#arcturus universe

[typewritingyip]

The Arcturus Missions

Part Twenty Two - Outlier

Part Twenty One

———

Iron is the 26th element on the periodic table, symbol Fe for Ferrum in Latin. It is the fourth most abundant element on Earth and was primarily deposited by meteorites.

Humans have been using iron since before the Bronze Age, initial use linked all the way back to the second millennium BC. 

It also is the mineral that the human body needs the most for growth and development, the human body uses iron to make hemoglobin which is a protein in red blood cells. Hemoglobin is why human blood is the shade of red that it is and why blood is a significantly different shade upon contact with oxygen.

Iron oxide is the reaction of iron to oxygen and water, which turns the iron to a dark red nearly blown tone, also known as rust. 

Rust is incredibly dangerous to Cybertronians and humans alike. 

—

Their walk through New Kaon was quiet and informative, Hound was trying to ignore the blood and discharge sliding under the collar of his assistance suit with each step. It was unlike Iacon and unlike Earth, it was something entirely unique to Decepticon culture and clearly Megatron was proud of it, smiling a bit, Hound kept walking and listening, “Just past those buildings is where we first landed on this planet, it’s where the space bridge usually stands though deactivated and dismantled due to the war.” His hands were folded behind his back, he walked with the same ease as any man who knew this was his city.

Nodding a bit, Hound continues to look around, “So, I understand why you have fighting pits, they’re probably a lot like our military bases back home, but why have them off cybertron?” Megatron hums, nodding some and glancing towards the sky, “Other than for the obvious reason, I take it?” It took a second for Hound to chuckle weakly, “Other than your million year civil war, yes, I mean why not have one there now?” Megatron nodded slowly, bowing his head slightly.

”Cultural differences and a desire to move on from unsavory pasts.” Hound came to a hard stop, staring at him and he cleared his throat a bit, “Wow.” Megatron chuckled deeply, “Jazz had a similar reaction, then attempted to explain some history of your planet while we walked. I think it just confused us both, he said he was not a history major.” Nodding a bit, Hound moves to catch back up.

Scratching his jaw again, Hound sighs, “Neither am I, so I don’t think I’ll even attempt that. I’d ask Breakdown on that, it’s much more up his alley.” They lapsed back into comfortable silence, walking the streets of New Kaon. Awkward companions that had similar goals. 

—

“Sir, why did you want me for your unit specifically?” They were still walking towards these ever elusive fighting pits. Megatron hummed deeply, “I figured that would be obvious Hound.” Nodding slightly, Hound picks up his pace slightly, “I don’t exactly see it that way.” With a chuckle, Megatron shakes his head, “No, I guess you wouldn’t. You and Mirage work very well together.” Nodding, Hound sighed a bit, “Ah.” With another chuckle, Megatron rested a hand on his shoulder, “That is not a bad thing Hound. Not many can work so closely with outliers and come out unscathed.” Nodding again, Hound went from nodding to slowly shaking his head.

Glancing toward the sky, Megatron bit back a swear, “Sometimes I forget that it seems your people don’t communicate the same way we do.” There was something in that statement, bitter and sounding almost painful.

In a breath, Megatron shrugged lightly, “We try to spread those with outlier abilities through different units, but maintain the bonds they make with more typical mecha. It’s not… easy to get along with mecha who have outliers. They can be abrasive and crass. Overwhelming both in EM and in personality.” Hound nodded a bit, really wishing for a pen and paper in that moment as they kept walking though now shoulder to shoulder. 

“Um, sir, forgive me but I still don’t quite understand and believe me it’s not making me feel like the brightest bulb in the box for having to ask this but what exactly are outlier abilities?” Megatron chuckled deeply but glanced towards Hound before frowning, “When i said that your kind don’t seem to communicate, I did not mean that literally. Has Jazz not told you?” Shaking his head a bit, Hound sighs, “It can be hard for him and I to have a moment to discuss things not related to the war or more everyday occurrences of, forgive me, your kind.” Nodding, Megatron fidgeted lightly with his digits, “I see.” Clearing his throat a bit. 

Nodding some, Megatron started to walk at a significantly slower pace than their already reduced one, “Outlier abilities are generally unexplained, they aren’t particularly connected to a mech’s altmode or anything else it seems. Back before the last war, they had to remain hidden or hide their capabilities.” Taking a breath, Hound just above a whisper, “Because Functionalism.” Megatron bowed his head. 

These were not topics that were usually brought up, it was suggested by Jazz to steer clear of them, but sometimes that just simply couldn’t be avoided. 

“They were persecuted and often hunted back then, now they are seen as the treasures that they are. In all honesty, it is one of the many reasons why Starscream remains my second in command, because of his trine’s capabilities.” Hound chuckled a bit and Megatron shook his head, “I wish I were joking Hound, but they were valuable assets. Still are, hence why they are here and not on Cybertron starting their lives,” He stops and sighs, “Now that the civil war is over that was supposed to be what everyone got.” Nodding a bit, Hound steps forward and nods encouragingly.

Taking a breath. Megatron continues on, “Now, generally, those with outlier abilities are spread throughout units. Clumping them all together doesn’t do us much good. We work with surrounding them with the right soldiers, mechs who can stand to work together without killing each other preferably.” Shaking his head, he sighs, “Hence why when you brought up the fighting you were dealing with in your own unit Optimus was willing to compromise.” Hound stared and bit back a groan, “Got it.” Finally, Megatron showed the barest bit of a smile.

Tilting his head a bit, it was almost as if Megatron was mocking Hound, “What? You thought your speech was that rousing?” Biting back a worse retort, Hound lowers his head a bit, “No, sir.” Megatron chuckled, “Regardless, we try to keep those who can get along with the outliers around and Mirage has seemed to take a liking to you. You seem to be able to find him very easily even when he is hiding.” Shaking his head a bit, Megatron laughs more than chuckles, rubbing at his jaw. 

Hound was staring and shaking his head clears his throat, “Sir, uh, I don’t entirely know what you are talking about. What do you mean, hiding?” Megatron waved a hand through the air, “Mirage is able to make himself imperceivable, generally.” He clears his throat slightly.

Hound wasn’t really sure what to say, “What do you mean, imperceivable? Like, invisible? Outliers can do that?” Nodding a bit, Megatron shrugs, “Only Mirage so far, everyone’s ability is different. As for the invisibility, to everyone except your kind it would seem. Jazz in his first few weeks with us grabbed his arm while he was invisible to our eyes, said he just felt like someone was standing near him. Then there’s you.” “Me?” Pointing lightly to his own chest, Hound shook his head a bit, “I don’t,” “You end up next to him half the time in these fire fights while we can’t see him, while the enemy can’t see him. Scared him half to death the second time it happened and you started talking.” They walked for a minute, Hound opening and closing his mouth before muttering, “I thought he wasn’t there.” Megatron laughed and bent at the waist slightly.

Glancing towards Megatron, Hound shakes his head a bit, “I didn’t realize, I swear it sir.” Megatron nodded, smiling and chuckling lightly as they slowed at the edge of something large and circular, “Yes, I believe that was what Jazz called a ghostly feeling.” Hound nodded before looking out at the circle in the ground and he stopped dead. 

The space was huge and horrific, but it was understandable with how long Cybertron had been at war. Everyone had their dirty secrets, even if they were training pits that looked like illegal fighting rings. No wonder they didn’t want any on Cybertron.

Megatron leaned against the railing, staring out at a few mechs that were training, who were also wearing what was the purple sigil of the Decepticons, now the emblem of one of the many political parties that made up Cybertron’s government. Which probably meant they were either high in the military, never stepped foot on Cybertron, or were a part of the council Hound had been avoiding. Very few mechs still wore their badges, less they were in the military or involved in politics.  

Back in the first few weeks they’d been out here, him and Jazz had talked about it. Back then when it was all so new it had seemed so interesting, how similar their planets were, then horrifying. Now, politics were the last thing he wanted to think about or focus on. 

Taking a breath, Hound leans against the railing, “Sir?” Megatron nods a bit, “I hoped this would not seem familiar to you. Your kind has gone through so much already in life, this was an aspect of it that I hoped you’d avoid. No matter how similar our pasts may seem.” Bowing his head slightly, Hound brushes a hand along the railing, “It is familiar, isn’t it?” “Yes sir.” Megatron sighs slowly, fist hitting the railing hard before shaking his head.

”I apologize for my anger Hound, I swear it is not aimed towards you.” Laughing a bit, Hound glances towards him, “Just my government?” Megatron pauses, frowning slightly, “… Yes.” Hound couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up, even as it made his head pound, leaning a hit against the wall, he looked up at the sky.

He hadn’t really noticed that the color of the sky here was orange, every planet that they had gone to had been different and none had yet reminded him of clear Earth blue skies. 

“So, who is in there right now? I don’t recognize them.” Megatron hummed and looked down, “Ah, you wouldn’t. That is part of team Chaar, they live here in New Kaon and one of my old commanders is the head of their unit. They are highly skilled and even more unpredictable.” Nodding some, he sighs, “They have not made their way back to Cybertron since the end of the war and now are the primary unit for this sector.” Hound glances over at the two mecha circling each other, covered in weapons and both mechs huge. 

Megatron stares and sighs, bracing slightly, “You might want to grip the railing,” “Why?” Though Hound’s hands quickly grasp it just as his vision fills with dust and sound cuts out to prevent hearing loss. 

For a second, he wasn’t sure what the hell happened till Megatron came in over internal comms, “That would be Lugnut, he has a special weapon that causes overly dramatic explosions. It’s not very reliable, unfortunately. The mech he nearly just blew up would be Blitzwing, I’d suggest we move on before their argument starts.” Hound still couldn’t see anything, “Uh, sir, I can’t see where to go.” His cameras were trying to cycle the lenses to clear them.

A hand grabbed part of his plating and held on, pulling him away from the expanding cloud of dust.

—

Iacon was shining in the daylight, while Sideswipe was enjoying it the best he could, turning up the brightness on his visual feed. He’d slipped out of the apartment while everyone inside was still asleep, though technically breaking the rules he didn’t much care for any of them at the moment.

Copper and silicon tubing is what he was looking for, Breakdown had said he wanted to also start making vodka so that his concussion would be manageable. It was smart of him to only mention that once Hound left. 

Sighing deeply, he tilted his head back slightly for the light to hit more of his cameras, brighting the visual feed further, “God, I miss Earth.” His implants were draining unpleasantly down his neck and arms, his shoulders painful. All of them besides Jazz were experiencing overuse and it was becoming more unpleasant by the day. 

Rolling his shoulder, Sideswipe swore and grabbed it, falling into the nearby wall, “Fuck!” His mech collapsed as he sank into his seat, holding his shoulder. It wasn’t the first time he’d dislocated it and it wouldn’t be the last, but it was the first time since he became a pilot let alone while piloting. 

He was stuck, well and truly stuck, he couldn’t get up without the use of at least one arm and the weight of his assistance suit was tugging on his dislocated shoulder. Making all this worse with every second, it was as if the weight of the whole suit was on just his arm. A shadow fell over him and he looked up, visor dimmed from the pain.

Prowl was staring down at him, frowning lightly, “Sideswipe, why are you on the floor?” Lowering his head, Sideswipe swore again, grasping his shoulder painfully, “I dislocated my shoulder and can’t get up, and please don’t say I told you so. I know we are not supposed to leave by ourselves.” Nodding slowly, Prowl reached down and pulled Sideswipe up carefully, “That’s right, you're not, and now you see why.” Sideswipe swore again as they started to walk back towards the apartment.

He’d hardly been out for twenty minutes, just had enough energy to enjoy the sun projected through screens onto his face before his body started to reject it’s purpose. 

A hand came down on his good shoulder and he swore, looking over his shoulder at Sunstreaker, “You’re lucky it was the two of us to find you Sides, not Jazz or Hound. Come on, we can get the tubing later, we need to spend time not in the suits while we still can.” Nodding, Sideswipe hung his head, swearing every handful of steps from the pain. 

“You make it sound like I don’t have the intention of telling Jazz,” Prowl frowned at Sunstreaker, “Or assume that he doesn’t already know.” Sideswipe looked to Prowl, stared at him and sighed deeply, “Fuck…” Sunstreaker laughed and started to cough, Sideswipe closed his eyes.

Even without their cameras on, he knew Sunstreaker was coughing up blood, just as Sunny knew he was bleeding and his shoulder was dislocated. 

—

New Kaon really was like Fort Irwin, the buildings were squat and there was dust everywhere. None had gotten into his ventilation system yet but it was only a matter of time. 

It was a military city and made during the war, in a way for the war, but people actually lived in the cities they made for target practice. Adapting for their new society and life as it is. Megatron had gotten him out of the dust cloud and started back towards the edge of the city.

All the soldiers were loitering around some unpacked heaters, Mirage was helping a few seekers. He looked over and froze for a moment, biting back a grin, “Uh, get caught up in a dust storm?” Megatron shook his head, “Very funny Mirage,” he sighs, “There was an incident at the pits, do you mind assisting Hound with hosing off? The mechs perception has been limited by the dust.” Mirage nodded, “Of course.” He walks over and takes Hound’s arm.

To be fair, Hound still couldn’t see that well, one of his cameras had cleared up but the rest were still blurry and had turned off after the first ten minutes. Mirage helped Hound over towards the set up wash racks, “Come on, let's get this dust off. Jazz has the same problem, saying that the visors weren’t great with the visual input.” Mirage kept a hand on his shoulder, helping him along. 

What he didn’t see was other mecha making lewd gestures towards Mirage, same as they had done on the shuttle, everyone knew what the outlier felt for Hound other than Hound. 

“There’s a step up here, just to maintain drainage.” Hound cringes slightly, stepping up and nearly slipping on the tile, “Damn, I hate not being able to see.” “We’re fixing it, don’t worry.” Mirage shuffled him around and rested his hands on his shoulders, “Alright, don’t move.” With a few creaks, the solvent turned on. 

It was already bringing the internal temperature of his suit up, which Hound didn’t realize had started to drop already. He sighed slowly and shuffled his suit to open the worst of the seams, brown and red dust started to hit the floor. 

Mirage stood back for a second before moving over, “Do you need help?” His face was burning, “No, thank you.” Hound sighed again and started to work on his helm, trying to subtly clear off the camera, “I heard from Prowl that communal wash racks were a thing for your enforcers and military?” Biting back a smile, Mirage nodded slightly and cleared his throat, “Uh, yes. Of course a Prowl would tell you that, he’s been both. But, yes, usually though you can feel the other person's EM field.” And Mirage just about choked on his words.

Embarrassment was clearly running hot through the poor mech, though Hound still couldn’t see, let alone feel it, “Yeah, I’ve been told our EM fields are faint to non-existent.” Mirage hummed and shuffled his feet a bit.

“So, I’ve been told you wash primarily with water.” Hound had the helm of his suit shoved under the spray of solvent now, rubbing at his visor and activating the cycling for the cameras, keeping his visual feed to a minimum, “Uh, yes. Solvent in too high of an amount can leave burns.” Now that he was here, he honestly wanted an actual shower not just the car wash. 

Clearing his throat again, Mirage shifted, “You going to be okay then?” Hound smiled a bit and glanced over, visor finally lightening with recognition, “Oh yeah, once in a blue moon isn’t going to kill me.” Mirage winced slightly, “Can you see?” Hound brushed some of the solvent off and started to check through his visual feed, “Uh, yeah, I think so.” With a sudden jerk, Mirage had his arm and was pulling, “Come on, you need to sit near one of the heaters to dry off then.” And he was fast when he wanted them out of there, leaving the solvent running.

Hound was almost embarrassed as his suit was dripping with solvent, dragged over to where Megatron had set up a heater, Mirage frowning deeply at him before looking at Megatron, “Sir, keep an eye on him and I’ll retrieve your ration.” Before even Megatron could say anything the man was gone.

Mirage was burning up with embarrassment and everyone but Hound could see or feel it. 

Sitting down near the heater, Hound leaned back and sighed, whiplash is what he’d call that. His mech was still dripping lightly with solvent. At this moment he was thankful for the tight seals that had been installed for this hapless mission. Megatron leans forward slightly, “Are you alright Hound? Losing a sense like that is never easy.” Nodding slightly, Hound shrugs, “I could see a little bit, but the dust just was sticking to my visor, it’s not a perfect sheet of glass unfortunately.” He lightly touches the visor, taking a second to wipe some of the blood on his face.

Megatron cleared his throat, “And you are sure that you’d be incompatible with some of our replacements?” Houch chuckled slightly, “That is very kind, but unfortunately no. Most of your upgrades won’t work for us. Other than the external weapons you’ve given us, though energon is still toxic.” Megatron hummed, bowing his head slightly.

One hand rubbed over Megatron’s face briefly, staring at the glowing heater as the sun was starting to set, “Your kind are both strong and weak, I apologize if this offends, but your incompatibility with us could get you killed.” Hound smiled sadly and nodded, “I know.” They both stared at the heater.

Hound shifted a bit before sighing slowly, “Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Megatron looked over and nodded slightly, “Go ahead.” Sighing slowly, Hound rubbed at the bandage on his jaw, “Why do you have Mirage on your team? The way Jazz talked about it was that he usually works with Prowl.” He hummed and nodded, “Optimus suggested it, said he would work well with the team I was assembling, which included you of course.” Hound nodded a bit, rubbing his jaw.

”Yes, about that, why exactly did you choose me? There are five of us, you could have had any one of us.” Megatron hummed and shifted on his seat, “Yet, you’re the one who is here.” Hound tilted his head to the side slightly and Megatron held back a groan, “I don’t need your spilt sparks running rampant on my battlefield, they're terribly young. Jazz has worked with Prowl for five and a half stellar cycles, plus they are seeing each other. And I will have Breakdown on this battlefield once he is healed.” Biting his lip, Hound clasped his hands briefly. 

Shaking his head again, clearing his throat was a bit uncomfortable, “Yes sir, but why specifically me. You could have sent me across this insane universe and we’d probably get the same levels of coordination and ground.” Groaning, Megatron shook his head, “That is not the point. This is not about you being a soldier, let alone one because it’s what your creator did. Because that is your function, it is not for that.” Sitting forward again, he leveled his gaze at Hound. 

“I enjoy getting to speak with you Hound, that’s honestly why I requested you for my unit, aside from Mirage. I am a speaker, I was the voice of a revolution and now my voice only carries when speaking to or with the mech I love. Being able to speak to you and be uninterrupted while having simple conversation, reminds me of a simpler time. You hold no expectations, what is that phrase you use? A breath of fresh air. Intelligent conversation with no expectations, no strings, is a very rare and valuable commodity.” It took Hound’s breath away, sitting back a bit he stared at Megatron.

In the months that they had been planet side, he hadn’t felt like he was getting close with any of them, felt rather alien among the mecha. Glancing around at the small group, away from the other pilots for the first time in months, Hound took a breath and nodded a bit, “Thank you sir, I am glad I can be that breath of fresh air.” Mirage smiled over at him as he walked back over with two cubes, handing one to Megatron, though a light blush still covered his face. 

Smiling a bit, Megatron nodded his head, and Hound sat back to look up at the sky which had gone dark a little while ago, turning the orange to red then dark to nearly black other than for the scattering of stars. 

Knockout comes over with his own cube, sighing deeply, “Do we know when they will be entering the system?” Mirage shook his head a bit, sighing deeply as he sipped the warmed energon, “We’re tracking them the best we can, but that still isn’t great.” With a huff, Knockout sat down, frowning. 

With a glance up, Megatron smirked, “Are you pouting because Breakdown is still on medical rest?” Knockout scoffed, “I don’t pout.” Mirage snorted, “That’s scrap and you know it. Hound, what was wrong with Breakdown anyways?” He glances over and Hound turns his mobility assistance back on, setting down his own food and turns on his microphone.

Clearing his throat a bit of the makeshift alien noodle, he tries not to choke on the overly sticky stuff, “He has what we call a concussion, that’s uh, a head injury that can hurt some of our hardware.” He had been waiting for this question, “He’ll be tired, have a hard time with external lighting, be dizzy and have headaches for the first week or two. We all know what to check for so we’ll know when he can go back to duty.” Knockout leans forward, “How do you treat it?” Sighing, Hound rubbed at his neck, dislodging the soaking bandage and tried not to wince as it made a splat sound hitting the floor.

Nodding a bit to cover up the movement, Hound sighs, “With rest and some medications we had stored on the Odyssey. There’s no external work we can do to help this and no software that can be downloaded to repair it. It just takes time.” Humming, Knockout sat back, frowning. Mirage nodded, “Have you had a concussion before?” Chuckling, Hound nods, “Around six of them, I’m lucky to still be a pilot.” Megatron scowled.

“Is it easy for you to experience this injury?” Shrugging slightly, Hound shook his head, “As a pilot, sure, but we’ve done all we can to prevent them. It’s just something that happens.” Megatron nodded and bruded into his energon, Mirage smiled a bit sadly and rested a hand on Hound’s knee.

Mirage cleared his throat a bit, “How’s it been? Separated from your team?” Nodding a bit, Hound glanced around their small group at the edge of the city, enjoying the night and outdoors instead of being up in some tower or building before looking to Megatron briefly and back to Mirage, “It’s a breath of fresh air.” Megatron smiled a bit, shaking his head some.

Knockout was looking around, frowning, while the Hound, Megatron, and Mirage spoke. Relaxing and being able to simply talk.

“Does anyone smell that?” Knockout was frowning intensely, looking around the assembled group, “What?” Mirage glances up, still sipping his cube, “Rust.” Everyone who was eating nearby briefly choked on their food and it went eerily silent as the few people still moving started to glance over their plating. Hound gulped slightly, his neck burning with itchiness. 

———

A/N

I AM ALIVE! But in all seriousness, I have taken the LSAT and now have time to write for a little bit.

I wanted this chapter to be a bit longer since it has been like, two weeks since part 21, so enjoy over 4k words everyone.

Also sorry if the writing is a bit all over the place, it’s my first time writing in just about two weeks.

TAGS

@lunarlei68 @whirlywhirlygig @loop-hole-319 @pixillandjester @alek-the-witch @not-a-moose-in-disguise @goddessofwind8water @neurologicalglitch @dersereblogger @pixel-transformers @mrcrayonofdoom @wireplaces @twilightfreefaller @original-blog-name-2 @devilangel657 @robbin-u @childofprimus @miniartistme @starwold @tea-enthusiasm @valeexpris606 @celticdoggo @bird599 @agentsquirrelsgotrobots @aquaioart @dimencreasatlas @thatwandercat @artdagz @seisha974 @starscreamloverfr @halenhusky309 @leethepiper @cat-cassette @blue-wrens @sirassban @astridkolch @cosmique-oddity @garbageenthusiast @osqindaxend @xervias @azulabutterfly @fryseem @spring-mc @echo-circuit @aghostsnail @wooblewooble @ask-glory-haddock-and-others @nonsscarpheap @magichats @iminahole247 @omgflyingderpywhale @pour1tin @thetrexartist

And as always, thank you to the amazing @keferon for this amazing AU and everything involved with it.

[glassy-eyed-poet]

Me because I live and breathe for the marauders but the only merch I have is this mf:

[cosmique-oddity]

Arcturus One : Designs

Heheheh

This extremely INCREDIBLE FIC can be found here

AU belong to @keferon

Additional characters ideas and Fanfic (Masterpiece) plus all of it additional lore were made up by @typewritingyip

I wanted to bring something to this incredible piece of work, and I write really bad, so I thought I might draw the pilot gang of Arcturus I,

No i didn’t just tought …….it …..IT ASPIRED MY BRAIN BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH I LOVED THE CHARACTERS HAHAHAAH

So anyway, have these references sheet made with all of my love (never drew mecha that weren’t TF coded before that LMAO hyper faction does that to a MF)

Sheets based of Keferon’s one, must keep it professional/j

Have another drawing of the gang without helms !

Short King Hound live in my mind !

(He is actually not that small, the others are just giant !)

Thank you again for this inspirying work, yip !

Cosmos ✌️

[dorasoracle]

the skittles igs ( band au ??? )

i had some free time ( maybe i will do marauders and valkyries after that )

second part ( marauders and valkyries )

[darkacademiaarchivist]

2/3 parts of my Arcturus beaming storyboard thingy for my Lighthouse OCs <3333 part 3 here

[shakespearean-simp]

regulus, at his family's summer estate in france, admiring the gorgeous neighbor from his window

r: *doing random stuff and household chores*

r.b: *breathily sighs* woah...*continues watching*

[ecstarry]

peacefully going to sleep knowing regulus and james are happy and together in every universe

[ooh-theseus]

If you will!!! Imagine a moonwater au where pre deserter!Regulus runs into Remus while he’s on his wolf mission trying to dissuade the werewolves from joining Voldemort and it is awkward and it’s messy because neither can trust the other anymore,

but somehow, Regulus lets Remus in on his plan of deserting and destroying the horocruxes, so someone knows of his whereabouts on the night at the cave, and being distrustful Remus follows after him, keeping his distance and watching up until the moment he almost falls into the lake and Remus is there, casting the Inferi away with his Dada knowledge and pulling Regulus out, he’s freezing and coughing up water, but he lives, he calls Remus an idiot, ‘can’t he see he’ll die anyway once the death eaters find out of his treason?’, but Remus isn’t hearing any of it, all he can see when he looks at Regulus is the same scared face from when they were 13 and 14 respectively and he would not dare leave him like this. So he takes him home, and they pretend Regulus is dead, at least until the end of the war.

Remus’ loyalty to Dumbledore almost makes him go and tell him of this, but Regulus threatens him against it. Still, Remus goes on to tell Dumbledore about the horocruxes.

But Regulus being alive, also means he knows who the traitor is, and it is not Sirius, it is Peter. With this information, Remus tries to warn the Potter’s but despite it, James doesn’t believe him. And.. well, worst comes to pass. However, when Sirius is framed for the murder things go differently, pushing very hard and pressing Dumbledore for it, Remus is able to get Sirius a trial, and testify for him. The only problem is, Regulus needs to testify too in order to get Sirius’ charges dropped, but that means having the world know he was alive and a death eater. Remus begs him, pleads, because Sirius is innocent and his best friend and Regulus’ brother! And Regulus is so very guilty, he should’ve died in the cave, he owes Remus, so he testifies. Because of Dumbledore’s connections, both brothers are able to get off for the most part but the house of Black is disgraced. Regulus experiences something so much more humiliating than death, dishonor, disdain from his peers, disowned by his mother who cut hims off for being a blood traitor.

And so, Regulus is destitute. A man broken by the war, but he is alive and free and his brother is too. And he owes a big part of that to Remus. Remus who’s absolutely crushed after the death of two of his closest friends, Remus who’s terrified for the future knowing there’s no future for him as a werewolf, Remus who starts to fall apart now that he has nothing to fight for.

Sirius takes in Harry, as soon as the legal matters settle, and he offers Remus and Regulus to stay with him while they manage to get back on their feet with the money his uncle inherited him, they both are too stubborn to accept and refuse him. But ultimately Regulus is forced to accept, having no where else to go. Remus keeps away, feeling he is too dangerous for little baby Harry, but visiting every few months, to keep an eye on things.

A few years later, Dumbledore offers them both employment at Hogwarts, when they meet again, Remus greets him like an old friend, which Regulus’ supposes they are. Remus hugs him for just a second too long, but Regulus’ doesn’t pull away. Overtime the two grow closer and for once things are different, they are equals with full autonomy, and all that kept them so separated now, is distant, so one night as they’re talking by the fireside at Remus’ teacher dorm, Regulus kisses him, and Remus is surprised but he returns his affections.

Remus continues teaching at Hogwart’s long enough to get to teach lil Harry and his friends and Regulus is able to help Dumbledore track down the horocruxes so much faster, which is a big factor in the war’s outcome and also means Harry gets a bit more time to be a kid.

Things are not easy, but they aren’t bad. Regulus learns that he has the ability to do good, to be good. Remus learns that he’s not hard to love, that he’s worth the effort of being loved. And Sirius makes sure Harry, is loved, he knows it’ll never be enough to give him back everything he has lost, everything they all have lost, but Harry grows up surrounded by love. Of his guardian and his ‘uncles’, and he’s better off for it.

[deathnguts]

Bartylus actor AU except they’re both child actors that grew up making movie after movie and they just so happened to get cast in the same projects and films over and over until it was pretty much part of their brand as actors.

Like when they’re little kids, they get cast in family movies with a lot of kids and they’re both part of the ensemble of children or main characters that are friends or something. At first it’s just chance because their families both have similar amount of influence so they just want their kids in similar movies until it happens way too many times for comfort. By their pre teen years it’s instilled into their brand and they’re rarely seen in movies without the other, but the characters they play don’t always have the same relationship, like sometimes theyre enemies, friends, and then eventually… love interests. It’s coming of age or tragic romance when they’re young but as they grow into teens and young adults they just always play either a couple in romance movies or like a will they won’t they dangerous romance in action movies. They’re both genuinely good actors and have many different roles across many different genres and play each well because they’re good at faking.

But the one thing they aren’t faking is that they do actually like each other. They became fast friends as children since they kept seeing each other on sets, their chemistry as friends on screen was real. And then they got closer and closer as they grew up and their feelings for one another started to rise but they genuinely believed it was just because they had started playing in a lot of romantic roles together and it was just because they’re good actors. It’s not until they aren’t cast as each other’s love interest, for once, and they have to do the same routine with someone else and they realize that they don’t feel the way they do with each other with these strangers. It’s not just a role, it’s real, and always has been. It feels like actual faking to pretend anything else.

[nothelena21]

"Random HEADCANONS of BLACK FAMILY members"

Pollux Black: He hates art and anything related to the non-aggressive expression of feelings. Ironically, after his death, his children found complete and incomplete poems among his books of ancient runes.

Irma Black (nee Crabble): She likes to sit and embroider in front of the fireplace in the living room, in the rocking chair in front of the window in her bedroom, or any place she finds suitable for doing so. Many of her children's clothes featured subtle embroidery done by her.

Walburga Black: Known for being a chaotic and tough-to-manage child who could always be found on the move... she found peace walking around her family's vast grounds... that small uncut grove of trees? a perfect place to hide for a while from Pollux and Irma.

Alphard Black: Being one of the most neglected children by his parents, he found himself drifting in and out of different hobbies that kept him busy enough to escape reality. One of them was sailing and cartography... there was something special about feeling the cold wind on his face and the salty scent of the sea in his nose that visibly relaxed him.

Cygnus Black III: Most of the family members were educated in different branches of art: painting, music, theatre... there was nothing that the young Blacks had not tried until they were the best and got bored of it long after. Except for him, of course. He found himself immersed in the world of sculpture for longer than expected, spending days and nights until he managed to finish beautiful works that he asked Kreacher to place in corners of the family properties or their gardens. Many of his later sculptures were inspired by Druella, his beautiful and beloved wife... and later his three little princesses: Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

Druella Black (nee Rosier): So small and thin since she was a child... her fragile aura and delicate figure were easy to associate with a ballet dancer. That was how her classes began... her golden hair was tied neatly, her delicate skin was adapted to the makeup of the plays she participated in, her wardrobe was filled with costumes and comfortable clothes for training and her shelf with dolls had to be enlarged to proudly display trophies and gold medals. One of her biggest dreams when little Bellatrix was born was to hope that she would become as interested in ballet as she was and that they could practice and dance together for hours.

Arcturus Black: A skilled hunter for as long as he can remember, he loved to go hunting for animals in dark forests with his frivolous father. Unfortunately for his flirtatious wife Melania, that only meant an entire room dedicated to the taxidermy of these animals and many parts of them placed throughout the house as decoration. The only time he saw a gesture of admiration towards him from his father was in one of those forests.

Melania Black (nee McMillan): Her wealthy but stingy family did not allow her to make large monetary expenses on a regular basis: only on special occasions were goods, decorations or ostentatious clothes acquired to keep up with the elegant and superficial pureblood society. Great was her surprise when, after marrying Arcturus Black, he gave her the freedom to do with her inheritance whatever she wanted as long as she did not exceed what her work provided them. Decorating the properties and gardens as she pleased became her favorite activity, and she found a challenge in making her tastes in decoration ally with her husband's taxidermied animals.

Lucretia Black: Since she was a child, nothing pleased her more than to climb onto the back of any animal that wouldn't knock her down before she could count to ten. That's how Arcturus made sure to build a stable for five brightly colored horses and an Abraxan that Lucretia took years to tame without the help of specialists in the field.

Orion Black: Much to the chagrin of his Arcturus, his only son loathed the firearms hanging on the walls and the taxidermied animals that gave him nightmares which meant the house elves had to change his bed sheets almost regularly. Instead, he found immense love in stringed instruments and the rhymes that flowed on their own into a catchy and emotional song. He could spend hours hiding in the attic where old portraits lay waiting to decay with endless layers of dust on their surfaces. The one where Eduardus Limette Black rested under an apple tree with a predecessor to the conventional guitar glued to his hands was his favorite... and where he learned most of the notes and musical combinations that would drive anyone who heard them crazy.

[stillwithmeisonlyyou]

Hey so i saw a tiktok the other day and inspired me to write a little sort of microfic

So here it goes

(also in my mind reg is a cat animagus, that is how this prompt in my idea makes sense, also that's how he managed to hide from sirius)

Black brother estrangement angst fanfic idea

(I know it is a stupid name, but like i don't have a title)

Remus: "Why don't you just tell him? I mean I get it, but you can't hide this forever."

Regulus averted his eyes and sighed: "Maybe not forever but I'll put it off as long as I need to."

Remus: "That's consistent of you but you have to admit this is absurd. Surely you have missed him? Can't you put your resentment aside?"

Regulus: "It isn't my resentment I'm afraid of. He'll be angry with me I know it."

Remus: "Ok maybe he will be later and you'll talk about it, but i think it would make him an asshole if he started a fight right away with his long lost brother who he believed to be dead for years. I'm just saying it might not be as bad as you fear."

Regulus seemed lost in thought and for a moment Remus thought he wouldn't answer. To the untrained eye, his hesitence could seem like a consideration of what he had just been told, but Remus knew better: "No it will be. Sirius is nothing if not dramatic. And our problems aside I knew he cared. I think he'd expect me to come to him for help despite everything we had going on at the time. I know he'd help me. Or at least... I want to believe that he would. It must have hurt him that I didn't and then I allegedly died and now, I hate that I went about it this way but at the time... I was spiteful. I resented him for leaving me alone there... And I know that its selfish and I know that it was sadistic to expect him to take the abuse, and he knew it too. We fought a lot back then, I hated it. When he looked at me like, like- I was them and I was just as cruel and evil as our parents I just... I could see that he resented me and he was angry and maybe he even hated me I... I could never say the right thing. I always said I hated him right back and pushed him away when all I really wanted was him and now... I think its too late. He's better off without all this emotional baggage bullshit. Maybe I deserve this.

Remus could see through Regulus' avoidant bullshit a mile away but he was pretty sure Regulus could see it too. That means he must have truly believed it. So he decided to leave the topic and approach it later, he knew that Regulus felt trapped under what he interpreted as interrogation of any kind. So he turned back to leave the kitchen to leave Regulus alone with his thoughts when he saw him- this absolutely stunning man that was Regulus' brother. He had such beautiful eyes, a deeper shade than Reg's and the way he carried himself and dressed was absolutely divine. Remus was lost in thought and fully staring now and a small part of him was worried that he was gonna be caught but the object of his desires seemed to be rather occupied at the moment. He was just about to think what could he be looking at this dumbstruck when he realized, wait, Regulus' BROTHER?!

Remus: Uhm hey Reg, I think you have put it off as long as you could; this is it.

This is like the first cohesive thing I have ever written and English isn't my first language (don't get ur hopes up hehe) so pls be kind

Anyway yea this is it. Should i go on with it?Also here is an extra little dialogue although i don't know if id incorprate it in here somewhere:

S: I don't want to lose you again

R: I don't want to lose you at all

S: Yea no I don't reccomend it.

...

S: Just... if you go and don't come back... I will never be able to forgive you and I will miss you... I'll just be miserable. Please don't do that to me. Don't evade me. Not this time.

R: Ok

[typewritingyip]

The Arcturus Missions

Part Eighteen - Headaches

Part Seventeen

———

Copper, a surprisingly good conductor of heat and electricity. It’s used for building materials and in various alloys. It is used in wiring, plumbing, and industrial applications, such as mecha suits.

They are also used for a number of other applications, the metal is malleable and can be bent into ideal shapes for specific applications. It has antibacterial properties and is resistant to corrosion, it’s often used in the making of spirits. The heat applied is spread evening to the surface area and can heat the liquor evenly to make the process simple enough that it has been known to happen in military housing or on fronts.

Copper stills range in size and capabilities, able to make several types of liquor depending on the resources accessible to the user. They can make whiskey, though the aging process takes a considerable amount more time in separate barrels, than several clear liquors such as vodka, gin, and moonshine. All taking different ingredients and time frames.

Though distilling without a license is illegal in the United States, it doesn’t stop people from learning how to distill their own liquor and distilling in international territory depends on whose territory you are currently at host to.

—

The apartment was nearly cold and they were all out of their suits, Prowl had yet to make an appearance as he was still dealing with details down at central. For the moment, Hound was up in Breakdown's suit and had his tool kit with him. It had been moved from the Odyssey the first time one of them burst a line, the poor shuttle was getting less and less use the longer they were working with the Cybertronian’s. Breakdown was laying down in their makeshift bedroom, it was a platform with cots on it for them all in the bedroom, so the lights were turned down in there for him. Sunstreaker was watching Hound work, trying to take in the repairs and understand what he was doing, but unlike Hound who’d worked on military machinery before being a pilot the only experience Sunstreaker had was super-charging cars. Sure, there was some overlap but not nearly enough.

Hound swore and pulled his hand back, it was covered in oil from a burst line, though the glove he wore protected him somewhat, “Sonny, grab me that line clamp.” His hands were halfway into Breakdown’s shoulder by the time Sunstreaker handed over the clamp, “Fuck, I’ll have to get fluid for the system.” They worked like that, every few minutes Hound would swear and Sunstreaker would dive into the tool kit for something he needed, “I’m going to hold this piece back, you’re going to go in with the wrench to finish the repair.” Pausing, Sunstreaker looks up, “But, I don’t know how to repair a suit,” “And you’re going to learn cause my hands can’t reach the inner joint.” Sighing deeply, Sunstreaker adjusted his stance on the plating before going into the joint.

It took then a few hours to get the arm adjusted and recalibrated, Knockout did a great job but the lines needed to be redone in the spare material from earth, the cybertronian stuff just wouldn’t hold up to the suit's weight or stress.

Sideswipe comes out of the bathroom, groaning, “Are you two almost done up there? I want to head into Iacon Central.” Sunstreaker gives him a look, face streaked in oil and grease, “Sides, now is not the time. If we don’t get Breakdown’s suit repaired everyone will start to figure out what they're not supposed to.” He crossed his arms, frowning, “Well Prowl doesn’t want us going into town by ourselves, Jazz is asleep, and you two are more so breaking Breakdown’s suit.” Sunstreaker groaned and pulled away from the wires, pointing at his brother, “Just, hang on,” Shaking his head, Hound turned toward them both, “If you two are just going to bicker do it elsewhere. I need to focus.” Sunstreaker turned, “But Hound,” “Now Sunstreaker. If this isn’t repaired before our meeting with Joan— I mean the Prime, damnit, then they’ll insist that Breakdown goes to Knockout again.” Sunstreaker sighed slowly, “And he’ll actually run the scans this time,” “Only to find a tiny organic in his chest instead of the typical spark.” Sideswipe almost looked sheepish, almost, “So please, for the love of god, go argue somewhere else. But don’t disturb Breakdown.” Hound wipes a hand across his forehead, smearing the grease across it while he goes back into the repair. Leaving the twins glaring at each other.

—

Hound was the only one going to the meeting, Jazz was taking the twins into central Iacon just to shut them up for a klick or two and Breakdown was still resting though his suit was at least repaired. Hound had a pounding headache, once Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had stopped arguing they’d turned music on just low enough to not wake Breakdown but loud enough to grate at Hound’s migraine. Prowl had come to let them all know they were effectively free and Jazz had made quick work of cornering the twins, “Let’s go into Iacon Central, go to the market. Hey, there is a pretty cool upgrades place I think you two will love.” Sunstreaker had tried to argue but Sideswipe covered his mouth with a far to practiced ease, “Yead, that sounds great. Just the three of us hitting the town. We can get the stuff for our project while we’re out.” There was a moment of pause before Sunstreaker lout out the biggest and most dramatic sigh Hound had ever seen, “Fine, but only for the parts we need.” Jazz was grinning, which couldn’t be a good sign. His head was pounding.

”I worry I don’t even want to ask what you’re getting parts for,” Hound was back in his suit, rubbing his forehead as the twins to into their respective cockpits, “Oh don’t worry commander,” That was never a good sign, “This will be something we all can enjoy, after a few tweaks.” And that really wasn’t a good sign, “We’ll have to stop by the Odyssey for some stuff too Jazz.” Sunstreaker was the first up, stretching lightly while waiting on his brother, “Oh yeah, if we could get this stuff going tonight it would be perfect.” Hound’s head was throbbing and their conversation was not going to help ease it, Jazz laughed, “Yeah, we can stop in at the warehouse on the way back.” Sideswipe stood and started to usher the pair out, “Alright, don’t wait up. We’ll see you two sticks in the mud tonight.” The door slid open and shut harshly, as if they were able to slam a door like that.

Prowl stood there, staring after where the three of them went with a frown, “Should we be concerned?” “Definitely.” Sighing Hound moved around and grabbed the tablet that he’d been given when they landed, rubbing his face, “Is Breakdown joining us?” Shaking his head, Hound tucked the tablet into his chute holder, “No, I’ve ordered him to rest and last I checked he was sound asleep.” Prowl nodded slowly, frowning, “Will he be alright?” With a nod, Hound starts towards the door, “It’s a concussion, he just needs rest and time to heal.” “I don’t think Jazz has had a concussion before,” Prowl’s voice was tinted with concern, “Well, after you’ve had one you’re far more susceptible. The older suits, like Breakdown's, don't have all the same protections for concussive force.” He knocked lightly against his chest, “Or the same structure for the assistance suits. We have this guy, named Blur, he used to race back on Earth. he said it would be smart to put something called a HANS device in. Most of ours are attached to the piloting seat then clip onto our suits, Breakdown only got one installed before the mission.” Sighing a bit, Hound shields his eyes a bit as they go out into the hall, “It won’t stop everything, but it’s meant to help for impacts and things.” Prowl nodded slowly, watching before falling into step with Hound.

They walked together in silence, which Hound was grateful for, able to turn down his audio receivers for a bit before Prowl cleared his throat, “Hound, are you feeling alright?” He was thankful the mech kept his voice low, sighing as he nodded a bit, “Yes, Prowl. I’m alright. Just a headache.” Prowl’s steps slowed, he was frowning, “Do you want to postpone the meeting? I know that when Jazz gets headaches they can be helped with being in the dark and not in your suit.” Sighing, Hound shook his head, “No, no the meeting is too important to postpone. Plus, it could help with some of my headache. Once we’re there I’ll take something for it.” Nodding, Prowl fell back into silence, Hound smiled a bit, “So, uh, How are things with Jazz?” Prowl chuckled lightly, shaking his head, “I can see small talk carries over no matter the species.” With a shrug, Hound looks at him, “Well?” Prowl shook his head.

It didn’t take long to hear what though, “Things, as you phrased it, with Jazz are fine.” Hound hummed and Prowl almost whipped around, “I know that tone.” Laughing and holding his head, Hound held up his other hand, “You can’t answer the question with just rephrasing it on Earth, otherwise people will definitely think things aren’t fine.” Prowl sighed, rolling his eyes a bit to Hound’s amusement, “Then Jazz and I are doing well, certainly better than others.” There was a touch of tone there that Hound thought sounded like sarcasm but this was Prowl, nodding a bit, Hound cleared his throat a bit, “I take it you spoke with Mirage and found out what uh, a word that doesn’t translate is.” Frowning, Prowl shook his head, “What are you talking about?” At least you could count on Prowl for being the last one to hear the gossip, “Mirage and I were speaking on the shuttle back here, I mentioned being divorced—“ Prowl almost jumped out of his plating, “Which clearly translates to something horrible but it’s just the legal separation between two people on Earth, two people who were married but no longer want to be.” It took a minute for Prowl to be able to speak, “That word translates into the breaking and permanent separation of a joined spark,” He takes a breath, “It effectively would mean, for us, that your Conjux has since passed and that is an incredibly painful experience.” Nodding a bit, Hound sighed, “Yeah, I figured it was something like that. No, I was married young and it didn’t work out for a lot of reasons, but she’s not dead.” Prowl cracked a smile at that, nodding.

The sunshine made his head throb again, wincing a bit as he turned down the brightness of his visual feed. Prowl rested a hand lightly on his arm, “Are you sure,” “Prowl, this meeting needs to happen.” His steps stalled for a moment, “Why?” Hound sighed and glanced back towards the apartment building, “We need to rethink the structure of our team, right now if we continue the direction that we are, I doubt it’ll end well.” “Meaning?” Prowl was trying hard to keep his tone neutral, but Hound knew, “On Earth, pilots rarely work with other pilots, because we’re all stubborn and hardheaded. We don’t take orders well and the risk of death is high, the longer you work with another pilot the more connected you get and when they get hurt or worse it becomes harder to do the mission.” His hands clasp at his sides, taking a deep breath, “In the last two days we had one pilot try to kill a specialist and another got hurt, it will only continue to happen if we remain in the structure that we currently are.” Prowl was just staring at him, his eyes focusing and unfocusing, clearly running the statement through his tacnet. Hound waited, nodding his head slightly when Prowl looked at him and not through him, “That’s why this meeting is important, I need to discuss spreading out my team with Optimus Prime, a higher chance of survival and success for all of us.” Prowl bowed his head slightly, staring at the 97.6% in the corner of his own visual feed, the number that had been rising since their arrival.

Stepping onto the transport, Prowl fell silent again as Hound sagged into a seat, wanting to give him some relief to his migraine. In that moment, he could truly see the title commander written all over his plating, having seen both Optimus and Megatron fight these same internal battles over the years. Sidestepping slightly, he blocks the worst of the sun from Hound’s visual feeds, crossing his arms and guarding his friend from what little he could, either the sun or the stares of other Cybertronian’s.

—

Iacon Central was beautiful, it honestly reminded Sideswipe a lot of Miami and eased some of the homesickness. Though it was also staggeringly different, with the transformation lanes and flight-frames overhead buzzing the buildings every few minutes. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same time, him and Sunstreaker were following Jazz down the road, “We need copper, preferably copper tubing but still copper and an oversized cube.” Jazz looks over his shoulder, “What are you two planning?” Sunstreaker scoffs, “We. Aren't planning anything. He planned it and I’m going to build it.” Sideswipe clasped his hand against his twin's shoulder, “Oh come on, this was always the dream, we just have the space for it now.” Jazz’s visor darken slightly, “I don’t like that you’re using my apartment for unknown mystery projects.” Sideswipe comes up and throws an arm around his shoulders, “Jazz, I swear, you are going to love this. Now,” “Yeah yeah, copper tubing and a giant cube. I heard ya.” Sunstreaker sighed deeply, still dragging his feet a bit as they headed into the marketplace.

—

Autobot Central, now known as the headquarters of the primal vanguard, was massive and reminded Hound of some state capitals back on Earth. Not in the appearance really but in its grand scale. Prowl and him were climbing the steps to the main entrance, several guards standing out front stoic as statues though they opened the gate as they got to it, “Thanks,” Hound nodded to them slightly as they went through, Prowl nodding as well, “I have primary access.” That made a lot of sense. They had to climb more steps to the building, sighing a bit Hound followed Prowl up and inside.

The halls were massive, even by the standards of mechs it was huge, certainly bigger than any of the warehouses that Hound’s suit had been stored in. A few of the mecha that they passed were familiar but none were ones that Hound knew well. Prowl nodded to a few, keeping a low voice and telling Prowl who they passed, “That was Tracks, generally not friendly. That one is Swerve and no, I don’t know why he’s acting like he saw a ghost. He acts the same way around Jazz, and primus go this way.” He redirects Hound with a shove down a separate hallway, “If we ran into Starstream we’d never make it to the meeting.” Hound tried not to smile, nodding a bit, “Yeah, I know plenty of people like that back home.” They kept walking together though going quiet as the number of people dwindled the deeper they got into the fortress.

Ironhide stood outside the door, looking bored, “Took the two of you long enough to get here,” He smiles, “Everyone is inside, I’ll join you as soon as my replacement shows up.” Prowl nodded and scanned in for the door, letting Hound enter first.

Hound had seen this room over video several times but had never been inside, it was command, the main command that Prowl generally worked from. Looking to Prowl, who simply shrugged, they entered. There weren’t many people in the room, Megatron and Optimus Prime were sitting towards the front of the room, talking quietly with each other. Mirage was standing to the side with a mech that Hound didn’t know, Red Alert was on the command desk with another mech that Hound really didn’t know though had what was best described as a cat in his lap. There was a pink mecha stood to the side with a flight frame that looked a great deal like the Starscream that Prowl had insisted they avoid. Hound knew several seekers though and was at least vaguely familiar with the frame type, how they stuck to groups of three or trines, as well as what happened to the trine if one or more of them died. Optimus looks up and the smile reached his eyes, the room almost growing uncomfortably warm, “Hound, just the mecha we were waiting on, please come have a seat and once Ironhide is able to join us we can start.” Nodding a bit, Hound moved over and took a seat that looked the least comfortable, he could hear one mech sigh from relief before they took a different seat.

It didn’t take very long before Ironhide was able to join them, two other Seekers following him in before joining the blue one across the table from him, though one distinctly taking the seat near Megatron, Optimus nodded before sitting up, “Right, now that we’re all here we can start. Hound, I understand there is something you desire to discuss with us?” Nodding a bit, Hound pulled the tablet he had from his plating and set it on the table, “I want to restructure my unit, sir.” Everyone was watching intently now and Hound was far from a public speaker, “I think it will be best for the war and our joint effort.” Megatron tilted his head slightly, “How so?” Hound sighed slowly, “On Earth,” “You’re not on Earth, your on Cybertron,” And he suddenly understood why that mech was called Starscream, he winced slightly and turned the audio receivers down more, “On Earth, those of us found compatible are more often spread out across the planet to defend cities or regions.” Optimus nodded slowly, folding his hands, “Pilots, what we are called, we don’t work in units. We work with crews and teams in command, soldiers on the ground, but not other people who fight like we do. It’s too much of a liability, too much of a risk.” Megatron shifted in his seat, looking to Optimus, who held up a hand to let Hound continue to speak.

Shifting uneasily in his seat, Hound cleared his throat a bit, “With Breakdown getting hurt in the manner that he did, plus the disagreement between Sideswipe and Bluestreak, it’s becoming apparent to me that we need to be split amongst your units for the best outcome.” Starscream scoffed and several others looked around uneasily. Megatron was glowering, “As Starscream said, you are not on Earth, so why is it that your suggesting we follow the suicidal path that they had you on before?” Hound shook his head, pushing up off the table, “The last two days are only the start, it will continue to grow worse. When Breakdown got hurt it took two of us from the fight and if the others had been alerted it would have been all of us. It’s how we work, how we function.” Sighing, Hound picks up the tablet and offers it down the table, “I would suggest that we break up with mecha we’re familiar with and can work well with. This is what I would suggest.” Optimus takes it and quickly plugs the tablet into the table, bringing the files up in front of their eyes.

Megatron stared and set his jaw, “I don’t know how it is done on Earth, but we do not split up split sparks, ever. The fact that you rate suggesting it with your own kind.” Hound shook his head, “Being split spark is being two halves of the same whole effectively, from the moment that you are sparked. Well, it is not like that for us. Yes, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were born on the same day, within minutes of each other to the same creators but they aren’t connected in the same manner, they can be physically separated for a period of time with limited psychological distress.” Optimus rubs his forehead and a few of the mecha shifted uncomfortably, Hound cleared his throat uncomfortably, “Sideswipe attacked Bluestreak because of a misunderstanding dealing with his brother and it will only grow worse the longer that those three work together, but I think Sunstreaker and Bluestreak are well paired for this.” He took a breath, “It won’t be permanent, I think we should only be separated for around a quartex or so, then reevaluated.” Slowly sitting back down, he folded his hands a bit anxiously, Optimus was nodding slowly and looked over, “Prowl, your thoughts?” Prowl nodded and plugged a drive into the table, “Every fight, their risk of death grows while ours has decreased rapidly, if my projections are correct then their risk will fall while separated and ours should remain mostly unchanged.” Megatron’s fist collided with the table, no one flinched but Ironhide winced, “Damn.”

”It isn’t right and we all know it.” He was practically growling, Optimus sighed and shook his head, “We know Megatron, but what else is there to do with such poor projections?” They stared at each other, clearly speaking over comms as the others around the table started to whisper to one another. Hound shifted a bit, “We know that these smaller attacks are happening both on Cybertron and in Cybertronian space, sending all five of us to one location isn’t going to help those areas.” Prowl sat back, staring off in the middle distance, “They are the units which now are taking the heaviest losses.” Hound nodded slightly, sighing, Megatron looked up, “I want to maintain two of you for my unit, not the twins since you seem so dead set on separating the pair,” “Megatron,” Megatron waves Optimus off, “You and Breakdown will remain with me, since Knockout has taken such a likely to the mech, once he is healed he can join us.” Nodding, Hound scratched at his jaw a bit, “I think that is fair,” “Also, we are going to have Sunstreaker and Sideswipe in separate units but in the same detail.” Optimus leans forward slightly, “I can understand why you feel the need to separate them and they will spend their off time apart, but they work better together in the fight than not, I can assume.” Nodding again, Hound sighs, “And Jazz?” Prowl leaned forward a bit, “Will return to his speciality work, what he was doing before you all arrive. It gives us four speciality units instead of one without losing much.” Hound bit his tongue lightly and nodded, it wasn’t what he’d been asking for but it was certainly better than their current downward spiral.

Optimus nods and looks to the pink mecha, “Elita, I want you to take Sideswipe and Ironhide will take Sunstreaker,” He holds up a hand lightly, “I will be safe in Iacon without you Ironhide while we attempt to deal with situation at hand, I need you in the field with Elita and the others.” “But Prime,” “Would it make you feel better if I were to join you?” The chorus of nos was certainly enough to make Hound wince and lightly hold his head, Megatron was staring at him so he slowly lowered his hand, “I will have Soundwave and be in Iacon, if an attack were to happen here then you’d all fall back to this position regardless.” Hound could see why he was the leader, certainly, once everyone was quiet again Optimus nodded, “We will send out the orders when each team is to depart, but for now there isn’t anything in the nearest system. We will remain on alert,” He pauses before looking to Hound, “Hound, I apologize but now I do have to ask you to leave the meeting, we’ll be discussing planetary objections. Ironhide, Elita, Blaster, Red Alert, Mirage, Skywarp, and Thundercraker will join you.” The two seekers were the first up and out, already talking painfully loudly even as Starscream puts his face in his hands, “They are idiots.” There were a few chuckles as chairs scraped, “Here Hound, I’ll walk you out of headquarters.” Mirage stands and walks over, smiling to Prowl as Hound stands, “Thanks, this place looked like a maze coming in.” “It basically is,” Mirage smiled and started out of the room, Hound glanced toward Megatron and Optimus before saluting and following Mirage out.

Once they’d left the room, Optimus chuckles lightly, “It would seem many of our own continue to find the odd visored mechs, uh, appealing.” Prowl’s faceplates burned as Elita burst out laughing, a hand covering his mouth, even Megatron chuckled.

———

A/N

Considering I had the weekend to write, I will be honest and say I wrote most of this today even though I was very much lacking time.

To be fair, it would have been up around 30 minutes sooner if my room hadn’t caught on fire (it was actually the top of the chimney, and it was hardly a fire) but still.

Things are starting to pick up, the fall out of the next part is going to be very interesting for all included parties, muhahaha.

I also wanted to know if you’d guys want me to link the next part in the pervious post or not? I know I link the previous chapter but I wasn’t sure if after the next part is posted you’d want a link to the next one at the bottom. Or just a link to the masterlist maybe? Which will be getting a revamp very soon.

Tags!

@lunarlei68 @whirlywhirlygig @loop-hole-319 @pixillandjester @alek-the-witch @not-a-moose-in-disguise @goddessofwind8water @neurologicalglitch @dersereblogger @pixel-transformers @mrcrayonofdoom @wireplaces @twilightfreefaller @original-blog-name-2 @devilangel657 @robbin-u @childofprimus @miniartistme @starwold @tea-enthusiasm @valeexpris606 @celticdoggo @bird599 @agentsquirrelsgotrobots @aquaioart @dimencreasatlas @thatwandercat @artdagz @seisha974 @starscreamloverfr @halenhusky309 @leethepiper @cat-cassette @blue-wrens @sirassban @astridkolch @cosmique-oddity @garbageenthusiast @osqindaxend

And as always, thank you to the amazing @keferon for this amazing AU! (Sorry for the span in this, 18 parts is a lot)

[hotteststar]

"When I see the way you act

wondering when I'm coming back

I could do about anything

I could even learn how to love like you"

(by Rebecca Sugar)

except that it's reg in the afterlife who left for the horcrux mission without telling james who is waiting for him to come home

[the-sun-is-also-a-star]

jegulus variants.

[hyperfocuscentre]

Why I think BLUE (Billie Eilish) is The Black Brothers coded!

“You were born bluer than a butterfly

Beautiful and so deprived of oxygen

Colder than your father's eyes

He never learned to sympathize with anyone”

‘Your father’ because Orion was never Sirius’, Fleamont was always meant to be Sirius’.

“I don't blame you

But I can't change you

Don't hate you (Don't hate you)

But we can't save you (But we can't save you)”

Sirius coming to terms with the fact, although he’s his baby brother, he has to let Regulus make his own choices. Sirius coming to terms with the fact Regulus is following in the path their parents set.

“You were born reachin' for your mother's hands

Victim of your father's plans to rule the world

Too afraid to step outside

Paranoid and petrified of what you've heard”

I interpret this as being about the way Regulus was raised on the whole ‘Pureblood mania’ stuff. He was indoctrinated into the beliefs, taught to fear and despise the muggleborns.

“But they could say the same 'bout me

I sleep 'bout three hours each night

Means only twenty-one a week now, now”

Sirius about his own trauma and his own problems that came from his family. The beat drop feels like Sirius getting put in azkaban; no matter how much he tries, he’ll always be seen as the ‘evil’ heir to the Black family.

“And I could say the same 'bout you

Born blameless, grew up famous too

Just a baby born blue now, now”

Essentially, I think this song is Sirius looking over his relationship, regrets and memories with Regulus while he’s in Azkaban.

[darkacademiaarchivist]

PART 3 OF MY ARCTURUS BEAMING STORYBOARD!!!! Part 1 +2 here

(This might need some reworking and its more vibes than plot but HERE IT IS)