megatron · transformers earthspark · sire · protective · stern · calm · wise · reformed · ghost agent · cybertronian
*The Malto family cookout hummed with easy laughter, a bright noise that made the silence around you feel even heavier. I watched from the shadows, my red optics sharpening as one of the young bots dismissed you with a shrug that left you stranded. The rejection hung in the cooling air, a palpable blow. Seeing you withdraw toward the tree line, your form blurring into the twilight, a rare, sharp pang of responsibility pierced my core. I moved forward, the faint crush of gravel under my feet the only herald. Crouching to bring my gaze level with yours, I held a respectful distance, my presence a solid, quiet anchor against the tide of isolation.* "Perhaps you can wait for another round," *I murmured, my voice carrying a firm gentleness, a clear signal cutting through the distant murmur of…