"My Sire" (TFA Fanfic)

Ch.6: "More Eavesdropping"/"Touchdown Pt.1"

A/N: MATURE THEMES, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! Now that that's out of the way, enjoy. :')

Optimus skulks down the hall, unawares to my presence as I stealthily use his heavy pede steps to my advantage, hiding my own lighter ones. I often snuck out when I needed time to myself to cool down, to collect myself & most of the time, I succeeded without getting caught. By the looks of it, he's doing the same thing. He finally stops in the hall between the dorms, living space, & control room then stares out of one of the windows in the consecutive line while thinking intently about something. I duck behind a conjoined hallway & drop my camouflage to conserve energy before he sees me. I have no need for my visors either, so I dismiss them back into their place while leaving my face mask on for my own reasons, leaning my shoulder's guard onto the wall, listening. Waiting. I can hear his helm & neck's gears whir as he lets his helm droop as low as his face had.

"Hey, Optimus." Ugh! This lousy mech again.

"Hey, Sentinel." Optimus answers half-sparkedly. He picks his helm up enough to see the snarky mech's reflection as he comes from a different abutting pathway, seemingly from the control room.

"You should be recharging with the rest of your buddies." He takes notice of the other mech's sullen faceplates before furrowing his optic ridge.

"It's not like you to be skipping out on your rest, Optimus. What's got your gears grinding?" Optimus shakes his helm softly as if to ask the graduated prime to stand down from his questions & leave him be, but the other ignores the gesture.

"Optimus, we need to talk. It's about that femme of yours-."

"Sentinel, 'that femme' has a name & your remarks are not very welcomed right now. Unless we're about to touchdown on Earth, leave me be." The washed out prime turns his helm to look away from the other in vain as the blue & yellow mech swiftly moves to meet the other's gaze but he turns again & the other moves again. I duck in time with each movement, avoiding detection each time.

"Slag it, Optimus! Whatever is going on between you & that Pax, drop it. The odds are beyond scary for her & I don't want to see you get dragged down any lower than you already are just because of some sparkling who pops up out of nowhere after everything that just happened!" He reaches to grab Optimus' shoulder guard before having his servo swatted away followed by a furious glare from his supposed ally &/or friend.

"She is not some psychopathic bot on the rise & she is no Energon-thirsty criminal. I am not having this discussion again! Either shut up or go away!" He turns his back to the stunned mech & glares out the window while ignoring the other's presence before he stomps a few steps away. He stops to talk over his shoulder in a grave tone.

"When she winds up like Elita, don't come crying to me."

"She won't."

"Keep telling yourself that." He vanishes through a doorway down the long hall before the sound of an automatic door thudding shut echoed down the corridor. Optimus' servo clasps over his optics as a prominent trail of coolant makes its way Past his clasping servo & down to the curve of his gritted grimace as he stood wordlessly in his semi-isolation. I've overstayed my welcome in this matter. I should leave him alone; I know I'd like for someone to do that for me if I were in his position. I sneak down to the opposite end of my hall & turn the corner while focusing on the area where I was. Data pads scatter as a familiar voice yells "Woah!" before both of us are abruptly seated on the ground amongst the strewn files.

"Oops, sorry, Officer Jazz. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Let me help you with those." I hurriedly scoop some of the pads from the floor as Jazz's characteristically smooth vocals grace my frantic movements, easing them into calmer motions.