Chapter Text
“Would you like to watch a movie with me tonight?”
Your sudden question caught Optimus by surprise. Did you really want to spend time with him? He couldn’t help but feel both happiness and guilt, knowing how selfish this longing was.
He took a moment before answering, slowing the pace of his wheels along the quiet desert road. A warm current of air escaped from his vents.
“If it does not represent any inconvenience to you, I would be honored to watch a movie with you.”
You smiled softly at the glowing emblem on his steering wheel as he spoke, a small nasal laugh escaping you.
“It’s no inconvenience, Optimus. Thank you for saying yes.” You adjusted in your seat, turning to gaze at the vast Jasper desert outside the window.
“May I ask what kind of film you have in mind?” Optimus spoke with his usual modest tone, genuinely curious, though carefully concealing the flood of joy inside his processor. First you had asked him to pick you up from work, giving him this rare chance to share a drive alone with you. And now you were inviting him to spend even more time together? Surely he must be dreaming.
But silently, he reminded himself how foolish such thoughts were. This was simply a human custom, nothing more. It didn’t mean you returned his feelings. To you, he was just a colleague… a friend. That reminder stung his spark, but it grounded him again, as humans would say, it brought his feet back to the ground.
You glanced at your reflection in his rearview mirror, adjusting your hair with a playful smirk.
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise. I think you’ll like it.”
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Later that night, Optimus watched you carry armfuls of “essential items” into his quarters: blankets, pillows, human snacks, a laptop, even small cubes of energon you insisted were “symbolic.” You brought out a strange device you called a projector, and with Optimus’ help, a large white sheet was hung like a screen. When you turned the device on, he finally understood the name.
You patted the floor beside you, inviting him to sit. To say Optimus was excited would be an understatement. He was ecstatic, unable to believe you truly wanted to share this kind of human tradition with him. He had read and seen portrayals of “movie nights” in human media, something common between friends, yes, but also something shared between couples. No… he couldn’t allow himself to think of it that way. He reminded himself once more who he was… and who you were.
Once he settled beside you and you made sure he was comfortable, you pressed play.
“It’s called The Little Mermaid. It’s really sweet, you’ll love it.” You smiled warmly. “I used to watch it all the time when I was little.”
Optimus fell silent, his optics focused on you for a brief moment before shifting back to the screen. The colorful drawings and songs drew him in immediately. He listened to your laughter, noting when something must have been humorous, though he held back from asking questions until later.
As the film went on, he found himself struck by how much he and Ariel had in common. Both longed for a world they were not born into. Both yearned to experience what others took for granted. What was it like to sleep? To cry? To sweat or bleed? To dance? To have soft, warm skin?
He wanted to see it all, but more than that, he wanted to feel it. To be part of that human world, your world. Maybe then… maybe then, you could want him too.
Your voice began to sing softly along with the film, half-asleep, and his spark leapt with every note.
“What would I give
If I could live out of these waters?
What would I pay
To spend a day warm on the sand?”
He knew the weight of his responsibility. He couldn’t abandon his people, his planet, even for a day. Danger was ever-present. Yet if circumstances were different, he would give anything, absolutely anything, to be human for a single day. To kiss you as he’d seen in human films, to hold your hand, to dance, to bask in the warmth of your skin under the sunlight without condition…
By the time the song ended, you had fallen asleep, exhaustion claiming you after a long day’s work. Optimus didn’t have the spark to wake you. Instead, he continued watching the movie you cherished so much, discovering his own affection for it as well.
When Ariel triumphed in the end, he allowed himself one fragile spark of hope. A small ember, but one he dared to keep alive. Because, after all, hope was the one thing that always kept him moving forward.