Plug & Replay
Without much fuss or ceremony, Optimus returned home after nearly a full vorn spent off-planet. He'd been forging and strengthening the ties between Cybertron and the other known inhabited worlds in the galaxy. There'd been a rather poignant return to Earth, an ambassadorial visit to a skittish Nebulos, a fact-finding trip to Torkulon, and charitable missions to both Paradron and Char. He'd been embraced, shot at, applauded, and sworn at in fifty different languages. He'd been showered with gifts, favors, advances, and several clever, lethal gizmos that had been disguised as handy objects offered to him by the smiling politicians.
Now he was home, and there was only one thing that he wanted.
Elita met him on the landing pad, and he ran into her arms with the alacrity of a lost electron clicking into place around a charged atom.
Without a word, their fingers flew to connect every line and cable they could send out to each other. It was infodump, communion, and catharsis all at once. They were alone – a few discerning bots had seen to that – but Prime would not have delayed this reunion even if the whole of Cybertron looked on.
There was so much to tell; so many hoarded feelings; so many sights and sounds saved up to share with the one other who'd appreciate them. Luckily, via the high-speed connections, it all could be transferred in nanokliks. Prime had only a few moments before he was due at his Command post. But for now, they were enough.
It wasn't a spark-bond. That would come later. But it was a comforting homecoming nonetheless.
"Soon, my love," he promised. "Very soon."
"I'll hold you to that," she said, with a wink.
They parted, thin lines reeling swiftly in; and Optimus Prime strode out through the arched doorway.
Megatron greeted him with outstretched arms and crooked smile. "Still in one piece, it seems," he said.
"And so is Cybertron," said Prime, taking in the altered view of the swift-rising city from the tower's tall windows. "It looks like you've done well here, Brother."
"I'm glad that you approve... you silly, pompous mech," replied the big Decepticon. He thumped Prime on the back, and spooled a line from his wrist into Prime's. "Here's everything you need to know about the trouble we've all gotten into in your absence," he said with a grin. In less time than it takes to tell it, a vorn's worth of news and memories were downloaded into Prime's mainframe.
"It's good to be home," Optimus said quietly. "I've missed my family."
"It's good to have you back, you lazy scrapheap!" Megatron averred.
A/N: What? Of course both Prime and Elita use the same electron metaphor. They're bondmates; things rub off. (That's my excuse, at least.)