you walk in?!" Bee squeals.
Optimus nods towards the open garage door. "Just now. I had some...concerns about Soundwave, and wanted to make sure Megatron heard them before making a decision." He seems to finally realize the odd position the three of them have taken, and narrows his optics suspiciously. "What are you doing, anyway?"
"N-nothing! Just, uhh, havin' some casual socializing time!" Bee gives a forced, awkward, unconvincing laugh. "New allies and gettin' to know each other and all that!"
Optimus still looks doubtful, but he doesn't question it, shaking his helm and walking away, towards Ratchet. They start to talk about something, but Sari can't hear what. Probably more boring stuff like supply runs and whatnot.
Suddenly Blitzwing pulls away, and Sari giggles when Bee starts pouting over it. His optic goes glassy and unfocused, like every bots' do when they're concentrating on their comms. "Ah. Apologies for leaving so suddenly, but Lord Megatron has asked me to return to our station in ze mines."
"Man, can't you tell that guy to buzz off this once?"
Blitzwing chuckles and gives Bee a gentle pat on his helm. "I am afraid not, honey-sweet. Duty calls for me, and I must answer. I will be back tomorrow, do not worry."
Bumblebee sighs quietly as Blitzwing ducks out of the old garage door. Sari bursts into sudden laughter, falling back against Bee's cupped digits. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing...honey-sweet."