A birthday gift for a one and only lovely @imababblekat!!!! Happy birthday darling, I hope you enjoy this short fic!
Optimus was nervous. He kept eyeing Novabloom from the corner of his optic and to his great relief she didn’t seem to notice him taking peeks at her as she was too busy talking with Ratchet, her adoptive creator of sorts. Optimus liked her, he really did and he wanted to take her out on somewhere nice. The biggest question was where and how?
He was the team leader. Everybody relied on him. He couldn’t just throw it all away. But how offering your love to someone was bad sign? It wouldn’t harm him or his group, but if Decepticons caught a hint of his feelings towards her then they could use it against them all and most of all against him.
”Something troubling your mind Prime?”
Optimus turned and saw that Prowl had approached him. Was he so out of place that the ninja picket up the signs? It made sense in a way since he was the calmest and most likely the one to see if something was bothering someone else. Optimus glanced at Novabloom quickly out of habit and Prowl seemed to know immediately what was in your Prime’s mind.
”Ah, stealing glanced at the newest recruitment of ours.” Prowl grinned lightly, almost invisibly. ”Could it be that the Earth’s Spring is affecting you also?”
”I don’t know what that means, but I—!”
”Wait, wait!” Sari picked up Prowls hints from all across from the room and quickly abandoned her game with Bumblebee to approach the other members of the team. ”You have a crush on someone? Who, who is it?”
Optimus groaned and covered his face. This is what he gets when he lets his guard down. Luckily Novabloom hadn’t noticed. Or so he thought. When he turned to glance at her he could only see Ratchet scowling on his way. What did he do and where was Nova?
”Oh? Our fearless leader has a crush on someone?” Came Novabloom’s voice over them and everyone looked up. There she was, hanging literally in the air, her physics denying abilities in use, as she floated in the air above them.
”You should confess to them! You know? How bad could it be?” She asked and Optimus cursed at her demeanour like she had no idea it was her. She was just so oblivious.
”You know what I say, what happens, happens!” She squealed, taking a comfortable position on her stomach on the air and somehow resting her elbow joints on the air as she rested her chin on her hands.
”Is it someone from Sentinel’s group? Perhaps the dick chin himself?” She inquired and despite obvious insult she said it as if she was complicating him, with a peppy smile and all. Sentinel no doubt would get mad if he knew how she talked about him behind his back. Mechs were surprised by her nasty language, but Prowl was quick enough to cover up little Sari’s ears, much to her dismay, ”Hey, I want to hear also!”
Novabloom giggled, slipping on her back in the air and smiling. ”Or is it someone in our team? Oh!” She flipped around, back on to her stomach in a second and somehow yet again defying laws of physics she pushed her upper body even higher from where her body was laying, stars literally twinkling in her neon blue optics. ”Is it pops?! Because I think you too would make a real power couple!”
”NO!” Both Ratchet and Optimus yelled at the same time and the femme pouted. ”Then who is it….!? I got to know so I can ship you with…!”
Optimus decided to ignore the last part and sighed, felling his cheeks redden with blush as he averted his optics downwards. It would have been easy to let it all out like that, but Nova deserved honest reply. So the young Prime raised his helm and looked her straight into optics. ”It’s you.”
Nova smiled, kept smiling and slowly then faster a heated blush appeared to her own cheeks as her smile widened to the point it must have been painful. When she looked like she might explode on herself she slammed her hands over her burning face, curled up into a ball and lost all control of her floating ability, loosely floating from place to place without a real destination. It was like watching a slow Pong game going on in their living area.
”Um… It’s okay if you don’t like me, I just thought that we could grab some oil and go for a picnic…” Optimus mumbled by himself, but somehow Nova heard him and a second after that she fell from the corner of ceiling on the ground. Everyone gasped and quickly rushed to see if she was okay, but no one could tell. She was still curled up as in pain and covering her face.
”Engy pea, are you alright!?” Ratchet asked as he approached his foster child and Novabloom grunted behind her hands until she was finally floating again, staying close to ground this time. Slowly she moved her hands to the side and eyed Optimus shyly. ”When’s the date?”
After that the duo found themselves outside of the town in a nice real meadow that Prowl ever so kindly recommended for their first date. Optimus as a gentleman was carrying a small truck for them, filled with oil cans and sweeter treats. Novabloom looked happy as she eyed everything from birds to as simple as bugs excitedly. ”This is so exiting! I haven’t seen all these creatures yet! Like, what is this little thing with… Big wings?”
”I believe that’s what Earth people call a butterfly.”
”It’s so pretty!”
Optimus smiled. This could be a nice date. Not only did Prowl recommend them a nice meadow but it was right at lake Erie so there was a nice little beach, forgotten by whole other Earth. Calmly, Optimus set down the cloth that Sari had handed to them. It looked like combination of many different different cloths, but it had to do since it was the only one big enough for both of them. Optimus set the cloth down and called Novabloom over. ”Come over and we’ll have some oil!”
”In a minute!” Nova called as she was sitting underneath a three, eyeing something. Curious, Optimus approached her and tried to look over her shoulder what she was looking, when his optics landed on new life. Little birds, there was a nest on the ground meant for little birds. They were squaring and chirping, their eyes still closed and head bobbing like Earth toy’s heads did as they cried out for food. Novabloom turned to Optimus, excitement clear on her face. ”What are these miraculous little creatures?”
”They’re birds.” Optimus replied and gently guided Nova to other direction. ”And their mother will be very upset if we disturb them.”
”What’s a mother?” Novabloom asked, making the young prime to cough by surprise. He cleared his throat and tried his best to explain, even though he was lacking some information also. ”A mother is someone, usually a femme, that cares for a children or as in sparklings.”
”I don’t have one.” Nova mentioned and smiled. ”But I have Ratchet so I’m all good!”
Optimus, despite barely avoiding a date ruining experience smiled. ”Yes, he is one to care for you and that is good.”
Novabloom seemed to cheer up upon his words as they both took a place on the discoloured blanket and took each a canister of oil. They cheered up and took a mindful little sips.
”So…? How does it feel to float?” Optimus tried to start a conversation. Nova smiled big and wide and put her oil down. ”Oh, it’s the best! It’s so much fun to be higher than others while not being a seeker and I feel weightless!”
Then her smile suddenly dropped into a bitter sweet smile. ”When I floated first time I got so sick I threw up my oil. My friend was there to comfort me when I cried after that.”
”I’m glad you can do it now effortlessly.”
”Yeah!” Nova smiled again, bright and sweet. ”What about you Prime? Tell me about Cybertron!”
”Please, call me Optimus.” There wasn’t much to tell what Novabloom hadn’t already heard from Ratchet, but whatever Optimus told her, she seemed to absorb with such fascination like it was the first time she heard about them. She seemed to enjoy his training time and she especially latched on everything bad about Sentinel Prime.
In the end she was laughing like crazy person to Optimus’ latest story of his old friend. ”I can’t believe he got rejected and kicked between legs at the same time! That’s hilarious!” She laughed, falling on her back and holding her stomach which started to look really hurt. Optimus, as much as he felt bad for his old friend couldn’t help but to smile. ”Yeah, he kinda deserved that.”
”Please! That chindick deserves everything coming to him! I mean, hating organics!? They’re awesome! And seriously, he’s kind of a dick. To you and especially to me.”
”That’s just the way he grew up into.”
”Well he grew up in certain situations such as did I…”
”That’s no reason to hate people! They’re nice to us so we must protect them! Sentinel doesn’t believe in that so he’s a bad guy! Plus, he seriously is a dick. Towards you and our team…! What did you ever do to him!?” She asked, completely serious and Optimus frowned. If you only knew the history between them…
No, Optimus shook his head. You would just end up hating Sentinel more and you would no doubt start taking your hatred towards him. You already threw organic milk ice cream at him, who knew what you would do if you knew the history between them. Instead Optimus smiled and tried to change the direction of the conversation when he got interrupted.
A loud sound like helicopter wings vibrated through the air and bot he and Nova looked up. There was a big machine hovering over them before it flew over the lake to turn towards them. By the size, shape and colouring, it was Lugnut the Decepticon.
”Autobots! I will annihilate you in the name of glorious lord Megatron!” Yes, it was Lugnut. The mech loaded his guns and picked up speed as he flew towards Optimus and Novabloom. Optimus quickly stood up, unleashing his battle-axe, but before he or Lugnut could do anything, Novabloom was already running towards the Decepticon.
”Nova, no!” Optimus cried after her, but she didn’t listen. She kept going until she was at the beach. She picked up a rock and quickly loaded it with astral energy before throwing it at the Decepticon, making the rock explode and shake the evil con.
”You are not ruining my date with Optimus!” Nova screeched, effectively picking up stones and activating her explode ability before throwing them at Lugnut with full power. Either the small rocks missed the bigger Decepticon and exploded on the air, sending his flying route amiss or they hit him and the explosions send him recoiling. Either way, he couldn’t shoot his guns at either of them.
If that wasn’t enough to drove the Decepticon to retreat, then the moment she picked up a LARGE rock was the one. ”I SWEAR, I WILL THROW THIS AT YOU!” She screamed, already loading the big rock with astral energy. Optimus could almost hear Lugnut gulp before making a haste exist, flying into air over them, just barely missing the rock thrown at his way and swearing revenge on the honour of Depecticons.
As the Con’s form grew smaller and smaller in the distance, Optimus was quick to put his axe away and approach Novabloom. ”Nova! Are you alright!?”
The femme was panting, no doubt of overusing her powers, but when she turned and smiled to young Prime the worries almost flew away from his mind.
”Yeah, I’m fine.” She panted and slumped towards Optimus, when her legs gave out beneath her and she fell straight into his arms. Optimus frowned as he picked her up into his arms and walked through the field. ”You’re definitely not alright. You overused your powers and now you can barely walk.”
Novabloom groaned and she even had decency to look ashamed, though she had no real reason to. ”I just didn’t want Lugnut to ruin our date…”
”Nothing is ruined.” Optimus ensured her as he gently settled her down on the cloth. He smiled at the relieved look on Novabloom’s face as he handed him a canister of oil, taking one himself and dinked it with hers. ”We can still enjoy oil and talk while you collect your strength.”
Nova smiled, a soft blue hue over taking her cheeks as she also dinked her canister against her date’s. ”For our date. And scaredy cat Lugnut.”
”To a brave Nova.”
”To my strong Prime.”
Later that evening when the duo had finished their date Sari approached Novabloom, mischievous grin on her face. ”Soooo…? How was your date with Optimus? Nice I presume…?”
Nova smiled goofily like a silly person in love, blush overtaking her face, which she quickly hid behind her hands, but he couldn’t hide the high she got from feeling in love. Especially when she started to float again without her realising it. ”I loved it.”
A loud crash resounded in the cargo hold, drowning out the yelps and banging of metal. With a hiss of pain, Optimus optics peeked up not to see the yellow bot who he had been looking for, but Novabloom instead. She sat across from him on the cold, now messy floors, with a servo to her forehead and an expression of shared pain. Before he had a chance to ask if she was alright, she'd beat him to it with a quick gasp and immediately set about floating over him to scan for injuries.
"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?!", came her frenzied voice as she hovered closely in front of the young Prime.
Optimus gave a nod, fighting back the blush creeping upon his face from the close proximity.
"I'm fine, what about you?"
Novabloom nodded with a role of her optics.
"Physically? I'll be good. My pride?! Smashed. I really need to learn that it's okay to make second trips instead of trying to macho everything in one go. Speaking of which. . ."
The two observed the items Novabloom had been talking about; boxes of energon jelly lay puddled all around them. That's when Optimus had noticed that some of said jelly hadn't completely gotten on the floor, but had covered him as well. A stifled snort told him that he wasn't the only one who had noticed the contents he'd been cake in. Looking up from the splurge of pink goo on his plating, Optimus caught sight of Nova's stiffened expression, trying her hardest to keep from laughing.
"It's on my face isn't it?", he questioned.
Novabloom could only nod, taking in the sight before her. It wasn't just on her leader's face, it was all over his face. The gooey substance clumped together over the top of his helm, giving him a softer looking metal hawk, and clung around the sides and bottom of his face into some sort of energon beard. The femme could no longer hold back, and a heightened sound somewhere between a laugh and scream resound from her as she broke down into a fit of laughter.
It shocked Optimus out of his stupor, having not expected such a loud sound to come out of such a small bot, but the shock was quickly gone when he caught a look at her shaking form. The mesh metal plating of her face had scrunched up around the corners of her optics, optic ridges furrowed and her optics glistening with the threat of leaking some coolant. Her mouth was wide with a grand smile as she gasped between choked laughter and snorts, and a deep blue blush raged across her face.
He'd never seen something so beautiful.
Doubling over to hold her aching sides, Optimus was sadden that he couldn't see her incredible expression to his messy state, but his disappointment quickly diminished as his face softened, and he too began to laugh along with Novabloom.
Novabloom tends to have reoccurring nightmares of her past, and while she won’t tell anyone about them, she is more willing to get some comfort hugs from Op.
Novabloom tries to be friends with Blackarachnia, and ofc the latter isn't falling for any of her kindness till she sees Nova turn absolute feral on sight when Sentinel appears, and the spider lady starts to think maybe this explosive star child ain't so bad.
