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His son is cold and dead, and has been for almost a full vorn, but to Megatron, he could still have died the previous solar cycle so much his pain was great. He had heard someone say that time helped to heal all injuries, but how could one pretend the loss of one’s Creation could be healed in any way?
Time, he realizes, is cruel and unforgiving. It continues to pass, and Nemesis is still death and rust. He won’t ever hear again his childish laughter as he run around in the hallways, he won’t hear his shrieks of joy as he ‘leads’ an assault on the kitchen for energon goodies with his friends -- who are as dead as he is.
The palace feel cold and lifeless.
Though, Megatron can’t help but think as he watches him from afar, it will never seem as cold and lifeless as Optimus Prime is.
Oh, he probably -- most likely -- exaggerated. Optimus still smiles, Optimus still speaks. The sudden disparition of all the Sparklings’ under Beta’s care didn’t affect his routine the slightest -- asides of the fact Megatron doesn’t frag him through the berth as often. In fact, he hasn’t touched him, approached him since Nemesis died and an ugly truth unveiled itself. Megatron retired to other quarters, and though he doesn’t speak to the Prime, he watches him, trying to figure out where they stand, and what he should or could do.
Optimus is… Optimus is a broken puzzle, he decides. He still walks around in the garden where he always had the authorisation to go, he still talks with the few Autobots residing in the palace, little unimportant things as they are, and he still goes down to pray in Primus’ Chapel.
Does he pray for Nemesis’ Spark? Megatron hasn’t dared to ask. He… He, the Warlord who conquered Cybertron, who overthrown the old corrupt system, who never feared any adversary in the Pits of Kaon when he was gladiator and never feared the traps of the mines when he was a minor, he the fearless… He is too afraid to ask his mate by conquest anything regarding the former Prime’s feelings for their Creation.
For the answer, he fears, will only give his Spark further pain. And so time continues to fly, in the cold palace of sadness and death...