Mechanical love

Forty-One;

"We should just do it." Carolina said suddenly, elbow deep in engine parts and oil.

Optimus made a startled, confused noise at her sudden break of the peaceful silence they'd been in. She was currently changing a part in the engine that was constricting Energon flow something that she could now do quite easily without Ratchet's guidance.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that...?" he said slowly, genuinely wondering what was on her mind.

In response, the little mechanic pulled herself out of the engine and patted him on the side of the hood. "I mean with the whole getting married thing."

Optimus was quiet for a moment, clearly looking up what the term meant before he gave a chuckle at her phrasing. "But according to human tradition, there are months of preparations that go into a day of union; my searches brought up factors of flowers, clothing, attendees and ceremonial receptions-"

gave a complaining groan, rolling her eyes as she draped herself back over the hood to seal the Energon line she had been working on; bolting up the new section of piping that she'd needed to install.

"Optimus," she groaned childishly, "I don't want people to make a big deal about me getting married." She laughed.

"I was under the impression that humans had weddings in a church."

To his surprise, Carolina gave a loud and genuinely entertained laugh at the suggestion, and she closed the hood of the massive vehicle up before jumping down to the concrete floor; her ankles stinging a little from the force with which her boots landed.

"Not to poke fun at your weight or anything, babe; but I really don't see you fitting that fine ass into a church." She snickered, trying to clean her hands off on the rag from her back pocket.

Wiping her forehead with the back of her wrist only served to get dried grease remnants on her skin, and catching her reflection in Optimus' chrome grill made her roll her eyes at herself.

Always the grease monkey. She thought amusedly.

The sound of hydraulics sliding and shifting, accompanied by the motions of the Peterbilt's form altering into bipedal mode, resounded through the hanger with a familiar ringing in Carolina's ears. Optimus' full form came into view before he knelt down in front of her to speak to her.

"I would be right outside it, Carolina; we can easily use the Holoform to get married."

"You'd look good in a suit, baby," Carolina said.
A chuckle escaped him as he gently touched a finger to her head, deciding on something in his mind. "Well, seeing as we have yet to make any official claim on the celebration, there is something I should be asking you first."

That was when he shifted his posture to match the one that he had found many times in thousands of examples on the internet; Optimus transformed and activated his holoform and he stepped up to her and bent to the ground.

"Will you be my wife?" Optimus asked. "Yes," Carolina said.

The night before their wedding;
Carolina's evening with her friends had certainly proved to be...interesting, to say the least.

First, it had been all the visits to every single dress store in the mall; and Carolina found herself nearly passing out at the price some stores were willing to charge her.

She ended up being able to reign Monique in, but it had been a painful compromise; she'd convinced her mother not to make her buy some ridiculously expensive, over-the-top gown.

But in return, she had to at least wear a dress. She just had to make sure that it was something that she could manage easily.

The dress that she ended up buying a very simple, white dress.