The energy shaft was deep beneath the rocks — so deep that the communication signal barely penetrated. The underground light emanated from crystals: blue, glowing, pulsating like someone's breath. They grew everywhere: on the walls, on the ceiling, underfoot, and every step echoed softly.

You and Optimus didn't come here for the beauty, you came for energon (and take it, if of course it will be there), check if there are any instabilities, because this is where the signal came from, but you didn't expect there to be so many reserves here.

The mission was simple: to investigate why the sensors were showing fluctuating energy signatures. Noise, vibrations, unstable energy waves — all hinted at a possible underground collapse or sabotage.

But as soon as the two of you descended into the very depths… something changed.

The shaft was quiet. Not threatening — but beautiful. The crystals glowed softly, as if matching the timbre of his voice as he spoke. Reflections of blue light flowed softly across his armor, along your contours, and suddenly it became too quiet, too intimate for ordinary reconnaissance.

"No instability..." — he said quietly, looking at the scanner readings.

"It seems peaceful."

But even he, usually reserved and stern, couldn't hide it: he felt this silence in his gut, and not as a commander — as someone finally allowed to slow down.

At some point, a huge blue crystal, as if it had grown overnight, blocked the way forward. You found yourself in a narrow pocket of the shaft, with soft light falling on you from above.

And suddenly, when you looked up, he looked at you too.

Not as the leader of the Autobots. Not as a warrior. As someone who had longed for one brief moment… just to be with him.

"It seems… we're stuck here for a while," — he said quietly, but there wasn't an ounce of irritation in his voice. Only warmth.

You took a step closer, unconsciously. The light from the crystals reflected off his faceplate, making his gaze even softer.

And when his hand touched your waist — carefully, testing your reaction – the air seemed to change. The crystals around you glowed brighter, as if responding to your approach.

"Reconnaissance seems to have been temporarily suspended," — he said in a quiet, low voice.

You were closer... He moved closer, harder, but still gently. His palms rested firmly but gently on your back and hips. Your legs wrapped around him as he lifted you — lightly, easily, as if this was how it was meant to be.

The light from the energy stalactites shimmered above you, and…

He holds you close, supporting your back with one hand, your hip with the other. You are in a small, illuminated chamber of the mine, surrounded by the softly pulsating light of energy crystals.

His face is close to yours. Your heads are bowed together. The light of the blue crystals reflects off his armor and yours.

Optimus doesn't look away.

The moment is frozen. Warmth is between you. The mine is silent.