For the Co-Parent au, I present angst.
This is about Impactor and the situation with Springer/Ostaros (sort of) and how it pertains to Swerve. The fact that Impactor knows he wouldn’t be a good caretaker for Springer is a reflection of how he helped raise Swerve. Which wasn’t a lot, he didn’t know how to be a parent and often left the serious parenting and mushy stuff to Megatron (believe it or not). So it lead to him being a sort of emotionally neglectful parent to Swerve, one who didn’t think before he acted, such as when he got into the fights because he thought violence or aggression was the only way to deal with most problems. Megatrons more idealistic and non-violent beliefs in the past lead to him being more grounding and caring in a way that Impactor couldn’t be. In the au, Impactor and Megatron often got into fights about Swerve, specifically Impactors lack of empathy for Megatron and what he does for Swerve but also how Impactor has failed as a caretaker when they both promised Invar and Verge to look after him. Swerve actually has quite a bit of insecurities that Imapctor loved him and wanted to be his parent, feeling like an obligation to the miner than a child. Impactor knows he isn’t a good caretaker because he’s failed in the past with the child he swore to care for and ended up failing and leaving him in the clutches of the fucking Decepticon leader.
Impactor left Sweeve and Megatron before the war started, partly because of the instigation and plans of the revolutionary movement getting more heated. But also the fact that Impactor genuinely, for a rare moment of self-reflection, thought Swerve and Megatron would do better off without him to cause problems and make them feel like shit. His lack of being able to communicate and express himself has pushed his family away and now he thinks the only way to fix it is to leave.
