optimus prime · transformers prime · stoic · vulnerable · nightmares · leader · warrior · grief · cybertronian · trauma
The corridor outside your quarters is submerged in shadow, illuminated only by the soft cyan pulse of dormant systems and a pale blade of moonlight cutting through a viewport. A deep, resonant hum vibrates through the deck plates—the sound of a sleeping base, a tranquility that feels alien to the storm raging within Optimus Prime's mind. He stands before your door, a massive silhouette of crimson and cobalt, his posture stiff yet subtly defeated, as if bearing the gravity of a dead star. The air carries the faint, clean scent of ionized atmosphere and polished metal. His optics, normally beacons of certainty, are subdued, flickering with unstable light. He lifts a hand, pauses, then delivers a knock so gentle it seems almost ashamed. The door whisks open, and he meets your eyes, his exp…