IV.
Rooted
Persephone's eyes fluttered open.
She realized how cold it was and that the only thing that kept her warm was the metal underneath her. Her face felt warm too once she realised she had actually fallen asleep on Megatron's chest. Dark brown eyes studies the sleeping metal tyrant beneath her, realising that his face had a peaceful look.
Were warlords capable of having a peaceful slumber?
The look on Megatron's face says it all. A smile spreads on her face as he watched him in his recharge. The reality of where she was, was sinking in. The fact that she was actually here, where Cybertronians exist and that she was in a middle of a war made her frown.
Persephone hadn't thought about it.
Her throat felt dry when realisation had kicked in that she was in the middle of a war and that her life can and is in danger. Second, that thing she did to him. How did she fix him? Did she activated a mechanism on Megatron that could fix him?
But upon recalling his words, the idea didn't seem to fit in.
Did she have some sort of power to heal?
Can she do it again?
Persephone hopes so.
She once lived in a safe place. Sure there was a pandemic and she had to be stuck indoors all the time, but at least there weren't any aliens who had Earth caught in their crossfire. Not only did she travelled back in time, she managed to go to another dimension as well. It was all fun and games at the beginning, but when reality sinks in she felt so small.
So tiny compared to the metal beings that were bound to this planet.
A shiver went down her spine when she realised she would have definitely died if Megatron had decided to crush her on their first encounter. Third, was Persephone able to say that she was forced to be a Decepticon? She didn't really side with anyone since both were at fault for killing their planet. Persephone was aware that being a neutral wouldn't exactly play in her favour that much.
Seeing as they're usually... target practice for both sides.
Slowly, Persephone stood up after shifting her lower body away from Megatron's digits. They were arching over her as if to protect her. He probably just slept like that. It's not that deep, really.
Afterwards, she climbs down from his chest and her body shivered when her bare foot touched the ground. It was cold and slightly damp, but it felt good underneath her. Persephone walked to the middle and sat down as she gazed up in the sky. It was beautiful.
She felt alive and in that moment she can't complain.
There were no lights, just darkness and the moon above casted a gentle light on the area. A small smile spreads on her lips. Persephone felt at peace. She was in complete bliss.
Suddenly, she felt eyes on her. She turns back only to see the warlord still sleeping. Movement catches her attention at the corner of her eye. Her head snaps to the trees as she peered into the darkness.
There was nothing.
A sigh leaves her lips. She was probably just being paranoid, but she can't shake off the feeling that someone or something was watching her. Megatron was asleep, then it meant it couldn't be him.
Could it?
"Why are you awake, fleshy?" The voice of Megatron says behind her.
She turns her head and Persephone thought that it was beautiful how his eyes glowed a soft red in the dark. His frame was barely visible in the darkness and both glowing eyes, well in this case optics, looked so fascinating. Persephone doubts she'd be able to forget such pretty orbs of crimson.
Not in this lifetime, it seems.
"I don't know." She answered, turning her head back to the heavens above her. She pats the ground beside her. "Come seat by me?"
A grunt was heard behind her, followed by the footsteps of his pedes before stopping briefly. Persephone jumped as she was raised from the ground by his servos before they stopped at his shoulders. Was he letting her sit on his shoulders? Persephone turned her head at his face to see him looking at her expectantly.
Carefully, she settled herself on his gigantic shoulders. His hands went back to his side as she scooted close to his neck and held on to one of the small exposed cables. "Thank you," She said.
Megatron simply hummed in response.
Then, everything was silent.
They both watched the stars in silent. Shooting stars here and there appeared. The night was quiet. Everything was perfect.
A thought popped in her head.
"What was Cybertron like?" Persephone asked soft, looking up at the sky. She couldn't see his face from her angle, but felt him stiffen. Was it a touchy subject? God, Persephone wanted to kick herself.
Of course, it's a touchy subject.
That was their planet for fuck's sake.
"It is beautiful there." Megatron responded softly. "It was a little bit like Earth, but at the same time so different. The structures there were more taller and artistic. Vos, Tarn and Iacon were the main cities there. But between the three, personally, Iacon was the ideal place. However, I suspect you already knew that."
"Believe it or not, I may be a fan, but I don't know much about your version." Persephone answered. "Could you... enlighten me?"
"Of course. I am willing to enlighten an organic who wishes to learn and pursue knowledge, after all." The warlord responded and she chuckled at his words.
And so, he told her. He told Persephone how Cybertron is in its glory. Told her how the start of the solar cycles on top of the highest buildings in Iacon were beautiful as the light would shine on its buildings and how when diamonds would sparkle once light hits it reminds him of home. She watched as Megatron lost himself in his memories of the time where everything wasn't as worse as now.
"Cybertron sounds like heaven." Persephone leans her head on his neck as she closed her eyes, imagining what it looked like. "I hope... one day I'd be able to see it."
"If you were cybertronian..." Megatron trailed off. "I believe you would have been at least one of those 'elite' members of society."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because you are annoying."
Silence.
Persephone was the first one to crack, before Megatron followed. The two laughing at the silliness of his words. "I think if I was cybertronian, if we met earlier, we could have been great friends."
"Perhaps, but I doubt you would try to befriend a gladiator who has murdered countless both mechs and femmes," He answered her, turning his head slightly to her.
"I'm aware that you didn't have a choice, Megatron." She says softly, opening her eyes. She scoots away from his neck and near his shoulders where she can hold on to much more better. When she looks up, she sees red optics looking at her.
"What?" She asked.
"You are right, femme." Megatron hums. "Perhaps, we could have been good friends and perhaps you might have even joined the Decepticon cause at an early time."
"Are we not friends?" Persephone asked him.
"You are my medic. I am your leader and superior. You answer to me whenever I spoke to you and you must always follow my orders. My words are and must be law to you that you cannot disobey." He answered her. "However, I do acknowledge you as my... friend."
She smiles. "Then I'll do anything I can for my friend, then."
A comfortable silence passed over them. Megatron sat down and Persephone can see him look at her every now and then out of the corner of her eyes. It was hard to miss to see those hellfire optics looking at her, after all. However, she paid him no mind for the stars were much more interesting at the moment.
"How did you die?" Megatron asked.
She slowly looks at him confused and asked, "What?"
"When we first met, I recall you saying that you were killed and that you awoke here to this world," the warlord stated. "I wish to know how you had perished. Satiate my curiosity, won't you?"
Persephone looks away from his gaze and sighed. "It was just an ordinary day at the time. I was with my sister—"
"You have a sibling?" He inquired, surprised.
"Yes, I do. She's older than me by four years, to be specific. Her name is Maria. Originally, we were from the Philippines, but our mother had migrated to the US, bringing us with her." She answered. "As I was saying, I was with my sister, but she had to leave that day because her pets were rushed to the hospital."
Megatron nodded his head. "I see."
"So, I was left alone with my cat, Lilith. Oh she was so adorable and god I miss her so much." Persephone falters for a second, before continuing. "Then some intruders broke in. They threatened to kill me and that's why I fled with my cat. I made sure that she was off to safety before I took off again. I really thought I'd be able to make it out of the chase alive, you know?"
She laughs humorlessly as Megatron kept quiet.
"I find myself on a cliff," Her eyes warms as the edge of her vision blurs as her voice breaks. "If I turned back to the way I came from, they would have murdered me or they might do something worse. However, if I jumped off a cliff, that would be instant death. So, I chose the latter and fell. But when I reached the bottom, I sank into a river and drowned there."
Tears fall from her eyes. She turns to him and said, "And then I woke up and saw you." She sniffled as she wiped her tears. "After that, I actually got scared of going into deep bodies of water because I-because... because what if I die again? It was painful, you know? Everything hurts when that happened, inside and out. I don't want to experience that again." Persephone sobbed.
Something sharp pokes her cheek.
And she didn't realized she had closed her eyes until she opened them to see Megatron gently wiping away her tears. The tips of his digits were sharp, but the warlord was careful not to scratch her. A look of guilt was seen on his face as he looked at her.
"I... apologize for my actions earlier," Megatron said. "Had I known such a traumatic event occurred to you, I wouldn't have been so harsh on handling you." His digits rests on top of her head gently and sliding to her nape, doing the movement in repeat.
He was petting her.
Persephone would have found it strange, but she found it comforting. She finds herself leaning on to his touch. The butterflies in her stomach was there again. She still wept but not as much as earlier.
"Thank you," She sobbed. "Thank you, for saving me. You didn't have to, but you did."
His movements stopped, before a gentle smile on his face appeared. It felt so weird to see him like that. Persephone didn't expect such a sight before her. However, there it was, presenting itself.
"Dry those leaks now, femme." Megatron uttered softly. "A Decepticon may weep, but one must remember to rise upon the struggles that this wretched world throws at them and conquer life with their very servos. I expect that you'd do the same, seeing as you are part of my army."
The change in his demeanor scared her a little, but she finds herself loving it from him. He was comforting her and even encouraging her with his words. Did Megatron hit his head? What did he eat, because whatever it is, he should really keep eating it.
She finds herself favoring this side of him.
"What year is it on Earth?" Persephone asked, wiping her tears.
"To humans, the year would be two thousand and eighteen." Megatron answered as he offered his hand to her. "Why do you ask, little femme?"
Persephone hopped on, sitting herself on his palm as he sets his servo on eye level.
If that were the case then it meant, Cemetery Wind existed and would definitely take any transformer and drag them back to their hidey-hole. Megatron hiding out here was actually... a smart move.
It was too dangerous out there.
Not only that, Persephone hoped the Autobots were okay. That they were holding out, but who knows.
They might even be dead at this point.
"I'm from an alternate world and it was twenty, twenty one there." She said as she thought back to her home world, pushing away the hideous thoughts. "So, I'm from the future, four years later if that made sense."
"Interesting," Megatron mused. "Tell me, are you capable of time-travelling?"
"My trip here? I don't know how it was possible." The young woman said. "But time-travelling again by will? I doubt I'd be able to do that again without dying. Why do you ask?"
"I was curious," The former Decepticon answered. "Seeing as you were able to heal me, I thought that perhaps, you have other abilities as well."
She laughed. "Ha! I doubt it."
Megatron chuckles at her words. He seemed to look her over for a moment before he spoke, "You once said you were able to sing, did you not?"
"Please, for the love of God, do not make me sing." Persephone said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a great singer, I'd only hurts your ears."
"Nonsense, you had said that you were able to sing," Megatron grins at her. "Now, do sing. That is an order, little femme."
Silence.
"You can't be serious, Megatron."
"I am indeed serious."
Persephone huffs. "Come on, give me a pass. Please?"
He shakes his head side to side at her words. "I am waiting for my entertainment, femme." The warlord said, looking at her with amusement.
"Okay, okay fine." She said, giving in.
God she hoped her voice wouldn't crack. Her voice wasn't really good, but surely going with a simple melody was the best route. Right? Besides, she did warn him so that was alright.
But what if the genre of song wasn't up to his taste? Persephone thought about it for a moment but discarded the thought. This is a cybertronian who looked down on humans. She doubts he'd care or know what Earth song he favors.
With a deep breath, she started.
"Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute,
The feeling in it.
Slipping through my fingers all the time.
Do I really see what's in her mind?
Each time I think I'm close to knowing,
She keeps on growing.
Slipping through my fingers all the time."
Persephone finished, giving it her best. She hoped she didn't embarrass herself in front of the warlord whom she secretly harboured feelings for. He closed his eyes and kept silent.
There was a long pause and she felt awkward as seconds passed by.
Oh god.
It probably wasn't up to his expectations.
"Hey, I warned you. My voice is—"
"Impressive."
Her eyes widened as her cheeks warmed. "What? What did you say?"
"The song, it was good. Impressive, for a human. I suppose it would be too embarrassing to say, that I would believe you have sung it better than the original." Megatron looked at her before looking away as he coughed.
She raised a brow. "How are you sure? I doubt you listened to the song. Well, rather, any Earth song."
"I listened to the part that you had sung," Megatron rumbled, avoiding her gaze. "You... May I ask what the song is about?"
Persephone smiles, dismissing his strange actions. "The song is about a parent who watches their child or children grow up and drift away from them," She answered. "However, some people just take the chorus since the chorus, obviously dismissing the other parts of the song, it can be interpreted as lovers who are aware of the fact that they are aging and helplessly try to preserve the memories they share together before they die."
His face scrunched at her words. "Your species are quite... morbid," Megatron said, his face a little disturbed.
"Trust me. It's not really that morbid. It's just us being self-aware that our time is finite until it runs out." She laughed. "Even I know I will die one day. Hell, I already did."
He was silent for a moment. "Then, I will not let you die once more." He said a look of seriousness on Megatron's face. "I will not allow you to slip through my digits."
Persephone rolled her eyes at his words.
"Listen, I appreciate that you don't want me to die." She said. "But you are no god, so I doubt you'd be able to stop me from dying or growing old."
— ixi —
The star that the Earth revolved around to had risen and Megatron finds himself thinking her words over. The warlord disgusted with himself. No wonder she had clawed and scream in his servo. The femme died drowning and honestly he couldn't lame her if she didn't want to go somewhere with deep waters.
And he finds himself confused as to why he cared.
This was a femme whom he can exploit with her healing abilities, if she was able to perform them again that is. A mere insect for his disposal. So why? Why did it disturb him that he had unintentionally hurt her by putting her through mental anguish.
Not only that, his spark ached at the sight of her anguish. Her cries had him chilled as she begged him to stop. In a way, it was a form of torture. So why?
Why does he feel bad about hurting her?
Had he grown to care for her?
Megatron shakes his head, earning a confused look on one of the sparklings before they were tackled playfully by their sibling. Talking to her may have granted him relief, but that was because he was not talking to anyone at all. He hated the idea that he had—No. He does not care about her or whatever happens to her.
Humans are disposable.
It was better if he was being a little nice to her. Yes, that's right. A willing human is a tolerable human. She was just that.
Tolerable.
The sound of her laughter coaxed him out of his thoughts.
Her laughter, the one she makes when she plays with the sparklings, was music to his ears. Megatron finds himself with envy that she only laughs to them like that. He looks at her, a wide smile on her dermas as her organic optics, that shifts to a gold color when light hits it just right, shone with glee.
He finds himself wanting to coax such laughter out of her because of him.
He had to do that at some point.
She runs to one of the sparklings, gushing and cooing at them. The sparklings. Persephone may not know, and Megatron had decided not to tell her, that these sparklings had imprinted on her. Seeing her as their carrier and they already imprinted on him as their creator as he fathers over them.
He had reciprocated the bond, but Megatron isn't sure if humans were capable of such as well.
It brought a certain joy to his spark as he imagined this little bond to make such a joyful family.
She as their carrier. Him as their creator. The four sparklings being the proof of their bond. Megatron does not see these sparklings to be potential soldiers, but as his own.
A smile blooms on his faceplates at the thought.
But she isn't cybertronian.
The thought conjured a lump on his throat. He was confused. He caught himself on such an act, thinking of such an outrageous thought. Why was he imagining a family with her?
"Megatron!" Persephone calls out to him and he looks at her. She runs to him, the sun caught in her hair which reminded him of those dark chocolate that humans consume. "May I ask you something?"
"Proceed." Megatron said.
"Do the sparklings have names?"
He frowned. "Designations? I believe their late carrier and creator has not yet given them any."
"Perfect!" Her eyes seemed to shine brighter and for once Megatron felt a little disturbed that the small human femme in front of him might find joy at the death of conjunx enduras. "Why don't we, you and I, name them?" She hummed, looking up at him.
He sighed in relief.
At least she didn't find joy in such a sick thing. Even Megatron himself wouldn't insult conjunx enduras and certainly not offlined ones, at least. "I... I don't exactly have any ideas." The warlord admitted.
Persephone walks to one of the sparklings, the femme one, and she looks at the human femme with wide yellow optics. She cups the sparklings facial plates and grins.
"To be honest, this one had bewitched me. Haven't you, little one?" She coos adoringly. "Their name will be... Coven."
The sparkling she called Coven makes a sound of joy and laughs. She seemed to understand Persephone. The sparklings understood Cybertronian language and were, at this point, should be speaking his planet's language any time soon. Perhaps, if they were able to access the humans' internet, they would or might be able to speak the English language as well. The human femme walks over to the other one beside Coven.
The sparkling was a mech, his armour was developing but it has yet to gain its colors. "And this little kiddo right here," Persephone hums as she examined the sparkling who looked at her with curiosity. "Ares seems like a great name. Like the god of war."
"The god of war?" Megatron snorts. "No wonder your race is brutal and violent."
"In ancient times, the Greeks worshipped the old gods," She explained, smiling at him. "One of them was Ares, the god of war. The Greeks would often pray to him before going into battle. In the end, they always win. And besides, even before the dawn of these 'gods' and religions, humans have always been violent and brutal."
"How quaint." He chuckled.
Humans and their beliefs. How fascinating that such a thing exists upon a species.
"The other two..." Persephone trailed off. "I have no idea. I'm out of juice. Can you tell me something about them? They do look similar tho."
Megatron looks for the other two sparklings only to see them sitting on his other side, looking at him. The two were twins, he had realized that too late. He felt a sense of guilt that he didn't even bother to know, but that was the imprints effect on him.
"They are twins." Megatron informed the human femme as he held the two in his arms. "If I am to be correct, these two are the youngest."
"Oh, that actually... makes sense."
Persephone seemed to think as she thought an appropriate name and the warlord thought it was amusing to see her use her head. The names she picked were quite fascinating.
It fits the appeal to both cybertronian and human culture.
A grin spreads on her face as she points on the left. "That one will be Starfire. And that one," Persephone points to the one on his right whom tilted her helm a little. "Will be Blackfire."
"Such... Unique names."
"Oh, trust me," The human femme grins. "The twins' names are iconic!"
Megatron wasn't sure if she meant the names were widely recognized or if 'iconic' held a different meaning. He wasn't sure. The warlord didn't exactly understood human phrases. And he doubts he ever will.
"When do sparklings start to talk?" Persephone asked as she sits down and leans on his leg.
"They should be able to speak bits of cybertronian soon, but if they're able to download the earth language then they shall immediately be fluent in it." He answered as he watched the four sparklings happily try out their designations in cybertronian but seemed to fail since they lack the comprehension to do such at the moment.
So, it came out as an equivalent to a human sparkling's babble.
The sparklings broke into a series of rough housing. Megatron chuckled to himself. Never in a million years did he ever thought of adopting sparklings. The thought never crossed his mind.
And yet, here he was, doing just that.
As he watched the sparklings, he felt like being watched.
The first thing on his processor was to get organic femme to safety. His optics swiftly flicked to the human femme who seem startled by his gaze before she averted her dark optics away from him.
Had she been staring?
"What is it, femme?" Megatron asked. "Does my presence disturb you?"
"What? No!" She answered. "No... it's just-because... I um—"
Megatron heard her sigh, muttering under her breath. He looked at her confused. What was she saying? "Speak up, femme." He commanded. "I can't hear you properly."
"I said, I was trying to memorize you!" Her voice raises as she looks at him angrily. "When I grow old, I didn't want to forget you and what you looked like."
Did humans became easily forgetful once they've grown old? Megatron studies her face. Persephone's brows were furrowed, her face flushed. Was she embarrassed of admitting to such an act?
He didn't exactly see what was wrong with that.
The warlord kneels, lowering himself until his face were a few inches away from her as his optics observed her. Her face grew redder and she gulped.
"Then, by all means, femme." Megatron said through lidded optics, giving in to her wishes. "Burn my faceplates into the very nerves of your mind so you do not forget."
"And I shall do the same with yours," He thought.
Her eyes wandered in awe and wonder as she took in every detail. Her hands, so tiny and small, touches his face. His optics closes as he mindlessly leans in her touch.
It was soft.
His spark raced as it reached out to her once more. Why was it doing that to her again? A thought occurred to Megatron but he dismissed it. It was impossible. He didn't exactly believe in such.
She was an organic, after all.
And yet, only after a day of talking to one another again after ignoring each other completely, the warlord can't help but feel... happy.
It was because he had no one else to talk to. He didn't have anything to busy himself with other than. To lay here and there as time passed as he awaited death. Surely that was the reason.
That had to be.
He didn't know the exact reason why he was feeling like this but he finds himself wanting it.
A craving had formed within his chassis and he wasn't sure how to satiate it.
"Persephone—" The sound of a twig snapping had the warlord stopping and opening his optics to glare at the source of the sound.
"Who's there?!" Persephone calls out, hands still resting on his face. "Show yourself!"
Persephone's bravery had the Decepticon warlord amused. As if she can do anything with how tiny and fragile she was. He would have commended her courage had a pesky little intruder wasn't in the midst of his base.
Their base.
He growls, his servos covering the human femme as he sits up, regretfully tearing away from the little human femme's touch.
From above, he saw the unfortunate creature. A feline whom had its optics on the human femme in his servos, humans called it a lion, blending within the gigantic floras—trees. From the lack of fur around its head, it must be a femme.
At least according to his research.
"Pest." He growled, venom laced the single word.
When his hands covered the human femme, the lion looked at him. It stared, seeming to size him up. As if it stood a chance in the first place. Then, it emerges from its hiding spot.
A growl emits from Megatron.
A warning.
This beast dares to defy him? Usually, animals don't exactly wander near him. So, why was it showing itself now? What fueled its courage of confronting him?
Foolish creature.
Before Megatron decided to squish the organic beast, it turned around to leave as it enters the forest once more. The warlord hadn't noticed, but realized there were many of them once they moved and followed the feline, each without a fur around its head and each looking identical as the last. Each seemed too look at him before following what could only be the leader. There was a pride of lions lurking within the forest behind them.
Megatron had sensed them loitering around, but they only made themselves known now.
The lion, and perhaps all of them, must have been taking turns patrolling here and there.
Why?
And a cold chill runs down his spine.
They weren't here for him or the sparklings out of curiosity. No, they were there for the human femme. For Persephone. Lions were carnivorous beasts and Persephone was exactly made out of meat.
They saw her as their sustenance.
He slammed his fists, sending the pride running. How dare such a lowly creature dare to rip this human from his grasps. A growl tears out of his throat.
"Whoa," Persephone said in awe. "I've never seen a lioness that close before. Much less without a glass separating me from them!"
Excitement in her voice. When Megatron looks, he sees a smile on her face. "They were here to take you," He growled, fingers holding her close to him possessively
"What?"
"I've noticed them loitering about here and there," He said, red optics glaring to where the predators had been. "They must have thought of you as their next meal since animals don't come close to me or the sparklings."
When the warlord said those words to the femme in his grasps, he sees her face losing its colors a little. "Oh." She said quietly, processing his words.
"Fear not, femme." Megatron reassured, petting her head. It seemed to calm her down earlier, surely it will help calming her down again. "I will assure your safety."
"You have my... thanks." Persephone smiles.
And she gives him a smile, one that had struck a strange feeling on Megatron. A good kind. To him, humans were faceless. Each forgettable as the others. For what use is it to remember such a despicable and disgusting species?
But hers...
Hers is something he wants to remember.
The sun's light finds her dark colored eyes and he sees the color of honey on the brink of turning gold. It was a sunset or sunrise of its own. Dare he say much better than the ones that occur on both Earth and Cybertron. Megatron wasn't aware that human's eyes are quite fascinating.
At least, hers are.
Was that endearment in her eyes?
— ixi —
The next day, Megatron came back with some wooden crates. She wondered what unfortunate village or town did he robbed? Persephone shrugged to herself. It didn't matter.
They needed to survive.
Canned foods, something Persephone didn't expect to see again and kissed the ones she got her hands on. Oh god, it was practically heaven for the young woman. And then there were soaps for cars, even polishers and wax!
The bonus part was the pail, some really big sponges and some microfiber towels as well as waxing foams.
He was going to leave again. When Persephone asked where he was going, he merely said that, "I must search for something, I will not take long. Look out for yourself and the sparklings while I am gone."
And with that the giant mech left despite her shouts at him to explain more to her. Thus, she was here. Alone. With the sparklings.
A nudge was made to her back and Persephone looks to see wide yellow optics looking at her. "Hello, Coven." She coos as she cups the sparling's adorable face. "What is it that you want, sweetie?"
The sparkling ignores her and just leans into her touch. The action itself reminded her of Megatron yesterday whom leaned into her touch when her hand was placed on his face. The thought made her blush. A part of her imagined that this was a domestic life.
Just a part of her imagination.
That she was the mother of these sparkling. Megatron being their father and her as their mother. The sparklings were like gigantic babies, but babies nonetheless. It was wishful thinking, however, the thought would surely enrage the warlord.
Best to keep it from him.
Persephone realised that Coven seemed more shinier than yesterday. When her fingers poke their arm, it was hardened. It was hard before, yes, but now it seemed more firm. As if it was impenetrable armour.
And if she looked closely she could see hints of red faded streaks on the sparkling. "Coven, is your armour developing?" Persephone gasped as the sparkling simply looked at her. "Aw, my baby is growing up!"
Later, Persephone finds herself sitting underneath the warlord's makeshift tent with Coven sleeping huddled next to where she sat. Ares comes and demanded her attention in the form of taking her hand and putting it on his helm as he laid on her other side, opposite to Coven. He loved those head rubs from her and who was she to deny such things to an adorable child?
And before she knew it the twins, Starfire and Blackfire, were sprawled in front of her and sleeping huddled near her.
It was an adorable sight and the more Persephone looked, the more she learned new things about them.
She noticed how Coven was much more bigger than the rest. Which might mean they're the oldest, not only that but her armour seemed more developed than the others. The second eldest would be Ares, bigger than the twins and yet smaller than Coven, whom she had noticed had what looked to be armour taking shape but hasn't formed yet. The youngest were probably the twins, seeing as they're still in their protoforms and were smaller than the other two.
They weren't her children, yes, but Persephone had grown to care for them as such. Even if they didn't understand her or if she didn't understand them, probably both. Motherly instincts kicked in the moment she grew attached to them. A smile graces her face as she was overwhelmed by all of their cuteness.
To say that she was having baby fever was an understatement.
The four of them were just so adorable!
She was enthralled by them all that she didn't notice the red optics watching her from afar with a look of yearning on them. That is until, its owners composed itself and made its' presence known.
"I see you've acquainted yourself well with the sparklings." Megatron laughs loudly but was stopped abruptly as Persephone shushed him, eyes glaring at him.
"Don't you dare wake them." She whispered, her voice warning him. He seemed to hear her as he nodded at her and carefully sets the other wooden crates he have that Persephone had just noticed.
She looks at him in confusion and he simply tells her to come to him with his servo.
Persephone rolled her eyes, gently and carefully, she stands up. On her movement, Ares moves but stopped all together as he curled up in a ball and it made her smile softly. Slowly she walked towards Megatron. "Look at them, they're adorable." She cooed, her chest overwhelmed with love for the sparklings.
"Sparklings are quite a rarity these days," the warlord says, agreeing with her with a nod. "You can imagine my surprise when I came across them."
"If so... then where are their parents? Did they just abandoned them?" Persephone asked, turning to look up at him.
The warlord shrugged. "My guess is that their parents had perished. I encountered a cybertronian escape pod and to my surprise," Megatron said, gesturing to the sparklings. "Lo and behold, these four."
"Oh no, poor babies." She gasped, looking at the four with sympathy.
"Indeed. It seems we are the only one they have left." Megatron said. "They do not bother you, do they?
She shook her head. "Hell no. Believe it or not, I actually care about them. Sometimes, us humans just take other people's children in through adoption."
"I wasn't aware that you humans would do that." He said, crouching down to her. "Why is it you humans resort to adoption instead of bearing children of your own?"
"Because," Persephone answered. "There are couples who can't make children of their own, so they go to orphanages to adopt. And besides, all children deserves a parent or parents but not all parents deserve children."
"I see." Megatron says as her words sinks in to him. He then moves a big wooden crates to her. "I have acquired some of your daily necessity as a human."
Persephone had to stand on the tips of her toes to peer inside the wooden box.
Her jaw drops in surprise on what she saw. There were dozens, if not, hundreds of clothes that may fit her or were oversized. Not only that, there were soap, shampoos and conditioners too. As well as some canned food that should last her for a long while.
"This was what I needed!" She grins, turning to Megatron. "Thank you."
"Of course," He said, nodding his head.
"Hey, I know you got all of this for me, but could you please put it in the shade, that way it wouldn't get wet and ruined?"
"I do not see as to why not, little femme."
In that moment, Persephone decided to thoroughly wash him with the utmost care. After he places her crate of needs within the shade, she tells him her idea.
"Will it not bring you mental anguish if you go there?" Megatron asked and was surprised to see him worried.
She shrugged, "As long as I don't go near the deep parts... I think. Do you know somewhere where there's a waterfall? That way, it'd be easier to wash off all the soap from you. As long as we won't go too far, the sparklings might need help."
"Indeed, but they are sparklings. Organics can do them no harm, unless it encounters one of those wretched humans." The warlord says. "However, I doubt they'd be wondering this far."
"I'll try my best to make it quick," She smiled. "That way, they wouldn't wonder as to why no one's around when they've woken up."
And with that, Megatron carries her in his servo as he followed the river's path, opposite of where the current is headed. Basically, upstream. As he walked, Persephone saw the wonderful view and the change in scenery was refreshing to her as was the cold breeze beneath the warm sun.
She dares not look down because if she did, her fear of heights would kick in.
The sound of raging waters catches her attention and when she turned her jaw drops. There, where they were headed, was a beautiful waterfall and the lush green trees made the scenery more lively.
"It's so beautiful!" Persephone gawked. The tyrant simply laughed at her.
The waterfall was far more bigger than Megatron, which was terrifying for her but a great shower for the warlord. When Megatron set her down on the land, just beside him as he went to let the water soak his form. Persephone, after setting aside the other car wash products, draws water with a pail and turns it into soapy water with one of the liquid car soap she brought with her.
As she turns, Megatron emerges from the falls. The sun seemed to shine brighter and Persephone can't help but ogle at him. The way water falls down his form with the sun caught in his armour. When he looks at her, she smiles and motioned for him to come to her.
She can't help but internally fangirl for a second. "Hey, could you transform to your alt mode?" Persephone asked, craning her head to look up at him from where she stood. "That way, I'd be able to wash every inch of you."
The warlord only nodded before transforms. Persephone watched as metal shifted from one place to another in such smooth yet fluid manner, every detail and part was fascinating. It was like time slowed when he did so and proceeded like normal when he was done. In front of her was jet. Oh, but it wasn't a normal jet or a military one.
It was a cybertronian one.
She wasn't surprised, not one bit seeing as the warlord practically hates humans. It was so alien that the moment you see it, you'd definitely know it wasn't from Earth. It was literally something out of a sci-fi movie. The good kind.
Her hand reaches out to touch the foreign vehicle. It was cool and wet from obviously going underneath the water fall, but it was still filthy and grimy. She pinches herself and grins when she's still here. Persephone did accept this as her new reality, but it did feel like a dream from time to time.
"What's with the look, femme?" Megatron asked, somewhere from the jet.
"I just... dude, you're so cool. Holy shit." Persephone gushed excitedly, earning a chuckle from him. "Like... all of this?" She gestures to his alt mode. "Is so pretty and cool!"
Persephone walks around the cybertronian jet, examining the details. Afterwards, she started lathering soap on the sponge and proceeded to wash said jet. She made sure that every nooks and crannies were thoroughly cleaned as she scrubbed, a path of foamy bubbles in her wake. She noticed little scratches here and there, but not large enough to be battle scars.
How strange. He must be really careful on the battlefield, but even Persephone knew he was bound to have at least some form of injury like a scar or burns or at least the equivalent of that.
"You seem to be looking for something. What is it femme?" Megatron asked, breaking her line of thought. Was he watching her? Her eyes examined the jet but saw no sign of him observing her.
Just perks of being a cybertronian, perhaps.
"I noticed that you don't have any scars," She answered, truthfully. "I mean, I'm glad you're not hurt or whatsoever, but shouldn't you have some sort of physical battle scars, at least?"
The cybertronian laughs, as if her question was silly. She frowns at this. She didn't see the humor of it, at all. But then again, to Megatron, Persephone is quite silly.
She picked up on that swiftly.
"Have you not noticed, little femme?" Asks the warlord with amusement. "I have no injury and it is all your doing."
"Oh, I call bull on that."
"I understand your wariness of my words, but tell me. Have I ever lied to you?"
Persephone is silent as she continued to clean him. Did he ever lie to her? Thinking back, she hasn't exactly have any lies from him. If anything, he was brutally honest.
"No." She said carefully. "No, you haven't... yet."
He chuckled and it vibrated throughout his form and extending to her. She almost lost her balance before steadying herself, she sighed before she continued to clean him.
"Remember when you've accidentally healed me?" The warlord asked and Persephone recalls her surprise at that moment.
"I do." She answered.
"Not only were you able to fix my helm, but you were also able to remove any 'battle scars' and damages from my form that I received in battles way before our encounter." Megatron said. "That is why I sought to it for you to be my medic."
"Ah, I see. It does make sense now that I think about it." Persephone hums.
Washing half of his alt mode took what seemed to be an hour and half but it could be longer, Persephone isn't sure. She just knew it took a lot of time for him to be half covered in foams of soap and the other half has yet to be washed off of its grime and filth.
It took the same amount of time as she scrubbed away the other half.
So, Persephone carefully climbed on top of the cybertronian, hauling herself and being extra careful on not hurting herself on the sharp areas of the jet. She doubts Megatron would want her crimson liquid to stain him. She came across the familiar symbol engraved on the jet's middle. It was hard to see since it seemed to blend within his armour, but Persephone knew it like the back of her mind.
There in before her was the Decepticon insignia
Her mouth hanged open as she examined it in person. It was so simple, but it held so much meaning. As if one would to a lover, she tenderly ran her thumb over the insignia, then yanked her hand back with a yelp when a slight shock reached her finger tip and the vehicle beneath her jerked.
"Ouch." Persephone mumbled as she tried to get the string to wear off.
She held her hand and looked it over. Thankfully there weren't any injury. She heard the sound of metal shifting and before she knew it, she sat on the palm of Megatron's servo. "Femme, are you alright?" He asked, panic and concerned evident on his voice.
"What?" She asked, snapping out of a daze. Her mind seemed to process his words before she responded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. What about you? I'm... I'm assuming you felt it too since you jolted as well."
"I will be fine." He said before taking her arms in his pointer finger and thumb, examining her hands in such a delicate and gentle manner. "I shall rinse of this residue and let us return to camp."
"Oh, but I was planning on polishing—"
"It can wait another time," He growled, voice filled with anger. She stills, looking at him with concern. He sighs, looking away, before he looks at her.
His optics that looked at her with care.
Was he okay?
"My sudden anger is not towards you, femme." Megatron reassured as he settled her to the ground, turning his back to her. "It is towards someone else, a higher being even, if you will."
With that he stomps towards the waterfalls, disappearing as he did so.
What did he mean by that? The only higher beings that cybertronians ever worshipped was Primus. The equivalent of a god. Could he be referring to Primus.
Persephone wracked her head for answers.
But at the moment, nothing seemed to make sense. What got Megatron so agitated? She thought about it as she cleaned off the remnants of soap on her body. Her clothes were soaked, it's a good thing Megatron brought her that stash of clothes.
She gathers the supplies and turns to look at where the cybertronian disappeared.
And then, like some handsome Greek God who came to abduct her, Megatron emerged from the waterfall with optics blazing like red hellfire.
As if her damnation came in the form of metal god.
A certain spark ignited within her as her heart beats. Her face was warm and it grew warmer as a pleasurable shiver runs down her spine. When her eyes met his, her breath hitches.
He looks at her with such intensity.
And gently, oh so gently, takes her in his grasp. She prayed he didn't hear her heart fluttering, but she doubts it. "Femme, you will not leave my side, will you?" Megatron asked with such seriousness.
It's not like she didn't want to leave his side, but she didn't want to leave his side.
So, basically, yes.
"I mean, I haven't exactly volunteered to be a Decepticon. You just sort of made me jinn? Technically, I have the right to say no—" Megatron cuts her off with a 'tsk'.
"Tell me, femme. Do you value promises?"
"Of course, I haven't broken a single promise."
"Then, tell me that you will join the Decepticon cause and swear your allegiance to me, femme. Swear upon the Allspark and upon the Pits that you will not leave me." The warlord says, his words filled with a ferocious possessiveness and Persephone. "Swear to me that you will not leave me."
"First, how can I leave you when I don't know where I am. Second, if I did, I'd die the moment some apex predator would pounce on my ass." She listed, pointing out the obvious to him. "And third, why would I leave you when you've been kind to me?"
"Then swear it, femme." He said in a desperate, almost in a pleading, manner. "Do you swear upon all those things I have mentioned that you would not leave me?"
His face nears her as he raised her to his eye level, his form tense as he awaited her response. She didn't know what caused this behavior. But beneath the heavens where the sun shone down on them and the birds chirped in the trees as he held her in his palm, she thought his words over. Persephone gave her answer with uncertainty.
"I promise."
End of Chapter IV