Had...Had she really just said that?
As in really just said that...?
Optimus was physically stunned to silence for a moment as he looked down at her. "C-Carolina?" he started warily. He didn't know if his self-restraint could take this sort of torture; she couldn't have been serious...right?
But her thumb on his lips told him otherwise; she'd never had such an intense gaze before, and she was staring right into him.
"Optimus," she said firmly, "did you hear what I just said?"
The Holoform's words caught it his throat before he managed to finally choke out, "I-I did, but I'm not certain I heard you correctly..."
She smiled in response and dropped her thumb from his lips to rest it underneath his jaw; gripping his chin gently between her thumb and forefinger, "No, you heard me right. I'm telling you to kiss me, Chief. And I mean now."
His Spark was humming approvingly, practically purring at her proximity; he cautiously lowered his face just a tiny fraction, but didn't quite close the distance.
He paused barely a breadth away from her lips, his voice lowered to an apprehensive murmur, "...Are...you certain that this...is what you want...?"
Carolina gave a growl in half-anticipation/half-impatience as she tightened her grip on his chin. "Optimus, now!" she pulled his jaw forward and crashed her lips onto his, ignoring the sudden gasp of surprise that his Holoform released as she did so.
Her eyes were closed as he watched her, so he did the same; trying to mirror her actions. He was inexperienced; Carolina already knew that, and she was too but she was winging it
Removing her hand from his jaw, she gently traced her fingers into the thick locks of blue-black hair on his head and moved her mouth only slowly; teaching him.
She felt the hands around her waist tighten a slight bit as she kissed him, his fingers gripping the fabric of her shirt.
She kept her body turned towards him, her form still backed up against his chest as she placed her free hand over the top of his around her waist.
Gently and carefully, she traced her tongue across his lower lip, eliciting a surprised noise from him; a wonderfully innocent and adorable noise.
She parted their lips for a moment, tracing circles in his hair as she looked up at him, "It's okay, Chief," she whispered, "...trust me."
She felt his right hand remove itself from around her hips to gently hold her face; his eyes were intense as they regarded her, trying to ignore the sheer singing of his finally satiated Spark.
"...I do, completely..." he murmured, taking in each tiny detail of her face with the precision of a computer scanning data; he wanted to ingrain her face into his memory for the rest of his existence.
Before Carolina could do anything more than smile up at him, he swiped away the distance between them, gently converging his mouth over her own; his Spark absolutely loving the way her fingers splayed over his arms.
What the little mechanic didn't realize was that he had performed some momentary scans through his internet filing; trying to gather as much information about human kissing as he could find.
Some of it was very helpful; he just needed to figure out how to work it. He had all the information; now all he required was the practical experience.
Mirroring her actions from before, he slid his tongue gently against her lip and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride by the way her fingers tightened into his hair; a good sign he hoped.
She responded by drawing out her own tongue; surprising him by touching his before she moved it away again.
Instead, she focused her attention on his bottom lip, trapping it between her teeth gently and sucking softly on the skin.
She could feel his uncertainty, but she loved that he was trying to learn; attempting to map out the situation as any good leader would.
Optimus felt like his head was spinning wildly; he was drowning in the sensations she was administering, and she knew it.
Her actions made him wonder; how many times in her life had she done this, and whom with?
The thought of any other man sitting where he sat right now, hands slung around her waist where his were; any other man touching his Carolina...the very suggestion made the Energon boil in his circuits.
He felt his Spark give off a violent, angry pulse at the thought of anyone even thinking of her like that; and it demanded dominance.
It wanted the little female to know that its energy was hers when she was ready to take it; that it already belonged to her.
Optimus' hand that rested on her face dropped to her neck, tracing circles there as he separated their lips; lowering his mouth to the junction between her throat and her collarbone before firmly planting them there.
He ran his tongue along the skin there, noticing the faint taste of sweat from her physical work; tinged with the bitterness of the metal that she worked with.
It was the most fitting taste for her he could possibly have thought of; and he savoured it.
He felt the ball of Energon within his chest ignite like a fire when her fingers lithely clenched at his hair, her breaths trying to intake as much air as she could.
He held her tightly in his grasp; one hand clasped at the back of her neck, the other still resting around her hips.
Draping both of her legs across his right one, she now sat on his lap as his mouth traced her skin; taking as much information from his internet search as he could.
There was one trick in particular that his Spark seemed to agree to trying. Grazing his teeth over her skin, he then moved to the side of her neck before gently closing his jaw; nipping the side of her throat tenderly.
Carolina gave a sharp gasp, digging her nails into the Holoform's scalp as she did so.
Optimus pulled back, a horrified and worried expression burned onto his face as he held her. "C-Carolina! Did I hurt you?" he asked quickly, glancing at the spot on her neck that he had just abused, his eyes were riddled with concern, "Am...I doing it wrong? I-I'm sorry-"
The little mechanic gave a laugh as she resettled herself, her cheeks were blazingly red, but she ignored it as she exhaled heavily; breathlessly.
"Holy shit..." she whispered. Then she turned to him with a gleaming smile, "Do that again."
Optimus felt his features relax in relief when he realized that she had not reacted out of pain or discomfort; she'd found the administration pleasant.
He couldn't help but smile in response, complying by lowering his mouth back to her skin and nipping at the flesh one more time before she wriggled out of his grasp to lie beside him on the hood of the Peterbilt.
"Let me show you something, Chief." She whispered, tracing a hand from his hair to his face.
Leaning over towards him, she pressed a hand to his chest; forcing him to lean back against the windshield as she did so.
His Spark hummed ecstatically at her touch; its demands faded now that she was there with him.
As she leaned against him, her chest touched his; and he could feel her heartbeat pulsing against the constant thrum of his Spark.
It was the most wonderful feeling he'd ever experienced, having her so close to his soul, which was essentially what a Cybertronian's Spark was; their raw soul.
Her lips ghosted against his ear, sending an unfamiliar chill rippling down his spine.
Before he could say anything, she trapped his earlobe between her teeth gently with a cheeky, embarrassed giggle.
She gently sucked at the skin until she heard Optimus make what could only have been described as a breathy moan; surprised by the sensations that the action caused.
It prickled the back of his neck, running across his shoulders and down to his spine.
As Carolina pulled away to plant a deep, but chaste kiss directly on his lips, he clutched her tightly to his chest; resting her head right where his Spark pulsed.
They both felt the warm, comforting buzz that came from contentment as they lay together on the hood of the truck, each just a little bit breathless.
There were a few minutes of comfortable silence during which his fingers played absently with her hair, and hers traced meaningless patterns into the shirt covering his chest; before he finally spoke in a quiet, thoughtful tone.
"I can see now...why your race engages in kissing..." he said simply; not thinking anything of it other than making a statement.
The female lying beside him gave a quiet giggle before snuggling into his warmth, taking in the smell of metal and diesel that he emanated.
"Glad to hear it, Chief." Carolina looked up at him curiously with a doe-eyed, cheeky expression, "So...you going to stop avoiding me for the sake of temptation now?"
His grip tightened around her as he chuckled deeply; the masculine sound reverberating through his chest.
"Now that my Spark seems content with its apparent ownership of you, I should see no problem with that."
He looked down at her tenderly as he ran a thumb over her lips; still marveling over the fact that a human as wonderful and unique as her, willingly chose to be with a Cybertronian who was so very different from her race in so many ways. "Would you like me to take you back now?"
She gave him a smile and leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on his lips; ecstatic that she was able to do so freely now.
After she pulled back from him, she leaned her ear against his chest with a contented sigh, listening to his chest humming beneath her as she watched the now twilight sky; the sun's rays just ghosting over the horizon, feeling her eyes grow strangely heavy.
"No. Let's just...stay a little longer," she whispered, "...just like this."
Optimus didn't say anything in response, he just continued to play with her spilled auburn-brown mass of hair; marvelling the silken, tangled texture against his Holoform's fingers.
Her small frame was warm beside his own, and it was only in that moment that he realized how much he had been missing out in his centuries of romantic solitude.
He'd never had someone like Carolina in his life before; a partner who he accepted into a mutual relationship before.
He'd had admirers on Cybertron before its destruction in the war, most of he and his Autobots had; but he'd never allowed himself the distraction from his role.
He was a Prime; his people came before him.
However here on Earth, with people such as Carolina or Sam, even Epps and Lennox; he'd been shown that it was not unreasonable to grant oneself a little selfishness.
To be allowed small moments of personal happiness such as a growing relationship with the mechanic, for instance; was something that he had not suspected he would ever permit himself to do.
But it was wonderful.
Optimus felt a heavy sigh escape him as he felt Carolina's small, oil-stained hands curl around the fabric of his shirt as she buried her face into his chest.
He felt his Spark chill with a bizarre emptiness as he thought back to his life before meeting her; about her not having been in his life before now.
Almost instinctively, his grip around her tightened protectively at the thought of it before he bent his head down to whisper into her hair, his breath warming against the skin of her scalp.
"I have waited centuries to find you..."
To his surprise, she made no reply. When he craned his Holoform's neck to see her better, he realized that she had fallen asleep; her hand still clasping tenderly at his shirt.
He smiled fondly before he bent his head to plant a kiss tenderly in her hair, twining his fingers into it lovingly before he whispered again; confirming more to himself than anything else.
"...centuries..."
He stayed there with her for a while longer, watching as the stars began to blink to life against the blackening sky.
He thought a lot while he lay there with Carolina in his arms, wondering just which of the stars might have been his Cybertron; out there in space completely void of all previous life.
He thought about how so few of the Autobots had managed to escape its destruction; and just how many of them might still be out among the stars, having yet to find somewhere they could take refuge.
He just hoped that his last message found some of them as they did for his most recent batch of soldiers.
Sideswipe, Arcee, the twins, and Jolt had all managed to find them and take sanctuary here on Earth; he just hoped that others would be able to do so as well.
Finally, looking down at the sleeping girl on his chest, he gave a sigh and gently shook her; causing her to blink sleepily.
"Chief...? Oh...I fell asleep, huh?" she murmured, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand before stretching her arms.
"Yes, you did." Optimus smiled amusedly. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before dipping his head to kiss her gently, admiring the blush that crossed her sleepy face when he did so.
He gave a chuckle before gently coaxing her to sit forward; gesturing to the cabin of the truck, "Come on now, let's get you home."