AN: for all my loyal viewers out there who have been waiting for me to update since forever, I have one thing to say to you all.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!

With school and lacrosse and finals and all I just haven't had the time to sit down and think let alone write anything. So as a show of good faith, I update this chapter for you! Like always, reviews are always welcome.

Disclaimer: Transformers do not belong to me, only the actions they perform do. ;)

Optimus heaved the final piece of metal into place before he began to weld it down. After several days of almost nonstop work the space bridge was nearly up and running. Which, in all intents and purposes, was great! That meant he could go home! That Prime could go home! That he may never see his amazing lover again!

The thought nearly tore his spark out of his chassis. What was he going to do when he and Prime went their separate ways when the bridge was fixed? He had been too scared to confront his lover about it but he was almost certain the older Prime had been thinking the same thing. The pain he felt in his spark every time he even thought he would never see Prime again was worse than any wound he had ever received on the battlefield, even when he had been facing Megatron.

He stopped welding and pressed his forehead against the cool metal of the bridge, wary of the still red hot weld marks. Cycling air through his vents, (he had done this more in the past week than he had in his entire lifetime.) he restarted his welder, finished reattaching the final plate to the space bridge, and took a few steps back to admire his handiwork.

He was unaware that a shadow was creeping up behind him until he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

He jolted a little from shock but relaxed almost immediately after he recognized the older Prime and lent back into his gentle embrace, feeling Prime nuzzle his neck with his helm. He felt a warm smile tug his lips and a soft chuckle slipped into the air.

"So, what do you think?" he asked. Looking over his shoulder he watched as Prime examined the space bridge with critical optics. And what strange optics they were. He often found himself getting lost in the blue, pupil less glass that seemed to be a window to the elder's spark. He had heard the phrase used by Sari once. He had to admit, the humans had summed up optics perfectly.

Prime rested his helm on Optimus's shoulder plating and ran his servos along the younger bots side plating. "I think it looks wonderful. You have been hard at work since I last saw you." he gently praised.

Optimus felt himself glow with pleasure. He felt amazing whenever the older Cybertronian sent a word of praise his way, no matter how small the accomplishment. He couldn't imagine life before his older counterpart being there beside him and helping him-.

The sudden reminder that soon Prime would no longer be there once he went home cut deep. He felt a wave of utter misery wash over him and he slumped against his lover, unable to stand up against the tidal wave of pain. Prime looked down at him with concern as he noted the dimness in the other's optics.

"What is wrong Optimus?" he asked gently, rubbing soothing circles with his servo on the other's back struts.

"What's gonna happen when the space bridge is fixed and we go back home?" he asked, voice so quiet the Prime had to strain his audios to hear. His spark nearly froze at the thought. What was going to happen when they went home? Were they ever going to see each other again? Would they be able to continue their relationship? He honestly didn't know but he was Optimus Prime slag it! He was going to find a way to be with his new lover if it off lined him.

"I do not know. But I do know that even after we go home to our separate worlds, I will continue to love you." He felt Optimus freeze at the words. No matter how often they cuddled or interfaced the younger still seemed to think that Prime would regret his choice of lover. Every morning after they woke up he would be very shy and tentative until Prime could reassure him that 'No he didn't regret it!'

Despite how many intimate moments the two bots shared, this was the first time Prime had ever said "I love you" to the young bot. Optimus thought he was going to offline for a moment after he felt his spark nearly leap out of his chassis.

He felt his body go limp and he would have crashed to the floor if Prime hadn't been holding onto him. After he regained his footing he looked up at Prime, optics twinkling in a smile even though his mouth was hidden by his facemask. Optimus could only smile weakly back before turning around and throwing his arms around the older Prime. He snuggled his helm into Primes' shoulder plating.

"I love you too Prime." his words couldn't hide the huge grin spread across his face plating.

He let himself be lost in the elders' arms. He could hear Primes' steady sparkbeat deep within his chassis which rumbled as Prime laughed at Optimus' antics. The younger bot couldn't bring himself to care.

For once in his life he was actually loved someone who felt the exact same way.

Back at the cave the two sat side by side watching the sunset on the island. Birds cawed out their final songs before it was time to roost and bats flitted out of the cave into the night for their breakfast. It was like watching one world end and another come to life.

"I could never understand why most bots are afraid of organics." Optimus said. "Most of them are harmless and look at how beautiful their worlds are! I love Cybertron but I don't think I've ever seen anything this beautiful back home." Prime looked at the younger bot curiously.

"Bots in your world fear organics?" Optimus nodded.

"Yeah, for good reason I guess. A while back some bots landed on an organic world. They didn't think much about their safety cause they figured, 'hey, there organics, they can't do anything to a Cybertronian!' Couple vorns latter another ship landed and found their abandoned ship. When they watched the safety footage they saw that the bots had been taken by these giant spider things. They found their bodies a little while later. Could barely recognize them they were so messed up." Optimus shuddered as he recalled the footage the academy had showed to the students to stop them from going to forbidden organic planets. Fragging Sentinel however, had totally ignored the warning. At the memory, Optimus' optics dimmed as cold fury and sadness washed over him.

Sentinel had been one of his best friends besides Elita-1 and look where that friendship had led him. With his other closest friend turned into a vengeful techno organic out for his energon and himself being expelled from the academy while Sentinel rose through the ranks to become Ultra Magnus's second in command. Primus, life just sucked sometimes.

Shaking his helm to ride himself of his dark thoughts he looked over at Prime. The sun seemed to make his paint gleam and, if it was possible, make him look even more attractive. Prime seemed to sense his gaze as he turned to look at his younger counterpart who grinned up at him, looking like the cat that caught the canary. Optimus couldn't stop his own soft smile spill onto his face plates as Optimus cuddled deeper into his side.

"Are the organics like that in your world?" Optimus asked, gazing curiously up at Prime. The elder shook his head.

"The organics in my world are fragile and small. The humans are a young race but are like us in so many ways. They still have a future in front of them and I have to say, in some ways, they surpass Cybertronians in there cunning, intelligence, willing to learn, and curiosity. But I think the thing that Cybertronians can learn most from humans, is there ability to never give up hope, no matter how bad things can get for them, and their willingness to forgive and forget the past. Look at how many wars they have had and yet they have the ability to move on, even if it does take a few dozen years."

Optimus seemed to mull this information over for a moment. He had observed these same attributes that his lover spoke so passionately about while watching Sari. The young human seemed so full of life and happiness and always held out hope no matter what situation she and her friends were in, be it facing Megatron in battle or fleeing from an angry Ratchet after she and Bumble Bee had paint balled the infirmary. Yes, humans did seem stronger than he and other Cybertronians gave them credit for.

"As much as I dread the completion of the space bridge, I have to look forward to it as well as with the bridge we may be able to travel to each others' world to observe the differences with our own optics." Prime said, pulling Optimus close. The younger bot looked down for a moment before returning his gaze to the elder's face plates.

"What happens if it's just a one way deal?" Optimus' optics darkened to a navy blue and before Optimus could comprehend what was happening, he found himself pinned beneath the older Prime.

"Well," Optimus began, reaching up to retract his face mask. "we'll just have to make the most of right now, won't we?" and without another word he dove down to claim his lover with a deep and glossa filled kiss.