Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Primus was benevolent. Well, at least he tried to be. He tried his best to counteract his brother in every way. But, sometimes. Sometimes. He wanted to do something mean. Something almost cruel.

He was a God, and even he did not have boundless patience. Something that was no better shown than with Megatron. Their was just something about that mech that wore on Primus. Maybe it was his temperament. Maybe it was the way he treated those around him. Maybe it was the way he seemed to almost infect everyone else, turning them cruel and cold to the world.

Truly, whatever it was, Primus knew he needed to fix it.

And what better way to fix it than to make him see things from a different perspective? He already thought humans were weak and fragile. Their was no better lesson to be learned.

Though he didn't intend to catch everyone in the middle of it, they all could benefit from the experience. And he wasn't really sure what else he expected to happen when he made the relic.

Chapter Text

Where was he? What had happened? The relic! He was trying to get to the relic. And the Prime had showed up. What happened after that? He wasn't sure... it was probably Starscream's fault. 

Megatron stood up. His frame felt weird... oh, Primus-He had skin. He was a human. What happened. Megatron felt his helm. Soft, long black strings hung down from his helm. He was a human. W-

Megatron shut that line of code down quickly. He could focus on(panic about) that later. He walked forward, trying to find out where he was. There were piles and piles of trash everywhere, standing high and leaning against each other. Megatron ignored the odd feeling of earth and trash under his peds. 

Then, the sound of metal getting knocked around and falling down to the ground drew Megatron's attention.

He stared at the source, watching a small human pop up out from the pile, looking around. The human had lighter skin than Megatron, and longer helm strings that were an odd navy blue, and was wearing a dirty turquoise piece of cloth that lacked sleeves and stretched at the bottom to its knees. It looked small enough to be a human nymph.

He crossed his arms and turned back to trying to find where he was. It probably wouldn't bother him.

"Megatron?" A familiar monotone voice questioned. "Soundwave!?" Megatron turned back again to the small human who was now standing next to another human with even paler skin and short brown helm strings and was wearing two pieces of dirty black and purple cloth. 

Who sounded like Soundwave. Of course, he wouldn't be the only one.

Soundwave walked over to him, bringing the small human, who was probably Laserbeak, with him. "Suggestion: Megatron: Human. Soundwave: Human. Laserbeak: Human. Most likely: All Decepticons: Turned human." Megatron nodded at that. He was right about the small human being Laserbeak, and Soundwave was most probably right about all them being human.

"We should go looking for them then." And hopefully, find a way to turn back.

They walked together through the piles and searched for... Well, Megatron wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, odd humans? All the humans are odd. Like those three humans sitting in the dirt and talking. "DAMMIT STARSCREAM-" Oh.

Megatron walked over, watching the three humans(?). He wanted to make sure the three actually were Decepticons first before approaching them.

The smallest human(who was still taller than Laserbeak, so likely a human youngling) had long grey helm strings that Soundwave said were called hair, with a bright red part in the front. His skin tone was almost the same colour as Laserbeak, and he was wearing a dirty red top piece and a long black bottom piece that seemed too big for him and fell past his peds. He was the one the other one called Starscream.

Megatron almost believed it. The human really seemed like Starscream.

The one who spoke was slightly taller and had very short black hair and pale skin that looked like Soundwave’s. It was wearing a long black piece of cloth that held tight to its frame.

The third human was the largest of the three, being the same height as Megatron, and was silently watching the other two fight. It had the same skin tone as Soundwave and the other human, and short black hair as well.

"SHUT UP ARACHNID." And that explains who she is.

Megatron walked down, the three of them turned to him, Arachnid glared openly, and Starscream just stared at him in an odd way. "Lord Megatron?"

Megatron stopped. Staring down at him. How did he recognise him immediately?

"Yes, Starscream." Megatron said simply, continuing to walk towards them.

The unknown bot (because that was what it clearly was, two cybertronians wouldn't sit a talk with a random human) stood up. Arachnid and Starscream following suit. Helping each other up? That didn't make sense for either of their personalities.

"I found Soundwave and Laserbeak. They're looking for the others." Megatron clarified before wondering something. "How long have you three been awake?"

"Not very long. Starscream was the first to wake up." Who was most likely Shockwave explained. "Starscream wanted to go looking for others, but Arachnid didn't want to, so they were fighting."

"I simply believed we should secure a place to stay before going looking and potentially getting lost."

"Lost from where? We don't have anywhere to stay."

"He's right, you know!" Another human who sounded like Knockout yelled, bouncing down from a pile. Long-ish red hair and pale skin. Yeah, it was probably Knockout. Who was dragging another human behind him, who was probably Dreadwing, since he was the last Decepticon (aside from the Vehicons, but Megatron was sure they actually had sparks.) Soundwave and Laserbeak were following both or them.

"Knockout, Dreadwing." Starscream said simply, in place of a greating.

"Herr Kommandant." Knockout returns.

"Commander." Dreadwing responded.

Neither of the new Decepticons had the cloth that the others had. Megatron realised he wasn't wearing the cloth either. Why were they even wearing it at all?

"Arachnid is correct on one thing, though. We do need to find a place to stay." Starscream continued, looking around. He looked at the newcomers, then at Megatron, "And some clothes for those three." He added with a grimace.

"Why?" Dreadwing voiced Megatron's thoughts.

"Humans: Wear clothes. Nudity: Draws attention. Decepticons: Should blend in." Soundwave explained. Megatron reluctantly agreed about them blending in. If the Autobots caught information about them being here, especially while they were so fragile, they were in danger.

It luckily didn't take very long for them to find the clothes for all three of them. And some shoes for Laserbeak. Megatron simply grabbed the first pieces he could find, as did Dreadwing. 

But Knockout was looking for specific pieces and finding the cleanest pieces he could, a white top, that was more complex than what anyone else was wearing, and a red top that he put on top of the white one, as well as tight black pants, that held to his legs, unlike Starscream’s that swamped his legs.

While Knockout went on his little quest for his outfit, Soundwave and Laserbeak found a place nearby, the state of Bihar, India. Although calling it a state was definitely an over statement. "Any extra information about Bihar?" Starscream asked, sceptically looking over the place.

"Population size: Three million, five hundred, seventy thousand, six hundred fifty-one, and growing. Capital city: Patna. Bihar: Most uncivilised, illiterate, and unkempt state of India. Bihar: Holds the highest crime record. City of Patna: Surrounded by slums, such as this." As usual, Soundwave had an impressive amount of information on an unimpressive thing.

"I would suggest we set up camp outside of Bihar then." Starscream stared at Megatron questioningly, likely waiting for his opinion. 

"Indeed." Megatron didn't really want to go to the place with the highest criminal record. He didn't even know that was a record you could hold. Kaon didn't even hold that record.

The trees nearby made good cover, adding sticks over helm gave them even better cover. The ground was oddly soft and oddly comfortable. It barely counted as a camp, more like a particular set of ground they were going to stay near.

"We should explore Bihar, though, shouldn't we?" Dreadwing questioned. Standing beside the 'camp'.

"We should, but not today." Starscream clarified, "The Sol's already gone down, and crime would be higher at night when it's unlikely to be caught. And I don't think anyone wants to go during that." Starscream finished snarkily.

"Fair." Knockout interrupted, "Now can we recharge? We've kinda been up all cycle."

"And whos fault is that?" Arachnid pointed out.

"Decepticons: Recharge." Soundwave put in before that could escalate to an argument.

Knockout leaned against a tree, closing his optics in a clear: "Leave me the frag alone" gesture. Arachnid curled up against Shockwave, Dreadwing leaning against the tree next to Knockout. Soundwave held Laserbeak against his chassis, similarly to how she sits as a cassetticon.

Starscream, however, decided to cause problems. Something Megatron suspected he was holding back on doing throughout the entire cycle. He had been unusually clam and compliant, and it was grating on Megatron all cycle. And now, he was refusing to recharge.

Starscream sat on the edge of their little 'camp' wide awake after telling everyone else to rest. 

Megatron walked up behind him, "Shouldn't you be recharging." Megatron asked. He wasn't quite hostile yet, but he had no patience for Starscream’s nonsense.

"Shouldn't someone keep guard?"

"Because you could definitely do something if we were attacked." Megatron replied sarcastically.

Starscream had no response to that. Of course he didn't. Megatron sighed and walked closer to the former-seeker, grabbing him up and ignoring his squawking. 

Megatron held him tight to his chassis as he sat down against a tree. "Quite, you don't want to wake everyone up." Megatron said. Keeping the smaller man's back tight to his chassis, ignoring the feeling of his spine.

Starscream stopped yelling and squirming, curling up slightly, his whole frame tense. "Rest. I'll keep watch."

Starscream untensed slightly. Leaning back more. Megatron did not feel his spark warm slightly at that reaction. It was burned with annoyance, if anything. He still Watched closely when the small human brought his arms around Megatron's, his hem resting gently against Megatron's chassis.