Stay The Course
By SMYGO4EVA
Ultra Magnus always had been good at reading other bots, and better at not being personal or close to any of them, even with Optimus. From what he heard and from his tone of vocalization, Wheeljack thought he was a seething stick-in-the-mud commander, he knew, and that didn't bother him.
But still…
The commander watched Wheeljack hovering around Bulkhead, knew that under the weaving and distraction Wheeljack was watching him. Knew that the Wrecker didn't like him, but that was fine with him. He didn't like insubordination.
But...
Lately he'd caught himself watching the lone Wrecker, something unfamiliar threaded through resentment and competition. Only it was familiar and that he couldn't read it – read himself – drove him out of his processor. The Wrecker was unknowing, unpredictable, and reckless.
He was out of control and out of his control especially.
That Wheeljack seemed to know only made it worse.