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Megatronus and Orion Pax paced, as was both their habits, while they debated; the two of them passing each other back and forth, expertly avoiding crashing into each other's frames in the small space in the front room of Megatronus' living quarters. There was a practiced ease about which they moved around each other; Orion would effortlessly duck under Megatronus' outstretched arm, while Megatronus would expertly side step around Orion when he would unexpectedly alter his path. It was almost like a dance. Once again they had fallen to the familiar topic of violent vs nonviolent reform. Megatronus couldn't be upset though, he loved these discussions with Orion.
"But Megatronus, don't you see? You cannot win public sentiment through violence. You will only cause them to resent your movement as they see only brute force."
It was getting late. They had been at this at least two groon, but Megatronus wasn't really keeping track. He enjoyed debating with his friend, Orion Pax, even when the archivist was passionately wrong. It was amusing to get him fired up, to see his optics burn with passion or righteous indignation. His little friend gave much better intellectual stimulation than the mechs of Kaon were able to provide him. He was very easy on the optics, too. Megatronus had long ago stopped denying that truth to himself.
"Do they not already resent my cause? Public sentiment is what landed me in the Pits in the first place. Public sentiment is to ignore what is difficult to face; what is uncomfortable to change." Megatronus made sure to pause, to make certain that Orion was looking at him as he said this, and was pleased to find Orion's optics locked with his own immediately; knowing by tone alone that it was required. It was a practiced tango they were experts at by this point.
"Uncomfortable as it may be, my friend, change will not come with force. Force is only ever met with force in return. You will meet an unyielding wall." Orion paused and raised his servo up and pressed two digits to his chin, as if he were pondering how to phrase his thoughts. "Change must be eased. If you try to bend a rod into shape with force it will snap, Megatronus, but if you heat it up and apply a gentle pressure you can shape it into your spark's desire." He gestured with his servos as he spoke, as if he were bending something into shape with them. "If we can only teach them the truth, heat them up, the public will be much more open to being shaped to match your vision."
Perhaps another mech would have been swayed by Orion's impassioned argument. "Let me ask you this, my friend: How many times are we to ask them nicely to remove the shackles from our necks? How can we educate away the chains that bind us down when our cries go unheeded?"
He watched as Orion took in his words. He wasn't angry with the little mech. Orion could not help his altruism. He never truly had experienced the life of a low caste mech. No matter how many times he visited Kaon. No matter how eagerly he listened to every tale Megatronus had told him of it. He simply could not understand the shackles of oppression faced by those of the low caste. It was both overwhelmingly endearing and painfully frustrating.
"Those who've chained you should face consequences, but Megatronus, it is not the average middle caste mech holding your bonds. Yet they will feel that your rightful anger is directed towards them and they will fear you for it."
Perhaps that single point was correct; this is why he so enjoyed these discussions with Orion. It was a perspective he had not considered.
"And what do you suggest we do, Orion Pax, to gain public sentiment? Will you stand on the corner of Iacon's golden streets and hand out datapads exposing the truth?" An impossible task, he knew. Orion took in a deep vent and pressed his servo to his faceplate in frustration. Megatronus knew that was a sign he had conceded.
"There has to be a way, Megatronus. These horrors must be exposed. I am not denying that." He vented again, deeply. "I worry about you, my friend. I do not wish to see you or your movement crushed due to public misunderstanding." Megatronus took a klik to really look at Orion. He wore a slight frown on his intake yet his optics burned with the same desire for a free world as his own. He seemed, however, genuine about his worries, as if he truly was distressed by them. It was endearing. He looked so…
"Do your worries consume your thoughts while you are away from me?"
~~
Orion froze in place, felt the words halt in his audials and jam his processors. It wasn't the sort of question Megatronus normally asked him, and it was rare for his friend to shift the course of a discussion so quickly. The answer, however, was a resounding yes… his worry did consume him when he was back home. He worried for Megatronus all his online hours and in his dreams as well. Some cycles he fretted so deeply he could think of nothing else.
"I worry often for you, Megatronus. The truths you speak are a threat to the Council. I worry each time I leave you that you will no longer be here when I return. It haunts my dreams."
Orion felt a tremor shoot down his spinal strut as his words brought a confident grin on Megatronus' intake and a slight excitement in his field; one he had never encountered before; wasn't certain how to interpret.
"You dream of me, little archivist? I am honored to hold such an esteemed position in your processors." Megatronus took a single step towards him, bringing him within arms reach. Orion nearly choked on his venting. 'Little archivist?' Was… was Megatronus flirting with him? He suddenly felt charges surge to his faceplate, illuminating a soft blush; but knew better than to meek away from any battle of words with the Champion of Kaon, no matter how big he looked standing so close to him.
"Dreams of you are welcome if only the subject matter were more pleasant." He had said it firmly: matter of fact.
~~
Megatronus couldn't stop his grin from widening. Orion wasn't backing down from his advance, and judging by that blush glowing on his friend's cheeks, he hadn't been misinterpreted either. It surprised him, honestly. He had expected Orion to clarify, to backtrack on his words and say he hadn't meant to imply such a thing as dreaming about him. But he hadn't done that. Orion Pax, once again defied his expectations.
"A pity. When you accompany me in my dreams, it is always a most pleasant experience." He flicked his optics up and down Orion's frame: from his audial fins, down to the exposed mechanism of his unarmored neck, to the angles of his chest plating. He lingered for just a nanoklik on Orion's waist. What would it feel like to touch him there? How easy it would be to reach out and just… No… That would be a surrender from this new form of word battle he had led them into, and Megatronus was not one to surrender to anything.
~~
Yes. Megatronus was definitely flirting with him. He felt a rush of warmth flood his circuits as the gladiator's optics took in his frame. Oh Primus… he was… was he?… he was! Megatronus was examining him as if he wanted to… to… he'd have been self conscious if he weren't so… oddly excited by this exchange and the fact that Megatronus made it clear in his field that he liked what he saw. It had Orion's spark in a tizzy. He had to manually stop his fans from kicking on and reboot his vocalizer before he could reply.
"I-If only it were so for me. I would recharge much easier if your embrace awaited me in my dreams."
~~
Again, Orion far exceeded his expectations. He was being forward, direct. He had not even shied away from Megatronus' gaze. Any other Iaconian would have. Orion Pax was not like any other middle caste mech he had ever met.
"Perhaps you need my help, my little archivist." He took a step closer, standing right in front of Orion. He watched with amused glee as his friend's optics went wide as he leaned down, with a calculated grace; close, his helm above Orion's shoulder, lip plates almost close enough to his brush against the side of his audial fin. He could hear Orion's venting hitch at the proximity; he had never stepped so deeply into his personal space before.
"From this moment on, my little archivist, when I come to you in your dreams it will be only to bring you the pleasures you seek." He let his lips linger close as Orion's fans suddenly kicked on, full force. He had won.
"Come." He pulled back, still grinning, a bit proud of how quickly he had been able to get Orion's fans blowing. "It is getting late, my friend. Final transport will be departing soon. You will miss your way home if we do not hurry."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a long transport ride back to Iacon, Orion finally fell to his berth. His processors were flooded by play by plays of what had happened in his latest debate with Megatronus. When exactly did their conversation become… what it had become? Why had he been so bold? Why had he said what he said? He could have simply stated that he had meant dreaming metaphorically. But he hadn't done that… he doubled down and admitted it plainly. And then it led to….
Just thinking about Megatronus' warm venting against his audial as he spoke made his entire frame want to tremble. He'd been flirted with before, but never had it caused him to lose control of his fans. Never had it made his spark jump in his chamber. But he had not been as close to any of those other mechs as he was to Megatronus. Connection was important to him.
It wasn't as if he had never noticed how attractive his friend was before, either. His frame was sturdy, strong, big; and he exuberated power and confidence. Orion simply had not considered that Megatronus might also find him to be attractive, so he had blocked out the idea of considering just how good looking Megatronus really was entirely. He had been designated: OFF LIMITS. But now…
"When you accompany me in my dreams, it is always a most pleasant experience."
Taken on its own it could have meant anything: an upbeat conversation, a passionate debate, a stroll through Kaon, sharing a brew… but the surrounding context… the way Megatronus had looked him up and down. Orion most definitely got the impression that Megatronus had been implying something more… erotic with him than simple word sparring.
He had been so close to him… Orion could still feel how warm his venting had been on his audial… the very memory of it caused his own to catch in his intake. He had thought- no- He had wanted Megatronus to kiss him in that moment. He hadn't even had time to process his protocol interruptions before Megatronus had pulled away. The moment had been so swift yet felt an eternity at the same time.
"When I come to you in your dreams it will be only to bring you the pleasures you seek."
He felt himself grow warm at the memory, charges rushing to his cheeks in a fierce blush. What had Megatronus called him? 'My little archivist…' Megatronus' voice echoed in his memories and his spark jumped unexpectedly in his chamber once more.
His little archivist… Megatronus had never called him that before. It was thrilling. It implied a level of fondness Orion hadn't ever considered Megatronus would have towards him. He rolled to his side, drew his knees up towards his chassis and vented deeply. His optics kept trying to go offline.
He was tired, even with his spark jittering in excitement, he could feel recharge slipping upon him. He vented deeply, to try and calm himself. He needed to think about this another time, when he wasn't fighting recharge and when he could properly sort the feelings in his processors. He closed his optics, felt them go offline. Recharge had come for him. To both his confusion and his delight, Megatronus came to him in his dreams.