Chapter Text
With nobody else but me.
Megatron raised his hand up and held it on Optimus' back. They stood next to each other on Nemesis' command center, Megatron was whispering to him again. The sight made energon boil in Knock Out's veins. It should be him. It should be him whispering sweet little nothings to Optimus' audio receptors, it should be him standing close to him and sharing a few seconds too long optic contacts. It should be him, not Megatron. Megatron didn't even care about him, not like Knock Out did. Megatron saw an opportunity and he took it. He was taking advantage of Prime's current condition.
Even if Knock Out could take Megatron's place and whisper to Optimus' receptors and stand close to him, there was one big but. It wasn't Optimus anymore. Orion Pax, that's his name now. Everything Knock Out and Optimus had was completely removed from his mind, memories, life. Maybe for eternity. It ached Knock Out's spark, it ached so much.
But it wasn't fair. Megatron had no feelings for Prime. Knock Out didn't mean to feel for the leader of the Autobots, of course not! It would be treason, to say the least! But he couldn't help it. The tough figure and deep voice of the Autobot, not to mention his sweet rims, are sure to draw attention. And as if those weren't enough, Optimus' unwavering and kind personality really made you feel cared for. Optimus was everything Megatron wasn't. Optimus was a leader of integrity, unlike Megatron.
But now, Optimus was taken from his Autobots. From Knock Out.
Megatron turned around and started making his way to the door. He gestured for Optimus, for Orion, to walk next to him, a few steps ahead of him. Orion walked with him, Megatron would show him his quarters. When the couple were passing Knock Out, the red Decepticon looked at Orion. The innocent, clueless bot looked back at him and they shared a few seconds lasting optic contact. Where as Knock Out stared and hoped to get an echo back, Orion just happened to look at him. Optimus didn't stare back at him - it was a total stranger, looking back at Knock Out, who he did not know. Everything that's still left of Optimus is the husk.
"Go ahead, Orion", Megatron spoke to the other, who turned his optics from Knock Out and stepped out of the command center. Megatron slowed down, stared down at Knock Out and growled: "Don't you have work to do?" After that the leader of the Decepticons followed Orion out. The door whooshed closed. Knock Out bit his dental plates together and tightened his servos into fists. He can't stand the sight of Megatron so close to Optimus. There had to be a way to return Optimus' mind to its' old self. Honestly, Knock Out would do anything to help him. But what could he do?
--
//Past//
"Optimus sir, have you found anything?" asked Arcee from over the communicator. Optimus squeezed himself through from the cranny he found from the mountain's side. The blizzard was getting dangerous, you couldn't see more than half a meter in front of you.
"No, Arcee, not yet. But I am positive that whatever we picked up on our sensors the Decepticons have picked it up too. Keep your optics sharp, Autobots", Optimus answered and got affirmative answers.
The Autobots had picked up a strong energy spike from North Pole some time ago and Optimus gathered up an away team to check on the source. They were split up by a raging blizzard. Arcee and Bumblebee had come along, while Ratchet and Bulkhead remained in base.
Optimus found himself in a thin gorge between two, very high mountains. The storm outside didn't reach all the way down where Optimus was. He switched his hands into blades and kept going. You can't be too cautious, Decepticons could be anywhere and could appear any second. The gorge was so thin Optimus occasionally had to walk sideways to get through.
He tried to contact his team, but all he got was static. In a few hours he and the team has to Bridge themselves back to the base, or they could die in this cold weather. Optimus can recall the time he and Arcee almost froze to death too well, and he still doesn't wish that to happen. He continued walking and came over to a crossroads. Two gorges, the other even thinner than the current one. The way on the right would be broader and easier for Prime to walk along, but who said that finding the energy spike is a bed of roses?
He was about to turn to the right one, to the broader one, but as he took a closer look in the thinner gorge he changed his plans. He could see numerous Vehicons, lying in snow, immobile. Optimus forced himself through to the thin gorge and actually surprised when the gorge opened to a wider area. The storm didn't seem to reach this low.
As Optimus approached the Vehicons, his swords ready for action, he realised that they were dead. They were all covered in snow, more or less, as if they had been here for a longer while. After overseeing the situation, Optimus noticed that the Vehicons had fallen down from the mountain. It was a long drop, it alone could offline a Cybertronian. The ground must've given in under them.
Optimus couldn't help feeling kind of sorry for them. If the fall didn't end them, then the freezing weather did. He moved forward, careful not to step on anyone.
"Is- someone there-?" a weak, shaking voice said from behind Prime. He turned on his feels quickly and held his swords up to defend himself. But what could a wounded bot do to him?
A Decepticon rose up to all his fours, snow falling from top of him. He shook his head and lifted a hand on it; there was an awful dent on his head. Optimus lowered his swords down and looked at the Decepticon, who was very close to being offlined by the damage he had suffered from the fall and the cold. His optics were narrowed as he looked down at the Decepticon medic.
"Knock Out", Prime said, drawing Knock Out's attention. Knock Out tilted his head on right, looked up at Optimus and said: "O-oh, it's- you..." His voice was shaking and he clearly wasn't in position to fight.
Knock Out hummed and let his head hang from his shoulders.
"I-I was hoping for a-a rescue party", he started and chuckled; "But- I guess... Megatron h-has a lot- more im-important things to at-tend to."
"It was a coincidence that I found you. The communications are down, no one could pinpoint your location", Optimus told him and looked up. The storm was still raging on full force. He heard Knock Out chuckle: "O-or yours, in t-t-that matter... A-at least y-you can still w-w-walk."
Optimus lowered his head down and thought for a moment. He turned to look at the struggling Decepticon and asked: "You must be here because of the energy spike. Did you find it?"
"W-why would you b-believe me? I-if I said we did, you'd doubt me. If I s-said we didn't, you'd still doubt me!"
"What good would lying do to you in your current position, Knock Out?"
Knock Out growled under his breath, Optimus was right. He let a shaky breath before he shook his head and lifted it up to face Optimus.
"N-no. We found nothing..."
Optimus believed him. He shouldn't, Ratchet would try to tell him how he can't be trusted, can't be sure if Knock Out is indeed speaking the truth or not, but something told Prime he could trust him.
"Do you have any intel on what could have caused an energy spike so high?" Optimus asked and stepped closer. Knock Out managed to change his position and sit up.
"N-n-no. S-Soundwave was p-positive it was a-an Energon trunk- l-lost in space, and- it found it's way t-to Earth... B-but we found nothing-" Knock Out explained and shivered while doing so. Optimus was beginning to feel bad for him, to want to save him. Would it be a bad move if he does? Would he regret it later? Maybe. But he couldn't leave Knock Out to die, even if he happened to be a Decepticon. No one should die like this.
Optimus stepped even closer, he was towering above Knock Out. The Decepticon pulled his legs closer to himself out of reaction, he looked up at the Autobot leader and frowned. Optimus changed his blades back to his servos and knelt down on one knee before Knock Out.
"I'm going to help you out of here, but that requires me to trust you. Can I trust you?" Optimus Prime spoke with his deep basso voice, which stunned Knock Out for a few nanokliks too long. The Decepticon tilted his head, wore a smirk and answered: "Should you, you mean. After all, a Decepticon is very-"
"Can I. Trust you?"
Knock Out curled his lips and stared into Optimus' optics, he frowned in serious matter. He'd leave Knock Out here for sure if he wouldn't behave. Would being helped by no other than the leader of the Autobots be worth his spark? Yes. Knock Out hummed and answered: "Yes, Big Rig, y-y-you can trust me... I do not wish to d-die here."
That being said, Optimus offered his help for the Decepticon medic to stand up and help him walk. They'd go forward, there's not enough room for two bots back where Optimus came from. He could just hope that the path ahead is better to them than the one he entered here to.