The room was quiet, except for the loud noise and tense dialogue coming from the TV speakers. The Avengers was on, and specifically the part where the portal tears apart the sky and alien armies begin to invade Earth. You were sitting against the wall, slightly pressing your back against it, and Optimus, so as not to obstruct the view, stretched out his massive body on the floor. His head was comfortably settled right on your lap, so that you could reach his face and viewing plates.

He was silent, watching the footage intently. But when the alien ships began to break through the portal, you caught how his body slightly tensed, and the fingers on his hand clenched. The light of the battle on the screen was reflected in his optic eyes, and for a moment it reminded him of what they had experienced on Earth.

“Too similar…” — he said quietly, almost in a whisper.

You leaned forward slightly, placing your palm gently on his helmet. You ran your fingers along the top line, and between them, along his “ears” - those thin protrusions that always stood out so much in his appearance.

He flinched slightly, as if taken by surprise. His gaze tore away from the screen for a second, darted up to you, and something almost human flashed in his eyes - a mixture of surprise and slight embarrassment.

You continued - slowly, carefully, as if deliberately distracting him from his disturbing thoughts. You ran your fingertips along the edge of one plate, and heard his voice tremble.

"You... really find pleasure... in this?"

He did not pull away. On the contrary, his body became a little softer, the tension went away, and his breathing through the vocoder sounded more even.

"A strange sensation... but... pleasant," — he admitted quietly, allowing your fingers to continue to gently explore his "ears".