Fandom: Transformers/Movie-'Verse
Title: Ride With Me
Author: Dex
Characters: Sam, Optimus Prime
Pairing: Sam/Prime. Unrequited.
Rating:PG-13
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, nor the settings. Please don't repost. Flames will be ignored.
Summary: Sam takes a ride with Prime.
Author's Notes: Request for navisx. Who said that Prime/Sam would be cracktastic.
---
Sam blinked as he saw Prime parked where Bee normally was. He saw Trent and his groupies snickering, and Sam hunched his shoulders, moving towards the semi, really wishing that Bee had been here. Staring at the ground, he made his way into the passenger seat, sinking down, hoping no one else could see him now.
"Is there something wrong?" Optimus Prime's voice held that combination of worry and curiosity that he so often showed. While he worried too much in Sam's opinion, Prime also liked to know what happened, and more importantly why.
"No." Sam forced himself to stay calm, although there was a small hiss to his voice. "Can we go? Now? Please?" " He dropped a little further into the seat, letting out a small sigh of relief as he heard the engine roar to life, Prime pulling out of the parking lot, then groaned as he realized that everyone would see a semi driving itself.
Great.
At least Prime waited until they were out of the parking lot before speaking again. "Are you certain?"
Sam shot Prime a small frown, shaking his head. He'd just been hoping to spend some more time with Bee, but how exactly did he say that without coming off as ungrateful? Sam heard Prime give a small sigh, and then only the thundering of the engine as Prime turned off, onto a larger road. They were going to the base, then, and Sam would have to call his parents when he got there. If he said he was spending time at Mikaela's, they would let him off the hook. Sam leaned against the window, eyes half lidded, watching the traffic pass.
---
Prime was fairly certain the boy had no intention of sleeping. Over the roar of his own engine, he had heard the breaths slowing, and Prime had decelerated, which only seemed to lull Sam further. Prime also suspected that Sam wanted to see Bumblebee, no matter how much he protested that nothing was wrong. However, the Autobot leader had insisted on picking Sam up from school, since Mikaela would be out today. Sick, although Ratchet would check on her later, and until Prime heard from the medic, he would not worry about what he could not change.
Right now, Sam was in his care. He slowed further, wanting to make this ride last as long as possible. It was not often that Prime could find a reason to spend time alone with Sam, and even picking up the boy to speak with him about Mission City was suspect - especially since there was very little talking. None, in fact. Bumblebee could have spoken with Sam, and reported in more easily than Prime going to the school.
Prime heaved another longer sigh, and tried to shake the thoughts off, tried to rid himself of what had quickly come to border on an obsessive worry about Sam. At first, he had attempted to rationalize it, reminding himself that Bumblebee was Sam's guardian. Worry about Sam was just an extended worry about Bumblebee, was it not?
However, even now, with the Decepticon threat gone, at least temporarily, Prime found ways to concern himself about Sam's well being. The compulsive nature of the thoughts bothered him, and so he had come to relieve Bumblebee, and take Sam to the base himself. Which, really, had not been his intent. But showing up at Sam's house would only call unwanted attention to himself, and would cause the boy more problems. How to explain where his care had gone, and why Prime had been waiting at the school instead?
No, better to go back to the base, and have Bumblebee return to the Witwicky's home with Sam later. At least that decision had been easy to make when it came to Sam. Even as he thought it, the boy shifted, murmuring, the words impossible to pick out. Sam's eyes fluttered open, and he frowned again.
"Did you sleep well?" Prime managed to keep his voice completely blank, although it took some amount of effort.
Sam checked his watch before answering, snorting slightly. "Yeah."
"Twelve minutes forty three seconds."
Sam blinked. "What?"
"How long you were asleep."
Sam's mouth opened, and he snapped it shut. "You... keep track?" It seemed like a lot of effort.
"Yes. But I assume you do not want a more accurate time?"
"It gets more accurate?" Sam shook his head, quickly adding, "No. I just wanted to know if I was out for ten, or say thirty, minutes."
There was a pause, and then Prime pointed out, "It only takes twenty minutes from your school to get to the base. Unless Bumblebee decided to pay attention to the speed limits." Prime was well aware that he was driving slightly under; if it came off as suspicious, even him bringing up the speed limits did not seem to notice that Prime drove slowly compared to most times. Either that, or he did notice, and did not care...
No, Prime would push away that thought, and where it might lead. Or attempt to, although Sam made it close to impossible as he ran his hand along the leather seats. Prime forced himself not to gasp, not to groan, or do anything else that might give himself away. He succeeded until he wondered how Bumblebee dealt with the touch...
And then the engine revved, possessively, roaring.
---
Sam's hand slid along the seat, fingers stroking, not really paying attention to the motion. He had just gotten used to doing it with Bumblebee. So when the engine became almost deafening, before quickly dying down, Sam sunk back into the seat, tensing quickly, jerking his hand away. "I'm sorry..." He muttered it, looking out the window, wondering why Optimus Prime had come to get him, especially since it seemed that Sam only managed to piss the Autobot off.
"I apologize as well." There was something tight, too controlled, in Prime's voice. Almost like he had suddenly gotten tense.
Weird, Sam decided. Very weird. He knew that tone, too, but he had to be imagining it. Because no way was it nearly as jealous as it had sounded. Although, he flushed a little at the thought. Nope. As much as he wouldn't have minded, there was no way Prime had just growled possessively at him.
Sam let out a long breath, shivering slightly at the thought. Prime must have noticed, and he flushed even more as the heat turned on, a low hum that underscored the sound of the engine. "Thanks." After an awkward silence, Sam added, "Why are we going to the base?"
He swallowed hard at the silence.
"Bumblebee should take you home."
Sam couldn't believe it for a moment. "Right." He'd forgotten about how much he'd wanted Bee to be there, instead of Prime. With a small sigh, he turned out to watch the traffic again. His hand almost reached out to stroke the seat again, and he forced himself not to even touch Prime. He turned back to the dashboard. "Then why did you come and get me in the first place?"
Nothing for a while. Was Prime actually thinking about the answer? And why, exactly, did that flicker a spark of hope in Sam?
"I wanted to see you."
Oh god... Oh god, oh god... What the hell did he say to that. "Yeah?" He kind of squeaked it, flinching at the sound. Clearing his throat, he added. "Okay."
Prime sighed. "About Mission City."
"Oh." Sam hated the sullenness in his voice. "What about Mission City?"
There was a longer moment of silence. "Ratchet was doing research on how humans deal with trauma."
Sam snorted, feeling bad about it when Prime fell silent again. "I mean, I'm not. And-" Nope, he didn't really want to question if Prime thought that was a good cover up, especially with how hesitant he was being. Normally, when Prime wanted to know something, he simply asked. "Never mind."
They fell into a more comfortable silence, Sam reaching out, stroking the seat again more aware of what he was doing. He wondered how it felt from the other side, if they felt like humans did when someone else touched them. He flushed a little at the thought, but continued, noticing a slight change in the sound of Prime's engine. Neither of them would say anything, and Sam knew he wasn't going to be able to touch Bee, at least not for a couple days. After that, it really depended on if Prime went back to ignoring Sam or not.