In the morning, Ratchet found himself sitting across from Optimus at the table, over coffee and breakfast. It was the weekend. The last one before the entire planet knew of their betrothal… They were supposed to be publicly engaged that Monday.
He had come down the stairs with Optimus already awake and skimming a morning news outlet with two plates on the table, steaming and ready. One for him, one for Ratchet. Coffee sat in the pot at the ready with a few different additives, creamers, and sweeteners alongside it with two mugs, plain and white. They were perhaps the cheapest tableware he had seen Optimus use.
"How did you sleep?" He asked him, tugging his attention away from the set up.
Ratchet looked up at him. "I slept alright…" he replied softly. "And you?"
He looked up from his place in reading to answer, "I slept well."
Ratchet nodded, picking up the pot and a mug before pouring himself a cup. "So… how's the news?" He asked slowly, trying to pretend he didn't already know.
Optimus chuckled. "Politicians are all sorts of angry at all sorts of people, as per usual." he replied. "The public has noticed that you aren't present at the Senate building and that I am not hosting delegates at the moment." he said softly. "There's been more calls for political reformation as of late, coming from Kaon."
"Hmm, I can't say I disagree," Ratchet replied without really thinking about it before tapering off. He had to remind himself to try to be a little gentle. "The current system can use a reform..." he muttered vaguely as he took a sip from the mug, trying to hide how strong his opinion was on the matter…
"Indeed. Personally, I would like to get rid of the caste system entirely and reformat the Senate and the Council," Optimus replied without so much as batting an optic.
Ratchet choked on his coffee. He figured that Optimus landed closer to pro reformation than he originally thought from the interactions at the party last night but he hadn't dared to think of Optimus as an outright Reformisionist as he was. He saw him raise an optic ridge at him, "Do you disagree…?" He asked slowly.
Ratchet cleared his throat. "No! No, I actually don't… I'm just surprised to hear you say something like that is all. It's….a little unexpected with your position…"
Optimus couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, I can see why. I am one of the few that can greatly benefit from this system. I'm hoping that I can do something in the near future to attempt to dismantle it."
"Oh, well, I don't mean to imply anything, but… are you not the Prime?" He asked slowly, leaning on the table.
"Well… it's a little complicated. While I do hold the Matrix, my sire still has closing duties to his reign. I cannot assume my full position under the Council until AFTER I fulfill the requirements on my inheritance and he has completed said duties. Sire's done this to prevent me from going back on my word after he's become one with the Allspark," he replied. "It's a little finicky, keeping track of everything."
"Ah, I see," he replied, nodding slowly and taking another sip of coffee. Inwardly he swore at himself, wishing he had more knowledge on other things. More broad things to talk about rather than politics and medicine.
Optimus looked up, meeting his optics. He knew that he looked like he was really struggling. He gave him a small smile. "So, I wasn't aware that you were an author until Elita said something," he said. "It's an impressive feat." He said.
"Oh, well, I wasn't aware that you didn't know," he chuckled. "It's the main reason I got popular with the public."
He hummed faintly. "Have you written any fictional things?" He asked.
Ratchet smiled faintly. "Well… yes but nothing published of course," he chuckled. "Just short stories… I dabble. I've seen you reading a lot." He commented. "What are you reading now?" He asked.
"Oh, mostly dystopian fantasy and history," he replied. "The one I'm on right now is the third in the series. It was released not too long ago," he chuckled.
"That's nice," he replied softly, sipping at his coffee again.
They continued to talk, actually beginning to get somewhere other than a standstill. Slowly, the tight feeling in the back of his throat was loosening. He felt better; it was like he could forget for a small moment that he was being forced into this. He could forgive the grandness around him while they spoke of casual things. What are you interested in? Do you like sports? Which politicians don't like you again?
It was going nicely before their conversation was cut rather short while Red came bursting into the dining room. "We need to get ready immediately!!! The tea has been spilled! The cat's out of the bag! Someone cut the cake!" He exclaimed, beginning to gather various things around them.
Both of them stared at him in startled confusion as he paced around the both of them. Optimus stood getting in his way. "Red, calm down. What is going on?" He asked, putting his hands on the mech's shoulders.
"Information has been leaked! The press found out and they are under the impression that Ratchet is an illicit affair. We are moving the engagement to today to do damage control!" He replied, moving around Optimus and beginning to pack biscuits and crackers in a few different pouches.
Ratchet's optics widened as he slowly came to the realization of what the rest of the week looked like for him. Photo's, interviews, endless questions, etc. He hadn't been briefed on how to handle any of this… How was he going to handle this? Anxiety began wrapping it's slimy hands around his internals.
Optimus seemed to be experiencing something similar because for a brief moment his field flickered with distress before he pulled it closer to his frame and he stood to his full height. "Give me the details," he replied, also beginning to move towards the bookcase to reach in and grab something.
"The announcement is going out now that a public convergence is being called and the event will begin at 3 pm." He replied. "We need to be ready by 2:30, and it is now 10. We need to move quickly!"
Ratchet stood there watching the two mechs rush around gathering various things. Ironhide made his own appearance, barking orders at various other mechs wearing identical badges. Security escort, Ratchet presumed.
More people seemed to just come out of the woodworks as the minutes ticked by. Optimus came out of his room with his mask on and looking tidy as ever. He wore his regalia armor, the intricate markings across his shoulders and the tight collar that formed around his neck, and the hailing crest that he wore on his helm was a perspective shattering change. It gave him an otherworldly presence that was pressing and intimidating. Ratchet knew that the armor was as pragmatic as it was decorative. It was militia grade, essentially the last line of defense against assassinaiton.
At this moment Ratchet suddenly felt the pure pressure of everything he knew about Optimus Prime come crashing down in his mind. A Prime. Defined as an ultimate peacekeeper who's very word determined peace and war between billions. Prime's traditionally had a line to walk, and the line had a name; True Neutrality. And yet he now knew that the mech under that mask actually had a side, an opinion, a passion for what should be. Optimus had told Ratchet a mere hour earlier of his thoughts on the way their world worked and how he believed that the current affairs of the world were incorrect.
He was the most influential and the most powerful mech on Cybertron.
Somehow, as his future mate stood before him in full regalia, he became aware. Clarity struck him. Sentinel was so desperate to trap him in tradition because should Optimus choose to abandon tradition entirely, he had the full power and know-how behind him to topple everything that secured their place in society. A shiver went up Ratchet's back as it dawned on him. This was the mech he was promised to. How could he have forgotten how powerful this mech was…
His mind went rather numb as people swarmed around him in a frenzie. He was dressed in the same kind of armor that Optimus had, only in his colors. His pins hung on him, identifying his certifications as a Senator, physician, CMO of Cybertron, etc…. And now the ornate symbols on his armor identified him as part of Optimus…
They polished and shined him, put a little makeup on him to 'make his unique optics stand out further,' but he was certain they just wanted to hide the darkening that was a result of his questionable sleep schedule. He was guided out into the car alongside Optimus before the air around him became somewhat still again.
He felt dizzy with everything that just happened.
Optimus slowly retracted the mask as the transport began to move. "I'm sorry, I know this is sudden." He said softly.
"Yes…It was sudden…" He replied, glancing out the window still somewhat discombobulated.
"This sort of thing isn't common. It's just a big event and it's important to do this kind of thing right, otherwise the press has too much ability to twist it into all sorts of things to ensure a bigger profit. I don't want them to ruin your career for a few extra shanix" he assured him, passing him a small cube. "Drink this as I talk, it'll help."
Ratchet looked up at Optimus before slowly taking the cube and sipping at it, his spark still spinning anxiously.
Optimus continued to explain. "So what's going to happen is I'm going to propose to you and this is somewhat of your public debut as my conjux. It's going to be a long day, and this will be stressful. I truly apologize, Ratchet. I wanted to take this a little slower to get you more acclimated," he sighed.
Ratchet shook his helm slowly reminding himself to be kind. "This isn't your fault. It would have been nice to have more time, but it's out of our hands. I understand," he replied.
Optimus gave him a small smile. "Thank you. Right now we're driving to the palace and the gates are being opened for the public. Ironhide is working our security detail," he said, reaching into his subspace and pulling out a chip in a clear cased box. "This is an internal communication chip. It's preprogrammed and it's closed circuit. It plugs into your hardware readout, it'll take a click to download and then you will be able to silently communicate with myself, Ironhide, Red Alert, and Elita. It's pretty much instant and fairly seamless. If you think something is wrong please use it."
Ratchet nodded, taking it and going ahead and installing it as Optimus continued to explain all that was going to happen that day as if right now.
After he was finished Ratchet slowly asked, "So…how important is it that we're… convincing?" He asked.
Optimus cringed slightly. "That depends on what we need to prioritize. If we want to prioritize making a statement then we can choose to present this relationship as political. It would be truthful but we would receive a large amount of backlash. Or we can choose to try to be convincing. Historically, convincing the public that we… ahem… are interested in each other tends to boost overall morale and diffuse social and political tensions around the empire. It also makes both of us more credible, and the public more cooperational for what we want to do. The trade off here is that we have to keep up this appearance."
Ratchet nodded, setting the empty cube aside. "So what you're saying is that we can choose more influence for more of a helmache, or less influence for less of a helmache."
"Exactly…" he replied. "There is also the issue that there is a possibility that if we aren't very convincing then there will be false claims with our bond. I don't know what kind of consequences could arise from that. Not to mention the kind of political tension that's going on right now…" he said.
"Alright… so convincing it is…" Ratchet grunted, looking out at the busy streets yet again. "Oh well… I suppose as long as we can stand each other it wouldn't be awfully hard to be mildly convincing."
"There are a few older tricks that we can use to pretend to be semi convincing. We can stage a few propaganda photos and release them to the media. We just need to keep the things we say straight," he replied.
"Easy enough I suppose," he chuckled sarcastically. "No risk in lying to the masses at all."
"It's risky, yes, but the trick is telling half truths. Like when they ask me how I met you, I'll tell them you caught my attention because you were bored waiting for me and I walked downstairs and you were playing the piano. Not a lie is it?" He replied.
Ratchet chuffed recalling the whole first day and remembering that he was in fact correct. "Okay then what could I possibly say that doesn't destroy our chances at being convincing?"
"That you got dragged into a meeting with me, I was running late. You were bored waiting for me and you started playing the piano. I caught you and that's how we met," he replied simply.
Ratchet blinked at him slowly, turning it over in his mind. It wasn't a lie at all, all they were doing was spinning the connotation. If it was just spinning the connotation then he could possibly do this. "Alright…"
"I'll be here to guide you and I've been doing this for all of my life," Optimus assured him softly. "Elita will be standing by to give you some guidance, but the main goal is to stick to being your real self as much as possible. It's less draining that way. I encourage you to continue being blunt and speaking what's on your mind. Remember all you have to do is convince them that you don't despise me," he said, slipping the mask back into place as the car came to a soft stop. "We can do this."
Ratchet sighed, anxiety still gripping at his spark. He looked up at him, meeting those ever expressive optics once again. They still spoke reassurance to him. He felt the tension ebb away a little bit. He wasn't being asked to climb all over the Prime, just to be himself. Just be natural, and have a mildly positive connotation. Positive…
Ironhide stood on the outside of the transport door with a team ready to guide them both. Each mech armed with a small handgun. He opened the door and Optimus stepped out of the vehicle first before extending a hand to help Ratchet out.
He hesitated but went ahead and took his hand, standing up. There were barricades on all sides of them, but Ratchet could hear the gathering crowd on the other sides of the cover that was provided all the way until they reached inside.
Optimus guided him along, making sure that they moved quickly enough to get inside before anyone caught a glance of Ratchet and him.
After they safely passed the doors, they were quickly shut. All of the curtains in the massive welcome hall of the Prime Palace were drawn. Ratchet looked around semi awestruck. If he had thought that Optimus's home was grade, it nearly paled in comparison. The ornate carvings and statues that lined the room. The paintings that must have been worth more than a mech's contents melted down, pristine floors, a flawless carpet that led into another grand hallway somewhere.
Someone gently tapped on his shoulder before they began to lead him up some stairs. The entire way since they walked in, there was someone tidying up both Optimus and him to be as presentable as possible. Red Alert had met up with them and began giving Optimus a run down of who was there already and everything they had left to do.
Ratchet could hear the crowd's anticipation growing outside as time ticked by and it was 2:45. They sat in a room with several chairs and some broadcasting equipment that would be used later to release a live interview. The room was spacious and nice. The wall was decorated with luxurious carpet and a few tables that currently held a few cubes of energon.
A large portion of the room's opposite wall was a large balcony that was a few floors above the crowd that waited on the steps of the palace. This was where they were supposed to reveal the big surprise.
To his surprise the door to the room opened and figures came filing through, including Sentinel and the entirety of the Council. Optimus stood to greet them out of courtesy.
Ratchet watched him converse with them from a small distance as he continued to try to get his bearings, bracing himself for what possibilities lay before him. He hadn't been listening until Optimus had said his name.
He blinked over at him. "I'm sorry, I must have been in my head, what was that?" He asked.
"That's quite alright," he chuckled. "I was just introducing you to my uncle, Alpha Trion. He was the main source of much of my education while I grew up here," he chuckled.
The new mech gave him a smile. He was mainly red and purple and had some interesting kibble on him. "I'm charmed to meet you Ratchet, I've heard great things about you. I hope you didn't clash too harshly with my brother, Sentinel," he chuckled. No one in the room missed the small optic roll that Sentinel gave him.
"No sir. It's an honor to meet you," he replied with a small smile standing up alongside Optimus.
"The honor is all mine, I'm happy that you were chosen. You have an amazing track record and I feel that Optimus and you could get along swimmingly," he chuckled.
Ratchet glanced over at Optimus who nodded with a small chuckle. "They're aware, Ratchet."
"Ah, I see," Ratchet chuckled. "Well yes, Optimus and I get along nicely. He's good company."
"I'm happy to hear it," Alpha Trion replied. "I wish you the best of luck for the rest of today," he said. "For both of you."
Ratchet gave him another nod along with Optimus as Red began to gesture Sentinel and Alpha Trion out to begin the announcement.
Ratchet tried to take a few deep ventilations to keep his nerves down as the crowd stilled on the steps of the palace. Optimus gave him a reassuring look. A few moments of Sentinel speaking and Red was gesturing the both of them forward so he could hook up microphones to the two of them before gesturing them out onto the large balcony as well.
Optimus took a few steps with him into the sun shining down on the large balcony. Ratchet was immediately behind him. Optimus walked him right up near the railing. The crowd grew still as they revealed themselves and Ratchet began to speak.
"It has been my pleasure and duty to serve Cybertron in bringing peace and prosperity. It is a heavy duty but one I am happy to fulfill. Today, I am honored to share my happiness," he said, turning to Ratchet. Ratchet too turned to him trying to go along with what was happening.
Optimus pulled a small box from his subspace, opened it and revealed a delicate and ornate pendant on a golden braided chain. It was blue and red matching Optimus's color scheme. In the center, a small circular glass container embedded in the colorful and delicate metal held a single drop of energon, Optimus's own lifeblood.
"Ratchet, of Crystal City. Beloved Doctor, Senator, and CMO of Cybertron. Son of Chromeway and Gale. I offer you my life and everything I can give. I offer you my time and adoration. I offer you comfort and devotion. I offer you my spark. Will you allow me the pleasure of being your conjux?"
Ratchet was nearly shocked. This wasn't what was traditional of a proposal. Typically the proposing party's inquiry was more 'I want you,' rather than 'will you have me?' He could feel the faint dancing anger of Sentinel behind them. By asking Ratchet like this, Optimus was purposely setting Ratchet on an equal level as he was. He was letting everyone know that there was a line in the sand. That he, the Prime, wanted everyone to know that he was not going to be dragging him along. A display of respect.
Ratchet slowly smiled, reaching up and taking a hold of the chain that dangled carefully from the Prime's servo. A small bit of trust had been earned here. "I will," he replied, his voice echoing out across the crowd as they erupted into cheers and applause and cameras began clicking away.
Optimus carefully helped hook the betrothal pendant around Ratchet's neck, careful to leave a small amount of distance between them to be respectful while still trying to sell their authenticity. Inwardly Ratchet knew that this was when the real show began