The base was silent, broken only by the measured hum of the generators and the distant crackle of the screens. Holographic maps and marked possible hiding spots of the Decepticons were still burning on the long tables. The whole room was filled with a soft, cold light that was already tiring your eyes.

You sat on the edge of the bench by the wall, your head resting on your palm. Since early morning, you had been digging through maps, reports, satellite images - looking for where the enemies could hide. Your thoughts were confused, your eyelids were heavy, and your shoulders were humming from fatigue.

Optimus had noticed this a long time ago. His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor as he approached. Before you could even raise your head, you felt as if the ground under your feet had disappeared.

His strong arms gently caught you, lifting you easily from your place. The next moment you found yourself pressed against his chest, your legs wrapped around his body, and your arms around his neck.

“You work too much,” — he said quietly but firmly, leaning his head closer to yours. — “I can’t watch you exhaust yourself.”

He held you confidently, but there was no roughness or pressure in it - only care. As if you were the most valuable cargo in the universe to him.

Optimus’s footsteps echoed loudly in the walls of the base as he carried you away from the cold light of the monitors, towards your room.