Work Text:
According to Ultra Magnus, the Law was the pinnacle of what legislated behavior, second only to one’s moral code (and a close second at that), extremely important, and entirely flawless.
According to Rodimus, the Law was stupid.
Rodimus, of course, was not so wholly senseless as to express this opinion to Ultra Magnus in person, and Ultra Magnus, of course, was deferent enough to Rodimus’ captaincy and knowledgeable enough about Rodimus’ character that he did not waste time trying to call him out on his obvious disrespect.
And so, one might say, they managed.
But there were, undoubtedly, conflicts. There could not, logically, not be conflicts. And the conflicts grew and grew until Rodimus lost just enough respect and fear and Ultra Magnus lost just enough protocol and obedience for them to begin standing together in either of their offices and shouting at each other for lengthy periods of time.
And it was during one of these more heated sessions that Rodimus did what Rodimus would inevitably do.
There are some (perhaps your archetypal syk addict turned Decepticon psychopath turned Autobot ninja turned flaky spiritualist) who might say that the guiding hand of Primus was behind the sequence of events that led up perfectly to what happened in Ultra Magnus’ office. And of course, there are some (perhaps your Chief Medical Officer in Perpetuity) who might say that the sequence of events that led up to the incident were pure coincidence, and the fact that Rodimus managed to actually pull the feat off was the closest thing to a miracle in the whole endeavor.
However, the facts are what they are, and the facts are that Ultra Magnus had recently downloaded some protocols that allowed him to become less uptight (in an effort to, as Rung had suggested, “take off an edge” in his personality– although if the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord had bothered to ask Rung to elaborate on his recommendation, the therapist would most likely have told him that he did not need such drastic measures taken).
The facts are that Rodimus had been having recharge dreams for nearly a month that he didn’t quite know how to feel about. The facts are that Ultra Magnus had also been having dreams that he knew exactly how he should feel about, and had been rather alarmed to find that he did not.
And finally, the facts are that Rodimus, formerly Hot Rod, sometimes Rodimus Prime had promised himself to act upon the first thing that entered his processor (in a rather redundant effort to become more impulsive).
And if the first thing that entered his processor was an split-second impulse to jump on the desk and kiss Ultra Magnus, well…
Of course, what should have happened is that the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord immediately stepped away and reprimanded his captain for performing an act that was so troublingly against all regulations.
That is not what happened.
That is not at all what happened.
What happened is that Ultra Magnus, however surprised he might have been at Rodimus’ action, reciprocated. Reciprocating, in Rodimus’ opinion, indicated a desire for him to reciprocate back, and so he did. And so Ultra Magnus did, as well.
And they went on like this until the curtain of privacy must inevitably be pulled over this whole scene.
Some may say that they managed as they always had after this– managing, as they must, despite the differences and despite the disagreements. Managing was not a task they enjoyed, but it was one that they were used to by now. And if, after the incident, they found that managing was slightly easier than it used to be, well…
Well, that was just an added benefit, and one that must, of course, be exploited.