Truce era. Exploring the galaxy together (because Megatron was assigned this little AutoBrat, and he’s stuck with him now...).
It’s tolerable for the few minutes out of the cycle they deign to talk to one another like civilized mechs.
Other times, it’s Optimus fussing disproportionately over Megatron getting a slice in his chassis -if only because it was his fault Megatron got it in the first place by rushing in to protect him against some alien threat they’d gotten themselves mixed up in.
And in lieu of a thank you -which would mean admitting the whole ‘protecting thing’ just happened- Optimus yells at him ✨
<Warnings in the tags>
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“Let Ratchet fix that, before it leaves a mark!” Both attempts at inspecting the incision are thwarted by Megatron simply standing at his full height and out of Optimus’ reach.
“You think me so weak-“
“Don’t give me that speech again!” Optimus threw up his hands, waving them as close to Megatron’s face to cause a stir as he could- only managing about chest height.
The ‘Con sneered past them at the little blue face below, only wishing he was more upset by Optimus’ infamously blasé treatment of him than he was.
Something positively thrilling coiled in his tanks when the firetruck talked to him like this. A way no other would dare.
“As I understand it, you’re known rather well for your own rambling speeches.”
Unfortunately, so. Beyond his old earth bound teammates snoring away over the ones he’d use to give about the Autobot Cause, he’d heard in whispers when no one knew he was around that his New Cybertron Division speeches about ‘Cons and ‘Bots coming together and respecting one another were garnering more mockery than inspiration.
Honestly, if he could turn the part of his brain module off that needed to see peace and order amongst the most hopeless of mechs, he would.
He’d settled for ignoring Megatron and his sadly accurate claim instead.
“What do you understand about anything?! You won’t even allow a medic to help you!”
Megatron rolled his optics and stared down his nasal ridge at the other. Puffing himself up for a holy display of prestige.
“Really, Prime? This is not scar worthy.”
Optimus shook his fist.
“What does that even-“
“This~ is scar worthy.”
Oh, if only the little mech had known what was coming for him.
Megatron flexed his arm at Optimus’ optic level to show the myriad of scuffs and trauma -so faint, they were almost imperceptible- that he’d acquired over millions of years of ruthless punishment, right there for him to see.
As he anticipated, cocky aft, the little Prime responded with immediate intrigue, jaw snapping shut.
He stared in shock for a moment before realizing Megatron was in no hurry to put the show away. Awaiting some form of a response.
Optimus tried to expel the silence with something functional and sensible to say. Something to discourage Megatron’s abhorrent unprofessionalism.
Useless drivel was all he could formulate.
“Wow! That’s, uh- Oh, that’s... it’s...wow.“
Megatron’s delight went unnoticed- Optimus locked on the bruising gnashes in otherwise smooth metal.
A string of nonsense about Optimus not condoning the neglect of one’s chassis warbled out beaten those plush, parted lips. And with that single weak protest, the rest of his processing power became a scramble to appraise the roguish display stood before him.
Megatron tried not to tense his muscles beneath the scrutiny.
“This one looks like it was deep!” Optimus said, studying the line over the swell of Megatron’s bicep, subconsciously feeling himself lean closer than was likely appropriate.
But when would he get another chance like this?
Not... not that he’d been waiting for a chance like this in the first place...
It was just... Megatron was millions of years old. Millions of years seeing battle- the wars Optimus had only read about. Megatron had actually been in them, and here was the astounding proof of that
Megatron’s confidence soared.
“Absolutely.” He belatedly answered and straightened his shoulders.
“I was stranded and starving for nearly five orn without any way to contact Starscream- back when she was reliable.... We’d gotten separated during a raid and I-“
To his shock, Optimus’ servos began to slowly creep upwards towards the wound. Megatron’s sudden silence brought Optimus’ attention back to his faceplate, his servos stopping as soon as the little mech became aware of what he was doing. Hands hovering an inch above the heated metal.
Megatron took note of it, and something began to flicker to life in the depths of his spark. That familiar thrill. The glimmer in his calculative gaze went thankfully overlooked once again by the enchanted little thing below- Too concerned with the urge to reach out and touch the tensing plates at his fingertips, but too embarrassed to do just that.
“...Here,” Megatron turned towards him for better access.
“You can feel for yourself.”
An invitation, if there ever was one.
Optimus flinched. He glanced upward -to a considerably tamer look in the bigger mech’s optic, who knew the other would only run if he’d seen that cunning glean- and decided that Megatron sounded so certain that surely it’d be ok if he just... maybe just a touch... just a little one...
Megatron turned his chest into him, cloaking him in his shadow and locking them away from any wandering optics. Optimus tended to need a lot of encouragement, and this seemed to be just enough.
The smaller mech swallowed and let his palms settle on the warm metal. Digits twitching with the effort not to test the strength under the armor of those powerful servos. He was already making a spectacular fool of himself, better not add to it by looking the swooning damsal.
The scars lightly caught against the tips of his fingers, as he moved over them. Upon discovering each one, he allowed his hands to trace them over until they met with the next one- then following a new path. Practically groping at the ex-warlord’s bicep.
“Um, uhm...” His finials flicked, fingers trailing along a scar on his forearm, looking to be another deep gash that’d healed impressively so. Possibly having cut all the way to his circuitry once.
That Megatron was a living piece of history, one that’d weathered tremendous stress in this frame, and now Optimus was touching it?
He flushed to the tip of his finials, though blissfully unaware of it. Laser focused on the piece of fine architecture before him.
“T-this is very.... um....nice.”
Knowing perfectly well that charming little blush was his own doing, Megatron had to force himself to keep from ruffling himself up and making too much of a show. Some amount of humbleness was due- galactic war terror of the ages, or not.
“This one came from you.” He purred, a bit too sultrily, and took a cobalt blue hand in his own to help guide it across the scar, up towards his shoulder seam.
“It might very well be my favorite.”
So much for humble...
He cocked a brow and looked every bit the lecherous scoundrel he was for saying that, but Optimus was hardly of right mind to acknowledge that he should fuss him back into good behavior.
“O-oh-“ Optimus began to laugh nervously. Awareness bleeding into him then that he was stood there fondling his old enemy without a bit of articulate commentary to add to make this any less awkward. Like it even would.
And just when he thought he’d reached his potential as a hopeless loser after turning down drinks with his academy crushes to do more studying, he’d hit a new low.
Not that this was some great service! He hadn’t asked to do this, and he didn’t owe Megatron his remaining (dwindling) sense to make less of a fool of himself- make this less pathetic.
In his defense, Megatron was showing no sign of wishing to end this interaction, and Optimus was -embarrassingly- hard pressed to say he’d like to either.
So he just allowed himself to feel around, occasionally guided by a strong hand. Being very careful to never leave the ‘safety’ of Megatron’s arm when that broad chest and tapered waist stood precariously just in the corner of Optimus’ optic. Also riddled with old wounds.... begging to be explored, too.
No, no, no. Like he’d ever do that. No, no. No, thank you.
“Optimus?”
“Hm?!” His helm snapped to attention, curious servos coming to a stop again.
Megatron smiled -a thing made awful by the genuineness in it. Clearly aware that he was getting the most benefit out of all of this shameful ogling.
A ‘Con to his core, he took an extra moment to suppress a growl rising in his throat.
“Do you want to see the others?”
“The others-?” Optimus squeaked.
‘Others’ being somewhere other than the expanse of thick, thrumming metal before him?
Where? No- No, no,
, that was a giant red flag right there.
Optimus should pry himself away like a good, decent mech and report himself to Ultra Magnus for a full briefing on former enemy faction relations etiquette.
“Y- I... Uhm. Y-Yes?”
Well, that wasn’t stiff and awkward sounding at all. And thank goodness he had said ‘no’ with the ounce of sense he had left in his empty helm.
Although, that must not be what he’d said at all, because Megatron’s engines produced an incredibly forceful rumble throughout his frame that ran right into Optimus’ searching hands, making the flush on those cerulean cheeks creep further down past his throat cables.
“How does right now sound?” Megatron shuffled forward in the centimeter of space left between them.
It sounded like it wasn’t really a question.
“Um-“
“You know, while the mood is right?” Megatron smiled ‘innocently’.
Optimus tried to channel Primus for strength.
“W-What mood is that even?”
“The one where you are quite agreeable at the moment. I’m sure I wouldn’t succeed to impress you so thoroughly twice.”
Optimus considered how easily he’d done it even once. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure how much of that was his poor resolve to resist Megatron’s undeniable charm, and how much of that was the ex-warlord’s equally undeniable natural appeal. His powerful, intelligent, confident, foreboding appeal.
Or a mix of both, which would be absolutely deadly and damning.
Since agreeing to a truce and the near endless measures he’d been taking to keep the peace, chances were Megatron could have Optimus whichever way he wanted him, whenever he wanted him. If he indeed wanted him for whatever surprising reason....
As Megatron becoming a beckon of security and comfort to their brethren in every faction had made Optimus quite ‘agreeable’ to anything a powerful, protective force such as Megatron might desire. Always having been a sucker for authority- and more profoundly, authoritative mechs with compassion.
Optimus sucked his bottom lip and searched deep within himself for some sort of plausible excuse as to why he shouldn’t have... whatever this was.
There were the hundreds of obvious reasons, the thousands of personal ones from their Earthly encounters, and the very few logical ones that centered mostly around the short tolerance of post war cross faction relationships -which was all hot garbage anyway, and a couple of other mechs had already thrown the supposed shame they should feel for their ‘taboo’ out the window.
And, Primus, Megatron was right here...
Grinning at him much like he’d done plenty of times before in battle- shooting him a mocking sort of smirk. Odd that those smirks didn’t look any bit disingenuously interested in Optimus, though now for very different reasons.
And just standing here with his much larger servos barely resisting the overwhelming urge to grab Optimus by the hip seams, if their visible twitches and the way he kept staring at him there were anything to go by.
No, there was hardly any reason at all not to explore whatever promising new chapter their... ‘relationship’ was foretelling. Beyond Optimus’ ever present internal guilt for forces outside his control, of course. But what else was new?
Optimus agreed with a single nod and was blessedly saved from melting into nothingness at the sweltering fire in the bigger mech’s optics by the reassuring servo wrapping around the small of his back, ushering him to follow closely at Megatron’s side. He was taken someplace where just the two of them could wallow in Optimus’ hesitant glee in peace.
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Just boys flirting. Lock me up.
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