The moment Elisabeth left Megatron, he felt the house quite empty without her. He wasn't sure if he was missing her. After all, friendship in the eyes of a gladiator meant nothing. He came from the mines of Kaon, where survival was the law and injustice flourished wherever you went. He experienced all, how they were just mere slaves for a system corrupted by those who lived in prosperity. No one was safe and you cannot trust anyone, because they most likely will stab you in the back and leave you to be torn apart piece by piece by scavengers. So, it wasn't unusual to see the other miners fight each other until death. Because it was better to go down fighting than to live a life doing nothing. When he realised this was the same moment, he decided to be gladiator. Choosing to fight, choosing a name were the first steps towards his own freedom. He would never give up on chasing his freedom, his destiny, and there was no doubt in that.
But what will he do once he finally finds peace? If he ever finds peace? This was a question he didn't know the answer to. Maybe he will do all kinds of silly things, just like right now.
But if we are talking about doing things, he finally decided to open up Merlin's laptop and search on the web for any kind of information. After a few minutes it became clear to him why he couldn't understand this information web before. The reason was that it was made by humans for humans, so it contained information important to humanity. Which means more food.
After a few hours of searching, he got bored as he couldn't find anything interesting to him. So, putting down the laptop, he started to draw. He never did it before, but the web at least provided him with the answers this time. So, he picked up an empty notebook and a pencil. But before starting anything, he closed his eyes for a second and recalled every detail he could remember. The first thing he drew was a Decepticon insignia, one of the most important and clear things he could think of. Then he went on sketching Soundwave as he had very simple and notable features such as his glass visor instead of a face. When he finished it was three, but because the whole drawing thing made him tired, he had fallen asleep on the couch.
When Elisabeth returned, she had a fully thought-out plan for what to do in the afternoon. Of course, only if Megatron accepts her proposal. But when she opened the door, she found herself surprised by Megatron's peacefully sleeping form on the couch. Walking closer she noticed an open notebook on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"Woah! Such details…" she awed as she carefully analysed the picture, which looked so realistic as if a professional artist had drawn it. Megatron's skills in this field was something breath-taking, even if in the picture there was a strange robot. Although the insignia drawn next to the robot caught her attention too. It gave Elisabeth the idea to make this insignia into a necklace, which she could later use to give him as a present. So, she took a photo of it, then put the notebook back in its place and went to make a launch.
"You returned" she heard him say before she could go into the kitchen. His voice was sleepy and hoarse, but also hinted with a small relief.
"Yes, of course. Sorry for not waking you up right away. You looked so… peaceful while sleeping."
"I understand," he said as he walked closer to her. "But now that you are here, you are all mine as promised."
"Yeah, about that… What do you think of stargazing tonight? I heard the skies will be clear and even a meteor shower is expected."
"Stargazing…" he murmured as he put his hand under his chin while thinking. "Yes, we should go."
"Good, because we are going to spend the rest of the afternoon cycling or at least I will try to teach you how to cycle. But first: lunch."
"What is the food this time?" he asked as he sat down in the kitchen.
"Ravioli, which is basically dough filled with meat," she explained as she put the water to boil. "It's a shame we're not at the memes yet. But I hope later I could pour him with SpongeBob SquarePants memes. Because ravioli, ravioli, give me the formuoli!"
"What is so funny? Am I missing something?" he asked, looking confused by Elisabeth's face.
"Nothing Megatron, just some silly thoughts" she waved her hands dismissing it.
So, after they had lunch… Yes, Elisabeth really spent the rest of the afternoon trying to teach Megatron how to cycle. It was hard, Elisabeth was rolling her eyes in annoyance and Megatron was cursing like a sailor, but in the end, they managed to do it. Also, the time was just perfect, because after a short break and packing later they were on their way towards the field which was still grassy in October and where you could see the stars the clearest in the night sky.
"This is the last time you made me cycle. It is horrible!" exclaimed Megatron next to her on the way, while trying hard to keep his balance.
"Don't be dramatic! You're getting the hang of it and that's what you need" she said while letting go of the handlebars to stretch a little.
"Really? You dare to say that to me, while you can cycle like that?"
"Yes, I do," she giggled. "Look, at least the stargazing plus the picnic will be a nice payoff for your hard work."
"I could only hope…" Then a few minutes of silence settled between them, until Megatron broke it with a question. "I was meaning to ask you, Elisabeth: What is your… occupation, caste or whatever you call it?"
"You mean, my job? I am a professional figure skater. I dance on the ice, if you want a clearer picture. And you? Were you something else before you became a leader or you were always working in the military?"
"No, I was a gladiator before the war."
"Oh, we had gladiators too! Circa a few thousand years before. Which was long ago, by the way. But this answers a lot of questions though" she said, remembering the history classes about them.
"It is?" he looked back at her in disbelief. Because it would mean there is even less difference between the two races than he thought.
"If under gladiator you mean the people who fought in arenas with animals and each other in total brutality, yes it answers a lot. But here we are!" shouted Elisabeth as she jumped off her bicycle. But only furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as she saw a lot of other people sitting in the field waiting for the shooting stars. However, she should have counted on it as today was Saturday, that a lot of parents will bring their kids to see the quite rare occurrence. "Oh, shoot!"
"I would, if I had possessed a weapon" said Megatron casually as he pushed the bike in front of him.
"No, that's… just skip it, I didn't imagine that this many would come. I guess stargazing is off the list now…" Elisabeth looked disappointed, because she really wanted to show Megatron how beautiful the night sky is when there is a meteor shower.
"I didn't cycle all the way here to not watch what we wanted. Come, let us find a place to sit. Probably farther from the others." He said confidently as he took Elisabeth's hand after he set the bicycle next to hers.
"He took my hand… Does that mean he trusts me? Or did he just forget about it?" wondered Elisabeth as she watched her hand in Megatron's. Although his posture showed confidence as he walked through the crowds, his face twisted in discomfort. It was a blessing that they could easily find a suitable place. It was when they arrived that Megatron realised he had been holding her hand for a while now. It wasn't as bad as he had imagined, although it was still weird. Though the more worrying thing is why did he just grab her hand like that? Maybe it was some instinct, left from Merlin. After all, it was his body. But before he could let go of her hand and try to concentrate on what they had to do; someone was running towards them.
"Betsy!" shouted a young boy as he basically jumped on Elisabeth, who almost lost her balance because of this. "I didn't know you were coming!" he said happily, then looked at Megatron and smiled widely. "Merlin!"
With that the young boy hugged him tightly. It was enough that he accidentally held Elisabeth's hand, but now with this child hugging the life out of him was when he just basically stood there shocked, rigid.
"Hey, it's enough Daniel! He's not the one you need to practice your killer hugs on!" told off Elisabeth the youngling, coming to Megatron's rescue.
"But big sis! It was so long I saw you two!" he exclaimed as he stepped back. "And by the way Merlin loves hugs."
"Is he always this annoying?" looked Megatron exasperated at her as he finally knocked himself out of his initial shock. He only earned an embarrassed look from Elisabeth and a confused look from the youngling.
"What happened to Merlin? Does he not remember me?" came Daniel's voice as he crossed his arms.
"Can you please put down the blanket and our stuff?" She lent him the basket containing everything. "I have to talk with my little brother."
"Ah, so this little spawn is your brother?" But upon inspecting Daniel closer it was obvious he was her brother. The same red hair, almost the same brown eyes… Their posture…
"Don't call my brother little spawn, alright?" snapped Elisabeth right away and Megatron decided that he just did what he's told. So, he went to put down the blanket.
"We have to talk Daniel," stepped Elisabeth in front of her brother. "You are almost thirteen, so you're at that special age that you will believe what I will tell you and you won't call me crazy."
"Did Merlin swap bodies with an alien?" he asked blatantly.
"Yes… WAIT?! HOW?" asked back Elisabeth, flabbergasted by Daniel's question.
"That sounded like the most logical solution. But this is what really happened?" and the answer was only a short nod. "Woah! What's his name? Where does he come from? How did they swap bodies?" he poured the questions on her sister.
"Slow down, you're too fast for me! So, his name is Megatron, a member of a robot-vehicle alien race and he's from the planet ironically called Cybertron."
"His name sounds badass! Like some evil warlord!" Daniel exclaimed happily.
"I like his name too" smiled back Elisabeth. "But by the way, where are mom and dad?"
"At home, I came with Steve and Bob to watch the shooting stars. But when I saw you, I told them that I would rather watch it with you. So, can I stay?"
"Yes, of course. Now go and introduce yourself to him as my well-mannered little bro. And one last thing: he doesn't like touching."
"Okay big sis." he nodded than walk to Megatron. "Hi! So, Beth told me everything and I came to introduce myself properly. My name is Daniel Osborne and I'm 13 years old."
Megatron knew that human children were one of the most dangerous things on this planet. And he was Elisabeth's brother, which made him even more threatening.
"Hello Daniel, it is nice to meet you."
"Likewise! Now tell me everything about yourself!"
Daniel was really curious and asked a lot of questions from Megatron as they were sitting in the checked blanket and eating the sandwiches. As the time went on Elisabeth found herself to be intrigued by their talk and how her brother was able to ask questions that she never dared. Meanwhile it seemed Megatron was enjoying himself too, while talking about his race and himself. And the most surprising thing for Elisabeth was when he even told the tale how he ended up on Earth. He told Daniel about the war for freedom, which ended up making their planet inhabitable, deeming them to search for a new home and seeking refuge on this planet.
Their talk ended when her brother noticed the first shooting star and urged Megatron to wish something from it.
"And you too Beth! Wish for something!"
"Okay…" then she closed her eyes, thinking about what to wish for. "I wish…" and for a second, she opened them and looked at Megatron who seemed to be in deep thoughts as well. "I wish Megatron would find what he's searching for."
"Hey Megatron," whispered Daniel into his ear while Elisabeth was thinking. "What do you think of my sister?"
"She is…" There he stopped, unsure what to say next, only piquing up his curiosity. "At first, I thought she was annoying just like every other human, but now I find her… rather quite likeable."
"Well… if you ever find yourself in a fight against her, my advice is to tickle her."
"Tickle? What is that?"
"When you do this to other people" there he showed how to tickle. "They usually burst out laughing, dropping their defences!"
"Is there a way which does not involve touching?"
"No, because we're social beings. We need to be touched, but not just our skin, our souls too" said Daniel smiling kindly.
"Then I keep this in mind" he said as he looked at Elisabeth who in turn, looked at him. It was a quiet moment where he had the sudden urge to touch her again. It was really silly of him.
"Are you two ever going to kiss? I'm getting bored here!" Daniel blurted out, embarrassing both Elisabeth and Megatron.