"Let's see. Bottles, check. Fresh diapers, check. Separate bag to put the dirty diapers in, check. Toys, check. I think that's everything."
Optimus smiled as he finished packing the diaper bag. His smile grew when he heard happy gurgling behind him. Looking over at the crib, the River God's eyes softened at the sight of his son Depthcharge playing with a plush dolphin.
"Are you having fun, sweetspark?" Optimus asked, walking over to the crib. "You love your dolphin, don't you?"
"Abada!" Depthcharge gurgled, hugging the toy so hard Optimus was surprised its button eyes didn't pop off.
The River God tickled his son under his chin as he picked up the baby sea serpent. Tucking the giggling Depthcharge into the crook of one arm, Optimus grabbed the diaper bag with his other hand.
"Let's go see if your daddy is ready to go," he said as he walked out of the nursery.
Entering the main room, Optimus chuckled to himself when he spotted his bondmate sitting on the couch. The War God was looking exceedingly grumpy today, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his handsome face.
"I've finished packing, dear," Optimus said. "Are you ready to go?"
"And just why do we have to go to see them? The Ocean God and Thunder God aren't exactly fans of mine," Megatron grumbled.
"We're going to visit them because they're my parents and they deserve to see their grandchild," Optimus said sternly. "I know you don't get along, but we're family and I want you to behave yourself. Understand?"
Megatron's scowl deepened, but he knew better than to argue. He might be the God of War, but Optimus could be terrifying when he was angry.
"Fine," Megatron said. "I'll be on my best behavior, but only for your sake. And Depthcharge."
"That's all I ask. Thank you, honey," the River God smiled, giving his mate a kiss on the cheek. "Now, shall we get going?"
****
After a short ride on Optimus's water platform, the little family set down outside the temple where the Ocean and Thunder Gods lived. The temple was built into the side of a cliff that sat on the beach.
"We're here," Optimus said, smiling. "Ready to meet your grandparents, sweetie?"
Depthcharge squealed, the smell of the ocean delighting the sparkling. He squirmed in his mother's arms, every instinct telling him to get into the water.
"When you're older, sweetspark," the River God told his son, stroking his helm.
"Let's just get this over with," Megatron said, heading up to the temple entrance. "The sooner we go inside, the sooner we can go home."
"Just remember you promised to behave," Optimus said as they entered through the marble doors.
"I remember."
"Optimus! My dear son, it is so good to see you again!" a strong voice rang out.
Optimus smiled at the blue and white god that had just entered the foyer. The Thunder God returned his smile before scooping the River God into a big hug. Optimus had to give his father a gentle push away to ensure Depthcharge wouldn't be accidently squished.
"It's good to see you again too, Father," Optimus said. "I've missed you."
"And I've missed you as well," Ultra Magnus said, smiling broadly at his son. "If it were up to me, you'd be visiting a lot more often."
'If it were up to you, Optimus would have never left his nursery,' Megatron thought sourly.
"And this must be my new grandson," Magnus said. "What's his name?"
"It's Depthcharge," Optimus replied.
Looking up at the large Thunder God, Depthcharge chirped curiously. He had never met anyone new before, and he wondered who this person was. He seemed friendly enough, the baby sea serpent decided, and his mother certainly seemed to like him. Although his father was looking vaguely annoyed.
Coming to a decision, Depthcharge chirped at his grandfather and held up his arms in the universally recognized gesture of 'Pick me up!' Magnus chuckled softly and took the sparkling into his arms.
"Hello, little one," he said. "It's very good to meet you."
Depthcharge laid his little head on Magnus's chest as he snuggled into the strong arms and quietly sucked his thumb. The adorable sight made Optimus smile.
"He loves his grandfather," the River God said.
"His grandfather loves him," Magnus replied, gently stroking the baby's helm.
Depthcharge cooed, his eyes dimming at the touch.
"You have a beautiful baby boy, Optimus," a gentle voice said.
Optimus smiled, and Megatron frowned, as a slender white and gold god entered the foyer. The Ocean God smiled back at his son before walking over to his mate.
"Hello, Optimus, Megatron. It is good to see you again," Yoketron said.
"Mother," Optimus replied.
"Yoketron," Megatron acknowledged. The War God knew that Yoketron didn't like him any more than Ultra Magnus did; but at least the Ocean God was more polite about it.
Depthcharge blinked red eyes at another new person. This one smelled like his mother, only different somehow. He smelt like the water outside. Depthcharge liked that smell.
Yoketron smiled at the sparkling and tickled him under the chin. Blue eyes softened when the sparkling giggled and tried to grab his hand.
"He's a friendly little guy, isn't he?" Yoketron said with a smile.
"He knows his family," Optimus replied.
Chuckling, the Ocean God gazed down fondly as the baby sea serpent managed to grab onto his fingers. Depthcharge started gumming on them, attracted to the smell and taste of seawater. Luckily, the sparkling's teeth hadn't come in yet or Yoketron's fingers would have been badly damaged. Yoketron chuckled again and pulled his fingers away, patting Depthcharge on the helm when the sparkling squealed at him.
"I need those, little one," he said to the indignant sparkling.
Depthcharge gurgled and waved a little fist at his grandmother. He wriggled and kicked, causing Magnus to readjust his grip to avoid dropping the sparkling.
"Squirmy little fellow, isn't he?" Magnus remarked, keeping a firm arm around his grandson.
"Perhaps a walk on the beach might settle him," Yoketron suggested. "It certainly worked with Optimus when he was a sparkling."
"It's worth a try," Optimus agreed. "And it would be a shame to spend our entire visit indoors on a sunny day like this."
"It's agreed then," Magnus said.
The Thunder God carefully handed Depthcharge to Yoketron before leading his family out onto the beach in front of the temple. The baby sea serpent happily gummed on the sash of his grandmother's robe, causing the Ocean God to smile. He gently tugged on the cloth, Depthcharge squealing with laughter.
Dropping back a little from his parents, Optimus took Megatron's hand. He smiled up at the grumpy War God, pressing close to his side. Megatron couldn't help but to return his smile, thinking back to the first time the pair had taken a walk on the beach. They had been considerably younger then, just starting to think about becoming serious in their relationship.
"What are you thinking about?" Optimus asked.
"You," Megatron answered. "You look even more beautiful now than you did when we first met."
"Sweet talker."
"I speak the truth."
The River God smiled and laid his head against his mate's shoulder. He loved it when his mate got romantic. It was a side of the War God that he knew no one else had ever seen, or ever would see.
Glancing over his shoulder, Ultra Magnus frowned at the sight of Optimus snuggling up to Megatron. He didn't like that his only son had chosen the War God for his mate. He felt that Megatron wasn't good enough for Optimus, and that the young River God deserved much better. The Nature God Prowl, for instance. He was intelligent, graceful, and beautiful, and had a far more respectable realm.
Or perhaps the Medicine God, Ratchet. He was an older god, but highly intelligent and loyal, with a protective streak that the Thunder God approved of. His tendency to throw things when angered and slight lack of tack simply made him rather charming, as far as Ultra Magnus was concerned.
But no, it was neither Prowl nor Ratchet that Optimus has chosen. It was Megatron. A god that was born from senseless death and destruction. A god with the blood of untold numbers on his hands. A disciple of the Unmaker himself. How Optimus was able to overlook that was something Ultra Magnus just couldn't understand.
The Thunder God was brought out from his thoughts when his mate put a hand on his shoulder. He glanced over to see Yoketron smiling at him gently. Magnus smiled back, eyes softening at the sight of Depthcharge playing with his grandmother's red and blue jeweled pendant. The baby sea serpent was running the gold chain through his fingers, gurgling happily.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Yoketron asked.
"I was just thinking that Optimus deserves better."
"Now dear, you know that Optimus is a grown mech," Yoketron chided. "You have to respect his choice, even if you don't like it."
"I really don't like it," Ultra Magnus said. "He's a follower of Unicron, for Primus's sake."
"I know. I don't approve of it either," the Ocean God admitted. "But Optimus loves him, and he loves Optimus. It's not our decision to make."
Ultra Magnus grumbled irritably, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew his mate was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
"I know you want what's best for Optimus," Yoketron went on. "But even you have to admit that Megatron has never once mistreated our son."
"You've made your point, dear. You don't have to rub it in," Magnus said with just a trace of bitterness.
The Ocean God chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to his mate's cheek. Magnus gave him a smile and put his arm around the slender waist to hold Yoketron close.
The little family continued walking down the beach for a while longer. The sun was beginning to set, creating a beautiful scene of orange and gold and red.
"It's getting late," Optimus said. "We should head back. I need to put Depthcharge to bed soon."
"I believe he's beaten you to it, son," Yoketron chuckled, gazing down at the sleeping sparkling in his arms.
Optimus smiled at the adorable sight of Depthcharge curled up in his grandmother's arms, the hem of his sash in the baby's mouth. Yoketron gently tugged it out before handing him to the River God. Optimus cradled his son, gently stroking a little cheek with a finger.
They started heading back to the palace, enjoying the sunset as they walked. But before they had gotten halfway there, the ground started to shake. The beach sand shifted as waves rolled over it and flowed back out.
"Is it an earthquake?" Megatron asked, steadying his mate and son.
"No, it's something else," Yoketron exclaimed.
"Oh Primus…" Optimus breathed, eyes wide with a mixture of fascination and horror as a gigantic eel rose up from the water.
The sea monster towered over the 4 gods, glaring down at them with beady eyes and a mouth full of needle-like teeth. It hissed, loud and screechy, waking the sparkling who promptly began to wail.
"Dear, would you kindly tell the eel that it's scaring the sparkling and we'd like it to leave?" Magnus asked his mate, unconcerned.
"I can't," Yoketron replied, very much concerned. "It's one of the ancient sea beasts. It's not going to listen to me."
"In that case, you might want to stand back."
Summoning a bolt, the Thunder God threw it at the eel, expecting it to fry. Instead, the giant eel shrugged it off without even trying. In fact, it seemed to enjoy the electricity.
"It's an electric eel! That's not going to work!" Yoketron said. "We need to get out of here!"
"Everybody hurry!" Magnus agreed, turning to run.
Seeing its prey starting to flee, the eel lashed forward and knocked the Thunder God off his feet. He scrambled back up just in time to avoid getting chomped in half.
"Father, how you ok?" Optimus asked, worried.
"I'll be fine, just go!"
"But Father-!"
"Listen to him, Optimus!" Megatron shouted, whipping out his sword. "Get our son out of here!"
Knowing Megatron was right, the River God ran up the beach with his mother, trying to put as much distance between them and the eel as they could. The beast lunged at them, but was stopped by a sword slicing across its muzzle. It squealed and reeled back, letting off several bolts of its own.
Magnus ducked as a bolt went whizzing by his head. It missed his head, but struck his shoulder with enough force to knock him down again. The blue and white god looked up in time to see lots and lots of teeth coming straight out him. With no time to dodge, he closed his eyes and made a silent apology to Yoketron and his son.
But instead of the sharp pain of jaws clamping down on him like he expected, the Thunder God opened his eyes in surprise when he heard an even louder squeal than before. Looking up, he flinched when a splatter of blood hit his face.
"Magnus, are you all right?" Megatron asked.
The War God was standing between him and the giant eel, blood staining his sword. A large chunk was missing from the side of the eel's face.
"I-I'm fine," Magnus stammered. "You saved me? Why would you do that?"
"You think just because I'm the God of War that I revel in senseless death?" Megatron said scornfully. "You're family. Do I need another reason?"
The Thunder God stared wide-eyed as the War God faced down the monstrous sea creature. There was neither fear nor anger on his face, simply steely-eyed determination. Gripping the hilt with both hands, Megatron charged at the eel just as it lunged towards him. Ultra Magnus was certain that the silver god was going to be swallowed in a single bite.
"You will not harm my family," Megatron said coldly, raising his sword.
The enchanted blade sliced clean through the eel's head, cleaving it in half. Megatron didn't stop there, continuing to advance until the eel was lying on the ground in 2 pieces. There was still no expression on his face, not even a flinch as he was sprayed with blood.
"That… that was impressive," Magnus said, slowly climbing to his feet.
"If you say so," Megatron replied. "Are you hurt at all?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Good. Then let's get back to our mates," the War God said. "I'm sure they're worried."
Magnus nodded and headed back up the beach. He glanced over sideways at the large god walking next to him. Megatron had made no effort to clean off beyond wiping his sword. It was as though he simply didn't notice the blood on him.
"Father! Megatron!"
Looking up, Megatron smiled at the sight of Optimus hurrying toward him. The River God looked both relieved and concerned; relived that they were back, and concerned that they had been hurt.
"I'm alright, Optimus," Megatron said softly. "No one was hurt."
"I was worried," the River God said, putting a hand on his mate's chest.
"I know. But we're back and the eel is dead. There's no need to worry anymore."
Looking up at his mate, Optimus threw an arm around him and hugged him tight. He didn't care that he was being smeared with blood. He just wanted to be held tight by those strong arms so he could feel safe. Tucked safely in his mother's other arm, Depthcharge chirped up at his father and held up a little hand. Megatron's optics softened and he took his son's hand in his own. Tiny fingers curled around a much larger one as the sparkling cooed.
"Are you injured, dear?" Yoketron asked his mate.
"I'm perfectly fine," Magnus assured him. "Megatron took the eel out before I knew what was going on."
"I'm glad. I don't ever want to lose you," the Ocean God murmured.
"You never will," the Thunder God assured him.
Nodding, Yoketron hugged his mate close and rested his head against a broad shoulder. He closed his eyes to listen to the quiet but steady beat of the larger god's spark.
"You know you need to thank him," he whispered.
"I know," Magnus replied with a sigh before releasing his mate and turning to the young pair. "Megatron, there's something I need to say to you."
Blinking in surprise, Megatron looked over at the Thunder God. He had an odd expression on his face that the War God couldn't read.
"Yes, Ultra Magnus?"
Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Magnus then sighed and ran a hand over his face.
"This is really hard for me to say, but… I was wrong about you," he said. "Even after the way I've been treating you, you saved my life."
"Like I said, we're family," Megatron said.
"I know, and I should have treated you like family from the start," Magnus said, holding out his hand. "I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," the War God replied, taking the extended hand and shaking it.
"It's about time you 2 started to get along," Optimus said with a smile.
"Indeed," Yoketron chuckled. "Ironic that it took a giant monster attack for it to happen."
"Oh, like you were dancing for joy when Optimus brought him home," Magnus retorted.
Yoketron just smiled at his mate, not saying a word. The Thunder God shook his head and pulled the Ocean God into a tight hug. Slender arms encircled his mate's neck as Yoketron pressed close. After a few minutes, Ultra Magnus pulled back a bit to steal a kiss.
"Let's go home," he said. "All of us."
Nodding, Megatron put his arm around his mate and son and lead them down to the palace. Magnus and Yoketron followed them, holding each other's hand like newly bonded. Depthcharge giggled as he played with the chain of his mother's pendant as the group entered their home, a happy little family.