Pros and Cons // Transformers Prime // ON HIATUS

Chapter 4

<Dylan's POV / Jack's House>

If all Mom's were like June, I was jealous.

Despite the fact that June fixed a healthy meal of organic tofu - I would need to raid the fridge tomorrow for some red meat - I enjoyed my time with the Darby's. Jack was easygoing, and June was wonderful to chat with.

There were a lot of similarities between Jack and I, we found. We both loved cars - Jack wanted to work on cars for a career and I was a complete grease monkey. Both of us loved animals, specifically dogs, and we shared my favorite animal - wolves. We both loved to read, and both of us loved water.

Jack was surprised to learn that I loved the beach.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, I found myself sad to go.

June gave me a smothering hug and handed me a container full of tofu - I was totally sneaking some into Blair's meals - before Jack offered to walk me to my bike.

He opened the garage door and I smiled. "Thank you so much for letting me stay for dinner. You're mom's a great cook."

"Organic tofu is terrible." He groaned, his nose scrunching up in disgust. "I'm sorry you had to put up with that."

"It wasn't awful."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Okay so its not great, but this will get eaten." I smirked. "Trust me."

"....You omitted pronouns."

"I'll feed it to Blair," My lips twitched wider. "She'll hate me, but it'll be worth it."

"Blair Carson?" He asked in confusion. "The senior?"

I nodded. "Yea, we live together, since her dad's..." My mouth stalled for a moment. "She has a family situation. And I lost my dad when I was young. No mom in the picture - go figure. A friend of Blair's brother took me in." I shrugged. "I've been living there since I was eight."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I waved. "It was a long time ago, and even though Ace has his..." I thought of the stories I heard behind Megatron's back, and the morally grey actions he's had. "bad moments, he's family. I love him."

Jack's face softened, "Yeah, I know how that feels - my dad left us when I was little, and just recently I met someone who fills the spot perfectly."

"I'm glad!" And I meant it. I was a human first, decepticon second. I gestured to my bike. "Well, I should be going. School tomorrow and all."

The junior nodded, cheeks turning a light pink. "Yeah.."

My bike was still in one piece - no one had tried to mess with it, and no autobot had tried to bug it. I swung my leg over and sat down, starting the engine all in one fluid motion. "Bye, Jack!" My voice was muffled through the helmet's glass visor. "See you tomorrow!"

He waved awkwardly, "See you then!"

I sent a quick glance at his blue motorcycle in the garage - the autobot Arcee - and I thought back to every complaint Megs has had against the general human population. Yet, here was a cybertronian living among them.

An alert popped up on my interactive visor, showing that I had a text from Breakdown.

They watched an episode without you.
Sent 10:17

They didn't. I pulled out my phone and snapped a quick reply.

Who?
Sent 10:18
Read 10:18

Jack called out, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I hollered back. "They watched my show without me."

Jack laughed and waved as I pulled away.

••••

<Dylan's POV / Nemesis>

I pushed the button to the door for my guardian and I's shared quarters, and the wall opened with a hiss. It was the same as it had been for the last 9 years. Megs berth to the left, with a cybertronian sized desk beside it. To the right was my side. I hadn't made my bed this morning, and the pile of dirty clothes by my dresser had only grown over the last week.

I dropped my backpack by the desk and fell back on the bed with a heavy sigh. It was odd to sleep in the room without him. I had spent so much of my life with him, getting to know him, learning about him, that going about my normal day without him just felt wrong.

My eyes drifted up to the pictures I had hanging on the wall beside me. Pictures of the gang and I throughout the years. One of a twelve year old Blair on knockout's shoulder. Ravage and a fifteen year old Sam curled up next to Soundwave's holoform.

I reached up and gently grabbed the one in the middle. My blue eyes were bright, and my shoulder length platinum blonde hair was soaked and pulled back in a ponytail. My cheeks were bright red, sunburned just as badly as the rest of me. There was a wide smile on my lips as I stared at whoever was taking the picture.

It was my fourteenth birthday, and Megatron had taken me to the beach. We had spent the day in the water, and gotten lunch at one of the restaurants on the pier. It was just the two of us, and it was amazing. Just before we left, someone had offered to take a picture for us. Megatron's holoform was beside me, a small, rare smile on his face. His dark brown hair brushed the base of his neck and was pulled back in a hair tie like mine. He had a close trimmed beard and chocolate brown eyes, a couple wrinkles forming around his eyes and forehead.

His holoform was broad shouldered, just like his real body, and well muscled. He appeared to normal humans as a young father, age somewhere in his late thirties. His tanned arm was resting around my shoulders, pulling me gently into his side.

It was a memory that would stay with me forever.

I took a slow deep breath and closed my eyes. Soundwave and Knockout had everything under control. Nothing would happen to him under their care, and I could always use Starscream for target practice if he got too power hungry.

Exhale. I cleared my mind of anything relating to the war. No auto bots, no Optimus, no planning.

Inhale. My nostrils flared, catching the faint scent of gun powder and jet fuel, and my eyes burned under my eyelids.

I breathed out sharply and gulped, swallowing down my tears. My eyes snapped back open and I sat up quickly, placing the picture on my nightstand.

I needed something - anything - to keep my mind off the silence of my room. And lucky for me, I knew someone who was going out tonight.

••••

Megatron's Holoform —>