You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep

'Cause they fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare

-Fireflies; by Owl City

It was nice, seeing everyone together for a change. With everyone so busy with their own lives, it was hard to have a moment where everyone could just settle down for a minute and enjoy each other's company. Lily, in her excitement for the upcoming New Year, decided to throw together a party and invite all her friends and family. She managed to get Lennox, Epps, and some of the Autobots down for the celebration, too. Naturally, the Autobots weren't accustomed to Earthly celebrations, so being invited to a 'New Year party' was almost foreign to them. Sure, they acknowledged the passing years on Cybertron, but they wouldn't throw parties or create such a big fuss over it.

Lennox tried explaining it to them in a way that made sense, but it was still unclear to them. Which meant that Lily would be the one to explain it all to them once they arrived. Of all the Autobots, however, the one who seemed the least bit interested in the celebration was Ratchet, who seemed content in staying behind to work on his studies. Since arriving on Earth, Ratchet was heavy at work trying to figure out ways to keep the Autobots functioning in their new home. With the workload he gave himself, it only made sense he stay behind. Besides, parties weren't exactly Ratchet's thing. So, once everyone had arrived, Lily had nearly jumped out of her skin in excitement. Everyone could have the opportunity to relax, to not worry about the constant struggles of whatever life threw at them. They didn't have to worry about Decepticons or college or life for just a couple hours. And once everyone finally gathered, that meant the fun could finally begin.

"Isn't this great?" Lily looked at Mikaela with a big smile. "Everyone managed to make it."

"Only because you harassed them all into coming." Mikaela threw a smirk her friend's way. "But I do like this. Everyone looks happy."

Nodding, Lily took a sip from a cup full of apple cider. She attempted to sneak away a couple bottles of beer - brought in by Lennox for the adults - but it was obvious she wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the cooler the beer was held in. That meant Lily, Sam, and Mikaela were stuck drinking apple cider or soda. They weren't complaining too much, though.

"How're things going with you and Sam?" Lily looked over at her friend, who was hiding a mischievous smirk. Mikaela's and Sam's relationship had been going strong for quite some time, something everyone was happy for. Lily could remember the days Sam drooled over Mikaela from a distance, too awkward to actually approach her. It also didn't help that all the popular guys were fawning over her, too.

"Things are going really good," she responded; glancing over at Sam. He was talking to Lennox about something, the two men laughing. "He's probably the best boyfriend I've ever had, to be honest."

"I'm happy." Lily smiled. "For the record, I had to deal with him complaining over how to talk to you for years."

"Seriously?" Mikaela giggled.

Nodding, Lily took another sip of her cider. "He kept going on and on about how he wanted to talk to you, and he had all these visions on how it'll go down, but he never manned up and did it." Lily giggled at that.

"Could this count as blackmail?" Mikaela asked.

"It could."

The two fell into silence for a couple minutes. They took the time to just see everyone. Everything in their lives had changed the moment the met the Autobots, and it was probably for the best. If the Autobots hadn't dropped - literally - into their lives, maybe Sam and Mikaela wouldn't have gotten together, or they wouldn't have made such unusual friendships. Maybe Lily and Optimus wouldn't have the tentative relationship they had. For Optimus and Lily, their relationship was just starting to develop; it was in the early stages, and neither were certain on how to approach it. They were taking it a day at a time, finding out what the other found comfortable and uncomfortable. It was truly an unusual relationship, but they were willing to make it work. Sadly, they both agreed not to announce their unsteady partnership, wanting only to see where it went before anyone found out. For Optimus, when it came to personal things, he had no problem keeping it to himself. For Lily, she had a little more trouble than that. While she wasn't one to go around telling hordes of people, she did slip up once and accidentally told Mikaela during a phone conversation.

"I take it you and Optimus are doing well?" The teasing undertone in Mikaela's voice didn't go unnoticed, which led to a blush forming on Lily's cheeks as she threw a somewhat playful glare her friend's way. "What? You can't tell me things aren't going well."

"Yeah, things are fine," Lily mumbled; drinking the rest of her cider. "He's really sweet, if that's what you're wondering."

Both girls turned and looked at Optimus' Holoform. Lily noticed right away how Prime changed the Holoform's outfit to a more formal casual get-up - a white button down shirt with the top two buttons undone, nice black pants, black dress shoes, and a nice jacket over his shirt. She noticed how it looked like the Holoform's hair was slicked back, how he seemed a little more at ease around so many friends. Optimus had a small smile on his face, though he still remained as calm and collected as ever.

"You've gotta admit," Mikaela said, "he looks good tonight."

"He really does."

Almost on cue, Optimus glanced their way, causing Lily and Mikaela to quickly avert their eyes.

-0-0-0-0-

"Something wrong?" Epps' gaze followed Optimus', where he saw Lily and Mikaela talking. It took everything in the soldier not to snicker at that. While Optimus and Lily may not have voiced it, but there was a definite change in their relationship. Prime was kinder towards her - not to say he wasn't before - going out of his way to be with her whenever possible. Lily seemed to calm down Optimus in ways no one thought possible. He wasn't as wound up with stress as he usually was. Whatever Lily was doing to help him feel better, it was something everyone appreciated. "Why don't you go talk to her?" Epps suggested.

Optimus' brows lifted in surprise. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, why not?" A chuckle left the man's lips as he said that. "I'll probably help Lennox and Graham set up the fireworks soon, go spend time with her for a little bit."

With a hesitant nod, Optimus said his farewells to Epps and his wife before heading Lily's way. He clearly saw Mikaela look his way, a smirk on her lips, before she whispered something to Lily. For Optimus, he was happy to see Lily have such good connections to other humans, to see her extend herself into other people's lives. Once he finally made it over, Mikaela had walked off to go talk to someone else, leaving the two alone.

"Are you having fun?" Lily's voice was soft, her eyes glancing up at Prime sheepishly.

"I must admit, this is an interesting celebration," Optimus said, a hint of a smile on his face. He witnessed how excited humans got when it came to the New Year. He noticed how everyone except Lily, Sam, and Mikaela consumed alcohol; he took in the decorations around him, with people exclaiming how the coming year would be 'their year'. The New Year seemed to be something of a big deal for humans. "On Cybertron, we never celebrated the coming of a new year. It never seemed like something we had to do."

"Well, I'm glad you get to experience it with us," Lily murmured. "I'll have to thank Alex and Angel for renting this place for us. I was going to have a little outside party, but it was going to be in a field, and with the fireworks and everything, it would've ended badly. I just wish they could've spent it here with us."

Alex and Angel had been two of Lily's closest friends aside from Sam. Lily had asked them if they wanted to come to the little party they threw together, but they couldn't, saying their families wanted them to be together. Mikaela, being their distant cousin, decided not to spend it with her family, saying she'd rather mix it up for a change. But due to the wealthiness of Alex's and Angel's family, they were able to rent out a community center for the evening, where the party was currently being held. There was enough space on the inside for everyone to mingle, and there was enough space outside for fireworks to be lit without damaging anything.

"I would've liked to have met them." Optimus' response made Lily's heart flutter.

"You want to meet some of my friends?" she asked.

"If you trust them, then so do I."

With a small smile, Lily murmured a thank you, lowering her head to hide a blush.

"If you don't mind me asking," Optimus said, his voice gentle, "what is the commotion about the New Year?"

"It's to remember how this year went and to hope the next one is better," she explained. "People like to make promises that they'll make drastic lifestyle changes for the incoming year. But I like to think it's just an excuse for people to party."

"Is this usually how the parties go?"

"No, this is probably really mild to how most New Year parties go."

Optimus frowned a little at that. Just how far did these parties go? He wasn't accustomed to Earth traditions, nor did he understand a lot of the things humans found normal, all traditions aside. Optimus took in how the adults were casually drinking, eating, and talking, how the younger ones were wandering around, taking in everything. Ironhide and Bee were talking to each other, catching up on lost time. There were balloons and streamers and signs welcoming in the coming year. There was background music and, most importantly, a sense of normalcy. Optimus allowed himself to take in everything. The party itself was rather lowkey, having been put together in a rather modest fashion, showing that not everything had to be big and extravagant. He allowed himself to take in the feeling of normalcy, wanting to remember what it was like in that moment.

"Are you OK?" Lily's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She looked up at the Holoform worriedly, fidgeting where she stood.

"I'm fine," he replied warmly. "I...like this. Being with everyone."

"It's nice finally seeing you relax."

"Guys, it's almost midnight!" Lennox called.

"You ready?" Lily looked up at Optimus with glittering eyes.

"Of course," he rumbled, placing a hand on the small of her back.

-0-0-0-0-

The one thing Lily was always so excited about were the fireworks. When her parents were alive, they never really did any firework shows of their own. Francis and Rosalia Witwicky would get firecrackers and sparklers, having that be their little party. There had been few instances where Lily's parents would take her out to see a firework show, and those always had a special place in her heart. After her parents died, Lily never really looked at New Year celebrations the same way. It was still fun, celebrating it with Sam and his family, but it didn't have the same feeling. But when it came to the Autobots and everyone else, she wanted it to be as special as possible. She wanted Optimus and the others to remember just how fun little things like this could be. That was why, as Mikaela put it, she harassed everyone into coming to her party.

All Lily wanted was to do something familiar and a little different. She wanted all her friends and family to have something to remember, something special. That was why, as they all stood outside, counting down to midnight, Lily stood close to Optimus as they waited anxiously for the fireworks to be lit. Lily had grabbed Optimus' hand and held it tightly, her excitement becoming almost impossible to contain.

Once the clock hit midnight, the fireworks were lit and they took off. Everyone cheered and shouted, watching in wonder as the fireworks exploded into an array of colors. For a moment, Lily looked over at Optimus, who looked mesmerized by it all, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Hell, even Bumblebee and Ironhide looked entranced. When he looked down at her, he gave a small smile and gripped her hand tightly. In that moment, everything felt like a dream. There were no Decepticons trying to destroy anything, there were no worries about the government or the military. It was just everyone being themselves. Not a single worry or fear in the world in that single moment. Optimus promised himself he'd keep that moment as one of his most treasured memory.

Feeling a slight nudge on his arm, his gaze went back to Lily. "Happy New Year," she said, a smile on her face.

Optimus couldn't help but smile. "Happy New Year," he rumbled.

(A/N):

I know this is up late; I was hoping to have it up before midnight, but I got a little caught up in the whole New Year spirit. I hope you guys like it, though. Let me know whether you think it needs improvement or not.

BAYVERSE does not belong to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in.

Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and I hope you have a wonderful 2018!

Many blessings,

Indigo Callahan