Come What May

by Phantom (phantom1313 at tfrid dot com)


Chapter Three

Optimus drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the table as he tried not to stare too obviously at the doorway. The function hadn't even started yet, and already he was bored out of his CPU. 'Where is she?' he wondered. 'Did she change her mind about coming?'

Finally, just as one of the diplomats approached the podium and the crowd began to find their way to their seats, she appeared, looking rushed. Her hurry had put a kind of glow around her face that really appealed to Optimus. He wanted nothing to do with silly girls who had nothing better to do than primp and gossip. The war had cured many femmes of that, but there were still a few left, and he did his best to avoid them.

As if sensing his gaze, she looked over and smiled a bit nervously. Prime raised his hand in greeting.

The diplomat at the podium addressed the crowd, seeming a bit more puffed up than usual. “Ladies and gentlebots,” he began (Optimus was hard-pressed not to snicker at the insipid greeting), “it is my great pleasure to welcome you tonight. The construction of a planet-wide transportation system will usher in a new era of prosperity and well-being for Cybertron.”

'Blah-blah-blah,' Prime thought to himself. He could transpose this speech on every other function that he had attended. He contented himself with studying Andromeda from the corner of his optic until his bit in this charade arrived.

“… and here to officially open the festivities is our own Autobot Leader and founder of the project, Optimus Prime!”

Prime rose and stepped up to the podium, nodding politely at the applause that he received. He delivered his own little prepared speech, not particularly caring if anyone was listening or not. His voice livened up a bit as he discussed the new project head. “Lieutenant Andromeda has been appointed as the new project head, due to her extensive knowledge of architecture and her understanding of demolitions. I have full faith in her capabilities and wish her the best of luck.”

A smattering of applause was mixed in with surprised murmurs. The change of the project head had come as a surprise, and that Optimus had chosen someone so young and relatively inexperienced was even more of a shock. “Speech! Speech!” the chant began, and Andromeda shrank back in her seat.

“Come now,” Prime admonished the crowd. “The lieutenant is not prepared to give a speech at this time. I'm sure at a later date—“

“No, that's okay,” she said, her voice quavering slightly as she rose and made her way to the podium. Prime stepped back slightly but remained nearby for moral support. “Ummm, thank you all for coming,” she said nervously, wringing her hands. “This position is both an honor and a privilege. I am flattered by your faith in me and intend to live up to your expectations. I will ensure that the project remains on schedule. Erm, thanks again.” She fairly fled the stage, taking refuge once again in her seat, keeping her head ducked to avoid the sets of optics that bored into her.

“Thank you, Lieutenant, for those wise words,” Optimus continued. “You will accomplish great things.” With that said, he quickly wrapped up his own speech and sat down, more than happy to let others get on with boring their audience.

After an interminable length of boring speeches by self-congratulating diplomats, the festivities finally began. The guests mingled as snooty waiter-bots circulated with trays of Energon beverages. Optimus mustered his courage and approached the femme, trying to squelch the fluttering sensation in his abdomen. It was as if he had swallowed a bunch of flutterwings. This was ridiculous! He had stared Death unflinchingly in the face more times than he could count, but talking to one small femme gave him the shakes. If Roddy knew, he'd never let him live it down.

“Hi!” Andromeda exclaimed as he reached her. “I'm glad you're here. I scarcely know anyone, and it's really making me nervous!”

His nervousness melted away as her smile caused a happy warmth to spread through his systems. “You're not missing anything,” he assured her. “The ones that I do know are too boring or arrogant to bother with.” He took a sip of his Energon, pouring the pink liquid down the crevice between his mask and his faceplate.

“That's good to hear. I don't want anyone else I know to hear that awful speech I gave.”

He chuckled, and a delighted shiver ran down the femme's exostructure. “I thought you did just fine, Andromeda.”

She sighed. “I just don't know what it is. I've never been good at giving speeches. It just gives me the surges.”

He nodded sympathetically. “I know what you mean.” He leaned over, whispering in a conspirational tone. “Don't spread this around… but I used to be very nervous about public speaking. When I first became the Autobot leader, it was like a nightmare. I always got the shakes before giving a big speech. And, without fail, I would become physically ill.”

Andromeda gaped at him. Him? The great Autobot leader, brought down by a case of nerves? She suddenly felt a rush of tenderness towards him. He wasn't some kind of god, beyond the reach of emotion. He was just a person. A very special person. “Thank you… for sharing that with me. It makes me feel a lot better.”

“I'm glad,” he murmured. “Don't worry about what others may think of you, Andromeda. Just trust in yourself.”

She smiled at him. “If you believe in me, I can't go wrong.” She began tapping her foot to the gentle strains of music that came from the speakers. She threw a sidelong glance his way, wondering if she should dare ask…. “Prime, sir, would you like to dance?” she said a bit timidly.

She saw his hesitation and braced herself for rejection. “I don't know…” he said slowly. “I've really never been good at that sort of thing. I've never been able to get the hang of it.”

Andromeda smiled at him and held out her hand. “I'll never tell!”

Hesitantly, Optimus reached out and took her hand, allowing her to lead him to the dance floor. Once there, he stood stiffly, unable to break the paralysis that had suddenly taken hold of him. “Come on, silly!” she chided him, wrapping one of his hands around her back and taking the other one in her hand. He gave himself a mental shake and forced his feet to move to the rhythm of the music.

“Ow!”

Prime looked down and saw her foot trapped under his own. “Sorry,” he muttered, moving his clumsy foot out of the way. She smiled in forgiveness and pulled him closer. Feeling like a giant oaf next to her graceful form, he struggled to go through the motions of the dance. She bit back a cry several more times as he trampled on her. Finally he drew back, unable to look at her. “This really isn't working. I'm just too clumsy to dance well.”

“Oh, don't be ridiculous!” she chided him. “You're just too uptight. Just relax and let me guide you.”

“Okaaay,” he said grudgingly, not seeing how this was going to work. He let her take a firm grip on his back. She gently pushed him backward, and as he moved, she moved with him. He soon found that this arrangement was much better, and the tension drained out of him. With her guiding his movements, he would not stomp all over her.

Her foot came down on his, and she looked slightly embarrassed. “Sorry about that.”

“Don't worry. I barely felt it. It was like a fly landing on me.”

The next song started, and the gentle strains of music told them both that it was a slow song. Andromeda paused, not wanting to push things with Optimus Prime too far. She could sense his desire to safeguard his privacy, and she would never violate it. She could sense his hesitation as well, then his strong arms cautiously pulled her close. He looked down her, and she read the question in his optics. Answering it, she pressed closer, resting her cheek on his shoulder. 'Am I dreaming?' she wondered in a daze. 'Could this really be happening to me?' Her arms wound around his neck, and she sighed as her body soaked up his warmth. His hands embraced her back, and she could feel their strength, marveling at the gentleness with which he held her. He smelled faintly of solvent and fresh wax – it was an intoxicating mixture that captivated her. She never wanted this moment to end.

Optimus gazed down at the delicate femme in his arms, marveling at her beauty. He had not slow-danced in a long time, but this just felt… right. For the first time that night, he ignored everyone else around him and concentrated on the lovely creature in his arms. A sudden wave of protectiveness swept over him, and he held her a bit closer, never wanting anyone to harm her.

Despite both of their fervent wishes, the dance finally ended. The two parted and looked at each other, feeling slightly awkward but mostly happy. Optimus felt all of the optics in the room focused on them and cringed under the scrutiny. “Let's go outside and get some fresh air,” he suggested. “It's a bit stuffy in here.”

Andromeda nodded wordlessly, also feeling like a bug under a microscope. 'How does he deal with this sort of attention?' he wondered. She allowed him to lead her outside some distance away from the building, to a pedestrian bridge. Iacon sprawled below in all its glittering beauty, and above, the stars twinkled. “Oh, it's so beautiful!” she breathed. Having spent so much of her time underground recently, she had forgotten what beauty this planet held.

“Yes,” Optimus replied, but he was not looking at the city or the sky. He was turning a matter over in his mind. 'Go ahead, ask her!' a voice prompted. 'I can't!' he replied. 'Go on already, you wimp! Or else you'll have to tell Roddy that you chickened out, and he'll do it for you! In a very humiliating way!'

“Andromeda,” he asked, so softly that she wasn't sure he had spoken, “do you have a boyfriend?”

“No,” she sighed, looking up at the stars once more. “I did awhile ago but it just got too suffocating, you know? I wanted to be alone for awhile and find myself again.”

“Oh.” The word was flat. He forced himself to continue. “Well, that's understandable.”

'You ninny!' Andromeda scolded herself. 'I think he's trying to ask you out! And you just shot him down!'

“Well, maybe I just haven't had the right offer.” She smiled up at him invitingly.

The right offer… could she mean HIM?

She laughed outright at his shocked expression. “Yes, I mean you, silly! I'd love to go out with you. When are you free? I know your schedule must be crazy.”

“I can rearrange it,” he assured her. “Roddy will be more than happy to cover for me if I've got a date. He may even give me the whole week off!”

“Sounds good to me. Any idea of where to go?”

The blue-and-white planet of his adopted home came instantly to mind. “Have you ever been to Earth?”

She shook her head. “I've been to Metroplex, but I've never been outside the city walls.”

“Well, then, I'll have to give you a tour. Is tomorrow night okay with you, say around 1800 hours? I've got a meeting scheduled, but it can wait.”

“Sure!” she breathed, honored that he would cancel plans to make time to see her.

He walked her back to her quarters, his mind already awhirl with plans. There was an awkward pause outside her door as both of them wondered what would be the appropriate way to say goodbye. “Uh, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Prime… sir…” she fumbled, clearly unsure of how to address him. He was still her commanding officer, but now he was something more….

He smiled at her with his optics. “You don't have to be so formal with me when we're alone. I want you to call me Optimus. It is my given name, after all.”

“Okay, Optimus…” she whispered, liking the sound of it very much.

Prime took her hand and squeezed it. “See you tomorrow,” he murmured, then headed back up the hall. She watched until he was out of sight, then headed dreamily into her quarters, hugging herself tightly. She had a date with Optimus Prime!

end of Chapter Three

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