Sam flicked through his phone as he reviewed the messages sent through his phone and the ones received. Each of them giving a small confirmation that his plan was going smoothly. And with the final message, he gave a small fist pump to the air, hearing that his plan was not entirely set and ready. Though, it was a rather impulsive idea to begin with, it worked out quite well. He just hoped no one other than Bee and Ironhide had caught on the idea.
He currently laid on the very rooftop he had asked everyone to meet around. It was about 11:30 in the night, with his feet dangling over the sides while his phone was held up by a hand, and he was excited as hell. But, as it was in his nature, he had been worried over many things. Did the others figure it out? Have they seen it already? Maybe they wouldn't like his surprise at all… Thoughts like those ran across his mind from time to time as the best he could do to harden his will was to pray and hope.
Samuel pushed up when he heard a few footsteps approaching behind him. Turning only his head, he found that both Bee and Sideswipe were coming his way. The two stood behind him while Sam turned his phone off and looked their way.
"Sam, why did you want us up here?" Bee started.
"Especially at this time of night?" Sideswipe added.
An unsurprised look plastered over Sam's face, he laid back down on his back and stared up to the sky. "Can't tell ya' just yet. Just because you guys arrived early, doesn't mean that you get to know. So be patient for a while."
The pair shared a look, shrugged, before doing as asked, seating themselves on the young adult's side. It was pure silence for a while as they stared up to the starry sky, completely clear of clouds. Then the scout spoke. "So have you told him yet?" He asked.
Sam turned with a confused look. "Tell who what now?"
"Who else? Big red and blue boss-bot, of course." Bee answered, holding himself a bemused look when the human flushed brightly.
"T-Tell him what?" He dumbly asked, the Seeker rolling his immediately after. Sideswipe watched the exchange between the two before finally asking.
"Can I at least get an idea of what you two are talking about? Was there something Optimus needed to know?" From the questions, Sam blushed redder, only hoping that the darkness of the night would hide the thick shade of colour on his cheeks.
Bee grinned darkly before he began the quick summary. "Well, Sam here has developed feelings for a certain Prime that we all know and love. And he's been trying to tell Optimus this for a while now." A sudden gasp came from the other holoform as Sam could only groan in response, placing a hand to his forehead.
Sideswipe grinned as he gave a whistle. "Really now? I didn't know that the Prime was such a popular mech. Now… details~" He joked, the last word rolling off his tongue.
A glare shot his way. "…"
"I'm kidding, kidding. Just happy to know that someone could make the Prime happy again." Sideswipe laughed, patting the human in hopes of calming his seething rage. Sam grumbled for two reasons. For Bee having told the silver mech without his consent whatsoever, and for the effect of the pats on the back. It was calming his anger, but also his spirits in a way.
"So… you don't think it's weird…?" Sam nervously asked, refusing to make eye-contact this time.
"Weird? I think it's adorable to find a young admirer of Optimus. Though, it does make things complicated now that Elita 's around."
"You don't say…"
"Seriously though, did you do anything to upset her? She's been giving off bad vibes whenever you two are around."
"Not any that I know of, no. Sorry." He felt a need for an apology, whatever the reason it may've been.
"Nah. It's just awkward whenever we talk. As little as it may be." Sideswipe glanced off to the side, thinking back to only two moments he and the femme had talked as old friends, remembering that both moments were filled with a deadly aura around her.
"Anyways," Bee jumped in. "I think you two have been waiting long enough now. Besides, you know you promised me that you would tell him."
"Don't remind me." The Witwicky sighed, bringing a slight chuckle to Bee. "I just don't know how, alright."
"Well, how else are you going to do it but by being honest? I mean, it worked out for Sides' over here." The blonde directed a finger towards the other holoform, noticing how Sam raised his head and the other mech jolted alive.
"What?" The two question in unison, Sam holding a raised eyebrow while Sideswipe looking like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Oh? If I remember right, you and Strongarm- a friend of ours- hated each other's engines before you confessed to her." Bee recalled within in his processor.
"Bee! Don't just bring up unnecessary stuff!"
"And after he did, she fell completely helm over pede for him." Bee continued, ignoring the calls from silver holoform.
"BEE!"
"What?" The blonde asked innocently, feigning innocence and pretending as if nothing important had come out of his mouth. "Am I wrong though?" Sam's brow lifted higher whilst he listened.
Sideswipe stopped himself from shouting and denying, flushing as he turned away. He coughed and looked back, prepared to say something, but second-checking himself once more. It was difficult to speak about his relationship openly. Especially with the pair of human eyes on him.
"Umm, wow. Did that all really happen?" Sam asked.
"… Yes… It was, and still is, the greatest moment of my life. And I completely agree with Bee here. Even if he brought it up quite abruptly, it does get better after you tell them." Sideswipe stated.
"… And if it doesn't turn out the way everyone wants it to?" The human gulped.
"Then you swallow up your pride and accept it. Since it's Optimus, even if he did reject you, which he won't, he'd still maintain his friendship with you after all of it."
"But how do you know he won't?" A little wary on how they were so certain of themselves.
"Mmm… He just won't." The silver-haired holoform responded.
"But-"
"He won't." The two mechs assured, confirming their answers for the last time. Sam was anxious about how sure they were, which meant they had a reason to know. In any case, the young adult inspected both of their faces, noting how both have the eyes of the Prime when giving another one of his grand speeches. Eyes that say they cannot lie the moment they speak.
Exhaling air, he turned away from the two. "… Thanks, guys."
The pair chuckled before continuing on with their conversations. A few minutes passed and Bee and Sides' were now sharing their past experiences in a relationship, as well as their basic opinions on any 'dumb' ideas' the teen would cook up. This included elaborate schemes to get away from the leader, the thought of rejection that worried Sam- and quite frankly, a small part of the Autobots-, and his plan of hiding if Elita hears about any of it. They encouraged him to go for it soon and tell Optimus, stopping when footsteps were heard behind them.
Soon enough, more and more people began to join them. First Sunstreaker, Mirage and Jolt. Then Ironhide, Skids and Mudflap, as well as a few soldiers. Next was surprisingly the small crew members of Lumos Aria, Arcee included among the fembots. 'All but Elita… huh…' Sam didn't think any more on that. And second to last was Prowl, Ratchet, and the rest of the humans on base, each taking their own seat and discussing on what they had been called up for. A few going to the main source of the rumours and questioning Sam. But he dismissed them all to taking a spot on the roof.
Each took their positions comfortably while the young human opened his phone once more. 11:56. Quickly, he asked Bee to com Optimus once more, which the blonde replied that he was on his way. With just a few minutes before midnight, the Prime had arrived, surprised to see so many already sitting and waiting. Finding that there was barely any spot for him left, his holoform chose to stand behind Sam. Like most of the Autobots, he was curious on what they were doing here.
Kneeling down to the teen's back, he whispered quietly. "Why had you called us up here?" Once more, Sam checked his phone, watching as it had turned to 11:59. Shutting the device, he pocketed it before looking up towards the sky. Coughing to clear his throat, he raised his voice, the soldiers helping by shushing the rest.
"Alright everybody! Look up ahead and you'll be able to see what we've been working on the past week! A gift for most of the Autobots as well as a human tradition!"
Most learned over the time that questioning Sam was not a great idea, and so view the dark night sky. Nothing different than any other night on the planet as the stars lit up the sky. About to turn away, their attentions were drawn to Sam when a countdown began. "10. 9. 8. 7. 6-" The other soldiers joined in as they counted down the night, the Cybertronian and slightly anxious for a moment. Unknowingly, the entire world was counting down along with them. William, his wife and daughter. Epps, his fiancé and children. Leo, Seymour, Keller. Even the governments were looking to the skies of their cities. Sam thought of his own family counting down from the heavens.
"5! 4! 3! 2! 1!"
Dead silence which frightened everyone. Then there was a sort of whistling in the air, making the Autobots jump when the first firework went off. They were all ready to release their holoforms and locate the 'Con attacking them, but as each looked closer at the attacks, it wasn't aimed anywhere near them. Plus, the beautiful colours from those shots were a dead giveaway that it wasn't an attack. Soon they forgot about dropping their holoforms and continued to watch in awe. A multitude of colours painted the sky. Red, blue, green, orange and gold, sometimes white. Part-way through, the population soon gave their cheers and whistles while the humans enjoyed watching the faces of their Cybertronian friends light up with wonder and amazement. Each time a different colour would join the fray, a small twinkle in their eyes could be seen.
In the middle of the light show, Optimus had sat himself down behind Sam, placing both of his legs beside the teen. Sam had noticed and flushed greatly when something firm had snuck up onto his back. Luckily, Optimus had saved him the embarrassment of wrapping his arms around Sam. Must be because of the bruise on his shoulder the Prime was still fussing over. That didn't matter right now though. What did matter was that everything would go according to plan. And so far, it has. Tilting his head behind, Sam observed the leader's face, noting how he hadn't dropped his eye down from the lights. A smile tugged itself on the Witwicky's lips as he returned his gaze back to his piece of work.
They all sat and watched for a full ten minutes until the last and grandest burst of colours had come, rising the ends of most of their hair and sending shivers down their spines. The mob clapped, whistled and cheered as the show ended, everyone chatting in groups about the surprise they received. Then they turned to the one who presented the show and gave their solemn gratitude, ignoring how he was positioned in between the leader. Their talks dragged out a little longer than expected as most had questions on how such effects were done and how long it took for Sam to plan and organise it. The questions were humbly answered while they silenced themselves whenever the sole human would talk.
Gradually, the group began to grow tired, the humans being the first to leave for the night. Then one by one, the Autobots filed away in small groups as well. Sam waved each individual a goodbye, deciding to leave last for the night. Bee and Sideswipe were the last pair to leave, Sam assuring that he'll leave soon, Optimus deciding to keep him company until then. When the Prime turned away, the two mechs gave Sam smug grins while he flushed at what must've been going on in their heads.
Finally out of sound and out of sight, Sam turned back up to the sky. He and Optimus hadn't inched away from their positions as one way would lead to a fall that'd surely kill Sam, and the other way brought them a tad too close to one another. The smoke from the fireworks had cleared and the night sky was once again viewable, its stars and planets blinking towards the Earth. Albeit Sam took pleasure in the sight of stars, Optimus simply enjoyed the presence of the other.
Then, Optimus spoke.
"… Thank you…"
"For what?"
"Hmm… Everything."
"'Everything'-Everything?" He inquired. The two arms the mech had been keeping by his side all this time till now, now lifted and wrapped themselves around the human's body. Sam felt warmth encasing him while his body heated to levels way beyond that of the norm.
"Everything." Optimus repeated, nuzzling his chin on Sam's head. The Witwicky felt his heart raced and hoped that it was just him that the leader was talking a lot deeper and slower. Almost the right amount to push him over the edge and confess. It was something that he had wanted for a long time; attention from the Prime that wasn't anything 'bad'.
… But, Samuel had to draw the line there. Using both hands, he pulled the arms away and gave a light nudge on the holoform's chest, separating the two.
The mech gave a bewildered look, his face morphing to that of disappointment right after. "… F-Forgive me… I just thought-"
"I know what you were thinking." Sam interrupted, looking back to the sky. "And you're probably right." A spark of hope lit up inside Optimus' spark, but was reduced greatly after what the human had said next. "But not now. Not like this." Abruptly squirming over the leader's leg, he stood up on both feet. Optimus quickly followed and soon they were standing face to face with each other.
A small wind blew on them, creating the most cliché scene the human had ever been put in. Then, Sam spoke. "Before I can say what I want, and you say what you want, I need you to know you'd be crossing the line completely if you did. If you do, I can't change how I… how I feel about you. Not at all. I'm an utter mess because of that… Sorry…"
Optimus knew he had to say something, but he felt that the young adult was only pausing, and so waited.
"… Before you do make the choice, think about all the shit that's going to come. Elita, the Autobots, and the future. Are you taking all of their opinions in on this? Will everything be the same? How are they all going to be affected? But most importantly, is you. How others are going to see you with me? Do you trust me enough to start the relationship? Are you going to be happy with the choice? … Are you going to be happy with me…?" The last question coming out a bit more depressing than Sam hoped.
But it did have somewhat the desired effect. The leader was placed into silent thought while the questions were switched around inside his head. Then he began to think about when the entire fuss started. The moment he landed on Earth- no…- the moment they had shot the AllSpark into space, he hadn't thought that he'd end up in such a situation. But maybe because of all of it, that he had been given a chance. One freedom of right to make a choice, here and now. The time he had been with the Witwicky replayed in front of his processor. The meeting, the death, the revival. The separation, the return, the victories, the defeats. The good and bad, every single second of it, and his spark pulsed at random intervals of each of those times. Sort of a foreshadowing of his future.
Comparing all of that, to the rest of his memories, he could say his greatest moments were beside Samuel. Though his darkest moments were hidden in the time periods as well, it was only because of the young adult that Optimus Prime was still following his will till this day. And along with all of his memories, ideas and predictions of the future arose. His life with and without the Witwicky. Honestly, he'd crumble under the depression that'd more than likely follow, after Sam and Elita have chosen to leave. But it'd mean that he'd be keeping them safe. A power figure like him would only attract the worst kind of attention. On the other hand, he'd follow his spark and faced the troubles that'd threaten the human's life.
Of course, all of this was thought out within his office before, and even then, he still hadn't made a decision. Was he going to make the choice on Optimus Prime's choice, or Orion Pax's choice?
…
…
Five minutes of silence passed as Sam began to grow worried at the faces Optimus drew upon. But when the holoform had finally pried his lips open, he opened and closed them many times. Finally, he found the words to say, but they weren't what Sam had expected. Not at all. He expected a quick understanding nod that said the leader would back off, the human's feelings crushed in the process as he soon descends into depression. All of that washed away with the next line.
"Sam, I swear, on my title and life, that I will not regret my decision right now. I…" His voice went low for a moment, before repeating itself back in regular volume. Sam lost his breath at the next few words. "… I-I love y-you, Samuel James Witwicky. I have been for a while now, yet I refused to believe it. And for that, I am sorry. But now, I have chosen to be with you, and I hope you can honour me with the same feelings. I-I love you, Sam."
Tears stung his eyes. Sam could barely hold it any longer whilst liquid rolled out of his eyes. More only followed when Optimus took the first step closer to himself. Though his breath was shaky, he inhaled deeply and spoke slowly. His voice shuddered from the emotions running through him, but he pressed his words out as clear as he could.
"O-O-Orion, p-please… If you c-come any cl-closer... I-I can't stop. I just can't. I can't s-stop loving y-you." He then shook his head lightly, taking his own step back. "N-not now, not e-ever."
"… Then, I'm sorry." The mech's movements slowed down, but without any regrets and a smile on his face, he took the next two steps, closing the gap between them. "It seems I can't stop loving you myself."
In an instant, two fingers caught his lower chin and his head was lifted an inch higher. Their eyes met as they took in the sight of the other. Optimus noticing how Sam's eye were the right shade of brown to bounce the light off the moon and make it look amber. Though murky from tears, it only added to the appeal. Sam took sight of the blue eyes he's seen many times. Blue lustrous orbs now in the form of irises rather than optics. Yet still holding the exact amount of care and pride within them.
They could only stare for so long as the scene played out like before in the deadlocked room. The distance between them began to close, centimetre by centimetre. Their eyes start dipping as each other's breath rolled off their cheek. And finally, their lips made contact, a reaction coming out of both of them. Optimus felt his spark send out the pulse when finding ones sparkmate, giving out in relief from all the pain he's been given in the past few months. Hell, the past few years on Earth. Sam felt as worlds had just collapsed from the sheer amount of weight lifted off his shoulders. All the stress and suffering dealt in his life leading to one grand happy moment for once.
The two held the chaste kiss for as long as they could before giving out for air, both in a dishevelled state before falling back into each other again, their lips meeting. This time, both were a little more daring, their arms wrapping around the other's waist and back, clutching as if their lives were on the line. Luckily, the second kiss was much shorter than the first, the two pulling out in a matter of seconds to stare at each other once more.
Relieving one arm off of Sam's waist, Optimus dragged the limb up to wipe the last remnants of tears shed, making sure of himself to be as gentle as he could. And when the last drop was gone, he followed it with a small peck on the young adult's forehead. Soon morphing to little whispers while his chin rested on the head.
"I'm sorry… for everything I've put you through the past months. Had I listened to everyone, and myself a little more, then I could've saved you from everything."
Sam didn't like the tone the leader put on, especially after something momentous had just happened. Using his own hands, he cuffed the holoform's cheeks and pulled back to level their gaze. "Don't say that. That would mean that I was at fault as well. For not being entirely truthful to you." The Prime, about to speak, was stopped with a few fingers on his lips. Then Sam continued. "But I know it isn't my fault either. So don't think that you're the only one… Now," A smile now appearing on his face. "I'm going to lift my fingers, but don't say anything dumb."
The small joke cracked a smile on the leader, even after the hand left. And then the unexpected happened. "Wouldn't dream of it." He chuckled. Chuckled. Optimus Prime, aka Orion Pax, chuckled. And it was a damn good one! The laugh was almost contagious if not for the tone behind it. Masculinity basically reverberated off of the sound, in a way that it had been an instant aphrodisiac for the human.
Unwillingly, words left his mouth before he realised. "Holy shit. You chuckled." This prompted another small laugh from the Cybertronian. And though small, it confirmed that the first was definitely a laugh.
"So I did. Should I be surprised?"
"Oh come on. Even the others said-… You know what, just whip it out as a party trick next time in front of them." Another laugh shook through the leader, this time Sam looked away and reached a hand down in search of his phone. "At least let me get a video of it."
The leader settled into a simple smile before leaning in again. "Why? You'll be hearing it more often than you think." Quickly, he pecked Sam's lips and began leading the Witwicky inside.
With all the vibes the mech was giving off, Samuel couldn't help but feel that the night was going to escalate. And though a part of his head said that he should allow it to, he resisted the urge to jump the holoform on the spot just because of a misunderstanding. So he allowed himself to enjoy the dream he'd wanted with Orion.
It was only a short five-minute walk in silence, but Optimus seemed to enjoy every moment of it in comparison with Sam who had that nagging anxiety in his head the way the Prime pressed a palm on his shoulder. It didn't help how he'd also throw random compliments at the young adult several times during the walk, and would then proceed to a small chuckle at Sam's reaction. 'But dear God, that laugh is going to be the death of me.' He thought.
His worries were put to rest when Optimus came to a stop at the last corridor before the living quarters. Then Optimus has the idea to do the most gentlemanly thing Sam could think of. So much so that he was beginning to question if he wasn't really hallucinating… either that or his mum and dad had been lying to him his whole life and had been telling him that he was a male. A goodnight, a chaste kiss, then a small bow before leaving.
This of course blew Sam up into a cloud of steam and made him a red hot mess, but he sucked it up and turned the corner. Making a bee line towards his room door, he pulled key out ready to unlock it, hopefully stashing the night away to one of the few great memories to have ever happened in his life. To remember each word and action the mech had offered him and all the advice everyone else gave. Sort of like a… marriage…
Sam blushed lightly and shook his head. He was thinking way too far ahead at that point. Something soon struck him odd as he pushed the key into the hole. The door was unlocked. Did he forget to lock it? No. He remembered specifically to check everything he did today, even if it hadn't anything to do with his surprise. And he was certain that he locked the door on the way out in the morning. Then, someone must've opened it.
Sam readied himself for any surprises by slightly pushing the door, waiting for anyone to still be in there. And as the door creeped open, two hands found themselves around his neck in an instant, the grip tightening while he gagged out for a moment. The strength was unimaginable as Sam could only try to loosen the grip by only two fingers before they clasped around even harsher.
A voice finally appeared, revealing who the attacker was.
"I w-warned you…" Elita sobbed out, her tone revealing that she was crying. Crying in pain hurt. And yet, there was no sign of mercy behind those words.
The Witwicky continued to struggle under the choke as he felt his feet being slowly lifted, directing some strength to his legs to reduce the air loss. But it was barely any good as the hands only dug around his neck harder and his eyesight started to blacken around the edges. The idea of calling out for help had sprung up, but the words weren't at loud enough for any other soul except for the two to hear. For a moment, Sam was grateful as it was the weakest sounding call he'd ever made. But given the situation that he was dying, it didn't matter.
His legs were the next to give out as he lost most of his strength to even put up a fight and the burning sensation in his lungs called for air. Sam didn't know what else he could do other than lower his eyes slowly and pray for any sort of miracle to come. The blackness at the ridges of his eyesight expanded fully and took his sight, only leaving him to rely on his other weak senses.
… At that point, Sam wished his life was just a bit longer. He would've had more time with Optimus. Enjoying the moments they were together. With everyone else as well. He wished that he wouldn't have to die here, murdered and probably not even a single soul could name Elita as the one to have done it. But could this have been avoided in any way? Elita hated humanity the moment she got here, even more so of Sam. Even so, maybe he could've tried a little harder to befriend her or at least come to a mutual standing like some of the other Autobots.
But no, even if he did meet eye-to-eye with one another, he couldn't have taken back his feelings for Optimus no matter what and neither was she about to. So it was truly all in vain at the end.
Nevertheless, had he done so in the past, given up until the end. He fought back until the finale. Even coming back from death. Sam kept his hope alive and his mind awake as long as he could, returning light back to his eyes for only a flash before dropping back down. Still, it meant he was still alive and any hope or miracle would come.
… And so, one did. One minute of choking had taken his time, the next he was freed and allowed to breathe again, not mattering that his body had crashed to the ground on his chest. Inhale, exh- A coughing fit starts. He tried again, this time holding the breath as long as he could and releasing it slowly as well. Yet, he still coughed.
Now that oxygen had returned to his brain and he could think properly again, he wondered why he was still alive. Sam flipped onto his side and looked back to the entrance, where not a single person was standing. At least for an entire minute as he waited for Elita to return. That's what scared him. When a foot stepped forward and created a shadow, Sam got ready to run with what little of weak energy he had. It wasn't until the body pushed forward did he recognise the silhouette.
Orion didn't know what he was looking at when he came back. Why'd he come back in the first place? He didn't know, just that his spark told him to race back to Sam. And when he found that the door to the young adult's room was open, it was more than a sign that something was off. His mind raced as he came to a stop at the entrance. Orion took one glance at the body on the ground and had a surge of emotions rushing through his heart. Anger. Regret. Pain. Guilt. Frustration. Surprise. Worry, and many more that had come.
"Or-" Sam brought himself into a coughing fit, sliding down to the ground while blood coughed up his throat. The holoform wasted no time as he rushed to his love's side. He didn't know what had happened in the few short minutes they were separated, but he knew that it won't be left alone. Especially when his beloved had been painted by dark bruises circling around his neck.
