A World Beyond Our Own | TFP AU

17 || Nightmare

Taylor woke with a start, a sharp gasp escaping her as she shot up. She was drenched in a cold sweat, her hair plastered to her head and her shirt stuck to her skin. The nightmare felt so real, she nearly forgot where she was.

She took a few moments to breathe and examine her surroundings. Yep, still in Ratchet's den. Taylor jumped a little when she felt something touch her back, but relaxed when she realized it was only Ratchet's flank.

The silver-haired girl watched him sleep for a little bit. His flank slowly rose and fell with each breath, his nostrils flaring just a bit as air escaped through them. He had placed his head between his front paws, as usual.

He looks so peaceful. She thought, slowly reaching out to stroke one of the large orange spines on his head. There were two of them and they honestly made him look like he had big orange eyebrows, which always used to make her giggle.

She turned her attention to the medic's healing wounds. She slowly brushed her hand over the exposed patches of skin that were once covered with scales. Looking closely, she could see new ones already beginning to grow in.

The painful memory of him laying there, covered in blood after being attacked by Megatron, flashed through her mind and she winced, looking away. She had almost lost him that day. She didn't want to think about it anymore.

Taylor quietly got to her feet, careful not to disturb Ratchet as she stepped over his tail. She walked over to the entrance of the den and peered outside. The crisp air nipped at her nose and chilled her to the bone. The moon was bright tonight. It allowed her to see the little sparkles dancing through the night air. Snowflakes. The white bits of frozen water fluttered around before reaching the ground, melting upon impact. The ground must not be cold enough for them to stick yet.

Although she missed her home dearly, Taylor couldn't bring herself to leave this place. It was so beautiful. It made her think of how other people didn't appreciate nature, preferring to tear it apart in order to build cities and supermarkets instead. She wondered how Ratchet and the others had lived out here for so long, yet had never encountered humans before (besides herself). Ratchet had said he would tell her about their history, but he must've forgotten about it. She didn't blame him. Based on what Megatron had said when they were prisoners, it must be a painful memory.

"Unable to sleep?"

A deep voice caused her to jump, a small squeak of surprise escaping her. She turned her head and saw Optimus standing there, his kind blue eyes gazing down at her. She relaxed, not wanting him to think that she was upset or scared.

"Yeah, I guess so..." She mumbled, forcing a bit of a smile as she rubbed her arms. The cold was getting to her. "You too?"

Optimus chuckled softly. There was look of weariness in his aging blue gaze. "I often find myself unable to sleep. Perhaps my mind is a bit overactive tonight." He said, his tail slowly swishing behind him. He looked away for a moment, then looked back at Taylor. "Come with me."

Taylor hesitated, watching the enormous Prime lumber away before running to catch up. Optimus led her to a small clearing that was just outside of camp. The trees were parted in such a way that they gave her a full view of the moon and the stars that dotted the night sky. Optimus bedded down in the soft grass and gestured for her to sit between his paws.

The grass was cold against her skin, the droplets of water that coated them having been chilled from the night air. Heat radiated from Optimus like a furnace, warming her core so that it could spread throughout her body. She briefly thought about cuddling up against him, but thought that it might not be respectful. So she sat there, hugging herself with her arms as she stared at the moon.

"Is something troubling you, Taylor?" Optimus questioned after a moment of silence, tilting his head so that he could look down at her.

He was good at knowing when something was bothering someone, having learned it from Ratchet when he was little. The medic always seemed to know when he was troubled by something, even if he tried to hide it.

Taylor pursed her lip. If Ratchet was so reluctant to tell her about their past with humans, then Optimus could be as well. But, she just couldn't contain her curiosity. She had to know.

"Why do the Decepticons hate humans so much? They say that we hurt them in the past, but I don't remember learning about any of that! Most of us don't even know you guys exist!" She inquired.

Optimus let out a long sigh, as if the question itself had caused him some discomfort. He curled his tail around himself and gazed up at the moon.

"Long before you were born, we existed in harmony, untouched by humankind for centuries. As time passed, humans were overcome with greed. With each passing year, they took more of our home from us so that they could build shelters for themselves. We were driven away from our normal hunting grounds and forced to relocate. Many did not survive this process. Our council of elders decided that something must be done. I believed that we should live in peace with the humans, while Megatron believed that the humans should be destroyed. And thus the war was born."

He paused, looking down at Taylor with a soft gaze. "It was not my intention to bring you into this conflict, but it seems that fate has deemed it necessary. If Megatron discovers where the rest of the human population resides, he will not rest until they have all been destroyed. I refuse to allow that to happen."

Taylor absorbed that information. Her heart ached for Optimus. No one should have to go through something like that. She felt partly responsible for what her species had done.

"I'm sorry, Optimus. I didn't know it was that bad." She said, placing her hand on his paw apologetically.

"You cannot atone for someone else's mistakes, Taylor." Optimus rumbled, drawing her closer with his paw. He had grown quite fond of her just like Ratchet had, but only as a friend. He knew that the medic had different feelings for her. "We must stop Megatron from destroying humankind, no matter the costs. Only then will we have true peace."

Taylor nodded, feeling inspired by his words. "How can I help?"

———

I wanted to write a cute moment between Taylor and Optimus, so here it is!

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!