#the fear of the autobot's sparklings had rendered him incapable of caring for small things

[lets-try-some-writing]

Okay, so, what would happen if Megatron met the sparkling kiddos? Thought of this before the posts of the sparklings growth spurts (maybe this ask could be set after their growths? Or when the team is rested enough so they don't pass out cold) and them being stolen by MECH. Also, that and the fact Starscream playing Uncle to Miko in the growth spurts post is funny.

I also think Optimus would use the kids Cybertronain names, honestly.

Well to keep with the timeline, I will set this little scenario after the sparkling's initial growth spurts and their run in with MECH. And yeah, I think he would use their Cybertronian names, and I would honestly like to start implementing them in my writing. But for the sake of keeping everyone on the same page, I have been using the sparkling's human names.

Of course if you lovely people would like me to start using their Cybertronian names instead, then I will gladly begin doing so.

Megatron and the Sparklings

After seeing Optimus completely toss any and all morals out the window during the MECH incident, Megatron was incredibly wary of going anywhere near the Autobots little ones. The closest analogy he could come up with for what would happen if he even tried was a situation the humans had. That being going near a mother bear and her cubs, which allegedly tended to leave more humans dead than alive. After witnessing what happened to the agents of MECH, Megatron found himself largely in agreement with the analogy.

As such he steered as clear as he could from the sparklings whenever they managed to get through a groundbridge or appeared out on the ground. There was an unspoken rule between him and the Autobots. He never touched the sparklings, and in turn Optimus didn't shred him and then crush him like a soda can. However due to a series of events Megatron couldn't even fathom, he ended up with the sparklings in his care after the Autobots were scattered in a groundbridge accident.

Unable to contact them due to the Autobots being scattered across the globe, Megatron was left with three very unhappy sparklings. As such he took the sparklings back to the nemesis for safekeeping while he hurriedly began hunting down the Autobots before Prime decided murder was the best option available to him. However since the Autobots were so far apart, Megatron found himself with the sparklings for over a week, a fact that he came to hate very quickly. He would never dare to touch the sparklings, not after what he saw with MECH... but Primus, did he want to strangle each of them after less than an hour.

Miko was the most irritating, her first response being to scream like a banshee and shred everything in sight. Megatron was half tempted to throw her off the nemesis in rage, but he controlled the urge by dragging Starscream over to deal with her instead. And while it did stop her from screaming, it did not stop her reign of destruction. If anything, Starscream being given the task of watching over her only served to make it worse. She and Starscream went about causing disaster after disaster, including but not limited to: An explosion in the reactor room because they were trying to play hide and seek and got carried away. A ship wide rebellion over the lack of guard rails on board after Miko fell off a ledge and got a dent in her plating. And the complete vandalization of the upper decks during a class in mural painting for Miko.

Oh the urge to blow them both to bits was strong, but Megatron restrained himself. They were irritating, but they were not outright harming him. It was fine, besides, it kept Starscream from trying to kill him for more than a day.

Jack however was by no means so easily placated. He was a warframe, built specifically for combat and physically incapable of controlling himself at such a young age without his Sire or other relatives. And as the only other warframe on board, Megatron was left with the task of handling Jack, a task that was not at all enjoyable. Jack didn't trust him at all, and that in turn meant that at every opportunity the little monster tried to attack, bite, kick, or otherwise harm Megatron. It didn't really hurt so Megatron mostly just let Jack chomp on his legs while growling, often dragging the sparkling behind him as he walked. Eventually Megatron put Jack in a box to keep him from breaking his denta, and through that method he got a solid hour of piece before the sound of shredding metal reached him.

When he looked at the box he had placed Jack in, there was a hole in the side and no sparkling to be seen. But evidently Jack only cared about attacking him since the first thing the sparkling did was chomp down on Megatron's leg as soon as he crouched down to examine the situation. From that point on there was no escape for long. No matter where he put Jack, the sparkling found a way out, often at the cost of the sparkling's plating, claws, and fangs. More than once he had to take Jack to Knockout, only to watch with fury as Jack only hissed at the medic and then proceeded to return to molesting Megatron the moment the repairs were complete.

Megatron: Why are you like this?

Jack: *gnawing on his arm and hissing*

Megatron: Ah yes, I almost forgot that you are Optimus's spawn.

Rafael in comparison was infinitely easier to see to... if it weren't for the sparkling taking all of Soundwave's attention. Rafael cried, refused to fuel, and screamed himself into recharge whenever Soundwave wasn't around. This when combined with Soundwave's increadible loneliness and desire to care for cassettes led the spymaster to be completely enraptured with the newspark. And this in turn meant that suddenly Soundwave's loyalty was questionable as the spymaster threw everything unrelated to Rafael onto the backburner. Soundwave grew to be extra aggressive, attacking anyone who came too close on sight, only begrudgingly allowing Megatron near. He even bodily threw a Vehicon that caused Rafael marginal distress across the hall. Megatron had not feared Soundwave since the days when they fought in the pits... but with his spymaster in a state of protectiveness, Megatron watched his steps.

The week that Megatron spent hunting down the Autobots and convincing them that "no he did not harm their sparklings, please put the blaster down" was hell. Without Soundwave to run everything, with Starscream and Miko destroying everything, and Jack being an every present irritant, Megatron wanted to drop dead by the end of it all. He very nearly cried tears of relief when the Autobots finally regrouped and he practically threw the sparklings at them. Of course Soundwave was very reluctant to hand over his charge, but after having a hushed conversation with Optimus, he did so (much to the relief of literally every Decepticon).

Silently Megatron swore that day that never again would he take care of the little abominations. He thought about it and decided that if there was a next time, he would risk being shredded by Optimus rather than take the sparklings with him. Besides, he was fairly certain the feral little monstrosities could fend for themselves if their chaotic abilities were any indicator.

Optimus: Thank you Megatron. This deed will not be forgotten.

Megatron: *having flashbacks to his week of pain* Next time I will kill the little vermin.

Megatron avoided the sparkling like the plague after that incident and tried not to think too hard on it when both his second in command and his spymaster vanished at times and returned covered in stickers.