Chapter Text
So, there was a significant problem.
Prowl liked Lugnut. On a better note, he loved him.
Lugnut, the loyal worshipper of Megatron, the bomber, the Decepticon.
Prowl wouldn’t let anyone know, they couldn’t know. It was unbecoming for an Autobot to love a Decepticon.
So, why did that mech make it so hard not to?
He was everything Prowl liked: strong, loyal, another nature-enjoyer.
He was everything Prowl hated: loud, a Decepticon, evil.
And yet, that created a perfect blend. It had caught Prowl’s attention, had him catching feelings.
He despised it.
No one could know about his desires, no one needed to know.
…
Maybe he could tell one bot.
~•~
Bulkhead practically choked on his own venting when Prowl came to him with LOVE PROBLEMS!
His buddy was in love! And he needed his help!
"You could’ve told me sooner, buddy!!"
Prowl looked like he was regretting coming to him.
"Back to the point, Bulkhead. My.. mech, I.. don’t know if the feeling is mutual."
They were sitting across from each other on Dinobot island. Bulkhead immediately straightened up,
"Right! If this mystery mech you like won’t do it, then you have to make the first move!"
"Make.. the first move?"
"Yeah! Like- inviting him on activities! Oh! And holding servos!"
Prowl took this into consideration, perhaps he could.. invite Lugnut for a morning hike.
"..hm."
Bulkhead was beaming, entirely happy to be of help.
Prowl looked up at the larger mech,
"..thank you, Bulkhead. And, please refrain from telling anyone else about this. Especially not Bumblebee."
With a quick nod, Bulkhead swore to secrecy.
"Of course! You can always trust me, Prowl!"
Prowl stood from his seated position, looking over the edge of the canyon. Even in the coverage of the forest, he could see Grimlock running across the land, Snarl jumping over logs, and Swoop flying above them both.
The sight of the Dinobots always brought him a sense of peace.
With a sigh, Prowl lifted his gaze to the darkening sky.
"We should head back."
He noted, turning to Bulkhead, who was already getting up.
The sun hadn’t risen yet when Prowl sat in the midst of the forest, optics shut in focus.
How would he go about this?
Just.. invite him? It couldn’t be that hard.
He would make it simple, ask Lugnut for a morning hike down the south, make the first move, or whatever Bulkhead said.
His thoughts were disrupted by the familiar steps that shattered the stillness of the forest.
Standing up, Prowl turned to face the towering Decepticon.
"Lugnut."
"AUTOBOT PROWL !!" The bomber greeted loudly.
Prowl sighed internally, suddenly nervous. He shouldn’t be nervous, this was supposed to be easy.
"I… would you, like to go on a walk instead of sitting down today? To.. change things up?" He proposed slowly, clasping his servos together to avoid fidgeting.
"A WALK?" Lugnut repeated, thinking for a moment.
"OF COURSE! WHICH WAY?"
"South. I haven’t gone there yet."
It was a lie, Prowl had been down that path a million times, but Lugnut hadn’t.
"We shouldn’t waste time, Lugnut. The sun will rise soon, it’s a pleasant sight near the sea."
With that, Prowl turned and started walking. He didn’t need to check if Lugnut would follow, he always did.
The sun shone over the landscape, raising to its full height. The forest beneath seemed to soak it in the most, unlike the city, where people took coverage in their households.
The grass beneath Prowl’s pedes shone with morning dew, he stepped carefully around the plants and insects beneath.
To his side, Prowl wished he could say the same peacefulness and grace was happening, but it wasn’t.
Lugnut was trying his best to be as gentle as Prowl, really he was. But the Decepticon couldn’t control the way the ground shook beneath his pedes.
Prowl appreciated the effort, though. He knew when to give credit when it was due.
They walked in silence, excluding the sounds of Lugnut’s thundering steps. Prowl glanced at the taller Decepticon, then down at the claws he had for servos.
Prowl focused back on the view in front of them, his servo subtly shifting.
After a moment, a small burst of confidence, Prowl reached out and wrapped his digits around one of the two claws. A sorry excuse for holding hands, but this was as far as they could get, he supposed.
Lugnut tensed up, steps staggering for a moment before he quickly caught himself. Three of his five optics snapped to Prowl, examining the Cyber Ninja’s expression.
Prowl was completely emotionless, aside from the betraying smile that lifted his dermas ever so slightly.
"You do not mind, do you?" He eventually asked, just to make sure.
Lugnut immediately squawked out a response.
"I DO NOT!"
"Good." Prowl chittered happily, as happy as he could get.
The walk continued, but Lugnut could not keep his gaze off Prowl.
His spark was beating unusually fast, he disliked it. It made his systems feel hot, it was uncomfortable.
What was this feeling?
He’d never felt it before, not even with the glorious Megatron!
So what could this feeling be?
Hatred? Of course! Prowl is Autobot scum!
That didn’t sound right, he didn’t hate Prowl.
Annoyance? No.
He appreciated Prowl, as a friend. They were.. somewhat friends, that’s right.
Lugnut felt sick. Was he sick? It would explain this feeling.
"PROWL, I DO NOT THINK WE SHOULD BE HOLDING SERVOS."
"Why not?" Prowl sounded confused and perhaps upset?
"I AM ILL, YOU WILL BE ILL TOO."
"You’re.. sick?"
"YES."
Prowl frowned. Was Lugnut lying? His systems didn’t read sickness. Did he just.. not want to hold his servo? Lying to let him down easy?
"Oh. Alright."
Prowl slowly let go of Lugnut’s claw, instead clasping his servos together in front of him as he walked.
The silence was awkward now.
"I MUST GO. I NEED TO RECOVER FROM THIS ILLNESS."
"If you must. I will.. see you later?"
Lugnut nodded as much as he could, then proceeded to run off, transform into his alt mode, and fly off into the clouds.
Prowl watched in silence, shifting his weight. Had he misread the situation? Did Lugnut not.. share the same sentiments?
Perhaps Bulkhead was wrong, maybe he was a mech not fitted for relationships. That’s how it was laid out to be, the stars wrote it.
For a mech so into solitude, Prowl just wished it weren’t so lonely.
~•~
Lugnut reached the mineshaft where they had taken as a base. Transforming back, he stomped into the entrance.
He needed to inform Megatron that he had fallen ill and needed to be relieved of his duties.
Approaching the opening to the main area, he saw the distinctive figure of the glorious leader.
"LORD MEGATRON!"
He called, catching the attention of the slightly smaller mech.
"Yes?" He sounded mildly annoyed.
"I HAVE FALLEN ILL, I REQUEST A SHORT BREAK UNTIL I RECOVER."
Megatron turned to him, an unimpressed expression on his faceplate. A brief pause, then—
"You’re not sick, Lugnut."
The bomber stiffened up, confused.
"WHAT?"
"I said, you’re not sick."
That.. didn’t make sense! Everything about Lugnut made him feel under the weather!
"BUT MY LIEGE, I MUST BE. MY METAL IS BURNING !!"
"I told you already. You’re not sick. Nothing about your state is sickness."
Megatron’s optics were narrowed in irritation, not wanting to converse on such a stupid thing further.
"I APOLOGIZE, LORD MEGATRON. I SHALL LEAVE."
With that, Lugnut turned and quickly fled. The thought of further upsetting his liege was unpleasant.
Perhaps he should seek out Blitzwing, the triple changer would know what was wrong with him, if not an illness.
He would do just that, then maybe he could find Prowl again.