He remembered talking with the Autobots one last time. He remembered them pleading with him to stay, and let them try to save him, but he refused.
"Keep fighting the noblest of fights,"
He remembered flying into the air before diving into the Well. He remembered the white light and-
Optimus jolted awake from his seated position on the worktable. He looked around and was met with the silence of the neutral ship. The computer was off and the table was full of equipment he needed to try and repair the tracker. It short fused a few days ago, and Optimus had to bring it back to the ship for further inspection.
But he was exhausted. He didn't want to continue working on this.
Optimus pushed the work aside and stood up, deciding to walk over to the control room of the ship. When he got there, he typed some commands on the keyboard. The hologram of outer space flooded the room as Optimus began to search.
This holographic image that he showed Eren wasn't just for display. It was a map of space. He was hoping to find Cybertron, but the navigation system was also chewed through. Communications were barely functional, and without proper coordinates, there was no hope for him to reach Cybertron. But…he still tried. He didn't want to give up. If he could just send a message or an S.O.S, then maybe the island could stand a chance. He could protect them all.
Optimus stopped searching and leaned against the console, hunching his back and gripping the panel. Cybertron…what was happening there? Was everyone there alright? What about the humans on Earth? He had no idea, and he desperately wanted to know.
Optimus pressed the center and the hologram shut down. He didn't have time to think about it today. He had to fix the machine; he had to help Paradis.
--------
Marley
Megatron didn't want to be here. He didn't want to train these humans, or clean their barracks, or do this pathetic human nonsense. Oh how the Decepticons would've mocked and belittled him to no end. How the mighty have fallen. They would have reveled in this.
Megatron finished loading the supplies for the next fleet of ships heading to Paradis. They recognized that it was a failure, and are sending more Marleyans to the island to retrieve them, but it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to kill them all. It's not like any of them care about him. They care about Matthew: an idea, a figment of their frail imagination.
Everyone wanted him dead; that was just a fact. He deserved it, no doubt, but it was exhausting to keep playing this lie.
He used to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Now he couldn't even join the Allspark or go home. Perhaps pretending to be human was a fitting punishment for him. Megatron looked up at the clear blue sky and sighed to himself.
He still wondered where Cybertron was. He still wanted to know where his home was, so that he wouldn't feel too far from it. But…he could never go there again.
It didn't matter anyway. He deserved it for all he had done.
--
Hanji noticed that something was off with Optimus. The Commander was going over some reports with him in his alt mode, and he sounded…disconnected. Like he was listening…but not fully paying attention. Hanji did ask if he listened, and he was able to recite it back…but…
Hanji later saw Optimus in his bipedal mode, looking up at the sky, almost with a rather…somber expression on his face. He continued to look up there, almost as if he was…searching. She wanted to confront him, but she was a little nervous to.
"How long has he been like that?" Levi asked as he walked up next to Hanji.
"Five minutes, maybe," Hanji answered, "I'm a little worried."
"So is everyone else," Levi commented, "Everyone else is staring wondering what the hell is going on with Prime. Did you talk to him?"
"I'm a little nervous to," Hanji admitted, "I've never seen him like this."
"I'll talk to him," Levi told her.
"Wait," Hanji pleaded as Levi walked up to the Prime.
"Hey, Prime!" Levi called out.
Levi was surprised to see Optimus flinch a little, almost as if he wasn't expecting him. He looked down to see Levi.
"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked.
"Well…," Hanji began as she walked next to Levi, "You've been looking up at sky for a while. Are you okay?"
"I am fine; I can assure you," Optimus answered.
"Did you see a bird shit in the ocean?" Levi asked.
"No," Optimus responded, a little confused at the question.
"Well, the others have been staring for a while," Hanji informed, "They've been rather nervous."
"I can assure you that I am fine," Optimus repeated.
"Can you help me out with some stuff?" Hanji asked.
"Of course," Optimus answered.
"Good, so...," Hanji trailed off when she noticed Optimus looking back up at the sky, "You're going to come, right?"
Optimus transformed into his alt mode and activated his holoform. He gestured for Hanji to lead him and Hanji hesitantly led the way. She looked back at Levi for help, but the stoic Captain merely shrugged, not really knowing how to respond.
-------
Zeke noticed that something was off with Matthew. Very, very, off. And he wasn't sure that it was a good thing. Interaction with the titan has…decreased. Part of him was happy about that. He didn't like talking with the titan, but…he just…wasn't talking to anyone. Zeke saw the titan merely drop some military paperwork at his desk and walk out of his office immediately after. Was the titan in a bad mood?
Zeke noticed him working on fixing some of the rifles as he passed by and noticed Marleyans making snide comments, but Matthew titan appear to retaliate. Instead he continued working. Maybe that was part of the deal but…something felt off.
Zeke nearly swore as a Marleyan threw a small rock at his head. But what genuinely scared him, was the fact that the rock hit Matthew. Matthew stopped for a brief moment, glared at them, and it did cause them to back off. Once they left, Matthew continued assembling the rifle. He didn't catch the rock, or dodge it, or go after them.
Zeke wanted to confront him about it, but he found it best to leave the titan alone. He knew so little about him. Approaching him would be counterintuitive.
-----
Eren waited for Optimus in order to train with him. He was by his horse, but Optimus wasn't here. That was odd. Eren was about to go searching for him, but Optimus showed up in his holoform.
"Hey," Eren greeted, "Did Hanji need you for something?"
"For a while," Optimus answered, but for some reason, his answer seemed…off.
"I'm ready to try some new techniques," Eren told him, trying to get the conversation going, but Optimus' gaze was somewhere else.
"Optimus?" Eren called out, "Optimus!"
Optimus seemed to flinch and turned his attention to Eren. This was getting weirder.
"Optimus, are you okay?" Eren asked.
"I am fine…I…," Optimus trailed off, "I think we need to cancel training for today."
Eren blinked in surprise before it turned into an abundance of worry. "What happened? Are you-?"
"Eren, I am fine," Optimus reassured, "I just…have some work to do."
Eren watched in concern as Optimus walked away from him, appearing to be deep in thought. Was Optimus okay?
-------
Colt grunted as Matthew kicked him in the chest. Colt tried to attack once more, but Matthew grabbed his arm and twisted it before flipping him over on his back.
The children flinched while Matthew looked on apathetically. They noticed that Matthew was a lot more brutal with training today, and they were terrified. They've never seen him like this before.
Colt tried to get up once more, but Matthew pinned him to the ground with his foot.
"We're done," Matthew proclaimed as he got off of Colt.
"W-wait," Colt stuttered, "We still have twenty minutes."
"I don't care," Matthew stated as he walked away.
"We could get in trouble," Colt insisted as he got up and reached for Matthew. However, Colt ended up touching Matthew's back, and it set Matthew off. Matthew quickly turned around and grabbed Colt by the neck.
"Colt!" Falco shouted while Udo gasped in fear.
Colt was prepared for Matthew to choke him out, but as he was about to, there was a sense of realization in his eyes before he let Colt go. Colt grunted as Matthew grabbed his collar and looked him dead in the eye.
"Don't ever touch me again," Matthew warned.
Colt meekly nodded his head as Matthew let him go. The Warriors could only watch Matthew walk away, not knowing what to do now.
-----
The Survey Corps, excluding Hanji and Levi, could see it. They could see the way that Optimus was acting, but they were afraid to say something. They've never seen the titan this way. How would they know how to respond to him?
Optimus was trying to get the device in his possession to work, and they were all watching him at this point. They could see some visible frustration as the device failed once more. Optimus sat down in his bipedal mode, rubbing his optics with his digits. Then, without warning, he transformed into his alt mode and drove off.
They all looked at each other in confusion. He left without warning. That was definitely odd.
---------
Calvi and Magath were discussing the next battle strategy with Matthew stepped in the room. Magath grunted as Matthew shoved some paperwork into his chest.
"Hey! What the hell?!" Magath shouted.
Magath grew stiff when Matthew looked at him with such hatred and ferocity that he looked ready to tackle him to the ground and beat him up. Calvi didn't bother to say anything, not wanting to get involved in whatever mood he was in. As long as he didn't talk back. Magath watched Matthew storm out the room, shutting the door behind him with a loud slam.
Zeke was walking down the wall when Matthew grabbed him and shoved him against the wall.
"I am leaving for the night," Matthew told him in his regular voice, "Ensure that no one finds out about it."
Zeke wanted to retort, but all he saw was the anger and tiredness in his eyes.
"Okay," Zeke responded, causing Matthew to let him go and deactivate the holoform.
What the hell is going on?
----------
"He just left?!" Hanji exclaimed in surprise, earning Yelena and Oyankapon's attention.
"Yes," Jean reported, "We don't know why."
"Which direction?" Hanji demanded.
"North," Armin replied.
Hanji sighed, trying to rationalize the situation. "Okay, so he most likely went to there to work on the device, but it's not like him to not inform us. Damn, okay. Eren, Armin, head up north to check up on Optimus."
"Yes, sir," Eren and Armin saluted before getting to their horses.
"The rest of us are heading back to Sina," Hanji ordered, "This is something that we might need to discuss."
Yelena and Onyankopon watched the soldiers walk away before making their move towards Hanji.
"Insubordination in the ranks?" Yelena questioned.
Hanji turned to Yelena and nearly grimaced. "I'm under no obligation to tell you."
Yelena was surprised by the tone and quickly backed off.
"We only mean it as concern," Onyankopon reasoned, "Did something happen to Optimus?"
"We're working on it," Hanji merely responded, "We'll inform you when there is an update on the situation."
"Thank you," Onyankopon said as Hanji walked away.
"We could use this to our advantage," Yelena whispered.
"We don't know enough," Onyankopon reasoned.
------
A few hours later
Eren and Armin tied their horses to the tree before walking up to the ship.
"Maybe I should transform," Eren suggested.
"It would be hard to navigate as humans," Armin agreed.
Armin shielded his face as Eren transformed into his titan form. Eren held out his hand and Armin jumped in it. Eren walked into the ship and began to search. Armin noted that the energon in Eren's eyes were glowing as they made their way down the dark corridors. Eren found an open room and walked inside, and the two were stunned at the sight that they saw.
Optimus Prime was sleeping in his bipedal mode, his upper body resting on top of a table while he was sitting on a stool of some kind. The tools were scattered everywhere, and he was resting his head on his arms.
They've never seen Optimus like this. They've never seen Optimus in this type of vulnerable state. When he rested, it was usually in his alt mode. Never in his bipedal mode. Eren walked over to Optimus' sleeping form, being mindful of where he was stepping.
"We shouldn't disturb him," Armin reasoned.
Eren raised his arm, hesitating to reach out to him. Before he could make that choice, they both jolted at a loud 'thud'. They quickly turned to see Megatron leaning his body against the door, noting that he was exhausted as well. Eren quickly got in front of Optimus, wanting to protect his mentor. Megatron noticed this and rolled his optics before he pointed to the entrance they came through.
"Out," he ordered.
Eren looked back at Optimus before turning to Megatron.
"If I wanted him dead, I would not be killing him in his sleep," Megatron retorted, "Now get out."
"Let's go," Armin told Eren. The titan shifter debated his options before walking out the room. Armin noticed Megatron looking down at him, but it was brief as Eren made his way out of the ship. This was going to be an interesting report.
-------------
Wall Sina Meeting
"So Optimus is alright, he's just completely tired," Hanji recited.
"Yes, that's what happened before Megatron kicked us out of the ship," Armin explained, "Megatron even looked worse for wear."
"Huh?" Hanji spoke.
"They both looked exhausted," Eren explained.
"Oh no, no, no," Hanji began to pace, "We might have to prepare for worst case."
"Worst case?" Connie demanded, "What's worse case?"
"Look, there is no guarantee that Optimus and Megatron will continue to play nice," Hanji explained, "Now that both of them are exhausted, one of them might say something stupid, most likely Megatron, and all hell breaks loose."
"Aren't we jumping to conclusions?!" Jean reasoned, "We don't actually know that that is the case!"
"We have to think about worse case," Hanji retorted, "Evacuation plans would be the main issue."
"Wait, are we serious?!" Connie exclaimed.
"Do you really think that there's going to be a warning when those two fight?" Hanji demanded, "They've been at war for over four million years. We have to prepare for the worst!"
They all heard a knock on the door and turned to see Anka peering into the room.
"Have any of you seen Commander Pixis?" she asked.
"No," Levi answered.
"Damn it," she swore, "I've been searching for him everywhere. I told him not to go into the wine stash, but he did it anyway. Who knows what he's doing right now,"
"What's the occasion?" Levi asked out of curiosity, "Or did he want to get black out drunk just because?"
"There's a celebration in Trost for the anniversary of reclaiming the territory and plugging up the hole," Anka explained, "Pixis saw the window and took it."
"Well, I do hope you find him," Hanji told her.
"One of these days he's going to drink himself to death," Anka grumbled as she left them alone.
"…Wait," Armin began to process, "Today is the anniversary of Trost…then that means…their war ended around this time."
Silence radiated throughout the room. Their war ended around this time? How did they not know?
Hanji screamed in frustration. "DAMN IT! How could we be so stupid?! No wonder Optimus has been acting weird! His war ended around this time! He's probably worried about his other comrades! He-!"
Hanji paused as the pieces fell into place. "He can't go home. Damn it. Both of them can't go home!"
"Can't Buckethead fly there?" Sasha recalled.
"If Megatron goes back, he gets executed on the spot," Hanji explained, "He's a war criminal that destroyed their planet. And Optimus can't travel to Cybertron. He can't send communication or an S.O.S., or even send a ship to get there. Even when this is over, Optimus is stuck here. Maybe forever."
"Do you think that they know?" Mikasa asked.
"I have no idea if Optimus really knows," Hanji admitted, "He's been working too much and barely thinks for himself. It's not healthy for him."
"…we have to do something," Eren declared, earning all eyes on him, "We have to do something to help Optimus feel better."
"But what exactly?" Connie asked, "If we're being honest, we don't really know him personally."
"Connie's right, we don't know his likes, dislikes, hobbies," Jean listed.
"Prime probably doesn't know how to relax," Levi commented.
"We'll try to figure it out," Hanji proclaimed, "Proceed as normal; do not pester Optimus or Megatron."
"Pretty sure Buckethead doesn't want to be reminded of his failures," Levi added.
"Let's just try to figure it out," Hanji stated, "Dismissed."
Eren felt extremely guilty as they left the room. How could he not recognize this? How could he not realize his suffering? After everything Optimus did for them. Eren remembered the vision he had about Optimus' death. Maybe…maybe he didn't have that right.
------------------
Next Day
"Warriors!" Magath shouted at them as he walked up to them. He found them sitting down and eating outside, "What is the meaning of this?! Why aren't you training?!"
Colt stood up and saluted him. "Sir! We have been unable to find Matthew!"
Magath blinked in response. "What?!"
"We looked for him all day, but he didn't show," Zofia explained.
"Does this reflect badly on us?" Udo began to worry, "Does this mean we'll get into trouble?"
"Rifle assembly, now!" Magath ordered.
The Warriors rushed to eat their food before running inside the compound. Magath himself began to worry. He brought Matthew to this place, and now he was going to get in trouble for not keeping a better eye on him!
Magath shook his head. No, he could just blame Zeke, or-
"Magath,"
Magath jolted and turned to see Calvi walked up to him with Zeke Jaeger right behind him.
"Where is Matthew?" Calvi asked, "Zeke said that he's been unable to find him."
"I don't know where he is, sir," Magath admitted.
Calvi hummed in response. "This might have to deal with his attitude from yesterday. It would've caused some negative morale if he continued staying. We will give Matthew twenty four hours to return."
"That is…awfully generous," Zeke commented.
"Matthew values his freedom above all else," Calvi explained, "Him fleeing Marley without him properly honoring our agreement will only lead to him being hunted for the rest of his days. Whatever issue he has, let him mull over it somewhere else. Not in front of the troops. If he doesn't return by tomorrow, a team will be dispatched to locate him."
"Yes, sir," Magath and Zeke both said.
Calvi walked inside the military building, prompting Magath and Zeke to follow. Magath was worried about his position, while Zeke was internally swearing.
Where the hell is that titan?!
--------
Hanji really thought it over as Levi brought her some tea. She took a sip while Levi sat down.
"You're really abandoning your work over this whole Optimus situation," Levi commented as he looked over some of the blank documents.
"It makes me feel bad," Hanji told Levi, "What can we do for him?"
"Leave him alone," Levi responded, "He would probably prefer to be alone right now and not getting into his business."
"But he has no one else," Hanji reasoned, "We've only known him for a year now, but we haven't shared his same experiences. The other Autobots are probably millions of miles away, and they don't even know that he's alive."
"Which is why it's better to leave him alone," Levi declared, "At the end of the day, we can't do anything to alleviate Optimus' pain. We don't know anything about him."
Hanji thought it over before taking a deep breath. "But…we do know someone that does,"
Levi was confused about what she meant, but put two and two together before sitting up. "No fucking way."
"We have to do something nice for Optimus," Hanji reasoned.
"By asking the titan he's been fighting for four million years?!" Levi hissed.
"As long as we don't ask Buckethead the sensitive question," Hanji told him.
"You don't get it: Optimus is the sensitive question," Levi retorted.
"If anything, that would make him more inclined to tell us," Hanji proclaimed, "He wants to make things right with Optimus. Best bet would be to help pick and choose a gift."
Levi blinked in response. "You knew?"
"What do you mean 'I knew'?" Hanji questioned, "It's obvious. Optimus is the only one Megatron has any connection to. Why else would he stay on our world?"
"Looks it's just…I goaded Buckethead into shooting me to see if he was staying because of Prime," Levi admitted.
"Daring and stupid," Hanji applauded, "Want to help me do the same thing?"
"Even if I did, how are we going to get to him?" Levi questioned, "He's most likely in Marley, and Prime is the only one that can talk to him."
"We can always check the ship," Hanji suggested, "I'm sure Megatron not doing so great himself right now."
"Which is why we shouldn't talk to him," Levi proclaimed.
"…I'm gonna do it," Hanji declared.
"No, I will beat the shit out of you," Levi threatened.
"I'm your Commander," Hanji reminded, "And you're going to come with me to the ship."
------
Megatron laid atop of the neutral ship staring at the orange sky. He knew he should've gone back to Marley, but he didn't want to. He was certain he wasn't going to hear the end of it, and that he would be punished for it, but he didn't want to be there. He needed time to himself, and it wouldn't be wise to disturb Optimus. The last thing they needed was to confront each other.
Megatron noticed something out of the corner of his optic and groaned in irritation as he saw the Mad Scientist riding to the ship with the dwarf in tow.
Hanji got off her horse as she noticed Megatron on top of the ship. "Me-,"
Hanji jolted as Megatron's sword pierced the ground a couple of yards away from her. Levi was about to attack, but Hanji raised her hand to tell him to stop.
"Megatron, I need your help!" Hanji called out.
Megatron laughed in response without looking at them. "Why would I help you?!"
"This is something that would interest you!" Hanji explained.
"Nothing you say would interest me!" Megatron retorted.
Hanji rolled her eyes. "It's about Optimus!"
Levi noted that Megatron twitched at the proclamation, but made no move to get up.
"Is Optimus in the ship?!" Hanji asked.
Megatron sighed. "No! He went to test the tracker!"
"Can you come down?!" Hanji asked.
Megatron relented as he stood up and jumped down from the top of the ship and landed on the ground.
"What do you want?" Megatron demanded.
"Well…," Hanji trailed off, "You're the only one here that knows the most about Optimus-,"
"The point," Megatron demanded in an ominous tone.
"We want to get Optimus a gift," Hanji declared, "What would be a good one?"
"…what?" Megatron demanded.
"Look, we know that it's the anniversary of the end of your war," Hanji explained, "You and Optimus are not really in a good place right now because of it and we just want to get Optimus a gift to lift his spirits and thank him for all the help that he's done."
"And why would I do that?" Megatron demanded.
"Because if you do, I will leave you alone for the next month," Hanji bargained.
"I doubt you'd be able to do it," Megatron said as he crossed his arms.
"Please," Hanji begged, "Some part of you still cares-,"
Levi quickly covered her mouth before she could say something that would get her killed. "Just say it so we can go."
Megatron thought it over, tapping on digit on his arm. He didn't want to do that. He had no reason or responsibility to. It wasn't even his place to share that information, but…
Megatron sighed. "I would have assumed that you knew that he liked reading, considering you already know the basic information about us."
"Right, Optimus was a librarian," Hanji recalled, "Wait, but that was part of his caste system job. I didn't think that he liked it."
"Optimus liked knowledge," Megatron proclaimed, "He was in a safe and secure place where he could read the information in his possession. The problem was he wasn't allowed to analyze and question the legitimacy of the material. He would carry a datapad with him whenever he came to Kaon."
"Well that's going to be a problem because we have nothing to offer him," Levi proclaimed, "The island only really has a hundred years of history. Anything about the outside was forbidden."
"Whatever you humans have, I'm sure he'll be invested," Megatron proclaimed.
Hanji thought it over before an idea sprang into her head. "I got it. Thank you, Megatron."
Megatron grunted in response.
"Can you tell Optimus to come by later and say that it's a meeting?" Hanji requested.
"If you hold your end of the deal," Megatron replied.
Hanji smirked as she covered her mouth and gave a 'thumbs up'. She signaled Levi to move out, and Megatron watched the two ride off away from the ship. He grabbed his sword and transformed it back into its handle before jumping back up to the top of the ship and lying down.
----------------
"Is something wrong with Matthew?" Pieck asked the Warrior Cadets on their break, "He hasn't been here all day."
"We don't know," Colt admitted, "He actually almost tried to choke me yesterday."
"Oh my god, why?" Pieck asked in shock.
"I don't think he likes to be touched," Colt responded, "Because he told me immediately after not to ever touch him."
"Reiner said that he was being rather rude to Commander Magath," Gabi added, "Well, more so than usual."
"Odd," Pieck noted, "Does anyone know where he might be?"
"From what I heard, Commander Calvi is giving him twenty four hours to return," Reiner answered as he walked up to them.
"Reiner!" Gabi smiled as she hugged her cousin. Reiner gave a small smile and patted her head.
"Twenty four hours?" Pieck asked him, "Do they really not know where he is?"
"Sounds like they don't," Reiner answered, "Hopefully he comes back and he won't face charges. I still wonder why he's so upset."
"Matthew never liked talking about himself," Zofia spoke, "He's always reserved and avoids human contact."
"He doesn't eat in the lunch hall; he only eats in his room," Gabi proclaimed.
"All of his scars were from combat," Falco remembered, "I can only imagine the life that he lived."
All of them felt despondent. They felt bad for Matthew, but they didn't know where to start on how to help him.
"I know what we can do," Gabi declared, "We can do some of his work for him."
"Gabi, we have to train," Colt reminded.
"Just for the day," Gabi retorted, "The only reason he's doing it is because he was sticking his neck out for us demons. We're the ones responsible; we have to pay him back."
"I agree," Colt said, earning a smile from Gabi, "Matthew helped me and my brother. This is the least that we could do for all that he's done."
"You could get in trouble for not training," Pieck insisted.
"I'm sure the other Marleyans would have given us the tack anyway," Gabi retorted.
"They did do that to us," Reiner reminded.
"If they do say no, then obey," Pieck advised, "I don't want you guys to get into trouble."
"We won't," they all said.
--------
That Night
Optimus drove into the Capital, thanking the humans for opening the gate for him. Megatron informed him that Hanji wanted to have a meeting with him. Hopefully, this will be quick, and Optimus can return to the ship to work on the device.
Optimus saw Hanji and the rest of the Survey Corps waving to him and he activated his holoform.
"Commander, Megatron informed me that there was a meeting," Optimus began.
"Well…not necessarily a meeting," Hanji admitted.
"Then why have you called me here?" Optimus asked.
"We want to show you something," Hanji answered, "It's a surprise."
"Commander, if this is another ploy of some kind-,"
"Prime, we spent all day doing this, the least you can do is take a look," Levi interrupted.
Optimus wanted to retort, but he could see the pleading expression on their faces. It would…probably be really quick. Then he could go back.
"How long will this take?" Optimus asked.
"A few minutes," Hanji responded, "I promise."
"…Alright," Optimus relented.
Hanji pulled out a blindfold and presented it to him. "Can you put this on?"
Optimus sighed as he took the blindfold and wrapped it around his eyes. Hanji took his hands and brought him inside while the others followed behind. The Prime had slight concern. He didn't understand what could possibly be this important.
A short time later, Optimus felt the blindfold being removed from his head. He adjusted his eyes to find himself in…a large library full of books.
"Surprise!" Hanji exclaimed.
"What…is all this?" Optimus asked in disbelief.
"Our gift to you, you nerd," Sasha answered.
"We spent the whole day looking for books to put here," Jean explained.
"We even got some books from Marley," Hanji added, "In exchange for putting that recommendation of integrating Marleyans into our society."
"That giant was really fucking eager to do that, we have to keep tabs on her," Levi reminded.
"I will be mindful of that," Hanji proclaimed, "But besides that, this library is yours."
Optimus was startled at the proclamation. "…Really?"
"It's not much," Armin shrugged, "I'm sure that it doesn't compare to the grandeur of Iacon, but we do hope that you like it."
"But I…you shouldn't have done this," Optimus insisted, "This should be given to someone else. I-,"
"Prime, we know that it's the end of your war today," Levi immediately cut off.
Optimus looked down in guilt while Hanji glared at Levi for his harsh attitude.
"We know that you can't go back home," Eren continued, "And…that we can't do much about that."
"But that doesn't mean that we can't try to show our gratitude to you," Hanji intervened, "You can come in here anytime that you want and read your heart out. Don't worry about anything else. This is yours."
Optimus took a couple of steps forward, taking one of the books in his hands and opening it.
"Do…do you like it?" Hanji asked.
Eren could see the fondness and nostalgia in eyes as he closed the book and looked back at them.
"Thank you all," Optimus told them, "This is a wonderful gift."
The Survey Corps were relieved, glad that the titan liked the gift. Hanji walked up to Optimus and patted him on the shoulder.
"Take a break, enjoy the gift, and we'll see you in a few days," Hanji told him.
Hanji ushered the Survey Corps members out of the room while Levi followed behind. Levi turned back to Optimus as he sat on the ground.
"Thanks, Prime," Levi spoke, causing Optimus to turn to him, "For everything,"
Optimus watched Levi walk out of the room before smiling to himself and returning to the book in hand. Maybe he can no longer go back to Cybertron, but he had a new home now, and he was going to do everything in his power to protect it and them.
-----
The Next Day
Megatron returned to the Marley, adamant, but relenting. If he was gone for more than twenty four hours, there would no doubt be some call into question which would ultimately affect the mission.
Megatron entered one of the room, ready to clean it, but was surprised to see the Warrior Cadets doing it for him. Colt was the first to notice him and walked up to him.
"Matthew, where have you been?" Colt asked, "Are you okay?"
Megatron was thoroughly cautious by the situation and took a step back. Colt's question did prompt the other warriors to come to him as well.
"Magath is angry with you!" Udo exclaimed.
"Where did you go?" Falco asked.
"Stop," Megatron ordered in his other voice, "What the hell is going on?"
"We wanted to do something nice for you," Gabi answered, "You seemed down yesterday, so we thought doing some of your work for the day might help."
Megatron blinked in response. "What?"
"We thought-,"
"No, I heard that," Megatron immediately cut off, "But…why?"
The Cadets were confused as they looked at each other.
"To do something nice," Falco answered, "You've already done so much for us, and we wanted to pay you back."
Megatron was quiet, not truly knowing how to respond to a situation. Megatron gritted his teeth in response.
"Did I ask you to do that?" Megatron demanded.
The Cadets were stunned at the question.
"Mat-,"
"I didn't ask you to do this," Megatron hissed at them, "This better not happen again."
Megatron stormed off, leaving the children genuinely hurt and offended by his words. Not knowing what else to do, they returned to their assigned work.
Megatron entered Zeke's office, ready for Zeke to yell at him, but nearly growled when he saw Magath talking with Zeke. Magath noticed him and grew angry, stomping over to him.
"Where the hell have you been?" Magath demanded.
"Out," Megatron responded.
"You can't just go 'out'!" Magath exclaimed, "This insubordination of yours needs to end, now!"
"I'm not part of Marley Military; you can't tell me what to do," Megatron hissed.
"I can throw you in prison," Magath reminded.
"Our agreement was that I train the Warriors, that's it," Megatron shot back.
"And you think I care about that?" Magath demanded, "You hold no power, and as far as Marley is concerned, you're residing in this country illegally. Now unless you tell me where the hell you've been, you will never see the light of day again."
"I was out," Megatron answered in an ominous tone.
"Magath," Zeke warned.
"Answer!" Magath ordered.
"Out!" Megatron shouted.
"Where?!" Magath demanded.
"Out!" Megatron repeated.
"Why?!" Magath demanded.
"None of your business!" Megatron turned to leave. Magath grabbed the back of Megatron's cloak.
"You need to-!"
Megatron snapped and grabbed Magath's hand before twisting it. Zeke shot up from his chair as Magath cried out in pain. Before Zeke could make another move, a soft 'click' was heard. Megatron and Zeke turned to see Calvi aiming a gun at the back of his head.
"Let him go, Matthew," Calvi ordered.
Megatron glared at Magath before letting go of his hand and dropping him to the ground. Zeke attended to Magath while he glared at Megatron.
"I can't let this slide," Calvi proclaimed, "I'm taking you to our prison cells. You'll be staying there until I can find suitable punishment for you."
Megatron glared at Calvi in response, but relented as he raised his hands in surrender. Zeke began to panic as Calvi forced Megatron down the hall. The plan is going awry. No. No! NO!
-----
A few hours later
Calvi tapped his arm in frustration as he saw Matthew behind the bars. Magath was behind him, now sporting a cast on his hand. Word about Matthew's insubordination was going to spread quick, unless he found out why he's been acting the way that he has. Calvi noted that Matthew was on the floor and not the bed with his back faced towards them.
"Matthew, I really like you, but I cannot let this go," Calvi began, "You assaulted an officer without reason. You left the compound without informing anyone or getting permission, and despite better judgment, the Eldians decided to do something nice for you. I have to find a suiting punishment for you; I've been clearly too lenient on you."
Matthew didn't bother to look over. "Do your worst."
Calvi sighed. "At least give a reason why you've been acting this way."
"I have no reason to tell you," Matthew proclaimed.
"Just give him a punishment and get it over with," Magath hissed, "He doesn't care about anyone but himself."
"No one ever cared for me," Matthew retorted, "Why should I give a damn about someone else who only wants me for my fighting skill? When people do something for me, it's to get something in returns. That's how my life has always been."
"Then how about you tell me why you left, so that I can do something for you," Calvi proclaimed.
"So I can continue training the Eldians," Matthew proclaimed.
"So that you still have a chance to obtain your freedom," Calvi insisted.
Calvi assumed that Matthew was thinking about it because a few moments later, Matthew stood up. He removed his jacket and held it in his left hand before removing his shirt and holding it in his right. Calvi stared in shock while Magath wanted to throw up at the sight of the large, jagged scar in the center of his back, accompanied by other scars.
"Last year, I died around this time," Matthew confessed, "I don't know how it happened. The wound caused an extensive amount of blood loss, and the trauma of it made me block out the memory. Somehow I managed to survive, but I had a feeling that it was someone else who decided to save my life. It is a debt I can't repay."
Matthew looked at them, but didn't turn his body towards them. "No one here will ever know what I've been through. The only thing that I wanted was to be left alone, but considering Marley's track record, I knew that I wouldn't be getting that chance."
Matthew put his shirt and jacket on, without dropping either of them. He laid back down on the ground and continued to have his back faced to them.
"Maybe here, I'll finally get some peace and quiet," Matthew proclaimed.
Calvi didn't respond to his proclamation and decided to leave him be. Magath, not knowing how to respond, followed his superior.
------
Paradis
Optimus continued reading through the books on Paradis' history, feeling more content than he's ever been in the last couple of days. To actually fend responsibility, even just for a while, was genuinely what he needed.
Optimus laid down on the ground, getting in a more comfortable position before he continued reading. He noticed someone over him and lowered the book to see Eren, Armin, and Mikasa staring down at him.
"What are you three doing here?" Optimus asked as he sat up.
"Commander Hanji wanted to make sure that you were getting a proper break and actually using the library," Mikasa answered.
"I am enjoying myself," Optimus reassured, "And I do appreciate the gift very much."
"Yeah, this is a…really big library," Armin trailed off as he looked around, "Some of these books were already here and sitting around."
Optimus could see the curiosity and eagerness in his eyes and gave a small smile. "I reorganized the sciences to be on the far right."
Armin smiled as he ran towards the shelf. Eren gave a small smile as Armin waved to him before browsing the books.
"What are you reading about?" Mikasa asked the Prime.
"The island's history," Optimus responded, "A favorite pastime of mine back on Cybertron was to read historical context. I would like to relate it to modern day events and the influence it has."
"But…how many books did you read?" Eren asked as he gestured to a small stack of books next to him.
"Not many," Optimus answered, "I did reorganize the library in a way that would make it easier for me to access the books. Those were just books that caught my interest the most. Is there anything that you want to take in particular?"
"We can take some books?" Mikasa questioned in surprise.
"Of course," Optimus answered, "It would be wrong to keep this knowledge to myself."
"I'll return this, I promise!" Armin called out as he waved a book before them.
Eren sat down on the ground next to Optimus. "Well, we'll tell Hanji that you liked this gift."
Optimus noticed a sad expression in Eren's face and marked his position in the book before sitting up. "Eren, I am sorry that I did not train with you, but I promise that we will continue very soon."
"I should've recognized why sooner," Eren retorted, "I should've known why today was so important. You sacrificed so much for us. This was the least that we could do."
"Have you…talked to Megatron about the war recently?" Mikasa asked.
"No, and it is for the best," Optimus explained, "It would not be beneficial to talk to him about the situation, since we were enemies for so long. The last thing either of us need is to bring up old wounds."
Mikasa gave a subtle glance to Armin, who was looking at her with slight concern. Eren didn't seem to notice as Optimus picked up the book once more.
"Is there anything particular you want to read?" Optimus asked.
"I just…want to make sure that you're okay," Eren replied.
"I am feeling much better," Optimus reassured, "Thank you for your concern."
A small smile grew on Eren's face before it disappeared at the thought of Optimus' death. He almost tried to say something right then and there, but he couldn't get the words out. Why couldn't he get the words out? He looked down in shame before he hugged the Prime, startling him and his family.
"Eren, what-,"
"Thank you," Eren told him, "Thank you so much. Thank you for everything."
Optimus was startled by Eren's action before gently rubbing his back with one arm. He pulled Eren away from him after a few moments and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You can stay here as long as you want to, and I will take you back to the campsite," Optimus told him.
Eren nodded his head, relieved at Optimus' words. He wasn't ready to go back there. As Optimus leaned against the desk and opened the book once more, Eren sat next to him and rested his head on his shoulder. Mikasa watched the sight and rubbed her arm, something that Optimus took note of.
"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked.
"We're…not very close…but," Mikasa trailed off.
Optimus had an idea of what she meant and gestured to his left side. Mikasa sat next to him before resting her arms on her knees.
"Thank you," she whispered, "For everything."
Optimus gave a small smile before returning to the book in hand. Mikasa peered over his to look at the information. Optimus noticed this and began to quietly read aloud, allowing Mikasa to follow along.
Armin could see the content expression on Optimus and his friends and smiled before he continued browsing. He was happy that they were all able to relax. It made him feel better knowing that, but…
His thoughts ended up traveling back to Megatron. Megatron has a debt to Optimus that he wants to fulfill, but he can't help but imagine what the titan must be going through right now.
------
Megatron was still lying down in his prison cell, but was now on his back. He's been in here for a few hours. Part of him was happy for that because he didn't have to deal with any of those pathetic humans. The other part of him was annoyed because he had no free reign, and it just felt like that same empty feeling when he was in space before he arrived on this world.
Part of Megatron still wanted to run, and the other part of him just wanted to end it all. He only wanted to be by himself so that he could be alone with his thoughts, and deal with his failures. He lost everything that day: the war, his life, his body, his spark. He would argue his morality, but that was something he discarded a long time ago. Besides, he was still willing to kill anyway. It was in his nature.
Megatron let the holoform hands twitch in response. He's asked himself whether the war was necessary or not. Part of him wants to say 'yes', because it was the only way for the elites to listen. Another part of him wanted to say 'no', maybe it was because he let things go too far. He wasn't the only one who lost everything today. He destroyed everything: his home, his people, Optimus. Today was just a mocking, grim reminder of that.
Megatron heard the doors to his cell open and turned his head to see the Armored Titan standing there.
"Calvi wanted me to take you to his office," Reiner informed.
"Why?" Megatron demanded in his other voice, "Because Magath is too scared to try."
"You broke his hand!" Reiner exclaimed, "What were you thinking?!"
"Come on," Megatron drawled out as he stood up, "You're telling me you wouldn't have done that if given the opportunity. I already hate him enough; I can't imagine the shit he puts you through."
Megatron noted the uneasy expression in his eyes and smirked. "So you have thought about it?"
"I've thought about nothing," Reiner hissed, "I'm loyal to Marley alone. I-,"
"I thought we already talked about the fact of me reporting you to your superiors useless," Megatron interrupted.
Reiner still looked uneasy, causing Megatron to groan in irritation. "Fine, let's just go."
Megatron crossed his arms as he followed Reiner out of the prison area. Megatron noted a rather uncomfortable and despondent expression on his face, but he didn't bother. He had a feeling it was going to be about the Colossal one, and he didn't want to be involved with that.
"They just wanted to do something nice for you," Reiner muttered, but Megatron was able to hear it.
"I didn't ask them to do it," Megatron hissed in response.
"I thought you said you didn't care about Eldians," Reiner shot at him, getting over his initial shock.
"I don't care about Eldia and Marley overall. It's all the same to me," Megatron proclaimed, "When someone tries to do something 'nice' for me, it's for their own benefit or personal gain. Those brats will probably ask for extra hours of training or more advanced techniques-,"
"Or they wanted to do something nice," Reiner cut off, "You have no idea the hoops they had to go through to do that for you."
"And I didn't ask for it," Megatron repeated.
Reiner felt bitter, but kept his feelings to himself. He wasn't sure what would happen if he got angry at him. Besides, he was an Eldian, and he was a human. He would get into more trouble if he did something wrong.
Megatron and Reiner arrived at Calvi's door, and Reiner opened it. They both entered Calvi's office and saw that the Commander was sitting at his desk. Meanwhile, Magath was against the wall rubbing his broken arm. Reiner was about to leave, but the titan shifter stopped when Calvi raised his hand.
"You stay," Calvi ordered.
Reiner stood by the door as still as possible. Megatron turned to Calvi.
"So, what unholy punishment will you give me?" Megatron demanded.
Magath growled in response, but Calvi glared at him and Magath backed off.
"I understand that this time is hard for you," Calvi began, "I can't imagine the life that you've lead, and how traumatizing it must be for you. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that you assaulted one of my officials. I will give a week to get your affairs in order. Whatever you're going through right now, is not something that needs to affect the morale of the Eldian devils."
Reiner was visibly confused. What did Commander Calvi mean by that?
"But when you do return, your punishment will be extended," Calvi proclaimed, "Your current labor duties will be extended for another month. Your wage will be docked by half. You will be required on site for any and all titan experiments."
Megatron resisted the urge to sigh in response. It would be irritating, but he could live with that.
"My final punishment; however, depends on your response to one question," Calvi continued.
"And that's what?" Megatron demanded.
"Are you willing to apologize to Magath?" Calvi asked, "For breaking his hand?"
Megatron was shocked by the question before turning his attention to Magath. He glared at him before turning to Calvi.
"I would rather die again, than apologize to him," Megatron declared.
Reiner nearly gasped. This man died?! What?!
"Unfortunate," Calvi replied, "Because you're going to work for him."
"WHAT?!" Magath and Megatron shouted.
"You two clearly hate each other, and I cannot have you two at each other's throats while we're in the middle of a war and an extremely dangerous situation with the island." Calvi explained, "We need to ensure that everyone here is united and working together to defeat the threat."
"Sir, with all due respect, he is an insubordination!" Magath exclaimed.
"You're the one who decided to keep me here!" Megatron shot back, "Because of you, I don't have my freedom!"
"Screw your freedom!" Magath declared, "You broke the law!"
"Enough," Calvi ordered, "This is exactly what I'm talking about. The hostility between you two is ridiculous. I can't have the Eldians thinking that they can talk back to their superiors while having the Marleyans fear an outsider."
Calvi pointed to Megatron. "Whatever Magath asks of you, do it without question."
Calvi pointed to Magath. "Treat Matthew with respect. He is a human and has been creating promising results for the Eldians. Both of you will get along or you will face severe punishment, are we clear?"
Magath and Megatron glared at each other, causing Calvi to stand up.
"Are. We. Clear?" Calvi demanded.
"Yes, sir," Magath relented.
"Crystal," Megatron growled.
Reiner could only watch in sheer disbelief. What the hell just happened?
--------
Later that day
Armin continued reading the books in the library before looking over his shoulder to check on Eren and Mikasa. Both were sleeping on Optimus' shoulder, but the Prime continued to read aloud to them. Maybe the Prime wanted to read aloud, or maybe he thought his voice would be comforting to them. Either way, he thought it was nice of him.
Armin stood up to talk to them, but stood when he noticed a familiar, lingering, presence by the door, looking into the room with his red eyes. When Megatron did notice that Armin was staring, he quickly left the door without making a sound.
Armin quickly set the book down and turned to Optimus. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."
Optimus nodded his head in response, not realizing that Megatron was even present. Armin walked at a normal speed out of the room, and dashed down the hall to find Megatron. Armin turned a corner and bumped into Megatron's back. He rubbed his head as Megatron turned to him.
"What?" Megatron demanded.
"What are you doing here?" Armin asked, "You're supposed to be in-,"
"Do not bring up that stupid continent," Megatron ordered.
Armin immediately backed off before noticing Megatron's irritated expression. "So…it's that bad,"
Megatron rolled his eyes. "I only wanted to be left alone. Instead, I'm forced to work with that stupid Commander of the Warrior Unit."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Armin asked, "You have access to the warriors."
"I don't care about that," Megatron hissed, "I would have had access to the warriors regardless. Those stupid brats follow me around like little ducklings. I shouldn't know what ducks are, but I do. Do you know why?"
Armin grunted as Megatron grabbed him by the collar and forced him to look him dead in the eye.
"Because I'm forced to be around your pathetic species," Megatron declared in a dark tone, "What I would give to slaughter you all?"
Armin looked down at the hand gripping his shirt before looking back up at Megatron. "Do you…want to talk about it?"
Megatron raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"I mean…I feel like this is more than just Marley," Armin began, "And Optimus was feeling upset, which is why we got the library for him. I going to guess…that…you're not doing so well considering what time of the year it is."
Armin had to choose his words extremely carefully. Megatron was already angry, and he didn't want to set him off to the point where he ended up getting hurt in the process. But…while Optimus had all of this support from the Survey Corps, Megatron had nothing and no one, and part of him felt bad for him.
Megatron let go of Armin's shirt and leaned against the wall. "I only wanted to inform Optimus of my week off in order to get my affairs in order, according to the head of Marley Military."
"…you've been acting out, haven't you?" Armin guessed.
Megatron didn't respond, which was new to Armin. He expected the titan to be on the defensive, but he just looked…tired. He could see in his eyes. It looked like he wanted to collapse.
"How bad?" Armin asked.
"I am under no obligation-,"
"How bad?" Armin demanded.
Megatron wanted to threaten him, but Optimus wasn't too far away. He could hear them if one of them gets too loud.
"I'm not going to answer you," Megatron proclaimed.
"…you hurt someone, didn't you?" Armin concluded.
"Awfully bold assumption," Megatron remarked.
"Well with you, it's either follow my orders or face punishment," Armin shrugged.
Megatron didn't respond to that as he rubbed the side of his head in irritation.
"You did, you're not denying it," Armin concluded.
"I wanted to be left alone," Megatron hissed, "I didn't want to deal with those disgusting warriors, and those broken titan shifter, or those arrogant commanders. I just wanted to be left alone with my thoughts, instead of humans asking me to do their dirty work for them."
"And that gives you the excuse to hurt someone?" Armin demanded, "I thought you wanted to make things right with Optimus. Hurting humans doesn't help your case."
"They are the enemy," Megatron reminded, "I have no reason to be nice to them when I know for a fact that they would treat me with hatred the moment they found out who I am. I don't need to be around those pathetic humans when I have my own failures to mull over."
Armin didn't say anything, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Losing the war, dying a rather painful death, being revived and placed under the control of a demonic god, and being unable to return home under the threat of being executed; it was no doubt an unbearable weight on his shoulders to live with the guilt of what he has done.
"The worst part," Megatron continued, "Is that those Eldians think I'm a good person."
Megatron gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm one of the worst beings in the universe, and they think I'm a good person."
Armin was confused at that. "Why would they think you're a good person? How do you even treat them?"
"…I buy them food, books," Megatron relented, "I don't call them demons or devils. The most egregious offender would be creating a makeshift burial for the Colossal one that recently died. I've been trying to justify those actions as ways to gain their trust. In reality, I didn't want to see their disgustingly sad faces."
"…You are a terrible person," Armin declared.
Armin noted that Megatron twitched in response to his declaration. "But to them, you are a good person. In their eyes, you are how they want the rest of the world to treat them. To the island, you are demonic, but they see you as a good person because you are willing to help in a time of uncertainty. If someone does know who you are, then they start to see you as a bad person, but I'm certain that you used to be a good person to someone long ago."
"I'm not anymore," Megatron declared.
"I know," Armin agreed, "But maybe…you're starting to recognize that."
Megatron chuckled at the thought. "There's nothing left to recognize. It doesn't matter what I do in the end. My spark will face eternal punishment."
Armin watched the holoform deactivate before he walked back to the library. From what he saw, it seemed that Megatron's guilt was eating at him, and that one day, it was going to spill over and destroy him.
-----
"T-the-re is som-thin----keep,"
Eren shifted his head a little on Optimus' shoulder as a memory played into his head.
"Grisha, there is something I need you to keep for me,"
Grisha was handed something, struggling to hold it between what remained of his hands.
"What is this?"
"When you inherit my memories, you might know. Whatever you do, keep it secret."
Eren gasped and jolted awake as he got a clear vision of what his father was holding. His sudden movement caused Optimus to flinch and nearly lose his page and Mikasa to jolt awake.
"Eren, what happened?" Optimus asked.
Eren ignored Optimus as he shot up and bolted out the door.
"Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed as she and Optimus followed him out the library. Eren continued running, but ended running into Armin as he turned the corner. They both fell to the floor and rubbed their heads.
"Eren, what are you doing?!" Armin demanded.
"Armin, we need to go to Shinganshina!" Eren declared as Optimus and Mikasa caught up with him.
"What? Why?" Armin asked in confusion.
"I saw another memory!" Eren answered, "We need to go to my old home! We need to go back to the basement! Dad had a fourth notebook!"
-----
Blooper
Hanji finished writing up a report and shut her notebook before standing up. She opened the flap of the tent and walked out, coming face to face with Yelena. Hanji gave a curt nod before opening her notebook to review her notes and not talk to Yelena.
"So, you must really trust Optimus," Yelena decided to engage with Hanji, "Doing something that nice for him."
"Trust him with my life," Hanji declared without looking up from her papers.
"Even though he could kill you," Yelena continued.
Hanji immediately snapped her head and shut her book before looking at Yelena. "You really want to go there?"
"He has violently attacked Zeke," Yelena reminded.
"Because he turned innocent people into mindless, man eating beasts," Hanji shot back, tapping her book on Yelena's chest, "Let's go back down the list of Optimus' deeds on this planet, alone. Instead of finding a way back home, he was willing to risk his life for our home in a dire situation. He willingly shared information regarding his home, his technological advancements, his history, his biology. Optimus chooses to fight for freedom and values the life of humans here that he has a rule of keeping humans away from the battle as long as possible. He does not kill until all options are exerted. He saved our world before he even arrived here, and gave up his life to ensure his race could survive, literally."
Hanji noticed Optimus walking by in his holoform with a crate full of items in hand. "And if I run and leap at him, he will most certainly catch me in his arms. OPTIMUS!"
Optimus saw Hanji running towards him and jumping. "Commander, I am holding-!" He quickly dropped the crate before he could finish the statement and caught her in his arms. The crate toppled over and the items stumbled out of the container. Hanji smiled and hugged Optimus while the Prime was confused.
"Commander, why did you that?" Optimus asked her.
"To prove a point, which you did beautifully," Hanji answered as she slapped his cheek twice in reassurance.
"Huh," Yelena stated, genuinely impressed by what she saw.
"Please never do that again," Optimus pleaded.
"Of course," Hanji said as Optimus put her down.