multifandom oneshots/preferences

lxxix. leaving the nest-- optimus prime (tf)

a/n: tfp? but works with whatever universe you want

After weeks of nonstop Target trips, goodbye dinners and hugs, and a couple calls to your university help desk, everything is packed and ready to go. Optimus was happy to help you move. He didn't want you to have to pay for transport, anyway. Not after the hundreds of dollars in shopping bags you've been hauling in weekly for the past month. 

Your folks help you unpack all your stuff when you finally get to your university. Unpacking and putting things away is an hours long commitment. Optimus patiently waits in a parking lot until the evening. 

You get back out to him and he drives out of the city to an empty park before he transforms.

He sits down. "Are you ready for this, Y/n?"

"I don't know, Optimus. It's all very new and kind of daunting."

"Hmm," the Autobot nods. "It is a major adjustment."

You take a breath and sit on the ground in front of him. "I'm nervous."

"That seems natural. You're doing something entirely new."

There's a quiet moment. The only sound is a gentle breeze stirring your scene. 

"I don't want to fuck it up," you admit.

"How could you do that?"

You take a pause. "Just, what if I never have any friends? What if my roommates don't like me? What if I'm in over my head with my major?"

Optimus hums in acknowledgement. He thinks for a moment before he replies. "I understand you're anxious about a big change. But you need this. You deserve to see as much as you can in your life. What use is it to help the Autobots save humans and their lands if you can't explore them?"

You stay quiet. 

"Y/n, you deserve this. You can have something entirely your own. It's better to do something scared than not at all."

A breeze comes through again as you watch a group of birds fly up into the clouds. "I don't want to disappoint anyone."

Optimus quirks a mechanical eyebrow. "I don't think you can. You're trying something new. You're going into a difficult field of study. On Cybertron, any academic was praised for doing a major kind of self improvement. Even if they quit, they always got something out of it. Experience, a few new bits of knowledge, some discovery about themself. Let it at least be something to try out, Y/n."

"Thanks, Optimus," you smile a bit. 

"Of course. I'm very proud of you," Optimus places a hand on your shoulder and gives a small squeeze. "It will be an adjustment, but you'll no doubt manage it. And we're here to support you, anyway."

You sit outside for a few more minutes before driving back to your dorm building. Optimus gives you a gentle goodbye, then you go inside and greet your roommates. 

...

hey everyone i'm in actual college now