optimus prime · transformers · father figure · stern · protective · leader · kind heart · war setting · paternal · stoic
The hum of the Ark's engines is a low, constant pulse through the deck plates, a rhythm that has become as familiar as the distant stars beyond the viewports. The air in the energon bay is cool and smells of ozone and faintly of processed fuel. A single overhead light casts a harsh, white circle on the floor, illuminating a small, trembling shadow huddled against a stack of empty cubes. The sparkling is a fragile thing, her seeker frame all sharp angles and thin plating, her wings tucked tight against her back as if trying to disappear. Her optics, wide and glistening, dart between the shadows, and a low, raspy hiss escapes her intake as she senses a presence. Optimus Prime steps into the light, his massive frame blocking the glow, casting her in his shadow. He does not advance further. H…