#tfpfanfic

[sparklingpax]

Tales From Iacon - Part 1: Kalos

A/N:

-Set in the Aligned continuity! Specifically, TFP :3

-Ik this translates to something like "noble" or "good" in Greek and this is the title because of the character you're gonna meet (just someone I came up with on the spot,,,,please don't get mad if theres already someone like that in TF I swear I did not intend to copy anyone's stuff—) and also because of the "goodness" and "nobility" in the ultimate message of his character's existence, as well as a reference to the idea of the cause for equality on Cybertron and all. Idk that probably doesn't make sense. It made more sense in my head!!!! OK anyway,,

-Please forgive me for typos or atrocious grammar things idk most of this was written at 4 am because I couldn't sleep also sorry if it's incoherent or boring or ooc please have mercy on me I just wanted to have some fun and write about these two because I love them--

-Also this is originally from my wattpad! (@/kunixjiro if you’re interested in my other stories as well) I will be updating chapters as I write them both there and here <3 </p>

 -I tried to use to terms that are specific to Cybertronian lingo. Please forgive me if there are any mistakes with the usages; I looked them up and tried to do some research based off a few of the books I have, but then again, I might have mistaken them to mean something else. Either way, pls leave a comment if you want me to explain what something means. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the story! :D

/ / /

The sky was a perfect, clear blue.

White wisps of clouds floated in the sky at a carefree pace.

Yet, said clouds did not mar the color of the sky—the beautiful, blue sky.

Sitting far below, on a bench in a park in Iacon City, Orion Pax stared up at it. He contemplated the shapes of the clouds, wondering what exactly they reminded him of. Regardless of success in such an endeavor (or not), Orion found absolute peace in quietly contemplating nature around him.

He was therefore contented at present. Right then and there, Orion would have been more than happy to stay for centuries to come.

The sky is, after all, endless. Much more than what his small optics could see was beyond.

That thought alone excited his scholarly curiosity. Planets, life, solar systems! So much left to find in such a great, big universe. Orion shut his eyes and smiled. How wonderful it is, this day. Thank you, great Primus, for creating such a lovely place. He opened his eyes again to survey the world presently before him.

Closest to his bench, Orion saw a group of sparklings playing catch. He shifted his gaze to his right, seeing two adolescent bots walking together, giggling carefreely. To his left was an older bot, manning his small "Energon Cube-sugar" station with a contented smile. Someone was reading a book on another bench. Over at the far side of the grass was a dancer showing off their skills to some music as onlookers cheered encouragingly. Outside the grassy clearing, many more citizens of Iacon moved about—to work or to play Orion did not know, but nonetheless, the world was alive around him.

Megatronus is taking quite a long while to show up. I know he is often otherwise engaged with matters in his political or gladiatorial life...though I wonder if he even remembered...

Orion picked up his holopad and began scrolling through his assignment calendar while he waited. Nothing had been updated, so Orion sighed a little and shut off the device, returning his gaze to the sky.

He wondered why he hadn't brought the pad that had books to read on it.

Megatronus...please don't tell me you actually forgot again—

"Pax!"

At the sound of his name, Orion jolted a little. He smiled to himself as he saw Megatronus's large figure striding through the park, across the clearing to his bench. Well, I guess I was wrong.

When the silver-and-burgundy-plated bot reached him, Orion stood up to greet him.

"Still alive after all those matches in the rink?" He joked lightly. Megatronus grinned playfully.

"Still alive after all those exams?" Orion widened his eyes in slight surprise, then they shared a laugh. "Well, I see how it is. I am pleased to see you are well." Megatronus extended a servo.

Taking it, Orion replied, "Thank you. It is good that you are, also."

They sat down.

Originally, Orion had wanted to talk about philosophy regarding the societal structures of Cybertron, which both of them had qualms with at present. However, after Orion had gotten food from the stand nearby, and the pair had begun discussing interesting sights Iacon had to offer...

"I can show you the very store I purchased this from," Orion gestured to the holopad in his hand. "It has a wide variety of tools, as well as a wider range of prices." Megatronus perked up a little at the second statement. "The shopkeeper is a nice, old bot."

"Is he, now?" The gladiator leaned back and stared at the sky, considering whether it would be a good idea or not. His eyes were lit with a strange mix of inquiry, annoyance, and amusement. "Would he permit a lower caste bot into his store, Orion? According to society, I should not be in this city at all, anyway."

"With me, he most likely will." Orion answered firmly. He then frowned. "And don't say that, Megatronus. You and I both know that anybot belongs anywhere they please. Freedom is a basic right of all, is it not?"

Megatronus gave his friend a sideways look, the corner of his mouth twisted into a wry smile.

"Huh."

Orion sighed, then elaborated a little bit. "His name is Kalos and he has been a kind bot for all the time I have known him. I have never seen him raise his voice or say harsh things. In fact, he's been to Iacon once or twice, and he and Alpha Trion are friends."

As he spoke, Orion realized just how silly it was starting to sound—that he would know just how a lower-caste bot like Megatronus would be received at an upper-caste level store in Iacon. As an archivist at Iacon Hall of Records, as well as a scholar, it would stand to reason Orion had never seen Kalos be disrespectful or harsh to him—even if Orion was still not part of the upper-caste classes. It was true that he was not explicitly owed respect as per the society's standards.

However, it wasn't impossible that the people of Iacon were kind souls on their own.

I feel as though he is a kind bot regardless of caste. Things could still go well.

"I suppose the only way to know is to go and see for oneself." Megatronus's voice pulled Orion out of his thoughts. He turned to see Megatronus standing up. "Lead the way, Pax."

Orion nodded, smiling a little himself as he rose from the bench. "If we get in with no trouble, I can use my card to get something for you. After all, you traveled such a distance to meet me and I earned a little from —"

Megatronus laughed a little, placing a servo on his friend's shoulder.

"If we get in. Though..." He paused as if to say something, then shook his head. He patted Orion's shoulder gently. "Thank you just as well, Orion."

The young archivist tapped Megatronus's arm as a return gesture. "Anytime, Megatronus."

/ / /

As it was a rather calm day on the streets, Orion and Megatronus met little traffic of people as they walked, all the while discussing mostly inconsequential things. They arrived at the threshold of the store within about 4 units.

Upon reaching it, Orion immediately drifted from Megatronus mid-speech to go stare at the display window. He remembered that Kalos often put in updated editions of things or entirely new items behind the glass, and wondered if there was anything new today.

Megatronus raised an eyebrow in curiosity, drawing closer to the window. He was amazed by all the little things in the window. Even if he didn't know what they were or what they did, he was still happy to look at the items anyway.

"These are such nice looking things, aren't they?" Orion commented as his gaze jumped from one thing to the next. Megatronus sighed lightly.

"Back on Kaon, there are no such stores as this one. We do not have much there, anyway." He murmured quietly. Nor Shanix enough to buy anything if indeed such stores existed.

Orion immediately felt bad and turned to say something to apologize, but when he saw Megatronus, he was relieved. His friend had a calm and light expression on his face as he stared at the display.

"Go in?"

"Let's."

Orion moved away from the display and walked through the front door. Megatronus followed cautiously behind, shifting his gaze from side to side at the clean, organized shelves and tables.

It was his first time in such a nicely kept store. He was content to be there even for a second.

Even if moments from now, this "Kalos" asks me my profession and I am thrown out for not following caste rules—

"Megatronus, come!" Orion called. He was standing by a small table in the back, upon which a few variations of the holopad he owned were placed neatly beside one another. On a paper below the table were listed the prices. As Megatronus drew closer, he made a noise of interest at the fair price for each device.

Though I don't have enough for anything, these seem proportionate. Not too much, yet not too little. Interesting.

Orion watched Megatronus as he leaned in to observe the details of the pads, then without saying anything, swiveled around to look at the other things on the walls.

He had such a large figure, Orion was a little worried he would accidentally knock something over. But, then again, Megatronus was not clumsy. Orion decided it would be safe if he walked to another part of the store and let his friend browse at his own discretion.

"Ahh, Orion! It is nice to see you again." The kind voice belonged to the bot walking down the aisle. Orion turned to greet the bot, smiling warmly.

"It is nice to see you as well, Kalos. The display outside looked wonderful as always." The old shopkeeper chuckled, patting Orion's back. His plating of many shades of green looked quite shiny, Orion noted internally.

"I had hoped it would! It pleases me that you enjoyed it."

They both turned at the sound of footsteps coming down the opposite side of the aisle. Megatronus was about to say something, but stopped as soon as he saw Kalos. His demeanor changed and became more guarded almost immediately—Orion sensed it.

"Good afternoon. You are Kalos?" Megatronus came to a halt next to Orion. Kalos smiled, nodding.

"That is me, indeed! Welcome to my store. I haven't seen you here before, are you new to the town as a resident, sir?"

"I am not..." Megatronus stared at the ground until Orion nudged him discreetly.

"Ah! Traveling from another city, then! How interesting." Kalos had the purest look of kindness in his entire demeanor. Megatronus took note of this. He could see why Orion had suggested things would go well.

"Yes..." He turned to Orion to see if the archivist could introduce him instead. Orion took the cue and made a gesture to Megatronus.

"This is a good friend of mine from Kaon City. His name is Megatronus."

Externally, Megatronus and Orion remained completely calm, but internally, they were waiting for something bad to happen.

...nothing did.

Kalos, without missing a beat, clapped his hands together. "Welcome to Iacon, Megatronus! Kaon is such a long way, and you have traveled far. Thank you for coming into my store!" He seemed not to care. Orion was relieved, though he did not show it.

Megatronus was shocked, but he simply laughed a little and thanked Kalos.

Minutes later, Megatronus had said his goodbyes and left the store to wait outside. Orion was at the checkout, thinking quietly about how he had been right (and how glad he was that he had been).

"Lost in thought, Orion?" Kalos began working the register. "I know who that bot is." He started quietly. Orion immediately felt his stomach churn. Oh no. He could report both of us—

"I agree with what he says. The idea of true equality and the end of this caste system—I always have. What kind of a world would this be if we were to pick and choose who gets our kindness and respect because they were born one way or another?" He shook his head and chuckled as Orion simply stared in complete shock.

Well...I did not expect this, for sure...

"You're probably wondering why an old bot like me would go with the new order rather than the old..." He handed the bag to the young scholar with a smile. "I think with all the wisdom I've gathered from my time alive, I'd be an utter fool not to see corruption when it happens. And I'm sure you believe the same as me."

Orion nodded slowly. He had an entirely new respect for Kalos.

What a great bot...he really is kind on his own.

The green-plated shopkeeper extended a servo and patted Orion's chest lightly, then drew it away and placed it on his own chest.

"That's all that matters in a bot, really. If Primus gave one to each and every bot alive, then it only makes sense that....Primus meant to say we all belong."

/ / /

Kalos stood at his shop's threshold and waved at Orion and Megatronus as they began to walk away. Orion turned and waved back.

"Thank you again, Kalos! See you soon!"

"Anytime, Orion! And Megatronus," The silver-burgundy bot turned at his name. "Safe travels back home! Come again sometime!"

Megatronus smiled back. He waved.

The pair made their way back to the entrance at Iacon, arriving just as the sun was going down.

Iacon was lit warm gold and pinkish silver as the rays of the sun touched the metal and sunk behind the great mountains in the distance. The sky above was painted a vibrant spray of colors, as if to dance one last time before the darkness of majestic, navy night came upon it.

"Here, Megatronus." Orion handed him the bag. "Don't break it." He joked, a trace of a grin on his face. His friend smirked.

"I'll only bring it when I fight lower-level threats." He shot back. They laughed.

Megatronus held it up to the sunlight, to look at the intricacy of the device. It was very elegant, just as the rest of the store had been. And Kalos...Orion didn't want to tell him yet what they had spoken about, but Megatronus sensed that Kalos was someone he could trust.

As Orion had put it, a true, kind-sparked individual.

"Thank you, Pax. I will take care of this and...try not to break it."

"You're welcome. Thank you for coming all the way here to Iacon. I...hope we can meet again soon, Megatronus." Orion and Megatronus shook hands.

As Megatronus turned to leave, he stopped, remembering something.

"Orion. I do have one question about this..." Orion tilted his head to the side a little.

Megatronus activated it. "How...exactly does this work, beyond activation?"

"Do you mean what can it be purposed for?"

"No, I mean.....I don't exactly know....how to use it...."

Silence hung in the air for a nanosecond or two, and then both of them burst into laughter.

The light of the sky shone on their plating, coating them in its soft, golden, pinkish light as they laughed together over such a silly thing.

Together, as good friends in the midst of the brewing troubles of Cybertron.

Laughing at how Megatronus now owned a holopad he had no clue how to use.

[cc-multifan]

Hey Ladies, Gentlemen, Nonbinaries, and Creatures of planet earth!!! CC here with an announcement I have a fan fic for #transformersprime on both #wattpad and #archiveofourown that you can read!!! I hope everyone can enjoy it as much as I do writing it #tfp #transformers #tfpfanfic https://www.instagram.com/p/CQhN7gkAYYk/?utm_medium=tumblr

[aromanticautobot]

Uhh fanfic time? Just joined Tumblr today, trying out some stuff. This is a quick oneshot.

This takes place right after the events of Orion Pax, when Optimus returns with his memories. Angst and hurt, sad stuff. Optimus and Ratchet are lovers in this.

It wasn't difficult to tell when Ratchet was upset. He was very expressive, from his tone to the smallest of his movements. Optimus had known him for a very, very long time, and had learned how to determine his medic's mood simply by watching his servos move, or the swivel of his hips as he turned around, or the way he would set his jaw.

He could tell now that Ratchet was very upset.

Ratchet was not vocalizing his feelings, which caught Optimus off guard. He was very vocal about his emotions when he was with Optimus. Not now, however.

From his seat on a workbench, he watched Ratchet work. The base was quiet, it was late, they were the last two up. When he lovingly embraced his medic and invited him to their berth, Ratchet had brushed it off harshly and ignored his further presence.

This was strange.

Ratchet had been overjoyed when he came home, his memories in tact, finally safe and with his friends and family. Everyone had welcomed him back so happily, and he was so spellbound by the warmth, he had failed to notice how Ratchet's mood seemed to decline as the night progressed. By the time everyone had retreated to their berths, Ratchet had become quiet and bitter.

Optimus, his elbows resting on his knees, and his servos supporting his chin, observed Ratchet closely. His shoulders were tense- stressed. His servos were unsteady and shaky- pained. His digits pounded at the keyboard harder than necessary- angry.

After his analyzation, Optimus concluded that Ratchet was conflicted and hurt.

Now was the time to approach him.

He rose slowly, the bench creaking as his weight left it. Ratchet's unsteady typing didn't falter. Venting quietly, he strode over to his medic, moving to stand beside him at the monitor. He sensed a tremor in Ratchet's tense plating. He reached out to soothe it, to stroke and massage those tense shoulders, but Ratchet moved away from him and uttered a stern, "No, Optimus."

His first attempt rejected, Optimus hesitated a moment to rethink his follow up. "Ratchet, will you please speak to me?" He asked in a quiet, gentle voice, as if he were addressing an aggressive stallion that could charge him any moment. Ratchet's servos stilled on the keyboard, but his optics still didn't meet Optimus'. "Please? I know you are. . . Upset." He inwardly cringed. He had made another mistake.

"Did the Wisdom of the Primes tell you that? Did the Matrix tell you that I was upset, or was it your keen librarian instincts?" Ratchet snapped.

His second attempt was also a failure. Optimus stopped himself from sighing out loud. "I didn't mean-"

"No no, please, continue to analyze me. How upset am I? Am I angry?" The rise in his voice made Optimus glance at the door warily- he didn't want any of the others to wake and investigate. Still, Ratchet didn't meet his optics.

"I didn't mean to assume, though I do believe my assumption- my speculation is accurate. You are not pleased with me. Will you please tell me why?" Optimus' voice stayed quiet still.

Ratchet didn't answer him, only stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched.

"I speculate," Optimus watched him closely, "That I have hurt you in some way, and that you are angry with me."

There was a pause.

"Ratchet, please." He closed his optics and inhaled. "This has been hard for me, Ratchet. I am afraid of what may have happened while I was on the Nemesis. I am afraid of what will follow." His tanks churned at the thought. "I feel that I've lost a part of me." He waited through a silence, basking in it, drowning in the heavy atmosphere. He had thought that maybe opening up to Ratchet would be the answer, but evidently-

"You feel that you've lost a part of you." Ratchet's voice brought him to open his optics. He was surprised with what he found.

All of the angry energy that had practically been rolling off of Ratchet's frame was gone. Instead, he sagged, looking weak and sad. Optimus' spark froze when he saw the tears rolling down Ratchet's cheeks.

A joyless laugh left Ratchet. "You were really going to leave me. You didn't have a second thought about it, did you?" He looked at Optimus, his tear streaked face burning a hole through his Prime. "You aren't the only one who lost a part of himself."

Optimus stared at him, absolutely clueless. That seemed to aggravate Ratchet.

The medic turned to fully face him, his fury replenished. "You really have no recollection? You have no idea what this is about?"

"Ratchet, I-"

"No, I don't want to hear it!" A fresh round of tears made it down Ratchet's cheeks, and he turned away to pace back and forth, not unlike a caged tiger. "Optimus, you went to Unicron, FULLY BELIEVING that you wouldn't be returning home. You gave the keycard to Jack because of it. You KNEW that something bad would happen to you, you KNEW that you wouldn't be coming back."

Optimus stood, silent and helpless, listening. Everything Ratchet had said thus far was true. What was his point?

"You knew all of this. . . And you didn't tell me. You didn't tell me that it would've been the last time we ever spoke. We are fragging LOVERS, Optimus, and you couldn't even spare me a 'goodbye'. A 'I love you and I'm sorry that I have to do this.' You were going to leave me without saying ANYTHING to me. You were going to walk out and give your life for Earth and I would never have known until it was too late." Ratchet was sobbing now, covering his mouth to stifle the sounds, his pacing halted. "I was going to lose you. You didn't even think to tell me that I'd never see you again. Why? Was I. . ." He lowered his servos to look into Optimus' optics, his face wet, his frame trembling. "Was I not important enough?"

Optimus took a step towards him and he flinched away. "Ratchet. . ." He whispered, spark aching. He wanted to grab his medic and hold him so badly, he shook with the effort of holding back.

"I love you more than anything, I'd do anything for you," Ratchet choked through sobs, "You didn't. . . You don't love me enough to say goodbye before leaving me forever?"

Optimus tried again to approach him, and Ratchet turned on his heel, fleeing to the hallway. The sound of his door closing and locking echoed through Optimus' helm, like a bell, a powerful sound that sent a pang of hurt straight to his spark.

I hope you enjoyed? I'm TheEnchantedQuill on AO3, check my work out!