A/N: So I originally started writing this fic with the G1 designs in mind for Megs and OP, but now I'm aiming more towards the WFC Netflix series designs (minus Megatron's weird-ass lips). That being said, Megs turns into a badass tank instead of a gun lol.

Optimus and Megatron were a mess of tangled limbs when they awoke from recharge the next morning. Megatron felt a familiar heat beginning to rise in his core and growled softly, starting to try and free himself from the trap he'd been unintentionally caught in. Optimus tried to do the same, but wasn't having much luck.

"Now move your leg. No— your other leg." The Prime huffed. A yelp of pain escaped him when Megatron accidentally kneed him in the crotch.

"Oh, for Primus' sake. If you weren't so clingy, we wouldn't be in this mess." Megatron grumbled, wincing when he had to bend his leg at a strange angle in order to free it.

Optimus rolled his optics. "Why do you always blame me for things that are out of my control?"

After a few uncomfortable minutes, they finally managed to untangle themselves. A slip in concentration on Optimus's part allowed Megatron to briefly feel his emotions. He could sense annoyance, embarrassment, and... lust? Optimus usually kept his side of the bond closely guarded, so this lapse was almost uncharacteristic of him. It made Megatron realize that Optimus must've also felt his lingering feeling of lust and he quickly sealed off his side of the bond before anything else slipped through.

A pang of guilt pierced Megatron's spark as Optimus looked over at him, then looked away with a somber dullness to his optics. He'd knowingly shut off his end of the bond, but it had been out of instinct. Or rather, something he didn't want to admit—fear.

Fear that he'd be hurt again.

Fear that he'd hurt Optimus again.

"We should get moving." Optimus finally broke the silence that had held the room for several minutes. He retrieved the datapad and stored it in his subspace as he rose to his pedes.

Megatron watched him, then pushed himself up with a soft sigh. He rolled his shoulders a few times to work out the stiffness in his joints, simultaneously running diagnostics on his systems to make sure everything was working as efficiently as possible.

"What's the plan?" He asked as Optimus headed for the doorway.

"I don't know."

Megatron paused in the doorway while Optimus continued forward. "So we're just going to wander around until we find something else?" He questioned with a scowl. "We were lucky to find that datapad you're holding, and it's no use to us!"

Optimus suddenly spun around, optics narrowed.

"Do you have a better idea?" He growled, his tone sharp. "Because if you do, I'd love to hear it."

Before Megatron could reply, however, Optimus turned back around and kept walking.

Megatron's dermas twitched and he curled one servo into a fist. The urge to get violent and add to the flame of the argument was strong, but he managed to extinguish that spark inside of him before it got him in trouble. Remember why you're doing this.

"Optimus." The name slipped through Megatron's dermas faster than he could think, leaving him vulnerable as he stood there waiting for a response.

Optimus almost chose to ignore him, but ultimately decided to listen to what he had to say. He stopped walking and stood still, though he didn't turn.

The world around Megatron seemed to fade away, leaving only him and Optimus. Suddenly, they were like a pair of actors illuminated by spotlights on a dark stage as they prepared for the emotional confrontation that would set the tone for rest of the act.

Megatron wanted to speak, but could find no words. He growled at his own incompetence and racked his processor for something to say—anything.

"I don't want it to be this way." He finally said. "Constantly at each other's throats, never being able to truly trust one another... You could say it's my fault that things are like this and it is, but you also played a part."

Optimus didn't move. Megatron swallowed his pride and let out a long sigh.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is... I'm tired of fighting." Megatron continued, seeing that Optimus wasn't going to say anything in response to his first statements. "I'm tired of fighting you, Optimus. I would give anything for things to be the way they were before this damned war began, but that life is gone. The only thing I can do to salvage what's left is try to reconcile things with you, but I cannot do that without you."

The silence that followed ate away at Megatron like a scraplet gnawing on his insides. He didn't expect Optimus to agree with him. Hell, he was sure he'd be dragged for acting pathetic and expressing his woes when he was the reason everything went to slag all those eons ago.

Please say something. I can't stand the silence.

Optimus's shoulders lifted, then fell as he released a heavy sigh.

"Ever since that day, I had hope that I would somehow get through to you. That hope remained through our darkest hours, but it soon began to falter." He murmured, slowly turning around to face Megatron. "It may have taken eons for you to truly recognize what we had, but I'd rather have that than have you never recognize it at all."

Megatron felt a slight tug on his spark and his gaze softened without him realizing it.

"We have our differences and our own issues to deal with, but we are still one. We are still bonded. That is something I will always cherish." Optimus said. His optics creased a little around the edges—evidence that he was smiling behind his mouthplate. "We can do this. Together."

Megatron returned the smile—his first genuine smile in what felt like eons. "Together." He replied.

Together, the two of them could take on the world just like they had as Orion Pax and Megatronus.

•
•
•

Upon emerging from the building, Optimus and Megatron were greeted by a shocking surprise. Just a few hours earlier, they'd been surrounded by nothing but flat ground.

Now, an enormous triangular-shaped structure hovered in the distance, an ominous hum reverberating from somewhere within its depths.

"What is that?" Megatron expressed his thoughts out loud.

Optimus found himself both perplexed and intrigued by the strange structure. "I'm not sure. Perhaps it's a ship." He said.

"Have you ever seen a starship that large, Prime?" Megatron turned to ask him. "Not even the Nemesis can rival the size of that thing, let alone your Ark."

"Vast portions of the galaxy remain unexplored. There could be a far more advanced civilization out there that we aren't even aware of."

"Unlikely. Besides, our planet is dying. You'd have to be a fool to come here."

"Well it wasn't here earlier, so it must've come for a reason." Optimus concluded, narrowing his optics. "It could be a threat, which makes it our duty to ensure it's not a threat or destroy it."

"I believe you mean your duty." Megatron scoffed. "You're the prime, after all."

"Which makes you my willing accomplice." Optimus responded, giving Megatron an elbow to his side before he transformed and drove off towards the structure.

Megatron let out a dramatic groan and reluctantly transformed to trail after him. Why did he always have to get dragged into crazy shenanigans when Optimus was around?

As they got closer to the structure, the hum grew louder and louder until it became nearly unbearable to listen to. Not only that, the ground and air themselves seemed to vibrate on the same level as the frequency of the hum.

Upon transforming, both Megatron and Optimus felt the vibrations travel up their frames and permeate their very cores. Their armor rattled and their systems had trouble handling the balance disturbances that were being caused.

"Still think this is a good idea?" Megatron had to shout in order to be heard over the irritating hum that violated his audio receptors.

Optimus struggled to contain the overload of auditory information. He tilted his head back to get a better view of the spacecraft, though he immediately regretted it when his balance was thrown off. His tank dropped as he stumbled backward.

Megatron reacted quickly and grabbed Optimus before he fell, his joints creaking under the extra stress. He too felt unsteady on his pedes, if not a tad bit nauseous as well.

Before he could say anything else, though, the vibrations abruptly ceased. Things were now eerily quiet, aside from the faint sound of whirring machinery coming from beneath the outer plating of the behemoth structure.

Once the rest of the noise had been filtered out of his head, Megatron could finally hear again. Every joint in his body itched with the need to rid itself of the strange sensation, but he was still supporting Optimus in his arms.

"Why did it stop?" Optimus questioned, wincing as his tank continued to churn.

"Who cares. I've about had enough of—" Megatron paused all of a sudden, his voice dying in his throat as he felt a tug on his spark—like someone had reached into his chest and yanked on it. "Optimus... was that your doing?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Optimus asked. He turned his head to look at Megatron and narrowed his optics.

"My spark.. you pulled on my spark!"

"I didn't do anything!"

Megatron grit his denta together as pain flared across his sensors. The next time he felt the tug, his frame actually jerked upward.

Optimus pulled himself out of Megatron's grip and faced him. "Megatron, what are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything!" Megatron growled, feeling his pedes begin to slide on the ground. "Something is pulling me!"

Optimus pressed his hands against Megatron's chest to try and keep him from being pulled by whatever unknown force was acting upon him. That's when he noticed a hatch that had opened on the underside of the spacecraft. It was emitting some sort of blinding light.

"It's a tractor beam!" Optimus exclaimed, though that didn't explain why Megatron's spark was being pulled. Perhaps the beam had been engineered to target things that gave off substantial amounts of energy.

As if on cue, the same force latched onto Optimus's spark and began pulling him as well. He could feel his spark chamber pressing against the Matrix, creating a terribly uncomfortable sensation.

Both mechs dug their heels in and tried their best to stay on the ground, but they proved to be no match for the sheer power of the beam. They were weightless in its grasp, lifted like mere toys and guided into an inner chamber. Once they'd been brought inside, the hatch shut and everything went dark.

Now they were at the mercy of whoever—or whatever—lurked within the strange craft.