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The night was fresher and quieter than the day of noise and heat, and Megatron slipped free from the cherishing limbs of his mates, leaving the headquarters of GHOST behind as he vanished into the dark.
No one heard him, no one saw him; not a sound betrayed his departure to alert his former enemies of his silent escape. The air was cool and welcoming, and the carved moon above seemed to rise only to greet him—its pale glow washing across his plated frame, making the metal gleam like silver. His crimson optics burned against the dark, dazzling with the reminder of his former tyranny, yet still carrying a mighty beauty and majesty that were uniquely his own. He roamed deeper into the night, each step drawing him further away, the cool air embracing him like an old companion. It was as though the silence itself had called to him, pulling him forward, ever onward, into the waiting arms of the mountains.
The mountains showed their mighty faces, reflecting his own, as he stared out into the wide land he longed to corrupt, destroy, and conquer. He drank in the night, letting it fill him, thinking of how he wished to claim such a blissful and peaceful world—one that stirred memories of the home he and his kind had once come from, from the endless lands of the stars.
How strange, this planet—so peaceful, so beautiful, and so unlike Iacon. Strange, yet colorful, vibrant, alive. All beautiful.
How blind he had been back then…deceived by the cruelty of the mines, where he had been known as a miner. Haunting memories of suffering and betrayal, with no sign of forgiveness, no chance of forgetting.
How blind he had been, and now his former Decepticons even more so. Oh, how regret began to gnaw at him, mocking him in quiet, relentless whispers.
His optics dimmed slowly to darkness as he let the wind blow around him, wishing it could carry away the memories, the regrets, the guilt. Haunted endlessly, he had longed to conquer it all, believing that these silent nights could grant him some measure of peace.
He remained still, unmoved, unbothered by the cold, biting air. Then he felt it—two presences drawing near. Yet he did not move to defend himself, nor to conquer the ones who dared approach.
Two arms wrapped gently around his waist, the other hand rested lightly upon his shoulder. He remained silent, optics still offline, yet his lips curled—a small, almost imperceptible smirk. But it was all there.
With her cheekplate resting on his shoulder and his hand on her shoulder, and soon his own helm leaning against his other shoulder, Optimus and Elita forgot the confusion and worry of their mate being missing from his spot on the berth and the mission to find him was complete.
Megatron felt their presences envelop him in seconds, feeling them both suddenly and blissfully begin to soothe him.
Optimus, with a smile, admitted, “Even from afar, when the moon and even the sun shine, you…you are so beautiful. Even in the frosted season, the white makes you aglow. Both of you make me aglow and ignite my spark to fly”
Elita then nodded and agreed. “You both appear so strong before me,” she said, stroking Optimus' servo from across Megatron's chest and kissing Megatron's shoulder.
Megatron only chuckled. “Can you both not be crushing me so tight?” He chuckled again as he felt Optimus hold him, and soon Elita too, her arms encircling both him and Optimus in her own embrace, letting out a soft giggle.
“You like it that way when we’re in the berth,” she clarified.
“And that is the fun of it,” Optimus added.
Megatron chuckled again. “You two are impossible, as on the very cursed day we met. Ugh…” He shook his helm. “How in the name of Primus did I ever have you both?”
Optimus smiled, and Elita giggled.
He loved them so…even in secret, and he missed them so…he did not deserve to have them both.
Long ago, since the day they met, they had learned to read Megatron, to understand him, and to grow in their passion to love him—even when something troubled him.
They only stared at him carefully, their embrace holding him close.
“What’s troubling you, Megatron?”
He did not speak; he only stared at them. His smile was smaller than the first one he had let free, but this one was different. “You two are…something. And yet, after all I have done, after seeking a new path, striving to prove that I wish to follow it…you two are still beside me, as you were before…before I turned against you both,” he murmured under his breath, even so they would not hear, for he wished it so.
They remained silent and steady. Optimus held him close, and Elita embraced him fully. Megatron soon let a shy purr escape him. Optimus then offered a comforting smile as Elita’s own followed, and he replied. “You seem to have a lot going on, Megatron, and it must be truly important for us to see you away from the berth”
Megatron only sighed, and staring at him, he allowed a small smile. “I...kind of”
“What be going on in that processor of yours, Megatron? You can try, but like Primes, you both cannot hide from me,” Elita said as she looked up at him.
“Just...” he froze, then let a faint smile return as he turned his gaze toward the night sky. “...everything”
Optimus pressed a gentle kiss to his shoulder while Elita held both her mechs close, and Optimus soon placed his free servo upon the back of Elita’s neck, feeling her free arm guide him nearer.
“How long have you been feeling like this?”
He did not reply at first, until at last he confessed. “For a while. For a bit...perhaps forever,” he admitted, the faint smile returning again as he turned away from the glow of their blue optics, allowing the crimson of his own to dim.
“Then...we know the way to soothe your troubles away”
Megatron stared at Optimus, and asked quietly, “Oh?”
Elita’s servos lifted to gently stroke along his cheekplate, her expression softening. “It helps with Optimus”
Optimus smiled at her, and Megatron offlined his optics, his smile widening faintly as he felt their closeness surround him. He soothed, “Sit down on the grass with us”
Megatron stared at him, and he obeyed. He trusted them both. He loved them both, yet still believed he did not deserve them and still they wished to have him near. “Very well,” he murmured with a smile, and he slowly lowered himself onto the grass. Optimus and Elita pulled him close, Elita’s servos lifting to cradle his face, her tender touches brushing across his silver cheekplates.
“Now...lean down to my lap”
He glanced at her, exhaled a deep sigh, and allowed his helm to lower until it came to rest upon her lap.
Elita’s servos stroked along the ridges of his helm as Optimus began to caress his broad silver chest.
Optimus leaned close. “Now...think upon the things that bring you contentment, Megatron. Even before the war—think of what granted you peace”
Elita nodded. “Think of the things that brighten you all the way, and help you cast off the darkness of the mines our silver one once endured. Think of the things that make you feel as though you can soar through it all”
Megatron, his optics still dimmed, let a deep purr-thrum escape him, as though their spell of comfort were already succeeding. He placed one hand upon Optimus’ and the other upon Elita’s.
They leaned close, their optics glowing in the stillness of the dead of night.
“Let it all flow away from you, Megatron, and let it all go,” Elita softly said.
Megatron only purred, a slow and lighter purr than before.
Optimus, with his servo being held by Megatron’s while feeling Elita’s, murmured. “There below you…is a sea of all you have faced and conquered bravely, and yet they still dare to torment you. You are preparing to fall, to let it consume you, but...there is a plank. A plank that is there to stop you from falling”
“And the plank that is long and wide, with the wind blowing, telling you to go forward...to lead you to a land that is before you, a land of peace,” Elita enchanted. “...and us being there, waiting for you”
Megatron’s helm grew heavier, the weight pressing down as his vents opened, releasing a deep sigh. And then...
...he was silent as the night.
Elita and Optimus only smiled and soon their optics then dimmed to match the darkness of the forest.
The first light came from the sky, and the clouds began to drift into view. The earthly peace of morning’s greeting came with the chorus of chirps from above, and the trees seemed to sing as Megatron onlined his optics. He groaned softly, feeling the morning light touch against his armor.
He shifted to rise, but felt pressures holding him in place. Turning his gaze, he found the two beings—the intruders who had peacefully faded the weight of his regrets.
Elita lay upon the field of green with her cheekplate resting against his chest, her servo pressed lightly over his spark chamber. On his other side, Optimus lay close, his large servo draped over Elita’s smaller one, their recharging faces still lost in the realm of programming dreams.
Megatron stared at them both, and a smile—larger than before—formed across his lips. A soft chuckle vented from deep within his frame, carried out by the steady rhythm of his vents. The sound stirred the wind, and it brushed over them, coaxing their optics to flicker online, glowing faintly as they stirred awake.
Their groggy expressions shifted quickly into softened smiles, wide as his own.
“Good morning,” Optimus greeted.
Megatron only smiled.
“Recharge good?” Elita asked gently.
Megatron nodded, his smile still etched upon his face. “Your words guided me...and I dreamed that I was standing beside you both, and you brought me peace...” he confessed quietly. “...and for the first time, I recharged without torment. It did not touch me”
Elita and Optimus shared a knowing look before their gazes returned to him, their smiles radiant.
Their three forms pressed closer until they became one.
They were one.
The others back at G.H.O.S.T. headquarters can wait for their arrival, but until then they are just perfect.