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Optimus Prime had been waiting at the entrance to the base for a while now.
Prowl hadn’t returned all day.
The Autobots were worried by now, Bulkhead was jittery. Bumblebee was clutching Sari in his servos like the girl was his emotional support organic. Ratchet kept pacing around the area.
Optimus hadn’t moved from his spot.
where tf is he
~•~
To say Prowl wasn’t annoyed would be incorrect.
The forest was usually quiet, calm, peaceful. Everything he enjoyed.
A 45 feet tall Decepticon causing wreckage was not. His steps left prints in the grass, trees bent in unnatural ways from his path.
"What are you doing?"
The Decepticon paused, tilting his helm to the side.
"FOCUSING."
"It doesn’t look like it."
Prowl slowly stepped forwards, one servo slightly behind him, ready to grab his shurikens at any sudden movement.
"Focusing isn’t breaking organic surface growth."
Lugnut grunted, but stilled his punches on a dented rock.
"What has you so.. destructive?"
Prowl wasn’t good at comforting, that was clear, but he felt it may be needed currently.
"THE GLORIOUS LEADER MEGATRON WANTS TO DESTROY THE EARTH’S VEGETATION."
"And that.. upsets you?"
"IT IS CALMING."
"Why does Megatron want to destroy it?"
"IT IS DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE ATTACKS THROUGH IT."
"Oh."
That.. made sense. The forest was long overgrown, you could barely see through the trees, but that’s how it was supposed to be.
"I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE HONORABLE LEADER."
"You.. don’t."
"YES."
"So you came out here to.. express your anger?"
"YES."
"It’s not very effective then. You look pretty angered still."
Great going Prowl. Really wonderful at comforting a mech that could crush you with one claw.
"IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS."
"How about.. you.. talk about it? With me?"
Frag, why’d he say that?????
"YOU WANT TO TALK. WITH ME?"
"..yeah..?"
"YOU ARE AN AUTOBOT."
"Like that isn’t clear."
"WHY ARE YOU OFFERING COMPANY?"
"Because I like this forest, and you’re causing a ruckus in it. If you haven’t noticed already, you scared all the organics away."
"OH !!"
Prowl jumped onto a more level area of grass, sitting down in a perfected lotus position.
"So? Talk."
Lugnut plopped down in front of Prowl, causing the ground to shake, birds squawking in the distance.
"I LIKE THE ORGANIC SURFACE GROWTH."
"THE GLORIOUS LEADER MEGATRON DOESN’T."
Prowl nodded in understanding. He really did get it. If Optimus had one day just decided to remove all vegetation from Detroit? He’d be furious.
"It is peaceful."
"YES!"
Lugnut looked.. ecstatic that the mech agreed with him.
Prowl took that as a sign to continue.
"I don’t think Megatron is so glorious if he doesn’t let your opinion stand."
"HE.. ISN’T?"
"A glorious leader would listen to their followers, and take their opinions into consideration."
"Did Megatron do that?"
"HE.. DIDN’T."
"Optimus would’ve listened."
It had come so sudden that it made Lugnut pause.
"He would’ve agreed with you. Because he’s.. honorable."
It pained Prowl to compliment the Prime out loud, even if he always thought the taller mech was, in fact, very honorable.
"BUT MEGATRON—"
"Megatron doesn’t listen to anyone but himself. He’d replace them the klik they upset him."
"Wouldn’t he?"
Lugnut looked away, primary optic narrowing as his processor worked Prowl’s words over.
"HE WOULD."
"Then perhaps he isn’t so honorary."
Lugnut was silent.
Prowl stood, then suddenly extended a servo to the much larger mech.
"You have strong opinions. You’re a good mech, I can see that, Lugnut. I offer you this once, defect from the Decepticons, leave Megatron behind. Join the Autobots, join Optimus, he will treat you as an equal, a friend. Join.. me?"
Lugnut tilted his helm up, all five optics blown wide. An offer? For him?
"YOU ARE.. SERIOUS?"
"Entirely."
"MEGATRON WILL BE—"
"This isn’t about Megatron anymore. Think for yourself for once. Are you coming, or not?"
Would he go? Be an equal or stay underneath? The glorious-.. Megatron, would be furious. But.. he’d replace him immediately after.
Lugnut took the much smaller servo in his claws.
"I HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT."
Prowl’s optics softened, hidden behind the visors.
"Come on, it’s dark. We’re going. Megatron won’t belittle your voice ever again."
~•~
Optimus perked up at the sound of the base door sliding open, the sound of heavy pedesteps.
Ratchet looked to the source, stilling in his worried pacing.
"What on Cybertron is that noise? Not even Bulkhead is that heavy."
Bulkhead gave him a sidelong glance at the unnecessary shade.
Bumblebee shook Sari a little, causing the girl to slap his servo.
"’Bee! Put me down already!"
The steps got closer, until Prowl walked through the doorway.
Behind him, a sharp crack rang out as a large portion of the wall broke off. A particularly large Decepticon shaped hole.
The others froze.
"I bring a defected.. friend."
Prowl announced, his servo still held up in Lugnut’s claws.
"Prowl.. are you.. certain about this?"
Optimus slowly asked, unease clear on his face.
His friend just walked in with Megatron’s #1 glazer, what the heck
"Very."
Prowl turned to Lugnut, tugging his claw a bit.
"Tell them what we went over."
"MEGATRON IS NOT AS HONORABLE AS I ORIGINALLY CLAIM. HE DOES NOT HAVE RESPECT FOR THE DECEPTICONS, I DO NOT WISH TO BE APART OF IT ANY LONGER."
Optimus blinked in surprise, Ratchet raised an optic ridge, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Sari shared a glance.
"Lugnut has agreed to become an Autobot."
Prowl added, still holding the previous enemy’s claws.
"I.. acknowledge that perhaps I should have asked first, but it was a rash decision."
"Yeah, sure, that’s fine, just bring in a 50 foot Decepticon to our SECRET BASE."
Bumblebee exclaimed the last part.
Lugnut frowned, shifting nervously.
"I AM NO LONGER A DECEPTICON."
"Like we’re supposed to just believe your word!"
Bumblebee argued back.
Prowl glanced up at his newest friend’s nervousness, then at Bumblebee.
"Bumblebee," Optimus interjected. "that’s enough. Prowl, are you sure Lugnut is not trying to deceive you?"
Prowl’s gaze flicked to the Prime.
"I am certain, Optimus."
"OPTIMUS, THE GLORIOUS LEADER I HEARD ABOUT?"
Prowl tensed, internally facepalming.
Optimus raised an optic ridge.
"..glorious?"
"YES. PROWL TOLD ME ALL ABOUT YOUR HONORABILITY."
Prowl tried to shut the other up before he ruined his aura.
"He did?? What did he say about him?!"
Bumblebee immediately asked, suddenly at attention.
"HE CLAIMED THAT OPTIMUS PRIME IS A GLORIOUS, RESPECTABLE LEADER WHO LISTENS TO HIS.. FOLLOWERS."
Lugnut announced proudly, Prowl withered in something alike embarrassment.
"I didn’t.. say all of that."
"HE DID."
"He.. did?" A light smile graced Optimus’s dermas before he glanced back at Lugnut.
"Back on topic, I.. suppose you can stay. To prove that you truly do wish to defect."
"THANK YOU, GLORIOUS LEADER OPTIMUS."
"You.. don’t have to call me that. Just Optimus is alright."
"THE HUMBLE OPTIMUS."
"..Alright then."