Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cybertron was still functioning and war raged across her surface. Two Autobots had gotten separated from the rest of their group. Prowl was sporting an injured left shoulder, and his companion was limping, though the point of injury wasn't immediately obvious. A trail of energon droplets followed the pair into the seeming wasteland.

"While I don't think it will improve our situation, it is important to stay informed." Prowl started, unprompted. "We may very well have wandered into Decepticon territory." The other Autobot hissed as he took a step.

"Y'know, most bots would start a conversation with 'hello.'" Prowl glared 

"Hello." He said, just to try and get this over with quicker.

"Hey yourself." The other bot chirped, far too giddy than the situation called for. "Now, what were you saying?"

"If you were listening, this would be a non-issue. But, we have wandered into Decepticon territory."

"Can we wander out of enemy territory?" The other bot huffed.

"If we're smart about it." And they carried on in silence. Some distance, the bot spoke up.

"Could we frag up some Decepticon bases?" Prowl paused in his walking, probably running through the numbers in his head.

"It is likely one or both of us will be fatally injured in the process."

"What do our odds look like right now, Prowler?"

"...Near equally abysmal." The bot, unreasonably chipper, grabbed Prowl's good arm and hobbled along a little faster.

"Hell yeah!" Prowl had to steady the idiot before he fell flat on his face.

And thus, the two lost Autobots were running towards danger and/or certain death.

For about five kliks. They were still injured after all.

Prowl could confidently say that he hadn't collapsed first. But he had collapsed. Their spilled energon was still leading straight to them.

"We can't stay here." Prowl said. The lump next to him groaned. "I am serious. Staying here is a death sentence." The lump groaned again.

They stayed.

At some point, the sun had set and the twin moons had risen. Their absence must have been notice by this time.

It was an absolute miracle that a patrol hadn't stumbled upon them. Or perhaps they had been spotted, but so closely resembled corpses that they went ignored. The pool of energon underneath them, and the dark of night masking their colors certainly gave credence to that possibility. (Or perhaps they were so far behind Decepticon lines that the thought of any Autobot being here was nigh impossible.)

Prowl sighed. His companion had fallen into the trap of recharge, leaving him as the sole lookout. They needed rest, if they wanted to survive this. He listened to the other's soft vents, listening for any signs of pain or discomfort. There was none. Maybe the occasional snort or fidgeting here and there. Dreaming. But what could one be dreaming about at a time like this?

Prowl did not know when recharge claimed him. He only knew that he woke to a servo nudging his shoulder. His optics onlined, blinking blearily at the bot in front of him.

"Oh good! You're up. We should start moving before the sun rises, doncha think?"

"You fell into recharge first."

"Good point, good point. Anyway, ya feelin' any better?" Prowl huffed and pushed himself off the ground. There was less pain than last cycle.

"Better enough. Yourself?" The other bot got to his pedes.

"I think so. We movin'?" Prowl finished pulling himself up and nodded.

Continuing on, there was no longer a fresh trail of energon giving away their position. It was a small comfort in the face of what they had ahead of them.