(Please see all previous disclaimers)
After a few more weeks and a couple more intense battles against the notorious Deceptios, Aquaformer and Optimus finally had some time alone. They knew that they were away from the other Autobots, assumed that they were away from the Cons, and figured that they were away from all the humans that might be around. Aquaformer wasn't sure where this would go, but she hoped that she wouldn't end up hurt. Unknown to Aquaformer, Optimus hoped the same thing, as he didn't want to be hurt again either.
"Why is it that we must come out here to just be alone?" Aquaformer asked, not liking how she always seemed to be surrounded by bots and/or humans. She treasured her alone time, at least some of the time, as it let her think. Sometimes, though, too much alone time made her feel sad and lost.
Optimus looked at her. She was a strange femme, preferring to work alone. "Because our Autobot brethren believe in keeping us safe" Optimus replied.
"Well, they at least want to keep you safe" Aquaformer retorted. She doubted very much most of the mechs on the Ark cared for her even though she had done nothing to them except help them fight against the cons.
Optimus sighed yet again. "You have to give them a chance Aquaformer. You know that you don't like being dismissed because of your uniqueness, don't dismiss them for theirs. We are all created to be unique individuals with no two ever the same, even with twins."
"Easier said than done" Aquaformer replied a bit defiantly. She wanted to believe the mechs she was surrounded by were good bots and that they cared for her as a fellow Autobot, but she wasn't sure if she could trust all of them. Many seemed to treat her like mechs had back on Cybertron, though she hadn't said anything as she didn't think anyone would believe her, not even Ratchet. At times, she still felt like a reject from the group.
"You can't please everyone all the time, Aquaformer. That is the key to failure" Optimus replied, showing the wisdom he had gained from many millennia and through the Matrix of Leadership.
"I know, I know. I just want to feel like I have a place to belong and a place I can be myself without everyone judging me for it" Aquaformer answered. She was tired of running, tired of being alone, and tired of being rejected for who she was. She just wanted a place where she felt loved and accepted. And so far, though she hated to admit it, the only place she felt loved or accepted was in Optimus' arms, though she wasn't going to admit it, at least not yet.
"We all do, Aquaformer. Much like the humans of this planet Earth, we bots were built to belong in groups and be social with each other. That was how we were designed. We weren't designed to be alone or rejected by others that are similar to us" Optimus stated, gently pulling Aquaformer to himself. She let herself be pulled into his warm and loving arms, snuggling close as she did so. She sighed softly as he held her close. Her spark was pulsing fast, but she didn't want to just jump into anything, and neither did Optimus. And so, for now, the two just watched the sunset as they embraced, holding tightly onto one another.
Meanwhile, still livid about all the losses he had suffered to the Autobots, Megatron was still trying to figure out how he could capture the blasted femme who seemed to best him and his minions at every turn. She was too big and too ugly for breeding purposes, at least to Megatron, and so he figured when he captured her, he would end her function cycle permanently. He hoped his scheme would soon work, but only time would tell.