Shattered Shenanigans

31: Bickers

They were both working late again. The past 10pm kind of late.

Megatronus and Optimus just stared at them, neither finding the energy to drag them to recharge. Megatron was still there too for some reason. Just watching. They were all eager to get back.

Ratchet seemed to be noticing they were being watched. "What?"

"Have a look at the time." Optimus started.

Soundwave rolled his optics, "It's not late."

"It is." Megatronus started and Optimus nodded his helm in agreement.

"Mmm." Megatron hummed, it sounded like he was agreeing?

"I'm fine!" Ratchet hissed and started to work more aggressively. "If you're so tired, go recharge." He shot back.

"I'm not tired." Megatronus started.

"Because we got in adequate recharge." Optimus added.

"So did we!" Soundwave started.

"Three hours is not adequate recharge." Megatron snipped.

"How did you know-" Ratchet started.

"You didn't exactly sneak past my berthroom quietly." Megatron grumbled and looked over at Megatronus, "He's light enough for you to carry-"

"I will not be carried!" Soundwave hissed while Megatronus snorted.

"It works every time." Megatron started.

"Does your Soundwave-" Optimus started.

"He magnetizes his peds to the floor to stop me from dragging him away from the monitor." Megatron grumbled.

"Then it's a good thing these floors aren't magnetic." Megatronus mumbled and walked over to Soundwave.

"No!" Soundwave protested.

"Yes." Megatronus nodded as he got closer.

"Fine!" He shrieked and ducked away, "I can walk!" He added and scampered to the hallways.

Megatronus let out a pleased 'Hmm' before following.

"It's just the threat that does it." Megatron said lowly.

Ratchet just carried on working. He knew Optimus couldn't carry him successfully that far, he was heavier and Optimus' back wasn't the best. He looked over at Megatron, why was he still here?

He knew that the information on the monitors required a password he did not know. So Megatron had no way of accessing any information let alone location. "It's late." Optimus started but this time looking at Megatron.

Megatron looked at him, "Unlike Ratchet, I got adequate recharge." He started.

"So did everyone else, and they have-"

"He runs on pure spite." Ratchet started earning himself a scoff.

"And what's so wrong with wanting some company?" Megatron asked and went to sit on a crate that was way to close to Ratchet for his liking.

Ratchet let his compulsive thoughts win and kicked it out from underneath him, leaving Megatron to fall to the floor. "Argk!"

Ratchet croaked once he realized what he had done. "Ep!" He shrieked when Megatron got up and scrambled to the hallways.

Megatron scowled and looked at Optimus, "What do you have your mask up for?"

Optimus hadn't even noticed, though he was glad it was hiding his grin. "Oh, I don't know." He lied badly, it was clear Megatron noticed so he just started to power down the monitors. He let down his mask and turned back around when he was done. "Yes?" He asked, Megatron was probably staring at him for a reason.

"Well, when we get back, where will we be?" He asked.

"In our dimension." Optimus answered and before Megatron could slide in a sarcastic retort. "I do not know exact coordinates." Optimus said, he hadn't given in much thought. Could they even aim the Ground bridge? "Perhaps at our anchor? Our base-" Then Optimus realized the problem.

He looked over at Megatron, he didn't seem pleased either. Perhaps he wouldn't be fond of being surrounded by Autobots in a confided space.

"I will have to ask Ratchet." Optimus huffed, "But we can Bridge you out, that is if you-"

"-Cooperate, yes, yes." Megatron grumbled and headed off through the halls, leaving Optimus to wonder if his sentence outcomes were really that predictable. Surely not. Right?

He double checked if everything was powered down and went to recharge himself.

-

-

Optimus woke up and found Ratchet staring at a datapad, he must be drawing up schematics. Wait. "How long have you been awake-" Optimus started.

"An hour." Ratchet said.

Optimus wasn't convinced and wondered over to look at his work. He understood none of it. "That looks like at least ten hours of work." He started.

Ratchet scowled, "I worked on it yesterday-" He cut himself off under Optimus' stare, "Three hours at most." He grumbled.

"You'll need to simplify it." Optimus added.

"Why?"

"If I can't understand any of it, how should the others?" Optimus asked.

"Right- Wheeljack is familiar with-" Ratchet tried.

"Do you want to be entirely reliant on Wheeljack to bring us back home?" Optimus asked.

Ratchet blinked. "I will simplify this... A lot."

"Perhaps add a instruction manual." Optimus muttered.

"I'll talk them through the process."

Optimus nodded, "Should I get you a cube?" He asked as he went to leave.

"I already had one, thanks." Ratchet said and Optimus headed out.

He almost walked into one of the Megatrons. This section seemed to have high traffic. "Morning?" He asked, only just noticing the blue optics.

"Hm?" Megatronus was barely awake. "Oh, good morning." He added, "How is- Did Ratchet recharge or..."

"Bit of both." Optimus said, "He is still working on schematics." He added.

Megatronus nodded for a while before he stilled and just stared at Optimus, this was definitely a weird stare.

"Er?" Optimus started.

"Oh, Soundwave commed me." He explained, more awake now. "We'll need more energon for the Ground bridge, He said Ratchet said that you leaving sapped the Ground bridge energon reserves."

Optimus nodded slowly.

"I really butchered my sentence structure there, I'm sorry."

"It is alright... I will decode it." Optimus nodded, eventually.

"Any way, he found a Autobot mine we need to raid-" Megatronus started.

"Hmm?" The other one started as he walked down a corridor. "You don't have your own mines?" Megatron teased, "Oh dear, if only I knew what you were going through." Megatronus took on a bitter expression.

"You could help." Optimus started. He got a scoff in response. "Just think of how fun it would be to beat up a cocky, arrogant, ego centrical version of myself."

Megatron thought it over. "Very well, after all, I want to get back home aswell." He said and walked off, probably to leach them off more of their energon reserves.