(A/N): Obrigada for the request, NE_Striker !
Prompts 93 and 32: "I love you" "Sometimes, I think you're just afraid to be happy"
Ultra Magnus has been on Earth for some time now, landing in your little plot of land. He seemed almost afraid of you, until you showed him the most hospitality he had ever seen.
But, he still doesn't seem happy, and you're not stupid enough to ignore it.

It's been long since the great Autobot Commander crash landed in your backyard. You were, of course, shocked to find that the enemy of the aliens that have taken over Earth just destroyed your farmland had just created a giant crater next to your home, but nonetheless, you showed him hospitality, at the risk of your own life.
Ultra Magnus was stunned at your generosity, but obviously didn't show his gratefulness excessively. A simple "Thank You" would do it, and it was good enough for you.
He simply didn't understand you, and didn't understand what he felt for you. In all, he didn't understand feelings. As a cold, hard military commander, love is lost and replaced with loathing. Even as an Autobot.

So, he couldn't understand what he was feeling. It was familiar, he remembered feeling this before the war, but never after. Oddly, it reminded him of the human phrase: "Love is lost in blood and war."
Love seemed so foreign to him, and felt rough on his glossa. To him, it was useless. Though, he pretended to understand Optimus when he said, "Without love, we have nothing to fight for."

He pondered over the word for a while, unknowingly staring at you as you filled the horse troughs with hay and vegetables. He didn't understand; the Decepticons took everything from you, yet you refuse to give up on the land. It reminded him of Cybertron: it was destroyed, their beloved home, and they gave up. Their only purpose now was to destroy the Deceticons, under Optimus' orders.

"Is something wrong?", you asked him, turning all the way around to face the giant.
Ultra Magnus' optic ridges furrowed as he sat up straight, crossing his front and back struts, grunting out, "I'm fine."
"So you're dying inside and don't know how to stop it?" You say. Ultra Magnus stares at you. "Or something along the lines."
"What..?" He mumbles.
You sigh, and turn off the hose that you were filling water buckets with.

"'I'm fine' usually means something like that here. You don't want to admit you're not okay," you explain, resting a hand on your hip.
Ultra Magnus doesn't respond, and turns away.
"You've been here for so long, and sometimes, I think you're just afraid to be happy, Magnus."
He tenses, and turns to you, but you had gone back to your work.

He stares again for a while, and without intent, mutters, "I love you..."
He silently hopes you somehow heard him, but you never even pause. Sighing yet again, he offlines his optics, thinking you may never hear him.
But how wrong he was, when a small grin graced your lips.