#Would you guys be interested in watching Ghibli movies with Optimus?

[paperstarwriters]

A Tiny Problem

Chibi!Optimus x reader (platonic/romantic) Warnings: none, besides some reckless parkour from Miko

Summary: there's a tiny problem at base that renders Optimus from picking you up. After trekking your way to base, you discover just how "tiny" this problem really is.

First fic of the year!

I wrote this so long ago. Somehow, it never seemed to finish. I intended for it to be a simple, quick one-shot but it's become so long…

I've mentioned the bots as little chibi bots because I wanted to and I thought it'd be cute and really funny. Search for fanart if you want references about what they'd look like, because I'm focusing on cute fantasy not reality here. Alright?

Also just a quick mention but I personally have the headcannon that most bots cannot draw. Any that have learned to do so on earth. I can't recall if there was any evidence of a bot drawing, but I don't think drawings are a common thing on Cybertron, not when the ability to take pictures is already readily present. Blueprints and plans I think are the only drawings while diagrams are pictures that have been digitally edited and altered.

Either way, I personally think that the bots have never seen stylized drawings before, like the diagrams in a book or the art from animated TV shows and movies.

Anyways, on with the show!

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You walked with Jack towards the base, taking a precautionary longer route around so as to prevent the inevitable small town gossip of two kids walking over in an unidentifiable direction. With the bots, it at least looked like you were driving out somewhere, and no one could clearly tell who unless they saw you go in, but at the moment you didn't have the bots. Optimus usually picked you up, and Arcee had yet to show up. She was normally around Jack all the time, but she was called away for some minor problem at the base and said she would be there to pick you and Jack up. It's been about three hours since then, two spent working without any sign of her arrival, another after work simply waiting together before you packed up and began your trip to the base.

It wasn't the first time you've had to do this. The Autobots were often whisked away to deal with 'cons and their shenanigans, but most of the time there was at least a bot or two to scoop you up off the streets. Miko and Raf were lucky enough to be at the base already, picked up right after school ended by their guardians. Would have been nice to get a text about it at the very least. Normally Miko and Raf were reliable to inform you that there was a big mission and that you should be walking rather than waiting around for an hour.

You finally made it to the base with your bags, walking into the front door. Since agent Fowler's many visits triggering the alarm, he's had a new human friendly system installed in the base using facial recognition. It was placed at human height to allow him to use it and for once you found yourself grateful that he'd rather do this than call in first.

The doors slid open upon recognizing your faces, and you began the trek through the blank metallic halls leading into the main room.

"Geez, this hallway seems so much shorter with Arcee." Jack sighed.

He tugged on his backpack readjusting it on his shoulder while the other hung lazily free. His bag was rather light, most things kept in his locker at school, so it didn't matter if he didn't carry it properly. You on the other hand were hauling a lot today. You had promised to show Optimus a few of your notes about your latest obsession while he worked, as he wanted to hear about human culture. Human practices, activities, and study fascinated him to no end, but with the war he could not perform this research for himself. Which is why you sought to learn new things then talk about them to Optimus, and why your back was in the process of committing treason against you.

If your body was a country, you were supposed to be the ruler or leader of the land. You supplied your body it's needs and wants, yet when you ask it to fight for you, your spine has the audacity to cause you harm.

"Yeah, my books are much lighter with Optimus too."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Look, I said we could stop by your place to drop your stuff off. Honestly, you're gonna break your back."

You pouted, jutting your bottom lip out in order to try and convey at least a fraction of your immense displeasure, which had multiplied tenfold at the fact that he was right. "If Optimus begins to stare at me with puppy dog eyes for not bringing my notes you'll have to be responsible for the emotional damage caused by guilt. Pay my hospital bills."

He scoffed at this. "For the last time, it's not 'puppy dog eyes' it's the disappointed dad stare – the D.D.S.! Optimus doesn't do puppy dog eyes."

"It's not the disappointed dad stare! He makes his optics all wide and glassy and blue — when Optimus is disappointed his Optics are much more relaxed."

"Then it's the concerned dad stare!" Jack threw his arms into the air incredulously. "What would Optimus even use puppy dog eyes to get? We all follow what he asks of us anyways, and if we don't we get the DDS."

You rolled your eyes and chuckled. Usually Optimus did well to hide the pitiful gaze that twisted your heart. He mostly used it when you were skipping out on taking care of yourself. It was arguably a concerned stare, and you're sure that the others would have classified it as such, (with the exception of Ratchet who had this cruel technique utilized against him many more times than you) but if they knew of how Optimus would take you aside and ask you with a pout to, "please take care of yourself, please". If that was not enough to convince then it was the wide blue eyes glancing at you from afar with the faintest little pout on his face, trying to hide the expression from his team as he silently tried to persuade you to go spend more time with him, even if it was just sitting by him as he worked. The mere thought of his face was enough to make your heart throb, and with rejuvenated energy, you made it to the entrance, and crossed the room to the little elevated human perch.

You walked all the way to the stairs, succumbing to the fact that you could not climb up the ladder with such a heavy load on your back, and even if you did and succeeded, Optimus and Ratchet would nag at you until the weight of their disappointment crushed you flat. Climbing up you noticed Jack, already on the catwalk frozen still as Miko and Raf began to yell. Or, well, Miko began to yell, and Raf spoke at a voice slightly more elevated than usual.

"Why are you guys hiding?! We already told you, it's fine! It's not like Jack would hurt you right? Come on Arcee, show him how tough you still are!" You glanced around trying to find out where Arcee could be hiding. She wasn't the biggest bot, but she was still huge compared to the average human. Where could she hide?

"Arcee, I'm sure you're just embarrassed, but we already told you Jack's not the type to rub it in… Right Jack?"

At the mention you saw Jack snap out of his stupor, sending a glance your way before he returned to whatever it was he was staring at. "Right, right," he muttered after a moment, "sorry, I was just surprised. What…. What happened to them?"

Them? Who were they talking about? Jack sent another glance your way, as you climbed up the last few steps. His eyes made an attempt to widen more, but they were already the size of dish plates as his gaze switched comedically between you and presumably Miko and Raf. You shrugged off your backpack, ready to chuck it aside as soon as you reached the top. You were grateful that you did. If you had such heavy weight on your back, you might've ended up leaning back and tumbling right back down the stairs. At your arrival, Optimus promptly scurried to hide behind Raf where Arcee had presumably just emerged from. The fact that he was even able to hide behind him, clutch Raf's oversized, hand-me-down shirt in his servo only solidified the sight before you. This was real.

The entire Autobot crew had turned tiny.

It wasn't even a proportional tiny. They had the proportions of children— they had the proportions of a chibi. Those cute mini versions of cartoon characters, namely anime cartoon characters. In layman's terms, they looked like children. They all had a height that would reach up to just under your ribs, a larger helm, tiny little servos and big, big, big, blue glittering optics. Optimus looked like his face should be tomato red. Mouth twisted as he tired to decide whether to scowl, to pout or force his mouth into a straight face, and snapping on his mini mask as he resigned to the fact that neither expression would be able to properly convey his emotions. The cute little battle mask only amplified his optics big and wide, staring at you with that puppy-dog stare while his brows furrowed. He looked like a child about to cry, as he peeked behind Raf.

You had to bite your lip to contain your grin. He looked adorable, but that didn't stop the fact that he was hiding from you. Was he ashamed? Did he think you were going to laugh at him?

"I – What happened—?" you tore your gaze from Optimus, and took survey of the others in the room.

You noted the cute little Ratchet hiding and obviously embarrassed behind the couch. He looked so angry, amidst his embarrassment only amplifying the cute factor he so clearly wanted to avoid. Bulkhead looked pleased as punch holding onto Miko's hand like a child earning the attention of their favorite teacher. Bee was buzzing around Optimus glancing between him and you trying to beep out some comfort to the usually stoic leader, and Arcee had taken to freezing stock still as if you would fail to notice her if she was as unmovable as the furniture around her.

"What happened to them?"

Miko replied first, "Ratchet was working on another doohickey—"

"It was not my fault!" he yelled from behind the couch. Despite the change in size, his voice failed to change. For a moment, it felt jarring, but as you allowed yourself a moment to process it, you concluded that the phenomenon was, in fact, adorable.

"Ratchet was attempting to mend a relic that had the ability to drastically change the size of a Cybertronian. There was a bit of an accident, and the relic suddenly activated and shrunk everyone."

"Well, almost everyone, we were left unaffected! Go humans!" Miko cheered. Raf rolled his eyes.

"Yes," Optimus finally spoke up. His voice was the most jarring to hear, baritone deep in a tiny child-like body. It took you longer to get used to it than it did Ratchet's but knowing him, his speech would give you ample time to attach his deep voice to his new, albeit temporary, form. You'd inevitably decide it was adorable anyways— how could you not? It was Optimus.

"In this form we were unable to pick you up as usual and I apologize for the inconvenience and unnecessary risk. In this form we cannot protect you from the Decepticons."

You couldn't help yourself any more. You flashed Optimus a bright grin and in a few strides you leaned down and wrapped your arms around him before you hauled him up into the air. He was obviously more lighter than usual seeing as you were actually able to lift him but he was definitely heavier than your books. Regardless, you cradled him in your arms as if he were a toddler.

"Always worrying about someone else rather than yourself. Worry about us later, let's get you back to normal, then we can chuck this relic into con hands and make it their problem."

In your arms, Optimus clung to you, optics wide he pushed his helm against your chest. Despite his prior embarrassment, he seemed content to be in your arms, unaware of how hard you had to work to continue to hold him up.

There was a pause. When you glanced up wide eyes watched you from every side. They flickered from you to Optimus, back and forth, to and fro. You couldn't tell what they were more astounded about. That you could carry him, or that he leaned into your embrace.

It became very awkward very fast, but Jack was the first to break the ice.

"Okay, so what would we need to do to fix this?" Jack asked, strolling towards the others.

Ratchet began to peek out from behind the couch. He was quick to duck back down unsure of himself but Optimus turned in your arms and beckoned his old friend over with the wave of his servo. He leaned away from you, forcing you to lean back so you wouldn't drop him. Eventually Ratchet shuffled from his hiding place and towards your group explaining what he should but couldn't do only half of the way. The other half was spent self consciously muttering, and with a smaller, softer voice, you couldn't hear his exact words.

"We'll need to repair the relic in order to reactivate it and reverse the effects. However all my tools are—well—unusable in this state, what more, the relic itself is on my work table and the height makes it impossible to reach—"

"Got it!" Miko and Raf holler in unison.

Raf has his fist resting in his other hand, a sign that he's come up with an idea. Miko on the other hand has broken into a running start before grabbing a railing and vaulting over it. Through a series of jumping and climbing she makes her way over to the relic. Helpless to do anything but watch her, Bulkhead, Ratchet and Optimus all look like they're about to faint. Ratchet barks at Miko to, "Stop doing that this instant; do you know how dangerous that is?" In contrast Bulkhead sits with a servo at his mouth as he watches her climb and jump. In your arms Optimus squirms and flinches at every moment that Miko could slip, and seeing the sheer speed she travels at, he's squirming the entire way.

"Got it!" Miko hollers in victory stabilizing herself by holding onto the relic. She waves an arm above her head beckoning the others over as if she wants them to jump their way there the same way she did. When no one moves in reply, she huffs and with her hands on her hips clarifies, "I need someone to catch this, when I shove it off the table. I can't just parkour my way back with something this big!"

"Just shove it down! I'd rather work on fixing that more than trying to un-squish a human!" Miko rolls her eyes but complies regardless, and shoves the metallic item off the table. It lands with a deafening clatter which the humans and bots alike reply with clamping their hands over their ears, or servos over audials. With your hands full, however, you're left to suffer in the noise, ears ringing even after the metal settles.

Miko clambers her way back landing with a sweeping bow before her tiny Bulkhead, who, instead of applauding her skill, decides to fuss.

"Are you okay Miko? You didn’t scrape anything right? What were you even thinking you could have fallen! At this size I can't go and catch you!"

You can't help but chuckle at the sight. Miko has Clambered up bulkhead's frame countless times when he couldn't offer his servo as her mini elevator. In fact, it helped out immensely when all he needed to do was stand still during a battle for a few moments so that she could climb off of him rather than fall splat onto the earth. Despite that fact Ratchet never looked fondly at her clambering up his frame and although he argued it was because he didn't want to clean human bits off of Bulkhead—

"Do you understand how I feel when she climbs you now Bulkhead? The both of you ought to stop it this instant!"

—it was clear from his nagging that he cared about Miko just as much.

You shared a knowing glance with Optimus before you turned to Raf who had been effectively upstaged at Miko's performance. He looked a little pale and shaken, but meeting your gaze he was quick to snap back into thought.

"As I was saying, we could just provide Ratchet with a few human tools. He's likened many of the tools he uses to ones he's seen me use or look at."

Ratchet scoffed at the idea. "I compared them to ours. In case you didn't remember, the tools I need will require much more power."

"Then just use the stuff we use to repair cars. It's powerful enough to fix Optimus, shouldn't it work for the relic?" Jack pointed out. He settled to sit on the floor beside Arcee, likely trying to make her height predicament a little more bearable.

"And where pray tell, will we get that?" Ratchet scoffed though his sass had less of an impact when he was so tiny. "Last I checked you kids didn't even have any wielding tools and I—"

"Optimus?!" Agent Fowler's voice calls in from the main computer screen. Jack sends a knowing smirk to Ratchet.

You can't carry Optimus and run to the computer screen, so you set him down and hold his hand. Optimus, although looking a little downcast, does not complain.

"Agent Fowler." Giggles ripple amongst the children, including you, as Optimus' most regal tone rings out from his tiny body. "Do you need something right now?"

Fowler's eyes go comically wide. "Never mind me — what in the Sam hill happened to you?!"

"An Accident," Optimus replied, his voice still deep and his hand still wrapped around your fingers. You can see agent Fowler fighting back laughter at the sight of it, and you can hear Ratchet's irritated grumbling. "We are currently working on fixing this but unfortunately we lack some of the needed supplies…"

"Ratchet has a requesting system, anything he needs we can provide, just get yourselves back together!"

Ratchet points out that he cannot access the system rather angrily, and Fowler's grin slips past even more as a grouchy little Ratchet tries to yell at him. His expression is quickly schooled back as Ratchet lists the tools he needs and Fowler tells him what the human equivalents would be. No longer a part of the conversation, Optimus begins to tug you away.

You're apparently not the only ones slipping away from the conversation either. With Jack slipping back to chat with Arcee, and Miko and bulkhead running off somewhere into the base. Raf respectfully stays near the consoles with Ratchet as he chats away with Bee about interesting possibilities.

Optimus leads you to the stairway and retrieves your bag and with far more ease than should be fair in his small stature. He carries it for you and sits on the couch, bending the worn material dangerously low from his now compacted weight, but it stays up well enough for him to squirm in place a little to get comfortable. The movement reminds you of a toddler.

"Since we have a moment," Optimus explains, fiddling with the zippers of your bag. "I would like to see for myself some of the things you've brought today."

He grins up at you, pointing the zipper to you in a questioning manner. Like a child asking a parent to open the cookie jar. Grinning, you take the tab and open the bag in a flourish, letting the books spill forth from their confines. Optimus looks at the haul with glittering optics, and tentatively picks one up. He opens the cover, and carefully flips through the pages. It's careful at first, but he gets excited, reading at a speed that you could only describe as unfair.

Metal fingers flick through delicate pages at lighting speed, he skips a few pages, chapters and other such things skimming through the material with avid fascination. Alas, paper, metal, and lightning speed do not so often kindly mix.

A loud tear pierces the silence and Optimus freezes in place. Half torn from the spine, the frail shred of yellowing aged paper sits like a dead body in his servo. He looks up at you helplessly, looking like a child all over again. Perhaps though, it's the fact that he's looking up at you that strikes you the most.

He looks mortified, staring back down at the sheet as if it were bleeding. As if the writing would condemn him for his actions. Your own writing actually. Notes taken from on something you wouldn't be able to bring back with you. Something that could be easily replaced.

"Yeah… try not to flip through it too quickly. Don't worry we can fix it with some tape."

Optimus' optics dart around for a moment, as if realizing that the others were there, he tampers his previous horror with an uneasy smile stretching out his now tiny arms towards you with the book in hand. "Apologies I didn't realize it would be so… frail."

You take the book. "Don't worry about it, humans do it too – all the time." You give him a smile and another book from your backpack. This time, you plop down next to him on the couch, and despite being smaller, his weight still exceeds your own and you slide against him in the dip he's created. You take advantage of the situation then, throwing an arm around Optimus and setting the book in his lap. You're holding the novel, your arms on either side of him. It was a little uncomfortable, just a little, but it was nice as well.

Optimus places his smaller hands atop yours where you hold the book, and he gently pushes your hand when he wants to flip the pages. He takes a little more time reading now, savoring the words or your company, you can't really tell.

"You can flip the pages yourself you know. It's not like I don't trust you to take care of this book."

Optimus twists a bit and you have to lean back before he skewers you from the little bits and pieces of him that stick out. He winces apologetically, but speaks for his initial thought regardless. "Thank you for your trust but… I think I like this as well."

You're peeking around him now, trying to see what book you had grabbed. The artwork looks familiar the text reminded you of — "oh, you've already read this one."

Optimus looks bashful now, as if re reading a book was something to be ashamed of.

"Ah, is that…. Bad?"

"No, no! I was just…. You're not just reading it because it's the one I handed to you right? We can grab another."

"I assure you, no." There's a picture in the book, some diagram of an animal relevant to the text, and ever so delicately, Optimus trails his digits over the paper, over the picture, admiring the feel of paper under his digits. "I've just…. I've always wanted to see the pictures as well."

Pain laces up your chest, and you can't tell if it's because something is digging into your ribs, or the overwhelming need to find some picture books for Optimus. You don't really care either way, since you're still going to act on the latter. Did you bring any books with pictures in it? You lean into Optimus' smaller shoulder, letting your cheek lean against his helm as he reads. He freezes for a moment, becoming stone still before he relaxes a little under your touch.

Did you bring a picture book with you? There should be something with diagrams… but Optimus hasn't seen the pictures in books, ideally you'd be looking for something with drawings…. There had to be at least one art book, but you can't for the life of you recall if you actually brought it.

You have to pull away from Optimus in order to search through your bags shuffling through book after book after— aha!

Turning back you meet Optimus' wide optics, torn from his book as he eyes you almost worriedly. Noticing what you're holding however, worry quickly melts into curiosity. His book is quickly abandoned in favor of whatever you hold.

"What is this?"

Instead of answering you flip through the pages of the book in search of a very specific page, then open it up and turn it to Optimus' eager gaze. Paper spills from it's confines, unfolding into a poster detailing a wide array of parts of some organism — hand drawn and carrying an older aesthetic, it looks more like art than an almost blueprint like dissection

Optimus' optics glow.

Wonder and awe, he examines the poster, leaning in closely to examine the text accompanying the diagrams. The thin lines that detail the piece are subject to the scrutiny of Optimus, his digits trailing over laminated paper as he traces the lines to what they connect to.

And then his eyes flicker to you carrying with it a wonder you don't feel like you deserve.

"Can you… explain a little bit more about this? How does it work? And what does this mean?"

"Actually," you chirp proud at your selection of books, "I have a book that very clearly—"

Optimus' tiny servos trail to your wrist first, dragging you along back to your spot beside him. He takes the book from your hands once more, and sets it in his lap again – just like he did with the last. Though, this time, his eyes do not watch the book so reverently, instead they're trained on you. Twin spotlights, that tear your heart asunder.

"Please, if it would not trouble you, I'd like to hear how you explain it."

Puppy dog eyes. Distantly you can practically hear Jack gape. If you were not so busy, you'd flash him a silent "I told you so" smirk.

Currently however, you are being manipulated by a mastermind presented with the ability to tug your heartstrings in a completely new and interesting manner, and you, unfortunately are not someone stronger than that. It makes you smile, just a little preparing yourself to go down the rabbit hole and into a long winded tirade.

Outside this little study bubble for you and Optimus, you notice Ratchet climbing down the stairs shuffling and holding onto the hand rail as he descends to the mess Miko left behind. You notice Miko affectionately taunting him, while Bulkhead tries to help, as Ratchet descends, and the grump yelling in return. From a bunch of scrap metal, Jack has begun work on some mini ramps and other such things for his now smaller partner. Everyone seems to be having fun and joking around now that they're all smaller. Later, maybe you'd help Jack and see if you could makes something that Optimus could race around on, or maybe you could join Bee and Raf as they watch things on his laptop, or maybe you'd even help Ratchet try to reassemble that relic. For now, though, you're far too busy plotting out books to get from the library on your next trip out, and explaining concepts detailed in drawings to Optimus seated cozily in your embrace.