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Seeing the captain at work was truly a sight to behold. While you knew him as the loud, bright, cocky Rodimus- when it came down to it, the Prime always managed to get the job done.
Despite how much you tried to assure him you could handle yourself on the ship- there was only so much you could do with body language, limited Cybertronian you knew- the captain insisted on bringing you along for whatever he did. While you yourself weren’t exactly sure why, the captain couldn’t be more assured in his answer.
He adored you.
He adored the way your little optics gazed about the Lost Light in wonder. He adored the feeling of you shifting about his shoulder as he walked; you were so, so light, barely registering as a weight upon him, but he always knew you were there. He adored the way he felt his spark soar at the sight of you watching him in awe as he completed something he thought a menial task- something as simple as lifting a crate or scooping you into his hands.
The latter of which he liked to do a lot.
But who could blame him? You were such a fascinating little creature. So similar to Cybertronians at first glance when, in reality, you two were worlds apart in terms of biological composition. Rodimus was made of the sturdiest living metal- warm colors of the most vibrant variety lining his plates.
Meanwhile, you were so fleshy and small. So delicate and fragile- at least, compared to any bot. Your form squished under any pressure, and you wore additional fabrics to hide parts of yourself you deemed too private for anyone to see.
Rodimus didn’t mind. It wasn’t his place to decide what was normal for another species, after all.
From your spot perched upon his shoulder, you accompanied him as he traveled about the ship, watching how he handled situations as serious as figuring out Energon rationing for the next quarter with Ratchet, or as light as breaking up a drunken bar fight between Whirl and Fortress Maximus at Swerve’s.
Coming to a slow stop in a random hallway of the ship, Rodimus reviewed the datapad he kept in hand for the final time, checking off any remaining boxes on a hefty to-do list. “…and, done,” he announces, ticking the final box in satisfaction. “Yeesh, Magnus sure does like to keep his co-captains busy, huh? Wonder what Drift’s list looks like. Probably worse.” He looks to you as he simultaneously sends his finished report back over to who you only assume is the co-captain in question.
Rodimus receives a reply almost instantaneously, but he merely skims the headline for the notification for just a brief moment before dismissing it. Just another message of acknowledgement of receival from Ultra Magnus. Rodimus would pay more attention when the co-captain sent his no doubt lengthy review of his work later.
You offer an unsure smile at his comment, quite literally not understanding it. Again, the captain didn’t mind, he just liked talking to you.
Bringing the datapad down to his side, the orange bot heaved an ex-vent of relief. The exhaustion of the day was finally starting to catch up with the rest of his systems- he could tell from the way it took just an extra second more for him to cycle his optics and focus on you. “Whaddya’ say we catch a quick recharge, huh?”
He stuffs the datapad below his arm before a yellow hand reaches for you. You back away instinctively- you knew Rodimus would never go out of his way to harm you, but the mech often had difficulty understanding boundaries. You could only hope this time would go better than the last- fully expecting for his digits to wrap around you as they did once before. But then, you lean forwards just the slightest bit as you notice he only leaves a servo below for you to step onto.
You glance up at the captain and see his expectant smile, patiently waiting for you to make your move. You nod after a moment of consideration, sliding down his shoulder, landing in his palm, and pushing yourself off of his frame to bring you closer to the center.
To assure himself that you were balanced before he continued, he gave you a nod and waited for you to give one back. Nodding and shaking your heads seemed to be the unofficial method of communicating to each other for the time being, until either you managed to grasp the Cybertronian language or Rodimus managed to learn English. Both of which didn’t seem to be happening anytime soon, so you looked up at him from your spot in his palm and, well, nodded.
The mech’s smile grew wider at the sight, and suddenly, the platform of his hand beneath you shifted. He lowered you down until you were just about level with his chest. Then, he pressed forwards. You stumble backwards at the sudden pick up in speed, and you catch the captain’s fingers curling further in protectively. Rather than laying out relatively flatly, they come up to form a makeshift wall in front of you.
“Oop- sorry, little bud. I’ll slow down.”
You recognized this part of the ship to be where all the habsuites were located. You actually had your own space- a little corner at the far end of Rodimus’ desk in his room. While nothing would top a proper mattress and blankets, you came to like the bundle of bot-sized hand towels you used as substitutes.
Just the thought of it made you tired, actually, as you found yourself letting out a yawn. Rodimus had heard you make that sound before, but that didn’t make it any less adorable. Humans simply couldn’t contain any little thought that came to them, could they?
“Don’t worry, we’re nearly there now. We’ll both get a good rest.” And after a few more moments of walking, the two of you appear in front of the captain’s habsuite. The automatic door slides open, and promptly shuts behind you once you’ve stepped inside.
An uneasy feeling couldn’t help but linger in a deep pit in your stomach. You try to brush the feeling aside- you’ve been alone with Rodimus before, he would never go out of his way to harm you.
But the possibility was still there, whether you liked it or not.
You attempt to prevent that dreadful feeling from rising any further by gazing out of the circular window of the room. The sight of endless space around you once left you devastated, but now, it only gives you hope. Somewhere along those flecks of light was earth. Someday, you would get home.
You were so focused on the window that you barely remembered that Rodimus stirred above you. He placed the old datapad down on the side of his desk opposite to yours, and now that he was by it, you came closer to the edge of his hand. Routine went that he lowered his hand and you either slid or hopped off- depending on how you were feeling that day- and you would make your way over to your makeshift bed and get some well needed rest.
But, this time, the captain doesn’t lower his hand.
Instead, now he raises you up, making you level with his face. “Must get lonely, huh?” He hums- and for once, a somber look is on his face as he gazes down at you. “I couldn’t imagine being so far away from those you consider friends or- what did humans call it?” It takes him a moment, but his frown turns up slightly once he finds the word he’s looking for. “Ah, right. ‘Family’.”
Whatever his intention, his words are sadly lost on you. You can only tilt your head and furrow your brow in concern. The Prime was usually never upset, why was he like this all of a sudden?
Then, he brings his free hand up to you and rests his digits behind you while his thumb stands before you. Unsure of what to do, you raise your hands up to his thumb and pat them reassuringly.
In response, the captain pulls his thumb in further, resting the flat of it upon your chest. It weighs heavy on your form, but it wasn’t as bad as the last time he was pinching you. Your breath has to get used to the extra pressure upon your chest, and you stifle a nervous laugh.
Meanwhile, Rodimus found comfort in your presence. A rhythmic vibration reverberated from within your chest and traveled up through the nervecircuits within his thumb- and though the numbers barely registered in his system, they were there.
And that astonished him. The fact that such a little creature like you could exist, and have a fully formed life system within you supporting that existence. A little creature like you was capable of thought, capable of communicating.
A little creature like you, a little human, had their own little version of a sparkbeat.
Rodimus didn’t even notice how much his smile grew at the mere thought of it.
The captain removes his hand from your chest and brings it back down to his side. “I have an idea, little bud.” From there, he steps away from his desk- and in doing so, carries you away from your ‘bedroom’. You look between him and your pile in a bit of a panic. You thought you two were going to sleep- where were you going now?
The answer never hits you- not even as you watch as Rodimus takes a seat upon his recharge slab. He tilts his hand enough for you to slide down onto the slab as he lays down, getting comfortable and resting on his back.
You look back to your spot on his desk again, but you should have known better than to take your eyes off of the mech, as you let out a yelp when you’re suddenly plucked up into the air. You’re lifted for but a moment until you’re placed back down again, but this time flat against your stomach.
Yellow plating spreads out beneath you, and just to your left, you see a large red Autobot badge. As the thought of where the mech placed you down finally hits you, your eyes widen.
Rodimus had placed you flat against his chest.
“There we go,” the captain sighs, “comfy there?” The feeling of his voice running through your body made you shudder. It wasn’t unlike the time you were clinging to his neck- except, this time, somehow ten times more powerful.
He rests the hand that carried you just above your body, leaving you a bit of wiggle room, but effectively leaving you trapped. His digits radiated warmth, and in another life, you’d probably appreciate it.
But right now? You wanted nothing more than to go to your own bed.
“Try and get some rest, little guy,” Rodimus suggests, shutting down his optic systems as the first step of his power down. Soon enough, the typically lively roar of his engine came to a soft, idle purr, and the Prime entered recharge.
The sound of his engine quieting down would have calmed you down. Really, it would have. But another noise- another feeling- made itself present, and you wished so badly to get away from him at that moment. But you couldn’t, lest you bump into the hand above you and startle the bot awake.
You feel a pulse.
A pulse again.
And another one.
And another.
Laying upon Rodimus’ chassis, it dawns on you that the rhythmic tremors that traveled in waves throughout your body had nothing to do with the fact that he was a machine. What you were feeling was biological.
And that astonished you. The fact that a being as big as him could exist, and have a fully functioning life system within him supporting that existence. A massive being like him was capable of thought, of communicating.
A massive being like him, a Cybertronian, had his own version of a heartbeat.
And it terrified you.
Not the fact that he had one, but the fact that you were so small and sensitive in comparison to him that you could feel the pulses run through your entire body.
Even scarier, you could swear you feel your own heartbeat slowly sync with his.
In any other situation, perhaps this would bring you comfort. Maybe Rodimus really was genuine- maybe everyone on the ship was. Maybe you had trust issues.
But you could never get over the vague threat that was always there, hanging above your head like a blade tied to a string.
These Cybertronians had the power to cut that string whenever they felt like it. They could even cut it without meaning to.
And you could do nothing to stop the blade from crashing down.
The very thought of it kept your eyes wide open, despite how much your body longed for you to sleep. Mind plagued with terrible visions, you do your best to shove them down as you always do, and screw your eyes shut.
Needless to say, you get little to no sleep that night.