Shattered Shenanigans

28: Split Opinions

Optimus grabbed a cube for himself and Ratchet before walking back to the main room. Both Megatrons weren't there and he still had one burning question so he dropped a cube off with Ratchet and wondered over to Soundwave who was alone in the medbay.

"Soundwave."

"Yes?"

"Do you speak kaonian?" Optimus asked, just to make sure.

"Yea, why?" he said, not looking up from the welding he was focusing on.

"I can come back at another time-" Optimus started, he didn't want to intrude.

"No, it's fine." he said.

"What does 'Fetish' translate to?" Optimus asked.

Soundwave looked up from his work for that, "Aaahhhhh" He let out a splutter, "Kink?" He asked himself, Optimus had no idea what that meant. "No, I think fetish would be closest." He said and paused, "I'm not even going to ask why." He muttered to himself and got back to work.

"Alright, thank you." Optimus said and left. On his way walking over to Ratchet he noticed the others had gone, except Dreadwing, he was reading in a corner. "Do you need help?" Optimus asked.

"Ep? No, I need to wait for a download." Ratchet said and sat back to drink his cube.

Optimus was silent for a bit, "What does fetish mean?"

Ratchet choked on his energon, "What?"

"What does-"

"Yes I heard you." Ratchet started.

"Then why did you-"

"It's just I thought you knew what it meant." Ratchet explained.

"If I knew what it meant I wouldn't be asking you." Optimus said.

"Well yes." Ratchet grumbled. "Um, it's like when Bumblebee asked you what porn is-"

"I see." Optimus started, "The topic is inappropriate."

"In a way I suppose."

"Hmm, what is the download for?" Optimus asked.

"To link the bases code to it, it'll need to be wired into coms and perhaps we'll be able to contact home." Ratchet explained. "Could  take up to the whole darn day." He said and accidentally knocked over his cube, "Darn-"

"I can get you another-" Optimus started as Ratchet cleaned up the spill.

"No it's fine-" Ratchet started stubbornly but Optimus had already started walking, "Wait!" He started and was at his side in a moment. "Now that I'm here, I'll get it." Ratchet started, obviously thinking if Optimus gets it he'll be wasting his time.

"No I'll get it." Optimus said, "I have nothing to do-"

"No."

"Or together." He suggested and Ratchet shut up. They have such weird arguments sometimes. Once they got there, Megatronus was also there.

"Argh." Ratchet grumbled and grabbed a cube, "What are you-"

"Decided for some high grade." Megatronus mumbled then paused, "Did you hug Megatron this morning?" He asked Optimus.

Ratchet looked over at Optimus slowly.

"Yeesss- I hadn't really woken up!" Optimus started as he got a little hot in the faceplate.

"Hm." Megatronus said, seeming a little more pleased. "Oh where are my manners- Cube?" He asked.

"No thank you, I have already had one." Optimus said and Megatronus nodded, then noticed Ratchet was leaving. "Wait." He started and trailed after.

"Where's the other one?" Ratchet asked.

"The other one?"

"The one you hugged." Ratchet started.

"I'm not sure.

"Hmm, I think he's noticed 'nice' Megatron staring at your aft." Ratchet mumbled.

Optimus rolled his optics.

"In addition to everything else." Ratchet grumbled.

"Well at least he's doing it discretely?" Optimus suggested and for that Ratchet offered a laugh of disbelief.

"Optimus, he looks at you the way you and 'evil' Megatron looked at each other before the war." Ratchet started.

Optimus blinked, "Huh." He straightened up a bit, "Fffff-" Optimus tried but he couldn't physically finish that word.

"It's okay to swear occasionally." Ratchet grumbled.

"I don't want to hurt his feelings!" Optimus whisper shouted, "He's nice but-"

"I know, I know." Ratchet nodded, seeming to be happy about something. The happiness faded the moment Megatron walked in.

He paused to stare back. "Am I interrupting?" He asked and Optimus wanted to bang his helm on the wall. "No? Lovely, so-"

"You are-"

"You are coming back to our dimension are you not?" Megatron asked Optimus, "I know, you and your self righteous aft wants to help out wherever but-"

"Yes." Optimus grumbled, "Heard you argue about that with Megatronus-"

"Hm!?" Megatron started, a little flustered and Ratchet knew something was up.

"As much as I hate it, I would prefer to stay in our dimension than swap." Optimus clarified.

"Ohhh." Megatron said, nodding his helm slowly.

"What is a feti-" Optimus started.

"Anyway-" Ratchet started, "Lets get back to-"

"Hold on." Optimus started, "Since we're having a coherent conversation..." Optimus started, "Peace treaty-"

"Argh." Megatron groaned.

"Going for each others neck cables for another hundred years is not ethical." Optimus argued.

"But fun." Megatron said.

You sadistic gli- Optimus let out a vent. "For you-"

Megatron snorted, "And I did not fight this war just to share the spoils." He added and Ratchet started to leave, he didn't like these arguments. "I-"

"Do you hate me?" Optimus blurted out.

"I- what?"

"Do you-"

"I heard you- why?" He asked.

Oh great, Optimus asked a random question that didn't connect to their argument. "The war has long since passed the purpose of freeing Cybertron of the caste system, at this point... It is far more personalised." He explained and Megatron actually listened, "We seem to be fighting for the sake of fighting. To see the other fall."

"Do I hate you?"

"Yes."

"Hm." Megatron thought, "Yeaaa-no. Pft." At least he was thinking about it. "I hate what you stand for, your actions, but not you." He said. "And you, do you hate me?"

Darn Optimus wasn't prepared for the question he had asked. "No, I hate what you have done, and what you may do." He said, "And I try to 'hate' you, but I can't."

"Hm."

"What do you think I 'stand for'?" Optimus asked, "You hate what I stand for?"

"Yes, you're a constant obstacle in the war, the Autobots you lead resisting my Decepticons, taking the force we reserved for the caste system."

He knew well enough that the only reason Optimus was fighting him, was not because he wanted to keep the caste system but because he wanted a stable transition out of it, in contrast to Megatron's methods, force and violence.

"But that is no longer what I represent, what I fight for." Optimus argued. "I fight, because I want to save others from your methods, from your aggression that you now project further than the caste system."

"Hm." Megatron said and started to turn away, "Say what you will, our dance of death has just become too routine to stop." And he was gone.