Title: Bath Time
Summary: From getting noisy complaints, Starscream goes to a take a shower. However, he's never taken one before, so he doesn't know what to do! Optimus comes to help him out, and when one thing leads to another…
Author's Note: This was so relaxing to make…I hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers.
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"Chlorine…anti-viral…what is all of this stuff?" Starscream muttered to himself, looking at the shelves, the glossy crystal containers holding various fluids and foams meant for cleansing. There were so many; he didn't know where to begin, let alone what to do to complete the process of actually making himself decent for appearance. In all honesty, he didn't realize how filthy he was until Hot Shot whined about the strange scent in the room—uncaring, not considering himself, the crimson Seeker merely ignored him and continued on playing with some game chips he had snagged from Jetfire. Then Hot Shot began to sniff around (quite literally), before he landed on the ex-Decepticon and nearly recoiled from drawing a large whiff of Starscream's bio-field.
"It you!" he had cried, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "Go take a bath, man! You smell like you just came from—no wait, you did just come from the Decepticons! Get yourself cleaned up so we don't have to suffer anymore!"
"Maybe your own aroma intakes are malfunctioning," the ruby one returned with a snort, not even bothering to make visual contact with him.
"Red Alert!" Hot Shot then cried, motioning the other to come to his aid, "Come here and tell me if Starscream just smells disgusting. I can smell it. It's gross. Tell me that you smell it, Red Alert."
The doctor sighed, rising to his feet from watching the holovid, before striding over and leaning over the Seeker, who, in turn, shifted away from him, not wanting to be even close to another mech. Too many close-calls with his other subordinates back at the Decepticon moon base had taught him that no physical contact was better than getting beat to a scrap. Though he knew that the Autobots wouldn't hurt him, old habits were always the hardest to break.
"Yes, I'm afraid there are slight traces of some rather…unusual scents…" Red Alert muttered, standing straight again. "The bathing hall is down this corridor and to your left," the good doctor said while signaling him with hand gestures, "go and ahead and scrub yourself well…you probably won't have another opportunity to do so if you don't do it now."
Starscream grunted as he got to his feet, shoving the game chips into Hot Shot's arms while stomping away with murder on his mind. The slaggers could at least do him the pleasure of saying please, but noooo….
And now he was here. In front of some one-hundred bottles without a clue as to which one to pick or what to do with it. At with the Decepticons everyone had a bad reputation for being on the stinky side, and so it didn't matter. Megatron wasn't just 'mega' in his attempts to take of the universe….Maybe that's what this whole war was about. Smelly viruses non-smelly. Sighing, Starscream decided the hell with it and reached out, grabbing a dark bottle with a clearer fluid within it. Staring at it, human words imprinted on it, he couldn't really decipher what to bring of their meaning before popping it open.
"That's for cleaning tires, Starscream," a sudden and rather shocking voice made the Seeker whirl about with a gasp, nearly losing his balance on the slippery floor of the bathing room. Optimus Prime snatched onto both of his arms in a flash and used his own steadiness to stable the wavering one, gripping with amazing strength. "Oh, I'm sorry that I scared you."
Starscream paused a moment as his back pressed against the chassis of the formidable leader, his arms bunched up and making him feel akin to…something that made no sense to him. "It's fine," he muttered, using his elbows to bring a distance between them, "I just didn't hear you come in, that's all."
"I saw you looking rather confused at our cleaning supplies," the crimson and sapphire Transformer stated, and Starscream was definitely sure that a grin was under that silver mask of his. "It's a little overwhelming, but a clean base is better than seeing rust come too early. I think you would agree with me, yes? That's why you're here?"
Starscream refrained from saying that it actually his stench that had forced him to come here, otherwise he wouldn't even had bothered. Of course, he would never admit that and just ended up saying, "Sure…but your choices are so different from mine at home, I can't really start from anywhere…"
"Well," Optimus began, reaching for highest shelf where an arrangement of brightly colored bottles lined the shelf, "these here are all Jetfire's. If you'd like, you could use them and then when you finally settle you in, we can get you your own set."
The red Seeker found himself staring at the floor, as if to hide his admittance that he might not stay at all with the Autobots. However, Optimus had such high hopes for him, wanting to see him be grand and become part of the team, that Starscream couldn't bring himself to say anything to counter it. It would first of all break Prime's trust in him, and then he would eventually grow distant from the group, like he always did…the outcast. There was no room for a ruby in the necklace of sapphires. It just didn't work out that way.
"Starscream?" Optimus asked, breaking the other's deep and depressed thoughts with a gentle voice. "I've been talking to you."
"Oh, sorry," he muttered, taking the bottle from an outreached hand. "Just thinking, that's all."
"About what?"
The question came unexpectedly, making Starscream twitch and swivel around to face the leader. Prime brightened, as if he had just discovered something, before saying, "Oh, forgive me. I didn't mean to pry."
"It—It's okay. Just about…stuff…I dunno. I'm such a pessimist, I find myself thinking bad things when things really aren't that bad to begin with…" the Seeker replied quietly, twisting his hands around the bottle in a nervous fashion. "It's just something I do…no big deal, huh?"
"Well, it's not very healthy," Optimus said softly, patting him on the back as if to make the statement mean more through the contact. "It's something we'll work on. Do you need help bathing?"
Starscream physically blushed. It wasn't that he received a flourish of some rather…interesting images in his mind, but just the simple offerings of assistance that made him a bit embarrassed. No one had ever asked him if he needed help before… "N-no…" he began, lifting his hands up in defense, "I just…no thank you, Prime…"
Optimus kept a steady, reading gaze on him. Like he saw straight through to his spark, no matter how many defenses Starscream managed to build up. In a strange way, it made the Seeker feel reassured, that someone like Optimus, who would never hurt someone unless they hurt him first (if even then), would be able to truly know what was within him. Though it should've made the red one feel exposed and uncomfortable, he knew that Prime would never attempt any harm on him. Why did he refuse, then, to tell Optimus the truth? It wouldn't be that hard…a little strange, maybe, but not hard…
"Actually," Starscream started, even as Prime perked, "I have no real idea what I'm doing…I've forgotten how to do a ritual such as bathing…"
At this, Optimus seemed almost relieved that he had spoken honestly. "Well," he replied, his tone light and gentle, "no worries. It'll be a piece of cake, or as the humans say. Let's start with your chest—and then we'll work around until we get to yours wings last, how does that sound?"
"Uh…okay," the Seeker replied, handing back the bottles that had been given to him. Better to have someone with some experience handle the job first. Then after this, Starscream wouldn't have to worry about asking for help on such a ridiculous subject again…until Hot Shot found another reason to poke and prod at him. Someday, the ex-Decepticon swore, he would teach that yellow-bellied tin can a lesson for acting so disrespectful.
Optimus took the concoctions and set all of them down but one, pouring the goop-like substance into his hand. Once it seemed like it would poor over onto the floor, Prime stopped and put it under the crook of his arm, beckoning for Starscream to come near with a finger. The Seeker was hesitant at first, as always, before inching little by little until he was in range of Optimus's reach. The leader watched him quietly as he did so, his expression unreadable from Starscream's attempts of trying to figure him out. What did he want? Sure, he was as gentle as any soft-sparked mech could be, but it wasn't like he did things for no reason. Reasons other than having Starscream permanently join the Autobots…
"Relax," Prime appointed softly, tilting his hand to the other so that the viscid creation could be rubbed between them. "I'm not going to hurt you; you're far too tense, Starscream."
"Sorry," the other mumbled, forcing his limbs to loosen up even as Optimus pressed both of his hands against Starscream's chassis and began to rub in the nooks and crannies before moving onto other areas. The Seeker honestly felt even more embarrassed than he did before—feeling Prime touch him in such a fashion, when physical contact was such a big deal to him in the beginning, was a very big step for him. He was doing more than just cleaning the Seeker, he was invading personal space, the bubble surrounding Starscream being popped in the process of trying to make him more trustful.
Optimus continued with his massage, thick fingers making just the right pressure so he got the dirt, but didn't harm the younger in the process. Once Starscream resembled something of an alien with an outer coat of white, Prime reached for the hose and, turning it on to warm, allowed for water to wash over him. Starscream sighed softly while leaning his head back, the rush of warmth feeling wonderful to his tired CPU and to a long-awaited respite. The water trickled over his frame, tingling the sensors and heightening their strength. Brilliant orange optics shuttered closed as he felt the suds and the terrible memories of his past flow off of him, if only temporarily. Limbs finally managed to go lax as Starscream slumped his shoulders, his body acting on its own accord in response to the warmth of the water.
Unfortunately, Prime brought it back all too soon and set the hose on a hook as the Seeker opened his visual sensors again, giving the elder a look of longing. "That felt nice," he muttered.
"Imagine what it will be like on your wings," Optimus said gently, a smile to be sure under that mask.
Starscream twitched. "I don't think we should do my wings."
"Why not?"
"Just cause."
"Because why?"
"Because they're very sensitive; it hurts when people touch them."
The elder sighed, shaking his head slightly while he replied, his tone a blend of complete understanding with sweet, perfect persuasion, "I'm not going to hurt you, Starscream…things may have been done to you in the past to convince you otherwise, but just give me a few moments of trust. Will you do that for me? Will you give me your trust for only a few breems…?"
Starscream hunched back, finally letting down his barriers to give Optimus a skeptical look, his arms moving in such a manner as if to protect the sensitive flats of his wings. A deep frown was carved into his features, pondering, wondering what was on Prime's mind. Starscream searched—and came up with nothing. No traces of evil intent, nothing to give the old Autobot leader away that he might, indeed, have other plans than just wanting the other's trust. The Seeker drew in a large breath, one for the sake of his body temperatures rising from the warm water, also to release some of the tension that had once again built up in his systems. Then, slowly, deliberately, Starscream reached out.
Optimus's facial expression turned from utterly neutral to the most reassuring gaze Starscream had ever seen—the elder robot took his hand, bringing him close, bringing him away from his usual, boxed-in self. The Seeker visibly tensed when Prime brushed the surface of his wings before noticing that no painful throbbing reciprocated from the action. In noticing this, Starscream attempted to relax a little as the leader resumed to what he was doing. Once more, he put some of that goo stuff in his palm before rubbing it in between his hands, motioning for Starscream to turn around. Gnawing on his bottom lip, the Seeker nodded before twisting his body and completely exposing himself. He felt like a mouse in front of a hawk. A very caring, sweet and thoughtful hawk, but a hawk nonetheless.
"I've always liked your body design," Prime said softly, just as he pressed his hands against the wing face.
Starscream flinched, but then felt a sudden, cold wash trail up his spine, making his frame shudder. "Th—thanks…" he breathed, his knees weakening from the mere sensation.
Optimus continued on with his word, his hands revolving in gentle circles as Starscream fell victim the almost heady sensation that it produced. His body immediately relaxed; every tensing thought ceased from his mainframe, the only conscious attention solely on the movements Prime did to his wings. The sensory grid that surrounded Starscream's body flickered with life and another pleasant feeling that Starscream couldn't distinguish. It seemed to tap into something like affection—gentle, intimate, utterly beautiful….everything that the Seeker wasn't. But he let go just this once. Even if it never happened like this again, he would, for once in his life, allow himself to submit.
The red one barely registered that Optimus had said something to him, that he only noticed the larger mech's hands turning his shoulders to face him once again. He was such in a state of utter peace and contentment (love?) that he didn't even bother to resist when Prime reached around him to get a difficult spot on his air intakes that were a part of his jet form. Starscream did recognize, however, how close Optimus had come to his own face and the Seeker did notice the true handsomeness of the other's features, the sharp curves and the strong, built structure of his head in general. Flushed, almost hypnotized, Starscream reached to his tip-toes and pecked Prime under his right optic.
Then, in almost an astrosecond, Starscream realized what he had done. Planting himself onto his feet, he hastily backed away a few paces, head down with a shameful expression as if Megatron would pop out of nowhere and smack him across the face for doing such a personal act, and said, "I'm sorry, Optimus…I got carried away, I'm sorry."
"It's okay," the leader replied tenderly, striding slowly back up to the other, "There's nothing to be sorry for…"
When a hand shifted, however, Prime lifting his arm without warning, Starscream jolted and covered his head as if he might be beaten. He held there for a few moments, expecting an explosion of pain to replace the heady feelings…when nothing happened. Glancing back up in curiosity, Starscream noticed that Optimus had never intended to hurt him, rather, had his index and middle finger together to press something against the line of his jaw. A few things clicked and rearranged when Prime's mouth and nose became exposed, a soft smile curving across those sensual lips.
"Did you think I was going to strike you, Starscream?" he asked, his optics giving the faint hint of sadness.
The Seeker appeared a little disoriented, before straightening and saying, "I, uh…no…I just…yeah, I did."
Optimus looked almost abashed from the statement, optics growing wide before he strode right up to Starscream, despite the red one flinching, and wrapped two powerful arms around the other, holding him close. A sound hitched in the Seeker's vocal box, the action completely coming down from the sky. For a moment, Starscream could do no other than to simply stand there, his sparkpulse ringing in his audio receptors as he tried to grasp the situation. What was Prime doing? His body was so warm…his embrace was so gentle…it felt nice, among other things, but the Seeker couldn't help but be a bit puzzled by the reaction. Was he sad or angry? Starscream couldn't tell the difference.
"I would never strike you, Starscream," Optimus said in almost a stern tone. "Never once think such a thing again."
"I'm…I'm sorry…" Starscream whispered, unsure of what to do next. Just for the sake of the situation, he wrapped his arms around Prime's back, blushing a little at the strangeness of the situation. He was hugging Optimus Prime—something that, in his entire lifetime, Starscream never thought he would do. But it was nice, he had to admit that. He liked the feeling of being so the center of attention. It made him feel worth it for once.
Optimus suddenly leaned back, staring at Starscream for a moment before he lowered himself slowly, as if asking the other's permission, before tenderly resting his lips on the Seeker's. Starscream released of a sound of wonderment, his state of the Matrix returning when Prime's hands began to wander, stroking the surface of his wings with enticing movements—gentle, but definitely arousing. The smaller parted the kiss, a stifled moan escaping his vocal processor as he tucked his face away in the elder's shoulder. A tremor rippled through his frame as Optimus continued to work miracles on his back, which in turn effected his entire body. Uhn, it just felt so damn good…his mainframe was beginning to fog with pleasure; he suddenly found himself in that same state as earlier, his body begging to merge with the one enticing such sensations.
For once, he actually wanted to be the one enjoying it.
The leader of the Autobots gently persuaded Starscream onto his back, his air intakes shifting their place from his shoulder to fit snuggly in his back for occasions like these. He was used to it, they did it by themselves, but not willingly. Rape wasn't exactly the most intimate forms of lovemaking, especially when it came to someone as aggressive as Megatron. He was big, he was uncaring, and he was always hungry. And, being the most handsome and rebellious of their Decepticon fleet, always received the largest amount of attention. He was used it. Eventually, he had just given up on trying to fight back because he knew it would not only hurt more, but his pride would also be that more damaged.
But here, oh, here…Optimus was so gentle. So careful with everything he did, taking his time while bringing out the experience. Ensuring his partner's pleasure even before his own.
Starscream moaned softly as Prime continued to give undivided consideration to his wings; he had even gotten the hose again, letting the warm water pool over the foamed surface to make them clean and smooth again. The pearly, almost sparkling paint gleamed in the light of the washroom, bright and luminous. Optimus noticed how, indeed, his wings were the most sensitive part of his body, but were also the stimulus to a very aroused Seeker. It had only taken five minutes to get Starscream to peck him on his cheekplate, and only two to return him to the same state when he had viciously drawn himself out of it. He looked so beautiful; sensual, even, his lips parted while the faceplate that was often silver was now a warm cherry red. It seemed he was completely ready to take whatever Prime had to offer, quietly begging for it through the honesty in his optics.
Optimus could see everything through those exposed, sun-kissed orbs.
He noticed how much Starscream had sheltered himself, how much he refused to open up because he feared of being betrayed, of being hurt. It was such a sad sight that it had provoked Prime to embrace the slender mech without so much as a thought, especially when he said he thought that the leader would slap him. That was what had pulled at his hardwires the most—seeing that Megatron had ripped apart this gentle, sensitive creature so much that he had turned into a cold, solemn Decepticon. It wasn't fair to him. It wasn't at all.
Once all the suds had washed away, Optimus let his hands wander in other places; his torso, his legs, his temples. For every section that the leader proceeded to, Starscream became that more entranced and submissive. He even seemed to want Prime to do more when he took the elder's hand and pressed it against his codpiece, his face flushed and his optics glazed over. Oh yes, he definitely wanted.
"Uhn, Optimus…you're teasing me…" he whispered then, his head tossing back and forth in a libidinous manner.
"Your body seems to be pretty content," Optimus replied almost playfully, his free hand lining the bottom of the Seeker's lip.
Starscream snagged it with his mouth, his glossa escaping as it briefly touched it before he let his head fall back against the floor. "Please, Optimus…it aches…" he murmured, further pressing the palm against the lowest part of his midsection. "It's heavy…"
"That's a good thing, Starscream," Prime said softly, letting his fingers lightly skim over the extremely susceptible area. "You get aroused pretty quickly…"
The Seeker gasped at the touch, his body twitching in response before he lifted his hips suggestively against the leader's. Often enough, it took awhile to get an older Transformer to get fully provoked before anything else could proceed. But here, Starscream's stimulation was so strong and so full of life from his sensory grid that it peaked erotically and even made Optimus shudder. This lead to the conclusion that the poor Seeker was rather inexperienced in such practices—but then again, Prime didn't find himself complaining. He seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly, and that's all that mattered.
Gently, the leader unbuckled the codpiece from his body and exposed the dark grey metal underneath, the portholes leading that Starscream no doubt took such care in viciously protecting from anyone but himself. This, and the smooth metal length that stood at his attention. It was actually quite a good size for a slimmer, sleeker mech like himself. Optimus wouldn't abide to say that his was the greatest in the universe, but being the size close to Megatron, it was obviously larger than the Seeker's. Not that it had much consideration, anyways, Prime wanted Starscream to know what it's like to feel the gentlest form of lovemaking, so that when he was to pleasure someone else, he could be gentle to them as well. Size was not something that mattered in ways that Optimus wanted the red one to feel. He wanted the other to actually feel it, rather than just want it.
"This might seem awkward," he said softly, his fingers roving across the cluster of amazingly sensitive nerves at the base of his length.
Starscream gasped and lifted his hips again, another invitation to let the other in. "I've…never felt like this before…it seems so light…so soft…"
"I wouldn't want you to know it any other way," Optimus replied tenderly, smoothing a hand over the Seeker's head. A sad smirk twitched at his lips, optics rising to meet the elder's in a strange sense of nostalgia. Prime wanted to steal such an expression away, almost despising it. He was hiding something. Again. "What is it?" he asked gently, a tone which allowed Starscream to reply at his own pace.
When Optimus expected the Seeker to remain silent, his voice actually seemed bursting with the confession as he replied, "You don't think that no females onboard our ship would stop Megatron, do you?"
Prime felt his spark sink. Once again, the boiling fury for the ridiculous, absolutely vain leader of the Decepticons nearly made the red-and-blue curl his lip in disgust. He refrained, however, not wanting to ruin the experience before Starscream had the chance to really enjoy it. "He hurt you," Optimus murmured, saying it more as a statement than a question.
"Hurt's kind of an understatement," the red one replied sarcastically, "It's far more than hurt when you get humiliation smacked in your face—and other places—when your ego is the size of Jupiter."
Prime drew in a deep breath, combating his heated-up systems at the mere sound of his rival's name and his horrific actions; not only to other species, but to his own soldiers. No one deserved it. No one, no matter how much harm they had done themselves in the past. It was a cruel punishment that war demanded, and the worst of all, it had happened the most to someone who truly didn't mean his actions. Optimus knew that Starscream was a good person. It was more than just in his dealings—it was in his optics and the way he writhed beneath Prime's far larger body, acting so submissive when he'd usually be utterly rebellious to any kind of exposure. Megatron; that terrible bastard. How dare he harm such a sensitive mech.
Though he said nothing, Prime then shifted his fingers, once more teasing the area as bright, tingling electricity arched between one body and the other. Starscream gasped once more while reaching out a hand, claws grazing the other's chassis in a plea. Finally, Optimus gave in and penetrated the wires, making the Seeker mewl and lurk, hips slightly bucking against the other.
"Oooh, Optimus…Optimus," he breathed, taking both of the elder's forearms and pressing him harder against his body. "Please, oooh…" Fingers swirled and circled, only enticing them both as Starscream's bio-field peaked lively. "More, Prime…please, don't stop, not now…"
The leader spared himself a soft smile as he bent down, kissing the other tenderly as he continued foreplay, having as much pleasure in seeing Starscream so aroused as the Seeker himself was. The red one moaned softly, rubbing against the other in a desperate attempt to have the other satisfy him. Optimus, after bringing out so much, now felt in need of ending the torture and lifted himself up on two arms, releasing his own phallic length. His pelvis lowered and slowly entered the other, being rewarded with a loud gasp and then followed by a very pleased moan. Starscream's access port to his spark opened on its own accord in stimulation to his arousal, begging for Optimus's to come and merge with it.
Prime was more than happy to oblige.
Starscream felt the immediate contact.
The overwhelming feeling of warmth and peace, even pure bliss was upon him and, to his darkened spark, it tasted sweeter than the finest grade of energon. It was bright, clean and beautiful, something that Starscream regarded as the most comforting thing in the universe. Even to compared to the enticing sensations that Optimus had provoked through simple touching, this wrapped the cold state of Starscream's emotions and spark was in to buffer it, to melt the surrounding cage of ice that Megatron had built over the hundreds of thousands of vorns.
A pulse rippled through Starscream's body all of a sudden, making him gasp once more as he felt pleasure spike through his frame and his sensory grid. Now that Optimus was in all the way, he drew himself back, again driving himself into the Seeker's port, this time with more strength and deeper. Starscream felt succumb to another wave of ecstasy, a stifled, soft cry escaping his vocal processor. The body that was now not his own shuddered and reacted, forcing Prime to go quicker, needing for this maddening need of release to be sated. Heat swiftly took over his body, the hose forgotten as it continued to wash crystal-clear water over their ultra-sensitive bodies. Washing away the crimes, the ugliness. Every terrible moment that Starscream or even Optimus had once thought themselves lower than they should've. There was only goodness now.
Everything held balance. The connection the two shared was so full of light, Starscream thought he might be blinded by such purity. The feeling was wonderful; there was no pain, no desire to shield his need or his love. No other sensation could match—Optimus had broken the dreadful, barred-in cage that Megatron had made for him. They were so in sync with one another, even their sparkpulses beat at the same rate, completely equal to each other. None was more superior than the other; they matched one-for-one. It was something Starscream never experienced before, such balance. And he loved every minute of it.
"Optimus!" Starscream gasped, clinging to the other as he gave up to his ultimate pleasure.
His body seized and everything went paralyzed for an instant, Optimus's own body copying his movements. Overload consumed them both, a soft cry releasing from the connection, from who neither Prime nor Starscream could tell. Then they slackened, Optimus collapsing over the Seeker's body as Starscream panted, his cooling systems trying to gain control over the heat that had rose over the experience. Blank pleasure passed in a series of moments before the leader shifted to stare up at the smaller, whom was still lost in the aftershock. Just as his body calmed down, Optimus asked softly, "Are you all right?"
"Stupid question, Prime," the other said with a visible grin, "I'm far beyond all right. I might not be able to walk for a week, but my sensors will be tingling for days."
Optimus smiled gently while closing Starscream's chassis, where his spark had already drawn back, before he shut his own. For a brief expanse in time, they simply laid there, embracing one another. "That was wonderful; you did wonderful for your first."
"But I didn't do anything."
"Oh, trust me, you did more than enough."
"I just squirmed."
"No you didn't…you were actually quite visually stimulating, by my standards."
Starscream suddenly chuckled softly, shifting somewhat as he got in a more comfortable position with Optimus. "It'll be the end of the universe as we know it when I understand your circuits, Prime."
"I'm just a bit different, that's all," the leader replied with laughter in his voice, not a single trace of ill intent behind it. He raked his fingers up and down the outer part of Starscream's thigh, a gentle gesture that made the Seeker begin to close in on recharge. "But you, you're nice. I'm not the kind to be particularly picky about my lovers, but I have to admit I'm rather lucky in receiving such a striking one."
"Speak for yourself," the other mumbled, beginning to lose his battle to sleep. "Oh, slaggit…"
"It's all right, I'll take care of everything," Optimus whispered into his audio receptors, "Relax…go to recharge, young one…"
"Thank you, Prime…" Starscream said before he left, "Thank you for giving me this."
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A/N: (Yawn) All right, after that fanfic, I'm all sleepy…Optimus is so passive, he just makes me want to float off into sleep. (smiles tiredly) Read and review, please.