As excited and relieved as everyone had been to see him again, Optimus couldn't help but, sometimes, think of himself as a relic of an earlier time.
So much more had changed in the year he had been dead--and the year since he'd come back--than in the twenty since he'd come back out of stasis, the four million he'd been in stasis, and perhaps even the five million years of endless war prior to that.
Optimus had been happy enough to take back the burden of leadership--he'd gotten used to it over the years, and seeing the desperate relief in Rodimus' optics as he'd asked him, "You're coming back as leader, right?"--he hadn't the spark to refuse him.
And now Hot Rod was running--and driving, and flying, and interfacing--around Metroplex--and Cybertron, and Charr--with the leader of the Decepticons. With whom they now have a truce, and while Optimus had certainly played his part in the negotiations, he'd never felt so old and so useless. And he's quite happy with that, really. Perhaps soon he would be able to retire officially.
In the meantime--Optimus looked down on Hot Rod fondly, and then stared. The shackles around his wrists...!
He knew some of the details of what Hot Rod did with Galvatron, of course. It was hard not to--neither of them had ever been prone to subtlety, or discretion. Seeing direct evidence of it never quite stopped giving him pause, however. Out of concern, yes, but also because--ages and ages ago, Orion Pax wouldn't have minded at all wearing those shackles for Megatron. Would have worn them proudly, if Megatron had looked at him then with the fierce possessiveness that Galvatron lavished on Hot Rod.
But Galvatron wasn't Megatron, even if, sometimes, when he speaks to Optimus, he almost seemed to be. Hot Rod wasn't Orion Pax, and Optimus wasn't either of them.
It wouldn't have solved anything at all, if Orion had gone to Megatron. Only given Megatron another soldier. Orion couldn't have saved him, as Hot Rod had, inexplicably, saved Galvatron (and, sometimes, Optimus suspected, vice versa).
Optimus shook his head. He really was getting old, pondering might-have-beens when Hot Rod and Galvatron were right in front of him.
"...Prime?" Roddy looked up at him anxiously, interpreting his headshake as disapproval. (Not something the old Hot Rod would have worried about that much. Even if he'd taken back the old name, Optimus thought, Hot Rod may still be Rodimus inside.)
"Hot Rod." Optimus tried to sound reassuring. "My apologies, I was thinking about the past. You have business with me?"
Galvatron, meanwhile, gave Optimus one of his 'there is still some of Megatron in me' looks, considering and almost thoughtful. "I think the--business--can wait for tomorrow morning. Will you join us for the night, Optimus Prime?" He extended a hand--his left hand, the cannon arm was around Hot Rod at the moment--towards Optimus' chestplates. "For old times' sake, Orion Pax?"
Optimus looked at him, startled. He found that he did, very much, want to take Galvatron up on his offer, but--he looked at Hot Rod, who was looking between him and Galvatron, embarrassed but also aroused, if Optimus was reading him right. (And they had all had plenty of opportunity to figure out how Hot Rod looked when he was 'embarrassed but also aroused' lately.)
"Do you want this, Hot Rod?" Optimus had never really thought about Hot Rod that way before, although he found that he wasn't at all averse to it now. He'd seen Rodimus in the Matrix; he'd rather like to see Hot Rod in the berth.
Hot Rod visibly shoved away the embarrassment and looked him in the optics. "Yes. Yes, I would definitely like that."
Galvatron looked down at him. "Want me to lend Optimus the chains for these?" He rubbed a shackle fondly.
That was--moving a bit fast. "I haven't actually said yes yet, Galvatron," Optimus said.
At the same time as Hot Rod said, "Yes," and then, hearing Optimus, looked crushed.
"Were you going to say 'No,' Optimus?" Galvatron held Hot Rod closer, and there was almost a growl there, of 'You hurt my Autobot!"
Optimus looked from one to the other of them and said, "...No. I was not. Which is to say--yes. I would love to spend the night with the two of you." He paused. "Although--do you have another pair of those? Just for the night?"
"Of course we do, Optimus," said Galvatron, as Hod Rod slipped out of his grip and threw his arms around Optimus' neck.
Re: Drabble tennis! XD
So much more had changed in the year he had been dead--and the year since he'd come back--than in the twenty since he'd come back out of stasis, the four million he'd been in stasis, and perhaps even the five million years of endless war prior to that.
Optimus had been happy enough to take back the burden of leadership--he'd gotten used to it over the years, and seeing the desperate relief in Rodimus' optics as he'd asked him, "You're coming back as leader, right?"--he hadn't the spark to refuse him.
And now Hot Rod was running--and driving, and flying, and interfacing--around Metroplex--and Cybertron, and Charr--with the leader of the Decepticons. With whom they now have a truce, and while Optimus had certainly played his part in the negotiations, he'd never felt so old and so useless. And he's quite happy with that, really. Perhaps soon he would be able to retire officially.
In the meantime--Optimus looked down on Hot Rod fondly, and then stared. The shackles around his wrists...!
He knew some of the details of what Hot Rod did with Galvatron, of course. It was hard not to--neither of them had ever been prone to subtlety, or discretion. Seeing direct evidence of it never quite stopped giving him pause, however. Out of concern, yes, but also because--ages and ages ago, Orion Pax wouldn't have minded at all wearing those shackles for Megatron. Would have worn them proudly, if Megatron had looked at him then with the fierce possessiveness that Galvatron lavished on Hot Rod.
But Galvatron wasn't Megatron, even if, sometimes, when he speaks to Optimus, he almost seemed to be. Hot Rod wasn't Orion Pax, and Optimus wasn't either of them.
It wouldn't have solved anything at all, if Orion had gone to Megatron. Only given Megatron another soldier. Orion couldn't have saved him, as Hot Rod had, inexplicably, saved Galvatron (and, sometimes, Optimus suspected, vice versa).
Optimus shook his head. He really was getting old, pondering might-have-beens when Hot Rod and Galvatron were right in front of him.
"...Prime?" Roddy looked up at him anxiously, interpreting his headshake as disapproval. (Not something the old Hot Rod would have worried about that much. Even if he'd taken back the old name, Optimus thought, Hot Rod may still be Rodimus inside.)
"Hot Rod." Optimus tried to sound reassuring. "My apologies, I was thinking about the past. You have business with me?"
Galvatron, meanwhile, gave Optimus one of his 'there is still some of Megatron in me' looks, considering and almost thoughtful. "I think the--business--can wait for tomorrow morning. Will you join us for the night, Optimus Prime?" He extended a hand--his left hand, the cannon arm was around Hot Rod at the moment--towards Optimus' chestplates. "For old times' sake, Orion Pax?"
Optimus looked at him, startled. He found that he did, very much, want to take Galvatron up on his offer, but--he looked at Hot Rod, who was looking between him and Galvatron, embarrassed but also aroused, if Optimus was reading him right. (And they had all had plenty of opportunity to figure out how Hot Rod looked when he was 'embarrassed but also aroused' lately.)
"Do you want this, Hot Rod?" Optimus had never really thought about Hot Rod that way before, although he found that he wasn't at all averse to it now. He'd seen Rodimus in the Matrix; he'd rather like to see Hot Rod in the berth.
Hot Rod visibly shoved away the embarrassment and looked him in the optics. "Yes. Yes, I would definitely like that."
Galvatron looked down at him. "Want me to lend Optimus the chains for these?" He rubbed a shackle fondly.
That was--moving a bit fast. "I haven't actually said yes yet, Galvatron," Optimus said.
At the same time as Hot Rod said, "Yes," and then, hearing Optimus, looked crushed.
"Were you going to say 'No,' Optimus?" Galvatron held Hot Rod closer, and there was almost a growl there, of 'You hurt my Autobot!"
Optimus looked from one to the other of them and said, "...No. I was not. Which is to say--yes. I would love to spend the night with the two of you." He paused. "Although--do you have another pair of those? Just for the night?"
"Of course we do, Optimus," said Galvatron, as Hod Rod slipped out of his grip and threw his arms around Optimus' neck.